January 2018

Hello, and welcome to this edition edition of my Natural Alternatives Newsletter!

I hope you will enjoy reading this issue.

If you like this e-zine, please do a friend and me a favor and pay it forward!

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“The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.” ~Hippocrates

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I Am Wishing You a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

IN THIS ISSUE:

1) NATURAL HEALING: LOOKING AT THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY LIFE-STYLE

2) UNDERSTANDING ALKALINE DIET AND ITS BENEFITS

3) CLEAR YOUR SKIN WITH ACTIVATED CHARCOAIL

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1) NATURAL HEALING: LOOKING AT THE ESSENTIALS OF A HEALTHY LIFE-STYLE
by D.R.Joseph Fraley D.C.

As we start a new year, let’s look at the essentials of health. Often when we are struggling with some physical problem, we focus on whatever the diagnosis is, instead of the basics of what it takes to be healthy. However, this approach is unique to the human species.

For every other biological organism on this planet, we take a different approach. For example: If a population of fish began to develop high rates of cancer or tumors, how would we approach the issue. Would we flood the rivers with chemotherapy and radiation to kill the tumors in the fish? Or would we examine the environment the fish live in for toxicities or nutritional deficiencies that would be contributing to the high rates of tumors in the fish?

According to the National Cancer Institute, over one point six million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2016, with even higher numbers expected in 2017. Not to mention the increasing rates of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and a host of others.

According to the Center for Disease Control, America now has more than half its adult population suffering from at least one chronic disease. Again, if half of a population of cows, horses or dogs were suffering from disease, how would we approach the situation. So, let’s start 2018 looking at some of the common-sense issues affecting our health.

What do living creatures, including us, need to survive on planet earth? In simple terms, we need: air, water, nutrition, sleep, exercise, and social and spiritual interaction. These form the foundation for health, they are essential in all animals and humans on planet earth.

Amazingly if we have the essentials of life, our bodies tend to perform very well. However, there are things that interfere with the normal operation of our bodies. Things like toxins, trauma and stress.

Add enough of any of these interfering elements, and disease will be the result. If we had a population of sick fish, wouldn’t we look for some type of toxin in the water, wouldn’t we look for some form of depletion of the natural nutritional or food supply, or would we blame the tumors on the genetics of the fish?

So, as you make your New Year’s resolutions this year, consider the basics of health. Are you getting what you need to be healthy? What factors are interfering with your body’s ability to regulate itself? 

 
We are going to spend the next few weeks looking at the details of these factors, but maybe it’s not that complicated. Are you getting what you need to be healthy? Are there things interfering with your body’s ability to be healthy?

If you have the basics right, most of our health issues will be solved before they start.

The Author: Dr. Joseph Fraley D.C. is the owner of Alpha Omega Chiropractic, 106 Alpine Village Road. Contact Fraley at 575-258-5999.

2) UNDERSTANDING ALKALINE DIET AND ITS BENEFITS
by Dr. Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

Proponents of the alkaline diet claim that eating certain foods influences the body’s acid-base homeostasis, or pH levels. It’s believed that encouraging a healthy, pH balanced environment within the body can produce favorable effects on one’s health. It sounds like a good idea, and it is true that tissues and fluids must maintain a certain pH level to function properly. However, your body has mechanisms to keep pH levels in check — regardless of what you eat. Let’s take a closer look at the alkaline diet and break it down.

Much of the discussion surrounding the alkaline diet focuses on the significant changes in the human diet over the last 10,000 years. Until a recent point on our evolutionary timeline, humans mostly consumed fruit, vegetables, and small amounts of lean protein. Once the food industry came into existence, we began eating more refined grains, fattier sources of meat, and processed foods that are high in sodium, saturated fat, and refined sugars — all of which cause inflammation and contribute to serious, chronic diseases. The alkaline diet discourages such foods.

If you’re researching the alkaline diet, you may have noticed some sources describe it using lofty words like “miraculous.” In reality, there are many variables, diet-related and otherwise, that affect your health. In many ways, the alkaline diet is excellent. It’s balanced and encourages the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables. It’s definitely a healthy plan that may reduce your risk of developing chronic, diet-related diseases. But, does it live up to all the claims?

What Is the Alkaline Diet?

Also called the acid-ash diet, the alkaline diet promotes foods alleged to influence acid-base homeostasis in the body. Specifically, whole, raw, organic fruits and vegetables. These foods are thought to produce a “net alkaline effect.” Advocates of the diet say that an alkaline environment within the body helps weight loss efforts, increases energy, and can boost the immune system. However, despite its popularity, the data has not substantiated such claims. In actuality, it’s difficult to say if the alkaline diet has any real effect on the body’s pH balance.

How pH Affects Your Health

To understand how the body’s internal pH levels affect your health, it helps to have an elementary understanding of what pH is. The pH scale runs from 0 (acidic) to 14 (basic or alkaline); 7 is neutral. Pure water has a pH of 7. Sulphuric acid has a pH of almost 0, and is both extremely acidic and highly corrosive. At the opposite end of the scale, lye has a pH of nearly 14. Lye is also highly corrosive, but that’s because it’s extremely alkaline. The acidity or alkalinity of a substance can be balanced with a buffer that resists changes in pH. Alternatively, you can add a substance with a pH on the opposite side of the scale to try and get closer to a pH of 7; i.e. adding a base to an acid, or vice versa.

The human body needs to maintain a pH in a narrow range, between 7.35 and 7.45, to function properly.This pH range provides the ideal working environment for the body’s fluids and tissues. Your stomach is acidic, about 3.5 on the pH scale, and it must remain so in order to break down food. Blood is mostly neutral—a characteristic that enables it to transport various substances around the body without affecting or reacting to them.

The wrong pH in a given system or organ can seriously affect your health. For instance, the inside of your stomach is lined with a thick layer of mucus that protects it from being digested along with your lunch. But, the small intestine isn’t as well protected. Instead, alkaline bile is released into the small intestine to buffer and balance the acidity of the gastric acid secreted from the stomach.

Health and the Body’s pH

Clearly, proper pH is critical to your health and an extreme pH imbalance can be fatal. Alkalosis occurs when your blood and other fluids become too alkaline. It’s a condition that can be caused by liver or lung disease, low oxygen levels, or a sudden loss electrolytes. Symptoms include confusion, lightheadedness, twitching and spasming muscles, seizure, tingling in the extremities and face, and respiratory distress.

Conversely, acidosis is characterized by a high acid load in the body’s fluids. There are several different types of acidosis: metabolic, respiratory, lactic, and renal (kidneys). Symptoms include confusion, fatigue, shortness of breath, and lethargy. Metabolic acidosis is the one you usually hear about with regard to the alkaline diet, but there are other causes of the disorder, such as kidney disease and dehydration.

Diet-induced metabolic acidosis results when too many animal products, and not enough fruits and vegetables, are consumed. Metabolic acidosis increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, and kidney stones. It causes kidney damage, which contributes to metabolic acidosis.

How Your Body Compensates for Unbalanced pH Levels

The kidneys are one of the body’s primary defenses against acidosis. They accomplish this by sending excess metabolically-produced acids to your bladder to be eliminated via urine. They also maintain tight control over bicarbonate, which can act as either a base or an acid depending on what it reacts with. When kidney function is compromised the body is less equipped to control its acid load, which leads to an even higher acid load. This condition may worsen with age if kidney function continually decreases.

The ability of the kidneys to filter acid is not the body’s only mechanism to control its acid load; the lungs assist as well. Carbon dioxide is a product of cellular metabolism and it becomes acidic in the blood. The lungs are able to increase or reduce respiratory function to maintain acid-base homeostasis.

What Makes a Diet Alkaline?

According to the acid-ash theory, certain foods allegedly promote either alkalinity or acidity in the body. Cruciferous vegetables are supposed to be among the best options for promoting alkalinity. Peas, berries, citrus fruits, and melons are also supposed to be base-producing. Processed oils, nuts, refined grains, alcohol, and animal protein are believed to have a net acidic effect.

Top 10 Alkaline Forming Foods

*Garlic *Mustard Greens *Avocado *Figs *Ginseng *Apple Cider Vinegar *Almonds *Pumpkin Seeds *Green Tea *Tomatoes

Top 10 Acid Forming Foods

*Lard *Peanut Butter *Cranberries *White Pasta and Bread *Beef *Corn Oil *Pork *Potatoes *Beer & Hard Liquor *Butter

Measuring the Diet’s Results

The acid-ash hypothesis asserts that our bodies steal calcium from our bones to restore acid-base homeostasis when blood becomes too acidic. Advocates claim its success can be determined by examining the pH of urine. It’s true that the food you eat changes the pH of your urine. Meats and cheeses, for example, make it more acidic, while fruits and veggies make it less.

However, research doesn’t support the totality of this hypothesis. Yes, it’s true that eating a very acidic diet will cause your kidneys to excrete more acid, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect the pH levels within your body. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests urine pH is an unreliable measurement. Urine tests only reveal how much acid you’ve excreted. They don’t provide complete information on the internal pH levels throughout your body. You have a lot of different fluids in your body and they all have different pH levels. Urine pH can range from 4.6 to 8; blood typically hovers around 7.4.

Does the Alkaline Diet Work?

To determine if a diet “works,” it’s important to establish the specific goals and indicators of success. Is it an attempt to lose weight? Feel more energetic? Build muscle?

From a purely nutritional standpoint, the alkaline diet is strong. It centers heavily around fruits and vegetables, rather than meat and grains. Researchers suggest the absence of plant foods, excessive consumption of meat, saturated fat, simple sugars, and starchy foods contributes to many common health problems.Any diet that includes more health-promoting foods will better support your health than a diet that doesn’t. However, eating healthy, natural foods, may not change your internal acid levels, which is the entire point of the alkaline diet.

Unintentional Benefits of the Diet

The foods you eat may alter the pH of your urine, but they do little to alter your body’s pH otherwise. But, the alkaline diet does offer some good dietary recommendations. A Tuft’s University study of 400 men and women over 65 who followed the alkaline diet revealed that one explanation may simply be the potassium content of healthy foods, rather than any net alkaline load. Those who ate potassium-rich fruits and vegetables had more lean muscle mass than the control group after the conclusion of the trial.

Many of the foods recommended by the alkaline diet are nutrient-dense, low-calorie alternatives to traditional dietary choices. The diet promotes eating mostly organic plant-based foods high in vitamin C, selenium, iron, and zinc; all of which support gut health and the immune system. Sweet red peppers, broccoli, and carrots promote healthy skin due to their high concentrations of vitamin A.

When you avoid foods high in omega-6 fatty acids, you reduce your levels of arachidonic acid, which causes the inflammation associated with heart disease and joint pain The alkaline diet also encourages you to avoid processed foods and refined sugars; neither offer any nutritional benefits and both are common causes of diet-related diseases.

The Role of Proper Nutrition in a Healthy Life

The “efficacy” of the alkaline diet may have little to do with pH levels and more to do with the many benefits of eating whole, organic food. In fact, nutrition affects gut health and overall wellness more than any other factor. Combining solid, consistent nutrition with regular body cleansing will help your body be its best.

No matter what you eat, remember that a diet isn’t a “lose twenty pounds and quit” kind of commitment. A proper “diet” is part of your lifestyle. You can’t do it for three months then go back to eating unhealthy food.

Source: GlobalHealingCenter.com

3) CLEAR YOUR SKIN WITH ACTIVATED CHARCOAIL

Activated charcoal is charcoal that’s been treated to make it more absorbent. It works really well as a deep cleanser since it absorbs oil and dirt to give you cleaner skin. You can also mix it with coconut oil to make an exfoliating scrub or with apple cider vinegar to make a pore unclogging mask. Combine it with aloe vera and tea tree oil to get rid of acne.

Charcoal generally brings grimy Dickensian chimney sweeps or summer barbecues to mind. But this common ingredient can actually work as a formidable weapon in your beauty routine to give you clear, fresh skin.

Activated charcoal is burnt wood that’s treated with gases like carbon dioxide, oxygen, or steam to improve its absorbency and make it more porous. Its absorbent properties come in handy in many situations. For instance, it is used to remove toxins from your body in cases of drug overdoses or alcohol poisoning, where it works by binding to toxins and absorbing them before they get into the blood. This property also makes it great for your skin. Read on to find out how you can put activated charcoal to good use.

1. Apply An Activated Charcoal Mask To Cleanse Your Face

Every day pollution, dirt, and skin oils get trapped in your skin, often leaving it dull and lifeless. But activated charcoal can bind to excess oil and impurities and draw them out of your skin, thus cleansing and refreshing it.

Make a simple mask by combining 2 teaspoons of activated charcoal with 2 teaspoons of distilled water. Wash your face and apply this mixture for a deep cleaning treatment. Wash it off after 10  minutes with a little warm water and pat your face dry. Follow up with a moisturizer if your skin gets dry.

2. Use An Activated Charcoal And Coconut Oil Scrub To Exfoliate Skin

Regular exfoliation improves your complexion by getting rid of dead skin cells that make your skin look dull. Finely ground activated charcoal has a somewhat gritty texture which makes it work well as an exfoliating scrub.

Make a simple exfoliating scrub at home by combining 1–2 tablespoons of activated charcoal powder with a tablespoon of skin-nourishing coconut oil. Massage the skin for a couple of minutes before washing the scrub off to get fresh, supple skin.

Do take care to be gentle as aggressive exfoliation can damage your skin. If your skin is oily or thick, you may need frequent exfoliation, say twice a week. If your skin is dry or sensitive, exfoliating just once a week would suffice. Consult a dermatologist before introducing exfoliation into your skin-care routine if you have inflammatory acne or rosacea.

3. Try An Activated Charcoal And Apple Cider Vinegar Mask To Unclog Pores

Clogged pores can give you lack-luster complexion and even contribute to acne. Skin oils, dead skin cells, dirt, and impurities can all clog up your skin pores. But there’s a simple remedy for this common problem. Just try a mask of purifying activated charcoal and astringent apple cider vinegar.

4. Combine Activated Charcoal With Aloe Vera Gel And Tea Tree Oil For An Acne-Busting Mask

While there are no scientific studies which evaluate how effectively activated charcoal can clear up acne, activated charcoal can draw out pore-clogging impurities that promote acne.

Mix activated charcoal with a few drops of tea tree oil, about a teaspoon of aloe vera gel, a pinch of salt, and a little water and you’ve got yourself an acne-busting mask. Tea tree oil works against Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria linked to acne while aloe vera gel soothes inflammation associated with it. So, the combination may help you fight those annoying zits on all three fronts! Leave the mask on for around 15 minutes before rinsing off with cold water. Remember, though, if you suffer from a severe case, you may need to use medication.

5. Use Activated Charcoal Dressings To Heal Wounds

Activated charcoal can help heal damaged skin and wounds. It works by drawing out toxins and fluids that weaken the healing process. In fact, many dressings use a combination of antibacterial silver and activated charcoal for wound management. Speak to your doctor to explore a dressing of activated charcoal to treat an injury or wound you have.

6. Ease Itching In People Undergoing Dialysis With Activated Oral Charcoal

People on kidney dialysis often get itchy skin. This could be due to a variety of reasons including high levels of phosphorus in the body and loss of fluids during dialysis. And according to research activated charcoal can help. One study found that consuming 6 gm of activated charcoal every day for 8 weeks relieved itching and skin lesions caused by scratching. Remember, though, it’s important to get your doctor’s go-ahead before consuming activated charcoal.
SOURCE: www.curejoy.com

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VISIT THE NATURAL HEALTH STORE
Please visit the Health Store for organic health foods, vitamins, supplements, beauty products and more.

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PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!

Thank you for reading.

Livia
www.natural-health-and-healing.com
Brampton, Ontario, Canada

P.S. If you have a comment or suggestion, just reply to this e-mail. Your feedback is important to me.

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This newsletter is for educational purposes only. It is your right to educate yourself in health and medical knowledge, to seek helpful information and make use of it for your own benefit, and for that of your family. You are the one responsible for your health. You must educate yourself in order to make decisions in all health matters. My views and advises are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medicine, but simply a help you to make educated changes in order to help your body heal itself. If you have a medical condition or concern you should consult your physician.