The Healthy Village Blog

Healthy Living For Healthy People


Aug
4

Protective Properties Of Calcium D-Glucarate

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Studies have found that D-glucarate has therapeutic actions; among these are cancer prevention and serum cholesterol reduction. However, its most impressive property could be its ability to quickly detoxify the body of both artificial and natural toxins which can be potentially harmful. These toxins can be neutralized in many ways, with glucuronidation being one those ways. The process of glucuronidation involves using the liver to neutralize chemical carcinogens and steroidal hormones including estrogen. Once a toxin has been glucuronidated in the liver, it goes to the bile and is eventually eliminated from the body in the stool.

Beta-glucuronidase is an enzyme that is produced in the gut by unfriendly bacteria which can actually inhibit this process by chemically splitting a glucuronidated toxin before it is able to be eliminated in the stool. This unbound toxin can come into contact with the bowel lining where it can be reabsorbed and the whole process will be repeated. When a situation like this happens, cells are exposed, once again, to the chemical and the liver can become overworked. Thankfully, if D-glucarate is present, beta-glucuronidase is inhibited, resulting in a flawless glucuronidation in the body.

These findings suggest that taking D-glucarate orally as a supplement can provide us with the increased ability to efficiently and rapidly rid our bodies of toxins through problem-free glucuronidation. Additionally, D-glucarate does not work like an antioxidant, which neutralizes free radicals, but instead actually forms a type of bond with harmful compounds to enhance their rapid removal from the body. Some of the organs that can be especially toxin-sensitive are the breast, prostate, liver, lung, and kidney, therefore, they can greatly benefit from this process. These organs can be most damaged by the continued exposure to poisons and carcinogens.

Because our generation, more than that of any other, is exposure to a great number of potentially harmful environmental pollutants, our contact with carcinogens increased exponentially. Just some of the cancer-causing agents include cigarette smoke, pesticides, radon, hormonally-fattened meats, diagnostic and therapeutic x-rays, gamma radiation, trans-fatty acids, alcohol, poor diets, xeno-estrogen, herbicides, smog, car exhaust, certain prescription drugs, ultra-violet light, rancid foods, saturated / hydrogenated fats, some food/water supplies, and food preservatives. Although a lot of us have taken necessary measures to protect ourselves from exposure to the substances listed, it is inevitable that we will consistently take chemicals that can prompt the growth of cancer into our bodies.

Additionally, our own hormones can be a threat if they are not efficiently metabolized and excreted from our body. One study found that Glucarate supplementation amplifies the process by which carcinogens and hormones are removed from the body, while D-glucarate can exert a positive effect on different stages of the carcinogenic process. It has been found that lower cancer rates in some populations could be attributed to their consumptions of foods that are rich in D-glucaric acid, self-medicated with D-glucarate, or combine D-glucarate supplementation with other chemopreventive agents.

Either way, the protective function of glucarate in the body’s natural cancer prevention mechanisms has been established for long periods of time, while other recent studies have indicated that the use of glucarate could potentially present a fifty percent decrease in tumor incidence.

About the Author

More information on calcium-d-glucarate is available at VitaNet &Reg;, LLC Health Food Store http://vitanetonline.com/

Published in: General
Jun
7

Is the Herb Damiana for Men or Women?

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Damiana can be used by both men and women. It is known to have restorative effects on reproductive organs in both sexes.

Uses:

For men, Damiana is known to raise levels of testosterone. It is also helpful in treating premature ejaculation and impotence. For women, it helps to induce delayed menstrual periods and ease the symptoms of painful menstruation. It also treats the headaches women sometimes get due to menstruation.

This herb has been widely advertised and used in Mexico as an aphrodisiac. The ancient Mayans used it as a sexual stimulant and people in Central America still use it in this way today. This use is controversial due to lack of scientific evidence to support the claim.

One study found some of the plant’s compounds to be similar to those found in progesterone. More than 150 herbs have been tested for their ability to bind with the progesterone and estrogen receptors found in breast cancer cells. Damiana was one of the highest progesterone-binding herbs tested.

The herbal properties of Damiana have a life enhancing and stimulating effect on the body and mind. The herb works well on nervous exhaustion and to restore the body after periods of high stress.

Other Uses:

Damiana’s stimulating action is considered very valuable to people who suffer from mild depression. Herbalists will typically recommend remedies that contain this herb. Damiana is very strong and aromatic, and has a slightly bitter taste. It can be found in different forms such as capsule, liquid extract and tea. Its leaves are used as a substitute for tea leaves in some countries. In other countries, it is used as flavoring in a variety of liqueurs.

Damiana acts as an antiseptic and tonic for the body. It is also a restorative agent for nervous system functions. Damiana is used for other conditions as well, although no scientific proof of its effectiveness exists. These conditions include:

* Asthma
* Anxiety
* Depression
* Headache
* Menstrual disorders

Damiana has been known to cause mild indigestion for some users. It also contains a compound called arbutin, which, in the urinary tract, converts into the chemical hydroquinone. Larger amounts can cause serious side effects such as:

* Convulsions
* Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Possible collapse and death

A maximum safe dosage of Damiana has not yet been determined. Also, the safety of using this herb has not been established in children or pregnant and nursing women. People with liver or kidney disease should use extra caution because their ability to safely use this herb is unknown as well.

In people using higher doses of Damiana, it is believed that they experience a mild euphoric sensation. In some cases, consumption of Damiana leaves has been known to act as a mild laxative. The more leaves consumed, the more prominent the laxative effect.

Damiana is native to parts of southern California and the Gulf of Mexico. It can also be found growing wild in some areas of the northern Caribbean Islands and Namibia. It is widely cultivated in these areas. Its preferred habitat has a hot and humid climate. It flowers in the summer and this is when the leaves are harvested. The leaves of the Damiana plant are the only part used for cultivation.

The herb can be taken in the form of a tea. Some people even smoke it like tobacco. The herb will bring about a relaxed state of mind for the user. It is said to induce a subtle high if smoked.

Damiana possesses many properties that are useful to both men and women. Research continues in an attempt to either prove or disprove claims of its benefits to humans.

————
More information on damiana leaves is available at VitaNet ®, LLC Health Food Store. http://vitanetonline.com/

Published in: General
Dec
6

Set the Atmosphere for the New Year

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Posted by: mcamblin

AromatherapyAromatherapy and Feng Shui Tips

The beginning of a new year is a great time to remove the clutter and set intentions. There are many items that are used as Feng Shui ‘cures’, things to help you achieve your Feng Shui goals. Some of the most powerful items are those using aromas to activate and motivate changes. You can smell, see, and feel them work. Essential Oils are excellent aromatherapy items and work well as Feng Shui tools.

Once you have cleared the clutter you can clear out any and all negative energy in your environment and keep it away with by diffusing lemon oil. Adding ritual when you set your intention adds power.

There are a variety of oils specially formulated to help you work on your specific Feng Shui goals. Once you have cleared out the negative, bring in the positive. Try the following blends: Magnify Your Purpose, Motivation, Transformation, Inspiration, Hope, Live with Passion, Chivalry, En-R-Gee, Harmony, Joy and Peace and Calming - so choose your focus your attention and get a diffuser and set the atmosphere on a daily basis in your home by using these fragrances.

Abundance oil was created to help you focus on your specific Feng Shui or life goals. Diffuse Abundance in your home and you will not only have a wonderful smell, you will be actively changing your Feng Shui energy and therefore improving your life instantly. Breathe in the aroma as it revives the Feng Shui energy in your home as well as in your body and mind. Smell the wonderful scent and quickly notice the improving Feng Shui energy in your home and your life. Another feng shui idea is to put Abundance oil in fresh paint and then paint with the appropriate color of the Bagua.

Attract wealth to you and your family by setting intention and goals and then diffusing Abundance oil. It was created with the intention of increasing money. Remember to use and wear a lot of green, a color often associated with money and wealth. So have some fun when you set your new years resolutions and add some ceremony and use oils to reaffirm your intentions. Enjoy!

For more information call 303-755-2669 or visit http://www.geocities.com/rdtibet

Published in: Aromatherapy
Dec
4

Massage During Pregnancy

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Massage During PregnancyHey Congratulations you’ve found out your having a baby –What Now!

You’ve heard all the things your friends and family have told about what to expect, Morning sickness, weight gain, pain, swelling Back aches, tiredness need I continue!

But hey there is a plus side to this- the miraculous body transformations altering every system in your body- and with that does come different aches /pains,
SO if you haven’t had a massage before now is a PERFECT time to start! Not only will you benefit from a massage but your little growing life inside you will also.

Bodywork (massage) will ease your pregnant body as it transides through each changing trimester, Improving maternal and infant health in a myriad of ways.

–Eases muscular aches/discomforts
–reduces stress
–Aids in digestion
–enhances blood and lymph circulation
–promotes body and mind awareness
Pregnancy massage will also prepare mother for labour/birth.
Support lactation and can assist in any postpartum depression.

FIRST TRIMESTER MASSAGE
In the first trimester the client is able to lye on her stomach
(obviously if nipple pain is to server) on her side or back.
Deep Pressure points are to be avoided in first trimester,
Long relaxing strokes are great.

SECOND TRIMESTER MASSAGE
In the second trimester the lady may not be able to lay on her stomach so side laying or a pregnancy table is preferred.
From week 13 onwards a small pillow should be placed under her right hip this tilts the pelvis to the left and shifts the uterus off the inferior vena carva (a vein) and facilitating the return of blood to the heart.

THIRD TRIMESTER MASSAGE
After the sixth month of pregnancy the unborn can sense massage of the abdomen and responses to the touch, pregnant women can do their own bellies daily not only when her belly begins to grow but as so as she finds out she is pregnant, moisturizing cream as this is soothing and bonding (great to help with stretch marks) she may even notice her unborn responding to her touch.

The latter stages of pregnancy massage can assist in swollen legs feet, assist lumbar pain /discomfort and help prepare the body for labour and childbirth, plus general feeling of relaxation.

Once the women begins labour, massage can be helpful, the father to be ,can assist in this , circular motions on her lower back can help labour pains, whether she is laying on her side or sitting in chair or bath/shower. This will aid in comfort and reassurance and help him to feel useful.

Massage during labour can assist in reducing anxiety and stress which can stall labour and help replace it with endorphins which will facilitate a healthy labour.

———
Tracy, the owner of Knots Corner is a qualified Massage Therapist, who is visited by a great number of clients with a wide range of reasons for a massage, from relaxation to muscular repair, headache relief to everyday stresses. Massage Brisbane

Published in: Family, Bodywork, Womens Health
Nov
3

Far Infrared Therapy Shown To Benefit Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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A team of researchers reported in June 2007 in Nippon Rinsho have found what is sure to be a great health breakthrough for chronic fatigue syndrome saying that far infrared sauna therapy is showing to be a promising new treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients. This study, which involved thirteen patients from the Masuda Clinic in Japan, has offered important insight into CFS treatment. In this study, thermal therapy was performed using far infrared ray dry sauna for CFS patients who had symptoms such as fatigue, pain, and low-grade fever. These symptoms were dramatically improved in two patients, so prednisolone administration was discontinued. These two patients did sauna therapy consisting of a far infrared ray dry sauna at sixty degrees Celsius, with post-sauna warming. This therapy was preformed once each day, for a total of thirty-five days. Symptoms such as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and low-grade fever were dramatically improved after only fifteen to twenty sessions of thermal therapy. Although the steroid administration was discontinued, the subjects did not show any relapse of symptoms during the first year after their discharge. The other eleven patients with CFS showed improvement in their physical symptoms such as fatigue and pain. Additionally, they reported that repeated thermal therapy had a relaxing effect and reduced appetite loss and complains in those patients who were mildly depressed. These results show that repeated thermally therapy may be a great method for the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Far infrared technology wavelengths get into the body to create heat, which in turn creates great therapeutic benefits such as increasing blood flow to the muscles which delivers more concentrated oxygen, and therefore creating more energy to heal. Additionally, far infrared therapy stimulates circulation, helping the body to eliminate metabolic debris and waste.

Working with CFS requires daily therapy and the trouble with relying on a health professional’s office for your far infrared therapy means everyday trips to the office and more than likely fees. The best place to find far infrared heat is inside a Sunlight Sauna, which uses an exclusive Solocarbon heater, and operates at a lower temperature which is perfectly compatible with the human body. This lower heat frequency causes the production of more vital infrared light energy.

Infrared light is the part of the sun’s invisible spectrum of light that is able to penetrate the human tissue. Infrared heater technology uses these characteristics to heat the body directly instead of just the air. Far infrared saunas increase the body’s core temperature, helping the body to rid itself of harmful toxins through a deeper sweat. Conventional saunas heat the air with steam, which can often be extremely hot and only cause you to sweat on the surface. The steam also makes the air difficult to breath. A far infrared sauna, on the other hand, uses dry far infrared heat that is well ventilated which makes it extremely comfortable and relaxing. Many of America’s leading doctors and health experts endorse the use of Sunlight Sauna units. If you put one of these units in your home or practice for regular use, the health benefits are guaranteed to be well worth the investment, especially for those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

————
More information on chronic fatigue and vitamin supplements can be found at VitaNet, LLC Health Foods. http://vitanetonline.com/

Published in: Diseases & Conditions
Oct
29

The Three Traditions of Healing

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Posted by: susunweed

There is more than one choice between modern Western medicine and alternatives. There are three traditions of healing.

The Wise Woman tradition, focusing on integration and nourishment, and insisting on attention to uniqueness and holographic interconnectedness, is another choice: a new way that is also the most ancient healing way known. A way that follows a spiral path, a give-away dance of nourishment, change and self-love. “Trust yourself.”

Alternative health care practitioners usually think in the Heroic tradition: the way of the savior, a circular path of rules, punishment, and purification. “Trust me.”

AMA-approved, legal, covered-by-insurance health care practitioners are trained to think in the Scientific tradition: walking the knife edge of keen intellect, the straight line of analytical thought, measuring and repeating. Excellent for fixing broken things. “Trust my machine.”

The Scientific, Heroic, and Wise Woman traditions are ways of thinking, not ways of acting. Any practice, any technique, any substance can be used by a practitioner/helper in any of the three traditions. There are, for instance, herbalists, and midwives, and MDs in each tradition.

The practitioner and the practice are different. The same techniques, the same herbs are seen and used differently by a person thinking in Scientific, Heroic, or Wise Woman ways.

Thinking these ways does lead to a preference for certain cures. The Wise Woman helper frequently nourishes with herbs and words. The Heroic savior lays down the law to clean up your act fast. The Scientific technician is most at ease with laboratory tests and repeatable, predictable, reliable drugs. But still, the practices do not conclusively identify the practitioner as being in a particular tradition.

The intent, the thought behind the technique points to the tradition: scientific fixing, heroic elimination, or wise womanly digestion and integration.

You contain some aspects of each tradition. And the three traditions are not limited to the realm of healing. The Scientific, Heroic, and Wise Woman ways of thinking are found in politics, legal systems, religions, psychologies, teaching styles, economics. As the Wise Woman way becomes more clearly identified, it opens the way to an integrated, whole, sacred, peaceful global village, interactive with Gaia, mother, earth. As each discipline spins anew its wise woman thread, we reweave the web of interconnectedness with all beings.

——————-

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
www.susunweed.com
www.ashtreepublishing.com

Published in: Herbal Medicine
Oct
28

Mammograms Don’t Replace Breast Self-Exams

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Posted by: susunweed

Women find their own breast cancers most of the time (90% of the time according to one English study).

Monthly breast self-exam (or breast self-massage) provides early detection at lower cost, with no danger - and more pleasure - than yearly screening mammograms.

Most breast cancers (80%) are slow growing, taking between 42 and 300 days to double in size. A yearly mammogram could find these cancers 8-16 months before they could be felt, but this “early detection” does little to improve the already excellent longevity of women with slow-growing, non-metastasized breast cancers.

The 20% of breast cancers that are fast growing are the trouble-makers. They can double in size in 21 days. Monthly breast self-exams are much more likely to find these aggressive cancers than are yearly mammograms. (A 21-day doubling cancer will be visible on a mammogram only six weeks before it can be felt.) If you massage or examine your breasts even six times a year, you can take action on fast-growing lumps. If you rely on mammograms exclusively, the cancer could grow undetected for months.

In a recent look at 60,000 breast cancer diagnoses in the United States, 67% were found by the woman or her doctor - and over half of these were not visible on a mammogram - while 33% were discovered by mammogram. (This may seem like a substantial number of cancers found by mammography, but the majority of them were in situ cancers, a controversial type of cancer that may - but often does not - progress to invasive cancer.)

Green blessings!

———————–

Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498

www.susunweed.com

www.ashtreepublishing.com

Oct
19

Mammograms - the Costs

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Posted by: susunweed

All mammograms are x-rays

A mammogram uses radioactive rays to “see” breast tissues. X-rays are known to cause DNA damage in breast cells.

A diagnostic mammogram is used when a woman or her practitioner feels a lump and wants to see it. (Sonograms - a non-radioactive test - can be used instead.) Most diagnostic mammograms are not one x-ray, but a series of x-rays.

A screening mammogram is done on a healthy woman to determine if there are unsuspected signs of cancer, such as a shadow or micro-calcifications. A screening mammogram is not one x-ray, but a series of x-rays, usually two per breast, four in all.

Mammograms distract us from the need for societal commitment to true prevention

Many of the cancers found by mammographic screening are in situ cancers. Women with in situ cancers rarely die from them. With or without early detection and treatment, 93% survive more than five years. When in situ breast cancers are found by mammogram, treated, and added to the statistical base, breast cancer cure rates and longevity statistics improve. No wonder mammography is praised. It has done what decades of research into cures for breast cancer have failed to do: make it appear that there is some progress in stemming the tide of breast cancer. But finding and treating an ever-increasing number of breast cancers isn’t real progress; committing to reducing chemical and radioactive pollution is.

Yearly screening mammograms aren’t cost effective to society nor are they safe environmentally

The Southern Medical Journal reports that the cost effectiveness (defined as the number of dollars spent so one person can live one year longer) of mammograms for women under 55 is $82,000. A recent analysis found that it cost $195,000 to detect one breast cancer using screening mammograms.
Dr. Charles Wright of Vancouver General Hospital estimates that the cost of saving one life by mass screening is $1.25 million (Canadian).

The mammography industry could gross $1 billion per year if every woman aged 40-49 was screened yearly. Less than 10% of all breast cancers occur in women that age.

Choosing screening mammograms means I choose to contribute to the stream of low-level radioactive waste leaving hospitals. Will my mammogram increase my daughter’s risk of developing breast cancer by increasing the amount of radioactivity in her environment? What is the real cost of this choice?

Green Blessings.

———-

Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ashtreepublishing.com

Published in: Womens Health
Oct
12

D-Ribose Preserves Heart Function

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D-Ribose is a simple five-carbon sugar that has been shown to delay the progression of congestive heart failure in many people who have had a heart attack at some point in the past. Congestive heart failure is a condition that can occur as a result of any structural or functional cardiac disorder which impairs the ability of the heart to fill with and pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. Since not all patients experience volume overload at the initial evaluation, this disease is most commonly referred to as heart failure, rather than congestive heart failure. This disease is often under-diagnosed because of a universally agreed upon definition does not exist and there are difficulties with diagnosis, especially in those with a mild condition. Even with the best care and therapy, heart failure has an associated mortality rate of ten percent and is the leading cause of hospitalization in people above the age of sixty-five.

Many studies have been done and presented at the Second Annual Academic Surgical Congress, which is sponsored by the Association for Academic Surgery and Society of University Surgeons. Heart attacks often lead to the progressive onset of congestive heart failure. After a heart attack, the portion of the heart that hasn’t been damaged must work harder to compensate for the functional loss of the tissue that is damaged. The heart will eventually begin to fail, causing the chambers of the heart to enlarge and waken, which in turn causes the heart to lose its ability to pump blood effectively.

A study, which was conducted by the University of Minnesota, led by Dr. John Foker and his team, determined that administering D-Ribose will significantly improve heart function after a heart attack. The study also showed that the progression of heart failure after a heart attack begins with the fall of energy levels. D-Ribose is very unique, it serves as a foundation for many important compounds such as DNA, RNA, and ATP (the energy of cells). ATP is very important to health and for maintaining normal energy-dependent body functions. Hearts that are stressed, muscles, and other tissue lack the metabolic machinery that is needed to quickly make D-Ribose and overcome progressive energy depletion. D-Ribose has been shown to significantly increase energy formation in those tissues that are stressed. The energy level of the heart tissue that is not damaged by the heart attack is in control of the beginning events of heart failure. When ATP starts to decrease, function will worsen, which sets the progression of chronic cardiac failure in motion. Supplementing with D-Ribose is known to increase energy in stressed hearts, which slows the progression of heart failure and in some cases even prevents it altogether. Although the study is in its early stages of investigation, Dr. Foker is positive about the results. By treating hearts with D-Ribose, ATP concentration of the heart can be improved and loss of energy can be prevented, which is known to be the major contributor to this disease’s progression.

———
More information on d-Ribose can be found at http://vitanetonline.com/ where a large selection of Ribose and similar supplements can be found.

Published in: General
Oct
10

Screening Risks of Mammograms

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Posted by: susunweed

Mammographic screening increases risk of breast cancer mortality in premenopausal women. A Canadian study of 90,000 women (published in Lancet, November 1992) showed a 36-52% increase in mortality from breast cancer in women 40-49 who had annual mammograms.

The Swedish Malmo Screening Trial (as reported in The British Medical Journal, 1988) which also included tens of thousands of women, showed 29% greater mortality from breast cancer in women under 55 who were regularly screened with mammograms. (Studies of women 50-59 showed no difference in breast cancer mortality between women who did and women who did not have regular screening mammograms.)

Critics of these studies claim that newer mammographic equipment uses less radiation. This belies the point that mammograms are inherently dangerous. Orthodox medicine tells me again and again to overlook the harm that it has done to women and promises a future where the machines will be better calibrated and safer. But what of the harm that has been, and is now, done?

Mammographic screening is not and never will be a safe way to find breast cancer. Although safer after menopause than before, mammography is never without risk entirely.

Why I haven’t had a baseline mammogram: The idea behind having a baseline mammogram -that there will be a norm to refer back to - is erroneous. Breast tissues are constantly changing as menstrual, ovulatory, pregnancy, lactational, and menopausal hormones change. Science, the constant straight line, meets woman, the ever-changing spiral. And younger breast tissue is especially sensitive to radiation. According to J. W. Gofman (M.D., Ph.D., authority on dangers of radiation exposure), a 35-year-old woman whose normal risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 1500 increases it to 1 in 660 by exposing herself to the radiation of a baseline mammogram. The National Women’s Health Network says baseline mammograms should be abolished.

If you’ve already had a baseline mammogram and now feel worried, make yourself a soup of lentils (to restore damaged DNA to normalcy), seaweed (to remove radioactive isotopes), and carrots (to support your immune system). Season with miso and tamari (to stop the promotion of cancer cells), and thyme, rosemary, and garlic (to further strengthen the immune system). Breathe in, relax, don’t worry.

——————-

Green Blessings.
Susun Weed PO Box 64 Woodstock, NY 12498 Fax: 1-845-246-8081 Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ashtreepublishing.com. For permission to reprint this article, contact us at: susunweed@herbshealing.com

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