Completion of the fasting

Due to a bout of inhospitably cold weather, I ended up breaking the fast much earlier than I had hoped. I spent a total of about 3 and 3/4 days fasting this time; the decision was a difficult one, since I felt no necessity to eat, but I felt it was wise to wait and fast again when the temperature warms up in a couple of months.

Now that I have carefully retoxed my system and had a few days to carefully contemplate and observe the effects of the recent fast, I find that this fast has accomplished far more than I had envisaged.

My whole body feels a youthful radiance that, I believe, is even stronger than the last time I fasted. I can feel the blood and chi flowing through my body in such a way that, in comparison to how it was prior to the fast, the difference is like night and day.

I practiced Tai Chi and Yoga last night, and I was shocked by the increased level of responsiveness and greatly increased flexibility that I was able to achieve. During the Yoga class, for the first time since I started seriously studying the art, we practiced head stands; I had never even attempted a head stand and was actually able to do it with the help of a wall.

During the Tai Chi class I practiced by free styling Tai Chi for over an hour. With the help of a few excellent insight from my teacher, I felt great improvement in connectedness and fluidity of motion; I also felt the blood and chi flowing through me even more-so than it had when I was a few years younger and practicing Tai Chi for hours each day.

For me this is a great turning point. Once again it confirms that the information I have been reading about fasting, detox and diet is accurate. I can feel so many improvements in my overall state of mental and physical being that I now harbor in myself a deep sense of happiness and contentment; a sense that I have not felt in a long long time, if ever at this magnitude.

Read More...

Summary only...

Water Fast: Day 3

I decided this Wednesday to do a water-only fast that, I hope, will last for a total of seven full days. I have a variety of reasons for doing this; the primary reason is the detox benefits that go along with starving the body of caloric intake for a prolonged period of time.

I can feel that my body has reached the end of the Liver's glycogen stores and is now resorting to ketosis (the burning of fats) for energy. This is signified by sluggishness due to the body's inability to obtain energy from stored glycogen. This process begins on the second day of the fast and will last for the remainder of this third day.

What the body is unable to obtain by ketosis it obtains by catabolizing, which is the process of breaking down muscle tissue and utilizing the amino acids therin. On day 2 of the fast, between 2 and 3 ounces of muscle tissue are utilized; after this the body begins to conserve the muscle fibers to such an extent that the body could go for a full month without food and only lose 1/4 pound of muscle.

If I can make it through the weekend without breaking the fast, I plan on doing an extensive detoxification regimen next week involving a colonic irrigation. Colonic irrigation is essential for the detoxification to continue unhindered, since the toxins of the colon block the exit of the toxins released by the ketosis process.

If this fast is anything like previous fasts, then I expect to have more energy and feel younger when all is said and done. There is no other process, that I know of, that is as effective as a water fast at accomplishing the cleansing, detoxification and renewal of the body.

For more information, please check out The Health Benefits of Water Fasting, an article which explains the specifics of what occurs during a fast and the benefits.

Read More...

Summary only...

Natural Remedies for Pilonidal Cysts

A Pilonidal Cyst is a blanket term for any type of skin infection near the coccyx. These are normally quite painful, occur somewhat more often in men than in women, and normally happen in early adulthood. Although usually found near the coccyx, this painful condition can be found in several places, including the navel or the armpit.

Development of the condition in a place other than the coccyx is exceedingly rare, however. It usually happens in young people, up to their thirties in age. Conditions in which it commonly occurs include obesity, body hair around the area in question, and a sedentary lifestyle. While a traumatic event is not believed to cause a pilonidal cyst, such an event has been known to inflame existing cysts.

Treatment Recommended by Edgar Cayce

The following was taken from the Edgar Cayce Health Database.

Castor oil packs seem to make a positive difference in a variety of conditions of human illness. Sometimes it doesn't make sense that these packs, applied in different places on the body, bring a healing influence to sore throats, pilonidal cysts, contusions and abrasions. But the following stories tell how patients and doctors have made effective use of this product of the Racinus communis plant:

"I had just begun coming out of a period of chronic sore throats which followed a bronchopneumonia-type syndrome that had been called, among other things, the Hong Kong flu. This was after two years of winter spells that left me bedfast every other weekend. I did not believe I would survive another year. After reading The Sleeping Prophet and just prior to the hay fever season, I began the back adjustments and used the inhalant recommended in the readings. The results were remarkable. I was still having regular bouts with sore throats, so one night I decided to try the heated castor oil pack on the abdomen. In 15 minutes the sore throat suddenly evaporated in what felt like a rush of running water. The next evening my wife came down with the same symptoms and applied the treatment with identical results." (Gene Jacobson)

"The patient is a 26-year-old male with a five-year history of episodic flare ups of a painful pilonidal cyst. It was never larger than an olive until the last week of October, 1975, when it reached the size of an egg. Sitting and walking became more difficult. He finally went for medical help and was scheduled for surgery on the 29th of November.

"I was visited by his mother who is my patient. She asked if there were anything I could suggest to relieve the pain since the doctor had only given him antibiotics. I recommended applying a four-inch gauze pad saturated in castor oil with a heating pad on high heat for one hour before bedtime. His wife was to give him a five-minute digital massage two inches from the border of the cyst, working in a circular motion towards the cyst but not directly on it. This was done and repeated the following morning. At 4 p.m. Sunday the pain returned, and his wife applied another compress. Within minutes he felt relief. The cyst opened and began to drain.

"He reported to his doctor on Monday for the scheduled surgery, but indicated that since the cyst was draining he wanted to cancel the surgery and let nature take its course. The doctor insisted that the sac had to be removed, but the patient refused.

"Within one week the cyst was down to the size of a pea, the smallest it had been in five years. He reported that with the first application he was able to sleep for the first time in ten days; now the cyst is barely palpable. He was instructed to continue the hot castor oil compresses for one additional week after cessation of the drainage." (Dr. Al Giaquinto)

"I have used the castor oil packs for a variety of conditions, from open abrasions to strained muscles, and all with great success. I have even converted my skeptical husband to the castor oil packs following an incident with our son. He had somehow managed to get his hand smashed between two rocks, not breaking any bones, but badly abrased and contused. Against my medical training and my husband's, we applied a warm castor oil pack to the hand. The next morning the results were dramatic. The swelling had completely subsided and the healing had occurred at an incredible rate. By the third day healing was complete... The remarkable thing other than the healing was the absence of pain after an hour following the application of the pack." (Georgia Van Wormer)

Treating Pilonidal Cysts with Diet and Detoxification

"As we find, many changes have taken place in the body since last we had same here. In the present we find tendencies towards an acute disturbance wherein there is an excess acidity through the body; causing lack of proper flow of those digestive forces through the liver and gall duct. These are causing the effects as indicated in the irritations on portions of the body, as well as sores or hurtings - and abrasions - in the mouth." [Edgar Cayce reading - 670-12]

In order to reduce or possibly eliminate Pilonidal Cysts without surgery it is necessary to re balance the body's PH using proper diet and detoxification procedures. These infections thrive when the body is plagued with acidity and poor eliminations so an alkaline diet rich in fresh vegetables and low in grains, sugars and processed foods will help eliminations and blood alkalinity.

Water fasting and colonic irrigations are an extremely effective combination for aiding the body's elimination processes. Water fasting enables the body to clean itself out and improve its ability to remove toxins as they accumulate and the colonic irrigation helps to remove built up toxins and allow the elimination of toxins that were previously unable to escape.

See Also: The Health Benefits of Water Fasting

Read More...

Summary only...

Transitioning to a Healthy Lifestyle

Introduction

I often encounter individuals who are depressed about their health; they feel that, although they know some of the basics of a healthy lifestyle, there is little to nothing that they can do to change the situation. I was once of the same mindset, and I can honestly say that much can be done with a few fundamental changes in perception.

Many of us fail to realize that, in order to break out of the cycle of self-abuse, it is essential that daily habits come under scrutiny. Unfortunately, however, most of us cleave tightly to our habits as if they were some sort of sacred ritual not to be criticized or changed in any way. This is individualism at its best. I cannot even begin to keep track of the number of health-related exchanges I've had with others in which they dismiss rock-solid scientific evidence because it is inconvenient or it causes them to call into question the beneficiality of their daily routines.

One thing that we need to keep in mind, however, is that the human body is a marvelous machine. When it is cared for properly, it will thrive and provide years of happiness and harmony. When it is abused, it will gradually break down and cause physical and spiritual degredation.

Many will argue that they are perfectly happy eating highly processed foods. Sure, they may feel quite well after gulping down a giant soft drink or eating a bag of cheezy poofs; but do any of these people realize what chemical reactions are taking place in their body after imbibing these substances?

Changing to a Vegetable-Based Diet

The human body functions best when its diet consists of un-processed natural ingredients. It is therefore essential that one avoid the center portion of the supermarket, as most of the foods in this portion are highly processed, utilize partially hydrogenated oils and may contain harmful sugar substitutes such as Splenda.

Optimally, 80-90% of our food should be fresh produce, with the bulk of that being above-ground vegetables. Fresh produce contains valuable enzymes, is easy for the body to digest and aids in the elimination of wastes and accumulated toxins.

If you find it difficult to believe that the typical diet is so far off from what it needs to be, try adding a decent amount of produce to your daily intake and note how you feel a week later. If your experience is anything like mine, you will achieve the necessary motivation once you feel the tremendous difference a produce-based diet makes.

Keys to a Healthy Lifestyle

I've discovered, through my experiences, that most of the effort consumed while sucessfully transitioning is geared towards restraint. There are many foods available in the supermarket which have some level of toxicity; we have to do our homework and understand this before we place these foods into our bodies.

Here are some interesting resources:

• Avoid soft drinks, doughnuts, french fries, and chips
  
• The Real Dangers of Soda to You and Your Children
• American Soft Drinks Poisoned With Benzene Too
• The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat
• Avoid grains and sugars
• Reduce Grains and Sugar to Lose Weight and Improve Health
• Avoid artificial sweeteners such as Splenda
• The Secret Dangers of Splenda (Sucralose), an Artificial Sweetener
• Splenda Compared to a "Biochemical Warfare Agent"--See One Woman’s Shocking Photos
• Carefully balance your diet using a scientific, not an emotional, approach.
• Achieve Independant Health With A Nutrition Plan

see also:

• Beware of the meat...
• The Health Benefits of Water Fasting
• Promoting Planetwide Synergy Through Personal Discipline

Read More...

Summary only...

The Health Benefits of Water Fasting

By Stephen Harrod Buhner
original source

Fasting is an exceptionally ancient, and powerful, approach to healing many common disease conditions. It allows the body to rest, detoxify, and to heal. During fasting the body moves into the same kind of detoxification cycle that it normally enters during sleep. It uses its energy during a fast, not for digesting food, but for cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and healing any parts of it that are ill. As a fast progresses the body consumes everything that it can that is not essential to bodily functioning. This includes bacteria, viruses, fibroid tumors, waste products in the blood, any build up around the joints, and stored fat. The historical record indicates that human beings are evolutionarily designed to fast. It is an incredibly safe approach to healing and the body knows how to do it very well.

The Physiological Changes of Fasting

Many of the most dramatic changes that occur in the body during fasting take place on the first three days of the fast. These occur as the body switches from one fuel source to another. Normally, the primary form of energy the body uses for energy is glucose, a type of sugar. Most of this is extracted or converted from the food we eat. Throughout the day, the liver stores excess sugar in a special form called glycogen that it can call on as energy levels fall between meals. There is enough of this sugar source for 8-12 hours of energy and usually, it is completely exhausted within the first 24 hours of fasting. (However, once the body shifts over to ketosis or fat as fuel, this new fuel is used to also restore the body's glycogen reserves.)

Once the liver's stores of glycogen are gone, the body begins to shift over to what is called ketosis or ketone production - the use of fatty acids as fuel instead of glucose. This shift generally begins on the second day of fasting and completed by the third. In this interim period there is no glucose available and energy from fat conversion is insufficient but the body still needs fuel. So it accesses glucose from two sources. It first converts glycerol, available in the body's fat stores, to glucose but this is still insufficient. So it makes the rest that it needs from catabolizing, or breaking down, the amino acids in muscle tissue, using them in the liver for gluconeogenesis, or the making of glucose. Between 60 and 84 grams of protein are used on this second day, 2-3 ounces of muscle tissue. By the third day ketone production is sufficient to provide nearly all the energy the body needs and the body's protein begins to be strongly conserved. The body still needs a tiny amount of glucose for some functions, however, so a very small amount of protein, 18-24 grams, is still catabolized to supply it - from 1/2 to 1 ounce of muscle tissue per day. Over a 30 day water fast a person generally loses a maximum of 1-2 pounds of muscle mass. This conservation of the body's protein is an evolutionary development that exists to protect muscle tissue and vital organs from damage during periods of insufficient food availability.

From the third day onward the rate of the breakdown of fatty acids from adipose or fat tissue continues to increase, hitting its peak on the tenth day. This seven day period, after the body has shifted completely over to ketosis, is where the maximum breakdown of fat tissue occurs. As part of protein conservation, the body also begins seeking out all non-body-protein sources of fuel: nonessential cellular masses such as fibroid tumors and degenerative tissues, bacteria, viruses, or any other compounds in the body that can be used for fuel. This is part of the reason that fasting produces the kind of health effects it does. Also, during this period of heightened ketosis the body is in a similar state as the one that occurs during sleep - a rest and detoxification cycle. It begins to focus on the removal of toxins from the body and the healing and regeneration of damaged tissues and organs.

Fasting and Healing

Fasting has been found to help a number of disease conditions, often permanently. There have been a number of intriguing clinical trials and studies treating numerous disease conditions with fasting. Here are some of those findings.

• In one clinical trial of hypertension and fasting, 174 people with hypertension were prefasted for 2-3 days by eating only fruits and vegetables. They then participated in a 10-11 day water only fast, followed by a 6-7 day post fast in which they ate only a low-fat, low- sodium vegan diet. Initial blood pressure in the participants was either in excess of 140 millimeters of mercury (mm HG) systolic or 90 diastolic or both. Ninety percent of the participants achieved blood pressure less than 140/90 by the end of the trial. The higher their initial blood pressure the more their readings dropped. The average drop for all participants was 37/13. Those with stage 3 hypertension (over 180/110) had an average reduction of 60/17. All those taking blood pressure medication prior to fasting were able to discontinue it. Fasting has been shown in a number of trials like this one to be one of the most effective methods for lowering blood pressure and normalizing cardiovascular function. Blood pressure tends to remain low in all those using fasting for cardiovascular disease once fasting is completed.
• Fasting is exceptionally beneficial in chronic cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure, reducing triglycerides, atheromas, total cholesterol, and increasing HDL levels.
• Fasting has been found effective in the treatment of type II diabetes, often reversing the condition permanently.
• Because of its long term effects on metabolism, fat stores in the body, leptin, and disease conditions associated with obesity, fasting has been found to be one of the most effective treatments for obesity.
• A number of studies have found that fasting is beneficial in epilepsy, reducing the length, number, and severity of seizures. Fasting is especially effective for helping alleviate or cure childhood epilepsy.
• In a 1988 trial of 88 people with acute pancreatitis, fasting was found better than any other medical intervention. Neither nasogastric suction or cimetidine were found to produce as beneficial effects as those from fasting. Symptoms were relieved irrespective of the etiology of the disease.
• A number of studies have found that fasting is effective for treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fasting induces significant antiinflammatory actions in the body and researchers found decreased ESR, arthralgia, pain, stiffness, and need for medication.
• Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rosacea, chronic urticaria, and acute glomerulonephritis have all responded well to fasting.
• Severe toxic contamination has been shown to be significantly helped with fasting. Clinical trials have found that people poisoned with PCB experienced "dramatic" relief after 7-10 day fasts.
• Poor immune function improves during fasting. Studies have found that there is increased macrophage activity, increased cell-mediated immunity, decreased complement factors, decreased antigen-antibody complexes, increased immunoglobulin levels, increased neutrophil bactericidal activity, depressed lymphocyte blastogenesis, heightened monocyte killing and bactericidal function, and enhanced natural killer cell activity.
• Other diseases that have responded to fasting are: psychosomatic disease, neurogenic bladder, psoriasis, eczema, thrombophlebitis, varicose ulcers, fibromyalgia, neurocirculatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, bronchial asthma, lumbago, depression, neurosis, schizophrenia, duodenal ulcers, uterine fibroids, intestinal parasites, gout, allergies, hay fever, hives, multiple sclerosis, and insomnia.
• The historically lengthy claim that fasting increases life span is beginning to garner some support in research literature. Regularly repeated 4-day fasting has been found to increase the life span in normal and immunocompromised mice.
• Although the use of fasting in the treatment of cancer is controversial, there is some emerging data SHOWING that fasting helps prevent cancer. Intermittent fasting (2 days weekly) has shown an inhibitory effect on the development of liver cancer in rats.
  

People Who Should Not Fast

Although most people can fast, there are a few who, because of special
conditions, should not.

• People who are extremely emaciated or in a state of starvation
• Those who are anorexic or bulemic
• Pregnant, diabetic women
• Nursing mothers
• Those who have severe anemia
• Those with an extreme fear of fasting
• Those with porphyria. Porphyria refers to a genetic metabolic defect that affects the body's ability to manage porphyrins. Porphyrins are a group of compounds that combine with iron to produce blood, are involved in the control of electron transport systems, and, within mitochondria, are intricately involved in the production, accumulation, and utilization of energy. Porphyria can cause malfunctions in the liver, bone marrow, and red blood cells and produces a wide range of symptoms including seizures.
• People with a rare, genetic, fatty acid deficiency which prevents THE INITIATION OF KETOSIS. This is a deficiency involving the enzyme acetyl-CoA, a mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation enzyme, that is essential to ketosis. Those with this deficiency who do fast can experience severe side effects, including hepatic steatosis, myocardial lipid accumulation, and severe hypoglycemia.
  

A Note on Pregnancy, Children, and Fasting

Although many fasting texts suggest that pregnant women not fast, those that have been found to suffer side effects were also diabetic. Ketosis during pregnancy can seriously harm the fetus if the mother is diabetic. Fasting during pregnancy if a woman is not pregnant has not been found harmful to either mother or fetus. However, fasts for nondiabetic pregnant women should be no longer than 2-3 weeks duration and be monitored by a health care provider. Children, even infants, can also fast without complications if the fasts are of relatively short duration. For infants 2-3 days, children 1-2 weeks depending on age. These fasts should also be monitored by a health care provider unless of short duration. The need for infants and young children to fast is rare.

Those Who Should Fast Under Health Care Supervision

While most people can fast safely there are some that should do so only under the supervision of a health professional experienced in fasting for healing.

• Those with serious disease conditions
• Pregnant women
• Infants and young children
• Type I diabetics
• Those with insufficient kidney function
• Those who are extremely afraid of fasting yet wish to do so anyway
• People with a high toxic contamination level of DDT. DDT is stored by the body in a highly concentrated form in fat tissue. Fasting can release huge levels of DDT into the bloodstream as the fat stores are released. This can be quite dangerous.

Read More...

Summary only...

Fasting: Day 3

Feeling good for not having eaten for awhile. When awaking this morning I saw stars, but have yet to have passed out or had a dizzy spell. Dreams over the past couple of nights have centered around the eating of carbs and meat; which are, of course, two of the most craved food substances.

Overall, this body feels much cleaner and healthier than, before. Although it is difficult and draining to do this sort of thing, it is well worth it both in the short and long term. A free surgery without cutting, done by the body itself, is a valuable thing indeed.

It is easy to tell, at this point, that the body is burning off fats and all manner of degenerate tissue. This is done so that any new tissue can grow in a better environment. Were these things not to be burned off, it is likely that the body would secum to old age sooner as well as experience more pain and dysfunction during the middle to latter years of its lifespan.

I would highly recommend this to all of you. It is something that you will may not appreciate during the fast, but will understand afterwards.

Read More...

Summary only...

Time to fast

"Fasting is, without any doubt, the most effective biological method of treatment... it is the 'operation without surgery'... it is a cure involving exudation, reattunement, redirection, loosening up and purified relaxation. While fasting, the patient improves her or his physical health and gains much. But he or she will have neglected the most important thing if the hunger for spiritual nourishment that manifests itself during fasting is not satisfied."

- Otto Buchinger, Sr., M.D.

The Northern Hemisphere has reached a time which is an optimal time to fast. It is important to fast at this time so that the toxins, which accumulate in the body from a variety of sources, are released.

Pragmatically speaking, this time of year is optimal for the following reasons:

• For the first time this year, the temperature has warmed to the level at which the body can more easily cope with the lack of food energy.
• It is helpful to cleanse the body of the buildup of winter foods body before partaking in the foods of springtime; this helps to assure that toxins don't accumulate and it allows the body to more fully absorb the nutrients contained in the fresh produce of Spring.

If fasting is, as I believe, one of the foundations of a healthy and prosperous life, then it is a shame to see that so few are fasting in the modern age. The only people who I know that take part in regular fasts are Eastern Orthodox Christians who have yet to abandon the age old practice. Fasting is certainly something to be taken seriously and done regularly at the right times and under the right conditions.

I intend to eat a large amount of lettuce and other fresh raw vegetables today. Between Monday and Thursday, however, it will be nothing but water and some occasional vinegar in order to aid in the cleansing process. Fasts are meaningful and highly spritual experiences, which help one to appreciate what they have as well as helping one to contend with their cravings in order to reach a higher state of being.

Read More...

Summary only...

Promoting Planetwide Synergy Through Personal Discipline

Gaia (1989) - Painting by Alex Grey

Many of us, when we think of who and what we are, fail to realize that the Earth is an extension of our body and mind or, better yet, we are an extension of the Earth's body and mind. When one of us wastes the fruit of the Earth, in one of the countless (unsustainable) ways that we, as a civilization, have devised to do so, they are wasting the very fruit of our collective body and mind; a condition which leads to the weakness of and the eventual death of the Gaian (Earth) mind/body/spirit complex.

Many of us are starting to realize that we are personally responsable for a large portion of the ecological devastation that is occuring at an ever increasing rate. Eating meat, for example, causes the following types of ecological devastation:

• To produce a Kilo of feedlot Beef, a farmer uses 50x as much water as a kilo of Soya Beans or Rice
• A pound of Pork requires:
• 16 pounds of grain
• 140 gallons of water
• 1 gallon of gasoline
• The grains fed to animals are grown inorganically and treated with pesticides and insecticides.

Most people don't realize that, when they consume even a pound of meat, they are, indirectly, releasing several pounds of toxic waste, several cubic feet of climate altering methane and causing thousands of harmful chemicals to be absorbed into the biosphere.

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. " ~Albert Einstin

In my view, the most important thing that we can do, as a species, is to immediately reduce the consumption of meat, eventually eliminating this barbaric practice altogether. It is absurd that anyone can feel comfortable with eating meat, when the smallest amount of meat production leads to serious environmental degradation.

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the 'Universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security. ~Albert Einstein

see also:

• Transitioning to a Healthy Lifestyle
• Beware of the meat...
• The Health Benefits of Water Fasting

Read More...

Summary only...

The Putrification of our Life Force

Over the past several years, there have been a number of mass realizations; these have lead many understand the cold nihilistic reality of our modern world. Many are beginning to realize that large organizations, such as governments and banking cartels, are nothing more than profiteering gangs trying desperately to pluck the small amount of wealth shared by the populous so that the top 5% of the population can control more than 95% of the wealth that they already have. They do this without any concern for the repurcussions on future generations.

When considering the manner in which one is able to consume, generate waste and destroy without accountability and with nearly unanimous social acceptance, it is truly astounding that the Earth's biosphere has remained in tact for as long as it has. It is unfortunate that, although humanity realises that this cannot go on for much longer, it has made little effort to heal the Earth's ailing planetary ecosystem and to move towards a spiritual transformation.

These sorts of changes are not something that can be simply voted on or proclaimed; they definitely cannot be tried either. In order for something to happen which will make amends to our putrifying life force, each of us must develop a sense of what is necessary, see how it applies to them, and go for it without looking back.

If we can cleanse our mind/body/spirit complexes, then it seems as if we may have a chance. If, on the other hand, we continue to load our bodies with toxic foods while participating in the various forms of escapism, which are abundant in our world, then I fear that a collapse of epic proportions will occur.

This is precisely the reason why I feel that careful fasting and nutrition are the keys to unlocking a transfiguration in each of us. In my experience, these things release us from our self-denial and allow an opening for greater healing.

Read More...

Summary only...

Dietary Secrets That Devastate Diabetes

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

You are living in the midst of a diabetes epidemic.

By the year 2030, diabetes rates are predicted to double even if the rate of obesity remains steady. Researchers have estimated the total number of people with diabetes will rise from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030.

Diabetes is a devastating disease that destroys never every bodily system. Unfortunately, nearly every "expert" organization and professional is clueless about how to treat this disease.

This is most unfortunate as type 2 diabetes, or insulin and leptin resistance, is one of the easiest diseases to treat. It has been my clinical experience over the past 20 years that close to 100 percent of our compliant patients were able to radically improve, if not totally control, their diabetes.

There are a number of key solutions to controlling diabetes but they boil down to two simple lifestyle adjustments:

• Restricting carbs to "slow" carbs
• Optimizing exercise to improve insulin and leptin sensitivity

Diabetes is rampant on my father's side of the family, and my dad and all of his siblings have diabetes and one has already died from it. I have been exercising for nearly 40 years, and since that is one of the two keys to controlling diabetes I have been able to avoid it.

However, in the late '90s when the book "Eat Right For Your Type" was out, I tried using this approach, as it seemed to make sense. Since I am blood type A, that called for me to increase my grains and decrease my exercise from running to walking.

Well, folks, that experiment was an unmitigated disaster. I gained about 25 pounds and actually had a fasting blood sugar over 125, which would formally diagnose me as a diabetic. I instantly realized that the Eat Right for Your Type approach was not right for me (and for most people) and I immediately switched my diet back.

Since that time I have never had an abnormal blood sugar and it is typically between 80 and 90.

It has become crystal clear that most of us benefit from choosing "slow" carbs that release their sugars over time into your bloodstream. This would mean radically reducing or eliminating grains, sugars, breads, pastas, rice, potatoes, corn and popcorn.

The amount of carbs you can eat varies widely and is determined by your metabolic type.

Over the last eight years I have run hundreds of articles on diabetes in the newsletter. My staff has helped update them, and I recently organized them to make them more useful for you.

In addition to the basic principles I outlined above, there are a number of dietary "secrets" that I have covered in the past eight years that are not obvious when you use our search engine. So I have compiled them all in one easy page and encourage you to review them.

If you haven't picked up my latest book, Total Health Program, you will want to seriously consider doing that, as it is an incredibly practical guide to implementing many of the most important principles.

---

Related Articles:

Dietary Secrets That Devastate Diabetes

Read More...

Summary only...

76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

Articles like this are good motivators for an improvement of one's health. If this article moves you as much as it did me, you may want to check this out:

Dr. Joseph Mercola's Nutrition Plan

Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D
Author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit

In addition to throwing off the body's homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.^1,2

2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. ^3,4,5,6

3. Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.^7,8

4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.^9,10,11,12

5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.¹³

6. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.^{14,15,16,17,18,19,20}

7. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.^21,22

8. Sugar can weaken eyesight.²³

9. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.^{24,25,26,27,28}

10. Sugar can cause premature aging.²⁹

11. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.³⁰

12. Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.^31,32,33

13. Sugar contributes to obesity.³⁴

14. Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis.^35,36,37

15. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)³⁸

16. Sugar can cause gallstones.³⁹

17. Sugar can cause appendicitis.⁴⁰

18. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.⁴¹

19. Sugar can cause varicose veins.⁴²

20. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.⁴³

21. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.⁴⁴

22. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.^45,46,47

23. Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.⁴⁸

24. Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.⁴⁹

25. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.⁵⁰

26. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).⁵¹

27. Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.⁵²

28. Sugar causes food allergies.⁵³

29. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.⁵⁴

30. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.⁵⁵

31. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.^56,57

32. Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.⁵⁸

33. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.^59,60

34. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.⁶¹

35. Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.^62,63

36. Sugar can cause emphysema.⁶⁴

37. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.⁶⁵

38. Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.⁶⁶

39. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.⁶⁷

40. Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.^68,69

41. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.^70,71

42. Sugar can damage your pancreas.⁷²

43. Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.⁷³

44. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.⁷⁴

45. Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.⁷⁵

46. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.⁷⁶

47. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.⁷⁷

48. Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.^78,79

49. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.⁸⁰

50. Sugar can cause depression.⁸¹

51. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.⁸²

52. Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.⁸³

53. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.^84,85,86,87

54. Sugar can lead to dizziness.⁸⁸

55. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.⁸⁹

56. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.⁹⁰

57. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.^91,92

58. Sugar is an addictive substance.⁹³

59. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.⁹⁴

60. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.⁹⁵

61. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.⁹⁶

62. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.⁹⁷

63. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.⁹⁸

64. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).⁹⁹

65. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.¹⁰⁰

66. Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.¹⁰¹

67. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.¹⁰²

68. I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.¹⁰³

69. Sugar increases your risk of polio.¹⁰⁴

70. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.¹⁰⁵

71. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.¹⁰⁶

72. In intensive care units: Limiting sugar saves lives.¹⁰⁷

73. Sugar may induce cell death.¹⁰⁸

74. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.¹⁰⁹

75. Sugar dehydrates newborns.¹¹⁰

76. Sugar can cause gum disease.¹¹¹

References

Read More...

Summary only...

Breaking of the fast: the feeling begins

The fast was broken on Tuesday night. After seeing that my body temperature seemed to be dropping I decided to end earlier than planned. Four days is, however, not a bad length of time for a fast. This is, undoubtedly, one of the most powerful life changing experiences I've ever had.

The fasting experience has taught me a variety of lessons about human nature as well as the workings of the physical body. After such an experience, one cannot help but be attuned to the needs of their body; I have no doubt that cellular detoxification and digestive cleansing are the keys to living a long and healthy life in a youthful state.

The mind/body/spirit complex simply does not have any other method of staying youthful. If one fails to still their racing mind with meditation, eat the proper food combinations, fast regularly with colonics and/or enimas, and drink primarily purified water, then it is very difficult to avoid the chronic diseases which plague the modern world.

With the body cleansed of so many accumulated toxins and the mind purified of self-absorbed egos of desire, It feels like the next great journey is beginning.

This is a spiritual journey; I have no expectations as to where it will lead for I know that the purification of mind, body and spirit leads to oneness with the cosmos and thence to the purification of others driven by loving compassion.

What more can we do to create a better world? A better world starts with each and every one of us.

Now that the rate of change has accellerated to the point that it has, it is time for each and every one of us to make a choice. Are we going to continue being driven by mindless pre-ordained ritual or are we going to hear the loving compassion within ourself?

tool - flood

Here comes the water.

All I knew and all I believed
are crumbling images
that no longer comfort me.
I scramble to reach higher ground,
some order and sanity,
or something to comfort me.

So I take what is mine,and hold what is mine,
suffocate what is mine, and bury what's mine.
Soon the water will come
and claim what is mine.
I must leave it behind,
and climb to a new place now.

This ground is not the rock I thought it to be.

Thought I was high, and free.
I thought I was there
divine destiny.

I was wrong.
This changes everything.

The water is rising up on me.
Thought the sun would come deliver me,
but the truth has come to punish me instead.

The ground is breaking down right under me.
Cleanse and purge me
in the water.

Read More...

Summary only...

Fasting: Day 4

After four days of eating nothing and drinking only a small glass of vegetable juice and large amounts of water, things are going pretty well. I had many thoughts about self-indulgent foods, especially carb rich junk foods, but I no longer contend with such thoughts at this stage. This is a great spiritual advancement for me since it has helped eliminate many egos of desire.

My digestive system is completely shut down, since it only needs to process liquids, so I would imagine that it is in a much needed state of repair. The rest of my body is autodigesting the damaged parts of itself and utilising that material to rebuild. In the process many toxins have been released into the blood stream and thence into the urine. It is quite a noticeable effect indeed.

My body feels a little different than normal, I've lost some weight and my heart rate is up a little bit; but I am able to go about my day unrestrained provided I don't do too much physical activity. I've been drinking about 150 ounces of water each day in order to help cleanse myself down to the cellular level.

I have not drank any juice today and don't plan on doing so for the remainder of the fast unless I find myself unable to go to work. At this juncture, I plan on doing this for at least one more day. If I feel up to it, then I will break the fast on Friday morning instead of tomorrow.

Read More...

Summary only...

Time to fast.

I've been reading alot about health and diet lately. Last November, I came across a book titled The Tao of Health Sex and Longevity. The book caused a drastic change in my perception of the body and how it is best maintained and improved.

Since I've been delving into this subject for a few months, I decided that the time has come to purge my body of the evils of my earlier years, the time has come to fast.

I am now on a journey, one that is more bold than any journey I've embarked upon before. The purposes of this journey are many: cleanse and purge the body of accumulated toxins, relenquish the enslavement to material cravings for food and burn up the dead or weak parts of my body.

The fast that I am undergoing consists of eathing nothing at all and drinking a glass of fresh vegetable juice in the morning followed by water throught the day. This is said to allow the digestive system to rest and, in the process, cleanse itself; it also causes the rest of the body to "autodigest" the dead and malformed parts of itself. I plan on doing this juice fast until friday evening.

At this point, I feel that I've gotten over the worst of the material cravings for food that I've contended with my whole life. My digestive system is giving me no signals to eat food; I would imagine that it is quite content repairing and upgrading itself since it has had no previous opportunity during my lifetime.

After the first day or two of such a fast the toxins are to begin pouring into the blood from the various organs. The toxin level is to reach levels 10x higher than what is normal. Were I not to begin this fasting regiment, which I plan on doing once every three months from now on, these toxins would remain in my body and cause eventual misery if not an untimely death.

I will update this blog as the hour progress. I will also be writing more on the benefits of fasting and the methods by which someone can fast.

Read More...

Summary only...

Trophology: The Science of Food Combining

Trophology is a topic that is, for the most part, foreign to the western world. The founder of modern western medicine, Heroditus, knew of the importance of food combinations; these ideas seem to have been "lost" by mainstream western medicine.

One of the most important factors in determining one's overall mental and physical health is diet. Diet is, however, more complicated than simply eating a certain amount of certain foods. It is absolutely essential that these foods be combined in a way which can easily be digestable by the stomach.

Food Combinations to Avoid

The following are the main violations of proper food combinations that I have seen in the western diet. If food preparers/planners would observe these rules, then the rates of chronic illness would certainly plummet.

• Protein and Starch - This is the worst possible combination of foods to mix in a single meal, however, it is the most common combination found in modern-day meals. When these two substances are combined together, the alkaline enzyme ptyalin pours into the food as its chewed. When the food reaches the stomach, the digestion of the starch continues; the digestion of the protein, however, is prevented. With starch present in the stomach, it is unable to secrete pepsin and other acids, the acids which breaks down protein. The protein is thus left to putrify, thus preventing your body from absorbing the useful substances and enabling the bacteria to have all of the nutrients in the protien.
  
• Multiple Kinds of Proteins - Different proteins have different demands on the stomach. Proteins that are somewhat different, such as fish and lamb, should not be consumed together. Proteins such as beef and lamb, however, can be eaten together in the same meal.
• Starch and Acid - When you mix an acid food, such as orange juice, with a starchy food, such as buiscits, the secretion of ptyalin is inhibited; it is thus impossible to properly digest the starch. This leaves the starch to ferment in your stomach; fermentation leads to a toxic sludge that does nothing to aid the body.
• Protein and Acid - When acid foods enter the stomach, the secretion of hydrochloric acid is inhibited. The protein digesting enzyme, pepsin, can only work in the presence of hydrochloric acid. If one combines, for example, orange juice and eggs, the eggs will not digest properly; they will, instead, putrify and become food for the bacteria. This leads to more toxic sludge in the digestive tract.
• Protein and Sugar - Sugars, needing no processing in the stomach, immediately inhibit the secretion of gastric juices. It is essential that sugars be eaten alone or not at all. Otherwise proper digestion cannot take place.
• Milk, Cheese and ANYTHING else - It is not advisable to eat anything with dairy products. When dairy products enter the stomach, they immediately curdle and envelop any other food particles in the stomach. This stops proper digestion and leads to putrification or fermentation depending on the foods present in the stomach.
  

In part II we will explore the dietary devolution of humanity...

Read More...

Summary only...