New--Start

Do a Nice Thing for Others

2009-11-07T14:16:00.004-06:00

It is not length of life,,..

2009-10-03T08:25:00.002-05:00

... but depth of life.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It does not matter...

2009-10-01T12:59:00.001-05:00

...how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." – Confucius

Healthcare Reform is More Corporate Welfare

2009-09-14T14:12:00.004-05:00

Congressman Ron Paul

Last Wednesday the nation was riveted to the President’s speech on healthcare reform before Congress. While the President’s concern for the uninsured is no doubt sincere, his plan amounts to a magnanimous gift to the health insurance industry, despite any implications to the contrary.

For decades the insurance industry has been lobbying for mandated coverage for everyone. Imagine if the cell phone industry or the cable TV industry received such a gift from government? If government were to fine individuals simply for not buying a corporation’s product, it would be an incredible and completely unfair boon to that industry, at the expense of freedom and the free market. Yet this is what the current healthcare reform plans intend to do for the very powerful health insurance industry.

The stipulation that pre-existing conditions would have to be covered seems a small price to pay for increasing their client pool to 100 % of the American people. A big red flag, however, is that they would also have immunity from lawsuits, should they fail to actually cover what they are supposedly required to cover, so these requirements on them are probably meaningless. Mandates on all citizens to be customers of theirs, however, are enforceable with fines and taxes.

Insurance providers seem to have successfully equated health insurance with health care but this is a relatively new concept. There were doctors and medicine long before there was health insurance. Health insurance is not a bad thing, but it is not the only conceivable way to get health care. Instead, we seem to still rely on the creativity and competence of politicians to solve problems, which always somehow seem to be tied in with which lobby is the strongest in Washington.

It is sad to think of the many creative, free market solutions that government prohibits with all its interference. What if instead of joining a health insurance plan, you could buy a membership directly from a hospital or doctor? What if a doctor wanted to have a cash-only practice, or make house calls, or determine his or her own patient load, or otherwise practice medicine outside the constraints of the current bureaucratic system? Alternative healthcare delivery models will be at an even stronger competitive disadvantage if families are forced to buy into the insurance model. And yet, the reforms are sold to us as increasing competition.

What if just once Washington got out of the way and allowed the ingenuity of the American people to come up with a whole spectrum of alternatives to our broken system? Then the free market, not lobbyists and politicians, would decide which models work and which did not.

Unfortunately, the most broken aspect of our system is that Washington sees the need to act on every problem in society, rather than staying out of the way, or getting out of the way. The only tools the government has are force and favors. These are tools that many unscrupulous and lazy corporations would like to wield to their own advantage, rather than simply providing a better product that people will willingly buy. It seems the health insurance industry will get more of those advantages very soon.

Friendship Is Important For Good Health

2009-08-17T09:55:00.003-05:00

Discovered this through someone I know:

Friendship is important for a healthy life, just remember it's quality that's important, not quantity.

Vaccine Nation

2009-08-13T15:12:00.001-05:00

In his documentary film Vaccine Nation, award-winning investigative film director Dr. Gary Null challenges the basic health claims by government health agencies and pharmaceutical firms that vaccines are perfectly safe.

This is one of the most critical questions facing today‘s children and future generations to come.

If inoculation with a large regimen of vaccines is safe, what can account for the rapid increase in autism and other mental disabilities that are now at epidemic proportions? And why isn‘t the sudden onset of neurological illnesses in children being treated as an urgent crisis by our government and medical industries?

My Vaccine Journey

Although I first started my health journey in 1968 when I began exercising, I took a number of side paths. The major one was medical school, and by the time I completed my residency training in 1985 I was thoroughly brainwashed with the belief that drugs and vaccines were imperative to produce health, and prevent disease.

Of course, as you are aware, I eventually learned that nothing could be further from the truth and my views had been skillfully manipulated by the masterful control of the health care system by the drug companies.

A great testimony to the effectiveness of my brainwashing was the views I held of Dr. Robert Mendelsohn who was a pediatrician that had learned the awful truth of vaccines and was heralding the alarm trumpets. At the time, I felt he was a dangerous quack and should have his license removed.

Unfortunately he passed away in 1988, which was long before I started my epiphany of health truths that eventually helped me understand how on target he was, and how many lives he helped save. It is one of the great regrets of my life that I never met Dr. Mendelhson, as we both attended the same school.

From my vaccine growth experience it has become very clear to me that vaccine beliefs are the last ones to change as physicians migrate from conventional to natural medicine. It is a belief that you don‘t want to challenge very vigorously as, in my experience, it is rigidly held and defended, and typically requires years of exposure to alternative views before they can even begin to hear the truth about this crucial topic.

Vaccine Nation

I recently had the opportunity to review the DVD Vaccine Nation ; Executive Producer, Gary Null, and Producer, Manette Loudon, and was very impressed with the compelling story it told.

One of the most riveting parts of the video was the story of Alan Yurko, which will chill your blood. Alan was convicted of killing his infant son by shaking him to death, when the reality of the situation was his child was killed by vaccines. He was given a life sentence for his non-crime, and was reviled by his fellow inmates because he was a convicted child killer, which is pretty low on the prison totem pole.

You are probably thinking, so what? The guy was probably guilty anyway and really did kill his child and what could that possibly mean to me?

Well, if those thoughts are coming to your mind, they echo ones similar to mine when Alan wrote to me from his prison cell for help. Unfortunately I chose to do nothing to help him at the time and justified it by saying I did not have the time or resources to evaluate his case.

Thankfully other physicians selflessly came to his rescue. Alan was very poor and could not afford anything but an inept public defender. Fortunately, with expert medical help he was able to secure a retrial and is now free.

Moved to Tears

This was one of the most moving DVDs I have seen in some time, because of my personal connection with Alan‘s case. About one third of the DVD reviews his heartrending personal story. He and his wife Francine are interviewed from the beginning of his trial when he was not even allowed to attend his child‘s funeral, to the very end when he is finally freed from prison.

I have been opposed to vaccines for about 15 years now, but Vaccine Nation converted me from being aware to being an activist.

My inaction with Alan‘s plea for help was a powerful life experience and I committed myself to never making that type of mistake again, and doing everything I possibly can to inform, educate, protect and defend against this type of tragedy from ever happening again.

You Can Make a Difference

Let‘s face it, most of us have precious little time to read and catch up on important topics. But most of us have time to be entertained. Nothing wrong with that, as it is part of a balanced life. However if you select most typical contemporary media you are not only wasting your time but exposing your brain to potentially dangerous brainwashing.

You simply have to be very careful about what you choose to view.

So why not choose an educational DVD that could teach you about a topic that is not really easy to read about? In the time you typically waste on watching most of the trash that passes for media entertainment, you can painlessly view this video.

Let me assure you, with extreme confidence, that Vaccine Nation has the potential to move you to informed action about this crucial subject, and your actions can easily save the lives of a few innocent infants.

You can purchase this video at www.VaccineNation.net.

Swine Flu Vaccine Makers to Profit $50 Billion a Year!!

2009-08-13T14:46:00.003-05:00

GlaxoSmithKline is preparing to sell billions worth of swine flu drugs this year. Their swine flu vaccine will be available by September, and international governments are already stockpiling large supplies of GSK's anti-viral treatment Relenza.

Worldwide sales from the two drugs are expected to be enormous, but the company rejected claims it was exploiting the pandemic.

GlaxoSmithKline has also developed an anti-viral face mask, which is expected to be used by people such as "front line health workers."

Sources:

The Guardian July 22, 2009

Regina's Blog July 19, 2009

Click On Detroit July 17, 2009

Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

According to recent media reports, some 160 million doses of swine flu vaccine are slated to be delivered to the U.S. by fall; enough doses to vaccinate a large portion of the U.S. population. The U.K. government has placed advance orders for 60 million doses.

But that’s probably just the beginning if sanity does not take hold soon.

According to Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccine makers could produce nearly FIVE BILLION pandemic flu shots per year in the best-case scenario.

And according to Business Week, wealthier countries like the U.S. and the U.K. will pay just under $10 per dose, while developing countries would pay less.

If these facts hold true, Big Pharma stands to gain up to $49 billion a year on the swine flu vaccine alone.

You might know that I am a native Chicagoan. Our most famous senator of course is now President Obama. But one of the most prominent senators preceeding him was Everett Dirksen.

Senator Dirksen passed away 40 years ago, but I remember him saying very clearly when he was talking about Defense Department spending:

"A billion dollars here and a billion dollars there, and before you know it you are talking about real money."

I realize that with the current economic crisis $50 billion doesn’t seem like a lot but it really is. These companies stand to earn about $50 billion PER YEAR from these vaccine recommendations.

Is it any wonder you’re being bombarded with scary messages about the significant threat posed by swine flu? The swine flu vaccines stand poised to be absolute Blockbusters if this hyped up vaccine drive is successful.

Say NO to the Vaccine !!!

Safety, Anyone?

According to the Guardian article above, the first human trials have begun in Adelaide, Australia, where adult volunteers are receiving vaccines from two pharmaceutical companies.

However, don’t mistake reports of human trials as a sign that safety measures are in place. Far from it.

GlaxoSmithKline has actually stated, "Clinical trials will be limited, due to the need to provide the vaccine to governments as quickly as possible. Additional studies will therefore be required and conducted after the vaccine is made available." [Emphasis mine].

Folks, how could this be anything but a prescription for potentially massive disaster?

Unfortunately, many people will not realize that when they line up for this vaccine, they are in fact accepting their role as TEST SUBJECTS. They are likely NOT receiving a drug that has any proof of being safe.

Please, if you care about the health and welfare of your friends and family, do not be shy about sharing information about this vaccine with them. It’s imperative that we quell this mounting drive to mass vaccinate, especially the mass vaccination of children.

There are factors involved with this vaccine that are brand new, which means it will be highly experimental and unpredictable.

For example, this vaccine will not be made using the methods of the past. In order to speed up the cultivation of the virus and the manufacturing process, they’re using human liver cells instead of chicken eggs. Whether this new procedure is better or worse than the old method, I can’t say.

However, I believe it’s probably safe to say even the vaccine manufacturer does not know the answer to that question, since it’s never been used before and they have not had time to conduct any human testing. So, it’s Russian Roulette, if you ask me.

Most of the vaccines created will also include thimerosal (mercury), and the toxic adjuvant squalene, both of which have been clearly shown to carry significant health risks.

Why Safety is of No Real Concern for Vaccine Makers

Do you believe safety is a major concern for vaccine makers?

The last swine flu vaccination campaign that took place in 1976 led to thousands of lawsuits. Damage claims totaled $1.3 billion. The vaccine claimed 25 lives and hundreds of previously healthy young adults were crippled from Guillain-Barré Syndrome. The swine flu itself claimed ONE life.

This time around, the U.S. government has taken steps to ensure this will not happen again. The financial liability, I mean.

Vaccine makers and federal officials have been rendered mmune from lawsuits.Should anything go wrong with this current vaccine they will not have to pay a single cent to anyone,

Complete and total insulation from any legal actions thanks to effective manipulation of the US legal system through effective lobbying.

You may already know that since the 1980s, vaccine makers have been protected against lawsuits stemming from the use of childhood vaccines. Now, for the first time, they can wash their hands of any hazards stemming from a flu vaccine AND any associated adjuvants, such as squalene. The antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza are also included in this protective legislation.

The 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act) allows the DHHS Secretary to invoke almost complete immunity from liability for manufacturers of vaccines and drugs used to combat a declared public health emergency. The PREP Act removes your right to a trial jury unless you can provide clear evidence of willful misconduct that resulted in death or serious physical injury.

And get what you have to do BEFORE you can sue them--you must apply for and be granted permission to sue by the DHHS Secretary.

So what does all this mean?

It means that a) you agree to be a human guinea pig, and b) if your health suffers, you have virtually no legal recourse whatsoever. Believe me, no one will take responsibility for what happens to you or your child once you’ve been injected with this experimental vaccine.

It also means that at this point, a) vaccine makers have no financial incentive to make a safe product, and worse, b) they have a negative incentive to test it for safety.

Why?

Because if they KNOW there are problems, they could potentially be held liable for willful misconduct!

As long as they can prove they “didn’t know” of any problem, they will not be liable for damages. Hence it’s in their best interest to know as little as possible about the adverse reactions it might cause.

It is a topsy-turvy world, but that is the reality we’re faced with today, and that’s why I believe the ramifications of this mass vaccination campaign may turn out to be far worse than anyone’s willing to consider.

Are you prepared to let yourself or your child to be an unpaid test subject in an experimental drug trial with no guarantees of any kind?

Let it be well known that if you place your sole trust in your health officials and the vaccine makers, the potential price you might pay is your physical health and financial future. Everything is at stake. So, think carefully, and choose wisely, because once the damage is done, there’s no one to address your complaints.

Are the Swine Flu Numbers Correct?

Another area of concern is the reported number of cases of swine flu. What IS the real number?

Did you know that in the U.K., for example, they now appear to be collecting swine flu data online and via the phone, based on nothing but self assessment?

How can this contribute to an accurate picture of the spread of this disease?

Remember, the swine flu has nearly identical symptoms as the regular flu. The only way to know for sure is through laboratory verification of the strain.

Symptoms of the swine flu include:

* Fever of more than 100
* Coughing
* Runny nose and/or sore throat
* Joint aches
* Severe headache
* Vomiting and/or diarrhea
* Lethargy
* Lack of appetite

The British government’s National Pandemic Flu Service consists of an online form that assesses your symptoms, and if you’re deemed to fit the swine flu profile, you’re issued an authorization number to collect an antiviral from your local Antiviral Collection Point.

According to the Guardian, about 100,000 Brits caught the swine flu last week; nearly double the previous week’s figures.

But did they really contract the swine flu?

Or did the vast majority of them simply have a case of the sniffles, or a seasonal flu bug? Without laboratory confirmation, no one will ever know, but they sure are using those numbers to scare you!

Combat Battle Fatigue with the Two Paths to Sanity

As mentioned in Regina’s Blog above, another problem many are facing right now is information overwhelm, followed by battle fatigue as you weed through the propaganda and misinformation, trying to figure out what’s true and what’s not.

Eventually, this can lead to complacency, which I believe is the ultimate goal of the propagators of this campaign.

They want you to give up, shut up, and get shot up—so they can make billions of dollars, all without assuming any risk whatsoever.

This is not an option for any of us if we are to stop this inhumane, if not criminal, violation of our rights.

Instead, I suggest focusing your energy on the following two paths to sanity:

1. Take care of your health to protect yourself against any kind of influenza, and

2. Take a stance and make your voice heard politically

Here’s a quick rundown of how to do both.

How to Protect Yourself Against the Flu Without Vaccination

Following these simple guidelines will keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with.

* Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself.

This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. I would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng.ml and done by a reliable vitamin D lab like Lab Corp.

For those of you in the U.S., we hope to launch a vitamin D testing service through Lab Corp that allows you to have your vitamin D levels checked at your local blood drawing facility, and relatively inexpensively. We hope to offer this service later this year, but in the meantime you can get your vitamin D levels checked inexpensively by going to this GrassrootsHealth D*action.

If you are coming down with flu like symptoms and have not been on vitamin D you can take doses of 50,000 units a day for three days to treat the acute infection. Some researchers like Dr. Cannell, believe the dose could even be as high as 1,000 units per pound of body weight for three days.

However, most of Dr. Cannell's work was with seasonal and not pandemic flu. If your body has never been exposed to the antigens there is chance that the vitamin D might not work. However the best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml.
* Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a strong immune system is key to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.
* Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
* Have Effective Tools to Address Stress . We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness.

If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as meridian tapping techniques, which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.
* Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. You can review my exercise guidelines for some great tips on how to get started.
* Take a Good Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.
* Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this -- antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
* Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include colloidal silver, oil of oregano, and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.
* Avoid Hospitals and Vaccines. In this particular case, I'd also recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds, and could be one of the likeliest places you could be exposed to this new bug.

Keep in mind that virtually all vaccinations will LOWER your immune system (this is the main job of the vaccine adjuvants), NOT make it stronger!

How to Make Your Opinion Count

First, I strongly recommend you continue to educate yourself about influenza strains, vaccination risks, and the public health laws in your state that may require you or your children to undergo either mandatory vaccination or quarantine.

For a brief but comprehensive report on the history of mandatory vaccinations in the U.S. as well as the current laws in place, read the five-page CRS Report for Congress titled Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws.

If you live in the U.S., I suggest you:

1. Visit the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) and join the fight against mandatory vaccination.
2. Read about a proposed self-shielding/self-quarantine bill and send a message to your local legislator here. (You can learn more about self-shielding and social distancing at this link.)

Last but not least, make the necessary preparations to self-shield/self-quarantine in the event of a swine flu outbreak in your area. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

* Store a two-week supply of food and water in the event you can’t get to a store or stores run out of supplies.
* Make sure you have a supply of any prescription drugs you take on hand.
* Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home.
* Get involved in community efforts to prepare for an influenza outbreak.

World Class Vaccine Conference!!

The International Vaccine Conference is held about once every FIVE years. It is without question the single best conference on vaccines in the world. For every speaker that is speaking there are 5-10 others that were not able to speak.

It is the best of the best speakers on this topic and I am VERY excited about attending. Washington DC is absolutely delightful in the fall and all the world-class museums there are free.

Please join me at this event. It is only $195 for the weekend and the hotel rooms are severely discounted. So even if you are only considering going, you should register for the hotel as there is no charge to cancel your reservation.

register now

Related Links:

Swine Flu is NOT the Problem -- It is the Vaccine that May Harm or Kill You

Major Expose on Swine Flu by 60 Minutes

Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed

Music Therapy: A New Perspective

2009-07-27T09:15:00.007-05:00

JOYFUL MUSIC MAY PROMOTE HEART HEALTH, ACCORDING TO UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE STUDY

2009-07-27T08:56:00.001-05:00

Listening to your favorite music may be good for your cardiovascular system. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown for the first time that the emotions aroused by joyful music have a healthy effect on blood vessel function.

Music, selected by study participants because it made them feel good and brought them a sense of joy, caused tissue in the inner lining of blood vessels to dilate (or expand) in order to increase blood flow. This healthy response matches what the same researchers found in a 2005 study of laughter. On the other hand, when study volunteers listened to music they perceived as stressful, their blood vessels narrowed, producing a potentially unhealthy response that reduces blood flow.

The results of the study, conducted at the University of Maryland Medical Center, will be presented at the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association, on November 11, 2008, in New Orleans.

“We had previously demonstrated that positive emotions, such as laughter, were good for vascular health. So, a logical question was whether other emotions, such as those evoked by music, have a similar effect,” says principal investigator Michael Miller, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We knew that individual people would react differently to different types of music, so in this study, we enabled participants to select music based upon their likes and dislikes.”

Study design

Ten healthy, non-smoking volunteers (70 percent male, average age 36 years) participated in all phases of the randomized study. There were four phases. In one, volunteers listened to music they selected that evoked joy. The volunteers brought recordings of their favorite music to the laboratory, or, if they did not own the music, the investigators acquired the recordings. Another phase included listening to a type of music that the volunteers said made them feel anxious. In a third session, audio tapes to promote relaxation were played and in a fourth, participants were shown videotapes designed to induce laughter.

Each volunteer participated in each of the four phases, but the order in which each phase occurred was determined at random.

To minimize emotional desensitization, the volunteers were told to avoid listening to their favorite music for a minimum of two weeks. “The idea here was that when they listened to this music that they really enjoyed, they would get an extra boost of whatever emotion was being generated,” says Dr. Miller.

Prior to each phase of the study, the volunteers fasted overnight and were given a baseline test to measure what is known as flow-mediated dilation.

This test can be used to determine how the endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) responds to a wide range of stimuli, from exercise to emotions to medications. The endothelium has a powerful effect on blood vessel tone and regulates blood flow, adjusts coagulation and blood thickening, and secretes chemicals and other substances in response to wounds, infections or irritation. It also plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

During the blood vessel dilation test, blood flow in the brachial artery, located in the upper arm, is restricted by a blood pressure cuff and released. An ultrasound device measures how well the blood vessel responds to the sudden increase in flow, with the result expressed as a percentage change in vessel diameter.

After the baseline test, each volunteer was exposed to the music or humorous video for 30 minutes. Additional dilation measurements were obtained throughout each phase to assess changes from baseline. Participants returned a minimum of one week later for the next phase. Sixteen measurements per person or a total of 160 dilation measurements were taken during the course of the study, which took six to eight months to complete.

Study results

Compared to baseline, the average upper arm blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent after the joyful music phase, while listening to music that caused anxiety narrowed blood vessels by six percent. “I was impressed with the highly significant differences both before and after listening to joyful music as well as between joyful and anxious music,” says Dr. Miller.

During the laughter phase of the study, a 19 percent increase in dilation showed a significant trend. The relaxation phase increased dilation by 11 percent on average; a number that the investigators determined was not statistically significant.

Most of the participants in the study selected country music as their favorite to evoke joy, according to Dr. Miller, while they said “heavy metal” music made them feel anxious. “You can’t read into this too much, although you could argue that country music is light, spirited, a lot of love songs.” says Dr. Miller, who enjoys rock, classical, jazz and country music. He says he could have selected 10 other individuals and the favorite could have been a different type of music.

Could other types of music produce similar positive effects on blood vessels? It’s possible, according to Dr. Miller. “The answer, in my opinion, is how an individual is ‘wired.’ We’re all wired differently, we all react differently. I enjoy country music, so I could appreciate why country music could cause that joyful response,” he says.

Dr. Miller believes that a physiological reaction to the type of music is behind the formation of positive and negative blood vessel reaction. “We don’t understand why somebody may be drawn to certain classical music, for example. There are no words in that, and yet the rhythm, the melody and harmony, may all play a role in the emotional and cardiovascular response.”

That physiological impact may also affect the activity of brain chemicals called endorphins. “The emotional component may be an endorphin-mediated effect,” says Dr. Miller. “The active listening to music evokes such raw positive emotions likely in part due to the release of endorphins, part of that mind-heart connection that we yearn to learn so much more about. Needless to say, these results were music to my ears because they signal another preventive strategy that we may incorporate in our daily lives to promote heart health.”

Dr. Miller’s funding sources include the American Heart Association, Veterans Administration and the National Institutes of Health.

###

University of Maryland Press Release

Celtic Woman - A New Journey - Granuaile's Dance

2009-07-26T13:51:00.003-05:00

Certain Adverse Events Part 5 and 6

2009-07-19T10:09:00.002-05:00

Certain Adverse Events Part 3 and Part Four

2009-07-19T10:07:00.001-05:00

Certain Adverse Events Part 2

2009-07-19T10:00:00.004-05:00

Certain Adverse Events Part 1

2009-07-19T09:56:00.002-05:00

Can Calcium Actually Make Your Bones Weaker?

2009-05-25T11:06:00.001-05:00

Many of you have or will eventually suffer from osteoporosis. But the drugs designed to treat it are dangerous and loaded with side effects. Fortunately, there are safe, natural treatments you can use instead.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Osteoporosis is a very common problem. It’s characterized by porous and fragile bones, which over time increases your risk of fractures, most often your hips, vertebrae and wrists. In fact, it will affect about half of all the people watching this video.

The following information is important for a number of reasons, because there’s a lot of confusion about this condition, but I want to specifically clear up two major misconceptions.

Clearing Up Two Major Myths About Osteoporosis and Its Treatment

The first myth is that osteoporosis is due to a calcium deficiency. As you’ll soon see, that’s not simply the case.

The second misconception is that the treatment for it is to use bisfosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Actonel, or Boniva. This is one of the worst strategies for treating this condition, because even though it will increase your bone density, it is a poison! The reason these drugs work is because they actually kill certain cells in your bone called osteoclasts. These are the cells that destroy bone as part of your natural bone regeneration process.

When these cells die off, you’re left with only osteoblasts, which build bone. Hence you get bigger bone that is denser, but NOT stronger. Your bones actually become weaker, and in the long term increase your risk of developing a fracture.

Your bone undergoes a dynamic process, constantly being remolded based on the forces in your body, and you need to have both osteoblasts and osteclasts to remove old bone and rebuild new bone.

Another drug you want to avoid, especially if you have asthma or any other autoimmune disease, is steroids. Steroids are very detrimental for bone density, and will increase your risk of osteoporosis.

Eating Right for Healthy Bone Density and Strength

One of the important strategies for healthy bones is to eat the right kind of foods. If you eat a diet full of processed foods, it will produce biochemical and metabolic conditions in your body that will decrease your bone density, so avoiding processed foods is the first step in the right direction.

Eating high quality, organic, biodynamic, locally-grown food will naturally increase your bone density and decrease your risk of developing osteoporosis.

One food in particular worth mentioning are onions, which are high in gamma-glutamyl peptides that have been shown to increase bone density. But generally, you’ll want to eat lots of fresh vegetables.

There’s a common concern that eating a high protein diet will secrete calcium into your urine. But the truth of the matter is that more people are now eating low-protein diets, and your body needs protein, because amino acids are part of the bone matrix. If you don’t consume enough of specific amino acids your body can’t form strong, dense bones. So you’ll also want to make sure you eat plenty of high quality protein like free-range eggs and grass-fed meats.

One food you may want to consider avoiding is gluten -- a specific protein in many grains, specifically wheat, but also barley, rye, oats and spelt. Gluten has been shown to decrease bone density.

Beneficial Supplements

Along with your foods, your omega 3 fat content has a lot to do with building healthy bone. Most everyone needs to take a high quality, animal-based omega 3 fat. I recommend krill oil, as I believe it’s a superior source of omega 3’s.

At the same time, to balance out your omega 3 and omega 6 ratio, you’ll want to reduce the amount of processed vegetable oils you consume. Oils like corn oil, safflower- and soy oil are loaded with omega 6’s. Additionally, canola should be avoided for other reasons.

Another supplement you may want to consider if you already have osteoporosis is vitamin K2, which has been shown to radically improve bone density. Fermented foods, such as natto, typically have the highest concentration of vitamin K found in the human diet and can provide several milligrams of vitamin K2 on a daily basis.

Additional Components that are Vital for Bone Density

Two additional components that are vital for building bone density and strength are vitamin D and proper exercise.

Vitamin D -- Interestingly, you don’t need much vitamin D to protect you against osteomalacia (the term for the softening of bones due to defective bone mineralization, also known as rickets in children). In fact, most of our RDA’s are based on that observation, which is why they’re up to ten times lower than what many people need for optimal health.

Now we know that vitamin D is enormously important for an ever-growing number of conditions, which is why I recommend you regularly expose large amounts of your skin to safe amounts of sunshine (or use a safe tanning bed) to optimize your vitamin D levels.

If neither of those is available, then you’ll want to use an oral form of vitamin D3. However, if you take oral vitamin D, make sure you’re measuring your vitamin D levels with a reputable reference lab (in the U.S. I recommend LabCorp). Getting your levels up to about 60 ng/ml will help you optimize your bone density.

Proper exercise -- The second component you can’t ignore if you want strong, healthy bones is weight bearing exercises like strength training. Remember, bone-building is a dynamic process, so you want to make sure you exert enough force on your bones to stimulate the osteoblasts to build new bone.

You may want to see a personal trainer or exercise therapist to give you specific exercises to build up the muscles around the bone that are most at risk, such as your arms and hips, as that’s where most of the damage occurs.

The Calcium Lie

Dr. Robert Thompson M.D. wrote an entire book, The Calcium Lie, addressing this important issue. Although he’d been able to resolve many illnesses with supplements and herbs and other less toxic alternatives to drugs, he’d come to realize that similar to the pharmaceutical industry, the nutrition industry had its own flaws.

He concluded that enormous amounts of money were being wasted on supplements that had little or no health benefit, and in some cases could actually worsen your health.

One of the tenets of his book is that bone is composed of at least a dozen minerals, and if you focus exclusively on calcium supplementation you are likely going to worsen your bone density, and will actually increase your risk of osteoporosis!

Dr. Thompson believes that the overconsumption of calcium in the goal of preventing osteoporosis creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances that will also increase your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Interestingly, he proposes that one of the best practical alternatives is the use of naturally occurring ionic supplements, as ionic minerals are the most plentiful form of minerals found on earth. He believes that almost everyone needs trace minerals, not just calcium, because you simply cannot get all the nutrients you need through food grown in mineral depleted soils.

Unprocessed Salt – A Better Alternative to Calcium Supplementation

Dr. Thompson believes that unprocessed salts are one of the best sources of these ionic trace minerals responsible for catalyzing many important functions in your body.

I have been a long time fan of high quality salt, and even more so once I learned of Himalayan salt, which I believe is one of the healthiest salts on the planet. High quality salts like Himalayan contain vitally important trace minerals from the ancient oceans that are not contaminated with toxins, and which are very difficult to get in your food due to the challenges of modern agricultural practices.

When Government Plays Doctor

2009-05-04T21:26:00.002-05:00

Dr. Ron Paul

This week, concerns about swine flu have dominated the media and many government officials. While the American people should be made aware of infectious diseases and common sense preventative measures, much of the hysterical reaction from government only serves to remind us how detrimental to your health it can be when government plays doctor.

As a physician, I have yet to see any evidence that justifies the current level of alarm. Influenza typically kills around 36,000 people every year in this country and hospitalizes a couple hundred thousand. So far there are only a handful of confirmed deaths attributable to this strain, and most of those sickened have or will fully recover. Every death is tragic, but I see no reason to deal with this flu outbreak any differently than we typically deal with any other flu season. Instead, government in its infinite wisdom is performing even more invasive screening at airports, closing down schools and sporting events, and causing general panic.

We had a similar outbreak in 1976, with only 1 death from the flu, but mandatory vaccinations killed at least 25 before the program was abandoned.

When government gets involved in healthcare decisions, the cure is so often worse than the illness. And yet, this administration will likely consolidate the government’s power over your health with sweeping new reforms that are already being discussed in the Senate.

Government has not improved healthcare, and has not made it cheaper. Quite the opposite; costs have skyrocketed, and quality has gone down in many ways. Gone are the days of the country doctor making house calls, or of voluntarily giving away medical services at charity hospitals. The bureaucratization of healthcare these past 45 years has made things worse. It saddens me as a doctor that physicians are less and less accountable to patients, but more and more accountable to government red tape, insurance companies and attorneys. It seems so perverse to me that important medical decisions that will directly affect the lives of all or nearly all Americans are being hashed out behind closed doors in Washington rather than between doctors and patients.

There is perhaps nothing more valuable to a human being than his or her health, which is why I’ve always considered the practice of medicine so crucial to our well-being. Any intrusion by government into the privacy and trust between doctor and patient is detrimental to the art of medicine. It distorts the whole dynamic of who the client really is when doctors must answer more to government or insurance companies than to their patients. The best solutions to improving quality and lowering costs of healthcare would be measures that put decisions back into the hands of patients and doctors, where they rightfully belong. I have introduced HR 1495 The Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Act, which promotes health savings accounts and tax deductibility of healthcare costs as an important step in this direction.

The unfortunate reality of this recent health crisis, as with any crisis, is that it presents opportunities that the unscrupulous will take advantage of, while the fearful become more compliant.

Congressman Paul on the Recent Swine Flu Scare

2009-05-04T21:21:00.002-05:00

Dr. Ron Paul is a physician and Representative to the U.S. House of Congress.
4/27/09

"Food Matters" News Release and Official Trailer

2009-04-28T06:00:00.002-05:00

This is really something to pay attention to. So pay attention please.

NEWS RELEASE
New film offers wisdom on struggling health care system: “Food
Matters”
LOS ANGELES, California, March 30, 2009 – A provocative new documentary available in the U.S. and Canada today has a message for a struggling health care system and those who aim to reform it: food matters.

The film “Food Matters” teaches viewers about foods, supplements and detoxification processes that have been proven to prevent, arrest, and even reverse diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and depression. “Food Matters” also addresses shortsighted agricultural practices, known pharmaceutical dangers, and lifestyle choices that impact our health, and reveals safe, affordable and effective natural approaches to treating the most common and chronic problems.

Nutritionists-turned-filmmakers James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch have produced a bold new film featuring leaders in nutrition and medicine from around the world who provide inspiring solutions and new approaches to disease.

“Modern medicine has led us to seek out a pill for every ill, but there are steps we can take as consumers that have been scientifically verified to help us heal ourselves,” said Colquhoun. “We’re not suggesting that pharmaceutical drugs don’t have their place, it’s just that many people are not aware of the positive impact
alternative treatments can have on their health.” “There are simple lifestyle changes that we as individuals can make to combat serious illness, and with
access to solid information, people invariably make better choices for their health,” said ten Bosch.

“Food Matters” reveals specific foods and supplements that have been proven to have health benefits for a variety of common conditions, such as Vitamin C, cashews and even raw chocolate. Experts featured in the film, such as Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., author and natural healing specialist with more than 30 years experience; nutritionist David Wolfe; and cancer specialist Dr. Dan Rogers offer health, wellness and nutritional advice to help viewers take immediate action.

Another of the film’s experts Charlotte Gerson, founder of the nonprofit Gerson
Institute dedicated to Gerson Therapy, an alternative, non-toxic treatment for cancer and other diseases, claims that a normal, healthy body has such powerful defenses that it cannot and will not develop cancer or any other chronic disease.

At a time when our struggling health care system is under scrutiny, and national health care reform is urgent, “Food Matters” aims to step in where “Sicko,” Michael Moore’s attack on the American health care system, stopped short. Colquhoun and ten Bosch hope “Food Matters” will educate people about ways to prevent illness, rather than encourage them to rely on a system already in crisis to treat symptoms once illness takes hold. “It’s about education, not just medication,” said Colquhoun.

“Food Matters” is currently available on DVD and for viewing online through the film’s website www.foodmatters.tv and at select retailers in North America.

Advance Praise for “Food Matters” “Thought provoking, informative, and compelling, this film matters.” (Rory Freedman, coauthor of New York Times bestseller “Skinny Bitch”)

“Anyone who is serious about their health needs to see this stunning film.” (Christiane Northrup, MD,author of “Women’s Wisdom”)

“Outstanding.” (John Robbins, author of “Diet for a New America”)

"Food Matters is a must-see for those looking to take control of their health." (John Gray, Ph.D., author of New York Times bestseller “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”)

About James & Laurentine:

After studying nutrition through the Global College of Natural Medicine in California, James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch realized that the health challenges within their own families were in fact a very real representation of what was happening the world over. They set out on a path to evaluate alternatives to empower themselves, their loved ones and others, minimize health care costs and reduce the demands on our already overburdened health care system.

In the process they formed a production company to create, direct and produce the feature film “Food Matters.” The Food Matters duo has independently funded the film from start to finish in order to remain as unbiased as possible, delivering a clear, concise and hard-hitting message to the world: Food Matters.
###

Because Laughing is Good For You

2009-04-27T20:59:00.003-05:00

This is someone's editing class assignment, a trailer of Ocean's Eleven using footage from The Great Muppet Caper. It has really good trailer-type editing, and the audio syncing is hilarious! Excellent casting. I hope they get an "A".

Video Report on MSG Part 3

2009-04-21T12:56:00.004-05:00

Video Report on MSG Part 2

2009-04-21T12:51:00.003-05:00

Video Report on MSG Part 1

2009-04-21T12:47:00.005-05:00

Added Resources on MSG

2009-04-21T12:34:00.001-05:00

You can get more information from these books.

MSG: Is This Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets?

2009-04-21T10:15:00.007-05:00

by Dr. MercolaDr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site, Mercola.com.

A widespread and silent killer that’s worse for your health than alcohol, nicotine and many drugs is likely lurking in your kitchen cabinets right now.[1] “It” is monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer that’s known widely as an addition to Chinese food, but that’s actually added to thousands of the foods you and your family regularly eat, especially if you are like most Americans and eat the majority of your food as processed foods or in restaurants.

MSG is one of the worst food additives on the market and is used in canned soups, crackers, meats, salad dressings, frozen dinners and much more. It’s found in your local supermarket and restaurants, in your child’s school cafeteria and, amazingly, even in baby food and infant formula.

MSG is more than just a seasoning like salt and pepper, it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny.

While MSG’s benefits to the food industry are quite clear, this food additive could be slowly and silently doing major damage to your health.

What Exactly is MSG?

You may remember when the MSG powder called “Accent” first hit the U.S. market. Well, it was many decades prior to this, in 1908, that monosodium glutamate was invented. The inventor was Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese man who identified the natural flavor enhancing substance of seaweed.

Taking a hint from this substance, they were able to create the man-made additive MSG, and he and a partner went on to form Ajinomoto, which is now the world’s largest producer of MSG (and interestingly also a drug manufacturer).[2]

Chemically speaking, MSG is approximately 78 percent free glutamic acid, 21 percent sodium, and up to 1 percent contaminants.[3]

It’s a misconception that MSG is a flavor or “meat tenderizer.” In reality, MSG has very little taste at all, yet when you eat MSG, you think the food you’re eating has more protein and tastes better. It does this by tricking your tongue, using a little-known fifth basic taste: umami.

Umami is the taste of glutamate, which is a savory flavor found in many Japanese foods, bacon and also in the toxic food additive MSG. It is because of umami that foods with MSG taste heartier, more robust and generally better to a lot of people than foods without it.

The ingredient didn’t become widespread in the United States until after World War II, when the U.S. military realized Japanese rations were much tastier than the U.S. versions because of MSG.

In 1959, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration labeled MSG as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS), and it has remained that way ever since. Yet, it was a telling sign when just 10 years later a condition known as “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” entered the medical literature, describing the numerous side effects, from numbness to heart palpitations, that people experienced after eating MSG.

Today that syndrome is more appropriately called “MSG Symptom Complex,” which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifies as "short-term reactions" to MSG. More on those “reactions” to come.

Why MSG is so Dangerous

One of the best overviews of the very real dangers of MSG comes from Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills.” In it he explains that MSG is an excitotoxin, which means it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees -- and potentially even triggering or worsening learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more.

Part of the problem also is that free glutamic acid is the same neurotransmitter that your brain, nervous system, eyes, pancreas and other organs use to initiate certain processes in your body.[4] Even the FDA states:

“Studies have shown that the body uses glutamate, an amino acid, as a nerve impulse transmitter in the brain and that there are glutamate-responsive tissues in other parts of the body, as well.

Abnormal function of glutamate receptors has been linked with certain neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's chorea. Injections of glutamate in laboratory animals have resulted in damage to nerve cells in the brain.”[5]

Although the FDA continues to claim that consuming MSG in food does not cause these ill effects, many other experts say otherwise.

According to Dr. Blaylock, numerous glutamate receptors have been found both within your heart's electrical conduction system and the heart muscle itself. This can be damaging to your heart, and may even explain the sudden deaths sometimes seen among young athletes.

He says:

“When an excess of food-borne excitotoxins, such as MSG, hydrolyzed protein soy protein isolate and concentrate, natural flavoring, sodium caseinate and aspartate from aspartame, are consumed, these glutamate receptors are over-stimulated, producing cardiac arrhythmias.

When magnesium stores are low, as we see in athletes, the glutamate receptors are so sensitive that even low levels of these excitotoxins can result in cardiac arrhythmias and death.”[6]

Many other adverse effects have also been linked to regular consumption of MSG, including:

* Obesity
* Eye damage
* Headaches
* Fatigue and disorientation
* Depression

Further, even the FDA admits that “short-term reactions” known as MSG Symptom Complex can occur in certain groups of people, namely those who have eaten “large doses” of MSG or those who have asthma.[7]

According to the FDA, MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as:

* Numbness
* Burning sensation
* Tingling
* Facial pressure or tightness
* Chest pain or difficulty breathing
* Headache
* Nausea
* Rapid heartbeat
* Drowsiness
* Weakness

No one knows for sure just how many people may be “sensitive” to MSG, but studies from the 1970s suggested that 25 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. population was intolerant of MSG -- at levels then found in food. Since the use of MSG has expanded dramatically since that time, it’s been estimated that up to 40 percent of the population may be impacted.[8]

How to Determine if MSG is in Your Food

Food manufacturers are not stupid, and they’ve caught on to the fact that people like you want to avoid eating this nasty food additive. As a result, do you think they responded by removing MSG from their products? Well, a few may have, but most of them just tried to “clean” their labels. In other words, they tried to hide the fact that MSG is an ingredient.

How do they do this? By using names that you would never associate with MSG.

You see, it’s required by the FDA that food manufacturers list the ingredient “monosodium glutamate” on food labels, but they do not have to label ingredients that contain free glutamic acid, even though it’s the main component of MSG.

There are over 40 labeled ingredients that contain glutamic acid,[9] but you’d never know it just from their names alone. Further, in some foods glutamic acid is formed during processing and, again, food labels give you no way of knowing for sure.

Tips for Keeping MSG Out of Your Diet

In general, if a food is processed you can assume it contains MSG (or one of its pseudo-ingredients). So if you stick to a whole, fresh foods diet, you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll avoid this toxin.

The other place where you’ll need to watch out for MSG is in restaurants. You can ask your server which menu items are MSG-free, and request that no MSG be added to your meal, but of course the only place where you can be entirely sure of what’s added to your food is in your own kitchen.

To be on the safe side, you should also know what ingredients to watch out for on packaged foods. Here is a list of ingredients that ALWAYS contain MSG:

Autolyzed Yeast Calcium Caseinate Gelatin
Glutamate Glutamic Acid Hydrolyzed Protein
Monopotassium Glutamate Monosodium Glutamate Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein Yeast Extract Yeast Food
Yeast Nutrient

These ingredients OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing:[10]

Flavors and Flavorings Seasonings Natural Flavors and Flavorings Natural Pork Flavoring Natural Beef Flavoring
Natural Chicken Flavoring Soy Sauce Soy Protein Isolate Soy Protein Bouillon
Stock Broth Malt Extract Malt Flavoring Barley Malt
Whey Protein Carrageenan Maltodextrin Pectin Enzymes
Protease Corn Starch Citric Acid Powdered Milk Anything Protein Fortified
Anything Enzyme Modified Anything Ultra-Pasteurized

So if you do eat processed foods, please remember to be on the lookout for these many hidden names for MSG.

Choosing to be MSG-Free

Making a decision to avoid MSG in your diet as much as possible is a wise choice for nearly everyone. Admittedly, it does take a bit more planning and time in the kitchen to prepare food at home, using fresh, locally grown ingredients. But knowing that your food is pure and free of toxic additives like MSG will make it well worth it.

Plus, choosing whole foods will ultimately give you better flavor and more health value than any MSG-laden processed food you could buy at your supermarket.

[1] Mercola.com “The Shocking Dangers of MSG You Don’t Know,” video Part 1

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/28/dangers-of-msg.aspx?aid=CD12

[2] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack “MSG Dangers and Deceptions”

http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm

[3] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack “MSG Dangers and Deceptions”

http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm

[4] MSGTruth.org “What Exactly is MSG?”

http://www.msgtruth.org/whatisit.htm

[5] U.S. Food and Drug Administration “FDA and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)” August 31, 1995

http://www.foodsafety.gov/~lrd/msg.html

[6] eMediaWire “Athlete Alert: Renowned Neurosurgeon Identifies Aspartame & MSG in Sudden Cardiac Death” April 15, 2005

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/4/emw225071.htm

[7] FDA Consumer Magazine “MSG: A Common Flavor Enhancer” January-February 2003

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/103_msg.html

[8] TruthinLabeling.org “This is What the Data Say About Monosodium Glutamate Toxicity and Human Adverse Reactions”

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/Proof_AdverseReactions_AR.html

[9] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack “MSG Dangers and Deceptions”

http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm

[10] Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Samuels, Jack “MSG Dangers and Deceptions”

http://www.ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/Articles/MSG.htm

Dr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site, Mercola.com.
You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies by going to his Report Page.

Stressed? Try Vagus

2009-04-14T09:36:00.001-05:00

by Kelley Herring (03/18/2009)

The effect of stress takes a nasty toll on your life. But it doesn’t just damage your psyche. It harms your body too.

Stress increases dangerous inflammatory factors called cytokines… damages the hippocampus, causing memory loss and mood disorders… reduces the brain’s ability to repair itself… increases abdominal fat… interferes with thyroid function… and even increases the stickiness of the blood (which can lead to dangerous clots).

But there’s something very simple you can do to help alleviate the effects of stress. Stimulate your vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve controls the relaxation response through the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. And this anti-stress machine can be turned on in a matter of minutes.

Here is the exercise.

Take a deep breath into your belly to the count of five. Pause. Breathe out slowly to the count of five. Keep your belly soft. Repeat 5 times.

With this simple and effective exercise, you instantly reduce your levels of cortisol and help your body get back to a peaceful state of balance.

In addition to a few minutes a day of soft-belly breathing, you can bolster your body’s defenses against stress by engaging in regular vigorous exercise, eating a clean diet of healing foods, and enjoying fresh air and sunlight.

[Ed. Note: These days, you've got more stressors than ever before. If stress doesn't kill you outright, it most likely WILL plunge you toward all the diseases of aging, much faster than you deserve! Learn how to make your body more resilient to stress, so you can have the health and energy you need to build a brighter future.

Eating right goes a long way toward making you feel better. Pick up a copy of nutrition expert Kelley Herring's collection of recipes for dozens of delicious and guilt-free desserts. Pick up your copy today.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.