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Anti-anxiety Meds and Sleeping Pills Increases Risk of Death

Anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills have been linked to an increased risk of death, according to new research from the University of Warwick.

The large study shows that several anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) drugs or hypnotic drugs (sleeping pills) are associated with a doubling in the risk of mortality.

The lead researcher was the professor of Psychiatry at the University of Warwick. He explained “The key message here is that we really do have to use these drugs more carefully. This builds on a growing body of evidence suggesting that their side effects are significant and dangerous. We have to do everything possible to minimize over reliance on anxiolytics and sleeping pills.” “That’s not to say that they cannot be effective. But particularly due to their addictive potential we need to make sure that we help patients to spend as little time on them as possible and that we consider other options, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, to help them to overcome anxiety or sleep problems.”

Benzodiazepines were the most commonly prescribed drug class, including diazepam and temazepam. The study also examined the effects of two other groups of drugs; the so-called ‘Z-drugs’ and all other anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs. Many patients received more than one drug over the course of the study, and 5% received prescriptions for drugs from all three groups.

-BMJ 

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec’s comments on Anti-anxiety meds and sleeping pills:

What is the key point in this research? It is NOT throw away your medication or else you will die twice as fast. Some people need to be on medication for a season until they balance the systems of their body. With that said, the season should not be their whole life. The way you get off medication of any type is get healthy. The healthier you become the less medication you will need. In the last 30 years of treating patients at Total Health Institute we have seen people come off of most all medications. We have had patients get off of 23 medications! That is right 23 medications they were taking at the same time! How did we do this? We balanced all the systems of the body and balanced the body’s chemistry and then they simply did not need these medications anymore.

This is what is necessary in patients who get healthy and are able to come off medication:

1.   They truly desire to get off the medication. They have come to the point were they hate having to depend on drugs with not only addictive qualities but also many side effects.

2.   They start on a total health program to balance their entire system instead of focusing on one part or even worst focusing on curing a disease.

3.   They never quit, stop or give up no matter how many times they fall.

4.   They are teachable, meaning they listen well and make the appropriate changes without being distracted by things of the world and when they do get off course they quickly recognize it and put a lot of energy into getting back on course.

The question everyone should be asking is NOT how do I get off these anti-anxiety meds and sleeping pills (or any medication for that matter) but instead how can I get so healthy that anxiety cannot stay and my sleep becomes natural (or my symptoms and conditions simply cannot live in my body or mind)?  This is how we have treated patients and this is how they have healed from extreme anxiety and insomnia and most other conditions.

We cover these concepts in the following teachings:

1.   Sally & George

2.   The Seven Basic Steps to Total Health

3.   How to Know You Are Healed

What you focus on you magnify. Focus on health and one day you will have it. Focus on disease and you will never see the end of it.

To Your Total Health Always,

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec

Prayer and Faith – Age Old Allies in the Fight Against Cancer

A boys prayerCancer can be a devastating disease, and the road to recovery and restored health can be long and fraught with pitfalls. For hundreds of years, people have turned to prayer and faith to help them through the dark times of their illness and the despair that often accompanies it. Modern conventional medicine has had an equally long history of relegating faith and spirituality to the very outskirts of their cancer treatments. Considering it little more than an opiate that does little to actually help their patients fight the disease or recover their health. But faith and spirituality are large parts of the recovery process, and recent research suggests that prayer has a quantifiable positive effect, not just on the mental and emotional status of cancer patients, but on their physical well-being as well.

Prayer and Mental Health

Researchers, in both the conventional and alternative medical fields, have come to understand that stress and anxiety are significant enemies in the quest for total health. They rob the body of the energy needed to fight the disease itself, and weaken the immune system leaving the patient susceptible to secondary illnesses and treatment complications. This is particularly true for those that are recovering from more serious illnesses like cancer, or who are struggling with the effects of a chronic disorder like Multiple Sclerosis. Where conventional medicine and alternative medicine diverge, however, is in the way that they treat that stress and anxiety. Conventional medicine turns immediately to chemicals, prescription drugs designed to alter the patient’s mood by masking their anxiety. Alternative medicine, however, understands that faith and spirituality can have a much greater impact on the mental well-being of a patient fighting and recovering from cancer. Through faith, patients can find the inner peace that restores the body’s natural energies and reduces the mental and physical stress on the immune system.

Faith and the Immune System

Recent research into the power of faith and prayer in healing has turned up some interesting results. These studies are showing that prayer, both alone and with a formal or informal group, has the power to increase the efficiency of immune system health. The latest research is showing that prayer instigates certain chemical reactions in the central nervous system, prompting the immune system into a more definite action against disease. For example, astrocytes are a specific type of brain cell that produces interleukin-1, a cytokine that effects and regulates the immune system. Studies into the effects of faith and spirituality on patients battling cancer and other diseases seem to indicate that prayer activates these astrocytes, prompting them to produce the interleukin-1 that the immune system needs to go into action. Moreover, lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell the body uses to fight infection and recover from illness) are activated by these same chemical reactions, which are produced in the central nervous system as the result of prayer. Clearly the power of prayer over cancer and other illnesses is more than merely anecdotal, and new research is leading the way toward showing a scientifically quantifiable cause and effect.

Faith, Prayer and Total Health

Clearly, faith plays a large part in the prevention and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses. Research continues into the roles that prayer and spirituality have to play in maintaining our total health. That being said, recent studies have already proven that faith and pray help to decrease the stress induced chemical reactions that can lead to illness and inhibit recovery, thereby lowering the risk for serious illness and relapses during treatment. Prayer also helps the immune system to function efficiently, prompting it into action when the body is beleaguered by disease or infection, and in so doing helping to ward off secondary infections and illnesses and helping the body to heal itself.

While it is important to understand the power of faith and prayer in the healing process, it is equally important to understand that they cannot do all of the work. We must also take control of our lives, and choose healthy lifestyles that promote good health and longevity. A holistic approach to life is the best medicine. When we live well, and eat well, and put our faith in God…then we will truly experience total health. You must always remember that you are a spiritual being that temporarily inhabits a body not a human being that has a spirit. What you do spiritually affects your mind, will, emotions and physical body. By stilling your mind and listening to the voice of Truth that God is speaking to your heart, you are building a foundation of total health of body, mind and spirit.

Vitamin C Therapy for Cancer – An Old Discovery That’s Making a Big Comeback

Throughout the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Doctors Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron conducted extensive research into the efficacy of vitamin C as a treatment for cancer. They concluded that high doses of vitamin C could be used as both a preventative protocol to protect the body from the development of cancer, and as an auxiliary treatment for patients treating an existing cancer. It should come as no surprise that the conventional medical community of the day refused to countenance such findings, and ultimately labeled the results inconclusive while calling Pauling and Cameron quacks.

Pauling, of course, was a two time Nobel Prize winner. Hardly what you might call a quack. Still, Cameron and Pauling published their findings in a book called “Cancer and Vitamin C”, and their research went largely ignored for the next half a century. But some scientists and natural health practitioners did take note, and recent research along the same lines may be bearing out Pauling’s and Cameron’s original findings. Vitamin C can play an effective role in the prevention and treatment of many different types of cancer.

Vitamin C and the Immune System

The body’s immune system is the first line of defense against cancer and other diseases. When the immune system is functioning at peak efficiency, it sends out lymphocytes (white blood cells) to combat illness. One of the three primary lymphocytes that the immune system can deploy is the NK, or natural killer, cell. NK cells target abnormal or mutated cells, in other words cancerous or pre-cancerous cells, and targets them for destruction. Research has proven that NK cells are only active when they contain large stores of vitamin C. Additionally, PGE1, the chemical that regulates the production and function of NK cells, is itself dependent upon vitamin C. Studies into the effectiveness of vitamin C as a treatment for cancer have shown that patients taking 5 grams of vitamin C orally for three consecutive days saw the number of lymphocytes in their bloodstream double. Further, patients taking 10 grams of vitamin C per day saw their lymphocyte count triple. Extrapolating from these findings, researchers deduce that the high doses of vitamin C increased the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.

Vitamin C as an Antioxidant

It is well understood that free radicals are one of the underlying causes of cancer. Free radicals pull electrons from otherwise healthy cells, leaving them damaged and prone to mutation. This is what is known as oxidative stress, and it is one of the primary causes of cell mutation and cancer. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, cleaning up free radicals and neutralizing them before they can damage any healthy cells. High doses of vitamin C have also been show to neutralize environmental toxins that can lead to oxidative stress. The vitamin C acts as a lure, giving the toxins something to consume and distracting them from otherwise healthy cells. Eventually, those same toxins are excreted as natural bodily waste.

Vitamin C and the Recommended Daily Allowance

The USDA has established a recommended daily allowance of 75 milligrams. An average, healthy, person can absorb and utilize between 4,000 and 15,000 milligrams of vitamin C per day. The USDA’s recommendation is purely arbitrary, and is based on the absolute minimum amount of vitamin C a person needs to avoid certain illnesses such as scurvy. Vitamin C is unique, in that the body will take what it needs and excrete the excess, making it an ideal daily supplement.

Research continues into the effectiveness of vitamin C as a cancer therapy. But it is clear that this common vitamin offers a many health benefits. In addition to fighting cancer, it is also a powerful virucide and micro-biocidal, and can help to protect the body from a wide range of infections and toxins. While conventional medicine may continue to ignore the life giving attributes of vitamin C, it clear that Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron were on the right track, and that vitamin C may prove to be one of the more powerful weapons in the fight against cancer.

Making Fat While You Sit- You Must Move

Over 35 percent of American adults and 17 percent of American children are considered obese, according to the latest survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Associated with diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even certain types of cancer, obesity places a major burden on the health care system and economy. It’s usually treated through a combination of diet, nutrition, exercise, and other techniques.

To understand how obesity develops researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, analyzed the accumulation of fat in the body at the cellular level. According to their findings, nutrition is not the only factor driving obesity. The mechanics of “cellular expansion” plays a primary role in fat production, they discovered. By exposing the mechanics of fat production at a cellular level, the researchers offer insight into the development of obesity.

They found that fat cells exposed to sustained, chronic pressure — such as what happens to the buttocks when you’re sitting down — experienced accelerated growth of lipid droplets, which are molecules that carry fats.Contrary to muscle and bone tissue, which get mechanically weaker with disuse, fat depots in fat cells expanded when they experienced sustained loading by as much as 50%.  

The researchers discovered that, once it accumulated lipid droplets, the structure of a cell and its mechanics changed dramatically. They were able to observe the material composition of the transforming fat cell, which became stiffer as it expanded. This stiffness alters the environment of surrounding cells by physically deforming them, pushing them to change their own shape and composition.

“When they gain mass and change their composition, expanding cells deform neighboring cells, forcing them to differentiate and expand,” said the researcher. “This proves that you’re not just what you eat. You’re also what you feel — and what you’re feeling is the pressure of increased weight and the sustained loading in the tissues of the buttocks of the couch potato.

If you can learn to control the mechanical environment of cells, you can then determine how to modulate the fat cells to produce less fat.

-Biophysical Journal
Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec comments on “Making Fat While You Sit”

You have heard the phrase “if you do not move it you lose it” well with fat it is “if you do not move it you grow it”.

It is amazing how God created our body. The whole physiology is based on movement. When you stop moving you not only get fat but you get inflamed, toxic, low oxygen and get disease and die earlier. Do you think Adam and Eve were sitting much in the Garden? Of course not they were tending it. A very wise instructor I had while in college said these words and I will never forget them because he said them with such intensity, like he really had experienced the fullness of what these words mean:

“LIFE IS MOTION”.

A person who is confined to complete bed rest for two weeks will have the same bone and muscle loss as someone who has aged ten years. How can this be avoided?  By just getting up and standing. You do not even have to do any intense exercise, just letting gravity pull on those muscles and bones will prevent degeneration.

This study is just another reason to keep exercising and do not stay sitting for very long. The more you sit, the more fat you accumulate on your posterior end and not because of lack of exercise but because of the pressure of sitting.

Some may ask “what if my job is sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day?” Then all you have to do is stretch regularly while sitting and get up every couple of hours and walk to the bathroom even if you do not have to use it. Even better is to go up and down the stairs for a few minutes every 2-3 hours. Every hour would be best but your employer might not be so thrilled with your new exercise regime.

We cover these concepts in the following teaching:

The Seven Basic Steps to Total Health

Since life is motion, keep on moving, walking, strengthing and growing in body, mind and spirit.

To Your Total Health Always,

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec

Azodicarbonamide – A Cancer Causing Mouthful That Lurks in the Strangest Places

Bread, the staff of life. That’s what we’ve been told for centuries, and while most of us are cutting back on bread (mostly due a desire to reduce our carbohydrate intake) it still plays a substantial role in the average person’s diet. But if you’ve been keeping your ear to the ground, you’ve probably heard some startling news recently concerning this most basic of foods. Certain fast food chains have been serving customers a bread product containing Azodicarbonamide, a carcinogenic chemical. But the use of Azodicarbonamide isn’t limited to fast food, and this cancer causing chemical additive can be found in a wide range of processed foods from, sliced bread to mac and cheese to chewing gum.

The revelation that Subway, McDonald’s and other fast foods are potentially unhealthy is hardly breaking news to anyone who is trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it does highlight an important issue. Health threatening chemical additives, including many carcinogens, are lurking in the most unlikely places, and it is vital that we as consumers stay every vigilant when choosing what to eat.

Azodicarbonamide – What is It?

Azodicarbonamide is a chemical additive approved by the FDA for a variety of uses, including a bleaching agent for flour and a general stabilizer for many packaged foods. It is also used in the manufacture of plastics, Styrofoam and rubber. It’s not difficult to see where the problem lies. As used in modern industry Azodicarbonamide is dangerous enough, and has been proven to trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory problems in workers exposed to the chemical.

The dangers of Azodicarbonamide expand exponentially when it is used as a chemical additive for food stuffs. For example, taking our cue from the latest headlines, when bread made from flour containing this chemical additive is baked, the Azodicarbonamide breaks down into urethane. Urethane is a well known carcinogen, and has been linked to the development of a number of different types of cancer. The connection between Azodicarbonamide and cancer is well understood in Europe, and its use has been banned in England and the European Union. There is currently a grass roots campaign to ban the use of Azodicarbonamide in the United States, but as yet the FDA has failed to address the situation.

Azodicarbonamide – Where Does it Lurk?

Now, you may be reading this and thinking, “This Azodicarbonamide sounds pretty bad, it’s a good thing I don’t eat at fast food restaurants”. The important thing to take away from this, however, is that Azodicarbonamide can be found in a variety of processed foods. While Subway and their competitors are taking much of the heat, consumers may be unaware that they are still risking exposure to this dangerous chemical by relying on the most common of grocery store products. Azodicarbonamide has been found in the many of the following common grocery store items:

  • Breads – Including white and whole wheat, as well as English muffins and croissants.
  • Frozen entrees – Used as a stabilizer to prevent spoiling.
  • Frozen vegetables – Again, used as a stabilizing agent.
  • Bread mixes and frozen dough
  • Baked Goods – Including cakes, pies and pastries.

As you can see, Azodicarbonamide lurks in a variety of prepared food stuffs, making it clear that processed foods are a must to avoid. That being said, we all succumb to the convenience from time to time, so it is important that people learn to read the labels on food products and avoid those that contain carcinogenic chemical additives.

Avoiding Azodicarbonamide

Avoiding Azodicarbonamide isn’t difficult. Transitioning to a predominantly vegetarian diet, with an emphasis on organically grown fruits and vegetables, is most of the battle. At all costs, avoid prepackaged processed foods. Make it a point to prepeare your own meals, using only the best ingredients, and put restaurants on your ‘do not’ list. Avoid breads and baked goods in your diet, they contain chemicals, additives and gluten which is highly allergenic causing inflammation in the intestinal tract.

A healthy diet, comprised of organically sourced foods, is the first line of defense against a variety of diseases and disorder including cancer. The recent news concerning the use of chemicals like Azodicarbonamide should be a wake up call to anyone still relying on processed foods as part of their normal diet. To prevent disease, and to realize your total health, stick to the all-natural path.

Tips for Healing Autoimmune Disease Naturally

According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, autoimmune diseases plague about 50 million Americans or about 20% of the US population. This is a serious epidemic of many proportions with numerous diseases. Most American Physicians prescribe steroids or other prescription medications which can have numerous side effects. There are countless plants and vegetables that can decrease inflammation in the body naturally. The following information and studies go through details of healing autoimmune diseases.

According to the World Health Organization, 63% of the deaths in 2008 were attributed to non-communicable chronic diseases; certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes in which poor diet was contributing factor. Yet, people that live in societies that eat healthy, plant-based diets rarely have these ailments.  Research studies have long indicated that a high consumption of plant foods is associated with lower incidents of chronic inflammatory diseases. William W. Li, M.D., President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation in Cambridge, Mass., stated that all individuals should look at their diets as if food is the medicine necessary to maintain healthy, disease-free lives. “Prevention is always better than a cure,” stated Li.

There are many anti-inflammatory items to help those with autoimmune diseases ease symptoms.  Some foods that may help prevent cancer and other chronic auto-immune diseases include:

  • artichokes
  • avocados
  • black pepper
  • cinnamon
  • garlic
  • lentils
  • olives
  • pumpkin
  • rosemary
  • thyme
  • watercress
  • hemps seeds
  • chia seeds

Hemp and chia seeds are very nutritious and have numerous benefits. They contain a high amount of protein, 35% of Omega 3 and 6’s (including alpha-linolenic acid) and 2 tablespoons provide nearby 25% of recommended daily dietary fiber. They contain plenty of vitamins and minerals from calcium, boron to help calcium absorption, potassium and iron.

These seeds can help fight against numerous diseases and keep the immune system stronger with aiding fat soluble vitamin absorption. At the University of Southern Queensland, there was a study done which has found regular consumption of chia seeds, which contain ALA, induces lipid redistribution associated with cardio-protection and  liver protection.  Another great benefit includes relief from diabetes or arthritis, as it absorbs sugar improving insulin sensitivity.  With Chia seed’s high fiber content, they help cleanse the colon and can help the body expel toxins, thus decreasing the body’s inflammation especially in proximity to the liver.

A study done in Mexico showed that diets rich in avocados appear to manager hyper-cholesterolemia. This study was well designed with high avocado consumption which showed significant lowered total cholesterol, LDL-C levels and increased HDL-C with a small decrease in triglycerides compared to those with a low-saturated fat diet.

Food can either bring health and life or sickness and death. Autoimmune disease is a hyperimmune response to stresses placed upon the body and mind. Change the stress physically and mentally and you will change the outcome.

 

 

Salvestrols – Nature’s Mighty Mite in the Fight Against Cancer

Fruits and VegetablesMost of us have grown up with our parent’s telling us to “eat our vegetables”. These days, even the government has gotten in on the act, telling us all that our diets should contain at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Here’s a little known fact – that number is entirely arbitrary. For example, the Japanese government recommends that their citizens should eat at least twelve servings of vegetables a day, while the Scottish government recommends a lowly three. Still, it’s widely accepted that the health benefits of fruits and vegetables cannot be overestimated, and that they can help to protect our bodies from a variety of diseases and disorders, not the least of which is cancer. Research into the effectiveness of plants, vegetables and fruits in the fight against cancer is ongoing, and recent discoveries have uncovered a remarkable ally in that battle. Salvestrols – mighty little chemicals that hide in the best fruits and vegetables and kill cancer naturally while leaving healthy cells untouched.

Salvestrols – A Brief History

Salvestrols were discovered in 2005 by two British scientists, Gerry Potter and Dan Burke, who were conducting research into synthetic compounds that would kill cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. To their amazement, they found that nature had got there first. During their research, Burke and Potter found that many fruits and vegetables contained a natural compound, which they called Salvestrols, that had the innate ability to target and kill cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. Moreover, they found that Salvestrols did this quickly, safely, and efficiently.

How Salvestrols Work

The chemical compound Salvestrols is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. It is an inert chemical that is only activated in the presence of CYP1B1, which is an enzyme found in cancerous cells. All cells within the body follow a natural life cycle. They are born, they grow, and ultimately they die. The CYP1B1 enzyme interrupts this natural life cycle, preventing the natural death of the cell, and allowing it to mutate and become cancerous. Healthy cells do not have the CYP1B1 enzyme. Salvestrols are drawn to cells that exhibit CYP1B1, they are then activated by the enzyme and through a natural chemical process instigate cell death in the cancerous cell. Healthy cells, which do not exhibit the CYP1B1 enzyme, are left untouched.

Where to Find Salvestrols

Salvestrols can be found in a wide variety of plants, fruits and vegetables. Adding these to the diet can help to protect the body from developing cancerous cells, and can actually kill existing cancer cells. The following is just a sampling of the fruits and vegetables that contain Salvestrols.

  • Avocados
  • Broccoli
  • Olives
  • Artichokes
  • Cabbage
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Parsley
  • Basil
  • Mint
  • Sage
  • Blueberries
  • Cranberries
  • Bell Peppers

The list goes on and on. However, as common as Salvestrols is, there is a rub….

Salvestrols – Here’s the Rub

While the discovery of Salvestrols is definitely good news for people looking for natural ways to combat cancer, there are a few points to take note of. First, and foremost, many modern agricultural techniques (pesticides, fungicides, etc.) inhibit the growth of naturally occurring Salvestrols. Salvestrols is produced in plants as a protective mechanism to ward of blight, so when we divert the natural growing process we inhibit the development of the lifesaving chemical. That is why it so important to choose organically grown fruits, vegetables and herbs, and to eat them raw whenever possible. This cannot be stressed enough. Second, Salvestrols can only be obtained through a healthy diet, rich in organic fruits and vegetables. Because Salvestrols are so easily destroyed through processing, it is not possible to make an effective Salvestrols supplement.

Salvestrols is a mighty little chemical that is leading the way in the natural fight against cancer. Found in the food we often take for granted, this little might may be the key to unlocking a cancer free future for men and women everywhere. To put this mighty mite to work for you, remember that you must choose organic, and that the most benefit will be derived from raw fruits, vegetables and herbs.

How Poor Food Choices Effects Your Genes

New research by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) raises the striking possibility that even small amounts of occasional poor food choices may produce significant changes in gene expression that could negatively impact physiology and health.

Researchers describe how metabolism and physiology are connected to diet. Using C. elegans, a transparent roundworm often used as a model organism in genetic studies, the research team observed how different diets produce differences in gene expression in the worm that can then be linked to crucial physiological changes.

They found that when C. elegans are fed diets of different types of bacteria, they respond by dramatically changing their gene expression program, leading to important changes in physiology. Worms fed a  diet of Comamonas bacteria have fewer offspring, live shorter and develop faster compared to worms fed the standard laboratory diet of E. coli bacteria.

The researchers identified at least 87 changes in C. elegans gene expression between the two diets. This connection provided one of the critical links between diet, gene expression and physiology.

Amazingly researchers observed that even when fed a small amount of the Comamonas bacteria in a diet otherwise composed of E. coli bacteria, C. elegans exhibited dramatic changes in gene expression and physiology. These results provide the possibility that different diets are not “healthy” or “unhealthy” but that specific quantities of certain foods may be optimal under different conditions and for promoting different physiological outcomes.

“It’s just as true that a small amount of a ‘healthy’ food in an otherwise unhealthy diet could elicit a beneficial change in gene expression that could have profound physiological effects,” said lead researcher.

-Cell

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec’s Comments on How Poor Food Choices Effects Your Genes:
The bad news is that if you keep eating bad food it will negatively affect your health by altering your genes. The good news is that if you start eating some healthy food instead of the unhealthy food it will also affect your genes to positively influence your health.
This research brought up a very important point. It is not only the type and amount of food you eat that counts but also under what conditions are you eating it. For example if you eat some cookies while on vacation, relaxing on the beach without a care in the world at that moment, this will have a completely different effect then eating the same cookies after a stressful day that culminated with you losing your job. One is eating something unhealthy when the mental/emotional state is more balanced whereas the other is eating the unhealthy food when the mental/emotional state is very out of balance.
What does this mean to you?
See the big picture in everything in your life. The more stressed you are the more balanced you must become to counter the stress. We know this is difficult to do but just remember that if your mind and emotions are weakened they have already weakened your body so you do not want to throw gasoline on the fire.
What can you do about it?
Learn how to be healthy in every way so you will know how the big picture works. Work on your spiritual health, your mental and emotional health and your physical health everyday. All you have to do is decide to make a change today and then DO IT and you have begun the journey. That is how any task gets accomplished. At first it seems impossible, then possible but very, very difficult, then difficult, then doable, then doing, then doing with excitement, then excelling, then mastering.

These steps are covered in detail on our audio teaching: Sally & George- Going Deeper, Seven Basic Steps to Total Health and our How to Know You Are Healed series.

1.   Sally & George

2.   The Seven Basic Steps to Total Health

3.   How to Know You Are Healed

You control your genes when you control yourself. Your genes are just a product of your lifestyle and the environment that you have created. This is so exciting. You have control over your destiny. You are not just a bunch of genes passed to you but instead you can control how those genes manifest. So get started DOING IT!

Malnutrition and Cancer – A Barrier to Recovery

As we all know, or should do by now, good nutrition is one of the basic building blocks of good health. This is never more true than when it comes to people battling any form of cancer. Cancer, and its attendant treatments, can often disrupt a person’s appetite as well as impair the body’s ability to absorb and process nutrients. It is estimated that at least 60% to 70% of cancer patients suffer from some degree of malnutrition. Cancer related malnutrition directly affects a patient’s progress during treatment, and can mean the difference between recovery and relapse. Because nutrition is such an important part of cancer treatment, patients and their caregivers must be constantly vigilant and mindful of the tell-tale signs of malnutrition.

The Impact of Malnutrition on Cancer Patients

Cancer related malnutrition impedes the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Denied the nutrients it needs to heal and repair itself, the body will be unable to successfully combat the cancer that is attacking it. Consequently, cancer patients experiencing any level of malnutrition will typically suffer setbacks during treatment, and endure a longer recovery time. In extreme cases, chronic malnutrition can undermine the patient’s treatment protocols entirely, making recovery and remission unlikely.

Cancer Symptoms That Can Impact Nutrition

There are a number of cancer related symptoms that can impact a patient’s diet and nutrition. Some cancers, particularly those that affect the digestive system, can make it difficult for the body to process and absorb nutrients even when the patient’s appetite remains healthy and unsuppressed. Other forms of cancer will often disrupt the patient’s appetite, or make it physically difficult for them to eat. It is vital that patients and their caregivers recognize these symptoms early so that steps can be taken to ensure that optimal nutritional levels are maintained. Some of the most common cancer related symptoms that can lead to malnutrition include:

  • Loss of appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Nausea
  • Changes in taste or smell
  • Mouth ulcers or difficulty swallowing
  • Recurring diarrhea and/or vomiting

These symptoms are common to a variety of different cancers, and are often regarded as a necessary evil that must be endured throughout the recovery process. While this may be true to some extent, the ultimate effect of these symptoms can lead to the type of cancer related malnutrition that can seriously impact a person’s response to treatment and undermine their ultimate recovery.

Tips for Fighting Cancer Related Malnutrition

If you, or someone in your care, is experiencing any of the symptoms discussed above it is important to address them immediately. The sooner nutrient levels are restored, the better the response to any given cancer treatment. Consider the following tips for avoiding cancer related malnutrition.

  • Find a Nutritional Support Team – A doctor who specializes in nutrition and diet, and who has experience working with cancer patients. This doctor can design a low inflammation and high nutrient diet, along with making recommendations of necessary vitamin or mineral supplements that will help boost the body’s nutritional intake.
  • Change the Patient’s Eating Pattern – If the patient’s appetite is better in the morning, for example, prepare major meals earlier in the day. Larger meals can often be difficult for cancer patients. Instead of two to three larger meals, transition to a more frequent series of small meals and snacks throughout the day. Timed to coincide with a more robust appetite.
  • Make Healthier Food Choices – A well balanced diet will help the body heal itself, and will reinforce the efficacy of any treatment. Transition to a predominantly vegetarian diet, with an emphasis on organic vegetables, seeds, nuts, and avocados with most of the diet being living and or raw plant material. Remember that animals in nature do not cook their food and they do not get the diseases that people do.
  • Avoid Unhealthy Habits – Eliminate processed foods. They offer little nutritional value and can actually impede the body’s ability to process the nutrients it is receiving. Avoid alcohol, which can lead to dehydration and adversely affect appetite. Smoking should also be avoided, as it can damage taste buds, making good food less appealing.
  • Stay Hydrated – Dehydration is common amongst cancer patients, and can lead to constipation and nausea. Drink plenty of pure water at least 8 cups throughout the day to help keep the body hydrated.
  • Be Creative – Try different foods, and different food combinations to help engage the patient’s appetite. Use spices and herbs to improve the food’s flavor. Make mealtime interesting by varying the times, locations, or surroundings.

As we know, good nutrition is vital to maintaining the body’s total health, and avoiding cancer related malnutrition is an important step along the path to recovery. This begins with the right food choices and those choices should be ones that promote health and healing.

A Mother’s Stress is Contagious

New research shows that babies not only pick up on their mother’s stress, they also show corresponding physiological changes.

“Our research shows that infants ‘catch’ and embody the physiological residue of their mother’s stress,” says lead researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.

“For many years now, social scientists have been interested in how emotions are transmitted from one person to another,” says senior author the Associate Professor of Emotion at UCSF. Indeed, research in the social sciences has shown that emotions can be “contagious” and that there is emotional synchrony between romantic partners.

Researchers wanted to extend this research by looking at emotional synchrony in the context of another close relationship: that between mother and child.

The earliest lessons about how to manage stress and strong negative emotions in our day-to-day lives occurs in the parent-child relationship.

The researchers recruited 69 mothers and their 12- to 14-month-old infants to participate in the study. Researchers attached cardiovascular sensors to both mother and infant and took baseline recordings from each. After settling in, mother and infant were separated and the mother was assigned to give a 5-minute speech to two evaluators, followed by a 5-minute Q&A session. Some mothers received positive signals from the evaluators, including nodding, smiling, and leaning forward. Others received negative feedback, such as frowning, shaking their heads, and crossing their arms. A third group of mothers did not receive any feedback. Mother and infant were later reunited.

As predicted, mothers who received negative feedback reported greater decreases in positive emotion and greater increases in negative emotion than did mothers in the other two conditions. They also showed signs of increased cardiac stress. And the infants quickly picked up on this stress response: Infants whose mothers received negative feedback showed significant increases in heart rate relative to baseline within minutes of being reunited with their mothers.

Importantly, the infant’s response tracked the mother’s response — that is, greater the mother’s stress response, the greater the infant’s stress response, an association that actually became stronger over time. Ultimately, these findings shed light on how health and well-being can have long-term consequences, transferring across generations.

– Psychological Science

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec comments on Stress is Contagious:

Stress is a negative energy that can be transmitted just being in another person’s presence. In this research they saw the connections in romantic partners and in mother/child relationships but it can be extended to any group.

The word is called “entrainment.”  What this means is if you put two people together in the same environment the negative person will negatively entrain the neutral person down to their level of thinking and emotions. This is why you do not participate in any group, social meeting, club or any organization that focuses on ANYTHING NEGATIVE. Whether they are negative about themselves or they are talking negative about others.

We are supposed to be speaking words of Life not death over each other. That is how the world will change. If you go into a group and they are negatively speaking or gossiping, you must stand up for Truth and speak words of Truth and Life or else their negative energy filled words, mindsets and emotions will entrain into you just the same as catching a cold. This study showed that these emotions are contagious meaning you can catch them just being in the presence of these negative people.

So how to you protect yourself?  You have two choices:

1.   Be the Light and Truth and the Life of the world, of the group, of the people. This means you do not let negative talk or emotions enter you by speaking the words of Life and Love over the group or persons. Remember if you do not speak out then you are in agreement with what is being spoken.

2.   Stay away from negative people, groups and stay out of the world system accept when you have to be there and when you do, be prepared to stand up for Truth and do not passively accept negative energy, words or emotions.

 

We cover these concepts in the following teachings:

1.   Sally & George

2.   How to Know You Are Healed

You can be in the world but NEVER EVER of the world. If you are of the world then you will “catch” everything the world has. You were created for so much more than that. It is time to rise up and be who you ARE!

Natural Techniques to Help Cope with Cancer Related Depression

A diagnosis of cancer understandably leads to a virtual roller coaster of mixed emotions. Fear and anxiety are typically at the forefront, and an uncertainty about the future can often affect the patient’s heart and mind. A feeling of anger is not unusual, as patients try to understand why they have been stricken with the disease. But one of the most debilitating of emotions that can accompany a diagnosis of cancer is, of course, depression.

Depression affects many cancer patients throughout their struggle with the disease, both at the initial diagnosis stage and throughout their subsequent treatment. While this is certainly understandable, it is also detrimental to the overall health of the patient and can seriously impact the success of any treatments. The mind body connection is so powerful, that depression can actually impede the progress of any given treatment, and can impair the body’s ability to heal itself. That is why it is so important for cancer patients and their family and friends, to recognize the symptoms of depression and learn some natural techniques for treating it effectively.

Symptoms of Depression in Cancer Patients

Depression in cancer patients is not uncommon. However, due to the physical symptoms of many types of cancer is can be difficult to recognize. Chronic fatigue and pain can often be attributed to the disease itself, and the inherent depression goes unrecognized. The important thing to remember for cancer patients, and their care givers, is that depression can sneak up on a person and manifest itself in subtle ways. Consider the following most common symptoms of depression in cancer patients.

  • Anxiety or prolonged sadness
  • Loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities
  • Feelings of hopelessness
  • Insomnia
  • Irritability
  • Changes in appetite
  • Unusual weight loss or gain
  • Fatigue, over and above that associated with the cancer treatment
  • Social isolation

Any combination of these symptoms may indicate the onset of chronic depression, and should be addressed immediately. Not only for the patient’s peace of mind, but for their overall health. Depression saps the body’s strength, and will naturally retard its ability to respond to treatment and begin the healing process.

Natural Treatments for Depression

Conventional medicine often prefers to treat cancer patient’s depression with chemicals, prescribing antidepressants to help people cope. The trouble with chemical antidepressants is that they often have adverse side effects, and can often lead to unwanted complications. Consider the following natural alternatives to chemical antidepressants for the treatment of depression in cancer patients.

  • Eating a Healthy Diet – It may seem like a small thing, but a well balanced vegetarian diet can have a positive effect on a person’s mental well-being. A poor diet can rob the body and the mind of the vitality, making it harder to meet depression head on and triumph over it.
  • Exercise – Recent studies have shown that exercise is a powerful tool in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Regular exercise releases endorphins that can boost the body’s energy levels and improve a person’s mood. While regular exercise may seem daunting for some cancer patients, every little bit helps even if it is only a few laps in the pool or a brisk walk around the block.
  • The Mind-Body Connection – The mind and the body are more closely connected than many people realize. Certain relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises and meditation, can help to relax the body and invigorate the mind. Even something as simple as keeping a daily journal can help to release negative thoughts and energy, freeing the body from chronic depression.
  • Spirituality – Spirituality is one of the most powerful tools available when confronting depression. Regular prayer sessions can help to alleviate fear and anxiety, while establishing a sense of calm and engendering a more positive mood and outlook. Meditation on God’s word also helps to release the body’s own natural healing energies which hitherto had been diverted, or retarded, by the ongoing sense of depression.

Untreated depression can have a severe impact on a cancer patient’s ability to cope with, and recover from, their disease. It is important to understand that depression is not merely a matter of feeling sad, it is a condition that affects the entire body. Left untreated, it can rob the body of its ability to respond to treatment and heal itself. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, or are the care giver of someone with cancer, it is important to be aware of the symptoms of depression and to address them immediately. Depression, whether it accompanies a chronic disease or not, can be beaten by faith and devotion to a healthy lifestyle.

Cold Temperatures May Help You Lose Weight

Regular exposure to cold temperature may be a healthy and sustainable way to help people lose weight. On the contrary, staying inside in our warm, comfortable homes and offices might be partly responsible for gaining weight.”Since most of us are exposed to indoor conditions 90 percent of the time, it is worth exploring health aspects of ambient temperatures,” said lead researcher of Maastricht University Medical Center in The Netherlands. “What would it mean if we let our bodies work again to control body temperature? We hypothesize that the thermal environment affects human health and more specifically that frequent mild cold exposure can significantly affect our energy expenditure over sustained time periods.”

Earlier studies of temperature primarily focused on the extreme for application to the military, firefighters, and others. But studies began to show big differences amongst people in their response to mild cold conditions. That led researchers to an important discovery: heat-generating, calorie-burning brown fat isn’t just for babies. Adults have it too and some more than others.

The research now suggests that a more variable indoor temperature — one that is allowed to drift along with temperatures outside — might be beneficial.

A research group from Japan found a decrease in body fat after people spent 2 hours per day at 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees F) for six weeks. The Netherlands team also found that people get used to the cold temperature over time. After six hours a day in the cold temperature for a  period of 10 days, people in their study increased brown fat, felt more   comfortable and shivered less at 15 degree Celsius (59 degrees F).

In young and middle-aged people at least, non-shivering heat production can account for a few percent up to 30 percent of the body’s energy budget. That means lower temperatures can significantly affect the amount of energy a person expends overall.

So perhaps, in addition to our exercise training, we need to train ourselves to spend more time in the cold.

By lack of exposure to a varied ambient temperature, whole populations may be prone to develop diseases like obesity. In addition, people become vulnerable to sudden changes in ambient temperature.”

-Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec’s Comments on Cold Temperature May Help You Lose Weight:

What this study shows it that our bodies were meant for stress. They strive under stress and stay much healthier under   stress.

What do you mean by stress? This could be the healthy stressing of muscle with a weight, or it could be fasting for a day by only drinking water, or it could be by getting out in the cold weather each day going for a walk. All this is stress hardening which allows the body to adapt to the stress by getting stronger in every way. By growing stronger muscles, a stronger immune system, a stronger circulation, and a stronger mental outlook.

What do you think our forefathers, the explorers and early settlers in this country had? Plenty of healthy stress, but they also had one thing that we are lacking today. They kept their eyes fixed on the goal and paid no attention to the stress and by doing so they overcame tremendous obstacles and were much healthier.

What you focus on you increase in your life. Focus on the life God designed you to have which ISN’T all soft and comfortable. For when you are weak (and stressed) that is when you are STRONG IN HIM.

These vital issues on how to keep your eyes on who you are not who you appear to be are covered in detail on our audio teaching: Sally & George- Going Deeper, Seven Basic Steps to Total Health and our How to Know You Are Healed series.

1.   Sally & George

2.   The Seven Basic Steps to Total Health

3.   How to Know You Are Healed

Don’t be a couch potato or a warm and comfortable potato. Get up, get out and start  brisk walking today for 30 minutes outside no matter what the temperature is. This will benefit you in so many ways.

Sunshine – A Surprising Ally in the Fight Against Cancer

Sunshine BoyOver the last few decades scientists and doctors have been telling the public to beware of the harmful effects of direct sunlight. It has been beaten into our collective consciousness that exposure to sunlight is the major cause of a variety of skin diseases, not the least of which is skin cancer. And so, being desiring to improve our health we began to limit our exposure to sunlight, and rushed out to buy skin creams and sun blocks to protect ourselves from perhaps the most natural element in God’s great and wonderful universe – sunshine. But, it turns out that ‘conventional’ wisdom may well have been miles off the mark, and sunlight may actually be a surprising ally in the prevention of a number of diseases and disorders, including cancer. By limiting our exposure, we may have actually been harming our health.

Sunlight and Vitamin D

Vitamin D is one of the most important building blocks of human health. It is essential for strong bones and teeth, and vitamin D deficiency is responsible for a number of chronic disorders including rickets in young children and osteoporosis in senior citizens. Vitamin D is also instrumental in maintaining a healthy immune system, regulating cell growth, and in inhibiting the production and growth of rogue cells and tumors. Unlike most essential vitamins and minerals, which can be obtained through a healthy diet and supplements, vitamin D requires exposure to the UVB radiation in sunlight to become active within the body. Without this exposure, the vitamin D remains largely inert and fails to perform its necessary functions.

Conventional Medicine and Vitamin D

Conventional medicine would have us believe that over the counter vitamin D supplements can compensate for a lack of exposure to the sun. However, it is important to understand that man-made vitamin D supplements are difficult for the body to absorb and process, and do not provide the protection of naturally occurring vitamin D. In fact, like many over the counter supplements they can actually lead to toxicity, which can cause a host of further health problems. Vitamin D, obtained through a healthy diet and sensible exposure to sunlight, is used by the body as it is needed and excreted as waste when there is an abundance. Clearly, this is the healthiest way for people to obtain the vitamin D they need to remain healthy and free of disease.

Sunscreens and Skin Cancer

While recent research has shown that exposure to natural sunlight is vital for the health of the human body, over exposure is still a concern. That being said, the majority of commercial sunscreens may actually increase a person’s risk for developing cancer. Most of these creams and ointments contain chemicals, such as benzophenone and oxybenzone, which are themselves carcinogenic. While the irony seems to be lost on the sunscreen industry, it should be a warning for those of us trying to protect ourselves from skin cancer and other diseases. To protect yourself from overexposure, consider natural alternatives to commercial sun blocks and sunscreens. Aloe Vera protects the skin from the potentially damaging effects of ultraviolet rays, and has long been used to help heal burns, cuts, and abrasions. Virgin coconut oil also makes for an effective sunscreen, blocking harmful ultraviolet rays while allowing the skin to absorb the health giving goodness of the sun.

The dangers of sunlight exposure appear to have been greatly exaggerated, and recent research is showing that we need the sunshine to maintain our optimal health. In addition to helping to prevent cancer, exposure to natural sunlight helps to release endorphins that improve our mood and boost our energy levels. Regular doses of sunlight also helps to suppress the recurring symptoms of many autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, and can help to relieve the pain associated with fibromyalgia. The benefits of sunlight are many, and clearly we must learn to embrace the sunshine again if we are to maintain our total optimal health.

Silver Amalgam Dental Fillings – A Surprising Cancer Connection

There are many things that can increase a person’s risk for developing cancer. Lifestyle and diet are two of the most obvious, followed closely by environmental toxins and pollution. However, cancer causing agents can sometimes lurk in the most unexpected places. Even when we are hyper vigilant and taking care of our health to the best of our ability, we may still be unknowingly putting ourselves at risk for developing cancer and other chronic disorders. Good dental health is an important part of the body’s total well-being. For example, it has been understood for a long time now that poor dental hygiene (cavities, abscesses, gum disease, etc.) can lead to heart disease and blood poisoning. Only recently, however, has there been any real understanding of the connection between dental health and cancer. Surprisingly, recent European studies are now indicating that there may be a direct correlation between instances of cancer, particularly breast cancer, and the common silver amalgam fillings that continue to be used to treat cavities and root canals.

The Truth About Silver Dental Fillings

Most of us at some point in our lives have had a tooth drilled and a cavity filled. It is not a pleasant experience, but it is a necessary one. The most common filling material used by dentists today is the so-called “silver amalgam” filling. At first glance, one would assume that the predominant ingredient in ‘silver amalgam’ fillings is, in fact silver. However, you may be surprised to learn that the major ingredient in silver fillings is in reality mercury. In fact, ‘silver amalgam’ fillings actually contain as much as 50% Mercury, with Silver only making up 25% of the amalgam.

The Hazards of Silver Amalgam Fillings

Mercury, as we all know, is a highly toxic heavy metal as mentioned in this post on leaky gut syndrome. Even low levels of exposure can lead to a variety of adverse health conditions. Still, it continues to be used as a major component in silver amalgam fillings. While you may think your fillings are stable and solid, and are not leaching into your system, any amount of friction can cause the fillings to release small amounts of Mercury gas. This gas may subsequently be absorbed into the body, resulting in Mercury toxicity. The connection between ‘silver amalgam’ fillings and cancer was first discovered in Europe, and many countries within the European Union have since banned, or greatly restricted, their use. Unfortunately, the United States has yet to follow suit, and mercury contaminated ‘silver amalgam’ fillings are still the most common type of filling used by dentists in the US.

The Effect of Mercury on the Body

Mercury is a carcinogen, and prolonged exposure can seriously compromise the body’s immune system. The immune system is the body’s first line of defense against cancer and other chronic diseases, and when it is compromised cancer is better able to take hold and proliferate. Mercury exposure can also increase the production of free radicals, which can in turn damage the body’s DNA at the cellular level leading to an increased risk for a variety of different types of cancer.

Limiting Your Exposure

If you wish to limit your exposure to mercury from ‘silver amalgam’ fillings the best course of action is, of course, to take good care of your teeth and avoid cavities. That being said, there are resin compound alternatives to ‘silver amalgam’ fillings, which, while not as long lasting will eliminate the hazardous exposure to mercury. If you already have a number of ‘silver amalgam’ fillings, there are dentists who specialize in their safe removal. Most dentists in the US will not inform their patients of the possible hazards of ‘silver amalgam’ fillings, so if you are having any dental work done be sure to ask your dentist about the types of filling compounds they use, and if they offer an alternative to mercury contaminated ‘silver amalgam’ fillings. Your due dental health diligence may help to reduce your risk for developing a variety of different types of cancer.

The Importance of Exercise in Cancer Recovery

Cancer is not a new disease. While the types and instances of cancer have increased over the years the disease itself has plagued mankind for centuries. Even though our understanding of the disease has increased many times over throughout the centuries, some old habits and ideas have persisted. One of the most pervasive of these is the idea that cancer patients need to get all the rest they can in order to heal and recover from the disease. Certainly the body and the mind, do need rest during the healing process. But throughout any type of treatment for cancer, the body also needs exercise.

Exercise and Cancer Survival

While prolonged periods of rest were once commonly prescribed for cancer patients, recent studies are showing that exercise is actually a powerful tool in the battle against the disease. These studies have proven that exercise is precisely what the recovering body needs, and the increased physical activity during treatment can result in better survival rates. These same studies go on to show that continued exercise during the remission stages can have a significant effect on recurrence rates, and can greatly reduce the risk of the cancer returning. So, with this in mind, what are the best types of exercise for cancer patients and survivors?

Building an Exercise Routine

Exercise regimens for cancer patients aren’t too different from the regimens adopted by otherwise healthy individuals looking to maintain a level of good health. The purpose of all exercise is to build strength, endurance and flexibility, fluid movement, and that remains true for cancer patients and survivors. Exercise, as a component of cancer treatment, should encompass the following:

  • Lymphatic Exercise – Light vibrational movements done on a rebounder
  • Strength Training – Push-ups, sit-ups, weight lifting, etc.
  • Flexibility Training – Stretching, yoga, etc.
  • Aerobic Training – Jogging, swimming, biking, etc.

These four basic areas should form the exercise regimen for cancer patients and survivors. Optimally, five sessions a week lasting between 30 and 60 minutes should be the patient’s target. Now, as a cancer patient’s health has been compromised it is likely that their energy levels and stamina will be low. So, it is important to start slowly at first, and build up your exercise routine over time. Before long, energy levels will increase, stamina will return, and muscle tissue will adjust to the new training regimen. Fatigue, so often associated with cancer and cancer treatment, will dissipate as the body gets stronger, allowing you to increase your exercise routine to the desired levels.

When to Begin Your Exercise Routine

The best time for cancer patients to begin their exercise routine is the ever present now. Check with your health care provider, but barring any significant obstacles it is recommended that you begin your exercise routines immediately. Again, start slowly and gradually build to the recommended exercise regimen. Exercise is not only beneficial to the healing process; inactivity is actually detrimental for cancer patients. So the earlier you begin an exercise routine the sooner your body will feel the benefit. Again, while the health of cancer patients has been compromised by their disease, the attendant risk factors associated with a regular exercise routine are generally no different than those faced by the general populace. These include muscle soreness, stiffness, and potential sprains. Not to overstress a point, but it is important for cancer patients to begin their exercise regimen slowly, and build upon as their stamina and strength increases. Do not try to do too much too soon.

Maximizing Your Exercise Routine

Finally, to get the most out of your exercise routine it is important to combine it with a healthy diet, cancer fighting foods, and a sensible lifestyle. Transitioning to a predominantly vegan diet will provide your body with the energy and nutrition it needs to both fight the cancer and fuel your exercise routines. Regular sleep habits are also important, and will allow your body to recharge and focus its energy on fighting the cancer.

Exercise for cancer patients is an important part of the recovery process. However, it is important to remember that your body needs time to recover from the stresses of both the disease and its treatment. Begin slowly, and do not overtax yourself at first. Listen to your body, and let it tell you if you are trying to do too much too soon.

Effects of Media on Exercise, Sleep, and Mental Health

Adolescents with high media use, reduced sleep and low physical activity comprise an ‘invisible-risk’ group that has high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, according to a large international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet.Over 12,000 adolescents (14-16 years old) in eleven European countries answered questionnaires covering different risk behaviors and psychiatric symptoms. Statistical analyses of the results identified three risk groups among the adolescents. Individuals who scored high on all examined risk behaviors clustered in the ‘high-risk’ group (13 per cent of the adolescents). The ‘low-risk’ group (58 per cent) consisted of responders who had no or very low frequency of risk behaviors.However, in addition to these two expected groups a third group labelled the ‘invisible risk’ group was identified. Youths in this group were characterised by high media use, sedentary behavior and reduced sleep. These behaviors are generally not associated with mental health problems by observers such as teachers and parents. However, adolescents in the ‘invisible’ risk group had similar prevalence of suicidal thoughts, anxiety, subthreshold depression and depression as the ‘high’ risk group.

Nearly 30% of the adolescents clustered in the ‘invisible’ group had a high level of psychopathological symptoms. While the ‘high’ risk group is easily identified by behavior such as alcohol and drug use, parents and teachers are probably not aware of that adolescents in the ‘invisible’ risk group are at risk”, says lead researcher.

The study is the first to estimate the overall prevalence of a wider range of risk behaviors and lifestyles and their association with symptoms of mental ill-health among European adolescents. The results indicate that both risk behaviors and psychopathology are relatively common in this population. It also shows that all risk behaviors and symptoms increase with age, which is in concordance with earlier studies.

-World Psychiatry, ScienceDaily

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec’s Comments on Affects of Media on Exercise, Sleep, and Mental Health:

What this study shows it that our body, mind and emotions are all linked together as one and they must always be addressed together as one. This study shows the effects of media on these teens who had  and increased risk of suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression because of three factors: not enough sleep, not enough exercise and too much smart phone, TV and other media use. You might be reading this and say “this doesn’t apply too me because I am not a teen.” Notice the last line of the study “It also shows that all risk behaviors and symptoms INCREASE WITH AGE.”

What that means is that it is the performing of these activities that causes the imbalance and the older you get the more they affect you.

So what is the take home message? Take care of the body which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit with enough sleep (8-9.5 hours with at least 3 of those hours before midnight), with enough exercise ( 20 minute per day is minimum) and do not let the world system download into more than the Word of Truth is being downloading into you.

It is a numbers game. If you spend 5 hours a day letting the world system of lies download into your conscious and subconsious mind and then you spend 30 minutes in the Word of Truth and in prayer listening to the Holy Spirit of Truth speak to your heart, who do you think is going to be empowered the most the Spirit or the flesh (old nature)?

It is obvious what you feed the most grows and what you starve dies. So get back to basics and put your relationship with God first and foremost and that will be seen by how much time you spend with HIM.

These basics are covered in detail on our audio teaching: sally & george- Going Deeper, Seven Basic Steps to Total Health and our How to Know You Are Healed series.

1. Sally & George

2. The Seven Basic Steps to Total Health

3. How to Know You Are Healed

Don’t ever forget who you ARE! You are not a human being living in the world. You are a spiritual being who is in the world but never of the world. This is your testing ground not your home!

5 Common Cancer Symptoms Women Should Not Ignore

Successful cancer treatment begins with early detection. Unfortunately, many people have a tendency to ignore the early warning signs of many common types of cancer. Men are notoriously more prone to ignore their symptoms, and to postpone going to a doctor for a diagnosis. That being said, women are not completely innocent of the habit. Sometimes it’s due to fear, and sometimes it’s simply denial. Younger women are particularly prone to ignore cancer symptoms, assuming that cancer is a disease that only affects older women. Whatever the reasons, it is clear that ignoring early warning signs of cancer is a mistake, and one that can have devastating consequences. To maintain their total health, it is vital that women keep in touch with their bodies and recognize when something is amiss. Here are some common cancer symptoms that women should not be ignoring.

Unexpected Weight Loss

Everyone would like to lose a few pounds, but an unexpected weight loss may be a sign of a serious health disorder. For example, losing 8 to 10 pounds over the course of a month, without any dieting or increase of exercise, may be indicative of a number of disorders, including an overactive thyroid or a possible cancer. It may also be a reaction to stress, or other lifestyle factors. Either way, any unexpected weight loss could be a symptom of cancer, or another serious health condition, and should not be ignored.

Bloating

Bloating is not uncommon, and many women simply assume that it is always natural. But extended periods of bloating, recurring for a few weeks or more, may indicate a more serious condition. Persistent bloating, particularly when coupled with abdominal or pelvic pain, may be an early symptom of ovarian cancer.

Changes in Breast Tissue

By now, most women have learned how important self-examinations are in the early detection of breast cancer. But lumps in the breast aren’t the only symptoms with which women should be concerned. Changes in the size or shape of the nipple, or an unusual discharge when not breast feeding, may also be early warning signs of breast cancer. Likewise, a persistent rash, or a thickening of the skin of the breast, could be indicative of inflammatory breast cancer, which is a rare but highly aggressive form of the disease. Again, these are symptoms which should not be ignored. This article on breast cancer describes natural prevention in greater depth.

Changes in Skin Texture

Again, most people know that skin cancer can be preceded by an unexpected change in any moles they may have on their bodies. But there are other symptoms of skin cancer that women should take note of, as they may be early warning signs for skin cancer. Watch for any sign of change in skin pigmentation or texture. Persistent rashes, thickening of the skin, or excessive scaling could also be early signs of skin cancer.

Between Period Bleeding

Many women tend to ignore any instances of between period bleeding. But and bleeding, or spotting, between periods may be an early sign of many types of gynecological cancer. It is important for women to understand what is normal for them, and to take note of any aberrations. For example, if you never spot in between periods, and suddenly you do spot, it may indicate that there is a problem and you should see your health care provider. Postmenopausal women who experience bleeding or spotting may be an early sign of endometrial cancer.

Being aware of your body, and of what is normal and abnormal for it, is the first step towards the early detection of cancer. And early detection is the first step in the successful treatment of all cancers. Cancer grows in an abnormal environment. This can be a toxic or deficient environment physically or a stressful mental/emotional environment. If you have any of these signs it does not mean you have cancer but what it does mean is that it is time to work on your health at a much higher level. It is important that women are better able to recognize when their body has strayed from the healthy path and know how to take the actions steps necessary to restore their total health.

Religion Protects Against Depression

A thickening of the cerebral cortex associated with regular spiritual or religious practices could be the reason those activities guard against depression — particularly in people who are predisposed to the disease, according to new research at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.

The study involved 103 adults at either high or low risk of depression, based on family history. The subjects were asked how highly they valued religion or spirituality. Brain MRIs showed thicker cortices in subjects who placed a high importance on religion or spirituality than those who did not. The relatively thicker cortex was found in precisely the same regions of the brain that had otherwise shown thinning in people at high risk for depression.

The results suggest that spirituality or religion may protect against major depression by thickening the cerebral cortex and counteracting the cortical thinning that would normally occur with major depression. The study is the first published investigation on the neuro-correlates of the protective effect of spirituality and religion against depression.

Previous studies showed a 90 percent decrease in major depression in adults who said they highly valued spirituality or religiosity and whose parents suffered from the disease. While regular attendance at church was not necessary, a strong personal importance placed on spirituality or religion was most protective against major depression in people who were at high familial risk.

JAMA Psychiatry, ScienceDaily

Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec’s Comments on Religion Protects Against Depression:

What you do to the mind you do to the body and what you do to the body you do to the mind. This saying can be extended because of this research to say “what you do in the Spirit you do to the mind and body”. This is a powerful study that shows when you are God-minded not only do you have less depression but you have a physical outcome of the cortex or outer layer of the brain grows. What does this mean? In patients with depression and dementia the outer cortex of the brain gets smaller. In a sense the brain shrinks or starts to dissolve. What this study has proven is that when our eyes are fix on Him who creates us and sustains us, our mental health can heal AND so can our physical health as evidenced by the brain growing back. Always remember and never forget that you are a spiritual being created by God not a physical being created by man. You do have the power to change your mental/emotional condition and you also have the power to heal your body. How is this done? It is done only by balancing your spirit, your mind and your body by addressing them all as one. You cannot just take care of your spirit and abuse your body with improper diet and lifestyle. You also cannot take of your body the best possible and disregard the truth that you are a spiritual being that is eternal. Only when you balance all three, your spirit, your soul (mind, will and emotions) and your body will you be all that God created you to be. This is what we have been teaching at Total Health Institute for the last 30 years. This is why we have had so many people transform their health and their life. Foundational in this is the teaching of Truth. Our most powerful series to balance these are:

1. Sally & George

2. The Seven Basic Steps to Total Health

3. How to Know You Are Healed

The research is now beginning to prove what we have known all along- the Spirit can and does bring health and life to the mind and body when we are God-focused instead of self-focused.

Chronic High Blood Sugar May Lead to Increased Risk For Cancer

We all know, or should know by now, that high blood sugar is one of the most significant enemies of good health. It can lead to a number of chronic and debilitating health disorders, including kidney disease, heart disease and diabetes. But ongoing research in the United States and Europe is showing that elevated blood sugar levels in both men and women may pose an even greater health risk, and may be linked to an increased risk for a number of different types of cancer. The latest research, focusing on men and women between the ages of 18 and 50, has drawn a direct link between high blood sugar and the increased risk for colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and brain cancer.

Blood Glucose Levels and Cancer

Healthy cells convert glucose in the cellular cytoplasm into pyruvate, which is then passed to the mitochondria to be used as energy. This process is called glycolysis, and is a normal function of the body. Cancer cells also rely on glucose for fuel. However, because the cells are damaged or mutated, the mitochondria are removed from the equation, and the cancer cells use the glucose induced energy to survive and grow. This is called anaerobic glycolysis. Moreover, the waste product of anaerobic glycolysis is a type of lactic acid that is passed to the liver where it is broken down and turned into glucose, which then returns to the blood stream to further feed the cancerous cells. It becomes a vicious cycle that allows cancers to grow and thrive within the body.

High Blood Sugar and Cancer

As we begin to better understand how elevated blood sugar levels affect cancer cells, it becomes increasingly obvious that we must learn to lower and control our blood glucose levels. By denying cancer the food it needs to grow and to take root within the body, we can greatly reduce our risk for developing a wide variety of different types of cancer. The latest research is pointing the way, and it is up to us to follow.

Lowering Your Blood Sugar Naturally

There are many all natural techniques for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, and they should be a standard part of every person’s anti-cancer lifestyle. These are proven techniques that get results, and that do not rely on the use of unwanted prescription drugs.

  • Diet – The first step to lowering your blood sugar is by changing your diet. This means more than simply eliminating sweets. Sugars and complex carbohydrates can hide a wide variety of processed foods, so it is important to make the transition to a predominantly organic, vegan diet. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and cabbage, are good for your heart, and will help you maintain healthy blood glucose levels. Seeds, nuts, garlic, and artichokes are also good for lowering blood sugar levels.
  • Eat more raw plant fats – One of the best ways to balance your blood sugar is to turn on a fat burning metabolism. This can be done by eating raw plant fats like avocados, seeds, nuts and olive oil. These all have the most energy units and have zero sugar.
  • Exercise – Studies have shown that regular exercise helps to lower blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes and heart disease. Thirty minutes a day, at least four days a week can have a significant effect on both your blood sugar levels and your overall health. It will also help you to maintain a healthy weight, which has been proven to help keep blood sugar levels in check.
  • Supplements – Some all natural supplements can help to reduce and control blood sugar levels. Magnesium, Zinc, and Chromium have all been shown to have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Optimally, these should be obtained through a healthy diet, but when necessary they can be taken as dietary supplements.

People have long understood that high blood sugar poses a significant health risk, but new studies are showing that the risk goes far beyond diabetes and heart disease. The links between high blood sugar and cancer are becoming more clear, and to remain cancer free it is important to keep your blood glucose levels under control.

Cancer Prevention – Easy Tips to Cancer Proof Your Home

Cancer Proof Your HomeWhen discussing possible cancer risk factors, most people focus on lifestyle, genetics, and diet. This is understandable, as these are major players in the potential risk for developing many different types of cancer. But it also ignores the common environmental hazards to which we are all exposed. Every day, people are exposed to toxins and potential carcinogens, both at work and at home. Remaining cancer free begins with learning how to reduce your exposure to these environmental toxins. Your home is the environment you can most easily control, so let’s look at some simple tips to help cancer proof your home and maintain your total health.

Testing Your Home for Radon

Radon is a colorless and odorless gas that is formed by the natural breakdown of uranium deposits in the earth. It can enter homes through cracks in the foundation, well water, and faulty plumbing fixtures. Once in the home, it binds to air particles and is breathed into the lungs. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer, surpassed only by the smoking of tobacco. To cancer proof your home against radon, have your home tested for radon either by a professional service or by using a home testing kit. If radon levels exceed the EPA’s recommended limits, contact a licensed radon service professional to locate the source and affect the necessary repairs. These may include sealing cracks in the floors and walls, increasing ventilation, and replacing faulting pipes and plumbing fixtures.

Replacing Your Cookware

Teflon coated pots and pans become popular in the 1970’s. What we didn’t know then was that Teflon releases carcinogens when heated. Aluminum pots and pans are little better, and also release toxins when heated to high temperatures. To avoid possible contamination, switch your aluminum or Teflon coated pots and pans for cast iron. Once oiled and seasoned, cast iron provides the non-stick features cooks want without the risk of exposure to toxins. If you are uncomfortable with cast iron, consider ceramic coated metal pots and pans, or even tempered glass alternatives.

Choosing Safer Home Furnishings

Fire retardant bedding and furniture have become very popular, but they also present an added risk for cancer. The chemicals used to make a piece of fabric or furniture flame resistant give off carcinogenic gases, making your home environment more toxic. The same is true for the particle board which is often used to make inexpensive furniture. In fact, particle board has the potential to be as toxic as asbestos. To best cancer proof your home when buying furniture, stick with traditional pieces made out of wood and metal, and avoid any home furnishings that have been treated with flame retardants.

Using Plastic Food Containers

BPA, or bisphenol A, is a common ingredient in many commercial plastics. It has also been linked to cancer and heart disease. An easy way to cancer proof your home is for families to avoid the use of plastic containers for the storage of reheating of foods. If this is not possible, than dispose of any questionable plastic containers or bottles, and replace them with BPA free alternatives. However, even with BPA free plastics it is advisable not to use them for the cooking or reheating of foods, as heat will release possible carcinogens into the food.

Cancer Proof Cleaning Supplies

It is important to keep your home clean, both for health reasons and for aesthetic reasons. However, many common household cleaners are full of toxins and potentially carcinogenic chemicals. Beware of cleaning products that contain chlorine bleach or ammonia, both of which can elevate your family’s risk for cancer. Air fresheners are also to be avoided, as they release Isopar and paradichlorobenzene into the air, both of which are toxic to the liver, lungs and kidneys. Switch to so-called ‘green’ cleaning products that use all natural ingredients to clean and disinfect your home.

To cancer proof your home, make some informed choices about the products you buy regularly. When combined with smart lifestyle and diet choices, a cancer proof home can greatly reduce the risk for a number of common cancers as well as a variety of other chronic illnesses. Environment can be a major factor in the risk for cancer, and protecting yourself and your loved ones begins at home.