The age-old adage that "health is wealth" is never more significant than when you lose it to sickness or injury. For many of us baby boomers, our desire to live longer, stronger, and better then past generations has never been more evident than Saturday morning along our North-County coast highway. Increasingly older Runners, walkers, cyclist, and surfers dominate the view. Our passion for an active and healthy life style is visible. Our understanding and knowledge of complete health is lacking. Health is much more than exercise and how we feel; it's a complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of a disease or symptom. It's when our bodies function at 100%! Many of us have witnessed our parents and or our grandparents battle a troubling sickness or disease. Witnessing the painful process, with the many side effects of medications and invasive procedures, can be a sobering and eye opening experience. From the trials of life come many lessons, one being a new motivation of prevention, with proactive steps taken to change ones health forecast from potential sickness to lasting functional health. The principles of health and healing are underlined by the fact that your body is designed to be well and innately heal itself when given the right opportunity. The following six keys are extremely powerful in giving your body that right opportunity by restoring and improving true health, reversing the aging process, and reducing the incidence of cancer and other degenerative diseases.
1. Sugar and grains must be dramatically reduced from your diet! The current obesity epidemic in America is not primarily from fat consumption but instead form our love affair with sugar. Grains too? Grains, which make up breads and cereals, when digested, brake down into sugar (glucose). Sugar and grains tend to dramatically elevate insulin levels, which in turn cause your body to go from fat burning to fat storage. In addition, elevated insulin levels increase inflammatory prostaglandin's causing increased pain and inflammation. This in turn promotes blood clots, vessel constrictions, immune suppression, and depressed brain function. Need I say more?
2. Cold water fish oils: Omega-3 fatty acids, a.k.a. essential fatty acids (EFA's), are essential for life and you must get them from your diet. The best form of Omega-3 EFA's is DHA and EPA (from cold water fish), which your brain and body can use directly. A short list of benefits: Reduces inflammation, thins blood, protects arteries, lowers blood pressure, reduces risk of heart attack and stroke, reduces arthritis symptoms, and stimulates the immune system amongst other things. Supplementation is a must!
3. Antioxidants prevent degenerative and age related diseases. The most valuable nutritional antioxidants include: Vitamins-C, E, B2, B6, B12, Beta-carotene; Minerals- Zinc, Selenium; Amino Acids-lysine, Cysteine, Glutamine. The top ten food sources are: Dark chocolate (only if already healthy), rosemary, prunes, blueberries, blackberries, kale, green tea, strawberries, spinach, and raspberries. Eat and be merry. In addition, new research on a unique class of phytoceuticals called Xanthones, are proving to be some of the most potent antioxidants in combating free radical damage. Over 200 Xanthones exist in nature with 40 of them found in the mangosteen fruit alone. This super antioxidant is now available in a whole food liquid supplement form that kids and adults both love.
4. Chlorophyll is the lifeblood of the plant. It is an extremely strong chelator, which means it is very effective at pulling toxins out of the body. It is highly beneficial in cleansing and deodorizing the intestinal tract as well. Eat your veggies, especially the green leafy ones. Additional supplement sources are wheat grass juice, liquid chlorophyll, Barley Green, Spirulina, Chlorella, and Green Tea-polyphenols. Chlorophyll's high magnesium content helps balance the body's delicate acid/alkaline balance and dramatically helps you absorb calcium from your food. Don't forget where cows get their calcium. Just remember, when your green inside your clean inside!
5. Probiotics are good, active bacterial cultures like lactobacillus, acidophilus, and bifidus. Trillions of these beneficial bacteria line your intestinal tract and play a crucial role in your immune function and protect your body from invasion. Unfortunately the Standard American Diet (SAD), high in sugar, processed foods, toxic chemicals, and over used antibiotics, kills this beneficial bacteria allowing the bad pathogenic bacteria to flourish. Sickness and disease thrive under these conditions. Eating a clean, healthy diet and supplementing with a quality probiotic is essential.
6. Structure controls function. The power of posture: spinal curve restoration and the health of your nervous system is the foundation of true health. Grays Anatomy states that the role of your nervous system is to control and regulate every organ, tissue, and cell in your body, including your immune system. This vital system is housed in your skull and spinal column with three distinct curves designed to shock absorb and protect your vital brain and spinal cord. When these curves of your neck and back are lost or reduced, abnormal tension on your nerve system occurs, choking and reducing the life giving messages, like a dimmer switch, resulting in organ malfunction, pain, sickness and ill health. Common, early warning signs and symptoms are headaches, neck pain, sinus and allergy problems, thyroid problems, shoulder pain and tension, mid and lower back pain, digestive disturbances, irritability, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping. Powerful new physical adjustment and rehabilitative techniques are available to restore your once youthful posture, reverse the aging process or your spine, adding height, motion, and maximum nerve supply for renewed health and healing.
Remember extraordinary living takes extra-ordinary measures!
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