(NaturalNews) In a recent article on Natural News, the statement, "apples... kill cancer" drew a critical response. After some investigation and introspection, it became transparent that the issue is one where there is simply a lack of understanding.The critic voiced his antipathy about misleading remarks that, presumably, give false hope to the injured and sick. I have dedicated my life to relieving suffering. It is the first purpose of (www.KalsSchool.com) and though I have had moments of success and failure, I am certainly committed to real service, not hype.However, since the question arose, and since I am also equally committed to relieving suffering and frustration wherever I can for those who are frustrated and confused about their disease and how it can be cured, I decided to create this article on cancer directly.In the natural healing world, one thing that is frequently emphasized and often proven is that there are no incurable diseases! In the background of this, the same healer will hasten to add that there are, indeed, incurable people. This seems to make it not the healer's fault that someone did not get well.This padding from the truth obscures two very important realities:Reality #1 - There are only two healers for you: Your Higher Power and Yourself.Reality #2 - A person who cannot be healed from some thing at any given time is not bad or at fault or less of an individual. That person is simply in a place (less comfortable for him or her than for anyone else) where s/he cannot get healing at that time. That person needs help and support in the worst way and there is no justification for giving out criticism instead.While we and our Higher Power are the only ones who can truly heal, so-called "healers" can do something very important and worthy. They can relieve suffering in their fellow humans.When someone takes upon him/herself the profession of healing, s/he is in the business of relieving suffering, which we can do for each other. As such, whether the sick person is resistant to the healing process or not, that person is someone suffering.Doing all we can do for him or her and searching out how to do more, seems the obvious course of action. That someone is suffering and is having trouble accepting relief through the usual means, by no means relieves me of my commitment to love, serve and relieve suffering in my fellow humans.Another addition to add to the stew we are metaphorically brewing in this article, is the statistic that the very best therapies are effective (meaning that they actually perform as intended) only about 30% of the time. They may help in far more cases than that, but the intended result is only reached about 30% of the time.This means that it is not the exception, but rather the rule that people do not respond typically to even the very best healing programs.Having practiced several healing modalities, I understand that I am working to relieve suffering where I can. Maybe in 80-90% of the cases, I can relieve some suffering with my best techniques. I will get 30% who will actually be free of suffering and then a few who will not respond favorably at all to my initial attempts. They will either return for a different strategy or they will seek another healer who may be able to help them.When we enter the cancer discussion, we have to be honest going forward. There is a reason that there are hundreds of cures for cancer: not any one of those cures works predictably all the time!Having treated myself for serious illness that threatened my life, I found that after doing all the best things I knew to do, I found some problems still remained. Early on I sought the advice of a colleague whom I trust and believe in. The guidance I received and followed was not so much new as it was above and beyond the image I had of what I would have to do and, frankly, was not stuff I was in the mood to do.I also sought my Higher Power, which is congruent for me to do and for those of us for whom it is congruent, there is no doubt about the presence of Providence in our healing processes. Thus we see that "curing" any so called "incurable" disease is something that will frequently not fit any mold as people develop such diseases from a very individual set of circumstances.When we enter the discussion of cancer, which is the specific point of this article, there are some cautions:First - We establish a distinction between "killing" cancer cells and "curing" cancer. Of course, it is illegal to claim to cure an incurable disease in this country (especially if you happen to be a medical doctor). Anyone with any success at marketing themselves as curing the incurable diseases will have to leave the country.The distinction between killing and curing is precisely the distinction that my critic was so upset about. He felt that it was a false claim to say that apples killed cancer. Instead, it would be a false claim to say that apples "cured" cancer.A cancer cure is going to be a lot more involved than a simple supplement that happens to alkalize the blood or inhibit cancer growth or kill cancer cells. Cancer is diagnosable as cancer only because it got out of hand.This out of hand situation can definitely be helped by killing cancer cells, but unless you are using chemotherapy, the kill cancer approach is probably not, by itself, going to work. Instead, a planned holistic approach to cancer must be selected and followed. It will need several steps and, no matter how good it is, it will probably require help outside of that plan for each individual to become totally healed.On the note of intensive plans, Hulda Clarke's books include a pretty extensive program. This is not probably about every single individual needing each of these details, but rather is about someone, somewhere needing each of these details.Cancer, in particular, is partially extant because the individual needs something dramatic on some level. As such, any mold will be broken as a matter of course in cancer cases. There will be exceptions in very few cases (maybe about 30%?) where the individual got what s/he needed from just having the disease and does not need to make any more drama in order to fill a particular hole in his/her life.Having said that, there is a long list of substances shown to kill or inhibit cancer or make conditions unsuitable for it to continue and apples are certainly on that list. It is not my purpose here to discuss any such list, there are many sources for good information about this, but rather to point out how such a list is used.The list of cancer killers is not so much useful for curing cancer as they are for inhibiting it, turning the tide against it and making it possible for the natural cancer cure (the immune system) to get control of the situation.This strategy is engaged in while the conditions in the body and in life are healed so that cancer is no longer needed or welcomed.Second Caution: We realize that cancer is life-threatening and many people only get it because they know about it and need some life-threatening condition in order to heal their own life. Really, I am willing to bet half my kingdom that if cancer were stricken from all media, and no one heard about it for several years, that cancer rates would be cut in half or would get even lower than that.This awareness is important to the cancer discussion. Much of what needs to be done does not need to be done physically, except in supporting the body through this time of stress. Rather, the help most needed for cancer cases is in life and personal relief.People do not feel that it is okay for others, especially those they respect, to love them like they are today. They do not love others because they think they are not worthy to love others and others would not want their love anyway, and thus they perpetuate the loveless condition!Killing themselves off, at least partially, is part of the strategy used unconsciously to attempt to reconcile this dual and totally divergent life experience.It is like, "one of us has got to die, which will it be?"Cancer cures cannot be approached without addressing this issue. If it is, only the symptoms can be treated, the rest of the disease will continue to grow.Someone noticed that, "The real tragedy is not death from cancer, it is getting cancer and not benefiting from it."To finish our discussion of cancer, there are at least five areas that can be addressed simultaneously in an effective plan. These are:1. Kill/starve cancer. This means the regular consumption of foods or herbs or supplements that kill cancer, while feeding you. It also means avoiding fermentation when eating -- discussed in Traci's Transformational Health Principles available through (www.bestfoodist.com) -- as well as avoiding concentrated protein, processed sugars and starchy foods in order to starve cancer.2. Create nutritional conditions where cancer is not invited. This means eating for alkalinity, high oxygen flow and elimination. It might include cleansing. This is where apples come in, actually.3. Creating a mental and emotional state where cancer is not needed. The first step here is being grateful for every symptom. In the symptom is energy that is designed for healing, or for scaring you to death, but you get to decide that or you can do nothing and see what you get. I generally recommend having gratitude for every symptom and saying it often. More than one case of cancer has been cured doing only this.4. Healing life so that cancer is not needed. Cancer is needed when things are really dichotomous in nature. When both negative and positive elements are building up, one of fear, greed and want; the other of love and peace and goodness, there comes a time when these must be reconciled and can co-exist no longer. You must choose. Cancer forces this choice upon you. Very often, even those who are treated medically will find that they survived because they dealt with this issue in their lives. Cancer may also indicate a need for attention, both within yourself, and in the world of people around you to authenticate something that did not get the authentication it needed earlier in life. This is no shame and those of us who are extending grace to those in need should be sensitive to this very real need.5. Heal the immune response. We are discovering that the immune system can remove cancer in a few days when it is performing normally. Often, however, the immune system overreacts to pathogens or abnormalities in the cells or blood (such as foreign protein, chemicals or irritants). In the over-reactive state, the inflammation and killing -- elements that exist naturally in relationship to cancer that does not get out of control -- continues and does not stop. The signal is never sent to the body to stop cancer and remove it. The more cancer spreads, the more extreme the over-reaction gets. There is a science treating cancer today in a way that is similar to treating auto-immune disease. They are using EFT to remove allergies to pathogens and irritants, herbs that calm the immune system and spleen and thymus foods to restore normal immune response. This would explain why cleansing has always worked, because when the irritants disappear, the body stops overreacting. The herb of choice that normalizes immune response is Echinacea. The herbs that I like that calm over-reactive immune response are evening primrose oil and nettle (nettle in huge amounts, like 20-30 capsules daily).Thank you for taking a few minutes to learn about cancer.Until next time,Kal Sellers, MHAbout the authorKal Sellers, MH is a lifelong student and practitioner of the natural healing arts. Kal is a Master Herbalist, a Massage Therapist, Technician of the Rolf Method of Structural Integration, Iridologist, Mind-Body Medicine Practitioner, Mental Re-programmer, Life Coach, Natural Nutritionist, Reflexologist and more. Kal is currently attending Life University in preparation for chiropractic school. Kal currently operates and maintains www.KalsSchool.com an on-line school for natural healing and herbal medicine. Kal also maintains www.BestFoodist.com as the website for the distribution of his and his wife's books on natural nutrition and companion recipe book (Traci's Transformational Kitchen Cookbook and Traci's Transformational Health Principles). Kal and Traci have five children, the last three of which were delivered at home, the last by Kal. They live now in Powder Springs, GA where they maintain live classes on food and medicine for anyone choosing to master medical independence and life-long optimal health! (Source: NaturalNews.com)

The event, which is to be held on Sunday 21st and Monday 22nd September 2008 at Donington Park in the East Midlands, is the UK's largest complementary therapy trade exhibition and educational experience taking place outside of London, and the only event of its kind supported by the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT). (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

(NaturalNews) It is very rare that we are able to see the world upside down, and regularly viewing the world from this angle can bring a variety of amazing benefits to our life. Turning ourselves upside down is not only an amazing practice for health... but for beauty as well.Headstand and Yoga for Skin CareA headstand can reduce facial wrinkles, and if practiced regularly, is a natural 'face-lift'. This is because it reverses the effects of gravity and allows the skin to rest in the other direction.Furthermore, yoga for skin care increases the circulation to the face, which brings much needed nutrients and oxygen to rejuvenate and remove wrinkle causing toxins. The result is smoother, clearer, brighter and glowing skin.Thicker Hair, Fewer GraysA headstand can actually convert gray hair back to its natural color! It will certainly delay the onset of gray hair. This is due to the increase in blood supply and nutrients to the hair follicles in the scalp.Balding can also be prevented or slowed, and thicker, healthier hair is produced.Balanced Hormones and Endocrine SystemHeadstand stimulates and provides refreshed blood to the pituitary and hypothalamus glands. The health and strength of these glands are absolutely vital to our wellbeing, as they are the master glands and regulate the functioning of all the other glands in the body including the sexual hormones (better sex!), the thyroid, pineal, and the adrenals.The powerful stress releasing effects of the headstand (you can't really be depressed if you're standing on your head!) further rebalance the adrenal glands so physical and emotional health is improved.Better CirculationBesides the positive effects of yoga for skin care, the improved circulation of headstands exercise the heart and encourage venous return. Because the heart constantly has to pump blood upward to the brain, the headstand gives the heart a rest and reduces heart strain.Increased Brain FunctionHeadstand soaks the brain cells with fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients. This increases your thinking power, clarity, memory, concentration, and the sensory faculties. Brain tissues do not degenerate with regular practice.Balanced Nervous SystemResearch has shown that an ischemic stroke never results for those who consistently do headstands! (If nothing else, that will get me on my head.)It can also prevent the occurrence of atherosclerotic disease, Parkinson's disease, and other diseases of the nervous system. Senile changes in the brain are prevented. It calms the brain and helps relieve stress and depression. It is a centering, calming and soothing pose.A Healthy Lymphatic SystemA headstand encourages the drainage of lymphatic fluid so the whole body is regularly detoxified.Strong Immune SystemRecently, I blogged about how much healthier I have been since regularly practicing yoga. Headstands are one of the postures proven to strengthen your immune system.Respiratory SystemDoing headstands in yoga helps with deep breathing and creates healthier lung tissue.Digestive SystemStanding on our heads tones and cleans the digestive organs. It cleanses congested blood and toxins from them. Fresh warm blood invigorates the cells and can help people overcome problems of the liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines and reproductive system.Musculoskeletal systemDoing a headstand strengthens the spine, neck, shoulders and arms. The muscular system of the abdomen and legs get toned.About the authorSheryl is a kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner. Her website www.younglivingguide.com provides the latest research on preventing disease, looking naturally gorgeous, and feeling emotionally and physically fabulous. And her latest website www.raiselibido.com offers a vast quantity of information on how to increase sex drive and enjoy a vibrant sex life. (Source: NaturalNews.com)

(NaturalNews) The ancient philosopher Plato (circa 427 - 347 BC), wrote many astounding works. One of his largest, The Republic, contains the oft-referred to Allegory of the Cave. If you are unfamiliar with the work, here is a good artist's rendition of the Cave: (http://www.meditationsight.com/Documents/Cave_files/image001.jpg) .Explanation of The CavePrisoners are chained deep down in a cave, from very early childhood. Their arms, legs, and head are all chained so that they cannot move, only stare at the wall before them.Behind them is a huge fire. Between them and the fire is a raised path, on which shapes of animals, plants, and other items are carried. This casts shadows on the wall, which transfixes the prisoners; and when one of the carriers speaks, the sound echoes throughout the cave so the prisoners believe that it is coming from the shadows themselves. The captives play a sort of "name game" with one another, giving names to the shadows, which are the only reality they know.Now picture one of the prisoners is freed from his bonds, and is beckoned to stand and turn around. He would sense pain in his body, and would be blinded by the glare of light. The shapes passing before him would seem less real than the shadows that they cast.Upon leaving the cave, he is once again blinded by the increase in light. At first he only sees dark silhouettes of things, then he begins to see objects more and more clearly as his eyes adjust.The last thing he would see is the sun itself, which he learns creates all of the seasons, and shapes and touches all that surrounds him.Returning to the cave so that he may free his fellow prisoners, his eyes do not adjust well to the darkness. He cannot play their name game as quick, and they believe him to be blinded from his venture away. They think that this will happen to them, and so do not want to be freed, and out of this fear become murderous to anyone intending to do so.Current VersionA present day version of The Cave could be likened to a movie many of you will remember -- "The Matrix", and Neo's path to enlightenment. In the movie, Neo knows that there is more truth out there than what he sees, and chooses to swallow the pill that will allow him to progress further and learn. He soon awakens to find himself bound in a liquid filled container. Breaking free, he begins a journey, learning about the realities of present life, negating all that he knew before. He begins to see the world for what it really is; learning that his former world was merely created by a computer program, known as "The Matrix". Neo goes on to realize that while he has this knowledge and can accept it and live in what is truly reality, most people are not ready. They are too fragile for the truth, and would resist or even die from the knowledge. Even some of those that learned the truth failed to thrive in the real environment, choosing instead to be placed back within the false reality.Applying This to the Present DayThis can be applied to each and every one of us. Every day we choose what we believe to be true. Plato referred to this as "eikasia" which he used to refer to a human's way of dealing with appearances. It is the ability to perceive whether a perception is an image of something else; allowing us to see that a dream or memory, or even a reflection in a mirror, is not reality. We all have puppeteers in our lives influencing what we believe to be true, such as Plato's object carriers and Neo's Matrix. Our parents, teachers, governments and media all influence what we think. It is our job to "awaken", and sort through things diligently to see the truth for what it really is. This is our own personal "Path to Enlightenment", our own journeys out of the cave and in search of the sun.How This Relates to Our HealthSome of us today are seeing the truth of our situation, and luckily our numbers are growing. We are sick, we are suffering, and we are dying. Why? Our meat comes from factories. Our vegetables and fruits are contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. Our seeds are being genetically engineered, and can now be patented.Our grocery carts are filled with the latest boxes and packages of low-fat, low-carb, eat healthy, lose weight Garbage, yet we scoff at the prices of organic foods. Where once was a bowl of dough rising on the counter to be baked fresh from whole grains for the family dinner table, now sits a box of Bisquick.Our milk contains pus and antibiotics, our meats contain nitrates, our drinks and many foods are laden with high fructose corn syrup. In an effort to minimize our waist-lines we consume the poisonous wood alcohol methanol, an ingredient in aspartame.We have stolen from the earth, taken what was natural and healthy for us and made it unnatural and inherently detrimental. Our children are growing up on sugar and refined foods and we stare blankly when someone tells us that we are clogging their arteries even before they hit puberty.Our doctors prescribe us pharmaceuticals to address our health concerns, which in turn cause us more problems that lead to more prescriptions. We complacently believe that cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome are just the side effects of growing old, and that the pharmaceutical companies will keep coming out with more products to "save" us.Our waists are expanding, our hearts and livers and kidneys are failing. Our arteries are clogging at alarming rates and yet still, what do we do? Supersize that, please.We must get back to reality. We must get back to nature.I urge you all, break free of your bonds and walk out of the cave!References:"Plato: The Allegory of the Cave". Washington State University. July 14, 2007 (http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/plato.html) .Possehl, Melissa. "Explanation of the Cave". Critical Thinking March, 2006.About the authorMel Possehl is a Holistic Wellness Consultant working towards dual diplomas in Herbalism and Holistic Health, and is studying for the Registered Aromatherapist certification. She has two blogs on natural health: http://your-holistic-life.blogspot.com/ http://just-womens-issues.blogspot.com/ (Source: NaturalNews.com)

Classes, workshops "Safe Herbal Remedies for Children" - 6-7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, Course to Eden Holistic Health, West Knoxville. (Source: Knoxville News Sentinel: Health and fitness)

(NaturalNews) Sales of anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals are a multi-billion dollar industry. Yet as we've learned with the Vioxx fiasco and all the tens of thousands of deaths surrounding that drug, anti-inflammatory medications can be extremely dangerous. Sure, it stops the pain, but sometimes it also stops your heart.Not surprisingly, consumers are looking for healthier, safer and more natural alternatives to dangerous anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals. And here's the good news: There are many truly remarkable anti-inflammatory foods, herbs and supplements available right now, and in my view they work far better than anti-inflammatory drugs! At the same time, they have absolutely no negative side effects. In fact, many of these natural remedies enhance immune function and actually boost cardiovascular health at the same time they ease inflammation.In the food category, omega-3 oils are well noted for anti-inflammatory action. People suffering from inflammatory diseases (arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer's and even cancer) commonly experience tremendous benefits just by reducing their intake of fried foods and omega-6 oils while greatly increasing their intake of omega-3 oils. (See the complete checklist for my "anti-inflammatory diet" below...)Cherries, too, are tremendous anti-inflammatory foods. So is the fresh juice from cucumbers and celery. That's why I drink fresh vegetable juices on a regular basis, and both cucumber and celery are part of my daily recipe.On the supplement side, I've previously written about some truly remarkable anti-inflammatory substances like astaxanthin, ginger and turmeric, but until now, I've never reviewed an anti-inflammatory product that combined the most powerful natural remedies for inflammation into one extraordinary solution that you can conveniently take in a softgel format.It's time to do that review. Below, I'm reviewing Zyflamend by New Chapter.Inflammation is the basis for many diseasesFirst, though, let me cover an important concept in human health: Many so-called "diseases" have their roots in inflammation. All the following conditions, in fact, begin with inflammation and then progress to more serious degenerative conditions that ultimately get diagnosed as disease:• Cancers, including prostate cancer and breast cancer • Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn's disease • Dementia and Alzheimer's disease • Type-II diabetes • Type-I diabetes and autoimmune disorders (like Lupus) • Heart disease, atherosclerosis and clogged arteries • Asthma • Arthritis and joint pain • Allergies and hay fever • Infertility and endometriosis • Skin disorders like eczemaEven conventional medicine is now recognizing how pivotal inflammation can in determining the course of human health. The now-popular test for C-Reactive Proteins (CRP) is essentially a test of inflammation factors in the blood. So are PSA tests used in the detection of prostate cancer. The more conventional medicine learns about inflammation, the more it realizes that inflammation is the precursor to dozens of other serious diseases.By halting the inflammation and eliminating its root cause, you can halt the progression of degenerative disease and begin healing from the inside out.In this article, I highlight two supplements that can help you stop the inflammation cycle in your body, and I reveal core strategies for eliminating the things that are causing inflammation while embracing things that reverse it. Details on my "anti-inflammatory diet" are included towards the end of this article.But first, let's take a look at the single most popular herbal supplement designed to ease inflammation: Zyflamend.Zyflamend from New ChapterI've always thought "Zyflamend" was kind of a goofy name for a natural supplement. With the prominent Z, it sounds too much like a drug name, but at least the "mend" part implies a healing ("mending") process, so that's a nice play on words.Regardless of the name, this herb is truly impressive. This supplement is a food- and herb-based supplement that combines ten of the very top anti-inflammatory concentrates in the world of natural medicine, bringing them together in a synergistic formula that's ridiculously effective at halting inflammation.You may already be familiar with Zyflamend because it's one of the top herbal supplements sold in the world. But in case you aren't, let me tell you what I really love about this product and how it could help you end chronic pain, boost your health and get you back to a more active lifestyle that has enormous other benefits. (All the health claims and descriptions mentioned here, by the way, are my own opinion. I do not sell this product, nor do I own any stake in the New Chapter company. I do, however, openly endorse this supplement, and I use it myself as described below.)Based on whole-herb medicine, not isolated chemicalsOne of the first things you'll notice about Zyflamend is that it's based on whole-herb medicine. In other words, this isn't some recipe that combines isolated vitamins, minerals and other laboratory-created nutrients. It's based on medicine from nature, and it uses whole herbs that are very well documented to modulate COX-2 action, which is how the anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals work, except that the herbs act in a more holistic, balanced way that enhances your health instead of endangering it.This whole-herb approach is extremely important to many consumers (and to myself, too) because we recognize that Mother Nature never works in isolation. Herbs and foods always deliver hundreds of different phytonutrients that work synergistically -- often in ways modern researchers can't even begin to understand.That's why whole whole-herb medicine systems work so well, including Western herbalism, Ayurvedic medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. They rely on the healing wisdom of nature rather than the arrogance of doctors who think a single, isolated chemical heal the human body. Except in rare circumstances, no single chemical heals anything. True recovery from disease (or symptoms of disease) requires a holistic approach, not a one-chemical band-aid that merely masks symptoms. (The Zyflamend formula, by the way, uses herbs from all three systems of herbal medicine: Chinese, Ayurvedic and Western herbology...)This whole-herb approach also provides tremendous safety for those taking the herbs. Why? Toxicity is caused by single chemicals being ingested in unnaturally-high concentrations. Extract cocaine from the coca leaf, for example, and you have a toxic drug. But when plant-based chemicals (nutrients) are ingested in their natural ratios -- as found in nature -- virtually all of the toxicity goes away, creating safe, natural and very low-cost solutions that are fully biocompatible with your body. So coca leaf tea becomes an energizing holistic tonic, and that's why I drink coca tea when hiking the mountains in South America. (Coca leaves are banned in America, by the way, under the ridiculous "War on Drugs" policies that have accomplished nothing other than spending billions of taxpayer dollars.)Zyflamend ingredientsNew Chapter really knows what it's doing with herbal formulation. To those who know their herbs, the Zyflamend ingredients list is a spectacular combination of herbs that work together to halt inflammation while supporting healthy systemic body function. Below, I list each ingredient along with my own personal opinion about each one, and a link where you can learn more:Rosemary - Powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial culinary herb. http://www.naturalnews.com/np/rosemary.htmlTurmeric - Super anti-cancer herb, also known for enhancing joint health, ending arthritis pain and increasing muscle and tendon flexibility. http://www.naturalnews.com/np/turmeric.htmlGinger - One of the world's best-known tonic herbs. Boosts immune function and circulation, helping to remove metabolic toxins from the body's cells. Well known antibacterial and anti-viral properties. http://www.naturalnews.com/np/ginger.htmlHoly Basil - Also known as tulsi, holy basil is used in Ayurvedic medicine to combat arthritis, asthma, heart disease and many other conditions. It's also a well-documented anti-stress herb that been studied extensively for its stress-reduction properties.Green Tea - A phenomenal healing herb, green tea exhibits strong anti-cancer benefits as well as anti-inflammatory properties. Here's a great BBC article on green tea and cancer: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3125469.stm http://www.naturalnews.com/np/green_tea.htmlHu Zhang - Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an herb that invigorates the blood and eases inflammation of the lungs. The name for this herb is quite fascinating: The "Hu" means tiger, and "Zhang" means cane (like a walking cane). The "Hu" is used to denote strength, and the "Zhang" means "supportive." Hu Zhang dissolves phlegm and stops coughing, among its many other actions.Chinese Goldthread - This is another Chinese herb that contains several bitter alkaloids. One of them is berberine, which is a phenomenal anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal nutrient. It has even been studied as a defense against MRSA superbug infections. Under ultraviolet light, berberine exhibits a natural fluorescence, meaning it exhibits a natural resonance with certain wavelengths of light.Barberry - An herb used by ancient Egyptians (and still in use there today) for treating inflammatory fevers. It also aids in digestion and liver function. It's more of a support herb in this formula than the celebrity.Oregano - Oregano is a very potent anti-parasite herb, but it's also used as a natural decongestant and anti-allergy herb. Highly-concentrated wildcrafted forms (like you find from North American Herb and Spice) will blow your mind. There are 40mg of oregano supercritical extract in each serving of Zyflamend (2 softgels). http://www.naturalnews.com/np/oregano.htmlBaikal Skullcap - Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat intestinal inflammation, this world-renowned herb also relieves anxiety and insomnia. It also helps lower blood pressure and reduce tension throughout the body. http://www.naturalnews.com/np/skullcap.htmlInterested in getting Zyflamend for yourself? See below for clickable links where you can get it at 40% off retail prices...New Chapter, of course, can't describe their Zyflamend product using the specific, truthful health information I've provided above. That's because the FDA continues its parade of censorship against supplement manufacturers, prohibiting them from telling the truth about what their products actually do (while allowing Big Pharma to blatantly lie about its own drugs). But because I'm an independent journalist, I'm able to accurately describe the real benefits of these botanicals using plain language.Someday, when the FDA has been shut down or radically reformed, Free Speech will once again be restored to the supplement industry, but until that day arrives, you will notice that supplement companies have been terrorized by the FDA into limiting their product descriptions to sheepish, timid descriptions that don't dare tell the whole truth about what these natural medicines can really do!Why supercritical extraction makes all the differenceIn past articles here on NaturalNews, I've talked about the dangers of the chemical solvents used in certain extraction technologies. Some companies use an explosive chemical solvent called hexane to extract phytonutrients from herbs. I think that's a very unhealthy and unwise way to make herbal medicine. Who wants to swallow residues of explosive petrochemicals in their herbs?Today's most advanced companies are using a process called supercritical extraction. This involves saturating the herbal mixture with a harmless gas -- carbon dioxide -- and concentrating the active nutrients that way. Once the extraction process is complete, the CO2 just evaporates off the mixture, returning to the air. And no, this does not contribute to global warming, because the CO2 used in this process is pulled out of the air in the first place. So there's no net increase in CO2 production, and in fact, since this whole process avoids the use of highly toxic hexane (which kills fish), so it's far safer for the environment as a whole.Organix South, Inc., makes of a really great Neem product using this same technology, by the way. I'll be writing a review and recommendation of their Neem products a little later on.New Chapter exclusively uses supercritical extraction for their herbs, completely avoiding the use of hexane and achieving the claim "hexane-free." This is a huge plus for New Chapter, and it's one of the reasons I so strongly recommend their products. (I wrote about their Berry Green products before, and will be covering quite a few other New Chapter products in upcoming reviews.)When it comes to extraction technologies for concentrating the natural medicines found in herbs, supercritical extraction is the very best process known today. It's the one I recommend to every company that wants me to review their products. You should always look for the term "supercritical extraction" when you're buying herbal concentrates or supplements.New Chapter's integrity and leadershipOne of the things I do before recommending any company involves checking out their founder(s). Are the people at the top honest and authentic? Do they really care about people and the planet? Are they healthy?In previous articles, I've brought you news about a lot of people who walk their talk: People who have the kind of integrity I think should be a requirement for any health company. I'm talking about people like "Amazon" John Easterling of the Amazon Herb Co., David Wolfe of Sunfood.com, Peter Ragnar of Roaring Lion Publishing, Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy of Genesis Organics, John Roulac of Nutiva and many others. I definitely put Paul Schulick in that category of high-integrity individuals who have a healing vision for the world. You can read about him and the history of New Chapter (which was founded in 1982) here: http://www.newchapter.com/page/a-look-backI recently completed a phone interview with Paul, and we chatted for a good hour about global transformation, medicinal herbs, compassion for living things and other interesting topics. He's the kind of person you can just sit and chat with endlessly about such things. During our conversation, it very quickly became obvious to me that Paul was the real deal: A human being who believes passionately in contributing to a better world. You might even call him a revolutionary who sees his role for global transformation as one that can be best expressed through natural medicines brought to the masses.He's certainly accomplished that. Zyflamend has become the single best-selling herbal supplement in the United States. Its popularity is a true testament to the power of high-integrity product formulation combined with the remarkable healing power of Mother Nature's medicines.Why Mother Nature heals bestI want to make that last point really clear: Zyflamend doesn't heal you, nor does Paul Schulick heal you. When you ingest the natural herbal concentrations found in Zyflamend, you are healing yourself, aided by the miracles of Mother Nature.And they are miracles, in my view. Creating a baby in the womb is a miracle. Skin that heals itself is a miracle. Sleep, dreaming and memory are all miracles. Not a single Western scientist understands any of these things, really. They can document them, name them and claim to explain them, but they don't really understand them. How does a new life begin inside the body of another living being? Nobody really knows. It's one of the great mysteries (and miracles) of life.Your own body's innate healing ability is equally miraculous. Just like the genetic code of a sperm and egg combine to initiate the creation of a new, living being, your own body has the genetic blueprint to heal itself and create perfect health. That means it already has the instructions to end arthritis, inflammation, heart disease, cancer and chronic pain. You are, quite literally, a self-healing, self-repairing biological miracle!So why are so many people in pain these days? Because they've suppressed their innate healing potential. It's as simple as that. Eating fried foods, processed foods, nutritionally-depleted foods and junk foods drains your body's innate healing ability. Taking pharmaceuticals accelerates the destruction of your liver, kidneys and brain, and soaking your skin in toxic personal care products (conventional soaps, shampoos, deodorants, perfumes, etc.) further speeds the destruction of your biology.In fact, what most doctors consider to be "aging" today is really just the toxic degeneration of the masses through dietary and environmental poisons. So-called diseases of aging are called "normal" today simply because the masses all poison themselves with the same consumer products!But what would happen if you didn't poison yourself? How might your body be reactivated to heal itself if you actually fed it the super-potent, Mother-Nature-derived medicines and nutrients it was designed to consume? That's what Zyflamend does: It gives your body the high-vibration nutrients and biologically-compatible combinations of plant-based medicines that activate your inner healer, literally catalyzing the molecular actions that unleash your innate ability to heal your joints, your heart, your brain and your entire body.It's really that simple. Consume Zyflamend on a regular basis, and you will be activating your body's own innate healing technology. The results, from one perspective, are the easing of inflammation throughout the body (joints, heart, lungs, sinuses, etc.). But that's just one benefit of these herbal medicines. Sure, that's the primary marketing position of Zyflamend, and it's very, very effective in that regard, but the true benefits of this product transcend that single application.For example, the turmeric, ginger and green tea ingredients are powerful anti-cancer remedies all by themselves. Turmeric contains ingredients that halt the growth of cancer tumors by cutting off their blood supply. Ginger boosts circulation to extremities and greatly enhances immune function. Green tea offers powerful prevention for breast cancer and prostate cancer! You can read more about cancer and green tea here: http://www.naturalnews.com/np/C/Cancer-green_tea.htmlVirtually every author, researcher and nutritionist who's educated in natural medicine agrees that turmeric and ginger are two of the most powerful healing herbs in the world. Check out this remarkable book: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Johnny Bowden: http://www.naturalnews.com/np/The_150_Healthiest_Foods_on_Earth.htmlHow to Get Zyflamend at 40% offVitacost.com has the best price around for a high-end, fast-shipping online retailer. Below, we list three options for getting Zyflamend for yourself. Option #1 is a new experiment for us. It gives our readers the option of allowing NaturalNews to earn a small portion of their product purchase. Option #2, which is the exact same price, earns us nothing. You get to decide whether NaturalNews deserves any reward for providing this review to you for free. That's why we call it our "FreeChoice Product Options" section. Please let us know if you like this idea. It answers the question so many readers have asked us: How can we help support NaturalNews? The answer is to choose option #1. But it's entirely your choice. It's voluntary and entirely reader-supported.FreeChoice Product Options: What's this?Option #1: Buy from Vitacost.com for $35.37 (40% off) - CLICK HERE A portion of each sale supports NaturalNews. (Thank you!)Option #2: Buy from Vitacost.com for $35.37 (40% off) - CLICK HERE NaturalNews receives nothing from your purchase.Option #3: Buy from your local health food store Prices typically vary from $40 - $59(Note: If you purchase from Vitacost, I recommend you skip the "$20 cash back" offer you'll see after your purchase. If you join it, you'll get signed up to a service called Shopping Essentials+ that charges you $19.95 a month. Just skip that offer.)Can't take softgels? There's also a liquid available: Click here to get Zyflamend Liquid at 40% off (Note: This liquid is simply incredible. No sweeteners, no junk. It's extremely potent. But it definitely tastes like potent medicine, too. Not for people who expect their medicine to taste like sweetened cough syrup. This link does benefit NaturalNews.)So why do you have inflammation, anyway?If you're serious about ending inflammation in your body, it's not enough to simply take a pill -- even a high-end herbal supplement -- while neglecting to take a look at everything else that's going on in your life. After all, inflammation isn't random. If you have inflammation, there's absolutely no question you're doing something to cause it. Let's see if we can figure out a way to reverse that cause, shall we?What causes inflammation? For the most part, it all comes down to diet. All the following foods cause inflammation:• Fried foods • Cheese, milk and dairy products • Sodas and diet soft drinks • Meats and animal products (especially processed meats like bacon, sausage, etc.) • Fried foods • Charred foods (BBQ, etc.) • Sugar • Partially-hydrogenated oils • Artificial food colors • MSG, yeast extract and other excitotoxins • Processed salt (sodium) • Foods cooked at high temperatures (pizza, bread, snack chips, etc.)... in other words, most of what mainstream consumers eat causes inflammation. It's no wonder, then, that so many people suffer from diseases of inflammation! Every time they sit down to eat another meal of processed meats, processed sugars and hydrogenated oils, they're causing a direct continuation of inflammation. If they do that for long enough, they will eventually be diagnosed with one or more "diseases" of inflammation: Heart disease, atherosclerosis, cancer, Alzheimer's, asthma, allergies, Crohn's disease, etc.Getting rid of inflammation requires thinking holistically, not symptomatically. In other words, the inflammation is NOT your problem. The inflammation is simply a SIGN of your problem: Your diet!Change your diet and you change the results you get in your body. Of course, changing your diet requires you to be up front and honest with yourself about what your diet really consists of right now.The blunt truth is that most consumers vastly overestimate the healthfulness of their own diets, and they conveniently forget all the unhealthy foods they consume on a regular basis. If you ask them what they eat, they'll tell you they eat a lot of salads, whole grains and other "healthy" foods. What they conveniently leave out (unconsciously, sometimes) is their consumption of diet sodas (which some people actually think are healthy), fried snack chips, candy bars and sugary desserts. I encourage you to take a good, honest look at what you're really eating, and then assess how you can change things for the better.There's only one reliable way to do that, by the way: Keep a food diary for one week. Yep, just write down every single thing you eat or drink for a week. Really. If you're like most people, the list will absolutely shock you.Your conscious mind, you see, truly has no idea what your unconscious mind has been feeding you! A food diary is the only way to bring food awareness into your conscious mind. Virtually all eating habits are unconsciously decided. Bad habits are conveniently forgotten, distorting your perception of your own healthfulness (or lack thereof). I've met countless obese, diabetic people who swear to me they eat nothing but healthy, fresh, plant-based diets! (Their bodies tell me a different story...)Once you keep track of what you're eating and become consciously aware of that list, you can then start to eliminate all the inflammation-causing foods from your diet. If you want to accelerate your results, Zyflamend can work wonders. But ultimately, if you really want to be free of the diseases of inflammation, you need to achieve the anti-inflammatory diet, described below.The anti-inflammatory dietThe anti-inflammatory diet has a lot in common with the Mediterranean Diet. You've probably already heard about the many health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet, right? Among them are greatly reduced risks of heart attack, stroke and cancer. The reason for those benefits is simply that the Mediterranean Diet is anti-inflammatory!Here are the basics of the anti-inflammatory diet:• 90% plant-based foods (or more) • Fresh produce at every meal • No processed foods (made in a factory) • No fried foods, no cheap oils • Lots of cold-refined, extra virgin olive oil • Lots of avocados, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. • Drink fresh vegetable juice daily (juice it yourself!) • The best anti-inflammatory juices are cucumber and celery • Lots of superfoods (berries, sprouts, etc.) • Green tea and water as your beverages • Lots of raw walnuts, pecans and other nutsIf you switch to this kind of diet, you'll experience a complete reversal of inflammation in your body (that sounds like a bold, sweeping statement but it's really just cause and effect). And not just inflammation, but also cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, kidney stones, osteoporosis, allergies and many other degenerative health conditions. This is the diet of LIFE, and it's the mainstay of the raw foods community that's right now curing serious diseases by juicing raw vegetables and fruits on a daily basis.Use high-potency supplements to support your anti-inflammatory dietThis is the diet I follow, and I need to tell you that I still take Zyflamend, too. Why? Because I exercise hard. My warm-up in the gym has now increased from 1,000 jump rope repetitions to 2,000. (And that's just my warm-up. The real workout begins after the rope jumping.) Powered by superfoods, I push my muscles beyond what most people would even consider possible, and what I've learned is that if I don't take anti-inflammatory supplements, I feel a lot of soreness in my muscles for 1-2 days after a workout. So I take Zyflamend and astaxanthin, and they just work miracles for me. It allows me to undertake a very aggressive training schedule that keeps me fit, strong and incredibly active.I've covered astaxanthin in great detail in previous NaturalNews articles, and since then, I've come to appreciate this substance even more. It's part of my "secret recipe for active people" that generates unbelievable endurance. Since I started taking 16mg a day (four softgels) of astaxanthin, my workout performance has truly skyrocketed. I already mentioned the doubling of my rope jumping warmup, and there are lots of other exercises I've seen huge improvements on, such as leg press, floor crawls, Pilates moves, straight-arm pulldowns and even poi spinning exercises.At the same time, astaxanthin is a powerful anti-inflammatory supplement. In fact, that's one of its main benefits. The combination of Zyflamend and astaxanthin is just ridiculously effective at ending inflammation. That's why I gave astaxanthin my Editor's Choice award several months ago, and it's why I maintain such a strong recommendation for it.Want to get some? I would think so! Vitacost has their NSI Hawaii BioAstin Natural Astaxanthin product on sale right now for a whopping 66% off! It's simply the best deal on astaxanthin anywhere. Here's how to get it:FreeChoice Product Options: What's this?Option #1: Buy from Vitacost.com for $9.99 (66% off) - CLICK HERE A portion of each sale supports NaturalNews. (Thank you!)Option #2: Buy from Vitacost.com for $9.99 (66% off) - CLICK HERE NaturalNews receives nothing from your purchase.Option #3: Buy from your local health food store Prices typically vary from $20 - $39(Note: If you purchase from Vitacost, I recommend you skip the "$20 cash back" offer you'll see after your purchase. If you join it, you'll get signed up to a service called Shopping Essentials+ that charges you $19.95 a month. Just skip that offer.)Supplements for serious mobility and enduranceBy the way, it is these two supplements (astaxanthin and Zyflamend) combined with SunWarrior protein (www.SunWarrior.com) that are now powering my workouts. At age 38, I'm out-working guys in their 20's in the gym, and so far, not a single person has taken me up on my $10,000 fitness challenge to Big Pharma.Nobody ever will, by the way, because they know that a person taking anti-inflammatory medications simply cannot compete with someone powered by Mother Nature's superfoods. Meds don't beat superfoods, period!My $10,000 offer still stands. I'll give $10,000 to any person (at any age!) on multiple medications who can beat me in a contest of strength, endurance, coordination, flexibility and adaptability. You can read the full details of this public challenge here: http://www.naturalnews.com/023476.htmlThe only catch in this challenge is that contestants cannot be taking supplements or superfoods. And that's why they won't win: My joints, muscles and organs are powered by astaxanthin, SunWarrior protein, Zyflamend herbals, fresh vegetable juices, plus dozens of other superfoods and herbal medicines that I haven't even disclosed yet. (And one super-powerful trace mineral, by the way, that I will reveal in a few weeks...) I don't have to rely on luck to win; I only have to rely on the laws of basic human physiology.The 5 truths about inflammationSo that's my take on inflammation, Zyflamend, astaxanthin and the anti-inflammatory diet. I hope you get the big picture here. The main points I've covered are:1. Inflammation is the underlying cause of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes and many other conditions.2. Inflammation is NOT caused by bad luck. It's caused by a bad diet.3. Inflammatory foods are meats, dairy, sodas, processed foods, fried foods and foods cooked at high temperatures. Keep a food diary if you want to discover just how many bad foods you're really eating.4. Anti-inflammatory foods are fresh, raw, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. Eat more of this good stuff!5. Anti-inflammatory supplements like Zyflamend and astaxanthin are powerful modulators of inflammation, but don't use them as a way to avoid the responsibility of making serious changes to your diet. Use them to support your positive changes, and you'll see accelerated results!And finally, remember this: If you don't solve your inflammation problems naturally, some crazy doctor will no doubt put you on anti-inflammatory medications that double or triple your heart attack risk. Killing yourself with medications is not a smart way to treat your health concerns. Although, technically, it should be noted that death is one way to stop inflammation, and I'm sure that's what happened in a lot of Big Pharma's drug trials where they claim their drugs stopped inflammation.But I say, keep yourself alive with healthy foods, superfoods and smart supplements! Avoid death. Avoid pain. Avoid medication. Enjoy life with healthy foods, herbs and botanical supplements!"Zyflamend" Song by James A. DukeJim Duke, the world-renowned herbalist, author of The Green Pharmacy and creator of the brilliant online phytochemical database (http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke) sent me lyrics of a song he wrote about Zyflamend. (Jim is quite a musician, by the way.)This song was first sung at the Luna Nueva gardens in Costa Rica, where New Chapter grows many of its herbs. Here are the lyrics:GINGER, MY MAGIC PLANT; MAKE MY ALE A BIT MORE PIQUANT;YOUR FLAVOR'S JUST AS FEISTY AS YOUR FIZZ.I MARVEL AT YOUR QUICKNESS, AT CURBING MOTION SICKNESSAND HYPEREMESIS, ALL OF THIS!TURM'RIC MAKES IT MELLOW, TURNED MY GRAY BEARD HIPPY YELLOW,AS IT HELPED MY ARTHRITIC MISERY.MORE IMPORTANTLY TO ME, IT HELPS WITH MY TRICK KNEEAND IMPROVES MY ALZHEIMEMORY,O ZYFLAMEND, MY THANKS AGAIN!SHOULD I WHISPER IT OR JUST JUMP UP AND SHOUT?'TIS NO GREAT MYSTERY, YOU WORKED JUST LIKE MY CEL'RY.BLESSED ME, YOU PREVENTED YEARS OF GOUT!GREEN TEA, OR SO THEY SAY, CAN TAKE THE WEIGHT AWAY,ITS SYNERGIES ARE GREAT FOR LOSING WEIGHT.AND THOUGH IT IS STILL GREEN, IT DOES HAVE SOME CAFFEINE,JUST ENOUGH TO STIMULATE THE BRAIN.I'VE LONG HAD A ROMANCE, WITH THE HERB OF REMEMBRANCE;ROSEMARY HELPS OLD TIMERS SLOW ALZHEIMER'S.JUST SMELLED OR JUST INHALED, IN THE TUB OR IN A RUB,HELPS THE CHOLINE TO DO IT'S MEM'RY THING.LIKE MOST ITALIANOS, I LOVE MY OREGANOS,THE OIL IT WILL TREAT MOST EVERYTHINGMAKES A PIZZA TASTE MUCH BETTER, MAKES A DRY DREAM SOMEWHAT WETTERDON'T PANIC, IT CURED A NYMPHOMANIC.ZYFLAMEND! YOU ARE MY FRIEND!KEPT MY GOUT FROM COMING BACK AGAIN!YOU'RE THE BEST PILL TO CHOOSE, FOR CURBINGS THOSE COX-2'S.ZYFLAMEND, THANKS AGAIN, YOU ARE MY FRIEND.BARBERRY'S BERBERINE, IS A MAGIC MEDICINE,WIPING OUT MOST EVERY GERM, YOU SEE;CAN HELP ONE TO SUPPLANT, THE MULTI-DRUG RESISTANTBERBERINE AND MHC, MIGHT CURB TB.THE SKULLCAP FROM BAICAL, MOST MAGICAL OF ALL,EVEN HELPS TO CONTROL THE COMMON COLD.IT'S ANOTHER ONE I CHOOSE, TO INHIBIT MY COX-2SCOULDN'T SLEEP! BUT NOW I SLEEP REAL DEEP!GOLDTHREAD, IT NOW APPEARS, ENRICHES GOLDEN YEARS;LIKE BARBERRY CONTAINS THE BERBERINE.BERBERINE, HOW LONG IT'S BEEN, SINCE YOU WERE IN VISINEBERBERINE HELPS SIMULATED TEARS.OH THE MEXICAN BAMBOO, KNOWN AS HU XIANG TOOCAN BE GOOD FOR WHATEVER'S AILING YOURESVERATROL BEATS HADACOL AND INHIBITS COX-2 TOOAND IT SHOOTS ARE BETTER THAN BAMBOOANOTHER HERB YOU MUST SEE, IS THE AYURVEDIC TULSI (HOLY BASIL)IT SMELLS BEST, MUCH BETTER THAN THE REST.IT PROB'LY WON'T SURPRISE YOU BUT IT'S SACRED TO THE HINDU;HELPS AMNESIA AND DEMENTIA, ''TIS QUITE TRUE!OH ZYFLAMEND, I THANK YOU FRIEND!YOU HELPED PROLONG MY HAPPY LIFE.I'M HERE TO CELEBRATE; THAT I STILL HAVE MY PROSTATE!ZYFLAMEND, YOU SAVED ME FROM THE KNIFE!ZYFLAMEND, MY THANKS AGAIN. YOU'VE BEEN A FRIEND.Support the Green Farmacy Garden Tours with Jim Duke; now booking for 2008, two hours, 1-20 people (following tours possible; Amerindian, Aroma, Ayurvedic, Biblical, Chinese, Color-Code, Ferns; Homeopathic; Invasive Weeds, Local Flora; Shakespearean). Read more about Dr. James Duke: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/syllabus/instructor.htm (Source: NaturalNews.com)

(NaturalNews) Too much TV is associated with poor health, in particular, lack of weight loss and an increased risk of excess weight/obesity. A recent study, which appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, examined the relationship between television viewing and weight in young adults aged 26-36. In this study, individuals were assessed for waist size, TV viewing time, amount of food and drink consumed during TV viewing, and physical activity levels during leisure time.The researchers found that watching more television was associated with greater waist circumference. Women who watched 3 or more hours of TV a day had an 89 per cent increased risk of severe abdominal obesity compared to those watching 1 hour of TV a day or less. Men watching 3 or more hours of TV a day were more than twice as likely to have moderate abdominal obesity compared to those watching 1 hour of TV a day or less.Further research surprisingly showed that variations in leisure time activity had little influence on the findings.However, there does appear to be a link between TV viewing, food intake, and waist circumference. Why this is the case is not completely clear.What we can gather from this is that TV viewing time is a marker for the weight and the overall wellbeing of a person. We can only speculate as to why.Here are some possible reasons why this link might exist:* Perhaps it is possible that people who choose to watch less Television have a tendency to want, due to education, motivation, or other factors.* People who watch a lot of TV may have the tendency for overeating, and unconscious, mindless eating.* People who watch a lot of TV may be more likely to eat a lot of junk, snack foods such as chips, fries and sweets. The TV turns the mind off, which turns off the mind/body connection and the internal desire to eat healthy food.* A person who watches a lot of television is more likely to be influenced by advertisements, which generally never encourages truly nutritious food.More than likely, there is a mixture of reasons why people who watch TV tend to put on the pounds. The bottom line is, trying to cut down on the boob tube watching and filling our time with other, more engaging, mindful activities is always a good idea that will not only prevent disease and show on our waists, but will show in our life in general.About the authorSheryl is a kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner. Her website www.younglivingguide.com provides the latest research on preventing disease, looking naturally gorgeous, and feeling emotionally and physically fabulous. And her latest website www.raiselibido.com offers a vast quantity of information on how increase sex drive and enjoy a vibrant sex life. (Source: NaturalNews.com)

(NaturalNews) Almost every dermatologist will tell you that diet has nothing to do with acne. With fervor, many of them argue this and you know they really believe it. In a world of 'evidence based medicine' you would think dermatologists would have strong scientific evidence backing it up.It turns out that the notion 'diet has nothing to do with acne' is just about as scientific as the notion 'the world is flat'. In other words, it's pure dogma with no credible scientific backing.Let's take a look at how and why this started.The two flawed studies that started it allIn the fifties and sixties, dermatologists advised their patients about diet and its role in acne. Two studies conducted in the late sixties and early seventies changed that.Later those two studies came under heavy fire. They were so flawed that they would earn a high school science student an F.For example, one study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine looked into the link between chocolate and acne. First, the study was funded by the Chocolate Manufacturers Association. Second, the study compared two candy bars; both equally high in sugar, calories and trans fats, but the other had some chocolate in it. This is comparing sugar to sugar. The sugar and trans fats have much more of an effect on acne than the small quantity of chocolate in the other bar. No wonder the study concluded chocolate does not cause acne.The other one was an equally flawed study about sugar and acne. The sample size was small, and it didn't consider the glycemic effect of processed carbohydrates. Again this study proved nothing.Despite the flaws and scientific invalidity, the results of these two studies stuck. Since then medical students have been taught there's no scientific link between diet and acne.In Western society, we hold doctors in high-esteem. We trust them to know and give us advice that is based on scientific evidence. After all, Western medicine goes all hoopla about science and how it's evidence based.Doctors and patients are equally ignorant about nutritionBut when it comes to diet and nutrition this is almost never the case. Here's a quote from a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."Patients may rely on physicians to provide them with nutrition information. And physicians should be more knowledgeable about nutrition than their patients, but these results suggest that this is not necessarily true."K Lazarus, RL Weinsier, and JR BokerNutrition knowledge and practices of physicians in a family-practice residency program: the effect of an education program provided by a physician nutrition specialistThe study found you are not much better off getting nutritional guidance from a doctor than you are from the average McDonald's patron.Until 2002 those two were the only published studies on diet and acne.The acne diet dogma - just one among manyAs you can see, the notion diet has nothing to do with acne is not based on science. It's a dogma. Unfortunately the medical community is almost as dogmatic as the Catholic Church was in the middle ages."Dover tells the story of an early 1970s paper stating ultraviolet light doesn't improve acne, a belief that held for decades." "It turns out that the paper was wrong," he says. "This is an example of dogma getting in the way of progress in science and medicine. It happens all the time. Someone really important proves something and says this is the way it is, and everybody else stops thinking. It takes about 30 years, usually a generation, until someone says, 'Wait, this can't be true.'"A Clear Connection? Most dermatologists tell their patients diet plays no role in acne. New research suggests that's wrong.New studies link diet and acneLuckily for acne victims the tide is turning. In recent years, a few well controlled studies have pointed towards a link between diet and acne.One study found a correlation between dairy and acne. Another one looked into and found that foods high on the glycemic index increase acne. Finally one population-based study found acne is mainly a disease of the Western civilization. The study concluded the most likely explanation is a Western diet high in sugar, fat and processed foods.Still, don't expect your dermatologist to start giving you dietary advice anytime soon. The official party line remains -- there is no link between diet and acne.Dermatologists play it safe when they say food doesn't cause acne"Dr. Jack Krushell, chief of dermatology at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, says the food hypothesis is intriguing but "I still kind of follow the party line, which is that food doesn't seem to be a cause of acne.""A Clear Connection? Most dermatologists tell their patients diet plays no role in acne. New research suggests that's wrong.For most dermatologists, who are swamped with patients and can't keep up with the latest journals, following the party line is a safe and easy solution. For better or worse the medical community is conservative and slow to change. Going against the grain can kill your career.Health is a holistic systemTo make things worse the medical community likes simple and linear solutions. Such as, bacteria cause acne; kill the bacteria and you can cure acne.Unfortunately things work differently in nature.Health, and by extension clear skin, is a holistic system. Meaning one part (such as diet or sleep) affects and is affected by every other part. In such a system, you cannot pull out one part and say "this is it. This is the cause".In a weird way dermatologists are right in some regards. Diet is a big part of the equation that leads to acne (or clear skin), but it's not the only part. And to say diet causes acne is wrong.Your skin is a part of your body. Anything that affects the health of your body also affects the health of your skin. Therefore to find the cause (or cure) for acne, you have to take a holistic perspective and look at your entire lifestyle.So the next time a dermatologist tells you that you can eat whatever you want, or that acne cannot be cured, don't take it to the bank. Those two notions are not based on science. They are dogmas that the dermatologists have been taught at medical school.Get a second opinion. Preferably from someone outside the traditional medical community.Curing acne is simpleAcne can be cured with diet and lifestyle changes. Millions of people have done it. You can do it too.There's nothing strange or mysterious about curing acne. It is as simple and straightforward as losing weight.One of the first things you probably 'learned' about acne is that it cannot be cured. You bought into that belief and it has kept you from finding solutions that can really help.Get rid of that belief and open your eyes. You'll see the road to clear skin is both simple and painfully obvious.About the authorSeppo Puusa is a health advocate, author and educator. He has shown thousands of acne victims how to support their bodies own healing mechanisms to cure acne and get permanently clear skin. His main website is Natural Acne Solution.Com Seppo's two most important works so far are free minicourse Acne 101: What Einstein would have done to get clear and Clear for Life book. Suffer from acne? Acne 101 flips on the light on for you. It explains the physiological changes that lead to acne. Put in this way acne suddenly makes perfect sense. You understand why nothing has worked before and what you need to do to cure acne. Click here for free subscription to Acne 101. Clear for Life builds on the principles of Acne 101. It shows you how to correct the weak areas in your health and activate the body's own healing mechanisms. As your body returns to health it clears acne without any creams, lotions, pills, supplements or external products. And the results are permanent. Clear for Life shows how curing acne can be simple, fun and delicious. Click here to get Clear for Life. (Source: NaturalNews.com)

(NaturalNews) A team of researchers from China and the University of Oregon have developed an approach for neuroscientists to study how meditation can improve a person's attention and response to stress.The study, done in China, randomly assigned college undergraduate students to 40-person experimental and control groups. The experimental group received five days of meditation training. The control group got five days of relaxation training. Both groups took tests that assessed their attention and reaction to mental stress before and after their training.The experimental group showed greater improvement than the control to dealing with stress. Stress was induced by mental arithmetic. Both groups initially showed elevated release of the stress hormone cortisol following the math task, but after training, the experimental group showed less cortisol release, indicating a greater ability to cope with stress. The experimental group also showed lower levels of anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue than the control group.And the study was only for five days. Imagine people who have been meditating for many years.Meditation Changes the BrainThe brain waves of meditators show they are healthier. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex, for example brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, depression and anxiety. There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.Other Benefits of meditation include:Health BenefitsNumerous studies have shown that meditation has health benefits, generally related to the decrease in stress that occurs through meditation. Lower blood pressure, decreased risk for heart disease, and chronic pain relief are some of the health benefits of meditation.Control Your Own ThoughtsMost people are victims of their own thoughts, and have no means to control what goes on in their minds. Regular meditation leads to the ability to control our thoughts, and even the ability to stop them completely. This creates peace of mind and enables us to achieve what we want to.DetachmentWhen our minds are in control, certain things, even little things annoy and irritate us. The only effective solution is to develop detachment and keep things in perspective. A powerful benefit of meditation is that it helps us to gain a broader perspective and detach ourselves from what is insignificant so that we experience equanimity under any circumstance.Happiness and Peace of MindMeditation offers peace of mind and takes us to the source of happiness. If our minds are all over the place, then we are constantly being attacked by limited patterns of thinking. If we can meditate with a still mind, we will discover a deep and peaceful happiness.ConcentrationMeditation helps people to build concentration. Whether through work, sport or music, concentration is essential to achieve our best. When we are able to focus on one thing at a time, we become far more powerful, and our energy does not have to cut through many different layers of thinking and distraction.Spontaneity and CreativityWhen we live in the thinking mind, we are usually preoccupied with the past or future. If we can learn to silence the mind, we can realize that anything is possible, and our creativity and spontaneity in life can come alive.Discovering Your Life PurposeMany people feel that there is something missing. They may have relationships, children, a good job etc, and still something feels missing. Usually we look for meaning in life in the outside world. However, everything we need is right here inside. In meditation we gain a new perspective of life, without being filtered through our ego. Meditation can become a lifelong process of answering the eternal question: "Who am I?"About the authorSheryl is a kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner. Her website www.younglivingguide.com provides the latest research on preventing disease, looking naturally gorgeous, and feeling emotionally and physically fabulous. And her latest website www.raiselibido.com offers a vast quantity of information on how increase sex drive and enjoy a vibrant sex life. (Source: NaturalNews.com)

(NaturalNews) This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's The Healthiest Year of Your Life, which can be found at (http://thehealthiestyearofyourlife.com) . In this excerpt, Jim Katsoulis, shares on changeing your body by changing your language and the Program Yourself Thin program.The Healthiest Year of Your Life with Jim Katsoulis, a certified yoga instructor, Master Hypnotist and Master MLP Practitioner who's helping others bring the excitement back into their lives.Kevin: How does someone get started off? Because that's where people are coming from.Jim: It's almost like you have to learn a new language, to a certain degree, but once you learn it, it becomes very simple. What are the words you hear when people talk about losing weight? "I really got to lose weight. That's it. I need to do something now". They'll talk about it like someone's got a gun to their head, like they're being forced to do it. Any time you talk about something in a way that you're being forced to do it, you're going to set up some resistance. This is what people always feel. There's this internal resistance they have -- "Everything was going great, all of a sudden I just ate a pound of cookies, out of nowhere, this rebellious part of me". Well part of it is because of the way they talk about losing weight.So with weight loss, we talk about it in such a way that it's a negative experience instead of being the one thing you can do in your life that would probably bring you more happiness than anything else, short of a relationship and other people's health, even more than money, because I've worked with plenty of people that are very, very wealthy but if you're not happy with your body and how you look and how you feel, you're not going to have the level of health and happiness that you want. So as you begin describing what it is that you want... People don't eat cookies by focusing on all the negative things about it. They think about cookies because they think about the pleasure of it. So when you want to start eating better, when you want to look better, begin talking about the pleasure of it, because it's there. "How do you feel?" Let me ask you, Kevin, "Why do you eat well? Why do you exercise?"Kevin: Because it gives me the energy to help more people.Jim: And you feel it every day, I'm assuming?Kevin: Yeah.Jim: It's congruent in your voice. You can hear it. You're connected into that pleasure, you see. So this is really the beginning, the starting point of it. You have to ask yourself, when you want to make a change in your life and you want to eat better and have a different body, you have to clearly define what is it that you want and then you have to ask yourself why you want it. What are you going to get out of it? Will it be pleasurable? One question I always ask people, this could help some people when they're starting... imagine a magic genie appearing in front of you and giving you one of two choices. They say: "Listen, if you could wake up tomorrow morning with the exact body that you want, looking exactly the way that you want. Shape, weight, everything you want or you could have the most delicious meal that you have ever had in your life right now, Which would you take?" No one's ever taken the meal. Why would they take the body? Because everybody knows that that would give them more pleasure, be more long lasting, it would be a more deep sense of "this is what I want, this is enjoyable. I feel good".Kevin: And if you have the body, you get to have the meal, right?Jim: That's when it gets really fun! You get to have your cake and eat it too! You get to have your body and eat it too. You eat the cake too! Because when you get things in control and you begin asking the questions, "how can I have the body I want and eat the foods that I want?" As opposed to, "In order to have the body I want I can never enjoy food again". That's how some people look at it you know. So as you ask better questions, that's what happens. The healthiest people I know, they don't... it's not about restriction, it's all about pleasure. A lot of times when we go into it with people eating chocolate cake, when you start to really go into it, it's not the most pleasurable experience because they're beating themselves up the whole time. So when people get their eating under control and their body falls in line, and they start having the body they want, they come back and tell me I enjoy cake 1000 times more than I ever did and I eat less of it. Again, this is the thing. A lot of time when people start thinking about dieting it doesn't allow these sorts of thoughts. It's either all or nothing. It's realizing that that does not work. It's about figuring out a plan that you can eat for the rest of your life.Kevin: And this isn't so much about just weight loss, it's also about any level of health because it's more of a system than it is a result. Is that correct?Jim: Oh yeah, yeah absolutely. That's a great point. I'll give you an example money wise. A lot of times when people think about money it becomes very, very emotional -- "I don't have enough money. I don't have this" and they start going into a state of mind and body where they're not at their best. They're nervous, they're worried and so they're not thinking great, but if you focus on "it's not the money part of it, the money is a result". It's an end result. What happens is what you do for the last two weeks, what you've done for the last five years that brings you to that point. It's the same thing with the weight. A lot of times people will step on a scale and all of a sudden they'll feel negative. They judge all their success by the results that they get day in and day out, instead of looking at what they're doing behaviorally.For example, for me what worked, one of the things, was I stopped eating meat. I became vegetarian. For me that was a decision that was not only ethical, that was a part of it, but a part of me said if I stop eating meat I think it's going to be a lot easier for me to maintain my weight. It gets rid of a whole bunch of discussions that I'd have to have. I concentrate on that. And I said to myself, 'if I make this happen, my weight is going to be easier. I'm not going to have to think about it'. So it's a different thing. There's peacefulness to it, because you say, 'this is who I am, this is what I do.' The system of thinking is really what creates the changes and that's where the attention needs to be placed.Kevin: Let's talk about the system. Program Yourself Thin is your program. Let's talk about some of the steps, obviously we don't have time to cover everything, but let's talk about some of the steps and how someone can get from where they are now to where they want to be, in any context.Jim: My approach ,- I felt so lucky being exposed to what I call kind of the science, the philosophy of hypnosis. Because I don't think, being a professional hypnotist I did not see great results for me hypnotizing people and putting changes in them. I would see fantastic short-term results but the long-term results were sketchy at best. Then I came across neural linguistic programming which is a science of the mind that really explains it, I call it a practical psychology. We're taught psychology but it's so theoretical we don't know how to use it. What do you do with the ego and the id, and the super ego, these complexes? How do you work with it? You get kind of trapped in the problems, so neural linguistic program was always based on solutions.There's a story to explain that. When he, the inventor Richard Banler, he wanted to help phobics and so a lot of times the traditional psychological model would be to study phobics. What makes them tick? How do they work? All the rest of it. He went into it and he put an ad in the paper for people who used to be phobic and no longer were. So he studied the solution. How do people change? What were the differences? It turned out it was the way that they perceived things, the way that they thought, the way that they felt. The basic distinction we make in psychology, hypnotic psychology, is there's a conscious mind and an unconscious mind. Now, most of the time people focus on the conscious mind. So when they want to lose weight they say "Well, I need to lose weight. It would be better. I know I feel crappy when I eat too much." They know all this stuff. They know what to do, but they don't have their feelings in line and that's the unconscious mind. Unconscious mind operates through association. It's Pavlovian. It's Pavlov's dogs.Pavlov's a scientist who would put food in front of the dog, the dog would salivate and he'd ring a bell. Put the food in front, ring a bell and eventually all he would have to do was ring a bell and the dog would salivate as if the food was there. The dog linked up the bell and the food. Our minds do the same thing. We start to think of certain foods and we get emotional responses from it. People think about chocolate and they start thinking sensual. They think about ice cream and they remember all the good times they had when they were a kid and they went out for ice cream. It goes far beyond logic into emotions and feelings. So from very basic simple understanding is that our behaviors are controlled by our feelings. I mean, everyone knows that eating too much ice cream's bad. They know that 24 hours a day. So what happens at the time when they're overeating too much of it? Well they feel like they want to eat a lot of ice cream. They feel like it's pleasurable.This whole approach, Program Yourself Thin, is about going to the unconscious level and begin to influence those feelings we have, so that when you think about ice cream there's an indifference, perhaps. Now, think about this. It's estimated the average American sees 3000 ads a day, maybe 1500 of those are food related. Every single one of those ads is trying to get you all worked up and posit emotions to that food. The biggest problem people have is emotional eating. So why is that? We live in a culture where the answer to all our emotional issues through the advertising becomes these different foods. If you didn't engage in emotional eating, if there was no such thing as emotional eating, then when would you eat?Kevin: Just whenever you were hungry.Jim: That's probably naturally how we were built. You would make much clearer decisions.To read the rest of this transcript as well as access more information on creating and living a healthy lifestyle and hear from other health experts just like Jim Katsoulis please visit (http://thehealthiestyearofyourlife.com) .About the authorKevin Gianni is a health advocate, author and speaker. He has helped thousands of people in over 85 countries learn how to take control of their health--and keep it. To view his popular internet TV Show "The Renegade Health Show" (and get a free gift!) with commentary on natural health issues, vegan and raw food diets, holistic nutrition and more click here. His book, "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution," is a step-by-step guide to optimum health for the time and energy-strapped. To find out more about abundance, optimum health and self motivation click here... or you're interested in the vegan and raw food diet and cutting edge holistic nutrition click here. For access to free interviews, downloads and a complete bodyweight exercise archive visit www.LiveAwesome.com. (Source: NaturalNews.com)