en*light Life

According to a studies conducted at Purdue University (i.e., http://www.ecgnaturals.com/Purdue%20University%20Study.pdf) , a natural remedy of Graviola leaves from the Pawpaw tree in the Amazons found that several of the components in Gravolia leaves were  “. . . not only effective in killing tumors that have proven resistant to anti-cancer agents, but also seem to have a special affinity for such resistant cells.”

The interesting thing is that studies dating back as far as 1976 (National Cancer Institute, 1976), found similar findings before Purdue published this information in 1997!

So what is Gravolia?

According to www.gravolialeaves.com, Graviola is a “small, upright evergreen tree, 5–6 m high, with large, glossy, dark green leaves” that produces a large, edible fruit that is yellow-green in color, with white flesh inside. Graviola is indigenous to most of the warmest tropical areas in South and North America, including the Amazon. The fruit is sold in local markets in the tropics, where it is called guanábana in Spanish-speaking countries and graviola in Brazil. The fruit pulp is excellent for making drinks and sherbets and, though slightly sour-acid, can be eaten out of hand.

An article published by the Health Sciences Institute (2001), claims that extracts from Gravoila trees may:

• conquer cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that doesn’t cause extreme nausea, weight loss, and hair loss
• protect your immune system and evade deadly infections
• boost your energy and improve your outlook on life

While researching Graviola leaves, I came across several sites that claimed extraordinary findings such as graviola being “10,000 times stronger then chemotheraphy” without the side effects (see: http://www.ecgnaturals.com/hsi_graviola_alert.htm). One thing that was discussed was that although Graviola seems to attack cancer cells, healthy cells are not effected; which is what is so exciting about this natural remedy.  

There are several Graviola products out there, among those products, the best deal I could find was:

For more information, check out these websites:

http://www.graviolaleaves.com/

http://www.rain-tree.com/graviola.htm

For information on Graviola studies: http://www.graviola.org/cgi/gpp.cgi?000001-000001-000000&../../1graviola/parsed_pages/graviola_clinical.htm

For more than five thousand years, the Vedic masters of India have taught that our essential nature is infinite, whole, and perfect. We have an innate impulse to grow and create health and fulfillment. To fully experience these gifts, the ancient sages offered that we embrace a holistic understanding of life that considers the whole person―the mind, body, and spirit. Rather than focusing on individual symptoms or aspects of our physiology, the body-mind can best heal itself using timeless tools that allow it to reconnect to its unconditioned self. Although the term “holistic medicine” is relatively new in the Western lexicon, the concept is ancient. Just as the planet’s ecosystems―including the oceans, atmosphere, land, plants, and animals―are interdependent, the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of our lives are intimately connected. When one system is out of balance, it affects the functioning of the whole.

(Continue to the full article here: http://www.chopra.com/namaste/september07)

Today, Dr. Oz appeared on Oprah to discuss some of the most common food myths, and showed the journey of his digestion track via a pill cam. His talk was a summary of his series now appearing through Wednesday called The Truth About Food featured on BBC.

Dr. Oz debunks some of the myths about detox diets, benefits of water (guess what? water doesn’t do as much as you think it might..)  For a summary of the show, and the pill cam film follow this link: http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200709/tows_past_20070917.jhtml?promocode=incl20070917TD

Here is breakdown of the show series:

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD Episode Descriptions (All times are ET/PT) THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be Healthy Premiere: Monday, September 17, at 8 PM What we eat can change our lives. How to Be Healthy follows nine fast- food junkies to an enclosure at a British zoo as they crunch their way through half a ton of raw fruits and vegetables in just 12 days. Join two truckers who have to swallow an unusual pill to get their internal traffic jams moving. Learn how the bacteria in the gut also enjoy our food, and how it can lead to windy side effects.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be Sexy

Premiere: Monday, September 17, at 9 PM

This episode puts our volunteers’ bodies on the line to discover just what effect food can have on our sex lives. Is the way to a person’s heart really through the stomach? Can fruit and vegetables boost sperm quality and quantity? How might cheese help relieve the symptoms of PMS? And can you tell if a woman is attracted to you by the contents of her dinner plate?

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Feed Your Kids

Premiere: Tuesday, September 18, at 8 PM

In a warm-hearted look at children’s stubborn palates, this episode provides a guide on how to open kids’ minds and mouths to new foods. How did young Isaac break his broccoli boycott? Also, viewers will discover whether or not watching TV can trigger your child to put on pounds, and if sugar really makes kids hyperactive.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be Slim

Premiere: Tuesday, September 18, at 9 PM

After trying every diet in the book, a family of dieters are about to give up until the latest nutritional science comes to their aid. Sit back as THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD reveals the foods that keep you feeling fuller for longer, how dairy products may hold the secret to reducing calorie absorption, and whether or not the speed of our metabolism really determines how fat we are.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Stay Young and Beautiful

Premiere: Wednesday, September 19, at 8 PM

In tonight’s fact-filled feast, discover how the mere color of some foods can fight the aging process. How to Stay Young and Beautiful reveals how eating tomatoes can help stop the progression of wrinkles, and looks at whether or not a stringent detox diet really does work. Our scientists also try to figure out if drinking two liters of water a day can give you younger, healthier-looking skin.

THE TRUTH ABOUT FOOD: How to Be the Best

Premiere: Wednesday, September 19, at 9 PM

In this episode, a group of female vegetarian martial arts experts go back to eating meat to see if it makes them fitter and stronger. Also, get set to test whether the omega-3 in oily fish can give stressed-out cabbies a less taxing day, and whether or not firefighters in Montana are better placed to lick the flames after licking their lips over snacks rather than the traditional three meals a day.

To watch all the shows from the BBC Series: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/flashapp/

Maintain a proper acid-alkaline balance to curtail colds and keep inflammation in check.

By Molly Siple, M.S., R.D. (with additional commentary provided by En*light Life)

What Is pH? A measure of acidity and alkalinity. From the French pouvoir hydrogene, pH describes hydrogen ion activity. A pH of 1 is the most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the most alkaline. Everything you eat or drink affects your pH balance.

Remember pH strips? They were handed out in grade school science class. Seeing the colors change was fun–if not as diverting as building a potato clock–but it was tough to comprehend how a funky little acronym could be such a vital key to good health.

“Paying attention to acid-alkaline balance is one of the most crucial ways you can affect your health status,” says Susan Lark, M.D., co-author of The Chemistry of Success: Six Secrets of Peak Performance. “It impacts immunity, digestion, bone strength, symptoms of joint disease, hormones, and the function of essential internal organs.” What’s more, a spoonful of alkalinity can also lessen the severity of colds, sore throats, and other winter woes.

The balance of acidity and alkalinity in your body allows essential chemical reactions to take place in cells and tissues.

Not all parts of the body are equal, pH-wise: For example, the stomach, with its fluctuating digestive juices, is more acid than the brain or blood, which are slightly alkaline (at about 7.1 and 7.4, respectively). The balances are maintained via various proteins, minerals, and kidney and lung functions. In addition, everything you eat or drink affects pH balance, for good or for ill. Even breathing regulates pH: Inhaling brings alkaline oxygen into the system, and exhaling removes acidic carbon dioxide.

To function properly, cells need to be slightly alkaline; most Americans, however, suffer from an abundance of acidity. Stress, medications, illness, and highly strenuous exercise promote acid production; so do many of the foods favored in the typical Western diet. Fatty, high-protein fast foods like cheeseburgers and french fries trigger the stomach to secrete extra amounts of acidic digestive juices. Refined flour and sugar (in this instance, the bun and ketchup) reduce to acid compounds once they’re metabolized. And that extra-large cola is extremely acidic. Considering that too much acidity is associated with many degenerative diseases, from colitis to rheumatoid arthritis, this “value meal” isn’t such a bargain after all.

Buffer Breakdown
Age is also a contributing factor. “Acid-alkaline balance is relatively easy to maintain when we’re young and our regulating mechanisms are in good working order,” explains Lark. “But with each passing decade, starting in our 40s or even earlier, the efficiency of our buffering systems begins to decline.” According to Lark, only 6 percent to 8 percent of the population produce naturally high alkaline levels well into old age; these people have excellent digestive function and lung capacity, and are more likely to be energized and healthy as the years go by.

To find out whether your system tends to be acid or alkaline, answer Lark’s questionnaire (below) or self-test your saliva or urine using pH test paper. If you’re troubled by over-acidity, rebalance your diet to include more alkaline foods.

“What a person eats can have a huge impact on pH,” says Lark. Limit your intake of animal products, refined flours, and sugars, and put more alkaline vegetables on the menu.

As macrobiotic instructor and chef Cynthia Briscoe advises, “The acid-forming foods are not just refined carbohydrates like white flour and sugar, but dishes that give you concentrated amounts of protein and fat.” She suggests reducing animal protein and increasing vegetable content by changing the format of a given meal. For example, instead of a grilled steak for dinner, prepare a salad topped with a few slices of the meat.

You’ll know when your natural balance has been restored because you’ll start feeling better. Briscoe recalls a student who after three days of classes and eating balanced meals, told her, “I woke up today with a happy little feeling in the middle of my stomach that I hadn’t felt for years!” Start thinking in terms of the acid-alkaline balance at mealtime, and see if that happy feeling is yours as well.

Are You Unbalanced?
To find out whether your system is generally alkaline or overly acid, you can have some fun running informal tests at home. One option is to use pHydrion litmus paper (available at healthtreasures.com), which turns color when it comes in contact with saliva. For greatest accuracy, take the test immediately upon awakening. Tear off an inch of the paper and place it on your tongue for about 10 seconds, then check the results against the enclosed color chart. According to nutritionist Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., a reading between 6.6 and 7. indicates acid-alkaline balance while a reading below 6.6 indicates over-acidity and a need to eat more alkalizing foods. (Appleton offers her own testing kit at nancyappleton.com.) Another option is plastic pH strips, which can be easier to read because the chemical reagent is affixed to the strips and tends not to bleed; find them at ph-ion.com.

When testing pH, keep in mind that readings can be affected by factors such as stress or any foods or liquids you’ve consumed. To offset these influences, test yourself several times over a week or two.

Because there are so many variables, Susan Lark, M.D., prefers to rely on personal health histories to identify over-acidity. The following yes/no questionnaire is condensed and modified from Lark’s book, The Chemistry of Success.

1. After consuming fried foods, red meat, fast food, colas, or desserts, I don’t feel my best.
2. I eat refined foods like white flour and sugar regularly.
3. I regularly take aspirin, antibiotics, or unbuffered vitamin C.
4. Vigorous exercise often leaves me feeling exhausted.
5. After an hour of work at my desk, I’m mentally and physically tired.
6. My muscles often feel stiff and sore.
7. I have a history of osteoporosis, arthritis, or gout.
8. I’ve already had my 50th birthday.
9. I frequently catch a cold or the flu.
10. I am especially susceptible to sore throats, canker sores, or food allergies.
11. I have frequent yeast infections/discharge/odor; urinary infections; cystitis

If you answer yes to five or more questions, you are quite likely to be overly acid. Even one yes could be an indicator, e.g., if you frequently catch a cold or the flu. (On the other hand, a true alkaline type could eat refined foods without suffering an acid backlash.)

Quick-Fix Home Remedy
If you develop a sore throat or come down with a cold–two conditions that are exacerbated by acidity–try this alkalizing at-home treatment from Susan M. Lark, M.D.: Create a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and potassium bicarbonate in a ratio from 4:1 to 8:1, depending on your tolerance for potassium. (Use baking soda alone if the sodium-potassium mixture causes intestinal discomfort.) In the acute phase of your illness, take 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture every one to two hours, and then decrease to three to four times per day for at least two days or until your condition is resolved. If you are also taking ascorbic acid (vitamin C), make sure it’s in a buffered formulation.
A note of caution: In the unlikely event that you over-alkalize, you may experience tingling in the extremities, insomnia, and muscle spasms. Discontinue the bicarbonate and take the juice of half a lemon in water or 1 or 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar to neutralize the alkalinity. Most likely you can restart the alkalizing treatment the next day at a lower dosage and less frequently; check with your doctor.

15 Ways to Alkalize

1. For breakfast, instead of orange juice, coffee, and a bagel for breakfast, have a slice of melon, herbal tea or a grain-based coffee substitute, and whole-grain toast.
2. At lunch, opt for bean or vegetable soup rather than tomato soup. (However, organic, uncooked tomatoes have an alkaline effect. It’s when you cook them, tomatoes turn highly acidic)
3. Add avocados to your diet (the pH Balance Diet developed by Dr. Young suggests even up to 2-3 per day)
4. Drink purified water (reverse-osmosis purification has highest pH), with pH drops or baking soda mixture explained above
5. Instead of an acidic vinaigrette, prepare a dressing using tahini and amino acids (a good subsistute for soy sauce): In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste), 1/4 cup water, and 1-2 tablespoons soy amino acids (flavor sparingly at first because of the natural salty taste), beating together with a fork. Stir in 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Another option is olive oil sprinkled with amino acids
6. If you feel like a burger, stick to soy meats.
7. Choose fish–it’s more alkalizing than red meat.
8. Iced ginger tea has the pleasing bite of a cola drink without the high acidity.
9. Replace dairy products with soy “dairy”. Yogurt (pH of 3.8 to 4.2) is one of the worst offenders. Yogurt with sugar-sweetened fruit may be even more acidic; once sugar is metabolized, it ends up as acid in your system.
10. To make a less acidic fruit salad, use guava, papaya, watermelon, cantaloupe, pear, banana, figs, and dates.
11. Avoid acidity triggers. Food sensitivities can bring about symptoms of over-acidity. Some common culprits include wheat, dairy, certain nuts, and seafood.
12. Say yes to alkalizing green drinks. The best on the market are by Innerlight
13. Go nutty with raw/sprouted, organic almonds/almond butter, & pumpkin seeds (Amber recommends the Go Nuts! brand at Whole Foods for extra flavor)
14. Choose cellular exercises such as re-bounding (for an article on the benefits of rebounding: http://www.needakrebounders.com/rebounding_endorsement.htm; and below is the cheapest high-quality rebounder that the editors of En*light Life found and use daily)
15. De-toxify! Use a de-toxifying system, preferrably one that detoxes the colon, liver, lymph, etc. (Tip: your local health food store should have options). 

What the Studies Say
Increasing pH lowers the risk of urinary tract infections and reduces symptoms of cystitis, according to a study published in The Journal of International Medical Research. In bladder infections, burning sensations occur when bacteria-laden acid comes in contact with the sensitive tissue. Highly acidic cranberry juice is commonly used as a remedy because it helps prevent the bacteria from clinging to the bladder walls. But study participants found symptom relief and some clearing of infection by taking 4 grams of sodium bicarbonate or citrate, an alkalizing agent, in a glass of water three times a day for two days (you can also use pH drops like the ones recommended below). To fight UTIs at home, Lark recommends taking 5 to 10 grams of buffered vitamin C per day in divided doses–and avoiding acidic foods–until the condition resolves.

Raising pH increases the immune system’s ability to kill bacteria, concludes a study conducted at The Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine in London. Viruses and bacteria that cause bronchitis and colds thrive in an acidic environment. To fight a respiratory infection and dampen symptoms such as a runny nose and sore throat, Lark suggests taking an alkalizing mixture of sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate. (See “Quick-Fix Home Remedy,” above.)

Alkalines protect you against osteoporosis. When the body becomes overly acid, it releases buffering minerals into the bloodstream, such as calcium taken from bones. In a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers gave post-menopausal women alkalizing potassium bicarbonate and found that the subjects’ mineral loss from bone declined and that the rate of bone formation increased.

Adopting a more alkaline vegetarian diet can improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, according to studies cited in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, and it may help treat gout and Crohn’s disease. Also, alkalizing lowers the risk of kidney stones by making uric acid more soluble.

pH Power Foods Guide
Once you know which foods tend to be acidic or alkaline, you can make smarter choices whether you’re dining in or out.

Check out these Websites for more info:

http://acidalkalinediet.com/

http://www.phmiracleliving.com/

Recommended Products:
                

I am somewhat new to the whole cleanse experience, however, after receiving lackluster results after months of “dieting”, I started researching causes for my slow weight loss (yo-yo of 5-7 lbs loss over 6 months). I kept reading about the importance of doing a cleanse prior to a full-diet regime, so finally I bit the bullet, went to Whole Foods, and bought what was recommended as the ‘complete cleanse’ program by the helpful salesperson in the Supplement aisle.

After 2 weeks of swallowing a dark brown concoction of Psyllium-based powder (2x’s a day), followed by other herbal concoctions comprising of sweet bitters, etc. (also 2 times a day), my system was actually regular. Most importantly, my cravings for salty snacks (chips being the culprit of my failed diets), and sweets subsided. When going through a cleanse, some people report cold-like symptoms which is supposed to be symptomatic of the toxins clearing your body. Once my body started responding to the cleanse (after about 2-3 days), I had symptoms of a mild cold which lasted for a couple days.

Also, I found out after the fact, that there are some good cleanses that you can take in the pill form (my Chinese herbalist recommended the popular Super Cleanse, for more details see: Nature’s Secret - Super Cleanse, 200 tablets)

After the cleanse, I started a diet that supported the cleanse. My choice was Dr. Robert Young’s pH miracle diet, and products. My main goal was accomplished – cleanse my body (as something must have been out of whack for me to not lose weight), and I started losing weight. Also, I started being able to ‘tune more’ into my body to recognize when I needed water, more veggies, more protein, etc.

With summer bbq’s, and holidays laden with too much junky, salty, fried, or sweet foods, it’s a great time to cleanse out unwanted toxins, junk food cravings, and maybe even lose a couple of lbs. This time, I am going to try the popular Nature’s Secret Super Cleanse, and get back on Young’s diet for further balance.

Recommended Reading: The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health By: Dr. Robert Young