Milk : Does It Do A Body Good?

Milk (cows milk) is one of those things that I mention frequently as being good for you.
However, I nearly always preface the word milk with the word raw.

I was recently asked, "Is it better to give children pasteurized, homogenized milk, or no milk at all?"

I firmly believe that if you cannot get raw, un-homogenized milk, then you are better off not having any milk at all.

Let me explain. Milk truly is one of natures most wonderful foods. You could actually live on a milk only diet for years. In fact there is one Doctor who actually uses milk as his main method to treat his patients, no matter what ails them. He puts them on a milk diet until they are better. Sometimes it takes days, sometimes weeks, sometimes years.

You will see different studies suggesting different things about milk, but here is the rule of thumb for you. If you use raw milk it will lead to health and healing, if you use pasteurized, homogenized milk it will lead to disease.

Many of the studies don't even state what kind of milk was used.

When you pasteurize milk, it becomes a non-food. All the goodness that it had, has now become bound up and not usable. The calcium, the protein, etc. Also pasteurization kills most of the good bacteria in the milk which would have been so good for your digestive system.

And, contrary to what you may have heard, nearly all food poisoning that involves milk is caused by pasteurized milk. The good bacteria in raw milk keeps the bad bacteria in check. Pasteurization kills nearly all the good bacteria, but doesn't kill all the bad bacteria. Therefore there is nothing to keep the bad bacteria in check, and they grow profusely.

When milk is homogenized, it becomes even more dangerous to the human body. Homogenized milk has the fat globules broken down so small that they can pass through into the blood stream. Each little fat globule is coated in a resin that is very bad for your heart health. If there are any nicks or scratches in the vessels(caused by free-radicals), that resin attacks it and opens the wounds even more. This causes the body to create cholesterol to patch up the wounds. These patches, if they become extensive enough, can clog the artery.

Beware of the 'Organic' milks out there these days. They are still pasteurized.

That is why I say that pasteurized, homogenized milk should be avoided completely, and raw milk should be consumed when ever possible.

Remember, the fat in raw milk leads to healing in the body.

So, get some raw milk, and drink up!

To find where to get raw milk, go HERE.

Crutches Can Be Useful... But Beware

Crutches come in many shapes and sizes. They are things designed to help us along when our natural abilities don't quite work the way we would like them to. They come with names like : eye glasses, knee braces, supports, wraps, slings, etc.

They are wonderful inventions that can help us to heal from stress and/or injury. But sometimes we forget that that is what they are. Some times we decide that we will use the crutch for ever more, because it is so wonderful.

Have you ever sprained an ankle so bad that the doctor gave you crutches to use until the ankle could heal and strengthen? If so, how long did you use the crutches? Did you just decide to use them for the rest of your life so you wouldn't have to worry about the ankle any more?

Probably not. You slowly start to use the ankle again, to build it back up to it's former strength. As time goes by, you use the crutches less and less until you don't need them at all.

What would happen if you decided to just use the crutches all the time and never try to use the ankle ever again? Well, ankle and the leg connected to it would eventually atrophy, and you could actually completely lose the ability to use it.

We need to remember that this holds true for all types of crutches. So we need to be careful about becoming too attached and dependent upon our crutches.

I actually knew a man who decided that it would be really neat to use a motorized chair to get around in all the time. He was a little overweight and didn't particularly enjoy walking around. He was doing well enough financially that he could afford to buy a four wheeled, motorized scooter chair, and he did. He thought it was so very cool to ride around on it everywhere he went. Well, as you can probably guess, it wasn't really all that long before his weight nearly doubled and he was unable to get around without the motorized chair. He then began to develop other health problems as well.

The strange thing was that it never really dawned on him that the fun little scooter was the cause of much of his problems. He continued to praise it, for allowing him to get around.

It is important that we recognize our crutches as crutches, and that we need to work on re-strengthening what ever may be weak that caused us to use the crutch in the first place.

For instance, if you are using a knee brace, you should have times where you put the brace aside and do exercises that will help to strengthen and rehabilitate the knee and leg. Of course this needs to be done with patience and wisdom. And, of course, you need to make sure that the body is getting good nutrition, from good whole foods, so that it can heal and rebuild.

Eye glasses are also another type of crutch. If you decide to, and you find the right information, you can exercise your eyes back to health. There are eye doctors out there who correctly use glasses as crutches. They teach you how to exercise your eyes and bring them back to health. They can periodically give you weaker and weaker glasses to wear until your eyes are back to full strength.

The human body is a marvelous machine, endowed by it's creator with the ability to heal and strengthen. Given the right nutrients, and care, and exercise (and avoiding toxins that would interfere with growth) the body can heal itself of almost ailments.

So take a look at your life, and see what 'crutches' you may be using. Figure out what types of things you will need to do to rebuild enough to not need the crutches. It can bring much joy and freedom to your life.

Get knee exercises HERE.

Get eye exercises HERE.

Health Tip: Don't Panic!

Many parents, especially new mothers, are prone to panic when a child gets sick. There is a lot of bad advice out there that helps to cause that panic.

That is why I was pleased to see this tip listed in the Readers Digest.

“ The University of Michigan Health System rates any fever from 100°F to 104°F as beneficial. Fevers ranging from 105°F to 107°F also are considered beneficial, but should be monitored due to higher risks of bacterial infections. Any fever greater than 107°F should be treated by a medical professional ”

In other words, there is no need to panic at a temperature of 104°F. Even 105°F is OK. Just be more watchful and careful as the temperature rises above that.

Too many people panic at temperatures of 100°F to 104°F. These are not dangerous temperatures. This is just the body going through it’s natural function of fighting off infections. When you are sick, fever is usually a good sign. It proves that your immune system is working.

Many doctors around the world have even learned to help the body warm-up by keeping someone with a fever well covered. This usually helps the body to heal even faster.

Just remember that it is important to keep the body well hydrated with water during these healing times. The water helps to eliminate toxic wastes, as well as helping in the regulation of all of the bodies resources.

Remember that health comes from within. We need to give our bodies the resources that they need to take care of themselves.

Just eat a high quality natural foods diet, exercise, drink plenty of good clean water, make sure you get fiber (whole raw foods), get plenty of sleep, breathe deeply, serve others, and have a gratitude attitude.

Your body will take care of you, if you take care of it.

Coach G.

Is Macadamia Oil Good?

As many of you have probably noticed, I've been talking a lot lately about eating good fats.

That's because it seems to be one of those things that is widely misunderstood.

Well, anyway, I was recently asked, "Is macadamia oil good?"

After doing a little research, my answer is a qualified yes. One of the positives of macadamia oil is that it is comprised mostly of monounsaturated fats, rather than polyunsaturated fats. Therefore it is more akin to olive oil than to corn or soy.

I would still consider olive oil to be superior to macadamia oil, because it contains a larger portion of palmitic acid, which is also found in butter and milk.

However I still consider raw butter and raw milk superior to olive oil as far as overall health is concerned. And if you are fighting a particular health concern coconut oil is probably the best at helping to re-balance an out of balance system.

Remember, fats are an important part of a healthy body. Fats make up much of the structure of every cell in your body. Give your body natural healthy fats to build with. Avocados, raw milk & eggs, raw cheese, raw butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and raw nuts are all great sources of healthy fat.

Anyone telling you to use polyunsaturated oils for health is operating off a report from the 1930's that it is now known was wrong.

So go ahead and use your macadamia oil, just use it sparingly, along with lots of other good fats.

One other note of interest : Not all nut oils are the same. For instance peanut oil is not a good oil to use, since it contains a lot of polyunsaturated oil.

Stop Micro-Managing!

Micro-managing never works. Why?

Well, because in order to micro-manage, you must be micro-focused. And, of course, if you are micro-focused, you can not see the whole picture.

You could even be looking at the neighboring molecule thinking that it is the likely cause of a problem, that the molecule a little ways over is actually causing. But we suspect the first one because he is in the vicinity and has been accused before.

Another problem with micro-managing is that it leads to trying to treat symptoms, and most symptoms have nothing to do with what originally caused the problem.

For example :
I could have a wet floor, so I will get a towel and dry it off. A moment or two later, it is wet again, so I dry it off again. This could go on for hours, days, or weeks. Then one day I look out the window and realize that the whole yard is flooded, and it keeps seeping in, on to my floor.

I say, "Oh, that is the problem." So I go outside and build a drainage area to drain water away from my house. The drain works beautifully and water starts to drain away from my house, and fill the neighbors yard. But the next day, my floor is wet again. I look out the window and my yard is still flooded. I realize that water is coming into my yard just as fast as the drain is draining it.

I say, "Oh , that is the problem." I go up-stream a little and start to build a dike. When my dike is finished, I go home, content that my floor will now stray dry. The next thing I know, my floor is wet again. So, I go back outside and look around a little more. Then I see the problem. The dam up the road is leaking.

So, now I know what the REAL problem is, and I get a meeting together with all my neighbors to talk about moving the dam to a better location. One neighbors says we should plug up the dam, but there are several different opinions on how to plug it up and with what. One neighbors says that if we just think positively it will stop leaking. Another suggests that a committee should study the dam to see why it decided to stop doing it's job. Others want to look into why the dam was built there in the first place.

Finally we solve the problem, by making a really great wholesale purchase of dry towels.

Now, I know that that was kind of ridiculous, but we see this kind of thing happen all the time in the real world of health care.

You have a headache, so you take a pain pill.

The doctor tells you that your cholesterol levels are too high, so he gives you a prescription.

You are anemic, so you take an iron supplement.

You read in the newspaper that red wine will keep you heart healthy, so you take up drinking red wine.

You hear that eating fat makes you fat, so you stop eating fat.

These things are all very misleading 'solutions' that you have come to believe in, even though the trouble doesn't go away after months of doing them. In fact in many cases the problem seems to subside initially, but then comes back with a vengeance.

It is because these are all ways of trying to micro-manage your health.

So, what is the long term solution?

Stop micro-managing!

The creator of the world made wonderful foods that nourish and rejuvenate the body. Eaten in a whole and natural state they help all the body systems to work in a balanced and optimal way.

Believe it or not, you can get all the nutrients you need by eating whole natural foods. You not only get the nutrients that have been heavily studied, you get the ones we still don't even know about yet.

On the other hand, anytime someone takes apart whole foods, and separates out one particular substance from it, it will cause imbalance in the human body.

Stop micro-managing!

Drink plenty of good clean water. Eat whole grains, and nuts. Eat plenty of veggies and fruits. Use raw milk and eggs from healthy animals that also use natural whole foods. Cut out processed and fractionated foods and supplements. Eliminate all artificial and fake, and/or concentrated foods. Get regular exercise. Get to sleep at a good time each night.

A healthy lifestyle will cure most ills.

Go HERE. Read the book.

The Oiling of America

Here is an article that everyone needs to read.

http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/oiling.html

It is very long, so many people won't want to read all the detail, but I highly recommend it. It will help you to understand a lot of things.

It will give you all the pertinent facts as to why I believe that we will be much better off if we eat lots of saturated fats and eliminate vegetable oils and fish oils.

For even more detail and in depth analysis, read Ray Peat's articles.

It turns out that the things we have been told are "essential fats", are actually contributing to estrogen overload, which in turn contributes to most of our debilitating diseases of the day.

There is nothing natural about concentrating oils out of vegetables and consuming large quantities of them. There is also nothing healthy about it.

Don't believe industry hype or media hype. Look for actual studies with real science.

The other sad news in this arena is that Medical doctors don't have the time or the training to look at actual studies. They fall into the trap of taking the word of the representatives of the drug companies, to teach them about health issues. What are the goals of the drug companies? Well, to sell more drugs, of course.

The more I study, the more I realize that eating whole natural foods is the best way to get all the nutrients and resources that the body needs to create a healthy, balanced body.

P.S. Raw Milk and Eggs are excellent sources of healthy fat. Back when our society used to eat and drink a lot of them, heart disease was practically unheard of (not to mention cancer).

Exercise & Knee Pain

Everyone seems to agree that exercise is good for you, for the most part.
Some of the benefits to exercise include flexibility, muscle tone, confidence, weight control, immune enhancement, stronger heart and lungs, and stamina.

However, from time to time, I hear people claim that they don't exercise as much as they feel like they should, because they are afraid that it will make their joints go bad.

Osteoarthritis does affect a lot of people these days. But you might find a recent study published in the "Journal of Anatomy" to be interesting. They found, after looking at a number of studies that were done on exercise and joint problems, that there was no extra joint problems connected with regular vigorous exercise by people who have not had previous joint problems.

Exercise does not cause knee problems. It can be a contributing factor for those who are significantly over weight, or those who have already injured their joints.

You should also know that joint pain can be helped and joints rehabilitated through careful exercise and nutrition.

Learn more HERE.

Water : Alkaline, Acid, Kangen, Filtered, Distilled?

Water is the elixir of life!

Nothing in the human body can happen without water.

We all know these kinds of basics about water, but then we hear all kinds of hype about special kinds of water. What really is the truth?

All over the UK and the USA people are advertising machines and potions to make alkaline water.
Why? Because alkaline water will cure whatever ails you (according to them).

All over Asia they are talking about acid water and how important it is.
Why? Because acid water will cure whatever ails you (according to them).

Can both of these things be true? It doesn't seem logical does it.

I'll skip to the bottom line here, so you can get on to other things, then I'll give more detail for those interested.

Bottom line : Water is good for you. Drinking sufficient quantities of it will help tremendously in taking care of many of the things that ail you. Try to get it non-polluted, but get it.

All claims of improved health made by both the 'acid water' people and the 'alkaline water' people, can be seen in anyone who drinks sufficient water. People using these products have increases in health levels because they drink MORE water, not because they drink better water.

Shall we look at a few particulars?

If you decide to drink alkaline water, you will probably be given something to make your water have a pH of 9 or 10. (By the way, you can do this your self with out the special machines by adding real sea salt.) When you drink this water, what happens?

Well, it first goes to the stomach where it encounters an acid environment with a pH of 2. Guess what..., all the water you just drank is now very acidic.

If you decide to drink acid water, when it hits the stomach, it is still very acidic.

So then what? Well the body has a wonderful way of delivering the right things to the right places in a balanced and healthy way, as long as it is given the resources to do so. The body carefully manages the pH of your body through a myriad of complex activities that require water and minerals. Thus we see the importance of getting good minerals.

Some parts of your body are supposed to be acidic (like the stomach with a pH of about 2), and some parts are supposed to be alkaline (like the small intestine with a pH of about 9). The body balances all these things out if we just give it good resources to work with.

One of the advantages of mineral water is that it helps to supply some of these minerals.

One of the advantages of distilled water, or of other filtered waters, is that it cuts down on the pollutants and toxins that the body has to try and deal with.

Acids help to dissolve things that need to be dissolved, as well as helping with some disinfection.

Kangen water has been making a name for it's self all around the world. What is it? It is filtered to get rid of toxins, and it is mineralized. But by far the biggest advantage is that it gets people to drink more water!

You see, it was proven in the prison camps during World War II that sufficient water, even though it wasn't the most hygienic, could help to cure many diseases.

The biggest problem today is that people generally don't drink enough water, and they drink all kinds of other junk instead.

I probably said enough, but let me share one example of how misleading the hype can be. There is a lot of bad research out there, this is an example of it.

There is a doctor who treats people with digestive and colon problems. He has started having his patients drink a quart of alkaline water one half hour before each meal. He is having fantastic success with most of his patients. He uses this information to help sell alkaline water machines.

It is great that he is helping these people get better, but he has never told any of them that they could get the same results by drinking any good clean water. The sad part is that he probably doesn't even know it himself. You see, he never thought to try it, so it isn't a part of his "research".

Look for these kinds of 'research' flaws in all the hype and advertising you see. It can save you lots of wasted money.

It's the same as in vaccine research, they never compare vaccinated people against un-vaccinated people in a controlled study for long term health effects. Go ahead... ask your doctor for a copy of a study that proves that vaccines work.

But that's another issue, we can talk about that later. (Wow, my mind sure can jump around!)

See my previous water discussion for more details.
http://garnerhealth.blogspot.com/2009/07/water-you-need-to-know-this.html

NUUN : Product Review

I was asked to do a product review on NUUN for runners.

Please understand that I have not used this product and do not intend to use it. I also do not sell it.

This is just my perspective after looking through the companies web site.

What is NUUN?

Nuun (pronounced like noon) is an electrolyte replacement tablet product. The tablet is dissolved in water. The makers claim that it will replace all the minerals necessary for an endurance athlete, thereby assisting in hydration, as well as helping to fight fatigue and cramping. Many people claim that it helps them.

The first problem I see for runners is that the product has to be used in a bottle. Many runners do not like to carry bottles, particularly during a race. This would work well for bicycle riders who normally carry a water bottle. However most runners would prefer something they can just take out of a pocket and down quickly with a gulp or two of water from an aid station. This product can not be used that way.

The next thing I noticed is that their literature is a little misleading in that it claims that the reduction that users have noticed in cramping is due to the mineral content. While this is partially true, the bigger effect from this product in reducing cramps would probably be from the bicarbonate in it. Yes, bicarbonate involves minerals, but there is more to it than that.

I might also mention that bicarbonate can be irritating to the digestive tract.

While looking at the ingredient list, I next noticed that it contains sorbitol. Sorbitol can cause some problems for some people, so just be aware that that is part of the mix.

The other ingredient that I would have a problem with is polyethylene glycol. This product can also cause gastrointestinal problems for some people. It is used to help to break down minerals as well as so slow down some body processes. It can slow up the immune system functions as well. It is used as a laxative, and should not be used by pregnant individuals, or people with bowel troubles. It also should not be used without first talking to your doctor if you are on any prescription medications.

Of course, they are just using a very small amount of polyethylene glycol, and it is considered to be safe by the FDA in low doses.

Overall, I would not recommend the use of this product for most runners.

Of course I do recognize that it is important to replace electrolytes that the body uses up during endurance training and events. But it is my belief that there are better products than this one out there.

I would suggest something like eDISCS made by the Medion Corporation.
No, I don't sell those either.

Other questions? Please ask.

Why Cancer Survivor Doesn't Do Walk-A-Thons

As a cancer survivor, I'm often approached about joining a run or a walk to help raise money for cancer research. I don't participate. But I do run marathons. Why?

Let me say that I have great love for the compassionate souls who choose to participate in, and promote these events. I just can't bring myself to do it.

You see, I have done a lot of study about cancer. And I cannot support the whole idea of researching to find more drugs, radiations, and surgeries to fix a problem which can be easily solved by teaching people to live a healthy lifestyle.

Here is what I believe, after all of my research about cancer.

There are simple steps that can be taken by people to avoid getting cancer, that are generally accepted to be very effective.

There are also very effective natural means to treat those already diagnosed with cancer, without having to resort to the awful destructiveness of drugs, radiation, and surgery.

Now, of course, this will depend on the circumstances of each individual case. In some cases, if the cancer has progressed to an advanced stage, or the body has become significantly compromised, drugs and chemotherapy can help to save a life. That's a good thing.

Cancer doctors and cancer institutes are doing the best they can to help people survive. I don't hold any of that against them. I just think that if they would put their resources to use in the direction of better education for the public at large, the epidemic of cancer in our society could be drastically curtailed.

Education about what causes cancer, and what cancer actually is, could easily drop cancer rates substantially. Eating fresh green veggies and avoiding artificial, chemical ingredients in our food would make a huge difference all by it's self. Stopping the use of microwave ovens is also an important step which could solve many problems.

Another big step in the right direction would be to help people understand estrogen overload. Estrogen overload is very closely related to the incidence of cancer. Eliminating excess polyunsaturated oils from our diets will make a huge improvement in that direction.

Read some of Ray Peats articles to understand fats and oils better.

I would support an organization that would use it's resources to shout out the message that we already know how to conquer cancer. We don't need more death and destruction caused by more drugs and radiation.

But every cancer event I've been invited to, is mostly about creating more drugs and radiation protocols to use after someone is already diagnosed with cancer.

Some will say that I am unfair, because I went through traditional cancer treatments and am alive to talk about it. But I survived because, I fought hard to survive. I used many herbs and vitamins and whole foods. I had the mental mind set that I would survive and beat the cancer. This is one of the strongest indicators as to who will survive a bout with cancer.

I also survived because of a loving family and much prayer. God has blessed me in so many ways, and He still blesses me. Every cancer patient needs a great support team.

I was one who needed drastic measures to combat my cancer. I was already fourth stage when it was discovered that I had cancer. Heavy duty chemotherapy helped to break up the cancer in my body so that my body could clear it out. Other drugs were used to help boost my immune system as well.

But chemotherapy and other drugs are very hard on the body. Good hydration, good nutrition, good attitude, body balancing foods, and even some exercise, are needed for the body to rebuild and become healthy after the chemotherapy has caused so much destruction.

Most cancer doctors and cancer institutes do not talk about this very important need. To feed the body the proper resources that it needs to actually heal and rebuild. They act like somehow they are going to cure you by causing all this destruction in your body. Some survive the onslaught, some don't.

The statistical ineffectiveness of the standard medical protocols is obvious to those who want to look. Drugs can not create balance in a human body, only more imbalance. If they work, then why are we asking for so much more money to try to find ones that really will work? Why are cancer rates still increasing? Why is it that 97% of people who survive these standard cancer treatments, are using natural and alternative treatments at the same time. Why are many who die after traditional cancer treatment, found to be cancer free when the autopsy is done? Can it be that the treatment killed them?

Yes, chemotherapy will kill cancer. We know that. But it doesn't only kill cancer. It is by nature destructive to the whole organism. Why not teach people how to build a strong body through healthy lifestyle?

Instead we leave people to try to find their own ways to overcome the destructive drug therapies. So cancer patients end up spending all kinds of money on all kinds of pills and potions, that are peddled by all kinds of people.

So, as you can see, I do believe that we need to have better treatments for those who have cancer, but I do not believe that drug research can get us to that point. The drugs are very helpful in drastic cases to help save human life. But unless we teach people the importance of recovering and rebuilding from the destructiveness of the drugs, we are not really helping them.

Give me an organization that will push for doctors and institutes to vigorously teach people to live healthy lifestyles, and I will march in that walk-a-thon.

Let me know what you think.

Water : You Need To Know This

I often mention the importance of drinking plenty of good clean water. It is the fundamental element needed for good health.

But perhaps I don't always make clear some of the very important things that you should know about drinking water. Let's fix that right now!

Do NOT drink chlorinated water until the chlorine has been removed. Chlorine kills bacteria. That is why we put it in water. But if it is still in the water when you drink it, it will also kill the good bacteria in your gut that is important for proper digestion and nutrition.

Do NOT drink fluoridated water. Fluoride is a poison. One of it's nasty little side effects is that it allows soft tissue (for instance the brain) to absorb heavy metals. That is not good! It may well be one of the major causes for so many people getting Alzheimer's disease these days. Besides that, (here's the dirty little secret) it really isn't good for your teeth.

DO drink mineral water. Not the fancy store bought kind. That is not necessary. But if you live near a natural spring, that is generally a very good source of drinking water.

I recommend that you make your own mineral water. (I'll tell you how in a minute.)

You have probably already read that I suggest that people try to drink a cup of water for every 10 pounds of body weight daily. That means that if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink 16 cups of water during a 24 hour period.

Why so much water? Because water makes everything in the body work. Most people walk around in a perpetual state of dehydration. When your body doesn't have enough water it can't rid itself of toxic wastes that build up in the body from our polluted environment and from our processed foods. Without water, nutrition cannot be moved through the body to get to the places where the body needs it, even if you do eat good food.

High blood pressure is actually a sign that the body is dehydrated.

In today's society, we need plenty of water to flush out toxins. Particularly if you want to lose excess weight, or cleanse the body of disease.

You will find many recommendations all around for systems to cleanse the body, or parts thereof. But by far the best way to cleanse is to make sure that you get plenty of mineral water.

Getting minerals with your water is important, because otherwise you could flush too many minerals out of your body and cause other problems. The minerals allow the cells of your body to use the water.

One example of the importance of minerals in your water: Drinking excess water without minerals can cause constipation due to the mineral deficiency. However drinking salt water will end constipation quite readily.

If you drink lots of water, but don't get the necessary minerals, your cells can't use the water.

I suggest you use Redmond Real Salt for your minerals. It is a product taken from ancient sea beds. It contains all necessary minerals and trace-minerals for human health.

Use clean water, (I just use reverse osmosis filtered water) and put in a pinch of Redmond Real Salt. Just do it to taste. Basically, an 8th of a teaspoon will treat 3 or 4 cups of water.

I do this with nearly all the water I drink.

Or you can use this Himalayan Salt that Dr. Mercola has arranged to bring to the U.S.
Click HERE to find out about it.

Back to Basics : It Really Is This Simple.

People are always looking for that magic pill that is going to solve their problems.
Here is my last response to one of those questions like "Are there any good pills for...":

"Not that will do you any long term good, in my opinion.

But try this.
Cut out all sugar, caffeine, vegetables oils, and artificial sweeteners from your diet.
Eat whole grains and veggies as much as possible, along with fresh fruit.
Make sure that your are drinking lots of good clean water.
Start with a minimum of 12 cups of water daily. Put a pinch of real sea salt (with all the trace-minerals in it) in each cup of water.

And to help balance everything out and help heal the nerves, etc, take 3 or 4 tablespoons of coconut oil a day.

Also make sure you are getting regular exercise. At least 20 minutes at a time, at least 3 days a week.

Also, try to get to sleep 2 or 3 hours before midnight each night."

I think most people would be amazed at the improvement in health if they would just try these simple basic things.

LDN - Low Dose Naltrexone

There has been a lot of hubbub these days about Low-Dose-Naltrexone.

Here are the basics about it.

Naltrexone is a drug that has been used for several years to treat drug and alcohol addiction. It has some serious side effects. But they have discovered that at very low doses, (about 1/100th of a normal dose) the side effects are minimized and it helps to boost the immune system functions.

The theory is that it causes the body to release more endorphins, thus increasing immune function.

Here are my thoughts on it.

Now they are trying to sell you pills with so little active content in them you will be paying for fillers. The fillers are generally not good for you, just contributing to clogging up your system.

But the pills will be inexpensive compared to most drugs. Well, of course you do still have the expense of paying the doctor big bucks to tell you you need it.

Why buy a pill to get what you can get for free by living a healthy lifestyle?

Do you know what naturally causes your body to release more endorphins, to raise your immune function?

Check out this list:

1. exercise
2. smiling
3. laughing
4. eating spicy foods
5. eating dark chocolate

There is not a lot of time or expense involved with those, and they will most likely do you much more good than a pill.

One word of caution : don't get your dark chocolate from a sugar laden candy bar. I suggest raw cacao powder.

Well, that's what I think. Feel free to share your feelings.

Cactus Oil : Just More Snake Oil?

I've seen a few questions recently on cactus oil for health benefits.

Here is my take on it.

Cactus oil (made from prickly pear fruit, and/or seeds) is not a good idea.

Some people claim that it is good for heart health. The problem is that the only research done has much more information to take into account than blood lipid levels. The very same study that is cited to say that the blood lipid levels were better, also shows that it caused both the pancreas and the liver to enlarge. Neither one of those is good.

For those interested, here is a link to that study: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6R-4JG5FPR-5&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=9527a6634675484fc5b5a705b4e0d826

So, the cactus oil is like so many of the other vegetables oils. The companies that sell them tell you they are heart healthy, but in reality they can be very damaging to your long term health.

Personally I avoid nearly all extracted oils, including fish oils. I try to only use coconut oil, raw butter, or extra virgin olive oil. Those are the healthy ones.

Genetics : What Do We Know?

Since the human genome has been mapped, perhaps you were wondering why we haven't eliminated all disease now. Since the map was supposedly completed in 2003, haven't we had enough time to make cures for all the diseases?

This is, of course, a little bit ridiculous to expect such results. But most people don't seem to realize how ridiculous it really is.

We have learned quite a bit about genes in the last decade, so let me fill you in on some of the most interesting things we have learned.

Genetic engineering isn't nearly as accurate and precise as many of us are led to believe. It is very complex, and a little chaotic. New genetic material can be injected or shot into a mass of older genetic materials, and it is hoped that some of the new genetic material will integrate with the old. Of course one of the problems with this is that we don't know precisely which of the old genes could be affected or changed by the new genetic material. That is one of the problems with genetically modified foods. Instead of just changing the one gene that they want to change, they generally end up changing anywhere from 5% to 15% of the genes. This, of course, causes all kinds of unexpected side effects.

So, instead of easily fixing genetic disorders (which is the dream), we are actually creating other genetic disorders.

Last year it was reported in the news that they have added another 11 genes to the list of cancer-causing genes.

It just goes to show you that we still don't really know much about genes. The human genome project has helped us learn many things about genes, but there are still so many that we don't know.

I'll let you in on one of the little secrets we have learned about genes: They don't actually do anything.

I'm sure you read the last sentence a couple of times, just to make sure you read it correctly. We have been told for so many years that the genes determine everything in the human body, that we just take it for granted that that's the way it is. Let me explain a little further.

Genes do indeed hold a type of blueprint material for what our bodies may become. However, it is nothing like a blueprint that a contractor would use to build a house. It doesn't contain a set plan that must be followed as we grow and develop. Instead, it contains a whole bucket full of possibilities.

Genes are, believe it or not, inactive. They don't actually do anything. They are more like books in a library. If they are left on the shelf, then nothing is gained from them. They have to be read and acted upon by some active part of our systems in order to make any difference. That is why you can have a gene for being short, but grow very tall.

The gene is entirely dependent upon it's environment. Proteins are the carriers of genetic messages. Only certain proteins can read certain genes. The proteins go to the genes to look for solutions for particular challenges that may come their way. The body only creates the proteins that the environment calls on it to create. If you have a gene for colon cancer, but your body never creates the protein that reads that genetic sequence, then you will not get colon cancer.

The body is very complex, and there are millions of possibilities contained in our DNA. There are literally billions of possible combinations. The more we learn about genetics, the more apparent it becomes that genetics are not the determining factor in what happens to our bodies in our lives. That is why we now use the terminology "genetically predisposed".

We now know that just because you have a gene for something, that doesn't mean that that particular thing will manifest itself. As we study this process we come to the realization that the environment determines which genes will be read and acted upon. You will never get cancer if you live a lifestyle that never calls on the cancer gene.

It is starting to be realized that many of the things that we thought were genetically determined are actually environmentally determined. We are starting to see that children have many of the same attributes and challenges that their parents had because they inherited their environment from their parents. We tend to live the same life styles that we grew up with. Our internal environments start off in the internal environments of our mothers wombs. We live where our parents lived. We tend to eat the way they ate. We tend to exercise in the same ways they did. It's even been shown that we tend to use the same eye movements that our parents used, which can effect our eye sight.

That is why as our world becomes more and more polluted, we see children getting more diseases earlier in life. Many children now have diseases that people used to only get in old age. The environment is everything when it comes to genetic causes of things.

So, yes, the genes do matter. But the good news is that by changing our behavior, our environment, we can control which genes get used. A clean environment with good wholesome food creates an entirely different set of proteins than a polluted environment. The proteins then interact with the genes and take messages to the cells of the body. The body acts according to those messages.

The more polluted our environment gets, the more negative proteins we build. A polluted environment can also actually change the DNA causing even more problems. Kind of like going through the library and throwing all the books in a big mud puddle. Then when you try to read them, you only get some of the information. Some of the information can be so distorted that you get an entirely different message than the author of the book intended.

Luckily the body has a pretty good librarian. If given the time and the right materials in a clean enough environment, the librarian can repair most of the damage previously done. However, if we keep it too messy for too long, sometimes even our marvelous librarian can't fix all of the mess.

So make sure you give your librarian the proper materials, and the proper environment as soon as possible.

Just eat a high quality natural foods diet, exercise, drink plenty of good clean water, make sure you get fiber (whole raw foods), get plenty of sleep, breathe deeply and have a gratitude attitude.

Your body will take care of you, if you take care of it.

Coach G.

Oil In The Scriptures

I was asked the other day about why, if coconut oil is such a great health promoting substance, it isn't mentioned in the scriptures.

This is an interesting question. Particularly for LDS readers, who have been given a law of health to follow from living prophets of God.

If you look through the scriptures and look for references to fat you will note that in most cases, except when it is talking about the animal fats used in sacrifices, fat or fatness refers to plenty or abundance.

You might also note that it says not to eat animal fat. We now know that animal fats are where many of the toxins that an animal takes into it's body become concentrated. Even today, it is not a good idea to eat animal fats.

If you look in the scriptures for references to oil, you will find that in most cases it does not mention what type of oil. Olive oil is specified sometimes for making holy anointing oils.

The "Word of Wisdom" does not mention oils or fats specifically, and yet we know that they are an important nutrient for the body. Another interesting point is that even though the people that were given the "Word of Wisdom" were mostly farmers with chickens and cattle, there was no mention made of eggs or milk.

When the Lord said to eat the flesh of beasts sparingly, or only in times of winter or famine, he made no such restrictions on milk or eggs. It turns out that milk and eggs are both excellent sources of fat, and animals produce them in abundance. The Lord says that animals are for the benefit and use of man, but not so much for the flesh. Hmmm? I guess that leaves using them for labor and for milk and eggs.

Another important point to remember is that fat, or oil, is found in many foods. If you follow the "Word of Wisdom" you will find that you will be healthy and you will get good fats.

If grains are the staff of life, particularly wheat for man, then as you make wheat the pillar of your diet you will get many health benefits. One note of caution, it must be whole wheat. Along with the essential proteins and polyphenols, etc that you get from wheat, you will also get good fats. And as you eat fresh fruits and vegetables, you will also be eating good fats.

However, what the major medical and major media calls "essential fats" these days are in no way essential to health and may even be detrimental. The important thing to remember is that fats and oils that are extracted and concentrated are more like drugs, and can be beneficial or destructive, depending on the situation. Most polyunsaturated fats, in spite of what you have been told, are destructive in the human body.

So with all of that said, why do I push coconut oil? Most people in a diseased state today have too much polyunsaturated fats in their bodies. Coconut oil is one of the best ways to turn that around, and to do it in a fairly safe and balanced manner. Remember that I often say that balance is the key in all health. Coconut oil seems to have the ability to balance the fat systems of the body, and therefore leads to health.

If you are without any health problems, then you probably don't need to take any extra coconut oil. Following the "Word of Wisdom" rules on what to eat will serve you fine.

If, however, you are unhealthy, in most cases coconut oil will help your body to heal and return to health.

For those who prefer something a little more 'biblical', raw butter mixed with raw honey is a great combination to get good fats and cause healing in the body. The only reason I talk more about the coconut oil is that it is usually easier to get in today's world than raw butter and raw honey.

For those wondering about this "Word of Wisdom" reference, go HERE.

CoQ10 : Let's Not Get Crazy

You may have seen some of the fantastic claims made by people trying to sell supplements containing CoQ10. But before you go and buy any of these supplements, thinking that this will solve all of your problems, lets talk a bit.

Most of the things that CoQ10 salesmen claim about there product are actually unproven. There are cute little anecdotal stories spread all around, but not much actual science to back them up.

Let's look at what the basic sales line is.

As your body ages you need more CoQ10. Is this true? Not necessarily.

Guess where CoQ10 comes from. It is found in grains, vegetables, nuts, animal products. In other words, it is all over the place in the foods you eat.

Of course the more that those foods are processed the less CoQ10 they retain. So should you supplement if you eat a lot of processed foods? In my opinion, no. Simply stop eating all those processed foods that are bad for you anyway. Eat good whole fresh foods and you will not only get all the CoQ10 you could ever need, but you will also get all the other goodness that goes along with it.

CoQ10 studies are very often not conclusive at all. Why? Because it is only one part of the picture of what goes into building a strong healthy body. Many other things are necessary to help CoQ10 to do it's thing.

I bet you didn't know that CoQ10 can intercept energy from your bodies energy production cycle and keep it from getting to the very important mitochondria. This is just one example of how trying to micro-manage your health through supplements can be nigh unto impossible.

There are many ways that a body can get out of balance. Some will involve CoQ10. But by far the best way to seek balance in the human body is to feed it the foods created by the creator for it. Natural foods have a way of creating a natural balance in the human body. No need to guess how much of what supplement your body might need.

Eat whole grains, whole fresh veggies, whole fresh fruit, nuts, fresh eggs, raw milk, raw butter, raw honey. If you ate some of each of those each day, you would probably be amazed at how healthy you would be in a couple of months.

Fat Discussion Leads To Comment

A discussion about fats on Dr. Mercola's site got interesting, when you got down into people's comments. There is so much confusion and misinformation going around.

I decided to comment there to see if I could help some people out. Here is what I said:

It is important to realize that a healthy lifestyle is the key to living healthy.

That sounds like stating the obvious, but many people don't seem to get it.

A 16 week test (as sited in the article) is interesting, but hardly long enough to show any cause and effect relationship.

Most of today's diseases have been developed by negative lifestyle choices made over years.

The human body is an amazing machine and can compensate for bad choices for a long time before finally reaching a breaking point and manifesting a disease.

I like the works of people like Ray Peat. Even though it can be hard to understand because he goes into so much detail, that many of us are unfamiliar with, he does a good job of explaining what happens in the human body.

It is very important to understand that the basics are the important thing. So many people are looking for that magic supplement that will make them healthy, but at the same time they don't exercise, or drink plenty of good clean water with good minerals and trace-minerals, or eat fresh fruits and veggies, or whole grains and nuts.

Health in the body is all about balance. The problem with most supplements is that you don't know how much you need to be in balance. Any supplement you are taking could be putting you out of balance. The wonderful thing about natural whole foods is that they cause balance in the human body.

As far as fats go, taking omega-3s or omega-6s could put you out of balance.

If you are not having health issues, just continue to eat good whole foods, and avoid toxins, and you will probably be fine.

If you have health issues, I would go with coconut oil, as it seems to help balance out the fat systems of the body.

How To Legally Avoid Shots

Several of you have told me that you are trying to avoid all the dangers that are becoming more and more apparent from immunizations.

I thought I should share with you this article about avoiding shots legally.

http://www.mercola.com/article/vaccines/legally_avoid_shots.aspx

Miraculous Coconut Oil : How To Use It.

Many people have asked me how I use coconut oil. I use it for many different things, so I thought I should give you a report on what I do.

Coconut oil is great for your skin!
It is the best sunscreen I have ever used. That is saying a lot, since I spent many years working on construction jobs in the heat of the Arizona sun. Yes, I am fair skinned.

There is an important trick however in using coconut oil as a sunscreen. Don't put it on in the sun.

It is best to put coconut oil on about 20 minutes before going out in the sun so that it can absorb into the skin and protect it. If you put it on in the sun, it can contribute to cooking you instead of protecting you. You've heard of boiling in oil, right? But if the skin absorbs the oil first, then it does a marvelous job of keeping the skin healthy.

Are you getting this information too late, and you just came in with a sunburn? Coconut oil will help it to heal quickly. Be sure to use pure coconut oil instead of some cream or ointment claiming to contain coconut oil. Cold pressed virgin coconut oil is by far the best.

Coconut oil not only moisturizes. It also cleans and heals. Did you know that coconut oil is one of the very best conditioners for hair that money can buy. Put coconut oil in your hair before going to bed. Wrap it up and let it stay in all night. Rinse it out in the morning and you will be amazed at your healthy hair.

Coconut oil is antiviral, antibacterial, anti fungal and has even been called a "low fat fat".
When coconut oil is taken into the body, it is used like the best kinds of cholesterol, to heal cells.
It is not stored in the body like other fats, it is used for energy and healing.

Coconut oil also causes the break up of undesirable fats in the body, thus leading to weight loss for those who need to lose weight.

Much has been said these days about the importance of getting omega-3 fats. But this is only talked about because it has been identified as an imbalance. Balance is the important thing for health. If you take too many omega-3 fats you will also be out of balance and cause problems.
Coconut oil is a healthy fat that seems to help balance the body. I therefore consider it far superior to omega-3 fats.

Fish oils are quickly and easily oxidized and can cause many problems in the body and the brain. Use coconut oil instead.

See a great discussion on that from Ray Peat HERE. Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils can be bad.

Coconut oil is also the best oil to cook with. Most oils are very unstable and quickly become rancid when heat is applied. Cooked oils become trans fats. Corn oils are some of the worst oils to cook with. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is very stable and can withstand much higher heat before going bad. Any time I need to use oil in cooking, I choose coconut.

As a marathon runner, I have to deal with the problem of chaffing on long runs. You guessed it! I use coconut oil. It keeps the skin healthy and eliminates much of the friction. And it's much less expensive than those special products people buy for such things.

Coconut oil is also the very best oil to use for "oil pulling", or "oil swishing". You will read lots of interesting (almost mysterious sounding) things on the internet about 'oil pulling'. Much of it is wrong. But that's a subject for another day. Coconut oil works better than the others, and I'll explain that when I write more on that subject.

When you eat coconut oil, it improves digestion, as well as insulin control. It also boosts immune function. Coconut oil is good for the heart, in spite of much dis-information disseminated by the soy and corn industries. It actually helps to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. Regular users of coconut oil have less heart disease and even more normal blood pressure.

If I was overweight or having health problems, I would make sure that I got 3 or 4 tablespoons of coconut oil everyday.

I also "swish" with coconut oil everyday.

Coconut oil is one of the healthiest fats you can get. To me it seems much more important to consume coconut oil for health than it is to worry about omega-3 oils. Another day we will talk about the toxicity of omega-3 oils.

Here is a great book by the guru of coconut oil, Dr. Bruce Fife:





You can find coconut oil in most health food stores. But if you are having a chanllenge finding some virgin coconut oil here is a link you can follow: