2008 Newsletter

Edition 1

What's up?

1. The “100 Days to Health” program is changing people’s life and it is so exciting to be part of this change. Thank you to all who have sent your comments. It is taking us a lot longer to get the whole program edited (yes we know about the typos) and then also to load up the other detox and maintenance programs as well as the A-Z of health. So it may take another 2-3 months to get to a point where we have to charge. So just keep going, it is free and will change your life and those around you! If you are looking for a gentle, gradual way to make changes to your diet and lifestyle without feeling like you have to slit your throat, then this is for you.

2. I urgently need information from people who have improved their health and are saving money every month by being well. So often people assume that it is more expensive to be healthy, but in fact you end up saving thousands in time and medical costs (even with medical insurance), not to mention at the grocery store. So if you have any past costs and can compare it to the present, please email me. Also your food bills previously and now. I know that when we made the change over 20 years ago our food bill decreased by R1000 (about US$150) each month, so by now we spend a  lot less on food and nothing on medical expenses other than dental check ups.

2. Sadly I received a bad report about someone in the natural health industry in South Africa, and feel it is my moral obligation to warn you about this person. Unfortunately due to legalities in South Africa I am not at liberty to mention his name, but if you have had any similar dealing with this man or anyone else in the industry, write to Camille@ahpcsa.co.za which is the Allied Health Professionals Council of South Africa ad give her the details in writing. I spent an hour talking to 3 women who have been, in my opinion, sexually assaulted by a “doctor” who claims to be a homeopath and insisted on seeing them bend over naked so that he could check out whether their anus was damaged?! He also asked them intimate details about the size of their and their partners reproductive organs and their sexual habits as a child and adult! I am so sorry if anyone is offended by this but this man must be exposed (excuse the pun) and no one seems willing to talk about this. He also insists on numerous blood tests that cost an ‘arm and leg’ including an Aids test even though you may have been married to the same man for 30 years! So in the interest of your mental and financial health, I will be covering “how to spot a sociopath” which, I believe, people like this must be as there is no way they can have a conscience and do stuff like this!? To make it worse, these women paid R850 (about $120) for the privilege of being abused and degraded!                                                                                                                                          

This particular man practices from a pharmacy/health shop in Cape Town in the Constantia area and in Kempton Park, Johannesburg and (apparently) in Zambia!? He is of Bulgarian decent… or so he claims.

This just gets me to the point, that your body and private intimate details are yours to keep; there is no one in the world that can help you with your health asking these questions. A sex therapist may be a different story but these ladies were going for a general health check up!! The most a homeopath or naturopathic doctor would do is ask you to stick out your tongue.

It is up to you to know and understand fully how your body works so that no one can ever abuse you in this way. You need to put clear boundaries in place and know that when you feel uncomfortable with any health or even medical person that you have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to not remove your clothing or disclose your deepest personal secrets.

I clearly remember feeling very uncomfortable with a doctor who insisted on touching my breasts and commenting on them during my first pregnancy (29 years ago and I still feel uncomfortable about it). I was so young and naïve and in a new town that I did not want to embarrass him by walking out! That is what we polite people do, we don’t want to embarrass or offend people who are offending and embarrassing us and it may take years of therapy to deal with some of the things that have been done to us by these sick people.

My concern is that if this man is not stopped he could, and may already have caused untold damage to men, women and children out there.

(Just hot off the press… this man was told he was not allowed to practice in SA, from a previous court case in South Africa for the same reasons!?!)

Here is a quote from the book, The Sociopath next door by Martha Stout, which I am repeating just in case your attention does not allow you to get to point 9 below or your reading is interrupted. This is an important book, make sure you, your family and friends read it; it could save you untold misery. I wish I had access to it years ago, it could have saved us a lot of pain and financial loss.

Question your tendency to pity too easily.
Respect should be reserved for the kind and the morally courageous. Pity is another socially valuable response, and should be reserved for innocent people who are in genuine pain or who have fallen on misfortune. If, instead, you find yourself often pitying someone who consistently hurts you or other people, and who actively campaigns for your sympathy, the chances are close to one hundred percent that you are dealing with a sociopath.

Related to this -- I recommend that you severely challenge your need to be polite in absolutely all situations. For normal adults in our culture, being what we think of as "civilized" is like a reflex, and often we find ourselves being automatically decorous even when someone has enraged us, repeatedly lied to us, or figuratively stabbed us in the back. Sociopaths take huge advantage of this automatic courtesy in exploitive situations.

Do not be afraid to be unsmiling and calmly to the point.

4. Some more good news is I have tracked down Dr Charlotte Prout-Jones from the Life Science Clinic in Johannesburg and she informs me that she now does supervised fasting in groups and will come and spend the time with you and a group of friends in your favourite holiday town. So if you live in South Africa and need supervised fasting, get a group of people together and phone Charlotte on 011 469 1289. She is I am sure prepared to travel anywhere else, but all costs must be completely covered, and you would have to pay her fees. Anyway, chat to her personally to get details, she is highly qualified having been helping people fast for at least the last 20 years that I know of, with great success.

4. Mark and I, as well as all the grandchildren, (older than 18 months) are doing our 6 monthly parasite cleanse and will be taking Para90 and Florafood from Aim for the next 30 days. So I will include some info on this too.

What's on?

This months DVD I cover the latest nutritional research regarding Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes and we interview a Type 1 Diabetic whose life has changed so dramatically it is hard to believe. See below for a preview of this DigiMag 29... to order the DVD contact dvd@mary-anns.com

Also some great recipes including the famous crustless quiche and the alcohol-free sangria..

What's in?

A Good Report

Dear Mary-Ann, Mark, and Family,

 Thank you for all you are doing.  I just started receiving your encouraging notes for 100 days.  Thank you so much! 

 Yesterday my friend’s 8 year old daughter died.  She caught a cold-flu virus.  She started showing symptoms of being sick on Sunday and died on Thursday.  It makes me all the more determined to keep fighting to make healthy choices for me and my family.  I am sharing what I learn with my friends and family.

 I wish I we could make the change over night but each day we are practicing to choose God made food first.  My husband said he has eaten more apples in the last two weeks than he has in his entire life previous to this.  My shopping visits the past three weeks have been 90% God made food.

 Thank you again.  You are a blessing to us all.

M&L

Info

Parasites

What is a parasite?

It is an opportunistic organism that survives off the host. Very often their affect on the body goes unnoticed. Internal parasites, such as worms, take the nutrition from our food intended for us. This leaves us wide open to other illnesses. If you are feeling generally run down or have any of the symptoms below, this is the time to consider anti parasitical treatment. Some doctors estimate that over 90% of people suffer from parasite infestation. These parasites can be in the form tapeworm – usually from eating animal flesh , hook worm  - from  soil or sand so wash even organically grown produce , pin worm – from not washing your hands and touching  almost anything, flukes and a host of other lesser known parasites which are estimated to number over 400!.

How do you know you have them?

Signs of parasites can be diarrhoea, hunger pains (gnawing feeling), appetite that is too healthy or no appetite, weight loss or weight gain, here I suggest that if you have any weight problem that you get rid of any parasites while you alter your diet and lifestyle) anaemia, rectal itching especially at night, tooth grinding, nose picking, bloating and gas (even after you have changed your diet and are properly combining), nausea, fever, rash, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, diarrhoea, joint and muscle pain, bad breath, fluid retention (this will also affect your weight as well), allergies and food sensitivities, sugar cravings, mental confusion, fatigue or tiredness), foul smelling stools,  heartburn, headaches, bed wetting, nervousness, sleep disturbances. All this indicates that your Immune and endocrine system is being affected and who knows the long term effects parasites have on the body.

What can you do to get rid of them?

There is a variety of medication available from pharmacies, but they do not get rid of all parasites such as flukes and usually have some side effects. The safest approach is with a combination of herbs. The best herbs are those such as American wormseed, Black walnut hulls, Boldo leaves, Butternut bark, clove, cramp bark, garlic, grapefruit seed, Kamala, Male Fern Root, Neem, Peppermint, Pumpkin seed, Sweet Annie (from the Artemisia family now found to protect against malaria), Thyme and White Oak bark, these are all found in Aim’s Para 90. I do however suggest taking Aim’s Herbal Fibre Blend  (1 heaped tsp twice daily for a month at least) as this will help clear the digestive tract of old faecal matter and some of the herbs in HFB will also rid you of some parasites, thus making it quicker and easier when you take Para 90. You will know the product is working if you feel a ‘pokey’ feeling in your abdomen, or your skin itches or feels ‘crawly’. Headaches, excess mucous, nausea and extreme tiredness are other symptoms. You may also experience more frequent bowel movements, looser stools and increased urination. Some people even feel pain in the liver area.

I also suggest taking a probiotic such as Florafood after taking Para 90 to recolonise the intestinal bacteria.  Some people also feel they benefit more by continuing to take Herbal Fibre blend with the Para 90

Pregnant and breast feeding women should avoid Para 90 as the parasites can emerge in some strange places, also some people experience severe stomach cramps as the parasites dislodge. People with colon problems should consult a doctor. It is safe to use from the age of 3 upwards and our grandsons Stephen & Dylan have been taking them since that age and our granddaughter Faith is only 18 months but is on her first course and doing very well. She is one of those kids who is into all the dirt and the animals. So with 3 cats and 2 dogs Melissa our daughter felt Faith would benefit and has been giving her 1 tablet a day. You should aim to cleanse yourself of parasites about once a year if vegetarian and twice a year if you eat animal flesh including fish.

How can parasites harm you?

They can…

Destroy cells faster than new cells can be regenerated this will contribute to premature ageing and cancer

Produce toxic waste products

Irritate body tissue

Invade body tissue, including skin and intestinal lining

Put pressure of internal organs

Depress immune system function while activating Immune system response, thereby contributing to auto Immune diseases such as Lupus, arthritis and Multiple sclerosis etc.

Cause nutrient malabsorption, thus contributing to eating disorders and nutritional deficiencies.

You can buy Para 90 from the Aim company directly (use this form), either contact one of the Natural Health consultants on our website or contact us on info@mary-anns.com

Try to include some of the following foods on a regular basis, they help control parasite infestations; raw carrots, fresh and dried figs, parsley, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds or tahini.

Mental Wellness – help in spotting a sociopath

An extract from The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

How do you spot a sociopath?
A sociopath has no conscience, no ability to feel shame, guilt or remorse. Since 1 in 25 ordinary Americans (my comments here: South Africans don’t gloat, I am sure the levels are higher in SA as a sociopath, according to most of the research I have read can result from an emotionally detached upbringing. This may be from typical Victorian type parents who show no emotional love or from parents simply not being around. If you think of how many children are raised in this country or have been raised by parents that are either totally absent or at work all day, it is not hard to see we could have much higher rates of people with this problem than many other countries and this could be a major part of the crime problem in SA) is a sociopath, you almost certainly know one or more than one already. How can you recognize him or her?

• Sociopaths learn early on to show sham emotion, but underneath they live only to dominate others and win.

• They have a kind of glow or charisma that makes them more charming or interesting than the other people around them. They are more spontaneous, more intense, complex, or even sexier than everyone else.

• They crave stimulation and excitement, often showing brief intense enthusiasms that they later drop.

• They are seductive, encouraging others to take risks.

• They will tell you that you are just like them. Don't believe it.

Who is the devil you know?

• Could it be your lying, cheating ex-husband?

• Your sadistic high school gym teacher?

• Your boss who loves to humiliate people in meetings?

• Sometimes you just know 'em when you see 'em….

• Historical sociopaths: Hitler, Stalin, Rasputin, Eichmann, Pol Pot, John Gotti

Thirteen Rules for Dealing with Sociopaths in Everyday Life

1.      The first rule involves the bitter pill of accepting that some people literally have no conscience, and that these people do not often look like Charles Manson or a Ferengi bartender. They look like us.

2.      In a contest between your instincts and what is implied by the role a person has taken on -- educator, doctor, leader, animal-lover, humanist, parent -- go with your instincts.

Whether you want to be or not, you are a constant observer of human behaviour, and your unfiltered impressions, though alarming and seemingly outlandish, may well help you out if you will let them. Your best self understands, without being told, that impressive and moral-sounding labels do not bestow conscience on anyone who did not have it to begin with.

3.      When considering a new relationship of any kind, practice the Rule of Threes regarding the claims and promises a person makes, and the responsibilities he or she has.

Make the Rule of Threes your personal policy. One lie, one broken promise, or a single neglected responsibility may be a misunderstanding instead. Two may involve a serious mistake. But three lies says you're dealing with a liar, and deceit is the linchpin of conscienceless behaviour. Cut your losses and get out as soon as you can. Leaving, though it may be hard, will be easier now than later, and less costly.

Do not give your money, your work, your secrets, or your affections to a three-timer. Your valuable gifts will be wasted.

4.      Question authority.
Once again -- trust your own instincts and anxieties, especially those concerning people who claim that dominating others, violence, war, or some other violation of your conscience is the grand solution to some problem. Do this even when, or especially when, everyone around you has completely stopped questioning authority. Recite to yourself what Stanley Milgram taught us about obedience. (At least six out of ten people will blindly obey a present, official-looking authority to the bitter end.) The good news is that having social support makes people somewhat more likely to challenge authority. Encourage those around you to question, too.

5.      Suspect flattery.
Compliments are lovely, especially when they are sincere. In contrast, flattery is extreme, and appeals to our egos in unrealistic ways. It is the material of counterfeit charm, and nearly always involves intent to manipulate. Manipulation through flattery is sometimes innocuous and sometimes sinister. Peek over your massaged ego and remember to suspect flattery. This "flattery rule" applies on an individual basis, and also at the level of groups and even whole nations.

6.      If necessary, redefine your concept of respect.
Too often, we mistake fear for respect, and the more fearful we are of someone, the more we view him or her as deserving of our respect.

I have a ‘spotted Bengal cat’ who was named Muscle Man by my daughter when she was a toddler, because even as a kitten he looked like a professional wrestler. Grown now, he is much larger than most other domestic cats. His formidable claws resemble those of his Asian leopard-cat ancestors, but by temperament, he is gentle and peace-loving. My neighbour has a little calico who visits. Evidently the calico's predatory charisma is huge, and she is brilliant at directing the evil eye at other cats. Whenever she is within fifty feet, Muscle Man, all fifteen pounds of him to her seven, cringes and crouches in fear and feline deference.

Muscle Man is a splendid cat. He is warm and loving, and he is close to my heart. Nonetheless, I would like to believe that some of his reactions are more primitive than mine. I hope I do not mistake fear for respect, because to do so would be to ensure my own victimization. Let us use our big human brains to overpower our animal tendency to bow to predators, so we can disentangle the reflexive confusion of anxiety and awe. In a perfect world, human respect would be an automatic reaction only to those who are strong, kind, and morally courageous. The person who profits from frightening you is not likely to be any of these.

The resolve to keep respect separate from fear is even more crucial for groups and nations. The politician, small or lofty, who menaces the people with frequent reminders of the possibility of crime, violence, or terrorism, and who then uses their magnified fear to gain allegiance is more likely to be a successful con artist than a legitimate leader. This too has been true throughout human history.

7.      Do not join the game.
Intrigue is a sociopath's tool. Resist the temptation to compete with a seductive sociopath, to outsmart him, psychoanalyze, or even banter with him. In addition to reducing yourself to his level, you would be distracting yourself from what is really important, which is to protect yourself.

8.      The best way to protect yourself from a sociopath is to avoid him, to refuse any kind of contact or communication.
Psychologists do not usually like to recommend avoidance, but in this case, I make a very deliberate exception. The only truly effective method for dealing with a sociopath you have identified is to disallow him or her from your life altogether. Sociopaths live completely outside of the social contract, and therefore to include them in relationships or other social arrangements is perilous. Begin this exclusion of them in the context of your own relationships and social life. You will not hurt anyone's feelings. Strange as it seems, and though they may try to pretend otherwise, sociopaths do not have any such feelings to hurt.
You may never be able to make your family and friends understand why you are avoiding a particular individual. Sociopathy is surprisingly difficult to see, and harder to explain. Avoid him/her anyway.

If total avoidance is impossible, make plans to come as close as you can to the goal of total avoidance.

9.      Question your tendency to pity too easily.
Respect should be reserved for the kind and the morally courageous. Pity is another socially valuable response, and should be reserved for innocent people who are in genuine pain or who have fallen on misfortune. If, instead, you find yourself often pitying someone who consistently hurts you or other people, and who actively campaigns for your sympathy, the chances are close to one hundred percent that you are dealing with a sociopath.

Related to this -- I recommend that you severely challenge your need to be polite in absolutely all situations. For normal adults in our culture, being what we think of as "civilized" is like a reflex, and often we find ourselves being automatically decorous even when someone has enraged us, repeatedly lied to us, or figuratively stabbed us in the back. Sociopaths take huge advantage of this automatic courtesy in exploitive situations.

Do not be afraid to be unsmiling and calmly to the point.

10.  Do not try to redeem the unredeemable.
Second (third, fourth, and fifth) chances are for people who possess conscience. If you are dealing with a person who has no conscience, know how to swallow hard and cut your losses.

At some point, most of us need to learn the important if disappointing life lesson that, no matter how good our intentions, we cannot control the behaviour-- let alone the character structures-- of other people. Learn this fact of human life, and avoid the irony of getting caught up in the same ambition he has-- to control.

If you do not desire control, but instead want to help people, then help only those who truly want to be helped. I think you will find this does not include the person who has no conscience.

The sociopath's behaviour is not your fault, not in any way whatsoever. It is also not your mission. Your mission is your own life.

11.  Never agree, out of pity or for any other reason, to help a sociopath conceal his or her true character.

"Please don't tell," often spoken tearfully and with great gnashing of teeth, is the trademark plea of thieves, child abusers-- and sociopaths. Do not listen to this siren-song. Other people deserve to be warned more than sociopaths deserve to have you keep their secrets.

If someone without conscience insists that you "owe" him or her, recall what you are about to read here-- that "You owe me" has been the standard line of sociopaths for thousands of years, quite literally, and is still so. It is what Rasputin told the Empress of Russia. It is what Hannah's father implied to her, after her eye-opening conversation with him at the prison.

We tend to experience "You owe me" as a compelling claim, but it is simply not true. Do not listen. Also, ignore the one that goes, "You are just like me." You are not.

12.  Defend your psyche.
Do not allow someone without conscience, or even a string of such people, to convince you that humanity is a failure. Most human beings do possess conscience. Most human beings are able to love.

13.  Living well is the best revenge.

Advice For The Workplace

Is there a bully where you work?

Are you concerned that your co-worker may be lying about you behind your back?

Does your boss insult you, or seem to want to make your life more difficult?

Have you ever suspected that someone at the top is cheating?

If so, you may actually be dealing with a sociopath, a person who literally has no conscience, who loves to make people jump just for the fun of it-- a person who can do anything at all without the slightest twinge of guilt.

Four percent of Americans are sociopaths, meaning that they have no conscience, and this statistic probably gets larger as one goes up the ladder of success. At the top echelons of success in big business, sociopaths are probably even more plentiful. Most sociopaths in business are not physically violent, and they don't look like Charles Manson. They look like we do.

In your daily work life, how can you identify and cope effectively with such people? Here are some guidelines:

1. SUSPECT FLATTERY. Sincere compliments from a co-worker or a boss are nice, but outrageous flattery is often an attempt to draw you into a sociopath's snare. If you feel your ego is being massaged, you may be dealing with a sociopath. Be careful.

2. TAKE LABELS AND TITLES WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. Just because someone is older than you, has a higher position or more degrees, or is wealthier than you does not mean his or her moral judgment is better than yours.

3. IN YOUR ASSESSMENTS OF THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH, PRACTICE THE RULE OF THREES. (The author will explain what this is.)

4. ALWAYS QUESTION AUTHORITY WHEN IT CONFLICTS WITH YOUR OWN SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG. This may be hard to do, but it is crucial to your own career and well-being.

5. NEVER AGREE TO HELP A SOCIOPATH CONCEAL HIS OR HER SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES AT WORK.

6. If you are afraid of your boss, NEVER CONFUSE THESE FEELINGS WITH RESPECT.

7. NEVER HAVE A PRIVATE ARGUMENT WITH A SOCIOPATH AT WORK. (The author will explain why not.)

8. REALISTICALLY ASSESS THE DAMAGE TO YOUR LIFE. If it's too great, you may have to leave. Remember that living well is the best revenge.

What's to eat?

One of my favourite all time recipes is the humus we make

Here is the basic recipe with some delicious changes

1 can Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans

½ -1 cup Tahini

Juice of 1 lemon

1-2 tsp Mary-Ann’s Garlic & Herb salt (from most stores in South Africa like PnP and Spar or Dischem) or from orders@mary-anns.com or in the USA from merrilybright@yahoo.com

1 tsp cumin powder

½ - 1 cup filtered water

Blend all ingredients except the tahini together and using only half the water, until a smooth paste is formed. Then add the tahini. This is because Tahini will make the mixture thick and the chickpeas may not blend as smooth as you would like. Add more water if needed and adjust seasoning.

Options

1. Now add a few fresh or a pinch of dried chillies

2. 1 tsp Marmite – a vegetable and yeast extract paste that tastes a bit like vegetable stock (from South African stores in the USA and most grocery stores in other English speaking countries or delicatessens)

3. 1 tsp Marmite or Worcestershire sauce and 1 tsp Dijon mustard or mustard powder (use a sugar free, preservative free ready made mustard, just read the lebels)

4. 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin Olive oil

Serve as a dip for raw or cooked vegetables or serve with almost anything! This is very high in calcium and an excellent source of plant protein and other minerals such as magnesium etc. Great way to get your family onto raw vegetables and much healthier than mayonnaise or cottage cheese dips.

What's inside?

 Proverbs 25:17

“Seldom set foot in your neighbour’s house – too much of you, and he will hate you”