13 of 2007
So here I am in the middle of a crisis again.
Last time, Mark and I were caught at Heathrow airport in the middle of bomb threats and all the British Airways aircraft were being grounded when we on our way to South Africa in June this year.
This time I am in Southern California in what appears to be some of the worst fires ever. Yesterday we seemed quite safe as we saw smoke to the North, west and south of us, and today the sun is completely shut out by the smoke and there is a lot of ash outside and we are battling to breathe. I am however grateful to God for keeping us safe and even though nearly a million people have been evacuated from their homes as of now, only 6 elderly people have died.
The municipal services here are exceptional and everyone seems so upbeat, it is quite amazing to be in the middle of something so potentially disastrous and yet see people all pulling together and being so helpful and positive about things.
What do I learn from this? Well without a doubt that my only security is in God himself. Reading one of my favourite Psalms (Psalm 121) gives me such supernatural peace and security and there is no one, no company, no money, no person that can keep me safe and secure. True safety is found in an eternal relationship with God. Certainly that is what Mark and I have found. People will always let you down, businesses will fail, countries can collapse and economies go up in flames, but God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
So for now my prayers are for the nearly 1 million people that have been displaced because of the fire that God would comfort them, provide for them help them to make sense of what has happened by using the experience to grow and become more fruitful in their lives and in so doing to have a positive influence on the people around them.
So what do you do when you are exposed to these fires, is there anything other than praying that will help?
This month I will look at helping your lungs to work optimally and recover from exposure to pollutants like smoke and chemicals
DVD info
This month we interview Melissa my daughter and find out how she copes with 3 little ones all under the age of 3 on the Natural Way.
Melissa will also be making some of her favourite meals and she will give some quick tips to feeding the “masses” in her home.
If you want to be inspired every month to stay healthy and find out how other people manage and how much fun and how easy it is, then make sure you order the monthly DVD. Share the costs with family and friends and start your own support group as you meet together monthly.
Following the Natural Way, will give you so much more energy and dramatically improved health that you will save way more than the cost of the DVD
Order the DVD’s from Jason on dvd@mary-anns.com
Interesting info and Q & A and success stories
1. This Month: Info - Maintaining and or attaining healthy lungs (Anyone with any lung disease will benefit from this info or anyone with even a common cold!)
2. Q & A - Tonsillitis and Diet
1. Maintaining and or attaining healthy lungs (Anyone with any lung disease will benefit from this info or anyone with even a common cold!)
Foods that hinder lung function - (Foods that encourage mucous formation and lungs to be susceptible to disease and asthma - I am excluding bad habits like smoking as that is pretty much a given)
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Dairy Products – It appears the protein fractions (there are 25 of them) in cows milk is the main cause of lung related problems such as asthma and bronchitis. One of the worst foods you could be feeding yourself or your children in this smoke or with any lung condition would be milk, cheese or yoghurt. Dairy products encourage the production of copious amounts of mucous and when you are exposed to environmental substances like smoke or poisonous chemicals. The calcium in cow’s milk is not usable in the body and rather than build teeth and bones it causes a net loss of calcium from the bones as all statistics and independent research shows. Both The Natural Way and Perfect Health show in the chapter on calcium where you will get your calcium from.
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Preservatives or additives – sulphur dioxide (or any of the sulphating agents like sodium metabisulphate or any sulphating or sulphating agents) and sodium benzoate 2 of the most common preservatives used in the food industry (because they are so cheap!) are also the most likely food additives to cause asthma, bronchitis and increase post nasal drips and mucous production. These preservatives are found in sodas, wines, dried fruit, margarine, sweets, candy and many other processed foods. Make sure even when the air is clear that they are out of your diet
Foods that help lung function
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Foods High in Beta Carotene
Beta-carotene is a precursor to Vitamin A. Bata Carotene taken in supplement form actually appears to promote cancer but in fresh fruit and vegetables helps to protect against cancer as it comes into the body with all the unknown plants nutrients (phytonutrients)
These foods are
Carrots – Carrot Juice is essential to healthy lung function when under pressure form smoke or chemical inhalation, try and use organic carrots for juicing, you can make this or buy at juice and some food stores. Aim also make organic carrot juice in a dehydrated powdered form called Just Carrots. If you are on the move, or travelling Just carrots is wonderful. In fact cannot often find sweet organic juicing carrots so take the Just Carrots Daily)
Mangoes, pumpkin, butter nut and all dark green leafy vegetables
2. Foods high in Essential fatty acids –
Essential Fatty acids (Omega 3 & 6) are needed by the endocrine system to help your lungs function optimally. Without these goods fats the endocrine system and in turn the lugs can simply not function efficiently. Omega 6 best found in Avocado, raw nuts and seeds, Olive oil and other cold pressed or extra virgin vegetable oils. Flax oils and sprouted leaves from grains like barley grass and wheat grass juice are excellent sources of Omega 3. Contrary to some reports fish oil does not contain Omega 3 but only 2 of the 5 Omega 3 derivatives needed by the body. If you obtain flax oil or a blend containing it like Aimega or Millbrook’s superior blend with a source of sprouted leaves like barley grass juice. Lack of essential Fatty Acids
A deficiency in prostaglandins can lead to a breakdown in the immune system, resulting in asthma, hay fever, sinusitis, candida albicans, and eczema and prostaglandins are made from essential fatty acids found in natural plant fats. It is ideal to include some of these on a daily basis.
3. Dark Green Leafy Vegetables –
Dark green leafy vegetables especially those from sprouted grains such as barley grass and wheat grass contain high levels of a unique nutrients known as 2’-0-Glycosylisovitexin, are found in extremely high, but safe levels and these together with an enzyme called peroxides have been shown to be anti- carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic. Peroxides actually break down and neutralizes Try-P1 and P2 a carcinogen in grilled meat (including chicken) and fish and 3-4benzypyrene, another carcinogen in tobacco and smoke.
Therefore people who smoke or eat cooked animal products would reduce their risk of cancer. In fact anyone with cancer or trying to avoid it would do well on BarleyLife.
SOD or Superoxide Dismutase a powerful antioxidant converts a toxic free radical formed from cell respiration called Superoxide, into water and oxygen, which is completely harmless and this is found I high levels in the sprouted leaves of barley and wheat grass but is highest in barley grass. When this builds up without the intake of sufficient antioxidants like SOD, and beta carotene, damage results to the tissues. So to make sure the tissues in the lungs are working at optimum levels you need to make sure you are eating a lot of fresh, raw vegetables. Your lungs need protection from free radicals within and outside of the body and sprouted green leaves and carrot juice with help you do this. If it is too much hassle to make, take the dried variety like I do in BarleyLife and Just Carrots (which I am taking 3 times a day in this very smoky atmosphere)
Immune Function
BOOSTING IMMUNITY NATURALLY
All of this shows clearly how nutrition will affect your health. I must stress once again that it in no way encourages or endorses vitamin and mineral supplementation! What you need is a natural, unprocessed diet, with a good variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and cold pressed oils. This will ensure that all the essential nutrients are received intact in the most usable form. No nutrient works alone as all are dependent of many others to be effective and usable to the body
The only form of nutritional ‘supplementation’ (if you can call it that) that I feel is beneficial to the body is the addition of freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices to your daily diet. Fresh juices provide many valuable nutrients in a concentrated form. Some of the concentrated, organic juices marketed in powdered form are useful to keep and great for travelling. They provide a particularly good nutritional safety net as most people are not inclined to eat large quantities of green vegetables, and as you can see from the previous chart, many valuable nutrients are found in these foods. I use BarleyLife, Just Carrots and Redibeets from Aim. If you would like to get the products at the wholesale price contact Melissa at info@mary-anns.com or any of the natural health consultants at www.mary-anns.com
FACTORS THAT LEAD TO COMPROMISED IMMUNITY
Although poor nutrition is clearly one of the most significant culprits, there are a number of other factors that contribute to a depressed or faulty immune system.
Incomplete Digestion
To avoid incomplete digestion and its negative impact on your nutritional status and thus on your immunity, it is important to implement the basic principles of food combining found in The Natural Way and Perfect Health.
Properly combined meals are fully digested, allowing optimal utilisation of nutrients. But when nutrients are not broken down completely, particles may find their way into the bloodstream, causing a strong antibody reaction. This, in turn, can result in various food intolerances and allergies (with symptoms like hay fever or skin rashes).
Bacterial and Viral Overload
A diet containing refined carbohydrates causes the blood sugar to fluctuate wildly. As a result, certain white blood cells (namely the neutrophils) cannot do their job efficiently. The Immune system needs stable blood sugar to be able to destroy viruses and bacteria. Their primary function is to destroy viruses and bacteria, thereby providing an important defence against infection. When these viruses and bacteria proliferate, they overload the system and the body, of course, needs to react. Often, for example, there will be excess mucus production, resulting in frequent coughs, colds, runny noses and fever especially in children. It is important therefore to remove all refined and processed foods from the diet to allow for healthy immune function.
High Chemical Exposure
Environmental pollutants have also been shown to impact negatively on the body’s ability to fight off infection. Our modern lifestyle exposes us to many sources of dangerous chemicals like lead from car fumes, glues and paints used in the home, amalgam dental fillings, and pesticide residues in our water and food. People who live in a polluted atmosphere or close to a busy road may find themselves constantly sick and no amount of medication is able to solve their problems. If this sounds familiar, you should have a blood test to determine the level of heavy metals present in your blood. Most heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, depress immunity and contribute to increased levels of illness.
It is best to live in an environment that is as natural as possible; away from busy roads, eating only organically grown produce and drinking clean spring water. For most of us this is almost impossible. But what is possible is to eat a diet that is high in vitamin C and chlorophyll. This will help the body to deal with these pollutants (also known as free radicals) and will prevent them from suppressing the immune system.
The very best source of vitamin C is fresh fruit and vegetables and chlorophyll is found in all dark green leafy vegetables. Another reason I take BarleyLife and eat a high raw diet!
Chemicals in household products
Many of us accept that not feeling well is part of the process of aging. We assume we are feeling ill because we are tired, stressed out, run down. Rarely do we look at our surroundings as the cause of our aches and pains. But the truth is that there are many products we use around the home that can affect the way we feel; products such as air fresheners, detergents, disinfectants, cosmetics and pesticides. A recent British study shows that over a lifetime women absorb twice their body weight in toxic chemicals while men only take in about half their body weight. The reason for this discrepancy is that women generally tend to handle more cleaning materials and cosmetics than men do.
Foods & be
Foods high in processed & heated fats such fast foods, margarine etc
Refined sugar & carbohydrates and the foods that contain them such as sweets, chocolates cold drinks cakes etc. Refined sugar upsets the blood sugar, which is needed by the body to be stable so that white blood cells can destroy viruses & bacteria.
Excess table salt and foods that contain high levels
Processed foods
These foods are not only deficient in basic nutrients but can actually rob your body of vitamins &minerals. 60-70 years ago only 10 % of our food was processed. Today 80 % of the foods most people eat are processed.
Caffeine
containing foods & be
Alcohol – destroys vitamins & minerals, and upsets the Endocrine system & in turn the Immune system.
Jennifer Meak (an Immunologist & Nutritionist) says that the best way to avoid anything from the common cold to cancer & Aids is to boost your Immune system through nutrition. To quote from
“Raw whole foods provide many other factors (some of which are probably unknown) like natural antibiotics, essential oils, pigments and enzymes, which are of benefit to health. Raw, whole foods increase the oxygen content of our cells especially important for the prevention of cancer, where cells have switched to live without oxygen. Fresh fruit and vegetables are high in potassium, which is essential for maintaining a healthy Immune System and for avoiding cancer………..
All processed foods (and this even includes cooked whole foods here) require you immune army to defend your gut and many white blood cells are lost. Raw foods, however, do not cause destruction of the white defenders. It would appear that some raw food, taken before cooked food, reduces or even eliminates battle fatalities, so saving you the energy used in fighting, repair and replacement.”
Follow the basic 5 steps in my books (see www.mary-anns.com) and these guideline and your lung function will improve.
Q & A - Tonsillitis and Diet
Hi Mary-Ann
I would appreciate it if you could give me your comments on one of my clients.
David is nearly 3 years old, he is suffering from low iron levels and continuous chest infections, tonsillitis and was hospitalised about 8 weeks ago with pneumonia. Last week he had a fever again and was diagnosed with tonsillitis and paediatrician is recommending that the tonsils come out.
He has been on the Garden Trio (BarleyLife, Just Carrots and Redibeets) and flax for a long time. Mom does feed him a lot of fruit and vegetables and she is feeling very despondent because she feels that she is doing everything that is healthy but friends and family are saying that being healthy is not working for her family so I told her that the problem is the 2 bottles of NAN (cow’s milk) formula that he has at 12am and before bedtime. He also has 125ml of cow’s milk in the morning with oats or Pronutro. I told her that the milk is causing all the mucous which is making him sick. Mom is having a problem because Dad wants to do what the paediatrician says to have the iron tonic and the formula. She is frustrated because she wants to go the healthy way but he wanted her to take him off the barley because everyone believes that is what is making him sick. I am sending you this e mail so that you can comment and I will send this back to her for him to see and she is then hoping that he will change his mind.
Thanks very much
Lots of love
Samantha Crane
Natural Health Consultant
+27 83 417 4273
My response below may upset some of you, but please understand that I have been trying to help and educate people o this issue for over 16 years and have seen so much misery, fear and pain because of bad advice given to people by the medical profession. I know there are many wonderful doctors out there who know this, but I have also seen so many problems results from cutting first and asking questions later. This is strongly worded because I want you to take this very seriously. Your tonsils are the first line of defense in the digestive tract, they nurture and develop immune cells and without them your child’s (or your) immune system will be seriously compromised.
Hi Samantha
I can tell this mother right now, that if she does not remove the milk immediately and she removes the tonsils she is just going to be damaging her child's immune system irreparably and the paediatrician should be held liable for being so irresponsible!!
There is way to too much research now that shows clearly that dairy is the cause of this going back to the early 1990's. Some of it is published in paediatric journals like Pedmed and the research is from reliable place like the Red Cross Children's hospital in Cape Town (Dr Motala)
So she has a choice, be committed to actually help the child, remove all dairy for 3 weeks. If at the end of that time there is no improvement then she can rip out his tonsils and please tell her from me these are the first line of defence in the body so her child is more likely to develop autoimmune problems later. Besides which tell her also from me, that her paediatrician, if he is worth what they pay him, should have read the copious amount of research that show that cow's milk protein is the NUMBER 1 cause of juvenile diabetes.
So if she and the husband actually want to help their child they will do the right thing. Why do they think God put tonsils in our bodies and why he would give a mother milk in her breast?? Then tell them to pray and ask God to give them wisdom.
Have they read the section on this in "Healthy Kids"?
You tell them from me I think they are very irresponsible even entertaining the idea of taking the tonsils out, it is not only dangerous it is barbaric!
The anaemia is caused by the infection from the tonsils as the body hides the iron to keep the haemoglobin levels down to keep the oxygen levels down as bacteria feed on it. So with the dairy out the iron levels will come up naturally as the source of infection will be gone. BarleyLife is a great source of iron as is Redibeets which is even higher but while there is infection keep the Redibeets out as you don't want to force up the iron levels, while the body is repairing the situation and lowering the bacterial count.
I cannot believe this doctor, he should know this stuff. I mean what do they teach these people anyway?
I am so mad and what makes it worse is that this family is confused by this irresponsible advice that is being given them. I know what they teach them, diseases and how to treat them with drugs and medication.
I pray God gives you wisdom to be able to help this people, I know that will look back if they go this route and wonder how and why they lived in such fear and ignorance.
Keep up the great work
Mary-Ann
Thought for the week
Psalm 150:6 (Amplified Bible)
Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)