Natural Cures Not Medicine: 11/02/13

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4 ways to remove fluoride from tap water

Natural Cures Not Medicine

Image: infowars.com
Fluoride has a dubious history starting with the mass fluoridation of people under Nazi rule. In recent years, there has been a push to remove fluoride from the tap water in the US, behind most European countries which have already removed the poisonous chemical from their water supplies.

Most politicians erroneously support fluoridation due to heavy lobbying in favor of the chemical, but more and more activists and consumers are making a stand for their water supply. It may only be a few years until we totally eradicate this twisted fluoridation scheme, but here is one way to remove fluoride and 99.9% of all other contaminants from your tap water: Distillation.

Once you are aware of the negative impact of fluoride on your health—and especially if you live in an area where the water is fluoridated—you will have to decide what to do about it. To complicate matters, fluoride is absorbed through the skin, and by inhalation. Showering and bathing in fluoridated water is also a problem. Fluoride is actually more dangerous when absorbed through the skin and/or lungs because it enters the bloodstream more easily, bypassing the gut where it binds with minerals from food.  When it is not feasible to remove the fluoride from your entire water supply, limiting time in the shower or bath and reducing the temperature of the water helps minimize the amount of fluoride absorbed.

To top it all off, fluoride is difficult to remove from water. Most water filter sales literature avoids the subject. When buying a water filter, you may be comforted by reading that the system you are purchasing removes 95 to 99% of contaminants, but if it does not specifically state that it removes fluoride, you can bet it doesn’t. Fluoride is a very small ion (atomic number 9). It cannot be “filtered” out of water.  At this time, fluoride removal is limited to four main methods discussed below.

How do I get the fluoride out of my water?

1 . Distillation
Distillation is capable of removing just about anything (except volatile compounds) from water.  If you have a distiller, you can remove fluoride. The obvious drawback to distillation is that the process is time and energy consumptive. Distillation also leaves the resulting water empty and lifeless. If you use distilled water you need to add minerals (salts) back to the water. (Read about salt and full-spectrum living water).  You should also consider structuring and energetically enhancing distilled water (returning the life force) using any of the methods in Chapters 11 and 12 of Dancing with Water. (Read about water’s liquid crystalline structure).

Here's a video from our previous post about distilling water to remove fluoride from tap water:


2.  Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) represents a reverse of normal osmotic processes. It relies on pressure and a semi-permeable membrane to remove contaminants from water. RO can remove between 90 and 95% of fluoride (depending on the efficiency of the system and depending on how well the system is maintained). Contaminants are trapped by the RO membrane and flushed away in the waste water. The process requires between 2 and 4 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of RO water (depending on the quality of the water and the efficiency of the RO unit). Source water with an abundance of contaminants (including hard water) can reduce the efficiency of an RO system and it can shorten the life of the membrane.

Similar to distillation, RO has a good track record for removing almost everything from water. Quality RO systems include pre-filters to remove VOCs (volatile organic compounds), heavy metals, hard water minerals, and other contaminants that reduce the life of RO membranes. And similar to distillation, RO leaves water empty and lifeless. The addition of salts and the re-introduction of life force are necessary to bring RO water back to energetic compatibility with the human body.

3.  Activated alumina
Fluoride is strongly attracted to activated alumina (corundum/aluminum oxide) which has a large surface area with a huge array of tunnel-like pores. For this reason, activated alumina is the most commonly used fluoride removal media today. When used properly, it can remove up to 98% of the fluoride in water while also removing arsenic. The challenges with activated alumina are many. First of all, since the process works by ion exchange, the water must remain in contact with the media for an extended period of time—long enough for the fluoride to be adsorbed by the media. When the flow rate is faster than ¼ gallon/minute, there is not enough time to adsorb all the fluoride in the water. Another difficulty with activated alumina is that the media becomes saturated with fluoride. Depending on the amount of media in the system (how large the filter is) and on the amount of fluoride in the water, systems using activated alumina either need to be recharged or replaced often. The last difficulty with activated alumina is that aluminum is released into the treated water. This effectively trades one problem for another. Some systems address this; others do not.

There are many point-of-use filters that claim to remove fluoride using activated alumina. The problem with most of these systems is that they only work for a short period of time (usually far less than claimed) before they become saturated. The other difficulty is that point-of-use systems do not slow the flow rate enough to provide adequate time for adsorption.  Recent testing of a variety of these filters revealed that few functioned as claimed for more than a few weeks.  Unless the activated alumina can be cleaned and recharged or replaced regularly, and unless the flow rate is slow enough to allow time for adsorption, activated alumina may not be what you are looking for.

There are some “tank” type fluoride removal systems that are capable of working for many years with a backwashing and recharging cycle and an occasional topping off of the media. These systems are often used to remove fluoride from the whole home. Many consisder them the answer to the fluoride problem. They are not. The drawback to this type of system is an environmental problem. Caustic chemicals are required to backwash (sodium hydroxide) and to recharge (sulphuric acid) the media—chemicals that end up in the waste water. And when these “tanks” are eventually replaced, they end up in a landfill, loaded with fluoride, arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmuim.

4.  BC-Carbon
Bone-Char (BC) Carbon has been used for centuries to remove naturally-occurring fluoride from water. It works similar to the way bones in the human body attract fluoride.  Bone contains a porous matrix that is rich in surface ions. These can be readily replaced by fluoride and by some of the other contaminants that arrive along with fluoride (heavy metals).  Bone char effectively removes a number of contaminants.

When used alone, BC-Carbon can remove up to 90% of the fluoride in water. The efficiency of bone char can be improved by adding pre-filters that remove heavy metals and other contaminants before exposure to the BC-carbon. Bone char works best at a slightly acidic pH and may not work as well with hard water. This medium is being successfully incorporated in many systems where cartridges can be replaced as the media becomes saturated. But this method is also not without problems. Obviously, bone char is an organic medium. Medical grade bone char is important to ensure that the bone char itself is clean.

Sources: Natural Cures Not Medicinedancingwithwater.com

WARNING: Food labeled 'all natural' are likely made with GMOs


Food Babe

As a consumer, it’s shocking to find out 100% all natural products can be chock full of GMOs.

I used to eat a lot of Lean Cuisine frozen meals back in the day. I was right out of college and wanted quick, easy and calorie controlled dinners I could have after work, which would take zero effort after my long days as a management consultant. All my girlfriends were doing it, we’d share with each other which new flavors were the best and talk about how low the calorie count was. I’d pop that sucker right into the microwave, in it’s plastic wrapping and bowl and have (what I thought at the time) a decent ready to eat meal that was healthy and “lean”.
Image: FoodBabe.com
Oh boy those were the days! This was a time period in my life where I was easily fooled by deceptive marketing I saw in persuasive, too-good-to-be-true messaging in commercials and on packages. I knew basically nothing about real food, GMOs, or chemically processed ingredients and I was sick.
Some say ignorance is bliss, considering all the alarming information there is to know about food these days and products to watch out for. But let me ask you, do you call living with chronic illnesses (asthma, allergies, endometriosis, and eczema) and being on several prescription drugs in your 20’s, bliss?

That’s why when I saw the recent commercial for the new Lean Cuisine meals called “honestly good” with the words “100% all natural” slapped on the package, I had to investigate. These meals promise all whole foods with whole grains, but when you look at the ingredient list, they have ingredients from the top 4 genetically engineered crops (corn, canola, soy and sugar beets). How can they call this product natural? Are they truly sourcing natural ingredients that aren’t developed in a laboratory? Well, I wanted to find out, so I called the headquarters.

Watch the video below to find out what happens. You’ll be shocked at the information and website the customer service agent directs me to learn about GMOs.


The customer service representative confirmed that there is a 70-80% likelihood that any and all Lean Cuisine products (including this Honestly Good line) contain GMOs and could not guarantee their product labeled 100% natural is free of GMOs. They also directed me to a website that was created by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) that is funded by Big Food, and Biotech companies like Monsanto. These are the same companies giving millions and millions of dollars to stop GMO labeling. This makes me wonder how many customer service representatives are instructed by their employers (BIG food companies) to spread this mass misinformation campaign to consumers. It’s absolutely atrocious.

As you can see below, the entire list of ingredients for each flavor has suspected GMOs – but for some reason (you can thank the FDA for the lack of regulation) they are allowed to put not just “all natural “– but “100% all natural” on the label.

Lean Cuisine sources their ingredients “domestically when possible.” It’s startling to see how many potential GMO ingredients there are in their new product line.

How are companies getting away with labeling an entire product line 100% all natural and still using GMOs?! Well, they are not exactly getting away with this. Even though the FDA does not have a strict definition around what natural means, these companies are being sued left and right because they are misleading the consumer with false advertising and claims.

The proof is in the labeling

Image: FoodBabe.com
Labeling a product 100% all natural and not being able to verify it (see video above), is extremely unfair to the consumer. This is fraudulent and irresponsible marketing that Lean Cuisine and parent company Nestle need to be held accountable for.

How long do you think it will be before Nestle/Lean Cuisine joins the ranks of General Mills (Nature Valley GranolaBars), Conagra (Wesson Oil), Pepsi (Naked Juice), Frito-Lay (Tostitos and Sun Chips), Kashi (Cereal),Barbara’s Bakery (Cereal), Pepperidge Farm (Gold Fish), etc? All of these companies have been or being sued for mislabeling their products as “all natural” when really their products contain synthetic material or GMOs.

Contact Lean Cuisine and tell them what you think at 1-800-993-8625 or facebook message them.

GMOs increases the use of toxic chemicals in our environmentkill bees and are linked to cancer, allergies and autoimmune disorders in animal studies.

To avoid GMOs, choose products with the USDA Organic Certified and Non-GMO Project Verified labels and remember, 100% natural does not equal GMO free. Review the product list above and see the items listed in red, if the product is conventional or marked natural, it likely contains GMOs. One of the most unsuspecting ingredients is “sugar” that comes from GMO sugar beets (unless listed as cane sugar) and “natural flavor” that usually starts with a base of GMO corn (and can also contain beaver anal secretions – ewwww!). Also, hidden GMOs can be found in any meat product that is labeled “all natural” because it is likely raised with GMO feed. Here’s a full list of common GMO ingredients.

If you know someone who’s buying “natural” products or perhaps eating Lean Cuisine or other frozen meals, share this video and information with them. We all need to spread the truth.

P.S. If you’d like to take further action, please sign the Organic Consumers Association’s petition that asks the FDA to reserve “natural” claims for foods that are produced without the use of genetic engineering.
Since the FDA is asleep at the wheel, any lawyers out there want to take this on?

GMOs are not found in nature! The DNA has been altered in a laboratory.

Source: foodbabe.com

How to grow the miracle herb turmeric at home

Some of the health benefits of turmeric include:

Image: www.gather.com
-Helps prevent gas
-Helps prevent cancer
-Natural Antibiotic
-Aids in weight management
-Natural antiseptic
-Reduces the side effects of chemo
-Natural analgesic

Se more health benefits of turmeric that we have posted about here.

Here is a good video that shows you how to easily plant this miracle herb so you can have it around all the time. Growing you own is the best way to ensure that your food (or medicine) is organic, fresh and packed with the most nutritional value.

Science Confirms Turmeric More Effective than 14 Different Pharmaceutical Drugs


Image: delicioushappens.com
by Sayer Ji | greenmedinfo.com

Turmeric is one the most thoroughly researched plants in existence today.  Its medicinal properties and , and acquired either as a retail item or with 200 GMI-tokens, for those of you who are already are members and receive them automatically each month.
Downloadable Turmeric Document page
components (primarily curcumin) have been the subject of over 5600 peer-reviewed and published biomedical studies.  In fact, our five-year long research project on this sacred plant has revealed over 600 potential preventive and therapeutic applications, as well as 175 distinct beneficial physiological effects. This entire database of 1,585 ncbi-hyperlinked turmeric abstracts can be downloaded as a PDF at our

Related: How to grow turmeric at home

Given the sheer density of research performed on this remarkable spice, it is no wonder that a growing number of studies have concluded that it compares favorably to a variety of conventional medications, including:

Lipitor/Atorvastatin(cholesterol medication): A 2008 study published in the journal Drugs in R & D found that a standardized preparation of curcuminoids from Turmeric compared favorably to the drug atorvastatin (trade name Lipitor) on endothelial dysfunction, the underlying pathology of the blood vessels that drives atherosclerosis, in association with reductions in inflammation and oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic patients. [i]  [For addition curcumin and 'high cholesterol' research – 8 abstracts]

Corticosteroids (steroid medications): A 1999 study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that the primary polyphenol in turmeric, the saffron colored pigment known as curcumin, compared favorably to steroids in the management of chronic anterior uveitis, an inflammatory eye disease.[ii]  A 2008 study published in Critical Care Medicine found that curcumin compared favorably to the corticosteroid drug dexamethasone in the animal model as an alternative therapy for protecting lung transplantation-associated injury by down-regulating inflammatory genes.[iii] An earlier 2003 study published in Cancer Letters found the same drug also compared favorably to dexamethasone in a lung ischaemia-repurfusion injury model.[iv]  [for additional curcumin and inflammation research – 52 abstracts]

Prozac/Fluoxetine & Imipramine  (antidepressants): A 2011 study published in the journal Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica found that curcumin compared favorably to both drugs in reducing depressive behavior in an animal model.[v] [for additional curcumin and depression research – 5 abstracts]
Aspirin (blood thinner): A 1986 in vitro and ex vivo study published in the journal Arzneimittelforschung found that curcumin has anti-platelet and prostacyclin modulating effects compared to aspirin, indicating it may have value in patients prone to vascular thrombosis and requiring anti-arthritis therapy.[vi]  [for additional curcumin and anti-platelet research]

Anti-inflammatory Drugs: A 2004 study published in the journal Oncogene found that curcumin (as well as resveratrol) were effective alternatives to the drugs aspirin, ibuprofen, sulindac, phenylbutazone, naproxen, indomethacin, diclofenac, dexamethasone, celecoxib, and tamoxifen in exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activity against tumor cells.[vii] [for additional curcumin and anti-proliferative research – 15 abstracts]

Oxaliplatin (chemotherapy drug): A 2007 study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that curcumin compares favorably with oxaliplatin as an antiproliferative agenet in colorectal cell lines.[viii] [for additional curcumin and colorectal cancer research – 52 abstracts]

Metformin (diabetes drug): A 2009 study published in the journal Biochemitry and Biophysical Research Community explored how curcumin might be valuable in treating diabetes, finding that it activates AMPK (which increases glucose uptake) and suppresses gluconeogenic gene expression  (which suppresses glucose production in the liver) in hepatoma cells. Interestingly, they found curcumin to be 500 times to 100,000 times (in the form known as tetrahydrocurcuminoids(THC)) more potent than metformin in activating AMPK and its downstream target acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). [ix]

Continue reading at greenmedinfo.com

Citations:

[i] P Usharani, A A Mateen, M U R Naidu, Y S N Raju, Naval Chandra. Effect of NCB-02, atorvastatin and placebo on endothelial function, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, 8-week study. Drugs R D. 2008;9(4):243-50. PMID: 18588355
[ii] B Lal, A K Kapoor, O P Asthana, P K Agrawal, R Prasad, P Kumar, R C Srimal. Efficacy of curcumin in the management of chronic anterior uveitis. Phytother Res. 1999 Jun;13(4):318-22. PMID: 10404539
[iii] Jiayuan Sun, Weigang Guo, Yong Ben, Jinjun Jiang, Changjun Tan, Zude Xu, Xiangdong Wang, Chunxue Bai. Preventive effects of curcumin and dexamethasone on lung transplantation-associated lung injury in rats. Crit Care Med. 2008 Apr;36(4):1205-13. PMID: 18379247
[iv] J Sun, D Yang, S Li, Z Xu, X Wang, C Bai. Effects of curcumin or dexamethasone on lung ischaemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Cancer Lett. 2003 Mar 31;192(2):145-9. PMID: 18799504
[v] Jayesh Sanmukhani, Ashish Anovadiya, Chandrabhanu B Tripathi. Evaluation of antidepressant like activity of curcumin and its combination with fluoxetine and imipramine: an acute and chronic study. Acta Pol Pharm. 2011 Sep-Oct;68(5):769-75. PMID: 21928724
[vi] R Srivastava, V Puri, R C Srimal, B N Dhawan. Effect of curcumin on platelet aggregation and vascular prostacyclin synthesis. Arzneimittelforschung. 1986 Apr;36(4):715-7. PMID: 3521617
[vii] Yasunari Takada, Anjana Bhardwaj, Pravin Potdar, Bharat B Aggarwal. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents differ in their ability to suppress NF-kappaB activation, inhibition of expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and cyclin D1, and abrogation of tumor cell proliferation. Oncogene. 2004 Dec 9;23(57):9247-58. PMID: 15489888
[viii] Lynne M Howells, Anita Mitra, Margaret M Manson. Comparison of oxaliplatin- and curcumin-mediated antiproliferative effects in colorectal cell lines. Int J Cancer. 2007 Jul 1;121(1):175-83. PMID: 17330230
[ix] Teayoun Kim, Jessica Davis, Albert J Zhang, Xiaoming He, Suresh T Mathews. Curcumin activates AMPK and suppresses gluconeogenic gene expression in hepatoma cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Oct 16;388(2):377-82. Epub 2009 Aug 8. PMID: 19665995
[x] GreenMedInfo.com, Curcumin Kills Drug Resistant Cancers, 54 Abstracts
[xi] GreenMedInfo.com, Curcumin Kills Multi-Drug Resistant Cancers: 27 Abstracts.

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Before trying anything you find on the internet you should fully investigate your options and get further advice from professionals.

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