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Natural Wellness News
Vol. 1, No. 66 * * * Febuary 2012

From Black Water Dragons to Baby Talk

In This Issue:
Message from Bernadette Wulf
Grapes Can Help Protect Vision
Heavy Metal Detox with Chlorella
The Great Salt Debate
Blood Pressure - Why Test Both Arms?
10 Things I Love About Pears
Can Babies Talk?
Contact Info
 
Happy Year of the Dragon! Message from Bernadette Wulf
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Greetings!

It is the year of the Black Water Dragon according to the Chinese calendar, an auspicious year that may bring luck and harmony to those who befriend this dark dragon. To me, the black water dragon represents the flowing currents of water underground, certainly one of our most precious resources. I would ask you to take a few minutes to really think about how this water impacts your life and how your life impacts the water.

What have you flushed down your drain lately? Was it toxic, or biodegradable? Will it support the life of fish and frogs and a healthy balance of algae? Did you know that something as seemingly innocent as flushing cat litter down the toilet can kill sea otters in the ocean? It is all connected. We are all connected.

I invite you to notice those connections in this year of the dragon. Dragons are all about Earth energy. What happens when we suck oil out of deep underground caverns, or explode nuclear weapons underground? How do meltdowns of nuclear power plants impact the balance of nature? What about driving your car? Have you ever really explored the impact of one automobile on the world? It all comes down to energy. How do we get it? What do we do with it? And what does it do to us and the rest of our planet?

The time has come to look at these questions very seriously and find ways to think outside the box. Why? Because we are not the only ones who will be affected by the answers. That's where the baby talk comes in. I recently found out that I will soon be a grandma. That is pretty exciting. It also inspires me to think a lot more about the world I will be leaving to my grandson. Yes, they already know it is a boy.

I've always been aware of environmental issues, but now I have one more reason to be vigilant. I think we can clean up our act, but we have to educate ourselves and work together to override the immense commercial machine that is continually enticing us to buy more, use more, and pollute more. We can make a start by committing to buy organic produce and non-toxic light bulbs, as you will see in the articles below.

We also have an interesting article about how grapes can help protect our eyes, the benefits of pears (aside from being really yummy!), how to clear out heavy metals like mercury with chlorella, a few words about salt, why it is important to test blood pressure on both arms, and last but not least, an amazing way to understand the language of newborn babies. Imagine what a different world we would have if everyone felt understood right from birth!

To Your Health!
Bernadette Wulf

Visit My Website HealItAll.com

Eat grapes for healthy eyes Grapes Can Help Protect Vision
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It would be nice if these studies were done on humans, but for the time being they show that grapes appear to offer strong vision protection to mice. Lutein is often recommended for preventing macular degeneration, but grapes may be even more effective - and they are a lot more delicious! I always prefer to find tasty whole food sources of the nutrients that keep us well, don't you?

According to this eurekalert.org article, "Grapes proved to offer dramatic protection: the grape-enriched diet protected against oxidative damage of the retina and prevented blindness in those mice consuming grapes. While lutein was also effective, grapes were found to offer significantly more protection.

"'The protective effect of the grapes in this study was remarkable, offering a benefit for vision at old age even if grapes were consumed only at young age,' said principal investigator Silvia Finnemann, PhD, Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University in New York."

Because grapes are among the most polluted agribusiness products, I highly recommend eating only organically grown grapes. Because most of the grape's antioxidant properties are found in the skins and seeds, the most beneficial varieties are thick skinned wine grapes with seeds, particularly those grown in colder climates. However, eating any sort of grapes will have some value.

Read More About Grapes and Eye Protection

Avoid toxic mercury in lightbulbs Heavy Metal Detox with Chlorella
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By now, you have probably heard about the dangers of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, often listed simply as CFL bulbs. These energy efficient wonders can be deadly when broken, because they contain highly toxic mercury. I find it amazing that as soon as dentists finally started taking the dangers of mercury amalgam fillings seriously, and people also started cutting back on tuna and other large ocean fish to avoid mercury contamination, we are suddenly pressured to install these mercury-containing bulbs in our homes and work places. Doesn't that seem a bit odd to you?

I don't like to think in terms of conspiracies, but it almost seems like somebody really wants to keep us exposed to mercury. I will leave you to speculate about the possible implications of that, and move on to solutions. Fortunately there are foods that can clear mercury out of our bodies. One of these is cilantro, about which you can find lots of information on the Internet. Another, that is not so well known, is chlorella, an ocean algae with powerful cleansing properties.

From mercola.com - "One of the reasons the Japanese value chlorella so highly is its natural detoxification abilities. Chlorella is a "green food," a single-celled, micro-algae that is about two to ten microns in size. It's very small. It is this small size combined with its unique properties that make it such a useful detoxification tool. Its molecular structure, allows it to bond to metals, chemicals and some pesticides.

"When chlorella is taken into your body, its natural action will bind it to lingering heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides found in your digestive tract, which is your body's pathway to your bloodstream where these harmful toxins are delivered and deposited into your body's cells."

The only good news about heavy metal poisoning, including mercury, is that we do have ways of removing the toxins, but avoiding them in the first place is much better. Before you invest in a house full of CFL bulbs, take a look at options like the new LED lights. They are a lot more expensive, but they also last a lot longer. Unfortunately, they often contain lead or nickle which are also toxic heavy metals, but not nearly as dangerous as mercury.

Read More About Chlorella and Heavy Metal Poisoning

What's the deal with salt, anyway? The Great Salt Debate
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Every health debate has to address the salt issue. Does salt cause hardening of the arteries? How much do we need? Is one type better than another? Some people say we should avoid all salt, except the natural sodium in our foods. Others say we need to add some salt to keep our electrolytes in balance. Then the question becomes, what kind of salt?

Personally, I think it would be ideal if we could get all of our sodium from foods like celery, artichokes, and coconut. However, salt has been added to human foods for thousands of years, and even wild animals will flock to a salt lick, so there is probably some benefit in including small amounts of salt. How much will depend on how much potassium is in the diet and how much a person perspires. Sodium and potassium must be kept in proper balance to maintain ideal health.

The question this article addresses is, what kind of salt is best? Some claim that there is no difference between ordinary table salt and some of the more expensive options sold in natural food stores. I strongly disagree.

As this bewellbuzz.com article points out - "...table salt is highly refined, going through a process that removes the magnesium and trace minerals. Various additives are added, like aluminum compound to keep it dry. The natural iodine is destroyed during its refining process and only added back in the form of potassium iodide. As for sea salt, it is naturally dried under the heat of the sun. Therefore retains its natural iodine from the sea. It also means there is still large mineral content."

Aside from any other differences between ordinary table salt and sea salt, or some of the natural crystal salts, the issue of additives is glaring. One doctor (unfortunately I don't remember his name) even suggested that the reports of hardening of the arteries from salt are all based on the use of table salt containing additives, and it is the additives that are causing the problems!

Aluminum has been connected with Alzheimer's disease in some studies, so why would we accept it as an additive in our salt? Sure, it makes the salt flow freely, because it stops it from absorbing moisture, but that would also stop it from dissolving properly in our bodies. I would rather put up with a little clumping than have toxic chemicals added to my salt. Wouldn't you?

The best salt I've found is Celtic Sea Salt. Pink Himalayan salt is also good and there are several others sold without harmful additives. So if you are going to eat salt, make sure it is pure and minimally processed. The more salt you eat, the more potassium you will need. Potassium is abundant in fresh fruits and vegetables. Unless you are exercising heavily in hot weather, you will probably never need more than a maximum of one teaspoon of salt per day.

Read More About Salt

Test blood pressure on BOTH arms Blood Pressure - Why Test Both Arms?
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Here's an article that surprised me, but it makes a lot of sense when I think about it. Since arteries don't necessarily have the same amount of plaque or resistance, the blood pressure on one side of the body may be different from the other side. If that difference is marked, it can be a sign of serious or even life-threatening conditions.

"If the two readings of systolic blood pressure - the pressure of blood in arteries when the heart is contracting - differ by 15 or more, it could indicate a narrowing of arteries to the legs, decreased blood flow to the brain, heart disease and a 70 percent increased risk of dying from either heart attack or stroke."

Read More About Blood Pressure Testing in Both Arms

Pears are good and good for you 10 Things I Love About Pears
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I was delighted to find this article about the wonders of pears, since pears are one of my very favorite fruits, probably second only to ripe apricots fresh off the tree. Fortunately, we don't have to find a pear tree to enjoy pears at their best. Unlike apricots, pears are best picked when they are hard. They develop their succulent sweetness as they soften, so pears are one of the few fruits that actually improve after picking! My favorite variety is the red d'Anjou which, in my opinion, is pretty close to the nectar of the gods.

According to a recent article on bewellbuzz.com, "Pears are such a valuable source of food that people would sometimes include the word Perry in place names to indicate that pears were growing there.

"Pears have more nutrients per calorie than calories per nutrient (surprising since they are so sweet). They are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, copper & vitamin K."

Read the entire article for lots of fascinating facts about pears that you probably haven't heard before.

Read More About Pears

Language of Babies Can Babies Talk?
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I wish I had known about the Dunstan System when my kids were babies. Unfortunately it didn't exist yet. I, like many other parents, went through countless hours trying to figure out what my babies were crying about. According to the video in this article, 9 out of 10 mothers found the Dunstan Baby Language Learning System very helpful in understanding their infants. Particular sounds seem to have universal meanings, at least for the first three months of life.

A happy mother reports, "When I got the The Dunstan System – Baby Language Learning System I opened it up right away, I couldn’t wait to see if it would help me to figure out everything I wanted to in order to understand my daughter. I am very happy to report that this program has helped me to learn how to read my baby’s body language and know what it is that she wants or needs. This has helped me in so many ways that I can’t even name them all."

Learn more and watch the informative video here -

Learn More About the Dunstan Baby Language Learning System

To read past issues of HealItAll.com Newsletter go to
http://healitall.com/newsletterarchives.html

Bernadette Wulf is a Naturopath, EFT therapist, Health and Nutrition Coach, and Reiki Master with a world-wide practice via phone and Internet.

Visit http://healitall.com for more information.

For Health & Wellness Coaching contact Bernadette Wulf at wulfartist@yahoo.com
707-824-0675

Bernadette Wulf - Heal It All.com • P.O. Box 9546 • Santa Rosa • CA • 95405

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