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Natural Wellness News
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Vol. 1, No. 70 * * * June 2012
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Happy Habits, Why Fat?, Parabens & Cancer, Belly-Brain Connection
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Message from Bernadette Wulf
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Greetings!
This has been an amazing month for me. As you may have noticed from the
photo, there is a very sweet little guy who arrived on the day of the
eclipse, making me a grandma for the first time. He and his Mommy are
very healthy and happy, not to mention his Grammy. He was one day old
in that picture.
The eclipse was pretty amazing in itself. Not only was it visually
stunning from where I live in Northern California, but according to
some, it rebooted the planet, starting us off in a new positive
direction. Time will tell where that leads, but I like to think that we
are shifting toward more awareness, more compassion, and a saner way of
life.
This month we start off with an article that can give us a jump start
toward that saner way of life, by urging us to give up the negative
habits that sabotage us. We have a convincing argument to eat more fat
- something that most of us will not complain about. Then a warning
about parabens found in most cosmetics and deodorants, and a natural
solution to the toxic chemicals found in feminine hygiene products. We
finish off with a really interesting article about the connection
between belly size and brain size that will probably inspire you to do
whatever it takes to protect that precious brain of yours.
To Your Health!
Bernadette Wulf
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Visit My Website HealItAll.com
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Give Up These 15 Things to Be Happy
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Normally, most of us don't like to think about giving things up. That's
something we might do for Lent as a penance, or maybe something we
would try when faced with a life-threatening illness, like giving up
smoking after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Those sacrifices may
have long term benefits, but giving up the 15 things on this list will
actually bring immediate rewards.
Start with giving up your need to always be right. Sure, it can feel
satisfying in the moment, but what good does it really do any of us?
Then there's the need to control. Giving that up can be quite a
challenge, but it is amazing how much easier things flow when we can
just let go. The list goes on to cover blame and self-defeating
self-talk. It is pretty obvious how those can undermine our lives.
Check out the entire list for lots more self-defeating habits that may
be keeping you stuck in misery, or maybe just a less-than-happy state
of mind.
Each item on the list could be life changing in itself. Imagine how
happy you will be when you give up all of them. It probably won't
happen overnight, but with a little awareness you'll begin to catch
yourself before you fall back into those negative habits. Before you
know it, your whole life could change for the better.
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Read More About Happy Habits
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Should Half Your Calories Come from Fat?
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Is it dangerous to cut way back on fats? Gary Taubes seems to think so,
and he has the science to back it up. This could turn out to be a very
controversial article, after all the brainwashing about low fat diets
we've been exposed to over the last few decades. I don't even know if I
agree with everything he says, but I definitely agree that replacing
fats with refined and processed carbohydrates is at the root of
America's obesity/diabetes epidemic. I also agree that not all fats are
created equal. The biggest culprit in the heart disease epidemic may
actually be sugars and refined carbohydrates, but I suspect that trans
fats may also have been a serious contributing factor.
From mercola.com - "Edwin Kayser, a German chemist, wrote to Procter
& Gamble on October 18, 1907, about a new chemical process that
could create a solid fat from a liquid. The company's researchers had
been interested in producing a solid form of cottonseed oil for years,
and Kayser described his new process as 'of the greatest possible
importance to soap manufacturers.' The company purchased US rights to
the patents and created a lab on the Procter & Gamble campus, known
as Ivorydale, to experiment with the new technology. Soon the company's
scientists produced a new creamy, pearly white substance out of
cottonseed oil. It looked a lot like the most popular cooking fat of
the day: lard. Before long, Procter & Gamble sold this new
substance (known today as hydrogenated vegetable oil) to home cooks as
a replacement for animal fats."
Thus began a century of artery clogging trans fat consumption that is
only now being recognized for the health dangers it poses.
Unfortunately, according to Taubes, many of the past scientific studies
on dietary fats did not distinguish between trans fats, saturated fats,
mono-saturated fats, unsaturated fats, cooked fats, raw fats, animal
fats, and vegetable fats, so it is impossible to know which fats were
implicated in the incidence of heart disease. This may help to explain
why populations that consume large amounts of olive or coconut oils are
relatively free from heart disease, while Americans (with high trans
fat consumption) have such a high incidence.
Personally, I think raw, whole food sources of fat are a healthy
addition to any diet, unless you have liver or gall bladder issues that
make it difficult to digest fat. Avocados, olives, coconut, nuts and
seeds can provide various forms of healthy essential fats while
satisfying hunger for long periods. Much better than filling up on
flour products and sweet treats that send blood sugar skyrocketing.
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Read More About Healthy Fats
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Parabens Linked to Breast Cancer
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According to this recent article, 99% of breast cancer tissue contains
parabens, and higher concentrations were found in the areas where
antiperspirants are applied! Even so, several people in the study
claimed that they never used deodorants, so it appears that parabens
can migrate to the cancer sites from cosmetics used on other parts of
the body.
From mercola.com - "Parabens are chemicals that serve as preservatives
in antiperspirants and many cosmetics, as well as sun lotions. Previous
studies have shown that all parabens have estrogenic activity in human
breast cancer cells."
One aggravating thing about this study is that it wasn't done BEFORE
parabens permeated the cosmetic market. Why do we continue to create
more and more chemicals and dump them into the marketplace without
knowing how they will affect our bodies and our environment? It seems
like a form of insanity. I hope studies like this will prompt
manufacturers (even some of those that claim to be "natural") to
thoroughly study the ingredients in their products, so unsuspecting
consumers do not have to pay the price of their negligence.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for a natural deodorant that is actually
good for you, try rubbing a small amount of coconut oil under your
arms. It also works great as a foot deodorant.
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Read the Entire Article
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For Women Only - How Pure is Pure
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Sometimes those pure white, fluffy sanitary pads and tampons are not
really as pure as they appear. (Though the article doesn't go into it,
I would assume that baby and adult diapers contain similar toxins.)
Most commercial tampons and pads contain toxic dioxin and chlorine
disinfection by-products that can be easily absorbed by the body.
According to Dr. Mercola - "Studies show that dioxin collects in the
fatty tissues of animals and humans. And published reports show that
even low or trace levels of dioxins may be linked to:
- Abnormal tissue growth in the abdomen and reproductive organs
- Abnormal cell growth throughout the body
- Immune system suppression
- Hormonal and endocrine system disruption"
The solution? Use organic cotton products. Dr. Mercola offers his own
line, and they appear to be excellent products, but you can also find
organic cotton pads and tampons at any good natural food store.
Not only is organic cotton better for you, it is a lot better for our
planet. Quoting again from mercola.com "According to the USDA, cotton
is the third most heavily insecticide/herbicide treated U.S. crop
(behind corn and soy), making it very detrimental to the environment.
In fact, the conventional, non-organic cotton industry uses a full
fourth of the world's insecticides.
"Consider this… According to the Sustainable Cotton Project in
California, nearly a third of a pound of chemicals is required to make
ONE t-shirt from typically treated cotton! What's more, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency classifies nine of the most common
pesticides used on cotton as highly toxic and five are considered
probable carcinogens by the U.S. EPA."
So do us all a favor and switch to organic cotton whenever possible. Thanks!
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More About Dangers of Bleached Feminine Hygene Products
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Big Belly - Small Brain
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As if there weren't already enough problems associated with obesity, we
are now discovering that expanding belly size actually causes the brain
to shrink, often leading to dementia! Most of us need all the brain
cells we can hang onto, so this may be just the motivation we all need
to shift into a healthier lifestyle.
According to jimhealthyshealingkitchen.com - "A surprising study
conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis found
that being overweight is linked to dangerous blood flow changes in the
brain that actually shrinks its size and leads to serious cognitive
problems, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. The bigger the belly,
the smaller the brain.
"This is just one of a dozen studies recently published in major
medical journals that lead to the same conclusion: A big belly creates
a smaller brain -- and all the terrible cognitive problems that go with
it."
I don't know about you, but that is enough to make me want to cut back
on carbs and start getting a little more exercise. The best way to shed
those extra pounds is to start with a good detox program. Toxins can
build up in our tissues, causing the body to store fat in order to keep
the toxins out of circulation.
Hormones can also be a factor in weight gain, particularly as we age,
and maintaining our once svelte figure may get harder and harder over
the years. If you are having trouble dumping those extra pounds, you
might want to have your hormones tested by someone who specializes in
natural hormone balancing.
When you click on the link below, scroll down to "This Will Make You Lose Weight" to read this fascinating article.
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Read More About the Big Belly - Small Brain Connection
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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
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