Healthy Bones, Prunes, Melatonin, Arthritis, Magnesium, White Blood Cell Count

 

Healthy Bones, Prunes, Melatonin, Arthritis, Magnesium, White Blood Cell Count

In This Issue: 

• • Save Your Bones with Prunes!
  • Melatonin for Healthy Bones & Longevity
  • Heal Arthritis with Diet
  • 7 Benefits of Magnesium
  • White Blood Cell Count Revelations

You’ll Find More Fascinating Health Posts my Facebook Page –

facebook.com/HealItAll/ – and lots of great recipes in my

Whole Foods Plant-Based, Gluten Free Diet & Recipes Group

Message from Bernadette Wulf

Greetings!

Happy November! There’s a buzz in the air with the upcoming U.S. election, a full blue moon, the switch to standard time, the ongoing COVID quarantine, and the beginning of the holiday season all coming at once.

In the midst of it all, we had a wonderful Halloween last night with an outdoor feast of pumpkin soup and salad as we enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather here in Sonoma County. There were even a few trick or treaters in the neighborhood – many less than usual, but it was nice to have a few.

This November is particularly exciting to me, since I will be turning 70 in less than a week. Much as I dreaded and resisted turning 60, I am actually quite delighted to have reached the ripe old age of 70… almost. It feels like an accomplishment to be entering my 70s without doctor visits, prescription drugs, or limitations to my physical abilities or mental faculties. That didn’t happen by accident!

At this point, as I look back over the last 70 years, I can see that the big revelations that made the most positive difference in my life were:

1. learning to understand and work with the Abraham-Hicks teachings on Law of Attraction for the past 30 years
2. following the advice of Anthony William, the Medical Medium, on health and diet for the past 5 years – amazing how much better it makes me feel!

Though we are living through very challenging times, I have a strong sense that we will get through this and life will be better than ever. In fact, we can start improving things right now starting with our bones.

This month we have 3 articles to help you keep your bones strong and healthy, with prunes, melatonin, and magnesium. And we can keep the rest of our bodies healthy with a whole plant foods diet that can heal arthritis and keep our white blood cells in the low, healthy range.

Enjoy!

Have questions or comments? Email Bernadette Please use this link and do not hit reply to this post, because I may never get your message that way.

To your health and happiness!

Bernadette Wulf

HealItAll.com & Plant Based for Life

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Save Your Bones with Prunes!

Most people know prunes are a good remedy for constipation, but did you know that just a few prunes a day can dramatically improve the health of your bones?

From Ann Louise Gittleman’s blog:

In a study conducted on postmenopausal women who ate 4-6 prunes a day, the findings were impressive, showing significant increases in bone density in their hips and arms just one year later. Prunes may be especially helpful in combating radiation bone loss by reducing radiation’s effect on bone marrow.

Having grown up surrounded by prune and apricot orchards in what was then the “Prune Capitol of the World” (Santa Clara Valley – now sadly known as Silicon Valley), I’ve always had a special fondness for prunes and apricots. When I was a kid I used to go out to the orchards during harvest season to pick prunes and cut apricots that were then dried on huge wooden trays – a moderately fun way to earn a little spending money. They are still my two top favorite fruits – and if you have never had the pleasure of eating ripe prunes straight off the tree, I highly recommend trying them sometime. They are about as close as a fruit can get to candy!

Recent marketing campaigns have attempted to change the name of prunes to dried plums, but the are not the same thing. Prune trees produce prunes, whether they are fresh or dried. Prunes are a unique, high-sugar type of plum and they are not like any other plums. There are two types of prunes that I know of. The type that are commercially dried are called Italian prunes. There are also French prunes that are larger and not quite as sweet. I’ve never seen those sold as commercial dried prunes. I would guess that both types are good for your bones, but I’m sure the studies would have been done with dried Italian prunes.

Anyway, I hope you will excuse my little tangent. Calling prunes dried plums is one of my pet peeves and I just had to stand up for their classic name. But whatever you choose to call them, don’t forget to eat a few every day, especially if you suspect that you may have bone issues – or you don’t want to develop them!

Read more about how prunes strengthen your bones – https://unikeyhealth.com/blogs/health-keys/pruning-up-your-bones/

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Melatonin for Healthy Bones & Longevity

No it’s not a Halloween decoration. This article is about keeping your bones strong.

Melatonin supplements have been shown to improve bone health and increase longevity for rats and shrews. It is not clear whether these positive results come from the improved sleep brought about by melatonin ingestion, or whether it is something about the melatonin itself. It is a potent antioxidant after all, so maybe it is a combination of factors. Either way, humans take note.

Our bodies naturally produce melatonin every time it gets dark. However, for many people it NEVER gets dark! They live in areas with lights shining in their windows all night long. They stare at lighted screens long after the sun goes down. They may even turn on night lights in their house, and of course there are all the glowing LED lights on just about every appliance, even in the bedroom.

Melatonin to the rescue! Of course it is always better to make our own melatonin in the dark, or get it from some of the foods listed below, but sometimes a melatonin supplement can make all the difference between being able to sleep or not.

Here’s what naturalhealth365 had to say about it:

Because the long-term use of melatonin hasn’t been well studied, it should only be taken for short periods of time.

[ ] In addition to being produced in your body, melatonin occurs naturally in assorted nuts, spices and fruits – including mustard, almonds, sunflower seeds, coriander and cherries [and is very high in pistachio nuts according to Dr. Greger. – Ed.]

But, for record-breaking levels of dietary melatonin, nothing beats fresh purslane – this nutritious salad green has the highest melatonin content of any food tested to date.  Scientifically known as portulaca oleracea, purslane features crunchy yet juicy leaves, and a slightly tangy, refreshing flavor. [It grows wild in my garden. How about yours? – Ed.]

Read more about melatonin, bone health and longevity here – https://www.naturalhealth365.com/melatonin-bone-density-3600.html

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Heal Arthritis with Diet

They say it can’t be done – the medical community that is – but people can and do heal from arthritis with the right diet.

This is a lengthy scientific article, but bottom line it says that studies show that arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis can be healed with a whole plant food diet.

Worked for me. I had a bit of arthritis starting in my thumb joints and neck, but since I went totally plant based 5 years ago all that vanished along with my other chronic aches and pains.

I would add that, according to Anthony William, the Medical Medium, also avoiding corn, soy, canola and gluten will be very helpful in the case of rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. McDougall does mention avoiding corn and wheat, but it is best to avoid all the GMO foods if you really want to protect your health.

From drmcdougall.com:

Diseases of the muscles and bones are among the most common of all human afflictions, affecting all ages, but becoming more prevalent with years. Government surveys indicate in the United States approximately 33% of adults currently suffer from troublesome arthritis with symptoms of swelling, limitation of motion, or pain. Approximately half of all people over 65 years report having arthritis. The regions of the body most affected are the neck, lower back, hip and shoulder.

[ ] The importance of the overall diet cannot be overemphasized. Proper foods keep the intestinal barriers strong and the immune system in a fighting condition. Those foods are whole starches, vegetable, and fruits. In addition to being free of animal products, the diet must be low in fat of all kinds — vegetable oil (even olive oil, corn, safflower, and flaxseed oil) and animal fat. When it comes to blaming individual foods, dairy products seem to be the most troublesome foods, causing the most common and severe reactions. Many reports indicate grains, such as corn and wheat can also aggravate of symptoms. 

Got arthritis? Try plants!

Read more about healing arthritis the natural way – https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/mailings/featured-articles/articles

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7 Benefits of Magnesium

How many of these magnesium health benefits are you interested in? Note number 6 – bones again!

Borrowed from Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman’s email:

(1) You want deeper, more restful sleep. Magnesium increases GABA, a brain chemical that encourages relaxation and sleep.

(2) You want more energy (without caffeine or other stimulants). Magnesium helps convert food into energy.

(3) You want to lower your blood pressure. In one study, people who took 450mg magnesium daily dramatically lowered their systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

(4) You want relief from muscle aches and pains.Magnesium can bring blessed relief from foot cramps, leg cramps, and stiff, sore muscles.

(5) You want relief from PMS symptoms. Studies show magnesium can help improve mood, reduce water retention and other symptoms in women with PMS.

(6) You want stronger bones. Research shows magnesium can improve bone density, improve bone crystal formation, and lower risk of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.

(7) You suffer from migraines. According to reports from the American Migraine Association, magnesium can help relieve and even prevent migraines.

Best food sources of magnesium are: green leafy vegetables, brown rice, spinach, beans, almonds, figs, broccoli, oatmeal, whole grains, bananas, peanuts, dark chocolate (though chocolate has caffeine so go lightly).

My favorite magnesium supplement is Calm unflavored, or any clean brand of magnesium glycinate like Vimergy.

There you go – no link for this one.

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White Blood Cell Count Revelations

Did you know that your white blood cell count can indicate how long you will live? I hadn’t ever heard that until I read this article.

In addition to indicating life-threatening infections, inflammation and potential heart attacks, a higher white blood cell count can predict a higher risk for premature death.

Here’s what Dr. Greger has to say about it:

Even within the normal range, every one point drop [in white blood count – Ed.] may be associated with a 20 percent drop in the risk of premature death.

[ ] In one study, half of the women around 85 years of age who had started out with white counts under 5.6 were still alive, whereas 80 percent of those who started out over 7 were dead [ ] —and white blood cell counts of 7, 8, 9, or even 10 would be considered normal. Being at the high end of the normal range may place one at three times the risk of dying from heart disease compared to being at the lower end.

Dr. Greger says the optimal range should be closer to 4 or 5, which is what rural Africans living on plant based diets measured. Next time you get a blood test be sure to check out your WBC and take action to lower it if it is over 5… if you want to have a longer life span, that is.

Read more about optimal white blood cell count – https://nutritionfacts.org/2020/10/29/what-white-blood-cell-count-should-we-shoot-for/

Or watch the video – https://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-the-ideal-white-blood-cell-count/