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Natural Wellness News
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Vol. 1, No. 66 * * * Febuary 2012
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From Black Water Dragons to Baby Talk
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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