A short (40 seconds!) but impactful message
from Chief Oren Lyons from Seventh Generation Fund.
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Information about Homeopathy
In this society where more is better, homeopathy is hard for some people to grasp. Just think, more is not better. We are talking about healing at an energy level. It works even better (or maybe I should say easier or faster) with animals than humans
.
.
Homeopathy Explained
At some point in your life, you have probably walked down the aisle of a health food store and seen rows of small, stacked blue bottles with exotic names and the word homeopathy on their labels.
Seeing them in a health food store leads some to think homeopathic remedies are just another form of herbal medicine. Actually – they bear no relation to herbal medicine and instead are used in a unique and very popular system of medicine called homeopathy.
So what is homeopathy exactly? Well, we are now learning that homeopathy is a form of nanomedicine. The word Homeopathy is derived from the Greek words homeo, meaning “similar,” and pathos, meaning “suffering” (such as the pathology of a disease). Homeopathy operates on a law of nature - “like cures like”, and has been used clinically for more than 200 years.
So what does “like cures like” mean?
Hippocrates talked about it. It means that a patient suffering from symptoms can be treated and cured by doses of a substance (mineral, animal or plant) capable of producing similar symptoms in a healthy person.
Five hundred million people use homeopathy around the world – which according to the World Health Organization makes it the 2nd most commonly used form of alternative medicine.
The clinical results achieved by homeopaths are truly astounding with cures confirmed of patients with deadly acute diseases as well as chronic disease often believed to be incurable .
In fact, because of its clinical results, homeopathy experienced a period of very rapid growth during the deadly epidemics of the 19th century – a period that saw untreated and conventionally treated patients die at alarming rates.
So why, you ask, is homeopathy not the primary form of medicine practiced around the world?
Homeopaths use medicines made from extremely small quantities of nanoparticles created when the medicines are made. In fact, these ultra-molecular preparations (UMPs) from which the remedies are made are so dilute that some scientists have expressed skepticism about whether homeopathic remedies are anything more than plain water. This skepticism has been the primary obstacle to homeopathy’s acceptance in conventional medical and scientific circles.
If this is the major obstacle, what does current research show?
For more than sixty years, scientists, using ever more refined spectroscopic equipment, have discovered unexpected properties of the remedies used by homeopaths. They have also been able to detect in these remedies the original medicinal substances in the form of nanoparticles, despite the preparations having been so diluted.
Scientists are now able to differentiate one remedy from another as well as one potency from another of the same remedy, illustrating that it is not “plain water”.
Not only that, but scientists are now able to measure physiological changes in a great number of experimental cell, plant, animal and human studies.
One might ask – could that be just a placebo effect of some kind?
Actually – no. The placebo response can’t explain objectively measurable changes such as infertility reversal, stillbirth prevention, or worm eradication observed in randomized placebo controlled trials in farm animals. Similarly, the innumerable cures reported in infants and unconscious people also cannot be explained by the placebo response.
So what’s the big deal about nanoparticles and how could such a small amount of anything affect health?
Science now knows that nanoparticles have properties quite unique from ordinary bulk materials (like OTC and prescription drugs), including greater bioavailabilty with improved rates of absorption and enhanced catalytic ability for chemical and biochemical reactions .
What that means is that less of something is actually more in many ways!
Homeopathic nanoparticles can initiate a process in nature called hormesis. Hormesis is a term from pharmacology, toxicology and physiology that refers to the way the body adapts over time to low levels of stressors or toxins. The effects of hormesis have been demonstrated in over 8,000 scientific studies .
Disease, though, can be the result of this is adaptive capacity of the body. When faced with an infectious agent or cumulative stress, the body can change from a healthy state to an unhealthy one. The symptoms we express when we are ill are a result of that adaptive state.
Homeopathic remedies seem to work by hormetically signaling your body to reverse the many adaptations it has made to combat infection or chronic stressors. In short – the remedies trigger your body’s innate ability to heal.
For more about homeopathy, visit www.homeopathic.org. Learn what the research shows and how you can use homeopathy to treat yourself and those you love.
National Center for Homeopathy
At some point in your life, you have probably walked down the aisle of a health food store and seen rows of small, stacked blue bottles with exotic names and the word homeopathy on their labels.
Seeing them in a health food store leads some to think homeopathic remedies are just another form of herbal medicine. Actually – they bear no relation to herbal medicine and instead are used in a unique and very popular system of medicine called homeopathy.
So what is homeopathy exactly? Well, we are now learning that homeopathy is a form of nanomedicine. The word Homeopathy is derived from the Greek words homeo, meaning “similar,” and pathos, meaning “suffering” (such as the pathology of a disease). Homeopathy operates on a law of nature - “like cures like”, and has been used clinically for more than 200 years.
So what does “like cures like” mean?
Hippocrates talked about it. It means that a patient suffering from symptoms can be treated and cured by doses of a substance (mineral, animal or plant) capable of producing similar symptoms in a healthy person.
Five hundred million people use homeopathy around the world – which according to the World Health Organization makes it the 2nd most commonly used form of alternative medicine.
The clinical results achieved by homeopaths are truly astounding with cures confirmed of patients with deadly acute diseases as well as chronic disease often believed to be incurable .
In fact, because of its clinical results, homeopathy experienced a period of very rapid growth during the deadly epidemics of the 19th century – a period that saw untreated and conventionally treated patients die at alarming rates.
So why, you ask, is homeopathy not the primary form of medicine practiced around the world?
Homeopaths use medicines made from extremely small quantities of nanoparticles created when the medicines are made. In fact, these ultra-molecular preparations (UMPs) from which the remedies are made are so dilute that some scientists have expressed skepticism about whether homeopathic remedies are anything more than plain water. This skepticism has been the primary obstacle to homeopathy’s acceptance in conventional medical and scientific circles.
If this is the major obstacle, what does current research show?
For more than sixty years, scientists, using ever more refined spectroscopic equipment, have discovered unexpected properties of the remedies used by homeopaths. They have also been able to detect in these remedies the original medicinal substances in the form of nanoparticles, despite the preparations having been so diluted.
Scientists are now able to differentiate one remedy from another as well as one potency from another of the same remedy, illustrating that it is not “plain water”.
Not only that, but scientists are now able to measure physiological changes in a great number of experimental cell, plant, animal and human studies.
One might ask – could that be just a placebo effect of some kind?
Actually – no. The placebo response can’t explain objectively measurable changes such as infertility reversal, stillbirth prevention, or worm eradication observed in randomized placebo controlled trials in farm animals. Similarly, the innumerable cures reported in infants and unconscious people also cannot be explained by the placebo response.
So what’s the big deal about nanoparticles and how could such a small amount of anything affect health?
Science now knows that nanoparticles have properties quite unique from ordinary bulk materials (like OTC and prescription drugs), including greater bioavailabilty with improved rates of absorption and enhanced catalytic ability for chemical and biochemical reactions .
What that means is that less of something is actually more in many ways!
Homeopathic nanoparticles can initiate a process in nature called hormesis. Hormesis is a term from pharmacology, toxicology and physiology that refers to the way the body adapts over time to low levels of stressors or toxins. The effects of hormesis have been demonstrated in over 8,000 scientific studies .
Disease, though, can be the result of this is adaptive capacity of the body. When faced with an infectious agent or cumulative stress, the body can change from a healthy state to an unhealthy one. The symptoms we express when we are ill are a result of that adaptive state.
Homeopathic remedies seem to work by hormetically signaling your body to reverse the many adaptations it has made to combat infection or chronic stressors. In short – the remedies trigger your body’s innate ability to heal.
For more about homeopathy, visit www.homeopathic.org. Learn what the research shows and how you can use homeopathy to treat yourself and those you love.
National Center for Homeopathy
Friday, January 25, 2013
Another good reason to eat your greens:
Another good reason to eat your greens:
It makes you more optimistic about the future
- Optimistic folk have higher levels of plant compounds called carotenoids in their blood
- Orange produce and green veg are rich in carotenoids
- It's thought they might have a de-stressing effect
People who eat plenty of fruit and vegetables tend to be more optimistic about the future, new research suggests.
Scientists have discovered that optimistic folk have higher levels of plant compounds called carotenoids in their blood.
A commonly-known carotenoid is beta-carotene, a pigment found in high levels in orange fruit and veg and green, leafy vegetables.
Scientists have discovered that optimistic folk
have higher levels of plant compounds called carotenoids - found in
orange produce and green, leafy vegetables - in their blood
Antioxidants help keep other molecules in the body from producing free radicals, which can damage cells and contribute to disease.
'Individuals with greater optimism tended to have greater levels of carotenoids such as beta-carotene,' said lead investigator Julia Boehm, of the Harvard School of Public Health.
'This is the first study of its kind to report a relationship between optimism and healthier levels of carotenoid concentrations,' she added.
One theory is that antioxidants might have a de-stressing effect.
The current study evaluated blood concentrations of nine different antioxidants, including carotenoids such as beta-carotene and vitamin E in nearly 1,000 American men and women ages 25 to 74.
They also measured the degree of optimism in the same group. Researchers found that people who were more optimistic had up to a 13 per cent increase in carotenoid concentrations in their blood compared with people who were less optimistic.
The researchers believe that higher levels of fruit and vegetable consumption among more optimistic people may at least partially explain the results.
People who ate two or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables a day were significantly less optimistic than people who ate three or more servings a day.
They found
that people who ate two or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables a day
were significantly less optimistic than people who ate three or more
servings a day.
They
added that the relationship between optimism and carotenoid levels was
only partially explained by the fact that more optimistic people tended
to engage in healthier behaviors such as eating fruits and vegetables
and avoiding cigarette smoking.Last year, scientists at Warwick University found that people who ate seven portions of fruit and veg a day are the happiest.
The study found that those who ate around eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day had an average score that was one point higher than people who did not eat any.
The link remained even when people’s exercise levels and overall diet – both of which can influence mood – were accounted for.
Although it is not known exactly how fruit and veg improve wellbeing, they contain chemicals known as antioxidants, which are thought to reduce stress levels.
At the time, lead researcher Professor Andrew Oswald said he was 'stunned ' when he looked at the data.
‘We think we’re on to something really important here,' he said. 'However, we don’t really know why this is – whether there is something in the biochemistry of the fruit and veg which works inside humans.
‘We know that fruit and veg carry a lot of antioxidants and those protect us against attacks on the body. But how that works through into our minds and emotions, researchers have no idea.'
The Department of Health has spent at least £4million on its ‘five a day’ advertising campaign since it was launched in 2003.
In contrast, the French are told to eat ten portions a day, the Canadians between five and ten, and the Japanese 13 portions of vegetables and four pieces of fruit.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2263987/People-eat-plenty-fruit-veg-optimistic-future.html
Thursday, January 17, 2013
8 Weeds You Can Eat
One person’s weed-filled lawn is another person’s salad bar.
By Emily Main
If you think everything in your yard that isn't grass must be a nuisance, you're missing out—on a free lunch. Those pesky weeds invading your lush green patch of paradise are actually valuable foods, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and protein, sometimes even more nutritious than what you'll find at the grocery store. Things like dandelions and clovers are starting to make their way into American lawns, and if you pick them early, you'll get an incredibly sweet, nutritious addition to your next meal.
Here are some suggestions for finding free munchies in your backyard. Just remember
to ID them with a credible source if you’re not plant-savvy—there's even an app
for that! If you've got a smart phone, download the Wild Edibles app created by Steve Brill, a botanist known
for giving edible-plant tours of New York City's Central Park. Also, wash your
harvest thoroughly before consuming, and steer clear of areas that may have
been treated with chemicals or pesticides.
Dandelion
Perhaps the most familiar lawn weed of them all, the dandelion may also be the weed that’s most known to be edible. In fact, the reason it exists in the U.S. is that European settlers introduced it as a salad green. You can buy dandelion greens at some specialty food markets, but odds are, there are some growing, for free, a whole lot closer to you. They have a slightly bitter taste when they mature, so harvest the tender leaves that appear in early spring and in late fall, when they're sweetest. The flowers are edible too and have a mildly bittersweet flavor. And eat them up! Dandelions have more beta-carotene than carrots.
Photo: (cc) digital_image-fan/flickr
Purslane
This plant has rounded, succulent, leaves and a reddish stem and grows everywhere, so it's very likely that you'll find a purslane plant somewhere in your neighborhood. Notoriously difficult to kill as a weed, purslane is probably better suited to your dinner plate anyway. It's loaded with antioxidant vitamins like vitamins A and C, and also contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You can eat the stems and leaves fresh—try them in salads or sandwiches—or use them in soups or in recipes that call for spinach (they’re related and have a similar taste).
Photo: (cc)
pellaea/flickr
Bamboo
This familiar plant, made into everything from floorboards to pajamas, is actually a type of grass. And if anyone near you has ever planted any (it's actually grown by U.S. farmers in warm climates and even as far north as New England), there’s a good chance some of it will spread into your yard because, once it escapes, the weed can be very invasive and hard to control. Bamboo shoots are full of fiber, and are sometimes described as tasting like corn. Should any pop up in your vicinity, harvest shoots that are less than two weeks old and under 1 foot tall. Bamboo shoots have to be cooked before you eat them: Peel the outer leaves away and remove any tough flesh. Cut across the grain into one-eighth-inch slices, and boil in an uncovered pan for 20 minutes (or longer, if there’s still a bitter taste to them). After they’re prepared in this way, you can eat them with some soy sauce, add to salads, or use them in stir-fries.
Photo: (cc) shawn henning/flicker
Extra: Learn How to Grow Non-Invasive Bamboo
Japanese Knotweed
Another invasive species you can control with your appetite, Japanese knotwood looks a little bit like bamboo, but they're not related—even though it’s sometimes called “Japanese Bamboo." This weed might be harder to find if you don't live in the Northeast or Midwest, where invasive populations have taken root. But if you do see some, harvest the green and red shoots when the weeds are 6 to 8 inches tall, before they turn woody. Remove any tough leaves or rind and steam or simmer for a tart, rhubarb-like taste.
Photo: (cc) loopzilla/flickr
Lamb's Quarters
Despite what it sounds like this isn't meat. Lamb's quarters is a weed commonly referred to as "wild spinach," and fortunately, it starts to appear in early summer after the last of the spring spinach has disappeared from farmer's markets. It's loaded with calcium and protein, as well as vitamins A, C and K, even more so than spinach. The best way to eat the leaves, or pretty much any green weed in this list, is to wash them well, sauté them in olive oil while they're still wet (the steam helps them wilt), then add a dash of salt, garlic, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime, says Hank Shaw, forager and author of Hunt, Gather, Cook (Rodale, 2011).
Photo: (cc) frankenstoen/flickr
Watercress
You can pay $3 for a bunch of watercress—an antioxidant powerhouse—at your local grocery store…or you can find a stream and stock up for free. An increasingly popular ingredient in gourmet salads, many people don't realize that watercress is actually a weed. It grows alongside streams and riverbanks in nearly every U.S. state. The most popular way to eat watercress is to add it to salads raw. If you need some ideas, check out the watercress recipes in the Rodale Recipe Finder.
Photo: (cc) frankenstoen/flickr
Kudzu
Gardeners, homeowners, landscapers and foodies south of the Mason-Dixon line, take heed: Kudzu, the "weed that ate the South," can actually be eaten itself. This highly invasive weed, introduced from Japan in the late 1800s, now covers over 7 million acres of the Southern U.S. and is nearly impossible to kill. Thus, you have an unending supply with which to experiment in the kitchen. Southerners have found dozens of ways to eat kudzu, including making jams and jellies to pickling the flowers that appear in August and September. For your first efforts at cooking it, try steaming or boiling the roots until they're tender and adding soy sauce or miso, as is often done in Asian cooking. The plant is also used in Chinese medicine for treating allergies, colds, fevers and as a digestive aid. Brew a kudzu tea by chopping up a cup of leaves and boiling them for about 30 minutes to treat what ails you.
Photo: (cc) robertmichalove/flickr
Red Clover
Another weed you'll see all over the U.S., red clover has been used for ages as a folk remedy for cancer. It contains the phytoestrogen genistein, which, although controversial, has been found to have a protective effect against colon and prostate cancers. However, because there's some evidence that phytoestrogens can have the opposite effect on breast cancer, go easy on the red clover. But if you have some growing in your yard, an occasional meal of red clover flowers sprinkled over rice or cooked in soy sauce is a good way to clean up your yard. In addition to being potential cancer-fighters, clover flowers are high in protein. You can also eat white clover, but it's not as nutritious or flavorful as red.
Photo: (cc) dendroica cerulea/flickr
Bamboo
This familiar plant, made into everything from floorboards to pajamas, is actually a type of grass. And if anyone near you has ever planted any (it's actually grown by U.S. farmers in warm climates and even as far north as New England), there’s a good chance some of it will spread into your yard because, once it escapes, the weed can be very invasive and hard to control. Bamboo shoots are full of fiber, and are sometimes described as tasting like corn. Should any pop up in your vicinity, harvest shoots that are less than two weeks old and under 1 foot tall. Bamboo shoots have to be cooked before you eat them: Peel the outer leaves away and remove any tough flesh. Cut across the grain into one-eighth-inch slices, and boil in an uncovered pan for 20 minutes (or longer, if there’s still a bitter taste to them). After they’re prepared in this way, you can eat them with some soy sauce, add to salads, or use them in stir-fries.
Photo: (cc) shawn henning/flicker
Extra: Learn How to Grow Non-Invasive Bamboo
Japanese Knotweed
Another invasive species you can control with your appetite, Japanese knotwood looks a little bit like bamboo, but they're not related—even though it’s sometimes called “Japanese Bamboo." This weed might be harder to find if you don't live in the Northeast or Midwest, where invasive populations have taken root. But if you do see some, harvest the green and red shoots when the weeds are 6 to 8 inches tall, before they turn woody. Remove any tough leaves or rind and steam or simmer for a tart, rhubarb-like taste.
Photo: (cc) loopzilla/flickr
Lamb's Quarters
Despite what it sounds like this isn't meat. Lamb's quarters is a weed commonly referred to as "wild spinach," and fortunately, it starts to appear in early summer after the last of the spring spinach has disappeared from farmer's markets. It's loaded with calcium and protein, as well as vitamins A, C and K, even more so than spinach. The best way to eat the leaves, or pretty much any green weed in this list, is to wash them well, sauté them in olive oil while they're still wet (the steam helps them wilt), then add a dash of salt, garlic, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime, says Hank Shaw, forager and author of Hunt, Gather, Cook (Rodale, 2011).
Photo: (cc) frankenstoen/flickr
Watercress
You can pay $3 for a bunch of watercress—an antioxidant powerhouse—at your local grocery store…or you can find a stream and stock up for free. An increasingly popular ingredient in gourmet salads, many people don't realize that watercress is actually a weed. It grows alongside streams and riverbanks in nearly every U.S. state. The most popular way to eat watercress is to add it to salads raw. If you need some ideas, check out the watercress recipes in the Rodale Recipe Finder.
Photo: (cc) frankenstoen/flickr
Kudzu
Gardeners, homeowners, landscapers and foodies south of the Mason-Dixon line, take heed: Kudzu, the "weed that ate the South," can actually be eaten itself. This highly invasive weed, introduced from Japan in the late 1800s, now covers over 7 million acres of the Southern U.S. and is nearly impossible to kill. Thus, you have an unending supply with which to experiment in the kitchen. Southerners have found dozens of ways to eat kudzu, including making jams and jellies to pickling the flowers that appear in August and September. For your first efforts at cooking it, try steaming or boiling the roots until they're tender and adding soy sauce or miso, as is often done in Asian cooking. The plant is also used in Chinese medicine for treating allergies, colds, fevers and as a digestive aid. Brew a kudzu tea by chopping up a cup of leaves and boiling them for about 30 minutes to treat what ails you.
Photo: (cc) robertmichalove/flickr
Red Clover
Another weed you'll see all over the U.S., red clover has been used for ages as a folk remedy for cancer. It contains the phytoestrogen genistein, which, although controversial, has been found to have a protective effect against colon and prostate cancers. However, because there's some evidence that phytoestrogens can have the opposite effect on breast cancer, go easy on the red clover. But if you have some growing in your yard, an occasional meal of red clover flowers sprinkled over rice or cooked in soy sauce is a good way to clean up your yard. In addition to being potential cancer-fighters, clover flowers are high in protein. You can also eat white clover, but it's not as nutritious or flavorful as red.
Photo: (cc) dendroica cerulea/flickr
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/8-weeds-you-can-eat?page=0,0
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