The War on Cancer refers to the effort to find a cure for cancer by increased research to improve the understanding of cancer biology and the development of more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted drug therapies. The aim of such efforts is to eradicate cancer as a major cause of death......
Despite significant progress in the treatment of certain forms of cancer (such as childhood leukemia[2]), cancer in general remains a major cause of death nearly 40 years after this war on cancer began,[3]
Photograph by Moredun Animal Health Ltd/Science Photo Library
I hate that phrase: War on Cancer.
I understand the original reference, the commitment to finding a cure, and discovering the causes. But after 40 years of this 'war' the culprit(s) and treatments have already been discovered, and yet that information continues to be virtually ignored by allopathic doctors and the pharmaceutical industry, and the people who trust them. They are still looking for 'the cure', but ignorantly reject the clear evidence of an answer that doesn't come in a package they can sell (ie. no money to be made). And so they keep on searching, while people with cancer die because the truth isn't shared, or acknowledged, or embraced.
I believe that for many, many people, the possibility that the choices that they have made in their own lives might have played a major role in them having cancer is just too much for their pride to handle. It is easier for them to believe that they just got the short end of the stick. Or somehow its just the roll of the genes.
I can't say that 100% of cancers are self- or environmentally induced. That would be presumptuous. But I do believe that cancer and other diseases are more from our lifestyles then they are by randomness and our genes.
There's more to read about the War on Cancer over at Dr Mercola's site and The Health Ranger also has something written by Dr. David Jockers about how to prevent cancer in the first place.
I was just telling a friend this week about Genetically Modified Foods and Suicides in India by the farmers, and whether there is a connection. Then Dr Mercola wrote this post, so I'm sharing it. Maybe others of you are unaware of what's happening with our food supply in North America.
I still recommend you watch Food, Inc. and Our Daily Bread. I know there are other good documentaries out there, but honestly I haven't watched all of them so I can't personally recommend them. But these 2 I can. Our Daily Bread is without narration, so you form your own ideas completely by what you see the farmers and processors doing with the food.
Another great documentary is The Cove, about the dolphin slaughter. Our family was appalled about this.
Your Mattress Could be Acting as a Cancer-Causing Radiation Antenna
The rate of breast cancer in Western countries is 10 percent higher in the left breast than in the right. This also is true for the skin cancer melanoma.
Researchers have suggested a surprising explanation for this -- and for the dramatic increase in rates of breast cancer and melanoma over the past three decades.
In Japan, there is no correlation between the rates of melanoma and breast cancer, and there is no left-side prevalence for either disease. The rate of breast cancer in Japan is also significantly lower than in the West.
This may be due to differences in sleeping habits in Japan and Western countries. Previous research has shown that people prefer to sleep on their right sides, possibly as a way of reducing weight stress on the heart.
This is most likely the same in both the East and the West, but the futons used for sleeping in Japan are mattresses placed directly on the bedroom floor, in contrast to the elevated box springs and mattress of beds used in the West.
According to Scientific American:
"... [A] 2007 study in Sweden conducted between 1989 and 1993 ... revealed a strong link between the incidence of melanoma and the number of FM and TV transmission towers covering the area where the individuals lived ...
Consider, however, that even a TV set cannot respond to broadcast transmissions unless the weak electromagnetic waves are captured and amplified by an appropriately designed antenna. Antennas are simply metal objects of appropriate length sized to match the wavelength of a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation."
In the U.S., bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions. The maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress, so when sleeping on your right side, your left side will be exposed to the highest field strength. Sources:
Scientific American July 2, 2010
Pathophysiology June 2010;17(3):157-160
Pathophysiology June 2010; 17(3):161
Dr Mercola's Comments:
This Scientific American article highlights some very interesting research from Sweden -- a country that is on the forefront when it comes to investigating the harmful health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF), and micro wave radiation such as that from cell phones.
Although the US is quite resistant to the idea that our everyday technology might be contributing to epidemics like heart disease and cancer, other countries, particularly in Europe, are facing this problem more head on.
Sweden, for example, formed an association called FEB - The Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitive, to address the emerging problem of electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The association produces and distributes educational literature that has helped raise awareness about the phenomenon around the world. Mast Action UK is doing similar work in Great Britain, as well as the Electromagnetic Radiation Alliance in Australia.
With everything I know about the health dangers associated with electromagnetic fields (EMF) and micro waves from cell phones, WiFi routers and cell phone towers, I'm convinced electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a real and looming health disaster.
I've previously written about the health dangers of EMFs and other types of radiation, especially in your bedroom, but here the researchers are linking two very specific cancers – melanoma and breast cancer -- to commonly used beds, because coil-spring mattresses can actually act as a giant antenna!
Your Mattress – A Restorative Haven or a Disease-Promoting Zone?
In Western countries, the most common type of mattress is an elevated box spring that contains metal coils, while in Japan, people typically sleep on futon mattresses, which typically contain cotton or wool, placed directly on the floor. According to researchers Hallberg and Johansson, a number of studies indicate that increasing rates of melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer) can be linked to immune-disrupting radiation from FM radio and TV transmission towers, adding that "geographical areas covered by several transmitters show higher incidences of melanoma than areas covered by one transmitter."
Studies have also linked radiation to brain tumors, and DNA damage that might precipitate a number of different diseases and health problems.
These connections are strengthened when you consider the researchers' explanation of how your box spring mattress actually acts like an antenna; attracting and amplifying whatever radiation might be zipping through your bedroom. Scientific American explains this quite well:
"Antennas are simply metal objects of appropriate length sized to match the wavelength of a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation. Just as saxophones are made in different sizes to resonate with and amplify particular wavelengths of sound, electromagnetic waves are selectively amplified by metal objects that are the same, half or one quarter of the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave of a specific frequency. Electromagnetic waves resonate on a half-wavelength antenna to create a standing wave with a peak at the middle of the antenna and a node at each end, just as when a string stretched between two points is plucked at the center. In the U.S. bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions that have been broadcasting since the late 1940s. … Radiation envelops our bodies so that the maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress in the middle of our bodies. When sleeping on the right side, the body's left side will thereby be exposed to field strength about twice as strong as what the right side absorbs."
Could this explain why Japan has much lower rates of cancer compared to the US and Europe, and why the Japanese do not have higher rates of left- than right-sided breast cancer?
I believe it may be a part of the puzzle, yes.
Naturally, there are many other factors that come into play as well, including diet, chemical exposures, and vitamin D deficiency, just to name a few.
However, the theory that you may be promoting cancer by sleeping on a metal coil-spring mattress that amplifies ambient radiation is quite convincing.
Now, a couple of my readers have commented that the quote from Scientific American makes little sense because TV and radio broadcast on a number of different wavelengths, beds come in different sizes, and the author is a neurologist, not an engineer, and therefore not equipped to speak on the subject.
These concerns can also be valid, and I make no claims of having the in-depth technological expertise to either support or refute this particular Scientific American author’s explanation.
However, I believe sleeping on metal is not in your best interest health-wise, (and qualified scientist raised the question to begin with). The total effect will naturally be entirely individual, and dependent on a number of factors, such as the amount of radiation zipping through your room; proximity to transmission towers; number and type of electronics kept in your bedroom and their proximity; your current state of health and your susceptibility to EMF; the material of the rest of your bed… I could go on, but I’m sure most of you are wise enough to get the picture.
Becoming truly health conscious is much like reaching for spiritual enlightenment. It’s not about nitpicking on minor details. It’s about discerning patterns and revealing the big picture. It’s not about avoiding “sins” – in the case of health, avoiding everything that could possibly harm you – it’s about making healthier, saner choices. You can’t make those choices unless you know what’s good for you, and one of the ways you discover better options is by revealing what’s detrimental.
There’s no question in my mind that EMFs can have a dramatic, negative effect on your health, and certain factors may, in some cases, turn up the dial on EMFs and increase it’s harmful effects. Could your mattress do this? I say, “possibly, yes.”
But I digress…
Sleeping in High Radiation Field May Also Trigger Development of Potent Mycotoxins
In one of my previous interviews with Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, he discusses the research of Dr. Robert Becker, who discovered that electromagnetic fields produce more potent mycotoxins.
When you expose a bacterial culture to abnormal electromagnetic fields, the bacteria believe they are being attacked by your immune system and start producing much more virulent toxins as a protective mechanism!
In your body, these mycotoxins can wreak havoc with your health. Klinghardt believes that it's possible that some 50 percent of chronic infections are caused, and/or aggravated, by electromagnetic field exposure, leading to syndromes like chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes.
When you consider that you spend one-third of your lifetime in bed, it's easy to realize the level of hazard you may be inadvertently exposed to if you're sleeping on a metal coil-spring mattress that literally bathes you in electromagnetic radiation.
Other Potential Health Hazards of Mattresses
In addition, the springs in your mattress can become magnetized, which can also pose a health hazard. In the article Is Your Mattress Making You Sick? Dr. Doris Rapp offers instructions on how to determine whether you mattress is magnetized.
The article also discusses a number of other important concerns when it comes to selecting a mattress, as metal springs is by no means the only health hazard inherent with these types of beds. Many mattresses are treated with a number of toxic flame retardant chemicals, some of which can ALSO cause cancer.
Remember that Your Cells are Driven by Electrical Impulses
I want to stress what might be one of the most fundamental issues when it comes to the potential hazard of electromagnetic radiation, which is the fact that the human body has its own internal electrical system.
All the cells in your body vibrate at different rates, and these weak electrical impulses are used for intracellular communication throughout your body.
Unfortunately, your body can literally act like a tuning fork. An external electrical influence can therefore cause your cells normal frequency or rate to be disrupted as they start vibrating to the frequency of the outside source. James Oschman explains this further in his book Energy Medicine.
Now, in the typical bedroom of a modern home, electrical exposure from external sources (live electrical wiring in ceilings, walls and floors) is thousands of times stronger than your body's own electrical system. Long-term exposure to these high-level electric fields can thus impair your body's intracellular communication, which can impact your health in a number of ways.
Biological Problems Associated with Electromagnetic Stressors
In the book Cross Currents, Dr. Robert Becker (whom I mentioned earlier) states that biological problems associated with external electromagnetic stressors fall into two major categories:
Brain (behavioral abnormalities, learning disabilities, altered bio-cycles and stress responses)
Growing tissue (embryos, genetics and cancer)
More recent studies seem to confirm his conclusions, as most of the health problems researchers now associate with EMF and microwave radiation exposure fall neatly into these two categories. One good source that demonstrates this is the 2009 special EMF issue of the Journal of Pathophysiology, which contains over a dozen different studies on the health effects of electromagnetic fields and wireless technology.
Cancer has been high on the list from the beginning, and at least as far as cell phones are concerned, the evidence is overwhelming that cell phone use significantly increases your risk of certain types of brain tumors.
Since cancer can take decades before manifesting, children are particularly at risk, as they are now growing up in an environment saturated with radiation. (Even toddlers are now talking on cell phones!) Today's children will be exposed to previously unimaginable levels of radiation over the course of their lifetimes. The BioInitiative Report also includes studies showing evidence for exposure to electromagnetic fields and:
Effects on Gene and Protein Expression (Transcriptomic and Proteomic Research)
Genotoxic Effects – RFR and ELF DNA Damage
Stress Response (Stress Proteins)
Effects on Immune Function
Effects on Neurology and Behavior
Brain Tumors, Acoustic Neuromas, and childhood cancers like leukemia
It seems quite clear that sleeping on a bed that can amplify the amount of radiation you're exposed to night after night is simply not a good idea.
Shopping for a Safe Mattress
Taking into account that metal coils can act as an antenna and be potentially magnetized, and that most box spring mattresses contain toxic flame retardant chemicals, your safest bet is to look for an organic, chemical-free mattress that does not contain metal coils.
One way to find a safe mattress is to have a doctor or chiropractor write you a prescription for a chemical-free mattress, and then find a manufacturer to make one for you. You can also search for 100% wool, toxin-free mattresses. Many of these mattresses also contain latex for support in lieu of coil springs, giving you the best of both worlds.
You can also avoid the toxins by finding a mattress that uses a Kevlar, bullet-proof type of material instead of chemicals for fire-proofing. I got mine from Stearns and Foster. I'm quite happy with this mattress as it is FAR more comfortable than a number of the organic mattresses I had purchased in the past.
Also keep in mind that metal frames and headboards can amplify and distort magnetic fields, including the natural magnetic field from the earth, which can lead to non-restful sleep. Use natural materials, such as a wood frame, instead.
Five Steps to Create a Sleeping Sanctuary
Once you have addressed your mattress, you'd be well advised to address the amount of electromagnetic radiation in your bedroom – especially if you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.
As discussed by Dr. Klinghardt in this previous article, electromagnetic fields interfere not only with your biology, but with that of your unborn child as well. He performed a small study showing that autism can actually be predicted based on the EMF levels of your sleeping quarters while pregnant! He found that if you sleep in strong electromagnetic fields during pregnancy, your child will likely begin to exhibit neurological abnormalities within the first two years of life.
Here are several guidelines that can help turn your bedroom into an EMF-free zone suitable for health-promoting restorative sleep:
Use only battery devices near your bed -- Many electric clocks produce high magnetic fields so use a battery powered clock instead.
Turn off the fuses to your bedroom at night
Eliminate radio frequency (RF) sources -- Radio frequency signals from portable phones, cell phones, and wireless devices have been shown to interfere with your body's immune system so don't keep cell phones or charging stations in your bedroom. It's also recommended to turn off the Wi-Fi in your home at night.
Shield your bed with a special metalized fabric, to protect yourself from harmful frequencies that can disrupt cellular communication. This recommendation may be particularly important if you're pregnant.
If you are remodeling you can also use material called 'radiant barrier' between the dry wall and the frame of your home. This is a strengthened aluminum foil that will reflect most of the radiation from coming into your home. It should also be applied the ceiling. It is relatively inexpensive and will also pay for itself in reduced heating and cooling bills. However, it isn't cost effective if you have to tear out your current walls, so it's really only practical in new homes or remodeling projects. I installed this in my home when I renovated it and it virtually eliminated all external EMFs. The downside however is that it is VERY difficult to get any cell phone reception in my home.
Everette and I took our youngest 3 to the big playground in town last week, and at only 10 in the morning I saw a mother who was all bundled up in long sleeves, jacket to her neck, full length pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses on. Her toddler was similarly dressed, although he really didn't want to keep his hat on. She was far more successful getting him to keep his sunglasses on. And the older son who was likely 7-ish dutifully kept his sunglasses and hat on, and kept near arms-length from his mama.
Honestly, I thought this was sad. Sad that this good-intentioned-loving-mama was living in fear from the beautiful warm sun that blesses our days. Fear of cancer, premature aging, whatever. Fear to be exposed. And she was passing fear on to her impressionable children.
How entrenched are the ideas/lies we've been fed from 'Corporate America'? Can we not think for ourselves?
Here's a video from The Health Ranger to help us better understand the health we can get from eating properly and getting appropriate sun, and what dangers may lie ahead if we avoid sun exposure, and why suntan lotion might be the culprit behind much of the skin cancer that's occurring.
I found Mike's video enlightening and refreshing. Because I'm tired of people being so afraid of the sun, and even tanning salons. Dr Mercola says to stay away from tanning beds that make a noise when running (other than the actual timer ticking), but that tanning beds and standup tanning lamps are a boon to your health, particularly during winter months and those living farther away from the equator.
Consider whose been funding the nonsense of the media we've been gobbling up for decades. Who is bound to lose money if we have a greater understanding of our bodies and a healthy relationship with the (free) sunshine God has blessed us with?
Inform yourself. Think for yourself. Love on yourself.
I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable consumer. We purchase produce whose code starts with a 4 or a 9, preferring only the organics but that isn't always possible. We stay away from GMO foodstuffs, as far as we are knowledgable. But, have I taken enough action? I suppose not.
I wasn't aware that starting the fall of 2008 (we were in the US for 5 mths that winter) the sugar we ashamedly consume (via the States, I don't know about Canada) is from GM Sugar Beets. Think about all the products we consume that have sugar listed (under different names!!) in the ingredient list!!
Are we considering what this GMO stuff is doing for future generations? These foods are totally altered, then consumed and become the building blocks for our bodies, and those of our offspring, and their offspring (or not, because maybe they can't even have offspring. Have you considered that??) Have we counted the cost for our ignorance, or our turning our backs and ignoring the information? Have we considered what our dollars are building (or not building) in the future?
This information that Dr Mercola shares via an interview with Jeffrey Smith (and notes you could read) is very disturbing. Not because our family ingests this stuff knowingly, but because I'm not confident by labeling practices (honesty by producers and gov'ts), and because I'm concerned for your families!! Do you know what you are consuming? And your children?
I know that many years ago many of my friends switched from cow dairy to soy products. And it wasn't just for pouring milk onto cereals, but making smoothies, eating soy (hot)dogs, replacing beef with soy for spaghetti sauce, etc. And when you recognize that corn, another GMO crop, is not only in so many of our foods (like cornstarch in your icing sugar, corn in your grape juice & Tropicana OJ, etc), but its a main food being fed to the animals you might be consuming (farm-fish, cows, etc) you can see that GMO foods are inadvertently in most of our diets.
Herbicide tolerant crops (that's a main reason these foods are GM) leave more herbicide residue, which then when consumed they can mess up our gut bacteria.....because these are made to kill bacteria. But.....we need healthy gut bacteria. This can potentially kill all the good stuff we need within our own guts!! (And a whole lot worse stuff. Watch the video down below to learn more....particularly at 46 mins into the video.)
If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend you watch the documentary Food, Inc.
We have the power, as consumers, to make changes. Don't fool yourself. You make a vote every single time you buy your groceries. Money definitely talks.
" Getting into a shopping habit of continually avoiding GM food products will create pressure on the marketplace, without which there is little hope. So take this one step! Download the shopping guide, and make note of which brands to buy and which ones to avoid like the plague that they are.
Europe managed to reach their tipping point in April of 1999, ELEVEN YEARS AGO(!), within a single week of negative media which swayed the shopping habits of consumers enough for food companies to commit to stop using GM ingredients.
The idea that consumers have tremendous power is not wishful thinking. It’s an absolute fact.
Monsanto could probably be effectively bankrupted by the end of this year, if enough consumers were to take individual, proactive steps to avoid purchasing anything even remotely related to their business.
Another point that validates the effectiveness of this consumer-driven strategy is the progress we’re now seeing with high fructose corn syrup. Within the last few weeks, several major corporations have declared they’re taking HFCS out of their products due to consumer demand." Dr Mercola
We can't wait for government to protect us. We need to get educated. Here's some places to start.
Buy organics. Buy foods labeled as non-GMO. Check out Non-GMO Shopping Guide. Avoid At-Risk Ingredients (corn, soy, canola, cottonseed).There are minor crops to avoid also, like Hawaiian papaya, some types of squashes (zucchine, crookneck, etc)
If health-conscious shoppers, health professionals, school meal planners, or religious groups decided to avoid all GMO, the GMO's would be history. Each of these groups carry enough weight to make a change. Today.
Ok, that just urges me more and more towards organic, live whole foods.
PS... 9 out of 10 people want GMO foods labeled. And more than 53% of the population say they wouldn't consume GMO foods.
We are still in White Rock due to several different circumstances. Not much exciting, but necessary. So, I thought I'd share this with you.
It's in almost all of our friends and family's kitchens. Crossing the country and staying with friends and acquaintances, I saw it in basically everybody's house. Some may never use it, but I think most of them did. It's an assumption that we have one. And it was automatically put on my dd's wedding list for gifts (by somebody other than my dd, cuz she didn't want one!) It's assumed you'll have and use it, like using a TV.
We got rid of our microwave about 8 years ago now. And I admit, although it wasn't something we had cooked with but reheated or melted butter with, it was an adjustment when we got rid of it. But you know, it hardly takes anymore time to melt butter for popcorn in a pot on the stove than to pop it into the micro. And my dd's found they preferred to fry up left-over pizza in a cast-iron frying pan than in the micro. And we know we are doing our body better.
Do your research. We have been led to believe that vaccinations are mandatory for most foreign travel, but it is rather just recommended by many countries. The one that is most likely mandatory is for Yellow Fever, but usually that is only dependent on whether you are entering the country via a specific country which has Yellow Fever present.
When Layne was heading off to YWAM she was told that she was to have her vaccinations all up to-date. The staff was informed that she had forgone vaccinations since she was 3, and that she was not prepared to have them for attending their school, nor for travel (we already researched about the travel). We were told that she would likely have to sign some waiver, which she never did, and as far as she is aware she was the only student who wasn't vaccinated for travel. She traveled through Morocco, Spain, and Scotland, with stops in London and Amsterdam. There was never any problem with her not being vaccinated.
She had to stick to her guns as far as the school and the nurse, but she knew her grounds and rights. It was as simple as that.
As in other areas of your health, be educated about how your overall lifestyle affects your susceptibility to illness and disease, and take charge of your own health. Be diligent.
Our first children underwent alot of the standard medical practices that are prevalent today, because we were ignorant parents. We did what was considered normal, standard, what-everybody-else-is-doing. But over the years we've had to research, and arm ourselves with information, and get in touch with our own parental intuition.
There are tonnes of things being promoted out there in our culture that are considered needed to protect us from the hazards of being human and alive! Most of those things, like vaccines, aspirin, etc are actually toxins that are robbing us of our rightful health. Even our Standard American Diet (SAD) is killing us, everytime we open our mouth and fill it.
Being parents is certainly a time when we may start taking notice of some of the things society does, starting to question "Why do we do this?" "Is this really necessary?" But often we are asking these questions of people who are totally indoctrinated and kept in business by these actual practices. I wouldn't consider these to be unbiased sources of information!
When I saw this article by Mercola about Vitamin K I was extremely interested, because after rejecting alot of the typical/standard tests and procedures for pregnancy and delivery for myself and many of our children, the issue over Vitamin K was one I still was uncomfortable with. It was something that 8 of our 9 live birth children received, but one I was never confident that it was right for them. It was only our last live birth that Everette and I agreed not to have our son pricked.
If you look into food sources (see some info below) and are sure to incorporate large amounts of these green foods during pregnancy, you should be able to raise your Vitamin K level, and provide enough for baby both before and after birth (assuming you breastfeed).
After doing much research about diet and health, there are many things we have chosen to not do to our children, such as vaccinate. Like Dr. Mercola says, "But remember you HAVE to be proactive." It isn't just about not doing something. In alot of cases, its actually about choosing to do something different. Proactively. If you aren't going to inject your newborn with Vitamin K, you need to be informed to make sure your baby is still receiving enough of the Vitamin thru other means.
id you know that Splenda was 'discovered' while scientists & their students were trying to make insecticide?
:You can also check out my post from Wednesday called Excitotoxins, and read the free download.
I found it an interesting comment by Dr. Mercola that if we were meant to obtain our Vitamin D from our diet, then we would expect breastmilk to contain it. Listen up for more info in the following video:
Question for You: How do you feel about spending time out in the sun? Do you take extra precautions (ie. lotions, hats, full clothing, etc.) or just don't spend extended amounts of time unprotected? Or do you avoid the sun?
And if you insist on wearing sunglasses, Paul Nison says to remove your sunglasses while eating as they otherwise interfere with the optic nerve, signaling the body that it isn't the time of day to be eating and digesting.
Question for You: Are you 'addicted' to wearing sunglasses? Honestly?
In today's world its a challenge to find real darkness, and to get sleep during the right hours. Dr Mercola gives tips for how to accomplish this and encourages to overcome the challenges. Sleep is That Important!
As a side note, I remember years ago reading a book (I think it was 'Taking Charge of Your Fertility') that mentioned that for some women to regulate their cycles and achieve conception, they might have to do very specific things to black out their sleeping spot, like putting foil in the windows, removing digital clocks or any source of light (no matter how little it seems), even blocking light from coming in around the bedroom door. Any of this could interfere with her fertility. The point that I remember is that a woman's cycle would naturally be in-sync with the phases of the moon, in days before electricity!
What I hear Paul Nison saying in regards to his Daylight Diet isn't so much about the health of the food that we eat, but how and when we eat so that we get a good rest at night while sleeping which is when our bodies cleanse and rebuild.....and that's where our health really comes from. The quality of our sleep.
It's still here, in the northern hemisphere. And I unfortunately got a nasty cold. I know it was due to a few lifestyle factors that weren't in place this past week as I was away from home for a whole week, not doing what I normally am doing. The things that changed this week for me were:
*not having fresh juices every morning
*flying across 4 time-zones
*return flight was a red-eye in which I got hardly any sleep that whole trip
*drank Brita-filtered city water rather than fresh well water
*didn't sleep with my grounding sheet
*ate more cooked foods (and even meats) than I normally do
I think the change in my sleep was the number one factor for getting this cold, and then there was emotional stress I was under. It wasn't just one thing, but a combination of things that set me up for the virus getting a hold. It's just the way it was. But in this video by Dr Mercola he will give suggestions for both lifestyle to avoid sickness, and supplements to overcome.
Now that I've been home and able to attack this nasty cold, I am feeling much better today. I made sure to get lots of rest by going to bed early and staying in bed longer than normal, drinking lots of clean water, fresh juices (including celery which is great for colds/flu), all raw foods, doing a high-enema, and not eating after 2pm yesterday (which sets me up for a better sleep because I'm not working at digestion while sleeping). I also used oil of oregano on my throat and massaged it into the soles of my feet, and took licorice root tincture for upper respiratory congestion. Today I feel more like myself. For me this cold was short lived. It started to show itself on Sunday (which was aggravated by the red-eye flight that night), then Monday it really developed, and Tuesday I felt nasty. Wednesday I still felt awful but I worked diligently at taking care of myself, and today I feel virtually recovered.
Question for You: What is the #1 thing you do to try and avoid illness?
and 
. I know there are other good documentaries out there, but honestly I haven't watched all of them so I can't personally recommend them. But these 2 I can. Our Daily Bread is without narration, so you form your own ideas completely by what you see the farmers and processors doing with the food.
