Clean with salt

Salt works as an effective yet gentle scouring agent. Salt also serves as a catalyst for other ingredients, such as vinegar, to boost cleaning and deodorizing action. For a basic soft scrub, make a paste with lots of salt, baking soda and dish soap and use on appliances, enamel, porcelain, etc.

 
Clean sink drains. Pour salt mixed with hot water down the kitchen sink regularly to deodorize and keep grease from building up.

Remove water rings. Gently rub a thin paste of salt and vegetable oil on the white marks caused by beverage glasses and hot dishes, on wooden tables.

Clean greasy pans. Cast-iron skillets can be cleaned with a good sprinkling of salt and paper towels.

Clean stained cups. Mix salt with a dab of dish soap to make a soft scrub for stubborn coffee and tea stains.

Clean refrigerators. A mix of salt and soda water can be used to wipe out and deodorize the inside of your refrigerator, a nice way to keep chemical-y cleaners away from your food.

Clean brass or copper. Mix equal parts of salt, flour and vinegar to make a paste, and rub the paste on the metal. After letting it sit for an hour, clean with a soft cloth or brush and buff with a dry cloth.

Clean rust. Mix salt and cream of tartar with just enough water to make a paste. Rub on rust, let dry, brush off and buff with a dry, soft cloth. You can also use the same method with a mix of salt and lemon.

Clean a glass coffee pot. Every diner waitress’ favorite tip: add salt and ice cubes to a coffee pot, swirl around vigorously, and rinse. The salt scours the bottom, and the ice helps to agitate it more for a better scrub.

Attack wine spills. If your tipsy aunt tips her wine on the cotton or linen tablecloth, blot up as much as possible and immediately cover the wine with a pile of salt, which will help pull the remaining wine away from the fiber. After dinner, soak the tablecloth in cold water for thirty minutes before laundering. (Also works on clothing.)

Quell oversudsing. Since of course we are all very careful in how much detergent we use in our laundry, we never have too many suds. But if…you can eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

Dry clothes in the winter. Use salt in the final laundry rinse to prevent clothes from freezing if you use an outdoor clothes line in the winter.

Brighten colors. Wash colored curtains or washable fiber rugs in a saltwater solution to brighten the colors. Brighten faded rugs and carpets by rubbing them briskly with a cloth that has been dipped in a strong saltwater solution and wrung out.

Remove perspiration stains. Add four tablespoons of salt to one quart of hot water and sponge the fabric with the solution until stains fade.

Remove blood stains. Soak the stained cloth in cold saltwater, then launder in warm, soapy water and boil after the wash. (Use only on cotton, linen or other natural fibers that can take high heat.)

Tackle mildew or rust stains. Moisten stained spots with a mixture of lemon juice and salt, then spread the item in the sun for bleaching–then rinse and dry.

Clean a gunky iron bottom. Sprinkle a little salt on a piece of paper and run the hot iron over it to remove rough, sticky spots.

Set color. Salt is used commonly in the textile industry, but works at home too. If a dye isn’t colorfast, soak the garment for an hour in 1/2 gallon of water to which you’ve added 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup salt, then rinse. If rinse water has any color in it, repeat. Use only on single-colored fabric or madras. If the item is multicolored, dry-clean it to avoid running all of the colors together.

Food that are cleansing

Our livers work extremely hard everyday to protect us from adverse affects from toxins and often it is easy for our livers to become overworked compromising our health significantly. Here are 7 common foods you can include daily to help cleanse your liver naturally. 

By: Jonathan Benson, NaturalNews.com

The primary way in which your body expels toxins is via the liver, which detoxifies and cleanses your body by continuously filtering the blood of poisons that enter it through the digestive tract, the skin, and the respiratory system. But when your liver becomes overworked as a result of stress or excessive exposure to toxins, your entire system can be thrown off balance, and your health severely compromised.

Since the liver is also responsible for producing bile, another form of detoxification that is metabolically necessary for the breakdown and assimilation of fats and proteins from your food, it is exceedingly important that your liver be properly maintained. Without a well-functioning liver, your body will be unable to cleanse itself and absorb nutrients, which is a recipe for a health disaster.

"The thousands of enzyme systems that are responsible for virtually every body activity are constructed in the liver," writes Dr. Karl Maret, M.D., about the importance of vibrant liver function. "The proper functioning of the eyes, the heart, the brain, the gonads, the joints, and the kidneys, are all dependent on good liver activity."

"If the liver is impaired from constructing even one of the thousands of enzyme systems the body requires, there is an impairment in overall body function and a resultant greater metabolic stress on the individual."

So here are seven important foods you may want to begin incorporating into your diet in order to maintain a healthy liver.

1. Garlic

Garlic contains numerous sulfur-containing compounds that activate the liver enzymes responsible for flushing out toxins from the body. This bulbous relative of the onion also contains allicin and selenium, two powerful nutrients proven to help protect the liver from toxic damage, and aid it in the detoxification process.

2. Grapefruit

Grapefruit is rich in natural vitamin C and antioxidants, two powerful liver cleansers. Like garlic, grapefruit contains compounds that boost the production of liver detoxification enzymes. It also contains a flavonoid compound known as naringenin that causes the liver to burn fat rather than store it.

3. Green Tea

Green tea is loaded with catechins, a type of plant antioxidant that has been shown in studies to eliminate liver fat accumulation and promote proper liver function. This powerful herbal beverage also protects the liver against toxins that would otherwise accumulate and cause serious damage.

4. Green Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables such as bitter gourd, arugula, dandelion greens, spinach, mustard greens, and chicory also contain numerous cleansing compounds that neutralize heavy metals, which can bear heavily on the liver. Leafy greens also eliminate pesticides and herbicides from the body, and spur the creation and flow of cleansing bile.

5. Avocado

Rich in glutathione-producing compounds, avocados actively promote liver health by protecting it against toxic overload, and boosting its cleansing power. Some research has shown that eating one or two avocados a week for as little as 30 days can repair a damaged liver.

6. Walnuts

Walnuts, which contain high levels of l-arginine, an amino acid, glutathione, and omega-3 fatty acids, also help detoxify the liver of disease-causing ammonia. Walnuts also help oxygenate the blood, and extracts from their hulls are often used in liver-cleansing formulas.

7. Tumeric

Turmeric, one of the most powerful foods for maintaining a healthy liver, has been shown to actively protect the liver against toxic damage, and even regenerate damaged liver cells. Turmeric also boosts the natural production of bile, shrinks engorged hepatic ducts, and improves overall function of the gallbladder, another body-purifying organ.

Clean, green simple Food Storage Chart

Importance of Magnesium and drugs that deplete

Dietary Magnesium may Halve Cardiovascular Mortality

Posted on June 20, 2012, 6 a.m. in Cardio-Vascular | Minerals | Nutrition |

Data from a long-term study of nearly 60,000 people suggests that increasing the amount of magnesium in the diet could cut the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by as much as 50%. Wen Zhang, from Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, and colleagues from several Japanese Universities, used data from the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study, involving 58,615 healthy Japanese people aged between 40 and 79. A total of 2,690 participants died from cardiovascular disease over the course of the 15-year-long study. Results showed that dietary magnesium intake was inversely associated with mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in men and with mortality from total and ischemic strokes, coronary heart disease, heart failure and total cardiovascular disease in women. Participants with the highest intake of magnesium were found to have a 50% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with participants with the lowest dietary intake of magnesium. However, when the researchers factored in the effects of calcium and potassium the relationship was not as strong. They concluded: "Dietary magnesium intake was associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese [people], especially for women."

Blood pressure meds (ace inhibitors like Lisinopril ) and heartburn meds (like Prilosec) help deplete the body's level of magnesium. Magnesium by the way helps lower blood pressure. The lower your magnesium the more chance for an increase CRP which is a lab test that measure the amount of inflammation in the body...inflammation is the root of all chronic illnesses. 

ISAFLUSH®—A   comb i n a t i o n   o f   c l e a n s i n g   h e r b s   a n d  mi n e ra l s   t h a t   e f fe c t i ve l y 

a n d   s a fe l y   h e l p s   to   p romo te   re g u l a r i ty   a n d   n a t u ra l l y   s o o t h e   i n te s t i n a l   d i s com fo r t .

• Contains five cleansing herbs and minerals, which support improved

water absorption for better colonic function.

• Utilizes 200 mg of magnesium, which aids in digestive regularity and

overall health.

• Perfect for Cleanse Days or anytime you have a problem with regularity

or digestion.

www.fatbgone.org

Healthy Habits prevent disease

New evidence to support a range of healthy behaviors reported in the American Journal of Medicine

Philadelphia, PA, June 4, 2012 – Five new studies provide evidence to support simple steps we can take to prevent illness and improve our overall health. In the June issue of The American Journal of Medicine, researchers report on fish consumption to reduce the risk of colon cancer; the effectiveness of hypnotherapy and acupuncture for smoking cessation; regular teeth cleaning to improve cardiovascular health; the effectiveness of primary care physicians in weight loss programs; and the use of low-dose aspirin to reduce cancer risk.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the Western world. Research linking fish consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer has been inconclusive, although people who live in countries with high levels of fish consumption are known to develop the disease less frequently. Now, scientists from Xi'an, China, have reviewed the literature and find that eating fresh fish regularly reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 12%. They evaluated 41 studies on fish consumption and colorectal cancer risk published between 1990 and 2011 and tracked cancer diagnoses. The protective effect of fish consumption is more prominent in rectal cancer than in colon cancer. The risk reduction for rectal cancer was as much as 21%, whereas the reduction for colon cancer was 4%.

"Despite the fact that colon and rectal cancer share many features and are often referred to as 'colorectal cancer,' they tend to demonstrate many different characteristics," notes lead author Daiming Fan, of the Fourth Military Medical University. "One possible reason for the difference may be because colon cancers are generally more molecularly diverse, whereas rectal cancers mostly arise via a single neoplastic pathway."

Mark J. Eisenberg, MD, MPH, of McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec, and colleagues report that the use of unconventional smoking cessation aids, including acupuncture and hypnotherapy, results in substantial increases of smoking cessation. A meta-analysis of 14 trials found that smokers who underwent hypnotherapy were 4.55 times more likely, and those who underwent acupuncture were 3.53 times more likely, to abstain from smoking than those who did not. Aversive smoking may also help smokers quit; however, there were no recent trials investigating this intervention.

Regular tooth scaling is associated with a decreased risk for future cardiovascular events. A study by H-B. Leu, MD, of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan, and colleagues examined 10,887 subjects who had undergone tooth scaling, and 10,989 subjects who had not received tooth scaling. During an average follow-up period of seven years, the group that had undergone tooth scaling had a lower incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and total cardiovascular events. Increasing frequency of tooth scaling correlates with a higher risk reduction.

A study by William C. Haas, MD, of East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, and colleagues finds that physicians in primary care practices can be as effective as weight loss clinics in helping the moderately obese lose weight. Patients received behavioral modification sessions and a diet plan partially or fully supplemented by meal replacements at either a primary care clinic or a weight loss center. Primary care clinics were as effective as weight loss centers at reducing weight, and better at reducing body fat. Regardless of location, participants completing 12 weeks of treatment lost an average of 11.1% of their body weight. Participants who selected full meal replacement had better results.

Low-dose aspirin, a common strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease, can also reduce nonvascular deaths, including cancer deaths. A meta-analysis of 23 randomized studies by Edward J. Mills, PhD, MSc, of the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues offers conclusive evidence that low-dose aspirin offers cancer preventive effects, and showed significant treatment effects after approximately four years of follow up.

War on your Health

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j_WOpioHuw&feature=youtu.be
Watch this video

Healthy versus Unhealthy Meats Many people are still in the dark about the vast differences between concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and organically-raised, grass-fed beef, both in terms of nutrient content and contamination with veterinary drugs, genetically modified organisms, and disease-causing pathogens. Most CAFO cows are fed grains (oftentimes genetically engineered grains, which make matters even worse), when their natural diet is plain grass. This difference in the animals' diet creates vastly different end products. Modern mass production of food has created a wide array of safety problems. In fact, once you delve into the world of the food industry, it becomes clear that eating much of it is like playing a game of Russian roulette with your health. While I'm not going to address them all here, one problem in particular, which relates to the issue of meat, is the issue of contamination with hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides. As much as 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are for animals, primarily to serve as growth enhancers. The excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture is the primary reason for the rampant increase in antibiotic-resistant disease in humans. As for pesticides, most people do not realize that conventionally-raised meat is actually one of the primary sources of pesticide exposure—not fruits and vegetables! This due to the fact that CAFO animals are raised on a diet consisting primarily of grains, which are of course sprayed with pesticides.

Healthy versus Unhealthy Meats

Many people are still in the dark about the vast differences between concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and organically-raised, grass-fed beef, both in terms of nutrient content and contamination with veterinary drugs, genetically modified organisms, and disease-causing pathogens. Most CAFO cows are fed grains (oftentimes genetically engineered grains, which make matters even worse), when their natural diet is plain grass. This difference in the animals' diet creates vastly different end products.

Modern mass production of food has created a wide array of safety problems. In fact, once you delve into the world of the food industry, it becomes clear that eating much of it is like playing a game of Russian roulette with your health.

While I'm not going to address them all here, one problem in particular, which relates to the issue of meat, is the issue of contamination with hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides. As much as 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are for animals, primarily to serve as growth enhancers. The excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture is the primary reason for the rampant increase in antibiotic-resistant disease in humans. As for pesticides, most people do not realize that conventionally-raised meat is actually one of theprimary sources of pesticide exposure—not fruits and vegetables! This due to the fact that CAFO animals are raised on a diet consisting primarily of grains, which are of course sprayed with pesticides.

vs

Body Image-You are what you eat!

Deception and Dangers of High fructose Corn Syrup

Why diets don't work

Five Things Everyone Can Grow in Five Square Feet

As chef and owner of two restaurants in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, when Michael Ayoub is not in the kitchen he can be found tending his thriving organic garden that oftentimes supplies the ingredients for his restaurants' menus. And as any cramped New Yorker or backyard-less dweller should know, you certainly don't have to have a massive area to put your green thumb to good use.

Five Things Everyone Can Grow in Five Square Feet: Michael Ayoub

1. Black cherry tomatoes
"They have a different, interesting color than other tomatoes. And though they’re small, they have a rich tomato flavor. Perfect in salads and pastas."

2. Genovese basil
"This type of basil is really popular with chefs for many reasons, but mainly because its broad leaves have such great flavor. It’s perfect for pesto. The plant will keep giving and giving too. All you have to do is just not let it flower."

3. Rainbow Swiss chard
"I really love Swiss chard, particularly the rainbow variety because not only is it tasty, but it grows into so many beautiful different colors. Once you cut it, it keeps coming back. Swiss chard is so versatile too: you can eat it raw in a salad, sauté it as a vegetable side or braise it with cooked meals."

4. Hot peppers
"Perfect for when you need to give that dish that extra punch. You can choose any you like, but I happen to be partial to the serrano. I love adding these to salads or putting them into sandwiches."

5. Fairy Tale Eggplant
"This plant grows pretty compactly - it’s about an 18-by-18-inch bush - and grows pretty quickly. They’re very sweet and you want to pick them when they’re about four inches long. Roast them on the grill or serve them in pasta."

Source: www.eatocracy.cnn.com

Link between aging and fiber?

Is There a Link Between Telomeres and Dietary Fiber?

February 24, 2011

Telomeres may partly explain why eating whole-grains helps people live longer.

New evidence published in Archives of Internal Medicinehas it that eating more dietary fiber, particularly from whole grains, could lead to a longer life. The large study found a high-fiber diet reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as infectious and respiratory illnesses.

This is great news for those eating diets high in fiber. What’s also interesting is that another reason why dietary fiber is protective to health is because of its influence on telomeres. Telomeres are the protective caps at the end of chromosomes, and their length is considered the closest way to measure lifespan in humans.

As reported in a prospective cohort study published in the March 2010 edition ofAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), telomere length is positively associated with higher fiber intake in women. Dietary fiber from whole grains appears to provide the strongest benefit.

In addition, in the AJCN study, the researchers found telomere length was negatively associated with increased waist circumference and higher intake of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet.

Because the study was only observational, the authors reported that further investigation is necessary to further illuminate the link between dietary fiber and telomere length.

Whole grains examples are rolled oats, buckwheat, whole wheat, and wild rice. The grains contain the entire grain kernel, which include the bran, germ and endosperm. Less than 5 percent of Americans consume the minimum recommended amount of whole grains, which is about 3 ounce-equivalents per day, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Americans barely receive half the amounts of dietary fiber recommended daily. How much dietary fiber is enough? The recommended amounts are 25 grams of fiber for women and 38 grams of fiber for men.

The AJCN study was among the first to document the relationship between diet and telomere length. The authors of the study concluded that the results provided more support that an improved diet and lifestyle would indeed help to slow the aging process.

“Telomere shortening is accelerated by oxidative stress and inflammation, and diet affects both of these processes,” the authors report.

Studies have also found that the following changes in diet and lifestyle are all positively associated with telomere length:

• not smoking
• exercising regularly
• maintaining a normal body weight
• healthy management of stress
• consuming sufficient long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from fish weekly
• maintaining a healthy vitamin D status
• consuming a quality multivitamin daily
• consuming antioxidants such as CoQ10 and green tea
• 

Sources:

1. Park Y, Subar AF, Hollenbeck A, Schatzkin A. Dietary Fiber Intake and Mortality in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Arch Intern Med 2011.
2.  Cassidy A, De V, I, Liu Y et al. Associations between diet, lifestyle factors, and telomere length in women. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91:1273-80.

Related Links:

• Spotlight on SlimCakes for American Heart Month
• Can Taking a Multivitamin Daily Protect Telomeres and Slow Aging?
• Living Healthier, Longer with Ageless Essentials Daily Pack
• Seven Ways to Slow Telomere Shortening

Benefits of Laughter

 

Laughter is good for your health • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.The Benefits of LaughterPhysical Health Benefits:• Boosts immunity• Lowers stress hormones• Decreases pain• Relaxes your muscles• Prevents heart diseaseMental Health Benefits:• Adds joy and zest to life• Eases anxiety and fear• Relieves stress• Improves mood• Enhances resilienceSocial Benefits:• Strengthens relationships• Attracts others to us• Enhances teamwork• Helps defuse conflict• Promotes group bondingLaughter and humor help you stay emotionally healthyLaughter makes you feel good. And the good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

The link between laughter and mental health

• Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.• Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.• Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.The social benefits of humor and laughterHumor and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment.

Laughing with others is more powerful than laughing aloneCreating opportunities to laugh• Watch a funny movie or TV show.• Go to a comedy club.• Read the funny pages.• Seek out funny people.• Share a good joke or a funny story.• Check out your bookstore’s humor section.• Host game night with friends.• Play with a pet.• Go to a “laughter yoga” class.• Goof around with children.• Do something silly.• Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke).Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play also adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

Incorporating more humor and play into your daily interactions can improve the quality of your love relationships— as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends. Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:

• Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.• Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.• Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.• Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. 

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Laughter is strong medicine for the mind and body.Article by: http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm

Cleansing and types of cleansing

The Isagenix cleanse is is the only cleansing system that is a full body cleanse...colon, liver, gallbladder, kidneys, lymphatic system, blood and three trillion cells? It is the only cleanse that does all three phases known of (or 3 types of toxins): This is not a fasting cleanse, it is help for the body to detoxify itself...

Phase one gets water soluble (most cleanses, like a juice cleanse like the master cleanse)

Phase two gets at soluble-has enzymes that convert the fat soluble toxins to water soluble -otherwise toxins continue to build up in our fat in the body

Phase three gets things that get caught in cells themselves, like the pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, medications you have taken over the yrs, that needs a chelation formula that pulls those toxins out of the cells without being locked in the potty all day.

Health Benefits of Kale

Kale is king. Along with broccoli, it is one of the nutrition stand-outs among vegetables. It fights fat through its ability to mingle in a variety of roles -- in side dishes, combined in main dishes, or in salads. 

For a green, kale is unusually high in fiber. This helps create the bulk you need to fill you up and to keep you full for a good amount of time. Kale is also an excellent source of nutrients, especially vitamin A and calcium. With a combination of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, kale is a dieter's dream food.

Other Health Benefits of Kale:

Though greens in general are nutritious foods, kale stands a head above the rest. Not only is it one of your best sources of beta-carotene, one of the antioxidants believed by many nutrition experts to be a major player in the battle against cancer, heart disease, and certain age-related chronic diseases, it also provides other important nutrients.

In addition to beta-carotene, kale posses other important carotenoids: lutein and zeaxathin. These carotenoids help keep UV rays from damaging the eyes and causing cataracts.
According to recent research results, kale is an incredible source of well-absorbed calcium, which is one of the many factors that may help prevent osteoporosis. It also provides decent amounts of vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, and potassium.

The manganese in kale helps your body's own antioxidant defense system, superoxide dismutase, protecting you from damaging free radicals. Its folate and B6 team up to keep homocysteine levels down, which may help prevent heart disease, dementia, and osteoporosis bone fractures.