Thursday, September 28, 2017

Important Health Info

A few years ago eggs were considered dangerous due to the risk of elevating bad cholesterol. Recently, consumers were told that eggs are not only acceptable to eat, they are actually beneficial. The same reversal has occurred with coffee, avocados, and chocolate, to name a few. These formerly demonized foods have been given new life thanks to increased and improved research.
Many U.S. children grew up believing that the “Food Pyramid” was the gospel for good health and longevity. Decades after it was introduced, however, many respected nutrition experts refuted its scientific premise and it has been replaced with the “Food Plate” concept. One of those experts is Dr. Walter Willett, a leading U.S. nutrition researcher at Harvard University who claimed that the food pyramid “hurts both waistlines and health.”
At Healthycell, we believe in eating a balanced diet. We support exercise regimens to maintain health, and we are big proponents of a good night’s sleep.
But we’re realists, too. We know that history has shown many times that what is good today may be determined bad tomorrow, and vice-versa. And we know that most Americans do not have the time or the knowledge to eat the right foods every day. A good example is cayenne pepper fruit – a food that most Americans do not routinely include in their diet, but which has great benefits.
Cayenne Pepper contains capsaicin, which has a rich supply of vitamin C and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). Capsaicin also contains carotenes. Carotenes are antioxidants known for their effects in helping to potentially prevent cancer and cardiovascular disorders, and for helping to protect the body from carcinogenic and toxic chemicals. It also contains vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 (folic acid), cobalt and zinc.
Capsaicin has also been found beneficial for fighting chronic fatigue, mild depression, sore throats, and for significantly lowering serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides, and it has been studied for its potential ability to support the health of telomeres and chromosomes.
Despite the extensive nature of health support provided by capsaicin through cayenne pepper, it is not found as a recommendation on the new food plate.
But it is found in Healthycell, along with many other beneficial ingredients, many of which are overlooked by nutritionists and other dietary experts. The inclusion of capsaicin and these other important components is one of the reasons why Healthycell is a part of the daily regimen of countless people. Healthycell provides what they do not have the time or knowledge to include as part of their overall nutritional program.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

All Water Is Not Created Equal

Drinking enough water isn’t really enough. You have to drink the right kind of water - water that will help buffer acid, help remove toxins, and is easily absorbed by your body. You need great tasting water with antioxidant properties and proper pH levels.
Having a LivingWater is like owning a limitless supply of alkaline, ionized, healthy water. You get pH-balancing, healthy alkaline water for drinking and cooking, strong alkaline water for washing vegetables, and acidic water for cleaning. Plus, when you drink alkaline water regularly, you’re helping your body to hydrate itself as well as flush out toxins and waste products. If you’re trying to lose weight, you may get a boost there as well. Overall, there’s no better way to help stay healthy.
Utilizing Direct Disk Ionization (DDI) Technology™, LivingWater is a revolutionary approach to water ionization. Designed by the inventor who holds the first water ionization engine patent, it does not require numerous plates or membranes. While conventional units require a low flow rate to maximize ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential), LivingWater with Direct Disk Ionization (DDI) Technology™ can achieve the same ORP levels at a higher flow rate. The Direct Disk Ionization Technology and constant power output design produce ionized water with the least amount of electrical energy needed. Similar to a compact fluorescent lightbulb which uses less energy for the same amount of light output as an incandescent bulb, LivingWater is a more efficient use of energy than conventional plate units.

Benefits of LivingWater

  • Provides acid-buffering alkaline water for drinking and cooking, right at your faucet
  • Produces acidic water for cleaning without chemicals
  • Generates water with excellent negative Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) for increased antioxidant properties
  • Easily installs to your existing faucet with no special plumbing

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Fluoride Is Not an Essential Nutrient

In the 1950s, dentists believed that fluoride was a “nutrient.” A nutrient is a vitamin or mineral that is necessary for good health. Dentists believed that fluoride ingestion during childhood was necessary for strong, healthy teeth. A “fluoride deficiency” was thus believed to cause cavities, just like a deficiency of calcium can cause osteoporosis, or a deficiency of vitamin-D can cause rickets. It is now known, however, that fluoride is not a nutrient. As acknowledged by the CDC, the fluoride content of a tooth has little bearing on whether or not the tooth will develop a cavity. According to the CDC:
“The prevalence of dental caries in a population is not inversely related to the concentration of fluoride in enamel, and a higher concentration of enamel fluoride is not necessarily more efficacious in preventing dental caries.”
SOURCE: CDC. 2001. Recommendations for using fluoride to prevent and control dental caries in the United StatesMortality and Morbidity Weekly Review 50(RR14):1-42.
In short, people can have perfect teeth without consuming fluoridated water or any other fluoride product. As with teeth, no other tissue or cellular process requires fluoride. Accordingly, it is now accepted that fluoride is not an essential nutrient.
Excerpts from the Scientific Literature:
“Safe, responsible, and sustainable use of fluorides is dependent on decision makers (whether they be politicians or parents) having a firm grasp on three key principles: (i) fluorine is not so much ‘essential’ as it is ‘everywhere,’ (ii) recent human activities have significantly increased fluorine exposures to the biosphere, and (iii) fluorine has biogeochemical effects beyond bones and teeth.”
SOURCE: Finkelman RB, et al. 2011. Medical geology issues in North America in O. Selinus, et al. (eds). Medical Geology. Springer Publishing.
“Fluoride is not essential for human growth and development.”
SOURCE:  European Commission. 2011. Critical review of any new evidence on the hazard profile, health effects, and human exposure to fluoride and the fluoridating agents of drinking water. Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER), page 4.
“Fluoride is not in any natural human metabolic pathway.”
SOURCE: Cheng KK, et al. 2007. Adding fluoride to water supplies. British Medical Journal 335:699-702.
“[F]luoride is no longer considered an essential factor for human growth and development…”
SOURCE: National Research Council. 1993. Health Effects of Ingested Fluoride. National Academy Press, Washington DC. p. 30.
“These contradictory results do not justify a classification of fluorine as an essential element, according to accepted standards.”
SOURCE: National Academy of Sciences. 1989. Recommended Dietary Allowances: 10th Edition. Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council, National Academy Press. p. 235.
Statements from U.S. Government Agencies:
“In summary, FDA does not list fluorine as an essential nutrient.”
SOURCE: Food & Drug Administration, October 1990. [See letter]
“The United States Public Health Service does not say that sodium fluoride is an essential mineral nutrient.”
SOURCE: U.S. Public Health Service, May 10, 1966. [See letter]
“Sodium fluoride used for therapeutic effect would be a drug, not a mineral nutrient. Fluoride has not been determined essential to human health. A minimum daily requirement for sodium fluoride has not been established.”
SOURCE: Food & Drug Administration, August 15, 1963. [See letter]
The Institute of Medicine Report (1997)
Some commentators have cited a 1997 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as demonstrating that fluoride is an essential nutrient. The IOM report, however, does not do so — a fact confirmed by both the President of the Institute of Medicine (Kenneth Shine), as well as the President of the National Academy of Sciences (Bruce Alberts). In a jointly authored letter on November 18, 1998, Alberts and Shine unequivocally stated:
“Nowhere in the report is it stated that fluoride is an essential nutrient. If any speaker or panel member at the September 23rd workshop referred to fluoride as such, they misspoke. As was stated in Recommended Dietary Allowances 10th Edition, which we published in 1989: ‘These contradictory results do not justify a classification of fluoride as an essential element, according to accepted standards.

Warning Signs of a Wrong Eyeglass Prescription

Warning Signs of a Wrong Eyeglass Prescription

For a lot of people with refractive errors, wearing prescription eyeglasses is the way they achieve clarity of vision. Whether you’re being fitted for your first pair or your ninth pair of eyeglasses, the promise of sharp vision is always exciting.
Unlike doing eye exercises and undergoing vision therapy, which can help your eyes get stronger and see better in the long run, many people opt for the quick fix of eyeglasses. Immediate results are what you get with eyeglasses.
Or so you think… cue thunder and lightning. We put a lot of faith into our ophthalmologist and opticians, but the truth is they’re only human. When taking our eye measurements to find the correct prescription, they could very well make mistakes.
Human error is nothing to be ashamed of; we’ve all made our share of mistakes, I’m sure. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t be on the lookout for these mistakes. The next time you go for either an eyeglass or a contact lens fitting, it’s important to note everyday how well your eyes see and how they feel.
It’s totally possible that you have the wrong prescription. Here are some signs to look out for when you get a new prescription.
Warning Signs of a Wrong Eyeglass PrescriptionHeadaches
Headaches are the most telling sign of a wrong prescription. Have you ever worn someone else’s glasses and suddenly felt dizzy with your head throbbing? You definitely don’t have the same prescription as your friend.
However, when you get a new prescription, the headaches won’t come on as quickly as wearing someone else’s prescription. When your prescription is wrong, it’s probably off by the slightest amount, but this amount is enough to give you headaches.
What you want to look for is frequent headaches a few days after you’ve started wearing the new prescription. If you notice the headaches happen when you’re wearing your glasses or contact lenses, but suddenly disappear when you take them off, then you may need a new prescription.
The wrong prescription can cause your eyes to strain as they try to adapt to the lens they’re seeing through. When this happens, you’ll get frequent headaches while wearing the prescription.
However, if you’re prone to headaches, you can test your eyes by wearing your glasses at different times of the day. If you’re prone to those midday headaches after hours at work on a computer, don’t wear your glasses at this time. Wear them during a time you know you normally don’t get headaches.
Vertigo
This is more than just dizziness. Where dizziness can be cured by sitting or lying down and waiting for it to pass, vertigo is much more aggressive.
Vertigo is the sensation of dizziness or the feeling of being unbalanced while standing or sitting. It is persistent and requires medical attention. It is often associated with inner ear problems, but can also be caused by blurred vision.
Of course, if you already have vertigo, the wrong prescription will only worsen the problem. Vertigo due to the wrong prescription lenses will also affect your depth perception. If you’ve read our blog before, you’ll know that depth perception is crucial to our survival. Without it, we risk injuring ourselves.
If you’ve been diagnosed with vertigo already and you find that your eyeglasses are worsening your symptoms, speak to your doctor about correcting the lenses.
If you’ve never had vertigo before, but suddenly experience the symptoms after receiving a new prescription, it is imperative that you not only get your prescription fixed, but also have your general physician evaluate your symptoms. Vertigo can cause or be caused by other serious health problems.
Blurred Vision
Finally, we come to the most disheartening of signs of a wrong prescription: blurred vision. You leave the optician’s office excited to be able to make out street signs and small writing but that dream soon falls flat when you realize that your vision is fuzzy and blurry.
There is a silver lining; blurred vision after receiving a new prescription could also just be a sign of your eyes adjusting to the new lenses. If you experience blurred vision in the first few days, don’t be so quick to call up your eye doctor. Give your eyes some times to adjust.
Generally, if the blurred vision persists for longer than two weeks, then you should call your eye doctor to have them reevaluate your prescription. If the blurred vision is accompanied by vertigo or headaches before the two weeks is up, contact your eye doctor. The last thing you want is for your symptoms to escalate.
Our eyes are very sensitive. Although they can adjust to change quite easily, if even the slightest thing is off, the eyes will know and it will affect your entire head. Blurred vision needs to be monitored because your vision and overall health will suffer in the long run.
Having the wrong prescription is like having one leg that’s shorter than the other. That small difference of a fraction of an inch will throw your whole body’s alignment off. The same goes for your eyes. The slightest miscalculation will cause blurred vision, which in turn will lead to headaches, migraines and vertigo.
We aren’t suggesting you not trust your eye doctor. Trust them! Tell them all of your eye concerns. They’re there to help you. If they make a mistake, don’t hesitate to bring it up. Don’t think that you’re wrong because you don’t have a medical degree in eye health.
You know your body better than anyone else. If something feels off, chances are there’s something wrong.
Now, if you’re looking for a more permanent fix to your refractive error, consider training your eyes either through at-home exercises or a vision therapy program. Vision therapy programs are tailored to your specific needs and will help you to be rid of your refractive error and those pesky prescriptions.
Don’t forget to eat a balanced diet and make sure that your eyes are getting the vitamins and nutrients that they need!

When was the last time you read your cosmetic labels?

When was the last time you read your cosmetic labels?
Nowadays the labelling on the packaging means we can see goes into our food and onto our skin and sometimes we can become concerned by all the ingredients on the labels.
I can only speak for myself but particularly when it comes to skincare I am happier using something simple and natural, for a variety of reasons.
Firstly I like to feel that I am using something that will work with my skin, supporting the natural processes.
Jojoba plants produce oil which is virtually identical with the oil – sebum- that our own skin manufactures. Argan oil contains squalene – again found in our own skin. Apricot and Peach oils contain important vitamins and camellia oil has been shown to help in the production of collagen.
Although they have a very important role in modern skincare, chemical alternatives can seem almost barren by comparison.
For example, how many of us realize that when we use petroleum jelly or mineral-based baby oil on our skin (“petrolatum” or “paraffinum liquidum” on the label) we are actually using the residue of the distillation of the same crude oil from which we get our car fuel.
Consequently the reason baby oil smells so nice is that artificial fragrances had to be added to it to mask the smell of the mineral oil.
Millions of us use these chemicals every day with no ill effects whatsoever but when you realize that mineral oil is used as a lubricant in industry somehow it just doesn’t sound the same, does it?
The second reason I use skincare based on natural plant oils is that sometimes the modern alternative works TOO well.
My family has very sensitive skin and I found that they were suffering from drying and itching when they used the products I brought home from the supermarket.
Commercial soaps were bad enough but when I tried liquid washes all hell broke loose. Most people, and up to then that included me, do not realize that these washes are based on detergents, essentially the same as washing up liquid. Two common names you will find on the labels are Sodium Laureth sulphate and sodium lauryl sulphate, both highly effective ingredients which are regarded as safe all over the world. Nonetheless, many people find that they are little bit better at what they do than they might like!
I did some research a while ago and I found that after the introduction of these handwashes, shower gels and so on, sales took off very fast. They are very popular and it is easy to see why; they are cheap, effective and hygienic to use – no slimy bars of soap anymore – and what’s more, they smell fabulous.
What is less well known is that shortly after we all started using these products to clean our skin the sales of moisturisers shot up as well, but at TWICE THE RATE of the wash products. We were literally washing the oils out of our skin, leaving our skin parched.
Most people get away with it and find that their skin is fine -or nobody would be buying them- BUT many people whose skin is prone to dryness live with a chronic low level itch and discomfort and an almost subconscious sense of something not being right that is only eased by applying – often quite expensive – moisturisers.
Ask yourself — do you remember your mother having to cover you with creams or did you have dry cracked skin on your hands when you were a child? Did you have to stand and wait for your all-over moisturizer to dry off before you could get dressed twenty-odd years ago?
Probably not.
Another group of women who have trouble with dried out hands, the skin on their knuckles cracked and sore, are new mothers who have to wash them a lot.
Think about it: by using detergent based liquid washes/gels you are essentially washing your hands in washing up liquid. Who would choose to do that?
In fact a good hot, long shower with these products is pretty much like standing the roasting tray in a basin of hot water with Fairy liquid after Sunday lunch. Both you and the tray come out spotless and gleaming with all the stuck on grease (in your case your body oils) washed down the plughole. Small wonder those oils need replacing.
Don’t mistake me- these products are not toxic, they are not going to give you cancer or make your hair fall out, but they are very, very good at their job. These chemicals are everywhere, there is sodium laureth sulphate in toothpaste, it is the stuff that makes it nice and foamy and I am not about to give up that Colgate ring of confidence in a hurry. However if you find that your skin is itchier than it used to be or that you are getting sore, cracked  hands ask yourself if you could be overusing these wash products or whether like my family they are just not for you at all and maybe find an alternative that suits you better.
You are unlikely to have to go to the lengths I did and make your own but changing your shower gel or handwash for something you find less drying is simple, inexpensive  and may well leave you feeling more comfortable, less itchy and less irritable; it’s got to be worth a try.
Bear these facts in mind the next time  you shop for skincare products, knowledge is power and we can all do with a bit of empowerment!
However, it is not enough to know what to avoid ; I look forward to telling you about some of the fascinating new alternatives we now have available which have been beauty and skincare secrets in different parts of the world and which are now available to us all.
For more information on Marble Hill check their website at www.marblehillonline.co.uk
Dr Maria McGee MB ChB is a medical doctor and Natural Skin Care expert.  She founded Marble Hill to produce her own range of Natural Skin Care products to offer a natural alternative to commercial cosmetics.  Marble Hill manufactures their natural skin care range in Northern Ireland using only pure natural plant oils and water from Dr McGee’s family’s well in Co.Donegal. Their products can be bought online at www.marblehillonline.co.uk .