Medicine From The Sea

Every day I come across health articles, some are informative, some are intriguing, and some are downright BS. However, the article I am sharing with you here is not only informative, but I believe vital to our health and wellbeing. Here in the U.S. pharmaceuticals are King. I was brought up the same way, you feel sick you go see the doctor, they write you a prescription, you take the prescription and you feel better. The problem is, what if the drug doesn’t work? We are seeing more and more resistant strains of bacteria that our current line of antibiotics have little if no effect on. What is the solution?

I believe the solution lies in nature. Our bodies are miraculous biological machines that are designed to be in good health. The problem is the fuel, i.e. food “we” have been putting into our bodies has been substandard for several years, if not decades and we are now reaping this low octane food intake with drastic increases in heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. What is the solution?

With the severe depletion of minerals in our farm soils, where does one find a whole food supplement that still contains these essential minerals and ultra-trace minerals that are VITAL for our body to run at peak health efficiency? Answer: the ocean.

The following article was written by Ginger Webb in “Vegetarian Times” back in April of 1997. This article was way ahead of its time and sadly too many people still are not aware of the health benefits mentioned in this article. Enjoy!

“Seaweed is a healing food for the modern era,”observes John Lewallen, an herbalist, from his kitchen in Mendocino, Calif., where he is packaging seaweed at the kitchen table. John and Eleanor Lewallen are owners of the Mendocino Sea Vegetable Company, a small, direct mail company that specializes in “wildcrafted” seaweeds, which means seaweed responsibly gathered from the wild.

“Seaweed contains a wide spectrum of organic material including trace elements that are lacking from Western diets,” says Lewallen while sipping a cup of wakame tea prepared by soaking the seaweed in boiled water.

Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Md., agree with Lewallen that sea plants contain a remarkable spectrum of components valuable for human health. David Newman, Ph.D., a chemist with NCI’s Natural Products Branch says his research team is currently testing 15,000 compounds from about 6,000 marine species including algae, fungi, coral and seaweed for their biological activity. Many appear to have powerful anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer and immuno-suppressive (useful in treating autoimmune
diseases) properties.

Newman is particularly intrigued by the powerful anticancer properties of an algae found off the coast of Curacao, named Curacin-A, that appears to be more potent than taxol, a substance isolated from the bark of yew trees that is used to treat breast and prostate cancer. To date, the algae has not been developed as a pharmaceutical agent because the highly insoluble substance can’t be extracted from the algae to “deliver” it in drug form. Newman hopes that, eventually, scientists will find a way to extract Curacin-A (a process requiring the help of an as-yet undiscovered solvent), noting that it took almost 10 years for scientists to find the right solvent to extract taxol. Once the material can be extracted, Newman adds, it can be “packaged” in a suitable, standardized pharmaceutical form for clinical evaluation.

Fortunately, the pharmaceutical industry’s difficulties don’t have to be yours. Even though drug manufacturers cannot patent an entire plant and therefore cannot make a dime on them, you can still receive amazing health dividends by consuming this and other natural products from the sea. And you don’t have to wait.

They’re available now at natural food stores and by mail.

The Other Seafood

To people whose cultures have evolved by the sea, where seaweed has been a dietary staple for hundreds, if not thousands of years, the benefits of , sea plants are well-known. In the West, seaweed is best known as an exotic ingredient in Japanese and macrobiotic cuisine.

To coastal people everywhere, however, it’s a dietary staple, enjoyed in iceland, Scotland, Ireland, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands and coastal regions of the
United States. A treasure chest of good nutrition, seaweed absorbs nutritive elements directly from the ocean water in which it lives.

By eating seaweed, we tap into the ancestral source of all life, the ocean, and replenish our bodies from this vast reservoir with essential and sometimes hard-to get nutrients.

Most varieties of seaweed contain between 10 and 20 percent protein and are rich in fiber and vitamins, including A, C, E, B complex and [B.sub.12], and minerals, including calcium, iodine, potassium, iron and trace minerals.

“People are like walking oceans. Our bodily fluids have the same composition as sea water,” says Ara Der Marderosian, Ph.D, professor of Pharmacognosy at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.

“Sea water has been shown to contain organic acids, sterols, carotenoids, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, peptides, amino acids, free enzymes and many other materials, including essential trace minerals.”

An Ocean Of Promise
Among Herbalists, seaweed is treasured for its ability to nourish and strengthen the body. Bladderwrack (Fucus spp.), for instance, has been used in steam baths by Native Americans for rheumatism and illness. Dulse (Palmaria palmata) is used by people in Japan to treat colds.

Because of its high iron content, seaweed is often given to anemic people by herbalists, as well as to menstruating and lactating women whose iron requirements are high. Adding seaweed, particularly wakame (Alaria spp) to the diet is believed to increase hair growth and luster and improve skin tone.

In Japanese folk medicine, the seaweed Digenea simplex has been used traditionally to rid the body of intestinal worms. Today, kainic acid, derived from this seaweed, is sold commercially for this purpose.

Laminaria , another seaweed native to the Japanese coasts and valued as a folk medicine, has been shown to be capable of lowering blood pressure.

Several studies on the usefulness of seaweed derivatives, other than Curacin-A, for protecting against cancer and heart disease are currently underway.

Despite these scientific studies, most of our knowledge about the benefits of seaweed still derive from folklore and the herbalist tradition. Western doctors
may be catching on, however.

A Manhattan plastic surgeon, Michael Joseph Pober, M.D., uses seaweed topically with post-surgical patients to restore skin texture and reduce swelling in surgical incisions.

Michael Tierra, an herbalist, licensed acupuncturist and author of The Way of Herbs (Pocket Books, 1990), explains that in traditional Chinese medicine, seaweed is considered a yin tonic, that is, it has “warming” characteristics. It is good for conditions characterized as “cold” such as poor circulation, anemia and chronic diseases of the thyroid or pancreas.

Seaweed’s antioxidant properties make it specific for prevention and treatment of cancer, supporting the immune system in eliminating the proliferation of cancer cells, says Tierra.

Seaweed is considered a medicinal substance with wet, softening properties, which, according to traditional Chinese medicine, Tierra explains, enables it to dissolve hard nodules and tumors and to reduce swelling of the thyroid and lymph glands.

Efram Korngold, a doctor of Oriental medicine and a licensed acupuncturist, adds that because seaweed helps decongest swollen or inflamed lymph nodes, it can be consumed as a treatment for autoimmune illnesses, including chronic fatigue, HIV,
arthritis and chronic allergies.

In US scientific studies in the 1970s, an entire family of red marine algae was found to possess antiviral properties. One species, Cryptosiphonia woodii, a microalgae found in inner-tidal areas along the Pacific coast, was found by Scripps Institute researchers based in La Jolla, Calif., to suppress the herpes virus and clear out Candida (Candida albicans), a systematic yeastlike fungal infection. Both Korngold and Tierra offer a supplement made of dried whole plants to clients in their clinical practices with these problems and claim exciting results.

Detoxification Duty
Seaweed may be especially important for people in the modern age because of its ability to protect us from damage caused by toxic elements in the environment, including heavy metals and some types of radiation byproducts.

Rosalie Bertell, M.D., president of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health in Toronto, believes that seaweed can help pull dangerous heavy metals out of the body.

Research at McGill University in Montreal has shown that sodium alginate, a derivative of wakame, binds with radioactive strontium 90 in the body, allowing it to be excreted. Strontium 90 is considered the most dangerous component of atomic fallout.

Ernest J. Sternglass, Ph.D., professor emeritus in Radiation Physics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, explains how strontium adversely
affects health: “When radioactivity, spread from nuclear waste dumps or fallout from other nuclear facilities, gets into the drinking water, gets into the milk and gets into the vegetables, it lodges in our bone. It goes through the food chain and concentrates.

As a result, materials like strontium [produce] an internal radiation throughout our body, [irradiating] the whole bone marrow where the cells of the immune system originate.” These internal doses of radiation can weaken the immune defenses of the body needed for fighting disease. In fact, many herbalists recommend adding some seaweed to the diet for a period of time if you plan on having X-rays taken, to encourage the excretion of any radiation products left by the treatment.

(my added note:  X-rays are a form of invisible, high-frequency electromagnetic radiation and DO NOT deposit radioactive particulate into your body. Internally taken/injected radioisotopes have very short “half-lives” and decay away into non radioactive elements)

Mindy Green, an herbalist at the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colo., believes everyone can benefit from seaweed in the diet. “It’s highly nutritious and is a good source of minerals that are often short in the diets of women, especially vegetarian and vegan women, such as iron, calcium, iodine and magnesium,” said Green.

Her personal preference is for a kelp wildcrafted off the northern coast of Washington state. She either toasts the kelp or nibbles on chunky chips of it as a snack. Green also favors a thick seaweed called kombu in vegetable soups and stews along with astragalus in the winter\and uses hijiki and wakame in salads.

*One caution about seaweed from herbalist C.J. Puotenon, a columnist for the Northeast Herbalist Association Journal published in New York. She points to a commonly overlooked cause of acne flareups: iodine, which explains why herbal treatments that emphasize kelp can sometimes make the problem worse in individuals who are iodine-sensitive. So if you avoid iodine-containing salts and seafoods or iodine-based therapies because they trigger acne problems, add seaweed to the “to be avoided” list.

Ginger Webb is an herbalist and a staff writer for HerbalGram, the quarterly publication of the American Botanical Council. She resides in Austin, Texas.

BODY BALANCE is a liquid whole food and is a blend of 9 wild harvested sea vegetables in organic Aloe Vera juice.

Body Balance has been used and recommended by over 6000 medical doctors and other health care professionals for over 25 years.

* I have 2 grown boys and one teenage daughter. All of them were taking Body Balance during their teenage years and we observed no acne flare-ups. In fact we observed just the opposite, clearer  and healthier skin.

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Toxic Heavy Metals and Cleansing

Every one of us is exposed to both external and internal toxins. We can’t avoid it. We are exposed to toxins in many forms-in polluted air and water, in the home and workplace, as well as in our food. We even form some of the most dangerous toxins within our own bodies.

 To effectively and efficiently remove these toxins is critical to our health and longevity. Every system in our bodies has its own method of detoxification. Over time, the onslaught and accumulation of these toxins, coupled with our body’s inability to deal with the clean-up adequately, takes its toll on our health and quality of living.

 Toxic heavy metals have been shown to increase free radical activity in the body, a major cause of degeneration. Many enzymes critical to good health require vitamin and mineral co-factors for proper activation. Toxic heavy metals can take the place of the proper mineral co-factors, interfering with the proper functioning of these enzymes. In this way, accumulation of heavy metals can contribute to premature aging and degenerative disease conditions. Heavy metal toxicity can also lead to abnormal immune function, learning disorders, and degenerative disorders associated with the brain.

 In the late 1980s an interesting experiment was conducted by Dr. Gary Price Todd, MD, author of the book, “Nutrition, Health and Disease”. The study involved individuals with heavy metal poisoning, specifically lead, mercury, cadmium and aluminum. Patients were placed on a program of full spectrum bio-available organic, micro trace minerals.

 After 16 months the study demonstrated levels of toxic metals in the patients were much reduced. It was concluded that organic, ionic minerals naturally chelate or remove the inorganic heavy metal form of mineral from the body. There have been other studies done with similar results. I believe Body Balance works like this in the body.

 I know two doctors who did a number of hair analysis studies on their patients who were on Body Balance and the results definitely showed a removal of heavy metals from the body. Studies done at McGill University reveal algin, a component of sea vegetation, binds to heavy metals and other chemical pollutants, allowing them to be safely eliminated from the body, including radioactive substances. Body Balance is also very high in natural carotinoids which are potent anti-oxidants that destroy free radicals and protect the cells from damage due to lead or other heavy metal poisoning. The aloe vera softens bowel movements and aids in removing heavy metals from the digestive tract. So there are many reasons to be on Body Balance!!

 The sulfur-containing amino acids in Amino Charge also act as detoxifiers and remove heavy metals from the body, and the other aminos are powerful anti-oxidants that protect the liver, kidneys, heart, and central nervous system. (There are also amino acids in Body Balance, although in a much smaller amount.) Flexeoplus contains MSM as one of its main ingredients. This also helps the body detoxify heavy metals.

 Calcium that is bio-available prevents lead from being deposited in the body tissues, and OsteOmegaCare is THE most bio-available form I know of.

 True Greens has many wonderful ingredients as well. Foods high in chlorophyll such as alfalfa, algaes, chlorella, etc. also help absorb toxic metals, as well as being rich in valuable nutrients.

 The last thing I would recommend is the colon cleanse program. The Activated Charcoal and the Intestinal Tone are both wonderful for absorbing and eliminating toxic heavy metals from the digestive tract. There are some specifics for different heavy metals, e.g., selenium neutralizes the toxic effects of mercury (it also helps with other heavy metals as well); zinc can displace lead and lower the burden on the body (low levels of zinc have been found consistently in people with high levels of lead), etc., etc. All of these minerals are found in abundance in these products.

 A little bit about why these substances are so toxic and hard to get rid of. I’ll use lead as an example. First of all, it is a cumulative poison that is retained in the body. Even at low levels, lead that is not excreted through the digestive system accumulates in the body and is absorbed directly from the blood into other tissues. When the lead leaves the bloodstream, it is stored in the bones, along with other minerals, where it continues to build up over a lifetime.

 Detoxifying from the bones is virtually impossible unless you use something that can be absorbed similarly, like other minerals. Lead from the bones may then re-enter the bloodstream at any time as a result of severe biological stress, such as pregnancy, menopause, illness or prolonged immobilization. When it is in the body, it inhibits some basic enzyme functions.

 In toxic amounts it damages the heart, kidneys, liver and nervous system. The body cannot seem to distinguish between calcium and lead. Once it enters the body, it is assimilated in the same manner as calcium. So people with deficiencies of calcium are more susceptible to lead toxicity as well, which is pretty scary when we consider how starved our population is for calcium.

Other heavy metals follow the same process, except they are retained in different areas of the body. With mercury, it is in the pain center of the brain and in the central nervous system. Aluminum is also deposited in the brain. Again, calcium deficiency really aggravates the situation.

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Tips for a Healthy Life~Part 2

What we take into our bodies goes beyond just the food we eat. Although a healthy diet is the backbone of a healthy life, we need other pieces of the picture to make it more complete.

 

WATER . The human body is about two-thirds water, and it is essential for every function of the body. While we can live for many weeks without food, we can only survive a few days without water. On a micro level, water helps to transport nutrients and waste products in and out of cells. On a macro level it is the primary transporter of nutrients through our systems and is essential for carrying waste products out of the body. So it is necessary for all digestive and excretory functions. It is needed for maintaining proper body temperature and much more.

As we sweat and lose water through all of our elimination processes, it is vital that we keep replacing that with good quality, clean water. Most city tap water is NOT good quality water, and contains a lot of chemicals that could be potentially harmful to our long-term health. Invest in a good water purifier or have good quality water delivered on a regular basis. As an adult you should be drinking 8-10 full glasses of good quality water every day. If you don’t drink enough water, poor muscle tone, joint and muscle soreness, and even excess body fat may be the result.

 

SUNSHINE . Sunshine is the most powerful nutrient in our solar system and is the one we seem to be most afraid of these days. It is made up of many different rays, each with its own benefit. Almost every living thing, whether it is a blade of grass, a flower, a fruit or an animal, draws its life from solar energy. All living things depend on the sun for their very existence, and we are no exception. Sunshine is a tonic. It is a natural relaxant and also a natural stimulant to the body’s vital energies. When the body is exposed to the sun’s ultra-violet (UV) rays, a compound in the skin is activated as a precursor to Vitamin D. Exposing clean skin to the sun’s rays for about 20 minutes a day, at least every other day, ensures that we have enough Vitamin D in our bodies.

Because this is impossible in certain parts of the world, especially during winter, Vitamin D needs to be supplemented. As we will discuss a little later on, Vitamin D is required for the absorption and utilization of calcium. It is especially important for the healthy growth and development of bones and teeth in children. UV rays are also instrumental in the body’s production of melatonin, which allows us to relax and sleep. This is why we often feel tired and relaxed after sitting in the sun.

 

SUPPLEMENTATION . I believe that most, if not all people, should supplement their diets with the proper nutrients to achieve wellness. Nutritional deficiencies can cause a wide variety of symptoms, in addition to weakening the body’s defenses against serious illnesses. Nutritional requirements are also increased by many things in a persons life. People who smoke, drink alcohol, use prescription or recreational drugs, have a lot of stress, diet to lose weight, are at a greater than normal risk of having deficiencies.

 

 Also adolescents, elderly people, pregnant and nursing women, women taking oral contraceptives, people who have chronic illnesses, people with certain genetic disorders, and of course people with poor dietary habits all have that same risk factor. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the population fits into one or more of these categories.

 

Data compiled by the US Dept of Agriculture indicates that at least 40% of the people in America consume only 60% of the RDA of ten selected nutrients. That means that close to half of the population suffers from a deficiency of at least one important nutrient. Very likely it is a lot higher than we think. So as well as a healthy diet, we need to supplement to get the amount of nutrients our bodies need to be optimally healthy.

 

It is important to know that whenever we are looking to correct a vitamin or mineral deficiency, we need to be aware that nutrients work synergistically together. This means that there is cooperation between the nutrients.

 

Most work as catalysts, promoting the absorption and assimilation of other nutrients. Correcting the deficiency of one vitamin or mineral requires the addition of a whole host of others, not simply the replacement of the one you think you are deficient in. This is why taking a single vitamin may be ineffective, or even dangerous. And this is why a whole-food or balanced supplement should always be used whenever possible.

 

FOOD . A healthy diet, as I said, is the basis of a healthy body. Food must provide a proper balance of nutrition, and must also be free of harmful chemicals and additives. Then it must be prepared in a way that preserves the nutrients. Whole foods that are unprocessed with nothing added or taken away are the most healthy. In addition, plant foods like fruits and vegetables contain thousands of phytonutrients which help to keep our bodies healthy. They are our front-line defenders against cancer and free radicals.

The best way to eat these is fresh and raw as much as possible, and the most healthy are those grown organically without harmful chemicals. If you do cook your vegetables, then just cook them lightly so they retain most of their goodness, and limit your intake of table salt.

The bottomline is this: drink plenty of clean, pure water, eat as close to nature as you can, get some exercise…outdoors in the sunshine as often as possible and take a wide spectrum whole food supplement to fill in the nutritional gaps. ( I recommend Body Balance)

Do a little each day, every day and don’t expect the quick fix. Time will expose what you are doing or are NOT doing. This *”Slight Edge” approach will change your life…but YOU decide how it changes.

* I advise everyone to read the book by Jeff Olsen called, “The Slight Edge”. Give this book as a Holiday gift, it will change people’s lives more than any tie or pair of socks ever could and will not get eaten by the dryer.

 

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Tips for a Healthy Life-Part 1

We have been given a wonderful gift called life. Our responsibility is to honor this in the best way possible by doing whatever we can to take care of ourselves in a healthy way. Basically, our modern lifestyles have gotten us somewhat off the track, with fast foods, a polluted environment, high-tech stress, chemical dependencies, etc. Nature’s intention is to fuel our inner healing force with the right natural resources to enable us to function to our fullest potential. However, as most of us have a profound lack of knowledge as to what we need to do that, we find ourselves out of balance.

I believe that we all need to take an active part in the maintenance of our health. The following suggestions are simple things that most of us can accomplish in some form or another.

EXERCISE: Get regular exercise. It improves digestion and elimination, increases endurance and energy levels, burns fat, and promotes lean muscle mass. In addition, studies have shown that regular exercise increases feelings of well-being and reduces stress. There are many different forms of exercise including walking, bicycling, swimming, jogging and even regular gardening. Choose activities that
you enjoy. Don’t look at exercise as a chore. Select things that you look forward to doing. Try doing things with a friend. Whatever you choose, start out slowly, listen to your body, and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workout.

According to a 1996 report published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, low fitness may pose as great a risk to health as smoking, and a greater risk than high cholesterol, high blood pressure or obesity. Interestingly, regular exercise has been shown to significantly impact those particular health issues.

REST AND RELAXATION-All too often these days, people think that taking time to
rest means wasting time, or is not productive, or certainly is not on top of the priority list. Rest is nature’s curative process, and our most perfect rest comes during sleep.
Healing, restoration, rejuvenation and revitalization take place most efficiently when the body is allowed to rest. Adequate rest is essential for good health. Nothing can take the place of rest.
It is during sleep that our sympathetic nervous system takes over complete control. It is during this time that our body’s healing energy is allowed to carry on the work of cleansing, healing, regulating and restoring the body and mind. It’s interesting to note that the hours before midnight are much more beneficial for resting and revitalization than the hours after midnight. Relaxation is something most of us need to learn to do, and there are many techniques and ways of relaxing.

Meditation is a wonderful example when done regularly. And meditation doesn’t have to have spiritual or religious connotations. For example, you can meditate on a word such as “calm” or “peace,” or you can meditate on a beautiful place in nature. And you can draw on these words or thoughts any time you want to, especially if you are feeling stressed. Each of us has favorite things we love to do that are relaxing. Find what works for you and do it regularly!

STRESS MANAGEMENT-It is estimated that stress contributes to about 80% of all major illnesses. Stress is a part of life. However, how we respond to it, and how much of it we have in our lives are things we can totally control. How we manage stress can be the difference between having a life or just having an existence.
Some things I have found useful are, first of all, to identify the sources of stress in your life. This helps you understand where the stress is coming from. When you have identified them, either eliminate them from your life or prepare yourself to deal with them as easily and healthily as possible.

For example, if rush-hour traffic is a stressor, then use that time to listen to a tape or a favorite piece of music that will calm you, or join a carpool. Work on creating a stress-free home environment. For example, keep the noise level down as much as possible as this contributes to stress. Also use as much natural lighting in your home as possible. Unnatural florescent lighting can be especially aggravating.

Certain colors in a home are more calming and soothing than others.
Monitor your internal conversations. The way we talk to ourselves has SO MUCH to do with how we see our lives and situations, and how we feel about ourselves and our environment. For example, telling yourself that you should be able to do something or you should be able to handle a situation better, only adds to the stress. Take a day off or take regular time just for yourself. Do something that is relaxing and fun, and don’t think about whatever is causing the stress.

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