13 Foods that Fight Pain

While many foods taste great, they are also powerful healers in a vibrant multicolor disguise. The best healing remedies also taste fabulous (I can’t say that about any prescription medications). Plus, foods won’t cause the nasty common side effects that most drugs cause.

1. Cherries
Muraleedharan Nair, PhD, professor of natural products and chemistry at Michigan State University, found that tart cherry extract is ten times more effective than aspirin at relieving inflammation. Only two tablespoons of the concentrated juice need to be taken daily for effective results. Sweet cherries have also been found to be effective.

2. Blackberries 
3. Raspberries 
4. Blueberries and 
5. Strawberries
Dr. Nair later found the same anti-pain compound in berries like blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries

3. Celery and Celery Seeds
James Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy, found more than 20 anti-inflammatory compounds in celery and celery seeds, including a substance called apigenin, which is powerful in its anti-inflammatory action. Add celery seeds to soups, stews or as a salt substitute in many recipes.

4. Ginger
Ginger reduces pain-causing prostaglandin levels in the body and has been widely used in India to treat pain and inflammation. A study by Indian researchers found that when people who were suffering from muscular pain were given ginger, they all experienced improvement. The recommended dosage of ginger is between 500 and 1,000 milligrams per day. If you’re taking medications, check with your health practitioner for possible herb-drug interactions.

5. Turmeric
Turmeric (curcuma longa) is the yellow spice commonly used in Indian curries. In research it has been shown to be a more effective anti-inflammatory than steroid medications when dealing with acute inflammation. Its main therapeutic ingredient is curcumin. Research shows that curcumin suppresses pain through a similar mechanism as drugs like COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors (without the harmful side effects). Choose a standardized extract with 1500 mg of curcumin content per day.

6. Salmon 10. Mackerel and 11. Herring
Many fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and herring also contain these valuable oils. Omega-3s convert in the body into hormone-like substances that decrease inflammation and pain. According to Dr. Alfred D. Steinberg, an arthritis expert at the National Institute of Health, fish oil is an anti-inflammatory agent. Fish oil acts directly on the immune system by suppressing 40 to 55 percent of the release of cytokines, compounds known to destroy joints. Many other studies also demonstrate that eating moderate amounts of fish or taking fish oil reduces pain and inflammation, particularly for arthritis sufferers.

7. Flax Seeds and Flax Oil
Freshly-ground flax seeds and cold-pressed flax oil, contain plentiful amounts of fatty acids known as Omega-3s. Do not cook with flax oil otherwise it will have the opposite effect-irritating the body’s tissues and causing pain.

8. Raw Walnuts and Walnut Oil
Raw walnuts and walnut oil also contain the same powerful Omega-3 fatty acids that fight pain and inflammation in the body.

When it comes to pain, food really is the best medicine.

Turmeric may make at least 14 pharmaceutical drugs utterly obsolete

You may have already heard about the many amazing healing properties of the spice turmeric, which is also sometimes referred to as curcumin. But did you know that literally thousands of published, peer-reviewed studies conducted and compiled over the years lend credence to the notion that turmeric works the same as, or even better than, at least 14 pharmaceutical drugs currently on the market?

Here are seven drugs and classes of drugs that science shows can be effectively replaced with turmeric:

1) Statin drugs for cholesterol. Popular cholesterol drugs like Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) and Crestor (rosuvastatin) are completely unnecessary when taking standardized doses of curcuminoids extracted from turmeric, according to a 2008 study published in the journal Drugs in R & D. Researchers found that in patients with endothelial dysfunction, the underlying blood vessel pathology that leads to atherosclerosis, turmeric extract worked at least as good as the drugs at reducing inflammation and relieving oxidative stress in type 2 diabetics.

2) Corticosteroid drugs. Millions of people receive steroid injections every year to treat the inflammation associated with conditions like arthritis and even cancer. But a 1999 study published in the journal Phytotherapy Research found that turmeric's primary antioxidant, curcumin, works just as well as steroid medications in the treatment of inflammatory eye disease. Several studies released in the years following found similar benefits for other inflammatory diseases commonly treated with steroids.

3) Antidepressants. Besides their copious side effects, antidepressant drugs like Prozac (fluoxetine) and Paxil (paroxetine) are extremely risky, as they can actually make depression symptoms worse for some people. But why even bother to use them when turmeric has been shown to effectively reduce depressive behavior the same or even better than these dangerous drugs?

4) Blood thinners. People at high risk of heart attack or stroke, or who require blood-thinning drugs to avoid these and other cardiovascular events, may simply be able to take turmeric instead. This suggestion is based on a 1986 study published in the journal Arzneimittelforschung, which found that curcumin has similar anti-platelet and prostacyclin modulating effects as aspirin, the blood-thinning drug of choice for many conventional doctors.

5) Anti-inflammatory drugs. Aspirin is also commonly prescribed for other inflammatory conditions, as is ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and a number of other pain pills. But these may be unnecessary as turmeric was shown in a 2004 study published in the journal Oncogene to exert similar anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative activity, particularly against cancer cells, as these drugs.

6) Chemotherapy drugs. The cancer industry would have us all believe that chemotherapy drugs are one of the few methods we have at our disposal to treat cancer. But a 2007 study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that curcumin works just as well as oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) at treating colorectal cancer.

7) Diabetes drugs. Not only is turmeric a viable contender in treating diabetes, a 2009 study published in the journal Biochemistry and Biophysical Research Community found that it works up to 100,000 times better than the popular diabetes drug Metformin at increasing glucose uptake. Turmeric also helps suppress glucose production in the liver at least as well as the most popular diabetes drugs on the market today.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.naturalnews.com/040330_turmeric_heart_health_curcumin.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/Infographic-Benefits-of-Turmeric.html

Source: naturalnews

Butter vs Margarine: The Big Fat Butter Lie

Is butter bad for you? For decades, the food processing industry has used advertising campaigns to successfully lie about the urgent and proven need to replace “unhealthy” butter with “healthy” margarine. But now we know that this teaching was nothing more than made-up. In the battle of margarine vs butter, you may now be surprised which comes out on top.

Even back in the 60s and 70s sufficient scientific evidence indicated that butter was far better than margarine for good health. Who knew? Nevertheless, the industrial fake food industry relentlessly convinced millions of us to eat margarine for health reasons.

The commercial processed fake food industry merged with Madison Avenue, the AMA, and mainstream media to instill a whopper of a lie by reinforcing margarine as better for you. They claimed in unison that saturated fats made you fat and promoted cardiovascular disease.

Damage from Fake Fats that Replace Favorable Fats

Partially hydrogenated fatty acids in margarine damage arteries and blood vessels. They lower good cholesterol, and raise blood levels of triglycerides and lipoproteins leading to cardiovascular damage. They also raise C-reactive protein, an inflammatory and cellular dysfunction marker. Worse yet, they inhibit the utilization of essential omega 3-fatty acids as wells a prostaglandins, which eliminate blood clots. Additionally, a diet high in partially hydrogenated fatty acids has been linked to insulin resistance and type 2 Diabetes.

The NY Times covers hydrogenated oil health issues while still promoting saturated fat nonsense. In order to function properly, your lungs, heart, immune system liver, bones, hormones and cell membranes all require high quality saturated fats - in moderation of course. Fatty acids and cholesterol are needed for healthy cell membranes, hormone and vitamin D production, and the transport and utilization of important vitamins and minerals. Now even mainstream media is spreading the truthful real news on butter. The New England Journal of Medicine recently solidified the link between trans fats and heart disease. Even low levels of trans fats consumption (1%-2%) substantially increase heart disease.

Butter vs Margarine: Butter Hierarchy: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

So what should you be looking for?

• At the top of the pyramid is organic butter made with raw milk from grass fed cows.
• The middle level is organic butter with pasteurized milk from grass fed cows and without rBGH, rBST, or antibiotics.
• The pyramid’s base is butter made from pasteurized milk from confined, grain fed, factory farmed, antibiotic and likely rBGH or rBST injected cows.

Amazingly, the butter at the bottom of the pyramid is still better for you than margarine! Margarine is merely a lab created plastic food-like substance, not by any means a real food. It’s cheap to make, lacks nutritional merit, and damages health. But it has a longer shelve life and a higher profit margin than real butter.

Five Reasons to Eat Real Butter

• 1. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) - Raw organic, pastured butter has loads of anti- tumor CLA. It inhibits the growth of cancer cells in the skin, colon, breasts and lungs. It’s anti-fungal and it stimulates muscle growth while preventing weight gain.
• 2. Butyric Acid - Butter contains 4% butyric acid – a short chain fatty acid that research indicates can inhibit tumors. It also signals the immune system into action when an infection is brewing.
• 3. Vitamin K2 - Raw, organic, pastured butter and cream contains vitamin K2 – a necessary co-factor in vitamin D synthesis. K2 also ushers calcium out of your blood stream and into bone cells which increases bone density instead of calcifying arterial and heart tissue. Check out Mike Barrett’s article on vitamin K deficiency symptoms.
• 4. Fat–Soluble Vitamins – Butter is a good source of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, and E. It’s also an excellent vehicle for their assimilation.
• 5. The Wulzen Factor - Raw, unpasteurized butter, cream and milk contain the “Wulzen factor” an anti-stiffness agent. It protects against calcification of the joints (osteoarthritis) as well as cataracts, and the calcification of the pineal gland. Pasteurization destroys the Wulzen Factor.

Raw, organic butter is a superfood that won’t make you fat if consumed in moderation. In fact, it consists of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and medium chain fatty acids(MCFA), which are not significantly stored as fat but easily used as energy.

This may finally be the end of the butter vs. margarine battle.

Additional Sources: Mercola

Source: Natural Society

Grow Organic Vegetables And Fish in Your Garage with Aquaponics

A secret to growing organic vegetables in a break-through new way... to the outside world your organic garden or farm would seem almost "magic", Because people almost never see you working in it!

Have you ever thought that you can transform your garage in a greenhouse with a minimum investment and effort? If you love freshly harvested vegetables and love fish, then is high time that you did something for you and your family and the best thing you can do is offer them fresh ingredients for tasty and nourishing meals.

Once you find out how, you will never be dependent on the market again! No more genetically modified vegetables, no more preservatives injected to maintain them fresh for a longer time, just organic, healthy food grown in your garage or inside your house.

The best thing about this type of farming is that it does not require any land, thus you will not have to get dirty and do hard labor in order to have your veggies on the table. You need just a lighted space where you can place this wonderful system made up of an aquarium and some other pots for growing vegetables. So, no ground, no dirt, no labor! You will be able to place it anywhere in the house, you can even start this type of farming in your flat!

But what it is this type of farming? Well it is called aquaponics and it is a far better version of hydroponics. If in hydroponics you could only grow plants, which most of the times needed fertilizers to grow normally.  

In Aquaponics you will also grow fish and use their aquarium for feeding your plants. This way you will no longer need any type of fertilizer to make your veggies grow big and beautiful, as the fish will provide them with all the nutrients they need.

In change, the plants will clean the water, thus providing your fish with a clean and oxygenized environment.

So, you will not only have organic vegetables grown in your own house, but you will also have fresh fish for your meals or for decoration (if you are a vegetarian). This is not all! You can put the system so that it will be at your arm’s reach, so that you will not have to bend in order to harvest your crops. Thus, less effort and more comfort for you!

Aquaponic farming is the best solution for having fresh vegetables and fish in the comfort of your home or even in your garage! It will take you a few minutes each day to take care of your plants! In addition you can have it with minimum of effort and money, so this is ne convenient way to diminish your costs with food! Do not waste more time and start your aquaponic farming as soon as possible for fresh veggies and tasty fish from your own home!

Nowadays there is this growing trend of eating only organic food. Yet, not all the products claiming to be organic are always this way.  Moreover, you can spend more on products claiming to be organic and get lower quality than the normal vegetables grown with pesticides. The only way you can be sure that the food you are consuming is 100% organic is to start growing it yourself. Now it is extremely easy with aquaponics.

This new type of farming is extremely easy to put in practice, highly convenient and profitable. There are very few things you will need in order to set it up, things which are also quite affordable, so you will not have to spend a fortune on costly equipment. In addition to that, it is so easy to mount and start the aquaponic farm that you will need only few minutes to understand the principles and another few to put them in practice.

In a matter of days you will place your aquaponic system and start growing your fish. Their role is that of producing the bio-nutrients for the plants. Once there are enough nourishing substances in the water, you will be able to propagate the seeds and then wait for them to grow. Meanwhile you will have to take good care of the fish, so that they continue to produce food for the plants. The good this is that you will not have to clean the water for the fish yourself, as this is what the plants will do with their roots. Thus, it will be easier not only to grow plants, but it will also be easier to grow fish this way than if you were setting only an aquaculture.

Another advantage of the aquaponic system is the fact that it is easy to assemble and disassemble, so that you can take it with you if changing homes. You can put it everywhere around your house or in your garage as long as the plants have the necessary amount of light to produce their food. Yet, make sure that you harvest all your crops, as you lose all the plants when disassembling the aquaponic system.

Getting organic food has never been so easy! Just set up your aquaponic farming system and you will feel the real taste of organic food. A true delight for you and your family!

40 Health Benefits of Wheatgrass Juice

If anything ever screamed healthy, it’s wheatgrass! The popularly-juiced, nutrient-rich grass is rich in chlorophyll, amino acids, vitamins, enzymes and supplements. But to many, wheatgrass remains something of an enigma. We dug deep to uncover some of the most interesting (we think!) facts about wheatgrass.

1. Wheatgrass juice is 70% chlorophyll.
2. Chlorophyll is the first product of light and, therefore, contains more light energy than any other element.
3. Wheatgrass juice is a crude chlorophyll and can be taken orally and as a colon implant without toxic side effects.
4. Chlorophyll is the basis of all plant life.
5. Wheatgrass is high in oxygen like all green plants that contain chlorophyll. The brain and all body tissues function at an optimal level in a highly-oxygenated environment.
6. Chlorophyll is antibacterial and can be used inside and outside the body as a healer.
7. Dr. Bernard Jensen says that it only takes minutes to digest wheatgrass juice and uses up very little body energy.
8. Science has proven that chlorophyll arrests growth and development of unfriendly bacteria.
9. Chlorophyll (wheatgrass) rebuilds the bloodstream. Studies of various animals have shown chlorophyll to be free of any toxic reaction. The red cell count was returned to normal within 4 to 5 days of the administration of chlorophyll, even in those animals which were known
to be extremely anemic or low in red cell count.
10. Farmers in the Midwest who have sterile cows and bulls put them on wheatgrass to restore fertility. (The high magnesium content in chlorophyll builds enzymes that restore the sex hormones.)
11.Chlorophyll can be extracted from many plants, but wheatgrass is superior because it has been found to have over 100 elements needed by man. If grown in organic soil, it absorbs 92 of the known 102 minerals from the soil.
12. Wheatgrass has what is called the grass-juice factor which has been shown to keep herbivorous animals alive indefinitely.
13. Dr. Ann Wigmore has been helping people get well from chronic disorders for 30 years using wheatgrass.
14. Liquid chlorophyll gets into the tissues, refines them, and makes them over.
15. Wheatgrass juice is a superior detoxification agent compared to carrot juice and other fruits and vegetables. Dr. Earp-Thomas, associate of Ann Wigmore, says that 15 pounds of wheatgrass is the equivalent of 350 pounds of carrots, lettuce, celery, and so forth.
16. Liquid chlorophyll washes drug deposits from the body.
17. Chlorophyll neutralizes toxins in the body.
18. Chlorophyll helps purify the liver.
19. Chlorophyll improves blood sugar problems.
20. Wheatgrass juice cures acne and even removes scars after it his been ingested for seven to eight months. The diet must be improved at the same time.
21. In "The American Journal of Surgery" (1940), Benjamin Cruskin, M.D., recommends chlorophyll for its antiseptic benefits. The article suggests the following clinical uses for chlorophyll: to clear up foul- smelling odours, neutralize strep infections, heal wounds, hasten skin grafting, cure chronic sinusitis, overcome ear inflammation and infections, reduce varicose veins and heal leg ulcers, eliminate impetigo and other scabby eruptions, heal rectal sores, successfully treat inflammation of the uterine cervix, get rid of parasitic vaginal infections, reduce typhoid fever, and cure advanced pyorrhoea in many cases.
22. Wheatgrass juice acts as a detergent in the body and is used as a body deodorant.
23. A small amount of wheatgrass juice in the human diet prevents tooth decay.
24. Wheatgrass juice held in the mouth for 5 minutes will eliminate toothaches. It pulls poisons from the gums.
25. Gargle with wheatgrass juice for a sore throat.
26. Pyorrhea of the mouth: lay pulp of wheatgrass soaked in juice on diseased area in mouth or chew wheatgrass, spitting out pulp.
27. Drink wheatgrass juice for skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis.
28. Wheatgrass juice keeps the hair from graying.
29. By taking wheatgrass juice, one may feel a difference in strength, endurance, health, and spirituality, and experience a sense of well-being.
30. Wheatgrass juice improves the digestion.
31. Wheatgrass juice is great for blood disorders of all kinds.
32. Wheatgrass juice is high in enzymes.
33. Wheatgrass juice is an excellent skin cleanser and can be absorbed through the skin for nutrition. Pour green juice over your body in a tub of warm water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off with cold water.
34. Wheatgrass implants (enemas) are great for healing and detoxifying the colon walls. The implants also heal and cleanse the internal Organs. After an enema, wait 20 minutes, then implant 4 ounces of wheatgrass juice. Retain for 20 minutes.
35. Wheatgrass juice is great for constipation and keeping the bowels open. It is high in magnesium.
36. Dr. Birscher, a research scientist, called chlorophyll "concentrated sun power." He said, "Chlorophyll increases the function of the heart, affects the vascular system, the intestines, the uterus, and the lungs."
37. According to Dr. Birscher, nature uses chlorophyll (wheatgrass) as a body cleanser, rebuilder, and neutralizer of toxins.
38. Wheatgrass juice can dissolve the scars that are formed in the lungs from breathing acid gasses. The effect of carbon monoxide is minimized since chlorophyll increases hemoglobin production.
39. Wheatgrass juice reduces high blood pressure and enhances the capillaries.
40. Wheatgrass juice can remove heavy metals from the body.