Shortcuts to a Healthy Life in an Unhealthy World

Download this article as a PDF: “Shortcuts to a Healthy Life in an Unhealthy World ”

Staying healthy in the 21st century can appear like an onerous task.  We are constantly bombarded with news of frightening challenges to our health. I want to take the fear and feeling of overwhelming hopelessness out of the task of living a happy healthy life. Here are some shortcuts to good health that are easy to apply once you understand the big picture:

About 150 years ago, people were dying mostly of infectious diseases, primarily because of lack of sanitation, namely drinking the poop in the water. Accidents and very high infant mortality were also big. If you managed to avoid those challenges, you lived a pretty healthy life.

We have handled those issues, mainly with sanitation (although drug companies want you to think differently). We replaced them, however, with much graver ones. With industrialization came lots of chemical toxins in our air, water and food – chemicals to which our bodies haven’t yet adapted and are not equipped to eliminate. Maybe in a few thousand years, we will have adapted enough to be able to deal with what DuPont and Monsanto, as well as Pharma, dish out to us, but that’ll be a little late for us. We need to protect ourselves now from degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis and all the other “itises” (the sufix “it is” means “inflammation of”), as well as their near relations – the autoimmune diseases such as RA, lupus, etc.

Compounding the problems of all the poisons going in are all the nutrients now missing in our foods. Some of you may remember “real food.” That was when food actually spoiled because it had a life cycle from which life-giving nutrition was transmitted to us. Now, we eat devitalized, denatured junk that can sit on a shelf for years and we expect it to nourish us. It doesn’t. Good for shelf life, bad for us. We sicken so slowly from this malnutrition – many of us don’t connect the dots.

Simply, the big picture is we want to avoid poisons and eat as much real food as possible. So a big task can be broken down into some basic steps:

1. Avoid air pollution. Most of us work inside. An ionizing air filter in your home and office will get rid of most of the toxins you breathe. I use Ionic Pro because it does not require filter changes. It’s very easy to clean and is absolutely silent.
2. Avoid unnecessary chemicals in your home. These are other exposures you can avoid by limiting cleaning supplies and other chemicals in your home. There are safe and effective cleaning agents and such simple things as vinegar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, which do a great job. Minimize personal hygiene products that are full of chemicals. Organic skin care is your best choice. I use a company from England, Neal’s Yard Remedies. It was founded in 1982 by naturopaths, herbalists and homeopaths to provide healthy makeup and skin care. You can access their products by going on my website and clicking on “organic skin care.” I also use coconut oil as a moisturizer. A filter for your shower will get rid of chorine and other chemicals. A ten-minute hot shower is the same as drinking a quart of chlorinated water. I use a Nikken shower filter.
3. Support your body’s detoxification systems. Organic whole food supplements that keep your liver working at full capacity will help your body to eliminate toxins. Your liver is the most vital organ for getting rid of poisons and it is dependent on the phytonutrients (plant food), primarily from green leafy and cruciferous vegetables, to do its job. I’m always on some liver support supplement from Standardprocess.com. The distinction between whole food concentrates and the synthetic chemicals of most “vitamins” are made is the same difference between real food and petroleum by-products. That is what comprise most of these “vitamins.” For example, Vitamin D is the vitamin du jour in medical circles. Unfortunately, most medical doctors have no training in nutrition, so they don’t understand that taking a synthetic isolate (part) of a vitamin complex can do more harm than good. This is especially true of vitamin D, which is actually a hormone. Besides the sun, its complete form best comes from cod liver oil. Make sure that it is NOT pasteurized because that high heat destroys the best part, which is the omega 3 oils and necessary, so vitamin D does not become toxic. Standardprocess.com . We are constantly bombarded with news of Green Pastures carries it. It comes in a lemonized pearl so you don’t taste it. Synthetic vit D can cause calcification that can lead to hardening of your arteries and arthritis, a side effect previously thought to be caused by vitamin D toxicity. We now know that inappropriate calcification is actually due more to lack of K2 than simply too much vitamin D.
4. Counteracting a sedentary life is crucial. Sitting all day has been shown to cost years off your life as well as well being. Just simply as getting up once per hour and doing three 1⁄2 squats (5 seconds each) right at your desk can turn all that around. You can even do a 1⁄2 squat in a skirt – although I recommend you slip your heels off! Applying even one of these recommendations will make a difference. So select the idea you like best, start with that one. When it’s been totally incorporated into your life, pick another. In part two, in the next issue, we’ll fine tune these concepts to personalize them to your specific needs.

Download this article as a PDF: “Shortcuts to a Healthy Life in an Unhealthy World “