Book Review: Oil Pulling Therapy – Detoxifying & Healing The Body Through Oral Cleansing by Dr. Bruce Fife

TheBreakaway
Zy Marquiez
March 5, 2017

What is oil pulling?  Simply put, oil pulling is putting a spoonful of oil in your mouth and swishing the oil around, anywhere from a few minutes to twenty minutes.  After finishing, you then proceed to spit out the oil making sure not to swallow it.  That last part is integral, because all the toxins that leave your mouth will become part of the swished components that have seeped from your mouth after oil pulling, and you sure as heck don’t want that entering your system.

Oil pulling itself goes back a few thousand years.  In fact, it has its origins in Ayurvedic medicine in India, if not before.  Ancient Ayurvedic medical texts outlined this practice, and the practitioners found out that rinsing the mouth with vegetable oil ‘not only cleanses the mouth but restores health to the body.  In fact, this process is said to cure a few dozen system diseases.[1]

Because of those facts, Oil Pulling Therapy – Detoxifying & Healing The Body Through Oral Cleansing by Dr. Bruce Fife is a very important, and underrated book.

The reason Oil Pulling Therapy is important is because it gets at the heart of the matter regarding disease: the mouth.  Being a mirror to our bodies, if you have dismal dental health then you are undoubtedly going to experience a kaleidoscope of health problems.

Some of the conditions that are helped by oil pulling are acne, allergies, arthritis, asthma, back pain and neck pain, bad breath, bronchitis, chronic fatigue, colitis, crohn’s disease, constipation, dental cavities, dermatitis, diabetes, eczema, hypertension, hemorrhoids, insomnia, migraine headaches, mucous congestions, peptic ulcers, PMS, periodontal disease, bleeding gums, sinusitis, and tooth abscess.[2]

To continue along the same lines, an incisive passage in the book follows:

“In addition to the above-mentioned conditions, medical studies have indicated that the following can also be directly related to oral health and may respond to oil pulling therapy: Acidosis, Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome [ARDS], Athrosclerosis, Blood Disorders, Brain Abscess, Cancer, Emphysema, Gallbladder Disease, Gout, Heart Disease, Hyperglycemia, Infertility, Kidney Disease, Liver Disease, Meningitis, Nerve Disorders, Osteoporosis, Paget’s Disease, Pneumonia, Preeclampsia, Preterm/Low Birth Weight Babies, Psychotic Episodes, Stroke, Toxic Shock Syndrome, and many types of infectious disease.”[3]

Many people will instantly think, “But how is it possible that oil pulling can help so much?”  Excellent question.  As alluded to before, the mouth is the gateway to the body, and if the mouth exhibits poor dental health, so will the body.  Since the mouth is a breeding ground for all types of germs, it’s easy to see how these germs, if allowed to remain in the mouth, “can migrate to other parts of the body, cause infections, and alter body chemistry, leading the way to any number of infectious and degenerative conditions.”[4]

For me, personally, there have been quite a few benefits of oil pulling.  As someone whose oil pulled for nigh 3 years, it’s helped my health quite a bit.  Not only do my teeth feel clean, but they are also whiter. Additionally, I don’t experience the pain in my gums that used to happen in the past.  Although I can’t prove it, I do believe myself that oil pulling has also helped me tackle issues with Candida that have taken place in the past.  Furthermore, my regularly scheduled headaches went away, my gums don’t ache when biting foods and are much firmer and healthier, and also don’t experience allergies as much.

The great part about oil pulling is that it’s not only one of the most simplest methods to aid health, but also has nigh no side effects when compared to prescription drugs, which have many.  In fact, properly taken, FDA approved prescription drugs cause over 100,000 deaths yearly.  That’s certainly something you’ll never hear of coconut oil!  That’s a whole ‘nother can of worms however.

In addition, oil pulling, unlike brushing your teeth, gets into many crevices that the brush won’t get into.  This is because “brushing only reaches 60 percent of the surfaces of your teeth, leaving plague in hard-to-reach areas such as in-between teeth.”[5]

Ironically, although benefits of oil pulling go back a few thousand years, it is rarely known to most people.  That’s an intriguing conundrum, except when one realizes that modern medicine goes by the adage that for every ill there is a pill, then you start to see why oil pulling goes against the grain as the system pushes for pills, rather than lifestyle changes and as well as dietary changes.  These changes, ironically, are on par with what our ancestors did, which is why they were vastly healthier than we are as a ‘modern’ society nowadays.

All things considered, oil pulling is one of the cheapest, cost-effective, safe, and efficient ways to take control of one’s health.  Individuals of all ages can do this.   The question isn’t why SHOULD you do it, the question is, why NOT?  But don’t believe me, do your own research, and you will see the effects.
_________________________________________________
Sources:

[1] Dr. Bruce Fife, Oil Pulling Therapy – Detoxifying & Healing The Body Through Oral Cleansing, p. 86.
[2] Ibid., p. 12.
[3] Ibid., pp. 11-12.
[4] Ibid., pp. 89-90.
[5] Ibid., p. 18.
_________________________________________________
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Women Who Spend Decades Working 60-Hour Weeks Are Three Times More At Risk For Cancer, Heart Disease & Diabetes

Source: NaturalNews.com
Sarah Landers
July 4, 2016

A new study by The Ohio State University reveals that long work hours for women are linked to alarming increases in cancer, heart disease and the early development of other chronic, life-threatening illnesses. Women who put in extra hours for the bulk of their careers – with work weeks that average 60 hours or more over three decades – may end up paying a huge price. In fact, those women are thought by scientists to be tripling their risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis.

According to researchers at The Ohio State University, the risk starts to increase when women put in more than 40 hours per week at work – but the risks increase steeply when they work more than 50 hours. Allard Dembe, professor of health services management and policy, stated: “Women – especially women who have to juggle multiple roles – feel the effects of intensive work experiences and that can set the table for a variety of illnesses and disability. People don’t think that much about how their early work experiences affect them down the road. Women in their 20s, 30s and 40s are setting themselves up for problems later in life.”

The study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, explains that men with tough work schedules are less affected. That determination was made after analyzing data from interviews with almost 7,500 people. This is thought to be because women tend to take on most of the responsibilities at home, and therefore face more pressure and stress than men when they work long hours. Because of this difficult balance between work demands and family obligations, work for women may also be less satisfying than it is for men.

What does this mean for working women?

According to The Ohio State University, employers and government regulators should be aware of these risks, especially for women who are required to work more than 40 hours per week. It is important that companies realize that they will benefit more in terms of work quality and output when women are healthier and happier.

More scheduling flexibility, health screening and support have been suggested as being crucial to reducing the chances of employees becoming sick as a result of chronic conditions that develop from years of overwork.

Workers who put in more hours face more stress, and have more sleep problems and digestive trouble – making them more fatigued. This affects their work performance and their health. In the study, a surprising minority of full-time workers put in fewer than 40 hours a week.

Ways to look after your health

If you are a woman working more than 40 hours a week, who simply cannot cut down on her hours, there are changes you can make to your diet that will help to improve your overall health and reduce your likelihood of developing these illnesses. Try incorporating more of the following anti-cancer foods into your diet:

• Cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, garlic, cabbage and onions. These protect your DNA from damage, because they contain glucosinolates that optimize cellular functions.
• Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale. These veggies contain the powerful antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin that are key to cancer prevention.
• Lentils and chickpeas. These provide calcium, iron and B vitamins which are associated with reduced breast cancer risk.
• Foods high in lycopene, such as tomatoes, watermelon and papaya. This antioxidant has also been associated with reduced cancer risk.

A healthy diet and plenty of exercise are key to preventing and treating many diseases. So, if you really can’t cut back on your hours, make sure you pay closer attention to what you eat, and get active!

Read More At: NaturalNews.com

Recognize These Signs of Stress

Source: iHealthTube.com
Dr. Doni Wilson
May 17, 2016

What can physically happen to our body if we don’t address the issues of prolonged stress? Dr. Doni Wilson explains what some of the warning signs might be and what can happen if stress is left unrecognized or untreated. Many of us think immediately of heart issues being a sign of prolonged stress, but learn to recognize these signs of stress too!

Vaccines Could be Causing These Serious Conditions

Source: iHealthTube
April 18, 2016

Could vaccines be one of the causes behind two increasingly common and deadly diseases? Robert Scott Bell discusses the potential connection and what vaccines actually could be doing that might lead to serious problems. Find out just how vaccines could be causing these serious conditions.

Campbell to Remove BPA Chemical from Canned Foods by 2017

Source: NaturalSociety.com
Julie Fidler
April 5, 2016

A newly-released analysis shows just how prevalent Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical often used in plastic products and food can linings, is in the food industry. Though while the figures are scary, the information has sparked a great deal of positive changes in the food industry, such as Campbell’s move to remove BPA in its canned goods by 2017.

Bisphenol A (BPA was officially banned in baby bottles and sippy cups in 2012, but it is still widely used in canned foods to line the cans, and is also used to make reusable plastic food containers, and sports water bottles.

The chemical has been shown to increase the risk for diabetes, heart disease, infertility, and many other health problems. It has been linked to breast cancer in well over 130 studies. In addition, BPA is associated with brain damage; hormonal problems; and development issues in fetuses, infants, and young children. [1]

So it’s clear why we want to find safe replacements for the chemical and avoid BPA as individuals.

If you’ve heard the rumor that microwaving plastic food containers can leech chemicals into your food, it’s not a conspiracy theory or pure hype. Heating the containers does cause BPA to enter your food. BPA is also the reason why you should avoid bottled water, and if you do chug a bottle, you should recycle it and never reuse it.

Continue Reading At: NaturalSociety.com

7 Herbs That Block Live Cancer

Science proves these seven herbs provide powerful protection against liver cancer and liver damage of all kinds

Source: NaturalNews.com
Ethan A. Huff
February 29, 2016

More than 10 percent of the world’s population currently suffers from some form of liver disease, whether it be fibrosis, cirrhosis, a hepatocellular carcinoma, alcoholic steatosis, or chronic hepatitis. And a great number of these folks use some kind of natural remedy as treatment rather than pharmaceuticals, according to a 2012 study published in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Herbal remedies have gained an incredible following among liver disease sufferers, because they’re safe and highly effective, without all the harmful side effects. According to the paper, the following herbs and herb-derived remedies are among the top contenders in this natural fight against liver disease:

1) Curcumin (Curcuma long). This turmeric derivative has been used throughout Southeast Asia as a remedy for rheumatism, skin diseases, body aches, intestinal worms, diarrhea and hepatic disorders. More recently, curcumin has shown scientific benefits in treating inflammatory diseases like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, dementia and cancer.

“Curcumin could attenuate liver injury induced by ethanol [alcohol], thioacetamide, iron overdose, cholestasis and acute, subchronic and chronic carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) intoxication,” explains the paper. “[M]oreover, it can reverse CCl4 cirrhosis to some extent.”

2) Wogonin (Scutellaria radix). This monoflavonoid compound isolated from skullcap root shows incredible promise in the treatment of both Hepatitis B and C, as well as various forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Unlike pharmaceuticals, wogonin doesn’t promote drug resistance, nor does it induce adverse events in patients.

“The anti-HBV activity of wogonin demonstrates its ability to suppress hepatitis B surface antigen secretion in cell culture,” the study highlights, noting that wogonin has also been shown to be effective in treating hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

3) Glycyrrhizin (Glycyrrhiza glabra). This active constituent of licorice root has long been used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis, and also possesses a host of natural anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Glycyrrhizin is used in traditional Chinese medicine to protect liver function and also to combat tumors.

4) Resveratrol. This polyphenolic phytochemical derived from berries, grapes and wine, has gained itself a solid reputation as one of the most potent anti-aging compounds found in nature. But resveratrol has also been shown scientifically to have hepatoprotective properties that may help protect against hepatic damage caused by free radicals and inflammatory cytokines. It also helps elevate levels of glutathione in the body and promote the formation of antioxidant enzymes, both of which help protect the liver.

Continue Reading At: NaturalNews.com

Why 80% of Us Are Deficient In Magnesium

GreenMedInfo
Dr. Mark Sircus

Magnesium deficiency is often misdiagnosed because it does not show up in blood tests – only 1% of the body’s magnesium is stored in the blood.

Most doctors and laboratories don’t even include magnesium status in routine blood tests. Thus, most doctors don’t know when their patients are deficient in magnesium, even though studies show that the majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium.

Consider Dr. Norman Shealy’s statements, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency” and that, “magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.” The truth he states exposes a gapping hole in modern medicine that explains a good deal about iatrogenic death and disease. Because magnesium deficiency is largely overlooked, millions of Americans suffer needlessly or are having their symptoms treated with expensive drugs when they could be cured with magnesium supplementation.

One has to recognize the signs of magnesium thirst or hunger on their own since allopathic medicine is lost in this regard. It is really something much more subtle then hunger or thirst but it is comparable. In a world though where doctors and patients alike do not even pay attention to thirst and important issues of hydration, it is not hopeful that we will find many recognizing and paying attention to magnesium thirst and hunger, which is a dramatic way of expressing the concept of magnesium deficiency.

Few people are aware of the enormous role magnesium plays in our bodies. Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body. After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies; vitally important, yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it.

In fact, there happens to be a relationship between what we perceive as thirst and deficiencies in electrolytes. I remember a person asking, “Why am I dehydrated and thirsty when I drink so much water?” Thirst can mean not only lack of water but it can also mean that one is not getting enough nutrients and electrolytes. Magnesium, Potassium, Bicarbonate, Chloride and Sodium are some principle examples and that is one of the reasons magnesium chloride is so useful.

Magnesium Torment (Deficiency)

You know all those years, when doctors used to tell their patients ‘its all in your heads,’ were years the medical profession was showing its ignorance. It is a torment to be magnesium deficient on one level or another. Even if it’s for the enthusiastic sport person whose athletic performance is down, magnesium deficiency will disturb sleep and background stress levels and a host of other things that reflect on the quality of life. Doctors have not been using the appropriate test for magnesium – their serum blood tests just distort their perceptions. Magnesium has been off their radar screens through the decades that magnesium deficiencies have snowballed.

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

The first symptoms of deficiency can be subtle – as most magnesium is stored in the tissues, leg cramps, foot pain, or muscle ‘twitches’ can be the first sign. Other early signs of deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As magnesium deficiency worsens, numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms can occur.

A full outline of magnesium deficiency was beautifully presented in a recent article by Dr. Sidney Baker. “Magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every organ system of the body. With regard to skeletal muscle, one may experience twitches, cramps, muscle tension, muscle soreness, including back aches, neck pain, tension headaches and jaw joint (or TMJ) dysfunction. Also, one may experience chest tightness or a peculiar sensation that he can’t take a deep breath. Sometimes a person may sigh a lot.”

“Symptoms involving impaired contraction of smooth muscles include constipation; urinary spasms; menstrual cramps; difficulty swallowing or a lump in the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar; photophobia, especially difficulty adjusting to oncoming bright headlights in the absence of eye disease; and loud noise sensitivity from stapedius muscle tension in the ear.”

“Other symptoms and signs of magnesium deficiency and discuss laboratory testing for this common condition. Continuing with the symptoms of magnesium deficiency, the central nervous system is markedly affected. Symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant movement, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and premenstrual irritability. Magnesium deficiency symptoms involving the peripheral nervous system include numbness, tingling, and other abnormal sensations, such as zips, zaps and vibratory sensations.”

“Symptoms or signs of the cardiovascular system include palpitations, heart arrhythmias, and angina due to spasms of the coronary arteries, high blood pressure and mitral valve prolapse. Be aware that not all of the symptoms need to be present to presume magnesium deficiency; but, many of them often occur together. For example, people with mitral valve prolapse frequently have palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks and premenstrual symptoms. People with magnesium deficiency often seem to be “uptight.” Other general symptoms include a salt craving, both carbohydrate craving and carbohydrate intolerance, especially of chocolate, and breast tenderness.”

Magnesium is needed by every cell in the body including those of the brain. It is one of the most important minerals when considering supplementation because of its vital role in hundreds of enzyme systems and functions related to reactions in cell metabolism, as well as being essential for the synthesis of proteins, for the utilization of fats and carbohydrates. Magnesium is needed not only for the production of specific detoxification enzymes but is also important for energy production related to cell detoxification. A magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every system of the body.

Like water we need magnesium everyday. There is an
eternal need for magnesium as well as water and when
magnesium is present in water life and health are enhanced.

One of the principle reason doctors write millions of prescriptions for tranquilizers each year is the nervousness, irritability, and jitters largely brought on by inadequate diets lacking magnesium. Persons only slightly deficient in magnesium become irritable, highly-strung, and sensitive to noise, hyper-excitable, apprehensive and belligerent. If the deficiency is more severe or prolonged, they may develop twitching, tremors, irregular pulse, insomnia, muscle weakness, jerkiness and leg and foot cramps.

If magnesium is severely deficient, the brain is particularly affected. Clouded thinking, confusion, disorientation, marked depression and even the terrifying hallucinations of delirium tremens are largely brought on by a lack of this nutrient and remedied when magnesium is given. Because large amounts of calcium are lost in the urine when magnesium is under supplied, the lack of this nutrient indirectly becomes responsible for much rampant tooth decay, poor bone development, osteoporosis and slow healing of broken bones and fractures. With vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), magnesium helps to reduce and dissolve calcium phosphate kidney stones.

Magnesium deficiency may be a common factor associated with insulin resistance. Symptoms of MS that are also symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, weakness, twitching, muscle atrophy,  an inability to control the bladder, nystagmus (rapid eye movements), hearing loss, and osteoporosis.  People with MS have higher rates of epilepsy than controls.  Epilepsy has also been linked to magnesium deficiencies.[1]

Another good list of early warning symptoms suggestive of magnesium insufficiency:

• Physical and mental fatigue
• Persistent under-eye twitch
• Tension in the upper back, shoulders and neck
• Headaches
• Pre-menstrual fluid retention and/or breast tenderness

Possible manifestations of magnesium deficiency include:

• Low energy
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Confusion
• Nervousness
• Anxiousness
• Irritability
• Seizures (and tantrums)
• Poor digestion
• PMS and hormonal imbalances
• Inability to sleep
• Muscle tension, spasm and cramps
• Calcification of organs
• Weakening of the bones
• Abnormal heart rhythm

Severe magnesium deficiency can result in low levels of calcium in the blood (hypocalcemia). Magnesium deficiency is also associated with low levels of potassium in the blood (hypokalemia). Magnesium levels drop at night, leading to poor REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycles and unrefreshed sleep. Headaches, blurred vision, mouth ulcers, fatigue and anxiety are also early signs of depletion.

We hear all the time about how heart disease is the number one health crisis in the country, about how high blood pressure is the “silent killer”, and about how ever increasing numbers of our citizens are having their lives and the lives of their families destroyed by diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and a host of other chronic diseases.

Signs of severe magnesium deficiency include:

• Extreme thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Frequent urination
• Sores or bruises that heal slowly
• Dry, itchy skin
• Unexplained weight loss
• Blurry vision that changes from day to day
• Unusual tiredness or drowsiness
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• Frequent or recurring skin, gum, bladder or vaginal yeast infections

But wait a minute, aren’t those the same symptoms for diabetes? Many people have diabetes for about 5 years before they show strong symptoms. By that time, some people already have eye, kidney, gum or nerve damage caused by the deteriorating condition of their cells due to insulin resistance and magnesium deficiency. Dump some mercury and arsenic on the mixture of etiologies and pronto we have the disease condition we call diabetes.

Magnesium deficiency is synonymous with diabetes and is at the root of many if not all cardiovascular problems.

Magnesium deficiency is a predictor of diabetes and heart disease both; diabetics both need more magnesium and lose more magnesium than most people. In two new studies, in both men and women, those who consumed the most magnesium in their diet were least likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to a report in the January 2006 issue of the journal Diabetes Care. Until now, very few large studies have directly examined the long-term effects of dietary magnesium on diabetes. Dr. Simin Liu of the Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health in Boston says, “Our studies provided some direct evidence that greater intake of dietary magnesium may have a long-term protective effect on lowering risk,” said Liu, who was involved in both studies.

Continue Reading At: GreenMedInfo.com

The Science Of Healing Thoughts

Source: DrMercola.com
Dr. Mercola
February 4, 2016

Can your mind heal your body? It may sound far-fetched that the power of your thoughts and emotions could exert physical, biological changes, but there are countless examples, both scientific and anecdotal, showing this possibility is very real.

Science journalist Jo Marchant shared numerous such examples, from Iraq war veterans and many others, in her book “Cure.” She told Scientific American:¹

“There are now several lines of research suggesting that our mental perception of the world constantly informs and guides our immune system in a way that makes us better able to respond to future threats.

That was a sort of ‘aha’ moment for me — where the idea of an entwined mind and body suddenly made more scientific sense than an ephemeral consciousness that’s somehow separated from our physical selves.”

Your State of Mind Influences the State of Your Immune System

Your mind wields incredible power over the health of your immune system, for good or for bad. Stress, for instance, has a major negative influence on the function of your immune system, which is why you’ve probably noticed you’re more likely to catch a cold when you’re under a lot of stress.

When researchers from Carnegie Mellon University infected study participants with a common cold virus, those who had reported being under stress were twice as likely to get sick.²

And, in the event you do get sick, emotional stressors can actually make your cold and flu symptoms worse. As lead author Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D. a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, noted:³

“Inflammation is partly regulated by the hormone cortisol and when cortisol is not allowed to serve this function, inflammation can get out of control … 

The immune system’s ability to regulate inflammation predicts who will develop a cold, but more importantly it provides an explanation of how stress can promote disease.

When under stress, cells of the immune system are unable to respond to hormonal control, and consequently, produce levels of inflammation that promote disease.

Because inflammation plays a role in many diseases such as cardiovascular, asthma and autoimmune disorders, this model suggests why stress impacts them as well.”

The opposite also holds true in that positive thoughts and attitudes are able to prompt changes in your body that strengthen your immune system, boost positive emotions, decrease pain and chronic disease, and provide stress relief.

One study found, for instance, that happiness, optimism, life satisfaction, and other positive psychological attributes are associated with a lower risk of heart disease.⁴

It’s even been scientifically shown that happiness can alter your genes! A team of researchers at UCLA showed that people with a deep sense of happiness and well-being had lower levels of inflammatory gene expression and stronger antiviral and antibody responses.⁵

The Placebo Effect Once Again Proves ‘Mind Over Matter’

By definition, a placebo is an inert, innocuous substance that has no effect on your body. However, the placebo effect, in which a patient believes he or she is getting an actual drug and subsequently feels better, despite receiving no “active” treatment at all, has become a well-recognized phenomenon.

As Marchant noted, there are many examples of the placebo effect in action:⁶

“Placebo painkillers can trigger the release of natural pain-relieving chemicals called endorphins. Patients with Parkinson’s disease respond to placebos with a flood of dopamine.

Fake oxygen, given to someone at altitude, has been shown to cut levels of neurotransmitters called prostaglandins (which dilate blood vessels, among other things, and are responsible for many of the symptoms of altitude sickness).”

As she explained, “none of these biological effects are caused by placebos themselves … they are triggered by our psychological response to those fake treatments.”⁷ The placebo effect was even found to produce marked effects even when no deception was involved at all.

In one trial, nearly 60 percent of patients given a placebo pill, who were told they were receiving a placebo, reported adequate relief from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. Only 35 percent of those who received no treatment at all reported adequate relief.⁸

The exact mechanisms behind the placebo effect are still being explored, but there’s no denying that the effect is real. And, most likely, the placebo effect takes on many different forms, impacting brain mechanisms involved in expectation, anxiety and rewards.

In short, a placebo really does change your physical body, including your brain, in a number of different ways. Writing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers noted:⁹

“First, as the placebo effect is basically a psychosocial context effect, these data indicate that different social stimuli, such as words and rituals of the therapeutic act, may change the chemistry and circuitry of the patient’s brain.

Second, the mechanisms that are activated by placebos are the same as those activated by drugs, which suggests a cognitive/affective interference with drug action.

Third, if prefrontal functioning is impaired, placebo responses are reduced or totally lacking, as occurs in dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.”

Virtual Reality Games and Distraction Help Relieve Pain

Your pain pathways are plastic — they can be molded and transformed using a variety of approaches, because so many areas of your brain and nervous system are at play.

This is another avenue by which your mind has incredible power over your physical symptoms, as you may be able to drastically reduce your experience of pain by distracting your mind.

Researchers on the burn unit at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center, for instance, have capitalized on the fact that the brain’s attention centers can be “distracted away” from a painful experience. Burn victims frequently undergo painful wound care procedures and debridement.

Since we all respond strongly to visual stimuli, even the mere sight of wound care instruments can amplify pain for burn victims. So researchers developed an action video game, called “Snow World,” that burn patients could engage in during wound care.

The results have been astonishing — burn patients experienced more than 50 percent less pain during their burn treatments when playing Snow World. Your brain has limits to its processing power, so if you’re highly engaged in an activity, your brain will not be able to process all of the pain signals.

The net result is that you experience less pain. Similar studies show that when your mind is encouraged to “wander” away from painful stimuli, an opiate-rich region of your brain is stimulated, resulting in pain suppression.¹⁰ Marchant told Scientific American:¹¹

“This is just one of many lines of research telling us that the brain plays a big role in determining the level of pain we feel. Of course any physical damage is important, but it is neither sufficient nor necessary for us to feel pain. So I think we’ve got our approach to pain all wrong.

… Our focus is almost exclusively on trying to banish it with drugs, which is incredibly costly and causes huge problems with side effects and addiction.

Research like Snow World shows the potential of psychological approaches for treating pain: both to maximize the effectiveness of drugs and perhaps in some cases to replace them.”

Continue Reading At: Mercola.com

BREAKING: Taiwan Bans Genetically Modified Foods From School Lunches… Mandates GMO Labeling Nationwide… Throws Down Gauntlet On Toxic Foods From USA & Monsanto

Source: NaturalNews.com
Mike Adams
January 10, 2016

Even as the fascist, corrupt U.S. government and its regulators (FDA and USDA) actively conspire with the biotech industry to poison Americans with genetically modified foods, Taiwan has already passed and implemented a nationwide law to protect its citizens from GMOs.

Nearly a full year ago, Taiwan passed Food Act Amendments that achieve remarkable food safety milestones the U.S. government refuses to implement, placing Taiwan far ahead of the United States on food safety. These milestones include:

1) Requiring the mandatory labeling of GMOs on all food products that contain 3 percent or more GMOs. Foods that use no GMOs may be labeled “non-GMO” … and many already are, causing their sales to skyrocket across Taiwan. Just last year, imports of non-GMO soybeans to Taiwan grew nearly 300% to 58,000 tons.

2) Limiting the use of food additives to just 799 compounds approved by the Taiwan FDA. The FDA of the United States, by comparison, allows tens of thousands of chemicals to be used as additives, even when they are well known to cause cancer.

3) All GMO ingredients are required to be registered with the Taiwan government, and food manufacturers that use GMOs are required to establish an origins tracking system to identify where those GMOs originated.

4) All the soy milk, tofu, miso and other soy-derived products sold everywhere across the country — including at cafes and street food vendors — must be clearly labeled as GMOs if they use genetically modified soy.

5) Food products made using genetically modified soy as a processing agent or blended ingredient must also label their final food products as GMO, even if the soybean oil is not, itself, the final product.

6) Fines for violating these food safety provisions have been set at NT$50 million.

USA food safety lags far behind the rest of the world

This shows yet again just how far behind the United States is on food safety compared to the rest of the world. Instead of promoting actual food safety, the FDA gives a free pass to GMOs, heavy metals, artificial additives and other toxic chemicals, focusing almost exclusively on bacteriological contamination issues such as e.coli and salmonella.

That’s why the USA lags far behind the rest of the world on the banning of artificial additives and preservative chemicals, most of which have already been banned across the EU. The U.S. government continues to allow extremely toxic pesticides and herbicides to be used across the agricultural industry (including California’s strawberry operations), and as the news in this article shows, the USA now lags far behind Taiwan on the issue of GMO labeling and banning GMOs from school lunches.

Increasingly, U.S. food safety looks like a third world nation being run by a cartel of imperialistic food corporations that dictate government policy. Public health has NOTHING to do with government regulatory policy at this point. It’s all about appeasing Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo and all the other poison-pushing food and beverage companies that continue to poison a nation of food victims into epidemics of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

Taiwan bans GMOs from school menus

In yet another milestone for food safety, Taiwan has banned GMOs from school lunches.

“The latest amendments to the School Health Act are aimed at all school meal providers, to ban genetically modified raw ingredients and any processed foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from school menus,” reports the China Post. The Post also reports:

Legislator Lin Shu-fen, an advocate for passing the bill, said that studies abroad have shown a high connection between the consumption of GM foods and the prevalence of allergies, autism and rare diseases.

“Soy is a major ingredient in Taiwan’s school lunches,” said Lin. “Genetically modified soy has been shown to contains toxic residue from pesticides.”

You almost never hear such statements from the sellout politicians in America, nearly all of whom have been bribed and bought off by the biotech industry. Making matters even worse, poison-pushing U.S. publishers like Forbes.com — named the single most evil news publication of 2015 by EVIL.news — carry deceptive propaganda articles by sleazebag industry scientists like Henry Miller who ridiculously claims that herbicides are harmless and GMOs pose no health risks whatsoever.

Entire world revolting against U.S. agricultural imperialism and fascist, corporate-dictated government policy

The rest of the world, however, isn’t buying the U.S. propaganda. In fact, the rest of the world is revolting against U.S. agricultural imperialism where prostituted U.S. lawmakers and regulators are bought off by industry to shove GMOs down the throats of all the other countries under so-called “fair trade” regulations such as the TPP.

Taiwan’s pig farmers, for example, are also organizing a massive, nationwide protest over the U.S. pork industry’s continued usage of ractopamine, a toxic drug fed to pigs to cause rapid weight gain. The Taiwan government is under imperialistic pressure from U.S. trade representatives to lift its ban on the import of U.S. pork grown with the drug. If the ban is lifted, it would flood the Taiwan market with cheap, low-grade pork that’s been artificially multiplied with the use of a toxic drugs that isn’t used at all in the Taiwan pork industry, reports Asia News Network.

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