Health News
Healthy Holiday Tips for a Stress-Less Season
Surefire strategies to reduce holiday stress, avoid weight gain and increase energy! Thanksgiving and the winter holidays bring the seasonal beauty of nature, creative offerings from friends, festive celebrations and the comfort of family. We are best suited to deeply enjoy the good things of the season when we feel our best and can maintain good energy and a consistent state of wellness. Life experience has taught us that holiday stress can also mean financial worries, emotional challenges and crushing fatigue. Despite unexpected events beyond our control, with good information and thoughtful planning, we can successfully navigate this most “wonderful time of the year” for a healthy holiday! So, let’s start with the food and calorie challenges that pervade the holiday party season with tantalizing temptations. Non-stop revelry from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve is a psychological inducement to break every rule for healthy holiday eating and weight management. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Here are our healthy holiday eating tips to help you stay on track and avoid holiday weight gain: Don’t skip a nourishing protein-rich breakfast. For an on-the-go option that will keep you full for up to four hours, blend up a smoothie with pea and rice protein like Fat Flush Body Protein. Nibble guacamole or avocado wedges before a party to balance blood sugar and take the lid off cravings. Go for the nuts on the hors d’oeuvres table so you can fill up on smart fats first instead of sugar, refined carbs and dairy! At meals, eat protein first to shut off the brain’s hunger mechanism, followed by salads and veggies second, and small portions of carbs third. Splurge selectively, but don’t be afraid to shave off a bit of crust or whipped cream for huge calorie reduction! Avoid Booze Blunders at Holiday Parties Overindulging during the holidays isn’t hard to do. But, the morning-after hangover is only the beginning of the drink-induced holiday stress every organ and system in the body endures. Fermented alcohol turns to sugar in the blood and systemic imbalance follows, especially after overindulgence. Women metabolize alcohol at half the rate that men do. Here are important tips to drink responsibly amidst holiday stress: Avoid highly caloric and sugar-laden sweet, fruity or creamy drinks and mixers. For a pure and healthy cocktail, try grain-free vodka with sparkling water and lime. Enjoy wine in small amounts, but don’t overdo. The high sugar content can lead to a yeast-feeding frenzy. At a holiday party it’s easy to drink more than you realize, so alternate drinks with a non-alcoholic beverage like sparkling water. Get your gut back in balance and avoid yeast overgrowth from fermented beverages with a probiotic like Flora-Key for a decrease in belly bloat and cravings. Reduce Holiday Stress for Stronger Immunity The holiday season coincides with the winter cold and flu season. The physical and emotional stress so prevalent this time of year can lower immunity when you need it most. An overabundance of the major stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline eventually take a toll on the body. Follow these guidelines to reduce holiday stress and its toxic ramifications, which include heart abnormalities, skin conditions, digestive disorders and viruses: Keep calm and fortify your system against holiday stress by supplementing with magnesium. As the calming mineral, magnesium will relax your body, mind and muscles. Shorten your to-do list and set realistic expectations for yourself to keep a positive outlook. A Carnegie Mellon study showed that people with high positive emotion scores produce enough cytokine protein to help recruit other immune cells to fight off infections. Eat stress-reducing foods like avocados, almonds, raw carrots, leafy greens and pistachios. Boost energy and support your fatigued adrenal glands with Adrenal Formula. Optimize your immunity by supplementing with vitamin C, vitamin B complex and vitamin D3 and eating leafy greens loaded with flu-fighting phytonutrients. Concentrate on Hydration Staying hydrated can easily be overlooked, especially during lengthy holiday shopping excursions and airplane travel. Every cell, tissue and organ in the body depends upon water to function properly. Water keeps the heart beating, maintains body temperature, lubricates the joints and removes waste. Water is especially vital for the brain which is comprised of 75% water. Studies show that even 2% dehydration can degrade cognitive functions, motor skills, alertness, memory and mood. Adequate water is also critical for avoiding fatigue and unwanted weight gain, especially during the holidays! Use these hydration tips to maintain energy and keep your skin looking radiant all season long: Drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered water daily. Prepare your daily water intake in the morning and take it along so you’ll drink often. Limit coffee, tea and sodas which pull water from the body and can dehydrate. Be a Stickler for R & R Holiday shopping, entertaining, traveling, hosting visitors, along with regular chores add up to a hectic pace. Many people become dangerously sleep-deprived during the holidays. A truly well-rested and refreshed body in the morning is a key to having more fun, motivation and energy to combast holiday stress. Try these simple tips to stack more ZZZs: Make time for sleep by “scheduling” a good night’s sleep into your day—just like you’d plan for a meal or social activity. Eat your last meal at least two hours before bedtime since metabolizing food can disrupt sleep. Unplug at least one hour before bed and turn off all blue-light emitting devices like cell phones, TVs and tablets. Turn in by 10 pm—sleep before midnight is proven to be the most regenerative! If you have trouble following asleep or sleeping through the night, try supplementing with 3mg of time-released melatonin to re-calibrate your body’s natural rhythm. Get a Clear Head to Handle Holiday Stress Many people report emotional numbness, loneliness or depression during the holidays. A percentage of these complaints may be due to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which stems from lack of sunlight during short winter days. SAD can be treated by long walks during daylight hours or exposure to a light box for about 30 minutes a day. Supplementing with 1000-2000 IUs of Vitamin D3 daily is also crucial when sunlight is minimal. Depression is a common symptom of low thyroid and other hormonal imbalances. If your low moods are accompanied by fatigue, insomnia, brain fog, unexplained weight gain, migraines, muscle and joint pain, PMS or hot flashes, it could be time to search for underlying hormonal causes. Here are other time-honored techniques for staving off the holiday blues: Honor your limits and say no, even to good things that could overtax and discourage you. Examine your expectations and stop trying to be perfect. Focus not so much on material things, but what really matters in life. Tend to the happiness and welfare of others and see how sadness melts away. Beat the holiday blues with Ultra H-3 Plus, our renowned brain support formula that helps to balance the brain for a better sense of wellbeing and enhanced mental clarity. Add omega-3s to your daily diet from flaxseed oil, fish oil, chia seeds or walnuts. A Finnish study showed that depression is linked to deficiency of these so-essential fatty acids. Holiday season imperatives can seem overwhelming, but small changes in how we handle challenges can make a big difference in handling holiday stress. Taking time each day to relax and meditate will soothe and nurture the soul. Heeding our inner voice can calm us and affirm our birthright to spiritual, emotional and mental well-being, no matter how frantic the world around us. Balancing the way we care for our bodies and the way we organize our minds towards the positive and hopeful can ensure that we thrive during the holidays as well as all other seasons of the year. The post Healthy Holiday Tips for a Stress-Less Season appeared first on Your Health Keys.
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Deep Clean Your Gut to Get Rid of Toxins That Make You Sick, Tired, and Bloated
It’s time to wipe the slate clean and clear the decks…so you are fully ready and energized to “deck those halls” for the holidays.Thankfully, you can with my all-in-one detox known as the Super-GI Cleanse.
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Hydrochloric Acid – The GOOD Stomach Acid
People would drink milk or chug Pepto-Bismol to tame a burning belly, and everyone would blame the fire on too much stomach acid. But, rather than needing to decrease the amount of acid in our stomach, we often actually need to increase it.
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Over-Exercise: Too Much of a Good Thing
You’re trying to lose weight, so you’ve gone to the next level with high intensity exercise. But your weight won’t budge, you catch a cold easier, and digestion isn’t as good as it used to be. Is over-exercise to blame? Believe it or not, you can actually get too much of a good thing. Exercise has a “sweet spot” – an amount and intensity that’s healthy for your body. When exercise leaves you feeling exhausted, unable to get good quality sleep, sore for several days, irritable and depressed, easily catching every cold that comes your way, then you are either exercising too often or with too much intensity. Read the effects of too much exercise below. Over-Exercise and the Cortisol Trigger One of the benefits of high intensity exercise is it stimulates production of Human Growth Hormone (HGH). When HGH levels are low, this stimulates the aging process – the last thing we want! Once you’re fit and healthy, HGH levels stay high, and you don’t need frequent spurts of it being produced. When you’re fit, recovery is more important, and recovery from some forms of high intensity exercise can be as long as a week. But when your body isn’t allowed to recover before hitting the gym again, it goes from a healthy growth hormone burst to a cortisol burst, and fight-or-flight kicks in. Basically, your body has gone from building up to breaking down. Once cortisol is high, it triggers a cascade of dysregulation, which affects mineral and electrolyte balance, blood sugar and insulin, sex hormones, sleep, digestion, immunity and more. And this means you hold on to that weight you are trying to lose. Over-Exercise Causes Leaky Gut Endurance athletes are all too familiar with a condition known as runner’s diarrhea. This is explained by a new study from the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. It showed the intense physiological stress from over-exercising increased intestinal permeability, a conclusion reached by similar studies going back 20 years or more. This condition is commonly referred to as Leaky Gut Syndrome. The intestinal lining is fenestrated, which is the Latin word for “windows.” Over-exercise triggers the gut to basically open its windows (also known as tight junctions), which causes inflammation by allowing whole proteins into areas of the body they don’t normally go. This inflammation triggers everything from allergies and the common cold, to inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune conditions. Recovering From Over-Exercise From a young age, we’re taught the key to a long and healthy life is to exercise and eat right. We’re even given presidential awards in grade school for physical fitness. And while fad diets come and go, the push to be more active stays the same. But when we push too hard, we need help recovering. It’s time to recharge through a nutrient dense diet, healthy exercise, and supporting adrenals. Below, we discuss a few over exercising recovery tips. Diet. Because we love our comfort foods, we turn to more intense, longer duration physical activity to fight the battle of the bulge. But physical activity is only responsible for 20% of your health, the other 80% is your diet. An anti-inflammatory, low glycemic, nutrient-rich diet high in healthy fats is key to supporting healthy cortisol and blood sugar levels and bringing the body back into balance. Addressing leaky gut and restoring healthy flora are also important. Taking a probiotic supplement before workouts has been shown to help prevent leaky gut issues. If all of this sounds like a foreign language to you, Super Nutrition for Women is a great handbook for a healthy diet and The Gut Flush Plan can help you get your digestion back on track. Exercise. Have you ever seen a wild animal jogging? It’s not likely. Wild animals walk long distances then sprint as they chase their prey, or run from being eaten. And they rest after the run. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of exercise our bodies respond well to, because it closely mimics exercise patterns found in nature and promotes healthy cortisol levels. Whatever exercise you choose, the higher intensity you exercise, the greater your need for recovery. Muscles have fast, intermediate and slow twitch fibers. The fast twitch fibers are activated during high intensity workouts, and can take 48 hours or more to heal and recover. The slow twitch fibers are activated during low intensity and slow exercise, and take half as long to recover. Adequate rest and recovery periods are as important as the exercise itself. Adrenals. If you have adrenal issues, listening to your body is paramount to healing. This is how you develop healthy exercise patterns. While healing, intense or long workouts are to be avoided. Restorative yoga, rebounding and walking in moderate temperatures are the best forms of exercise while adrenals heal. Supplements to support adrenals are helpful when cortisol remains high or you feel like you’ve crashed. Healthy sleep patterns are essential, but may need support while circadian rhythms restore. Your body will tell you when it’s ready for you to return to more intense exercise – you’ll have more energy, sleep better, feel uplifted, have healthy digestion, and a desire for more activity.
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Is It Allergies or Histamine Intolerance?
Do you have allergies or histamine intolerance? From nose running and eyes watering, to heart racing and head pounding, allergies wreak havoc and leave you tired, looking for remedies to end the misery. This time of year, the trees and flowers are blooming, and pollens and molds are in the air. But, it’s not seasonal for everyone, for some it’s triggered by foods, and others it’s a mystery what brings these symptoms on. That mystery may be histamine intolerance. What Is Histamine Intolerance? Histamine intolerance and allergies have a lot in common, and it’s even possible to have both at the same time. Both are inflammatory responses mediated by histamine. Histamine is a neurotransmitter that causes inflammation, which is a sign the immune system has been activated. Because histamine is mainly found in the skin, lungs, stomach, brain and heart, most symptoms are centered in these areas. Symptoms of both can include: rashes, nasal congestion, red eyes, throat swelling, heart racing, low blood pressure, migraine, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, acid reflux, irritable bowel, and adrenal fatigue. In the case of an allergy, histamine is released in response to contact with a specific allergen. Usually the cause of the allergic response can be identified with skin or blood allergy testing. When you have both allergies and histamine intolerance, the histamine intolerance can worsen allergies, which is thought to be the reason for anaphylaxis, the life threatening allergies. Histamine intolerance follows what environmental medicine calls “the bucket theory.” Think of your body’s tolerance for histamine like a bucket. Every exposure to histamine is like putting a drop in the bucket, and eventually the bucket overflows and causes symptoms. When you are exposed to more histamine than your body can tolerate, your “bucket” overflows, and this is histamine intolerance. Experts don’t agree on definitive testing, and type and severity of symptoms can change, making it frustrating to chase down what exactly is causing your symptoms. Following a low histamine diet for 3 months and keeping track of daily symptoms during the diet is the best way to determine if histamine intolerance is a problem for you. What Causes Histamine Intolerance? Histamine can come from inside the body (endogenous) and outside the body (exogenous). Histamine defends the body from bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and other foreign disease-causing organisms. So you can have endogenous histamine intolerance from: Overgrowth in the intestines of histamine producing microorganisms, as seen in conditions like SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) and Dysbiosis (“Leaky Gut”) Systemic infections like Bartonella and Lyme disease Toxic mold exposure Parasites Excess histamine is broken down in the body by the DAO (Diamine Oxidase) and HMT (Histamine N-Methyltransferase) enzymes. You can have a deficiency of these enzymes, or you can be ingesting foods and medications that block DAO. These medications include: NSAIDs, antihistamines, antidepressants, histamine H2 blockers, immune modulators, antiarrhythmics, diuretics (“water pills”), and some antibiotics. Diet is the main exogenous source of histamine. A diet high in inflammatory foods or histamine rich foods can lead to histamine intolerance. A low histamine diet is the first line of defense against histamine intolerance. Hormone changes during menstrual cycles and menopause can cause increased sensitivity to histamine. This means your histamine bucket gets smaller, so foods and medications which never had a negative effect before can fill your smaller bucket to overflowing and cause new symptoms. Four Keys To Managing Histamine Intolerance 1. Eat Right with a Low Histamine DietControlling how much histamine goes into your body while keeping foods healthy is the first line of defense against histamine intolerance. The list of foods to avoid is long, and can be intimidating. A good approach is to tailor Ann Louise Gittleman’s Gut Flush Plan to your low histamine needs, and extend it to 3 months. This will give you an organized plan of action to determine if histamine intolerance is at the root of your symptoms and get you well on your way to healing. Foods to Avoid: All fermented foods, including vinegar, condiments with vinegar, pickles, cheese and yogurt All fish and shellfish, unless you cook and eat them within 30 minutes of being caught Processed or smoked meats, including lunch meats, sausage and bacon Any leftovers from previous meals All foods cooked for more than 2 hours, including bone broth and large cuts of meat Dried or dehydrated foods High histamine fruits: citrus, bananas, apricots, cherries, plums, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and pineapple High histamine vegetables: soy, pumpkin, spinach, avocado, tomato, eggplant, and hot peppers (especially cayenne) High histamine spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, curry powder, anise, and chili powder Green and black tea, chocolate, and cocoa Walnuts, cashews and peanuts All alcoholic beverages and cola drinks 2. Support Digestion: Cleanse the ColonStrengthening digestion through cleansing is key to managing histamine intolerance. Unwanted microorganisms in the intestines can produce excessive amounts of histamine, and be the cause of your histamine problems. In addition, the intestines have to work hard to break down all the histamine being produced in the body and ingested through the diet and medications. Think of colon cleansing like the broom that sweeps the unwanted microorganisms and waste products away, relieving inflamed intestines and facilitating healing. An effective colon cleanse, such as our 30-Day Parasite Cleanse, should contain gentle cleansing herbs and probiotics to help restore balance to your GI tract. If parasites and other harmful microorganisms seem like only a third world problem to you, Ann Louise Gittleman’s book Guess What Came to Dinner? will introduce you to this unseen epidemic, and teach you the role these organisms play in allergies and fatigue, as well as many other diseases. UNI KEY has GI testing available to help you better identify what’s eating you, and what you need to get rid of them. 3. Nourish the LiverThe liver is key in breaking down excess histamine, and supporting the liver in this process can speed healing time. Glutathione is the antioxidant superstar in this process. A tired, overworked liver doesn’t have enough glutathione available for this important detox process, and over time, these waste products accumulate. As waste products accumulate, bile becomes thicker, not flowing as easily, which slows down detox even more, creating a vicious cycle. A diet rich in dark, leafy greens, sprouts, and sulfur-rich foods is a good source of glutathione. It is also helpful to give your liver a nourishing and cleansing boost with healing artichoke, chlorophyll and taurine. If your gallbladder has been removed, or you’ve had health issues for a long time, you may also benefit from supplementation to encourage healthy bile production. 4. Support Adrenals and Fight FatigueYour body fights high levels of inflammatory histamine by putting the adrenal glands to work producing high amounts of anti-inflammatory cortisol. Over time, the adrenals can get tired and stressed, causing fatigue. Avoiding caffeine and sugar is the dietary key to taking stress off these important organs. Adequate restful sleep and managing stress will also help keep adrenals healthy. Sometimes, extra supplementation is needed while healing the adrenal glands. Look for an Adrenal Formula that contains bovine adrenal glandulars to provide the building blocks to rebuild healthy adrenal function.
Learn moreEating Healthy on Vacation – 10 Diet Tips
Vacation can be both fun and healthy with these 10 easy eating healthy tips. Vacation is all about letting loose and having fun, leaving all your cares behind. For many people, it also means leaving your healthy diet behind. It can be hard to pass up sugary cocktails with cute umbrellas, smores over the campfire, or deep-fried anything. Once you leave the ease and routine of preparing healthy meals at home for hotels, campgrounds, or condos, it’s more convenient to eat out and frankly more fun to play tourist and leave diet restrictions behind. There’s nothing wrong with a little indulgence now and then, and there’s no better time than vacation. Unfortunately, throwing all nutrition-savvy caution to the wind and eating what everyone else is eating gives you the same results as everyone else – bloating, weight gain, and even uninvited guests like parasites with their unpleasant symptoms. Discover how to eat healthy on vacation with these 10 diet tips below. 10 Easy Tips to Avoid Post-Vacation Weight Gain and Belly Bloat 1. Menu Plan Have you ever heard “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail?” This is true as true on vacation as it is at home. Menu planning apps make it so easy to plan your meals and snacks before you even leave, and keep track on your phone or computer while you’re gone. You can plan to include local cuisine and your favorite indulgences, and the best thing about it is you don’t have to feel guilty when treats are in your plan and accounted for! With menu planning, you’ll only buy exactly what you need so you’re not stuck with leftovers or food you have to discard before the trip home. If you are driving to your destination and will be able to cook where you’re going, you can bring meal prep packs already assembled with spices included and just add meat when you get there (or bring frozen if going a short distance), which saves time and budget. And if you’re the chief cook, these pre-made meals save you time while on vacation so you actually get a vacation, too! 2. Pack Healthy Snacks Whether you have a short car ride or long flight, chances are you’ll need a snack. Save yourself from questionable gas station fare or pricey airport fare and bring your own healthy snacks. If you’re driving, insulated reuseable water bottles are great for smoothies, iced herbal teas, and cran-water. Healthy crackers, raw grassfed cheese cut into bite-sized pieces, homemade granola or energy bars, and small containers of unsweetened almond butter to dip celery or apples in, or even organic tortilla chips and no sugar added organic salsa are all great alternatives to what you’ll find on the road. 3. Eat a Satisfying Breakfast Start your day off right with a protein-packed breakfast to keep hunger and cravings at bay. Studies show that people lose more weight (and keep it off) when most of their calories come in the first half of the day. Continental breakfasts at hotels are full of processed foods and sugary treats, but if you look carefully, you can usually find hard-boiled eggs and fresh fruit. If they have unsweetened oatmeal, add your favorite whey protein to it. If you can, bring a small immersion blender, your favorite protein powder, and pre-made smoothie packs and make protein-packed morning smoothies to start your day. 4. Just Say No to Sugar and Gluten To avoid the vacation bloat, keep sugar low and choose gluten free options for bread and alcohol whenever possible. Many people don’t realize alcohol acts like sugar in the body and causes bloating much like eating dessert does. Also, many forms of alcohol, especially beer, are fermented grains containing gluten and cause water retention, inflammation, gas, and belly bloat. 5. Choose the Lesser of the Evils Don’t leave your good judgment behind when ordering food and drinks in a restaurant while on vacation. Choose wisely. For instance, if the local seafood is famous, forego the fried versions and choose steamed or grilled. If portions are large, share a meal with a friend, or if you have refrigeration, have them bag up half the meal to take with for later. If you can’t resist your favorite childhood treat at a family gathering, set yourself up for success and have a protein-packed smoothie to fill you up before you go so you can keep portion sizes small and not overindulge. 6. Make Smart Substitutions Make sure you have a game plan for what you’ll do if you’re travelling with friends who like to party or are on a cruise where sugary cocktails and decadent desserts seem almost too good to pass up. When you swim up to that bar, for instance, and really want to have a drink, choose gluten free, non-GMO vodka like Tito’s or a potato vodka, with sparkling water and lime instead of wine or cocktails. Replace sweet drinks with sparkling water and unsweetened cranberry juice with a touch of stevia for sweetness. Sprinkle Flora-Key on fresh berries for a lightly sweet “dessert” after meals. Or pour a little coconut cream over frozen berries for an ice cream-like dessert. 7. Keep Plenty of Clean Water on Hand Clean water is an issue whether you travel high into the mountains or to the heart of the city. Our lakes and rivers aren’t as pristine as they seem and our municipal water supplies are tainted even in the best cities. Travelling can dehydrate you because of heat, increased activity, and dry, climate-controlled air. Drinking enough water is key to staying healthy and active while on vacation. Many styles of portable water filters like straws and water bottles are on the market to provide you with clean water as you travel. Bottled water is another alternative, as long as the bottles don’t overheat and leach plastic into the water and you know the brand you’ve chosen isn’t just filtered tap water. 8. Walk It Off Vacation is often a time for sightseeing, and you can use that extra exercise to your advantage when the urge to splurge is irresistible. Take that evening stroll along the beach, swim in the hotel pool with your kids, and find reasons to be more active and burn off the extra calories you’ve consumed. Your waistline, your stress level, and your health in general will thank you. 9. Avoid Unwanted Hitchhikers Traveling to remote areas and vacations out of the country are the places where we think of parasites being a risk. The truth is parasites are a fact of life everywhere. That restaurant salad you just ate or the local water you just drank could be contaminated with parasites. Any raw food or inadequately filtered water (or ice) puts you at risk for parasite exposure, even in the nicest towns. Anytime you travel, take Para-Key and Verma-Plus with you and take half the regular dose while you’re on vacation, especially if you’re out in the wilderness or out of the country. Take 40 billion CFUs of probiotics in divided doses at least 2 hours away from the Para-Key to keep your healthy bacteria populations high and fend off uninvited guests. And avoid constipation at all costs – take magnesium to bowel tolerance and get things moving if travel has you bound up. 10. Do Damage Control – Before You Get Home Let’s face it – life happens. You’re having such a good time on vacation you just want to forget about eating healthy and cut loose this one time. Or maybe you’re at a camp or retreat where there’s only one option for meals and you can’t opt out. If that bottle of wine or decadent dessert caught your eye or you’re just eating too many carbs, Y-C Cleanse and a good probiotic can help. Bring them with you on vacation and start them as soon as you can after you splurge to avoid the bloat and yeast overgrowth.
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New Study Shows Sunscreen Seeps Into Your Bloodstream
Applying sunscreen to your skin is causing systemic effects that have the FDA calling for more safety studies. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and as concerns for skin cancer rise, more and more people are following the advice to liberally apply sunscreen several times a day and avoid the sun as much as possible. But as I learned the hard way, sunscreen isn’t without its own risks. A new study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that it only takes one day of sunscreen application for blood levels of 4 commonly used sunscreen chemicals to rise high enough to trigger an FDA safety investigation. Continue reading to find out how sunscreen gets absorbed into the bloodstream. Sunscreen Gets Under Your Skin Sunscreens work by blocking the absorption of UV radiation into the skin. The active ingredients either reflect, absorb, or scatter these rays to prevent skin damage, and the FDA currently regulates these chemical as over-the-counter (OTC) drug products. These sunscreen chemicals were initially approved for use in small quantities on an occasional basis to prevent sunburn – not for frequent daily use as a preventative. The concern is that even modest applications a few times a day add up to multiple grams of sunscreen being used per day, including on infants as young as 6 months old. And what you put on your skin is ultimately absorbed into your systemic circulation. The FDA study looked at the absorption of 4 commonly used sunscreen chemicals: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule. By the end of the first day, all but one study participant had statistically significant blood levels of the chemicals. Particularly concerning was the amount of oxybenzone that was absorbed, which was 50 to 100 times higher than any of the other chemicals tested. The Environmental Working Group estimates that at least two-thirds of all chemical based sunscreens sold in the US use oxybenzone as their active ingredient. This isn’t the first time oxybenzone has raised a red flag. Back in 2008, the CDC analyzed urine samples from a government study and detected the chemical in 97 percent of the samples. Since then, researchers have further studied and found oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor, with links to lower testosterone levels in adolescent males, hormone changes in men, and pregnancy disruptions. The European Union has phased out oxybenzone in its sunscreens, and Hawaii and some Pacific nations have banned its use because it is dangerous to coral and marine ecosystems. Learn From My Experience As a more than thirty year survivor of Stage IV Melanoma cancer, I have done a lot of research into the topic of sun exposure, sunscreen, and their relationship to cancer, and I believe the sunscreen chemicals and lack of UVB rays getting to my skin did more to cause my melanoma than sun exposure ever did. Back when I was in my twenties, I had a basal cell skin cancer removed from the top of my head. The dermatologist told me to wear sunscreen 24/7 and stay out of the sun. I followed his advice religiously, putting sunscreen on as soon as I woke up and treating the sun like it was my kryptonite, avoiding it at all costs. I found myself with a diagnosis of melanoma ten years later. Melanoma is a systemic cancer that spreads through your whole body and shows up on the skin – often in places that aren’t exposed to the sun. Think about it –when you go for a skin exam, the areas they are careful to check include behind the ears, on your scalp, and even in the groin area. After I was diagnosed, I did my research and learned the hard way that the chemicals in the sunscreen I slathered on were harmful, and I actually needed the vitamin D from the sun exposure I was so diligently avoiding. I walked away from sunscreen and started enjoying the outdoors again – in the sun – and I haven’t had melanoma cancer for more than 30 years now. I am living proof you can heal naturally from terminal melanoma cancer, and I share my story in my new book, I Used to Have Cancer. If you or a loved one are looking for hope and healing from cancer, I encourage you to pick up a copy today. Protect Your Skin Without Harmful Chemicals Most sunscreens on the market today are a chemical soup of ingredients that do more harm than good. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) and reputable scientists have written extensively about the dangerous and cancer-causing effects of many of the chemicals found in sunscreens – not just the 4 that the FDA is calling for studies on. So what do you do when you know you’ll be spending all day on the lake, at the beach, or at the ball field and your skin needs protection from sunburn? Get Your Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is pretty much epidemic right now, and is known to increase your risk of melanoma and worsen the course of it once you have it. You can have your levels checked with a blood test, and supplement with vitamin D3 to get those levels up. To maintain healthy levels, I recommend a recharge with as much skin exposure as you can manage when the sun is the strongest – between 10am and 3pm. Once your skin starts to turn a little pink you’ll know you’ve had enough. Use Hawaii’s Best-Kept Secret. Hawaiian islanders have added microalgae into their diets to protect their eyes and skin from the oxidizing UV rays that cause sunburn. I take an astaxanthin supplement that’s derived from that same microalgae and it has helped me get the maximum benefits from sun exposure for long periods of time without getting burned. It also helps to get enough iodine in. Iodine is excreted when you sweat and mixes with the oil on your skin to increase its natural protective barrier. 3rd Rock Sunblock to the Rescue. If you have to use sunscreen, avoid harsh chemicals and choose a mineral-based sunblock. Historically, the only choice has been a thick, white cream with zinc oxide as the active ingredient. But there’s some evidence of bioaccumulation and environmental concerns, so a non-nanoparticle zinc oxide is the safer choice. 3rd Rock Sunblock is non-nano and made from food grade edible ingredients, so it’s safe for kids, too. Not only is it free of toxic chemicals, but it’s also a cancer-protective alkaline pH. Save 20% off 3rd Rock Sunblock with this LINK>> The post New Study Shows Sunscreen Seeps Into Your Bloodstream appeared first on Your Health Keys.
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I Used to Have Cancer
It’s been more than thirty years since I beat terminal Stage IV Melanoma cancer, and I want to share my cancer story with you. When I was in my early thirties, I was in the prime of my life, living the American dream. I had a beautiful wife and baby daughter, a nice home on a small ranch, and a number of successful businesses in my East Texas hometown. I started each day with a long run and ate a vegetarian diet full of salads, determined to do everything I could to prevent the heart disease that runs in my family. But a suspicious looking mole at a routine physical brought my entire life to a screeching halt. Cancer can bring you to the lowest – and highest – points you’ve ever been in your life. Hearing the words “You have cancer” just knocks the wind out of you and drops you to your knees. My entire world crumbled around me as I fought for my life. It took my mind and body through the darkest and most difficult times I’ve ever had. On the flip side, there is no greater joy than saying the words “I used to have cancer” while looking in the eyes of someone fighting their battle and giving them the hope they desperately need. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life and want to get my cancer story out there to as many people as I can, and teach them what I’ve learned about how to fight cancer and win. This is why I wrote my book, I Used to Have Cancer. Thanks to all of you, since it came out last week, it climbed to the top of the Amazon rankings in its category! Here are just a few of the wonderful reviews that have been written: "Inspiring well-written book! Full of useful, practical tools and information. James Templeton’s new book, “I Used to Have Cancer – How I Found My Own Way Back to Health”, is a well-written, entertaining and informative tool that will arm anyone with the information they need to increase the odds of beating cancer. He offers deep wisdom and insight into how to live a healthy lifestyle that will help anyone achieve optimum health and wellbeing. James shares his incredible journey to regain control over his health after the diagnosis of Stage IV melanoma over 30 years ago, and he offers practical advice and recommendations to follow so that you will gain the knowledge needed to overcome cancer and experience one of God’s greatest gifts – good health. I highly recommend reading this book to anyone with – or without cancer." - Dr. Margo Parker, OMD, L.Ac. "Inspiring, Enlightening, and Endearing – and it could save your life! James most certainly walks his talk. Cancer-free from what is generally considered a death sentence, he shares his personal health journey, step by step, to help others overcome or prevent this dread disease, explaining how to redirect and heal the body by natural means. A must read!" - Hyla Cass, MD, author of 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health "Informative, Uplifting & Empowering. I just finished reading the book “I Used to Have Cancer: How I Found My Own Way Back to Health” by James Templeton. I loved it… I’m in awe of his sheer determination to fight this dreaded disease. It is so informative, uplifting, and empowering. I now feel I have the tools for prevention and a better understanding that YOU are in charge of your health. The power of positive thinking along with the right foods and supplements help you navigate your way to good health. Kudos to James for sharing your story!" -Sharon Brekke "Excellent resource in the “war against cancer.” I received this book one day ago and have not been able to put it down. I know there are alternative treatments for cancer because I have been studying them for a decade and natural medicine actually saved my life as well. I have been an ardent follower of The Truth About Cancer, Chris Beat Cancer, Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Cancer and lots more, and I plan to recommend this insightful and inspiring cancer journey and recovery with others. I think this book is scientifically sound and provides the reader with time tested treatments for all sorts of cancers. I love that he mentioned one of my all time favorite books, Curing The Incurable by Dr. Thomas Levy. Intravenous vitamin C is so effective in most cases. The world is very lucky to have this book and the great information it provides. Cancer definitely does not have to be a death sentence, but one must educate themselves and not fall for the Nocebo effect and fear mongering of allopathic medicine. A positive attitude and mindset is critical! Highly recommend this book!" - Marianne K. Wohl "What a tribute to the fighting spirit! James Templeton tells his important story in a heartfelt, entertaining way. His colloquial style and casual manner make reading a joy – it is both memoir and cancer healing guide, masterfully woven into one. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of the macrobiotic diet, which I don’t hear much about these days since the onset of the keto-craze. I have never read a health book that felt like reading a novel – until now! I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book if you are struggling with cancer or any other serious disease, or you simply need to feel inspired, encouraged, empowered. Great job, James Templeton!" - Grateful One I’m vibrantly healthy and blessed beyond measure today. What seemed like the end of the world over thirty years ago turned out to be an amazing journey with twists and turns I never could’ve imagined. I’ve traveled the country – and the world – and met some of the most inspiring and fascinating teachers I’ve ever known. I’ve been privileged to share the past 28 years of my life with one of them…Ann Louise Gittleman. If you or a loved one are struggling with an illness of any kind and need hope and encouragement, I would love for you to read my book, I Used to Have Cancer. People call me a born storyteller and I think that’s one of the things too often missing in this modern day. Our stories and those of our ancestors let us know where we came from and reassure us that we have the ability to survive and thrive despite life’s greatest challenges. We can learn from others so we don’t have to repeat the same mistakes. It has not only been my purpose in life, but my greatest honor to help others. I plan on spending many years to come – as long as I can – continuing to help people through UNI KEY Health, by teaching and developing quality products that can get to the root causes of health problems. The post I Used to Have Cancer appeared first on Your Health Keys.
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The Lessons Only Cancer Could Teach Me
Spring is a time of new growth, rebirth and renewal, when we can look back on where we’ve been and plant seeds to change where we’re going. This Spring is special for me because my new book, I Used to Have Cancer, was just released this past Monday and already climbed to the top of the Amazon rankings. This book is a seed I’d like to plant in each of your lives, to grow hope in you that you can overcome anything if you set your mind and heart to fight for it. As I look back, I marvel at how a diagnosis can change everything. More than thirty years ago, I beat terminal Stage IV Melanoma cancer – when doctors said I couldn’t. My perfect world – my wife, our baby daughter, our home and the businesses we had built, everything I was looking forward to in life – came to a sudden and painful halt. I hoped with all my being that doctor was wrong – but he wasn’t – and my whole world crumbled before my eyes. From Devastating Diagnosis to Miracle Mindset I learned that when conventional medicine gives up on you, seeds of hope can come from unexpected places, change you into a health warrior and help you grow the strength to fight for your life. I’ll never forget lying in the hospital bed, feeling as though I’d been thrown in the ring with the heavyweight champion of the world – and I didn’t even know how to box. But I prayed like I have never prayed before, with every cell of my being, and it wasn’t long at all before three knocks on my door changed everything. Each person who knocked on my door brought an unconventional tool I needed to change that devastating diagnosis into a miracle mindset. I knew the fight for my life wasn’t over, but it wasn’t in that hospital, either. At two o’clock in the morning, still weak from the experimental chemotherapy treatments I had endured, I crawled out of my hospital bed, stumbled into the parking lot, and managed to get into my Jeep. Driving up to the gatekeeper, I paid my parking fee and left – never to return. And while it may not have been exactly a dashing escape, it was a successful one. If I Had to Do It All Over Again I wouldn’t wish cancer on my worst enemy – beating it was the hardest battle I’ve ever fought. And the truth is, there’s still no “magic bullet” for killing cancer – it’s a complicated disease. Each person’s battle is unique, and there is more than one pathway back to health. Navigating the maze of information that’s out there can be confusing, so let’s roll up our sleeves together and go to work fighting this sneaky enemy. I want to share with you 5 things I would do today if I had to do it all over again. Follow Up with A Trusted Friend. I remember what it felt like to hear those words “you have cancer.” It’s like the bottom drops out of your world, and you can’t always hear what your doctor has to say next, no matter how important it is. Schedule a follow-up appointment and bring a trusted friend or loved one who has a good head on their shoulders and can take notes for you. Come up with a list of questions to ask that will help guide you in the decisions you need to make about your health in the coming days. If you don’t know where to start, I have a list of what I would ask in Chapter 11 in my book. Count the Costs. Your doctor may recommend treatments that aren’t covered by your medical insurance, but you won’t know until you ask your insurance. And most alternative treatments aren’t covered by insurance or may not be approved by a Flex Spending (FSA) account if you have one. Getting well shouldn’t be about money, but you need to make your decisions with your eyes wide open to every aspect, and plans need to be made for the money that has to be spent. Get a Second Opinion. Unfortunately, medical errors happen. Getting another set of eyes on your results is easier and more important than ever in this electronic age. Knowing what I know now, my second opinion would come from the best integrative, functional doctor I could find who is familiar with natural cancer treatments. If I were going the conventional route, I would seek out opinions from the best surgeons and oncologists known to treat the exact type of cancer I’m facing. Immediately Make a Plan and Take Action.Take charge of your own health and enlist the help of trusted loved ones when needed. Don’t sit in fear, hoping the cancer will go away on its own. Don’t let “analysis paralysis” stall your plans; while the information can be overwhelming, you need to keep moving. Action, in itself, is therapeutic, and you have no time to lose. There are many things that can be done at home that seem like common sense, but don’t underestimate their power. Take Control of Your Health. The good news is you are not a victim of your genetics. The science of epigenetics is showing us that we have more control over our health than we may realize. Genes – good or bad – don’t switch themselves on. It’s the environment they’re in that does that – the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, how we handle stress – our daily lifestyle choices determine which genes turn on and are expressed. You can change your gene expression by changing their environment and your lifestyle – and that’s a big deal. Rewrite Your Own Story It’s time for you to take control of whatever battle you are facing and rewrite your own story. Start with hope and believing in what you’re doing. I’d like to help. I know each of us is unique and has struggles no one else has faced, but we’re all in this together and can support each other during the dark times. Today, over thirty years after my devastating diagnosis, I’m still vibrantly healthy and happy, and I want that for you, too. The reason I share my story and the tools I used to regain my life in I Used to Have Canceris because I want you to know – without a doubt – that no matter what you are facing, there is hope. You can win any fight – even cancer – with the right weapons. That's what having cancer has taught me. The post The Lessons Only Cancer Could Teach Me appeared first on Your Health Keys.
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