The Facts On Flax

Flax seed oil is the richest source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a member of the omega -3 essential fatty acid family.  Because our body is unable to manufacture essential fatty acids (EFAs), they must be consumed through our diet.  Here are just a few of the health benefits of omega -3 essential fatty acids.

What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell You About Cholesterol

Last Christmas, we once again had the pleasure of seeing friends and family and enjoying a different kind of holiday celebration by visiting a Chinese buffet.  This is our second year of doing something a little different from the usual holiday feast, and everyone agrees, it is a great way to get together without all the fuss.

Our small group consists of six friends and family and throughout our conversations that day two of the six people told me they were taking cholesterol lowering drugs, and a third was in the queue to start taking them as well.  Now I’m no mathematician, but that is three out of the six taking the same prescription drug.  Wow, fifty percent just in our small group is relying on a drug that diet alone could make a significant impact on whether they need that drug or not.  And what I found most unusual, was they said their cholesterol level wasn’t that high.  It was actually just a tad over what the experts advise it should be. 

Vitamin D Is Important To Your Health

Vitamin D is essential for the proper formation of the skeleton. It is vital for bone growth and renewal as it helps our bodies absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D is also required for nerve and muscle activity and can help combat chronic inflammation. Research is also determining that vitamin D may help keep cancer cells from growing and dividing.

If we have too little of this valuable nutrient, our bones are not able to mineralize properly. This can lead to a condition called rickets in children, which is characterized by bowed legs, knock-knees, swollen joints, and malformed skeletons. In adults, vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia, a condition in which there is inadequate mineralization of the bone. Deficiency may also result in osteoporosis due to decreased calcum abosrption, and vitamin D deficiency has also been associated with muscle weakness.

The Right Place At The Right Time

Are you beginning to notice the disappearance of many natural health products from the shelves of your local health food store? Even the health food sections of the larger grocery stores and big box stores are shrinking. And it looks as though this decline in natural health products will continue for some time yet.

On January 1, 2004 the Natural Health Products Regulations came into effect and apply to all natural health products (NHPs). According to Health Canada, the Natural Health Products Regulations will help give Canadians access to a wide range of natural health products that are safe, effective and of high quality. Products defined in the Regulations as natural health products include vitamins, minerals, herbal remedies, probiotics, homeopathic medicines, traditional medicines (such as Traditional Chinese Medicines), amino acids and essential fatty acids. Many everyday consumer products such as certain toothpastes, mouthwashes, shampoos, antiperspirants, and facial products are classified as natural health products in Canada due to their medicinal ingredients and intended uses.

Chlorophyll - Nature’s Gift of Life

Derived from the Greek words chloros meaning ‘green’, and phyllon meaning ‘leaf’, chlorophyll is responsible for the green pigmentation found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). It’s the substance that gives plants their green colour. Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from the sun, and to manufacture essential compounds for growth and reproduction. In fact, without sunshine, no life is possible, and no life is possible without chlorophyll either. Chlorophyll to plants is like blood to humans.

It’s interesting to note that the molecule of chlorophyll is similar to that of the heme molecule in human blood. According to Dr. Robert O. Young, Ph. D., “numerous studies from decades before showed that liquid chlorophyll was virtually identical to human blood in its molecular structure.”

BarleyLife Is The Ideal Fast Food

According to Wikipedia.org: “Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly…typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away.”

Fast food dates back long before the twenty first century however.  In the cities of ancient Rome for instance, street vendors had stands that sold bread soaked in wine as a quick snack in the mornings, and cooked vegetables and stews were sold in simple eating establisments later in the day. Many people living in urban areas during these times had no means to prepare or cook their own food, so they relied on these vendors for their meals. During the Middle Ages, large towns and major urban areas such as London and Paris had many vendors that sold dishes such as pies, pastries, flans, waffles, pancakes and cooked meats. Like the early cities of Rome, many of these vendors catered to people who did not have the means to cook their own food or could not afford housing with kitchen facilities. Thus, they relied on fast food.

Cascara Sagrada – a moving experience

If you’ve ever suffered from constipation, you know how miserable and uncomfortable this condition can be. Most often we become constipated because of poor diet. Eating too many processed foods high in sugar and fat, and not eating enough vegetables, fruits, and fibre can wreak havoc on our digestive system, and for lack of a better term, plug us up. Constipation can also be caused by other factors such as sedentary lifestyle, chronic illness, the use of iron supplements, and prescription drugs.

There are two main types of constipation.  Acute constipation and chronic constipation. Acute constipation is usually short-term and involves bloating, discomfort, and an inability to evacuate the bowels. Acute constipation is most often caused by a lack of fibre and water in the diet, and a lack of exercise. Chronic constipation is much more serious. It involves the inability to readily evacuate the bowels over longer periods of time – months or years – and can lead to more serious health issues.