The brother of a friend has a great web site that I've recently discovered: miracleblueberry.com. Daniel explains how the blueberry and other fruits provide vital antioxidants, and promotes a natural juice product that contains the benefits of each of these fruits combined. He’s going to send me some samples, and I’ll post my opinions in a future blog.
He also offers free remedies to common ailments such as acne, stress, even ADHD. This site is under construction but it’s a great resource.
And here's a great recipe for blueberry pie. I prefer real butter to shortening, but if you want to go vegan just use vegan butter or shortening. Also, when I made this recipe I cut the sugar by half a cup, and it was still delicious and sweet.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Some Unusual Skin Cancer Prevention
Taking up where I left off last week, I’m so impressed with Natural Health magazine’s website. This site is aesthetically pleasing despite a few advertisements, clearly marked and easy to use. Just some of the features today—dental x-rays safety, fast food going organic, growing your own fruits and veggies—are practical, useful, everyday subjects that take so little effort out of our daily lives to read and explore. And the consequences are monumental.
One of my favorite articles on this site is especially appropriate for summer and our reduced ozone layer: Eat Your Sunscreen. This article lists five categories of foods you can eat to naturally protect yourself from the free radicals that cause skin cancer. I had a conversation with a friend who doesn’t believe in free radicals. Fair enough, some people don’t believe in global warming. I’ve heard convincing arguments on both sides. But my take on both of these issues is this: we can absolutely do no harm trying to combat these “imaginary” crises, so why not do things like recycle, carpool, eat more fruits and vegetables, and wear sunscreen?
Skin cancer is a scary thing. After reading an article about skin cancer, I went to my first dermatological exam sponsored by Oil of Olay. They partnered with dermatologists around the country to offer FREE skin cancer screenings. While this promotion is officially over, the Oil of Olay website will help you find a dermatologist in your area.
One of my favorite articles on this site is especially appropriate for summer and our reduced ozone layer: Eat Your Sunscreen. This article lists five categories of foods you can eat to naturally protect yourself from the free radicals that cause skin cancer. I had a conversation with a friend who doesn’t believe in free radicals. Fair enough, some people don’t believe in global warming. I’ve heard convincing arguments on both sides. But my take on both of these issues is this: we can absolutely do no harm trying to combat these “imaginary” crises, so why not do things like recycle, carpool, eat more fruits and vegetables, and wear sunscreen?
Skin cancer is a scary thing. After reading an article about skin cancer, I went to my first dermatological exam sponsored by Oil of Olay. They partnered with dermatologists around the country to offer FREE skin cancer screenings. While this promotion is officially over, the Oil of Olay website will help you find a dermatologist in your area.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Promoting Natural Health
I’ve recently subscribed to a popular health newsletter. It’s a pretty basic layout with a feature article surrounded by text advertisements and finished up with a Q&A. I have to say that I’m all for anyone that provides options other than the lies promoted by pharmaceutical companies and the irresponsibility of mainstream medicine. But it seems this newsletter is a lot hype, too—supplements promising miracle cures, secrets about hidden “killers,” etc.
Yes, you’ve got to make a buck. And these natural health promoters are providing alternatives to surgery, chemotherapy, and physical and emotional anguish. That’s a good thing. But their tone has a decided air of National Enquirer to it that gives me a little insight into why Big Pharmaceutical is raking in the dough, while natural health companies are still largely unknown.
Yes, sales letters have been proven to work. If I read long enough, even I’m convinced to subscribe, to believe almost anything. And this is certainly not to say that the cures and miracles promised aren’t deliverable. But I’m talking about awareness here, about education and raising the standard for individual responsibility in this country so we can start demanding it from our health care providers and food sources.
Hype and hypochondria don’t encourage that, if you ask me.
Pay attention next time you see a commercial for Viagara or Paxil or Lunesta. Yes, those drugs work for many people. Yes, there is a lot of hype surrounding them and a lot of doctors irresponsibly recommending them, and as a result there is untold damage to the bodies of people who use them. But the commercials are professional and intelligent; they appeal to the emotions of reasonable, sensible people who are looking for reasonable, sensible answers so they can get on with their lives. These commercials don’t exist to put fear into the minds of their consumers; they exist to create comfort. They aren’t “unbelievable” cures; they’re the most reasonable, sensible thing in the world.
It’s time natural and preventive health promoters started to live up to this standard. Because natural healing is, literally, the most natural thing in the world. It’s reasonable and sensible, much more so than putting a bunch of chemicals in your body that only “manage” symptoms while creating a host of others. And I think we should start treating it as such.
Yes, you’ve got to make a buck. And these natural health promoters are providing alternatives to surgery, chemotherapy, and physical and emotional anguish. That’s a good thing. But their tone has a decided air of National Enquirer to it that gives me a little insight into why Big Pharmaceutical is raking in the dough, while natural health companies are still largely unknown.
Yes, sales letters have been proven to work. If I read long enough, even I’m convinced to subscribe, to believe almost anything. And this is certainly not to say that the cures and miracles promised aren’t deliverable. But I’m talking about awareness here, about education and raising the standard for individual responsibility in this country so we can start demanding it from our health care providers and food sources.
Hype and hypochondria don’t encourage that, if you ask me.
Pay attention next time you see a commercial for Viagara or Paxil or Lunesta. Yes, those drugs work for many people. Yes, there is a lot of hype surrounding them and a lot of doctors irresponsibly recommending them, and as a result there is untold damage to the bodies of people who use them. But the commercials are professional and intelligent; they appeal to the emotions of reasonable, sensible people who are looking for reasonable, sensible answers so they can get on with their lives. These commercials don’t exist to put fear into the minds of their consumers; they exist to create comfort. They aren’t “unbelievable” cures; they’re the most reasonable, sensible thing in the world.
It’s time natural and preventive health promoters started to live up to this standard. Because natural healing is, literally, the most natural thing in the world. It’s reasonable and sensible, much more so than putting a bunch of chemicals in your body that only “manage” symptoms while creating a host of others. And I think we should start treating it as such.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
- Emily Avent Havener
- Charleston, SC, United States
- As a food therapist and certified holistic practitioner, I help people develop a healthy relationship with food.