3 Reasons to Make Green Tea Your Beverage of Choice

Posted on | January 14, 2012 | No Comments

The Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green Tea

There are so many incredible benefits to be found in green tea, and even though lots of people know about green tea, there’s still much that many are not aware of about this herbal tea. While the Asian peoples have been aware of its healthy properties for over a thousand years, it is extremely young here in the West. Yes, it can be made into a delicious drink, but the health properties are extraordinary.

Try Gyokuro Green Tea

In this web blog I try to cover natural healing remedies and natural health products that have either helped me or others..  I think sometimes we can be too focused on natural health products such as fat burner supplements-which have their place-and overlook natural foods and plants that give us so many health benefits.  So without further ado. let’s discuss some of the health benefits of green tea..

First of all and interesting to many, regular ingestion of green tea will assist you with weight loss. As you may know, many weight loss pills make use of artificial stimulants to achieve their effect. Green tea possesses natural stimulant properties that are gentle. This not only helps you to burn fat more efficiently, but it can give you more energy to exercise, which of course helps you to lose weight also. So, when you begin taking green tea you’ll notice a higher feeling of energy, and then you just may want to get up and do something like maybe some exercise.

Of course with very serious diseases such as cancer it’s necessary to proceed with caution; but the research in this area holds promising data for certain kinds of cancer states. Molecules known as polyphenols exist in the anti-oxidative properties within green tea; the former are also known to have certain positive effects on cancer cells. There is research all over the world, and for example one study in China showed green tea’s ability to decrease the risk of esophagus cancer. Other types of cancer that may be helped by green tea include lung and stomach. We’re not here to preach, but if you can avoid as many unhealthy habits as possible, then obviously that will help a great deal.

Another way green tea can improve your health is that, by giving you more energy and focus, it makes it easier for you to stick to an exercise program. Just one result of that will be an easier time with the weight loss if you need to do that. You may also want to consider that energy supplements are synthetic and not natural at all. For example, a lot of energy drinks are high in sugar and caffeine, too. You will receive about 50% the amount of caffeine in green tea that you will get from a cup of regular coffee. All in all, green tea has a wide variety of helpful effects on the body, and experts are releasing more findings all the time. The price of green tea is within everyone’s reach, and it is fairly safe for all – but do see your doctor if you have ongoing health issues. This is something you can easily take, and the effects on your health can be enormous.

If you want to start taking it, you have a choice of drinking tea or finding a good green tea supplement. If you take it regularly, you will enjoy more of the benefits.  There are many varieties to choose from, such as gyokuro green tea, which is considered Japan’s best green tea. It is a steamed green tea with a full flavor and a light, refreshing character. The tea is made from from single buds that are picked only in Spring months going into early Summer; and ,of course, there are many Chinese varieties.

Ginkgo & Decaf Green Tea	Dieter’s Green Herbal Tea By Triple Leaf Tea	Chinese Jasmine Green Tea

Raspberry Gardens Green Tea

The benefits of green tea are enormous and powerful, and who knows what else will become known about it.

©johnreason.com . 2012

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Why Soy May Not Be Good For You

Posted on | December 7, 2011 | No Comments

Is Soy bad for you?

Soy and soy products have been consumed in Asian countries as staples for a long, long time but they have only really taken off in the U.S since the 1990′s. Soy is cheap to produce and when it’s taken in whole fermented forms it has health benefits, so it is not hard to understand its popularity.  So why would it not be good for you?

Soy Beans:Picture by pennylayn (Sxc.hu)

Shin Ohtake,  fitness and fat loss specialist, author of the popular workout program MAX Workouts says the problem lies in the way soy is processed in the U.S.  He says the terms “whole” food and “fermented” are absolutely crucial to answering the question.  As we know whole foods are largely absent in North American diets, and “almost all soy produced in US is processed and converted into two lucrative commodities – soybean oil and soy protein. So that means you can obtain the benefits of whole fermented soybeans without having to ingest..the smelly fermented foods.   “  That sounds like a good thing, right?”

“Uhhh…NO”, Shin says. The problem is that soybean oil is heavily refined and most of what is produced he says has trans-fats in it. Unfortunately if you eat a lot of canned or processed food there is a likelihood that soybean oil is a constituent or has been used. Soy protein is also processed, and although healthier for you than soybean oil, Shin says all the health benefits of the soy are negated in the course of processing, making it a poor source of protein. This is very confusing because the FDA claims that soy protein is very healthy and they recommend consuming 25 g of soy protein a day to help reduce the risk of heart disease.

The Soy Foods Association of America seems to support the FDA claims and that there are no major health concerns to worry about in soy food.  It’s probably worth pointing out here that sales of soy food products went from 300 million dollars in 1992 to 4 billion dollars in 2006.  It only took ten years or so to make soy one of the world’s most cultivated crops.  In fact, the soy industry is growing so quickly that deforestation is happening on a large scale  to keep up with the demands of the industry.

GM Soy

Unfortunately , as we all know, the love of money is the root of  all evil and and from the viewpoint of an admitted non-food expert, I would find it easy to sympathise with various arguments I have read that suggest that some “scientific studies” are sponsored or influenced by  the big Food Producers . On top of that, as Shin Ohtake points out, there is the GM problem.   Soybeans that are genetically modified are able to grow faster, bigger and be resistant to most diseases other plants succumb to.  In U.S. about 90 % of all soy used is genetically modified.

GM soy is resistant to toxic herbicides and pesticides, which is great because they can keep pumping out soybeans without worrying about crops being destroyed by insects. As Shin says, this sounds all fine, except that these toxic chemicals are being passed down the food chain into to animal feeds and you guessed it…, the consumers.  (I am thankful that where I live at present (new Zealand) -as far as I know-does not grow GM food.  If you live in Australasia and know different, please post a comment.)

Here’s Dr Mercola’s take on soy foods : “Soy formula is one of the worst foods that you could feed your child. Not only does it have profoundly adverse hormonal effects as discussed above, but it also has over 1000% more aluminum than conventional milk based formulas…. Soybeans in fact contain a large number of dangerous substances.  One among them is phytic acid, also called phytates. This organic acid is present in the bran or hulls of all seeds and legumes, but none have the high level of phytates that soybeans do. These acids block the bodyís uptake of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron and especially zinc. Adding to the high-phytate problem, soybeans are very resistant to phytate reducing techniques, such as long, slow cooking.”

Also a combined research team of Cornell University Medical College and Long Island Community Hospital medical experts have found that children who develop Type 1 diabetes are twice as likely to have been fed soy formulas as those fed all other foods.

Shin Ohtake provides in one of his many information-laden articles the following health information on Soy.

Health facts about soy

Soy as a legume possess the following  unhealthy qualities:

• Soy contains anti-nutrients which hinder the ability of digestive enzymes needed to properly digest food.
• Soy contains phytates (phytic acid) like nuts, which prevent absorption of certain important minerals like zinc, magnesium and calcium , as we have already learned from Dr Mercola.
• Soy is full of isoflavones which are phytoestrogens.  They’re plant compounds that resemble human estrogen and have been known to disrupt endocrine function.  It’s also been linked to infertility and breast cancer.
• Soy also contain goitrogens which block the synthesis of thyroid hormones.  So if you have thyroid issues, it’s definitely not recommended.

So those are  just the negatives health effects soy has in it’s natural state.  If you add to that the effects of genetic modification (GM), it’s not an encouraging picture.

What effect Does Genetically Modified soy have on your health?

GMO is fairly new, so currently there’s only one published human study and a few published studies conducted on animals.

Although companies that produce GMO products claim that it’s completely safe for human consumption,  studies done on animals fed GM soy have shown negative outcomes including infertility and even death – infant mortality. (see this article in the Huffington Post))

Shin explains that doing  genetic modification in soy involves placing a gene from a bacteria that produces protein that’s completely foreign to humans.  “And if that doesn’t sound bad enough, the one human fed study done on GM soy, found that the gene inserted into the genetically modified soy transfers into the DNA of our gut bacteria and continues to function.  This means that even years after you stop eating GM soy, there’s a real good chance that foreign protein will still be produced in your gut.  Sounds like a premise from a cheesy sci-fi movie…only it’s actually happening!”

So what can we do?  Shin suggests the following:

• It is probably safe to assume, he says, that most soy products are genetically modified, especially meat and dairy substitutes like soy burgers, soy dogs, soy cheese, even soy milk.
• Try and stay away from anything that has soybean oil in it, which shouldn’t be hard to do if you’re avoiding processed foods.

He also advises one stay away even from “healthy foods” with soy protein in them such as vegan protein bars, soy chips, soy nuts, and believe it or not…even tofu.

• Many vegans and vegetarians take tofu as a source of soy protein, but Shin advises from his research that the negative factors outweigh the positives

So what Soy Products are Safe ?

Shin Ohtake recommends the following, and you can see they are all fermented:

Essiac Tea:the Fascinating Story of Rene Caisse

Posted on | October 4, 2011 | No Comments

I was taking a brief weekend break the other day and whilst staying at the holiday chalet with family came across the book “Suppressed Inventions and Other Discoveries” by Jonathan Eisen.

Check Out Essiac Tea

One of the chapters was about a Canadian nurse Marie Caisse and the wonderful benefits of Essiac Tea, subtitled “Nature’s Cure for Cancer”, which she brought to the attention of the world.
Because I had previously heard about the health benefits of Essiac tea (‘Essiac’ is ‘Caisse’ spelt backwards)  in my research on natural healing remedies, my interest was engaged and I made notes on the article.

Who Was Rene Caisse and Why the Fuss About Essiac Tea?

Part of the article include the following interview by Elizabeth Robinson of Dr Gary Glum which I enclose an abridged version of here, for the sake of space.  Rene Marie Caisse was a rather humble Canadian nurse who lived 70 years ago and treated thousands of patients with a herbal remedy which she called Essiac.  She discovered the remedy via an Ojibway folk medicine practitioner

(from Suppressed Inventions and Other Discoveries by Jonathan Eisen):

” GG:I learned about Rene from Mary –  who was a personal friend of Rene’s -also a patient.  Mary worked with Rene in the 1930′s and she had in her possession..these documents that had to do with Essiac over the 40 years Rene administered it.  All the documents Rene had were destroyed by the Canadian Ministry of Health and Welfare at her death in 1978.  They burned all that information in 55 gallon drums behind her home.
ER: Why?
GG:because they don’t want this information in the hands of the public or press or anybody else.  They indeed found out what Essiac was in 1937.  The Royal Cancer Commission hearings had then came to the same conclusion Rene had…that Essiac was a cure for cancer.
…ER: Why do you think the information on Essiac is not more widely known?
GG: The information is withheld because cancer is the second largest revenue producing business in the world, next to the petro-chemical business.  Money and power suppress the truth.  No-one has ever sought to cure cancer…only to control it.
ER: Do you know if the remedy is being used or tested anywhere…?
GG: Right now Essiac is being used in every state in the U.S,throughout Canada,into Mexico..Australia,Europe,Asia and ..also in Africa.  So the message of Essiac is beginning to (spread) but it’s still known only on a limited basis”

In the interview Gary Glum, in addition to the rather eye-opening comments mentioned, highlights a few problems with buying Essiac from distributors. He mentions that herbal distributors have been known to substitute yellow dock and curly dock for sheep’s sorrel, which is apparently one of the crucial elements to Essiac that Rene developed in her Essiac formula.  Gary Glum went on to say that sheep’s sorrel was the herbal ingredient in Essiac said to be responsible for destroying cancer cells in the body or their amalgamation where metastasised cells return to the original tumor site.  He refers to research around this being done by a Dr Chester Stock at Sloan-Kettering over a three-year period.  When the information was gathered it was withheld from the general public but handed over to the Canadian Ministry of Health and Welfare.  The Canadian government apparently then banned anyone from selling or distributing it!

Essiac Tea Benefits and Caveats

So the little I have been able to ascertain about this product is that, firstly, it has helped a lot of people;
-it appears (from sources like the Eisen book) to have been perceived as a threat to the Cancer Control Commission and they seem to have been successful in limiting public access to, and effectively shutting down, Nurse Caisse’s discovery during her lifetime, despite many testifying to the efficacy of Rene Caisse’s treatment.

-many products sold as original Essiac are not original Essiac and the four ingredients you should look for are burdock root, slippery elm inner bark, sheep sorrel, and Indian rhubarb root. In combination these herbs are claimed to cleanse the blood, boost the immune system, and help repair cells.

-from what I have researched I do not advise viewing Essiac as a cure-all for cancer.  The reason is that no two plants are identical and obviously the product is made from different batches of plants.  The bottle you purchase necessarily will not be as fresh as the freshly-made up treatments Rene Caisse used on her patients. Also the success of any treatment seems to depend on the stage of the cancer of individual patients.

Read this useful article for pointers on who should not used Essiac: http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Essiac_Warnings.html

HOWEVER I am impressed by the dedication and zeal of Rene Caisse and her story and I believe she was sincere and sincerely right that this product can help in the worldwide fight against cancer.  Depending on the stage of cancer you may have it may need to be administered in conjunction with other treatments.  From my research on problems requiring natural hemorrhoid treatment and other natural healing remedies, as well as into finding out the best colon cleanse and natural detoxification program to detoxify the body I have come up with this phrase, time and again, and it’s always with a ringing endorsement: Essiac tea is  great for building immunity, it is recommended in effective detoxification programs including ones I have followed, and this is quite apart from any benefits it may have in shrinking tumors (which, as a layperson and not a doctor I have not been able to verify).  So it may very well be high on the list of natural cancer cures-if I had cancer I would certainly be investigating it as an option.

Essiac Formula Capsules

So obviously consult your doctor before undertaking any course of treatment but I believe we owe it to sufferers of the terrible disease to spread the word about Essiac as there are many who say they have been helped by it in their fight against the disease;a disease which the Cancer Society and others that get billions of dollars for their cancer research, have not been able to eliminate or cure from when Renee Caisse was nursing and up to now.

The products we are reflecting on this site are “imported from Essiac Canada International, which has the exclusive right to the original proprietary Essiac formula used by Rene Caisse”.

Click Here to Get Essiac Tea

For Essiac Tablets Click Here

© johnreason.com. 2011/2012

If you like this post click here to subscribe to future posts.  Also leave a comment below if you have any experience with Essiac.

To read “Suppressed Inventions and Other Discoveries” by Jonathan Eisen Click Here (See all History of Science Books)

  If you live in Great Britain Click Here

  Spanish readers click here.

Please read our site disclaimer.  No extensive clinical studies have been performed as yet which would provide conclusive evidence that Rene Caisse’s herbal formula will alleviate, cure or prevent any disease or condition. The purpose of this article is to bring the story of nurse Rene M. Caisse and the history of Essiac to a wider audience. All excerpts were taken from published sources.

Avatrol, a Natural Hemorrhoid Treatment

Posted on | July 12, 2011 | No Comments

With all the products on the market that claim to treat hemorrhoids, you can never be too careful about the chemicals that your body may be exposed to. Even with popular external hemorrhoid treatment creams the active ingredient, phenylephrine, is a harsh vasoconstrictor that is far from being a natural hemorrhoid treatment.

Click Here for Avatrol A Natural Hemorrhoid Treatment

Avatrol on the other hand, is a natural hemorrhoid treatment that works to promote the health and well-being of your circulation and gastrointestinal organs, while treating and preventing hemroid symptoms you may already have. Each of the carefully selected natural ingredients, like horse chestnut and oat straw, are used to treat the symptoms of hemorrhoids and keep them from reoccurring in the body.

A Natural Hemorrhoid Treatment

A Natural Hemorrhoid Treatment

Acclaimed by its users as one of the best hemorrhoid treatment products on the market, Avatrol is designed to treat the symptoms of external hemorrhoids by incorporating both zinc and oat straw. These two natural ingredients are proven to reduce the irritation of hemorrhoids that often leads to the uncomfortable itching and burning you may face. Typical bleeding hemorrhoids treatment is completed through the application of a messy cream or an uncomfortable suppository. However, the natural hemorrhoid treatment provided by Avatrol is in pill form, so you avoid those awkward treatment systems.

Click Here to Visit Avatrol website

Use as External Hemorrhoid Treatment and for Bleeding Hemorrhoids

As promised by the manufacturers, Avatrol also treats the internal hemorrhoids that can lead to pain and often times even more bleeding. Cayenne and horse chestnut are used to reduce swelling of veins and restore your circulatory system, both of which are designed to fight the development of any new hemorrhoids. In the natural treatment is the use of bilberry and butchers broom, both of which are proven to repair and strengthen tissue that has been damaged. These two ingredients are part of the recuperation process for your body to remove any existing hemorrhoids that you may have. Additionally, this hemorrhoid treatment pill uses arginine to assist in the relaxation of muscles in the area, and mullein, an herb that helps in the reduction of pain and swelling of pre-existing hemorrhoids.

Perhaps the most beneficial reason to following a natural hemorrhoid treatment system is that there is a reduced chance of side effects while in treatment. With other creams, pills, and suppositories there is always a potential for ingesting a harmful chemical that could cause a rash or lead to other medical conditions. However, with Avatrol you know you are getting a quality, all- natural hemorrhoid treatment that has proven it works with the hundreds of satisfied customers across the world.

With proven scientific results, the natural hemorrhoid treatment system Avatrol is in fact one of the best hemorrhoid treatment products available!

Click Here to Visit the Avatrol Website

Who Should Lose Weight?

Posted on | April 25, 2011 | No Comments

Who, when and why?

Who should Lose Weight? Copyright SXC

It is a universally well established fact that being overweight, eating the wrong food, and living a

Check Out Proactol Plus for your Weight Loss Solutions

sedentary, inactive lifestyle all increase your risk of high blood pressure,heart disease,stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Other factors affecting your risk of disease include your family and medical history, and lifestyle factors such as whether you smoke or drink too much alcohol.

Health experts generally agree that people who have a Body Mass Index of 30 or more can improve their health through weight loss and many opt for Proactol diet pills. This is especially true for people who are severely obese. Preventing additional weight gain is recommended if you have a BMI between 25 and 29.9, unless you have other risk factors.

Obesity experts recommend you try to lose weight if you have two or more of the following:

• Family history of disease: Family history of certain chronic diseases. If you have close relatives who have had heart disease or diabetes, you are more likely to develop these problems if you are obese.

• People with pre-existing medical conditions: High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or having a high blood sugar level are all warning signs of some diseases connected to obesity.

• People with “apple” shaped body: If your weight is concentrated around your waist, you may have a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, or cancer than people of the same weight who have a “pear” shape.

Apple shaped:courtesy StefanG81 SXC

It goes without saying that if you suffer from shortness of breath, joint problems or have health conditions that impair normal lifestyle and mobility then you should also consider weight loss.

Also if you tend to keep gaining weight as you get older (easy to do in countries with lots of fast food outlets) then that is a risk factor.

What complicates matters is that thin does not necessarily mean one is healthier than someone with more VISIBLE fat.

I am fairly thin and don’t have the appearance of having weight issues but I’ve noticed that the closer I get to middle age, the more the fat wants to head to my middle! And “being thin doesn’t automatically mean you’re not fat,” said Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London. Since 1994, Bell and his team have done MRI scans on almost 800 people to create “fat maps” showing where the fat actually gets stored.  According to Bell, people who are fat in their insides are essentially on the threshold of being obese. They eat too many fatty, sugar-laden foods — and exercise too little to work it off — but they are not eating enough to actually be fat.

Scientists believe fat naturally gravitates to the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere. Because of “mixed signals” the body stores the fat in other places like the liver and pancreas and therefore thinner people(like me) potentially open themselves up to diabetes that way (and I don’t do as much exercise as I should to compensate for “middle aged spread”-that’s a fact!)

“Normal-weight persons who are sedentary and unfit are at much higher risk for mortality than obese persons who are active and fit,” said Dr. Steven Blair, an expert in obesity from the University of South Carolina.

Check out: this article

The great news (and I saw this in the same article) is that internal fat can be burned off by exercise and dietary changes.

Why losing weight is so important?

There is other good news for those who are overweight -apparently studies show if you succeed in losing just five to 10 percent of your weight and then manage to keep it off , you will reduce your risk for developing the majority of the diseases mentioned. For example, an overweight 200-pound person who loses 10 to 20 pounds will typically have a reduced risk from diseases like high blood pressure or high cholesterol. You may be relatively healthy but if you have “batwing arms”, then you may want to consider arm exercises or a diet solution simply for appearance reasons.

Adopting a healthier dietary routine and taking a natural fat binding appetite suppressant (Proactol Plus) along with doing some physical exercise every day can directly or indirectly help to minimize the risks for all these disorders and conditions. Some people consider things like Slimming patches.

So it’s encouraging to know that if you lose 5 to 10 percent of your weight, it will significantly assist in improving health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Also some research has shown that dropping your weight by 5-7% can actually prevent diabetes in people who have a high risk of getting this disease.

Proactol Fat Binders

In conclusion, whatever the reasons you have decided to lose weight, you should go for the best and safest way to lose weight and improve your health by beginning to reduce those calories in a controlled, planned way, eating a balanced diet and being physically active each day.

Depending on how much weight you carry and your general health you may also wish to choose some additional effective weight loss methods, such as a safe and natural appetite suppressant (e.g. Proactol Plus). Proactol Plus has been clinically proven as a fat binder to reduce fat intake by nearly 30% which is pretty impressive and it should help you achieve what you need on the journey to fitness and weight loss efforts within a reasonable time frame.

Consider Proactol Fat Binders for your Weight Loss Solutions

©2011

johnreason.com

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