Personal Care Precautions – James Beuerlein, Chief Layout Editor

a healthy kick in the pants

It may come as a shock to you that many of the personal care products we use to get clean are actually filled with toxins ruining our health. Just look at the back of nearly any shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, or cosmetic bottle – do you know what ANY of that stuff is?

While doing a comprehensive analysis of the thousands of possible ingredients in these products is well beyond my scope of knowledge, there are a few particularly nasty critters I want to draw your attention to.

PARABENS

Parabens is a preservative agent found in nearly 90% of personal care products and cosmetics. It has been found to cause skin reactions including rashes, eczema, and dermatitis. It is also found in many anti-aging lotions, though some studies have shown that it actually speeds up aging when exposed to UV light. Parabens can also mimic estrogen in the body, causing negative side-effects on sexual organs and perhaps contributing to breast cancer. Many labels of natural products will now proudly claim “Parabens-free.” This is one ingredient you do not want in or on your body at all.

PROPYLENE GLYCOL and POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL

These organic alcohols are found in many products and are used to stabilize fragrance formulas. However, these exact same compounds are also used in industrial cleaners, anti-freeze, oven-cleaner, and hydraulic fluid – partly, because of their ability to break down cellular tissue. When reacting with your skin, these ingredients are potentially cancer-causing and have been shown to be related to kidney problems, dermatitis, liver problems and weakened immunity.

SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE and SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE

These ingredients are foaming agents found in many soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, and many industrial cleaners like car wash soap. They are particularly dangerous because of their ability to denature proteins, which can have disastrous effects on cells. SLS has been linked to eye malformation in children and has been shown to produce eye damage, depression, and labored breathing in some animal studies. These compounds can also mimic estrogen, causing sexual organ side-effects such as infertility and possibly contributing to cancer. When deposited in the brain, heart, and liver tissue, these compounds become a source of the known carcinogen, nitrosamine.

FRAGRANCE

Anything listed as a “fragrance” on a personal care product is exceptionally murky to judge. This is because the FDA does not require companies to publish the ingredients that make up their fragrances. There’s no telling what sort of chemicals are included in them. It is better to go with products that tell where their fragrances come from (i.e. plants).

The next time you go to replenish your stores of hygienic delights, watch out for these ingredients and opt for something more natural. A good rule of thumb is “the fewer ingredients, the better.” A few brands out there that do a particularly good job are Jason’s, Tom’s, and Nature’s Gate – to name just a few. I personally recommend starting fresh. Go through your products and junk the ones that have these ingredients. Making this change in your lifestyle will drastically reduce your daily toxic load.

Barefoot Running – James Beuerlein, Chief Layout Editor

Trading Pains

I’ve started training for my first triathlon, the Peachtree International Triathlon on May 14^th, so I figured it was about time I wrote about exercise. In reality, long distance cardio is not the ideal type of workout for me, but it’s what I’m currently engaged in since I am training. For general health purposes, I recommend burst or interval training like a brand new program called Max T3, which I will write about soon. It’s pretty fun training for three sports at once, though they are VERY different. Thus far in my triathlon training, I can tell you this about the difference in the three sports:

Swimming and Cycling make you tired, but running make you HURT!

Running is my weakest link, though I’d say I’ve come a long way from where I started. Only once in my life prior to this year have I run over three miles. That was in 5th grade… I hated distance running all through school, though I was never fast enough to be a sprinter, so I turned to shot put. All of that changed for me this year, however, and it actually started before embarking on a triathlon-training regimen.

So, where did this new enjoyment of running come from? The answer: taking my shoes off. That’s right, Barefoot Running! Now, I haven’t toughened up my feet enough to run totally barefoot, nor do I plan to, but I do run in the next best thing: Vibram Five Fingers. If you’ve not yet tried these out you might be asking questions like: Wouldn’t that hurt more? What about arch support? How can you run without cushion and not get injured?

The secret is all about structure. The human body is not designed to run, or walk for that matter, striking the heel first. Think about it – when you land on your heel first, all the weight, impact, and force of your stride goes straight into bone. First your heel, then your ankle, up your leg and to your knee – it’s a solid highway of bone for the force to crush through and cause undue wear and tear, not to mention pain. This is why we started putting cushioned heels in shoes in the first place, to absorb some of the blow. Long term, running this way will lead to pain, bad joints, and early degeneration – plus, it’s less efficient.

The body is designed to step on the forefoot or ball of the foot. When your weight lands here, the impact is absorbed by the structures in your body specifically engineered to do so – tendons and muscles. Picture it, when you step on the ball of your foot without striking your heel, all the force is absorbed by the tendons and muscles in your foot, calf and thigh. Not only is the force dissipated, but you’re now in the perfect position to rebound and spring into your next stride.

Wait, aren’t you just trading joint pain for muscle pain? Well, yes, but the difference is this: muscles can be conditioned to withstand greater amounts of stress fairly quickly. Joints and bones… not so much. If you do some searching on the Interweb of people who run in Vibrams, they’ll tell you: It will destroy your calves until you build up the muscles. This is where I am. Having talked to a few people who have gone through it, this build-up period purportedly lasts about a month, then it’s smooth sailing.

Man, do I get sore! However, I have not had one ounce of ankle, knee, hip, or back pain during or after running. Not only that, but I’m improving at an incredible rate: I shaved nearly 45 sec off of my 3-mile time the day I wrote this article. WOOHOO! That’s one trade I’ll make any day.

Squatter’s Rites – James Beuerlein, Senior Staff Writer

Or what i learned about myself in the bathroom

What I’m about to share may seem shocking or down-right abominable to readers in the United States, but is perfectly normal for 2/3 of the global population and EVERY human that has lived before 1850. Simply stated, we’ve been going to the bathroom the wrong way. I’m afraid I won’t be able to avoid certain indulgences in this article: The way your parents potty-trained you is a bunch of crap (pardon the pun). Humans are anatomically designed to defecate in the deep, squatting position – NOT in the chair position. In fact, there are some pretty serious consequences for ignoring this more natural position.

I have been thinking this over for a couple of years now, but I only recently decided to take action. I built my very own squatting platform to go over my toilet. The decision to build my own came after the rather frustrating discovery that no company in America sells a squat toilet or ‘squatty-potty.’ I did, however, manage to find one company (www.naturesplatform.com) that sells squatting platforms for existing toilets, and to that company I owe a great deal of my information on this subject.

Now for some anatomy.  Why is squatting better? Glad you asked. As it turns out, there are several reasons:

First, the puborectalis muscle, which enables us to maintain continence, is relaxed when we are in the squatting position, allowing the rectum to straighten, but it chokes the rectum when in a seated position, which is, after all, its job.  This causes us to strain and exert excessive pressure when defecating, which can cause many problems. Besides preventing undo strain, defecating with a relaxed puborectalis makes bowel movements faster, more efficient and more complete. This helps to prevent fecal stagnation, which is a prime factor in colon cancer, appendicitis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Secondly, the squatting position allows for the complete closing of the ileocecal valve, between the colon and small intestine. When seated, this valve does not seal and can leak fecal matter, contaminating the small intestines.

The final major benefit of squatting is that it tends to provide relief from straining when defecating. Apart from the unpleasantness, straining during bowel movements is one of the primary causes of hemorrhoids, hernias, diverticulosis, pelvic organ prolapse, and bathroom heart attacks. (Yes, there is such a thing.) The strain accompanying sitting on the toilet can be deadly for those with already weakened cardio-vascular systems, causing them to be even more susceptible to acute coronary events. This is why patients admitted to hospitals for heart disease are given stool-softeners.

In addition to the disorders mentioned above, proponents of squatting (squatters?)  claim the posture can be effective in the prevention and/or treatment of many other disorders, and have studies to back them up. Check www.naturesplatform.com and http://www.toilet-related-ailments.com/index.html.

After building a squatting platform and using it for a month, I’ve found it thus far to be quite enjoyable, and (whether by placebo-effect or not) I feel it does make a difference. It was stated earlier, that two thirds of humanity is already using “squatting” as their main mode of defecation. To quote Jonathan Isbit, founder of Nature’s Platform, “In those cultures, appendicitis, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, colitis, prostate disorders, and colon cancer are virtually unknown.”

My challenge to you: First, research it for yourself, then get off your butt and squat!

Be A Raw-Foodie – James Beuerlein, Senior Staff Writer

I’m sure we all have friends or acquaintances who are either vegetarian, pescetarian, or even vegan, but taking it one more step to the extreme are the Raw Foodies. These health-nuts live on a diet of mostly, or sometimes exclusively, raw foods. In most cases this also includes vegetarianism or veganism, but some raw foodies actually eat raw meat, fish, or eggs. Primary food groups for raw cuisine include vegetables, beans, nuts, and fruits. They do this because of the added nutritional benefits of uncooked food, and some have startling results.

Recently, I was delighted to read an article about Bernando LaPallo, a 109-year-old African American who has lived on a diet of almost exclusively raw plant-based foods since he was 4 years old. That’s 105 years! What’s more: he’s still in amazing health! He wrote a book called Age Less, Live More. I highly recommend you check out the article and attached videos to see his powerful story: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/10/are-you-using-this-powerful-antiaging-secret.aspx

The reasons for following this raw food regimen are manifold. Firstly, if food is never heated many of the beneficial proteins and “live” enzymes (not denatured) are left intact, providing more useful fuel than cooked food. Secondly, any food cooked in water will inevitably lose some of its water-soluble vitamin and mineral content (boiling vegetables.) Additionally, heating some foods, especially in microwave ovens, can even create carcinogenic compounds which are consumed by the patron.

An indirect benefit to eating raw food is that it is inherently a commitment to eating high-quality food! Raw foodies are aware of the hygienic benefits of cooking – namely, destroying or killing harmful microorganisms – and therefore must be all the more diligent to ensure their food is fresh, clean, and free from pesticides or other contaminants. Not only do they consume added nutrients by not cooking their food, but they also get the best nutrient-rich, toxin-free foods to begin with.

One thing I really admire about Raw Foodies is that they’re so stinking creative when it comes to preparing their dishes. You would be amazed how many of your traditional favorites can be made raw.  For instance, the Chocolate Banana Nut Recipe in this issue is ALL RAW. As was the Raw Pumpkin Pie a few issues back. A personal favorite of mine is Raw Spaghetti. The noodles are simply made from spiralized zucchini, and the sauce is a raw sun-dried tomato and garlic sauce. Divine! I’ve also made a raw alfredo sauce to use instead of the tomato sauce.

There are a few restaurants nearby offering raw menu items. First and closest to campus is the Cafe at Life Grocery on Roswell Road. They have AMAZING sandwiches, which you can order served on raw onion bread. Don’t forget the raw smoothie! Another restaurant in Atlanta is R. Thomas. A terrific place open 24hrs. They’ve got lots of raw options on the menu, including a Raw Apple Pie for dessert.

So, what is the application here? Is it realistic to go all-raw cold-turkey? Probably not. What I recommend is to experiment with some raw recipes and find foods you really love. Check out these restaurants, buy a raw cookbook, or search online. Personally, I strive to eat about 50% raw. It doesn’t always happen, but I try…

Another great resource for all things raw is David Wolfe. You may have seen him in the documentary “Food Matters.” He’s got a great newsletter and even offers a certification course in Raw Nutrition. Buy his raw Sacred Chocolate. Trust me. One of the best decisions you’ll ever make. www.davidwolfe.com

Now stop killing your food, because it’s killing you! Eat raw!

Healthy Holidays to You! – James Beuerlein, Senior Staff Writer

10 steps to avoiding the flu and to staying well over the holidays

The winter holidays are a peak time for disease and infirmity. More heart attacks occur during Christmas week than during any other week in the calendar year. It is estimated that one billion colds are contracted each year during winter in the US. That’s roughly three colds per person. How many would you like to get this year?

Several factors contribute to this rise in disease incidence, including poor diet, stress, more time spent indoors, and lack of sunlight. Here’s a list of ten things you can do to prepare your body and recover quickly if you do come down with a bug. I’ll focus on the areas of nutrition, lifestyle, and supplements. If you can nail these ten items, I DARE you to try to get sick this winter!

NUTRITION

1. Avoid sugar as much as possible! Eating sugar is a double-whammy when it comes to health: It immediately stunts the function of your immune system, and it provides nourishment for harmful bacteria. I know this can be tough, especially at large family meals (wink, wink) but here are a few tips to help out. If the meal is potluck, offer to make the dessert. There are plenty of alternative options for sweeteners, like stevia or raw local honey. Also, try to avoid the bread / stuffing at holiday meals. Highly processed grains are converted to sugar within seconds of entering your body. Watch out! High doses of sugar can also be found in things like ketchup, sauces, and pasteurized fruit juices.

2. Following #1, eat fresh, whole, real foods! Stay away from highly processed, pasteurized, homogenized, hydrogenated, and all other types of synthetically altered or fake foods. The closer you get to nature, the better off you’ll be. Following this principle will ensure that your body gets the proper nutrients to build health and fight disease.

3. Drink lots of pure water! This one is obvious I know, but keeping your water intake up will keep your GI tract ticking along and assist your body in detoxing. If you don’t own a water purifier – buy one! Reverse-osmosis is best. If you are out and about and have to buy the bottled stuff – go for the spring water.

LIFESTYLE

4. Get lots of good sleep! Lack of sleep or reduced sleep has been linked to weakened immune response, weight gain, and increased cellular toxicity. You should aim to hit somewhere between 7-9 hrs per night. This amount will get in sync with your natural circadian rhythm and give your body the rest and strength it needs to fight disease and detoxify. It will also help reduce stress.

5. Exercise is essential during the winter! Regular exercise will actually boost your immune system by providing increased circulation to components of the immune system, allowing for earlier detection of pathogens and faster response. Exercise will also help with weight loss, boost your energy, and fight the winter blues. I recommend short-duration / high-intensity workouts for maximum effectiveness, (sometimes called interval training, burst training, or surge training.)

6. Have fun! Doing things you enjoy, spending time with friends and family, and lots of laughter will keep you healthier. The scientific community has observed a huge link between stress and the onset of disease. One way of combating the stress in your life is to balance it out with fun. Dedicate some time DAILY to build joy, find your bliss, and get your mind off of the stresses in your life.

7. Keep it clean! While I don’t suffer from germophobia, simple things like washing your hands can reduce the number of pathogens you encounter being transferred to bodily orifices. I don’t recommend antibacterial soaps, however. Protecting yourself too much from bacteria can make you more susceptible to allergies and asthma; your body needs to build up immunity to the microbes you encounter – not to be kept in a bubble away from them.

SUPPLEMENTS

8. Vitamin D3 is essential to proper immune function. During the summer months, your body receives a lot of its Vitamin D from the sun, but we miss out on this great disease-fighting coenzyme during the winter. A healthy daily dosage is about 5,000 units. The brand I recommend is Garden of Life Raw D3 – made from whole foods.

9. Get protection from viruses, bacteria, fungus, vampires, and close-talking relatives from garlic. This super-food can be taken as a supplement or added into diet. The one thing you want to be sure of, however, is that you are getting the active ingredient: allicin. To do this, take garlic in its raw form and crush it before swallowing a clove whole. Alternatively you can juice it or chop it and add it raw to your favorite dish.

10. Lastly, stock up your nutrients with a multi-vitamin. Make sure it is a natural, whole-food based supplement. Centrum is mostly table chalk. Garden of Life also has a good option here (I know, I should get an endorsement, right?) – Vitamin Code Men’s/Women’s Multivitamin.

It is also VERY important to keep up with your spinal adjustments! Don’t slack off on chiropractic for the holidays. Interference won’t take a break, and neither should you! Oh… also, you’ll notice I didn’t suggest getting the flu vaccine…

Junk Your Microwave – James Beuerlein, Senior Staff Writer

This issue’s challenge is to kick your microwave to the curb! Many studies have shown that microwave ovens pose significant dangers to your health, not only by severely reducing the nutritional value of foods cooked by them, but also by increasing exposure to significant levels of radiation, causing toxic chemicals from plastics to leach into foods, and causing carcinogenic compounds to form by distorting the structure of the chemical compounds found in certain foods. Additionally, there’s the highly controversial “microwave effect” (discussed later).