Alkalize the Body to Prevent Health Problems

Many health problems arise from the body being too acidic. Examples of these are type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, osteoporosis, muscle loss, fractures, kidney stone formation, high blood pressure, heart disease and thyroid problems. Therefore achieving the correct pH (acid/alkaline) balance in the diet is important in order not to put yourself at risk of developing a health problem arising from the over- acidity of the body, or acidosis as it is commonly known.

The organs of the body generally do a good job in expelling waste from the body such as excess acids, which are the waste products of metabilism. However, health problems can occur when the body is overloaded with too many acids arising generally from the consumption of too much animal protein instead of vegetal protein. Modern processed and manufactured foods can also be a problem. A lifestyle involving not enough exercise, or not drinking enough water, on a daily basis can also lead to acidosis.

Proteins in foods contain a variety of acids such as sulphuric, phosphoric, hydrochloric, nitric and uric. Acid-producing proteins form the basis of our nutrition since the animo acids which make them up contribute to the proper functioning of the body. Health problems can arise when people consume too much protein. About 50 grams ( 2 ounces) of protein on a daily basis is sufficient for most people; but those involved in heavy manual work, or strenuous physical exercise, could consume 20%-30% more without any adverse consequences in relation to their health.

Acidifying foods strip your body of essential minerals. These types of foods include the following: meats, processed meats, fish, pasta, white sugar, semolina, tea, coffee, alcohol, sugar-laden soft drinks, chocolate, refined oils, hard fat, strong fermented cheeses, refined white flour and derivitive products (white bread, pastry, biscuits etc.), peanuts, asparagus, artichokes, Brussels sprouts and egg whites.

Generally speaking fruits and vegetables are alkaline foods with the exception of those mentioned in the previous paragraph. Milk is also alkaline if consumed in the form of yogurt or non-matured cheese. Because these foods are rich in minerals, they should comprise a major part of the diet. Here is a list of alkaline-rich foods: fruits, unsweetened fruit juice, egg yolks, yogurt, powered milk, vegetable leaves and roots, vegetable stems (except asparagus),vegetable broth, onions, garlic, potatoes, soyabeans and derivitive products, and herbs such as rosemary, thyme, chives and parsley.

It is best healthwise, in order to avoid the consequences of acidosis, to weight your intake in a 2:1 ratio in favour of  alkaline type foods, as well as taking daily action on the exercise and consumption of water fronts. However, some foods have almost a perfect pH balance. These are listed as follows: fresh good quality butter, whole grain cereals, sprouted grains, green beans, millet, fresh walnuts, rye bread, wholegrain pasta and sweet peas. 

Why Detox Diets Are Unnecessary

You generally do not need to detox if you treat your body properly as it is a self-cleansing machine. Whilst detox diets are everywhere, sometimes endorsed by celebrities, they can actually do you harm if they confine you solely to drinking fruit or vegetable juices for more than a few days, thereby denying your body of the essential nutrients it needs causing the loss of muscle mass. The immune system, liver, kidneys, lungs and other organs do a good job in expelling toxins from the body if they are serviced regularly with organ-friendly foods and drinks.  

Even if you have been ill treating you body by regularly consuming junk foods for example, all you need do to remedy the situation is give them up and supplant them with a balanced diet of good foods and drinks. What you generally need are foods high in fibre, an adequate amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, fish, lean-meat protein, water and exercise on a daily basis in order to detoxify the body naturally.

Depriving yourself of essential nutrients for more than a few days is counter-productive as it will fool the body into thinking it is not going to get the level of sustenance it had before, and it will therefore hoard calories in the body when you quit the diet in order to compensate for the famine period which it will assume will return. Putting on weight when you leave an unreasonably restrictive self-imposed diet is therefore probable -likely to happen.

If you want your body to be self-cleansing, the first thing you should do is ensure you are taking on board adequate amounts of fibre on a daily bsais. Fibre is found in wholemeal or rye bread, brown rice, wholegrain pasta, French beans, kidney beans, celery, wholegrain breakfast cereals, fruits with their skins after thoroughly washing to remove any chemicals arising from sprays. An adequate amount of fibre in the diet daily will ensure the bowels move regularly and there is no risk of constipation.

It is best to derive the majority of protein in the diet from vegetal sources with a heavy bias towards raw foods. Good sources of vegetal protein are: oatmeal, whole wheat, barley, soya beans, kidney beans, almonds and walnuts. Raw foods could consist of cabbage, kale, spinach, lettuce, leeks, tomatoes, apples, pears, plums, kiwis, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Herbs like garlic and parsley contain lots of beneficial properties and help to expel toxins from the body.

Fish is the best source of animal protein with a preference for the oily varieties such as salmon, tuna, mackerel or sardines. White meat such as chicken or turkey should be used in preference to red meat . The latter should not be eaten more than twice per week. Eggs are also a good source of animal protein containing various beneficial vitamins, minerals and all the essential animo acids.

It is best to drink six glasses of water daily in order to flush out toxins from the body. The quantity of water can be reduced if you drink green tea, lemon and ginger tea, or dandelion tea on a regular basis. If you take on board enough liquids daily, there is no chance of dehydration becoming a health issue.

Lastly, you need to do at least 40 minutes of exercise daily. The exercise could be running, walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing, or anything else you fancy, as long as you engage in it on a regular basis. Exercise helps all the vital organs to function properly, and encourages the body to excrete anything accumulating there that is excess to requirements.

If you have anything to say on this post, do so via the comments box below.

Consider the Alternatives to Prescription Drugs

I have neglected this blog over the past couple of months due to a move to facilitate my retirement which involved moving from the United Kingdom, where I have spent many happy years, back to the land of my birth- Ireland. I always heard that moving home is a stressful time to which I will add: if you are moving country as well as home, it can be twice as stressful.

I arrived in Ireland only to find my older brother, Kevin, in a very poor state of health. Kevin has a complicated medical history due to which he has been on drugs, prescribed by his local doctor, for bronchritis, blood pressure, prostate problems and sleep deprivation to name just a few. Then two years ago, he was diagnosed as having colon cancer as well as all the other health problems.

Kevin was referred to the local cancer hospital for treatment on the discovery that he had the disease. The hospital recommended that he undertook chemotherapy for his cancer to which he agreed in principle. However, the chemotherapy drugs in addition to the other drugs have had a signifaicant impact on his mental and physical wellbeing due to which he suffered irrational moments, blackouts and falls.

The compunded effects of many prescription drugs acting within a person's body can bring about such reactions as suffered by Kevin. When you consider the possible adverse side effects that a single drug can have on a person, many drugs administered at once can have multiple side effects as well as the possibility of clashes between individual drugs within the whole cocktail administered.

The best way to avoid the compounded effects of many prescription drugs, as suffered by Kevin, is not to go down the drug route to the solution of a health problem in the first instance. You may say this is easier said than done but, if you are computer literate, it can easily be done by entering a search term such as " natural cures for bloodpressure " in a search engine such as Google as an example, and then going through each of the results thrown up by the search.

Whilst doctors across numerous developed counteries may vary in skill and competence, their attitude to prescription drugs is generally much the same in that they consider them safe because their use has been approved by the health authority in the particular country in which they are domiciled. They rarely give thought to, or are ignorant of, the side effects; and don't appear to take into account the compounded effects on a patient of numerous drugs for different health problems at all. Lack of time can also have a bearing on a doctor's decision to prescribe drugs.

You therefore would be well advised to bring up on a visit to a doctor about a health problem what the alternatives to prescription drugs are in its treatment, thereby forcing him or her to at least outline the different courses of action available. Some of the alternative methods of treating a heath problem may involve you in engaging in something on a daily basis, such as doing an adequate amount of exercise for example, which may put some patients off. However, in most health instances there is no " magic pill " that can replace the pursuing a healthy diet, taking sufficient amounts of exercise, and drinking six glasses of water on a daily basis as preventative measures against health problems occurring in the first instance.

How to Prevent Prostate Problems

Most men over the age of 50 suffer an enlargement of the prostate to some extent. The prostate is a walnut-sized organ that surrounds the male urethra at the base of the bladder. The prostate secretes semen, a milky fluid that is ejected with sperm. The urethra is the canal from the bladder to the exterior of the body. When the prostate enlarges it squeezes the urethra diminishing the flow of urine. In extreme cases, it can stop the flow altogether. Unless problems in this area of the body are detected early, one of the consequences could be prostate cancer.

The causes of prostate problems are as follows: lack of proper nutrients; clogged artries causing slow circulation in the prostate thereby depriving it of the nutrients it needs; poor circulation; high fever; atherosclerosis- which slows the circulation of blood in the tiny capillaries of the prostate; arteriosclerosis- where the arteries and capillaries become hardened and lose efficiency; a silica deficiency.

Conventional medicine has responded to prostate problems with the following treatments: surgery to remove the prostate; transurethrai resection involving scrapping away the inner core of the prostate either using instruments or a laser; hormonal therapy. The effects of surgery can leads to problems with scar tissue and a weakening of the immune system. Hormonal therapy only provides temporary respite from the symptoms and does not address the underlying cause of the problem.

It is therefore best to try and prevent prostate problems from occurring in the first instance by paying proper attention to diet. First, avoid a silica deficiency. Silica acts like an internal cement combating the effects of aging. Good sources of this mineral are plants which have strong leaves and stems like horsetail. Other sources include the peel of fruit, the husks of grains, onions, garlic and shallots.

Eat tomatoes regularly. Tomatoes are rich in a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. The higher your intake of tomatoes on a daily basis the lower your risk of developing prostate cancer. Ten or more portions of tomatoes (or products derived from them) weekly is recommended.

Eastern men who consume soya regularly have a much lower incidence of prostate problems than their counterparts on a Western diet. Therefore add cooked soya beans to stews, and add mashed tofu to mashed potatoes or other vegetables. Soya flakes, milk and yogurt can also be used, where appropriate, at meal times.

Strict vegetarians only have prostate problems at half the rate of meat eaters. Therefore derive most of the protein that you consume daily from vegetal sources. Therefore consume whole grains, nuts, beans, lentils and leafy green vegetables on a daily basis. Fish is also preferable as a source of protein to red meat.

Pursue a high fibre diet as studies have shown that people who do this have a much lower incidence of prostate problems. Brown bread, rye bread, brown rice, wholegrain pasta, baked beans, potatoes with their skins, wholegrain breakfast cereals and fruits with their skins are good sources of fibre in the diet.

Drink at least six glasses of water daily. Water helps keeps the whole urinal tract in a good condition, and the tendency to cut back on water intake if one is experiencing difficulty urinating due to an enlarged prostate is not recommended.

Herbal capsules containing saw palmetto berries, taken three times daily, can help heal the problem; taking magnesium chloride supplements, two or three every morning, can help prevent prostate problems; and chelated zinc capsules, 50mg taken three tomes a day, can help shrink an enlarged prostate.

Things to avoid in the diet are saturated fats found in red meats and dairy products. When you eat meat, favour skinless white meat such as chicken or turkey, and go for low-fat dairy products. Avoid smoking, alcohol and overly spicy foods. If your prostate is in an enlarged state, avoid sugar-laden foods and soft drinks as they make the problem worse. 

How to Combat Obesity

You are said to be obese if you are 20% or more above the normal bodyweight for a person of your sex, height and build. If you consider yourself to be overweight, you should consult your doctor who should confirm whether or not you are in this category by applying a measure such as the BMI (Body Mass Index) to establish the facts. Being obese can put you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, arthritis and cardiovascular problems so it needs to be addressed as a health problem

Obesity can arise from many causes as follows: pathological-caused by a mental or physical malfunction; genetic; linked to stress; caused by overeating; eating the wrong type of foods; and lack of exercise. It is best to first establish which of these causes give rise to your obese state, in order to consider the most appropriate treatment options available. Whilst obesity arising from a pathological problem needs specialist treatment to overcome it, all other causes can be treated by paying attention to diet, and the amount of daily exercise you execute.

In order to reduce weight, your primary goals should be to: reduce your intake of saturated fats; engage in any daily exercise for at least 30 minutes per day in order burn off excess calories. Carbohydrates are the main source of fat in the diet: but they spit into simple carbohydrates containing fast assimilation sugars which are bad for you, and complex carbohydrates containing slow assimilation sugars which are beneficial in moderate amounts.

You therefore should avoid sweets, cakes. candy, soft drinks, crackers, crisps, chocolate, ice cream, bananas, sweetened fruit juices, canned fruit in syrup, fresh cream, honey, white bread, white rice, cocoa and coffee. You should also avoid almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, coconuts, pine nuts and cashew nuts. Also avoid heavily salted foods such as processed meats, smoked meats, smoked fish, olives, shrimps or commercial salad dressings or sauces. Try and avoid fried foods in general, and especially fried or scrambled eggs- eat boiled or poached eggs instead.

The best diet for people who are obese is a high protein, low carbohydrate one. You should concentrate on getting protein from fish, white meat, low fat yogurt with live cultures, and from foods in the complex carbohydrate category such as potatoes with their skins, wholegrain bread, rye bread, brown tice, wholegrain pasta, whole grain cereals , oatmeal, beans, vegetables and dried fruit. The following vegetables/herbs stimulate the evacuation of waste: celery, chicory, fennel, parsley and dandelion. You should try and get 6 grams of protein daily per kilogram of weight ( 2.2 pounds), and balance animal and vegetable sources of protein evenly.

It is beneficial to your condition to drink 6-8 glasses of water daily preferably in between meals. Drinking water frequently fills you up so you will eat less at mealtimes; it also aids the clearing out of your internal organs so they work more efficiently. Other drinks which can be employed gainfully are green tea, ginger tea , dandelion tea and raspberry tea.

You should engage in at least 30 minutes of physical exercise daily. This could be walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, dancing or anything else that takes your fancy. Alternatively, you could go for a brisk walk for 15 minutes duration after each of your main meals of the day. Exercise burns up excess fat and improves the whole digestive system. 

Benjamin Netanyahu Is Blocking Peace

Since my post in November 2012 titled " Imagine ", I have not commented on this blog on world events affecting the welfare of people generally, or in a specific area of the planet. In the past few years, great numbers of people have been displaced as a result of ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Palestine to name a few. I intend to solely concentrate on the Palestinian issue in this post simply because it has gone on for the longest period of time, and generates lots of emotions worldwide relating to its ultimate resolution.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the current prime minister of Israel, is an impediment to peace in the Middle East in my view. During periods of calm, he refuses to negotiate freely with all the Palestinians. He says he cannot negotiate with Hamas because they refuse to recognise the state of Israel. Yet, as the present troubles testify, Hamas represent the people of Gaza, and he is therefore bound to negotiate with them if there is to be a meaningful and lasting settlement. His refusal to negotiate with this wing of the Palestinians means he doesn't want a settlement of the problem during his premiership.

The siege of Gaza by Israel due to which all land, sea and air routes into this narrow strip of land are blocked creates " prison " conditions within it, and greatly interferes with all normal living conditions for the 1.8 million people affected by it. This continued siege gives rise to hatred starting at an early age, and support for Palestinians who want to destroy Israel by force. Therefore Netanyahu's policy towards Gaza is only serving to continue a very unstable situation, thereby ensuring continued suffering and bitterness for Palestinians down the generations.

If Netanyahu thinks there is no precedent in world history for negotiating with "terrorists" , he should talk to the British. In October 1921, both the then British prime minister, David Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill, sat down at a table with Michael Collins to negotiate what has become known as "The Irish Treaty". In November 1920, less than a year earlier, Collins and his men had scores of British agents operating in Dublin rounded up and killed, and the British press at the time labelled him " a terrorist and number one enemy of the country ". Collins didn't see himself as a terrorist but a freedom fighter who did not recognise Britain's right to rule Ireland.

In more recent times, the British cleverly used Sinn Fein to arrive at an understanding with the IRA in Northern Ireland that if significant concessions were made at the negotiating table in favour of the nationalist community then the violence would cease. At the present time, the agreements so reached on many issues, and embodied in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, appears to be holding. The lesson to be learned from Ireland says: there is a good chance violence will stop if the underlying issues giving rise to the violence are addressed and fixed in a way that allows peace to prevail.

I do recognise Israel's right to defend itself. However, the corresponding right of the Palestinian people to a state operating alongside Israel is what has been neglected for the past 60 years or so. The onus therefore is on all parties with an interest in the region, peace and justice to deliver to the Palestinian people a viable functioning state they can call home. If such a state were delivered to the Palestinians, would there then be any support in a place like Gaza for people who want to launch rockets into Israel ? I don't think so, and if it did happen they would be quickly apprehended by Palestine's own security forces. The main stumbling block to peace appears to be Benjamin Netanyahu in that, judging by his performance to date, I cannot see him making the big moves necessary to deliver it.

If you have got anything to say on this post, use the comments box below for that purpose. 

How to Prevent Constipation

Constipation is the cause of lots of health problems including colon cancer. Whilst definitions of what constitutes constipation can vary dependant upon who you listen to, my definition is that you are constipated  If your bowels do not move once per day on average. What I am saying is If you do not go to the toilet for a pooh at least once per day, you should assume that you are constipated and take action as outlined in this post. If you bowels are sluggish and only move two or three times per week, then you are constipated and should take action to remedy the problem.

The main causes of constipation are as follows: insufficient intake of water or other suitable liquids; lack of fibre in the diet; lack of raw fruit or vegetables in the diet; drinking too much coffee or tea; eating too many fried foods; consuming too many sugar- laden foods and drinks; and lack of exercise. One of these, or a combination of more than one, can give rise to constipation thereby having a negative effect on your health.

In lots of cases, the problem of constipation is not reported to the doctor at all because the patient is unaware of the problem. In cases where it is reported, doctors have generally responded by prescribing laxatives, stool softners, bulking agents or mineral oil. The first three bring about a dependency on a substance to cure a problem which could be solved naturally by paying particular attention to what constitutes diet; and mineral oil can remove essential minerals and vitamins from the body as a side effect of its use.

The first measure you should take to combat constipation is to make sure you are drinking 6-8 glasses of water or other suitable liquids daily. Water softens stools and aids their elimination from the body via the anus. Other suitable liquids can be fruit or vegetable juices which have no sugar added. Green, herbal, dandelion  or ginger teas are also in this category.

With regard to your solid food intake, it is essential that you are getting enough fibre in the diet. An adult needs 20 grams or more (about an ounce) of fibre a day. Good sources of fibre are wholegrain bread, brown rice, potatoes with their skins, rye crispbreads, wholegrain breakfast cereals, natural green vegetables, fruits with their skins (after washing thoroughly in order to get rid of any preservative sprays). Fibre aids the excretion of digested foods from the body in a timely manner so they do not hang about inside and cause constipation.

Other foods which alleviate constipation are almonds, apricots, asparagus, blackberries, cabbage, carrots, cherries, figs, baked beans, french beans , kidney beans, leeks, lettuce, oats, oranges, peaches, plums. raspberries, red currants, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, swiss chard, tomatoes, garlic and unsweetened yoghurt. For more on this, go to my June 2013 post titled "  Make Use of the Cleansers ". Foods and drinks to be avoided are fried foods, biscuits, cakes, tea, coffee, bananas, and both white rice and white bread.

Vitamin C taken to bowel tolerance (stop when diarrhoea occurs) can immediately bring relief from constipation. The latter taken in higher than recommended doses has proven to be safe. Magnesium oxide, up to 2000 mg daily, can also help. Psyllium husks taken as directed on the label can help combat a deficiency of fibre in the diet. The herb cascara sagrada increases the secretions of the stomach, liver and pancreas thereby aiding the breakdown of food. It also cleanses the colon and helps rebuild tissues. The herb senna increases intestinal movements and aids the removal of toxins from the body.

One adjunctive measure you should employ is to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. This could be brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing or anything else that takes your fancy. Regular exercise aids digestion and the efficient elimination of waste materials from the body.