DARN IT. I HAD THIS SCHEDULED TO SEND THURSDAY WHILE I WAS OUT OF TOWN AND FOR REASONS I DON’T UNDERSTAND, IT DIDN’T. SORRY.
Healthy by Nature radio show this week: I thought I was well informed on the critical importance of vitamin B12 and why so many folks are deficient. But, I learned a lot more while interviewing Sally M. Pacholok, RN for the show this week. Sally is the author of Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses. (After some practice, I got better this time at her name. It is pronounced…sal-lee.) To solve scheduling issues (and give me my birthday off), I pre-recorded the show. So, I can also tell you I enjoyed hearing how a newsstand operator’s snotty comment to a pre-teen boy ultimately led Ron Beckenfeld to become the founder of a large supplement company.  Check out his impressive photo on the bottom left of this site: LINK. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and how to listen nationwide.

Natural HealthFest 2013
Our beautiful brand new website is up thanks to designer Joe Conner! Lots of photos from 2012. Check it out.
 
Step One
My first 2013 resolution is a big help with keeping some of my others. Step one is to drink more water. That is obviously a cheap and painless vow, but there are other reasons that I put it first:

I feel better right away. Water relieves boggy brain, headaches and even backaches while it improves mood.

Water is involved in carrying oxygen to cells and that boosts energy. That makes me better able to increase exercise as I’ve promised myself I would.

Cutting back on comfort foods is usually high on my list of resolutions and water makes that easier. Because thirst is often confused with hunger, water a little while before a meal curbs appetite.

Water improves metabolism and that burns calories.

I can actually see a difference in the mirror. Fluids help fill in facial lines and give the skin a more luminous quality. Unless you are crossing the Sahara, if your lips are chapped, chances are that means you are not drinking sufficient water.

Avoiding colds and flu removes an excuse for falling off the wagon on other resolutions. Virtually every process in the body requires water, so the immune system will function better.

Toxins in the body make us sluggish and set us up for illness. Water helps us flush out junk the body is trying to get rid of.

What water? There is a scary amount of unwanted crapola in the best tap water. That includes heavy metals, pesticides, chlorine and even medications. Unfortunately, municipalities only test for a few of the thousands of potential contaminants. On Saturday’s show Dr. Johnson pointed out yet another concern–chlorine and pesticides in tap water increase childhood allergies. Bottled water is expensive; contains plasticizers from the bottle; creates an environmental problem; and by law only needs to be as good as tap water.

I’m very happy with my Aquasana filter. It removes more toxins than any readily available home unit and is more economical than even the pitcher types on a per-gallon basis. (They give our readers a nice discount.)

How much? Well, that depends. Theoretically, we should drink half our weight converted to ounces. E.g. a 128 pound person should drink 64 ounces or (8) 8-ounce glasses. However, someone doing roofing work in Dallas in August is going to need a heck of a lot more. But diet also plays a role–e.g. there is water in fruits and vegetables. (The water in raw plant foods is structured in a way that makes it enter our cells more easily.) Soups and teas also count as fluids. (I don’t care what they say; coffee sure feels like a diuretic to me.) You can’t depend on thirst alone as a clue because the thirst reaction seems to fade as we age. One sign is the color of urine. If it is darker than a very pale straw color, you might be dehydrated. However, vitamin B2 turns pee a very bright yellow. So, if you just took your vitamins, the color will be misleading. Why not drink the recommended amount and see how you feel?

The easy part? I fill a glass container with what I should drink that day and keep it on my desk as a constant reminder.
 
The Stinking Rose*
Kathy asked if Allimax garlic is better than Kyolic brand.

I do not believe Allimax is as good as Kyolic. There has been an ongoing debate for years called the “garlic wars”. That debate is over a constituent in fresh garlic, allicin. That substance is created when garlic is crushed, but disappears again almost immediately. Although it apparently has some antibacterial properties, it is not be the magic of garlic. Kyolic is aged in a way that concentrates the power of garlic and the company has something like 700 scientific studies showing its benefit for a wide range of health issues.
*(Stinking rose is an old timey name for garlic.)

2013
I sure would love to have more people hearing these messages and getting healthier. It is certainly in all of our best interests to reduce the cost of health care! Just think, if everyone who receives this newsletter got us one more subscriber, we’d double the mailing list! (And I’d earn twice as much…$0 x 2 = $0.)
 
Last Week
LINK to Archive. We talked about toxins (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides, gasses, mold, West Nile virus) with Alfred Johnson, DO, an expert in mysterious conditions that mainstream medicine says have no known cause and/or no cure. His tools include thermography, hyperbaric oxygen and chelation. An old friend, musician James McClester stopped by to talk with Dr. Johnson about kidney failure due to mercury from dental fillings. James’ fascinating autobiography, “Wannabee Rock.Star Who Finally Found The Rock” is available www.jmclester.com  All proceeds go to his non-profit foundation to benefit kidney health.

Please help spread the good word-forward this newsletter to friends and family.
My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book: Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2013 Martie Whittekin, CCN