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DECEMBER, 2004
BRAIN HEALTH EQUALS LONGEVITY
We are living much longer than our ancestors. Their bodies gave out after short difficult lives or due to simple
illness like infection. One of the biggest problems for aging in our lifetime is the health of the brain, the “mainframe computer”
that organizes all of our functions.
The following bits of information come mostly from an unauthored article
in the March, 2000 issue of USA WEEKEND, entitled “Important News Your Brain Can Use.” The article stated its sources as “groundbreaking
research at leading scientific centers, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard, the University of California,
Tufts and other facilities worldwide.”
BLUEBERRIES – this food contains an extremely high level of antioxidants--substances
that inhibit oxidation and thereby help prevent certain chemical reactions in the body caused by free radicals, unstable molecules
that steal electrons from stable ones; antioxidants are helpful in the prevention and treatment of arthritis, glaucoma and
macular degeneration, among other illnesses. Eating blueberries dramatically reversed memory loss, restored motor coordination
and balance in aging animals (Tufts). Amount in study: equivalent to human consumption of one half cup daily.
VITAMIN B6 – a study involving middle-aged men at Tufts revealed a connection between Vitamin B6 and higher memory scores.
B VITAMINS – University of New Mexico researchers determined that older people taking vitamin supplements—B Vitamins in particular—had
higher cognitive performances.
COENZYME Q10 – high doses of this supplement stimulate dopamine activity in nerve
cells, leading NIH to launch studies of coQ10 in treating Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.
GINKGO BILOBA–
more than 50 different studies find this supplement to be successful in helping aging memories, concentration, forgetfulness,
confusion, dizziness and Alzheimer’s disease.
FOLIC ACID – low levels of this component of the Vitamin B Complex
family triple the risk of Alzheimer’s (Britain’s Oxford University research). 400 mcg per day can also be of help in treating
depression (antidepressant drugs work better with higher folic acid levels—Harvard).
FISH OIL CAPSULES – relieved
manic depression in 65% of patients, “often within a couple of weeks,” according to a Harvard study.
AVOID margarine,
salad dressings, corn oil and processed foods containing omega-6-type fat. A Dutch study concluded that older men whose diets
included such destructive fat were 75% more likely to be intellectually impaired than those who did not consume such fat.
The
same article mentioned Vitamin E, which has lately received bad press. But I will share the quote and you may decide for yourselves
how to proceed.
“Not a single older person taking daily Vitamin E (about 400IU) or Vitamin C (about 500mg) developed
Alzheimer’s during a four-year study at Chicago’s Rush Institute for Healthy Aging. The expected Alzheimer’s rate is 15%.”
When trying to determine how much of these brain-healthy supplements to take, consult the NUTRITION ALMANAC by Lavon J. Dunne.
It presents a variety of nutrients and supplements, explains how they function in the body, and presents optimal and toxic
doses. The book also contains explanations of many ailments and how nutrition affects prevention and treatment. My favorite
section is the extensive Table of Food Composition which takes foods most often consumed and lists, for a given measure, the
calories, protein, carbs, fiber, vitamins, minerals, lipids and amino acids they contain.
My second favorite reference
book is THE HERBAL DRUGSTORE by Linda B. White, MD and Steven Foster. It gives herb profiles for the most common herbs, lists
ailments—including causes—and then presents treatment options, both the pharmaceuticals and herbal alternatives.
NOVEMBER,
2004
ALL DIRT IS NOT INERT
...The Amazing Healing Properties of Clay
Many women are familiar
with clay face masks, but rarely has anyone experienced the other uses of this ancient healing tool. When I was a child and
stepped on a bee, my friend's mom told me to make a wet poultice of mud and place it on my red toe. The mud definitely helped.
But if she'd handed me some powdered clay to mix with the water, I probably would have felt even better.
Healing
clays come in many colors, though the most easily found are in powdered form either green (from France) or off-white (from
the western USA). Many health food stores carry clay these days. To apply clay to a wound, simply add water until a paste
forms. The thicker the better. Hot clay has even more powerful healing properties, but be careful not to burn yourself.
When my son was small and needle-resistant,we applied a thick paste of green clay and a bandaid to all splinters. The next
morning when the bandaid was removed, the splinter always lay in the middle of the clay-covered gauze. Clay is an ancient
"drawing salve." When I complained to my son recently about a stubborn shard of glass in my hand that wouldn't go away, he
suggested green clay. I followed his advice with great success.
Clay also cools and soothes, as women who've had
a clay mask can attest. A client came in recently with mosquito bites that had driven him mad for 48 hours. After his massage,
I cleaned the skin with alcohol, then applied a thick paste of green clay. He walked out of the office 45 minutes later totally
itch-free.
Why does dirt heal? Clay is a particular kind of dirt, containing many minerals (including silica,
aluminum, magnesium, titanium, iron and others) but its most interesting property is that it is alive! Tiny microorganisms
live in the clay and support the life of small creatures in the wild like the Niphargus shrimp that lives in caves and eats
nothing but the damp clay in which it resides.
As author of THE HEALING CLAY, Michael Abehsera states, "Clay
then is a live medium which helps generate and maintain life."
Clay is negatively charged, whereas most toxins
are positively charged. Thus, the "drawing salve" qualities as toxins are pulled toward the clay's ions (like my son's splinter).
The absorbent and adsorbent qualities of clay have caused it to be used as a purifying agent in industry to deodorize raw
materials. It has been used as a neutralizer of poisons as well. A European doctor, Meyer-Camberg reports in Linda Clark's
book, THE BEST OF LINDA CLARK, that clay can antidote even arsenic poisoning. One teaspoon in a glass of water each hour for
six hours, he says, will clear the problem! When ingested, however, clay can slow the bowels, so be careful with your dosing.
In Abehsera's book an entire chapter is devoted to ancient uses of clay...the Egyptians used it to mummify their dead;
it was used to successfully treat cholera at the early part of the 20th century; during WWI Russian soldiers received 200
grams of clay along with their rations; French soldiers used it to stay free of dysentery; in France it was also used to treat
first, second and third degree burns. And on and on.
Clay can be used both externally and internally with quite
startling and effective healing results. The following are three books on the healing properties of clay. All are available
through www.amazon.com. Explore and please share any results you have.
THE CLAY CURE by Ran Knishinsky
THE HEALING CLAY by Michael Abehsera
THE HEALING POWER OF CLAY by Michael Abehsera
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