Even though April is designated as autism month (for those families autism month is every month), and unless you have a child or relative inflicted with this health problem you may not be aware of current information about autism and its contributing factors. The autism spectrum disorder includes ADD, ADHD and ASD. Genetics alone does not explain the increasing rate (1 in 110). Studies show that vaccines may significantly increase risks especially in a subgroup of infants who are ill when vaccinated, those who come from families with autoimmune diseases, those born premature or who are given a large number of vaccines at one time.

We know the truth about the importance of eating healthy and how diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure or even the course of cancer can be changed and improved with a diet of organic fruits and vegetables, meats, poultry and eggs. Do people really know what is in their food and how it might affect their health or their child’s health? Would they avoid eating or drinking these products? I am not so sure.

Changing our belief systems about nutrition involves deprogramming ourselves and starts with reading labels on the foods you buy. Carboxymethylcellulose, or any other ingredient listed that can’t be pronounced, is an indication that it’s NOT a food. Broccoli, apples, carrots, parsley, and barley are names we recognize on labels. Better yet, buy fresh foods to feel more confident that you are eating healthier.

Delicate brains, like that of an infant, toddler or an adult with a neurological disease are damaged more with a diet of chemicals. Look closely when buying a great drink that says natural fruit juice on the label. You might find that in fact “natural” means that there are chemicals in this drink that contribute to digestive problems, cause cancer or highly toxic for anyone who has a neurological disease.

Research shows a direct effect with increased seizure activity ingesting brand name flavored drinks laced with chemicals like sucralose, aspartame, splenda, etc. Commercials want you to believe that your body CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE between cane sugar and corn syrup. Not only does the body know the difference but also reacts differently.

Corn syrup is genetically grown (seeds are injected with either “Round Up” or bacteria and are called genetically modified foods (GMO). Fields are sprayed with pesticides (known to cause cancer) and the processing of corn (including soy, cotton and now beets) is done with mercury (a heavy metal that also harms the brain).

Our bodies need and want the real stuff, not the fake stuff that is loaded with sugars and chemicals that make you want to eat more. Rather than make a healthy meal we sacrifice nutrition for a chemically laced product that damages our health. We have been brainwashed to avoid the real foods: vegetables, fresh fruits, or healthy grains like buck wheat, steel cut oats, kamut, quinoa, barley. Meat and poultry raised commercially, injected with vaccines and hormones hurts us because of what these animals are fed or treated with. No wonder children and adults are more obese and have more health problems today than 30 years ago?

There are movies, books, magazines and websites (not television) available to you that give truthful nutrition information. The basic information about what our bodies need hasn’t changed since information written in the early 1900’s. We need to increase our knowledge and our belief systems about whom and where we get our information for real foods.

The only healthy area of a grocery store today is on the outside aisles, where you’ll find fruits, vegetables, meats and poultry and eggs. Your challenge is finding products that are without pesticides, hormones and toxins injected or sprayed on these foods. Stay away from the shelves that contain the processed non-foods made with chemicals. They may be cheaper to purchase but end up costing us more in medical care and increased pharmaceutical use thus contributing to the destruction of our health.

Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions yet? Do they include health and wellness? Will you stick to them?

After a month or more of parties, celebrations and festivities many of us make resolutions to exercise, eat right, and become healthier. After all, we know we need to make some changes.

But…how many of us will stick to those resolutions for more than a month? Not many. According to research at least 75% of us make a resolution to improve our health. By the end of the first month only 64% are still continuing with those resolutions.

Why do you suppose that is? Is it because we think of our resolutions as “something we should do” instead of “something I get to do”? If we look at our resolutions as a positive piece of our lifestyle, would we stick with it longer?

According to Wikkipedia, Roman ruler Julius Caesar established January 1 as New Year’s Day in 46 BC. The Romans dedicated this day to Janus, the god of gates, doors and beginnings. The month of January was named after Janus, who had two faces – one looking forward and the other looking backward. This suggests that New Year’s celebrations are founded on pagan traditions. Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year.

Let’s continue to carry that luck. Don’t think about when you are not reaching your goal of exercising one hour a day or of eating less at every meal. Instead, think of how glamorous you will feel on the inside when you get some exercise today and take one less helping of food this meal. Then let’s carry it a step further.

Decide you want to be glamorous from the inside out. In order to do that, look for support and truthful education about foods and nutrition as well as how to add back nutrients that are depleted by obesity, excess alcohol and smoking. Increase it another step and learn to make changes as suggested by author John Norcross. These includes moving through the stages of change: not really ready, getting serious, have a plan, take action, keep at it, and reaching and maintaining the desired goal.

Once your insides are glamorous, your whole body feels glamorous as well.

Get off to a great start and have a Happy New Year!

By Valerie Ozsu
For more information contact Valerie at ewhbalance@yahoo.com

Most people think of how to promote healthy aging in their 40’s when their own bodies begin to change with the sounds of cracking knees, soreness of mucles, increased weight and hormone changes with none of these symptoms resolving as fast as they had earlier in life.

The foundation for aging actually begins at conception and yet how many people do you know who knowingly or unknowingly abuse their bodies with processed packaged, canned/frozen non nourishing non-foods, energy drinks, loads of sugar, processed foods (eating fast foods) smoking, drinking alcohol, excessive computer or TV or even abusing over the counter or prescribed drugs? The body, being the incredible machine that it is creates new cells every twelve weeks and can you imagine how improved these new cells would be if they were nutured with healthy organic fresh foods and an active healthy lifestyle?

You would be amazed at the increased health and energy your body will experience even with all the past abuse you put your body through. As we age its not about our bodies giving up on us but instead, its about the abuse we put on our bodies.

Many argue people saying that genetics is the most powerful determiner of our lifespan and quality of life; but research shows and (cell researcher and writer Bruce Lipton PhD) has studied genetics proving that you may load the your longevity gun (with your family history) but its you’re your nutrition and lifestyle that pulls the trigger to determine your length and quality of life. Toxins in our environment have increased (poor water quality, mercury in silver fillings, increased vaccinations, free radicals from Japan’s radiation release etc etc) plus our poor GMO loaded diets, increased stress all further work on our bodies to decrease the immune system and decrease our overall health.

Now its even more critical that we make important changes and move away from the victim mentality. Now is the time for you to take responsibility to make an assessment of your nutrition and lifestyle and create changes so that your future quality of life ~called healthy aging will provide you with a longer and better quality of life emotionally, physically and spiritually.

When people think about recycling or decreasing their carbon footprint, they think about saving on fuel and energy or reusing bottles and cans.

I propose a new belief system about health. Taking responsibility for their lives people can rethink old ideas and beliefs and consider improving their lifestyles. We have an increase in diabetes, hypertension, people on statin drugs, cancer and more autistic children in all societies. Paternalistic values are putting younger people on medication for various ailments and psychotropic drugs are dispensed like candy from ADD/ADHD to just about every emotional or physical problem reported to a doctor.

I support a more maternalistic approach toward health and nutrition, honoring and nurturing our incredible bodies. Suppose all the medcationss, vaccines, amalgams, fluoride and poor diets are really hurting our health rather than helping us? It’s time to recycle outdated information that harms society’s health, wellness, productivity and independence. It’s a long overdue concept that unless people get the “junk” knowledge out of their heads, they too will move towards joining others who live their life relying on doctors and drugs to function and live.

Advertisements contain propaganda that pushes specialized diets (vegan, raw, etc), vitamins, exercise equipment or even “surgical rejuvenation”. The cookie cutter approach to health care is not for everyone. Each person needs to take responsibility to find out what their body needs and how to improve their quality of life. Healthy aging is about our bodies changing and wearing out gradually without deterioration or relying on pharmaceuticals to treat their health problems or constant pain.

Businesses offer anti-aging services, including hormone shots, specialized treatments or surgery. No matter what one does you can’t reverse the fact that each day our body grows older and eventually will wear out. That doesn’t mean we can’t respect our body instead of abusing it with substances like drugs and alcohol and/or smoking or even processed GMO foods. It is possible to maintain flexibility and mobility, all with a clear thinking brain, minus pain, starting with healthy foods.

How many times have you heard about a doctor telling an older relative they have to deal with their health issue just because they are older? Others are told life is short, so make the most of it. Who says this doctor is right? It’s the same with children who end up with ADD/ASD. Their pediatrician tells them they don’t know how it happened so it must be genetic…meaning it’s not their fault even though neurological damage most often occurs after a vaccine. You become the victim because you’re told it’s a weakness in your genetics and the medical establishment is off the legal hook. They don’t want to admit that maybe their knowledge and education about vaccines and amalgams (the silver fillings so many people have) might possibly be wrong. Even though there are over 200,000 deaths caused by physicians every year, how can we possibly doubt ourselves into thinking they are experts when it comes to vaccines? What kind of blind faith are we allowing ourselves to accept?

I suggest we think about ways of staying healthy and promote healthy aging without relying on drug commercials or running to the doctor for the newest product or surgery to relieve pain or your health problem. Surgery doesn’t give us anything. It only takes away. Some people reading this might say that this kind of thinking is ridiculous because of a major car accident or cancer. My answer to that is, of course we want the best trauma surgeons around if such an accident threatened loss of life or limb. If there is cancer, remove that advanced portion if there is no other choice. However, cancer doesn’t drop from the sky and land upon us. It’s our years of abuse and exposure to toxins, poor nutrition and a poor immune system that started cancer growing years earlier.

Bring in the idea of a healthier attitude both mentally and physically and recycle those negative thoughts, beliefs and lifestyles. We can then enjoy life with strength to deal with the ups and downs and pressures that come with living. When it’s time leave this earth, go as God intended in old age…having lived and loved fully.

Are you your child’s hero? Are you your own hero?

Children count on us as their hero to help protect and nurture them. We need to be our own hero when faced with a serious health challenge.

What does this mean for you? Learning to give up old lifestyle and nutrition habits in order to promote our own wellness and healthy aging are keys to our longevity. Leading by example to strengthen our next generation is key to everyone’s longevity.

It’s a known fact there are over 280,000 deaths yearly from medical errors and/or pharmaceutical side effects. Yet, when people are diagnosed with a serious illness or given a poor prognosis, family and friends automatically push for any and all medical treatments. In essence they also pity and bury them.

They forget the body’s incredible ability to continually promote wellness-no matter what the circumstance. The will and desire to live and get well comes from the inner strength we create coupled by knowledge and a belief in one’s body that always wants to nurture us.

To quote Kubler-Ross: People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun comes out but their true beauty is revealed in darkness when there is a light from within.

It’s not about what our bodies do to us. It’s about what we do to our bodies. Isn’t it about time we cross the finish line knowing that we learned to avoid toxins on and in our body? Let’s learn how to detoxify safely while using wellness choices that are right in front of us. We can use healthier medicines created from a garden loaded with pesticide-free and chemical-free ingredients. The only side effects might be an increased immune system along with more energy and stamina. This will fuel our body’s batteries till they naturally wear out.