-    Multiple Vitamin – A good quality multiple vitamin providing 100% of the RDA for all vitamins and some of the more basic minerals. Many multi-vitamins recommend large doses, often as much as 10 times the 100% RDA. In my opinion, this is a complete waste of money. The body uses vitamins in minute amounts and taking more is not helpful. There are a few exceptions to this rule, noted below.

-    Vitamin D3 – 1000 IU per day (possibly more if you are dealing with a specific health issue which may be related to vitamin D deficiency.) There are so many modern diseases related to Vitamin D deficiency that I recommend additional Vitamin D3 supplementation.

- Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid – If you are vegetarian or simply eat a diet low in animal protein (which is highly recommended), then additional B12 and Folic Acid is recommended. For most people, I recommend the following: B12: 1 sub-lingual tablet 3 times a week. Folic acid: 400 mcg (0.4mg) per day.

-    Cod Liver Oil – 1 teaspoon per day. The Omega 3 fatty acids, and in particular Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid DHA, are so important for overall health and longevity, that I rate this simple product as one of the most important supplements you can take. Excellent brands are Nordic Naturals and Carlson’s.

-    Triphala is a combination of three Ayurvedic herbs and is an excellent digestive and tonic for most body types, especially if constipation is a frequent issue. The ideal way to take Triphala is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Triphala powder with 10 ounces of warm water upon rising in the morning. It’s best to mix the powder with hot water, let cool and drink the decoction straight down. Or, if you’re a hearty soul, take the powder on your tongue (being careful to hold your breath so as not to inhale any of the powder) and wash it down with warm water. If the taste is too bitter for your sensitivities, you can get Triphala in capsule form. In this case, take 2 to 4 capsules with 10 oz warm water upon rising. Either way, wait 30 minutes before eating anything. Triphala is a gentle and natural laxative which is not habit forming since it works by stimulating the liver and not by irritating the colon. Triphala is available at most supplement or natural foods stores. Note: do ot take Triphala is you are pregnant, nursing or have diarrhea.

- Aloe Vera Juice – take 2 oz Aloe Vera juice with 2 oz apple juice once or twice a day. Aloe Vera juice is a wonderful tonic for the digestive organs and at the same time, it helps to cool the body and reduce inflammation, especially in the digestive tract. If gastritis, acid reflux or Gerd are an issue, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to the above mixture.

-    Borage or Evening Primrose Oil – 500mg per day. Borage and Evening Primrose oils are rich in Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid which is not common in most foods.

-    DGL Licorice – If acid stomach or acid reflux are an issue, suck on 2 tablets, 2 times a day, before main meals. May also be used any time you feel burning sensation in the stomach. DGL licorice tablets are available in most supplement or natural foods stores.

-    Livit II – 1 tablet, 3 times a day. Complete one bottle every 6 months in the Spring and Fall. Available at Ayush Herbs in Bellevue WA. The liver is extremely important for overall health and in our modern society, is the organ which suffers the most from stress, lack of rest and environmental toxins. Livit II is a traditional Ayurvedic  liver cleanser and tonic that is powerful yet gentle enough to give to children.

-    Calcium/Magnesium Citrate or Amino Acid Chelate – 200 mg before bed.

-    Certain foods are very concentrated and must be used with caution in order to avoid creating an imbalance in the body. None of these foods are “bad”, per se, but they can be bad if consumed in large quantities. Meat, fats, egg yokes, salt, sugar, vinegar, honey and molasses, are all extremely concentrated and should be taken in very small quantities as a compliment to a meal.

-    Certain foods are so extreme in their nature that eating even a small portion can aggravate an imbalance for many people. Candies (and especially chocolate), soft drinks, desserts, ice cream and frozen yogurt are examples of foods that are damp or cold in nature. Alcohol, coffee, fried foods, broiled foods or foods that are greasy, hot or spicy are examples of foods that are extremely hot in nature. Carbonated beverages create imbalance due to excessive air quality. Try to eliminate these foods from your diet, or at least limit them to small portions once or twice a week.

-    Some foods are toxic due to over cooking, over processing, age or chemical contamination. For example, burned meats or oils are toxic due to the chemical changes that occur when fats are exposed to high temperature. Likewise, fast foods, highly processed foods (such as margarine or processed meats) or spoiled foods should be avoided for the same reason. The artificial sweeteners Nutra-Sweet, Canderel and Amino-Sweet contain the chemical Aspartame which is a neurotoxin. Likewise, foods that contain MSG are toxic for many people. Finally, foods that contain high fructose corn syrup create long term health problems on a number of different levels.

White tea contains the highest level of antioxidants of all varieties of tea, 10 times more than vitamin E. These nutrients protect the body from damage by free radicals, which can accelerate aging. White tea also contains high levels of polyphenols and catechins, which help the body to metabolize fats and reduce cholesterol. Other benefits of drinking white tea include greater bone density, protection against many bacteria and viruses and lower blood pressure. And some studies indicate that white tea may help to protect against some forms of cancer.

Silver Needle is a particular variety of young, tender tea leaves picked only during certain days of early spring. Silver Needle white tea is a living herb, and as such, she has a secret that can only be discovered through proper brewing. In this regard, the temperature of the water is critical, ideally between 170 and 180 degrees.

Brewing Instructions:

Place a heaping teaspoon of Silver Needle leaves in a 12 oz mug using a large tea ball or brewing strainer.

Prepare filtered water to the correct temperature of 170 to 180 degrees. An easy way to approximate correct temperature is to pour 10 oz of boiling water into an empty ceramic mug or small pot. Let the water stand for 15 seconds. Then pour this cooled water into the cup containing the Silver Needle tea leaves.

Brew for 15 minutes, or until cool enough to drink. If the initial water temperature is not over 180 degrees, the tea can brew for even longer without developing any bitterness.

When the Silver Needle tea is brewed correctly, it will yield a golden liquor with a subtle sweet and savory flavor that will make you salivate. This is the taste of an amino acid called Theanine, a psychoactive nutrient that is calming and conducive to profound insight into the true nature of Being.

Inflammation in the body is a subtle but insidious killer. Inflammation in the G.I. tract can impair digestion and nutritional absorption.  Inflammation in the nervous system can lead to MS and in the brain, can lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Inflammation in the arteries is a major factor leading to heart disease and stroke.  Inflammation in the lungs or bronchial tubes can result in asthma.  Inflammation in the skin shows up as eczema, psoriasis, hives or acne.  Over the course of time, the damage from inflammation is perhaps the single greatest health risk that we face.  Because Aloe Vera has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, it is a valuable herb for a wide range of therapeutic applications.

Aloe Vera is excellent for inflammation of the skin or the mucous membranes.  It is especially good for inflammation in the G.I. tract, for conditions such as ulcers, GERD (acid reflux or heartburn), gastro-enteritis, Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and hemorrhoids.  In addition, Aloe Vera is beneficial for inflammation of the urinary bladder, making it an excellent herbal remedy for interstitial cystitis.

Aloe Vera is beneficial for cardio-vascular disease as it helps to lower blood cholesterol and clear the arteries over time.  Aloe is also helpful for diabetes as it helps to normalize blood sugar and lower the need for insulin.  Aloe is a wonderful liver tonic and in some parts of the world is used for acute or chronic hepatitis or other liver problems.  And finally, Aloe is an excellent tonic for the female reproductive organs and is often used to reduce the symptoms associated with menopause.  Finally, Aloe Vera acts as an immune modulator by boosting production of immune factors and reducing immune hypersensitivity.

Recent scientific research has shown that long chain polysaccharides, which are abundant in Aloe Vera, help in the formation of glycoforms which are extremely important for good health on a cellular level.  Like tiny hairs or antennae on the surface of cells, glycoforms allow the cells to recognize, communicate and coordinate their work with one another.  Some pharmaceutical companies are now trying to manufacture polysaccharides in order to treat a number of health conditions.  By simply taking Aloe Vera, we can get these same polysaccharides, synergistically combined by Mother Nature, with dozens of other nutritional and medicinal factors.

In addition to providing all the health benefits mentioned above, Aloe Vera is remarkably safe for children and adults.  Reference books on herbal medicine give purified Aloe Vera gel the lowest possible rating for toxicity.

Many people believe they have used Aloe Vera when in fact, they have probably used a product which contains very few active Aloe ingredients.  The nutritional and medicinal properties in Aloe are extremely fragile and begin to breakdown within 2 or 3 hours after the leaves are cut.  For this reason, the plant must be processed quickly in order to filter out the bitter sap (which contains aloin and aloe emodin) and stabilize the important medicinal properties.  Many companies do not process the Aloe plant correctly and for this reason, much of the commercial Aloe Vera on the market today is practically worthless.  Or, if the aloin and aloe emodin are not completely removed, the resulting product can cause diarrhea or intestinal cramps.

There are several companies that make high quality Aloe Vera products and below are three that I have come to trust.

1) www.Serovera.com – 1-877-737-6267

Serovera is for people with serious chronic diseases.  It contains pure, pharmaceutical grade Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides of the inner gel.  This product is top of the line but fairly expensive.

2) High quality Aloe Vera Juice or gel is available in most natural foods stores. My favorite brands are Real Aloe Vera and Lily of the Desert.

I don’t believe in panaceas.  However, there are only a dozen or so herbs in the world which have the remarkable range of therapeutic application as does Aloe Vera.

Parabens – mimic estrogen and are potentially carcinogenic

Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS or SLES) – potentially carcenogenic

Diethanolamine or DEA – blocks nutrient choline which is vital to brain health and development

Acrylamide – linked to breast tumors

Phenol Carbolic Acid – associated with a number of dangerous toxic reactions

Dioxane – potentially carcenogenic

Toluene – linked to anemia, liver and kidney damage

Household cleaners are another source of toxic chemicals that can cause health problems, particularly for people who are sensitive. As a substitute for commercial cleaning products, try this simple formula: 3 qts hot water + 1 cup of white vinegar + 1/4 cup ammonia. It works great. Or choose from a number of non-toxic products available at natural food stores.

The best cure for cold and flu is prevention.  And the number one best prevention is to wash your hands frequently…especially during cold and flu season.  Every time you have been out in public, wash your hands with soap and water.  Make it a habit to do this five or more times a day.  It’s a fact that most viruses are picked up on the hands and transmitted into our bodies by scratching our face or touching one of our mucous membranes.

Once you begin to feel that first hint of a symptom, you have to act.  For some people, it’s a sore throat…for others, it’s tightness in the back of the neck, sneezing, a runny nose or a tightening in the chest.  However a cold hits you, stop what you are doing and follow the procedures outlined below.  If you can do this within the first few hours, there is a very good chance that you can stop the virus in its tracks.

My favorite cold remedy is Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) which is orange in color and one of the main spices in curry powder.  Among other important medicinal properties, Turmeric is a powerful natural antibiotic and antiviral.  Whereas pharmaceutical antibiotics tend to kill microbes indiscriminately, Turmeric kills only the foreign invaders and actually encourages the growth of friendly bacteria in the body.  Turmeric is a mildly warming herb.  It stimulates the formation of new blood and tissue and assists in the digestion of protein.  Turmeric is also a powerful anti-inflammatory and helps to reduce muscular or skeletal pain anywhere in the body.

At the first sign of cold or flu, it is invaluable to begin one of more of the following home remedies:

1)    If you are feeling a sore throat – Gargle with ¾ cup hot (comfortably hot) water, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon Turmeric.  It is important to do this 5 times a day and especially before bed.  Try to get the salt and Turmeric water as far back into your throat as possible.

2)    If you are feeling a stiff neck or headache – Take hot bath with one cup apple cider vinegar in the bath water.  While in the bath, drink a cup of fresh ginger tea.  The bath should be hot enough to produce a sweat within 10 minutes or so.  Remain in the hot water for 20 minutes and then get out, bundle up in warm robe and get under a comforter to spend more time sweating.  The point of this exercise is to sweat as much as possible.  You may get up after 1.5 hours but dress and keep as warm as possible for the rest of the day.

3)    If you are sneezing – Nasal douche with 1 cup warm tea made with ½ teaspoon of Golden Seal (Hydrastis Canadensis) and ¼ teaspoon salt.  If you don’t know how to do a nasal douche, you can find instructions on the internet or contact your health care professional.

4)    In general for cold or flu – Take Turmeric capsules – 500mg, 3 times a day. Also, avoid all dairy products until you have completely recovered. Dairy products increase the production of mucus and will exacerbate the symptoms of cold and flu in most cases.

5)    Take caution in the use of antibiotics – Unless you have a serious (possibly life threatening) infection, pharmaceutical antibiotics can actually do more harm than good.  And in most cases of a viral infection, antibiotics will not help the condition at all. If you’re in reasonably good health, it’s better to help your body defend itself.

Because these recommendations are simple, many people find it difficult to take them seriously.  They either apply them half-heartedly or not at all.  But I cannot overemphasize how potent these remedies can be in the first few hours of the onset of symptoms.  Cold and flu viruses are actually very fragile in small numbers and can be wiped out quickly.  In particular the ingestion of Turmeric and the Turmeric gargle are very powerful ways to eliminate viruses before they have a chance to get established.

Precautionary Note: If you are pregnant, have had stroke, hypertension, cardio-vascular disease or some other serious health condition, it is important to consult with your professional health care provider before trying these home remedies.

From the perspective of ancient medicine of India and China, arthritis is considered an invasion from an outside pathogen or internal toxicity. In our modern society, the most common cause is diet and poor digestion.  There is an old saying that applies in this regard; “Food which is not digested becomes poison.”  Among the patients that I routinely see, food allergies, food intolerance and poor digestion play a significant role in joint disease.

Acupuncture and shiatsu, combined with herbal therapy, can definitely help to reduce pain and swelling, strengthen the digestion and assist the body to overcome outside pathogens.  But in most cases, the key to effective treatment is exercise and proper diet.

Below is a general guideline which I find to be helpful for most types of arthritis.  If these suggestions do not help, I suggest that you visit a specialist and consider a long term cleansing diet with short intervals of fasting.  But I want to emphasize that fasting and elimination diets should be done under the supervision of a trained professional.

General Guidelines for Arthritis

1) Keep weight in proper range for height and frame.

2) Avoid foods that cause inflammation for many people with arthritis. The most common problem foods are:

• sugar
• salt
• red meat
• dairy products
• wheat flour
• nightshade vegetables: eggplant, red peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes
• tobacco
• hydrogenated fats, i.e., margarine, shortening, most baked goods, etc.

Experiment by eliminating one of these foods at a time, for 14 days, to find out if any are a problem for you.

3) Exercise – Exercise daily for at least 20 minutes.  If exercise is not part of your daily routine, begin slowly and be careful to not over do it.  If vigorous exercise feels good to you, then favor bicycling, jogging, or other aerobic exercises.  Best to alternate with exercises that move all the joints of the body.  Bicycling, rowing and swimming are excellent “non-impact” exercises.

4) Avoid steroids and try to minimize use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication.

5) Drink plenty of luke warm or room temperature water between meals.  Body weight divided by 2.5 = ounces of pure water per day.  Try to drink water mostly between meals and not with meals.  Avoid cold drinks.

6) Important Supplements:

- Multi Vitamin – any one a day type is fine or as you preference dictates

- Vitamin C – 500 mg. twice per day with largest protein meal, if well tolerated

- Vitamin E – 400 I.U. per day

- Glucosamine Sulfate. Best product is Syn-Flex liquid at  www.activexamerica.com

- MSM crystals – Start with ¼ teaspoon and gradually work up to ½ teaspoon, one to two times per day

- EFA/Flax seed oil blend – 1 tablespoons per day taken plain or as a garnish on salads or vegetables

- Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil – 1 teaspoon or 5 capsules per day. Order at 1-800-662-2544 or www.nordicnaturals.com

- Helpful herbs: Boswellia, Turmeric and Ginger. See your herbalist or your health care professional for specific compounds containing these herbs.

* Caution: If you are pregnant, currently taking blood thinning medication, have diabetes or a bleeding disorder, consult with your health care professional before taking fish oil supplements.

#1 — Drink plenty of pure filtered water, between meals. As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to drink 5 ounces of water for every 10 lbs of body weight. So, if you weigh 140lbs, that would be 70 ounces of pure water per day. Don’t waste your money on expensive water alkalizers. A simple and effective way to alkalize your water is with a pinch of sea salt or baking soda in every liter of water.

#2 Avoid coffee, black tea and sodas.

#3 In general, eat more fruits and vegetables and less bread, cheese, eggs and meat. In particular, celery is one of the most alkaline foods you can eat. Celery is high in water content and excellent for digestion and elimination.

#4 Switch from cow’s milk, to almond, soy, or rice milk. Cow milk produces a lot of mucous in the body and the proteins in the milk are highly allergenic and difficult for most adults to metabolize. Also most dairy cows are injected with growth hormones to increase milk production. Many of these hormones have potential side effects that can be passed on when consumed.

#5 Avoid artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet, Sucralose, Aspartame, Canderel, AminoSweet and Saccharin. These are acidic and toxic on a number of levels. Stevia extract is a natural sugar substitute that has no reported side effects

#6 Eat a grapefruit in the morning before breakfast. Grapefruit has a high water content and is highly alkalizing. Eat one first thing in the morning, and wait 15 minutes before eating a carbohydrate or protein (one or the other do not mix).

#7 Eliminate consumption of red meat, pork, lamb. If you eat meat, favor chicken, turkey or fresh fish in small quantities. Red meats, pork and lamb are highly acidic and have a very low water content.

#8 Reduce stress daily by adding yoga, tai chi, meditation and deep breathing (Kriya Yoga). When the body moves into stress mode the digestive system shuts down and toxins cannot be eliminated. Anything we can do to calm the mind/body will help to alkalize the tissues.

#9 Drink a super green supplement every day. There are several good super greed supplements on the market, made from land or sea vegetables or blue-green algae. Super greens are nutrient dense and infuse the body with easily absorbed vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and alkaline salts.

#10 – Minimize or avoid heavily processed and refined foods. These foods typically produce acids and our bodies have to work extra hard to eliminate the toxic residue they produce.

• Eat only when you are genuinely hungry and try to eat your largest meal in the middle of the day.

• Eat slowly and chew your food well. This simple rule will greatly enhance your digestion.

• Stop eating before you are completely full.  There is a 15-20 minute lag between the time we eat something and the time the brain registers the sensation of fullness.

• During meals, limit fluids to 3 to 4 ounces of warm or room temperature liquid.  Avoid iced drinks.  Drinking too much fluid during the meal, and cold fluid in particular, will impair the body’s digestive ability.

• As a general rule, favor warm, cooked vegetables over cold or raw vegetables. For most of us, and particularly after the age 40, it is difficult for the body to completely digest raw vegetables.

• If you have trouble with your digestion, try to keep your meals simple.  Too many varieties of proteins, starches and carbohydrates, all at the same time, will impair the digestion.

• Certain foods are very concentrated and must be used with caution in order to avoid creating an imbalance in the body.  Meat, cream, cheese, eggs, sugar, honey and molasses, are all extremely concentrated and should be taken in small quantities as a compliment to the meal, and not as a main course.

• Certain foods are so extreme in their nature that eating even a small amount can aggravate an imbalance for many people.  Candy, sodas, rich desserts, ice cream and frozen yogurt are examples of foods that are extremely damp and cold in nature.  Alcohol, coffee, fried foods, or foods that are greasy, hot or spicy are examples of foods that are extremely hot in nature. If you have a health problem, try to eliminate these foods from your diet completely until you are feeling well again.  Otherwise, try to limit these foods to small portions once or twice a week.

• Some foods are toxic due to over cooking, over processing, age or chemical contamination.  For example, burned meats or oils are toxic due to the chemical changes that occur when fats are exposed to high temperature.  Likewise, fast foods, highly processed foods (such as margarine or processed meats) or spoiled foods should be avoided for the same reason.

These recommendations can have a profound effect in restoring balance to the body and mind.  If you try them, you may find that you not only feel better but also lose some excess weight in the process.

1) High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is an inexpensive sugar that has essentially replaced cane sugar in almost all processed foods over the last 30 years. It’s no coincidence that diabetes and obesity have increased by over 150% during the same time period. It is my belief that the introduction of HFCS into the western diet has had a direct causative effect on the dramatic increased incidence of these two killers. Here is what Dr. Joseph Mercola has to say about HFCS:

“In case you forgot, or never knew in the first place, the number one source of calories in the US is high fructose corn syrup.  Let me say that in different words so you more fully appreciate the impact of this fact.  Remember that fat has 250% more calories than sugar, but even with this major disadvantage, the food that most people get MOST of their calories from is sugar from corn, primarily in the form of soft drinks.

Even though I have known this for years, it is still shocking to me every time I reflect on the enormity of this truth.  But, like W. Clement Stone, I believe that there is a nugget of good in this horrible fact. The good is that stopping this pernicious habit is one of the easiest things to do. Since this is such a pervasive problem in the US, we could make radically outrageous improvements in our health as a culture if we just simply stopped everyone from drinking soda.

I am HIGHLY confident that the health improvement would be FAR more profound than if everyone stopped smoking because elevated insulin levels are the foundation of nearly every chronic disease known to man, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, aging, arthritis, osteoporosis, you name it, and you will find elevated insulin levels as a primary factor. The evidence of increased triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels is just the latest among countless findings pointing to the dangers in HFCS.

Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative effects are significantly magnified.

 The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles. In fact, nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, which contributes to most chronic illness. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will not provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people, unless diabetes or obesity is an issue but fruit juices, sodas and other beverages sweetened with fructose should be avoided.

To add insult to injury, the corn that the high fructose corn syrup is metabolized from nearly all comes from genetically modified corn which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns.

Sodas, of course, are not the only source of HFCS (though they represent one of the main ones). This dangerous sweetener is also in many processed foods and fruit juices, so to avoid it you need to focus your diet on whole foods and, if you do purchase packaged foods, become an avid label reader.”

2) U.S. Meat Because of the ways that animals are raised, herded and slaughtered in the U.S., much of our meat is contaminated with highly toxic strains of e-coli bacteria. Aside from the questions of horrific animal cruelty, which is a separate issue, our exposure to these toxins presents a serious health risk in the U.S., so much so that many countries will not allow the importation of U.S. meats.

If you eat meat, I would recommend the following guidelines. First, limit your consumption to 3 to 4 ounces per day. This is more than enough to provide for your daily protein needs if you eat a balanced diet of whole grains, vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts and seeds. Second, eat only meats from organically raised, free range animals. Third, I would recommend that you limit your meat sources to deep water fin fish, organic chicken and turkey.

3) Artificial Sweeteners For a sweetener, I recommend raw sugar, raw honey, maple syrup, or molasses over refined or more concentrated sweeteners. As an excellent sugar substitute, try Stevia extract. Avoid Aspartame (under brand names NutraSweet, Canderel, and AminoSweet) or other chemical sweeteners. Aspartame in particular has proven to be extremely toxic for most people and has been banned in some countries. Likewise, Agave syrup has been touted as a healthy substitute for sugar but in reality, it’s not much better than High Fructose Corn Syrup with is very hard on the system as explained above.

4) Dairy products create so many problems for most people that I recommend everyone avoid dairy as much as possible. The fats and proteins in processed cow’s milk are simply not compatible for the majority of westerners. Most people experience an improvement in their overall health after eliminating dairy for a few months. If you find that you must have some dairy, I would recommend organic yogurt. Oat, soy or almond beverages are excellent milk substitutes.