Iodine is one of the most important elements for health, yet according to the World Health Organization, at least one third of the world’s population including 129 countries spanning all regions of the globe are deficient in this essential mineral. Other estimations report that at least 72% of the population is affected by an iodine deficiency disorder, including thyroid disease, mental retardation, circulatory problems, weak immunity and cancer. Iodine joins vitamin D and magnesium in a triad of nutrients that are severely lacking in our diet, thus creating a long list of degenerative health conditions that could easily be resolved with proper supplementation. Iodine is a rare element that has played a key role in the evolution of life on Earth. Approximately 2 billion years after Earth was formed oxygen was first produced by a sea organism, cyanobacteria, a form of blue-green algae that released oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. These organisms developed an affinity for iodine which served as an antioxidant to protect them from free radicals that are triggered by oxygen. To this day seaweeds are found to contain the highest amounts of iodine of any organism on Earth due to their ability to concentrate large amounts of iodine from the ocean water. Like the sea plants, our evolutionary roots were birthed in the ocean and we too need this essential nutrient for survival. Though vital to health, iodine is a relatively rare element ranking 62nd in abundance of minerals on Earth. It is found in small amounts in seawater and rocks that formed from evaporated seawater, yet is scarce in the Earth’s crust. Iodine found in soil originated from evaporated seawater that drifted onto land and is most abundant in areas [...]

Minerals provide the physical elements that comprise life and of all the minerals on Earth, none are as essential to life as the element magnesium. The Chinese word for magnesium is “mei” meaning beautiful mineral, and traditional Chinese healers consider it to be paramount in healing properties due to its ability to prevent and cure disease, maintain health and promote longevity. Dr. Jerry Aikawa refers to magnesium as the most important mineral to man and all other living organisms. Deposits of magnesium were discovered by man near the ancient Greek city of Magnesia. Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) was employed then as a laxative and still is today. Magnesium was also used to heal a variety of conditions including heartburn, depression, vertigo, ulcers, kidney stones, jaundice, gout and worms. In the last 40 years, over 1,000 laboratory studies have been conducted revealing at least a hundred other health conditions that magnesium supplementation can successfully treat, and yet modern medicine still does not recognize its broad impact on health. Foods that are rich in magnesium are whole grains, nuts, seeds, and green leafy vegetables, with the highest amounts found in pumpkins seeds, seaweeds and spirulina. Magnesium is at the center of the chlorophyll molecule, so dark green plants are particularly high in magnesium, provided of course that enough magnesium was present in the environment in which the plants were grown. The concentration of magnesium and other minerals in our food has declined drastically over the last several decades as a result of modern agricultural methods. Our bodies were designed to obtain magnesium from our food and do not have a mechanism for storing it. It is estimated that 70% of the population is severely deficient in this [...]

Before the Industrial Revolution a couple of centuries ago, humans spent most of their time living and working outside bathing in the Sun’s life-giving rays. The ancients revered the Sun as sacred and essential to health. It wasn’t until the 19th century when a large proportion of the population moved to the cities and began to spend a majority of their time indoors that the diseases of modern civilization began to appear. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, fibromyalgia and numerous autoimmune disorders were unheard of before then. Modern man now views the solar rays as something to be feared and seek protection from. Rickets, a painful childhood deformity caused by an inability to form hardened bones, was the first disease to surface in Europe in the early 1800’s as a direct result of inadequate sunlight. In the early 1900’s, it was discovered that sunlight and later, cod liver oil could help to heal Rickets. Several decades later it was found that sunlight could also heal the dreaded tuberculosis, an infectious disease which caused bone deformities. In 1914 Vitamin D was discovered in cod liver oil, and in 1922 vitamin D was discovered as the essential nutrient created in the skin when exposed to the Sun. During the next 50 years most of the research focused on how vitamin D acts in the kidneys, intestines and skeleton to help control the flow of calcium into and out of the bones through the bloodstream. More recent studies reveal the broader impact this important micronutrient has on total health. In truth, though referred to as a fat soluble vitamin, vitamin D is actually a hormone which like other hormones, acts as a chemical [...]

Enzymes are energized protein molecules found in all living cells. In essence, they are the spark of life that catalyze and regulate all biochemical reactions that occur in the body. There are approximately 2,700 different enzymes found in the human body that can combine with co-enzymes to form approximately 100,000 biochemical substances that enable us to see, hear, feel, move, think, reproduce and digest our food. Dr. Max Wolf, a medical doctor at Columbia University who researched enzymes and hormones from the 1930’s through the 1960’s determined that enzyme production in humans diminishes rapidly after age 27. The vital force provided by an abundance of enzymes in a young person enables them to recover quickly from illness and injuries and gives them the flexibility, agility and energy to accomplish great feats. It appears that as we age, depending on our lifestyle, diet and inherent enzyme potential, digestive difficulties may develop, the immune system must work harder, degenerative diseases may appear, and strength, flexibility, endurance and mental acuity decrease. There are three types of enzymes: digestive enzymes and metabolic or systemic enzymes which are produced by the body, and food enzymes which must be obtained from the live foods that we eat. Digestive enzymes are secreted by the digestive system to break down food into nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream and to eliminate waste. The human digestive system secretes the proteolytic protein-digesting enzymes protease, trypsin and pepsin, fat-digesting enzymes lipase and cholesterol esterase, and enzymes that break down carbohydrates including amylase, sucrase, maltase, lactase, and ptyalin. The body does not make cellulase, an enzyme necessary for digestion of fiber that is present in raw plant foods, however the microflora in the intestines can manufacture [...]

Health & Safety Risks of Wireless Utility Meters All humans, creatures, plants, and even the Earth itself are electromagnetic beings designed to live in harmony in a natural field of energy that balances, nurtures, and sustains life. The energy field in which we live consists of intertwined electrical and magnetic energy that travels as waves known as electromagnetic radiation (EMR). Low frequencies travel in long waves, while high frequencies travel in short waves. The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. At the lowest end of this spectrum are extremely low frequencies, then low frequencies used to power electricity, ascending through radio waves and microwaves used for communication, to infrared, the visible light spectrum, and ultra-violet light, up to the ionizing radiation of x-rays and gamma rays at the highest end of the spectrum. Frequencies are measured in hertz (Hz). In 1952 German physicist Winifred Schumann discovered that the Earth emits a natural extremely low frequency energy field of 7.83 Hz which coincidentally is the exact frequency of the human brain. Known as the Schumann resonance, it is this energetic frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum with which all of life must resonate in order to thrive. Research has shown that exposure to this frequency is integral to survival. It controls our mental and physical health and synchronizes our circadian rhythms. Our cells communicate and our DNA delivers instructions using electromagnetic frequencies. Our hearts and brains are regulated by internal bioelectrical signals, so any changes to our electromagnetic environment can have a significant impact on our wellbeing. Throughout evolution humans and other life forms have had to adapt to environmental changes. However, never before in recorded history has the energetic landscape of the [...]

Water fluoridation is the practice of adding fluoride compounds to the public water supply for the purpose of reducing tooth decay. In 1945 three North American cities began to fluoridate their water on a trial basis. The trial was to last 15 years to test for safety and efficacy, however, in 1950 before any of the trials were completed, mass fluoridation on a national scale was endorsed by the U.S. Public Health Service. Currently 72% of Americans get their water from fluoridated municipal water systems. The American Dental Association (ADA) has heavily promoted water fluoridation for over 60 years and in 1999 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) called water fluoridation “one of the top ten public health achievements of the 20th century”. Few other countries would agree. In fact, there are more Americans drinking fluoridated water than the rest of the world combined. Most developed nations including 97% of Western Europe have rejected fluoridation for health and ethical reasons. Yet according to statistics published by the World Health Organization, their teeth are just as healthy or better than those of Americans. The history of water fluoridation began in the U.S. with the rapid growth of technology in the early 20th century. This resulted in an explosion of industrial factories that produced toxic fluoride emissions. Of particular concern were the fluorocarbons and aluminum slated to perform a major military role during World War II. By 1938, companies such as the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) were on a wartime schedule and releasing masses of fluoride into the environment causing nearby livestock and residents to become ill. Lawsuits were filed and companies were concerned that public outcry could force government regulations, cost billions in pollution control, [...]

As human beings we are blessed with a rational mind to figure things out, a landscape of emotions to feel things out, and a physical body to put our ideas and impulses into action.  Typically, when the physical body malfunctions we tend to ingest something to make it feel better such as a drug or natural remedy.  When we are depressed or anxious we may do the same thing, blame others for our pain, or shift our focus to distract us from feeling bad.  Yet all along it is our beliefs about life shaped by our emotional experiences that determine how we think and feel, even physically, and it is here we need to journey in order to heal. As spiritual seekers many of us understand the importance of the mind/body connection, however sometimes it appears that we just can’t break through our blocks to transform the pain, as if there is a lock on the mind that we cannot penetrate.  We may desperately want to clear our anger or our fear but just don’t know how.  We may even feel guilty because we know the truth of the situation but feel powerless to change it.  Some of us may even go through years of psychotherapy in an attempt to figure the whole thing out. It may be a consolation to know that as humans we all share a history of traumatic experiences of varying severity, with each experience capable of creating a belief about what to expect in life and what we think we can and cannot do.  From sexual abuse, to being embarrassed in front of our peers, these are all forms of trauma that affect our feelings about ourselves and our world.  [...]

The liver is indeed an amazing organ.  It is the largest organ and second only to the brain in complexity. As its name implies, the quality of our life depends in large part on the healthy functioning of our liver.  The liver is located behind the right rib cage, weighs about 3.5 pounds, and is responsible for performing over 500 functions which affect every part of the body.  The liver essentially masterminds the body’s fuel supply, playing a major role in the processing and distribution of nutrients to the cells and the filtration and elimination of poisonous substances from the body. A healthy liver filters 3 pints of blood every minute to be used by rest of the body.  It purifies and clears harmful chemicals, drugs, alcohol, environmental toxins, infectious organisms and undigested waste, neutralizing their detrimental effects.   It produces enzymes and amino acids and metabolizes fats, proteins and carbohydrates for absorption.  It synthesizes blood proteins, processes hemoglobin for iron utilization, and regulates blood clotting.  It regulates and metabolizes hormones.   It converts poisonous ammonia to urea, an end product of protein metabolism, so it can be excreted in the urine. One of the major jobs of the liver is to help break down fats, preparing them for further digestion and absorption.  To do this effectively, the liver must produce 1 to 1.5 quarts of bile per day which is then carried through the bile ducts into the gall bladder where it is secreted into the small intestine for further digestion.  The liver also produces cholesterol and special proteins to help carry essential fats through the body for proper utilization and assimilation of fat-soluble vitamins including A, E, D and K.  It also stores sugars in [...]

How wonderful at the end of a long active day to let go of all earthly concerns of time and space and ease into the blissful state of slumber. Deep restful sleep is an essential human need and as important to health as food, water, fresh air and exercise. Sleep is a natural rest period required for survival by most mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates. While voluntary body movement ceases during sleep, it is a dynamic time of healing, growth and rejuvenation. Throughout history, sleep has remained one of life’s greatest mysteries. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks erected sleep temples where people could go to incubate dreams, which were viewed as messages from the gods. They knew that sleep was essential for healing and believed that dreams revealed cures for physical and emotional maladies. Sleep is regulated by natural circadian rhythms within all living things determined by 24 hour cycles of day and night. Brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities are linked to this daily cycle. The biological “clock” that attunes us to this natural rhythm is located in the hypothalamus region of the brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). As light enters the eyes, the photoreceptors in the retina create signals that travel along the optic nerve to the SCN. The SCN takes the information on day length from the retina, interprets it, and passes it on to the pineal gland which then secretes the hormone melatonin in response. Secretion of melatonin peaks at night inducing sleep and is at its lowest point at daybreak stimulating us to wake up. Though sleep may appear to be a relatively passive state, it is in fact a very active time. [...]