How to properly prepare breads the traditional way to avoid gluten intolerance

Millions of people today suffer from gluten intolerance, or Celiac disease, which prevents them from eating foods that contain wheat, barley, rye, and some varieties of oats, as well as a host of other ingredients made from these grains. But did you know that, when prepared properly, breads, cereals, and other gluten-containing foods can actually be eaten safely and nutritiously by many gluten-intolerant individuals?

Similar to how lactose intolerant individuals are able to drink raw milk because the lactase and other digestive enzymes have not been destroyed by pasteurization, properly-prepared gluten-containing foods can also be eaten by many gluten intolerant and Celiac disease individuals. It all has to do with how the grains are fermented before being eaten, a lost art in the modern food system, but one that could change the gluten-free mindset of many people as it becomes more widely known.

"Traditional cuisines and pre-industrialized peoples from around the world took great care to soak or ferment their grains before consuming them, as porridges, breads, and casseroles," says Sarah Pope, Weston A. Price Chapter Leader and author of the blog The Healthy Home Economist. In a recent video blog, Pope explains the fascinating truth about how soaking grains in an acid-based medium like apple cider vinegar or whey prior to eating them can make all the difference in how the body digests them.

Traditional breads and grain-based foods were fermented prior to consumption, which made them more digestible

Long before commercial bread producers began using yeast to quickly rise breads, for instance, traditional cultures would make slow-rise breads using fermented dough starters. The human body is much more able to digest this fermented bread, more commonly known as sourdough bread, than it is the common white and wheat breads available today.

The reason for this is that all grains and legumes naturally contain phytic acid, an organic acid which blocks mineral absorption in the digestive tract. Because most commercial-scale breads and grains are not soaked or fermented prior to consumption, this phytic acid is not properly broken down, which can cause inflammation in the digestive system. This inflammation can damage the intestinal villi responsible for absorbing needed nutrients, which is believed to be the cause of gluten intolerance.

"For those with gluten intolerance, soaking or fermenting gluten-based grains breaks down this difficult-to-digest plant protein," adds Pope. "Studies carried out in Italy have found that people with Celiac disease can consume genuine sourdough bread without digestive distress or autoimmune symptoms."

Soaking beans and even gluten-free grains makes them more digestible as well

The same is true for beans and gluten-free grains like rice, which become more digestible when soaked prior to consumption. Because the soaking process neutralizes the phytic acid and other enzyme inhibitors present in these foods, many people that would otherwise become bloated or develop an upset stomach after eating them as they are prepared today have a much better experience digesting them in this traditional manner.

Be sure to check out Sarah Pope's helpful video for more information about how to properly prepare grains and legumes at home, which includes specific recipes you can try at home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX3RcU5Hhqg

You can also check out her website at:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/

Sources for this article include:

http://www.westonaprice.org/about-the-foundation/shopping-guide

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035413_breads_gluten_intolerance_recipes.html#ixzz1qjpDqJCU

The best homemade remedies to treat hay fever and seasonal allergies

Homemade remedies for hay fever can quickly reduce seasonal allergy reactions, providing relief from symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, itching, congestion and coughing. Hay fever affects the mucous membranes of the sinuses, nose, throat, eyes and palate. Grasses and plant pollens are the cause of inflammatory reactions that stimulate the immune system, and are made worse by the presence of chemicals, dust and pollutants. Research indicates that approximately 20 percent of the population suffer some form of hay fever.

Homemade remedies including treatment with herbs, homeopathy and common household ingredients provide natural antihistamines, relieve symptoms and prevent their return.

Treatment with herbs

Homemade remedies consisting of herbal recipes are often highly effective at providing allergy relief for hay fever sufferers.

Chamomile tea is reputed to relieve hay fever symptoms. Some herbalists suggest smearing chamomile and lemon oil on a tissue and inhaling to prevent hay fever symptoms.

Ginger tea and raw honey works to break up chest congestion and loosen phlegm. It strengthens the immune system and acts as a natural antihistamine.

Green tea blocks the production of histamine and is one of the best homemade remedies for building the immune system.

Peppermint tea relieves nasal and sinus congestion. Drink it cold to sooth coughing associated with hay fever and allergies.

Butterbur reduces inflammation, blocking histamines and leukotrienes. Studies suggest the herb is effective for relieving sneezing, itchy eyes, sinus congestion and headaches. People allergic to ragweed or chrysanthemum should avoid butterbur.

Homemade remedies

Old time, folk remedies are tried and true, providing relief from sneezing, congestion and itching from hay fever.

Steaming produces excellent results to break up congestion. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a bowl of hot water and carefully inhale the steam. Avoid eucalyptus if you are taking homeopathic remedies as it voids their action.

Grapefruit and lemon boiled in one cup of water for 15 minutes makes an excellent home remedy for hay fever. Use only the fruit, not the rind. Cool and mix with raw honey to relieve symptoms.

Calendula liquid diluted in water makes an excellent eye wash to soothe itchy eyes. Use non-alcoholic calendula. Add a dropper full of colloidal silver to enhance the anti-microbial action and reduce inflammation.

Omega-3 fatty acids may act to lower the amounts of inflammatory chemicals produced by the body after exposure to an allergen. Although additional research is needed, it appears that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids may help decrease the incidence of hay fever.

Homeopathic remedies

Numerous homeopathic medicines make excellent homemade remedies for hay fever symptoms.

Arundo - People needing Arundo often experience burning and itching of the palate, nose and the eyes. There may be sneezing, runny nose and loss of smell.

Wyethia - Similar to Arundo, with intolerable itching on the roof of the mouth and back of the nose into the frontal sinuses and throat indicate the need for Wyethia.

Arum Triphyllum - This remedy may relieve burning nasal discharge that creates raw sores on the skin. There may be pain at the root of the nose and the individual must breathe through the mouth due to congestion. Scabs may form high up in the nostrils, and skin of nose and lips is dry and chapped.

Sabadilla - One of the best home remedies for constant sneezing accompanied by nasal discharge and itching in the nose indicate a need for Sabadilla. There may be watery eyes and a lump in the throat indicating the need for this remedy.

Sources for this article include:

The British Institute for Allergy and Environmental Therapy: Hayfever
http://www.allergy.org.uk/hayfever.htm

Home Remedies: Hay Fever
http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Hay-Fever.html

AyurvedicCure.com: Home Remedies for Hay Fever
http://www.ayurvediccure.com/homeremedy/hayfever.htm

About.com -- Alternative Medicine: Natural Allergy Remedies
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsatod/a/allergies.htm

Truestar Health: Homeopathic Remedies for Hay Fever
http://truestarhealth.com/Notes/2228002.html

Natural News: Homeopathic Remedies Help Allergies and Hay Fever
http://www.naturalnews.com/028915_allergies_homeopathic.html

Mayo Clinic: Lifestyle and Home Remedies
http://www.mayoclinic.com

About the author:
JB Bardot is trained in herbal medicine and homeopathy, and has a post graduate degree in holistic nutrition. Bardot cares for both people and animals, using alternative approaches to health care and lifestyle. You can find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001364941208&ref=tn_tnmn or on Twitter at jbbardot23

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035367_hay_fever_seasonal_allergies_remedies.html#ixzz1qJ935geb

Why Make a Matrix? And Why You Might Be In One

The Purpose of the Matrix

Why the Matrix? Why did the machines do it? (Human brains may be many things, but efficient batteries they are not.) How could they justify a world whose inhabitants are systematically deceived about their fundamental reality, ignorant about the reason why they exist, and subject to all the cruelty and suffering that we witness in the world around us? Children dying of AIDS; lovers separated by war and poverty; cancer patients tormented by unbearable pain; stroke victims deprived of their use of language and reason… One would think nobody but a sadist could have the imagination to think up these horrors, much less possess the desire to create a world that contains them in such abundance. But the machines did it, at least that’s how the story goes.
Although the world of the Matrix they created is far from perfect, it is – arguably – better than no world at all, the elimination of all human beings. Still, the machines could have created a world containing much more goodness, happiness, wisdom, personal growth, love and beauty, a world that was free of most of the natural and manmade evil that pervades our world. Indeed, as the story goes, they tried that, but supposedly it didn’t work.

Agent Smith: Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world. Where none suffered. Where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed that we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that as a species, human beings define their reality through misery and suffering. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this, the peak of your civilization

The existence of unnecessary evil is one of the most powerful arguments against the belief that the world was created by an all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good God. Theologians have spent centuries trying to answer it, and with very questionable success. But the problem of evil is only a problem if one assumes that the world was created by an omnipotent and perfectly good being. If one assumes instead that the creator was not perfectly good, and perhaps not even omnipotent, then it would be much easier to reconcile the view that our world was created with its seemingly obvious ethical shortcomings.
What about you? You’re not all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good. But what if you had the ability to create this kind of Matrix, would you do it? Even if you would not have chosen to create a world like this, there are many other people who do not share your scruples. If these people had the ability to create Matrices, some of their works might well look like the world in which we find ourselves.
Why might they choose to build a Matrix like our reality? One can think of many possible reasons—setting aside the daft idea of using human brains as batteries. But perhaps future historians would create a Matrix that mimicked the history of their own species. They might do this to find out more about their past, or to explore counterfactual historical scenarios. In the world of the Architect(s), Napoleon may have succeeded in conquering Europe, and our world might be a Matrix created to research what would have happened if Napoleon had been defeated. Or perhaps there will be future artists who create Matrices as an art form much like we create movies and operas. Or perhaps the tourist industry will create simulations of interesting historical epochs so that their contemporaries can go on themed holidays to some bygone age by entering into the simulation and interacting with its inhabitants. The possible motives are myriad, and if future people are anything like present people, and if they have the technological might and the legal right to create Matrices, we would expect that many Matrices would be created, including ones that would look like the world that we are experiencing.

The Simulation Argument

 

If each advanced civilization created many Matrices of their own history, then most people like us, who live in a technologically more primitive age, would live inside Matrices rather than outside them. If this were the case, where would you most likely be?
The so-called Simulation argument, which I introduced a few years ago, makes this line of reasoning more precise and takes it to its logical conclusion. The conclusion is that there are three basic possibilities at least one of which is true. The first possibility is that the human species will almost certainly go extinct before becoming technologically mature. The second possibility is that almost no technologically mature civilization is interested in building Matrices. The third possibility is that we are almost certainly living in a Matrix. Why? Because if the first two possibilities are not the case, then there are more “people” living in Matrices than in “real worlds.” As a “person” then the chances are that you are living in a Matrix rather than in a “real world.”
The Simulation argument does not tell us which of these three possibilities obtain, only that at least one of them does. The argument employs some math and probability theory, but the basic idea can be understood without recourse to technical apparatus.[1]
 
Building a Matrix

Creating comprehensive Matrices that are indistinguishable from non-simulated reality is, of course, far beyond our current technological capability. Even so, we can estimate the computational requirements for creating such virtual realities.
Rather than confining the construction project to creating a virtual reality simulation, we can consider a more ambitious project that also involves the creation of the inhabitants of the Matrix. Instead of having pink gooey pods with biological humans floating in them being fed sensory input from a simulated reality, it would be more efficient to replace the brains with simulations of brains. Many philosophers and cognitive scientists believe that such brain-simulations would be conscious, provided the simulation was sufficiently detailed and accurate.
Estimates of the human brain’s computational power have been given and estimates of the computational power that would be available to a technologically mature civilization can also been made. While these estimates are very approximate, it turns out that even when allowing for a large margin of error, the computational resources of a mature civilization would suffice to create very many Matrices. Even a single planetary-sized computer, constructed with advanced molecular nanotechnology, could simulate the entire mental history of humankind by using less than one millionth of its computing power for one second; and this presupposes only already known computational mechanisms and engineering principles. A single civilization may eventually build millions of such computers. We can conclude that a technologically mature civilization would have enough computing power such that even if it devoted but a tiny fraction of it to creating Matrices, there would soon be many more simulated people than there were people living in the original history of that civilization.
These simulations would not have to be perfect. They would only have to be good enough to fool its inhabitants. It would not be necessary to simulate every object down to the subatomic level (something that would definitely be infeasible). If the book you are holding in your hands is a simulated book, the simulation would only need to include its visual appearance, its weight and texture, and a few other macroscopic properties, because you have no way of knowing what its individual atoms are doing at this moment. If you were to study the book more carefully, for example by examining it under a powerful microscope, additional details of the simulation could be filled in as needed. Objects that nobody is perceiving could have an even more compressed representation. Such simplifications would dramatically reduce the computational requirements.

Three Possibilities

Given that the Architects of a technologically mature civilization could create a vast number of Matrices even by devoting just a small fraction of their resources to that end, an interesting implication follows. Consider the set of civilizations that are at similar level of technological development as our own current civilization. Suppose that some non-trivial fraction of these eventually go on to become technologically mature. Suppose, furthermore, that some non-trivial fraction of these devote a non-negligible proportion of their resources to building Matrices. Then most people like us live in Matrices rather than outside them. There are thus three basic possibilities: either almost every civilization like ours go extinct before reaching technological maturity; or almost every mature civilization lacks any interest in building Matrices; or almost all people with our kind of experiences live in Matrices.
Let us think a little about these three possibilities. If almost every civilization at our current stage goes extinct before becoming technologically mature, then our future looks relatively bleak. For if such a premature ending were the fate awaiting most civilizations, we would have to suspect that the same will hold for our civilization in particular. This is because we seem to lack any reason for thinking that our civilization will be luckier than most other civilizations at our stage.
The second possibility is less depressing. It might turn out that almost all technologically mature civilizations lose interest in building Matrices. Maybe the potential Architects of the future will not share any of the possible motives for building Matrices that we discussed above. Presumably, Architects would have used their advanced technology to improve their own capacities, so they may be superintelligent and have complete control over their own mental states. Rather than resorting to Matrix-building for recreation, they may obtain pleasure more efficiently by direct stimulation of their brains’ pleasure centers. Their science may be so advanced that they have little to learn from running simulations of their historical past. Furthermore, they might develop ethical norms that prohibit the creation of Matrices. So we cannot infer from the fact that many current people would be tempted to construct Matrices that the same would hold for the super-advanced folks that would actually have the ability to act on this motive.
The third possibility is the most intriguing. If the vast majority of all people with other kind of experiences live in Matrices then we probably live in a Matrix. Unless we had some specific evidence to the contrary, we would therefore have to conclude that the world we see around us exists only by virtue of being simulated on a powerful computer built by some technologically highly advanced Architect.

Not the Old Brain-in-a-Vat Argument

For hundreds of years, philosophers have pondered the question how we can know that the external world exists. Descartes (1596-1650) posed this question in his Meditationes, and considered the scenario where a hypothetical evil demon caused us to have erroneous beliefs about external objects. In more recent years, Descartes’ skeptical scenario has been given a more modern finish, and instead of a demon one is now asked to imagine a mad scientist who has extracted one’s brain and who keeps it in a vat where the scientist is stimulating it with electrical signals replicating the sensory input that the brain would have had if it had interacted with a very different environment from that which is present in the real world. This is, of course, is the predicament explored in the Matrix movie. How can one possibly know that one is not such a brain in a vat, the philosophical skeptic challenges, given that all the appearances we experience could be the experiences of an envatted brain?
The argument outlined above provides a much stronger reason for taking seriously the possibility that we are living in a Matrix. The traditional skeptical argument offers no positive ground for thinking that we are living in a Matrix. At best, it shows that we cannot completely rule out that possibility, but we remain free to assign it a very small or negligible probability. If there are no mad scientists who experiment on conscious envatted human brains, then we are not envatted. Even if there were a few such brains-in-vats, they might be extremely rare compared to the brains-in-crania that interact with the external world in the normal way; and if so, then it may be highly unlikely that we would be among the envatted ones.
The Simulation argument, by contrast, adopts as its starting point that things are the way they seem to be and that science gives us reliable information about the world. Part of this information concerns the technological capabilities that an advanced civilization would be able to develop. Among these would be the capability to create Matrices. Crucially, it seems that they could easily create Matrices in astronomical numbers. From this we can then conclude that either technologically mature civilizations that are interested in creating Matrices are extremely rare compared to civilizations at our own current stage of development or almost all people like us live in Matrices. And from this, the division into three the three basic possibilities mentioned above follows.
The Simulation argument itself doesn’t tell us which one of these three possibilities obtain. In fact, we do not currently have any strong evidence either for or against either of these three possibilities. We should therefore assign them all a significant probability. In particular, we should take seriously the possibility that we are living in a Matrix. We might still think that the probability is less than 50%. A degree of belief of something like 20% would seem quite reasonable given our current information.

How Could You Tell If You Are In A Matrix? 

Consider the predicament of Neo and his fellow rebels in the trilogy. They know there are many Matrices. They lead parts of their lives inside a Matrix. They know that most of their compatriots spend their whole lives in a Matrix. Given this, they should be extremely reluctant to think that they have escaped their Matrix. What appears to be an escape could easily just be simulated escape, so that they exit one level of the Matrix only to reemerge at another. The Wachowski brothers can of course stipulate that this is not the case and that the heroes really do get to experience “real” reality. But if Neo were rational, he would never be able to be at all confident that this is what happens.
If the Wachowski brothers had created a real Matrix (rather than just a movie about a Matrix), then, if they were rational, they would have to conclude that they themselves are almost certainly in a Matrix. For if we develop the capability to create our own Matrices, and if we decide to make use of this capability, we would obtain very strong evidence against the first two possibilities: that it is not the case that almost all civilizations at our current stage go extinct before reaching technologically maturity and that it is not the case that almost all mature civilizations lose interest in creating Matrices. This would leave us with only the third possibility—that we almost certainly inhabit a Matrix.
But what about the situation we actually find ourselves in? The Simulation argument aside, would it be possible to detect any direct signs of being in a Matrix? Is there a kind of “splinter in the mind” that would indicate that all is not right with reality? Certainly, if the Architects of a Matrix wished to reveal themselves, it would be easy enough for them to do so. For example, they could make a window pop up in our visual field with the text “YOU ARE LIVING IN A MATRIX. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION”.
In the movie, the Oracle tells us that UFOs, Ghosts, and other strange sights are the manifestations of malfunctions in the Matrix that are being covered up.

The Oracle: Look, see those birds? At some point a program was written to govern them. A program was written to watch over the trees, and the wind, the sunrise, and sunset. There are programs running all over the place. The ones doing their job, doing what they were meant to do, are invisible. You'd never even know they were here. But the other ones, well, we hear about them all the time.
Neo: I've never heard of them.
The Oracle: Of course you have. Every time you've heard someone say they saw a ghost, or an angel. Every story you've ever heard about vampires, werewolves, or aliens is the system assimilating some program that's doing something they're not supposed to be doing.

Déjà vu is a sign of a glitch in the Matrix, which is re-running a sequence to cover something that has changed. Some people have written to me that they have found signs that we are in a Matrix. One person, for instance, told me that he could see flickering pixels when he looked in his bathroom mirror. Another person wrote that he could hear voices in his head. But even if we are in a Matrix, it is far more likely that such phenomena are the result of imperfections in the reporters rather than in the Matrix itself. There are many perfectly ordinary explanations for why some people should report having these kinds of experiences, including mental illness, over-excited imagination, gullibility, and so forth. Dysfunctional brains could be simulated just as easily as properly functioning ones, and including them in the simulation may indeed add to its verisimilitude.
Building any kind of Matrix at all that contains conscious simulated brains would be tremendously difficult. Any being capable of such a feat would almost certainly also be able to prevent any glitches in their Matrix from being noticed by its inhabitants. Even if some people did notice an anomaly, the Architect could backtrack the simulation a few seconds and rerun it in a way that avoided the anomaly entirely or else could simply edit out the memory of the anomaly from whoever had noticed something suspect.
 

How To Live In A Matrix 

If we knew the Architects’ motives for designing Matrices then the hypothesis that we live in one might have major practical consequences. But in fact we know almost nothing about what these motives might be. Because of this ignorance, our best method for getting around in our Matrix (if that is where we are) is to study the patterns we find in the world we experience. We would run experiments, discover regularities, build models, and extrapolate from past events. In other words, we would apply the scientific method and common sense in the same way as if we knew that we were not in a Matrix. To a first approximation, therefore, the answer to how you should live if you are in a Matrix is that you should live the same way as if you are not in a Matrix.
The Simulation argument does, however, have some more subtle practical ramifications, even if we set aside the other two possibilities to which it points (which do not entail that we are in a Matrix). Some scenarios that would otherwise seem to have been foreclosed by our current scientific understanding again become real possibilities if we inhabit a Matrix. For instance, while the physical world cannot suddenly pop out of existence, a simulated reality could do so at any time if the Architect decides to pull the plug. An afterlife would also be a real possibility. When a person dies in a simulation, he or she could be resurrected in another simulation, or the Architect could uplift the deceased into his own level of reality.
It is also conceivable that only some people are simulated in enough detail to be conscious while others may be simulated at a cruder level allowing them to appear and behave much like the real people but without having any subjective experience. The so-called “problem of other minds”—how we can know that other people are really conscious and are not just behaving as if they were—is another old chestnut of philosophy. There is, however, no consensus that such “zombie” people are possible even in principle. Some people have argued that it is necessarily true that anybody who acts sufficiently like a normal human being must also have conscious experience. (Whether this view would entail that your least favorite politicians cannot be zombies is a question on which more research is required.)
Another possibility it that the Architect might decide to reward or punish his simulated creatures, perhaps on the basis of moral criteria. If you might be in a Matrix, this consideration may give you a novel self-interested reason for behaving morally. The situation would be analogous to the case where God is watching and judging you except that the role of the final judge would not be a supernatural being but the physical person or persons who built the Matrix.
It would be misleading to say that if we are in a Matrix then we and the world around us do not really exist. It would be more accurate to say that the reality of these things is of a somewhat different nature than we thought before. Your nose would still be real; only, its reality would consist in being simulated on a powerful computer. The computer and the electrical activity of its circuitry would be physical phenomena in the more basic level of reality inhabited by the Architect of the Matrix.

Matrices Repeated and Stacked

When Neo stopped the Sentinels with his mind outside the Matrix at the end of Reloaded the speculation began. Was there a Matrix on top of the Matrix? As Revolutions revealed, there was not. But there could have been. A mature civilization would have enough computing power to run astronomically many Matrices. If we are in a Matrix, therefore, there are probably vast numbers of other Matrices, which differ from ours in some detail or in their overall design. These other Matrices may be run sequentially, as in the movie, or simultaneously by time-sharing the same processor or by using multiple computers. From the viewpoint of the simulated inhabitants, it makes little difference how the Matrices are implemented.
A Matrix may contain a civilization that matures and proceeds to build its own Matrices in the simulation. Realty could thus contain many levels, with computers being simulated inside computers which are themselves simulated, and so forth. How many layers of simulation there could be depends on the computing power available to the bottom-level Architect (who is not simulated). Since all the higher levels of simulation would ultimately be implemented on this Architect’s computer, he would have to shoulder the cost of all the simulations and all the simulated people. If his computing power is limited, there may be only a small number of levels.
As we noted above, all Architects would have strong reason to think that they themselves might be in a Matrix. (If the Architects at the basement level believed this they would be mistaken, but only because of bad epistemic luck, not because of any fault in their reasoning.) If we combine this insight with the speculation that moral considerations may play a part in determining the treatment some simulated people receive at the hands of their Architects, we are led to the peculiar thought that everybody—not just the simulated people—may have a self-interested reason for behaving morally. If behaving morally towards somebody includes judging and treating them according to moral criteria, this could further strengthen the reason that everybody have for behaving morally. The stronger that reason is, the more we would expect that people would be motivated by it. And the more people are likely to be motivated to treating their simulated creatures morally, the stronger this reason would become. This reasoning can be iterated indefinitely in a truly “virtuous circle,” albeit a rather tenuous one as it relies not only on the possibility that we are in a simulation but also on tenuous speculations about the motives of the Architects.
At a minimum, the Simulation argument provides many exciting avenues for philosophical thinking. But if it is sound—and so far it has not been refuted—it could also provide various suggestions, however tentative and ambiguous, for how we should go about our lives and for what we should expect in the future. When we follow through the logical implications of what we think we know, we discover just how much we don’t yet know.

---

[1] For the full story, see (2003) “Are You Living In A Computer Simulation?” Philosophical Quarterly. Vol. 53, No. 211, pp. 243-255. This and other related papers are available at www.simulation-argument.com.

Investigation concludes Obama's birth certificate is fraudulent

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said President Barack Obama's birth certificate is not authentic.

Arpaio revealed the findings of a investigation into the president's birth certificate at a 1 hour and 20 minute news conference Thursday, calling the certificate "suspect."

Arpaio's team of investigators said they found that the long-form birth certificate was created electronically and never existed in paper form.

The president's Selective Service card was also questioned.

Arpaio's investigators claimed the document has "failed every test we put it through."

At Thursday's news conference, investigators said they will request a criminal investigation. They also said they have identified a person of interest in the forgery of the birth certificate.

Arpaio said he is not accusing the president of the crime. He said they will investigate who is behind the "possible forgery and fraud."

"I haven't decided where to go with this yet," Arpaio said. "I just wanted to get the facts of this situation. We haven't accused anyone of anything."

The controversy over the certificate has been widely debunked, but it remains alive in the eyes of some conservatives, namely members of the Tea Party who urged Arpaio to look into the matter.

For the past six months, Arpaio's "Cold Case Posse" has been investigating the authenticity of those documents to see if there's been any fraud or forgery involved.

"We conducted a very professional investigation; we have come up with I feel some probable cause, some evidence," Arpaio said Wednesday.

Arpaio said the investigation was done at no cost to taxpayers.

"Just let me say the results may be interesting without using the word 'shocked,'" Arpaio said prior to the conference. "I think it will reveal some information no one else has really developed in a professional law enforcement manner."

The Cold Case Posse comprises volunteers who are former police officers and lawyers.

Hemp Can Save the World

Here on NaturalNews, we often spend so much time talking about what's wrong with the world that we sometimes neglect to give sufficient attention to the real solutions that exist right in front of our eyes. One of the most powerful solutions for sustainability, abundance, health and liberty is, simply, hemp.

Hemp is poised to revolutionize our nation and our world. It's decriminalization would be a boon to American farmers and a godsend to our economy. Hemp produces super-strong fibers, oils, seeds, medicines and much more. With it, American industry can create textiles, building materials, dietary supplements, food, eco-friendly lubricants and even car parts!

To help celebrate this extraordinary plant and what it has to offer to our global economy, Nutiva, ELEVATE, The Luminaries, Aishah and Clayton Joseph Scott have teamed up to create Hemp Can Save the World. It's a groovy hip-hop ode to the extraordinary benefits of hemp, performed by a band of happy hempsters flying and bounding through a computer-generated 3D world of hemp highlights. Yeah, it delivers all that without even using drugs!

(It's also just really, really good music. As a noted musician myself -- www.Amethios.com -- I can attest to the very high production value of this music and its accompanying video. Great job, team!)

Watch this fun, groovy video right now at:

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rpY-8u8_Iw

TV.NaturalNews.com:
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=F6187F974A5B11E38EAD5BB36529E976

The full lyrics of this song are reprinted at the end of this article. Check it out there, or visit www.Nutiva.com/hempcan

If hemp is so great, why is it illegal to grow?

The short answer is because government laws often violate fundamental human rights. Hemp is restricted precisely BECAUSE it promotes freedom, abundance and healthy living.

Unless you're a complete idiot, you've probably already noticed that all the powerful corporations in the world make billions of dollars in profits off of war, disease and monopolistic controls over the enslaved masses. So allowing people to grow a crop that requires no pesticides, no GMOs, and no fertilizer while producing food, medicine, fibers and omega-3 oils is absolutely terrifying to the global controllers who seek total economic control. Farmers are so much easier to control if they are kept in a state of perpetual bankruptcy, you see -- especially if they are dependent on year after year of GMO seeds and Roundup herbicide chemicals.

Corporations like to be in control, and because corporations influence government, government inevitably bends toward the monopolistic desires of the corporations. So while it is illegal for you and I to grow hemp, the pharmaceutical companies are busy patenting their own branded version of THC to be approved by the FDA as a high-priced medicine. (Because THC is powerful medicine, of course.)

And while literally tens of millions of people could see vast improvements in their health thanks to the omega-3s naturally produced in hemp seeds (not to mention hemp protein and other hemp-derived products), the conventional medical industry simply doesn't make money from people walking around healthy and vibrant all the time. They make money when people stay sick and diseased! That's why your local hospital, medical clinic or corner pharmacy would vastly prefer that you eat Twinkies and Doritos than omega-3s and living sprouts. It's the dead foods that keep you coming back as a repeat customer of the drugs-and-surgery medical industry. That's not a conspiracy, it's a business fact.

But there's even more to it than that: The DEA is a rogue agency of ego-tripping 'roid raging mongo-maniacs who get their kicks bashing in other peoples' doors and hauling weedsters off to prison. This is called the "War on Drugs," and it is a pathetically vindictive abuse of innocent people and an obscene waste of taxpayer money. But if you legalize the high-THC variety of hemp (which is totally different from industrial hemp), you take away the DEA's power, and then they don't get to play cops and robbers anymore with their AR-15s and "shock troop" gear. Take away the DEA's SBRs and smoke grenades, and they no longer have any fun circle-jerking in the locker rooms with their new government-funded bang bang toys.

If you decriminalize the smoke-able varieties of hemp, you also take away the profits of all the corrupt cops in LA, Miami, Chicago, New York and San Diego who depend on marijuana staying illegal to keep its street market value. To say a Miami cop is corrupt is redundant. They're all on the take, and their "take" would become worthless if everybody could grow the product or if you could buy it at a local pharmacy as a government-regulated product (sort of like alcohol). So there are lots and lots of corrupt interests at stake in keeping hemp (and all its varieties) illegal.

Wars are the cornerstone of government power

So you see, the War on Drugs is also the war on hemp, which is essentially a war on freedom, a war on farmers, a war on abundance, and a war on America. Wars, however, are the cornerstone of the power of the state. Without all these "wars," how is the government supposed to keep people controlled and living in a state of constant fear?

Hemp is illegal, in other words, for the exact same reason that the fear of terrorism is constantly promoted across American culture -- because it serves the interests of a controlling state to limit liberty and pigeon-hole the People into little boxes of economic enslavement and psychological uncertainty. Besides, if people could grow their own economic abundance (because industrial hemp is a huge cash crop, just from the seeds and fibers), people might decide they don't need big government to rescue them after all. Who needs a welfare check when you can grow $5,000 a month worth of hemp in your own back yard?

Big Government thrives on crisis, you see. It loses power when people find ways to create their own wealth and abundance. So perpetual crisis is the tool of state enslavement, and that perpetual crisis demands having perpetual wars on things that can never be defeated such as "drugs" or "terrorism." Both of these wars are entirely fabricated, of course. Informed people have already figured that out.

Taste a little hemp freedom for yourself with Nutiva's Hemp Seeds

You might not even believe this, but until just a few years ago, it was illegal to even import nutritional hemp seeds into the United States! Yep, people who got caught carrying hemp seeds were prosecuted as if they were pot dealers. Some are still in prison for it. The state is brilliant in its persecution of real nutrition, eh? Let's not even get into California's assault on raw milk dairy farmers...

But thanks to the effort of people like John Roulac (Nutiva) and Ruth at Ruth's Hemp Foods, a legal battle was waged a few years back, and the right to own and trade hemp seeds in the USA was affirmed by the courts.

Thanks to that little victory, we can now bring you this celebratory offer on Nutiva's certified organic hemp seeds! Yes, this is the same company that backed the "Hemp Can Save the World" video you saw above. I spoke with John Roulac, Nutiva's founder, this evening and congratulated him on this outstanding video. He reiterated that it was all about spreading the word on the amazing uses for hemp and how this one miraculous plant could revolutionize America's future if prohibition against it were simply ended.

So for the next four days (or while supplies last), we've got five-pound bags of Nutiva's organic hemp seeds on sale at a ridiculous discount at the NaturalNews Store, as a celebration of this moment in American history when the truth about hemp spreads like wildfire across mainstream consciousness.

Click here for the Nutiva hemp seed special at the NaturalNews Store.

We have 5,000 pounds of organic hemp seed in stock and ready to ship. Staff is standing by and ready to ship within 2 business days max (some will ship within 1 business day). This sale ends when the quantity runs out or when the DEA shows up with their bang bang toys and decides to illegally raid our warehouse as payback for daring to question their little power scam. (Hey goons, you wanna crack down on real drug imports? Go after Coca-Cola, the only company still importing coca leaves into the USA and actually having those leaves processed into cocaine on U.S. soil... ah, but you already knew about that, didn't ya?)

With this special, you'll save up to 42% off the normal price for organic hemp seed. These are extremely versatile. I blend them into smoothies to add to the "creaminess" of them, but you can also sprinkle these into cereal, pancake mixes, yogurt, salads, cookie recipes or almost anything!

This discount is huge (seriously, check around and you'll see), and it's for the real deal: Certified organic Nutiva hemp seeds, freshly delivered just today, March 14th 2012. These are not hemp seeds that have been sitting around on a shelf somewhere for six months. They're brand new inventory, fresh and organic. They're also 100% legal to buy and own in America and Canada. This is not necessarily true in Greece, however, where a person recently got busted by the local police for importing nutritional hemp seeds. (http://www.thehia.org/PR/07-24-08_greek_health_crusader.html)

Click here to get some now while supplies last.

Spread the word on the music video!

Above all, spread the word on this extraordinary music video. The message is powerful and highly relevant to our times. Remember when Obama said he was going to look into legalizing marijuana, but then he didn't? And now we've got these other lying bastards vying for political office who would also just continue the same lame drug war?

Isn't it time that we elected somebody who would just legalize freedom? End the scourge of the DEA raiding California's medical marijuana dispensaries? End the farming prohibition that keeps American farmers subsisting in a never-ending state of near bankruptcy? (The guy has a name, by the way. It ends with "Paul.")

Isn't it time to restore America's economy? Politicians like to talk about how they want to "grow our economy" but they won't let us grow hemp! It's insane! If you want to grow the economy, start by growing hemp!

How to turn America around for the better, starting right now

Wanna truly turn America around?

Empty the prisons of non-violent drug "offenders."

Legalize all recreational drugs, shut down the DEA, regulate and tax drugs like alcohol. This would eliminate the criminal drug gangs virtually overnight and end drug violence. (www.Norml.org)

End senseless prohibition against growing industrial hemp.

Empower America's farmers with a new cash crop that's almost as lucrative as growing money on trees.

Revitalize our industrial base with local production of hemp clothing, hemp fibers and hemp housing.

Fire the morons in Washington who are so busy smoking crack that they can't see the brilliance of hemp!

Hemp is the answer, and freedom is the source of abundance

Hemp really is the answer, folks. And permaculture. They go hand in hand, of course, and America probably cannot have a bright future without farming freedom being part of the system.

Farm freedom means having the right to farm what you want.

Food freedom means having the right to eat what you want.

Medical freedom means having the right to say NO to medicine you don't want.

Health freedom means having the right to choose your system of medicine.

These freedoms are unalienable and self-evident. We are born with them from the moment we become conscious beings with souls and free will. That these freedoms do not exist today is only because a false and oppressive government has pretended to take these freedoms away from us. Such a government exists in violation of natural law and fundamental human rights, and no government that denies natural law has any real authority whatsoever (other than authority by force).

Thus, overturning the false laws of oppressive government is, itself, a powerful expression of consciousness and freedom. Defending your right to grow what you want to grow, eat what you want to eat, and honestly sell what you want to sell is a rite of passage into spiritual enlightenment. Nullifying those forces of darkness that attempt to obstruct such rights is the noblest of causes.

Express your freedom. Share this story, share Nutiva's hemp video, and take a stand against state-sponsored attacks on natural law and basic human rights.

P.S. For the record, I do not smoke marijuana or use recreational drugs. I am a regular consumer of hemp seeds as nutritional superfoods, and even though I personally choose not to smoke marijuana, I fully support the free right of others to do so if that's their choice. I recognize the essence of freedom is allowing others to make their own choices even if I don't personally agree with them. Do not misinterpret this as advocacy for recreational drug use. As a person who avoids alcohol, coffee, cigarettes and even over-the-counter medications, I strongly encourage children and teens to avoid all drug use, including prescription psychiatric drugs. I find it historically intriguing that marijuana became illegal right around the time alcohol prohibition was ending. The government drug war goons apparently needed a new reason to exist, and that's what started the whole propaganda war against marijuana and hemp.

Lyrics to Hemp Can Save the World

CHORUS 1
Imagine a world we could live in
Plant these seeds in the minds of our children
Plant these trees and grow a solution
Hemp can heal the world
Imagine a world we could live in
Plant these seeds in the minds of our children
Plant these trees and grow a solution
Hemp can save the world

VERSE 1
George Washington grew hemp Even the declaration of independence was made on hemp paper
Thomas Jefferson had hemp fields
Let me tell you all things organically grown hemp yields
Jack Herrer tried to tell us the news
We can even use the seeds to improve our foods
Build homes in the future made straight from hemp
No heat bill cost so we save on rent
Freewill in the mix hemp shirt hemp kicks
Keep my gear earth conscious let's go down the list
Its fibers are the strongest, products last the longest
Change our whole infrastructure, hemp will never wrong us
Obviously it's the plant that can raise our whole economy
If we open our minds to see
Build ya house insulated organically
That's real talk homie
That's no fantasy
Plant the seed
We got a world to feed
Grow hemp everywhere all the food you could ever need
Oil fiber medicine and paper
Banning cannabis was the world's biggest caper
Strong, durable, long-lasting, natural
Renewable botanical growing every annual
Hemp can save the Planet
All you got to do is plant it
Wanna see it growing up from the cracks in the granite

CHORUS 2
Imagine a world
Feed the children
Imagine a world
No Pollution
Imagine a world
Green Solution
Imagine a world
Hemp can heal the world
Imagine a world
No more hunger
Imagine a world
Love each other
Imagine a world
We grow stronger
Imagine a world
Hemp can save the world

VERSE 2
Let's take it back, back, back
to 10 G BC
World's oldest relic,
Hemp cloth from the Chinese
Over 50,000 uses you see, like the fuel and steel that made Henry Ford's Model-T
Greeks, Phoenecians,
High Priests and Priestesses
From Asia To America
Hemp sails the high seas
Billion Dollar Cash Crop
Can't Stop Won't Stop
Flip the Greenhouse Effect
The atmosphere is hot
I got my hat, shirt, pants, all made from hemp
Even the shoes on my feet staying ECO fresh!
Raw food be the movement I eat the seeds
Great source of protein and Omega 3's
It's the most nutritious, plus so delicious
Put it in my vita mixer in my green smoothie
We was given every seed bearing plant on earth
Genesis 1:29 check the verse
Grow a true field of dreams, tall and green
This one crop be used for everything
Hemp milk have a sip, taste buds feel the bliss
Get a hemp note pad, take notes on this
Regenerate the earth, create new work
Build ya karma points, and ya net worth
Freely I support hemp, listen for the quote
Keep it cool like, Dr Bronner's peppermint soap

CHORUS 3
Imagine a world we can live in
Plant these seeds in the minds of our children
Plant these trees and grow a solution
Hemp can heal the world!
Imagine a world we can live in
Plant these seeds in the minds of our children
Plant these trees and grow a solution
Hemp can save the world!

Watch the music video now at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rpY-8u8_Iw
or:
http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=F6187F974A5B11E38EAD5BB36529E976

More info at:
www.Nutiva.com/hempcan

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035244_hemp_save_the_world_music_video.html#ixzz1p4zpvOqA

Little-known herbal remedies help wtih asthma and bronchial distress

There has been a resurgence of asthma and other lung issues, especially among children, over the past few decades. Whether from chemtrails, outrageously increased vaccination schedules, or both - and more - is undetermined.

But the suffering is the same, and the mainstream medical solutions of inhaled steroids or calcium blockers offer short term relief with long term health hazards.

As drugs, their usefulness tends to diminish in effectiveness or duration, promoting increased use that causes those other health issues to come on more quickly. It is a vicious cycle that can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, mental disorders, cardiac arrest and premature death.

That's why both herbal remedies for lung issues, khella and lobelia, should be primary choices for asthma, COPD and other breathing problems.

About khella

Khella, commonly called bishop's weed, is both a vasodilator (dilating blood vessels), and a bronchial dilator. It accomplishes both without caffeine-like or other stimulation affecting the adrenal glands.

It also acts to smooth and strengthen heart muscles to enable a stronger heart beat. Khella even promotes gall bladder bile flow and helps eliminate urinary tract stones. In other words, unlike pharmaceuticals designated for asthma that destroy health, khella promotes good cardiac and overall health.

Khella or bishop's weed is available wherever you can find over-the-counter natural herbal remedies. It can come in extracts or tinctures, tablets, or used as a tea. The extracts and tablets are recommended for daily use.

Though not recommended for use during an asthma attack, using khella daily as recommended can go far with preventing or minimizing acute attacks. This will at least minimize or diminish the use of asthma pharmaceuticals for acute attacks.

Dosage varies slightly, depending on the delivery type, but taking one of those doses just before going to bed is important for asthmatics. It is common for asthmatics to endure asthma attacks that interrupt sleep patterns needed for restoring immune system energy.

Khella can be used during a bout with bronchitis to ease up congestion and open bronchial passages and airways. It is even better to use it in conjunction with lobelia, which tends to offer immediate relief from asthma attacks or other bronchial based breathing problems.

About lobelia

Lobelia, also known as Indian tobacco, was actually banned by the FDA a couple of decades ago, but it's available again from almost any herbal source now. Maybe it was banned because it was effective and natural?

The FDA used the alkaloid toxic angle, but the toxic effects happen only if you take an impossible amount of lobelia in a short time period. There were no adverse events reported to the FDA. The FDA's decision was academic or business related to Big Pharma's whims.

The famed Master Herbalist Dr. John Christopher used it often for relieving acute asthma attacks. He considered it one of the world's most powerful healing herbs. His Herbal Legacy site notes there hasn't been one proven death from lobelia (http://www.herballegacy.com/Lobelia.html).

Lobelia actually offers almost immediate relief during those periods of excess congestion and breathing difficulties often associated with asthma, COPD and asthma. However, it is important to not exceed recommended dosages.

A couple of khella cautions

It takes a few weeks of daily use with khella before attacks diminish. Using it during attacks is considered unreliable. Lobelia is better for fast relief during acute attacks.

Keep within recommended dosages. Prolonged excessive use can create liver complications. Avoid using it if there are bleeding problems. Too much exposure to sunlight while using khella can cause skin hypersensitivity to sunlight.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.herbaled.org/THM/Singles/khella.html

http://gaia-health.com

http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/asthma-attack-home-remedies.html


About the author:
Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035139_asthma_bronchial_tubes_lobelia.html#ixzz1oBtodAR7

Astragalus "super herb" protects, supports immune system function, digestion, adrenal & lung function, cancer recovery

Astragalus has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for literally thousands of years. Today, in the western world, it's being rediscovered as a powerful adaptogenic herb with a remarkable ability to balance and boost immune function. With more and more people concerned about immune function today -- especially with the swine flu pandemic on peoples' minds -- ancient herbs like astragalus are experiencing a resurgence in interest.

Here, we present a unique collection of supporting research quotes about astragalus and how it protects and enhances the immune system. Feel free to forward this information to friends, family members or coworkers who may benefit from it.

Astragalus and the immune system

One of the best known herbs used in Chinese medicine, astragalus strengthens the digestion and stimulates the immune system. It also aids adrenal gland function, acts as a diuretic and dilates blood vessels. Astragalus can be used to boost the immune system in people who frequently suffer from infections such as colds. It can also be used in convalescence and to aid in cancer treatment and recovery from chemotherapy. Astragalus should not be used in cases of acute infections or fevers.
- The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs by Nicola Reavley

Astragalus is one of the best-researched immune system stimulants now available. It works like echinacea, in that both herbs increase the number and activity of immune cells. However, astragalus concentrates on building the immune system, and unlike echinacea, it can be taken on a daily basis. Echinacea boosts immune system activity and promotes fast recovery, especially when taken at the onset of symptoms. The most potent formulas have a peculiar tingling and numbing effect on the tongue.
- The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing: A Comprehensive A-Z Listing of Common and Chronic Illnesses and Their Proven Natural Treatments by Gary Null, Ph.D.

Astragalus is another ancient Chinese herb that is frequently combined with ginseng to strengthen the body's natural defenses, namely, the immune system. Astragalus has also shown some vasodilatory as well as anti-inflammatory action. Its anti-inflammatory effects occur, it seems, because it inhibits the release of histamines from mast cells. Quercetin, a polyphenol, works the same way. Consequently, astragalus could help relieve hay fever and other allergic conditions. I have personally used astragalus as a remedy for my seasonal hay fever.
- Optimum Health - A Cardiologist's Prescription for Optimum Health by Stephen T., M.D. Sinatra

Examples of popular adaptogenic herbs include astragalus, panax ginseng, Siberian ginseng, lonicera, and glycyrrhiza, also known as licorice root. The herb astragalus has been researched thoroughly and is available from an abundance of sources. Studies have revealed that astragalus is quite effective in enhancing immune function and can be used to treat a wide variety of illnesses, ranging from the common cold to cancer. Instead of directly attacking infectious organisms, astragalus aids the body by fortifying the existing immune system.
- The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing: A Comprehensive A-Z Listing of Common and Chronic Illnesses and Their Proven Natural Treatments by Gary Null, Ph.D.

The immune-building and adaptogenic effects of astragalus have been studied extensively. Modern research has isolated the constituents in astragalus that are believed to be responsible for its effectiveness. Two types of chemical compounds found in astragalus, polysaccharides and saponins, are credited with many of the herb's benefits. But traditional herbalists believe there may be dozens of other active, synergistic, or supportive components. Astragalus heightens the efficiency of virtually every component of the immune system.
- Herbal Defense by Robyn Landis

Another traditional energy tonic, astragalus strengthens the immune system and is good for both digestion and lung function. Sometimes this root is available in bulk in health food stores - long and flat, it looks like a tongue depressor. These sticks can be added to soups, stews, rice, or any food that simmers for at least 30 minutes. When cooking is complete, remove the wilted stick and discard. The medicine has gone into your food! Astragalus has a neutral, somewhat pleasant taste.
- The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.

Astragalus was originally used in China for a variety of reasons including immune system support, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Dr. Mauligit of Texas University found it helped to restore immune function in cancer patients. Astragalus helps to invigorate vital energy, drain pus, reduce swelling and strengthen the spleen. It is helpful for lingering diarrhea. It has been shown to augment interferon response to viruses.
- Powerful and Unusual Herbs From the Amazon and China by World Preservation Society

Astragalus is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb used for viral infections. Research in animals has shown that it apparently works by stimulating several factors of the immune system, particularly in those whose immune system has been damaged by chemicals or radiation. In immunodepressed mice, Astragalus has been found to reverse the T cell abnormalities caused by cyclophosphamide (a cancer drug), radiation, and aging. It also increases T cell activity in normal mice.
- Total Wellness: Improve Your Health by Understanding and Cooperating with Your Body's Natural Healing Systems by Joseph Nd Pizzorno

Astragalus (Huang chi root) in Chinese medicine, is known to strengthen the body's natural defenses that involve the immune system. It is one of the main herbs used in fu-zheng therapy to enhance the immune system during chemo and radiation therapy. It seems to increase not only interferon levels but also natural killer-cell and T-cell activity. It also makes the T-cells more aggressive. Astragalus has been shown to have liver-protective activity against a number of toxic substances, including carbon tetrachloride.
- Herbal Medicine, Healing and Cancer: A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment by Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine

Research in animals has shown that Astragalus apparently works by stimulating several factors of the immune system, including enhancing phagocytic activity of monocytes and macrophages, increasing interferon production and natural killer cell activity, enhancing T-cell activity, and potentiating other antiviral mechanisms. Astragalus appears particularly useful in cases where the immune system has been damaged by chemicals or radiation. In immunodepressed mice, astragalus has been found to reverse the T-cell abnormalities caused by cyclophosphamide, radiation, and aging.
- Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 1 by Michael T. Murray, ND

In the exotic language of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), astragalus boosts the immune system by "stabilizing the exterior" and strengthening the "chi." The Chinese knew thousands of years ago that astragalus could strengthen our shield ("exterior") against disease and increase overall vitality (chi), long before anyone knew about bacteria, white blood cells, or the immune system. You may already be accustomed to taking echinacea at the first sign of a cold or flu, or when people around you are getting sick. How is astragalus different?
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs by Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien

The effectiveness of astragalus and the fu-zheng treatment was put to the test in a study of cancer patients undertaken at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in the early 1980s. After giving a specially prepared astragalus extract to 19 cancer patients and 15 healthy people, doctors found that the treatment restored immune system functioning in the majority of the patients. In some cases, it made the cancer patients' immune systems resemble those of the healthy subjects. The researchers concluded that astragalus contains a potent immune stimulant.
- Nature's Medicines : From Asthma to Weight Gain, from Colds to High Cholesterol -- The Most Powerful All-Natural Cures by Gale Maleskey

They use astragalus to boost immune function during and after radiation or chemotherapy treatments. When cancer invades your body, your immune system naturally weakens. In the advanced stages of the disease or after rounds of chemotherapy or radiation - which are lifesaving but very toxic treatments - your immune system can be devastated.
- Nature's Medicines : From Asthma to Weight Gain, from Colds to High Cholesterol -- The Most Powerful All-Natural Cures by Gale Maleskey

Also known as huang qi, astragalus has been used for centuries by the Chinese to boost energy and vitality. Several studies of the herb have convinced me that it's an immune system stimulant as well. In fact, it appears to be almost as effective as echinacea. Astragalus helps counteract TRF. And because the herb enhances immunity, it helps treat all manner of infections, which can deplete your energy. But the herb's effects are subtle, very subtle, so don't expect a coffee buzz.
- The Green Pharmacy Anti-Aging Prescriptions: Herbs, Foods, and Natural Formulas to Keep You Young by James A. Duke, Ph.D.

To fight infections without stimulating the components of the immune system that aggravate lupus, use astragalus or Scutellaria. Astragalus increases activity of natural killer (NK) cells, which fight infection. For people who are responding well to steroid drugs, taking astragalus reduces the risk of infection, especially when infections are "going around." Take 500 to 1,000 milligrams of the freeze-dried herb in capsules three times daily. However, be sure to let the doctor know if you are taking astragalus, since it increases the body's response to steroids.
- Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Astragalus also is useful in the treatment of viral myocarditis, a flulike infection that affects the heart. Astragalus treats infections caused by Proteus, which can cause kidney stones. Astragalus increases the body's production of the immune-system chemical interleukin-2 (IL-2). It also releases polysaccharides that act in the same way as important antibodies, complementing their production by the immune system. Chinese studies have found that astragalus increases the activity of lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, an immune-system component.
- Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

Astragalus is known as an immune stimulant. It works by stimulating the body's production of interferon (antiviral compounds) and by restoring red blood cell formation in bone marrow. Because it stimulates the immune system, astragalus is being used to treat HIV viral infections, pneumonia, and cardiac arrhythmia.
- The Doctor's Complete Guide to Vitamins and Minerals by Dr. Mary Dan Eades

As with most Chinese herbs, astragalus is generally used in a formula that's made up of a blend of herbs, and it's a perfectly good addition to soup or rice. In fact, in China, it's not uncommon to use astragalus root as a standard ingredient in cooking. There is not a whole lot known about the exact constituents of astragalus that boost the immune system. Large, sugarlike molecules known as polysaccharides probably help to stimulate the "good" immune cells. Astragalus also contains substances called saponins, which have a similar immunity-enhancing effect.
- The Natural Physician's Healing Therapies by Mark Stengler, N.D.

Preliminary research suggests that astragalus may also have powerful anticancer properties. In a study conducted at the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston, researchers found that a water extraction of astragalus restored or enhanced the function of T-cells (white blood cells that play specific roles in the immune system) taken from people with cancer. In some cases, astragalus stimulated the damaged cells to greater activity than found in normal cells taken from healthy individuals.
- The Encyclopedia of Popular Herbs by Robert S. McCaleb, Evelyn Leigh, and Krista Morien

Anderson Hospital in Houston found that astragalus was able to enhance the immune capacity using the cultured blood of cancer patients as well as augment the anti-tumor ability of Interferon-2. In a study of 176 patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancers of the gastro-intestinal tract, astragalus and ginseng were able to prevent the normal immune depression and weight loss that occurs. In a variety of human studies, astragalus has been shown to stimulate various parameters of the immune system, has anti-tumor activity, and inhibits the spreading (metastasis) of cancer.
- Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS

In addition to general immune strengthening, astragalus offers powerful help when immunity is severely challenged. Clinical studies show astragalus infusion highly effective at improving and restoring T-cell functioning, improving bone marrow activity, and augmenting interferon response. Chinese hospitals give astragalus to strengthen the immune systems of those with cancer, and to protect them from the detrimental effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
- Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way by Susun S. Weed

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/027223_ASTRAGALUS_immune_system.html#ixzz1nwogYbeT

Toxic rapeseed and other low-grade oils with additives are being passed off as olive oil

As much as 50 percent of the olive oil sold in the U.S. is not actually pure olive oil, as some brands claiming to be "extra-virgin" or "100 percent Italian," for instance, have actually been adulterated with toxic rapeseed oil, more popularly known as canola oil, soybean oil, and other low-grade oils. In his new book Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, olive oil expert Tom Mueller explains that not all olive oil is the same, and offers advice on how to spot authentic olive oil amidst all the imposters.

During a recent interview with Terry Gross from NPR's Fresh Air, Mueller explains how olive oil adulteration is much more widespread than people think, if they are even aware of it at all. For olive oil to truly be considered "extra-virgin," it has to come from fresh, crushed olives, and not be refined in any way or contain any chemical solvents. It also has to pass certain tests of integrity in order to be considered legitimate, for which many of the brands popularly sold today would fail.

"The legal definition simply says it has to pass certain chemical tests, and in a sensory way it has to taste and smell vaguely of fresh olives, because it's a fruit, and have no faults," said Mueller. "But many of the extra-virgin olive oils on our shelves today in America don't clear [the legal definition]."

Beige olive oil in plastic bottles is most likely adulterated

Real extra-virgin olive oil should have a vibrant, almost peppery flavor, for instance, and not taste bland or watered down. It is also typically stored in dark, glass bottles so that its array of health-promoting antioxidants, its taste, and its forceful green color -- yes, olive oil should be green, not yellowish in color -- are not harmed by light or damaging UV rays from the sun. For this reason, avoiding olive oil in clear, plastic bottles is recommended.

"What [real olive oil] gets you from a health perspective is a cocktail of 200-plus highly beneficial ingredients that explain why olive oil has been the heart of the Mediterranean diet," added Mueller during his interview with NPR. "Bad olives have free radicals and impurities, and then you've lost that wonderful cocktail ... that you get from fresh fruit, from real extra-virgin olive oil."

Most imported extra-virgin olive oil appears questionable in authenticity

The University of California, Davis published a report on olive oil back in 2010 entitled Tests indicate that imported 'extra virgin' olive oil often fails international and USDA standards. In this report, researchers found that 69 percent of imported and ten percent of California-based oils labeled as olive oil did not pass International Olive Council (IOC) and US Department of Agriculture sensory standards for extra virgin olive oil.

Of those brands tested, the following failed to meet extra-virgin olive oil standards:

• Bertolli
• Carapelli
• Filippo Berio
• Mazzola
• Mezzetta
• Newman's Own
• Pompeian
• Rachel Ray
• Safeway
• Star
• Whole Foods

The following brands were found to meet extra-virgin olive oil standards as part of the study:

• Corto Olive
• California Olive Ranch
• Kirkland Organic
• Lucero (Ascolano)
• McEvoy Ranch Organic

You can read the entire UC Davis Study here:
http://olivecenter.ucdavis.edu

Be sure to avoid any olive oil labeled as "light," as these are the lowest quality olive oils available. Also, be sure to choose either California-based olive oils, the vast majority of which are legitimate, or imported olive oils certified by IOC.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.nytimes.com

http://www.npr.org

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Not all calcium supplements are equal - Prevent osteoporosis with calcium hydroxyapatite

At least half of Americans over the age of 50 are at risk of developing osteoporosis, according to the Surgeon General of the United States. Ten million people already have the disease, and another 34 million are at risk, notes the same report. Calcium and other minerals and vitamins are important to bone health; however, not all forms of calcium areequal.

Bone loss begins around the age of 35 and continues throughout life. Osteoporosis occurs because of an inadequate amount of calcium intake or poor absorption. The body seeks the most accessible source for this important mineral and leeches calcium from your bones, causing the disease. Because calcium and other minerals are critical to healthy bone maintenance, it's important to diagnose the problem early and correct it through changes in diet and calcium supplementation. The question is, which calcium supplement provides the best protection and at what dosage?

Calcium hydroxyapatite

Although many foods supply various calcium salts, human and animal bones are the only natural source of calcium hydroxyapatite. According to The Weston A. Price Foundation, the most efficacious calcium hydroxyapatite is microcrystalline hydroxyapatite concentrate -- also called MCHC -- which is extracted from the raw bones of free-range cattle from New Zealand. These cows are raised with no exposure to antibiotics, pesticides, hormones or other toxic chemicals. To maintain its full spectrum of nutrients and minerals, the bone extract needs to be processed at very low temperatures. This kind of calcium is significantly more usable by the body and much easier to absorb.

Magnesium and boron

Most calcium supplements, including MCHC, have various amounts of magnesium and boron added, which increase absorption. Magnesium is needed to produce energy, cellular replication, and to help form proteins in the body. It reduces blood pressure, enhances heart function, lessens cramping in muscles, and supports the regulation of calcium metabolism. Certain types of magnesium are more easily absorbed such as magnesium aspartate, magnesium glycinate, and magnesium oxide. Look for these in supplements combined with MCHC.

Boron is needed for the development of healthy bones and joints. It works with magnesium to regulate calcium absorption and metabolism by regulating the body's steroid hormones, such as cortisol and vitamin D. Both minerals are necessary for proper calcium metabolism and a strong skeleton.

Calcium absorption and food

A mere 30 percentof calcium consumed in our food is actually absorbed, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT). Calcium absorption is inhibited by various factors including the type of calcium consumed, as well as the presence of aluminum, which enters your body through aluminum-clad cookware, antiperspirants, antacids, foil and possibly from chem trails crisscrossing the sky.

Many of the best sources of calcium originate in our foods, not from supplements. Soups and broths made from bone are best because they provide MCHC; followed by whole raw milk, raw milk products, sea vegetables such as kelp, Celtic sea salt, brewer's yeast, green leafy vegetables and molasses.

Supplements

Most calcium supplements should be taken with food for maximum absorption. MIT notes that taking several doses in smaller amounts throughout the day helps ensure absorption. The Weston A. Price Foundation suggests consuming 500 milligrams of MCHC at a time each day and doubling or tripling that amount if you don't have access to raw milk. Look for a supplement that includes boron and magnesium to obtain the correct mineral balance for the most optimal results. Additionally, taking a vitamin D supplement daily helps to round out the beneficial effects of calcium for bone health. Always consult a health practitioner before adjusting dosage of vitamins and minerals.

Sources for this article include:

Go Ask Alice: What's Up with Calcium Supplements?
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/whats-calcium-supplements

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Optimizing Your Diet
http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrminerals.html

The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine: Osteoporosis Update
http://www.pacificcollege.edu

The Weston A Price Foundation: Dietary Supplements -- What the Industry Does Not Want You to Know
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-issues/dietary-supplements

Vitamin and Herb University: Boron
http://www.vitaminherbuniversity.com

Project Aware: Osteoporosis -- Foods, Herbs and Supplements for Bone Health
http://www.project-aware.org/Health/Osteo/osteo-bonehealth2.shtml

Orthomolecular.org: Micronutrients -- Minerals
http://orthomolecular.org/nutrients/micronutrients.shtml

About the author:
JB Bardot is trained in herbal medicine and homeopathy, and has a post graduate degree in holistic nutrition. Bardot cares for both people and animals, using alternative approaches to health care and lifestyle. You can find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001364941208&ref=tn_tnmn or on Twitter at jbbardot23

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035122_calcium_hydroxyapatite_supplements_osteoporosis.html#ixzz1nwUMxuQ1