Disclaimer: If you have a serious medical condition, do extensive research about any herbal preparation before you take it. Look for "contraindications". Even "natural" ingredients and supplements can be extremely dangerous, if not lethal, if you are taking certain kinds of medicines or have certain conditions. Overuse or misuse of herbal supplements can be dangerous for everyone. If you have prologned or severe pain, or any persistent or irregular skin issues, do yourself and the world a favor and go see a doctor. Ignoring that stuff is how zombie apocalypses start.
I didn't mention this in my blurb in Bethfury's Meatless Mondays post, but I can proudly say that I haven't gotten sick enough to have to miss work in more than two years. That's a big change from my youth, when I missed lots of school and got ear infections very often. Even more recently, I could expect to face a few tonsil infections a year. While it is hard to say exactly what has brought about this change, here are some suspicions I have:
1) Being selective about your produce: While it would be great if we could all eat organic produce all the time, sometimes availability and your budget make this impossible. Why is organic important? Besides the fact that the superior soil management and lack of chemical pestisides/fertilizers are much healthier for the environment, eating plants that have spent their lives absorbing and storing stuff that kills living organisms in their cells is not good for you. This advice goes triple for animal products, as they live longer and have more time to concentrate toxins. Some fruits and vegetables are more prone to this than others. My Paper Crane hooks you up with the cuteness and the knowledge.
2) Stop using chemical cleaners: Bottles of powerful chemical surfactants and solvents are not only bad for you, they're expensive. Having that stuff swimming on all the surfaces of your home that you touch, and it being in the air, means it is sooner or later going to get into your body. That's bad. You know what's not? Vinegar and baking soda. Get a spray bottle, a cheap jug of white distilled vinegar, and dilute with half water. For the tough stuff, add baking soda to the surface first.
3) Put down the aluminum-based antipersperant: The human body has four (five if you are of the female persuasion) methods to get rid of toxins. One of the most important is sweat. If you stop a major part of your body from sweating, where do those toxins go? Nowhere, that's what. Don't clog your pores!
4) Avoid processed foods: Ever heard the term "empty calories"? There's a reason that Cade Courtley tells you to avoid eating if you are in low-water survival situations. It takes water, vitamins, and minerals in order to eat, digest, and process food. So if you're eating something with no nutritional value, you are literally taxing your own resources. Stuff that has been processed heavily (subjected to solvents, strip-milled (pun intended), boiled, loaded with preservatives, etc.) will have less useful nourishment in it. I'm not saying you should never eat a candy bar, but just keep in mind that ripping the good things out of whole foods, and then replacing them (white bread) will eventually take its toll.
5) Take vitamins/herbs: Nobody's diet these days is so good they won't get something out of vitamins. The reason for this is that our soil quality is not as good as it used to be, due to overfarming, mono-culture, and the use of synthetic fertilizer. And not all vitamins are created equal, either. I've heard and read a lot of conflicting information about this over the years, so I advise you do your own research, and don't become complacent thinking you know the real truth. New information about nutrition comes out all the time. And also, you never know what trace mineral stands between you and getting very sick. Some people have also experienced great relief and improved health from the use of herbs. This includes things like garlic, ginger, and tumeric. Consider that very many modern drugs are little more than modified plant extracts.
6) Cut down or eliminate animal protein: I believe this is perhaps the most important part. If you're intrigued, VegSource is a good place to start. Be prepared to hear a lot of contradictory information about it (or have everyone you know act very concerned that you are going to waste away). Even if what you're eating is 100% organic and grass fed, there are still health risks associated with eating meat (and, to a lesser extent, dairy). Educate yourself.
If you take issue with any of these points, or are looking for me to back up my claims that chemicals, aluminum, and zombies are bad for you, please say so in the comments. I will happily provide you with a deluge of informative links.
Pic courtesy of weheartit
1 comments: