Think that chronic disease is irreversible? Think again!

Thirty years ago, Dr. Dean Ornish came up with a radical but simple idea that threatened the very foundation of our whole conception of disease.
He believed that heart disease, cancer, and any chronic illness could actually be reversed with diet and lifestyle changes.
Medication and surgery can slow and treat disease. But Dr. Ornish’s lifestyle program could actually reverse and undo the damage.
This was medical heresy.
But he had the courage to suggest that if you eat a high-quality, nutrient-dense, plant-based diet , get regular exercise, practice stress management such as yoga and meditation, and connect to a community, you can reverse heart disease and unclog your arteries.
Unfortunately, all people heard was “cut out all fat.” He was misrepresented and misunderstood. People missed the WHOLE point of his work.
What Dr. Ornish thought and then proved has the potential to change medicine as much as the discovery of antibiotics or vaccines. If only people would have listened to him then, we would not be in the healthcare mess we are today.
He proved that diet and lifestyle work BETTER than medication or surgery.
Thirty years ago, Dr. Ornish told us WHAT to do in his book “Reversing Heart Disease.” And he proved that it worked.
Now, in his new groundbreaking book, “The Spectrum,” he tells us WHY it works and how to personalize your diet and lifestyle to match your needs and your genes.
The secret of reversing disease, he shows us, is changing your genes. And that doesn’t mean wearing Levi’s instead of Gap jeans, or picking new parents, or splicing in some new recombinant gene into your genetic code to unclog your arteries or reverse cancer growth.
It means recognizing that absolutely everything you do interacts with your genes and literally changes the way they are “read” or expressed.
Health is the result of your genes expressing themselves well.
Disease is the result of poorly expressed genes.
The way that food talks to your genes and controls your health is called nutrigenomics. The quality of the food you choose to eat is probably the most important thing you do every day to control your genes.
How and what you eat determines which genes are turned on and off.
It matters whether you eat whole, real food, or processed, high-sugar, and high-fat food.
It matters whether your diet contains phytochemicals or toxic chemicals.
And it matters whether the way you eat balances your blood sugar or causes swings in blood sugar.
In “The Spectrum,” Dr. Ornish explains how and why the choices we make everyday influence our health through our genes.
The future of medicine, he says -- as I also explained in my book UltraMetabolism -- is personalized medicine.
There is no one-size-fits-all diet or lifestyle. It depends on you.
And in “The Spectrum,” Dr. Ornish explains how to customize your diet and lifestyle to match your genes and your needs.
He shows you how to identify your risks, look at your current state of health, and then match your approach to those needs.
If you were a 25-year-old athlete with no family history of heart disease, your approach would be different from a 65-year-old man who has type-2 diabetes and has had two heart attacks.
The whole idea of good and bad food (with a few exceptions such as trans fats) is outdated.
As Dr. Ornish explains, there is a spectrum of choices for being healthy and feeling well. A little chocolate or a few cookies or some great ice cream is not what’s going to kill you or make you sick.
It is the overall way we eat and live.
And remember, there is no such thing as junk food. There is junk and there is food. So eat real food and you will be fine.
Dr. Ornish does an amazing job of explaining that all nutritional science is pointing to basically the same thing. The media and the food industry contribute to nutrition confusion (and often paralysis) to make headlines or sell their products.
But Dr. Ornish gets beyond all the low-fat, low-carb, high-carb, high-fat blah, blah, blah about this or that diet.
He says what we all know -- that we evolved to eat a whole, real, unprocessed, nature-made diet. And in that there is a spectrum of choices that can promote health and well-being. What we need to eat is what we have been eating for 150,000 years.
Dr. Ornish also talks about “exercise-omics” and “stress-omics”, or how your genes are also controlled by exercise and stress.
Scientific research has shown that your emotions actually control how your genes work.
Think negative thoughts, live in anger and hostility, and you will turn on disease genes. Live in forgiveness, kindness, love, and community and you will turn on anti-aging, disease-reversing genes.
Dr. Ornish was the first researcher and practitioner of functional medicine, more than 30 years ago.
He just didn’t know it.
He was the first to suggest and then to prove that dealing with the causes of illness is far more effective, and far cheaper than conventional treatment -- not only to prevent disease but to reverse it.
Functional medicine is a system of addressing the underlying causes of illness by understanding the interaction between your genes and your environment.
In talking about his own compelling and groundbreaking research, and in reviewing the pioneering work of others in this field, he gives us both an understanding and a roadmap for preventing and reversing disease.
He gives us a way to feel well now, increase energy, lose weight, improve mood, feel more connected to your own life’s purpose and meaning, and even have better sex
The two qualities I see most in Dean are courage and compassion. These are rare qualities in our fear-based, homogenized society.
He knew that for this program to be accessible for everyone, it must be reimbursed by insurance.
So he went to Medicare to have them fund a demonstration project based on his previous published research in major medical journals. He was told he first had to have the approval that it was safe.
He asked, safe in comparison to having your chest split open or balloons blown up in the arteries, or taking medications that damage the liver and muscle, cost billions of dollars, and are largely ineffective?
No, they told him.
He needed a letter from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute saying it was safe to eat fruits and vegetables, walk, meditate, and quit smoking!
Due to his persistence -- and the truth -- his program is now approved.
He is giving away his model of care for heart disease FREE to allow people to access it, and to create a research collaboration across the world to further our understanding how and why food is the best medicine.
The only thing on I disagree with Dean is that this is NOT alternative medicine.
This the best medicine for the problem -- the most effective and the least expensive, with scores of positive side effects including energy, vitality, weight loss, and improved mood and mental functioning.
He presents his story with wit and humor, keen intelligence, and a treasure of tools for successfully implementing his ideas.
These tools include clear nutrition guidance, guided meditations by his wife Anne (with an additional DVD included), an exercise prescription, and more than 100 wonderful, delicious life-giving recipes by a master chef.
So, bravo Dr. Ornish!
I encourage everyone to buy this book now. And buy one for everyone one you love. It is the gift of life.
You can pick up a copy of this book now by going to Amazon: www.ultrawellness.com/spectrum
Now I’d like to hear from you…
Have you read Dr. Ornish’s books?
Did you believe that it is possible to reverse chronic disease?
What results have you noticed?
Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.
To your good health,

SK

Truly Vibrant Health & Energy Begins with Transformation pH Balance

Did you know that the pH of your body affects every aspect of your health? pH levels regulate, effect, and control practically everything in nature, including your body.
When your body is pH balanced, it is full of vitality. You’ll find that you have increased energy, mental clarity, and you’ll even notice that your skin has regained that healthy glow.
pH balance of the body can be simply summarized as your internal balance of Acid and Alkaline.
As a matter of course, everything living on good old planet earth must remain in a pH balanced state for the ecosystem to function as designed.
Science proves that fish in our oceans and lakes can only survive in properly balanced environments; trees in our forests can only grow in properly balanced soils; and people can only stay healthy if the body has a balance between its levels of Acid and Alkaline … what we refer to as the Optimal pH Zone



Alkaline By Design, Acidic By Function
The fluids, the blood and all the delicate tissues in your body must remain Alkaline for us to experience truly Vibrant Health. However, since practically every metabolic process from breathing, to digestion, to the production of energy, all create acid as a by-product, your body is always working to maintain the yin/yang balance between Acid and Alkaline.
When you become too Acidic, thus out of pH balance, your body becomes stressed and vulnerable to a whole host of health problems. You may experience low energy, fatigue, excess weight, poor digestion, aches and pains, and even more serious disorders.
Your body becomes pH imbalanced and overly Acidic primarily as a result of one or all of the following:
• Ingestion of Acids (acidic diet)
• Creation of Acids (toxicity and stress)
• Improper elimination of Acids (mineral depletion)
The good news is that if you’ve suffered the negative impact of an overly Acidic body, you can regain your health – you can regain balance – you can regain your life … starting today!
The process of rebalancing your body begins with proper diet and nutrition. This includes eating alkalizing foods, hydrating properly and integrating proper nutritional supplementation.

Have a Great Xmas and a PH balanced New Year

Did you know almost everybody's diet is extremely low in alkaline minerals ... even if you eat a moderately alkalizing diet? That's right! In this edition of Transformation Ph Balancing Guide we are going to walk through some numbers to illuminate this very issue.

Let's say you ate the following "alkalizing diet" in a given day:

Breakfast
Bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, fat-free yogurt and a glass of fresh squeezed carrot & apple juice.

Lunch
Steamed rice with vegetables and a small salad

Dinner
Spelt pasta with canned tomato sauce and a salad

Here's the "rough" breakdown of the minerals you'd be getting in our "Sample Diet":

Potassium 2500 mg's
Sodium 1500 mg's
Calcium 605 mg's
Magnesium 272 mg's
Manganese 4.7 mg's
Iron 16 mg's


Also note, that because conventionally grown produce is typically grown in mineral depleted soil, the amounts of minerals just listed could be far less!

According To The National Academy Of Sciences, here’s what your body "Actaully Needs":

Potassium 4700 mg's
Sodium 1500 mg's
Calcium 1000 mg's
Magnesium 420 mg's
Manganese 2.3 mg's
Iron 8 mg's


Many nutritional and medical professionals choose these recommended allowances as more "healthy" than the AUSDA's Recommended daily allowances.

So, even by eating this alkalizing diet, you'd be deficient in the following alkaline minerals by the following amounts:

Potassium 2200 mg's
Calcium 395 mg's



If you ate like most Australian, these mineral deficiencies would be even more staggering! Not only that, your diet should contain at least 3 times as much potassium as sodium. If it does not, then the balance between the water inside your cells and the water outside your cells is off. Your cells become dehydrated when this happens. Most Americans exceed 2000 mg’s of sodium in a day - so the amount of potassium required to maintain proper cellular ion balance is a whopping 6000 milligrams!

As you can see, it's not difficult to become mineral imbalanced and thus pH imbalanced.

When this happens, your body lacks the basic elements to combat damaging acids inside your body, and acidification begins!

This is why it is so important to supplement your diet with Juice Plus. It contains the perfect balance of minerals to keep your cells functioning properly and to help combat acids that can wreak havoc in your body.

To find out more Email me sean@creatinglifestylesthatwork.com

Yours in Health

SK

Animal Protein -- Meat and Dairy -- Cause Cancer

Juice Plus+® is the only daily supplement I personally take

Each morning I put a scoopful of Juice Plus+ Complete® into my fruit and soy yogurt smoothie. Every day I take my Fruit and Veggie Juice Plus+® Capsules, and dole out Juice Plus+® to our kids in the form of chewables (soft) and capsules according to their age and taste. Then I go to my office and recommend the Juice Plus+® Children’s Health Study to the families in my dieatain practice.
Do I feel passionate about this product? Yes! Here’s why.
In April of 2003 I had a blow to my life I had a mild heart attract I was 140kg on every med under the sun and was not happy with my life I had a great wife and thank god still do. I then realized that all major diseases for that matter are influenced by diet; I was determined not to let my medical problem repeat itself. So I began devouring medical literature on the connection between diet and health. During the year following my weight loss and heart attack I read volumes about nutrition, subscribed to every nutrition journal I could find, put together a collection of over 500 file folders about food, and became what my friends tagged a “health nut.” About three months into my new style of eating I noticed some amazing changes. My energy level skyrocketed, prompting my wife Kate to call me “Zip.” We stepped up our Exercise and started to see the weight fall off me and my wife my mind was working better, too. I just plain felt good all over – mind and body – and finally learned what it is to experience real well-being. Too bad I had to get sick in order to learn to eat right instead of eating right to keep from getting sick.
Why was I feeling so good? The answer seemed clear: I was putting the right fuel into my body that made it run better. I was going to do everything I could to keep my health up and not let the weight and heart attack every reoccur. Talk about motivation! During my quests for what constitutes good health I devoured books and articles about supplements and discovered that one of the secrets of good health is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables that contain thousands of disease-fighting chemicals called “phytonutrients.” I call them “phytos” for short. The same phytos that help keep the plants healthy help keep our bodies healthy. Even thousands of years ago Hippocrates said, “let food be thy medicine.” As I studied the parade of supplements out there, I concluded that whatever supplement I take must have good science and make good sense.
That’s how I came across Juice Plus+®. It had good science behind it and made good sense – a whole food based supplement! Whole foods, a bunch of the healthiest fruits and vegetables, juiced and dried at low temperatures, removing the water and most of the sugar, salt and bulk. These nutritious juice powders are then put into capsules and chewables! Intrigued by this concept of packaged phytos, I realized that my life depended upon eating the right foods and taking the right supplements. So, I did my life-saving detective work. While visiting the company where Juice Plus+® is made I saw firsthand the care and quality that went into this product. In examining their independent research I discovered that researchers had measured the blood levels and found that disease-fighting “phytos” go way up after taking Juice Plus+® – and they had published their results in a peer-reviewed medical journal. This was a vital discovery since it’s not what’s on the package label that’s important, it’s how much gets into the body. Finally I grilled the company executives. They were honorable people. The combination of good science, good sense, and a reputable company convinced me that this would be my supplement of choice.
Since taking Juice Plus+® daily and following an overall healthy eating and exercise program I have not even had so much as a cold, The parents of children who are sick a lot often thank me: “Since my children have been taking Juice Plus+® they haven’t been sick as often. And then they tell me about their weight how they have been able to maintain a healthy weight” Juice Plus+® is now the only whole food based supplement I take. I’m pleased to recommend the joy of taking Juice Plus+® to everyone who takes their health seriously
I am very excited about Juice Plus+® and have seen the benefits in myself and my children. Start your family on Juice Plus+® today and see the benefits over a lifetime!

To Your Good Health,

SK

Do You Drink Milk? 28 Things You Should Know.

Blood pressure control with medication does not prevent heart attack, stroke, or death

One in 3 adults in the Australia has hypertension. In those over the age of 55, more than 50% have hypertension, which is a significant risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Sixty-nine percent heart attack sufferers and 77% of stroke sufferers have blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg.1 Many organizations recommend that blood pressure be kept below 130/80 in order to prevent heart attack and stroke. However, a meta-analysis of 61 studies has concluded that risk for heart attack and stroke begins to increase when blood pressure is elevated above 115/75.2

The INVEST study involved 22,576 hypertensive participants aged 50 years or older. This particular portion of the study focused on participants that had both diabetes and coronary artery disease, in addition to hypertension . Subjects were given anti-hypertensive drugs (either a calcium channel blocker or a beta-blocker), and were placed in one of three groups according to their level of blood pressure control: tight control (<130), usual control (130-139), or uncontrolled (>139). Incidences of heart attack, stroke, and death were recorded over an 8-year period. Scientists found no differences in any of these outcomes between tight and usual control groups.3,4
This is a classic example of treating the symptom rather than the cause. Of course heart attacks and strokes were not prevented – one specific symptom, blood pressure, was addressed with medication, but the patients already had heart disease and diabetes, and they did not eliminate the toxic diet style that was the initial cause of these conditions. Therefore, their heart disease continued to progress.
Blood pressure can be kept under control naturally. High blood pressure is almost non-existent in non-Westernized populations.5-7 Salt and added sugars are significant contributors to elevated blood pressure, and these must be minimized. Reducing salt consumption alone has the potential to save millions of lives.8 A diet of whole plant foods also provides a favorable ratio of potassium to sodium. another important factor in blood pressure regulation.9
Most importantly, a diet based on natural plant foods does not merely address the problem with blood pressure; by maximizing protective nutrients, it reduces every risk factor for heart disease – LDL cholesterol, inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, etc. – a high nutrient diet is the most comprehensive preventive measure.
Also remember that anti-hypertension medications have plenty of side effects, including fatigue, headaches, and lightheadedness, plus increased risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias and diabetes. 10-12 In fact, excessive blood pressure lowering with medication can be dangerous, especially for the elderly, because it can prevent adequate blood flow to the heart leading to cardiac arrthymias and sudden cardiac death.13 Dietary modifications and exercise can radically prolong your life, not only are they much safer than drugs, but they also prevent dementia, cancer and other diseases simultaneously. If you have not read it already, please read my book Eat For Health, so you can more fully understand some of these basic concepts to take back control of your health destiny. Drugs don’t do it.

References:
1. Auustralian Heart Association. High Blood Pressure - Statistics. Statistical Fact Sheets - Disease/Risk Factors 2010 August 26, 2010]; Available from: http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1261003279882FS14HBP10.pdf.
2. Lewington, S., et al., Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet, 2002. 360(9349): p. 1903-13.
3. Cooper-DeHoff, R.M., et al., Tight blood pressure control and cardiovascular outcomes among hypertensive patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease. JAMA, 2010. 304(1): p. 61-8.
4. Schwenk, T., Blood Pressure Control in Patients with Diabetes and Coronary Artery Disease: No benefit for lowering BP to <130/80 mm Hg, in Journal Watch General Medicine. 2010.
5. Murphy, H.B., Blood pressure and culture. The contribution of cross-cultural comparisons to psychosomatics. Psychother Psychosom, 1982. 38(1): p. 244-55.
6. Cooper, R., et al., The prevalence of hypertension in seven populations of west African origin. Am J Public Health, 1997. 87(2): p. 160-8.
7. He, J., et al., Body mass and blood pressure in a lean population in southwestern China. Am J Epidemiol, 1994. 139(4): p. 380-9.
8. He, F.J. and G.A. MacGregor, Reducing population salt intake worldwide: from evidence to implementation. Prog Cardiovasc Dis, 2010. 52(5): p. 363-82.
9. Cook, N.R., et al., Joint effects of sodium and potassium intake on subsequent cardiovascular disease: the Trials of Hypertension Prevention follow-up study. Arch Intern Med, 2009. 169(1): p. 32-40.
10. Swaminathan, R.V. and K.P. Alexander, Pulse pressure and vascular risk in the elderly: associations and clinical implications. Am J Geriatr Cardiol, 2006. 15(4): p. 226-32; quiz 133-4.
11. Mitchell, G.F., et al., Pulse pressure and risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation. JAMA, 2007. 297(7): p. 709-15.
12. Elliott, W.J. and P.M. Meyer, Incident diabetes in clinical trials of antihypertensive drugs: a network meta-analysis. Lancet, 2007. 369(9557): p. 201-7.
13. Messerli, F.H., et al., Dogma disputed: can aggressively lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease

source please go to http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/blood-pressure-blood-pressure-control-with-medication-does-not-prevent-heart-attack-stroke-or-death.h