Your skin is a vital part of your body. Without skin we would literally be bones and blood. Can you picture it? In caring for the body’s delicate covering, we need not only pay attention to what we put on it but what goes in too. When it comes to foods, consumption of processed foods is just not good for the skin.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “you are what you eat”. If you think about it, it is not just a saying – it is a fact. A part of your body’s make up comes from what you put into it. If you want it to work properly and look its best, you need to feed yourself the nutrients it needs and avoid foods that may damage it. For beautiful skin, you should try to get more fiber and “good fats” in your diet and avoid foods with a lot of sugar. Processed foods can have harmful effects on the skin, so if you want to look younger and healthier, try adding unprocessed, whole, and raw foods to your diet.

When food is cooked and processed, it loses vital nutrients. When you eat processed food like canned vegetables or fruits and boxed foods, you don’t get the nutrients your body needs to function efficiently. This jeopardizes your health, and it shows in your skin. If your skin cells aren’t properly nourished, they don’t look as good. You’re also more prone to acne and other embarrassing infections.

Raw foods contain live, active enzymes that help you digest your food more efficiently and improve your body’s functioning and your overall health. And remember, the healthier you are, the healthier your skin will be. Many people, who increase their intake of raw food as opposed to its cooked counterpart, notice a positive change in their skin. Raw food can help to reduce wrinkles, age spots, eye bags, and even acne, leaving your skin beautiful and radiant.

We all know that when we’re tired, we look worn down, our skin is duller, and we just get a haggard appearance. Having proper digestive enzymes from eating raw, live fruits and vegetables helps speed digestion giving use more energy from our food. When we have more energy, we feel and look less tired.

In discussing the topic of what is loss through processing, what might be more important to this issue is what is added to food during processing. The bottom line is that most companies aren’t concerned about keeping you healthy; they’re concerned about selling their product. Their bottom line is to make money. They add chemicals to keep food fresh longer, change its color, change its texture, or even to make you more hungry or thirsty after consumption. These chemicals can be toxic do your body. They build up in your cells, making them function improperly and be less healthy. And if you have acne or other skin ailments, your breakouts may be due to an allergic reaction to these chemicals.

In order to look good, your skin needs to be healthy. This means proper nourishment and fewer toxins. This can be achieved with a healthy diet including fresh, unprocessed foods.

Share This

Garlic belongs to the family Alliaceae and is a close relative of the onion, shallot and leak. It has a pungent “hot” flavor that mellow and sweetens during the cooking process. The most common part of the garlic that is used is the head of the garlic with the cloves that make it one complete unit. The young floral stem of the garlic is also used for many purposes.

Garlic is believed to have originated in Central Asia. It is now grown all over the world, but it is most popular in China, the Mediterranean, and Latin America.

For more than 5000 years garlic has been valued for its healing properties and its ability to increase the body’s strength and energy. It is said that the builders of the Giza pyramids in Egypt ate garlic to rejuvenate their bodies after the back-breaking work of daily building.

Garlic’s essential oil has antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic properties giving it many benefits, including:

• Lowers blood sugar
• Natural mosquito repellent
• A natural blood thinner
• Retards blood clotting
• Fights the common cold
• A natural blood purifier
• Is a heart tonic
• A natural diuretic
• Lowers the “bad” cholesterol and raises the “good”
• Helps with insomnia
• Relieves coughs
• Kills bacteria
• Relieves bronchial congestion
• Blocks cancer
• Is a great immune booster
• Promotes secretions from mucus membranes

Garlic can be used medicinally and as a part of your daily health regimen. While many are not crazy about the taste of raw garlic, it is the best for medicinal purposes. You can take a clove or two of raw garlic, finely chopped, and swallow it for an immune boosting blast.

Here are a few more ideas for using garlic in healing:

• Make an antibiotic tea with garlic, lemons, grapefruit, and onions.
• Take raw garlic and add to water. Let is sit for about 5 hours and sip a glass of garlic water every morning.
• For athlete’s feet, warts, skin infections and acne, place a freshly mashed garlic clove in a piece of gauze. Rub it over the affected areas.
• Make an ointment with garlic for wounds, cuts, and fungus.
• Make a tincture with garlic for daily maintenance and immune function power.
• Make a cough syrup with garlic. Slice 1 pound of fresh garlic and pour one quart of boiling water over it. Let sit for 12 hours, then add organic unrefined sugar until you reach the consistency of a syrup. Add honey for better taste, if desired.

Of course, you can always eat your garlic with your meals. That’s an excellent way to get its health benefits without having to plan on taking capsules or tablets. Be aware that cooking it causes some of the nutritional value to be lost. So go out and get some garlic. Every home should have some. Better yet, plan on growing some of the old world varieties for a real treat. Garlic…it does the body good.

Share This

The old childhood illness of pinkeye has always scarred me. Any time I hear it mentioned it’s in a way that makes me think of contamination and exile, at least for a few days. However, I had never had any personal experience with it, until now.

Yesterday my son came home from kindergarten with a memo saying it was going around the class room, so they did a massive cleaning of their room in hopes of riding this childhood illness. Just as I put the memo down I happened to look at my son, to find he had goopy icky stuff in the corner of both of his eyes. Panic struck me initially, as he has never had these symptoms before, and as a mother I did not want my child with this infection.

What were we going to do?

Conjunctivitis or pinkeye is the most common eye problem kids usually get. It can come with redness, itching, inflammation, or swelling, and yes the goop! This goop is a greenish or yellow mucous discharge that collects in the eye or eyes. This illness is also very contagious, especially among kids, because they touch their eyes to rub or scratch them, then touch many different surfaces contaminating them in a matter of seconds and not even realizing it.

After careful consideration as to what I was going to do for my son, I decided we were not going to panic and possibly do very little. Since having kids, my husband and I decided we were not going to be like most main stream parents and give our children antibiotics with every ailment that comes around. If they were absolutely needed, we would definitely be willing to give them. But, so far I am proud to say they still have not had to give any. I believe that our bodies have the ability to heal ourselves if we immune systems healthy and strong and give it the right resources.

Antibiotics are given for many different reasons and because they are so readily given, many kids’ immune systems aren’t learning how to fight these problems on their own. This is leading to the antibiotics inability to work properly and effectively, which over time can lead to the antibiotic to stop working altogether.

So we stopped at our local health food store to consult their many books and scan the isles in hope of finding some kind of natural treatment. It didn’t take long to find a couple homeopathic treatment options, ones that are safe and work in harmony with your immune system. In the parking lot I gave my son the eye drops we found for pink eye relief as well as some of the small tablets to help from the inside. I figured since I was working in the emergency room the next morning I would probably be able to consult a physician then to determine our next course of action if these homeopathic remedies did not work.

The following morning we woke up to find our son with crusty eyes, but once they were wiped away with a warm wet wash cloth his eyes did not look so bad. We kept him home from school and I went to work hoping to discuss our situation with my co-worker, the doctor working the ER. Once I explained our pinkeye situation, this doctor went over many of the facts that I already knew about it, such as how contagious it was, and the symptoms.

He told me it was more than likely a virus, almost like a cold virus that would eventually get better. He gave me a prescription for an ointment to use on the eyes, but also mentioned it might not do any good except make the crusty gooey stuff less sticky. His advice was that it would probably go away on its own in a day or two and on to its next victim. He also stressed the importance of hand washing.

He and I were right. I did fill the antibiotic ointment just in case we might need it, but when I got home things were looking good, and the pinkeye on my son was almost completely gone. By the next morning it was completely gone and, I am glad to say I listened to myself and did not react with full force right away. We let nature take its course and within a short time this once scary childhood ailment became not so scary anymore. I think the homeopathic eye drops we found did help not only with the symptoms but with the virus as well and I am proud to say we still have not had to rely on antibiotics.

Share This

I’ve debated it for several weeks…maybe months.
Actually, I’ve struggled with it…

Yes, I talk about stress on this site…about how it threatens your health, both mental and physical.
Even spiritual.

But…

What happens if, one day you woke up and lacked the power to do anything about it?

What if you could no longer take nutritional supplements, find high quality native foods that function as medicines, or eat food that isn’t loaded with chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, radiation, viruses/bacteria (because it was grown if raw sewage) or, are just so genetically modified that it lacks any real nutritional value and just make you sick?

What if you lived in a world where you could no longer say “no” to vaccines? Vaccines that may be of questionable efficacy? Vaccines that are filled with mercury - a known neurotoxin - and other substances which depress and suppress your immune system?

Or worse…vaccines that actually contain live organisms?
(it has happened before)…

That world terrifies me.
And we are closer to that reality today than ever.

Since I work in the health field, I’ve already witnessed the suffering of many and have tried to help.

But this…the horror of this…would just be too much…it would be unbearable.

The tentacles of this monster is worldwide and more of its bite will be felt at home.
Here.
In America.

There is a consciousness raising going on…an attempt to wake up people so we can avert this disaster. I hope and pray that we can.

I’ve included a video below. It covers way more than what the award winning mainstream filmmaker set out to portray. Some say he was ‘killed’ for this effort...for putting this together to alert you of what is going on.

That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself!

But I’ll warn you that this film is disturbing. No…there are no grotesque images to be concerned about viewing. Not a one. As Aaron would say...he set out to prove one thing and discovered something else…something much deeper…something so sinister that he committed his life to helping you know about it.

And now in honor of his work…and the future, I must pass this on to you. My wish for you is that you pass it on to someone you love.

Share This

This is a heady discussion which is not for the faint of heart or mind.
Let me know what you think!

Share This

Have You ever dreamed of going to Alaska?

Lovingly known as “The Last Frontier”, I was pleased to see that many have taken up the challenge to relocate here. From New York, to Michigan, to even Washington state, both young and old are calling Alaska home.

But what is it about Alaska that not only attracts, but keeps so many that venture this far? Is the PR really as good as the reality? What are the potential drawbacks? Is cost of living a significant factor of living here? And what about continual daylight and continual night?

These questions and many more will be probed and answered in this series on Wild Alaska: The ? Home of The Current American Dream.

I can tell you one thing…

The vast majority of the people I met from Alaska were warm…very warm and genuinely friendly. They were happy and eager to share their life’s story, how they came to Alaska and why they stay. The people are the true jewel of Alaska. That must be why many visit and then stay. Yet many others return again and again.

This series of post will be more of a travelogue.
Relax. Sit back. And enjoy!
cj

Share This

I THOUGHT that this hosting nightmare would be over. But apparently it is not.

After a week (actually TWO) of trying to get my NEW host to even answer their phones or their online chat window, I’ve given up.

I’m not sure what I’ve lost from my database files, but this was just ridiculous. I kept the backup site active as a precaution. I’m glad I did (although I FORGOT to update the database).

So, for right now, we are running from the backup site. I will search for a NEW host (already talked to one for a different project) and, for the time being, operate from here.

My concern is WHAT is going on that companies such as MidPhase would not only go down, but not answer phones, chat windows or email requests for assistance? They manage their own servers. So, I wouldn’t think this would be a problem for them.

Guess I was wrong.
:o/

Looking forward to sharing some of my Alaska trip with you.
Until then…
cj

p.s. Is their a LIGHT way of looking at this? When I think of my frustration with these host problems that continue, I recall the movie below. It makes it a little easier, the load a bit lighter.

http://thewebsiteisdown.com This movie that showcases the many reasons why my website might be down…and it is amusing. Caution: the end of it has a little adult humor versus content (no nudes).

Share This

Well all the files are on the new sever but for some reason, the alias site does not show up….even though it was moved by the hosting company themselves…TWICE!

Which means…IF I change my DNS configuration and the site is gone, you know what happened. I’ve backed it up TWICE but will do it once more JUST IN CASE Mr. Murphy want to cause me a little grief.

If all goes well, the site should only be missing for an hour or so. We will see.

If I have to, I will load it myself.
Cross your fingers and say a prayer…
cj

Share This

That was the most popular phrase attributed to the movie, Network. But is almost fits how I feel. I rarely get mad. However, I definitely ain’t gonna take it anymore. Let me explain…

I cannot tell you the amount of frustration I feel when I attempt to access this site to find the site down again. My current host provider thought that moving it to a more robust server would be the answer.

It wasn’t.

Then came their blocking my IP address on their own server.
Weird…but it did occur. They STILL cannot tell me how that occurred.

Finally, there is the frequently intermittent DROPS of service where no one can see the site.
Again, no explaination.

Although I DID love Site5, their proprietary interface, their easy to use back office, the bottom line is UPTIME. Their uptime has suffered since they decided to stop managing their own servers and used a provider I no longer use due to repeated server issues. I was just about to post a new series of articles I anticipated would generate significant traffic when I found it down on Sunday.

Arrrgghhh!!!

This was the last thing I wanted to do before heading off to Alaska…but now it’s SO clear that I should have taken care of this weeks ago. Suffice it to say that the stress this has caused is just not worth it. So I’ve decided to move the site completely away from Site5. I have been testing one of my two top choices for the past couple of weeks….companies who MANAGE and oversee their servers on site.

So far, so good.

So…bear with me over the next 2-3 days as we move the site and propagate the DNSes.
: o/

P.S. I was just sent a link that MIGHT explain what is happening over there. The movie that show the many reasons why my website might be down is amusing. Caution: the end of it has a little adult humor versus content (no nudes). Here’s the link:

http://www.thewebsiteisdown.com/

Share This

And Hollywood has heard our cry for much needed entertainment.

I think this summer will go down in history as the best summer ever for  Sci-Fi and Action Adventure movie releases. It will be the summer that will also handsomely reward Hollywood for thinking of us, the movie goer, by providing entertainment that is beyond cutting edge expectations.

And today’s film was no exception.

I just got back from viewing the new Hulk movie. With Edward Norton heading up the cast, I already knew it was going to be good.

And it was! It remained true to form of the comic books I read with my brothers nearly 40 years ago. I loved the cameos by Lou Ferrigno, Stan Lee and clip of Bill Bixby from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. Just in case you didn’t know, Lou and Bill both played in the TV series, The Incredible Hulk. Stan Lee is the comic series creator.

Thus far, the summer has brought us the sequel to Narnia. It did not move me to see it in the theaters but to wait for the DVD. And, I was a little ‘ho-hum’ about Iron Man…but will probably see it this week. I wasn’t convinced that Robert Downey Jr (no matter how talented) was a good ‘fit’ for playing superhero character. Plus the parking lot at the theater was just too full for my liking. I hate watching movies with a lot of pressure.

But that pressure may have been due to another movie, Indiana Jones.

I’ve always marveled at Raiders of The Lost Ark. How did they make the snakes look so real? So, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to anticipate that I (and many others) wanted that ‘magic’ to be recaptured in future installments. The Temple of Doom missed the mark, but had several amusing points. The 3rd installement with Sean Connery was better, but still no match for the original.

Now with the release of Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I wonder if it is has recapped the magic of the first movie. It has done very well at the box office, as expected. It’ll be on my agenda to see this week.

Today, I sat in anticipation as the previews of upcoming movies rolled. The three they showed were none that I expected this summer - but will most definitely see.

What are they?

1) The X Files movie - If you were ever a fan of David Duchovney as the infamous Mulder in the long running television series, you will have a chance to feast on the next installment. Jillian is back as Scully. And…so are the geek squad. And get this - one of them gets infected with the alien virus (the one which turns your eyes black and much, much more). That’s all I’m saying about it. I’ll be there the week it is released.

2) The Mummy Sequel: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor- I love Brendan Fraser and the Mummy franchise is all him. The first two were masterful with regards to special effects. The villain, villainous. And the critters, unique, exceptionally well done and made me glad that it wasn’t real. The surprise in this film: Jet Li. I think he’s the new mummy. Cool! I’ll be there week one…and so will TONS of Jet Li fans.

3) Hell Boy II - although the first movie laid the groundwork for this sequel, it looks like the sequel will be way BETTER! The costuming is just incredible. And some of the villains remind me of the twins of Matrix II.

What else is coming up?

A) Batman: The Dark Night - the last one with Christian Bale was done so well that seeing this on the big screen is a no brainer
B) Hancock - it’s Will Smith as a superhero…Will Smith
C) Wanted - with Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie; loads of eye candy in the previews makes this a no brainer
D) Wall-E - this animation looks quite funny and sports a robot who reminds me of J-Five from the movie Short Circuit - Pixar is back!

Later in the year, we’ll see Madagascar II (love the first movie) and the Transporter and Underworld sequels. Then after that, another Star Trek, Toy Story and Transformers movie.

Looks like I’ll need to break out my calendar and schedule these in. With all these goodies coming down the pipe, I’d hate to miss them on the big screen…even if I later rent or buy them.

Now THAT’s a feat in itself. Hollywood has driven me BACK to the theaters for first run, versus waiting for them to come on DVD.

Keep ‘em coming.
: 0)

Share This