Ultimate Health

Trade In Your Weight Loss Plan for a Health Gain Plan

2009-08-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

In a new book by Kat James called The Truth About Beauty, she extols some excellent ideas to help you permanently off the dieting merry-go-round.

And she knows what she's talking about. Like most of us health zealots, she's battled her own demons. She transformed her body and skin after a 12-year eating disorder and liver disorder nearly took her life.

Though your relationship with food may be anything but simple, these ideas can help you to eat healthy and stop "dieting."

* Trade in your weight-loss plan for a health-gain plan. Excess weight isn't a weight problem - it's a health problem that calorie restriction and exercise won't fix.

* Exercise for the right reasons. Huffing and puffing won't correct brain chemistry issues or blood sugar that's out-of-whack.

* Want to prevent an eating disorder? Never skip a meal.

* Watch out for the low-fat, high protein trap. Excess protein turns to sugar in your body.

* Get enough good fat and follow a plan that doesn't spike your blood sugar, such as The Full Plate Diet (out in Jan. 2010) which espouses a high fiber diet. This is the best way to keep calm and satiated.

* Give yourself more nutrition, not less.

* Forget willpower. Cravings and overeating can be solved with nourishment.

* A blood sugar-spiking diet with inadequate nutrients guarantees weight gain and premature aging. It also causes energy and mood swings.

I guess your grandma was right, eat your fruits and vegetables. Lay off - way off - the junk.

This is really serious stuff. You've probably already figured out that you must change your lifestyle eventually. So why wait to feel good?

A Great Way to Start Your Day

2009-08-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

When I get up in the morning, I start my day with a protein shake that's so delicious it reminds me of the milk shakes I used to drink growing up.

Of course, unlike milk shakes, a protein shake is ultra-healthy.

The perfect breakfast

Here are typical ingredients:

1 cup of water
1 scoop of whey protein powder
1 banana
8 frozen strawberries
1/2 pack of frozen pulp acai
a bunch of frozen blueberries
a teaspoon of raw organic 100% cocoa
a teaspoon of raw organic peanut butter
a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

Blend and enjoy.

This is a typical shake, although I do mix it up a little, with options like pineapple, blackberries, watermelon, mango and lots of others.

In my afternoon shake, I load up with vegetables. Occasionally I'll throw in some spinach in the morning but usually my taste buds aren't geared up yet for veggies at 6 AM.

What's amazing about protein shakes is they're delicious, they're incredibly healthy for you and the whey protein raises your dopamine and serotonin levels to get your day off to a wonderful beginning.

They're such a treat. They're virtually the perfect breakfast.

Related post:
Video - All-Pro Tony Gonzalez makes a protein smoothie

The Healthiest Foods on Earth

2009-07-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

by Jonny Bowden, Forbes.com

What is the best diet for human beings?

Vegetarian? Vegan? High-protein? Low-fat? Dairy-Free?

Hold on to your shopping carts: There is no perfect diet for human beings. At least not one that's based on how much protein, fat or carbohydrates you eat.

People have lived and thrived on high-protein, high-fat diets (the Inuit of Greenland); on low-protein, high-carb diets (the indigenous peoples of southern Africa); on diets high in raw milk and cream (the people of the Loetschental Valley in Switzerland); diets high in saturated fat (the Trobriand Islanders) and even on diets in which animal blood is considered a staple (the Massai of Kenya and Tanzania). And folks have thrived on these diets without the ravages of degenerative diseases that are so epidemic in modern American life—heart disease, diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, osteoporosis and cancer.

In Depth: The Healthiest Foods On Earth

The only thing these diets have in common is that they're all based on whole foods with minimal processing. Nuts, berries, beans, raw milk, grass-fed meat. Whole, real, unprocessed food is almost always healthy, regardless of how many grams of carbs, protein or fat it contains.

All these healthy diets have in common the fact that they are absent foods with bar codes. They are also extremely low in sugar. In fact, the number of modern or ancient societies known for health and longevity that have consumed a diet high in sugar would be ... let's see ... zero.

Truth be told, what you eat probably matters less than how much processing it's undergone. Real food—whole food with minimal processing—contains a virtual pharmacy of nutrients, phytochemicals, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and healthful fats, and can easily keep you alive and thriving into your 10th decade.

Full Story

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and You

2009-07-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

If you were saddened by the recent loss of Michael Jackson, Farrah and others whose lives seem to have been cut short, perhaps its time to take a good look in the mirror at your own health.

When you see that Michael was around 50 years old and from all reports his body was already decrepit, it is stunning.

Your body was created to live to be 100 and beyond, with no pain, no illness, no drugs, operations or debilitating effects of any kind.

If you're 50 years old and you are not in top physical condition, your road ahead may not be a pleasant one.

Unless you make some changes... now.

The Importance of Maintaining an Alkaline Diet

It didn't have to end in this sad manner for Michael, Farrah or anyone else who is currently suffering illness or disease of any kind.

You can virtually immunize yourself from pathogens by making a few simple changes in your life. And one of the most important is to maintain an alkaline terrain inside your body's cells.

Pathogens have zero chance to thrive and destroy in an alkaline environment.

If you maintain an alkaline environment, you will greatly reinforce your immune respose against cancer, heart disease, stroke and dozens of other maladies which fell westerners every day.

These diseases don't strike out of the blue.

They're the cumulative effect of years and decades of poor decisions, bad diet and unhealthy thought patterns.

You can change.

And if you don't want to end your life prematurely, like many Americans, now is as good a time as any.

Maintaining an Alkaline Environment is the Difference Between Life and Death

Change your diet to include alkaline-forming foods.

Stop abusing yourself by overeating and ingesting acidic-forming foods.

Get yourself some pH tape at a drugstore. Monitor your pH balance often.

And you can't even imagine how good you'll feel.

And I'll see you on the golf course or surfing a rippin' curl well into your 90's.

Bom apetite!

ALKALINE FOODS...

ALKALIZING
VEGETABLES
Alfalfa
Barley Grass
Beets
Beet Greens
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard Greens
Chlorella
Collard Greens
Cucumber
Dandelions
Dulce
Edible Flowers
Eggplant
Fermented Veggies
Garlic
Green Beans
Green Peas
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Mustard Greens
Nightshade Veggies
Onions
Parsnips (high glycemic)
Peas
Peppers
Pumpkin
Radishes
Rutabaga
Sea Veggies
Spinach, green
Spirulina
Sprouts
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Watercress
Wheat Grass
Wild Greens

ALKALIZING
ORIENTAL VEGETABLES
Maitake
Daikon
Dandelion Root
Shitake
Kombu
Reishi
Nori
Umeboshi
Wakame

ALKALIZING
FRUITS
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Banana (high glycemic)
Berries
Blackberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries, sour
Coconut, fresh
Currants
Dates, dried
Figs, dried
Grapes
Grapefruit
Honeydew Melon
Lemon
Lime
Muskmelons
Nectarine
Orange
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Raisins
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tangerine
Tomato
Tropical Fruits
Umeboshi Plums
Watermelon

ALKALIZING
PROTEIN
Almonds
Chestnuts
Millet
Tempeh (fermented)
Tofu (fermented)
Whey Protein Powder

ALKALIZING
SWEETENERS
Stevia

ALKALIZING
SPICES & SEASONINGS
Cinnamon
Curry
Ginger
Mustard
Chili Pepper
Sea Salt
Miso
Tamari
All Herbs

ALKALIZING
OTHER
Apple Cider Vinegar
Bee Pollen
Lecithin Granules
Molasses, blackstrap
Probiotic Cultures
Soured Dairy Products
Green Juices
Veggie Juices
Fresh Fruit Juice
Mineral Water
Alkaline Antioxidant Water

ALKALIZING MINERALS
Cesium: pH 14
Potassium: pH 14
Sodium: pH 14
Calcium: pH 12
Magnesium: pH 9

Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalinizing effect in the system.

...ACIDIC FOODS...

ACIDIFYING
VEGETABLES
Corn
Lentils
Olives
Winter Squash

ACIDIFYING
FRUITS
Blueberries
Canned or Glazed Fruits
Cranberries
Currants
Plums**
Prunes**

ACIDIFYING
GRAINS, GRAIN PRODUCTS
Amaranth
Barley
Bran, wheat
Bran, oat
Corn
Cornstarch
Hemp Seed Flour
Kamut
Oats (rolled)
Oatmeal
Quinoa
Rice (all)
Rice Cakes
Rye
Spelt
Wheat
Wheat Germ
Noodles
Macaroni
Spaghetti
Bread
Crackers, soda
Flour, white
Flour, wheat

ACIDIFYING
BEANS & LEGUMES
Black Beans
Chick Peas
Green Peas
Kidney Beans
Lentils
Pinto Beans
Red Beans
Soy Beans
Soy Milk
White Beans
Rice Milk
Almond Milk

ACIDIFYING
DAIRY
Butter
Cheese
Cheese, Processed
Ice Cream
Ice Milk

ACIDIFYING
NUTS & BUTTERS
Cashews
Legumes
Peanuts
Peanut Butter
Pecans
Tahini
Walnuts

ACIDIFYING
ANIMAL PROTEIN
Bacon
Beef
Carp
Clams
Cod
Corned Beef
Fish
Haddock
Lamb
Lobster
Mussels
Organ Meats
Oyster
Pike
Pork
Rabbit
Salmon
Sardines
Sausage
Scallops
Shrimp
Scallops
Shellfish
Tuna
Turkey
Veal
Venison

ACIDIFYING
FATS & OILS
Avacado Oil
Butter
Canola Oil
Corn Oil
Hemp Seed Oil
Flax Oil
Lard
Olive Oil
Safflower Oil
Sesame Oil
Sunflower Oil

ACIDIFYING
SWEETENERS
Carob
Sugar
Corn Syrup

ACIDIFYING
ALCOHOL
Beer
Spirits
Hard Liquor
Wine

ACIDIFYING
OTHER FOODS
Catsup
Cocoa
Coffee
Vinegar
Mustard
Pepper
Soft Drinks

ACIDIFYING
DRUGS & CHEMICALS
Aspirin
Chemicals
Drugs, Medicinal
Drugs, Psychedelic
Pesticides
Herbicides
Tobacco

ACIDIFYING
JUNK FOOD
Coca-Cola: pH 2
Beer: pH 2.5
Coffee: pH 4

** These foods leave an alkaline ash but have an acidifying effect on the body.

UNKNOWN:
There are several versions of the Acidic and Alkaline Food chart to be found in different books and on the Internet. The following foods are sometimes attributed to the Acidic side of the chart and sometimes to the Alkaline side. Remember, you don't need to adhere strictly to the Alkaline side of the chart, just make sure a good percentage of the foods you eat come from that side.
Asparagus
Brazil Nuts
Brussel Sprouts
Buckwheat
Chicken
Corn
Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Flax Seeds
Green Tea
Herbal Tea
Honey
Kombucha
Lima Beans
Maple Syrup
Milk
Nuts
Organic Milk
(unpasteurized)
Potatoes, white
Pumpkin Seeds
Sauerkraut
Soy Products
Sprouted Seeds
Squashes
Sunflower Seeds
Yogurt

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease; research is ongoing.

Ranked Foods: Alkaline to Acidic

Here's a chart that ranks foods from most alkaline to most acidic.

Extremely Alkaline
________________________________________
Lemons, Watermelon

Alkaline Forming
________________________________________
Cantaloupe, Cayenne Celery, Dates, Figs, Kelp, Limes, Mango, Melons, Papaya, Parsley, Seaweeds, Seedless Grapes (sweet), Watercress
________________________________________
Asparagus, Fruit Juices, Grapes (sweet), Kiwifruit, Passionfruit, Pears (sweet), Pineapple, Raisins, Umeboshi Plums, Vegetable Juices

Moderately Alkaline
________________________________________
Apples (sweet), Alfalfa Sprouts, Apricots, Avocados, Bananas (ripe), Currants, Dates, Figs (fresh), Garlic, Grapefruit, Grapes (less sweet), Guavas, Herbs (leafy green), Lettuce (leafy green), Nectarine, Peaches (sweet), Pears (less sweet), Peas (fresh, sweet), Pumpkin (sweet), Sea Salt (vegetable)
________________________________________
Apples (sour), Beans (fresh, green), Beets, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carob, Cauliflower, Ginger (fresh), Grapes (sour), Lettuce (pale green), Oranges, Peaches (less sweet), Peas (less sweet), Potatoes (with skin), Pumpkin (less sweet), Raspberries, Strawberries, Squash, Sweet Corn (fresh), Turnip, Vinegar (apple cider)

Slightly Alkaline
________________________________________
Almonds, Artichokes (Jerusalem), Brussel Sprouts, Cherries, Coconut (fresh), Cucumbers, Eggplant, Honey (raw), Leeks, Mushrooms, Okra, Olives (ripe), Onions, Pickles (homemade), Radishes, Sea Salt, Spices, Tomatoes (sweet), Vinegar (sweet brown rice)
________________________________________
Chestnuts (dry, roasted), Egg Yolks (soft cooked), Essene Bread, Goat's Milk and Whey (raw), Mayonnaise (homemade), Olive Oil, Sesame Seeds (whole), Soy Beans (dry), Soy Cheese, Soy Milk, Sprouted Grains, Tofu, Tomatoes (less sweet), Yeast (nutritional flakes)

Neutral
________________________________________
Butter (fresh, unsalted), Cream (fresh, raw), Cow's Milk and Whey (raw), Margine, Oils (except olive), Yogurt (plain)

Moderately Acidic
________________________________________
Bananas (green), Barley (rye), Blueberries, Bran, Butter, Cereals (unrefined), Cheeses, Crackers (unrefined rye, rice and wheat), Cranberries, Dried Beans (mung, adzuki, pinto, kidney, garbanzo), Dry Coconut, Egg Whites, Eggs Whole (cooked hard), Fructose, Goat's Milk (homogenized), Honey (pasteurized), Ketchup, Maple Syrup (unprocessed), Milk (homogenized), Molasses (unsulferd and organic), Most Nuts, Mustard, Oats (rye, organic), Olives (pickled), Pasta (whole grain), Pastry (whole grain and honey), Plums, Popcorn (with salt and/or butter), Potatoes, Prunes, Rice (basmati and brown), Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), Soy Sauce, Wheat Bread (sprouted organic)

Extremely Acidic
________________________________________
Artificial Sweeteners, Beef, Beer, Breads, Brown Sugar, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Cereals (refined), Chocolate, Cigarettes and Tobacco, Coffee, Cream of Wheat (unrefined), Custard (with white sugar), Deer, Drugs, Fish, Flour (white wheat), Fruit Juices with Sugar, Jams, Jellies, Lamb, Liquor, Maple Syrup (processed), Molasses (sulphured), Pasta (white), Pastries and Cakes from White Flour, Pickles (commercial), Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Sugar (white), Table Salt (refined and iodized), Tea (black), White Bread, White Vinegar (processed), Whole Wheat Foods, Wine, Yogurt (sweetened)

Good Clean Livin'

2009-06-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a healthy grocery list - if you'd like to add any, just leave a comment.

Bom apetite!

Vegetables (Organic):

artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage (bok choy, brussels sprouts), carrots, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, greens (collard, dandelion, kale, mustard, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip, watercress), lettuce (arugula, Boston, romaine), mushrooms, onions, peppers (sweet, hot), potatoes, spices, squash, turnips

Fruit (Organic):

apples, bananas, berries, cherries, citrus fruits, dried fruits (apricots, cranberries, dates, prunes, raisins), figs, grapes (black, purple, red), kiwifruit, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, tomatoes

Meat (Organic):

beef (grass-fed, hormone-free), chicken, lamb

Seafood:

mackerel, sardines, shellfish, shrimp, tuna, wild salmon, white fish

Grains/Beans:

beans (black, garbanzo, lentils, red, soy), brown rice, oatmeal, whole-grain pasta

Baking:

flour (whole-wheat, spelt), leaveners (baking soda, baking powder, yeast), sweeteners (raw organic honey, blackstrap molasses, stevia)

Oils/Vinegars:

extra-virgin olive oil, extra-virgin coconut oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, organic vinegar

Snacks:

crackers (whole grain), nut butters, nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts), seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)

Dairy (Organic):

butter, cheese, eggs, milk, soy (tofu, milk, tempeh)

Beverages:

juice (acai, cranberry, pomegranate, orange), organic coffee, seltzer water, tea

Search for Downed Plane Highlights Ocean Trash Problem

2009-06-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

The massive amount of garbage in the ocean likely complicates the search for the remains of an Air France flight that went missing Monday near Brazil.

Earlier this week, investigators said they had located pieces of the plane in the southern Atlantic Ocean, which might have given them clues to the origin of Air France Flight 447's crash.

But on Thursday, Brazilian officials said what they had found was nothing more than run-of-the-mill ocean trash.

Trash clutters the world's oceans, as shown here in a file photo near Hong Kong.

This highlights a little-seen environmental problem: Scientists say the world's oceans are increasingly filled with junk -- everything from large items like refrigerators and abandoned yachts to small stuff like plastic bottles.

Much of the ocean trash is plastic, which means it won't go away for hundreds of years, if ever. And the problem has gotten so bad that soupy "garbage patches" have developed in several locations, called gyres, where ocean currents swirl.

One of them is estimated to be the size of Texas.

Full story

Ayahuasca Healing Journey - Part II How to Fix You if You're Broken

2009-05-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

“Remarkable physical healings and resolutions of psychological difficulties can occur with this medicine.”
– Dr. Ralph Metzner, Sacred Vine of Spirits (1)

If you’re Indiana Jones-ing for adventure…

Ayahuasca will provide it for you in spades.

But don’t confuse it with an E-ticket ride at Disney.

As one expert, Dr. Jeremy Narby puts it, “ayahuasca is the deep water.”(2)

There’s no hiding from the ayahuasca.

You will be given the gift of a meeting with your own unconscious mind. Unfortunately, it can be quite dark in there.

You Must Be Prepared

If you are considering your own ayahuasca cleansing, you must have the courage to be willing to open yourself up to having extremely dark encounters as a way to break through your deepest fears, your blocked emotions, and your suppressed memories to emerge cleansed from the chains that hold you back.

This bondage can only be alleviated during an ayahuasca ceremony by facing your demons head-on.

Ayahuasca Dream by Robert Venosa

The more serious your issues are, the more intense your experience is likely to be. And the greater your reward.

Each person’s experience is unique. And you’ll never have two ayahuasca sessions which are identical:

You may experience “soul retrieval,” recovering a splintered “soul part” which had fled to survive a traumatic incident in your past. Shamans believe that unless you undergo “soul retrieval,” these parts of you will be lost forever.

You could cross into other dimensions to meet your other incarnations – your other lives.

You may even be granted an audience with the Almighty himself. Shamans claim to see Him all the time.

Reported experiences during ayahuasca cleansing ceremonies include:

Dr. Jeremy Narby:
“…found myself surrounded by enormous fluorescent serpents that were fifteen yards long…and hair-raisingly real. They started communicating to me in a kind of thought language, telling me things about myself that were painfully true, including that I was just a tiny human being who didn’t understand very much.

Then I flew out of my body, miles above the planet, until the shaman shifted his song and I landed back in my body.”(2)

Kara Salak:
“…I reached the bottom of the tunnel and saw three thrones in a black chamber. Three shadowy figures sat in the chairs; in the middle was what I took to be the devil himself.

“The darkness will never end,” he said. “It will never end. You can never escape this place.”

“I can,” I replied. All at once, I willed myself to rise. I sailed up through the tunnel of fire, higher and higher until I broke through to a white light. All darkness immediately vanished. My body felt light, at peace. I floated among a beautiful spread of colors and patterns. Slowly my ayahuasca vision faded.

“Welcome back,” the shaman said.

The next morning, I discovered the impossible: The severe depression that had ruled my life since childhood had miraculously vanished.”(3)

Clinical Confirmation from the West

UCLA’s Dr. Charles Grob oversees the Hoasca Project.

Many of the subjects he’s studied have experienced “remarkable transformations” including achieving lasting sobriety from chronic alcoholism and drug abuse, along with significant reductions of associated psychopathologies.

Dr. Charles Grob:
“One particularly surprising finding was the up-regulated platelet serotonin receptor systems in subjects, which might be the neurobiological basis of ayahuasca’s observed antidepressant and mood regulation effects.”(2)

There is a very profound chemical combination at work in the ayahuasca brew which is highly therapeutic and according to Dr. Grob “a far more sophisticated and effective way to treat depression than SSRIs [antidepressant drugs],” which he terms “a rather crude way” of doing it.(3)

If you’re willing to journey half way around the world, trudge deep into the rainforest and surrender yourself to a shaman’s care, in order to face your darkest terrors, you just may be rewarded exponentially.

South America (click image to enlarge)

These complex plants offer you an opportunity to communicate with the vast intelligence of the natural world.

In the Amazon, Earth’s own garden, as the sultry jungle pulses with a primal energy, you’ll become indoctrinated into the magical, mystical world of plant spirit shamanism.

If you’ll tune in to the sheer power of nature, ayahuasca is your invitation to emerge from the rainforest, stumbling out of the fog and into a new consciousness.

Amazon River at sunset - photo: Mike Lehtimaki

Ayahuasca opens the door to a life-changing experience, a spiritual epiphany of consciousness. And a return to balance and equilibrium.

During the ceremony, you’ll be seeing through your “third eye,” freeing you from three-dimensional reality and allowing you to connect with multiple dimensions.

It’s available now.

And it has been for thousands of years.

“Plant speech sounds like the hum of high-voltage wires, with a rhythmic, songlike quality to it. This is interesting, since shamans have spoken for thousands of years about the “song of the universe” – the energy vibration beneath all things.”
- Ross Heaven and Howard G. Charing, Plant Spirit Shamanism(4)

If you’d like to explore ayahuasca further, here are a few resources you can find at your local library, bookstore or you can purchase them at Amazon.

In the meantime, you may be interested in Kira Salak’s story, Peru: Hell and Back. In National Geographic Adventure, Ms. Salak chronicles her own exorcism during an ayahuasca cleansing. It was the key to her escape from a crushing lifelong depression.

And if you choose to pursue ayahuasca cleansing on your quest for health and wellness, I wish you every success on your personal journey.

1 Sacred Vine of Spirits, Dr. Ralph Metzner ed., 2005, Park St. Press
2 Visionary Plant Consciousness – The Shamanic Teachings of the Plant World, J.P. Harpignies ed., 2007, Park Street Press
3 National Geographic Adventure, Kira Salak
4 Plant Spirit Shamanism, Ross Heaven and Howard G. Charing, 2006, Destiny Books

Ayahuasca Healing Journey - Part I

2009-05-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

"There is probably no hangover that comes anywhere close to the hangover from an exorcism." - National Geographic

I’m not going to lie to you.

This 2-part ayahuasca series is going to be intense.

This blog isn't called ultimate health for nothing.

So, if you’re feeling adventurous…

copyright Tadd_Debbie

Today we’re going to journey deep into the Amazon rainforest. You might even say deep into your very own heart of darkness, to explore a powerful jungle medicine called ayahuasca.

Ayahuasca is made from the ayahuasca vine and the leaf of the Chacruna plant.

This powerful plant combination is the key which unlocks the door into another world – the innerworld of your unconscious mind.

Ayahuasca healing ceremonies, which are conducted by shamans, have been an integral part of life in the upper Amazon for centuries, dating back at least 2,500 years.

Spirituality is at the core of the Ayahuasca experience.

Purification and cleansing of body, mind, and spirit in a shamanic ceremony can be the springboard to a profound personal and spiritual transformation.

Ayahuasca Cleansing Journey

Ayahuasca is a name derived from two Quechua words: aya means spirit or ancestor and huasca means vine or rope. Ergo, ayahuasca is known as vine of the soul or vine of the spirit.

It’s also called many other names including yaje, caapi, natema, pinde, daime, mihi and dapa, depending on the tribe and its location.

The plants are collected in a sacred way and it’s said that a shaman can find plentiful sources of the vine by listening for the ‘drumbeat’ that emanates from them.

copyright JDRorer

The mixture is prepared by cutting the vines and pounding them into a pulp and mixing them with the cleaned Chacruna leaves.

Depending on the shamanic prescription for the ceremony, up to 100 other plants may also be used in the mixture.

This organic brew is a psychotropic drug which contains DMT (Dimethyltriptamine). DMT is illegal in the U.S. but is legal in the Amazon region.

Without specific intent, vision, scrupulous preparation and shaman guidance, it is a drug and not a healing medicine.

These shaman-guided Ayahuasca cleansing sessions are potentially an extraordinarily powerful healing experience.

An Ayahuasca Cleansing Session (or OMG! What the Hell is the Devil Doing Here?!)

The shaman determines your specific volume of the ayahuasca based on several factors, including how big your problems are, how long you’ve been haunted by them and the ‘aura’ you display.

The shamans are veterans of dozens and often-times hundreds and even thousands of ayahuasca ceremonies.

They smoke a tobacco and blow it on the brew, onto themselves, and onto the top of your head as a way to purify the experience.

When you partake of the ayahuasca brew, you lie down on a comfortable mattress and wait about 20 minutes for the sacred plants to take hold.

Fire burn and cauldron bubble...

The shamans sing specific chants, called Icaros, which coax the healing spirits to appear.

The specific Icaros will be based on exactly what the shaman is attempting to accomplish both group-wise and for each individual.

The purpose of the chant at the beginning of the ceremony is to provoke your mind to allow visions to penetrate.

Some Icaros call for plant spirits, for healing. Others call for animal spirits, to protect and rid patients of spells.

If visions become too strong, the Icaros can be used to induce the spirits to depart to allow the person to regain their equilibrium.

The complete experience creates an environment that helps open the doors of perception.

What you do when you get there is entirely your own challenge. That's why each person’s experience is completely their own.

As the shaman chants songs rich in symbolism calling for nature to heal itself, you are there for one thing.

Your mission is to break through your deepest, most all-consuming fears and to purge any demons of any form that have taken root inside you.

You’re given a bucket to vomit into to expel your toxic physical and psychological issues.

The bile you blow out in an ayahuasca cleansing is toxic waste that must be released from your system. This cleansing purge is essential in your preparation for a new level of consciousness.

The ayahuasca is powerful medicine for what ails you.

Many people have reported an emotional lifting of lifelong crippling depression after undergoing one ayahuasca cleansing session. These include Paul Theroux, the author, who wrote about his experience years ago.

The process is one of surrendering your ego, breaking through your fears and attaining a psychic rebirth.

The ayahusca is used to break down your defenses so you can converse directly with your unconscious.

This is known in some cultures as your third eye or sixth chakra.

Some participants have reported extremely disturbing encounters with demons, serpents, dragons and a black void of nothingness at this juncture in their ayahuasca journey.

Next time, we’ll see that for some, an ayahuasca cleansing is nothing short of a full-blown exorcism.

The Life-or-Death Secret You May Not Know... About YOU

2009-05-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

The sooner you realize that most American companies DO NOT have your best interests at heart, the sooner you’ll be able to break free of their toxic marketing appeals.

Of course, if you want to win the wellness game, you have to know the rules.

What you’re about to learn may shock you…

Pasteur vs. Bechamp and the Loser is… Everyone

Louis Pasteur’s Germ Theory of monomorphism is the established curriculum in all western medical institutions.

Unfortunately, it’s irrelevant.

Germs are not everything, as western doctors have been taught in medical school since Pasteur prominence in the mid-1800’s.

A germ, virus or pathogen can only wreak havoc when it finds a vulnerable environment in which to operate.

Inside your body, that means it must encounter an acidic cellular terrain in order to inflict its damage. If a pathogen should go up against an alkaline environment, it’s got no chance of spreading illness and disease.

You may have heard of people who’ve cured themselves of cancer and other degenerative illnesses simply by changing their lifestyle and building an alkaline fortress within their cells.

Not surprisingly, their medical school-trained doctors were shocked.

Pasteur had political pull and wealthy business associates. They weren’t interested in preventive health care.

Pastuer and his cronies were after money. And the big money, as we know, is in the management of sickness which means expensive drugs, doctor visits, surgeries…

They were interested in establishing a new global enterprise to control medicine and disease like a commodity, thereby profiting trillions from human suffering.

Unfortunately, they were successful. And that’s the reason why many doctors today are complete tools of this “sickness” machine.

The Unheralded Genius – Antoine Bechamp

Antoine Bechamp discovered pleomorphism and microzymas.

Basically, he understood that germs aren’t important by themselves. Germs are a chemical by-product of organisms interacting with unbalanced, malfunctioning cells and dead tissues that already produce disease.

As Gary Tunsky points out in “The Battle for Health is Over pH,” “Germs don’t produce diseased conditions themselves any more than mosquitoes cause a stagnant swamp.”

Disease is born of an acidic, low-oxygen cellular environment, created by environmental toxins, a toxic diet and a toxic lifestyle.

The coverup of Bechamp’s crucial theory by Pasteur cronies has meant nothing but misery and suffering for the human race.

Pasteur was so guilt-ridden on his deathbed he cried out, attempting to make amends, but he was successfully hushed by the powers that be – his own cabal.

Tunsky: “Had Bechamp’s breakthrough discoveries been incorporated into current medical curriculum, we would have already been experiencing the virtual elimination of disease and the end of the pharmaceutical industry.”

The critical importance of your pH level and maintaining an alkaline cellular terrain inside your body is going to be a main focus of this blog.

It’s your brilliant path to ultimate health and wellness.

And it’s literally the difference between wellness and disease; life and death.

And if you somehow still doubt that America’s biggest companies DO NOT have your best interests at heart, check this out.

It’s about a friend of mine who was forced to change the way he does business after suffering a crushing attack by one of America’s largest companies.

It is appalling.

Living to Be 100 - Just as Your Creator Planned

2009-05-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

This may seem shocking to you, but much of aging is in your mind.

When you make poor lifestyle decisions, such as smoking, drinking too much, eating the wrong foods or allowing yourself to sink into a negative, stress-filled mindset, what you’re doing is simply reinforcing the idea that aging is inevitable.

You believe that you’ll grow older, you’ll feel sluggish, slow down and your body will begin to break down.

It’s nothing more than the Law of Expectations.

You’re feeling less vital than you used to.

And you’re aging exactly as you expect to.

Why?

Because everyone else is doing it, right?

Not me.

You know from my results last week that I have the same metabolism as a typical, healthy 14 year old.

What you don’t know is that I was born in the 1950’s. I’m going to be 50 years old in August.

But I don’t feel like I’m about to be 50.

Actually, I feel better now than I did in my 20’s.

The Dr. Bragg Plan

And the reason for that is because I’m on the Dr. Bragg plan.

Paul Bragg was a fitness pioneer who opened the first health food store in America.

His company still sells Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar and Bragg’s Amino Acids, which I swear by.

Jack Lalanne with Dr. Bragg who started him on the road to health over 75 years ago

When Dr. Bragg was in his mid-90’s, he lived in Hawaii and he liked to surf every day.

He was obviously the picture of health at the time.

Unfortunately, one day Dr. Bragg met his demise in the ocean surf.

An autopsy was performed to determine the cause of death.

The stunned coroner claimed he’d been killed as the result of a surfing accident.

And he noted that Dr. Bragg had the internal organs of a 20-year-old man.

That’s my plan too.

Our creator built us to live to be 100 years old and more. And you have complete control over your body, mind and health.

Use it wisely.

To see where you’re headed, use the Longevity Calculator on the right column of this blog.

It’ll tell you approximately how long you have to live (if you don’t improve your habits and simply continue with your current lifestyle.)

It’ll only take about 5 minutes and the results can be quite revealing.

According to the Longevity Calculator, I’m going to live to be 95.

But I’m going to tweak a couple things in my lifestyle and see if I can make it to 100.

I’m halfway there.

And I feel like I’m on the right path.

How about you?

The Secret to Great Health (Part II)

2009-05-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

“I consider cleansing and detox dieting to be the missing link in Western nutrition and a key to the vitality of our civilization.”

—Elson M. Haas, M.D., author The Detox Diet

The majority of the world’s cultures use cleansing/detox as an integral part of their lifestyle.

Yet in the West, we don’t.

And so the U.S. is among the world’s leaders in rates of heart disease, cancer, stroke and a bevy of other degenerative illnesses.

It doesn’t take a genius to see the devastating effect our lack of cleansing has had on our culture.

Consider the lives lost.

The chronic pain and illness people live with every day.

The insane cost of medical procedures, prescription drugs and insurance.

The good news is that if you’re suffering in pain and reliant on doctors and drugs, there’s one way out.

If you will take action before it’s too late, you can completely improve your health and change your life.

I just completed the 9-day cleanse I mentioned last week.

The results:

Day 1 / Day 10 / Net

Weight: 178 lbs. / 175 lbs./ - 3lbs.
Body Fat: 11.1 % / 8.6 % / - 2.5 %
Body Water: 57.5 % / 61.6 % / + 4.1 %
Visceral Fat: 5 / 4 / - 1
Muscle Mass: 150.8 lbs. / 151.9 lbs. / + 1.1 lbs.
Physique Rating: 6.5 / 6.5 / -
Bone Mass: 7.8 lbs. / 7.8 lbs. / -
Metabolic Rate(DCI): 4005 calories/ 4016 calories / + 11 calories
Metabolic Age: 18 / 14 / - 4 years

Although I was happy with these results, they aren’t as dramatic as a typical person may have.

Overall, my lifestyle isn’t all that divergent whether I’m cleansing or not.

Unlike people who use cleansing occasionally as a healthy way to lose weight quickly, I’m committed to feeling my best all the time.

Anyway, I’d like to break down a few of the numbers so you get a sense of how important cleansing is – and the “miracles” it can do for you.

Weight: 175 (-3 lbs.)
I didn’t have much to lose, so I didn’t lose much. Amazingly, it’s not uncommon for people who are underweight to actually gain weight on a cleanse.

At my heaviest, I weighed 218. And when I first learned of this technology in 2004, my initial results were dramatic.

And if you have extra weight you’re carrying around, the results that you’ll get may be dramatic as well. In fact, losing 15 pounds over 9 days is fairly common with the people I’ve coached through a 9-day cleanse.

Body Fat%: 8.6 % (- 2.5 %)
Nice drop in fat really toned me up and has my muscles looking more defined.

Visceral Fat Rating: 4 (- 1)
An important rating. The healthy range is from 1 – 12. A rating between 13 – 59 indicates unhealthy levels. Visceral fat is the fat in your abdomen that surrounds your vital organs. (Note: It’s possible to have a low body fat rate and still have a high visceral fat level.) Visceral fat is important because it’s an indicator for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

Body Water%: 61.6% (+ 4.1 %)
Notice that when your body water % goes up, your body fat % comes down (and vice versa). For people who want to lose weight, that’s just another benefit of drinking lots of water. The healthy range for men is 50 – 65 %. Women naturally have a little more body fat, so the healthy women’s range is 45 – 60 %.

Metabolic Rate (DCI): 4016 calories (+ 11 calories)
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the minimum level of energy your body needs when at rest to function effectively, including your respiratory and circulatory organs, neural system, liver, kidneys and other organs. BMR is then used to calculate DCI (Daily Calorie Intake), an estimate of how many calories you can consume within the next 24 hours to maintain your current weight.

Metabolic Age: 14 (-4 years)
Metabolic Age calculates your BMR and indicates the average age of a person associated with that type of metabolism. Which explains why I can easily outwork someone 1/2 my age.

How you can achieve and maintain the metabolism of a teenager or 20-something is one of the themes of this blog.

We’ll also discuss anti-aging secrets, weight loss and a whole lot more.

The Secret to Great Health

2009-04-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

"The secret to great health can be described in three words:

Cleanse Your Body!

Engrave these 3 words permanently in your memory."
– Dr. Paul Bragg

I consider cleansing/detoxification (variations of the same thing) to be a crucial part of attaining levels of ultimate health and wellness. Not just physically, but in every area of your life.

I’m currently on a 9-day cleanse.

I’ll discuss it more specifically after the 9 days but here were my vital stats on the morning of day 1, just to compare the results next week:

Weight: 178 lbs.

Body Fat: 11.1%

Body Water: 57.5%

Muscle: 150.8 lbs.

Bone Mass: 7.8 lbs.

Metabolic Rate: 4005 Calories/day

Metabolic Age: 18

(If you’re wondering, I have a Tanita Body Composition Monitor which uses bio impedence analysis to gauge these statistics.)

I’ll talk more about specific HEALTHY ingredients which accelerate cleansing and fat burning results, but now I’d like to take a step back and start at square one.

This is crucial.

It’s basic. And because it is, many people don’t give it the attention it deserves.

Our society is chronically dehydrated. Estimates say that well over 90% of us are dehydrated.

Most, if not all “diseases” (which are all merely symptoms of one problem, but we’ll get to that another time)… most “diseases” are exacerbated, if not caused by dehydration.

So guess what the most important thing you can do to improve your health is?

Yes. Drink more healthy water!

Drink water with lemon squeezed in it. It’s very alkaline.

Drink distilled water. Drink ionized water. Drink water with pH drops in it.

Drinking water supports cleansing by helping to clean your liver and kidneys and eliminate toxic waste from your body.

Drinking water supports weight loss by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories in your body.

Drinking water prevents disease and promotes vitality by keeping your pipes clean and fluids moving through your systems.

Think of it like this:

The rainforest is green, because it rains and gets lots of water.

The desert is brown, because it's parched from lack of water.

Would you like your body to be clean and glisten with the growth, vitality and freshness of the rainforest?

Or would you rather be parched, your body cracked and lifeless, a barren wasteland?

Seems obvious.

And the solution is simple.

So if you do nothing else to improve your health, do this.

It’s the most important thing of all.

And a terrific place to begin your journey toward ultimate health, wellness and vitality.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lao-Tzu

Drink up.

Welcome to Ultimate Health

2009-04-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

The great news is that you can be healthy and not starve yourself.

That may seem hard to believe if you've suffered through a yo-yo dieting merry-go-round. But unfortunately, the net result of most "dieting" is that you end up with more fat than before you started.

My idea of ultimate health is to cleanse your body of toxins and waste. And then continue to remain clean, healthy and happy with a slim new physique.

It's simply about learning the things which are most important to your health. And then doing them.

When you eat and do the things your body is crying out for, it'll reward you with glowing health, inner confidence and an optimistic sense of well-being.

And you'll actually enjoy foods that perhaps you won't eat today. Such as delicious whole foods, juicy fruits and vegetables.

When you cleanse your system of toxic waste, you'll no longer crave foods that are unhealthy. Your taste buds will no longer be perverted by junk food and processed food that's been stripped of its health benefits.

One of the things you can do to start your day the right way is to enjoy a protein smoothie. Quality organic whey protein is crucial to getting your brain chemicals in balance.

Whey protein is nutrient-dense and rich in amino acids.

The key is the amino acids which help you to raise your dopamine and seratonin.

These are crucial to your sense of well-being. Dopamine gives you clarity, energy and motivation. And seratonin gives you comfort, contentment and optimism.

These neurotransmitters are all directly determined by diet and exercise.

These are a natural alternative to prescription drugs like Ritalin.

Other characteristics of a balanced brain include stable moods, more energy and better sleep.

There are so many reason to cleanse your system.

You may have heard that death begins in the colon. Right now, you may have up to 20 pounds of impacted fecal matter, undigested food and other toxic sludge clogging up your pipes.

It literally makes you a statistic waiting to happen.

Another reason that its important to cleanse your body of toxins is because when you drink amino acids, they are digested in your stomach and then processed by your liver.

If your digestion is weak or your liver is toxic, then the amino acids can't be fully converted into brain chemicals. Weak digestion or a toxic liver will block your production of healthy brain chemicals.

Here's a short video, courtesy of the WSJ.com and the National Cancer Institute, which shows NFL All-Pro Tony Gonzalez, a mostly vegan eater, making a delicious protein shake.

And you don't necessarily have to give up meat. But when you look at the bodies of non-meat eaters like Herschel Walker and Tony Gonzalez, you can see that you don't need meat to create muscle.

You simply need good quality protein. The kind you can get in a quality whey protein.