Tag: garlic

Food Sources of Vitamin C

Natural Food Sources of Vitamin C:

All fruits and vegetables contain Vitamin C.

Vitamin C helps  support the immune system and  is a powerful antioxidant.  It has been used for many years in alternative cancer treatments, but now  it has been proven as a fact to be a cancer preventative.  This finding was made public just two weeks ago, by research scientists in New Zealand.

So now we can be certain of the value of Vitamin C in maintaining a healthy immune system.  Vitamin C is vital to good health.

Vitamin C is destroyed in cooking, so some raw fruits and vegetables must be eaten daily in order to get enough Vitamin C.  Some Vitamin C remains in food which has not been cooked for too long.  Broccoli, cabbage, potatoes and carrots are examples of food which retain some Vitamin C after cooking on a moderate heat.

Vitamin C is not stored in the body either, so you need to have a daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables to maintain your Vitamin C levels.  A daily supply of these foods will ensure that you get enough Vitamin C to keep your immune system ship shape to help you  stay healthy:  An adequate regular supply of Vitamin C will go a long way to helping protect you and your family from diseases like cancer.

Of course, you must make all efforts to get your fruit and vegetables from an organic source, otherwise the beneficial effect of the Vitamin C in these foods could very well be negated by the presence of agricultural poisons.

Natural Food Sources of Vitamin C:

Citrus fruits are very high.  Lemons are especially good, which is why lemon drinks with honey, garlic, and ginger, are excellent remedies for the  common cold. Honey, garlic, and fresh ginger all contain small amounts of Vitamin C, as well as other helpful compounds for treating the common cold.

Berries such as blackberry, raspberry, cranberry, boysenberry, strawberry, gooseberry, and grapes, are very high in vitamin C.

Kiwifruit are an extremely rich food source of Vitamin C.

Tamarillos and tomatoes are high natural food sources of Vitamin C, especially when they are eaten raw.  Even cooked, some vitamin C will remain in these foods.

Apples,  apricots, peaches, pears,  nectarines, and plums are all good natural food sources of Vitamin C.

Dried fruits still retain high levels of Vitamin C:  Dried plums, as in prunes, are high in Vitamin C;  dried figs, dried apricots, dried dates, sultanas and raisins, have good amounts of Vitamin C.

Vitamin C and Colds

Vitamin C :  Colds

Does  Vitamin C work as a treatment for the common cold?

Research done thus far suggests that Vitamin C, as an additional supplement to the diet,  does not work on its own as a prophylactic for the common cold in most cases.

However, in groups of people who were tested as for the efficacy of vitamin C in treating the common cold, it was found that Vitamin C did actually work to reduce the expected duration of the common cold.  Dr Holt and Iona MacDonald have an essay entitled ‘Vitamin C and the common cold’ which you can find in their book entitled ‘Natural Remedies that Really Work:  A New Zealand Guide, published in 2010 by Craig Potton Publishing, P.O. Box 555, Nelson, New Zealand.

Also, people who took Vitamin C regularly were more likely to resist getting the common cold as a result of hard exercise followed by chilling, than those who did not take Vitamin C.

This would suggest that Vitamin C in fact does improve resistance and increase immune function.

In the studies which Dr Holt and Ms MacDonald mention, Vitamin C was just used as a supplement:  1000 mg daily was recommended as an average, safe supplement.

These studies do not discuss the use of other herbal treatments such as the use of garlic, or lemon juice which is taken in drinks, or other known herbal remedies which help to reduce the symptoms of the common cold.

Vitamin C, I think, works best when it is taken, not on its own as a supplement, but with those foods which complement it, such as lemon juice, and garlic,  ginger and cinnamon.

Lemon juice contains high amounts of Vitamin C on its own.  The common cold is best treated when the juice of a lemon is made into a hot drink, with added ginger, garlic, and cinnamon, and taken with honey.  If a supplement of Ester C, or Calcium ascorbate, is taken at the same time, with about 500mg-1000mg of vitamin C, then the effect of the spiced up and honeyed lemon drink are remarkably pronounced. Use only 500 mg of Vitamin C for children under twelve years, and 1000 mg for adults.  Up to three doses can be given per day, and continued for three days  if the cold is severe.

Note: Dr Holt does not recommend doses of more than 1000 mg of Vitamin C per day for adults.  Note that Vitamin C can interfere with some medications, so if you are on medication, then you should not take ANY Vitamin C without consulting your health practitioner for professional advice. Even if you are not taking medication, consult your doctor or naturopath to see about taking Vitamin C.

In my experience, this is the best way to use Vitamin C supplements, fo treating the common cold:   that is, in combination with lemon drinks, garlic, ginger and cinnamon.

Health Benefits of Garlic

Garlic is an age-old food condiment and medicine. It has been used for thousands of years in the Middle East,  Egypt,  India, and China.  Soldiers in the ancient world were given garlic to build strength and courage. 

In traditional Chinese Medicine, it is known as ‘the penicillin in the earth’, because of its healing properties. By the time of the second world war, garlic’s  popularity as a medicine was recognized  even by the British Government, who sent a shipment of garlic to the infantry to help heal the soldiers wounds.

The health benefits of garlic work best when the garlic is used raw, altough garlic used in cooking still has a beneficial effect on the health, starting with improving the digestion. 

Some of the Health Benefits of Garlic are that:

  • Garlic has a warming effect on the constitution.
  • It encourages the production of digestive juices, thus it aids digestion.
  • It is used as a medicine to avert colds, flu, and other viruses.
  • It improves the immune system.
  •  It has been used in the past to treat whooping cough, and other chest and lung afflictions.  In these cases, garlic would be taken internally, and also, warm-to-hot poultices of  linen soaked in a strong infusion of garlic would have been applied to the chest, covered with warm blankets,  and replaced every half an hour or so.
  • It helps to combat diarrhea
  • It contains protein, fats, and carbohydrate.
  • It helps the blood sugar metabolism to function normally:
  • This is partly due to the fact that garlic is high in Zinc, which helps to regulate sugar levels.
  • Zinc and other minerals in Garlic help encourage hair growth.
  • It helps to lower cholesterol and the blood pressure, which means:
  • It is useful in helping to prevent heart disease
  • Garlic is a natural antiseptic and antibiotic.
  • It helps to eradicate intestinal worms and other parasites.
  • When given to dogs, along with Vitamin B,  it is supposed to be helpful in deterring fleas.
  • Garlic has been used to treat insect stings and bites.  It has even been used to treat snake bite in some parts of the world.  I have read of a remedy which involved adding one’s own saliva to crushed garlic, and applying  this to snake bite –  though I would dare to try it on my snake bite only if there was no hospital nearby.

Foods Rich in Iodine

Foods High in Iodine
It is important to eat plentiful amounts of iodine-rich foods in your diet.

 Iodine is one of the six most important minerals for body health, along with calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and zinc. Of course, traces of the remaining dozen minerals are also necessary for the optimum  function of body organs and for the maintenance of cellular tissue. However, Iodine is the mineral featured in this article: iodine is so often deficient in people’s diets.

Why Iodine is Important:
Iodine is essential for healthy hair, nails, skin and teeth. A deficiency in iodine will affect your hair growth for sure.  Poor mental function, poor eye-sight, lack of energy, and slow growth in children are other symptoms likely to be suffered by people who are deficient in iodine.
Because two thirds of the body’s iodine is stored in the thyroid gland, a deficiency of iodine directly affects the thyroid function,  and this disturbance can result in your putting on a lot of weight.It can also lead to goitre and hypothyroidism.
Adults need somewhere between 80-150mcg daily, the guideline being 1 mcg for every kilogram of your body weight. Pregnant women and breast-feeding mums need to keep their intake on the high side of average.

You can over-do iodine if you take supplements, however, you cannot over-dose on iodine if you rely on food to give you your daily requirement of the mineral. It pays to remember, also, that iodine is often destroyed in the processing of foods which would normally hold iodine, and that over-worked soils are often deficient themselves in iodine, so that foods produced on these soils are also deficient in iodine and other minerals, like zinc.
Liquid iodine can be used on the scalp to supplement your iodine intake, and help your hair to regrow: see my posts on ‘Iodine Hair Growth’, ‘Iodine Scalp Hair Remedy’,  ‘Regrow Hair’ and ‘Iodine’.

Foods rich  in iodine are all those which come from the sea. Sea-water has high amounts of iodine in it, and this is absorbed by all sea life – all sea-water fish, shellfish, and sea-weeds. You absorb a little iodine as you swim in sea-water, and lie on the sand at the beach.

Living by the sea will increase your iodine levels minimally, as the salt spray will be breathed in and settle on the skin where it will be absorbed: this is one reason why sailors generally have excellent eye-sight.
Lobster, shrimp, crayfish, crab,oysters, mussels, abalone, sardines, mackerel and tuna are foods which are all extremely high in iodine.
Sea-salt also contains iodine. This is a more preferable way to take iodine than using iodized salt, which has sodium iodide added to it. The iodine in sea-salt is natural, elemental iodine, and is more easily assimilated than sodium iodide. There is much written on the subject of iodized salt which suggests this could actually be harmful, compounded by the fact that free-flowing agents, like aluminium, are also added to iodized table salt.
Kelp is a valuable source of iodine. Kelp could be substituted for table salt. It should be added to meals to ensure that enough iodine is acquired for the body, especially considering that many vegetables do not have the expected amount of iodine due to being grown on impoverished soils.
Onions, garlic, leeks, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts are normally good sources of iodine, however their iodine content depends on how much iodine is in the soils where they were grown.
Root vegetables such as beetroot and carrots, turnips, swede, parsnips, dandelions and salsify, and other vegetables which are deep-rooted, like comfrey, and jerusalem artichokes, are normally high in iodine. The globe artichoke, which belongs to the thistle family, is a rich source of iodine and other minerals and vitamins. The common nettle, which can be boiled as a vegetable or made into a tea, also contains reasonable amounts of iodine.
Milk, butter, yogurt and eggs all contain some iodine.
But kelp is the king of all iodine providers. Just half a teaspoonful of kelp powder provides you with about 1700 mcg of iodine, which well exceeds the dietary standard.

Causes of Memory Loss

How To Reverse Memory Loss

Toxic Chemicals, Alcohol, Marijuana, Microwaves, Toxic Dentures, And Some Medications Can Cause Candida

Candida Can Cause Memory Loss:  Too often people say that the cause of memory loss is a genetic thing, especially when it is related to Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.  But while we accept that some people have a propensity for afflictions of the brain, and memory loss, as with cancer and other degenerative diseases, much can be done, in my experience, to avoid or avert these conditions in most people, even when there is a genetic weakness.

Candida Infection

A weakened immune system can result in candida, which can cause memory loss.

It is easy to cure candida: The main thing is to starve it of the foods it thrives on, and avoid all those environmental contaminants which encourage it. Periods of detoxification, as in fasting on raw foods, castor oil occasionally, an alkaline diet, avoidance of all toxic herbicides, pesticides and other substances, and a healthy environment is the way to recover your health and naturally improve your memory.

Heavy metal poisoning, asbestos, addiction to alcohol and other drugs, vaccinations and some medications, as well as agricultural chemicals such as RoundUp’s glyphosate, all have the potential to weaken the immune system and incline people to candida infection.

Any of these things, given enough exposure, tend to upset the functioning of the bowel flora, and kill off the very organisms which are there to help digest our food and protect us from sickness.

One incident which caused severe memory loss, and a near physical breakdown, was the poisoning which occurred after I cleared a property of asbestos and toxic ash after a fire. I began to collapse with heavy metals, formaldehyde, and asbestos dust poisoning my system. Lead is one heavy metal which is known to severely affect nervous system, brain function and memory, and combined with all the other poisons in this toxic ash, it  very nearly caused my death. I guessed that if I wasn’t to die of heavy metal poisoning, then I might die of candida.

Candida took over my digestive system to the extent that eating a grain of sugar, or a drop of fruit juice caused an immediate visible reaction in the mouth, which became white with thrush. As long as I did not eat anything which fed the organism, then I was OK. But there was very little food which was safe during this time. Raw lettuce, for instance, was no good, as there are multiple little organisms on lettuce which cause the lettuce to decompose fairly quickly. As my immune system was so incredibly weakened, I had no resistance to the yeasts on lettuce, or the sugars in sweet vegetables such as carrots, or apples, which caused immediate candida overgrowth.

It took a very long while to rid myself of the poisons which were making me ill, and to build up resistance again, but I managed a recovery with castor oil, and a diet which allowed only raw celery and tuna fish in oil, and calcium ascorbate vitamin C. I followed this regime religiously for six months, after which time I was able to eat cooked vegetables again.  After this initial healing period, I still had to follow a strict modified diet using both cooked and raw vegetables, tuna fish in oil, and continue to use castor oil for cleansing at least once a week.

Gradually, memory and physical health was restored.

 

Seven years after this, the oppressive effect of Saturn was upon me again. I suffered a period of chronic depression, probably related to the asbestos, lead, mercury poisoning, as well as my children leaving home. This time I became addicted to alcohol.  Candida loves alcohol. After three years of drinking and isolation, I had virtually no memory,  had forgotten how to speak in coherent sentences, could not recognize familiar faces or voices,  and had forgotten how to perform many simple tasks.

It was imperative that I stop drinking. I joined the local Alcoholic Anonymous group, and began to pay attention to diet, intellectual, and social factors. It took one year for the nervous tremors to stop, and several more years for memory, speech and eyesight to recover normal function.

 

It is probable that vaccinations in childhood play a part in people’s immunity being low and too readily succumbing to candida and other infections throughout life. I believe that childhood vaccinations, as well as flu vaccinations,  could also be one cause of mental deterioration and memory loss in less than old people because of their influence on the digestive and immune systems.

Childhood vaccinations could even predispose us to cancer, obesity, alcoholism, and other addictions later on in life.  See my website article: http://merrilynhope.com/link-between-vaccinations-and-obesity-new-study-suggests-bbc-22-august-2012/

My generation was the recipient of numerous nationwide school vaccinations and innocculations in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  It is no wonder, to me, that so many of my peers have died so young of cancer, and heart and breathing problems, addictions, and that most of us still living have chronic short-term memory loss.

 

Avoid Exposure To Radiation And Electromagnetic Energies:  As stated in the article entitled ‘Improve Your Eyesight Naturally, electromagnetic radiation from cell phone towers, ‘smart’ electricity meters, and electricity transformers, can harm brain function very dramatically.

These vibrations and radiations affect the central nervous system, which runs on its own series of electrical impulses. The nervous system’s energy circuit is very sensitive to the stronger rays from things like cell phone towers and electricity meter boxes, and the result of prolonged exposure is that the organs suffer. The brain, eyes, ears and heart, which are all connected to the nervous system,  are especially vulnerable to these toxic energies.

 

These radiations and electromagnetic fields can also cause candida, as they have the ability to kill off the ‘good’ bacteria in the bowel, to the advantage of the ‘bad’ bacteria and other parasites.

Anti Candida Diet Improves General Health And Memory

Important: If you feel at all unwell whilst you try this anti-candida diet, then quit the diet and go back to see your health adviser. However, it can be rather trying at the beginning of the diet, as the candida yeast will demand those sugars and foods which feed it, especially when you are starving it of these items. If you can resist the temptation to eat those foods which candida loves, then after a week or so on the diet, your candida infection should be more or less under control.

The best way to combat candida and rebuild your immune system is to starve it of all sugars for a while. This means adopting a very radical approach which involves more than being gluten-free. You need to cut out all wheat flour products – no bread,cake or pastries, as these are all converted to sugar too quickly: wheat flour, and many other flours, can cause the candida to thrive whilst your immune system is poorly functioning.  Cut out sweets, including all sweet drinks, juices, fruit and honey for a time. Dairy products are also best avoided; the lactose in milk, including soy milk, also feeds candida. All leafy greens are just great, as are most vegetables, but cut down on those potatoes and kumara, or sweet potato, and carrots for a while, as these carbohydrates are converted to sugar very quickly in the digestive system, and this gives the candida plenty to thrive on.

Brown rice is generally good; however, if your condition is chronic, then you will need to exclude all grains until you improve. Taking olive oil, rice bran oil or some other good quality cooking oil with your brown rice, and poured over your salads and cooked greens, helps slow down the process of sugar conversion in the body: it is nourishing, and inhibits the candida, because candida doesn’t like oils.  Taking garlic with your brown rice and oil also helps inhibit candida overgrowth. Use garlic and oil at every meal until you are better. Even after you are better, good oils,garlic, brown rice, salads, and cooked greens should form the bulk of the diet to avoid getting a candida imbalance which causes memory loss.

Protein and Vegetable Oils: A protein-rich diet, and the use of good quality oils such as virgin olive oil, is very effective in combating candida infection. Candida does not thrive in protein-rich diets, and vegetable oils. You must have adequate protein in the diet – candida sufferers are often on vegetarian or low-protein diets where grains are used to substitute real protein. Try to eat protein at every meal. Oily types of fish are just the very best – salmon, mullet, sardines, tuna, but free range eggs, almonds, free range chicken and beef, are all good sources. Nuts are sometimes best left until you begin to recover, but you can experiment with these after you have given yourself a week or so without, to see what their effect is. Once you have followed this anti-candida diet for a few days, you can recognize what foods are best to avoid when you try them again, as you usually get symptoms of candida fairly soon after eating them.

Avoid taking protein foods such as soy bean tofu, soy bean miso, and cheese, as these are all fermented foods which encourage candida.

Eat salad foods at every meal. Celery is very effective in helping to combat candida, as it has plenty of roughage to cleanse the bowel. It is a very alkaline food which makes for a healthy body and immune system. It also has an antiseptic effect which inhibits candida and other bacteria. Celery is a great cleanser and helps to build healthy blood, whilst being excellent for the brain. Sprouts are a great food, but you have to be careful with these as yeast begins to grow on the sprouts while they are germinating: they must be washed well – I think these are best left out until you have recovered somewhat. Lettuce must also be washed well. Avoid tomatoes for a while – they are just too sweet. Avocado is best avoided for the first few few weeks until you have strengthened your immune system, as they begin to ferment very quickly and therefore feed the candida if they are overripe.

The other thing which you must starve the candida of is any food or drink which contains YEAST. Candida is a yeast, and it gets a huge boost when you feed it things like alcohol, or vinegar, or sauces, or even vegetarian products like soy bean miso, tofu,or  soy sauce: all these are fermented. Just a taste of another yeast really sets off the candida growing again. Mushrooms need to be avoided, as the yeast on mushrooms encourages candida overgrowth in your intestines.

If you suspect that candida albicans might be the cause of your memory loss, then the above suggestions should be helpful. Remember to eat enough while you are on this diet.  There is absolutely no need to go hungry. Have a salad ready, maybe with boiled eggs or fish added to it, and some brown rice, already cooked, which you have put in the fridge. You can snack on these super healthy foods, throw a few almonds in with cooked broccoli or spinach, throw on a bit of olive oil, a taste of garlic, and you are ready to go.

Avoiding all yeast foods and sugars will help your memory loss if candida, or sluggish bowels, is the problem. The bulk of salad foods, cooked greens and brown rice which you eat with your protein will provide good roughage to get your bowels clear of effete matter, get them functioning normally again and provide the very best nutrients to feed your body and your brain.

Calcium Ascorbate, or Ester C are the non-acidic Vitamin C types you should look for in treating candida. These are the most effective of all  available supplements which counteract candida albicans, and thus they are helpful in  restoring your memory. They also help keep an alkaline state in the body which is another  important factor in treating candida. Do not use the ordinary, sour tasting Vitamin C, as this does not help candida, but actually feeds it. Calcium ascorbate in doses of 1000mg can be taken once, or twice, or even three times a day to combat candida and help your memory grow strong. Cut the dose back after a few days, once the bowels have been cleared.

Acidophilus: This is the name of one of the beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Acidophilus helps keep the candida in check, so it is very useful in tackling the cause of your memory loss. Having a healthy amount of acidophilus in your bowel also helps you to process your food more efficiently, thus more nutrients are provided to the brain, helping to counteract memory loss. It is important to find a product which is suitable for candida sufferers, though. Make sure there are no added sugars or lactose added to the acidophilus which you buy. Otherwise it is best to do without

Epsom Salts For Magnesium:  This is very helpful in clearing out the bowel of toxins.  The extra magnesium can also boost your brain function.  Take a dose several times a week, or as needed.

Bowel Cleanse or Colonic Cleanse: It is a good idea to go to a colonic clinic to get this professionally done at first. After that, you can learn how to use an enema so that you can clean out your system regularly. This is especially important in the beginning of treatment, when toxins will be released from the liver because of the healthy change of diet you have implemented. Washing out the colon is an important measure to take in getting rid of all the gunk in your bowel: keeping the bowel clean is a priority in helping to build a good memory.

Candida does affect very many people, and most people, given the quantity of processed food which we all consume, have sluggish and clogged bowels. These things are probably the most common causes of memory loss, so the above dietary and cleansing suggestions  really are worth a try.

Some other causes of memory loss are:

Emotional exhaustion, lack of sleep, anxiety, and depression: these can all contribute to a state of memory loss. Good nutrition, such as the basic wheatless anti-candida diet outlined above, should help most people with these conditions. Also, Yoga Nidra, deep relaxation and yoga breathing are useful in minimizing these negative mental states. See the chapter at the end of the book on how to practice Yoga Nidra.

Radiation from cell phone towers, cell phone use, electrical transformers which are too close to your house, overhead power lines near your house, radio transmitters, even TV aerials above your sleeping space, can all affect your memory and your nervous system generally. Having a radio close to your head at night will interfere with your brain patterns and affect your memory: I read once that Paul Simon won’t sleep with a radio or a TV anywhere near his bedroom, even if it they are not going. He recognizes the negative effect radio and TV waves have on the brain and memory function.

Alcohol and marijuana addiction: the effect of both these drugs is well known to be deleterious to the physical health, and to the mental health. Marijuana has a potent weakening effect on memory.

 

Allergy to denture plastic or acrylic:   Many people are sensitive to  plastic materials: these materials, which are prolific in our environment, are one major cause of memory loss in my experience. Unfortunately, many people wear plastic in their mouths, in the fabric of their denture. This plastic starts to break down after a couple of years or so, and chemicals from the plastic denture are absorbed into the body. This affects the brain and is one of the probable  causes of memory loss in people who have dentures.  Also, candida yeasts and other bacteria can thrive in the denture plastic, especially when it becomes older, and these bacteria also cause  memory loss.  Read the article on Dentures which appears just before this article.

Lack of certain essential elements in the diet such as iron, B vitamins, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, Vitamin A,Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, iodine, silica, manganese, selenium to name a few of the important ones.  These are all essential to keeping a well functioning memory and a healthy brain.

 

 

 

 

 

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