Editor’s Note: Thinking about a fast? Before you tackle this challenge, please read this guest post by Carol Montrose as she shares some info and advice. She explains what fasting is and why you might want to try or avoid it.

Fasting has long been the providence of religious enthusiasts looking to reach a higher state of enlightenment through the denial of worldly pleasures (or purify, cleanse, and invite visions) as well as political activists looking to draw attention to their cause.

However, you don’t have to be a Siddhartha or Mahatma Gandhi to realize some of the benefits of depriving your body of food.

The concept of improving your health by denying yourself the very nutrition that keeps you alive is a strange one, to be sure. But when you consider all of the toxins that modern man ingests, whether from processed and refined foods or chemically treated produce, it only makes sense that flushing them out of your system will lead your body to feel and function better.

But what is fasting?

There is a fine line between a healthy fast and starvation or an eating disorder, so it pays to do a little research before you simply decide to stop eating.

A fast begins and ends with carbohydrates, which your body stores as fat. The carbs that you ingested most recently turn into glycogen, which is burned off pretty quickly if you have a high level of activity.

But in general, carbs become sugar, which is either eliminated as waste or transformed into the fat that your body stores to burn as energy in case of a lack of fuel (as when you fast). So, when your body begins to burn your fat stores (generally during the first day of food deprivation), your fast has technically begun.

However, at some point your body is also going to start dipping into stores of protein, which means you will begin burning muscle instead of fat. At this point, your fast has ended and starvation has set in. The amount of time it takes to reach this point varies from person to person, so you may want to check with your doctor or nutritionist to find a safe window of time for practicing your fast.

In addition, you will need to consume plenty of fluids (generally water, but sometimes fruit and vegetable juices) to ensure that you don’t suffer from dehydration, which can quickly turn from merely unpleasant to deadly.

There are a couple of different reasons for why people fast:

Most people use it as a form of detoxification to enhance their body’s natural proclivity to filter out toxins and waste. In most cases, it merely speeds up a process that your body performs on its own, so in that respect, it is fairly safe when done under the supervision of a physician or other health-care professional.

The main benefit of fasting for detoxification is that environmental toxins are often stored in your fat reserves (think DDT), so when you begin to deplete them, these stored chemicals will be sloughed off through urine, feces and sweat, leaving you potentially much healthier than before.

The other reason people turn to fasting is as a dieting technique. There is something to be said for reducing your body fat in this way, but there are drawbacks to using fasting as both a short-term and long-term dieting regimen.

In the short term, fasting can help you to shed unwanted pounds quickly, but it may cause changes in your metabolism. Once you start eating again, you may gain weight (sometimes in excess of what you lost) if you return to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Longer fasts (from one week to one month), can become dangerous not only because of the amount of weight being lost, but the psychological process that accompanies rapid weight loss. It can become addictive and lead to severe eating disorders in some people who are predisposed to such tendencies, so be sure to monitor your progress and take your doctor’s advice concerning when to stop.

About the Author
Carol Montrose is a writer for MBA Online where you can browse top online MBA programs.

What do you think of this post, Readers? Do you fast and for what reasons? If you’re thinking about a fast, be sure to ask your doc’s advice first and check out, “When is fasting not a good idea?”

Most Live Lighter readers know there’s something fishy with conventional medicine and so they’ve turned to natural health alternatives. Now with Gary Null’s newest book, Death By Medicine, we have solid proof that today’s medical world needs drastic change.

The title of the book says it all. It instantly activated my gut feelings towards today’s healthcare system, and considering I loved Dr. Null’s Ultimate Anti-Aging Program, I jumped at the chance to provide an honest review in exchange for a copy.

For those of you who don’t know Dr. Gary Null, PhD, he’s been “one of the foremost advocates of alternative medicine and natural healing for over three decades. An award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Null has written over 70 books on nutrition, self-empowerment, and public health issues. His syndicated public radio show, “Natural Living with Gary Null,” is the longest-running, continuously aired health program in America.”

Death By Medicine boldly claims that conventional medicine is America’s number one killer. It is both frighteningly fascinating and incredibly dry. Although it’s a short book (238 pages), it took me awhile to read because it backs up this claim with a massive amount of scientific evidence from healthcare research studies (47 pages make up the reference section).

“Never before have complete statistics on the multiple causes of iatrogenesis [definition: inadvertent and preventable introduction of disease or complications by the medical treatment or procedures by a physician or surgeon] been combined in one book… every count in this indictment of US medicine is validated by published, peer-reviewed scientific studies. The startling findings from this meticulous study indicate that conventional medicine is the leading cause of death in the United States.”

The authors (Dr. Gary Null, Dr. Martin Feldman, Dr. Debora Rasio and DR. Carolyn Dean) state in the introduction that they wrote this book as a wake-up call for medical practitioners. It provides real numbers for just how many deaths are occurring within the medical industry and a call for courageous doctors to take action for reform. It also asks them to take natural medicine a little more seriously.

For the average reader (like me), you may find you’ll need to be in a certain mood to read Death By Medicine. Nevertheless, I also feel it’s a necessary read for those who care about their health and who use mainstream healthcare.

Did you know…

…the number of people who die each day because of medical errors – physician mistakes, hospital-related illness, and reactions to FDA-approved medications – is the equivalent of six jumbo jets falling out of the sky?

These are the results from the research reviewed in Death By Medicine!

And yet, the authors remind us the compilation of facts in the book document that:

“those who seek to abolish consumer access to natural therapies are misleading the public. Nearly 800,000 Americans die each year at the hands of government-sanctioned medicine, while the FDA and other government agencies pretend to protect the public by harassing those who offer safe alternatives.”

One of the aspects about the book that really impressed me was as they revealed faults in the healthcare system, they never directly blamed doctors for deaths. The authors suggested that the unacceptable numbers of iatrogenesis (see definition above) were the unfortunate result of a system designed by greedy pharmaceutical companies and governments.

A taste of the contents

So what are some of the leading causes of death by medicine? The research in Death By Medicine covers a wide range, including:

• Problems with drugs – such as, medication errors, adverse drug reactions, medicating our feelings, problems with advertising drugs to consumers and how they pollute our water supply.
• Problems with specific classes of drugs – antibiotics, NSAIDS and cancer chemotherapy.
• An honest look at the failures of American healthcare – such as, unnecessary surgical procedures, x-rays and hospitalization; surgical errors and infections from hospitals.
• Women’s experience in medicine – which suggested women have been unnecessarily treated for hysteria, hysterectomy and cesarean section.
• Poor care of the elderly – bedsores, malnutrition in nursing homes, warehousing our elders and overmedicating seniors.
• Medical ethics and conflicts of interest in scientific medicine

Did any of this information change my mind? Most of it I knew already – although I had no idea about the magnitude of the situation! – but what really impacted me was the information on chemotherapy. I’ve decided after reading this book that if I should ever have to… I would choose natural medicine to help me heal from cancer.

Conclusion

All the various means of death caused by traditional medicine covered by Dr. Null has been talked about before, especially among natural health practitioners. And all the research and information in the book is not new, either.

But seeing it presented all together and the numbers analyzed, well, one could describe Death By Medicine as a real-life horror story! For another review on this book, check out this one by PositiveHealth.com which highlights some of the book’s findings and numbers.

Have you read Death By Medicine yet? What did you think of it? How has it affected your beliefs and trust in the healthcare system?

Do you doubt the truth behind the old adage, “you are what you eat?” Do you believe we have a choice between sickness or health? Well, for all you Doubting Thomas’ out there, there’s a new documentary in town called, Food Matters.

Imagine having the power to feel and look younger, heal all your ailments (no matter how serious the condition) and to live a long and vibrant life – for free – through the simple act of choosing the right foods. A truly liberating idea, isn’t it?

“Food Matters” is a documentary film which uncovers the trillion dollar “sickness industry” with a goal of educating the public about free, scientifically-verified, natural solutions to overcoming illness. Starring some of the most brilliant leaders in nutrition and natural healing, audiences learn that food matters.

Check out the trailer and please tell me you’re as excited as I am to see this movie:

The film suggests we’re poisoning ourselves with the typical North American diet and in the most fundamental sense, we’re suffering from chronic malnutrition. Knowledge is power so kudos to the filmmakers for heightening health awareness.

More importantly, however, is the self-empowerment behind the main message: there are specific lifestyle changes that can reverse even serious chronic disease!

(You can order the DVD online or stream the 80-minute film for under $5.)

Have you seen “Food Matters” yet?  Either way, we want to know what you think: Is Sickness a Choice?

Cuba may be a poor country but it’s wealthy in many other ways. It’s people are kind, generous, happy and, from what I’ve seen, healthy. Some may argue it’s because they aren’t distracted by material wealth. But what happens when the U.S. embargo is lifted?

Last week my Honey and I returned home from visiting Cuba. It was my third time visiting this country and his fourth. We love the Cuban people and that’s why we keep going back.

(Here’s a pic of me and Joaquin, a new Cuban friend I met on this last trip. We had a very interesting discussion and I learned a lot about his life, family and what it’s like for him living in Cuba, a communist country.)

When visiting Cuba, we generally choose remote hotels, such as Holguin and Cayo Largo, because we prefer the peace and quiet to relax. This time was different because we got a last minute deal to Veradero, two hours away from Cuba’s capital, Havana. It was definitely more livelier!

Besides the hotel being more populated compared to the others we’ve stayed at in Cuba, I noticed something else. The Cubans looked stressed and were slightly overweight. The hotel staff at the quieter resorts were tired, yes, but they didn’t seem stressed and were all obviously well within a healthy weight range.

Question: Could this be because these Cubans lived closer to a major city, saw more tourists and were influenced by more wealth?

Based on these (limited) observations, I couldn’t help but wonder now that President Obama is in power and there’s a good chance of the U.S. embargo being lifted, how this change will affect the Cuban culture and, particularly, the health of Cubans.

I understand that there isn’t an easy answer to this question. There are many factors influencing the health and well-being of any country’s population.

In this case, some people partially blame Cuba’s poverty on it’s nearest and wealthiest neighbour refusing to trade with them. (Source: Metro) They say that the Cuban people ultimately suffer from the embargo because they lack vital medicine for the health of the population.

Then there are others (particularly, Cubans living abroad) who say the poverty in Cuba is because of governmental control. They state that Cuba has many other trade partners and if their government really cared for Cubans, they would have more.

Update: Here’s an article published just yesterday about a Cuban historian who publicly claims internal government corruption is Cuba’s greatest threat.

For more opinions on the U.S. embargo against Cuba, click here and scroll down to the bottom where the author has included emails from people all over the world.

What do you think, Readers? How will the lifting of the U.S. embargo affect the health of the Cuban people? For better, or worse?

When you go to your local grocery store, do you choose food grown in your country? Can you even find it in the overflowing aisles? The healthiest, most nutritious food is the freshest – harvested at just the right moment of ripeness and consumed almost immediately.

When our grandparents (and even some of our parents) ate meals, they received the full benefit of nature. Their food was bursting with nutrition! Not only were soil erosion, pollution and commercial use of pesticides not as prominent as they are now, but importing food was an expensive and rare occurrence.

It’s healthy to vary your diet and it IS a blessing that we can consume foreign foods. However, our grocery stores in Canada (and probably yours if you live in the States) have gone over the deep end with importing food. We, like the United States, have rich farmland and the ability to be self-sustainable.

But when I go grocery shopping, I see more imports (even food we grow here!) than local. To back this up, Helmann’s produced a 2:43 minute video with startling statistics to raise awareness for the importance of choosing and consuming local food:

If you live in the United States, do you know how much food is imported? Do your grocery stores post the origins of the food they sell?

I’d like to know why Canada allows food that we produce here to be imported into the country. What’s the point? Why waste money on food we can produce here? And why not produce more of it so we can export it to other countries who cannot make the same food so we can bolster Canada’s economy?

What do you think of the numbers Helmann’s has shared with us in this video, Readers? Will you start choosing more local food in order to support local farmers and your own nutritional health?

Have you been looking for some ear candling but can’t find anyone to do it? The reason might be because many health professionals and governments alike are questioning whether or not this therapy even works!

If you’re wondering what ear candling is and what is does, please read “What is Ear Candling?”

Last month I received a newsletter from a respected Toronto Naturopathic Doctor that I would like to share with you on the topic of ear candling:

The FDA has alerted consumers about the dangers of ear candles. Ear candling has been used to to treat a number of maladies, ranging from sinus infection and sore throats to earwax buildup and hearing loss.

Use of ear candles creates the potential for fire hazards, inner ear and skin burns, wax-plugged ears, bleeding, eardrum puncture, and delay in seeking treatment for serious medical conditions supposedly treated by the ear coning device, the FDA said.

Testing done by Health Canada found there was little to no efficacy to support the product’s therapeutic value.

In my own not so scientific study, I used my otoscope to inspect someone’s ears before ear candling, and repeated the inspection after ear candling and found no difference whatsoever in the amount of ear wax. The “wax” inside the remaining piece of candle was merely burnt down ear candle. My naturopathic colleagues have conducted similar experiments with identical conclusions.

One person ended up in ER with severe double ear infections and needed IV steroids and antibiotics since both ear canals were sealed shut and they couldn’t get any antibiotic ear drops in. Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists report seeing many urgent ear cases coming in from candling.

Excessive ear wax in my experience is almost always associated with allergies, often food allergies and often a dairy allergy.

There are many sites on the internet that question the effectiveness of ear candling, but I’ve been having trouble finding reputable sources which advocate this therapy. Do you have any to share with us so that we get a good representation of both sides?

There’s a lot of hype about the benefits of eating a live or raw food diet. This post defines living food, it’s health benefits and why some say that it’s not as healthy as some would have us believe.

Living food is all-natural and uncooked.

We know about the powerful health benefits of natural food, but what’s wrong with cooked food?

In general, food heated over 46°C (116°F) destroys it’s enzymes and alters the molecular structure of the food, creating toxic elements which must be eliminated or stored to protect the body from damage. It’s this internal damage that causes the external effects we label as aging.

What’s the difference between live and raw foods?

Live foods contain high concentrations of “active” enzymes. Raw food, on the other hand, has sleeping or “dormant” enzymes. These unactivated enzymes are awakened when raw foods are sprouted, like nuts and seeds, which then become “living food”.

What’s so great about enzymes?

Enzymes are catalysts which activate chemical reactions. In food, they’re called digestive enzymes because they facilitate digestion and food absorption.

Living food proponents contend that enzymes are the “life-force” or “energy” of food. Cooking food, in effect, kills or suffocates the potency of food.

One major criticism of a living food diet is that these enzymes are destroyed by stomach acid which render them useless to us since nutrient absorption takes place in the small intestine. Proponents maintain enzymes are merely deactivated in the stomach and reactivated when they reach the small intestine.

Health benefits of living food

This Wikipedia article titled, “Raw Foodism“, lists the common beliefs behind raw food, the raw food movement, research, potential harmful effects of cooked food, as well as, common criticisms and controversies  surrounding raw food.

In a nut shell, the health benefits of live and raw foods are:

• Maintain youth and vitality as fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants which help process harmful toxins in the body that cause chronic disease and illness.
• More healthy as they have higher nutrient content and are more bioavailable (i.e. body can better absorb the nutrients).
• Increase immune function and aid digestion through beneficial bacteria and micro-organisms (gut flora).

What’s wrong with a living food diet?

Here’s what the critics say:

• Some foods are made more bioavailable and easier to digest when cooked.
• There is a high danger of food poisoning from living food as bacteria is destroyed when heated.
• Nutritional deficiencies are often found in those who consume all-living food diets.
• Cooking food has been a natural evolution for mankind.

It seems as if this raw vs. cooked debate is not as clear-cut as some would like it to be. Check out this intelligent article by www.beyondveg.com as they attempt to use all the known facts to reach an acceptable compromise.

Are you on one side of the fence in this healthy diet debate? Do live foods make you feel alive or do they make you feel ill? Let’s hear your thoughts and experience in the comments below.

Also, does anyone know if sprouted grain bread is considered living food?

Do you believe in the healing powers of nature? Do you believe we have the right to choose what we put into our bodies?

Last week, raw food advocates celebrated a major victory here in Canada with the acquittal of Michael Schmidt, Ontario dairy farmer and milk co-op owner, who was charged with selling and distributing unpasteurized (raw) milk.

In Canada, it’s legal to consume raw milk. Basically, anyone who owns a cow has the  choice whether or not to kill harmful bacteria (along with the beneficial micro-organisms and enzymes) through the pasteurization process before they drink it. You become an outlaw when you sell it to others for consumption.

The raw milk vs. pasteurized controversy rages but when you sift through the research, you’ll find there are benefits and risks to consuming both raw and pasteurized milk.

(Randolph Jonsson has created a well-written and thoroughly researched website dedicated to enlightening folks about raw milk. He proudly announces his passion for raw milk and yet manages to present the information in an objective and respectful manner.)

For the pro-choicers out there, Mr. Schmidt’s case is a legal loop hole gone right.

From healthzone.ca:

Art Hill, professor and chair of the University of Guelph’s Department of Food Science, said the ruling, which provides a legal way for Ontarians to consume raw milk and for farmers to sell their farm-fresh product, will likely prompt changes in the dairy industry.

“This ruling signals that it is time to create a system where the sale of raw milk is legalized, but controlled,” said Hill. “We have to work now at finding ways to make raw milk available as safely as we can.”

Hill noted the sale of raw milk is not uncommon in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom. About half of U.S. states have legislation that allows consumers access to raw milk, either directly from farms or at grocery stores.

Mr. Schmidt fought the law and won because he runs a cow-share program which essentially entitles consumers part-ownership in the cows he raises and milks. The article says that current legislation fails to account for this instance; however, health ministries in Canada have said they may appeal the decision down the road.

Agencies like Health Canada are against legalizing the sale of raw milk because of the potential risks of food poisoning from pathogens like salmonella. Proponents say that not all raw milk is created equal; that in hygienic, knowledgeable farms, the risks are minimized and the health benefits (as well as the taste) are incomparable to processed milk.

Mr. Schmidt and his supporters were pleased with the court’s ruling. Not only did it save his farm and business, but according to the Ontario farmer, this win was for the freedom to choose what we consume. (Source: YouTube)

What do you think: Is this a step in the right direction? And, just for curiosity’s sake, do you drink raw milk?

There’s a rumour going around: electrical gadgets emit harmful radiation which affect our health. Since we’ve been doing The 2010 TV Detox here on Live Lighter, Emmanuel (movie & TV lover), asked that we finally settle this dispute in a post. Here it is!

Like chemicals, electromagnetic radiation occurs naturally as well as from man-made products. We receive radiation from the sun, earth, our own bodies and of course, all our electrical devices.  It’s all around us!

What is radiation exactly? Click here to find out.

From the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA):

Man cannot escape exposure to some radiation. We are surrounded by natural radioactivity in the earth and by cosmic rays from outer space. This is called background radiation and cannot be controlled. We are also exposed to manmade radiation, which can and must be controlled.

There are different types of radiation along the radiation spectrum, some more harmful than others. According to RADTown U.S.A. the radiation that comes from x-ray machines are “a form of ionizing radiation, which is capable of removing electrons from atoms and damaging living cells and the DNA of those cells.”

Man-made non-ionizing radiation includes: lasers, televisions, computer monitors and wireless technology. However, televisions and computer monitors that use a cathode ray tube (CRT) can potentially emit low-level x-ray radiation.

So easy enough, to reduce your exposure to harmful radiation from your TV or computer, buy flat screens!

But wait, that’s not all…

Dr. Natasha Turner in The Hormone Diet says in her chapter, “Superb Sleep for Hormonal Balance”:

• Be aware of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in your bedroom. These can disrupt the pineal gland and the production of melatonin and serotonin. They may have additional negative effects, including increased risk of cancer. EMFs are emitted from digital alarm clocks and other electrical devices. If you must use these items, try to keep them as far away from the bed as possible – at least three feet.

Although the FDA and RADTown U.S.A. both declare that scientists have yet to identify specific health effects resulting from exposure to extremely low doses of low-level radiation over prolonged periods of time, they also say in practically the same breath:

“Scientists work from the premise that no amount of radiation is safe.” They advise “that x-radiation from TV sets, as well as other commonly used electronic products, be kept as low as reasonably achievable.”

On TheTruthSeeker.co.uk, Rixon Stewart cites a study reported in the Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity which revealed rays from a TV flicker erratically, causing uneven and irregular stimulation of the retina. The rats in this study were exposed to colour TV for six hours a day. They became hyperactive and extremely aggressive for about a week, then became lethargic and finally, stopped breeding altogether.

Apparently, the rat’s endocrine systems burnt out from all the stress! By the way, in this experiment the TV screens were covered in thick black paper so that only the invisible radiation, rather than the visible rays, came through.

Equally interesting, Stewart cites that in 1970,

“Dr. Robert Elder, director of the BRH [U.S. Bureau of Radiological Health], testified before Congress that even very minute doses of radiation, which fall below the legal limit cause damage and that the damage is cumulative.”

There are quite a few people out there convinced that EMFs, even at low doses, are harmful over time. Emwatch.com has posted a laundry list of negative health effects caused by EMFs, and they say it’s only a sample from a growing mountain of research.

Dr. Neil Cherry from New Zealand has been studying electromagnetic radiation for over 10 years. You can read about Dr. Cherry and some of his findings in his 3-part article, “Strong international concern about the dangers of electromagnetic radiation.”

What’s the verdict?

There seems to be acceptable limits for both chemicals and radiation, natural or man-made. And, these limits are most likely personal since we are, after all, unique beings with different compositions in our body chemistry.

For example, some people can drink coffee all day long without it affecting them while others will have less than a cup in the afternoon and experience insomnia that night.

Accumulation of radiation, again like chemicals, may also have a role in the negative health effects. If our bodies can’t keep up with detoxificati0n, our personally acceptable limits reduce over time.

Can we detox radiation? That will have to be another post. Until then, what do you think, dear Readers, is TV killing you? Let us know in the comments below!

Robert F Kennedy Jr. reveals the results from his investigation into vaccines and concludes that vaccines are making the sickest generation in America’s history.

The good news is that this is another respected source spreading the truth about vaccines. Big shout out to reader Dee, for sending us this extremely important 8 minute video (Part 1):