Monday, December 31, 2012

Gerald Celente on 2013, Gold and Silver and WW III


                Gerald Celente on 2013, Gold and Silver and WW III

by Greg Hunter
USAWatchdog.com

Trends forecaster Gerald Celente predicts the global financial system will continue to be propped up. Celente says, “The scheme continues to go, the scheme being dumping cheap money into the system to perpetuate an economy that should have crashed in 2008. So, for 2013, our best shot is more of the same, but worse.” Celente’s advice for people who want to protect themselves financially, “Continue to buy gold and silver because a currency war has broken out.” Celente says gold’s assent has stalled because the financial elite “rigged the game” just like the $800 trillion global LIBOR interest rate market. Celente asks, “Don’t you think they’re rigging the gold and silver markets?” Celente contends the fuse is lit on the Middle East and North Africa. He thinks, “The Arab Spring has nothing to do with a democracy movement. It has to do with far too few having much too much and way too many having much too little.” Celente predicts, “If anybody attacks Iran, it will be full-fledged World War III.” Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with Gerald Celente, publisher of The Trends Journal

Teachings by Tulku Pema Wangyal On Saving Lives & Abstaining from Eating Meat Based on ’The Thirty Sevenfold Practice of the Bodhisattvas’ from Gyelse Togme


Teachings by Tulku Pema Wangyal
On Saving Lives & Abstaining from Eating Meat
Based on
’The Thirty Sevenfold Practice of the Bodhisattvas’
from Gyelse Togme

Epidemic of painkiller addiction strikes newborns


Epidemic of painkiller addiction strikes newborns

Marc Lallanilla
LiveScience
Mon, 31 Dec 2012 09:37 CST
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Nurse and Baby
© Shutterstock
A sharp rise in babies born addicted to painkillers has caught many hospitals unprepared.
In a phenomenon that reminds some experts of the crack-baby epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, hospitals across the country are reporting a startling increase in the number of babies born addicted to opioid painkillers like Oxycontin (oxycodone).

In 2009, reports the Wall Street Journal, about 13,000 babies were diagnosed as having painkiller withdrawal symptoms - the condition is sometimes referred to as "neonatal abstinence syndrome." The number of babies born with the condition tripled between 2000 and 2009, found a study published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Another study published last year in JAMA found the number of accidental opioid overdoses in the United States increased from 3,000 in 1999 to 12,000 by 2007.

"It's heartbreaking," Erin Weatherwax, a neonatal nurse at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida, told the Wall Street Journal. Florida has long been recognized as the epicenter of the nation's prescription drug problem, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Babies born addicted to painkillers have a range of symptoms - they continuously cry, vomit and jerk their limbs; many have severe diarrhea and cannot sleep soundly. And because the problem is a relatively new one, most neonatal treatment centers have been caught off guard, so treatment for these newborns is often experimental.

Most of the addicted babies will be treated with some combination of morphine, methadone, anti-seizure medicine such as phenobarbital and clonidine, a drug used to treat withdrawal in adults. Though these treatments may seem harsh, the alternative could be worse: seizures and death, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The long-term effects of neonatal painkiller addiction aren't yet known - a few studies suggest these children might have a higher risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reports the Wall Street Journal. But there may be some hope provided by the fate of babies born years ago and addicted to crack cocaine: Most of those who survived grew up without any evidence of the physical or mental problems that medical experts had feared they might have.

As for combating the problem of opioid abuse, the researchers of the 2011 JAMA study suggest reducing pain medication prescriptions for children and teens and providing training to medical professionals about how to best manage pain.  

Marchioness of Worcester: organic diet helped me beat breast cancer


Marchioness of Worcester: organic diet helped me beat breast cancer

The Marchioness of Worcester has spoken for the first time about her successful battle against breast cancer, and has credited an organic diet and complementary medicine with helping her beat the disease. The former actress had breast and lymph cancer diagnosed in 2009.

The Marchioness of Worcester
The Marchioness of Worcester is more passionate than ever about the importance of eating organic food Photo: CHRISTOPHER JONES
Despite having to deal with the rigours of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the Marchioness continued her environmental and animal cruelty campaigns.
The Marchioness, 54, said that she did not tell anyone about her cancer battle because “it is just so boring”. “Why become obsessed by something so boring and negative when the world is such an interesting place?” she said.
Now clear of the condition, the Marchioness is adamant that her diet of organic food played a key role in maintaining her strength and aiding her recovery.
“I am almost religious about it now,” she said.
The Marchioness, who as Tracy-Louise Ward starred in the 1980s television detective series C.A.T.S. Eyes, is more determined than ever to improve awareness about food.
She said that an “alkaline diet”, which removes processed food, meat and alcohol, helped her to get through the chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“My doctor said he had never known anyone be quite so well,” she said. “I would put it down to complementary medicine and alkalining my body.”
An alkaline diet is a common form of alternative medicine that claims to prevent cancer and help the treatment of it by making body fluids less acidic.
The veracity of such claims is questioned by the medical establishment.
The Marchioness said that she had “never felt better” since switching to the diet and, for now, was clear of cancer.
She recommended that everyone should eat more raw vegetables, take supplements such as omega 3 and avoid meat.
Although her husband’s estate was not organic, the Marchioness said that people should try organic food because it contained fewer chemicals from pesticides.
She married the Marquis of Worcester, the eldest son of the 11th Duke of Beaufort, who owns Badminton estate, in 1987.
The mother of three also revealed that she did not want to send their children to boarding schools, which she said were elitist and failed to teach children about the real world.
However, she said that she was expected to do so by her husband’s family.
Her two sons and daughter went to Marlborough College in Wiltshire, which the Duchess of Cambridge attended.
“I did not want it but it was demanded in this family,” she said.
The great-granddaughter of the Earl of Dudley said that her experience of boarding school had been negative and that she was expelled a number of times. “For me, when I came out of boarding school I was totally ignorant of the world,” she said.
“This country is the only country in the world where normal children are sent to boarding school, normally it is just problem children.”
The Marchioness said that she did not want boarding schools to be banned but instead wanted more money for national schools.
“We are enslaved to earning enough money to send people to the boarding school club. It would be great to be freed from that so that everyone’s children had a good education,” she said.
“It makes a division in society. Wouldn’t it be better if we all had the time, and money made sure everybody’s school was good?”
The Marchioness, who played Miss Scarlett in the first television adaptation of Cluedo, is parcelled in with the eco-chic crowd along with friends Zac Goldsmith and Trudie Styler.
Her sister, Rachel Ward, was in the 1980s television series The Thorn Birds and is now a director.
However, Tracy Worcester, as she prefers to be known, insists that her priority is fighting the “big business” behind intensive factory farming, which she says is poisoning the environment by flushing effluent into rivers and using up water.
She is seldom seen on the social circuit and instead travels the world campaigning against factory farms.
In the midst of her cancer battle, she made a film, Pig Business, which exposed the use of chemicals in intensive pork farming.
She is currently updating the documentary to include footage from intensive pig farms around the world.
Some of the worst conditions are in Chile, and the Marchioness claimed that meat from Chile was ending up in cheap pork in Britain. She said that pigs continued to be kept in cruel conditions, where sows are unable to turn around in their stalls.
She added that it was impossible to trace where this meat ended up, but advised consumers to buy British, where welfare standards are higher.

Sayings of Zen Master Kyong Ho



Sayings of Zen Master Kyong Ho 
(Part 2)


 
6) Make friends but don't expect any benefit for yourself. Friendship only for oneself harms trust. So an ancient once said, "Have an enduring friendship with purity in heart."'
 
7) Don't expect others to follow your direction. When it happens that others go along with you, it results in pride. So an ancient once said, "Use your will to bring peace between people."
 
8) Expect no reward for an act of charity. Expecting something in return leads to a scheming mind. So an ancient once said, "Throw false spirituality away like a pair of old shoes."
 
9) Don't seek profit over and above what your work is worth. Acquiring false profit makes a fool (of oneself). So an ancient once said, "Be rich in honesty."
 
10) Don't try to make clarity of mind with severe practice. Every mind comes to hate severity, and where is clarity in mortification? So an ancient once said, "Clear a passageway through severe practice."
 
11) Be equal to every hindrance. Buddha attained Supreme Enlightenment without hindrance. Seekers after truth are schooled in adversity. When they are confronted by a hindrance, they can't be over-come. Then, cutting free, their treasure is great.
 
Zen Master Kyong Ho (1849-1912) was the Great-grandteacher of Zen Master Seung Sahn

5 Foods For Better Digestion


5 Foods For Better Digestion5 Foods For Better Digestion

Mike Barrett
avocados1 260x162 5 Foods For Better Digestion
Digestive upset can be very uncomfortable and oftentimes quite embarrassing. In many cases, digestive disorders stem from a poor diet rich in dead and processed foods. If you are one of the millions suffering from digestive problems, incorporating probiotics, enzyme, minerals and fiber-rich foods could transform your health radically.
Listed below are 5 fantastic foods that will help you to maintain and promote the right digestive balance. They will ensure that the nutrients you take in are absorbed into your body and that waste is eliminated properly. While it isn’t an exhaustive list, these foods will put you on the right path to improved health and overall well-being.

Papaya

One particular food that has amazing digestive-promoting properties is papaya. This fruit can help fix digestion problems by breaking down proteins and supporting production of digestive enzymes. While papayas are often viewed as an excellent treatment for digestive disorders as well as disturbances of the gastrointestinal tract, they also provide many more health benefits.

Cultured Foods

Cultured or fermented beverages are better than pasteurized juices and beverages, as the pasteurized juices have no enzymes or bacteria that is beneficial to your digestive tract. Fermented products may include yogurts, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, raw apple cider vinegar, kombucha, and nattoh, among others.

Miso Soup

A Japanese soup containing tofu, seaweed, soybeans, and other ingredients, miso soup is delectable and easy on the stomach. Tofu is easily digested, fermented soybeans help break down macronutrients, and seaweed in the soup promotes intestinal health while also improving the metabolism and and detoxifying the intestines.

Avocados

Avocados are full of beneficial fat and fiber, making them gut-friendly and easily digestible. However, consider eating raw green vegetables with avocados, as the fat in the fruit can delay the digestion of other foods in the stomach by inhibiting the secretion of gastric juices.
Be sure to check out the other awesome health benefits of avocados as well.

Red Beets, as Well as Their Greens

Beets are rich in beneficial enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, and fiber. Eating these red-purple fruit can encourage regular bowel movements, improved gut lining, and smooth muscle function. Beets are also rich in an organic compound known as betaine hydrochloride, which has been shown to create a perfect environment for digestion and help those suffering from digestive upsets. Eat beets whole or juice them!
Additional Sources:
BodyEcology
GlobalHealingCenter
About Mike Barrett:
2.thumbnail 5 Foods For Better Digestion Google Plus Profile | Mike is the co-founder, editor, and primary researcher behind Natural Society. Studying the work of top natural health activists, and writing special reports for top 10 alternative health websites, Mike has written hundreds of articles and pages on how to obtain optimum wellness through natural health.

What’s in Your Milk? 20+ Painkillers, Antibiotics, and More Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/the-cocktail-of-up-to-20-chemicals-in-a-glass-of-milk/#ixzz2GebMPKnq


What’s in Your Milk? 20+ Painkillers, Antibiotics, and More

Bubbly Champagne Boosts Heart Health


Bubbly Champagne Boosts Heart HealthBubbly Champagne Boosts Heart Health

Bubbly Champagne Boosts Heart Health
Good news for the holiday season! Champagne does more than tickle your nose. It may also protect your heart.
This is according to a study conducted at Reading University in England and published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Researchers from Reading, England and Reims, France concluded that champagne has the same heart health benefits as red wine because it contains polyphenol antioxidants.
These compounds in champagne were found to reduce cell-damage caused by free radicals. They also reduce the release of nitric acid from the blood, keeping blood pressure down. The researchers believe this reduces the risk of strokes and heart disease.
Champagne - the real stuff - is a sparkling wine produced only in the Champagne region of France near Paris. It is traditionally made with a blend of red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes as well as white Chardonnay grapes. Some champagnes are made with only the red grapes (blanc de noir) or only white grapes (blanc de blanc).
In the study, 15 lucky subjects drank 375 ml (12.7 ounces) of champagne or a non-champagne alcoholic substitute without polyphenols in 10 minutes. (Don't try this at home!)
Based on the results, the lead researcher stated that "a couple of glasses" of champagne a day benefits the walls of blood vessels.
However, the study did not directly measure the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. In other words, it didn't actually study heart disease and champagne in the general population.
According to Walter Willett, M.D., Chairman of Nutrition at Harvard University's School of Public Health, much attention has been given to studies concluding that daily moderate consumption of alcohol of any type (including beer, white or red wine, or whiskey) over the age of 50 will reduce cardiovascular risk.
What is not commonly known, according to Willett, is that the beneficial effects of alcohol are only realized if there are sufficient levels of folate or folic acid in the diet. Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate which is a B vitamin found naturally in fruits and vegetables.
In the Reading study, champagne was found to provide benefits on a par not only with red wine but also with cocoa.
Red wine, champagne and chocolate: sounds like a joyful holiday celebration. Just remember to add some fruits and vegetables for your folate, and enjoy it all guilt-free!
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

Codex Nutrition Committee Chooses Malnutrition Posted on: Monday, December 31st 2012 at 6:00 am Posted By: Scott Tips, JD


Is this drug the missing link in fibromyalgia treatment?

ecember 31, 2012
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Is this drug the missing link in
fibromyalgia treatment?
Ruth Ann struggles with pain every day. Some days she can get up and have a fairly normal day. But many days she spends in bed completely debilitated from the pain. Ruth Ann has fibromyalgia.

For years, doctors told her the pain was just in her head. They thought she was crazy. That's because it took a long time for conventional medicine to accept that fibromyalgia was a legitimate condition. Now they know better. And there's been a race among the drug companies to find a drug that effectively treats this sometimes horrific pain.

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The latest drug to show promise for fibromyalgia pain is a low dose of the opioid antagonist naltrexone. Two recent studies say this drug significantly reduces the daily pain of fibromyalgia. A group of researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine conducted both studies. The second study confirmed the results of the first study, which was a pilot study to see if the drug would work.
The second study was a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, crossover study that followed 27 women with fibromyalgia. The researchers gave the women low-dose naltrexone (4.5 mg daily) for 12 weeks. Then they gave the participants a placebo for four weeks. They asked the patients to record their daily pain and symptoms on a handheld computer for the duration of the study.
The results of the study showed a significant reduction in pain for the women while on naltrexone. The participants also said the naltrexone was as tolerable as a placebo on a 100-point tolerability scale (89.2 vs 89.4). The only adverse side effects they experienced were vivid dreams and headaches.
Two consecutive studies showing similar results is promising. The fact that it uses a common and inexpensive drug is even more exciting. But there are a few problems with naltrexone. The first is that this is a very short study. We've seen that some drugs don't cause substantive side effects until you've used them for an extended period of time. The fact that these women experienced vivid dreams and headaches could spell trouble down the road if used for a long time.
Second, naltrexone doesn't come in a 4.5 mg dose. The standard dose is 50 mg. So you might have trouble finding a pharmacy that can supply the low dose. They will likely have to compound it specifically for you. One of the researchers said, "That's a big problem," as most pharmacies don't have the ability to do this.
The third problem is that naltrexone doesn't treat the cause of the fibromyalgia, just the symptoms. When it comes to pain relief, this isn't always a bad thing. And finding the cause of fibromyalgia can be difficult. So taking the drug while you look for the cause isn't out of the question. However, there might be a safer way to treat the pain.

Naltrexone works by desensitizing microglia. Microglia are your immune systems mediators for inflammation. With fibromyalgia, they are overactive and cause the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. So the naltrexone helps keep inflammation under control.
As I've mentioned before, you can keep inflammation under control safely by using the nutrients and herbs in Reduloxin. You may have to take it for a month or two before you notice a substantive difference. And the relief can come so gradually you may not even notice it until you stop taking the supplement. So give it some time. And you may find the relief you desire without any side effects.
I hope you have a very safe and Happy New Year!
Your insider for better health,

Two "Forbidden Foods" That Can Give You Instant Energy


             Two "Forbidden Foods" That Can Give You Instant Energy http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/31/top-10-healthiest-foods.aspx?e_cid=20121231_DNL_art_1

December 31, 2012 | 88,858 views | + Add to Favorites

By Dr. Mercola
Does your health food repertoire consist of salads, baked chicken and broccoli? Are you looking for a way to add some excitement to your meals while maximizing their nutritional punch? 
There's absolutely no need to be bored when eating healthy, but many believe this to be the case because they are missing out on some of the tastiest and healthiest options of all.
I encourage you to peruse the list below to take advantage of some of the healthiest foods on earth. Before we can talk about the best foods, we need to perform some nutrition "mythbusting" and address two major dietary myths that have permeated Western culture for decades:
  1. Fat is bad for you—especially saturated fat
  2. All microorganisms are dangerous

Myth #1: Fat is BAD for You

Conventional medical "wisdom" continues barking that consumption of saturated animal fats is bad for you and causes heart disease. Most medical "experts" believes this to be true. But a hundred years ago, fewer than one in one hundred Americans were obese, and coronary heart disease was unknown and we had FAR more fat intake then we do today.
The demonization of saturated fat began in 1953, when Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper comparing saturated fat intake and heart disease mortality. His theory turned out to be flimsy, to say the least, but the misguided ousting of saturated fat has continued ever since. Fortunately, the truth is finally starting to come out, as medical scientists have finally begun to question Keys' findings. The truth is, it's the trans fat found in margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that is the true villain, causing a multitude of health problems.
Coconut oil also fell into the "bad for your heart health" as a result of the saturated fat disparagement. This is most unfortunate as it is one of the healthiest fats on the planet. It is mostly medium chain triglycerides with over half of those belonging to lauric acid, which is an essential fat to regulate your immune system, and is also very prevalent in breast milk. It can curb hunger and help provide lasting energy.
I personally consume about one quart of coconut oil a week. It is the ideal fat to use when you are using intermittent fasting and seeking to replace calories from grains and sugar, and excessive protein. 

Myth #2: When It Comes to Bacteria, Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid

We have become one of the most germophobic cultures in the world, attempting to sterilize ourselves into a bubble—and our children as well. We haven't done ourselves any favors here. We live in a world of microorganisms... bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and our lives depend on living with them, rather than avoiding them. Literally.
Microorganisms are everywhere. You swallow them, breathe them, and they form invisible colonies on your skin. Your gut is home to approximately 100 trillion bacteria, both good and bad. These bacteria outnumber the cells in your body by about 10 to one, and maintaining the ideal balance of healthy and disease causing microflora forms the foundation for your health—physical, mental and emotional.
In fact, this microscopic zoo in your gut is the first-line defense of your immune system. While a few of these microorganisms can wreak havoc with your system, most of these little "bugs" are good, helping you digest your food, stay protected from infections, and even helping to prevent autoimmune diseases like asthma, allergies, and diabetes. An imbalance in your gut flora can be a major contributor to many serious illnesses, including autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
Your body's microbial community is so crucial to your health that researchers have compared it to "a newly recognized organ" whose function is so important that you simply cannot be optimally healthy without it. In addition to avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and antibacterial soaps, balancing your gut flora may be one of the most important steps you can take to improve your health. This requires "reseeding" your gut with naturally fermented foods and probiotics.

Are You Eating These 10 Healthiest Foods?

So, having dispelled two pervasive food myths, let me now focus on ten of the most healthful foods you could be consuming. Remember these are general recommendations. Not everyone will do well with these foods, but the vast majority will have health improvement by regularly consuming them. As always, it is important to listen to your body and let it guide you in making that determination. With some foods though, like fermented vegetables, you will need to start with very small amounts and work your way up to a healthy dose over a few months.
1. Fermented Vegetables
Fermented, or cultured, vegetables are teeming with essential enzymes and good bacteria needed for optimal digestion and they are easier to digest than raw or cooked vegetables. When you eat raw cultured vegetables loaded with enzymes, you give your body an opportunity to use its bodily stores of enzymes to rejuvenate itself instead of exhausting them trying to digest overly processed and otherwise dead food. Cultured foods also offer a multitude of medicinal rewards by:
  • Alleviating digestive disorders - the flora in living cultured foods form a "living shield" that covers your small intestine's inner lining and resists pathogenic organisms like Escherichia coli, Salmonella and an unhealthy overgrowth of yeast
  • Strengthening immunity with increased antibodies that fight off infectious disease
  • Helping pregnant and nursing mothers transfer beneficial bacteria to their infants
  • Effectively impacting the behavior of children with autism,ADD/ and ADHD
  • Regulating weight and appetite by reducing cravings for sugar, soft drinks, bread and pasta -- all foods I strongly advise against
Fermented foods are also among some of the best chelators available. The beneficial bacteria in these foods are very potent detoxifiers, capable of drawing out a wide range of environmental toxins, including pesticides and and heavy metals. And you don't need to consume huge amounts either. Caroline Barringer recommends eating about a quarter to a half a cup of fermented vegetables, or cultured food such as raw yoghurt, per day. In the following video, she discusses the process of fermenting your own vegetables in some detail, so for more information, please listen to that interview.
2. Kale
Kale contains fiber and antioxidants, and is one of the best sources of vitamin A, which promotes eye and skin health and may help strengthen your immune system. A one-cup serving has almost as much vitamin C as an orange and as much calcium as a cup of milk. It's simply an excellent source of multiple vitamins and other nutrients, including:
Vitamin A Vitamin B Vitamin C
Calcium Lutein (helps protect against macular degeneration) Zeaxanthin (helps protect against macular degeneration)
Indole-3-carbinol (may protect against colon cancer) Iron Chlorophyll

3. Kefir and Other Fermented Beverages
Kefir is a fermented milk beverage that contains beneficial probiotics that may help give your immune system a boost, among other health benefits. One of the best and least expensive ways to get healthy bacteria through your diet is actually to obtain raw milk and convert it to kefir yourself. All you need is one-half packet of kefir starter granules in a quart of raw milk, which you leave at room temperature overnight. By the time you wake up in the morning you will likely have kefir. If it hasn't obtained the consistency of yogurt you might want to set it out a bit longer and then store it in the fridge.
A quart of kefir has far more active bacteria than you can possibly purchase in any probiotic supplement, and it is very economical as you can reuse the kefir from the original quart of milk about 10 times before you need to start a new culture pack. Just one starter package of kefir granules can convert about 50 gallons of milk to kefir. This is also a far healthier, and far more economical, way to nourish your body with probiotics than buying any of the commercial probiotic beverages on the market, as these typically contain added sugars and are made using pasteurized milk, which I don't recommend drinking.
Kombucha, a fermented drink, is another great addition to your diet. The key is variety. The greater the variety of fermented and cultured foods you include in your diet, the better, as each food will inoculate your gut with a variety of different beneficial microorganisms.
4. Sardines
These tiny fish are packed with omega-3 fats, which are excellent for your heart, brain, mood and more, and vitamin D. And, because of their lower position on the food chain, they don't accumulate as many toxins, such as mercury, PCBs and dioxin, as larger fish do, making them among the safest fish you can eat.
5. Whey Protein Concentrate
Whey protein, a by-product of cheese production, was promoted for its health benefits as early as 420 B.C. As you age, your body gradually loses its ability to produce critical amino acids -- the essential proteins you need for energy production, immune actions and protein buildup in your muscle. Therefore, the need to supplement with these amino acids increases with age, and increases even more in times of high physical stress, like after a workout, or when recovering from injury or illness.
Whey protein concentrate (not to be confused with the far inferior whey protein isolate) is an ideal choice as it's a rich source of highly bioavailable amino acids that many are unaware of. Whey protein has been linked to a variety of health benefits, including:
Helping your insulin work more effectively, which helps maintain your blood sugar level after a meal -- This is important as research suggests lowering your blood sugar levels after meals may be more beneficial for your health than lowering fasting blood sugars. Promoting healthy insulin secretion, which is essential for optimal health. This is one of the foremost reasons for avoiding sugars and grains, as their overconsumption has a negative impact on both, and is a prime factor in developing type 2 diabetes.
Helping to promote your optimal intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals needed for your overall wellness. Helping you preserve lean body tissue (particularly during exercise) as it delivers bioavailable amino acids and cysteine.
Supporting your immune system, as it contains immunoglobulins. Maintaining blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range.

6. Organic Pastured Eggs (Raw)
While many people do eat eggs, many neglect to eat them raw, which is the healthiest way. Raw free-range or "pastured" eggs are an excellent source of high-quality nutrients that many people are deficient in, especially high-quality protein and fat.
A single egg contains:
  • Nine essential amino acids
  • One of the highest quality proteins you can find. Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin, internal organs and muscles. They are also the major components of your immune system and hormones
  • Lutein and zeaxanthin (for your eyes)
  • Choline for your brain, nervous- and cardiovascular systems
  • Naturally occurring B12
Why is raw better? Heating the egg protein actually changes its natural biochemical shape, and this distortion can easily lead to allergies. If you consume your eggs in their raw state, the incidence of egg allergy virtually disappears. Eating eggs raw also helps preserve many of the highly perishable nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are powerful prevention elements for age-related macular degeneration, which is the most common cause of blindness.
Fresh raw egg yolk actually tastes like vanilla, in my opinion. The egg white is usually what most people object to when they say they don't like the texture of raw egg. If this is an issue, consider blending the whole raw egg into a shake or smoothie.
Beware of consuming raw egg whites without the yolks as raw egg whites contain avidin, which can bind to biotin. If you cook the egg white the avidin is not an issue. Likewise, if you consume the whole raw egg (both yolk and egg white) there is more than enough biotin in the yolk to compensate for the avidin binding.
If you choose not to eat your eggs raw, soft-boiled would be your next best option. Scrambling your eggs is one of the worst ways to eat eggs as it actually oxidizes the cholesterol in the egg yolk. If you have high cholesterol this may actually be a problem for you as the oxidized cholesterol may cause some damage in your body.
7. Organic Coconut Oil
Often shunned for its high saturated fat content, the naturally occurring saturated fat found in coconut oil has some spectacular health benefits such as promoting heart health, weight loss, immune system health, thyroid function and more. Half of the fat content in coconut oil is lauric acid—a fat rarely found in nature—that could easily qualify as a "miracle" ingredient because of its unique health promoting properties. Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties.
And, because your body sends medium-chain fatty acids like those in coconut oil directly to your liver to use as energy, this makes coconut oil a powerful source of instant energy to your body, a function usually served in the diet by simple carbohydrates.
Coconut oil is also the ideal choice for all types of cooking. In fact, it's the only oil stable enough to resist mild heat-induced damage. So, whenever you need an oil to cook or bake with, use coconut oil instead of butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine, or any other type of oil called for in recipes.Even though I don't fully recommend frying foods, if you must fry, by all means use coconut oil -- it's your smartest choice. 
8. Avocado
Also shunned by many due to their fat content, avocados are actually incredibly healthy for this very reason. Healthy raw fat is a nutrient many are severely deficient in. I eat a whole avocado nearly every day. Avocados also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including:
  • Fiber
  • Potassium (more than twice the amount found in a banana)
  • Vitamin E
  • B-vitamins
  • Folic acid
9. Raw Grass-Fed Butter
Another type of healthy fat that many people do not eat is butter made from raw organic grass-fed milk. I typically eat about a half-pound to a pound of raw organic grass-fed butter per week, as it's an excellent source of high-quality nutrients, including:
Vitamins, such as vitamin A, needed for a wide range of functions, from maintaining good vision to keeping the endocrine system in top shape, and all the other fat-soluble vitamins (D, E and K2), which are often lacking in the modern industrial diet. Trace minerals, including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). Butter provides more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring. It's also an excellent source of iodine.
Healthful fats, including short- and medium-chain fats, which support immune function, boost metabolism and have anti-microbial properties, as well as the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats, and arachidonic acid, which is important for brain function, skin health and prostaglandin balance. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), a compound that gives excellent protection against cancer and also helps your body build muscle rather than store fat.
Glycospingolipids, a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastrointestinal infections, especially in the very young and the elderly. Wulzen Factor, a hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness, ensuring that calcium in your body is put into your bones rather than your joints and other tissues. The Wulzen factor is present only in raw butter and cream; it is destroyed by pasteurization.

10. Pomegranate
The primary source of this fruit's benefits is its antioxidant content, particularly ellagitannin compounds like punicalagins and punicalins, which account for about half of the pomegranate's antioxidant ability. The juice and pulp of pomegranates have previously been studied for their potential heart- and joint health benefits.
Aim to incorporate as many of these foods into your diet on a daily or weekly basis as you can, and you'll be off to a great nutritional start. For even more advice on how to eat right by focusing your diet on whole, unprocessed "superfoods," see my nutrition plan.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Happy New Year Middle Class: The Fiscal Cliff Is Going To Rip You To Shreds

Happy New Year Middle Class: The Fiscal Cliff Is Going To Rip You To Shreds

Happy New Year Middle Class - The Fiscal Cliff Is Going To Rip You To ShredsThe middle class has quite a gift welcoming them as the calendar flips over to 2013.  Their payroll taxes are going to go up, their income taxes are going to go up, and approximately 28 million households are going to be hit with a huge, unexpected AMT tax bill on their 2012 earnings.  So happy New Year middle class!  You are about to be ripped to shreds.  In addition to the tax increases that I just mentioned, approximately two million unemployed Americans will instantly lose their extended unemployment benefits when 2013 begins, and new Obamacare tax hikes which will cost American taxpayers about a trillion dollars over the next decade will start to go into effect.  If Congress is not able to come to some sort of a deal, all middle class families in America will be sending thousands more dollars to Uncle Sam next year than they were previously.  And considering the fact that the middle class is already steadily shrinking and that the U.S. economy is already in an advanced state of decline, that is not good news.  You would think that both major political parties would want to do something to keep the middle class from being hit with this kind of tax sledgehammer.  Unfortunately, at this point it appears that our "leaders" in Washington D.C. are incapable of getting anything done.  So get ready for much smaller paychecks and much larger tax bills.  What is coming is not going to be pleasant.
So what happened?
Weren't the tax increases only supposed to be for the wealthy?
Well, that is what the politicians always promise, but it is always the middle class that ends up getting hit the hardest.
In this day and age, the big corporations and the ultra-wealthy are absolute masters at avoiding taxes.
For example, Facebook paid approximately $4.64 million in taxes on their entire foreign profits of $1.344 billion for 2011.
That comes out to a tax rate of about 0.3 percent.
Overall, the global elite have approximately 18 trillion dollars parked in offshore tax havens such as the Cayman Islands.
Keep in mind that U.S. GDP for 2011 was only slightly above 15 trillion dollars.
So the global elite have an amount of money parked in offshore banks that is substantially larger than the total value of all goods and services produced in the United States each year.
According to one estimate, a third of all the wealth in the entire world is stationed in offshore banks.  Our politicians are playing checkers and the global elite are playing chess when it comes to taxes.  Our current system of taxation is irreversibly broken and should be entirely thrown out and replaced with something else.
And of course under our current system those that are poor don't pay much in taxes because they are just trying to survive.
So who always ends up getting the painful end of the hammer?
The middle class does, and that really stinks.
Let us hope and pray that our politicians can come together and do something for the middle class.  In particular, we should all be screaming and yelling at our politicians about the Alternative Minimum Tax.  It was originally designed as a method to "tax the rich", but unless Congress does something the middle class is about to be ripped to shreds by it.  The following is from a recent CNBC article about the AMT...
In a cruel epilogue to 2012, roughly 28 million families would owe the IRS $86 billion more than they anticipated for this year should the country plunge off the cliff, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.
Those families would face the "Alternative Minimum Tax," which was introduced in 1969 to supposedly guarantee that wealthy Americans could not elude the taxman. But the AMT not only flopped, it was never indexed to inflation. So with each passing year, it seeps away from high society and into the wallets of Target and Wal-Mart shoppers. That sets up a disaster for April 15.
So how much money are we talking about?
According to that same article, many families are about to be socked by tax bills that will be absolutely huge...
On the whole, 98 percent of those with incomes between $200,000 to $500,000 would pay an additional $11,000 in AMT this year, according to the center's estimates. About 88 percent of those with incomes of $100,000 to $200,000 would need to fork over another $3100, and even the majority of Americans with earnings between $75,000 and $100,000 would have an AMT liability.
Most of the tax increases that will be coming as a result of the fiscal cliff will be for 2013 earnings, but the AMT tax hike will apply to 2012 earnings.  So if you end up falling under the AMT, you better get ready to write a very large check to Uncle Sam in just a couple of months.
And the AMT is only just one of the very painful tax increases that American families will be facing.  If no deal is reached in Congress, every single middle class American taxpayer will be dealing with significantly higher taxes.
A recent ABC News report entitled "Fiscal Cliff: By The Numbers" detailed some of the other tax increases that you can expect in 2013...

So why don't our politicians do something about all of this?
What are they fighting so bitterly about anyway?
Sadly, neither side is actually serious about substantially reducing the size of government deficits or about getting government spending under control.
During a recent interview on CNBC, Ron Paul explained that "they pretend they are fighting up there, but they really aren't. They are arguing over power, spin, who looks good, who looks bad; all trying to preserve the system where they can spend what they want, take care of their friends and print money when they need it."
Most in the mainstream media are making it sound like some kind of a "battle royal" is going on in Washington, but as Lou Dobbs recently pointed out, the U.S. national debt is going to end up in just about the same place no matter what happens.
According to Dobbs, if we "do nothing" the U.S. national debt will be approximately 25.8 trillion dollars in 2022.
If "Obama wins", the U.S. national debt will be approximately 25.4 trillion dollars in 2022.
If "Boehner wins", the U.S. national debt will be approximately 25.2 trillion dollars in 2022.
You can watch the entire analysis by Lou Dobbs right here...

So they are putting all of us through all of this torture even though nothing will really change in the long run no matter who wins?
What kind of a circus is this?
Meanwhile, the reckless spending continues.
Barack Obama has just issued a new executive order that ends the pay freeze for federal workers that had been in place.
So now all federal employees will be getting a nice hefty pay raise.
For example, Vice President Joe Biden brought in $225,521 this year.
Next year, he will make $231,900.
Not that our politicians really need the money.  Most members of Congress are millionaires anyway.  But if they can get us to pay for it, they might as well go for it, eh?
There are now close to half a million federal employees that bring home at least $100,000 a year.  Plus, it is important to keep in mind that the benefits that federal employees get are absolutely outstanding, and it is close to impossible to actually fire a federal worker.
Life is good if you are working for Uncle Sam.
Meanwhile, our politicians seem determined to keep draining more blood out of the middle class.  Even if a "deal" is reached, we will still be hit by some categories of tax increases.  Let's just hope and pray that we don't get hit by all of the tax increases that are scheduled to go into effect.  That would be a financial disaster for millions of families.
So happy New Year middle class.  Your taxes are about to go through the roof and our politicians are too busy fighting with each other to do anything about it.
What else will 2013 bring?
Funny Baby
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