Reasons You Should Eat More Garlic

Hippocrates stated, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Essentially, this means our diet should consist of food that will better our health, not jeopardize it. This isn't to say that you can't enjoy a piece of steak or a plate of buffalo fried shrimps. In any event, keep in mind that they may be delicious to your taste buds, but the question is, Are they good for your health?

Ironically, there are foods that might not taste too good, but are great for our health. For instance. garlic might not have the best taste, but it does benefit our health. According to Medical Daily, allicin provides garlic with many herbal remedies. Allicinfacts.com states that allicin is responsible for numerous things such as combating cancer and providing antioxidants, which is the key to garlic's healing power and strong odor.

In fact, the medicinal power of garlic is ancient and ubiquitous. Garlic was used by civilizations of antiquity such as Egypt, China, India, and Greece. According to The Journal of Nutrition, garlic was fed to laborers building the pyramids in Egypt. In ancient Greece, athletes that participated in the Olympics ate garlic because it was believed to increase performance. In ancient China, garlic was used to facilitate respiration, promote better digestion, and improve male potency.

In addition, garlic is beneficial in fighting the common cold, lowering blood pressure, and improving bone health.  Medical Daily also reports that garlic is essential for countering hair loss because it is high in sulfure, which has keratin. Keratin is a protein found in hair, which helps the hair to grow.

The next time you're fighting a cold, heading to the gym, or think you're going bald, add garlic to your diet and notice the difference.

Fruits and Vegetables: A Cure For Cancer.

   

Fruits and Vegetables contain phytochemicals that fight cancer.

     If you're not eating enough fruits and veggies, you might want to reconsider. According to Cancer Causes & Control, vegetables are a great defense against cancer. One study published in the medical journal stated, "Vegetables and fruit contain the anticarcinogenic cocktail to which we are adapted. We abandon it at our peril." In other words, fruits and vegetables have something very important that is able to fight cancer; a low intake of fruits and vegetables will result in cancer.

      What is this unique source in fruits and vegetables that can fight cancer? It's a host of chemicals known as phytochemicals. These are compounds found in plants and vegetables. The World Book Encyclopedia says, " . . . certain foods contain substances, called phytochemicals that may help prevent cancers . . . such foods include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage . . ." The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods asserts that phytochemicals have a "greater protection against cancer" than simpler nutrients such as antioxidants, vitamins C and E. Pigments such as carotene, chlorophyll, and flavonoids, are significant groups of phytochemicals.

Chlorophyll-rich foods

     Foods rich in carotene are carrots, spinach, tomatoes, cantaloupe, apricots and citrus fruits. In fact, I watched a video on YouTube of a man that cured himself of cancer from eating large quantities of apricots. Flavonoid-rich foods include berries, cherries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, and peppers. Foods that have a great source of chlorophyll (green leaf) would be your green veggies such as lettuce, spinach, and collard greens. Incorporating these foods into your diet will fight against cancer. Ironically, many crops are exposed to pesticides, which are carcinogenic. The ideal solution is to eat organic crops that are pesticide-free, reducing your risk of getting cancer.

     In addition, it is also imperative to estrange yourself from foods that are high in fats; they are carcinogenic and can cause cancer in the breast, colon, and prostate gland. The idea is to develop a healthy lifestyle and "avoiding contact with known carcinogens". For instance, people that get radiation therapy and chemotherapy are exposing themselves to cancer. World Book states, " . . . radiation therapy and chemotherapy can actually cause secondary cancers, including leukemia . . ."

     Natural healing is vital and combating cancer with fruits and vegetables has proven to be successful and inexpensive.

MonaVie: The Future of Natural Healing

MonaVie's Health Juices are rich in antioxidants.

Some of us never heard of MonaVie. I was introduced to it by Cherry Smyth while she was in Atlanta, Georgia for a convention held by her company, MonaVie.

What is MonaVie? Monavie is a company that began in 2005 that focuses on creating products that promote health and wellness. MonaVie's products are essential to the four elements that secure great health -- nutrition, weight, energy, and stress. 

What are their products? MonaVie manufactures energy drinks, dietary supplements, protein bars, and health juices. The company uses vital ingredients such as vitamins, phytonutrients, glucosamine, and it's product-seller, antioxidants.

It was antioxidants that kept me interested in learning about MonaVie. For those of you not-in-the-know, antioxidants are highly beneficial. For instance, they are a great source of vitamins A, C, and E. In 2012, Carcinogenesis published a study showing how vitamin C promotes an important antioxidant enzyme that helps prevent breast cancer. Within the same year, the Age journal published a study illustrating how vitamins C and E facilitate maintaining your youth and can prevent memory-loss.

Antioxidants are very beneficial to our health.

The best thing about antioxidants is that they are natural. They can be found in fruits and vegetables. What makes MonaVie great is that it uses at least 19 antioxidants in its products. This is important because combining antioxidant-rich foods is very effective. According to a study published in Journal of Medicinal Food, mixing strawberries, blueberries, and spinach, has a greater impact on the nervous system than eating either antioxidant-rich ingredient alone. According to the study, those antioxidant-rich ingredients hinder an enzyme that may be involved in neurological disorders such as autism, depression, and schizophrenia.

Antioxidants are the real-deal and MonaVie is going to be the future of natural healing because they understand the metaphysics of antioxidants and how to properly use them. Cherry invited me to the convention and I heard countless testimonies of how MonaVie's products healed family members and friends. It didn't feel like church; I knew these people were being honest because I know the healing power of antioxidants. Cherry was passionate about it, too; that convinced me that she believes in MonaVie, which is interesting since she studied nursing in New York.

MovaVie convention; Atlanta, Georgia.

I'm blessed that Cherry introduced me to MonaVie. I'm interested in purchasing their energy drinks, protein bars, and becoming a distributor of their products, too.

Cherry Smyth, MonaVie distributor.

To purchase a product, or learn additional information about MonaVie, contact Cherry by clicking this link.

Ayurvedic Medicine: India's Holistic Method

Ayurveda's Doshas

Different cultures have unique methods to natural healing. For instance, India's traditional medicine is Ayurveda (knowledge of life). Ayurvedic medicine is a holistic approach to health and life. According to Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook, its healing methods focuses on incorporating medical, philosophical, and religious beliefs. The Alternative Medicine Handbook states that Ayurveda is an "ancient healing system" that can be tracked back to the Vedas.

The Vedas

Traditionally, Ayurvedic medicine teaches that life held in tact by a nonphysical life energy (prana). Prana signifies a healthy life that is balanced physically, mentally, spiritually, and environmentally. When prana is not balanced, people become sick, age, and ultimately, die. 

According to The Alternative Medicine, this energy balance isn't limited just an internal factor, but external, too. There must be an energy balance between people and their environments to achieve unity with the Universe.

What products and practices does Ayurvedic medicine incorporate? According to Alternative Medicine, Rasayanas, or herbal supplements, gemstones, panchakarmas (purification procedures), and yagyas (religious ceremonies to solicit the aid of Hindu deities). Other therapeutic procedures are breathing exercises, meditation, massage, diets. 

It is important to estrange yourself from negativity. Ama is an accumulation of negative energy, which is unhealthy for you. Negative energy isn't only people, but negative thoughts, unhealthy food, and habits.

Interestingly, Ayurveda teaches that there are three doshas. There is a specific dosha found in specific body organs and they have a relationship with at least two environmental elements. The three doshas are kapha, pitta, and vata. The five elements are earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Why ether? According to The Alternative Medicine Handbook,  ether is believed to be connected to hearing and opening spaces in the mind.

Ayurveda's relationship between the Elements and Doshas

Ayurvedic practitioners believe that the doshas act as a bridge among organs and internals parts of the body. In addition, they also connect the body with the cosmos.

Ayurveda is similar to Chi, China's traditional medicine.

Alternative Medicine Vs. Conventional Medicine

There's a reason it's called alternative medicine -- it's not conventional (i.e., mainstream). Alternative medicine, or complementary alternative medicine (CAM), differs from conventional, Western medicine. As stated in Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook, alternative medicine's approach to health care is "treating the body, the mind, and the spirit." This is the focal point of alternative medicine -- healing the body, the mind, and the spirit by "relying on noninvasive 'natural' methods of healing." 

For example, the traditional medicine of India is Ayurveda (knowledge of life) and it sought to nourish a person entirely by using medical, philosophical, and religious beliefs -- body, mind, and spirit.

You may have already started thinking that conventional medicine does the same thing. That is true only because there are some conventional, medical institutions that are now incorporating holistic practices into their care. In The Best Alternative Medicine, Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier states "medical schools and insurance companies are gradually accepting CAM modalities." This is known as integrative medicine, but this wasn't always the case.

There was a time where CAM and conventional medicine were at odds with each other. CAM considered conventional medicine an institution of financial gain in league with pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, conventional medicine viewed CAM worthless and unproven therapy. However, over the years, both sides have realized the benefit of one another and are now working with one another.

Personally speaking, I would recommend natural, prescription-free remedies than pharmaceutical drugs. For example, when it comes to fighting cancer, studies show that alternative medicine cures cancer by employing the cannabis plant. Although there are cancer-survivors that use conventional, Western medicine, we cannot ignore their expensive medical bills.

Overall, there are benefits of CAM that are void in conventional medicine and vice versa. It is up to you to learn the benefits of each and discern what is harmful. For instance, aspirin can be dangerous; it causes gastric bleeding, ulcers, and ironically, suppresses the immune system. In Prescription Alternatives, Dr. Earl L. Mindell states that aspirin is harmful used long term and a study published in British Medical Journal found aspirin to cause gastrointestinal hemorrhage -- 50 mg or 1, 500 mg.

"Are you in good hands?"

Understanding Magic, Medicine, and Natural Healing

Magic, Medicine, and Natural Healing, researched by andRe Christos Helios

Since the days of antiquity, civilizations employed magic when it came to medicine. There weren't any hospitals with emergency rooms and people coughing. There weren't any Tylenol tablets for headaches or Bayer for pain relief. It was the application of magic that facilitated medicine for healing -- natural healing, not Western medicine.What is magic? Magic isn't optical illusions. Nor is it solely the practice of communing with intelligences (i.e, spirits).

According to P. Christian's Histoire de la Magie, magic has its origins in the Greek words Magos and Mageia, meaning magician and magic. Christian continues that these are renderings of Pehlvi and Zend's Mog, Megh, Magh, which in these languages, mean priest, wise, and excellent.

Christian further delves into the etymology of magic with the Chaldean Maghdim, which means supreme wisdom or sacred philosophy. This research concludes that magic has nothing to do with optical illusions, but is the embodiment of a superior knowledge practiced by the Righteous.

Joseph Ennemoser's History of Magic, which was translated by William Howitt, supports this idea. He inclines that among the Persians, Medes, and Egyptians, magic was understood as a "higher knowledge of nature" combined with religion and astronomy. He states that Plato understood magic, or Wisdom, as "nothing less than a worship of the Divinity" and that Aupleius believed that Magus meant a priest in the Persian tongue.

History teaches us that the practice of the oldest magic took place in Chaldea, India, Persia, and Egypt. According to Ennemoser, Zoroaster, Ostanes, the Brahmins, the Chaldean sages, and the Egyptian priests were acquainted with the secret knowledge of Magic. They dedicated their lives to preserving this Secret Wisdom as well as healing the sick.

Prominent occultist Eliphas Levi asserts that magic is "the traditional science of the secrets of Nature which has come down to us from the Magi." It is this science that administered medicine in the form of natural healing.