Natural Selection

"Nature is never finished."

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:15:49 -0400

““Nature is never finished.””

- ~Robert Smithson

"Nature can do more than physicians."

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:09:42 -0400

““Nature can do more than physicians.””

- Oliver Cromwell

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:31:12 -0400

““Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.””

- ~Albert Einstein

Hungry for Change review

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:37:00 -0400

Just finished watching the new FoodMatters film “Hungry for Change” which you can watch absolutely free for another 5 days. It is a must see for anyone who is overweight or has ever tried to lose weight by dieting. The film presents some radical ideas about the nature of the food and dieting industry and how both of them actually promote weight gain. The food industry via the use of nutrient poor and addictive ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, aspartame and flavor enhancers not only cause adverse effects on the body such neurological problems and bone demineralization but contribute to the addictive nature of these nutrient poor foods thereby causing weight gain.

The diet industry still promotes the idea of deprivation to the body which is never sustainable. In order to lose weight (and heal disease), the body truly needs nourishment and detoxification and a rebuilding of self love and self esteem. The film delivers some motivational interviews from experts in the field as well as everyday people who have healed themselves by nourishing themselves from the inside out.

No greater sacrifice

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:32:56 -0500

Saw a fascinating documentary on the weekend called “The Greater Good”. It presents a balanced argument in the palpably emotive and polarised vaccination debate which is rare given the one sided bent of the pro-vaccination media. It presents in a very logical way the benefits of vaccination (aka herd immunity) and in a very personal way the risks, via three case studies of vaccine damaged children. The viewer gets an insight into the family lives of Gabi, whose young life has been disabled by long term neurological damage from the controversial Gardasil vaccine, Jordan who has autism and, perhaps most heartbreaking, the Christener family whose baby daughter, Victoria, died following her vaccinations.

The film is not anti-vaccine, the makers interview some prominent pro-vaccination advocates and highlights the obvious benefits of eradicating life threatening and disabling conditions such as polio but it does highlight the very real risks of the toxicity of the adjuvants contained in vaccines (mercury and aluminum) and poses the question of the possible risks involved in subjecting children to the ever expanding numbers of vaccines and why these risks are not identified via rigorous scientific study.

I guess the most poignant message from the film is it’s posing of the question, so what? So what if there are people who suffer from vaccine damage if it means the herd is protected? The film puts faces on these children and the people who care for them. These children, that are lucky enough to survive, suffer lifelong pain and disability. Although the film provides a snapshot into their lives they are not just affected in the present. There are potential relationships and careers and families that may not eventuate for these children. As a society are we OK with that? In the families involved there is grief, there is financial ruin and marriage breakdowns. Is that OK?

I am not anti-vaccine by any means. I believe they are a wonderful public health measure if they are safe. From a practitioners point of view my main criticism is that it is obvious that vaccines do injure some people, whether it be via heavy metal toxicity, the sheer number involved or the vaccine itself (there would be no vaccine compensation scheme in the US if this was not the case). One of the key philosophies of the Hippocratic Oath is “do no harm” so why not do the studies to work out why some people are susceptible to damage? Why not implement longitudinal studies on the health of vaccinated vs non-vaccinated children? Does it cost too much or perhaps governments are afraid of the answer.

I guess this film raised more questions for me than it answered. By far the most important one being: why is it acceptable for real people to be collateral damage for the greater good.

Make up your own mind. Watch the film for yourself.

http://www.greatergoodmovie.org/

Childhood Resilience? What Are They Fighting Against?

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:51:00 -0500

Just thought I’d share with you one of the sessions of a seminar I attended on Sunday on Mental Health, Childhood and Autism. The particular session, delivered by Rob Santich, an Herbalist with 25 years experience was on resilience in children and the emerging factors in today’s society which place ever more pressures on children to be as resilient as ever.

Whether you agree with them or not here are some of the factors that really struck a chord with me

1. The fact that we live in an economy instead of a community, which values predatory capitalism. This capitalism breeds a culture of consumerism which, in turn, favours a false sense of self-esteem created by over-permissiveness. It also paints a picture of success which is dictated by the number of possessions a family owns. Advertising in the consumer world creates expectations which can never fully be achieved and which therefore results, in the long run, in low self esteem.

2.The role of the media in promoting the unrealistic aims of consumerism not only in advertising but in placing social identities on pedestals which promote narcissism as the ideal.

3. Capitalization also favours urbanisation which physically reduces the amount of green spaces children can play in, thereby creating a disconnect with nature and corresponding increase in behavioural problems. This is interesting for me as I did quite a bit of research in my health promotion days on the link between adequate green spaces and physical activity. Evidently there is also a direct link on child mental health, not just via the increased exercise involved in improved access to green spaces.

4. An education system which currently has an ideology rooted in continuous standardised assessment rather than the promotion of free thought and opinion. This current system is placing undue stress on the families of primary school children.

Arthur Ashe said “Success is a journey, not a destination” and if you consider childhood as the start of one long journey it seems to me these pressures create a generation of children that have very little hope of being happy, successful adults. As a society there needs to be a complete shift in consciousness, a re-evaluation of what is truly important in life.

i♥guts too

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:21:16 -0400

i♥guts too:

Ever wonder what a particular little organ or gland is up to in your body. My favourite website at the moment is ‘I Heart Guts’. it describes exactly what the bits of our body do with cheeky lil cartoons. I wish this was around when I was learning anatomy and physiology!

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful."

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:07:11 -0400

““The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful.””

- e.e. cummings (my favourite poet)

Murder and Espionage

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:22:15 -0400

Murder and Espionage:

Watched this documentary the other night on the slaughter of dolphins in one small cove in Japan. It is must see viewing if you care about these intelligent animals but also a good example of how governments have the power to poison their their own people under the guise of food security or ‘pest control’ or whatever they like to call it (dolphins have high levels of mercury).

"Everything in Nature contains all the powers of Nature. Everything is made of one hidden stuff."

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:58:14 -0400

““Everything in Nature contains all the powers of Nature. Everything is made of one hidden stuff.””

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

App Review: The Chemical Maze

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:03:25 -0400

App Review: The Chemical Maze:

Ever looked at the long list of ingredients on a product and wondered what all those numbers were about? Based on the book by the same name by Bill Statham this ingenious app allows you to look up food and cosmetic additives either by their name or additive number and work out whether it really should be something you ingest or put on your body. It describes the uses of each chemical, potential effects on the body (eg allergen, toxin, carcinogen), symptoms it may cause and where else you might find it. It’s a handy little app to have whether you have chemical sensitivities, allergies, sensitive skin or simply want to be more mindful of the chemicals you expose yourself and your family to.

My puppy enjoying some winter sun ♥

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:46:00 -0400

My puppy enjoying some winter sun ♥

The Movable Feast

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:35:00 -0400

The Movable Feast:

So check out this gallery “Time” has published from the book “Hungry Beast”. It chronicles the amount and type of foods families from across the world purchase in one week. What I notice most is two things. The quantity of food varies significantly across countries (check out Chad versus Germany for example) and the more Western the family tends to be, the more processed the food choices become. The Americans, for example have very little fresh produce on their table whereas the family from Ecuador have nothing but fresh produce. It seems economic development comes with a price, more marketing, poor health and the environmental impact of all that packaging.

"Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard."

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 22:05:57 -0400

““Man’s heart away from nature becomes hard.””

- Standing Bear

"Try to leave the Earth a better place than when you arrived."

Tue, 24 May 2011 01:15:19 -0400

““Try to leave the Earth a better place than when you arrived.””

- Sidney Sheldon

Amazing Opportunity for a Free Fertility Challenge

Mon, 23 May 2011 21:05:55 -0400

Whether you are trying to get pregnant at the moment or or even thinking about starting a family now is the perfect time to join Fertility expert Gabriela Rosa’s Free 14 Day Natural Fertility Challenge which starts tomorrrow. It’s your chance to discover her secrets to get into the ‘Fertility Zone’.

Already 100’s of couples - who want to experience the joy of seeing their own new born baby for the first time - have signed up for the “Challenge” and now you can too.

You can claim your place in the Challenge Now by going to this website.

In this incredible 2 week journey you’ll discover:
• The easy things you can do right now to dramatically increase your chances of getting pregnant in a matter of weeks

• The supplements you can get at any chemist to boost your body’s ability to conceive naturally (and which ones to avoid)

• The tests you should ask your Doctor for - and how to interpret the results. Discover what might be blocking your chances of falling pregnant

• Easy things men can do to boost their fertility - and relationship tips to strengthen your bond during this sometimes challenging time

• When you should consider IVF - and how to boost your chances of conceiving with IVF by up to 47.1%

• The 4 fertility killers that could ruin your chances of getting pregnant

This is your last chance to register for this free 14 Day Natural Fertility Challenge so act now to avoid missing out.

Photo

Tue, 17 May 2011 00:54:21 -0400

Learn about the European directive to stop everyday people like...

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:31:00 -0400

Learn about the European directive to stop everyday people like you being able to treat themselves with natural medicine or plants. Some practitioners say this is a good thing as it places treatment back in the hands of natural practitioners. I think this is naive because pharmaceutical companies are behind this. What’s next? Practitioner only products possibly? This is yet another strategy to demonise natural medicine and assert their own products as safe. Also, part of the philosophy of natural medicine is based on self-sufficiency, being able to take responsibility for, and treat your own health problems. You can sign the petition to stop this directive (link below) even if you aren’t part of the European union because if this goes ahead it sets a precedent on similar directives here.

http://www.savenaturalhealth.eu/sign.php

sayingimages: Motivation is waht gets you started, habit is...

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:11:16 -0400

sayingimages:

Motivation is waht gets you started, habit is what keeps you going

Featured on Saying Images & Tumblr Pictures|Follow now

"Never never never give up"

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:27:00 -0400

““Never never never give up””

- Winston Churchill