Covenant Natural Health Care

Are you investing in good nutrition?

I seriously laughed out loud when this photo appeared in my email inbox. But then I realized how sad it is that it's so true. We live in a culture where we have to see results now, regardless of the future effects of the instant gratification. Our culture puts down exercise and a good diet because it's too much work and it's too costly. But when you really sit down to do the math and your daily routine becomes like the back of this t-shirt, it's not hard to figure out what the more costly route is for both your health and your wallet.

In most cases, eating a proper diet, good detoxification, exercise, and sleep are good insurance for a healthy life—investing in these things is a good thing. Whatever you decide to invest in—good, wholesome things for the body or pharmaceuticals for instant gratification—one thing I know for sure ... you will either pay the farmer now or the doctor later.

Covenant Natural Health Care and Nutrition Response Testing can help you get on track and stay on track. Your health really, truly matters to us. If you're looking to change your lifestyle to a healthy and vibrant one (and you live in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana), call us to schedule a consultation today with Dr. Blanchard. Already a client? Send this link to a friend and click the "like" button below to share this article on facebook.

Health News Roundup

• Fast Food, Fat Profits: How Can We Stop Obesity?
 

• Study: Internet Use, but Not TV Watching, Linked to Sleeplessness in Teens: Many studies (along with casual observation in any home with a teenager) have associated nighttime media use — video gaming, Internet surfing and TV time — with sleep deficits in teens. But the latest research fine tunes those findings, suggesting that while some types of media may indeed keep teens up too late, others may have no effect.

• Does Inflammation Play a Role in Autism?: The inflammatory response is your body's defense against invasion, but in autism, it seems to be turned against itself. It seems there is an inflammatory war going on in the brains of autistic children and adults.

• Top 7 Supermarket Foods to Avoid: In a recent article, seven experts in the fields of both food and the environment (scientists, doctors and farmers) were asked just one simple question: “What foods do you avoid?” Their responses had nothing to do with calories or nutrient-density, but all to do with their insider knowledge on how certain seemingly “healthy” foods that they closely work with are produced and packaged. The findings are scary.

• Is cabbage the ultimate anti-cancer food?: Men with early signs of developing prostate cancer were able to prevent tumor growth by eating broccoli four times a week, according to a British study covered on MSN. But broccoli is not the only cruciferous vegetable with anti-cancer properties.

• The 7 Tricks Restaurants Play to Separate You From Your Money: Menu engineering is used by restaurants to steer you to order high-profit items. Yahoo finance has collected a list of some common menu ploys.

• Lazy Cakes: A Sleepytime Snack Elicits Public-Health Outrage: Public health officials and politicians are debating the safety of a new snack on the market — sold as Lazy Cakes, Kush Cakes and Lulla Pies. They're brownies laced with the sleep aid melatonin.

• The Most Important Food for Healthy Eyes (No, it's Not Carrots): Do you have any idea what causes wild Pacific salmon to have its color?  It is one of the hottest new nutrient discoveries from a marine algae called astaxanthin, which is a far more powerful cousin of beta-carotene.

• The Breast Cancer Breakthrough that's Making Experts Angry: The use of mammograms has dropped following recommendations by a medical task force that women in their 40s may not need to get breast cancer screenings every year. Studies suggest that fewer physicians are recommending annual mammograms for women in their 40s, and that fewer patients in that age group are getting screened.

Health News Roundup

• Does topical fluoride really protect tooth enamel? Study suggests NO: A popular mantra in American dentistry claims that topical fluoride treatments help to protect teeth from cavities by forming a protective shield on the enamel of teeth. However, a new study published in the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal Langmuir has found that the "protective layer" created by fluoride is actually 100 times thinner than previously believed, which may render it practically useless as a cavity-preventing intervention.

• FDA to pull 500 unapproved drugs from market after allowing them to be sold for decades: For years, prescription cold and cough medicines like Cardec, Rondec, Organidin, Pediahist, and hundreds of other drugs have been available to patients, even though none of them have ever received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA recently decided to crack down on the unapproved stray drugs, ordering 500 of them to be pulled from the market.

•  Are You or Your Family Eating Toxic Food Dyes?: Food dyes are one of the most widely used and dangerous additives. While the European Union has recently placed regulations on labeling food dyes to inform consumers of the health risks, the United States has no such requirement.

• Asthmatics should avoid this common food additive: Sodium Metabisulphite, or E223 as it may be more commonly referred to as, has been linked to a host of allergic reaction in people. Because of its ability to induce asthmatic symptoms and bronchospasms in individuals, this preservative product of industrial quality should not be consumed by those prone to these conditions, or by children.

•  What is the Most Dangerous Food Additive?: A new study concludes that there could be negative consequences associated with artificial sugar substitutes -- including a much higher risk of strokes.

• Cell phone use found to affect the glucose metabolism of the brain: Does using a cell phone have an effect on the brain? According to a 2011 study titled "Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism," the answer is absolutely. The study, headed by Nora D. Volkow, M.D. and conducted by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, examined the effect of cell phone use on the brain by utilizing positron emission tomography (PET) on 47 participants.

• FDA Recall: Is There Salmonella in Your Skippy?: On Monday, Unilever announced a limited voluntary recall of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, after a routine sampling of products indicated possible contamination with salmonella.

•  The Spice that Helps Prevent Cancer - Now Being Used to Repair Stroke Damage: Curcumin -- the pigment that gives the curry spice turmeric its yellow-orange color -- is a natural compound that should be on your health radar for a number of reasons. Both the ancient Chinese and Indian systems of medicine have recognized curcumin's beneficial properties for thousands of years, and modern research suggests it may be one of nature's most powerful potential healers.

• What You Need to Know When Shopping for Organic Skincare: More and more of us are turning to natural and organic skincare products, but this segment of the beauty industry can be compared to the Wild West. There’s little regulation and oversight when it comes to this labeling, so it’s important to be educated when opting for these types of products.

• 43 Percent of Americans Not Sleeping Enough as Tech Use Before Bed Soars:  Computer and other technology use an hour before bedtime may be killing your sleep quality. That's the latest news from the National Sleep Foundation, which also reports a significant number of Americans aren't getting the sleep they need.

Health News Roundup

• Food skyrockets to highest prices ever: Figures recently released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) index of 55 food commodities indicates that worldwide food prices hit a record high in December. Though the costs of some food commodities like rice, corn and soy actually decreased, oil seeds and sugar jumped significantly due to various factors including erratic weather and droughts, according to reports.

• GM corn releases insecticide chemicals that are now polluting rivers and streams: Corn plants genetically modified (GM) to produce pesticides in their tissues are contaminating water supplies across the US Midwest, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

• Researchers turn water into fuel using natural sunlight: Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have come up with a way to convert water into fuel using sunlight and an oxide of a naturally-occurring rare earth metal. Professor Sossina Haile and her team from Caltech were able to utilize cerium oxide to act as a renewable and inexpensive catalyst, effectively converting water or carbon dioxide into hydrogen or carbon monoxide.

• Action Alert: Tell Your Grocer: We Want GMOs & Factory Farm Products Labeled!

• The Soy and Other 'Natural' Food Products in Your Cabinet May Contain a Dangerous Neurotoxin: It's ironic that many of the scariest, non-certified organic foods are labeled "natural" -- a term that could not mean less, or mislead more. Like "home-style" or "old-fashioned," the label "natural" can mean whatever the labeler wants it to mean. You could put "natural" on a lab-grade jar of MSG crystals, or on a packet of 10-year-old Twinkies, without violating any law. And all too often it's the companies playing the "natural" card that are doing the most unnatural things to your food.

• Do synthetic food colors cause hyperactivity?: Food coloring is the reason glace cherries are red rather than beige and that children's tongues sometimes appear freakishly blue. But man-made dyes may do more than make processed food look vibrant and whimsical. Some blame the additives for triggering behavioral problems in youngsters.

• The "Sleep Mistake" Which Boosts Your Risk of Cancer: There's growing concern among experts that the proliferation of glowing gadgets like computers may fool your brain into thinking that it's still daytime after the sun has gone down. Exposure during the night can disturb sleep patterns and exacerbate insomnia.

•  Why 1/3 of the Population Gets Sick by Restricting This Vital Food Group: In this interview, Chris Masterjohn shares his experience with vegetarianism, and his insightful critique of the pro-vegetarian classic, The China Study.

• Breaking News: Popular Cancer Drug Declared More Harmful Than Helpful: The FDA has said that the controversial drug Avastin should be phased out as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Recent studies show that its benefits are outweighed by dangerous side effects. The announcement does not affect Avastin's status as a drug that can be prescribed for lung cancer, kidney cancer, colorectal cancer and brain cancer.

5 natural solutions for clearing up acne

I love when my skin is soft and acne free. It's a good sign that everything on the inside is functioning properly. When it flairs up with those little, red, sometimes painful bumps we call acne, it may be a symptom of something wrong on the inside.

Here are 5 things you can do naturally to clear up acne:

1. Eat a well-balanced diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water. The anti-inflammatory properties, antioxidants, and vitamins found in healthy, unprocessed foods will help clear up your skin. Avoid junk food, sugar (especially), and sugary drinks.

2. Do not use harsh chemicals on your skin. Chemicals found in toners, moisturizers, and makeup will more than likely increase inflammation and contribute to the problem. Rule of thumb: if you can't pronounce or recognize the ingredients on the label, it probably isn't good for you. Wash your face in the morning and right before bed with tepid water and an all-natural soap.

• Use aluminum-free baking soda mixed with a little water (to form a paste) as a gentle exfoliator.
• Tea tree oil is a great at fighting acne. Apply with a Q-tip directly to problem area
• A homemade apple-cider vinegar facial toner is wonderful at absorbing oil and kills bacteria that may cause acne.

3. Get adequate sleep and de-stress. If your body is tired and/or stressed, it may show signs of distress through your skin.

4. Keep your hands away from your face. I have a habit of resting my cheeks in my hands or rubbing my face mid-day. Dirt and bacteria that gets onto hands will transfer to your face if you touch it. Keeping hands washed and away from your face will prevent dirt and bacteria from getting trapped in your pores. Also, keep hair clean and free of product with chemicals that can get into your pores.

5. Wash pillows and pillowcases often in a chemical-free detergent to avoid irritation and dirt transferring to your skin overnight.