Oaktree Wellness Center Blog

Magnesium, considered among the top four most abundant minerals in the body, is essential to good health, but also as a good cancer preventative. The body must work hard to keep magnesium blood levels constant, as only about 1% of it is found in blood. About half of it is found in the body organ and tissue cells, the remaining half is found in bone.

Magnesium is a key support for over 300 biochemical body reactions to occur in the body - among them muscle and nerve maintenance, supporting the immune system, regulating blood pressure/blood sugar levels, and keeping heart rhythms steady.

Studies have shown that cancer is due to a faulty cell energy metabolism, or the mitochondria. Enzymes responsible for producing cellular energy need magnesium. If magnesium in the cells run low, it causes an imbalance between magnesium and calcium, allowing calcium to build up in a low-energy environment, thus causing mitochondria calcification and rotting. The weakening of the cell physiology will allow infections and toxins to enter and threaten the health of the cells themselves. This directly sets the stage for cancer.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023279.html

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On January 1, 2008, Norway became the first country to introduce a 100% ban on the use of amalgam/mercury fillings in dentistry. Prior to this current ban, only pregnant women and children were protected from this toxic heavy metal. The current ban protects everyone, without exemption. Any product that is produced, sold, or delivered in or out of the country must not contain mercury as well.

Erik Solheim, Minister of Environment and Development in Norway states that mercury is extremely dangerous, and that many other alternatives can safely be used in its place. These alternative composite dental fillings have withstood the test of time. Because of this, the ban was put into place for good, ensuring all are protected.

On April 1, 2008, Sweden also followed suit banning all amalgam fillings. It’s expected that other countries are considering wider bans as well.

There are major environmental issues involving mercury pollution as well. In the United States the EPA estimates that over 70,000 pounds of medical waste containing this poison is radiated into the atmosphere each year, make it a leading cause of mercury pollution.

It’s expected that the United States will be one of the last countries to enforce this ban. However, in this country it’s much more of a political issue that involves big organizations still demanding that it’s a necessary option that dentists should continue to be able to use on their patients. Stay tuned for updates on this throughout the year.

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With all the recent news reports being released in the last number of weeks regarding toxic bisphenol seeping from plastic in water bottles, one has to wonder - what other sources of plastics may be releasing it as well into our bodies? One of the sources that comes to mind are certain materials dentists use in their daily practices - those used in composite filling material and sealants. The material in question is a bisphenol derivative, bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate.

Some studies show that it’s not enough of a release to cause problems in the body, and consider materials with this substance in them a good alternative to mercury amalgam fillings. Yet, others disagree saying that even a small amount over time may cause problems in the body and insist that if materials can be made bisphenol free, then why not use this alternative and save the body from this exposure?

While the jury is still out as to what “safe” levels are, do you really want something in your mouth 24/7 that acts like a hormone and over time can cause problems in your body’s nervous and reproductive systems, hyperactivity, early puberty, and possibly behavioral problems?

http://members.cox.net/llyee/dental_products_causing_neuro-cutaneous.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080424.wldental24/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

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Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen used in embalming. It’s also used frequently in many materials in the home. Since it’s so widely used the chances of its fumes being emitted from a number of sources in your home on a daily basis are quite high.

The chemical makeup of formaldehyde makes it an effective preservative for things such as preserving animals that are used in dissection for teaching purposes. It’s also present in a number of resins in adhesives for home flooring such as carpeting and wood, as well as wood-pressed products.

Formaldehyde resins can be found in sheets and clothing as it makes the materials crease resistant.  These resins are used in many cleaning products, dishwashing liquid, carpet cleaners, wallpaper, latex paints, and glues. You can’t escape its presence in personal products either like nail polishes, facial tissues, and paper toweling.

This chemical is a potent irritant and allergen, and even in small doses can contribute to cancer. Some consumers unaware of the dangers of this chemical actually drink it on a daily basis through diet soda consumption.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023202.html

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An informative site with all kinds of environmentally safe tips for your lawn and garden.

http://naturallawnfertilizers.com/

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It turns out that no matter how much we sometimes feel justified in our anger against someone, it ends up hurting us in the long run. What occurs physically and emotionally as a result of long-term chronic anger, or even short angry spurts over a long period of time, can have profound negative effects on the body.

Anger causes tight feelings in our chests, and our minds race to find a solution to either forget the situation as quickly as possible, or to seek out a way to “get back” at the person we have projected our anger on. This puts us in a stressful state causing tight muscles, shortness of breath, clenching of jaws and teeth, headaches, digestive disturbances, and increase of blood pressure.

Forgiveness is not done to heal the other person, it’s about protecting our own health along life’s journey.

http://www.naturalnews.com/023304.html

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Author Dan Carter, ND, in the March 2008 issue of Naturopathic Doctor News and Review discusses the notable effects of the cayenne pepper herb and its use in treating heart and circulatory symptoms.

One of the first to pioneer the use of this herb was Dr. John Christopher, a well-known herbalist who is most remembered for his knowledge, faith and extensive experience with the use of herbs to heal even the most serious of conditions.

Dr. Christopher worked with cayenne and found it restores arterial elasticity, and could both prevent and correct arteriosclerosis. According to Christopher, it also stabilized blood pressure and had the potential to stop a heart attack in its tracks.

There’s a scientific basis to Christopher’s cayenne usage. The active chemical component of cayenne pepper is capsaicin, which stops platelet aggregation without interfering with the coagulation of blood. Sometimes daily aspirin is prescribed to heart patients. Capsaicin serves the same purpose but lessens excessive bleeding risks that can be associated with aspirin. Thick blood is a cause of arterial thrombosis.

Japanese studies have shown that cayenne stimulates neurons that halt the growth of bacteria as well as prevents the thickening of blood. Pennsylvania researchers show that cayenne acts on heart via sensory nerve endings. With both the thinning of blood and binding of receptors, thrombi are stopped thus ending the heart pain.

With all the healthy, noninvasive effects of capsaicin on the body, the Material Safety Data Sheet information is enough to deter someone from ever using it. It instills fear of use by describing it as an extremely hazardous product that can seriously affect the eyes, skin, lungs (if inhaled), and pain if ingested. It goes so far as to say it can kill you if overexposure occurs.

A published study from Drug and Chemical Toxicology observed the “danger” of capsaicin in tabasco sauce. They came to the conclusion that one would have to ingest a half gallon amount of this sauce for it to become dangerous and lethal.

You can use it on everything from salads to meats to eggs, as well as in your juices. Keep a high-potency tincture on hand in your home. It may one day just save your life.

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Cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage) have shown to be preventative of cervical, thyroid, colon, prostate, breast and other cancers. These vegetables fight cancer due to chemicals known as glucosinolates.

Compounds in broccoli are rich in nutrients such as minerals, potassium, magnesium and manganese. These same compounds support the body’s ability to detoxify. They also interrupt the ability of cancer cells to reproduce, thus stopping them in their tracks.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/jun2007_sf_broccoli_01.html

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Do you enjoy raw foods eating? Do you like to dabble occasionally in raw healthy delights? Whether you eat raw foods 20%, 50% or 100% of the time, it’s great to have somewhere to go to for good raw products, recipes, community, and articles of interest. If you’ve never dabbled in raw fare, this is a good place to start. This living and raw foods site boasts of being the largest internet community dedicated to providing information on all aspects of “living raw”.

www.living-foods.com

For those raw, or even semi-raw, foodists the site contains a wealth of information on their extensive list of links (for yourself or your pets) to hook up to for even more raw delights!

http://www.living-foods.com/links.html

If you’re among those who have never tried raw, a great place to start is with the desserts. It’s hard to believe that something so yummy is so loaded with enzymes that are good for you. But remember…….one can’t live on dessert alone!

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For many women, yeast infections and urinary tract infections are a frequent cause for distress and pain that most often times leads them to use antibiotics to correct the problems. The “problem” with this too-often-times used approach is that the drugs used to counteract the problem many times creates an even bigger issue.

When using antibiotics for any reason, the flora in the gut and vagina that normally protect women from these yeast and bacterial organisms get destroyed in the process. By keeping this flora in balance we approach the infections from a more proactive, preventative standpoint by using oral probiotics. Beneficial bacteria taken orally keeps things in balance and serves as a safeguard against getting these infections in the first place.

Probiotics help restore the internal ecology to a state of balance and harmony, thus protecting you from ever having to deal with the beasties ever again.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/mar2008_Warding-Off-Chronic-Yeast-And-Bacterial-Infections_01.htm

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