Natural Alternative Healing - My New Blog

I have created another blog for anyone who believes in alternative healing.
"Learn to heal yourself and others through natural methods using simple techniques. Music, Crystals, Herbs, Chi, Meditation and much more can heal or control any problems, mental and physical."
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The Many Dangers of Sunlight

I try to avoid sunlight at all costs, even when at home. I use SPF 100 when I do have to leave the house, even in the evening and I always wear sunglasses when outdoors. Why? Read the following articles and you will understand exactly why.

Sunlight Causes Cataracts

Exposure to sunlight may increase the risk of developing cataracts, scientists have found. A cataract is a cloudy or opaque area in the normally transparent lens of the eye.As the opacity thickens, it prevents light rays from passing through the lens and focusing on the retina, //the light sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye. It is the leading cause of blindness world-wide.

Researchers found people who were exposed to high levels of sunlight, or solar radiation, were up to four times more likely to develop cataracts. The researchers, led by Dr Cecile Delcourt, from the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM), said: "It seems that sunlight exposure throughout a lifetime may be important to cataract formation."

The greater the dose of solar radiation, the higher the chance of developing a cataract. Mr Jonathan Dowler, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, said previous research had also linked cataract formation to light exposure
Thanks to bio-medicine.org

Sunlight Causes Skin Cancer
A new study tell us that lack of sunlight causes skin cancer, which is exactly the opposite of what the used to tell us. However, after further examination of the study it tells us that the people did not take vitamins while avoiding sunlight.
Read the next article below:

The sun's rays, which are called ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays (UVA and UVB rays) damage your skin. This leads to early wrinkles, skin cancer and other skin problems.
Being in the sun often over time, even if you don't burn, can lead to skin cancer. A tan is the body's desperate attempt to protect itself from the sun's harmful rays.

Tanning booths use ultraviolet rays. Makers of the booths may claim that they use "harmless" UVA rays. But both UVA and UVB rays cause skin damage. While UVA rays take longer than UVB rays to damage the skin, they go deeper into the skin than UVB rays.

Most skin cancers occur on parts of the body that are repeatedly exposed to the sun. These areas include the head, neck, face, tips of the ears, hands, forearms, shoulders, back, chests of men, and the back and lower legs of women.

A number of things may put you at higher risk of having skin cancer some day:
Having fair skin, red or blond hair
Having light-colored eyes
Sunburning easily
Having many moles, freckles or birthmarks
Working or playing outside
Being in the sun a lot as a child
Having had a serious sunburn
Having family members with skin cancer
Tanning in the sun or with a sunlamp

A normal mole is solid tan, brown, dark brown or flesh colored. Its edges are well-defined. It's usually smaller than 1/4 inch in diameter and has a round or oval shape. It should be flat or dome-like. The main thing to look for is any change in a mole that you have or the appearance of a new mole. Most normal moles appear by age 30. Any moles that appear after age 30 should be watched carefully and brought to the attention of your family doctor.

Signs of skin cancer ABCDE rule
A for asymmetry: A mole that, when divided in half, doesn't look the same on both sides
B for border: A mole with edges that are blurry or jagged
C for color: Changes in the color of a mole, including darkening, spread of color, loss of color, or the appearance of multiple colors such as blue, red, white, pink, purple or gray
D for diameter: A mole larger than 1/4 inch in diameter
E for elevation: A mole that is raised above the skin and has an uneven surface

Other signs include

A mole that bleeds
A fast-growing mole
A scaly or crusted growth on the skin
A sore that won't heal
A mole that itches

How can you prevent skin cancer?
The key is to avoid being in the sun or using sunlamps. If you're going to be in the sun for any length of time, wear clothes made from tight-woven cloth so the sun's rays can't get through to your skin, and stay in the shade when you can. Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face, neck and ears.Remember that clouds and water won't protect you--60% to 80% of the sun's rays can get through clouds and can reach swimmers at least one foot below the surface of the water. The sun's rays can also reflect off of water, snow and white sand.

Tips on Preventeing Skin Cancer
Avoid the sun, especially from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., when the sun's rays are the strongest.
Don't use tanning booths or sunlamps.
Wear protective clothing and hats.
Check your skin yourself every month for signs of skin cancer.
If you see an area on your skin that looks unusual, ask your family doctor about it.

If you can't protect yourself by staying out of the sun or wearing the right kind of clothing, use sunscreen to help protect you. But don't think that you're completely safe from the sun just because you're wearing sunscreen.

Use sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more. Put the sunscreen everywhere the sun's rays might touch you, including your ears, the back of your neck and bald areas of your scalp. Put more on every hour if you're sweating or swimming

Go here for full article including how to check yourself for skin cancer: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/cancer/risk/159.html

By avoiding sunlight and taking the following vitamins and minerals, you will lower your risk of skin cancer considerably.

Vitamins for the skin:
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Vitamin A
Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin K

Minerals for Skin

Selenium
Copper
Zinc

Dangers of Heat

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to heat exhaustion and eventually to heatstroke. Vulnerable people can begin to suffer problems when the temperature rises into the thirties. By the time the thermometer tops 113F (45C), everybody is potentially at risk.

Heat exhaustion refers to overheating of the body due to excessive loss of water or, in rare cases, salt depletion. People who suffer from heat exhaustion have often been taking part in strenuous physical exercise.//

Symptoms include thirst, headache, pallor, dizziness and possibly nausea or vomiting. In severe cases, the heart rate increases and the sufferer may feel disoriented. heatstroke or sunstroke occurs when the body's thermoregulatory system stops working and body temperature rises to approximately 107F (42C.)

Dr Ron Behrens, of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, told BBC News Online that the elderly and the very young were particularly vulnerable to the effect of high temperatures. He said obese people, and those with medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes were also potentially at risk.

He said: "In a heatwave the body has to spend much of its energy trying to keep the core temperature down and this increases the stress on everything else." However, he said anybody could be at risk if they did not take sensible steps.

There are a number of sensible things that everybody should do to avoid illness when temperatures soar. Increase your intake of non-alcoholic, non-carbonated, caffeine free beverages such as water and fruit juice,wear clothing that is light in colour and loose fitting ,avoid the outdoors during extreme heat,stay out of the sun,eliminate strenuous activity. Some experts also believe it is a good idea to cut down on the amount of proteins that you eat during a heatwave, as they can increase metabolic activity and generate heat in the body.

Thanks again to bio-medicine.org

Sunlight poses many more threats that would take far too long to include in one post, but as you can see, sunlight is a very dangerous thing that should be avoided at all costs.

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The health hazzards of eating Fish

The truth about the fish you eat. It's articles like this that make me glad I'm vegetarian.

Scientists Warn Of Toxins In Fish
November 22, 2004
SETE, France (AP) -- Each day at 4 p.m., the trawlers come back, alive with giant bass, mackerel and squirming eels,
at the end of a food chain that links family dinner tables to poisons in the sea. Besides mercury which can damage the brains
of fetuses and young children and can affect healthy adults, there are PCBs, dioxins and flame retardants with unknown
long-term effects.



It is the same from ancient Mediterranean towns like Sete to big city docks in Asia, America's Gulf ports, or harbors in
seemingly pristine Nordic waters. Industrial waste permeates every ocean.



Although rich in omega-3 fatty acids vital to the heart and brain, many fish contain toxins that build up over time in the
human body.



And as this paradox worsens, scientists express alarm at what they call inadequate government warnings, lax attitudes toward
fishing industries, and insufficient data to assess the risks.



The problem is that authorities are caught between wanting to inform the public while not damaging consumer confidence in a
healthy food source, says Sandrine Blanchemanche, a sociologist with France's prestigious National Institute for Agronomic
Studies.



"People overreact to these things, so you have to be careful," she said. "You don't want large numbers giving up the
benefits of fish while you damage the whole fishing sector for no reason."



But marine biologists, toxicologists and physicians interviewed by The Associated Press on three continents share an all but
unanimous view: better public knowledge is essential.



Jane Hightower, a San Francisco internist whose 2002 study of mercury in her patients brought the issue to wide public attention,
said she is still uncovering what she calls shocking new evidence.



"We are just starting to realize as physicians the effects of this chemical soup we live in," she told The AP. "We really
have to ask, why are we poisoning ourselves?"



She called some areas especially troubling because of contamination trapped by ocean currents. "The Mediterranean is a toilet
that no one has bothered to flush," Hightower said.



The crisis transcends borders. Three-quarters of fish eaten in America and Europe are imported, often from countries with no
controls. Authorities on both sides of the Atlantic make only minimal spot checks.



"Pollution is a worldwide problem, and our fish comes from around the world," said Kate Mahaffey, toxins expert at the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. "No one is immune."



With contaminants in fish, she warned, "there is a very narrow range between levels with no effects, subtle effects and severe
effects."



At its extreme, Mahaffey said, mercury poisoning causes an illness similar to cerebral palsy.



"As we find out more and more about mercury, we see health effects that have not been taken into account," she said. Studies
continue into the impact of PCBs and dioxins, she added. "We just don't know."



Specialists accuse commercial fishing interests of minimizing the threat and using their political clout to oppose broader
studies or warning labels.



Industry associations routinely reject such charges. But most of the world's catch comes from independent small fishermen and
trawlers which easily evade international control.



"Information is scarce, and there is little interest in getting more," said Sergi Tudela, a Worldwide Fund for Wildlife (WWF)
fisheries expert based in Barcelona, Spain.



Governments tend to be more preoccupied with protecting national quotas against efforts to curb catches and preserve fish stocks,
and are reluctant to spend the large sums necessary to test adequate samples in open waters.



Even when data is convincing, experts say, action falls short. Despite the clear risk from such long-lived large fish as
swordfish, shark and types of tuna, public warnings are often not spelled out.



Smaller fish rich in fat can also be hazardous, although they are seldom flagged. Norwegian researchers say Baltic Sea herring
carry up to 10 times as much contaminant as salmon. A growing trend toward fish-farming adds new dangers, according to the
specialists. Some European operators still feed Baltic herring and other suspect cheap fish to farmed salmon, they say. [1]

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[1] http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/InNews/toxins2004.html

How to Avoid Aspartame

To Avoid Aspartame:

1. Look for aspartame in sugar substitutes such as NutraSweet or Equal, yogurt, low calorie "diet" soft drinks, breath mints and candy, hot cocoa mix, pudding, gelatin, vitamins and cold medicines, to name a few. Look for "aspartame" on the list of ingredients.

2. Visit the aspartame.org website for a complete list of products containing aspartame.

3. Choose natural sugars, or try to get used to the natural sweetness in foods. Add honey to your tea, choose products sweetened with fruit juice or use real sugar--just use a little less if you're trying to lose weight.

4. Try Stevia or Splenda for a sweetener substitute. Also, some sodas are now sweetened with Splenda.



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