Making Healthier Choices- Part 2
by Mary Louise;Town Jaqua, Health Minister
3-8-11

In last month's Living Letter, addressed was the all-important need
to make healthier lifestyle choices. In 'Making Healthier Choices-
Part 1', the why's and how's of making better dietary choices
were presented and can be reviewed here. Concluding the article
was the assertation that in addition to diet, there are other lifestyle
influences that have a profound impact on our well being. These
influences include whether we exercise or not, what personal care
and household products we use, what quality of air that we breathe,
what kind of clothes that we wear, and more. For the sake of better
health, we will now investigate these lifestyle elements to see why
and how they can be improved.

Exercise
Next to diet, exercise is the single most important key to ultimate
health. The body was designed to move and perform a myriad of
actions ranging from raising an eyebrow to running a mile. Exercise
tones cell walls and muscles, helps circulate blood, and keeps body
fluids moving. Exercise also introduces life-giving oxygen into the
blood stream. Surprisingly, the body's main nutritional need is 96%
oxygen!

Sadly, the Standard American lifestyle has evolved into more of a
sedentary way of life. Poor diet combined with modern technology
that keeps the average populace sitting in front of TV, computer,
and hanging on to mobile devices has robbed many Americans,
especially young people, from much-needed bodily exercise. In an
effort to reverse this deficit, here are a few how-to's for incorporating
friendly exercise into your life:

Instead of:	Choose:
Driving to work or shop	Walk, if possible
Taking the elevator	Use the stairs
Parking close to the entrance of a store	Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk to the store entrance
Sitting in front of a computer or TV for long periods of time	Limit use of computer and TV in favor of exercise
Sitting around with nothing to do	Get up and take a walk or start rebounding

For those whose work or lifestyle requires standing or sitting in place
for long periods of time, consider off-setting the ill affects of this lifestyle
by 1) taking short breaks to stretch your legs, and 2) using a slant
board or inversion table. Taking a short walk (down the hall or outside, etc.)
improves one's physical, mental, and emotional state, while 10-20 minutes
per day on a slant board or inversion table restores blood flow (especially
to the brain), strength, and energy to the body.

Personal care products
A hidden source of health problems can also be found in shampoo,
toothpaste, soap, deodorant, cosmetics, and other personal care items.
Sadly, most personal care products are manufactured with chemicals that
are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, and organ/reproductive toxins. Some
of these harmful substances include formaldehyde, isopropyl alcohol,
mercury, lead, titanium, zinc/iron oxide, other petro chemicals, and more.
Use of toxic-laced products is to engage in slow, self-inflicted poisoning,
the results of which can be potentially harmful to one's health and can be
fatal. Ill affects of these harmful ingredients can include skin/eye irritation,
itching, rashes, breathing problems, compromised mental clarity and
equilibrium, numbness, etc. That products containing known poisons are
allowed by law to be manufactured, promoted, and sold to the public can
be considered criminal.

To safe guard health, it is wise to avoid using popular personal care
products in favor of those that contain natural ingredients. While locating
and shopping for healthier solutions can be challenging, here are some
helpful tips:

Instead of:		Choose:
Conventional shampoos, soaps, deodorants, etc. that contain formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, aluminum, dyes, etc.		Use shampoos, soaps, and deodorants that contain all natural ingredients (Castille soap, Miracle II Soap, Oh! Natural, BioGreen Clean)
Toothpaste, mouth wash containing fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate, artificial sweeteners/flavors, dyes,		All natural oral care products, herbal solutions, baking soda and water, Oregano P-73 oil, Thieves oil, Vita-Myr products, and/or a water pik.
Cosmetics (lipstick, face powder, eyeliner, etc.) that contain isopropyl alcohol, oxides, mercury, lead, etc.		Products with natural ingredients or go without
Feminine pads, tampons that contain forms of alcohol/sodium, artificial fragrances, triglycerides, etc.		Natural solutions found in most health food stores

Household products
Reports show that over 250 billion pounds of synthetic chemicals are
produced annually in the United States. Of these chemicals at least one
hundred fifty are found in the home as common ingredients in household
cleansers, air fresheners, furniture polish, disinfectants, oven cleaners,
rug and carpet shampoos, dish detergent, laundry detergent, etc. These
chemicals are known toxins and exposure to them can result in allergies,
birth defects, cancer, neurological disorders, respiratory problems,
psychological abnormalities, and more.

To avoid potential health problems associated with toxic household products,
discard them properly and replace them with solutions that contain natural
ingredients. Develop a strategy for cleaning your house the healthy way.

Instead of:	Choose:
Commercial laundry soaps, floor cleaners, etc. that contain harmful chemicals	Natural solutions as sold in health food stores or on the internet. Multipurpose cleaners like BioGreen Clean and Miracle II are good choices
Commercial powdered cleansers	Baking soda/water/ vinegar, Bon Ami, BioGreen Clean or other natural multi- purpose cleaners
Furniture polish	Lemon oil

Air quality
No matter where we go, the air that we breathe contains pollution:
chemicals that result from industry, automobiles, airplane fuel plus
chemicals that leak (i.e. gas. etc.) out of synthetic goods such as
carpets, uphostery, wall paint, wall board plus etc. Adding to this
pollution potpourri are air borne viruses, bacteria, and mold. Daily
exposure to these pollutants can cause serious health problems
as well as death.

Improving the air quality in one's environment, can present formidable
challenges, since the influences are numerous. Nevertheless, for the
sake of better health if not survival it may be necessary to take up
toxic carpets, remove toxic-laden furniture, tear out walls, etc.,
especially if a mold problem is detected. Mold infestation is a hidden
source of pollution that can cause chronic respiratory problems, allergies,
and repeated flu-like symptoms. Breathing mold on a continuing basis
can be fatal.

To safeguard health, examine the elements of your lifestyle and investigate
potential problem sources in your home. Make improvements accordingly.
Test your home for radon, carbon dioxide leaks or mold. Test kits are
available at most hardware stores. If you live in a highly industrialized area
that has heavy air pollution, consider relocating. Above all, invest in a
quality air purifier such as an ozonator.

Instead of:	Choose:
Buying synthetic home decor (carpets, furniture, paint, draperies, etc.)	Decor that is natural in origin: wood, wool,linen, cotton, hemp.
Buying lumber, building supplies that are synthetic	All-wood products
	Grow healthy house plants that will naturally purify the air (spider plants, etc.)
	Fumegate your home via natural means should mold or other toxins be present

EMFs
Adding to the pollution index of our environment are electro magnetic
frequencies (EMFs). These fields of microwave radiation emanate
from all electrical devices: TVs, computers, telephones, cell phones,
hand-held devices (ipods, ipads, iphones, etc.), electric clocks, clothes
dryers, kitchen appliances, microwave ovens, cars, etc. Whereas these
radio waves are invisible to the natural eye, they are a real and present
health hazard because they mutate body cells. EMFs are known to cause
headaches, diabetes, cancer, behavioral problems, impairment to vision,
hearing, and cognative skills, and more.

EMFs pose a serious health risk and therefore deserve consideration in
terms of protection. Devices exist on the market to off-set the harmful
affects of microwave radiation. For the sake of your better health, educate
yourself on the issue of Electro Magnetic Frequencies and then invest
in protection.

Instead of:	Choose:
A cell phone	Buy protection for it or use a land line
Hand-held tech devices	Buy protection or consider going without
A bedside electric clock	Move the clock at least 5 feet from the nightstand or use a manual wind clock
A microwave oven	Remove it from your home andbuy a convection oven
Living near high power lines or a transformer station	Move to a safer location

Clothes
Who would have thought that clothes could kill us? Nevertheless, it is
true. Most clothes today are made with synthetic fibers, i.e. man-made,
chemical materials that are known skin, respiratory, and nerve irritants.
Studies show that lycra/ polyester bras can cause breast cancer in women.
It is a proven fact that 'plastic' (polyester, acrylic) fabrics do not allow the
skin to breath properly. Out- gassing of the petro-chemicals contained in
these fabrics enters the pores of the skin from whence it travels throughout
the body, introducing toxicity into the system. The cells become suffocated
by these petrochemical poisons and therefore cannot function properly.
An accumulation of unhealthy residue builds up in the bloodstream which,
in turn, precipitates dis-ease.

Petroleum-based fabrics have also proven to be harmful in case of fire,
since unlike natural fabrics (wool, cotton, linen, hemp) that disintegrate
when exposured to flame, acrylic/polyester fabrics melt or fuse to the skin,
causing serious injury.

Allowing for the toxic nature of man-made fabrics, natural solutions are
recommended. As it turns out, YHVH Himself instructed us what to wear:

Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, of woollen
and linen together. Dueteronomy 22:11

According to YHVH's law, we were not to wear clothes of various (diverse)
fabrics, including two natural fabrics together! We are to wear garments
made only of one type of natural fiber. This mandate deserves healthy
consideration.

Instead of:	Choose:
Acrylic/polyester clothing	100% cotton, linen, hemp, and wool
Plastic shoes (Crocs, flip-flops, thongs, etc.)	All leather shoes, sandals with leather or rubber soles
Acrylic/Polyester accessories (scarves, hats, mittens, gloves, handbags, stockings, etc.)	Natural fabrics
Adulterated (Bt) cotton garments	Garments made with 100% organic fibers

The Standard American lifestyle: a killer
If we want to live well and enjoy a superior quality of life, we must be
honest and realize that the standard American lifestyle that we've been
living is all wrong. It is a destructive way of life. Nearly every aspect of it-
from what we put into our mouths to the clothes that we wear and the
environment in which we live- is destroying us. The many facets of this
'killer lifestyle' have two common denominators: 1) they are unnatural,
and 2) they set up a negative charge in the body. As a negative vibratory
rate permeates cells, tissues, and organs, the body begins to break down,
causing pain, sickness, disease, and even death. This is the natural
consequence of an unnatural way of life, a lifestyle that is contrary to
the natural laws of YHVH Almighty.

So it is that when we begin to experience adverse affects in our lives
we should begin to examine our ways and start making healtheir lifestyle
choices. Furthermore, we need to learn how to live in harmony with
YHVH and His universe the natural way. Doing so is a joyous, life-
changing experience!

In conclusion
When we began the living food lifestyle in 1996, we made dramatic
if not radical changes in our lives. We corrected our diets and then
began the long process of sorting out years of a misguided lifestyle.
In the trash went toxic household cleaners, personal care products,
toxic supplements, toxic kitchen utensils, and more. As we educated
ourselves in the fine art of living naturally, chemical-laden products of
all kinds were discarded. We 'dusted off' our semi-sedentary selves
and began moving... exercising! Since gaining a slim waistline, we
happily said good-bye to plus-sized clothes, We weeded out closets,
attics, and garage in a conscious effort to eliminate unnatural elements,
especially plastic, from our lives.

In short we gradually learned how to be ultimately healthy. We were not
afraid to educate ourselves nor admit our wrongs. Through it all we learn
YHVH's tender mercies and above all, His love. It is His love that corrects
us in measure lest we fail to realize the quality of life that He desires for us:
one that is free of sickness, pain, and disease.

It has been said that life is what we make it, and this fact is true. We can
either succumb to a poor, misguided lifestyle or experience YHVH's best.
The Almighty has given us a choice. Therefore consider giving yourself the
gift of life each day by making healthier lifestyle choices. Live your life
the living way!

______________________________

References and Resources:

Books:
Non-Toxic, Natural and Earthwise, Debra Lynn Dadd
The Healthy Home, Linda Mason Hunter
Poisoning Our Children, Nancy Green Sokol
The Non-Toxic Home and Office, Debra Lynn Dadd
Our Home, Poisoned?, Tracy Cooksey
Killer Clothes- Drs. Ann Marie Clement and Brian Clement

Related articles on our website:
Going Bra-Free Treats Fibrocystis Breast Disease
Walking-
Houseplants Purify the Air in Your Home by
Removing Airborne Chemicals, Pollutants
Are EMFs harmful to Our Health?
Generation X-Ray: Child Victims of Technological Abuse
Are Mobile Phones Wiping our Bees?

Sourced articles:
Foes of smart meters resist and insist
health effects are real
http://www.pressherald.com/news/
foes-of-smart-meters-resist-and-insist-health-effects-are-real_2011-03-06.html

Natural cleaning/personal care products:
http://www.biogreenclean.com
http://www.vitamyr.com

Sample of common chemical ingredients

Back to Living Letter #132 / index