It’s long been known that preventative health care is more effective and more affordable than crisis medicine. Unfortunately, today, it’s more difficult than ever to provide the body with the nutrition it needs to keep us in top health because our soils are increasingly depleted of important nutrients due to overuse and manipulation.

The need for quality supplementation is necessary to achieve wellness and a healthy life.

Over 35% of Americans take nutritional supplements and for a good reason:
modern diets contain highly processed foods and many foods are grown on farmlands depleted of important vitamins and minerals.

There are several good natural liquid supplement products on the market today. One of the products I use on a regular basis is Body Balance by Life Force.

Body Balance is a liquid whole food dietary supplement from 9 fully ripened sea vegetations combined with aloe vera, black cherry and raw honey. This combination provides essential, balanced portions of 121+”naturally occurring” phytonutrients per ounce. This liquid sea vegetation blend actually contains more vitamins and minerals than any other kind of food.

The health benefits from aloe and plant derived liquid supplementation include the following:

* Normalize Blood Sugar Levels
* Weight Loss
* Decreased Food Cravings
* Heart Health
* Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Lowered
* Bone Healing
* Increased Energy Level
* Decreased Back Pain
* Decreased Allergies

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, in Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, holistic, organic and alternative health lifestyle choices to America.

Use Healthy Shampoo

“In its final report on the safety of sodium lauryl sulfate, the Journal of the American College of Toxicology notes that sodium lauryl sulfate has a degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties.”

Other research states that sodium lauryl sulfate may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties.

Additional studies reveal that sodium lauryl sulfate is heavily deposited on the skin surface and in the hair follicles which causes damage. Another example of the damaging effects of sodium lauryl sulfate is corneal (eye) damage.

It is wise for health-conscious consumers to seek products without sodium lauryl sulfate, especially with regard to young children. Consumers have the power to choose safe and perhaps even better products without sodium lauryl sulfate.

There are several shampoos on the market that don’t contain the harmful chemical sodium lauryl sulfate. Find shampoos that are healthy, botanically (plant) based, safe and free of sodium lauryl sulfate and other common harmful ingredients.

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, in Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, holistic, organic and alternative health lifestyle choices to America.

The book “Supplements Exposed” by Brian R. Clement, PhD. is a must read and is more than just a brilliant critique on supplements such as vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.

If you have ever consumed vitamins you may have unfortunately bought into one of the most toxic myths to ever shape public health consciousness. “You have been led to believe that the vitamin supplements you take to fortify your body against illness and disease are both safe and effective. You have been misled and told that these supplements are nature’s own natural ingredients packaged in condensed form as “prescription for wellness”. The simple fact is most vitamins and health supplements sold today are NOT derived from natural sources that the holistic and natural healing process needs.

“This book, Supplements Exposed, informs you that these and many other cherished ideas we may have about nutrition are a dangerous collection of myths and half-truths” promoted by large companies to gain market share in the emerging lucrative natural supplement market.

The primary problem explained in this book is that most vitamins sold throughout the world are synthetic, which are created in laboratories owned or controlled by pharmaceutical companies. These companies apply the same manufacturing standards and processes to vitamins that they do to prescription and over-the-counter drugs. “At least 95% of all vitamins manufactured today contain some synthetic ingredients, according to the Organic Consumer’s Association.”

Manufacturers claim that their synthetic chemical vitamins produced in laboratories are identical or just as effective as the naturally occurring vitamins produced in plants by nature. This book challenges that claim in numerous ways, based on natural principles, science, observed human health impacts and consumer safety.

“Science cannot create synthetic nutrients that exactly duplicate or replace naturally occurring nutrients. As for the bio-availability (your body’s absorption) of natural versus synthetic vitamins, there is once again no contest. Your body knows the difference, even though synthetics are designed to try and trick it. Natural nutrients are absorbed readily because we are biologically programmed to recognize the naturally occurring compounds as genuine nutrients.”

In summary, we do need some vitamin and mineral supplementation to satisfy our bodily needs and to maintain an optimum level of health as modern diets contain highly processed foods and many foods are grown on farmlands depleted of important minerals. Consumers can make better informed choices about supplements now that we have been educated on how naturally occurring nutrients and supplements are superior to mass produced synthetic imitations being sold at most vitamin stores and counters across America today.

There are several good natural supplement products on the market today. One of the products I use on a regular basis are liquid dietary supplements by Life Force. The two distinct advantages of these liquid supplements are:
Convenience – Life Force liquid supplements (and powder supplements mixed with liquid) taste great and are easy to ingest. Liquids are especially great for kids and people who have difficulty swallowing pills.
Highly Absorbable – Life Force liquid products get to the right parts of your body, right on time. Liquid foods are naturally easier to process than solid foods, making them ideal for supplement delivery.
With Life Force liquid supplements I’m getting the best of both worlds – natural-source nutrients in highly absorbable forms.

Your body has a tremendous capacity to heal itself and bring itself back into balance. All you have to do is feed your body the right things and it will nourish itself back to health and wellness.

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, holistic, organic and alternative health lifestyle choices to America.

Now, for the first time, The U.S. Department of Agriculture* is talking about truly good foods, rather than just scientifically discuss nutrients. In the new edition, the guidelines’ healthy eating patterns may or may not include moderate amounts of meat. The guidelines explain clearly that near-vegetarian and vegetarian diets are adequate and have even resulted in better health.

In studies of adults, compared to non-vegetarian eating patterns, vegetarian-style eating patterns have been associated with improved health outcomes–lower levels of obesity, a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and lower total mortality. Several clinical trials have documented that vegetarian eating patterns lower blood pressure. On average, vegetarians consume a lower proportion of calories from fat (particularly saturated fatty acids); fewer overall calories; and more fiber, potassium and vitamin C than do non-vegetarians. Vegetarians generally have a lower body mass index.

“These characteristics and other lifestyle factors associated with a vegetarian diet may contribute to the positive health outcomes that have been identified among vegetarians.”

*Every five years the U.S. Dept of Agriculture announces dietary guidelines advising Americans about how to eat; “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010”.

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, holistic, organic and alternative health lifestyle choices to America.

Your skin, hair and nails are the windows to your health, telling you when you are in great shape or when you are in trouble. It is good to question your health or nutritional program based on these indicators.

Many of the health and hormonal problems women face could be due to cutting out not only the “bad” but also the “good” fats from their diet. When you cut out all fats, problems show up rather quickly in your skin, hair and nails.

Your body desperately requires the “proper fats” for ultimate skin beauty especially as you age. Essential fatty acids obtained from both the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid families are absolutely critical to women’s beauty. Women who consume the beautifying oils daily enjoy fresh clear skin, strong nails and thick hair.

Beautiful skin, free from redness, dryness, scaling and swelling requires the proper fats in order to maintain the correct balance of a family of chemical messengers called prostaglandins. Prostaglandin’s which strongly influence skin health, are the body’s chemical messengers governing many processes, including inflammation. They are not stored in the body. They must be constantly synthesized from essential fatty acids (EFA’s) taken in from the diet.

The best dietary sources of EFA’s include flaxseed oil, select types of fish, and evening primrose oil. While flax seed oil and select types of fish (eg. wild salmon, mackerol and trout) supply Omega-3 fatty acids, evening primrose oil is one of nature’s richest sources of an even rarer fatty acid: the Omega 6 fat called gammalinolenic acid (GLA).

The exceptionally high GLA content of evening primrose oil makes it beneficial to skin health. This is because the other EFA’s require two key enzymes for metabolism and utilization that are not present in the
skin whereas GLA is already in a body-ready form.

If the body is lacking GLA, the skin is required to form it from precursor compounds provided by the liver and then depends on the blood for transport to the skin. Although the body can convert linolenic acid (LA) into GLA, it may be more beneficial to provide a constant supply of already-formed GLA from evening primrose oil. That’s because the body’s capacity to convert LA to GLA decreases with age, and this may increase the body’s dietary requirements.

Both evening primrose and flax oils are available separetely, however you may be able to achieve better results from a formula that combines flax and evening primrose oils, especially supporting moist, healthy skin. Both GLA and EPA – a major polyunsaturated fatty acid found in fish oil, which the body also produces from the raw materials in flax oil – are potent inhibitors of the chemical leukotriene B4, which is known to contribute to skin inflammation. Another reason for using flax and evening primrose oil together is that under the influence of Omega-3 oils, such as EPA and DHA, the body is far more likely to convert GLA to favorable prostaglandins.

Flax’s Omega-3 fatty acids also inhibit the body’s production of inflammation-causing arachidonic acid, which is usually found in animal foods along with saturated fat. By doing so, flax favorably inhibits the body’s conversion of arachidonic acid to pro-inflammatory prostaglandins.

Where to find evening primrose and flax oils: Health food store or Natural products supermarket or you can buy supplements directly @ Arbonne International or Life Force.

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, holistic, organic and alternative health lifestyle choices to America.

When you think “detox,” you probably think liver-the body’s primary cleansing organ. But to discern whether a cleanse is in order, check your complexion. Your skin is your body’s largest organ of elimination and detox-
ification. As toxin’s build up in your kidneys, liver, and bloodstream, you may experience external inflamma-
tion. The skin is a backup for the other elimination organs. Over time, our bodies collect toxins in much the same way a bicycle wheel collects rust. All of that toxicity contributes to weight gain, wrinkles, breakouts, and dull skin, hair and nails.

Build a cleansing regimen. Just as toxins escape your body via skin, they can also enter your body topically.
Giving up the majority of the toxin-filled, clogging skin care products and makeup that most people use every day is one way to detox your skin. Eliminate body care products with synthetics like parabens, phthalates and petroleum byproducts. When choosing detoxifying products for skin, look for plant-based ingredients that work
synergistically when applied topically and ingested. Pair facial washes, lotions or masks with supplements or
beverages containing chlorella, neem, seaweed, aloe vera or green or white tea. These nutrient-rich ingredients
increase circulation to eliminate toxins from the skin and other organs.

Feed your skin. Good nutrition is critical to a healthy complexion especially when you need to detox. The right
cleansing foods not only reduce toxins but also support collagen, the protein that keeps skin looking youthful.
As you loosen the toxic sludge from your body, your energy will automatically increase because your body is able
to perform digestive and other functions efficiently. Your body can then use that energy to repair the collagen in your skin and grow healthier hair and stronger nails.

Start by ditching sugars, refined carbohydrates, red meat, and overly processed foods-all of which can attack collagen and lead to acne-causing inflammation. Then drink detoxifying green tea and purified water throughout
the day (at least 8 glasses), along with a greens smoothie daily. Digesting important nutrients in this blended
form requires less energy, which means the body can devote more energy to restoring skin cells. It is best to have beverages between meals rather than during them because liquids dilute digestive enzymes to make digestion
slower and more difficult.

During meals, eat detoxifying veggies, such as dark leafy greens, daikon radish, and broccoli which are best raw
or lightly steamed to preserve water content.

It is also good to regularly nosh on raw foods for their skin and digestive supportive enzymes. Enzymes perform
thousands of functions in the body, including repairing and preventing wrinkles, evening out your skin tone and contributing to smooth, youthful skin. Loading up on probiotics from foods and supplements promotes good digestion, eliminates bad gastrointestinal bacteria and increases energy to improve overall skin health.

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, holistic, organic and alternative health lifestyle choices to America.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that can contaminate groundwater used for drinking and irrigation in areas where it’s abundant, such as parts of New England, the Midwest and the Southwest. Consumer Reports went shopping in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York in August and September 2011, buying 28 apple juices and 3 grape juices. Their samples came from ready-to-drink bottles, juice boxes and cans of concentrate. Five samples of apple juice and four of grape juice had total arsenic levels exceeding the 10 ppb (parts per billion) federal limit for bottled and drinking water. Levels in the apple juices ranged from 1.1 to 13.9 ppb and grape juice levles were even higher, 5.9 to 24.7 ppb. Most of the total arsenic in the samples was inorganic. Inorganic arsenic is a carcinogen known to cause bladder, lung and skin cancer in people and to increase risks of cardiovascular disease, immunodeficiencies and type 2 diabetes.

To reduce your family’s risk you can do the following:

1) Test your water. If your home isn’t on a public water system, have the home’s water tested for arsenic and lead. To find a certified lab, contact your local health department or call the Federal Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.

2) Limit children’s juice consumption. Nutrition guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants younger than 6 months shouldn’t drink juice; children up to 6 years old should consume no more than 4 to 6 ounces a day. Diluting juice with water can help meet those goals.

3) Consider your food. Buying certified organic chicken makes sense because organic standards don’t allow the use of chicken feed containing arsenic.

In closing, as always it is buyer beware. Read your labels and look up what the chemical make up of that ingredient is. If it doesn’t sound healthy to you it probably isn’t.

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, holistic, organic and alternative health lifestyle choices to America.

New studies indicate that the unrefined virgin coconut oil now available in many health food stores is not chemically treated and is trans-fat free.  The main saturated fat in virgin coconut oil is lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid that can help increase levels of HDL (good cholesterol) .

Based on the above findings, it would make sense to use coconut oil in meal preparations instead of canola oil.

Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations for natural health, alternative health, holistic health in Martin County – Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, Palm Beach County – Jupiter FL, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, organic lifestyle choices to America.

As reported in USA Today;

Americans are mostly clueless about whether the food they buy has been genetically altered. But in a nation increasingly concerned about food ingredients, there’s a new push for that to change.

Today, a coalition of 300 companies, organizations and doctors will announce that it has filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require that all genetically engineered foods include a label that advises consumers they’re eating food that has been altered. Food makers in the U.S. currently don’t have to say boo about selling food whose molecules have been changed.

The actions come at a time when American consumers are more closely reading product labels and are showing greater concern about the ingredients in the foods they buy.

more of this article at USA Today

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Healthy Martin website is designed to assist persons and organizations in Martin County Health (Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound) Jupiter FL and the Treasure Coast of Florida to find healthy alternatives. We encourage health organizations and alternative health businesses to use this website to help promote natural, organic lifestyle choices to America.

BY Rebecca White-Martin, a Your Health & Wellness Magazine contributor:

Many people will remember a famous TV ad where a woman races to her washing machine, fabric softener in hand, only to arrive just as the wash ends. This woman who “forgot to add the fabric softener” was actually doing herself and her family a favor.

Although they may make your clothes feel soft and smell fresh, fabric softener and dryer sheets are some of the most toxic products around.

Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in fabric softeners and dryer sheets:

• Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
• Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
• Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
• Limonene: Known carcinogen
• A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
• Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list
• Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders

Are “Soft” Clothes Worth It?

Fabric softeners are made to stay in your clothing for long periods of time. As such, chemicals are slowly released either into the air for you to inhale or onto your skin for you to absorb. Dryer sheets are particularly noxious because they are heated in the dryer and the chemicals are released through dryer vents and out into the environment. Health effects from being exposed to the chemicals in fabric softeners include:

• Central nervous system disorders
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Blood pressure reduction
• Irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract
• Pancreatic cancer

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“Working together for better health choices for you, your family and friends.”

The above information is opinion based except where noted. Always contact a licensed professional for information on the above subject or BEFORE applying or practicing the above information.
HealthyMartin.com is designed to assist you in finding medical doctors, dentists and alternative, organic & holistic health, fitness and sports professionals in the Treasure Coast Florida areas of Martin County, Palm Beach County, Saint Lucie County and Indian River County. “Healthy Martin, working together for better health choices for you, your family and friends”.