Chronic skin conditions — eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea and dermatitis — might look like surface problems, but their root causes are far more than skin deep. That’s why all the skin creams and ointments prescribed over long periods almost never result in a lasting cure, just temporary relief at best. Why do those rashes, pimples, redness, itching and oozing always come back?

That’s one of the most important questions in holistic medicine today. The reason is that the cause of skin problems is almost never the skin itself. They are signs of deeper problems, usually in the cleansing organs of the body: the liver, lungs, kidneys and colon.

Just think of the toxins that our bodies absorb on a daily basis. In a world overflowing with harmful chemicals — from processed foods, air pollution, water pollution and a host of other things — it’s no wonder that our organs are overloaded with toxins. In order to have any level of health, we must get rid of this toxic overload. Our main organs of excretion are the lungs, liver, kidneys and colon. They are the body’s most effective routes for toxin drainage.

Whenever the primary drainage organs cannot keep up with the toxic load (which is very often the case in today’s world), the body will have to rely on secondary drainage organs for help. The major secondary drainage organs include sinuses, mucous membranes, the lymph system, vaginal canal, bladder — and, of course, the skin!

However, secondary drainage organs like the skin are not very efficient at removing toxins. So when our body is forced to use them for this purpose, the skin becomes clogged, scaly, ulcerated, inflamed and chronically unhealthy. Conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis and rashes are results of the body’s attempt to remove toxins through the skin.

To heal the skin we first have to cleanse the primary drainage organs. Once the lungs, liver, kidneys and colon are draining toxins effectively, the body will no longer need to drain toxins through the skin and true healing can take place.

I have observed great results with Biotherapeutic Drainage, one of the most advanced systems ever devised for cleaning the body of toxins that accumulate in our tissues and organs. It is a safe and gentle means of assisting toxic drainage in the body and therefore addressing the underlying causes of your skin symptoms. It helps open up the primary routes of excretion to relieve the body of its toxic burden. It works on an extra-cellular and intra-cellular level to remove blockages and help move the body toward a state of vibrant health and true healing.

Remember: True skin healing can only be achieved from the inside out!

In addition to a non-inflammatory, whole-food diet and a life style that includes sufficient rest and exercise, my immediate recommendations for added protection against the flu and H1N1 virus are Kali Mur 6X and vitamin D.

Kali Mur 6x is a homeopathic cell salt, which is gentle and highly effective. Cell salts help to reorganize the way tissues function, often lifting them out of their pattern of dysfunction. I recommend Kali Mur 6X because it helps to protect the integrity of cells against viral invasion. This includes almost every cold and flu, as well as more serious viruses. Dr. Rudolph Ballentine, master homeopath and one of the most influential doctors in the alternative health movement, discusses Kali Mur 6x in his book, Radical Healing:

“…when smallpox used to sweep India, health workers would go from village to village ahead of the epidemic, handing out Kali Mur 6X. Where this was done, it is said, the epidemic passed over or there were only mild cases.”

Vitamin D is an equally important tool in your vibrant health arsenal. In October of 2007, Epidemiology and Infection presented some very important findings concerning the epidemic levels of vitamin D insufficiency in the United States. The public health impact of this observation could be great, but more specifically:

• Over a 3-year period, taking 800 IU of vitamin D3 reduced the incidence of colds and flus by 70%.
• Taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 reduced the incidence of colds and flus to nearly zero (only one person out of 104 had a cold or flu while taking 2,000 IUs of vitamin D. That one person only had ONE COLD all year out of all 104.) The people in the control group, also numbering 104 members, suffered an average of 3 colds/flu per person per year.

Additionally, a 2009 report in the journal Pediatric Research stated that infants and children appear more susceptible to viral rather than bacterial infections when deficient in vitamin D. Based on the available evidence showing a strong connection between vitamin D, infections, and immune function in children, vitamin D supplementation may therefore be a valuable therapy in pediatric medicine.

Come in today. Be tested to see which of your organ systems are in need of support, and pick up your supply of Kali Mur 6X and vitamin D. The best defense is an early defense!

The USDA, National Cancer Institute, Surgeon General, and the secretary of Health and Human Services all agree that Americans need to increase their consumption of fresh produce to include at least 2 to 4 servings of vegetables every day. One of the easiest ways to add them to your diet is to juice.

The lack of trace minerals in the diet has quite possibly become one of the major causes of disease within Western culture today. If you look in a chart of minerals, you’ll see that the recommended source of virtually all minerals and trace minerals is green leafy vegetables. A green juice is a fast, delicious, and inexpensive way to get your daily trace mineral needs down the hatch in five minutes or less.

Green juices are alkaline and rich in enzymes, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and chlorophyll. They help the body to stabilize blood sugar, absorb more oxygen, and flush toxins. They are good for your weight, heart, bones, circulation and can be helpful in lowering your cholesterol. Daily juicing will help you to have increased energy, ideal weight, a glowing complexion and a strengthened immune system.

It is recommended that you drink at least 16 ounces of fresh green juice each day.
One of my favorite juice recipes is: 1 small cucumber or ½ large cucumber,
2 celery stalks, a handful of parsley, 1 granny smith apple (remove seeds), and ¼ lime.

I recommend the Black & Decker Fruit & Vegetable Juice Extractor if you are looking for an inexpensive, easy –to-clean, mid-sized juicer. The Item Number is JE2050 (www.bdappliances.com)

If you don’t have time to juice, I recommend Vibrant Health Field of Greens.
This powder is mixed with water to make a great tasting, totally organic green juice.
It can be purchased at your local Vitamin Shoppe or at www.VitaminShoppe.com

Brain gym appears to contribute the minor adjustments necessary to enable the system to proceed with the learning process. Dr. Dee Coulter, a cognitive specialist and neuroscience educator who has worked extensively with learning difficulties, refers to these minor adjustments as micro-interventions. She explains that these bring about major change because they supply the necessary integration and also reverse the expectation of failure.

Our society today needs something simple and elegant to initiate and accomplish these micro-interventions. Every learning situation deals basically with the same steps: sensory input, integration and assimilation, and action. Brain Gym facilitates each step of the process by waking up the mind/body system, and bringing it to learning readiness. It activates full mind/body function through simple integrative movements which focus on specific aspects of sensory activation and facilitate integration of function across the body mid line.

As teachers in many cultures have intuitively recognized, numbers, letters and writing can all be taught effectively with lots of movement. Rudolph Steiner, to mention only one noteworthy example, believed in helping children to learn through the process of eurhythmia, which anchors learning with rhythm and specific coordinated movements similar to Brain Gym.

The greatest obstacle to full, widespread use of Brain Gym is the strongly held misconception in our society that mind and body are separate – that movement has nothing to do with intellect. Like the air we breathe, this particular misinformation is taken in by nearly everyone as part and parcel of our cultural heritage. People simply find it hard to believe that physical activities can help you think.

And yet many of American’s foremost brain researchers gathered in Chicago the first of May, 1995, to examine the link between movement and learning. Exercise, besides shaping up bones, muscles, heart and lungs also strengthens the basal ganglia, cerebellum and corpus callosum of the brain. Aerobic exercise increases the supply of blood to the brain. But a coordinated series of movements produces increased neurotrophins (natural neural growth factors) and a greater number of connections among neurons.

Ideally, our diet should be 70% alkaline and 30% acidic. The average American diet is mostly acidic as the list of foods below clearly illustrates.

VERY ACIDIC

Alcohol
Artificial Sweeteners
Beef
Cheese
Coffee
Pork
Sugar
Veal

ACIDIC

Barley
Bran
Bread
Butter
Chicken
Corn
Corn Syrup
Crackers
Cranberries
Milk (cow)
Peanut Butter
Peanuts
Rice, brown
Rice, white
Spaghetti
Turkey
Walnuts
Yogurt

ALKALINE

Green Vegetables
Almonds
Apple, green
Avocado
Beans
Beets
Blackberries
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Figs (fresh)
Grapefruit
Lemons
Lettuce
Limes
Milk, goat
Millet
Mushrooms
Non-Sweet Fruit
Onions
Peas
Quinoa, Amaranth
Radishes
Sauerkraut
Spinach
Tomatoes

VERY ALKALINE

Cucumbers
Seaweed
Soy Lecithin
Sprouts
Wheat Grass

Recommended Books

1. The Presence Process, Michael Brown, Namaste Publishing, 2005

2. A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle, Penguin Group, 2006

3. You Can Have It All, Arnold Patent, Celebration Publishing, 2002

4. The Journey, Arnold Patent, Celebration Publishing, 2002

5. Money, Arnold Patent, Celebration Publishing, 2005

6. Happiness Is A Choice, Barry Neil Kaufman, Ballantine Books, New York, 1994

7. Happy at Last, Richard O Conner, M.S.W., PhD, St Martin’s Press, 2008
8. Radical Healing, Rudolf Ballentine, M.D., Three Rivers Press, 1999

9. The Body Ecology Diet, 9th Edition, Donna Gates

10. The pH Miracle, Robert O. Young, Ph.D, Warner Books, 2002

11. Green For Life, Victoria Boutenko, Raw Family Publishing, 2005

12. Eat to Live, Joel Fuhrman, MD, Little Brown and Company, 2003

13. Your Healthy Journey, Fred Bisci, Ph.D, 2008

14. The Relaxation Response, Herbert Benson, M.D., Harper Torch, 2000

15. Power VS. Force, David Hawkins, M.D., Hay House, 2002

16. The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying, Suze Orman, 2006

According to EPA Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, in just “26″ seconds after any exposure to chemicals through your skin or by breathing in their vapors, chemicals and/or pesticides can be found in every organ in your body. Most chemicals are not biodegradable and as a result can accumulate in body tissues. Chemicals and toxins are very difficult to eliminate from the body and can slow healing and/or full recovery of a health problem.

3 Toxic Chemicals that you may be exposed to on a daily basis:

1. DEA (Diethanolamine)
When applied to the skin, resulted in clear evidence of carcinogenic (causing or contributing to cancer) activity. This chemical is an ingredient formulated into soaps, detergents and surfactants and is found in over 600 home and personal care products. These products include shampoos, conditioners, bubble baths, lotions, cosmetics, soaps, laundry and dishwashing detergents.

2. Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol is the main ingredient in anti-freeze we use in our car radiators to keep the engines running cooler in the summer and from freezing up in the cold winters. Should any pet lick up a spill on the garage floor (it’s sweet tasting to animals) the die a grueling death called Organic Phosphate Poisoning. Propylene Glycol is found in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos, deodorants, baby shampoos, lotions, and even in some foods. Check all your labels. In the skin and hair, propylene glycol works as a humescent, which causes retention of moisture content of skin or cosmetic products by preventing the escape of moisture or water. The Material Safety Data Sheet warns users to avoid skin contact with propylene glycol as this strong skin irritant can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.

3. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
It is used as a surfactant to break down the surface tension of water (makes water wetter to help penetrate the surface applied to). Found in hundreds of personal care products and is a favorite for degreasers and toothpaste manufacturers.

What can SLS do to your organic tissue? Plenty!
1. SLS can be a mutagen. In sufficient amounts it is capable of changing genetic material found in cells.
2. SLS has been used in studies to induct mutations in bacteria.
3. SLS corrodes hair follicles and impairs the ability to grow hair.
4. SLS enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and brain just from skin contact (shampoos, toothpaste, etc.)
5. SLS denatures protein and can impair proper structural formation of young eyes.
6. SLS can damage the immune system, cause separation of skin layers, and cause inflammation to the skin.

Product recommendations:

Soap: Waleda, Dr. Bronners, Kiss My Face
Toopaste: Waleda, Kiss my Face
Shampoo: Aubrey, Avalon, Soignee
Skin: Dr. Hauska, Waleda, Avalon
Household: Seventh Generation, Ecover
These products can be purchased at most local health food stores

Recommended Non-Starchy Vegetables

Non-Starchy vegetables go with just about everything (except sweet fruit). You can eat them with oil, butter, ghee, meats, poultry, fish, eggs, grains, starchy vegetables (like acorn squash), lemons limes, raw seeds and nuts.

Arugula
Asparagus
Bamboo shoots
Beet greens
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Burdock root
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chives
Collard greens
Cucumber
Daikon
Dandelion greens
Endive
Escarole
Fennel
Garlic
Green beans
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lamb quarters
Leeks
Lettuces
Mustard greens
Okra
Onion
Parsley
Radishes (red)
Red bell pepper
Scallions
Shallots
Spinach
Sprouts
Swiss chard
Turnips
Watercress
Yellow squash
Zucchini

Greens and Health
Greens form the basis of good health. Greens are nature’s primary medicine.
More greens equal more vitamins, more minerals and more phytonutients. Greens help build strong bones; they maintain a healthy cardiovascular, digestive, immune and glandular system. They are anti inflammatory and prevent damage caused by free radicals. Greens are loaded with chlorophyll which is highly cleansing and detoxifying. Green foods are the lowest calorie, lowest sugar and calorie for calorie the most nutritious food on the planet. For example, steak has 5.4 grams of protein per 100 calories; broccoli has 11.2 grams per 100 calories (almost twice as much). Keep in mind that most of the calories in meat come from fat.

One of the main problems we face as we age is the build up of acid waste products in our systems. The acidification of body tissues is the root cause of most health problems.
The most fundamental step to cure the problem is detoxification practices and eating an alkaline diet. Greens are very alkaline.

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some cases completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.
Will Washing and Peeling Help?
Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
How This Guide Was Developed
The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005.

FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE

1 (worst) Peaches 100 (highest pesticide load)
2 Apples 96
3 Sweet Bell Peppers 86
4 Celery 85
5 Nectarines 84
6 Strawberries 83
7 Cherries 75
8 Lettuce 69
9 Grapes – Imported 68
10 Pears 65
11 Spinach 60
12 Potatoes 58
13 Carrots 57
14 Green Beans 55
15 Hot Peppers 53
16 Cucumbers 52
17 Raspberries 47
18 Plums 46
19 Oranges 46
20 Grapes-Domestic 46
21 Cauliflower 39
22 Tangerine 38
23 Mushrooms 37
24 Cantaloupe 34
25 Lemon 31
26 Honeydew Melon 31
27 Grapefruit 31
28 Winter Squash 31
29 Tomatoes 30
30 Sweet Potatoes 30
31 Watermelon 25
32 Blueberries 24
33 Papaya 21
34 Eggplant 19
35 Broccoli 18
36 Cabbage 17
37 Bananas 16
38 Kiwi 14
39 Asparagus 11
40 Sweet Peas-Frozen 11
41 Mango 9
42 Pineapples 7
43 Sweet Corn-Frozen 2
44 Avocado 1
45 (best) Onions 1 (lowest pesticide load)