The Most Powerful Health Recommendation of Dr. Andrew Weil

The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise

The key to this exercise is to remember the numbers 4, 7 and 8. It’s not important to focus on how much time you spend in each phase of the breathing activity, but rather that you get the ratio correct.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Sit up straight
2. Place the tip of your tongue up against the back of your front teeth. Keep it there through the entire breathing process
3. Breathe in silently through your nose to the count of four
4. Hold your breath to the count of seven
5. Exhale through your mouth to the count of eight, making an audible “woosh” sound
6. That completes one full breath. Repeat the cycle another three times, for a total of four breaths

You can do this exercise as frequently as you want throughout the day, but it’s recommended you don’t do more than four full breaths during the first month or so of practice. Later you may work your way up to eight full breath cycles at a time.

The benefits of this simple practice are enormous and work as a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system.

Personally, I think one of its greatest values may be gained when you combine it with your meals. Most of us eat three meals a day, so it makes remembering to do it easier. Also, I believe that combining it with the attitude of gratitude for the healthy meal you just ate, or are about to eat, can have a powerful, beneficial influence on your health.

Media Trashes Alternative Treatments in Spite of Facts: Health Blog

Media Trashes Alternative Treatments in Spite of Facts: Health Blog: "the facts make clear these things:

1. Prescription drugs are now the fourth leading cause of death in the US, just behind cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
2. Over two million people experience drug-related disabilities or serious drug reactions each year.
3. Deaths by pharmaceutical poisoning rose 62.5% between 1999 and 2004. (Ahh! But at least those drugs are untainted by lead!)
4. A recent Consumers Union study found that medical errors kill nearly 98,000 people in the United States each year and cost $17 billion to $29 billion a year. That figure hasn't improved in the past 10 years and shows no evidence of future improvement.
5. Most of those errors come from giving or prescribing the wrong drug, giving patients the wrong dose or giving the drug in the wrong way. Note that the drug needs to be capable of causing death in the first place, even if by improper prescription.
6. While prescription drugs kill about 140,000 Americans a year, herbs and nutraceuticals kill fewer than 100 (with most of those attributions being highly questionable).

Obviously, in spite of the "rules, guidelines and watchdog groups" that regulate and oversee prescription drug -- pharmaceuticals are among the most dangerous substances on the planet. While drugs sometimes can heal or ease symptoms, they often do no better than alternatives, and very, very often, they do far worse.

conscious choice blog

“Backed by well-documented, peer-reviewed studies and overwhelming statistics the case for a vegetarian diet as a foundation for a healthy life-style has never been stronger.”
- Bradly Saul, OrganicAthlete.com

“The China Study is the most important book on nutrition and health to come out in the last seventy-five years. Everyone should read it, and it should be the model for all nutritional programs taught at universities. The reading is engrossing if not astounding. The science is conclusive. Dr. Campbell’s integrity and commitment to truthful nutrition education shine through.”
- David Klein, Publisher/Editor, Living Nutrition Magazine

The FDA seeks to outlaw vitamin B6

The FDA seeks to outlaw pyridoxamine (vitamin B6)

Your first thought might be, "How could it matter?" Lots of companies trademark names of ingredients. Heck, I've done it with some of my formulations. But in those cases, you're just talking about marketing differentiation. But with Polyphenon E, you have a whole different ballgame.

First, think about the status of green tea in the world. It's only known side effect is that it might make it more difficult for you to sleep if you took too much of it too close to bedtime. In exchange for this minor effect, you get all of the benefits cited above (cancer, heart disease, longevity, etc.), all demonstrated in study after study after study. In point of fact, you would be hard pressed to find a single drug in the world that has so few side effects and so many benefits and so many studies to back it up. Even the so-called miracle drug, aspirin, is not as clean. Remember, the smallest dosage of aspirin causes internal bleeding.

And yet, given green tea's remarkable safety record and proven benefits, not a word of these benefits can be mentioned in connection with any product being sold that contains green tea -- not in the US, not in Europe, not anywhere. And yet, Polyphenon E is being pitched as a potential cancer cure all over the internet and in medical literature. It even has a featured position on the Prostate Cancer Foundation website. How can this be?

Perhaps we can find the answer by looking at the curious case of pyridoxamine – the only form of B6 that can be taken without fear of peripheral neuropathy, and the only form, according to some experts, that should ever be used in supplements. And yet, given all this, pharmaceutical interests have filed a petition with the FDA seeking to ban the use of pyridoxamine in supplements. And the FDA is seriously considering it. Why? Because pyridoxamine has shown promise in protecting against diabetic complications! According to the FDA, if low cost pyridoxamine was available in supplements, there would be no incentive for the pharmaceutical industry to invest the money necessary to get it classified as a prescription drug! In other words, if there is enough money involved, the FDA is quite willing to reclassify everyday supplements as pharmaceutical drugs.

For a more detailed look at this issue, check out William Faloon's article in the most recent issue of Life Extension Magazine.

Health care as a cash cow

the Driving Force Behind Skyrocketing Costs and Falling Health Statistics?

The truth is that the terrible health statistics of the U.S. are primarily caused by the drug cartel and the food industry. Worse yet, it’s not by accident, nor by ignorant oversight, which is why no politician will likely ever be able to fix it.

The drug industry has been able to manipulate and control the U.S. Congress to pass just about any and every law they need to increase their profits. Once you understand how they control the government, you realize how they are diverting hundreds of billions of dollars for their hyperinflated drug prices. This money goes into their own pockets and has nothing to do with making you healthier.

There is NO PILL that can make you healthier! They can only mask symptoms, and more often than not cause additional health problems.

It is this diversion of funding that is the primary reason why American health is so poor. If these funds were spent wisely and not used for products that don’t work and that aren’t safe, there is no doubt in my mind the United States would lead the world in health stats.

So, the question I ask myself when I watch this ongoing drama with politicians squabbling over private- versus government-funded health care insurance plans is:

Will Any Of The Options On The Table Fix The Underlying Problem?

Will a government-sponsored health plan reduce the number of unnecessary prescriptions? Will there be fewer unwarranted surgeries? Will it reduce costs by focusing on prevention, and offering less dangerous and more inexpensive alternatives?

I believe the answer is no

Warning: Swine Flu Vaccine Coming Soon

Warning: Swine Flu Vaccine Coming Soon

Specialty drug maker Baxter International Inc. says it's in "full scale" production of a swine flu vaccine. The vaccine will be commercially available in July.

The company made its announcement one day after the World Health Organization declared swine flu a global pandemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 45 swine flu deaths nationwide.

The National Vaccine Information Center will hold its 4th conference in Washington DC October 2-4 of this year. I will be speaking there as will some of the leading experts in vaccines in the world. Clearly the best vaccine conference in the world and it is only held every few years. If this is of any interest to you I would strongly encourage you to attend.

Sources:

Washington Post June 13, 2009

National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) June 18, 2009

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

As I predicted in my first swine flu alert, a fast-tracked swine flu vaccine was promptly ordered, and will be available as early as July. Pharmaceutical giant Baxter claims it has patented technology that cuts the usual vaccine development time in half, to about 13 weeks instead of 26.

Although many governments and health organizations are probably celebrating this feat, you have no reason to join in the festivities. In fact, you have good reason to fear being exposed to this new swine flu vaccine more than the swine flu itself.

You are virtually guaranteed that no safety evaluations will be performed prior to the reckless unleashing of this untested vaccine.

And, making matters worse, your children may be the first guinea pigs in this public vaccine experiment against a previously unseen hybrid of human, bird and pig viruses.

School Children May Face Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccinations

I was hoping mandatory vaccinations would not happen, but it now appears as though that's exactly what we might be facing in the near future.

In the video above, Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) warns that there is a campaign underway to turn schools into virtual vaccination clinics, and children will be the first to be injected with experimental swine flu vaccines.

Part of the reasoning for this is that it appears people over the age of 50 have more cross-reacting antibodies against the current swine flu virus, whereas children who have never been exposed to any of the strains before are more vulnerable.

The Post Gazette recently reported experts saying, "if the new H1N1 flu comes back in force this fall, it might be better to vaccinate children first," because "in the early stages of the epidemic this spring, the new flu strain has caused "explosive outbreaks" among schoolchildren who have no immunity to it."

Again, it's troubling to see health officials using the term "explosive outbreaks" for a flu that in the vast majority of cases has been reported to be very mild.

Such inflammatory language is simply uncalled for.

Making matters worse, they want to target children who have underlying health problems, i.e. the most vulnerable of the group, which means any potential problems with this untested vaccine will have the capacity to do maximum damage.

Why are We Putting Up With the Same Mistakes Again?

The current evolution of public health decisions has disturbing similarities to previous swine flu vaccine catastrophes'. The last swine flu threat emerged in 1976, right before I entered medical school and I remember it very clearly. It resulted in the massive swine flu vaccine campaign.

However, within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis from the experimental vaccine. Several hundred people developed crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome after their injections. Even healthy 20-year-olds ended up as paraplegics. The vaccine was also blamed for 25 deaths.

Meanwhile, the deadly swine flu pandemic itself NEVER materialized…

When a vaccine is developed in a mere 13 weeks, you can be virtually assured that it has NOT had the time to be tested in clinical trials to determine safety and effectiveness.

The way I see it, we now stand poised to experience a repeat of the last dangerous swine flu vaccine, which destroyed the lives of hundreds of healthy young boys and girls.

The real kicker, of course, is the fact that if the new vaccine turns out to be a killer, the pharmaceutical companies responsible have immunity from any lawsuits -- something I've also warned about before on numerous occasions.

Absolutely no one stands to be liable if this vaccine turns out to be a health disaster.

Amazon.com: Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents: James T. Reason: Books

Amazon.com: Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents: James T. Reason: Books:
Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents
by James T. Reason
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing; 1 edition (December 1, 1997)
ISBN-10: 1840141050
ISBN-13: 978-1840141054

Product Description
This is a practical book aimed at those whose daily task it is to think about and manage or regulate the risks of hazardous technologies. The book is not targeted at any one domain, but attempts to identify general tools and principles that are applicable to all organizations facing dangers of one sort or another. This could include banks and building societies just as much as nuclear power plants, oil exploration and production, chemical process plants, and air, sea and rail transport. The emphasis is placed upon the principles and practicalities of defenses against accidents, and how to meet the challenges and minimize risk.