How To Reduce Cold And Flu Symptoms
Symptoms of colds, flu or any other pathogenic (virus, bacteria, fungi, parasite) related infection are actually not the result of the germs per se. They are actually caused by the reaction of your body to the germ in its attempts to rid itself of any toxins that have either built up as a by product of the immune system fighting the germ or directly from the poisons released by the germ. In essences they are detoxification symptoms. The healthier your detoxification system the less you will experience these symptoms. For this reason supporting the detoxification processes and not overloading your body with toxins is key reducing symptoms.
To reduce your toxic overload try the following:
- Reducing alcohol consumption
- Minimise process foods
- Minimise grains and dairy in the diet
- Eating organic
- Filter your water
- Drink plenty of water – Dehydration can lead to constipation which leads to harmful toxins, that the body is attempting to eliminate in the faecal matter, leaching back into the body, which then adds to the toxic overload in the body
- Use natural (organic) rather than commercial cleaning and personal care products
To support the detoxification processes try:
- Skin brushing – Removes dead skin cells (the skin is a detox organ) and stimulates the circulatory and lymphatic systems (another part of the detoxification system).
- Hot and cold shower cycles – 15 sec each x repeated 7 times – Again stimulates circulation.
- Eat whole foods – Focus your diet around whole (preferably organic) foods will help maximise your nutritional intake of nutrients.
- Basic nutritional supplements – Vitamin C and a good quality multi-vit are good strategies for supporting the detoxification pathways.
- Individualised Nutrition - As touched on in my article on “7 Simple steps to preventing colds and flu” eating a diet suited to your body is essential to the healthy function of every organ, system and cell of the body, which obviously includes the immune and detoxification systems. To learn more check out my video on individualised nutrition.
- Exercise – Exercise with a big emphasis on twisting, rotating and moving maximally through the joints will help aid circulation, lymphatic drainage and squeeze and refresh the liver with new blood. Exercise that makes you sweat will also help eliminate toxins through the skin. Some also suggest rebounding (exercise done on a mini-trampoline) as particularly beneficial to lymphatic drainage.
- Drink plenty of water – Optimal hydration status is essential to many areas of the detoxification system as well as in preventing the body from becoming overloaded with toxins.
- Consume cayenne pepper regularly – Fantastic for stimulating circulation and clearing the sinuses.
- More advanced detoxification cleanses, supplements and protocols for strengthening the health of the organs and glands involved in detoxification also exist, but the suggestions above are a great place to start. In taking the above actions you will not only reduce the severity of cold and flu symptoms but you will help to reduce the length of time you suffer symptoms and your likelihood of developing them in the first place as a toxic overload in the body is only going to suppress immune function.
9 Steps to Preventing Colds and Flu Part 3
9. Further investigation:
So far I have discussed a host of factors that will help you to improve and strengthen your immune health, but it doesn’t stop there. Unfortunately even if you manage to get all of these things right, your immune health may still be weak and you could still find yourself getting ill on a regular basis. Certainly all advice I have given so far will help to strengthen it as best as is possible in its current capacity, but for some it may require a deeper investigation into what may be going on internally. The immune system, like all systems of the body, works in synergy with all of the other systems. What goes on in the immune system will impact your endocrine (hormonal), digestive, neural, and detoxification systems, amongst others. And vice versa. The key relationships that will impact your immune health are as follows:
- Endocrine – Immune: The immune system is regulated by the endocrine system, and more specifically the adrenal glands. When the body or mind is under stress the adrenal glands are stimulated and secrete stress hormones that then suppress immune function. This is done since the body perceives any form of stress as a threat to its immediate survival. By suppressing immune function it can utilise as much resources and energy as possible for dealing with the immediate threat. When the adrenal glands are exhausted, which is very common in todays society, the immune system is also suppressed. For these reasons, frequent colds and flu will often result from either chronic/intense stress or adrenal fatigue. In assessing adrenal health you can therefore gain a good understanding as to why you may be experiencing frequent colds and flu.
- Digestive – Immune: 80% of the immune system is located in the gut. This is because one of the main roles of both systems is to protect the body from infection by outside invaders. If the digestive system is in a poor state and not capable of performing its role effectively extra burden is then placed on the immune system. When this happens less resources are available within the immune system to be able to protect against viral infections such as colds and flu. Common problems that can overload the immune systems will include food intolerance, bad bacteria, parasites, fungi (such as candida).
- Detoxification – Immune: The detoxification system is like the dustman or refuse collectors of the human body. When it is not functioning at full capacity toxins will build up in the body and the cells of the body will remain full with toxins. Since the immune system is one of the main contributors to toxicity levels within the body (toxins are often formed as a byproduct of an immune response), if there is an overload of toxicity within the body the immune system can often be suppressed in an attempt by the body to lessen this load. Not only this but a toxic build up in the body can also increase risks of re-infection of any germs the immune system has previously combated.
The only accurate way of knowing if any of these relationships are contributing to your weakened state of immune health (typically if one is out of whack they all will be) is through a combination of symptom analysis and laboratory testing that examines the function of these systems. Such testing is only available through someone like myself that is trained in functional medicine or functional nutrition and is quite different to the laboratory testing used in western medicine that is largely used to test for diseased states or “conditions”, as opposed to health or function. Once the cause is known corrective protocols and lifestyle adjustments can be put in place in order to correct the complaint and prevent it from reoccurring.
This concludes my posts on preventing colds and flu; I hope you have found them useful and informative. If you have any comments or questions then please post them below.
9 Simple Steps for Preventing Colds and Flu Part 2
8. Nutritional Supplements
Nutritional supplements can be very useful in helping to support and strengthen the immune system. However, this is assuming that you have implemented the other previous steps effectively. Failure to do so would be like driving your car up the side of a mountain with the handbrake on. Nutritional supplements can be extremely useful in supporting health when used correctly, but if the rest of your lifestyle choices are not aligned with their benefits then you are just wasting your hard earned cash.
So assuming you DO have your diet and lifestyle choices in check, what nutritional supplements could you use?
Well some supplements I recommend are outlined below. I have categorised them in two areas as either preventative or treatment based solutions. This is because different nutrients support or strengthen immune health in different ways and the amount to use will vary depending on how you are using them. Prevention simply refers to advice on what to do when you are not ill and wish to keep it that way. The advice can be followed continuously or at times when the risks of getting ill are much higher. Treatment simply refers to what to do and what to take when you first experience symptoms.
The herbs and nutrients suggested are not the only ones you can use but they are some of the main ones to use. You do not have to use them all, but I have deliberately made my suggestions around those that support the immune system in different ways so you can certainly use them all and this will provide you the greatest benefit. It is also worth noting that each herb and nutrient will offer benefits not just to your immune health but other areas of your health too.
Preventative Phase
Goal: Support and strengthen immune health:
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C has lots and lots of benefits associated to it, some of which relate to immune health. It is probably the most important vitamin for strengthening the immune system. It not only has anti-viral properties in its own right but it will also strengthen the immune system directly. Research shows that in order to get most of the benefits of this important vitamin you need to supplement with fairly high doses of at least 1 gram a day, but ideally 2 grams per day. The Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin C is 60mgs, but you will see virtually no benefit from such quantities. The government RDA’s were calculated over 50 years ago and are really guidelines of minimal quantities in order to avoid nutritional deficiency diseases, so they are not useful as a guide for good health. High dosages of vitamin C are not toxic so there are no risk of toxicity with this. Because it is a water soluble vitamin it passes through the body very quickly and does not get stored. On this basis it is best to spread the dose of vitamin C across the day. You need to be careful of the type of vitamin C used. Ascorbic acid is the most common form of vitamin C found in supplements however it is often not the best type to use. Other forms have been shown to be more affective. Some people (i.e. those of certain metabolic types) do best with a different form of vitamin C known as calcium ascorbate whilst others do best with the ascorbic acid form.
- Zinc: Zinc is the most important mineral for supporting the immune system. It is involved in the production of antibodies that help to fight infection and also helps in other areas of immune function such as T Cell and natural killer cell function, and in lymphocyte activity. Zinc is also an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which will further help support good immune function. Unfortunately despite its importance, zinc deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies seen today.
- Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Supplement: No nutrient in the body works in isolation, therefore the importance of a broad multi-vitamin and mineral supplement cannot be under-estimated. The benefits of vit C, zinc or any other nutrient important to immune function can never be realised without adequate levels of many other nutrients. A good quality multi-vitamin and mineral supplement will also help to support the other systems that are connected with immune health.
- Probiotics: Probiotics is a term used to describe bacteria that have been shown to benefit health. You have more bacteria than cells in your body and whilst some types are harmful, many will benefit and strengthen your health. Those found in the gut work closely with the immune and digestive system to protect against invaders. For this reason one of the most effective ways of preventing ill health and disease is to help ensure you support and maintain good bacteria levels in the body. You can do this two ways; regularly consuming probiotic supplements or through consuming foods rich in good bacteria. Raw dairy, kiefer and fermented foods are three ways by which you can increase good bacteria in your diet. I would not recommend the heavily marketed commercial food products such as probiotic yogurts and yogurt drinks for increasing bacteria levels. They usually have very low levels (only a few hundred million – you need billions) of bacteria and contain all sorts of colours, preservatives, flavourings and sugar. I would recommend varying daily sources of good bacteria as each source will offer different species of bacteria all of which have different benefits associated to them. Biocare and Design for Health are two reliable brands that produce good quality probiotic supplements that I most often recommend to clients. Many other brands produce poor quality probiotics; there are a number of things to be aware of when buying probiotics. I will try and produce a post in the future covering the subject.
- Colostrum: This is a relatively unheard off supplement that can be particularly beneficial to the immune system. Colostrum is created from cows milk and contains essential vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, importantly from an immune perspective immune factors (mainly immunoglobulins). Immunoglobulins form the bodies first line of defence against infection and so by supplementing with colostrum you will be directly boosting your bodies natural levels of these immune antibodies, giving it a much greater chance of combating any potential source of infection.
- Garlic: Garlic is a herb that has many beneficial effects on the immune system. It contains sulfide and ajoene which have both been shown modulate the inflammatory response of the immune system. Allicin, another ingredient found in garlic has been shown to work with vitamin C to kill certain types of bacteria and viruses, and can help the immune system to protect you from colds and flu. It has also been shown to reduce the symptoms of the common cold. A final benefit of garlic is its anti-pathogenic properties. By helping to prevent such infections from occurring it will help to reduce the load placed directly on the immune system by invaders such as parasites, bacteria and fungi. Rather than relying on garlic capsules as a supplement to the diet I would highly recommend introducing garlic into your diet in its natural form on a regular basis i.e. 2-3 times a week. It should be consumed in both a raw and cooked state as some of its beneficial properties are reduced by cooking and some are enhanced.
- Echinacea: Echinacea is herb that has been shown to stimulate the immune system. Whilst I would not recommended using it for a prolonged period it is ok to use for cycles of 1-2 weeks to help prevent infection i.e. when you are in an environment where those around you all have colds and flu. You do not want to be using Echinacea very often however as stimulating the immune system too much or too often can potentially cause a host of problems. Many people should avoid Echinacea all together such as anyone that is pregnant or with immune conditions.
If you are in an environment where there are a lot of sick people take some Echinacea (not something you want to be taking on going though i.e. no more than a couple of weeks at any one time), and extra colostrum.
Treatment Phase
Goal: support, strengthen and stimulate immune system
Whenever you feel coming down with something:
- For first 24 hours increase Vitamin C up to 1 gram per hour max – you can do a lot less if get symptoms i.e. 1 gram every 2 hours (the experience of loose stools will indicate you are taking too much), then 1gram 3-4 time perday thereafter
- Take probiotics as per normal. In the case of diarrhea take high doses of probiotics around the time as diarrhea is a clear indication that the body is trying to eliminate an infection in the gut and the extra beneficial bacteria will both support this process and replace any drop in bacteria levels that may occur from such a reaction.
- Take extra colostrum i.e. 3x/day rather than 2
- Include garlic with at least one meal a day
- Take Echinacea as per instructions
Hope that helps. That is advice for adults, not sure for kids, perhaps half those doses. There are lots of other nutrients and herbs that are useful but these are the ones I focus on with clients. It is also worth remembering that with any nutritional supplement that if it is cheap then it is most certainly produced very cheaply and as such will offer very little benefit so it is best to avoid the cheap types of supplements – i.e. most commercial brands found in the supermarket. If you do source your supplements locally make sure you source them from reputable companies – Biocare, Solgar, Thorne Research, Designs for Health and Metagenics are some of the better brands.
In part 3 I will discuss my final step – Further Investigation.
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Zinc: Zinc is the most important mineral to support the immune system. It is involved in the production of antibodies that help to fight infection and also helps in other areas of immune function such as T Cell and natural killer cell function and lymphocyte activity. Zinc is also an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which will also help support good immune function too. Unfortunately despite its importance, zinc deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies that exists. |
9 Steps for Preventing Colds and Flu Part 1
With winter fast approaching now is a wise time to start taking precautions in order to prevent you and your family from developing any colds and flu that are flying around. Swine flu may be of particular concern to you, although I would add that virologists and other experts in medicine do not support the hysteria that the media and the government are creating around the whole issue…and oh how they love to do that. I will address the whole swine flu thing in an upcoming post so watch out for that.
For now let’s focus on colds and flu in general. All advice here applies to swine, avarian, dog, goldfish or any other flu they wish to create mass hysteria around. Prevention is always better than cure and my post will concentrate on this.
When it comes to prevention the key is in strengthening the body’s defence mechanisms; which are the immune and digestive systems. Incidentally 80% of your immune system is found in the gut anyway, so there is a very strong synergy between the two.
This post is the first of a 2 part series; I will focus on diet and lifestyle habits in this post and in part 2 I will look at nutritional supplements and more investigative approaches.
In order to help reduce your risks concentrate your efforts on the following areas of your diet and lifestyle choices:
- Exercise – Research has shown that regular exercise strengthens immune health. Of particular benefit is resistance (weight) training which has been shown to strengthen the health and function of the immune system. Two ways in which it does this is through improving the health of the hormonal system which is largely responsible for regulating the immune system and through increasing the body’s stores of the amino acid L-Glutamine which is the main fuel of the immune system. Cardiovascular exercise has been shown to suppress immune health as it is the most stressful form of exercise to the body. If you do become ill you should cease any form of strenuous exercise so the body can concentrate its energy reserves on fighting the infection. Besides which, there will be little to no benefit of exercising when you are unwell as the body will naturally focus its energy on fighting the infection rather than improving your fitness.
- Sleep – The immune system is most active when we sleep. For this reason a lack of sleep or poor quality sleep will reduce immune health.
- Diet – There are numerous areas to consider when it comes to diet and immune health. The most important areas include:
- Whole foods – Eating whole natural foods provides optimal levels of nutrients important to immune health. Most people think of oranges for vitamin C when they get ill, but in truth you need a whole host of nutrients for strong immune health and for the immune properties of vitamin c to be realised. Many types of orange aren’t that high in Vitamin C anyway, Kiwis and broccoli are often much better sources. The chemicals found in processed foods can also trigger immune responses; meaning less of the immune systems capacity will be focused on fighting any infection.
- Blood sugar levels – A lesser known fact around immune health is the link between blood sugar levels and immune health. Low or high blood sugar levels will inhibit immune function. Eating regularly (every 2-3 hours) and eating protein and fat at every meal and snack will help to maintain blood sugar levels at a constant level.
- Sugar – Refined sugar found in sweets, processed foods, carbonated beverages, etc suppresses the immune system. You also have the associated blood sugar imbalances it causes. Minimising sugar in the diet will help to strengthen your immune health considerably.
- Individualised Nutrition – Because of the huge diversity that exists in our make up as human beings our nutritional requirements also vary a great deal. As such the quantities and type of food and nutrients that enable one person to experience strong immune health can be quite different from another. To understand this better watch my video on the concept of individualised nutrition known as Metabolic Typing.
- Grains and dairy –Dairy and grains have only been in the human diet for around 5-10,000 years. In terms of human evolution this is very little time in deed. For this reason the immune system of the vast majority of the worlds’ population will react to such foods. The reaction of the immune system to any food will not only cause a great many health problems but it will also take up a significant proportion of the immune systems capacity, meaning much less of it will be available to protect against infection. For this reason eliminating or at least minimising the consumption of such food will significantly reduce your risks of becoming unwell. As a side effect you may also notice significant improvements in energy, weight and overall health and wellbeing.
- Anti-viral foods and herbs – Certain foods and herbs contain properties and nutrients that can help to protect the body against infection. Herbs include; Garlic, Ginger, Oregano, licorice, Shitake and Reishi Mushrooms. Foods include; Berries, Chillies, Carrot juice, Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, Ghee, Onions, Mushrooms, Seaweed and Coconut oil. Include these foods and herbs in your diet to help protect you against infections.
- Thoughts and emotions– The thoughts you have and your emotional state have everything to do with the health and function of your immune system. Negative, depressive or anxious thoughts have been shown to suppress immune health and those with such mindsets tend to attract ill health. Through the science of psychoneuroimmunology it has been demonstrated that the strength of your immune system fluctuates with your state of mind. Focus your thoughts and attention on what you love in life, laugh as much as you can and have fun – this alone will have a powerful effect on your immune health.
- Stress – Stress suppresses the function of the immune system…plain and simple. Take steps to minimise stress in your life if you want to strengthen your immune health. As far as your body is concerned stress has many forms – mental, emotional, dietary, physical and environmental. Much of the advice I provide throughout my blog posts, youtube videos, etc will help you to do this.
- Hygiene – Contrary to popular belief being overly focused on hygiene can have detrimental effects on your immune health. The logic for this is quite simple. To strengthen or grow in any area of life (physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually) you must first challenge yourself in that area. For example if you want to grow and strengthen a muscle you must first challenge it (i.e. through resistance training). Therefore to strengthen immune health you must be exposed to germs. Children who grow up in overly hygienic environments have been shown to develop poor immune systems. You do them no favours by not allowing them to come within 50 yards of a germ. I am not suggesting you pay no attention to hygiene but recognise that becoming overly concerned with it does your health no favours. Germs are natural, you have far more “germs” in your body than you do cells; for the most part they are your friend not your enemy.
- Symptom Relief – You may wonder what this has to do with prevention. Well all will be revealed in my upcoming post “How to reduce cold and flu symptoms” so watch out for that. Make sure you don’t miss it by signing up to receiving notifications of my future blog posts via RSS, a blog reader or email by clicking the relevant icons on the top right of my site.
Steps 8 and 9 are covered in part 2 where I will examine nutritional supplements for preventing colds and flu and some investigative approaches that can help you to understand and resolve weak immune health.
Do your genetics really determine your future health? Part 2
What does this all mean to your health?
These discoveries by Bruce and other researches in the growing field of epigenetics leave us with a number of important conclusions that have profound impacts on how we look at health.
- Our health future is largely determined by our environment NOT our genes
- Our DNA is merely our potential future
- Our DNA can be altered by our own thoughts and actions to support or negate our future health
What this means is that YOU are very much the creator of your own health, it is not predetermined by your genes. It is determined by your:
- Dietary, exercise and sleep habits
- Environmental toxicity (pollution)
- Thoughts, beliefs, perceptions and emotions
Every single area of your life will impact in some way on your health and experience of life – you are the creator of it. You could be born with a fantastic set of genes but through all the areas mentioned above still develop a state of ill health and disease. Even more alarming is that the fact that your thoughts and actions not only impact the future of your own health but have a direct affect on the health and genetics of your son(s) or daughter(s) and their son(s) and daughter(s) and so on and so on.
To add to this not only could your thoughts and actions work against you but they can also work in your favour. By making wise choices around your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health you can powerfully impact your experience of health and vitality… no matter what genes you were born with. You may be told that heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer or any other disease runs in your family but that is just one possibility that exists in your future; you have the power to determine whether those conditions manifest.
I would also suggest that in a lot of cases it is not even the genes that determine a family history of a given disease. It is extremely common to see the children adopt the same habits, behaviours, beliefs and thought patterns of their parents, so it is with no great surprise to see them develop the same health complaints. In the context of everything I have said so far I would suggest that in a lot of instances it is your thoughts, actions and behaviours that are the bigger determinant of so called “inherited” conditions and diseases than so much your genes. There is also a lot to be said for the power of belief. Simply believing the idea that your health future is determined by your family history of a given health condition will have a powerful impact on any outcome you experience. Your inherited genes are simply one factor amongst many.
The implications of this to modern medicine are huge. Much research (i.e. cancer and obesity) is aimed at discovery genes that are responsible for diseases and conditions and to then develop drugs (or even genetic engineering) to turn them off. But given the powerful affect of our personal environment and choices on determining whether those genes are expressed and their impact upon our genetic code, it seems all of this could largely be a waste of time, money and energy. The scientific focus and finances would be far better invested on focusing on the environmental issues that REALLY determine our health future. Working at the effect level of our genetics can only bring limited results. Unfortunately I do not see this changing any time soon; as there is far too much control in the hands of pharmaceutical companies that make way too much profit for this to change anytime in the near future.
Are GM foods the answer to the future food crisis?
There is increasing pressure for Britain, and many other countries to embrace GM foods, particularly in the last few days with the recent report released by the Royal Society that suggests GM foods as the solution to impending global food shortages set to hit us over the next 30-40 years, if not sooner. Britain like so many western societies will suffer in particular because of its dependence on food supplies outside of the UK, leaving us in a very dis-empowered position.
Whilst there are many solutions to the problem, none without drawbacks, GM food appears to be the solution that appeals to many members of the UK government (and other governments around the world).
As yet there seem to be far too many unanswered questions before such practices should be accepted into UK farming practices. Some of the biggest concerns include:
- The long term health impacts of consuming such food are unknown. To allow it into mainstream food supplies could prove even more disastrous than a world food shortage if it were to prove to have significant negative impacts on human health. Certainly the signs are not good with conditions such as cancer, food allergies, Morgellons Disease and many degenerative diseases already linked to the consumption of GM foods.
- There are also huge question marks over the nutritional value of GM foods. A carrot it is not just a carrot, a nutrient is not just a nutrient. A carrot of 50 years ago contained significantly more nutrients than one today. Some say you need to eat 20 or 30 carrots today to get the same nutritional benefits as one of yesteryear. The same can be said for organically farmed v commercially farmed carrots. In the world of nutritional supplements naturally produced nutrients from food have been shown to be far more powerful and beneficial than those synthetically produced in a lab (which constitutes about 95% of commercial nutritional supplements you find in the shops). The same is likely to be the case with GM v non-GM foods and nutrients. The less nutrient dense our food the weaker our health becomes. And there are also question marks as to whether the body even responds in the same way to nutrients consumed in GM foods?
- Another serious issue that is evident in farms in Africa where GM foods are grown, is that of cross contamination, where fields of non-GM crops become contaminated with GM crops (even when they are some distance apart). A possible explanation for this is the role insects, other wildlife and the weather have on the pollination and growth of plant life, which makes it virtually impossible to prevent. This indicates that once we go down this path en mass there is no going back. The whole of the worlds’ food chain would potentially become contaminated with GM species within just a few years.
- Another major concern of the GM experiment is that it will never work anyway. As we have seen with our current methods for combating germs; antibiotics, vaccinations, pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, germs develop resistance to them over time. We are seeing more and more “super-bugs” that are resistant to our medical and farming solutions. They evolve and adapt to their environment for survival, just like every other living organism on the planet. Except they do so at rates thousands of times faster than more complex organisms are capable of doing so (this is in part due to their simplicity and in part due to their short lifespans). Hence we see resistance within just a few years. We are seeing this in both the medical and farming worlds where the pesticides, fungicides and herbicides used in commercial farming that once worked so wonderfully no longer work. Farmers are now using more and more toxic substances on our crops with less and less effect. We also see this in the medical world where medical drugs are becoming increasingly ineffective. The
same will happen to GM crops; as soon as a new GM species are developed, nature will outsmart them. We need to wake up and learn to live in harmony with such organisms, like nature intended. They are not on this planet to simply cause us disease and ruin our crops; they are here as messengers to inform us about our own state of health and the health of our crops and animals. We have more bacteria in our bodies than cells, yet we see them as the enemy when they are in fact an important part of our development and survival. We wouldn’t exist without them. Truly healthy people do not get ill with colds and flu or any other infection, even when they are surrounded by infected people. Only those in a weakened state of health do so. As Louis Pasteur said on his death bed “The microbe is nothing; the terrain is everything”. In other words it is our level of health that determines whether we become infected, not the presence of a germ. The same is true in the rest of the animal and plant worlds. If we want to produce food that is resistant to germs and of high levels of nutrition then we need to begin producing food properly again and abandon the industrialised commercial farming that is clearly not working. Do we really need mother nature to shout any louder?
- A final concern is the impact GM farmed crops will have on the ecosystem. How will they affect the soil and it’s organisms that give birth to all life (including ourselves)? How will the insects and wildlife be affected if they were to consume such crops that are their natural food? GM foods could potentially imbalance the whole ecosystem of the planet. Haven’t we done that enough already?
We simply don’t know the answer to these questions and many more and we probably never will. Is it really worth the risk? There are many other less risky paths we can go down when it comes to feeding the world more effectively. Once we go down the path of mass GM food production there is no return.
As your mother always told you “Don’t play with your food”.
Unfortunately just because GM food is not yet produced in Britain, it does not mean it isn’t in our food, particularly because so much of our food is imported these days.
If you want to avoid GM food in your diet there are two important steps you can make in doing so:
- Make a conscious effort to only eat foods produced in the UK – as a bonus you will also be helping the economy.
- Eat foods supported by the Soil Association (organic certification UK5). The Soil Association do not allow GM food in any products or foods they certify.
Do your genetics really determine your future health? Part 1
Modern medicine assumes that your future health is determined by the genetic hand you have been dealt. Research from an emerging scientific field known as epigenetics argues something quite different. Epigenetics is the study of the molecular mechanisms by which the environment affects cell activity.
Our genetic code, our DNA, is found within the nucleus of our cells. It is assumed to be the brain of a cell and as such is seen to be responsible for how the cell functions. Based upon this assumption in order to effect cell function (and therefore our health) we must effect the DNA of the cell.
Since our genetic code is determined at birth this assumption means we have little say in the future of our health as it is already predetermined.
Well not according to Bruce Lipton, a cell biologist who through his research in the 1980’s and 90s has helped to revolutionise ideas around the role our genetics play in our health. His initial discoveries began when he started removing the cell nucleus from cells; yet still found that they were able to maintain normal cell function. If the nucleus really was the brain of a cell then this would simply be impossible, the cell would die as soon as it was removed. In his book The Biology of Belief he proposes that the brain of a cell is in fact the membrane not the nucleus. The cell membrane is simply the outer walls of a cell whose role was previously thought to simply be to keep the inner and outer environments of the cell separate cell and to allow certain things in and out. He suggests that the nucleus is simply the genitals of the cell. This defies what most scientists believe and what we are taught in biology at school.
Research in epigenetics tells us that that the cell membrane communicates with the nucleus using chemical messengers. And these messengers determine the response of the nucleus that then determines the behaviour of a cell and the blueprint for its daughter cells (it’s off-spring). Epigenetics has also found that it is the interaction between the cell membrane and its environment that determines how the membrane then communicates with the cell nucleus. This interaction takes place via the receptors found within the cell membrane that respond to the environment through a chain reaction of processes that results in specific chemical messengers being sent to the cell nucleus.
Bruce also hypothesises that it is the amount of cell receptors located around the membrane of a cell that determines the intelligence (or awareness) of an organism. This theory is backed up by the findings of the Human Genome project which found that a human being only has around 20,000 genes, which in contrast to the genetics of other organisms is very few. For example a grain of rice has 49,000 genes, that’s more than double that of a human being, the most intelligent organism on the planet. What this suggests is that complexity and function of an organism is not determined by its genetics. It may well be factor but it is most certainly not the only factor. Bruce has discovered that a much closer relationship exists between the number of receptors seen upon a cell membrane of an organism and the complexity and intelligence of the organism.
Another discovery by Bruce and his research is that there is an intelligence to evolution. The Darwinian theory of evolution proposes that natural selection takes place based upon the random mutation of genes. Through this random process only those that are fortunate enough to develop mutations that support them in their environment will survive any changes to their environment. However what Bruce discovered is that when an organism is under stress, the stress places the organism into a state of protection which somehow triggers faults or mutations to take place within the genetic coding of the cell DNA. These mutations occur for as long as the stress lasts or until the organism adapts to its new environment so that it is no longer under stress. What this means is that there is in fact intelligence to the evolutionary process and it is not completely random i.e. errors in the genetic coding (mutations) will only occur when the organism is under stress not on a purely random bases which Darwin proposed. The two hypotheses are worlds apart.
This theory is supported by an alternative theory of evolution proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck who proposed that it is the environment rather than the genetic coding that is responsible for the evolutionary changes seen within species across time. This theory brings a whole new purpose to the role of the evolutionary process; which under this new paradigm, exists in order to enable species to live in community with their environment and each other, not as a means of competition with one another – a survival of the fittest scenario such as in Darwinian theories of evolution.
This understanding has important implications to our own existence and survival on the planet as a species, where the backbone of our relationships with the planet, other species and each other is built upon the principles of scarcity and competition. With this new understanding of the evolutionary process it is easy to see how continuing on this path will only bring about our own extinction. But fear not, this will change…it has to change if we are to survive the turbulent times ahead over the next 50 years or so which are so predicted by experts of in all numerous fields.
Bruce’s research has found further support in more recent research too. At study conducted by Dr Larry Feig and his associates examined mice that they had engineered to turn off the gene responsible for memory, learning and fear (RAs-GRF gene). They then placed the mice into an environment that provided a new stimulating experience rather like a theme park for mice. After two weeks in the stimulating environment they found that a new pathway had developed that had effectively turned the gene back on and with it normal levels of memory, learning and fear returned (Journal of Neuroscience, 2009; 29: 1496-502). Another study examined mice that had a gene (the Agouti gene) turned on that made their fur a peachy colour and them lazy, fat and prone to developing degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer (sound familiar?). All mice were fed a normal diet and some also received additional nutritional supplements that were known to be important for mice with that gene. The study showed that the off-spring of the mice that had received the supplements had normal brown fur and were healthy, slim and didn’t develop any of the health complaints seen in their parents. Both studies demonstrate the extraordinary affects environment has on genetic activity.
In part 2 I will examine what this all means to our health and wellbeing.
15 Ways By Which Purpose will Enrich Your Life
In my earlier post on Energy for purpose OR purpose for energy? I discussed how having a meaningful and inspiring purpose to your life will bring you much higher levels of energy. But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of having a purpose to your life. There are a whole host of other benefits, some of which I have outlined below.
- Access to new levels of energy & health
- Overcome obstacles & challenges – when you have something to aim for you will stand a greater chance of moving past whatever gets in your way. A tightrope walker doesn’t succeed by focusing on each step but by focusing on where they want to go in the distance. Only seeing what is directly in front of you in any moment does not offer you the perspective you need to succeed.
- Overcome fear – With purpose you have a strong reason for taking action, and it is action around the thing you fear that dissolves the fear.
- Provides a compass to your life – Purpose is your compass in life. It provides you with a direction and a target. It will most likely change, but that is part of the process. Without it you will wonder round aimless and go nowhere fast.
- Provides focus and productivity – With direction comes focus and with focus arises productivity.
- Easier to make important decisions – Once you know where you are going in life, decisions will become much clearer as you will know to reject options and opportunities that do not support you in your journey.
- Creates passion – Purpose should always be orientated around something you feel passionate about. As you work more within your passions, they can only grow stronger
- Creates inspiration – A meaningful purpose will always inspire you.
- Increases self esteem – By focusing your life around something that is important to you, that contributes to others, that you are passionate about and inspires you, your own self worth and self esteem will increase as a natural result.
- Live from a place of freedom - If you fail to choose your purpose in life then someone else will choose it for you and you will spend your life serving the wants, needs and goals of others. Unless these are coincidentally aligned with your own unconscious purpose (which is highly unlikely), then this will remove great freedom from your life. Sure you will still have the illusion of freedom for those low level activities but you will essentially be a passenger aboard your own plane of life on a journey to a destination you have no control of. You will spend your time living from a place of scarcity and survival rather than freedom and meaning.
- Contribution – A purpose of any real value will always go beyond one’s self and for this reason serving your life’s purpose will automatically mean you are contributing to the lives of others. This will add bundles of passion, energy and self worth to your life.
- Live a more fulfilling life – Once you discover and serve a purpose that is aligned with who you are you will find that your life will have much more meaning and the sense of fulfilment that you will get from life will increase significantly.
- Life becomes easier – It requires less effort to take action because purpose provides you with motivation and inspiration for anything you connect with that purpose
- Provides reason and meaning to your existence – This is pretty self explanatory. Purpose provides reason and a why to your life. It provides significance to your existence. Without it you will be left wondering what the point of it all is.
- If you fail to fill your life with what you love, it will become filled with what you don’t – Nature abhors a vacuum. What this means for your life is that wherever you are not clear on what you want and desire for your life it will automatically become filled with other things. And most often those “things” be unaligned with what you want or who you are. In other words wherever you fail to plant seeds of love and purpose you will forever be pulling weeds of fear and chaos.
I hope this post encourages you to look a little deeper for a purpose to your life. If it does then you will probably like to read my other posts on Energy for purpose OR purpose for energy? Parts 2 and 3 cover a number of ideas that can help you discover your purpose.
If you have any other benefits to add feel free to comment below.
Energy for purpose OR purpose for energy? Part 3
In part 1 I discussed the importance of living with purpose with the specific intention of using it to help raise your level of energy, and in part 2 I introduced some useful tips that can help you to identify what your purpose is. This next post, part 3 is an extension of part 2 where I will introduce you to some further tips on how to identify your purpose.
So here they are:
- Brainstorm – Take a blank sheet of paper and write at the top “What is my true purpose in life?”. For the next 30 minutes (perhaps a lot longer for some) jot down every answer that pops into your head. Keep going for as long as you can, keeping your pen moving as much as possible. Most of your initial answers will just be clutter and come from what you have been conditioned to think by society and your upbringing but eventually you will get answers that come from a different place. You will know when you are close when the answers begin to bring up an emotional response for you, they should touch, move and inspire you, perhaps even bring tears to your eyes. The trick with this is to just keep writing, at some stage you will probably feel an urge to stop but but persevere with it as it will pass. Pay close attention to those answers that create a small emotional response as these are the ones that will provide clues as to where to investigate further, highlight them and revisit them. You may find you come up with your answer within 100 answers, but it may take several 100. It may even take you several attempts across a number of days. There are no hard and fast rules with this.
- Values – Gaining clarity around what is most important to you in life (your values) will help bring some clarity as to your true purpose in life. Your true purpose will always align with what your values are, and in that sense, knowing your highest values will help point you in the direction of your purpose. Your values will always be demonstrated in every area of your life, in your words, your thoughts, your environment and your actions. If you think something is important to you and it isn’t demonstrated in any of these areas then you have a false impression of your values.
- Beyond your own self interests – In your true nature as a human being you are a social animal and in recognising this important aspect of your existence a purpose that truly aligns with who you are will always support the interests of others beyond your own existence. This aspect of your being cannot be ignored, it is built into your DNA no matter how much you may pretend otherwise. In this sense to truly resonate with your soul and inspire you any meaningful purpose will always be orientated around some form of contribution to the lives of others (man, animal or plant). It need not necessarily be anything huge, like save the world or something like that (although there is nothing wrong with that), but it must at least be beyond your own personal existence.
- Answering the following questions will also prove useful for testing whether you have found a purpose worthy of your life:
- Does it bring tears to your eyes?
- Does it move and inspire you?
- Is it focused around areas you are extremely passionate about?
The methods described in both parts 2 and 3 are taken from a number of sources I have learnt from and are blended with my own thoughts and ideas. I don’t have all the answers and I don’t pretend to, but I hope it will aid you in creating a purpose worthy of your life. You have a rational and emotional side to your existence and in that sense the methods described in these posts are a mix of both rational and emotional indicators. By looking at both areas you are much more likely to create a purpose that aligns with who you are and one that will bring you the greatest return in your energy and health.
So how will you know when you have found your lifes purpose? Well for one, many of the answers you get from the above tasks will point you in the same direction, and two I think the answer to that is quite simple. You will simply KNOW, it will resonate with the very core of your being and it should bring tears to your eyes when you bring it into you awareness. If you are still asking this question then most likely you have yet to find it.
I would also like to make it clear that I do not believe that purpose it is something that is predetermined. In my view it is very much something for you to create. The tasks outlined here simply help you to know and understand yourself better and thus enable you to create a purpose that is more aligned with who you really are. I believe we are the creators of our lives at every level, we are not born with a predetermined destiny. Our destiny is for us to choose and create.
So before finishing this post, I guess it would be wrong to spend all of this time talking about the importance of purpose and how to gain some clarity around it without actually sharing what I see as my own purpose. For me as I write this post I currently see my purpose in life as to empower and awaken others to live more consciously and in greater harmony with their health and that of the planet and each other. I’m sure this will evolve as I continue to evolve as a person, but for now this serves to direct and provide meaning for how I live my life now and provides a strong direction to how I am growing and developing personally and professionally.
I would love to hear from you about what you see as other means for establishing a meaningful purpose to your life and even what you feel your purpose might be, so please share.
Energy for Purpose OR Purpose for Energy? Part 2
In part 1 I discussed the importance of living with purpose with specific regard to your energy, and in part 2 and 3 I am going to discuss some useful tips that will help you to identify what your purpose is. This by no means an easy task, but nonetheless, applying many of the tips given will help give you some clarity around the area that your purpose is likely to be, even if it fails to bring up a specific purpose for you. 
So far in my own search in the area I am yet to discover a way of finding your true purpose in life that works 100% of the time for everybody. But along the way I have discovered numerous ways that can help unravel this mystery.
One thing I have personally found useful is to remain open to the idea that what you see as your purpose right now will evolve and grow, as you do, over time. For this reason it is wise to see the discovery of your purpose as a continuous journey of investigation. As your awareness grows around who you are, you will move ever closer to identify a deeper purpose to your existence. And as mentioned in part 1 as you move closer and closer to a more meaningful purpose you will find your energy levels start to increase.
So here are some useful tips that will help reveal to you a purpose that will help to provide your life more meaning.
- What do you want to be, have and do in life – Make lists of everything you want to have in your life, what you want to be and what you want to do. In doing so break down your life into several areas and explore what you want to be, do and have in each. Areas to think about include your finances, social life, family, physical, career/vocation, health, mental, and spiritual areas. A true meaningful purpose will align and support you in each of these areas.
- Examine your past – Look back at the times in your life when you had most energy, when you were having most fun, what were you doing? It is often helpful to look as far back as your early childhood.
- Context – This method is quite straight forward first examine the context by which you view the world and for life itself. Then once you are clear on that (which can be hard work in itself) examine how you fit into that context. Project the context onto your own life. This should reveal further clarity around a purpose that will inspire you. Of course it requires that you have a fairly accurate gauge of the context of life and are not too far out in this perception. The more off you are in this regard the less this will work for you, so only attempt this if you feel you have a pretty accurate gauge on life and are not too stuck in your own little world.
- Movies, books and music – These are great for providing subtle clues to what may resonate as a purpose for you. Become more aware to how your respond to such mediums. Next time you are watching a film, reading a book, or listening to some music and your feel something pull on your heart strings, touch move and inspire you or perhaps even bring you to tears notice what it was about, what were the words or lyrics, what did it mean for you. You may even want to extend this to youtube videos, TV programmes, interviews, conversations, etc.
Give each of these a try and have fun doing so. The more you treat it as a game the better these methods will work for you. In part 3 I will share with you some other useful methods for revealing a more meaningful purpose to your life.
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In part 1 I discussed the importance of living with purpose with specific regard to your energy, and in part 2 I am going to discuss some useful tips that will help you to identify what your purpose is. This by no means an easy task, but none the less, applying many of the tips given will help give you some clarity around the area that your purpose is likely to be, even if it fails to bring up a specific purpose for you. So far in my own search in the area I am yet to discover a specific way of finding your true purpose in life that will work 100% of the time and for everybody, but I have discovered numerous ways that can help you to unravel this mystery. One thing I have personally found useful is to remain open to the idea that what you see as your purpose will evolve and grow as you do. For this reason it is wise to see the discovery of your purpose as a continuous task of re-examination and as your awareness grows around who you are, you will move ever closer to identify a bigger reason to your existence. As you move closer and closer to a more meaningful purpose that works for you, you will find your energy levels start to ignite. So here are some useful tips that will help reveal to you a purpose that will help to provide your life more meaning. · Movies, books, music – These are great for provide some subtle clues to what may resonate as a purpose for you. Become more aware to how your respond to such media. Next time you are watching a film, reading a book, or listening to some music and your feel something pull on your heart strings or perhaps even bring you to tears notice what it was about, what were the words or lyrics, what did it mean for you. · Values – Gaining clarity around what is most important to you in life (your values) will help bring some clarity as to your true purpose in life. Your true purpose will always align with what your values are, and in that sense, knowing your highest values will help point you in the direction of your purpose. Your values will always be demonstrated throughout your life, in your words, your thoughts, your environment and your actions. If you think something is important to you and it isn’t demonstrated in any of these areas then you have a false impression of your true values. · What do you want to be, have and do in life – Make lists of everything you want to have in your life, what you want to be and what you want to do. In doing so examine every area of your life; your finances, social, family, physical, health, mental, and spiritual areas. A true meaningful purpose will align and support each of these areas. · Beyond your own self interests – In your true nature as a human being you are a social animal and in recognising this important aspect of your existence a purpose that truly aligns with who you are will always support the interests of others beyond your own existence. This aspect of your being cannot be ignored, it is built into your DNA no matter how much you may deny it. In this sense to truly resonate with your soul and inspire you any meaningful purpose will always be orientated around some form of contribution to the lives of others (man, animal or plant). It need not necessarily be anything too large, like save the world or something (although there is nothing wrong with that, but it must at least be beyond your own personal existence. · Look to your past – Look back at the times in your life when you had most energy, when you were having most fun, what were you doing? It is often helpful to look as far back as the beginning of your childhood. · Does it bring tears to your eyes? · Does it move and inspire you? · Is it focussed around areas you are extremely passionate about? · Steve Pavalina So how will you know when you have found your true lifes purpose? Well I think the answer to that is quite simple. You will quite simply KNOW, it will resonate with the very core of your being and bring tears to your eyes when you bring it into you awareness. If you are asking this question then you have yet to find it. So before finishing this post, I guess it would be wrong to spend all of this time talking about the importance of purpose and how to gain some clarity around it without actually sharing what I see as my own purpose. For me as I write this post I currently see my purpose in life to empower and awaken others to live in greater harmony with the health of the planet, society and themselves. I’m sure this will evolve as I continue to evolve as a person, but for now this serves to direct and provide meaning for how I live my life now and how I intend to grow my business in the future. I would love to hear from anyone that could add any further ideas on how to establish a meaningful purpose to your life and even what you feel your purpose might be, so please share. |
