Otzi The Iceman And His Natural Antibiotics

In 1991 the well preserved remains of a man were found in the melting ice of an alpine glacier.

This discovery was of great importance for archeologists because he is the oldest human mummy found in the area.

There are a lot of interesting things about the remains of Otzi.

There was a legal dispute over who actually was going to claim ownership of his remains, which interested me a bit. 

Then there was talk about a curse related to his remains, this interested me a lot more.

There have been seven people who were involved with the discovery of Otzi that have died some what untimely deaths. Some believe that he was killed in a ritual sacrifice and there for his remains are cursed to this day.

But what really interested me was the fungus that was found with his remains that he was using to treat a case of intestinal parasites that he was suffering from.

Found with Otzi’s remains was two pieces of organic material, that was something between cork and leather in its consistency.

At first this was believed to be tinder for starting fires (not the tinder for starting fires that single people use today), but was later found to be the fungus piptoporus betulinus, which can be found on the birch tree in cold climates.

The fungus contains chemicals that are toxic to certain parasites and when taken by humans can cause diarrhea.

An autopsie of Otzi’s intestines found eggs of the parasite trichuris trichiura, and it is believed that he was trying to treat the condition using the fungus.

Today there is research into new antibiotics that have been found in the piptoporus fungus.

Also very interesting is that Otzi had tattoos in the areas of his body where he was found to be suffering from arthritis. This may have been a form of pain relief similar to that of acupuncture.    

Otzi is estimated to have lived about five thousand years ago. I thinks its amazing to see that people had the ability to diagnose and treat disease with out the use of any of the modern sciences. 

But if you are thinking to your self “where can I get some Birch fungus extract”, you are out of luck. It has not made it to the health food stores yet.

It seems that it will be turned into a new anti biotic or even a cancer fighting medicine first.

But if you are looking for a strong natural anti biotic, you can try oregano oil.

There are a good number of studies showing it to be use full at killing viruses, parasites, and bacteria.

Flaxseed – Good For The Bowls And Good Your Brains

The main category for flaxseed in plant medicine is as a bulk laxative.

The truth is that flaxseed works in two ways as a laxative.
1.    High fiber content creates bulk laxative
2.    Oils in the seed help to add a lubricating and emulcent effect
The oils from flaxseed also contain a high concentration of omega 3 oils.
The fatty coting that covers the dentraite part of neurons is made up of omega 3 fatty acids. This fatty layer help the nerve signals to move faster. This is one of the reasons that omega 3 is known to improve memory and brain function.

Omega 3 is essential fatty acid, which means we cannot produce it in our bodies and must obtain it from our nutrition.

Omega 3 has also been found to have anti-inflammatory activities.

But keep in mind that most of the research done on omega 3 has been done on fish oils which contain EPA and DHA form of omega 3.

ALA is the form of omega 3 found id flaxseeds and can be turned into the EPA and DHA forms.
 
Just for a bit history:

Fax seed has also been used for making linen even by Neanderthal man.

Flax seed oil is a great source of omega 3 for vegans

But omega 3 from fish oils is still more effective for increasing brain functions.

Multivitamin Review Number One

​As I have mentioned many times, I am a very strong believer in the importance of taking a good multivitamin.

Once again I find that just the first thing I write needs its own blog post or webpage as in “Why should you take a multivitamin”.

Now I have been taking GNC MEGA MEN multivitamin for a very long time now, about nine years, and I am very happy with it.

My wife has been taking GNC WOMEN’S ULTRA MEGA also for about nine years. She is very happy with the GNC multivitamin, but I recently switched her to Pure Synergy Multi for women, and I will tell you why.

There are two very important things that I take into consideration when I am buying a multivitamin. Now this is for me and my wife who lives the same life style and has the same budget. If I was recommending a multi to a client or a friend then I would change my approach according to their needs.
The two things that I look at are:
How much B-complex vitamins does it have
What is the herbal formula that it includes, if it has none then I will not buy it
B-complex vitamins

What did you say? You don’t know what B-complex vitamins are good for. No problem, I will explain it to you real simple and fast.

B-complex vitamins are essential for our body to be able to produce energy on the cellular level. In my opinion and from my experience, the recommended daily amounts for all B-complex vitamins is very low and should be changed, but I am not there yet to change them. But really the recommended daily amounts of B-complex vitamins may be enough to survive, but not enough to be totally pumped.
So I am looking for something that has at least 200% of the recommended daily value of B-complex vitamins.

Now the GNC vitamins have a much higher level of B-complex Vitamins then the pure synergy ones, but the pure synergy vitamins have a much better herbal formula.

This brings me to my second decision making aspect of a multivitamin, the herbal formula. All good quality multivitamins today have an herbal formula packed with a bunch of those super herbs that everyone should just be taking.

The GNC multivitamins have a very nice herbal formula but in my opinion the pure synergy multivitamins have a better one.

Also the pure synergy vitamins are much more natural; this means that the vitamins and minerals they contain are taken from all natural sources. Making them more fit for absorption by the human body.

Probably the next time I purchase a multivitamin I am going to try the pure synergy multi for men.


In the end they are both good quality multi vitamin that have noticeable effects on overall health.

My Home Garden

Here is just a quick picture that I got this past Friday while getting some of the things that my wife needed for our Friday night dinner.


The real beauty in this garden of ours is in the fact that it doesn’t need any up keep. The sad part is that I don’t take care of it.


What a double edged sword right?


But the real truth is that if I just put a little bit of TLC into this garden it could really be a breathtaking place.


When I do I am going to take some good pictures and share them with you.


But what you can learn from my neglected garden is what useful herbs can grow well with minimal care.


The plants that I have in this garden are rosemary, sage, aloe, and after the winter fresh onions.


All of these just need a good soil and a bit of water and sunshine and they will grow just great.


I hope that the next time I write about this garden it will be a natural medicine garden.

Hot Peppers And Red Onions

So this is just a bit about what I like to eat.

Really I was just putting a salad together and there was just something about the way the sunlight was shining down on the red onion that I thought it would make a great picture. 
 And hey what is some good pictures without at least a bit of words explaining them.
 So yes red onions and hot peppers.

When I was studying nutrition I remember one of my teachers saying that perhaps one of the reasons that some of the third world countries, such as India and Mexico, eat so much spicy foods is because of the anti bacterial aspects of these strong spices. 

I think that this is one of the reasons that I don’t get sick very often, because I eat such spicy foods all the time. 

Reflexology – More Than A Manual Therapy

I love reflexology and in the past I have seen great results using it for a wide range of ailments. 

What is reflexology? 

The way that reflexology works is that by working on reflex points in the feet, you are able to treat the entire body. To tell you the truth, if I hadn't seen for myself that it really works I would never believed in it. There is no science or psychology backing it up, it kind of like an proven theory. 

But still the fact of the matter is it works. 

When someone comes in with pain in any part of their body, I can find the tender area in the corresponding points in their feet. And very often when working on those points they can feel it though out their bodies. 

This is all really cool but what I wanted to talk about is the more holistic aspect of reflexology. 
 Holistically we understand that all of our physical ailments have an emotional cause. Much of the problem with western medicine is the lack of focus on this. We like to think of our bodies like we think of our cars, but our bodies are the house of our soul and are effected by the emotions in way that science is yet to understand. 

There are two ways to look at the emotional work in reflexology.

The one that I will explain is the four element approach. 

The foot is separated into for zones for the four elements, from top to bottom in the following order. 
•    Air
•    Fire
•    Water
•    Earth
Her is a picture of how it looks on the foot. 

 Each elemental zone corresponds to the emotions of that element. When working on the elements in reflexology we are trying to bring them into balance. 

Air 
Air is connected to thought and also our connection to the realm of the spiritual. 

Air is light and with out tangible substance, but is still the source of all life. 

When air is in balance we are able to think clearly, stay focused and control or thoughts. 

Fire
Fire is energy and action, it is also love, hate and anger. 

Fire can be a burning desire or a hot temper. 

Water
Water is the emotions of feeling, in a way water is the emotion of emotion. 

Water is the emotional way we process or life, and the way we process or emotions. 

It is also our ability to be flexible and adapt to change in our lives. 

Earth
Earth is connected to stability but also to sadness. It's our ability to create good boundaries and stand firm, but it can make us stuck and heavy. 

It can be an earthen vessel or quick sand. 

In the end what we need is balance. 

Five Tips To Stay Slim This Winter

It feels like we just all gain more weight in the winter time. Some people think it's a way that our bodies insulate to stay warm. In some ways that's true, one of the functions of fatty tissue is insulation. 

It could also be because we want to hibernate like bears do.

But in my opinion neither of these are the case, and even if they are true, here are five tips that may help you to stay trim through the winter this year. 

In my opinion the reasons people gain weight during the winter are very simple. 

We eat more, and we move less. 

Obviously, right?

That's always why we gain weight. 

But here are a few points that you may not have thought about in the past. 

Who knows, maybe this will help you keep those extra pounds off when it’s to cold outside to go for your daily run. 

Drink more water

Drinking more water is always a good idea. That's why drinking more water is one of my seven healthy habits for staying healthy and fit. 

The thing is that in the winter time we drink less water because we don’t feel hit like we do when is warm outside. 

Water helps us to feel full while not adding any calories to our diet. So if you don't drink as much water you may feel hungry more often. 

Just make sure to drink at least eight chips of water a day, and at least that part of the problem will be solved. 

Eat fresh vegetables and less/no fried foods.

When it's cold outside we tend to prefer hot foods. The thing we have to watch out for its not to choose warm foods that are high in calories and law in fiber. 

Also people tend to eat less fresh fruits and vegetables during the winter for the same reason. The problem is that fresh fruits and vegetables contain enzymes that aid in good digestion. 

Good digestion means a more efficient brake down of foods and less unnecessary storing of calories as fast cells. 

Increase your indoor exercises

Yes, when it’s cold, rainy and snowing out, you can't go jogging. 

So what I say is make sure you are doing more pushups and sit ups. Or get a treadmill, and whatever works for you. 

What's important is to make sure that you are getting that extra indoor exercise to make up for what your not doing outside. 

Take advantage of good weather days

Of course we all take advantage of good weather. The question is do you do that by getting out there for a two hour jog, or to go fishing? 

You can go fishing, just make sure to run before hand. Better yet, find a great fishing spot that you need to hike a few miles to get to. 

Whatever it is, make sure to get more outdoor exercise in when you are blessed with those nice days in the middle of the winter. 

Also, when you do get the chance do more than you would in the summer because you need to make up for all those snow days. 

The fresh air and sunshine will do you good also. 

Speaking about sunlight, the lack of sunlight during the winter months causes some people to suffer from winter depression. And this can cause people to eat more. 

Which brings me too my fifth and final tip. 

Use herbs that help to decrease depression.

You may not feel depressed, but there is a good chance that we are all not as happy in the winter. 

This is probably because of the longer nights and shorter days. 

Like I said less sun less happy, at least for most of us. 

And when we are feeling unhappy we tend to eat more. 

By taking herbs that improve our mood, we can perhaps stop ourselves from eating that extra piece of cake. 

So these are my five Tips. It's not a magic formula or top secret plan, but some times it’s the little changes that can make the big difference.