Why Do Doctors in Sweden Treat Depression with a Greek Vacation?

If you are like me, you are dreading the snow flying for one reason...the dark days that come along with winter! Since I was a small child, I can remember the absolute dread when all the leaves are off the trees, and the impending feeling of "doom and gloom" with each passing day. Little did we know how important the sun is to our overall health.

While living in Sweden in 1998 I was fascinated to learn about how doctors there treat clinical depression. Prozac was forbidden. You cannot prescribe it in Sweden. But what they did prescribe, and pay for, was a sunny vacation for 2 weeks to the Greek Isles. I could not believe it. But it was true. The Swedes understood the power of the sun to lift people out of their doom and gloom, and put a smile not only on their face, but in their brain.

Now research shows the power of Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, to change how we feel.

Dr. Mercola reports "

The connection between vitamin D and depression is not new. In 2006, scientists evaluated the effects of vitamin D on the mental health of 80 elderly patients and found those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who received healthy doses.

In the current study, researchers found that intake of more than 400 IU of vitamin D from food sources was associated with a 20 percent lower risk of depressive symptoms compared with intake of less than 100 IU. This was a significant benefit from a very small amount of vitamin D -- as 400 IU is far too low to benefit most people (not to mention your body is made to get vitamin D primarily from the sun, not food or supplements, as I'll explain below).

It now appears as though most adults need about 8,000 IU's of vitamin D a day in order to get their serum levels above 40 ng/ml, which is the lowest they should be. Ideally your serum levels should be between 50-70 ng/ml, and up to 100 ng/ml to treat cancer and heart disease."

With these findings, if you live in North America, you might think about getting your blood tested for the Vitamin D levels and taking action if they are low. Your entire mood might change!

Do You Eat Irradiated Food?

Although this process has been around since 1963, most people do not know how their food is treated before it gets to the grocery store shelves. In the quest to keep bacteria out of food, causing food poisoning, there are methods being used to irradiate food that absolutely have consequences to the health benefits one is supposed to obtain from the food.

According to Dr. Mercola "The level of gamma-radiation used starts at 1 KiloGray -- equivalent to 16,700,000 chest x-rays -- and goes all the way up to 30KiloGray (500,000,000 chest x-rays or 10,000 times a human lethal dose)."

What do you do to mitigate your risks? While more research is needed, you might decide to hold off on eating irradiated food until we know more about its affects on humans. Know the symbol for irradiation, and buy products that are not treated. The image below is the image for irradiation:

A "Must See" Video about Alternative Cures for Cancer

The Health Ranger has posted a video that is quite interesting, and worth the $19.95. I'd actually like to have the DVD (yes, I'm old fashioned) however, the download is quick.

The alternative cures are not for everyone. Some folks don't have the mental fortitude to go against their doctors, whom they trust and respect. It's a very personal decision, and I think the most important aspect is to just keep an open mind and stay informed of the ability to have an alternative.

When my step-father and my uncle both were diagnosed with lung cancer, around the same time, they chose two different methods of dealing with the disease. Unfortunately, there are very few people who survive lung cancer, especially after a certain age. My step-father chose to go with the radiation and chemo-therapy, and my uncle decided to just let nature take its course. My uncle actually lived about a year longer than my step-father. Of course, everything is different, but the physical drain on my step-father from the radiation and chemo took a major toll on his body. He was too weak to fight.

One thing is certain; there are things you can do to minimize your chances of getting cancer, and one of the most important is to stop smoking and stop being around second hand smoke. Another, is to stop using household chemicals that are known to be cancerous. In another post later this week, I'll get the list of cancer-causing household cleaners so you'll know how to be more careful. Lifestyle changes are the best way to prevent this disease.

B12 Study links the brain

Life Extension Foundation has reported:

"Tuesday, September 27, 2011. The September 27, 2011 issue of the journal Neurology® reveals an association between unfavorable serum markers of vitamin B12 status and reduced brain volume and cognitive function."

I was visiting my mother in the hospital a few weeks ago. The food on her plate of hospital cafeteria food was disgusting. Rather than food that is filled with healthy proteins, vitamin rich veggies and fruits, her plate was full of starches, bleached flour white bread, and cheap imitation of real food; margarine! Is it any wonder our health care system is over burdened? If the hospitals themselves do not understand the value of nutrition and healing, how will we turn it around?

The article on B-12 and brain function is nothing short of amazing. Selecting the correct food for your body type can be difficult. But if you slow down long enough to listen, you will find the right food for your energy level. Many doctors are starting to understand their patients that take vitamins and exercise daily are healthy. They don't need blood pressure medications, they don't need cholesterol controlling drugs, and most of all...they have energy.

If you are lacking in energy, give under-the-tongue B-12 tablets a try. I also have had some great luck with the B-12 'behind the ear' patches.

Studies show chocolate reduces cardiovascular disease

During my travels around the globe, I always asked my women friends "Do women need chocolate? The answer was unanimous! YES! Guys, you may be laughing at us when on Valentines Day we are really, really looking for that box of Godiva Chocolates, but when you look at the longevity of women compared to men, well...you gotta' wonder?

The article, which is linked above, states:

For a new study, which was just published in the online version of the British Medical Journal, Dr. Oscar Franco and colleagues from the University of Cambridge carried out a large scale investigation of existing research on chocolate. In all, they looked at research involving over 100,000 participants with and without existing heart disease. Then the scientists evaluated the effects of eating chocolate on cardiovascular events including heart attacks and stroke.

For each of seven studies that were analyzed, the research team compared the group with the highest chocolate consumption against the group with the lowest consumption (to minimize bias, they factored in differences in the way each study had been designed). Bottom line: the highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with an astounding 37 percent reduction in cardiovascular disease and an almost 30 percent reduction in stroke compared with lowest levels of chocolate eating.

The studies did not differentiate between dark or milk chocolate and included consumption of chocolate bars, drinks, biscuits and desserts -- which raises an obvious question not answered by the new research analysis. Would the cardiovascular protection be even more pronounced if the chocolate didn't include extra sugars, unhealthy fats or chemical additives found in many chocolate drinks and candy bars?

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033463_chocolate_heart_disease.html#ixzz1WZ5r3LUg

Vitamin D deficiency linked to diabetes in study

I always enjoy reading "NaturalNews" and this time the Health Ranger is onto something big. There seems to be a correlation between the amount of people with diabetes, and the number of pale faces who swear by sunscreen (don't want skin cancer do we!) Here's what they are saying:

"One study published in the journal Diabetes Care explains that a simple 25 nanomole per liter (nmol/L), or 10 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), increase in blood levels of vitamin D results in a roughly 24 percent reduction in diabetes risk, while another study similarly reveals a correlation between high blood levels of vitamin D and reduced risk of diabetes.

Having been clinically diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency, and thank goodness I found a doctor that knew to check for it, I now understand how important it is. I used to have joint pain, and since adding 5,000 I.U. of D3 with Iodine from Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org) I no longer have any joint pain. I wonder if the people out there who have been taking over-the-counter pain killers for their joint pain have tried some Vitamin D? I wonder if the sunny Phoenix, AZ was a cure for arthritis pain because of the sunlight and the additional Vitamin D production in the body?

There is so much to be known about this vitamin, but meanwhile, check with your doctor and see that your levels are where they should be!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033446_vitamin_D_diabetes.html#ixzz1WNL3sxC7

Affordable Blood Testing Available via LEF.org

It doesn't take much time to figure out that most of what we need to know about our health comes from a blood analysis. With the ability to determine heart disease risk via C-Reactive Protein testing and Homocysteine levels, there is really no reason to not know exactly what is going on. If your doctors orders these tests, or not, may be a problem for you. Did you know that you don't have to rely on your doctor to order the tests? That's right. You can go to Life Extension Foundation and get the testing done, at a very affordable rate, with a local lab they have set up. Some of the testing includes hormone levels, which we now know can control a lot of the aging process. Check out www.lef.org/Blood/ and take advantage of the sale they have going until June 6, 2011!

What are American's Top Prescription Drugs

What prescriptions do Americans take? Number one is Vicodin...which is a narcotic pain killer. Scary. For the entire list, please see the link: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/05/03/what-are-americas-most-popular-drugs.aspx

Link between MS and vitamin D deficiency

Due to a lot of travel abroad, and lots of activity in my professional life, I've barely had time to post my daily research. But today, with several friends suffering from MS, I thought I'd better take time to pass on the latest research.

I remember when passing through Death Valley, coming upon a tourist site called "Scotty's Castle." It was a magnificent place with a story of a Kentuckian named Walter Scott who built it with money from a rich man in New York named Albert Mussey Johnson. The New Yorker had ailments, probably what we call arthritis, that were "cured" while he was at the homestead. Scotty told everyone the castle was built with the gold from the mines he found, but in reality, the gold was from Johnson, and his gold was from the sun which he really needed and loved.

The reality to many of the cures we have heard about, most likely lie in the vitamin D people need. Now the research points to a cure for MS. Wonderful, powerful, once again, our sun is the cure. And if you live north, or you are fair skinned, order up the vitamin D in capsules.

I have been using 5,000 I.U. from Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org) and have never felt better. For my friends who suffer from MS, I surely hope they find the relief, as it is a horrible disease.

Sluggish Brain Function? Check this out!

Dr. Mercola exposes interesting reasons for sluggish brain functions.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/03/tylenol-pm-causes-brain-damage.aspx

Time to Feed the Brain

Greetings and Happy New Year!

It will be a great 2010! The economy is bouncing back, people are becoming more aware of their planet and their desire to live a more healthy lifestyle. During my holiday break, I was able to get some very necessary research done in how our bodies can heal without medications and without traditional medicine. The book I found really interesting on the subject is by Deepak Chopra, author of over 40 books on healing, spirituality, performance and connection. The book is titled "REINVENTING THE BODY, RESURRECTING THE SOUL - How to Create a New You" and is nothing short of a breakthrough in how we treat disease.

Written in 2009, this book chronicles miracle after miracle in the treatment of cancer, heart disease, and all sorts of ailments that are dumbfounding modern medicine today. Give it a try, and if you have someone you love suffering, send a book their way!

Live well!
Dianna

H1N1 Reports Available from the CDC

One cannot turn on the news without the H1N1 flu virus being on the list of topics. However, getting "pre-digested" news isn't always the most comforting. Now, via the Center for Disease Control, you can get the actual numbers of people who have confirmed H1N1, track it by state, and understand your risks while working, going to school, and traveling on vacation or business.

I give a big "thank you" for the people at the CDC for coming up with this method of communication.

Enjoy and stay healthy this season!

Here is the link: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/