THE LIGHTNING ROD - Bloomington OnlineMelaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) has been used to treat acne, kill fungi, and inhibit bacteria growth. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) fights

Taking a soul vacationEnjoying the summer...wherever you are.By Scarlett Winters, N.D.

For years, I’ve joked that most of the early naturopaths died from overwork, and I am following in their footsteps. For the past couple of years, I’ve worked very hard to relax (pun intended). I’ve reduced and rear-ranged my work load; I’ve sched-uled more time for fun. Still, work managed to keep finding me, and there are so many won-derful things to do in Blooming-ton.

My body, apparently, got impatient with me. So, it put me

out of commission. Having a health problem of my own has been quite humbling, especially in my line of work. It has also been very instructive. For example, the experience has given me the op-portunity to appreciate my friends and family more fully. People really rally together when some-one is in need. I am very appre-ciative of my body and how strong it is, how resilient. It takes a lot of abuse and keeps going. I respect the intricacies of my art, including how difficult it is to see a situation clearly when you are

too close to it. Most of all, I’ve learned that the world does not end if I am unable to get every-thing I want to do done, or even started. I could list many more lessons, but you get the point. Often, I tell people that the first step to healing is giving thanks, seeing what the health problem has done for you. Now, I’ve been given an opportunity to practice what I preach. What a beautiful gift! I’ve no doubt, this experi-ence will make me a better practi-tioner.

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Taking a vacation this year? Don’t forget to enjoy a bit of nature. Whenever we study nature, we learn a little bit more about our-selves.

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Travel and LearnWWOOF

WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) provides experiences in sustainable living from large organic farms to family gardens, organic or-chards and vineyards, biodynamics, per-maculture, urban organics, alternative building/energy etc. WWOOF also pro-vides an intercultural eco-experience that promotes understanding and tolerance.

WWOOF Volunteers live with fami-lies and get hands-on experience with organic and sustainable practices includ-ing earth building, cooking and preserv-ing, wine, cheese and bread making, crafts, companion planting, worm farm-ing, composting and a whole lot more. Volunteers like "giving something back to the country I am WWOOFing in ".

Hosts enjoy passing on their knowl-edge of sustainable practices. Organic production is also labour intensive and hosts appreciate having a helping hand with projects. Hosts like the "world com-ing to me" by opening up their homes and sharing their lifestyle with others.

WWOOF is a world wide network - It started in the UK in 1971 and has since become an international movement that is helping people share more sus-tainable ways of living.

WWOOF is an exchange - In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.

WWOOF organisations link people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help.

WWOOF organisations publish lists of organic farms, smallholdings and gar-deners that welcome volunteer help at certain times. The diversity of hosts available offers a large variety of tasks and experiences.

Volunteer helpers ("WWOOFers") choose the hosts that most interest them and make direct contact to arrange a stay. Volunteers usually live as part of the family.

For more info, visit www.wwoof.org.

The Fragrant Truthfrom EWGwww.ewg.orgA rose may be a rose. But that rose-like fragrance in your perfume may be some-thing else entirely, concocted from any number of the fragrance industry’s 3,100 stock chemical ingredients, the blend of which is almost always kept hidden from the consumer.

Makers of popular perfumes, co-lognes and body sprays market their scents with terms like “floral,” “exotic,” or “musky,” but they don’t disclose that many scents are actually a complex cock-tail of natural essences and synthetic chemicals – often petrochemicals. Labo-ratory tests commissioned by the Cam-paign for Safe Cosmetics and analyzed by Environmental Working Group re-vealed 38 secret chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, topped by American Eagle Seventy Seven with 24, Chanel Coco with 18, and Britney Spears Curious and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio with 17.

The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone dis-ruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.

Also in the ranks of undisclosed in-gredients are chemicals with troubling hazardous properties or with a propen-sity to accumulate in human tissues. These include diethyl phthalate, a chemical found in 97 percent of Ameri-cans (Silva 2004) and linked to sperm damage in human epidemiological stud-ies (Swan 2008), and musk ketone, a syn-thetic fragrance ingredient that concen-trates in human fat tissue and breast milk (Hutter 2009; Reiner 2007).

Learn about your favorite fragrance by visiting www.ewg.org for more infor-mation on this study.

Think You’re Gluten In-tolerant or Have Celiac?University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center will hold another successful free blood screening on Saturday, October 2, 2010.  In addition to screening 500+ people for Celiac Disease--thanks to the generosity of Prometheus Laboratories--our panel of experts will take questions from the audience and exhibitors will showcase delicious gluten free products.

Registration is required for the screening.  Please call our office after September 1st.

The Q&A and exhibits are open to the public; no registration is required.

Every fall we hold a free, celiac blood screening day to test people who are at risk for celiac disease. Each year we test nearly 500 participants, who come to the University of Chicago from all over the country. Many of the participants would not otherwise have had access to celiac disease testing, either because their doc-tors refused to carry out the tests, their insurance would not cover the cost or they were uninsured altogether.

You are eligible for the free blood screening if you are at risk for celiac dis-ease. There is no need to fast before the test.

Pre-registration for the screening is essential. You may register by calling our office at (773) 702-7593. Registration opens on September 1, 2010. We will require a brief phone consultation before you register, to determine your eligibility.

The blood screening is held on the 4th Floor of the University of Chicago Duchossois Center for Advanced Medi-cine. The test performed is the tTG-IgA, or anti-tissue transglutaminase test. This test is the most sensitive screening test available for celiac disease.

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Longevity / Anti-aging Therapies, Cont.Essential Oils Desk Reference, chapter 28

Essential Oils: Treatments for Arthritis, Heart Disease, and More

A growing body of clinical research during the last several decades indicates that essential oils have enormous potential to treat conditions ranging from acne to obesity.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) has been reviewed for its ability to block pain, relieve headaches, combat indigestion, boost mental alertness, induce weight loss, kill lice, and inhibit tumor growth.

Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) has been used to treat acne, kill fungi, and inhibit bacteria growth.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) fights travel sickness, reduces atherosclerosis, protects blood vessels, acts as a local anaesthetic, and has anticonvulsant properties.

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) has been researched for its action against tooth decay as well as its antifungal and anticon-vulsant activities.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) has been shown to en-hance alertness, combat fungi such as Candida albicans, and act as an antioxidant.

Orange (Citrus aurantium) halts fungus infection and in-hibits tumor formation. Limonene, an important component of orange and lemon oil has demonstrated similar tumor-suppressing effects in studies at Indiana University.

Basil (Ocimum basicilcum) has been shown to have anti-cancer properties.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata) has been studied for re-ducing inflammation, improving cerebral blood flow, inhibiting Candida growth, and treating bronchitis.

Many other documented benefits of aromatics have been recorded in recent medical literature.

Longevity NutritionDuring the last five years, D. Gary Young has traveled

throughout the world investigating the regions inhabited by most long-lived peoples on earth: the Ningxia province in China, Hunzaland in Pakistan, southern Ecuador, the Talish Mountain region of Azerbaijan, and the Copper Canyon of central Mexico. After intensively examining the dietary habits of these cultures, he found one common denominator: an ac-tive lifestyle and a mineral-rich diet exceptionally high in anti-oxidant foods, such as wolfberries and apricots.

In particular, he found that Chinese wolfberries (Ningxia variety) and potassium-rich apricots were two foods consumed by people routinely reaching 110 and 120 years of age.

D. Gary Young’s book, Longevity Secrets, discusses the scientific reasons why these foods may confer important anti-aging properties. This is certainly due to their extremely high content of minerals, such as magnesium and potassium, as well as a rich supply of potent natural antioxidants.

Research also indicates that foods high in antioxidants, such as wolfberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and spinach can dramatically increase glutathione levels and actu-ally reverse the signs of aging.

A new test developed by USDA researchers at Tufts Uni-versity in Boston, Massachusetts, has been able to identify the highest known antioxidant foods. Known as OFAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), this test is the first of its kind to measure both time and degree of free radical inhibition.

The Ningxia wolfberry was documented to have the high-est ORAC score of any food tested. A special variety grown on the Yellow River in the Ningxia Province of central China, the Ningxia cultivar is very different from any other type of wolf-berry. Among the 17 types of wolfberry identified, the Ningxia wolfberry has by far the highest levels of immune-stimulating polysaccharides. It also possesses over 33 times the antioxidant power of oranges and an incredible 120 times the antioxidant potential of carrots. In addition, the Chinese wolfberry is one of the most nutrient-dense foods known, rich in many vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamin C.

A diet high in antioxidants can combat the free radical damage in the body that is associated with free radical damage in the body that is associated with premature aging and degen-erative diseases.

The Hunza People – Limited Caloric IntakeThe Hunzakuts living in the remote Hunza Valley in

northern Pakistan are renowned for their longevity. The Hun-zakuts (as they call themselves) routinely live past ages 100, 110 and even 120. they also share another remarkable trait: the near absence of degenerative disease.

It is known that the diet of the Hunza people is high in potassium and low in sodium. Apricots, barley, millet, and buckwheat are the main staples of their diet along with mineral-rich water with a pH of 8.5. But there is yet another unusual factor that may protect the health of the Hunza people and increase their longevity: their limited food intake.

Because the land provides just enough food to cover their basic caloric expenditures, the Hunzakuts rarely indulge in overeating. In fact, prior to the construction of the Korakoram Highway, they annually endured near-fasting conditions for several weeks each spring, a time when the previous year’s food was depleted and the current year’s harvests had not yet begun.

Restricted caloric intake such as fasting can have powerful effects on longevity because it increases blood levels of growth hormone which is one of the most significant anti-aging hor-mones to be identified during the last two decades. Secreted by the pituitary gland, growth hormone production steadily de-

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clines with age. By age 70, the human body produces less than one-tenth of the growth hormone it did at age 20.

Clinical studies have repeatedly shown that growth hor-mone production is stimulated by low glucose levels. Because fasting depresses glucose levels, it leads to a surge in natural growth hormone production (Khansari et al., 1991).

Other studies have shown that the practice of caloric re-striction (providing all necessary nutrients but limiting calorie intake) results in increased longevity and postponement of dis-ease. Clive McCay at Cornell University showed that rats fed a diet low in calories but high in vitamins, minerals, and nutri-ents lived up to twice as long as rats fed on a regular diet (McCay et al., 1939). Ray Walford of the University of Cali-fornia in Los Angeles found that in studies on mice, the greater the reduction in calories, the longer the animal lived – as long as the vitamin and mineral content remained constant and the calories consumed did not drop below 40 percent of the nor-mal (Walford et al., 1987).

Note: 46 footnotes/references from this chapter are not included here, as well as 7 charts/graphs of research studies. The Essential Oils Desk Reference may be purchased online from various sources. Here’s the link for Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=essential+oils+desk+reference&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=1144030841&ref=pd_sl_13x01lb2c1_b

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