Health-Essentials.info Newsletter | May 12, 2008

Greetings again from Lincoln, Nebraska.  Finally, it hasn't taken two months to get another newsletter out to you.  Hope you find something in it that's helpful.

Two points of personal business:

First, before I go anywhere else this time, I'd like to take care of a couple of items of personal business.

In my last newsletter, I passed along a warning about the Young Living essential oil blend, RutaVaLa, and suggested that, if you had any, you return it to Young Living.  Well, when they saw this, a couple of people on this list contacted me about it.  It seems that I may have had some bad information.  I'm not certain what is going on with my original source on this, as yet (I've been told that they are "pooling the references to Ruta, a.k.a. 'rue'"); but, after looking into this some more, I'd like to tentatively retract my earlier warning.

There is some research that suggests that ruta oil could be toxic; but, according to one source, the bulk of the studies seem to indicate that it is safe to use, as long as you use it reasonably.  And, I'll keep you updated on the information I get, as I get it.

That said, I'd encourage you to feel okay with getting and using RutaVaLa, as long as you are not pregnant or have liver or kidney problems.  Don't take 10-20 drops in a glass of water before bed (as Gary Young suggests); but, feel safe in taking 2-3 drops in a capsule before bed, and increase over time, to your level of tolerance.  And, of course, RutaVaLa has aromatic and topical applications, as well.  Gary recommends using it on your feet every day, as well as along the spine — as in RainDrop.

Secondly, I'd like to thank Carola and Debra for bringing this matter to my attention and giving me some extra information to work with.  I really appreciate your input with this.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say to the rest of you on this list that I'm fine with your input on anything I have to say.  I'd appreciate your being respectful; but, this is more of an information sharing kind of thing than my speaking as an authority.  Such sharing takes place best in dialogue.  So, feel free to let me know what you think or ask your questions.  And, most importantly, if I'm wrong about something, let me know.

For my part, in the future, I'll try to be more careful about checking out what I pass along to you.

Anti-Aging Tip: The importance of the evening campfire

I received a newsletter recently from Dr. Al Sears, M.D. that included an article entitled, Tell your story, save your memory (you can read it here).  In it, he related how there are three levels of memory, two of which are relatively untouched by the ravages of aging.  However, the third level, the part that remembers your personal story — the part that has to do with who you are — can be severely affected by age and disease, as in the case of Alzheimer's.

In Tell your story, save your memory, Dr. Sears recommends recording the story of your life in some way.  You could write out your memoirs or video/audio tape yourself telling about important — or otherwise memorable — events of your life.  You can then review these recollections yourself or get together with others to share it.  In this way, you'll never lose track of that most important part of your memory: who you are.

A few years ago, my brother traveled from his home in the Boston area to Lincoln, to record the story of my parents.  Incorporating still photos, audio recording and video, he traced their recollections of their childhood, how they met and other important "events" in their lives.  He even shot some video of my dad telling about — and walking his grandson through — some woodworking projects he did when he was Erik's age.  The result is priceless.

I would encourage you to do something of this sort.

I saw on the news, as well, a report about how doing mental exercises — something as "simple" as crossword puzzles — could help to forestall the effects of dementia.  The idea is that, by working the brain in this way, you are creating alternate chemical pathways in the brain for memory and thought functions.

But, there is something else I'd like to suggest: The evening campfire (however you'd like to adapt and update that for modern life).  Going back thousands of years, family or tribal groups used to sit down, at the end of the day, around a fire.  The elders would tell their stories — which were far more than personal anecdotes; they were life lessons — and pass along the accumulated wisdom of their people.  It was a time of remembrance, of bonding, of being identified as a family or a people: the question of "who are we".

As was noted above, this practice can have a powerful effect in keeping the mind sharp as we age.  But, it can also have a more powerful effect in helping us to have a sense of belonging; something that is critical for all of us to have.  It allows us to gather and retain the collective wisdom of who we are, and elevates our elders to a place of honor among us.  It's how we can pass along our heritage.

And, research has shown that the things we engage our minds with just before sleep is retained far better than any other time of the day.  I suspect that the miracle of sleep and dreaming plays an important role in this; and, I think that investigation would show that the retelling of "tribal" stories before bed has a powerful effect on developing — and directing — imagination in children.

I'm not going to say, "Let's all go RVing"; but, getting back to a more primitive — and multi-generational — life-style could have tremendous rewards.

A natural way to deal with a crazy day:

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I've been getting some help on the boring details of updating my websites from a young man named Isaiah.  He has been a blessing; but, before his arrival one day, I was scurrying around, trying to take care of a bunch of little tasks, in preparation for his arrival.  By the time he got here, I was feeling pretty frazzled (that's an actual word in Nebraska) — and, I'm not too sure that I was all that coherent.

But, instead of just floundering away and losing a lot of time, I reached for my bag of essential oils and pulled out the blend Grounding.  After placing a few drops into the palm of my non-dominant (left) hand and stirring it with the index and middle fingers of my dominant (right) hand, to increase the frequency of the oil, and giving it a good sniff, I applied the oil to my temples, behind my ears and on the back of my neck.

The effect was amazing.

Within seconds, I could feel something like an electrical charge unspooling in my head.  It was probably a shift in the electricity; all that chaotic energy becoming balanced and orderly.  For the rest of the day, I was able to work efficiently and creatively.

A few minutes later, just to amplify the effect, I applied Gathering in the same way.  It really was wonderful.

Himalayan Living Salt: A natural way to condition the air in your home

About a year ago, I was introduced to Himalayan Living Salt and, in particular, to the salt lamps.  I had been having recurring respiratory infections (from mold in the house, as it turns out), and I thought that the salt lamps would be one way of helping out my respiratory system.

I was right.

After plugging it in and letting the light inside heat the Living Salt, the air had a decidedly cleaner, lighter feel.  I also noticed that little clumps of something (it was dirt and allergens in the air) covered the table surface around the lamp, extending out quite some distance.

I'd heard from a person at my local health food store that she was terribly allergic to cats.  But, she owns several of them; they even sleep in her bedroom at night.  How can she do this?  She has a salt lamp in every room.

But, the point of this story is this: The bathroom in our house has been a persistent problem for several years.  No matter how often we clean it, no matter what we clean it with, the air is so bad that, just breathing it for a few minutes, will set me on the path to a respiratory infection.  But, this last week, we added a Himalayan Living Salt lamp to the room and, within minutes, the air was breathable — not fresh; but, not foul, either.

I would encourage you to check these out.

Water bottle safety: Dangers in your bottled water

I've received an email that told the story of woman recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  This woman was told by her doctor that she should avoid drinking bottled water that had been left in the car.  The doctor explained that the heat causes chemicals in the plastic of the bottle to leach into the water.  These chemicals are estrogen-mimicking, and have been found in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer.  Since breast cancer is estrogen-driven, this is a really serious matter.

The email also warned of drinking water from bottles that had been put in the freezer.

But, the hazard to your health doesn't stop there.  In the news recently, there was a report that the hormone-mimicking chemical bisphenol A (BPA), used in Nalgene bottles, poses a greater risk than previously thought.  Of course, the FDA and the plastics industry argue that the levels of BPA that leach into foods or water stored in these containers is so minute, they pose no threat to your health.  However, even very small amounts of a hormone (or hormone-mimicking chemical) can disrupt the hormonal system; and, studies have shown that many Americans have higher levels of BPA than those found to cause harm in lab animals.

As Dr Joseph Mercola points out on his website, "Suspicions were raised on all polycarbonate plastics after researchers found birth defects and developmental abnormalities that caused miscarriages in mice.  In the last ten years, some 700 studies have been published about BPA — most of them indicating serious health hazards, at least in animals."  He goes on to state, "In animals, BPA increases aneuploidy, a defect consisting of abnormal loss or gain of chromosomes, which in humans could possibly lead to miscarriages or disorders such as Down Syndrome."  (See the full article here.)

The recommendation is to stop using Nalgene bottles — or any polycarbonate plastic bottle.  Specifically, don't use anything with the recycling label No. 7, as these varieties may contain BPA.  Containers marked with the recycling labels No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 don't contain BPA; however, they may contain other unsavory chemicals that you're best off avoiding.  Instead, use glass.

And, in a perfect world, using glass would be no problem.  However, sometimes, it just doesn't seem practical to do that.  In such cases, essential oils can be a great benefit.  Many of the oils, particularly oils like peppermint or lemon, are excellent at dissolving chemicals in the system, making it easier for your body to detoxify.  Applied topically or ingested, these oils give you a powerful counter-balance to the chemicals we're all exposed to every day.  Even inhaled, the oils can have a powerful detoxifying effect.  Dr. Mercola lists some other detoxification steps you can take.

S. 1375 (The MOTHERS' Act): A nightmare waiting to happen

Just a quick little note to alert you to the issue of S. 1375 (The MOTHERS' Act).  You can read the details at this link.  The important facts here are that the House version of this bill has already been passed.  The Senate version is still in committee.  This bill would significantly infringe upon health freedom in this country by requiring that all new mothers be screened for depression; and, the required test basically triples that diagnosis.  Medication would then be essentially required.  Failure to comply has already led to parents losing their children to the state.

That's it for this time.  Stay well and happy.

Tom Anson
Health-Essentials.info
301 Glenhaven Dr
Lincoln, NE  68505

Phone: 402-489-5064