Salt May Be An Addictive Natural Antidepressant (comments on this article)

This article is talking specifically about table salt (I call "table poison"). I would suggest that if you find you have an addiction to table salt, stop using it. Deficiencies of minerals and nutrients have been proven to cause depression and other mental and physical maladies. Do realize that you probably crave it because you need the minerals found in natural salt. Change out your table to sea salt. The best sea salts are Himalayan or Celtic sea salts. They have the most minerals. Sea salt is not bad for you... and tends to taste more salty than table salt. Watching out for table salt includes watching for salt in prepackaged foods and avoiding them. There is a good chance that this simple change could help stop the cravings and help your health, all at the same time. Barbara

Newsmax Health
Salt May Be An Addictive Natural Antidepressant

Most Americans eat too much salt, and a new study may explain why we grab a bag of chips when we feel blue—salt may be a natural antidepressant.

University of Iowa researchers found that when rats were deficient in sodium chloride, common table salt, they didn’t participate in activities they had previously found pleasurable, such as pressing a bar that stimulated a pleasure center in their brains.

“Things that normally would be pleasurable for rats didn’t elicit the same degree of relish, which leads us to believe that a salt deficit and the craving associated with it can induce one of the key symptoms associated with depression,” said UI psychologist Kim Johnson.
The theory that salt creates a natural “high” could help explain why we eat so much of it, even when we know it is associated with health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.

Average daily salt intake worldwide is about 10 grams a day, six grams greater than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendation, and as much as eight grams above the amount the body actually needs.

Experts believe evolution may play a part in our love of salt. Early creatures lived in salty oceans, but after man moved inland and away from easy access to salt, his body still needed it to help fluids pass in and out of cells and to help nerves transfer information.
“Most of our biological systems require sodium to function properly, but as a species that didn’t have ready access to it, our kidneys evolved to become salt misers,” Johnson said. Human beings, like other animals, have an innate system that remembers the location of salt sources, and a pleasure mechanism is activated when salt is eaten.
Now scientists are finding that salt is an additive substance that is abused almost like a drug. Those who eat too much salt do so knowing it is harmful to their bodies – a hallmark of addiction. Another aspect of addiction, cravings when drugs are withheld, also applies to animals that become deficient in salt. Experiments have shown the same areas of the brain are involved.
“This suggests that salt need and cravings may be liked to the same brain pathways as those related to drug addiction and abuse,” Johnson said.
Editor's Note:
Table Salt Linked to Exhaustion and Immune Disorders

25 Random Thing about Me

Okay, Betsie!!! I did it ... here is my list (smile)

1. I am concerned about the way Americans are willingly being stripped of their freedoms, and that the mention of God's name and His values are systematically being taken out of our school books and recorded history.

2. I LOVE science and believe that science DOES prove God exists ... I can give the names of many TOP world renowned scientists who believe in God, who themselves were not believers at one time ... who later began to believe in God because their studies in science led them to realize there HAS TO BE a creator. I can disprove the religion of Evolution with scientific fact.

3. I was an apprentice mid-wife in the 80's... and one of the biggest influences in my life was and STILL IS Jane Even... she taught me how to be a godly mother, to not overlook and to appreciate the simple things in life, and about eating healthy.

4. I don't believe in taking prescription drugs, but DO believe that good foods, herbs, homemade probiotics and laughter and good food ARE our medicine.

5. I love history, but hated it in school.

6. I cry almost every day ... most times 'cuz I am happy, sometimes 'cuz I am sad. I didn't realize that until I was sent another questionnaire by my niece and one of the questions was,"when was the last time you cried?"

7. My mother wanted to name me Barbeth (after her best friend). My father wouldn't let her. So, she named me Barbara. I always disliked my name: Bar-bar-a ... a blahhhh name. BUT my name means odd, peculiar and strange -- hahaha! I guess it is fitting.:)

8. My favorite place on earth to be -- is with my family.

9. I love being a grandma, music, art, animals and the way the sun feels

10. I use the computer alllllll day long, and depend on it for communication -- BUT I hate the computer!

11. I know a lot about the computer and can often fix or can even clean a computer, but struggle with a simple camera.

12. I hate talking on the phone.

13. I am a night person. I was always told that as I became older I would start to like waking up in the mornings. I am almost 50, and I still don't want to get out of my cozy bed. I find it hard to get to bed before midnight.

14. I like being alone. I don't have opportunity to be alone much, though. I keep pretty busy. I wish I was home more often!

15. I don't believe in putting anything on your skin that you wouldn't be willing to eat. Our skin is our largest organ, and it absorbs everything we put on it ... and what we absorb in our skin goes into our blood and other organs and affects us.

16. I avoid eating wheat, white foods (bleached foods, including table salt!), sugar, sugar substitutes, artificial flavors and colors, MSG, sodas, alcohol, boxed or canned foods.

17. I feel that the FDA has failed us, big time! Splenda, Sweet & Lo ... all those kind of sugar subs are poison. Genetically modified foods (GMO) are poison. Almost every food on the shelves today has high fructose corn syrup (another GMO poison) ... Monsanto has been allowed to make our food supply Round-Up Ready and patent it (contaminating our food supply even more) ... and the FDA sits back and allows Americans to consume genetically modified poisons and prescription drugs gal lore (like guinea pigs) -- but won't allow us to buy raw milk? Go figure!

18. I tell my friends who use artificial sweeteners to use stevia instead, it is actually good for the body. It is too sweet for me. I use honey or coconut oil for a sweetener if needed.

19. I try to eat raw foods, make everything from scratch, prefer using: organic foods, sea salt. honey and make my own kefir milk, kefir water, kombucha, wheatgrass, distilled water and sauerkraut juice for drinking.

20. I never put ice in my beverages

21. I had always planned to go to school to become an MD after my children had grown up -- I would love to practice medicine as a missionary in a third world country... BUT there is a BIG problem: I disagree with most of the stuff they are teaching medical doctors today (especially related to prescription drugs and surgery) that I feel I would be thrown-out my first semester of school for disagreeing with everything.

22. I am proud that I worked hard to get my ThD, but I have to admit ... I have learned more in my life from reading thru the bible many times and through life experience ... It is true, I have had a lot of bad things happen in my life, but they have helped me to appreciate life so much more.

23. I believe that being a mother is the hardest job in the world, and that mothers deserve a lot more recognition. Secondly, teachers should be paid a lot more money!!!

24. I home schooled my children.

25. When I die, I don't want to have a funeral. I want a party! REALLY! I want the song by Rick Mullens played, "When I Leave I want to Go Out Like Elijah." ... "when I look back on the stars, it will be like the candle lights in Central Park and it won't break my heart to say goodbye."

My Favorite Yahoo Groups!

If you have never been a member of a Yahoo Group, you are missing out on a wealth of shared information. You will meet the most wonderful people with like interests, experience or training. I cannot count the times that I have had to rely on the expertise of my fellow Yahoo Group members to find resources and information that I could find no where else. Check out these groups: they are my favorites!!! If you don't want to be bombarded with each e-mail as they come in from each member, sign up to receive the daily log instead of individual e-mails.

http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=EnzymesandAutism@yahoogroups.com
http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Kefir_making@yahoogroups.com
http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=FlaxSeedOil2@yahoogroups.com
Real_Kefir_Making@yahoogroups.com
http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=GFCFNN@yahoogroups.com
candidasupport@yahoogroups.com
http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=holihome@yahoogroups.com
http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=discussingnt@yahoogroups.com

RE-CYCLING UNWANTED ITEMS
http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=freecycleneworleans@yahoogroups.com -- a wonderful group of people (been a member for abt 5 or 6yrs) ... we exchange unwanted items, instead of throwing them into landfills. There is probably a freecycle in the area where you live. Make a YahooGroup Search for the word "freecycle" to find a group in your area.

What's the Deal with Acidic and Alkaline Foods?

You hear that it is not good for your body to be too acidic... that cancer and all kinds of bad stuff love to live in an acidic environment... then, you hear that Kombucha and lemons are good to eat. Go figure! This explanation might help you: Kombucha can be found in both ACID and ALKALINE lists... because sometimes an acidic food can act as an alkaline and visa versa. For example, lemons are acidic and are actually alkaline forming in the body; therefore, good for you.There are several lists of alkaline and acid forming foods. Here is my favorite list, it is the most concise I have found, PLUS it has lots of explanations for everything in the lists. I copied and pasted the list from the ALKALINE/ACID FORMING FOODS. Please take the time to go to this website and read more about this. There is no reason to re-create the wheel -- the info is there ... it is reader friendly, and has been very well put-together. So, let me make my intro short and sweet, so you can get to the real meat of my message here:

The below list has been copied from their chart information. More info is available at http://www.rense. com/1.mpicons/ acidalka. htm

ALKALINE FORMING FOODS

VEGETABLES
GarlicAsparagusFermented VeggiesWatercressBeetsBroccoliBrussel sproutsCabbageCarrotCauliflowerCeleryChardChlorellaCollard GreensCucumberEggplantKaleKohlrabiLettuceMushroomsMustard GreensDulceDandelionsEdible FlowersOnionsParsnips (high glycemic)PeasPeppersPumpkinRutabagaSea VeggiesSpirulinaSproutsSquashesAlfalfaBarley GrassWheat GrassWild GreensNightshade Veggies

FRUITS
AppleApricotAvocadoBanana (high glycemic)CantaloupeCherriesCurrantsDates/FigsGrapesGrapefruitLimeHoneydew MelonNectarineOrangeLemonPeachPearPineappleAll BerriesTangerineTomatoTropical FruitsWatermelon

PROTEIN
Eggs (poached)Whey Protein PowderCottage CheeseChicken BreastYogurtAlmondsChestnutsTofu (fermented)Flax SeedsPumpkin SeedsTempeh (fermented)Squash SeedsSunflower SeedsMilletSprouted SeedsNuts

OTHER
Apple Cider VinegarBee PollenLecithin GranulesProbiotic CulturesGreen JuicesVeggies JuicesFresh Fruit JuiceOrganic Milk(unpasteurized)Mineral WaterAlkaline Antioxidant WaterGreen TeaHerbal TeaDandelion TeaGinseng TeaBanchi TeaKombucha

SWEETENERS
SteviaKi Sweet

SPICES/SEASONINGS
CinnamonCurryGingerMustardChili PepperSea SaltMisoTamariAll Herbs

ORIENTAL VEGETABLES
MaitakeDaikonDandelion RootShitakeKombuReishiNoriUmeboshiWakameSea Veggies

ACID FORMING FOODS

FATS & OILS
Avocado OilCanola OilCorn OilHemp Seed OilFlax OilLardOlive OilSafflower OilSesame OilSunflower Oil

FRUITS
Cranberries

GRAINS
Rice CakesWheat CakesAmaranthBarleyBuckwheatCornOats (rolled)QuinoaRice (all)RyeSpeltKamutWheatHemp Seed FlourDAIRYCheese, CowCheese, GoatCheese, ProcessedCheese, SheepMilkButter

NUTS & BUTTERS
CashewsBrazil NutsPeanutsPeanut ButterPecansTahiniWalnuts

ANIMALPROTEIN
BeefCarpClamsFishLambLobsterMusselsOysterPorkRabbitSalmonShrimpScallopsTunaTurkeyVenison

PASTA (WHITE)
NoodlesMacaroniSpaghettiOTHERDistilled VinegarWheat GermPotatoes

DRUGS & CHEMICALS
AspartameChemicalsDrugs, MedicinalDrugs, PsychedelicPesticidesHerbicides

ALCOHOLBeerSpiritsHard LiquorWine

BEANS & LEGUMES
Black BeansChick PeasGreen PeasKidney BeansLentilsLima BeansPinto BeansRed BeansSoy BeansSoy MilkWhite BeansRice MilkAlmond Milk

FOCC for Breakfast

• (Flax / Oil and Cottage Cheese) for Breakfast
  
  It is very important to start your day with a big breakfast. Breakfast should be large, lunch -- medium portions, dinner -- small portions. If you are like me, breakfast is easy to neglect. I am not really hungry for breakfast... nonetheless, it is the most important meal of the day. It is the meal following the breaking of a long night's fast (break fast). Soooooooo, I force myself to eat breakfast.
  
  That aside...lets talk about the best breakfast I have found.
  
  If you are already making milk kefir, you are one step ahead of others; because this recipe requires active culture cottage cheese... and if you are a milk kefir maker, you can make your own cottage cheese from your kefir curds. If you don't make your own milk kefir yet, that should be something you should consider doing -- kefir is just amazing stuff!
  
  There is a good chance you have never tasted active culture cottage cheese. Live culture cottage cheese is a totally different thing than regular cottage cheese you buy in the store. You can buy active/live culture cottage cheese in many health food stores. When I do buy it instead of making it, I buy Nancy's ... it is so delicious! You can mix it with any fruit, raisins or kimchee (for a spicy variation) or just plain.
  
  Okay, here what I eat in the morning:
  
• when I wake up I drink a glass of water kefir OR homemade sauerkraut juice (these are made in bulk in advance, all ready and sitting in the fridge)
  then put 2 drops of wild oregano under my tongue and let it dissolve. Here is the kind I buy: http://www.bioinnovations.net/products.asp?dept=1046
  
• then I drink around 2 oz. of orange juice w/ 1/4 tsp of vitamin c powder. (you can make the vitamin C powder yourself, or just buy it already made -- I do both) ... and a full tsp of cod liver oil.
  

then I eat my FOCC. It is important to eat the FOCC within the hour. The lignens are most powerful immediately after they are ground.

INGREDIENTS FOR FOCC

• coffee grinder
• wand/hand blender

1/4 cup flax seeds (freshly ground in a coffee grinder)
3 Tbsp flax oil (I buy B w/out lignens)
6 Tbsp cottage cheese
pinch of raw unprocessed honey
banana
blueberries (small handful)
1/8 - 1/4 cup shredded coconut (natural kind -- without sugar or additives!)
uncooked organic oats (small handful)
(I add other fresh fruit at whim)

Click here to see a video of Sandy making FOCC http://www.budwigvideos.com/ . It is vital that you whip the cottage cheese with the flax seed oil until all the oil is absorbed.

After approx. an hour after I have eaten my FOCC, I take a sublingual B complex (a small tablet under the tongue). Here is the kind I use. They are the best:
http://www.trivita.com/sublingualb12/sublingualb12.com/order/us/?SOURCE=goog&KEYWORD=trivita&gclid=CJ3c1dz3-JcCFQRhswodYlU-Dw&sid=854&mid=24SOURCE=goog&KEYWORD=trivita&gclid=CJ3c1dz3-JcCFQRhswodYlU-Dw&sid=854&mid=24

That is my breakfast! During the day I drink hot organic green tea, herbal mint tea, organic hot black coffee, organic hot chai, kefir water or kombucha and distilled water. If I feel hungry between meals I eat raw almonds.

FOCC is great for people who are suffering with almost anything, including cancer. I actually know of some people who have been sent home to die and started following the Budwig Protocol and are living and doing well today. If you are interested in learning more, here is the group's website FlaxSeedOil2@yahoogroups.com . Also, follow the links suggested by Sandy's video above. There is much more to the Budwig Protocol than FOCC ... I have learned a lot from Dr. Budwig's writings.

How to Get Rid of a Headache

I used to have horrible migraines regularly. My husband could always tell me when I was starting to get a migraine, he would notice my right eye turning in -- sort of like a lazy eye kind of a thing. I haven't needed to take a migraine medicine (over the counter or prescription) in probably 6 years or more years, because I don't get migraine headaches anymore. Here is what I use now:

• Oil of Wild Oregano (Oreganol is a good brand -- and is sold in most health food stores)
  
• Sublingual Vitamin B Complex (look online for TriVita -- that is the best. It costs a little more, but it is worth it!)

2 other very important things that you may consider is getting rid of all forms of MSG and sugar (especially fake sugar).

If you MUST eat sugar, eat natural forms of it: honey, molasses, blue agave or sweet herbs like stevia (stevia is not only a very sweet herb, but is good for you). Try to avoid any white foods (bleached foods). Better forms of sugar are raw organic cane or brown types ... last option white. On the other hand, let me STRESS this point, you are better-off eating white sugar than eating any sugar substitutes. AVOID alllllllllll sugar substitutes like as if your life depends on it. They are soooooo dangerous. On that same note: avoid high fructose corn syrup like the plague!

There is one more IMPORTANT and easy change that you can make right away, stop using white table salt "table poison." Use only natural sea salt; Himalayan and Mediterranean sea salts are the best. They are packed with minerals you need and will not cause all the problems that white processed salt will cause. You can pretty much eat as much sea salt as you want. Our body needs salt. That goes back to that whole electrolyte thing that you probably have heard about, especially when dealing with children with high fever or diarrhea. We all need a balance of salt, potassium and iodine to sustain life.

NOTE: Maintaining a good sugar and salt balance is important. It is how we get the salt and sugars that often will determine our health. For example: an imbalance of our body's sugar will directly affect our hormone secretion, visa versa; hormones secretion regulates our sugars. Get sugars and salts from natural resources.

Also, if after trying the above suggestions you find none of the above things help you, I would advise you to stop eating all forms of gluten (that includes wheat) and corn. If there is still no change, cut out milk (unless in fermented forms, such as kefir and/or yogurt) and peanuts... your headaches might be the result of common allergies.

What about coffee? I would not immediately cut out caffeine as some suggest, unless you are drinking large amounts of caffeine (that in itself will give you withdrawal headaches). One cup of black organic coffee per day is fine in most cases. If after you have tried all the above and you still have headaches, cut out coffee and caffeine.

The best way to figure out your triggers is to isolate the irritants/possible triggers, and see which when eaten or not eaten cause notable differences. In other words, cut-out or add things to your diet one at a time, until you figure out what works best for you. Keeping a journal or log of all you are eating and how you are feeling during that time might be a helpful tool in helping you notice patterns that you might otherwise overlook.

If you think about it, it is really a miracle that we are still alive; considering all the junk we shovel in our mouths. Imagine if we were cars and we substituted gas for junk: what would happen? If God would have made us as well as one of the best engineered cars as you could find, we would be broken-down on the side of the road somewhere for sure! We are for sure, wonderfully and fearfully made by the hand of God. Only God could engineer such a resilient amazing machine.

You can go to my blog and read more info about things in general: I have been trying to gather all my old e-mails and re-format them and any previous written articles and post them on my blog site for easy access.

Broken Resolve: Why setting goals for 2009 is better than making “New Year’s Resolutions”

By Ashley Chin, PhD, MPH, MA

Each year about this time, people ask me, “So, what are your New Year’s Resolutions?” As I have been considering this lately, I’ve decided I’m not making any resolutions this year. Instead, I am developing “Goals for 2009”. What’s the difference you ask? It’s the difference between being disappointed sometime in mid-February and achieving lasting change throughout the year. Turns out, there’s a big difference between resolutions and goals.

Resolutions

• Usually time bound to January 1
• They are often all or nothing, once they’re “broken” they’re over
• Not always specific or measurable
• New Year’s resolutions tend to be huge, lofty goals that don’t always include the intermediate steps

Goals

• Can be made at any time and cover any time period (i.e. annual goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, daily goals)
• Are less rigid and can be measured by the amount achieved
• SMART: Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound
• Well written goals include objectives and action steps

Here’s an example of a typical New Year’s resolution:

2009 New Year’s Resolution: Get healthy.

Not very specific – what does “get healthy” really mean? How will you measure it? How do you know if you can achieve it? Is it really realistic for you to resolve to “get healthy? What is the deadline for this – February 1 or December 31?

Perhaps a better way to improve your health is to set goals for 2009. Here’s an example of one way to formulate goals:

Goal for 2009: Improve overall health by losing weight, controlling stress and improving eating habits.
Objective 1: Lose 10% of current body weight by June 1, 2009.
Action Steps:
1. Find out when Weight Watchers meetings are held and join one convenient to me.
2. Make list of non-food rewards.
3. Reward myself for each 5lb loss.
4. Buy new walking shoes.
5. Walk 20 minutes, 3 X per week.

Objective 2: Utilize stress management techniques at least twice per week, beginning March 1, 2009.
Action Steps:
1. Before March 1, learn about stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, prayer, biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation etc. by asking friends, calling local yoga/fitness facilities and reading books/internet.
2. Try at least three different techniques before March 1.
3. Beginning March 1, utilize a specific stress management technique at least twice per week.

Objective 3: Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day at least 5 days per week and limit alcohol/sweets to 2 days per week, beginning Jan.1.
Action Steps:
Make use of my cookbook collection and try a new vegetable recipe once per week.
Subscribe to the “Meatless Monday” internet newsletter for ideas on incorporating more fruits/veggies into diet.
Once per week, try one new fruit/vegetable I’ve never eaten before.
Invite girlfriends to come over for movie night (with healthy snacks) rather than meeting for drinks.

As you can see, the goals above are much SMARTer – specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and time-bound! Good luck with your goals for 2009.

Ashley is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor with over 15 years of experience. One of her goals for 2009 is to become a certified Wellness coach so that she can help others in their quest for total wellness. She can be contacted at ashleychinphd@gmail.com.