Dead Sea Herbs

Health and wellness for all

Site Search:

Archive for the 'Information' Category

February 28, 2011

Gett your fat butt off the couch

Fat and lazy

I think it is time to push americans a little harder toward helthier life style.

By using:
Tax incentives
Insurance premiums
Profiling for jobs like flight attendat, healthy foods stores and so on.
It costs the country too much to have so many fat and lazy people.
It does affect the economy.
It affects the national security.
We are becoming lazy fat and stupid.
Some Superpower!
That is if we want real freedom
Freedom from being sick
Freedom to have a full life
Freedom to being able to play with our kids and greandkids
Freedom to live longer
Freedom not to use medications
Freedom to keep the money for ourselves and not for big Pharma
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Two prominent Republicans came to the defense of First Lady Michelle Obama, breaking ranks with some of their party’s top stars who have taken jabs at her campaign against obesity.
Mike Huckabee
“What Michelle Obama has proposed is that we recognize that we have a serious obesity crisis, which we do,” said Huckabee, who calls himself a “recovering foodaholic” who once weighed 300 lbs.
The former Arkansas governor pointed out that 75 percent of military age youths in the United States do not qualify for military service “because they’re either overweight or obese.
“That’s serious,” he said. “This is no longer just a health issue, an economic issue. It is becoming an issue of national security.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has called himself portly, also distanced himself from conservatives critical of the first lady’s efforts to encourage young Americans to stay fit and eat healthy foods.
“I think it’s a really good goal to encourage kids to eat better,” Christie stressed.
“I’ve struggled with my weight for 30 years. And it’s a struggle. And if a kid can avoid that in his adult years or her adult years, more power to them. And

Obesity epidemic

Obesity in kids

I think the first lady is speaking out well,” he added.

While “I don’t want the government deciding what you can and what you can’t eat. … I think Mrs. Obama being out there encouraging people in a positive way to eat well and to exercise and to be healthy, I don’t have a problem with that,” Christie added.
Childhood obesity in the United States has tripled in 30 years.
Today, one in three US children are overweight or obese, meaning they are more likely than their normal-weight peers to grow up to be obese adults at higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease.
In my opinion The country is anly as healthy as it’s citizens.

February 26, 2011

Herbs of Kedem

Judean Desert Herbs

The ancient Hebrew medicine was practiced in the Land of Israel at least until the second century B.C., as attested by contemporary historians who described the export of ointments from the Judean Desert region.  Its approach included: the maceration of plants in oil (installations for such a process were recently discovered in Ein-Bokek, near the Dead Sea);

Emphasis on total change of an existing condition, as exemplified by symbol of snake on bar (current symbol of pharmacies), which Moses received: stick converted to snake and back.  Immediately upon receiving this symbol, he
performed an act of healing on himself: converting healthy hand to hand with leprosy, and healing it again.  This total transformation was typically performed with hormones-rich plants.
The Hebrew term Kedem means “antiquity” but also “forward”- and the idea of the name is that ancient remedies will be the basis for the remedies of the future.
Herbs of Kedem’s researcher, Isabelle Haim, a biotechnologist,  has succeeded to combine Dead Sea minerals with antiseptic local plants to create powerful anti-aging creams without any synthetic stabilizers or preservatives.  These creams bear biblical names related to their purpose:
KARMEL- following the name of the place where this rich anti-aging cream is made, and which means in Hebrew “God’s
Vineyard”, referring to the goodness o local crops on the desert’s verge.
MESHI- a rich facial serum for dry skin, meaning Silk in Hebrew, and indeed a silky texture is created by it
TSUKIM- a rich anti-wrinkle balm, applies the astringent features of desert shrubs to create anamazung Botox-like
natural lifting of wrinkled skin.  It means “cliffs” in Hebrew.
TISHREI is a gentle scrub for aging skin, containing rapidly absorbed oils and shredded jojoba seeds, rich in nourishing
proteins.  A weekly scrub with it creates wonderful results.  (In Hebrew, Tishrei is the first month of the year- a symbol
of skin regeneration).
AVIV, “spring” in Hebrew, is a cleanser for the skin, and BOKER, “morning” in  Hebrew, helps tone aging skin right after
the skin becomes loose at night.
The skin & body therapy line includes:
MACCABIM oil, meaning the ancient heroes that saved the Holy Land from Syrian invasion. Treatment for scars, hematomas, bruises, keloids, sprains, pigmentation, burns, eczemas, atopic dermatitis.  7 times more powerful than Aloe-Vera, and a first-aid must for any home.
REGALIM, meaning “legs” and festivals of pilgrimage to Jerusalem, is a balm for feet, nails & cuticles, using the powerful ingredients of MACCABIM.
MAZOR, meaning relief and healing  for chapped feet, athlete foot, jock itch, and together with MEDBAR oil (meaning desert), it treats psoriasis.
TOVA, meaning the good salve, supplements MACCABIM for eczema-affected skin.
SEPHORRIS, stemming from Nail in Hebrew, applied powerful Hyssop species to treat nail fungus.
BARKAN, stemming from Knee in Hebrew, provides relief for arthritis of joints, and helps improve motion of joints and slow down deformation.
Nikuz Organic Herbal Detoxification Tea
Importance of liver and kidneys for detox: “liver” in Hebrew means also “heavy, respectful”; “kidneys” in Hebrew mean also “totality”.
In our family we use many of the Kedem products. We know it is safe for our kids and grandkids.

February 24, 2011

THURSDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) — About 340,000 cancer cases in the

Healthy life style

This is life!

United States could be prevented each year if more Americans ate a healthy diet, got regular exercise and limited their alcohol intake, according to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

These types of lifestyle changes could lead to significant reductions in particularly common cancers such as breast (38 percent fewer cases per year), stomach (47 percent fewer) and colon (45 percent fewer).
The research about how a healthy lifestyle can reduce cancer risk was released Feb. 3 to mark World Cancer Day. The WCRF said its findings are supported by the World Health Organization’s new Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, a report that says that regular physical activity can prevent many diseases, including breast and colon cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
exercise to prevent cancer

Virtual living, real cancer

“Physical activity is recommended for people of all ages as a means to reduce risks for certain types of cancers and other non-communicable diseases,” Dr. Tim Armstrong, of WHO’s Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, said in a WCRF news release.

“In order to improve their health and prevent several diseases, adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity throughout the week. This can be achieved by simply walking 30 minutes five times per week or by cycling to work daily,” he advised.
Other healthy lifestyle habits that reduce the risk of cancer include quitting smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke, avoiding excessive sun exposure, and preventing cancer-causing infections, the WCRF said.
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Each year, 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 7.6 million die from the disease. But 30 percent to 40 percent of cancers can be prevented and one-third can be cured through early diagnosis and treatment, according to the WCRF.
The Underlying Causes of Cancer
Cancerous cells are always being created in the body. It’s an ongoing process that has gone on for eons. Consequently, there are parts of your immune system are designed to seek out and destroy cancer cells.
Chemicals

Just wash it!

Cancer has been around as long as mankind, but only in the second half of the 20th century did the number of cancer cases explode. Contributing to this explosion are the excessive amounts of toxins and pollutants we are exposed to, high stress lifestyles that zap the immune system, poor quality junk food that’s full of pesticides, irradiated and now genetically modified, pathogens, electromagnetic stress, lights, and just about everything that wasn’t here 200 years ago.

All these weaken the immune system, and alter the internal environment in the body to an environment that promotes the growth of cancer.
Cancer tumors begin when more cancerous cells are being created than an overworked, depleted immune system can destroy.
Constant exposure to tens of thousands of manmade chemicals from birth onward, chlorinated and fluoridated water, electromagnetic radiation, pesticides and other toxins, leads to the creation of too many free radicals and excessive numbers of cancerous cells.
Alone this would be enough to raise cancer levels, but combined with an immune system weakened by a diet of refined and over processed food, mineral depleted soils, and too much exposure to artificial light at night, the immune system at some point no longer is able to keep cancer in check, and it starts to grow in your body.
So again let’s start with basics. Please learn about food, chemicals around you and please exercize.

February 15, 2011

Citric acid in lemons

Mmmmmm

For brighter, softer skin use fresh lemon juice on any area of your body, including the knees, elbows, and face to brighten up and soften your skin. Lemon juice also fades freckles and age spots by applying lemon juice on the areas before going to bed. Over the course of a week or two, it will cleanse the skin and lighten its color. You can also add 1/2 cup of fresh juice to your bath water and soak for 20 minutes for an all over skin treatment.

If your skin is sensitive to the citric acid in lemons, you may dilute the lemon juice with a bit of water.  I apply lemon juice to my skin by putting the juice on an already moistened cotton ball. Do not apply lemon juice to your skin before sun exposure as it makes the skin more sensitive to the sun.
To exfoliate dead skin cells rub a cut lemon dipped into a half-teaspoon of sugar over your face for a few minutes, or create a mild mixture by using lemon juice, sugar and a small amount of water. Do this every night to help remove accumulated dead skin cells and refresh your skin.
Can Lemon Juice Help Pimples?
The short answer is yes…for some people. As with most acne treatments, whether prescription, a home remedy, or over the counter, many people find that it works wonders, while others see no improvement.
Lemon for your skin

Try it!

Lemon juice is, of course, a citric acid and very rich in vitamin C, which has benefits for all skin types. The citric acid acts to exfoliate the skin, an important step in treating acne. Lemon juice is also a natural skin whitener, so it can act to reduce a pimple’s redness.

A bit of lemon is also good for applying to fresh acne scars, both for the exfoliation that speeds up the healing and for temporary bleaching to improve the look of the skin.
Lemon is widely used in home beauty preparations. If you mix it with Aloe Vera, it can be used as a cleanser. Some people use them diluted with water as toners for oily skin.
Drink it too! Lemon water is good for your skin.
Lemon contains high levels of vitamin C. This citrus fruit rejuvenates your skin from the inside, enhancing your existing beauty and bringing a natural glow to your skin. Lemon water also flushes out toxins from the body, which also results in healthy skin and a glowing complexion, according to Iloveindia.com. Lukewarm water will bring out the best in your lemon water, according to Energiseforlife.com. Using water that is too cold or too hot will only cause the body to expand energy in order to process the liquid, while lukewarm water gives your body an easier time absorbing the nutrients.

February 14, 2011

Dress warm in winter

Winter beauty

My research:

What conditions contribute to common cold?
Below are several opinions that make sense to me.
Cold weather
It’s a mix of factors. Cold viruses thrive in cold weather. Cold weather and moving from heated environments to the outside causes drying of mucus membranes, mucus membranes are a first line defense, this usually causes itchy nose and the tendency to “pick” the nose or rub the eyes, introducing more viruses and bacteria.
The common cold virus will not survive in normal body temperatures. So if your body has the cold virus and you are exposed to cold weather, the virus can multiply. Breathing cold air can help the virus to reproduce if it is there. So try to keep your nose warm.
I would also think that if you were outside a lot in the cold, your body would be spending a lot of energy keeping warm, which would probably lower you immune system’s functioning by a bit.
During the flu season of 2005, an experiment was performed to test the idea that being cold can make you sick. 90 people kept their feet in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes, while a control group of 90 people put their feet in an
empty bowl for 20 minutes. Over the next 5 days, 29% of the group with chilled feet developed cold symptoms, compared to only 9% of the control group.
Professor Eccles explained this effect by saying that our bodies restrict blood flow to the extremities when we get cold to help conserve body heat for the torso and brain, which really need to be warm. Cutting off the blood flow reduces the supply of white blood cells which are the immune system’s primary weapon against germs.
Food. While his explanation makes sense, there may be a more general effect at work. The human body is a machine that accepts fuel in the form of food, and uses that fuel’s energy to keep us warm and to power our immune systems, muscles and brains. However, in frigid conditions our bodies have probably evolved to say “who cares if I might get sick a week later when I’m going to die of hypothermia in half an hour?”
Vitamins. Most immune system stimulants contain vitamin C. During an infection, vitamin C levels in the bloodstream decrease dramatically. Vitamins A, E and the mineral zinc are also necessary for proper immune system function. Other nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium are needed so that the cells of the body can easily absorb vitamin C. In other words, a good daily multi-vitamin, in addition to a well balanced diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can be good to fight a common cold and for overall good health.
Change of seasons. In the United States, most colds occur during fall and spring. The common cold starts some time in late August or early
September and incidents of cold remain high until March or April, after which they start to decline. Many scientists attribute the spread of common cold to the season as during fall and spring, people tend to spend more time indoors
and the chances of virus spreading from one person to the next increases.
Do as your mother told you and ware a hat in the winter time anyway. Covering your ears and head will at least make you more comfortable when the icy cold wind is whipping around. And you never know–holding in even a mere 7% of your body heat might just make you that much warmer.
Simple steps to follow
•Rapid temperature changes affect your immune system the most.
So dress warm in winter and don’t forget the hat.
•Don’t run your air conditioner too low in summer.
•Healthy life style is critical for strong immune system. Eat right and exercise.
•Don’t drink cold drinks in any season-period. Cold icy drinks kill your stomach.

chicken soup

Hot soup

If you get sick use home remedies. Not ibuprofen. Chicken soup!

Do not take antibiotics as a common cold remedy. There are hundreds of sites offering great home remedies.
In the winter don’t forget to let the fresh air in-open windows each day for a few minutes.
Be well!

February 11, 2011

Are all skin care products safe?

Is it safe?

Here is some valuable information about ingredients in skin care products.

Every white cream is in fact an emulsion of water with fatty materials.  Such an emulsion necessarily contains stabilizers and preserving ingredients.
Stabilizers
Include Propylene Glycol.  Propylene Glycol is used in antifreeze, hydraulic fluids and as a solvent. The material safety data sheet on this ingredient warns to avoid skin contact. Propylene Glycol is implicated in contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities; it can inhibit skin cell growth in human tests and can damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage. Is this in your moisturizer?

Antifreeze in skin creams

Skin scare

You can find it in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos and conditioner, lotions, deodorants, baby wipes, processed foods and many more personal care items. Studies have shown that it is retained in your system.  Find more about it and other risks of cosmetic ingredients in: www.ewg.org.

Preserving Ingredients
These appear in almost all cosmetic creams, and include triclosan, and methyl paraben (other forms are: propyl, ethyl, and butyl). Following is an excerpt from an article in the September 2002 issue of Happi (Household and Personal Products Industry) — a chemical industry trade journal “Cosmetic Product Preservation” by Jabbar Mufti:
“Typical preservatives used in the cosmetic industry include methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and propyl paraben and their derivatives. They disable activity in the bacterial wall to prevent fungal contamination. This action continues when the product is on the skin and may be absorbed into the skin tissue, taken up by the blood stream and ultimately reside in the major organs. The preservative action is so stable, it continues to work while inside the body, limiting the normal enzyme activity of the body. How do we know this? Autopsies performed on cancerous tumours have shown residues of methyl-, ethyl- and propyl parabens.”
Toxins in lipstick

Is it safe?

Scientists have found new evidence to show you why you should think carefully about using products that contain methyl paraben. “Their experiments show that xenoestrogens in a mixture can have a very significant effect in the presence of estrogen. The additive impact of a collection of xenoestrogens, each of them at concentrations beneath their individual “no effect” level, was to more than double the effect of natural estrogen by itself.”

Here`s the link to read the report on “weak” estrogens:

All organic skin care

Safe creams

The products offered on this site contain exclusively edible ingredients, of vegetal origin.  They contain no preserving ingredients, artificial fragrances or solvents.

February 9, 2011

Cure for cold

Common cold

I stumbled on this article in the Parade magazine and was shocked.

Millions of dollars are spent on a very scientific research. By very scientific people. Like this one.

Dr. Birgit Winther, an otolaryngologist and part of a cold-research team at the University of Virginia, is one of the top experts on the subject. For 30 years, this tidy, petite scientist has studied the untidy subject of sneezes, coughs, and runny noses. She’s the kind of fearless researcher who weighs dirty tissues, harvests mucus from swollen nostrils, and smears it on phones and light switches.

She suggest a few “simple” remedies. Dr. Winther calls drugs “simple remedies”!

Treat the individual symptoms that bother you most,” Winther advises. Her step-by-step plan: At the first sign of symptoms, take ibuprofen to ease sore throat, headache, and malaise. If a stuffy nose is a problem, add an OTC nasal spray. For a runny nose, use a prescription spray (especially useful if you must be around people the first three days of a cold, the most contagious time). Old-style antihistamines, such as Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton, can also alleviate congestion and sneezes but may make you drowsy

Great!

common cold

Tea and honey

Meanwhile the distinguished learned doctors are forgetting about very simple way to prevent cold and to get rid of cold quickly. My grandmother taught me a few tricks.

Like dress warm when it is cold outside! Like several layers of clothes, warm socks and shoes. Don’t forget the gloves. Put the heat on.

Don’t drink cold drinks. Forget the ice cream!

My own advise: stay fit and healthy. Then your immune system will do the job.

But if you get the cold forget the pills!

Hot tea with lemon and honey tastes better than ibuprofen that ruins your liver!

And chicken soup is much better for you and more pleasant than nasal spray.

For a runny nose, use a prescription spray”

Prescription spray? Why don’t you use the spray, doctor and I will get by with facial tissue for a day or two!

Old-style antihistamines, such as Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton, can also alleviate congestion and sneezes but may make you drowsy”

I honestly would prefer to get drowsy with the help of some good Bourbon!

“Whatever you do, Winther cautions, do not take antibiotics. They kill bacteria, not viruses. Doctors prescribe them more than 40 million times a year, which has led to more lethal, drug-resistant strains of bacteria.”

A agree about the antibiotics

And finally my advise: go to this site and thousands of other sites to get some GOOD advise.

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/cold-remedies

Just use common sense and forget the drugs!

And forget Dr. Birgit Winther!

February 9, 2011

Dry skin

Your face on ice

Winter is not good to our skin. The wind chaps. The dry air wicks. The combination blows us into the arms of the billion-dollar cosmeceutical industry, which awaits with pricey over-the-counter potions and serums promising to undo the season’s damage.

But these companies often promise much more than simple moisturizing. Their products can, according to their advertising, “help to boost oxygen microcirculation.” They can reset “the skin’s aging clock by converting resting stem cells.” They contain ingredients that can “turn on digestive enzymes that will only go after scars and wrinkles” or “help to promote collagen production.” In short, they can utterly transform your old, dry, thinning, wrinkled skin.
The FDA maintains a list of more than 80 companies _ including such beauty giants as L’Oreal, Avon and Revlon _ that the agency believes may be importing, manufacturing or shipping creams with drug claims.
“It is a good example of how people can use science-y-ness to try and sell a product,” said Dr. Ben Goldacre, who wrote about moisturizers in his book “Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks and Big Pharma Flacks.” “It is used decoratively as marketing in a way that is meaningless.”
The press materials for ReVive Peau Magnifique Youth Recruit, which costs $1,500 for four ampuls of serum at Neiman Marcus, say it “resets the skin’s aging clock by converting resting adult stem cells to newly minted skin cells.”
Telomerase, another ingredient in Peau Magnifique Youth Recruit, is “an enzyme that activates and differentiates dormant adult stem cells into brand new skin cells” and “repairs DNA fragmentation,” according to the product’s press materials.
But what effect does the telomerase in this product have on a customer’s skin? “We don’t know exactly,” Brown said. “We know stem cells line the hair follicle and sweat glands. They are on the surface. We don’t know if it has an effect on those cells.”
Brown added that ReVive tests the safety of each product it puts on the market.
Dermatologists interviewed for this story said most skin creams are harmless. If you like a product, enjoy it, they said, but realize your skin likely won’t be miraculously transformed.
“Go ahead, but it won’t do much more than a moisturizer that is a lot less expensive,” Yoo said. “It won’t be any better than Neutrogena or Cetaphil for less than a 10th of the price or a 100th of the price.”
Is DMAE safe for your skin?
From smartskincare.com
DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol) is a skin care ingredient enthusiastically touted by many skin care vendors. One of the reasons for its popularity is that it is one of the very few agents (perhaps even the only one) shown to produce some skin tightening and modestly reduce facial sag.
The researchers found that adding DMAE to the cultures of fibroblasts (key type of skin cells) produced the effect known as vacuolization. Vacuolization is often observed in cells after various types of damage as cells try to encapsulate and excrete foreign agents and/or their own damaged components. Hence the researches concluded that the vacuolization induced by DMAE was suggestive of cell damage. They also observed that DMAE impaired the ability of fibroblasts to divide. Notably, the above adverse effects reversed after DMAE had been washed out of the culture following a short-term exposure. (Long-term exposure has not been studied.)
What to do until such data is available? To be on the safe side, you could just wait and refrain from using topical DMAE. If you do not want to wait, it may be prudent not to exceed the strength of 1% of DMAE and watch out for any adverse effects, such as skin irritation.

January 31, 2011

The debate is raging on how to help sick people. I do not hear a lot about how to help people not to get sick.

In the long run this is the way to cut cost.

About health care…. again. And about personal responsibility.

Obesity in America
Healthcare

Here is the plan.

Get educated in what you eat, when to eat and how often you eat. Watch what you drink.

Information is available – watch the movies: Sicko, Food. Inc, Sweet Misery, World according to Monsanto

Exercise regularly. Why do some people take pills every day but neglect to exercise?

I would ban the escalators in the USA for the first three floors. Use your legs. You legs are designed for it.

I have noticed that when I go to the gym, people go up the escalator, work out and go down the escalator.

Only in America.

Watching too much TV

Alone with the TV

Caring, well-meaning parents drive their kids a half a block to the school bus stop, kids sit in the bus, sit in school, go back home sitting on a bus, and their caring parents drive them to the TV or computer.

Bus exhaust pollutes the air we breathe. We can stop buying Arab oil if we just use common sense and use our body’s abilities to move by itself. And we would save a bunch on health care because, if we would not be so lazy, we would have health not sickness. And because we would get healthier, we will not be stressed out so much about health insurance cost.

Trust yourself more then your doctor. I meet my doctor in the gym. Every time he seems to be surprised that I am in a better shape then he is. Why is he surprised? Have you seen doctors that look worse then their patients? Next appointment, pay attention to what shape your doctor is. Does your doctor look healthy? If not – change your doctor.

How can doctors help others if they cannot help themselves?

Eat in moderation

Do not “pig out”. You are supposed to enjoy your meal, not destroy it. Do not worry – you will have food to eat when you will get hungry.

Vote with your wallet. Do not buy junk, especially for kids. Sugar drives them crazy. It is not ADD or ADHD. It is sugar and lifestyle. Kids need to exercise. They need to use their energy. It is OK if they get a few bumps and bruises. Our kids get sick all the time by being around other kids – colds, ear infections, pink eye, etc. We understand the dangers and are used to it.

But why are we afraid of bumps and bruises? Bumps and bruises do not create chronic diseases, constant colds and infections do.

Take control of your life and your health. Do not count on doctors, government and insurance companies to do it for you.

Because if we do, we are not any better then chickens in one of the industrialized farms.

The difference is, we have a choice.

You are currently browsing the archives for the Information category.

Contact Us