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The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health Bradley J. Willcox, D. Craig Willcox, and Makoto Suzuki See book keywords and concepts

Almost a quarter-century has passed since our team first began the search for Okinawan herbal tonics and healing foods in the rain forests of this island archipelago. Since that time much of the rain forest on the main island has disappeared. Roads are being built through previously impassable terrain, large swaths of forest are being used as training grounds for the local military bases, and shells are lobbed into the forest for Navy target practice. Unique plant and animal species are disappearing at an alarming rate.

With this caveat in mind, we present some of the potential neutraceuti-cal foods and healing herbs that Okinawans have been using and that may be playing significant roles in their lifelong health. TEN healing foods AND HERBS Our research in Okinawa has revealed that many healing herbs and foods have been used for decades to maximize the healing power of the traditional Okinawan lifestyle, and studies suggest that common phytochemical ingredients might be responsible for their beneficial effects.

This ninety-five-year-old dynamo not only lives the Okinawa way but also probably knows more about Okinawa's healing foods and herbal medicines than anyone else on the island. Fifteen years ago (when she was a mere eighty), Otasan wrote a book called Okinawa no Yakuso Hyakka (Herbal Medicines of Okinawa),' in which she shared the vast knowledge that had been passed down to her from her mother-in-law and had been part of the Ota family lore for generations.

Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition Paul Pitchford See book keywords and concepts

It must be remembered that the known nutrients are only one dimension of food, and that many of the most effective healing foods act in ways that cannot be fully explained or, in some cases, they have no nutritional explanation whatsoever. The above program has several major effects from the perspective of Chinese medicine: it removes mucus and stagnant qi and blood; it directs cooling yin fluids to the liver; and it detoxifies the system.

Optimum Health - A Cardiologist's Prescription for Optimum Health Stephen T., M.D. Sinatra See book keywords and concepts

This book will tell you the facts about vitamins, minerals, herbs, healthy fats, and other healing foods. It will address the tremendous confusion and controversy about high-carbohydrate, low-fat diets and say why I am convinced they are not the saviors we thought they were. It will also demonstrate to you how nutritional supplements can make a difference in our lives. It also includes a section devoted to the special needs of women and children. New antiaging strategies are discussed as well. This book is intended to expand your consciousness.

Prevention's New Foods for Healing: Capture the Powerful Cures of More Than 100 Common Foods Prevention Magazine See book keywords and concepts

A Whole-Diet Plan Even though you can help heal an ulcer by eating specific, healing foods, there's really no substitute for an overall healthful diet. Regardless of whether you're taking medication, "good nutrition will put the wind at your back when it comes to treating an ulcer," says Dr. Quillin. For starters, help yourself to a plantain. This cousin to the banana contains an enzyme that stimulates mucus production in the stomach lining, strengthening its natural defenses.

Healing Cultures Yogurt is one of the great healing foods. It has been used successfully for treating yeast infections, easing lactose intolerance, and boosting immunity. There's teason to believe that it may play a role in preventing ulcers as well. Yogurt's healing ability stems from the living stowaways it contains—live, healthful bacteria in every creamy cupful. "These are friendly bacteria that will compete with the bacteria that cause ulcers," says Dr. Quillin. The helpful bacteria in yogurt, such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus and L. acidophilus, hustle for elbow room inside the stomach.

In fact, cauliflower is one of the most powerful healing foods you can buy. Researchers have found two potent munitions in cauliflower's cancer-fighting arsenal: the phytonutrients sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol, or I3C. These compounds, which are found in all cruciferous vegetables, may be the reason that studies consistently show that folks who make a habit of crunching crucifers are less likely to get cancer. In one study, scientists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore exposed 145 laboratory animals to high doses of an extremely powerful cancer-causing agent.

Eat and Heal (Foods That Can Prevent or Cure Many Common Ailments) the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing See book keywords and concepts

You'll also find more than 50 chapters on individual healing foods, which will help add variety to your meals. The other chapters help you understand how specific conditions can be prevented or treated with certain foods. 'Eyeball' a nutritious piate You may have learned to ignore wild claims about fad diets, but sometimes its hard to understand advice from reliable sources. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food pyramid, for example, can be confusing, especially if you forget it's three-dimensional — with height, width, and depth.

Alternative Cures: The Most Effective Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems Bill Gottlieb See book keywords and concepts

CHINESE HERBS: For More Potent Congee Many alternative practitioners recommend adding healing foods or herbs to congee while it's cooking, Dr. Cohen says. For treating diarrhea, for example, she recommends adding 6 grams of lotus seeds (Han zi), 3 grams of euryale (qian shi), 3 grams of dried ginger (gan jiang), 6 grams of dioscorea (shan yao), 9 grams of poria (fu ling), 3 grams of codonopsis (dang shen), and 2 pieces of red dates (hong zao), plus fresh dates and cinnamon to taste. These herbs can be obtained from a Chinese herbal pharmacy or a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

PERCENT USE ALTERNATIVES In 1993, a study showed that 34 percent of all Americans— one in every three people—had used an alternative therapy in the preceding year (remedies like vitamins, herbs, healing foods, massage, homeopathy, relaxation techniques, and other natural treatments—exactly the kinds of remedies featured in this book). In the same year, Americans visited primary care physicians a grand total of 388 million times—while making 425 million visits to alternative practitioners (the kinds of practitioners interviewed for this book).

Miracle Medicine Foods Rex Adams See book keywords and concepts

Automatic pain-relieving foods so powerful they may be called Bionic healing foods! Thousands report spectacular cures and instant pain relief for scores of ailments with Miracle Medicine Foods, said to relieve pains immediately, make illness vanish, kill germs, fight infection, with actual penicillin power! So safe no prescription is needed. So powerful certain medications have had to be eliminated under a doctor's care! They include food supplements, massage or anything else that helped sufferers. All are foods, for if they helped in any way they are Miracle Medicine Foods for the body!

Optimum Health - A Cardiologist's Prescription for Optimum Health Stephen T., M.D. Sinatra See book keywords and concepts

GARLIC AND ONIONS Garlic and onions are considered by cardiologists to be two of the most healing foods. I have already discussed the healing properties of quercetin, found in onions. In addition, many clinical studies show that garlic and onions contain an active anticoagulant that acts very similarly to aspirin. Garlic has been known to lower blood pressure and inhibit platelet stickiness, thus reducing the possibility of blood clotting. The reported health benefits of garlic date back thousands of years. Garlic has been used in Greece, Egypt, Rome, China, and Japan for many centuries.

Miracle Medicine Foods Rex Adams See book keywords and concepts

Here are anesthetic healing foods said to make pain vanish, often in a matter of minutes! Arthritic Back In Wonderful Shape Now, Thanks To Alfalfa Tea! Mr. H.N. reports: "I have had arthritis in my back for a number of years. Three months ago it was so bad I could hardly get in and out of my car. Then I learned of a woman who had cured her arthritis by drinking alfalfa tea. I decided to try alfalfa seeds for my problem. I grind up three tablespoons every day and mix with yogurt or milk as part of my lunch. I am delighted that my back is in wonderful shape again." Mrs. A.Y.

PowerFoods: Good Food, Good Health with Phytochemicals, Nature's Own Energy Boosters Stephanie Beling See book keywords and concepts

Medical anthropologist John Heinerman, in his Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs, lists ten foods and two herbs that have been shown to be effective against diabetes—from blueberries, rich in the phytochemical called myrillin, to garlic and onions, so rich in infection-fighting substances called organosulfurs that they are seemingly omnipotent healing foods.* Traditional Chinese medicine also prescribes mushrooms, carrots, wheat bran, corn, and a tea made from dried guava leaves—in addition to garlic and onions—as diabetes fighters.

Natural Cures Michael Castleman See book keywords and concepts

Here's an overview of some of the best healing foods and the conditions they help. j Apples: The One-a-Day Treat Apples won't keep all doctors away, but eating one a day should reduce your need to consult gastroenterologists, cardiologists and oncologists. The core, as it were, of apples' healing value is the soluble fiber—pectin—in its pulp. More than 2,000 years ago, India's Ayurvedic physicians prescribed apples to relieve diarrhea. In tenth-century Britain, people said, "To eat an apple before going to bed/Will make the doctor beg his bread.

The Green Pharmacy: New Discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases and Conditions from the World's Foremost Authority on Healing Herbs James A. Duke, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

To encourage as many servings of healing foods as possible, I've scattered several recipes throughout this book. But I would certainly never pretend to be a great cook: I rarely measure ingredients at home, and I almost never cook the same dish exactly the same way. I go with a little of this and a handful of that, trusting my taste buds and the wisdom of using as broad a range of fruits, vegetables and herbs as possible. My "recipes" may seem imprecise at times, but the objective is to get you to experiment as much as possible with these tasty herbs.

In addition, I used an old Chinese approach that I got from Chinese healing foods and Herbs, a book by pharmacognosist (natural product pharmacist) Albert Leung, Ph.D. The Chinese soak their beans in water to which they add the annual wormwood (Artemisia annua). Finally, for added protection, I also followed an Appalachian anti-flatulence suggestion and cooked my beans with a small, whole carrot. If I'd had any wormseed, or epazote (Chenopodium ambrosioides), I would have added a dash of that as well. Mexicans cook their beans with this herb to reduce flatus.

Herbal Defense Robyn Landis See book keywords and concepts

Modern science is now acknowledging the efficacy of more healing foods, nutrients, and herbs by the day—most of which were already proven in the eyes of the Ayurvedists to be useful and effective. With the British takeover of India in the 1850s, Ayurvedic medical education was suppressed. Ayurveda could not be taken from the people, however, since it was so much a part of the way they lived and cared for themselves. So it continued on as a grassroots, people-based folk-healing legacy. After independence was regained in the late 1940s, the medical schools bounced back quickly.

Juice Juice is a good way to consume many of the healing foods listed in this section, especially if you might find it difficult to "fit" that much food into your diet (or your body) every day. You don't need to go to extremes: We don't recommend you live on juice, except for a very short period once in a very great while, if you or your natural health practitioner feel that such a "juice fast" helps you. In general, you need the fiber that comes from whole food, not to mention the experience of eating. Whole foods are important.

Stop the Medicine! A Medical Doctor's Miraculous Recovery with Natural Healing Cynthia A. Foster, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

One thing I did learn, was that as soon as I would say the words "natural," "vitamins," or "healing foods" to a medical doctor, he would automatically stop listening and try to get me to stop doing whatever natural, nonsensical, unscientific, un-proven quackery that I was doing. I went home that evening, got out the carrots, turned on the juicer, and I decided to make extra ounces of carrot juice every day to drink just for him. There has never been a single person hurt by carrot juice, only healed.

Herbal Medicine, Healing and Cancer: A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine See book keywords and concepts

Bee Pollen Bee pollen is one of the most nutrient-dense rejuvenative healing foods we can include in our diets. It contains all known nutrients and many unknown healing agents. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons per day to any food or drink. One should be careful not to cook it or expose it to high temperatures because many of its important enzymes will be destroyed. Bee pollen has been shown to contain an unidentified anticarcinogenic substance that slows the growth of breast cancer.

Alternative Medicine the Definitive Guide, Second Edition Larry Trivieri, Jr. See book keywords and concepts

Diet Therapy: The most basic element ofTCM is diet therapy, which utilizes the concept of "healing foods." A large body of knowledge on the therapeutic properties of foods has existed for several millennia in China. "For the majority of the Chinese population, folk remedies employing functional foods is the first step to correcting their mind/body imbalances," Dr. Ni says. "Often, a competent practitioner of TCM will recommend a specific diet to the patient based on specific medical needs.

Foods That Fight Pain: Revolutionary New Strategies for Maximum Pain Relief Neal Barnard, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Choosing pain-safe foods is as important as bringing the special healing foods in. 2. Add soothing foods that ease your pain. Foods that improve blood flow are of obvious importance in angina, back pain, and leg pains. Foods that relieve inflammation help your joints to cool down. Other foods balance hormones and will come to your rescue if you have menstrual pain, endometriosis, fibroids, or breast pain. Hormone-adjusting foods have also been the subject of considerable research in cancer, as we will see. 3. Use supplements if you need them.

Breast Cancer? Breath Health! The Wise Woman Way Susun S. Weed See book keywords and concepts

When you make your own medicines and healing foods, they are fresh, full of energy, and in tune with you and your environment. Making your own herbal remedies is simple and fun; directions begin on page 293. • The results and safety of any remedy are dependent on the way it is prepared and used. Notice that I prefer infused herbal oils (not essential oils) and powerful herbal infusions (not herbal teas). • Different people can have different reactions to the same substance, whether drug, food, or herb.

Viral Immunity J. E. Williams, O.M.D. See book keywords and concepts

There are over 2,500 different varieties of seaweed, and more than a few of them qualify as super healing foods. Among the most commonly used are kombu or kelp (Laminaria japonica); nori (a processed form of red marine algae made into flat, dark-colored sheets used to wrap sushi rolls); wakame (Undaria pinnat-ifida); and seaweeds from the red marine algae family Dumontiaceae. In the 1970s, researchers investigated red marine algae for antiviral activity and found several varieties that inhibited herpes simplex virus. Though in 1990, Michael Neushul, Ph.D.

The Complete Encyclopedia of Natural Healing: A Comprehensive A-Z Listing of Common and Chronic Illnesses and Their Proven Natural Treatments Gary Null, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

Since healing foods and supplements will not work optimally in a toxic system, the following detoxification methods are recommended: colonic therapy, high-fiber nutrients, exercise, and deep breathing of fresh air. Aromatherapy may help promote respiratory healing. A number of homeopathic remedies are used for patients with respiratory illnesses. Stress management is a crucial part of any respiratory health regimen. Chelation therapy acts as a lung-cleansing agent, and reverses free radical damage.

The Complete Book of Alternative Nutrition Selene Y. Craig, Jennifer Haigh, Sari Harrar and the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books See book keywords and concepts

When it comes to addressing specific health problems, many of us are more likely to rely on pills prescribed by a white-coated doctor and procured from the local pharmacy than to trust the powerful healing foods that are no further away than the local grocery store. The fact is, many of us are missing out on healing powers that no drug can duplicate. Medical experts now know that eating well can be a powerful antidote to disease, reducing your risk for medical problems such as Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even cancer.

Meet Elaine Gottschall's healing foods. They're just a few of the edibles featured on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, a plan designed to end the painful and debilitating intestinal symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). "I've had hundreds of letters from people with IBD who say that the diet helped them get well," says Gottschall, a Kirkton, Ontario, woman whose book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health through Diet, outlines the food strategy she originally used to ease her daughter's IBD.

Herbal Defense Robyn Landis See book keywords and concepts

Antioxidant Vegetable Stew aby Robyn Landis his chunky, hearty soup is a pleasant way to get your servings of healthful antioxidant vegetables along with other healing foods. It's a tasty meal anytime, but I like it especially when I'm feeling drained or depleted, or want extra insurance against infection. This soup is loaded with carotenoids, indoles, sulforafanes, and the antioxidant vitamins A and C, among other phytochemicals known for their healing, antimicrobial, and cancer-preventive properties.

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ABOUT THE CREATOR OF NATURALPEDIA: Mike Adams, the creator of this NaturalNews Naturalpedia, is the editor of NaturalNews.com, the internet's top natural health news site, creator of the Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org), a free downloadable consumer food guide based on natural health principles, author of Grocery Warning, The 7 Laws of Nutrition, Natural Health Solutions, and many other books available at www.TruthPublishing.com, creator of the earth-friendly EcoLEDs company (www.EcoLEDs.com) that manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products, founder of Arial Software (www.ArialSoftware.com), a permission e-mail technology company, creator of the CounterThink Cartoon series (www.NaturalNews.com/index-cartoons.html) and author of over 1,500 articles, interviews, special reports and reference guides available at www.NaturalNews.com. Adams' personal philosophy and health statistics are available at www.HealthRanger.org.