Natural Communities Magazine A magazine devoted to the local natural wellness culture.

True health is possible when there is integration of all aspects of
a person’s being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

Understanding our total health, not just of the body, but the mind and the spirit enhances our own natural healing processes—allowing one to feel more empowered, have more energy and experience tranquility.

Franciscan Skemp Healthcare – Mayo Health System has now blended the demonstrated wisdom of holistic therapies with the proven practices of conventional medicine. Our Integrative Therapies team understands the total picture of a patient’s well being, and can tailor evidence-based recommendations from an integrative perspective. These therapies are designed to enhance — not replace —regular medical care.

It has been proven that complementary therapies, when included as part of an overall treatment plan can improve outcomes for a wide variety of health conditions. With this type of support an individual is empowered in following a unique and personalized path to wellness.

Offerings include acupuncture, life coaching, massage therapy, aromatherapy, spiritual direction and healing touch as well as regular classes in yoga, qigong and many more.

Come experience the demonstrated wisdom of Integrative Therapies in the beautiful healing environment of the Center for Health and Healing within the newly constructed Onalaska Clinic (191 Theater Rd.).

Patient-centered, physician-directed therapies for the whole person

For more a free brochure or to make an appointment at (608) 392-5005. Or please visit our website at www.franciscanskemp.org.

For the first time, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report in July on children’s heightened vulnerability to chemical exposures at different periods of their growth and development. The organization cites over 30% of the global burden of disease in children can be attributed to environmental factors, including pesticides.

The report, Principles for Evaluating Health Risks in Children Associated with Exposure to Chemicals, is a new volume of the WHO’s Environmental Health Criteria series. It highlights the fact that for children, the stage of their development when chemical exposure occurs may be just as important as the magnitude of the exposure. In respect to pesticides, the report cites several studies that tie pesticide exposure during key periods of development to neurobehavioral problems, Parkinson’s disease, and immunotoxicity, including respiratory diseases.

“Children are not just small adults,” said Dr. Terri Damstra, Ph.D., WHO’s team leader for the Interregional Research Unit, in WHO’s press release. “Children are especially vulnerable and respond differently from adults when exposed to environmental factors, and this response may differ according to the different periods of development they are going through.”

Air and water contaminants, pesticides in food, lead in soil, as well many other environmental threats may cause or worsen disease and induce developmental problems. The report notes that children have different susceptibilities during different life stages, referred to as “critical windows for exposure” or “critical windows of development,” due to their dynamic growth and developmental processes, as well as physiological, metabolic, and behavioral differences. Exposure can occur:

• In utero through transplacental transfer of environmental agents from mother to fetus or in nursing infants via breast milk.
• Through diet - children consume more food and beverages per kilogram of body weight than do adults, and their dietary patterns are different and often less variable during different developmental stages.
• Through inhalation and absorption - children have a higher inhalation rate and a higher body surface area to body weight ratio, which may lead to increased exposures.
• Through behavior - children ’s normal behaviors, such as crawling on the ground and putting their hands in their mouths, can result in exposures not faced by adults.
• Other physical factors - children’s metabolic pathways may differ from those of adults, and children have more years of future life and thus more time to develop chronic diseases that take decades to appear and that may be triggered by early environmental exposures.
• Also, children are often unaware of environmental risks and generally have no voice in decision-making.

Some examples of health effects resulting from developmental exposures prenatally and at birth include miscarriage, still birth, low birth weight and birth defects; in young children, infant mortality, asthma, neurobehavioral and immune impairment; and in adolescents, precocious or delayed puberty. Evidence also suggests that an increased risk of certain diseases in adults such as cancer, chronic respiratory disease and heart disease can result in part from exposures to certain environmental chemicals during childhood.

Traditional risk assessment approaches and environmental health policies have focused mainly on adults and adult exposure scenarios, utilizing data from adult humans or adult animals. The report highlights there is a need to expand risk assessment paradigms to evaluate exposures relevant to children from preconception to adolescence, acknowledging each developmental stage.

The study, while pointing out risk assessment is flawed and encouraging new and improved research, also states “A lack of full proof for causal associations should not prevent efforts to reduce exposures or implement intervention and prevention strategies.”

Real world exposure is indeed complicated and makes it difficult to conclusively draw causal associations, especially taking into account synergistic effects, etc., leaving a clear and vital need to exercise the precautionary principle. The easiest and safest solution regardless of risk assessment methods is to avoid chemical use and exposure by using alternative, non- and least-toxic management methods for species that can cause economic and health problems, being more tolerant of species that are solely a nuisance or aesthetically displeasing, and using organic products, especially foods.

Due to the large amount of time children spend in schools, Beyond Pesticides’ Healthy Schools Project aims to minimize and eliminate the risks posed by pesticides through the adoption of school pest management policies and programs at the local, state, and federal level, thereby creating a healthier learning environment. Central to this effort are activities aimed at public education on pesticide hazards and efficacy of alternatives, and the continued development of model communities that serve as examples.

TAKE ACTION: Find out what laws your state has enacted to protect children from pesticide exposure. Learn about model policies your state and community can work toward adopting.

www.beyondpesticides.org

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reportedly removed a senior FDA scientist from work on diabetes drug Avandia because the unnamed scientist voiced concerns about the drug’s safety.

“This new allegation is especially significant and raises our level of concern about FDA interference in safety decisions regarding Avandia,” Congressional investigators said in a letter sent to the FDA.

Since 2005, the scientist, a medical officer who was once Avandia’s primary reviewer, believed that Avandia’s risks warranted a strong “black box” warning for its risk of congestive heart failure.

In May 2007, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that those taking Avandia had a 43 percent higher chance of having a heart attack.

The scientist was “sidelined after voicing safety concerns,” the Congressional letter said, and “was told to stop participation in the review of potential cardiovascular safety problems associated with Avandia.”

The FDA said it did ask for a black box warning for Avandia’s heart risks in June, and an outside advisory panel is meeting to discuss the risks further. The Agency has received the letter, according to FDA spokeswoman Julie Zawisza, and is planning to respond.

Avandia, made by GlaxoSmithKline Plc, brought in more than $3 billion in sales in 2006.

Reuters July 25, 2007

Dr. Mercola

The primary reason why this is so tragic is that the drug being manipulated and promoted as a solution for type 2 diabetes is absolutely unnecessary in virtually ALL cases that it is prescribed for. This disease is virtually 100 percent reversible with the appropriate diet and exercise program, as I explained in my video from earlier this year.

Yet the drug companies continue to promote highly profitable drugs for a disease that, in absolutely no way, requires a drug solution. Avandia is starting to resemble the Vioxx (Merck’s painkiller that doubles your risk of a heart attack) catastrophe, as a month after the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that Avandia causes a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack, reports of side effects to federal regulators tripled.

This drug has been on the market for eight years, and studies by the drug’s own maker indicated heart risks before they were exposed by the New England Journal of Medicine study.

At least one FDA scientist also suspected risks well before the study came out, and, not surprisingly, the Agency had him or her removed from their post. The FDA is becoming notorious for protecting the hand that feeds it, at just about any cost — even the cost of lives lost from taking deadly drugs.

Take the case of Vioxx. After being recalled from the market and causing 55,000 deaths, it was re-approved by, none other than, the FDA. How? Ten of the 32 panel members who voted in favor of Vioxx had blatant ties to the industry.

There is a reason why 80 percent of the FDA’s resources go toward approving new drugs. It’s a classic example of the fox guarding the henhouse.

The FDA will weed out those who are willing to challenge their loyal “customers,” the drug companies. It happened to this FDA medical officer over Avandia; it happened to one of my heroes, Dr. David Graham, over Vioxx, and it’s surely happened to many, many more.

If you would like to voice your opinion about this latest FDA scandal, we were able to uncover contact information for Julie Zawisza, the FDA spokeswoman mentioned in the above article. You can reach her at:

* Phone: (301) 827 5674
* E-mail: julie.zawisza@ocfda.gov

Again, what makes this whole scenario even more maddening is that taking drugs is not the answer to curing type 2 diabetes in the first place. If you are one of the nearly 20 million people in the United States who has type 2 diabetes — or one of the 45 million with pre-diabetes — please review How to Finally Make Diabetes Disappear before conceding to taking a potentially dangerous drug like Avandia.

Please spread the word: Type 2 diabetes is not only preventable, it’s curable, if you make some simple lifestyle adjustments.

www.mercola.com

Country’s Largest Dairy Likely to Lose Certification

The Cornucopia Institute has learned that the USDA appears about to revoke the organic certification of the nation’s largest industrial dairy operator, Aurora Organic Dairy, with corporate headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.

Aurora operates several giant factory dairies milking thousands of cows each in semi-arid areas of Colorado and Texas. The company has been the subject of a series of formal legal complaints filed with the USDA by The Cornucopia Institute. The complaints from the Wisconsin-based farm policy group filed in 2005 and 2006, called for a USDA investigation into allegations of numerous organic livestock management improprieties on Aurora’s facilities.

“After personally inspecting some of Aurora’s dairies in Texas and Colorado, we found 98% of their cattle in feedlots instead of grazing on pasture as the law requires,” stated Mark Kastel, Cornucopia’s senior farm policy analyst. Cornucopia also found that Aurora was procuring cattle from a non-certified organic source in apparent violation of the law. “Our sources tell us that the USDA’s investigators found many other violations when conducting their probe of Aurora.”

But Kastel warned that the USDA is under intense pressure to scuttle the Aurora decertification order. “We understand that powerful political influence is being brought to bear on the USDA in an effort to delay or water down the penalties against Aurora,” noted Kastel.

As part of their investigation of Aurora, compliance officers at the USDA took sworn testimony from Cornucopia staff, visited Aurora’s facilities and interviewed their organic certifier, the State of Colorado. The Institute found out about the impending enforcement action, and the potential for its delay, from officials in Colorado, a political appointee at the USDA and a highly placed industry executive.

The organic industry is carefully watching what the USDA does with the Aurora matter because of its size and impact on the marketplace. Aurora doesn’t directly market milk under its own name, but it is the country’s largest private-label producer of organic milk. Aurora packages store-brand organic dairy products for Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Wild Oats, and other grocery chains. “The organic regulations are scale neutral,” added Kastel. “In terms of enforcement it shouldn’t matter if we are talking about a powerful corporate player, with thousands of cows, or a smaller family operation, bad actors in this industry need to be removed from the marketplace.”

Because of the delay in USDA enforcement against Aurora Dairy, The Cornucopia Institute today filed a Freedom of Information request (FOIA) with the USDA to secure documents that could uncover possible influence peddling and favoritism at the Department. “We hope that the USDA will issue tough sanctions, if warranted,” Kastel said. “And we want the agency to know that the organic community is very closely monitoring this case.”

Earlier this spring the 10,000-cow Vander Eyk factory dairy in Pixley, California lost its organic certification after an investigation revealed numerous violations of federal organic rules. The industrial-scale operation had been publicly spotlighted by The Cornucopia Institute for organic management irregularities. The Vander Eyk dairy had been selling its milk to Stremicks (Heritage-Foods) and Dean Foods (Horizon).

Based on documents recently received by Cornucopia through an earlier FOIA request, the Vander Eck dairy lost their ability to market organic milk not only because they lacked pasture for their cattle but also because they violated requirements for careful record-keeping to assure that all cows milked were eligible for organic certification and all the feed they consumed was actually organically grown.

“It now appears that our concerns about the giant industrial dairy cutting corners by confining cattle in a ‘factory-farm’ setting was just the tip of the iceberg,” said Will Fantle, Cornucopia’s research director. “The foundation of the organic certification process is the maintenance of a comprehensive farm audit trail which can be reviewed by independent certification inspectors and the USDA. The fact that Vander Eyk could not produce the documents requested by his certifier, and that he did not appeal the enforcement action, is just damning.”

The controversy about the growing number of factory-farms producing organic milk has come to a head this year as the number of farmers transitioning to organic dairy production has dramatically increased causing a surplus of organic milk for the first time. That surplus, largely attributed to the mega-farms, is now driving down prices to family farmers around the country endangering their livelihoods. It’s also become a tragedy for some family farmers around the country who have gone through the arduous and expensive three-year transition to organic management but now have nowhere to ship their milk.

“With at least 15 of these giant dairies operating, mostly in the arid west, they have succeeded in jeopardizing the livelihood of the 1500 or so ethical dairy farm families who are doing this right,” said Merrill Clark, an organic livestock producer from Cassopolis, Michigan and former member of the USDA’s expert advisory panel, the National Organic Standards Board.

“The good news for consumers is that in our survey of organic dairy brands (posted on www.cornucopia.org) a full 90% of namebrand products received very high ratings in our scorecard that critiqued the environmental and animal husbandry practices used in sourcing the organic milk for the dairy products,” the Cornucopia’s Kastel said. “With a small amount of research, consumers who care about maintaining the integrity of organics can easily find organic dairy products they can believe in.”

www.cornucopia.org

Pregnant women who consume a chemical found in everyday plastic products such as food containers and water bottles could be putting their unborn children at risk of developing cancer and other diseases when they reach adulthood.

Exposure within the womb to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in the production of plastics, caused changes linked with diseases such as obesity, cancer and diabetes, according to studies by a team from Duke University Medical Centre, North Carolina.

The results of the study in the lab of Dr Randy Jirtle, funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in a paper which calls for the risks of the chemicals to be reassessed.

The Duke team studied the response of a strain of rodents known as agouti mice.

Normally, these mice tend to be slender and brown but when the mouse mothers received BPA, the team noted a statistically significant increase in the number of their offspring born with a yellow coat - just over half, compared with 35 per cent of controls.

Previous studies have shown that yellow agouti mice are at a much greater risk for diabetes, obesity and cancer.

“The fact that the mice fed BPA had a yellow coat and likely would grow to be obese as adults demonstrates that this single substance had a system-wide effect,” said Dr Dana Dolinoy, one of the team.

Importantly, the team found that when pregnant mothers were also given folic acid, the influence of BPA was counteracted.

www.organicconsumers.org

Mandate Would Require Use of Chemical Fumigant
or Heat Treatment on “Raw” Almonds

Small-scale farmers, retailers, and consumers are renewing their call to the USDA to reassess the plan to “pasteurize” all California almonds with a toxic fumigant or high-temperature sterilization process. All domestic almonds will be mandated to have the treatments by early next year. The plan was quietly developed by the USDA in response to outbreaks of Salmonella in 2001 and 2004 that were traced to raw almonds.

“The almond ‘pasteurization’ plan will have many harmful impacts on consumers and the agricultural community,” said Will Fantle, research director for The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group. “Only 18 public comments from the entire U.S.—and all from almond industry insiders—were received on the proposal. The logic behind both the necessity and safety of the treatments processes has not been fully or adequately analyzed—as well as the economic costs to small-scale growers and the loss of consumer choices.”

Last Wednesday, the California Almond Board suddenly requested that USDA delay the treatment mandate until March, 2008—it had been scheduled to take effect on September 1. “We support this request for a delay,” said Fantle, “but a delay, due to the industry being unprepared, isn’t enough. The USDA must also re-open the rule for public review and comment so that those who have been shut out of the decision-making process can have input into any almond treatment plan.”

Although foodborne illnesses have garnered headlines in recent years, including contamination of California-grown spinach and lettuce, raw produce and nuts are not inherently risky foods. Contamination occurs when livestock manure or other fecal matter is inadvertently transferred to food through contaminated water, soil, or transportation and handling equipment. Raw foods can also be infected by poor employee hygiene and sanitation practices either on the farm or in processing facilities.

“All fresh foods carry some chance of risk,” notes Bruce Lampinen, a scientist at University of California, Davis, who studies almonds, “but there is no more risk now than there was thirty years ago.”

And the fear in the farming community is that this will competitively injure smaller sustainable and organic growers. “This will put American farmers at a distinct disadvantage in the U.S. and abroad,” says organic almond farmer Mark McAfee. Fumigated almonds are banned in the EU and many other countries. McAfee worries about the impact of the rule on his business. Seventy percent of California’s crop is exported.

Several domestic companies that use California almonds are already investigating foreign sources for their needs. After buying almonds from local producers for over 25 years, Living Tree Community Foods, a Berkeley, CA-based natural foods supplier, will soon begin buying almonds from Italy and Spain. Dr. Jesse Schwartz, the president of the specialty retailer, believes the rule, if implemented, will be a travesty for American agriculture. “California almonds are the heritage of the American people,” he says, “they are superior in every way.”

Jason Mahon owns Premier Organics, a company that produces raw almond butter in Oakland, CA. Mahon is also looking to foreign suppliers and believes the rule is an unnecessary “fear-based decision of the Almond Board, that is clearly trying to protect itself from bad press and lawsuits.”

The equipment to meet the new USDA mandate is very expensive, ranging from $500,000 to $2,500,000. Farms can outsource the pasteurization process, but Hendrik Feenstra, a small-scale California handler of organic almonds, believes that to do so will still be prohibitively expensive for modest-sized growers and handlers. “Because pasteurization companies often charge a flat rate no matter the quantity of almonds, it could be four or five times more expensive for small-scale almond producers to pasteurize almonds than it will be for industrial-scale producers,” Feenstra says. And modest-size marketers are concerned that increased transportation costs will also add to their burden

Organic farmers also question the science behind the rule. They believe that the sustainable farming methods they use, such as mowing and mulching, rather than controlling weeds by chemical herbicide applications, naturally prevent the spread of harmful bacteria more effectively than treatment after the fact. According to almond grower Glenn Anderson, “An organic farming system fosters biodiversity and creates an environment where Salmonella cannot survive. This rule ignores the root causes of food contamination—the unnatural, dangerous, and unsustainable farming practices on industrial farms.”

An important segment of the agricultural community feels that requiring small-scale and organic farms to comply with this rule is unwarranted and premature, as Salmonella outbreaks have only been traced to a very large industrial farm, and there is currently no published research pinpointing the causes of the harmful bacteria. “With the costs involved, and the implications on trade, they are recklessly experimenting with the livelihood of farmers,” Fantle added.

Furthermore, there is a lack of evidence supporting the use of the chemical fumigant, propylene oxide (PPO), and steam as the only effective treatments to reduce risk of Salmonella. The most common method of sterilizing almonds is by PPO treatment, a genotoxic chemical recognized as a possible carcinogen that is banned in the European Union, Canada, Mexico, and most other countries. Many chemical-free and heat-free alternatives are being researched. “The Almond Board has not released any of the scientific research justifying their treatment choices,” asserts Eli Penberthy, a policy analyst at Cornucopia. “This rule should not be implemented until alternative technologies are thoroughly explored.”

The Cornucopia Institute also contends labeling treated almonds as “raw” is misleading and deceptive to consumers. “People choose to buy raw almonds for a variety of personal reasons, including health, nutrition, and even religious beliefs,” Cornucopia’s Fantle said. “This rule denies them the right to control their food choices by making informed decisions in the marketplace.”

In fact, some strict vegetarians who consume only raw foods rely on almonds to provide as much as 30% of their caloric intake, believing that they are a nutritionally superior alternative to meat in the diet. “Raw almonds are increasingly popular for their health benefits,” said Goldie Caughlin, the Nutrition Education Manager at Puget Community Cooperative in Seattle, who estimates that the co-op sells 28,000 pounds of raw almonds every year. She said customers are already confused and angered by the implications of the rule, and worries how it will affect sales.

Fantle charges that the rule could very well establish a precedent for more governmental control of fresh foods. Says Fantle, “If almonds require pasteurization, what foods will be next on the list of mandatory sterilization, heat treatment, and irradiation? Truly raw, untreated nuts, fruits, and vegetables might no longer be legally available in the marketplace.”

Public concern about the almond treatment plan has been growing. Over 1,000 comments opposing almond pasteurization have been submitted to the USDA since the plan was approved on March 31, and an online petition to stop the implementation of the rule has garnered over 15,000 signatures. (To learn more about the issue, go to www.cornucopia.org and click on the almond navigation button.)

The only exemption to the almond treatment regulations will be an allowance for growers to sell truly raw almonds directly to the public from farmstead stands. Unfortunately, this will give only a limited number of consumers in specific areas of California, the only state in the nation that produces almonds, access to untreated nuts.

Diets based on raw foods are integral to some religious denominations, such as Seventh-Day Adventism, so the rule poses a threat not only to consumer choice, but to religious freedom as well.

The Cornucopia Institute

Despite a 2004 campaign promise to the contrary, President Bush continues to allow the mercury-containing vaccine preservative thimerosal to be added to childhood flu vaccines.

Thousands of parents believe the preservative has caused mercury poisoning and autism in their children. Still, President Bush plans to veto the HHS-Labor-Education Appropriations Bill, which includes a measure to ban childhood flu vaccines that contain thimerosal, because of the cost and “objectionable provisions.”

As it stands, flu vaccines which contain thimerosal, are recommended for all pregnant women, infants and children, even though the Institute of Medicine recommended in 2001 that these population groups not be exposed to thimerosal-containing vaccines.

One in every six women of childbearing age has enough mercury in their bloodstream to cause neurological damage to their unborn children, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Max Health July 20 2007

Dr. Mercola Comments

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Public Health Service requested that all mercury-containing thimerosal be removed from vaccines all the way back in 1999.

Now, nearly a decade later, mercury is not only still a part of flu vaccines, but health officials are recommending them to the very population that mercury stands to harm the most: babies, children and pregnant women.

Children’s developing systems often cannot tolerate the assault from a potent neurotoxin like mercury, and there are many who believe mercury-containing vaccines have fueled the autism epidemic in America.

Aside from autism, mercury exposure has been liked to an alarming array of chronic health issues, including:

• Multiple sclerosis
• Central nervous system disorders
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Lower IQ levels
• Learning disabilities

The fact that thimerosal is still in vaccines is morally reprehensible, plain and simple.

If you are a new parent or parent-to-be, please read up on the risks of vaccinations so that you can make an informed decision for the health of your child.

And if you’re considering getting a flu vaccination, remember that there are plenty of natural ways to avoid getting the flu, without having to inject yourself or your child with a dangerous toxin.

www.mercola.com

With the popularity of “The Secret” rapidly growing in the United States and around the world, there’s growing interest in finding ways to maximize results while using the power of intention and Law of Attraction. Few people really know one of the most important secrets to making “The Secret” work: Establishing the right nutrition and dietary habits that clear your nervous system and allow intention to flow.

In this article, I’ll share some of the best nutritional secrets about The Secret, covering:

1) Foods and substances that interfere with the power of your intention.

2) Foods and substances that enhance the power of your intention.

Once you learn this information, you’ll instantly discover ways to greatly enhance the effects you get when you apply your intention (or invoke the Law of Attraction). You’ll also come to recognize why the great spiritual leaders throughout the world all gravitate towards similar diets that are free of certain substances (such as red meat).

Let’s begin by examining those foods and substances that interfere with the power of intention and the Law of Attraction.

Foods and substances that block the power of intention

The power of intention (i.e. the Law of Attraction) only works when you have a clear, healthy nervous system that’s free from distortion. Invoking the power of intention is a lot like broadcasting a message from a radio tower, and your nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves, etc.) are the transmission tissues.

A radio tower only works well when it has sufficient electricity, clarity and symmetry. It also can’t be gunked up with interfering signals or overriding disturbances. Your own nervous system is the same: For it to function well, it must be free of distortion and operating at peak performance. The following items greatly interfere with healthy nervous system function and therefore inhibit your power of intention:

Meat products: All animal-derived foods impair the clarity of intention, and this is especially so if those foods are derived from cruelly-treated animals (like feedlot cattle). This is why so many spiritual leaders around the world refrain from eating meat. It’s also why vegetarians are generally more peaceful, spiritually balanced people than heavy meat eaters.

Alcohol and drugs: All recreational drugs (including alcohol) impair healthy nervous system function. Clarity cannot be achieved while under the influence of nicotine, alcohol, meth or street drugs. While there are medicinal uses for some natural drugs (such as medical marijuana), their use still inevitably interferes with clarity and clouds the Law of Attraction, so use them sparingly if at all. On the other hand, there are also natural plant-based medicines that actually enhance clarity when used as part of sacred spiritual journeys. Western society has declared such substances to be illegal drugs, but they are deliberately and consciously used with great care in healing journey experiences in many other parts of the world.

Caffeine: Even caffeine interferes with healthy nervous system function. The onslaught of daily stimulants leaves the body depleted of energy, unable to reach the level of vibration necessary to effectively broadcast intention to the universe.

Television: Watching television fills your mind with false messages, clouding your mind with ideas that distort reality and impair your ability to connect with the universe. Have you ever noticed that the people who watch the most television seem to be unable to attract those things into their lives that they want? It’s because television acts like an intention blocking device, draining away your intention energy and filling your head with ideas and beliefs that only serve the interests of corporations and governments.

Processed foods: Processed foods not only lack the nutrition necessary for healthy nervous system function, they’re also typically loaded with excitotoxins like MSG, aspartame and yeast extract. These substances damage the functioning of the nervous system, making any practice of the Law of Attraction virtually impossible.

Fragrance products: All fragrance products based on artificial chemicals impair the healthy functioning of the nervous system by dulling the senses and limiting sensory acquity. Achieving success with the power of intention requires eliminating ALL fragrance products from your life. These include most shampoos, laundry detergents, dryer sheets, soaps, perfumes, cosmetics, deodorants, skin creams and other similar products. In each of these categories, there are many alternatives available: Natural products that are either fragrance-free or made from essential oil fragrances only. If you wish to find success in applying the Law of Attraction, it’s crucial to get these artificial fragrance chemicals out of your life (and away from your nervous system).

Processed sugar: Sugar greatly impacts the healthy functioning of the nervous system, and refined sugar is a lot like crack in the way it alters (and impairs) brain function. All refined sugars should be avoided, including high-fructose corn syrup (the sweetener in sodas), dextrose, sucrose and others. While you’re at it, avoid white bread and refined grains, too, because they’re very similar to sugars in the way they impact the nervous system.

Aspartame: This artificial chemical sweetener greatly impairs healthy nervous system function. This is partly because aspartame can chemically break down into trace amounts of formaldehyde, and formaldehyde is an extremely toxic nerve poison. Drinking aspartame is sort of like poisoning your brain with chemical preservatives. That’s great if you’re trying to embalm yourself, but not so good if you actually plan to use your brain for anything useful.

Things that enhance the power of your intention

Once you’re free of the substances interfering with your power of intention, you can move on to enhancing your nervous system health with proper supportive substances. Here are the most important items to consider:

Raw foods: Raw foods really cleanse your nervous system and restore healthy brain function. Drinking raw food juices on a regular basis (freshly made in your own blender, not processed) greatly enhances clarity and the power of intention. Most spiritual leaders around the world follow diets based at least in part on raw foods. Following a raw foods diet for just 30 days will dramatically clear your senses and turn you into a powerful broadcaster of intention.

Vegetarian foods: Avoiding the consumption of meat and dairy products is also an important way to keep your system clear and lend power to your intention. Meat and dairy products stagnate the flow of energy throughout your mind and body, blocking the intention. To get the best results, go completely dairy free (except for raw, unprocessed milk, which qualifies as a raw food) and meat free.

Personal integrity: Acting with integrity multiplies the power of your intention. When you consistently do what you promise, especially in relation to others, you gain power and confidence in your own actions. This translates into significant improvements in the Law of Attraction. People who steal from others, exploit them or harm them are acting outside of personal integrity and typically demonstrate a very poor ability to attract things into their lives that they really want. It’s a vicious cycle, too: When they can’t attract what they want, they turn to stealing, and this in turn diminishes their ability to attract what they want in the future.

Clean water: Hydration is crucial for good nervous system performance. I will even say that you cannot possibly engage in effective intention exercises when you’re in a state of chronic dehydration (as most people are). Drinking plenty of water clears metabolic wastes from your body and even lubricates the nerve cells throughout your body! So drink more water and you’ll boost your results.

Microalgae superfoods: These superfoods offer a two-fold benefit: They cleanse the liver (which purifies the blood and improves mental clarity) and they offer natural high-density nutrition from nature. The four I recommend are spiruline, chlorella, blue-green algae and astaxanthin (www.Nutrex-Hawaii.com). One of the top brands of raw microalgae is E3 Live, which you can find at http://www.e3live.com/index.htm

Healthy oils: Consuming regular quantities of healthy oils and omega-3 fatty acids makes a huge difference on the power and reach of your intention. Eat more chia seeds (www.GoodCauseWellness.com), avocados, raw coconut oil (www.RawFoods.com) and minimally processed plant-based oils. Fish oils can also be supportive if you choose to eat fish-derived products. Flax seeds serve a similar purpose for those who are vegetarian.

Berries: Eat massive quantities of fresh, raw berries to boost nervous system function and greatly enhance the power of your intention. Berries offer nervous system protection medicines, and they also happen to halt cancer, prevent eye disease, enhance memory and prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Be sure to eat a variety of berries so you get all sorts of different colors: Black raspberries, blueberries, red raspberries, strawberries, acai, red currants, wild berries, etc.

There are, of course, many other nutrients and natural substances that can enhance mental function and clarity. Everything from tropical fruits to garden greens provides a strong benefit in boosting the power of your intention.

My personal secret to success

People tend to look at my own accomplishments as being “remarkable” or highly successful in various ways. They see me as getting many things done in a very short period of time, and they often wonder how I accomplish these things. My greatest secret is that I frequently practice the power of intention (and I have a specific process through which that is practiced), and I avoid all the foods, beverages and personal care products that interfere with the power of intention.

In the past, some people have wondered why I drink no alcohol, use no drugs, drink no coffee, take no medications, etc. People have asked me if I’m a member of some specific religion with pristine dietary practices, but the answer is quite simply that I have arrived at my own spiritual practice and I choose to respect my body and mind as tools for creating a better future. I actually came to this conclusion mostly on my own, and have since found that it is aligned with the spiritual paths found in virtually all world religions. It all makes sense, too: You simply can’t be a highly spiritual person if you’re consuming angry cow meats and altered dairy fats!

I intentionally avoid all substances that intefere with intelligence, clarity or spirituality, and I go to great lengths to cleanse my body using nature’s medicines: superfoods, rainforest herbs, raw foods, and so on. By the way, the best cleansing products I’ve ever found at available at www.BaselineNutritionals.com (look for the Liver Tincture and the cilantro-based anti-mercury tincture).

The secret to my productivity and ability to manifest those things is simply that I’m wholly committed to treating my body and mind as sacred entities. I do not allow myself to be polluted with television, pharmaceuticals, recreational drugs, energy vampire people (like friends who drain away all your energy) or processed foods. The result is that when I focus on something, it manifests relatively quickly (there’s still a whole lot of work involved, of course, but that’s the nature of getting things done in this physical world). Perhaps there is some other version of the multiverse in which intention is instantly translated into effects, but here in this one we all share, intention often requires practical steps for manifestation. (So don’t forget the part about applying effort, too!)

Want a better life? Clean up your energy channels

This is not information I’ve shared before, but it’s probably the most important secret to success that I’ve ever written about. If you want to make things happen in your life and manifest more wealth, abundance, loving relationships, happiness or whatever, you’ve got to get serious about cleaning up your “broadcast channels,” which means cleaning up your diet, eliminating any substance abuse, avoiding influence from television and so on. It doesn’t mean you have to become a hermit and live in the woods somewhere (although that certainly wouldn’t hurt on a temporary basis), but you do have to stop living the disconnected life of typical consumers who are addicted to processed foods, alcohol, television, drugs, video gaming and other things.

I don’t claim to be perfect in my own habits. I still eat meat when traveling (but never from mammals such as cows or pigs), and my diet isn’t as raw as I would like. I also spend way too much time sitting in front of a computer, but that’s a necessary choice I’ve made for engaging in online education and article writing. But like you, I’m always striving to make my diet and lifestyle one step better, and by doing that I’m constantly moving into higher states of vibration that naturally augment the power of my intention.

You can do the same. All it takes is making the commitment and taking on one change at a time until you’re completely rid of the toxic influencing factors and fully embracing those things that work to multiply the power of your intention. Before long, you’ll find the Law of Attraction working far better than you ever imagined, and you’ll really start living the magical life you’re attracting through conscious intention.

It’s really not complicated, nor even mystical or “new agey.” It’s just the application of common sense: If you want to create a better future and manifest your desires, you’ve got to clear you head, get rid of the junk and start nourishing your internal broadcast antenna (your nervous system). Once you do that, you can start to broadcast your intention to the universe, and you’ll find that everything you focus on begins to manifest far more quickly.

Speaking of intention, please feel free to share this article with anyone you know who’s familiar with “The Secret” and who might benefit from knowing these nutritional tips. You can copy and paste the article in an email, or just send the web address (URL). Spread the word: We need more people with high vibrations in order to overcome all those folks running around with LOW vibration, don’t you think? The more high-vibration people we have in the world, the brighter the future will be for us all.

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www.newstarget.com

About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He has authored more than 1,500 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes.