Tag: health

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How MAHA is Transforming America’s Health Agenda


December 8, 2024 by Laurianne Macdonald, B.Sc., MPH, CHt, and Licensed RTT Practitioner

“Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) is igniting a health revolution in America.” Its goal is to disarm big guns like the chemical companies, Big-pharm, and greedy AG corporations that hold our government, legislators, and protective agencies like the FDA, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) hostage.

Greed and corruption has led to widespread chronic disease, environmental degradation, and rampant public distrust. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is killing us and our children! It is affecting our economy. Many US foodstuff, meat, and dairy products are banned in other countries. https://www.wnct.com/on-your-side/consumer-watch/common-us-foods-that-are-banned-in-other-countries/

At least 38 countries have banned phorate, glyphosate, and other “extremely hazardous” insecticides the US continues to produce and use. The World Health Organization considers about 150 agricultural pesticides hazardous to humans that US corporate farmers continue to use.

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as of 2021, the European Union has banned or restricted over 1,000 food additives, including:

  • 150 synthetic food colorings
  • 200 preservatives
  • 150 emulsifiers and stabilizers
  • 100 flavor enhancers
  • 50 sweeteners

In contrast, the United States has a more lenient approach to regulating food additives, with the FDA allowing many substances that are banned or heavily restricted in other countries. However, the FDA does have a process for evaluating and regulating food additives, and some substances have been banned or restricted in the US due to health concerns.

“MAHA seeks to drive a transformative agenda by aligning the health-conscious, independent-minded voters with candidates who have the ability to disrupt the status quo. This includes prioritizing regenerative agriculture, preserving natural habitats, and eliminating toxins from our food, water, and air. The PAC’s purpose is to create a broad coalition of voters who are committed to reclaiming America’s health, liberty, and environmental integrity—ensuring that these critical issues are front and center.

MAHA isn’t just a political entity; it’s a movement with a singular purpose: to ensure that the next four years are defined by a commitment to public health, sustainable practices, and a government that truly serves the people. This PAC is the bridge that connects a vision for a healthier America.”

The above was quoted directly from the MAHA PAC website. Join MAHA today @ https://www.maha.vote/#join-the-movement

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Salt: Protecting you from evil in more ways than one.11/08/2024 by Laurianne Macdonald, B.Sc., MPH, CHt, and Licensed RTT PractitionerSalt: Protecting you from evil in more ways than one.


November 8, 2024 by Laurianne Macdonald, B.Sc., MPH, CHt, and Licensed RTT Practitioner

The primary function of your tonsils is to stop bacteria and viruses at the front gates… something like a detention center, not allowing foreigners in-country until their purpose and benevolence validated. Adenoids, like tonsils, are also on the frontline defending your body with every breath you take.

Both organs contain very special protein producing cells vital to your immune system. These proteins, also known as antibodies, kill malevolent invaders before they can enter the body. Directly connected to the lymphatic system, the adenoids and tonsils also ensure the safe removal of unsavory characters from your body before they do any harm.

The problem is, stress, nutrient deficient diets, toxin overload, preexisting conditions, and even sedentary lifestyles weaken the ranks, deplete the armory, and clog the immunity pipeline.

As we come into the cold and flu season, and watch COVID-19 numbers spike, it is paramount to support and bolster your immune systems in every way possible. I will not waste your time going over all the precautions you’ve all become accustom to over the past ten months, but visit an old and trusted piece of advice that needs your reconsideration.

First… it has been around for centuries because it works. And yes, technically they call such recipes and remedies folky or an old wife’s tale. However, nothing makes the old wife’s tale status unless it works. Besides, waiting around for science to prove something they will disprove three months down the road is, well, not exactly proving yourself the critical thinker you think you are.

Second… it is easy. Just keep a small container or pinch bowl of salt by your sink. Every time you return from an outing in public, or at least three times a day when at first feeling ill, dissolve a pinch or two of salt in water and gargle. I recommend and use organic Himalayan salt crystals, but table salt will do. Just remember to spit, not swallow.

Yup. That is it.

Your tonsils and adenoids will appreciate the assist.

If you are interested in nature-based, holistic, or integrative healing please schedule a consultation at http://www.lauriannemacdonald.com. Your health is yours to keep.

For more on the benefits of salt gargle https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/news-events/news-2020/salt-water-solution-could-treat-covid-19-symptoms

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Natural Healthy Weight Loss: Part III


May 7, 2013 by Laurianne Macdonald, B.Sc., MPH, CHt, and Licensed RTT Practitioner

Part III: Exercise

In 2008 the US government issued the first ever Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG).  The Food Pyramid was changed to reflect the need for daily physical activity. It was a step in the right direction.  Just one most ignored, probably because 60 minutes of exercise every day is just too big a step. Today obesity in America is at an all time high. US named third fattest country in the world, is not a headline any of us are proud of. After considerable contemplation, I figured there are two things that need to be done. First we need to prove it doesn’t take sixty whole arduous I-don’t-like it-it-hurts minutes of exercise a day to lose that extra 20 lbs 65% of us are walking around with.  Second; support and reinforcement of informing everyone about the importance of daily exercise needs to be paramount. Too many do not know how GLUT-proteins research proved exercise is as essential to any health regimen or weight loss program as water is to life? That GLUT-proteins are metabolized and produced only during exercise. These essential proteins enhance the glucose uptake process optimizing metabolic systems and cellular performance. This means, without exercise, many metabolic systems collapse.

In the last ten years a better understanding of the glut proteins and glycemic index have caused a dramatic shift in our evaluation and utilization of nutritional guidelines for physical fitness as well as the treatment and diagnosis of diabetes and other metabolic syndrome related diseases. It’s a wonderful thing.  In fact, they (being the proverbial “they”) are on the verge of proving that as little as 30 minutes of exercise three times a week can help you maintain your weight and optimize your health (reduce your risk for diabetes, cancer, and stroke). 30 minutes…  3 times a week… Now that’s more like it.  Even the average, busy-around-the-clock with kids, jobs, homes, and life American can handle that.  At the very least, it seems more probable than 60 minutes of exercise that turns into two hours because you have to get into gym clothes, get to the gym, get stretched then socialize with gym buddies for ten before exercising, then get home and showered.  30 minutes can be done in a walk around your neighborhood or in a local park, playing ball with your son, or dancing with your daughter to the music of her favorite band. I can think of a gazillion other ways to get 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week… without it hurting.

What can you think up? I’d really like to hear.

But before I leave the subject of how important exercise is to natural and healthful weight loss, I want to say that the PAG report also recommended an abundance of fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on whole grains and whole foods. (Gee, doesn’t that sound familiar.)  It suggested limiting sugars and solid fats such as butter, and red meat, and high glycemic index foods such as flour and complex carbohydrates. It also recommends eliminating prepackaged or processed foods. (Go figure.)

To put about as fine a point on it as I can, exercise coupled with whole food nutrition and proper supplementation pretty much guarantees natural, healthful, and sustainable weight loss.  I do not know anything else that does.

There is one final but important note I feel obligated to mention as we cannot speak about wanting to lose weight without discussing depression. According to the CDC, clinical depression affects 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. Because depression is believed to be a multi-factorial consequence resulting from stressors that include obesity and sedentary lifestyles, the Antidepressant-Lifestyle-Physiological-Social (ALPS) model includes moderate aerobic and anaerobic exercise as integral aspects of recovery. Research has proven the benefits of exercise for those suffering from depression, even so little as fifteen minutes a day. 15 minutes!  To a happier and healthier you.

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Natural & Healthful Weight Loss: Part II


May 7, 2013 by Laurianne Macdonald, B.Sc., MPH, CHt, and Licensed RTT Practitioner

Part II: Herbs & Supplements

It is no wonder, what with the US being named third fattest country in the world, 50% of Americans already dieting, and nearly 65% of us wishing to lose 20 lbs or more, that in 2012 over $1 billion dollars was spent on weight loss pills alone. Market data suggest the weight loss products and programs make up a $60 Billion dollar a year industry.  Amazingly, over half of all diet industry’s claims are false.  But that explains why  $147 Billion dollars were spent on obesity related medical issues in 2012.

There is no and never will be a little magic pill that shrinks fat cells, burns calories, and curbs cravings… that is in anyway natural.  Pharmacology is derived from the classic Greek word ‘pharmakon’, meaning poison. Pharmaceutical companies have wizened to the market trend, fooling consumers and loop-holing labeling legislation with corporate subsidiary names like

And my all-time favorite, NATUREX. (Am I the only one who sees an oxymoron here?)

So, now these types of manufacturers get away with touting their All Nature, From Nature, or Ultimate Botanical Benefits hoping consumers looking for that healthy pill, will not look past the pretty green label.  They hope you will not remember that it is the processing of “active ingredients” that turns an organic compound into poison.  Below is a list of some of the products these companies are currently producing besides Green Coffee Bean with Svetol®. There’s a bit of redundancy for you. Did you know that Svetol is simply a brand name for Green Coffee Bean Extract? Does too much of a good thing ring a bell?

  • Re-Body/Green Coffee Bean Extract products
  • ResVitale
  • Reserveage
  • Hydroxycut/Hardcore and Hardcore Elite
  • Genesis Today/Pure Green Coffee Bean with Svetol
  • Xenadrine XT
  • RealDose Weight Loss Formula No.
  • Nutrigold®
  • NanoLean™
  • go4trim
  • Diet Formula With Svetol®
  • Total DIET Success
  • Kleissinger Labs
  • Bodylogix®
  • Thermogenesis™
  • Trim Energy®
  • NatureWise™
  • Sports Research SVETOL/Green Coffee Bean Extract
  • Wonder Labs 100% Svetol

When there are more shelves filled with powders, products, and pills than those that carry natural and organic whole foods, it’s easy to understand how we lost our way and why it is so hard to tell the difference between the good, the bad, and the ones that actually work.

The one thing we should all know by now is that health does not come in a bottle.  Be wary when the great O (Oprah) orates on how wonderfully easy it was to lose fifty while supplementing with Hoodia or as Dr. Oz endorses Svetol®. Dr. Oz’s latest wonder product is taking the market by storm: Garcinia Cambogia. Hydroxycitric acid, the active ingredient in this little green pumpkin shaped fruit from India is what is in Hydroxycut and many other diet pills and supplements. It is also the ingredient that like ephedrine was recalled by the FDA because of an association with health problems like liver damage, seizures, cardiovascular disorders, and rhabdomyolysis, (a type of muscle damage that leads to even more health problems). That is not to say that the product itself is bad for you, but the processing used to extract the active ingredients often results in the lost synergy with other alkaloids and tannins in the originating plant. Again I will refer to Food Synergy, written by Eliane Magee.

And don’t get me wrong. There are many pure and natural extracts and whole extract products out there that help curb an appetite, regulate blood sugar, maintain good cholesterol level, and even burn fat.  Ginger root, capsicum (hot pepers), Avena Sativa (oats), and cynara scolymus (globe artichoke) all aid fat metabolism. Turmeric, blue cornflower, berberis vulgaris (barberry) help liver function and therefore possibly lipid digestion.  B12, raspberries, and caffeine (the subtler organic green coffee bean extract, not Svetol®) are all easily accessible supplements that are used to help maintain a healthy weight and stimulate the metabolic processes.  Traditional Chinese medicine often combines the following herbs in weight loss and appetite suppressant remedies.

 Hops-1024x768 Humulus lupulus (Hops) may help with emotional eating, perhaps because of its calming effects.

 LadiesMantle-Alchemillamollis Alchemilla Vulgaris (Lady’s Mantle, Lions Foot, Bear’s Foot, Nine Hooks), is an astringent used for detoxification.

 green-olives Olea Europea, (Olive) is a diuretic and glycolic stabilizer that helps maintain metabolic homeostasis.

 parsley Cuminum Cyminum, (Parsely)  and

 Spearmint-300x185 Mentha spicata, Longifolia (spearmint) are popular digestive aids.

Simply Natural & Cafe carries a wide variety of weight loss and metabolic enhancing products and the staff is always happy to help you find what might work best for you.

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Natural and Healthful Weight Loss: Part I


natural-weight-loss1

March 26, 2013 by Laurianne Macdonald

Part I: Nutrition

Natural and Healthful Weight Loss… big subject. Everybody is either talking about it or trying to do it… or both. According to the CDC, 35.7% US adults and approximately 18% of children under the age of 19 are obese. Nearly 65% of Americas admit to wanting to lose 20lbs or more. It is estimated that upwards of 50% of Americans will start or try a new diet this year alone. Nearly all of them will not be able to keep the weight off for 5 years or more. Not a bright and shiny spot in health news today. Personally, any measure of success I’ve had with fad diets, calorie-counting aps, or by stacking my fridge full of pre-packaged and processed products was expensive and pointless. And recently I’ve come to believe a big part of the problem is that there is less and less NATURE in the things we put into our bodies. The Standard American Diet is SAD, unnatural, and most of all… unhealthy. We gorge on animal fats, sugar, and all those pre packaged processed food snacks that even when they tout only 100 calories, made from nature, or guarantee 2 sizes in 2 weeks, are really, really bad for you. Why? Because the majority of them contain high fructose corn syrup.
55 % of all pre-packaged foods on the grocery shelves today contain high fructose corn syrup. It is a product three times sweeter than regular sucrose (table sugar), enabling producers to save money by using less. Economics aside, recent research suggests that corn syrup is absorbed differently in the body than other sugars and may actually act more like a fat. It increases the production of insulin which fatigues the pancreas leading to insulin resistance and other metabolic syndrome conditions like diabetes. It also increases production of the hormone leptin which regulates fat storage while suppressing ghrelin, the hormone that regulates appetite and intake. “Another concern is how fructose affects the liver”, says J.P Bantle who led the University of Minnesota study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Apparently, corn syrup is converted into the chemical backbone of triglycerides more efficiently than glucose, increasing blood cholesterol levels in test subjects.
Eliminating processed and packaged foods from your diet is like a metabolic reboot. Our bodies are designed to work with nature. Like the food they serve at Simply Natural & Cafe. Natural and whole foods (not WholeFoods®) are all we need to survive, heal, and administer. Food Synergy, written by Eliane Magee, describes whole food nutrients and how they work together in the fight against major diseases such as obesity, heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. The School of Medicine at Texas Tech University recommends whole foods diets for obesity and hypertension. So do I… so quit paying for those fancy prepackaged processed meals. Eat whole. By simply eliminating processed foods from your diet you will shed pounds while actually eating more and optimizing your health potential.

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There is no OZ when it comes to your health


January 7, 2013 by Laurianne Macdonald, B.Sc., MPH, CHt, Licensed RTT Practitioner

DEP recalls, GMOs, Monsanto… Oh my!

With growing concern over the use of pesticides, low nutritional value of hydroponic or commercially grown produce and the Frankenstein abomination known as genetically modified organisms (GMO) being the scariest thing to come out of food science laboratories since high-fructose corn syrup, the health food and supplement industry is now a $20-billion dollars a year business. Unfortunately, not everyone has your health and wellbeing in mind when they offer advice, that latest cure-all elixir, or that next best supplement.

Now more than ever, it is important to be a well informed consumer.

The last time I went to Whole Foods I brought a handful of questions about the herbal tincture everybody was talking about. I walked out confused and with a bag full of product I paid too much for. After taking my son to the local GNC with hopes to learn which protein supplement is best for an athlete of his age and activity, I realized I knew more about the products on the shelf than the store manager.  I find the same to be the case at most health food suppliers and vitamin shops. That may seen an unfair statement as I am working toward my degree in alternative medicine, but making sense of the endless array of product… brain enhancers, gout relievers, natural anti-inflammatory or holistic cures for allergies, is daunting to say the least. You need a degree to wade through the plethora of propaganda and marketing mumbo -jumbo if only to avoid worrying that something you’re taking may have contraindications, be toxic if used incorrectly, or counteract the effects of your current blood pressure medicine.

I’ve been fortunate enough to find a place and people that have sifted through all the holistic hoopla-la and commercialized confusion plaguing the health food and supplement industry today. After witnessing the shift in philosophy and commercialization of the market, Richard Pearl and Sharooz Taheri decided to open their own shop. At Simply Natural Shop and Cafe, they keep some of the old ways intact: things like personalized attention, experienced and knowledgeable staff, and a true commitment to protecting the holistic lifestyle… all while keeping pace with the latest industry and medical developments.

When I first walked into Simply Natural, the hometown feel was comforting but a little disconcerting; I’d grown accustom to being confronted by shelves and walls stacked ceiling high and six layers deep—not by a friendly “hello”. Then, I was allowed to shop at my leisure, not prodded and probed at every turn. I was encouraged to ask if I had any questions and found that after a while all I wanted to ask was why there weren’t more places where the staff was so well versed or how come other stores don’t treat me so well.

I came to find out Richard and Sharooz believe everyone who enters their shop in Sunrise is an honored guest. That is why they serve only the best time proven products, supplements and organics, provide news and information from reliable, unbiased sources, and offer advice backed by thirty years of experience. Sharooz is even a specialist in iridology and Neurofeedback (Brain Training), offering diagnostics and holistic counseling.

So, you don’t really need to get your degree in Alternative Medicine to take better care of yourself or your family. But your health and wellbeing is a precious treasure you must protect by staying alert, capable of telling the difference between market trends, diet fads and current medical findings. Be aware of pharmacological threats, nutritional guidelines, and always bring your questions, concerns, and need for unbiased, honest answers to someone you trust.