Debunking 6 Natural Health Myths

It seems like it's a never-ending war between so-called Natural Health and Modern Medicine.

Personally, I wish they would just marry each other. Get it done already.
As modern humans, we need both.

There are always a few natural myths that just keep hanging around. I've been around natural healing and herbal medicine my whole life and here's my take on the SIX most common myths about my industry.

Myth #1 Homeopathic remedies don't work.

First of all, do you even really know what a Homeopathic remedy is? We get calls almost every week from potential customers asking if our formulas are homeopathic. It's a good question but what I find is that most people don't even really know what that means.

So first, let's talk about what exactly a Homeopathic remedy is. In Homeopathy...""like cures like."" It treats each person as a unique individual. There are other natural healing modalities that do that too but, how awesome is that? That's how it's supposed to be. We all have similarities because we are human biology, but we also have our own unique blueprint. Bottom line for a Homeopathic remedy is this...it enhances the body's normal healing ability and self-regulating processes.

Homeopathy is NOT the same as herbal medicine. It is based on three laws.

1) The Law of Similars which means that whatever causes your symptoms will also cure those same symptoms.

2) The Law of Infinitesimals which means that the more diluted the remedy the more powerful it will become. This might seem absurd but if you do even simple research you will see how amazing this is.

3) The Law of Succession is the vigorous shaking of a homeopathic remedy to further increase its potency. When a homeopathic doctor ritually prepares a homeopathic remedy, he/she will shake or take it at each stage of dilution, in order to ""potentize"" it. This allows the water to retain the "memory” or "vibration" of the original substance.

Look, I know this sounds like crazy, woo-woo, witch doctor kind of stuff but it's real and it's powerful. It's been around and in use worldwide for more than 200 years. It is even recognized by the World Health Organization as the second largest therapeutic system in use in the WORLD. The SECOND LARGEST.

Here's the thing. The body knows what it's doing. When you have symptoms, the body is taking action to get rid of what it's illness. We are self healing organisms. Go back to "like cures like" and you get the basic gist of Homeopathy.

Personally, I believe that Homeopathic Medicine is proven and is full of scientific evidence to its power, potency and its ability to heal. Our extracts and capsules products are not homeopathic but are concentrated and potent. Very different but as equally as important as homeopathic medicine. Educate yourself further before you make a quick judgement about whether Homeopathy does or doesn't work.

Myth #2 Fasting Kills your Metabolism.

I love debunking this myth. Fasting is a powerful way to change all kinds of issues your body might have. From weight loss to cancer, fasting gives your body an opportunity to heal. Most people can't fathom the act of not eating but here are three reasons you should at least consider intermittent fasting.

1) When you give your body and all of its systems an opportunity to rest, it heals. When it doesn't have to digest, process or eliminate food your body will literally say, "What can I do for you?" and "Where do I need to spend some time cleaning up and repairing?" Intermittent fasting is the easiest way to do this. Simply stop eating breakfast a few days a week and cycle between periods of eating and fasting. When you eat "breakfast" you are breaking your overnight fast and when you don't eat your first meal until 11:00 or 12:00 noon, you’re continuing the repair and regeneration your body does during the night. There is tons of information on the internet about intermittent fasting and how to do it.

2) When you fast, you are giving your body a safe way to lose weight. We are a sick, overweight society and fasting that is controlled within a set number of hours, literally lets your body burn more fat cells better than regular diets. Fasting lets your body use its fat stores as energy rather than sugar.

3) Fasting promotes longevity and ACTUALLY SPEEDS up your metabolism. Here's a fun fact to wrap your head around...the less you eat the
longer you will live. In our modern world when we start to get older one of the primary effects is a slower metabolism. When you eat less, your digestive system doesn't have to work nearly as hard. And most people never really experience true hunger. We're too busy eating every few hours even if it's sometimes out of boredom or because so much food is always simply 'there'.

4) From my own personal research and experience I believe that fasting is a powerful method of preventing and curing cancer. This is a big topic that I will cover in another blog but the thought of that alone should intrigue you.

Think of fasting like this...it will help you regulate your hormones and act as a reset button. When your hormones are working correctly, you'll get full faster. Fasting improves your immune function, your brain function, helps clear your skin and my favorite, makes you feel more connected to life. When you are continuously stuffing food into your body and making your digestive system work overtime it prevents you from having a lighter body and a clearer mind. You will become more aware and more grateful. I love doing a 7-10 day fresh green juice fast a couple of times a year. I sleep better, I work more efficiently and I have the most amazing mental clarity.

Myth #3 Clean Eating is an All or Nothing Commitment.

This is where you might unnecessarily beat yourself up. You have a piece of cake on your birthday or at your best friend’s wedding, so you think..."I blew it. So I'm going to eat whatever I want and start to eat clean on Monday."

And you proceed to eat everything you know you shouldn't and in obscene quantities. I know, because I used to do that too. For a long time.

Eating healthy is not about eating 100% perfect. What does that mean anyway? You have to enjoy some of the savory, delicious foods that this life has to offer. Here's how I like to look at eating clean. 80% of the time...eat the foods and in the amounts that you know are healthy. And then the other 20% of the time...enjoy yourself. Eat a slice of pizza, a piece of cake or something that is a real treat for you. Eat it slowly. Savor it. The key is to indulge without overdoing it. 20% indulging in the foods you love doesn't mean going crazy. Not a whole pizza or 2 or 3 pieces of cake until you have a stomach ache. Not that. Retrain yourself to think of food as enjoyment without guilt.

I like to give the foods I indulge in every once in a while, a little love. I never feel guilty. I eat it. I lick my fingers (and sometimes the plate!) and I don't feel bad about it. Especially when someone prepares food for me that I wouldn't necessarily eat. This is 20% of the time. The other 80%...clean, healthy, delicious, nutritious food with some intermittent fasting thrown in.

I have moved far past the need to eat fast food or junk food. My taste buds and body have progressed into higher quality of "cheating" during the 20% of the foods I eat that I know aren't the best for my health.

Most of the people I know who feel that they'll never be able to "eat 100 clean" are fighting an un-winnable battle. It's time to join the 80-20 club!

Myth #4 Juice is Good for You.

Why is this a myth? Well, first of all, not all juice is created equal. Vegetable juice, specifically green vegetable juice is extremely good for you. The problem occurs when it's all or mostly all fruit juice. When you drink a glass of orange juice, apple juice, pineapple juice etc...you are getting a huge shot of sugar that floods your body with just as much sugar as a soda. 12 ounces of apple juice delivers about 40 grams of sugar which is an insane amount of sugar to consume, regardless of whether it's sugar from a natural or processed source. You boost your risk of heart disease and diabetes when you drink any type of sugary drink...even fruit juice.

When you convert whole fruit into a liquid there is no fiber to slow down it's absorption into the bloodstream. So, don't be fooled into thinking that fruit juice is a good option to soda. Grab an apple or an orange and eat it like it was meant to be eaten.

And for a drink option...graduate to the grown up health benefits of drinking tea. Make it organic and your health will soar.

Myth #5 Pharmaceuticals are Bad.

In my world...the world of natural medicine and holistic healing, I run across people who would go to their grave before they would take a pharmaceutical or prescription drug. I also know people who feel the same about taking an herbal remedy. Not on their life.

In the right situation, modern medicine can prolong and even save your life. I've always thought that traditional medicine and natural medicine need to get their act together and do what's best for the patient. It doesn't have to be all one way at the expense of the other. We need different things at different phases of our life and our health. To discount one healing modality or another is simply the wrong way to go about taking care of yourself and your family.

If you prefer herbal medicine but will throw out a prescription drug that could save your life...then this is an old fashioned, stubborn way of thinking. And the exact same thing applies to throwing out or immediately discounting an herbal remedy that would help you if you lean more in favor of traditional medicine.

This is where your common sense and responsibility for your own health comes in. It's not your doctors job to make you well or keep you healthy. If he/she suggests a drug or treatment of any kind, it is your duty to question it and make sure it's the right thing. It might be. It might not be. Educate yourself. Listen to your inner guidance. Eat better. Exercise every day. Forgive quickly. Don't let any practitioner scare you into their treatments no matter which side you fall on.

There are tons of scientific research for both. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

From where I sit and the people I talk to every single day, this is what I see. We are getting closer to integrating both traditional medicine and natural medicine. Maybe you don't see it, but I do. Is there a lot of work to be done to educate? Most definitely. But keep the faith and keep yourself involved in your own health. It will pay off immensely.

Myth #6 The word "Natural" on a Label Means it’s Good for You.

Anyone can put the word "natural" on their product, but what does this really mean? It might mean preservative free, like my protein bars, or it might mean nothing at all.

Most of us have been duped by the food and supplement industry and almost 59% of consumers have a hard time reading and understanding food/nutrition labels.

The words natural, multi-grain, no sugar added, sugar free, zero trans fats do not always translate into healthy for you. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
I do believe that you, the consumer, is becoming increasingly savvy when it comes to recognizing what foods are good for you and your family. Sometimes it’s as simple as reading the label. A good place to start is to scan the first three ingredients. They make up the largest part of what you would be eating.
Also, the front of the label is used to lure you into thinking you don't have to read the back of the label. And watch out for serving sizes. It's on the label and you've got to pay attention to it.

Here are some of the most misleading claims and what they really mean.

1) Natural. This simply means that the manufacturer at some point at a natural source to work with...like an apple or carrot.

2) Fruit Flavored. Blueberry yogurt doesn't even have to one real blueberry in it to call itself Blueberry flavored. That usually means concocted in a lab from chemicals specifically designed to taste like fruit.

3) Fortified or Enriched. This just means that a food product has had some nutrients added to it. Like "calcium enriched" orange juice. That does not mean it's better for you. It's simply supposed to make you feel better about consuming it.

4) Gluten-Free. This is all the rage right now. And you might really be gluten intolerant. But just because a product says it gluten free doesn't mean it isn't highly processed and full of too much sugar and unhealthy fats. Be aware.

5) Multi-grain. Oh yeah...this sounds healthy alright. What this usually means is that there is more than one type of grain in the product and the it's more likely than not, processed and refined.

This is a partial list but you get the point. Here's where you start to realize that the smartest thing to do is to eat as close to the whole food group as possible. Eat an apple and ditch the applesauce and apple juice. Eat an orange or a banana. Buy your veggies, chop and cook them yourself. Stay away from packaged or processed food as much as you can.

This might take a lifestyle shift for you if you're used to quick, packaged foods or even fast, drive through foods. Start with one meal at a time. Like breakfast. Decide that every day breakfast will be make from real, whole foods. Then go from there.

I hope this little list has helped you sort out some ideas about Natural Health Myths that will help you make sense of everything that's out there.

I'm going to be delving into each myth in depth on future blogs.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and...

Here's a little fact about me that you might not know. I am married to a person (Tim) who grew up with a dad who was a highly respected physics professor and of course, most of you know that I grew up with a dad who was not only a highly educated healer but was one of the true pioneers in modern, herbal medicine.

So different yet so alike in the sheer amount of research that each of our dad's each did in their respective fields. Both PhD's.

Tim and I have been together and married for more than 20 years and over the years, we've had some heated discussions on what each of us would do if we were diagnosed with something scary, like cancer. In the beginning, we would both get completely worked up and stressed out when the conversation about this would come up. I couldn't believe I would be with someone who thought so differently on such an important topic as how to take care of yourself with herbs or drugs.
These feelings make me smile now. I've come a long way and so has he. We've opened each other's hearts and minds to thinking about the issue of health and wellness from all sides and all modalities.

One of the things that make me especially happy is that Tim will now take any herbal remedy I suggest whenever he has an issue. I've never seen a bigger fan of LDM-100 than he is. And a few years ago when I finished the formulation for BrainGlow he was one of the first people to realize how important it was and made it a part of his daily routine.

BrainGlow was two and a half years in the research and formulation phase. I started with almost 50 different herbs and plants. I didn't want an isolate...I wanted the whole part of the plant.

All of the complex properties of each plant had to complement each other without contradicting any of the other herbs. It had to provide oxygen and circulation to the brain so that I would have mental clarity and increased energy and focus. Most importantly, I was looking long term for dementia prevention. I don't want to get into my later years and forget the names of my children and grandchildren. BrainGlow is a permanent part of my routine.

Thanks again for reading and I've love to hear some comments on what you think about these 6 Myths.

Jane 

XO