Dear Reader,
With health costs in a never-ending upward spiral and
growing concerns about the safety of prescription
medications, it is easy to understand why millions of people
from around the world are turning to holistic medicine to
achieve and maintain good health. According to the American Holistic Health Association,
holistic health is actually an approach to life. Rather than
focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this
approach to health considers the whole person and how he or
she interacts with their environment. It emphasizes the
connection of mind, body and spirit. The goal is to achieve
maximum well-being, where everything is functioning the very
best that is possible. With holistic health people accept
responsibility for their own level of well being and
everyday choices are used to take charge of one's own
health.
Holistic health is based on the law of nature that a whole
is made up of independent parts. The earth is made up of
systems such as air, land, water, plants and animals. If
life is to be sustained they cannot be separated, for what
is happening to one is also felt by all of the other
systems. In the same way, an individual is a whole made up
of interdependent parts, which are physical, mental,
emotional, and spiritual.
Holistic health is an ongoing process. As a lifestyle, it
includes a personal commitment to keep moving toward the
right end of the wellness continuum. No matter what their
current status of health; people can improve their level of
well-being.
The US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention report
that the key factors influencing an individual's state of
health have not changed significantly over the last 20
years. Quality of medical care is only 10%. Heredity
accounts for 18% and environment is 19%. Everyday lifestyle
choices are 53%. The decisions people make about their life
and habits are by far the largest factors in determining
their level of wellness.
Holistic health is based on the premise that illnesses and
premature death can be traced back to lifestyle choices.
There are the well-known dangers connected with drugs,
alcohol, nicotine and unprotected sexual activity. Less
recognized health hazards included the impact of sugar,
caffeine and negative attitudes.
When you combine these hazards with insufficient exercise,
overeating and low self esteem, they gradually accumulate
harmful effects. With time they diminish the quality of the
"environment" within a human being and can set the stage for
illness to take hold. Quality of life, now and in the
future, is actually determined by a vast number of seemingly
small choices that are made each day.
Holistic health also focuses on reaching higher levels of
wellness. People are motivated by how good it feels to have
lots of energy and enthusiasm for life. Most people find
holistic health principles easy to practice once the proper
habits are formed.
More and more physicians are using the holistic approach to
health and healing with their patients. Holistic physicians
embrace a variety of safe, effective options in the
diagnosis and treatment of their patients, including:
* Education for lifestyle changes and self-care
* Complementary alternatives
* Conventional drugs and surgery
People who practice holistic health in their own lives
may have fewer chronic illnesses or major health problems.
However, if conventional medical care is required for an
accident or illness, a medical doctor who follows the
principles of holistic medicine should provide the care.
Yours in good health,
Sheila McCormick
Editor, IVL Health Watch
What is this "Hawaiian miracle?"
The noni plant has withstood the test of time. For
literally thousands of years it has been flourishing in
Hawaii's lush, nutrient-rich soil. Down through the ages,
healers and shamans in Hawaii and the South Pacific have
depended on the benefits of this versatile plant to ease the
pain and remedy the health problems of the people under
their care. They realized juice from the noni fruit had
amazing healing powers of restoration. The noni was - and
still is - considered sacred and vital to the health of
every islander.
In his book, "Noni: The Tropical Fruit with 101 Medicinal
Uses," Dr. Neil Solom discusses a survey of 8,000 people who
used Hawaiian Noni for a variety of medical conditions. When
doctors and other health professionals interviewed them,
they found that Hawaiian noni helped 78% of the people who
used it.
Steven Hall, M.D., of Providence Hospital in Washington, has
treated patients with Hawaiian noni for inflammatory
problems such as arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis and even
carpal tunnel syndrome. Dr. Hall revealed that "noni is
incredible because it offers help to people who could not be
helped by traditional medical science." Dr. Hall also
reported that "not only does noni provide many benefits on
its own, but it also increases the effectiveness of other
treatments."
Master Herbalist, Rita Elkins, author of "The Noni
Revolution," states, "As an investigative author, I have
concluded that noni has more than enough credibility to
justify its use. . .for improved health. Supplementation
with noni appears to optimize health."
http://www.ivlonline.com/letter/hawaiian_noni
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Cool your mouth and fight dental cavities at the same
time.
Used by dentists worldwide for oral health, xylitol, also
called wood sugar or birch sugar, is a five-carbon sugar
alcohol that is used as a sugar substitute. Xylitol is a
naturally occurring sweetener found in the fibers of many
fruits and vegetables. It is roughly as sweet as sucrose but
is a "tooth friendly" sugar. In addition to not encouraging
tooth decay (by replacing dietary sugars), xylitol may
actively aid in repairing minor cavities caused by dental
caries.
When bacteria enter the body they hold on to our tissues by
hanging on to a variety of sugar complexes. The open nature
of xylitol and its ability to form many different sugar-like
structures appears to interfere with the ability of many
bacteria to adhere.
Xylitol can also be applied nasally through a saline
solution containing xylitol, such as Xlear Nasal Wash.
See xylitol products...
http://www.ivlonline.com/letter/xylitol
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