Life as It's Lived

Time for a True Change

There are certain elements that make health care expensive. The media wishes to blame it on insurance companies. We all know that insurance companies represent one of the most lucrative, wealth possessing sectors of the economy. However, they also are a reflection of costs that do appear. Those costs are determined by doctors, hospitals, suppliers and medicine. Medicine has become a large portion of those costs in the form of prescriptions. Those prescriptions often create more medical related problems than imaginable.

According to the American Medical Association the number of deaths per year is over 100,000 people from death causing reactions to medication. In addition there are over 2,000,000 hospitalizations due to severe reactions to prescription medications. The number of people having a bad reaction that requires them changing their medication is in the high millions. 

The prescription business profits are staggering and their general over prescribing for every possible condition, pain, and problem leaves little room for any other alternative. The medical industry supports its perspectives and provides this wasteful and deadly statistical reality. How can that BE?

The Founding Fathers of America were quick to point out the tremendous danger of  the medical profession becoming monopolistic. Benjamin Rush, a physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, wanted an amendment protecting medical freedom. He feared "the time will come when medicine will organize into an underground dictatorship.." and in a sense that has happened. Medical care is no longer mindful of preventative medicine for everyone, only the few educated who are aware of it.

The alternative forms of medicine need to be heard and protected, the conventional mode of medicine needs to be re-evaluated and reports made public- protected from outside financial influences that have distorted facts. Everyone should read Michael Murray's latest book, "What the Drug Companies Won't Tell You And Your Doctor Doesn't Know".

What follows is a long entry that helps explain the elderly lady in the cartoon above- a most remarkable story! - By Trish Mahon, Jarrow Formulas

On March 19th, 2009 Ella Bess Baker Jackson, known as “Betty” turned 100 years old in Laguna Woods, California. In reaching her hundredth birthday, Betty has taken her place among the ranks of the more than 84,000 unflappable American men and women that now sit at the century mark. Betty has a secret, however. While she has practiced good nutrition all her life, she firmly believes that her strong faith and her use of a very special coconut oil hold the key to her longevity.

Betty was born in rural Texas in 1909. It was the year that Ernest Shackleton located the South Pole, construction began on the RMS Titanic, the US Navy founded Pearl Harbor, the Indianapolis Speedway held its very first event, the NAACP was formed, and Joan of Arc was beatified. In 1909 you could buy a dozen eggs for about .26, two rolls of toilet paper for a nickel, rent a three room apartment in New Jersey for about $15 a month, and take the train from New York to Chicago for $27 round-trip.

As a child, Betty worked in the cotton fields of Texas but had always wanted to teach. She enrolled in Teacher’s College right after high school. It was during her college days that friends began calling curly-haired “Ella Bess” by the name of “Betty” after the popular, animated cartoon character “Betty Boop.” She has been “Betty” ever since. She would go on to teach religious education to all grade levels in a one-room, Texas school house.

Betty met the love of her life in the local soda shop! She eloped with Clarence Paul Jackson and had two daughters in the 1930’s. As The Great Depression descended upon America, the young family looked to California for new opportunities, a new life, and a new faith.

Clarence’s first job in The Golden State was driving a construction truck with bad brakes from the very top to the very bottom of The Hoover Dam. After that, he brought his family to East Los Angeles where he sold Hoover Vacuums, worked in a battery factory, and finally settled with The Richfield Oil Corporation in Wilmington, California.

In 1941, with a $300 down payment, Betty and Clarence bought a home in Carson, California. It had a chicken coup, rabbit pens, and a WWII “victory garden.” It was in this house that they would start a church and hold Sunday school classes. Betty would also return to teaching and was soon hired by the US government to teach Japanese-American children detained on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California. She would remain committed to religious education for the next 4 decades.

Betty and Clarence had 19 wonderful years of retirement together until his death in 1987. In 1989 she moved to a new home in Laguna Woods. At 80 years old, she painted her new house and even made her own curtains. It was that same year that Betty discovered the riveting health and wellness secrets of coconut oil.

Betty uses coconut oil on her skin, including her face. She also puts coconut oil in hot tea, but it’s not just “any” coconut oil. She uses a very special coconut oil made by Jarrow Formulas, a supplier of superior nutritional supplements based in Los Angeles.

Jarrow Formulas carries an extra virgin coconut oil that Betty claims has an “anti-wrinkle effect, is soothing to skin irritations, and boosts the immune system when taken internally.” Jarrow Formulas’ coconut oil is organic and made from the fresh flesh of the coconut palm fruit. It is 100% unrefined and expeller pressed in a controlled, indoor environment … a special process that uses no artificial solvents. It can also be used for cooking and baking.

Known as a highly nutritious and healthy oil, coconut oil is about 50% lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) with anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-microbial properties. Researchers also credit the MCFA’s found in coconut oil with stimulating the metabolism to promote weight loss. Betty claims that she has been using Jarrow Formula’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil “for as long as they have been making it.” Since the company was founded in 1977, that is a considerable amount of time.

And time, is what Betty has had on her side. Her amazing life spans two World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Middle East conflicts, the tragedy of 911, the advent of the car, the plane, the television, the internet, the cell phone, Facebook, and Twitter.

She has been a daughter, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a great-great grandmother, a teacher, a painter and a woman of great faith. When asked what she would still like to accomplish after her more a century of life, she says to have her message about the wonders of coconut oil reach thousands of people.

Betty has had a long and colorful journey and offers this compelling advice to young people during these difficult times, “have a strong spiritual base, never give up on anything, always maintain a sense of gratefulness … and don’t forget the coconut oil.”

Betty remains today the teacher that she has always been. It is up to us to learn from her.

Vitamin Express - Best of the Bay

Vitamin Express has been around since 1982. Our goal is to provide the best products available to our customers at the lowest possible price with the best service. This year we were honored as the Best Place to Buy Vitamins and Food supplements in the San Francisco Bay Area by BayList- SFGate- SF Chronicle. Doing the Life as it’s Lived cartoons is a collaborative project. We hope you enjoy our signs. This cartoon was inspired by those long car trips as a child combined with the fact that Vitamin Express also has organic, pure body care products. The Burma Shave signs offered great entertainment traveling from Minnesota to Arizona and Colorado and in this case inspiration. There was little else along the highways and the signs seemed everywhere, even in the most remote places.

Here’s a little history. Burma Shave signs were in 45 states. It was fun to come across the rhymes as the signs came into view, first one, then another further along, and still others until the great punch line followed by the Burma Shave logo. The rhymes were cute with safety and moral messages that some people collected. The first signs were put up in 1925 and continued to entertain travelers until 1963. Altogether there were approximately seven thousand verses. During WWII the signs popped up wherever GI’s were stationed. It was a part of American culture.

Nothing like a cup of Tulsi laced with Rescue Remedy!

When thinking of ways to reduce stress the Bach Flowers’ Rescue Remedy should be at the top of your list. It is sold in pharmacies throughout the world and one of the most effective remedies for stress. Often emotional stress makes one feel disconnected, outside one’s own body, almost incapable of clear thinking. When Rescue Remedy is used the mind seems to merge back into the body resulting in a state of composure. Events seem to become manageable; life is manageable. It's a great aid for nerves before an airline flight, with the shock of a broken bone, or the stress of everyday life. Everyone seems to have their own Rescue Remedy story. What's yours?

Holy Basil is a remarkable ancient Ayurvedic herb also known as Tulsi, which translated means “the Incomparable One”. For more than 5000 years Holy Basil has been revered for its ability to assist meditation.

Feel the Difference with Octacosanol, Glucosamine and Salmon Oil

It is wonderful to know you can affect your health dramatically by taking supplements. Octacosanol is a remarkable substance found in wheat germ oil that at first you may not feel, but the longer you take it the more energy you experience to the point that when you see a set of stairs you just have to run up them! This is why athletes have used octacosanol for years to improve their strength, reaction time and endurance. It's exact mechanism of action is still unknown. Some evidence suggests it works to improve the transmission of nerve impulses.

Glucosamine helps to create cushioning fluids and tissues around joints. It aids the repair of arthritic joints, helps to reduce pain and builds synovial fluids. It's also an aid for inflamed discs and sciatica. It is necessary in the formation of skin, eyes, bones, tendon, nails, ligaments, and parts of the heart. It's also necessary in the production of mucous as a protective coating in the urinary, digestive, and respiratory tracts.

Salmon oil is composed of Omega 3- EPA and DHA, and other important fatty acids. It lowers triglycerides (where inflammation occurs), and cholesterol. It also aids circulation, helps to prevent blood clots, and helps arthritic conditions. The EPA helps to regulate cell hormones and helps to protect the body from high blood pressure, edema, and inflammation. DHA is important for vision, hearing, brain function and the reproductive system.

 Adding these three nutrients is another example of controlling your own health through paying attention to nutritional practice. And what a difference it makes!

The Wonders of Niacin (B3)

Obesity, Cholesterol Control With Good Diet and Niacin

Being overweight creates dangers of heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, respiratory illness, cancer, joint problems, inflammation, and a multitude of other factors that affect our elimination, nervous system, digestion, and reproductive system.

The increase in obesity is a national problem; two thirds of North America is overweight or obese. Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys the rate of change in our children is of utmost concern. It has nearly tripled in the last 19 years.

Risk for heart disease is occurring as early as the age of 25. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics has gone even so far as to recommend cholesterol lowering drugs for eight year old kids. However, it is well established that cardiovascular disease is not caused by a failure to take enough pharmaceuticals as a child. It is a lifestyle disease.

The Academy does state that the first course of action is physical activity and nutritional counseling which places exercise and proper diet as most important for children.

As for cholesterol issues niacin (vitamin B3) even at low doses offers an inexpensive, safe, and effective way to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides and increase the levels of HDL (good cholesterol). The president of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Steven E. Nissen in the New York Times (Jan23,’07) stated, “Niacin is really it. Nothing else available is that effective.” Niacin is the only vitamin that is given drug status because of its cholesterol lowering abilities.

As for weight control niacin has an indirect affect on over-eating. Niacin is essential to health, so a deficiency in the body begins a process of converting the amino acid l-tryptophan into niacin. This can produce a deficiency of l-tryptophan which is converted into serotonin the necessary brain chemical that tells the brain that one has eaten enough food. If this message is not received then a person can easily eat much more than the body needs unaware that satiation should have occurred.

Also, niacin moves fat from tissues for fat metabolism, burning it for energy. It is also vital for the production of hydrochloric (stomach) acid promoting good digestion. It promotes healthy skin, the health of the myelin sheath (the protective covering of the spinal nerves), and helps protect the pancreas.

Niacin releases histamine that dilates the blood vessels, called the "niacin flush", which temporarily produces heat, redness, and possible itching of the face, chest, back and legs for about ten to fifteen minutes. Some people enjoy the flushing and others dislike it and prefer non-flush niacin.  Some people mistake the flushing as an allergic reaction, which it is not.

Niacin also dilates the capillaries in the brain and can help to relieve depression, delusions and dementia. It is also used clinically as an aid for schizophrenia, migraines, vertigo, high blood pressure, acne and diarrhea. A deficiency causes a disease called Pellagra characterized by diarrhea, dementia and dermatitis. It is available as tablets or capsules in 50mg to 1000mg dosages. The low dosages of 100 to 200mgs have shown almost as much effectiveness for some individuals as high dosages.

Care of the Skin Gives Beautiful Results

Your skin is your body’s largest and one of the most important organs. It also radiates your mood, physical state, and attractiveness. One third of the blood pumped through the heart goes to your skin. It eliminates 25% of the body’s toxins up to two pounds of acid waste a day. It is the last organ of the body to receive nutrients, and at the same time, the first to show signs of deficiency. Your skin is constantly replacing itself as it sheds old cells. As we age our ability to ward off free radical damage decreases causing cross linkage in our skin resulting in wrinkles, pigment changes and loss of elasticity.

Beautiful skin, however, is possible to have at any age. Skin can remain firm, without wrinkles, and smooth. This can be done by paying attention to nutritional needs, topical aids, and physical exercise.

We have found some wonderful products that give really impressive results. First, here are three supplements we found that will aid the skin’s beauty and health dramatically within one month!

1. NeoCell Super Collagen+C - a product containing Type I and III collagen, a complex structural protein that maintains strength and flexibility of the skin. Skin becomes firmer. This product is further enhanced with the use of Hyaluronic Acid and added vitamin C.
2. Beauty Zyme GP- a product that enhances the body’s production of glutathione peroxidase clearing the skin, toning it, and reducing wrinkles.
3. Natren Acidophilus Powder or Capsules- a potent high adhesion probiotic acidophilus that also contains it own natural neonatant (growth medium) to ensure excellent implantation in the gut dramatically aiding the skin to be blemish free and radiant with health.

Second, here are two remarkable topical products that aid the skin’s protective ability, regaining elasticity, and providing healing aid that help provide smooth, firm, blemish free skin.

1. Pomega5™ Healing Cream- made with organic pomegranate seed oil, carrot seed oil, calendula oil, arnica oil, and layered with essential oils providing restorative and nourishing properties. Unbelievably effective!
2. Emu Gold Emu Oil- penetrates deep into the skin soothing and aiding cracked, dry, or irritated skin benefiting everything from acne to stretch marks. Another variety we sell is Wonder Oil Emu Oil. Completely remarkable!

Third is the physical attention we give our skin. Proper cleansing is essential for long term maintenance. Here are some suggestions:

1. African Formulas TBS Botanical Skin Wash - with colloidal oatmeal and beta glucans and protein, Panthenol (B5), and Vitamins A, C, and E which smooths the skin seeming to eliminate the need for lotions.
2. Dry skin Brushing- gives younger smoother skin and a healthy glow. It removes old skin and leaves new cells exposed to oxygen. This is important because dead skin cells remaining can also harbor a place for bacterial infection.
3. Don’t forget “jumping jacks” exercise to keep circulation and muscles working.

Genetics & Humility

With the remarkable adventures of Koko, we realize our wonderful companions here on earth are very close genetic friends. Gorillas could save your life if you needed a blood transfusion and shared the same blood type B. Other primates have different blood types and the evolutionary tale goes on and on.. Eating right for your blood type has become a recognized adjunct for moderating one's health. The combination is a recognition that our main purpose in life is to eat right and socialize. What fun!

Prop 65 - More Than We Want It To Be*

Adding Vitamins to Food for Enhanced Nutrition

Using vitamins and minerals to fortify food is one of the most effective methods to improve health and prevent nutritional deficiencies.

A vitamin is an essential organic catalytic substance. It acts as an ignition spark, which furnishes no fuel in itself, but keeps our fuel burning system functioning in an orderly fashion. The fuel in question is the food we eat. To be labeled a vitamin, a substance must be shown to be essential to life and growth, and found to be necessary for maintaining proper bodily and reproductive health.

As food processing and milling of grains took place many nutrients were lost. For example, with the movement West pioneers found that white flour stored much better than whole grain flour but vitamins were lost without the bran and germ present. This could result in deficiency diseases over time. Nutritional deficiencies are noted throughout history. Most famous is the lack of vitamin C resulting in scurvy and the necessary use of lemons and limes for sea travel. Some other deficiency diseases are Beriberi (vitamin B1-thiamine), Pellagra (vitamin B3-niacin), rickets (vitamin D), anemia (vitamin B12), night blindness (vitamin A), dermatitis (vitamin B7-biotin), and others. Vitamin E was discovered in the 1930’s and given the name tocopherol- which in Greek means the ability to bear children. Vitamin E is necessary for reproduction.

Food fortification was a result of scientific research and food manufacturers finding it profitable for sales through education and advertising while benefiting public health. Starting in the 1920s, the addition of iodine to salt produced healthier thyroid glands. In the 1930s vitamin D was added to milk, reducing rickets and calcium loss. Then with World War II the enrichment of flour became widespread when the Army in 1942 would purchase only enriched flour. In the 1980s a variety of food products were fortified with added calcium. Today, one sees much advertising by food manufacturers extolling the benefits of vitamin and mineral fortification to their products. More recent additions are folate (vitamin B9), magnesium and chromium.