An apple a day, keeps the doctor away – and here is why! Studies by researchers at Cornell University show that the combination of phytochemicals in apples plays a very important role in antioxidant and anti- cancer activity. An apple packs more cancer fighting antioxidant capability than a 1,500 milligram megadose of vitamin C. Antioxidant phytonutrients found in apples fight the damaging effects of bad LDL cholesterol to keep your heart healthy.

Thousands of families in England and Scotland were studied in 1937 and 1939 – and the children were followed for more than sixty years! The results were published in the March 2003 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Those children in the top 25 percent of fruit eaters in the study were 38 percent less likely to develop cancer throughout their lives, even after taking other risks such as tobacco into account. As little as 88.4 grams of fruit a day (the size of a small apple) had a significant protective effect. Does the benefit of childhood fruit-eating come from establishing good habits? We do know that adult-fruit-eating protects against cancers. Either way, each bite of fresh fruit, especially organic fruit, protects against the DNA damage that can lead to cancer.

You have heard it from me before - health is a multi-dimensional state. Not only does it include physical health, but several other “types” of health as well: emotional (or psychological), spiritual, environmental, intellectual, occupational, and social health. As we approach the end of the year and anticipate the special months that follow, now is a good time to review your emotional health status. If you are feeling a bit like Scrooge, take a moment to reflect and consider the following ideas for reviving your emotional health.

1. Start a gratitude journal. Write only positive things in it. Pull it out when you need a gentle lift.
2. Write a thank-you note to a person who has influenced your life in a positive way. Mail it.
3. Write a thank-you note to a person who challenged you to grow and expand your window of thinking about things. Mail it.
4. Forgive a person who has hurt you in some way. Let it go. Don’t allow it to create any more bitterness in you.

Daily Solutions for a Natural Lifestyle

We are living on a toxic planet: chemicals and synthetic products saturate the marketplace, the quality of air is questionable, and scientists are replacing homegrown foods with plastic margarine and other food look-alikes. How many of you fit this scenario --- you bathe with a “beauty bar” or deodorant bar, wash your hair (has it been chemically colored?) with a green jelly substance lovingly named “Herbal Delight”; next you condition your hair with more pretty pastel creams, rub gels and mousse endorsed by teenage singing stars on, and then spray it all into a 12-hour hold with an aerosol plastic netting. Once out of the bathroom, you might add several layers of toxic colors and creams to your face and neck before you tear off the plastic wrap from your dry cleaning, spritz the tender skin of your neck with alcohol-based perfume, and dash off for the day. Remember to call the lawn people to spray the lawn. Remember the carpet cleaners are coming to add their own versions of chemical soup to your family’s carpets (all the better for the baby to crawl around on). Off you go, in a hurry, to grab a quick meal stored in a Styrofoam tray courtesy of the drive through.

“How many people really care about the quality of their food these days?”

“Do restaurants care what they serve us, or have we become so disinterested in our health that we let complete strangers dictate what is nutritious?”

“What has happened to eating a square meal?“

In my practice, I see people who are overweight, but underfed: eating a lot of food, but nothing with real nutrition. What’s going on? Why are we eating more than ever, but getting sicker and sicker?

What do you think of when you read the term, “body, mind, and spirit”? Does it bring to mind peacefulness, a spa treatment, balance? Or maybe you interpret it as good health, free from illness, and lots of energy. Perhaps you have no solid idea of how these terms even relate to you and your life. Those three words actually describe the chain of events that happen during the intricate process of healing, and form the basic foundation of naturopathic medicine.

Physical healing can appear in many forms: a torn, skinned knee becomes smooth skin in a matter of days; a sunburn loses its redness and the skin is no longer painful to the touch; a broken bone mends itself internally with the support of an external cast; a bruise receives blood through internal circulation and fades away. In alternative medicine, we may use remedies such as calendula cream on the skin or homeopathic arnica to assist in the healing process of bruises and trauma. In alternative medicine we believe that nature plays a huge role in healing the wonderful body that our Creator provided: nature in the form of fresh air, pure water, positive friendships, clean food and simple nutritional practices.