Man versus God.

I read an article recently that spoke about how man has become so far removed, so shut off, from nature, and how it's really a metaphor for how man has become removed and shut off from God...


Somewhere along the way, man decided he was smarter than God. What God had provided for him, wasn't good enough. His ego demanded that he kept striving for new and better inventions and technologies, and in his quest to master the world around him, and bend nature to suit his convenience, he failed to see (or maybe he just failed to care) that he was destroying the same earth upon which he relies.

Somewhere along the way man decided that all human life was not, in fact, created equal, and somehow that gave him the right to exploit his fellow man to suit his own ends, and further his own cause. Certain cultures and skin colors were somehow deemed to be more disposable, and less valuable, then others.

Somewhere along the way, man decided that the he could improve upon the food that God provided for him through nature. He had to go and genetically modify it, spray it, chemically alter it, process it, refine it, pasteurise it, homogenise it, irradiate it...and then wrap it in pretty plastic.

And then when man began to fall ill, in ways he had never fallen ill before, instead of admitting his mistake - that man-made food is not, and can never be, as healthy or nutritious as the food that God provided for us - he went and invented a heap of pills to "fix" the problem.

Could we be any more arrogant?


I cannot help but wonder: where will it all end?


How long will it take - One generation? Maybe two? - before all the native animals, the rainforests, the bees are extinct?

How long before little family farms - where land and livestock are cared for and nurtured - are extinct...gobbled up by giant corporations, whose only aim is higher and higher profits?

How long before clean water and clean air are also extinct???

How long before all cultures are extinct, except for "Western" culture?


When will we rise up and say "Enough"? Where do we draw the line that says "You go no further"?


The Native Americans have a saying: "We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children."


But what is going to be left for our children, I wonder?


I hear people, confused and disillusioned, asking "How could God allow such things to happen?". The answer is that God allowed us to have free will, so the real question is: How could MAN allow it to happen?


Or even more uncomfortably....How could WE allow it to happen?


Yes. You and me.


I'll be the first to put my hand up and say that I did not make so much as a peep, when Allied forces stormed into Iraq, to save the world from all the "weapons of mass destruction", leaving a trail of chaos and uranium pollution.


I kicked up no fuss when oil spewed into the gulf of Mexico, poisoning and suffocating everything in it's path.

I made no hint of protest over covert military operations that are spraying us all with chemicals, HAARP technology that is so powerful it can manipulate the weather and worse, Aussie soldiers being killed by Taliban guns: the same guns that were supplied by the U.S themselves, during the Cold War, or the World Trade Organisation's plan to restrict vitamins and natural health products, and put them under the control of pharmaceutical companies.

I have said nothing, and done nothing, about the 120,000 women and girls who are trafficked into Western Europe every year, the 27 million slaves in the world, the 300,000 child soldiers fighting in armed conflicts, the 2 million women and girls subjected to female mutilation every year, the 300,000 prisoners of conscience rotting away in jail cells around the world, the ten languages that die out every single year, the 44 million child labourers in India, the 100 million landmines still quietly waiting below the surface for their unsuspecting victims, or the fact that Americans discard 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

Or that we in the Western world consume 6 to 7 kilograms of chemical food additives every year.

I went right on with my everyday life, because the damage and destruction was not affecting me directly. Not yet, that is.

If I am truly honest with myself, I have to admit that I have failed miserably in my God-given responsibilities: To be my brother's keeper, and a caretaker of God's creation.

I'll be the first to put my hand up. I'm as guilty as the next person. But the buck stops here.

We can no longer lay the blame only on a faceless few, who walk the corridors of power, putting money above people and planet.


It's easy to blame a group of people who have no name or face, while we continue to buy the products produced by those same companies who razed the rainforests, poisoned the rivers, and paid massive amounts in celebrity endorsements, all the while exploiting sweat-shop labour...

And vote for the governments that allowed it to happen. (Remember that in a democracy, a government is supposed to serve the people - that's why they're called "public servants" - and not the other way around...).

How can we blame others, while we ourselves, insist on a lifestyle that is high in disposable income, and disposable stuff.


We are responsible, too.


I think about Jesus, and how He would NEVER have stepped aside, and allowed such atrocities and injustices to go on.  I think about how he stood up for the oppressed, challenged the status quo, and taught that every soul created by God was precious and priceless, and no-one was more, or less, important than anyone else.

Can I truly profess to be a Christian, then, if I don't at least try to do something???


...but what?


That is the question.


What??

How to Have a Chemical-Free Bathroom

Many of you know that I've got a thing against chemicals, and I believe in a lifestyle that works with nature. Not against it.

So, I decided that I'd talked the talk long enough, it was time to walk the walk...

Recently, I decided it was time to purge my bathroom. The criteria was that if it can't be eaten then it's not safe to put on my skin.

And if it has ingredients that I can't pronounce, then it's probably not safe to eat...

These are all the items that did NOT pass the test...(Yes, farewell my friend, eyelash dye kit....sob!)

It pains me to admit that there are over $400 worth of products here...

I spent over $400 for the priviledge of loading myself with toxins and poisons? What was I thinking?!

Those 31 products have been replaced by...

...just 11 products. And some of those won't be replaced when they run out.

 - Yes, that's coconut oil you can see! Did you know it's one of the most versatile products you can own? Use it for cooking (it does not go rancid at high temps), on your skin, eat it for all kinds of health benefits (it's anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti carcinogenic...that means it protects against cancer), use it as a lip-balm or hair gloss/shine serum. AND it smells delicious!

 - No more handwash! Replaced with good old-fashioned sunlight soap.

 - Natural toothpaste with NO fluoride. Very important. Did you know that a tube of normal toothpaste contains enough fluoride to kill a 12kg child?? It is a TOXIC, DEADLY chemical that has NO RIGHT being in our toothpaste. Or in our water supply. (Fluoridated water is nothing short of mass-medication...but I shall not get started on THAT!!)

 - Organic Care shampoo. While this shampoo contains no SLS, it's still not as natural as I'd like, so when it's finished I'll swap to a truly organic product.

 - All-natural deodorant. No aluminium. This is also important, and why I never use anti-perspirants. Not only do anti-perspirants contain aluminium (linked to Alzheimers), but you should never try to stop your body from sweating. That's one of the ways your body removes toxins. Your body is trying to protect you, not embarrass you..

 - Mineral organic concealer, blush, and face mask.

 - Cocoa body butter and rose-hip oil. When these both run out, I won't replace them, I'll just use the coconut oil.

 - Organic cleanser. I already had this, but when this runs out, I won't replace it. I'll use salt-water (see tip below)

 - And on my wishlist: organic mascara.

Here's a few other hints for beauty with a conscience...

- Sea salt dissolved in warm water is a great cleanser, and helps to heal breakouts. (Have you ever noticed how any sores or wounds heal really quickly after swimming in the ocean? )

- A little bit of apple cider vinegar in some warm water, as a hair rinse, helps a dry scalp.

- Body scrubs are easily made up with sea-salt, mixed with some dried herbs and a couple of drops of essential oils.

-  Manuka honey as a anti-aging face mask (it's anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial), or dabbed on pimples and left overnight. It can also be used with warm water to remove mineral make-up.

- One egg (beaten) mixed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil can be used as a hair protein treatment. Rub through your hair, wrap in warm towel for 15 mins to an hour, then rinse with luke-warm water.

Quitting Sugar...3 Weeks On.

This post is less about my quitting sugar efforts, and more about some new information I dug up.

There's not a lot to report on the quitting sugar front, except that I still resemble a spotty teenager - lucky I have no hot dates planned... And I was very naughty and had a profiterole, and a tiny slice of tiramisu, and then I got a thumping headache. Serves me right..

Anyhow,

I read somewhere that you should always do colon cleansing, before doing any other type of cleansing. But I ignored that bit, and jumped straight into a candida cleanse.

Now i understand WHY you should do a colon cleanse first.

Most people have a lot of "stuff" rotting away in their colon (large intestine). Actually, most people will have between 1 and 3 kilos of "stuff". (I know. It's hardly dinner-table conversation material, is it? But lets plough on...There is a point I'm getting to.)

All this "stuff" is a breeding ground for toxins, candida and -gulp!- parasites.

When you remove all this gunk, your whole digestive system works a lot more efficiently, and many people report feeling a burst of energy, clearer skin, improved immune function, weight loss, and better bowel habits (Did you know that if you don't "go" at least once per day, then you are constipated? Optimum is 3 times per day.)

So what's it got to do with my candida/quitting sugar cleanse?

Well, purging your system of candida means a lot of toxins released into the body while the candida fungus is dying. One of the ways toxins are cleared out of the body is....yep, you clever thing!! Out through the digestive system! Ummm, that is, if your colon is not clogged up with "stuff".

If your colon is not functioning efficiently, then your body will struggle to eliminate toxins.

There are two ways you can clean out the colon. One is colonic irrigation. The name says it all really. Kind of like having a colonoscopy, except they wash it out. I've heard that this way is the most effective, but if you're a bit reluctant to have someone poking a little tube in your nether regions, then you're left with Option 2...

Take a colon cleanse formula. There are a few of these around, some are based on herbs, others are based on magnesium. I've managed to get hold of a magnesium based one (magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate) - apparently the magnesium releases a lot of water into the colon, so basically an internal wash.

You need to stay handy to a bathroom for the first week, while you are de-gunking your insides.

Sooooooooooo!!! Whilst I'm still trying to stay sugar-free, I'm also going to attempt to clean my insides, starting tomorrow.

I'm so nervous and excited!!

Gosh. Must go. Before you realise what a weirdo I am...

The Sickness Industry (Part 3)

Part 3 is finally here!

Just when you thought you couldn't be shocked any more...

This post is all about Medical "Fact". And the media. And challenging some things that we have all accepted as fact. Let's look at a few examples...

It seems common sense has gone out of fashion. Instead, we let "experts" and "panels" do the thinking for us. This does not suit me at all!! Things don't quite add up, and I want to know why!

***

For example: "Skin Cancer is caused by the sun." Everybody knows this right?! It's taught in schools, it's promoted by the Cancer Council. It's undisputed medical fact.

Here's a question...

If skin cancer was caused solely by the sun...why were our ancestors rarely, if ever, troubled by skin cancer, yet they spent most of their lives outdoor?. We spend more time indoors, than ever before, yet we have the highest rate of skin cancer than ever before. How does that make sense?

And why is it, that in the hottest parts of Australia, office workers still have a higher rate of skin cancer than lifeguards do??

There's got to be more to the story...

Could it be that skin cancer is less about the sun, and more about the food we're eating?

As a result of this fear of the sun, people cover up, stay indoors, and get sicker than ever. You know why? Because our society is becoming deficient in Vitamin D, which is essential for bone health, a strong immune system, and prevention of cancer.

Vitamin D can prevent 4 out of 5 cancers. Yes, incredible as it sounds, but spending some time in the sun helps to PREVENT cancer.

Have you ever noticed that people who work indoors seem to get sick more often than people who work outdoors? That's because the sun is GOOD FOR YOU.

Have you ever wondered why Winter is the "flu season" and not Summer? Maybe it's because most people don't get enough sun in Winter!

Could it be that the sun prevents disease?

Question everything!!

Many people think that the sun causes them to have dry, leathery, wrinkled skin. That's because the sun has the most incredible ability to draw toxins up and out through the skin. So, if you are full of toxins, and you stay out in the sun, yes....you'll end up with wrinkly, leathery skin.

Of course, no-one is suggesting you lay out in the sun all day, until you are as red as a beetroot. That's just plain foolishness. (You should start gently, and gradually build up exposure.) But never, ever underestimate the healing qualities of the sun. The sun allows the body to produce Vitamin D, it kills viruses and germs, and encourages seratonin production in the brain.

During Summer, most of us probably get enough incidental sunlight during our everyday activities, but during the Winter months, most of us need to actually sit out in the sun for a while, to produce enough Vitamin D. Especially if you are dark-skinned.

My sons and I have not gotten a single cold or flu this Winter, and I attribute this to cutting out all sugar from our diet, and spending a half hour outside in the sun every day.

More reading here. Also, you can read a fascinating article here by another blogger mum, and her "sun experiments". Actually, scientific studies can back up her findings. Sunburn only occurs when nutritional deficiencies are present.

***

Here's another one: "AIDS is caused by HIV". This is another one that's taught in schools. Heck, it's medical fact too, how dare we question it?!!

What if I told you that people have died from "AIDS", but it was found later that they were HIV negative? How is this possible?

What if I told you that people have tested positive for HIV, but later were re-tested and found to be negative?

What if I told you that the HIV test does not test if you've got the HIV virus? It tests if you've got HIV antibodies in the blood. Do you realise what this means??? If you test HIV positive, then it simply means that at some point you were exposed to the HIV virus, and you're body produced antibodies (in other words, your immune system fought it.)

What if I told you that studies have been done, that followed couples where one partner was HIV positive, and one was negative, and not one single partner became HIV positive, even after years of unprotected intercourse? Could it be that the HIV virus is NOT sexually transmitted?

This is outrageous!! This is a scandal of epidemic proportions.

The thing is, AIDS is not a clearly defined disease. It's made up of many different diseases, like muscle wasting syndrome, pneumonia, etc. So, if I went to hospital suffering breathing difficulty and mucus in the lungs, and I was HIV negative, then I would be diagnosed with pneumonia. But if I was HIV positive, then I would be diagnosed with AIDS. Do you see what I mean? This is a complete shambles!

Even cervical cancer is now supposedly an AIDS "disease", according to the Center for Disease Control.

Is it possible that AIDS (as we know it) does not even exist?

Why is it that 90% of AIDS cases are male? Why are they mostly homosexual? If AIDS (or HIV) was sexually transmitted, why doesn't it affect both sexes? Do homosexuals have more unprotected sex than hetrosexuals. I think not....

If you look at the risk categories for AIDS, you find homosexuals, drug users, and blood transfusion recipients.

Every single homosexual AIDS patient was found to have used drugs, the drug users used drugs (obviously!), and the blood transfusion recipients used (legal) drugs for their various medical conditions.

Could it be, that drugs (both legal and illegal) damage the immune system so much, that we end up with this disease we call AIDS???

Could it be, that being HIV positive is just like having antibodies to rubella or any other infection, and therefore perfectly harmless, until...you go on HIV medication (drugs)???

Could it be that HIV medication CAUSES AIDS???

Meanwhile, drug companies are making a fortune through HIV medication. Why on earth would they ever find a "cure" for "AIDS"? My guess is that we will never find a "cure" for AIDS or cancer. Not in our lifetimes, anyway. Too many people are making too much money out of the current status quo.

It's nothing short of murder, if you ask me...

For a fascinating article, click here. It tells the whole story of how "AIDS" was discovered, and then linked (fraudulently, I might add) with HIV. And more reading here.

Question everything, people!!

***

How about this one: "Germs are bad and must be avoided at all costs." Let's get one thing straight. There have always been germs, and there always will be germs. You can't get away from it. In fact, life on earth cannot survive without germs.

But you would never know this, by all the ads for fancy disinfectant sprays that kill 99.9% of all those bad germs on the kitchen bench.

Don't be fooled.

What they forgot to mention is that the chemicals in their disinfectants are, in all likelihood, far worse than any germ lurking on your kitchen bench.

Thanks to some slick, fear-based marketing, we have all been fooled into thinking that we need to be kept in a sterile environment to be healthy. This is a complete myth. We've got our focus all wrong. You cannot eliminate all germs. Instead of worrying about germs, worry about looking after your immune system so that it does the job it was meant to do.

Obviously there are some instances where antibacterials and bleaches might be necessary. Like hospitals. But not in our home. Get rid of the antibacterial hand-washes and go back to good old sunlight soap. It was good enough for our grandmothers, and it's good enough for us.

Spray your kitchen bench with vinegar. It kills germs just as effectively, but without the harmful fumes that you and your family are left to breathe into your lungs.

And one more thing. Let your kids play in the dirt!! Dirt is good. Really. You'll end up with a much healthier, stronger kid, if you allow their immune systems to come into contact with a bit of dirt.

***

Is this fact or fiction??? High Cholesterol is dangerous. Cholesterol has become the newest buzzword, and everyone is concerned about keeping their cholesterol levels low.

I wonder if this has anything to do with Lipitor (a cholesterol-lowering drug) being the best-selling drug in the history of the universe. It rakes in a whopping $3.1 billion every single year.

Here's the shocking little secret. Cholesterol lowering medications are pretty much useless against heart disease, or strokes, or any other medical problem. You know why?

Because high cholesterol does NOT cause those problems!!

If your arteries are scarred (from eating a diet high in sugar, alcohol or rancid cooking oils, like canola), then ANY cholesterol will stick to the arterial walls, forming plaque, whether you have high cholesterol or low cholesterol.

There are 40 year olds, with low cholesterol who drop dead from a heart attack, while 100 year olds with soaring cholesterol levels live in perfect health.

Our grandparents consumed far more cholesterol than we do (lard, eggs, animal fats, butter etc) but they were not troubled by many of the diseases that we have today.

Something is not quite right here, people.

Could this be a well-marketed scam, that even your doctor has fallen victim to?

Not only is high cholesterol not the cause of heart attacks or strokes or anything else, cholesterol is essential to human life. We cannot live without it. Every living cell on earth requires cholesterol. That includes brain cells, people...

Did you know that cholesterol is what allows the body to convert sunlight into Vitamin D? If your cholesterol levels are too low, you are going to be deficient in Vitamin D.

More reading here.  

And last, but certainly not least...

***

Is this fact or fiction??? The media is unbiased, transparent and truthful.

Oh, please.

Mainstream media is owned by it's corporate sponsors. Trust me, when I say that if the media broadcasts it, then big business wants you to know about it.

If big business don't want you to know about, then you won't hear about it.

It's as simple as that.

We are being spoon-fed, whatever "news" they want us to know. Don't believe it?

Remember that saga about Somalian "pirates" terrorising ships and kidnapping passengers in the Gulf of Aden? The world roundly condemned them, as being nothing but terrorists.

Now, lets have a look at the other side of the story, shall we?

Back in 1991, when the Somalian government collapsed, the country fell into ruin, and much of the country's 9 million inhabitants have been bordering on starvation ever since.

Soon after the fall of the government, with no-one patrolling their waters, European ships began dumping toxic waste into their waters. The coastal people starting developing strange rashes, nausea, and malformed babies started being born.

After the 2004 tsunami, many of these leaking barrels of waste washed up on the shore, and people began suffering radiation sickness.

And if that's not bad enough, European vessels started coming into their waters, and illegally fishing. $300 million worth of seafood is stolen from their waters every year, while local fisherman are starving.

Somalian fisherman decided to take action, and organised speedboats to try and charge a tax on these foreign invaders, and out of this the "pirate" was born.

Suddenly, the story takes on a whole new meaning, doesn't it?

If the world knew the truth, we would all be condemning big business and their dirty, low-life tactics of dumping nuclear waste into the ocean (cheaper than disposing of it properly), and stealing other people's resources. (Read more of the story here. And here. The second link includes pictures and a video.)

Question everything! 

***

This is probably the last post of my Sickness Industry series (unless I find some more startling things that just have to be shared.) Even if you are highly cynical about everything I've written, I hope that at least you'll start to question and do your own research on things. There is a whole lot more going on in the world, then what we see on the 6 o'clock news...

My greatest wish is that we will all take responsibility for our own health, instead of turning to a bottle of pills, for every ailment. Our bodies are amazing, and have been wonderfully and fearfully made. Treat them with the respect they deserve. 

(That means stop poisoning yourself with packaged, processed food, chemically-treated water, and prescription (and over-the-counter) medications.)

Update: One Week After Quitting Sugar

So, it's been 7 days since I banished sugar from my life. (You can read why I've chosen to do this, here.) I did come slightly unstuck on Saturday night, when we went to a birthday party, and got handed a slice of peach meringue pie...It was all too much for my self-control.

I enjoyed it, but didn't enjoy it....if you know what I mean.

Anyway, we are firmly back on the wagon, now.

Days 1 to 3 were fairly uneventful, except for a few cravings here and there. I had just started patting myself on the back when I developed the most splitting headache EVER. Some little gremlin was using a jackhammer on my forehead, I swear!! My head pounded all night, and there was that small matter of hot and cold sweats during the night too.

Day 4, I woke up feeling deathly, with my head still pounding.

While it certainly wasn't pleasant, I was also terribly excited by this turn of events, because it just went to prove that I really did need to do this cleanse. That sugar really is addictive. That it really has been playing havoc in my body. That my body is doing a tremendous job of clearing out all the toxins. (The reason so many people get headaches, is because when you starve candida of it's food sources, it begins to die off, and it enters the bloodstream as toxins, which your body then has to expel. This is why it's important to drink plenty of water to help flush out the toxins...Just so you know.)

By Day 5, I was starting to feel more like myself. 

During this time, I had THE sorest, stiffest back. I could barely bend over. Every time I picked up bubby, I got a sharp pain across the middle of my back. I assumed I must have put my back out. But then I noticed on Day 6, that the stiffness had disappeared completely, and only the occasional twinge across my back. So maybe it wasn't a coincidence...

The hubbster seemed to have it a bit better than me, but he hasn't been as strict, either. He's still eating a number of kiwi fruit every day, in an effort to bring down his blood pressure naturally (Something interesting for you: Kiwi-fruit, walnuts and celery all help to lower blood pressure).

Our friend in Sydney, heard about what we were doing, and decided to join in too. We caught up with her yesterday, and she has dropped a dress size already!! She's thrilled, and determined to stick it out.

For those who are still sitting on the fence, about how bad sugar is for you, here's some more gruesome stuff to consider: Many experts believe that, in the future, sugar will be recognised as being just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. (How about that?!)

It leaches vital nutrients from the body, and affects every single organ.

Every ounce of sugar eaten, reduces the body's ability to resist infection, as it damages the immune system. Every health problem, will have some (or complete) improvement by cutting out sugar.

Sugar is the main culprit behind stress.

I don't mean to be the fun police or anything. I'm just sayin'...

Every time you eat sugar, you're doing yourself a disservice.

I was always one of those people who scoffed at health fanatics. Pfffftttt. Not me, thanks!! I was gonna eat whatever I wanted. What a boring life, if you can't enjoy eating a bit of chocolate here, or a cheeseburger there..??

You know what I think now?? What a boring life, to be always sick with every virus that's going around. What a boring life, to be tired and stressed. What a boring life to never fulfil my potential. What a boring life, to pass along the same unhealthy eating habits to my children, so that they too, do not fulfil their potential.

I want to be healthy, and vibrantly alive, not just dragging myself through life, and I want the same for my family. All the cheesecakes in the world are not worth it, anymore. (Mind you, I have not given up on discovering a way to make a healthy cheesecake. Watch this space...)

Now, I'm a bit of a sucker for morning-tea bikkies or cake, so I came up with a subsitute. These cookies are actually healthy, and RAW, so none of the nutrients or enzymes have been destroyed by cooking.

The recipe has been adapted from this awesome blog.

Raw Carob and Cashew Cookies

1.5 cups of raw unsalted cashews
2 tbsp butter (or equivalent )
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup carob
a handful of sultanas (sorry, I didn't measure. I just threw them in. Typical, really...)
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
pinch of salt.

Throw everything in food processor for a couple of minutes (cashews may still be a little bit chunky), then roll into balls. Then eat!! Yummmmmm....

If you are a chocoholic, then carob may take some getting used to. But it grows on you, I promise!

I've got a few more raw recipes that I'm keen to try.

All in all, it actually hasn't been as difficult as I'd imagined. Like most things in life, taking that first step was the hardest. I'm feeling quite good, and cannot wait to see how I will feel in another 6 weeks or so.