New Category: Website Reviews

I have decided to add this new category to the blog – Website Reviews.

Any time I see a really good, or really bad, website whose focus is health and healing I will post a simple review of it on here for your benefit.

I’ll be grading the websites I find according to the following points:

1) Amount of Information (Would you find what you were looking for on the website?)
2) Understanding of Information (How well does the author explain what they are writing about? Do they understand the information themselves?)
3) Reasons behind Website (Why did the author create the website in the first place?)
4) Ministry and Stewardship (Is the website/author doing a good work in the community and is the author being proactive in their knowledge and ministry online or offline?)
5) Standard of Truth (What does the author believe in with regards to life, health, and healing? What do they believe is True?)

All of these 5 points work together. I tried very hard to apply Exodus 31:1-5 to this field in order to get these five points. I hope you enjoy this new category of the blog and use it to analyze other websites you come across as well.

Praise by to the Great Physician for all Eternity!

How to Cure Nearsightedness: Glasses, LASIK or Eye Exercises for Myopia?

For some reason I am unable to post this article. Please visit it at this link:

http://www.improve-vision-naturally.com/nearsightedness.html

At the end of the article the author promotes the eye exercise program she used. Its called “Rebuild Your Vision.” Although I’ve never used it myself I do believe buying the program, or one like it, would be a good investment if your serious about your eye health. Another program you can look into is called “The See Clearly Method.”

Thanksgiving Day Speeches of History

From Gov. William Bradford of Plymouth Plantation on the first Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims in July 30, 1623

“But here I cannot but make a pause and stand half amazed at this poor people’s present condition; and so I think will the reader, too, when he considers it well. Having thus passed the vast ocean, and that sea of troubles before while they were making their preparations, they now had no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain and refresh their weather beaten bodies, nor houses, much less towns, to repair to.

As for the season, it was winter, and those who have experienced the winters of the country know them to be sharp and severe, and subject to fierce storms, Besides, what could they see but a desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men; and what multitude there might be of them they knew not! Neither could they, as it were, go up to the top of Pisgah, to view from this wilderness a more goodly country to feed their hopes; for which way soever they turned their eyes (save upward to the Heavens!) they could gain little solace from any outward objects. Summer being done, all things turned upon them a weather-beaten face; and the whole country, full of woods and thickets, presented a wild and savage view.

If they looked behind them, there was a mighty ocean which they had passed and was now a gulf separating them from all civilized parts of the world.

What, then, could now sustain them but the spirit of God and His grace? Ought not the children of their fathers rightly to say: Our fathers were Englishmen who came over the great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord and He heard their voice, and looked on their adversity. Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good and His mercies endure forever. Yea, let them that have been redeemed of the Lord, show how He hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered forth into the desert-wilderness, out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness, and His wonderful works before the sons of men.”
George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, October 3, 1789

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3rd day of October, A.D. 1789.”
Abraham Lincoln’s October 3, 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

“It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12). We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Thanksgiving Proclamation November 26, 1942

(Historical Note: In 1942, America is now in the midst of WWII, which started on December 7, 1941 and lasted until 1945.)

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.” Across the uncertain ways of space and time our hearts echo those words, for the days are with us again when, at the gathering of the harvest, we solemnly express our dependence upon Almighty God.

The final months of this year, now almost spent, find our Republic and the Nations joined with it waging a battle on many fronts for the preservation of liberty.

In giving thanks for the greatest harvest in the history of our Nation, we who plant and reap can well resolve that in the year to come we will do all in our power to pass that milestone; for by our labors in the fields we can share some part of the sacrifice with our brothers and sons who wear the uniform of the United States.

It is fitting that we recall now the reverent words of George Washington, “Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy Protection,” and that every American in his own way lift his voice to heaven. I recommend that all of us bear in mind this great Psalm:

Psalm 23 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (worry). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Inspired with faith and courage by these words, let us turn again to the work that confronts us in this time of national emergency: in the armed services and the merchant marine; in factories and offices; on farms and in the mines; on highways, railways, and airways; in other places of public service to the Nation; and in our homes.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do hereby invite the attention of the people to the joint resolution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, which designates the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day; and I request that both Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1942, and New Year’s Day, January 1, 1943, be observed in prayer, publicly and privately.”

(Source: http://www.basicchristian.org/thanksgiving.html)

Reduce Tooth Decay During Thanksgiving

Here is a quick article from the author of Cure Tooth Decay, from his newsletter, for your Thanksgiving meal…

“Here are a few tips to prevent and reduce your chances of cavities
this thanksgiving.

1. Put giblets in your gravy, and eat plenty of gravy. The
flavorful organs from your turkey have important minerals and fat
soluble vitamins that will help prevent cavities. The fat and
gelatin from well-made gravy will help your body digest and absorb
your thanksgiving meal.

2. Cook with grass-fed butter. Butter from happy cows on pastures
will give your body nourishing fat, making your thanksgiving food
taste good, and providing your body with important vitamins and
minerals.

3. Eat dessert moderately and with butter or cream. Don’t eat too
much dessert. And when you do eat it, try to have it with fat, such
as pie with homemade ice cream or pie with whipped cream. Watch out
for store-bought ice cream as the milk is usually not grass-fed and
is often homogenized to make the texture creamy.

4. Take some fermented cod liver oil. Green Pastures Fermented Cod
Liver Oil will help provide missing vitamins for your teeth and
bones that can prevent or reduce your rate of cavities during the
holidays. (Available at: http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=AYCdB&m=3iYwm3.pzs2pPFS&b=dY9kFcrWgJSVEn07nUKbrg)

5. Eat plenty of vegetables. Vegetables help balance our body and
provide minerals for healthy teeth, bones and gums.

Happy Holidays,
Ramiel Nagel
Author of Cure Tooth Decay
http://www.curetoothdecay.com?awt_l=AYCdB&awt_m=3iYwm3.pzs2pPFS”

There is no need to change your entire menu because of this article. Calcium and Vitamin D rich foods will help support bone growth and health and that includes teeth. A simple answer that will help reduce tooth decay is to drink a little water before and after your meal and during dessert. Better to be a little safe than a lot sorry.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving as you enjoy your evening meal! 😀

In Everything Give Thanks

The New Geneva Leadership Blog 2009 Thanksgiving post…

““See what cause the saints have to be frequent in the work of thanksgiving. In this Christians are defective; though they are much in supplication, yet little in gratulation.

The apostle says. “In everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5.18). Why so? Because God makes everything work for our good. We thank the physician, though he gives us a bitter medicine which makes us sick, because it is to make us well; we thank any man who does us a good turn; and shall we not be thankful to God, who makes everything work for good to us? God loves a thankful Christian.

Job thanked God when he took all away: “The Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1.21). Many will thank God when He gives; Job thanks Him when He takes away, because he knew that God would work good out of it. We read of saints with harps in their hands (Rev. 14.2), an emblem of praise. We meet many Christians who have tears in their eyes, and complaints in their mouths; but there are few with their harps in their hands, who praise God in affliction.

To be thankful in affliction is a work peculiar to a saint. Every bird can sing in spring, but some birds will sing in the dead of winter. Everyone, almost, can be thankful in prosperity, but a true saint can be thankful in adversity. A good Christian will bless God, not only at sun-rise, but at sun-set. Well may we, in the worst that befalls us, have a psalm of thankfulness, because all things work for good. Oh, be much in blessing of God: we will thank Him that doth befriend us.”

Taken from Banner of Truth’s Puritan Paperback, “All Things for Good,” by Thomas Watson, pp 62-63.

If you’d like to read the rest of Thomas Watson’s “All Things for Good,” other works of the Puritans, or any of the other 600+ Banner of Truth books currently in print, visit their Web site at www.banneroftruth.org”

(Source: http://newgenevaacademy.wordpress.com/2009/11/)

Lessons Learned from the 7 Most Healthy Countries in the World

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2ZIb75/planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/7-countries-home-to-the-worlds-healthiest-people.html

According to this article the top 7 healthiest countries in the world are as follows:

1) Iceland
2) Japan
3) Sweden
4) Okinawa
5) New Zealand
6) Sardinia
7) Finland

In reading the article I found some important points that can be applied to everyone’s overall health.

From Finland (Scandinavia, Europe): Only 30 years ago Finland had the highest death rates in heart disease, which led the country to increase pro-health actions. “Smoking has been reduced significantly and fruit and vegetable intake has more than doubled.” According to WebMD, smoking can lead to heart disease. (Source: http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/quit-smoking-heart)
By quitting smoking, or at the very least reducing it, Finlanders have decreased the possibility of heart disease for themselves.
Along with that, Finlanders have increased fruit and veggie intake. Fruits and veggies have Vitamins C, E, and A (among many other things) that are the basic foundation of our immune systems and overall health.

From Sardinia (Europe): A region of Italy, Sardinia is an island of a close knit people. The many shepherds walk an average of 5 miles PER DAY. So few of us Americans can boost of this.
The diet of these shepherds includes mostly “whole grain flatbread, fava beans, tomatoes, greens, garlic, various fruits, olive oil and pecorino cheese from grass-fed sheep (high in Omega 3).” I can safely say none of those foods have GMOs and all of them are home-grown or from local farmers markets.
Omega 3 is very important for skin, eye, and brain health and has anti-cancer effects in the body. It is used also to decrease inflammation, fight against Cardiovascular Disease, and support the immune system.

From New Zealand (South-West Pacific Ocean): The New Zealanders enjoy many outdoor activities that are full of beneficial exercise, such as fishing, swimming, camping, and hiking. They eat freshly caught seafood (most of which they catch themselves) and locally grown organic fruits and veggies. Some these include kiwis, avocados, lettuce, apples, and plums.
Add the Vitamins C, A, and E from the fruits and veggies to the Omega 3 oils and proteins from the fresh caught seafood and you have a very, very strong immune system boosting formula of health.

From Okinawa (Asia, near/part of Japan): Said to have the world’s healthiest people, Okinawa locals eat tons home grown fruits and vegetables per day as well as fresh caught seafood and tofu. Many people of Okinawa live to be 110 years old (about 50 out of every 100,000 people live past 100)!
According to the article the people of Okinawa have low stress but rigorous daily activity.

From Sweden (Scandinavia, Europe): In the landscape like Sweden everyone practices outside exercise/activities daily. The Sweden diet is high in fish that is fresh caught and poached, fermented, smoked, and or dried instead of frying or cooking in oil.

From Japan (Asia): “Every meal in Japan looks like a piece of art. Food is so beautiful and so delicious and so simple,” fitness expert Harley Pasternak said to Empower News Magazine. “They are the largest consumer of fish in the world and of whole soy and of seaweed and green tea. When they are about 80 percent full, they stop and wait for about 10 minutes, then decide whether to keep going. And most times, they are full so they don’t need to keep eating more.”
Simply put; You should take time to eat, do not rush through mealtime and do not stuff yourself beyond repair.

From Iceland (Europe): Do to the colder weather, the Icelanders work out in the gym a lot, most likely more than the average American. Iceland’s cool clean air increases the health of the body through the lungs. Oxygen is one of the most important, if not the most important, ingredients needed for our bodies. If our oxygen is not clear, along with our water, than you can safely say that your insides are not clean either.

Overall, these locations had clean air (little or no pollution), had very good balances between working and living that helped to control stress and blood pressure levels, always ate an abundance of local fruits and veggies, and many ate fish instead of meat.

We certainly can learn a lot of them because, whether these countries known it or not, they are following almost all the time the diet that God has set for us.

Praise be to the Great Physician for all Eternity!

A Brief History of Antibiotics

“This article is about the different types of antibiotics and how they came into existence…

At sometime or another, almost everyone has used an antibiotic. You may have used and antibiotic cream for a bad cut. Your doctor may have ordered antibiotics to help you to get over a sinus infection, pneumonia, or some other type of infection.

Antibiotics are chemicals. When the chemicals are put into your body, they will stop the growth of certain kinds of germs. They will help your body to fight disease.

More than 3,000 years ago ancient people stumbled over the discovery that some molds could be used as a cure. The Egyptians, the Chinese, and Indians of central America would use molds to treat rashes and infected wounds. At that time they did not understand either diseases or treatments. They just thought that what was happening was magic. They believed that the molds were driving away evil spirits that were causing the disease.

As time went on, people began to gain some insight of disease. In the 1860’s Louis Pasteur showed that many diseases were caused by bacteria. Later he discovered that we may be able to fight germs with other microbes. It was two German doctors, who were the first to make an effective medication from microbes. Rudolf Emmerich and Oscar Low conducted their experiments in the 1890’s. They proved that the germs that would cause one disease, may be the cure for another.

What the men did was to take the germs from infected bandages and grow them in a test tube. They would then isolate a particular germ that caused green infections in open wounds. This germ was a bacteria called Bacillus pyocyaneus. They then put this into another test tube containing other types of bacteria. It was then that it happened, the Bacillus pycyoneus wiped out the other diseased germs. The germs that it killed were those that caused cholera, typhoid, diphtheria, and anthrax.

From this, the two men created a medication that they called pyocyanase. It was the first antibiotic to be used in hospitals. Unfortunately, it did not work the same on all patients. Some were cured, and still some only became sicker. As a result, this drug was abandoned.

In 1928, a research scientist by the name of Alexander Fleming, made the first real breakthrough in antibiotics. At the time, Fleming was on staff of a hospital in London. He was studying a germ called staphylococcus aureus. He was growing colonies of the germ in a petrii dish.

One day Fleming found a spot of green growing in one of the dishes. It was grown on the gel that was among the germs. He did not throw the dish out because he noticed something in the dish. There was a clear, germ-free ring of gelatin around the mold. This meant that the mold had killed the germ that was there. Fleming watch as the mold grew. The more the molds spread, the more of the germ that was liked off.

Fleming made this a full time project. As he studied the mold he noticed that tiny droplets of fluid began to form on the mold. He wondered if this was the chemical that was destroying the germs.

Fleming drew off the liquid. He found that this liquid could kill germs in a test tube. The name of the mold was Penicillium notratum, so, he decided to call the liquid penicillin. Later, other scientists discovered that penicillin could cure certain infections in mice and rabbits. In turn, it did not harm the animals in any way.

After penicillin came the invention of the sulfa drug. It comes from Prontosil, which is a substance used as a dye. When put into the body, Prontosil changes into and active germ-killing drug called sulfonilamide. It has been proven that this drug could cure pneumonia, scarlet fever, and blood poisoning.

In the 1930’s other laboratories started making other drugs in the same family. These were known as sulfa drugs and became a powerful weapon in fighting disease. The drugs had some serious drawback though. If not enough of the drug was given, the disease would get worse. Giving too much of the drug would upset the bodies defense system, once again preventing a cure.

Penicillin had proven that it worked against pneumonia, scarlet fever, and several other diseases. It had no effect on germs that caused typhoid, influenza, and many other diseases. As a result, scientist had to continue their search for other antibiotics.

An American, Doctor Selman Waksman, discovered a drug called streptomycin. It originated from microbes found in soil and was a cure for many intestinal diseases.

Now we had penicillin and steptomycin. Each was affective against certain diseases, but scientists wanted more. Doctors wanted a broad-spectrum drug. That is, a single anitbiotic that could cure many different diseases.

The search proved successful. One lab discovered Aureomycin, whic is a drug that does the job of both penicillin and stroptomycin. Another lab discovered Chloromycin. In 1949, yet another lab came up with one of the effective antibiotics ever found, Terramycin. This drug could be used against many bacterial diseases. Even with the discovery of these new antibiotics, the search went on.

Many might wonder why scientists try to find new or different antibiotics when we already know of so many. There are several reasons for this. One is that scientists are never happy or content with what they know. They always want to learn more. The second has to do with the antibiotics themselves. Third is the new uses for antibiotics.

For many years antibiotics seemed to be winning the war on disease. As time went on, doctors noticed that some germs were not being killed. Some types of bacterias were no longer being affected by antibiotics that used to kill them.

The field of antibiotics holds many unanswered questions. No one is sure how or why microbes produce the antibiotic chemicals, or if they will always produce these chemicals under all conditions. They believe that the laboratory diet may stimulate the microbes to make these chemicals, but no one knows for sure.

Many diseases are not caused by bacteria but by a virus. Among these are the flu and the common cold. Some types of cancer may also fall into this category. Many research scientists have tested anti-virus antibiotics. They were able to slow the growth of viruses in many cases. Many scientist hope that someday they will be able to develop antibiotics to control viruses as well as bacteria in humans.”

(Source: http://www.essortment.com/history-antibiotics-21157.html)

Now I personally do not support antibiotics but they do have their place in the world…