Toxic Body and Disease

Everyday more and more people are being diagnosed with chronic health problems. Approximately 68 million people suffer from some form of heart disease, 25 million have diabetes, 1.5 million will die of cancer within the next year, 5-8% of the population suffers from a chronic, debilitating autoimmune disease, 57.7 million suffer from some mental disorder, and over 6 million are diagnosed with a neurological disease.

Alzheimer's has more than doubled since 1980, every week 200 people are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, diabetes has increased over 54% and the rate our children are being diagnosed with Autism, ADD and ADHD is alarming. So, what the heck is going on?

Our problem is not singular, meaning there is no one thing that we can identify as the problem. It is a combination of many things that has resulted in the decay of our health in the United States. Let's start with our environment.

In the last century we have created over 80,000 chemicals and every year, four billion pounds of these toxins are released into our environment. Our air, soil, animals, plants, water, and our bodies are being contaminated. Our bodies are being poisoned by these carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting, and gene damaging chemicals and they are being stored within our cells. Do you realize that these toxins have the ability to be passed to fetuses in the womb? A fetus grows in a womb contaminated with as many as 287 foreign chemicals and the level of mercury in umbilical cord blood is 1.7 times higher than the level in the mother's blood. Thousands of babies born each year are at risk for brain damage and learning difficulties due to the toxin exposure while in the womb. Do you think there could be a correlation with these facts and the ever increasing numbers of Autism, ADD and ADHD diagnosis in our children?

It is a proven fact that cancer is caused by environmental toxicity and it affects our immune, neurological and endocrine systems. This toxicity can lead to numerous health problems including allergies, neurological illnesses, immune dysfunction, reproductive dysfunction, mood changes, asthma, autoimmunity, allergies, sexual dysfunction and dysregulation of glucose.

Mercury, the most destructive of these toxins can cause neurological, immunological, psychological and enzymatic issues. It can contribute or cause autism, Alzheimer's, cancers, heart disease, autoimmune disease, endocrine problems as well as neurological and behavioral issues.

Read the full article about toxins, disease, and how chemicals like aspartame affect the brain and overall health.

About the Author
Pamela Heyen graduated from the American College of Healthcare Sciences, Holistic Health Practitioner Program, in 2007. She currently owns and operates Heyen Wellness Therapies.

© 5/16/09 Pamela A. Heyen: http://www.holisticseek.com/articles/205/

ACHS holistic health alumni Stephanie Austin hosts raw foods event

An event like this doesn't take place every day. If you have an interest in raw and living foods, finding answers to health concerns, or you're just looking for a great group of positive, green conscious people, you won't want to miss this event.

Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes, world-renowned raw food authors, educators, and lecturers will speak at the Meadow Park Building in San Luis Obispo, California, April 24, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Monarch and Stokes produce an online TV show called The Raw Food World. In addition, Stokes runs Raw Reform, blogs, and speaks worldwide about the benefits of raw and living food, and Monarch has written books and blogs about the raw food lifestyle, and runs Raw Spirit.

For more information, go to Love, Life, and Laughter, the blog of ACHS holistic health alumni Stephanie Austin.

Soroptomists' Regional Conference May 1 Needs Speaker ASAP

The Soroptomists' Founder Region Conference May 1 in San Ramon, California, needs a replacement for their scheduled speaker. This is a terrific opportunity for a prepared holistic nutrition professional to speak to a highly interested and educated audience.

The conference topic is women’s heart health, and the speaking subject is diet and nutrition. The conference has scheduled a doctor to talk about the signs of an unhealthy heart, including diabetes, but they are in need of a nutritionist to talk about women’s diet and nutrition to improve their overall health and quality of life.

For more information about the conference and presenting, contact Tess Albin-Smith at (707) 961-1123.

AHG TeleSeminar: "What do the FDA Good Manufacturing Practices means for herbalists?"

Registration is open for the second installment in the 2009 AHG TeleSeminar Series. Roy Upton, AHG's Vice-President, will be speaking on "What Do the FDA Good Manufacturing Practices Mean for Herbalists" on May 4 at 7:00 p.m., EST.

When the new GMPs for herbal products were finalized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2007, many breathed a sigh of relief: the FDA was not requiring practitioners who make their own products for their clients to adhere to the new regulations. The FDA did retain the authority, however, to do so in the future. This raises questions for herbalists, like “What would cause the FDA to come knocking" on an herbalist's door or to change their minds and require us to follow the guidelines?

There are few better people than Roy Upton to answer these questions or to discuss the ways to ensure that your clients are receiving high-quality herbal medicines.

Trained in both traditional Western and Chinese herbalism, Roy Upton is a founding and professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. His background includes extensive study with various Native American and non-Native herbalists, ethnobotany of the United States Virgin Islands, and seven years of clinical practice, followed by a three-year clinical internship with Michael Tierra and training at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China. He is the executive director and editor of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia® and is also a member of the Standards Committee of the American Herbal Products Association.

In his "day job," Upton is general manager of Planetary Formulas. He writes extensively and is the author of St. John's Wort and Echinacea, as well as co-author of the Botanical Safety Handbook—a landmark text of herbal safety—and is currently active in the preparation of a new edition.

To register for the AHG TeleSeminar, call the AHG Office at (203) 272-6731 or visit: http://americanherbalistsguild.com/node/132.

The ACHS Experience - Holistic Counselor

I've been an information junkie all my life. I'd been practicing with herbs, supplements, nutrition and a holistic lifestyle for years. Finally I decided to get the necessary credentials. I started my search for a school on line, as most of us do today. I checked out lots of local institutions... I live in NYC, so there's loads... and decided that with a child at home, PTA President, and a part time job I really had no more hours available to attend classes in person. That's when distance learning became a real solution. After much debate and research I settled on ACHS. Their reputation and accreditation were in order and the staff I encountered in my initial contacts were supportive and willing to help me complete my work. Throughout my studies I received excellent feedback and intelligent critiques on my work. My mentors were bright capable people who took their position as advisor quite seriously. As a result of their efforts, and my own, I completed the program with Honors.

I entered the program never before having worked through distance learning. I was surprised at how much I loved it. Doing the labs with my son was a blast. We made infusions, decoctions, salves and creams. We tasted, rubbed, sniffed and inspected. He even used some of our work as a class project! It was a great bonding experience for us, me being a single Mom at the time. My son is proud of my ACHS experience and calls me Dr. Mom. I knew my son was watching my efforts and so I made certain to ace all my classes. How could I ask more of him than myself. Thanks ACHS. This was a terrific life changing experience!!

2009 Trends: Wellness Coaches

The December 2008 edition of Entrepreneur magazine featured a 2009 Trends to Watch. The report, which featured some to-be-expected categories like Economy, Digital, and Green, also included Health (which frequently means the pharmaceutical, the cosmetic, or the unrealistic personal trainer routine). Not this time—at least, not entirely.

Yes, there was talk of the number of convenient care clinics expected by 2012 (health clinics in retail locations) and the growing popularity of everything gluten-free popularity. But there also was a significant head nod to the growing appreciate for, and expected increase in WELLNESS COACHES. According to Entrepreneur:

"For people seeking a lifestyle fix rather than a meal plan or workout regimen, wellness coaches focus on the whole shebang—stress and time management, diet and fitness—to encourage personalized, sustainable, healthy behaviors. Both individuals and corporations hire wellness coaches, who can charge anywhere from $60 to $150 an hour [...]."

Holistic health—or complementary alternative medicine—is growing in public awareness. That means a larger job market for trained professionals, more educational opportunities, and, above all, a healthier world. It's a good day!

© Entrepreneur 2009: http://www.entrepreneur.com/hottrends/index.html