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4 Simple Steps to Balance Your Gut Bacteria

11/29/2015

As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, the health of your gut is important for many reasons - especially as it makes up the greater part of your immune system - and having the right balance of gut bacteria in your digestive tract is key for good health. While it may not be possible to know exactly which microorganisms are out of balance, by watching for the signs we mentioned in our previous post, you can at least determine if your digestive system needs some support.

If you do have any of the symptoms mentioned, you can take steps to correct the imbalance in your gut, and build a stronger, healthier immune system.

Here are 4 simple steps to balancing your gut bacteria:

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Is Your Gut Bacteria Out of Balance? Here Are 7 Signs To Watch For...

11/15/2015

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If you've done much reading in the natural health arena, you may have heard natural health experts talking about the importance of having a healthy balance of microflora in your digestive tract - or, in layman's terms - "good gut bacteria."

Since, as we mentioned a few weeks ago, your digestive system is one of the most important parts of your immune system, it stands to reason that the health of your gut has a lot to do with your overall health.

Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle is filled with unhealthy foods and habits, not to mention prescription drugs like antibiotics, which can really take a toll on the health of those ever-important bacteria whose job it is to help keep you alive and well.

In fact, there are more studies coming out all the time on the connection between your gut bacteria and just about every other aspect of your health.

While you may know that our motto here at New Holistic Living is "everything is connected," nowhere is this more true than in the digestive system. Just as an example, a recent study on mice tracked what happened when gut bacteria from depressed mice were transplanted into healthy, happy mice. The happy mice began showing signs of depression within hours! This just goes to show that changing your gut bacteria literally can change your life!

But how do you know if your gut bacteria are healthy or not? And if they aren't, what can you do about it?

Keep reading to find out.

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The #1 Problem With the #1 Drug In the World

11/8/2015

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FACT: The best-selling class of drugs in history rakes in billions of dollars every year for pharmaceutical companies, yet provides virtually no measurable benefit to over 95% of its users. In fact, the majority of users derive less of a benefit from this drug than the average placebo! Yet millions of Americans continue taking this drug every year - often to the detriment of their health.*

If you haven't guessed by now, the class of drugs I'm talking about is statins. I covered the considerable health risks posed by statin drugs, as well as detailed statistics (including sources and research studies) on their lack of effectiveness, in a previous post - feel free to check that out for more information.

However, none of these many concerns comprise my biggest problem with statin drugs.

My biggest problem with them is the same one that I have with most other drugs prescribed today, and for that matter, with the entire modern medicine machine...

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13 Tasty Tips For A Healthier Brain

10/18/2015

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Brain diseases and disorders are one of the fastest growing health issues of the modern world. And while there are a lot of different factors that can affect your brain health, diet is one of the most important.

That's right, you really are what you eat - and your brain is paying for the sins you are committing when you eat a modern diet high in processed foods.

In fact, your brain is arguably influenced more (or at least more visibly) by your diet than any other organ. This can easily be seen by watching how a small child's behavior changes drastically after eating or drinking something packed full of sugar! But it's affecting you just as much as an adult.

If you listen to your body after you eat, you may notice that what you eat can affect your mood dramatically, and even change your entire day. What you eat impacts the way you think, the way you feel, and the way your body and brain function.

We talk a lot here about the impact of food on our health, but what about your brain health? How can you eat to improve your brain's health, rather than diminishing it? Is there an optimal way to eat that will both create a healthier brain, and maximize your brain power?

Try these 13 tips, and I can promise you, not only will your brain be healthier, but your whole outlook on life will improve! (And perhaps best of all, eating this way is highly enjoyable and satisfying!)

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Is "Natural" Sugar Really Better for You?

10/4/2015

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You probably know by now that refined sugars are one of the worst things you can consume. Along with processed trans-fats and artificial ingredients, sugar is one of the major killers that we consume on a regular basis, and has been linked to numerous diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

As more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of sugar, it's not surprising that more and more sugar "replacements" are being marketed, but are they really all that much better for you than real sugar?

We now know that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are possibly even worse for you than real sugar, but what about the "natural" sugars you hear about everywhere these days?

Today I'm going to reveal the truth with a quick rundown of the top 6 natural sugars on the market right now, and how they compare.

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Homemade Coconut Oil Toothpaste Recipe & More

9/27/2015

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You may know that most commercially available personal care products such as deodorant, lotions, shampoos, and even toothpaste are packed full of hundreds of chemicals. While most of these are "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA in small doses, what we don't really know for sure is what the impact of these chemicals may be on our health over time, with repeated use, and in combination with each other.

That's why, several years ago, after reading a truly eye-opening book, I started switching all of my personal care products to all-natural and organic versions. (You can find some of my favorites in our Recommended Products section.)

I am very happy to see so many of these types of products gaining market share, as it shows that people really are starting to wake up to what they're putting in their bodies, and making a choice to take back control of their health. As more people purchase these products, and more companies make them, the price has already started to come down, and many of these products are just as affordable as their chemical-laden counterparts - at least for the higher end stuff.

However, some of the better all-natural products still remain somewhat expensive, or at least they're perceived that way. That's why it's great that you can make many of your own products at home, yourself, for a very minimal cost. Plus, when you make it yourself, you know exactly what's in it!

This week, just to mix things up a little, I thought it would be fun to share a couple of all-natural recipes for common personal care items that you can actually make at home, using simple, inexpensive ingredients like coconut oil and essential oils. They're very affordable, easy to make, effective, and safe.

Let's start with toothpaste...

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The Anti-Diet: How Intuitive Eating Can Make You Healthier & Happier

9/20/2015

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As I've mentioned before, one of the most important things you can do for your health is to learn to listen to your body. By doing so, not only will you learn a lot about what your body needs, but you will easily and even automatically begin to make healthier choices in many areas of your life.

One of the main areas that many of us struggle with in modern life as it relates to health is eating. We are constantly surrounded by unhealthy foods, which means that making healthy food choices takes conscious effort - it's not automatic anymore. There is also a lot of conflicting information out there about what "healthy" even means when it comes to eating. Should you avoid red meat? What about fat? Do you have to buy everything organic just to be healthy? Is vegan the way to go? Should you be eating gluten-free?

It's no wonder so many of us give up and spend most of our lives overweight or even obese!

But what if we could find a way to make it easy to choose what to eat, and completely change our love/hate relationship with food? What if we could relax in the knowledge that we actually can automatically choose the foods that our bodies need and want, without any guilt or stress?

If you've read my post mentioned above about listening to your body, you may know where I'm going with this, but even I did not realize there is actually a term for it.

It's called "intuitive eating," and it just may be the end of all diets, and the one way that we can finally turn our destructive relationship with food around once and for all.

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4 Ways to Live a Longer, Healthier Life

9/7/2015

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In addition to building a strong immune system, as we discussed last week, you also need to do what you can to keep your cells young if you want to stay healthy. While your cells die constantly, the new cells your body builds to replace them can either have "young" characteristics, or behave like older ones, which accelerate aging in the body.

If you want to live longer and have more healthy years, you need to take steps to keep all of your cells healthy. After all, no one wants to live more years if those years are to be spent sick and in pain, right? A good, happy life is more about quality than quantity when it comes down to it.

Here are 4 simple things you can do to live a longer, healthier life!

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The Cure for All Disease?

8/30/2015

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Last week, we discussed the fact that your body's natural state is one of health and wholeness. In almost all cases, any deviation from this state is a result of the choices we make, and the behaviors we engage in.

As a follow up, we thought it important to address the underlying question - just what is health? What does it mean to be healthy, and what steps can we take to achieve that state (if we have lost it), and to maintain it (once we have it)?

While there are probably thousands of factors that affect our health, luckily we don't have to address all of these different factors individually.

In fact, there is really only ONE main area which determines whether or not we are healthy, and whether we stay that way. If you can keep this one facet of your bodily systems healthy, you will greatly decrease your odds of contracting any disease, and greatly increase your odds of living a long, healthy, and happy life.

Just what is this miracle "cure"?

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Health Is Your Natural State

8/23/2015

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Today I wanted to clear up something that has been bugging me for some time. It's perhaps a touchy subject in some ways, so I will do my best to be clear that I'm not pointing fingers at anyone.

Rather, I am attempting to point out a common error in thinking, which is leading our country down a dangerous path when it comes to the topic of health and disease. Luckily, the choice is up to you....

Which path will you choose?

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