How important will your health be when the world as we know it goes from bad to worse? Can we even put a price tag on it? The old adage, survival of the fittest, could one day be the new norm. If you are not in tiptop shape – and I don’t just mean physically but internally – you stand the likely chance of succumbing to a host of deadly diseases.
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Picture the scenario when the supplies you need for survival are no longer available. The hospitals and health care providers are bombarded by swarms of sick people; body bags line the corridors because the demand for immediate medical attention is impossible. The spread of disease proliferates in that hospital setting by sneezing, wheezing, coughing patients. Cleanliness will not be priority as patient care will be quick and to the point. No time will be wasted on the details. Sooner or later the risk will be too great for these health care providers, and they will leave their posts to tend to their own sick families.
The local grocery store shelves are not only wiped clean, but the pharmacist is no longer there to dispense life essential meds to the people. What about the diabetic dependent on his or her insulin? The elderly man with emphysema needing oxygen? The suicidal, middle-age woman desperate for anti-depressants? The toddler with pneumonia fighting for his life? The list is endless when it comes to the medical needs that will only be magnified in a time of true emergencies. If you haven’t considered just how serious these life threatening scenarios can be, it’s time to take action with your health today – for today’s choices may mean tomorrow’s survival.
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A strong, healthy immune system is the key to overcoming disease, not the meds – in most cases – we’ve become so dependent on. Like it or not, bacteria, virus, fungi and other microbes – both beneficial and bad - share the same world we do. There’s no chance of escaping them, they’re everywhere! They live in the soil. Thrive off our skin. Swim in our digestive tracts. Lurk on our door handles. And swirl about the air seeking the next host to settle in for a while. Did you know that a single E. coli bacterium can multiply over one million times in as little as three and a half hours? There are over six hundred thousand bacteria living on just a single square inch of skin, and an average person carries approximately two to five pounds of bacteria in or on their bodies. It’s staggering to think there are more microbes on me and you than there are people on Planet Earth!
We must understand the battle we face against the bacterial and viral world – and that we are outnumbered! The only defense we have against it – especially in uncertain times where outbreaks are more pandemic – is a strong and healthy immune system. Though most microbes work harmoniously with nature and our bodies, it’s the feverish few in comparison that wreak havoc. Being prepared is understanding the difference.
Health begins with a body that is in harmony with itself. Harmony exists when we in turn supply it with the necessary nutrients and natural immune building antibodies necessary for good health. We can’t expect to do this and yet at the same time bombard our bodies with junk food, synthetic drugs, stimulants, hormones, preservatives and other harmful chemicals found in most denatured foods. We have to be selective in what we choose to put in to our bodies. For truly as the Holy Scriptures teach, our bodies are the temple of God’s Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19) And if so, wouldn’t we want to give it the very best?
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I’ll start with the most basic of human needs: Food – live, wholesome food, not striped of its life giving wonders. Did God put the tree in the Garden and load it down with Big Macs and Mountain Dews? What you find in nature, in its purest form, is truly what God designed our bodies to assimilate, metabolize and nurture every cell of our body. For truly health begins at the cellular level. Bacteria, viruses and the like also thrive at the cellular level. Give them what they want – an unhealthy host – and they will be more than glad to set up tent, and grow their little families at your expense. The question is will they be overcome by healthy antibody troopers ready to fight the battle, or will the bad outweigh the good and you succumb to disease? In an age where these vicious microbes are gaining ground so much that they’ve been coined “super bugs”, we need to set our standards higher, eat healthy and build our immune systems up – not tear them down.
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So first and foremost, get the junk out of your life. That doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy an occasional brownie and ice cream – my weakness, by the way – but healthy alternatives should be the norm. What do I mean? It should be normal to choose a bountiful salad with a mighty mix of chopped fresh veges and whole grain bread and abnormal to grab a greasy cheeseburger, fries and coke at the local fast food joint. Eating healthy should be a lifestyle. I hate to borrow that ole phrase, but it’s true: You are what you eat. If you eat junk, your health will be junk. On a cellular level, your body responds positively when it is continually bathed with life giving nutrients. Health at its best dramatically affects every system in your body – including the immune system. Though there may come a time when healthy foods are limited and food storage is a way of life, we must take health seriously now to build our bodies up.
It’s common knowledge now that you can live without food for about forty days, but only three without water. But what about whole foods and purified water – free from all the chemicals? In other words, why just get by? Why not eat and drink what is proven to be better for your health over time? City water - tainted with chlorine, fluoride and host of other chemicals - might hydrate, but it can’t without putting a strain on all your vital organs, especially the liver and kidneys. Water in its purest form is essential for life and longevity, for it carries nutrients, cleanses and hydrates every living cell then passes through the kidneys and bowels, filtering out many of the impurities in our bodies. Everyday, our bodies are not only bombarded by environmental toxins and harmful microbes, but the harmful byproducts of metabolic processes – such as ammonia. Water assists in flushing the body of these wastes, and is essential to strengthening your immune system.
We’ve covered the fundamentals of wholesome food and purified water, and though essential for vitality, how can we go beyond the basics now and boost our immune systems further? One of the most effective, potent products available is the Thieves® Essential Oil Blend, containing a concoction of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, and rosemary. These specific oils work synergistically to produce a powerful, effective combatant against many harmful microbes, including MRSA, pneumonia and staph bacteria.
It was coined “Thieves” after the 14th century legend of the four thieves who were captured and charged with robbing the graves of the dying victims of the Bubonic Plague in Europe. They were ordered by the magistrate and offered leniency for revealing their miraculous remedy for not contracting the disease while committing these barbaric acts. And so their secret was revealed: Right before robbing the graves, they would massage the aromatic herbs of garlic (more on this later), cloves and rosemary all over their bodies. And it makes sense now! Clinical studies have proven these herbs along with their essential oils extremely effective against bacterial, viral and even fungal infection. In fact, Thieves® Essential Oil Blend has been proven 99.96% effective against airborne bacteria, according to Weber State University lab studies.
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For all you garlic lovers out there – and I’m one of them – you will be pleased to learn that garlic is one of the most powerful immune boosting, medicinal herbs available. Garlic’s long culinary and medicinal history dates back 6000 years from time of the Egyptians, and is also indigenous to Central Asia. More recently, garlic was used during World War I to fight typhus and dysentery; and in World War II, battle wounds were successfully treated with garlic from gangrene and septic poisoning. The amazing, medicinal properties are found within the compound, Allicin, which is produced after crushing, bruising or otherwise damaging the garlic clove. Its strong antibiotic-like activity is said to be stronger than penicillin and tetracycline, and is highly effective in the treatment of MRSA. Garlic builds the body’s natural defenses, fighting off bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, yeasts and even molds. So if you like garlic, eat lots of it – and preferably raw, as much of the “miracle” compound is lost during the cooking process.
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Black Elderberry, Sambucus nigra, is still another medicinal herb to seriously consider in your arsenal of natural remedies. In 2007, the USDA researched the antioxidant capabilities of various berries, and found Elderberry ranking the highest. Antioxidant rich foods, including Elderberry, not only dramatically improve your health, but helps fight diseases like cancer and builds immunity. Elderberry has also been used for centuries to treat wounds when applied directly to the skin. Clinically, it has been proven to combat influenza, reducing both the duration and symptoms. Chemicals found within the Elder flower have been known to reduce swelling in sinuses and relieving nasal congestion. Personally, whenever I feel the onset of a cold, I immediately begin my regiment of Black Elderberry, as well as a few others, and rarely get sick anymore.
There are certainly other immune building, infection fighting remedies – such as vitamin C, Echinacea and goldenseal, olive leaf extract, colloidal silver, raw honey, mushroom extracts and more – but for the sake of time, I feel the ones discussed are a great place to start. The point is – start somewhere. Don’t be caught off guard when a pandemic of deadly proportions breaks out. Honor God first by honoring the body He has entrusted you for a time. By doing so, you will reap the reward of true health, standing in the face of death and disease with confidence.
Roxanne L. Griswold, ND Candidate
[1] Young Living Essential Oils and Aromatherapy - http://www.essentialoilremedies.com/flu-season.htm
