Bliss Plan Kiosk

Using An Antibacterial Soap As An Antibacterial Handwash? Good Idea Or Not?

2008-10-24T13:13:02Z

On your next trip to the grocery or drugstore, you might notice that the majority of soaps on the shelves are labeled as anti-bacterial. We have been bombarded with propaganda about these soaps and most of us believe they are better for us. But, truly, we need to ask what bacteria an antibacterial soap kills - because it isnt what you think. In fact, an antibacterial handwash is a bad idea.

Surprisingly, scientific research these soaps actually boost our risk of allergies, and other illnesses. Anti-bacterial soap not only kills off harmless bacteria but it actually allows left over bacteria to grow stronger.

Most bacteria are harmless and we don't need to protect yourself from them because our body's immune system has the power to fight & destroy most harmful bacteria. The end result of these anti bacterial soaps is that were killing off the harmless bacteria - while leaving the unfriendly invaders the space to thrive.

A double-blind study by researchers at the Annals of Internal Medicine found that those who use anti-bacterial soap enjoyed no preventive benefit over those who used regular soap. Furthermore, the conservative American Medical Association rejected the idea that these soaps are good for you.

Here's what Myron Genel, chairman of the AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs said: "There's no evidence that they do any good and there's reason to suspect that they could contribute to a problem by helping to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria."

In fact, using anti-bacterial soap regularly can cause the following health problems:

* Runny nose
* Cough
* Sore throat
* Fever
* Vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Boils
* Conjunctivitis

So remember: your skin is the largest organ in your body. It will absorb whatever you put on it - including the chemicals and antibiotics you get from anti-bacterial soaps.

Instead of wasting money and time on anti-bacterial soaps, try using soaps with natural ingredients, instead of chemicals and dyes. You'll find the best ones at health food stores, but they're available everywhere.

Raw Honey: Is Natural Honey As Deadly As Sugar?

2008-10-20T12:40:28Z

The benefits of natural honey are well documented but one of the most ... suspicious ... is that it can heal sores. I was getting a tiny sore at one corner of my mouth and decided to put raw honey on the sore to see what happened. I am happy to report that the sore was entirely gone in less than 24 hours! Ive had equal success with salt but I have to say that the honey tastes better.

I've read about folks putting honey on open sores that wouldn't heal so I'm glad to know that there's something to this folk cure. Those old wives really did know something! :-)

The HOT SAUCE DIET?

2008-10-16T12:04:06Z

I read some comments about the Hot Sauce Diet recently and at first I thought itwas a joke. Well, no, it isn't - at least, not intentionally. The notion is that eating a lot of hot sauce & peppers, which are loaded with capsaicinoids, will somehow reduce body weight. There's even a book about this plan, written by a doctor named Spiro Antoniades.

Apparently, the idea is to put hot sauce on just about everything so that you won't eat as much. The part that bothered me is all the advice about what to do with a burning mouth, which isn't a pleasant notion to me.

I consider myself to be open minded and I know perfectly well that there are all kinds of ideas that aren't endorsed by the medical establishment yet are perfectly valid. However, I think Im going to give the Hot Sauce Diet a pass. However, if anyone out there has a different perspective, I'd be delighted to hear it???

Strawberry Sorbet: Testing Countless Sorbet Recipes For "The Best"

2008-10-12T11:36:41Z

From my title, can you tell that I like my new dessert? :-) Strawberry sorbet is just so yummy that I can't get enough of it. I've tried lots of sorbet recipes looking for "The Best". See if you can figure out which ingredient makes this one my personal favorite?

And by the way ... since warm weather is passing away, I'm getting more interested in cold food, naturally. Go figure. Some of us are just contrary!

Back to my strawberry sorbet recipe: I use frozen, organic strawberries for my sorbet recipe. I simply dump a handful in my Vitamix, along with some maple syrup, cinnamon and a dab of chocolate. Wow, what an awesome strawberry sorbet! And you can vary these ingredients endlessly. I can't tell you how much of anything to use - just kind of eyeball it.

Of course, you can use other berries. Actually, cherries are my favorite berry so that's tonight. And I adore raspberries, although I usually get a couple of seeds stuck in my teeth, which isn't so cool.

And can you guess the Magic Ingredient that makes this one my favorite? Chocolate, of course!

One thing, though ... I'm not sure that an ordinary blender would have mushed all this together. My Vitamix* has enough power but I'm not sure about a smaller motor?

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Tortilla Wraps: Favorite Tortilla Recipe ... Uh, Tortilla Recipes

2008-10-08T11:14:38Z

My favorite breakfast is a tortilla recipe (or tortilla recipes since it can be made in so many different ways) that evolved into a tortilla wrap. Its a collection of yummy - and healthy - goodies wrapped in a tortilla. My favorite tortilla is from Ezekiel. The ingredients are:

* Organic sprouted wheat
* Filtered water
* Organic sesame seeds
* Organic sprouted soybeans
* Organic sprouted barley
* Organic sprouted millet
* Organic sprouted lentils
* Organic sprouted spelt
* Sea salt

Sounds healthy, doesnt it? Loaded with vitamins and fiber. Yes, its all of that, but equally important, its delicious! If it weren't, I wouldnt be eating it. :-)

So, what goes into my tortilla wrap? Well, it varies, but some ingredients are pretty much constant:

* Chipotle mustard
* Chipotle cheese - my one slice of the day
* Lettuce

The variants are:

* Avocado or guacamole, whenever theyre available
* Some kind of salad - like lentil or quinoa
* Beans
* Tomatoes
* Whatever else I can think up

These tortilla recipes - or tortilla wraps, depending on how you put them together - are quick, easy to put together, supremely healthy and mucho delicious! What can be better than that?

Deepak Chopra: Deepak Chopra Books Source Of Wisdom

2008-10-04T16:44:47Z

Deepak Chopra is one of my greatest teachers and he has a terrific sentence in his book Grow Younger, Live Longer. Here it is:"... it is possible to have increased vitality, creativity and mental and physical capacity as the years unroll."

What an awesomely powerful statement! In one sentence, he contradicts thousands of years of human attitudes. Attitudes that claim we must decline as we age, we must grow weak, we must become dependent, we must either die fairly young or be doomed to a miserable and horrible aging and death.

Think I'm exaggerating? If you look carefully, you will find that much of this fatalism is indeed in YOUR thinking, just as it is in mine. We live in a youth-obsessed culture and we see people willing to have part of their intestines cut out just to become thin. We see women like Joan Rivers who have ... strange ... looking faces due to the vast amount of plastic surgery. We see fear and dread of getting old.

Yet, it doesnt have to be this way. There have been many cultures who honor age and respect its wisdom. And if the religious beliefs we say we believe in are what we truly think, then death should be a celebration. Yet, obviously it isnt.

So here is Deepak promising that as we age we can have:

* More vitality and energy, rather than less

* More creativity and mental capacity, meaning our minds can become richer and more fertile and our accomplishments can blossom, rather than wither

* We can become stronger, more fit and exceedingly healthy.

What a gift Chopra has given us! Permission and validation to claim an increasingly wonderful life.

Is this inevitable, though? Certainly not. So my purpose is to figure out how to claim such a glorious and wonderful promise. Is that of interest to you? If it is, we have an interesting journey ahead of us. No rocking chairs for us! And by the way, Deepak Chopra books will help you keep this powerful attitude.

Aloe Vera Skin Care Is A Natural Beauty Cream

2008-10-03T16:27:13Z

Aloe vera skin care is a decades-old tradition in my family. I remember burning my hand as a kid and as I was yowling, my grandmother ran out in the back yard and broke off a piece of aloe vera plant. The results rather spectacular, compared to any other pain relief on the market. Since that time, I've always been a huge fan of aloe as a beauty cream.

Humans have been using aloe for centuries although much of the skin care products on the market use a synthetic version which absolutely does NOT have the same effect as a plant in the yard like my grandmother used.

Verdict: you are much better off making your own all-natural aloe vera products as I do. Learn more about aloe vera skin care here.

Body Scrubs Are Important For Natural Skin Care

2008-10-01T14:11:29Z

Most every woman who is interested in the health and beauty of her skin knows about body scrubs. They've most likely been around since the first cave woman found out her skin would glow if she scooped some sand out of the stream and used it on her face.

The fact is that you can pay a pile of money for such treasures as a sugar body scrub - like the picture on the left. But there's NO REASON to pay extravagant prices when you can make your own for a fraction of the cost.

Learn more about body scrubs that are safe for your face right here ...

Gastric Band Surgery: Gastric Banding For CHILDREN???

2008-09-29T19:04:26Z

Gastric band surgery is an abomination! Cutting up your stomach and risking terrible health issues, even death, is the ultimate in alienation from the body and its natural beauty. But performing gastric banding on kids is beyond contemptible.

Among adults, there were 12,775 to 70,256 surgeries in the U.S. from 1998 to 2002, according to the monthly Archives of Surgery Journal. Recently, that number has increased to more than 120,000 a year.

In 2004 there were 350 gastric band surgeries performed on kids. Doctors have been hesitant to do the surgeries for more than one reason: for one, most stomach surgeries cut the stomach to make it operate as smaller pouch, which has unknown health risks to a developing child - the death rate among kids who do the surgery is around 1 in 50, which is twice the death rate than among adults who have bariatric surgery.

According to a federal government body, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 40% of all surgery patients develop complications within a mere six months! Further, this maiming costs an average of $29,000 !

Subjecting our kids to this kind of barbaric cruelty is astonishing. Heaven forbid we should take the vending machines and pizza bars out of school and invest the time and energy to teach our kids good eating habits. Play after school? Run around, chase a ball and scream with sheer exuberance?

Nonsense! Plop them in front of the TV or computer.

Simply unbelievable.

6 Meals A Day Diet? Say What?

2008-09-25T12:29:29Z

Do you know about the 6 meals a day diet? Actually, there isn't a single diet that recommends 5-6 meals/day {usually three meals, two daily snacks & dessert at night}. One eBook I received insisted that every half hour was critical! Whew, that's a lot of chow.

The rationale for all this eating is that frequent meals keep our metabolism stoked. And perhaps that is true. But what if I'm not hungry? Does it make sense to shove food down our throats when we don't want to eat? What about the signals from our bodies?

As an experiment, I decided not to eat until I am truly, really, genuinely hungry. Its been approximately 18 hours since my last meal and Im just now starting to get those hunger pangs that mean I need food so when I finish this entry I'm heading off to eat.

But the important question is ... who or what can I trust?

a) Some diet guru in a book?
b) My own body?

We have been taught - yes, taught - to distrust our own biological signals. Watch small children who haven't been corrupted by all kinds of ideas and notions about our bodies. They respond with total trust to their biological messages - unless they're so busy playing they don't want to quit.

After all, we weren't born with an eating problem. In fact, it's possible that the entire multi-billion diet industry would collapse almost overnight it we learned to simply trust the cues of our body, which surely ought to know when it needs fuel. Perhaps the entire answer to overweight is as simple as becoming reacquainted with ourselves. And as for the 6 meals a day diet ... if it feels good to you and your body, do it; if it feels awful (me!), then forget it!

Wrinkle Treatment: Remove Facial Wrinkles With Botox?

2008-09-22T11:59:31Z

In 2002 the FDA approved the use of Botox as a wrinkle treatment. Immediately, there was a gigantic demand. And to this day there is no declining of the insane demand for Botox. In a way it makes sense because it is less expensive, a less dangerous and less painful than plastic surgery as a way to remove facial wrinkles. However, Botox is truly a BAD idea.

What is Botox?

Botox comes from a very poisonous substance called botulinum toxin. This dangerous substance is familiar to all of us as food poisoning. When injected into the face, Botox paralyzes the muscle so they are unable to contract and thus it relieves the appearance of facial wrinkles.

What Does A Botox-Treated Face Look Like?

Botox does relax the muscles of the forehead, the eyes and other areas of the face. These muscles can no longer contract and therefore do not appear wrinkled. Unfortunately, Botox treatments stop working somewhere between three and six months. This means you must inject more poison into your face to keep it looking smooth. I don't know about you but to me it seems quite obvious that using a needle to put Botox into my face up to four times per year just ain't smart!

Is Botox Dangerous?

Not surprisingly, the manufacturer of Botox, Allergan Inc., claims that we shouldn't worry about injecting poisonous chemicals into our body (BIG surprise, right?) The company claims that since the amounts are tiny we don't need to worry. Allergan also claims that the poison doesn't enter our bodies. In fact, it cautions users not to try and inject Botox themselves because Botox is dangerous if it gets into the bloodstream. The idea that putting Botox into our face is a safe procedure presumes that the skin is an impregnable barrier. This simply is not true. The skin is a two-way organ and what goes on our skin is going to end up in our body.

Reducing your life span or risking serious illness simply to remove facial wrinkles is just not smart. Slowly poisoning ourselves to reduce wrinkles is an insane idea, especially when there are many anti aging skin care alternatives.

The Best Anti Aging Treatment Is Using A Very Familiar Anti Aging Product

2008-09-19T11:37:36Z

Do you know the single best anti aging treatment? Oddly enough, it's making use of the best anti aging product in existence, a substance that you know intimately. It's just plain old water. Yes, anti-aging depends more on water than anything in our lives. That really shouldn't be a surprise to anybody because after all we are formed in water, we grow in water, and we use water every day of our lives.

Approximately 75% of the human body is water. We need water for every function in our body, such as regulating our metabolism, carrying vitamins and minerals throughout our bodies and eliminating toxins. In addition, our most vital organs need copious amounts of water. This list includes our liver, kidneys, colon and brain.

We lose water on a constant basis. By beathing out, evaporation and bathroom functions, water is constantly leaving our system. We must, must, must replace this water. But not with just any water -- only pure water. Unfortunately, finding pure water in our toxic environment isn't that easy. We will discuss this more in later blog entries.

Fortunately, serious research shows that many of the diseaseis of modern life can even be reversed with proper hydration of the body. High blood pressure, cholesterol, stress, stroke, heart disease and even Alzheimer's are a few examples of the diseases that are affected by water.

In our weight-conscious society we often fear that drinking too much water will make us appear bloated and thus fatter. However this is absolutely false. The truth is that the body will hold on to water if it fears there will not be enough. However, once your body that is reassured that you will give it ample water it will release the water you are retaining and us eliminate bloating. Sadly most people do not know that, or believe it, and therefore they damage their body with dangerous dieuretics.

How much water do you need? The most credible answer to this is one half ounce per pound. That means a person weighing 150 pounds needs 75 ounces of water each day. Dividing this number by eight (because there are 8 ounces in a glass) means our 150 pound person would need a little bit over seven glasses per day.

This may sound like a lot but it really isn't. My words however, are meaningless. The only way to find out for yourself if drinking water will improve your body and your health is to try it for yourself. If this makes sense to you, set yourself a schedule. I suggest that you experiment with this amount of water for two months. Space your water out over the day rather than drinking it all at once. Write it down every day and experiment with this amount of water for 60 days. At the end of that time evaluate what has happened to your body, if anything.

Experiment in a healthy, new way with this potent anti aging treatment. You will discover for yourself the power of the finest anti-aging product available to humans: pure water.

How To Make A Smoothie: Start By Choosing A HEALTHY Smoothie

2008-09-15T11:33:57Z

If you want to know how to make a smoothie, the question you should ask is, "How can I make a healthy smoothie?"

The first thing to consider is to forget all those junk mixes and focus on fruit smoothie recipes. Any smoothie drink can enhance - or degenerate - your health. So why not choose a healthy smoothie? And one of my personal favorites is the Pina Colada Smoothie.

Of course, one of the joys of a healthy smoothie (or a junk one, for that matter) is that they're so easy to prepare. All you do is grab your blender - or in my case, my VITAMIX* - and dump in the following delicious ingredients:

* 1 cup of almond, rice or soy milk
* 1/2 cup coconut milk, or another 1/2 cup of the milk above with some coconut flavoring
* 3 ice cubes
* 1/2 banana - use a frozen banana to make it cooler, or if you don't have any frozen then use a room temperature one
* 1 cup pineapple, either canned or fresh (better)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract
* 1 scoop of Stevia or a couple of dates to taste

Optional ingredients for your fruit smoothie:
* 1/2 cup yogurt
* You can make your ice cubes out of pineapple juice - just be certain to use pineapple canned in its own juice rather than the sugary kind

Blend and enjoy.

Now that you know how to make a smoothie be certain that you always choose a healthy smoothie. Your body will thank you.

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FREE SHIPPING : use the code 06-003354 and get free shipping if you decide you want your very own Vitamix!

Hot Chocolate Recipe: Insist, Demand Gourmet Hot Chocolate

2008-09-11T11:12:33Z

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's still pretty hot here in Atlanta, GA. But it IS after Labor Day and it is September. So even though the weather doesn't justify it yet, I've dragged out my hot chocolate recipe. And make no mistake ... it's GOURMET HOT CHOCOLATE! Forget the instant hot chocolate or the hot chocolate mix because this stuff is g-o-o-d. And depending on your 'additives', it's even healthy!

First you need a cup of milk, of course. I prefer almond milk, but there's also soy milk or rice milk. Honestly, I think that regular cow's milk is extremely unhealthy - but if you insist, use it.

Put your milk in a pan and add 2-3 Tablespoons of cocoa. I buy organic cocoa from my local Whole Foods market, but Hershey's has a can that's not too bad. It's "Special Dark" and some of it is processed with alkali which isn't a good idea at all. But if you can't get the organic kind, it'll work. First try 2 T and see if that's enough or if you want some more.

Then throw in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 scoop of Stevia. Again, this is personal taste about the amounts.

So what's the big deal about my hot chocolate recipe? Why call it gourmet hot chocolate because it's just like all the others, right? Wrong! What's make this so interesting is the wide range of additives like:

* Cimnamon
* Pumpkin pie spice
* Creme de Menthe
* Amaretto
* Rum flavoring
* Cointreau
* ANY flavor of Baileys
* Hazelnut Liqueur

I repeat: forget the instant hot chocolate or the hot chocolate mix. If you're going to drink this luscious stuff, make it a cup to remember. And here's to you! I hoist a cup of gourmet hot chocolate in your direction. And by the way ... be creative with this hot chocolate recipe and find flavors that you love. The list above is just to stir your creative juices a bit.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Eating High Fructose Corn Syrup Foods Is A BAD Idea

2008-09-07T10:28:32Z

High fructose corn syrup gets a lot of bad press these days - and rightly so. One author humorously referred to it as "the sweat of Satan". It's unhealthy for the human body and because it's cheap, there are vast numbers of high fructose corn syrup foods, which makes it tough to avoid.

High fructose corn syrup is both a sweetener and preservative. And if there's anything a food manufacturer adores, it's a product that is:

1. Cheaper than sugar ...
2. Panders to our ravenous sweet tooth ...
3. Makes our food last as long as the Rocky Mountains ...

Corn, and its most popular by-product, cornstarch, is loaded with natural sugar. That sugar, though, is converted to fructose by food manufacturers. {When you think about it, doesn't it sound odd to talk about food being "manufactured"?} The problem is that many believe that fructose is harmless - after all, bananas and pears have fructose. Yes, these popular fruits have fructose, but it's only a part of the total fruit and Mother Nature didn't put fructose by itself, anywhere. Further, the fructose in a whole fruit is balanced by fiber, vitamins, etc. Not so with high fructose corn syrup.

This stuff is definitely a factor in our ever-expanding girths. Animal studies have shown that diabetes and high cholesterol result from too much of this corn product. High fructose corn syrup is nothing more than a concentrated source of sweet calories and the list of high fructose corn syrup foods is horrifying. Next time you're in the grocery, check out the labels on products you habitually eat and you will be shocked. In fact, I'm willing to bet there's some high fructose corn syrup in your kitchen right now if you're the 'average' western eater.