The sunscreen double paradox: it doesn’t protect you from skin cancer and blocks your body absorption of vitamin D!

In many ancient cultures and religions, from the Egyptians to the Aztecs, Hindus, Romans and many African cultures the sun was worshipped as a deity. In the Roman Empire there was a huge festival called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (the birth of the unconquered sun) which was celebrated on winter solstice at the end of December and that was later adopted by the Christians as the celebration of the birth of Christ.

However in our modern western society the sun is blamed for the increase of skin cancer cases in the world and above all in Australia, and nothing could be further from the truth.

A daily exposure to the sun allows our bodies to produce vitamin D which is well known to have a prominent role in bone health, and it is less known to have quite an important role in protecting us from cancer.

Professor Rebecca Mason, a physiologist at the University of Sydney and an expert in vitamin D deficiency, has found that there is a direct link between inadequate amount of vitamin D in our body and our likelihood to suffer from several types of cancer, among which colon cancer and skin cancer are the most common.

Exposure to the sun has to be done sensibly and roasting yourself to achieve a good looking tan will not help the vitamin D absorption at all. Professor Mason has actually found that the absorption of vitamin D is much more efficient with a short exposure time than with a longer one. How fair or dark your skin is also plays an important role as people with a darker skin need a longer exposure to the sun to be able to efficiently produce vitamin D. If you have a very fair skin in winter you should aim to 15 minutes of sun exposure every day, as close as possible to midday, to about 15% of your body, which means face, hands and the lower part of the legs without sunscreen (I’ll explain this a bit later). In summer the exposure to the sun should be before 11am and after 3pm for 15 minutes a day. People with darker skin will need from two to six times these amounts (depending on how dark your skin is).

Another important finding of Prof. Mason’s is that an adequate level of vitamin D actually protects us from the damaging effects of the UV rays on our skin.

The great majority of sunscreen products use chemicals which completely block the ability of our body to absorb vitamin D from the sun exposure, increasing therefore our chances of getting some form of cancer, skin cancer being one of them.

Moreover, many sunscreen products actually contain chemicals, such as avobenzone, benzophenone, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnimate, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl methoxycinnamate, oxybenzone just to quote a few, which are powerful free radicals generators, and free radicals are known to be involved in the onset of cancer and other diseases. For a more comprehensive list of dangerous chemicals in sunscreen and cosmetics, please go to http://www.health-report.co.uk/ingredients-directory.htm

The cosmetic industry is now also very fond of nano particles, which is a way to make chemical substances so tiny that they can be absorbed by our skin much easier and faster.

Since everything we put on our skin gets absorbed by our body and goes into the blood stream and to our organs, by using sunscreen products we actually introduce in our bodies substances which make us more likely to get some form of cancer and that also block the vitamin D which, on the contrary, is paramount to help our body fight cancer.

Another very damaging addition to many sunscreens on the market is vitamin A. Although it is true that vitamin A is excellent to keep our skin young and supple, it is also unfortunately true that vitamin A has photocarcinogenic properties, which means that it can cause cells to become cancerous when exposed to the sunlight. Vitamin A, like other natural substances which are good for our skin but which are photosensitive, should be restricted to be used when we are not planning to go in the sun, so, doesn’t it sound like another paradox that they use vitamin A in a sunscreen?

So, what is a possible solution? Nutrition is definitively one way. Carrots and berries are well known to help build up our body defences against sun burn, and coconut oil is a precious aid for keeping our skin moist and supple, as well as being a great nutrient against free radicals. Get your daily dose of sun exposure and cover up at any other times if you have to be in the sun (hat, shirt and sunglasses).

If you really want to put something on your skin, make your own sun lotion using aloe vera gel and coconut oil in equal amounts, and add some drops of peppermint oil which has been found to have the highest SPF among all the essential oils. Remember however that the best Sun Protection Factor of all is a diet rich in fresh vegetables and fruit which contain anti-oxidants, a good hat, a shirt, sunglasses and stay away from the direct rays of the sun from 11am to 3pm, but do get a 15 minutes exposure to the sun every day.

Cancer is not a Disease, it is a Symptom!

Our body is a wonderful system and its precision in working to keep us healthy and strong is dependent on a balance of the right nutrients and the right environment.

If our daily diet is too unbalanced, or too harsh or indeed too acidic, our body will act promptly to re-establish the balance by using its own internal resources. In doing this our system might become depleted of some nutrients triggering the onset of an illness which will endure until the right nutrients are reintroduced in the body and the balance is achieved again.

A very common and simple example of this is high blood pressure caused by dehydration (there are also other causes of high blood pressure which will be addressed later). If we don’t drink a sufficient quantity of water every day the body will source it from the cells and the blood. This will in turn make our blood thicker and cause a rising of blood pressure. (http://earthlyenergies.blogspot.com/2010/09/water-wonderful-gift-from-nature.html)

The process that starts cancer seems to be similar, even though a bit more complex.

There is a particular type of cells in our body which is called “trophoblast”. About 80% of the trophoblast cells are stored in women’s ovaries and men’s testes and they play a fundamental role in the conception and pregnancy. The remaining 20% of the trophoblast cells are everywhere else in the body and they are used to start a healing process in case of an injury, trauma or illness.

In 1902, John Beard a Scottish embryologist, found that the trophoblast cells are the ones protecting the implanting foetus against the mother’s immune system and that, 9 months later when the birth is imminent, some pancreatic enzymes from the baby and the mother cause the destruction of the trophoblast cells and the consequent expulsion/birth of the new life. Trophoblast cells are also known to be multiplying faster than normal cells and to be immune-resistant.

John Beard also found that trophoblast cells are involved in the cancer process, surrounding the cancer and making it multiply and metastasize rapidly if they are not stopped at the right time by the intervention of enzymes. John Beard’s theory, also known as the Trophoblast Theory of Cancer, has been researched and studied by many other scientists and we now know that some pregnancy tests which are based on the presence of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) can actually show the presence of cancer in men and in non pregnant women.

One of the possible causes of cancer is that an injury, or a trauma, or a high concentration of toxicity in the body triggers the formation of a cancerous tumour through the intervention of the healing trophoblast cells, but because of nutritional deficiencies our body does not have the enzymes required to finish the work of the trophoblast cells and expel the cancer. Therefore it seems that the deficiency of important nutrients in our diet weakens and often prevents the ability of our body to react to cancer and get rid of it.

A correct and balanced diet which is mainly based on plenty of fresh, raw and possibly organic fruit and vegetables, increases the amount and strength of enzymes in our body and also keeps the pH alkaline (http://earthlyenergies.blogspot.com/2011/01/link-between-ph-and-cancer-and-some.html). An alkaline level of 7.4 provides an environment in which cancer cannot grow and will not survive. Also, the presence of enzymes ensures the correct functioning of the trophoblast cells and the consequent expulsion of cancer.

A predominantly vegetarian diet, with a very scarce use of meat, is fundamental to achieve and maintain a healthy level of pH (7.4) as well as plenty of good enzymes in our body. First of all fruit and vegies are generally high in anti-oxidants which are one of the first barriers of our body against the free radicals, known to cause several diseases including cancer. Secondly many fruit and vegetables actually contain precious enzymes therefore contributing to the enzyme storage of our body. Papain for example, an enzyme present in papaya, is well known in fighting cancer. On the contrary our body needs a huge amount of enzymes to digest meat and therefore eating meat actually depletes the body of enzymes.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only; it should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his/her health should contact a licensed medical professional.

5 golden rules to a slimmer and healthier you!

Christmas holidays are a beautiful time of the year full of love, full of presents but also full of cakes, chocolates and generally speaking full of unused calories which all go straight to hips (for us girls) and stomachs (for the boys)...

I’m not a believer in strict diets which have lots of “no-foods” and that do not educate people to a better nutrition which becomes a lifestyle and which is forgiving of some chocolate sins and some fish-and-chips outings that we all love every now and then.

This is why I decided to share with all of you my 5 golden rules for nutrition which have been part of my lifestyle for many years, are easy to follow (no need to look up a complex calendar to see what you can have for dinner each day!) and above all work very well!!

1. Drink a good glass of water before you put any food in your mouth!

Water is one of the most important elements for the good functioning of our bodies. If our daily intake of water is not sufficient the consequences, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, are quite immediate. Everyone should aim to a daily minimum of 1 litre of water per every 30 kilos of body weight, and increase this quantity when you are exercising or if you live in warmer temperatures. Also, very often when our bodies are dehydrated, we might feel hungry rather than thirsty, so it’s a good idea to drink a good glass of water before any meal: it will replenish the water content in your body and partially fill up your stomach taking the edge off the hunger and making you eat a bit less during the meal.
It is also a good practice to start a day with a glass of water in which you squeeze half a lemon or lime. These fruits, even though they are acidic, become alkaline when they enter our system, and a pH of 7.4 is essential to lose weight and keep it off!

2. Make sure that half of your plate is taken by green fresh veggies!

The best thing is to have a giant fresh salad made up of different leaves (lettuce, spinach, rocket and basil are just a few typical choices), a couple of tomatoes, celery, carrots, raw mushrooms and whatever else you like in a salad. Now, the secret is to have 2 or 3 mouthfuls of salad before you have anything from the main dish. I often do this when we are having a takeaway pizza, but you can do that with any other meal which is not 100% healthy like fish and chips, or your favourite takeaway. I find that by eating the salad first, I fill up some more space (some has already been taken by the glass of water!) and when I get to the pizza I only have a couple of slices.

3. Combine the right foods...
The right combination of foods is highly important both for weight loss and for a healthier body.
Excellent combinations are:
a) Proteins (like meat, fish and eggs) and non starchy vegetables (lettuce, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, capsicum, spinach, asparagus, cabbage and green beans to name a few);
b)Starchy vegetables (like potatoes, pumpkin, peas, carrots, beans and corn) with proteins and non starchy vegetables.
c) Grains (like pasta, bread, millet and couscous) with non starchy vegetables.
 
4. Delay the sweet foods cravings!
Sugar and sweet foods are acid forming in our body, which means that they make us fat in two ways: first by creating acids which our body has to “pack away” in fat cells, and secondly by providing us of an excessive amount of calories in just a mouthful. So, when you have a craving, before you go to the pantry and grab a packet of chocolate biscuits, drink slowly a glass of water... then munch on a piece of fresh fruit or a carrot or some celery... If you are still craving, now you can go a grab a piece of chocolate, make sure it is a small one and don’t feel guilty about it, enjoy it and tell yourself that you are a healthy person and you are improving every day!

           5. Walk it off, dance it off, swim it off and remember to smile!
Exercise does not need to be a boring chore that we have to do to keep healthy...
If you have a dog take him for a long walk of at least 20 minutes every day, walk with long steps, breathing deeply and aim to increase your speed a little bit every day to the point of doing a light jog... Your fourlegged friend will be very grateful too!
Maybe you prefer dancing? Get your partner or a friend to join you and enroll in some dancing classes of your favourite style... it’s heaps of fun and it will get your heart beating!
If you live close to the ocean you can go for a walk and a swim in the morning, it’s a fantastic and energizing way to start the day, and you also get the benefits of all the gorgeous minerals that are in the ocean, magnesium included!
And last, but not least, make sure you keep a positive attitude, don’t nag yourself if you commit a little chocolate sin but congratulate yourself for becoming every day a slimmer, healthier and happier person!!

The link between pH and cancer (and some other common ailments!)

The body pH is a measure of alkalinity and acidity in our entire system.

PH stands for Potential of Hydrogen and it is closely related to the amount of oxygen our cells and organs have available. The ideal pH for a person is around 7.4 which leans more towards alkalinity.

The reason why the pH is so important is that:

    1. The vast majority of diseases including heart disease, cancer, nerve problems, premature aging and allergies, just to quote a few, have all been linked to an acidic pH, lower then 7.4

   2. The average typical western diet is highly acid forming, therefore causing our pH to be lower than 7.4 and consequently cause our bodies to be much more susceptible to disease.

In 1928 Dr Otto Warburg, a biochemist and a doctor, discovered that tumor cells are anaerobic which means they don’t breathe oxygen. In 1931 Dr. Warburg received the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his research.

Many recent studies have confirmed what Dr. Warburg found, which is that an oxygen deprived, acidic environment is highly conducive to cancer. When our pH is 7.4, and therefore there is plenty of oxygen in our system, cancer cells are very weak and are easily overcome by our immune system.

Every food is either alkaline or acid in itself, and it is also alkaline or acid forming after having been processed by our body. Very often however the inherent alkalinity or acidity of a food is completely different from the final pH impact that a particular food has on our body.

For example citrus fruit like oranges, limes and lemons are renowned for being acidic however, after they have been digested and processed by our bodies, they actually become alkaline forming and therefore contributing our own pH to be more alkaline.

Refined sugars are very acid forming which is also one of the reasons why alcoholic drinks like beer, wine and spirits contribute heavily to lower our pH towards the acidic.

Salt on the other hand has an alkaline forming effect and the pH of ocean water is typically between 7.9 to 8.2 and for this reason it can be used in its isotonic form, diluted and cold-filtered, as a plasma substitute in a blood transfusion.

The typical traditional western diet is heavily based on acid forming foods: meat, dairy products, white pasta and bread, refined sugars, pastries, highly processed foods, tea, coffee, beer, wine and spirits are all overly present in our daily diet contributing to a higher acidic pH in our bodies.

Alkaline forming foods such as green leafy vegetables and fruits are too often relegated to a secondary role in our meals as small quantities side dishes and in many cases used just as a “visual” and colourful garnish for the main dish.

The table below is a guide to learn the alkalinity and acidity of some common foods. In your daily diet try to pick 75% of foods from the 3 columns on the left (alkaline forming foods) and 25% from the 3 columns on the right (acid forming foods).

You can check the pH of your saliva by using pH strips. They are usually available at the chemist as well as on the internet. If your pH is more towards the acidic (below 7) the best thing to do is start immediately a diet with more foods from the alkaline columns and very little foods from the acidic columns. Try to avoid completely the foods in the right end column (+++ ACID) for a few weeks and take some aluminium free bi-carb soda every day, one teaspoon in a glass of water. Check your pH level daily, first thing in the morning as you wake up and before you put anything into your mouth.

Please note: The table below is only meant to give an approximate indication of alkalinity and acidity in some common foods. It should therefore be used just as a guide and not as a precise measurement tool.

FOOD CATEGORIES	+++ ALKALINE	++ ALKALINE	+ ALKALINE	+ ACIDIC	++ ACIDIC	+++ ACIDIC
VEGETABLES	Vegetable Juices, Parsley, Raw Spinach, Broccoli, Celery, Garlic, Barley Grass	Carrots, Green Beans, Lima Beans, Beets, Lettuce, Zucchini	Squash, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Fresh Corn, Mushrooms, Onions, Cabbage, Peas, Cauliflower, Turnip, Beetroot, Potato, Olives, Soybeans, Tofu	Sweet Potato, Cooked Spinach, Kidney Beans		Pickled vegetables
FRUIT	Dried Figs, Raisins	Dates, Blackcurrant, Grapes, Papaya, Kiwi, Berries, Apples, Pears	Coconut, Sour Cherries, Tomatos, Oranges, Cherries, Pineapple, Peaches, Avocados, Grapefruit, Mangoes, Strawberries, Papayas, Lemons, Watermelon, Limes	Blueberries, Cranberries, Bananas, Plums, Processed Fruit Juices	Canned Fruit
GRAINS AND CEREALS			Lentils, Sweetcorn, Wild Rice, Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat	Rye Bread, Whole Grain Bread, Oats, Brown Rice	White Rice, White Bread, Pastries, Biscuits, Pasta
MEAT				Liver, Oysters, Organ Meat	Fish, Turkey, Chicken, Lamb	Beef, Pork, Veal, Shellfish, Canned Tuna & Sardines
EGGS AND DAIRY			Soy Cheese, Soy Milk, Goat Milk, Goat Cheese, Buttermilk, Whey	Whole Milk, Butter, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Cream, Ice Cream	Eggs, Camembert, Hard Cheese	Parmesan, Processed Cheese
NUTS AND SEEDS		Hazelnuts, Almonds	Hazelnuts, Almonds	Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower Seeds	Pecans, Cashews, Pistachios	Peanuts, Walnuts
FATS			Flax Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Canola Oil	Corn Oil, Sunflower Oil, Margarine,
DRINKS	Herb Teas, Lemon	Green tea	Ginger tea	Cocoa	Wine	Tea, coffee, beer, spirits
SWEETENERS	Stevia	Maple Syrup, Rice Syrup	Raw Honey, Raw Sugar	White Sugar, Processed Honey	Milk Chocolate, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Jam, Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Vinegar	Artificial sweeteners

A Completely Natural Homemade moisturizer

For the last 5 or 6 years I've been making my own moisturizer. I never liked the commercial ones which always contain some ingredients with names too difficult to read, too long to pronounce and definitively not familiar enough for me to feel safe putting them on my skin.

For my moisturizer I use only simple, natural and mostly organic ingredients such as Aloe Vera Gel, Apricot Kernel Oil, Rosehip Oil and a few essential oils (lavender, bergamot, lemon myrtle and calendula). Until a few months ago I was making this moisturizer just for myself, but after a few friends tried it and loved it, I decided to make it available to anybody who, like me, feels disillusioned with commercial products and wants to put on their skin (and ultimately inside their bodies!!) a natural moisturizer...



Laura's Homemade Escentials Face Moisturizer

50 gr. costs AUD14 ($14)  plus postage expenses ($4.50 to most destinations in Australia)
To order send an email to earthlyenergies@hotmail.com

Do you need to increase your calcium intake? Get some magnesium!

The lack of sufficient calcium in our 
body is one of the leading causes of osteoporosis. However what we are very rarely told are two very important facts related to the intake of calcium:

1. It is almost impossible for our body to absorb the calcium coming from cow's milk and dairy products;

2. If we don't have enough magnesium in our system the body cannot absorb calcium at all;

Even though it is true that cow’s milk and dairy products have a very high content of calcium, it is unfortunately in a form which is very difficult for our body to absorb. Many of you are certainly aware that some people cannot drink milk at all, they are lactose intolerant. What happens is that when we are born, until we start eating solid foods, our body produces an enzyme, called lactase, which is required to properly digest milk. When we get to three or four years of age the huge majority of people (around 98%) stops producing the enzyme lactase. However, while some people have a very strong reaction to milk and have to stop drinking it at all, others have just very mild symptoms which, very often, are not even identified as being caused by lactose intolerance.

This means that, even though some people may be more sensitive to the lack of that enzyme and therefore have a strong allergic reaction to any intake of milk and dairy products, the rest of us, who do not show any symptoms and keep on drinking milk for the calcium intake, are actually wasting time and resources. Not only that… When we drink cow’s milk and eat dairy products, because of the lack of that enzyme, our body has to work harder to digest it and in doing that it uses more calcium. So, not only we don’t get the benefit of absorbing the calcium in the milk we drink, but we actually consume more calcium from our reserves in the process.

Non-dairy sources of calcium include sesame seeds, most nuts, green leafy vegetables and pulses.

Sesame seeds

However, regardless of how high is your intake of calcium through food and calcium supplements, if you have a deficiency of magnesium your body will not be able to absorb the calcium at all.

The best way to have a good intake of magnesium is through the skin (transdermal) as this is the fastest way into our body system. You can get Magnesium Flakes and use them in a bath, soaking yourself after a long day at work and relax. Magnesium is fantastic for the muscles as well and I use it quite often in my massage therapy to achieve better relaxation.


If you are a woman and use the anti-conception pill or if you are going through menopause you are very likely to have a magnesium deficiency. Symptoms of lacking magnesium in your body are sleeplessness, leg cramps and that very annoying eye twitch that everyone of us has experienced one time or another. A regular use of magnesium flakes in your bath, or the use of magnesium oil will easily fix all these problems and give you a very good, restoring night of sleep. 


I buy my Magnesium Flakes from www.echolife.com.au and I highly recommend them for their friendly approach and professionalism.

How to beat cancer with natural remedies

Every year around the world between 2 and 3 million people are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer, about 132 thousands are diagnosed with a melanoma and the numbers are increasing every year due to the thinning out of the ozone layer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that skin cancer amounts to more than 30% of all types of cancers diagnosed every year.

An increasing number of people turns to alternative non-invasive natural therapies to treat cancer. One alternative to deal with skin cancer, but also to get rid of other types of cancers as well, is a black salve, also known as "cansema".

Black Salve is an escharotics, from the greek word which means "to burn", made of a combination of four different herbs (bloodroot, galangal, chaparral and graviola) in a solution of zinc chloride. The resulting paste, which is a very dark brown colour, when put on a spot where cancer cells are present, will go through the layer of skin to reach the cancer cells, kill and enclose the malignant cells in what looks like a black scab. The tissue surrounding the scab may look slightly inflamed with a white circle of pus around the scab. After 7 to 10 days the scab will fall off leaving a clean healthy wound where the cancer was. The wound will then quickly heal and fill up with new healthy cells in a very short time.

The success of Black Salve in treating skin cancer has also been documented in a scholarly article published in November 2001 on the journal Dermatologic Surgery by Brown, Goldstein and Birkby. In the article the three doctors present two cases in which the patients self applied the black salve on a basal cell carcinoma and on a squamous cell carcinoma. After the cancerous scabs fell off an histopathologic analysis of the wounds was conducted and no cancer cells found.


Black Salve has also been successfully used to treat other types of cancers and several testimonials can be found on several webpages, some of which I have listed below:

http://www.blacksalve.info/testimonials.html
http://blacksalveinfo.com/blog/2007/11/black-salve-bloodroot-testimonials-1.html
http://blacksalveinfo.com/testimonialbsc.htm

Warning: The TGA does not approve the sale of the Black Salve for use on people, so this product is For Animal Use Only. However the ingredients and their amount are exactly the same.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only; it should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his/her health should contact a licensed medical professional.