Don't treat your thirst with pain killers!

I've treated many patients suffering from some form of pain or other, without pain killers.

These include chronic headaches, joint pain and menstrual cramps (period pains), etc.

Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. When your body tells you something is wrong, your response should not be to rush and suppress that symptom. You should ask 'what is wrong and why is this happening?'

In other words, your approach to tackling your health issues should be 'what's causing this symptom [of pain]', as opposed to 'how do I suppress this pain?' - in answering the first question, you discover how to get rid of the pain and how to prevent it from happening again. In answering the second question, you leave the root cause of your pain unknown, and you are thus unable to prevent a future episode.

Answering the first question empowers you to take control of your health and life.
Answering the second question only, leaves you a victim of external influences (eg 'big pharma').

Which brings me to the main point of this blog post.

I'd like to introduce you to a very humble, unassuming drink, one which is freely available (which perhaps is why it is so overlooked and taken for granted...) yet one which is so vital to life you cannot survive up to a week without it. This drink is so necessary for your daily life that if you are not getting enough, various organs in your body complain by sending you signals such as pain, fatigue, irritability, 'stress'.

I'm talking about Water.
Not coffee, not tea, not juice, not alcohol, but water. H2O.

Every single cell in your body is made up of 75% water.
Your brain is 85% water.
Every energy releasing process in your body is driven by water.

Dr Batman, the author of 'Your Body's many Cries For Water', a physician who devoted at least 20 years to studying water and its health properties, showed from his research and experience, that pain is one sure fire symptom of dehydration.

In my clinical practice, I've found this to be true as well.

So much so that I now tell my patients that if you suffer from headaches that won't go away, or period pains, or back pain, or other joint pain, etc, before you run to your doctor looking for a pain killer, drink an adequate amount of water first. Let's rule out dehydration as a cause for your pain. When you do this, if the symptom is still present, then by all means come back and let's re-assess you.

Not one has come back saying the symptoms remained. One man actually came back just to tell me I was a miracle working doctor! I gently told him I was no miracle worker - the real miracle is the human body and the One who created it to be so intelligent that it can take care of and repair itself once it's given the right resources.

I personally practice what I preach: ever since I learnt about the pain-relieving properties of water, and started drinking the amount required for my body size, I've not had to take any pain killers - at the first sign of pain, I drink a pint of water or a bit more. This has kept me free from headaches and period pains (which used to be quite severe). 

How Much Water Is Adequate?

One size doesn't fit all.
No two people are the same in their requirements for food and water.
No two people are exactly alike, period.

So your water requirement (DWR = Daily Water Requirement, the minimum amount of water your body needs for its daily function) depends on various factors such as:

- Your size (a toddler needs less water than a 6 foot tall man, for instance)

- Your other habits: if you drink any thing with caffeine in it, you lose an estimated 500mls of water from your body per cup. So if you must drink caffeine or its relatives (found in coffee, tea, coke-type of drinks), you must drink an additional pint of water so that you're not in negative balance). Same goes for alcohol, which also dehydrates you.

- Your other habits: if you exercise, you need to drink extra water in addition to your DWR.

Formula for calculating your DWR:

Body weight (kg) x 33ml = Your personal DWR in mls
OR
Body weight (pounds)/2 = Your DWR in ounces.

Note:

• When you start drinking the DWR for your weight, you will initially pass urine more frequently than you're doing now, but don't panic - this doesn't last: after a few weeks of your persisting with this, your bladder adjusts and you don't need to go as often.
  
  

TAKE THE WATER CHALLENGE!

Before you start this challenge, check with your doctor and make sure there's nothing in your medical history that makes you need to restrict water intake. Make sure with your doctor that it's ok for you to take the challenge.

The Water Challenge
For the next 21 days:

• Drink nothing but water. Drink your DWR amount. No coffee, tea or other drinks.
• Eat your healthy meals as usual
• GAP (Grab a Pen) and keep a 'water journal', so you can document how you feel before, during and after the challenge, and also to keep you motivated and on track. Also document how many times you're going to pass urine each day.

Thinking about...Raw Milk

There is a sickening trend in the processed food industry. Sickening metaphorically, sickening literally - for you, if you consume foods so processed.

The trend is this:

- healthy form of food is good but takes too much effort to make large quantities available in the shortest amount of time. Also in some cases, does not have extremely long shelf life...Oh the hassle of providing healthy forms of food - not exactly a good candidate for making a quick buck..


Enter the processed food industry!:
- 'processed food is bad for health but never mind that because hey, you can mass produce the stuff, process it and add chemicals that can give you very long shelf life! Think of all the money we can make doing this! Oh and by the way, while we're at it, let's think of ways to camouflage the damage we're doing to the food, by spinning a yarn about how good it is for you. Folks don't take the time to study facts for themselves anyway so nobody'll know - they'll believe anything we say so long as it's printed and make to sound professional. Besides, when they get sick from eating or drinking our stuff, our buddy the Big Pharma industry is at hand to treat their symptoms - the perfect solution!..'

This is the basic trend behind most any processed food or drink you can think of.
Guess who the loser in all this is?
You are, if you consume these products.

Folks, PROCESSED FOOD IS BAD FOR YOU, period!

I don't care how convenient it is made to sound or look - as far as your health is concerned, processed food is poison.

Today, I want to address a food which, in its natural state, is one of the most healthful, nutritious substances available. Yet even though it is easy to buy cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, it's quite difficult to find this food in its healthful state.

I'm talking about Raw Milk.

As with a lot of other good foods, raw milk has been demonized over the (relatively) recent years, while processed milk ('pasteurized', 'homogenized') is now touted as healthy and good for you. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Quick Milk Myth:
- Raw Milk gives you salmonella and tuberculosis and makes you sick.


Quick Milk Fact:
- Raw Milk got from sick cows can make you sick. A sick cow is either contaminated with the germs causing the infections, or it's just a cow that's been fed on grains, antibiotics and hormones, or a cow that's raised in unhygienic environments.

- Organic Raw Milk from healthy cows will not make you sick. A healthy cow is one that is allowed to feed on grass in pasture in summer, minimal grains but lots of hay in winter when it's not a good idea for them to be outdoors. A healthy cow is raised in a hygienic environment and is free from infectious diseases, and has not had any chemical treatment.



Benefits of Raw Milk
- It's got all the important enzymes in it still; ever wondered why there are so many cases of 'lactose intolerance' these days? That's because the processed milk you drink has had its own natural lactase destroyed in the process of pasteurisation. Lactase is the enzyme that digests (breaks down) lactose in milk after you've ingested it. However the process of pasteurising milk, destroys all enzymes within it, which would otherwise break down the sugars and substances contained in it.

You can't be lactose intolerant when you take Raw Milk because any lactose in the milk gets broken down by the lactase in the (raw) milk.

- Raw Milk is a good source of some B vitamins, vitamins A and D. You lose out on this when milk gets processed (though of course in some cases the processed milk gets 'fortified' with these nutrients).

- Raw Milk is a good source of healthy saturated fat. When milk gets 'homogenized', this means it's been passed through very fine slits, in order to break down the fat molecules in it such that the tiny fat molecules mix with the milk, making it impossible to separate out the fat on the top as cream. The danger with the homogenization process is that these tiny fat molecules are now in a form that makes them harmful to the blood vessels (remember, anytime you process fat, that's when it becomes harmful...)

- Raw Milk is a good source of healthy Omega 3 fats, which are not only the body's natural anti-inflammatory fats, but they're also good for your heart.

- Raw Milk is a good source of cholesterol. - Cholesterol is good for you unless it's damaged ('oxidised'); it's the damaged cholesterol that is bad for your heart. The cholesterol in Raw Milk is not damaged, so it's still in its healthful state, which your body needs for numerous vital, life sustaining processes (see post on cholesterol).

- Raw Milk may protect against allergies and eczema.
But discuss with a Raw Milk-friendly doctor if you are known to suffer from milk allergy, before you try raw milk.- Raw Milk contains loads of probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria which not only help make some digestive enzymes, but they play a major role in providing immunity for your body. Unfortunately the process of pasteurising milk kills off all the good bacteria in it, so if you're drinking processed milk you're denying yourself a natural immune booster drink. Pasteurised milk is little more than sugar (lactose) and water...

- Raw Milk tastes absolutely FANTASTIC!! But don't just take my word for it...try it yourself. Read below for tips to guide you when you go shopping for Raw Milk...


Processed milk has NONE of the above benefits.
It really is just sugar and water.
It's a dead drink with no life enhancing qualities.


Occasionally someone will get sick from taking raw milk - but this can also be said about just about any food out there. In fact contaminated food (vegetables, fruits, etc) has been known to cause by far more illness than just raw milk. Yet nobody is banning veg and fruit. Read the tips below to reduce your chances of getting sick from Raw Milk:


 Tips For Choosing A Raw Milk Source
Ask the following 4 questions:

• Is the milk organic?
• Is it from grass-fed cows that haven't had any hormones or antibiotics or other chemicals given to them?
• Is it from cows guaranteed to be free from tuberculosis, salmonella and other germs?
• What are the hygiene practices in the farm where the cows are bred, and where the milk is extracted?

Folks, who will you listen to? People who stand to gain financially while your health suffers? Or people who present the truth to you as is.


The choice is yours.


I've said it before and I'm going to say it again: Health is largely a choice - YOUR CHOICE.


Make healthy choices today!

The Healthy Lifestyle Seminar is Back!

Following the success of the first Healthy Lifestyle Seminar that took place at the London-Elstree Holiday Inn, I'm pleased to inform you that the next Healthy Lifestyle Seminar will take place on Saturday, October 30, 2010.

For details, and to book your place while spaces remain, please visit The Healthy Lifestyle Seminar page over at www.healthylifestyleseminar.co.uk

Blessings to ya!

Dr Kem