Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

For most of recorded history, fat was revered as a sign of health and prosperity. Plumpness was a status symbol. It showed that you did not have to engage in manual labor for your sustenance. And it meant that you could afford plentiful quantities of food.

For most people, however, being fat was simply not an option. The constant struggle to hunt and harvest ensured that we stayed active. And for those with little money, the supply of calories was meager. This ensured that most of the working class stayed slim.

Rich people were fat. Poor people were thin.

Today, the polar opposite is true. Numerous studies show that low-income children and adults are far more likely to be overweight than those of greater means. And the statistical distribution fits a nice, neat curve – as income falls, the rate of obesity rises.

The following graph from a population study in Utah puts this in perspective. The tallest bar on the left represents the lowest income group… and the highest rate of obesity.

Before we get into today’s message, we wanted to pass this along. Many THB readers have asked us the best way to help the people of Haiti.
Many reliable and worthwhile organizations are offering support. But you may be wondering which cause will put your donation directly into the relief effort. Our colleague Byron King – [...]

WARNING - Keep out of the reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow [this substance], seek professional assistance or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.

The warning statement above comes from a household product that is in almost every home. You have it in your house right now. Can you guess where it comes from?

Is it a cleaning product? No. What about paint? No, not that either. Motor oil? Nope, not motor oil. Okay, here are some hints.

There is a good chance you put this in your mouth this morning. Didn’t you read the poison warning? This product is marketed to children, in flavors like watermelon. Adults usually prefer it flavored with cinnamon or peppermint.

You have probably guessed that I’m talking about toothpaste. Specifically, I’m talking about fluoride, the poison that is in it. Fluoride is a poison? Yes, it is, hence the warning above.

For more than 30 years, government health organizations and the cancer societies have pushed the idea that early detection and treatment increases your odds of surviving cancer. The messages are everywhere. They urge us to check for prostate, breast, colon, skin cancer and more.
Logically, it makes sense that the earlier you discover a cancer, the [...]

“He’s not going to eat that! What is that?” I demanded.

“Banana cream pie,” the nurse said.

“You’re serving banana cream pie in a heart hospital?”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My father had just suffered a serious and debilitating stroke the night before. He was under critical care in one of the country’s leading heart hospitals. And once he was cleared to eat, the first meal they brought was turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, a white dinner roll and a heaping helping of banana cream pie.

If you’re a bit hungry right now, that might sound delicious. But I probably don’t have to convince you that it is not optimal nutrition for a recovering stroke patient.

The night before, I had received the kind of call we all dread. It was serious and I needed to board a flight right away. I knew that my Dad was in the care of expert physicians and that they were using the best emergency medicine to stabilize his condition. And I knew that there was nothing I could do right away.

About this time ten years ago, I went through a rough patch in my life. Not long before that, I owned a successful business. I was young and prosperous. I was able to travel. And though I worked long hours, I had the freedom to work where and when I wanted.
I exercised frequently. I was [...]

Several years ago, I enjoyed an amazing vacation in Costa Rica.

Shortly after I arrived, I found myself reclining in a comfortable leather chair. I leaned back and relaxed, staring at the flawless blue sky and the steep, misty mountains surrounding San Jose.

Soft, soothing music played in the background. I was beginning to drift off when a young woman walked over. She placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Good afternoon, Jon. I hope you’re comfortable,” she said, in perfect English. “Can I adjust the chair for you? Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you. I’m just fine.” I told her.

A few moments later, Dr. Telma Rubinstein walked in and sat down beside me.

“We have a long day ahead, Jon. Are you ready to begin?” she asked.

My nephew and I were having a great time at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville last week. We shot bottle rockets up a zip line with compressed air. We learned about the power of levers, by pulling on a rope to lift a car. And I protected him from the hungry animatronic dinosaurs when we passed through the cretaceous period (He wasn’t convinced that they were not going to eat him whole).

I was really impressed with the museum. They do a great job of teaching science in a way that is interactive and memorable. But not every exhibit is based on hard science. I learned that when we got to the wing dedicated to the human body, health and nutrition.

If my nephew followed the recommendations he was supposed to learn at the museum, he would end up fat and sick as an adult, like much of the population is today.

The nutrition exhibit began with a bin full of different-shaped objects. There were five different shapes, and each one represented different types of food. The objective was to toss these “foods” into an open “mouth” and then proceed through the exhibit to learn how they are broken down and utilized by the body.

But the foods were supposed to go in the mouth in a certain ratio. You didn’t want to feed the body too much junk. The exhibit called it “your recipe for a healthy body.” Here are the five kinds of foods we were supposed to “pitch in,” along with the basic amounts:

“Red Meat Causes Cancer”
About four months ago, this headline appeared in just about every mainstream health publication. It was on the nightly news. Even the Wall Street Journal ran coverage of the story.
Oh… and don’t forget about heart disease too!
But the hysteria about the dangers of “red meat” is totally off base. [...]

My head hit the headrest as Lance stepped on the gas and the car bolted forward. My body felt heavy as the force of acceleration pulled me into the bucket seat.
With a flick of his wrist, he hit second gear and popped the clutch. The rear wheels chirped, then grabbed the pavement [...]