Copyright 2010, theindigoearth.com YOUR FEED DESCRIPTION mail@theindigoearth.com (theindigoearth.com) Healthy Living http://www.theindigoearth.com/ en-us Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:59:03 -0500 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:59:03 -0500 Canvas Made http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification AKA. methyl-sulfonyl-methane MSM is the abbreviation for methyl-sulfonyl-methane, a naturally occuring sulfur compound and found in tissues and fluids of plants, of animals, and of people. We are composed of five basic elements, being oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon and sulfur. Of our sulphur component, 85% of this is from MSM and its related compounds. Every single cell in our body needs sulfur. Sulfur forms blood proteins and amino acids, provides the chemical links for forming collagen, is important for healthy hair, skin, and nails, activates and helps us utilize vitamins, used to manufacture bile necessary for proper digestion, for maintaining the important PH acid-alkaline balance, assists in insulin production and carbohydrate metabolism. Thu,31 Jul 2008 06:29:48 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/got-msm http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/got-msm Perhaps a better name would be natural food. You’ve probably heard about Raw Food, also known as Living Foods and Natural Hygiene. All word p. s, that when first heard, may denote some negative images. Raw Food makes me think of raw meat, Living Foods causes me to think of actually living meat, and Natural Hygiene has me thinking about natural soap and feminine products. But what it really does mean is eating fruits, vegetables and grains in their natural state, that being not cooked and not processed. For 4 million years we humans ate raw food, our entire bodily systems evolved around this very life sustaining practice. Cooking food causes a variety of changes to the nutrient value of it. Cooking our fruits and vegetables ruins the ‘structured water’ in these items making it less biologically processable. Cooking also destroys 50 percent of that food’s protein and 50 – 80 percent of the vitamins and minerals are destroyed. Cooking breaks down pesticides into more easily assimilated compounds, leading to a loss in oxygen and an increase in free radicals. Thu,31 Jul 2008 06:34:10 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/raw-food http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/raw-food A Natural and Effective Internal Cleanser Historically, bentonite clay has been used for centuries as a natural and effective internal cleanser. Clay is known for it’s detoxifying abilities. Bentonite clay got it’s name due to being recognized in the cretaceous rocks in Fort Benton, Wyoming, one of the world’s largest bentonite clay concentrations. This medicinal clay comes from an ancient seabed, where volcanic ash fell into a shallow inland sea, collecting sea minerals and forming a layer of highly mineralized clay. Bentonite clay is considered one of the most effective natural intestinal detoxifying agents available. The liquefied clay contains minerals that are able to absorb toxins and deliver mineral nutrients while passing undigested through the body. The toxins it absorbs are heavy metals, free radicals and pesticides, where they are eliminated through usual bodily functions. Thu,31 Jul 2008 04:48:59 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/bentonite-clay http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/bentonite-clay Positive press on it’s healthful benefits Hyaluronic Acid, also known as Hyaluron or HA, has been getting some positive press on it’s healthful benefits. ABC News did a story on a village in Japan named Yuzuri Hara where over 10% of the population is 85 years or older. In the US, the percent of those over 85 years is 1.5%. Some studies believe this may be due to a unique diet of Hyaluron Acid rich root vegetables, being satsumaimo (a type of sweet potato); satoimo (a sticky white potato); konyaku (a gelatinous root vegetable concoction); and imoji (a potato). Thu,31 Jul 2008 06:35:27 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/hyaluronic-acid http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/hyaluronic-acid Some of our favorites In our natural soap store we used a variety of books to help us create natural and therapeutic products. There are books that truly promoting natural ingredients and some that are promoting do it yourself products, which are not always natural. Thu,31 Jul 2008 04:43:53 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/books http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/books Results from the annual Toy Safety Survey by PIRG There are toxins in that bottle, balloon and hoola hoop. If it’s made with any plastic, of any color, texture, strength, or flexibilty, it has toxins in it. Please check out the annual Toy Safety Survey from the non-profit US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). Thu,31 Jul 2008 04:39:57 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/toxins-in-our-toys http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/toxins-in-our-toys There is more to Lemons than sour! The healing properties of lemons has been known for centuries, from growing in Mesopotamia in 722 BC, to being transplanted wherever a citrus tree will grow! From Mesopotamia and Babylon to Sicily and Europe and eventually North America. Some of the historically reported benefits include prevention against plagues in the early Middle Ages, a prevention against malaria in the 1600’s, a cure for scurvy in the 1700’s, and a remedy against diphtheria’s fevers in the 1800’s. Thu,31 Jul 2008 07:06:41 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/lemon-aid http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/lemon-aid The new antibiotic? An essential oil, expressed from the leaves of the herb Oregano. Although it has been used for centuries, medical research is now proving it’s amazing abilities. Oregano oil (Origanum vulgare) is well known in the Mediterranean world for its ability to slow down food spoilage. Medical Science is now researching and proving its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, anti-microbial, and anti-oxidant activities. The related herbs thyme and marjoram are often labelled incorrectly as oregano and do not contain the wild oregano’s healing properties. Carvacrol and Thymol are the two phenol components that destroy Candida, mold, staphylococcus, E. coli, Giardia, and Pseudomonas, as well as boosting the immune system, scavenging free radicals, shielding against toxins, and encouraging tissue healing. Even skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and athlete’s foot can be improved. Thu,31 Jul 2008 07:07:19 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/oil-of-oregano http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/oil-of-oregano Read about the varying degrees of organic-ness. The National Organic Program (NOP) of the USDA states that an organic wine is “a wine made from organically grown grapes and without any added sulfites”. Most of the organic wines that we purchase from a variety of vineyards must now be referred to as “wines made from organic grapes”, or “organically grown grapes”. This all comes down to as how the grapes are grown and processed into wine. Wine, even when created naturally, does contain sulfites during fermentation. These amounts of naturally occurring sulfites are generally not in sufficient amount to keep the wine fresh for any extended period of time. Over the years, winemakers have been adding sulfites or sulfur dioxide to increase and preserve the shelf life of their wines. At present, approximately 20 chemicals are used to grow conventional grapes, those being non-organic, to create today’s wines. Organic grape growers and winemakers use established organic methods of growing their grapes without the use of toxic chemicals. By using natural fertilizers and pest control, and growing other plants in and around vineyards, creating a biodiversity to their agricultural area. Thu,31 Jul 2008 07:08:50 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/organic-wine http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/organic-wine It says ‘natural’ but is it really? I owned a natural soap making business, made the soap right on the store’s premises. Often customers would come in and ask if the soap was natural like the Body Shop and Lush. We knew that the Body Shop and Lush soap was not natural, so I looked at their websites to see why people were thinking this. I discovered that they used a lot of terms that would lead one to think this was so. More specifically, they used the term “naturally inspired”, along with other terms such as ‘against animal testing’, and ‘protect our planet’. None of these phrases actually state that the products are natural. “Made with organic fruit” was used too, in reality, this tells you that the fruit extracts are organic, but the rest of the bar certainly was not organic. Essential oils are derived from plants and fragrance oils are chemically modified essential oils or laboratory created synthetic scents. Period. I see this type of misleading advertising genius everywhere, from the natural soap at the farmers market to million dollar ad campaigns. Thu,31 Jul 2008 07:09:26 -0500 http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/is-natural-soap-truly-natural http://www.theindigoearth.com/articles/2008/07/31/is-natural-soap-truly-natural