Greetings!!

School holidays are over! Hallelujuah!! Funny how just before  the holidays I am sooo looking forward to them... sleeping in (what a joke!!), spending quality time with my gorgeous li’l cherubs, taking a break from the manic school morning (“Come on, it’s time to get up, sweetheart; Come on, it’s time to get up; Come on, get up; Get up; GET OUT OF BED NOW!!!) and then once they are here I can hardly wait for them to be over. It’s kinda like Xmas in that sense. Anyway I did have a nice break spending a lovely Easter weekend with some family in Bowral, drinking wine around the fire in the backyard, meditating at Fitzroy Falls and having coffee in the main street. 

I know it was a rather contentious issue but the heap of scrap metal has gone down in Avoca Beach. I must admit I didn’t want it going down (I’ve been telling my kids for years you just don’t throw your rubbish in the ocean) and donated quite a number of massages to the No Ship group for their fundraising effort. I did go down to watch the hoop-la and was so glad someone bothered to spend the $5 on the firecrackers and coloured smoke or it would have been even more boring than it was. I liked the writing in the sky “shame shame” and just loved the dolphins’ last ditch efforts to halt the sinking... God love them :)

Hope you are all making the most of the sun when it’s out. Remember it is important for your Vitamin D intake, especially those of us who tend to feel a bit flat/depressed over the cold part of the year. Make sure you are getting your Vitamin C intake with oranges and mandarins, and even half a lemon in warm water first thing in the morning will give you some vitamin C and also kick start your digestion.

Happy reading,

Allison

Europe Bans Hundreds of Herbal Remedies

A law to ban hundreds of herbs has now been approved in Europe.  The reason for this, the governing bodies say, is to regulate the industry and to protect consumers. Certain herbs will not be able to be bought over the counter and will have to be prescribed by 'regulated' herbalists. 

It sounds great that authorities are worried about your health but lets put things in perspective. According to  the US National Poison Data System there were no deaths from herbs in 2008. Nor were there any deaths from vitamins and minerals. On the other hand modern medicine, according to Dr Gary Null and his medical researchers in their 'Death by Medicine' report, is responsible for almost 800,000 deaths per year... in the U.S alone !!!  For the full report have a look at http://www.whale.to/a/null9.html. You'll be very surprised. Not just at the number of deaths but also the amount of money that is being wasted. 

In this age where we have access to so much information and education regarding our health we are being treated like idiots. Why? Why are they banning herbs that cause no damage when taken as recommended? I think it's because Big Pharma is worried about losing the monopoly it now has in the market. More and more people are using natural medicine. More people are questioning and taking responsibility for their own health. Herbs, vitamins and minerals cannot be patented so there is little money to be made from them. Big Pharma is about making money... and boy, do they make heaps of it!

Some interesting links:
Quarter-Million Doctor-Induced Deaths Annually
2009 in review: A year of FDA censorship & Big Pharma crimes
Doctor Yourself

Please find 7mins to watch this video...

Glued Meat

Another shocking expose in the meat industry.... You may be eating glue with your steak.

Some meat producers are deceptively selling off-cuts of meat, that would be too small to sell, and 'gluing' them together to then sell off as normal sized, full portions. The 'glue' is made from an enzyme known as transglutaminase and is so toxic that people working with it must wear gloves and masks. But it's ok to put in your belly?  No... Transglutaminase can cause food poisoning and the bacterial contamination of glued meats is one hundred times higher than quality cuts of meat.

Transglutaminase has been banned in Europe and Japan but is still known to be in use here in Australia. Unfortunately, food labelling laws do not require this glue to be mentioned on labels so you, the consumer, can never be sure whether or not the portion of meat you are consuming is held together by this toxic substance or not.

According to Today/Tonight (yes, that reputable current affairs program ;) ) it appears that restaurants are one of the main culprits who use glued meat which means you may not be getting that sumptuous bit of quality meat you are paying for. Catering companies are another group guilty of passing off this substandard meat. Obviously most people don't ask the chef or waitress about ingredients when ordering (though I believe we should) and who can really be bothered making a fuss about what you are being served up at your best mates wedding? Today Tonight made claims that places such as Sizzler and Lone Star use these glued meats and mentioned that if you have been to any catered events, weddings or balls lately chances are you have been eating this toxic poison. In fact, glued meat has been used for the last decade!

Again, this shows big business and industry deceiving the consumer to make bigger profits. And it's allowed! It's bad enough that 'quality' meat is already treated with antibiotics, preservatives, colours and contaminated with pesticides, now there is another toxin added. It is up to you, the consumer, to be health-wise and vigilant about what you purchase. Meat is expensive and western countries eat far too much of it, hence the high rates of cancer and heart disease. Eat less meat so you can buy organic.

Click on video to watch the Today Tonight report:

July 2010 Newsflash

Hi Everyone,

Hope this finds you all happy and healthy. Hope you like our new-look newsletter. I have been awake days and nights fiddling with colours, layouts etc and I think it looks pretty good, though I couldn't get the logo smack in the middle, yet... 

Competition: If you would like to go into the draw to win a 1hr Remedial Massage for you or a friend read through this   newsletter and find out what my 'Pet Hate' is this month. Email your response to allisonamey@gmail.com  by 31/7/10. Good Luck!!

Remember the 2010 Business Achiever Awards are on again so take a minute to vote for us at www.businessachieverawards.com.au. It would be wickedly awesome to win this year... I may even get into a frock and stiletto's and go to the Awards. Hmmm ... that may be dangerous.
May lots of blessings be bestowed upon you all,
Alli

NEED CALCIUM? FORGET MILK!

When most people think of calcium they think of dairy products- milk, cheese, yohgurt. And if you asked most people how they would combat osteoporosis their likely response would be to eat more dairy products, meaning milk, cheese and yohgurt. Those marketing people have really done their job in promoting the Dairy Industry but what about your health? 

Our bodies have heaps of calcium stored in our bones and teeth. Only when our bodies are not receiving adequate calcium from our diets will our bodies start to extract the calcium it needs from the bones and teeth. 
But a diet high in dairy products gives us calcium, right? That's what we are told, right? Dairy products do contain calcium but unfortunately it is not the type the body requires and in fact it actually depletes the body's own reserves of calcium (the cause of osteoporosis in the first place). Western women consume the most dairy products in the world yet have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. Can anyone see a link? In fact, respected and famous physician, Colin Campbell, author of The China Study on his website quotes "In a 12-year Harvard study of 78,000 women, those who drank milk 3 times per day actually broke more bones than women who rarely drank milk" www.tcolincampbell.org

Have you ever noticed that humans are the only animals that continue drinking milk past infancy? And we drink the hormonally and chemically controlled breast milk of another species! I know it's considered 'normal' but it is kinda weird if you think about it for longer than 10seconds and forget about tradition. And we all know how important it is for a breast feeding mother to be vigilant about what she eats because it affects her baby yet we really have no idea what is in the cup of cows milk we give our 2yr old and the rest of the family. It makes no sense. Seems we have just become accustomed to it.

So, where do we get the RIGHT calcium?

Well, let's think about it. Where do cows get calcium? Milk? Cheese?  Yohgurt? No! No! No! Cows get calcium from plants, of course! Grass is high in calcium so unless the cow is being fed grain and corn, which is not good for the cow or you,  the green grass provides them all the calcium they need. 

Get your calcium from brocolli, butternut pumpkin, sweet potato, onions, chick peas, tofu, baked beans, almonds and brown rice amongst others. Your body is able to absorb and use the calcium from these foods and they won't wreak havoc on your digestive system and leave you feeling bloated, cramped and nauseous. Our bodies love plants, especially well grown organic ones. 

As Robert Cohen says "How ironic it is that the dairy industry continues to promote the cause of bone disease as the cure". Ironic? I'd call it shamefully dishonest and misleading. 

POVERTY

"The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied... but written off as trash. The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing." John Berger

1 million Women www.1millionwomen.com.au

This is a campaign for all women to participate and join forces in helping the Earth deal with  Climate Change. Global Warming is real and is happening right now and whilst many people want to be skeptical, cynical and even argue about whether global warming is 'natural' the fact remains that if we continue to live this way- polluting our air and waterways, raping the soil, destroying farming and agriculture, and treating animals as commodities our future generations will suffer. That's your children, your grandchildren.

Statistics show that women make approx 70% of the economic decisions within the household. What to buy, where to shop, what names to buy, what cleaning products to buy. We need to use our purchasing power to make statements about what we will and won't consume in an effort to support this sick, groaning planet of ours. 

Check the website www.1millionwomen.com.au for information on this great program. And in the meantime buy local fruit and veg, use your reusable bags, have a browse in Vinnies and on Ebay and buy second hand,  use recycled building materials, boycott unnecessary packaging, get a worm farm, eat less animal products, organise a clothes swap, go to a farmers market, swap veges with neighbours.

Alli's pet hate... If you are in the fruit section do not use those rolls of plastic bags unless extremely necessary. There is no need to put your 4 apples in one bag, 3 bananas in another, your 4 mandarins in another and your 4 tomatoes in another. Just pop them all in your green bag and toddle off to the checkout. Then you can walk away tall and proud knowing you have limited your toll on planet Earth. And let me tell you, she sends her thanks :)

"Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future generations 

as all other Earthly causes combined" John S.C Abbott   

My friend Simon had this to say, "CO2.. Hmm.. that comes out your mouth yeah? So if 1million women spoke less they could have a profound contribution in negating global warming" . I'm still not sure if I'm giggling or going to punch him in the nose. Oh, that's right, violence is not the answer....