A Great return volley fro Joe Mercola

If you've been following my blog you will have seen that I have given Dr Joe Mercola a 'serve' based on his inept caricaturisation of the water ionizer, and his all-too-obvious new product launch. 

But I'm a mere amateur compared to Rob Thomas of www.waterfyi.com. Take a look.

A 'better' Christmas message from the Alkaway Team

After our last Christmas carol and a heap of response from my readers I thought I'd better give you all a 'better' Christmas message than our homegrown one.

Imagine! Over 25 million people have viewed this video of a suprise shopping mall moment many people will never forget!
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What's the water footprint of a can of Coke?

Thirty-five liters of fresh water are needed to produce just one half liter of Coca Cola,

according to a report issued by the company with the Nature Conservancy, a worldwide land and water protection agency based in Arlington, Va.

The same report found 640 liters of freshwater are used to produce one liter of Orange Juice.

It's statistics like these and consumers growing water scarcity concerns in dryer regions, that will bring water conservation issues to the forefront in the near future, says Jason Morrison, program director at the Pacific Institute, an Oakland, Calif.-based research company that focuses on sustainability issues. "All it takes is one prolonged dry period to get people talking about water pretty quickly," he says. "Our research shows that most consumers believe businesses should not only engage in water conservation practices but also be part of the overall solution concerning water quality and water access issues community wide."

Water footprinting – think of it like carbon footprinting—is an attempt to try and quantify the water use of an organization, product or locality. Increasingly, he says, investors are including high water dependence as a potential risk when evaluating potential ventures. 

Expect more food manufacturers to invest in cutting water use, but don't look for a water footprint label, which would actually require water to be created.

Meat and Greens; Balance or Polarity

I spent quite a time on the comments on the LA Times Low Carb article in my last posting. It proved to be a goldmine of information from people seriously involved in the carb vs. protein argument. 

The two graphs I've added here pinpoint the essence of the discussion, which bounced back and forth between the low fat people claiming that the low carb people ate too much meat, and the Low carb people claiming the low fat people ate too many rubbish carbs. 

I talked about the 'Good Acid and Good Alkaline Diet' in my last post, and it appears that some of the respondents can't understand that there are people who DO balance fats, meats and good carb-containing vegetables. By eliminating fructose-laden fruit, plus ALL grains, and upping my green intake, AND keeping up my alkaline ionized water supply, I'm balancing my acids and alkalis. 

Any way, some excellent comments in the discussion. Here it is.

The graphs? They were posted by an anti-carb subscriber.. but the bleeding obvious is that if you do have a diet with an excessive proportion of that diet as meat, yes, you will fall over and break your hip. But if you make use of the fat and meat as available complex protein, reduce the carbs, fruit, sugar and grains to reduce the insulin excess in the blood, and keep up the alkalizing.. well, I'd love your comments. 

And please, if you are vegetarian, please don't tell me I'm wrong. 

I was vegetarian for 12 years. I found that although I was healthy, I was also weak. And further, iw as a typical Western style vegetarian, compensating for my pangs with that old stalwart, BREAD. That's my story and I understand it may not be yours. Yes, I have read Peter Singer and I have serious problems with the whole mass meat processing supply system.. but I can't ignore good science.

Dairy Fat Cuts Diabetes risk

A big day for me yesterday related to my low-to-no-carb diet. 

Firstly a wonderful article in the LA Times titled 'A Reversal on Carbs' and then an article on the ability of dairy fats - that's butter to you..and its ability to redcue the risk of Diabetes II. See it here.

So we now begin to see that what we've been taught about saturated fats, and about carbs.. is the real junk science. Helleluja!

I'm also seeing that our alkaline diet is correct, but it seems to be expanding into what I'll tentatively call the "Acid AND Alkaline Diet" simply because it is now coming to light that many so-called 'bad' acidic foods work very nicely thank you with our alkaline diet. So it's not just 'The Alkaline Diet". 

It's the "GOOD Alkaline and GOOD Acid Diet!"

Uh. Oh. I feel a  book coming on. Or perhaps it's just wind.

Happy Christmas from the AlkaWay Men's and Women's United Chior

Just how important water really is for your kids.

I'm working with an amazing woman, Irena Kirpichnikova, who has been assisting people with their children's learning difficulties for the last 20 years. I interviewed her here and discussed her work, but she also shared some of the stories of kids she has been able to help.

This story from Irena stood out for its relevance to proper hydration for kids.

"Jan Johnson brought her 9 year old son Simon to see me about his focusing inability. In the first 5 minutes of my chatting to Jan, Simon managed to take the teddy bear I had sitting in the corner, remove one of its eyes and put a hole in it and start taking out the stuffing. (I am sure a number of you parents can relate to this). That day I just asked a lot of questions about Simon, his lifestyle, his habits and his live. Simon couldn’t sit still for the life of him.

Simon didn’t like drinking water, or anything else for that matter. He was dehydrated! This is often very common with children with learning difficulties, for some reason their body messages about thirst just don’t work – and parents just can’t get them to drink anything! So we made drinking into a game for Simon and also I taught him a little about the brain and how it works and he related to the brain looking and feeling like the jelly he eats – which is mostly just made up of water… all squishy, and how if the brain is 90% water then you just have to give it fuel! Drink water so that it can work well and then life would be much easier for him… He also got to make his own icy poles with water and fruit – such as strawberries, banana and pineapple and was allowed to eat them all the time! Wow! He was also allowed to put stuff into his water like Mint, fruit, oranges chopped up and stuff like that… it became fun to drink water and see what he could do with it…

Within a few days Simon's brain was hydrated enough to activate the thirst message and he became really thirsty and just loved drinking water.. as a result he was able to sit still in class, focus and learn. Simon went through the Brain Activation Program to switch on his brain and bring him back up to speed.

Simon didn’t have a learning disability at all like he was treated for at school – he was just very very thirst – but his brain didn’t know it"

If you have any friends with Children with learning difficulties - and this includes Aspergers', Dyslexia, all the usual ones.. just tell them about this amazing woman! Her system works anywhere English is spoken and is an actual program delivered in your home. Send the link to this blog, or the address on the interview page.

Breaking News; my 'Diet to die For' hits the bigtime news; Los Angeles Times no less..

See the big news here

Clearer and Cleare-rer: Ian and his diet to die for.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I postponed my 64th birthday party by a week and spent it at Cassie's sister Gina and her husband's place high in the hills above Tumbulgum on the Tweed river. The day was awful so the usual views across the canefields to the sea were non-existent, but that only made the company all that better. Everyone attending was in some stage of low carb dieting, and the food reflected this, including Cassie's blueberry cheesecake made from fresh cream from the local dairy and Stevia for the small amount of sweetening it seemed to need. Salads were abundant as were grass fed steaks, but it was the 'vibe' of the day that was different. It was the first celebration we had been to where there was no rush to indulge. We drank a little Prosecco - but no-one was drunk.

Looking back at it today I realise that when you take the addiction out of eating there's a whole new experience that awaits you. It's a leisurely feast with more focus on friends and fun, laughter and conversation. There were not the highs that I associated with past celebrations - but none of the post-repast let-down either.

I'm slowly changing my whole attitude to food, and it's all happening because I've changed what I eat. It's obvious to me that food does indeed maketh the man - in the way one thinks, even in the way one views the world.

I am very, very grateful that I live with a woman so committed to finding the truth about health. 

Which reminds me... Cassie constantly reminds me that fruit juice is as bad for you in terms of sugar as some of the worst soft drinks. A few examples demonstrate this:

                      Coke     Orange Juice    Apple Cherry     Grape

Total carbs       40            39               42        49.5         60

Sugar carbs      40            33               39        37.5         58.5

Sugar tsps        10              8               10         9            15

WHAT DOES THE CHART TELL US?
It tells us that no matter which juice you choose, they all have more calories than the same amount of Coke. It tells us that juice — 100 percent juice, no sugar added — contains about the same amount of sugar (or even more — 50 percent more for grape juice) as the same volume of Coke.

 Given that we are talking about acid here (in the form of sugar) I wonder how many kids would put their hand up for 10 teaspoons of sugar?

The Internet Shopping Debate

As you know we are an Aussie internet based business. You may not know that some 75% of our business still comes in over the phone or from people walking in our front door. So we are following the debate over whether overseas goods ordered online should be charged a blanket GST with great interest . There's no doubt that since the dollar began its dance with parity, Aussies have been shopping overseas in droves. 

On the one hand the big boys are lobbying for a blanket GST, while on the other hand some industry critics are saying that it's more to do with how the big retailers have had it so good for so long that  they should get 'up to date' and use their considerable power and money to take a long hard look at their own methods or marketing.

I'm attaching a price list from a US herbal supplements internet business. Cassie took the most popular supplements and researched locally to compare price and quality. It makes very compelling sense that something's gotta give locally. The quality, as you'll see, is just not available in Australia, which is, I suspect, germaine to the whole debate.

BTW, if you do download it, there's $5 off your first order if you want to make use of it. And if you can't think of a present for someone close, send them the download.

'Tis the Season to be totally sugared out.

Just take a look at this Men's Health site. And when the kids start wheedling for that can of dastardly looking goo, remember these images.

Dr Mercola, you're at it again.

As I expected, Dr Joe Mercola has finally revealed his strategy behind 'bagging' water ionizers. After his last diatribe about water ionizers, totally baseless and error-riddled that it was, he received thousands of protests from angry water ionizer users and gave no reply. Among his bloopers was one statement that water ionizers don't filter the water that passes through them.

Hey Joe? Have you ever actually looked at one?

He then resorted to the old 'I and most experts' attack, which allows someone to make unfounded statements under the 'experts' cover - with immunity from all but those who see it for what it is; a marketing trick with nothing behind it.

He has gone further, in both cases with not a skerrick of evidence in the form that he has been trained to take not of; actual studies. With no references to any studies he has claimed on one occasion that alkaline water interferes with the mitochondria, and this latest rave contains the again unfounded claim that alkaline water may only be good for short term detox.

Just imagine if young Joe had presented a paper on the subject for his final college exam. A complete rave with absolutely no technical referencing that related to his major points. His professors would have exploded and he'd probably be selling timeshares right now.

So why is this so important? 

Well, since his first baseless rave, water alkalizer sales in the US have fallen over 50%. This means the small operator who survives through exceptional customer support will fail and disappear, leaving thousands of people marooned with their water ionizer and no-one to come to for support or service.  Mercola is the largest alternative health email in the world, sending emails out to six million people every few days.

So let's now examine his reason for this attack, and the latest attack that includes distilled water and even his old personal favourite, reverse osmosis. There must be a reason someone like Doc Joe even gives up his own preferred water filter.
So let's see if we can see the elephant in the room.

The 'expert' he discussed water ionizers with in his first rant was a salesman from Aquasana. 

Aquasana is a respected large manufacturer of basic water filters. Even though the salesman must have known that some of Joe's ideas were just plain wrong, he did nothing to correct him in the interview.. and I wondered why. Well, now it's obvious.
Joe has done a  deal to rebrand Aquasana filters under his own brand and now sells them to his SIX MILLION subscribers.

Let's do a few quick figures to see if we can find the Elephant.

Let's say Joe gets just one person in a hundred subscribers ordering his recommended whole house Aquasana/Mercola water filter system at $1092.

That's six million divided by 100 which equals 60,000 at $1092 each.

That's $65,520,000.00!

Now I think I understand the reasons Joe didn't bother finding any real facts about alkaline water.

Sixty Five million reasons.

The sad thing is that Joe does a lot of good work uncovering the bad aspects of Big Pharma. He also puts himself 'out there' on some quite controversial subjects, so it would be wrong to condemn Joe per se. No, he's just got it seriously wrong on this one and needs to show us that my suspicions are totally false, that he has in fact the studies he should have quoted about alkaline water, and that his basic facts and understanding of alkaline water is.. well, wrong.

Expanding into the Universe

What a year! We're becoming more 'universal'! We're now established in the US, Canada, New Zealand.. and watch us.. at least 3 more countries will be importing AlkaWay wares in the very near future.

Filter Quality

I'm getting some (well, only two, actually) reports of metallic taste water from users of our Kangen water ionizer with attached fluoride filter. We've researched it and if you have the same problem, email Brett, our service manager here. He has a solution.

I've also put up a new video on the difference between our Kangen ionizer and the Chanson Miracle. It's on the same page as the link above.

Understanding important medical terms

There are certain terms that continually crop up as we get older and it's pretty obvious that if we don't understand them we are going to lose control of our own health management. I have a great GP who is willing to explain anything I don't understand, and I'm eternally grateful.

I discovered an excellent article from Dr Pullen's blog giving all the relevant and important medical terms, along with a little example of how thy may be used. Invaluable!

See it here

Arthritis? better get your heart checked!

Ouch! According to research published in the December issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine, the risk of having a heart attack is 60% higher just a year after a patient is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis,

Swedish researchers followed 7,469 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) between 1995 and 2006, together with 37,024 matched controls without RA to determine the risk of ischaemic heart disease, with particular reference to myocardial infarction. The maximum follow-up was 12 years and the median was just over four years.

"Our findings emphasise the importance of monitoring a patient's heart risk from the moment they are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, as the risk rises rapidly in the first few years" said lead author Marie Holmqvist from the Karolinska Institute, according to a press release.

Among the key findings were that:

- Average age at diagnosis was just under 57 years and 71% of the patients with RA were women. The median time from the appearance of RA symptoms to diagnosis was 6.2 months.

- 67% of the patients had a positive rheumatoid factor (RF). The difference in increased heart attack risk between the RF positive and negative subgroups was not statistically significant 70% higher in RF positive patients and 60% higher in RF negative patients.

- Having RA increased the risk of any ischaemic heart disease by 50% one to four years after diagnosis, staying at that level in years five to 12. The risk increased during the first year after diagnosis, but did not reach statistical significance for 12 months.

- The risk of an acute heart attack rose by 60% one to four years after diagnosis, remaining at the same level in years five to 12. Again, the level increased in year one, but was not statistically significant for the first 12 months.

"Our study confirms the increased risk of heart disease and heart attacks that patients with RA face" Holmqvist said, according to a press release. "However it also adds three important observations to previous research."

The observations are:

- The increased heart attack risk was apparent very soon after RA diagnosis, despite the fact that the median duration of symptoms before diagnosis was just over six months.

- Although RA has been caught earlier and treated more aggressively in the last decade, increased heart attack risks were still seen in patients diagnosed in the last five to 10 years.

- Both rheumatoid factor positive and rheumatoid factor negative were associated with an increased heart attack risk.

"Our research underlines the importance of clinicians monitoring patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis for an increased risk of heart problems, in particular heart attacks" Holmqvist said. "It is also very clear that more research is needed to determine the mechanisms that link these two health conditions."

Sources: Wiley - Blackwell, AlphaGalileo Foundation
 

Checking in with my 'Diet to Die For'

So many people have asked me how it is going I felt I should let you know.

As well as remaining on my low-to-no-carb diet along with Cassie, I've been reading some wonderful stuff on the whole carb question. I'm particularly impressed with Life Without Bread by Christian B. Allan PhD and Wolfgang Lutz, MD, a German doctor who amassed a veritable treasure trove of data from his own practice of recommending low carb diets and seeing the results. 

Cassie has almost finished Gary Taubes' book; Good Calories Bad calories, which she described as a stupendous effort of totally deconstructing the low fat high carb philosophy. 

He points you right at the corrupted research, the false conclusions and the wholesale blind-eye approach to the simple fact that this diet has achieved no real result, while diseases only grow in the people who follow this seemingly sensible food philosophy. 

Everything in his book is referenced, and it is a tour de force. if you really wonder why all of your diet efforts seem to come to nothing, either of these books will blow your mind.

The great thing i am seeing is how our alkaline philosophy works with this. I am eating meat every day. I am eating large amounts of saturated fat. yet I'm not putting on weight, I'm not lacking in energy, my mind is clear, and I have no desire to eat in the way I did when i was into carbs.

Honestly, my last great health revelation was eleven years ago when I found alkalizing. This one is even bigger. I seriously recommend it.

On my daily diet, I begin the day with a sugarless Chai and meditation, then a 5k climb on Cape Byron. For breakfast I have eggs in a stir fry of greens, baby tomatoes and zucchini, plus my coconut oil smoothie consisting of 2 tablespoons of our yummy coco oil with either Kefir or yoghurt plus Core Greens.

Lunch is a garden salad straight from our little patch, with kalamata olives, dried tomato strips, local Feta cheese, split baby tomatoes, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Dinner is anything from fresh local fish, (Mahi Mahi is my favourite) grass fed local steak, organic chicken, leg of lamb cooked in our Romantoff, with more greens, beans, squash... hardly a hard diet. I'll finish off with another coco oil smoothie, this time with a few local blueberries added for colour and flavour.

So as you see, I'm not actually suffering. Life is suddenly even better. 

To give you an idea about what's happening in more progressive countries, I have the address of a doctor in Sweden who singlehandedly persuaded the government there to recommend low carb high fat diet for obesity. You'll need Google translator for her site. It's easier if you look for it in Google Chrome because it's easy to access Google Translator there, but it's worth the trouble! Here is her address.

Lastly here's a little tip from Cassie.

If you toss and turn a lot or suffer from twitching legs in bed, it's magnesium deficiency. If you take a good dose of magnesium but still have the symptoms, take a look at your coffee and alcohol intake between dinner and bed. These will both pull magnesium out of your muscles into your bloodstream and you'll most likely eliminate it before you sleep.

Happy Fatties

It's really comforting to know that after totally giving up on diet and exercise, modern medical technology is still thinking of you. Yup. Phillips has created an MRI especially for fatties.

I understand that many people have genetic problems with weight, so please don't think I am being uncompassionate. In fact the more I read about diet the more convinced I am that some people have nil to zero hope of ever throwing off their excess kilos. So this pic isn't - for me at least - an aspersion towards the obese. rather it's a revelation about the size of the problem; so big that a multinational like Phillips sees enough business potential in creating an MRI like this.

World Life Expectancy in Graphic Form

BPA BAN EXTENDED

Well, first it was the brave Canadians. And now, Europe. Yes, Bisphenol-A is now banned from use in Europe.

France and Denmark had unilaterally imposed bans on baby bottles containing BPA. Denmark took the next step, banning its use in all food products for kids up to age 3. Last month the Canadians became the first country to classify BPA as a toxic substance. A few US states have also placed bans.

Here in Australia there is a strong but voluntary movement away from BPA-containing plastic bottles, but my prediction is that this will extend way past plastic bottles. there are many plastic items used in the kitchen that have BPA as a stiffener - something to harden them, and as we all know, these items are subject to wear - around our food. I'm predicting a  ban on anything that contains BPA and that can be anywhere near food.

We have all seen the stainless steel bottles.. and we have on order 1000 stainless steel bottles with integrated filters that remove so much that they are known as the world's best portable filter. Fluoride, heavy metals, pesticides... awesome.

Acid = Sugar = Slow Death Poison

 
Just check this video. Wonderful!

Potassium Please!

Potassium deficient muscles simply don't relax. REM sleep is like rebooting a computer. Your skeletal muscles seem shut down. They are no longer given a signal to relax - but all signals for contracting are turned off. High muscle voltage is relaxed, but the contraction of a muscle is a low voltage condition.

When every skeletal muscle in the body is allowed to relax at the same time, during a REM sleep reboot and there is not enough potassium available (potassium=voltage) then the large skeletal muscles of the legs will cramp, or contract without being told to. After all, our entire body is powered by potassium ion voltage. 

Nerves, muscles, brain cell, the mitochondria of every cell, all need sufficient potassium. It's always required for your blood's electrolyte balance.

Your blood or serum potassium level should never gets low. Blood does the best it can to provide potassium to vital systems such as the heart and brain. To do this during the day, the blood borrows slowly but surely, as needed, from blood vessel walls (high blood pressure) and yes, that old faithful supplier, bone. 

It's a fact that 70-80% of Westerners have high blood pressure, and this can be addressed just by reducing salt and increasing potassium.

A study of potassium consumption in 21 countries including the United States, China, New Zealand, Germany and the Netherlands, by researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands concluded that the average intake varies between 1.7 and 3.7 grams per day, much lower than the 4.7 grams per day recommended for positive health effects.

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables can help bring potassium consumption up to healthier levels. (I mean lots! 10-12 serves a day!) But to reduce blood pressure, the increase in potassium needs to be matched with a lesser intake of salt by three or four grams per day (0.1 ounces). 

In Western countries, salt consumption can be as high as nine to 12 grams per day (the World Health Organization recommends five grams). So where does it come from? Mostly from processed foods and snacks.

That's one reason I like to take AlkaBalance anywhere I go. It's basically a water alkalizer, but it uses potassium to do it. Just two drops in a  cup of tea, coffee or even on a meal and you've alkalized and 'potassiumized'.

Grow a new femur in the lab

The Diet to Die for...

It's quite a few days since I reported on my diet to die for. No, I didn't die. I've been very, very good. Three things stand out;

1. Clear Mind

2. Steady temperament

3. Low hunger pangs.

I'm guessing that this means I'm beyond the initial detox phase and beginning to reap the harvest of my saying 'NO" to sugar.

I have cheated a couple of time in small ways. Last Friday evening Cassie and I sat down at the beachfront watching the sunset with a gluten free beer each and a shared packet of crisps. Seriously naughty!

Still keeping up my anti-Altzheimers' coco oil regimen of 2 tablespoons in the morning and two at night, and still bright as a button. Judging from the number of people calling up or ordering our new organic coco oil, there are quite a few people with similar feard for the future in my audience!

Cassie (God bless her socks!) has sourced milk direct from the diary and is bringing how super-creamy bottles. She's making some excellent butter, and using a starter mould we have dubbed 'Clarence", (see pic at left) we are making a litre of Kefir every two days. I use this to mix with the coco oil and green powder in my smoothie. Kefir tastes almost the same as yoghurt but doesn't have a particular sugar that yoghurt generates during fermentation.

Leaks and what to do.

Thanks to jay from Ion Ways for this tech tip.

Occasionally, we'll receive an e-mail or a call from a customer who's experiencing a leaky ionizer.  Often the solution to the problem is easy and can be resolved without having to send the ionizer out for repair.

First, it's important to know from where the ionizer is leaking. If it's leaking from one of the hose connections (acidic hose or ¼" alkaline hose), it's important to make sure that the hoses are correctly installed. Sometimes an uneven cut on the white hose with John Guest fittings can cause leakage and may simply need a new, straight cut. The solution could also be something as simple as removing the hose from the fitting and reinstalling it. With the acidic hose, check the fitting on the back of the ionizer to be sure that it's pushed all the way to the back, not just half way. Double check that the fittings are not broken or cracked.

If the ionizer is leaking at the top or bottom of the filter, remove the filter and reinsert it back into the machine, giving it a twist to ensure a good seal on the o-rings.

Sometimes, there may be a leak at your tap where the diverter is installed. In this case, remove the diverter and add Teflon plumber's tape to the threads and reinstall.  This same technique also applies to the stainless steel flex hose at the top of your ionizer.

These are basic troubleshooting tips for a leaking ionizer. If you find that your ionizer is leaking, but not sure where, it's best that you contact our Technical Service Department for further assistance.

Fascinatin' H2O

I'm fascinated by water. I guess my fascination was assisted by Dr Emoto's work, but it happened well before that - the first time I saw a snow crystal and was told that no two were alike. The Nikon 'Small World' Competition awakened my interest again with this wonderful pic from Yanping Wang of China.

Of course it's history now, but I managed to have Dr Emoto test water from an AlkaWay water ionizer in his Japanese laboratory a few years ago. Our ionizer is still the only water filter currently in the world that has been tested by Dr Emoto and shown to create these amazing crystalline formations.

What you ascribe to their creation is course up to you.
Dr Emoto says that the crystalline form shows that the water has been restructured and 'cleansed' of the negative energy carried by much of our town supply water.

And while you're here, here's another one from Pekka Honkankoski on the Nikon site:

The Diet to Die For... Uh Oh.

I did it. I committed my first 'indiscretion' in the form of two blocks of organic chocolate. I tried to sneak it out of the kitchen cupboard but Cassie caught me out. Anyway.. I paid the price. Next morning my mucus throat returned.

Another friend, Morthern, author of the Gratitude Diary, has joined us. She's using the same guidelines as Cassie, which are here. After two weeks she reports she's lost her cravings.. and a kilo.

Anyway, I'm back on track. The chocolate brought up cravings again for a day or more; a state I am growing less fond of.

What day is it? 8 days? 9 days? Oh! It's ten days on the diet to die for.

Nothing big to report on my diet. I am eating significantly less with no cravings. That's pretty sensational of itself. 

Cassie visited Arpana, our family doc yesterday. After 5 months on the diet she wanted to see whether it really was 'the diet to die for' - and obviously, after a lab test, to see what effect the diet had upon her markers.

She came home elated. Her report was amazing. Firstly, her Bilirubin level was the best it had been for years. It's a great indicator of liver health - very significant given she has relieved it of all that work it had to do previously managing sugars. Secondly, her LDL's - her good cholesterol was also fabulous. This is a test on a 50 year old woman eating what the usual health world would say is 'excessive' saturated fats - in the form of coconut oil. The only down-indicator was calcium, and she'll get back into the water - she had been a little slack recently, and maybe our AlkaBooster.

I was very excited because she did it all on her own with more than one negative comments from me. She kept going and all her indicators are excellent. Energy, awareness, mental clarity. And she's a s trim as I've seen her for years.

Bill Clinton goes Alkaline - and doesn't even realise!

Check this video on Bill Clinton's 'diet'. He's because an Alkalarian without even reading my blog!

Day Nine in a diet to die for... I see the light.

Didn't post yesterday.. just too busy. However I have something interesting.. and to me - excellent to report. I love fruit. Or at least I can now say I loveD fruit. But every morning, even before my banana-and coconut oil- and- green powder smoothie, I'd be hawking up phlegm. Day after day, no idea why. Well, I think I've cracked it. It was the banana. Yes, that favourite potassium laden gift from Heaven.. but it was giving me Hell. I'm phlegm-free. Not the sort of thing you usually 'bring up' in conversation but I hope you are interested enough to forgive me.

What's really coming up with this diet is the relationship of protein and carbs. This works, it appears, as a sort of parasitic relationship, with the carbs as the parasite. Knock carbs out of your diet and none of the rules we've been taught about fats, fruit, dairy make sense any more. Fat in particular  regains its rightful place as a provider of energy, having toppled king Sugar from his overarching reach.Obviously, in relation to protein, you don't over-indulge. Excess protein intake dumps into the system as pure acid, eating away at your bone as you sleep off your overloaded belly.

I seem to have passed through the stages of detox and change that this diet usually serves up in loads more quickly than most. I can only assume that this is because I was already a great greens eater and an Alkalarian. I do believe that a SAD  person would have the symptoms far more than I do. Thank you Jesuss!

Nice...

Human beings were invented by water as a device for transporting itself from one place to another. 
Ed Ford

Day Seven: A diet to die for. Plus "mineralwaters.org"

Off to Brisbane today, and we have a lunch appointment with Dawn and Dr Gerry Brady, old friends. Gerry and Dawn have been on alkaline water for six years now; their trusty Melody just keeps on going. We spent time in Italy last year with them both and they - like us - love La Dolce Vita, especially with food!

So we had to think about how we would prepare ourselves for our visit given that dawn is a great cook and would probably have something ready that 'broke all the rules' of our Diet to Die for. So just before arriving, we stopped at their local deli and bought a  few slices of turkey and beef. So funny - a few years ago we would have been searching for vegetarian items; now we search for MEAT! Anyway, Dawn's rabbit and lentil dish was yummy, and our (unburnt) meat offering was appreciated.

While there, Gerry directed me to mineralwaters.org, a site with the mineral composition of all known mineral waters in the world. You can click on your country and compare alkalizing ability. I looked at the local Coca Cola bottled water, Mt. Franklin, and then at a couple of the Austrian ones. Very clear who cares about health. Take a look at the minerals in Gussinger water here then the Mt Franklin here.

Feeling very clearheaded today; over the foggy mind of yesterday. It seems I'm passing through the detox stage of the diet quickly. It's strange to experience my new food attitude. Normally I love my food and will eagerly anticipate it. Now that's not the case; but I had some grilled tomatoes yesterday - perhaps the best I have ever experienced. It couldn't have been the tomatoes; they were our usual Farmers' market variety, so it had to be me. I changed.

Day 6: A Diet to Die for

Well, feeling much better today. All of yesterday I had no feeling to eat, and was only persuaded into lunch by a luscious vegetable zuppa that Cassie and I whipped up. By dinner I was in company, as Cassie's sister Gina and her husband Mahendra came to see us. Both of them have been on the diet for about 2 months, and we all shared a melt-in-your-mouith leg of organic lamb with rosemary and garlic Cooked in cassie's Romantoff. Mahendra, in his sixties, is looking fabulous, having dropped  kilos worth of belly. Gina is also looking great; with an 'alert' energy emanating from her. Mahendra, a lover of all things carne, loves the diet because he gets plenty of what he likes, but he hasn't missed the absence of bread, fruit, coffee of alcohol.

The big difference with this diet is that it's based on a  radically different approach to any other diet. It's proposing that we don't naturally have sugar in any form, or yeast products, or starchy foods. It's saying we are natural low-to-no carb systems and that the introduction of sugar has caused all of the problems that other diets rave on about so much. Lo-fat food, no saturated fats, less sugar, sure but... all the problem with fats, the problems with diabetes, the problem with our addiction to sugar has all come about through the change to agrarian lifestyle and less natural (close to nature) diet. It's saying give up sugar and carbs and see for yourself. 

What a challenge, and how lucky I am to have people around me doing it and showing me the results. Cassie, Gina and Mahendra are all committed Alkalarians, but it seems to me that this is the next stage. It's no longer the alkaline diet; it's evolving to the alkaline-acid diet; the best of both worlds!

Day 5: Ian's Diet to Die For

Well, if being 'on track' with a diet is good, I'm good. If being on track equals feeling good.. I'm a  failure.

Last night I had the biggest cramp in the leg I've had since my cramps stopped eleven years ago when I began alkaline ionized water. This morning I have absolutely no interest in food.. not assisted by my sugar-coloured view of a  lo-to-no carb breakfast. Then there's the fogginess. Yesterday I had superb clarity of mind. Today I'm a  walking fug, which made Cassie break into a big smile because  she said "Ah! This is the symptoms of candida" Apparently mindfog happens when the candida gets seriously out-of-sorts because of the diet. "It will pass." she said with a self-congratulatory smile. Emotionally, I'm wide open, and Cassie commented that she has never felt clearer and more aware than after her 5 months on the diet to die for.

I opened my copy of Morthern Spears' 2011 Gratitude Diary. It has a wonderful inspired pictures and quotes at the beginning of every month, and I happened to open it at May 2011 headed Addiction.

The quote was from Rumi the Sufi.

"Just sit there and don't do a thing. Just rest.
For your separation from God is the hardest work in this world.
Let me bring you trays of food and something that you like to drink.

You can use my soft words as a cushion for your head."

And suddenly I sobbed. Not from sadness, just from the awareness of the amazing power of our addiction to so many things we take as normal until they are taken away.

Canadian Kids are Dumb.. but it's not their fault., UK kids are having water problems even BEFORE birth!

A new report tells us that Canadian kids' IQ is being reduced by manganese in their drinking water. Wow. I thought that only happened in Bangla Desh, where the lack of iodine is creating mental retardation.

Their study, published in Monday's online issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, focused on manganese levels in drinking water in eight communities along the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City.

All the towns chosen for the study rely on ground water for drinking, either from municipal or private wells that aren't specially treated for manganese.

"I studied mercury, lead, PCBs, and usually the associations we see are more in the range of one IQ point, two, maybe three IQ points," said the study's lead author, Maryse Bouchard of the University of Quebec at Montreal's Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Biology, Health, Society and Environment.

"But this is a very strong effect," she added in an interview.

If you are looking for a Canadian water expert to discuss how to get over this, I recommend Stan at Best water, Alberta. he will organise a water report for your region that will put your mind to rest.. or not.

Meantime, UK kids are having water problems even before they are born. This report says that the levels of trihalomethanes and chlorine in UK water DOUBLES the likelihood of birth defects.

lose Weight? Easy! Two glasses of water before you eat.

Yep, the figures are in; it works! Throw away the weight course membership.. drink water! Here's the study.

But do it with alkaline ionised water and see how that does. I'm wondering  whether there would be a difference simply because of our old water - stomach test. Drink 3 glasses of tap water straight. You'll most likely be bloated. Then drink 3 glasses of AlkaWay water and see how it just disappears. No bloat.

Day 4: Ian's Diet to die for

Whoah! The old sugar thing hit hard last night and today. Serious trots last night and extreme tiredness this morning. Exactly as the symptom list said. However I am clear in the head - very. Which makes it even harder to stop thinking about a French MilleFeu.. a Black Forest Gateau.. or even a humble half teaspoon of sugar in my now tasteless tea.....

Hooked.

I'm hooked. Cassie has been on a low-to-no-carb diet for FIVE months! (The courage of that woman!) She did it because she has never been able to overcome her gluten, lactose, potato, prawn etc etc etc allergies. And she did it because she was bloody desperate. After all, who would go on a diet like this unless they were desperate?

You see, the one thing you almost completely cut out of your diet is a wonderful, all-pervasive, powerful white powder. This white powder is such a popular drug that most of us consume about a kilo a week. Thank God we can take it orally rather than up the nose.

Yes, you got it. It's sugar.

The theory behind her diet is that once over her addiction, her body will revert to its original and most natural method of energy generation; ketones. I can tell you, it's been pretty tough going for me as well as her, but in the last month I have witnessed her eat foods she hasn't been able to eat for years.. so... I'm going to try it. 

It's my SECOND day on it and I've spent most of the day flat on my back, exhausted, and when Cassie sent me this piece, I understood what was happening to me. I'm telling you, sugar is a hell of a drug.

"Common, "good" low carb diet side effects include reduced cravings for sugars and starches; increased energy; reduced bloated and gassy, upset stomach feelings; improved bowel movements; regulated blood sugar levels and blood pressure levels; loss of excess water retention; and of course, loss of excess body fat."

Yup, that's me today. Day TWO

Anyway, I'm doing it. Lots of coco oil, meat, fish, chicken, fat, and green vegetables. NO fruit. Can I do it? Is it just another fad diet? What does Cassie give him that makes him do these crazy things? Stay tuned!

And if you are interested here's the web address of the 69-year-old woman who inspired Cassie.

Real Butter

We have found (Shhh!) a farmer who sells us milk fresh from the cow. His dairy has the most wonderful smells, evoking memories of my childhood watching my Grandpa milking his cows. This farmer leaves the huge vat of milk and we scoop it out with a jug into our glass 1L bottles, leaving our $1 per, litre honour system payment.

Cassie is very excited and wanted to buy a separator because skimming from the top of his vat, you can get 90% cream! She settled down and worked out with uncle Google's help that she really doesn't need a separator to make unsalted organic butter; just a couple of bowls, some muslin and the mixer. So now we have half a kilo of the most beautiful butter in the fridge. 

Cassie sent me this.. perhaps to get me keen on devouring her treasured new butter:

"Vitamin K has been known as the coagulation vitamin, because of its role in the blood-clotting process. However, research over the last few decades has shown that the role of K Vitamins – and natural Vitamin K2, the menaquinones, in particular – has been greatly expanded. Of note, K Vitamins activity outside the liver is required for calcium utilization, the key factor in maintaining both bone and cardiovascular health.

Vitamin K2 helps to activate vitamin K-dependent proteins responsible for healthy tissues. In bone, it activates osteocalcin, a protein required to bind calcium to the mineral matrix, thus strengthening the skeleton. In circulation, Vitamin K2 participates in carboxylation of Matrix Gla Protein (MGP), the most potent inhibitor of arterial calcification known, lowering the risk of vascular damage.

As the scope of research expands other new functions, crucial to our wellbeing, are now emerging. The latest studies have not only confirmed Vitamin K2’s positive function towards osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases, but also revealed new and exciting applications, including the activity of vitamin K and Alzheimer's disease, a variety of cancers, the incidence and severity of varicose veins, skin aging and others.

VitaminK2.org is an International Community founded to explore and understand the emerging role of Natural Vitamin K2 in human health. Please use this as a resource to learn more about Vitamin K2 and check back frequently to find links to the latest studies and findings. "

Raw grassfed butter, it seems has high quantities of Vitamin K. Weston A. Price called it the 'x factor' in this form.