Vegans and Meat Eaters Having Same B-12 Defficiency

Over the years at Hippocrates Health Institute many hundreds of blood profiles of people have been analyzed to check among other things the level of B-12 also known as cobalamin. As far back as 2005 Hippocrates began using urine and cell-specific analysis for B-12 deficiencies, as it was known to be far superior to the standard method of testing. The test results showed that well over 50% of the hundreds of people tested were shown to lacking B-12 irrespective of whether they were vegan, vegetarian or standard meat eaters.

In past studies at Hippocrates Health Institute on people who were consuming a living food diet of vegetables, sprouts and limited fruit for a period of no less than 18 months, results showed less than a 5% deficiency in B-12. The same group when re-tested to a leukocyte (white blood cell) analysis, where B-12 absorption within the cell is recorded and the results showed a drastic increase to 65% deficiency of bioactive B-12.

It is often believed that foods such as blue-green algae, green algae, tempeh, etc. contain the soil based bacteria cyanocobalamin 4 that produce bioactive B-12, and consumption of these foods would provide one with this essential nutrient. However studies have indicated that the human body is unable to absorb B-12 from plant sources. Hippocrates Health Institute has also found that the same B-12 deficiencies also appear in people who consume meat and dairy diet as those on vegan and vegetarian diets. It seems that processing and cooking of meat and dairy render the B-12 produced unusable or not bioavailable to the body. So although we may have plentiful amounts of B-12 in the body, our cells are unable to absorb it and prevent diseases mused by B-12 deficiency.

This unusual finding caused intrigue into what was going on inside the gastrointestinal tract where B-12 is stored. The Hippocrates Health Institute researchers began with delving into past medical archives dating back as far as 1700 and found sketches of the colon. Comparing sketches and Hippocrates Health Institute researchers surmise that prior to the disappearance of this protruding pocket, B-12 was digested and absorbed by consuming naturally organic foods, free of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers.  This pocket stored B-12 cultures and acted as an organic ‘fertilization factory’, facilitating re-culturing of the nutrient in a sustainable and adequate form and maintain appropriate and sufficient levels of B-12 in the body. Since this culturing facility has all but disappeared, we are faced with B-12 shortage and are vulnerable to diseases related to B-12 deficiencies.

This unusual finding caused intrigue into what was going on inside the gastrointestinal tract where B-12 is stored. The Hippocrates Health Institute researchers began with delving into past medical archives dating back as far as 1700 and found sketches of the colon. Comparing sketches and photographs at 50-year intervals up until 2008 revealed a continuous decrease in the size of the pocket protruding just below the Ileocecal valve in the colon. The earlier sketches show this pocket as quite defined and quite protruded, until its near absence in the early 20th century.

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Fortunately for both vegans and non-vegans B-12 supplements are available that are digestible and provide bioavailable B-12 the body can use. LifeGive B-12 Forte formulated by Hippocrates Health Institute is a soil-based supplement recommended for those on any diet.

In Food We Trust

Healthy Eating at Hippocrates Health Institute

Over the last 60 years people from all over the world and from all walks of life have come to Hippocrates Health Institute seeking wellness and optimum nutrition, arriving with all sorts of food and eating related issues. It has become increasingly apparent to us people are not just looking to change what they eat, but also their relationship with food.

While this is a noble pursuit, to change ones relationship with food is quite a fundamental lifestyle undertaking and involves a great deal of soul searching and dedicated effort. This is why Hippocrates Health Institute places at the core of its program, both psychological and emotional support. We understand that eating is a highly charged emotional activity and nobody consumes food in a robotic manner without any feelings. Food also tends to be deeply linked with our past, be it family life, holidays, or good - bad memories. ‘In food we trust’, that comforting, soothing and securing best friend.

Our earliest experience with food was before birth in the womb. Our nutrition came from the mother, and from this sprung our deepest sense of well-being. Once we are born food is consumed orally and is more sensual and associated with closeness to our parents. If we feel hungry we don’t like it and cry, and our parents know to feed us, and so begins the pattern of ‘food-as-comfort’ and the associations of food as nurturing, food is love, food makes us feel better.

As we grow up our environment and family situation begin to bear upon us. If for example we suffered from severe food shortages as a child, this might influence our relationship with food as an adult whereby we over stock the cupboards or cook extra large meals for our own family. The act of cooking a dinner could become a powerful act of ensuring survival, equating eating with security driven by memories of fear and shortages.

We are constantly meeting guests at Hippocrates Health Institute who share with us their personal relationship with food, and very often it’s associated with love and fulfillment, comforting and suppressing negativity. The strong urge to eat in order to live elevates food to an almost religious status in our lives. For many people culture dictates food choices giving us a feeling of oneness with other people as well as our heritage.

Our approach at Hippocrates Health Institute is to encourage people to have self-control and not be dictated by habits, especially if those habits contribute to deterioration of health, and making choices that are centered on what’s best for wellness. During this process people often encounter insecurities or feelings of un-fulfillment emotionally or spiritually that they cover up with food. The journey to a healthy relationship with food involves us to re-center ourselves psychologically and emotionally, and to have a more authentic and healthful relationship with what we eat.

During the Life Transformation Program guests at Hippocrates Health Institute often go through a period of deprivation - staring at the raw food salad spread before them - like an addict going through withdrawal symptoms their bodies are detoxing as they struggle with uncomfortable emotions, yearning for the good-old-days of carefree, unconscious eating. At Hippocrates we have powerful tools to help them move forward, such as group support, individual counseling, and classes on how to live and eat healthily, instilling a new psychological approach firmly based on nutrition. By the end of the 3-week program at Hippocrates Health Institute the fog does finally lift (often by the end of the first week) and the light from ‘happy living-foods’ shines through, and feelings begin to soar. The burden of years of unhealthy eating and built-up toxins are removed and a new person is revealed - one that will be self-caring, self-nurturing and self-loving.

Believe in yourself and in the process and you will see what we experience all the time here at Hippocrates Health Institute. In living-foods we trust!

Brain / Body Nutrition

Over the years at Hippocrates Health Institute we have witnesses more and more people using

harmful levels of indigestible protein supplements. Usually body builders and athletes are notorious for consuming these toxic products, but now with the popularity of high-protein, fad diets we see this overuse extending to the general public.  Every day at Hippocrates we test people to access their state of health and can see the effects of excess protein on the organs and immune system. Most certainly

this toxic debris contributes, among other things, to hardening of the arteries, immune cell weakness, cancers, emotional disorders, and kidney and bladder impairments and failure.

At Hippocrates Health Institute we are also seeing increased levels of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children, which later can lead to memory loss, depression Alzheimer’s and dementia. Many are then given chemical prescriptions that suppress the symptoms of the illness and at the same time create an on-going unhealthy need for psychiatric medicine.

For a number of years at Hippocrates Health Institute we could at best offer partial answers for replacing harmful substances such as indigestible protein with healthy food-based supplements. That was until research revealed the positive effects of fatty acids and specific berries on brain function. This posed as a problem for us since at Hippocrates Health Institute berries have high sugar content and are excluded from the Hippocrates optimum health living food program, since all forms of sugar feed every type of disease.

The findings also showed that the wrong kind of fats and oils reduced oxygen levels in the blood stream leading to disease. So if only we could have the benefits of the good oils in the berries without the disease promoting sugars, we would have an ideal supplement. The answer came when companies began to extract the seeds from berries and Hemp. The seeds are naturally high in Phytochemicals (even more so than the berry itself), but without the sugar, providing an ideal supplement for improving brain function. Extracting hemp seeds are that are naturally high in complete plant-based protein provides an alternative healthy protein supplement source.  Combining Hemp and berry seeds and we get the highest amount of brain and body building protein available. Such products are now commercially available and should be sought after in preference to protein from animal sources including whey protein.

Oils from Hemp also contain Hemp – All essential amino acids and the best form of Omega Oils (3, 6, 9). For optimum health Hippocrates Health Institute recommend consuming minimal quantities of oils using a manual pressurized sprayer which is commonly available from kitchen shops globally.

Curves – A low-carb diet

Originator: Gary Heavin is a self-proclaimed health counselor.

 Claims: According to Heavin, dieting turns on “starvation hormones” that enable the body to survive on less food and burn energy. He’s created a “miracle” method to re-set your metabolism that will correct the effects of yo-yo dieting.

 Sustainability: There are two plans. Both recommend six small meals a day. One plan is carbohydrate sensitive, and the other is calorie sensitive. Both are high in protein and limit carbohydrates including bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and sweets. Phase 1 of both plans last two weeks allowing 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. Phase 2 adds certain fruits, vegetables and some whole grains. The meal plans include a Curves protein shake and Curves nutritional supplements. Phase 3 is 2,500 –3,000 calories a day (“Miracle Metabolize”).

The complicated process of alternating between the different phases based on weight fluctuation is not realistic for long-term “permanent” healthy weight.

 The meal plans are inadequate for meeting daily vitamin and mineral requirements.

 Weight loss: Phase 1 and 2 low calorie (1200 to 1400) and low carbohydrate intake. If combined with exercise, they are likely to promote weight loss.

 Research: No scientific basis.

Quick take: Strong emphasis on exercise. Limits total carbohydrate intake. Claims to reset your metabolism. Recommends nutritional supplements.

 Eat, Cheat, And Melt the Fat Away  – A low-carb diet:

Originator: Sitcom actress Suzanne Somers, of thigh master infomercials and author of “Get Skinny on Fabulous Food.”

Claims: A unique food combining program will make your body burn fat faster, balance your out-of-whack hormones and set your metabolism on high. The diet is targeted for people over 40 since their metabolism is slower. Additionally, you can get rid of asthma, irritable bowel syndrome and lose weight.

Sustainability: The diet is based on a food combining principle known as “Seven Easy Steps to Somersizing.” Examples include eating protein and fat with vegetables but not with carbohydrates, then waiting three hours to eat carbohydrates. Additionally, eliminate all “funky foods” such as sugar, potatoes, bananas, corn, pasta, milk, caffeine and alcohol. Level two focuses on maintaining weight loss and cheat foods, but still following the food combining rules.

Weight loss: The diet is low in fiber, calcium and vitamin D, requiring supplementation. Additionally, it’s high in saturated fat, cholesterol and low in calories. This could result in weight loss. There is nothing written about regular physical activity.

Research: There is no evidence that combining particular foods at a meal has any sort of weight loss benefits.

Quick take: The diet is based on food combining principles, which eliminates dairy, and restricts high glycemic index foods.

Exploring Today's Most Popular Diets

So you’re extremely excited and ready to start your brand new diet. That’s great news because after all “a calorie is a calorie,” right? Eat too many... gain weight. Eat fewer... lose weight. Not so complicated, right?

Well unfortunately achieving a “healthy weight" is more than just a calorie equation.

Everywhere you turn so-called new and improved popular diets abound as well as “magic in a bottle” to obtain optimum health. The truth is that many of these pills, potions and plans come fully equipped with anecdotal information and all too often are accompanied with little scientific data. In countless instances the science behind the normal mechanisms of weight control is absent. The obvious truth is that a successful program must incorporate user-friendly changes to achieve long-term healthy behaviors, eating practices and daily physical activity. Statistically, our health is getting substantially worse as we become more complacent.

Sixty-one percent of the population is overweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI)  greater than 25. The obesity epidemic has doubled from 15 percent of the population in 1980 to 30 percent in 2007. Being obese vastly contributes to increased LDL cholesterol and blood pressure,  which can in turn lead to metabolic syndromes including heart disease.

Consider these facts: 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men are on some type of diet all the time. Americans spend more than $50 billion annually on weight loss foods, products and services, according to the American Dietetic Association. With that amount of spending, it’s no surprise there are an overwhelming number of “fad” diets and other weight-loss products on the market.

When considering a plan or better yet “a way of life,” start with this proven formula and be wary of programs that offer  rapid weight loss, quick fixes, unsubstantiated claims, or which demand extremely few calories, eliminate major food groups such as carbohydrates or fats, and lack long-term studies that randomly assign subjects into the diet and non-diet group proving the program’s safety. In an effort to determine where to begin, the following review of several diets examines each author’s credentials, claims, the diet’s caloric intake, sustainability, weight loss expectations and research  supporting its claims.  Remember it’s crucial to decipher the knowledge and critically review the program when choosing the best plan for success, both in the short-term and the long run.

The Bare Facts about Skin

Your dermal surface is the largest organ of the body.

This organ contains…
one fourth of the blood supply for the body;
•    half of the primary immune cells of the body;
•    and every square inch harbors approximately…
o    15 feet of blood vessels,
o    12 feet of nerves and
o    100 oil glands!

The skin is the largest organ of excretion, releasing approximately one kilometer (two pounds) of waste every day. It has three layers: the subcutaneous layer, the dermis and the epidermis. Most cellular activity occurs in the dermis. The process of keratinization allows the cells made in the dermis to rise to form the epidermis. The epidermis contains five layers; the top layer consists of dead cells that serve as a barrier against bacteria, viruses and toxins. This layer also protects us against transdermal water loss. However, by the time that we are 35 the cellular activity of the dermis is approximately half of what it was when we were 18. This degeneration accelerates the process of keratinization, causing a thickening of the upper layer of the epidermis that, left untreated, prevents healthy dermal function.

We need only two things for excellent skin: Cell turnover and proper balance of oil and water. Most commercial skin-care concoctions do not work and cause harm. For example, collagen creams serve only to soothe, because the collagen molecule is too large to cross a dermal junction. Instead of adding collagen to the skin, we must stimulate the skin to produce more of its own collagen to maintain health and youthful appearance. Most of the skin dryness that fosters the appearance of aging is caused by a break in the dermal junction that allows trans-dermal water loss. Rather than adding moisture to the skin – which is merely a comforting effect – we must stimulate the skin to produce its own cells for the regeneration of the dermal junction.

The lymphatic system cleanses body tissue, so it is one of the aesthetician’s primary concerns. Lymph is a clear, colorless fluid that is carried throughout the body, especially in the subcutaneous layer of the skin. Its function is to eliminate toxins from all of the body’s tissues. One of the primary means of removing toxins from the lymphatic system is through the skin. We call this the excretory function of the skin. Unfortunately, after the age of 18, many of us develop a thickened epidermis due to sun damage, lethargy, poor diet and disease. A thickened epidermis combats the excretory process by inhibiting skin function: This forces toxin back into the body, where the lymph must dump them either into the venous blood supply or the urinary system.

Exfoliation is the key to reducing the epidermis and stimulating the lymphatic system. The skin therapy known as the Salt-Glow encourages and enhances detoxification by the exfoliation and stimulation of the skin.

Healthsthetics at Hippocrates Health Institute is a vital part of the Active Aging Team. We offer various hydrotherapies, wraps and facials for detoxification and beautification. These procedures include the entire body – except for the face. They have the residual effect of providing you with soft, healthy, glowing skin.

The Art and Science of Aesthetics

Aestheticians are devoted to improving and maintaining the health and beauty of the skin. It is an exciting time to be an aesthetician. During the past decade the art and science of aesthetics has gone from being a minor service to becoming an integral part of specialized services at health centers, spas, and medical facilities.

The skin is the window to the whole person: MIND/BODY/SOUL. The skin is a reflection of everything that we do and are; the health and the beauty of the skin is directly related to every aspect of our lives – diet, relationships, emotional health, physical activity, rest and spirituality.

The skin also serves the following basic functions: It protects the entire body; is a fundamental immune barrier; helps to regulates body heat; and controls excretion, secretion and absorption. Complete skin health and rapid detoxification require maximum skin functioning which can largely be accomplished simply by exfoliation, a process that is fundamental to all of the skin therapies of Hippocrates.

The tradition of aesthetics began with ancient medicine. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians used aesthetics to prevent and promote the healing of illness with the use of massages and baths. Ayurvedic, Asian and Middle Eastern practitioners utilized the skin’s property of absorption by treating abnormal conditions with essential oils and poultices. Although various ancient modes of practice had their own theories of treatment and application, their unifying and underlying philosophy was the balance of mind, body and spirit which is essential for health and beauty.

It is this honored and proven understanding that provides the cornerstone Healthsthetics at the Hippocrates Health Institute. Today we combine traditional natural therapies with modern healing rejuvenation. This comprehensive approach involves spa therapy, facials, wraps, hydrotherapy, essential oils and contemporary scientific therapies that include laser, infra-red and radio-frequency treatments.