Food Inc.

A nice trailer that gets you contemplating about where your food came from - from seed to supermarket. Go borrow the video from our public libraries islandwide in Singapore, search for this call number: AV English 338.19 FOO -[BIZ].

Also, I recommend reading this book on "What your doctor doesn't know about nutritional medicine may be killing you". Search for this call number English 613.28 STR -[HEA].

Aftethought: They say, "You are what you eat" so go for food with integrity :)

BRT

Following up from my experiment on HUFT earlier, I'm pleased to announce that grandpa has been certified to have a clean bill of health after daily therapy with HUFT so much so that he bought the machine for the family to use at home :)

I'm now experimenting with Bioresonance Therapy recommended by my director. What I like about this is that it does not require one to strip (like how it is typically done during health screening at a medical centre) and there is no injection of needles to draw blood out of you for the health screening and testing (it simply requires you to just spit into a tissue and that will be used to test your DNA... so simple... the beauty of technology!).

As for the treatment, you just need to sit pretty for 1.5 hour, reading your favourite book, enjoy a warm cup of health tonic or simply doze off, as the therapist goes about checking the health of your vital organs or treating them where strain or toxins are discovered.

Bottomline, it comes back to how you intelligently manage your diet, lifestyle habits, exercise routine and stress. I'd like to point out that this is not to say that you should not heed your doctor's advice; rather you have the power in you to seek for the truth especially in this knowledge economy - read up authoritative and credible materials that are available in abundance, thanks to the Internet, don't be shy to seek second opinions from homeopathic vs. allopathic - before making an informed decision. I'll end this post with this trailer about "Healing Cancer from the Inside Out":

Say "No" to GMO

This is an eye-opener on Genetically Modified Food and why we need to say "No" to it. I've just provided the first part of a series of the talk. If you are concerned about the well-being of your family and loved one, seek more facts to make an informed decisions or you want to wait for the 'tipping point'?

Lips Against Lead

Over time, those who wear lipstick containing lead are at risk of absorbing high levels of a neurotoxin that may cause behavioral, learning and other problems.

There are no F.D.A. standards limiting lead and other toxins in lipstick. It is up to manufacturers to decide which safety and efficacy tests to perform on their products. Cosmetics companies are required to list their “intended” ingredients on labels but lead is considered an “unintended” by-product of the manufacturing process!

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a consumer database where it lists the ingredients in more than 42,000 products. Its Campaign for Safe Cosmetics did an independent study in 2007 and found that one-third of 33 lipsticks had lead in excess of 0.1 parts per million (p.p.m.), the federal limit for candy. Now, price had nothing to do with lead levels - less expensive brands have been found to contain no lead, whereas a branded tube contained 0.21 p.p.m.

When asked if consumers should be worried about lead in lipstick, doctors, including Dr. Sean Palfrey, a professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University and the medical director of the Boston Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, said, “Yes, these are small amounts and if you licked your lips once you probably would not cause damage — at least not to adults,” he said, adding, “Lead is a substance that builds up in the body over time, so small amounts applied daily can add up and stay in our bodies.”

Dr. David Bellinger, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health who has conducted studies on the health risks of very low lead exposures, agreed that “no level of lead exposure appears to be ‘safe.’ ”

Personally, Canadian government should be commended as an exemplary authority that takes the welfare of its nation into its governance holistically. Read how Canada is addressing this here.

Also, consumers should demand their right to health as well. Doing this adds pressure to manufacturers to be more ethically responsible. For a start, cautious consumers can turn to organic personal-care products and support the “Lips Against Lead” campaign to ban lead in lipstick. Read the full article here.

Eat 2 Save Yr Life

I love this program - Eat to Save Your Life. It is a great wake up call or constant reminder for us to eat healthy. Here is a preview of part 1 of 8:

Why do we need to be concerned and start changing our food purchase and consumption? Because this body we have is on rent... it does not truly belong to us. It is on rent from Allah SWT (if only majority of us realise that).

The sole purpose of our existance on earth is to do ibadah for the love of the Almighty. Now, how can we do that effectively if we are overweight or have a whole lot of bodily issues either physically or internally? Aren't we not doing injustice to ourselves, not to mention Allah SWT? Think about it... It is not too late to make the change. Start today.

Afternote: I've just started a daily routine of eating figs. "Wa tin, wa zaitun..." [Surah at-Tin]

Genetically Modified Organism

Reading the article in the local news recently about the authors 'promoting' Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), I felt queasy. As far as I've read about such, its more bad than good. Read about the key player, Monsanto and make your own opinion if it is really that bad.

Should we care? The answer should be a resounding "Yes!". Why, you may ask? Here is a list of the influential presence of GMO in our food chain - sugar (e.g. aspartame or nutrasweet), milk and beef (cows injected with Bovine somatotropin aka rBST and rBGH), soya bean (use of Roundup Ready soya), vegetables and fruits (sprayed with herbicides 2,4,5-T, DDT, Agent Orange and using Terminator seed technology), canned food (lined with chemical bisphenol A so learn how to identify resin identification code)... not to mention how some of these toxic chemicals, if not properly disposed off, will find their way into the very water we drink, the soil we use to plant our greens and the air we breathe.

The reality is, today's economy is driven by oil. Talk about monopoly, besides Monsanto acquiring some major pharmaceuticals, I discovered that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) members toggle between positions at Monsanto and FDA (talk about ethics and governance!)

Alot of informed consumers are saying "No to GMO" and majority of them who are againts Monsanto decide to go organic. Read about the pros and cons of GMO and make an informed decision for yourself. Be a responsible consumer. Learn how to avoid GMO food, read this. For a start, be mindful that GMOs and all products produced using GMOs are required to have mandatory labelling so look out for it. Better still, buy GMO-free products.

Healthy Face

Using the zones and the Face Map as a guide, you are able to conduct a quick analysis of your facial landscape to preliminary determine the current state of your health, Subhan Allah:

Zones 1 & 3: This zone is the "sister" to the bladder and digestive system. If you breakout frequently in this area, it means you need to drink more water and eat more "whole" foods.

Zone 2: The middle of the forehead, between the eyebrows, is related to the liver. Congestion in this zone indicates over consumption of alcohol, rich foods, and possibly a food allergy (such as lactose intolerance).

Zones 4 & 10: The ears are related to kidneys. If you notice that your ears are very hot, you might be stressing them out - drink plenty of plain water and cut down on caffeine and alcohol.

Zones 5 & 9: The cheeks often give an accurate glimpse into any respiratory distress. Smokers or people suffering from allergies generally experience fine, broken capillaries or congestion in this area.

Zones 6 & 8: The eyes are truly a window to the body's health because they're related to the kidneys. Dark circles under the eyes, signal dehydration and poor elimination of toxins.

Zone 7: A reddened nose can indicate heightened blood pressure, or the early stages of rosacea. Congestion around the upper lip can occur if you use comedogenic lipsticks or liners.

Zones 11 & 13: If you've had extensive dental surgery done, you might notice a breakout in the jaw area.

Zone 14: Include your neck in your daily regimen - its skin is just as fragile as that on your face, so it definitely needs to be taken care of.

[Source: Dermalogica]

Halal Skincare

Alhamdulillah... you'll now be able to see more halal skincare or cosmetics advertised in the papers or media. This shows that Muslimah consumers are getting more knowledgable about the need to remain pure in order to extend sincere ibadah to Allah SWT.

One high-end brand that is getting rave review from UAE and Canada is One Pure Skin Care. I actually contacted them to suss out the viability of them distributing their products in Singapore.

And recently, another halal skincare equivalent, Jerneh was introduced in Malaysia. Personally (not that I'm bias), it has an edge over One Pure simply because it is tailored to Asian skin.

Out of curiosity, I'm keen to experiment and see how similar or different they are, including the cost! I'll probably get a sample for the One Pure set and seek the help of my cousins in KL to get the Jerneh set for mum. Will let you in on the verdict after I complete my experiment so stay tuned!

Afterthought: And then there's SimplySiti from Malaysia and Wardah from Indonesia. Muslimah in the region are 'spoilt for choice'. It is recommended that we be mindful of tabarruj (Display of beauty) and what is permissible in Islam. Wallahu'alam bissawab (Allah Knows best).

H-U-F-T

Of late, I've been to regular sessions of Emtech Electromagnetic Therapy. It involves a combination of 4 types of energy potentials to influence the body energy balance:

• High Electric Potentials: Revitalises Body Cells, Improves Metabolism, and Balances pH value of blood, Purifies blood, and Adjust autonomic nervous system
• Heat Potentials: Dilates blood vessels, Clears blood clot, Increases blood flow.
• Far Infrared Potentials: Revitalizes skin cells, Reduces Fatigue, Lessen inflammation.
• Ultra Long Magnetic Potentials: Improves blood circulation, Rejuvenates cells, Boost immune systems, Reliefs pain

Touted to be a holistic approach to stimulate the mind and body's own healing response that may result in spectacular outcomes, as well as the maintenance of health and well being. Read the testimonials.

I got interested after reading articles by Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar) about the miracles of the atom, cell and immune system. I learned that in order for our body to function efficiently and effectively, it needs minerals and figs contain the highest content of the essential minerals our body needs (even the Prophet Muhammad SAW said "If I should wish a fruit brought to Paradise, it would certainly be a fig").

I'll continue to go for this session so stay tuned for my verdict :)