Protecting Ourselves Against Electronic Pollution

The other night I asked my husband if we had an old transistor radio in the house that I could use. He gave me an odd look, but he said he'd dig it out for me. While I am still waiting for it to turn up, I intend to use it to find out if my family is being zapped. According to best-selling health author Ann Louis Gittleman, a transistor radio is a cheap and easy way to determine what electromagnetic forces are polluting my home.

Gittleman's newly released book, ZAPPED: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn't Be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution, which explores the latest research on the hazards of electronic pollution, is a wake up call for our modern world. It made me ask the questions: how much exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is my family exposed to on a 24/7 basis right here in my home? And what is it doing to us?

Before reading the book, I had already cut down my cell phone use, but I didn't think my cordless telephones in my home and their chargers were nearly as bad. Nor did I suspect that the convenient dimmer switches my darling husband installed throughout much of our home are a major source of what Gittleman calls dirty electricity--high-frequency waves that pollute 60 Hz electrical system and create very large electromagnetic fields.

The conveniences of wireless technology has come at break neck speed, but could all those gadgets that we've come to rely on be causing harm to our bodies?  According to Gittleman: "You may not be able to see electro pollution, but your body responds to it as though it were a cloud of toxic chemicals. Electro pollution is continually disturbing your sympathetic nervous system."

Having two young children makes this discovery even more alarming, considering that children's developing brains and organs are even more vulnerable to EMFs than adults.

While electronic pollution is cause for concern, Gittleman offers a practical approach to combating electro-toxicity and neutralizing its effect on our bodies, from moving furniture away from EMF sources and limiting cell phone use to taking nutritional supplements and eating specific health foods.

As a disclosure, I was asked by Gittleman's rep to review her book and I gladly said yes after already reading reports about the potential dangers of cell phone use.  Considering that wireless technology has expanded into every aspect of our lives in just the last 15 years and we are now bathed in EMFs on a 24/7 basis, I wanted to know more about its impact on my health and the ones I love. I would definitely recommend this book. It's an eye opener!

Detoxifying for Permanent Weight Loss

When I am not shopping, baking or wrapping gifts this holiday season, I am spending my spare time reading every book I can get my hands on by Ann Louis Gittleman, PhD, CNS. She's the best-selling author of The Fat Flush Plan,whose latest book Fat Flush For Lifeis just hitting book stands now. Why? Because I think she has the answer to my unexpected weight gain and can help.

After losing every pound I gained from my last pregnancy by eating healthy and exercising daily, I suddenly without warning found five pounds attached to my hips and thighs. Nothing in my routine or diet has changed. It happened over night about two months ago. I'm not kidding! My mom claims it's because the big 4-0 is just around the corner. She may have a point, but I'm still going to fight back for my girlish figure. Anyway, I started researching online for some answers. Gittleman's name kept popping up on my search. I contacted her media person to get my hands on Fat Flush For Lifebefore it was released. Hey, I'm a blogger. It's a perk of the job.

What I like about Gittleman's approach to weight loss is that it isn't just about losing weight, but making your body healthier. While all her Fat Flush books are based on detoxifying the body by cleansing the liver and the lymphatic system, I also like how she emphasizes healthy fats, supplements and foods that help balance female hormones like mine that may be contributing to my unexplained, over-night weight gain.

Fat Flush For Lifetakes a seasonal, year-long approach to detoxing and weight loss. It's based upon principals in traditional Chinese medicine and designed to tap into nature's harmonious cycles.

Gittleman's latest book also contains nuggets of nutritional information that everyone can incorporate into their diet for better health. For example, Gittleman explains that a copper-zinc imbalance can impact a body's ability to eliminate toxins. She notes that our environment and diet can cause elevated copper levels, which can suppress the thyroid, cause hormone imbalances and lead to weight gain. Eating foods that are high in zinc can combat this effect. Needless to say, I'm planning to stock up on zinc-rich pumpkin seeds.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't do "diets", but I definitely plan to integrate her natural detoxifying strategies into my own daily routine. Fat Flush For Lifeoffers a wealth of holistic nutritional advice that anybody looking to start the coming New Year off to a healthier start will want to read.

What's Your Genetic Destiny?

The other day I picked up a copy of a fascinating book called The GenoType Diet by New York Times best-selling author Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. This book is based on the cutting edge science called nutrigenomics, which looks at the complex interactions between the foods we eat and our genes--and has the potential to help prevent certain dietary-linked diseases.

Instead of paying for expensive blood tests to find out our genetic strengths and weaknesses and then getting a professionally trained counselor to translate the results and tell us what we need to eat to enhance our health and longevity, The GenoType Diet offers three simple tests that we can do at home to determine which of the six genetic types we fit into based on family history, blood type and a few other diagnostic tools such as fingerprint analysis, leg length measurements and dental characteristics.

D'Adamo explores the impact that the nine months in the womb has on our genetic makeup as well as how our diet and lifestyle affect how our genes express themselves. He assures readers that our genetic destiny is not set in stone, but rather we have the ability to silence the bad genes and turn up the good ones by what we eat and how we live .

The GenoType Diet truly is an interesting read for everyone, but especially those wanting to lose weight, pursue a healthier lifestyle as well as woman who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant so that they can help give their babies the best possible start in life.

Tips to Avoid Freshman 15

College students don't have to succumb to the freshman 15 -- the dreaded weight gained from eating dorm food, late night munchies and greasy pizza. Neither do they have to deprive themselves. Instead, they can make conscious decisions about what they eat, says Daphne Oz, author of The Dorm Room Diet Planner,a guide to help students get on the path to a healthy lifestyle.

Oz is the daughter of Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD, celebrity cardiologist and co-author of the bestsellers You: The Owner’s Manual and You: On a Diet.

Struggling with her weight for much of her life, Oz took the opportunity to overhaul her lifestyle when she became a student at Princeton University. Her first book, The Dorm Room Diet,was conceived out of her quest to find out how to eat and stay healthy, especially living away from home for the first time. Her new book is a simple, practical companion to her first one. It helps students make smart food choices, set achievable goals and develop a fitness program.

To become more aware of what and when you eat, Oz suggests following a few simple tricks:

Always eat breakfast.

Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily, including one glass before every meal.

Eat at least every three hours (three meals and two snacks of fruit or veggies).

Count to your age before you “cheat.”

Avoid eating within two hours of sleeping.

For more healthy tips and inspiration, visit Oz's website at dormroomdiet.com.

Must-Have Natural Health Resource Guide

Whenever a friend asks me for advice on natural remedies for their ailment du jour, if I don't have any suggestions on the top of my head, then I immediately consult my handy reference guide. Prescription for Nutritional Healingby Phyllis Balch, C.N.C., is my go-to book when I am searching for drug-free solutions for anything from an abscess to a yeast infection and everything in between.

My mother was the one who gave me my first copy may years ago. Now Prescription for Nutritional Healingis in it's 4th edition containing an up-to-date comprehensive self-help guide. It gives readers the option to look up an illness and find natural treatment options or to look up specific supplements to find out more about them.

Prescription for Nutritional Healingreally is a must-have book for anyone who prefers to use natural means for healing. Like me, you'll find you'll refer back to this book again and again.

The Truth About Beauty

When holistic beauty and health expert Kat James was on her book tour several years ago promoting The Truth About Beauty,I had the chance to meet her and have my copy signed. I was really impressed with her knowledge and sincerity to help others reclaim their health. James, who once suffered from an eating disorder and a life-threatening liver disorder, is a walking testimony to how people can transform themselves from the inside out with the right tools and without going to extreme measures. She is a convincing advocate for pursuing a healthy, pro-beauty lifestyle.

One reason I go back to her book again and again is for the invaluable resource guide in the back which is a gold mine for finding the best natural health and beauty products on the market. Now she has updated the resource guide with the latest foods, supplements, cosmetics and bodycare products that meet her high standards.

Anyone looking to transform their health and skin will want to read it. James' personal story is inspiring and her powerful solutions to a complete body makeover are priceless.

James also has a resourceful Web site worth exploring at www.informedbeauty.com.

Dr. Perricone's Latest Anti-Aging Book Gets Down to the Cellular Level

The other day I picked up a copy of Dr. Nicholas Perricone's latest anti-aging book, Dr. Perricone's 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity: The Miracle of Cellular Rejuvenation. I wasn't expecting to learn anything new. I figured it's probably a rehash of The Perricone Prescription. I was surprisingly wrong. Yes, he talks about inflammation, touts eating wild salmon, and encourages supplementing with alpha lipoic acid, but he also presents a lot of new, cutting-edge information, scientific studies, and techniques for improving health from the inside out.

Perricone's seven secrets give the reader the tools to rejuvenate her body on the cellular level. It's a comprehensive approach to combating disease, slowing the aging process and energizing the body. If you want to look and feel your best, then cellular rejuvenation is the key.