From the Desk of Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC.....

Mushrooms with special health benefits 

As most of you know, my last Health and Wellness article was about the benefits of eating mushrooms and integrating mushrooms like Shitake, Portobellos, Enoki, Morels, Chanterelles, etc.  Today, I will talk a little bit about mushrooms that have more than nutritional benefits – mushrooms that have medicinal properties.  Disclaimer: Even though psychedelic mushrooms do have medicinal properties and have been used for healing in many ancient and traditional societies, I will not be discussing the benefits of these mushrooms in this article.

Functional, also called medicinal mushrooms, in addition to being nutrient dense, provide a myriad of health benefits ranging from immune support, variety of antioxidants, natural and non-addictive energy and stamina, balance blood sugar, cognitive and brain health, nervous system support, and support a healthy inflammatory response. 

Everyone is talking about mushrooms these days – nutritional and psychedelic mushrooms. Here I will only talk about the benefits of nutritional mushrooms and why we should include them in our daily diets. 

A Closer Look at Mushrooms

Mushrooms have been cherished and even treasured for thousands of years.  Our ancestors have known about the healing and nutritional values of mushrooms.  The Chinese have long considered mushrooms to be a medicinal food to maintain good health. The Greeks even believed that the consumption of mushrooms makes a man physically strong. And in modern day Japan, mushrooms are used to treat cancer. 

Mushrooms are not uncommon in the American diet. However, most of the very nutritious and health improving mushrooms are not well known nor much consumed.  Even though, mushrooms are often treated like vegetables, they really are not.  They are a type of fungus. 

Minerals determine Important properties of the water we consume

Reverse Osmosis (RO) water is naturally more acidic than tap water, because along with the toxins, alkalizing trace minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, and phosphorus are removed. RO water ranges from 5 to 7 pH.  Natural water and tap water ranges from around 6.5 to 8.5. This leads to the question of whether one should or must re-mineralize RO water before drinking and whether RO water is healthy.

With the state of the environment and all the toxins found in our water supply, it is advisable to use RO water for drinking and household use just to avoid the toxins and to reduce the body’s toxic burden.  However, before you alkalize your water, you want to make sure you know the pH of your drinking water!!!  You can test your water using pH strips.  Once you know your water’s pH, factors such as one’s state of health, body acid-alkaline balance, one’s diet, and personal taste preference determine whether or not one needs to/ should re-mineralize the RO water. 

Acid-Alkaline Balance

What is the alkaline-acid balance in our body?  In a nutshell, it is the balance between base (alkaline) substances and acidic substances in the body. There are many substances the body uses to build, repair, and function; these are amino acids, enzymes, sugars, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. Each of them has a specific function, however, each substance is either an acid or a base (alkaline).  Acids and alkaline have opposing yet complementary characteristics, and the body needs both to function properly.  When acids and alkaline substances are present in balanced quantities, then the body is considered to be in Acid-Alkaline Balance, also referred to as Homeostasis.

 Healthy and Unhealthy pH Levels

Our body is designed to function optimally when our internal bio-chemical environment measures 7.39 pH.  The range for this optimum is very small from a more acidic environment of 7.36 pH to a more alkaline environment of 7.42 pH.   If the body’s internal environment is anywhere between 7 and 7.36 pH, the body is considered to be in a state of acidosis.  If the body’s internal environment is anywhere between 7.42 and 7.8 pH, the body is considered to be in a state of alkalosis. If the body gets into a state in which these limits are exceeded, it can no longer function and death will result. Our blood pH is kept in a range of 7.35 to 7.45. The body acid-base balancing procedures will do whatever they need to to keep the blood pH in this tight range.

What do electromagnetic fields and waves have to do with the human body? 

The human body generates electricity that flows through it. The human body also has its own magnetic fields.  The human heart produces an electric current that runs through the body and to every cell. This electric current in the body generates an electromagnetic field.Because the human body, and every living organism on this planet, is an electrical body all made up of charged particles, it is also subject to the laws of electromagnetism.  The body’s bio-electromagnetic fields are very low in intensity (amplitude/power) but can be measured using devices like MEG (magnetoencephalography) and MCG (Magnetocardiography). 

Every function of the human body relies on some type of signal transmission – from the immune system, to regeneration of cells, waste removal, healing, nerve function, immune function, to circulation and everything in between.  And it all starts on the cellular level. Every cell innately knows its purpose and function and how to do it.

In order for the body to function at all, these signal transmissions must be clear and strong enough so the message gets to where it needs to go and can be understood by the receiving end.  If there is any kind of interference in that electrical circuitry the message won’t make it or isn’t strong enough or too strong to effect the intended cellular reaction.

Cleanse AND DETOX PART 2

Its officially Spring and traditionally spring has bee one of the cleansing seasons, to let's continue the conversation of cleansing and doing a detox...

If you missed part one, you can find it at this link.

Let's take look at our toxic burden (the number of accumulated poisons like heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, fluoride, chlorine, preservatives, and xenoestrogens in our tissue). 

There are many protocols and approaches to cleansing and detoxifying our bodies.  You might wonder which one is the best cleanse or the best detox….Should I use herbs? What about Saunas? Juice Fast? Water Fast? Epsom Salt Baths?  Intermittent Fasting? Coffee enemas?  Colonics?  Lymphatic Drainage? 

These are all great ideas to complement any cleansing and detoxification efforts. That being said, let us look at the main external culprits of toxicity in the body – food and personal care products.