Can You Eat Your Skin Care Products?

This is a quick question for you, can you eat your skin care products? Check the label, if it says “Do not ingest” then you should not. Think about the ramifications. Your skin is your bodies largest organ and absorbs whatever you may put on it. Think about when you put your skin care on your skin, does it stay on top or does it absorb into your body. If you are not supposed to ingest your skin care product, where do the ingredients go that you are not supposed to ingest? Protect your skin, but be careful about what you put on it.

Think about your skin as a great absorption pad. Whatever you put on it goes into your body. Capillaries are just under the skin. If it absorbs into your skin, it goes into your capillaries and then into the rest of your blood system. If something goes into your mouth, at least it has to go through your digestive system before it is moved around the body by the blood system. Think about that the next time you put something on your skin.

The best skin care products have no formaldehyde and no added parabens. You should be able to taste the skin care product with no ill effects. Preferably, the product will have a shelf life of at least two years with no refrigeration. Check out your skin care, if it does not meet these criteria, contact the person who referred you to this article, or contact me if you found this on your own. I would love to talk with you about the benefits of good skin care, especially if you are like me and had way too much sun when you were younger.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Skin Care, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Prosperity, and Attitudes that Make It Possible

To stay healthy, one needs to have the income to afford general health care needs.  This includes good health care and products that may help in that regard. I was asked by a friend to read The Science of Getting Rich by Walter D. Wattles, a Timeless wisdom and a practical step-by-step prosperity program from a forgotten 1910 classic.  It is a short read, and being a slow reader that was nice. The article I read has an introduction by Rebecca Fine and can be found at http://www.scienceofgettingrich.net.

There are many good insights in this short read.  The main one is that God wants us to be happy and that there is an abundance in the universe that will allow all to be so, if we choose to act on what is presented.  The first key is gratitude for all that we have and to “embrace and practice what we all know as the Golden Rule.” If we want more out of our life, including prosperity, we need to help others so that they will also receive what they want and need. There is an abundance of everything needed by each person and when we strive to have that attitude, we will become prosperous in all the ways that are important to us.

Mr. W. D. Wattles wanted his book to be “PRAGMATICAL, NOT PHILOSOPHICAL — a practical manual, not a treatise upon theories. It is intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money, who wish to get rich first, and philosophize afterwards. It is for those who want results and who are willing to take the conclusions of science as a basis for action, without going into all the process by which those conclusions were reached.” As a devout Christian, I like the mention of Jesus Christ and God in the article, along with some the the fundamental precepts of Christianity.

First of all, we all have the right to be rich.  There is an abundance in the universe that provides a way for all of us to become so.  We all have a right to have “mental, spiritual, and physical” fulfillment, as long as it does not diminish the same right of others. In order to live life in the fullest and to be able to serve others, we need to have the resources to do so.  On a side note, we have a son who has already had three open heart surgeries.  Because of my education and jobs at the time, we were able to afford these surgeries and the means to help with his recovery.  We have had a good life, but we realize that in order to do all that we would like to do, especially to be able to help others, we need to step up our  activity to succeed.  Poverty does not allow each of us to fully develop our mental, spiritual, and physical capabilities. God wants the best for each of us, as long as we use those resources for good.

I think that everyone can agree that actions produce results.  If we are standing in the batters  box and hit a pitch, the ball will change directions.  If we hit the ball within the foul lines, there is a far better chance that something good will happen.  If we hit the ball where no one can catch it, positive results will occur.  The same can be said for our actions with regard to our health and our wealth.  Doing things “in a certain way” will be beneficial.

We need to look at our talents and what we like to do.  Having passion for what you do is a big part of the battle.  What are our strengths?  What are our weaknesses?  Do our weaknesses affect what we want to do? If so, what can we do to improve in these areas? The business we choose is not as important as the the attitude we have and the way we go about building the business.

The book talks about all things being constructed from a universal material, of which there is an inexhaustible supply.  In a free society, no one can keep any of us from using this inexhaustible supply to create wealth for ourselves. All substance in the universe is a creation of God and God wants us to have what we need and to share and teach these principals with others.  According to the book, “nature is formed for the advancement of life.” Our universe is “a great living presence, always moving inherently toward more life and fuller functioning.”  God wants us to be like Him, as best we can.  All things are His, and he wants us to share that abundance with Him.

As we think, so are we.  If we think about what we need and want, it will be created somewhere in the universe.  The items are created through growth of the universal substance, but we cannot attract what we have thought to be created without taking action ourselves.  All things created by mankind had to initially be created by a man’s or woman’s thoughts. There is enough substance in the universe to help all of us to lead a prosperous life.  We must have faith and a willingness to “do”  to bring all things to pass.

God wants each of us to become rich, to be able to better serve Him through serving others. In order to know and do more, we must have more so that we need not worry about our future.  There have been books written about what we need. We first worry about survival, and then progress through being able to serve others.  God wants us to serve, so He wants us to have the means to do so. In many ways, we can think of everything created by God as a living substance that wants to “live more.”  With this desire of the universal substance created by God, if we have faith and do what is needed, we can create our own wealth.  God wants each of us to make the most of ourselves.  Only through us can others be served.  If we cannot serve others because of our own poverty, we cannot fully do His will in our lives.

Creation is the key to becoming truly wealthy.  There is an abundance of the building material of all material things in the universe. Competition, or the thought that there is a limited amount that must be divided between all the inhabitants of the world, does not work in the long run.  Sure, there are people who succeed building their wealth through competition. However, the best way to become wealthy is to help others receive what they need or want. The creative path is the true way to happiness. There is a joy in helping others that does not come from taking away from others what they have.

The way to acquire true wealth is to give others something of value for what they are giving to you.  Franklin Covey talks about WIN-WIN scenarios where both parties receive what they need or want. This is the only way to create real wealth.

God wants all of us to have joy. As such, we need to have gratitude for all that He has given to us. Gratitude makes us realize that there is an abundance in the universe that is available to everyone.  There is no limited supply, there is only an abundance of all that is needed for us to live well and serve others. We all must do our part and we can all succeed.  We do not need to share a limited wealth, we can each help ourselves and others achieve our dreams. Just because one person is successful, does not mean we should bring that person down. It just means that it is possible for each of us to succeed.  Let us all go out and learn to do and be our best.  Prosperity will follow.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Formaldehyde and Baby Shampoos

A student where I teach told me about formaldehyde in baby shampoos.  I personally could not believe a company would put formaldehyde or a formaldehyde producing ingredient in any product, so I decided to research the subject.  Apparently there are baby shampoos that still use these ingredients.  For an article on the subject, please see the article on Contaminated Baby Products by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.  In answer to this concern, the Chemical Institute of Canada had an interesting article entitled Crunch the Numbers.  My concern about this article is that they talk about the intake of formaldehyde particles for average individuals.  Let us say that a woman weighs 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and a man weighs 150 pounds (68 kilograms).  What happens to that math if you are talking about a baby that weighs 1/10th that amount.  For example, when our son came out of his second open heart surgery, he was 20 pounds (9 kilograms) and received a prescription for a 200 pound (90 kilogram) man.  What would be the effect of that if my wife had not caught the mistake?  I believe that the weight of the individual needs to be taken into consideration on any calculation that involves toxicity to an individual.  Please keep your child/children safe and choose products wisely.  We all are effecting the health of our children and grandchildren by the choices we make when they are young.

I would commend any company to remove any formaldehyde producing ingredients.  Products that are self preserving (no harmful chemicals added to preserve the product) are even better.  There is a line of products I do use that meets this criteria.  If you have a friend who has a product that meets this criteria, ask them about it.  Otherwise, send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I will tell you what I use.

Have a great day and take good care of yourself and your children.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

A Load, a Load, we have an Index to a Load!

I am grateful for the labels that now appear on food products.  There is a lot of helpful information on these food labels.  However, I would like to see two more on all products.  It would be really nice if the labels included glycemic index and glycemic load as two of the listed items.  It would be much easier to make healthy choices in the food we eat, if these labels did appear on all food products.  What can we do to start a campaign to add these items to all food labels?

What are Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load?  Glycemic Index is more commonly used than Glycemic Load.  Glycemic Index is how fast the carbohydrates in each serving of food turn to glucose in the blood (“blood sugar”).  The Glycemic Load is a combination of how much of these carbohydrates are present in the food and how fast they transform into blood sugar (glycemic index).  The example I like to use is that Glycemic Index is equivalent to the height of a waterfall and the Glycemic Load takes into account that height and the amount of water actually coming over the falls.  The more water, the more dangerous, no matter how high or low the drop is.  However, even a high waterfall with very little water going over the edge is not nearly as dangerous as the Mississippi River in flood stage.  So the quantity we eat is just as important as the low or high GI and GL foods that we do eat.

Glycemic Index is not enough to judge a food.  For example, carrots have a GI of 42, but a GL of only 3.  The sugars/carbohydrates they have turn into blood sugar quite quickly.  However, they do not contain that many carbohydrates.  In comparison, Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake has a GI of only 38, but a GL of 20.  Just going on the GI of each item, it would appear that Betty Crocker Chocolate Cake is better for us than carrots.  Our intuition would said “That’s not right!”  However, until we look at the GL it appears that our intuition may be wrong.  If you would like to look up this information, it is from Dr. Ray Strand’s Healthy for Life book.  It is the book we are currently using in our classes.

Looking at the current food labels, they do have a lot of information.  However, they can be misleading.  For example, we can look at oatmeal.  There are four types that are on the grocery shelves:  steel cut, Old Fashion (takes about five minutes to cook),  Quick (takes about 1 minute to cook), and Instant (just add hot water).  The current labels on all four products are identical (minus any sugars that are added to the Instant Oatmeal).  However, the Glycemic Index and Load start off reasonably low with the steel cut, are medium with the Old Fashion, are high with the Quick Oatmeal, and are extremely high with the Instant Oatmeal.  It is impossible to tell the difference with the current label.

I believe that all foods should be labelled with both a Glycemic Index and a Glycemic Load.  I am looking at what options we do have to add such information.  If you agree, do you have suggestions on how to have these two items added?

Posted in Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Health of Man

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered: “Man. Because he sacrifices his health to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.

A good friend on Facebook posted this quote and I was very impressed. Chasing the corporate dream is not the solution. My father’s generation seems like they were able to have a better balance in their lives that even my generation (the baby boom generation).  In order to stay employed in a well paying job, there seems to be more demands applied.  I have a good friend with whom I talked about the stresses of a corporate job.  He was asked to do more and more as his co-workers were given the opportunities to do other jobs outside of his corporation.  When I talked with him a while back, he said he was often putting in 70 to 80 hour work-weeks.  Unfortunately, his funeral was a few weeks ago. He is a good person whom I will dearly miss.

So, what is the bottom line.  Are each of us taking care of ourselves (and our health) as well as we would like?  Do I lead the balanced life I would like to live?  Is the occupation I chose healthy for me? What are my hours of work?   Is there a healthier way to earn a living?

Stress is a killer.  It can come from lack of financial resources, lack of time with loved ones, great demands at work, sick loved ones, loved ones in trouble with the law, … or perhaps a combination of these, and more. There are many causes of stress, but for me my main concern is, time spent with family.   If I am the financially richest man in the world and do not have time to spend with my family, am I truly rich?

Money is important, if only to keep a roof over our heads and pay our doctor bills.  Our oldest son has had three open-heart surgeries and he goes in for a check-up every six months.  However, what is the trade-off between time and money? And what is the best way to earn money?

I am finding out that the best way for me to earn money is to serve others. When we serve others, we are only serving out God. That is one reason for this website. There are related ways that I earn money, but if I am able to help one person with this site, that is a good reward for me.

To avoid the pitfalls that the Dalai Lama so beautifully mentioned, I feel that I need to have a Vision and a Mission for my life. This is not something that can be just whipped out, it is something that takes time to develop.  Without a Vision people do parish (whether that be actual physical death or an attitude death, I do not know).  For me, if I do not have a purpose in life, I flounder and wonder what I accomplished at the end of the day.  I like helping others, so my mission must include that aspect of doing/being.

We all go through major trials in our life.  Can we respond to those as opportunities to grow and mature?   Our attitudes govern much of the effect such times bring upon us.  So, I ask you as the reader, how do you keep a positive attitude?  What is your Vision and Mission in life?  How are you helping others?  If you do these things, can you bring joy into your life?  God wants us to have true joy in our lives, what can we do to help Him so that we can have the joy He would like to give to us?

Posted in Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Thank You for all the Comments

I do appreciate all of the kind comments.  I know I have let some advertising through,I have tried to make sure that none of these are offensive and may be of interest.  I have also been asked about how to use some of these posts in other newsletters.  Since I am new at th posting, but have been using the products for over twelve years, I would like to share as much information as possible at no charge.  Eventually, this will probably change.  I am looking at ways to allow people to donate.  However, if I do that, then I feel obligated to be writing to this post on a regular basis.  If you have suggestions, I would love to hear them.  For those who celebrate this day, I hope everyone has a great fourth of July.  For those who live in countries besides the United States, I hope each of you have a great day today.

Out attitude is one of the keys to our health.  Keep a cheerful attitude, remember to laugh, and you will remain much healthier.

And, as a side note, I am willing and look forward to working with others.   The products and services have to be the very best.  Second best will not due.  As our business grows, we will expand this website.  Our attitude is to give knowledge away for free and earn our income in other ways.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Cook Health Alliance

Wayne Cook
[email protected]
Welcome to Cook Health Alliance.  There is a lot to view here.  Thank you for visiting.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | Tagged | 964 Comments

Youth and diabetes

Diabetes and heart disease go hand in hand.  Both are caused by a poor diet and little exercise.  Unfortunately, with Physical Education in our schools being drastically reduced, the latter is very difficult for most student who are not on sports teams to actually get.  The food pyramid is also a problem.  The newer one is better than the original, but the first one caused great harm to everyone who followed it.  The problem is that the bottom row consisted of breads and cereals, both of which are very high glycemic (glycemic index is how fast carbohydrates turn into blood sugar and glycemic load measures how many carbohydrates are in the food).  For example, white bread turns into blood sugar faster than table sugar does.  The key is that the more processed the food is, the faster it turns into blood sugar.

With the introduction of the food pyramid, diabetes started to rise in the United States (and other parts of the world that used teh pyramid).  It used to be that diabetes, in general, was broken into two groups:  childhood and adult-onset.  These two types are now called Type I and Type II diabetes respectively.  20 years ago, it was rare to see a child with Type II diabetes.  Now it is quite common.  In fact, children born after 2000 have a 33 1/3 % chance of developing diabetes i their lifetime.  Minority children ahve a 50% chance of developing diabetes.  This is sad and never should happen.  With balanced nutrition and proper exercise, this trend can be reversed.  That is what we teach in our program.  We do not want to see anyone suffering from Type II diabetes.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments