Think of your body like your car. Your car will not last forever, but you can prolong the life of your car by taking excellent care of it, and only putting high-quality products into your car as a preventative against malfunctions. Often in the body, as with a car, when something breaks, it has a domino effect, and just like your car, it can be very costly to repair your body.
Many illnesses are now being traced back to food additives, environmental chemicals and other toxins that alter chemical reactions in the body, and in some frightening cases, may alter your DNA. Time and time again, research shows that a diet laden with fatty and processed foods causes health problems ranging from heart disease, diabetes, cancer, high-cholesterol, angina, and auto-immune disorders. Many fast food restaurants now offer "healthy" choice, but even a salad at McDonalds is devoid of many of the nutrients that would be found in a fresh-made salad, because of the lengthy shelf-life in the fast-food alternative.

You want to take care of your body, just as you would your car, and feed it high quality, nutrient-dense food. The more you pack your body full of these foods, the more you increase your body's ability to stave off illness and disease.  It can take just as much time to grab some carrot sticks as it can to grab some French fries - and think of the great feeling your body will have after you eat carrots, compared to the sluggish feeling we all get after eating greasy fries. In fact, more and more people are turning It makes sense. What you eat is what your body needs to function. If you are not getting enough of nutrients, this will eventually show up in some form of illness, whether it's a cold or something more serious. Many of us are operating at deficient levels of one or more nutrients - though we may not realize it. 

Many people are now turning to dietary extremes to increase the nutritional impact that food plays on their health.  So called Super-foods are foods are one example of this. These are foods that are chock-full of vital nutrients and minerals that the body needs to keep functioning at its peak levels. When you are consuming super-foods, you are feeding your body a concentrated quantity of several things it needs to operate at peak performance, and empowering your body to continue to regenerate healthy cells.  Click here to find some super-foods.

While vegetarian or vegan or raw food diets may not appeal to you, you can still dramatically improve your longevity and the health of your body by taking an active role in the quality of foods you place into your body. After all, you are what you eat. 

More than a system of treating illness, Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old Indian healing science. Sanskrit for "The Science of Life", Ayurveda is designed to guide our body, mind and soul to maintain optimal health and vitality with measures that are almost too simple. Humans were placed on this planet with all the essential elements to their survival.  Ayurveda provides us with the knowledge and guidance to use these elements to thrive. Providing ancient yet practical wisdom regarding our daily routines, seasonal living, diet, behavior, physical activity and the use of our body and it's senses, Ayurveda helps us thrive in the natural context, as we were originally designed to do.  

Ayurveda has two aspects. The first element of this living science is maintaining your health. The principles of this aspect include nutrition, hygiene, good lifestyle habits, and exercise. Through this aspect of Ayurveda, adherents become their own healer, assuming our divine responsibility to learn about our body, how it functions and how to care for and nurture ourselves. You act as your own counselor, dietician, herbalist, personal trainer, therapist and even beautician - your own life-coach! What is beautiful about this approach is its as simple as changing simple things about your diet and lifestyle. 

The second component is a healing art. Ayurveda describes three primary energies that direct our inner and outer environments: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, or: movement, transformation and structure. These three energies are all present in every person, however, one or two elements will likely be more predominant. One aspect of Ayurveda is to determine a person's dominant energies and thereby determine their ideal state of balance amongst all the energies. Each element has both a balanced and an imbalanced expression. At the core of Ayurveda philosophy is balance. The balance within and  the balance of the full person within the living environment. Maintaining this balance and living in harmony according to natural principles affords us physical, emotional and mental health, as well as spiritual satisfaction. Discovering where a person  is imbalanced is the first step in creating a customized intervention using simple practices like nutrition, herbs, aromatherapy, massage, music, meditation and exercise to reestablish health and wellness.

As with most healing arts, Ayurveda focuses on helping you maintain a health and balanced existence.  It is an excellent addition to your healthy lifestyle, and can be a fabulous complementary approach to your existing medicinal routines -- or you might try it as a unique approach to achieving wellness and balance within. 

Used for very their valuable healing properties and lack of harsh chemical reactions, herbs are plants or parts of plants that can help prevent and treat a variety of ailments, diseases, and illnesses -- even offer relief from joint pain or headaches. Herbs are also a great to optimize your overall health.  Even though most of America relies on modern medications and synthesized drugs, 75% of the World's population continues to use traditional medicines, many of which contain an herbal medicine component. Trends are changing in America as more people flock to these natural remedies. However, not all plants are friendly!

As harmless as they may seem, there is an overwhelming variety of herbs, and the hidden dangerous potential for side effects and detrimental drug interactions should be enough to warn people from taking herbs haphazardly. Always consult a physician or a certified herbalist and discuss other medications and health conditions, prior to taking anything not in its natural form. Herbalists are trained and have extensive knowledge on medicinal properties and the possible side effects of all herbal remedies.