The healing powers of Biblical foods

By HENRYLITO D. TACIO

Bible scholars have been studying the foods of the Bible for centuries, but only recently have
modern nutritionists realized that what was good for the people thousands of years ago is just as
good – and probably better – for everyone today. Biblical cuisine is naturally healthful. Few, if
any, of today’s nutritionists can find fault with it. In fact, nearly all the foods help maintain good
health, and many of them contain substances and chemicals that actually combat disease. In
recent years, medical scientists have identified dozens of foods that may help prevent cancer, heart
disease, and other illnesses – foods that ancient people took for granted.

Let’s start with fish. Lakeside villages were the setting for most of Jesus’ ministry, and He
performed several miracles at the Sea of Galilee. Many fishermen dwell in the area whose
livelihood prospered on the great variety of fish – including carp, sardines, mullet, and tilapia.

It is common knowledge now that fish is low in cholesterol and that it contains polyunsaturated
fats. Since there was no way of preserving fish in the olden times (except by salting), most people
in Biblical times ate their fish fresh – a wonderfully rich source of protein, potassium, vitamins,
and minerals with only a moderate amount of sodium.

Recent studies have shown that fish thins the blood, protects arteries from damage, inhibits blood
clots (anti-thrombotic), lowers blood pressure, reduces risk of heart attack and stroke, fights
inflammation, and relives migraine headaches.

If you’re suffering from endometriosis, a condition in which tissue more or less perfectly
resembling the mucous membrane of the uterus occurs abnormally in various locations in the
pelvic cavity, eat more fish. One of the reasons for cramping among women – especially at the time
of period – is that their body produces too much prostaglandin, a hormone in the uterine lining.
Fish, it is said, contains omega-3 fatty acids, which suppress prostaglandin production. Fish rich in
omega-3 fatty acids include herring, mackerel, salmon, and tuna.

With fish around, can barley be far behind? The Holy Bible is filled with references to barley,
which is among the earliest known and most nourishing grains ever to be cultivated. Today, over
half of the barley harvested is used for animal feed and 10% is turned into malt.

But in the past, the so-called Feast of Unleavened Bread (matzoh) was, some Bible scholars claim,
an ancient barley harvest festival that became the celebration of the Passover, a Jewish
celebration.

Unknowingly, barley has long been considered a healthful high-fiber grain. It is tremendously
effective at shutting down the liver’s production of the bad LDL (low-density lipoprotein)
cholesterol that does so much damage to our arteries – and that can cause strokes and heart
attacks.

Next in the list is the glorious garlic. It’s one of the world’s oldest healing foods. During the time of
Moses, garlic was already being used as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor agent, as a
relief from flatulence, a diuretic, a sedative, a poultice, and as a cure for internal parasites.

If cholesterol is your problem, take garlic. Researchers have long known that large quantities of
raw garlic can reduce harmful blood fats. Unfortunately, raw garlic can also reduce your circle of
friends. Worse yet, garlic that’s been “deodorized” by heat treatment loses its cholesterol-lowering
effect. But now, there’s an odor-modified liquid garlic extract from Japan called Kyolic that seems
to lower blood fats.

When Dr. Benjamin Lau of Loma Linda University in California, gave people with moderately high
blood cholesterol one gram a day of the liquid garlic extract (equivalent to about four capsules or
one teaspoon), their cholesterol levels fell an average of 44 points in six months.

Colds are no match for garlic, too, as it has an antibiotic effect, according to Dr. Elson Haas,
director of the Marin Clinic of Preventive Medicine and Health Education in San Rafael,
California. “Garlic actually kills germs and clears up your cold symptoms more rapidly,” he says.
He recommends two to three oil-free garlic capsules three times a day.

When you have ear pain, eat a clove or two of garlic a day, advises Dr. Julian Whitaker, founder
and president of Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. “Garlic has natural
antiviral and antibiotic qualities that kill many of the germs that cause earaches,” he explains.

Like its cousin garlic, the onion is known to be a cure-all. And the high regard in which folk healers
hold it dates back just as long, perhaps 6,000 years or more. At least 3,000 years before the birth
of Christ, onions were treasured both as food and for their therapeutic value, particularly for the
treatment of kidney and bladder problems. The staunch belief in onions as good folk medicine
continued down through the Middle Ages all the way to the present day.

Today, onions have been used externally as an antiseptic and a pain reliever, and taken internally
as a tonic to sooth intestinal gas pains and to alleviate the symptoms of hypertension, high blood
sugar, and elevated cholesterol.

Honey, too, is highly regarded – particularly in the ancient times. In Matthew 3:4, the author tells
of John the Baptist having locusts and wild honey as his food. First Samuel 14:25 recorded: “They
all came into a wooded area and found honey everywhere. The woods were full of honey.”

Honey, as we know now, can kill bacteria and disinfect wounds and sores. Countless travelers have
found that honey works when nothing else does to end the distress of traveler’s diarrhea.

The natural sugar called fructose enhances your body’s ability to burn off alcohol. If you’re having
a hangover, Dr. Seymour Diamond, director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago,
recommends spreading honey on a piece of toast or some crackers. “Honey is a very concentrated
source of fructose and eating a little the morning after is one way to help your body flush out
whatever alcohol remains,” he says.

Tea with honey is a traditional sore throat remedy. You can boost its therapeutic benefits with this
spicy twist offered by Dr. Cynthia M. Watson, a family practitioner in private practice in Santa
Monica, California: Stir into your tea one tablespoon of honey and the juice of half a lemon, then
add ground red pepper to taste. “The pepper probably has a mild anesthetic effect,” she says. “It
also stimulates the immune system.”

Meanwhile, grapes were the first plants Noah planted after the Flood. Grapes were eaten fresh, or
dried and eaten as raisins, just as they are today. In the “Great People of the Bible and How They
Lived”, the Reader’s Digest publication chronicled: “Then, in late August, the annual grape harvest
began. It was a time of joy for all, for it signaled the end of the hot summer weather. Some of the
grapes were eaten fresh from the vines, some were dried into raisins that would last throughout the
winter, but most were used to make rich, potent wine.”
One reason this delicious fruit was so important in the diet thousands of years ago was because of
its high content of boron, a mineral that we now know helps ward off osteoporosis. In addition,
grapes fight tooth decay, stop viruses in their tracks, and are rich in other ingredients that many
researches believe can head off cancer.

Again, if bad cholesterol is your main problem, try switching to olive oil. The olive was certainly
one of the most valuable and versatile trees of Biblical times. It’s mentioned frequently throughout
the Holy Scriptures. Many, many passages contain references to olives, olive trees, olive yards, and
olive oils. Probably the most famous reference to olive oil and its healing powers is in the parable
of the Good Samaritan, in which the Samaritan cares for a beaten and robbed traveler, treating his
wounds with oil and wine.

Now, going back to bad cholesterol. Olive oil, if you care to know, is high in another type of fat:
Monounsaturated. Previously thought to have no real effect on cholesterol levels,
monounsaturated may actually lower cholesterol.

Studies by cholesterol researcher Scott M. Grundy, Ph.D, found that a diet high in
monounsaturated fat lowered total cholesterol levels even more than a strict low-fat diet. What’s
more, his studies showed that monos selectively lowered the (bad) LDLs while leaving (good)
HDLs intact. HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein.

So strive for a low-fat diet, then “supplement” it with two or three tablespoons of olive oil (or an
equivalent amount of other mono-rich food) each day. Just make sure you’re replacing other fats
with monos and not simply adding to them.

Olive oil, too, can help ease inflammation caused by ingrown toenail. “Rub olive oil on the side of
the toenail,” instructs Dr. Phyllis Ragley, a podiatrist in Lawrence, Kansas, and president of the
American of Podiatric Sportsmedicine. “It keeps the skin soft, so there is less pressure and
discomfort. Also, the skin can more easily accommodate the nail.”
How to get rid of bad air with Laughter Yoga
By Irene C. Perez

TO UNDERSTAND LAUGHTER Yoga is to experience it. The idea may sound silly, even desperate—to laugh
for no reason, to fake being joyful and do group exercises you long gave up as a child. It has been met with
doubt and sarcasm, but Laughter Yoga Pilipinas founder Paolo Trinidad is bent on spreading it around the
country to make good vibes contagious and make Filipinos feel better.

We recently joined his class in Mandaluyong. At the end of the two-hour session, the interesting set of
participants, which included seniors, yuppies and college students, all said they felt lighter, happier.

“First time kong mag-yoga,” said Elizabeth Ignacio, 55, a housewife who was recently diagnosed with a
heart condition. “Nakatagal naman maski papano, dati wala namang ganyan, PE lang noon. Naibsan ang
pagod, parang break sa mga trabaho sa bahay. Hindi ko alam na may ganito na tatawa ka talaga.”

She was hesitant to join the group exercises with her frail physical condition, but willingly went through all
the activities.

Laughter Yoga is an odd concept. Several branches of yoga have gained following in the Philippines like
Iyengar, Ashtanga and Bikram, but laughter and yoga together?

“Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea. You simulate laughter and combine it with traditional yoga
breathing and postures. You fake it till you make it,” said Trinidad, who trained under Laughter Yoga
founder Dr. Madan Kataria in Bangladore, India, last June.

Trinidad is building administrator of Lingap Karunungan Center in Mandaluyong, a multipurpose public hub
with a library, center for special children, and kiddie playroom where he conducts weekly Laughter Yoga
classes for free. He first read about Laughter Yoga in a newspaper article and attended the class of teacher
Elvie Estavillo, who established Laughter Yoga Philippines. He wanted to make it accessible locally so he
inquired on how to be a certified teacher.

“I took the chance and presented the idea to Mandaluyong Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr., and said it would
help the city hall employees a lot. I was praying and knew it was a long shot, so I was very surprised when
he agreed to help fund my training. I was practicing yoga from the Art of Living Foundation, but when I
experienced Laughter Yoga, I knew it would help a lot of people. It is very different.”

He finished his training and went back to the country by June 12; the next day, he held his first class in the
center. To date, he has conducted classes for abused children of Hospicio de San Jose, cancer patients in
Philippine General Hospital, Carmelite nuns, select schools and corporate groups.

Origin

Laughter Yoga was founded by physician Dr. Kataria in India on March 13, 1995. While doing research, he
discovered that “our body cannot differentiate between pretend and genuine laughter. Both produced the
same Happy Chemistry” that is beneficial to our well-being. He tested his theories and rounded up five
people in a park, including his wife Madhuri, Laughter Yoga co-founder, in Mumbai.

From there, the first Laughter Club was established. The results were surprising; the pretend laughter
became real laughter. Kataria, who had background in theater, developed exercises, including child-like
role-playing combined with Pranayama exercises like deep breathing, stretching and meditation. There are
now 6,000 Social Laughter Clubs in 60 countries.

Among its benefits are uplifted mood, toned body (it helps the body heal itself), better memory (Trinidad
said his has improved since practicing), increased energy, strengthened immune system.

Benefits

Even longtime yoga practitioners can benefit from Laughter Yoga. Piano teacher Lally Abainza has been
doing yoga with the Brahma Kumaris group and Qi Qong for 15 years. She was in the class with Ignacio, and
was also a Laughter Yoga newbie.

“I feel energized and expanded. There is a release,” Abainza said during the break.

While Laughter Yoga is animated, fun and interactive, the energy level of the class depends on how
cooperative the participants are. Trinidad said his approach has been adjusted for Filipinos who are shy or
snobbish.

“The seniors, they are so easy to teach, they are so game. I have conducted this in the barangay level and
everyone was cooperative. Kids are a challenge because they think you’re playing with them and you have
to make them understand that it has a purpose. The difficult ones are students and corporate people, or
those were just required to attend my class, but once they get the hang of it, they want more,” he said.

Open mind

The first requirement for Laughter Yoga is having an open mind. It is better to attend the class with people
you don’t know because the more familiar the participants are with each other, the more inhibitions they
have.

Laughing without anything funny is a crazy idea especially to the deeply depressed, but Trinidad is
appealing to just try it.

“If you are not happy, you could stay that way or try to find ways to change your attitude. You could sulk, or
laugh,” he said.

Dr. Kataria, in his website, said: “You don’t have to depend upon your mood to do something. You can
change your mood at will. This can be explained by Theory of Motion creates Emotion… There is a well-
established link between the body and the mind. Whatever happens to the mind happens to the body as
well.”

Positive conditioning

Trinidad starts his class with an introduction. The students form a circle and everyone is asked to say their
name and laugh afterwards: “Ako si… Paolo, hahaha.” By the time everyone is done with the roll call, you’d
hear all sorts of laughter—small and pitchy, loud and low, Santa-inspired, witch-like. Hearing everyone
laugh should break the ice and encourage shyness to be thrown out of the window.

Trinidad made explanations simple and easy to digest. He gave an overview and stressed the importance of
breathing—“It is getting rid of bad air and letting in more oxygen.” He checked on those with physical
conditions and reminded them to only do poses that are comfortable to them.

A typical Laughter Yoga session has four steps, according to www.laughteryoga.org:

Clapping and warm-up exercises, including gibberish or making sounds without meaning. This helps
participants loosen up and “stabilize.”

Deep-breathing exercises

Childlike playfulness with fun activities done by twos or as a group, where eye contact is a must.

Laughter exercises, which are classified into yoga-based, playful exercises (with acting techniques that
promote creativity) and value-based laughter exercises.

Breathing methods include “sipping air from a balloon” and alternately breathing on your left and right
nostrils “to balance the left and right brain, logic and heart.”

This was followed with “smile medication” where you face everyone smiling, without showing any teeth.

“The idea is to let positive energy flow around, throw in the negative stuff and get rid of it,” Trinidad said.

The most difficult part of the class, said Ryan Joseph de la Paz, a graduating Occupational Therapy student
from the University of Santo Tomas, is the “barbell exercise.” Trinidad instructed them to, while sitting
down cross-legged, inhale as they hold an imaginary barbell across their chest and exhale as they stretch
their hands upwards. This was done 20 times.

The exercise looked simple but it is tiring, said Joice Ordoñez, another OT student. “It is harder than it looks
like, even for someone active. It would be good for those who are depressed.”

Unique workout

Practitioners in India do it an hour a day, said Trinidad, but laughing for 15 minutes daily in front of the
mirror will do for starters, coupled with weekly sessions.

“Research proves that it burns 1.5 calories per minute, and 15 minutes of laughter yoga is equivalent to a
30-minute jog. It’s been promoted to be for people who are down, but even happy people should do it for
the exercise factor.”

He also also thought them humming lessons where you say “hum” instead of the traditional “om,” a
meditative practice for oneness and integration. The final activity was the festive “Ho Ho Ha Ha Dancing,”
where the students laugh and clap in a circle that pretty much resembles a conga line of joyfulness.

Endorphins were running high by the cooling-down period and the room was filled with contented smiles.
Before Trinidad dismissed the class, he warned them: “There is a possibility na maging malungkot kayo
pagkatapos nito. That is normal, that is balance. But you’d be back to your okay mood again after that.
Happiness is your choice.”
Ways to remove environmental and dietary toxins from the body

By Emmarose Policarpio

AS WE GO ABOUT our day-to-day activities, our bodies are exposed to various toxic chemicals
and pollutants. Certain body organs, specifically the liver and lymph systems, are under
constant attack and may have difficulty eliminating accumulated toxins.

To help get rid of these harmful body contaminants, spas now offer detoxification programs
and treatments to effectively and thoroughly remove environmental and dietary toxins from
the body. Among its benefits, according to health gurus, are having strong immune system,
more energy and more efficient digestive system. There are also claims that detox can help in
reducing weight.

Spas with detox programs target four kinds of toxicity. These are the body’s own metabolic
waste products; dietary toxins such as alcohol, caffeine and white sugar; psychological toxins
like stress and worry; and environmental pollutants.

There are two basic types of detox choices available at spas—one treats the body from within,
while the other works from the outside.

Cleansing from within is usually administered over a few days and is best enjoyed in
destination spas that offer relaxing accommodation and tranquillity to rejuvenate not just the
body but the spirit as well. The program might include dietary detox treatments such as juice
fast or diet high in fruits and vegetables. Colon hydrotherapy or herbal enema is also likely to
be included in the cleansing regimen.

The other type of detoxification treats the body from the outside to assist in eliminating waste.
One way to do this is through a lymphatic drainage massage or with a detoxifying body wrap.
Lymphatic drainage massage uses a gentle pumping technique to stimulate lymphatic
circulation to reduce water retention and remove toxins. It can be done through manual
massage or hydromassage and may be performed on the face and neck or body.

Body wraps, on the other hand, have gained tremendous popularity because it is also believed
to help remove excess inches and pounds. The body is first exfoliated using a mixture of clay
and salt to draw toxins out through the skin. Then the body is wrapped using bandages soaked
in a solution containing clay and mineral salt, and covered in thermal blanket to let the body
sweat as the wrap does its work. Aside from getting rid of toxins, body wraps also leave the
skin silky smooth and refreshed.

Cancer education

Aside from these popular treatments, detoxification has also been linked in preventing the
development of cancer cells and other diseases. Dr. Tam Mateo, the first Filipino naturopathic
doctor and a staunch health crusader, specializes on cancer education the natural way. As a
neuropath, Dr. Mateo recognizes the healing ability within the system.
In tracing the root of the disease, Dr. Mateo underscores the importance of eliminating harmful
elements within the body through detoxificaton. He has his own line of herbal drinks aptly
called Dr. Tam’s Miracle Tea and Live Green, which fortifies the body’s organs and cleanses the
digestive track. It’s a healthy combination of herbs such as cinnamon bark, peppermint,
Jamaican sarsaparilla, ginger-rhizome and other organic ingredients. Dr. Tam holds clinic in
Metrowalk in Pasig City.

With the health benefits one can derive from detoxification, it is equally important to bear in
mind some precautions before undergoing a detox program. One major consideration is
making sure the program is administered under medical supervision particularly when
undergoing a dietary regimen. Juice fasting, for instance, is not easy and not for everyone. It is
best to consult the spa first and find out as much about every treatment before deciding on the
appropriate detox program to take.

Detoxification has indeed become a staple in the spa industry. However, it should not be
treated as a short-term program. Always remember that detox is all about maintaining a
healthier lifestyle through better food choices, reducing exposure to chemicals, and
minimizing stress.