Health

Federal officials "shocked" at transgender violence and discrimination in Puerto Rico

Editor's Note: In Puerto Rico, the word transexual is used to refer to a person whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth.  Transexual people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. Puerto Ricans use the word transgender to refer to people who adopt the dress or manner of the opposite sex but are not interested in transitioning their gender.  The terms used in this article reflect those usages.

Get a LIFE: Need an immunity boost?

When the workplace, school, or your home world is swirling with potential yuckies, it is time to boost your immunity to ensure your body stays protected.

If you do end up getting sick, many of the protocols below will support you in a quick turnaround back to vitality.

Simple Clean Food: When you feel under the weather, it is best to stick to unprocessed, simple foods, so the body can use less energy to break down food and more energy to support you in healing. Avoid sugar, coffee, and processed junk. Add in cooked veggies, clean fish, and soaked - then cooked - whole grains.

UPDATED: ACTION ALERT: Tell Susan G. Komen not to throw Planned Parenthood under the bus

Editor's Note: As of Friday, February 3, 2012, the Susan G. Komen foundation has announced a reversal on the decision to defund Planned Parenthood. Social media played a significant role in the exertion of pressure on the severely tarnished foundation, which only yesterday offered conflicting reasons for ending the funding in the first place. This action alert was submitted to San Diego Gay & Lesbian News on Thurs., Feb. 2 for the action of our readers.

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Get a LIFE: Do you have toxic skin?

The skin is the largest organ in the human body.

It protects us from pathogens, extreme water loss, and aids in insulation and temperature control.

Substances flow through the pores of the skin into our blood stream and as a result, travel to most primary systems in the body.

What we put on our skin can consequently and particularly affect the way our nervous, lymphatic, and immune systems function.

In ancient cultures, what people used as shampoo, soap, and make-up, was derived from natural sources found in nature.

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Get a LIFE: The Holy Question Part IV

How far away from the source is your meat?

Animal foods contain some of the highest potential toxins in the food chain.

The cleaner the food the more health, energy, and vitality are available for us.

Dairy

* An animal has to be outside to assimilate vitamin A and D that we can then absorb.
* Yes, these two can be added in, but the body absorbs them better from natural sources.
* Factory farm animals are stressed, which equals hormone and adrenaline residue in their milk products.

Get a LIFE: The Holy Question -- Part III

How far away from the source is your food?

The closer your food choices are to their original source, the more vitality they have for your overall health, wellbeing, and joy.

Lets face it, sweet foods are tasty; they can also make us feel cozy and help elevate a blue mood.

But what happens when our relationship with sugar becomes a bit too intimate?

The average person in America consumes 45.3 pounds of sugar each year, enough to fill a typical garden wheelbarrow.

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Still smoking? The National LGBT Tobacco Control Network will help you quit in 2012

SMOKING KILLS.

That short and to-the-point fact -- and many others just as direct -- can already be found imprinted in large type on most of the cigarette packaging sold outside of the United States, and are soon expected to be coming to a pack of cigarettes near you.

The LGBT community has incredibly high rates when it comes to cigarette smoking, even today, after decades of research and hundreds of thousands of deaths have proven that smoking is indeed "hazardous" to your health and those around you.

Get a LIFE: The Holy Question -- Part II

We continue our journey through the food kingdom armed with the master question: How far from its original state is my food?

White flour foods are contributing to a huge epidemic, with diabetes and obesity at peak levels.

Doughnuts, white bread, and cakes all throw the body into a blood sugar rollercoaster that creates havoc.

Processing of grains removes vital vitamins, fiber, magnesium, and much more from our bodies.

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Get a LIFE: The Holy Question -- Part I

It’s another New Year, when many people make new commitments about their eating, fitness and life detracting habits.

Often we strive for too much, setting goals that are set-ups for failure.

For the next several weeks, we will explore a simple, yet potent principle of holistic health that I call, The Holy Question.

Look at any food, food-product, or drink, and ask yourself:

* How far away from the "source" is this?

* Is there any life energy present here?

* Is this anywhere close to its original grown state?

* What type of processing did it go through?

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Get a LIFE: Assessing our gratitude

One of the reasons that depression is so ramped-up in our western culture, is often correlated to the fast-paced nature and self-imposed complications we have created in it.

Marketing tells us that our happiness resides in our image, the car we drive, or the latest and greatest gadget. Not to say that those things can't provide a slice of joy, but have we lost touch with the simplest pleasures of life?

As the year 2011 wraps up, we have an opportunity to look back, reflect and remember all that has transpired in this last cycle.

What is it that you are grateful for in your life?

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