Dr. Liebell's Master List of Health and Wellness Tips

The purpose of this list is to give you some recommendations for a wide variety of health matters: things to avoid, and things that are good for you. Keep in mind that entire articles could be written on the subject of each comment below. I encourage you to learn more by asking me questions during appointments, as well as investigating any of these matters further, on your own. I've put this list together at the urging of my patients, who want as much good health advice as possible... without having to read a million articles. 

I remind you that this is for general informational purposes. It is not in any specific order, and I will add to the list as the opportunity and need warrants. This will continually be a work in progress.

Better health does not come from quick fix medicine, which gives little thought towards long term benefit.  

Consider the words of  Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902), the "father" of modern pathology: “If I could live my life over again, I would devote it to proving that germs seek their natural habitat: diseased tissue—rather than being the cause of diseased tissue—ex: mosquitoes seek stagnant water, but do not cause the pool to become stagnant."

Eat healthful whole FOODS for nutrition... not loads of expensive, processed vitamin and mineral supplements.  

I frown upon the idea of prescribing processed vitamins, minerals, and other pills. This is NOT real nutrition—it’s business! Real nutrition comes from natural whole foods. If you eat lots of dark greens and various other vegetables, your protein foods including meats, eggs,  nuts, seeds (dairy if it does well for you) and some fruit; you would have a hard time NOT  getting all of your vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. 

You don't need a nutritionist or a doctor (including me) for nutrition, if you eat whole foods, daily. Eat as much organic produce as you can afford, to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals and genetically altered substances.  

Do you want healthier looking more youthful skin? Eat more vegetables. Avoid sunburn/tanning, drink lots of pure water, use homeopathic supports, and if you smoke... quit immediately.    

Blend your way to better health by using a high quality blender/food processor. My family and I do this every day. My commitment is to making sure you’re not wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements. You have to spend money on food anyway, so why not spend a bit more on nutritious stuff.

A home juicer machine is another excellent way to add nutrition to your body, without buying expensive processed pills. Juicing carrots and celery gets you lots of extra nutrients, in addition to the foods you eat.

Avoid eating fruit after a meal. Fruit is best eaten on an empty stomach; it quickly passes through the stomach to the small intestines. Fruit in the stomach on top of a protein meal may cause problems such as acid reflux and indigestion. Fruit can be a TERRIBLE dessert for many people.  

Eat fruit 15-20 minutes before meals. I have practiced this principle for over 30 years. The thought of eating fruit after a lunch or dinner meal is quite unappealing to me. Try it! 

Berries are awesome. Eat some every day! They are high in fiber and essential nutrients. As a result, incorporating berries into your diet may help prevent and reduce symptoms of many chronic diseases, including cancer. 

Lemon, lime, grapefruit (oranges can cause some people troubles, including arthritis), and avocado are excellent too. Always be aware of allergies and food sensitivities. A food may be very nutritious, but bad for you if you are allergic (I can help you, if this is the case!).

It's good for you in more ways than science probably even knows!  Garlic has been used for millennia. Scientists determined that most of its health benefits come from sulfur compounds formed when a garlic clove is chopped, crushed or chewed. The most famous is a substance called allicin. But it is an unstable substance that is only briefly present when fresh garlic is cut or crushed. That's another reason why eating fresh whole foods is best. 

The sulfur compounds from garlic enter the body from the digestive tract and travel all over the body, providing potent biological effects. Garlic is great for your immune system. It has been shown to be important for controlling blood pressure and a host of other beneficial properties.

They always have been. The pharmaceutical/statin drug industry has made sure to scare you to death about cholesterol-containing foods such as eggs. Cholesterol itself is NOT the cause of heart disease. The medical industry has gone back and forth many times over whether eggs are okay, or not. Eggs have successfully fed humans and animals for ages. 

Eggs are highly nutritous. Whole eggs are nutritionally rich, supplying almost every nutrient you need. There is evidence that they are supportive to heart health, rather than bad for it! They contain high levels of several nutrients that promote heart health, such as betaine and choline. Some people develop allergy to eggs. This can be corrected at the Liebell Clinic via Soliman Auricular Allergy Treatment (SAAT)

A healthy person has an alkaline (basic) pH. Disease is caused, in part by an acid pH in the body, which results from bad eating and living habits, which leads to overgrowth of microbes whose poisons produce symptoms of disease. It's no shock that the best thing you can do is eat your vegetables, preferably more raw ones. The foods that help your body become and stay alkaline, rather than acidic are: cucumber, dandelion greens, celery, garlic, spinach, green beans, watercress, avocado, tomato (raw), and almonds. 

What foods contribute to an acid body pH? Grains, sugar, processed foods, many supplements, and sodas are the biggest culprits. Excessive protein meats, in some cases, if there is not a high quantity of raw vegetable and fruit consumption, can contribute to acid pH.

Toxins, acid diet, radiation, destructive emotions lead to cellular change to adapt to acid environment.  Healthy cells become unhealthy, resulting in overgrowth of bacteria, fungus and their toxins, which pollute the body even more.  This results in all kinds of symptoms and diagnosed disorders. 

Don't eat anything containing high fructose corn syrup. It contains both fructose (fruit sugar) and glucose. Your body metabolizes fructose differently than glucose, and consuming too much fructose can lead to health problems. Corn syrup can increase risk of diabetes, fatty liver disease, and certainly obesity (it's really high in calories, none of which are nutritious). Read your package labels; this garbage is in tons of stuff. Avoid eating corn or corn products that are NOT organic. Genetically modified corn is poison!  

 
Never use margarine or a butter substitute. This awful stuff marketed to the public decades ago based on cholesterol fear, has always been bad for everybody! 

TRANS fats are evil… not saturated fats!  I eat coconut oil regularly.  Coconut oil is good for those suffering thyroid problems.   

Don’t use canola oil; it's bad for you! Stick to olive oil and coconut oil.  

“Sports drinks” are garbage—don’t fall prey to the marketing scheme to buy and drink sugar water with chemical colorings. Okay, perhaps if you were paid millions to drink it, as high-salaried professional athletes are, I wouldn't blame you. I'm an athlete (except I'm unpaid), and I never touch the stuff!  

Soy has been touted as a super food. It is definitely not. It negatively affects hormones, and may even cause brain shrinkage, breast cancer, and infant abnormalities! Plus, it can impair thyroid function.  

Soy contains compounds called isoflavones, which are similar to the hormone, estrogen. This is bad! It also appears that these compounds could promote the growth of some cancer cells, impair female fertility and impair with thyroid function. The vegan and ill-advised soy craze initiated decades ago did us a great disservice. Soy is a very cheap crop, and thus, it is great for business, but bad for our health. Only fermented soy, in small amounts, as per ancient cultures, should ever be consumed.      

If you’re not paying attention to MOLD and Mildew in your home or workplace… you’re not paying attention to your health!  

There's a fungus among us!  Symptoms of FUNGUS toxicity: allergies, hypersensitivity, fatigue, depression, anxiety, PMS, altered emotions, headaches, diaper rash, ear infections, colic, adrenal fatigue, weight management. Fungi are a major source of illness, affecting all cells and tissues. Poisoning of the body by fungal toxin is called mycotoxicosis. I am helping patients restore a healthy body capable of handling chronic infection by developing a terrain that is unfriendly towards fungi, viruses, bacteria, and other parasites.  

Chronic sinusitis is primarily caused by fungus, not bacteria. If you need help, supporting your immune system and detoxifying through natural methods has been extremely effective at The Liebell Clinic. Anti-fungal medications have not been developed, as they are extremely dangerous. The Mayo Clinic study that revealed the fungal cause was released in 1999, but doctors don’t seem to have told anybody! There's a shocker!   

Suffer yeast infections? Ask me for natural support, and try excluding all grains, sugars, fruits and nuts for a few month    

They are much worse than regular sugar! Aspartame is dangerous, toxic, and should never be consumed by anybody. Never use Splenda or saccharin (pink packets). Artificial sweeteners cause weight gain and can contribute to developing brain tumors, bladder cancer and many other illnesses.  

Stevia is a natural and safe sweetener.  Use only pure organic forms—not sweeteners that simply contain it as an ingredient.   

Don’t drink soda, period! Sugar, aspartame, phosphoric acid, caffeine, tap water and its contaminants (metals, fluoride, chlorine, etc.). Soda is the biggest source of unwanted calories in the U.S.   If you truly want to be healthy, don’t drink soda. 

Decrease your sugar intake. The less of it you eat... the healthier you'll be. 

Sweet tea may be a Southern tradition—but get over it, and take the advice of this Northern-raised doctor… start a new tradition, and only drink unsweetened tea. If you must sweeten (and you don’t need to), use pure stevia (not Truvia or other products).     

The environment and toxins are the most significant causes of cancer—not genetics (New England Journal of Medicine 2000;343:78-85,135-136). 

Clean up your body, your home, and become knowledgeable about the ingredients of everything you put in or on your body.

Teflon pots are toxic; don't use them Avoid aluminum anything!

Sunscreen: has nanoparticles that get into the cells and can themselves cause damage because they carry the chemicals. Sunblock is a better choice, but the ingredients matter. Most have chemicals, especially spray ones (that are convenient but poisons): Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), Titanium dioxide is a potential carcinogen I discourage sunscreens with nanoparticles like titanium oxide. These may be dangerous.  Sunscreens and sunblocks interfere with your body's ability to produce vitamin D.  

Don’t use chemical air fresheners!  They are poison, and have even been linked to cancer! 1,4-dichlorobenzene, or 1,4-DCB is a chemical that is in many of them.  

You  MUST eliminate scented air fresheners, candles, and other toxic chemicals from your home.  This includes many detergents.  Use Seventh Generation products for laundry and dishes, available at Target.

Triclosan: avoid this chemical in antibacterial soaps Plastic containers are mostly toxic. You are eating or drinking chemicals. Use glass whenever possible. There are some plastics that are free of toxic chemicals, but they're hard to find. 

Avoid all personal care products containing Sodium lauryl sulfate: Many shampoos and conditioners are made with this known toxin.   

NEVER use products with parabens: deodorants, makeup, drugs: they cause breast cancer!  n-propylparaben    methylparaben    n-butylparaben   ethylparaben   isobutylparaben are examples.  Horrible stuff!  

Do NOT use deodorants with aluminum or parabens. They may be poisonous and contribute to cancer. Some medical studies suggest there's no cause for alarm. I suggest not taking any chances. There's no way putting chemicals into your armpits is a good idea! The Liebell family never uses aluminum products. It's wellness and preventative advice. 

Excessive fluoride can impair thyroid function. It may also contribute to acne, heart problems, infertility, arthritis, as well as neurological problems. Don't drink fluoridated water. 

Mercury is present in many FDA-approved drugs.  But drug-free treatments are still called “alternative?”  

Keep an eye out for side effects of blood pressure medicine: the New England Journal of Medicine 2000;342:905-912, 969-970  reports some blood pressure drugs increase diabetes!  

Archives of Internal Medicine. October 28, 2002;162:2204-2208 reports that Advil and Aleve May Make Blood Pressure Rise Thinking Point: American Medicine is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.  If this is so, why is safe, natural health care called “alternative?”   

People have different abilities to eliminate toxins. Your constitutional structure matters.  People hold in emotional matters as well as chemical.  Those who can’t “let things go” may have more propensity to gather toxins, and thus are much more difficult to help, regardless of the treatment methods used.   

Microwave ovens, laptop computers, cell phones, etc. emit harmful radiation, and should be taken seriously.  Avoid these and reduce your exposure, whenever possible. 

Cell phones may be a factor in Alzheimer’s.  Obsession with technology CAN hurt you! 

On May 31, 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) stated that cell phones might indeed cause cancer! They indeed classify the electromagnetic fields the devices emit as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" Do what you think is best, but don't say nobody warned you!  A $30-device is available to reduce cell phone radiation, which has been tested to be effective.  

You will never see me with a smart watch on my body. I would not want a cell phone attached to my body, so I recommend you avoid it, too!

Check your home for electromagnetic fields. Our high-tech world is harming us with electrical pollution in the form of fields that harm our cells.  Nobody wants this to be true... but it's true. I use a meter, which can be purchased for around $200 online from various companies.

Inadequate sleep interferes with hormones, and so many other aspects of health, in general. Take this seriously, and ask me, if you need help. Your sleep cycle (circadian rhythm) is a big factor in your immune system's ability to ward off germs!  

Do NOT take melatonin as a daily "natural" sleep aid. Occasional usage is fine, however, long term usage is not. You may have read dozens of articles from reputable sources that say it's fine... I don't care what they say! If you give your body melatonin, your PINEAL gland in your brain (the "mother" gland) will shut down production, which leads to hormonal imbalance.  Melatonin is a chemical closely tied to your circadian rhythm. Melatonin is an important antioxidant, created in your brain during sleep. If you've got sleep problems, make sure you discuss your situation with me!  

Avoid watching the evening news right before bed. Does watching the “tragedy report” give you a healthy mindset for sleep? I think not! It might be even better to avoid the news, period! 

America is a sedentary nation! Life used to be exercise. Generations ago, nobody needed to "work out." If you are planted behind a desk or stuck in the car for much of your day, you’re not alone. Modern technology and our modern lifestyles results in people being less active than ever (I was sitting when I typed this!). We do not need the American Heart Association or any medical studies to prove that a lack of movement contributes to illness. This truly is not rocket science... get up and move. If you just walk regularly; you're doing yourself a favor. What a surprise... exercise is important! 

Don’t trust Wikipedia for health information.  It is a collection of articles not necessarily written by experts.  It can be edited by anybody to say anything, true or otherwise!  Proof of this is Wikipedia's posting on the subject of Auricular Therapy (ear acupuncture).  If you're interested, check out their description http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auriculotherapy, which suggests there's no scientific basis. Around 1,500 positive studies published in medical ournals say otherwise... as do Liebell Clinic patients, who've experienced it! 

Do deep breathing exercises:  Take long deep breaths in through your nose (your belly should bulge out, rather than your chest rising up)… hold a few seconds… and exhale through your mouth as much as you can… and repeat 10x. Can you breath too much? Your cells need the oxygen.         

If you are dealing with lots of stress, be aware that your health problems can take longer to improve.  Stress interferes with immune system function, and makes you more susceptible to colds, and reduces wound healing.  I will not presume to suggest that it's easy to "manage stress" or eliminate it.  I just want you to know that it's a factor in your health recovery, no matter what treatment approaches you're taking.  

Find out everything you can from many sources about: antidepressants, statin drugs, thyroid medicine, hormone replacement therapy, osteoporosis drugs, sleeping pills, flu shots and ongoing use of antibiotics. Draw your own conclusions about what is used in conventional Western medicine!