Yes. Yes, they do…and far more people believe in astrology than you might think. A Gallup poll showed that about 1 in 4 American, Canadian, and British people believe in this stuff. As you may have suspected, more women believe in astrology than men do.

Although I wouldn’t have included extraterrestrials as part of a paranormal poll, the results pertaining to astrology are interesting. Take a look at these graphs:

(Source: www.gallup.com)

The human race has advanced so far and yet there is no shortage of ignorance. The phenomenon of silly beliefs such as astrology are a sad reminder of this fact. This type of pseudo-science not only holds society back, but it is morally wrong and deceitful.

Astrology is a business. There’s a reason you find it in newspapers. It’s been shown to increase circulation of newspapers, so for the sake of money, they include them. Ironically, these publications are still called “news”-papers and not “whatever-makes-money”-papers.

The scam artists who call themselves astrologers get paid a lot of money to prey on peoples’ insecurities. Even some stock market scam artists get scammed by the astrology scam. “Financial astrology” is the practice of using stars and planets as a guide to investing. Sounds pretty stupid, but it exists.

Ironically, the Google Ads on this page will probably be for horoscopes or something…SMH

Now technically, the southwestern Pacific island Nauru is at the top of the list with 94.5% of it’s adult population being overweight, but the population there is only about 10,000. Not surprising that Nauru also leads the world in the percentage of people with type 2 diabetes, with other dietary related health problems also causing major concern. Just as you might expect, Nauru has a low life expectancy as well. How about Burger King…you wanna go there instead?

Getting back to the report by the American Institute for Cancer Research, it found that obesity was mainly responsible for:

- 49 percent of endometrial cancer cases
- 35 percent of esophageal cancer cases
- 28 percent of pancreatic cancer cases
- 24 percent of kidney cancer cases
- 21 percent of gallbladder cancer cases
- 17 percent of breast cancer cases
- 9 percent of colorectal cancer cases

Here are some other interesting facts about obesity and cancer in the United States:

- responsible for about 25 percent of deaths annually
- the #1 cause of cancer in non-smokers
- 50% higher chance of developing cancer

Besides cancer, obesity also causes heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure and strokes. Not only that, but by being obese, people are hurting their chances of survival if they do get cancer and making treatment more difficult.

“Uhh…yeah, I’ll take a double heart attack with a side order of cancer. Thaaaaaaanks.”

It’s kind of a no brainer, but looking at the numbers, countries that have been industrialized have seen a significant rise in obesity. The rise in genetically modified ingredients and fast food restaurants don’t make it easy for the uninformed person to avoid being at risk. It’s a simple equation really. Take processed food that is high in fat, sugar, sodium, and/or calories, add that to a steady habit of no exercise, and you’ll soon find yourself having to buy 2 plane tickets whenever you decide to fly somewhere.

Alright, I know that was a little harsh, but to all my fat friends that want to turn your lives around, listen up. Whatever your excuse may be, if you really want to lose the weight, you have do a few simple things. First, you MUST, I repeat, you MUST stop eating processed food and going to KFC every day. Trust me. I live healthy right now, but there was a 2 month period this past year when I was eating out constantly and microwaving TV dinners, which caused me to gain 10 pounds of fat. Once I realized what was happening, I immediately stopped subjecting my poor body to those bad eating habits and got back to exercising routinely. I quickly lost the excess fat and I’m never going back.

Speaking of exercise, this is something you can’t take lightly. You must exercise because you must burn more calories than you’re eating in order to lose the weight. Fat is stored energy, and in order for your body to get to it, it needs to have a reason to use it! Hit the gym 5 days a week and hop on that treadmill. PUSH YOURSELF! Don’t go on there and start walking slowly while talking on your cell phone. Get on the treadmill and start a healthy jog. Add that to some weight lifting and you’ll be on your way. The added muscle will aid in replacing the fat tissue and speed up your weight loss. It’s not hard. It’s very simple.

If you can’t afford a gym membership or are uncomfortable in that setting, you can jog outside. Also, go and get yourself some simple equipment that you could use at home to strengthen your muscles. It’s very important that you do both. I won’t get into specific training programs in this article, but Google is definitely your friend.

So far, the equation involves not eating processed and/or genetically modified foods in addition to a steady exercise routine. Now, you must develop healthy eating habits. I’m not going to lie to you. At first, healthy food doesn’t taste as good as your preferred fast food restaurant’s Heart Attack Delight Menu, but you quickly get used to it. In fact, now I prefer the taste of healthy foods. Eating something with too much sugar or fat actually tastes bad to me at this point. My body rejects it.

As for which healthy foods to eat, that’s another topic for another time, but I highly recommend talking to a homeopathic doctor about this. They can help you figure out the perfect meal plan and get you started on the path to weight loss. Creating a healthy meal plan is a very personal thing and outside the scope of this article, but you’ve probably heard that eating six SMALL meals aids weight loss. It’s true and I’ll write another article going over this particular topic soon.

This last tip is only for those who think they have a food addiction. If you feel the urge to eat excessively, you need to biologically trick yourself in order to change your bad habits and start eating more sensibly. If you were mentally strong enough, you wouldn’t even be at this point. It’s sad, but true. If you think you need a crutch to get you started on the road to weight loss, here it is: flax seed.

Start off with a tablespoon of whole flax seeds per 100 lbs of body weight and add them to a large cup of water. When added to water, whole flax seeds expand and become gelatin-like. Leave it overnight so the seeds expand and drink it for breakfast everyday. They will fill up your stomach and you will feel full without having to eat a lot of food. Make sure to eat something like fresh vegetables or fruit (but preferably vegetables) with it in order to kick start your metabolism. This trick should keep you from feeling hungry all the time and over eating.

The swollen flax seed and water solution is very good for cleansing and constipation as well. Try not to chew the seeds because this will help with the cleansing process by not releasing the oily contents.

People who suffer from diverticulosis should avoid the flax seed tip I provided here. Do not ingest whole flax seeds if you suffer from this condition as the seeds may get trapped inside the small pockets that may have formed in your intestinal lining.

So there you have it. You could write countless books about this topic, so just know that I only went over the very basics. I encourage everyone to do thorough research before making any life altering decisions.

Now, I know this site is supposed to be mainly about positive news and I’ve been using a harsh tone, but if it gets you on your way to beating obesity and living a long healthy life, that’s about as positive as it gets.

LEGAL STUFF:
This is just information I’m providing. I’m not responsible if you abuse the information. You should talk to a physician BEFORE you begin any weight loss program or routine to ensure that you’re not endangering your well being. I, nor anyone involved with MonkeyLog.com, is liable for the decisions that you decide to make with your life.

A study published last week in the British Journal of Cancer echoed what has been suspected for years: turmeric can be used to prevent and treat cancer. The chemical curcumin, an extract found in turmeric, was shown to trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death signals) in cancerous cell within 24 hours of the treatment being applied. The scientists are hoping new cancer treatments or supplements can be developed utilizing curcumin extract.

Our cells have a programmed life cycle. Between 50 to 70 billion cells die each day in the average human adult. When cells mutate and apoptosis doesn’t occur the way it should, the uncontrolled abnormal growth of cells is what we call cancer. Curcumin essentially treats cancer at the basic root of the problem.

If you want to read the actual study itself, here is the link for it’s summary on the British Journal of Cancer’s website: http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v101/n9/abs/6605308a.html

The BJC’s recent study was done on oesophageal cancer cell lines, but the health benefits of turmeric don’t stop there. The extract from the bright yellow curry, derived from the underground stems of Curcuma longa, has long been known to have many medicinal uses. Listed below are some conditions or situations that turmeric can be used as a treatment for:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Antibacterial
• Antiseptic
• Anti-inflammatory
• Arthritis
• Breast cancer
• Childhood leukemia
• Colorectal cancer
• Cystic fibrosis
• Depression
• Fat metabolism
• Healing of wounds and skin
• Inflammatory skin conditions
• Liver detoxification
• Lung cancer
• Melanoma
• Metastasis prevention
• Multiple myeloma
• Multiple sclerosis
• Painkiller
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer (when mixed with cauliflower)
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Tumors (preventing and treating)
• Weight loss (fat metabolism)
• Wound healing

Turmeric can be added to your food, but can also be taken as a supplement in capsule form. I personally use it in a variety of recipes on a regular basis. I have family members who also take turmeric supplements.

So what’s the catch? Something with so many health benefits surely has a few side effects to go with it, right? Well, turmeric is natural so you’re generally going to be fine. Side effects are rare, but pregnant women and people with gallstones should exercise caution. If you have any existing health problems, heart or liver issues, blood clotting disorders, or you’re currently taking medications, speak with a physician before deciding whether or not to start turmeric supplementation.

If this has you wondering how something so simple could treat cancer, among other things, then I recommend you also speak with a homeopathic doctor. Explain your problems to them and they can guide you in the right direction when it comes to natural treatments. One of the most important things we can do is educate ourselves, our family, and our friends and be pro-active in preventing disease.