70% of modern health problems are directly caused by lifestyle choices. SEVENTY percent! What would your life be like if almost 3 of every 4 illnesses, disorders or concerns that came your way … didn’t.

What troubles me the most about this statistic is that so many of us already know or at least suspect that, but we still don’t make the change. My husband and I (admittedly documentary junkies) were watching a film last night about another health crusader trying to spread the word about prevention.

Normally I avoid such films and shows and last night once again provided evidence of why… whether it’s Jamie Oliver or Joe Cross – or your or I, the response is almost always the same – a combination of 1) it doesn’t really work, 2) it’s too much trouble, or 3) I’ve already tried the natural route (or know someone that did). And I find myself both saddened and frustrated!

To take a closer look at each of these:

1) it doesn’t really work… not so! Epidemiologists, scientists, researchers, professionals, just about ANYONE that spends any time reading through medical literature can verify that yes, prevention does work! The American Cancer Society tells us that 75-80% of all cancer related deaths are directly related to environmental choices. Not genetics! The experts that devote their lives to researching how we get sick are telling us that we don’t usually have to! What would the country look like if we could prevent / save: almost 3/4 of the dollars spent on illness (medication, days lost in work or productivity, treatment, specialist visits), 3 out of 4 or even 4 out of 5 of the deaths lost to cancer, nearly 3 out of 4 of the health concerns we face – lost days from our lives that could have been better spent elsewhere – instead of sick in bed!

2) it’s too hard… I’ve been up close and personal with a struggle to beat cancer – and seen cancer win. I’ve seen children facing life threatening illnesses that emotionally tear up their parents. I’ve seen individuals of all ages in pain, struggling to enjoy their days despite a chronic health concern. *That’s* too much trouble. Cancer occurring at a rate that is quadruple (or more) what it should be is too much trouble. Diabetes, obesity and adrenal fatigue are too much trouble. Changing simple lifestyle habits – a route I’d prefer any day.

3) I’ve tried it – or my friend has – This one needs it’s own blog post really, but here’s what that usually means: I’ve tried the latest fad diet, I’ve tried the gov’t food pyramid (or revised pyramid, or circle), I’ve taken the latest cool health supplement, I’ve been taking the newest MLM product. I’ve had people tell me they need to take medicine because eating raisins didn’t cure their chronic inflammation, coconut oil didn’t cure their cancer and vinegar didn’t cure their GERD. I’ve seen people eat hot dogs while telling me bananas are bad for you, and eating cake while telling me yogurt is bad for you. I’m not at all advocating the trendy, pseudo-science that passes through communities faster than the illnesses they claim to cure. I’m advocating an evidence based, scientific and rational approach to life. Make the claim back itself up with evidence – both modern scientific and time tested. When formula was introduced as the superior infant food, babies died. When margarine was introduced to replace “bad” saturated fats, heart disease and inflammatory conditions skyrocketed. Processed foods result in chronic health concerns. That’s backed by scientific in multiple languages.

So, what to do? Educate yourself! We have more resources available to us than ever before. Thanks to modern conveniences, students study wellness through our school in over a dozen countries across multiple continents. Get a book on real foods, read labels, make simple lifestyle changes. Each of these baby steps will add up – and you’ll see a difference!

Its finally here! Our newest program is now available and we’ve already begin registering Natural Living Educators! Our brand new Essential Series is designed to address the massive confusion and misinformation that abounds regarding natural living, public health and real foods.

The United States spends over $6,000 annually per person on health care. That’s nearly 3 times more than the next highest country’s health care costs in the world. What does that get us? Embarrassing life expectancy and infant mortality rates that don’t even begin to measure up to other countries. Our children are the first generation in over a hundred years to face a lower life expectancy rate than their parents enjoyed. Much of this is preventable, due to obesity, lifestyle and simple bad habits. When the rates are already sub-par, that’s a highly disturbing trend.

We want to see that trend reversed, and we know it’s possible through basic lifestyle changes and evidence based prevention. We also know it can be fun and enjoyable to implement new habits; there’s no reason for it to be a chore. So, our new essentials series is designed to do just that – promote the essentials of wellness across the globe. We’re training and certifying Natural Living Educators to take the real foods and natural health programs into homes, churches, physician’s offices and community centers in their local own cities and towns. They’ll provide 4 week classes that are packed with practical information, tips and tools to implement these changes. Each class will feature DVD clips from me, with essential health information for these new habits, and hands on sessions with the Natural Living Educator where participants will learn how to make simple natural remedies at home, how to transform family favorite recipes to feature real foods, how to save money on real foods and so much more! (Supplies for these projects are included in the participant kit, which the Natural Living Educator obtains from us, packaged in a convenient reusable shopping bag!)

If you’re already passionate about real foods and natural health, and already have essentials habits in your home, you’d make a perfect Natural Living Educator! The program is brand new, so you have a special opportunity to be one of the very first in your area to offer these classes! AND, the first 25 educators to purchase training kits will save $100 on their costs! We’ve already begun registering educators, so that won’t last long!

Before I send you over to the website, there’s also one more important aspect of this program. When you attend a Vintage Remedies Essentials Class, you make it possible for us to support health education in less wealthy nations. We’re sponsoring pre-natal and child development classes in Haiti that teach women life saving skills such as malaria prevention, healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding support. Don’t forget to click on the Giving Back tab when you head over to the website.

And of course, we will be posting the next giveaways soon. Today’s are big! To get a head start, you can go ahead and like our brand new Essentials facebook page and follow us on our new Essentials twitter account. Then subscribe to our Essentials newsletter and share us on your social networks.  That will give you bonus entries once the contest is posted!

With the launch of our big new project a mere 2 days away, we’re working overtime here at the Vintage Remedies office. There are so many important details about the new program that we don’t want you to miss. So, even though we can’t tell you what it is just yet, we can give you some pointers of things not to miss when it comes out. (And you might just call these subtle hints about the awesomeness of the new launch!!)

1. Giving Back. We’ve always dreamed of having a one-to-one aspect to Vintage Remedies, but haven’t had just the right project to make that work. Now we do and we’re so excited about this feature of the new launch. So, when we make our big announcement Tuesday, don’t miss the “Giving Back” tab on the right!

2. Connections. This new launch will have its own facebook fan page, twitter page and newsletter – completely separate from the regular Vintage Remedies pages. On these new pages, we’ll post even MORE practical tips for natural living. Don’t forget to sign up, like us and follow us! (And here’s a hint – you’ll earn more entries in our giveaways when you do!)

3. Benefits. This new launch is extremely versatile! It benefits the workplace, medical professionals, families, childbirth professionals and so many more people! (Confused yet? It’ll all make sense Tuesday…) So, if you’re a medical, childbirth or wellness professional, an employer, a mom or a part of a family (that’s everyone!) be sure to click on the “Benefits” tab to see how this new launch will best benefit you and your unique needs!

4. Completely Unique. Sometimes we take a concept that’s already being done and do it better. We did that with our Herbalist courses, and are proud to offer the best available! But sometimes, we get a little creative and come up with a completely new idea that’s never been done before. Like Vintage Remedies for Girls, Guys and Kids. We love both types of projects, but this one is completely unlike anything else. Make sure you read through the description to fully explore all of the great features and components of the new launch. Trust us – having worked on each individual aspect of the project, we know there are features galore!

5. Exclusivity. We’re thrilled about this new launch and expect it to be a HUGE hit. To share our excitement, the first 25 to participate will benefit from some special savings. Unlike our previous releases where the pre-release phase was determined by a specific date, this one is restricted to the first 25, so you don’t want to delay. Plus, there are big benefits to being the first in your area… you’ll see why on Tuesday!

Excited yet? We are! We’ll be posting more giveaways soon. The next three will have a combined retail value of OVER $500! Definitely stay posted, enter the giveaways and join us Tuesday for the big announcement. We know you’ll love it as much as we do. See you then!