INTERVIEW
Interview with Mark Isaac Thyss, Publisher and Editor of Garden of Healing®
By Melanie J. Appleton, Journalist
December 19, 2007
Reporter Melanie Appleton sits down with Mark Isaac Thyss, Publisher and Editor of Garden of Healing® www.gardenofhealing.net
MJA:
Good Morning Mark. Thank you for this second interview. I want to start off by asking you to talk further about your interest in health information.
MIT:
Thank you Melanie. I have broad and eclectic interests in a variety of health information, but most importantly, I seek to apply my research to real-world problems and needs. For example, no matter whom I meet, I immediately focus (without their knowledge in most cases) on where this person is at health-wise. From there, my eyes are always peeled for a solution, for information.
What I mean by this is; right now I have been searching for foods, etc. that will help one of my brothers with a sleeping problem. In the case of my mother, she and I are always talking about bone density and mineral loss. These discussions end up in finding solutions, and this is fun for both of us.
MJA:
Can you give me examples of what you and your mother have found to help her bones remain strong?
MIT:
One very important thing: eliminate drinking colas!
My mother is 74, and calcium loss and bone density are important issues for many seniors. My mother read that phosphoric acid, an ingredient found on the labels of soda drink cans, sucks calcium right out of your bones like a leech.
Phosphoric acid in cola beverages binds to the calcium in your gut, which then keeps the calcium from being absorbed.
Bone density and phosphoric acid: http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/802/2003/09/25/Tucker/
She stopped drinking all sodas years ago and tells all her friends to do the same.
We also actively discuss dark green, leafy vegetables and how these deliver calcium and magnesium. We make sure she eats broccoli, salad, parsley and collard greens.
And, I have her taking one tablespoon of liquid calcium magnesium citrate every day. We both like a product by LifeTime/Nutritional Specialties, Inc. http://www.lifetimevitamins.com/
MJA:
Drinking soda interfers with bone mineral density?
MIT:
Yes. Drinking soda, especially every day, will inhibit the formation of new bone.
I avoid soft drinks for yet another reason, the aspartame. I have bitterly struggled myself with fibromyalgia, and for me, sodas are a big no-no.
Prevention is key; avoiding high fructose corn syrup (HFC), phosphoric acid in soda, and aspartame in anything and everything, is a battle I am always fighting.
MJA:
Garden of Healing® www.gardenofhealing.net is about the use of food as medicine. Is this what you mean by prevention?
MIT:
Yes. It's about eating what truly heals, and identifying and avoiding what simply cannot.
My niece has had major complaints and serious stomach problems over the last 10 years, yet when I see her drinking, it's often 3-5 cans of soda all at one time. So is the life of a teenager. Then she wonders what is giving her such bad stomach problems.
Instead of drinking soft drinks (especially bad at night before bed), I advise her to brew a valerian & mint tea. Valerian tea will help anyone to sleep better. I actually drink valerian & mint tea cold at dinnertime.
MJA:
So ridding your diet of processed foods, especially HFC, is essentially eliminating an irritant. What other foods do you recommend eating or drinking?
MIT:
I love having green tea in the morning. Other beverages tend to make me feel weak. Green tea makes me feel solid and strong. I simply feel a great sense of physical "wellness" when I start the day with green tea.
This is not to say that I don't struggle with coffee. I love coffee a bit too much - this is another battle I fight. In the end, I do limit coffee, especially by not having it after 1pm in the afternoon.
I wish I could get myself to drink green tea all day, but this is unlikely to happen. I am as normal as anyone else when it comes to struggling with these food and drink issues, but I think I have made good progress. Well, yes it's true - I have made incredible progress, I should say.
MJA:
It sounds like you focus on the behavior of family and friends, and that you have a knack for remembering their "food issues".
MIT:
Absolutely! I know alot of people driven crazy by acid reflux. Acid reflux ocurrs especially during the night. If you wake up in the morning and one side of your throat is "burned", that's the stomach acid rising up and burning the inside of your throat where your head is laying on the pillow.
I tell everyone to avoid white bread. Sprouted grain bread is my recommendation in all cases. In the end, it's a game of reaching for the "good stuff" and avoiding or limiting "the bad".
MJA:
What other "foods as medicine" do you recommend?
MIT:
I feel better when I have salad every day. I feel solid and healthy when I eat them.
Dark green leafy greens; the calcium and magnesium really help you to sleep more deeply and restfully. If I had to make a recommendation, this is what I would advise each and every person; to eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables.
MJA:
Thank you again Mr. Thyss. I look forward to our next interview together. And, I will check out your company's content at: www.gardenofhealing.net. Is there anything else you'd like to add in closing?
MIT:
Yes. Nourish yourself in everything you do! If you can do this, Garden of Healing's core message will have been realized in you.
© 2007 Melanie J. Appleton. All Rights Reserved.
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