Laughter

One thing I love, love, LOVE about my relationship with my husband is how we are constantly making each other laugh. 

Laughter is medicine.  My best friend is a lymphoma survivor, God bless her.  She would watch "I Love Lucy" often when she was sick because she knew that it was helpful.  We often call each other on our worst days because we know that the other will listen, but also because we can make each other laugh over our worst times.  Looking at pictures of us brings me so much happiness because all I do is giggle over some of the silliest things that we would do together.

If you don't get a good laugh from the following two minute clip, I challenge you to find something that will.  Jeff Allen is a comedian that my husband and I enjoy watching very much.  Here is one of our favorite clips:

Sugar II

There are natural sugars and natural sugarless sweeteners available.  I find that honey, real maple syrup (not the Mrs. Butterworth junk for example) and coconut palm sugar do the job and they don’t make me ill.  For some, like those with Candida or any other yeast infection, there shouldn't be any such sweetener your diet, at least until you heal.  Anyone who has problems with obesity also needs to cut sugars to a minimum.  Stevia and xylitol are ways to sweeten foods and avoid sugar.  I fully admit that stevia is an acquired taste.  I also confess I don’t possess that acquired taste yet.  There are some things I enjoy stevia with.  For example, there is a rice protein shake that I'll drink before a workout; I sweeten this with stevia.  I also make kettle corn without sugar, I actually enjoy popcorn with stevia very much.  Xylitol is something that I use very rarely.  I've used it mostly for baking.  Because xylitol is something that can't be eaten generously, I tend to use some xylitol with some other natural sweetener.

In any case, the processed white junk is just something to be avoided...ALWAYS.  My chiropractor actually refers to it as white death because all that it has to offer is illness.  Cane sugar isn’t necessarily bad, although it may not be for everyone.  Some shouldn’t ingest cane sugar at all; but for the people who can, there is quality raw sugar available.  Just be sure to purchase it from a market or store with integrity and standards.  There are products disguised as raw sugar but they are basically molasses mixed with other processed junk which isn't better than white sugar.

With the many problems with obesity in this country, I can see why so many try to demonize sugar.  Sugar itself isn't bad.  There is natural sugar in many nutrient rich foods, the refined white junk that we know of comes from natural sources; either sugar beet or sugar cane.  Sugar isn't the problem or the enemy, the problem is what happens to the sugar during processing.  By the time it is ready to be sold, it is then our enemy.

Sugar

In a normal American diet sugar is one of the most difficult ingredients to avoid.  It is in just about everything.  The foods you least expect to have sugar, often have sugar.

According to Natural Health magazine there are many reasons why you need to address and remedy a sugar addiction.  Sugar can tamper with the nervous system and promote anxiety.  Addictions to sugar can lead to vitamin B deficiencies ending in depression or the exacerbation of depression.  Excess sugar creates a greater demand for insulin which can lead to insulin resistance which can end in weight gain and type II diabetes.  If you get migraines, have fibromyalgia or any kind of learning disability one of the worst things that you can do for yourself is maintain a diet high in sugar.  Vaginal yeast infections and Candida both LOVE bodies that are filled with sugar because yeast feeds on it. 

What are some ways to wean yourself off of sugar?

Cosmetics/ Make-up

I’m very careful about what I put on my skin.  If I apply it to my skin, it may be absorbed into my bloodstream.  Over the past two or three years, I’ve been finding more cosmetics in their natural form.

My favorite cosmetics are made by Ecco Bella.  Their make-up is made up of natural ingredients.  They admit that other than their Shampoo, Conditioner, Mascara and Natural Foundation all of their products are preservative free.  They also mention that their mascara contains paraben.  Now, even though I wish that the mentioned products were as natural as their other products are, because they warn their consumers that the mentioned items aren’t quite where they would like them to be, I trust them more.  At least I know where they are and they aren’t hiding information that I would need to know.  I use their eye shadow, blush and eye pencil. 

I don’t wear make-up very often, however, it’s good to know that when I want to, there are wonderful products available.

Berky

My doctor liked this filter not only because it takes so many toxins out of tap water, but also because it is made of stainless steel.  We subscribe to water for drinking, however, the water that we use for cooking is tap water filtered by Berky.


We have "Big Berky" which is the smallest container in the line up to the left.  The picture makes it seem very small, but it holds about a gallon of water.  With all the steaming of veggies and tea that we drink, it's amazing how that gallon of water goes a long way.


There are a couple of filters to choose from.  There is white Berky and black Berky; although I haven't seen white Berky on the market lately and I'm wondering if it was discontinued.  Each has it's own advantage.  The black Berky takes more junk out of the water so we use that one.  After every 15,000 gallons you need to change the filters.  If I remember correctly, the white Berky can be cleaned and reused indefinitely.

Although black Berky is amazing and it removes so much, there are some things it doesn't remove enough of.  There are attachments that remove heavy metal, fluoride and more.  These you must change more frequently; about every 1000 gallons.  We use this to greatly reduce the fluoride in our drinking water.  The shown filters reduce it by 95%.

So fear not.  There is a way to reduce the poisons in our water.  We don't have to live with the nasty toxins.  As one of my readers said, if they want poison in their water they can keep it in their own glass and leave the rest of us out of it.

Lactose Intolerance/ Probiotics

One nutrient that lactose intolerant people may be missing is probiotics.  If you're like me and you were on antibiotics a lot as a child, this may be something necessary to keep from getting ill.  Candida was like this vile, sneaky serial attacker in my early adulthood.  I would get a black scaly rash somewhere on my skin, then I would have an outbreak of this rash.  Of course when I went to an MD, he gave me a cream for the rash.  When I went to another doctor who was more naturalistic, he put me on a yeast free diet for three months and the rash went away.  To avoid ever having to go through this diet again, I made sure that I ingested ample probiotics.

Yogurt is an excellent source of probiotics.  Now, I find that yogurt doesn’t have enough lactose to hurt me unless I eat a lot of it.  But there are ways around it in case you are that sensitive.  Goat’s milk has less lactose than cow’s milk.  I have a relative who has more severe symptoms when he drinks milk; he will get arthritis.  Goat’s milk doesn’t do this to him, but cow’s milk will.  Therefore, one way to get around the lactose intake is by drinking goat yogurt.  If you find that you are sensitive to even that, you may have to resort to supplements.  I’ve written about a product called Inner Eco, it’s a coconut kefir that I love.  I drink a shot glass of this stuff every day.  New Chapter is a reputable vitamin company who has a probiotic product as well.

Allergies can be a real drag, especially in cases like lactose intolerance when it deprives us of nutrients.  Remember, however, there is often a healthy way around it.  You just have to find it, and go for it.  I hope this post was helpful.

Lactose Intolerance and Calcium

“Drink your milk for strong healthy bones!” is yet another buzz in America.  I shake my head every time I hear it now.  The number of people that I know with lactose intolerance is high.  I myself can’t drink milk.  I can eat cheese and butter; however, unless I want a chronic cough, I must eat it sparingly.  For those who can drink milk, enjoy it!  It’s good stuff.  It just isn’t for everyone.

Dr. Connett talked about how a lack of calcium in a fluoridated community can raise the chances of dental fluorosis.   He also stated that many black people are lactose intolerant.  Because they aren’t getting enough calcium, black communities run a higher risk of dental fluorosis.  What’s sad is, many professionals like him unknowingly imply that it is the only source of calcium.  Well, good news!  Milk isn’t the only source of calcium.  In fact, it may not even be the best source of calcium.  I posted about Chia/ Salba seeds a while back.  They offer an abundance of calcium.  In fact, Salba seeds contain even more calcium than milk.  Dark, leafy green vegetables are a fabulous source of calcium.  The beauty of dark leafy greens is that they offer an abundance of many other nutrients as well.  If you feel that this isn’t enough, there are always whole food vitamin supplements.  Garden of Life produces a vitamin supplement that is a blend of dark leafy greens; it comes as a powder or a tablet.

So for all of my lactose intolerant friends out there, don't despair.  Yes, milk does a body good as the American dairy farmers tell us on TV, however, there are many other things that do our body good that we shouldn't rule out even if we can drink milk.  If you're going after nutrients, it comes from a variety of good things, milk just happens to be one of them.  I've been very consistent with putting salba in my food in the morning, and I've been very careful about getting my raw food intake on a daily basis.  If what you eat as a whole is good, there isn't a need to worry about not getting enough milk.

Feedback on Fluoridation

Here is some amazing feedback that I received from one of my readers:

"There are many large scientific studies to show that that drinking fluoridated water has no effect on cavity reduction and to show that it causes cancer and other health problems. The best source for scientific information on fluoridation can be found here: (www.fluoridealert.org).
If fluoride were "proven," there should be evidence of its glory in Kentucky, which has been 100% fluoridated for over 40 years. Kentucky, however, leads the nation in the number of dental cavities in children, and in the number of completely toothless adults, according to government records. The same ineffectiveness is evident in many states and cities.

Most of Europe (16 countries) has rejected fluoridation and is 98% fluoride free. and the WHO reports that they have a better tooth decay rate than any fluoridated country.
If you want fluoride in your water, put it in your own glass of water; leave the rest of us out of it. "


Be Well My Friends responds:

"Wow! I am with you 100% and then some as far as your last comment:  if you want to drink the poison, keep it in your own glass. My husband and I are considering a whole house filter.  We've even looked at reverse osmosis. I may not drink the water out of the tap, but I wash my vegetables in tap water so I'm sure there is some of that junk in our food if not our water. Disgusting!

Thank you so much for that enlightening feedback!"

Cosmetics/ Moisturizers

I used to use all natural lotions to moisturize, but I stopped doing that because there are many natural moisturizers that are far closer to their natural form.

There are three that I use these days; coco butter, shea butter and coconut oil.  Coco butter is one of my favorites.  I read an article that suggests coco butter for your skin when you are pregnant to reduce stretch marks.  I scrape some out of its container (coco butter is very hard when it is cool) and then make a butter bar from it, then I rub the bar on my skin.  It has this nice chocolaty smell that I love.   Shea butter is suggested for the same purpose.  The good thing about the shea butter that I use, is that it's not as hard as the coco butter so you can use it right out of its container.   I’ve used it in my hair as a conditioner as well.  My hair is so dry that it can tolerate shea butter without getting greasy providing that I put it in my hair while my hair is still wet.  Coconut oil I use for the same purpose; as a moisturizer and a hair conditioner.  I’ve been using the coconut oil more often than the other two recently.  I just love the smell, I love what it does for my skin and hair and the best thing about it is the price.

There are lotions out there that are pretty good, however, if you're like me and you would prefer something closer to its natural form, try my suggestions. As always comments, questions and furthermores are welcome.

Air Fresheners

I know every household and office have their days when air freshener is just necessary.  Restrooms get stinky or that guy in the next cubicle brought his potent smelling mystery meat that he made for lunch again.  Of course when he microwaves the darn thing EVERYONE has to suffer.  Many love Lysol for its air freshening quality and because it is a germ killer as well.  But I hold my breath when this is sprayed.  For years I've known that it's toxic.  I didn't know what about it was bad, but my whole body reacts to such products.  Finally, I read an article about a suspicion that air fresheners can be partially responsible for breast cancer.  Although I haven’t read or heard about any studies that show that paraben causes cancer; paraben has been found in breast cancer tumors.  This is one of many reasons why I stick to natural products.  Paraben doesn’t have any significant place in the air and in our lungs and bloodstream, so let’s just not put it there.

My husband did some research on natural odor absorbers when we went house hunting.  We found a very nice house (in every other way) but it stunk to high heavens of cigarette smoke.  One thing he found that surprised me was charcoal.  Most people know about baking soda.  In a scenario like the one I mentioned above, you may want something that works more quickly.  There are air freshening sprays available that don’t contain the parabens or any other harsh toxins.

Don’t stick to the common products because you think you have to.  Introduce the natural products to your peers so that you don’t have to inhale the toxin infested junk that everyone is so used to.

Alternative Medicine (Part III)

You will rarely read anything on this blog that praises the pharmaceutical industry, yet I’m careful not to blast them too abominably.  As I've mentioned repetitively, in some cases their products are necessary or even better than any alternative.  I do believe, however, that the pharmaceutical industry has gained much too much power in the world of healthcare.  

Every third person I knew in elementary school had their tonsils taken out.  I would be surprised if those individuals didn’t have health issues today.  Then there is the whole vaccine fiasco.  The sad part is, vaccines could actually be VERY effective if only they would (to quote Jenny McCarthy) “take the crap out” and use safer methods to vaccinate our children.  Then there is the whole disappointment with fluoridation; putting a toxic poison in our water supply to protect rotting teeth.  Meanwhile fluoride has done nothing for teeth; except offer a grand welcome to the world of fluoridosis and other health problems as well.  My dentist doesn’t push fluoride on me.  He admits that fluoride doesn’t make our teeth better and certainly will not use fluoride infested products in my mouth per my request.

Again, when drugs are needed, I will take them.  I'm just sad about what healthcare has become.  Healthcare is about which drugs will make you better.  That is a poor perspective if you ask me.  The physicians who practice naturopathic medicine try to find the root of the problem and then try to figure out what the body needs to heal.  This is the method I will continue to choose.

Health and Politics: A Personal Statement II

I want to repeat and make clear that I'm not on board with the idea that the government is conspiring to make us all sick; however, this is one area of healthcare where I wish the government would get involved more for the good of the community.

Suspending for the moment the many reasons why I am so angry and against the way some things are done, for example thimerosal in vaccines, there was a reason behind some of these actions.  Thimerosal, for example, was added to vaccines originally to save lives.  In 1928 a man named Dr. Ewing George Thomson made what started out as a promising attempt to immunize children against diphtheria.  The first set of 21 children who were injected were fine.  About three days later another 21 children were injected with the vaccine from the same vile; this time 11 of the 21 children died because of dangerous microbes that found their way into the vile.  Thimerosal would have killed anything that would have found it's way into the vile, however, because of it's very horrifying and sometimes deadly side effects, I think it is long past time that we look for another way to protect ourselves from a similar fate.

I think it is important to support our government even when we don't agree with them; at the same time, when the government is wrong the government is wrong.  There is nothing wrong with exercising our right to freedom of speech and coming forth to make our views known.  I have great hope that in the near future we can take an objective look around us and be real about what is building our community and what is damaging it.  When we don't want to do something about the elements that are toxic to us such as the fluoridation of water supply, I have hope that one day we can be honest about why.  Until all of this happens, however, there are steps that we can take to protect our own inner space and the environment that exists around our families.  I'm taking those steps even today, and I'll contiue to share how on this blog. ;-)

Health and Politics: A Personal Statement

I know that what I’ve presented on this blog so far has probably placed vaccines, the CDC, the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry in a very poor light.  Even though I question some of the decisions they made and I can’t understand why they withhold information sometimes, people do things for a reason.  In situations like this, as irresponsible as some of their actions were, I’m not trying to personalize it and state that people are doing it to be evil.

There are countless theories out in the world wide web that the government is conspiring to make us all sick.  Now I admit due to some VERY irresponsible decisions the government has made, there is some pretty damning evidence out there.  However, as bad as things may look for the government, I'm not on board with this suspicion.  In every conspiracy, there is a leader with a motive for his/her agenda.  Why would anyone in the government make deliberate attempts to make their own children sick?  On the same token, allowing fluoridation in the water supply, allowing thimerosal in vaccines and not conducting further observations of the ramifications of these actions all makes these conspiracy theorists look pretty convincing.

I'm curious about some of your thoughts.  Please comment or email me some feedback, I look forward to hearing from you.

Fluoridation IV

It's amazing what a company would go through to protect their products.  Don't get me wrong, I understand when one sells something that many will buy, it's difficult to stop selling it even when you should.  It is REALLY hard to give up the thing that puts food on your table.  I just used to hope that once a company realizes that their product is poisoning people, that they would stop.  I guess not everyone has that kind of integrity which is very sad.

Here is the fourth and final video, enjoy!

Fluoridation III

I remember the first time I heard someone say that fluoride was bad.  A friend of mine in college, she was a pre-med student at the time, said "Fluoride is bad for your everything."  I wasn't 100% on board with her, because so many sources said that fluoride was good for your teeth.  From when I was a very young child everything everyone I knew said about fluoride was positive.  I admit that it was only a couple of months ago that I stopped using fluoride toothpaste.  Now, after hearing what my old physician, Dr. Connett and even my chiropractor have to say about fluoride, I'm sorry that I didn't stop a long time ago.

Here is video 3 of 4; as always your input is welcome and valued.

Fluoridation II

You've seen video 1 of 4; frightened yet?  Well, don't be too overwhelmed.  There are ways to drink tap water without worrying about fluoride.  I have a Berkey filter, there are attachments available that will reduce fluoride.  There are also whole house filters available that remove fluoride, which my husband and I are considering at the moment.  There are even distillers and reverse osmosis appliances available, although several doctors feel that they take out too much.  They feel that the minerals in our drinking water is good and necessary and shouldn't be removed if possible.  Other doctors debate that it is better to take everything out and suggest getting minerals from a different source.

Here is more on fluoridation:

Fluoridation

"Make sure you use a fluoride toothpaste." I remember the teachers advising me back in elementary school when they lectured about oral hygiene.  Fluoride is that wonder that is suppose to save us all from rotting teeth, right?  Wrong!  Oh, we were so, so wrong!  

In the following video, Dr. Paul Connett lectures about fluoridation in water.  What he has to say is as enlightening as it is frightening.

Acupuncture

A medical practitioner I knew once told me that if I am to see an acupuncturist, make sure that he/she is an OMD (an individual with a doctorate in oriental medicine) or an NMD (Naturopathic Medical Doctor).  Then she gave me the worst acupuncture treatment I have ever received and I never went back to her for another treatment.  When I returned home to California, I saw my acupuncturist and friend Cheryl Thomas of Acustone that I’ve known and ran to for treatment for many years.  Even though she didn’t have an OMD, she had the training, knowledge, degree and licensing to save my health more times than I can count.  Not only do I trust her completely without question or qualm, but I recommend her to anyone.  I went to see her for everything; back pain, illnesses, gallbladder issues, heart issues, fibroids and even migraines.  Most of the times I saw her over the last couple of years were because of a migraine.  I would get one, see her, and then it was gone by the next morning.  When she couldn’t help me with a health issue, that's when it was time to see my ND.  In California, acupuncturists were often primary healthcare providers as are nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants; so I always sought help from my acupuncturist first when I was ill.

In Denver there is a dynamic duo that runs the Healing Village Collective.  Both are brilliant Bastyr graduates (coincidentally like all the NDs that I've seen in the past), both are NDs and both are amazing acupuncturists and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioners.  I haven’t worked with them for very long, however, through the care of Dr. Courtney Carag at Healing Village, the dysmenorrhea I suffered from due to low progesterone for years finally seems to be taking a permanent hike.  I haven't had that excruciating pain for the last two months; it's wonderful!

I know I’m not the only one who found relief from acupuncture.  The fact that medical schools train people like the amazing doctoral pair at the Healing Village Collective, tells me that acupuncture must have been closely observed in more controlled environments.  Even if it hasn’t been, I've learned from my own experience that acupuncture works miracles!

A Woman's Self Image (Part III)

In the last couple of posts I've discussed self image.  I've talked about how I've observed women constantly try to improve their bodies and I've talked about how I changed my perception of myself and the world in order to make peace with my body.  I saw my dream come true only to make my greatest discovery; my spiritual sense of self.  I told you how I've already won the war, now I would like to share with you what I've learned on the way to victory.

Listen to what you are telling yourself.  Are they your words or someone else's?  Are they positive or negative?  If they are negative, can you do something about it?  Ask yourself a series of questions like these and weed out all of the thoughts that don't even belong to you, because they're toxic.  Remember the posts on toxicity?  This is one of many toxins to rid yourself of.  Make no mistake, a toxin is a toxin.  Toxic thoughts will do the same as toxins in the food and air; it can bring illness and it can even bring death.

Bringing this point back to the discussion about how a woman sees her body, I want to talk about how America portrays fat.  Many believe that fat is the enemy.  This is why women CONSTANTLY requested an abdominal or butt workout in my aerobics classes, to burn the calories and fat from these specific parts of their bodies.  Burning fat and calories is only a fraction of what exercise does.  I openly admit that it bothers me that what is perceived as "healthy" in the United States are the things that will make you skinny.  Take it from me sisters, fat is NOT the enemy.  Fat is a NUTRIENT and it is NECESSARY.  Toxic foods and toxic environments are the enemies.  This is what is making us rundown, irritable, hateful and even fat.  Toxic foods, toxic thoughts, toxic relationships and anything else that is toxic; these are the enemies. 

What toxins do you need to rid yourself of?  If you would like to comment or share, as always you are very welcome.

A Woman's Self Image (Part II)

In the last post I talked about making peace with your body.  I want to venture with you the journey I made toward contentment.

So how did I made peace with my body?  Well, ironically, by not being careful what I wished for.  I didn’t have a very spiritual image of myself in college.  It was, in fact, VERY superficial but I never thought that I was good enough.  I actually remember wishing for a boyfriend that though that I was good enough.  Well, I got my wish.  I met a guy who I eventually started dating.  He was very interested in me physically, but he didn’t seem interested in anything else about me.  Just to be clear, he wasn't a bad man.  He was actually a very sweet and loyal boyfriend; his brain just didn't function on an emotional or spiritual level in a relationship, not back then anyway.  This frustrating situation was my greatest blessing.  This is what finally woke me up.  I found exactly the guy I asked for only to realize that he wasn’t what I wanted.  Through this frustrating relationship, I discovered the spiritual being that I was.  I just got caught in the whirlwind of a superficial world around me.  Even after breaking up with this guy, it took me years to battle all of the demons that told me that I wasn't worth anything.  I still battle them today, but victory is already mine.  You see, the moment I acknowledged that these "I'm not good enough" messages were lies, that's the moment I won the war.

What lies are you telling yourself?

A Woman's Self Image (Part I)

Hey Ladies!  We women put so much thought into looking good, don’t we?  That is why companies like Maybelline and Clinique aren’t likely to go out of business even in a miserable economy.  I am also one who has fallen in love with that dress in the window because it will accent my best features more than anything in my closet at the moment. 

As a former aerobics instructor and personal trainer, however, there is something that I notice about many of us; our fixation on improving our bodies.  Now, even though not every woman has this fixation, there are enough of us to feed the comical world from stand up to sit-com.  Many of us find it funny because even if it isn’t you or me; we can relate.

Women in my classes would often request that I did a routine that will work their abs, butt or both; it was almost always abs or butt.  I felt tremendous relief when a woman would request an arm, chest, back or leg workout.  When I moved to California, my persuasion to work antagonist muscles just didn’t fly at all; it was abs and butt all the way.

There will be nothing more satisfying than to make peace with your body.  Take it from me, I used to obsess about my body.  I just felt like I wasn’t ever skinny enough and yet even before my days of fitness, people would always tell me what a great figure I had.  I used to do local modeling which I thought would improve my confidence and self image, ironically it made my self-image far worse.  Everything else fell into place once I made peace with my body.  I just decided one day that I wasn’t going to get skinny, I was going to get healthy! 

Feedback

This post is inspired by an email that I received from one of my readers.  She wrote:
“At the gym I use two pound weights only as when I use heavier ones the muscles at the top of my arms get too big. I know using heaver is good for the bones, are there any videos that show how to use bigger dumb bells without creating this problem?”

You are not the first to ask this question.  You don't need to use very heavy weights to benefit from weight bearing exercise, however, you may not get the full benefit from using two pound weights.  That isn't to say that you won't benefit at all, it depends on how you use those two pound weights and what you want to achieve.  For example, I used to teach a weight training step aerobics class where I forbade anyone from using weights over 3 pounds.  Anything over three pounds in that situation would only increase the chance of injury.  If you are trying to increase strength or bone density, then it is best to challenge your body by using a little more weight.  It's true that when you lift, the muscles in your body may acquire definition.  Your muscles may also become a little bigger and firmer; but this is good.  You don't need to worry about getting that bodybuilder bulk.  The "bulky" look that bodybuilders achieve comes from lifting far heavier weights and doing far fewer reps.  If you find your muscles are increasing beyond what you want, try taking the amount of weight down a little bit and increasing repetition; for example, instead of lifting 15lbs and doing 3 sets of 8 reps, do 10lbs doing 3 sets of 10 reps.

Cardio exercise is something that people can often pull off by themselves; however, weight training can be dangerous if you aren't careful.  There may be weight training videos out there, however, I always, always, always recommend a personal trainer if you want to start a weight bearing exercise program.  Even if you just alert a weight room supervisor of what you want so that they can give you a little guidance. Weight bearing exercise can make or break your body.  The best example I can give is a type of weight training called dead lifts.  When done properly, dead lifts can save a bad back; when done improperly it can injure a healthy back.  Having a professional to guide you can make a huge difference.

Journey to My Health (Migraines Part II)

People who have migraines can easily become addicted to medications because medications often aren’t the answer to their problems.  Because a certain pill didn’t help, they may take another and then another and so on.  It has happened to a few people, it in fact could have happened to me.  In college, I started taking Tylenol for the pain.  I would just take one pill when I had a migraine and the headache would go away; until eventually one pill stopped working, so I started taking two pills.  Those two pills eventually stopped working as well, so I started taking Excedrin instead of Tylenol.  One pill stopped working after a while, so I started taking two.  Two pills stopped working so I did the smart thing and stopped taking pills.  My big problem was, I wasn’t sure where to go from there.  Thankfully, the migraines that I had back then weren’t as frequent as they are now otherwise my situation may have forced me to take some sort of prescription medication for the pain until I figured out what to do.

Migraines can come from an infinite number of different health issues.  Mine happens to come from two issues; one is obviously hormonal and there is another issue with my cervical spine.  I’m seeing a chiropractor to correct the lack of curvature in my cervical spine, and I’m taking potent Chinese herbs to correct the hormonal aspect of the problem.  I know both therapies are working, but unfortunately for a problem like mine, it may take some time before it goes away completely.  Knowing that resolution and my health is on its way, I am willing to be patient.

To my reader, who inspired this post and the last one, I would like to thank you again for your suggestions, concern and commentary.  Even though I may not agree with you, your comments, questions and "furthermores" are now and ALWAYS will be very, very welcome and valued.  The same goes for anyone who reads or follows.  Your input inspires me and invites me to grow.

Journey to My Health (Migraines Part I)

I would like to address a comment I’ve received from one of my readers.  He suggested that the therapy I'm going through between two doctors for my migraines should have helped by now.  He even suggested a medication for migraines that he heard about.  I want to thank this reader, as always your comments are welcome and deeply valued.  I respectfully disagree with your suggestions, however, and would like to offer an explanation as to why.

Therapy for chronic issues sometimes take a while; it's a journey and requires patience.  When I was in the process of getting rid of depression, for example, the effects of therapy worked right away; however, it took several months to get rid of the different issues that fed the depression.  In the case of my migraines, although it is evident that the therapy I am going though is working, the issue is not yet solved so I may hit a snag or two on this journey.  I never expected that the migraines would go away immediately, and certain problems and events in life can cause setbacks such as the food poisoning that I suffered from this past weekend.

Again, in my opinion, medication has its time and place in the world of healthcare; however, what I am dealing with isn’t the time or place for it except as a temporary means of support.  Migraines are painful, there is no argument there.  If you are like me and you are getting some sort of treatment for your migraine, medication may be a way to get through the pain of a migraine up until the therapy starts to work.  I don't, however, believe in meds as a means of therapy in this case.  I don't want to just mask the pain or dull the pain with medication and then forget that there is a problem.  I would rather fix the problem and bid the migraines farewell forever.  THIS is how I believe in dealing with ANY chronic illness when possible; find the problem and fix it.

Healing Foods: Apple Cider Vinegar

A few years ago I contracted food poisoning that my doctor had reason to suspect was viral.  She told me to kill the virus by putting two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a tall glass of water.  If the food poisoning is bacterial or viral, this will kill it almost every time.  It hasn’t failed me since.

Apple cider vinegar has an enormous variety of benefits.  There are entire books written about the miracle that is apple cider vinegar.  Some use it to disinfect wounds.  They say you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar; well guess what, I've caught far more fruit flies with a bowl of this stuff than I EVER could with honey.  The best facial toner (now discontinued) that I’ve ever used was an apple cider vinegar facial toner.  I’ve tried many times to make a homemade replica of it, but failed.  A friend of mine, a doctor from Russia, used to make this concoction that included apple cider vinegar and raw honey in some water.  She would drink a bottle of this stuff down whenever she felt a cold coming on.  I've done this, but haven't in years because of my many other effective ways that I know of to fight cold and flu.  I buy distilled white vinegar for cleaning jobs because it’s cheap and I can use it more generously.  I avoid ingesting it, however, because of the acetic acid; which isn’t the best thing for the digestive system.  Apple cider vinegar has malic acid, which your stomach produces for digestion; therefore it isn’t as harsh on the system.  The apple cider vinegar that I buy is usually Bragg's apple cider vinegar.  It's raw, organic apple cider vinegar that was aged in wood and it is far more expensive.  I use it more sparingly than the distilled white vinegar of course. 

This is one of those products that I keep around at all times.  I use it mostly for medicinal reasons now, but it can still be used in salads and other recipies that call for vinegar.  So hold on to your vinegar for household uses, but keep some of this around too.  You won't regret it.

Over the weekend...

On Saturday morning I had a horrible migraine and I felt queasy.  It was hard to tell if the migraine brought on the queasiness or if the queasiness brought on the migraine at first.  I was trying to figure out if I was poisoned or dehydrated.  Well, I had some choices:  I could just let my illness run its course or I could try and fight.  I really don’t like getting stomach illnesses that involve any kind of purging, so I decided to fight.

I put two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into a tall glass of water.  I just sipped it over the course of an hour or two.  After a few hours, the queasiness went away which told me that I had either a viral or bacterial poisoning.  Apple cider vinegar kills both.

I still felt like my stomach was too weak to eat normal foods on Saturday, so I sipped on some coconut water all evening after the queasiness went away.  I stuck with toast and millet on Sunday, just in case my stomach was still too weak.  On Monday I was able to eat normally and my migraine had faded enough for me to use the computer again (the light from the monitor makes my migraines worse).

I'm now sure that the food poisoning set off the migraine because the migraine did not conform to it's usual pattern.  Over the last few months, if I had a migraine it was very faint because of the therapy I'm going through; this one was bad.  Normally, the bad migraines take about four days or more to go away, this one faded as my stomach slowly healed.

I wanted share what happened since it was a health issue and it may be helpful if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation.  Thank you all for your patience.  I will resume posting regularly now that I am well again.  

Be well my friends!

Workout V

I would like to offer a few precautions for your exercise routine (some I’ve suggested already and some I haven’t).  It's good to warm-up before you stretch.  You can do this by moving side to side as your arms move side to side as well or by doing a march while swinging your arms back and forth.  Even if you choose to skip the warm up, be sure to stretch, for this will decrease your chances of injury.  During your 20 seconds of rest after your 20 second activity, do not sit or stand in one place.  If you do, you may get very dizzy or even faint.  You should keep moving; walk around the room or march for the whole 20 seconds in between activities.  One thing to be meticulous about is your form.  This is why it is good to work with a personal trainer, they will be sure to check your form.  If you have poor form, you may not get the most out of your workout or you may even increase your risk of injury.  So watch your back by keeping it straight except when you are stretching it or when you are doing certain exercises.  Watch your knees and elbows by never ever locking them; always keep them bent even if it is just slightly.  When you do squats be sure that your knees are over your ankles or at least make sure that they do not extend beyond your toes.

I hope this advice was helpful.  If you have started an exercise program under my advice, I hope you’ve shared with your doctor.  If you have a personal trainer, great!  If you don't, hopefully you are being careful to mind the advice that I've offered throughout the "workout" series.

Keep movin' and keep havin' fun!  As always your questions, reactions and commentary are always welcome.

Workouts IV

I would like to apologize for my long absence.  I suffered food poisoning over the weekend.  Although I didn't get any violent illness as far as vomiting, I did suffer a horrible migraine that is still going away even now.  I will tell more about how I stopped myself from otherwise getting ill from the food poisoning in a later post.  Right now, I'd like to continue providing tools for those of you who want to do surge training.

This is another video provided by Maximized Living.  It will present more tools to add to your surge training toolbox.  You will see some activities that you have learned already, but there are a bunch of new ones as well.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, this doctor does things a little differently because she does each activity for a minute instead of 20 seconds and she doesn't seem to give much time in between activities for rest.  You can use her method of exercise, or you can just add these activities to your normal (20 second activity and 20 second rest) regimen.

Enjoy!

Workout III

The trainer in the following video does things a little differently.  He instructed to work for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds (instead of 20).  In another video (to be displayed later), a chiropractor has everyone do an activity for about a minute before they rest for a few seconds and they did this for seven minutes.  As I explained in the previous post, I do 20 seconds of activity and 20 seconds of rest.  I normally use 3 specific tools:  the high knees (like in the video below), jumping jacks and squats.  Sometimes I'll use other tools just to mix things up, but those happen to be my favorite surge training tools.  The idea in all of these ways of doing surge training is the same.  No matter which way you choose, this is a great way to workout; it's fast, fierce and fun! 

More tools are provided in the video below; enjoy!

Workouts II

I just realized that I displayed the last post without providing a refresher about surge training, for this, I apologize.  For those who forgot about or never even read the much older posts about surge training, I want to give a brief refresher.  To do surge training, you do an intense activity for 20 seconds and then you rest for 20 seconds as the couple did in the video in the last post.  Keep this up for 3 to 6 minutes.  You can do the same activity, but I like to choose different activities.  For example, I may run in place for 20 seconds and then rest for 20 seconds before I do squats for another 20 seconds and so on.  Remember to stretch before and after your workout as I've instructed in a prior post, again I feel this is most important because it will reduce the chance of injury. 

I will be showing more videos to offer more "tools" or activities for you to use in future posts.  In the last video the couple showed two activities; the run and punch and another activity they called the stratosphere.  So right now you have two great "tools" to store in your "exercise toolbox".  The more tools you have, the more you can vary your workout.  I find that when I vary my workout I don't get board and I utilize more muscles so more of my body can benefit from the workout.  Once I provide enough tools, you can choose different ones to use from day to day in order to sculpt your way to a fitter you!

Workouts

Surge training is a new concept to me.  I love it because it is quick and effective.  I wish I knew about it when I was a personal trainer. 

It is an intense workout that can take as little as 3 to 6 minutes.  Sometimes people train for longer, but how much time do people have in the morning these days?  There are many different types of activities or "tools" that you could use for surge training.  I will be displaying videos the next couple of posts to provide a visual on different types of surge training so you could have the tools to do this on your own at home.  Again, it’s always advisable to check with your doctor before starting an exercise program.

The following video was shown on an earlier post, but here it is again.  I'm showing it again to display "tools" or activities that you can include in your workout.  More on how to do a great workout using your tools in upcoming posts.

Stretching

Warming up and stretching, in my opinion, is the most important part of any aerobics class or training session.  I’ve always considered stretching to be essential mostly because it will decrease the chances of injury.  The fact that it will increase flexibility and it aids in burning calories and fat is an added bonus.  I would stretch before and after any workout whether it’s cardio or sculpting and for weight bearing exercise it is even more important to get into the habit of stretching. 

I usually stretch before my cardio workout and then I do weight bearing exercise after so that my muscles are warm and stretched.  Before your workout hold the stretch for about 5 to 10 seconds.  After your workout, hold that stretch for longer; about 15 to 20 seconds. 

It doesn’t hurt to stretch all of the muscle groups before a workout, but you want to focus particularly on the muscle groups that will be doing the most work.  For example, if you are going for a run, it would be most beneficial to stretch your legs, abs and low back.  It is still beneficial to stretch the arms, chest and upper back, but again, just be sure to do the muscles that will do the most work.

Below is a video to give you a visual idea on how to stretch before a workout.  Enjoy!

Weight Bearing Exercise (Part II)

Three health goals that can be achieved via weight bearing exercise include physical strength, strong bones and burning fat.  If you are a woman who is planning to get pregnant, for example, strengthening abdominal and back muscles may be a good idea to help your body carry and deliver the baby.  It will also help your body to recover more quickly after delivery in many ways including weight loss.  Weight bearing exercise will also promote bone strength.  When one does weight bearing exercise, his/her bones will be forced to utilize more calcium.  This is part of the reason why people who lift weights, greatly lower their chances of ever having to suffer from osteoporosis.  In my experience as a trainer, however, the number one reason why people do weight bearing exercise is to burn fat to aid weight loss or weight maintenance.  Because the body can benefit in so many ways from weight bearing exercise, I highly advise people to include it in their weight loss regimen.

If you want to start a weight bearing exercise program, it may be prudent to check with your doctor and work with a certified personal trainer.  If there are some exercises that you insist on doing on your own, please take a few tips.

1.    Warm up and stretch the muscle groups you will work before you begin.
2.    Exercise in sets.  Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, stretching between sets or do the antagonist muscle (the opposite muscle) between sets.  In other words, do biceps curls and stretch, or do biceps curls followed by triceps extensions before doing the second set of biceps curls.
3.    Make sure there is a good 48 hours between working specific muscle groups.  For example, if on Monday you worked your biceps, triceps, chest and upper back, then on Tuesday you do different muscle groups such as abdominals and lower back.  You could also do the desired muscle groups every other day and take a break from weight lifting on alternate days.

For some, weight bearing exercise can be tedious and for others it can even be boring.  Put on music or have a friend join you on your new journey to a healthier lifestyle.  No matter how you do it, I feel that it's very important to have fun with it.  Make it a great workout and make it a great day!

Weight Bearing Exercise (Part I)

For achieving that “ripped” muscular look, to gain physical strength, to lose weight or to obtain strong healthy bones; weight bearing exercise is something to consider.

Many people exercise to achieve a certain look (sadly), as opposed to getting healthy and/or strong.  As a personal trainer, I was surprised how many women were hesitant to do weight bearing exercise because it is associated with a certain look.  Just because you do weight bearing exercise doesn’t mean that you will be as big as Lou Ferrigno or Cory Everson.  You could achieve definition without bulking up like them.  Bodybuilding is usually done more for the look or for the love of the sport, not because it is necessary for health.  If bodybuilding is what you desire, the guidance of a personal trainer is imperative unless you have the training and background yourself.

Almost anyone can do weight bearing exercise, yet it isn't necessary for everyone.  If you run, brisk walk, bike, blade, play tennis or squash or some other athletic activity, weight bearing exercise may be a great supplement, but it isn't exactly essential.  If you want to start a weight bearing exercise program, think about why.  It's great for your trainer to know what kind of program to design for you.  For example, the trainer will focus on specific muscles if one is trying to lose weight and on a different set of muscles if a basketball player wants to improve his/her game.  So decide why this is for you before you start even if it is just for general health.

Healing Foods: Yam/ Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is one of my favorite healing foods.  I don’t believe that it worked all on its own, however.  Once I made adjustments to my diet, however, it then made a wonderful supplement. 

Wild yam is one of the ingredients in the progesterone cream that I used to take.  Wild yam and sweet potato have some compound that helps balance hormones; making it great for someone like me who has low progesterone.  Besides the fact that sweet potato is medicinal, it is also very tasty!

Sweet potato is something I’ve had or served as a snack, side dish and even for dessert.  For a quick snack I would just bake it and eat it the way one would eat a regular baked potato.  On days when I really craved it and I couldn’t wait for it to bake, I would go down to the health food store and buy sweet potato chips.  As a side dish I’ve done two things after chopping it up and steaming it; I would just serve the steamed chopped potatoes and sprinkle a little cinnamon and maybe nutmeg or for Thanksgiving and Christmas I would mash it and make a pudding with apples.  For dessert, I’ve made sweet potato pie. 

I’ve seen members of my family do other really creative things with sweet potato.  However it is served, it is good to know that something as yummy as sweet potato can be so good for a woman’s health!

Hormonal Imbalance

This post is for women; especially women like me who have low progesterone and high estrogen or dysmenorrhea.  Dysmenorrhea, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is excruciatingly painful menses; it could also be your first clue that there is a hormonal imbalance or something else like endometriosis.  If you have dysmenorrhea, see your doctor right away.

Dysmenorrhea was my big clue that my hormones were not balanced.  The doctor gave me progesterone cream, which was a little tricky because you have to take it some days and not take it others.  There were some months I was so busy that I forgot to take it almost entirely and those months I had to face serious immobilizing pain.  A girlfriend of mine found some information in an alternative health encyclopedia about low progesterone.  Because I was under the care of a doctor, the information that she gave was more to aid my therapy.  She gave me this VERY long list of foods that I needed to eliminate from my diet for a while and one of the foods that I had to increase was sweet potato.  I ate many sweet potatoes that month and happily because I LOVE them.  That month also happened to be one where I forgot to take my progesterone.  Well, that month I didn’t have any pain.  The encyclopedia stated that sweet potato helps to balance hormones.  Now, I know that elimination of foods that influenced a rise in estrogen really helped as well, but I admit, my favorite part was all the sweet potato that I had to eat.

Low progesterone can be extremely painful, inconvenient and sometimes even fatal.  I had a miscarriage last year and I have a great suspicion that it has something to do with my body’s inability to produce enough progesterone.  I now almost have it under control thanks to my amazing new doctor from the Healing Village Collective.  Thanks to her therapy and guidance plus the exercise program that I started for myself, I'm feeling better than I have been in weeks.

Alternative Medicine (Part II)

My parents used to worry about me when I started habitually refusing medicine unless I absolutely needed it (to be honest, they still worry about that today sometimes).  I remembered how I raised their hairs the first time I told them that I wanted to fast for a weekend.  They worried because they didn’t know what I was doing and my actions seemed radical and unnecessary.  They worried because I shook the foundations of the world they were so sure was good for me.  They worried because the information about alternative/preventative care just wasn’t as abundant as what the pharmaceutical companies put out into mass media. 

When there is a lack of information, we are left to rely on what we see and hear and that leads to erroneous attributions and incorrect conclusions.  Two members of my family have died because they refused the care of MDs.  While they may have refused for the same reasons that I do, because they grossly lacked necessary information, they made poor decisions that lead to their death.  One thought he knew enough about herbs to take care of himself; and it is unknown what the other thought.  One thing is for certain, they were both unfortunately and fatally incorrect.  Herbs are NOT always the answer. 

It is advisable to see a health practitioner about an illness, especially one that is new, different or severe.  Doctors are trained and they know the science and art of making weak, sickly bodies well again.  NDs know when to use herbs and which to use when necessary.  They know when to advise you to remove something from your diet and they know when you need care via pharmaceutical drugs.  In some states, in fact, they can prescribe those drugs when necessary.  California and Colorado’s bureaucracy does not support this, despite their complete training in medicine.  Therefore, NDs in such states will refer their patients to MDs when they need pharmaceutical drugs.  They do what is necessary so that you receive the BEST possible healthcare.

Alternative medicine can work if you see the right health practitioner for proper guidance.  If you make a habit of listening to the competitors that mock this practice, that is your choice; however, you will never know the power a healthy body can have.  On the flip side, if you know you don't need medication for a disease yet you don't seek a professional to help support your body, then understand that you may run even greater risks.

Diabetes

Dr. Arvay (the chiropractor being interviewed) has been my chiropractor since September and I can tell you that he is excellent.  I am just one of many who have found healing thanks to his guidance.  He believes in what Maximized Living is doing with all of his heart and soul.  After going to Maximized Living for almost a year for various issues, I can see why he believes in what he is doing.  One of problems that he has been working on for the past two months was my lower back pain issue, but it is almost completely gone now.  I feel a little pinch when I lay down sometimes, but it isn't the sharp stabbing pain it was two and a half months ago.

In the following video, he talks about what he does for patients with diabetes.  His methods work, folks.

Alternative Medicine (Part I)

Today many associate healthcare with the pharmaceuticals that are to make us better when we feel sick; alternative medicine is kind of the opposite.  Alternative medicine is a healthcare practice that makes us better without the drugs, except when the drugs are best and I want to be clear, SOMETIMES THEY ARE.  Many seek alternative medicine when pharmaceuticals have failed them in some way.  I sought alternative medicine early in my adulthood because I received information about both traditional and alternative practices and the alternative just made more sense.  It was based on hard core scientific research and not this questionable research like when medicine is prescribed to many only to find out that the side effects just aren’t worth what the medicine is suppose to treat.

Another problem is this belief in stereotypes.  For example, I met a woman who had AIDS a few years ago.  I asked her if she ever considered alternative medicine.  She said that she has tried it.  When I asked her what her success was she made some scathing joke about the herbs and crystals that she tried and how they OF COURSE didn’t work; I didn’t dare speak another word to her about alternative medicine.  Some people want to be stuck in their belief system, even when others show them that their beliefs are evidentially flawed.  For some reason there is this voo-doo witch doctor stereotypical nonsense connotation for alternative medicine that doesn’t help everything that it is really about.   

I traveled a very long road before I knew what alternative medicine truly had to offer.  It isn’t people dancing around your body and chanting with sticks.  It is real healthcare based on real scientific facts.

Health and Politics: Bogus Data (Part III)

If Wakefield is indeed a fraud, then he really threw a wrench in things.  He may have raised concern or even started a panic around the MMR vaccine, however, everything that I've shown on this blog about vaccines offers more damning evidence that the thimerosal in vaccines is most likely the culprit.  Like me and many others Robert Kennedy is NOT in a fight against vaccinating our children.  Why would anyone not want to protect our precious young ones against horrible infectious diseases?  He IS, however, in a fight against using the neurotoxin thimerosal in the vaccines and injecting it into very young children and babies.

I get so angry when I read an article that hides behind this discovery of Wakefield's alleged fraudulent research and continues to say that there is no link between vaccines and autism.  Here is more information about the politics involved with thimerosal in vaccines.

Healing Foods: Aloe

Aloe is yet another type of food that saved my health.  Once I learned about it, it became one of those foods that I depend upon. 

A few years ago, I had felt this sharp, painful, burning sensation in my stomach.  I didn’t know what it was.  I didn’t know about the wonderful ND in my area at the time, so I called a friend in Arizona who practiced medicine.  I told her that I suspected that it was an ulcer.  She told me that if it is an ulcer then aloe can repair it.  She instructed me to take a spoonful of aloe gel in the morning before breakfast (I can’t remember if it was a teaspoon or tablespoon), and again on an empty stomach before bed for a few days.  I still can’t believe it, but it worked.  I now drink glasses of aloe juice and gel by the ounce when I can as a treat. 

Aloe juice and gel are sold in health food stores everywhere.  I usually choose the aloe juice or gel that is sold in a glass container to avoid the use of eating or drinking out of plastic.

Coconut

I’ve written before about the benefits of coconut oil, but it looks as though much of what coconuts have to offer are of a great health benefit. 

Natural Health magazine suggests to keep some coconut milk around, however, I didn’t take that advise blindly.  I already knew the benefits of coconut water.  When one has diarrhea a very common treatment is Gatorade to replenish electrolytes.  My biggest problem with Gatorade is its artificial flavors and colors.  It isn’t real food.  Coconut water and coconut milk are both very high in electrolytes; so it is a sports drink made from Mother Nature.  I remember how my mother made coconut milk, (a main ingredient in rice and peas) she would take the coconut meet and blend it and squeeze the liquid contents from it.  I read somewhere that in the US they heat it, but I don’t know how true that is.  I not sure, however, that heating it is necessary.  Yes, coconut milk is high in saturated fat, however, it is high in medium chain fatty acids.  Coconut oil is made up of about 66% of these medium chain triglycerides which has been observed to be highly beneficial to health for many reasons.  These fats don’t require much energy for utilization so the body will burn it up very easily.  Three in particular were found to even have antimicrobial properties; lauric acid, caprylic acid and capric acid.  Lauric acid in particular has been known to have antiviral, antibactierial, antiprotozoal and even antioxidant properties.
Finding this info about coconuts helped me to further appreciate coming from Jamaican ancestors.  More than ever,

I’m looking forward to visiting my parent’s homeland again and having myself a nice island treat, fresh coconut water right out of the coconut before I take a spoonful of some nice coconut meat!  Mmmmmm!  Nummy!

Health and Politics: Bogus Data (Part II)

As far as the "bogus data" that was discussed in my last post; I suspect bogus information from both sides.  According to various sources it was the MMR shot that Wakefield was suspicious of.  Although I’ve heard of this fear of the MMR, it wasn’t clear why that was the feared vaccine of choice.  It isn’t the only vaccine with the neurotoxin thimerosal; which is why his suspicion seems bogus to me.  Dr. Boyd Haley, and other scientists he worked with, found that thimerosal did cause autism in laboratory rats and the University of Calvary explained how low levels of mercury (which thimerosal is loaded with) can cause a neuron to deteriorate.  It isn’t clear if the dangers of thimerosal is information that journalists just aren’t mentioning or if Wakefield was indeed a fraud and simply overlooked this fact that could have helped him in his cause.  Of course the media claims that because this bogus data was uncovered and exposed we can now “close the door” on our suspicions about vaccines and all can happily go back to vaccinating our children without fear of vaccine injury.  I fear that information is also bogus.  There are still so many unanswered questions.  Why are vaccine companies not taking advice from the FDA by taking the thimerosal out of the vaccines?  Why is it that as the amount of vaccines that were given to children increased, the number of autistic children has also risen from 1 in 5000 - 2500 all the way up to 1 in 166 -110?  That is an insanely big jump!  This correlation should be a strong prompt for doctors, scientist and the pharmaceutical industry to look at why there is a correlation. 

I plan on becoming a parent and I would LOVE to vaccinate my kids against many of these diseases.  According to all of the research that I’ve done, there are very simple ways that the pharmaceutical industry can make vaccines safer.  If it is cost that they are so afraid of, maybe they need to stop spending money on trying to hush the parents of vaccine injured children and start spending money on making vaccines safer.

Health and Politics: Bogus Data (Part I)

I’m sure that most of you have heard of British scientist Dr. Andrew Wakefield.  If you haven’t, I’ll briefly explain what I know.  The media claims that Dr. Wakefield was the first doctor who aroused a suspicion that vaccines cause autism.  Many parents were afraid to vaccinate their children because of this, There was much focus especially on the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella shot).  His study was recently found to be fraudulent.  The study declares that the participants became autistic after vaccines were given, yet some of the participants of his study were allegedly autistic before.  Wakefield was accused and found guilty of changing the data in order to receive $750,000 from a group of lawyers who were going after the companies that produce vaccines.

There is information from both sides that don't quite add up for me.  I will elaborate on that in a later post.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are whole food vitamin supplements that come straight from nature.  They are so rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, iron, protein, folate (or B9) and fiber that it is worth it to find an excuse to eat this stuff daily.  Whole food vitamins produced by companies like New Chapter are great, however, if you could attain your nutrients from your meals that is always best.

Several sources mentioned that Chia seeds were used by Aztecs and other communities throughout history for both nutrition and for medicinal purposes.  I did some more digging to see if there is any significance to these notions.  Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, St. Michael’s hospital, found that Salba seeds (a brand name associated with a type of chia) are good for hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure and it is even a great blood thinner.



I bought a bag of organic Salba some time ago.  I admit, however, that I don’t eat it often enough.  It doesn’t really have any particular flavor, so it can go with anything sweet, salty, spicy or bland.  I usually add a tablespoon to my cereal or to shakes.  If you are someone who likes to bake healthy pastries, give your pastries a little health boost by adding Salba seeds.  You can also add them to salads, soups or rice pilafs.


Again, because of their lack of flavor they really do go with just about anything so get creative and find an excuse to eat it.  Your body will love it!

Vitamin Intake

I’m inspired by a discussion that I had with a group of people.  One lady in the group said that she doesn’t take any kind of multivitamin.  She doesn’t feel the need for it because she eats many different fruits, vegetables and whole grains on a daily basis.  This is exactly how I want to live.  My only problem is, how does one achieve that when they have a busy lifestyle?
I have had this discussion with my doctor.  I wanted to spend about forty or fifty dollars on green supplements that I liked.  Although he felt that the supplement that I was asking him about was a good one, he stressed the importance of getting nutrients from your meals.  “Eat real food” he said.

So, to repeat the question:  How does one achieve getting their nutrients from food when one has a busy lifestyle?  Well, there is one thing I do every morning that is a start.  Before breakfast I have at least eight ounces of water if not more, then I have some fruit, then I have breakfast usually some eggs.  I used to add nutrients to those eggs by putting some brewer’s yeast on them.  Now the only problem with that is that I didn’t put enough to get the full benefit of the yeast.  This morning I’m doing something even better.  I’m having a bowl of steel cut oats which I usually top with homemade walnut milk, maple syrup for flavor and then I add about a tablespoon of Salba seeds. 

Also, when you pack a snack for work or class, you could pack some baby carrots, cauliflower, broccoli or celery or your favorite raw food.  When I was single, I used to buy a bunch of vegetables (about 3 days worth) and I would eat as much of these veggies fresh as I could and I would freeze the kales, asparagus and any others that froze well.  Somewhere along the way I got out of the habit, and now suffer for it.
What are some other ways?  Please comment on this if you have a habit or suggestion that would be beneficial for others to hear.

Whole Food Vitamin Products

I have a few whole food vitamin product faves.  I don’t choose one over the other because of quality; they are all of high quality.  I may, however, choose one over the other from time to time more because of availability and price. 

Garden of life is one of my favorites.  They produce raw, organic whole food vitamins.  They also have other supplements that I’ve tried; these tablets made from dark leafy green vegetables.  They were just to add some extra nutrients from dark leafy greens which are some of the best foods that we could eat.  New Chapter is another favorite and it happens to be the one I am taking now.  I’m taking their fish oil, multi and occasionally their probiotics.  Juice Plus is a supplement that my doctor takes and approves of.  My understanding is that it is like a big salad in a pill.  When I am sick or fasting in addition to my normal daily supplements I also drink stinging nettle tea with rose hips.  A doctor told me about this when I was fasting and not getting enough vitamins.  I usually buy loose nettle tea and loose rose hip tea.  I often mix them with other herbs such as green tea or dried goji berries for flavor, extra nutrients or both.

So these are a few suggestions for those of you who are ready to stop taking the crystallized vitamins.  If you know of any other products, again, I’m open to comments, questions and “furthermores”.

Whole Food Vitamins

Do you remember the Flinstones?  Not the cartoons, but the chewable vitamins that took the form of the loveable characters from the cartoon.  I used to like those.  Too bad they weren’t effective.

Many vitamin companies extract vitamins, purify them and put it into a pill.  What they don’t tell you is that even though all the vitamins are in that pill, your body isn’t likely to absorb much of it because of the purification process.  Most of the foods we eat are made up of cells.  Well; most of the good things we eat are anyway.  The way those cells metabolize nutrients is important because our cells will absorb the nutrients from those cells in a similar way.  The body may absorb purified vitamins if ingested, but it will have trouble because everything necessary for our cells to metabolize a purified vitamin has been removed.

This is why whole food vitamins are so effective.  Some criticize that there aren’t enough nutrients in a daily dose; but there is a reason why the nutrients in whole food vitamins are lower than the crystallized vitamins.  If the body can absorb the crystallized vitamins, it will only absorb up to about 10%.  In order to get enough nutrients needed from crystallized vitamins more is needed in each dose.  A whole food vitamin is metabolized the same way food is, so the body will absorb most if not all of it.  Because the body will absorb more, less is needed in each dose.

More information on whole food vitamins will be coming up in a near future post.  As always, I welcome comments, questions and anything you feel that you would like to add.

A Memorable MD

There is one MD in the world that I do remember receiving healthcare from.  A friend of mine referred me to him.  She told me that although he was trained as a traditional medical doctor his practices were closer to naturopathic.  He gave drugs if he felt they were necessary.  I needed a doctor at the time because it was the first time that I was struck with bronchitis and as scared as I was to see a doctor, I knew I had to and I didn’t know of ANY NDs in my area.  I knew that I didn’t need antibiotics, but I didn’t know what it was that I did need to heal.  This MD told me exactly what I needed to do and he never mentioned the need for antibiotics.  That is an MD that I would see again if I needed to.  To make it obvious that my health was all that he cared about, knowing that I was a broke college student with no health insurance at the time and knowing that I couldn’t move from my bed because of my pain and fever; he advised me over the phone and never charged me a penny.

For all of the MDs that that feel insulted or offended by things that I have said about traditional medicine, I am simply being honest about my experiences in life.  My parents praise the ones that were there for me when I was a baby or a child for many things that they have done to improve my health.  I can’t give my opinion on those doctors because I don’t remember them.  All the other MDs that I dealt with personally, especially the ones that I had to deal with in my adulthood, were simply not healthcare providers.

More on Health and Politics

Because of lack of clarity in my last post on health and politics, I felt that it was necessary to revisit this issue and make a few things clearer. 

First, I’ve said several times that not all MDs are bad doctors and I meant that with all my heart.  For example, I don’t believe that all of the physicians that Gary Null spoke of that helped patients defeat the AIDS virus were all NDs.  I am willing to bet that at least some of them were MDs that paid attention to good science and refused some of the junk science that pharmaceutical companies broadcast in mass media.  I can even attest to the fact that I, myself, was fortunate to receive care from one MD in New York that really practiced what I felt the fundamentals of healthcare should be.  I LOVED this doctor and would trust my health to him even on this very day.  Yes, I said I would trust this MD on this very day.

My problem is with the junk sciences that I mentioned in this very post.  I also want to clarify that it isn’t ALL of (what I so called) the “bad” MDs who are conducting or even believe in the junk science.  I would even go further to say that I KNOW of MDs that are disgusted by some of these junk sciences and wish for a better way.  I don’t blame them for the way healthcare is in this country.  The problem is if I am a scientist who wants something accepted by the general public like the whole “vaccines are safe” hoopla, then I’m going to do what I need to in order to prove that what I say is true, even if it isn’t.  There are probably millions or even billions of dollars to be made from vaccines, AZT, antibiotics, Ritalin, Dexedrine and antidepressant medications.  All of this money gives the pharmaceutical companies a lot of power.  They can afford enough loudmouths that lobby for their way and junk science to back them up.  If they crow loud enough (which they obviously do) the government will listen.  Therefore the fact that there are better ways to treat or even cure the diseases that these drugs were made for are barely even noticed and, when noticed, disregarded because the pharmaceutical way is what has been advertised, broadcasted and widely accepted as good healthcare based on science. 

An MD’s medical practice, whether he/she likes it or not, is heavily influenced by pharmaceutical companies.  This is a fact, even though there are many MDs like the one I saw in New York who don’t fall victim to it.  THIS is what scares me, THIS is what I run from and THIS is why I avoid seeing traditional doctors when I am sick (unless advised by an ND) even though there are many out there that would give me great healthcare like the one in New York did years ago.

The Body's Natural Defenses (Part III)

Here is the third and last video.  After watching it I MUST ask:  why are we still not accepting the fact that traditional medicine may not always be the best way to handle illnesses?

The Body's Natural Defenses (Part II)

This is part two of the video... enjoy!

The Body's Natural Defenses

As I said in an earlier post, not all MDs are bad.  Furthermore, there is a place for their practice.  I don't condone shunning all medical professionals.  If I am sick, I will see someone who can guide me back to wellness.  I advise anyone to do the same thing.  I just don't believe that every time I get ill pharmaceuticals are the way to wellness.

I believe the body has a natural ability to heal, many scientists like Dr. Gary Null would agree with me.  Sometimes we need professionals like him to guide us in boosting the body's natural defenses when it is overwhelmed with illness.  Pharmeceuticals don't necessarily funcition that way, at least I don't know of any that do. 

I mentioned before that AIDS is an illness that is cureable.  MDs are likely to prescribe a drug which most doctors will admit is NOT a cure.  In the following video Null explains that there is another way, a way to healing in fact.

Here is part 1 of Tony Brown's Journal with Gary Null:

New Year

Getting fit is number two of the top ten most popular New Year’s resolutions according to Albrecht Powel of about.com.  As an aerobics instructor, I remember how my class barely had three or four people in the months of November and December.  Then in January, my classes were always packed. 

The biggest changes that I’ve made in my life started with baby steps.  I wanted to have a healthy lifestyle since I was a young teen.  I admit that I’m still not where I want to be, but I have come a very long way since.  My first baby step was to stop drinking sodas and sugary juices.  That was actually the easy part for me because by the time I was ready to quit drinking those things, I was already in the habit of drinking a lot of water.  Increasing water intake also helped my husband quit his diet soda habit much more quickly too.  From there, I started cutting out the foods and habits that didn’t contribute to my health and started increasing foods and habits that greatly contributed to my health.  Years later, I am where I am now. 

This year, let us not attempt these huge crazy changes.  Your old life will just look too good and too easy to run back to.  Look into taking baby steps.  Have a January resolution, maybe start drinking more water.  That way when you slip- slide, it isn’t as though you have a huge mountain to climb all over again.