Home » Posts tagged 'longevity'
Tag Archives: longevity
Kennedy Speaks Out
Like cream, truth always rises to the top.
Hear more details about the truth of the vaccine issue from Robert Kennedy here. He started out as an environmental activist and the truth led him to vaccines, which are causing far more damage than the environment…
Get Healthy Now!
Five Steps to Perfect Health
How to Balance Life and Health
TIME is the great equalizer — no matter how rich or how famous we are, we can’t buy more.
That’s why when we get sick, time comes to a grinding halt. We do deals with the devil, search for magic bullets to get rid of it. THERE ARE no magic bullets — prevention is the only way to stay in the game in the first place.
As Americans, we EXCUSE away things that are out of balance, BLAMING our ailments on a this flu thing or some stomach bug. We focus on what’s going on outside of the body instead of inside, which is where imbalance starts in the first place. Truth is, if your immunity is strong, bugs and flus never have a fighting chance.
When I started studying Ayurveda 15 YEARS AGO, I was a HOT MESS. A combination of factors, including vaccine injury, formula vs. breast milk and overuse of antibiotics, led to chronic symptoms for 37 years: poor digestion & diarrhea; strep throat & tonsillitis; excruciating gall bladder pain and severe acne. I was skinny as a rail and, in fact, poor digestion led to salmonella for which I was hospitalized for a week at the age of 10. It took hitting bottom to realize enough was enough: I wanted to learn how to cultivate good health, and it started with eating good food.
The good news is you can learn how to do this for yourself, no matter who you are or what your situation. Five Steps to Perfect Health can start you on the road to taking control of your life.
Word of warning: they are simple, not easy. Also, toxic load and your personal history will have an affect: symptoms often get worse before they get better. Become Aware of how you can truly nurture your body and cultivate a state of divine health.
These steps work well together. If done separately you will not see a huge change. But the combination of the cumulative effects is what is significant.
No matter what you’re doing or who you are, when you feel great, life ROCKS!. Americans SAY health is a top priority, but they often have a hard time taking responsibility for it. So take this advice: Be proactive now to care for yourself. You’ll thank yourself later.
1. No food after 8 p.m.
The Gastric Garage cleans 2 x daily: 10-2, (am & pm). The gut floods with gastric juices… on the 10-2 a.m. cycle, you get your peak digestive force (noon), which is the optimal time to eat your largest meal. On the 10-2 p.m. cycle, we’re supposed to be asleep. The empty tummy takes advantage of the same gastric flood, only this time it gets a good cleaning
2. Hot Water & Lemon first thing in the Morning
H20 is the best way to ‘break’ your ‘fast.’ It’s a gentle pipe cleaner for the body, and also helps balance the digestive system first thing in the morning.
The lemon i
s key because it has an alkaline affect on the body. The more alkaline you are the healthier your immune system. Remember: bacteria and viruses cannot live in an alkaline state, but they thrive in acid (sugar, coffee, meat, balsamic and red wine vinegars, alcohol and other fermented foods, processed foods). So having the lemon water first thing means you get a nice soft flush in the a.m. after the janitor has done most of the heavy cleaning.
You don’t have to give up your mocha chino frappa cappa coffee drink, but you do have to…
Step 3. Switch to decaf.
The number one condition I treat in my Ayurvedic consulting practice is caffeine addiction (number two is constipation, number three is candida infestation).
Hate to break it to you, but caffeine is a dangerous narcotic. That means it interferes with the body’s natural functions. “But I only drink a cup a day,” clients tell me.
Remember: what you do everyday affects you the most. One cup a day means 30 cups a month! That’s 365 cups of coffee a year. Imagine!
The caffeine monkey will want you to feed it more and more and more and more and more….
One cup today will be three cups in five years, and five cups in 7 years and so on and so on. I watched my aunt suffer brutal headaches in the morning until she had her coffee. And by the time I was in my teens she required five cups every morning just to get rid of it. She eventually died of brain cancer — was caffeine addiction an accelerator? Remains to be seen.
This is the inevitable path of caffeine addiction. If you know you need it and can’t live without it, that’s a sure sign you better give it up.
Here’s the best
way:
1. Start by blending 1/2 caffeinated, 1/2 decaffeinated. Do this for one week. On the second week, make it 3/4 decaf and 1/4 caffinated for 3 days, then taper to 100% decaf as soon as you can.
2. At the beginning of the second week start detoxing, keep hydrating and avoid chocolate and other hidden sources of caffeine.
3. Take the tincture for ten days after you stop caffeine altogether, or until the tincture runs out. If you are a heavy user you may experience headaches and constipation. Take triphala for the constipation, drink lots of water and take psyllium at night for the headaches. Acupuncture is also an awesome addition.
Headaches usually last 10 days, constipation can last longer. Stick with it; once you detox from caffeine it is like a cloud lifting. You will feel, look and sleep better than you have in years!
Step 4. Go upside down.
Inversions are the most powerful form of yoga. The Sanskrit term, Niralamba Sarvangasana literally translated is “all whole,” which means it is good for your whole body.
That means your thyroid, pineal and pituitary glands, thymus, parathyroid — all your master computers of your body — get fresh oxygenated blood when you are inverted. Reverse gravity causes all the fluids in your body to replenish tissue in the opposite direction — tissue that as we age often gets ignored. You are literally massaging your body with fresh oxygen from the inside out — Kidneys, adrenals (that sit like little hats on top of the kidneys), gallbladder, liver, pancreas, spleen — all refreshed.
And those little diverticuli? They get emptied out like a pocket in a heist.
Here are the deets on the best way to do an inversion, which is a unique approach developed by my amazing teacher, Loretta Pharo, RN.
Step 5. Healthy Green Drink is the new breakfast.
Get your green drink on, people! If you’re not doing this yet, it’s t-i-m-e. What’s the fastest way to build your immune system? Put good stuff in your body!
You don’t have to do it every day, but remember what you do everyday affects you the most. Have it at least three times a week. First thing in the morning after your hot water and lemon maximizes its effectiveness.
Pure Synergy is my favorite. I blend it with fruit, probiotics and either raw milk or water.
Probiotics are important because they keep good bacteria at bay by a ratio of 200:1. Read that again. That means for every one good bacteria in your gut, 200 bad ones are out of commission.
Problem is, you only get probiotics in nature from your mother’s breast milk. Which means if you’ve ever taken an antibiotic, (or were never breast fed in the first place) you
r probiotic population is l-o-n-g g-o-n-e.
Unless you replace, they stay erased. Most of you think yogurt is the best source of probiotic, but beware: dairy yogurt makes mucous which is part of the problem you are trying to eliminate. Plus you’d have to eat SO MANY yogurts to get the quantity of good bacteria population you need… It’s best instead to take a healthy supplement.
I recommend Metagenics Probiotics, which I also add to my green drink.
BONUS: Go Organic! But if you are low on $dough$… 
…carry this card in your wallet. Print it out and have it laminated. It tells you the Dirty Dozen: 12 fruits and vegetables known to be the most toxic when consumed conventionally (Natural Baby & Childcare, Dr. Lauren Feder). That means if you can’t afford to go organic on everything, at least go organic on these twelve. They are apples, celery, cherries, grapes (imported), nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, strawberries, sweet bell peppers.
Good health to you all — thanks for taking the time to read my first post. I appreciate any feedback you are inclined to share.
Peace and Blessings!
Dangerous Dairy vs Healthy Dairy: Do You Know the Difference?
It’s been years since I’ve jumped into the milk vat. After suffering chronic joint and gallbladder pain in my 30s, I decided it wasn’t worth it. So I chucked it.
I have felt a lot better since I did. But in the past year, I have switched to raw milk and I now can enjoy dairy again with zero gallbladder pain, zero joint pain and very little mucous response. And I’m thinner than I’ve ever been!
Here’s what I’ve learned: raw milk has all the healthy enzymes needed to digest it. It also has all the healthy fats that are important for brain function. Raw goat’s milk is closer to human milk than cow milk. But raw cow milk, especially in the summer months when the cows are all grazing on the yummy green grass, is otherworldly delicious.
Commercialized dairy, which is processed by pasteurization and homogenization, is trash. The processing strips the milk of its naturally occurring enzymes which makes the milk impossible to digest. Which means it’s stored as fat. Which means the body floods its intestinal walls with mucous to try to prevent your body from absorbing it, because it’s so broken down it cannot go any lower. The body knows, which is why you will notice mucous in your throat after you eat processed dairy products. Two percent and one percent milk are even worse. We are poisoning ourselves when we consume it.
And that’s not even mentioning the recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) that is added to the commercial milk. Without a label. Amongst other junk…
So find a local supplier of raw milk and jump in. You will be amazed at how positive the experience can be. And do the same with your cheeses and your butter. BTW if you live near a Trader Joe’s you can get raw milk cheese all the time. It’s eye opening once you experience the difference.
Namaste.
11 Health Foods That Can Kill You
I came across this post on HoneyColony and couldn’t agree more — check out these 11 “Health Foods” That Can Kill You. I agree with almost all of them, except that since in my house we’ve been eating more raw vegan our bodies are able to process sugars like agave and honey more easily. Eating raw foods will do that, as the raw content inspires your spleen, gall bladder, pancreas and liver to function more efficiently by producing more naturally occurring digestive enzymes which helps you break down the food and sugars more easily and effectively.
On the whole, this is a good list — check it twice to see how it compares to your daily routine.
Namaste.
By Kris Gunnars, Popular Science
Nutrition is full of nonsense.
You will find bold health claims for all kinds of foods, most often based on zero evidence.
Here are the top 11 “health foods” that are actually very harmful.
1. Fruit Juices
The fruit juices you find at the supermarket aren’t always what they seem. They may have small amounts of real fruit in them, but often they are little more than water, artificial flavor and sugar. But even if you’re drinking real fruit juice, it is still a bad idea.
Fruit juice is like fruit with most of the good stuff removed. All that is left is the sugar and a few vitamins. Orange juice, for example, contains the same amount of sugar as Coca-Cola. There’s no fiber in it, no chewing resistance and nothing to stop you from downing massive amounts of sugar in a short amount of time.
Eating too much sugar is associated with all sorts of diseases. These include obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many others (1, 2, 3). It is much better to avoid fruit juices and eat real fruits instead.
Bottom Line: Most fruit juices contain the same amount of easily digestible sugar as sugar-sweetened soft drinks. It is best to eat whole fruits instead.
2. Whole Wheat
It is true that whole wheat is healthier than refined wheat. But this does not mean that whole wheat is healthy. It’s kind of like saying that because filtered cigarettes are healthier than unfiltered cigarettes, everyone should be smoking filtered cigarettes. It’s flawed logic.
There are plenty of good reasons to avoid wheat, both the refined and the whole variety. For example, wheat is the main source of gluten in the diet and a large part of the population may be gluten sensitive (4, 5, 7, 8, 9).
One study shows that wheat fiber can make you vitamin D deficient, making you burn through your stores of this important vitamin much faster (10). Another study shows that whole wheat raises small, dense LDL (the truly “bad” cholesterol) by a whopping 60 percent (11).
Bottom Line: Whole wheat is rich in gluten and can cause digestive problems and various symptoms. It may also cause vitamin D deficiency and elevated small, dense LDL cholesterol.
3. Agave Nectar
In the health food aisle at the supermarket, you will definitely find some “sugar-free” products that are sweetened with agave. This sweetener is touted as a healthy alternative to sugar because it is natural and has a low glycemic index.
But the harmful effects of sugar have little to do with its glycemic index; it is harmful primarily because it is loaded with unnatural amounts of fructose. Too much fructose in the diet can cause all sorts of problems, especially in people who don’t exercise much.
All fructose is metabolized by the liver. If the liver is full of glycogen the fructose will be turned into fat (11, 12). This can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and all kinds of metabolic problems like resistance to the hormones insulin and leptin, which will ultimately lead to obesity and diabetes (13, 14, 15, 16).
While regular sugar is 50 percent fructose, the fructose content of agave is as high as 90 percent. If anything, agave is even worse than sugar!
Bottom Line: Agave nectar is loaded with fructose and therefore causes all the same problems as regular sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.
4. Sports Drinks
Sports drinks were designed for athletes who have just finished an intense training session with massive sweating and glycogen depletion.
For this reason, sports drinks contain:
- Water: to replenish lost fluid.
- Electrolytes: to replenish electrolytes like sodium that were lost via sweat.
- Sugar: because athletes need energy after an intense workout.
You don’t need any additional electrolytes unless you’ve been doing a very intense workout, and most people are already eating too much sugar. One bottle of Gatorade contains over 30 grams of sugar.
You’re better off sticking to plain water, which you should certainly drink plenty of, especially around workouts.
Bottom Line: If you’re not doing super intense workouts, then you should avoid sports drinks. They are not needed and contain sugar.
5. ‘Heart-Healthy’ Vegetable Oils
As the fear of saturated fat took hold of the world, consumption of all kinds of nasty ingredients increased. Prime examples are industrial seed- and vegetable oils like soybean, corn, and cottonseed oil.
These oils are extracted from seeds using very harsh processing methods and include high heat, bleaching, and the toxic solvent hexane. These oils contain very large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, way more than humans ever consumed throughout evolution.
We need small amounts of these fatty acids in the diet, such as the amounts found in meat and nuts. However, if we eat way too much like is the case with Western populations, this causes problems (17). Eating too much of these fats can lead to inflammation, which is a leading cause of many chronic diseases (18). These oils get incorporated into our body fat stores and cellular membranes, where they are highly sensitive to oxidation and damage.
To top it all off, the industrial vegetable oils that you find in the supermarket contain 0.56 to 4.2 percent of their fatty acid as trans fats, which are highly toxic (19). (This does not apply to olive oil, which is good for you!)
Bottom Line: Vegetable oils are unhealthy and lead to inflammation. They are potential key players in the epidemic of Western diseases.
6. Low-Fat or Fat-Free Foods
It ain’t the fat, people! Despite the last decades of propaganda against saturated fats, they have now been proven to be harmless (20, 21).
When the anti-fat message first came out, food manufacturers started producing “healthy” products that were low-fat or fat-free. The only problem is that foods that have had the fat removed taste like crap.
The food manufacturers then loaded their products with chemicals, artificial sweeteners and massive amounts of sugar. What they basically did was remove the good stuff (fat) and replace it with bad stuff (sugar). This is how they managed to turn perfectly healthy foods like yogurt into very harmful products filled with unhealthy ingredients.
Bottom Line: Avoid everything labelled “low-fat” or “fat-free.” These are highly processed products loaded with sugar and other harmful substances.
7. Gluten-Free Foods
Many people have started to avoid gluten, a protein found in wheat, spelt, rye, and barley (and a few other grains). Almost a third of the U.S. population currently wants to cut back on gluten or go gluten-free.
Food manufacturers have caught up on the trend and have started offering all sorts of gluten-free “health foods.” The problem with these foods is that they’re usually not healthy at all.
Instead of a gluten grain, they’re made with other starches like potato starch, tapioca starch or some others. These starches are usually highly refined, void of nutrients and spike blood sugar fast, just like wheat. But these products are often also loaded with sugar and other harmful or artificial chemicals.
This does not apply to foods that are naturally gluten free, like meats or vegetables. If a product says “gluten-free” on the package, then it’s probably bad for you.
Bottom Line: Gluten-free foods are highly processed foods that are not much healthier than their gluten-containing counterparts. It’s best to avoid them.
8. Margarine And Fake Butters
“I wish butter tasted more like margarine, said nobody ever.” – Danny J. Albers
Another side effect of the anti-fat hysteria is a plethora of so-called “healthy” butter alternatives. The most notable example of these is margarine. It used to be loaded with trans fats; now it tends to contain processed vegetable oils instead. Butter consumption went down, margarine consumption went up.
The problem with this is that butter is healthy. Margarine is not.
Grass-fed butter, in particular, is an excellent source of the fatty acid butyrate and vitamin K2, both of which can have powerful positive effects on health (22, 23). Margarine is a processed food with harmful ingredients that can make you sick. In one large study, replacing butter with margarine lead to a drastically increased risk of death from heart attacks (24).
This is one great example of where blindly following the mainstream advice can put you in an early grave.
Bottom Line: Margarine is a processed food that contains unhealthy, artificial ingredients. Avoid it, use real grass-fed butter instead.
9. Energy Bars
Energy bars are in the same boat as sports drinks – most people don’t need them. If you’re an elite athlete who desperately needs to keep protein intake high and eat every two to three hours, then these bars can definitely be convenient.
However, most people don’t need to eat that often, and these bars don’t contain anything that you can’t get from real foods. Energy bars and protein bars are often highly processed products. Even though they may be higher in protein than chocolate bars, they often still contain the same unhealthy ingredients. Sugar, white flour, artificial flavor; you name it, they’ve got it.
Of course, there are some healthier brands available, but if you want to avoid the crap then you must read labels! If you’re starving and far away from home, then healthier types of energy bars can certainly be better than a burger and a Coke, but your money is still better spent on real foods.
Bottom Line: Energy and protein bars are often highly processed products. Most people don’t need them and they tend to contain sugar and other nasty ingredients.
10. Low-Carb Junk Foods
As people have changed their mind on fat being the root of all evil, some people have started cutting back on carbs instead. Again, food manufacturers have caught notice and brought all sorts of low-carb junk foods to the market.
Even though something is low in carbs and sugar, it can still be very unhealthy. Great examples are the low-carb Atkins bars. These are nasty, highly processed products that nobody should be eating. Just check out the ingredients list for this Atkins Advantage bar. This isn’t food.
If you’re going to do a low-carb diet, stick to real, unprocessed foods.
Bottom Line: There are some low-carb processed foods on the market that are extremely unhealthy and loaded with artificial ingredients.
11. ‘Healthy’ Breakfast Cereals
Most highly processed breakfast cereals are not healthy. In fact, they are among the worst foods you can eat. They’re often loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates. Then the manufacturers fortify them with some synthetic vitamins and put tiny amounts of whole grains in the mix, then market their products as healthy.
Don’t be fooled by the labels: low-fat, fat-free, whole grain, etc. Just check the ingredients list on these products. They’re usually loaded with sugar.
Starting the day with a high-sugar cereal will set you up for a blood sugar crash later in the day, followed by hunger, cravings, and another high-carb meal.
12. Anything Else?
If the packaging of a food tells you that it is healthy, then it probably isn’t.
Feel free to add to the list in the comments!
This article was written by Kris Gunnars and published in Popular Science on April 30, 2013. Photo by Angus Clyne/Flickr.
Healthy & Easy Raw Vegan Condiments
One of my biggest challenges relative to eating healthy is avoiding soy. It’s everywhere, because it’s used as an emulsifier in everything from mayonnaise to salad dressings. Sugar also is a culprit, because it’s in everything from ketchup to well, just about everything. If I’m having sugar, I want chocolate cake.
But thanks to Laura-Jane at The Rawtarian, I’ve found a way around soy in my mayo and sugar in my ketchup — without sacrificing taste. Her recipes for both are super simple, and are raw vegan to boot.
Check out all her stuff. They are INSANELY DELISH!! We’re eating raw vegan more and more these days, and her recipes make it super easy, healthy and most of all so yummy.
Namaste.
RETHINKING FOOD III: Exploring Raw Veganism
Years ago I attempted raw vegan cooking. I always feel great when I eat it and I find I have more calm and focus, although I still believe in combining my families’ diets with a combination of raw vegan and carnivorous dishes in the Weston Price tradition.
Well light years have passed since I made my first raw vegan attempt, and recipes have become simpler, easier to prepare and more delicious. All you really need is a Vita Mix and a decent food dehydrator, some nuts and veggies, a good recipe and a sense of adventure.
Here’s one of my latest favs, raw vegan broccoli soup, courtesy of The Present Moment Cookbook. Another great website if you want free delicious recipes is http://www.therawtarian.com.
Namaste.
Broccoli Cheddar – yields 1 quart
Base:
3 cups filtered water
2 cups cashews, soaked 1-2 hrs. & rinsed
1 seeded red bell pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tamari (or Bragg’s Aminos)
1 tbsp agave
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
vegetables:
11/2 cups broccoli florets cut into small pieces
Drain and rinse cashews well. In a vita mix, blend base ingredients to smooth consistency. Pour into bowls, add broccoli (and fresh chopped tomatoes if desired) into bowls. Serve.
Delish Raw Vegan Chocolate Cookies
Whenever I can, I prepare raw vegan dishes for my family. Eating raw is a process, and it takes time. But it’s always worth it when you get something tasty that is not only guilt free but also healthy.
We’ve cut commercial wheat completely from our diets and our health has skyrocketed. But finding tasty baked goods can be a challenge, especially when most wheat-free substitutes are unhealthy ingredients like potato starch, tapioca powder or rice flour — all of which will spike the pancreas more than the commercial wheat you are trying to avoid.
This recipe is so yummy and easy to make. If you are interested in eating raw, you have to invest in a food dehydrator if you haven’t already. Other than that, this recipe requires no other special tools.
Thanks to The Rawtarian for this yummy delight!
Namaste.
RETHINKING FOOD II: The Real Dairy
It’s crazy how good life is now that I’ve discovered The Real Dairy.
You see, for years I suffered from chronic symptoms: gall bladder attacks, infertility, eczema, acne, bloat and gas. And I had no idea it was my ridiculous diet. In fact, it was all the result of eating commercialized wheat and dairy.
I had no idea the wise women like our grandmothers and great grandmothers were on to something when they would do things like soak beans, culture milk and cheeses from raw milk, make sourdough starter for delicious nutritious real bread.
We’ve commercialized the hell out of all this stuff, and in the process we’ve shown all the nutrients and probiotics the door.
So if you want to feel really good about what you’re eating, order yourself some kiefer grains, follow the simple instructions and make yourself some healthy cultured dairy products. Kiefer is the king culture and has all the probiotics you will need for a healthy gut so don’t bother with the others. Find a local source for some grass-fed, organic raw milk and get yourself started on culturing. I used to think man was not meant to drink the milk of another animal. What I now know is man is not meant to drink MAN’S commercialized fake version of dairy, we are meant to drink REAL dairy that is cultured with all the good stuff and does NOT have all the enzymes stripped out of it. Don’t be scared: kiefer is nutritious and delicious and can be used in place of milk. You can also make the most sumptuous cheeses by adding your kiefer culture to heavy cream. Your tummies will be so happy and so will your taste buds! So wake up people. Don’t eat commercialized dairy any more (skim milk is the worst, btw). Your body needs the healthy fats in milk, and culturing raw whole milk with good probiotics will blow your mind.
Contact me if you have any questions.
Namaste.
RETHINKING FOOD I: Raw & Heavenly
If you love food but hate how some of it makes you feel, check out these two new recipes. It’s the first in a series of new approaches to eating well called Rethinking Food.
For the next few months I will be sharing with you some delectable yummy and healthy food options. If you are like me and want commercial wheat out of your diet, these two amazing concoctions will make it even easier to say ‘buh-bye’ to that gluten addiction.
Rethink your food — don’t let yourself get into a rut! Find ways to make food satisfying, healthy and delicious, and let me know what you come up with.
Namaste.
Zucchini Pasta
Six Small Zucchinis
Marinara or Spaghetti Sauce of Your Choice
Spiral six zucchinis in a turning slicer, place in bowls and ladle with warm marinara or spaghetti sauce.Serves 4-6 adults.
The picture above is tasty, easy and healthy.
All you need is a special gadget called a turning slicer (www.paderno.it, item #49827-99, cost is $40).
Once you have the turning slicer, it takes all of ten minutes to make. It’s delicious and healthy — raw zucchini is rich in vitamin A and other nutrients — my five-year-old ate THREE bowls full and loved it. Not only are you NOT eating wheat in the form of pasta, but you are also getting raw veggies instead, which ups your production of naturally occurring enzymes. We are supposed to eat 80% raw in our diets…
Heavenly Bite Cookies
Two Egg Whites A dash of almond and vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup shredded coconut
Dollop of Honey
Sesame Seeds & Currants to garnish
Coconut Oil
Whip egg whites and extracts until soft peaks form, set aside. Add the rest of the ingredients (except sesame seeds and currants) to a food processor and blend until crumbled or balled. Fold mixture with a spatula into the egg whites, being mindful not to mix too much to flatten egg whites. Scoop with a teaspoon onto a cookie sheet greased with coconut oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, place a currant or two in the center. Cookies will be small mountains. Bake at 300 for 10-12 minutes.
I delivered a plate of these cookies to my parents and, well, let’s just say the plate was almost empty before they closed the door behind them #notkidding. The entire batch was devoured, I had to make another batch just to keep everyone from fighting over the crumbs. It’s super easy to make. Enjoy!
4 Ways to Kick High Blood Pressure
What is High Blood Pressure? Check it:
– in the U.S. alone, 95% of all reported high blood pressure cases are classified as “undetermined.” This is called essential hypertension.
– Ninety five percent is a big number at which to be shrugging our shoulders — this is a condition that the Centers for Disease Control claims affects 1 in 3, or 68 million Americans.1
High Blood Pressure is often a precursor to the #1 and #3 leading causes of death in the United States, heart disease and stroke. Technically, it’s the measure of the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. When your blood pressure rises, it means the heart is has to work harder. It also contributes to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and causes heart failure.
Western medicine attributes: smoking, obesity, lack of physical exercise, too much processed salt, more than 1-2 cocktails a day, stress, old age, genetics, chronic kidney disease and adrenal and thyroid disorders.
It also attributes it to genetics (high blood pressure runs in families) to gender (it’s more likely to affect men than women), to race (it afflicts twice as many African-Americans as Caucasian Americans, although the gap begins to narrow around age 44. After age 65, black women have the highest incidence of high blood pressure).
Here’s the key: it’s not the behavior that causes the problems, it’s whatever is driving us to choose the behavior that will unlock the key to change. What is that drives behavior?
Emotions. It’s how we process (“deal”or “don’t deal” with them), which can be both learned and genetic in families. In Ayurveda, unprocessed emotions can lead to:
- smoking (many holistic practitioners feel smoking is an attempt to inhale words we are too afraid to say).
- overeating and obesity (often a sign of an unresolved, wounded childhood).
- depression, which can lead to malaise (lack of exercise); over drinking, stress, premature aging, cancer, etc.
You get the picture.
Break the Cycle
In Ayurveda, there is no predetermined outcome because of demographics or genetic code. The mind controls the body always. Which means, “Everything is reversible but death.”
Here are four ways to get started eliminating high blood pressure naturally — important because side effects of blood pressure medication are numerous and range from sexual dysfunction to depression, poor circulation to skin rash, insomnia, headaches, constipation, dizziness … the list goes on. There are also a zillion different classifications of high blood pressure medication as western medicine tries manipulating the body from a variety of angles in an effort to control the symptoms.
Get to the root and control the cause.
If you need more information or a consult, contact me through comments.
Namasté.
Four Ways to Naturally Lower High Blood Pressure
1. Change your Salt.
Get rid of table salt. It’s evil, and lacks the full spectrum of minerals and other nutrients that protect and enhance your health. It is a highly refined, processed white substance that in addition to hypertension can cause gastrointestinal problems, kidney stones, fluid retention and calcium depletion (this is very bad). For the body to metabolize table salt, it must waste tremendous amounts of energy to keep the body at optimum fluid balance. This creates a burden on the elimination systems in the body. Water is removed from other cells in attempt to neutralize the unnatural sodium chloride. Studies show that for each gram of table salt your system cannot process, your body will use over twenty times the amount of cellular water to neutralize the sodium chloride in chemically treated salt. This can lead to cellulite, rheumatism, arthritis, gout, as well as kidney and gallbladder stones. The average American consumes 5,000 mg of sodium chloride a day, the issue is serious and needs to be addressed.
Switch to Himalayan Pink Crystal Salt which contains 84 minerals and trace minerals.
Choosing to use Himalayan Sea Salt as an alternative can have a big impact on your total health and well-being. And remember, restaurants are the biggest culprit when using table salt.
2. Do a daily inversion.
Hubby Demonstrates Modified Shoulder Stand
Make a point to spend 1-3 minutes a day in a mini-inversion. Start off slow. Doing this even 2-3 times a week will not only reduce your blood pressure immediately, but by having the heart higher than the head you also give your heart a break. It’s very rejuvenative for the body and is an incredible pose for restoring balance to the mind, body & spirit.
This modified version is super easy to do:
– Take two yoga blankets if you have them, (the best ones are available at The Blanket Connection, and are about $13 each). If not, use thick towels.
– Fold one into thirds to support the spine, and fold the other in half and place it at the head of the first blanket, making a “T.”
– Grab the legs of a folding chair at the bottom of the T. Place the feet on the edge of the seat, and push the pelvis up. Keep the knees pulling towards each other, and if this is too hard to do, get a yoga strap to hold them in place.
– MAKE SURE NOT TO LET GO OF THE CHAIR or it will go flying across the room. Hold the pose for 2-3 minutes, being mindful to breathe, pushing the belly out with each in hale and pulling the belly in toward the spine as you exhale.
You are revitalizing the pads in between the vertebrae, giving the kidneys a fresh flush of blood, giving the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys a fresh flush of blood, refreshing the pineal and pituitary glands at the base of the skull, giving the face a fresh facial with fresh blood, AND you are also keeping the blood vessels in the BRAIN open — an important way to stave off memory loss and senile dementia.
Did you know there have been autopsies done on yogi’s in their 90s in India, and their brain tissue was like that of a 12-year-old because they did daily inversions?
Oh yeah, and it reduces hypertension.
Where can you get all of that from a 3-minute pose?
3. Take Carditone.
I LOVE Ayush herbal products because they are clean and organic. And Carditone is an Ayurvedic herb that for years has helped people reduce high blood pressure. If you have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, start taking Carditone as well as the other three things on this list. Then, under the supervision of your doctor, start weaning yourself from your hypertension medications. If your doctor won’t work with you to do this, find a doctor that will work on your terms.
4. Eat more Fruits and Veggies, fresh fish and meats, and whole grains.
Duh. Get rid of the McDonald’s and the Burger King, and keep processed foods as a rare treat. You will find you won’t enjoy it nearly as much as you used to.
References
- CDC. Vital signs: prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension–United States, 1999-2002 and 2005-2008. MMWR. 2011;60(4):103-8.
7 Tips for Permanent Weight Loss
Rarely do I find a western doctor with whom I agree. And weight loss is one of those hot topics to which I generally steer clear. I prefer instead to maintain a clean system, focus on eating a balanced, whole-foods diet and the weight generally takes care of itself.
But in Ayurveda I love that we recognize each individual as a unique, like a snowflake. And for some of us, weight loss is a long-term game that can be riddled with trials and tribulations.
That’s why when I stumbled upon Dr. Melina Jampolis’ 7 Tips for Permanent Weight Loss this week in the Huffington Post, I had to share. Not only is Dr. Jampolis well credentialed, her 7 Tips actually are in alignment with a lot of what I recommend to my Ayurvedic clients.
Have to say though, I don’t fully condone her program (which you can read more about on her website). Suggestions like microwaving strawberries with sugar sprinkled on top, as she suggests, sends me the heebie jeebies. But, in the interest of not throwing the baby out with the bath water (a principle I live by as you may recall from an earlier post I did this year), I am reposting Dr. Melina’s 7 Tips here for those of you trying to lose weight.
Namasté.
7 Tips for Permanent Weight Loss
As an actual diet doctor, I’ve spent the past decade helping people lose weight, and I’ve learned a lot in the process. Many of my patients were successful, many regained weight, and some didn’t lose much weight at all. In the process, I learned a lot about successful long-term weight loss in the real world — not TV weight loss; not celebrity weight loss, which usually includes private chefs, trainers and nannies, but rather weight loss for real (often stressed out and overworked) people trying to lose weight while living their lives. This kind of weight loss includes monthly challenges like holidays, vacations, loss of motivation, and even changes in the weather that affect exercise. In addition, working as a part-time writer, diet and nutrition media expert, and TV host that evaluates almost every diet out there, I’ve also realized that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to dieting — most diets will work for some people some of the time. So rather than tell you what to eat, I thought I would share what I believe are seven of the best tips for losing weight, and keeping the weight off, no matter what diet you choose to follow.
Pump up the volume of meals.
We eat approximately the same volume of food every day,[1] so including foods with lower calorie density (calories per gram) is essential unless you eat very small portions (like the French). Foods that have lower calorie densities are high in water (fruits, vegetables, soup, low-fat or fat-free dairy), high in fiber (whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables) and lower in fat. Foods that do not contain water, like dry salty snacks, crackers, and dense baked goods have a higher calorie density even if they are fat-free, and portions need to be carefully controlled. By permanently modifying meals and recipes to include more low-calorie-density ingredients, you don’t have to cut portions to lose weight and keep it off, and eating well is much more live-able.
Limit liquid calories.
Our body simply doesn’t register liquid calories like calories from solid food, so it is very easy to consume too many calories each day drinking extra-large lattes (even if they are fat-free), sugar-sweetened beverages (including sweetened tea, sports drinks, and even juice, which has naturally occurring sugar but is still loaded with calories), and alcoholic beverages. Downsize your morning latte, limit intake of sugar-sweetened beverages as much as possible, drink juice out of old-fashioned juice glasses (which used to be 6 or 8 ounces), and if you drink alcohol, avoid sugary mixers and cut calories from elsewhere in your meal if possible.
Make mindless eating work for you.
Numerous studies have looked at the relationship between a person’s eating environment and food intake. By building a better eating environment, you can mindlessly control calories for good, no matter how stressed you are at work or how much your motivation levels drop. How? Start with dishware. Eat off smaller plates, out of smaller bowls, and drink out of tall, thin glasses. In your pantry, fridge and freezer, keep more tempting foods out of sight as much as possible by putting them on higher shelves or transferring them to opaque storage containers. At the dinner table, leave serving dishes containing higher-calorie foods in the kitchen and keep lower-calorie vegetable dishes on the table within easy reach for seconds. Entertaining? Limit variety of less healthy foods (this is also important when stocking your pantry), as research shows that increased variety equals increased caloric intake.
Think outside the gym when it comes to exercise.
Yes, getting at least 30 minutes per day of cardiovascular exercise five times a week and twice-a-week sessions of strength training is critical, but you can actually burn far more calories over time by increasing lifestyle-based activity like standing while talking on the phone, getting off the train or bus a stop early and walking the rest of the way to work, or engaging in more active hobbies like bowling instead of going to the movies, or taking dance lessons instead of photography lessons. Research shows that basic things like dishwashers, cars, elevators, and washing machines cause us to burn fewer calories per day, so you have to find a way to burn these extra calories despite advances in technology. Adding in as much non-exercise activity can really add up in terms of calories burned over the long run, and is much easier to permanently incorporate into your life, no matter how motivated you are.
Ditch the all-or-nothing mentality.
I can’t tell you how many times patients come in and tell me they “took the weekend off” from their diet (or worse, a week or more if they are on vacation). I don’t expect anyone to be perfect all the time. In fact, I encourage my patients to indulge early on in their weight loss program to help them build confidence, learn to handle controlled indulgences, and bounce back from less healthful choices quickly. Don’t act as if there is a switch in your brain that determines whether you are on or off a diet — instead, make better choices most, not all, of the time, and you will be less tempted to go “off your diet,” gain back some or all of the weight you have worked so hard to lose, and perhaps even stay “off your diet” for good.
Think ahead.
I personally don’t do well at planning out my meals for the week, but many of my patients are much more successful when they do. I tend to eat, and buy, many of the same things each week, so less of a plan is required. I do insist that patients always have somewhat of plan for eating away from home — whether it is making sure you have three or four restaurants around the office that have healthful choices, looking at the restaurant menu ahead of time if you are eating out (especially at ethnic restaurants) to figure out better choices, or deciding ahead of time what you are going to indulge in at a party or dinner out (wine, bread, dessert, or pasta). By mentally committing ahead of time, you limit the mindless eating and drinking that often occur at social eating occasions. If you are attending a party or dinner, offer to bring a healthful dish so you have a safe option to fill up on, or eat a little snack before heading out the door (lean protein and vegetables work best to prevent overeating — and include a little healthy fat if you plan on drinking, as fat delays the absorption of alcohol).
Always have a plan B for eating and exercise.
This is essential, especially for the majority of Americans who are busy juggling work, family, and home and don’t always have time to get to the gym, prepare the best food, or find the healthiest restaurant. If you can’t make it to the 7 a.m. spin class, don’t skip your workout altogether — try to squeeze in even a 10-minute walk at lunch or after work, or do the first 20 minutes of an exercise DVD at home or 10 minutes of push-ups and sit-ups if you don’t have time for more. Consistent, smaller changes really do add up over time. And always stock your freezer with a few healthful frozen meal options, including entrees and frozen vegetables, for those nights when you don’t have time to cook and are tempted to order pizza or Chinese food. Finally, always try to keep an emergency healthful snack pack on hand to take the edge off hunger and give you time to make the best eating choice possible if you haven’t eaten for hours. Smart and easy snacks include fresh fruit, portion-controlled bags of nuts, and lower-sugar, higher-fiber protein or energy bars.
In addition to the seven tips above, try to eat fewer foods out of a box (highly processed foods, especially snack foods, often encourage overconsumption), weigh yourself regularly (but not so often that you drive yourself crazy or get depressed chasing the number on the scale), and focus on both quality and quantity when it comes to what you eat. Nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables (especially when they are in season), lean protein, low-fat or fat-free dairy, and healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil) should be the foundation of any diet plan.
Dr. Melina Jampolis, M.D. is a board-certified physician nutrition specialist specializing in weight loss and disease prevention and the author of The Calendar Diet: A Month-by-Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life.
For more by Dr. Melina Jampolis, click here.
For more on weight loss, click here.
References:
[1] Wansink, Brian. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. New York: Bantam Dell, 2006.
Pan-Tastic!
After much deliberating, (one year, 11 months and six days), I finally pulled the trigger on my new, modern healthy non-stick cookware. And I couldn’t be happier about my choice.
The winner? Chantal Copper Fusion! And, unfortunately, I am not paid to tell you this. Which is too bad, because the price tag on these little gems is hefty. However, when you cook three meals a day as I sometimes do (part of the deal when your husband works at home), pots and pans are an important part of your tool kit.
Because this is such a big purchase, I took my time researching all the options. The reason I chose Chantal is:
– Ceramic glaze means they are non-stick without the yucky silicon coating that always ends up scratching off. Even my expensive Williams Sonoma non-stick pans eventually give way to scratching. Chantal allows you to use any cooking tool on its surface without concern for scratch or damage (which means they are husband friendly : ).
– At the core, Chantal Copper Fusion is, well, copper. Not aluminum, which is concern for health risks especially if your family has a history of Alzheimer’s. Plus copper heats evenly which means your food cooks across the whole pan at the same rate.
– Clean-up is easy as long as you remember it’s better to cook slow and low. Cook time will be faster because of the copper core.
– The split handle means you don’t burn your hand when grasping the pan on the stove. It stays cool while cooking (how civilized). It also features a handy little thumb rest on top of the handle, as if someone actually thoroughly thought out its use while designing it (*sigh*).
The only potential downside is that the pans are on the heavier side so be prepared (I view it as a way to work my triceps while in the kitchen). But I swear our food tastes cleaner, better. And of course it’s so much healthier for my family.
I started with a large and small sauce pan (they come with lids), and a 10″ skillet (i had a glass lid from an old Calphalon pan that fits just fine). Those three pieces are a great start. Price tag: I paid $500 for the three just before Christmas. The nine-piece set now goes for about $699 on Amazon, I had free shipping because we have Amazon Prime so be sure to check shipping first since the weight of these pans may kick up the shipping cost.
Enjoy!
Namasté.
The Art of Water
I’ve started this blog post 20 times and I never seem to finish. Why? Because water is one of those things that is profoundly simple, but highly complex at the same time. It is a universal substance that most of us take for granted. Oh, we might give it consideration enough to follow the latest ‘trend,’ but most of us never really investigate it to the level of what it really means to our health.
That’s why I finally decided to headline this post the ART of water. Because art is something that is constantly changing depending on the perspective of the person who is making the consideration.
For example, if you were a mother of ten living in a village in Africa, and you had to send your 8-year-old son to walk ten miles daily to fetch drinking water for the family, your perspective on water would be totally different from that of an investment banker living on the upper East side of Manhattan.
As a holistic practitioner who makes it her job to scrutinize everything she puts in her body, H2O has become a complex, multi-faceted necessity to life: in other words, a pain in the ass. The number of options available to us increases every year, and ranges from free (municipal water services), to $20,000 for a whole home filtration system.
How did something so simple get so complex?
Information, misinformation. Capitalism. Fear. Greed. Ignorance. And assumption.
For example, most people I know drink bottled water under the assumption that it is safer/healthier/cleaner than tap water. Well, according to the producers of the documentary, “Tapped,” nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, several experts quoted in the movie claim that the multi-billion dollar a year bottled water industry is the greatest scam of all time, and is mostly water that is tap water and inferior to the water available in our own homes.
What I do know is this: common sense prevails in these situations. Water is meant to be a universal cleanser and hydrator. It is meant to replenish our tissues, to help remove waste and to take nothing more in the process. It contains trace minerals that are good for us, that help keep our systems alkaline, and is not supposed to contain anything harmful.
Here’s what I have learned over the past 15 years about filtered water:
1. Most municipal water sources contain chlorine and fluoride — both additives cause good bacteria, or probiotics that live in the gut, to die. Chlorine also makes skin dry, fluoride makes bones brittle.
2. Most popular brands of water filters (Britta, for example), do not filter out chlorine or fluoride.
3. Most filters do not filter out hormones – hormones, steroids and antibiotics in the agricultural run off from farming ends up in ground water, which ends up in the municipal water supply. (Result: children’s bodies are maturing at much younger ages, in the single digits. Males are forming ‘boobs’ in their physique from hormones added to chicken to increase the size and rate of production of chicken breasts in poultry. And why women in menopause have such dramatic temperature fluctuations, or ‘hot flashes’ — we’re inundating society with hormones causing a roller coaster ride in our endocrine systems.
4. Most bottled water contains BPAs — harmful plastics leach into the water from bottles that sit in warehouses and hot delivery trucks. The more BPAs it contains, the more estrogen is mimicked n the body, contributing to estrogen-dependent breast cancer.
5. The quality in tap water varies dramatically from city to city. But once it leaves the city pipes it still has to come through your house.
6. For years it was thought that reverse osmosis or distilled water were the best waters you could drink. Not so, since RO water and distilled water strip out any naturally occurring minerals.
7. While most of us tote water in bottles, we actually absorb 80% of our water from the shower! So filtered shower water is just as important — if not more — than what we drink. (Get a shower filter for your shower, they usually cost $40 a year.)
So after research everything from Kangen water ($6,000 a system) to tap, I have concluded the best most cost-effective system is the BG 12000 from Water, Inc.
This system is incredible: it takes out sediment, bacteria, hormones, chlorine — it gives you pharmaceutical grade water right at your sink. Which means you are maintaining all the natural minerals but only removing the yuckiness. And for a small fee you can add in the fluoride pre-filter which will enhance your intestinal bacteria.
If you have children, this system is a must. You can also get the ever hot tank add-on which will give you instant hot filtered water, and can run the line into your ice machine as well. The system usually retails for about $1000, but if you order the system and mention this post you will be redirected to a dealer that will offer you special pricing, about $570. In addition, for the first 20 people who order the system as a result of this blog I will refund the affiliate link fee I receive as a result. Most general plumbers can install the system for about $200.
The air we breath and the water we drink are crucial to our everyday lives. Can you think of a more important place to spend your money?
Namasté.
Quick and Fast Deep Cleanse
Fall is a great time to clear our systems since summer brings an accumulation of heat in our bodies, and fall’s winds can then agitate that internal heat. Think of it, what happens when you add fire to the flame? It either puts the fire out or increases it.
How do you know if this applies to you? Well, part of your digestive fire is your stomach and its various gastric acids. When it’s ‘out,’ the food you swallow doesn’t get burned up completely in the stomach like it’s supposed to. Instead, undigested food bits will make their way to the small intestine causing gas, bloating, bad breath and general malaise. When your digestive fire is ‘fanned or inflamed,’ you may experience heartburn, acid reflux, and other symptoms of excess heat including quickness to anger, redness in the face and all sorts of skin rashes like eczema, psoriasis and dandruff.
So instead of setting myself up for an accumulation of imbalance, especially with the holidays right around the corner, I like to do a little cleanse.
This fall I was called to return to an old friend — a powerful, simple tonic that literally wipes away the body’s residue.
It is called Heathee Woodrood Tonic. It is a powerful, sweet/spicy blend of herbs from Jamaica. Some of its ingredients are distilled spring water, Sarsaparilla Root, Licorice Root, Pau D’ Arco, Avocado leaves and (my two favs) God Bush and Search-mi-heart. As the legend goes, for nearly 500 years generations of Jamaicans, especially those without access to medical care, have used Woodroot Tonic as a preventative and home remedy for various ailments including epidemics and diseases; removing the buildup of toxins, mucous and waste from the entire body; impotence and virility; all digestive and gastrointestinal disorders; circulation; strengthening of the heart and blood pressure; normalizing body weight; strengthening the brain and nervous system; cleansing the liver and lymphatic and glandular systems; maintaining kidney and urinary bladder functions, etc. Woodroot tonic is part of a rich, African culture that is believed to be the secret of Africans surviving the conditions and viruses from European invasions that annihilated many indigenous peoples and caused many deaths.
The recommended dose is 9 days, 2-3 ounces swigged first thing in the morning and last thing at night. There are no mandatory dietary changes. However, when cleansing the more you can steer clear of alcohol, sugar, processed foods (including dairy), heavy fried foods and unclean meats the more powerful and effective your cleanse will be. I started my woodroot cleanse 9 days ago. I did notice my taste for alcohol, sugar and meat naturally started to wane around day 2-3.
Monday night was the turning point: since taking the woodroot for the past week, and as the detox process has escalated, I have felt very uncomfortable and not like myself. Tired, low energy to the max, mental dullness, feelings of overwhelm, acne, low appetite, gas, bloating, unusually noticeable body odor, etc. Around 10 p.m. the accumulation of toxins that the woodroot had been ‘escorting to the exit’ finally emerged. WOW! Without getting TOO graphic, I will tell you I experienced the kind of elimination I normally see after a week of fasting! Most noticeably a powdery brown fuzz that is an indication of candida (a bacteria that is epidemic in our western culture), a mixture of gray and amorphous ama (undigested food bits that had been hanging around the small intestine), and — most notable — an INSTANT lift — physically, emotionally and mentally. Within 15 minutes I was alert, light in body and spirit and feeling great. Within 48 hrs. all signs of imbalanced had lifted. I also noticed sparkling eyes, more color in the cheeks and lips, and a brighter energy field/aura.
Another way to encourage the body’s healing process this time of year is to eat healthy soups and broths. I made this soup the other night for dinner with mixed veggies and homemade chicken stock. It definitely encourages the cleansing process and builds the immune system.
You can find Healthee Woodroot Tonic at the SonDon Herbal Essentials, or by calling Robert at 718.773.4895, or emailing him at Robert@SonDon.com.
PLEASE NOTE: As of January 2013, HWT is back ordered. However, Robert at SonDon has a waiting list and will ship in 3-4 weeks when it is available.
Namasté.
Three Easy Steps to Build Your Immunity
Learn 3 easy steps for building your immunity by keeping the gut healthy in this segment of Healthy Living with Lori Gregory.
What is Your Definition of Healthy?
How do you define healthy? After hearing this week about Judy Trunnell, I began to realize not everyone defines it the same way.
Judy, who was 33, died after developing a case of the swine flu. She was also 8 months pregnant, and doctors delivered a healthy baby girl while Judy was in a coma. Tragic.
Following her death, conflicting reports emerged in the media about whether or not she had a preexisting illness which would have weakened her health, therefore making her more susceptible to developing swine flu. The husband says no. But, the doctors say yes.
In fact, her medical records indicate prior to coming down with the swine flu Judy had asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. Which leads me to wonder: does the husband think that’s healthy?
Had Judy lived with these conditions for so long, that she and her husband considered them part of her regular state of health?
In Ayurveda, Asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis are all reversible by diet. In fact, according to Ayurveda everything is reversible but death. Which means if Judy had defined healthy by Ayurveda’s standards, she would still be here, her baby daughter would have a mother, and her husband would not be left to raise his daughter alone.
Yep. I’ve seen it happen dozens of times. Each one of these conditions is inflammatory in nature, and is an immune response by the body to try to eliminate toxins because the body is not strong enough to do it on its own.
Here are the three reasons people get asthma, arthritis and psoriasis:
1. No Breast Milk as a Baby.
Studies show overwhelmingly that breast milk contains probacteria that help build immunity from day one. Not only does it colonize in the small intestine (where the majority of the lymph glands in our bodies are located), but it also helps make the body alkaline by helping it digest food later on. Without it, formula fed-babies suffer higher rates of allergies, ear infections, ADHD and general lower resistance to other toxins.
If you didn’t get breast milk (like I didn’t), then you must supplement with probiotics. The best one I’ve found, and I’ve studied them all, is Metagenics’ Ultra flora plus Dairy Free Capsules. Take two capsules 2x daily between meals for 3-6 months. You will start to see an improvement in digestion, overall energy (since your body will be better able to digest and absorb your nutrients), as well as an increase in immune function.
2. Extensive use of Antibiotics.
This is a toughie, because we are a society addicted to our antibiotics. Not physically, of course. Mentally and emotionally. I know, because I used to be an AB junkie. At the first sign of a sniffle or a sneeze, we go running to the doc for our AB prescript. My doc used to just call it in over the phone. Whether it helped or not, I felt like at least I was doing something about my cold or flu (which I used to get every three months like clockwork).
What I now know is every time we take antibiotics we are weakening our immune system. Not only do we kill any bad bugs in our gut, but we also kill the good ones. So bye-bye lactobacillus, adios bifidus infantis — all of which came from our mother’s milk and can only be replaced by supplements.
For every 10 days you are on antibiotics, it takes 2 months for the gut to recover. That’s right. So in order to replace what you lost in good bacteria, you have to supplement for 2 months.
Only take an antibiotic if you are in jeopardy of a life-threatening illness.
For women, overuse of antibiotics usually starts to show up in their 20s and 30s as chronic yeast infections — that is one of the first chronic signs of immune weakness due to lack of probacteria. Men, unfortunately, can carry candida infection as well. But because of their external anatomy candida infection will usually show up as smelly feet, excess gas and bloating after eating, and/or distended gut. In men, it is much harder to detect.
Either way, get a good probiotic if you want to bring it into balance now before it becomes something worse.
3. Consuming large amounts of wheat and dairy products.
This is the biggie. I know, because I used to be THE Dairy Queen. I consumed anywhere from 1-2 gallons of whole milk a week. And BTW, skim or 1% milk is worse, because ALL the digestive enzymes are stripped out of it making it IMPOSSIBLE to digest.
Here’s the deal: man was not meant to drink commercial dairy. Period. We are supposed drink our mother’s milk when we are born, and IF we choose to drink milk, raw milk cultured with keifer grains so that it contains high levels of probacteria is the best choice. Or goat’s milk, which is closer to human milk anyway.
Commercial cow’s milk is one of the most CONGESTIVE foods you can put in the body. IF YOU SUFFER FROM ASTHMA, STOP DRINKING COMMERCIAL COWS MILK TODAY! It takes 3-6 months for the body to detox from dairy, so be patient. It may get worse before it get’s better, BUT IT WILL GET BETTER.
Wheat is also a highly indigestible food source because we have mutated it to the point where it has 0 digestive enzymes left. Did you know wheat has 69 chromosomes? But spelt, the original form of wheat, has only 9?
Yes, we have mutated wheat for agricultural purposes to the point where it turns to complete mucous in the gut.
Wheat and dairy cause the immune system to elicit a cascade once they enter the body. The immune system says, “I can’t break down these substances, there are no enzymes. What am I supposed to do with this?” So instead, it floods the alimentary canal (mouth to anus) with mucous as a way of preventing the absorption of a potentially harmful substance. The mucous then acts like a sheet of Saran wrap on the intestines, preventing absorption. Read Dr. Davis’ book Wheat Belly. It will blow your mind.
And now you have a compromised immune system. Because instead of it doing its job to fight invaders, it’s busy trying to deal with the garbage that it can’t process.
If Judy Trunnell had made changes before she GOT pregnant, she could have reversed these conditions, had a much more pleasant pregnancy, had a stronger constitution and immune system, and avoided getting the swine flu to begin with.
Strength of immunity starts in the gut. And the stronger your immune system, the less likely you are to fall victim to the swine flu or any other bug.
Namasté.
The CDC said Wednesday that 41 states have confirmed cases of the virus. Illinois has the most confirmed cases, with 122, followed by New York with 97, the CDC said. California has 67, Texas has 61, and Massachusetts has 45, it said.
A full list of states with confirmed cases is the CDC Web site, www.cdc.gov.
THE MOM STREET JOURNAL 
