The Mind of Christ

“Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

I have to admit up front that this post began to write itself in the days following our learning of Anthony Bourdain’s suicide.  Having lost several people to suicide and having been prone to depression at different stages of my life, suicide has been on my mind and on my heart for many years.  Suicide.  It results from a pain so deep and so intense that there is no escape from it for the body or the mind. The body, which is actually programmed to always preserve itself, has no voice in the matter; or perhaps the body allows it to happen as the remedy for the pain. In either case, the mind takes over completely and in a moment, a life, a light, a child, a spouse, a friend…. is gone.

Most of us come into this world with a limbic system that is damaged.  Within this system we hold generations of trapped emotions that were experienced by our ancestors. As we take our first breathe in life, these emotions have an effect on how we communicate, act, and interact with the world around us and they also affect the way our physical bodies work (or don’t work).  In addition, as we go through our own life experiences, as we experience our own shocks and/or traumas, and engage in a lifestyle that is not compatible with our nature, the associated emotions may also become trapped within our minds and our bodies to create a heavier load for the limbic system to bear. 

God, our Creator, our Father, knows this about His children so He sent us His Son. He sent us Jesus so that we might learn how to lighten the load and bring light to where there is darkness. Jesus came to heal us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. A Christian knows that with every cross we bear in faith, there is hope for a resurrection. However, we do need to be actively seeking resolution.

Actively seeking to wear the mind of Christ will override the messages that are trapped within the limbic system. I encourage you to read and pray over 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 and listen to what Our Lord puts onto your heart. When we ask Jesus to walk with us, when we spend time with Him in prayer by reading scripture, and when we ask Him to “take the wheel”, we are transformed.  Those pre-programmed messages in the limbic system (or what some may call “demons”) are silenced. This is our most important strategy for achieving and maintaining emotional and physical health. This is not about religion or doctrine.  It is about meeting and getting to know Jesus.  Jesus will transform your life in a way NO OTHER human being who has ever walked the earth is able to do. 

However, through the years I have come to understand that for many people the physical connection to Jesus is compromised or completely missing. We all have God’s DNA within us at all times and because of this, it should be within our nature to seek out a relationship with Him. Understanding this knowledge, I have a strong feeling that there could actually be a trapped message within the limbic system that keeps this sacred connection either from being fully established or perhaps through the generations, the physical connection may have been destroyed.  Through healing prayer, I know that it is possible to silence any message that separates us from God and that any and all physical connections may be repaired and restored.   So what happens when someone is so compromised that they are unable or unwilling to pray? 

God makes all things possible and if we search in His name, we will always find a way forward.

Bioenergetic assessment, (or as I like to call it…technology that God gives us so that we may help one another), gives us the ability to look for and find connections that are missing within the physical and emotional body.  We use this technology to find the best physical and energetic strategies to neutralize, silence, repair. and restore the missing or compromised connections. It’s amazing really… someday science will fully embrace this gift from God but in the meantime, little miracles are taking place every day unbeknownst to most.  Not everything in this physical world can be easily explained.  However, when one walks in faith, there is a peace that assures us that we are headed in the right direction. If the direction we are going in has the potential to bring us closer to Him by sharing the mind of Christ, then demons are silenced, and peace overcomes ones body, mind, and soul and those of our families and friendships.  With outcomes like these, I think we are doing good work. 

“Had you walked in the way of God,/ you would have dwelt in enduring peace.” (Bar 3:13)

The Journey to Health

The journey to health can be long, hard, boring, adventurous, rocky… It can have peaks and valleys, it can spin you around many different ways. The body is masterfully made and is still a beautiful mystery to most people who study it. No matter how many degrees one may have, no one can claim to fully understand the human body.

We are a society of people who for the most part, come into world already carrying “baggage” in our cells. This baggage can include toxins, pathogens and even emotions.  Then depending on the way our parents and caregivers choose to feed us and raise us and our individual life experiences, our bodies will either thrive or struggle. (Hopefully a lot of the former and a little of the latter.)  No two of us are exactly alike so my journey may not be anything like your journey and my health goals may be very different from your health goals. Thankfully, God knows that His people are extremely diverse and He made it so that there are quite literally thousands of ways to do the same thing.  We can unload all of the baggage and repair and restore our physical and emotional health. Every one of us can heal if it is what one truly desires!

Over the years as I have observed and guided many people through their healing journeys, what I have found to be paramount, is that one must keep God in the center of all of the activity. One must stay close to The One that created each of us. The One who knows us best. The One who knew us before we were even created! By leaning on God and seeking His guidance and inspiration, the healing journey will always be bearable. God will keep you propped up in difficult times and in the quiet moments that you spend with HIm, He may actually let you know what your next move should be.

You should not try to make your own trail when working toward health, especially since God already knows the way forward. I do not at all mean to imply that one should neglect good food, good supplements and the therapies that will help us along the way (that would put me out of business!) These are all gifts and they should be utilized. However, if you are struggling to reclaim your health, it is mostly likely due to the fact that the “trail is eroded”. The path is not clear and we need help to clear the path. When one asks God for help He most certainly will send it for “Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread…” (Matthew 7:9)

May God be the guide of your soul, your spirit, and your life.

What’s For Breakfast?

I love breakfast! Regardless of what I choose to have, it’s easily my favorite meal of the day. However, often when new clients come to me and I begin to tweak their diets and explain to them what needs to be done in order to heal the body, the first thing they ask is, “what in the world will I have for breakfast?!” I understand their confusion and frustration as I was once in their shoes. First, you have to let go of what you think breakfast should be. (It’s NOT a boxed cereal, white bread toast, bagels, or pancake/waffle mixes laden with refined, enriched white flour and various “artificial and natural flavors” and binders, etc…) Then, you have to open your mind to what it could be. (Do you know how comforting it is to have a hot bowl of soup for breakfast on a cold winter morning?)

Let’s start by looking at whether or not you even want breakfast, ‘cause if you don’t… you need to look a little more closely at your overall health. Do you wake-up hungry or get hungry within an hour of waking or soon after your morning work-out? If not, then metabolically, I would say something is up. Your body is in a detoxification mode throughout the night and into the early morning hours and (according to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride) possibly up until 10:00 a.m.. I would say, that if you are not interested in eating until 10:00 a.m. or later then your body is working hard to accomplish something and most likely it could use some support (but we can discuss that at your appt….).

Now, whether you eat breakfast at 7:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m., it is important that you choose your first meal of the day wisely. It really does set the tone for the rest of the day. In this post, I am not going to tell you what to eat because basically, you need to listen to your body and feed it appropriately within certain parameters. Breakfast (and all meals) should always be real, whole, properly prepared foods. As I was making breakfast this morning for my son and myself, I was thinking about how all the members of my family do breakfast differently and except for one of us (who will go unnamed…), we all do it well. It is these differences that I want to share with you today.

The first breakfast of the morning today was made for my 8 year old son. He loves breakfast and since he is no longer sensitive to egg whites his mornings have gotten a whole lot more interesting! My little guy is very active. He is always moving and he needs a good hardy breakfast. This morning I made him two scrambled eggs which I get from my dairy coop, 2 pieces of bacon, a glass of raw whole milk and a little bowl of supplements. Oh! And a squirt of fermented, Cinnamon Tingle Cod Liver Oil. He gobbled all this down and was on his way. Other options for his breakfast are pancakes which are made with a base of almond meal, coconut flour, eggs and either banana, applesauce, or pumpkin. They are all good and topped with lots of Kerry Gold butter and REAL maple syrup. He also enjoys oatmeal which I have soaked overnight and cooks up in 5 minutes in the morning. The oatmeal is also served with butter and maple syrup.

Next up was my husband. He came home from the gym and just had time for a bowl of plain, whole milk yogurt from Butterworks Farm in Vermont. He does put some real maple syrup on it which we get from a farm in New Hampshire. He also gets a somewhat bigger bowl of whole food supplements which I put together for him. If he has time, he will often have some eggs too, but not today.

Then it was finally my turn. I’ve been in a juicing mode for awhile now and this morning was no different. I juiced 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 1/4 of a beet, a handful of parsley, some swiss chard, some cabbage, and a piece of cucumber. Then I added about 1/4 cup of fresh whey and 1 egg yolk. Delicious and nutritious. I also had a bowl of supplements (I do love my supplements!), a squirt of cod liver oil and a couple of spoonfuls of flax seed oil. I’m usually a little bit hungry again around 10-11 a.m. when I juice in the morning (especially if I have worked out) and at that time I have some raw nuts that I have soaked and dehydrated.

A few hours later my 21 year old daughter woke up and she goes right for the Standard Process SP Complete shake mix and the blender. She makes up a shake usually with water and combination of frozen fruits and Whole Food Fiber (but we are out of fiber right now). I think she also stirs in some Redwood Hill Goat Milk Kefir but she might be drinking that on the side. I would like her to add in some coconut oil or flax seed oil but, I keep forgetting to tell her. She also gets a few supplements in the morning. (Remember, supplements should always come from food but they do not replace food.)

I will tell you that all 4 of us wake-up and hit the ground running. There is no need for coffee or other stimulants. We just go. Now that might not be unusual for an 8 year old boy, but it can be for someone who is 21 and is definitely unusual for people who are over 40…. After all, “America runs on Dunkin”. If nothing else, I beg you all to throw out your dry cereal – it really does absolutely nothing for you or your children. And if you can not give it up, at least serve it with raw whole milk.

Start your day with real food – you will be amazed at how great the rest of your day will be!

 

Building a Healthy Immune System

Flu season is upon us once again and everywhere I turn someone wants to stick me with a needle and inject me with some sort of chemical concoction that is filled with toxins and preservatives. Supposedly, allowing this into my blood stream and tissues will keep me from getting the flu. I don’t buy it and neither should you. Recently, I heard a report on the radio relaying that a study published in The Lancet has found that there is no real proof that the flu vaccine is effective for most people and specifically not for the elderly. Interesting….

I have to admit, I did get the flu last winter and it was a miserable and interesting ride for sure. If I remember correctly it lasted less than a day and when the fever broke it was as though my body had freed itself from the grip of death. I know that’s a bit dramatic but in the end, I found the experience to be quite fascinating. When you treat it right, the human body is so darn cool! It knows exactly what it has to do to conquer an illness and it will do it quickly and efficiently! The next day I was 1000% percent better, although it did take about a week to regain my energy.  Most of us will get ill once in awhile and I believe that the way the body is able to conquer the illness is a good indicator of how well your immune system functions. I also believe that there are times when we get sick simply because our bodies require “a break” from the stresses of our everyday routine. In other words, if you won’t slow down, your body will insist on it by putting you to bed –  so to speak.

Because I have recently become a Certified GAPS™ Practitioner, I have been thinking about the immune system A LOT. So today, I have decided to post this list from the latest edition of Dr. Campbell-McBride’s book for you to take a look at. My comments are in italics.

From Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD

“Top Ten Influences which Boost Immunity”

1. Fresh animal fats (from meats and dairy) and cholesterol-rich foods (particularly raw egg yolk). – No healing can take place in the body without cholesterol!
2. Cold-pressed oils: olive oil, fish oils, nut and seed oils. – NOT vegetable oils that go rancid quickly and are disease causing.
3. Onions & garlic.  – These are sulphur rich and as I understand it, our bodies need sulphur to let oxygen into our cells. Disease can not live in our cells if oxygen is present.
4. Freshly pressed vegetable and fruit juices. – Raw juices are detoxifying and are loaded with enzymes which are the catalysts for all activity in the body.
5. Regular consumption of greens: parsley, dill, coriander, spring onions (green onions, scallions) and garlic, etc.
6. Probiotic supplementation and fermented foods. – A good quality probiotic will have many strains. I look for ones that have 10 or more. If you have ever been on antibiotics and/or birth control pills in your lifetime you need to be on a probiotic. Fermented foods include but are not limited to homemade yogurt, a good quality sauerkraut (there will be no vinegar in it), kombucha, and kefir.
7. Contact with animals: horses, dogs, etc. Having a pet in the family can do a lot for children’s immune status. – No comment…. the husband won’t let us have a pet.
8. Swimming in unpolluted natural waters: lakes, rivers, and the sea. – Also, be sure you are drinking only filtered or spring water and consider getting a filter for your shower. 
9. Physical activity in the fresh air. – Get those kids outside everyday if possible and you too!
10. Exposure to sunlight and sensible sunbathing. – See my blog about the sun! If you can not get out in the sun on a daily basis or if you live in an area where there just isn’t much sun (like ME!) , you will want to supplement with a good quality cod liver oil. 

 

 

 

 

I hope this list helps you put together a good strategy for staying healthy this winter and really all year. In the near future, I will post Dr. Campbell-McBride’s list of “Top Ten Influences that Damage Immunity”.

Be well and remember that only REAL food results in REAL health.

“Diabesity”

I first heard the term “diabesity” at a Standard Process seminar almost one year ago. I thought by now, I would be coming across it more often in health blogs, the newspaper, the news, etc… It just sounds like a word that the media would love to use.

“Diabesity”  is of course a combination of the words “diabetes” and “obesity”. (I just did a google search of the word and there are almost 100,000 entries that can be perused). Both of these conditions are currently epidemic in western civilization and especially here in the U.S. And according to everything I have read, the number of obese people with type 2 diabetes is going to continue to increase by record numbers.

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – “Diabetes affects 8.3 percent of Americans of all ages, and 11.3 percent of adults aged 20 and older… About 27 percent of those with diabetes—7 million Americans—do not know they have the disease. Prediabetes affects 35 percent of adults aged 20 and older.” Several years ago, while watching the movie Food Inc. I made note of the following horrifying statistic – “One in three children born in the year 2000 will become diabetic in his or her lifetime and if the child is black or hispanic the odds become one out of every two.”

As for the obesity epidemic, it doesn’t take a scientist to share statistics with us to see what’s happening out there in the world. People of all ages are getting heavier and it’s not looking like change is going to happen any day soon. Unfortunately, most people are misguided regarding which foods will make them fat. In addition, the sedentary lifestyle of many Americans does not help the situation. Keep in mind though, that a healthy, balanced body will always fall within a normal weight range. It should not be necessary to work out in order to be a healthy weight.

Unfortunately, despite a healthful, whole foods diet, I have found myself in a pre-diabetic state more than once in my life and I now know that it is something I need to stay on top of. I happen to really like grains, but I know that the best way to keep any sort of diabetes or blood sugar problems at bay is to avoid them as much as possible. This is very, very important. Avoiding grains and sugar will keep blood sugar steady throughout the day and will keep your body going into fat stores for energy, which in turn will help keep weight down. I normally limit my grain intake to brown and/or wild rice using them in soups or as a side dish to meat. This seems to work well for me. However, there are times when working with a client, that avoiding grains and sugars is still not enough. It is at these times, that I consult both my Standard Process and my MediHerb Clinical Reference Guide.

From these guides two supplements stand out to me – Paraplex by Standard Process and MediHerb’s Gymnema. Paraplex is a multivitamin of sorts that feeds the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, the pancreas and the adrenals, which all need to be in tip top shape in order for the body to be able to properly handle all types of sugars, including those from fruits and whole grains. Gymnema is a beautiful herb that has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for 3000 years. Among many herbalists, it is considered the herb for diabetes. In India the Hindi name for gymnema is Gurmar which translates to “sugar destroyer”. I have used both of these supplements in my personal protocol and with my clients with much success. It’s also important to know that type 2 diabetic conditions or pre-diabetic conditions may stem from unhappy, overworked, stressed out adrenal glands. When the adrenals are overworked then the body will continue to want to use sugar as its primary fuel, creating the intense cravings that most pre-diabetic people experience.

I would like you to keep in mind the following points:

1. There is much more energy in healthy fats for the body to utilize then there is in carbohydrates. Fat takes longer to digest than carbs, which means you will be hungry less often. So, what is a healthy fat? I LOVE this question because most people are shocked by the answer I give. Healthy fats include butter, ghee, lard (from pastured animals), coconut oil, and olive oil. These are all fats that I use and enjoy daily.
2. Americans are not overweight because of excessive consumption of real, healthy fat. Most Americans who suffer from “diabesity” are consuming too much sugar, artificial sweeteners, refined carbohydrates, artificially colored drinks and sodas, meats from factory farms (where the cows eat corn and soy–contributing more carbs to our diet!), chips, crackers, crunchy things and sugar and sugar and sugar! It’s in everything!
3. The body really doesn’t have to have grains at all–EVER–but without healthy fats it will not function optimally over time.

I think it was at the Weston A. Price Conference in 2009 that I heard Sally Fallon, author of the beautiful cookbook Nourishing Traditions, say that the “minerals we consume are the bricks of our body and the fat-soluble vitamins are the mortar.” In other words without the healthy fats I mentioned above, the body would not be able to hold itself together!

In addition to the health-promoting fats that I listed above, foods such as fish eggs, cod liver oil, shellfish, oily fish, raw milk and cream (from cows who graze on grass), egg yolks (from chickens who live outside), liver and other organ meats (from cattle that eat grass) will all ensure a healthy foundation for each individual that consumes them–they will keep us from someday being diagnosed with “diabesity”.

A Tough Lesson in Hydration

There are some lessons regarding health and nutrition that I have been slow to learn. One of them is how to properly hydrate myself. I used to be of the school of thought that if one ate plenty veggies, fruit, and whole foods, one could trust one’s thirst mechanism to indicate when it is time to drink.  However, I discovered a couple of years ago that this is not necessarily true. I had been suffering from insomnia for several months and could not pinpoint the cause. Then one day, the word “dehydration” went through my mind.  It seems that my intuition was trying to tell me  that dehydration was the cause behind my inability to get a good night sleep.  I upped my daily intake of water (I don’t remember by how much) and started to sleep like a baby within a day or two! This seemed to work well for me until I started taking a Hot Flow Yoga class and as is often the case with me, I learned another lesson in hydration the hard way.

It really is very hot in a Hot Flow Yoga class and one works hard in there! Sweat is usually dripping from me within 5 minutes of the beginning of class and by the end of class I can quite literally wring out my yoga pants and top. This kind of sweating is a great way to rid the body of toxins and it also helps make my skin nice and soft through the exfoliation that naturally takes place. However, after a minor fender bender, constant cramping in my upper back, heart palpitations in the middle of the night, and feeling a bit light in the head for most of the day after class was over, I FINALLY (after about a month) put 2 & 2 together! I was dehydrated and in desperate need of some electrolytes! DUH!!! (Sometimes the nutritionist can see things in other people before she sees them in herself!) Before I get into how I naturally remedied this situation let me share with you some tid-bits that I dug up many years ago regarding dehydration:

• Most Americans are chronically dehydrated.
• In many of us, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
• Even MILD dehydration may slow down one’s metabolism.
• Lack of water may trigger daytime fatigue.
• Sufficient hydration each day may significantly ease back and joint pain for many sufferers.
• Even a small drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

There are a few different guidelines floating around out there about how much water each of us should consume in a day.  I like the advice a number of experts have given me. We should all drink 1/2 of our body weight in ounces of water every day.  Therefore a 120 pound person should drink 60 ounces of water per day. I make this easy on myself by dividing the 60 ounces by 4. I drink 1/4 of the total as soon as I wake up in the morning, another 1/4 between breakfast and lunch and so on… I usually have the total done before 7:00 p.m.. This ensures that I won’t have to get up and pee during the night.

Now, this amount of water is what the average, non-hot-flow-yoga-taking individual should consume in a day. It is not anywhere near sufficient if you plan on taking this type of yoga class, running a marathon or even just sitting in a sauna for any length of time.  When you sweat you lose electrolytes and when you lose electrolytes, symptoms like the ones I mentioned above start to plague you. Here’s what I tried before I finally found the right strategy for me:

My first attempt at trying to fix the dehydration problem was to drink iced green tea with lime juice, Real Salt, ginger and raw honey. (This is a variation of a drink that the Purification Support Team recommends while cleansing.) Green tea is hydrating and cleansing, the Real Salt has lots of minerals (minerals=electrolytes), ginger because I like it and gives the tea a nice zing, and the raw honey is a nice natural carbohydrate, full of enzymes and B vitamins that helps to keep my energy up.  This drink helped with the “spacey” feeling I had and with my energy , however, it was not enough.

Next, I tried plain coconut water. Coconut water is nature’s electrolyte gift to us! It has much more potassium than a banana and also contains sodium. The coconut water also helped, especially with the cramping in my back, but it still was not the answer.

Finally, I asked my yoga teacher, Suzanne Dufresne if she knew of a good solution to my problem. I did not want to give up her class but I also would not drink any of the typical sports drinks that are on the market. (Read the labels – most sports drinks are full of chemicals and junk that do not belong in our bodies and please please please do not give these types of drinks to your children!)  She said that most of the yogis she knew, used a product called Ultima Replenisher.  I went home and immediately looked it up. It has the complete spectrum of electrolytes, other minerals, and B-vitamins. It does not contain sugar and it is sweetened with lo han guo and stevia! Well, OK! It’s clean! I was sold. I now have 22 oz. of coconut water mixed with 1 1/2 scoops of  Ultima Replenisher before class and another 22 oz. ounces of the same drink immediately following class. I then go with plain water mixed with Ultima Replenisher for the rest of the day. On the days that I practice yoga at home or take walks, I go back to drinking 1/2 my body weight in ounces of water each day. Problem solved! I can now function normally on the days I go to class, I can work, I can play, and I no longer have any cramps in my back! I’m a happy girl and getting stronger and more flexible as the days go by thanks to my yoga practice.

Now, there are many recipes on the internet for all natural electrolyte drinks and I have no problem with most of them. My friend Peg pointed out a great blog to me recently called Wellness Mama and as fate would have it, the author has published what looks to be like a couple of very good Sports Drink Recipes. I think they would be quite effective, but I like what I have finally hit upon and I think I will stick with it. It’s easy, it’s natural, and it gets the job done. If you end up trying these recipes or have something else that works for you, please share. Your healthy choice might just become another person’s healthy choice!

Sun-Safe Skin

As Memorial Day passes we can officially say that summer is here! And with the onset of summer, come trips to the beach, lots of outdoor activities, and of course, concern for how to best protect our skin. At this time of year, there is a lot of talk about sunscreens and sunblocks and I have noticed these products going on sale at the various stores where I shop. It seems that “now is the time to stock up!” Hmmmm. I’m not so sure about that…

First off, if the sun is so darn dangerous for our skin then why would our Creator have put that big ball of fire right above us, in the first place? It’s my belief that nature is perfect in every way so, how is it that the sun could be so bad for us and bad for our skin? Could it be that if the sun has become harmful, then it may be that there is something not quite right with humans these days? Could it be that it really is all about our diet?

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD writes:

“Skin cancer, blamed on sunshine, is not caused by the sun. It is caused by trans fats from vegetable oils and margarine and other toxins stored in the skin. In addition, some of the sunscreens that people use contain chemicals that have been proven to cause skin cancer.”

First let’s look at some of the positive things the sun does for us:

Vitamin D

I only know of two really good sources of vitamin D – the sun and cod liver oil. Vitamin D is very important to our health and seems to be in the news more and more lately. People are becoming very deficient and suffering from side effects which result from this deficiency. (I wonder if this widespread deficiency stems from the fact that we are all slathering ourselves with sunblock?)  In some cases vitamin D has been proven to protect the body from: osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, arthritis, mental illness, chronic pain, muscular weakness, diabetes and many autoimmune disorders. The list grows daily.

Chris Masterjohn, a noted vitamin D expert, writes:

“……the amount of vitamin D one obtains from the sun, therefore, is proportionate to the amount of skin one exposes. Dressing conservatively will for this reason reduce vitamin D synthesis. A large proportion of children who have developed rickets, a rare and extreme disease of vitamin D deficiency, have belonged to families practicing the use of restrictive clothing for religious reasons.

….Clothing is not the only way to stop vitamin D synthesis in the skin: even the simple use of a sunscreen with SPF 8 reduces UVB penetration by 98 percent and essentially abolishes vitamin D production.”

Some of us are “Solar Powered”

I have heard this from more than one person. The sun makes us feel good! In bright sunshine my energy soars, my creativity flows and a lot more gets done around the house. This most likely stems from the effect of the vitamin D, but sunny weather also means that we get to go outside and play!  We are more apt to hike and bike, run, take walks, work in the garden, etc. when it is warm and sunny outside.

SAD

Without adequate sunlight hitting our skin many of us may be prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder which leaves us feeling blue and less energetic in the cold, dark, short days of winter. (I easily turn this around by taking more cod liver oil.)

So, how do we keep our skin happy and healthy and still get the benefits of sunshine? We certainly never ever want to get a sunburn for that burn may come back to “bite” us later in life…

Good Fats

In the “Clinical Reference Guide” that I use, under “sunburn protection” it says to take 7 Cataplex F tablets 2 hours before exposure to the sun. Cataplex F is a source of iodine which supports the thyroid and is also a source of arachidonic acid. A healthy thyroid is needed to metabolize fats and good fats are needed to protect our skin from being damaged by the sun. Arachidonic acid is an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that is primarily found in animal-based foods.

Research shows that “dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect the skin against photocarcinogenesis” (skin cancer). Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include grass-fed meat, wild caught fish like salmon, sardines & mackerel, and free range egg yolks (all the foods that I am constantly encouraging people to eat).

Another point to consider is that the cholesterol in meat from grass-fed animals and in eggs from free-range hens help to keep all cells in the body healthy, including skin cells! In looking at photos of people who consume a traditional diet, devoid of processed foods and containing plenty of animal fats, I have noticed that the skin is nearly always wrinkle free.

I have heard anecdotal evidence that using the Cataplex F for sun protection really does work, but I have not tried it myself. However, I do think that this will be the summer when I put it to the test.

Astaxanthin

As fate would have it, as I was preparing this blog, Dr. Mercola wrote a great article about a carotenoid called astaxanthin and how it benefits the skin. He suggests that this extract of a certain microalgae could very well be “sunscreen in a pill”. It may also help “prevent wrinkles, dry skin, age spots and freckles and may reverse visible signs of aging”. Astaxanthin is the algae’s survival mechanism. It serves as a shield that protects the algae from lack of nutrition or intense sunlight. Astaxanthin is of course an extract, not a whole food. Besides the microalgae, the only other real source of this carotenoid is wild caught salmon. Farm raised salmon is actually grey and fed chemical dyes to give it its color. It is the astaxanthin in wild salmon that gives it the pink color.  So with the wild-caught salmon, you get both astaxanthin and omega-3!

Using an extract of astaxanthin as a sunscreen is of course a different strategy in protecting one’s skin than using healthy fats, but I have always maintained that nature never just gives us just one way to be healthy.  I also wonder if, since the astaxanthin becomes a “shield” of sorts, will it interfere with vitamin D metabolism? Something for me to look into at a later time….

Sunblock/Sunscreens

If you do decide that it is in your best interest to use some sort of sunscreen/block please be very careful regarding the products you choose. Remember, your skin is the largest organ of your body and it deserves only the best “food”.  Whatever you rub on your skin gets absorbed into your blood stream and then these ingredients, chemicals and toxins get sent to the liver to be processed. The liver is not superhuman and can only take so much abuse. Sunblocks should be mineral based and should not contain any chemicals. If your sunscreen has any of the following ingredients in it, it should be dumped in the trash:

• Para amino benzoic acid
• Octyl salicyclate
• Avobenzone
• Oxybenzone
• Cinoxate
• Padimate O
• Dioxybenzone
• Phenylbenzimidazole
• Homosalate
• Sulisobenzone
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Trolamine salicyclate
• Octocrylene

The active ingredients in your sunscreen/sunblock should be Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. These minerals are provided to us by nature and do not irritate the skin or clog the pores. They simply form a barrier on top of the skin.

Sunburn

As stated earlier in this post, it is important to never get a sunburn. My youngest son has very fair skin and I try hard to not let him burn. I think this year, I may try the Cataplex F tablets with him as well, but in the rare instances that he does get a little burn I reach for a vial of Dr. Hauschka’s Rhythmic Conditioner, Sensitive. I refer to the contents of these vials as a “magic potion”. This product is designed to teach your skin to act normally and when applied to a sunburn, the redness goes away, the sting goes away, and it never peels. It is truly amazing!

My Personal Sun Protection Protocol:

1. I eat plenty of animal fats. Butter from grass-fed cows (Kerry Gold Brand), goat-milk kefir, red meat from grass-fed cows, etc…
2. At the beginning of the season, I go out into the sun for short periods of time and allow my body to develop a nice base tan.
3. For long days in the sun, I rarely use sunblock. I always wear a hat and when I have reached my limit, I cover up with light clothing.

It works for me….

Enjoy the summer!

It’s Time to Give Your Body a Fresh Start

Spring is a time when everything looks and feels new again. The sun feels warmer on the skin and the days begin to grow longer. The longer days and added sunshine give us more energy to get out and exercise AND stay in to clean and organize. No longer do we crave comfort foods such as stews, pot pies, and hardy soups.  We naturally start to shift our palate to lighter fare and you may even be looking a little differently at some of the greens available in the grocery store. (Bitter greens such as dandelion are great for stimulating digestion and may be added to salads and smoothies.) Spring is the time of year when those of us who live in cold, snowy areas get to open our windows for the first time in months and air out our homes. At this time of year our bodies also want to get “aired out”, lightened up, and to let go of some of the fat stores we needed in the winter to keep warm. Spring also presents to us a great opportunity do a little internal-organ cleansing. There are many foods that are especially useful for this purpose. Here is a partial list:

• Beets – Juice made from beets and beet tops naturally detoxify the liver. Beets are a great source of betaine and betaine has been shown to help decongest the liver, support fat metabolism, and helps to thin and mobilize bile.
• Lemons – Drinking the juice of 1 lemon mixed with a cup of water each morning helps to keep waste moving through the intestines. (Add a little celtic sea salt or Real Salt and give yourself some much needed trace minerals.)
• Cilantro – Used daily, cilantro will help to detoxify your body of mercury. (If you have fillings in your teeth this may be a good idea for you.)
• Garlic and Onions (organically grown) are sulfur rich foods. Sulfur is needed by the liver to produce enzymes that are needed for detoxification. Sulfur is also needed to hydrate our cells.
• Green Tea – Daily consumption of green tea gives the body important antioxidants, supports the growth of healthy bowel flora and also increases liver function – a great detoxifier!
• Asparagus helps to clean the kidneys.

A Cleanse

For a deep, thorough cleansing of the liver, digestive tract, kidneys, and lymphatic system I highly recommend the Standard Process Purification Program. I did this cleanse in January of this year. Despite a clean diet, I noticed a few thing about my health that were not quite right and I decided it was time to give this program a try. I am so glad that I finally did! In fact, I enjoyed it so much and received so many benefits from it that I will be doing it again come June. Two of the biggest benefits I received that seem to be common, especially among women, are better, more sound sleep and increased energy during the day. My mind is also sharper which I certainly appreciate and I am in a great mood most of the time now – even at that scary PMS time!

The Liver

I remember reading in one of my textbooks that the liver is so important to the functioning of our bodies that instead of saying, “I love you with all my heart” we should be saying, “I love you with all my liver”. The liver is responsible for creating bile and stowing it in the gallbladder. The liver also creates fat and protein packets that are transported around the body, it metabolizes protein, and stores fat-soluble vitamins, iron, and B12 in addition to carbohydrates. The liver also detoxifies hormones, drugs, and toxins so they can be eliminated  from the body. It is the filter for everything that you take in and everything created in the body. That is a lot of work for one organ. And in this world full of pollutants, toxins, chemicals, pesticides, and fast foods,  the liver gets over-worked and backed up. It’s important to “change the oil” so to speak.

Under ideal working conditions the liver should be able to handle just about anything thrown at it but, unfortunately we now live in a world that is less than optimal for many of our organs. Toxins that are not able to be removed from the body may contribute to many chronic conditions including but not limited to:

• Congestion/Stuffy Head
• Fatigue or difficulty sleeping
• Poor digestion and other gastrointestinal problems
• Food cravings and weight gain
• Reduced mental clarity
• Low libido

The Gut

80% of your immune system is in your gastroinstestinal tract and the Standard American Diet does nothing to ensure the health of this intricate and amazing system. A great way to gently clean out and heal the GI tract is to complete the Standard Process Purification Program while including lots of homemade chicken stock and a good probiotic.

The Kidneys

The kidneys filter out waste and excess fluid from the blood. Have you been looking a little “puffy” lately? It may be time for a cleanse! The kidneys also regulate and release the right balance of sodium, phosphorus, and potassium for the body to function properly.

Feedback from happy, cleansing people:

“I just completed the Cleansing/Purification Program and what a journey it has been! The first 4 days of this program were very difficult for me due to intense cravings.  I was even dreaming about foods I would not normally eat.  By the night of the 3rd day, I seriously doubted my ability to go on with the journey.  I am so glad that I hung in there.  By the 5th day, my cravings were all gone and I began to reap the benefits of the program. Both my sleep at night and my energy during the day improved dramatically. Because of these two changes, I had more energy and motivation to exercise daily.   By day 10, I  began to experienced steady  weight loss which seemed to be focused on the most needed areas of my body.   Although I thought I was a disciplined eater prior to the journey, my greatest nutritional take-away is how to increase my vegetable intake.  I now eat a salad with my breakfast and it’s wonderful way to start my day!  I highly recommend this program as a way to jump start a journey to improved health and lifestyle changes.” – Teresa, Lake Forest, Ca.

“I did the cleanse.  At the beginning it was difficult because I do not eat a lot of vegetables but, after the 4th day I felt better and ended up losing around 12 lbs. in three weeks. I enjoy running and working out and my running has improved and I have more energy to cope with all that life throws at me.  If I can do this cleanse, anyone can.  Three weeks is not a long time.  It has been over a month since I have finished the cleanse and I have kept most of the healthy eating habits I started during the cleanse and the weight has stayed off and I am feeling good.” – Jim, Boston, Ma.

“After completing the SP Purification Program, I have more energy, less cravings, a happy belly and no more sleepless nights.  It has helped me transition to a more healthy, whole food diet by ridding the cravings for caffeine, sugars…etc.  I would highly recommend this program.” – Julie, Hudson, Ma.

And finally, from Jerry in Lake Forest, Ca.-

” This is the third time I have taken the SP cleanse and it never fails. I lost 14 lbs in 2 weeks and feel great and at 40 years old I can use all the help I can get.  Some people say the first 3 days are the toughest with cravings for carbs, but for me its the 3rd week. I find eating crunchy vegetables throughout the day and having an SP shake helps a lot. The occasional sweet potato helps curb my carb crave. For me the best part is eating hot and sweet raw peppers with my salads and vegetables to keep the flavor going. When cravings are most severe, a nice avocado, fresh lemon juice and sea salt sure hit the spot. From Day 1 thru Day 6 bowel movements are large, and makes me think this product should come with a hatchet. But honestly, colon function sure gets improved after this cleanse. Its amazing how disgusting fast food and processed foods look and smell by the 3rd week on the cleanse. This product saved my life (well ok, maybe delayed death a little longer) ……but honestly the SP cleanse is clean, gentle, and really works in many ways.”

I think Jerry pretty much sums it up for all of us! Thanks to everyone for the great feedback!

Only real food gives us the real health we need to live life to the fullest. Completing a cleanse such as The Standard Process Purification Program not only rids the body of lots of muck and helps your organs work more efficiently, but it also makes it easier for the body to take in all the nutrition that real food has to offer. Think about showing your liver how much you love it and when you are ready to do this great program, drop me a line. I’ll send you a Symptom Survey Form to get an idea where you stand pre-cleanse and then I’ll get you all set up (hatchet and all!). When you are done, you too will be writing a glowing testimonial which I will happily include on my website!

To Supplement or Not to Supplement – That is the Question…

“Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food.” (Hippocrates) “If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?” (unknown). “Food can hurt and food can heal.” (Me!) “Real food creates real health” (Me again!). These are some of the quotes and statements that inspire me each day to live the way I do, think the way I think, and work the way I work. The rare person can go through life eating whatever they want, whenever they want, have plenty of energy and vitality and claim to be healthy. When I meet someone who fits this description I am truly amazed, but I also know that the ancestors of this individual must have laid down a great health foundation for him or her to live off of. The scenario is similar to that of an heir to a financial dynasty who is now blowing through the savings before the next generation can enjoy a share in it. In order to keep the riches for those to come, investments need to be made, and spending should be done cautiously. The same goes with one’s health. Invest in eating real food and take good supplements and you will spare the health of your as-yet to be born offspring. What happens, though, when good food sources are scarce or when one has spent their youth using up one’s health reserve? Is it possible to rebuild the foundation for yourself and for your descendants? And is eating whole foods enough to accomplish this task? To supplement or not to supplement? This, my friend, is the question.

I supplement. I like to take supplements. Supplements are my friends. A recent study published by the Natural Products Foundation indicates that Americans spend about $20 billion on supplements each year. Yikes! That’s a heck of a lot of money. Is it helping? It is for the small percentage of us who know what to look for in a supplement. For the rest, it can actually create new issues in the body. You see, most vitamins on the market are synthetic and fractionated. What does this mean? Scientists in the pharmaceutical industry have some “funny” habits. First they determine that a specific food is good for some aspect of achieving health. For example, citrus fruits are anti-scurvy and enhance the immune system. This discovery isn’t really good enough for these scientist types though. They’ve got to know exactly what part of said food is doing all the heavy lifting or pushing the magic buttons in the body. Then, since there isn’t much money in recommending the addition of oranges to the diet, they have a deep-seated need to chemically reproduce some part of the orange. So, they do a study. From the study they decide that ascorbic acid (a component of the vitamin C complex) is what we as humans need to fulfill our vitamin C requirements. However, “…..to say that ascorbic acid is vitamin C is like looking at a wheel and saying that it is an automobile, while it is just a small part of an automobile.” (John Courtney) A true vitamin C supplement will include bioflavinoids, rutin, vitamin K, vitamin J (bet you never heard of that one!) and enzymes. In other words, you need the whole car in order to get anywhere!

I bet, right about now, you are saying to yourself (or out loud to your computer screen), “Christina! You just proved that I only need to eat whole foods! No supplements!” You do need to eat whole foods. Absolutely. 90-95% of the time, every bite of food should have some meaning to it and have a positive effect on the body. However, when you have chronic aches and pains, digestive issues, fatigue, hormonal problems, skin problems, headaches, etc… you could work on healing yourself only with food but, it’s going to take A LOT longer to accomplish than if you supplement with concentrated whole-food supplements. And even then you will probably only break even. You still need to build up your reserves.

Whole-food supplements are whole foods with only the water and fiber removed. They are processed below 112 degrees F so the natural enzymes are still active, and whole-food supplements have a limited shelf life. They contain all of the nutrients required by our body to meet the needs of our cells and in some cases may even help nourish and restore the function of organs and glands that are tired and worn out.

Most vitamins sold at the drugstore, Costco, and even places like Whole Foods are synthetic vitamins and they do not come from food. For example, ascorbic acid typically comes from corn sugar to make vitamin C. Thiamine comes from petroleum or coal tar products to make vitamin B…. Do you see where we are going here? Not only are these vitamins not usable by the body, but the required co-factors are taken from your own body’s reserves in an attempt to use them and now you become nutritionally deficient. There is no long-term benefit here for your body or your wallet. Taking synthetic, fractionated supplements is like flushing your health and your money down the toilet.

And while we are on the subject, working with a qualified nutritionist is a good way to determine which supplements your body truly needs. Many of us are in the habit of reading health-related articles in the newspaper, a magazine, or on-line and decide that we need whatever supplement happens to be the darling of the media and which promises to keep us young forever. When you are eating whole foods and taking whole-food supplements you are getting all the “media darlings” and more so, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you are missing something. And when things are not quite right in the body, a qualified holistic nutritionist can help you find the root of the problem and help you to bring your body back into balance.

To supplement or not to supplement? Have I answered the question?

“America Runs on Dunkin'”

I have been thinking about this post for some time now. And I have been reminded that I’ve wanted to write it every single day as I am listening to the radio and going through my morning routine. It never fails, it always comes on – The Ad. I despise it. Don’t get me wrong now, I like coffee (you’ll never catch me consuming a donut though). I love the aroma of coffee and I enjoy the flavor of a good cup of coffee – once in awhile. What I don’t like are all the messages that those 4 words  imply – “America runs on Dunkin’….” You know what? From what I see out there, they are pretty much on target with that slogan. America is running on caffeine and it makes me sad. Everywhere I go, no matter where I am, it seems that I am the only one not holding a coffee of some sort – hot coffee, iced coffee, latte, etc… In my small town (1 square mile) there are 2 Dunkin Donuts and several more coffee shops. Leaving my town, you will very soon come to 2 more Dunkin’ Donuts and from there, it’s just a matter of minutes before you find another one. And once again, I am only pointing out one chain here. There are other places to purchase coffee all along the way. In the city, there seems to be a Starbucks on every corner and there usually is a Dunkin’ Donuts across the street from every Starbucks. At one point, I remember thinking that I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, Dunkin’ Donuts was running the country if not the whole wide world… However, what I want to blog about today is everything that the DD slogan implies to me:

1. American’s Needs Their Caffeine

When a new client comes to me and tells me that they drink coffee, I say, “coffee is cool”. It’s natural, right? I am all about properly prepared whole foods… Unfortunately, coffee is the most chemically sprayed crop in the world therefore, I do recommend Fair Trade Organically Grown Coffee. Coffee becomes a problem (as any drug would) when one NEEDS it –  when one can not wake up in the morning without it or get through the day without some more. This is a very clear sign of adrenal fatigue. By not paying attention to these signs and not giving the adrenal glands the support they need, one is putting their health at great risk. One may assume significant weight gain and the potential of literally “burning out”.

2. America Does Not Start the Day w/ Food

There is no food for sale at DD (or at most every fast food restaurants). There are items being sold that one chews and swallows however, there is nothing there that can be considered a whole food that is nourishing to the human species. (Don’t tell me that they have eggs! The eggs come from a factory farm where the chickens are being fed soy and they are sitting in their own doo-doo all day! Those eggs are not real eggs anymore.) Donuts are one of the worst items in the whole world that can be consumed (along w/ potato chips and french fries) especially, first thing in the morning. What it does to your sugar levels, the pancreas, the digestive tract, the bad bad fat that is involved – it’s all wrong! There is absolutely no bright side to a donut yet many many people start each and every day with a donut and a cup of coffee. I recently learned that even one cup of coffee a day can reduce your ability to lose weight. When caffeine is consumed, it tells the liver to increase blood sugar and to turn off the fat burning mode. Oh no!!! And so many people are having their morning coffee with some sort of nasty carb. The blood sugar goes up and up then soon after it comes crashing down and everyone is hungry again! Why do we do this to ourselves?

3. 3:00 p.m.

It’s 3:00 and yes, America is still running on…….. caffeine (I will stop picking on DD and coffee). You see, because the adrenal glands are so very weak, one can not function anymore come 2 or 3:00 p.m..And because most working people can not take the nap that they so desperately need by this time they run out of the office for a coffee, a diet pepsi or coke or perhaps some chocolate. It’s a sad state of affairs, people, and we must educate ourselves and each other and help make for a healthier society! (I’m serious but, I am also kind of laughing right now. I’m on a roll people!) Remember, what I wrote about Pottenger’s Cats? Our country is not only collectively ill but, we are also at a time when the species is having difficulty reproducing itself. Caffeine and the damage it does to the endocrine system is one of the reasons why.

Adrenal Health

Ultimately, this post is really about adrenal health. I recently attended a seminar given by a nutritionist whose practice is in a small town in upstate NY. She noted that she goes through over 60 bottles of the Standard Process product Drenamin per week, on account of so many of her clients needing it! (Drenamin is a wonderful formulation that helps to nourish the adrenal glands and bring the endocrine system back into balance). Even in a small town in upstate NY, America is running on empty! So, what else can we do to bring our adrenals back to life and live off of our own energy? We can first cut out all the white flour and white sugar. We can reduce our consumption of breads and grains. We can increase our consumption of raw nuts and seeds, grass fed meats, and good fats. And we all need to eat more veggies. Use only Real Salt or Celtic sea salt. If you suspect that you are suffering from adrenal fatigue, I encourage you to work with a nutritionist who will be able to put you on a protocol uniquely designed for you. Last but certainly not least, we can collectively switch to green tea.

Now, when you hear the ad that I so despise – you will think of me…….