When I see empty cans of popular energy drinks in the businesses I clean, I don’t usually see just one can.  There are always MANY stacked up next to someone’s desk.  This has always concerned me.  Certainly I had no evidence regarding these drinks or the effects of drinking them, but anything so addicting can never be good for you, right?  Well, word is starting to get out, energy drinks are causing side effects such as, irritability, concentration difficulties, gastrointestinal symptoms, heart palpitations, loss of hair, kidney problems, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and even in two cases I just read about, death.  One was a college student, out for drinks with his friends, and instead of alcohol, chose four Red Bulls.  The overdose of caffeine caused him to hallucinate and take his own life.  There is something called “Organic mental problems caused by caffeine/intoxication by caffeine”, an article in a diagnostic book for psychiatric and psychological and/or drug related illnesses.  This causes disconnected thoughts and chatter and psychometric agitation.  The other was a woman who drank four cans of Red Bull and several vodka drinks containing caffeine.  She was on medication for epilepsy and her overdose of caffeine may have triggered a heart condition resulting in her death.

250 mg of caffeine cause the same intoxicating side effect of any other drug overdose.  This result is caused when these drinks are taken in excess in one day.  There have been thousands of hospital emergencies related to these products (four cases a week due to intoxification of energy drinks).  Here’s what Wikipedia states, “The results of a study conducted in 2008 showed that the ingestion of one, 250mL can of sugar-free Red Bull, in a sample of 30 healthy young adults, had an immediate detrimental effect on both endothelial function, and normal blood coagulation. This temporarily raised the cardiovascular risk in these individuals to a level comparable to that of an individual with established coronary artery disease.”

A common energy drink, produced by an Austrian company, Red Bull contains 110 calories and 27 grams of sugar.  That’s almost 2 tablespoons of sugar.  The sugar free variety contains only 10 calories, but is sweetened with aspartame (and we know how bad that is for you).  One can contains 80 mg of caffeine which is more than three times that of the same amount of Coke.  The last time I had a soda was in a root beer float years ago, and I am not the slightest bit interested in these energy drinks.  They are just sugar water mixed with caffeine and should not be used for rehydration.  Unfortunately, these products are marketed to our youth and there are no laws to govern the adequate labeling of nutritional factors.  These drinks are attractive to our young people (adults too) for their promise to refuel yourself quickly, great for fatigue, and will give you that much needed boost if you need to pull an all nighter.  Advertisements in Playstation games, sporting events such as racing and extreme sports, have caused the company to earn around $1 billion in worldwide sales for 2000.  In Denmark and Uruguay the “selling of Red Bull is prohibited due to health concerns.”  These drinks should never be used to rehydrate your body and never be combined with alcohol, but guess what? That’s exactly what they are being used for. 

Where is this leading us?  Read your labels.  Know your ingredients and their effect on your health.  Slow down.  Relax.  Enjoy life.  Eat healthier.  Get out there and walk.

Thoughts and prayers to Michael Jackson’s family and friends.

I bet there’s more in your kitchen than you think that you can stick in the dehydrator.  What can you do with that dehydrator that’s sitting on your counter or in the cabinet and not getting used?  How about pizza dough?  A healthy alternative to the corner pizza place and you can add all the fresh veggies you have in the fridge.  It doesn’t have to be completely raw either.  Have potatoes, but no oil for frying?  Did you know you could dehydrate slices of potatoes and make your own healthier variety of potato chips?  Not only potatoes, but veggies and fruits too.  And how about pie crust that you can make and dehydrate and add your favorite fruit topping? 

Dehydrating will dry food at temperatures high enough to remove the water, but low enough to keep enzymes intact.  In the raw food world, dehydrating temps are below 112 degrees.  This allows vitamins, minerals and enzymes to be preserved.  Fresh fruit can take longer than certain grains.  Teflex sheets are liners that will let you dry watery and thinner foods without them slipping through the mesh screen.  Experiment with the times.  Flip the cookie or fruit to make drying time faster.  Eating a raw diet?  You don’t have to sacrifice the warmth of the food when you use a dehydrator. 

Save money?  Absolutely, with dehydrating.  Drying food is great for preserving food.  Dry apples, corn, tomatoes and meat to preserve and store.  Dried foods keep well because the moisture content is low.  The high cost of commercially dried foods has brought back the popularity of drying food at home.  Don’t forget nuts and seeds.  From almonds to pumpkin.  Top with your favorite spice before dehydrating.

Here are some simple recipes:

Sweet Potato Chips

Slice two sweet potatoes with a spiral slicer into thin slices and add 1/4 olive oil and 1/4 lemon juice and coat well.  Lay the chips flat on dehydrator screen and sprinkle with cayenne or pepper to your taste.  Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 8-10 hours or until crispy.

Alternatives for mixing with potatoes:  Try Bragg’s Amino, Apple cider vinegar, sea salt

A Basic Pizza Crust

2 1/2 cups buckwheat groats, soaked and sprouted. 1/3 cup olive oil and any herbs you have on hand to taste, like oregano, basil or pepper.  A little liquid amino and place all in the food processor until a dough is formed.  Dehydrate about 4 hours flipping half way through. You can even put these out in the sun to dry!  (Add other ingredients such as, ground flax, onion, parsley, garlic, red pepper)

Almond and Date Pie Crust

1 1/4 cup soaked almonds, 1 cup dates chopped, 1 tblspn water, 1/2 teaspn vanilla and some cinnamon.  Chop the nuts in your food processor and add dates until finely ground.  Add remaining ingredients.  The crust will be slightly damp.  Press the mixture and dehydrate for one hour or leave in the sun.  Top with everything from fresh fruit to pumpkin.  Yum!

And for the kids….Fruit Leathers

Puree any fruit until smooth and add lemon juice to keep fruit from darkening.  Add honey for sweetness if desired.  Spread fruit onto drying tray and dry for 6-8 hours.  Top it or fill it.  Let the kids decide!

These dishes will last in your fridge for days, and you can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  My personal favorite about raw food.  Experiment with what you have. 

Be happy and be healthy!

A food allergy is an immune system response and a food intolerance is a digestive system response.  Does a certain food give you a rash, nausea, airway restriction, itchy skin, diarrhea or shortness of breath?  That would mean you have a food allergy.  Food intolerance symptoms are stomach pain, nausea, cramping or bloating, heartburn, headache or vomiting. 

According to Webmd,  ”A food allergy is an immune system response. It occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food — usually a protein — as harmful and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it. Food allergy symptoms develop when the antibodies are battling the “invading” food.  Food intolerance is a digestive system response…… It occurs when something in a food irritates a person’s digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest or breakdown, the food.”  The most common food intolerance is lactose, found in dairy products.  Common food allergies are peanuts, shellfish, eggs, soy products and wheat or gluten.  I believe as we age, our bodies will tolerate less and less of some of these common foods.  I have a reaction to wheat, but only sometimes.  If I’m under stress, my stomach will react very quickly to certain foods.  There are other times when I’m perfectly fine.  Those with food intolerance lack certain enzymes needed for digestion.  When the undigested food enters the bloodstream, it causes a reaction.  An allergic reaction can happen immediately, starting with a tickle in the throat or itchy lips or tongue.  A friend of mine, on Thanksgiving, had peeled many many potatoes and went into anaphylactic shock. He had no idea he was even allergic, but he had peeled so many potatoes, his system was overloaded. 

Digestive enzymes are used by many people to help with the digestion of food.  Some to certain foods and some to cooked foods.  My opinion…if you have a problem eating certain foods, you should just stop eating that food.  But alas, and I am just as guilty as anyone else, we continue to eat what our bodies just don’t want to assimilate or digest. 

In the book, Prescription For Nutritional Healing, there is a food questionnaire and a food diary you can fill out.  It’s important, when you think you have a food allergy, to start to take inventory of the foods that you react to.  Eating one food at a time so that you will definitely know what the reaction in your body is, then eliminating that food for a period of time.  Certain fruits and veggies, when I touch my eyes after touching them, will make my eyes very puffy and red.  However, my body doesn’t react at all to them from the inside.  These are organic and eaten in the raw state so I don’t have an answer for that one.

If you are allergic to a food, your body will release a chemical known as histamine, to protect itself.  This chemical triggers allergic symptoms that affect the respiratory system or your gastrointestinal tract, your skin or heart.  Food allergies are more common in children than adults and people often confuse a food allergy with a food intolerance.  As uncomfortable as a food intolerance is, it is not dangerous.  Peanut allergies are rarely outgrown and, as an adult, an allergy to fish, is also rarely outgrown.

There are so many other opportunities these days for those of us with gluten or dairy allergies or intolerances.  Gluten free products abound at health food and grocery stores.  Dairy free products like soy or rice cheese, are great alternatives to dairy.  I drink store bought rice milk and make my own nut milk, usually almond milk.  Start today and eliminate one food that just doesn’t “sit well” with your body.  It could even be an emotional reaction. 

Be well.

Should you have swelling in your throat, difficulty breathing or a loss of consciousness, this is the sign of a serious food allergy and you should contact the nearest health facility.  Please advise your doctor or health care physician regarding any questions about food allergies in you or your child.

Last time I talked about fasting.  A great way to allow the body to rest.  Our bodies use so much energy digesting food, that a one day fast a few times a month, can certainly help with healing, not to mention you could learn a lot about yourself.  What’s the difference between a fast and a cleanse?  Here’s what Wikipedia says about a cleanse…”Body cleansing or detoxification is a treatment in alternative medicine which proponents claim rid the body of accumulated harmful substances that exert a negative effect on individual health.  Critics argue that such cleansings are often unnecessary, and are based on questionable or disproved scientific claims.”  Do I think they are necessary?  Read on………

Certainly the object is to relieve the body of the stuff that accumulates over the years.  I’ve heard stories of not just waste product, but one woman said she released a crayon that she had swallowed as a child during a cleanse.  Not convinced?  Here’s more…..My parents and brother were working at a well known health retreat where detoxing with raw food, wheatgrass and green drinks, is the first step to healing.  My Dad tells a story about a woman who was diagnosed with a tumor in her uterus and before surgery; she was going to give this process a try.  One day my Dad is walking by her room and she comes running out screaming “I passed the tumor!  I passed the tumor!”  Sure enough, that’s what she actually had done.  She took the mass to her doctor for diagnosis.  Get ready for this…..not for the squeamish……The mass was a tampon that had remained in her body for probably years and the body was protecting itself from this foreign body the only way it knew how.  Hence, the tumor.  Ok, so now you may be ready to set an intention for your cleanse or fast, right?

There are many forms of cleansing.  I chose the raw food way.  It took about three months.  Eating living food for three months, I believe, totally cleaned out any leftover waste product that was in my colon.  It also cleans out the emotional “crap” in your body.  Again, the body needs the rest from digestion in order to start the healing process.  Toxins like undigested food, left in the body, will start to look for something to feed off of.  These toxins also give off waste product of their own, and cancer cells in your body will feed off this waste product.   

There are many varieties of cleansing from dietary restriction to supplements.  Herbs and supplements can speed up the process of detox.  You can also buy products that are for specific areas of the body, such as the colon, liver or kidneys.  You can use teas, drops, pills or liquid for your cleanse.  Wheatgrass juice is intended for rapid detoxification and well as general health.  It is a living food.  It will immediately go to where it is needed in the body.  When I did my wheatgrass cleanse, I expelled mucous that was the color and scent of a common household cleaner.  I have a cleaning business and was inhaling way too much of this product over a ten year span.  Cleansing can also reduce and eliminate cravings from food to tobacco.  It can help with weight loss, increase your energy and alleviate some chronic diseases. 

I’ve seen in my reading, many medical doctors saying that cleansing is totally unnecessary because the human body can maintain itself.  I certainly would’ve agreed to that a long time ago.  However, now humans smoke, drink, abuse drugs and take in more processed and genetically engineered food than ever before.  Faster is better.  The faster chickens grow…..the faster tomatoes grow….well you know the rest.

So back to can the body heal itself? Absolutely, that is what it is intended to do!  But not if we continue to abuse it.  A cleanse is the perfect way to give your body a break.  Taking out processed foods, sugars, caffeine and alcohol are just for starters.  Does that mean you can never have a drink or eat a cookie?  Of course not, everything in moderation…..harmony.  Start to wonder.  What is it that you need?  What could be building up inside of you?  Are you attached to it?  Are you ready to release and start healing today?

Today, I wish you release of the physical as well as the emotional stuff that is holding you back from total health.

As always, please consult your primary health care physician if you suffer from any serious medical condition.  These statements are for informational purposes only.

You know me by now.  I get so many of my “ah ha” moments from what happens to me and who comes into my life.  It’s all about the lessons we learn every day.  Not just on the day we want or the time we want.  Being open to what presents itself to you on a daily basis is truly living in the present moment.   Last week I heard a story about a woman who had gained some weight, but only in her stomach.  She thought it was age and started a diet, but when her stomach didn’t shrink at all, she thought about another symptom she had (I didn’t find that out) and decided to get a colonoscopy.  Jump to the end of this very sad story, that doesn’t happen too often in this small town I live in, she had a massive tumor in her colon that was causing her stomach to protrude.  Her surgery was yesterday.  I heard that and I immediately said to myself, “I need to do a liquid fast.”

I’ve fasted many days in the last 5 years or so.  Usually I do a one day fast.  That’s no food, no chewing, just liquid.  The liquid varied depending on whatever I felt like that day.  The day after the fast, was usually light or all raw food.  Wikipedia defines fasting as this “the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time.  A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting.  Fasting practices may preclude sexual activity as well as food, in addition to refraining from eating certain types or groups of foods…..A complete fast in its traditional definition is abstinence of all food and liquids except for water.”  If you are healthy, a one or two day liquid fast could be something to try. 

Here’s what I did the other day: The first day I juiced one cucumber and one long stalk of celery and then drank nothing but water or water with fresh squeezed lemon for the rest of the day.  Was it difficult?  To be honest, it usually is.  I typically will fight it the whole day and think about food all day.  But this time, it wasn’t.  I kept saying to myself, “I’m not going to die if I don’t eat.  I’ll be fine.  The food will still be there tomorrow.”   The “feeling” of not having enough is pretty common.  And to top it off?  They had a going away party for me that night at the yoga studio where I teach, complete with many treats, even raw treats.  I felt fine not eating and I wasn’t guilty about the food that was brought and I didn’t partake in.   I knew if I started chewing anything, even raw food, my mind would want more.  I was determined to go the whole day and then see what tomorrow would bring.  I had some emotional stuff to go through that night and it was all very clear.  Without my body having to digest food, my mind was totally supported in processing the “stuff” of the day.  The next day I had another cucumber/celery juice and drank water.  I ate some nuts and a peach in the afternoon and then I had a tuna sandwich that evening.  The next day (that’s today) I have had only lemon water.  And that is my plan for the rest of the day. 

You see?  Whatever you can do, whatever it is, your body will be very happy with it.  The body could sure use a rest from digestion.  Parts of the nervous and circulatory systems play major roles in the digestive process.  Here’s a great site for reading about the digestive process: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/yrdd/  Just reading what food and drink have to do to get through the body made me tired.  And our goal is to eat the right food, so that the correct nutrients can be absorbed and used by the body.  Fasting is a perfect way to give the body a rest in order for the mind and body to be able to do what it is inherently supposed to do, and that is to HEAL ITSELF.

There are many different kinds of fasting and cleansing.  I just heard about a book that talks about taking out 5 things from your diet for a 21 day cleanse.  They were dairy, alcohol, coffee, sugar, and gluten.  Whatever you can do for however long you can do it.  There isn’t a right or wrong when it comes to fasting.  Don’t put that judgement on yourself.  It’s ok.  Think about more raw food, less processed food.  How about just a one day fast?  I’m right there with you.  Today’s the day for you…or maybe tomorrow. 

What can you do when the end of the day comes and you really want to eat something?  I do these things:  Go upstairs and read a book, get as far away from the kitchen as possible. Take a walk.  Drink a very large glass of water.  Brush your teeth.  Talk to a friend.  Play with your cat.

Sending you feelings of health and well being.

Please consult your primary health care physician for fasting lasting more than two days or if you are suffering from any medical problems for which you are under the care of a doctor.

My friend’s son has had warts on his hands for as long as he can remember.  He’s had them frozen, burned and chemically removed.  He’s taken drugs to fight them from the inside too.  Because of their severity, he usually removes more than one wart at a time, which is very painful.  But alas, they always come back.  Common warts can be found on the hands, feet, forearms and face and their size ranges from a pinhead to a pea.  Some are found on the voice box or larynx and be the cause for some hoarseness.   My friend’s son was on vacation and started using a common household ingredient on his hands and by the end of the week started to notice a huge improvement on his hands!  He continued using this treatment and in a few weeks his hands were completely clear of all warts!  I’ll tell you what he used at the end of this post.

Common warts are noncancerous skin growths caused by over 100 types of a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV).  The virus causes a rapid growth of cells.  Common warts are not like moles and usually are harmless and often eventually disappear.  But how long do you have to wait?  They are bothersome, embarrassing and become a cosmetic concern.  These common warts usually grow on hands and fingers.  Some treatments will prevent warts from spreading to other body parts or to other people, but the chance of getting common warts from someone is very small.  However, they can recur after treatment and become a persistent problem and if you are susceptible to the virus you always will be.  The virus itself is not contagious, but it can spread by entering through a small break in the skin.  This type of virus is rarely transferred by contact with the infected person or anything they touch.

If you or your child has had or has common hand warts, you’ve probably tried all the common so-called cures, from freezing to over the counter drugs like salicylic acid.   Salicylic acid can cause redness and burn, but will not scar or infect.  If you have diabetes, consult with your doctor before treating your common warts with salicylic acid.  Here are some supplements to add to your routine:  Vitamin C-4,000 to 10,000 mg daily for antiviral, Vitamin E capsules-400-800 IU daily, you can also open the capsule and apply directly to warts, Zinc-50-80 mg daily, which can increase immunity against viruses.  The Prescription For Nutritional Healing also states “some people have had good results with a crushed garlic clove placed directly on the warts.” 

To avoid spreading common warts, keep hands as dry as possible, don’t shave, pick, comb or brush the area, don’t pick or bite your fingernails and wash hands thoroughly after touching the warts.  And here’s that old adage, ignore them and they’ll eventually go away!  However, that may be weeks, months or years. 

So now are you ready for what he used to get rid of his warts?  Common hand sanitizer.  That’s right.  Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer.  He started using it for some reason on the island, and noticed immediately that his warts got better.  He continued to use it every day after he returned home and within weeks his hands were wart free.   This just happened, so I will keep you posted if they return, but this was the first time in years he’s been wart free.  And his Mom said his hands are beautiful!   It’s worth a try.  Let me know if you suffer from hand warts and you try this method, how it turns out for you.  My daughter has one single wart on her knee that we’ve frozen off a couple of times and is still there.  I’m going to start this new treatment and see what happens. 

Be happy and healthy!  It’s in your own hands!

These statements should not take the place of your primary health care physician and have not been evaluated by the FDA.  Seek advice from your medial practitioner if your common warts persist, multiply rapidly or cause you pain.

Stress……some of us deal with it better than others, some have more stress than the rest of us, and some have stress thrust upon them!  Stress can show up in many different ways; upset stomach, tension headache, acid reflux, neck pain, eye strain, panic attacks, feeling frazzled, high blood pressure, forgetfulness, sadness, anger, overeating, undereating, increased smoking or drinking, worry, depression, skin disorders, sleep problems and ultimately heart disease and autoimmune disorders.

“Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response”, says healthguide.org.  We all have some version of stress.  Some is ok, stress can help you in times of emergency or when life requires you to be on your toes.  Chronic stress and emotional stress are the triggers for health problems.  The body doesn’t know the difference between physical and psychological stress, so it will react the same way to everyday stress as it would to a life or death situation.  

How do you react to everyday stress?  Do you hold it in, you know, way down in your stomach, do you react or do you respond to the situation?  There is a difference between reacting and responding.  Reaction is just the way it sounds….you react.  That could be with anger, frustration, yelling, blame, or any of the symptoms listed above.  A response is a conscious solution to the problem.  When something frustrating happens, taking a deep breath, looking at the problem and thinking…”OK, this just happened.  What am I going to do now”? 

But it doesn’t always work that way, does it?  The body responds to stress quickly.  Negative thoughts creap in, the tension starts.  So how about some alternatives for the moments when the answer isn’t there right away?  Here are some things that I always work for me for those “life’s uncertain” moments. 

Change your mind:  Change your mind, change your life.  Positive thinking can go a long way.  Fake it till you make it.  Change the negative thoughts in your head to positive ones.  Yes, you can!

Laughter:  Watch a classic comedy movie.  Laughter can stimulate your organs, soothe tension and stomachaches and activate and relieve your stress response.

Have a good social support: Friends and family who are there to give you a sense of belonging, self worth and your friends can be there to alert you to potential stress situations.  Be grateful to your friends and family for “being there” for you.

Relaxation techniques: Yoga, meditation, and tai chi can slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure, increase blood flow, improve concentration and reduce anger and frustration.  If you can’t make the time for a class, just sitting still and closing your eyes and counting will help. That old saying, “count to ten” when you are ready to explode, is a great way to go.

Exercise:  A simple 20 minute walk can go a long way to relieve stress and its effects.  I just got back from my walk and my mind is fresh for writing. 

Healthy eating: Wheatgrass juice will clear the mind, clear the fog of the day.  Eating a living food diet gives the body the energy to heal. 

Understanding your sources of stress can lead you to the solution.  Will the above work for you or do you need something more?  Seek help from a physician or therapist when it seems life’s ups and downs are just too much for you to handle alone. 

Here are some natural alternatives to take for stress relief:

Nux Vomica: can help with irritability, sleeplessness and headaches.

Bach’s Rescue Remedy:  Natural stress relief.  I always have this on hand.

Find out what works for you.  Daily stress can be reduced in intensity.   Listening to a stress reducing cd in your car on the way to and from work can help to alleviate the stressors of the day.  When you arrive home, changing out of your work clothes and just spending 5 minutes or more sitting and breathing. 

Relax, breathe….I wish you peace