I’ve always been a multi-tasker, but recently have found myself forgetting things and muti-tasking has become more difficult.  The other day I walked down two flights of stairs to get something in the basement.  Once down there, I put what I needed on a shelf and started another quick project in the basement.  A few minutes later I walked back up the two flights of stairs and sat at my desk only to discover I had forgotten what I went into the basement for!  The books were still sitting on the shelf in the basement!  Now I understand this could be great exercise, but REALLY?  I spoke with my friend who said she was suffering from the same thing and was starting to get worried about it.  Then we forgot what we were talking about and went on to the next subject.

I’ve written before about some symptoms of menopause and since I’ve started to have a few more myself, thought I’d catch you up on some more natural alternatives.  My hot flashes lasted (so far) a month or so.  Every day and night.  I try to drink some sort of smoothie every day and I always add ground flax.  I feel much better and recently read that flaxseed is a super-food and can help with menopause symptoms.  Women used flaxseed in ancient Babylon 5,000 years ago.  Greek physician Hippocrates recommended it back in 400 B.C.  Flaxseed contains compounds called lignans, which mimic hormones without the harmful side effects.  These lignans may, in fact, prevent both breast cancer and colon cancer.  This seed is commonly used as a laxative. Another benefit!  Flaxseed and flaxseed oil have both been used to reduce total blood cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.  The result? The reduction of the risk of heart disease.  Flaxseed oil is great too.  I sometimes put that in my green smoothies, however it doesn’t have the fiber that the seeds have.  You can buy whole seed in your store and grind it in a coffee grinder or seed grinder.  Be sure to store it in a glass, air tight container in your fridge to extend the life of your seed.  Also, grind only what you need if you can.  It will turn rancid more quickly in its ground form.

Flaxseed can be added to any smoothie; green, chocolate or fruit.  You can add this super food on top of your fresh fruit, in your oatmeal, cereal or on your yogurt.  Be sure to use ground flaxseed.  Nutrition experts agree that ground flaxseed is better.  Whole flaxseed may pass through your intestines undigested.  This means you won’t get all the health benefits. So grind it up girls.  Here’s what Ameriflax says about substituting flax in your recipes:

Substitutions in Recipes

For Fat – Substitute flax for fat in your recipes, using 3 tbsp ground flax seed for 1 tbsp of margarine, butter or cooking oil. Flax can be substituted for all or some of the fat, depending on the recipe. Note that baking with flax, as fat substitute will cause baked goods to brown more quickly.

For Eggs – Substitute a ground flax seed/water mixture for eggs in recipes such as pancakes, muffins and cookies. Use 1 tbsp ground flax plus 3 tbsp water – left sitting for several minutes – for each egg. Note that this will result in a chewier version of the recipe, with less volume.

And then there’s your skin.  Hormones can wreak havoc on your skin.  I’ve started to notice my skin becoming thinner and it feels different on my face.  Sure enough, hormonal deficits associated with menopause, will start to change the skin.  Women, during their 30’s, begin to produce lower hormone levels.  The symptoms of this do not usually begin to appear until her 40’s.  This is the stage called perimenopause.  I wish I started some things before this time.  I’m here telling you this so you can!  At menopause, women experience a drop in three hormones: estrogen, progestin and follicle stimulating hormone.  The loss of estrogen has the most significant effect on the skin.  The amount of collagen and elastin in the subdermis breaks down and gradually declines, blood supply decreases, and the dermis thins.  This has also affected the strength in my wrists.  And the results of all of this please?  Dry dull skin, changes in texture and pore size, and additional lines and wrinkles.  Thanks.

There are also changes in skin tone.  More freckles or patches on the cheeks and/or around the mouth.  Your pigment cells decrease by about 10% every decade after the age of 30 and with menopause, women begin to see irregular pigmentation.  Estrogen promotes the permeability of blood vessels and the loss of that hormone can cause blood vessels to stiffen and break, which can create broken capillaries.  Hot flashes will cause further damage.

Here are some key ingredients to look for in your skin care products (you may want to begin treatments before the symptoms start):

Peptides -  These are bulky molecules made up of amino acids each with specific skin functions.  Palmitoyl pentapeptide stimulates collagen and elastin formation.  Argireline helps prevent wrinkles caused by muscular contractions.  Oligopeptide 34 helps combat irregular pigmentation.

Pytoestrogens – These naturally occuring plant compounds possess estrogen-like qualities.

Retinoids – Vitamin A in the form of retinol or retinoic acid, improves skin elasticity, re-texturizes and helps reverse photodamage and enhance new cell growth.  Retinol is one of the few skin care ingredients to be scientifically studied and proven in clinical trials.

Moisturizers - Dehydration is the number one skin problem (This is really noticeable on me, even though I drink ALOT).  Look for high powered humectants and emollients, such as: sodium hyaluronate, shea butter, vitamin E, natural oils, squalene and ceramides, in your moisturizers.

Skin, after menopause, will continue to degenerate.  Your skin could lose up to 30% of its collagen in the first five years of menopause.

Take the time now to replenish your skin, before menopause.  I’m learning and guess what I did yesterday?  That’s right, I looked for moisturizers!

Psyllium has been showing up as an ingredient in high-fiber breakfast cereals. It has been claimed to be effective in reducing blood cholesterol levels in those who consume it.  “Several studies point to a cholesterol reduction attributed to a diet that includes dietary fiber such as psyllium,” says Wikipedia.  Sometimes all I have to do is read a sentence and it convinces me I have to try it in something other than what I find it in on the grocery shelf.  This one screams “Put me in a smoothie, please!”

This is about the benefit of using powdered psyllium that you can certainly find in stores or at the bulk department in your local health food store.  Metamucil?  What’s that?  I’d rather have a fresh drink made right in my own kitchen with all the benefits.  You don’t want to ever take psyllium fiber without fluid.  Follow directions on the label, or with a teaspoon of psyllium, take at least 8 oz of liquid.  More is not better here.  Putting just a little of this potent ground husk is enough to make your smoothie great and to regulate your digestive system.  Be sure to thoroughly blend your powder in your favorite blender.  If you do take psyllium capsules, read and follow the directions on the label carefully.

Psyllium is good for constipation or food cravings and ground psyllium is well-known to benefit irregularity but it can also regulate your appetite and fat absorption and that can turn your smoothies into diet food.  Studies have also shown that psyllium is effective in lowering total cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.  Other studies have revealed positive benefits of psyllium to be effective in helping with Crohn’s Disease by acting as a prebiotic.  This will aid the healing of the inner lining of the inflamed intestines.

The fibers in psyllium will absorb water and add bulk to stool.  In my reading I’ve found that some doctors may tell you it takes a few months for psyllium to work.  That is misleading.  If you are consistently constipated, you may need to replenish the beneficial bacteria in your belly.  This is what may take a few months.  It will take that much time to build up the healthy bacteria that use fiber as their food.  Then the healthy bacteria feed, fill up your colon and then become easier to eliminate.  Psyllium husk powder is a soluble fiber.  It will relieve constipation and diarrhea and the bloating and gas that is common in IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).   High consumption of psyllium can lower the mortality rate from colon cancer.

The bulkiness of psyllium fiber is beneficial to satisfy your appetite.  Adding psyllium husk powder to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner smoothie will fill you up and reduce your cravings.  This fiber will make for a thicker smoothie.  In an hour after drinking your smoothie, your body senses the thicker consistency and your stomach and small intestine register the changes in viscosity, literally “filling” you up.  Not only does psyllium fiber speed the movement of digested food, it will enable you to absorb less fat from your food.  This fabulous fiber also regulates two different hormones that keep you from getting hungry.

Here are a couple of warnings about psyllium: Prescription drugs should be taken one hour before or two hours after psyllium.  The reason being that the absorption and effectiveness of many drugs may be reduced.  Second, always read the label regarding the amount of liquid you should ingest with this fiber.

What’s stopping you from adding this easy ingredient to your smoothies?  Oh you need some recipes for smoothies?  Try these past health blogs. 

Enjoy the consumption and absorption and assimilation and elimination!

It’s really a challenge to stay on a high raw lifestyle when you live with others who are not.  I took last week and challenged myself to juicing as much as I could.  First I have to say I felt wonderful immediately.  My stomach aches disappeared and as of today, I lost four pounds.  I don’t usually crave cooked, but I was at that point before I started this.  That craving has disappeared along with the sugar cravings.  I’ve been at this point many times over the past few years.  Although I eat a high raw diet, I have my moments.  So it always feels great to get back to who I know I really am.  The emotional piece is another issue.  It seemed my body took me on a whirlwind of processing this last week. 

Do you pop antacids during the day?  Do you take over the counter meds for acid reflux or digestion issues?  If your digestive system isn’t breaking down the nutrients in your food and absorbing it properly, your body won’t be able to stay healthy.  The first question you should ask yourself is, “How’s my poop?”  I know, a touchy subject.  But if your digestive system, from stomach to colon, isn’t working to its optimum efficiency, you won’t be having regular bowel movements.  By regular, I mean 1-2 a day. 

Here are some symptoms of poor digestive health:  Hypertension, joint inflammation, migraines, acne, congestion, anxiety, depression, fuzzy thinking, and loss of bone density.  Most of us have lived with stomach problems for so long, we can’t imagine it being any way else or that there is a solution.  And how many of us are not even making the connection between most of these dis-eases in the body and the food we eat?  Most of your immune system activity starts in the stomach.  Inflammation starts in your digestive system.  Your gastrointestinal system is the part of you that breaks down your food into raw materials and energy.  If you are having problems breaking down and absorbing this food, it can cause many symptoms and start to address other concerns.   Other symptoms that let you know you are not absorbing nutrients are: cramping, gas, weight loss, loss of muscle, chronic diarrhea or constipation, bloating, and hard or fatty stool.

This is the first time I’ve heard of the enteric nervous system (ENS).  Your emotional health is connected to your GI system through the ENS.  You know how your stomach feels when you are stressed?  The mind-body connection is very powerful for maintaining or recovering your physical health.  Your GI tract is 20-30 feet long and lined with a protective mucosal barrier.  In this tract, all food-based antigens, toxins and pathogens (disease causing) are looked at and managed.  Having healthy microflora in your GI tract is one of the most powerful ways to enhance your digestion and build immunity. 

What affects the flora in your gut?  The food you eat, its pH balance, fiber, essential fatty acid content, and glycemic load.  Don’t forget about past antibiotic use!  So if you are not eating a living food lifestyle, and the lining of your GI tract is too permeable, undigested food particles will cross into the bloodstream, causing a condition called leaky gut.  This seems like such a small problem, right?  Food particles?  How can that affect my health?  If all of your systems aren’t working properly, foreign invaders are more harmful.  Your body cannot fight off dis-ease and harmful organisms.  When not working properly, your immune system starts a natural and essential result…an inflammatory response.  This leads to chronic inflammation in your digestive tract and that can lead to certain reactions to food, like dairy and gluten intolerances. 

So are you getting the idea?  If your digestive tract isn’t working properly, it’s probably due to your food intake and emotional well-being.  Raw foods will absolutely help.  The body does not need to expend so much energy in the digestion process and you won’t have to take things like; enzymes, probiotics, acidophilus to restore digestive balance, reset the immune response and aid inflammation.  Your body will crave that which it is allergic to.  Eating a diet high in living foods can help with cravings and emotional well-being.  This type of lifestyle, along with healthy fats and protein, will help your digestive metabolism and regulate your insulin and cortisol.  All of this will give you more energy and definitely elevate your mood. 

Your body used digestive enzymes, stomach acid, bile and digestive hormones to break down food.  Common among adults is an enzyme deficiency in lactase.  This enzyme is needed to digest milk products.  Your stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) decreases as you age.  If you use a pH-balanced diet this will help you not pop those antacids anymore.  Created in the liver, bile is stored in your gallbladder.  Bile is a mixture of cholesterol, salts, pigments, water and minerals and is vital for fat digestion.  There are many hormones used to influence appetite and regulate digestion.  So it certainly looks like if your body cannot provide a healthy level of these fluids, you will definitely experience problems with detoxification AND have trouble maintaining a safe and healthy weight.  Bigger problems include anemia, kidney stones, gallstones, gout and malnutrition.

What else can you do?  Try eliminating the foods that give you stomach aches.  Eating more living foods, taking digestive enzymes and putting back the good bacteria, especially after a dose of antibiotics.  When you eat, just eat.  Chew slowly until your food is liquid.  Remember what Ghandhi said…”Chew your drink and drink your food.”  Stop drinking with your meal.  If you must drink, small amounts of room temperature water is better.  Remember, your goal is to absorb the nutrients of the food you eat and eliminate the rest.  You do not want to have undigested food hanging around having a party in your stomach or your digestive tract.  That can only lead to lots of bacteria that also poops a lot! Don’t even get me started on that one!  Have a great day!

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease.  The lining of the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten and other proteins found in rye, barley, wheat and oats.  Some gastrointestinal symptoms are abdominal pain, bloating, gas and indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, lactose intolerance, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss.  There are also nonintestinal symptoms like: anemia, bone and joint pain, easy bruising, depression, fatigue, hair loss, skin disorders, seizures and malnutrition.  Symptoms can vary significantly from person to person.  Unfortunately a lot of these symptoms can mean a host of other disorders too.

Celiac disease is also known as gluten sensitive enteropathy.  Gluten makes bread doughy and sticky.  Gluten is also used as an adhesive on stamps.  It is found in grains such as wheat (not in wheatgrass juice), rye, spelt, barley, kamut, triticale, semolina and durham, but not in oats (although oats are often grown on former wheat fields causing cross contamination).  In celiac disease the immune system begins to produce antibodies when exposed to gluten.  These antibodies attack the fingerlike projections (microvilli) which line our small intestines.  This is where we absorb the nutrients for our body.  When these microvilli are attacked and destroyed, the body is unable to nourish itself with vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  The list of dis-eases associated with celiac are too many to list; from asthma to multiple sclerosis.  If you already have a known autoimmune disease, you could be at risk for developing celiac disease.  Someone can become sensitized to gluten at any time of life.  It also runs in families and women are more affected than men.  There is no exact cause of celiac, making it impossible to prevent.  However, we already know it is healthier for every part of your body to stay away from processed foods.

Wheat as a raw grain is unsafe to eat.  Wheat flour must be heated to destroy the enzyme blockers and lectins within the grain to allow for its consumption.  Anytime we alter food from its original nature state we are processing the food.  Some healthy alternatives to wheat are quinoa and brown rice which are much less processed.  The aisles of the grocery store are now stocked with gluten-free alternatives.  I just picked up some gluten-free pretzels, which someone told me are better than regular pretzels.  I also love the gluten-free fig cookies.

Eating a gluten-free diet will allow the intestinal villi to heal.  Read food labels and medication labels carefully.  Hidden sources of grains, wheat, barley, rye and possibly oats, are found in many products.  If you have some of these symptoms and you feel better if you do not eat gluten, please contact your doctor.  Being tested is the only way to diagnose this disease.  I have stomach issues when I eat gluten and when I’m under stress at the same time.  Other times, I fine.  I try to stay away from processed foods.  Left untreated, celiac can cause chronic inflammation eventually causing complete atrophy and flattening of the microvilli.

Gluten can also impact the brain.  When a patient has full blown celiac it can cause chronic inflammation of the brain and nervous system which will impact function of these systems.  Gluten also contains glutamate.  This substance causes excessive excitation of brain cells which ultimately results in brain cell damage and brain cell death. 

We need to protect the body with proper nutrition, exercise, relaxation and give the body what it needs to properly get rid of offending foods, toxins and microbes it does not need.  I’ve said many times the body has the ability to heal itself.  We’ve been eating unhealthy for many years, we can not expect healing to happen overnight.  New and improved versions of gluten make it harder and harder for our bodies to fight infection, inflammation and disease.  We need to return to a diet full of nutrients that promote health and longevity and prevent dis-ease.  Gluten is responsible for so many symptoms, that I believe taking gluten out of our diets can only benefit us.

Have you asked yourself this question at any time?  I have and I used to take them at different times.  Usually when I found one on sale at the health food store or if my Mom happened to bring me a bottle from Hippocrates where she worked.  But I never felt like I needed one until recently.  More and more of us are finding benefits from nutritional and herbal supplements.  Sure, diet alone should be able to provide all the essential nutrition necessary for optimal health, but not many of us are eating a diet that could make that possible.  And most one a day multi vitamins provide less than ideal amounts of most key nutrients, not to mention you end up urinating out what your body doesn’t need. 

More and more Americans are now regularly taking vitamin or mineral supplements.  Unfortunately, most people taking a multiple vitamin or mineral supplement are still not getting what they really need.  Rueters Health states that “more than 30 percent of multivitamins tested recently by ConsumerLab.com contained significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed, or were contaminated with lead..”

Minerals are important.  The key function of vitamins and minerals in the body revolve around their serving the role as essential components in enzymes and coenzymes.  Enzymes are chemicals that speed up the rate of reactions between substances while being consumed themselves.  They are vital to bodily functions like digestion. Enzymes are a type of protein that sometime work in tandem with non-proteins called coenzymes.  If an enzyme is lacking an essential mineral or vitamin, it can’t properly function.  We have to provide the necessary minerals through our diet to help.  These minerals or nutritional formulas help the enzyme perform its vital function.  Here’s an example:  If there is no zinc in the enzyme, the vitamin A cannot be converted to the active form.  This type of deficiency can result in night-blindness. 

How else to get enzymes in you?  A second category of enzymes is in raw foods that aid in the process of digesting those foods.  Such enzymes like proteases, implement the digestion of protein, lipases, help in digesting lipids or fats, and amylases, make it possible to digest carbs.  These enzymes set in motion the digestive process as the food is in the mouth.  They move with the food into your stomach and continue to aid in digestion.

Problems with the tolerable limits of certain multivitamins have been found in several multivitamin products.  Even one type of vitamin water, tested by ConsumerLab.com “had 15 times its stated amount of folic acid, so drinking one bottle would exceed the tolerable limit for adults…”

In my research for writing this blog, I’ve found a lot of information stating multivitamins to be more harmful than helpful.  What to do?  I agree with one doctor saying the safest way to get all the antioxidants and vitamins I need without exceeding doses, is to eat a balanced diet rich in plants, whole grains and legumes.  Fresh fruit and vegetables are far better for you than supplements.  Can you get enough into your diet?  I take a multivitamin a few times a week.  It actually makes me feel better.  In addition I eat a high raw diet and attempt to stay away from dairy and sugar.  Women and men have different nutritional needs.  For instance, men rearly need to supplement their diet with iron.  I am finding I need more iron with perimenopause. 

There’s much to be informed of when it comes to the answer to this question.  As I always say…Do your research.  There is a wealth of knowledge out there.  Find it.  It may be different for you, your spouse or your children.  Take the time to read about what you need or consult your physician.

 These statements are informational only.  Please consult your primary health care physician with questions you may have regarding supplements.

I’d like to take this opportunity to give you a fact about the flu vaccine (not swine).  As you may know, my Dad has had 30% of his heart working for the last 6 years or so.  Recently it has gone down to 13% and he will be having surgery this week.  A month ago his doctor told him to get a flu shot. He never has, but was worried about getting sick especially the way he has been feeling.  He immediately got the flu and was sick for a month from getting a flu shot.  He lost weight and had to postpone his surgery.  This is a fact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scientist are starting to evaluate the most powerful of the healing factors of celery, a compound known as 3-n-butylphthalide or 3nB.  3nB is a compound unique to celery, responsible for the flavor and odor of celery.  Have you ever been cutting up celery and the smell made you want to eat it before you put it in your recipe?  Well now you should munch on it a little bit more in addition to adding it to your soups, stir fry, or juicing it. 

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, claims celery calms the nerves.  It is also good for the kidneys and will eliminate body waste through the urine.  Every part of the celery can be used, from the seeds to the leaves and the edible root of this plant.  It has a high calcium content.  Celery is also used in aromatherapy and in Ayurvedic medicine.  Rheumatic patients in Japan are sometimes put on a celery diet.  Celery is a high water content veggie, like cucumber.  Great for juicing and eating raw too for fiber.  Scientists found 3nB while searching for the reason of the medicinal effects of celery such as lowering blood pressure and relieving arthritis.

Here’s what we now know:  Celery will reduce high blood pressure and give the effect of calmness.  Celery clears uric acid from painful joints and help the treatment of arthritis and other rheumatic problems.  Celery helps the kidneys and acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and celery is very low in calories because of its high water content.  You can drink celery juice frequently to curb your cravings for sweets and rich food.

Celery is from the parsley and fennel family.  The white parts of the celery are shaded from the sun, thus less chlorophyll, compared to the greener outside stems.  Celery is the perfect addition to soups and salads.  Celery juice is a good mix with sweeter fruit juices because of its salty taste.  The nutritional benefits of celery leaves are its high content of vitamin A.  The stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C with richness in potassium, calcium, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium and lots of amino acids.  During juicing, nutrients in the fiber are released, aiding bowel movements.  Yes, celery has a natural organic sodium content, but is very safe for consumption.  Worried because you are salt-sensitive?  No worries.  It is unlike table salt, which is harmful for those with high blood pressure. 

Recent studies have shown that celery may also help to combat cancer.  Celery is known to have at least eight families of anti-cancer compounds, which will stop the growth of tumor cells, block the action of prostaglandins that encourage the growth of tumor cells and coumarins which help prevent free radicals from damaging cells.  Celery will also balance the body’s blood pH, helping to neutralize acid and bringing you to a more alkaline base.  Celery juice is the perfect drink for after your workout.  It will replace lost electrolytes and rehydrate your body and has been shown to effectively and significantly lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol.  Celery can also be used as a natural laxative, relieving constipation.  Also use celery juice to help regulate body fluid and stimulate urine production, which is important to help rid the body of excess fluid. 

The polyacetylene in celery will relieve all inflammation like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, asthma and bronchitis.

3nB has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the formation of arterial plaque in experimental studies.  This will also increase the elasticity of blood vessels and lead to lowering blood pressure readings.  Celery is also a diuretic.  Most diuretics have dangerous side effects that result from either too much potassium or sodium.  Celery extract acts as a diuretic but does not alter the ratio of sodium to potassium in the blood.  The research on this is preliminary and some people will respond to this treatment and others won’t.  This is also typical with conventional drugs.  Drugs will lower blood flow to the brain, leaving people feeling tired, depressed, and forgetful.  Celery extract has been shown to not only help prevent strokes, but also improve blood flow as well. 

I have low blood pressure, and some people have had problems with celery because it will make their blood pressure even lower.  I’ve never had a problem with it, so far.  Listen to your own body..

Statements are meant to be informational only.  Please consult with your medical practitioner if you are considering celery extract or celery to treat your symptoms.

Fun but true fact: celery was used in ancient Greece as a reward in sports contests.

I am at a point in my life where I wonder…is there something else I could be doing to feel better?  It seems when I hit 40, it was harder to stay fit and healthy and another weird symptom appeared every month or so.  At 47, I am wondering about perimenopause, fatigue, my thyroid, weight gain, stiff and achy joints and even heart palpitations.  It is my intention here to share a little of what I am going through and maybe help you find some answers too. 

My menstrual cycle started changing about a year ago.  Longer, shorter, heavier, lighter….all of the above.  I knew it was perimenopause and I wasn’t concerned until I started experiencing symptoms that would affect my daily life.  Most of the symptoms were manageable.  Some symptoms, like burning tongue, were diagnosed by my dental hygenist.  Night sweats, though intense enough to have to get up and change my clothes in the middle of the night, didn’t interfere with my life.  My fatigue was enough to cause me to start taking an afternoon nap.  I work nights, so that didn’t interfere with my day either.  You’d be surprised how much a cat nap could help.  And though we’re told if you move more you won’t feel as tired, that wasn’t so for me.  I walk or practice yoga every day and I was still tired around 3 in the afternoon.  So I worked a snooze into most of my days. 

However, fatigue could also be adrenal fatigue or low level DHEA. DHEA is a natural steroid produced by the adrenals. The adrenals are small organs right above the kidneys.  We make about 25 mg of DHEA per day (men more than women), but our production dwindles as we get older.  This is what nature intended for us.  Your adrenals make cortisol and adrenaline and also balance over 50 hormones in the body.  The hormone cortisol affects other regulatory processes such as: blood pressure, blood sugar levels, your immune and inflammatory response and influencing mood, memory and thought clarity.  If your adrenals are exhausted from stress (emotional and physical), poor nutrition, and crazy dieting, they are pumping out more cortisol and can’t manufacture enough DHEA to support a healthy hormonal balance.  This will result in your exhaustion, depression and that feeling of being overwhelmed.  So, if you are under more than average stress, your body will not have enough working material for proper endocrine function.  There is some evidence that healthy DHEA levels may help with Alzheimer’s, cancer, osteoporosis, depression, heart disease and obesity. 

So that could be why my blood pressure has been so low these last couple of weeks!  OK, so I guess I’m going through all of the above stressors.  I do know that when I eat 100% raw food I feel better.  I have been traveling a lot lately, and if I am not happy where I am, for example, with people that do not support my lifestyle, I simply do not feel well.  Is taking a DHEA supplement the answer?  It could be an important factor, but include it with lifestyle changes also.  There’s a lot out there about DHEA levels and supplements.  If you are concerned about your levels, have a medical test done.  Taking a supplement alone won’t help you if your adrenals are exhausted.  Your body will produce more or less depending on nutrient support, metabolism, hormone balance, activity level and your emotional state.  Also maintain a healthy body mass index, get adequate rest, expose yourself to some sunlight, exercise, and create more “downtime” in your life. 

What else can you do to support this “aging” thing?  Ayurvedic medicine says the adrenal gland is connected to the root chakra.  The root chakra is about groundedness, our nourishment, and our physical health.  When stress enters full force, we can become less grounded.  That sure explains even more about my aches and pains.  As most of you know I recently closed my business and moved.  However, I am not living anywhere yet.  I have been traveling around visiting family and friends and still haven’t decided on where I want to live.  Yep, that would be ungrounded!  Guess I’ll start doing some yoga grounding poses today! 

Eating a gluten-free diet can relieve the strain of your adrenal glands.  Low blood sugar will put stress on your body and strain your adrenal glands too.  Time your meals so that you aren’t going long periods of time without food.  Adrenals will work harder on an empty stomach, requiring them to release more cortisol to keep you functioning normally.  Living foods will allow the body to absorb more nutrients.  You will find yourself craving sugar and caffeine if your cortisol levels are low or you are tired.  Drinks that will restore your adrenal glands are: chamomile, passionflower and valerian teas, and vegetable juices.  Alcohol, caffeine and gatorade can drain the adrenals.  Honor your body.  Try to take the time to feel if you are actually hungry or if you are eating to fill another need.  I know when I am eating and not actually tasting anything.  With my burning tongue symptom, my taste buds are a little off.  So I think my mind tells me to eat more because my mouth can’t taste anything!  It’s all about balance.  I have good days and not so good days.  I honor them both. 

I’ll talk next time about more symptoms of our changing bodies.

As always, please see your health care practitioner for symptoms that concern you.  The suggestion here are informational only.

In these times when we are hearing so much about swine flu, I thought I’d add my two cents regarding how I feel about the rumors and the lies being told.  To be honest, I don’t know which are lies and what is the truth about this issue.  I DO KNOW this, it is possible to protect and promote good health.  I also know that I have set a plan with my daughter in college just in case “they” come around and start requiring immunizations at her school (that’s not from a fear standpoint…that’s just common sense).  I will share some things I’ve heard about the flu and what I know as the truth about keeping your body in balance.  I’m sure you will make your own informed decision regarding this.  Swine flu is going around at my daughter’s college.  It just started this week (9/9).  There are signs all over campus.  They are keeping up on it, however another college in her town just had one death from swine flu.  This person had underlying circumstances.  The college tell you to stay at least six feet away from your roomate and stay in your room until 24 hours after you’ve had a fever.  It is important now, more than ever, to boost your body’s immune system.

I’ve read that even if you believe the so-called vaccine will work, it would take vaccinating 200,000 people to prevent the death of just one person from swine flu.  And if that many people were vaccinated, chances are there would be death or harm from the side effects.  In addition, this vaccine has never been subjected to any long-term testing.  I’m writing this blog to make you aware of some things you can do now to boost your health, not just during flu season.  I do believe in washing your hands.  I do believe in (actually I’m a little anal about) the anti-bacterial hand sanitizers.  There is a natural hand sanitizer named Hand Sanz, available in health food stores.  It kills 99.9% of germs and bacteria without chemicals.  It can be used anywhere without water.  I’m not a hand shaker during this season and yes, I use the wipes when I go to the grocery store and wipe my cart.  Again, to me, that’s just common sense.  And no, I won’t be getting the swine flu vaccine and I’m hoping my daughter isn’t forced into one either.  I’ve never gotten any flu vaccine. 

So what can you do or not do?  Donald Miller, MD, says “Seventy percent of doctors do not get a flu shot.”  According to Cochrane Database Syst. “There is also a lack of evidence that young children benefit from flu shots.  A systematic review of 51 studies involving 260,000 children age 6 to 23 months found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo.”  Flu shots contain mercury (a neurotoxin), formaldehyde (known cancer-causing agent), aluminum (may cause Alzheimer’s), and other additives known to be toxic.  Vitamin D deficiency is likely one cause of flu, pneumonia and cardiovascular disease. 

Msn.com states “Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications in modern medicine.  Antibiotics cure disease by killing or injuring bacteria.”   When one type of bacteria flourishes it causes an imbalance.  This imbalance can occur from taking a course of antibiotic medication, which will attack the good bacteria in your intestines as well as the bad.  Yogurt (dairy or soy or rice), has good bacteria.  Many yogurts are supplemented with additional probiotics that are associated with health benefits.  A daily dose of yogurt can help with resulting stomach issues.  Yogurt is also good for those suffering from digestive problems such as irritable bowel, gas and bloating.  Yogurt is a great source of calcium, protein and vitamins.  I use soy yogurt and avoid the presweetened and flavored varieties, which have added sugars and are higher in calories.  You can add fresh fruit or granola to sweeten it up naturally or add to your favorite smoothie.  Probiotics are not tested or regulated by the FDA but are recognized as safe.  Avoid anything with bacillus or enterococci on the label.  Keeping a healthy bacteria environment in your body is a great start in overall health and avoiding colds and flus too. 

Keep up with your vitamin C intake and stay well rested.  I also like Airborne.  I usually take it at night if I’m feeling exhausted and like I’m starting to come down with something.  Eat more raw food.  Enzymes in raw food will benefit you in more ways than you can imagine.  Yesterday I woke up with a horrible headache.  I’ve never had a migraine, but this headache was horrible.  It lasted through the day and I started feeling very achy in the evening.  I went to bed and wondered what was happening?  I immediately did some EFT(Emotional Freedom Techniques) and felt better immediately!  Remember, you are in charge of your health. 

Stay healthy. Think healthy.  Eat healthy. 

These statements are informational only.  They are my opinions alone based on what I have been reading   online and in the news.  The information contained here is only meant to keep you informed of your options.  Please make your own decision.

I’ve mentioned many times in this venue how raw, living food is what will allow the body to heal.  Not cooking your food keeps enzymes, oxygen and water content in your food, and therefore making it better able for your body to absorb.  Heating destroys nutrients and your food’s enzymes.  Heating also destroys water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and all the B vitamins.  I still eat a small amount of cooked food, but it just doesn’t taste the same anymore.  I’m eating more vegan food as well as high raw foods.  The past couple of weeks, since I’ve been moving around a lot, I’ve had a cucumber for breakfast almost every day. I know vegetables for breakfast?  Yes, and you can too.  It’s all about changing your patterns.  Fresh organic produce has been easy to find these days.  I am in the Adirondacks in New York State taking advantage of the local farmers markets every week. 

If you want to get good at anything, you have to focus, learn and invest some time in learning how it works, right?  Everyone needs to learn about taking care of their body because everyone has a body.  In addtion to your “day job”, you need to make the time to learn the basics of taking care of your body.  The reason we believe what the drug companies, media, agricultural and food and beverage companies have to say is because we are nutritionally ignorant.  So let’s learn a little bit more about the food we cook on a daily basis.

When you cook food on a grill, stove top, oven, camp fire or a microwave, you are changing the molecular structure of the food and change the nutritional content and digestibility.  This structure becomes denatured, deranged and degraded, and the molecules are changed into new chemical configurations and carcinogenic byproducts are formed, thereby promoting a broad spectrum of allergies, infections and degenerative diseases..  Certainly the degree to which this happens depends on the cooking time, temperature and method of cooking.  Heating food above 105-120 degrees F, destroys all enzymes and lowers the concentration of vitamins and minerals.  You body can produce the enzymes necessary for digestion and absorption of food, however this process requires a great deal of energy that would otherwise be used for  the process of elimination, fighting disease, and allowing you to function at an optimal physical and mental level. 

In cooked foods, fats are carcinogenized, carbs are caramelized, and proteins are coagulated and become virtually unusable by the body and fiber becomes barely usable in the colon.  Heating food also creates toxic byproducts.  Here’s a few of these dangerous byproducts:

Acrylamides:  Cancer causing byproducts of cooking carbohydrate food such as breads, potatoes, pastries and any other kinds of starch.  The FDA acknowledges on their website the perils of acrylamides, but the processed and fast food industry would rather you don’t know about these.

Epoxides, Hydroperoxides, unsaturated aldehydes:  These three are generated when you cook the fat from meat, milk, eggs and fish.  From Wikipedia, “An epoxide is a cyclic ether.”  The rest of the definition on Wikipedia was not even understandable to me.

Furfural/furans: generated when sugars are heated.  Wikipedia states, “Except for occasional use in perfume, furfural remained a relatively obscure chemical until 1922, when the Quaker Oats Company began mass-producing it from oat hulls….When heated above 250 degrees, furfural decomposes into furan and carbon monoxide, sometimes explosively… Furfural is also used as a solvent in petrochemical refining….” 

Nitrosamines:  When nitrogen oxides in the gas flame from gas ovens or barbecues interact with fats, these toxins are created.  Nitrosamines are chemical compounds of a chemical structure, some of which are carcinogenic.

Polycyclic Hydrocarbons:  These carcinogens are generated from the charring of meat. From Wikipedia,  ”PAHs occur in oil, coal and tar deposits, and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning….as a pollutant, they are of concern because some compounds have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic….PAHs are also found in foods.  Studies have shown that most food intake of PAHs comes from cereals, oils and fats.  Smaller intakes come from vegetables and cooked meats.”

Hydrogenated oils and Trans fats:  These are man-made.  They are also called hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and were specifically developed to allow processed foods to sit on the shelf longer without going rancid.  Many of today’s common foods are now cooked in these trans fats.  Consuming these fats can lead to obesity, heart disease, an increase in bad cholesterol and lowering of the good.  Also keep in mind when you heat common cooking oils, the heat denatures the oil molecule and causes the oil to turn rancid.

Are you still asking yourself what happens to you if you eat cooked foods?  Digestive leukocytes is a term that refering to when your body produces an increase of white blood cells, indicating the body is on the attack.  This response also happens when you eat cooked food.  However it does not happen when you eat raw foods.   A build up of toxic, acidic waste materials, often referred to as “free radicals”, accumulates in the skin, liver, nervous system and brain when you consume large amounts of cooked food.  When you don’t get the proper nutrients in your diet, your white blood cells are always on the attack mode.  Toxic waste are circulating in your weak and overworked body, allowing it to breed common ailments such as allergies, headaches, sinusitis, diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, depression, arthritis, osteoporosis, and various cancers will thrive.  Unfriendly flora build-up is also a byproduct of cooked foods.  Unfriendly bacteria take over the colon, feeding on thick, undigested and uneliminated cooked food putrefying in the intestines.  This flora will give off a waste product that is a food for cancer cells.  Eating a plant based uncooked diet will decrease the toxic load on the colon and will also decrease unfriendly bacteria and its dangerous byproducts.

Not cooking your food will have the following benefits: Weight stabilization, increased energy, more restful sleep, radiant skin, enhanced mental clarity, increased immune function and prevention of illness.  You don’t need to eliminate all cooked food from your diet to have these benefits.  How about just substituting one meal a day with raw food for starters?  Or if you are already doing that, how about increasing to one day a week eating nothing but uncooked food?  Most people believe lunch or dinner is their best bet for raw.  Large salads with every veggie in the fridge, juicing a meal or sandwiches with sprouted grain bread (these breads are usually available in the frozen section.  They are baked at low temperatures to retain the nutritional content of their ingredients). Top your sandwich with all raw ingredients, like veggies and sprouts.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, just make it colorful.

Be proactive about your own health.  Stay informed.  It’s your job.

As always, consult your primary physician if you have questions regarding your specific circumstances.

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.