Monthly Archives: August 2013

Are you a Fat, Crazy Cortisol Creation? Circadian Rhythm part 4

22 Thursday Aug 2013

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images (3)Unpredictable emotions, even a feeling a bit crazy, is ABSOLUTELY NORMAL when you’re running for your life from a tiger that is about to eat you!  What happens, however, when everything that happens in our life is labeled as”tiger about to eat us”- diabolical crazy is normal!

SURVIVAL MODE occurs in the body when unrelenting stress or “tigers” happen or when we think everything that occurs is a “tiger attack.”  During the fight for survival, cortisol secretion is your body’s normal  ENERGY BOOSTER to help you run away from a “tiger attack.”  Constant “tiger mode” every day, means too much cortisol is present in your blood and this gives a feeling of being “crazed.”

Emotions are controlled by “molecules of emotions” or neurotransmitters.   When these go off the normal circadian rhythm, your body will start craving more sugar, and metabolic syndromes commonly follow.  Want to fix your sugar cravings naturally?  Get 8 to 9 hours a sleep a night.  Additionally, the more cortisol you have, the harder it will be to keep those extra pounds off, as cortisol has a direct link to obesity.

The normal circadium rhythm of cortisol is high during the morning and low at night. When cortisol is low, melatonin and serotinin are high.  These night hormones reduce your appetite and give you a calm feeling to help you get sleepy.  Even  though some meds can initiate cortisol production, they can’t complete a circadium rhythm reset! 

Scan-112940007 (1)You can initiate your own reset by realizing what gets the biorhythm off track and change to activities that reset it.  The long term fix is an update in your lifestyle choices.  You can change your bio-chemistry without medication! 

Here are some typical habits of someone who needs a circadian rhythm reset: 

download (2)1. Needs coffee to get going in the morning
2. Is a night owl
3. Can’t seem to lose weight
4. Feels overwhelmed frequently
5. Feels hopeless and that everyone is against them
6. Needs an alarm to wake up
7. Has little energy for exercise
8. Needs pick me up snacks throughout the day
9. Has mental fogginess often
10. Often skips meals because they aren’t hungry
11. Has trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
12. Urinates several times throughout the night
13. Needs a nightcap to relax at night
14. Feels like they have a hangover most mornings

Want to reset your bio-rhythm, lose weight and get happy?  Here are the key steps. I suggest you pick your favorite step then do it for 2 weeks daily, then move on to your next favorite step.  Skip one and you won’t like the consequences, but start one at a time to guarantee success for yourself! 

1) Live by a bedtime routine. Two hours asleep before midnight is better than four hours after, so go to bed as close to sunset as possible.  Limit artificial light pas 7pm.  Staying on the computer until bedtime will mess up your health! Melatonin is its highest between 9 and 10 most nights.  (It depends on when the sun set)

2) Eat early.  Eat protein for breakfast and you’ll jumpstart your body to health so fast! Try to eat your biggest meals in the first 8 hours of the day. People who say they don’t have an appetite in the morning, need a jump start BAD!

3)  Exercise in the morning.  It’s not what most Americans do, because you have to get to bed early to make this happen, but those that wake up to a walk or yoga or a morning run notice a re-calibration of circadian rhythms quickly

4) Avoid stimulants after 7pm. Things that qualify as stimulants are tv, alcohol, sugar snacks or desserts or eating a full meal.

5) Get regular chiropractic adjustments.  This can influence your biochemistry, your circadian rhythm and can help you lose weight because it has been shown to reduce cortisol production.  It takes your body from the “chased by the tiger” mode to the “self-healing” mode- EVERY TIME YOU GET ADJUSTED!

The key to health is to engage in activities that trigger cortisol production during the morning and decrease activities that trigger cortisol during the night.

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!   Dr Carrie Jardine

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How sleep can reset your Circadian Rhythm – part 3

16 Friday Aug 2013

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If you think your health is completely within your control, think again! Every biological, automated function is controlled by light.  You CAN choose how much circadian_rhythm (1)sleep you get each day, but you CAN’T control the effect of “lack of sleep” on your biological functions and health.

Living in modern America 2013, means you have very little access to natural sunlight during your day, but have tons of access to electronic light.

This wrecks havoc on our health and our circadian rhythm.

CircadianRythmWiki_2Our automated functions are controlled by “circadian rhythm” which is initiated by light of any kind and certain chemical reactions are activated with that automated bio-rhythm. Without this crucial knowledge, you may feel like your health spins out of control regardless of what you do!

Monitoring and evaluating the amount of daily light you are exposed to will help you regain that!

How light affects your Circadian Rhythm and health

Sunflower close-upLight signals your auto-pilot body clock, called a circadian rhythm, because its derived from the word “circle.” When you wake and sleep are the two actions within your control that activate this auto-pilot rhythm. Your sleep cycle triggers your metabolism, mood, healing, hormones, energy and every biological activity in you!   The sleep cycle is one of the main cornerstones of your health.

The Quick Fix

ExhaustedWoman_illusIf you have trouble falling to sleep or staying asleep, many people take a sleeping pills.  This helps short term, but doesn’t reset the natural cycle and hinders it from returning.   Using pills long term use could initiates a cascade of dis-function within every body system.

Signs you need a Circadian Cycle RESET

hotflashIf you have experienced any of the following four main signs, your body is screaming for a “reset:”

1- You need an alarm to wake up. If you force your body to adhere by your sleep schedule, there will be a back-lash of ill health sometime in your future! You can train your body to wake up automatically when you need to. I’ve been doing it for 15 years!

2- You get hot flashes. Your body temperature regulator is broke if this happens and just taking a hormone pill won’t fix it. It was designed to adjusts to the environment, and within a short time of a season change of weather, you will be acclimated.

3- You always (or never) feel hungry. Hormones regulate hunger, so a reset could naturally help balance both hunger and hormones.

4- You get sick. There was a study done on the bio-rhythm of mice and how sleep affected thier immune system.  The mice were injected with bacteria and viruses and one groups of mice maintained their sleep cycle, while another group was NOT allowed regular sleep. The sleepy mice got sick, while the rested mice did not.

5- You get depressed or feel anxiety.  Your mood regulator goes out of whack when you’re sleep deprived.  Many people eat when they can’t control their emotions, therefore, many people gain weight as a result of being sleep deprived.

resetHow to Reset Your circadian rhythm

A process of “resetting” your circadian rhythm involves your sleep schedule, your exercise routine, the amount and type of food you eat and when you eat that food. 

1. Get on a regular sleep cycle, even on the weekends.  Shift work is tough on your automated systems.  Do the best you can with what you’ve chosen to be involved in with your life, but simply make sleeping more a priority than you’ve done in the past.  Sleep deprivation is widespread in our culture so you might not even realize you suffer from it. It took years to mis-align your sleep cycle and it may take years to reset it.   The earth’s natural cycle of sunrise and sunset is the best natural “reset” technique there is.

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2. Limit indoor light.  Having indoor lights and electronic devices so intertwined with how we live, work and relax means we are exposed to electronic light for several hours a day.  This confuses your internal circadian rhythm and leads slower function in chemical reactions, hormones and cell activity.

This means all your systems get sluggish and S L O W    W  a  y     d   o   w  n.   Your metabolism will be hypo-functioning so much that even synthroid can’t up-regulate it.  Stay away from electronic light during the evening hours as much as possible and increase natural sunlight during the day as best you can to “reset” your rate of function.

3. Move that body!  It’s important for every chemical process, every system of your 

How-to-increase-your-stamina-300-2body and even your emotions  …. that you move!  You were meant to move!  Your arms and legs have joints in the middle of them that don’t keep working unless you move them.  Joints have low blood flow and rely on motion to keep them full of nutrients.  It’s no wonder that so many knee replacements and “tennis elbow” occur with our sedentary lifestyle!  Take a walk everyday, even though you need to go easy at first.  Go long not fast to begin building your strength and to “reset” your cell motion.

4. Stop eating past 7 P.M. Eating food means your digestive system must be put to work breaking down the food you put in your mouth and then making it absorbable and then distributing it where those nutrients are needed.

Digestion is the SINGLE most energy draining activity you can do, so allow your body a rest from this activity to relax your body and prepare you for sleep.  Keep in mind that lack of sleep can make you feel hungry, so consider going to bed early instead of eating so late. Do the best you can, but realize how not eating can aid in a rhythm reset.

Disruptions in your sleep cycle cascades inward to your entire body.  It affects how 

happyyou look, how you work inside and how you feel.  Tomorrow’s article, Circadian Rhythm – Part 4, will look at how moods and the hippocampus are affected by the circadian rhythm and how to be even happier everyday!  

The adjustment helps to reset how your body controls every chemical reaction underneath that skin of yours as it aligns your back and spine.

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

Circadium Rhythm part 2

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

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You have an automatic timer (circadium rhythm) running in your body – right now!  You don’t have to be aware of it for its influence to be felt.  The more you know about this “auto-pilot” timer or clock of yours, the more empowerment you’ll experience with your health.

bodyclockguide (1)Your timer/clock runs on a 24 hour cycle and each of your organs has a “on” time in which it is most metabolically active.  This is when self healing takes place of that organ.  If you’re “living too large” during that time, the self-healing WON’T happen.

The most important self-healing and metabolically active organ in your body is the liver.  It aids in brain function, heart function, and the breakdown of every single nutrient your body needs.  The self-healing time for the liver is perfectly designed to be while you are sleeping, from 1am – 3am.

busy-womanIf you’re still up and going strong at that time, you’re messing with your “internal clock” and your ability to heal which means you’re cutting into your quality and quantity of life for a few hours of living.

Here are some signs you’re body is giving you that you need to pay attention to your “timing mechanism” and adjust your lifestyle:

1. Weight gain – You’ve mysteriously gained weight, its really tough to lose weight, or you can’t seem to gain weight.
2. Impaired thinking, ability to reason or memorize
3. You seem to have less control of your emotions: rritability and moodiness
4. Change in blood pressure, up or down: Increased stress hormones in the body affects everyone differently, but a change will take place. 
5. Allergy symptoms or getting a cold or flu: Every season can be an allergy or cold/flu season because YOUR immunity control both of these unwanted states

images (3)To help lose weight, improve brain function, get happy, control blood pressure or strengthen your immune system, start by getting more and better sleep!  Here are a few tips to help you do that.

1. Limit late nights: Realize you may be a “night person” and do your best works at night, but your internal clock is still keep time and you can’t cheat it!  Consider limiting late nights  to get back in control of those unwanted and costly symptoms.

Stop Computer Keys Showing Denial Panic And Negativity2. Shut off lights: The biggest culprit of modern day light negatively impacting sleep is cell phones, iPad, computers, TV’s and alarm clocks.  Looking at them right up to the time you want to sleep WILL impact your Internal clock or circadian rhythm. Less light at night means increased production of your melatonin production and this internal chemical tells your body to sleep.

laser-back-pain3. Use natural healthcare to reset your internal clock: A soft touch chiropractic adjustment, acu-laser and specific supplements are a great way to get your body RESET. Reducing stress and taking a walk can also help with this. 

4. Avoid foods or drinks that “wake you up”: alcohol, spicy foods, rich and greasy foods, caffeine, sugar and heavy meals.  These cause “Stomach fire” and are linked to you grinding your teeth at night and TMJ problems. 

5. Exercise for rest: In Oriental medicine, there is a connection energetically between the feet and the eyes. Insomnia can be caused by not moving your feet enough.  A evening walk helps this connection as well as getting a scalp rub or soaking your feet in warm water.

6. Tuck your “mind” in bed? While the body sleeps, the mind can still play, so its crucial you quiet your mind or “tuck it in bed” before you retire. Writing down the first thing you want to do upon waking or empyting your mind of its problems in a journal or writing a list of things you accomplished or are grateful for can help faster and more effectively than a sleeping pill.

I love this Chinese proverb: “A dull pencil is better than the sharpest mind.”

shutterstock_44424856-605x4037. STOP EATING about 3 hours before bed.  Your stomach’s “on” time of your internal clock is between 7am-9am.  This is when protein can be more easily digested.  The stomach’s “off” or resting time is between 7pm-9pm, so forcing it to digest during this time puts a strain on it and delays it healing and recuperating.

You may not have been aware of your body’s natural, built-in timing, but you can’t be fully functioning unless you live according to your circadian rhythm by doing things to support that rather than fight against it. Sleep is when you self-heal and rejuvenate so protecting that time daily will have big pay-off’s to your health. 

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

P.S. Call us to find out when our next free workshop on “Applying Oriental Medicine to your everyday life” is.  We give you information just like this article content to boost your health.

What is your circadium rhythm? Part 1

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

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Your body runs by a 24 hour cycle in which certain organs automatically turns on and off in two-hour intervals.   Knowing about this system will help you organize your daily activities to feel your best!

nrm1000_059a_i1The time most people are asleep, between 11pm and 5am, is when your gallbladder, liver and lungs are healing from the previous day’s activities. When you don’t sleep during this time, you may experience sluggishness or weakness in these three organs.

Did you realize that each of your organs control certain emotional and mental functions too?

brain-gearssmFor example, your gallbladder is the key organ in decision making. When it is surgically removed or clogged or functioning low, your decision making ability will be lessened.  Even without the gallbladder organ, the gallbladder “energy” is still still present, so when the gallbladder function is most high, during 11pm and 1am, rest is needed to help its highest function and healing. 

purple eyesYour Liver controls your eyes, nails and movement of energy and vitality.  If you have ridges on your nails or weak eyes, strengthening your liver function should be a crucial step.  The liver controls long-term planning and goal setting so tonifying your liver will also help you fine tune these mental processes. 

When the liver is weak or clogged, irritability and menstrual problems are the most common symptoms.  One of the first ways to help you liver is to make sure you’re asleep from 1am to 3am when it’s rejuvenating. 

heart-and-lungs-190x155If you have allergies, asthma or smoke, then your Lungs health should be a priority to you.  The mental function of the lungs is creating new thoughts and things and i supports the skin, hair and immune system.  Your lungs should be resting between 3am and 5am.

In Oriental healthcare, we recommend that you rise and rest with the sun as much as you can. This isn’t always possible, but is one lifestyle recommendation that increases natural healing and your vitality.  This also means during winter, you can sleep more and during summer months, you should be more active.

SunRiseStudies have shown that having less than six hours of sleep, or lack of restful sleep can negatively affect your health, especially of the gallbladder, liver and lungs.

Soft touch adjusting and no needle acupuncture treatments can help increase healing nerve and energy flow to those three organs which will assist you in restoring your natural circadian rhythm and natural health!

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

Foods that make you ugly

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

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images (1)Certain foods seem to “suck” beauty, vitality and energy out!  They cause skin spots and wrinkles, bloating, obesity and your graying hair to fall out. Staying away from these foods will add to your beauty and give a great side effect- vitality!

When you feel exhausted, you don’t feel beautiful.  This vitality and this type of beauty is essential to a happy, healthy life.  This means that when you’re sluggish on the inside, you’ll feel “ugly” and look “less than stellar!”

imagesBeauty has a cost!  It is more than just the price of wrinkle potion, age spot serum or color treatments for gray hair. Obtaining a permanent “beautiful, vitality appearance”only comes from putting food with high energy into your body and learning then doing what’s needed to have great intrinsic healthy function.

These 7 foods must be avoided, because they make you ugly, steal your vitality and clog up your body function:

1. Trans fats: These are plastic-like and have no nutritional value.  There main purpose was to make grocery store food last longer so they could sell more.  These fats cause heart disease and high cholesterol as well as rob hair, skin and nails of a glow and luster.

INSTEAD: Eat fish, avocado, coconut oil, cheese, Omega 3 oil supplement and eat olives.

download (1)2. Candy: Sugar makes you fat!  When we gorge ourselves on this then we don’t have a desire to eat real food with nutrients.  Eating sugar affects every chemical reaction in your body!  Hormones, heart, breathing, immunity, metabolism, bones and causes saggy, wrinkled skin too! 

INSTEAD: Snack on coconut flakes from Whole Foods, Fruits, small pieces of cheese and make sure each meal you eat is balanced.  If you don’t chew your food enough, you’ll crave something sweet right after a meal- so chew all food until it’s liquid. 

too-much-salt-images3. Salt: When salt is added to food, it makes us eat more because it’s so tasty! Our daily salt requirements are only about 1 teaspoon.  When you eat restaurant made food, canned and packaged food, as well as breads, crackers and cereals… you overdose on salt FAST!  Puffy, tired eyes, thin skin, hair loss and constant fatigue come with consuming too much salt.   

INSTEAD:  Don’t add extra salt to food, cook meals from scratch and read labels when you do eat from a package.

scotch-yum4. Alcohol: Having a drink now and then isn’t hurtful to your beauty and health IF your total weekly alcohol consumption is less than 16 ounces or 2 cups.  Alcohol clogs the liver and kidney which stops nutrients from getting through even when you eat good, healthy food.   This results in a “hardened” face, red patches on skin, bloodshot eyes, weight gain and bloating and super dry skin prone to wrinkling and age spots.

INSTEAD:  Enjoy a drink or two on weekends, but limit binge drinking and heavy partying.  Consider things you can “do” with friends that don’t involve alcohol when wanting to relax or hang out or have fun.  (ie: hike, bike, racquetball, rock climbing wall, etc. )

whitebread15. Carbohydrates: Carbs provide energy, but we usually go way overboard on the carbs! The healthiest diet ratio of these food components is 40% carbs, 30% proteins and 30% fats.  When you load up with fruits and vegetables (carbs), there is no room for “beige” or “white” flour products like rice, breads, crackers or pasta! Eating these products produce a quick high followed by hours of low emotions and sluggishness, as well as bloated tummy and grumpy mood.

INSTEAD: Reach for wholesome carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains which are minimally processed.

download (2)6. Coffee: Coffee can stain your teeth, creates BAD BREATH, overworks your heart and shuts off your brain.  Coffee makes you dehydrated and this creates tight muscles, pale skin, crabbiness,  bone erosion (osteoporosis), infertility and headaches. Even if you have a morning cup of coffee, it can cause insomnia because it slows kidney function which helps regulate sleep. 

INSTEAD:  Slowly wean yourself off coffee, as you probably won’t like the withdrawl symptoms of headache and depression.  A couple cups a month won’t hurt you, but daily doses will.  Get more sleep, take a 45 minute walk, drink herb tea or flavored water to boost your natural energy!

7. Store bought Milk: Dairy from a store has been heated and has no enzymes to help you break it down and digest it. This results in gas, bloating and cramping.  One to two cups a day is about all we can safely digest in one day.

INSTEAD: Buy milk from a farm or eat small amounts of cheese.  Cheese has been fermented which makes it much easier to digest.

natural-beauty-face-md-2Healthy beauty can never come in a bottle!  It comes from staying away from these 7 food sources as well as paying close attention to “what, when and how” you eat, drink, move, sleep and breath.

If you’ve ever had any of these 7 foods… then you need to get a soft touch chiropractic adjustment to help boost your healthy function!

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

Want to read more?

http://180degreehealth.com/2011/09/why-milk-is-bad-for-you

http://www.trippingtuesdays.com/2012/03/is-store-bought-milk-making-you-sick.html

http://www.mysippyrunnethover.com/2012/09/fresh-milk-or-store-bought.html

Langlois, J.H. & Roggman, L.A., Musselman L. & Acton, S. (1991). A picture is worth a thousand words, Psychological Science 2, 354-357.

http://www.nurturepod.com/uncategorized/coffee-10-shocking-reasons-why-its-soooo-bad-for-you/

Are you a junk food junkie?

11 Sunday Aug 2013

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junk-foodFood can dull the pain of life– for a while, just like drugs.  Food makes us what we are- physically and emotionally, but some food is more chemical than natural and is not good for us.

For my first thirty years, I was a junkie for junk food because I ate food high in calories and low in nutrients with lots of synthetic chemicals. I felt terrible, but blamed my husband and family.  I looked terrible but blamed my kids. I had lupus, abnormal breast tissue and bi-polar but blamed my genes.

Then, I went to a natural doctor (who I discovered later was a Chiropractor and Oriental Medicine doctor) who taught me step by step, that I could control my health, my emotions and even as low as I was, I COULD control my reactions to life. Now, 16 years later, I don’t have perfect health, but take no medications, love my life most days and help people just like I was helped! 

6a00d83451f44f69e200e54f3769478833-800wi (1)Exactly what is “Junk food?” It is anything that has added color, flavor and nutrients (enriched).

They have been stripped of all those and their purpose is to have a long shelf life so the producers can make a profit off them.

Here is a list of the worst junk food you can eat: soda’s (including diet soda), white flour foods (including pasta’s), candy, and anything in a box.

Here are four main reasons why some of you still buy it, although you already know junk food is bad for you:

1- They think junk food is cheaper to buy.

2- They’re use to the taste and enjoy it more than natural food.

3- They’re addicted to it and don’t want to stop.

4- It’s easy to get and is quick to eat.

Consider these solutions to each reason if you related to the above answers.

Vibrant Produce1- Healthy food really is less expensive. A bag of chips at the dollar store costs about $2, where as two mango’s cost $2. Which one do you buy?

At first glance, the bag of chips looks like more food, but if you were to eat that whole bag, you may still be hungry because it was empty calories and you’ll need to buy more food.  If you ate the two mango’s, you’d be more satisfied because they contain nutrients that are easily broken down by the body as energy.  You’d most likely be satisfied and not need any more food.

Additionally, eating junk food creates havoc on your health (obesity, vitamin deficienceies, heart disease and more) and you’ll end up spending more money on medical bills and devote more time fixing the bad results of eating the cheap junk food.

junk-food-junky2- If you’ve been eating high sugar and carbohydrate foods, your taste buds have been distorted.  You won’t like vegetables and some fruits.  They’ll taste bland or gushy and bad.  Start by eating the vegetables first at dinner, when you’re the most hungry and your taste buds will gradually return to normal.  No one like broccoli after a bowl of pasta or rice!

3- Bad food makes you feel bad.  Let’s say you’ve heard that junk food is bad for you and you get that it’s costly in the long run, but you still really like that soda, crackers, bread or candy!  Because these are harmful to your body, they’ll make you feel bad.  The question is, are you listening and do you relate that feeling to the junk food?  

When I look at my past favorite of “hot tamale cinnamon candy” – I think how tired, and sluggish and slow in my brain I felt after eating it and the craving quickly leaves. 

running4women-launch-r4w-virtualrun-race-series-id1011_header4- Eating healthy takes less time, in the long run. Junk food is bagged and ready to go at every convenience store and fast food drive through’s assist us with dinners prepared in 10 minutes or less. They pack on the weight fast too!

Think of that next time you don’t think you’ve got time to eat something good.  It takes about 20 minutes to burn 100 calories if you talk a walk, so that extra 500 calories just cost you an hour and 40 minutes of time to burn the extra weight!

Good nutritious food can be just as quick but they do require some planning on your part.  Consider preparing a salad or carrots or extra chicken pieces on the weekend in preparation for the quick lunch grab as you leave in the morning.

In case you need a little more convincing, these bad affects of bad food may encourage you to take that baby step today, toward eating more nutritiously.

lost_weight1. Bad face day.  Sugar and trans fats and starches cause you to get inflamed and produce glycation which causes wrinkles and deactivates antioxidants which are anti-aging.

2. Tight clothes: Sodium and chemicals in the junk food cause bloating, obesity and flatulance! (embarrassing 3 ways)  Buying a new “Fat wardrobe” is not cheap.  And the emotional tole of buying a size up is devestating to your self-confidence!

3. Constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.  White bread, white rice, and other “white” foods have no enzymes to break that “fake food” down so they get stuck in your colon and the belly begins to get bigger and bigger with all that “fecal material or poop” stuck in your colon!

4. Crazy hormones: Sugar and white foods cause insulin to spike then d

11039529_xxlrop- and your emotions follow that pattern- depression then anxiety over and over again. Caffeine drinks cause the roller coaster emotions too.  These things also lessen libido as a result of hormone imbalances. There is no bio-identical hormone that can counter the effects of eating junk food.

Researchers at Harvard University expect that by the year 2050, 42% of all citizens will be obese.   Fast food junkies gain at least 6 extra pounds of weight each year and with that comes heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  This is a health problem. 

If you need more help than just reading this, give us or a trusted natural healthcare doctor a call.  Addictions come in all forms but will lead to so many problems down the road.

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

Read more? 

Researchers at Penn State University have found that poor eating habits can actually worsen a person’s mood, especially among women who are concerned about how they eat, according to PsychCentral.com.

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-surprising-ways-junk-food-miserable-164600488.html

10 Habits of People Who Never Get Sick

10 Saturday Aug 2013

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If you don’t want to catch a cold, don’t carry the mitt that catches colds.

Adron ChambersWe all live in a sea of bugs, viruses and bacteria.  The people who never get sick are those who created habits that strengthen their defense against them.  In the words of Linus Pauling, called the Einstein of chemistry who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1954 and the Nobel Peace Prize for 1962, “IT’S ALL IN THE BIO-TERRAIN.”

Bio means body and terrain is the sum total of the internal body chemistry which includes how strong your internal immune system is.  Your “mitt” can be compared to the bio-terrain or your body’s immune system.  The stronger your bio-terrain, the less you’ll “catch” bugs, viruses and bacteria that cause sickness.

Here are the ten habits of people that never get sick — and how they strengthen their “mitt,” bio-terrain, or immune system.

11350332_xl1.  Keep hydrated with drinking at least 50 ounces of water a day.  Most people require more water than that, but many people drink less than 20 ounces per day.  Keep in mind that coffee, black or green tea, soda and juice do NOT count toward your total water consumption.  Because our bodies are at least 80% water, our “internal ocean” must be kept cycling in good, clean water.

get-a-good-sleep2. They sleep at least 7 hours on a regular basis and often get between 8 and 9 hours a night on several nights a week.  Without good sleep, a healthy immune system will remain elusive, even if you eat well and exercise.  When you eat well and exercise however, your ability to sleep deeply and your desire to sleep improves.

Jardine Nutrition and Weight loss3. They limit sugar foods to rare occasions.  When one of pediatrician, Dr. Jim Sears’ kids asks for a soda or other sweet treat, he sometimes asks them a question: “Is this a good time to be suppressing your immune system?”  Dr Sears is a co-host of the TV show “The Doctors” and believes that sugar immediately suppresses the immune system and makes you more vulnerable to infections.

11039529_xxl4. They know how to de-stress.  Although stress is difficult to define exactly, most researchers agree that its our reaction that defines stress.  Learning life lessons from any situation we encounter is key in lessening the effects of stress on our immune system.  Dr. Andrew Weil states that breathing exercises act as a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system and increase in effectiveness with repetition and practice.

healthycouple5. They know how to control their emotions.  They limit the amount of negative emotions they allow themselves to feel and they create situations that cause them to feel positive emotions.  The Institute of HeartMath run by Dr Rollin McCraty and his research team have researched emotions role on the immune system over the past 25 years.  They believe that emotions are more important to a strong immunity than even the food we consume.

“Your emotions affect every cell in your body. Mind and body, mental and physical, are intertwined.”  Dr. Thomas Tutko, Father of Sports Psychology

6. They limit exposure to environmental toxins, noises and electromagnetic Pollution.  They stop smoking and limit second hand smoke.  They drink alcohol in moderation or not at all.  They use pharmaceuticals, over the counter medications and chemical products of any kind (hair products, cleaning chemicals, etc) SPARINGLY.  These are toxins that inhibit the immune system.

HealthyCouple (1)7. They nurture relationships and friendships.  Countless studies show that having a good social network is important to your physical health as well as your mental health – and specifically your immune system.  Several studies support the idea that people who feel connected to friends have stronger immunity than those who feel alone and enjoy better overall health and longevity than loners do.  Intimate, sexual relationships also have immune system perks, according to the author of Great Sex after 40, Michael Castleman.

EF20878. They walk a lot and complete exercise that stimulates muscle growth.  Muscle mass slows the aging process and builds the immune system.  Exercise has been called the missing nutrient.  

Couple having dinner outdoors.9.  They maintain a healthy BMI- below 25 for most people.  They make eating and nutrition habits consciously.  Good nutrition can be summarized into two letters; pH. Your body’s pH (potential for hydrogen, but I like to think of it as POTENTIAL FOR HEALTH) can be maintained by eating live food, and chewing food until its liquid before swallowing.

Chewing food is the only way to make the good food you eat into the micro-nutrients that your body recognizes and can absorb.  Even good food improperly absorb can lead to ill-health. 

healthy-relationship10. They take nutritional supplements sparingly.  Nutritional supplements alone can not make you healthy, but a few carefully selected ones can fill in the gaps where depleted soil, incomplete digestion and imperfectly balanced meals leave holes.  My foundational five supplements that I rotate through are Cod Oil (omega 3), probiotics, enzymes, minerals, and a green powder I add to water or smoothies.

If you “catch a cold” each year, you may want to start adapting a few of these habits into your lifestyle today.  The strength of your bio terrain/immune system IS the symptom of good health.

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

Want to read more?

http://www.health.harvard.edu/flu-resource-center/how-to-boost-your-immune-system.htm

http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/strengthen-immune-system-z10m0vau.aspx?PageId=2#ixzz2bWPDkJhn

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00521/three-breathing-exercises.html

http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/60/1/48.abstract

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2009-10-04-your-health_N.htm

http://www.heartmath.org/free-services/solutions-for-stress/solutions-immune-system.html

Is soda sapping your stamina?

08 Thursday Aug 2013

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May a RED BULL run me over and a MONSTER in my closet eat me while I sleep bottle_soda_Tbut DR PEPPER just can’t convince me that “energy for life” comes in a bottle or can.

Even though the total amount of soda pop sold in the U..S is equal to every American drinking 3 quarts per week, I’m holding out for a better way to endure a stress-filled day.

Almost every week a new soda/energy drink study warns of another health risk linked to soft drinks.  I know and see educated people still downing these things as if keeping their eyes open that day depended on just one more drink.

In fact, soda pop and alcoholic beverages have a lot in common.  Alcohol is often referred to as a hard drink where soda is called a soft drink. Additionally, many soda’s contain some alcohol.  In the US, soft drinks are allowed by law to contain up to 0.5% alcohol.  It’s no wonder that soda’s have been linked to kidney and liver damage, heart attacks, strokes, as well as elevated blood pressure.

sodaWhat could it be, in that can that causes such a stir among fans as well as foes of the “fizzy pop?”  

Is it the carbon dioxide (stuff we breath out) or the high fructose corn syrup (linked to obesity and high blood pressure) or the sugar substitutes (known neuro-toxins)  or it could be the caffeine (a stimulant) or phosphoric acid (bone de-mineralizer) or the other preservatives not required to list?

Regardless of exactly what it is IN a “cola” that causes the “internal medical alert button” in health advocates to go off, three facts are clear:

obesity1-225x3001. Between the years of 1977 to 2002, Americans doubled their consumption of soda, while the obesity rate during that same time doubled too.  Those who “just have to have their Coke” most always have their BMI fall in the overweight range (25-29.9) and in the obese range (over 30 with morbidly obese over 40). 

2. Those people who are healthiest (BMI, cholesterol, fitness levels, stress tests, etc.)  DO NOT drink soda on a regular basis.  It may be that people who have unhealthy lifestyles also tend to drink soda, but regardless if “unhealth” or soda came first doesn’t matter here – drinking soda regularly is not a habit of the healthy.

3.  Those who drink soda daily, drink less water daily.  Drinking adequate water and staying hydrated is one of the top habits of those who have the physical and mental stamina to resist illness, infection, disease, fatigue and stress.  

Family-Fun-on-BeachLife can be tough, but those who maintain their stamina can endure and still live healthy, happy and active for as long as they can.  

Remember, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

Alternatives to soda: Bionade, Oogave, Kombucha, Water with lemon/lime/orange, ice herb tea

soda-full

1.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently put out guidelines limiting the sale of sugary snacks and drinks in school, so it’s up to parents to monitor their children’s sugar consumption at home. http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/sugary-drinks-break-kids-8217-habit-183300199.html

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_drink

3. Read more: http://www.ehow.com/about_5403658_definition-stamina.html#ixzz2bNtrty4t

Surrounded by water and dying of dehyration?

08 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Dehydration

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water_dehydration300What is surrounded by water but is dying of dehydration? Is it someone stuck on an ocean raft or… is it most of us with headaches, fatigue and mental fog? DEHYDRATION is the most often missed diagnosis and relates to almost every symptom human’s suffer with.

With only a drop of 2% in total body water volume, you could experience any of the following symptoms: thirst, dry skin, constipation, muscle weakness, high or low blood pressure, hot flashes, extreme fatigue, headaches, dizziness, mental fogginess, swelling, dry mouth, impaired vision, decreased sweating, insomnia and depression.

In fact, dehydration can often cause symptoms that are mistaken for allergies, asthma, acid reflux, colitis, arthritis and constipation because histamine is released in overabundance when your cells are thirsty.

Sound like the symptoms from your life story?  Rather than re-hydrate you first, then observe headache pic(1) (1)what symptoms self-correct, many are given life sentences of hypothyroidism, heart problems, hormone imbalance, menopause and more. HYDRATION should always be the initial solution regardless of the name given a bunch of symptoms and here’s why: 

Dehydration affects the brain, heart, nerves, reproduction, muscles and emotions! The medical definition of dehydration is “loss of blood volume and loss of tissue water resulting in loss of total body water.”   This means that simply drinking more water can never be enough. 

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Four things are needed for hydration of the human body to occur.  If even one is missing -you’ll suffer. Additionally, an overworked and under-functioning digestive system has difficulty keeping your body hydrated.  Correcting your digestive system must be addressed soon after re-hydration occurs.  (look to future blog articles for how to do this)

880453_xl-1Step one: Track the water you drink for one week to make sure you’re getting the daily MINIMUM, which is equal to half your body weight in ounces.  More water must be added during hot summer months, when you exercise and when you’re under high levels of stress.  Less water is needed if one is confined to bed, a wheelchair or during winter months.

Eating food with high water content, like watermelon, cucumbers, celery and good quality milk, can aid in keeping hydrated.   You can’t count drinking coffee, black or green tea, soft drinks, juice or beer as your water content and in fact, these dehydrate you.

Step two: Eat rocks.  Minerals are simply rocks in a smaller form and are also called electrolytes.  Your cells have pumps that regulate what comes in or goes out and these are run by minerals.  Consuming minerals is faster than drinking plain water at re-hydrating you because they control where water will go.  If you have super tight, sore muscles, chances are great that you need more minerals every day.

Although not very common, drinking too much water will create a low relative amount of minerals and bad things happen when this occurs.

electrolytesJennifer Strange died in January 2007 by drinking 2 gallons of water in a day for a radio contest in California while trying to win a Wii for her children.  She reported having a real bad headache then died within a short time.  The coroner said her death was from water intoxication.  The electrolyte balance was so low in comparison to the water she drank, that she drown her inner body.  Her cells were flooded and most likely collapsed resulting in her death.

To make sure you have enough electrolytes, I recommend you put a cucumber, grape, lemon, lime or mint leaves in your water to boost the electrolyte content.  It perks the taste too!  (Gatorade is NOT a good source of electrolytes)  A mineral supplement could also be taken, or some sea salt added occasionally to the water you drink.

Also, many people drink reverse osmosis water or purified water which is clean, but devoid of electrolytes.  Spring water is a good water choice for good electrolyte content usually or you need to just get in the habit of adding minerals to your diet.

coconut-oilStep Three: Eat enough good fat daily. Your cell walls are made of lipids or fat molecules and need to be kept strong and secure to protect the inner parts- just like a balloon skin keeps its inner air from escaping. Let’s say you do get enough daily water and minerals, if your cell walls are weak and leak— you will get dehydrated.

Good fat sources are avocado’s, coconut oil, cod oil, eggs and cheese.  Eating several types a day is best.  I recommend 30% of your daily diet be good fat sources.

Step Four: Motion of the body is needed for hydration to occur.  Motion contributes to all chemical reactions within the human body and you can’t function normally without motion. Internal motion is called metabolism and is also a key factor in staying hydrated.  In addition to getting daily exercise, try increasing the number of steps you take a day to 12,000 to boost your activity level.  

Because your body is made up of  close to 80% water, hydration is required for all essential functions including absorbing nutrients, creating hormones, producing hydroelectric energy in the brain, blood composition, and aids in proteins and enzymes working right. 

Drinking enough daily water, eating rocks or minerals, eating enough good fats and moving each day will re-hydrate you and lessen many of your health symptoms.

When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!

 

1. Mange K, Matsuura D, Cizman B, et al. (November 1997). “Language guiding therapy: the case of dehydration versus volume depletion”. Ann. Intern. Med. 127 (9): 848–53. PMID 9382413.

2.  “Dehydration Affects Mood, Not Just Motor Skills / November 23, 2009 / News from the USDA Agricultural Research Service”. Ars.usda.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-09.

Savoring Life is your Best disease prevention

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

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Medicine causes health problems, even when it’s taken for potentially life threatening conditions like high blood pressure, according to JAMA Internal Medicine August 5, 2013 article.  Channel blockers, give to lower blood pressure, increase the risk of breast cancer!

relaxing-woman

I talk to so many people who don’t want to take medications, but “don’t know what else to do.” This article is devoted to that very dilemma.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised that the solutions are also fun, life expanding and good for your soul!

The first solution is that you MUST be convinced a little pill ISN’T the solution. This article will start you off on the right path.  Realize that your body’s natural response to stress is to raise blood pressure.  The ONLY solution is to lower stressful situations in your life or my famous words- “Choose your stress.”

My second solution is to INCREASE your BODY’S ABILITY to handle stress.  We do this by increasing our self-care of the body– sleep those 8 hours, take daily walks, smile, eat whole foods, breath deeply and often then do muscle moving things like push ups, sit ups or lifting weights.  A conditioned body handles stress better.

Relaxing in jacuzziThe third solution is to SAVOR LIFE.  Read that fiction book you’ve wanted to, look at inspiring pictures, watch movies that bring a tear to your eye, create that wreath or quilt or dish you’ve wanted to do, be in your garden, soak in the tub, paint a picture, watch old movies, get adjusted & aligned, get a massage, listen to wonderful music or go out to dinner with friends are just a few things for you to consider doing to savor life.

These things help you love your life and give you confidence that you do have a good life. They also fill us with hope and joy and love and give us the reserve needed to handle some of the unpleasant but necessary “stressors” of life.

woman_poolThe fourth solution is to go out in nature.  We are inside too much.  The air is better outside, the energy encompassed in living trees and leaves and grass give us energy and we tend to move our bodies more outside.  Its hard to sit outside in one place as long as we do inside while in front of computer, TV, phone, etc.

Nature is healing and beautiful.  Nature and man need each other.  A simple walk in the rain, sun or snow fills the body and soul with so much more “high blood pressure prevention” than any pill possible could.

1828598-a-young-female-face-under-the-sun-with-eyes-closedThe fifth solution is to pay attention to your soul.  The soul has many different names and cannot be seen so it is often overlooked in traditional “healthcare.” If it’s true that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, mind controls matter and that stress is not outward but is our interpretation of experiences then we CANNOT IGNORE this.

Loving others, serving others, reading inspiring books including the bible or other spiritual books, praying, meditating, deep reflective thinking, laughing, holding hands and hugging are a few of my favorites that improve the health of the soul.

These can expand your vision, deep your understanding and grow your joy.  These are good medicine.

Remember my friends, When Your Body Works, Your Life Works!