Archive for January 31, 2016

Home Remedies: Proven, Safe, and Effective; Get Over The Learning Curve.

 

mark and i on roadHappy Snowmaggon!

I get a lot of questions about using essential oils and herbs for both illness and prevention.  Well, I have both going on in my house right now:  Shelby’s ill, and I’m trying to prevent catching it.

(**Important: Real prevention comes from a strong immune system: no sugar, good sleep, managing stress, and eating Real Whole Food. “An ounce of prevention….”**)

I think it started as the flu and has morphed to bronchitis.  What am I doing?  A lot!  Here’s a pic showing some of the natural medicines I’m using on both her and the rest of us:supps on counter

And here’s a list of what’s in that photo from left to right:

Biotics ADP – which is oregano extract (anti-viral)

Tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil (these go in a pot of water – steam inhalation.)

Herbal Medicine’s Respiratonic, and Osha Cough Syrup ( definitely helping!  Bought this at Natural Market in Warrenton, Va.)

Ovvio Thief Plus ( I LOVE essential oils!!) This I put directly on the throat and use in a diffuser.

Biotics Vitamin D3

Garlic, which I mix with Manuka Honey (look at a ‘how to’ here)

Herba Tussin Tea, by Traditional Medicinals

Those front baggies:  from the left –

Ground Rose Hips – HUGE amount of vitamin C ( that’s for all of us, I put it in smoothies).

Chamomile flowers ( Natural Market by the ounce – CHEAP, POTENT and very relaxing. I o.d. her a little bit at night.  We all sleep better that way.)

Marshmallow root ( Natural Market, Cheap/Potent/ rebuilds lining of esophagus, great for a cough/sore throat.)

The 2 jars in the back are homemade Vinegar of Thieves and homemade Elderberry Syrup, easy recipes for both are here.

What you’re not seeing?  Regular cold meds.  They give me the creeps.  Do you know what’s in them?

Let’s look at Nyquil:

Active Ingredients (in each 30 mL) (Purpose)

Acetaminophen 650 mg (Pain reliever/fever reducer)

Dextromethorphan HBr 20 mg (Cough suppressant)

Doxylamine succinate 12.5 mg (Antihistamine)

Phenylephrine HCl 10 mg (Nasal decongestant)

Inactive Ingredients

alcohol, citric acid, D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Green No. 3, flavor, glycerin, propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium benzoate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sorbitol, sucralose

Why would we put these poisons in our kids?  When I look at the artificial colors, the propylene glycol, the saccharin, the sodium benzoate, I just see cancer and disease. Acetaminophen is the #1 cause of liver failure in the US! This crap can’t make anyone healthier – ever.

Moms, this is mostly up to us.

Our kids are predicted to die at an earlier age than we are.  This isn’t something our family doctor is preventing, as it’s happening under their watch.

This is OUR job.  We need to recognize and then reverse the conditioning we’ve received our whole lives to immediately turn to OTC meds for every sniffle, ear ache, and sore throat, because honestly, these substances aren’t making anyone healthier.  The long-term effects of the ingredients ruin livers, kidneys, hormones, stomachs, etc.

Look around.  The statistics show we’re all getting sicker, fatter, and more depressed by the minute.  This is a multifaceted phenomena, and we can safely say that the ingredients in OTC products are one of the facets.

We all need to step up to the Mom Plate, and start studying, because there’s a big learning curve to using herbs and essential oils. There is no Natural Home Remedies Lobby paying for advertisements via the TV, Radio, and Print Ads.  ( I’m convinced that most Americans get all their medical knowledge thru Big Pharma’s advertising business.)

Neither will our doctors be recommending Natural Remedies, as in med school, they’re only educated on synthetic drugs. Period.

I’m wrapping up here with a dose of guilt, which my kids say I’m good at:  aren’t your kids worth the learning effort?  Isn’t taking care of our kids supposed to be our biggest priority?

That said, there’s a lot to learn.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.   Get on the daily mailing list for GreenMedInfo and Dr. Mercola.  Their peer-reviewed information is free – and priceless.  I remember feeling overwhelmed when I first started this journey, but not anymore.  You’ll become confident and comfortable too if you pledge to learn a little bit every day.

Our health, and our children’s health, is in our hands.  Email me if you need help.

Tough Love: Ditch The Grains & Excuses Or You’ll Never Lose Weight.

It’s January, 2016.  How different is your body from January, 2015?  Better, worse, or….  the same?

If you’re better – GOOD FOR YOU!!! WOO HOO!   If you’re worse, or the same, make 2016 your year for improvement; actual, real, permanent improvement: weight loss, muscle gain, energy, less inflammation, better hair/skin/pooping.  You get the picture.

Ask yourself, what’s been holding you back? Why have previous efforts failed?

Here’s a few educated guesses:

1) You’re eating grains/wheat/gluten free grains. This just won’t work, especially as you age, or if you’re already fighting a weight or health issue.  Grains just have to go.

They’re poison; if you’re unconvinced, listen to cardiologist Dr. William Davis on the subject.  Or read this Post on how grains are killing you and your family. Fill your mind with the latest facts and science, not Big Food’s appealing advertising.

Here’s an idea: try a 7 day “100% grain-free” experiment on yourself.  Watch your stomach shrink and your energy sky-rocket.  7 days,… it’s a blip on the time line.  Keep feeding your family whatever your normally feed them and just focus on you for 7 days.

Grains lead to inflammation, weight gain/bloat, foggy thinking, bad sleep, bad skin, constipation, leaky gut, headaches, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, heart disease, etc etc.

What to eat instead of pasta,cereal, and bread:  clean meats, plenty of healthy fats (coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, grass fed butters, raw dairy), a TON OF VEGETABLES, some fruit, nuts/seeds/avocados, maybe some beans.  That depends on your blood sugar.

It’s not hard, but I have to admit, eating real whole food does involve time and energy. Eating real whole food means shopping, chopping, prepping, cooking, and packing.

And that brings me to my second guess as to why you haven’t lost weight or improved your health.

2)  You think cooking is either too hard or too time consuming.

You’re right!  Cooking does take a little learning and practice; maybe your mom never taught you, or you can’t figure out how to follow a cookbook.  Cooking’s definitely a lost skill in America.

Develop that skill! We’re humans, we learn things all the time.  Learn how to make cooking, and eating real whole food, a normal part of your life.  Pass that skill on to your kids. ( Or pass on the opposite skill: teach your kids how to live on convenient processed foods and watch them become fat, sick, and depressed.)

All it takes is a little coaching.  It’s just Real Whole Food;  it’s not rocket science.  Honest.  Get in touch with me and we can work together on this part.  I’ve done Power Cooking classes with dozens of clients now.  It’s empowering to learn how to make 4 or 5 full meals in a couple of hours.

One more reason you’re not healthier in 2016:

3) You can’t stick to your plan for more than a few days.  This is a biggie. Most plans involve starvation and excessive exercise, which make excuses to jump off the wagon easy. ( “I’m busy”, “I deserve this”, “I’ll start again on Monday.”)

Low calorie diets are DOOMED TO FAIL.  Statistically, almost 100% of everyone who goes on a “diet” gains their weight back.  50% gain back more than they lost.  

Stop the guaranteed cycle!  Compliance and change happen when your brain really, really cares about what you’re putting in your body.  You don’t sit down and devour a bag of Cheetos or a box of ice cream if you genuinely think they’ll cause cancer or stomach distress for a day or a terrible night’s sleep.

This is where coaching comes in again.  Step doing the same old thing and getting the same old results,..   Call me.

Start now, and when 2017 gets here, you can be a different person.  Health is everything!  The health of your kids and your family – it’s everything.

We create our health and our weight.  80% of all illness is designated as “life style disease”.  Our weight is the result of our food choices and habits.

Make health a priority in 2016.  We aren’t doomed to be fat, sick, sore, and tired just because we’re getting older or busy or both.  We are the result of how we take care of ourselves, so ditch the excuses along with the grains.

Back to my lead-in;  it’s January, 2016.  How are you different from January 2015?  What do you want to be in January 2017?  Take ahold of your power and your choices and your actions, and create the you God made you capable of being.