Asthma, Insulin and Digestive Health

Oxygen is our most vital nutrient. Therefore anything that interferes with our ability to breathe normally merits our attention. Most of us breathe shallowly, and use only a third of our lung capacity. Deeper breathing energizes the body. Most exercises aren’t designed to help us to breathe properly so we get out of breath. Oxygen deficiencies allow toxic substances to build up generating tension in the body. If you feel exhausted or stiff after exercising, something is unbalanced in your exercise program.

A fresh supply of oxygenated blood is vital to the functioning of every organ in the body. Therefore it’s important to spend time each day doing exercises that relax and oxygenate the entire body. Exercises that combine breath with movement can achieve this result. I like to do Pilates exercises.

Pesticides

Pesticide exposure is linked to asthma, eczema, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome and rhinitis. We are exposed to pesticides in our food, in our homes via pest control, as well as in the wider environment, especially if we live near agricultural areas. This is another reason to eat only organically grown foods.

Allergies

There are several reasons why a person becomes food allergic. Among these are lack of digestive enzymes, leaky gut, frequent exposure to foods containing irritant chemicals, immune deficiency, leading to hypersensitivity of the immune system, microorganism imbalance in the gut leading to leaky gut syndrome, and the balance of bacteria and yeast in the gut. These tests can be done at home (see Lab tests).

As well as identifying and avoiding foods that cause a reaction, in order to allow the gut and the immune system to calm down there is a lot you can do to reduce your allergic potential.

• Digestive enzyme complexes that help digest fat, protein, and carbohydrate (lipase, amylase, and protease) are well worth trying. Since stomach acid and protein-digesting enzymes rely on zinc and B6, it may be helpful to take 15 mg of zinc and 50mg of B6 with a meal twice a day with digestive enzymes.
• Leaky guts can heal. Cell membranes are made out of fat-like compounds. One such fatty acid—butyric acid—helps to heal the gut wall. The ideal daily dose is
• 1,200 mg a day. Vitamin A is also crucial for the health of any mucous membrane including the gut wall. Having five grams of glutamine powder in water before bed also helps to heal the gut.
• Beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus or bifidobacteria can also help calm down a reactive digestive tract and reduce allergic potential.
• Boosting your immune system also helps to reduce any hypersensitivity it may have.

More advice and supplements for asthma

Often attacks of asthma are brought on by underlying allergies, stressful events, or changes in environmental conditions like the weather. Vitamin A helps to protect the lining of the lungs, while vitamin C helps deal with environmental toxins. Antioxidant nutrients and essential fats are also anti-inflammatory.

Supplements

• 2 x multivitamin and mineral formula
• 2 x antioxidant complex
• 2 x vitamin C 1,000 mg
• 2 x essential omega-3 and omega-6 oil capsules
• Calcium/magnesium formula ratio 2:1, and up to 1,500 mg extra magnesium

You may order the above supplements from www.wellnessresouces.com. There are other companies that also provide high-quality supplements. This is where I purchase my vitamins. Please find the wellness resources link on this page, and follow to place an order. Thanks!

Please read more about this topic in the book The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet by Felicia Drury Kliment which is the one source for the above information.

Source: The New Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford

Also, see www.notmilk.com, www.reallyrawhoney.com, www.naturessunshine.com(ALJ, a respitory health supplement, and Histablock) www.vitanet.com, www.healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent, www.chiro.org (quercetin info.)Books: Digestive Enzymes a Woodland Health Series, www.mercola.com



Disclaimer: These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA and are not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any disease whether physical or mental. Please consult your licensed health care practitioner for medical advice and concerns.

Series: Optimal Hormone Balance--Estrogen Dominance

What Is Estrogen Dominance?

Women will experience hormonal changes throughout their lives. Many of us think of these changes as occurring at only two significant life stages- adolescence and menopause. Women in their mid- to late-30’s and 40’s will have a major shift in their hormonal life. Some women simply produce fewer and fewer sex hormones, (DHEA, progesterone, androstenedione, testosterone, and estrogen). However most will experience hormonal fluctuations, usually marked by normal to excess estrogen and decreased progesterone. This is known as estrogen dominance and often marks premenopause.

It’s important not to dismiss estrogen dominance as a trivial hormonal imbalance. It can lead to serious and life threatening health problems if left unaddressed. Some of the complications may involve: fibroid tumors, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, heavy menstrual bleeding, benign breast disease, hyperplasia and uterine cancer.

Are You Estrogen Dominant?

The following is a checklist to help you determine if you are estrogen dominant. If you anwered yes to four or more of these questions, you are very likely in estrogen dominance.

 Are you over age 35?
 Do you suffer from PMS?
 Do you have heavy, irregular periods?
 Do you suffer from anxiety, irritability, and mood swings?
 Have you gained more than 10 pounds?
 Do you have noticeable cellulite?
 Do you have puffiness around your eyes and face?
 Do you have a decreased interest in sex?
 Are you experiencing sleep difficulties?
 Are you retaining fluids?
 Are you having headaches?
 Do you have bouts of brain fog—forgetting your car keys, your friend’s first name, or the point of a text you recently studied?
 Have you recently discovered cysts in your breasts?
 Have you been told you have fibroid tumors?
 Do you have symptoms of endometriosis?
 Have you been diagnosed with hyperplasia or endometrial cancer?
 Have you been diagnosed with ovarian cysts?

If you answered yes to many of these questions, you may like to get your hormone levels tested.

Tip of the Day:

Saliva Hormone Tests

Like blood, saliva closely mirrors hormone levels in your body’s tissues. However, saliva is the preferred test for determining free hormone vs. bound in the body. This is important since only free hormones are active, which means that they affect the hormone sensitive tissues in the body.

Saliva testing is easy, stress-free and non-invasive. If you think saliva testing is right for you consider consulting your physician. Having your doctor order the test has two advantages: The profile is more extensive and your insurance may cover the cost. If your doctor doesn’t have a preference for labs, you may like to us Geneva Diagnostics, (www.gdx.net or 800-522-4762 as well as ZRT Laboratory (www.zrtlab.com or 866-600-1636). If your doctor is unable to order a test for you, you could take a home saliva test from Aeron Laboratories (www.aeron.com or 800-631-7900).

Source:
Dr. Susan Larks's Hormone Revolution by Susan M. Lark M.D.

Disclaimer:
The opinions given here have not been approved by the FDA or the author of the aforementioned book. This information is not intended as medical advice nor to treat, diagnose or cure any disease and is for entertainment purposes only. If you have any health concerns, please consult a licensed health care professional. Please consult your doctor before beginning a supplement program.

Series: Optimal Hormone Balance—Foods to Promote Estrogen Balance

Keep Your Liver Healthy

Your liver detoxifies harmful substances. Much of what goes into the body must be broken down and changed from harmful substances to harmless ones. The liver is able to recognize millions of such chemicals, transform them or prepare them for elimination.

How the Body Detoxifies

The body processes toxins in the liver using different chemical pathways. Some of these pathways are the glutathione conjugation, sulfation, glucuronidation, and glycine conjugation pathways. These avenues of detoxification convert caffeine, asprin, into harmless substances. These different pathways rely on different nutrients to work properly. While many substances processed by the liver come from outside the body, others come from within. An example of this is estrogen.

Estrogen and the Liver

Estrogens can be toxic in their free form in the body. Therefore they must be converted into non-toxic weaker estrogens or other substances. The sulfation and glucuronidation pathways are involved in breaking down estrogen. What can help or deter this process from working optimally? The breakdown of estrogen is helped by certain nutrients found in simple foods. Estrogen metabolism is weakened by substances such as alcohol or caffeine that hinder the liver’s ability to work properly.

DIM and Estrogen Metabolism

Diindolymethane or DIM is a plant-compound found in Brassica veggies such as broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels Sprouts. Researchers have found that this compound is very beneficial in promoting estrogen metabolism. While DIM is not an estrogen mimic, its pathway exactly coincides with the metabolic pathway of estrogen. When these pathways intersect, DIM favorably adjusts the estrogen metabolic pathways by increasing good estrogen metabolites and decreasing bad ones. The idea is to have your estrogen go through the healthy pathway instead of the unhealthy one. DIM is available as a supplement or you can consume more of the foods above to ensure proper estrogen detoxification.

Tip of the Day:

Eat more cruciferous vegetables.

• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Caulifower
• Cress
• Horseradish
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mustard
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Strawberries
• Raspeberries

Try to eat a variety of these vegetables on a regular basis in your diet. Foods containing indoles also have anti-cancer benefits.

Source:
The New Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford
Dr. Susan Lark's Hormone Revolution by Susan M. Lark M.D.

Disclaimer:
The opinions given here have not been endorsed by the FDA or the author of the aforementioned book. This information is not intended as medical advice and is for entertainment purposes only. If you have any health concerns, please consult a licensed health care professional. Please consult your doctor before beginning a supplement program.

Series: Optimal Hormone Balance

Many women suffer from PMS and hormone related health issues throughout their lives. Unfortunately, we don’t always clearly understand hormones and how they work. This lack of knowledge has led some women to seek unnatural remedies to common imbalances. For example, you may know of someone who has taken birth control pills for alleviating menstrual cramps. Aren’t birth control pills for preventing pregnancy? And how do birth control pills prevent pregnancy? Chances are we haven’t investigated this thoroughly up until now. Birth control pills mimic progesterone in the body but they are often made with progestin. Progestin isn’t a natural hormone. In fact, if you want, just look at the back of a birth control pill advertisement in a magazine and you’ll be surprised at all of the potential side effects they pose. I personally haven’t taken the pill for about 11 years now and my health has improved. I stopped taking the pill when my Candida symptoms became out of control. I feel that my eyesight changed from perfect to blurry after having taken the pill for about 6 months. (Of course, I don’t advise anyone to discontinue medications without a doctor’s consent).

My interest was sparked in this topic was when I read a newsletter based on the book Dr. Susan Lark’s Hormone Revolution. Dr. Lark has extensively studied hormone health and as a medical doctor she highlights natural solutions to hormone woes. I highly recommend her book to anyone who feels their health concerns are related to an underlying hormonal imbalance. I will be using information from her book as well as from other sources to present this series on hormone balance. I’ll be sharing advice for all ages of women along with helpful natural supplements. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at consultations4health@gmail.com.

Natural Remedies for PMS/Menstrual Cramps

EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids) are beneficial for reducing menstrual cramps. EFAs are effective for a wide range of estrogen-dominant related conditions, but they are most commonly praised for their effectiveness in easing cramps. A study from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology looked at 42 girls between the ages of 15 and 18 years, all of whom had experienced significant menstrual pain during their periods. The girls who took 1,080 mg of EPA and 720 mg of DHA every day for two months enjoyed a significant decrease in pain due to menstrual cramps. No change was reported in the placebo group. Additionally, the amount of pain killers taken by the girls during their periods decreased by more than 50 percent during the time they were taking fish oil supplements as compared to the placebo group.

Flax for Stimulating Ovulation

The two best sources of EFAs are flaxseed and fish oil. In the case of flaxseed both the oil and the ground seeds are rich in EFAs. Plus, flax has been proven to support progesterone production. A research study was done by the University of Minnesota on 18 women with normal menstrual cycles. The women took 10 grams of ground flaxseed per day in addition to their normal diet. The women who ate flaxseed had more cycles where ovulation occurred, (necessary for hormone balance), than those who didn’t consume flax. Ground flaxseed was also found to improve the estrogen-to-progesterone ratio, favoring the levels of progesterone in the body. The researchers noted that the flax was converted into prostaglandins, which are necessary for ovulation to occur.

Today’s tip:

If you can tolerate ground flaxseeds or cold-pressed flax oil, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of oil per day or 4-6 tablespoons of ground flaxseed per day.

Flax Facts

1. The lignans in flax are weak phytoestrogens that help modulate estrogen production.
2. The fiber assists the intestines in the excretion of excess estrogen, once it has been inactivated by the liver.
3. The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are converted into series 1 and 3 prostaglandins to help with progesterone production.

If you can’t handle flax, you can get your EFAs through fish oil. If fish is oil is your preference, I suggest taking 3-6 capsules that contain at least 300 mg DHA and 200 mg EPA every day.

If you’d like to give flax a try, it goes well in yogurt, smoothies and in cereal. I prefer it in yogurt.

Sources:
Dr. Susan Lark’s Hormone Revolution by Susan M. Lark MD with Kimberly Day

Disclaimer:
The opinions given here have not been endorsed by the FDA or the author of the aforementioned book. This information is not intended as medical advice and is for entertainment purposes only. If you have any health concerns, please consult a licensed health care professional. Please consult your doctor before beginning a supplement program.

Raw Food Kitchen Basics

Rejuvelac/Sprouted Beverages

One basic of the raw food kitchen is rejuvelac, a fermented wheat beverage that raw foodists believe imparts great health benefits. It has a tart, lemony flavor; and because it’s fermented, it’s slightly carbonated, too.

If you want to get more vitamins naturally, you may want to learn how to make sprouts at home and enzyme rich drinks such as this one. I make rejuvelac for the naturally occurring acidophilus to help improve digestion. Another way to get probiotics is to make kefir. You could probably get kefir grains from your local health food store. Sprouts and sprouted beverages are very easy to make. You just need the right tools which are usually simple containers. This beverage takes about four days to make. Two days are needed for rinsing and sprouting and two days for fermenting.
Here’s what you’ll need for rejuvelac:

1. A one gallon jar with a wide mouth such as a large mason jar used for canning
2. Spring wheat berries or rye
3. Filtered water
4. Cheesecloth
5. Large rubber bands

Fill the jar about one-quarter full with the wheat berries, and then fill the jar with filtered water. Cover the jar with the cheesecloth securing it around the top of the jar with one or two thick rubber bands. Let the berries soak overnight or at least eight hours. Drain the berries, rinse them and then drain them again. (Now you have an idea of how to make sprouts too)

Place the jar upside down at an angle so that water can drain and air can circulate. The wheat berries should have a slight fermented smell but not moldy or too sour if they are being properly drained.

Rinse the wheat berries twice a day. After about two days, they will begin to sprout. When that happens, rinse and drain the berries once more, thoroughly. Fill the jar once more to the top with water and the sprouts soak for 48 hours or about two days. During that time, the liquid will ferment and become rejuvelac. Transfer the rejuvelac to a jar or juice pitcher and refrigerate.

Although this drink is healthy for digestion and the problems associated with wheat sensitivity are greatly reduced by sprouting, (think, sprouted breads and tortillas), it’s not recommended for anyone with severe wheat allergies or celiac. Maybe you could make a similar drink with a gluten-free grain such as quinoa if you’d to try it out.

Growing Wheatgrass

If you'd like to know how to make wheat grass, here's one of my favorite sites: www.sproutpeople.com. Here you'll find all sorts of organic sprouting seeds. There are wheat grass juicers, and other varieties at samsonjuicers.com. I can order products from this site and have them shipped to you for free depending on where you live. Thanks!

Reference: The Complete Book of Raw Food by Lori Baird

Disclaimer: These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA and are not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any disease whether physical or mental. Please consult your licensed health care practitioner for medical advice and concerns.

Self-Healing and Detoxification- A Whole-Person Approach

When my doctor told me I had Candida Albicans, I knew there wasn’t going to be a quick solution to this problem. Although, I took the prescription, in time, my symptoms worsened and I felt that I was completely on my own to resolve this issue. You see, I’ve had yeast-related issues almost my whole life! I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in my teen years based on symptoms of chronic fatigue and pain. Yeast over-growth was never guessed as the cause of my fatigue. That amounts to a many years of living with an ongoing fungal infection and not knowing why. Imagine the havoc wreaked on my immune system as I struggled to understand why I was so exhausted and had many infections. Trying to figure out why I was sick and what to do about was a HUGE challenge. On the way to improving my health, I discovered that getting better required more than following a list of “do’s” and “don’ts”. So I read and read until I could finally put into practice some of the wonderful things I had learned. What I learned is that developing certain personal qualities is vital if you want to succeed in improving your health. The following information is to motivate those who think they could feel better, lose weight or reach their goals through education and personal efforts.

Taking Care of Basics

Some mystery symptoms are improved when the ‘basics’ are addressed. What are the basics that all of us have a measure of control over in our lives? We are responsible for the quality and quantity our food and water intake. We can’t avoid stress but will we learn how to manage it? We can view sleep as necessary for health or unnecessary. Are we sedentary or active?

How we think about the ‘basics’ is very important and will have a cause and effect on our total health and well-being. Why? Because, if we feel that we are responsible for ourselves, we will take the initiative to take care of ourselves. If not, we may find that our health deteriorates and we are at the mercy of our families, meds, and doctors to take care of us. (Of course, sometimes we don’t have any control over our health, and if we need help, we shouldn’t feel bad about accepting it).
Our attitude can work against us or help us as we try to accomplish our goals for optimal health. Here are a few tips:

1. Be Positive

Even if you are very sick, you can cultivate an optimistic outlook. If you are gloomy and negative, it will only make everything seem worse and you won’t be motivated to do anything. After all “it won’t do any good”. So try to fight this tendency by starting each day telling yourself that you will stop yourself from saying or thinking anything that reflects a pessimistic outlook. If you’ve been inclined toward negativity for years, it will take a while to rid yourself of this habit but it’s worth the effort.

2. Be Diligent

Many people hold back from getting healthier because they are overwhelmed by the amount of work it will take to get better. It’s important not to have a don’t-care attitude when it comes to our health. Taking care of ourselves shouldn’t be relegated to others. As long as we are able to, we should put forth great effort to keep ourselves well in a balanced way.

3. Create the Right Environment

If you don’t want to eat sugary foods, don’t buy them! If you don’t want to drink coffee, don’t go to coffee shops. If you want to avoid alcohol, get it out of your cupboards, and out of your house. Go to whatever lengths necessary to create an environment for success. Don’t underestimate how strongly addicted you can be to caffeine, sugar and alcohol. No excuses!!!

4. Be Honest

When my yeast symptoms were out of control, I had to ask: Am I contributing in some way to making my symptoms worse? Realizing that the yeast problem (along with the emotional and mental effects) would continue as long as I was consuming sugar, I had to be honest and admit that if I continued taking in sugar, my yeast issues would not go away. I couldn’t rely on someone else’s opinion to help me; neither could I imagine that taking supplements while continuing my bad habits would accomplish anything good on a long-term basis. To this day, my symptoms are guaranteed to return if I go back to my old eating habits. Being dishonest will cause you to attribute your symptoms to secondary or unrelated causes so that you can feel free to continue the damaging behavior.

Keeping a food/drink journal is a good first step in taking an honest look at what you’re consuming on a daily basis. You may find that the one candy bar a week is actually 4! Or the one or two drinks you have occasionally are more than that.

5. Be Resourceful

What resources are available to you? There are books, the internet, your ability to reason, and the experiences of others who may have faced something similar with their health. Ask questions and you’ll find answers. Get professional help if you find it too difficult to do it on your own.

6. Be Willing to Fail

Once you’ve resolved to take steps to improve your health, you may fail to reach your goals in the beginning. When this happens, try again and keep trying until your new habits are established. It takes time to get used to doing things differently. If my routine is disrupted it’s more difficult to eat the right foods, and at times I feel like a failure, but I keep trying. At least once you’ve proven to yourself that when you took care of yourself in the past and you felt better, you’ll be motivated to get back to good habits.

7. Don’t Give Up

Even when things seem hopeless, it’s good to keep an open mind. Be open to the possibility that you haven’t considered everything yet. That’s why there are “second opinions”. If second opinions haven’t helped, try a different approach. Maybe you could visit a naturopathic doctor who can provide comprehensive lab tests to compliment conventional tests. If you have any questions about available tests, please notice the book, 7-Day Detox Miracle by Peter Bennett, N.D., and Stephen Barrie, N.D. with Sara Faye, under “Sources” below.

The Purpose of Detoxification

In addition to some of the tips above, it’s practical to consider detoxification as a means to get healthier. It works with your body’s natural detoxification processes to improve all functions of the body.

The primary aim of a detoxification program is to clean the blood. Changing and optimizing the diet and stimulating circulation encourage the organs of the immune system to filter the blood. In order for our bodies to function optimally, our cells must be healthy. When our blood is clean and filtering properly, our cellular health is improved. In order to have a healthy body, our cells must be strong and protected as much as possible.

We’ll focus more on detoxification in future articles along with supplements for improving cellular health. If you enjoyed this blog, please pass it on to your friends and relatives. Thank you.

If you have any questions, please email me at consultations4health@gmail.com. My website is: consultations4health.com.

Sources:
7-Day Detox Miracle – Revitalize Your Mind and Body with This Safe and Effective Life-Enhancing Program by Peter Bennett, N.D, and Stephen Barrie, N.D., with Sara Faye; available at amazon.com

Disclaimer:
These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA and are not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any disease whether physical or mental. This information is for entertainment purposes only. Please do not attempt to self-diagnose or treat an illness. Please see your doctor for all medical concerns.

Calming Inflammation

A friend asked me recently if there’s something that can be done for stomach and intestinal inflammation. Of course, whether something can help depends on the reason for the problem. If it’s nothing too serious, there are a few natural remedies to try. These are a couple that not everyone knows about…. Yet
The following information is taken from about.com under alternative medicine. I’ve used this remedy for my stomach from time to time.

What is Castor Oil?

Castor oil has a long history of traditional medical use dating back to ancient Egypt. Castor oil is derived from the castor bean (Ricinus communis. Although it was once taken orally as a laxative, it's now known to be toxic and is used only externally over unbroken skin. It should only be used after consulting a health care professional.

What is a Castor Oil Pack?

A castor oil pack involves the use of cloth soaked in castor oil which is placed on the skin. It's used by some alternative practitioners to enhance circulation and to promote the healing of the tissues and organs underneath the skin. Alternative practitioners also use it to improve liver function, relieve pain, reduce inflammation and to improve digestion.

How is a Castor Oil Pack Made?

Castor oil packs are made by soaking a piece of flannel in castor oil and placing it on the skin. The flannel is covered with a sheet of plastic, and then a hot water bottle is placed over the plastic to heat the pack.
A castor oil pack can be placed on the following body regions:
• The right side of the abdomen. Castor oil packs are sometimes recommended by alternative practitioners as part of a liver detox program.

• Inflamed and swollen joints, bursitis, and muscle strains.

• The abdomen to relieve constipation and other digestive disorders.

• The lower abdomen in cases of menstrual irregularities and uterine and ovarian cysts.

Safety

Castor oil should not be taken internally. It should not be applied to broken skin. It should not be used during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or during menstruation.

Far Infrared Heating Pads

I first learned of infrared technology from a book about acid-alkaline balance and acidic wastes by Felicia Drury Clement. This is a safe form of electromagnetic energy that is free of radiation. Far infrared technology uses waves of natural infrared light for health and pain relief. Alternative practitioners have recommended this technology for help with breaking down acidic wastes in the body. An infrared heating pad could provide inflammation relief. The following information is taken from nikken.com. I’ve seen a brand called Therasage on amazon.com for heating pads.
Nikken Far-Infrared Technology is based on the ability of certain specialized materials to absorb energy and then release it in a selective manner.
All matter is capable to some degree of absorbing energy, including energy in those wavelengths where it is expressed in the form of heat. All matter will also reach a point of saturation and release the excess into the surrounding environment.
The ceramic fibers used in Far-Infrared Technology are exceptional in that energy is released only as far-infrared waves, that is, only within the far-infrared portion of the energy spectrum. Even though it is capable of accepting energy at almost every wavelength, the fibers translate the reflected product into output in the far-infrared range.

For more information please contact me: consultations4health@gmail.com

Disclaimer: This information has not been approved by the FDA and is for educational purposes only. Please consult your doctor for any medical concerns.