These are the days. The days many of us have been patiently waiting for through winter. The days when we can get outside and enjoy beautiful weather. It’s when children come outside to play. When people get out to walk their dogs more and go to parks. It just feels so good. So good to get out of our stuffy houses or even just open the windows to let in fresh air. For me, time spent outdoors lightens my soul and gives me an energized youthfulness inside.
And it’s no wonder! There’s scientific research to back it up. Being outdoors reduces stress and blood pressure. It increases endorphin levels and dopamine production leading to an increased mood. Vitamin D is provided by the sun, which also increases our moods. There’s just this amazing happiness provided by the outdoors that can’t be found anywhere else. It makes me feel like this little girl.
But pollen is high this time of year. Sadly, many of us simply watch from indoors with windows closed or buy expensive medications that only last a few weeks, at most. Do you dread even going outside because of your allergies? I feel for you. I really do. Staying indoors would ransack my drive and steal my joy. I don’t know about you, but I count on this time of year to pick me back up after the long dreary winter. It’s not like we all haven’t had to do enough of that in the last year. Am I right?!
So, a friend of mine who struggles with allergies asked me, “Mary, what kind of things would you use if you were struggling with allergies right now?” Right away my mind went back to the basics. Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint. They have such an amazing synergistic effect. Together, they smell just amazing. Not only do they provide allergy defense but they also have additional benefits you can read about further down. So hang tight.
Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint are all 3 natural antihistamines! Combining the three together is like an allergy fighting super power and they complement each other well. Not only can they help get rid of those pesky allergies but they can also leave you feeling refreshed, calm and uplifted. What allergy medication can do that?
If you would prefer to listen to Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint content here is a handy video:
Video with Dr Fuller – Enzyme Specialist
In the video 7 people were invited to learn more about heath… but were told nothing in advance.
See the Oat meal enzyme experiment & the live blood cell microscope experiment above.
Crepitus is actually the description of a sound. For instance, when we breathe, one of the sounds that we hear in the lung sometimes is called crepitus. It’s a very broad diagnosis and can encompass a variety of issues.
So all crepitus really is is a sound. Often you will find crepitus in joints, and is very common in knees. People can sometimes have crepitus of the neck and sometimes in their ankles. Essentially it’s a crackling of the joint.
You can even have crepitus in your neck, but one of the types of crepitus is a tiny gas bubble that forms and collapses within the joint. This type of popping does not typically cause pain.
What can happen, is the tendons and ligaments repeatedly snap over the joints, body structure, etc. This snapping can sometimes cause pain.
Sometimes if you have continuing use of that joint, you might have a degeneration of the cartilage over the ends of those joints. But what happens is the synovial fluid that makes it soft between the joints that will get worn down? This can happen if you have old injuries, poor alignment, or wear caused by repetitive motion of the joint. Crepitus of the hips, neck, and shoulders can be typical.
So what are some of the causes of crepitus? Rigorous exercise, sudden increase in exercise, repetitive movement in a joint can all lead to conditions related to Crepitus.
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Some of us wake up drained
Some of us wake up re-charged.
Dopamine – Functions include: Pleasure, Fine Motor Skills and Preservation of our body.
Oxytocin – Known as the maternal hormone, but also arises when we have physical contact with another human.
Serotonin – A mood regulator related to happiness. Lowered levels are noted in people with depression.
Endorphins – Reduces pain, boosts pleasure and overall gives us a feeling of wellbeing.
Cortisol – This chemical controls your fight or flight and can leave you feeling fearful and drained if not managed. It also manages blood sugar, metabolism & inflammation.
We need to learn how to trigger these different hormones because they charge up our batteries to enhance our creativity and critical thinking.
Being able to do this sets us up to develop skills.
Sometimes we try to force skills training when we are really starved to meet Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
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Have you ever struggled with bleeding or bruising easily? Hemorrhage or even simply really heavy periods? How about menopause issues? How about Cysts, Ovarian Cysts or Endometriosis?
Some of my very close friends and I have suffered with these issues. It is really important for me to share what I came across. In fact, I don’t understand for the life of me why it is not being shared more publicly!
As uncomfortable as it is for me to talk about, I’ll tell you that I had some major bleeding issues while going through Menopause. I didn’t want to have to talk about it or even deal with it but it was affecting my productivity in a major way in my life. As a Mom, as a wife, at my work, at managing my home, it felt like it was all caving in on me.
From my medical background, I had heard of Vitamin K but had dismissed the idea of using it because it causes blood clotting so quickly that the conclusion was it was dangerous to take as a supplement. I decided I wanted to try just a little of it to see if it would help me.
Talk about opening a can of worms. I found out there is a huge difference between vitamin K1 & Vitamin K2 – Vitamin K1 is just what I had know about. It helps the blood to clot and has very little other function in the body.
Vitamin K2, on the other hand, has so many benefits that you must to hear about! It is good for young women, older women & even men 🙂
It supports the heart, the brain, and has a major role in calcium absorption in our body.
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The Answer is a Resounding YES!
Cancer is where a group of abnormal cells grow and hijack the body’s normal balanced system of angiogenesis. The tumor needs nutrients and oxygen to grow and spread and does this by sending chemical signals that stimulate angiogenesis in the area, in turn allowing blood, oxygen and nutrients to be sent to the tumor and continue growing.
There are articles and evidence that show good research that we may be able to…
Dr. Li presents a new way to think about treating cancer and other diseases: anti-angiogenesis, preventing the growth of blood vessels that feed a tumor.
The crucial first (and best) step: Eating cancer-fighting foods that cut off the supply lines and beat cancer at its own game.
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I have often heard people talk about a pain that is in the back of their thigh and runs down the back of the leg. This can sometimes be Sciatic nerve pain.
Sciatica is a term used to describe radiating pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve, running from your lower spine through the buttock and down the back of the leg. It flares when the sciatic nerve is irritated or pinched by any of a range of problems in your lower back.
To help with relief from Sciatic Nerve Pain – Dr. Steve has a really simple stretch that may just help you in your day.
This Stretch is called the Pirformis Stretch for low back pain and Sciatica.
The tightness in these muscles often happens from extended sitting or even bouncing on a tractor seat or a bumpy ride in a big truck.
Don’t let fear immobilize you. However, this does not mean you should try to stomp it out entirely. Fear exists for a reason, we just need to learn how to “manage” it.
I found this concept fascinating recently when listening to a podcast of Elizabeth Gilbert interviewing Marie Forleo. Both of these women are fascinatingly creative ladies – I could sit and listen to them all day. Anyways, Elizabeth Gilbert was explaining a concept she talks about in her book:Big Magic- Creative Living Beyond Fear
I found this very interesting and I wanted to share the basics of what I understood from the conversation with you.
So many times in my own life I have let fear hold me back in my health journey.
If I have a busy day for example: I might be afraid I have to eat breakfast because what if there is not any food around at lunchtime (We live in America – like that is going to happen right ?!) 😀. Another “dumb” fear I let creep in on my health journey – I better change my plan to start eating better today and put it off until tomorrow – because today we are going to go out to eat and I don’t want to fail the 1st day. Or how about this one – do you ever do this? I better not get up and exercise early today because then I’ll be too tired this evening and I have a big day ahead of me… I’m sure these things never happen to you though… 😄
😨 Wow! Really?! This podcast really spoke to me on so many levels so let me see if I can explain what I got out of this one piece of her book:
By: Dr Jerry Petermann, 2016
Curious title? Yes, but illustrative for our discussion.
Often an analogy serves best to make a point. We will explore three.
The Barrel
In the world of pickles and whisky, a wooden barrel is the ideal storage vessel. Some people even advertise how their liquor or beer is aged in oak barrels. Laudable, as they even claim to make their barrels for that very purpose.
Now, in the construction of a well-made wooden barrel, the pieces known as staves, must be crafted with perfection to make a liquid tight construction. Even these “perfect” staves must be held in place by some external force; metal bands, to maintain integrity. Should some other external force be placed on the barrel, in most cases these bands will resist catastrophic failure. However, should an external force be applied to a single stave, the entire barrel might collapse, as together all are strong but individually, they are not.
The human body’s complex systems are rather like a barrel of wooden staves held together with “bands” of proper diet, exercise, mental well-being, hydration, supplementation and rest.
Now, comes our modern times with every fad diet, exercise program, supplementation plan and MLM products, hydration by Power Drinks or Vitamin Brews and mental health gurus of every type selling you on meditation, yoga or hiking in the Himalayas to be in contact the Ancient Masters.
Here’s the problem: our “staves” are pushed individually very hard by many of these products, plans and concepts. There is never a balance. And, like the wooden barrel, too much pressure on a single stave, our barrel can collapse!
Example: too much of one particular supplement “for your liver” can disrupt your uptake of calcium, another might be for a “blood cleansing” which is quietly wreaking havoc on your mental cognition and neuron function. Pushed too hard with one particular supplement, the body may malfunction (begin to collapse the barrel”) and you could end up in the hospital or even dead. About 20 years ago, an MLM was promoting a “Natural Weight Loss Program” by boosting a person’s metabolism. Great idea, except the company was using an old Chinese medicinal herb with natural ephedrine. Several people died…their “Metabolism Stave” collapsed completely. Too much of one thing without balance can be deadly.
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Ingredients:
Method:
Place bones in the pot and cover with water. Add apple cider vinegar. Pre-soak bones for one hour minimum.
After the pre-soak add the remaining ingredients.
Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 8-12 hours, longer if you have the time to do so. It will give you a richer flavor.
Once time is up turn off the heat and allow the broth to rest in the pot to cool.
Remove bones with tongs and leave any meaty residue in the pot.
Now you have 2 options – strain everything and have a clear broth or have a bone/veggie soup type broth.
You can also make broth in the slow cooker – use the low heat setting.
At bit about bone Broth:
Bone Broth is very healing to the stomach – when you heal the body from the inside out you may notice few problems with all things related to inflammation. Bone Broth also supplies a healthy dose of collogen which is very healing to tendons and joints. This is also a hardy low carb option as part of a weight loss program. Weight loss is often easier when you heal your tummy from the inside out.
Make quick work of this with an Instant Pot
On those days when stopping to cook is a problem this Bone Broth Protein Powder is a good choice: