Flu Fighting Tips

Flu Fighting Tips

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Real Health Care Reform

Real Health Care Reform

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Another Shocking Warning About Swine Flu Vaccine

Another Shocking Warning About Swine Flu Vaccine

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Does snacking lead to weight gain?

Does snacking lead to weight gain?

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Adrenal Fatigue

Ever find yourself racing around the house, late for an appointment, wondering where you put your car keys? Ever get to the bottom of a page and wonder what it was you just read? Most likely you are not a victim of TBF (temporary-brain-freeze) but rather a sufferer of adrenal fatigue.

Constant stress, especially when combined with poor nutrition, can deplete the adrenal glands, resulting in adrenal fatigue. Financial pressures, busy schedules and relationship problems all take their toll on the adrenals. Caffeine and sugar also tend to deplete the adrenal glands by over-stimulating them. Not surprisingly, adrenal weakness is very common in modern society.The adrenals are part of the endocrine or glandular system. These glands sit on top of the kidneys and produce of variety of hormones that regulate energy production, fluid balance, immune functions, and other important processes.

The adrenals also help the body deal with stressful situations by adjusting one's internal biology in response to external pressures. They create what is called the fight-or-flight response. Adrenal hormones provide the energy we need to meet life's challenges. They also reduce inflammation and regulate fluid balance.

Severely depleted adrenals cause a person to feel tired, tense, and exhausted, creating a "burned out" sensation. Specific symptoms of adrenal exhaustion include severe fatigue, difficulty relaxing or feeling peaceful, disturbing dreams and restless sleep patterns, nervousness, anxiety, heart palpitations, and a sensation of pressure in the chest that is often interpreted as a cardiac problem. Other symptoms include dryness, blood sugar imbalances, inflammation, difficulty breathing, tension headaches, and excessive allergic reactions.

Adrenal glands are extremely important to your immune function and they also help the thyroid to function properly. If you suspect you might have tired adrenals, contact me today and we can come up with a plan for you!

Cleansing 101

Cleansing removes toxins from the body, while helping you feel and look great. If you're cleansing for the first time, I would recommend that you start by eliminating processed and refined food and caffeine. This means you should cut out junk food, coffee, tea, soda, breads and anything that comes pre-packaged. Also, begin to cut out meat and dairy.

After you successfully cut out processed and refined foods, meat and dairy products for a couple of days, begin reducing the amounts of grains you consume and try to eat mostly raw or steamed vegetables, homemade broth or vegetable soups, and salads. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. Fruit is okay for those without candida.

Essential elements of cleansing:

Next to water, fiber is the most important element needed to cleanse the body. Fiber is both a sponge we need to soak up toxins and a scrub to free the colon of debris.

Unless your diet is 60% raw foods, you need to supplement your diet with extra enzymes. They help the body break down food efficiently, which results in less intestinal irritation and better absorption of nutrients.

Basic “Do-It-Yourself” Cleanse
2 capsules of a general cleaning formula (All Cell Detox, Enviro-Detox or Bowel Detox) three times daily
2 capsules of digestive enzymes with each meal.
At breakfast time one tablespoon of a fiber blend (Nature’s Three, LOCLO, or Everybody’s Fiber) in large glass of water or juice.
Drink ½ ounce of purified water per pound of body weight each day.


Ivy’s Recipe
2 tbsp of Aloe Vera Juice
2 tbsp of Liquid Chlorophyll
1 heaping tsp of Psyllium Hulls Combination

Blend ingredients in glass of apple juice and drink first thing in the morning.

Fasting is abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting. I would not recommend a complete fast or water cleanse if you've never abstained before. You should work with your holistic health counselor or ND before you begin any cleanse or fast to see what program is best for you.

Natural Approaches to Treating Seasonal Allergies

If you suffer from seasonal allergies or can't understand why just when winter ends you get sick, you are definitely not alone. Symptoms typically occur from early spring through late November and can be confused with the common cold. Unfortunately, allergies are also misunderstood and inadequately treated by traditional medicine.

Allergy is the response of your immune system's reaction to pollens, grass, toxins and even certain foods and cosmetics. When our body comes in contact with any of the above, it fights back by producing an excess of inflammatory chemicals, such as histamine. This is when the familiar symptoms of runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing begin.

OTCs with antihistamine only block the action of histamine at receptor sites. Basically, they suppress the physical symptoms but do nothing to treat the underlying cause. Antihistamines also have a tendency to produce undesirable side effects, such as "spaciness", drowsiness, severe dry mouth and even depression. Sometimes steriod nasal inhalants are prescribed and even though they may be fast-acting and appear to be effective, the steroids are bound to get into other parts of the body and weaken the immune system. Don't you want to get to the root of the problem and not just cover it up?

There are a variety a dietary and environmental changes as well as herbal recommendations that can help with allergies. Here are my suggestions:


Dietary/natural health recommendations:

• Follow a low-protein diet, try to eliminate dairy and increase raw fruits and vegetables. Excessive protein can irritate the immune system and keep it in a state of overreactivity. This is especially true of the protein found in cow's milk. Bio-flavinoids can be found in fruits and vegetables and has been known to inhibit the release of histamine.


• Detoxing the kidneys and lymphs is essential for a healthy immune system. When our immune system is shot, we are more likely to develop seasonal, food and environmental allergies.


• Seasonal Defense from Nature's Sunshine helps the body defend against seasonal changes, contains andrographis to help boost the immune system and helps support mucous membrane health.


• HistaBlock from Nature's Sunshine is a powerful combination of stinging nettle, quercetin, bromelain and immature orange peel (which contains synephrine). HistaBlock provides nutritional support for the respiratory system.


• Neti pots: The practice of nasal cleansing - known as Neti - has been used by practitioners of Ayurveda and Yoga in India for thousands of years. Nasal cleansing using a saline solution is a gentle, safe, efficient way to deliver a good cleansing dose of saline to the nose.


• Ear Candling: originated centuries ago by Egyptians, spread to Greece, China and today is practiced around the world. It’s a simple, non-invasive treatment for sinuses, sore throat, ear aches and allergies.

Environmental changes:

• Dust-proof your home by eliminating wall-to-wall carpets, down-filled blankets, feather pillows and other dust catchers.


• Dust your furniture and floors with damp cloths to ensure removal.


• Consider buying an HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter, which removes particles in the air by forcing it through screens containing microscopic pores. These devices work well and aren't too expensive. Avoid air-filtering equipment that generates ozone (HEPA filters don't).
  

5 tips to save money while being healthy

Remember the days of going out more than you stayed in? If this recession has done anything positive, it's definitely been a huge reality check for most of us and now we find comfort in simple things like saving a few dollars while grocery shopping or making a creative meal we might have been "too busy" to do in the past.

One major concern I'm having though, is hearing that McDonald's sales are doubling and Spam has made a comeback. One important thing to keep in mind is saving money doesn't have to mean compromising our health. There are ways to buy organic, eat healthy and still save money. Here are several tips on how to save money while being healthy:

1. Instead of shopping for clothes and/or shoes on your Saturday or Sunday afternoon, go for a run and then hit up the local farmers market. You can find great deals but remember to go prepared and be realistic. Buying too many vegetables that look good will only go bad and will end up costing you more money. Have your menus planned for the week and shop accordingly. I'm a big fan of the Hastings on the Hudson farmers market. All my NYC friends, it's a quick hop on and hop off the Metro North.

2. Make at least one vegetarian meal a week. Cutting back on meats is sure to save you a few bucks. Might I also suggest a healthy brown rice or whole wheat pasta dish with grilled veggies. Always eat more veggies than pasta and you'll feel a healthy full.

3. There's absolutely no need to buy bottled water. Buy a Nalgene, Camelbak or similar cantene and fill it up with purified water. Rumor has it that NY is putting a deposit on plastic water bottles soon and I know most of you will not return these bottles.

4. Exercise, exercise, exercise: whether you love to run outside, have a gym membership or love your yoga and pilates classes, now is the time to start using them. I'm not a stats person but I would be comfortable saying that the little extra money you spend on exercising will save you lots of money in the long run. Traditional medicine rates are at an all time high, stay healthy so you can avoid them.

5. For all my coffee lovers out there, you can save more than $4 day by making your own coffee. I really don't think I need to further elaborate on this one. We all know it but now it's time to actually do it.


Namaste,


Jill
Hera Wellness