Wellness Blog

Sitting is clearly the new black. We sit in our car on our commute to work, sit at our desks all day and then give ourselves a break on lunch. Scrap that! We sit our butts back down again for our much needed lunch break and then go back to work and sit some more. Throw in the commute back home and then the rest of the night on the couch, in front of the TV. Rinse and repeat the next day and the next and the next and the next…you get my point! My client and I were talking about it the other day and she brought up a great point. We go from one box to the next. Car - Office - Car - House! Thanks Sheila, great point!    

If we are not willing to change this then we will continue to see a decline in our health. I honestly feel like as humans we changing dramatically from where we were meant to be. As hunters and gatherers we were on the move more often during the day than not. This allowed for blood circulation, healthy brain function and stronger bones and muscles. 

Sitting for all day creates the following health challenges: 

Are you being bullied into taking statin drugs for your “elevated” cholesterol levels?

We are all unique in every way. Even though we all have the same organ systems and physiology, it does not mean that our cholesterol levels are going to be or should be the same. Cholesterol gets a bad rap and has a negative stigma attached to it yet without it we would be in serious trouble. Your body produces cholesterol in order to make hormones, vitamin D and aids in digestion. It just does not make sense that a magic number of 200 pulled from the sky should be the bench mark for taking drugs with an array of deadly side effects.

Statins (or HMG­CoA reductase inhibitors) are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG­CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver.

Are your testosterone levels low?

Do you want to stay strong, toned and sexually potent after 40?

Testosterone in men, is a hormone produced primarily in the testicles and is essential to the development of male growth and masculine characteristics. Testosterone production peaks during adolescence and early adulthood. After that, it’s natural for levels to drop slightly each year. There are however non synthetic ways to keep testosterone levels balanced.

Cleanse your colon, cleanse your life!

If I had a dollar for every time people said that they were 'on a diet but not seeing results' I would be – well richer than I am now. Analogies are my go to so here is one: When it is time for an oil change you cannot just keep adding oil in your car year after year because you are mixing new with old and this simply will not make for a vehicle running at its optimal best. Our bodies work the same. Simply going on a diet or changing the way you eat is just not enough. You need to clean your pipes first. In my last blog I wrote a step by step liver and gall bladder cleanse which I highly recommend you do every 6 months . Cleanse your Liver, Cleanse your Life.

Humans can carry up to 40 extra pounds of toxic build up in their colon alone. This not only puts a dampener on that summer body but more importantly is a breeding ground for disease. A colon cleanse is simple and just takes dedication, a few inexpensive ingredients and 10 days out of your year and I recommend doing it once a year.

 Are you ordering soy milk in your coffee thinking it's the healthy choice?

Are YOU One Of The 80% of Americans Eating This So-Called "Healthy" Plant Food PROVEN To Age You Faster, Increase Belly Fat And Disrupt Your Hormones?

Soy is another fad that has come and will hopefully go. Just like the scam of margarine, soy was pushed as a healthy alternative to milk but the results speak for themselves. We have been deceived into believing that soybean oil and other soy products like soy milk,  and tofu can help you burn more belly fat. This is absolutely not the case! I agree that milk needs to be substituted, but choose an alternative like almond or coconut milk instead. Personally, almond milk is my go to, and has the following health benefits:

         -   Less than half the calories of regular milk

Do you drink alcohol? Do you eat food? Are you human? Then this is for you!

The liver is one of the largest and hardest working organs in your body with multiple functions. It produces many of the chemicals required by the body to function normally. It also breaks down and detoxifies substances in the body, as well as functioning as a storage unit. It is responsible for manufacturing cholesterol which makes a large amount of your hormones. Carbohydrates are also produced in the liver and the organ is responsible for turning glucose into glycogen that can be stored both in the liver and in the muscle cells. The liver also makes bile that helps with food digestion. With the amount of prescription drugs and alcohol that the average person consumes, it's a miracle that our liver lasts as long as it does.

The liver is also able to store vitamins and chemicals that the body requires as building blocks. These includes:

Can natural treatments remove depression and turn back the clock? The answer is YES!

My goal for this post is to give you some solutions to treating depression without drugs.

'Depression' is nothing more than a label that we give those people who feel down in the dumps, don’t have any interest in activities, are fatigued, struggle to get a good nights sleep, have no interest in sex, feel helpless & hopeless, cannot think clearly and often struggle to make decisions. Depression feels like a dark blanket has been thrown over you and you cannot find a hole to breathe. Depression has a spiraling effect and creates negative thoughts about your future and about others. Depression can start from childhood, and the negative cellular memory can last a life time unless it is dealt with NATURALLY!  Simply taking a pill to shut out the communication might help for a while, but it is not dealing with the cause.

If you are one of the millions of people in America trying to lower your blood pressure, then this is worth a read!

Blood pressure, sometimes referred to as arterial blood pressure, is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. Thank you wikipedia ;). Basically, it boils down to this. Your systolic (top) number represents the contraction and pushing of blood through the arteries to the rest of the body. This force creates pressure on the arteries. This number is ideally 120. Between 120 and 140 means it is time to make some changes before it is too late. This however, does not mean run to you M.D and ask for drugs just yet. This is not dealing with the root cause. Your diastolic number is ideally around 80 and represents the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke and a number of other potentially fatal ailments, but before you panic over slight shifts in these numbers lets look at some natural ways to keep them balanced:

Reduce Salt Intake

Are you taking Statin drugs? Do you want to stay healthy naturally?

Let's first talk about what cholesterol is. It's very important to understand that cholesterol is vital for our health. Cholesterol is made in your liver and makes many life sustaining hormones including sex hormones and adrenal hormones. Suppressing your cholesterol is going to suppress these hormones creating a whole host of issues. Cholesterol in our skin activates vitamin D3 from sunlight.  We need cholesterol for lubrication.  We also need it for neurotransmitter function in the brain. When LDL is driven too low, it's no wonder that a lot of patients develop memory problems or pre-Alzheimer's, or amnesia. Are you willing to take these risks by taking statin drugs?

The most common statin side effects include:

Are you suffering from stomach pain, indigestion or heartburn?

This article will help you understand that we have it all wrong!

Indigestion and heartburn is usually treated by over the counter antacids to reduce acid in the stomach. The claims by these company's that too much acid is causing the problem is total B.S. Yip you heard me right. I will briefly explain why it's the total opposite. We are swimming in acidity by jamming crap down our throats instead of cell reviving nutrients. Stress is thought by many to create even more acidity than poor nutrition and even negative thoughts play a role. For the purpose of this article i'll stick mostly to nutrition.

Are you struggling with gas or bloating? Here are some natural tips to help you regain your friends :)

Firstly you might be surprised that sneaking flatulence 10-20 times per day is totally natural and healthy. If you are within this window you can stop reading now and forward this to your friends that are not so lucky. Gas is merely a buildup of fermentation in the large intestines and that gas needs to be released or you will sitting with way more serious issues.

Here are some foods to stay away from if your bloating or gas has become an issue:

Uses, Dosage and Tips!

Amino acids are split up in 2 groups: Essential and Non-Essential:

Since Non-essential amino acids are produced by the body I will not discuss them in this article. Instead let's focus on the what to feed ourselves in order to get the most out of our workouts. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential amino acids. Namely valine, leucine and isoleucine. They are essential which  means we must get them through diet as our bodies do not produce them. Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein and have multiple functions related to energy production before  and after workouts. Therefore, they are needed during the 'rebuild window' and the correct amount is vital.

Are you struggling with any of the above symptoms?

Here is a simple solution that can help toward alleviating some of your health issues. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has long been used as a natural home remedy for many health issues. Adrenal fatigue is something that most of us struggle with at some point in our lives. The constant compounding stress that we deal with is only increasing and it is therefore vital to do everything we can to keep it from escalating.

Other lifestyle factors such as poor diet and substance abuse can have a damaging effect on your adrenal glands, resulting in imbalance or depletion of its three primary hormones: cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. Since the adrenal glands function best when your blood sugar levels are steady, apple cider vinegar may have some benefits for your adrenal fatigue.

We live in such exciting times but we deal with massive amounts of chemical stress, and this is affecting our kidney function in a big way. I cannot remember the last time I did a urine analysis that showed perfectly functioning kidneys!

Food sensitivity is on the rise because of GMO's. Our digestive enzymes don't recognize GMO's, and therefore cannot break them down, this forces peptides to go into our blood stream. Peptides are part of the body’s natural defense mechanisms designed to protect the heart from stress and play an important role in regulating circulation. They promote urine excretion, relax blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and reduce the heart’s workload.

A tiny amount of protein in your urine (proteinuria) may be common from time to time, but a larger amount of protein in your urine may be an early sign of kidney disease. If proteinuria is not controlled, the increased amount of protein in your urine can lead to more kidney damage. Over time, this can cause your kidneys to fail. If you find and treat the problem that is causing your proteinuria, you may be able to slow down or even reverse the damage. You are not able to see protein in your urine. The only way to know if you have proteinuria is to have your urine tested. Most people do not notice any symptoms, but that does not means all is good in the hood!

Let's take a look at some causes, and some relief from insomnia.

It will come as no surprise that stress is often at the root of insomnia. However, stress  is not always bad, but what matters is how we deal with it. For example, a new project at work can be intensive and exciting especially if you are passionate about what you do. This can cause a stress response in the brain, and can cause many sleepless nights. As someone who has suffered from chronic insomnia, I can attest that mine often came from over excitement which lead to not being able to switch off. Learning to manage that stress became important in dealing with    the underlying cause.On the opposite side of the coin,lies a  much more frustrating symptom. Worrying about school,work,bills, family etc can be a lot harder to shake and always needs some sought of treatment plan.  

  Some treatments that can help stress related insomnia include:                

Could your pain or discomfort be due to inflammation? Absolutely!

Inflammation can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body, to harmful stimuli like injury or acidity. A cascade of biochemical events trigger the inflammatory response, involving the vascular system or the immune system, and various cells within the injured tissue. Prolonged inflammation, known as chronic inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells present at the site of inflammation, and is characterized by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue, from the inflammatory process. Ok, now that you understand the differences, you are probably asking yourself the common question;
'Is my pain coming from inflammation?'

It is tricky, because a lot of the time you cannot see the inflammation, as it is at a cellular level and does not create swelling visible to the eye.
Stiffness and inflammation can occur as the result of stress, nerve damage, contracted muscles, subluxations in the vertebrae or discs of the spine.

Are You Acidic? Or Are You Alkaline?

After giving a workshop last night to cancer patients on the importance of alkalinity, I was inspired to break down alkaline vs acidic foods. The chart below will give you a guide to follow with the basic food groups:

If you are man over the age of 30 you need to maintain a healthy prostate. However, these tips are for men and woman, as inflammation is at the root of many of our health challenges!

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, and here are a few staggering statistics released by the American Cancer Society:

• A quarter of a million new cases are expected this year.
• About 30,000 men will die from prostate cancer alone this year
• 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime

Are you still looking for answers for your headaches?

For some, headaches are a constant health challenge. If you are one of these people then you have probably been on a long and frustrating quest for an answer. But, after making changes to your diet, eliminating stress, getting more sleep and making other lifestyle changes, your headaches have continued to plague you. Your answer might be in your pocket or on your lap as you read this.

In today’s world, we are immersed in EMFs. They come from your electricity,  appliances and all your wireless devices. They also bombard you from Wi-Fi, cell towers and high power lines. You can’t escape them. Some are more sensitive (known as electro-sensitivity) than others but there is little doubt that we are all affected. It is usually accumulative and when your brain finally has had enough of being bombarded by these unnatural frequencies, headaches can occur. These headaches can become migraines, which is usually experienced on one side of the head. This a form of fight or flight, and once we are locked in this dangerous state our migraines become more constant. Headaches or migraines might be the least of your worries. The long-term effects of EMF's go way beyond, and cancer is at the top of that list.

Are you risking yours, or your child's health by taking prescription drugs for ADD and ADHD?

The answer is yes! ADD is a very new 'disease' which also means new 'dangerous drugs' to push. Isn't it time to wake up and realize that lifestyle changes are imperative for overall health. If you feed your body crap, you will look and feel crap!