The REAL reason for the season.


It is nice to be reminded why this time of year is so special. There is a reason many religions and cultures have holidays during this time (Christmas is only one of many).

The Winter Solstice is the real reason for this season. The darkest, longest, maybe coldest night of the year. The sun appears to ‘stand still’. All of Mother Nature is slowing down. Retreating. Darkness falls early. Tree sap has sunk down into the ground. Animals borough deep into nests and hibernate. The air is still and cold. A late night half moon reflects off sparkling snow.   Stillness.    Soundless.  This is time of the Deep Sleep.  Nature as pure yin.  Of all the numerous days during the year, this time – this WEEK – is the time of the greatest natural healing spiral downward, inward. The time of the most natural quiet is Now.

Isn’t it curious that for many people, during this time-of-year, their life is filled with just the opposite? Driven by lots of outer yang activity: hustle, bustle, celebration, travel and the speeding up of activity.  Sure it’s fun, but it is contrary to the Natural flow.

The good news is that it’s not too late to Take a slow deep breath … then look outside.   You can go further and and tune in with Mother Nature (the cure and cause of all things). Consider riding this wave of Silence as it spirals inward. You can take advantage of this natural cycle by creating space-time to refresh, rejuvenate and repair. Take as much time as you need. An hour away from the madness is good but creating your own Day Off Retreat will produce big healing results and lasting changes for the better.

How about a electronic sabbatical (no electronics that whole day)?  Maybe some short walks, soft music, reading inspirational material. By all means go deeper with yoga, breath exercise and meditation. It’s a day (days, week) off to relax, rest and thus refresh for the coming New Year.

Mother Earth is doing it right now. She asks each of us, each year to join Her. Don’t be too busy to Listen.

Five Pathways of Elimination

 

Pathways of Elimination

 

The fundamental structure of the human body is organized around a pattern of 5.  A look in the mirror  quickly reveals your obvious 5 appendages (2 arms, 2 legs,  1 head/neck – all of which forms the basis of the famous ‘Canon’ drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, above ).  Sprouting from each of the 5 appendages are more refined aspects of 5, like the 5 toes, 5 fingers, the 5 senses. Let’s not forget the 5 organs of action and 5 organs of elimination.  Further, the body is also organized around the 5 primal elements which give rise to the 5 major yin and 5 yang organs (10 total).

Finally, the outermost energetic field of the human body is at 55 feet (the 10th Fibonacci sequence, the Golden Mean, Golden Ratio) and forms a dodecahedron (one of the primal 5 basic shapes called the Platonic Solids). Lo and behold that is a pentagon – which is a 5-sided shape – repeated 12 times.

So it is true, correct and safe to say that the energy, pattern and structure of a human being is organized around the energy pattern 5. It is intimate to who we are. (How about a high five!)

Now let’s look deeper into your 5 Pathways of Elimination.

During this major healing transformation you are now undergoing, we want to maximize all the pathways of elimination.  Doing so will minimize your ‘healing crisis’ (aka, ‘die off’ or Hurtzheimer Reaction – all the same thing).  Different types of gunk exits the body through different pathways and all is well unless one clogs up which in turn backs up the others and those poor guys will have to work harder to carry the extra load.  Soon we have a stinking mess.  On the other hand, when all 5 channels are open and clear, everything works just fine.

Here’s how to enhance the 5 Pathways of Elimination in your body that you can directly, with powerful intention, influence:

If you are drinking  Nitro super Greens daily (one cup hourly) then you will be urinating every 30-40 minutes.  This is a good flush of all tissue.  The Nitro super Greens will not only hydrate the body but also help alkalize blood and enrich hemoglobin (and oxygen).  You can take a two day break on the weekend. You can also increase the amount of Super Greens from 1 to 2 scoops per quart.  You can add lemon, lime or xylitol for taste.
This means a regular daily bowel movement with a large stool. No exceptions.  If you are eating the proper diet* and taking fiber*  plus probiotics* you should be on target.  Also, remember to SQUAT when moving the bowels (if you need instructions, ask for the Squat PEP Step info).  * proper diet and taking fiber means: 4 day rotation (for leaky gut) and medical smoothie (very specific, not raw); *probiotics means: based on our inner ecology stool test.
We also want to maximize the largest organ of your body to eliminate toxins.  That would be your skin – also called the 3rd kidney.  It will ooze all kinds of gunk from years of accumulated tar, nicotine and sludge.  Epsom salt baths (use a lot of Epsom salt) are helpful to help alkalize the acids.  Foot baths are good too.  If you are not exercising and breaking into a sweat, then how soon can you start?   A simple walk for 30 minutes a few times a week will suffice IF you make it a power walk (which means force yourself to walk faster than normal, swing your arms, take deep breaths).  For deeper cleaning use a sauna every other day, perhaps at a gym. If not available, you can do one at home (if you need instructions, ask for the Home Sauna PEP Step info).
The power walk mentioned above will suffice for deep breathing.  But there is more. Before your afternoon meditation period you can begin with “The 5 Breath method†which is 4 slow but forceful long deep breaths with the final 5 th exhale so slow and so long that you could not feel the air coming out your mouth if you were to put your hand in front of it.  After that, just keep your eyes closed and proceed to awareness meditation.   (if you need instructions, ask for the Meditation PEP Step info). Research shows that people who work out for hours gain no more aerobic benefit than someone who spends just 20 minutes 3 times a week getting to and maintaining a fast breath and fast heartbeat. Most gyms  have jogging machines which automatically measure your heart rate and show your ideal ‘target’ based on age and weight.
INTEGUMENT ation or expression through your Integumentary System.  This final 5th pathway is one which you can’t do much about yet it expresses our individual identity quite dramatically – our hair and nails. They move at a much different pace than Starbuck speed, slowly growing over months instead of minutes. But we love them just the same.  They can reveal hidden mysteries  about the body’s inner core (toxic metal load).

So, in summary, when your body creates waste ( which it has been doing the whole time you read this) you are going to pee it out, poop it out, sweat it out or breath it out and now you know how to – help it out.

This original work is credited to Dr B at NATIONAL CANDIDA CENTER  407.321.1377

Excito-toxins: what? why?


Excitotoxins are amino acids (glutamate, aspartate, and cysteine) that can act as neurotransmitters in the brain. The most dangerous of these and the most prolific in our food supply is glutamate in the form of MSG: monosodium glutamate.  Why is it so common? Simply because it excites our taste buds and makes bland food taste delicious.

It comes from the sea vegetable, kombu, a flavor enhancer that has been used for thousands of years in Japan. Early in the 20th century, Japanese scientist discovered that glutamate is the active ingredient in kombu. Soon thereafter, the annual consumption of monosodium glutamate was over ten million pounds.

In fact, in the Second World War glutamate was used in the rations for the Japanese soldiers, since it made their food delicious. Soon thereafter, the American food industry was following the lead and was using MSG in just about everything. And today, MSG is now added to an endless variety of can goods, most soups, frozen foods, and has become a major ingredient in the fast food industry. It’s made a huge impact in the diet industry since most diet food have very little taste at all. And most often, MSG and related toxins are added to foods in disguised forms as ‘hydrolyzed vegetable protein,’ “spicesâ€, “vegetable protein,’ and ‘natural flavoringsâ€, that may contain as much as 40 per cent MSG.

Why are these amino acids toxic? 
The brain must maintain its balance by reducing excess glutamic acid. The extra glutamate is stored in nearby glia cells. In order to keep this process going, it requires a great deal of energy which if unavailable, will result in exciting neurons, injuring them and causing cognitive and behavioral problems. Free radicals then stimulate the release of more excitotoxins from storage which then produces a vicious cycle…. excitotoxins stimulate free radical formation which in turn, stimulate further excitotoxin accumulation.

The   Blood-Brain Barrier
As we all know, the brain protects itself from the circulatory system with the “blood-brain barrier†which has blood vessel walls that allow certain chemicals to enter the brain while excluding others. Infants and younger don’t have a well developed barrier and it is not well developed in teenagers either.

In fact, some parts of the brain never develop an effective barrier. An example is the hypothalamus, which is intimately involved with the hormonal system. Experiments with mice has shown consistently that MSG in the diet causes major damage to hormones.   Pregnant mice have shown similar injuries in its offspring. This seems to prove that glutamate crosses the barrier of the placenta and enters the fetal bloodstream. Animals exposed to MSG were found to be short, grossly obese, and had difficulty with sexual reproduction.

Obesity
The irony here is that people who are trying to lose weight are trying to cut calories by consuming excitotoxins in NutraSweet ®  and other similar ‘diet’ foods. Researchers have speculated that the large number of people who are obese and are not able to lose weight, may in fact, have been exposed to these excitotoxins. It has been a huge disappointment to millions of dieters that food intake does not necessarily induce weight loss, especially if ingesting excitotoxins in one form or another. These same dieters drink soft drinks sweetened with NutraSweet ® , a glutamate product that produces lesions that result in gross obesity

Extreme Exercise
Studies have shown that during extreme exercise creating elevated body core temperatures,  a temporary breakdown of the blood-brain barrier occurs resulting in leakage of glutamate and aspartate directly into the brain itself. This can cause a prolonged fall in the blood glucose which makes the brain more sensitive to excitotoxins both occurring naturally within the brain and those supplied by the diet. Injury further occurs when free radicals are formed within the tissues as a result of increased metabolism.

Avoiding Excitotoxins
We need to concentrate on whole, unprocessed foods and avoid MSG and aspartmate,(“NutraSweet ® “). Remember that FDA rules require no labeling at all to include a wide variety of powerful excitotoxins in our foods. Here is a partial list of the most common names:

Additives that always contain MSG :

  • Monosodium Glutamate
  • Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
  • Hydrolyzed Protein
  • Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
  • Plant Protein Extract
  • Sodium Caseinate
  • Calcium Caseinate
  • Yeast Extract
  • Textured Protein
  • Autolyzed Yeast
  • Hydrolyzed Oat Flour

Additives that frequently contain MSG:

  • Malt extract
  • Malt Flavoring
  • Bouillon Broth
  • Stock Flavoring
  • Natural Flavoring
  • Natural Beef or Chicken Flavoring
  • Seasoning Spices (I talian blend, chili, etc

Is Wheat Good For You?


Wheat has been around for 1000’s of years.  It is mentioned in the Bible as the staff of life. What went wrong?

How can WHEAT be so bad if it’s been a staple food for thousands of years?

In the 1960’s there was a world wide hunger problem, so scientists took it upon themselves to solve the problem. They took wild wheat and genetically engineered it to grow faster and thicker. This allowed more people to be fed across the world. That is the wheat that we are eating today, wheat made in a test tube!  There were no tests done to ensure that this new modified wheat was safe.

Franken-food?

The wheat we’re eating today is not really wheat. It has 14 new gluten proteins (that scientists have created) and 5% new protein genes. 23,788 different protein varieties can be combined to be harmful and poisonous to the body creating an auto immune response. Certain varieties of protein can upset the digestive tract and poison the blood that goes to the brain and vital organs. The human body has not evolved as fast as the food created has, so the gastrointestinal system and immune system is having a hard time adequately adapting.

Diseases related to wheat

Some health problems that may show up for people in their digestive tract are Digestive symptoms that occur are lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, and gas/bloating. Neurological symptoms include autism, balance problems, and hyperactivity. No wonder a large percentage of American children are diagnosed with ADHD. The skins reactions are acne, eczema, and dark circles under the eyes. The musculoskeletal symptoms are arthritis, muscle aches, and osteoporosis. Emotional effects may include depression, anxiety, fogginess, and headaches. Wow! Wheat has a huge effect on your body!

A lot of people have self diagnosed themselves with Celiac Disease. Celiac disease occurs when gluten damages the lining of the small intestine thus causing inflammation. Most of the new wheat varieties contain higher levels of gluten than the body can handle. According to Dr. Alessio Fasano, the reality is that about 1 percent of the U.S. population has Celiac Disease. However, 6 percent (16 – 18 million) of the U.S. population is considered to be “gluten sensitive.â€

Why are so many people gluten sensitive?

It probably has to do with the fact that everything they eat has wheat in it. Wheat is used as a filler for a lot of processed foods. You probably don’t realize how many foods wheat is included in, from soy sauce to salad dressings to soup to ice cream. Start reading the ingredients in a lot of the process foods you enjoy and you’ll be shocked at how many include wheat.

Any healthy alternatives?

Some healthy wheat substitutes are Quinoa, Amaranth, Rice, Buckwheat, and Almond Flour. Instead of eating wheat crackers grab a bag of rice crackers. Try puffed rice instead of wheat filled cereals. There are lots of alternative options to eating wheat, you just have to explore it.

This article was to inform you of what you’re putting into your body. Now that you know, you can make a knowledgeable decision to put wheat or not put wheat into your body. My suggestion is to go on a gluten-free diet for 2 months and observe how your body feels without it. Who knows you might start to feel light as a feather, lose weight, or have more energy. Give it a try today!

Coconut Water: Hype or Health?


Coconut Water is believed to prevent cancer, slow aging, regulate blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and cure a hangover.

Does it do all of that?

Coconut Water has not been proven to cure anything yet. However, it does replenish your electrolytes and is much healthier than a sports drink. It’s 100% Natural! Coconut Water provides your body with sodium, potassium, and magnesium as electrolytes. It provides you with more potassium than 4 bananas. Plus it is ALIVE and full of QI (life force).

A study was done on coconut water brands Vita Coco, O.N.E. and Zico,  to ensure that all the minerals claimed are provided in the drink. Zico was the only brand that lived up to its nutritional claims. Zico provides the advertised amount of sodium and magnesium, while the other two are lacking by being 82 and 35 percent lower than claimed.*

 Does Coconut Water help prevent Cancer?

No specific studies have proven this. Coconut Water as well as many other fruits has selenium in it, which has antioxidants proven to fight cancer in the lab. But individual people have made claims for tumor reduction.

 What does Coconut Water help with?

If you are at risk of kidney stones or have issues with kidney stones Coconut Water can help provide you the needed potassium and magnesium to prevent them.

If you have high blood pressure you may have low potassium levels. Coconut Water will provide you with the needed potassium levels to assist in lowering your blood pressure.

If you need a remedy for digestion or gastrointestinal problems than Coconut Water is your friend. Coconut Water has Lauric acid in it, which aids in fighting against intestinal viruses and gastrointestinal tract infections.

Magical Medical Use:

During World War II when the medics ran out of IV Fluid they would refill it with Coconut Water to provide the patient the electrolytes they needed. The catch: A lot of Coconut waters have added sugar/flavoring. If you are going to drink Coconut Water stick to the all natural water instead of the ones flavored with mango, pineapple, etc.   Coconut water also has similarities to human breast milk.  Both contain anti bacterial and anti fungal properties and fast absorbing energy boosting medium chain fatty acids.

Is Wheat Good For You?


How can WHEAT be so bad if it’s been a staple food for thousands of years?

In the 1960’s there was a world wide hunger problem so scientists took it upon themselves to solve the problem. They took wild wheat and genetically engineered it to grow faster and thicker. This allowed more people to be fed across the world. That is the wheat that we are eating today, wheat made in a test tube!  There were no tests done to ensure that this new modified wheat was safe.

Franken-food?

The wheat we’re eating today is not really wheat. It has 14 new gluten proteins (that scientists have created) and 5% new protein genes. 23,788 different protein varieties can be combined to be harmful and poisonous to the body creating an auto immune response. Certain varieties of protein can upset the digestive tract and poison the blood that goes to the brain and vital organs. The human body has not evolved as fast as the food created has, so the gastrointestinal system and immune system is having a hard time adequately adapting.

Diseases related to wheat

Some health problems that may show up for people in their digestive tract are Digestive symptoms that occur are lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, and gas/bloating. Neurological symptoms include autism, balance problems, and hyperactivity. No wonder a large percentage of American children are diagnosed with ADHD. The skins reactions are acne, eczema, and dark circles under the eyes. The musculoskelatal symptoms are arthritis, muscle aches, and osteoporosis. Emotional effects may include depression, anxiety, fogginess, and headaches. Wow! Wheat has a huge effect on your body!

A lot of people have self diagnosed themselves with Celiac Disease. Celiac disease occurs when gluten damages the lining of the small intestine thus causing inflammation. Most of the new wheat varieties contain higher levels of gluten than the body can handle. According to Dr. Alessio Fasano, the reality is that about 1 percent of the U.S. population has Celiac Disease. However, 6 percent (16 – 18 million) of the U.S. population is considered to be “gluten sensitive.â€

Why are so many people gluten sensitive?

It probably has to do with the fact that everything they eat has wheat in it. Wheat is used as a filler for a lot of processed foods. You probably don’t realize how many foods wheat is included in, from soy sauce to salad dressings to soup to ice cream. Start reading the ingredients in a lot of the process foods you enjoy and you’ll be shocked at how many include wheat.

Any healthy alternatives?

Some healthy wheat substitutes are Quinoa, Amaranth, Rice, Buckwheat, and Almond Flour. Instead of eating wheat crackers grab a bag of rice crackers. Try puffed rice instead of wheat filled cereals. There are lots of alternative options to eating wheat, you just have to explore it.  This article was to inform you of what you’re putting into your body. Now that you know, you can make a knowledgeable decision to put wheat or not put wheat into your body. My suggestion is to go on a gluten-free diet for 2 months and observe how your body feels without it. Who knows you might start to feel light as a feather, lose weight, or have more energy. Give it a try today!

WHY is processed MEAT bad for you?


Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that processed meats raise the risk of colon and stomach cancer.  The “Global Burden of Disease Projectâ€, an independent academic research organization,  claims about 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat.

But Why?

Few articles mention specific reasons why processed meat is considered bad for your body.  There are several: 1) nitrates and other chemicals, 2) overcooking and  3) overeating.

1) Nitrates & Food Born Chemicals

You’ve probably heard that processed meat contain nitrates and nitrites which are preservatives added to processed meat to help prevent the growth of bacteria.   “When meat is processed it can result in formation of carcinogenic chemicals, including N-nitroso-compounds (NOC) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH).  Cooking improves the digestibility and palatability of meat but overcooking can produce known or suspected carcinogens, including Heterocyclic Amines (HCA) and PAH,â€Â 1    according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer Working Group.

A study done with 61,433 women from Sweden compared the consumption of processed meats and unprocessed meats. They found a high correlation between the risk of stomach cancer and consumption of processed meats high in nitrosamines. 2

Other chemicals that can be created  (bio activated) from processing and cooking are HCA and PAH.  Both are carcinogens with the ability to damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer.

How?   Meat naturally contains amino acids, creatine and sugars which react at high temperatures to create HCA.  Processed meat, especially when grilled and smoked, create a high PAH content.  Studies suggest that the increase of PAH content arises from pyrolysis of fat at high grilling temperatures. 3

2) Overcooking

Overcooking the meat to create a Maillard (browning) effect can create Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE). Maillard is a non-enzymatic reaction that occurs at high temperatures. AGE increases oxidative stress and inflammation within the body which contribute to the development of many diseases. High AGE consumption has been associated with pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. 4   Human intervention studies revealed that low AGE diets decreased inflammatory status in individuals with diseases.

3) Overeating

Too much of anything can be harmful to your body. Americans in general have a high meat consuming diet averaging 50-100g  per day per person. 5    By comparison, the US Department of Agriculture Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of dietary protein is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men. That is equivalent to about 5-6 ounces of a protein containing food such as nuts, eggs, beans, or meat. Eating less protein, thus eating less red meat can elongate our lives and decrease the risk of developing cancer. A meta-analysis of studies indicated that an increase of 100g of red meat increased the risk of colorectal cancer to 12-17%. The risk for colorectal cancer had a 49% increase when consuming 25g of processed meat. 6   Therefore, eating red meat in moderation and limiting your intake of processed meat may prevent the development of colorectal cancer.

On the plus side

Meat does have proven nutritional benefits such as protein, vitamin  B complex and minerals (iron, zinc) all of which are important to healthy body function.  Red meat in a grass fed form is clearly not as bad for you as processed meat.

If you are going to eat red meat some tips to help make it safer to consume are:

  • Marinate the meat – it helps tenderize the meat and decrease the formation of AGE
  • Boil, poach, or stew at lower heats to decrease the formation of AGE, HCA, & PAH
  • Be aware that grilling or barbequing your meat will create HCA and smoking and charring will create PAH

Recommendations

When you eat meat do you have problems digesting it?   The stomach secretes Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) to both digest protein and activate other digestive enzymes. If your stomach doesn’t produce the right amount of enzymes then it can lead to digestive issues and certain nutrients are not able to be absorbed.

Spectrazyme  (by Metagenics) is a supplement that provides your body the proper amount of enzymes to help break down food. Spectrazyme is an enzyme aimed to provide digestive support. Its three active ingredients are protease, lipase, and amylase. Protease is an enzyme that breaks down protein. Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down sugars and starches. Lipase is an enzyme that breaks down fats. If you believe this product can be helpful for your digestion then you can buy it through National Candida Center at      http://bit.ly/1Mu5U5K

Next time you choose to eat red meat think about how you can cook it to create the least amount of chemicals and limit your intake. Processed meat is to be eaten at your own risk. Take care of your body. It’s the only thing that will be with for your whole life.

NATIONAL CANDIDA CENTER

References

  1. Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat. World Health Organization. 2015 http://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/ (Accessed Nov. 6, 2015)
  1. Larsson, S. C., Bergkvist, L., & Wolk, A. Processed meat consumption, dietary nitrosamines and stomach cancer risk in a cohort of Swedish women. International Journal of Cancer. Journal International Du Cancer , 2006: 119 (4), 915–919. http://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.21925
  1. Zhang Y, Ding J, Shen G, et al. Dietary and inhalation exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and urinary excretion of monohydroxy metabolites – a controlled case study in Beijing, China. Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987). 2014;184:515-522. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2013.10.005.
  1. Hoffman R, Gerber M. Food Processing and the Mediterranean Diet. Nutrients. 2015;7(9):7925-7964. doi:10.3390/nu7095371.
  1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statistics Division. Food balance. http://faostat3.fao.org/browse/FB/*/E ; 2015. (accessed November 5, 2015.)
  1. Manjinder S. Sandhu, Ian R. White, Klim McPherson. Systematic Review of the Prospective Cohort Studies on Meat Consumption and Colorectal Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analytical Approach. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention: American Association for Cancer Research. 2001; 10: 439–446.

FooD ALLERGY signs and symptoms


FOOD ALLERGY    symptoms  ranked from mild to severe.

MILD ALLERGY means  the symptoms you experience tend to be uncomfortable but not severe, such as:

  • wheezing
  • mucus:  throat clearing or runny nose
  • red, itchy or watery eyes
  • tingling (anywhere but usually in or around the mouth, chin, cheeks)
  • red or warm flush (anywhere but usually the face or chest)
  • physical fatigue (extending to exhaustion)
  • recurring itch
  • mental fatigue (brain fog)

MODERATE means   more persistent, more frequent, lasts longer or more intense of any above plus these:

  • hives (itchy, red elevated welts or flat red splotches)
  • constipation and/or diarrhea  (loose stool)
  • skin rash or red patches (eczema)
  • light-headed-ness, dizzy, spaced out
  • mild breathing difficulties
  • swelling of the lips or face
  • headache
  • forehead or behind the eyes pain
  • nausea, upset stomach
  • feel like or actual vomiting

SEVERE means   a reaction known as anaphylaxis. If someone develops any of these conditions, do not hesitate to seek immediate or emergency medical treatment:

  • swelling or closing of the throat
  • shortness or intense breathing troubles
  • chest tightness,
  • rapid or abnormal pulse
  • drop or elevation of blood pressure
  • heart palpitations
  • loss of consciousness
  • break out into a sweat

A specific food triggers these reactions within 24 hours of eating.   Most food allergy is caused by leaky gut.   IF you have any of these reactions, consider a specific food allergy test.  (Not usually covered by your insurance, so plan to pay out of pocket).  But it will give you a useful list of (1) Foods you can eat freely,  (2) Foods you can eat sparingly, and (3) Foods you should never eat – at least until you heal the leaky gut.  Not all tests are the same and not all treatment is effective, so call or email for details.  Get your testing done before the holidays and start a Health and Wellness Program at the New Year.

Gift for yourself. Retreat.


Isn’t it curious for many people during this holiday-season-time-of-year that their time is filled with lots of yang: hustle, bustle, celebration, travel, a speeding up of activity, yet when all of Nature is doing just the opposite?  Take a breath … then look outside.  Mother Earth is slowing down.  Retreating. The nights are longer. Darkness falls early.  Tree sap has moved down into the ground.  Animals borough in nests to hibernate.  The air is still and cold. Full moon reflects off glowing snow.  The time of Deep Sleep. Nature is yin.   For of all the times during the year, the time when the natural healing spiral inward, downward and quiet is greatest, is Now.

To be in touch with Mother Nature, the cure and cause of all things, one might consider riding this wave as it spirals inward.  You can take advantage of this natural cycle by making time to refresh, rejuvenate and repair.  Take as much time as you need.  An hour away from the madness is good but creating your own Day Off Retreat will produce big healing results and changes for the better.

Here’s how. An Ancient ritual practice seems suited.  Introducing: A Round. This vehicle takes one from an outer hectic reality, through steps, which decease activity and leads to Silence.   Silence. The built-in, all natural way every organic body heals itself is … rest.  T he deeper the rest, the greater the healing.

The greatest metabolic rest occurs with meditation.  Awareness Meditation  (AM) to be specific.  Try these simple steps, taking 5-15 minutes each one.

MOST OUTE R.  Start with the most outer form of activity: movement.   Start fast and slow down. The slower the better. Slowing the movement down even more, to be with the breath.  From this simple dance comes all Qi Gong forms, Tai Chi and such.

REDUCE More. Descend to the floor for yoga.  This is not exercise or motion.  It is holding a stretch  position for several, at least 3, slooww, lonngg, deeep breaths.

STILLER still .  Now sit with straight spine. Make your exhales twice as long as your free, open mouthed inhales. Now make the exhale three times as long. Now 4 times. 5x….

MOST INNER .   When you notice that you just spaced out above, you are on your way.  For the next while just sit and watch.  No more breath control.  Just watch the body breath itself. Observe the thoughts think themselves. It all happens by itself, quite naturally, without any help from you, thank you very much. In fact, as soon as you DO anything, Awareness Meditation stops.  It becomes the usual thinking, analyzing, figuring, assuming, judging.  AM is the only time in your life when YOU don’t have to DO anything.  Just watch.  Witness. Observe.  With a neutral, cordial attitude.  Like watching leaves wisp over the lawn.

After 20 minutes, you’re done.  Round 1 complete.   You may notice deep rest.  Restful Awareness.  A successful AM session.  Take time to get used to greater activity with a yawn, a stretch, a deliberate deep breath.

For maximum benefit, to really get the most,  take a full Day Off Retreat and repeat Awareness Meditation Rounds 4 times: two in the morning, two in the afternoon. Now you are Rounding.  No electronics that day.  Maybe some short walks, music, reading.  It’s a day off.  A Gift from Your Self.