Cancer Survivor Story

I came across this video the other day and wanted to share it with all of you. It truly is an inspiring video about one woman's journey to cure her cancer. With cancer, or with any disease, it's important not to make yourself a statistic! Our bodies are truly amazing and when given the right nutrients, love and support, healing can take place. Click on the link below to view this 10 minute video about Evita's story to heal herself.

http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_413654/A_Remarkable_Cancer_Survivor's_Story

Hope this video inspires you to make the healthiest choices to live your best life!

Chilly Weather, Warm Soup...Perfect Combo!

Butternut squash....so creamy, rich and sweet, it makes the perfect chilly weather soup. Butternut squash is loaded with phytonutrients (plant nutrients), such as lutein and zeaxanthin- great nutrients to protect your eyes, alpha and beta carotene, and vitamin C. These plant nutrients also provide you with powerful antioxidants and anti inflammatory agents, and is an ideal fall vegetable that you must add to your diet! And for you all you calorie conscious foodies, 1 cup contains only 80 calories! So check out the soup recipe below and enjoy all the benefits this wonderful veggie has to offer:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP W/ SPICY PUMPKIN SEEDS

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
2/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. tamari soy sauce
Black pepper to taste

Roasted Butternut Soup
2 medium-sized butternut squash (about 4 3/4 lb. total), halved lengthwise and seeded
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
4 tsp. minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup apple cider
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
To make Spiced Pumpkin Seeds: Toast seeds in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring for 5 minutes, or until they pop. Stir in curry, turn off heat and add tamari. Stir, season and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F.

To make Roasted Butternut Bisque: Put squash, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake about 50 minutes, or until tender. When cool, use paring knife to remove peel. Cut squash into 2-inch pieces.

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, brown sugar, ginger and garlic. Cover; cook, stirring often, until onion is tender, 15 minutes. Add squash, stock and cider. Simmer mixture; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 10 minutes.

Purée until smooth (hand held immersion blender works best) . Season, bring to a simmer, then ladle into bowls. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and viola!!

Enjoy!

Benefits of Dry Skin Brushing

September long weekend.....no sun, rain, and 3 days of sweaters! My tan is fading fast! As we head into the cooler months and cover up with over sized sweaters, our sunny summer glow slowly starts to fade away. So how can we keep our skin looking flawless and keep our glow all winter long?? We need to dry skin brush!! So....what do you need you ask?? First, a brush made with naturals bristles (preferable) not synthetic so it won't scratch the surface of your skin. A long handle would be great as well to reach inaccessible areas of your back. A loofah may also be used, as long as it's not wet, but you definitely get more benefits from a dry brush.

Our skin is our largest organ and responsible for 1/4 of your body's daily detoxification! That's huge! Dry skin brushing can help assist your body with proper toxin elimination. It assists with detoxification by helping to cleanse your lymphatic system of toxins that accumulate in your lymph glands, it aids in increasing circulation, opens pores and truly invigorates your skin. Everyday we are exposed to toxins, whether is be from food and/or the environment. If we cannot properly eliminate these toxins, our skin will be ONE of the many organs that suffer. Cell renewal will take longer, wrinkles become more apparent, acne, eczema or psoriasis can worsen, and our everyday 'glow' will start to fade.

Dry skin brushing will help to:
- rid your body of metabolic wastes
- encourage cell regeneration
- increase blood flow
- lessen the appearance of cellulite
- improve muscle tone
- eliminate dead skin cells

How to Dry Brush:

Always dry brush before getting into the shower...hence the word DRY! Brushing on wet skin will not have the same effects on cell regeneration.

1. Begin with long sweeping strokes, starting from the soles of your feet. Work upwards towards your legs and thighs.
2. From your hands, work up towards your elbows and towards your shoulders. Brush across your stomach and buttocks.
3. Try to brush upwards from your lower back to your neck
4. Strokes should always be towards the heart
5. Brush several times in each area

Extra Tips:

Try to dry brush first thing in the morning. Afterwords, try alternating between hot and cold water in the shower to further stimulate circulation and bring blood to the surface of your skin. Always begin with hot and end with cold. Hot and cold showers is just another therapeutic way to invigorate your skin, ease muscles soreness and enhance overall health!

Happy Brushing!

Are You Stressed??

Working in a health food store I see people daily with an array of health concerns, but the most common complaint I get is STRESS! I'm sure most of us don't have the opportunity to lounge around all day, kick back, take in some sun, down some pina coladas....I mean some health conscious antioxidant green tea...of course! Stress can lead to a host of health problems, including digestive upsets, intestinal problems, weight gain, acne, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, high blood pressure....you name it! Researchers estimate that stress contributes to as many as 80 percent of all major illnesses! Stress can be emotional, physical, social, or even mental. There is good stress and bad stress. I know that may sound a little strange, but working out for example, is stress physically on the body. It's great for our overall health, but if we are not eating properly or using the rights supplements for recovery then we may just be adding stress to our bodies! So.....how do we handle stress!? First and foremost, we need to eliminate our stressor, if that's at all possible. For most people, this can be rather challenging. If we can't eliminate stress in our daily lives, we need to learn how to manage our stress, productively! So here is my go-to list of things to do/supplements to take when stressed:

1. BREATHE!! How often do we rush through the day feeling time-constrained and overwhelmed and never pay attention to our breathing?! This is one of the most important...and easiest... and cheapest ways to manage our stress. When we are stressed, our breathing tends to be shallow and fast, instead of slow and steady. Practice breathing through your diaphragm...here's how:
1. Start by lying on back(use your bed or the floor). This will make it easier to develop the proper deep breathing technique the first couple of times.
2. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly just above your waist.
3. Breathe in slowly through your nose. You should feel the hand on your belly rise.
4. Breathe out slowly through your mouth. The hand on your belly should gradually lower.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 a few times, then focus on allowing your ribcage to expand and widen as your belly moves out, so that you are filling up your entire lungs, from bottom to top.

2. Take a B-Complex- Our B vitamins (along with other nutrients) get depleted when we are stressed which can lead to many nutrient deficiencies. B vitamins are important for the proper functioning of our nervous system and B5 in particular is the anti-stress vitamin! B5 plays a role in the functioning of our adrenal glands and our adrenals can become quite fatigued if we are constantly under stress.

3. Antioxidant Supplement- Stress causes free radical formation and to fend off the damage of these free radicals, we need to constantly supply our bodies with lots of antioxidants. (AOR makes a great supplement called Antioxidant Synergy). We can get antioxidants through our food- fruits, vegetables, and some sprouted grains but often it's not enough to fend off free radical damage.

4. L-Theanine- this amino acid, found primarily in green tea leaves produces a relaxed mental and emotional state without any sleepy side-effects. It even improves memory, concentration and performance! It works by generating different brain waves and increasing the formation of GABA, a neurotransmitter that is key to relaxation and memory. You can generally find this in chewable forms (Natural factors makes a great one), and 100-200mg should do the trick!

5. Adaptogens- these nutrients are in a class of their own and I could go on and on about which ones to take. Adaptogens are metabolic regulators. They help an 'organism' adapt to its environment to avoid damage. Since our adrenal glands come become overworked and fatigued from daily stress, it's important to help nourish these glands. Some adaptogens I love:
1. Rhodiola- can boost brain function and memory and has significant anti-fatigue effects. It's great for reducing mental fatigue, improving sleep patterns and stabilizing mood. Dosages can range from 250-500mg.
2. Ashwagandha- this tonic herb enhances mental function, improves overall health, increases energy and vitality all while strengthening the immune system! Dosages can range from 100 up to 750mg!
3. Holy Basil- this herb helps to reduce anxiety, helps with mental focus and promotes a positive stress response. It is also known to elevate your spirits and is a herb used often in Ayurvedic medicine. It is said that "Holy Basil delivers nutrients to the mind necessary for the experience of enlightenment." Dosage range is typically 500mg.

I hope this info helps you feel calmer, lighter, energized, and full of vitality.
And remember.....often times, all we need to do is BREATHE!

Cancer Causing Hot Dogs

I received this article from the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service and thought I would share it with all of you! It's pretty shocking how many hot dogs are consumed every year! Hot dogs are loaded with nitrites! These nitrites are used as preservatives and are very carcinogenic. Nitrites aren't actually the real danger, it's the by-product of nitrites that becomes the real problem. What about carcinogens? Well these are substances that can alter or mutate your cells which can then lead to cancer. These cells, because they become mutated create chaos and start to inhabit other parts of your body, and could potentially effect your organs. So here is the article below....read on and find out the potential dangers of consuming hot dogs........(p.s. check out the links/sources at the bottom of the article for further information on nitrites/carcinogens and the dangers of eating hot dogs)

This article may be reprinted free of charge provided 1) that there is clear attribution to the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, and 2) that both the OMNS free subscription link http://orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html and also the OMNS archive link http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml are included.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, July 2, 2010

Pass the Mustard, or Just Pass on the Hot Dog?

Comment by Andrew W. Saul
Editor-In-Chief, Orthomolecular Medicine News Service

(OMNS July 2, 2010) More hot dogs are eaten at the 4th of July holiday than at any other time of the year. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (yes, an all-too-real trade organization) says that "during the Independence Day weekend, 155 million will be gobbled up" and that Americans will consume more than seven billion hot dogs over the summer. "Every year," they proudly proclaim, "Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs each." (1)

That looks to be a modest average of just over one hot dog per week per American. But there are at least 7 million vegetarians in the US, and another 20 million who would be inclined to avoid meat. (2)

This means that even if you do not eat any hot dogs at all, someone else is eating your share.

But a hot dog or two a week? Big deal!

Maybe it is. Children who eat one hot dog a week double their risk of a brain tumor; two per week triples the risk. Kids eating more than twelve hot dogs a month (three a week) have nearly ten times the risk of leukemia as children who eat none. (3)

And it is not just about kids. Of 190,000 adults studied for seven years, those eating the most processed meat such as deli meats and hot dogs had a 68 percent greater risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least. (4) Pancreatic cancer is especially difficult to treat.

Think twice before you serve up your next tube steak. If your family is going to eat hot dogs, at least take your vitamins. Hot dog eating children taking supplemental vitamins were shown to have a reduced risk of cancer. (5) Vitamins C and E prevent the formation of nitrosamines. (6,7)

It is curious that, while busy theorizing many "potential" dangers of vitamins, the news media have largely ignored this clear-cut cancer-prevention benefit from supplementation.

May I also suggest that you have your kids chew their hot dogs extra thoroughly. In landfills, "Whole hot dogs have been found, some of them in strata suggesting an age upwards of several decades." (8)

Bon appétit.

References:

(1) http://www.hot-dog.org .

(2) http://www.vegetariantimes.com/features/archive_of_editorial/667 .

(3) Peters JM, Preston-Martin S, London SJ, Bowman JD, Buckley JD, Thomas DC. Processed meats and risk of childhood leukemia. Cancer Causes Control. 1994 Mar; 5(2):195-202.

(4) Nothlings U, Wilkens LR, Murphy SP, et al. 2005. Meat and fat intake as risk factors for pancreatic cancer: The Multiethnic Cohort Study. J Nat Cancer Inst 97:1458-65.

(5) Sarasua S, Savitz DA. Cured and broiled meat consumption in relation to childhood cancer: Denver, Colorado (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 1994 Mar; 5(2):141-8. Comment at http://www.ralphmoss.com/hotdog.html .

(6) Scanlan RA. Nitrosamines and cancer. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w00/nitrosamine.html

(7) Cass H; English J. User's guide to vitamin C. Basic Health Publications, 2002, p 64-67. ISBN-10: 1591200210; ISBN-13: 978-1591200215.

(8) Smithsonian, July 1992, p 5.

Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular Medicine
Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org
The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource.

Damn Mosquitos!

I don't know about you, but these past few weeks I've been getting eaten alive!! Mosquito's seem to love me, which is strange because they tend to love those who love sugar (sweet blood) and I am not a sugar lover...well sometimes ;0 Over the past few years I've become really sensitive to mosquito's and I get extremely red and swollen. Very swollen actually! My bites look like huge tennis balls! I feel like the mosquito's are getting worse each year, perhaps they are GMO mosquito's?? Just a thought?!

Being that it's almost July, I've got a long way to go til summer is over and so I will have to endure the stinging, itching and swelling for quite a few more weeks! I'm sure we've all used mosquito repellents to ward off these pesky bugs, and most repellents contain DEET. DEET does work to ward off bugs, since it helps to mask the smell of carbon dioxide which attracts mosquito's in the first place. Our skin and breath give off carbon dioxide gas, so we become tasty meals for mosquito's! Concentrations of about 10-30% of DEET can repel mosquito's for about 3-5 hours. BUT...at the end of the day, DEET is a chemical and over use can potentially harm us. Our skin is very porous and anything we put on our skin will be absorbed. BUT....there are natural ways to help with the nuance of itching and redness from bites, so here are a few suggestions:

- As funny as it may seem, mosquito's love the color black. So if your prone to getting bitten, avoid wearing black!
- Taking a high dose of B vitamins, particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine) helps to repel these little buggers! B vitamins get excreted through our urine and skin so our sweat and moisture combined with this vitamin help to repel them. 100mg to 200mg should do the trick.
- Apple cider vinegar mixed with a little water can be applied directly to the bite and will help with itching and redness.
- Take homeopathic Apis Mellifica 30CH to help with any swelling or allergic reactions to insect bites. You can also find apis gel to apply topically for the relief of pain and itching
- Rubbing alittle bit of lemongrass oil on your skin works as a great repellent
- Tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils are natural mosquito repellents as well and can also be applied to bites.
-Calendula cream/gel is also a great topical treatment for irritation caused by bites and also great as a first aid for cuts, wounds and abrasions, as well as for sunburns.
-StingStop is a gel you can find in most health food stores that contains citronella and is great for itch and pain as well as for cold sores.
-And lastly, if you're out in the woods and are getting eaten alive and don't have anything to apply to your bites, you can pick up some plantain (which grows almost everywhere). You would pick a few leaves, chew it....yes...chew it.....and once it becomes a mushy paste in your mouth you can apply it to your bites to stop the itch. It works like magic and because I spend a lot of time outside in the garden, I use plantain often! Plantain is also great for cuts or wounds. Here's a picture of what it looks like so you can familiarize yourself with plantain before you go chewing some random weed! So I hope this info helps you and your family stay free of mosquito bites this summer so you can enjoy doing more activities and less scratching!!!

Soaking up some D!!

I'm sure we're all enjoying the sunshine(minus the few rainy days)!! I can't wait for it to get super hot- so I can soak up some rays and get my tan on! There is just something about sitting in the sun that truly revitalizes you...and that's thanks to all the vitamin D! But I can't help but noticed how cautious everyone is about being in the sun and the slathering of sunscreen every 30mins!! So.....I think it's about time we get our facts straight about the benefits of vitamin D and how so many of us our lacking this vital nutrient.

Most of us know that Vitamin D is essential in helping us to maintain health bones, and in children, it is especially important for proper growth and bone development. Since it is a fat soluble vitamin, it actually acts more of a hormone in our body than a vitamin. Studies show how important it is for pregnant mothers to supplement with D since it aids in the development of the immune system. Lack of this nutrient can cause an increase risk of autoimmune disorders. One study showed that children supplementing with 2000IU of vitamin D in the first year of life were 80% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes!!

So how much D do we need? Spending 15-20 minutes everyday in the sun will help you synthesize anywhere from 10,000 - 20,000 IU of D, WITHOUT SUNSCREEN! Your body cannot synthesize vitamin D if you are wearing sunscreen. I recommend that you ask your Doctor for a vitamin D test (25-hydroxy test)to measure your vitamin D levels so you can than gauge how much vitamin D you really need. Most Doctors are recommending supplementation of only 1000IU which I personally think is too low! If I can't get outside I take anywhere from 3000-5000IU a day with my fish oil in the morning. It's best taking your D with some fat since it is a fat soluble vitamin. But again...get tested so you know how much to take!

So what about sunscreen? It's very important to shield yourself from the sun, especially if you have very fair skin. You definitely do not want to burn your skin, as this can pre maturely age your skin and cause a lot of oxidative damage. Wearing large brimmed hats, sitting under the shade, wearing long sleeves; these are all great sun shielders! I get very weary with all the sunscreen's out on the market. Have you ever read the ingredients?! The toxic ingredients! I'd rather not put that on my skin, and there are some great natural sun screens out there by ALBA, BADGER and DESERT ESSENCE ORGANICS. If you ever do burn your skin, make some green tea and rub the tea bag over your burn. The antioxidants from the tea help protect your skin from further damage. Aloe is also a great burn soother as it can actually seep through 3 epidermal layers of skin to regenerate new skin cells. And who says you need to spend your money on expensive creams!

So go soak up some immune supportive, bone building vitamin D and enjoy the summer months!