Good Works Wellness

2012-05-17T11:20:00.002-04:00

Hello! I am excited to announce I have imported all my blog posts into my redesigned website. I will no longer be posting here, so please join me there!

You can find my website at: http://goodworkswellness.com

Visit my new blog at: http://goodworkswellness.com/blog.

Please also check out my Products page for information on the books I've written:
http://goodworkswellness.com/products

For information on hiring me to speak at your next conference or event, visit:
http://goodworkswellness.com/speaking-engagements/

It was a privilege and an honor to blog here, but I am excited to be moving upward. I hope you will join me at my new permanent home. Thanks so much for your support!

Follow me on Twitter at: @IndyHealer or to like my Facebook page: Good Works Wellness.

Planting Orchards in the Midst of Change

2012-03-09T14:19:00.004-05:00

Hello! I am excited to announce I have imported all my blog posts into my redesigned website. I will no longer be posting here, so please join me there! You can find my website at: http://goodworkswellness.com

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This post is being written with a heavy, although hopeful, heart and is penned in absolute shock. Yesterday, my employer informed me that his new business model can no longer support my services...

This post can be read in its entirety at: http://goodworkswellness.com/planting-orchards-in-the-midst-of-change/

Stretching the Body, Stretching the Mind

2012-02-27T19:10:00.003-05:00

Please visit my permanent website to view other valuable posts on natural health and healing: http://goodworkswellness.com

I am incredibly blessed to share this guest post by Josh Humble. Josh's commitment to health and to supporting his friends has always impressed me, so I am honored to share his wisdom with you. (On a side note, I welcome guest posts. Please contact me if you'd like to share a post.)

Stretching the Body, Stretching the Mind

Disclaimer: This article is merely suggestive, and the advice given is not meant to cure or treat ailments, disorders, or serious medical problems. Please see a qualified doctor and/or certified personal trainer before implementing a stretching program.

by joshhumble

We all know we should exercise, drink plenty of water, get proper rest, and refrain from sitting too long. However, many consider daily stretching essential, as well. From professional athletes and MMA fighters, to yogis and the elderly, planned daily stretches keeps one flexible and less injury-prone during everyday activity, and into old age. Stretching also combats stress and relieves muscular tension so common today.

An obstacle most beginners face in any fitness program is muscle and joint tightness. The long and short-term benefits of daily stretching, even for those least athletic, is rewarding. Despite our increasing lifespans, we become less mobile and pro-efficient with age. So along with proper diet, rest, and exercise, stretching helps prevent the gradual lifetime lockup, aliments, and the aches and pains associated with aging. While there are various kinds of stretching, I like to reserve a 10-20 minute session to close the day, SEPARATE from athletic activity, for static stretching. Static stretching DOES NOT replace dynamic stretching done before and after workout, but can be a good supplement to your goals. A few benefits include:

● increased range of motion and mobility

● potential stress relief and decreased physical tension

● increased circulation and better posture

● potential chronic pain relief

More than Simply Stretching

As relaxation is REQUIRED to make our stretches effective while avoiding injury, there can be a dual purpose to our static stretch sessions - finding that “alone time ” we complain of not having anymore. Doing nothing for a brief moment of the day is a timeless best practice for mental clarity. Instead of multitasking with a book or the iPad, our stretching session can be used to stretch the body AND the mind. Other than good form and being aware of our body’s senses, it’s best to think of nothing else in our session. It’s a mental refresh, and some use this time for spiritual practice, praying, or just a meditative mindset. Whatever you find in this, it’s YOUR time to do “nothing,” except recover and refresh.

Making It Yours

It’s VERY important to seek council from your doctor and a personal trainer before beginning, as stretching improperly can cause injury, or make a condition worse. As such, I’m not going to advise specific techniques. However, once you’ve established your direction, a few general tips:

Depending on your goals and abilities, you could begin with upper body stretches from the neck, down to the midsection (core) and arms, then down to the legs.
While pre-exercise dynamic stretches may be held for around 30 seconds, static stretching might be held for 1-2 minutes or longer, depending on your tension.
Just like cardio and weightlifting, stretches become easier over time. You should gently push your stretches further, little by little, until you’ve hit your maximum range of motion.
Don’t bounce. Relax and pay attention to your body.

In Conclusion

I find combining proper stretching with the clearing of the mind to be a brief, yet vital part of the day, and it’s quite missed if skipped. Once you make it “yours,” you may feel the same as well.

Resources

Livestrong.com - Daily Stretches

About.com Physical Therapy - Stretching 101

MayoClinic.com - Stretching: Focus On Flexibility

RobertsonTrainingSystems.com – Hardcore Stretching, Part 2

About Me, Josh Humble

Hello - I’m an interaction designer, social media strategist, and copy editor for TKO Graphix by day, and a practitioner of the Budo arts at night. I also photograph headshots independently for Indianapolis businesses. I occasionally write for TKO’s Brandwire blog, and more frequently, my blog. Keeping fit and functional as a way of life is 100% passion and 100% necessity for me. I love learning and sharing with others, always looking to improve. Follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on LinkedIn.

My First Hypnosis Session - Dispelling Myths

2012-02-22T17:14:00.001-05:00

I am excited to share that I had my first session of hypnosis yesterday. Let me say that I was somewhat skeptical of hypnosis and had some concerns about it, so I spent a significant amount of time researching the scientific foundations of hypnosis. I reached a point where I was very comfortable with the science and very much looking forward to my first session. Before I share what I experienced, let me take a moment to dispel a few myths about hypnosis:

Hypnosis has no scientific foundation and is purely "new age:" We've all seen parodies of hypnosis where a person is put into a "hypnotic state" and is then made to do things that are degrading or absurd. This is, quite frankly, impossible, because you cannot be forced to do anything you don't agree to. Hypnosis is a highly scientific procedure that focuses on helping the left side of your brain, the logical side, communicate more clearly with the right side of your brain, which is the emotional side. I've over-simplified that explanation, but that premise is the foundation of hypnosis. Hypnotism has over 200 years of scientific research to verify its validity. Certified hypnotists spend a significant amount of time learning about the brain and how messages are communicated throughout the brain. They also learn an extensive amount about the different types of brain waves that exist, when those brain waves most often occur, and what messages are communicated by each type of brain wave. Their training includes anatomical and physiological information. The goal of hypnosis is to create harmony between the right (emotional) and left (logical) hemispheres of the brain so that messages from each hemisphere don't conflict. A simple example of this would be that the left hemisphere knows that eating a banana split loaded with syrups and whipped cream is not healthy, yet the right hemisphere will very creatively argue against that knowledge and may use emotional triggers to win the battle. Let me share another great example of a situation for which hypnosis can be very helpful. Let's imagine someone who was bitten by a Chihuahua when they were a toddler. This person's rational brain knows the bite was a singular incident and that not all Chihuahuas are dangerous, yet the person's emotional brain retains an absolute terror of Chihuahuas that they carry into adulthood. In spite of the fact that we each want to believe our logical mind dictates our behavior, psychological research has proven our emotional brains control far more - as much as 90% - of our reactions and behaviors. In the case of the person who was bitten by a Chihuahua, they logically know they don't need to fear one on TV, but the strength of the emotional memory may override that logic and cause them to have a panic attack every time they see a Chihuahua on TV. Hypnosis can be used to soften the emotional response and to help the person replace the right brain's emotional, fearful responses and messages with the logical, comforting messages from the left side of the brain. Hypnosis is often used to create more positive behaviors, assist with the elimination of addictive behaviors, eliminate anxiety, eliminate irrational fears, create a more positive response to negative situations, relieve stress, eliminate negative thought patterns, etc. There are also situations where hypnosis can be used to diminish physical issues. Many hospitals in the US are starting to embrace hypnosis and to use it to diminish pain following surgery, to help terminal cancer patients, to assist with weight loss, and in a variety of other applications.
Hypnosis can make you do things you don't want to: Nothing could be further from the truth. During a hypnosis session, you are 100% coherent, aware and in control. There is no way you could be made to do something you don't want to. It is not "brainwashing." During a hypnosis session, you can actually interrupt if you feel a suggestion has been made which conflicts with your personal moral compass. I can't imagine a situation involving a Certified Hypnotist where that would be necessary, but you always have total control and are completely aware of your surroundings and of what suggestions are being made to help you change your behaviors. The hypnotic state is nothing more than a highly relaxed state that helps make you more receptive to positive suggestions. The highly relaxed state also allows messages to flow more freely between both sides of your brain, and creates an openness to paying more attention to the positive messages you receive from your brain than to any negative messages. However, your conscious mind is still very active, so if you were to receive a suggestion you didn't want to accept, you could easily resist it and reject it. The stage shows that use hypnosis for entertainment are just that ... staged performances with no scientific foundation. I also want to state very clearly that hypnotism is not a "magic bullet" that removes all personal responsibility. Receiving hypnotism therapy doesn't "program" your behavior and make you an automaton, it simply helps you make better choices on a daily basis. Additionally, a qualified hypnotist will never make a suggestion that would cause you physical harm. For example, if someone is trying to quit smoking, they will never be given the suggestion that they will become physically ill every time they are exposed to a cigarette. That type of suggestion would be ethically and morally wrong. Most of us would immediately reject such a suggestion because the damage could be extreme. If you are ever in a situation where someone claims to offer hypnosis but makes suggestions that you disagree with or which could create physical harm, stop the session, fire that person, and move on. This brings up my next point ...
Hypnotism is quackery: I've already stated that hypnotism relies on a strong scientific foundation. It is important to choose a therapist who has received substantial training from a qualified school. There are practitioners out there who have not received proper training and who use unethical methods. There are multiple schools in the US who offer strong scientific training in hypnosis which results in a nationally recognized certification. My recommendation is to thoroughly research your practitioner. Find out what training s/he received and which certification(s) they hold. Also ask to have a preliminary "get to know you" meeting with the practitioner to determine if you are comfortable with him or her.
Only certain people are open to hypnotism: If we were honest, every single one of us has experienced a hypnotic state at some point. Pause for a moment and think about the last time you were overwhelmed after a long, hectic day at work and you arrived at home without any memory of driving home. You were in a hypnotic state at that point. Your mind was overwhelmed by the events of the day, and you became so focused on resolving those events that you allowed the information stored in your subconscious to handle the task of driving. That's an overly simplified example, but the premise is valid. Your focus on changing a situation became strong enough that you were able to rely on the information stored in your subconscious mind to accomplish the task at hand. Hypnosis helps create positive associations in your mind so that you can easily rely on those positive messages to guide behavior in your daily life. The person guiding your session will provide positive suggestions that you will grow to rely on to help make better choices on a daily basis. Research shows that the only people who absolutely cannot be hypnotized are those who lack sufficient IQ to understand the hypnotism process and to desire the change.

Ok ... now I'll share how my session went. I saw my friend, Paula Presnoples (http://urpath.net, 317-987-7378) who is a Certified Hypnotist with extensive experience and training. One of the things I love about Paula is that her first session with every client is free. She devotes the first session to explaining the scientific foundation of hypnosis and to learning more about the person and the habits or thought patterns the person wants to change. She addresses everything from a scientific perspective and knows more about psychology, brain waves and the anatomy of the brain than anyone I know. She also "gets" the fact that many of our behaviors are created by emotions and she takes time to help the person recognize potential origins of their issue and to explain how the sessions will help change how the person deals with the issue.

Paula explained that much of hypnosis relies on metaphors. The hypnotist creates an image that represents a physical or emotional state, and then helps the client imagine ways to improve and maintain the metaphor. This creates a strong image in the subconscious that the brain can automatically rely on to help change behavior. The use of metaphors and imagined images also makes it possible for the person to create their own interpretation of the issue and the solution. They are not "programmed" to think a certain way, but are given a situation to imagine and are then given full leeway to allow their mind to create an image they can relate and respond to. (This is similar to how we are sometimes able to solve a problem or recognize the cause of an emotional issue during a dream. Our subconscious works with our past experiences to analyze the issue and present a solution using a metaphor encased in a dream.) The metaphor used depends on the situation being addressed. In my case, I wanted to focus on eliminating negative thought patterns and beliefs that sometimes limit my ability to recognize my gifts and to accept blessings.

I confess I assumed my strong-willed mind would resist hypnosis. I asked Paula about that, and she used a very simple exercise to test my suggestibility. Her exercise involved placing my index fingers about an inch apart. She then casually commented that I would feel my fingers start to move toward each other and eventually touch. My fingers immediately moved. Rest assured that I was not in a hypnotic state, but her suggestion did affect my body's response - even though I was determined to resist. This exercise not only helped her judge how well I would receive hypnosis, but also helped me recognize I could be hypnotized. Paula commented that the most intelligent people are often the most easily hypnotized, primarily because they don't have high levels of fear related to hypnosis and because they grasp the scientific foundation of hypnosis. I'm not suggesting that's why I proved to be highly receptive to a neutral suggestions, I'm merely sharing what Paula recognizes as a fact. :)

We then started the session. She started by walking me through some simple breathing exercises that helped induce a relaxed state. I eventually became relaxed enough that I closed my eyes. She then began walking me through a process that helped me imagine my body becoming increasingly relaxed and releasing tensions from head to toe. She then talked me through another imagination process designed to increase my state of relaxation. In this case, she told me to imagine walking down a stone stairway. I don't know why the stairway was stone, but I suspect the suggestion was designed to draw me into a deeper state of relaxation as I focused on creating an image that was not very common and which was highly detailed. I was still 100% coherent and aware, as I was during every stage of the session. When I reached a state of sufficient relaxation of body and mind, Paula talked me through an imagination exercise during which I imagined a garden being fed, watered, and nourished by God's love. This metaphor was used and broadened, and she talked me through a process where I became aware of weeds growing in the garden and took personal responsibility for removing them. Throughout the session, she also explained the meaning of each part of the metaphor and made suggestions that helped me take responsibility for negative thoughts and behaviors. This portion of the session also provided suggestions that allow me to trade negative behaviors and thought patterns for very positive ones.

After working through the complete metaphor, Paula began to bring me out of the relaxed state. She brought me out very slowly and very gently. I was surprised that at one point my hands began to tingle, and shortly after that she commented that my hands would be tingling. If I had any lingering doubts about the value and credibility of hypnosis, they disappeared at that point because I experienced the tingling before the suggestion was made. When she brought me out of the state of relaxation, I opened my eyes and felt incredibly relaxed. I felt as if I'd had a great night's sleep. I was very peaceful and felt an intense joy, but did not feel overly hyped. It was a very peaceful experience start to finish.

Paula finished the session by giving me a recording of the session on a thumb drive (she offers the recordings on CDs, too) and recommended that I listen to it daily. I listened to the session today. I can't say that I reached the same level of relaxation, but the recording still evoked a very peaceful state that made me feel very rested when it ended. I also noticed that my imagination of the metaphor became much more detailed and involved today. Instead of merely picking out the negative weeds, I found myself spreading mulch to prevent future weeds from growing. I found that fascinating and now look forward to seeing how the metaphor expands from there.

I do want to share that I am a Christian and I fully appreciate that some Christians are hesitant to embrace hypnotism because they feel it is an ungodly or demonic practice. My response to that is quite simply that God created our brains and created the different levels of consciousness and the different types of brain waves we have. Hypnotism has a strong scientific basis that relies on research done on these God-created features of our brain. No part of the hypnotism process is at all spiritual - it is 100% based on the acknowledgement that past experiences can influence our current reactions to situations. It also does not remove God from the equation. In my case, I relied on God to guide my session and I prayed throughout the session. I felt very comfortable with every aspect of it. This is, of course, merely my opinion, but I found multiple bible verses which support my conclusions.

Have you every tried hypnosis? What did you think? Please share!

Top 10 Foods You'll Never Find in My Kitchen

2012-02-13T18:15:00.000-05:00

Hello! I am excited to announce I have imported all my blog posts into my redesigned website. I will no longer be posting here, so please join me there! You can find this post at: http://goodworkswellness.com/top-10-foods-youll-never-find-in-my-kitchen/

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One question I get asked fairly frequently is, "What do you eat?" That is a great question, so I thought I'd start by sharing what I don't eat...

This article can be read in its entirety at: http://goodworkswellness.com/top-10-foods-youll-never-find-in-my-kitchen/

My Letter to Paula Deen

2012-01-21T12:19:00.009-05:00

Please note: This letter is a satire. It is not intended to be taken literally, so please do not. This letter has a higher purpose and makes a point. Please do not take this letter literally. Thank you.

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Dear Paula,

I just wanted to send a quick note to congratulate you on your diabetes diagnosis. I'm so happy for you! Your choice to hide your diagnosis from the general public was absolutely brilliant from a business perspective. You obviously can't let those morons in the general public realize that the high-carb, high fat delights you create could be bad for them, right? Absolutely brilliant to hide your diagnosis until you could make a huge profit off of it. Let's face it, you were never in this business to help people, it's all about making money, right? Those idiots who think you should use this opportunity to be a "role model" must be insane. I mean, seriously ... changing your cooking style to include healthier ingredients would NEVER make as much money as you'll make being the spokesperson for a diabetes medication whose side effects are already causing concern, right? What the heck are they thinking?

I loved the interview you did where you said you won't change the way you cook and eat. Be a role model and potentially inspire the other 30 million diabetics in the US to make positive changes? Hell no, right? Embracing your type 2 diabetes instead of trying to reverse it as over 300,000 other suckers have just doesn't make sense. Why bother changing how you eat when you can shoot up instead?

It was also brilliant that you started with a medication that costs $500 dollars per month and is injectable instead of promoting less expensive medications with fewer side effects. Brilliant planning, because you'll soon be able to be a spokesperson for insulin shots and insulin pumps since the way you're eating and living pretty much guarantees you'll soon graduate to full-blown Type 1 Diabetes. Awesome planning on your part. Absolutely awesome. Why settle for being a spokesperson for a low-dollar oral med when you can easily promote a far more invasive medication that costs twenty times as much and was found to cause thyroid tumors and thyroid cancers during clinical trials?

Best of all, your choice to embrace diabetes instead of trying to reverse it will now provide ample opportunity to gain other lucrative celebrity endorsement contracts. Since you refuse to change your eating habits, exercise or stop to think about the fact your high-carb diet caused your disease, you will soon be able to get endorsements from dialysis centers, artificial limb companies, and groups that sponsor assistance dogs for the blind. It is another brilliant business move to turn kidney failure, amputation and blindness from diabetic retinopathy into a means of growing your huge financial empire. When the pain from diabetic neuropathy becomes too severe to allow you to stand in front of a camera, you can get even more endorsements for narcotic pain relievers since none work well enough to allow people with neuropathy to live pain-free. Absolutely brilliant! It would just be silly to use your wealth to hire a personal trainer or a personal chef who could teach you how to eat in a way that might eliminate your chance to get those endorsements. Your brilliant business acumen is a model of manipulative efficiency. Kudos.

Thanks so much for encouraging other people with type 2 diabetes to completely ignore what their doctors and diabetic educators are telling them. Screw that, right? Just do what you want and gain more endorsements! Well, all the "little people" will gain is loss of sight, kidney failure, intense pain and death, but you can't be bothered by that, can you? You have a business empire to run, after all.

Thanks for being such a great business role model to other women entrepreneurs. When we hear of your death a few short years from now, we promise to send gorgeous flowers while we shake our heads and say we knew it would happen. It's good to die rich, isn't it?

Sincerely,

A cynical but unsurprised non-fan

Note to readers: Before you start sending comments about how my letter to Paula lacks compassion, let me clarify that I've had Type 1 diabetes longer than most of you have been alive (almost 50 years), and I've personally helped 100s of people reverse diabetes and get off all meds. News of her diagnosis genuinely broke my heart. However, one thing I've learned in years of professional practice is that you can't help someone who won't help themselves. Paula had a chance to make lifestyle changes and greatly decrease her need for the injectable medication she's endorsing, but she instead chose to embrace the profit she could earn by being a pharmaceutical spokesperson. The medication she's endorsing has already caused issues during its clinical trials and was found to cause thyroid tumors and thyroid cancers. I won't apologize for my sarcasm. I feel Paula's choice to continue eating a horrible, high-carb diet may influence others to ignore the advice of their medical professional and eat the same way they see her cook. It could have devastating effects.

Natural Lifestyle Approaches for Relieving Pain

2012-01-20T17:25:00.004-05:00

This post was moved to my permanent website. It may be viewed in its entirety at: http://goodworkswellness.com/natural-lifestyle-approaches-for-relieving-pain/

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One of the most common problems I hear is "I ache from head to toe," or "I have constant pain." This is heartbreaking because chronic pain affects quality of life, may cause impaired sleep and is one of the leading causes of depression...

This post was moved to my permanent website. It may be viewed in its entirety at: http://goodworkswellness.com/natural-lifestyle-approaches-for-relieving-pain/

My Review of So Delicious's Holiday Drinks

2011-12-23T14:26:00.000-05:00

For more current natural health information, please visit my website: Good Works Welness

I was very excited this year to hear that So Delicious, one of the dairy-free brands of Turtle Mountain, was launching two new holiday flavors: Nog and Mint Chocolate. Since I won't touch soy or anything containing it with a ten-foot straw, for years I have wished there were healthier alternatives available to good ol' eggnog, for which I have a huge weakness. The rice nog options have a good taste, but are too thin and watery to be a suitable substitution for me. So, I picked up a few cartons of both flavors of the So Delicious holiday flavors and have been "playing" ever since. For the record. So Delicious did not provide any product to me for free, so you can rest assured that this post is 100%, brutally honest. (As all my posts are.) I've included links back to pages on their website simply because I think it makes sense to go to the source when seeking information on ingredients.

The saddest note of this review is that the holiday flavors are available for a limited time, so once they're gone this year we'll have to wait until next year to enjoy them again.

I've always been impressed with the ethics and philosophy of So Delicious. Their coconut products are all Non-GMO certified, many of their products are free of the top eight food allergens, and most of the Turtle Mountain products have received one or more of other certifications such as Gluten Free, Kosher, Vegan, Organic and Pas Yisrael. The company puts a high priority on using quality ingredients that are safe. You can read more about the ingredients they use (and don't use) on their Ingredient Facts page.

Overall, I was impressed by the flavor of both the Nog and Mint Chocolate flavors. Comments and reactions from my testers and nutritional information for each follows, along with information on how we used the two products. I also share a few recipes created by others at the end of this post. Their creativity is amazing!

Nog Flavor: Of all the people that tasted the Nog, the most common response was, "Wow. This tastes great, but is really coconutty!" I'm not sure why we were surprised that a coconut nog tastes like coconuts, but we were. (The Mint Chocolate flavor has no coconut flavor at all.) The coconut flavor in the Nog is not overwhelming and adds a nice undernote.

The Nog has a really good flavor that comes very close to the taste of traditional eggnog. It is also nice and thick. This nog is the closest in taste and consistency to traditional eggnog that I've ever tried. I was impressed! The Nog is fantastic in coffee and one of my testers commented that it also blends well with rum, vodka, tequila and liqueurs. (Hmmm, now wondering if we need to schedule an intervention for her! LOL) Not sure if it's significant or not, but Ginger the Wonder Dog also loved it and begged for more after being accidentally treated to some I spilled on the floor. The good news is the Nog does not contain any sugar substitutes and therefore does not contain Xylitol, which can be toxic to dogs. (Please protect your canine friends from products containing Xylitol, as it can cause rapid liver failure and death if dogs consume it.)

I made French toast using the Nog combined with eggs and a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg and it was a huge hit. (If you prefer, So Delicious has a vegan, egg-free recipe for Holiday Nog French Toast. Click the link to view it.) I also think it's safe to assume the Holiday Nog would be a suitable substitution for regular eggnog in any recipe that calls for it.

Nutritional Breakdown: One half cup of the Nog contains 90 calories, 30 of which come from healthy fat, and 0 milligrams of cholesterol. (One half-cup of regular eggnog made with whole milk contains 180 calories, 70 from fat, and 65 mg of cholesterol.) A half cup of Nog contains 15 grams of carbohydrates and 0 grams of protein. (Regular eggnog contains 21 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein per half cup.) Overall, the coconut Nog is far healthier than regular eggnog, but at 15g of carbs per half cup still needs to be consumed with care by anyone with blood sugar or insulin-resistance issues.

The ingredients listed on the carton of the Nog flavor are: Organic Coconut Milk (water, organic coconut cream), organic dried cane syrup, natural flavors, annatto for color, kosher sea salt, carrageenan, guar gum, locust bean gum, spices (nutmeg). Note that So Delicious does not use a guar gum sourced from corn, so this product should be safe for those with corn allergies. The product's thick consistency is from the carrageenan (a seaweed thickener), guar gum and locust bean gum. Anyone with a carrageenan sensitivity obviously needs to avoid this product. Annatto is a very common natural food coloring made from the seeds of the Achiote tree. Although So Delicious uses a high-quality Annatto and sensitivities are unusual, some people are sensitive to Annatto.

Mint Chocolate Flavor: With one exception, everyone who tasted the Mint Chocolate flavor loved it. The one dissenting vote said she felt the mint flavor tasted "fake" and like mouthwash. So Delicious only uses natural flavors (truly natural, not faked), so I was surprised by this reaction but appreciated her honesty. No one else felt the flavor was odd, and most couldn't get enough of this flavor! The Mint Chocolate flavor also blended well with coffee and "the lush" commented it blends well with booze, especially Kahlua, Bailey's and Peppermint Schnaaps. This flavor was also delicious served hot, especially with a candy cane as a garnish.

One enterprising tester put an entire carton of the Mint Chocolate flavor in her ice cream maker and said it tasted so good she refused to share the resulting ice cream with her family. No one tested the Holiday Nog flavor in an ice cream maker, but I'm going to assume it would also make delicious ice cream. Playing with making ice cream from both flavors and adding various ingredients would be a lot of fun, but time didn't allow it this year.

I made French toast with the Mint Chocolate flavor, but didn't think it was as good as that made with the Nog. I confess I wasn't creative and merely blended eggs with the Mint Chocolate drink. I think there's potential there for a fantastic Mint Chocolate French toast recipe, but I didn't have the time or the ingredients needed to pursue this.

Nutritional Breakdown: One half cup of the Mint Chocolate drink contains only 50 calories, 20 of which come from fat, and 0 milligrams of cholesterol. A half cup of Mint Chocolate contains 7 grams of carbohydrates (a half serving) and 0 grams of protein. The Mint Chocolate flavor is again far healthier than regular eggnog and is a better option for anyone with blood sugar or insulin-resistance issues. Overall, it's a fairly "guilt-free" option!

The ingredients listed on the carton of the Mint Chocolate flavor are: Organic Coconut Milk (water, organic coconut cream), organic dried cane syrup, cocoa (processed with alkali), natural flavors, sea salt, carrageenan, guar gum, locust bean gum, Reb A (stevia extract), monk fruit. (See my comments on the Nog flavor for some of these ingredients.) I think it's interesting the Nog flavor lists "kosher sea salt," but the Mint Chocolate simply lists "sea salt." Whether the salts used are truly different or if this is simply the result of a wording difference is a mystery. I honestly wish they used cocoa that was not processed with alkali, but the amount contained in the product is very tiny. Alkali is used to make the cocoa less bitter, less acidic, and to change its color. My preference is to use pure cacao powder (far less processed), but - again - the amount of alkali found in the final product is very, very tiny. I also wish they had used a plain stevia extract instead of using the FDA-approved Reb A which is highly chemically processed, but legal issues and costs may have impacted the company's decision to use the Reb A. Monk fruit is a fruit that is very sweet and which can be used instead of sugar. I approve of its use to reduce the amount of cane sugar used.

Recipes: I haven't tried these recipes, but they look wonderful enough to share. I also don't know any of the bloggers who created these recipes, but am happy to share what appear to be very creative options.

Chocolate Hazelnut Eggnog Pie
Pumpkin Nog Pancakes (Gluten-free)

Have you tried these holiday flavors? What did you think? Please share!

The First Stocking Party After

2011-12-19T18:31:00.002-05:00

This is not a post about natural health. It's a post about celebrating and grieving. My apologies if you wanted something else. I promise to return to the norm next post.

Yesterday, we had our first Stocking Party without my Dad. Our family stocking parties originated after my parents divorced. My Dad hated not being able to see us and be with us on Christmas morning, so he started this annual tradition that has grown and evolved through the years. It is now our main Christmas celebration and is my absolute favorite. What makes it so special is that it is a tradition that grew out of love, it is incredibly unique, and it is and always was purely ours.

What is a "Stocking Party"? It is pure fun!The entire family gathers to spend the day celebrating. The focus of the party is that we each stuff a "stocking" for every member of the family. We used actual stockings in the past, but now use paper grocery bags labeled with our names because the stocking stuffers simply won't fit in a typical stocking. I can't describe how much fun it is to shop for the Stocking Party. Whether we find the perfect gag gift, or find something so unique we know the recipient will love it, finding the perfect stuffers for each person is a ton of fun.

Some years everyone gets serious items, but most years the stuffers are a combination of funny gifts and miscellaneous inexpensive gadgets and goodies. Through the years, the shopping process has evolved to the point that I think we each try to find the most unusual gifts possible. (One year, my dad received more than one gift having a "poop" theme and stopped the party to loudly ask why he didn't get the memo informing him of that year's theme.) Most of us start picking up stocking stuffers as soon as we finish this year's Stocking Party, although I confess that a last-minute shopping trip to fill in gaps has become a tradition that I treasure.

We're up to 14 family members, but this year it was really strange to not buy stuffers for my Dad and to not see his overflowing "stocking" tucked in among everyone else's. Since the Stocking Party was his creation, I think we each took special care to find extra special goodies to stuff in his stocking. I had already picked out a few things for him when he died, so I passed them along to my husband as quickly as I could. I didn't want that reminder lingering.

This year we changed things up a bit. We didn't do anything traditional related to food or other holiday trappings. I made chicken curry and everyone brought several toppings. We also invited my mom to join us. Having the complete family present was wonderful. She and my Dad's wife get along great, so it seemed very natural to expand our circle to include her this year.

I wasn't sure what to expect this year. I was kind of dreading this year's party because I feared we would all find it difficult to not focus on the fact Dad wasn't with us. Instead, the exact opposite occurred. We spent the day laughing and enjoying each other's company just as we always have. We enjoyed fond memories of my Dad but spoke of him with joy instead of sadness. Was he missed? Of course, but it was a sadness tinged with joy. I'm sure that as we move forward our joy will increase. The entire day was incredibly joyful. I'm so thankful for that.

My wish for you this holiday season, regardless of what you celebrate or what form your celebration takes, is that your celebrations are filled with joy and love. May God richly bless you and yours!

Keep It Simple, Smarty!

2011-12-12T12:05:00.003-05:00

For more recent natural health information, please visit my permanent website, Good Works Wellness.

I recently chatted with a woman* who commented she was AFRAID to eat due to fears poured into her head about food dangers by other practitioners. I don't deny that our food system is filled with many toxins, but eating should be a enjoyable experience that invokes pleasurable feelings, not fear. I feel it is absolutely criminal for a practitioner to put a burden of fear on a client instead of empowering them to make good choices for their particular situation. Choosing a healthy eating plan should be simple, not require memorization of complex criteria.

There are many highly complicated, extreme eating programs being promoted at any given time. Following are a few guidelines to follow when creating or choosing an eating style for yourself:

You're not a cookie, so don't expect a cookie cutter plan to work: Plans that propose everyone should eat the exact same foods in the exact same combinations do not work and are very misguided. Each person's body chemistry is wonderfully unique. There is no single eating style that is perfect for everyone. Each style must be "tweaked" to fit your own personal needs. Just because a specific style worked for one person does not mean it will work for every person worldwide.
Focus on the positive: Ten years ago, I received results of a food allergy test that truly changed my life. The test identified FIFTEEN food allergies, most of which were to foods we all associate with comfort and pleasure. Instead of focusing on the fifteen foods and ingredients I could NOT eat, I chose to focus on the two million other foods I COULD eat and on the fact that eliminating those foods would improve my health in ways nothing else had. I work with many people who must eliminate specific foods and products from their eating habits due to allergies, illnesses, psychological challenges, and other issues. It is perfectly normal to go through a grieving period after being told you need to eliminate foods from your lifestyle. Food and emotions have a link that cannot be severed, so let yourself grieve for a short time, get help figuring out how to make the changes you need to, and then move on. I often find people become so obsessed with the foods they can't eat that they fail to remember all the foods they can eat. I also find that some people feel food is such an important source of joy they cannot imagine having any quality of life without eating certain foods every day. They are living to eat instead of eating to live. If you find you need to eliminate certain foods, focus on the benefits you will gain from avoiding those foods and choose to find joy in experimenting with new foods instead of focusing on the foods you cannot eat. Make your transition positive and focus on the benefits instead of choosing to focus on the negative.
Don't ignore the obvious: Related to the point I made above, if you know you respond poorly to a certain food, don't eat it. Whether you've been diagnosed with a food allergy or not. Seems simple and makes sense, right? You wouldn't believe how many people tell me* they know a certain food causes negative side effects but they keep eating it because they "just can't live without it." If you've been diagnosed with food allergies or know a certain food causes a negative reaction, please stop eating that food. If you don't know why a food is causing a negative reaction, find someone who will help you dig deeper to identify why the food causes the reaction it does. Related to food allergies, some people can reintroduce food allergens in small, infrequent quantities after completely avoiding them for a year, but you must work with a qualified practitioner before attempting to reintroduce a food you know you're allergic to. This does not, of course, apply to people with Celiac.

Here's a simple way to help yourself make good decisions at every meal: Before choosing to eat foods that may have a questionable effect on your health, ask yourself whether or not the food you're getting ready to eat will help you or hurt you. Be honest. If the food is going to hurt you or cause a negative reaction, try to choose something else instead.
Avoid any eating plan that requires supplementation: Yes, I realize that it is almost impossible to get sufficient vitamins and minerals out of commercially produced produce because our soil has become so depleted and because CAFO farming practices change the chemical content of meats. I get that. However, there are some eating styles that absolutely require taking vitamin supplements because it is impossible to get certain nutrients from the food restrictions the eating plan includes. This also applies to diet plans that put extreme restrictions on caloric intake. (Please see How I Gained Weight by Eating More for more info on this topic.) I'm a firm believer that we should be able to get every nutrient we need from food and should only need supplementation when a systemic weakness requires it. Following an eating style that requires supplementation in order to maintain good health just doesn't make sense to me. Why purposely subject yourself to a vitamin deficiency that will have negative health effects? Yes, vegans, I'm talking to you. It is a myth that sufficient B12 can be gained from seaweed, so eating a vegan diet absolutely requires taking a B12 supplement. I used to be vegan, so I'm not passing judgment, I'm merely sharing one of the reasons I returned to a more balanced eating style. I know my opinion will generate a slew of controversy. Can we please agree to disagree and choose to love each other and respect each other's choices instead of arguing about it? Again, I'm sharing my personal belief and experience, not casting judgment. I want you to be healthy!
Eat real food: You knew this was coming. Stick to whole, real foods instead of eating food that contains more chemicals than nutrition. Avoid food in a box, foods that have synthetic vitamins added, and food that has been highly processed. Eating real foods means you receive more nutrition in a form your body can easily absorb and means your body won't have to work hard to eliminate the toxins you've consumed. This means sticking to organic whole grains, meats, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. "Organic" is the key word in that previous sentence. Please try to eat as much organic produce and animal products produced without the use of added hormones and antibiotics as possible. You may not be able to adhere to this guideline at every single meal, but if you adhere to it as much as possible you WILL see a difference in your health.

There you have it! Eating well should be simple, not complicated, and should focus on improving health instead of feeding cravings. It's just that simple.

*Please note that when I refer to people I have chatted with or spoken with, I'm referring to people in the public, not to patients and clients. I respect my patient privacy and do not discuss their health projects and concerns in my blog.

As always, none of these statements were evaluated by the FDA and none were intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please check with your health practitioner before making any major changes to lifestyle, medication or supplementation.

What Makes Me Different from Other Practitioners

2011-12-08T16:36:00.006-05:00

In the past few weeks, I've been asked a variety of questions that clearly showed I've done a poor job of explaining who I am and what I do. This post is an attempt to clarify that.

Following is a list of points that I believe positively distinguish me from other practitioners. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

Not opposed to mainstream medicine: Many people incorrectly believe I am opposed to all forms of mainstream medicine and pharmaceuticals. That is not true. There are many situations where mainstream treatments are necessary. What I am opposed to are violations of the first tenet of the Hippocratic Oath: "Do no harm." I see evidence of serious damage caused by medical doctors and/or pharmaceutical medications every single day in my office. THAT is what I'm opposed to. There are many situations where mainstream treatments are needed and are a huge blessing. It's the times they are used incorrectly or in ways that harm the patient that I'm opposed to. I embrace an approach where mainstream treatments are seamlessly combined with holistic approaches. I am blessed to work in a practice owned and operated by an MD (The Logan Institute) specializing in Internal Medicine which combines the best of both worlds in terms of (safe) mainstream treatments and holistic alternatives. For my private clients, I consult with their doctors to request blood work, recommend medication alternatives, provide information on non-invasive test procedures, etc. Many of my clients bring their test results and blood work results with them to every appointment so that I can review their results in a holistic fashion, explain the potential causes of abnormal results, and explain what the results mean in a way that's easily understood.
Belief in the body's ability to heal itself: I am a firm believer that all health conditions can be reversed and that the body is capable of healing itself of all conditions if given the support it requires. However, healing of extreme, chronic, long-term issues does not occur rapidly. Most chronic conditions require extreme dedication and commitment to changes in lifestyle, dietary habits and negative thought patterns to achieve wellness. Right now some of you are thinking, "What about ______? That CAN'T be healed!" I do not believe that. If you remove the blockages that are preventing healing, your body will heal. The "trick" is to dig deep enough to find all the blockages. I personally have had diabetes for almost 50 years, but still believe I can support my body so that it can heal itself. So far I've gone from taking 80+ units of insulin daily to needing less than 20. My pancreas has gone from not producing any insulin to producing insulin in small amounts. I'm not there ... yet ... but I'm on my way. The bottom line is that if you believe you cannot heal, you can't. Reversing the emotional blockages that make us cling to illness is essential for healing. My job is to help identify nutritional deficiencies, cellular damage, systemic weaknesses, toxic overloads, and negative thought patterns that are preventing the body from healing itself. I then work with you to create a plan to slowly but surely reverse those issues.
Dedication to finding the cause instead of masking the symptoms: I was in the corporate world during the "root cause analysis" phase of the continuous improvement movement. I apply this same approach to health care. Instead of trying to solely minimize your symptoms, I use a variety of assessment techniques to find the CAUSE of your issues. I then work with you to create a plan to address and reverse the cause, thereby eliminating the issue. Although I try to focus more on the cause than the symptoms, I will also recommend supplements and therapies to alleviate any symptoms which are negatively affecting your daily life and ability to function.
Compassion - I've been there: I can honestly give thanks that I spent ten years almost bedridden due to illness because it helps me relate to a very wide variety of symptoms and health conditions. It also provided exposure to a wide range of medical specialties and procedures. During my illness, I dealt with diabetes, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, depression, adrenal fatigue, chronic sinus problems, extreme food allergies, multiple autoimmune disorders, severe neurological disorders, cardiac abnormalities, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, debilitating anemia requiring IV therapy, malnourishment caused by malabsorption, environmental sensitivities, liver disease, poor kidney function, hormonal imbalances, GERD, hypertension, and more. I was incorrectly diagnosed with MS three times and cancer once. When a patient or client sits across from me and breaks down crying because he or she is frustrated and discouraged beyond the breaking point, I often cry with them because I've been there. I understand. I KNOW what it's like to be ill, to be sick and tired of being sick and tired, to do all the right things and get no results, to be too ill to function yet have "normal" test results, and what it's like to deal with doctors who ignore your symptoms, treat you disrespectfully or imply it's all in your head. I deeply feel their pain because I lived it. But ... I also know what it's like to heal. Of all the issues I listed above, I now only deal a few very minor ones. Healing happens. My goal during a consultation is to listen more than I talk, to address every single concern or symptom you have, and to provide encouragement and support. In the midst of that, my goal is to empower you with the knowledge you need to achieve wellness and the support you need to be successful in pursuing your goals. (I cover more about this in my post, Why I Do What I DO.)
Truly holistic approach: I work with my patients and clients to address any and all imbalances in body, mind and spirit. Wellness is not solely a physical issue, and most physical issues have a spiritual and/or emotional component. Solely addressing the physical side of an issue is similar to chopping off two legs of a three-legged stool. True balance cannot occur unless all three legs of the stool are healthy and whole. I use a variety of non-invasive but very effective techniques to help identify and address any issues that may be impeding healing.
Comprehensive remedies: After assessing the issues you are working on, I will work with you to create a holistic plan to address them. One of the things I believe sets me apart from others is that I work with you to create a plan instead of dictating a long list of do's and don'ts and then sending you on your way to do them. You are responsible for allowing your body to heal, I'm merely a support tool. I will meet you where you are. I will not overwhelm you with changes but will create a plan that allows you to make changes at your own pace while providing support and encouragement every step of the way. YOU are the only person responsible for your health. My job is to educate and empower you to make the right choices to improve your health on a daily basis. The remedies I recommend will be comprehensive and may include any (but not all) of the following: lifestyle changes, modifications to eating habits, supplements, hypnosis or EFT to address harmful habits, lymphatic therapies to boost immunity and speed healing, massage, acupuncture, Jin Shin Jyutsu (a Japanese art used to bring balance to body and mind), detoxification, balneotherapy, aromatherapy, Bach Flower Remedies, or specific protocols for health conditions that I customize to fit your needs. I NEVER use a "cookie cutter" approach. If you want an allopathic approach where the exact same supplement protocol is used to treat every condition, I will not be a good fit. I will work with you to create a very customized, very personal plan. What is right for you may not be right for anyone else, and that's ok. I also don't believe there is one, single dietary approach that is correct for everyone, nor do I believe extreme dietary habits are good. Again, I will work with you to develop a realistic eating plan that allows you to get the nutrition you need while providing your body with the building blocks it needs to heal itself. (For the record, I'm not raw or vegan. I support those lifestyles but typically encourage a more balanced approach.) On what may be an unrelated side note, I want to express to my Christian readers that I have no concern with the therapies I use being occult or satanic. Please ask me if you have any concerns with the origins or spiritual connections of any therapy. I'm happy to share the research I did that led me to accept the therapies.
Education, education, education: My role is to teach and equip you to help your body heal itself. I do that by working one-on-one with you, providing hand outs and resources you can refer to after our appointment, and by holding frequent classes and seminars to provide education on specific topics. If needed, I will schedule a grocery shopping consultation with you and will go grocery shopping with you to help educate you on label reading and how to make good choices while shopping. If you leave a consultation without having learned anything new or gained new insight into an issue, I've failed. I also assume I've failed if you leave without feeling encouraged and uplifted. I feel so strongly about the value of education that I travel nationwide speaking on natural health topics. I also speak locally and lead corporate wellness programs. If I can teach you enough about wellness to ensure you never need to schedule an appointment with me, I've succeeded. I may be in the only profession in the world whose primary goal is to put myself out of business. I'm ok with that. (Please feel free to contact me if you'd like more information on scheduling me to speak.)
Unique assessment techniques: I use a variety of unique assessment techniques to identify and assess systemic weaknesses, nutritional deficiencies, and blockages that prevent nerve flow and physiological energy from freely circulating. In addition to reviewing blood work and test results (and recommending any I believe would be beneficial), I use any or all of the following to identify other issues:

Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) Testing: To assess metabolic function
ElectroDermal Scan (EDS): EDS measures nerve flow through acupuncture points in the body to identify systemic weaknesses, nutritional deficiencies and more. I can also use the EDS unit to assess your current supplements to determine if they are right for you or not.
Fingernail and tongue analysis
Iridology
Saliva hormone testing (more accurate than blood tests)
Food allergy testing

If you would like to receive additional information about scheduling a consultation in person or via telephone, please feel free to call my office at The Logan Institute for Health & Wellness at 317.598.4325. Please join their newsletter to receive up to date information about classes, seminars and webinars I teach: Sign Up for Newsletter.

Create a Detoxification Bath Using Common Ingredients

2011-11-24T23:14:00.003-05:00

Hello! This post was transferred to my website and may be read in its entirety at:

Create a Detoxification Bath Using Common Ingredients

Please read it there. Thanks much! Be well!

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This post is about pampering yourself and improving your health at the same time. One of my favorite ways to detoxify is by taking a long, very warm detoxification bath two to three times per week. Why is it important to detoxify? Because toxins are "pollution" in your body and polluted cells don't ...

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Hello! This post was transferred to my website and may be read in its entirety at:

Create a Detoxification Bath Using Common Ingredients

Please read it there. Thanks much! Be well!

A Legacy of Joy with a Killer Punch Line

2011-11-14T20:56:00.003-05:00

My dad died yesterday. I could euphemize it, but it wouldn't change the reality that my dad is gone.

Although he had been in the hospital for four weeks, not even his doctors expected him to die or considered death a possibility. My father fought a tough battle against MRSA and sepsis. In the end, his heart simply wore out. After being moved to ICU for extremely low blood pressure, his heart very gradually slowed and then stopped, very peacefully. His amazing caregivers performed CPR for 24 minutes before conceding that his heart could not be coaxed back to life. Those 24 minutes were agonizing, but I'm blessed we could be close to him during that time. There are no words to describe the shock that comes with realizing the man who raised you - who had joked with his doctor just an hour ago - was gone forever.

Yesterday's shock is beginning to be replaced by acceptance. That acceptance includes the realization that the man who taught me what unconditional love is by providing it every day is gone. Forever. I'll never share another Thanksgiving turkey with him, will never again shudder as I watch him share his dinner and his fork with his dogs, and will never again be engulfed in his huge hug and know that everything is going to be ok. He spoke love fluently and everyone in his presence felt his glow.

The common thing to do would be to write a glowing tribute to my dad. The problem with that is that there was nothing "common" about my father. He was a huge man with a larger heart and a personality that filled the room as soon as he entered. People instantly liked him and felt drawn to him. There was no wall flower so shy that he could not coax them out of their shell and convince them they were the center of the universe. He never met a stranger and had a knack for putting anyone of any age instantly at ease. He was one of those rare people who genuinely cared about people and wasn't afraid to show it.

His love for life was contagious. On a card from his co-workers, almost every wish included a comment that the person missed his smiling face and missed his ability to make them laugh. He blessed others simply by being himself. He inspired them, encouraged them and brought them joy, yet never expected anything in return. He shared love and joy freely, and everyone around him was made a better person as a result.

Growing up, my dad was fun. He was the type of dad who always gave me two pieces of sugar free gum instead of just one. As a kid diagnosed with diabetes at age two, two pieces of gum was a huge treat. He played with us, taught us to laugh, and encouraged us to have fun. My brother and sister and I can thank him for instilling in us the importance of being able to laugh at ourselves. He was the kind of father who held us accountable and doled out consequences, but who never seemed to remember past errors. He was the type of dad who wouldn't hesitate to drive all the way from Indiana to Mexico to rescue me and my kids when a situation became ugly. It was the right thing to do and he did it. Period.

Above all, he was 100% honest. Often bluntly so. You always knew exactly where you stood with him. He taught me to treasure honesty and to value it in my relationships. He spoke his mind because he believed love was always honest, that honesty was a sign of respect, and that honesty made people better. In his final days, frustrated at being confined to a bed, he was as likely to refer to one of the many doctors caring for him as an "arrogant asshole" as he was to stop a nurse in mid-sentence to let her know how pretty she was. (He was right on both counts.)

Few who knew him knew that he lost many years of his life to alcoholism but reclaimed it and recreated it in sobriety. There are also few who know that he gained and maintained 25 years of sobriety 100% on his own, relying on the support of his wife, Diane, instead of a group. He battled his demons in private, and his victory over them was also private. After giving up his addiction, he devoted himself to rebuilding relationships he had destroyed. Everyone in his life forgave him, but he occasionally made comments that hinted he was unable to forgive himself. My prayer is that he found peace and forgave himself before he passed. He had absolutely nothing to regret. He set the example that mistakes can and should be redeemed, and that actions speak louder than excuses.

When I think of my father, the tears often mingle with smiles. He leaves a legacy of unconditional love ... with a killer punch line.

How I Lost Weight By Eating MORE

2011-11-09T14:12:00.002-05:00

This is going to be a "quickie" post sharing a very simple truth: If you eat too little and/or have absorption problems, you may find it impossible to lose weight. In the simplest terms, eating too few calories and nutrients (or being unable to absorb what you eat) causes the body to think it's starving. As a result, the body will drastically slow down metabolism and will refuse to let go of any fat stores being held. Additionally, when too few calories are eaten, it causes muscle mass to be lost in the body. In very basic terms, muscle mass determines metabolism. A person's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is defined as being the number of calories the body burns without doing any exercise. Sixty percent of your daily calories are burned to fuel basic body functions. That's good news! BMR basically represents how many daily calories your body burns if you do nothing but lay in bed all day. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is largely dependent upon muscle mass. People that have more muscle mass as a percentage of body weight have a higher BMR and burn more calories on a daily basis without even trying.

In my practice, I use a Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) body scanner to measure over thirty different physiological and metabolic values such as Basal Metabolic Rate, Intracellular Water (hydration), Extracellular Water (edema), Body Mass Index (BMI), etc. I use BIA with patients and clients who are trying to lose weight and who have experienced difficulty. As we address their metabolic issues and repeat the BIA scans, it is amazing to see their numbers improve in the BIA results.

In my office, I see women almost daily who report they are maintaining a calorie intake of 500-1000 calories. They are, quite literally, starving themselves in an attempt to lose weight. The problem with this is that it does not address underlying issues such as metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, thyroid issues, etc. My goal with every patient is to find and address the cause of illness or physical problems and address the cause instead of merely addressing the symptoms. Excess weight is often an indicator of metabolic disorders and/or absorption problems. When I address the metabolic problem, the weight falls off almost magically. (If you have absorption problems, please read my post: Top 6 Ways to Maximize Digestion.)

Consuming so few calories causes metabolism to screech to a halt. When I run a BIA on women on starvation or HCG diets, their Basal Metabolic Rate is typically far below 1000, which is very unusual. (Most people's BMR is somewhere between 1300-2000, depending on gender, activity level, muscle mass, etc.) Their body has essentially almost stopped burning calories in order to protect itself from the insufficient caloric intake. This is a very dangerous physiological state. Most of these women also have extremely low muscle mass because their body has started consuming muscle in order to provide itself with energy. This state, referred to as Ketoacidosis, typically occurs when insufficient carbohydrates are consumed, but may also result from extremely low caloric intake. Ketoacidosis is a very dangerous chemical imbalance that can cause permanent physical damage.

In my personal case, I have battled weight issues for most of my life. I no longer weigh more than 200 pounds, but I am not comfortable with my current weight of 150 pounds. I need to state that I am currently reversing autoimmune issues affecting my adrenal glands, thyroid gland and digestion, and have Type 1 diabetes, so I have multiple metabolic issues that make losing weight difficult. I also have zero appetite, so it was a shock to me to realize a few weeks ago that I had sunk into a habit of only eating once per day. This realization sunk in while on a recent vacation. During vacation, my husband and I ate very hearty (but healthy) meals three times daily and often snacked between meals. After being on vacation and eating "so much" for four days, I stepped on the scale and realized I had actually lost four pounds. How is that possible? My body had responded to my increased caloric intake by increasing my Basal Metabolic Rate. The frequent meals had also "tricked" my body into thinking it needed to keep my metabolism "revved up" all day long. Since realizing I wasn't practicing what I preached, I have gotten back into a stable eating pattern and have lost another six pounds.

I know it seems impossible to lose weight by eating more, but that is often the only way to lose weight for people who have subjected themselves to starvation diets or to eating habits that offer few nutrients. (The HCG diet fits this category. Please use caution with the diet plans used with HCG.) This is also very true for people who have severe absorption issues. If the digestive tract cannot adequately absorb nutrients, the body will slow down metabolism to protect itself. In this case, the digestive distress must be addressed first.

If you have been eating an extremely restricted diet, I encourage you to start eating more. Work up gradually so that your body can adjust, and add moderate exercise to help build muscle. As always, please ask your doctor to run a full panel of blood work to rule out any metabolic disorder or hormonal imbalances that may be negatively impacting your ability to lose weight.

Top Ways to Reduce & Avoid Inflammation

2011-11-07T11:08:00.001-05:00

As I stated in my last post, Myths About Inflammation, we live in a world where systemic inflammation (internal and external inflammation affecting all body systems) has become "normal." The past 20 years have also seen an incredible rise in auto-immune conditions causing systemic inflammation.

People with systemic inflammation may experience any of the following symptoms: digestive disturbances, pain, joint achiness and stiffness, increased blood pressure, fatigue, "brain fog," depression, elevated triglycerides and cholesterol, and many more. The problem with many of these symptoms is that they are very non-specific and often are not recognized as being induced by wide spread inflammation. There are blood tests that can test for systemic inflammation: The C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test can be used to check for systemic inflammation; and the Highly Sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) can be used to check for inflammation in the cardiac system. Many MDs consider the hs-CRP test to be a better predictor of heart disease than cholesterol tests. (See my post, Blood Tests Almost Everyone Should Request, for more info on these tests and others.)

Anyone with inflammation can reduce its effects and potentially avoid letting it become systemic using the following methods:

Avoid inflammatory foods: The simplest way to reduce and avoid inflammation is to follow an eating plan that is high in whole, unprocessed foods, high in vegetables and low in processed grains and sugars. Foods causing the most inflammation in the body include: sugar; vegetable oils (other than extra virgin olive and extra virgin coconut) that are high in Omega 6 fatty acids; hydrogenated oils and margarines; alcohol; and refined grains. Some studies indicate that CAFO meats and dairy are also inflammatory. My favorite book on eating to reduce inflammation is The Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Recipe Book. I highly recommend it!
Eat non-inflammatory foods: Foods containing anti-inflammatory nutrients include salmon and wild-caught fish high in Omega 3 fatty acids; vegetables (raw or lightly steamed); cherries; blueberries; papaya (high in the anti-inflammatory enzyme papain); pineapple (high in the anti-inflammatory enzyme bromelain); turmeric; green tea; extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil. There is some evidence that night shade vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, egg plant, etc.) increase inflammation and pain, although some people are far more sensitive than others. Many people find that avoiding the inflammatory foods listed above and incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods into their eating plan makes a huge difference in their inflammatory levels and in how they feel in general.
Get enough sleep: Researchers at UCLA measured the inflammatory response and blood levels of inflammatory proteins during a 2006 research study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers found that cytokine (inflammatory protein) levels and monocyte (disease-fighting white blood cell) levels dramatically increased after a single night of deficient sleep. The researchers also found that decreased sleep triggered an increase in inflammatory enzymes that trigger the body's protective inflammatory response. They concluded that a lack of sleep causes an auto-immune reaction caused by the stress created by the lack of sleep. The researchers suggested that increased sleep could be a beneficial therapy for systemic inflammation. I conclude that an extra hour of sleep could be especially helpful for anyone suffering from systemic inflammation caused by an auto-immune condition. A summary of this study can be read at: Sleepless Night Triggers Immune System’s Inflammatory Response;Findings Reveal New Avenue for Fighting Autoimmune Disorders.
Maintain a normal body weight: Excess weight puts stress on joints, muscles and blood vessels, thereby causing a protective inflammatory response. Maintaining weight at a healthy level is known to helpful for decreasing coronary disease, diabetes rates, etc., but is also now knonw to decrease inflammation.
Drink enough water: Dehydration causes an inflammatory response that may be partially responsible for the negative symptoms caused by dehydration. I strongly recommend drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily. So, if you weight 150 pounds, you should be drinking a minimum of 75 ounces of purified water daily. Staying hydrating improves cell function and helps the body eliminate toxins that could contribute to inflammation.
Avoid allergenic foods: Although it may be tempting to occasionally indulge in a food you know you have a mild allergy to, doing so creates a cascade of systemic inflammation. Please don't.
Get moderate exercise: The key word here is MODERATE. People who exercise regularly are known to have lower levels of C-Reactive protein, a blood protein that increases in response to inflammation. People who do intense forms of exercise actually have higher levels of C-Reactive protein due to the damage caused to muscles and blood vessels. In my practice, I consistently see higher levels of cholesterol in long-distance runners, probably because the body produces extra cholesterol to repair the damage done to blood vessels during excessive training and racing.
Maintain normal pH: Acidity in the body increases inflammation. When foods are digested, by products are left behind which are either acidic or alkaline. These byproducts are often referred to as "ash." The most alkaline foods include fruits and vegetables, millet and buckwheat, almonds and brazil nuts. The most acidic foods include meats, grains (other than millet and buckwheat), and nuts (other than almonds and brazil nuts.) The ideal balance to aim for is to eat 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods. This coincides with a healthy balance of high amounts of fruits and vegetables.

Making tiny changes on a daily basis can quickly add up to reduce inflammation and improve health. What will you do first? I wish you the very best!

Myths About Inflammation

2011-11-04T16:55:00.001-04:00

Going to write a quick post about inflammation because so many myths exist about it. To do the topic of inflammation justice will require multiple posts, so I will focus on what inflammation is and bust several myths in this post. Please read Easy Ways to Avoid & Reverse Inflammation for tips on addressing inflammation. The following myths exist about inflammation:

Inflammation is Always Bad: The truth is that inflammation is vitally important to survival. Inflammation is a protective response to cellular damage and we could not live without it. Inflammation serves to set off a cascade of healing processes that result in faster healing and which actually protect tissues ... at first. If left unchecked, inflammation ultimately leads to cell death, but is essential for healing in its early stages. Inflammation is typically a response to invading bacteria, viruses or allergens; infection; irritants; toxins; trauma or injury to tissues or cells; etc. Inflammation sets off a cascade of reactions and serves to increase blood flow and oxygen delivery to cells, increase fluid levels in cells in order to dilute toxins affecting the cells, increase the permeability of vascular tissues (blood vessels) so that the body's protective antibiotic chemicals can more easily reach the affected cells, creates a network of fibers to trap invading pathogens; and sometimes creates pain to alert the affected person their body has a problem. Each of these processes is vital for healing, and each sends a signal that needs to be responded to immediately.
Inflammation is Always Visible and Always Causes Pain: If you slam your finger in a car door, you can obviously see the inflammation in the swelling and redness the injury produces. This is called "Acute Inflammation" and is typically a temporary reaction to an injury or irritant. However, inflammation is sometimes invisible because it is internal and widespread. Internal inflammation often does not cause pain and therefore goes unnoticed until the inflammation has progressed to the point that it begins to affect cell function. This type of inflammation is often referred to as "Systemic Inflammation" and refers to inflammation that is internal (sometimes external) and which exists in many different body systems.
Inflammation is Always Limited to One Body Part: As stated above, inflammation can be either acute (such as when you slam your finger in a car door) or systemic, meaning it affects the entire body, inside and outside, head to toe. Systemic inflammation is present in conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and has been implicated in diseases such as Alzheimer's, Heart Disease and even insulin resistance leading to Type 2 Diabetes. (For information on blood tests that can identify these types of systemic inflammation, please read my post, Blood Tests Almost Everyone Should Request.
Diet Has Nothing to Do with Inflammation: You know me well enough by now to know my response to this myth. The fact is that many foods commonly eaten in the SAD (Standard American Diet) are highly inflammatory and some people are able to control and reverse inflammation using diet alone. I promise to share more about using diet to control inflammation in a future post. For now, please note that the top three inflammatory foods (in my opinion) are white sugar, vegetable oils (corn, soy, safflower, etc.) due to their extremely high levels of inflammatory Omega 6 fatty acids, and refined grains. The top three anti-inflammatory foods are those high in anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, etc.), dark leafy greens, and cherries. (More on the foods to include in an anti-inflammatory diet in a future post.) People who are sensitive to night shade vegetables (peppers, potatoes, egg plant, etc.) often find that consuming these foods dramatically increases pain and inflammation levels.)

Do you suffer from inflammation? How do you control it? What foods and lifestyle habits do you find either increase or decrease your inflammation and pain levels? Please share!

The Smart Way to Deal with Zits

2011-10-31T20:17:00.001-04:00

Zits and acne used to be a malady of the teenage years. Unfortunately, more and more adults -- male and female -- now find themselves dealing with pimples on a daily basis. The truth is that the average age of patients who see dermatologists for acne ranges from 20-26 years, and the anti-zit business brings in over one billion dollars per year. Acne rates are much higher now than they were 20 years ago. There are specific reasons for the increase and there are very simple solutions.

The first step in addressing zits is to figure out the cause. Zits don't "just happen." There is always a reason. The most common causes of acne include:

Hormonal imbalances: Most zits in the teenage years are caused by an excess of either testosterone or estrogen. The belief used to be that acne was only caused by excess testosterone, but more recent studies proved an excess of either hormone can cause acne. The fact our food system is now overloaded with foods containing growth hormones and other synthetic hormones has a lot to do with this, as does the excessive use of highly-estrogenic soy that is included in almost all processed foods. I'm often amazed that people who eliminate soy from their diet often report that their skin becomes clear as a result.

Women often get zits on their chin as a normal part of PMS. These zits are definitely caused by hormonal changes. Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome often frequently experience acne as a result of the hormone imbalances it creates. If you have consistent acne, it is wise to get a saliva hormone test to check the levels of your reproductive hormones and identify any imbalances. Frequent zits often disappear once hormonal imbalances are corrected.
Food allergies and sensitivities: I know personally that eating a food that I'm allergic to will cause a fairly large zit (or zits) to form within three days. The skin is a huge detoxification organ, so when we expose ourselves to foods our body considers toxic, the body may use the skin to eliminate some of those toxins. I know many people with food allergies who report their only symptom is that they get zits. They have little or no digestive disturbance, but know they've been exposed to an allergen when they develop a zit. Even a mild sensitivity to a food will increase inflammation in the body and decrease immunity, making it more difficult for the body to naturally resist the factors that cause a pimple to form.

On a related side note, there is a lot of conflicting evidence both pro and con about dairy products causing acne. The American Academy of Dermatology has now done three studies that conclusively proved there IS a link between acne and dairy. My clinical experience is that 9 out of 10 people's acne greatly diminishes or disappears when they eliminate dairy. My own daughter had horrible acne and refused to believe this point for years. When she finally tried eliminating dairy, her skin completely, totally cleared within a week and a half. She doesn't have a dairy allergy that we're aware of, but her skin made it very clear that dairy is not a good option for her. Why does dairy contribute to acne? Mainly because it is so hard to digest. Let's face it, we're not cows, so our bodies have a very difficult time digesting and absorbing milk intended to be drunk by baby cows. The result is that the body tries to eliminate the toxins in the milk through the skin. Unfortunately, mainstream milk and dairy products are loaded with growth hormones that negatively impact our own hormone balance, causing a the skin to produce excess acne-causing sebum. Dairy is also known to be one of the most inflammatory foods in our diet. Any food that increases inflammation will only worsen acne symptoms.

Comedogenic facial products (even some used to combat acne): Comedogenic is used to refer to products that are irritating and which block the skin's pores, thereby causing acne. Mineral oil is one of the worst oils possible for the skin, yet it is used frequently because it's cheap. (Mineral oil is a petroleum byproduct that is discarded during the production of fuel oils. Not a good choice to put on your skin, anyway.) Many of the most commonly used skincare ingredients are comedogenic, and many anti-acne products contain quite a few of these ingredients. Your best option is to use products from companies such as Aubrey Organics, Pangea Organics, Burt's Bees and other chemical-free companies.
Prescription medications: A well-known side effect of steroids (both prescription and black market) is acne. Other prescription medications that may cause acne include anti-convulsant medications (such as Lithium), prescription iodides and bromides. (Supplemental iodine is not related to prescription iodides and is not known to cause acne.)
Reduced liver function: It is a well known fact that many skin problems originate in the liver. The primary function of the liver is to eliminate toxins. If its function is reduced, the body resorts to eliminating toxins through the skin. My favorite herb for improving liver function and reducing skin issues is Burdock Root. Burdock Root is known to cleanse the liver and to target the skin to assist with healing. Although Burdock Root works well, other supplements known to improve liver function often result in clearer skin. Milk Thistle is another one of my favorites.

Over-washing of the skin: Excess use of soaps and drying anti-acne cleansers can actually make acne worse by overdrying the skin and causing it to produce more and more sebum. (Most pimples are caused when the skin produces excess sebum. Sebum is intended to protect the skin, but it can harbor bacteria and can cause pimples when the skin produces more than is needed.)

In addition to the tips shared above, here are my top ways to eliminate and prevent zits:

Eat a healthy diet: (You knew that was coming.) Good skin happens from the inside out. Clear, healthy skin requires a healthy diet. Period. Eating a healthy diet loaded with vegetables and fruits, whole foods, and void of excess sugars, processed foods and refined grains boosts the immunity and has a very anti-inflammatory effect on tissues. If your immune system is working at 100%, your body will often be able to very naturally eliminate the bacteria that cause pimples and acne. Obviously, a healthy diet does not include hydrogenated oils, processed foods, or excessive carbohydrates and fats. As I stated above, many people find their acne disappears once they eliminate dairy from their diet. One of my favorite books on naturally eliminating acne is: The Acne Cure. It is worth reading if you suffer from acne!
Don't squeeze: We've all done it ... squeezed a zit because we believe it will go away faster if we do. That is, sadly, a myth. The problem with squeezing a zit is that it has the potential to push the bacteria deeper into the skin. The other problem squeezing creates is that it creates an open sore that is wide open to bacteria in the air and environment. Squeezing may also cause scarring, and nobody wants that. Your best bet is to use the topical remedies I mention below and to be very, very patient.
Use topical antibacterials: One of my favorite remedies to speed the healing of a pimple is Tea Tree Essential Oil. Tea Tree oil is one of the most antibacterial chemicals known, but it has the added benefit of being known to stimulate the skin to heal itself. It works well. I also find that a drop of CellFood morning and evening has an amazing effect. CellFood is a powerful oxygenator that can be used internally and externally. I use it straight when I have a zit, but I recommend blending one drop of CellFood with one drop of purified water. It is a powerful antibacterial that also stimulates the skin to heal itself.
Use Goldenseal and probiotics internally: Goldenseal is a natural herb with powerful antibacterial properties. I use it to help pimples go away faster. (Do not use more than 10 days in a row.) For more information on how amazing Goldenseal is, please read my blog post, The Wonders of Goldenseal. Using oral probiotics will also boost the body's own immunity and help the body heal pimples faster.

How do you deal with zits? Please share your favorite remedies!

When Having Insurance is a Bad Thing

2011-10-29T17:47:00.000-04:00

This is going to be a quick rant. It's also going to be very honest. I may curse, so I'll ask in advance for you to forgive me for being very, very blunt. As you know by now, my dad has been in the hospital the past 16 days. He was admitted due to sepsis from a toe ulcer he ignored. Here's the thing ... it took them SIXTEEN days before they decided to amputate the toe the infection was originating from. Why? The answer is plain and simple: Because he had insurance and the hospital made far more money this way than they would have if they had amputated the toe two days after he was admitted. That may sound extreme, but it's true.

Why did they wait? They insisted the toe, which looked (and smelled) horrible, wasn't the sole origin of the infection. They did an Indium scan to find infection in other parts of the body. Guess what? The only place the Indium scan found infection was in the toe. In spite of that, they performed TEN other procedures to check for additional infection. TEN. I may not be the brightest bulb on the board, but even I know that if a toe has an ulcer that tested positive for MRSA and that's causing so much sepsis (infection in the blood stream) that both hemispheres of the brain are highly inflamed, you cut the damn thing off. Instead, Dad was subjected to 3-4 procedures per day. Meanwhile, the infection continued to proliferate in his blood stream and could have lodged in his heart. We can only praise God that didn't happen.

There's no nice way of putting this ... if my Dad didn't have insurance, they would have amputated his toe the second day he was here and discharged him. Instead, they milked the system for sixteen days and subjected Dad to untold horrors. (See my previous post, When Patients Become Body Parts Instead of Humans.) I'm not saying people are better off without insurance. We all know that's absurd. What I am saying is that people without insurance receive much more efficient medical care. Again, I know people die as a result of not having insurance, but there has to be a happy medium. The current for-profit medical system is so overblown that many tests are ordered simply because insurance will pay for it and not because they add value or provide information that's needed to customize the care plan.

My Dad spent 16 days being delirious and having severe cognitive issues due to the swelling in his brain from the sepsis. His mental cognition returned to 100% a mere six hours after surgery. As I said before, if they had immediately amputated the toe, he'd probably be home by now doing outpatient rehab. Since they waited sixteen days, he will now have to spend time in an in-patient rehab facility. The physical therapist said we can expect one week of rehab for every day spent immobile in bed. Although I'm not sure I agree with that estimate, I do know Dad has lost significant muscle strength and will need extensive PT to get back on his feet. In my opinion, that is the hospital's fault, not the infection's fault.

When Patients Become Body Parts Instead of Humans

2011-10-27T21:17:00.001-04:00

This may be my first blog post ever that stays within the "300-400 word" recommended length. It is not a happy post, but it is the truth. In the last 15 days, I've been privileged to see how patient care works in hospitals because my dad has been an inpatient. The sad fact is that the focus isn't on the patient as a whole, but is on the doctors' convenience. It also seems to be somewhat directed toward hospital profitability. For information on how to protect loved ones during a hospital stay, read my post, How to Protect Yourself or Loved Ones During a Hospital Stay.

The overwhelming truth is that medicine has become so specialized that doctors have become incapable of viewing a patient holistically and are only able to consider the particular organ or body system they specialize in. This means that a patient's mental and emotional state, lifestyle habits, age, and need to rest are completely ignored. Patient welfare is often sacrificed for physician convenience. I know it's wrong, but it is now normal.

Throughout the course of his stay, my father has been seen by a vascular surgeon, three cardiologists, a cardiac electrophysiologist, an infectious disease doctor, a podiatrist, a general surgeon, a gastroenterologist, and a few doctors who never actually said what they did. This sounds like a stellar team who should have been providing stellar care, no? If my dad had a single issue, I'm sure one or two specialists would have been a good thing. When someone has multiple issues requiring multiple specialists, problems arise. The issues are typically due to a failure to communicate, which happens frequently. Another problem exists when each specialist begins ordering tests and procedures focusing on the organ(s) they specialize in without checking to see what other tests and procedures have been ordered. For my dad, this often resulted in two different tests being ordered by two different doctors which were each designed to basically test the same thing. It also resulted in four to five procedures being ordered for the same day, which meant Dad was out of his room for anywhere from six to 12 hours at a time. Imagine how difficult it is for a body to heal when it's not allowed to rest. Asking a deathly ill man to be jostled and poked and prodded for 12 hours at a stretch with no rest borders on criminal and is just bad medicine.

In Dad's case, there were several times the procedures didn't even start until after 9 pm. This meant that he was often out of his room during the quietest hours of the night when rest would have been the best. (Hospitals are loud. Trust me.) During one span of two days, my father was subjected to NINE different procedures. Only two of those provided information that proved to be of value or that significantly changed his care plan. We learned very quickly that the best question to ask when a diagnostic test is ordered is not WHY it is being ordered, but what value the results provide and how the results of the tests will impact the care plan. If the results won't significantly change the care plan, there's probably not much point in doing the test. You'd be amazed how many tests are ordered simply to get information and not necessarily to change the diagnosis. (For a great expose on this phenomenon, read Overdiagnosis: Bad for You; Good for Business.)

Having excess tests ordered in succession also meant my father, who was in excruciating pain, had to go 12 hours or more with no pain meds on more than one occasion. It also meant he was often left in holding rooms for long periods of time without being checked on. For future reference, you can't leave an immobile man in a holding room and not check on him for over two hours and then express shock that he had a bowel movement and wet himself while no one was around. Furthermore, you can't withhold pain meds from a man who is in excruciating pain and then be surprised that he doesn't willingly cooperate with procedures. All of these things happened to my father. None of them were acceptable.

So what's the solution? Here are my recommendations:

Don't be afraid to pitch a bitch: I mean it. If you have issues with a loved one's care, demand it be changed. Too many patients and family members subject themselves to hospital abuses simply because they don't think they have any control. The doctors are your customers. You have absolute control over the services they provide. You wouldn't believe how many times dad's nurses THANKED US for refusing a procedure or demanding the timing of something be changed. I was amazed at how often the nurses said they agreed with us and had been sorry about and concerned by the doctor's orders. Hearing the nurses express concern was all it took for us to start being very squeaky wheels and start demanding change. And ... guess what? It worked! They listened to us and changed things. We refused several invasive procedures that were being done "just in case." None of those procedures proved to be necessary. By refusing to allow them, we saved Dad from the risk of infection they would have created and from the pain and discomfort they would have caused.
If the duration of the stay is going to be more than a week, demand weekly case meetings: A case meeting gets everyone - doctors, family, social worker, etc. - in one room so that ALL aspects of care can be discussed. We received our first one after I started expressing outrage over how my father was being treated and a charge nurse agreed with me. She organized the care meeting. The advantage of the care meeting is that it allowed us to inform the doctors of some issues they were unaware of, allowed the doctors to discuss options, and made sure that everyone was on the same page. We still had to pitch a bitch after this (see point one above), but it did help.
Document everything: I say this for your own benefit, not because you should be planning to sue in the midst of your loved one's illness. It is incredibly helpful to keep a record of issues and successes. Hospital stays are typically very emotional times. Documenting everything allows you to remember what questions and concerns you have so that you can share them with the appropriate people. Long after the hospital stay, the documentation will be very inspiring as you read about your loved one's steady improvement. On a side note, documenting experiences is wonderfully cathartic. (Proof of that is that I've gone way over 400 words. Sorry!)
Request additional monitoring if needed: My dad was not admitted to intensive care, but was incapable of pressing the nurse call button or doing anything for himself. His wife and I and other family members tried to be there as much as possible, but we were simply unable to be there 24/7. His lack of supervision when we weren't there ultimately resulted in him falling out of bed when he needed assistance but was being "ignored" during a shift change. Nurses can typically only check on a patient once per hour, if that. Most hospitals have what are called "sitters." Sitters have received marginal training and are hired to sit in a patient's room to monitor his or her needs. The sitter can assist with urination, calling the nurse as needed, feeding, etc. We were unaware such an option existed. After Dad fell out of bed, the hospital assigned a sitter to him at their expense. If your loved one is incapable of requesting assistance and/or has impaired cognition, request a Sitter.
Get support: Hospital stays are often a constant barrage of bad news. It often seems that every positive report is immediately followed by two negative ones. It can often be very difficult to stay positive in the midst of constantly learning that test results revealed new problems or confirmed fears. You will soon find that you are emotionally, physically and spiritually exhausted. Some people are good at expressing grief and distress very openly and then moving on. Most people tend to deny their full feelings because they're afraid to face them. This is especially true when a loved one is extremely ill in a manner that could result in death or permanent impairment. Everyone deals with stress differently, but EVERYONE needs support and encouragement when they have a loved one in the hospital. Don't be a martyr. Ask friends to help, talk to a hospital chaplain, contact prayer lines, find a counselor, write blog posts ... do whatever it takes. It is important to find someone who will let you yell and scream and get angry, because you will be. (Anger is one of the stages of grief. Most hospital stays due to illness create grief at some level.) I am a "stuffer." When there's an emergency and people need a rock to lean on, I automatically shut my emotions off, become everyone else's encourager, and go into a highly analytical mode. The end result of this was that after a week, I was exhausted beyond belief and ached from head to toe. My husband encouraged me to take a day off. When I did, he greeted me that morning by saying that he was devoting his day to me because I had been devoting myself to my dad. (Yeah, I cried. I needed it.) After two weeks, I hit my wall and completely broke down after a very tiny issue developed. Don't let yourself go as long as I did. Emotions are good. Let yourself express them during your loved one's hospital stay. If you don't, you'll wind up having to work through them after the stay. That can get messy.

I do want to say that my dad's nurses are incredible. They have so much information to share. Also, if you need to gripe, you may be amazed to hear that they agree with you and have been wishing you'd say something to the doctors. Tap into their encouragement and support. Most nurses love to offer it. It's also fantastic to hear that they, as experts in the field, agree with and share your concerns. Nurses rock.

The good news is that it appears we're nearing the end of Dad's hospital stay. He has a major procedure tomorrow to remove the source of the infection, and it is hoped that he will continually improve after that. He still has a lot of healing to do, but things are looking far better than they were. Thanks to those who have supported me through this. Your support is precious.

Make Your Own Age-Defying Cream

2011-10-24T16:30:00.002-04:00

Today I want to share the recipe for a cream that has amazing anti-aging effects and that is incredibly easy to make. When I created the formula for this cream, it soon became the hottest seller in my organic skincare business. A friend of mine was heartbroken when I closed the business, because she had come to depend on this cream to keep her skin looking young and radiant.

If you enjoy making your own skincare products, be sure to check out my post on how to make your own hand sanitizer: Hand Sanitizer Alternatives.

The base formula for Wonder Creme only uses two basic ingredients. I share suggestions of ingredients to add to bolster its effectiveness or to customize it for specific needs at the end of this post. The recipe is easily increased or decreased, so you can make a tiny amount or a huge amount based on need. It is best used within six weeks if not kept in the refrigerator, so plan accordingly when choosing how much to make. When making your own facial and body products, please use fresh ingredients and please thoroughly cleanse your work space and all containers and utensils used. Wiping everything with an alcohol wipe or with a bit of Tea Tree Essential Oil is a good way to ensure cleanliness. The recipe follows ...

Wonder Creme Recipe

Ingredients:

Two Parts Liquid Oil (1 cup)
One Part Aloe Vera GEL (1/2 cup) - note that this is the gel and not the liquid. The product in the link is my favorite because it uses seaweed as a thickener instead of chemicals. It is organic and has a few herbs added which are wonderful for skin health. Most aloe vera gels contain a preservative to inhibit bacterial growth. This product uses a very tiny amount of a more natural alternative.

When choosing which oil to use, use the following guidelines. I've included links to additional information on Amazon for each oil. (On a side note, Amazon has some of the best prices I've found for oils.):

Jojoba Oil: One of my favorite oils. Jojoba oil is actually a wax that is liquid at room temperature. Jojoba is known to be anti-inflammatory and to be mildly antimicrobial. One amazing fact about Jojoba oil is that its chemical structure almost exactly matches that of the skin's own sebum, making it a very healing oil that is readily absorbed and which penetrates many layers of the epidermis. In my experience, Jojoba oil is great for reducing wrinkles but is also a "safe" oil to use in moderation with acne due to its antibacterial properties. It is a great "go to" oil for any skin type, but it also known to be a great oil for use on the hair. (If you want to pamper yourself, use Jojoba as a hot oil hair treatment.) Jojoba oil is very easily absorbed, but is a bit heavier than other oils. I love to use it straight or as a bath oil or in creams during the winter to keep my skin moisturized.
Grapeseed Oil: Grapeseed is a much lighter oil than Jojoba but is still very easily absorbed. It is known to be a very soothing oil and to have mild anti-inflammatory properties. It is high in Vitamin E, Vitamin C and other anti-oxidants. Grapeseed is known to be highly moisturizing, is known to help repair the cell structure of the skin, and is known to be great for acne because it is lightly astringent. It is commonly used in products for older or damaged skin. It is a great oil to use during the summer months because it is so light.
Meadowfoam Seed Oil: Meadowfoam Seed Oil is an amazing oil. It penetrates more layers of the epidermis than almost any other oil. This makes it a wonderful choice for carrying healing herbal extracts or essential oils into the skin. Meadowfoam Seed Oil is known to be extremely high in antioxidants and to contain an extremely high amount of fatty acids. It is known to be wonderfully healing and regenerating.
Shea Butter: Shea Butter is solid at room temperature, so be aware that it will need to be melted over VERY LOW heat before being blended into the cream. (Shea Butter will crystallize if heated to too high a temp, so please heat very, very gently in a double-boiler. It liquifies in contact with the skin, so it doesn't take much heat to get it soft enough to blend.) Shea Butter is amazingly emollient and has been used in Africa for thousands of years to reduce wrinkles, heal cracked skin and as a barrier to protect the skin from damaging products. The unrefined variety has the most healing properties, but also has a slight smoky odor. The odor is easily covered by essential oils, but be aware that using Shea Butter will impart a very slight odor to the product if essential oils are not added.

Instructions:

Combine oil (melted if using a solid oil) and aloe vera gel in a glass container. Blend using a fork to whisk the ingredients together. In about five minutes, the consistency will change to a consistency resembling apple sauce or watery tapioca pudding. If adding other ingredients, add them at this stage, but only if the cream is starting to thicken. Continue whipping product. After about five more minutes, the product will suddenly transform into a gorgeous white, fluffy cream. Transfer to a clean container (glass preferred) and store for up to six weeks. (The preservative in the aloe vera gel will help inhibit bacterial growth.) Trust me that this cream will receive rave reviews if you give it in a decorative container as a holiday gift.

Optional Ingredients:

The following ingredients may be added as desired.

Essential Oils: Essential Oils can be added to add fragrance to the produce or to add healing benefits. Lavender essential oil is a great option. Please always thoroughly research your chosen essential oil(s) before using. Some do have contraindications. Please do not use essential oils at too high a concentration. Essential oils are best used at a dilution of 3%. This equates to 9-10 drops per tablespoon. For the recipe shown above, the recommended amount would be 1 - 1.5 teaspoons of essential oils.
Herbal Extracts: Herbal extracts such as Calendula (wonderfully healing), Chickweed (great for itchiness), or Comfrey (wonderful regenerative properties) may be added if desired. Please thoroughly research before using. For the recipe shown above, I recommend adding 60-90 drops.

That's it! If you make this, please let me know your results. Have fun with it!!

Candy Alternatives for Halloween

2011-10-21T12:43:00.000-04:00

This site was moved to my website. It may be read in its entirety there by visiting:

http://goodworkswellness.com/candy-alternatives-for-halloween/

Thanks much!

How to Protect Yourself or Your Loved Ones During a Hospital Stay

2011-10-17T14:50:00.007-04:00

I've spent a lot of time in a hospital the last week while my dad has been receiving treatment. While there, I've been blessed to see numerous dedicated professionals caring for my father. I've also been reminded that it is important for every patient to either be or have an advocate standing by their side to help protect them and to help ensure they receive the best care possible.

One of the easiest things to do to ensure the best care possible while in the hospital is to always carry a list of your current prescription medications (including dosage, frequency and who the prescribing physician is), a list of medication allergies AND a list of food allergies. Having that list with you or easily accessible on a smart phone or via Internet makes it very easy to share the information. Hospital stays tend to be fairly emotional, so keeping important information handy makes it easy to share with medical staff without having to rely on memory.

Iatrogenesis is defined as: inadvertent and preventable induction of disease or complications by the medical treatment or procedures of a physician or surgeon. In simple words, iatrogenesis refers to death or injury caused by physician error or hospital error. We shudder to think such a thing exists, but it exists in much higher numbers than you might think. In 1999, The Institute of Medicine cited extremely high rates of iatrogenesis in hospitalized patients as a result of medical error and negligence that largely resulted from system failures. Reviews of multiple studies done on hospital safety found that up to 36% of hospitalized patients suffer complications or additional illness from iatrogenesis and that 50% of those events could be prevented. It is also estimated that 6.5% of iatrogenic complications result in permanent disability or death. (For an in-depth look at iatrogenesis, please read my friend Andrew Robbin's book, Licensed to Kill: The Growing Epidemics of Iatrogenic Disease And Bureaucratic Madness.)

Although most people receive excellent care while in the hospital, these numbers are significant enough that we should all use some common-sense precautions while in the hospital or caring for someone who is. My recommendations follow.

Don't Hesitate to Ask Questions: I think many people desperately want to trust their doctors, so they fail to ask the questions they should be asking. I personally experienced this while my daughter spent two weeks in neonatal intensive care. She suffered an extreme level of malpractice resulting in severe iatrogenic complications simply because I so desperately wanted to trust that her specialists knew what they were doing that I didn't ask questions that should have been asked. In my case, I didn't do what was needed until a specialist from another hospital who was called in as a consultant pulled my husband aside and told him ... and I quote ... "You need to get your daughter out of here." I understand that sometimes people aren't willing to ask questions simply because they want to trust that their family member is getting the very best care possible. I've been there. It is still acceptable and necessary to ask questions even when your loved one is receiving the very best care available. If you don't understand what procedures are being done, or are curious about why they are being done, please ask. Your medical team has a responsibility to ensure you understand everything being done to help your loved one. If you have questions or if anything is even mildly unclear, ask them to clarify. Please don't feel rushed. Take your time and ask as many questions as you need to. As questions come to mind after the doctors leave, write them down and ask them the next time a doctor is present.

Also take advantage of the knowledge your nursing staff has. Nurses have an amazing wealth of knowledge and are happy to share information and answer the questions they are legally allowed to. I have friends who are nurses who have said they often wish patients would ask more questions. Please also don't hesitate to openly share if you aren't sure a procedure should be performed. If you question the necessity or timing of a procedure, do your research and openly share your concerns. Remember that you are a customer, not just a patient, and that you can choose to accept or deny any service or provider offered. Most hospital services are obviously necessary and should be accepted, but there are times that asking the staff to dig deeper before performing a procedure is perfectly fine. Be aware that you have the right to refuse a procedure or to request a different doctor if you are uncomfortable with anything related to the procedure. This leads us to my next point ...
Know Your Rights: Be aware that you are not a "prisoner" of the hospital and that you are guaranteed certain rights. Top among those rights is that you are legally entitled to see your file/chart or the chart of your family member without having a doctor present. Spouses are allowed to view spouse's files, and other family members can view charts with the patient's approval. Many hospitals twist HIPAA laws and try to make it impossible for you to view your own file. A common tactic is to say that your file can only be viewed in the presence of a physician. This is, quite simply, illegal. HIPAA laws are in place to guarantee patient rights, not to make it impossible to review your records. If you ask to view your file or your spouse's and are refused access, let the staff know you are aware of your rights and politely but firmly demand access. If you are still refused access, call the hospital's HIPAA office and speak with someone to request access. If you are still not allowed to view your chart, call an attorney. Your medical information is, quite simply, legally yours and you are legally entitled to have full access to it. Period. If you are denied access, persist until you are granted access. Another trick they use is to say they cannot provide copies of test results until after the patient is discharged, at which point they charge up to $5/page for the copies. Don't let this happen. Demand they grant your legal rights. Some people choose to get around the hospital red tape by having all records sent to their primary care physician and then getting copies from that doctor. This method takes much longer, but can be easier if you are not comfortable being assertive.
Monitor, Monitor, Monitor: I want to very clearly state I commend the doctors and nurses who work in hospitals. They face incredible stress and pressure on a daily basis and manage to rise above it to provide top-notch service and care. As much as I admire them, it can't be denied that they are human. Humans sometimes make mistakes. I am thankful that multiple checks and balances are in place to ensure mistakes don't happen in medical settings, but they still do. I know medication errors happen because I've had it happen ... twice ... in two different hospitals. I was brought the wrong medication on two different occasions. Had I not asked what I was being given, I would have taken the wrong medication. In one case, the error could have been deadly. The problem with medication errors is that they create the potential for a cascade effect. If you are given someone else's medication, it creates the chance the other person will also be given the wrong medication, so on and so forth. ALWAYS ask what medication is being administered before taking it. Always. This includes asking what bags are being hung on IV poles and what medication is being injected into IV tubes.

This is especially important if you have medication allergies. Always, always ask before taking anything or allowing it to be added to your IV. If you have medication allergies, hang a sign on your IV pole clearly indicating your allergies. Please also monitor your meal tray, especially if you have food allergies. Also be careful if you are taking a medication that should not be taken with some foods. For instance, people taking Coumadin are typically advised not to eat broccoli, yet broccoli is often served in hospital meals without regard for medications being taken. I've seen it happen. Be careful. Also monitor the timing of medications. If a medication is supposed to be administered every four hours, you may need to request it. Give the nurses a 10-15 minute window of good faith, then politely request the medication if it has still not been administered.
Bring Your Own Food: I'm not kidding. Hospital food is basically the same as what is served in fast food restaurants. It is highly processed, not organic and is laden with chemicals. It's also just plain NOT healthy. Since it doesn't taste good, bringing your own food shouldn't be an issue. It amazes me that mainstream doctors admit whole foods are healthier, yet the food given to patients who are at their most vulnerable and who need the purest form of nutrition for healing is the farthest thing from whole food. Salads are made with iceburg lettuce, which is nutritionally void, all bread and breading is made with white flour instead of whole grain flours, and white sugar is added to almost everything. They also serve Splenda as a sweetener, which I think is criminal. Read my post on why you should never use Splenda here: http://bit.ly/pWYIzF.

One hospital tray I was recently "privileged" to view contained EIGHTY grams of carbs in a single meal. In my opinion, the highest number of carbs advised in any single meal is 30-45. (That's 2-3 servings of carbs. MORE than enough.) Eighty grams of carbs in a single meal is enough to guarantee high blood sugar and obesity in a short time. Hospital food seems to be designed to guarantee that people eating it become repeat customers. Bring your own food and ask family members to bring whole, organic foods as gifts. You'll heal more quickly as a result.

What steps do you take to protect yourself and your loved ones? I'd love to hear them!

On an interesting side note, I failed to take my home made hand sanitizer with me, so I was forced to use the hospital's. Check out my post on Why You Should Never Use Hand Sanitizer: http://bit.ly/nNGDM7 for more info on why this concerned me.
A related post is one that could potentially help keep you out of the hospital: Top Three Blood Tests Almost Everyone Should Request: http://bit.ly/plpX7T

References:
iatrogenesis. Dictionary.com. Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/iatrogenesis (accessed: October 17, 2011).

Patrick A. Palmieri, et al. (2008). "The anatomy and physiology of error in averse healthcare events". Advances in Health Care Management 7: 33–68. doi:10.1016/S1474-8231(08)07003-1

Brennan TA, Leape LL, Laird NM, et al. (1991). "Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients. Results of the Harvard Medical Practice Study I". N. Engl. J. Med. 324 (6): 370–6. doi:10.1056/NEJM199102073240604. PMID 1987460

Institute of Medicine. To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000.

Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force. Doing What Counts for Patient Safety: Federal Actions to Reduce Medical Errors and Their Impact. Washington, DC: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2000.

Szasz, Thomas S. Pharmacracy: Medicine and Politics in America. Westport, CT: Praeger Trade, 2001.

Tassano, Fabian. The Power of Life or Death: A Critique of Medical Tyranny. Oxford: Oxford Forum, 1999.

Top 3 Blood Tests Almost Everyone Should Request

2011-10-14T12:38:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite activities in my practice is helping explain the deeper meanings of blood test results. I love being able to explain what may have caused an abnormal reading and to show connections between abnormal readings in different body systems. While doing this, I'm often surprised that blood tests I consider "standard" are frequently not ordered. What I find more surprising is how shocked people are when I tell them they should request specific blood work. We seem to forget that our doctor is our customer and that he or she needs to listen to our requests. If you wish to have specific blood tests done, please ask your doctor to order it. There may be times s/he may resist due to concerns insurance won't pay for it, but most docs will listen to your desires and order it. If you have a doc that refuses to listen to your concerns, perhaps you should consider finding a different practitioner.

Please note this post only mentions the top three blood tests I feel are most often overlooked. There are a multitude of blood, urine and stool tests that may be beneficial to helping predict or identify a health issue. Please work with your practitioner as a team to determine which tests will be best for you.

Although I identify these tests as being good for people carrying a bit of extra weight, it can be helpful to request these tests as part of a yearly physical in order to establish a baseline and spot early changes. Anyone who has health issues, is overweight or has had trouble losing weight, or has unexplained fatigue, headaches, etc. should always request the following blood tests:

Insulin: Most doctors order a blood glucose level, and some may order a Hemoglobin A1C which provides an "average" of blood sugars over a period of about three months. However, I rarely see insulin levels ordered by anyone other than a holistic MD. Fasting insulin level shows how much insulin your body is producing. High insulin levels are an indicator the body has developed insulin resistance, which may lead to Type 2 diabetes. This test is important to request because people with pre-diabetic conditions or with Metabolic Syndrome may have fasting blood glucose levels that are normal, but often have high insulin levels. Most labs identify levels of around 5-17 as "normal." I like to see levels below 8-10. If someone has levels above 8, I typically start a revised eating plan with appropriate supplements if necessary.
Full Thyroid Panel: When thyroid disorders are suspected, many doctors order a Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) test, but do not order tests to measure the specific levels of thyroid hormones in the blood. The TSH test measures the amount of TSH hormone being secreted by the pituitary gland. The thought is that you can measure the health of the thyroid gland by measuring whether or not the body is trying to increase or decrease its function. In my perspective, this is somewhat similar to checking the oil level in a car that's overheating instead of actually measuring the fluid level in the radiator. I believe there is value in the TSH test, but only when combined with tests that measure the actual amount of thyroid hormones in the blood stream. Two of the most commonly run tests to measure thyroid hormone levels are Free T3 and Free T4. (Those are two of the most important hormones secreted by the thyroid gland.) If thyroid issues are suspected, PLEASE insist your doctor order the Free T3 and Free T4. I know from personal experience that many docs are unwilling to order these tests. The true health of your thyroid gland cannot be adequately assessed without them. It can also be helpful to request an Antithyroglobulin test to determine if thyroid issues are caused by an autoimmune condition. I share a bit more detailed information in a prior post, Thyroid Hormones & Bone Marrow Biopsies: http://bit.ly/qMtbGs. Please visit Stop the Thyroid Madness for in-depth information about thyroid issues and recommended blood work.
High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP): I am pleased that many more doctors are ordering a hs-CRP test for their patients. C-Reactive Protein is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation. A regular CRP test may be done after surgery or during various treatments to evaluate the level of inflammation in the body. The High-Sensitivity CRP is currently used as a possible predictor of potential heart disease. The hs-CRP can detect lower levels of inflammation. It is thought these levels often result from inflammation in the tiny blood vessels and other tissues in the heart. Although elevated hs-CRP levels do not guarantee heart disease, studies have found a definite connection between elevated hs-CRP levels and heart disease. I typically begin addressing cardiovascular issues when I see an elevated hs-CRP level. The CDC identifies levels below 1.0 as indicating low risk level; 1.0-3.0 as indicating a normal risk level; and levels above 3.0 as being high risk. These levels are obviously more of a concern when extremely high levels of triglycerides and/or cholesterol are present.

I can often tell quite a bit about a person's health from abnormal results in these tests, especially when combined with other blood work. These tests obviously all need to be used in conjunction with other blood tests and other assessment techniques.

My other encouragement related to blood work in general is to not become concerned by abnormal blood work before discussing it with your practitioner. There are many reasons for abnormal levels in some of the more general tests, so please do not jump to conclusions and assume the worst before discussing the results with someone who knows how to interpret them.

Tips for Traveling with a Freak of Nature

2011-10-11T12:14:00.000-04:00

We returned from a trip to Florida last night. We had an amazing time together and with our son! Having a flat tire on the way to the airport, returning home to find it flat again, and spending a total of almost two hours sitting on various tarmacs due to air traffic control software problems (!!!!!) was mild compared to my experiences going through TSA with all the accoutrements I carried. Let me state that the following is a bit tongue-in-cheek and somewhat sarcastic. I know TSA agents are merely doing their job and I do respect that. Following are a few tips for traveling with a freak of nature:

Leave early to get a good TSA pat down: When I say "early," I mean REALLY early. This is because most of us who choose to protect our health will opt-out of the x-ray scans used by TSA. (A list of links follows as to why we opt out. I encourage you to do your research.) Opting out of the scans means you get treated to a TSA pat down. I've had several of these. They're bothersome, but not as invasive as you may have heard. On a side note, I travel with vials of insulin and B12 that I also won't allow to be x-rayed. Requesting a visual check of these items also slows down the security process. The agents ignore the syringes but often seem convinced that B12 serum is a danger to national security or that I'm "hiding" a potion for world domination in those tiny syringes. This leads us to point 2:
Label & package clearly: When carrying unusual items (such as kefir grains or liquids pre-loaded into syringes), it is important to package them so that TSA agents can easily view them and can easily examine them. In the case of my two B12 injections, I packaged them in a travel container typically used to store a toothbrush put inside the bag containing the prescription label. This kept them labeled, sterile, and guaranteed the plunger couldn't accidentally be pushed during travel. It also made it very easy for me to open the container to display the syringes to the agents.

Leave early so that TSA can unpack your suitcase: Plan ahead for unusual items to be examined. I travel with water kefir grains and natural sugar in separate zippy bags tucked into a small jar so that I can continue my habit of brewing and drinking probiotic-rich water kefir while I travel. TSA agents in Tampa ignored these items; TSA agents in Indianapolis took them out of their protective baggies and had a million probing questions for me. I'm not familiar with C4 explosives ... do they look like kefir grains? (See pic. Do they????) Were they afraid I'd gain control of the plane by improving the pilots' digestion? Such a mystery! One TSA agent was a bit skeptical when I said the powdered substance in the baggie was sugar used to "feed" the kefir grains, but thankfully chose not to call for drug sniffing dogs. Oddly enough, on our return trip, the water kefir grains went unnoticed, but four small bags of artisinal rice garnered many questions. I'm not sure how rice could compromise national security, but apparently it's a questionable item. Who knew? The bottom line is that if you are taking anything unusual with you while traveling, plan ahead for delays caused by TSA agents doing their job by asking questions about items and ingredients they don't recognize.
Plan for TSA agents to freak out if you take off your insulin pump: This is the third time I've had a TSA agent INSIST I put my insulin pump back on after I took it off to have it inspected. Most insulin pumps do not set off metal detectors; mine does. I therefore turn if off, take it off and request a visual inspection because I've jumped through TSA hoops about my insulin pump one too many times. Here's what I was avoiding: When the pump sets off the metal detector, they insist on scanning me head to toe to figure out what metal I'm carrying. When they isolate the insulin pump as the source of the metal, they then insist that I show them my insertion set, the location where the catheter needle is injected into my body. This is typically in my lower abdomen. (I don't know about you, but I try to avoid unzipping my pants and baring my abdomen to strangers. It's just a thing I have.) They then typically force me to unhook the insulin pump ANYWAY so they can test the pump's software and prove to themselves it's an insulin pump and not a detonator. I therefore typically turn my pump off, remove it from the insertion set, request a visual check, and move on because that is faster. Or, it's faster until a TSA agent decides that if I remove my pump myself it's dangerous, but if he orders me to remove my pump it's perfectly safe. Go figure.
Never lose your sense of humor: I anticipated most of the challenges we had with TSA and was ready for them and the delays they created. Running late because of a flat tire destroyed our schedule, so I was feeling a bit rushed. However, I had decided in advance to smile my way through it and crack as many jokes as I could. (I didn't attempt humor with the TSA agents and don't advise it. Cracking a joke about the C4 explosives hidden in your suitcase won't end well. Trust me.) I was successful at maintaining a positive attitude, laughing at the developments, and avoiding any expenditure of negative energy.

There you have it. If traveling with a freak of nature, plan ahead, keep smiling, and know that you're better of because of it! I think here is the appropriate place to mention that God rewarded our delays and travel challenges by blessing us with a red Mustang as our Priceline "economy" rental at $19/day. It was all very, very worth it. Have a great day!

Resources for information on radiation from TSA scanners:

Daily Tech: TSA Called Out: http://bit.ly/pHcZYz
Letter sent to the Obama administration expressing concerns over dangers from TSA scanners: http://bit.ly/oWS3FK
TSA Scanners More Dangerous Than Admitted: http://bit.ly/n0shbc
TSA Scanners Could Cause Cancer & Sperm Mutations: http://bit.ly/o3XSWi

Hand Sanitizer Alternatives with Recipes

2011-10-05T19:26:00.004-04:00

This post was permanently moved to my website. It may be read in its entirety there by visiting the link that follows: http://goodworkswellness.com/hand-sanitizer-alternatives-with-recipes/

Following is a list of my recommended alternatives to chemical hand sanitizer...

This post was permanently moved to my website. It may be read in its entirety there by visiting the link that follows: http://goodworkswellness.com/hand-sanitizer-alternatives-with-recipes/