I used to suffer from chronic constipation although I was rarely doubled over in pain from the lack of bowel movements, heaviness, and occasional cramps I experienced were uncomfortable. It surprised me because well… I was healthy as a whole food vegan I was eating the right foods so why in the wold was I experiencing this problem? I decided to do some research as it turns out I wasn�??t eating enough fiber rich foods.

Greens such as collards, kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens, were something I didn’t eat a lot of about five years ago. I wrote about this in my guest post at Face-Natural you can read about it in New Years Resolution: Eating For Beauty. I ate greens daily, mainly lettuce and spinach, but the amount of dark leafy greens I consumed was very small. In my case simply upping my intake of greens caused me to have bowel movements again. Also I incorporated self massage using specific essential oils. That did the trick in one day I was having bowel movements a few times daily.

Why do people become constipated? I�??ve listed a few reasons below…

Constipation: Why does it happen?

1. Not eating enough dietary fiber
2. Not drinking enough liquids
3. Lack of exercise
4. Poor eating habits
5. Ignoring the urge to have bowel movements

I was guilty of #1 and #5.

Regarding #1, I realized that although I was consuming fiber daily I needed to increase the amount of fiber that I was adding into my diet. Now I usually eat at least three cups of some type of greens daily. It has been extremely effective in helping me have bowel movements a few times daily.

With #5, there were times when I did not want to have a bowel movement, for example, if I were in a public restroom I �??held it�?? until I was in a private location, my own home. However the more I read about bowel health the more I realized that this isn�??t a good practice and can contribute to a lazy bowels. I changed my ways.

If you listen to the mainstream view about bowel health having a bowel movement three times a week is considered normal and healthy. Really, if that is healthy why are there so many bowel related diseases in westernized cultures? I�??m not buying it. Doesn�??t it make sense that we should be eliminating shortly after we consume our foods? I observe my pets and how quickly, and easily they have bowel movements shortly after eating (they�??re raw fed.)

I look at the examples of people in third world countries and compare their health to ours. Although we have more money than they and the best health care we rank lower than they when it comes to our own physical health. I imagine we do need the best health care money can buy, right?

When we look at the high amount of processed foods that invade our diets, the lack of exercise, and the poor excuse many of us make when it comes to changing our eating habits is it really any wonder that our health is so poor and many of us are plagued with diseases?

Constipation: How Can I Prevent or Eliminate It?

• Eat fiber rich foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains)
• Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water
• Avoid sugar and processed foods
• Exercise regularly
• Drink peppermint tea (peppermint has long history of relaxing muscles on the gastrointestinal tract.)

Photosource: Indiamart

Technorati Tags: chronic constipation, bowel health, fiber rich foods

The past few weeks my workouts have been intense I’ve been drinking a lot of green energy drinks which have kept me going at 100% during my workouts.  I feel great and am always eager to to target the same muscles that I normally use by choosing different exercises. Well, it had the desired effect and now my body is slightly sore.

I�??m out of my homemade muscle balm I�??ll have to make more. A few of the ingredients that you�??ll find in my muscle balm are Natural menthol which is derived from peppermint essential oils and other mint essential oils has a cooling effect. It�??s a topical analgesic that can help soothe minor aches and pains. I�??ll be adding a few other ingredients like aloe vera gel, lavender essential oil.

I made something similar for my father several years ago. He didn�??t come out and tell me he liked it no that would have been too easy. His way of telling me he liked my products was to say, “Opal I�??m running out of that stuff you made!�?? Interpretation Opal, you need to make me some more.

If I had St. Johns Wort tincture I would have applied it before I worked out and afterwards when I’ve done this I’ve found that I haven’t had any muscle aches.

Technorati Tags: essential oils, muscle soreness

Of course it happened to be the bedroom where I was sleeping. They were in my walk in closet. Thankfully I had brought along the essential oil black pepper. I placed ten drops of essential oil into my 16 ounce spray bottle.  I added water.  I shook well and sprayed. The ants vacated.

Black pepper can be an effective, poison free way to get rid of ants. If you don’t have the essential oil you can sprinkle the ground pepper where you don’t want the ants. I usually add freshly ground pepper at my door. I haven’t had any problems with ants walking in like I used to have.

My parents took my advice I followed this simple step and their ant population within their home has been reduced. It’s an effective way to treat your home of insects. It’s not harmful and it’s wonderful for the environment.

Technorati Tags: essential oils, black pepper, ant repellent

I had a lovely workout this morning and as always I try to get some sauna time in. I usually stay in the dry sauna for an hour. I stay hydrated while I’m in there. It’s a great way to end my workouts.

Technorati Tags: essential oils, aromatherapy

My classes are going well. I�??m still maintaining an A+ average. I�??m working on my Masters in Traditional Naturopathy. A lot of the information I�??ve encountered during my studies isn�??t new to me. I�??ve always had a fascination for alternative healing and started active reading everything I could get my hands on in my early twenties.

Sibbia of Seeing is Believing; Believing is Achieving asked her readers a question…

So I�??m asking Catherine and all who read this post, who provides you the best information on diet, exercise, health news, stress management, healthy cooking, or natural & alternative medicine?

When it comes to natural and alternative medicines the best person I’ve met has been my grandmother, she taught me so much about the mind/body connection and the ways we could heal ourselves naturally. I was like a sponge and absorbed everything she had to say. A lot of what she has taught me about the body and how it reacts to various substances I’ve read in my course of studies on Traditional Naturopathy.  My grandmother died in 2004.  She was 93 years old.

I�??ve always been fascinated with alternative healing & nutrition.  I’ve taken numerous courses on both subjects.  I have a few certifications, and I want to receive more.  If you were to come into my home you would find two eight-foot bookshelves filled with information on aromatherapy, herbs, nutrition, reflexology.  I believe I�??ve read every single one.  I’ll curl up with one of them and read them like a novel.  Well, they are my novels.  Once I finish, my Masters in Traditional Naturopathy I�??ll be focusing on my Phd.

I�??ll eventually receive a nutrition degree also. When I went to college, I was studying to become a nurse. I changed my field to business finance my fourth year in college. My parents loved that! I don�??t regret those years of nursing and I believe it has aided me in many ways.

Today after my work is complete I�??ll be packing up my MacBook Pro, my daughter�??s Hp dv6000t, and I�??ll be packing my books that I�??ll be studying while I�??m on holiday. I don�??t view my lessons as work. I truly enjoy the time I spend with my lessons and conducting my own research. Having the time away gives e a chance to take a much needed break from the daily stressors that can creep into our lives.

Things move at a slower pace in Summerton, South Carolina and I’m grateful.  It will be a great chance to recharge, connect with loved ones and enjoy spending time away. I truly cherish the time that we spend in the condo, and I take time to marvel in the beauty that I see once I gaze out of our window. The condo sits on the waterfront, and I have a gorgeous view of Lake Marion.

I�??m hoping everyone has a safe & wonderful holiday.

My hair has always grown fairly quickly I believe a lot of that is do partly to my lifestyle. I eat healthy, I exercise, and I don’t let things get to me. Aromatherapy is part of my daily lifestyle over the past few months I have noticed that my hair has been growing incredibly fast? What has changed?

Iwork out in the gym and after my shower I immediately use a mixture of essential oils on my scalp. I massage my scalp and apply a few drops of oil to it not only does it make my hair & scalp smell nice, the essential oils do stimulate the scalp and all the essential oils used to promote hair growth. Aromatherapy can be an excellent way to promote hair growth without all the toxic chemicals.

There was an exciting study in the Archives of Dermatology (1998; 134:1349-1352)

After seven months of treatment, 44% of the patients using the essential oils showed significant improvement in hair growth. The group using carrier oils showed just 15% improvement. In addition, the aromatherapy caused no significant side effects. Researchers concluded that not only did the aromatherapy work, it was also far safer than traditional alopecia treatments including conventional steroids.

Pretty fascinating stuff eh? I’ve made hair treatments for some of my clients that addressed thinning hair, and sometimes they could regrow hair. One of my family members experienced hair loss. She’s older I gave her some hair products and I also recommended that she stop using such harsh chemicals on her hair. She would relax it. Her hair is now chemical free.

What made her stop using them. I told her those chemicals are straightening your hair but what are they doing to you internally? When I use lye in soapmaking I use gloves. This caustic chemical is being placed directly upon your scalp. You don’t think this could have a possible effect on your health?

If you’re looking for a book on aromatherapy I would recommend The Complete Book od Essential Oils by Valerie Ann Worwood. I picked up my copy the shortly after it was published. Valerie talks about a variety of essential oils and she also includes recipes. Amazon is currently selling this book at

What essential oils do I use? I use a mixture of rosemary, black pepper, lavender, and ylang ylang. I’ll share a recipe in a later post. I will be selling essential oils along with a few other products on Healing Yourself Naturally in January 2008.

Don’t stop at your hair! Promote smart choices for your overall well-being. Focus on ways you can improve your entire body. Start incorporating healthy eating habits into your daily lifestyle, exercise, and think positively.

Technorati Tags: essential oils for hairloss, aromatherapy, holistic remedies, The Complete Book of Essential Oils

This week I thought it would be a good idea to have a liquid fast. I’ll only be consuming liquids. I started this past Sunday. Usually when I start a cleanse I tend to become “foggy” and that happened this Sunday of course now I’m at the stage where I have more energy than normal. I feel like I can work for hours. I usually do that in real life anyway but I’m noticing an extra boost to my energy levels. I always notice this when I’m on a liquid diet.

What’s a Juice Fast?

When you are on a juice fast you are only consuming raw vegetable and fruit juice, and water.

I Eliminate A Lot More

When I’m on a juice fast I notice the amount that my urine and bowels movements increase. I normally have a bowels movement shortly after I eat a meal. This is ideal, but it’s something that many people aren’t doing in westernized culture since a lot of us have strayed away from a whole food diet to a highly processed diet.

Juicer

I would recommend that you invest in a good juicer. I purchased mine on sale for a little under $400. few hundred dollars but they are worth it. Whenever I felt that I might be exposed to a lot of germs my first choice for natural defense was consuming a high amount of freshly prepared juice.

Thinking about the time this has saved me from not becoming sick this has been a good investment. I recommend the Green Star juicers. That’s what I use. It uses the twin gear technology and blasts thought anything I put into it even the hard vegetables. I had another juicer before my Green Star and I burned up the motor trying to juice beets & jicama.

What I’m Juicing

1. Carrot - These are an excellent source of provitamin A. I usually mix carrots with greens, daikon, beets, and celery. Occasionally I’ll toss in cucumbers.
2. Celery - I use this in small amounts although very tasty it is also high in sodium.
3. Beets - Considered a blood builder/blood purifier. It’s considered to be a powerful cleanser. Do not drink this alone. I mix mine with greens, celery, and daikon or carrots. It’s important to note tat beet juice can color your bowels movement.
4. Cabbage - I like the taste of cabbage juice mixed with other vegetables. Cabbage juice was used by Dr. Garnett Cheney, M.D. to cure his patients of peptic ulcers. They drank it daily and were cured in half the time. The American Cancer Society has been urging people to eat more cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli) because of their protective effects against cancer.
5. Zucchini Squash - I love eating this raw and it’s also tasty when it’s juiced.

I’ll be adding some of the juicing recipes I prepare on The Raw & The Cooked. I’ll update this post at Healing Yourself Naturally once they have been added.

I burned the top of my hand yesterday. This happened several minutes after I had removed the pot off the stove. I wasn’t thinking and brushed the top of it with my hand. Ouch! That really hurt. Instantly I rushed upstairs and pulled out lavender essential oil and put it on my hand after a few moments the pain was gone. Guess what? It left no mark. Not only is lavender essential oil effective in burns it can also be used to reduce itching and swelling.

Technorati Tags: aromathrapy, lavender essential oil, alternative remedies

Photo Source: New Media Explorer

Did you know that the majority of the floor and furniture waxes that are available on the market today can be harmful to your health? As a child I remember my mother would use these toxic chemical cocktails disguised as furniture polish and floor wax to clean or church. She and a few of the other people that were church members took turns volunteering to make sure the church stayed spotless. It was beautiful, but it came with a price. I received headaches within minutes of being around these harmful cleaners, occasionally I became irritable. Even at the young age of seven I knew it was related to these cleaners.

Guess what there are safer, and many cases cheaper alternatives than the ones you will find in your department stores. I’ve decided to share a few of the remedies that I use in my household not only do they do a marvelous job with your furniture they also aid in protecting your health and the environment.

Healing Yourself Naturally’s Furniture Polishing Cream

• 3 1/2 ounces of food grade linseed oil, jojoba, or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 ounces of coconut oil
• 1 ounce beeswax
• 1 ounce carnauba wax
• 4 ounces of purified/distilled water
• 4 - 6 drops of essential oil

*You will need a container to hold furniture polishing cream
Directions

1. In a double boiler (I’ve also had success using a pot on low heat) melt the oils and wax.
2. Remove from heat once the ingredients have melted.
3. Using a hand mixer pour in a small amount of the water to the Pour water slowly to the mixture.
4. Add water & essential oils
5. Mix with a hand mixer until the consistency is creamy and thick.

How To Use

1. Add a small amount of cream to a cotton rag
2. Rub into furniture
3. Buff until the cream has worked into the wood.

The shelf life is 6 months to one year.

Technorati Tags: homemade furniture polishing cream, polish, toxic chemicals