The Body In Form

Body Activation: Recalibrating the Body from Inside Out

2013-11-24T13:24:00.001-08:00

Body Activation is a new, integrative approach to healing and awakening the body from the inside out. Developed by Michele Kadison, who has over 30 years experience as a dancer, choreographer, and Master Dance Teacher, this system of exercise is designed to help you release tension, create more space in the body, strengthen and tone the muscles and organs, and find greater overall ease.

Please visit the Body Activation blog to learn more about how you can find greater comfort and awareness through this deep and inspiring protocol:

www.bodyactivation.blogspot.com

13 Frequently Asked Questions about Periods - Be Acquainted with Menarche & Your Monthly Cycle

2013-11-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

- by guest blogger, Claudia Etura

The dilemma and confusion associated with periods are a known affair for women. As soon as we are on our menarche, puberty hits the body and mind, and things start changing all of a sudden. A lot of girls wish to talk to their mother or someone who will understand them, but shy away or hesitate to openly talk about the issue.

Getting the first period is a cue that you are stepping into womanhood. Let me start by saying that it is nothing to be afraid of and you need not stay quiet about it, as menstruation is a natural process every woman goes through.

Recently, we conducted a survey amongst some teenage girls and came out with 13 common questions that linger in their minds. The questions were sent out to experts for the right advice.

Take a look at the queries and what the experts have to say about it.

· Anna asks: I am 13, and I started menstruating 5 months ago, but it has returned only once. Is it ok to have irregular periods? Was it periods or was I bleeding due to a different reason?

Expert says: It is absolutely fine to get irregular periods in the first 2 years. Your system is picking up with the menstrual cycle and would slowly become normal with time.

From what you have said I reckon that it is just a glitch in the body and nothing else. If you find any abnormal symptoms, visit a Gynecologist.

· Rebecca asks: I’ve been menstruating for a couple of years now. My periods usually last for more than a week and starts again within the next 20-25 days after the onset. But it doesn’t cause me any pain or discomforts. Will it affect my body at a later stage?

Expert says: Ideally 3-5 days of menstrual bleeding is considered normal. If you bleed profusely more than a week, it could be an underlying condition which may harm you later if ignored for long. So, attend this concern as soon as possible.

28 days are considered to be the standard break between periods. But, it is normal to have a gap of 21-35 days and varies from person to person.

· Eryn asks: I feel bloated during periods and usually get pain on the first two days. Why does that happen?

Expert says: Bloating during periods is a common phenomenon. It happens due to hormonal changes that triggers excess water retention. You can avoid bloating by drinking a lot of water and sweating it out.

Muscle contractions in the uterus cause period cramps. It is induced by the hormone – prostaglandin, which aids in shedding of uterine lining.

Two to three days of pain before or during periods is fine unless it is too severe to bear.

· Maya asks: I find a buttery fluid in my panties. Is it some sort of infection?

Expert says: The fluid is called cervical mucus. It could be dry, sticky or moist and vary with your menstrual cycle.

An indication of infection is when cervical mucus becomes smelly or turns green or gray in color. Maintain vaginal hygiene to avoid infection.

· Pearl asks: My menstrual blood is dark brown in color and not red. Is that normal?

Expert says: Period blood fluctuates in color and flow throughout periods. Generally at the beginning, period blood might appear bright or dark red and as you are nearing the end of your cycle, it will become brown, dark brown or even black.

It is absolutely normal as long as you have regular and normal cycle.

· Priya asks: What should I use, tampons or pads? Does tampon hurt?

Expert says: Either tampons or sanitary pads/napkins are fine as long as you are comfortable using them.

Pads absorb period blood from outside and tampons are inserted in the vagina to absorb the flow. They are available in different sizes meant for heavy and light periods.

If you are using pads, it is hygienic to change it within 3-4 hours and tampons need to be changed within 4-6 hours. Or else, it could cause irritation or rashes to sensitive skin.

Choose tampons if you are going for a swim or vigorous physical activities during periods. But do not force it in if your vaginal opening is too tight to hold a tampon. Relax and be gentle while inserting the tampon if you are trying it for the first time. Also, pick a day when your flow is less (by the end of periods usually) and go for a smaller-sized tampon.

You would have definitely heard about Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) linked with the usage of superabsorbent tampons. It is a perilous condition leading to a shock-state, caused by toxin-producing bacteria. Well, it is very rare, therefore, pay attention to TSS symptoms and change your tampons time to time to prevent it.

· Katalin asks: I am part of the soccer team in my school and we have coaching on alternate days. Should I be taking rest during periods?

Rachel asks: Can I work out or practice yoga during periods?

Expert says: Yes absolutely, carry on with your practice and wok out sessions as long as it doesn’t tire your body or cause unusual pain.

In fact, you can avoid period cramps by being active and doing some light physical activities.

Skip moves that strain your abdomen and inversions, as it may disrupt the normalcy of period flow.

· Chloe asks: I take contraceptive pills to delay my periods. Will it have adverse effects on my body?

Expert says: To be honest, this is a tricky question. Researches and studies have proven it either ways and have not arrived at a unanimous conclusion.

A few studies say that women can totally avoid periods by consistently depending on these pills. It is much helpful for women who go through traumatic periods every month.

There are acceptable side effects of using contraceptives such as irregular periods, mood changes, headache, nausea, dizziness, breast tenderness and mild blood clots. It is acceptable only when they are low in intensity.

Certain studies have showcased that there are high risks involved in using contraceptives including cancer and heart stroke. The risks can be aggravated by other factors like smoking, unhealthy lifestyle, age, obesity and past or present medical conditions.

Hence, don’t jump into choosing any pill. Fix an appointment with your doctor, have a detailed discussion about your body and which pill you should take. Also read through the entire package leaflet before taking the pills.

· Natalie asks: I am 14 years old. All my friends have periods and I have not started yet. My mother and sister had it at the age of 12. Could there be a problem with me?

Expert says: Hi Natalie. You are not late for menarche.

Though the average age of menarche is 12, it is perfectly fine if you get it between 10 and 15. If it occurs before or after the mentioned age, you need to consult a gynecologist as it might occur due to some medical conditions.

The onset of your first period is not only genetic but also depends on factors like diet, lifestyle, weight, health and more.

So let your body work as per its schedule while you get prepared for the first period.

· Ellie asks: Can I have sexual intercourse during periods?

Expert says: The long-prevailing myth that sexual intercourse during periods is unhygienic is absolutely discarded. It is safe and natural to have sex during periods.

Sex while menstruating could take away cramps and other distressing symptoms allied with periods. Women tend to bleed out faster and get done with periods sooner.

But know that you can get pregnant during periods as well. So use birth control even while periods.

The risk that accompanies sexual intercourse during menstruation can be getting prone to Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and other vaginal infections. Hence take the right precautionary measures like condom to prevent the possibility of such conditions.

· Ashley asks: Why do I get acne during periods and my friends don’t? What can I do to stop the outbreaks?

Expert says: These acne breakouts are called menstrual or hormonal acne. They are produced as a result of hormonal fluctuations that your body goes through before and during periods.

First thing you can do is keep your face clean and nourished, and follow a good diet. Avoid stress, smoking and skin dehydration.

If acne flare-ups go unruly and you are unable to treat it with regular methods, visit a dermatologist for proper guidance and treatment.

· Noah asks: Isn’t bleeding unhealthy? How much blood am I supposed to lose during my period?

Expert says: Period bleeding is absolutely healthy when normal; it is just a natural process of a woman’s reproductive system.

What makes it unhealthy is when some amount of nutrients is passed out through the bleeding, which has to be compensated through your diet.

If you are feeling tired and worn out during periods, consult your doctor. Most probably you are in need of some supplements.

· Aaliyah asks: Can you tell me how to identify when periods are not normal and when to consult a doctor?

When your system doesn’t function properly it usually gives you hints and symptoms to detect some sort of abnormalities.

Following is the checklist that you need to keep in mind:

· Bleeding between periods

· Bleeding after intercourse

· Bleeding after menopause

· Spotting between periods

· Heavier and/or longer days of bleeding

· Severe pelvic pain

If you experience the above symptoms, consult a doctor immediately.

I suppose most of your queries are answered here. If you have any additional questions, get in touch with us to speak with specialists.

About Author

Claudia Etura Marketing Manager at Dudley Wellness Company a key enabler in improving the quality of men and women lives by offering Immediate Pain relief products, menstrual pain relief cream and joint pain reliever.

My Almost Daily Power Protein Breakfast

2012-08-19T08:00:00.003-07:00

Loaded with nutrition, fired up with taste, this is the most delicious breakfast for starting up the day. Guaranteed you won't feel hungry for hours afterwards while you experience a beautiful energy boost that lasts!

Quinoa

Pumpkin Seeds

Blueberries

Bee Pollen - 1 tsp

Flaxseed oil - 1 tsp

Raw chocolate nibs

Cinnamon

Stevia or honey to taste

Put your desired amount of quinoa in a small pot and cover with filtered water, about an inch and a half above the grains. If you're a committed measurer, it will be about 2 water to 1 quinoa.

Cover and simmer until the water is absorbed, which usually will take less time than rice.

Place in your favorite bowl and let cool, as heat destroys the powers of the pollen and flaxseed oil.

Once ready, add the above ingredients, mix, and enjoy!

Guest Blogger: Polly Mertens on Healing from Bulimia

2012-06-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

Appreciation – Create a Shift in Your Life

Self-love is one of the keys to lasting eating disorder recovery in my opinion. Yet I’ve come to realize recently that it is the feeling of appreciation (of anything, not just ourselves) that creates a shift in our lives. When we appreciate something we align with that which we are. We align with our highest Self, God, the Source within us.

I went on a spiritual quest years ago and spent a long time in nature just learning the feeling of appreciation. I tapped into the feeling of love that Source is. I learned that our true nature is love. Love is at the core of who we are. Each and every person, every animal, every plant or species is at its essence love. Love it what binds us and love is Source.

When we are focusing our attention and feeling the feeling of appreciation we are feeling love. We are being loving and our Source energy is love so we become aligned with who we innately are. If you want to overcome bulimia there are many tools and resources to help you break your habits of abuse, but I believe it is when we finally learn to love and be loving that we really find lasting eating disorder recovery.

Self-love

When I talk to women who are struggling with regaining their strength after years of binging and purging, just the mere act of stopping the cycle is a major breakthrough. I realize that when you’re “in it” with your eating disorder it’s too much of a stretch to ask you to love yourself right then. Self-love is pretty much the furthest thing from having an eating disorder. After all, if you loved yourself why would you abuse your body, mind and spirit this way? You wouldn’t.

I’d now like to offer than instead of trying to move up the emotional scale to self-love right out the gate after starting recovery that you instead take it gradually. I have an idea that I hope will help you move your needle from self-hatred and self-loathing towards self-love more rapidly and with grace and ease.

Start by loving and appreciating things that are easier to appreciate (than yourself). Start by loving things like babies, kittens, flowers and sunsets. When you can focus your attention on something for as little as 17 seconds you activate a vibration within you that law of attraction will respond to and bring more thoughts like it to you. When you have the vibration of appreciation active within you, you’ll begin to attract more things to appreciate. The momentum will begin to create a shift in your life that will allow more things to appreciate into your life.

When you’re appreciating the things around you, in time you can turn your love towards yourself. If you spend a few days or a few weeks practicing appreciating the things in your day-to-day life you’ll have practiced the vibration and alignment with Source. That feeling will be activated within you and with practice it will feel like your new normal. Your new normal way of feeling will be loving. So when you activate or think thoughts about yourself it will be easier to be loving instead of hateful.

Negative self-talk can be so crippling when you’re trying to beat bulimia. Overcoming your eating disorder I believe requires you to activate a new vibration. A new pattern of thought within you that’s aligned with a higher vibration, a loving vibration instead of a negative, harmful vibration. The way we feel is just our practiced vibration or focused thoughts. If we can actively focus on loving the thing around us I think we can create a shift in our life that will make it easier each day to appreciate our Self.

How to feel appreciation

It’s the little thoughts, the little moments that if we recognize them and milk them for what they are – opportunities to feel love – we can find so many reasons to appreciate the world around us. This is why I’ve often recommended a gratitude journal. If you were to sit in bed at night before going to sleep and write in your journal five things you’re grateful for, you would spend at least the 17 seconds it takes to activate law of attraction and you’d put yourself in a positive vibration just before going to sleep.

To take it a step further, I encourage you to spend time in every day looking for things to appreciate. For example:

I love this beautiful morning.
I love my husband…my children…my friend…my friends.
I love my home…my car…my clothes.
It feels so good talking with my best friend…
This food tastes so good.
I love writing….dancing…going to the beach…knitting…painting.
I love my dog….my cat…my bird….my horse.

Finding things that make us feel good and holding them as the object of our attention will activate pure positive vibration of love and align us with Source. Focus on the things that are easiest to appreciate first. Then turning your attention on yourself will be easier. Have fun with it.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder I would encourage you to check out my blog, Inspiring Bulimia Recovery. This blog is one of the best resources for support and self help methods to help you recover from an eating disorder. Find real bulimia stories, videos and blog posts all aimed at assisting you on your road to recovery. Discover where you can find additional support to enhance the tools we provide you with. This blog is more specifically aimed at bulimia recovery but is applicable to all other eating disorders.

Appreciation from Abraham

I would like to conclude with this uplifting video. The feeling of gratitude is palpable in this video. Just listening to this exchange between Abraham and a guest your vibration is uplifted. I listened to this a few times and it brought me to tears when I focused on the feeling of appreciation. The benefit to you and the world by your vibration is worth the effort.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1VJMiniBP8A

From Guest Blogger, Polly Mertens: http://www.getbusythriving.com/

WARMING AND COOLING FOODS FOR HEALTH: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

2012-02-27T05:39:00.001-08:00

Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine and other ancient healing practices have always used food as one of the ways to balance the body to help prevent and treat disease. With the understanding that every type of food contains its own characteristics, these wise healers know that the energy contained in what we eat is not just a matter of calories, carbohydrates, fats, and protein, but also has to do with temperature.

Temperature and Health Conditions

Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors also look at temperature as it relates to health conditions. In allopathic medicine, we rarely think of a physical problem having hot or cold properties, but in Oriental health practices, the body is considered in terms of these qualities depending on the condition. In this way, specific foods are proscribed to help with the healing process.

Often by instinct we will eat warmer foods in the wintertime and cooler in the summertime, which is our body’s way of helping us to stay in balance.

Warming Foods

Warming foods are yang, which the Chinese represent as the warm, sunny side of a mountain. They tend to be drying and help to raise the energy of the body by improving circulation and bring heat to the organs, blood, and cells. The need for warm food is often signaled by these conditions:

· Cold hands and feet

· Cold body

· Diarrhea

· Stomach pain

· Bloating

· Discomfort after eating or drinking cold foods and beverages

· Sore joints

· Fluid retention

· Lack of energy

Warm foods are generally those that take a longer time to grow. Incorporating them into the diet can help balance the body if you have any of the above symptoms. Here is a partial list of warming foods:

Cabbage, kale, mustard greens, onions, garlic, winter squash, pumpkin, parsnip, leek, chives, scallions,

Cherries, nectarines, coconut, avocado, cooked or dried fruits

Oats, nuts, seeds

Butter, soybean oil

Most meats, including chicken and lamb

Chocolate

Cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves, dry ginger, basil, rosemary

Cooling Foods

Cooling foods are yin, which are damp and represented by the shady, cooler side of the mountain. These foods help to clear way heat and toxins, calming the blood and moistening the body. The need for cooling foods is often signaled by these conditions:

· Hot body

· Thirst

· Constipation

· Strong smelling stool

· Burning anus after bowl movements

· Dark yellow urine

· Heartburn

· Anxiety

· Red eyes and face

· Overly emotional

· Rapid pulse

· Headaches

· Ulcers in the mouth or on the tongue

· Cold sores

· Red tongue with yellow coating

Cooling foods generally take less time to grow. A short list of some of these foods includes:

Lettuce, celery, radish, cucumber, summer squash, broccoli, tomatoes, most leafy veggies, mushrooms, eggplant

Seaweed and seafood

Bananas, pears, oranges, apples, kiwi, watermelon

Millet, amaranth, barley, wheat

Northern, navy, kidney, lima, and mung beans soaked in water 12 hours before cooking

Sprouted grains and legumes

Tofu, egg whites, yogurt

Fresh ginger, mint, marjoram, cilantro, lemon balm, white peppercorns

Herbal teas, vegetable broths, fruit and vegetable juices

Balanced Foods

Some foods contain naturally balanced thermal qualities. These include:

· Root vegetables

· Black mushrooms

· Peanuts

· Olives

· Lemons

· Grapes

· Plums

· Sunflower seeds

The Color of Food

The color of food can also help you determine its temperature. Green, blue, and purple fruits and vegetables tend to be more cooling than those that are red, orange, or yellow. In this way, a green apple or pepper will be more cooling than one that is red.

The Preparation of Food

How you prepare your food also affects how warming or cooling it will be for the body. Lightly and quickly cooked foods are more cooling. Long and slow cooking makes food warmer.

And now… continue your research…

Understanding the principles of warm and cool foods and the properties of yin and yang is an in-depth study that I can only touch upon here. My goal is to ignite your interest so that you do your own research into the healing benefits of balancing your diet with cooling and warming foods. What better way to expand and balance your approach to well being!

Integrative Medicine: Allopathy and Homeopathy Hand in Hand

2012-02-15T05:20:00.000-08:00

The body in form….

I always thought I had a body in perfect form… in top quality, high performance, never-get-seriously sick form. As a dancer whose been dancing all of my life, this body has almost always been in shape (even when I gained 15 pounds living high on pasta and vino in Italy) and has always been toned, stretched, strong, and reliable.

An uninvited guest…

That is, until about two weeks ago when I found out that the digestive blockage I was trying to resolve with homeopathic medicine and diet was nothing less than an uninvited guest lodged in my sigmoid colon, otherwise known as a tumor!

I’ve got it covered…

I know I write all about natural protocols for keeping healthy. It’s my pride and joy that I never have had to go to an allopathic doctor in my adult life to resolve a physical problem. I have lists of my favorite alternative doctors in whichever city I happen to be living in. Here it’s my Taiwanese traditional Chinese medicine specialist, my Korean electro-acupuncturist, my Argentine muscle-worker, my miracle-working Floridian chiropractor, and my brilliant Russian homoeopathist (ex-allopathic doctor to the astronauts in St. Petersburg.) I’m always covered and always sure that at least one of them will find a solution to a torn ligament, misaligned spine, digestive problem, and the like.

Or do I?

Well, we are speaking of a digestive problem here. One that started a little bit less than a year ago. My usually perfectly functioning system began to perplex me. Elimination was a problem. I went for colonics, but my natural ability to cleanse wasn’t up to par, to say the least. I was staying thin, had my usual resources of energy, but month by month the problem was not resolving.

The rebel…

I finally went to a specialist who advised me to have a colonoscopy. I rebelled. Me? A colonoscopy? That’s for grannies who don’t know how to use diet and natural protocols. More months went by. Now less and less was happening and I wondered, where is it going? I look the same. Shouldn’t I be getting bloated, puffy, fat? I thought I had parasites. Perfectly treatable with natural formulae.

But nothing was changing and finally I relented and went for tests.

Giving in…

I had the colonoscopy and then a cat scan and the long and the short of it was that I had a blockage the size of a tennis ball that was taking up 80% of the space in my intestine and I’d better get me to surgery fast before it became an emergency!

I changed my diet to the bland foods I always avoid – white rice, white flour, eggs - with no fruits, veggies, or whole grains in sight. I went for the surgery.

Revelatory and humbling note…

Had I had the colonoscopy months ago, the tumor would have been in mini form and easily extractable during the colonoscopy itself.

Obedience…

It’s been a week and I’m at home recuperating. No exercise for at least a month, which means my assistant teaches my dance classes and I hear all the news. No lifting (darn, really wanted that cement hauling job), and serious rehearsals for when I’m 104 years old, meaning I’ve got shuffling down to a science. I’m supposed to walk as much as I can to keep the intestines supple, which I do around the house until fifteen minutes later its time for a nap. Mostly I’m sleeping, reading, listening to music, and feeling the humanness of my body.

In the normal flow…

Eating whole foods is essential. Cleansing the body on a regular basis is essential. I recently read Alejandro Junger’s book, Clean, and believe that his protocols are key for a healthy life. Being mindful by getting enough rest, avoiding stress, and doing what you love is paramount. But even with all of this, we are vulnerable creatures, human, with bodies that sometimes tell us to stop, to notice, and to listen.

Using the homeopathic and allopathic…

I completely adhere to integrative medicine, which combines homeopathic with allopathic protocols. There are times when one is more effective than the other.

Back from the hospital, I was given no medication other than the advice to take ibuprophin if I needed to. I haven’t needed to. I’m on a homeopathic formula given to me by my Russian doctor that has arnica and other healing extracts to get me back to form. I’m back to eating whole grains, veggies, and fruits; drinking tons of water and lots of organic herbal teas. But now I’m going to also get my annual allopathic check-ups, my blood tests, and my periodic colonoscopies.

The lesson…

My lesson in all of this ~ to be wise. To respect all types of medical science. Not to self-diagnose. To be faster in reacting to a problem. Not to assume that I’m invulnerable. To understand what it means to LOVE myself in a deeper way by listening and investigating all avenues for health. To not be afraid. To trust. To know that LOVE attracts LOVE and that loving doctors will appear, as they have for me in this experience, even though they came from that dreaded allopathic place! Everything has its place.

Please take a look at The Body In Form store to find hand-picked items for easy purchase online such as: vitamins, herbs, beauty products, and self-help, health, and recipe books that encourage you to have a body - and life - in form!

Healing from Eating Disorders Naturally, by Polly Mertens

2012-02-03T07:08:00.001-08:00

My name is Polly Mertens and I’m honored to share my life’s wisdom as a guest author The Body In Form.

I recovered from bulimia after 20 years of living with this compulsive overeating disorder. I have come to realize that recovery is not just about changing the way you behave, but also changing the way you think, feel and perceive. It is my experience that successful treatments for an eating disorder include inner healing and work to connect the addict to their higher self, God, the universe or whatever you choose to call it.

Eating disorders refer to a collection of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake. These disorders can be very harmful to an individual’s mental and physical health. The most common types of eating disorders in the United States are bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Although primarily thought to affect females, eating disorders affect males as well. The number of eating disorders is increasing all over the world, especially within the United States.

More specifically bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time. This is followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed, usually by purging, using laxatives, or excessive exercising.

Treatments for an eating disorder frequently involve more than just stopping the obviously harmful or dysfunctional behaviors of compulsive overeating and purging. Just as the condition of bulimia is not just about food, recovery must involve more than merely stabilizing your eating patterns. Often eating disorder treatment programs include inner healing with the help of a spiritual connection – with any higher power you may believe in.

Spirituality

Being spiritual is different from being religious. In fact, spirituality is not necessarily about the divine or otherworldly. It can simply mean a better understanding of yourself and a better ability to look within and like what you see. Most people suffering from an eating disorder have developed a distorted opinion of themselves, their bodies and lack a healthy self-esteem or a feeling of self worth. Valuing themselves, and ultimately loving themselves unconditionally, is what makes for a more conscious, more complete, and more lasting recovery from an eating disorder. A spiritual healing is a complete, holistic healing. Healing the body, the mind, and the spirit. Spiritual practices as part of your treatments for bulimia can take many different forms.

Yoga and Meditation

Some people perform yoga and meditation separately; for others each is inextricably linked to the other. Yoga consists of gentle, but precise and conscious, movements of the body into various positions (asanas) for therapeutic purposes. Meditation is a practice that involves the concentration and the focusing of all inner energies into the here and now.

Ancient Indian sages practiced both yoga and meditation to attain the kind of control over their bodies and minds that allowed them to suspend breathing, go without sustenance for long periods, be impervious to extreme temperatures and more. It’s a testament to the power of the mind!

Using yoga and meditation can be powerful weapons in your fight against an eating disorder, because they can help you to effectively control your mind, defeating negative thoughts and behaviors and fostering healthier ones. They also teach you to look within without apprehension and to love what you find there. Try either approach, or both if you prefer. You will find them to be effective tools in an eating disorder recovery.

Connect with a Higher Power

For many of us, the ultimate solace is communing with the higher being that some of us call God. The roads that we take to reach that spiritual place can be many. You may read the Bible or other religious texts, attend a service in church, synagogue or mosque, pray, or you may simply sit in a quiet place and reflect. However you choose, it is the one-on-one time we allow ourselves to individually connect with our higher power, our higher selves, our inner being.

We all need some help from time to time. We become stressed, tense; feel overwhelmed and unable to cope. At these times, you may find that you are able to draw the required energy from the universe, or that you find the solace in a divine being. It doesn’t matter how you find that help, so long as you do connect to that meaningful, spiritual place within you.

There are good reasons that a higher power plays an important role in any twelve-step recovery program. Acknowledging a source bigger than yourself can help you find comfort and support in the midst of a bulimia recovery.

Connecting with nature

One of the coping mechanisms that I developed when undergoing my treatments for bulimia was to go hiking in nature. This was a physical release of energy and stress. At the same time, I found that communing with nature brought solace and peace to my soul. I connected better with the universe alone on a hike than sitting in meditation.

It is important to find your own spiritual practice. Choose something that gives you strength while you focus on overcoming bulimia. Finding a spiritual connection helps with inner healing, releasing addiction, and teaches you to love yourself again.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder I would encourage you to check out my website, Get Busy Thriving. This website is one of the best resources for support and self help methods to help you recover from an eating disorder. Find real bulimia stories, videos and blog posts all aimed at assisting you on your road to recovery. Discover where you can find additional support to enhance the tools we provide you with. This site is more specifically aimed at bulimia recovery but is applicable to all other eating disorders.

Please take a look at The Body In Form store to find hand-picked items for easy purchase online such as: vitamins, herbs, beauty products, and self-help, health, and recipe books that encourage you to have a body - and life - in form!

The Most Important Portion Control Tips

2012-01-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

By guest blogger, Tom Corson-Knowles

Portions, Portions, Portions...

You've heard it before and here it is again; when it comes to nutrition and diet the most important thing (aside from what you are actually eating) is portion control. Even eating only the healthiest foods doesn't work if you aren't eating the right portions. Sure, it's often said that you can never eat too many vegetables, but eating too much of many other foods can help make your middle grow and grow. It isn't difficult to learn portion control and I will tell you how.

Read the Label

The very first step in learning about portions is learning to actually read the labels on the foods that you eat. More importantly, read the serving size on the label. Read it carefully, please. A normal loaf of bread says its serving size is 2 slices, for 140 calories. Look at the difference on some gluten-free bread; 1 slice is a serving at 45 calories. If you pick healthy foods that are low in salt content and sugar content then you really don't need to pay as close attention to calorie count as you would think. Instead, eat healthy and eat the correct serving/portion amounts and you will be on the right track. The USDA gives us a basis with their recommended intake from each food group too. But remember, even vegans and vegetarians eat healthy and get all the nutrients they need without eating meat. So you don't have to eat exactly what the USDA says, that's why it's called a recommendation!

Know Basic Portion Sizes

This is the fun part. Instead of implementing a food scale in your kitchen to weigh out 3 ounces of meat, you can simply memorize this handy little portion size scale.

Pasta and Rice:

A serving size of either of these grains is about the size of a light bulb. These foods are often filling and a full serving can keep you from eating too much of other things, like meat and dairy.

Peanut Butter and Hummus:

These meal additives have a serving size of a gold ball. Peanut butter is a great source of protein, perfect for a lunchtime pick-me-up.

Cheese:

It might be surprising, but an actual serving of cheese is only about the size of 3 dice. It's approximately a quarter of a cup.

Meat:

A serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards. It is a misconception most people have about meat when the thing the more the better. Protein does help give us energy, but meat is not the only source of protein out there.

Olive Oil or Salad Dressing:

These are things that should always be used sparingly. In fact, a serving is the size of a single poker chip. A little olive oil goes a long way and makes a great salad dressing itself with fresh basil, oregano and garlic added to it.

Breakfast Cereal:

Do you find yourself filling up a big bowl of cereal in the morning only to end up drained by lunch. Start by passing on the sugary cereals and then be sure that you only have enough cereal to equal the size of a tennis ball.

See how simple items from everyday life can measure your portions for you? Now go, and eat healthy!

Tom Corson-Knowles is the founder of Authentic Health Coaching, an international health education company. Get Dr. Corson's Top 5 Nutrition Tips report for free at www.AuthenticHealthCoach.com

Disconnecting Part II: Ten Days of Bliss in Northern Argentina

2012-01-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Day 1

As a New Yorker living in Buenos Aires, it is often difficult for me to justify going anywhere else but the Apple when I have time off from work. But for this winter break I decided that I must see more of this country I live in, and so I chose to travel to the North. Traveling alone, I felt that staying in hostals would be a great way to stay social and connected, without obligation. And so I booked my flight to Salta and my first two nights at the San Jorge Hostel. Beyond this, I only knew the towns that I wanted to visit: Tilcara, Purmamarca, Humahuaca, and Iruya, deciding to book my stays as I went along.

My 6:30 AM flight from Jorge Newberry Airport was quick and easy. No check-in as I had only a small backpack and a shoulder bag, traveling lighter than I’ve ever done before. With a great sense of freedom, no real plans, and a slight anxiety about engaging with others, my goal was to embrace whatever landed in my path, find a deeper connection with nature, meet interesting travelers, connect with the local people, and gain wisdom from the experience.

Salta

Too early to check into the Hostel San Jorge, I drop my bags and headed out to wander. It is chillingly cold topped off by traffic, clogged sidewalks, pollution, and noise. I wade through the jetsam to arrive at the Plaza 9 de Julio to see the majestic buildings and the beautiful park, which is the heart of the town.

By 9:30 AM I’m sitting in La Basilica de Salta, a richly depicted pink and white church with an interior of ornate golds and terra cottas. I then find a café in the sun where I can thaw over tea and medialunas, listening to folk music playing, as it would throughout the whole of my trip. Slowly my coat opens and the sun enters as the morning’s mountain chill mixes with the coming heat.

At once a horn conflagration has gathered to play: military drums, uniforms, a conductor, all very serious and formal. It’s definitely time to move on.

At the hostel I am to room with two currently absent guys who have obviously claimed the bunk beds. I can’t wait to get out of this overly-bustling town and have scheduled a tour to Cachi for tomorrow. It will be one more night before I take a set of buses to each future stop, with Iruya as my final destination.

In the afternoon I take myself to the neighboring town of San Lorenzo for lunch, which is a half hour ride by bus. Once arrived, I uncannily find myself appreciating my hometown of Croton-on-Hudson outside of NYC. Funny how travel sheds light on the things one has taken for granted. Realizing how magnificent it is living by the Hudson with the proliferation of wildish nature that I so took for granted while growing up. Often one doesn’t have to travel far to find the exquisite. That being said, I was looking forward to being astounded here in the north of Argentina, and in this, I would not be disappointed.

After lunch at a local “parilla”, I take a siesta on a bench in the sun, waiting for a friend. Ramiro arrives to show me around and we end up having tea with another friend whose home is devoted to gardens, a small forest, dogs, chickens, roosters, geese, and a parrot. Laughing and chatting over tea, already I see how easily accessible the people are here, so far from Buenos Aires.

Back at the San Jorge night falls and I am freezing and don’t feel like venturing into the town center. The room is uninviting and a shower is definitely not going to happen, as there is no heat in the bathrooms. I end up talking to some of the guys around the computer and then shiver myself into bed under a million blankets. One of my roommates comes in and slips into a lower bunk . Our final roommate becomes scarce for the night, so it’s just the two of us. We chat away in the dark. He is from New Zealand, an incessant traveler who can’t stop the motion, though he’s looking for something concrete. This theme of the perennial traveler seems common in these parts. Earlier, speaking with the Greek biker who doesn’t want to stop his life on the road and then the Italian who will take a film course so he can document his travels. All of these guys are getting themselves off the grid, and all are in love with the warmth of the Latin style. The sensation of wanting to be free and gravitating towards something more “authentic” is palpable and will be the theme of my trip.

Day 2

Cachi

Up at 6:00 and riding Route 33 to Cachi. The mountains in the morning light are green and wheat colored with soft, rounded peaks. There is a small river below with overhanging trees that becomes dry as we wind our way up and up now, through folds of mountains. At time the dry gully moistens to become a tiny rivulet pathway that I’m told can swell a hundredfold in summer.

The “cordones” or cacti, grow up the mountainsides. With lives up to 100 years old they are often cut down to provide wood for the community. Wild pigs, goats, and cows graze lopsided on the mountainsides. Do they have two legs longer and two legs shorter to stay attached? We pass a small cemetery and see homes dotting the landscape made of stucco and wood. They are low roofed and seemingly dark inside.

We are continuously winding up and around as if we’re wrapping ourselves around a giant snail shell. All is shadow and light with the occasional condor gliding through overhead space. I will see many throughout this trip, but never will manage to catch one on film.

The mountains are striated with iron-rich earth alternating with copper-green that are the emblem colors here in the North. Every few kilometers there are tiny open cement huts with chimneys along the roadside where locals will burn wood to keep warm as they pass the night waiting for a bus to arrive.

Just as I am feeling weak from the spiraling, we stop for refreshment. I have two cups of coca tea to help me adapt to the altitude, a piece of local bread, and a snappy conversation with Alejandro, who is on holiday from selling solar panels throughout the region. We spend the good part of the trip chatting and exchanging stories.

We are rising to 3,500 meters high as we approach Cachi with its population of 2,200. As we ascend, we travel through the Parque National de los Cordones, a natural reserve that is filled with kilometers of cacti in all states of growth and obscure shapes. This is one of the largest cactus parks in the world and it is both beautiful and bizarre. I walk alongside huge green fingers pointing upwards, careful not to catch myself on the lethal looking quills.

Back on the bus we continue to climb until we stop again for dried fruits, herbs, and spices. I buy a supply of dried apples, freshly ground cumin, oregano, Baila Buena, an herbal tea for energy, and another fragrant herb for aches and pains. Two young children play flute and drums for the tourists and the locals seem pleased with our purchases.

Though I’m on an excursion bus, I feel the adventure and freedom of this first trip to the mountains and am happy for the comfort of my androgynous clothes and the boots that will hardly every leave my feet until the end of my trip.

Before we get to the town of Cachi, we stop at an open-air restaurant, beautifully set up to receive us. Though I usually loathe this kind of touring, today I am grateful as my companions are genial and I am easing into socializing with no problem. Ale and I order a delicious local red wine, which goes well with my salad of arugula, goat cheese, dried tomatoes, and croutons accompanied by impeccable homemade bread and dark green, virgin olive oil. The conversation is warm and witty and once we’re sated, we’re on the road again.

We arrive in the Valle Calchaqui, which was conquered by the Spanish invading northeast Argentina in 1536. Cachi is a beautiful pueblo, situated around a tree-filled park with wide benches, cafes, a small church made of stucco with a cordone wood ceiling. There is the Archeological museum along with other sites, but I am happy to rest in the sun with the dry heat toasting my skin, penetrating my bones and dusting my hair. We stay only an hour before turning back towards Salta. I chew on coca leaves listening to Argentine Samba music as we begin our journey back with the sun setting and a great sense of peace.

Back at the San Jorge, its beyond cold now and I go to sleep under mounds of blankets with all my clothes on. I like this cowboy feeling, and it’s so dry that one feels clean. My roommate is leaving for Bolivia in a half hour, so in the end I have the room to myself. The last thing I see before my eyes close are my dusty boots by the bedside, commemorating my trip and voyages to come.

Day 3

Humahuaca

Riding in the front on the bus on the top level, I’ve got legroom and an unobstructed view. We leave at 7:15 with the site of farmland running to the base of the sloping green mountains. We make our way slowly behind creeping camions, but there is no rush to anywhere.

As we cross the border between the province of Salta and Jujuy, the sign says, “Portico Marvelloso de la Patria ” or marvelous door of the motherland. We ride through Yala with a pair of condors floating in the near distance. Gaining height in the dusty mountains, it is indeed slow going and I feel the altitude. Fortunately I have coca leaves in my pocket, which are essential in these parts.

It is a wonderful life, the sense of rising into these mountains, free as these condors and with not too much in my head. I’m riding into each adventure as it comes, feeling present, with a magisterial landscape up close and personal: flowing, moving, non-static waves of mountain landscape, seemingly indestructible and eternal.

We pass through Purmamarca where I will stop later in the trip, as well as Tilcara, which will be next after Humahuaca. I’m aware that I will be backtracking, but that was how the hostel bookings went, and so it is. And now an amazing and unexpected landmark: a sign that says “Tropic of Capricorn!” Can it be?

I arrive in Humahuaca and it seems that I’ve been magically guided, as the Hostel El Sol is inviting and rustic. My bed upstairs is in a beautiful light-filled space, which I later will share with a French guy, but mostly I am alone here. The bed is firm, the blankets are warm, and the place is spotless. The common area is filled with folk music and warm vibes as well as the welcoming energy of Ramon, the owner.

Walking down the hill and across the bridge, I arrive at the center and find myself on Calle Buenos Aires 278: Artesenas Sasakuy. This is a cooperative of artists who study and create hand-dyed woven items, jewelry, paintings, clothing, and more. There are old regional rugs and throws, and many local artifacts. I’m shown around by a weaver and instructor who tells me about how the dyes are made (from plants) and how a woman’s life is woven into her shawl: emblems of family, work, locale, deaths and births, until all her life’s events eventually fills the formerly black material. He speaks about the local people’s concept of death and how it represents transformation and is considered a part of a continuing cycle, rather than something absolute. He speaks about the concept of abundance: that rather than money or possessions, to the people of the northern desert climes, abundance is water, whether in the form of rain or tears. Water is life. Later I meet his wife, a folk dance teacher and dancer and we speak about movement and I promise I will take her class the next day.

Lunch is at a simple off-the-beaten track hole in the wall where I drink rather bad house wine and wait for a vegetable stew. The old waiters, peeling walls, and neon bulbs make me happy. There are no tourists in sight. I am basking in the grace of the people around me and am so grateful to be traveling alone, especially in places filled with heart, where the people are solid, connected, grounded to their terrain and customs. This palpable sense of earth-connectedness fits me, this roaming and taking what comes. I so understand the meaning of abundance, real abundance: water, authenticity, simplicity, and soul.

It is cold inside these buildings, which serves for summer temperatures, but not for now. Still, the sun warms all outside and I walk up the many steps to an important Humahuacan monument next to the center square.

On the way down I meet two artisans, one from Chile and one from Bolivia, who are selling macramé and copper jewelry. I buy a necklace, so delicate with a palpable movement woven into its design. Both artists are in their mid-20s, with a young child each. They both speak of family and I note the great sense of belongingness among these people. Loved ones are never far away.

That evening I go to Tantanankuy with Ana, a Portuguese girl who is staying in the hostel. We walk up and up towards this cultural center created by the musician, Jaime Torres as I have an introduction to his daughter from a mutual friend. As we stroll, a young guy on a bicycle stops to chat and invites us to his home to share a maté. I am curious to see how he lives, so we follow him up through an alley into an unadorned cinder block structure where his two roommates lounge under blankets. Artisans, they are young, gracious gentlemen proud to have us there, offering us tea.

The Peña at Tantanankuy is lovely with two musicians, one playing a wooden flute and the other guitar, singing beautiful sambas and chacareras. I eat a deliciously fresh caprese with goat cheese and meet Claudia Torres who invites me back the next day to meet her young folk dance students. Ana and I stay for several hours, warmed by the nearby wood stove, and then descend to the town and back up to our hostel, inhaling the crystalline air as we gaze try to catch the dripping stars.

Day Four

There is no rush to do anything. I awaken and lazily do some chores, washing clothes and putting them on the line, eating breakfast, and chatting with Ramon and his daughter Sol as well as some French travelers who had just arrived.

I spend the day resting in the sun, going to the market to buy bananas and dried apples and a large shopping bag that the local grannies use. I buy several bags of herbs for Pachamama ceremonies in August to share with friends at home as well as ointments and unguents from Peru, Bolivia: fat of the viper, the iguana, the mule, and more.

Back on the plaza steps, watching the world go by. There were great crowds in the square by the church at noon, all gathered to see the automated wooden monk emerge from on high to raise his forearm and bless the masses below, cross raised in other hand. Ave Maria played. It was a Fellini moment, and then the figure receded into the church once again.

I sit in the sun with a beautiful artisan selling copper jewelry (a “noble” metal) and buy a ring that embraces a diamond shaped amethyst along with a wide Grecian style bracelet to soothe my sometime computer-wrist pain. These pieces look commanding on my hand, as a ruling queen would have it.

At once, a beautiful young girl comes running to me from across the plaza. She is the partner of the Chilean from whom I bought the necklace yesterday. Seeing me from a distance, they want me to have the appropriately macraméd rope from which to hang the piece, rather than the leather thong they gave me. This, a perfect example of how the people here view their work and life. It wasn’t just a sale they made. We made an exchange for a personal and precious creation that deserved its best setting and I was touched by this care. The artist also wanted to look at her piece for the last time, so proud of her work and the preciousness of her labor.

I go back to the artisans at Sasakuy to buy an old rug that I’d fallen in love with for its subtle colors and soft weave. Then off to lunch for a quinoa risotto and a salad, needing to eat this staple, healthful grain that commonly shows up in the cuisine.

The early evening takes me back to Tantanankuy where Claudia and I have tea and wait for the village children to arrive for their folk dance class. Claudia teaches these kids for free, sometimes having them stay the night for a pajama party where they cook, sing, and dance. She is a real Pachamama, giving these children a place to go where they may not have one, as well as a purpose and a passion.

The kids arrive, the beautiful, fresh lot of them, all chat and laughter and one lovely girl makes up a copla for me, a traditional Argentine song pattern with original lyrics. I take the class with them, everyone giggling all the way through. I’m smiling from ear to ear and we all stay on for tea and cookies until it is dark and the kids must go. Claudia shows me videos of some of the traditional festivals from the north: Semana Santa and Dia de los Muertos where the men dress as skeletons and the women as life itself. The traditions here are strong and continue through time.

From here I go to Mariela’s folk dancing class back at Sasakuy where we dance Chacarera, Argentine Samba, and Saya from Bolivia. Her husband serves us a strong, sweet, warming liqueur and we dance like banshees amongst the art on the walls. Walking home under the dangling stars, all quiet and peaceful. Back in my bed, with the room to myself, I fall into a deep night of dreams.

Day 5

Tilcara

I’m on the bus watching the immense scenery go by. The astounding power and immobility of the mountains once again renders me speechless.

Once in Tilcara, I land at El Albahaca, another welcoming hostel run by Dani and Delia where I share a room with three girls who will return tonight.

In the main plaza I eat a sizzling tortilla, filled with cheese and veggies, sitting on a bench with a little dog as my companion. Tilcara is lovely, filled with tourists and shops that cater to them, but with taste and a sense of northern Argentine downplay. There are no harsh noises, no garish moments to jar one out of mountain reverie. It is easy to walk around, to feel relaxed, to take in the mood.

Up and up beyond my hostel lies the ancient civilization of Pulcará. These are the ruins of a pre-Incan community that predates the Spanish invasion. I enter and walk the winding path through the cordones and piles of rectangular and square stones that comprise the walls and homes, stones that mirror the shades of the mountains in pale green, mauve, beige, and gray.

I am high up overlooking the valley below, the mountains rising sharp around me. The sensation of this other world, homes expanding and diminishing in size as a family ebbed and flowed, silent hearths and alters, give the place a silent magic and power.

I walk into dark chambers to emerge into blazing sunlight where the outdoor corrals and cooking areas lie. Feeling at one with the slate, dry brush, desert floor, and the crisp air filling my lungs, it is early and I am alone in this vast, sacred place. It is like being alone in Macchu Pichu, which is nearly impossible and its not until I leave that the tourist buses begun to line up.

A wonderful café lies at the foot of Pulcará’s entrance. Sofas and deep cushioned chairs are covered in old rugs that also lie on the ground outside and the floor inside. Artifacts and artisanal offerings along with wonderful paintings abound. Who is this painter?

I have a tea and inquire and at once a taxi appears and I am whisked away over the stony roadway, across the dry riverbed, and through a mountain pass to a wooded world. I walk a short path and into the root and clutter of the artist, Emilio Haro Gallo, who seems to be a legend in these parts, as I will see his paintings over and over again wherever I go.

He is an adorable gnome, with a constant chunk of coca leaves and ash rock protruding in a round ball on the inside of his cheek. This is a recurring theme with his painted characters, which all look like semi-robust, sad-eyed, earth-grounded livers of life. Pachamamas, devils, subway riders, bus drivers, wine makers, musicians, and more clutter every painting, and there seem to be hundreds piled and stacked in every which way. Chatting away, I make a pile of choices, landing on a serious Pachamama with a fish. Emilio and I hang out and I am happy as I always am when connecting with artists. He walks me down a back path past the old, unused rail tracks where I can then easily cross the bridge back to the village. On the way I realize that I really want the painting of the celebrating winemakers, and that is the one he eventually delivers.

Now I sit having a cup of tea with three women who have come back from a march for the “disparacedos”, the missing people who “disappeared” during the Argentine Military takeover in the 70’s. This is an event that can never be forgotten, where the repercussions linger as many families have suffered the losses of fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, uncles, aunts, friends. There has been a huge turnout and these diligent mourners and protesters are finally getting response from the courts, as cases are being heard and resolved with monetary compensation. They have waited over 35 years for retribution and now at last something is being done, if not the least, the public recognition of a government gone wildly bad.

In the evening I take myself to a highly recommended restaurant just a few hundred meters from the hostel. With its deep orange interior, low couches and tables, and walls full of beautiful artifacts I have a stupendous meal of cubed llama cooked in dark beer with small baked Andean potatoes and a Quilmes beer. My dinner mate, a small black cat, sits daintily upright on the floor beside me waiting for my offerings. After dinner I take a long walk in the cold night, wondering at the stars and the enormity of life and its possibilities. Energized by the altitude, oxygen, and my thoughts, it was not a night for sleep.

Day 6

Purmamarca

Just a short ride from Tilcara, I decide to spend a few hours rather than more time in Purmamarca as I am so tired. Sitting in a café by the central plaza, as usual, I watch artisans setting up and selling a million colorful handmade wares.

Walking around, up and up I discover the private home, Azul Andina. It is a mix of art nouveau and Andean basics: a cane roof woven with pampas-like thatching, Gaudi-shaped windows, and a dark green/blue painted exterior. A magical anomalous home with a ravishing view.

Here in Purmamarca is the “Cerro de Siete Colores”, or the hill of seven colors. The hill is really a series of mountains that rise in waves of undulating striations in mauve, green, beige, grey, and colors in between. Standing on top of an opposing hill, I take the obligatory photos and then headed back to Tilcara, exhausted.

Back in Tilcara I make a brief appearance in the archeological museum, which contains all the usual suspects: pottery, tools and the description of life way back when before the Spaniards came to upset the balance. It is a good view of the region’s history, well exhibited in a lovely building. but it was all I could do to glance around and then walk slowly back to my café at the base of Pulcará to spend a few hours with a cup of tea over a deep discussion with a newly made friend.

That evening I am told to arrive very early for a seat at the popular Peña de Carlitos, so I planted myself two hours early with a book and a picada of fresh goat’s cheese. Opposite me hangs a painting by the ubiquitous Emilo, this time a dreamy man with a devil’s mask on his shoulder. The hours pass and I order a warming stew of corn and other vegetables including sweetish Andean potatoes along with fragrant herbs and grated cheese. By the time the first musician appears I am ready for horizontality, but I stay a bit longer to hear his deep and expressive voice singing odes to nearby towns in the North. Reluctantly I leave and weave my path towards bed.

Day 7

Iruya

Riding to Iruya on the Panamericana, thinking about the subtleties of life: the blatant realities that we find in cities versus the ephemeral nuances inherent in big nature.

The power of the land and the authenticity it brings through breathing in its essence and the true presence this brings. The paring down as the ego dissolves and essence emerges. All of this especially in the face of vast space, majestic mountains, and the zest for life that this type of travel implies.

The magnetic pull of cities with their promise of stimulation and cultivation versus the opposite pull of silence, stars, rocks, and minerals. The noble metals like copper and bronze… the metals people in cities forget about. I look at my copper bracelet and ring from Humahuaca and they are more precious to me at this moment than gemstones. The dignity of the earth and what it brings of its own, without asking, is what attracts me now. The linear mind glued to cities dissolves as the spiral within seeks nature.

Blasting sunlight on the mountains reflects red rust. Jaunty music plays from the driver’s seat and we are on the road, moving forward. We stop here and there to pick up locals waiting along the roadside: beautiful weathered faces. Women in their flat brim black hats, shawls, bags of groceries and goods. Old men in hats, old suit jackets, scarves, baggy pants, all worn and large and dusty. Old shawls covering the contents of bags. Blackened, wrinkled, dirt-engraved hands. A sweet land-and-sweat smell coming from their clothes and bodies, crinkled and sun worn.

The old women are adamant about not having their pictures taken. I understand. Their immortality comes in other, more respectable forms.

Now the landscape changes to soft hills with wide expanses of tufted land dotted everywhere with rocks. Where did they come from, these tumbled rocks? There are no rocky mountains in sight! It’s a bumpy ride now and we are climbing.

There is a wonderful Italian guy, Vincenzo, chatting away with the bus driver. He is animated and engaged and interested, in the way Italians are at their best. He makes me happy just listening to his questions, his curiosity, and his verve. We stop for a few minutes to refresh and we chat up a storm. He wakes me up with his light and energy.

Arriving in Iruya and I am met by a beautiful shining man, Celestino, perhaps in his late 60’s or early 70’s. He helps me with my bags, as the way to the hostel is almost impossibly vertical, as all streets in this pueblo are.

We arrive at Milmahuasi, the hostel that has totally been sight unseen and that will be my favorite of all. Dora, Filipe, Ale, and two Italian guests are in the main room, sunlight-filled with The Cure playing full on. The place is charged with amazing onda (vibe) and I am immediately happy and comfortable. My room is perfect: beautiful colors and so comfortable with its own bathroom that is comes with 24-hour hot water! Eureka! There are four beds. I will have Vanessa as a roommate that night, but she is barely there as she comes in late. The beds are covered in striped Andean rugs and the mattress is more comfortable than mine at home.

Dora suggests I go to Comedor Margarita for lunch and walks me there. It is a local place, tiny with turquoise walls, a few tables in front that reap the benefit of sunlight coming through the door. There is a second area, darker, down a few steps to the back. A dramatically and typically extravagant and terribly acted telenovella is on the TV in the corner. I order a potato omelet and a salad. Ale, the dentist is there and we chat. He and Luis, the regular doctor, are living in Iruya for a few years at the behest of the government to serve the locals for free. They sometimes hike up to 14 hours through the mountains with their equipment to tend to the people who cannot come down. They are hard and dedicated workers who are paid a small sum to do great work. They both hang out at Milmahuasi for the meals and the company.

Ale has discovered a path to a mountaintop that he says is beautiful and silent and asks if I’d like to join him on the trek later on. Yes, why not, and we agree to meet at the hostel at 8:00. I finish my meal with an exquisite café con leché, which seems to be the best ever made in the world and I’m buzzing and ready for the day.

With the hand-drawn map by Filipe, I wander. The weather is cool, but the sun is intense. Almost 4,000 meters high I am acclimated and love the climbing.

I buy a hat, which is more than necessary here and walk down and down to where two rivers meet.

There are so many sights along the way... the valleys with horses... corrals of sheep and goats, women hanging laundry... men packing adobe bricks as they build a wall, children coming and going...

...wild pigs lapping water from the rivulet I must cross.

I am feeling completely connected with the land and stop to meditate, seeing an ancient man of the mountains in my mind’s eye, my personal guide.

That evening I meet Ale at the hostel as arranged. We climb, walking straight up the village to an even higher incline towards El Mirador. We then take an obscure path, climbing into the night, clothed in stars with the very narrow path lit by his small lantern. A guitar plays in the distance, the player’s voice following us. The path is fine with rock and gravel: the mountain is one big precipice. I don’t look down, not that I can see anyway. I’ve had a maté and am jittery from it, so I am not as centered as I should be. In moments, I am slipping as the matéine throws off my equilibrium, but we proceed cautiously. I need to stop here and there, heart pounding with the aerobic work of climbing, but loving the sensation. Still higher, and yet higher we go. Ale asks me several times if I want to stop, but I choose to go all the way up and we do.

Sitting on top of the peak with “La Via Lactea” (Milky Way) and the stars of the Southern constellations above, the village way below. Spectacular is the word. I keep myself from thinking about the descent and we chat about a thousand things and then melt into silence. Someone is descending another mountain path way over there and we signal to him or her with our lantern and get a return blip. I note that a few hours before I didn’t know Ale and here I am sitting with him in the vast night on top of a mountain. I love these adventures and feel perfectly comfortable with this sweet and gentlemanly being.

Down, down we go, but the maté has worn off and I feel stable. That being said, it is slippery and narrow and I fall into a thorn bush that stabs my palms and fingers with its long, piercing spines. It is part of the adventure, and once I’m thorn-free I feel like an invigorated mountain goat, resplendently oxidized and alive.

Back at the hostel, Dora has cooked a ‘pastel de papas’ and made rice and salad to go with it. Filipe, Ale, Vanessa, and Luis, the other doctor for the pueblo and its environs are at table. The meal comes with good, intelligent conversation accompanied by great music and I feel at home with my tribe.

Day 8

Dora prepares a breakfast of tostadas with homemade marmalade and café con leché. I never eat this way at home, but am fully content and ready to continue my explorations.

Sitting in a curved indentation in the mountain after hiking up to El Mirador on a ravishingly splendid, windy, sun-filled day. Watching the dissipating clouds nestle in the peaks beyond as the sun sharpens its incline, the wind becomes softer and carries the sounds of children on the football field around the bend at the base of the mountains. What a setting for after-school play, but of course for them it is life as they know it for they certainly don’t register the startling and unique setting.

I walk up to El Mirador where there is a tiny chapel and meet Federico, a gym teacher who saved money, quit his job and is now traveling with no end in sight. He takes jobs where he can find them and is as happy, free and off the grid!

Lunch has to be at Comedor Margarita again and I have one of the best meals of my trip: wrinkled, twisted Andean potatoes baked in their thick skins and anointed with olive oil and salt; fresh goat cheese; and a juicy salad of beets, tomatoes, and lettuce. Again I order a café con leché (I never have coffee at home, but this is an irresistible manna from heaven) and am in a state of euphoria! Ah, the simple things…

After lunch I walk across the bridge to the other side of Iruya, past the dusty football field, up and up and up past the little enclosed capilla with its yellow trim.

I find a tiny rise along side the ascending path to lie on and install myself there for several hours, looking at the sky and feeling the sun on my skin. A little boy runs full speed down the mountainside with three goats. His mother makes him haul the mama goat back up by rope with the two little ones following behind. I nap and chat with passer-bys until I’m ready to move on.

Back in the hostel to read after a day of splendor doing nothing but daydreaming. I have a new roommate, a motorcycle guy from Rosario with piercing blue eyes. I have a siesta and then move to the common room to read some more. Warm, soft music plays and everyone does their own thing. Walter the local taxi driver comes by to confirm my ride tomorrow to Salta, as there are no buses on Sundays leaving at the right time to connect with from Humahuaca. Paula and Lupe will go with us as far as Tilcara. The local mountain guide, Pablo, is offering a two-hour guided talk this evening, which includes a short walk and then tales of the region, songs on his violin, and swigs of warming local liqueur to keep everyone even happier in the cold mountain air. It sounds marvelous, but I’m not in the mood. I need to continue bathing in the quiet and am feeling a bit anti-social. As it is, I will eat with everyone later and go to bed early if possible.

Cooks arrive from outside and begin to make empanadas, rolling out the dough on the kitchen table and getting enormous pots ready for the stuffing, which will be Arabian style with lots of lemon and spices. By the time it is all made and ready it is midnight. The people who went with Pablo have been long back and we are all ensconced in conversation. I am talking with a man from the provinces outside of Buenos Aires who is here with his young wife and three year old daughter. He is a taxi driver and by far one of the most interesting and engaging people I’ve met. We speak for hours. The meal is heaven on earth and I think I’ve eaten at least fifteen empanadas non-stop! With a cold bear it is clearly one of the more excellent dinners to date.

Day 9

Up for breakfast, paying bills, with everyone preparing for their own day. Walter shows up around 10:00 or so and off we go on the 2 and ½ hour ride down the mountain, leaving Iruya on a hairpin mountain road.

Clouds are forming and it is the first day of my trip that is overcast and portentous. We dropped Paula and Lupe in Tilcara and continued to Salta as it begins to rain. A five-hour trip, it is easy and pleasant chatting with Walter, who is smart to have this taxi service, which is cheap and great in a pinch or if you’re not in the mood for the bus.

I arrive in Salta famished. Most everything is closed as it is around 4:00 now, so I go to the plaza and have my first disappointing meal: touristic and poorly handled.

Back to the San Jorge Hostel, which is entirely open to the elements downstairs and where the arctic common room upstairs and equally freezing rooms are more than unwelcoming in this weather. I have a room to myself, courtesy of Reuben at the desk, who has also given me a blow heater. The Greek motorcyclist is back with a sprained wrist, and others flock in the common room to watch TV and get what they can from the meager heater by the window. I doze as I hog the screened in flames, watching TV and dominating the remote until I’ve had enough. I wrap myself in as many clothes as I can and dive under a mountain of blankets, the heater blowing full tilt. I drift off immediately, with dreams of hiking and adventure and never-ending routes opening up ahead.

Day 10

It is before dawn when I rise to eat a hastily made tea and some medialunas. The taxi comes to take me to the airport and back to quotidian civilization. I have one foot still in the mountains, but the other is already poised for a hot shower, the comfort of home, and the knowledge that I will be marinating in the indelible peace and scope of the North.

Treating Low Blood Pressure the Natural Way

2011-12-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

Blood pressure is determined by the force of blood pumped from the heart onto our artery walls. Because arteries are thicker than veins, they can support most variations in pressure without damage. Those of us with low blood pressure, also known as hypotension, experience less force as blood is pumped through the blood vessels, which results in a diminished blood supply to the body. When the blood supply is low, nutrients have a more difficult time reaching the organs where they are needed.

Many people experience low blood pressure due to stress, dehydration, bleeding from injury or surgery, inflammation where blood concentrates around the area where its needed, use of medication over long periods of time (especially calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, meds for depression, and meds that treat high blood pressure), and heart weakness or failure.

Low blood pressure is also common among athletes and dancers, or anyone who engages in consistent physical activity. As a dancer, I’ve been suffering from low blood pressure for most of my life, experiencing some of the symptoms when I’m not properly attending to the right diet and protocols. Additionally, as we age, the organs often don’t function as efficiently no matter how healthy you may be, which can also contribute to fluctuations in blood pressure.

Varying Types of Low Blood Pressure

Not all types of low blood pressure are cause for alarm. Some can be treated with conscious shifts in diet and protocols. Here are the three main categories of hypotension:

· Asymptomatic hypotension, which is when pressure is low, but there are no symptoms.

· Orthostatic hypotension, which occurs when we stand up suddenly after lying down or sitting and experience a sensation of dizziness or lightheadedness. This is easily resolved by resting for a few moments.

· Neutrally mediated hypotension, when we feel dizzy or lightheaded after standing for a long period of time. Here too, rest will help recover a more normal blood pressure level.

· Hypotension leading to shock can occur when the blood supply to the organs such as the brain and kidneys is restricted, which is cause for medical attention.

Some common symptoms of hypotension include:

· Dizziness

· Lightheadedness

· Blurred vision

· Confusion

· Weariness and fatigue

· Nausea

· Sweating

· Pale or bluish skin color

· Rapid breathing or gasping

Generally the body corrects blood pressure levels on its own if there are no serious causes for great fluctuation as can occur in cases of prolonged stress, bad eating habits, reliance on medication, surgery, and the like. But we can also apply a bit of intelligence when dealing with blood pressure levels by adjusting our diet and way of living to create a balance.

Natural Remedies

There are many ways those of us suffering from low blood pressure can reverse our symptoms. Here’s a list of easy-to-follow protocols that will help pressure become more regular when symptoms do not require medical attention:

· Take 10 to 20 minute long hot Epsom salt baths before going to bed

· Keep your bowels regularly cleansed

· Dry brush the body

· Do Yoga breathing exercises to improve the flow of blood to the body’s tissues

· Exercise regularly, such as walking, cycling, or swimming

· Don’t smoke

· Avoid stress!

An intelligent diet is also key for maintaining healthy blood pressure levels. This includes the following:

· Increase your intake of fluids by drinking at least two liters of water a day

· Drink raw beet juice

· Soak raisons in water overnight and eat in the morning on an empty stomach

· Add the Aryuvedic/Indian spice, Asafetida, to your foods to increase blood pressure

· Fresh fruit

· Milk

· Seeds, nuts, and grains

· Protein

· Vitamin C and the foods that contain it

· Vitamin B Complex, especially Pantothenic Acid

· Mineralized salt (you can add a half tsp in warm water and drink daily)

Eating dark chocolate with a minimum content of 65% cocoa is one of the most pleasurable ways to help regulate hypotension. Dark chocolate contains essential flavenoids, which are antioxidants that help keep the blood vessels healthy. I eat a handful of chocolate nibs every day, which are pure dark chocolate and contain the highest amount of flavenoid power. What a medicinal treat!

Words to the Wise

If you suspect you suffer from low blood pressure, regardless of the severity of your symptoms or lack thereof, it is important that you consult with your healthcare provider before embarking upon any type of new diet.

Please take a look at The Body In Form store to find hand-picked items for easy purchase online such as: vitamins, herbs, beauty products, and self-help, health, and recipe books that encourage you to have a body - and life - in form!

Healing Chicken Pox Naturally

2011-10-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine just got Chicken Pox. She’s an adult, poor baby, and it’s more than an unpleasant feeling as well as a bit shocking to endure those itchy spots that should have been vaccinated away as a child.

Chicken Pox is a contagious viral infection that mostly affects young children, but once they get it, their bodies create appropriate antibodies so that they never get it again. Chicken Pox finds its way into the blood stream via the respiratory system as the virus is transmitted through the air by the mere act of a sneeze, cough, or touch of someone already infected.

Besides the fluid-filled eruptions that emerge all over the body, symptoms of Chicken Pox include fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite. These symptoms can last up to two weeks, depending on the strength of your immune system.

Here are a few things you can do to speed up the healing process if you or a child is suffering from Chicken Pox.

Number one is don’t scratch the itch! Scratching can burst the pimple, whereby the infectious liquid inside can cause more infection and the opened skin can lead to a scar. Some of the ways you can lessen the discomfort of Chicken Pox are:

Tie up oat meal flakes in a sock or a cloth, run under tepid water and daub on skin
Make a strong tea of nettle, burdock, and peppermint – add to cool bath water and submerge yourself for 15 to 20 minutes
Apply Aloe Vera gel to the skin to cool down the burning sensation
Apply tinctures such as chickweed, calendula, or lavender to soothe, heal, and prevent further infection

Drink plenty of water and fresh organic juices. There are a number of herbs that are anti-viral in nature. Taken in tea or capsule form, these herbs can help with the healing process:

St. John’s Wort
Pau D’arco
Ginger – boil 10 slices in water for 10 minutes and place in a teapot. Sip throughout the day.
Burdock root – helps to breaks fever
Cats claw – helps to alkalize the body, taking away the acidic properties of the rash
Nettle – a strengthening tonic that heals skin

Echinacea and goldenseal are two essential anti-viral herbs that can be taken separately or in combination. They help boost the immune system and should be a part of your health regimen for preventing and healing any type of viral invasion.

Some good homeopathic remedies for Chicken Pox are:

Sulphur
Rhus tox
Animonium crudum
Antimonium tartaricum
Pulsatilla

With all the above, healing from Chicken Pox has to take its course. Easy to say and difficult to do… but have patience! This too will pass and once it does, you’ll never get it again!

Please take a look at The Body In Form store to find hand-picked items for easy purchase online such as: vitamins, herbs, beauty products, and self-help, health, and recipe books that encourage you to have a body - and life - in form!

Forget the Coffee: Stimulate Your Mind and Get Healthier with Yerba Maté!

2011-10-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Delicious as it is, the coffee addiction doesn’t provide any nutrition for the body and definitely has the ability to blow out your adrenal glands, make you jittery if you’ve had more than your normal quota, and cause a whopping headache the minute you decide to go cold turkey!

Yerba maté, otherwise known as the “Drink of the Gods” is, on the other hand, able to keep you awake and alert while simultaneously nourishing your body with no known side effects!

Let’s explore!

What exactly is Yerba Maté?

Ilex Paraguariensis is its scientific name and it is found throughout the subtropical climes of Argentina Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. A member of the holly family, yerba maté was introduced to South American settlers by the Guarani Indians who made a tea of the leaves and stems to keep up their endurance during long treks through the mountains.

Yerba maté rapidly became the national drink of Uruguay and Argentina where it is consumed daily by aficionados who recognize its potent qualities.

What are the components of Yerba Maté?

Yerba maté contains similar health factors as green tea, but has many more nutrients. Maté in fact contains 196 active chemical compounds, including:

· 11 polyphenols (anti-oxidant chemicals that strengthen the immune system to fight the destruction of cells)
· Saponins (phytochemicals that stimulate the immune system to fight against disease)
· 15 essential amino acids
· Vitamins: A, C, E, B1, B2, Niacin, B5, B-complex, pantothenic acid, and inositol
· Minerals: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron selenium, manganese, zinc, and trace minerals
· Other healthful components: carotene, fatty acids, chlorophyll, flavonols, polyphenols, tannins

What are the Powers of Yerba Maté?

One of the primary abilities of yerba maté is to awaken the mind without causing a sensation of nervousness. Maté contains a substance known as matéine, which helps to stimulate the nervous system, relax the smooth muscles to reduce blood pressure, increase urination through its mild diuretic properties, and keep the mind alert. Though matéine is related to caffeine, it has a different chemical structure, which causes it to be absorbed into the body differently, allowing maté drinkers to enjoy alertness and clarity without creating a depressive state once the feeling wears off.

Because of its nutritious properties, maté energizes, invigorates, and stimulates the body in its function as a whole-body tonic. This has been documented at both the Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific Society where scientists have claimed that yerba maté contains almost all the vitamins necessary to sustain life.

A reference list of the benefits of Yerba Maté:

· Enhances mental clarity
· Enhances focus
· Elevates mood
· Sustains energy levels
· Reduces fatigue
· Helps in weight loss by depressing the appetite
· Helps the body maintain a greater state of balance

· Boosts the immune system
· Helps to detoxify the blood
· Helps to relieve allergies by opening respiratory passages
· Stimulates the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids that reduce inflammation and heighten immune response
· Improves digestion by lessening gastrointestinal disorders
· Helps excrete wastes
· Increases the supply of oxygen to the heart
· Helps the body use carbohydrates as fuel when exercising
· Helps reduce symptoms of irritability when withdrawing from caffeine
· Fights bad breath due to the abundance of polyphenols

Additionally, yerba maté may be helpful in cases of depression, attention deficit disorder, diabetes, and in reducing excess sugar in the bloodstream.

Studies of Yerba Maté

In a study published in 1996 by “Biochemical and Molecular Biology International,” it was stated that water extracts of yerba maté “were more potent antioxidants than either ascorbic acid or butylated hydroxytoluene.” Another study conducted in March 2000 and published in “Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications” states that the “ingestion of extracts of Ilex paraguariensis could contribute to increase the antioxidant defense of an organism against free radical attack.” The 2001 issue of “Fitoterapia” claims that yerba maté contains a “higher content of flavonoids and caffeoyl derivatives than any other assayed species.”

Tips for Yerba Maté enjoyment!

Maté is an acquired taste and many people unaccustomed to its rather bitter flavor reject it before experimenting with sweeteners. Though sugar is the common antidote, I prefer using natural stevia, which does the trick without creating acidity. You can also always use a bit of organic honey. There are also many distinct varieties of loose maté that vary in flavor, including some that are mixed with orange, lemon, peppermint, and other fruits or herbs.

It is becoming easier to find the tea in bags, or already prepared and bottled yerba maté in many health food, specialty, and gourmet stores.

If you want to drink it the way the natives do, its best to have a native maté drinker show you how to prepare the tea, as it is not something traditionally common in North America or Europe. There are many Argentine or Uruguayan grocery stores in almost all cities where you can buy loose yerba maté, as well as the gourd used to hold the herb and the “bombilla,” which is the silver or wooden straw that is used to sip the tea once it is placed in the gourd. Note: When adding water to the tea, make sure it is at drinking temperature, as if it is too hot, it will burn your mouth and throat when sipped through the straw.

Drinking yerba maté prepared from the loose tea is beautiful social ritual where the gourd is passed from one person to another, sharing the tea as it stimulates conversation and conviviality. Developing a taste for the tea may take time, but it is well worth it in view of all the incredible benefits it brings.

So away with the coffee and on with the yerba maté! Be alert, be healthy, and enjoy!

Food for thought: Albert Einstein was known to enjoy yerba maté. Could that be the secret of his genius?

Note: As with coffee, don't overdo it!

Our Nails: A Sign of Health and Beauty

2011-10-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

One of the most obvious signs of health is the condition of our nails. A smooth, pink nail without grooves or ridges that lies in a natural cuticle bed speaks of a balanced diet and intelligent care of the body in general. Our nails are a great example of how we feel about ourselves, and with conscious care and some change in habits, there is no reason why they can’t reflect the beauty that we all deserve to radiate.

Nails are made of keratin, a protein that forms in layers underneath the nail bed. As new keratin cells grow old they harden and push out towards the fingertips. Nourishing the nail bed is fundamental in assuring a strong, healthy, shiny nail.

A Healthy Diet for Nail Health

It is not difficult to obtain and maintain good nail health. A balanced diet is the key. Here are a few essential nutrients that are important to include in our daily regime:

Biotin

Biotin is one of the B-complex vitamins. Biotin if fundamental in assisting the growth of cells and is found in egg yolks, goat and cow milk, liver, peanuts, almonds, strawberries and raspberries, Swiss chard, carrots, cauliflower, and cucumbers.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is filled with antioxidants and helps with the formation of collagen, which is essential for keeping nails at their best and hangnails at bay. Eating foods containing vitamin C, such as fruits and brightly colored veggies, is key to having gorgeous nails.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Nail health increases dramatically when Omega 3 fatty acids are added to the diet. Eating walnuts, flaxseeds, kidney beans, soybeans, sardines, herring, mackerel, sockeye salmon and other coldwater fish are a great way to get your dose. You can also take on Omega 3 supplement in the form of fish oil, flaxseed oil, or evening primrose oil to keep your nails supple and in top form.

Good Nail Habits

Taking care of our nails often has to do with changing our habits. Here are some key suggestions to ensuring that your nails show off their natural beauty:

· Keep you cuticles moisturized

· Use hand cream several times a day

· Use sunscreen on hands and cuticles during the summer months

· Always wear gloves when doing dishes, housework, and gardening

· Make sure all of your nail implements are clean and disinfected

· Change your nail files often to avoid a build-up of bacteria

· If you have cuts or tears in your cuticles, disinfect them with hydrogen peroxide

· Avoid products containing formaldehyde or toluene

· Never soak your nails as they expand and weaken with prolonged exposure to water

· Don’t overuse nail polish remover and avoid getting it on cuticles and skin

· Never push your cuticles back, just leave them alone

· Don’t pull out your hangnails, instead cut them away gently

· Don’t type with the tips of your nails use your finger pads instead

· Use a letter opener instead of your fingers when opening mail

Echinacea: The Natural Antibiotic that Works!

2011-09-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

A Bit of History

Before the introduction of allopathic antibiotics, the herb Echinacea was used exclusively to boost the immune system, without ever producing a single side effect! This is a lot more than we can say for many of the synthetic alternatives that conventional doctors proscribe today. Native Americans used the plant for its powerful medicinal properties that help avert and cure a myriad of problems, followed by the early Americans and then the Europeans who learned even more about Echinacea’s ability to strengthen the immune system. In bygone days when syphilis, scarlet fever, diphtheria, malaria, and blood poisoning were prevalent, Echinacea was the medicine of choice as it helped prevent infection while strengthening and arming the body’s army of disease-fighting white blood cells.

The Plant

Echinacea is a member of the daisy family and known as Asteraceae, or purple coneflower for its brilliant petals that stand out when in bloom. There are two types of Echinacea: E. Angustifolia, which grows best in colder climates and at a high elevation, and E. Purpurea, which can be grown at a lower elevation in milder climes. Both types can be grown from seeds and then kept in partial shade rather than full sunlight. If you grow Echinacea in your outdoor garden, you will marvel at the proliferation of butterflies it attracts!

Echinacea’s Many Attributes

Most of the scientific research done on Echinacea has been in Germany where research shows how it helps to stimulate cells that fight infection. Where allopathic vaccinations generally target a specific problem and conventional antibiotics often weaken the body’s natural ability to heal itself, Echinacea strengthens the immune system. In this regard, the body is better able to fight viruses, bacteria, and abnormal cells on its own. Echinaea does this by activating white blood cells and lymphocytes so that they can do their job of attacking and overcoming invading organisms that cause illness and disease.

A short list of Echinacea’s attributes:

· Increases the number of immune system cells necessary for health

· Works as a mild antibiotic, anti-fungal, and anti-viral

· Prevents bacteria from entering healthy cells

· Stimulates new tissue growth for wound healing

· Helps with skin regeneration

· Reduces inflammation in skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema

· Reduces inflammation in cases of arthritis

· Increases resistance to infections

· Helps heal candida, herpes, urinary tract, and other similar infections

· Helps reduce inflamed lymph glands

· Helps reduce symptoms of sore throat

· Helps reduce upper respiratory problems in general

· Helpful in averting and shortening the duration of the common cold

In Europe Echinacea is so respected that it is sometimes used as IV supplement for some forms of cancer and is often injected for the treatment of urinary tract infections. In the United States, where pharmaceutical drugs are the mainstream, it takes good personal research to understand the importance and power of Echinacea as an alternative or supplement.

Studies

The University of Maryland Medical Center confirms that many laboratory studies show that Echinacea contains active substances that enhance the immune system. In this regard the plant has received positive feedback in a more conservative setting for relieving pain, reducing inflammation, and helping to boost anti-oxidant and hormonal strength.

In terms of the common cold, 14 clinical trials throughout the United States show that the use of Echinacea reduces the odds of developing a cold by 58% and reduces the duration of a cold by 1 to 4 days .

Using Echinacea

I have used Echinacea throughout the years whenever I feel a cold coming on. As soon as the first symptom rears its head, I place approximately 30 drops in a glass of room temperature water and drink this twice a day to completely avert any problem. It is best to use Echinacea on a short-term basis, as this way you get the most from its power. I use it until my symptoms go away, or as a preventative, for two to three weeks with a break of a few weeks.

You can find Echinacea in many forms: as a tincture (alcohol or glycerine based), liquid extract, tea, capsule, as well as in creams and gels for topical use. Make sure you follow directions in terms of dosage.

Words to the Wise

Echinacea is not a substitute for critical medical cases. Make sure you consult your healthcare provider before embarking on a protocol. Though there is no known toxicity, it is advised not to use the herb in cases of progressive systemic and autoimmune diseases such as TB, lupus, and connective tissue disorders.

Four Serious “Healthy Food” Myths

2011-09-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

The food industry is big business. Just witness all the marketing hype, especially these days when everyone is jumping on the “health” bandwagon. Now that mainstream companies are aware of the consumer trend leaning towards more conscious habits, marketers are using labeling ploys to lead the non-researching public by the nose.

If you want to be healthy there is no other way but to read labels and to do your own research. What might be time-consuming in the beginning will become a sure fire way to insure that you are informed and getting what you pay for, rather than falling for outrageous health claims that are antithetical to smart eating practices.

Here is a very short list of some foods on what I call the “hype” list:

Canola Oil

Canola oil was initially one of the biggest exports from Canada, hence the “Can” in Canola. This oil is pressed from the rapeseed plant, which is a member of the mustard family. In order to get the oil out of this plant, on a commercial level it requires processing at extremely high temperatures using mechanical pressing procedures. At about 300 degrees F, a whole lot of trans-fats (hydrogenated, artificial fats that raise cholesterol levels) are created. Additionally, the high heat factor tends to make the oil rancid and foul smelling, requiring a deodorizing process using chemicals to do so. On top of this, the oil gets refined, bleached, and de-gummed ~ with the results obviously going into our bodies when we consume the oil. Canola’s high sulfur content also makes the oil become rancid quickly, and if any of you out there have used it to create baked goods, you’ve already noticed how fast they develop mold.

Canola oil contains 5% saturated fat, 57% oleic acid, 23% omega 6, and 10 – 15% omega 3. But studies at the University of Florida at Gainesville have shown that 4.6% of all the fatty acids in canola oil are highly hydrogenated (and known as trans-isomer fats) because of the harsh refining process. Other studies were published in a 1997 article in Nutrition Research showing that piglets fed canola oil became seriously depleted of vitamin E, which is essential to health. Yet another laboratory study showed that a strict canola diet actually caused the death of the animals that were a part of the experiment.

Cold pressed, organic canola oil is a safer bet, but of course if you really want to go for a healthy oil, especially for cooking, buy coconut oil. Coconut oil does not contain any trans-isomers and boasts no nutritional depletion when heated. There are many, many benefits of using coconut oil both internally and externally, and I will cover these in another article coming up soon!

Farm Raised Salmon

Here’s a frightening statistic given what you are going to read in a second: over 60% of fish eaten in the United States is farm raised and 80% of the salmon in the marketplace today comes from farms. Ok… now brace yourself…

Farm raised fish are placed in pens that can contain upwards of a million! These fish cannot move and thus develop all sorts of diseases due to crowding and lack of space. Farm raised fish are fed things they never eat such as grain, chicken feces, genetically modified canola oil, and fishmeal. Because they are fattened with these highly foreign elements, farm raised fish are lower in protein than their luckier bretheren who are still in the open waters. A wild salmon’s diet is krill, which is toxin-free and contains astaxanthin, a potent anti-oxidant that gives salmon its pink color. Because nothing in a farmed salmon’s diet contributes to a hue we associate with salmon, they are fed artificial color.

Farm raised salmon has 39 times more sea lice than wild salmon, especially due to the crowded conditions in their pens. Strong pesticides are used to kill the sea lice. Copper sulfate is also used as a way to remove algae that forms on the nets that capture farmed salmon for killing and packaging ~ another toxic chemical that we ingest when we eat these fish.

Farm raised salmon contain up to eight times the level of carcinogenic PCBs as wild salmon. They are lower in omega 3 fats than their free-swimming brothers and sisters who generally have a very high omega 3 concentration.

Farm raised salmon means great profit for producers, and the demand that comes from ignorance keeps putting money in their coffers. Wild salmon remain more or less the way nature intended them to be, and for this they are more expensive for consumers, which is true with organically grown foods of all kinds. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for and in this case if you buy farmed salmon, you may be paying dearly with the health of your body.

Popular Cereals and Energy Bars

Flashy boxes make big statements when you’re walking down a grocery store aisle. Most commercial cereals are highly processed to make them sweeter, tastier, and easy to prepare. Most commercial cereals are loaded with sugar and low on fiber content, often contrary to what they advertise on the box. Because we’re often in a rush when we shop, we don’t stop to read the list of ingredients carefully and when Raison Bran uses the words “raison” and “bran”, we think, ah, two healthy foods, right? Take a closer look and you’ll find loads of sugar and processed filler.

The best cereals you can eat are whole grains that require cooking time, like steel cut, organic oats and the like. Take the time to cook them and you will feel the difference in the way your body responds in terms of energy, cleansing, and reducing the propensity for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Energy bars, protein bars, breakfast bars, or granola bars… whatever they are called, they generally contain a very small amount of fiber and a whole lot of sugar and processed carbohydrates. Why risk raising your blood sugar levels to experience the subsequent energy drop and mood swings when you can make your own? Homemade bars using unprocessed whole grains will help control your weight, balance your moods, up the ante on your endurance, as well as keep your system regular. Unprocessed whole grains help to stabilize the system and are recommended as part of an anti-cancer, anti-heart disease, and anti-diabetes diet. Simply mix a handful of organic raw oats with coconut flakes, chopped raw almonds, organic raisons or currents, and raw honey. Shape your mix into logs and freeze and you have the perfect healthful pick me up that won’t wreak havoc on your body.

Frozen Yogurt

Yogurt is healthy because of the live culture of beneficial bacteria it contains. When yogurt is heated more than 112 degrees F, this culture is killed. When commercial frozen yogurt is made, the milk it takes to make it is heated upwards of this index. Additionally, artificial sweeteners are added to the mix, as well as chemicals that allow it to last longer. Unlike fresh yogurt that benefits digestive health, frozen yogurt is just another desert that beckons because it contains less calories than ice cream.

If you are a yogurt lover and want the benefit of live bacteria that assists in digestion, buy plain fat-free yogurt such as the Greek or Bulgarian kind. Add a sliced banana, a pinch of cinnamon, and a bit of honey if you don’t like eating it plain and you’ll have a delicious, healthy dessert.

The moral of this article is: read labels, do your research, shop carefully, cook slowly, and don’t believe the hype!

Please take a look at The Body In Form store to find hand-picked items for easy purchase online such as: vitamins, herbs, beauty products, and self-help, health, and recipe books that encourage you to have a body - and life - in form!

Stevia: Sweetest of the Sweetest Sweeteners, and Healthy Too!

2011-06-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

For me stevia is the saving grace for all of us sweet-cravers as it contains zero calories, is totally alkaline, and has a plethora of healthful properties way beyond its ability to dulcify our foods and beverages!

Coming from the chrysanthemum family, stevia grows wild in Paraguay and Brazil and is also cultivated in Japan, China, Mexico, California, and Southern England. Used since pre-Columbian times to sweeten the native tea called mate, the Italian traveler Antonio Bertoni wrote about it much later in 1887 as the sweetener used by many native South American tribes.

Thirty times sweeter than sugar, stevia contains sweet glycosides that are not metabolized by the body, which means they won’t add extra calories. Despite its highly sweet taste, in its unadulterated form stevia doesn’t adversely affect blood glucose levels and can even be used by diabetics and hypoglycemics! Additionally, stevia actually helps to normalize blood sugar levels. It will also lower blood pressure if you have this condition while not affecting normal levels if you don’t. Here are some other health attributes of stevia:

· Functions as a tonic to the entire body

· Increases energy

· Increases mental acuity

· Inhibits the growth and reproduction of specific types of bacteria and other infections organisms

· Helps prevent tooth decay, gum disease, and oral health in general (add to toothpaste or dilute with water for mouthwash)

· Helps prevent the onset of colds and flu

· Helps with weight management and loss

· Reduces cravings for sweets and fatty foods (can be taken before meals to reduce hunger)

· Helps restore lost hunger if obstructions in the hypothalamus and stomach exist

· Improves digestion

· Improves gastrointestinal function

· Helps reduce cigarette and alcohol cravings

Stevia, Skin, and Hair

Stevia is also effective in maintaining healthy skin and hair. It can be used as a facial mask by smoothing a paste made of the powder or crushed leaves and water over the skin and letting it dry for a half an hour or so. Rinse it off and you will feel how it has tightened and softened the skin, smoothing out wrinkles and healing blemishes. You can also place a few drops of stevia concentrate directly on a blemish, sore, cut, or scratch and impressive healing will occur. Stevia is sometimes added to organic soaps and shampoos as it helps to eliminate dandruff and sooth scalp problems, making hair more lustrous. You can add it yourself to your favorite shampoo.

An Abundance of Nutrients

The stevia leaf contains an abundance of nutrients such as proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, iron, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, rutin, vitamin A, vitamin C and an oil that contains a host of other healthful elements.

Buying Stevia

Stevia, like most things, can be of poor or high quality. The poorer the quality of the leaves, the more bitter it will taste. A high quality manufacturer will make sure that stevia’s processing is minimal and done with consciousness. In this regard it will taste slightly licorice-y. I buy my stevia from a top-notch health food store in powder form. It is a beautiful green and tastes divine and you only need a very tiny amount as a little goes a very long way!

Stevia comes in tea bags, as a loose tea, in ground form, in tablets, or as a liquid concentrate. Quality will depend on soil conditions, the amount of irrigation and sunlight, purity of the environment, farming and harvesting practices, processing, and storage. Make sure you buy the most reputable brand to get the most out of the product.

Stevia and Cooking

Stevia doesn’t break down in heat like honey or artificial sweeteners do. This means you can cook and bake with it and be sure that you are getting all the nutritional components you need.

The FDA vs. Scientific Research

Though the FDA has listed stevia as an unapproved food additive, it is allowed as a food supplement, but not as a sweetener. That being said, researcher and physician Dr. Daniel Mowrey has said vis a vis his extensive research on the pros and possible cons of stevia:

"More elaborate safety tests were performed by the Japanese during their evaluation of stevia as a possible sweetening agent. Few substances have ever yielded such consistently negative results in toxicity trials as have stevia. Almost every toxicity test imaginable has been performed on stevia extract [concentrate] or stevioside at one time or another. The results are always negative. No abnormalities in weight change, food intake, cell or membrane characteristics, enzyme and substrate utilization, or chromosome characteristics. No cancer, no birth defects, no acute and no chronic untoward effects. Nothing."

So there you have it!

I say, let’s break the sugar addiction by turning to Stevia, the sweetest of the sweet, getting healthier in the process!

Gluten-Free Diet For Celiac Sufferers: Suffer No More!

2011-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s a very interesting statistic: one out of every 133 people in the United States has celiac disease! This amounts to about 2 million people, and probably more! Celiac disease is very difficult to diagnose because the symptoms can be very similar to other physical problems like irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome, which means that many people have celiac disease and don’t realize it, thinking that their discomfort is symptomatic of something else.

What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is when the body is unable to tolerate gluten, a substance that is found in many, many foods and in fact is often hidden in other everyday products like vitamins, lip balms, and medications. Gluten is a common protein in wheat, rye, and barley, which usually form a general part of our daily diets.

Gluten intolerance causes interference with absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. Gluten intolerance or celiac disease creates a signal for the immune system to destroy what is called the “villi,” tiny hair-like elements lining the small intestine that help pass nutrients through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. When the villi are destroyed, we can’t get the essential elements we need to stay healthy, no matter how much food we consume.

Celiac disease often is genetic, but it can also be triggered by strong conditions that occur in the body like viral infections, severe emotional stress, surgery, pregnancy and childbirth, and the like.

Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance
Gluten intolerance can affect people differently. Here is a list of some symptoms that can show up:
• Abdominal bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Chronic diarrhea
• Constipation
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Bad smelling bowel movements
• Pale and fatty bowel movements
• Fatigue
• Iron deficiency anemia
• Irritability, depression, anxiety, mood swings
• Bone and/or joint pain
• Bone loss or osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Tingling numbness in the hands and feet
• Seizures
• Missed menstrual periods
• Infertility or recurring miscarriages
• Canker sores inside the mouth
• Itchy skin, rashes, dermatitis

Discovering Glucose Intolerance
Celiac disease is often found in people who have Down or Turner Syndrome as well as those with Type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, autoimmune liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Addison’s disease. It is important to be tested if you seem to have any of the chronic symptoms listed above as ignoring celiac disease can lead to malnutrition and eventually to more serious conditions that are harder to treat.

You can find out if you have celiac disease through being tested for high levels of TGA (transglutaminase antibodies) or EMA (anti-endomysium antibodies). If you have celiac disease, these antibodies will be present, preventing the absorption of essential nutrients from the foods you eat.

Treating Celiac Disease Easily
If you have celiac disease, you need to eat a gluten-free diet, which is not hard to do with just a little research and a change of habit. A gluten-free diet is also essential if you have a wheat allergy, which many people have without realizing it.

Foods to Avoid
There are several foods containing gluten that are obvious and easy to pick out. They include:

• Wheat
• Rye
• Barley
• Spelt
• Wheat germ
• Wheat bran
• White flour
• Graham flour
• Semolina
• Farina

But gluten creeps in to many other foods, especially processed goods where it is not so evident. For this reason you have to READ THE LABELS to familiarize yourself with those products that contain hidden sources of gluten.

Here is a partial list of other foods to avoid:

• Modified food starch
• Preservatives and stabilizers made with wheat
• Corn and rice products made in factories that also manufacture wheat products (contamination by proxy!)
• Bouillon cubes
• Brown rice syrup
• Candy
• Chips
• Wafers
• Matzo
• Rice mixes

• Cold cuts and other processed foods
• Sauces
• Cheese spreads
• Commercially packaged soups
• Self basting turkey

These days products for celiacs are labeled “gluten free.” Health food stores are a good source as they provide many more options for packaged goods if you don’t have the time to make your recipes from scratch.

Acceptable Foods for Celiacs
There is actually an enormous range of food you can eat if you suffer from celiac disease. The best choice is always fresh, unprocessed foods that include fresh, organic fruits and vegetables that help to cleanse and detoxify the body while adding easily digested anti-oxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Dried fruit is also a good option. Organic meats and poultry and wild (not farmed) fish will provide you with essential protein, with fish giving you doses of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids so necessary for immune and brain function.

Here is a short list of some other foods that work well for those with gluten intolerance:

• Potato
• Rice (including rice noodles to replace wheat or semolina pasta)
• Quinoa
• Soy
• Amaranth
• Buckwheat
• Teff (and all flours made with the above)
• Arrowroot
• Yeast
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Any gluten-free bread or pasta
• Nuts
• Flax seeds
• Eggs
• Yoghurt
• Dried beans
• Peas
• Pulses
• Organic oats
• Cider and cider vinegar
• Wine vinegar
• Distilled Vinegar
• Vegetable oils such as sunflower and olive
• Honey
• Molasses

Alcohol and Celiac Disease
Gluten-free beer is becoming more available in the marketplace. This is made from sorghum, millet, rice, or buckwheat, which are all tolerable to those with gluten intolerance. Again, read your labels carefully, as most beer is made with barley, which contains “hordein.” Hordein is very similar to a substance found in wheat and can cause the same negative reaction for those with gluten intolerance. Most gluten-free beer should have a label saying so. Wine is also another perfectly good option for enjoying your candlelight gluten-free dinners!

The Healthiest Diet
Once you get used to a gluten-free diet, you’ll find that it is actually one of the healthiest ways to eat. You will have eliminated all processed foods as well as wheat and will find that your energy levels will soar as your immune system strengthens. Keep your meals balanced with carbohydrates, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and you will have no problems with digestion or nutrient absorption.

By reading labels carefully and buying only Gluten Free products, you can eliminate negative symptoms and get your system back on track again.

Natural Sun Protection From Within

2011-05-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Northern hemisphere, you are well on your way towards summer. This means an increase in the sun’s potency, which means out comes the sunscreen! Along with topical measures, you can also get a great deal of sun protection from within by consuming a powerful cartonenoid known as ASTAXANTHIN.

Sunburn Equals Inflammation

We suffer from sunburn when we are overexposed to the sun. This causes our skin to become inflamed, which in turn causes pain and leads to skin and DNA damage. Consuming astaxanthin helps to ward off inflammation, meaning that we can spend linger periods of time in the sun without burning or creating other inflammatory conditions. This also helps reduce the possibility of skin cancer.

Astaxanthin for Brain, Eyes, and Nerves

Astaxanthin’s ability to cross both the blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers helps provide super antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection to the brain, eyes, and nerves. This action is central to reducing the risks of dementia and Alzheimers disease as well as macular degeneration, cataracts, and blindness.

So What is Astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin is a very potent antioxidant that is found in the naturally occurring pigments in colorful foods like bell peppers, beets, squash, pumpkin, and the like. When we eat these highly pigmented foods we are consuming more than 700 naturally occurring carotenoids, which contain nutrients that help to destroy free radicals and fortify the immune system. Astaxanthin is one of these carotenoids helping protect the foods it is contained in from damage due to excess sun and oxygen. When we in turn eat these foods, we reap the benefits of astaxanthin’s natural sunscreening and antioxidant powers.

Produced by Microalgae

In addition to being found in colorful fruits and veggies, astaxanthin is produced by a microalgae called Haematoccous pluvialis. In those moments when its water supply is no longer available, this microalgae produces astaxanthin to help protect it from ultraviolet radiation. Working thus as a radiation shield, sea creatures consuming this algae such as pink salmon, shellfish, and krill are also ensuring their ability to withstand ultraviolet rays. Flamingos are another creature getting their pink pigment from eating this microalgae. When we eat these foods, we are helping ourselves reduce the signs of aging as the astaxanthin protects our skin from the sun’s harm.

Free Radical Scavenger Supreme

Astaxanthin is an extremely powerful free-radical scavenger, protecting cells, tissues, and organs from oxidative damage. Astaxanthin also assists in cardiovascular strength while also boosting the immune system, helping to fight cancer, improving sight, stabilizing blood sugar, and reducing inflammation. According to the well-known physician and researcher, Dr. Joseph Mercola, it is 5,550 times more powerful than vitamin E in overcoming what is known as singlet oxygen, a highly unstable form of oxygen that occurs in bright sunlight that can be extremely damaging to cells. Additionally astaxanthin is 54 times more powerful than vitamin C and 54 times more powerful than betacarotene when it comes to general antioxidant benefits. Interestingly, astaxanthin is the element that is responsible for giving salmon their strength to swim upstream by fortifying their muscles.

Important note on salmon:

Wild salmon is 400% higher in astaxantin than farmed salmon while also containing significantly higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids. Farmed salmon should generally be avoided as it contains unhealthy levels of mercury and other toxic material.

Astaxanthin Supplements

If you feel you are not getting enough astaxanthin in your diet, you can usually find a supplement in your local health food store. Astaxanthin supplements are soluble in lipids, just as they are when you eat them in foods, meaning they easily incorporate into cell membranes. Make absolutely sure you get a natural brand made from marine algae and not a synthetic imitation that is often made with petrochemical products. Start off with 2 mg a day and watch for results after a few weeks of regular usage.

Note: to date there have been no reports on adverse reactions to astaxanthin, but it is always best to consult with your healthcare provider before going on any new protocol.

Testimonials and Studies in Brief

The famed dermatologists Dr. Nicholas Perrocone and Dr. Robert Childs advocate the use of astaxanthin for skin health, immune system assistance, and increased endurance. In fact, Dr Childs lives in Hawaii and after he began taking astaxanthin, he found he was able to go out into the hot midday sun for long periods of time without getting sunburned!

A 2002 study on astaxanthin in Yamashita, Japan was conducted with 40 year old women. Each took 2 mgs of astaxanthin every day for a month. After only two weeks, every woman’s skin improved and after four weeks there was increased improvement.

[Yamashita, E. (2002). "Cosmetic Benefit of Dietary Supplements Containing Astaxanthin and Tocotrienol on Human Skin." Food Style. 21 6(6):112-17]

A study was funded by Cyanotech Corporation in order to calibrate the skin’s resistance to UVA and UBV light before and after taking astaxanthin supplements. Subjects involved in the study showed a marked increase in the amount of time it took for reddening of the skin by UV rays after only three weeks of taking 4 mg per day.

Boosting Your Hormones and Sex Drive

2011-05-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Maca…. You’ve probably heard about it by now if you’re not already taking it. I have a heaping tablespoon of the pulverized root everyday in my morning cereal or blended juice drink and am ready to take on the world!

Maca, or “lepidium meyeni” grows in the high altitude mountains of Peru. It is a tuberous root and a member of the radish family. Maca has been considered a nutritious food and a powerful medicament by indigenous healers and shamans for countless centuries, with its first recorded use by outsiders in the 16^th century when the Spanish discovered its healing properties. Used for its root only, maca’s active ingredients are “macamides” and “macaenes, “ which adapt to each individual’s metabolism increasing energy, vitality, and overall health in all aspects.

A Powerful Adaptogen

Adaptogens are plants that benefit organisms without causing negative side effects while working with the natural rhythms of the body. Maca’s adaptogenic qualities work to reinforce the immune system while flooding the body with needed nutrients that increase energy and endurance. Because maca contains an extraordinarily high concentration of adaptogens, it is able to heighten our resistance to free radicals and toxins by strengthening and nourishing all of our bodily functions.

A Few of the Benefits

Some of the benefits of maca include assisting the digestive process, nourishing and calming the nerves, helping to build muscle mass, providing support to the adrenal glands, and strengthening bones and teeth. Maca is a powerful anti-carcinogen and antioxidant and so provides specific assistance to the immune system. The root additionally stimulates the circulatory system, which contributes to a healthy heart and glowing skin.

Chock Full of Nutrients

Maca contains many vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, sodium, iron, zinc, iodine, copper, selenium, manganese, tin, silicon, C, E, B1, B2, and B12, which is difficult to find in foods if you are a vegetarian. It also contains phosphorus, an essential building block for nurturing the cells. Maca additionally has one of the highest lipid contents of all roots, including linolenic, acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acid. What is more, because maca is high in alkaloid content, it is fully able to assist the body in properly assimilating all of these nutrients.

The amazing news is that a single maca root contains approximately 60 phyto-nutrients along with amino acids, fatty acids, sterols, vitamins, and minerals. A spectacular powerhouse of health coming from one small, ugly Peruvian root!

And Now…..Maca’s Greatest Claim to Fame!

With all of the incredible and aforementioned benefits that maca offers, the root’s real claim to fame is its ability to restore and regulate natural hormonal balance in both women and men, which reinforces and re-instigates (when necessary) sexual function.

Maca exerts an extremely beneficial influence over endocrine function and the glands that produce chemical messengers known as hormones. Hormones are the key to normal bodily functions, including metabolic function, energy reserves, and sexual development and performance. As properly functioning hormones flow throughout the blood stream and into the organs and tissues, they nourish and stimulate the adrenal, thyroid, parathyroid, and pituitary glands along with the hypothalamus, pancreas, thymus, ovaries, and testes.

Interestingly enough, maca itself does not contain hormones, but rather the nutrients that power the entire endocrine system. By getting the glands to produce the necessary amounts of hormones our bodies are kept in balance on all levels. The one thing maca does contain that I have not yet mentioned are potent aphrodisiac properties. This, combined with its ability to release hormones, accounts for maca’s indisputable ability to increase sexual desire and correct and improve sexual function. And as we all know, when all systems are in sync this is the surest way to not only physiological health, but to emotional health as well!

Purchasing Maca

When buying maca, look for brands that have harvested the root from the Andean mountains, for it is the high altitude that assures the greatest amount of nutrients. Make sure the maca is not cut with fillers like rice flower or maltodextrin, and that it is Certified Organic and processed accordingly. It should also be gelatinized, which is an extrusion process that removes the starch from the root so that the powder mixes more easily into beverages and food, is easier to digest, and tastes good. Lastly look to see that the brand encourages fair trade practices that help to support traditional and sustainable harvesting methods.

Sprinkle maca over cooked or uncooked cereal or put a tablespoon in a blended fruit of vegetable drink. Always use a non-metallic spoon such as plastic or wood when measuring maca. Ingest and enjoy the results!

Healing Acne Without Medication

2011-05-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Radiant skin is what we all hope to achieve as it is a sign that our internal body is healthy and cleansed. When the skin is affected by breakouts it is generally because there is an overabundance of sebum, a waxy substance that helps to keep the skin moist. When too much sebum collects, it will clog pores causing skin inflammation as bacteria begins to build up in the area. When sebaceous glands are blocked, the ducts leading to these glands harden and any exposed area will fill with dirt, causing blackheads. When this debris cannot reach the ducts to be cleansed away, whiteheads are formed. If the skin retains these impurities, it becomes red, rough, and irritated even further, leading to what we call acne.

Acne is a condition that can be caused by a wide variety of factors such as allergies to foods and skin products, environmental toxins, poor diet, hormonal imbalances, and stress. When acne occurs, it can seriously affect one’s self esteem on top of being physically stressful and uncomfortable. But acne is completely treatable with a bit of consciousness, discipline, and patience. With a healthful diet that helps to keep the organs cleansed for effective digestion along with proper cleansing and the reduction of stress your skin can be as clear as a baby’s.

Eating Right For Your Skin

If you suffer from acne, the first step is to take a look at your diet, which always is the first place where things can go wrong. Poor diet affects all of the organs. Fried foods, fast foods, fatty foods, pesticide-filled foods, sodas, and sugar are just some examples of foods that are unfriendly to the skin. By changing the diet wonders are worked on and for the entire body.

When there are too many toxins in the system due to misguided eating habits, the gastro-intestinal system cannot function properly, meaning it is unable to get rid of impurities. The body naturally wants to sweep waste material away and does so with the help or the liver, bowels, and kidneys. If these organs are blocked, the skin must work overtime to eliminate extra waste, which ultimately leads to blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, cysts, boils, and other evidences of acne irritation.

Eating fresh, organic fruits and vegetables are essential for creating a healthy body and in turn a glowing skin free of blemishes. Containing vitamins C and E, which help sweep out toxins, fruits and veggies should be eaten raw, lightly steamed, or combined in blender drinks.

Orange and red fruits and veggies contain beta-carotene, a component that helps clear out impurities while strengthening the immune system and fighting free radicals. These include cantaloupe, berries, carrots, pumpkin, and red peppers.

Dark green leafy vegetables such as parsley, alfalfa, spinach, and kale contain the vitamins and minerals zinc, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, chromium, and B6, which help to fortify the skin’s ability to heal and remain healthy.

Whole grains contain the vitamin Bs and when combined with lentils, garbanzos, or other beans create the protein needed to sustain energy and health. Tofu, a derivative of soybeans, is another food that acts as a good substitute for meat. Make sure you buy only organic tofu as these days soy is highly GM modified.

Seaweeds like kelp, kombu, hijiki, and nori are chock full of iron and iodine, which fight bacteria and regulate the thyroid gland, which is responsible for keeping the organs in balance.

Drinking lots of water throughout the day will help speed up the cleansing process along with healthful foods that provide necessary healing nutrients. Try to avoid all meat during the cleansing period as it can be difficult to digest.

Juice Cleanse for Skin

Making a blended drink consisting of raw beets, carrots, and parsley or alfalfa is an ideal way to stimulate the liver, which is the organ that is often affected the most by a poor diet. As the liver is a big player in cleansing the system, it is important to keep it in the best condition possible. Add a teaspoon of cod liver, linseed, or borage oil for extra Omega 3 fatty acids, which also help to keep the liver nourished.

Hang In There As You Cleanse!

If you have been eating poorly, as you change your diet you may feel a bit under the weather for a while as the toxins begin to move and discharge. Don’t let this discourage you as this is natural. Many people misinterpret this feeling of ill health, thinking that it indicates something wrong in the cleansing theory. But common sense will tell you that as waste products move through the blood stream you are bound to feel them before they exit for good, and feeling slightly off-key is an indication of how toxic your system really is.

Herbs Against Acne

There are many herbs that work to clear the blood stream of toxins that block skin health. Antiseptic herbs such as calendula, echinacea and goldenseal work wonders to rid the body of waste. There are also particularly soothing herbs that can help reduce inflammation and dampen the effects of itching and other discomforts. These include:

· Nettle

· Lavender

· Chamomile

· Licorice

· Barberry

· Honeysuckle flower

· Gotu kola also heals broken skin and boosts the immune system.

Sarsaparilla also rids the body of excess toxins and purifies the bloodstream.
Milk thistle also cleanses the liver.

Herbs can be taken on their own or combined to make a good cleansing tea or tonic for sipping throughout the day, warm or cool.

Herbal oils can be topically applied to acne for soothing inflammation. They can be applied directly to the area on a saturated cotton ball. These include:

Calendula
Comfrey
Evening primrose oil

Tea tree oil is an especially effective antibacterial substance that penetrates the skin on a cellular level. It can be applied to the skin in pure form, or added to any neutral cream or moisturizer.

Aloe vera is also effective when applied to acne, especially if the skin cannot retain moisture due to temperature changes, allergic reactions, or sensitivity to the environment. Aloe also helps to remove dead skin cells so that new and healthy skin can form.

Red Clover

I want to take a moment now to write about an exceptionally potent herb for acne and that is Red Clover.

Its Latin name is Trifolium pratense, and it is also called Trefoil, Purple Cover, Cleaver Grass, and Cow Grass. Red Clover grows all over the US, Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia and is the actually state flower of Vermont! With its long stalks, hairy stems, and reddish purple flowers, Red Clover has been used by the Native Americans for centuries due to its ability to purify the body and thus heal skin conditions, including acne.

Red Clover purifies the bloodstream by de-congesting the liver. The flowers also works as a diuretic, flushing out uric acid through the kidneys and bladder. An anti-inflammatory, red clover rids the chest and lungs of phlegm and mucus; helps with the production of bile, which is essential in liver cleansing; and stimulates digestive fluids to help eliminate toxins and restore the organs to health.

Red clover contains a wide range of necessary nutrients such as isoflavones, coumarins, flavinoids, lecithin, calcium, chromium, choline, magnesium, manganese, iron and vitamins B, C, and E. It also contains a trace element called molybdenum, which helps eliminate nitrogenous waste that is often the cause of skin problems.

You can eat red clover in salads or take the flowers as a tea, capsule, or tincture. Make sure you buy organic red clover to avoid any possibility of ingesting pesticides, which can further irritate the skin.

Homeopathic Remedies

Homeopathic medicine can be a highly effective way to reduce the effects of acne by the problems going on inside the body. There are several formulae, all of which are best taken via a homeopathic doctor’s recommendation. Some include:

· Kali bromatum to help stop itching.

· Sulfur to help break down rough and hardened skin while also relieving constipation.

· Antimonium tartaricum to help eliminate the formation of pus.

It is best to consult with a professional homoeopathist to get a correct diagnosis for appropriate treatment.

Ayurvedic Medicine

Ayurvedic medicine is based on ancient Indian medical knowledge. According to this protocol, acne is cause by an aggravation of an internal condition called Pitta-Disha and can be treated naturally by eating specifically bland foods such as oatmeal, natural apple sauce, and rice. By eliminating fried and spicy foods as well citrus fruits, Ayurvedic healers believe the skin has a better chance to heal. Tea made from cumin, coriander, and fennel is considered to be very helpful in soothing the irritating sensations associated with acne.

An excellent panacea to take the sting out of acne is made by creating a paste of both course and fine natural oatmeal. Leave it on the affected area to dry and then wash it off gently with warm water. Other healing pastes can be made with almond powder and goats milk or chickpea powder and water.

Here again, it is best to consult with an Ayurvedic doctor to get the right diagnosis for your skin.

Neem Oil

One of the most powerful Ayurvedic treatments for the skin is the use of neem oil. Written about in India’s ancient texts, neem is the ultimate anti-bacterial, blocking the growth of viruses, healing a myriad of skin ailments, and restoring elasticity to abused and poorly functioning skin. Neem contains essential fatty aids along with vitamin E and can be applied topically to help heal the effects of acne and other skin eruptions.

Cleansing the Skin

One of the most important steps to take for your skin, whether you have acne or not, is to cleanse properly in order to keep your pores free of bacteria. In the case of acne, wash with natural soaps or gels that contain mild components like aloe vera or oatmeal. Look for brands that contain no additives, which can cause allergic reactions. Keep your hair shampooed regularly, again with natural and mild products and if you need to shave, use a fresh blade each time. Never, ever pick at, pop, or squeeze your skin, no matter how uncomfortable you may feel.

Using the above protocols over time will help to clear away your acne while creating a beautiful and healthful palette that shows the balance in your body through the clarity of your skin. Combine these habits with a daily regimen of deep breathing practices and meditation to lower stress levels and you have the perfect recipe for letting your inner beauty shine through for all to see!

Words to the wise: Before embarking on a vitamin or herbal protocol, make sure to discuss your thoughts with your healthcare provider.

More ‘The Body In Form’ references for detoxifying the body:

Dandelion: http://thebodyinform.blogspot.com/2011/05/digestive-health-detoxification-and.html

Health and Alkalinity: http://thebodyinform.blogspot.com/2011/04/health-and-alkalinity.html

Kidney Detox: http://thebodyinform.blogspot.com/2011/02/staying-in-top-form-detox-your-kidneys.htmlhttp://thebodyinform.blogspot.com/2011/02/staying-in-top-form-detox-your-kidneys.html

Bentonite Clay Detox: http://thebodyinform.blogspot.com/2010/10/detoxifying-body-with-bentonite-clay.html

Good Night and Sweet Dreams… and How to Get Them!

2011-05-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

We all know the value of a good night’s sleep. It allows us to awaken in the morning refreshed and ready for the day. It also helps keep our bodies functioning optimally by regenerating our entire system.

Melatonin and Regeneration

The processes of internal regeneration that occur during sleep are controlled by a hormone known as melatonin. Melatonin is created by the pineal gland and is produced most effectively in the dark and when our body temperature lowers as we sleep.

Digestion and Melatonin Production

For the correct amount of melatonin to occur in the body during the night, the best protocol is to have your evening meal as early as possible. Make sure the foods you eat in your final meal of the day are the easiest to digest, which means that raw food should be eaten during lunchtime instead. Raw foods require a fermentation process within the organs that is necessary for metabolic function. This process requires energy that causes the body temperature to increase. We often think that having a salad for dinner is a good way to lose weight, which it is, but there is a cost to the sleeping process and the associated inner recuperation necessary for total health.

Zinc and B6

The presence of zinc and vitamin B6 in the diet help with melatonin production so essential to a good night’s sleep. Zinc is present in:

· Almonds

· Cashews

· Brazil nuts

· Walnuts

· Peanuts

· Artichokes

· Cauliflower

· Onions

· Avocados

· Bananas

· Blackberries

· Lima beans

· Garbanzo beans

· Parmesan cheese

· Milk

· Yogurt

· Eggs

· Brewers yeast

· Dark meat chicken

· Turkey

Vitamin B6 is present in:

· Sunflower seeds

· Hazelnuts

· Cashews

· Whole grains

· Bananas

· Yams

· Broccoli

· Asparagus

· Garlic

· Tuna

· Salmon

· Cod

· Turkey

Tryptophan and Sleep

Tryptophan is an amino acid that helps to stimulate the production of melatonin as well as another sleep-inducing substance called serotonin, which helps to reduce

symptoms of anxiety and depression. Tryptophan helps build relaxing neurotransmitters in the brain, helping you get the good night sleep you need. Complex carbohydrates help to release this calming substance by stimulating insulin release to clear away certain amino acids that interfere with tryptophan production. Some foods that are high in tryptophan include:

· Dairy products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt

· Soy products

· Brown rice

· Seeds

· Bananas

· Turkey

A good dinner for sleep might include a pasta dish with organic parmesan cheese, scrambled eggs, a savory tofu stir fry with veggies, steamed veggies over rice noodles, or hummus with whole wheat pita bread.

Body Temperature and Diet

Body temperature is tied in with food intake. The energy content of food is generally measured in kilo-calories, which indicates units of warmth. This means that the more we eat at night, the harder it is to lower the body temperature to effectively produce melatonin. Because digestion requires energy, foods that require the body to do the most digestive work are the ones that will inhibit our ability to make sufficient amounts of melatonin to restore the body during every night’s sleep. Make dinner the lightest meal of the day and see how well you sleep during the night!

Say No to Night Time Protein and Caffeine

Besides being harder to digest and thus adding heat to the organs, high protein foods contain the amino acid tyrosine, which activates the brain. Staying away from meat and other dense proteins will help your body maintain the necessary balance to produce enough melatonin to induce a deep and restful sleep.

We all know by now that anything containing caffeine speeds up the nervous system as well as other areas in the body, raising the level of adrenaline. This triggers an increased heart and breathing rate as well as the production of stomach acids. If you want a deep night’s sleep, you definitely want to avoid caffeine as you want to cut back on internal energy levels rather than increase them. And of course, what goes up must come down. After the simulated uplift of caffeine comes the crash, which can lead to emotional highs and lows that require more caffeine and sugar to simulate the high!

A Hot Bath or Shower

Take a hot bath or shower before going to bed. This helps to regulate your body temperature while soothing the nerves and paving the way out of the day into the ideal calming nature of the night.

Calming Herbs

A hot cup of soothing tea before bedtime is another way to help one drift off into sleep. Chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower, skullcap, and valerian root are some very effective herbs that can be taken alone or combined as a sleep-inducing tea. There are also several very good commercially packaged tea combinations that you can find in your local health food store. St. John’s Wort is another valuable herb that can be taken in capsule form if you find it difficult to sleep, especially if this is due to tension and anxiety.

Note: Before embarking on an herbal protocol for sleep inducement, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider.

Electromagnetic Waves and Sleep, or the Lack Thereof

One of the greatest deterrents to sleep are the electromagnetic waves produced by our computers, cell phones, televisions, and the like. The more you are exposed to these waves during the night, the less melatonin is produced by your body. Making sure your bedroom is free of electromagnetic currents is essential if you want a healthily functioning body. This means keeping all your technological goodies in another room, or unplugging them completely before you go to sleep. Keeping a cell phone by the bed is not a good idea as the electromagnetic waves are too close to the head, which can affect the depth and quality of your sleep. And don’t go to sleep with the TV on! Don’t just turn off the switch, unplug the cord to prevent any electromagnetic waves from penetrating your precious organs.

Do Your Homework

There are many other additional ways to improve sleep, including deep breathing protocols (pranayamas) and meditation. I encourage you to look more profoundly into diet and lifestyle changes that will help you achieve the ideal melatonin output and reduction of stress so your body can naturally rejuvenate and regenerate itself. We all have the ability to enjoy a long, healthy life free of dis-ease. It just may require some adjustments, discipline, and a new way of looking at our old habits.

And with this… I wish you a good night and sweet dreams…

Digestive Health, Detoxification, and More: Dandelion to the Rescue!

2011-05-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

As I research the lowly plant that was once considered a pesky weed I am overwhelmed by a humbling sensation of respect and bow my head in abject apology for every vitamin-filled spiky leaf I weeded away from our family lawn when growing up. Who knew that Dandelion, with its spiky leaves and bright yellow flower that turns into a magical puff that rides the wind, is perhaps one of the most interesting plants in nature’s encyclopedia of medicinals!

The Wise Ones Always Knew…

The ancients knew, as did all of the wise herbalists throughout the ages. Officially known as “taraxacum officinale,” dandelion was used as a medicinal by Arab physicians in the 10^th century and by the Welsh in the 13^th century as a way to diminish the devastating symptoms of a malfunctioning liver and gallbladder. In the 16^th century, dandelion was called “omniboria” or cure all for its powerful ability to diminish the effects of a plethora of illnesses without causing side effects. All throughout time, dandelion was placed in soups and teas and made into tinctures to treat people with a wide array of physical problems.

Now We Know Too…

Today dandelion is definitely and officially at the head of the list for boosting liver health and as a recognized treatment for jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis, and many other diseases. The Federal Drug Administration in the United States has placed the plant on the list of safe foods and it is approved by the Council of Europe as an extremely viable medicinal plant. According to many nutritional surveys, dandelion ranks as one of the top four green vegetables for having the greatest overall nutritional value including beta-carotene, and is considered the third richest source of vitamin A of all foods. Because of its high fiber content it helps with gastro-intestinal problems and with its high concentration of mucilage, it is also good for sore throats and congestion.

Dandelion and Its Nutrients

Dandelion contains some very interesting compounds, including tarazacin, acrystaline, taraxacerin, which have medicinal properties. It also is high in vitamins A, C, D, B complex, boron, calcium, choline, copper, iron, , magnesium, manganese, potassium, silicon, and zinc. Known as dente de lion or lion’s teeth in South America and other Spanish speaking countries, dandelion packs a powerful bite in terms of its wide range of healing benefits such as:

· Encouraging normal digestion by stimulating the digestive glands

· Eliminates excess acid in the system

· Treats constipation

· Reduces bloating

· Helps produce bile to absorbs fats and nutrients and help eliminate toxins

· Reduces toxins in the liver

· Helps reduce symptoms relating to jaundice, cirrhosis, and hepatitis

· Reduces toxins in the gallbladder

· Helps remove gallstones

· Reduces toxins in the kidneys

· Detoxifies the body by stimulating urination

· Replaces lost potassium due to excessive urination

· Reduces side effects of prescription medicines

· Treats infections

· Reduces swelling, including edema and other forms of water retention

· Reduces symptoms of pneumonia

· Helps eliminate viruses

· Treats anemia

· Helps to purify the blood

· Reduces cellulite

· Cleanses and improves the skin, helping to discourage eruptions

· Lowers serum cholesterol

· Helps with weight control

· Helps in cases of type 1 and 2 diabetes

Daily Dandelion Detox

Incorporating dandelion into your diet is a brilliant way to help maintain optimum health. Fresh organically growth dandelion leaves in a salad or quickly steamed and eaten over grains make for a delicious meal. Buy it as a loose tea and steep a tablespoonful in boiled water, or combine it with other medicinal teas such as malva, boldo, or milk thistle to make a powerful and soothing body cleansing potion. Add honey if you need a sweetener, strain, and enjoy! You can also take dandelion in tincture or vitamin form, ingesting according to directions.

Word to the Wise: Though dandelion does not seem to have side effects, it is always essential to talk to your healthcare provider before beginning a protocol. Pregnant and breast-feeding women should avoid dandelion due to its diuretic properties.

Improve Digestion with Boldo and Malva Tea!

2011-05-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

There are many herbs that help improve digestion, but two of my favorites are Boldo and Malva. These two herbs when made into tea are not only flavorful, but help calm the beast within that can enter after a heavy meal, as well as soothing a myriad of gastro-intestinal complaints.

Boldo

Also known as “peumus boldus,” this leathery-leaved herb is native to South America where it is prolific in Argentina, Chile, Boliva, Peru, and Ecuador. It also grows throughout Spain and Portugal, but of course can be found dried in any local health food store, or in seed form for planting from various plant and herb markets. An ancient herb, archeologists excavating in Southern Chile’s Monte Verde region found a basket filled with 22 herbs including boldo that they believe is 12,500 years old. Their expert conclusion was that that the herbs were used for pain relief. Historical chronicals show that the early Incans used boldo for helping with digestion after a large repast.

The German E Commission, an organization responsible for accepting or negating herbs with a hearty “ja” or “nicht,“ dubs boldo as an herb that is highly effective for increasing gastric secretion, supporting the gallbladder, and working as a general anti-spasmodic.

Bitter yet aromatic, boldo contains flavenoils, glycosides, and essential oil. The leaves helps to stimulate the production of bile and the secretion of uric acid as well as the essential gastric juices necessary for digestive health. Here is a list of some of the other benefits gained by drinking boldo:

· Fortifying the liver

· Helping prevent and eliminate gallstones

· Soothing spastic colon

· Helping to rid the body of intestinal parasites

· Soothing urinary tract infection

· Functioning as a mild diuretic

· Relieving symptoms of rheumatism

· Reducing fever

· Helping with weight reduction

· Working as a general tonic for the entire system

Malva

Malva, or the genus, althaea officinalis, sports pale violet flowers and grows up to five feet high. Creating a home all over the world, malva (or mallow) is easy to find and has been around since early Greek and Roman times where it was used to prevent a host of illnesses.

The name malva comes from the Greek word “malakos,” which means soothing, which is exactly what malva is, as it contains mucilage, tannins, and another medicinal component called malvin. Gargling with malva is a great way to reduce inflammation in the mouth and throat as well as to help suppress a cough. Malva is also used for the following ailments:

· Intestinal irritation

· Stomach upset

· Stomach spasms

Drinking a cup of malva tea after a large meal is an excellent way to help digestion and relieve discomfort while inducing a lovely sense of ease and calm.

As a Compress

Used as a warm compress, malva helps to draw out toxins from conditions such as pimples and boils. When applied as a cool compress it helps take the sting out of superficial burns. Compresses are easily made by adding 2 to 4 teaspoons of malva to a cup of boiling water, letting the water cool and then dipping in a soft cloth to apply to the given area.

Brewing Tea

To make a tea of either boldo or malva, place approximately 2 teaspoons of the leaves in one cup of boiled water and let steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

Words to the Wise! Before using either of these herbs, make sure to consult with your healthcare provider to be sure there will be no counter indications.

Essential Tips For Joint Pain

2011-04-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

A joint is where two or more bones meet, helping to create a range of movement that makes us mobile, agile, and able. Some joints can provide us with wide movement possibilities, such as in the shoulders and hips, others provide us with limited movement, such in the vertebrae, and others still with little movement at all, such as in the skull. No matter what the natural range of movement is, all joints work together to help us feel free and easy as we move through life. When joints are impaired we feel frustrated and stymied, which often affects our state of mind.

A Bit About Joints

What holds the joints together are tendons, which attach muscles to the bones along with ligaments, which stabilize the joints by helping to link the bones to each other. Bones are generally coated with a slickish cartilage that helps reduce friction as well as fluids that help to lubricate the entire joint structure. When a joint is injured, the cartilage hardens and begins to deteriorate, causing swelling and pain in the surface of the area if the condition is not treated properly. When swelling occurs, the muscles are then impinged, creating less movement between the bones in the area of injury.

Whether it is due to constant and repetitive movement, injury, overuse, or the aging process, joint pain can be debilitating and disheartening. When the joints are not functioning properly, tiny sacs called bursae are also affected. Bursae are located in between the joints in order to prevent bones from rubbing together and also to cushion joints against shock. If an injured joint is not taken care of, the cartilage and bursae become damaged, consequently affecting neural passageways and causing greater discomfort during movement.

Dancers, gymnasts, weight trainers, and athletes often suffer from injuries to weight-bearing joints such as the hips, knees, and feet. Tennis players are especially susceptible to shoulder joint injury from improper placement when swinging the racket. This excessive friction on the tendons located in the rotator cuff (a group of four muscles that surround the shoulder joint) can cause swelling leading to painful tendonitis. Other conditions that lead to joint pain include:

· Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

· Sciatica

· Chronic back pain

· Osteoarthritis

· Rheumatoid arthritis

· Post traumatic injury

· Post surgical recovery

Joint pain is not something you have to live with, as it can be treated through a number of protocols.

Heat and Massage
Applying heated bags filled with buckwheat or other small grains are an excellent way to relieve pain due to joint injury. Putting a bag in the microwave and then placing it over the area will help prepare the joint for massage, which is best done with eucalyptus or castor oil. Steam baths are also good ways to soothe aching joints, especially before a massage.

Exercise

Careful and slow exercise helps to fortify muscles surrounding the joints while also strengthening the bones, controlling weight, and toning the body. Exercise also contributes to a sense of well-being. People who do not exercise regularly generally have weak supporting muscles, which can lead to stress on the joints which can ultimately cause injury.

If you suffer from a joint injury go very slowly and examine any limitations regarding your range of movement. Respectfully observe these limitations without trying to push through them. Be patient. Hatha yoga classes or remedial yoga is a good way to gently move the body in order to strengthen the areas around the joints. If you feel sharp pain at any time, this is a clue for you to move more modestly. Always wear warm clothing when you exercise and make sure you warm up thoroughly before going on to stronger movements. Warming up in toasty clothing helps to relax and prepare the joints and muscles. You can also apply hot packs to the area before and after exercise for added warmth. Slow, controlled movement of the joints helps improve the circulation of blood in the area, which is important for healing. Exercise also helps to remove the toxins and wastes that can accumulate in injured areas.

Somatic Movement

Trust your body as you move as it has its own wisdom regarding the healing process. One very effective way to help heal injuries is by allowing innate movements to occur. Listen closely to your body by closing your eyes and slowing down the breath until you feel that you are breathing deeply and rhythmically. Inhale slowly though the nose counting to four, hold the breath for four counts and then exhale slowly from the mouth for six counts, hold for two and repeat until you feel calm and relaxed. Dissolving tension in this way allows the body to do its own somatic healing. You may find that your body will begin to move on its own without the interference of the mind. As it does, it will seek out movement to help bring itself back to health and freedom from pain. Do this as often as needed until it becomes a regular practice that you can rely on not only to help with joint pain, but also to help relieve stress and to get you more in touch with each part of your body.

Supplements for Joint Pain

There are several potent supplements that you can take to help diminish wear and tear on your joints, ligaments, and cartilage.
Calcium helps build strong bones and healthy joints, especially when combined with magnesium, which assists in its absorption.

Chondroitin is a long chain of sugars that are naturally found in the joints and connective tissues, helping them to stay resilient. Chondroitin blocks the enzymes that can destroy cartilage.

Glucosamine is a “synergistic” amino acid that comes from hydrolyzed collagen, a primary protein naturally found in connective tissues and cartilage that repairs damage and ensures flexibility.

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) helps to keep the ligaments in healthy condition and is usually found in combination with other joint-building compounds.
Omega 3, 6, and 9 helps prevent and reduce joint inflammation. The Omegas are made of long chains of linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids that help reduce inflammation as well as boost the immune system, regulate blood pressure, lower insulin sensitivity, and more. You can buy Omega 3, 6, and 9 in gel cap form, or get your daily dose from flax seed or borage oil. Put the oil on your salads or add it to any smoothie to get the best results.

Selenium helps reduces inflammation in the joints while serving as an antioxidant, helping to eradicate free radicals that compromise the immune system.
Vitamins E and C heal and help repair muscles, ligaments, and cartilage. They also help to reduce bruising while contributing to overall health.

Note: Before embarking on a supplement protocol, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider. Always buy organic formulas as they are easier to absorb.

Foods for Joint Health

One of the most important things you can do for the health and repair of your joints is to eat intelligently. This means buying fresh organic fruits and vegetables and avoiding foods that can irritate injured areas.

Foods to avoid when suffering from joint injury include:

· Red meat

· Too much protein

· Hot and spicy foods

· Deep fried foods

· Fast foods

· Sugar

· Soft drinks

Foods that help repair and heal joints:

· Fresh fruits contain abundant vitamin C and more…

· Apricots

· Avocados

· Blueberries

· Cantaloupe

· Dates

· Grapefruit

· Papaya

· Peaches

· Pineapple

· Broccoli, kale, and spinach contain large quantities of vitamin C and E

· Salmon, brazil nuts, brown rice, and oatmeal are high in selenium

· Beans

· Lentils

· Whole grain bread and cereal

· Sunflower seeds

· Tofu

· Garlic

· Fish contains the Omega 3 oils, especially oily fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines

· Fenugreek

Remember that when it comes to joint pain, listen to your body. Move slowly and lovingly, eat healthfully, and have patience.

Four Superfoods You Shouldn't Do Without!

2011-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of excitement over super foods these days, and almost every health food stores now supplies them. Yielding a powerful punch, these foods fortify the entire system by activating the immune system and providing extra anti-oxidant power. This means that we are better able to deal with our toxic environment and stress. And as we eat these super foods regularly, it becomes evident that something wonderful is happening as our skin takes on a greater glow, our hair’s luster shines again, our nails grown stronger and longer, our resistance to illness increases, and our sense of well being becomes unstoppable.

Bee Pollen

I have already written about the benefits of bee pollen, but it is never a mistake to be redundant regarding this magnificent example of nature’s perfection. As one of the most complete foods that exist, bee pollen contains almost all of the B vitamins, which makes it an important choice for vegetarians who may not get enough from the regular foods they eat. Additionally, bee pollen is filled with vitamins C and E as well as protein, carotenes, essential enzymes, amino acids, and necessary carbohydrates. The bees certainly know what they are doing as they create a synthesis of nutrients that help to improve stamina and mental acuity while also contributing to weight loss, better skin, energy, libido, and enhancing fertility.

Note: If you have allergies, check with your health care provider regarding your intake of bee pollen.

When buying bee pollen, make sure it comes from organically grown flowers.

Cacao Nibs

Inside a thin shell, cacao beans cluster like little health bombs waiting to nourish your body. With more than four times the antioxidant power found in green tea, raw, organic cacao nibs help with cardiovascular health by dilating blood vessels, improving circulation, balancing blood pressure and heartbeat, lowering LDL cholesterol, reduce blood clotting, and preventing the risk of heart attacks and stroke. As militant free radical fighters, they help the body resist the possibility of disease. Cacao nibs also activate the secretion of endorphins, which makes us feel good as our neurotransmitters are increased. Rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iron, these babies help to build bones, detoxify the liver, support pancreatic function, and enhance hair and nail health. Additionally, cacao nibs contain oleic acid, which is a healthy monounsaturated fat, which helps enhance good cholesterol. Raw, organic cacao nibs make an excellent snack, especially when combined with goji berries (see below), almonds, and raisons ~ which is the super-pack I keep in my bag to munch on all day long.

For extra information on cacao in the form of dark, organic chocolate, please refer to this link: Dark Chocolate: No, really, its okay… go ahead!

Goji Berries

Again, at the risk of being redundant, I must mention our friends the goji berries once more. Little red berries shaped in ovals, gojis (also known as wolfberries) are highly abundant in vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, and B6. An as an exceptionally potent phyto-nutrient, they are powerful antioxidants and anti-carcinogens so essential for fighting pathogens, viruses, and other toxins. Helping to augment our immune systems, goji berries also help to prevent heart disease, power up brain function, and slow down the aging process. Nibble on these gems throughout the day and witness how your energy levels stay constant and strong.

Maca

One of the most talked about super foods of our day, Maca is a brilliant adaptogen and mega antioxidant. A root found in the Andean jungles, Maca is filled with B1, B12, C, calcium, and phosphorus, along with a bevy of other essential phyto-nutrients. Maca is best known for balancing hormonal function, including assisting with heightening libido and enhancing fertility. Maca also helps to add balance to the nervous system, increase physical and mental endurance, and fight against the signs of aging. I place a heaping tablespoonful of Maca in my cooked oatmeal or whole grain cereal everyday, or in my daily smoothie of choice. I will be writing more about Maca in the future as this powdered root really rocks the house!