Wholistic Mama

TOP BEST 10 THINGS TO STAY HEALTHY!

2012-10-05T09:34:00.004-07:00

"Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food". ~ Hippocrates

With the wealth of information available to us today on how to be, stay, and get healthy, it can get pretty overwhelming and even confusing and contradictory. However, what seems to be constant are a few common sense practices that we can easily incorporate into our everyday routine without feeling that our lives have to go into massive overhaul.

Incorporate these 10 routines into your daily routine and you will be further along your path to good health.

1. Always drink warm (preferably) or room temperature water.

We know that drinking lots of water is one of the most important things we need to do but did you know how much? The minimum recommended amount is equal to your body weight in oz. For example, if you weigh 150lbs, then your minimum daily intake of water should be 150oz.

One other thing to note about the consumption of water is the temperature. It is so crucial that we as a society, get out of the dangerous thinking that cold and ice water is "normal" and even necessary to cool down. Cold or ice water is actually pretty dangerous for our cells and body's natural thermostat. Think about it....our normal internal body temperature is 98.6° F. The temperature of cold water is around 50-54°F. When you add cold to a warm environment, the environment goes into temporary shock. The environment in this case is your internal organs. The body now has to go into overdrive to raise your body temperature to the optimized level, and that too very quickly. Imagine how much stress that puts on your cells and organs. Drinking warm or room temperature water actually helps your body flush out toxins. Firstly, it is much closer to your body's core temperature and secondly, the higher temperature has a way picking up "things" or toxins on it's way out, getting it moving, all the way out of the body....where it belongs.

2. Breathe!

Duh! I know....but studies have shown that the majority of us do not actually breathe to our lung's capacity.

These studies have shown time and time again that under normal circumstances and during routine tasks, our breathing is short and less productive. During times of anger, frustration, and sadness, our breathing actually gets worse. The breaths taken during these times are short, shallow and fast. What are we doing when we breathe? We are bringing the crucial element of Oxygen into our body and getting rid of unnecessary waste, Carbon Dioxide. When our breaths are short and shallow, the amount of oxygen necessary for our body to perform it's job (i.e. losing weight, absorbing nutrients, building our immune system) does not make it. We are depriving ourselves of this life giving element to it's fullest.

Being conscious of taking long, deep breaths can make a world of difference. When we consume enough oxygen, our moods change, we lose weight quicker, our internal organs are operating at it's optimal levels, and general our health is good. Studies have also shown that lack of proper amounts of oxygen has contributed to mental health and certain behavioral disorders. The next time you become conscious of your breathing, or better yet, schedule a time in your day where you do deep breathing exercises for at least 5-10 minutes a day. You'll definitely see a difference.

3. Eat your veggies....and fruit.

What's the common thing so far with water, breathing, and fruits & veggies? It's OXYGEN. How do vegetables and fruits contain oxygen? Well, the contain primarily water, water is made up of oxygen and hydrogen.

Not just for the oxygen but the nutrients and and vitamins that vegetables and fruits possess cannot be matched to any type of meat, meat substitute, or packaged/boxed food item. When Hippocrates was speaking about "let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food," he was referring to natural occurring fruits and vegetables. Plant-based foods contain all the vitamins, cures, and medicines that your body will ever need. When the major part of food consumption is plant-based, your body can and will create every necessary medicine it needs to repair itself. This is not wishful thinking. This is actual science. In fact, all the major drug companies have continuously tried to duplicate the body's natural medicine cabinet and of course they will never ever admit to that. In addition, adding more veggies and fruits to your diet also is great for your digestive system. The fiber you receive from these help in so many things like, again, weight loss and toxin flushing. Also, important to note that eating veggies & fruits is great but eating them raw has maximized benefits. One really great way to give your digestive system a rest from all the breaking down of carbohydrates and sugars is to fast once a week. During the fast you consume fruits and water. This is not as difficult has it sounds....the more you do it, the easier it becomes. This refreshes the body and mind.

4. Get your butt moving....EXERCISE

Exercise to get your blood flowing and your glands juiced up.

Of course we know that exercise is good for us and even necessary. However, exercise does not need to be a project everyday. You really don't need to join a gym or take special boot camp classes. Walking at least 30 minutes everyday will keep your body warm, flexible, and healthy. If walking isn't your thing (or it's 19°F outside) then yoga is an excellent way to keep your body flexible. Yoga is not only for keeping yourself flexible but it also allows the body to massage itself to warm up the glands so that they can start secreting the hormones for our body to be at it's optimal level. When the body is inflexible and stiff, the glands can become stagnant. Yoga helps the digestive organs eliminate waste more efficiently. For instance, if you're suffering from constipation, lay on the floor and bring your knees slowly up to your chest, one at a time. Repeat 5 times. But whatever it is, do it for 30 minutes or more.

5. Get rid of the white stuff....PLEASE!

White flour, white sugar, white rice.....not good, not healthy, not real. Included in this category are all the prepackaged, boxed, "convenient" foods that have become a staple go to in our diets.

We hear a lot about white refined foods being bad for us but do we really know why? I'm not hear to advocate organic foods but what food companies are adding in all these so called convenient foods is horrific. And the worse part is that the government says they're allowed to. Convenient foods are not only convenient to the consumers but they sure are convenient AND cheaply made by the food manufacturers. Do you really think that food manufacturers are going to put the best quality ingredients in these foods? No! They're thinking about their profit margins. What's cheap? Animal fat that's full of toxins and carcinogens, refined white flour, and sugar that becomes refined and white by bleaching the natural forms, loads of salt, and "natural-like" flavoring made of chemicals. Doesn't that sound yummy? These ingredients are formulated in a way that it makes consumers initially feel good when they eat them but the serious consequences don't show up until later.

Refined foods are stripped from all the nutrients of that food. Flour, sugar, and rice are all naturally brown in color. Why do they become white? They are bleached and we all know what bleach does. It removes color and in the case of food, it removes vital nutrients and minerals that are beneficial to our diets. For example, during the refining of wheat, 14 different vitamins, 10 different minerals, and protein are completely lost. So why do the food companies refine these foods? Well in the case of sugar, it's part of the purification process to remove any unwanted material but this doesn't necessarily mean the whiter the sugar the healthier....in fact it's the opposite. Sugar is bleached with the use of animal bones...FYI. With wheat, it seems during the World War decades, food manufacturing companies to found a way to increase the shelf life of wheat by bleaching it. We are now well into the 21st Century so there is no excuse for the bleaching of wheat anymore. There are so many other reasons why refined, white, and prepackaged foods are so bad for us but hopefully this will give an incentive to start eliminating them from our diets.

6. Put down your fork...eat less

We eat at 7am because it's breakfast time and we are heading to our jobs, school, or other commitments. Now it's one o'clock....so gotta go pick up some lunch (but I'm really not that hungry but this is my lunch hour). Dinner is promptly at 6:00 pm even though I'm still pretty full for my massive lunch.

We eat obediently at these times, and times in between, because we are told and programmed that this is how it "should be". We should eat lunch at noon. Well what if we're not that hungry? We still eat, don't we (at least the majority of us). We have stopped listening to our bodies' cues that tell what it needs and when. If you really stopped one day and only ate when your stomach was actually making growling motions, you would notice how much less we ate. I'm not telling you to starve yourself but instead listen to your body and not your mind. I'm a student of Ayurveda (an ancient science of medicine) and what the Ayurvedic teachings tell us is that what we're eating is just as important as when, how, how much, and with who we are eating with. Let's discuss the when and how much component.

The first meal of the day is break-fast. Literally we are breaking our fast we observed while we were asleep. Anytime you break a fast, it's advised to eat a light meal. So, the break-fast meal needs to be light and as healthy as possible. Start of the morning with warm water with a little honey and lemon juice mixed in. Then follow with a light meal, like fruit and yogurt, or a bowl of warm yummy oatmeal (not the prepackaged kind). Next up is lunch, which Ayurveda says should be our biggest meal. During the hours of noon and 2pm is when the digestive system is at it's peak and can process food easily, efficiently, and effectively. Dinner is followed by another light meal, like a small salad, warm whole grain cereals, etc. Not forgetting to listen to our bodies to tell us when we are really hungry and how much we really need. Our stomachs, in an unexpanded form, is actually the size of our fists....so this means that this is really all the food we need for a particular meal to fill our stomachs. Anything more than that will stretch the stomach and put undue stress, causing bloating and gas. So, listen up...to our bodies, that is, and be very mindful as to how much is on our plate.

7. Disconnect......

We are constantly connected to our phones, to our computers, to Facebook, Twitter, and plugged into the t.v. and video games. When do our brains and bodies get any rest...aside from sleep?

It's so important to spend time away from all the technological aspects of our life and get more connected with our human side. If we are constantly barraged with friend requests, news alerts, or "urgent" emails then how will we be able to let all the stresses of everyday life go away and unwind? Not only is the need to disconnect important for ourselves but it is crucial for the family unit. What message are we sending to our kids when we are constantly rapped up in emails and phone calls? That life is about stress and you cannot survive unless you are plugged in somewhere.

Our minds need rest and I'm not talking about the slumber kind. Our brains deserve to veg out every so often. If our mind is constantly exposed to all this stimuli, then the brain actually starts producing stress hormones, like cortisol. Increased cortisol levels can actually cause weight gain, fatigue, and even lead to certain diseases. Meditation is the single best way to really disconnect and reconnect your mind, body, and spirit. Meditation may sound foreign and hard but all you really need to do is sit in a quiet room, away from any distraction and simply close your eyes and breathe. In fact, you can incorporate #2 (Breathe!) with this exercise.

Try it...what's the worse thing that can happen? Unplug for at least 30 mins to 1 hour a day and see what happens. I bet you would be able to notice the leaves changing color outside or 4-year old has added some pretty interesting words to her vocabulary :)

8. Express Yourself

We all go through situations and experience an array of emotions but if we only internalize it then 1 of 2, or both, will happen. Either you will combust one day and take out all your frustrations on someone that has nothing to do with the initial frustration. Or, these toxic emotions will get suppressed internally and start showing up in our bodies in the form of disease, sickness, and unease.

Expressing what you feel or going through can help you to let go of these situations and forgive. Remember when we forgive, we are not forgetting about the hurt or pain nor are we saying it's ok. We are actually forgiving ourselves and giving the situation to the Higher Universe to take care of. Journaling, confiding in a close loved one, writing a letter to the Universe, then burning it are all excellent helpful ways to release our emotions. Letting out a good loud epiglottic scream can also do wonders :)

9. Laugh it up

Laughter is a secret cure for sadness and a soldier in the fight against disease.

Laughter changes our body chemistry and amps up our body's ability to fight disease. Not only does it relax us, but it also releases high cortisol levels that increase our chances of high blood pressure, ulcers, arthritis, and stroke.

Laughing, a deep hearty kind can:

reduce stress

lower blood pressure

elevate mood

boost immune system

increase brain efficiency

contribute to a healthy heart

and so much more!

Join a comedy club, watch funny movies, connect with friends and family, or read a good book that will tickle your funny bone. Get out there and laugh.

10. Get Social

No, not Facebook. With real, live, breathing humans.

Time and time again, studies have shown that people that maintain a good balanced social life have fewer health complaints than those who lived more secluded lives. Why? Well when we are alone all the time, we tend to start telling ourselves stories that deteriorate our well being and affect our health. When we have physical contact with others, not only do we pick up on their vibe or energy but we are not so self focused anymore. Our interest in the world outside of ourselves makes us feel better about ourselves, our lives therefore elevating our mood and positively changing our body chemistry.

These Top Best 10 Things To Get Healthy can easily be adapted into our daily routines, paving the pathway to Good Health.

Namaste...

2012-09-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

ALLERGY/COLD RELEIF!!!

NAMASTE

It’s that time of the year. Fall allergies seem to be coming a bit sooner than usual but really everything is out of whack. Never fear though....there are some very simple things that you can do to help alleviate your allergies.

For allergies with sneezing and watery eyes there are a few things you can do. The first is to make a tea from fresh ginger and cinnamon sticks, add honey or your choice of sweetener and sip as hot as you can tolerate. I prefer to add honey since honey has it’s own health benefits like soothing the throat, helping to remove toxins from the body, drying up any congestion you have...just to name a few of the many benefits.

Another wonderful and comforting method is making a warm drink with milk, ginger, and haldi (turmeric) and sweeten with honey. This drink is warm, yummy, and will definitely make you feel better. As I mentioned about honey, this drink is beneficial for colds as well. Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory property alleviates congestion and inflammation. It has been said that turmeric is nature’s pain-killer and can be used for practically any purpose to heal the body from within. A note about milk: Modern medicine warms about the use of milk when we have allergies or the cold since it produces more mucus in our systems. However, some things that need to be clarified are: when using milk in this instance, the milk is boiled or brought to near boiling and the herbs added to the milk change the molecular properties of the milk. In the western world, milk is mostly consumed cold. According to Ayurveda, this is a no no. Cold drinks actually add stress to the body and should be avoided, especially during allergy and cold season. When you consume warm milk that has been boiled, you add nutrition and strength to the body and immune system, something that is very much needed in this season. You can drink this milk/ginger concoction as needed throughout the day.

When we have allergies and colds, the nasal passages and sinuses are usually dry, inflamed, filled with mucus, and/or painful. Another very effective way to keep colds and allergies at bay is by simply adding some crushed garlic cloves to warm olive oil, mustard oil, or sesame oil and let it simmer for a bit (careful to not let the garlic burn) and then straining. Once the oil has come to slightly warmer than room temperature, apply a few drops to each ear and apply cotton and lay down. This oil helps to soothe the passages that connect the ears with the nasal cavities. You can apply this oil when cold and allergy season is about to begin as a preventative measure or you can start applying as soon as you feel the slightest scratchy throat and of course continue throughout the duration of the cold. This method is very effective and works wonders with kids as well as keeping those nasty ear infections at bay. I personally had an experience with this and one of my daughters.

When my daughter was just 6 months old, she got her first ear infection. I took her to the doctor and of course he prescribed a week’s worth of antibiotics and painkillers. My little baby was not only in tremendous pain but due to the side effects of the antibiotics, she had very bad diarrhea accompanied by a lovely harsh case of diaper rash. Every couple months, to my dismay, she kept getting these nasty ear infections. After about 8 months of 4-5 ear infections, her pediatrician suggested that we cut the ear canal bones to make the space bigger and therefore (hopefully) ward off future infections. As a mother, this is one of the most frightening things a doctor can say...we have to cut open your child. As I left that pediatrician’s office, I kept thinking to myself, “there has to be something better, there has to be a more natural approach.” I was able to see an Ayurvedic doctor who prescribed this method along with a few other things as long term treatment. That day I took my daughter off the antibiotics completely and all other medicine. In less than 2 days, all her symptoms had completely disappeared, including the nasty diaper rash. I just kept adding the oil twice a day for her and that’s all I did. She is now 4 years old and has never had an ear infection since.

All these methods can be used by itself or together but one thing I can tell you for sure: You’ll feel so much better with the natural methods than popping those otc and prescribed drugs....without all the harmful side effects.

I truly hope I was able to offer some help for anyone suffering from the effects of allergy/cold season. If you have a natural method that you know of that can help please by all means share with me so it can reach others in their search for natural cures and treatments.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti...............................

I FINALLY HELPED MY DAUGHTER'S ECZEMA!!!

2012-06-04T18:56:00.002-07:00

Since my 2nd daughter was six months, I've been combatting her eczema with everything from steroid creams to goops of grease, slathering on faithfully 2 to 4 times a day. Needless to say to anyone who has eczema or has a child with this skin condition, getting the flare ups to calm down and the itchiness to subside is anything short of exasperating and highly frustrating. So many times I have felt so useless as I sat next to my little girl at 2 in the morning while she feverently scratches herself into a frenzy. I have been on a constant search for that holy grail that will cure my daughter's eczema or at least keep it at bay. Steroid creams and cortisone products became out of the question for me as I learned that they are really harmful for your body.

Eczema is a severe case of really dry, sensitive skin that can be triggered by all types of allergies (food, pollen, pet, etc), dyes, perfumes, chemicals, and the big one......STRESS. According to natural holistic medicine, this dry skin is a big indicator as to what is happening inside the body. The skin is another organ. So if it is dry or parched, then your insides are as well. Hydration is integral. Not only does the body need to hydrate by drinking lots and lots of water but we also need to hydrate or lubricate our insides as well. This may seem rather odd but a person that is prone to eczema more than likely has digestive organs that need attention. All disease and conditions start in our digestive areas. When our bowels are normal, our health is normal. When our bodies become constipated, gassy, or loose, pay very close attention to your health.....your body is trying to tell you something. So typically, eczema sufferers are also prone to constipation or dry stools.

As I mentioned before, I have tried so many home remedies and concoctions to help alleviate my daughter's condition. While some helped for a little while, some trigger would come along and we would be back to square one. Listened, I prayed, pleaded, and begged for a solution. Not only was my dear sweet daughter not able to rest at night but my sanity was starting to slip as well, from sheer exhaustion and utter frustration. Out of all the remedies I tried, Organic Coconut Oil worked the best has a bi- daily moisturizer. I didn't want anything that had any perfumes, dyes, or chemicals going near her skin. With the advice of my mother, I started giving her cod liver oil twice a day. Barlean's Organic Oils has a really great product for kids and it's really surprisingly yummy! I recalled that our organs needed lubricating so I added one teaspoon of coconut oil in my daughter's warm milk every morning and night. Even when she drank during the day, I slipped it in as well. Coconut oil is one, if not the best, oils for your body. It's uses and benefits are abound. I found on Amazon a few great deals on Coconut Oil, especially if you Subscribe & Save. You can cook with it, moisturize with it, cure skin infections, massage.....so many many more. So every chance I got to sneak it in, I did. Adding to this treatment, or rather dietary supplement, my daughter consumed triple the dose of chewable Vitamin C. You can't go wrong here, whatever the body doesn't need, it will eliminate, unlike other vitamins. Vitamin is key to the production of collagen which helps to strengthen the skin and make it firm. Vitamin C is also important for the skin to help repair itself.

So I had her on this regime for about a few months and the episodes of flare ups continued but the skin recovery time started to improve. We were still losing sleep from the episodic scratching. Then one day, I had a life changing conversation with my mother-in-law. I shared with her our frustrations. She simply and wisely said to add camphor to the coconut oil and let it sit in the sun (the longer the two mix, the better) and apply it her skin twice a day, once after showering and right before bedtime and apply as needed while she's asleep since her skin was drying out in the night. The last thing she casually mentioned was to apply pure organic yogurt to her skin in the shower. Nothing else. No soap, no oatmeal, nothing! Of course I took her advice, she IS my mom-in-law, but I really believe our elders have a treasure of wisdom to share.

GUESS WHAT???

It's been about 3 weeks and along with the fish oil, lots of water, coconut oil internally and externally, the yogurt baths are the key to this skin relieving recipe. I am so so so grateful for uncovering such a simple and EFFECTIVE method to relieving my daughter's eczema!