Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

Soft Touch Wellness Gives Away an XBOX & 2 Wii Systems!

2011-01-29T15:51:00.000-08:00

Wow! Our family doesn't even own one of these systems, but our practice gave away three great prizes to three great patients for refering new patients to Soft Touch in 2010. Congratulations to all the winners!

Marylu won the XBOX 360. Brian & Erin won a Wii System as well as Staci and her daughter Rowan.

Raw Vegan "Potato" Salad

2010-09-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've received several requests for the recipe for my raw "potato" salad. The recipe is not mine, as you will be able to see in the video. Click here to see it. The only thing I changed about the original recipe is that I add more avocado and I use Celtic sea salt instead of tamari or Nama Shoyu. It's all up to the individual what they like on their dish. So here it is:

Raw Potato Salad

For the Salad

1 jicama

1 yellow bell pepper

4-5 stalks of celery

1 avocado (I use 2-3)

1-2 tbsp. of fresh rosemary minced

1 red onion thinly sliced

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

For the dressing

¼ cup tahini

¼ c water

½ tsp. cumin

3 tbsp. lemon juice

4 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. tamari or Nama Shoyu

1 tsp. agave nectar

pinch of salt

pinch of chili powder

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss until the salad is covered with the dressing.

Optional: add organic sweet relish if you don’t mind the salad not being 100% raw.

Dragon Fruit and Mango Dessert

2010-08-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this recipe for dessert. Fast and easy to make. Looks exotic and tastes yummy.

1/2 dragon fruit diced
1 mango diced
1 tbs. mint minced
1 strawberry for garnish
1 mint sprig for garnish

Mix the dragon fruit, mango and diced mint. Garnish with strawberry and mint.

In retrospect, I would have drizzled some raw honey for added sweetness. It hits the spot on a hot day!

Introducing the Dragon Fruit

2010-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Fresh Cut Dragon Fruit

My husband introduced me to the wonderful dragon fruit today. Being completely unfamiliar with the fruit, I had to be taught how to open it and eat it. Click here for instructions.

This delicate fruit is a complete surprise - pink and green on the outside, white and black on the inside. Its consistency is that of a soft pear and it tastes like nothing I've ever tasted before.

Pick one up at you local grocery store or you can get one online. Enjoy!

Raw Food Resources

2010-08-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've received many questions about where I get my recipes for raw food meals. I always say, stick to simple recipes that you can find on youtube so that it isn't overwhelming, but often times, this answer is not enough. So to satisfy the curiosity, here are the books I use.

This book by Juliano is for those who have been tinkering with raw recipes and are ready to start sprouting and dehydrating. There is a sprouting time guide and he also gives advice on what equipment to have in your kitchen.

This volume is more than a recipe book, it is a lifestyle guide. The book gets very personal with the authors sharing stories from their own lives' journeys into the raw food worls. Both of them are trained chefs in the cooked food world and transfered their skills to raw. It is entertaining to read and the recipes are works of art. I use their recipes when I am in the mood for a fancy new dish or trying new ingredients.

Now there are many other raw food recipe books that I haven't tested out yet, but I will recommend because they come with high marks or I have seen the author's work in another venue like another book, video or the internet. Here they are:

Resources for Preparing Raw Food

2010-07-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

I just taught a class on how to prepare delicious raw food dishes. I was asked a lot of questions about where to buy some of the tools we used to slice, chop and process the food we made. So here are direct links to the tools we used.

1. The World Cuisine vegetable slicer. It is an amazing little tool that makes spaghetti-like noodles out of veggies like zucchini and beets. It is easy to clean and easy to use.

2. The food processor is an essential for anyone making meals from live food. I think Kitchen Aid has discontinued the model I have, but this one is comparable.

3. The garlic mincer I use for garlic, ginger, fresh rosemary and anything else that can fit inthere that needs mincing. It is fun to use and easy to clean!

OK, there you are; those are the secret weapons to start you on a great adventure with RAW, LIVING FOODS. Enjoy and let me know how you are using the tools.

Time flies when you are having fun!

2010-04-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Our family has indeed been having fun testing out new raw food recipes and learning a great deal about non-toxic living. We also just finished teaching another detox seminar which was our best one yet. We are very excited and humbled by the level of positive support from our patients and friends. But the seminars are not about us, it's about those who are looking for ways to heal their bodies from chronic diseases and the ravaging effects of prescription medication, not to mention the crappy food that we tend to put into our bodies disguised in phony labels such as: all natural, sugar free, organic, etc. Not that the labels are bad, its the deception that we are oppposed to. Anyhow, this time around, we received more interesting questions from the seminar participants. Here are the answers.

Q: Can eating too much fruit make your body/blood acidic?
A: No, unless you are eating crates of citrus fruit with no balance in your daily eating. The foods that make you most alkaline are dark green, leafy vegetables.

Q: Is the Ph level in the saliva, blood and urine the same?
A: No, they are not the same (good question) For the benefit of those of you who were not at the seminar, let me explain. During the seminar we passed out a piece of Ph testing paper to each person and they put it on their tongue to test the Ph level of their body. Ideally, this Ph test would be done with urine which is much more indicative of body Ph, but during the seminar it's just more convenient to have everyone test their saliva, as you can imagine.

Q: What is the best toothpaste to use?
A: Anything without sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Can't say exactly which one is the best, but here is link to a list of SLS-free toothpastes. We especially like anything that is flouride-free as well. We just bought Weleda Plant Gel Toothpaste http://www.dentist.net/sls-free-toothpaste.asp

Q: What is bromine used for in food?
A: It is used as a dough conditioner and also used in some citrus flavored soda.

Stay tuned over the next few days we'll be answering more questions. If you have follow up questions or comments, please post them or email them to ruth_shama@yahoo.com and I will make sure to post the requested information.

In the meantime, we want to remind you of a few events happening at the wellness center:

FREE Movie Screening of Food Matters

Saturday, May 22 Doors open 2:30pm Showtime 3:00pm

At our office - 19474 Rinaldi St. Northridge CA 91326

RSVP Here: http://foodmatters.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/13953-northridge

RAW Detox Seminar

Saturday, July 17

9:30am-1:00pm

$40.00 registration before May 22

$45 registration after May 22

We're not even close to finishing!

2010-02-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

There were so many great questions submitted during the seminar that we've taken the time to do a little research in order to answer all of them. Here we go...

Q: Acai pills? Beneficial
A: Yes, and we recommend that you add them to a nutrition plan that includes mostly fruits and vegetables.

Q: Foot detox ....body detox?
A: During the seminar, we showed everyone how to use an ion detox spa, where one soaks the feet for 30 minutes and toxins are pulled from the body via the feet. The manufacturer of the spa recommends that a person use the spa once a week. There are different spas for sale out there so if you decide to buy an ion spa, make sure you follow the manufacturer's recommended use.

We also showed a line of body products that are used for weekly detox through the skin. The line is made with ingredients from the sea. They are made by Arbonne International. This line is intended to detox the body while giving the user a spa experience at home. The set includes bath soak, body wash, body and face mask, detox oil, hair mask, a body scrub, remineralizing lotion and body gel. All of the products are botanically based and contain no toxic chemicals of any kind.

Q: Meat, can you blend?
A: Hmmmmm? yes, if you really wanted to but I don't recommend it. I want to be clear about the fact that during the three week detox a person eliminates meat from their diet completely, so it would not be a part of their blended meals.

Q: Is a blended meal only fruit/veggies?
A: Yes

Q: Carbs? What kind?
A: During the detox you can relax and enjoy your meals without counting carbs, calories, figuring out what kind of carbs to eat and not to eat. If you follow the three week detox as outlined in your handout, you will get all the nutrition you need and you will be eliminting harmful toxins out of your body.

Q: Proteins? What kind?
A: Great question. There are many ways to get protein in your diet during the detox. Here's a list.

PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas
PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Quinoa, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice
VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini
PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon
PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)

One excellent ingredient to look for is hemp seed protein. Hemp seed is a nutritious dietary source of easily digestible gluten-free protein. It provides a well-balanced array of all the amino acids, including 34.6 grams of protein for each 100 grams. The fatty acid profile of the hemp seed is extremely beneficial, containing omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a virtually ideal ratio. Other beneficial aspects of hemp seed include a strongly favorable unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio; a high content of antioxidants; and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Q: Fruits to stay away from?
A: None that I can think of except if you know you are allergic to a specific fruit. If you are diabetic, you may want to check with Dr. Masoud to talk about fruits that are high in sugar content and how to manage that.

Video of Detox Seminar

2010-02-15T15:36:00.000-08:00

It is taking me a lot longer than I expected to answer all the questions that came up at the seminar! So in the meantime, I am posting video of the seminar so you can review the information and well....ask more questions if you need to.

What does one eat and do during a three week detox?

2010-02-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

During our seminar we gave out very detailed instructions on how to do a three week detox using only nutritious food. Here are some questions that arised from that discussion.

Q: Uncooked dinner/lunch?
A: Yes, during the last two weeks of the detox you will have all raw meals; that means you want to get creative with fruits and veggies. In the handout you have recipes for a morning smoothie and also for an energy soup which is a vegetable smoothie. The solid uncooked meal can be anything from a salad (but no boring iceberg please, make it interesting for yourself) to a prepared raw meal (you can get these at Wholefoods) or you may want to experiment with some recipes for a raw meal. Here is a video on how to make raw pasta marinara. It is super easy and fast to prepare.

Q: Exercise/water?
A: During the three weeks of the detox, the body will be working to push toxins out so it is normal for a person to feel a bit more tired than normal, however we highly recommend 15-30 minutes of gentle exercise (yoga, walking, Qi gong) but no strenuous excercise. Drink 2-3 liters of water a day.

Q: Intense work schedule?
A: If your job is highly demanding and your work schedule is intense, you may consider 1) is this job really worth your health? 2) how can you make your schedule less intense so that you have time to take care of your body? The beauty of the three week detox is that, for the last two weeks, you can blend your meals in the morning, put them in glass bottles and take them with you; there is no cooking, no preparing, no dishes to wash!! Remeber that you can drink as many smoothies and as much soup as necessary to keep you satisfied. No calorie counting, no carb counting, just enjoy your meals.

Q: What to do for caffeine/energy?
A: The whole point of doing the detox is to kick the caffeine addiction. You will feel much more energetic after you finish the detox, if you have followed the steps appropriately. The body is not designed to get energy from caffeine or another substance, it is designed to get its energy from the food that we eat. It is unfortunate that the foods available to us are so poor in real nutrients and so high in addictive substances. Substitute a cup of coffee with a tall glass of energy soup! If you really miss the taste and warmth of coffee, I sugegs you try Celestial Seasonings Roastaroma tea. It smells like chocolate at first and if you let it brew a few minutes, it will resemble a cup of coffee. This saved me personally from my own addiction to caffeine.

Q: Coffee substitute?
A. Roastaroma, like I mentioned. There is also a tea called Yerba Mate. It is less like coffee but it does have a bit of resemblance.

Q: Smoothie = how many oz.? Ice?
A: Drink as much as it takes to satisfy you. We don't recommend ice because it is best to keep the internal body temperature balanced, although if you are using frozen fruit in your smoothie you are getting a bit of a chill already.

Q: What is a blended meal?
A: A blended meal is a smoothie or a soup of blended vegetables. Yes, you will need a powerful blender because carrots, beets and turnips don't blend so easy, but we managed to find a really good industrial type blender at Target for $60.00. There are some pretty expensive machines out there, but for anyone doing the detox or just beginning to prepare raw food, we found the inexpensive blender works just fine.

Acidic vs. Alkaline

2010-02-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

Q: What do you mean by acidic environment? What do you mean by alkaline environment?
A: The environment is our body and the pH in the body can be either acidic or alkaline. Our bodies function best when it is more alkaline; so we want to favor foods that the will keep the pH of the body more alkaline than acidic.

Q: Can certain foods help to make blood less acid and make hemoglobin flow freely?
A: Yes! Thank goodness! During our seminar you saw a video of red blood cells in a very acidic environment. The cells were stuck together like rolls of coins (not a good thing at all). The blood of the subject becomes more alkaline over time and the cells begin to flow freely. The subject was on a daily dose or goji berries. Other foods that help the body stay alkaline are green leafy vegetables, preferably fresh rather than cooked. The superfoods listed on the handout you received at the seminar are also very good to keep you alkaline. To prevent acidity stay away from meat and dairy.

Q: What do you mean by oxidation?
A: Oxidation is when the body produces free radicals due to the escape of an extra electron in a cell. The electron that escaped is called a free radical. When the free radical attaches itself to a cell, it oxidizes it, thus damaging it. Oxidation is similar to burning. The escape is caused by a chemical reaction in the body. This happens all the time. Our bodies naturally have antioxidants that combat free radicals, but when our bodies are more acidic the number of antioxidants decreases so the ratio of antioxidants to free raticals is in the favor of free radicals. This is why it is important to stay alkaline and eat foods rich in antioxidants.

Q: What is the best brand of bottled water; should we pay attention to the pH of the water.
A: If you are traveling and have no other choice but bottled water, we recommend that you choose water that comes in a glass bottle. If you can find glacier water in a glass bottle, it's even better. At home we recommend you boil water, let it cool and then filter it. Yes, the pH of the water is important. You want to choose water that is more alkaline. Unfortunately, much of the bottled water available tends to be acidic.

Great Questions on Nutrition

2010-02-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Q: Other than salmon, what is the best way to get omega 3 fats for our body?
A: Flax is a great way to get omega 3. The oil is easy to use as a salad dressing. The seeds can be put into your cereal. If you have a dehydrator here's a quick and easy recipe for crackers. Some of you had these at the seminar:

Soak flax seeds for 8 hours minimum
The seeds will produce a bit of oil and they will be pasty after soaking
Add braggs aminos and fresh lemon juice to taste
Place the mixture on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 105 degrees overnight.

This is a super easy recipe for a delicious snack.

Q: Are artificial sweetners such as aspartame worse or better than sugar?
A. Worse. Our bodies are not meant to digest chemicals such as aspartame which is in artificial sweeteners and diet soda. The word "artificial" gives the indication that nature did not intend for us to ingest it. In the case of aspartame, its original use was for chemical warfare. Some far superior alternatives to sugar are stevia, xylitol and agave nectar; these are all considered superfoods.

Q: Doesn't lack of iodine cause goiters? So if we shouldn't eat iodized salt then is there a brand of iodized salt, that is good for us? (w/o the chemicals)
A: You are correct, iodine is essential for our health. In the case of table salt, the problem is what is not in it as much as what is in it. What is not in it are the vital minerals that are taken from it; what it does have is chlorine, sometimes sugar and other toxins. Celtic sea salt is rich in minerals, it contains some iodine, but not significant amounts. If you have a personal concern about getting enough iodine in your diet, you can supplement with liquid iodine or eat seaweed (e.g. kelp) or fish once a week. We personally like to have raw kelp noodles with a pesto sauce once a week. You can learn more specifics on iodine here: http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/articles/Minerals/iodine.htm

Q: Is sprouted bread good for you?
A: If you absolutely must have bread, sprouted flourless bread is much better than regular wheat bread. The reason why sprouted bread is better is because the sprouted grains and legumes used for the bread contain more minerals and vitamins as they become alive in the sprouting process. Many sprouted breads are made from organically grown grains which is really the best. For the purposes of the detox, we recommend that all breads are eliminted; we personally chose to permanently eliminate all breads out of our diet because all the nutrition we get comes from the fruits, vegetables and superfoods we consume. We sometimes make raw bread which takes care of our need for a heftier meal.

Q: Are steel cut oats good for you?
A: Yes, they are better for you than instant oats or boxed cereal. Instant oats have their nutrition stripped from them in the processing and flavored instant aotmeal contains lots of sugar and sodium. Steel cut outs take a little longer to cook, but they are better nutritiously. They are also very versatile, you can have them with just about any kind of fruit, agave nectar or xylitol for a sweet flavoring, nuts, dates or raisins.

Q: Why no dairy? If so, what kind?
A: For the purposes of the detox, it is essential that all animal products be eliminated from a diet. We personally have not found any dairy products that are essential for daily nutrition. Much of the dairy products available come from animals that have been treated with hormones and antibiotics which in turn end up in the products people consume; those are toxins that the body sometimes holds onto for months or years. This can lead to serious health problems.

Q: How effective are liquid iron supplements?
A: Very effective.

More on gastrointestinal matters, etc.

2010-01-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

One of the most important subjects during our seminar was the cleansing of the bowels. Here are some questions on the subject.

Q: What is GI?
A: Gastrointestinal

Q: You mentioned that the intestines, when not cleaned, our body cannot absorb nutrients; don't we get our nutrients through the blood?
A: Yes, and the way nutrients get into the blood is through the intestinal walls. So if your intestinal walls are lined with old undigested food and toxins (and the average person carries between 5-22 lbs. of undigested matter) then the body has a harder time absorbing nutrients into the blood stream for them to be carried throughout the body.

Q: How often should we do an enema?
A: This depends on your current health condition, age, and other factors. We recommend that each person speak with Dr. Masoud to get a recommendation on how often it can be done. During the seminar we recommended that the 3-week detox and the enemas be done with the chage of every season.

Q: How often do you do a nostril enema?
A: The syringe we introduced at the seminar is called a nasal irrigator. For those who suffer from allergies or other sinus problems, the manufacturer recommends daily use. The syringe we brought to the seminar was the Nasaline Nasal Irrigator. We found ours at Wholefoods.

Q: How is the saline syringe different than using a neti pot?
A: The results of using the syringe and the neti pot may be the same. The difference between the two is that the syringe uses the force of the syringe itself to force the water into and out of the nostrils; the neti pot uses the force of gravity.

Just as a reminder to all of you who attended the seminar, Soft Touch is hosting a screening of the movie:

Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

Saturday, February 13 at 3:00pm

19474 Rinaldi St. Northridge 91326

Click or copy and paste the following link to RSVP to the screening. Seating is limited so please reserve your seat today. http://simplyraw.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/13609

Hope to see you there!

What is NLP?

2010-01-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

During our last seminar, I briefly talked about NLP and my Life Coaching practice. Here are some questions that were raised about the subject:

Q: You mentioned NLP, what does that stand for?
A: Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Q: What is NLP?
A: This is always a fun question to answer. As an NLP practitioner it is challenging to put into one simple sentence the definition of NLP. Below is a definition that is lengthy, but very descriptive. NLP is the process I use in my Life Coaching practice to guide a client to personal successes. NLP can be used to learn to communicate effectively, enhance personal or business relationships, effectively resolve inner and outer conflict, overcome obstacles, and deal with stress, overcome phobias, fears; overcome food addictions and many other personal challenges. Because there are many branches of NLP, it is important to note that not all NLP practitioners use all the same processes, but their practices are based on the same bases upon which NLP was founded.

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that encompasses the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming. The neurological system regulates how our bodies function, language determines how we interface and communicate with other people and our programming determines the kinds of models of the world we create. Neuro-Linguistic Programming describes the fundamental dynamics between mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay effects our body and behavior (programming).

NLP is a pragmatic school of thought - an 'epistemology' - that addresses the many levels involved in being human. NLP is a multi-dimensional process that involves the development of behavioral competence and flexibility, but also involves strategic thinking and an understanding of the mental and cognitive processes behind behavior. NLP provides tools and skills for the development of states of individual excellence, but it also establishes a system of empowering beliefs and presuppositions about what human beings are, what communication is and what the process of change is all about. At another level, NLP is about self-discovery, exploring identity and mission. It also provides a framework for understanding and relating to the 'spiritual' part of human experience that reaches beyond us as individuals to our family, community and global systems. NLP is not only about competence and excellence; it is about wisdom and vision.

See this page for more details on NLP: http://www.nlpu.com/whatnlp.htm

Q: Explain more why people hold on to food they know is bad for them.
A: There could be a number of reasons why people hold on to food they know is bad for them. One reason may be that they have substituted an emotional connection with the food they are addicted to, so they use a particular food to meet an emotional or relational need. Another reason why people hold on to toxic food or toxic habits is because they have not felt enough pain to give it up, whether it is emotional or physical pain. Whenever a person feels enough pain to run away from what is causing the pain, they simply do it. If they are convinced that they no longer want to live in pain, they just quit eating or doing what is causing the pain. One last reason is because they are chemically addicted to the food itself so it is like a drug. The body chemically "asks" for the food. The more the body receives satisfaction from the addicting food, the more the brain associates pleasure with that food and the body will continue to crave it and ask for it. Sugar is a classic example of an addictive food that causes a tremendous amount of pleasure and so it is tougher to give up. Salt (which also has sugar in it, in the form of dextrose) is pleasurable to the palate so there is no pain associated with it. Cheese is also a highly addictive food, due to the casomorphine in it, which is a morphine-like substance which causes a "high" in the body. Rice and pasta, because of their high sugar content, are highly addictive. We recommend two things to overcome food addictions: 1) Begin detoxifying the body with raw fruits and vegetables and 2) See an NLP practitioner to emotionally detach from any toxic foods or habits.

We will talk more extensively about raw foods at our next seminar.

Raw Detox Seminar

Presented by Soft Touch Chiropractic and Acupuncture

April 3, 2010

9:30am - 12:30pm

19474 Rinaldi St. Northridge, CA 91326

http://www.stchiro.com/

More on ORAC

2010-01-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

Q: What is ORAC?
A: ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.

Q: What foods have the most ORAC?
A: Superfoods score the highest is the ORAC measurement. Foods like goji berries and deep seas minerals have a very high ORAC measurement.

Q: What apple has the most ORAC?
A: The apple, although a great food, is not in the highest ranked foods by ORAC measurement. However, we have seen comparisons that show that the Red Delicious scores higher than a Granny Smith or a Gala. There are so many types of apples, we encourage you to do more research and share your finding, maybe there is a higher scoring apple than the Red Delicious out there.

Answers to Your Questions

2010-01-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

We received some great questions during our last seminar. Here are just a few answers to start. There were so many that we will be answering over the next several days. The questions are not in any particular order, but we have categorized them by subject. We have also kept the questions in their original form as they were written and have not changed them.

Q: What is Qi gong?
A: See the entry on this blog dated Friday, August 28, 2009, for a detailed description.

Q: How often should the Qi gong exercises be done in order to be beneficial?
A: We suggest the exercises be done daily.

Q: How often do you do the foot detox?
A: This depends on the type of machine you use. The particular machine used during the seminar comes with instructions to use no more than once a week.

Q: How long do you do the foot detox?
A. The duration of one detox session is 30 minutes. For how long you regularly detox with the foot bath machine depends on the machine and your health. Once a week for a few months at a time is safe. If you buy a machine for your personal use, follow the instructions and recommendations included with the equipment.

Q: On the screenings you mentioned, please explain more about the screenings?
A: The free screenings will be the showing of a movie in its entirety at our office. We showed trailers for four movies at the seminar: Raw for 30 Days; Big Bucks, Big Pharma; Food Inc. and Food Matters.

Q: Are screenings more in depth then what was shown at the seminar?
A: Yes. See above. If you are interested in attending a screening please post a comment.

Have a great week everyone!

Detoxing In the New Year

2010-01-18T19:26:00.001-08:00

Although detoxing isn't at the top of most people's resolutions lists, our family is doing its best to help others learn how important it is to detox as well as practical ways to detox. My husband and I taught yet another successful seminar this past Saturday. The turn out was fantastic, the participants were curious and we all learned and shared new information.

We are using this blog to answer questions that came up during the seminar. Because we had so many great questions, it will take us a few entry blogs to answer them all in a satisfactory manner.

You are welcome to read through past entries on this blog. There is a great deal of helpful information from a past seminar here already. We encourage you to share this blog with anyone you wish. Lastly you are invited to come back and bring your friends and family members to our next seminar on Saturday, April 3. Some of the information will be the same and some may be different so please join us.

If you register to follow this blog, you will automatically receive notification of updates (click on the "follow" link on the right. If you have follow up questions or comments, please click on the comment link below this entry to post.

We wish you a healthy and prosperous 2010. To your health.

Answers to Your Questions

2009-10-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

Patients and friends of Soft Touch Chiropractic and Acupuncture gathered to learn about anti-aging strategies through chiropractic, acupuncture and NLP. We had a great time practicing Qigong together, talking about wellness and learning how to change our posture for better health. Please feel free to comment and ask follow up questions right here on this blog. TO POST A COMMENT OR QUESTION, look to the bottom of this post and click on the word Comment.

Thank you all for making this a great seminar and we hope to see you again in January at the detox seminar

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. Where can we get the Qigong DVD showed at the seminar?

A: We purchased our copy through amazon.com. The name of the program is Ken Cohen Qigong Training Course. This course includes 8 CDs and two workbooks. If you are interested in something less costly and easier to get a hold of, we suggest you look on youtube.com. We found an excellent video, although it is lengthy. You can find it by searching for Discovering Qigong on youtube. The video is posted by the National Qigong Association.

2. Does a man's hormones react differently than a woman's hormones under stress?

A: Yes. Women seem to be more sensitive to cortisol (the stress hormone) after the end of their menstrual cycle, due to the fluctuation of progesterone and estrogen.

3. My legs hurt if I stand for short periods. I feel I have to move constantly or else it's uncomfortable. Why?

A: It is possible that you have an obstruction in the nerve root of your low back L3, L4, L5 and S1. The cause of obstruction could be loss of disc height or a bulging disc. The cause can be determined by an MRI.

4. Where can I learn more about Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP)?

A: You are welcome to book and appointment with Ruth for an introductory NLP session. You can learn more on line on this page www.nlpu.com/whatnlp.htm. We found the explanation to be short enough to not bore anyone with details, but long enough so that it gives good background info on NLP.

5. How can you coordinate your body systems? Is there a book you can recommend?

A: The best way to coordinate the body's systems is through the nervous system. Our body goes through micro or macro traumas each day, whether through habits or injuries. Those traumas could interfere with the nervous system. These interferences show up in our joints, muscles and bones; bones can become misaligned, muscles can spasm or lose tone, joints can swell up or become unstable. All these interferences, separately or together, can create obstruction to the nervous system. By removing these obstructions, we can ensure that the nervous system functions at its maximum potential. There are other obstructions or interferences, like chemical interferences, caused by ingestion of drugs, food contamination (i.e. pesticides, insecticides) or through chemicals in beverages like aspartame, also through the overload of sugar, or lastly through enzyme or vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamins B. Last but not least, emotional interferences can also cause obstruction in the nervous system. Stress, for example, can translate into hormone interferences through the release of cortisol. Stress can also cause loss of muscle tone and posture thus creating a physical interference. Chiropractic can help remove musculoskeletal interferences. Improving your nutrition can begin to remove the chemical interferences. NLP can help you to help yourself with eliminating emotional interferences.

We recommend the following books to learn more about coordinating the body's systems: Chiropractic First (you can pick up a copy of this book in our office), Natural Healing by Jack Soltanoff, DC.

6. I seem to contract with the touch, will chiropractic still help me?

A: Yes, chiropractic will help you. If you contract with touch, you have a special need for chiropractic and can benefit greatly from regular joint mobilization and also from non-force chiropractic techniques. Non-force techniques are designed for people who are emotionally reluctant to manual adjustments, for people with osteoporosis or those who are sensitive to touch.

7. During the seminar Ruth shared about how her mom changed her eating habits and was able to reverse arthritis and is now living pain-free. The question is, how did she change her diet? or better yet, what did she change her diet to?

A: My mom followed a modified detox plan outlined in the book There is a Cure for Arthritis by Dr. Paavo Airola, available through amazon. I outlined some of the details in earlier entries in this blog. See parts 1-3 of Food Can and Does Heal. This is a subject we will briefly touch on in our January seminar.

We look forward to more questions and comments from you. See below for details about our next seminar.

DETOX STRATEGIES SEMINAR

JANUARY 16, 2010

10:00AM

Soft Touch Chiropractic and Acupuncture

19474 Rinaldi St.

Northridge, CA

Qigong, what is that?

2009-08-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a couple of months since my last entry. It's not that I don't have anything to share, it's just that there is so much going on, that I hadn't made the time to share it. I am in the midst of a couple of big projects at the practice, the kids went back to music and ballet classes and with that come the birthday parties, the play dates, etc. AND I've been exploring Qigong. Here is an excerpt from our practice's newsletter about this very interesting subject.

Qigong, pronounced chee gung, is a Chinese meditative practice that uses slow movements to cleanse, gather and circulate the energy in the body.

Qi means life energy and breath. Gong means work or skill. Qigong is thus breath work or energy work. It is used or healing purposes, to improve sports performance and for spiritual purposes.

We have found various sources that report the existence of six thousand to ten thousand types of Qigong. We have been exploring the Personal Healing practice for self healing and restoration. There are two types of healing practices, Personal Healing and External Qi Healing. External Qigong is a type of therapeutic touch in which the healer assesses the patient's qi and then projects healing energy through his or her hands to restore the patient's qi balance.

Qigong has been scientifically tested and experimental evidence demonstrates that it can be effective in treating many ailments in conjunction with other healing practices. We like the way Ken Cohen describes the dynamics of Qigong in his book, The Essential Qigong Training Guide:

"Qigong is based on the premise that the human body is an energy system. As long as it has energy or qi, it is alive; when energy is gone, it is dead. This makes good scientific sense. A living cell has an electric charge; differences in electric potential allow nutrients to flow in and out of the cell and messages to pass through the nervous system. Like a computer, the electrical signaling system can become corrupted through 'incompatible programs' - pollution, poor diet, stress."

My personal experience with Qigong has been most successful in the last two months, since I committed to practicing daily. I had a few false starts with the practice earlier this year and I hadn't seen any results; this time, I chose to be more engaged and present while practicing and it made all the difference (versus doing the movements while my mind raced through my to do list!)

The day I started, I definitely felt the cleansing effects. At the beginning I felt a bit of tingling in my fingers and arms. After doing movements for a half hour, my nose started to run a bit, I had to race to the bathroom and my head was very clear. If you've done any type of detox, you know these are symptoms of the body detoxifying. I felt great immediately after finishing my practice! My 30 minute routine consists of cleansing the qi, circulating the qi and then doing movements paired with sounds to remove old stagnant qi from specific organs.

I could not load up the youtube video that shows a 45 minute Qigong session. If you are interested, look up Discovering Qigong on youtube.com and choose the video produced by the National Qigong Association. Be aware that the first four minutes consist of various warnings and disclaimers. If you are seeking to practice at home or are interested in the External Healing practice, Ken Cohen's training set is a good one.

Mother-Daughter Relationships and Wellness

2009-06-20T14:05:00.001-07:00

It took me three years, but I finally finished reading Mother-Daughter Wisdom by Dr. Christianne Northrup. It felt like a monumental achievement. The 700 page book is filled with great advise on mother-daughter relationships (mostly for the mother on nurturing her relationship with a daughter). The premise is that our relationships with our mothers deeply affect our health.

"So what does my relationship with my mother have to do with health?" was my first question after starting the book three years ago. The short answer is, just about everything! Dr. Northrup's advise, backed by personal experiences, documented studies and data, range from why it is a great practice to look at your baby girl in the eyes and talk to her as you hold her during her infant years all the way to how a daughter's health is impacted by a mother's emotional letting go of (or holding on to) her daughter in their adult years. By the way, Northrup explains that if you consistently talk to your infant daughter while looking into her eyes, her brain grows faster, meaning she makes more brain connections, thus making her smarter. This is quite the simplistic layman's way of explaining it. Dr. Northrup does a much better job of elegantly explaining what exactly happens in the brain. And the letting go issue, Dr. Northrup makes a clear connection between weight/obesity issues and daughters whose mothers will not go of them emotionally. Very interesting.

It takes a little to get used to the medical jargon used throughout the book, but anyone who took physio in high school, will find this book interesting and practical. The book moves through each "stage" in a daughters life, seven years at a time.

For those who are interested in wellness and do their homework, it's almost common knowledge that the health of our relationships deeply impacts our physical health, thus the mind body connection. I have personally found that my relationship with my mother, specifically, deeply impacts my wellness and it has done so in the past without me being conscious of it. In my adult life I have had times when my mother has been physically far away from me and also times when she has been physically close. At this time she is close by, thankfully. We have found a great balance in our relationship as adults. We have figured out ways to communicate as women, instead of just mother-daughter. I realize not everyone is so blessed and sometimes distancing from a maternal relationship seems to be the best option for someone whose relationship with their mom is highly toxic and irreparable. It saddens me to hear of such relationships, but it is reality.

If you have a daughter of any age, it is worth reading this book; even if your daughter is in her adult years, you can just skip to the relevant chapters. As a mother, this book changed my paradigm on letting go of children as they grow, the power of womanhood through menstruation as well as child birth and lastly, the incredible impact I will have on my daughter's health. I've learned how important it is that I mindfully train her and teach her. As a daughter I have become much more understanding of my mom and less critical of her parenting. I am much more grateful for my upbringing. Maybe that just comes from being a mother, but it sure has eased my heart into a place of compassion and conscious decision-making in relationships. I sleep better at night knowing I've done my best as a mother and a daughter. So goes my wellness.

Food Can and Does Heal - Part 3

2009-05-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention one great benefit about following the Cure for Arthritis nutrition plan (see the last two previous posts for the plan), WEIGHT LOSS!!! My mom lost more than 50 lbs. and I lost about 10 lbs. We both kept all the weight off for about five years. My mom gained about 10 lbs. back after the fifth year and I gained all 10 lbs. back after my two pregnancies. It is refreshing to be reminded of the great success we had back then because I am beginning to show signs of arthritis on the joints of my index fingers and I'll be following my mom's footsteps. I just learned that the signs of arthritis tend to show up when people are in their mid 30's. So I have made a commitment to stop eating meat. I am having a hard time cutting out the caffeine because I love tea, but that will be step two.

Here's a link to a list of foods and their healing benefits. If you are dealing with illness, and want to start using food to heal, I encourage you to get the help of a trusted naturopath physician.
http://www.tqnyc.org/2006/NYC063364/beneficial.htm
Here's to our health!!!
On a different note, my attempt to get to bed by 10pm every night was a great success....for about a week. LOL, then our family moved and I was back to hitting the sack at midnight. Over the years I've learned to accept falling off the waggon as part of life and I don't beat myself up; now getting back on the waggon is not such a dread. I am back on track with sleeping 10-6.

Food Can and Does Heal - Part 2

2009-05-06T10:39:00.001-07:00

Here are the specifics of what mom and I did to help her heal the arthritis. It was really just a formula of subtracting the inflammatory foods and adding foods and supplements that would help her heal. As I mentioned, we subtracted: caffeine, refined flour, refined sugars, dairy and all meats. We added the following supplements daily: MSM crystals (not pills), glucosamine sulfate, and alfalfa pills (to absorb the toxicity in the joints.) We followed the meal plans from the book (There Is A Cure for Arthritis) pretty closely. We used only fresh ingredients, nothing canned. She followed this nutrition plan for a year, including the monthly three-day fasts. I followed the plan with her for three months. My mom began feeling significant relief from pain and stiffness after three months. I started feeling much more energetic and lighter in my abdominal area. The plan is very straight forward. The tough part, for us, was leaving the substances we were, quite literally, addicted to. It was hard to leave coffee. Both of us had been drinking it for decades. We are both fans of chocolate and all types of sweets, pastries and the like, so around the holidays, it became very tough say no, but we relied a lot on each other and on PRAYER for encouragement and for those needed reminders that the immediate satisfaction was not worth our long term goal of beating the arthritis. If someone had told me ten years earlier that healing arthritis was possible to do without drugs, I would have been very skeptical; but today I am a firm believer in using food as a first resort to healing. I do have to add that during this year, my mom did not do any additional exercise that what she was accustomed to, which was light walking.

During that year, mom had found a job as a teacher's assistant at a kindergarten. One day she came home ecstatic about being able to use scissors 10 consecutive minutes WITHOUT PAIN! Before our healing journey, she couldn't even hold a pair of scissors. It felt like a miracle to her.

After a year, my mom gradually added back very little turkey, chicken and fish to her diet, but to this day she does not eat beef or pork. She only eats sweets on very special occasions and she eats loads of fresh fruits and veggies. Thank you Dr. Airola and thank God for fresh, nutritious food.

Food Can and Does Heal - Part 1

2009-05-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

One major stepping stone in my search for wellness was my search for a way to help my mom manage her rheumatoid arthritis. I've gotten her permission to share this inspiring story. When my mother moved in with me, she didn't have the strength in her hands and arms to pick up a cushion off the couch, plus she was stiff and in pain all the time. She had been living this way for about 15 years. It was emotionally painful to watch her move about with such discomfort. I was determined to find a way to help her heal. Thanks to a previous roommate of mine who also battled a serious case of arthritis and won, I found the help my mother needed. We read and implemented a modified version of the recommended nutrition and detox plan in a book called There Is a Cure for Arthritis by Paavo Airola. The program outlined in the book is very aggressive and radical. My mom felt she could not do a 40-day fast, which is what the book called for, so instead she decided to fast once a month for three days at a time. But before she got up to this point of detoxing, she cut out all of the following from her diet: caffeine, refined sugars, refined flours, meat of all types (even fish), and dairy. All of those items are highly inflammatory and aggravate arthritis. I decided to join her in her new way of eating, which was one of the toughest changes I have ever made in my eating habits. We were left with the choice of fruits, vegetables, grains (but no bread) and nuts. We worked together to prepare the broth that she was to have during her fasting days. We held onto each other while walking through the mall craving sweets and coffee. It bonded us as mother and daughter and it made each of us stronger as individuals. At the time, I was mad. I was mad that my mother had been told that she would live with this condition for the rest of her life and there was nothing she could do about it. I was mad that she was poisoning her body with pain killers that would only result in more painful side effects. It drove me to search for answers and a real cure for her condition.

What is wellness anyway?

2009-05-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

I started pursuing "wellness" in the late 1990s, thanks to a friend who cared enough to introduce me to various simple ways to detox and clean up my nutrition; and also thanks to an ayurvedic doctor who shared with me as much information on health and ayurveda as I could process. Since then, I have been on just about every point of the health spectrum; swinging the pendulum from being a fast food junkie (even though I knew what I was doing to myself) to being on a strict raw vegan diet for almost three months. Now that I have learned much more about wellness through my chiropractor hubby, my definition of wellness has crystalized as follows: I continue to improve areas of my life that are well by using techniques that have proven effective for me, while I nurture and help heal the areas that are in pain or suffering. In other words, I don't sit idle until I am in pain, I proactively listen to my body, my thoughts and my spirit to prevent disease or pain. The reality....easier said than done! But I believe that my philosophy has worked for my relationships (keeping them honest and healthy) and it allowed me two peaceful, beautiful births.
I believe that everyone defines wellness for themselves even if they have not consciously put it down on paper (or a blog). Sometimes wellness does not include health, it may just mean contentment and acceptance of situations we cannot change. Being conscious of what wellness means is the first part of finding it; taking deliberate steps to achieve wellness is part 2.

So here is my one deliberate step. Go to bed by 10pm and be up by 6am. Let's see how it goes.

Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

Soft Touch Wellness Gives Away an XBOX & 2 Wii Systems!

Raw Vegan "Potato" Salad

Dragon Fruit and Mango Dessert

Introducing the Dragon Fruit

Raw Food Resources

Resources for Preparing Raw Food

Time flies when you are having fun!

We're not even close to finishing!

Video of Detox Seminar

What does one eat and do during a three week detox?

Other interesting questions

Acidic vs. Alkaline

Great Questions on Nutrition

More on gastrointestinal matters, etc.

What is NLP?

More on ORAC

Answers to Your Questions

Detoxing In the New Year

Answers to Your Questions

Qigong, what is that?

Mother-Daughter Relationships and Wellness

Food Can and Does Heal - Part 3

Food Can and Does Heal - Part 2

Food Can and Does Heal - Part 1

What is wellness anyway?