Roots of Healthy Living

Allergies have hit big at our house this week.

My son was telling me yesterday that our town had the highest pollen count in the world yesterday. So I guess there is a reason for the runny noses, itchy throats, read eyes, etc.For years, my husband and son have not enjoyed Spring. They are allergic to grasses and we happen to be the grass capital of the world. Not good.

Starting in early spring they would usually both be drugged out on Benadryl and miserable. They've tried every allergy product out there. Last year, when we were looking for natural alternatives we found some great herbal solutions. Jeff only had to take an over the counter allergy mediciation twice the entire season.

So, what do we do?

Dr. Christopher has a great product out there called Immucalm. It is 50 percent Astragulus Root and 50 percent Marshmellow Root. Astragulus is great at strengthening the immune system and marshmellow is soothing. Allergies are the body's way of overacting to something it shouldn't be overreacting to. This combination calms down the overreaction and yet still strengthens the body at the same time. It is amazing. I would never be without this combination.

Nettles are another great herb for allergies. I don't know how it works, I only know that it does. Yes, this is the stinging nettle that we have all learned to fear. It is one of natures GREAT overall nutritional herbs. It containes many minerals in it and has wonderful healing properties. If you go to any herbal/healthfood store this time of year you will see displays of Nettles in tinctures, capsules, and even herbal tea. Why? Because it is great for allergies and a host of other ailments.

For eyes, we use Dr. Christopher's Herbal Eyebright Formula. It is an eyewash. You take 3-5 drops in a little glass eye cup (from the health store) filled with distilled water and wash out your eye. It has a little sting to it but worth it for the results you get.

Last year, my son woke up one day with his allergies so bad and his eyes so red he couldn't even see. He was a freshman in highschool. He was miserable and refused to go to school. I had a class and needed to leave. I told him about the Herbal Eyebright Formula and how to use it. I had never used it before so I said it was up to him if he was brave enough or desperate enough to try it. An hour later I came home to find his eyes clean and white and he was ready for school. We've been a fan ever since.

The last product we love is Dr. Christopher's Sinus Plus Formula. It containes the herb Brigham Tea which has some mild ephedra properties and seem to help with the congestion and runny nose problems associated with allergies.

We stock up on all of these herbs well before springtime allergies hit. I would not be afraid to use them for ANY type of allergy in my family. They idea is the same for all types of allergic reactions. Strenthen and calm the immune system.

Mountain Rose Herbs have some WONDERFUL how to videos. I am including this one as an additional help to the previous post on St. John's Wort. Enjoy!

What do you know about St. John's Wort? Living in the northwest it comes up a lot as an herbal remedy for seasonal depression. That's about all I knew.

Many people have found it very helpful with treating anxiety, stress, depression, chronic fatigue, etc. It is also wonderful for treating damaged nerve endings due to wounds, burns and other skin related injuries. I discovered this personally this past month or so.

In a recent herb class the teacher produced some olive oil that had been infused with St. John's Wort and shared a story where it had helped someone recover from nerve damage. Now, (I don't believe in coincidences) the week before I had suddenly lost the feeling down the front of my right leg. It had happened over night and I hadn't told anyone. Well, my hand shot up and I asked if it would be appropriate to try it on my leg. She actually gave me some oil to take home. I applied it that night and by the next morning it had already begun to work. It took about three weeks and the feeling in my leg was completely recovered. Amazing.

It is important to apply the oil where you think the nerve damage occured, not necessarily where you are numb. For example, If you had recent surgery or an injury in a certain place and all of a sudden you can't feel in another area...treat the area of the surgery or injury first.

In my case, I had a scar on my leg and was certain the damage there was what was causing the nerve damage. It worked like a charm.

So, how do you make an oil infusion? Here is a basic simple recipe that works for just about any herb or combination of herbs.

Recipe for St. John's Wort Infused Massage Oil
*Get a clean sterile glass jar (you pick the size, small pint jars work great)
*fill the jar with plant material a couple inches from the top
(with St. John's Wort use 70% flowers and 30% leaves)
They can be fresh or dried...doesn't matter (dried need a little extra room to reconstitute)
*Cover with good quality olive oil an inch above plant material
*Put in a dark place and shake twice a day for two weeks
*Strain, bottle in dark glass bottles and your ready to go!

Note: There are a lot of healthfood stores that carry bulk herbs, or you can find them online. Two of my favorite online sources are Wholesome Botanicals and Mountain Rose Herbs.

This particular blog has been a challenge for me to write. Why? Because talking about milk, cheese, ice cream, ...it's like I'm insulting a member of the family. It's probably only second to taking on chocolate! It is important information to share but at the same time can be difficult to hear. So I ask you for three things. First, hear me out. Keep your mind open to what you will read, and remember, that knowledge is power. Second, change is difficult. Even in my family we are not perfect at eliminating dairy. Start small and focus on things that you can eat that you love...not things you love that you are trying to avoid. Somehow the pull gets stronger whereever you choose to place your energy. Three, don't take my word for it. At the bottom of article, I will leave some recommended websites and books with more information. My challenge is to do your homework and find out if there is merit to what I'm sharing.

Now...on to the blog.

Why do we avoid dairy in my house?

Reason Number One: One of the greatest studies ever done on the link between diet and disease is called, "The China Study". Unlike America where we pretty much all eat the same, over in China two bordering towns will have a completely different diets. In tracking the relationship between cancer and diet, over and over the relationships were unmistakable. Cancer rates went up in proportion to the amount of animal products consummed in those particular villages. Where little to no animal products where consummed, cancer rates were almost non-existant.

Reason Number Two: Milk is nature's hormone delivery system. Think about it. Babies need hormones to grow and hormones are meant to be delivered through milk. We are choosing to drink hormones meant to help a baby calf grow. No wonder obesity is on the rise. Now, think about all the growth hormones added to milk these days and how many of those hormones are being delivered to us and our children. Back in the mid 1840's the average age a girl started her period was 17. Now it is 12. Hormone related cancers have skyrocketed in the last 50 years, including breast cancer and testicular cancers. A dairy cow used to produce a quart of milk a day. Now, it produces several times that amount.

Reason Number Three: The calcium myth is just a myth. It was the Dairy Farmers back in the 50's that got together and created the Four Food Groups so we would buy more milk. It was profit driven, pure and simple.

Fact: American women drink 30 times as much cow's milk as do the women of New Guinea yet we suffer forty-seven times more broken hips. Why? It's something called a Negative Calcium Balance.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman in his book Eat to Live said, "Animal protein ingestion results in a heavy acid load in the blood. This sets off a series of reactions whereby calcium is released from the bones to help neutralize the acid. The sulfur based amino acids in animal products contribute significantly to urinary acid production and the resulting calcium loss."

In other words, we can actually lose more calcium that we get from eating dairy products. There are several other diet factors that also cause this calcium loss that compound the problem. These can include salt, caffeine, refined sugar, alcohol, nicotine, antibiotics, steroids, and thyroid hormones. (I will do separate article on good places to get calcium so watch for it.) If our diet contained a great source of fresh fruits and vegetables, high in calcium, we might be able to slow down the calcium bone loss while still eating small amounts of meat and dairy, but unfortunately are entire diet stems around not only those animal products, but refined foods, drugs and stimulants.

Reason Number Four: It takes many quarts of milk to make one pound of cheese. Now, multiply everything we've learned about milk. Cheese contains more saturated fat and many more of the hormone-containing and hormone-producing substances than anything else you could eat. Cheese is one of the worst foods you could eat.

Reason Number Five: Our primary exposure to Dioxin, a highly toxic chemical, is from dairy fat. Even the Environmental Protection Agency admits is is a "prominent cause of many types of cancer" for those who consume a lot of butter and cheese.

Reason Number Six: We have found allergies clear up, ear infections and sinus infections disappear, breathing is easier, and I've even learned that it is rare if not impossible to get strep throat if you don't drink milk. Who knew?

Reason Number Seven: Many people find that they are lactose intolerant. The casein found in milk sugar is actually used as glue. Over time this glue can accumulate in your colon and prevent you from assimilating all the nutrients from your food.

Ok...take a deep breath. Where this only begins to discuss this topic it is enough to start thinking out of the box. Remember that changes happen slowly. If this is something you want to start eliminating from your life I have good news. There are SO MANY options out there to ease off the dairy addiction. You can find all kinds of cheese, milk, icecream, etc. that tastes great and is made from rice, soy, almonds, etc.

I have found, personally, that turning to water, fresh juices, and herbal teas have made me feel better, lighter and healthier...and I don't miss the dairy like I thought I would.

Books:
Don't Drink Your Milk by Frank A. Oski
Milk A-Z by Robert Cohen
Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman
The China Study

Websites:
notmilk.com

About four o'clock today, I got a craving for PF Changs lettuce wraps. I figured there had to be a way to make a healthier version...and fast! This is what I came up with.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts or one rotisserie chicken OR one block of extra firm tofu
1-2 TB Olive Oil
Onion Powder to taste
Garlic Powder to taste
Grated Ginger
Orange Peel
Juice of One Orange
Nama Shoyu (or soy sauce) to taste

I don't like to eat a lot of meat so I did chicken for the family and tofu for Jeff and I. I went to the local health store and bought a hormone free rotisserie chicken, diced it up in a pan with a little olive oil. I added some grated ginger, onion powder, garlic powder and orange peel. I added the juice of one orange and plenty of Nama Shoyu (a type of soy sauce) and let it heat through.

The tofu is easy to use instead. I like the extra firm blocks of tofu. I diced it up in bite sized pieces and cooked it just like I did the pan of chicken.

Salad Wraps:
One head of romaine lettuce
match stick carrots
shredded cabbage

Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup Adam's Peanut Butter (or other natural peanut butter)
1/4 cup raw honey
1-2 TB Nama Shoyu, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or Soy Sauce
2 TB rice vinegar
a little hot water to thin if needed

Everyone ate alot, and my craving was satisfied!

This week I was asked to share what I usually eat for breakfast. This is a loaded question which requires some explanation.

We've always been taught that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In that declaration also comes the assumption that it needs to be big and hearty to give your body energy to survive the day. On the surface that makes sense. I want to change the paradigm for a moment.

Through my studies this past year I have learned that most of us walk around with colons that do not function very properly. Unfortunately the American Diet tends to lean very heavily on animal products and refined foods. Both can reek havoc on our systems. Milk and diary along with white flour and other refined foods can actually work like layers of glue in our intestines. Those layers build up over time and can make it increasingly difficult for our body to absorb the nutrients that we need from the food that we eat. So, we have a double whammy. 1) The foods we eat are not nutrient dense and 2) What we do eat is having difficulty getting into our systems.

The average American probably only assimilates about 8% of the nutrients in the food that he or she is eating. What are the consequences? We are always hungry. Our bodies are literally starving. In fact, most often, the more overweight you are the more your body is in starvation mode. It is constantly sending out hunger signals because it's not getting what it needs. How often do you find yourself rummaging all day and never satisfied? Or you eat a gigantic meal and an hour later your hungry again?

So, what is the answer? The place to begin is the colon. Until we heal the colon we will continue on this roller coaster. There are some great cleansing programs out there. Dr. Christopher has a great three day juice cleanse that is works fantastic, is inexpensive and easy to do. There are also great herbs out there specifically designed to work on the bowel. One of the greatest is Slippery Elm.

In addition, eating more plant based whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc, and less of the other will speed up the healing, you will lose weight, feel better, and have more energy.

When your colon is working properly it is possible to take in up to 40% of the nutrients being consummed. Add to that, eating foods that contain more organic vitamins and minerals in greater quality and you are eating less and getting much more out of what you eat.

So back to breakfast. I usually "break my fast" with fruit, large glass of water, and some herbal supplements. Sometimes I grab a handful of almonds. If I'm really hungry I eat a bowl of oatmeal or other cereal like it. I most often stick to fruit and am never really hungry. I let my body continue to cleanse throughout the morning. Remember fruit is great for cleansing. (Refer to previous blog on Fabulous Fruit) Some of my favorite breakfasts are:

Lite Breakfasts:
*smoothies,
*fresh juice
*Bowl of fresh fruit
*Chopped apple, sprinkled with cinnamon & honey warmed on the stove
*Grab a Banana, apple, etc. and go
*Raw Almonds
*Cup of Herbal Tea with Whole Grain Toast

Bigger Breakfast:
*Whole Grain Cereal like Oatmeal
*Thermos Wheat Cereal: Put whole wheat into thermos the night before, cover with boiling water, let sit overnight and serve with honey and raisins or chopped fruit.

*Whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana drizzled with honey
*Granola (make your own or buy health store brand) with soy yogurt or rice milk and chopped fruit.

I love Mexican Food. I was concerned that eliminating dairy products meant giving it up. How do you do Mexican Food without cheese and sourcream? It's actually quite easy because there are so many delicious flavors still out there. With the richness in beans and avocados, I never miss the dairy...and I feel great instead of heavy after eating.

This is a variation of a recipe I found several months ago:

In a blender mix:

1 can of pinto beans
1/4 cup Nutrional Yeast
small handful of raw cashews
1 TB Chili Powder
1 tsp onion powder
2-3 TB salsa (I like to use 2 TB red and 1 TB green)


This is perfect for a dip by itself. Or spoon some on corn tortillas, roll them up and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I like to serve them with homeade guacamole. The nutritional yeast is what gives it a "cheesy" flavor.

My kids balk at a lot of the "healthy" food I make but they like this one ALOT!!!

I'll do an article on Nutritional Yeast soon, so watch for it.

Yesterday, after writing the blog on cold and flu remedies, I decided to try and make my own Elder Berry Syrup.

Elder Flowers and Elder Berries are wonderful at helping combat colds, flus, and upper repiratory infections. Like Cayenne, although milder, it helps bring on a sweat (diaphoretic), helping clean out the infection and reducing fever.
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It also is great at strengthening the immune system. It would be great to combine with Echinacea.

Elder Flower and Peppermint Tea is another very famous remedy.

For children (and even adults), a syrup is a great way to take your medicine because it tastes so good. I have seen them for sale at most health food stores.




Here is how I did it:

1/2 cup dried Elder Berries (1 cup if fresh)
3 cups of distilled water
1 cup raw honey










-Simmer berries (don't boil) for 45 minutes
-Mash berries
-Strain
-Add Honey
-Bottle and refridgerate

Should last for several months.





NOTES**********

I found the syrup almost to sweet for my taste. I would probably reduce the honey a little bit next time.

I've never picked fresh Elder Berries, but I've heard not to eat them raw and not to eat the red berries, only the blue ones.