Blog #118 A New Year's Gift for My Readers

                         Blog# 118 A New Year’s Present to My Readers

 

Today, I am posting several links on which you can click, if you care to do so.  You might find them informative and helpful during this uncertain time.  On YouTube, there are several presenters who I have found intelligent, humane, and relatively unbiased.  They have training and practice in conventional western medicine and also are open-minded regarding many approaches to help people stay healthy or overcome illness. They teach clearly and concisely, which helps listeners feel more grounded and calm when dealing with the challenges the world currently faces.

 

One teacher and physician is Dr. Mobeen Syed (often called Dr. Been).  He is a medical doctor, software engineer, an excellent artist, and founder and CEO of an online medical education company.  Below are two links from his YouTube channel.  One discusses and explains the therapeutic benefits of using some mouthwashes to control the severity or transmissibility of bacterial and viral infections.

 

The second link discusses a prescription medication called Colchicine.  This medication has a mildly anti-inflammatory action and also sometimes protects people who have very recently become infected.  It sometimes helps reduce the chances of an infection becoming significantly more severe.  Other medications are mentioned in passing.

 

The third and last link leads to a discussion with Dr. John Campbell, a retired international nurse educator.  He is interviewing Dr. Lindsay Dixon, a Canadian pharmacist.  She is presenting information about three main topics: mouthwashes and their effectiveness in preventing or controlling infection; Colchicine, as one prescription medication that appears to help control or eliminate respiratory infections in their early stages; and Vitamin D, as a way to bolster the immune system also control inflammation levels. 

 

I hope you enjoy these Holiday gifts below.  Feel free to contact me with any questions about the presentations or the products and medications mentioned in them.  I wish everyone a happy, healthy 2022.  May we heal and learn as a country and a planet to be more compassionate and understanding.  May we learn to assume more responsibility for our health and the environment and become empowered through this responsibility.

 

https://youtu.be/wSqT6vHTMzg

 

 

https://youtu.be/VFMsaxMwk2c

 

 

https://youtu.be/ldFRt-i3QzY

 

 

 

 

                                        Blog 117 Healthy Fats and Oils

 

Not that long ago, people used primarily butter, lard, tallow, schmaltz (poultry fat) and olive oil to cook most food.  Then, margarine and other seed and vegetable oils became popular.  Most people can taste the difference between margarine and butter.  Butter feels more silky and clean to the palate, while solid margarine feels like a dense oil that cannot not be fully cleared from the mouth (and therefore the rest of the GI tract).  But since most vegetable and seed oils are fairly inexpensive, they are used more frequently by food manufacturers.  Also, it was not possible to extract and mass-manufacture most vegetable and seed oils until about a century ago.  

 

Recently, lard, tallow and other animal fats have become more expensive and have a reputation of being high in saturated fat and therefore high in cholesterol.  This makes them less popular.  When the animals are raised on grains and legumes, such as corn and soy, their fat and the rest of the animal is high in omega-6 fats, including linoleic acid.  The cost of feed composed primarily of soy and corn is less expensive than when animals are pastured and fed healthy whole foods.  There is some evidence that linoleic acid increases inflammation and weight gain in animals and humans, and may sometimes push the body toward degenerative changes, such as diabetes, autoimmune illness, heart disease and possibly even cancer.  Of course, survival is impossible without some inflammation, but too much can do harm, even resulting in cytokine reactions (storms), which are extremely destructive.   Therefore, it appears that animals should be grass-fed and pastured.  If the weather is too cold, they should be fed hay, table scraps, and produce.  

 

There has been publicity about international olive oil scams, which actually have been going on for a long time.  Because olives and their oil are expensive and in high demand, most olive oil on the market is adulterated with other, less expensive and poor quality oils.  The safest option is probably consuming olive oil pressed in the U.S., usually in California, and preferably certified organic.  If you have ever tasted high quality, pure extra virgin olive oil, you will likely know the difference and also will notice how your body feels after consumption.  It is best only to consume small amounts of oil and fat, unless you choose to follow a ketogenic diet.  

 

As healthy animal fat sources, I would choose small amounts of wild-caught fresh-water fish, from relatively clean waters, such as those around Alaska.  The smaller the fish, the lower the content of mercury and other toxic substances is likely to be.  For vegetarians, I would recommend omega-3 eggs and plain organic or biodynamic full-fat yogurt and kefir, preferably from goats or sheep that are pasture-raised.  For people who are vegan, high quality, organically produced flax seed oil is best.  Organic coconut oil in very small quantities is another possibility. Of course, there are plenty of foods, such as nuts, avocados and bananas, that contain fat.  Not everyone can afford all organic or grass-fed foods, but if health is a priority, usually some can be included in the diet.

 

This blog’s offer:  below is a link to an interesting series of articles about dietary fat.  As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.

 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/optimize-omega-6-omega-3-ratio

 

 

 

 

 

                         

                          Blog# 116 Same Remedies Help Many Problems

 

Often, just supporting good health across the board can help alleviate more than one complaint.  For example, many people suffer from insomnia.  Large segments of the population tend to “catch” viral and bacterial infections easily.  And most people suffer from back pain at least occasionally.  All three can be favorably influenced by wisely using one or more holistic health approaches.

 

Chiropractic adjusting and other approaches to correcting the body structurally helps relieve pain, improve balance, reduce stress levels, and helps optimize the function of body systems, including circulatory (blood and lymph) , neurological, respiratory, endocrine, digestive, eliminative, and more.  Think of how you feel when you are in pain or structurally off center: breathing is more difficult, athletic performance and even just walking is compromised, awareness of surroundings may be impacted, making accidents and injuries more likely.  Pain also interferes with sleep, and inadequate sleep can diminish mental sharpness, immune function, blood sugar levels, and more.  I can’t begin to count the number of patients who experienced improved sleep, healthier immune function, and a low pain or even pain-free life due to Chiropractic adjusting.  

 

Optimal nutrition, including diet, herbs, and other nutritional supplements, supports biochemical integrity.  Defective and dying cells are more easily eliminated with a beneficial diet and supplements, and new cells tend to be strong and sound.  In the short run, you may not notice how eating fast, processed foods affects you.  Eventually, you almost always pay the price of poor nutrition.  A wholesome diet can reduce excess inflammation and this in turn can help joints and muscles feel comfortable.  Paraspinal muscles, among the smallest in the body, quickly become uncomfortable and tense when we are inflamed and toxic.   Following is an Illustration of how an organic diet can impact health.  One of my friends moved to New England, an area of the U. S. where Lyme disease is commonly found.  After several years of serious illness, she and her doctors finally got the disease under control and she returned to part-time work.  However, a persistent rash plagued her; nothing helped. She had always thought it was kind of funny that I made it a point to include as much organically grown foods in my diet as possible, but now she determined to give it a try.  After three weeks of 100% organic foods, the rash cleared up.  Several years afterward, she continues to eat organically, and neither skin rash nor Lyme disease have returned.  

 

Subtle and complex fields of healing, such as Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Chi Gong therapy and Yoga are all grounded in precise, scientific observations and also call forth artistic, intuitive perceptions of practitioners.  Often, these fields of medicine reach levels of imbalance and injury that cannot be addressed just by structural correction and nutritional support.  Fortunately, now that Western medicine has finally had a breakthrough and discovered that there is such a thing as “Chi” and the specific meridians in which it runs, the ancient healing system of Acupuncture and its associated branches, such as Moxabustion and Cupping are increasingly accepted as legitimate forms of therapy.  Acupuncture therapy can help clear up scar tissue, relax muscles and tendons, and improve circulation to all areas of the body.  Improved blood and lymph circulation can help organs function better, support immune function and enhance sleep.  Acupuncture can also very effectively alleviate pain, including spinal pain, and is used as an anesthetic by doctors both in China and other countries, including the U. S.  There are many other ways that all the subtle therapies above can be helpful, including reducing mild to moderate anxiety and depression.  Psychotherapy may also be needed to completely address mood issues, as may nutritional support and structural correction and balancing.  

 

Combining all three approaches to health will be especially effective in alleviating pain, improving sleep, and enhancing immune function.  Consider coming in for a treatment, improving your nutrition, or learning some Chi Gong or Yoga.  You may want to learn about Homeopathy and consult a practitioner.  Whatever you choose to do, I wish you good health.

 

This blog’s offer:  I wish you a healthy and enjoyable Halloween season and will share with you a thought-provoking link about the possible origin of witches’ appearance.  I took this from a masterful and usually funny YouTube creator, Georgette Spelvin.  This particular link is not funny or fun, but it expanded my mind.  You may need to cut and paste to your browser.

 

On Becoming a Witch - YouTube

 

 

https://youtu.be/PEmevMrmo8k

                                                                      Blog #115 Music Heals

                                                  Blog 115 Music Heals

 

In addition to regular exercise, nutritious food, sufficient sleep, a calm mind, a happy or content attitude, musculoskeletal stability, medicinal herbs, pure water, clean air, positive relationships, meaning and purpose in life, and closeness to the natural world, there are many other elements that can support and improve health.  

 

Those of you who are musicians or simply music lovers have likely have felt your spine tingle at times while you listened to music that particularly moved you.  On these occasions, the body attunes to powerful musical vibrations and channels that energy up the spine.  That energy can also travel to other areas of the body.  Various keys of music correspond to and stimulate or calm specific endocrine glands.  The note G, or music played in the key of G, for example, resonates with the thyroid gland.  If you click on the lines below, you can hear Mozart’s “A Little Night Music, composed in G major.  Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik - Concertgebouw Kamerorkest - Live C

Another excellent example of music in various keys resonating with specific areas and endocrine glands in the body is an eight part composition by Kay Gardiner, “A Rainbow Path”.  She coordinates color along with key in this unique composition.  

 

Some people use sound and music as a principle of healing for themselves and others.  Some examples are gong journeys and baths, crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, and singing and toning.  A person’s intent can send sound energy into or out of the body, as well as direct it to or from areas of weakness or excess.  Sometimes, sound can affect a person’s energy in an undesirable way.  That occurred recently, when I was apparently placed in a state of imbalance by someone who heals with gongs and other instruments.  The morning after that gong session, my blood pressure plummeted, I became extremely fatigued and my appetite was completely gone.  About a week later, still fatigued, my left leg became weak and could barely support me.  I walked with pain and difficulty, had to push up with my hands to stand from a chair or bed, and considered relying on a cane until I could address the problem successfully.  Neither acupuncture nor massage helped.  

 

Fortunately, I have a neighbor who heals with sound.  I had a session with her, thinking that sound healing might be especially appropriate, given the circumstances under which I was injured.  The first hour with my neighbor was pleasant and I did not notice much difference.  The second session, about a week later, was very different.  Toward the end of the hour, she directed sound from one of her singing bowls down my left leg.  I felt strong tingling energy move from my knee to my foot.  My leg felt stronger when I stood up, and by the end of the day, the pain and instability were gone.  Now, about two months later, my left knee and leg feel better than they have in at least a year, and probably much longer.  I can once again stand up from a chair without pushing with my hands, can climb and descend stairs without using a railing, and can walk quickly without discomfort.  My left knee and leg are not perfect, since I suffered a serious injury many years ago, which eventually necessitated surgery.  However, the results from my neighbor’s music healing session have been so strong that I want to share that experience, as well as provide information about her.  She also does Thai bodywork, Reiki healing and teaches yoga.  

 

This month’s offer:  contact me if you want further information about my neighbor and how to reach her if you might want a session.  Also, if you ask, I am willing to share with you more information about how and why the session with the first healer likely harmed me.  

 

 

Blog#114 Four Ways to Support Your Immunity

                    Blog# 114 Four Ways to Support Your Immune System

 

Avoid foods that have been sprayed with chemicals, especially round up.  Not only are these sprays poisonous to humans and most other living things, they also may weaken human immunity and allow some viral infections to more easily take hold in the body.  Eat organically raised, wild caught, grass-fed foods as much as possible, and avoid processed foods.  

 

Exercise regularly and allow yourself to sweat.  Sweating in a sauna is also a type of exercise for the circulatory, immune, lymphatic and other systems of the body.   Sweating helps with detoxification.  Raising the body’s core temperature helps kill off many unwelcome residents, such as bacterium, viruses, parasites, and even some cancer cells.  Don’t overdo this, however, or it can stress the heart or drain the body’s vitality.  

 

Be happy and loving.  We can choose to be happy and to regard and treat fellow creatures lovingly.  The more we choose happiness and loving attitudes and behaviors, the easier this becomes, and the less stress we experience in our daily lives.  Less stress equals better health and a sharper mind.

 

Qi Gong can help balance the immune system and protect health.  I recently learned a Qi Gong exercise sometimes called the eight directions.  It is reasonably easy to describe and practice.  The exercise is designed to protect and even enlarge a person’s energy (Qi) field, and this enhances the ability to counteract harmful energy from outside sources.  It also is designed to calm and harmonize internal energy (the mind and emotions).  The two most challenging things in this exercise are to learn to stand properly and to learn to quiet the mind and focus it internally.  Standing properly includes having the shoulders relaxed, spine straight, knees slightly bent and sacrum tucked slightly forward.  Most readers of this blog have experienced some sort of meditation or self-hypnosis.  Even the inner smile meditation, which I teach routinely to most patients and students will be sufficient.  This exercise requires a wooden rod that is about four feet long.  Bamboo might be the best material, but any wood will do.  It should be round and smooth, about the diameter of a broom or mop handle.  You could also use a wooden sword if you are familiar with sword practice.  As you do this exercise, you start relaxed, feet shoulder width apart.  Then, for the first direction, right, step to the right with the right leg and push off with the left leg, while extending the dowel/sword out to the right, with your right hand forward, palm up and push out with your left arm, palm downward.  The second direction, left, just involves pivoting to the left and doing everything as described previously, but for the left side, with left arm and left leg forward.  The third direction is upward.  Feet are evenly placed, shoulder width apart.  Point ad raise the dowel directly upward.  The fourth position is downward, and the dowel is just brought downward, striking the ground.  The fifth direction, forward, involves pointing the dowl directly forward while maintaining the previous foot and leg position.  Direction six is backward, and involves pointing the sword directly backward, maintaining the leg position and turning the waist to one side, to look backward.  Direction seven is circling and involves moving the dowel/sword around your body, and at least somewhat above your head.  Feet remain pointing forward, shoulders width apart.  If you were looking backward and to the right in the previous direction, then circle the sword to the right, backward and around.  If you were looking backward and to the left, then circle to the left, backward and around.  The last direction, inward, involves placing the dowel/sword perpendicular to the floor and resting it against your body, placing your hands, one palm over the other, just below the navel, and quieting your mind for as long as you want.  This entire exercise can be done repeatedly or just once, and can last a minute or an hour, it’s up to you.  Enjoy.

 

This blog’s offer:  contact me free of charge with any questions about this exercise.  You may need to meet with me to receive an answer that you can understand and use.  

 

 Blog# 113  Share Something Funny

                                              Blog  113 Share Something Funny

 

Because humor and laughter have healing effects on the body, mind and spirit, I decided to share some information about a few humorous sites and videos I have encountered in the past several years.  Some are somewhat political, others not at all.  Some are slightly bawdy.  They all can help us laugh at ourselves and at the circumstances in which we find ourselves.   Not taking oneself too seriously can be good for everyone’s health.  Laughter helps move “qi”, that is, energy, through the body and also relaxes the mind and lifts the spirit, all of which are beneficial to us all.  Some of these humorous sites are “conservative” leaning and some are “progressive” leaning, and all can be enjoyable when viewed with an open mind and heart.  Additionally, laughing at varying perspectives can help unite us as a country, population, and world.  Goodness knows, we need to be unified much moreso than we are now.  

 

I recommend skits from Saturday Night Live, and one skit in particular, if you don’t mind dark, slightly bawdy humor about the pandemic, is especially funny.  You can find it by typing psychic 2020 in your browser.  You may also have to type in snl.  Kate Mckenna plays the psychic.  She gives quite a nuanced performance, which becomes more notable if you watch a few times, which I have, and still laugh each time I watch it.  Interestingly, when I laugh a lot during the day, I usually sleep well at night.  That might be because laughter increases the body’s supply of melatonin, according to Dennis Rosen, M.D., sharing a Pub Med published study by a group of Japanese researchers, which demonstrated that laughter raised the level of melatonin in breast milk.  Additionally, Mayo Clinic online discusses the effect of laughter on stress relief and pain control.  And there are plenty of other sources.  

 

Another person who makes many people laugh is J P Sears.  A comic and a counselor, at one time, he was liberal and now he considers himself politically conservative, or so he says.  Some of his more apolitical skits include one about manscripts and another about womanscripts.  They are supposed to teach people how to communicate effectively and without undue conflict when dealing with significant others.  You can find these two skits and others besides, by typing JP Sears in your browser, and then choosing the link that includes You Tube.  From there, you can search for both “manscripts” and “womanscripts”.  If you find these funny, you might want to look through some of his other skits.  J P’s forte is satire. 

 

Several years ago, I discovered a hilarious woman who has been making short videos for You tube for over ten years.  You can find her site by typing in MePearlA in a You Tube search or in your browser.  This woman calls herself Georgette Spelvin and she comes across as a possible actor, model, college professor or maybe all three.  She definitely is an animal rehabilitation specialist, and has been so for over ten years.  She teaches compassion for all animals, especially opossums, which sometimes strike fear in the hearts of those not familiar with them.  To enjoy a link to “Halloweaster”, one of her many videos, type in MePearla in your browser.  The You Tube home page for MePearla features Halloweaster, and it is a good place to start.  Enjoy!  There is almost an endless selection of wacky and totally unique humor from Georgette and her rescue animals.

 

One last humorous link is to a Bob Newhart classic, “Stop It!”  There are several edited versions of this, some longer than others.  Just type Bob Newhart Stop it! Into your browser.  I would suggest that you either choose the complete version which lasts 6.21 minutes or the one with Wayne Berry’s introduction and ending, which adds a positive message about success and self-actualization.  This version lasts a little over 9 minutes.  Over the years, I’ve shared Bob Newhart’s “Stop It!” with many people, and everyone thought it was funny, though a few people also shuddered.  Bob Newhart spent a lifetime entertaining people and making people laugh.  Enjoy!

 

This is probably my one and only blog that will address humor, internet humor in particular.  I hope you get some laughs and maybe also a good night’s sleep from watching these comics.  Next month, I will return to a more serious topic.

 

This blog’s offer:  contact me if you want to learn about other humorous videos, as well as books, movies, and more.  And if you have any favorite jokes, feel free to share them.                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

                           Blog 112 Maintain Your Connection to Earth

 

Big agriculture, big industry, big business, big pharma, big tech, big military, big media, big billionaires (they’re all big), and other big powerful groups in the world are all rapidly and effectively weakening human connections with the earth.  Air grows more polluted, water becomes more contaminated, soil loses its capacity to support food growth, produce is increasingly poisoned, electromagnetic radiation from computers and other devices overloads and confuses human nervous systems (to say nothing of the damage it likely does to plants and non-human animals), radiation levels continue to be hazardous in some locations, microorganisms and bioweapons abound, progressively severe climate changes occur, and violence escalates in many areas of the world, especially in cities. 

 

Did you know that Lyme disease may have been a bioweapon?  Or maybe it just originated naturally.  Either way, cases are rapidly rising due to warming temperatures associated with climate change.  Estimates are that one in ten people will be infected with this very difficult to treat microorganism by 2050.    Did you know that much of conventional healthcare has become a big business which most values income and influence derived from newly developed pharmaceuticals and diagnostics?  Did you know that many times in world history, humans have been regarded and treated as subjects for scientific experimentation?  How do they respond to GMO foods?  How do they respond to new, possibly hazardous drugs?  How do they respond to multiple, powerful vaccines?  How do they respond to fake meats?  To massive quantities of pesticides?  To loud sound pollution?  To excessive stress?  To a sedentary lifestyle, seated in front of a computer and TV?  

 

I could go on, but enough is enough.  I am learning to face these issues, yet to live with as much integrity as I can, working toward good health, inner peace, and happiness for myself, and hopefully, for others also.  Progressively, I am minimizing my support of various predatory groups mentioned earlier in this blog.  As just a few examples or ideas, many small businesses are struggling, so I try to buy from them as much as possible, instead from big businesses.  Local farmers, especially organic and biodynamic farms, need and deserve support, in contrast with commercial farmers who spray crops with round-up, grow GMO food, and raise animals in crowded, barbaric settings, so I shop at Farmers Markets for a majority of my food.  Public transportation or other, low-polluting modes of transport are kinder to the environment, compared with vehicles than run on petroleum-based fuels, so I try to travel to more places near my home, and to walk or take public transportation when I can.  Watching, reading, and listening to smaller, innovative media and platforms instead of conventional information sources helps broaden horizons and build a deeper understanding of the world - there are so many unique sources of information out there, I find these a joy to discover and learn from.  

 

Finally, finding something to be grateful for each day, and doing something kind, beautiful, generous, or generally positive will help counteract some of the predatory violence surrounding us and can also be a source of inspiration.   

 

This month’s offer: contact me for specific ideas about positive things to do or sources to explore if you feel unsure about where to begin or if you want further information.

     Blog 111: June and July - The Two Most Powerful Acupuncture Months  

 

Today, I will keep this short and sweet.  If you want to help yourself preventatively with acupuncture, the months of June and July will help supply you with the most powerful energy (Qi, or Chi) to support your health.  This is because during this time, the sun emits the most light, and therefore emits the most energy to the earth and its inhabitants.  Additionally, the earth has absorbed the most warmth during this time, and these two sources of energy/warmth (sun and earth) can enter the acupuncture needles and also physically support each person more strongly than at any other time of year.  You could consider the summer solstice (June 20^th) the bull’s eye in a target representing the power of treatments.  And there are also especially effective hours for acupuncture treatment.  Generally, the morning is most effective.  That way, your energy system (body/mind) has the entire day to utilize the information the treatment has introduced to you and to the meridians that traverse every part of your body.  Additionally, each meridian and the internal organs and/or functions associated with them are especially energized or sedated during two hours of the 24 hour cycle.  For example, lungs are especially energized and supported from 3 to 5 am.  

 

Acupuncture can also be helpful during the colder, winter months, but at these times, we are more likely to need the supplemental support of moxabustion (the warming of specific points with the herb, Mugwort), or herbs, usually consumed as a tea or in tablet or capsule form.  Moxabustion and certain warming herbs are usually not helpful during the warmest times of the year and may even result in insomnia, hypertension, or other unwanted symptoms.  

 

Of course, many therapies are beneficial during the summer months, as well as all year round.  Massage, chiropractic, nutritional support or detoxification, Qi Gong, hypnosis and flower essences are some of the many therapies can be helpful.  Now that we are coming out of over a year’s worth of semi-quarantine, it can be especially valuable to have some treatments to help support you during this happy and challenging time.  Because summer provides so much energy, some may squander their energy and even their reserves during the warmer months.  However, it may be wise to save some of this beneficial Chi to make the blessings of good health and vitality, to say nothing of mental clarity and emotional harmony more likely even during the coldest, most challenging seasons.   

 

This blog’s offer:  contact me for a treatment or two to stay healthy, or even for some self-hypnosis instruction or flower essences.  Have an enjoyable and healthy summer.

 

Blog 110 Spring Detox Strengthens and Protects

 

During Spring, many people experience allergies, upper respiratory infections, headaches, fevers, rashes, and more.  The reasons are many.  Three of the main ones are: 1. with warmer weather comes more pollen, mold, bacteria, and insects.  These were relatively motionless or dormant during the colder months.  People who are sensitive or allergic to what springtime brings will exhibit symptoms such as red eyes, runny nose, congested sinuses, headaches, and itchy or sore throats.  2.  Our bodies respond to the warming of the earth and atmosphere by increased blood circulation and stronger internal organ function, which encourages increased hormonal levels after the winter lows.  The Liver and gall bladder are the internal organs most involved in dealing with hormonal excess and imbalance  These organs, when overly stimulated and challenged, will sometimes cause elevated temperatures, disturbed sleep, inflammation of sinuses and eyes, rapid heartbeat, and more.  3.  Winter Holiday excesses as well as the emotional stress of relating to family members may have challenged our bodies, leaving toxins from poor quality food, alcohol, and imbalanced or excess hormones, such as cortisol, catecholamines, thyroid hormones, and insulin.  Unchecked, these imbalances can lead to increasing discomfort, mood swings, compromised immunity, and eventually, detectable, ongoing disease. 

 

One virtually universal way of dealing with the health challenges we may face in Spring is by detoxification for several days to a few weeks.  I share various types of detoxification regimens with patients and students when appropriate.  One of my favorites is a simple one: the apple detox.  In this detox, I have combined the three day raw apple diet, recommended by Edgar Cayce, with my own additions, which I think enhances the detox diet.  Ideally, this should be done in Spring, preferably from late March to late May.  It also can be done during any other time of the year without ill effects.  Once a season would be the most often I would recommend doing this, and once a year is fine.  Young children, people who are diabetic or undergoing chemotherapy, the seriously underweight and the frail elderly would not benefit from this and might even suffer harm.  The above people should consult their medical practitioner prior to following this or any other detox program. 

 

Here is the Spring detox:  It lasts nine days.  All the food eaten should be organic, or at least unsprayed and non-GMO.  There should be no sweeteners of any kind, though fruit is naturally sweet, as are some vegetables, and those are fine, on the days when they are allowed.  None of the food should be packaged or processed in any way, other than at home, if you choose to juice fruit or vegetables, make smoothies, or bake simple casseroles, for example.  Juices should not be heated, and especially when making juices or smoothies, ingredients must be organic or biodynamic, as is also true for the three days of raw apples.  Avoid flour, cinnamon and hot peppery spices for the nine days and also for two to three days after finishing this regimen.  Feel free to take your usual supplements during the nine days, or stop them, if you prefer. Drink plenty of filtered or good quality spring water, such as Vass or Mountain Valley, each day.   Avoid tap or distilled water.  Avoid oils except possibly high quality flax or olive, and then in very small amounts, on salads.  Avoid alcoholic beverages and table salt.  Sea or Himalayan salt is preferable.  Go to bed early and get lots of sleep.  It would be advisable to be a little less active than usual, especially during days four, five and six. 

 

Day one:  Follow a vegetarian diet, which means no animal protein or products except for dairy and eggs, if you choose.  Vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, beans, whole organic grains that you cook up yourself at home, i.e. whole organic oats, legumes organic unsweetened herbal teas, fresh-juiced, raw organic vegetable and fruit, sea vegetables, herbs, such as garlic, ginger, onion, basil, etc are all fine. 

 

Day two:  Follow a vegan diet, which means no animal products at all.  Otherwise, everything you consumed on day one, either raw or cooked, is fine this day.

 

Day three:  This is also a vegan diet, but it is all raw, so some of the foods, such as humus or cooked grains or beans or even hot air popped popcorn would not be appropriate.  Neither would herbal teas brewed with hot water.  However, sun teas, or herbal teas left in water overnight would be fine.  Brew the loose leaves rather than using tea bags.  Raw, blended soups would be excellent today, as would lots of salads and also organic fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut or black garlic.  

 

Days four, five and six:  drink lots of good quality filtered or spring water, and eat as many organically grown apples as desired.  Some apples can also be juiced, but several should  be whole, to provide some fiber.  Eating the cores and the seeds is fine.  Since the apples are organic, eating the peels is actually preferable, since much of the nutrition lies just inside the peel.  For these three days, especially, you may want to be less active than usual, and you may choose not to drive long distances, since you may be sleepier than usual. 

 

Day seven is the same as day three.

 

Day eight is the same as day two.

 

Day nine is the same as day one.

 

Day ten is back to normal, and hopefully your diet will have improved a little.  Maybe you no longer have as much a taste for sweets or alcohol or salt.  Maybe you appreciate fresh vegetables and fruit more than you did before, and you actually enjoy eating salads.  Maybe deep fried foods no longer appeal to you.  Many changes may occur.  I wish you a successful and beneficial detox this Spring.

 

This blog’s offer:  Feel free to consult me for assistance with this detox plan.  You might require some alterations to this basic outline.  Everyone is different.

 

 

 

                Blog 109 Antibiotics, Immunology, Mistakes and Miracles

 

Most people would likely agree that antibiotics and vaccinations are two of the greatest discoveries made in modern medicine.  In fact, Atlantic Magazine, in 2013 consulted top scientists worldwide and their consensus was that both penicillin (discovered in 1928) and vaccines (initially cowpox for smallpox, first in 1796 and then widened to encompass rabies in 1885) are among the top ten most important discoveries since the development of the wheel.  As is true for every blessing and every “good” thing, there is also a “negative” side.  

 

Antibiotics have saved countless lives.  Overuse of antibiotics has resulted in negative payback.  Not only are antibiotics prescribed for bacterial infections; they are also prescribed for viral infections, presumably to treat any other opportunistic bacterial infections that might arise in the weakened immune systems of patients, since antibiotics are not effective against viruses.  Often, no culture is taken in order to ascertain the identity of the infectious agent or the effectiveness of a particular antibiotic against a microorganism.  Additionally, antibiotics are frequently prescribed for many animals commercially raised for food.  The U. S. government has fallen behind most other countries in curtailing antibiotic use in livestock; most other countries limit use to therapeutic purposes only.  Often, conventional U. S. farmers and ranchers use antibiotics for prevention and to help livestock gain a few more pounds prior to slaughter.  Below is a link to an excellent article on this subject.  If clicking on the link does not work, just cut and paste it into your browser. 

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4638249/  

 

Combined with the over-prescription of these medications in the human population and with discontinuing a course of antibiotics early, this inappropriate use of antibiotics in food production has resulted in bacteria that figure out how to outsmart the drugs designed to kill them.  In the past several decades, more and more intelligent antibiotic resistant bacteria are arising, especially in hospital settings.  These bacteria mutate or evolve in order to overcome the onslaughts of antibiotics, many of which are inappropriately administered.  Some of these smart and dangerous microorganisms are C Diff (Clostridium Difficile) and MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).  These mutant bacteria learn how to pump antibiotics out of cells.  Others learn how to neutralize the lethal qualities of the antibiotics and thus coexist with them.  Bacteria also learn to spread their genetic material to other bacteria, thus teaching others how to circumvent antibiotic actions.  Consequently, scientists need to design increasingly complex and powerful antibiotics to keep up with bacterial mutations.  This is a time-consuming and expensive endeavor; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers this dilemma to be one of the most serious faced in medicine today.  Below is a link to an interesting article about the development of one particular super-antibiotic.  If clicking on the link does not work, just cut and paste it to your browser. 

 

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/superantibiotic-25000-times-more-potent-its-predecessor

Antibiotic resistance is an urgent threat to global health, and one of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) top concerns. Yet, instead of teaching superior self-care through improved diet and exercise as well as stress management and improved sleep habits, people are for the most part just offered medication for treatment and vaccination for prevention.  Like the human body, the human immune system is adaptable and even miraculous when supported with healthy lifestyle and dietary choices.  As people take increasingly better care of themselves, they need to depend less on medication and inoculation.  Emotionally, they become less fearful, and the physical relaxation and lack of fear allows internal organs, as well as circulatory, lymphatic and nervous systems to function better.  Hormones will be better balanced, bones and muscles stronger, and immune systems more adaptable and healthy. 

Sometimes, antibiotics and inoculations are the best options for a particular person and can save lives.  As in all of life, these pharmaceuticals are not simply “good” or “bad”.  Sometimes what appears to be beneficial in the short run can cause problems later on, and vice versa.  I have included one more link, this one to an excellent documentary about how Sweden dealt with the pandemic until early January of this year.  Once again, if clicking on the link doesn’t work, just cut and paste it into your browser.  Enjoy!

Covid, Tango and The Lagom Way

 

This blog’s offer:  feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about how to keep your immune system healthy and how to protect yourself when you are dealing with infection.  Or contact me with any other questions.  Just take a look at the links also.

 

 

 

                               Blog 108 New Tips on Several Anti-Viral Herbs 

 

It is important to have as many options as possible regarding your health and life.  This blog will share information about several anti-viral supplements and herbs.  These are not meant to take the place of other medications, vaccinations, or other approaches to health care that are currently suggested during this challenging time.  They are meant, instead, to be used in whatever way you deem most appropriate.  Some of these herbs and supplements are not appropriate for everyone, while others can be used by most people, with a few exceptions.  Of course, dosage will change depending on age, weight, health and the use of other herbs, supplements, medications, and vaccines. 

 

Garlic:  one of the most powerful anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal herbs known.  It is used frequently in Chinese Herbal Medicine and is popular in the herbal Materia Medica of many other cultures, including those of Native Americans and European countries.  Organically raised garlic is best.  Garlic is more potent raw than cooked.  If you can tolerate it, it may be beneficial to eat two or three raw cloves a day on a regular basis, with occasional breaks of several days.  If the raw form is too harsh, chopping up or pressing garlic and letting it sit exposed to the air for 20 to 30 minutes prior to cooking will help preserve more of the helpful components.  Other forms of the herb are high quality powdered, oil extract, and black garlic.  The powdered is usually in capsules and should be organic, as should the oil extracts and the aged, heated garlic (black garlic).  Some people consider black garlic a delicacy, and it also is at least as beneficial as raw garlic.  Garlic helps thin the blood, lower cholesterol, support the immune system, regulate blood sugar levels, prevent and sometimes even fight infections, and is used as a component in some herbal de-worming formulas.  Contraindications to using garlic: 1. use of anti-coagulant medication or 2. bleeding disorders which prevent blood from clotting. 

 

I learned about a special garlic lemon formula from Chris Wark (of Chris Beat Cancer), who in turn learned about it from Dr. Wahmid Talib, a professor of Cancer Biology in Amman, Jordan.  Dr. Wahmid writes that the best way to make the following lemon/garlic formula is in a 3:1 ratio by weight of aqueous extracts of lemon to garlic.  The weight does not have to be exact, but three to four large organic garlic bulbs combined with three average sized organically grown lemons would be appropriate.  Peel and chop the garlic and let it sit exposed to the air for at least 15 minutes.  Add the garlic and unpeeled lemons to 16 ounces of distilled or purified water, and blend well in a strong blender until liquified, but not so long that the mixture heats up.  Pour the liquid into a nut-milk bag, metal strainer, pantyhose, or cheesecloth and squeeze out all the liquid.  Store the liquid in the refrigerator for up to a week in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.  The liquid can also be frozen for longer storage.  Drink about three ounces of the lemon garlic extract after one to three meals per day.  This does not taste good.  Deal with it.  If you have either of the contraindications mentioned in the previous paragraph, do not use this extract.  When consumed over several months, this formula bolsters the immune system and also may sometimes help the body shrink cancerous tumors.  This extract is not meant to take the place of medical advice from your physician. 

 

Dandelion Root:  In addition to being supportive of liver and kidney function and having anti-inflammatory properties, this herb also appears to be a potent anti-bacterial and anti-viral, and to be especially effective in relation to the influenza virus.  Here is a link to an interesting 2011 article in Virology Journal that covers this information well.  You should be able to either click on it or else cut and paste it into your browser.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265450/

One convenient thing about dandelions is that they are plentiful and can be found in diverse places.  They are hardy and their flowers, leaves, stems and roots are all beneficial, but the root has by far the strongest medicinal qualities.  If you do choose to harvest these plants from your lawn or elsewhere, be sure that the lawn has not been treated with chemicals or that the area is not located near a heavily trafficked road, since the plants will absorb toxic substances and then you will take these toxins into your body.  If you are harvesting this herb for the roots, the best time to do so is in the autumn, after the first frost, but before winter has set in, and when the soil is a little moist.  Harvesting at this time preserves the most beneficial compounds in the root, including inulin, which helps balance blood sugar and also helps support healthy gut flora. 

 

Lomatium:  Used by Native Americans to fight bacterial, fungal and viral infections, especially involving the respiratory tract, this herb was also reputed to have been used on a small scale to help combat the flu during the Great Influenza pandemic of 1918 - 1920.  Lomatium is sometimes used to prevent infectious illness as well as to help alleviate these illnesses.  This herb has never been commonly found, and now, since it is rare and likely endangered, only specially authorized people or organizations are supposed to harvest it and distribute it in tincture form.  Tinctures are alcohol or glycerin extracts of much of the vital components of herbs.  Most tinctures are alcohol, since they have a much longer shelf life.  If the alcohol content poses a problem, it is possible to put a dose of the liquid extract into an uncovered glass container with a wide mouth and place that in some hot water that has recently stopped boiling.  Let it sit for an hour or more. This will allow a significant portion of the alcohol to evaporate, still leaving the other herbal components.  A little of this herb can go a long way in producing a high quality tincture, and there are several companies that have good tinctures, including Herb pharm and Barlow Herbals.  Even though Lomatium appears to be generally safe to use, it should not be taken by pregnant women or nursing mothers, because not enough research has been done on it.  The herb apparently grows only in one small area of the world (the Pacific Northwest).  A side-effect, which occurs in about 10% of users, is a full body rash, which is usually red and itchy and may last as long as 10 to 14 days.  This rash is a one-time occurrence and is not dangerous; however, people who tend to get this type of rash might prefer to find another herb with which to work. 

 

This blog’s offer:  as always, feel free to call or email me with questions regarding the information in this blog, since there is much I have not addressed.  Stay well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                         Blog 107: Mid-Winter’s Gifts

 

Despite the cold, the snow, the bitter political climate, the pandemic, the fear, the social distance, the confusion, the mistrust, the financial uncertainty, and more, this and every mid-winter has many not-so obvious gifts to offer.  As a mid-winter cheer-up, I will mention a few.  During the cold, dark time of the year, people have more chances to be introspective, cultivate their creative imagination, and prepare for coming changes than at other times of the year.  

 

Since I practice Acupuncture and teach Qi Gong (Chinese exercises for health) to patients, I appreciate many Chinese cultural perspectives.   Taoist and probably also Buddhist meditation, when done regularly, for months or years, with a calm, focused mind, helps people understand who they are and also who they are not.  Since the new moon is the calmest time of year, and since new moons in December, January, and February are especially calm, due to winter’s contemplative influence, people have the greatest chance of truly beginning to know who they are as well as understanding and moving toward living fully their place in the Universe.  This embarking on self-understanding and living with integrity, is sometimes called the beginning of enlightenment.    

 

Russia is known for its dark, long cold winters.  Not only have they helped protect Russia from various invaders, such as Napoleon and Hitler, but they also have provided opportunities for writers, artists musicians, and others to cultivate their art more intensively than they would likely have done in a warmer climate.  The Russian culture and winter has produced great male artists, such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, and Wassily Kandinsky in the past, and more recently, many great female artists, including Bella Akhmadulina, Aleksandra Pakhmutova and Natalia Goncharova.   

 

Iceland is known for its cold climate and also for its remarkably successful governments, friendly people, simple lifestyles and prosperity.  A combination of cold climate, the fact that Iceland is a fairly small Island, and the policy of the country to not accept many new people as citizens has resulted in a population that is kind, peaceful, trusting, trustworthy, prosperous, or at least comfortable, and happy.  I am partial to the Icelandic people, and you would be also, if you ever visit the country.  I used to tell a story to illustrate the goodness of these people:  if you released your little toddler into a city or town, and taped $20 bills all over the child’s clothing, along with a necklace that gave your name and contact number, you would very soon receive the child unharmed, along with all the money.  That is, if an Icelander found your child -  I can’t vouch for the actions of tourists.

 

I could go on, but this will have to do for today.  So please make the most of this time of year, and count your blessings, no matter what difficulties we may face.  

 

This blog’s offer.  Feel free to contact me with any questions about anything in this blog, or any other previous blog.  Have a blessed mid-winter.