Active Vs. Passive Medicine

                     Active                    Vs.                       Passive

Healing oneself takes an individual's active participation in the process. This participation can be physical (body), emotional (mind), or spirit work.  Often times, all three woven together into a beautiful Self-Healing tapestry is your healing magic in action.

We live is a culture that generally works from a space of passive health care.

One western medicine scenario:

1. Visit your practitioner.
2. Explain your symptoms, issues, challenges.
3. Have a prescription handed to you.
4. Go home and take your pills.

Rarely does a western medical practitoner ask you to participate in the process of regaining your health. Drugs and surgery do not get at what is causing your health crisis. Drugs cover up the symptoms. Surgery removes the damaged organs but never opens up space to determine why this organ is in a state of dis-ease and how can I change my habits to reverse the damage that has been done?  What is actually causing the symptoms usually continues in a person's life because no one asks us to take a hard look at what made us arrive at this space of ill health. When we do take this hard look, unravel the causes that led to the problem, we can then start working in reverse to remove the problems and recover health.

Examples of the "You don't have to do anything active about your health problems" scenarios:

• High blood pressure: just take this pill and it will bring your blood pressure down. 
• Type 2 Diabetes: again, take this pill and continue doing what you have been doing. Until, of course, your diabetes get worse and now you need to... inject yourself with insulin at least once daily.
• Joint problems: take this pill, come on in for a replacement... keep eating and drinking all you have been because like the problems above... these problems are not your fault. You know, it's just bad genes. Take this pill and call it a day.

I could go on & on... PMS, menstrual irregularities, infertility, arthritis, auto-immune disorders, cancer... Nothing you eat, drink, or do in your life has anything to do with the presence of this health problem in your life.

Or so we are led to believe by mainstream media, mainstream medicine, and mainstream agriculture.

Active Participation in your health and healing means taking ownership of your lifestyle habits; true Lifestyle Medicine. Lifestyle Medicine is Active Medicine. You are asked and required to take a participatory role in your health and healing. You are invited to make changes towards whole health eating and whole health living that will ultimately repair your body cells.

1. How has the food I have been eating over the course of my life impacted my body's cellular health?  (Unhealthy cells mean an unhealthy body.)
2. How are my daily lifestyle habits impacting my health, my display of symptoms?
3. How is my body weight affecting my heart, blood pressure, diabetes, joints, back problems, and overall health?

It is time for your health care providers to invite you and inspire you (that is right, health care professionals who activley participate in their own well being and are good role models of real health). Your health cae providers need to be asking you questions:

"Stand up people. Take a hard look. Where can you change habits that have contributed to this crisis in your health? What can you do to actively return your body to vibrant, vital health?"

Trust me, return to health is a reality.  You just need to get active about the process. Invite healing support into your life:

• Lifestyle medicine professionals (think Functional Medicine, Functional Nutrition, Naturopathic Medicine, Holistic Health Coach)
• Acupuncture
• Massage
• Reiki
• Shamanic Care
• Chiropractic Care
• Spiritual Counselor
• Osteopath who practices lifestyle medicine

So where does preventative health care fit into this?

There is a difference between mainstream medicine's view of preventative health care and "holistic - whole health care - lifestyle medicine's" idea of preventative health care.

Mainstream's Idea of Prevention  -  Whole Health Care's Prevention                                                            (Lifestyle Medicine)

• mammogram                                                                          whole foods
• colonoscopy                                                                            deep, restful sleep
• cholesterol screening                                                              maintain healthy weight
• prostate exam                                                                         yoga, meditation mindfulness
• bone scan                                                                               moving the body daily
• vaccines                                                                                  immune building lifestyle habits
• diabetes screening                                                                  good posture
• blood pressure screenings                                                      hydration with pure water (no chlorine and fluoride)

Natural health habits are preventative health care; TRUE preventative health care.

The "get your annual mammogram, colonoscopy, cholesterol screening type of prevention" (which often leads to your lifetime pharmaceutical prescriptions)  does not actually prevent anything but instead is an early detection tool so your symptoms of dis-ease can be treated, managed, for the rest of your life. This is management of disease through management of disease symptoms.

Healing, active medicine, needs to be part of this equation.

Active Health Care is about real preventative health care... choosing lifestyle habits that build amazing cellular health & vitality so you truly prevent dis-ease from ever darkening your doorstep and actually knocking on your door. 

If disease symptoms are already part of your life, Active Health Care invites you to heal your symptoms of disease. 

I invite you to become an active part of your own healing team AND I will do my best to educate you and inspire you (be a healthy role model) towards whole health choices and self healing! 

Join me at 5 Elements Living for

Creating Inner Wisdom: Your Personal Health Journey

Register Today

3 Class overview
• March 27th: Eating for Cellular Health
• April 3rd: Natural Food Know How
• April 10th: Wise Woman Nurse "Movement Magic"
for Digestive Health & Herbs for Gut Health

Monday Evenings 6-8 PM

More info? Click here.

Ready to join us? Register here.

The Path To Easy Weight Loss

Magical path in the woods

Yes, I said easy.

Before you click the X in the upper right hand corner of your computer screen and end this pseudo conversation (or before you want to reach out and slap me upside the head)... read on, add comments, and create a dialogue.

What is this path you ask? Mindfulness I say, mindfulness around your eating habits but more importantly, mindfulness around your life.

Mindfulness defined from Jenny Kenny Morrill (Colton, NY) 3 Marigolds Mindfulness Tutoring services:

Why Mindfulness?
Mindfulness teaches us to be present-minded and grounded in our professional and personal lives from a foundation of inner (my word) connectedness. A mindfulness practice involves a small amount of time devoted to re-setting.  This re-set allows us to be in the moment, make decisions, reflect, and communicate from our innermost - authentic voice.  

End Result: You make decisions based upon what is best for the growth of your higher self and the greater good not impulse based decisions to satisfy immediate gratification on some level or another.

Thank you Trillium Yoga for posting this Yoga wisdom picture on FB.

You have heard me speak of how my 16 year, daily yoga practice has created mindfulness in my life.  I also hope you have enjoyed my earlier post on Walking the Red Road... I remind you of these things, and previous posts, because I want to show you that all of this is within your grasp and you will start creating a healthier you (including that weight loss you have been intending on).

Pick a mindfulness habit that works for you and start watching your life look like this:

• Thinking thoughtfully around your day... "Oh, I have a big dinner tonight. I will mindfully eat very lightly the rest of the day to not over food, over stuff myself, in this 24 hour period.
• "Wow, that family celebration was heavy last night." Mindfully I decide to fast a bit longer today, skip break - fast, and breathe deeply knowing I am fine without food for a few hours more.
• You realize that hunger signals from the brain and belly do not always need to be immediately gratified. "Hey, I hear you speaking awesome body but I am going to pass on any food right now and I know I will be ok. This hunger pang too shall pass and I can wait until breakfast, lunch, dinner..."
• Working through the ending sugar addiction becomes a practice of self-love wrapped in gorgeous, mindfulness gift paper and ribbons. Gently reminding yourself:

                      "If I stop feeding the gut bugs that thrive on sugar and refined carbs what they want (more sugar and refined carbs) they, the sugar craving gut bugs, will die."

                      "Yup, starve the 'lil buggers to death. My whole food diet will re-establish the amazing gut bugs I do want in my digestive tract. These wanted gut bugs will not be begging me for sugar, they will not scream from deep inside my belly to run and find that hidden ice ' cream in the freezer or that bag of chocolate chips I hide from the family."

                     "Goodbye soda, other sugary drinks, and packaged refined foods... my gut bugs don't want you!"  

Seriously, have these dialogues with yourself and your gut bugs. Good inner dialogue keeps you mindful AND makes you chuckle (laughter is healing my friends!) as you move through your day on this magical path of mindfulness.

Use mindfulness to improve any aspect of your life, make those whole health lifestyle changes you have been meaning to, and support the kissing goodbye of all of the habits that are not cultivating your higher self or the greater good.

Need extra help?

• Find a yoga teacher and/or class in your area. Here in Northern NY: Trillium, Yoga Loft, Five Elements, Northern Light Yoga
• Call Jenny for mindfulness tutoring, see above.
• Try meditation: go to Five Elements Living and check out the offerings with Sarah Jane, check out the upcoming classes: Cultivating Ease & Liveliness
• More meditation in the Potsdam-Canton, NY area: Northern Light Yoga, Trillium Yoga, St. Lawrence University, SUNY Potsdam, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton
• Find what works for you in your area: tai chi, qi gong, tae kwon do, prayer, walking meditation...
• Read a book on yoga or mindfulness and teach yourself... then practice every day.
• Go to my blog page (hey, wait... you are already here!) OK, then just do this for some added loving support: in the search bar type in Yoga. You will get many posts on supporting your mindfulness practice. Now type in weight loss... yup, more support 'cuz friends, that's what I do... work to support your health and healing needs. I am hoping that a word or two of wisdom will spark some sort of change in you to help you find your natural path, find you, again.

BIG HUGS (filled with mindfulness of course) , Paula

PS... Hey, I just remembered, I wrote a book and Jenny & I wrote a book together to help you cultivate your mindfulness and turn your life into a blissful existence. 

Currently unavailable. I have a few copies and am working on a re-publish. Contact me.

Available on Amazon or from me

I wrote another book to help you navigate lifestyle changes to restore your natural health and lose that weight. See, I do have your back 24/7!

Order at Amazon.com

Join My Home Study Courses, The School of Self Healing

To Mindfully Restore Your Health From The Ground Up

OR

Start learning with Divine Weight Loss to taste test

how I can support your health.

Find your path and walk in peace.

Constipation 101

Constipation is an acute or chronic condition in which bowel movements occur less often than usual or consist of hard, dry stools that are painful or difficult to pass.

Generally speaking, humans should have at least one bowel movement daily, in the AM shortly after arising.  Some humans have bowel movements within a short time frame from each meal.

For others, things do not work so smoothly.  Having bowel movements every 2 to 3 days is not normal. What is happening is the solid waste material is compacting and backing up just above the level of the anus, in the rectal and descending colon.  See picture below.

Solid food waste moves from your small intestine, into the ascending colon where you see the appendix.  Solid waste then moves up the ascending, across the transverse (part of colon going straight across the lower abdomen), and down the descending colon.  When solid waste moves into the rectum, it stimulates nerves that tell us it is time to head to the bathroom. Solid waste then leaves the body through the anal opening.

When this does not work so smoothly, meaning things get backed up, constipation is the result.

Some Common Contributors to Constipation:  (there are plenty more)

• Stress: causes the body to tighten up, in the colon this makes it difficult for things to move smoothly,

• Refined foods: degenerate the body cells weakening every body cell and every organ system. A weak colon does not do it's job well. Refined foods lack fiber. Fiber helps keep things moving along the digestive tract. I can not stress enough...100% whole food diets heal the whole body.

• Water and hydration: lack of fluids in the body makes the stool hard and compact,

• Improper chewing of food from rushing to eat quickly and get to the next to do item (food that is not chewed well does not digest well, this causes constipation),

• Lack of movement / exercise: moving the body keeps the colon toned and working like it should,

• Lack of sleep: lack of sleep slows the body down, including the colon,

• Lack of fresh air and unfiltered sunshine: makes every body system function at optimal levels,

• Excess body weight: slows things down, puts compression / pressure on the digestive tract.

• Hormone shifts in the female's body. This is a normal result of the ups and downs of hormones during the course of a normal, healthy menstrual cycle and changes with the waxing and waning of the cycle. This is normal and will correct itself as hormones shift. As hormone levels change with our growth into our wise woman years, our body may also shift in regards to colon function. A hormone related issue to consider is estrogen dominance over progesterone.

• Position of the female uterus. When the fundus, top of the uterus, tips back in the pelvic cavity, it can rest on the colon. This position can interfere with the colon's function. Women who have a forward tipping uterine fundus can experience bladder symptoms (esp. late in the cycle, just before bleed time). Pregnant women know this bladder symptom feeling.

• Prescription and over the counter medications can cause constipation as a side effect.

• Disrupted gut microbiome.

• Position during the pooping action. Sitting is not a healthy poop position. See below suggestion.

• Pooping hygiene: making time daily to have a bowel movement in a time frame that works for your body. Are you a power pooper or a sitter?

• Holding your bowel movments in because you do not want to use public bath rooms. This dulls the nerve endings in the rectal area. Your body does not pick up on messages well because you ignore and suppress them.

• Magnesium deficiency

Action to take:

• Eat whole foods every day, every meal,

• Include bitters in your diet, think arugula and other bitter greens,

• Chew, Chew, Chew your food VERY well, even soft and liquid like foods,

• Move your body,every day,outside in the fresh air and natural light, (May I suggest Yoga?),

• Drink water and herb teas,

• Sleep and sleep well (If sleeping well is an issue, address the causes),

• Choose wellness to get your body weight within a normal healthy range,

• Move stress out of your life or change the way you perceive "stressful" situations... breathe, let it all go! Yoga, meditation, mindfulness activities are a key to good health and happy pooping action.

• Pay attention to your menstrual cycle. If you are at the point in your beloved cycle, when constipation bothers you, take extra measure to assist your colon in its function. Your colon and you will be grateful!

• Herbal medicinal infusions: these are longer steeped, medicinal strength herb teas. #1 choice is Nettles (surprise, surprise!), red raspberry leaf, alfalfa, oat straw, and red clover blossoms are all good herbs to make into an herbal infusion to add nourishment to body cells and keep the colon humming along. See information below on making herbal infusions.

• Drink lemon water daily. I know, I know, lemons do not grow locally in our Northern NY state BUT they help alkalize the body, stimulate the liver, and cleanse the colon. If you are constipated, a little lemon love is a blessing.

• Keep chlorine & fluoride out of your drinking, eating, cooking, bathing water. They disrupt your gut's microflora and your whole body's health.

• Take some high quality magnesium citrate. Pure Encapsulations brand. Take 300-450 mg at bedtime. See how it affects you over a week’s time. If you need to add in more, take another capsule in the AM. You could divide doses equally at this point: 300 in Am & 300 in PM. Do not waste money on cheap supplements, invest well in your body. It does matter.

• Grind organic golden flax seed or chia seed and take a heaping tsp. to tbsp. daily.

• Use a stool for better pooping position. Putting your feet up on a stool, or any stable object that raises the knees higher than the hips (think squatting in the woods to poop) helps to straighten out the rectum for straight shooting poop right out of the anus. Yes, you want this! The link back there has a fun video explaining this squat vs. sit pooping as an advertisement for a Squatty Potty stool. I just use the wooden stool my kids had to reach the sink when they were toddlers. Works just fine, repurposes something I already had, and saves on plastic purchases.

• Take a green food supplement. As you know, I am not big on "products" and truly prefer to nudge you in the direction of whole foods and whole health lifestyle choices. However, this green food supplement is 100% whole; simply dried and ground herbs and nourishing foods. Nothing added, nothing taken away. I recommend the SuperFood Plus in powder or tablet form.

More Natural Constipation Support

Yoga for constipation:

Daily yoga is a blessing for any health symptoms.  You will sleep better, feel better, and naturally want to eat and take better care of yourself. Have I convinced you to sign up for a local yoga class?  Get a book and start learning yoga at home?  I cannot recommend this healing tool enough.

Great video on yoga and relieving constipation!  And only 4 minutes and 42 seconds of your time invested!

http://www.melissawest.com/constipation-relief/

Acupuncture:    Try Acupuncture for constipation relief.  I can not recommend this enough.  Shelby's needles get things moving fast and help re-balance the health of your body to prevent constipation.  Fits right in with whole food eating and healing!

Whole Foods from the kitchen:  For those occasions when a 'lil extra help is needed, try this poop promotingprune - flax seed pudding:

• Soak 3-4 organic, dried prunes in 1/2 cup water for 1-2 hours.

• Grind 2 Tbsp. organic, golden flax seeds in your blender.

• Pour prunes into blender and grind, blend in with the ground flax seeds.

• Pour into a bowl and eat or let set for a bit and it will jell up.

• Optional: add in 1 tbsp. dark, organic molasses. Add in ground chia and/or hemp seeds.

• Caution: If you are diabetic, pre-diabetic, or have any metabolic disorder involving blood sugar control, do not use this poop pudding. Dried fruit and molasses are very high in sugar. Healing diabetes and blood sugar related diseases requires abstinence from sugar and blood sugar spiking foods.

Herbs:  Need a little more help on occasion, perhaps for travel induced constipation?  Try this Nature's Secret product but do not rely on it daily as a forever tool. Medicine, whether prescription or natural, should be a tool not a crutch. Use them as an aid until you have corrected the lifestyle habits that are creating the problem.

Breathe: Practice deep breathing from the belly to relieve stress in the whole body.  This will help release the strangle hold on your colon muscle so wastes can flow more freely.  See information below on breathing for health. Breath work is the core of Yoga.

Liver nourish and cleanse:  The specific actions to nourish the liver have profound impacts on colon health and regularity.

Massage your colon: Colon Massage

Sending Healing Love, Paula

PS:  I am going to start adding additional information at the bottom of my posts. This is in lieu of having you email me for further information.  Hope this makes the process of getting healthy easier for all!

Where I put these high lighted links in articles, click the link to go to other posts on my blog that help to reinforce the information here in this article.

Prune flaxseed pudding:

I used to soak 4 prunes overnight in 3/4 cup water.

Grind golden flax seeds, say 1 tbsp.

Toss prunes and water, flax seeds ground to powder, and 2 tbsp black strap molasses into blender. Dash of vanilla & cinnamon for fun.

Blend into slurry. Pour into dish and let set. Its jells up into a “pudding”

Eat some morning & night.
I made this as a natural method to maintain colon function during pregnancy and the rare occasion my kids struggled.

________________________________________________________________

Breathing for Health

Simple calming breath:  Consciously make your breath deeper, slower, quieter and more regular.  If you notice, when you are angry or stressed, your breathing is rapid, shallow, noisy and irregular.  Slow down and calm your breath.  You will calm you body, mind & spirit.

Just consciously making your exhalation deeper will make involuntary inhalations deeper.  This automatically calms the body.

Use this technique:  to take a break at your desk, sitting in traffic, before reacting to a negative or stressful situation, when having a craving for something that is not whole food, to relax to go to sleep

Healing Breath technique: To start, exhale very deeply.

1. inhale slowly & quietly, through the nose, to the count of 4

2. hold breath to a slow count of 7

3. exhale slowly and somewhat noisily through the mouth, counting to 8 as you exhale.

4. when exhaling, purse lips and press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, just behind the front teeth.

Repeat this for 4 inhale-exhale cycles 2 times a day. After a month increase to 6-8 inhale-exhale cycles 2 times a day.  Never more than 8 cycles, 2 times a day.

Remember:  Whole foods help your cells regenerate as healthy cells, not degenerate.  Better breathing brings more oxygen to every cell, again helping to regenerate healthier cells.  Breath deeply today to gain better cellular health for life!

_______________________________________________________________

Herbal Infusions

I recommend making infusions, not herbal teas. Herbal teas are when you steep the herbs for 3-5 minutes to enjoy the flavors of wonderful herbal plants.  Infusions are when you steep the herbs for at least 3-4 hours, covered in a quart canning jar.  I recommend steeping them overnight in the canning jar or the pot you boiled the water in, covered.  You can strain the herbs in the AM and reheat the infusion, oh so very gently to preserve the nutrients, or enjoy at room temperature.

Making Infusions:  Boil water.  Measure leaf and flower herbs while water is heating.  Use approximately 2 tsp. of dried herbs per cup of water.  To make a stronger medicinal infusion, use more herbs.  When water is boiling shut off and add dried herbs.  Cover and let steep for at least 15 minutes.  I make medicinal infusions at night, let steep – covered – overnight, and stain to use in AM.

If making infusions with seeds, roots or barks:  chop pieces as small as you can (roots & bark, seeds stay whole or you can gently crush).  When water is boiling, reduce heat to very gentle simmer.  Add herb pieces, cover, and simmer very gently for 15-20 minutes.  Again, I let them sit, covered, overnight and strain in the AM. Do not let this boil as it ruins the medicinal properties and nutrients in the herbal infusions medicine.

If making mixed infusions with parts that need to simmer and the leaves & flowers that do not, simmer parts first then turn off heat and add leaves / flowers and let steep, covered, overnight.

I recommend making a quart each night and sipping 1 cup, 4 times throughout the day, each day.  I usually make ½ gallon to 1 gallon at a time so I do not have to make medicinal infusions every night.  You can drink it cold (keep in the refrigerator) or you can gently warm.  Do not over heat tea , do not boil tea, do not every make tea or re-heat tea in a microwave.  Microwaves are toxic.

High Mineral tea: restores minerals to the body cells that have been depleted from refined foods, toxins, stress, and life as we know it!   Stinging nettles, oat straw, alfalfa leaf, red raspberry leaf are all good for helping with constipation (extra fluid from drinking the infusion is dandy as well!)

If tea bags are glued shut, do not use them in bag form.  To avoid steeping the glue into your tea, I suggest you open the tea bags and steep the lose herbs in a jar for 3-4 hours or overnight.  Follow the infusion instructions above.

Seasonal Allergies: Gear Up Now!

What would a healing post, from me, be without my favorite herb... stinging nettles!  It is my "go to" herb for all nourishing and healing needs.  Start with nettles + herbs specific for the health symptoms = healing equation!

Got allergies?  Gear up now to fortify your body before pollen season. (I know, it does seem like winter will never go away, here in Northern NY!  But, pollen season will happen!) This self-responsible, preventative health action will help to ease the seasonal allergy symptoms.  Breathe freely this spring, summer, and fall...

1.  Freeze dried stinging nettles:  Get to Nature's Storehouse, Canton, NY and purchase some freeze-dried stinging nettles.  Start taking them now to calm and heal your immune system and relieve the seasonal pollen allergies.  

2.  Local, raw honey.  Start eating 1/2 to 1 teaspoon two times daily, now.  Local, raw honey will acclimate your body to the local allergens before they bloom and blossom. This local honey will help to relieve or even rid your seasonal pollen allergies.

3.  Herbal Formula:  Herbs Etc. is a great company.  I use many of their formulas in healing ways with friends, family, and clients.  They work!

Allertonic® Enhances healthy inflammatory responses of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Stabilizes mast cell walls and fixed antibodies found in the eyes and respiratory system, keeping the tissues calm. Normalizes secretion of the respiratory system, liquefies mucus, stimulates its removal from the lungs, and keeps pulmonary tissues hydrated.

Ingredients: Fresh Stinging Nettle herb, Licorice root, Eyebright herb, Horehound herb, Osha root, fresh Horsetail herb, fresh Mullein leaf, Elecampane root, and fresh Plantain leaf.

Suggested Use:

Acute: Take one soft gel or 40 drops with water every two to three hours until comfort is achieved or as directed by your health care professional. Noticeable comfort is attained within the first or second day. Switch to ongoing use.

Ongoing: Take one soft gel or 40 drops with water three times a day.

Proactive: Two months prior to seasonal challenges, take one soft gel or 40 drops with water twice a day.

4.  Yes, you can use all three of these natural, allergy relief "foods" as a preventative measure.  Start now, before the snow melts!

5.  Whole foods:  I would be seriously amiss as a whole food, holistic healer if I did not tell you that the foods you put into your body, every time you eat, affect the way you feel.  Eat crap, feel like crap!  If you over load your body with packaged, factory made foods, you overwhelm your immune system (actually, you overwhelm your whole body, every body cell!).  Your immune response to allergens in the seasonal air will be seriously heightened if your body is already overwhelmed by crap food.  Eat whole, love your body cells!

6.  Liver Nourishment:  As I write this post, I have a draft post on liver nourishment, ready to go.  Be looking for it.  Keeping the liver healthy will cut down on seasonal allergy symptoms.

7. Acupuncture: is an excellent healing tool in the seasonal allergy toolbox. Give Five Elements Living a call if allergy relief is in your plans!

PS:  I can order any product from Herbs Etc. for you.  Check Nature's Storehouse OR the Potsdam Food Coop for a similar product.  Compare the ingredients as many herbal companies make allergy relief herbal combinations.

Need Help? Not sure about herbal healing foods:  what to take, how to take it, when to take it, etc?  As a Certified Herbalist, I can help with this!  Give me a shout.

Arthritis: Cooling the Inflammation Naturally

Support to move into a whole food eating & healing lifestyle.

Dietary Changes:  

1. Ok, here I go.... whole foods.  

If you replace everything you put in your mouth that is not 100% whole food with real food, whole food, your body will heal.  It is really that simple.

I could give much more information but making changes, one simple thing at a time, is easiest for most people.  Changing the diet from processed, packaged, food "products" to 100% whole food is a huge change for most people.  Seriously think about what you eat for each meal and snacks, if you snack: How many food items are manufactured in a factory?  How many were created by nature and nature alone (no human meddling)?

2. While switching to whole foods, remove wheat and gluten from the diet.  

By removing all these packaged foods from your life, you will be removing many laboratory made ingredients that are derived from wheat.  Many food additives are made from wheat and therefore contain gluten.  You will not read "wheat" on the label but the ingredients with weird, chemical sounding names, more than likely are wheat derived and contain gluten.  Eat un-packaged food!  

I know many people have complete relief of symptoms by getting gluten out of their diets.  This is not as hard as people "groan and moan" it is going to be.  People need to educate themselves around gluten and with this new found knowledge, avoiding gluten is not so difficult.  Where it gets difficult is we have become a culture dependent on food products and eating away from home (which most food in restaurants is cheap, crap food; use the cheapest ingredients to make the most profit possible).  Food products and food prepared out of home is often times full of wheat derivatives.   For help:  Gluten-Free Cooking & Living Class

3. Another key step in whole food, gluten-free eating is to avoid gluten-free products.  

Most are full of filler crap ingredients that are debilitating to health.  You will be, in essence, trading one debilitating food for another.  Read labels on all foods, gluten-free included, for 100% whole food ingredients. All gluten free foods need to be 100% whole food: no white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, etc. These are refined ingredients and hard on your body's health.

OK, so why remove gluten?  Because it is very inflammatory in most people's bodies.  Modern day wheat is extremely high in gluten compared to heritage wheat of days gone by, the wheat that existed before human manipulation.  The high concentrations of gluten in modern wheat disturb metabolism and cellular health, some people notice it more than others.  How gluten affects each person is different.  What is known is that gluten is a huge culprit in arthritis and many people are relieved of arthritis symptoms simply by getting rid of gluten.  Eat completely gluten-free for 2 weeks, see how you feel.  If any doubts about it helping or not, try this:  after 2 weeks of gluten-free eating, eat plenty of wheat at every meal for a whole day.  Pile on the whole wheat bread, pasta, crackers, and cereal.  Now pay attention to how your body feels!

Bread was traditionally made from sprouted whole grains and then fermented for 3 full days with sour dough cultures. The amount of gluten left after sprouting and culturing was very minimal. Today's bread is mass produced in a matter of a couple of hours. There was good reasons for traditional food preparation.

Gluten is naturally found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats*.  Any variety of wheat will contain gluten:  spelt, kamut, einkorn... anything that says heritage wheat variety.  Yes, they have less gluten but at this point, with an auto immune disease, any amount of gluten will just exacerbate the internal inflammation.

Think lung disease:  how many daily cigarettes would you recommend to someone with lung disease?

Think liver disease:  how many shots of liquor would you recommend to someone trying to heal liver disease?

Think diabetes:  how much sugar would you recommend to someone trying to heal the beta cells in their pancreas and ultimately heal their type II diabetes?

Would you tell these people to do the 80/20 plan with their cigarette, alcohol, or sugar consumption? 

Eliminating the "culprits," (the cause or causes of the health symptoms) and introducing nourishing healers (food, lifestyle, herbs, etc.) is what will heal your beautiful body, right down to each and every beautiful cell!

*Avoid oats unless certified gluten-free and organic. Oats do not naturally contain gluten.  If whole oats, oat flakes, Irish oats, or oat flour are CERTIFIED gluten-free, then they are fine.  Gluten-free certification is essential with oats.  Otherwise, you are consuming oats that have been contaminated with gluten in the grain harvesting and handling process.  Oats are processed on the same equipment that wheat is processed on. This industry practice contaminates oats with gluten from the wheat.

All grains should be organic to avoid pesticides and agricultural chemicals that will, most likely, exacerbate your symptoms. Glyphosate (broad spectrum herbicide brought to you by Monsanto) is hard on the gut lining's health, disrupts gut microbial populations, and creates inflammation in the body. 

4. Get rid of sugar:  

A whole food diet will take care of that problem immediately. Perhaps some educational handouts around the ill effects of sugar would help out here?  Email me and ask for my sugar handouts: pyoumell@gmail.com

5. Dairy:

Often people have much relief from arthritis symptoms when they completely avoid dairy. Some people do well to re-introduce dairy after weeks of eliminating it IF the dairy is raw and from grass fed animals. This means no pasteurization or homogenization. Others do well to re-introduce only raw, grass fed goat milk and goat milk products (cheese, yogurt).

6. Alkalize the body:  

The human body likes to function in a slightly alkaline state.  When the body struggles to balance from acidic eating and lifestyle habits our health suffers: mineral loss causing tooth decay and bone de-mineralization and deterioration of body organs, body cells.

Below is a chart on acid and alkaline foods.  Eating in a balanced way, to keep the body alkaline, helps to heal, including arthritis. Example:  Eat veggies with meat to balance the acid-alkaline effects.  This is only a quick explanation of acid-alkaline balancing.  I encourage you to explore and learn more.

A youtube video with a good, basic explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk1ru_CJt2k (Forgive the couple of misspelled words, the content is what counts here.)

7. Movement Magic:  

Movement is essential.  Move it or lose it.  Try something called dynamic movement which helps to heal the adhesions that settle in from moving body parts in one direction only. Can I recommend Yoga?

Lisa Huck: I cannot recommend this woman enough:  her exercises will restore youthful movement in just minutes a day by lubricating (listen to her awesome words in the video).  I stumbled upon her (thanks to Dr. Mercola) and her dynamic movements have ended my sciatica and low back issues (which were not low back issues at all, but movement issues!).  She is the Goddess of Movement, my Goddess of movement!

http://thrivefnlblog.com/2012/04/16/dynamic-core-routine/

8. Herbal Healing:  

Herbs are fabulous whole foods for healing the body.  I would add these in AFTER you have had gluten out of your diet for at least 2 weeks.  This way, you can see the effects getting gluten out has on getting healing into your body!  You do want to know what is having the healing effects!

My favorite herb:  Stinging nettles, I love this green healer.  Her work is truly magic in the human body. Nettles adds nutrients to every body cell.  This is what you want for your body!

 Nettles:  planted right next to my porch so I always know I have a supply!

9. More herbs to add for nourishing the body cells, easing symptoms of inflammation, and healing:

ginger, turmeric, cinnamon*, cayenne, and Devil's claw. (*Please use real Ceylon cinnamon, not the grocery store variety of cinnamon.)

Turmeric Ginger Anti-inflammatory syrup recipe

Turmeric butter, anti-inflammatory butter recipe

10. Burdock root and dandelion root:  

Nourishing the liver and adding essential fatty acids to the diet heals the body.  Both of these roots can be eaten in soups, stir fries, stews, and grated (raw) into a slaw salad or grated to put on top of a green salad.  Making an infusion and drinking 3 to 4 cups  daily is healing as well. An infusion is a medicinal strength herbal tea.  Need help on how to brew an infusion?

11. Nature's Path:  

Find that place outside and get fresh air and sunshine (even on cloudy days) every day. Visualize a potted plant, shoved in the bottom of a closet, no fresh air or sunshine.  What do you think will be the outcome for that plant?  Put this common sense in action in your life.  All living beings need fresh air and sunshine, period, bottom line!  Embrace it, love it, find time every single day.  I promise, you will not regret it.

Putting your body in direct contact with the Earth is called Grounding. Think bare feet walking on a sunny day, cloudy day, even a rainy day. Try removing as much clothes as possible and lie right down on the ground getting as much Earth contact as possible.

Below zero and snow you say? There are Grounding mats you can buy. I will not profess any knowledge or experience around these things as I have never used them. I have clients who swear by them for relief of body aches and pains. 

12. Acupuncture:  

I would be horribly remiss if I did not tell you about the healing powers of acupuncture to reduce inflammation and move healing energy in the body.  I recommend Shelby Connelly, Licensed Acupuncturist in Colton, NY:  http://fiveelementsliving.com/

Not in the Northern NY State area?  Find an acupuncturist from Tai Sophia, Maryland University of Integrative Health.

13. Yoga:  

Does amazing things for healing!  Find a yoga instructor knowledgeable in arthritis health and healing.  Here in the Northern part of NY State, St. Lawrence County... I recommend Rebecca Rivers, Ellie Beeler, and Sarah Harris.  Try the Yoga Loft & Trillium!

14. Reiki Energy Healing:

Find a Reiki practitioner to help bring calming relief to your body, mind, and spirit. I often recommend people take Reiki 1 training to learn to do Reiki healing on themselves.

Bottom Line:  

1.  Whole foods

2.  Gluten-free eating, maybe grain free

3. Sugar free eating & drinking

4.  Move your body

5.  Fresh air & sunshine

6.  Herbs

7.  Acupuncture and energy healing

8.  Yoga

9. Reiki

May this post inspire you to move forward in your life, to take self-responsibility for healing your own body. You know your body best and what it needs to heal.

Be well, relax, learn to heal your beautiful body through nature!  If I can help you with your healing plan, you know where to find me. Contact Paula

PS  Need some words of love & encouragement from happy clients & students?

Free Natural Health-Lifestyle Medicine Information to further encourage your Self Healing Skills:  

• Principles of Whole Food Eating  (Whole foods are the foundation for your healing plan.)
• Movement Magic
• Whole Health Lifestyle Choices
• Making Herbal Infusions
• Bone Health
• Making any recipe a Whole Food Recipe
• Microwave ILLS
• Gut Health
• Keeping blood sugar healthy
• Cook like a kitchen artist!
• Clean 15, Dirty Dozen list from Environmental Working Group
• Recipes