Organic Vs. Conventionally Grown Food

I am looking at the January 28th, 2014 edition of The St. Lawrence Plaindealer. (Ok, I wrote this over 2 years ago... where does the time go? and never posted it.)  The FARM FOCUS section has an article titled: "Important to Properly Clean Produce." The last paragraph, in this short article, had this statement: The Pure Food Growers of America states that the average American consumes more than 10 pounds of insecticides and herbicides every year from produce.

Their answer to this consuming pesticide problem is in the article’s title:

"Important to Properly Clean Produce"

I have a few ideas of my own around this “just wash it off” issue.  Is it really just a matter of washing the produce well?  This sounds like a good plan, on the surface. However, when we think about chemicals and the permeability of the produce’s skin and the soil the produce is grown in, the actual picture looks a bit different.

Washing produce is a good idea but will not remove toxic agricultural chemicals.  While it may reduce the surface residue, any chemicals sprayed directly onto the food are absorbed directly into the plant.

Take an apple tree, for example.  If you spray that tree, the apples get direct chemical application and the ground around the tree is also contaminated with the chemicals.  The chemicals are absorbed through each apple’s skin.  Much the same process that happens if you were to put the chemical directly onto your own skin, it is absorbed directly into your whole body.

The chemicals that end up on the ground, around the tree, are absorbed into the soil. This is the same soil that the tree’s roots are in.  When the roots are absorbing nutrients and moisture from the soil, the chemicals also get absorbed.

Every cell of the tree, and all of the apples on the tree, are exposed to and contain these toxic chemicals.

This same process happens with root vegetables (say, carrots) growing underground.  Spray the soil with pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc., and the carrot will absorb these same chemicals right out of the ground. When that carrot is growing and taking in soil nutrients and moisture, it does not selectively avoid the pesticides.  The end result on the full grown carrot is not merely surface contamination on your produce. 

No amount of washing the surface of an apple, carrot, or any other produce is going to wash off the chemicals that have entered every cell of that organism.

Buy organic:  fewer chemicals and better nutritional value.  While organic foods seem to cost more, at the cash register, than conventionally grown foods, the value of organics cannot be stressed enough.  Foods grown organically, naturally, have higher nutritional values. Plants and other animals react to natural foods and natural living in the same manner:  their bodies are healthy and whole!  When plants and animals are raised organically, their cellular health is intact. This is the kind of food you want to put into your body; food that is healthy and intact, right down to the cellular level. Your body will be in better nutritional health when you treat it naturally with whole foods, grown without chemicals, and make the choice to live a whole health lifestyle.

Think about biology, cell regeneration, your internal nutritional savings account; all are good reasons to put whole, organic nutrition into your body.  You will save money, yes, long after you walk away from the cash register, by preventing disease and avoiding the need for invasive medical intervention.

Buying organic food is worth the price at the cash register.  What we spend now, on good food, will prevent us from spending money later on medical treatments.  To make organic food more cost effective: find local farmers and buy directly from those farmers.  You avoid paying all the “middle men” who are making money getting your food from the farms to the supermarket.  You can also find farmers who may not be USDA organic certified but adhere to sustainable growing practices.  This farmer will sell produce at a lower price than USDA certified organic food.  Ask; most farmers will graciously share their growing practices with you.

Environmental Working Groups' list of 53 produce items from most to least contaminated:  http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list/   Use this list to help decide what produce is best to invest in organically grown, if purchasing 100% organic produce is not possible.

Buy the very best food you can.

Bottom Line:

Building Muscle, Building Vitality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMqSvoW_qhU

A still photo clip from the above YouTube video link:  I use this zip line far more than my kids (and their tire swing, as well). So glad I did not grow up in this era of video games being more important than outdoor play! Playing outside is the zest of life and builds muscles!  Use it or lose it!

Ok gang, the season is upon us (this was taken just before the snow was all melted, Spring 2014) to get outside and move our beautiful bodies, build muscle, increase lean body mass, and just plain feel better and stronger inside ourselves.

"Why?" you ask, "Why Paula would I want to do that?"

1.  Muscle tissue is healthier than fat tissue.  Muscle cells, each individual cell, is more active than fat cells.  This means each muscle cell has a higher metabolic activity level. That means your whole body, with more muscle, will have a higher metabolic rate.

2.  Muscle is active tissue.  Muscle tissue actively moves fluids around your body, massaging blood vessels and body tissues as you move your muscles, helping blood flow and other fluids to flow smoothly and easily.

3.  Conversely, fat tissue squeezes blood vessels, having more of a collapsing effect on blood vessels.  If the blood vessels running through your excess adipose tissue are being squeezed, this makes it more work for your heart to pump blood through these vessels.  Up goes the blood pressure...

4.  A moving body, with healthy amounts of muscle tissue, keeps your body young. And seriously, who does not want this?

Looking for more reasons why exercise is good for you?  See below for my "Benefits of Exercise" handout I use with clients.

Easy ways to build muscle: (with no equipment or minimal equipment required)

• walk
• push ups
• reverse push ups (back bend push ups, you bet I do them!)
• power push ups
• pull ups
• chin ups
• yoga squat poses
• yoga arm poses

How's that for some fun muscle building poses to try out.  One just needs their body and some comfortable clothes that will move with you! Have fun building muscle and zesty health!

Love, Paula

PS  The Benefits of Exercise:

23 Great Reasons to ExerciseBelieve me, I have more if you would like to chat!

Exercise, coupled with whole food eating & whole health lifestyles, may be the closest thing to the fountain of youth. Not only does regular activity strengthen your muscles and improve heart and lung function, but it can also reduce your risk of major diseases, stimulate the growth of new brain cells and even add years to your life. Studies show just 30 minutes of physical activity on most days is all that's required to reap big benefits.  A simple walk that we start and finish with a round or two of push-ups and we are on our way to creating healthy fitness.

The range of health bonuses now attributed to exercise has surprised even doctors.  I am completely amazed this is not common sense!  We need research to prove moving our body, the way nature intended, is good for us???  What has happened to human beings' collective common sense???

Ok.... let's look at the benefits of daily exercise:

Keeps you younger than your actual chronological age.  Exercise boosts the amount of oxygen you consume during and after exercising.  This benefit of increasing oxygen consumption is how we increase our aerobic capacity and live longer.  More oxygen to the cells means healthier cells and longer cell life spans.  The longer your cells live, the longer you could live!  Every minute of good exercise and it does not need to be hard, pounding exercise, adds two to three minutes to your life!  Can you get payoffs like that with any other investment?  Aerobic exercise has also been shown to perhaps stimulate the growth of new brain cells in older adults.  Makes sense to me that it stimulates the growth of new brain cells in anyone who exercises!

Healthier, glowing skin.  When we exercise we increase our oxygen intake capabilities (see above) and increase our circulatory function.  This means blood, lymph and intracellular fluids all move about your body more efficiently.  The micro capillary beds of your face (really, your whole body’s skin) work at top-notch keeping you young and vibrant looking.  More oxygen and food nutrients will arrive at your cells and cellular waste products will more efficiently removed from your cells.  This means better waste removal both through efficient respiratory expiration and your fluid circulation.  End result:  healthier cells, including skin cells.  Your skin and whole body will glow with health!

Fewer asthma problems.  Yoga breathing exercises have .long been used to increase respiratory capacity and ease the symptoms of asthma.  When people with mild asthma exercise regularly and increase their  aerobic capacity and their lung strength, they can reduce the need to use their inhalers.

Boost the immune system and reduces infections.  Your immune cells work faster and more efficiently when you are a regular exerciser.  Those white cells rev up their aggressiveness against antigens entering your body.  A better functioning immune system cuts down on the viral and bacterial ills we pick up; cold, flu, etc.

Better blood sugar control.  When you exercise (and eat a whole food diet) your body will shed the extra pounds.  This creates a stable blood sugar regulation mechanism; lower insulin levels, lower and stable levels of blood sugar.  What a great way to prevent diabetes.  If you are an adult onset diabetic, what a great way to heal your body from this lifestyle induced disease.

Lessen your risk for cancer.  Exercise prevents constipation.  A properly functioning colon is less likely to develop cancer.  People with balanced blood sugars, see above, have less chance of developing colon cancer.  When our bodies are functioning well from whole foods, exercise and lifestyle choices, our hormones balance out creating a lesser chance of developing hormone related cancers: breast and prostate.

Fewer heart attacks, prevention of heart attacks.  Exercise raises your HDL cholesterol.  This is the cholesterol that is considered “good,” the cholesterol reading we want to be high.  Exercise is great for reducing inflammation in the body; less inflammation, less heart attacks, strokes and the resultant vascular health problems.

Lowers stress levels. Regular exercise reduces stress levels in the body, mind and soul creating calmer and more centered human beings.  We were meant to move.  Moving helps to burn up those “fight or flight” hormones in a healthy manner.  Exercise is a great remedy for relieving mild anxiety, frustration and depression.  Think of it as movement meditation, movement “medication!”

Better sleep.  A body that moves daily will sleep better for all reasons: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  Make it outdoor exercise and the fresh air and natural light exposure increases this benefit many times over!

Prevents and restores bone loss.  Moving your body keeps the bones healthy and young.  The bone cells lay down more new bone, preventing and reversing osteoporosis.

Stronger muscles, better flexibility and balance.  Exercise keeps your muscles strong. Moving through full range of motion everyday keeps your muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints flexible and strong.  Exercise creates balance in body, mind and spirit.  Yoga is one great way to increase your muscle strength while creating better flexibility and balance for ease of movement!

Better organ function and health.  Anything that makes your body stronger is going to make all organs, right down to your very cells, function better.  Better circulation means better oxygen and nutrition being transported to the cells and better waste removal from the cells.  This makes for healthier cells, organs and ultimately a healthier You!

Protect female and male health.  Full body exercise keeps your sex hormones balanced:  this means goodbye PMS and menopausal symptoms, hello healthy life!  Exercise to reduce and possibly remove the symptoms of: PMS and menopause.  Men benefit with lower incidence of erectile problems and increased overall “male” healthiness.   Pelvic exercises, called kegel exercises, help prevent reproductive and urinary organ prolapse, clitoral erectile dysfunction and urinary leaking in females; impotence/erectile dysfunction and possibly enlarged prostate which is a common cause of urinary symptoms in males. Women benefit as they have the same erectile tissues in their external genitalia.  Men, despite not having a monthly menstrual flow, do have a monthly hormonal cycle.  Regular exercise keeps this sex hormone cycle at top-notch function.  Because all body hormones and chemicals work in synergy, healthy sex hormones keep the rest of your body chemistry humming along in great health.  Got those walking shoes on your feet?  Heading out the door?

Weight loss and loss of belly fat.  We are back to the common sense thing again, moving your body, as opposed to sitting on the couch, will keep you naturally thinner.  The body was meant for movement, so it stands to reason it will be thinner with less belly fat than an inert body mass!  Forty-five minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning may actually reduce your food cravings so you eat less all day.  That is a healthy body bonus!

Reduces Inflammation.  Inflammation in the body is the precursor to chronic lifestyle diseases.  Reduce your bodily inflammation and you reduce disease.  See heart attack information above.

Regulates your appetite, reduces cravings, promote healthy digestion.  When you feel good from moving, you are more apt to want to accentuate these good feelings with good food, avoiding the junk. When you eat good food and feel great, you are more apt to feel like moving.  What a wonderful catch 22!

Lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, raises HDL cholesterol.  Trust me, you want this to happen!  Again, see heart attack information above.

Improve mood, concentration, nervous system function and memory.  Healthier bodies with healthier circulation means healthier brains for both intellectual and mood functioning!  See section, above, on lowering stress levels.

1. Your body will express its positive, healthy genes (epigenetics) when you exercise and eat 100% whole foods.  Whole Health lifestyles turn off the negative genes that cause disease.  Start flicking those healthy genes switches on today;  Get Moving!

Attraction.  Exercising makes us more attractive to others in mind, body and soul.  We will attract to us people who have similar healthy lifestyles.

Prolong life.  I think we are back to number one:  exercise keeps you young! Studies lasting many years have consistently shown that being active cuts the risk of premature death by about 50 percent for men and women.  You have mitochondria in your body cells; these are the powerhouses of the cells. When you exercise, you produce more and healthier mitochondria.  This means your body functions better energetically, your metabolism is higher and you live longer because of your powerful powerhouses!

FUN!  Exercise increases the fun factor in your life.  Do things that make you happy.  If running is not your thing, do not do it just because it is supposedly “healthy.”  Do whatever makes your heart sing.  Find several options that make you happy to move and mix them up.  Every day do something that makes you feel good inside and out!  This is your dose of daily fun that keeps you happy all day and night.  Remember the sleep and lower stress benefits of exercise?

Exercise with a friend or a group of friends and create community.  Healthy friendships up the fun factor of exercise and give you a positive support group from which to draw strength.

(Can you see how all of these benefits interrelate with each other?  Every benefit of exercise is part of the “web” of creating better health of mind, body and soul.)

*Adapted, revised and added to from Consumer Reports, September, 2007  and Institute for Integrative Nutrition Top 10 Reasons to Exercise handout

Need I say more????  Are you convinced?  Please, keep in mind that over doing exercise, seriously pounding the body from high intensity training is not the same as regular daily exercise.  Intense training,  the type of training that serious athletes do to compete in marathons, triathlon, etc., may actually age the body faster.

Get outside and move.  You get the added benefit of fresh air and natural light.  Your body will thank you in ways you can only imagine so let your imagination run wild (or walk wild!)!

Just a word from Garfield…… “I think that tossing and turning all night should be counted as exercise!” 

Healing Health House Parties

 

What better space to learn health and healing and start the process of taking responsibility for your health back into your own hands... in your own home!

Gather like minded family and friends and invite me over.  Together we create a Health and Healing Home Party to fit your group's unique needs.

It is as easy as that!

Workshop Topics:  (Feel free to create your own ideas and we will put together an inspiring, learning experience!)

1. Healing with Whole Foods:  What is whole food, why eat it, how to make changes in your life including the why's of eating seasonally and locally, and how eating whole foods will heal your body from the cellular level.  This workshop is the launch point for all work on healing. I suggest starting here.
2. Natural Foods Know How:  An information session on how to know what foods really are natural and not just marketing.  Real food not food hype.
3. Healthy Menu Prep: How to prep healthy meals for the week, how to shop for healthy foods.  Shopping and eating seasonally and locally.
4. Healing with Herbs:  Common herbs for simple healing at home, antimicrobial use, herbal preparations, adding nourishment to your lifestyle.
5. Herbal Preparation:  A more in depth and hands on class in making several types of herbal preparations based upon the individual or group’s desire to learn.
6. Gluten Free Eating & Loving It:   Many people find that they are unable to tolerate the proteins found in gluten-containing grains.   We’ll discuss the basics of the gluten free diet, how to do it in a healthy and easy manner, how to avoid hidden gluten and cross contamination, and cleaning out the kitchen of gluten products and flours.
7. Facial Rejuvenation:  Anti-aging based around whole foods, high mineral herbs, lotion, essential oils, and facial energy work.
8. Detox Nourishment Diets​​:  What they are, why they work, how to implement simple and more involved nourishing detoxes.
9. Divine Weight Loss:  Accessing your divine inner self to get past the "stuck" points and heal around food and weight issues.
10. Gut Health:  What creates and destroys healthy gut micro-organisms,  how to optimize diet and lifestyle for top notch gut and whole body health.
11. The Benefits of Exercise: Exercise provides multiple benefits.  Learn how simple, every day movement can increase your vibrant energy and healing in every body system, right down to the cellular level!
12. Proteins, Carbs & Fats:  What they all are, why we need them, and where to get them (healthiest food choices).  
13. Give Sugar the BUTT Kick!: What sugar is, forms of sugars, why so addicting, how sugar is damaging to body, how to butt kick sugar out of your life, ways to add “sweetness” to your life without adding sugar.
14. Perfecting Posture for Pain Free Motion:  Why, how, when…. In everything we do sitting / standing / mowing /vacuuming / etc.  Yoga poses to enhance posture, open space between vertebrae, proper bending.
15. Maternal Child Nutrition and Health:  My years of Maternity Nursing experience shine here as we talk about how to best holistically care for mom and babe during pregnancy and beyond.
16. Healing the Feminine Divine: Holistic health from the Wise Women’s perspective around menarche, infertility, fertility, birth control, menstrual products, female sexuality, pregnancy, breast feeding, peri–menopause, and menopause - "the Wise Women Crone".  Workshops are created for the unique needs of the group around these feminine divine topics.
17. Reiki Energy Healing:  Reiki Certification Classes: Level 1, 2 & 3
18. Chi - Life Force Energy Healing  Learn about the chakras, meridians, and life force energy in your body.  Learn how to access the energy through yoga, acupressure, massage, reiki, and other forms of body work – energy healing techniques to prevent and heal disease.

Gluten Free Apple Pie

Whole Grain Gluten Free Pie Crust

• 1/3 cup butter* from pasture raised cows
• 1 cup whole grain, gluten-free flour**
• 1/4 tsp. unrefined sea salt
• 1 - 2 tbsp. cold water (I use my local milk)

When making a whole grain pie crust, I have found it much easier to make it in a food processor.  The pie dough melds together really well and rolls out nicely.  I have tried many methods: fork, fork and knife, pie pastry hand blender, etc.  The best whole grain pie crust, for me, is made in a food processor.

I put in the flour, sprinkle the salt in, add butter in cold slices, and put the lid on. Turn the food processor on and drizzle the water or milk in through the top. When the dough balls up and is rolling about inside the canister, shut off the processor.

To roll the dough I sprinkle a bit of oat flour onto my pastry cloth and use the cotton sleeve on my rolling-pin. I bought my cloth pi making set at Evan's & White's Hardware store, Potsdam.

Roll out the pie dough and put it into the pie plate.  I make a second recipe for the top crust.  I have found it works best, for me, to make one crust at a time in the food processor.  If I am going to make a lattice top, like the pie above, I just make a little extra dough and make one batch only. (Approximately 1 1/3 cup flour plus maybe and extra tbsp., 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 2 tbsp. cold milk.)

Apple Filling

• 4 very large, organic Braeburn apples, or whatever your favorite flavor of organic apple.  I prefer Pink Lady apples... but they are expensive so I save them for eating and buy a cheaper apple for pies.
• Slice into thin pieces, leave the nutritious peels intact on the apples
• 1/2 cup unrefined sucanat sugar
• 1 to 3 tsp. pure Ceylon cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• oat flour, say 1/4 cup, to thicken the apple juice so the pie is not runny.

Mix apples with rest of ingredients.  Fill pie crust and top with 2nd crust or lattice top. Pop into the oven and bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes at 350 F.  Apples should be gently bubbling inside the pie, not running liquid all over the oven.

*I have been using Kerry Gold Butter from Ireland.  I am not thrilled about using something transported from so far away. Local food is better!

I wish we had a farm cooperative in Northern NY that produced butter from pasture raised cows.  However, I received a "tip" from Jessica Prosper of Prosper's Farmstead Creamery!  I just ordered (from Nature's Storehouse Wholeshare) 5 lbs of pasture raised butter from a farm cooperative in New York State:  Kriemhild's Dairy.  They are not in Northern NY State, but hey, they are not in Ireland either!  Thanks for the tip Jessica!

**I use mostly gluten free oat flour in pie crusts.  This one also had millet, quinoa, teff, and amaranth flours.  Then I added in a 1/4 cup of dark buckwheat flour.

The oat flour will make a smooth crust.  Add in the millet, quinoa, amaranth, and teff and the crust gets textured... grainy.  If you are not used to this in whole grains, I am just warning you!  The buckwheat flour has a very strong flavor.  Very yummy, but again, if you are not used to this flavor it is a big leap from refined, white flour pie crust pastries.  I find them flavorful, a true taste sensation as compared to white flour crusts that to me taste like baked wall paper paste. Enjoy the yummy, new flavors on your taste buds.

The pie is very yummy and full of whole-cell regenerating, healthy, whole foods. No refined flours and sugars depleting the health of the body cells in my home!   I encourage you to read and learn about feeding your body cells with whole food to prevent and heal lifestyle related diseases.  It is nature's plan!  

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