Junk Health Food

June 9, 2016 Paula Youmell, RN

My Advice: Be Wary... Be Very, Very Wary

I was inspired to write this after shopping in a health food store a couple of hours from home. I am a people watcher and a health educator. I can't help but notice the things people buy. The person in front of me at the checkout had a cart loaded with what I call Junk Health Food: [I observe from a space of love... wanting so badly to reach out and do some community education... but only when asked Paula, only when asked! :) ]

organic, refined, white flour bread and rolls
chips of every kind
natural soft drinks and fruit juice flavored drinks
organic, sugary cereals
organic pop tart™ type toaster pastries

Be wary of anything that comes in a box, bag, can, jar, etc. If it is a packaged food product, made in a factory and not your home, be a savvy shopper and consumer. Just because it is sold in a health food store does not mean it is cell nourishing food.

Goodbye to Plantar Warts W/O Chemicals!

June 3, 2016 Paula Youmell, RN

Are you pestered with nasty plantar warts? They can be painful, irritating little villains on the bottom of our feet.

Below you see my son's foot plastered with several plantar warts and a big cluster on the ball of his big toe.

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Here you see his foot with thin slices of raw, fresh garlic (organic and local, from Birdsfoot Farm, of course!).

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How these warts got so out of control you ask? They inhabited a teen's foot. He never bothered to tell me until the collection had become overwhelming.

Walking The Red Road

April 29, 2016 Paula Youmell, RN

22 years ago I was teaching School Health Education in the Syracuse City School District. The district graciously sent me "home" to a week long health conference at St. Lawrence University, Canton. I attended an amazing workshop presented by Ed McGaa, Eagle Man, Sioux Tribal Leader and purchased both of his books.

Now this was not my 1st experience with Native American culture; growing up 20 minutes from the Mohawk Nation and involved with the local lacrosse team, I was exposed to and aware of Native culture and philosophy. But honestly, traditional Native American spirituality is not something that was shared openly.

Over the past 22 years I have read many books by great Native American writers, healers, and visionaries. My latest book by Ehanamani, Dr. A.C. Ross, member of the Dakota Nation - Sioux Native Americans is titled "Mitakuye Oyasin." In this book, Ehanamani introduces me to the Native American principle of the Red Road.

The Sun Radiates Life Into Everything!

April 18, 2016 Paula Youmell, RN

Some Of The Sun's Awesome Gifts:

warms us every day even when we can't see the glorious sun (When you lift the corner of the cloud, the sun is ALWAYS shining."Eli, my 14 year old at 8 had figured this one out!), this solar warmth drives weather patterns
stimulates photosynthesis
stimulates Vitamin D production in your skin and many other living being's skin as well. Vitamin D is needed for bone health, skin health, mood health, immune health (think cancer, MS, metabolic disease-diabetes, & auto-immune disease prevention)
promotes the production of melatonin so you can sleep well every night and the production of serotonin so you fell happy & energetic during the day

The list of the sun's contributions to human and planetary health is a very long one. Without the sun... we would not be here; everything would not be here! It is time for some Common Sun Sense.

Organic Vs. Conventionally Grown Food

April 12, 2016 Paula Youmell, RN

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.

Mindfulness Matters - Mindfulness Makes Monumental Metamorphoses

April 8, 2016 Paula Youmell, RN

Yoga is my movement and mindfulness love. I have written blog posts* voicing my love of yoga and how it has created peace in my life, ended struggles around food and body, and inspires my daily work as a natural health educator RN.

I want to share the work of 2 wonderful women around mindfulness:

Shelby Connelly of Five Elements Living Acupuncture & Healing Arts Retreat Center
Jenny Morrill of 3 Marigolds Mindfulness Tutoring & Training Services

I could elaborate on the benefits of a mindfulness practice but I will allow Shelby and Jenny to do the honors. Visit both of their websites to see what Northern NY has to offer in holistic healing for you, your family, our kids and our schools, and our community. Healing one is an energy that works to transform the world at large.

Read on for Shelby-Jenny video & links to more mindfulness posts for your body, mind, spirit healing.

Natural Health Education Blog

My Advice: Be Wary... Be Very, Very Wary

Some Of The Sun's Awesome Gifts: