Healthy Living

Swine Flu Prevention                                                                                                     September 2009

For prevention of infections of H1N1 swine flu and H5N1 avian flu, it is essential to follow these basic tips for maintenance of your immune system.
Experts have let the public know that those in our population who are elderly and those with compromised immune systems should seek out swine flu vaccinations. With this news has come a great concern over the safety and availability of the vaccine itself. In my practice, I teach about health maintenance which essentially makes the unpleasantness of these shots and all their dangers unnecessary.

Here is what I and other natural health experts suggest:

Common sense things-
*Keep your hands clean and when they are not, don't touch your face or eat with your hands. If you've handled money, wash your hands or use a Hand Sanitizing Gel without alcohol or harsh chemicals.
*When in public, don't touch railings or door handles if you don't have to.
*Cough into your crooked elbow so that when you do have to touch handles and railings, you won't infect others.
*Refrain from kissing your friends hello and even from shaking hands. The fist bump was probably invented by someone who hates germs! Use that as your greeting.
*If you or your child is sick, STAY HOME!!
*Rinse sinuses with a neti wash pot and saline solution to flush out germs.

Dietary Suggestions-
Immune boosting foods are honey and bee pollen, garlic, onions and oregano. Cumin and Turmeric are very antibacterial as well, so if you enjoy these spices, feel free to indulge. Cook with these when you can. Stay away from processed foods and junk food.

Herbs for immunity-
echinacea, astragalus, elderberry, peppermint, rose hips, calendula, rosemary and yarrow. ALL OF THESE are in the Defender Immune Support Formula

Colloidal Silver-
I've spoken about Colloidal silver in the past, and it needs to be mentioned here. Before conventional medicine as we know it, doctors used to prescribe silver as an antibiotic and antibacterial medicine. It kills germs and stops viruses in their tracks. Silver is still used in hospitals today in the eyes of newborn babies to protect them from germs in the birthing canal.

Soldiers used to put silver coins in their canteens to kill bacteria that lived in whatever stream the water came from, and in Europe the 'plague' killed the poor and spared the afluent because they were eating from silver platters with silver utensils and they used silver tea pots.

So use common sense and take as many healthful, all natural precautions as possible. Take a good, food based multi-vitamin every day along with Omega 3-6-9 Fatty Acids, eat real food and lots of veggies!

                                                                Be Healthy!

Hug Therapy November 2009

It has been proven that showing affection strengthens growth and positive development in people. We all need physical contact to feel good, and one of the most important ways of physical contact between two people is hugging. Who does not need cuddles in this society that is becoming ever colder, more competitive, that compels us to be more individualistic, more personal-goal oriented...? When we hug, we receive an energy feedback. We bring life to our senses and reaffirm the trust in our senses. Sometimes we CANNOT find the right words to express how we feel, and then hugs are the best way to say it. We need four hugs a day to survive, eight to preserve ourselves, and twelve to grow. A hug makes you feel good. The skin is the biggest organ we have and it needs a lot of love. A hug can cover an extensive part of the skin and provides the massage you need. It is also a way to communicate. It can convey messages for which you have no words. We can always resort to the universal language of hugs. The Power of Hugs
Hugging achieves many things that you might never have imagined. For example:
It feels good
It dissolves solitude
It defeats fear
It opens the door to sensations
It improves self-esteem (wow, he or she wants to hug me!)
It encourages altruism (I can't believe it, but I want to hug that person)
It delays aging (those who hug age more slowly)
It helps reduce appetite (we eat less when we are nourished with hugs and when our arms are wrapped around others)
More benefits from hugs:
It is environmentally friendly (it does not damage the environment)
It preserves energy
It is portable and requires no additional machinery
It does not require a special place to do it (an adequate place to hug)
In any place such as a conference room, a church or a football field
It makes happy days even happier
It gives us a sense of belonging
It fills the void in our lives
It is still effective even after the hugging has finished
It strengthens and increases our ability to share
It harmonizes the hearts of friends
Hugging creates some form of addiction to tenderness, to altruism, to happiness...

Just as laughter, it is highly contagious! Whatever your hug may be, let it always come from the heart, not from the mind.
Come up with new ways of hugging.
Give your hugs interesting or funny names.
Become a full-time "hug therapist."
Be always ready to offer a hug to someone.
Observe the other person and always be careful of his or her personal space.
Do not try to impose your vision or philosophy on others.
A hug does and says very much.
Hug your friend, your loved one, your kids, your parents, your pet...

Seasonal Allergies April 2010

It's that time of year again, when the birds are singing their spring time songs, the temperature is rising and days are growing longer. It's a time for renewal and planning our warm weather activities. Unfortunately for some of us this time of year is fraught with itchy watery eyes, and sinus issues.

The holistic approach to wellness, with regard to any allergies, is to make it a practice to keep the colon as clean as possible. The little receptors, villi, that line the intestines, cannot absorb nutrients needed to build the immunities the body requires to protect itself from pollen, dust and other allergens. Even when the diet is rich in healthy, organic foods, if the walls of the intestines are covered over with impacted fecal matter, the nutrients will be wasted. A good detoxification program such as Spring Clean, by Blossom Spring, once or twice a year, will keep the digestive system in good working order. (read more about detoxification here)

Once you have cleansed the colon, here are some other helpful tips for dealing with pollen and other air born allergens:

The first, and simplest solution is to use a Neti Pot. I like to tell my clients, "If your hands were dirty and began to itch, would you go to the doctors office for a prescription? No, you would wash your hands. A Neti Pot uses this same principal. When allergens collect in the sinuses, simply rinse them out."

Second, there is a popular school of thought that if you eat raw honey from a local apiary, it will increase your bodies defenses against pollen. It stands to reason that because the bees have made their honey from the local flowers and trees, when their product is consumed, the immune system will have the building blocks it needs.

Another approach when dealing with unpleasant allergy symptoms, is to attack from the inside with herbs and vitamins. To alleviate symptoms such as itchy watery eyes and sneezing, try a combination of quercetin and bromelain. Derived from grains and pineapple, this all natural solution reduces inflammation and that alone will bring substantial relief. Some will also find that drinking nettles tea can be helpful. I urge you to never underestimate the value of a good, food- based multiple vitamin supplement. Maintaining your health is always easier than going head-to-head with illness.

We have heard other recommendations in the media such as, 'Stay inside and keep your windows closed' but we need the fresh air and sunshine; It is vital to our Spirit. So in addition to these physical measures, apply this affirmation: 'I am healthy and protected. All is right in my world.' Relax your body, get quiet and say this over and over to yourself. Your spirit will believe your words.

It is my hope that following these tips will make this season the joy it should be. Spring is a time of regrowth, rebirth and renewed hope. Do everything in your power to immerse yourself in it every day. May this season fill you with JOY!!

Protecting Your Physical and Spiritual Health This Winter

It’s that time of year again, when we’re barraged by images of cough syrups, tissues and throat lozenges. We know someone who has already been sick, is sick, or will be sick, and whether it’s the flu or the common cold, we all are effected by these seasonal afflictions.
What can we do about it?
During this time of year, there are several things we all can do to maintain complete wellness.
Eating right is different from just counting calories and watching your salt intake. More importantly, we need to make a commitment to put REAL food into our bodies to keep then working properly. Anything that comes from nature, can be planted, picked, or hunted is going to be recognized by your body as nourishment. When your digestive system breaks down a carrot, for instance, it will recognize the molecules and move them to the body parts that require carrots. Likewise, when you drink a diet soft drink with artificial sweeteners, your body will not know what to do with those molecules. They may be stored in fat cells, they may be eliminated, but they will most likely be sent to your brain. Why? Because the molecular structure of aspartame (Nutra-sweet) very closely resembles brain cells, and when they get deposited in your brain and begin to collect, the body begins to feed this collection of cells. This is the beginning of a tumor.
Drink one, eight ounce glass of water for every ten pounds that you weigh. When the temperature drops, we tend to drink less, which accounts for much of the illness we see in the cooler months. Water, not soft drinks or coffee, removes waste from the body, and with it, illness causing germs.
Getting out of doors is a key to good health. The body needs to be free of our closed in, germ collecting homes for a little while each day. Move and stretch your muscles by walking briskly, bringing in some wood for the fire, or tossing a ball for Fido. Breathe deeply and make a habit of appreciating the beauty that surrounds you.
Sleep eight hours a day to regenerate the cells of your body as well as your energy.
This brings me to the final, but most important piece of the wellness chain: meditation and attitude. When we meditate regularly, our energy levels rise, our blood pressure normalizes, and our attitude changes, sometimes completely. It is vital to our physical and emotional health to get quiet, breathe deeply, and relax your entire being at least once a day.
Negative emotion creates disease, and according to scientist Gregg Braden, author of The Spontaneous Healing of Belief and Walking Between the Worlds, research results indicate that negative emotion causes the frequency of the body to decrease. On the other hand, feelings of love, joy, laughter and other positive emotions cause the frequency of the body to increase.
Stephen Lewis, co-author of Sanctuary and founder of the AIM Program believes that if a person has an auto accident and doesn’t deal with the fear that it caused, within two years it will show up as disease in the body.
We are really being pushed to our limits these days. We all need time to remember who we are and get in touch with that inner person. Communicate with your Blessed Higher self to avoid illness and potential problems. You have to take care of yourself before you can care for another. How many of us do that?
The kids need us and our spouses need us, the boss, the neighbor, our friends and even our parents need us. We want to fulfill their wishes. The only way to do anything effectively is when we’re rested and in touch with our own needs and desires. If it helps to get you started, tell yourself, “You’re doing it for them.”
Spending time alone in your own head is necessary for good health. If you have trouble falling asleep at night because you just can’t turn off your thoughts, it’s because you are finally quiet and now and your Inner Guides want your attention.
Get quiet during your waking time, even five or ten minutes a day. Sort through your issues while you clean, cook, write, paint, walk, garden, or whatever it is you enjoy doing. If you’ve ever lost yourself while doing something you love; painting, playing music, or watching a sunset, you know the feeling of being in the zone. In this level, you loose track of time, you feel calm and relaxed and even happy. This is because you’ve been alone with your subconscious mind.
This is just the beginning. Get yourself into the habit of meditating. When you turn every thought off, you will start to “hear” your body “speak” to you about its condition. You can learn to “listen” to your body to understand what healthy feels like and, conversely, you will know when it’s not quite right.
When you are in tune to your inner self, you can begin to create health with your energetic self by sending healing, white light to any part of your body that seems out of balance to you. This is energy healing.
Stress enters your mind and Spirit when you begin to think about the things you need to accomplish later, or the things you didn’t finish yesterday. When you focus on the now you can relax. Choose something close and safe to focus on, like the swaying of the trees in the wind, or the beautiful face of your sweetheart. This is the power of the present moment.
Usually stressful thoughts begin to creep in when you’re trying to sleep, or when you’re driving in the car, and you can’t do anything about them. Not only is this a waste of time and energy, but it wreaks havoc on your physical health. During these times, simply change your focus to right now, breathe deeply, smile, and miracles will happen.
This is how to get in touch with your Blessed Higher Self.
There was a movement, two decades back, started by Louise Hay, when people began to keep Gratitude Journals. Anyone who continually journals will tell you the incredible difference it makes in their lives. Just jotting down some of the highlights of the day multiplies the effects of them, and knowing that you have to write something in your journal later, keeps you on the lookout for small miracles and good things all day long.
Do these things to stay well, and if you feel yourself coming down with something, increase your intake of herbal teas, such as echinacea, increase your intake of essential fatty acids (your 3, 6, and 9 Omegas), and take The Defender immune support tincture by Blossom Spring (www.blossomspring.com <http://www.blossomspring.com>).
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: While taking these additional measures, Affirm to yourself that you are doing this to keep yourself well, not to MAKE yourself well. The latter assumes that you are sick, and we really don’t want your body to hear that! The most important thing to do is to not dwell on it.
Thoughts have the power to become our reality, so think wellness.

Bonnie MacDade