Pertinent Preparation Pointers For Getting the Most Out of Your Natural Health Appointments

I have put together some Pointers to help you get the most of your appointments whether “initial” or “follow-ups” with your Natural Health Practitioner or even your regular M.D., though some pointers are really only pertinent to a Natural Health Practitioner unless your M.D. prescribes natural remedies for your health problems.

1. Bring a food diary in showing what you ate for the last 10 days, include all meals & snacks and if you noticed if you felt any different eating certain foods or avoiding certain foods.

2. Bring your current supplements that you are taking along with any prescription medications especially to your first appointment.  You can then just bring anything new that you added in to your follow-up appointments.  

3. Bring in your most recent, even if it was 2 years prior, blood work & any other scans or medical diagnostic tests that you have had done to your initial appointment as well as any current results to your follow-up appointments as you get the tests done.  Sometimes it is easier to scan them to your practitioner before you get there so that they can have a look at them right before they see you.

4. Make sure you bring in a diary of your supplements or however you kept track of the supplements you took and if you noticed that you felt better or not after running out of them.  Ie. Sometimes it is easier to notice if something is helping if you run out of the supplement first and then evaluate how you feel.  If you feel worse after running out of a supplement there may be a correlation, but the Practitioner can determine this at the appointment.

5. If you are feeling quite well and most of your symptoms are gone, but are unsure of what to stay on as far as the supplements you were taking, then ask if you can have a shorter appointment time.

6. Once you have determined what is working I would then ask if you can simply pick up remedies that you need.  It is important to note here that buying store brand products that are cheap have very little health benefits & usually contain substances that are toxic. Keep in mind that Health Canada approves products on our shelves NOT because of good quality control…they do not even look at quality control…thus the same herb in different brands can be completely different and you will not get the same results. (Ie. It could be contaminated with animal dander, not the correct medicinal species etc.) If you go to a reputable practitioner they will often give you advice as to what to buy from your local health food store, if you don’t buy from them.

7.  If your symptoms have improved, but you still have the symptoms then make sure you make another appointment.  Keep in mind that the longer you have had a symptom, the longer it generally takes to go away…though not nearly as long as you had it.  Ie. A symptom that you have had for 20 years you may get rid of in less than 2 years, which isn’t too bad considering how long you have had it.  

    I like the car analogy.  If you drove your car for 5 years without maintenance you can expect to pay thousands on repair/maintenance costs.  Now think of driving your car for 25 years without maintenance…this is what a lot of people due to their own bodies.  It will cost you a lot more if you wait until you have symptoms for years, then go for help.  

    My general recommendation is to go for an appointment at least spring and fall even if you feel well, that way health patterns & changes can be noted and addressed before you become really unwell.  Another reason for going every spring and fall is to detoxify & cleanse using herbs to get at the deeper toxins in the body thus increasing the vitality of the liver, thus increasing your own vitality and wellness.

 Disclaimer:  This is for information purposes only and readers take full responsibility for applying these guidelines to their lives.

 

Kombucha Recipe

Kombucha is a fermented drink made from a Mushroom that grows in black tea/organic whole cane sugar & water.  When it is strong enough it will taste like beer without the alcohol.  The taste of this can easily be disguised by adding an unsweetened juice to your cup along with the Kombucha Brew that you make.  It is very good for your gut and will also boost your immune power.  Try some today!  Let me know what changes you experience when you drink this brew on a daily basis!  Here is the basic recipe!

 

 Kombucha

• 1 cup organic sugar cane sugar.
• 4 bags black tea or 4 teaspoons loose black tea 
• mushroom(I do not rinse it, I keep on reusing it until it gets rather thick, then I separate the older layers and throw it away or could give to someone else to use as a starter)
• 1 cup starter kombucha liquid
• 4 liters purified/filtered water
• use a large jar…Ie. Gallon size so mushroom has room to spread out.

Steps

1. boil water
2. add tea bags or loose tea to brew
3. add sugar
4. cool down, strain tea leaves or take out tea bags.
5. fill glass jar, leave about 1 inch of so room at the top .  Need 1 gallon jar.
6. add mushroom and starter liquid
7. cover with cheese cloth or coffee filter and secure the cover with an elastic.
8. I set it in the cupboard to ferment/or cover it with a box.
9. leave minimally for 5 to 7 days, I usually need 3 weeks, our kitchen can get quite cold.
10. some people flavor their kombucha, just add different flavour of unsweetened juice to it.

 

 

Fruity Lemon Water Kefir

1/  1 package of Water Kefir Grains that have already been activated.  (If you do not know how to do this, then please refer to the instructions contained in the box that held the package of Water Kefir Grains.)

2/  125 mL of Cane Sugar  (Organic Cane Sugar is the best.)

3/  1 to 2 dried figs (Can also be raisins, sultanas, dried prunes etc. Organic is best.)

4/  Half a lemon.

5/ 1 to 1.5 Litres of Filtered Water, it can be water that contains minerals. Ie.  Does not have to be distilled or reverse osmosis water.

6/  2 Litre glass container or two different glass jars that will hold 1 litre each.

7/   Coffee filter or cheesecloth & 1 elastic.

8/  Plastic sieve or strainer.

9/  Plastic or wooden spoon.  (Do not use metal spoons or bowls or metal anything when you make any kind of culture.)

Steps:

1/  Dissolve sugar in the water.

In the container, pour in mineral water and add the sugar.  Dissolve sugar using the plastic or wooden spoon or even better just swirl the jar gently until all the sugar dissolves.

2/  Add the kefir grains, dried figs or dried fruit of your choice and the lemon as is, do not sqeeze it yet.

3/  Cover the container with the cheesecloth or coffee filter and secure with an elastic.  (It should not be air tight.)

4/  Place away from sunlight and leave at room temperature of 18 C to 25 C.

(65F to 77F)

5/  Allow to ferment for 24, 48 or 72 hours.  For a stronger kefir, ferment the grains longer.

6/  Once the fermentation is completed to your satisfaction, squeeze the lemon.  (Use plastic tongs to get the lemon out of the water.  Do not put hands into the water.)

7/  Strain & separate the kefir grains separately from the fruit.  Store the kefir grains in a BHP free plastic container either in the fridge or the freezer.  When you want to make your next batch, just warm it up on the counter in your kitchen to room temperature…and start the whole process over again.

Benefits of Kefir are:

1. Helps to restore normal flora inside your gut.
2. Helps your probiotic to “implant” inside your gut.
3. Crowds out unfriendly bacteria, yeast and parasites.
4. Can get rid of “tummy aches” and pains in both adults and children.
5. Good for breast feeding women to take in regularly to increase digestion & prevent colic in infants.
6. Good for restoring normal flora after antibiotics especially when taken with a good Human Microflora strain of probiotic.
7. Helps to manufacture certain Vitamins like some B vitamins, vitamin K, enzymes etc.
8. Can help with hormone balance by crowding out the yeast.
9. Can help get rid of food cravings due to low normal gut flora.

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What you will need:

Digestive Health

1. Why do people get bloated, gasey and constipated?

The main causes are the heavy North American diet that most people devour.  What I mean by heavy foods is cooked grains & animal sourced foods like meat & dairy.  Some examples are; white bread, white pasta, white rice, hamburgers, steaks, pork, pizza, hotdogs, sausages etc.  Anything deep fried or full of sugar.

These foods are very heavy because they lack enzymes, vitamins & minerals used for digestion.   They are also hard to eliminate as well because they are low in fiber.  The stomach & liver become burdened with digesting this food and “food residue” is left in the intestines because it could not be burned “cleanly”.

Over the weeks & months this builds up in the intestines and impairs the digestion in the small & large intestines, because the food becomes rotten and turns into a “glue-like” substance-something like old gum on the sidewalk.  Hard to get off!  It clogs the delicate, finger-like projections in the small intestines and the body becomes auto-intoxicated because you will keep reabsorbing the toxins into your bloodstream causing the liver to constantly work cleaning the blood so you can stay alive without poisoning yourself.

Some of the symptoms of this malady are bloating, smelly gas, low energy after eating, dark circles under the eyes, bad breath, sensitive spots on the abdomen etc.

Some remedies for this problem are; a)  start eating “live” foods.  Foods like sprouts, raw veges, raw fruit, raw nuts and seeds.  b) do a cleanse which needs to include; fiber drinks with bentonite clay, herbs to help release the old “gum” on the intestinal walls, herbs for the liver & kidney and with the cleanse you must do juicing, skin brushing, colonics or at the very least enemas.  c)  do a daily fast once per week and to make it more effective do  skin brushing, but use a rebounder to really get the lymphatic system moving and drink tons of water with fresh lemon & cayenne pepper.  (You can do this longer if you like) d) Take enzymes with the heavy protein meals even with the vegetarian meals on a daily basis.

The main idea is to eat so you can digest properly by incorporating foods easy to digest while also clearing the intestines of the “goop” so you can also absorb what you digest.  Happy assimilation!

God Is Holistic. Our Medical System is not. Which will you choose?

God is Holistic.  When He created us we were created as one unit; body, mind, free will, spirit & emotions.  As this world became less than what it was intended to be, we have lost connection between all our parts.  But God gave us ways to ease our suffering until we see His face.  God created all the healing plants and the people who developed remedies from all parts of the earth like Samuel Hahnemann who created Homeopathy.

Unfortunately, our medical system is tainted with greed.  It started with the dissolution of the Eclectic Schools of Medicine, when a very rich family started putting their money into Medical Schools that promoted pharmaceuticals only.  This was because there was and still is very big money in drugs because they can be patented.  Greed has hit the Holistic side as well and you will find some remedies promoted for the sake of cash only.  It is too bad, but it is the way this world is right now and to get through it to make good health choices for yourself you must be discerning and find a professional to help you with the problem you have.   In fact, it is good practise to have more than one person on your health team.

The important nugget of information I want to get across is that drugs can be useful at times, with the exception of Type 1 Diabetes, most drugs should be used temporarily because they tend to suppress functions of the body and this suppresses the symptom or symptoms deeper int he body which will give you a new set of symptoms.  This is NOT a holistic approach at all.  This is SUPPRESSION.  In fact, did you know that the word ALLOPATHY, actually means to INCREASE SUFFERING.

Now having said all that, I will say I am not against drugs.  What I am against is the way our health system makes us believe it is “free health care”, when in fact, since we are one of the most taxed countries in the world…….where do you think some of that money goes to?  Especially when you consider that some drugs are marked up 3,000 per cent and it is covered by the government when this is given out in hospitals.

I believe we need health reform.  Not sure if that will happen.  But it can happen with you.  Take the time to find the cause of the problems you are having and if you pray about it see where God leads you.  Sometimes it might be pharmaceuticals, but many times “no”.  There is  a whole world out there in Natural Medicine that might have been discovered had the Eclectic Medical Schools had the money to stay open.  There is people like me that hold to their philosophy around healing you just have to seek us out.

Check out this article:http://www.planetherbs.com/history/what-is-eclecticism.html

It describes in detail Eclectic Medicine.

My heart goes out to a suffering world with huge medical expenses due to the greed of a few visionary people.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  We are the change.  We are holistic, because we were made as one unit…think about it.

How Iridology Changed My Life

Iridology changed my life.  But you have to get a well-trained person to look into your eyes.  I had at least 2 or 3 people look into my eyes over the last 20 years and it was the last person who took the time needed to actually discover what my genetic strengths and weaknesses are.  I really didn’t value Iridology until I had this reading done very recently.

You should get two major points from this blog post.  One, find a qualified practitioner who has good testimonials so you know at least 2nd hand that they are good.  Second, read up on your Iridology signs yourself so that you can understand yourself better.  Iridology is a good way to get to know yourself. Most of what you see in the iris is genetic. You will have to work with what you have since that is all you have! If you do,  you will have a more fullfilled life and a healthier one at that.

Think “quality” life.

I have suffered from some genetic defects since childhood and suffered from severe glandular disorders which caused terrible hormonal imbalances my entire life.  One of the off-shoots of this was anxiety and depression.  I did the counselling route including “cognitive” therapy and yes, it helped me somewhat, but I can tell you that I always had to work 2x as hard as everyone else because these imbalances caused negative thinking and it was not all psychological.  In fact, now that I have been feeling better than I have for 20 years, I can tell you that had I’d seen a good Iridologist back as a kid, I would’ve at least been put on some products to support the genetic predispositions showing up in my eye.

Knowing that I have a genetic predisposition…really was a relief.  My hormonal balances are genetic and I will always have to be on something to keep them balanced.  I suffered such emotional upheaval that I  was emotionally dependent and though I wanted independence I could not do it because I was not supported properly through diet and supplements.  Though my external life as a child was far from perfect, the inside life I lived was also far from perfect.

While going for counselling as a teen, the focus was on the external situation that I was in, which was completely out of my hands.  What I would’ve benefitted from more was going to an Iridologist and a Homeopath…both which deal with genetics, but in a different way.  (Homeopathy I will discuss at a later date.)  That way I could’ve been supported both internally and externally through counseling and/or group therapy.

Everyone has an Iris type and subtype along with various Iris signs such as; lacuna of different significance, lymphatic rosaries, contraction furrows etc., What it boils down to is where they are located and how the significance of the sign.  Also, the resiliency of the person is also apparent as well as the metabolic type.  It really makes addressing chronic health issues a whole lot easier.

What Iridology did is confirm what I had supposed all along, that I had a genetic disorder that made it impossible for me to reach my full potential until I had those areas of weakness addressed through supplementation, diet and lifestyle.  I have been using this knowledge  on all my clients more recently, since I was fortunate enough to actually take classes from the Herbalist who taught Iridology and read my eyes accurately.  I am very grateful to have received this gift.  I am happy to pass the gift of Iridology to all my clients.  Call today for your appointment!  403-276-5756

Gallbladder/Liver Flush

Gallbladder/Liver Flush.

Check out my new blog post!  Happy New Year!

Gallbladder/Liver Flush

There are a few myths regarding the liver/Gb flush or the Gallbladder flush as it is also called.  Some of the myths are; it is a cleanse, you will get stones stuck in your bile ducts, the stones that come out are really soap created by olive oil and your bile reacting together; it does not really do anything so just get your gallbladder out because you don’t really need it…the list goes on and on.

Here are some facts;  If you use the epsom salts as part of the flush that you are doing…this is the recipe that I recommend AND  you follow the directions of the whole procedure with the help of a Holistic Health Practitioner…then I have never is 17 years seen anyone get a stone stuck in their bile ducts.  I also have seen, and experienced myself, people avoid gallbladder surgery with this procedure.  AND though some natural health practitioners will say that “soap” is made with the flush and the stones are tiny and inside the “green pea” that comes out….I think though there might be an element of truth to this… the fact is that I have seen stones that are large and hard come out of a gallbladder that was removed from a patient..back in my histology days.  So I believe a lot of the stones are larger than what people think.

I can also tell you that in the 17 years I have done these flushes myself and counselled countless others to do the same…I have seen nothing but good come out of this flush.  People who had trouble with years of chronic constipation have been cured plus others, like myself, have avoided this needless Gallbladder surgery.

What is this flush anyway??  You may be asking this.  It is a procedure to “clear the bile pathway through the common bile duct” into the duodenum.  It is not a “cleanse” in the true sense…as cleanses involve using herbs orally along with a cleansing diet…and usually lasts for at least 1 week.  Cleanses involve at least 3 colonics over that same time period.  Cleanses remove toxins at the cellular level…the action of the herbs..and focus on the liver, kidney, lymph and bowel.  Other procedures such as skin brushing are also incorporated in order to intensify the cleanse.  The biggest point to take home with you is this; Cleanses clean cells, Liver/Gallbladder flushes clean out the bile ducts so that the liver can dump the toxins from a cleanse into the bile..the way the liver detoxifies..into the intestines to be eliminated.

Often the Liver/Gallbladder flush is done at the end of a cleanse, but I am here to tell you that…because it assists in getting out the toxins…I believe it should be done at the beginning of the cleanse and also and the end of the cleanse.

 

A few things to consider if you are contemplating doing this;

1. If it is your first time, consult with a natural health practitioner first.  There are some contraindications and other pre-cleanse procedures that need to be considered in order for the flush to be a success.

2. Have a colonic before and after the first flush for sure and maybe even the second flush.  Most people have to start with 2 flushes spaces out 1 to 2 weeks in order to get the whole gallbladder and liver flushed out.  Some even need to start with 3.  This can be determined when you consult with your Natural Health Practitioner.

3. Make sure you follow the diet recommended before the cleanse, it is mainly the day of…though if it is the first time doing it you may want to do the extended version which requires the lemon juice or apple juice for 5 to 7 days leading up to it.  For those that fast, they will fast on those two juices, for the many that do not fast, they can just eat a fat free diet for 5 to 7 days and incorporate the juices in between meals.

For the Gallbladder/Liver flush instructions please visit my webpage:

Click to access Liver%20and%20Gallbladder%20Flush%202012.pdf

 

This blogpost does not in any way take the place on consulting with a Holistic Health Practitioner and is definitely not meant to prescribe or treat or give advice.  It is for information purposes only.