Good Quality Snot Stops Infections

Simply using herbs that tend to “moisten” mucus membranes can be your friend this fall. With dryer air in the places with a lot of dryness, like Calgary, Alberta plus spending more time indoors with forced-air furnaces, this is extremely important. As you can keep yourself from getting respiratory infections by simply having a proper mucus layer in your nose.

Moist mucus, the “clear” type is ever so important to keep the foreign invaders out so that when you breath a virus into your nose for instance the immune system can go after the foreign invader ASAP. Dried mucus in your nose means viruses can get in because the immune system cannot “get to” the virus since there is no “fluid” for the pathogens to get stuck in…not to mention they are easier to blow out of your nose when the mucus is moist and wet…and clear. Green or yellow mucus means you have an infection.

Here is an excerpt from a medical journal National Library of Medicine: Cell Host Microbe. 2016 Feb 10;19(2):159-68. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2016.01.001

“The interaction between respiratory pathogens and their hosts is complex and incompletely understood. This is particularly true when pathogens encounter the mucus layer covering the respiratory tract. The mucus layer provides an essential first host barrier to inhaled pathogens that can prevent pathogen invasion and subsequent infection. Respiratory mucus has numerous functions and interactions, both with the host and with pathogens.”

Further more;

“The classical roles of respiratory mucus are to maintain the hydration of the respiratory tract and to act as a protective barrier against the external environment by trapping particulate matter, including pathogens. Trapped matter can then be expelled from the airways by mucociliary clearance, the rhythmic beating of cilia bundles on the airway epithelium. It is now clear that this classical model is not complete and that mucus is a complicated, multi-component secretion with numerous functions. The functions of respiratory mucus now include immune response regulation, the presentation of molecules that are inhibitory to pathogens, the regulation of cell differentiation and proliferation and the maintenance of the barrier function of the epithelium.

Respiratory tract mucus is the first interaction that inhaled agents have with a potential new host. Accordingly, this mucus layer can determine the infectivity, and potentially the transmissibility, of respiratory pathogens etc.”

There are 2 big things that help keep your mucus of high quality and they are;

1. Purified water…drink up to 3 litres per day depending on your size. 25 mL of water per Kg of body weight. This keeps the mucus membranes from drying out everywhere in the body. (Drink water with minerals in it unless you have a condition that requires you to drink R/O water or distilled water.)
2. Diet low or lower in mucus. This means avoiding or limiting dairy, soy, wheat, and other gluten-rich foods. This means you will not have “excess” mucus to deal with which can clog your sinuses and nose which is not good quality snot.

Basically, you want a “moist” nose and sinuses so that your first “barrier” to the world of microbes is in tact, so that you stop it from “getting in.”

Some herbs to help you do that are;

1. Marshmallow root in a capsule form or tincture, though I find the capsules are better and you usually only need 1 or 2 per day to accomplish a moister mucus membrane.
2. Fenugreek in capsule form, the tea can be good, though I don’t like the flavour of it. Again usually 1 or 2 capsules per day are usually required.
3. Licorice root capsules or 1:1 tincture. Do not use if you have high blood pressure. Dosage 1 or 2 capsules per day or use 10 drops of a 1:1 tincture.

Other helpful tips to create great snot:

1. Rinse nasal passages with salt water to remove dried mucus and keep sinuses clear.
2. Rinse with a herbal solution containing Yerbe manse. (I make up the formula as required to help get rid of infections and moisten directly.)
3. Rub your forehead with a Lavender/Eucalyptus essential oil blend or you can also use Rosemary in the blend as well.
4. Use a drop of Peppermint Essential Oil on the back of your hand, lick it off…it will clear your sinuses and give your throat a nice cool feeling…it can be a bit of a shock when you use this as it can be strong…but it is good to do and has some anti-microbial activity as well.

With all this Covid 19 craziness going on it would be advisable to take care of your snot!

Disclaimer:

This article was written for information purposes only, not to diagnose or treat and does not replace proper medical treatment when required. Please see a Professional Registered Herbalist or another licensed Natural Health Practitioner of your choice.

Tips to Increase Your Energy

 1. Remove all white flour, white sugar and white rice from your diet.  Replace 

with whole grain flour, whole grain sugar cane and brown rice….according to your ABO blood type.

2. Eat the “beneficials” off your blood type chart.

3. Food combine.  Proteins and veges.  Starches and veges.  For more information read about it in the “Body Ecology Diet” book.

4. Drink hot water with fresh lemon squeezed into it.  It helps to unclog the liver.

5. Do a liver/gallbladder flush after doing a series of colonics.

6. Do a liver cleanse with herbs and a series of colonics to flush out the toxicity from your body.

 7. Use fiber drinks and bowel tonic herbs to increase your elimination.

 8. Eat raw veges at lunch and at dinner.

 (compatible with your blood type.)

 9. Juice vegetable juices and drink 2 to 4 – 8 oz glasses daily.

 10. Drink wheatgrass juice in lemon water or in unfiltered, organic apple juice.

 11. Go on a cleansing diet of raw vegetable juices and raw vegetable salads with lots of green veges and sprouts…do for 4 to 10 days if you can.  Come off of it with light proteins.

 12. Drink non-chlorinated water.

 13. Have a bath with 35% hydrogen peroxide in it….soak at least 30 minutes.

 

Allergies

Allergies

       After a long hard winter in Alberta spring comes and we are waiting for it!  For those with allergies, there may be a mixed reaction to spring.  I will explain how I think allergies should be approached without having to resort to antihistamines.

       There are 2 types of allergies.  One is what I call “toxic allergies” and “true allergies”.  The first type relates solely to the liver.

       Spring is “liver” time, so that when you have allergies in the spring they are always improved by cleansing the body which involves the liver, or the “blood filter” of the body.  This type of therapy is called “Blood Purification.”

       This can be accomplished by going on a cleansing diet with nothing but whole, raw foods (veges & fruit) to doing a juice fast with veges & fruit and herbs that cleanse the liver & blood. In both cases cleansing the colon is important.

       The way this works is; when you cleanse your body you are cleansing your blood and liver which will remove toxins from your mucus membranes which make your allergic response either disappear or not as reactive.  A clogged liver and colon means a clogged nose/sinuses!

Cleansing in the spring is for everyone, not just for those with allergies.  But if you do have allergies it is much better to get the toxins out than to “suppress” the symptoms with anti-histamines since one of the ways toxicity shows up is through allergies.  Histamine will also disappear with proper water intake.  The average person needs 2 to 4 liters of purified, alkaline water per day.  Some allergies are simply dehydration!

      I have seen severe allergies disappear with a “heavy metal cleanse” or by simply using some herbal allergy formulas, allergies have been kept at bay without going on antihistamines.  Sometimes simple herbs like Licorice (avoid in high blood pressure) can be helpful, but most often a formula is required and it is individual. The one food that causes a lot of allergies is dairy products and wheat, so avoiding these two items can be very helpful in eliminating allergies of all kinds.

      The “true” allergies are usually best treated with homeopathic remedies.  These allergies will be apparent when you are done cleansing and will be allergies like; horse, cat, hay fever type allergies.  Most chemical allergies are from Candida overgrowth and leaky gut which requires a whole other program of gut healing.  But the simple pollen allergies can often be addressed with homeopathic remedies or sometimes even using pollen in very small amounts can help build your tolerance up to pollens in the air.  Do this with caution and NEVER do this if you have anaphylactic reactions.

      Grass allergies can often be dealt with with “Green” powders that contain grasses like Barley Grass & Wheat Grass etc.  Again, start small and go up to where you can tolerate a larger amount.  These formulas will often give you more energy as will the Bee Pollen.

       In conclusion, simple allergies can often be treated easily with simple remedies like Bee Pollen or Licorice but more advanced allergies need a formula and require expert advice.  Those with Horse and Cat allergies typically need Homeopathic care.  

       One remedy for allergies that everyone requires is DRINK PURIFIED, ALKALINE WATER!  

Remember 2 to 4 litres at least!  

        Have an allergy-free spring!

 

Colon Cleansing

1. Make sure that you take Magnesium citrate capsules or powder for at least one week before you start the colonics.  Then make sure you continue to take them to keep your bowels regular and soft.  The dosage is: 4 capsules before bed and 2 in the morning.  It can be lowered if you get too loose or can be increased if you are not going at least 2 times per day.  With the powdered Magnesium, the best is to start with the highest dose suggested on the bottle then decrease it or increase it as you see necessary.
2. Make sure to take the fiber drink that works for you.  Ground Chia seeds, Ground Flax seeds, Psyllium Combination Powder, and follow the directions on my website (At the bottom of the Book An Appointment page, look for “How to take a   Fiber Drink”.)
3. Take your probiotic daily (HMF probiotic from Seroyal is the best as it stays in your body the longest.  Ask me about this if I haven’t told you already.) especially at the beginning of your suggested regime.  As you increase your fermented foods, you will need to take the probiotic less and less until you don’t need it anymore.  You can tell when you don’t need it anymore because you will not be bloated after you eat or later in the day any more.  (Provided you are eating the diet that is right for you.  Check my website: www.hiraihealth.com for recipes on fermented foods  under: healthinfo/articles&links.
4.  Report any problems that you may have after the colonic like; a) feeling sleepy, b)increase in gas, c) right-sided lower abdominal/back pain d) not being able to have a bowel movement for more than a day after having a colonic. (Missing the day after having a colonic is normal.)  You need to call me when you have these symptoms.  Usually if you have any of these symptoms it means you have a dysbiosis, which is low good gut flora and increased yeast & parasites.  It can be easily solved by taking a parasite remedy or yeast remedy or a combination of the two.
5. Remember it takes at least 3 colonic spaced out no more than 2 weeks apart, (1 week apart is recommended) to get decent results and most people need at least 6 colonics or more depending on the nature of your digestive issues.
6. Once your colon is cleaned out you will need to have a “Maintenance Program” in place to help you maintain proper elimination & digestion.  This will vary from person to person and you will need a follow-up appointment after your series of colonics.  With this program you will be able to have colonics as a part of a cleansing program or before & after travel or as needed for general health maintenance.  Cleansing clinics around the world recommend a minimum of 3 colonics spring and fall for cleansing to help keep the body free of dis-ease.
7. Eat fermented foods daily and especially on the days that you have colonics.  If you don’t know which fermented foods would be best for you, ask.  Fermented foods help the Probiotic Supplement stay in your system better.  The suggested minimum for fermented foods are 1/4 cup minimum for the kefir drinks and 1/8 to 1/4 cup fermented veges or yogurt. (This may vary from person to person and you may have to start at 1 tsp of kefir and work your way up to 1/4 cup.)
8. Books on cleansing & colonics:  1) Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management by Dr. Bernard Jensen. 2) Colon Health by Norman Walker. 3)The Colon Health Handbook by Robert Gray.

If you have any questions or concerns or have any symptoms as listed under #4 of this list, please       email me or call me right away.

HAPPY CLEANSING!  🙂

 

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!

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

Fibromyalgia

From the research I have done plus the observations over 17 years, I have discovered that there are many things that can cause  fibromyalgia-type muscle pain.  Viruses, Lyme’s Disease, Leaky Gut from food allergies/sensitivities, Overgrowth of Yeast (Candida albicans), Stress, Glandular Imbalances, Heavy Metals etc.

There are other common findings amongst fibromyalgia patients.  One is they all have low functioning adrenal glands, the other is they have low functioning thyroid glands, their bowels do not move regularly (after each meal), and a more recent discovery is that they do not digest their fats well.  When this happens the residue of the undigested fats causes the yeast to grow & other bad bacteria which causes bloating, gas, diarrhea & constipation, low back discomfort or pain, general lethargy, foggy thinking, food cravings especially for refined carbohydrates, & depression.

The first line of action in any chronic illness is the diet.   The fats that  are not digesting well will have to be removed from their diet.  (It is individual, and I check each person separately to see what fats they need to avoid.)  Also, in conjunction with colon hydrotherapy (colonics), they will need to do a Gallbladder/Liver flush at some point to remove the gallstones that are impeding their fat digestion.  I always recommend that a Gallbladder/Liver flush is done within 48 hours of a colonic so that there is room in the large intestine for all that stuff to dump out of the Gallbladder & Liver.

Poor digestion of fats due to lack of bile flow will cause poor elimination which in turn will create low energy and more muscle pain.  (The muscle pain in fibromyalgia actually corresponds to the gallbladder meridian interestingly.)  A series of 6 t0 12 , colonics will aid the release of this toxicity and speed up recovery.

These  offending foods will keep perpetuating the problem if they are not removed from their diet. Often wheat is an issue and sometimes the whole “gluten” family.  I check everyone individually for the foods that they need to omit from their diet.  I will also check for glandular imbalances like adrenals & thyroid and any other organ imbalances that can be corrected through herbs or homeopathy.

When there are viruses involved there are a number of therapies a person may need especially if it is Lyme’s Disease.  But even certain viruses can be difficult to get rid of. Usually it takes a mixture of herbs to solve the viral issue and particularly by building up the gut with probiotics and fermented foods.  This is very important.  For this is the place where the immune system is founded.  Antibiotics taken directly or even residue in foods will go against your gut and cause you to perpetuate a poor immune function.

In short, Fibromyalgia is from stress, food sensitivities, & poor immune function not being addressed at the root cause.  Then other insults to the immune system take place like antibiotics in particular which just compounds the problem.  The cure is in the diet (talked about above), using herbs & homeopathy to address some of the immune problems & digestive problems, fermented foods & probiotics to increase the gut response, acupuncture to rebalance the organs,

All chronic illnesses is a whole body experience and the whole must be addressed in order for the body to cure itself.