BTG’s = Basic Therapeutic Guidelines

BTG’s or Basic Therapeutic Guidelines are guidelines to help maintain and create better health.  And it you practise these your overall stress level will be lower and energy will be higher.  When your energy is highest your immune system is functioning to its full capacity and your ability to ward of viral infections or infections in general will be much greater.  So I will list below what the guidelines are with a brief summary about each one.

1. Sleep: Getting enough sleep and good quality sleep is paramount for liver detoxification and stress reduction.  There are many causes of sleep issues, make sure you get help so that the cause can be addressed.  Go to bed when you are tired and get at least 8 to 10 hours per night.  Get some adaptogen herbs from your natural health practitioner to help you if you are a person who travels a lot or works shift work, the herbs will help your body adapt to the strange schedule you keep.  Here is a “sleep hygiene” check list of actions you can take to improve your sleep.
2. Diet: If you have chronic health issues or you just want to maintain good health use your Blood Type Diet, it is the easiest to follow and you are likely eating some of the foods on it anyway so there will likely not be too much to change.  If you have an auto-immune condition, then use the Auto-Immune Paleo diet for up to a year to help your gut heal. Regardless of what diet you are on, it should be low in refined foods or none at all, Ie. white flour, white sugar, corn starch, white rice, deep-fried foods, just to name a few. (Remember eating white sugar disables your white cell activity for several hours depending on how much you have eaten, see the research for yourself.) You want plenty of veggies, ie plate should be 3/4 veggies, plenty of good protein & fats and whole grains.  Make sure the diet is the one suitable to you.
3. Water: Drink only purified water as tap water not only contains Chloride, but also drug residue that people pee into their toilets!  Yuck!  So find a way to get the water you can afford, do your research.  And no, the bottled water from the grocery store is a waste of money since it is basically tap water in a bottle.  Drink 15 to 30 mL per Kg of body weight per day between meals.
4. Body Mindfulness:  There are many Body Mind Meditations and they are basically to help you tune into your needs so that you can take action for yourself so that you do not let stressors build up and create burn out.  Here is a link that is very good at explaining this in detail, click on the link for more detail: BodyMindMeditations.
5. Essential Fatty Acids:  Take the oil that is right for you. Ie. Flax oil, Borage oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Fish Oil or a combination.  Make sure you get a brand that tests for heavy metals like; Genestra, Nordic Naturals, Professional Health Products to name a few.  And most adults need at least 3000 to 6000 mg per day.  Growing children & teens need 1000 mg right up to the 6000 mg mark for teenagers since their brains need it for development.  If you suffer from depression you could need up to 10,000 mg per day.  It is important for your gut lining, your nervous system your skin, blood, Ie. think cardiovascular health…stroke prevention, heart attack prevention since it naturally keeps the blood fluid and thin.
6. Vitamin D:  Every adult needs at least 5000 iu per day up to 10000 iu per day depending on the person’s skin type and how much they are outside.  It is considered a hormone and helps prevent depression as well it keeps your immune system up and running.  You can buy the Vitamin D spot test so that you can determine at what level you are before beginning.  Kids need from 500 iu up to adult dosages for teenagers.  Here is a good webpage for information on Vitamin D  and another good article is written here.
7. Exercise:  Do at least 30 minutes of cardio 3x per week in some form.  Make sure you break into a sweat, as this has been proven to reduce stress levels.  Also, do something you enjoy so that you will want to do it regularly!
8. Probiotics & Naturally Fermented Foods:  Your gut produces many vitamins, digests your food, eliminates waste, absorbs minerals, fats and has serotonin receptor sites.  It is important to keep your waste levels low by eliminating at least 1x for every time you eat a full meal in order to keep the liver less toxic as doing so will keep up your mood and energy.  Did you know that 80% of the waste you eliminate via the bowel is bacteria?  There are only a few good brands of Probiotics, so don’t waste your time buying cheap brands as it will be a complete waste of money.  The brands I use are Genestra HMF series & Cytomatrix Multistrain series.  And it is important that you find a fermented food that you can eat daily to help the probiotics stay in your gut…or set up “house” as it were, since they will become your defence against offending bacteria that may make it through your stomach acid.  Water kefir is easy to make and inexpensive.  Kombucha is also good and easy to make.  Here are 2 links from my blog with recipes for both:  Water Kefir  Kombucha.  You can also try your hand at fermented vegetables or if you can have dairy then try eating yogurt or kefir.  (Coconut milk can also be made into yogurt or kefir as well.)

Ultimately, by doing all of the above lowers the “inflammation” in your body so that your immune system can spend its energy in helping you fight off foreign invaders like viruses etc.

Steps to Healing (adapted from Dr. Mikael Adams N.D.)

 Steps to Healing (adapted from Dr. Mikael Adams N.D.)

These steps are for chronic conditions of the body, which we will all experience at some point in life, whether the beginning, middle or end.  These steps are not necessarily in the order that you will heal, in fact some of them can be done together.  Ie. Psychological/Spiritual help can be done at the same time as taking drainage or detoxification therapy.

These steps are based on the supposition that the person is on the correct diet for themselves & avoiding exposure, as much as humanly possible, to toxins in their environment. (Correct diet, with good, filtered water, preferably alkaline water so it will absorb properly & the avoidance of chemicals in food, air, water and on your skin.)

Step One:  Open the Excretory Organs & drain:  a)Bowels, b)Lymphatic system, c) Kidneys,    d) Skin, & the liver empties via the bowel.  Ultimately you want to get at the CELLULAR level which requires more than just a great diet.  This is where herbs & homeopathic remedies come in.  Herbs can scour the toxins around & inside your cells, the Unda #’s, which are homeopathic remedies, are used to get rid of cellular toxins, & will help you get rid of toxins affecting cellular function & enzyme systems, that rely on nutrients to run.  When your body’s cells are  “cleaned” this way,  then your supplements & even food  you use will be less in volume or calories, but nutrient rich, since your body will run more efficiently and need less calories to do it. So eating nutrient dense foods with less calories will help your body function correctly while you do the cleansing but it will NOT take the place of cleansing.  Eating a diet such as this will not detoxify you at the cellular level by itself…this is a mistake that a lot of people make.  It isn’t all about diet, in this case. (Ie. When you tune up your car, your gas mileage gets better because it will require less to run on.)

Step Two: Eliminate Environmental Toxins & the predisposition to “collecting” them in your body.  This can be done by treating your “constitution” and your “tendencies” that  you were born with.  This is usually through homeopathic remedies that release the negative tendency and “neutralize” its influence.  These are chronic conditions like; scoliosis, schizophrenia, alcoholism, diabetes, weak lungs, weak joints etc.

Step Three:  Stimulate the enzymes & substitute where necessary.  Using certain herbs to increase digestive power or using the Unda #’s to clean off the enzyme systems can help the person’s body to digest & assimilate their food much more effectively.  (I always say “you are what you assimilate.”)  In this way, all the organs and the systems made up from the organs will function more effectively creating a stable energy flow through out the day with no dips to the energy.  Remember, we are a human chemical factory and if there is a blockage in any of the enzyme systems the liver will try to push wastes through another enzyme system, if it does not work, you will store the toxins often in your bowel, lymphatic system and your between your cells causing you to become lethargic.  This is gradual of course and is often why people do not pick up on their problems quick enough since they believe it has to do with “old age” or working too much etc.  Cancer and other degenerative dis-ease starts here…at the cellular level.

Step Four:  Dysbiosis Therapy which is basically working on your gut and making sure that you are eating fermented foods daily like; water kefir, milk kefir, sauerkraut, fermented veges etc.  (Pickled food is not fermented.)  You may also need some herbs for the gut if you have a parasite or an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut which can lower your B12 levels and cause low energy.  Having a gut with the correct amount of healthy flora will help you produce B vitamins, enzymes etc.

Step Five:  Reduce Stress & Tonify the Qi.  Herbs & diet combined can help to tone the Qi & reduce stress in our body. If you compare this to your car engine, the gas will flow freely to the engine to combust with little waste left over and give your car the energy it needs to run smoothly. This is when you will have the best energy, no blocks to your energetic system.  The herbs & diet you need to maintain this energy or Qi will depend on your body type & individual idiosyncrasies, which is why it is important to get checked out by a professional.  Since just because a certain herb/regime helped someone else does not mean it is the best for you.  It will save you time and money to actually get checked out by a Holistic Professional of your choice since you will not have to guess what you need and waste money trying it out.

Step Six:  Nutritional Support, like Vitamin & Mineral supplements or nutritive herbs can also work well or green smoothies or juicing etc.  Anything to get your nutrient quotient up.  Think organic veges with some fruit in season.

Step Seven:  Constitutional therapy especially for the way you express and feel emotions & your body’s tendencies to certain dis-ease.  Healing your emotions or the way you express them can be challenging for some people.  Ultimately, the way you express yourself or do not express yourself is the way you were built and conditioned.  Certain homeopathic remedies can be helpful for those whose emotions are “stuck” and cause havoc in the body.  Ie. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or any chronic disease has an emotional element to it plus some so called “genetic” dis-eases can be helped by this type of therapy.

Step Eight:  Organ & Enzyme regeneration are sometimes required and organotherapy (a specific form of homeopath aimed at a specific organ to help it function normally) can be useful here.  Even some high strength antioxidants either in foods or herbs are very useful here to restore and protect the liver especially, but also the cardiovascular system, kidneys etc.  This will keep the body from degenerative diseases by protecting the body against the pollutants we have no control over as in the “air you breathe”.  Ie. We all need protection from air pollution.

Step Nine:  Spiritual/Psychological Healing:  Personally, I believe all that we do is spiritual, even if it is just the body, since the body houses the soul and we are one unit.  But sometimes people experience trauma in their life and it will create a vortex that uses up a lot of energy, since the person will be reacting to things that set them off without control.  So these traumas need to be healed and can be released through EMDR methods quite effectively or even talk therapy,  if you get the right professional for yourself.  Also, having a faith in someone bigger than your world can be essential to healing as it will give meaning to the suffering we all endure to one extent or another and hope, to get through it or be healed in the next life, in heaven.

Step Ten:  Removal of Electromagnetic Radiation (EMG) & Geopathic Stress from cell phones, cell phone towers and zones that cause geopathic stress in houses or buildings that people reside in.  Generally, EMG and Geopathic Stress cause Cancer over time but also very low energy and other inflammatory conditions of the body in the mean time.  There is a lot of evidence out there now where you can see the research on the cause and effect of these sources of radiant energy.  These types of energy will affect the body’s electrical system and cause the  bodys’ energy field  to be over-powered by the energy fields from phones & cell phone towers especially, but also geopathic stress will do this also.  One of the protectors I recommend are the Pulsor products which contain various strengths of Piezo Electric Crystals which will emit a field over your own energy field and strengthen it so that you are not affected by the fields that surround you.  (I have experienced this personally around large pieces of automated chemistry equipment while working in the hospital and the Pulsor Crystals saved me.  Very low energy was my symptom…so low that I could hardly function at the end of the day.)

 

Disclaimer:  Please note this article is strictly for information purposes only.  It is not meant to diagnose or prescribe or give advice.  Each person must take responsibility for their own health and get the advice specific for their own situation from a professional of their choice.

 

Winter Wisdom. Body Preparation for Low-Light Conditions.

Preparing for winter has a number of steps, though not everyone will have to do all steps. 

It just depends on how well your glands are functioning for you.

Basically there are 5 reasons why people have trouble with their glands and therefore have trouble with winter.  (Glands that I am referring to are mainly the pineal gland, thyroid and adrenals.)

1.   You are toxic.  Toxic glands do not function properly.

2.   Your glands are deficient in some nutrients.  Glands that are low in the nutrients that are required for its function, do not work very well.

3.   Stress.  Stressed out people do not produce hormones well.

4.   Inherited/Genetic weakness in one or more glands.

5.   Poor digestion/eating the wrong foods for your constitution.

Getting ready for winter, then, really depends on what state of health you are in.  If you try the basic steps to help yourself, which I will list first, and they do not help you, please seek help from a Holistically-minded professional that has had success in dealing with winter depression in their clients.

BASIC STEPS TO HAVING A GREAT WINTER!!

(I have tried to prioritize these steps for you, though you could do them in any order, BUT all steps must be considered since this problem can be quite complex.)

1.      Take at least 6,000 IU of Vitamin D a day (some people need 10,00 to 12,000 IU).  Have your blood checked to make sure it is in the higher range of normal.  (Check out the “functional ranges”.  There are books on this and I can write about it in another blog post.)    You cannot become toxic unless you take 25,000 IU per day.

2.      Take either Cod Liver Oil, another heavy metal free Fish Oil, and /or Borage Oil or Evening Primrose Oil.  Most people could use a blend of either the Cod Liver Oil/Fish Oil and either Borage Oil or Evening Primrose Oil.  If you use the 1000 mg capsules, then you will need two of each 2x per day on average.  Some people need more.  ( Ie. 2000 mg of Cod Liver Oil 2x per day and 2000 mg of Evening Primrose Oil 2x per day.)  Cod Liver Oil does not thin the blood like regular Fish Oil does.  But it is imperative for brain & nervous system function since the “myelin” sheath which surrounds the spinal cord and brain is made up of lipids and thus cannot function optimally without these lipids.

3.      Use a SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) full spectrum light.  Research the one that looks the best in quality.  Personally, I use the Lite Book and it works, but I have also found that the Philips blue light version works as well as, the larger one sold on Costco by Verilux called the “Happy Light Liberty Energy Lamp.”  Please Note:  Use your SAD light in the evening within 2 hours of going to bed to increase Melatonin Levels to help you sleep.  Use the SAD light in the mornings if you have a hard time waking up in the morning as it will increase your Serotonin Levels when used in the morning.  You will need to use it for minimum 20 minutes up to 60 minutes. It works on the Pineal Gland which gets its light through your eyes.  So you must let the light shine into the corners of your eyes to get the light into the Pineal Gland which is a pea-sized gland in the middle of your head.  Avoid staring at the light directly as it can affect the retina.

4.      If you have done the 1st 3 steps and you are still having trouble, then going to a Herbalist who can make you a Herbal formula for your pineal gland and/or give you a glandular or homeopathic can be very helpful.

5.      Thyroid/Adrenals: If you have done the 1st 3 steps and you are still having trouble, then go have a full thyroid panel done.  Ie. Free T3, Total T4, Reverse T3, TSH and make sure you know your “Functional Ranges” so you can be involved in identifying if you are indeed having a Thyroid problem.  My experience has been that those people who suffer a lot in January often have a Thyroid issue.  The “normal ranges” for thyroid are “disease ranges” and do not concur with a “optimally functioning thyroid”.  You can take your results to your favourite holistic practitioner and depending on your test results it could be corrected with some nourishing herbs for the thyroid.  Desiccated Thyroid can also be used when required and contrary to some information out there it does not act the same as Synthroid and is not hard to regulate.  Desiccated  Thyroid is what is termed “Glandular Therapy” and actually helps to nourish your thyroid.  It is true that some people seem to need it for life, but there are many things that affect the Thyroid and I believe if these are addressed properly, then a person may not need to take it all their life.  I will write another blog post just about Thyroid to address these issues.

Adrenals are affected when you are under a lot of stress.  So the best thing to do is to reduce your stress and support your adrenal glands with supplements or herbs.  This will help your Thyroid work better at converting your thyroid hormones to the active form.

6.       If you are still having problems, then you need to look at your diet.  Make sure you do not have any “white” flour, sugar, rice in your diet.  In fact, if you are severe enough I would do a Cleanse with some Colon Hydrotherapy and then follow the “Body Ecology Diet” to rebalance your gut, since your gut makes most of your serotonin.  Part of this diet is to eat fermented foods.  These foods will help nourish and replenish the good bacteria in your gut, as well as actually help you break down your food more fully.  They will also help you process some toxins and act like Pac-Men that gobble up garbage in your gut.

With Steps 1 to 6 considered, there are still some people that suffer from general depression due to needing more minerals for their brains and nerves.  Some people just require more nutrition for their nervous systems to function optimally.  So one of the best things to use is the Empowerplus Advanced Formula from True Hope.  You start slowly at 1 capsule 2x per day and go up to 4 capsules 2x per day.  It helps to re-build neuro-transmitters and I have seen it work quite well on most people.  If you decide to do this as well, you really need to see a Holistic Practitioner so that you can have help when adjusting the dosage of this supplement.  Sometimes if there is anxiety as well then this can be addressed separately with Inositol Powder also by True Hope.   Their Amino Acid complex may also be necessary for those having sleep issues despite having gone through steps 1 to 6.  I will write more about this in another blog post.

In the meantime, give steps 1 to 6 a try and see how they work for you.

I wish everyone a fantastic winter!

 

Disclaimer:  This information is not intended to diagnose or treat anyone, but simply information for those who would like to help themselves by being actively involved in their own health and healing.   Please always involve a doctor when experiencing severe depression.

 

 

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!  🙂

 

Thriving in Winter

1. How can people “thrive” during winter, rather just “survive”?
2. Thriving in the winter is a combination of items that one must do in order to get out of the “survival” mode.  Thriving means “energy”! The first item is “warming” foods.  When you live in a climate that has 4 seasons, the winter is a lot colder than any other time of year, so warming foods must be eaten to keep the body heat up.  Some of the warming foods that one can eat, depending on your body type, are; whole cooked brown rice, quinoa, millet, barley, steel-cut oats, large flaked oats, stews either vegetarian or with meat, squash, baked potatoes etc.  These foods have high amounts of complex carbohydrates, protein and fibre.  The fibre helps to balance the blood sugars and the protein and carbohydrate portion helps to nourish the whole body.  The second item is enzymes.  Very important to keep our energy up.  The cooked foods virtually have no enzymes in them because the enzymes become denatured with heat.  The best way to get enzymes is in raw food.   Most people cannot create enough body heat to stay on a raw food diet throughout the cold winters in Canada.  Eating raw sprouted seeds of any kind; alfalfa, broccoli, chick peas, any bean, any seed along with raw vegetables of any kind are very good at supplying the enzymes needed for you to digest your cooked food during the winter months.  Sometimes, in fact, often, there are times when supplementing with enzymes is important to keep the energy up even when eating raw foods. One way to determine if you need enzymes is to see what your energy level is really like after you eat your food.  If it goes down immediately after eating, then take some enzymes.  Often, the broad spectrum ones with a slant for carbohydrate digestion, are needed in the winter because people eat more carbs in these cold months.  When you take the needed enzymes you will notice an energy increase within 30 minutes or so of taking them. The third action is take Vitamin D, Essential Fatty Acids and use a Seasonal Affective Disorder Full UV Spectrum lamp daily.  These three things will keep your mood up. The fourth action is connection.  Connect with other positive people regularly over the winter months and share your warm food and merry mood with them!  And THRIVE!

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

St John’s Wort & The Positive Effects on Video Gaming in Adolescence.

 Gaming is hot these days and with two parents working it becomes easier and easier for kids to stay on their computers for hours.   As kids reach adolescence the results of this become more and more sinister since they often play shooting games which can be quite disturbing to them as well as their parents.  Having filters on your computer, putting a lock on the computer room door and putting time limits, with consequences, if these are not followed, are all great ways to create boundaries around a great TIME WASTER!  

          As much as these games can help with hand/eye coordination as well as some creativity, they can make kids lazy as well as for some, especially with glandular issues, these games can affect their behaviour and cause them to become aggressive in action as well as by mouth,  in their home environment in particular.

          When this occurs it is very distressing.  It is also distressing when children cannot do anything else but stay on their computers since that is all they can seem to focus on.  For some kids herbs & supplements can be helpful.  In particular those kids who seem to be fixated on the screen or act out both verbally and physically.

The two main supplements that I have used with success in kids is; St. John’s Wort and Fish Oil.  The key is to take a good quality St. John’s Wort and Fish Oil AND at the correct dosage.  I like the Nature’s Sunshine St. John’s Wort in particular as it really only takes about 2 capsules 2x per day in extreme cases to get results.  In sensitive children, this really works within 48 to 72 hours.  The Fish Oil is best at the 800 mg of COMBINED EPA & DHA content NOT the total mg in the capsule.  Ie. Most capsules are 1000 mg, but what is important is the EPA & DHA total combined.  

For large kids, tall in particular, they need at least 6000 mg up to 8000 mg of the total EPA & DHA  content in order for it to work.  Divide both the St. John’s Wort in two doses as well as the Fish Oil and give at breakfast and at dinner time.  This will feed the gland in the head, that is particularly affected by the light and movement going into the eyes…the pineal gland.  

            This is very important to note that the pineal gland which is regulated by light and dark …thus the changes from fall to winter…is involved in Seasonal Affective Disorder.  The fact is the Pineal Gland itself becomes less active in producing Serotonin when the teenage hormones kick-in because the body is focussing on the reproductive hormones and Serotonin.  As well, with growth spurts, huge amounts of energy is spent growing…and those who are tall need a lot of glandular support or they can become depressed. (Remember, depression is best thought of as a continuam with mild to moderate to severe being different states of this problem.)

           Well, what does this have to do with video games, you may ask.  Good question.  The video games give false stimulation to the pineal gland through the eyes and they become “hooked” or addicted to the games.  Using St. John’s wort, fish oil and other glandular supports given to you by YOUR Natural Health Practitioner is useful to support the pineal gland while your teen is going through the physical changes.  This will help stop the “physical” attraction to the computer games, because the glands will not need to be stimulated as they will be functioning more at a normal level easing their moods and creating harmony within.

           As always, this information is not intended to diagnose or treat and definitely does not take the place of professional medical advice whether by your M.D., N.D., Herbalist, etc.

Tips For Having a Great Winter. You Don’t Have to Have the Winter Blues

Winter Blues….can be beat!

I have personally dealt with this issue myself.  I have had trouble with winter since I was a kid.  I have helped people overcome this problem through various means.  I have observed and researched why people suffer from depression and have found ways to resolve this issue.  It is more than taking Vitamin D, though it can be a part of it.  The low light levels in winter months and the months leading up to the winter solstice Ie. September, October, November, will bring out imbalances in the body that are already there but become worse with low light levels.  Weather always brings out the body’s imbalances.  Some of the symptoms include the following; mood swings, blaming other people for your mood, blaming any outside circumstances for your mood, isolating oneself, lack of motivation, low or high sex drive, irritability, frustration, feeling hopeless, thoughts of suicide etc.

Here is a list of some of the precursors to being susceptible to having winter depression;

1. Mood swings(significant0 in teen years.

2. Growing up in a stressful situation.

3. Ongoing stress in your life causing pre-burnout or  burnout.

4. Predisposition to depression in general.

5.  Poor diet lacking in minerals and essential fatty acids.

6.  Growing up with one or more parents who are depressed.

7.  Poor Gallbladder function.  Ie. Poor digestion of fats.

Some of these remedies can be useful, but if you suffer from SAD you absolutely NEED to see a health professional or a few health professionals…because it can be complicated. Depending on your body type and the cause of the depression can be the following;

1. Vitamin D…the right form for you…chewables, liquid, capsules or tablets…I have found that people will do better on a certain form of Vitamin D.  I have not figured out what the difference is.  But it is not unusual to find that certain people do better with liquids versus capsules…I see it all the time with herbs.

2. SAD light.  Using the full spectrum UV light for Seasonal Affective Disorder is very good.  It really helps to nourish the Pineal Gland…which if you didn’t know is the gland in your head that takes in the light of the outdoor atmosphere around you….and brings light into your body.  It regulates the gonadotrophic hormones which will control a woman’s cycle for instance.  Need to use it regularly starting the 1st of October or earlier for some people.  Start with 5 minutes per day and gradually use it more and more until you reach 1 hour per day right before the winter solstice.  You may need to do up to 1 hour per day in January too, but come February you often do not need it for more than 20 minutes per day.

3. Minerals.  Trace minerals, multi minerals.  Some of the ones I have used with success are; Nikken’s Womens’s & Men’s Vitamin/Mineral, Nature’s Sunshine’s Synerpro Super Vitamin/Mineral and  True Hope’s Mineral Formula which was made for healing mental health issues.

4. Avoid foods that you are sensitive to.  Ie.  Dairy products can give you a “brain allergy”.  Gluten can also contribute.  Refined sugars are a definite no-no.

5.Take Essential Fatty Acids.  It varies, but I use a lot of Borage oil and Fish oil that has a high EPA/DHA content…700mg to 800mg per a 1000 mg capsule.  Usually, most need at least 2 to 4 capsules Borage Oil and from 4 to 10 capsules of fish oil per day.  The fish oil I use is heavy metal free.

6. Heavy Metal Detoxification.  There was a Doctor, can’t think of his name, but he used to be able to look at a cadaver’s brain and be able to tell what metal was in their mouth! Scary!  Heavy metals affect brain function hands down.  I know of a man who was so heavily intoxicated with metals that he had to have shock treatments….to function!  After one IV chelation treatment he was feeling back to normal…though he had several more to complete the treatments.  I do oral heavy metal detoxification with people and it also works, though if you are severe you may need the IV treatments which are done at the Naturopathic Doctor’s office.

7. Blood sugar.  Keep it balanced.  Get rid of refined foods!  They are the main cause of mental health issues.  Some people need to completely go off all grains to get rid of the yeast in the intestines which gives foggy thinking, mood swings, sugar cravings etc.  I have used Chromium & Glucoreg with people and it really helps to keep your brain waves steady…with no ups and downs…along with a whole food diet.

8. Eat foods with high quality protein & fats.  The brain is made up of fats and proteins….eat them helps to nourish your brain.  You may need digestive enzymes to take, and or a gallbladder/liver flush to get rid of the gallstones that are impeding the fat digestion.  By the way, the Gallbladder meridian goes from the temples on the head then back and forth a number of times around the ear….right on the noggin….what a coincidence isn’t it…that Gallbladder can affect mental health and the winter blues!

9.  St. John’s wort & Pineal Gland supplements.  These can be very useful particularly if you have suffered from SAD as a child/teenager….but work very well for severe cases.  You can get St. John’s wort off the shelf, but the good quality ones are not sold in health food stores…particularly the capsules.

All these things can help depending on the person and their body, the best thing to do is always get a health professional to help you if you are not able to figure it out yourself.