Family Health AdvocacyColin Swala

Are You Eating Junk Food Without Realizing It?

by
food labels

Ever wonder how healthy your diet is? Do you eat clean but still carry extra pounds? If so, take a closer look at food labels. Many so-called “healthy” foods are actually junk food in disguise. You might be eating a lot of sugar and trans fats without even realizing it. Sadly, manufactures are using food labels as a marketing tool, making claims that are far from the truth.

Misleading Marketing

There is so much misinformation and misunderstandings when it comes to food. Furthermore, thousands of cases have been filed against big food manufacturers like Heinz and Nestle for misleading people by wrongly labeling products. They often do this even when the food is packed with chemicals and processed ingredients. Sadly, the bottom line is that you can’t trust health claims on food packaging.

A good example is the phrase “all natural.” Foods labeled “all natural” may be injected with sodium or contain preservatives. Some are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, and other “natural” ingredients that are anything but healthy.

Don’t forget about multigrain bread and crackers. Most times, these products are no healthier than their refined counterparts. They actually have caramel coloring to trick you into believing that they’re made with whole grains. Unless the label says “100% whole wheat,” stay away from it.

how to reduce blood sugar level immediately, reducing sugar, how to reduce blood sugar level, how to reduce sugar level home remedies

Don’t Get Fooled With ‘Key Words’

Other examples are fat free and sugar free foods. Fruit juice, cereals, flavored yogurt, and other so-called healthy foods may not have added sugar, but they still contain natural sugars, maltodextrin, or high fructose corn syrup.

Additionally, sugar free foods are typically high in fat. Those labeled as fat free are rich in sugar. Some of the most common misleading words and phrases used on food labels include;

  • Cholesterol free
  • No sugar added
  • Immunity blend
  • Free range
  • Light
  • Lightly sweetened
  • Made with real fruit
  • 100% natural

The best thing you can do is to read food labels carefully. If sugar, white flour, or hydrogenated oils are listed among the first ingredients, move on. This will ensure you’re getting the most nutritional bang for your buck.

For additional information, click here to read “The Important Role Fruit Stickers Play On Our Health!”

Benefits Of Watermelon – Could It Be The New ‘Miracle’ Fruit?

by
how many carbs in watermelon
Fact Checked
[mpc_modal preset=”mpc_preset_2″ frequency=”onclick” onclick_id=”modal_id_5dbc611795cf8″ max_width=”40″ max_height=”38″ position=”bottom-right” mpc_icon__transition=”fade” mpc_icon__icon=”fa fa-times” mpc_icon__icon_color=”#444444″ mpc_icon__icon_size=”30″ mpc_icon__background_color=”#f2f2f2″ mpc_icon__border_css=”border-width:1px;border-color:#ededed;border-style:solid;border-radius:999px;” mpc_icon__margin_divider=”true” mpc_icon__margin_css=”margin-top:-15px;margin-right:-15px;” mpc_icon__hover_icon_color=”#e88066″ mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__text=”aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZmYW1pbHloZWFsdGhhZHZvY2FjeS5jb20lMkZmaWJyb215YWxnaWEtZGlldCUyRg==” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__border_divider=”true” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__border_css=”border-color:undefined;border-style:undefined;” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__padding_divider=”true” overlay_background_color=”rgba(48,48,48,0.65)” background_color=”#f2f2f2″ border_css=”border-radius:20px;” padding_divider=”true” padding_css=”padding-bottom:20px;” margin_divider=”true” margin_css=”margin-right:100px;margin-bottom:100px;” animation_in_type=”transition.fadeIn” animation_in_offset=”100″ animation_in_duration=”1200″ animation_in_delay=”500″]
[mpc_icon_column preset=”mpc_preset_10″ layout=”style_3″ alignment=”left” margin_divider=”true” margin_css=”margin-bottom:15px;” title_font_preset=”mpc_preset_18″ title_font_color=”#444444″ title_font_size=”24″ title_font_line_height=”1.4″ title_font_transform=”uppercase” title_font_align=”center” title=”Fact Checking Review Process” title_margin_divider=”true” title_margin_css=”margin-left:7px;” content_font_preset=”mpc_preset_1″ content_font_color=”#6b6b6b” content_font_size=”19″ content_font_line_height=”1.5″ content_font_align=”center” content_margin_divider=”true” content_margin_css=”margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:7px;” mpc_icon__disable=”true” mpc_icon__icon=”etl etl-hotairballoon” mpc_icon__icon_color=”#f7f7f7″ mpc_icon__icon_size=”24″ mpc_icon__background_color=”#2a7571″ mpc_icon__border_css=”border-radius:999px;” mpc_icon__padding_css=”padding:10px;” mpc_icon__margin_divider=”true” mpc_icon__margin_css=”margin-top:-6px;margin-bottom:20px;” mpc_icon__hover_icon_color=”#ffffff” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__border_divider=”true” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__padding_divider=”true” mpc_divider__disable=”true” mpc_divider__width=”10″ mpc_divider__align=”left” mpc_divider__content_padding_divider=”true” mpc_divider__content_padding_css=”padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;” mpc_divider__lines_color=”#dddddd” mpc_divider__padding_divider=”true” mpc_divider__padding_css=”padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:3px;”]The Family Health Advocacy team is committed to delivering content that adheres to the highest standards for content accuracy and reference. Articles with the “Fact Checked” stamp will adhere these standards and will be reviewed using guidelines from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and all the reviews conducted are subject to the AMWA code of conduct https://www.amwa.org/page/Code_of_Ethics in line with the medical industry’s best practices in health communication.

Our medical review team will ensure the following criteria is met:

1. Is it original writing? Does the article contain significant portions of plagiarized materials?

2. Are the main concepts well and clearly defined?

3. Are the articles central tenets backed by adequate evidence?

4. Are there any gaps or inconsistencies?

5. Is the writing clear and easy to understand?

6. Does it advance knowledge?[/mpc_icon_column]

[/mpc_modal]

Watermelon can be enjoyed in so many different ways. You can slice it, smoothie it, carve it, grill it, dunk it, drink it…Mmmm.  Are you salivating yet? If you aren’t doing it already, it’s time to have some fun with watermelon. This melon allows us to be both creative and adventurous. In addition, there are many health benefits of watermelon to go along with it. 

Benefits Of Watermelon

Watermelon is filled with nutrients, minerals and water. It contains few calories, is delicious and refreshing. It’s a great dietary source of two powerful plant compounds; lycopene and citrulline.

I once dreaded the thought of cutting bulky watermelons. Then I learned an easy technique to cut and chunk a watermelon in just a few minutes.  Before you turn your head to watermelon and its many health benefits, watch this video and let me show you how easy it is to cut a watermelon. By the end of the video you will be running to the store to grab this iconic summer fruit to try this technique yourself.

Watermelon has a mouthwatering flavor with no added sugar. Add to that the nutritional value and you have yourself a fruit your ready to work with! Here are some things watermelon can help with:

    1. Kidney Function – Have you heard that watermelon helps kidney function? Many kidney organizations and foundations have recommended watermelon as a healthy recipe for those with kidney disease. Watermelon contains Lycopene which is a fat-soluble antioxidant. This is the key ingredient benefiting kidney function.
    2. Detox – Watermelon is made up of 92 % water.  By virtue of being high in water content, this fruit induces urination.  As such, it can be very helpful in cleaning kidneys and other organs. In addition, the presence of antioxidants in watermelon also aid in slowing down premature aging that result in age spots that form on the skin. Combine that with its vitamin A content and this melon is sure to make your skin smile.
    3. Digestion – Watermelon contains dietary fiber for digestive health.  The high-water content also reduces the chance of constipation. Looking for more regular bowel movements?  Start slicing!  Click here to read, “Gut Problems? 7 Key Steps For Healthy Digestion”.
    4. Blood Pressure & Heart Health – That’s right! Sipping watermelon smoothies can lower and regulate blood pressure.  Thanks to its Citrulline content, watermelon can help reduce blood pressure. Citrulline has an antioxidant role but also has a strong role in vasodilation. The American Journal of Hypertension published a study showing that watermelon extract plays a key role in lowering blood pressure for people with hypertension.  In addition to the vasodilation effects of Citrulline, watermelons high amount of potassium and magnesium also play a role in a healthy heart. Citrulline and potassium are vasodilators.  This means they help regulate tension on arteries and blood vessels.  When arteries are dilated, there is less tension or pressure in the arterial walls which helps with stimulation of blood flow.  Thus reduce stress, especially on the cardiovascular system.  In addition to eating watermelon, those with prehypertension may want to consider talking to their Family Health Advocacy Doctor about taking a L-citrulline supplement.  Beta-carotene found in this watermelon not only gives this melon its vibrant color, but it’s also known to be a great antioxidant.  In addition it has anti-aging properties that can help in preventing age-related cardiac problems.  Click here to read, “Are You A Ticking Time Bomb? Try This Simple Exercise To Find Out Your Risk Of Heart Disease”.
    5. Controlling Diabetes – Many have heard the myth that watermelon is not good because its high in sugar or has a high glycemic index. Although the sweet taste may have you fooled, the truth is that it is not high in sugar. The fructose does contain a high glycemic index.  However, the glycemic load (how blood sugar responds to a particular food) is low.   Despite being sweet, it contains very few calories.  90% of its total weight is water. Packed with potassium and magnesium, this fruit helps aid in the proper functioning of insulin in the body. For those with diabetes, small amounts of watermelon in moderation can be beneficial to your health and a great guilt free snack
    6. Anticancer Properties – Recently, watermelons have gained a lot of interest.  Imparticular, dieticians and researchers are further studying its impressive level of lycopene. Lycopene has shown to reduce risks of prostate, lung, colon and endometrial cancer.  Watermelons phytonutrients (beta carotene and lycopene) may help in boosting the immune system, protect against oxidation and inflammation and will inhibit cancer cell growth with watermelons generous vitamin C levels. Therefore, this is a fantastic food to add to your cancer prevention diet.
    7. Relief From Impotence – Watermelon contains citrulline which turns into L-arginine in the body. L-arginine creates nitric oxide which is a gas that helps dilate blood vessels. Citrulline not only helps dilate blood vessel walls and help reduce blood pressure, but it also does the same to blood vessels in a man’s genitalia. With increased blood flow, there is an increase in erectile function.What are you waiting for? Grab some watermelon and enjoy the results.
benefits of watermelon

Nutritional Value of Watermelon

The health benefits of watermelon are vast. From enhanced recovery to staying hydrated.  In addition to disease prevention, providing vital nutrients, and many other benefits.

The beneficial elements of watermelon are mainly obtained from its unique mix of;

  • Nutrients
  • Minerals
  • Vitamins
  • Organic compounds

Notable vitamins include:

There are also a wide variety of phytonutrients and carotenoids including citrulline and lycopene.

Watermelon is low in sugar and high in nutrients and flavor! In comparison to other fruits this ratio is favorable.  

For those who are counting, watermelon is also low in calories. Only 46 calories per cup to be exact. Compare that to bananas which are 150 calories per cup of sliced or 200 calories per 1 cup of mashed banana.

On the note of calories, let’s be clear, the quality of food and what you are eating is far more important than the calorie count. A Hersey chocolate bar of 200 calories is far different then the 1 cup of mashed banana. 

watermelon juice benefits

How Many Carbs in Watermelon?

With 92% water and 8% carbs, watermelon contains little to no protein or fat and is very low in carbs.  So that equates to about 15-22g of carbs per slice depending on the size.

The Take Home

This delicious and refreshing fruit contains many vitamins, nutrients and minerals. Namely Citrulline and Lycopene that deliver many health benefits. 

Now that you know that watermelon is bursting with health benefits and how to easily prepare…it’s time to get slicing!

The Healthiest Sleep Postures

by
sleep well

How do you sleep? On your back? Belly? Or do you find you sleep well on your side? Everyone has their favorite sleeping position(s). It may change from time to time, however, if you’re an expecting mother or have specific health problems, the way you sleep may be limited.

In these cases, sleeping in the right posture can make the difference in how you feel when you wake up. Alternatively, sleeping in the wrong position can aggravate underlying problems like back or neck pain. Or even obstruct the airways to your lungs, leading to challenges like obstructive sleep apnea.

Most people are in bed 7-8 hours a night. It’s important to minimize postural stress on your body so that you can achieve quality sleep and wake up feeling good for the new day!

Here are some of the best sleeping postures you should try out to minimize stress on your body regardless if you suffer from a condition or not.

Side Sleeping

By far, this is the most common sleep position adopted by most people. A fetal or side sleeping position is great, especially on your left side if you’re expectant. It helps improve air flow in your body. Besides, it prevents you from pressing your uterus against the liver.

This position is also ideal for snorers. However, if you are curled up too tightly in this position it may restrict breathing in your diaphragm and may result in feeling a bit sore in the morning. Especially if you have spinal issues or arthritis.

To prevent these woes, be mindful of your body position when you lay down to sleep at night.

While laying on your side, only slightly bend your knees and try placing a pillow between them to help reduce stress on your pelvis and low back. Avoid tucking your chin onto your chest.

If you like sleeping on your front or find yourself starting your night on your side and waking up on your stomach, try placing a large or body pillow in front of your body. This will help keep you on your side and restrict you from rolling forwards onto your tummy.

Keep these things in mind when side sleeping:
  1. Use a pillow to support the neck and head. Check out this video on how to choose the right pillow when side sleeping.
  2. Place your knees slightly bent, up to 90 degrees, and place a pillow between your knees. You can fill in the extra space with a pillow to get additional support.

Back Sleeping

Sleeping on your back is traditionally considered one of the best sleeping positions for a healthy back. It evenly distributes your body weight and minimizes pressure on pain points. All while at the same time ensuring proper alignment of the neck, head, and spine.

Stick to using one pillow when sleeping on your back. To get additional support, you can place a small pillow under your knees. It helps maintain the natural curve of the spine.

If you are adopting this type of sleeping position, you should:
  1. Lie flat on your back while facing the ceiling. Caution you should not twist your head sideways. This may result in the joints in your neck being irritated and pain the next day.
  2. Use one small or thin pillow to support both the head and neck. Avoid using more than one pillow as this will tilt your head forward and can irritate your neck muscles and spinal discs.
  3. Position a small or thin pillow underneath your knees.
  4. For a more enjoyable night, you can fill the remaining space between the mattress and your body with additional pillows.

sleeping on your stomach

The BIG ‘No-no’ – Sleeping on Your Stomach!

Sleeping on your stomach is an ideal position for those who snore; but it comes with its risks. Although most adults like sleeping in this position, it can often lead to both neck and back pain.

Keeping your spine in a neutral position while relaxing in this position is hard; hence, explaining why it is not a recommended sleeping position. Sleeping on your stomach results in your head being rotated for hours which puts pressure on your joints and strains muscles, which can result in numbness and tingling, irritated nerves, and pain. The sleeping position is quite irritating, and your doctor would most likely agree that it’s a BIG “No-No”!

Pillow Talk: Is your pillow causing your pain?

How To Find The Right Pillow

Back Sleepers:

Your cervical “C” curve in your neck is small. When sleeping on your back, you can roll up a hand towel, t-shirt, use a small cervical support roll, or a thin pillow and fold up the edge into your cervical curve for support.

Side Sleepers:

If you are a side sleeper, pillow use is recommended. A common frustration amongst many is buying too many pillows that were never comfortable and ending up with a pile of eight uncomfortable but now decorative pillows on the guest bed and a sore neck for themselves every morning. The tricky part is there is no perfect pillow for everyone. Everybody has a different shoulder to neck measurement. We encourage to use the “pillow test” to find the right pillow for you.

Pillow Test

Pillow Test

Stand with one shoulder against the wall. Place the pillow between the wall and your neck. Completely relax your neck and shoulders allowing your head to fall gently into the pillow against the wall.

Do not push your head into the pillow, simply let gravity take its course and rest against it. Your head should not be tilted. There should only be a lateral shift in your neck of two to three inches. If there is a larger shift, than the spine is being stressed and this isn’t the pillow for you. If you find that there is no lateral movement of your head, the pillow is too thick and can cause awkward postural stress on the spine as well.

Tonight, I wish you the best sleep posture and all it brings; quality, uninterrupted sleep and a refreshed great start to tomorrow!

For further reading, click here to view, “Ten Tricks To Get The Best Sleep EVER!”

The Role of Iron in Your Diet

by
low iron levels

Struggling with hair loss and brittle nails?  Are you fatigued and tired despite sleeping well?  If so, you might need more iron in your diet as these are all low iron symptoms!

This mineral supports the production of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells.  Without it, your body can not function properly.  A diet that’s low in iron may cause anemia and affect overall health.

Why Is Iron Important?

This naturally occurring mineral has several vital functions.

Iron is found in every cell and tissue in your body.  Iron also plays a key role in mental and physical health.  It’s an important component of several enzymes, such as;

Additionally, it helps maintain a strong immune system and enhances your body’s natural defense mechanisms.

How Much Iron Do You Need?

Your daily iron requirements depend on your age, gender, and overall health. Infants and toddlers need up to 10 milligrams a day.

Women ages 19 to 50 should get at least 18 milligrams per day because they lose blood each month during their period.  Where as men only need about eight milligrams a day.

low iron symptoms

How to Increase Your Iron Intake

Iron deficiency can reduce oxygen supply to your tissues.

Low iron symptoms include;
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Headaches
  • Weakness
  • Dizziness
  • Frequent infections

This condition affects your health on every level.  However, the good news is that you can increase your iron intake through diet and supplements.

Click here to read, “Natural Solutions For Brain Fog”.

There are two types of iron found in food.  Most types of meat contain heme iron, which is derived from myoglobin and hemoglobin.

Non-heme iron occurs naturally in fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.  Where as plant-based foods do not contain heme iron.

Vegans and vegetarians are at higher risk for iron deficiency.  Non-heme iron, which is found in plant foods, has a lower absorption rate (1% -5% less) than heme iron.

If you don’t eat meat and poultry, consider taking dietary supplements. Vitamin C has been shown to increase the absorption of non-heme iron by up to three times.

However, to stay healthy, do not exceed 45 milligrams of iron a day.

Knee Clicking When Walking? Discover Why!

by
Fact Checked
[mpc_modal preset=”mpc_preset_2″ frequency=”onclick” onclick_id=”modal_id_5dbc611795cf8″ max_width=”40″ max_height=”38″ position=”bottom-right” mpc_icon__transition=”fade” mpc_icon__icon=”fa fa-times” mpc_icon__icon_color=”#444444″ mpc_icon__icon_size=”30″ mpc_icon__background_color=”#f2f2f2″ mpc_icon__border_css=”border-width:1px;border-color:#ededed;border-style:solid;border-radius:999px;” mpc_icon__margin_divider=”true” mpc_icon__margin_css=”margin-top:-15px;margin-right:-15px;” mpc_icon__hover_icon_color=”#e88066″ mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__text=”aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZmYW1pbHloZWFsdGhhZHZvY2FjeS5jb20lMkZmaWJyb215YWxnaWEtZGlldCUyRg==” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__border_divider=”true” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__border_css=”border-color:undefined;border-style:undefined;” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__padding_divider=”true” overlay_background_color=”rgba(48,48,48,0.65)” background_color=”#f2f2f2″ border_css=”border-radius:20px;” padding_divider=”true” padding_css=”padding-bottom:20px;” margin_divider=”true” margin_css=”margin-right:100px;margin-bottom:100px;” animation_in_type=”transition.fadeIn” animation_in_offset=”100″ animation_in_duration=”1200″ animation_in_delay=”500″]
[mpc_icon_column preset=”mpc_preset_10″ layout=”style_3″ alignment=”left” margin_divider=”true” margin_css=”margin-bottom:15px;” title_font_preset=”mpc_preset_18″ title_font_color=”#444444″ title_font_size=”24″ title_font_line_height=”1.4″ title_font_transform=”uppercase” title_font_align=”center” title=”Fact Checking Review Process” title_margin_divider=”true” title_margin_css=”margin-left:7px;” content_font_preset=”mpc_preset_1″ content_font_color=”#6b6b6b” content_font_size=”19″ content_font_line_height=”1.5″ content_font_align=”center” content_margin_divider=”true” content_margin_css=”margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:7px;” mpc_icon__disable=”true” mpc_icon__icon=”etl etl-hotairballoon” mpc_icon__icon_color=”#f7f7f7″ mpc_icon__icon_size=”24″ mpc_icon__background_color=”#2a7571″ mpc_icon__border_css=”border-radius:999px;” mpc_icon__padding_css=”padding:10px;” mpc_icon__margin_divider=”true” mpc_icon__margin_css=”margin-top:-6px;margin-bottom:20px;” mpc_icon__hover_icon_color=”#ffffff” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__border_divider=”true” mpc_icon__mpc_tooltip__padding_divider=”true” mpc_divider__disable=”true” mpc_divider__width=”10″ mpc_divider__align=”left” mpc_divider__content_padding_divider=”true” mpc_divider__content_padding_css=”padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;” mpc_divider__lines_color=”#dddddd” mpc_divider__padding_divider=”true” mpc_divider__padding_css=”padding-top:3px;padding-bottom:3px;”]The Family Health Advocacy team is committed to delivering content that adheres to the highest standards for content accuracy and reference. Articles with the “Fact Checked” stamp will adhere these standards and will be reviewed using guidelines from the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and all the reviews conducted are subject to the AMWA code of conduct https://www.amwa.org/page/Code_of_Ethics in line with the medical industry’s best practices in health communication.

Our medical review team will ensure the following criteria is met:

1. Is it original writing? Does the article contain significant portions of plagiarized materials?

2. Are the main concepts well and clearly defined?

3. Are the articles central tenets backed by adequate evidence?

4. Are there any gaps or inconsistencies?

5. Is the writing clear and easy to understand?

6. Does it advance knowledge?[/mpc_icon_column]

[/mpc_modal]

Have you ever experienced knee clicking when walking? Or heard cracking, popping and creaking sounds in your knees?  If so, you may be wondering what it is.  As the weather starts to change, with increased moisture in the air, you may find your knees are bothering you and /or “speaking up”.

As a practitioner, I find that as the weather changes many more patients are saying that they’re starting to feel aches and pains.  The most common aches and pains I am hearing about are in the neck, low back and knees.  One of my patients asked me if the change in weather can cause knee clicking when walking or popping sounds in their knees.  So I think this is worth talking about….

Identifying ‘Knee’ Sounds

Personally, I have experienced these sounds in my knees since I was a teenager and still do on occasion get knee clicking when walking when I am not making time to ensure I have a balanced body.  When I was teenager, I remember being very curious, concerned and even confused about what the sounds in my knee were.  There are different types of sounds which may indicate different causes.

Creaking
  • A creaking sound (technical term is ‘Crepitus’) may indicate that the cartilage is rubbing on the bone surface or bone on bone.  This may be sign that there is something wearing away resulting in degeneration.  This is often a result of long-standing abnormal pressure and function of the knee.
Cracking
  • Cracking or popping sounds (technical term is “cavitations”) are the most common sounds people hear in their knees. This sound is often caused when a muscle or tendon is tight and is creating a popping sound as it slips over a bony prominence.  The popping sound may also be the release of oxygen build up inside of your knee joint itself.  If you can reproduce the sound repetitively it’s more likely the sound is coming from tight muscles and tendons.  If it’s something that pops and then you don’t hear it for another 20 minutes or until the next day, it might be from the oxygen building up.

When To Seek Help When Experiencing Popping, Cracking or Knee Clicking When Walking?

Even healthy knees can experience knee clicking when walking and make these popping and cracking sounds.  Therefore, when you hear these sounds coming from your knee in the absence of joint swelling or pain, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your knee.  However, if you are experiencing joint swelling and pain, that’s something that you should have looked at by your healthcare practitioner for a knee examination.

Our practitioner will do orthopedic tests to get a better understanding of the cause. Sometimes the creaking and cracking sounds may be related to internal damaged that could warrant further testing and imaging.  These are used to confirm a diagnosis and steer you in a specific direction of treatment options and rehabilitation protocol.

Stretching: Harmful or Helpful?

The Power Of Stretching For Your Knees

With or without sounds coming from your knee, most people will benefit from stretches!  To learn more about this, click here to read, “THE POWER OF STRETCHING –  4 WAYS IT IMPACTS YOUR BODY (AND MIND) IN A POSITIVE WAY.”

The stretches below will help you restore and maintain a balance in your body.  With or without symptoms, we often have imbalances as a result of lifestyle habits such as;

  • crossing our legs when we sit
  • wearing poor unsupportive shoes
  • sitting slouched and twisted at a computer
  • driving for long periods of time
  • even sitting on a wallet

These are some of the many examples of how your body shifts out of balance.  When your body is out of alignment, there are muscles that become weak, tight and no longer activate, which results in abnormal wear and stress on the joint.

Think of the knee cap as a train that rides up and down in the front of your leg in a specific track when your quadriceps muscle contracts and relaxes.  The knee cap is surrounded by muscles and ligaments.  As muscles on one side of the knee cap tighten or weaken, it pulls on the knee cap and derails the smooth track, putting uneven pressure on the patella (knee cap) which could lead to irritation and inflammation under the knee cap.  This often results in tightness, pressure, aches and pains.  This uneven tracking may also increase the risk of further injury if left uncorrected.

How To Get The Most Out Of Stretches

In order to get the most out of stretches, I recommend warming up your muscles.  Go for a short walk or bike ride.  You can also warm up your body with a series of controlled movements or dynamic stretches which will increase body temperature, activate the nervous system and improve your range of motion.  An example of a dynamic stretch is swinging your leg forward and backwards like a pendulum.

Typically, dynamic stretches are used for warming up the body prior to exercise which is then followed by static stretches.  Static stretches are typically held still for 30 to 60 seconds.  Typically, a stretch is felt in one specific muscle with static stretching

Let’s Get Started!

Here are some basic stretches that you can try at home.  Be sure to hold these stretches for 30 to 60 seconds, and then repeat 3 times.  Always stretch both legs.

Leg Swing Dynamic Stretch:

This is a great dynamic stretch for your knee as it warms up muscles that cross the knee joint; quadriceps & hamstring.

  • Support yourself on a wall or a post with one hand ensuring there is nothing in front of or behind you
  • Ensure you are standing straight and your core is engaged
  • Swing one leg forward and back like a pendulum
  • Start to swing it lightly and gradually increase your range of motion

As you get blood flow to the muscles, you will feel yourself loosen up and your range of motion increase.  Relax your hip joint as much as possible.  Do 20 swings for each leg.

Standing Quadricep Stretch

This is a great beginner exercise to loosen up tight muscles.

  • Start with your shoulders pulled back and down
  • Balance on one foot while bringing your opposite foot up and holing onto your ankle
  • Ensure that your knees stay aligned and you do not pull your knee back past your standing knee as it results in stress on the low back
  • Slightly thrust your pelvis forward and tighten your buttock muscles in order to increase the stretch

*If you experience knee pain, swelling or restricted flexibility, try modifying the stretch:

  • Hold onto your pant leg rather then your ankle

Alternative to the modification:

  • Hold on to a support wall or post
  • Place one foot on a surface (stair, table, foot stool)
  • Tilt your pelvis a little bit forward and you will fee a stretch in your quadriceps

*Alternative to the alternative modification:

  • Lay face down and pull on the bottom of your pant leg to pull the stretch into the quadricep.

Hamstring Stretch

  • Holding onto a supportive wall or railing, place one ankle on a slightly raised surface (a step or a curb) keeping your hips facing forward and your standing knee bent
  • Slowly bend your standing knee until you feel a very mild pulling or stretch on the back of your raised thigh
  • Be sure to keep your low back straight

*If you have poor balance, try sitting on a bench, couch or bed slightly rotated 45 degrees

  • Put one leg up on the surface that you are sitting on and sit up tall
  • Point your toes to your nose and slightly shift your pelvis forward to engage the hamstring stretch

Psoas Stretch

If you sit for long periods of time or hear clicking and popping in the front of your hip, stretching our psoas is key.

  • Start in a slight lunge position with both feet pointing forward
  • Keep your back straight and pelvis tucked forward and tighten your buttock muscles
  • Hold onto a wall or chair for support if needed

*Alternative:

  • Drop your back-leg knee to the group and shift your body forward
  • Lift your arm that is on the same side as the knee that is on the group up in the air

IT Band Stretch

  • Stand tall and cross one leg in front of the other
  • Raise the same side arm as the back leg high overhead

To increase the stretch, extend the back leg further behind you so your pinky toe is the point of contact to the floor.

Note: you will not feel the same stretch sensation with this stretch however it is still productive!

I also recommend using a hand-held roller or rolling pin and rolling out your IT bands (the side of your leg) for 3 minutes both sides daily to break up adhesion’s (scar tissue) and increase blood supply.

It doesn’t surprise me when a patient takes this advice and does their homework daily for 2-3 weeks and comes back to report they no longer have knee clicking when walking or popping in their knees.  Remember, don’t push it too hard and stay within your pain threshold.  Relax and breath deeply and enjoy taking care of you.  You deserve it!

Further Reading

In the words of Dr. Casey Sinclair;

“YOU must address all areas of your health for your body to heal.  This includes your mindset, nutrition, exercise, environment, and nervous system.  Many people make it all about one thing (i.e., Nutrition or exercise) and neglect the rest.  This alone will not give your body the opportunity it needs to heal”.

Click here to learn more about how our perceptions affect our pain.

Shrimp Taco Citrus Mix

by

Today’s recipe is a twist on ‘Taco Tuesday’.  Included are several variations on how you can serve this citrus shrimp taco dish.  This is perfect for any picky eaters and offers a great way to change things up to suit your dietary needs.

The Inspiration Behind Shrimp Tacos Citrus Mix

When cooking for family and friends, I always seem to find myself in a endless battle of what to make for dinner.  Most dishes that are quick and easy often are not the healthiest as they are usually deep fried or loaded in carbs.  And I’m sure most of you reading this now can agree that getting a child to sit down and finish a plate of boring vegetables will seem like a life sentence.  This is when I concluded it was time to make a bold change.  So, I decided to challenge myself and my family to help hunt for ways to not only make our favorite dishes healthier, but ones where my kids could learn to prepare themselves, eventually, as well.

Find Something They Love And Go With It!

Everyone in my family seems to enjoy avocados, so right there was a good starting point for me when looking for a healthy recipe.  Wondering why avocados so great?  Well, according to Medical News Today, “Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium.  They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.  Although most of the calories in an avocado come from fat, don’t shy away!”.  If you want to learn more click here to read, 12 health benefits of avocado.

Also, before purchasing your ingredients, be sure to click here to read, Do I Always Have to Buy Organic? Here’s What You NEED to Know.

Ingredients For Shrimp Taco Citrus Mix:

  • a small bag of cooked shrimp, thawed, and tails removed
  • 1 large orange
  • 1/4 cup red onions
  • 1/4 cup red, orange and/or yellow peppers (suit to taste)
  • 1 large avocado, diced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 a fresh lemon
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced finely
  • 1 large head of Boston lettuce (optional)
  • 1 package of flat bread (optional)
  • sour cream (optional)

Directions: Suitable For Kids 8 and Older

  1. Begin by cleaning the orange skin, then finely grate 1 tsp of orange zest (as shown in picture) 
  2. dice the red onion and chop the peppers and peeled orange
  3. toss all the ingredients into a bowl with the oil and salt and pepper to taste
  4. Squeeze the juices from half a lemon
  5. set in the refrigerator for 30 mins to a few hours to allow the flavors to come together.  This also helps take away the sharpness of the red onion.
  6. Before serving, add in the diced avocado and fresh basil.  Add more salt or pepper if needed.
  7. Now that the mix is prepared your serving choices are endless!

Some enjoyed their’s spooned into a leaf of the Boston lettuce with a few dashes FRANKS RedHot sauce (as shown as feature picture).  Where as the kids both preferred their shrimp taco mix inside flatbread also with a drizzle of FRANKS.  My brother opted for it on it’s own, again drizzled with FRANKS and a dab of sour cream.

I would personally LOVE to try this dish again in the Summer, roasted on the BBQ for a smokier and perhaps sweeter flavour, topped on a bunless burger.  How will you be enjoying this dish tonight?

Nervous System – What Conventional Medicine Doesn’t Want You To Know

by
nervous system

Your body is a self-healing and regulating organism.  It doesn’t require help from any chemical drugs.  In fact, you were not born with a deficiency of drugs that need to be supplemented for or too many organs that need to be surgically removed.  The master system controlling all your body’s function and healing is your nervous system.  It controls all your muscles, cells, glands, organs, and tissues.  Removing interference to your nervous system and addressing the underlying cause of your problem is the only way to truly heal.

Your Body’s Ability To Heal

Health comes from within us.  We are told by allopathic or conventional medicine that we can’t heal on our own.  That we need pills, potions, and lotions to heal.  Can you remember back to a time you fell on your knees as a child?  You looked down to see your skin was scraped open, smudged with dirt, with a drip of blood starting to form.  What would you do next?  You would remove any dirt or stones that may have embedded themselves into the skin or cut.  Rinse the area clean with water, and then cover it up with a band-aid.  However, the band-aid didn’t heal the cut.  It simply removed the chances of more interference to your body’s ability to heal.  Preventing your pant to rub against it or allowing additional foreign objects to land on your open wound.

You didn’t have to go to the best doctor in the city to heal. All you needed to do was remove any interference from your body’s natural ability to heal, and it would do exactly that with time. Heal.

Action Steps For Natural Healing

You see, your body has the exact same healing ability as it did when you fell and scraped your knee.  It has the same ability as it did the day you were born but years of physical traumas, emotional stresses, as well as chemical and toxic bombardment has caused interference to your body’s innate ability to heal.  The Family Health Advocacy community is going to continue to remind you of your body’s incredible ability to heal and how to allow it to do exactly that.

What we provide is information on practical action steps to remove the layers of interference in your life so you can bring your body back to its natural state of healing.  For some of you, your trauma’s, stresses and exposures are layers and years deep.  For others, not so much.  Everyone heals on their own timeline, some faster than others.  Click here for a 6-Step Guide To Radical Self-Healing.

Let The Journey Begin

One thing is for certain.  If you do exactly what we recommend in this community, in any of our courses or books to be released this year, you are going to see results!  You will find that one day you are doing the things you thought you would never be able to do again. You will catch yourself smiling and enjoying moments with family and friends that you would not normally be able to enjoy because you were struggling through the pain, just trying to “show up.”  We know this for certain because you are not different from the thousands of other patients we have helped along the way.

If you are willing to put in the work, you will get results.  Don’t be intimidated by the word “work.”  We refer to it as work because this healing journey is going to take time and energy.  However the benefits will repay you one hundredfold in more energy and time for the rest of your life.  Click here for more information on true health and why most of us get it wrong.

The Family Health Advocacy Movement

The Family Health Advocacy community is ALL about healing.  I think it’s fair to say that everyone’s ultimate value in life is health.  Often most people don’t recognize this until they have lost it.  We often explain this to our patients by using the analogy of car keys.  Think about your car keys.  The only time you really acknowledge just how important they are is when you lose them.  Most people have been treating their health the same way.  Until now!

Thanks for joining the Family Health Advocacy movement.

Fibromyalgia Has No Cure? Our Doctor’s Discuss

by

Dr. Morgan: Conventional medicine will tell you that fibromyalgia has no cure! You may be one of 450 million people worldwide who are suffering from fibromyalgia and may even accept the fact that it’s something you have to learn to live with.

Dr. Casey: Hi! I’m Dr. Casey

Dr. Morgan: And I am Dr. Morgan!

Dr. Casey: Our first response to that statement is that is ridiculous! No one has the right to tell someone else that they don’t have the opportunity to heal. Even doctor to patient. Do you agree with that?

Dr. Morgan: Absolutely! Unfortunately it happens all the time.  People are being told that there is no cause and there is no cure and you’re going to have to learn to live with these symptoms. They feel shackled that they have no other option. So, we are here to give you information so you can move forward from that mindset blockage.

Dr. Casey: The sad thing is, there is a ton of evidence to support treatment protocols that are designed and show that you can reverse your suffering.

Dr. Morgan: You know; ignorance is not bliss.  However, many doctors are guilty of ignorance. So it’s really important that you are taking your health into your own hands.

Dr. Casey: Yeah, and in most cases, conventional health care practitioners have the best intentions. However, they are limited to what they have been taught. Usually that leads a patient down a path into a treatment protocol which solely relies on medication. The other thing is, your doctor, by the time they finish their schooling and they have started practice, the cutting edge research on this topic would have advanced by 5-10 years.

Dr. Morgan: It’s amazing how fast things change and advance! The only way that doctors can stay on top of the cutting-edge research is by doing one of two things, the first would be to spend countless hours with their face buried in peer-reviewed research.  There IS an abundance of great research information available, however it can become overwhelming even for doctors. The other option would be to rely on their pharmaceutical rep.  This person is going to come around and obviously only promote what their company is selling, which is drugs.

Dr. Casey: Now, I know for those of you that are that watching right now (Facebook Live), that may be very frustrating to hear, and we are here to tell you that we hear you. We are frustrated too because when we are listening to our patients while doing consults, it’s very disheartening to realize that most of our patients before they come to us have never had anyone take the time and teach them the truth about health and healing.

Dr. Morgan: I think that most people have done a Google search online. There is basic information on fibromyalgia, but if you’ve done the search before and you go do another search, there is going to be the same old information and the same old websites. The search is going to drive you to the same old notion that there is no cause and there is no cure.  If there is anything available, they turn to conventional medicine and then the next thing you know, they have become another customer to another industry making millions of dollars.

Dr. Casey: What you won’t find, and this is the biggest thing, you won’t find the ‘why’. Why are you suffering with the condition and the associated symptoms? The most common symptoms of fibromyalgia include widespread body pain, but it can also include things like digestive problems and irritable bowel symptoms…

Dr. Morgan: Anxiety, depression

Dr. Casey: Yes, stress

Dr. Morgan: Numbness tingling into the arms and legs

Dr. Casey: Some people get TMJ joint pain, heart palpitations, morning stiffness. There are so many different symptoms that go along with the diagnosis or fibromyalgia.

Dr. Morgan: Simply put, fibromyalgia is characterized as widespread muscular skeletal pain with associated symptoms. So, those symptoms we listed are just some of them. However, fibromyalgia is not limited to those. Pain and symptoms vary every day.  You can have pain levels vary in severity day by day. From moderate discomfort to severe disability.

Dr. Casey: In 1986, the “powers that be” came up with the official criteria to diagnose fibromyalgia. Basically, the criteria were a combination wide spread body pain with tenderness at 11 or more of 18 specifically identified tender areas of the body.

Dr. Morgan: People who have been doing research on fibromyalgia have come across that diagnosis criteria. However, the next three points are something that you need to know! Take note.  The first thing is; there is not just one simple medication or treatment or supplement or pill that is going to cure fibromyalgia. I recommend you lose that notion, it’s not just one treatment

Dr. Casey: The second thing is, you have to change your mind set from always looking for the next miracle treatment that’s going to save you. Come to terms with the fact that you have to learn and focus on getting to the underlining cause of your condition.

Dr. Morgan: The most important point would be to understand that the approach to treating fibromyalgia can’t be a “disease centered” approach.  Fibromyalgia needs be addressed with a “patient centered” approach and treatment. In other words, we can take two people who don’t know each other, and both suffering from fibromyalgia. They can receive completely different treatments, however they both improve!  This is possible because one person’s fibromyalgia maybe a result of an underlining thyroid issue while another person’s fibromyalgia might be a result of a bacterial intestinal problem.

Dr. Casey: Right.  I hope this is starting to make sense to you. It would be counterintuitive to look at one medication or look at one supplement and expect that using that one intervention is just going to work across the board and help every person suffering with fibromyalgia or any other auto immune disease for that matter. So, it’s actually quiet illogical for you to take one specific treatment and expect that it’s going to work because that treatment helped with your friend’s fibromyalgia. The cause for your fibromyalgia may be completely different than what’s causing fibromyalgia for someone in your family or a friend that you know.

Dr. Morgan: You are probably thinking “what is he cause of MY problem?” and “who’s going to help me figure this out?” This can be really frustrating.  This is where we ask that you step up with your health. We encourage you to figure out and learn the facts about fibromyalgia. Choose the right health care practitioner who is going to be on this road to healing with you. If you have a doctor who is not willing to accept the facts about fibromyalgia, it’s time to find a new one.

Dr. Casey: We are going to talk more about this on our next Facebook live videos over the next few weeks as a part of this series. But before we get to the next video, we want to hear from you. If you have comments, put them below. We would love to hear from you.  We are a community here, so if there is something that helps you in dealing with your fibromyalgia and symptoms associated with it, write it down.  If there is something you tried that didn’t work so well, put it in the comments because we are a community and all that information is going to be of benefit everyone.

Dr. Morgan: We are in this together!  We are excited for you. We will meet you next week on our next Facebook live video.

For a fibromyalgia diet menu click to read, ” The Dos and Donts of the Fibromyalgia Diet” for a fibromyalgia diet menu.

Fibromyalgia – Doctor’s Discuss Mindset and Healing

by

Dr. Casey: Hi! Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way, you are right! Somebody famous said that once. 

Dr. Morgan: Or a few people did! Today we are going to talk about the most important aspect of healing. Before we dive right in, let’s recap what we spoke about last week. 

Dr. Casey: If you haven’t watched last week’s video (Facebook Live), I encourage you to go back and do so. For those of you who are watching for the first time, last week we talked about the diagnosis of fibromyalgia.  We also talked about the symptoms that can be associated with the diagnosis and how frustrating it can be because it can have a huge effect on your overall quality of life. It can be very frustrating.  

Dr. Morgan: We also spoke about the misconception around fibromyalgia. Whether you have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or you think you have fibromyalgia or you haven’t been diagnosed or have symptoms of fibromyalgia.  Maybe you have been misdiagnosed.  It can also be very frustrating when you look to the medical route because of the limited options, and people are not generally happy about those options.  

Dr. Casey: I think the overall resounding feeling within the fibromyalgia community is that they are just not happy with the solutions they are being offered right now. In most cases its medication, which really don’t work that well.  We know that they can be very dangerous. People are searching for another solution, they are looking for answers. Statistically, there are a lot of people suffering. I mean, like 6… 

Dr. Morgan: 6% of people worldwide have fibromyalgia, over 70% of them are woman making that 30% for men. 

Dr. Casey: That’s 450 million sufferers with fibromyalgia all over the world. We know that a lot of people have questions because we know that over a million people are googling online the word “fibromyalgia”. So again, they have a lot of questions and are looking for answers. So, that’s one of our goals. We aim to provide a lot of those answers. 

Dr. Morgan: We have created an online community so that we can all work together. You know, in practice we talk a lot about the spectrum of health which is… 

Dr. Casey: By the way, for those of you who are watching for the first time, I am Dr. Casey… 

Dr. Morgan: And I am Dr. Morgan! 

Dr. Casey: We have been in practice as Doctors of natural health for the last 10 years.   We have seen so many cases of people suffering from fibromyalgia who have also had huge transformations. We also know there are other people who are suffering and need similar help but are no where near a clinic, so we decided to create this online community. 

Dr. Morgan: We’re all in this together and we want to create a community so that we can all help each other with accountability, resources, and put the tools in one place to help us all move in the right direction. I was talking about the spectrum of health, on one end we have death and on the other, optimal health.  Everybody is somewhere on this spectrum and where we sit is not necessarily the most important part; which direction we are going in is the most important part. We have created a community so that we can all come together and move in the right direction. 

Dr. Casey: Absolutely, so what do you want to talk about today? 

Dr. Morgan: I want to talk about mindset. I think that a lot of people are frustrated because they may have gone to doctor after doctor to therapists and may even be talking to friends and might have heard this more than once, and unfortunately, we have seen it… 

Dr. Casey: Wait, wait, what is it? It’s in your head? 

Dr. Morgan: Yeah. Have you heard that? 

Dr. Casey: Many of you have been told that its all in your head; we are here today to tell you that it is absolutely not in your head. Pain and symptoms are not in your head, they are absolutely real. The symptoms that you are feeling are 100% real and you truly are experiencing them. But what IS in your head? 

Dr. Morgan: What IS in your head is the ability to re-wire your thought pattern. And that is huge; you have the power of your perception to change your experience and how you perceive the world. In other words, how you look at something, how you perceive an experience will have an impact on how your body will respond and how you feel. So, when you feel pain, that’s an output from the brain, that’s not necessarily an input from the external environment. Dr Casey, you have a great example that you use… 

Dr. Casey: Yeah, so I mean, there are a million types of examples but let’s just say as a child you accidentally put your hand on top of the stove and the element is hot and you burnt your hand. That can be very traumatising for a child, and as life goes on, for that person, every time they go near that hot element it brings them back to that experience.  Without touching the element, they already get that sensation of pain. 

Dr. Morgan: And so, for someone with fibromyalgia, something as little as light touch may be perceived to be a very painful experience. Now, trauma, whether it be physical or emotional trauma, whether it be from childhood or more recent, past or present can affect your physiology and how your body responds. So, when we connect what can be perceived as a negative emotion like fear… 

Dr. Casey: Anger, resentment,  

Dr. Morgan: Anxiety… 

Dr. Casey: Or just general stress or guilt. The whole point here is that there is a neurological implication to your beliefs and your perception. 

Dr. Morgan: To make it more real for you and something that you can relate to, think of when you experience stress.  You often feel your shoulders tense up, your lower back starts to cramp, you might find that the symptoms you have been experiencing are getting worse, you start to get a headache or find they are getting stronger, more frequent, you experience numbness tingling or exhaustion. 

Dr. Casey: Stress affects your chronic conditions. We have both personally dealt with chronic pain in the past. You may not realise you are stressed but find you are super busy and doing a lot during your day.  Stress influences your ability to heal and recover and cause your chronic condition symptoms to flare up. 

Dr. Morgan: Let’s talk about somethings that you can do to start to feel better.  You can remove some of these interferences allowing you to heal faster. For example, exercise… 

Dr. Casey: improving nutrition, your posture and your nervous system. 

Dr. Morgan:.. Removing toxins from your environment.  All these components of health are really important when you are experiencing fibromyalgia.  You may have one aggravating factor, or it might be all of these things aggravating the condition.  It’s better to look at all of them. But, the number one thing that you need to focus on is your mind set.  What’s going on between your ears. 

Dr. Casey: Once you get your mindset in an alignment, all the changes you want to make in the other areas will fall into place. 

Dr. Morgan: The first component of mindset we want to focus on is gratitude.  I am sure you have heard of the benefits of gratitude at some point.  The exercise of gratitude along with the benefits are time-tested. When you are in a state of gratitude, you cannot be fearful, and you cannot be angry. If you are in a true state of gratitude, you won’t be experiencing negative thoughts that could be bringing on and making your symptoms worse. So, lets talk about what you can do. 

Dr. Casey: From a clinical perspective, some of the greatest miracles that have occurred in our clinic, the common denominator for those cases is that those patients, truly worked on their mindset and truly tapped into the benefits of being in a state of gratitude. 

Dr. Morgan: Yep, absolutely. 

Dr. Casey: 100% 

Dr. Morgan: Gratitude has a huge impact on your healing and that’s why it is one of the things that we drive home when we talk about and address healing with our patients. 

Dr. Casey: So, practical application… 

Dr. Morgan: The gratitude journal! So, if you have a gratitude journal or you have worked with gratitude exercises before, please engage and communicate with us (in facebook video). We are a community. We are working together and its important that people can relate to one another. So, go ahead and write a comment and let us know how much the gratitude journals have served you.   Gratitude journaling is something we have been doing for a very long time.  We were exposed to the benefits of gratitude since childhood. So, not only does it have a huge implication for practice but in our own lives as well.. 

Dr. Casey: And our own health! 

Dr. Morgan: The first thing you want to do is get a journal that is just for your gratitude. It becomes your gratitude journal!  Don’t’ use a scrap piece of paper or post-it note that you’ve found lying around. Do not use an old book that you have your grocery list or your to-do list in.  Your gratitude journal is something that you are going to keep in one designated spot.   Whether it’s a bed side table or a journaling spot in your house, keep your journal there so that you can be consistent and create a routine around journaling. The most important thing is that you are consistent with it. 

Dr. Casey:  I would love to hear about your experiences.   If you are doing this already, please comment and let us know how it’s going. If you are just starting to try this, let us know if it’s going well and let us know if it’s hard. I must be honest with you.  When I first started doing this, I was in such a dark miserable place that writing down three things, maybe just one thing that I was grateful for, would take me hours to do. I was pretty much throwing myself a pity party. However, eventually you will get through it and if you stay consistent and make this a daily practise, it becomes easier. I recommend you write in your gratitude journal at night.  If you wake up needing a lift, read through the things that you are grateful for when you wake up in the morning. 

Dr. Morgan: And so, you start your day off remembering what you are grateful for.  What are you grateful for? Some people might be struggling, they might take an hour and a half to find three things in their day that they are grateful for.  Someone else might take two seconds.  Here are some examples of things you can be grateful for.  

Dr. Casey: I mean, some days…I’m not joking, I am just grateful that I got to wake up that day, I am grateful my eyes open and I am still alive! 

Dr. Morgan: You might be grateful that you had the opportunity to have two healthy, wholesome, amazing meals that day.  You might be grateful that you were able to go outside, and your symptoms didn’t hold you back.  That your environment didn’t hold you back because the weather was nice enough.  You become grateful that you can go outside and enjoy the sun and hear the birds chirping. Those five minutes may have been the highlight of the day. 

Dr. Casey: And as bad as your symptoms are, as tough as the day may be, be grateful; “I still have my loving family”, “I have my friends”, and when you think about those things you start to feel much better. 

Dr. Morgan: You may be grateful to spend time with family and friends. Or were able to connect with an old friend for coffee. There are also plenty of resources online if you google “gratitude list” or “things to be grateful for”. Maybe some other people can motivate you or inspire you to acknowledge some of these things that you have in your life that you haven’t been able to be grateful for because you didn’t know it was something that’s special. So, one of the nice things about the gratitude journal, like Dr. Casey mentioned, is when you go into a dark season, so you can always go back to the journal and open it up. One day you will have an entire journal completed, or a pile of journals and you can just flip through it to bring you back up.   It is nice to have them as memories as well. 

Dr. Casey: This is just one aspect of mindset, I mean, we can talk about affirmations or recognising your accomplishments.  Maybe we will dive into that in one of our future videos. The most important point is that this is the first thing that you need to get right and get in place. We are going to get into nutrition, we are going to talk about exercise, we are going to get into the alignment of your body, the nervous system, toxicity in your environment, we are going to talk about all of that. But, you need to get this right first and then all that stuff will fall into place.  

Dr. Morgan: Today’s goal; go get a gratitude journal or find a journal around your house.  Create a gratitude journal and tonight, write three things you are grateful for.  You can always come back to this video and share them with us if you want or let us know how it went.  Was journaling easy or difficult?  How long did it take you? Let’s all work together as a team so that we are all moving in the right direction. Comments? Questions? Keep typing them up even after we stop filming live. We will get to them and we will talk about them in the future videos.  

Dr. Casey:  I am happy to hear how it goes with every one’s gratitude journaling! 

Dr. Morgan: We will see you soon! 

Click to read, ” The Dos and Donts of the Fibromyalgia Diet” if you suffer from severe fibromyalgia.

The Great Drug Hoax: How Taking Pills May Actually Be Making You Worse

by

Look Around You

How many opportunities are there for advertisements to be placed? They are strategically placed on billboards, buses, and signs, on the radio, television, online, in magazines, and they are even slapped onto eggs!

And if you notice, there are hundreds of ads for various medications that are touted to treat every disease experienced today. From asthma to allergies, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and nerve pain to insomnia and depression, there is a chemical ‘cure’ for just about any ailment that you could be dealing with. Maybe You Haven’t Noticed that these drugs are being marketed to the final consumer just like breakfast cereals and the newest Coach purses.

The Big Pharma Strategy

The pharmaceutical companies are training you to ask your medical doctor for medications by name. They are trying to pump up their profits by increasing consumption and using you as a big part of their marketing strategy.

The curious thing is that only the United States, Canada and New Zealand are allowed to market medications directly to consumers. In no other countries would you find pharmaceutical companies speaking directly to you. In those countries they must only market their products to the medical doctors, and have them try to boost sales through prescriptions.

Taking Pills May Actually Be Making You Worse

Have you ever spilled spaghetti sauce on a white couch? And then just covered it up with a white towel, sat down, finished your dinner and forgot about it? Of course not!! But this is exactly what you are doing when you take medications. They mask your symptoms, and for a while, you sort of forget they were there. But at some point, that spaghetti mess is going to soak through that towel and you will realize the monster of a mess that has been created.

Your body is the same way. It can only deal with the condition/symptoms and the pharmaceutical band aid that is poisoning your body for so long until your health really deteriorates. It is important to find out what is causing your symptoms at the outset, and work to identify natural solutions, rather than covering them up with a mask of pharmaceuticals that do immense damage to your body.

But what if it’s all a big Hoax?

What if the pharmaceutical companies just see you as numbers and dollar signs? What if you don’t actually need medication to heal?

Your body is a self-healing, self-regulating, brilliant organism that wants to function optimally every single day.

You were born whole, perfect and ready to grow and develop with natural resources. You were not born with medication in your system, and that was not by accident! It means you do not need pharmaceuticals to function in daily life.

Pharmaceuticals are a foreign substance, unrecognizable by the body. They are a threat to your inner balance, chemically, mentally and physically.

For every medication you take, there is a long, detailed list of potential side effects that you may experience. Some are incredibly serious and even caution that death is one of the more serious side effects.

Have you ever looked at the side effects listed on your medication? These need to be approached as though they are quite possible to occur, not to be waved away lightly, as though that could never happen to you.

For example, Ibuprofen is often prescribed as an anti-inflammatory and painkilling medication to help with numbness and tingling.

According to WebMD, Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It works by blocking your body’s production of certain natural substances that cause inflammation. This effect helps to decrease swelling, pain, or fever.

The problem is that your body is giving you symptoms of pain, swelling, fever or numbness and tingling, etc to alert you to a problem inside that needs tending to, rather than covering up.

Web MD also explains that there can be severe side effects associated with taking Ibuprofen, such as:

• abnormal heart rhythm • blind spot in the eye • bloody urine • decreased blood platelets • depression • hallucination • heart attack • high blood pressure • kidney failure • nosebleed • stroke • trouble breathing • ulcers • vocal cord swelling

And this is just a partial list of the most severe symptoms possible, not to mention the ones categorized as “less severe” such as fast heartbeat, sun-sensitive skin, hearing loss, anxiety, ringing in the ears and more.

So if Not Drugs, What is the Solution?

There are many avenues of natural health and healing to explore. Speak to your natural health practitioner about what could be the right solution and before you EVER abruptly stop taking prescribed medication then make sure you speak to your medical doctor first.