sleep

Are you Listening to your Skin?

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skin doctor

The skin is your body’s largest organ and it plays so many roles when it comes to function and health. Obviously the skin’s primary job is to cover the body and contain the organs, bones and muscles of the body.

It also acts as a protective layer from ultraviolet radiation from the sun, prevents dehydration, and aids in temperature regulation of the body.

The skin also plays an important role in detoxification and excretion of wastes created by the body or toxins that have been ingested.

Taking a good look at the health of your skin can provide insight as to how your body is functioning on the inside.

dark under eye circles

Dark Under Eye Circles

Do you have dark lines under your eyes that make you look like you haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in months?

As we age, our skin naturally becomes slightly thinner and more fragile, allowing for the dark circles to appear more predominantly.

But if you are a young, “healthy” woman, chances are those dark circles are trying to tell you something.

Dark circles could be caused by lack of hydration (it’s not just about how much water you are drinking. Remember that caffeine and alcohol work to reverse the benefits of drinking water. For every coffee or alcoholic beverage, you need to increase your water intake by at least 8 ounces).

Dark under eye circles could also be indicating that your diet is in need of some help. Focus on eating a diet that is high in nutrient dense fruits and vegetables and work on eliminating processed foods.

Finally, those dark circles could just be telling you to get to bed early and get a good night’s rest. Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night to give the body a chance to rest and rejuvenate.

Click here to read, Ten Tricks To Get The Best Sleep EVER !

dry, cracked lips

Dry, Cracked Lips

During the winter months, most commonly, dry lips are caused by harsh weather conditions. However, if you find that your lips are dry year round it could be caused by a reaction to the lipgloss, lipstick or toothpaste you are using.

Conventional products contain harsh chemicals and toxins that can wreak havoc on your delicate lips. Instead, only purchase products from your local health food store that are free of chemicals and that are not drying to the lips.

Click here to read, Natural DIY Self Care Product Recipes .

skin irritation

Skin Irritation

The skin is also a very good indicator of food intolerances.

Skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis, rashes, acne, and chronically itchy skin may all be indicators that your body is not tolerating something in your diet.

With the increase in food additives, pesticide use, genetically modified organisms, and processing, food is not what it used to be.

The most common foods that are linked to skin irritation and intolerance are;

  • Dairy
  • Gluten-containing foods
  • Eggs
  • Soy
  • Alcohol
  • Sugar and artificial sweeteners
  • Caffeine
  • Chocolate

The best way to identify if one of these foods is the culprit of your skin irritation is to remove the items that you believe to be an issue from your diet for a period of three weeks. Then re-introduce the foods one at a time and watch for reactions. If a reaction occurs, eliminate that food from your diet permanently.

Click here to read, Do I Always Have to Buy Organic ?  Here’s What You NEED to Know !

Top 4 Sleep Well Tips For Better Health

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sleep well

Sleep is the most important aspect of self-care and yet so many people neglect it or simply just can’t sleep well. Think about it this way; If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then sleep is the kitchen you make your breakfast in. According to surveys such as the World Sleep Day Survey Report, and National sleep surveys such as The Great British Bedtime report; when it comes to sleep, most of us either:

  • Avoid it
  • Delay it
  • Not able to do it or get enough of it (due to multiple factors)

The biggest issues these surveys are reporting are:

  1. Adults are not getting enough sleep (particularly women)
  2. People do not have the appropriate routines to get to sleep

According to the World Sleep Day Survey Report (2018), adults recognize the importance of regular meal times and sticking to a morning routine to help them wake up. However, what is forgotten is a routine of getting to sleep and sticking to a regular bedtime. 

Finding A Solution To Sleep Well

So how do we correct this? We are all individuals, so what works for one person won’t necessarily work for someone else. However, there are a number of different processes that can be developed for an individual sleep routine that can suit your personal needs. Here are some basic rules that everyone should stick to.

a set bedtime

  1. Always Keep To A Fixed Bedtime

Having an irregular sleep time can be detrimental to your health. So although it may make you feel like a tall child, you need to have a set bedtime as well. Even if it’s the weekend and you don’t need to be ‘up in the morning’.

2. Electronic Device Free Zone

Making the last hour before bed as electronic device free time is very important. This means no;

  • Computer
  • TV
  • Ipad
  • Smartphone

During this time you could take part in relaxing activities such as;

This time is yours, free from any screens. When it’s dark in the evenings (and this will change according to the seasons), it can be helpful to add a blue light filter onto your phone.

blue light filter

Most phones come with this as standard now however you can also use a program called “f.lux” on computers which will work to reduce light from your screen. This will happen automatically according to the time of day and the season.

There’s a lot more to say on light and colour for aiding good sleep patterns, but I’ll stop there as blue light and its impact on our circadian rhythm is a topic I want to address with more detail in a future post. 

3. Bedtime Routine

Make sure that the bedroom is only used for sleep. Your brain is stupid. Not you specifically, all of our brains are dumb. It will associate the bedroom with being active if you work, watch TV, or do anything that is not relaxing in the bedroom. Keep that room as a place of rest.

4. Avoid Alcohol, Nicotine And Coffee

Although relaxing (apart from coffee!), these are all big no-nos for a good night slumber. They will keep you too stimulated to fall asleep. Alcohol will and does make you sleepy, but it disrupts your sleep-cycle so you are not getting quality sleep. 

In addition to these basic rules, there is a technique that can help some people but personally it does not work for me. If you cannot sleep, rather than lingering in bed unhappy, just get up for a bit and try to relax away from your bed.

Personally, for me this just makes me feel more irritated with the lack of sleep as I notice things around the house that I should have done. Or my cat wants to have lots of attention and I just end up thinking about things that are not helping me to rest.

However, I bring this up as this does work for some people and is often recommended so give this a try and see if it works for you.

sleep hygene

Final Thoughts

From these basic points we can develop our sleep routine to our individual needs. CBT activities and changing the way that you think about sleep can also help you get a better sleep.

There are a number of techniques that can help with this, and I will write about them in the future. However, I will tell you if your attitude to going to bed is similar to your 10 year old of  “5 more minutes”, you are not going to get a good night’s sleep.

You need to approach bed like Peter Pan with only Happy thoughts. Saying mantras (in your head, obviously, I’m sure any bed partners that you have would not appreciate this), such as: 

  • It feels good to be still and calm
  • I settle into my bed, my whole body is relaxed
  • My breath is deep, and slow, moving like the tide
  • It’s a relief to be this relaxed, to be in bed
  • This moment of peace is a gift and is my time

If you are able to monitor your thoughts or do a guided meditation, it can really help you get to sleep. Deep breathing and tensing and relaxing your body (Progressive Muscle relaxation) are all very effective at helping someone to get to sleep. Furthermore they are easily done once you are in bed. 

For information on “The Healthiest Sleep Postures”, click here.

Obviously, there is a lot of information to unpack. This is just an overview to get a discussion occurring with yourself. This is your self care. This is your time. Remember you deserve rest! Let’s start reducing the number of sheep we count. 

5 Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy

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Brain function

Brain function and brain health has become a popular subject in the last decade.  This is likely due to the noticeable rise in neurodegenerative disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s.   As such, people’s interest in taking control of their cognitive health has also increased.

Brain health has also become a widely popular topic in the world of sports and recreation. Since concussions are now recognized to have significant short and long term impact on injured players.

The fact is, unless you have neurodegenerative disorders in your family or have experienced a head injury, you probably won’t start thinking about your brain’s health until you start noticing symptoms such as;

Here’s the thing, the longer you wait to take action, the worse the problem can become.

You really should start thinking about your brain’s health today!  Look at taking preventative measures rather than waiting for signs of cognitive decline to appear.

So, how exactly do you keep your brain healthy? There are many simple ways to improve brain function and keep your mind sharp. Some of which you may already be doing!

Ways To Keep Your Brain Healthy

5 Tips To Help Keep Your Brain Function In Tip-Top Shape

1. Exercise Daily

Exercise has a whole host of benefits for your mental and physical health. Endorphins released during exercise work wonders warding off depression and bolstering the immune system.

Physical fitness also has been shown to increase mental sharpness as people age. Especially past the age of 40. Daily exercise helps maintain acuity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for judgement and decision making.

2. Try To Go Keto!

Yes, the foods we eat do have an impact on our mental and cognitive health. Research shows that consuming a diet high in healthy fats and low in carbohydrates (known as a ketogenic diet) helps promote brain health by pushing your body into a fat-burning state, creating what we call ketones as a by-product.

Ketones are a very efficient and sustainable source of fuel for the body and the brain. Burning mainly sugar (carbs) as fuel creates inflammation in the body and the brain while ketones are said to be a much “cleaner” fuel. A keto-adapted individual will experience less brain fog, less memory trouble and better focus.

Click here to read, “Keto For Dummies – Beginners Guide For Keto”.

3. Get Enough Sleep

The fog of exhaustion will cloud your mental ability. Our brains store daily memories while we sleep. You need rest in order to remember even mundane details of daily life. You might even consider taking a short nap after learning something new or important, to help store it in your long-term memory.

Sleeping less than six hours a night has been shown to decrease mental sharpness even after one night. I am sure if you have young kids, you know exactly what I am talking about. What’s more, good quality sleep has also been shown to help the brain detoxify, which is crucial for keeping the brain healthy and sharp.

4. Flex Your Mental Muscles

You can improve your logic, problem solving, mental orientation and corrective thought process by working on puzzles and doing difficult mental tasks. For instance, start doing crossword puzzles. Studies show that older people who do crossword puzzles have better scores on a variety of cognitive tests than those who don’t.

To be fair, researchers aren’t sure if the puzzles cause better mental ability or if people with better mental ability tend to do more crossword puzzles. Nonetheless it can’t hurt to try! Don’t like puzzles? Try memorizing your friends’ and family’s phone numbers and birthdays.

5. Express Yourself Creatively

Creativity has more than one advantage when it comes to keeping your mind sharp and keeping a positive attitude. Creativity forces you to think and flex your mental muscles!  The results of creative work have been shown to reinforce self-confidence and help individuals enjoy their daily life. Try your hand at;

  • Writing poetry
  • Sewing
  • Taking up a musical instrument
  • Gardening
  • Painting

If you don’t feel artistic or creative, baking or writing in a journal are other great ways to express yourself. Try applying creative approaches to daily tasks like shopping on a budget or creating a new recipe with limited ingredients. Keep a good attitude about your ability to find solutions in everyday situations.

Your brain is an extraordinary machine, and although there is still a great deal we do not know about it, it doesn’t stop us from wanting to expand its capabilities. Don’t blame age for declining cognitive abilities. Instead, test out some of the methods listed above and keep your brain sharp!

The Healthiest Sleep Postures

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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!”

Adrenal Fatigue? 7 Tips to Fight Back Naturally

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adrenal fatigue

Everyone has felt stress at some point in their lives.  That feeling of being so overwhelmed and overworked that you can’t eat or sleep.  Unfortunately, stress has become ingrained in our culture.  We associate it with hard work and success, assuming that we can’t have one without the other.   Though some stress is necessary, we often bite off more than we can chew.  We fail to realize that the more stressed we are, the less efficient we are.  We ignore the negative effects stress has on our bodies but unnecessary stress can lead to a multitude of symptoms including:

  • Adrenal fatigue
  • Exhaustion
  • Anxiety
  • Sleep disturbances

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adrenal glands

What Are Adrenal Glands And What Do They Do?

The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit on top of your kidneys.  The adrenal glands are hormone producing glands similar to ovaries, testicles and the thyroid.  They are the regulators of your body as they’re responsible for regulating stress responses and play an important role in the maintenance of a healthy immune system.

Adrenal glands are key contributors to:
  • Proper thyroid function
  • Balance of hormones
  • Maintaining one’s ideal weight
  • Stabilizing emotions
  • Controlling cravings

Multiple studies have proven that the health of the adrenal glands will dictate the health and recovery of many types of chronic illnesses.  Since chronic stress is the main cause of overactive adrenals, it’s important that we find a way to control and eliminate stress.

Click here to read, “CFS – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms & Natural Solutions”.

Moreover, proper nutrition, adequate rest, and exercise is also very important. Unfortunately, an astounding amount of people suffer from adrenal fatigue due to lifestyle factors that are often overlooked.

What is Adrenal Fatigue?

Adrenal fatigue is a common side effect of stress and has three phases:
  1. The Alarm Phase – when the body is acknowledging stress
  2. The Resistance Phase – when the body is trying to fight stress
  3. The Exhaustion Phase – when the adrenals become tapped out.

Depending the phase a person is in, the levels of cortisol (produced by the adrenals) will range from high or low at different points in the day.  Cortisol levels should be at their peak in the morning.  So, when we wake up we feel refreshed and ready to go.  Alternatively, they should be at their lowest at night when it’s time to go to bed.  Any variation of these levels will affect a person’s well-being.  Especially if stress is experienced for long periods of time.  Hence the last phase being exhaustion.

Click here to read, “Bedtime Woe’s? – 5 Simple Tips For Blissful Zzzz’s”.

Other than exhaustion, additional symptoms of adrenal fatigue include:
  • Excessive perspiration
  • Dark circles under the eyes
  • Cravings for salt
  • Chronic infections
  • Low blood pressure
  • Low blood sugar
  • Muscle twitches
  • Lack of libido
  • Light headed
  • Poor concentration
  • Sleep disturbance (typically waking up between 2-4 am)

So what can you do?  There are numerous natural ways to support the adrenals.

adrenal fatigue

Are Your Adrenals Fatigued?

I see the following scenario regularly in my practice.  A busy mom with a demanding career comes in complaining of;

  • Hot flashes
  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of libido
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Feeling low

For the last 15 years she has been dealing with;

  • Work deadlines
  • Kid’s sports
  • Homework
  • Cooking
  • Cleaning

She goes from morning to night with little sleep.  Her adrenals are tired but she pushes through the chronic fatigue and insomnia.  She notices other symptoms such as headaches, inability to lose weight, and mood swings.  This common scenario is what many natural health professionals refer to as, “adrenal steal”.

Unable to function properly due to years of stress, the adrenals are forced to steal key hormonal building blocks from other hormones like:

  • Progesterone
  • DHEA
  • Estrogen
  • Testosterone

Hence contributing to hormonal imbalances and a slew of side effects that come with them.  Keeping the adrenal glands in check is the best way for women to avoid fatigue and keep their hormones happy.

How to Fight Adrenal Fatigue

chiropractor

See a Chiropractor – Chiropractic care plays a crucial role in adrenal health.  Physical, chemical or emotional stressors can cause stress on the spine and nervous system.  The goal of chiropractic care is to balance and optimize the entire nervous system contributing to healthy adrenal function in addition to a multitude of other health benefits.

early to bed

Go to Bed Early – You should be sleeping 7 to 8 hours and preferably going to bed before midnight.  Make sure you allow some time to wind down and relax to help your cortisol level lower before bed.

clean eating

Eat Clean – Avoid processed foods and sugar.  Focus on good fats, moderate protein, and tons of veggies that are phytonutrient rich.  You are what you eat, so feed your body the right fuel.

Take an Adrenal Support Supplement – Consuming whole, organic foods rich in phytonutrients is great for adrenal support.  However, supplementation is sometime needed to support proper adrenal function.

Beneficial supplements Include:
  • B complex
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • Omega 3 fatty acids

Also beneficial are botanical adaptogens.  They can be taken to help support the adrenal glands throughout the stress response process.

Examples of botanical adaptogens include:

  • Ashwagandha root
  • Rhodiola rosea extract
  • Suma
  • Schisandra chinensis berry extract
yoga, meditation

Exercise – Regular exercise is known to combat stress, which helps to improve adrenal function.  But be aware that if your adrenals are exhausted, intense exercise may be more detrimental than beneficial.  Try yoga or meditation.

Click here to read, “Put A Little Namaste In Your Life”.

cortisol saliva test

Get Tested! – Measuring cortisol levels can help determine adrenal health.  The Cortisol Saliva Test also know as the Adrenal Stress Test, has become the preferred way of evaluating cortisol levels.

A newer test, the DUTCH test, is another method one can use.  The test involves a urine steroid hormone profile.  This measures hormones and hormone metabolites (called conjugates) in a dried sample.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) technology used by chiropractors, is another way to evaluate stress.  It measures and tracks a patient’s autonomic nervous system state.

Think your adrenals are suffering from adrenal fatigue?  Start by taking an inventory of your life stressors and see which ones you can kick to the curb following the 7 tips above.

Why Do We Make Young Children Sleep Alone?

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Sleep

Let’s think about this for a moment. Announcing to your children, “Go to sleep and stay there by yourself all night.” (while Mom and Dad get to share the night together)

This is simply an outdated model of children’s sleep habits, as research is now coming to light that there is an incredible amount of value that is added to the health of the child and the family by co-sleeping.

Putting a baby into a separate bedroom at night causes parents to wake for much greater periods of time and creates added exhaustion in early parenthood. It is much easier to have the baby or toddler right beside the bed with you, or depending on your level of safety comfort, sharing the bed with you. This makes it much easier to be able to comfort and nurse or feed your baby when he/she is unsettled in the night.

Babies are born very immature neurologically, and require close connection to their parents – not just during the daylight hours, but also at night! Being separated for too long elicits a stress response in the young child (ie. abandonment, fear, separation anxiety) and can cause issues with healthy development.

Additionally, when each child has her/her own separate room, it forces the size of the home to grow significantly, as the family is spread out across much more space (which requires more resources to build the home, energy to heat it, light it and maintain it). Sleep has become a detriment to our environmental that adds a huge carbon footprint.

Why did we stop co-sleeping?

Our ancestors used to co-sleep for much of their growing-up years, as well as many families across poorer nations where they simply do not have the real estate to have separate sleeping rooms.

In the 20th century, there were several prominent physicians, such as Dr. William Whitty Hall, who insisted that it was uncivilized to sleep as a family, and that it was associated with poverty and social ills. In 1928, behavioural psychologist John Watson argued that children should occupy their own rooms or risk stunting the child’s development. And in 1985, Dr. Richard Ferber wrote that solitary sleep was meant allowing the child to become independent and reminded readers that co-sleeping was a primitive practice.

What are the benefits of co-sleeping?

• improved infant emotional health
• promotes more convenient breast feeding• it is natural and healthy
• creates closer-knit families
• can help to prevent SIDS
• helps your baby feel safe and protected
• less intergenerational conflict
• deeper sleep as individuals learn to be unaffected by snoring, a trip to the bathroom or tossing and turning
• kids grow up to be more tolerant of each other and fight less
• have better capacity to share
• more caring attitudes toward each other

What are the risks of co-sleeping?

• loose bedding
• waterbeds
• if parents are under the influence of drugs or alcohol – won’t have same level of alertness and responsiveness as usual
• parents who smoke should not co-sleep – some studies indicate a higher risk of SIDS
• if parents are incredibly deep sleepers

If you are worried about the safety of co-sleeping with your little one, talk to your natural health care provider. There are also many options for having them sleep very close to you, but with a little added protection, such as this bassinet: https://www.thebump.com/a/best-bassinet-halo-bassinest-swivel-sleeper-luxe-plus

With Sources From:

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-reiss-sleep-alone-20170324-story.html

I Can’t Believe I’m Sick AGAIN. 5 Things You Need to Do to Stop the Cycle

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Annndddd…. you’re sick again. How many times has it been this winter? Oh? You’ve lost count.

Well, between your children bringing who-knows-what kind of germs home from school, your colleague sneezing down the hall and your mother in law stopping in on her way home from the mall, you’ve caught something again. Or it’s just continually circulated through your home for the last 2 weeks.

Either way, it’s time to boost up your immune system and arm yourself with some seriously powerful natural remedies to help heal your cold / flu / sore throat / as-of-yet unidentified virus.

Here are the basics:

Your body wants to be 100% healthy all the time!! You just need to provide it with the means to do so.

1. What are you eating?

Put down the bagel with cream cheese and reach for some fruit and vegetables. Specifically, oranges, grapefruit, apples, clementines, kiwi, cantaloupe and strawberries. And reach for dark leafy greens, bell peppers and and tomatoes!

For example, 1 medium orange has 70mg of Vitamin C, or 116% of your daily recommended intake. So load up. Every day!! Especially considering that the “daily recommended intake” suggestions for vitamin C tend to be just high enough to keep you from getting scurvy!

According to Dr. Andrew Saul, editor of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, if everyone were to take 500 mg of vitamin C per day — the dose required to reach a healthy level of 80 µmol/L — an estimated 216,000 lives could be spared of heart failure each year.

So, eat more fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C – and protect your heart while preventing another cold from circling back to you!

2. What are you popping?

Put down the antibiotics. Antibiotics are scientifically unable to help at all with killing viruses.
Put down the Robitussin. Put down the Advil Cold & Sinus.

Antibiotics destroy the very fragile bacterial ecosystem living in your gut, that actually functions as 90% of your immune system. So while you think you’re killing the virus, you are actually damaging your entire system for many years to come. Just one round of antibiotics kills many of your beneficial bacteria living in your intestines and makes you much more susceptible to getting sick more often.

Every time you take a pharmaceutical, you do damage to your body. Your body must first heal from the illness and then it must heal from the pharmaceutical you ingested.

(Yes there is a time and place for life-saving interventions that require pharmaceuticals, but that time and place, for the great majority of the population, is not from a cold or flu).

3. What should you pop instead?

Nature has created many natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal agents that we can use with much less side effects, if any at all. Colloidal silver can be sprayed under the tongue a few times a day and literally wipes out nasty germs in record time. Oregano oil can be taken as a capsule to kill bacteria and viruses. And you should also supplement with probiotics that have a count into the high billions to help rebalance the immune system promoting bacteria in your gut.

4. I need a miracle remedy now!

Essential oils are that miracle. Get your hands on some therapeutic grade peppermint oil, and mix a couple of drops with a carrier oil (coconut oil) and massage it into your throat, over your sinuses, your chest and under your nose. You will be breathing clearly in seconds!!

5. Sleep, tea and time

Yep, you’ve heard it before. Stay rested and drink a lot of warm liquids to stay hydrated. It takes time for your body to kick the virus and bounce back, but it will be much quicker if you follow these natural steps.

BONUS – Stay healthy!

What are you doing to stay healthy and prevent future illness? Try these tips:
1 – Eat a whole-foods, plant based diet with a great variety of colourful fruits and vegetables.
2 – Exercise every day. Even a little bit of joyful movement – your body was made to move!
3 – Drink lots of water. Stay hydrated and enjoy some fresh lemon in your water.
4 – Get enough sleep.
5 – Take a high quality probiotic every day.
6 – Get adjusted regularly! Your spine needs to be free of interference so that your body can heal and function at 100%!

With Sources From:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/09/21/vitamin-c-heart-health.aspx

Put Your Phone Down & Go Outside!!

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unplugged

How many times have you checked your phone today?  Email?  Facebook?  Instagram? Snapchat?  Linked In?  Text Messages?  Many of us just simply do not make it a priority to get unplugged and spend time outside.  Of course, in the northern hemisphere, the climate has a great deal to do with this.  If we don’t play an outdoor sport, or actively enjoy outdoor activities, we may spend the whole winter on the couch!

Alternatively, during the heat of the summer, many of us stay indoors for the air conditioning!!!  This gives us way too much inside, without the opportunity to get fresh air and movement!   It also gives us a great deal more access to screen time.

When is the last time you unplugged and went outside to ENJOY being outside?  Not just running to your car because you’re late for work?

There are many studies showing that many of us are addicted to our devices.  We are compulsively checking notifications, bells, chimes and rings.  We are tuned in to hear our device from miles away, even if we never let it out of our sight!

This problem is compounded for our children.  The time that they spend with a device is time that they are not interacting with you or other humans.

Technology & The Effects On Children

At a young age, children look to their parents for reassurance and direction.  This is where they need to receive feedback on right and wrong, as well as connecting with you while developing normal attachments.

When young children play games on a screen, win a game or get an answer correct, there is no one there to offer reassurance, so they lack an opportunity for confidence building by connecting with you.

The same is true when the kids are playing without a device.  They look to their parents for reassurance.  If you are not unplugged and busy on your phone, you miss an opportunity for eye contact, a smile or something to let them know you are paying attention to them.  Click here to read, “Is Today’s Technology Destroying Your Health?”

What Is The Answer?

Get unplugged!!  Find a few hobbies that your whole family likes to do, and do them often!  Play board games, go hiking, skiing, or skating.  Learn to dance, go swimming or learn a new healthy recipe to make together.  Put your favourite devices in another room.  Turn off the TV and maybe put on some music instead if you are at home.  For a great family recipe, click here for our Chocolate Bread/Cake Recipe.

It’s so easy to surf the channels for something to watch, browse YouTube, hit Netflix or scroll through your social media feeds and relax.  But don’t forget to actually find some ways to spend time with your family and grow together.  Try learning a new skill, enjoying a new hobby or connecting more frequently with your loved ones.  Click here to discover 50 Fun Things to Do Outside With Kids as a Family.

Additionally, it is really important for you to turn your devices off at least an hour before bed to wind down naturally.  Many of us work on a computer during the day, on top of having our device attached to us.  The artificial light so close to our faces in the evening can wreak havoc on our circadian rhythm.  Evenings are a time to enjoy more dull light, to let our bodies know that it’s time to slow down and ease into sleep.  With having around the clock access to artificial light sources, it can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.  For more information, click here to read, “Ten Tricks To Get The Best Sleep EVER!”

So have fun developing some new hobbies with your family, and put your phone down every once in awhile!!!