Photo by:  Andrea_44

• Most people think they have to drink a large amount of milk and eat dairy products to get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium into their diet.  This is a huge myth and can sometimes be very damaging to a person’s health.

• Cow’s milk does provide a person with nutrients such as. protein, fat, carbohydrates, and calcium.  However, humans can get these same nutritional factors from healthful food.  The amount of calcium a human absorbs drinking a glass of milk is only 32 percent compared to healthful foods such as:

Based on One Cup

Kale = 40.9%

Broccoli = 52.6%

Brussels Sprouts = 63.8%

Turnip Greens = 51.6%

Orange Juice = 37%

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• I find myself always looking for new information where I can gain knowledge to improve my health, and spiritual being.  The year 2000 is when I really became interested in learning how I could benefit by changing my eating, and lifestyle habits.  This is the year I was diagnosed with ductual carcinoma in-situ breast cancer.  Prior to this I actually thought I was eating fairly healthy and living a good lifestyle.  Little did I know I had a lot to learn.
• I thought I would share some of my favorite books that I have read and use for reference whenever I have a question regarding how I feel, or to improve how I live my life.

Suggested Reading:

Prescription for Nutritional Healing; Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

• This book is a great reference from A-to-Z on drug-free remedies using herbs, food supplements, vitamins, and minerals.  It starts out explaining the elements of health and then goes into a breakdown of disorders.  The last part of the book discusses different options of remedies and therapies that can be considered.  The part I appreciate when looking up information regarding a disorder is the explanation of the disorder, a list of supplements to consider, suggested herbs that can be used, along with recommendations and considerations to think about.  I refer to this book often.   Continue Reading »

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• I want to share a personal story about what I have learned regarding uterine fibroids.  I was having a pelvic ultrasound done to check for ovarin cancer which took my mothers life many years ago.  The radiologist didn’t find a problem with my ovaries but discovered I have many uterine fibroids.  Through some reading on my own I have discovered fibroids can be genetically linked (known to run in families).
• As many as 20 to 30 percent of all women develop fibroid tumors.  Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that form on the interior and exterior muscular wall of the uterus.  The tumors are abnormal muscle cells which are not fibrous.  So the name fibroid can be misleading.  The fibroid tumors tend to form around a woman’s age of late thirties and early forties, and then usually shrink after menopause.
• There are many times women don’t even know they have fibroid tumors.  In a lot of cases there are no symptoms.  But there can be symptoms of heavy and frequent menstrual periods, anemia, fatigue and weakness as a result of blood loss, and bleeding between periods.  Also a women can have back/and or pelvic pain, pain in the legs, pressure upon the bladder or the bowels, depending upon where the precise location of the fibroids.  I was experiencing back pain, a symptom my mother talked about after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer, which is what made me question my health.  I also had been having heavy and frequent menstrual periods.  This concerned me due to another symptom my mother discussed about her hemorraging , even though she had already gone through menopause.  I have not quite reached that point yet.  Had I not allowed myself to question my health I would not have known my fibroids were bad.  The radiologist did say my uterus is quite enlarged which might explain the bloated feeling I have had lately in my abdomen.  I have done some reading about ways to help reduce the tumor growth, and improve my immune system.  Some nutrient supplement suggestions are: Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  CarbonNYC

Are you one of those people that just can not sleep?  Or you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night?  There are many factors that cause disturbance in getting a good sleep.  Poor nutrition, stress, and anxiety can be a cause for insomnia.

• Ideally a person should go to bed at the same time every night.  By doing this you allow your body to be on a schedule which may give you optimum sleep.  Try to be in bed before 10-11pm.  Allow yourself at least 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  From the hours of ten to two in the morning the immune system does its most regenerating, while we are asleep.

Eating late at night, drinking alcohol, caffeine, and sugar can interfere with a good night sleep.  Some medications such as sedatives, stimulants, cold medication, steroids, antihistamines, and headache medication containing caffeine can affect a persons sleep. Continue Reading »

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 Photo by:  rajatt2010

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

 How does one make their year happy?  You should live throughout the year being happy with yourself  in mind, body, and spirit.  Happy with the way you think, feel, and love life.

Have you been promising yourself to loose weight, be a better person, or become healthier?  You can succeed in all areas of improvement by first taking “baby steps”, not jumping into a changeover with full force.  By trying to make a difference too fast you will burn yourself out and not stick with the changes you would like to make.  I continue to take “baby steps” after 10 years of replacing my past lifestyle with  new alterations.  I always look to see what I can do different to live healthier.  It is an everyday challenge that I turn into a game.

My number one rule in loosing weight is DO NOT diet!  You want to make lifestyle changes.  Diets do not work. Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  The U.S. Army

• Here in Taos, NM there are street vendors who sell the weekly newspaper on the busy street corners in town.  While I was heading into town to babysit and run errands I stopped and bought my weekly paper from one of these hard working souls.  A few hours later I was making my last stop which was to put some mail in the drive-thru mailbox.  As I was making my turn I noticed a newspaper street vendor sitting under a tree looking sort of lonely.  With it being the holiday season I was overcome by a thought to share and give this man two dollars, just because.  Two dollars may not sound like a lot, but who is to judge what amount is or is not appreciated?  I told the man I already had a paper but wanted to donate the money to him.  Well, needless to say he was ecstatic and just kept saying “bless you”, “bless you.”  I actually got a little tear in my eye as I pulled away.  It felt so good to know I had warmed this mans heart.  I just felt like sharing, knowing how hard these people work to make their living or to supplement their income.  More times than not I give the vendors a tip but I like to be extra nice this time of the year. Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  SuperFantastic

• Do you know rosacea is an inflammatory skin affliction?  The cheeks, nose, forehead, or the chin are persistently reddened and prone to breaking out in acne-like welts.  Rosacea does not produce blackheads or whiteheads and rarely appears during adolescence.  It is more common in a person’s thirties or forties and more women than men are afflicted.  Men can tend to have more severe cases.

• Rosacea begins with a mild pink blush that doesn’t go away.  Treated early, the condition may never advance any further or may even subside a bit.  In advance cases, it can cause permanent thickening and redness, especially on the nose.

Flare-ups of rosacea can be caused by anything that dilates blood vessels, such as:

1. Hot liquid
2. Alcohol
3. Coffee
4. Spicy or fatty foods
5. Extreme temperatures
6. Harsh wind
7. Sun exposure
8. Stress

• Skin conditions commonly point to some kind of digestive problem, with rosacea being no exception.  Low levels of stomach acid have been found in many rosacea sufferers, which hinders proper digestion of trace minerals and possibly the overgrowth of bacteria  that irritates the skin.  Constipation and/or sluggish bowels may have the same effect on digestion. Continue Reading »

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Photo by: whoohoo120

You are going to see in the papers, on television, and even on the computer advertisements for sales, sales, sales, during the holiday season.  Does this make you feel like you “have” to go out and buy “stuff” because it is on sale?  Do you realize this causes stress?

Stop and think about what the true meaning of the holiday is.  Okay, so you feel the need to give a gift to Aunt Sue, the mailman, Mary’s teacher, etc.  There are ways to go about gift giving that can be fun, rewarding, and very much  appreciated without a lot of stress.  Have you ever thought about making a gift?  If you are like me I would want it to be something easy and stress free. Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  digitalbob8

• Have you heard of Cymatherapy?

• Cymatherapy works on restoring the body to optimal health and balance by joining together sound therapy techniques with cutting-edge magnetic therapy creating healing sounds of the Cyma 1000 (machine used to do therapy).
• Cymatherapy is FDA approved to help relief of stress and pain, strengthen cartilage, tendons, ligaments and bones.
• The machine used to do the therapy (Cyma 1000) has over 700 specific codes of all the body systems.  Each code contains 5 frequencies that resonate to the perfect vibration of the human body.  The Cyma 1000 lets the body heal itself naturally. Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  tim tolle

• Just want to talk about a few things I noticed the other day when I forced myself to look at some processed foods at the store.
• I saw a commercial about adding fiber to children cereals.  That didn’t sound too bad but when I saw the cereals the commercial was promoting that’s what bothered me.  The one cereal in particular is Apple Jacks.  I went to the store to read the label and was floored.  On the front of the box it says “now provides fiber.”  The amount of fiber it provides is a measly 3g per serving.  There are much better cereals out there, for instance oatmeal, that provide a larger amount of fiber and are much better for us. Continue Reading »

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