Feeling Really Good

How many days do you feel really good? Do you skip through your work, juggle your family and friends with ease, and have the time you need to prepare delicious and healthy meals, enjoy some “me” time and then get the deep, refreshing eight hours of sleep you need?

Me, neither. But I do know what to do when I am particularly frazzled or my immune system is under siege.

Our bodies are up against terrible odds for maintaining health and stamina. And when the body is stressed physically, or you are stressed mentally or emotionally, the flood of responses in the body can make you feel overwhelmed. Internal alarm bells sound. Stress hormones like cortisol kick in, blood supply is re-routed, digestion may be affected, and reserves of nutrients are depleted. The result may leave you drained and feeling at the end of your rope. In actuality, you may be having a bio-chemical response, and think that how you feel is the way it has to be.

From the botanical world there are a number of herbs that are real medicine for challenged, stressed bodies. Herbs are the basis for many pharmaceutical drugs. But drugs are made in labs by producing synthetic copies of the active ingredients of plant-based medicines. Our bodies were not designed to easily handle synthetic chemicals. Our bodies were not designed to live off chemical, synthetic foods, either. So, breaking them down so they are not toxic taxes kidneys and livers. And, after a time, a kind of living death occurs.  People on multiple drugs of any kind, and people eating only junk foods, develop bodies that are only half alive. This drags them down mentally and spiritually, also. The answer is never more synthetic chemicals.

We have been led to believe that herbs cannot be as effective as pharmaceutical meds. But many herbs are powerful medicines, if they are prepared correctly, using the strongest parts of the plant, carefully preserving the active constituents. Herbal preparations from Health Food Stores may have some use, but few are potent enough when you need strong medicine.

By test, the MediHerb company makes some of the strongest herbal medicine in the Western world. In Australia, herbal medicine is regulated and must be effective and potent.

If you are feeling less than ideal, give herbs a try for supporting your body. Drugs bypass normal body function. Herbs can help your body truly heal and repair.

Brain fog? Memory issues? Study difficulties. Try Bacopa complex. Bacopa is a brain tonic that assists mental function, concentration, memory, and the mental stress of study and work. It may assist ADHD symptoms, and it appears to protect against brain decline and Alzheimer’s.

Flu is already making the rounds. Andographis Complex is a herbal preparation for acute and sudden onset infections. It helps relieve fever and mucous congestion, and will also boost your natural immunity. You can keep Andographis around to help for times you need extra immune support, or you can take Andographis every day to prevent infections. For flu bugs that linger and move to the chest, Andographis with Congaplex or Immuplex, can pull you out of the illness fast. Add Pneumotrophin if you are prone to chest infections, or have a history of asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia. *

MediHerb also makes some wonderful liquid preparations. They are very potent, and the taste reflects this. If you need a sleep tonic, I can mix California Poppy, with Licorice to improve the taste and support adrenal glands, as well as calm the stomach.

There are some powerful herbs for helping you to handle stress and anxiety and I will write about them in my next blog.

Whole food nutrition is still your most important priority in supporting your health. Adding in herbal medicine will help you support your health at a cellular level so that you can have the kind of bodily well-being it takes to manage your world and enjoy your life.

*There are times when pharmaceutical antibiotics are lifesaving, so any illness should be evaluated on an individual basis. 

Anne Dunev, PhD, C.N. has over twenty years experience helping people feel better by finding the root cause of what is causing their symptoms. Addressing that with the correct natural and nutritional medicine is her strength. With help restoring balance and function, thousands of people are living happier, healthier lives.

Simple Home Test for Candida

Doesn’t it seem like everyone has Candida these days? If you look on the Internet just about every type of symptom known to man is a sign of Candida. So, how do you really know if your symptoms are Candida?

First, let’s look at what Candida is. There are many kinds of yeast (single-cell organisms) in our intestinal tract, vaginal tract, mouth and sinus mucosa that are part of our normal internal “garden”. We can’t survive without all the friendly bugs that cohabitate with us, and perform assorted vital functions. Candida is one of the friendly guys that act like trash collectors and help to digest debris, in the same way that yeast digests sugar in a bread recipe.  But Candida has to live in balance with other good bugs. Over use antibiotics, eat a crappy diet, or get exposed to chemicals (like most Americans) and the Candida yeasties can grow out of control when other good bugs are absent. Have you ever planted mint in a garden? It spreads like wildfire and can take over all the space for itself. I learned this the hard way.

Fortunately the balance can be restored. It may not be enough to take any old probiotic. Dietary improvements, handling sugar cravings, addressing other gut issues such as Irritable Bowel, chronic constipation, toxic bowel or food allergies may be needed to fully restore the gut flora balance so your garden blooms. 70% of your immune system resides in your gut, and it is literally the soil on which health flourishes or languishes in your body.

Milton White, MD. believed that cancer is a chronic, infectious, fungus disease. He was able to find fungal spores in every sample of cancer tissue he studied. Our grain crops are contaminated with mycotoxins, or various types of fungus that live on grains like wheat. The mycotoxins are toxic to humans, and the fungicides used to control them are also toxic to humans. This is a major problem with all grain crops.

http://www.cancerfightingstrategies.com/fungus-and-cancer.html#sthash.1EP567Xc.dpbs 

 Discovering if you have candida and treating it effectively is vital to your long-term health. Do this test yourself at home as soon as you can. First thing in the morning, before you drink water or brush your teeth, spit into a tall glass of clean water. You may have to work up some spit if your mouth is dry. After a good spit, allow the glass of water to sit undisturbed and check it after a few minutes, an hour, and a few hours. If there is no Candida the water will remain clear. If there is a Candida overgrowth in your body the water will look like a science experiment. Long “legs” will develop and trail down to the bottom of the glass. White matter may pool in the bottom of the glass and the water may get cloudy, with white specks appearing.

If your test reveals that you have Candida, come in and get checked to find out exactly what personalized program you need to restore your gut flora balance. This is an important marker of your immune health, and if your test is positive, you will have other symptoms. But now we know. We can organize a treatment program and have you retest until the Candida is contained and you are on a healthier path. Let me know what your results are, and if you have any questions. Good luck with your test!

Is Herbal Medicine Just a Witch’s Brew?

We have made so many breakthroughs in health technology in the past 100+ years, that it may be difficult to imagine that a simple plant could be as effective as brightly colored pills that come in a child-proof bottle with an official looking printed label.

Many people immediately think “Doctor” at the first sign of an illness. And by that we mean a cold or flu or lump or pain, rash or discomfort. But we are often very unschooled about the warning signals that indicate a body is struggling, signals that may appear long before a problem sends us to the doctor.

Sadly, your MD won’t know anything about the warning signals, either, because a medical education in today’s world means managing and treating disease. It does not involve teaching patients how to manage their optimum health to prevent disease.

Heroism often involves bold actions. Performing surgery and prescribing caustic and potentially dangerous drugs is bold. Working with the body’s own rhythms, processes and innate wisdom may not seem so bold. No blood is shed, there may be no dramatic bedside vigil, no hair falling out, or brave suffering from the after-effects of the treatment.

With plant medicine there is a realignment of the natural order of the body. The internal processes are an intricate dance and it is only when a partner or step is missing that the seeds of illness are sowed.

Whenever any aspect of life goes off the rails, a change must take place. The attitudes, behaviors and negligence which started one on a destructive path must be recognized and set right again. Old habits must be shed and new, smarter actions must be implemented.

It is the same with health and the body. Plant medicine is how the body is formed, from the nutrients received in the womb. Plant medicine is how the body repairs. Surgery can cut out a damaged part, and is sometimes vitally necessary. But surgery does not repair-the body repairs. And drugs only block, suppress or kill functions or organisms. The body does not need drugs to repair or make new cells and chemical drugs also damage, giving the body even more of a repair job to do.

Herbs and plants contain the exact bio-chemical nutrients that are required for real healing to occur. A simple carrot contains over 200 plant-nutrients, and each one has a role to play in the life and wellbeing of our trillions of cells.

We only know some of the reasons that botanical medicine works, because research money is not spent on identifying all the parts. These days when money is spent on plants it is more often to discover how to isolate, create a synthetic copy, and patent the discovery so that the drug can cost $100 a pill instead of the $1.50 the original plant would cost. At least 30% of pharmaceutical drugs are knock-offs of plant medicines. https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/treatment/herbal-medicine

What we do have is thousands of years of plant medicines being used to help people get well. And since we have billions of people on the Planet, it must have been working fairly well.

So, herbals and botanicals are cheaper, safer, less damaging, and often times more effective than pharmaceutical drugs.

Since much of the information about botanical medicine is not available in the mainstream, it takes a bit of digging and some self-education, as well as the guidance of a professional. You may need your own book of remedies, but you don’t need any witchcraft or mysterious practices. Fortunately plants seemed to have been created to do their job for us. We have an incredible treasure house of real medicines in every farmer’s market, health food store, or supermarket.

It starts with what you eat every day. And there are specific botanicals have known medicinal properties you can tap into. When plants are made into supplements, how they are harvested and how they are prepared determines how effective they are.

Your body should be comfortable for you, and life in your body should be challenging but fun. If your body seems to be holding you back, don’t ignore the warning signs until a small problem becomes a big one. A small goblin is a lot easier to handle than a raging monster.

When Hippocrates said “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food”, he meant eat your way to wellness.  Those words are more relevant now than they were in 400 BC.  There is enough stress and strife and such an abundance of toxins around us that not eating well is like walking a tightrope with no end in sight. It is not a question of falling off the rope, just a question of how soon.

You can dress up a drug in a fancy costume, but it is still a phony when it comes to repairing the body. Opt for genuine original parts.

Happy Halloween!  

Anne Dunev, PhD, C.N. has over twenty years experience helping people feel better by finding the root cause of what is causing their symptoms. Addressing that with the correct natural and nutritional medicine is her strength. With help restoring balance and function, thousands of people are living happier, healthier lives.

What's In a Flu Shot?

Nobody wants the flu. But getting a flu shot is like eating last year’s Christmas dinner for this year’s Thanksgiving. The current flu vaccine was made months ago, long before anyone knows what kinds of flu viruses will hit this year. The vaccine manufacturers try to guess what kinds of flu we will have. Based on what? Crystal ball gazing? There is absolutely no scientific way to guess what flu virus will make the rounds. So, you are exposing yourself to a new set of flu viruses that you might never have been exposed to.

Then there are vaccine additives that are highly toxic to human bodies. Ethylene glycol (also known as anti-freeze), Formaldehyde (used on dead bodies as a preservative and a known carcinogen), Aluminum (documented to cause neurological disorders), Mercury (one of the most toxic substances for humans in minute amounts), just to name a few.

Many flu vaccines are grown on eggs, so watch out if you have an egg allergy. I just found out that I have an allergy to egg yolk, which was a big surprise. Ask me about our new food allergy testing.

For more on the documented side-effects of flu vaccine see here. http://vaccineimpact.com/

In fact, the flu vaccine is only considered to be 56% effective across all groups and only 9% effective in seniors over 65. That may explain why you hear such varying reports from people, with some saying that the vaccine works and others complaining they had the worst flu ever after the vaccine. And don’t forget that the most common side-effect is flu-like symptoms. Isn’t that just like getting the flu?

If you choose to skip the vaccine, boost your immune system naturally. Most of my patients tell me that their immune system is much stronger on their supplement program and they can escape the flu even when everyone around them is sick.  A personalized program is best.

Here are some general tips:

Vitamin D is part of a good defense. Take a high quality fish oil supplement. Make sure it contains Vitamins D and A, which is how Nature always packages Vitamin D. Remember that it is not the dose that counts with vitamins, but how much your body can assimilate.

One of the strongest defenses against flu virus is to get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet. Many offices have candy and pastries shared daily, and sugar will lower your immune system for hours after consumption. The white blood cells that patrol for pathogens become lethargic after sugar consumption. Excess coffee and alcohol will also dehydrate you and lower your immune system.

Poor digestion will make you more susceptible to flu or any disease. The stomach acid needs to be strong in order to help you absorb minerals. Minerals help to keep cells walls strong. Viruses are not alive. They need to invade through cell walls and use the cell’s own mechanism to create more viruses. Digestive enzymes that contain Betaine HCL improve stomach acid. Apple Cider Vinegar is an old remedy for increasing stomach acid, as well.

The intestine is where the immune system resides mainly, so Probiotics may help to keep your gut flora stronger. Eating processed foods like white flour and junk foods gunks up the system and creates an environment for candida and other unhelpful organisms to grow out of control and take over. This is like having your garden over-run with weeds. Doing a gut detox before colder weather sets in would be a perfect way to prepare yourself for a healthier winter.

Adrenals are key for the immune system. Those little glands over the kidneys are involved in your stress response, whether stress is physical or emotional. If you have any allergies or asthma, your adrenals need support.

There are several supplements you can take to keep yourself stronger. Immuplex can be taken like a multi-vitamin. Herbal supplements like Echinacea Premium and Astragalus have immune support and anti-aging properties, as well.

We are here to help you stay well, not just in the winter, but all year.  This is a perfect time to do a Detox program, so get 10% off Detox supplements before November 5. That will give you enough time for a Detox by Thanksgiving. Or do a 10 Day Blood Sugar Balance program to get a grip on sugar cravings. You will sleep better and have more energy.

Be well!