For Mothers- And All Those Who Had One

When I was thinking about what to write for Mother's Day, I came across this charming piece written by Erma Bombeck. I hope that you enjoy it and will feel free to pass it on to your own Mother, with the warmest of wishes.

We have a Mother's Day special of $25 off Saliva Hormone Testing. Normally $225, it is $200 for the rest of the month of May. Since hormones rule the body, getting saliva testing can not only guide us in handling unwanted symptoms, they can also provide insight on anti-aging strategies. Being a Mom is a big job, and never really ends!

“When God Created Mothers"

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And God said, "Have you read the specs on this order?" She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said. "Six pairs of hands.... no way."

It's not the hands that are causing me problems," God remarked, "it's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."

That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. 'I understand and I love you' without so much as uttering a word."

God," said the angel touching his sleeve gently, "Get some rest tomorrow...."

I can't," said God, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

But tough!" said God excitedly. "You can imagine what this mother can do or endure."

Can it think?"

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model."

It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

What's it for?"

It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride."

You are a genius, " said the angel.

Somberly, God said, "I didn't put it there.”
― Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers

Real Help to Quit Smoking

Many of you have loved ones who smoke and have expressed concern about their health and future.

Smoking was made cool and glamorous by pure propaganda from the original “spin” doctor, Edward Bernays, who was a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He studied the subject of how to influence people in crowds, when their inhibitions were reduced, and behavior altered. He also proposed methods to influence the subconscious mind. Soldiers were given free cigarettes in their packs during World War I. Bernay’s secretary and a couple of other women smoked in public during the famous Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Bernays had them photographed for the newspaper and suddenly it was acceptable for women to smoke. Now lung cancer is the number one cancer for women.

So, here are some tips to pass on to smokers you care about.

Fish oil reduced cravings for nicotine in a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. After one month on high dose fish oil there were fewer cigarette cravings, even when exposed to common triggers. The fish oil contained 2,710 mg EPA and 2,040 DHA. http://www.betternutrition.com/fish-oil-may-help-smokers-quit/

Homeopathic medicine can be used to quit smoking. Lobelia 30c, Tabacum 30c and Carbo Vegetabilis 30c can be taken alternately through the day. All homeopathic medicines must be taken away from any food drink or other things used orally, such as tooth brushing or gum chewing. These remedies are available at Health food stores or online.

Gall bladder/liver cleanses or general detoxes may be effective to help people quit, by reducing general toxicity. The lungs of a smoker are filled with tar. The body seems to crave toxins when it is most toxic.

Balancing blood sugar and improving nutrition may help smokers by reducing cravings. When the body has a drop in energy, it seeks a quick fix. Sugar, alcohol and other drugs are craved more when blood sugar is low or when the diet is low in nutrients. Eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, protein and good fats will help keep nutrient levels and blood sugar at healthy levels. Supplements can be included, including minerals such as zinc, potassium and iodine.

This is why so many people gain weight when they quit smoking. Addiction is hard to beat completely, so a substitute is often found. Sugar is a common and acceptable substitute for alcohol or cigarettes. So, it is very helpful to do a cleanse and increase nutrition, with fish oil and other supplements.  Dr. Royal Lee formulated a supplement called Pneumotrophin, specifically to help heal the damage to the lungs from cigarettes. We use a lot of Pneumotrophin in the practice, because so many viral coughs from recent flu seasons seem to linger. Some of you have used Pneumotrophin for these coughs, as it will often knock out bronchitis or cough from flu more effectively than antibiotics.

Doing a real program, rather than just quitting cold turkey, may be the key to long term non-smoking status. Don’t fall into the Vapor cigarette trap or the marijuana trap. Breathing smoke of any kind into the lungs is a very bad idea, health-wise. There is no smoke that is healthy for lung tissue. Lungs not only allow us to breath oxygen, they also filter the air we breathe, and allow the oxygen to pass into the blood to be carried to all the cells in the body. To function correctly, and prevent cancer and malignancy, the cells must have oxygen. So smoking interferes with a vital function of life and survival.

Take a few deep breaths and notice how you feel.  If you have any other tips for quitting smoking, let me know and I will pass them along.

How To Know if You Have a Food Intolerance

You can probably recognize an actual food allergy.  Classic symptoms would be hives or difficulty breathing.

But food intolerances are harder to spot. They may not appear immediately and you may mistake the symptoms for a variety of other issues.

More and more people have food intolerances these days, even kids. As our food supply is more chemical, and the “natural foods” have more pesticides and are genetically modified, the human body is faced with trying to break down and metabolize an entire new type of ingestibles.

You can’t really call some of this “food” anymore, since lab-created chemicals or chemical/food hybrids won’t actually support human life.  These pseudo-foods will kill slowly, and they won’t support healthy physiology and function of organs and glands, so the quality of life suffers. This is why many obese people are actually starving at a cellular level.

The benefits of addressing food intolerances include:

1) Easier weight loss   2) better, deeper sleep   3) reduction of cravings  4) less PMS 5) mood stability  6) less bloating  7) improved immunity.

Even if you don’t suspect that a food you are eating is bothering you, check out this list. You may be surprised.

A short list of symptoms that could point to food intolerance includes stomach pain, reflux, ear infections, frequent illnesses, red cheeks, eczema, joint pain, frequent diarrhea/constipation, asthma, temper tantrums, fuzzy thinking, fatigue, headaches, failure to thrive, excessive gas, and sleep disturbances.

On one hand, eliminating foods that your body can’t handle will help. On the other hand, improving digestion, from stomach to gut, is also vital. Food intolerances are an indication of “leaky gut” which means that the gut wall is compromised and toxins or undigested foods are able to pass through to the blood. Normally the body is very protective of what goes into the blood, and anything that slips by the protective mechanism is going to trigger an immune response, and may lead to chronic inflammation-one of the main risks for heart disease.

Probiotics and digestive enzymes can be used by most people to support healthy digestion and replace the protective gut “bugs” that guard the intestinal walls. Fermented and cultured foods also help. We now know that food is not just a matter of putting gas in your tank. It is also a means of maintaining a strong fortress against disease.

So, if you have some puzzling symptoms, consider that something you are eating may be causing you digestive distress and compromising your immune system. It is far more likely that you are suffering from inflammation than a serious disease. But chronic inflammation from a gut and stomach that are not working correctly leaves you susceptible to disease. So, catch it early. You will feel so much better for it.