1.  Gargle daily with sea salt water (we mix about 1/4 tsp in a cup of water).  Because most bacteria, viruses, and fungi enter the body through the mucosal passages of the nose and throat, this is one way to quickly dislodge them and stop them from proliferating and entering your body.

2.  Blow your nose every morning.  Another very simple way to ensure those little bugs are being expelled and not making a home in your mucosal lining.

3.  Drink hot lemon water.  Make tea water on the stove (no microwave!) and squeeze at least 1/4 of a fresh lemon into a cup of hot water.  This is a natural, gentle, and easy way to clean out the inside of your body and to keep your body at a level pH for a heightened immune system.

4.  Chew your food!  This is a huge one.  Digestive problems are epidemic in our country and SO MUCH of it stems from not chewing your food properly.  Digestion starts in the mouth and when you don’t take the time to chew, large protein molecules enter the digestive tract and blood stream.  The body then has to mount an all out immune system attack to try to eliminate those huge molecules in the blood.  When your immune system is working so hard on breaking down the non-chewed particles, it doesn’t have any energy left to fight off impending invaders.  The average person chews one bite 8 times.  It should be around 30 times.  So start to practice slowing yourself down while you’re eating chewing more thoroughly.

5.  The 3 minute house flush.  Did you know that your home air in the winter is toxic?  Its actually extremely toxic due to cooking remnants, heat, gas, cleaning products, and just all the carbon dioxide we expel.  We lock everything up so tight to keep the cold out, but we end up keeping the ‘sick’ in.  Plants are great natural air detoxifiers but during the winter it is also beneficial to open a window on each end of your house for 3 minutes and let all the nasty air out while allowing the clean air in.  If you do this daily, you will notice the difference immediately.  You’ll even find your energy level stays nice and high when you come home at night!

6.  Get a Chiropractic adjustment.  Research is clear that removing nervous system interference by way of a proper adjustment increases immune system function by around 200%!  Keep your immune system on track by having an adjustment at least once per month and if you start to feel sick, make an extra appointment.

The other side to consider is that even though feeling sick isn’t fun and can even end up in lost work and/or school time, if you get a cold or a flu once every 1-2 years, it is actually healthy for your body.  In my opinion, it is the equivalent of restarting your computer.  When your computer starts to act slow and gets cluttered up with too much junk, maybe it locks up and won’t do anything at all…just restart it!  Usually it starts up fresh with a new outlook on life, right?  That is the same with our bodies.  Sometimes we just need a little reboot.  Instead of fighting a cold, give your body a chance to refresh itself.  Relax, get caught up on a novel you’ve been wanting to read and get some extra sleep.  Do not cover up your symptoms with over the counter medications and push yourself through it.  You’ll notice that only makes it last longer and you end up getting sick AGAIN soon after.  Of course you should consult your health care provider if you feel there is something more going on than just a typical cold or flu, or if you’re getting sick more often than 1-2 times per year.   If this is the case, chances are you have a chronically lowered immune system and may need some immune support by way of probiotics (good bacteria) and/or a specific vitamin or mineral to boost you back up.

So, use these tips to keep your family healthy this year, but if you do get sick, just allow yourself a needed break.

Documented benefits of high quality unrefined salt intake:

1.  Natural, unprocessed mineral salt has a remarkable healing effect on the human body, especially in the right amounts and in conjunction with an abundant intake of purified water.

2.  Even though we have heard for so long that salt is unhealthy, we need to remember that it is actually a vital substance for the survival of all living creatures, particularly humans, and especially people with asthma, allergies, and autoimmune disease.  Looking back into the history books, salt has been a primary ‘medication’ used by healers since the beginning of time.

3.  We have been taught to eat our fruits and veggies which contain an abundant source of potassium, but remember, we must have a proper balance of sodium AND potassium in order for the proper reactions to take place in our cells.  Adding sea vegetables or a small amount of one of the salts mentioned below will ensure your cells are doing their job to keep you processing nutrients and eliminating toxins.

4.  Besides regulating the water content in the cells, salt has so many additional benefits.  Among these are helping to relieve asthma (by putting a small amount on the tongue and letting it dissolve after drinking a large glass of water).  There are a new class of inhalers now that use salt solution only.

5.  Salt has the ability to clean out the acidity in the brain which is very helpful with Alzheimer’s (this is where diuretic medications can be very risky).  Salt is essential for preserving melatonin and serotonin levels in the brain as well, so it helps a plethora of emotional disorders such as high stress tendencies, anxiety, and depression.

6.  In my opinion, salt is essential for the prevention and treatment of cancer.  Remember, cancer cells are killed by oxygen.  When the salt and water are in a correct balance in the body, salt expands the volume of blood circulation to reach all parts of the body.  In this way, the oxygen and the activated immune cells in the blood more easily reach the cancerous tissue and work to destroy it.

7.  Salt is also vital for maintaining muscle tone and strength.  For example, lack of bladder control in those who have trouble with leakage may be an issue with low salt intake.

So what exactly is the right type of salt?  The preferable sources for unrefined, unprocessed, mineral rich salts are Himalayan Pink Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, and Sea Vegetables.  Do your due diligence, however, because there are plenty of ‘fakers’ out there.

Also, consuming sodium chloride (typical table salt) is NOT helpful in any way because it is a toxin to your body.  This is the same salt used to salt the roads in the winter.  If it can dissolve ice like that, imagine what it will do to the inside of your body.  Please remember that before making any changes with your salt intake, you must consult with your doctor.  We are individuals and do not all react the same way to dietary changes.  Be wise with your health!

Some of the information contained in this article has been adapted from Joseph Marcello’s article “The Surprising Scoop of Unrefined Salt”.

The Three Thumps

1. Use several fingers or knuckles to tap the 3 spots. Tap vigorously on each set of points.  Focus on breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth during all the tapping.

2. The first spot is the K-27 area.  To locate K-27 points place your fingers on your collarbone and move them inward towards the U-shaped notch at the top of your breastbone. Move your fingers to the bottom of the U and then move down and out about an inch to find the spots. Tap or massage for ten to fifteen seconds.

3. Place the fingers of either or both hands in the center of your breastbone at the thymus gland. Tap there for fifteen to twenty seconds with your fingers or your knuckles.

4. Tap the Neurolymphatic Spleen area, beneath the breasts and down one rib, for fifteen seconds.

The Neurolymphatic Flush

Massaging each point in small circles.  Lymphatics are in parenthesis.

1. K27 points (kidney/heart)
2. 1 inch out from K27 (governing)
3. Another inch out to a spot between your body and arm (use your opposite hand to get deeper into this groove) (lung)
4. Work down the middle of the breast bone and then down sides of breast bone between ribs (lungs/gall bladder)
5. Work around underneath the breast making a ½ moon starting from the outside (breast)
6. Work below breast bone (xyphoid) down ribs out to end of ribs (small intestine)
7. Work the area between bra line and bottom of rib cage (spleen meridian)
8. Work one inch above belly button and one inch out (triple warmer)
9. Work right beside belly button and one inch out (kidney)
10.  Work just above the pubic bone (bladder meridian)
11.  Work hands on hips and travel down sides of legs working each point about ½ inch to an inch apart (large intestine meridian)
12.  Work down the inside of the legs in a similar fashion (small intestine meridian)

If any of these points are sore, don’t be alarmed.  They just need a little extra attention and probably have quite a bit of toxic build up.  Listen to your body and do not continue if there is actual pain.

The Zip-up

This is used to let your nervous system know you are done with the session and it can go to work.  Understand that we all have at least 2 feet of energy resonating from our body outward.  This is also known as our ‘Chi’.  Using the zip-up will keep your own energy working for you.

1. Place your hands at the bottom end of the central meridian, which is at your pubic bone

2. Inhale deeply as you simultaneously move your hands, slowly and with deliberation, straight up the center of your body, to your lower lip, where the meridian ends.

3. By continuing upward, however, bringing your hands past your lips and exuberantly raising them into the sky connecting your central meridian.

4. Circle your arms back down to your pelvis.

5. Repeat three times.

This is actually a small but very beneficial part of a larger routine produced by a woman named Donna Eden.  For her longer routine or for more information, look her up on YouTube.  Have fun with your energy!

So whether you’re at a grocery store, or deciding what to eat while standing in front of your own fridge, try this tool.  Once you get a feel for what your body likes and doesn’t like, you will start to notice it’s subtle clues even before you would have to test it.

My personal secrets for a lean, muscular, fit, healthy body.

1.  Eliminate processed sugars.

2.  Until you understand your own body’s preferences, apply the ‘sway test’ on anything you are about to put in your mouth.

3.  If you’re going to eat simple carbohydrates such as breads or crackers, be sure to eat them before 2pm.

4.  Eat your heavier good fats after 2pm.   Such as avocados, and grass fed red meats.

5.  Eat Consciously.  Get yourself off of autopilot and pay attention to every bite that goes in.

For more info. on how to reset your body’s metabolism, remember to join Educating Wellness for their FREE Weight Loss Class (trust me, this is cutting edge stuff you have NEVER heard before) coming up at 6:30pm on Oct. 4.  Call or email for your seat:  1-888-220-2854, learn@educatingwellness.com.

Conventional treatment usually consists of applying a topical solution on the site of the rashes to ease the itching, and your doctor will be able to prescribe treatment that is calibrated in strength to match your concern.  BUT, in my opinion, this is not handling the problem from the inside out.  This may handle the outward manifestation, for a while, but it will come back every time (even though it may  be in a new or different spot than before).  That is because the actual problem is not on the skin.  As we have already discussed, unless you have a rash from a substance your skin came in direct contact with more than likely, the problem lies in your GUT.

Any time I see patients with allergy symptomatology, (and especially in the case of skin manifestations) I recommend the three ‘R’ approach.  Remove, Reinoculate, Repair.  We start by ‘R’emoving the top two food offenders.  Dairy and wheat.  And I must say, if you want this to really work for you, you need to understand that even one single drop of dairy or a speck of wheat will set your progress back.  If you have been having skin, allergy, or digestive issues for a long time (more than 1 year) it is important to also remove anything that remotely resembles wheat as well.  These are all the gluten grains (wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye).  It is possible to find oats that are gluten free as technically oats are not a gluten grain by nature, but because they are almost always produced in a facility along with other gluten grains, they pick up that attribute during processing.

Once the offending foods are eliminated, we move on to the ‘R’einoculate portion of healing.  There are very specific good bacteria living in your gut.  These bacteria keep things working properly.  They are also a main component of your immune system.  These good bacteria are often wiped out after a course of antibiotics or if there have been digestive or allergy issues for an extended period of time.  Before trying to add any nutrients to heal the gut, you must add back this good bacteria.  Your gut will not hold onto any nutrients without these little bacterial buddies.  You need to find good bacteria (also known as probiotics) that include a few different bacterial strains.  I must stress to you that yogurt WILL NOT CUT IT.  I hear people say they’re eating yogurt while taking their course of antibiotics and thinking they are replenishing their body.  Far from it.  You will need a minimum of 15-30 billion organisms daily to properly reinoculate yourself.  Yogurt alone will give you 2 million tops.  This reinoculation phase should continue at this 15-30 billion rate for a minimum of 1-3 months.  After this, it is okay to drop down to a maintenance dose of around 5-10 billion.  Everyone should really be on some type of probiotic whether they have any health concerns or not.  This allows the immune system to be in tip top shape all year round.

The third stage is ‘R’epair.  We are now to the point where specific nutrients can be added in order to repair the gut lining.  One thing to remember is that once the gut has been damaged, and is what we call ‘leaky’ (meaning too many protein molecules are sneaking through the lining and into the blood stream-causing allergens and other concerns), you must do something to repair that lining by closing up the leaks and adding back a nice juicy lining.  If this phase is not done, you will be back to allergies in no time.  Step one for repair is to insure you are getting the nutrients needed to make the healing reactions happen.  You will need green leafy (kale, collard greens, swiss chard, and other lettuces) and cruciferous (ex. broccoli/cauliflower) veggies with each meal if possible.  Be careful though, if you have been having allergic concerns for a while, these vegetables will be hard to digest.  Make sure they are steamed until soft for any of the stages of the three ‘R’s.  As an aside, once the gut lining has repaired itself and the allergies have been eliminated, you can go back to raw vegetables, as the raw form is actually the healthiest and most nutrient dense.  As part of repair, you will also need to work on the lining itself.  A good quality liquid aloe supplement is probably the best and fastest way to repair your lining.  A great food for lining repair is okra.  You know that slimy coating okra has?  It is very close the the lining you need in your gut.  There are various supplements you can also get with okra in them.  You will need to take this product and/or the aloe along with the probiotics for at least 3 months.  Lastly, I will recommend Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.  Ingesting up to a tbsp per day will help you immensely in so many ways.  Put this directly on any skin rash as well.  I use coconut oil on EVERYTHING.  My skin, hair, face, kids’ cuts/scrapes, food, you name it, our family uses coconut oil on it!

Remember to consult your doctor or natural health care provider before starting any supplementation or dietary changes, or feel free to get in touch with me.

1.  Dedicate (and never skip) a minimum of 1 hour daily to meditation and/or deep breathing.

2.  Each day perform 30 seconds to 3 minutes of Rapid Fire Breathing (Kundalini Yoga) to cleanse the sinuses and airways, as well as bring extra oxygenation to the cells.  It is very easy.  Sit cross legged on the floor (or just seated in a chair if the floor won’t work for you).  Put one hand on your navel, stick your tongue out, and pant like a dog while feeling your navel move in and out.  Do about 10 pants and then close your mouth and use the same exact technique only through your nose.  Continue nasal panting for 30 sec-3 min.  You’ll be amazed at how much clearer you feel just after doing these breathing exercises!

3.  Get to the sauna daily.  If at all possible a daily trip to the sauna will kick your detox efforts into high gear.  If you don’t have access to one, do the hot/cold shower cleanse.  To do this, turn on the water as hot as you absolutely can stand it for 30 sec.  Then switch to as ice cold as you can stand it for 30 sec.  Continue back and forth for at least 5 sets.  This will allow your organs and interstitial fluids (the stuff between the organs) to bring their stored toxins to the surface and release them.

4.  Treat yourself to a rejuvenating massage already!

5.  Drink 5-6 servings of ginger tea and/or hot lemon water daily.  For the ginger tea, take 1 tsp of grated or sliced fresh ginger root and add it to hot water.  For the hot lemon water, add the juice of 1/2 of an organic lemon to a cup of hot water.

6.  Eat only nutrient dense foods.  Stay away from breads, pastas, crackers, cookies, cakes, ice creams, candy, alcohol, dairy, and even nuts this week.  Eat fresh (raw is best) vegetables, salad greens, limited fruits, berries, and limited protein.  This is the one and only time I say to limit protein!  It is just easier for the kidneys to eliminate toxins without the large protein molecules in the way.  Add at least a tsp of organic coconut oil daily as well.

7.  Make sure you are getting adequate rest and that you take the time to engage your senses with nature daily.

There are many different types of detoxes out there.  This one is safe for anyone and everyone.  Start it right away during the perfect time of environmental change.  You’ll be amazed at how these few little steps make a huge difference in your clarity, mental attitude, physical body, and overall love for life.

If you feel like you are overwhelmed with a low point in life, in my opinion, the most important thing you can do is to find time for JUST YOU.  This is not selfish.  If you can find the time to relax, meditate, pray, be, you will see your time for others not only multiply, but it will become even more rewarding for you AND them.

I think the Beetles had it right when they sang:  “There will be an answer, let it be”.

Now, here are the warnings:

Because toxins are fat soluble, fat cells are plump full of toxins.  This produces a danger to your organs due to the fact that when weight is lost quickly, your body is flooded with very high toxicity levels.  When doing an hCG program, it is imperative to handle the toxic load at the same time.

2.  The FDA does not regulate homeopathic remedies.  If purchasing a homeopathic over-the-counter, or via the internet, you are taking a big risk.  Many times the product purchased has added fillers or may not even have the right amounts or dosages needed in your case.

3.  There are very specific nutrients that the body must have during a process like this.  Trying to do this alone without a properly trained healthcare provider will not only cause you to gain back the weight quickly, but in my opinion can be dangerous and detrimental to your health.

4.  If you decide to start a program with a trained professional, you should still consult your doctor as well.

HCG could be a great next step in a weight loss solution, but please do your due diligence and don’t make yourself vulnerable to certain risks by not knowing the facts.  If rapid weight loss is something you’re interested in learning more about, look into what I consider a very safe and effective alternative to hCG.

Daily Staples:

Vegetables are first on our list of staple items.  My family eats veggies nearly constantly throughout the day.  The easy way to keep your family eating them is to cut them all up snack size as soon as you get them and put them in (what we call) a veggie bin.  The bin comes out every time the kids are hungry-easy.  Try finding interesting ways to incorporate veggies such as using hummus for dipping or allowing the kids to make faces with them on their plates.

Eggs are a close second on the staple list.  We go through at least 15 eggs daily between the 5 of us.  As long as you are eating the entire egg (white and yoke), and the chickens were allowed to roam free, you can eat this perfect protein without any worry or guilt.  Talk to your local farmers for great deals on free range eggs.

Wild caught sardines and tuna.  Another almost daily eaten food at our house.  Try to get the smaller tuna such as Tongol instead of Albacore as the larger the fish the more mercury it can hold.  The benefits of eating these deep sea fish far out weigh any issues with mercury though.  Did you know that if you ate tuna all day long you would actually pull in around 4 micrograms of mercury and that just chewing or drinking hot liquid with dental amalgams in your mouth will release around 100 micrograms?  Yikes.  For more info on amalgams, check out www.PPNF.org.  Save money on sardines/tuna by ordering a case from your local health food store.

Other things on our daily list would include olives, unsweetened organic dried coconut chips and coconut oil, organic butter (raw is best if you can get it from a farm) pickles (look for the ones without sugar), whey protein (we use one from Standard Process as it is not heated and doesn’t include other chemicals or synthetic nutrients), and a greens powder (we use Dynamic Greens).  We also love sparkling water.  If you get get a type that comes from naturally occurring co2, it is full of minerals and is so refreshing with a lemon or lime.  Sometimes the kids will use a root beer, or lemonade flavored liquid stevia in their sparkling water for a ‘soda’ without the sugar.  Try to buy the kind in glass instead of plastic or aluminum.  Some combination of kombucha, kimchee, sauerkraut, and/or Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar are ingested throughout the day as well to keep digestion optimal.

Each year we purchase a portion of an organic grass fed cow, and an entire grass fed pig.  Half of the pig gets mixed with my husbands deer (if he gets one! He did this year-yay!).  Overall quite a bit of money is saved by buying these larger animals rather than purchasing different cuts throughout the year.  We also eat grouse from our land, and some duck (although I have to say duck is not my fave).  Of course we do organic chicken, salmon, and other white fish.  When cooking meats, always remember, the slower, the better to preserve the nutrients and keep the proteins in tact (definitely no microwave!).  I love to throw dinner in the crock pot in the morning and have it ready that evening after cooking on low all day.  Simple and delicious.

So those are the basic staples.  Here is our list of occasionals.

Cereal-this is a treat at our house, but if the kids have it, it is a quinoa, oats, millet, rice, or sprouted grain type without any sugar on the ingredients.  We will always add some protein powder to it as well and use unsweetened coconut or almond milk, or raw grass fed cows milk.  Cheese, again raw is best but otherwise something that is imported and is not dyed-must be white.  Legumes-beans and lentils, properly soaked and rinsed to release enzymes and clear any free-radicals.  Fruit-so many pesticides with fruit, so do your best to get organic.  Granny Smith apples are usually the lowest in sugar.  Homemade bread such as sourdough rye or spelt.  Crackers such as nut, rice, or rye crisps.  Raw almond butter.  If we are entertaining, we will use sulfite free organic wines (the darker red, the healthier), possibly a gluten free beer (not from US as those almost always contain fluoride), and/or water processed decaf coffee.

Find your local co-op for purchasing certain organic items.  You’ll save quite a bit of money that way!Also, the Weston A. Price Foundation puts out an excellent Shopping Guide each year.  They include every category of food you can think of and divide them up into BEST, GOOD and AVOID.  They even give you information on where to purchase/order the different foods.   We use this guide all the time.  You can find it at www.WestonAPrice.org.