Disqus - Latest Comments for healthylife

Re: Time for giving

Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:11:05 -0000

I think Holiday gift giving has become way too commercial. I agree with this article "Time For Giving" that we need to get back to our roots of spending time with family and friends rather than shopping for the "perfect gift." I believe that greatest gift we can give is the gift of love -- by giving of ourselves. There are many homemade gifts and ways of giving our time and attention that do not have an expensive price tag on them. I feel that these special gifts from the heart mean more to our loved ones anyways.

Re: Turkey, Pear, and Pomegranate Salad with Cranberry-Chipotle Dressing

Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:34:09 -0000

The Turkey, Pear, and Pomegranate Salad with Cranberry-Chipotle Dressing recipe sounds like a great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. Thanks! I am going to give this one a try.

Re: Clean Water Resources

Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:40:53 -0000

What is in Your Drinking Water?

The quality of our drinking water is extremely important to our health because our body is made up of more than 70% water. If our body is forced to filter out chlorine and other toxic chemicals then not only will our body's ability to carry out toxins be compromised but we also put unnecessary stress on our liver and kidneys that have to work much harder to detoxify our bodies. Overtime, an excess of toxic chemicals can damage or destroy these precious filtering organs.

Water contamination causes are varied. We need to realize that everything that goes down our drains, on our lawns, on our agricultural fields or into the environment can wind up in the water we drink. Chemicals such as chlorine, lead, herbicides, pesticides and a host of other contaminants is commonly found in our water supplies, and in many bottled waters. These trace levels of water-borne chemicals have been documented to have adverse health effects on humans, and especially on small children.

It is important for the public to realize the extent or impact of these low level, synthetic chemicals in our water supplies. While the standard use in our society of over 80,000 different synthetic chemicals has led to added convenience and productivity in our lives, these come at a tremendous price... drastic increases in degenerative disease and other serious health conditions.

Bottled water can give no assurance of pure and healthy water either because there are no government standards that require bottled water to be any better quality than tap water. In March of 1999, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a report called "Bottled Water, Pure Drink or Pure Hype?" This report points out that that 60% to 70% of all bottled water is completely exempt from the FDA's bottled water standards, because it is bottled and sold within the same state. Unless the water is transported across state lines, there are no federal regulations that govern its quality. This is quite alarming.

According to Eric Olsen, of the Natural Resources Defense Council, "The realization that bottled water is seldom of higher quality than tap water has caused a major shift in public opinion." It causes millions of plastic bottles to be manufactured, transported and then disposed of in U.S. landfills, it's killing our planet, and for no good reason..."

So how can we be sure our drinking and bathing water is pure and free of toxins? I believe that a quality home water treatment appliance is the best investment we can make for the health of our families. The quality of the water, including scientific proof that it actually removes the toxic chemicals should be the determining factor of which water purification and filtration system is best.

I believe our household water should be pure and pristine, free of chemicals, like it was before the influences of our modern civilization. I also believe it is important that we don't filter out the natural trace minerals that our important to our health. I have researched many types of water filtration and purification systems and the determining factor for me was finding a water filtration system that removes the chemicals and toxins from the water.

For more information on my healthy water recommendations, I suggest reading my article The Quality of Our Drinking Water.

Re: Herbs and supplements for colon health

Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:08:16 -0000

Here is a list of herbs and supplements I suggest for colon health, which are also the ingredients in the CapraCleanse formula by Mt. Capra. I like CapraCleanse because it is a complete cleansing formula for the colon, liver gall bladder and contains chlorophyll, which is helpful for cleansing the blood.

Activated Fiber Blend:

Arabinogalactan: A prebiotic, acts as a food source for friendly bacteria. Aids in activating immune system, contains short chain fatty acids that fuel colonic cell growth, and helps regulate colonic enzyme activity.

Psyllium Husk Powder: Soluble, viscous xylan fiber. Swells due to water absorption, with consequent increase in stool bulk and stimulation of peristalsis.

Psyllium Seed Powder: Contains bioactive mucilage-polysaccharide.

Note: Some Cleansers do not do well with psyllium as it can cause abdominal swelling in some sensitive people. Ground Flax Seed or Chia Seed can be used instead of psyllium, see SuperSeed fiber by Garden of Life.

Flax Flour: Soluble fiber rich in Omega-3 and one of nature's richest sources of Lignan. Also, 100% certified organic.

Apple Fiber Powder: Nutritious dietary fiber, binds with water to loosen and form stool. It is a Gluten free, good fiber for sensitive people.

Inulin Frutafit™ : Naturally occurring Fructooligosaccharide (FOS) pre-biotic, readily soluble dietary fiber, colonic Ph reducer, stimulates colonic growth of bifidus and aids in the elimination of toxins.

Rice Bran Solubles: Dietary fiber rich in healthy oils (Omega 3, 6) and over 100 water soluble antioxidants, including vitamin E and Alpha-Lipoic Acid. Has shown to reduce blood glucose and cholesterol.

Colon Cleanse Blend: (Note: I tend to avoid Cascara Sagrada unless absolutely necessary because it is too harsh, can cause intestinal cramping and acts like a laxative, which can cause dependency. It is not included in the CapraCleanse formula).
:
Slippery Elm Powder: Traditional expectorant, demulcent, emollient and diuretic. Very high in mucilage.

Marshmallow Rood Powder: Natural expectorant, demulcent, emollient diuretic and anti-inflammatory. Aids in peristalsis and sooths inflammation of alimentary canal.

Fennel Seed Powder: Used since ancient times to soothe upset stomachs and indigestion and to prevent gas. Also acts as a diuretic and inhibits smooth muscle spasms. It was once an official listed drug in the United States for indigestion.

Fenugreek Powder: Ancient remedy for constipation and digestive upset, has a high saponin content and is believed to inhibit absorption of cholesterol.

Turkey Rhubarb Root: Traditional astringent and stomach tonic shown to ease stomach irritability and aid in the cleansing process by helping to avoid bowel blockage and constipation.

Alkalizing Mineral Blend: To balance pH levels:
:
Beet Juice Powder: Dietary fiber rich in vitamins A & C, niacin, folic acid, biotin and betaine. Betaine functions to protect bile ducts and aids in synergistic bile release.

Fermented Goat Mineral Whey / Goat Mineral Whey: Contains magnesium and other alkalizing mineral which supports proper pH and colon hydration.

Superfoods to help rebuild colon health:
:
PB Greens II: Pre-digested blend of Wheat, Oat, Barley and Alfalfa juices containing 14 strains of beneficial micro-organisms and active enzymes.

Alfalfa Leaf Whole: Nutrient dense bulk fiber. Contains 8 amino acids and is a rich source of vitamin B12, chlorophyll and saponins.

Essential Soothing Botanical Blend to reduce inflammation:
:
Turmeric Powder: Traditional Auyurvedic stomach tonic, acts as an alkalizer and anti-inflammatory. A potent anti-oxidant known to alleviate excessive peristalsis through anti-spasmodic properties.

Hyssop: Wild oregano concentrate containing 31 known anti-inflammatories, 8 antioxidants and four know COX-2 inhibitors.

Ginger Root Powder: Traditionally used as an ulcer treatment, has strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. It is extremely high in protein digesting enzymes.

Rosemary Powder: Contains volatile oils that act as potent antioxidants and as smooth muscle relaxers, which aid spasms of the lower colonic tract.

Yucca Whole Powder: Contains water and fat soluble saponins. Also aids in loosening of stools.

CapraCleanse by Mt. Capra provides a A blend of botanicals, essential oils, enzymes, probiotics, fiber and alkalyzing minerals from mineral goat whey. It contains over 20 proven ingredients that assist the body with cleansing and detoxification. Capra cleanse contains no harsh laxatives and is gentle enough to be used daily.

Re: Supplements to decrease inflammation

Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:38:51 -0000

My favorite natural herbal formula for inflammation is Zyflamend by New Chapter.

Zyflamend contains the following 10 medicinal herbs:

HOLY BASIL (Ocimum sanctum) Contains ursolic acid, which significantly enhances detoxification and promotes a healthy inflammation response.

TURMERIC Unique curcumin phytonutrient complex, synergistic with green tea, significantly multiplying each herb's ability to promote healthy eicosanoid balance.

GINGER extract modulates both eicosanoid cascades and offers numerous anti-aging constituents

GREEN TEA Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences report green tea polyphenols exert a beneficial effect on healthy eicosanoid balance.* Major university database notes green tea contains 51 phytonutrients that promote a healthy inflammation response.

ROSEMARY Dual extracts offer highly concentrated, full spectrum eicosanoid balance and support detoxification.

HU ZHANG (Polygonum cuspidatum) Richest known resveratrol source, with each daily serving delivering the approximate equivelant of six glasses of resveratrol-rich wine.

CHINESE GOLDTHREAD AND BARBERRY Unique berberine phytonutrient complex naturally promotes a healthy inflammation response.

OREGANO Source of large number of phytonutrient modulators (31) according to USDA database.

BAIKAL SKULLCAP Unique baicalin phytonutrient complex, naturally promotes healthy inflammation response.

Zyflamend helps to promote a healthy inflammation response, promotes normal cell growth and promotes healthy joint function.

Re: {How to} age well

Christine Dreher, CCN, CCH — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:40:20 -0000

I enjoyed this article and I think it covered many important points for slowing down the aging process.

I think it is important to include whole food dietary supplements and vitamins though. The article mentioned Vitamin C. The isolated form of Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, which does not contain the cofactors, micronutrients and bioflavonoids that you would get in a whole food form of Vitamin C like Garden of Life Living Vitamin C or New Chapter's Organic C Food Vitamin Complex. These micro nutrients contain numerous immune supportive and synergistic polyphenols, bioflavonoids and phytonutrients.

I would also suggest taking a whole food multivitamin such as New Chapter's organic whole food multivitamins or Garden of Life whole food multivitamins. Both of these nutritional companies use a fermentation or culturing process that activates the nutritional properties of the formulas, which in turn provides more nutrients and is absorbed and utilized more efficiently.

In fact, Garden of Life has just released their new Vitamin Code raw vitamin product line. Vitamin Code is raw multivitamins that are made from organic fruits and vegetables and have gone through a double culturing process to make them 100% active. We all know the nutritional power of eating raw fruits and vegetables that provide us with so much nutrition and needed enzymes.

For more information about the benefits of whole food vitamin supplementation, I recommend reading my article "Cultured, Whole Food Vitamins & Supplements - Best Source of Dietary Supplementation"