Since it is Halloween, I feel the need to say something about candy and our children. If you have not gone out and bought candy for the trick or treaters, consider doing this. Instead of buying candy, buy pencils or small boxes of crayons. If you buy some Halloween pencils with special Halloween erasers, these are great things for the children. Something they can actually use and something that will not be detrimental to their health.
We have given pencils since the second year we were married. I learned in that first year that guess who ate the left over candy. Something I did not need to be doing. Kids love the fact that you are giving them something different and the parents usually have a smile for me when the kids ask what it is and they learn they're getting pencils.
Happy Halloween!!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Other Ways to Increase Serotonin
Research has shown that simple exercise can increase Serotonin and a sense of feeling good. I know you don't necessarily want to go to the gym, but you can do some very simple exercises at home which will assist you in creating more serotonin in your brain. If you are interested in more information about this, please respond to this post and I will give you more information.
Another thing that can increase Serotonin is bright light. The world had less depression in it when most eveyone worked outside for a good portion of the day in the sun light. Why? Because the sun light blocks the production of melatonin by the pineal gland - you may remember that this is the hormone which tends to put us to sleep. It also uses tryptophan which we need to produce Serotonin. If the pineal gland is not using tryptophan to produce melatonin, then there is more tryptophan available to make Serotonin.
Another thing that can increase Serotonin is bright light. The world had less depression in it when most eveyone worked outside for a good portion of the day in the sun light. Why? Because the sun light blocks the production of melatonin by the pineal gland - you may remember that this is the hormone which tends to put us to sleep. It also uses tryptophan which we need to produce Serotonin. If the pineal gland is not using tryptophan to produce melatonin, then there is more tryptophan available to make Serotonin.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Creating Serotonin - What Should I Eat?
Since we know that tryptophan is the building block for serotonin, that would be the first thing we need to produce serotonin. Most of us are familiar with one source of tryptophan - turkey! We all get very relaxed and sleepy after that big Thanksgiving turkey dinner. This is related to the tryptophan in the turkey. In this case however, the tryptophan goes to the pineal gland and melatonin is produced which makes us sleepy. Not the serotonin we were hoping to produce.
This is a complex issue, because the amino acids in proteins can get in the way of the tryptophan and keep it from converting to Serotonin. To help you understand this, if you are depressed and your Serotonin levels are low, you will crave and eat simple carbohydrates like sugar and sweets. This gives you a short burst of Serotonin but it is not sustained and requires more within an hour or two at most. We all know what eating sugar or sweets every 1-2 hours will do to your waist line. Complex carbohydrates will raise Serotonin levels to a lesser extent because they contain protein amino acids which get in the way.
To clear the protein amino acids, you need to have foods which stimulate the production of insulin which will clear the proteins out of the way. Best foods for this are whole grain breads or raw fruits.
This is a complex issue, because the amino acids in proteins can get in the way of the tryptophan and keep it from converting to Serotonin. To help you understand this, if you are depressed and your Serotonin levels are low, you will crave and eat simple carbohydrates like sugar and sweets. This gives you a short burst of Serotonin but it is not sustained and requires more within an hour or two at most. We all know what eating sugar or sweets every 1-2 hours will do to your waist line. Complex carbohydrates will raise Serotonin levels to a lesser extent because they contain protein amino acids which get in the way.
To clear the protein amino acids, you need to have foods which stimulate the production of insulin which will clear the proteins out of the way. Best foods for this are whole grain breads or raw fruits.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Feeling Good with Serotonin
More on Serotonin here. You may be aware of serotonin by the initials that are sometime used to refer to it's chemical structure. Serotonin is 5-HT. Many weight loss programs refer to having 5-HT in their product. One of the things that Serotonin does is to help regulate appetite. It's really not clear if this is a direct action or if by alleviating some depressive symptoms the individual actually eats less. Many individuals with depression eat more than usual and gain weight.
If you think about it, feeling good about yourself does not make you want to eat more. Not feeling good, can definitely make you want to eat more in the hopes that food will make you feel better.
So what can we eat to help promote serotonin production? More on this tomorrow.
If you think about it, feeling good about yourself does not make you want to eat more. Not feeling good, can definitely make you want to eat more in the hopes that food will make you feel better.
So what can we eat to help promote serotonin production? More on this tomorrow.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Serotonin - Feel Good Hormone
Serotonin is what I refer to as our "feel good hormone." When we do not have enough serotonin, we tend toward depression. There are multiple research studies which link serotonin with depression and many of the newer drugs out for depression actually work directly on serotonin.
Serotonin is a hormone which is produced in our brains via a biochemical process which uses tryptophan. The actual process is not as important as understanding that if the process does not occur, there will not be enough serotonin in our brain to transmit information from one cell to the next. There are other problems that can occur regarding the receptor sites not being able to accept the serotonin to transmit information. In other words, you may produce enough but the receptor sites are not working. It's like connecting to the internet, if the phone line you want to use is not working(the receptor site), your computer (the serotonin) will not be able to connect to the internet to transmit information.
More tomorrow on Sserotonin
Serotonin is a hormone which is produced in our brains via a biochemical process which uses tryptophan. The actual process is not as important as understanding that if the process does not occur, there will not be enough serotonin in our brain to transmit information from one cell to the next. There are other problems that can occur regarding the receptor sites not being able to accept the serotonin to transmit information. In other words, you may produce enough but the receptor sites are not working. It's like connecting to the internet, if the phone line you want to use is not working(the receptor site), your computer (the serotonin) will not be able to connect to the internet to transmit information.
More tomorrow on Sserotonin
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Benefits of Chocolate
Some of the benefits of raw chocolate or cacao are the high levels of antioxidant and magnesium content. Raw cacao is the highest food source of antioxidant. It is higher than green tea or red wine. How great is that. You can protect your cells by eating raw cacao!! So chocolate in it's raw form is good for you!
The high levels of magnesium contained in raw cacao supports heart health, relaxes muscles and eases menstrual cramping, increases flexibility, and improves brain function.
The greatest benefit here is cacao's effect on the brain. It actually assists the body in the production of brain chemicals like serotonin, phenylethylamine, theobromine, and tryptophan. These brain chemicals are responsible for making us feel less depressed, less stressed, and less anxious. Bottom line, these chemicals help increase our pleasure and I sometimes referred to these as the feel good chemcals.
The high levels of magnesium contained in raw cacao supports heart health, relaxes muscles and eases menstrual cramping, increases flexibility, and improves brain function.
The greatest benefit here is cacao's effect on the brain. It actually assists the body in the production of brain chemicals like serotonin, phenylethylamine, theobromine, and tryptophan. These brain chemicals are responsible for making us feel less depressed, less stressed, and less anxious. Bottom line, these chemicals help increase our pleasure and I sometimes referred to these as the feel good chemcals.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Chocolate
We all love to hear about and eat chocolate. So I thought I would revisit this topic. There has been a controversy around chocolate and whether it is good for you. There is a form of chocolate which is very good for you. The form is raw chocolate or cacao. This is not the sweetened processed milk chocolate that you get in a candy bar.
Raw cacao usually comes in the form of bits of the dried cacao bean. The bits are hard and you definitely don't want to bite them. If you're going to eat raw chocolate, put a few bits in your mount and suck on them until they are soft. Then you can chew them up. If you bite into the hard bits, they taste like dirt or something worse! You can also take the bits and grind them up into a fine powder - like cocoa powder that you buy in the store. Except this will not be sweet and it will not have any hydrogenated fats in it. You can use it to make things like cocoa. Use Stevia to sweeten it.
More on the benefits tomorrow.
Raw cacao usually comes in the form of bits of the dried cacao bean. The bits are hard and you definitely don't want to bite them. If you're going to eat raw chocolate, put a few bits in your mount and suck on them until they are soft. Then you can chew them up. If you bite into the hard bits, they taste like dirt or something worse! You can also take the bits and grind them up into a fine powder - like cocoa powder that you buy in the store. Except this will not be sweet and it will not have any hydrogenated fats in it. You can use it to make things like cocoa. Use Stevia to sweeten it.
More on the benefits tomorrow.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Exercise and Arthritis
If you are having arthritis pain, that is not the time to stop exercise. You should continue to do simple exercises to keep joints working correctly. If you stop exercising, the joints will become stiffer and you will have more difficulty moving.
Some simple things that you can start with are just some simple stretching exercising. This will help keep the joint functional. If you have pain in knees or hips, begin walking each day. Start out slow and work your way up to 20-30 minutes per day. This will prevent further deterioration of the joint. Swimming or water exercises are also great to keep joints active.
The worst thing you can do is to stop moving or be sedentary, moving as little as possible. If you want more information of some simple exercises to help keep your joints functioning, just hit the email button below this post and I will respond to you.
Some simple things that you can start with are just some simple stretching exercising. This will help keep the joint functional. If you have pain in knees or hips, begin walking each day. Start out slow and work your way up to 20-30 minutes per day. This will prevent further deterioration of the joint. Swimming or water exercises are also great to keep joints active.
The worst thing you can do is to stop moving or be sedentary, moving as little as possible. If you want more information of some simple exercises to help keep your joints functioning, just hit the email button below this post and I will respond to you.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Ginger and Inflammation
Ginger has been around for a long time and has been used for multiple medical problems. Most people are familiar with using ginger to alleviate nausea and gastrointestinal upsets. It definitely helps with gas, diarrhea and stomach cramping.
What you may not know is that ginger has also been used to decrease inflammation especially in arthritis. Fresh ginger is best, but you can use ground ginger. Use some caution in not taking too much ginger. A little goes a long way.
What you may not know is that ginger has also been used to decrease inflammation especially in arthritis. Fresh ginger is best, but you can use ground ginger. Use some caution in not taking too much ginger. A little goes a long way.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
More on Reducing Inflammation
So how do we reduce inflammation? What foods are good for us to do this? Foods that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids are the foods you shuld be focusing on. Not only will they help decrease the inflammation, but they will also help you to be healthier in general.
I spoke about this before and you can read more on omega-3 by clicking on omega-3. I also suggested some foods that were high in omega 3 in another post, just click on post. Some foods that I did not list in that post were the brightly colored fruits and dark green leafy vegetables.
For those of you with teens or who are teens. Look at the diet. Why teens? because one of their greatest concerns is acne or having their face break out. Acne is basically an inflammatory process and by eating a diet that decreases inflammation, there will be less break out.
I spoke about this before and you can read more on omega-3 by clicking on omega-3. I also suggested some foods that were high in omega 3 in another post, just click on post. Some foods that I did not list in that post were the brightly colored fruits and dark green leafy vegetables.
For those of you with teens or who are teens. Look at the diet. Why teens? because one of their greatest concerns is acne or having their face break out. Acne is basically an inflammatory process and by eating a diet that decreases inflammation, there will be less break out.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Reducing Inflammation
I've had a lot of questions about arthritis and treatment options. I want to take a few minutes to address this as it seems to be a big issue for many people.
First and foremost if you are having arthritic pain, look at your diet. Certain foods will tend to increase inflammation and hence you experience more pain. Foods that are high in Omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation. These are foods that have high-fructose corn syrup, red meats, and foods with processed sugars and saturated fats. You may want to go back and review the entries on fats. If you click on fats you will go to the first posting on this topic.
If you think about the foods high in Omega-6 fatty acids, these are the same foods which contribute greatly to being overweight or obese. Extra weight adds stress to joints and further exacerbates inflammation. More tomorrow
First and foremost if you are having arthritic pain, look at your diet. Certain foods will tend to increase inflammation and hence you experience more pain. Foods that are high in Omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation. These are foods that have high-fructose corn syrup, red meats, and foods with processed sugars and saturated fats. You may want to go back and review the entries on fats. If you click on fats you will go to the first posting on this topic.
If you think about the foods high in Omega-6 fatty acids, these are the same foods which contribute greatly to being overweight or obese. Extra weight adds stress to joints and further exacerbates inflammation. More tomorrow
Monday, October 20, 2008
Is it Fresh?
We often see the label "fresh" on foods. What does that imply to you? For many of us, we think that if it is labeled "fresh," it just arrived from the grower or the baker right? Not so true. Be eary of this label on foods.
Here's an example. Chicken can be labeled fresh if it is kept at 26 degrees or lower. To me that says frozen chicken and does not necessarily mean that it was "just forzen." This is just one of those things you need to be aware of when shopping. Don't put too much value on fresh as it may not be as fresh as you think.
Here's an example. Chicken can be labeled fresh if it is kept at 26 degrees or lower. To me that says frozen chicken and does not necessarily mean that it was "just forzen." This is just one of those things you need to be aware of when shopping. Don't put too much value on fresh as it may not be as fresh as you think.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Whole Grains - what does this mean?
If you haven't figured it out, I'm kind of doing the label thing for the past few days, so you know what to be looking for on labels and what they mean.
Today I'm going to talk about whole grain. When you go into the store to buy bread, you want to buy bread that is labeled "100% whole wheat or whole grain." The breads to avoid are those that are labeled "made with whole grain." If you look at the label, you may see something like wheat flour - this product is not made with whole grain. It is processed grain, and actually lacks the wheat germ which is one of the most beneficial components of Whole Wheat.
There is also a difference in fiber between wheat flour and Whole wheat flour. Reading the labels can be very beneficial to your health.
Today I'm going to talk about whole grain. When you go into the store to buy bread, you want to buy bread that is labeled "100% whole wheat or whole grain." The breads to avoid are those that are labeled "made with whole grain." If you look at the label, you may see something like wheat flour - this product is not made with whole grain. It is processed grain, and actually lacks the wheat germ which is one of the most beneficial components of Whole Wheat.
There is also a difference in fiber between wheat flour and Whole wheat flour. Reading the labels can be very beneficial to your health.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Trans Fat Free
If the label says "Trans Fat Free" do you still need to read the label? In a word, Yes! The reason is that the product can contain partially hydrogenated oil. You can label the product as Trans Fat Free as long as a serving size has less than a half a gram of trans fat. Now if you routinely eat 2 servings of the product ( this may be as little as 2 teaspoons), you are getting more than half a gram.
I can't emphasize enough how very important it is to read the labels. You want products with no partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils in them.
I can't emphasize enough how very important it is to read the labels. You want products with no partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils in them.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Hormone Free or Antibiotic Free
When looking at labels, do you look for hormone free or antibiotic free? If you're looking for hormone free, you can stop when it comes to chicken or pork. A law was enacted in 1959 that chicken and pork had to be hormone free. Beef is and entirely different matter. You still need to read the labels for hormone free beef. Antibiotics are still used in all animals to stimulate growth. So you want to be looking at labels for "antibiotic free."
We tend to think of hormones and antibiotics just in terms of the meat. However, you should also be aware that milk can be coming from cows which have been injected with growth hormone to increase their milk production.
From a medical standpoint, we have no clear idea of the potential issues around eating foods that have have artificial hormones and antibiotics in them. One thing to ponder is that we have far more disease today than when these things were not available to enhance growth.
We tend to think of hormones and antibiotics just in terms of the meat. However, you should also be aware that milk can be coming from cows which have been injected with growth hormone to increase their milk production.
From a medical standpoint, we have no clear idea of the potential issues around eating foods that have have artificial hormones and antibiotics in them. One thing to ponder is that we have far more disease today than when these things were not available to enhance growth.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Is Natural the same as Organic?
I was confused at first with the labeling natural. What does that mean and is it the same as organic. The answer is, it is not the same as something labeled organic. A company who wants to use the natural food label does not have to go through the rigorous verification that a farmer who is growing organic food must go through.
Be sure to read the label thoroughly. You may be surprised to see partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients. If you don't remember the problems with these ingredients got back and read my post on October 13, 08. You also might want to review my posting on September 6, 08 about hydrogenated oil.
Remember that high fructose corn syrup is a chemically processed dextrose from corn. It isn't just pressed out of the corn.
My words are to use care and read the label of foods marked as "Natural."
Be sure to read the label thoroughly. You may be surprised to see partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients. If you don't remember the problems with these ingredients got back and read my post on October 13, 08. You also might want to review my posting on September 6, 08 about hydrogenated oil.
Remember that high fructose corn syrup is a chemically processed dextrose from corn. It isn't just pressed out of the corn.
My words are to use care and read the label of foods marked as "Natural."
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Organic Foods - Should You or Shouldn't You
I have had many people ask me about organic foods and whether they should buy organic or not. How do they know that they are actually getting organically grown foods and what does organically grown actually mean.
Let's start with what is organic food. Foods that have an Organic label are foods that are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or any form of biotechnology (like irradiation which is used to kill bacteria). Organic meats come from animals which are fed only organic feed, and the animals are allowed free range in pastures and not confined in pens 100% of the time. The animals are also not given antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.
Farmers who raise crops which are labeled as organic must go through a rigorous verification to be able to use the organic label.
One of the things that I do not is have organic fruits and vegetables delivered to my door by a company called Door to Door Organics. I've had a very positive experience with them and my husband and I love the fruits and vegetables that we get. If you are interested in learning more and if they are available in your city, just go to Door to Door Organics.
Let's start with what is organic food. Foods that have an Organic label are foods that are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or any form of biotechnology (like irradiation which is used to kill bacteria). Organic meats come from animals which are fed only organic feed, and the animals are allowed free range in pastures and not confined in pens 100% of the time. The animals are also not given antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones.
Farmers who raise crops which are labeled as organic must go through a rigorous verification to be able to use the organic label.
One of the things that I do not is have organic fruits and vegetables delivered to my door by a company called Door to Door Organics. I've had a very positive experience with them and my husband and I love the fruits and vegetables that we get. If you are interested in learning more and if they are available in your city, just go to Door to Door Organics.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
More on Corn
Yesterday should have put a little fear into you or at least made you think about eating corn and corn based products. How many of you cook with corn oil? Think about it.
There are some other diseases which are increased when a person is eating a mostly corn based diet. Some of these are osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, tooth decay, and anemia. If you look at the health of Native Americans prior to the arrival of Europeans in this country, they had far less disease when their food supply was gathering what was growing naturally on the land and hunting for food in the form of meat from animals. They developed much more disease once they changed their diet to a corn base diet.
Yesterday I mentioned that the high fructose corn syrup caused a high sugar spike. If that sugar is not used by the muscle fairly quickly through some form of exercise, then it is stored as fat.
There are some other diseases which are increased when a person is eating a mostly corn based diet. Some of these are osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, tooth decay, and anemia. If you look at the health of Native Americans prior to the arrival of Europeans in this country, they had far less disease when their food supply was gathering what was growing naturally on the land and hunting for food in the form of meat from animals. They developed much more disease once they changed their diet to a corn base diet.
Yesterday I mentioned that the high fructose corn syrup caused a high sugar spike. If that sugar is not used by the muscle fairly quickly through some form of exercise, then it is stored as fat.
Monday, October 13, 2008
What do you know about corn?
Have you seen the ad on TV on how High Fructose Corn Syrup is supposed to be good for you? Did you believe it?
If you did here are some things to think about. Corn is actually a grain. Like all grains, when eaten it converts to sugar very rapidly in the body, causing a high blood sugar spike. Diabetics might want to think before they eat corn or any corn based product. In a diabetic, corn can actually not only spike the blood sugar, but also make it stay up for a long period of time.
High blood sugar levels can actually cause damage in the blood vessel walls. The body's normal mechanism to fix these cell walls is to utilize cholesterol. While cholesterol is part of this healing process, it also causes a narrowing of the blood vessel because it actually builds up plaque. Then we end up with heart attacks and strokes.
That's enough for you to think about today. More on this tomorrow.
If you did here are some things to think about. Corn is actually a grain. Like all grains, when eaten it converts to sugar very rapidly in the body, causing a high blood sugar spike. Diabetics might want to think before they eat corn or any corn based product. In a diabetic, corn can actually not only spike the blood sugar, but also make it stay up for a long period of time.
High blood sugar levels can actually cause damage in the blood vessel walls. The body's normal mechanism to fix these cell walls is to utilize cholesterol. While cholesterol is part of this healing process, it also causes a narrowing of the blood vessel because it actually builds up plaque. Then we end up with heart attacks and strokes.
That's enough for you to think about today. More on this tomorrow.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Travel and MMS
While I'm on my Miracle Mineral Solution kick, I'll tell you about one other person that MMS has helped. She is a nursing friend of mine and her daughter lives in South Africa. She was going over to visit and she was concerned because their water is not the best over there and it is difficult to get bottled water. In addition, the long flight always leaves her sick for several days after she gets there and then again for a week when she gets home.
I started her on the MMS about 6 weeks before her trip. She arrived in South Africa feeling great and felt well the entire time that she was there. This meant she really enjoyed her new grandbaby! Coming home she missed a flight in London and ended up with a very long layover and being delayed almost 24 hours getting home. The MMS came through for her and kept her well so that she was able to return to work after only being home for 2 days. Something that had never happened for her before.
I started her on the MMS about 6 weeks before her trip. She arrived in South Africa feeling great and felt well the entire time that she was there. This meant she really enjoyed her new grandbaby! Coming home she missed a flight in London and ended up with a very long layover and being delayed almost 24 hours getting home. The MMS came through for her and kept her well so that she was able to return to work after only being home for 2 days. Something that had never happened for her before.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Colds, Flu and MMS
As I mentioned yesterday, the wife of the guy with shingles had spoken with me at length about the Miracle Mineral Solution. We discussed some of the other uses and how it was discovered. Dr. John Gray actually introduced me to it at the time that the news media was raving about how bad the bird flu was going to be. John told me to have some on hand and if I started to get symptoms to immediately start the MMS.
I told this to the physical therapist and one night her kids were sniffling and stuffy and both coming down with colds. So she decided to test it out, giving each of them 2 drops of MMS before they went to bed. When they got up in the morning, all of their symptoms were gone. She is definitely a believer now!
I told this to the physical therapist and one night her kids were sniffling and stuffy and both coming down with colds. So she decided to test it out, giving each of them 2 drops of MMS before they went to bed. When they got up in the morning, all of their symptoms were gone. She is definitely a believer now!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Shinges and MMS
My husband works next to a physical therapy area and the physical therapist was telling him that her husband had been diagnosed with shinges and the doctor had just sent him home with nothing and that he was having a great deal of pain. My husband referred her to me. I wasn't sure that Miracle Mineral Solution would do anything for his shingles, but I knew that it would not hurt. So we started him right away.
His pain decreased right away and the rash instead of continuing to break out stopped and started to dry up. He is definitely a believer and feels that the MMS kept him from having a long drawn out illness.
More tomorrow about how his wife used the MMS.
His pain decreased right away and the rash instead of continuing to break out stopped and started to dry up. He is definitely a believer and feels that the MMS kept him from having a long drawn out illness.
More tomorrow about how his wife used the MMS.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Peripheral Neuropathy
I have a very good friend that I diagnosed peripheral neuropathy in a number of years ago. She has a lot of pain in her feet and has been put on some pretty hefty medications to help her with this. She also has some arthritis in her hands and when she saw how well I was doing this spring, she asked what I was doing. I told her about MMS (Miracle Mineral Solution).
She got some and I saw her after she had been on just one drop a day for a week. She told me her arthritis was not better. However, the pain in her feet was about 90% gone and she asked me what should I tell my doctor. I told her he would likely not understand and the best thing was to have him contact me and I would talk with him from a scientific basis. Not surprising, he never called. My friend is still doing very well, using less of the prescription medicine and her pain is continuing to be controlled.
She got some and I saw her after she had been on just one drop a day for a week. She told me her arthritis was not better. However, the pain in her feet was about 90% gone and she asked me what should I tell my doctor. I told her he would likely not understand and the best thing was to have him contact me and I would talk with him from a scientific basis. Not surprising, he never called. My friend is still doing very well, using less of the prescription medicine and her pain is continuing to be controlled.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Miracle Mineral Solution
Yesterday I mentioned Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). This is a very inexpensive product that has many uses. As I said yesterday, I use it for arthritis pain. I ring hand bells - in case you don't know what these are, there is a picture to the left.
Miracle Mineral Solution has been an incredible discovery for me personally. Prior to finding this, I used to have to wear braces on my wrists and by the end of concert season in December and May, I could hardly pick up a bell at all. Not true any more!! In fact I don't always wear my braces now and last summer I had the opportunity to play at the International Hand Bell Festival in Orlando. We rang some days for 7-8 hours. That is a lot of ringing. I did have the MMS with me there and took it every day. Still no pain and I never had to wear my braces. This is truly an amazing product.
The great news is that it is not just for pain. I will tell you that acute pain - something that is fairly new resolves much more quickly than chronic pain. It took about a month or so to get resolution with my arthritis pain. If you have questions about MMS, please email me. I will be happy to help you and give you more information.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Acute Finger Injury
While I was away last week, I injured my ring and middle fingers. They were both very swollen and sore. Because of where I was, I did not have something with me that would quickly assist with the healing. So by Friday, when I did get home, they were both still very swollen, stiff and sore. So I immediately got back on my Miracle Mineral Solution. I routinely use this for arthritis pain in my wrists, hands and feet, but did not have it for the 5 days I was gone.
I restarted it on Friday evening and today, my fingers are almost completely back to normal with no more pain and the swelling is minimal. I had forgotten how well the Miracle Mineral Solution works!! More about this great product tomorrow.
I restarted it on Friday evening and today, my fingers are almost completely back to normal with no more pain and the swelling is minimal. I had forgotten how well the Miracle Mineral Solution works!! More about this great product tomorrow.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Ear Infections and Flying
I got a phone call yesterday from someone asking about her son flying with an ear infection. Here's my advice on that one. If you have an ear infection you should be taking a decongestant for at least 24 hours before you fly. This will help take the congestion out of the eustachian tube so that when you take off your ear doesn't plug up. You can use any of the over the counter decongestants, just follow the instructions on the label.
If you have an infection, this should be diagnosed by a physician, who is treating you with antibiotics. Ear pain does not necessarily mean you have an infection. Get it looked at.
When you fly, ask the stewardess for 2 cups with a hot wet paper towel in each. As the plane takes off, hold these up to your ears. This will alleviate some of the discomfort of the take off. Do the same for the landing. You make look a little silly and feel a little funny holding the cups to your ears, but it is way better than the pain associated with the assent and descent. Cabin pressures are set to about 5,000 feet, so if you're landing in Denver, it will be less painful because your ears are used to that pressure. However if you're landing in Houston or somewhere that is sea level, the pressure will be intensified.
It would be best if you didn't have to fly, but sometimes that is not an option. Things that can occur are what we call barotrauma to the ear drums from the pressures outside versus the inside pressure behind the drum. This may lead to scarring and decreased hearing later in life. You can also suffer a rupture of the drum, in which case the pain will be instantly relieved. the bad news is that you will lose your hearing for awhile in that ear depending upon the size of the rupture. Ruptures heal, again leaving some scar tissue which can impair the hearing in the affected ear.
If you have an infection, this should be diagnosed by a physician, who is treating you with antibiotics. Ear pain does not necessarily mean you have an infection. Get it looked at.
When you fly, ask the stewardess for 2 cups with a hot wet paper towel in each. As the plane takes off, hold these up to your ears. This will alleviate some of the discomfort of the take off. Do the same for the landing. You make look a little silly and feel a little funny holding the cups to your ears, but it is way better than the pain associated with the assent and descent. Cabin pressures are set to about 5,000 feet, so if you're landing in Denver, it will be less painful because your ears are used to that pressure. However if you're landing in Houston or somewhere that is sea level, the pressure will be intensified.
It would be best if you didn't have to fly, but sometimes that is not an option. Things that can occur are what we call barotrauma to the ear drums from the pressures outside versus the inside pressure behind the drum. This may lead to scarring and decreased hearing later in life. You can also suffer a rupture of the drum, in which case the pain will be instantly relieved. the bad news is that you will lose your hearing for awhile in that ear depending upon the size of the rupture. Ruptures heal, again leaving some scar tissue which can impair the hearing in the affected ear.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Swelling and Airline Travel
I just got back from a trip to California where I was doing way more physical activity than I usually do. The plane ride back was not a direct flight, so had a short layover and a connecting flight. I was also excessively tired, running on about 3 hours of sleep. As a consequence, I slept on the flights. This was not a bad thing, except that I did not move much for the 4 hours while I was flying. This means no exercising or moving of my legs. The result when I landed in Denver was excessive swelling of my feet, ankles, and lower legs.
This is a perfect set up for a blood clot to form. How I could have prevented this was every 20 minutes or so pulling my toes upward toward my shin and then pointing my toes about 10 times in each direction. When you are awake on the plane you may not be doing these exercises, but you may be moving your legs. You will find that when you do these simple exercises you can prevent the excessive swelling in the lower extremities and help prevent a blood clot from forming.
When I got home, I immediately elevated my feet above the level of my heart to help get the swelling down.
This is a perfect set up for a blood clot to form. How I could have prevented this was every 20 minutes or so pulling my toes upward toward my shin and then pointing my toes about 10 times in each direction. When you are awake on the plane you may not be doing these exercises, but you may be moving your legs. You will find that when you do these simple exercises you can prevent the excessive swelling in the lower extremities and help prevent a blood clot from forming.
When I got home, I immediately elevated my feet above the level of my heart to help get the swelling down.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Sources of Potassium
Here is a short list of foods that actually contain more potassium than bananas.
Sweet potato, potatoes, plain yogurt, prune juice, yellow fin tuna, clams, winter squash and cod. My favorite though is black strap molasses which actually contains quite a bit more potassium than bananas. If you are a calorie counter, this will help you see. 1 Tablespoon of black strap molasses is 47 calories and contains 498mg of Potassium. 1 medium banana is 105 calories and 419mg of Potassium. A sweet potato is 131 calories and contains 694mg of Potassium.
So there are other sources of potassium and most vegetables contain potassium. So eat your vegetables and be a little wary about eating bananas.
Sweet potato, potatoes, plain yogurt, prune juice, yellow fin tuna, clams, winter squash and cod. My favorite though is black strap molasses which actually contains quite a bit more potassium than bananas. If you are a calorie counter, this will help you see. 1 Tablespoon of black strap molasses is 47 calories and contains 498mg of Potassium. 1 medium banana is 105 calories and 419mg of Potassium. A sweet potato is 131 calories and contains 694mg of Potassium.
So there are other sources of potassium and most vegetables contain potassium. So eat your vegetables and be a little wary about eating bananas.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Bananas
I was speaking with a diabetic recently who was telling me that the only fruit she eats is bananas. Of course her next comment was because they are high in potassium. What most people don't realize is that there are better sources of potassium than bananas.
The thing to understand about bananas is that they are a starch. Starch gets converted in your body directly to glucose (sugar). The process in the body is one that the sugar is not easily broken down and causes the blood sugar to stay elevated in diabetics for several hours. So I usually advise my diabetics to pick other fruits than bananas.
The thing to understand about bananas is that they are a starch. Starch gets converted in your body directly to glucose (sugar). The process in the body is one that the sugar is not easily broken down and causes the blood sugar to stay elevated in diabetics for several hours. So I usually advise my diabetics to pick other fruits than bananas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
