What Makes You Feel Full?

So you've tried dieting, exercising, counting calories and weighing your food portions and you're not seeing results?

What if the reason you're not losing the weight you want has to do with (ready for this?) SLEEP?

Did you know that when you don't get enough sleep, 2 specific hormones (Leptin and Gherlin) in your body clash? That clash can drive you toward consuming caffeine, sugar and more food in general, undermining your determination to lose weight! Leptin, specifically is the hormone that helps you feel full. Without it, or without enough of it, there's nothing telling your brain you've had enough to eat...so you just want to keep eating!

Even falling 30 minutes short of that necessary 8 hours of regenerative sleep can do this to you! 

So how much sleep do you get? Are you getting your full 8 hours? Not many of us do these days.

So what's the answer?

Quite simply, get more sleep and level off those hormones so they start working for you instead of fighting against you. Trade up feeling sluggish for having energy to burn! Help your body move towards eating nutrient rich foods instead of existing on sugar and caffeine.

Beelite Naturally Does This!

The synergy of the 3 ingredients in Beelite Naturally (coconut oil, raw honey and cinnamon) actually promotes better sleep, better energy during the day - and best of all it is 100% natural! That's why when I say: "lose weight while you sleep," I mean exactly that. 

Taking Beelite Naturally every day will boost your metabolism, give you a deeper sleep and work with your body naturally to produce the results you want!

If you spend any amount of time on this blog (and I sincerely hope you do!) you will see that I only encourage natural remedies here. My philosophy is if it isn't natural, don't do it! 

I'm happy to tell you about Beelite Naturally because it meets those high standards! 

Why not give it a try?

I've also added a video from someone I highly respect in the wellness world. He talks about the importance of sleep and its role in weight loss. Just hit play and enjoy!

When You Have the Flu

Knowing your body is serious business!

It's officially here - and it's early! What am I talking about? I'm referring to cold and flu season. It's rare that I get a full blown flu and even more rare that it lasts more than a day, but once in a while it happens.

Last week, it hit me. It started with a little tickle in the back of my throat. It progressed to a fever, body aches, the chills and then a bad cold. What did I do? Well, I did just what I wrote about in an earlier post!

After laughing at the irony of ending up very ill only after creating wellness blog, I got busy. I threw everything natural at this beast of a virus. I drank hot water with raw honey and chlorophyll several times a day! I took lysine and echinacea. I slept...a lot! and I ate very little so as not to tax my digestive system.

The full blown flu didn't even last a full day. The nasty cold is pretty much cleared up and my energy and strength is returning. Compared to most people around me, I did very well. My body fought long and hard to heal itself.

Here's a news tidbit for you: I often visit some forums about health and wellness. Yahoo is one I frequent a lot and one question I see a lot on there is "Do I have the flu?" or "How do I know if I have the flu?" Once again, I am not a health care professional so keep that in mind when you read my approach to all of this, but in my view a flu is a flu when it's accompanied by body aches, a fever or chills or both. A fever is the body's way of cooking off the virus or bacteria that invaded your body so that is a normal progression.

Obviously you don't want to let it get too high, which is why it's crucial to stay hydrated. Depending on pre-existing issues you may have, a fever over 100.1 may be "too high." I let mine go as high as 102 before I resort to taking anything that's going to bring it down.

Echinacea coneflower kicks cold/flu butt

What is a cold?

The infamous bugger known as the rhinovirus typically makes your head stuffy, your throat raw or sore.  A cold that ends up in your chest is a very bad thing as it can turn into bronchitis or pneumonia. For me a chest cold is particularly dangerous as I am a cancer survivor and have a scarred left lung from both disease and treatment. However, I do not panic as long as I can get chlorophyll in me and get plenty of rest. More than once, chlorophyll has spared me from full blown pneumonia! It just works like an expectorant and I find it very palatable and soothing when taken with raw honey in hot water like tea.

What about the flu shots and pneumonia shots? Do I do those? The simple answer is no. Thankfully I have a very open minded doctor who doesn't bother persuading me to do either. I may get into my reasons for opting out of vaccinations in another post, but for now. I will simply say I do not get them.

Only once in the 8 years that I've been post treatment, have I had a flu and only a few times a cold. I find that as long as I am smart about the foods I eat, staying hydrated and away from sugar which flat lines the immune system, I can quickly bounce back from a cold and usually avoid the flu completely. That's my experience. Again, I urge you to make your own informed decisions about this and every other health issue. Please take care of yourself this season and have a happy, healthy new year!

Is Cinnamon Good For You?

Hey there everyone!

It's a bright sunny day here in Massachusetts, albeit very chilly! I don't know about you but I find that eating and drinking certain types of foods and beverages really help warm me to the toes!

One thing I really enjoy is hot apple cider with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Mmm! Cinnamon's one of those things I've always taken for granted. It's so easy to find and it's a nice way to add a woody, sweet taste to food.


Some Background

Back in the day, cinnamon was far from a common spice one just had tucked away in a cupboard. In fact, it was too expensive a commodity to be used like it is today. There was an element of mystery to it too. No one was quite sure where it was found!  This highly priced spice was a gift fit for kings in ancient times!

It was imported to Egypt for the first time in 2000 B.C. In Moses's time, God's people regularly offered up incense and cinnamon was in the recipe! In the Hebrew texts of the Holy Scriptures, cinnamon was mentioned in proverbs, as the scent with which lovers perfumed their beds. In Song of Solomon, the beloved is described as having the scent of cinnamon on her garments! Who needs Chanel? ;)

The "Real" Deal

What you may not know is there are several types of cinnamon. Usually what we purchase in the grocery store is not what would be considered "true" cinnamon. When you hear about the health benefits of having cinnamon, you should be aware that its the true or Ceylon cinnamon that's being referred too. The kind that we typically find in the grocery store is cassia, which contains a substance called coumarin. Taking coumarin regularly is not advisable because of the toxicity that can develop in the kidneys and liver.

Health Benefits

To name a few, true cinnamon can do all of the following: cinnamon can actually help lower the LDL levels and regulate blood sugar!

So next time you have your latte or whatever beverage you prefer and you go to sprinkle on some of that sweet and savory spice, just think about this: it wasn't always that accessible to the common kitchen or cafe! It has quite the history and quite the potential of adding to your health! I'll drink to that, will you? ;)

Have a great day everyone!

Is Chiropractic Good For You?

Good morning, faithful readers and new visitors!
I never got to post anything as I took the day off for some much needed play time with my sister. Before the play time began though, I rushed off first thing in the morning to my weekly chiropractic appointment.

That got me to thinking, how many of you might wonder about chiropractic and if it's necessary - or even good for you. I applaud the critical thinking. There's so much vying for your attention when it comes to what's necessary for health and wellness. It can sound so overwhelming.



My introduction to chiropractic came just after a car accident I had in 2006 - and cancer treatment in 2005. Rough time LOL. I have to be honest, while I understood the concept of righting the spine's wrongs, I didn't particularly care for the first one I tried. After the PIP ran out (insurance coverage for treatments because of the car accident), I quit going. I didn't feel it helped me, I didn't see that the chiropractor had any real evidence to base his approach to my spinal issues. There were no films taken (ex rays) or any sort of measurements taken with sensors or electronic equipment to gage where my spinal health was or wasn't.

Months went by and my lower back seemed to scream with pain. Eventually, I was barely able to shift from a sitting to standing position. I tried applying heat, stretches the first chiropractor told me to do, exercises he recommended. Nothing helped. One day I was in a store and with almost no warning my right leg went out from under me and I almost fell.

I told a friend about it and she happened to be working for a chiropractor at the time. I told her of my past experience with chiropractic and my skepticism. She empathized but assured me "this guy is different." I'm a thickheaded Italian. While I respected my friend, I needed more to go on.
 "How" What makes him so different?"

Long story short, she was of course right. My experience at my current practitioner's office (the video above is one of the promotional videos they have on youtube), was night and day different. After giving Franson Chiropractic a full medical background on paper (including every fall I could remember), they took an Xray and they weighed me, one scale under each foot. This method of weighing is to determine where my posture was causing an imbalance in weight. Often times the body overcompensates by leaning away from pain and we aren't even aware. If memory serves me, there was a significant difference in my weight from left to right. The Xray report showed the same thing.

In my report a few days later, I learned that at 32 years old I had completely lost the curve in my neck. This spells all kinds of danger. I also had phase 2 degeneration in my spine, my lower back (the part that was causing me the most grief!) was almost at phase 3. But my new doctor was hopeful. He felt a regular intensive schedule of chiropractic care would really help. For the first 3 or 4 weeks he had me come in 3 times a week. I then downgraded to twice a week as I improved. Progress was measured by periodic weight tests as I described, and yearly Xrays. Well, I'm happy to tell you that within a year of care, the curve in my neck had returned. My immune system was a lot stronger, my posture visibly better. My health overall was better, though I was still recovering from very aggressive cancer treatments.

For patients, my chiropractor doubles as a wellness coach. More than once I've gone to him for an extra consultation about various health issues. For a while it was my blood platelet count. My bone marrow took a beating during intense chemotherapy and radiation therapy in 2005. Through my chiropractor I learned about the benefits of juicing. In my own research I learned the magic of coconut water and between the 2, my blood finally returned to better than normal within a few years.

Today while I still have pain, I've improved greatly and I am down to weekly visits.

Back to the original question: is chiropractic good for you?
Allow me to simplify what can be very complex if I were to spell it out in clinical terms. I will use an analogy.

If you have a hose, a garden hose, a hose in your vehicle, any kind of hose - and somehow that hose ends up with a kink in it, are you able to get the maximum function out of what's at the other end? If it's a vehicle, your fluids are blocked. If it's a vacuum cleaner, the suction doesn't work properly. A kinked garden hose won't water your tulips as well. Think of your spine as that hose. Your spinal column houses the nerves that feed every organ, every tissue and ultimately every cell in your blood. You are as healthy as the joints that keep everything connected and fed are. Like I said, I'm simplifying here. As I always do, I urge you to do your own due diligence. I highly recommend that if you decide to give chiropractic a try, please seek out a practitioner that will give you CORRECTIVE care. You don't want to just get hooked up to a bunch of nodes that are going to temporarily ease pain. You need something that will help your body position itself for healing and strength!

I hope that is helpful to you. :)

It's Essential You Know: Lysine Kicks Butt!

Hey there, all.
So in the world of wellness there are several buzz words, as you know. (No pun intended.) ;) Just wanted to quickly touch on one that may confuse you some.

It is the word "essential."

Now we know what essential means in every other context right? It's "essential" that you wear a warm coat when it's cold, or that you have brakes in your vehicle, as they're "essential" for stopping! (As I personally experienced what it's like to not have them when you need them, I had to mention that one!)

In the context of your health, what does it mean?

Very simply it means, it's something your body needs but cannot produce on its own.
Dont' get grossed out now, but we couldn't say that saliva is "essential." Why? Because the body manufactures it (providing your body is functioning properly!)

An example of an essential element is Omega 3. That's the fatty acid that has been shown to be excellent for heart and brain health. It's something we have to supplement with (or find in seafood) because we as humans, do not create it on our own.

Another example of an essential element is Lysine.
Lysine is found in many foods (like eggs) but the reason it's so important is because it is one of the building blocks of protein! Additionally, it helps ensure proper growth.

In an earlier post I mentioned that I take lysine whenever I feel that I might be fighting a cold or flu. What I didn't mention was how it made a huge difference in my families life recently, when 2 members ended up with a nasty case of the shingles. Anti-viral meds made them sick, I did some research and found that Lysine sometimes helps people get over that awfully uncomfortable condition faster. Thankfully, my family proved to be among those that it did help and it was the only thing that seemed to help them both recover quickly! So, I'm not recommending you do anything you're uncomfortable with, I'm just telling you what has worked for us. Again, you're likely consuming Lysine as part of a balanced diet, but if you're not or you are not getting enough, you may want to have a chat with your doctor and/or do the research yourself and decide. That's it for now!

Have a healthy day!

What Does Beeing Healthy Mean?

 Healthy ="optimum cell function." 

There's a word for the body's constant movement toward balance and health. It is called homeostatis.

If the body is creating a hormone or a chemical in excess, that's a warning signal that something else is wrong. If it's deficient in a hormone, or something (like fat) isn't being broken down or processed as it should be, that's also a sign something else is wrong.

Once again, to use the smoke detector analogy: it makes no more sense to take the batteries out of an alarm, go back to bed and throw the covers over your head because "it's inconvenient or annoying or too much work to get out of bed" than it does to take a pill and just turn off the warning signals when your physical body is screaming for you to notice something!

In simpler terms, one of the best examples of this in a health context is the use of antacids. You've probably seen the commercials. I know I have. I find it both infuriating and comical at once. There's a big guy at a game, shoveling a chili dog, pizza and beer into his face while watching the game. In the next seen he is holding his belly, miserable with indigestion and heartburn. 

 In the next scene a buddy hands him a "remedy" for heartburn. Awesome, now he can take in all the toxic food he wants, as fast as he wants and he won't have to "deal" with heartburn. Did he actually cure his heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux by taking the antacid? No. He just took the batteries out of a blaring smoke alarm! 

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(Before you get offended, let me just say that I understand in some cases, occasional use of something to neutralize the stomach acids is necessary. I happen to know and prefer of natural methods to do this same thing. 

I've singled out this example because in my view, one could perceive that it's okay to consume toxic foods in excess, as long as it's not painful or uncomfortable to do so, thanks to the convenient package of (insert antacid of choice here). That's what I'm protesting and that's what I'm encouraging you to not fall for!)

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Back to our poor guy suffering with heartburn...

His body is revolting and rejecting the poor excuse for food this man is shoving into his mouth. His body is screaming: No more please! Give me something I actually need! I can't do this! I wasn't meant to handle sugar, acid, refined and enriched foods like this! What is that stuff? Seriously? I don't need this ***!

The body's appropriate response to unidentified objects is ONE THING: reject! The body is trying on it's own to move toward health! Contrary to public opinion, that's a healthy response! The body is doing what's appropriate in the situation: trying to reject what was just shoved into it! But the heartburn is perceived as the evil thing because it's annoying and painful or uncomfortable.  That's why taking the pill, in this instance is just like removing the battery from the smoke alarm. 

So please, when your body is screaming at you, don't ignore it. Listen to it. You just may learn something!

A New "Buzz" Word In Health and Wellness

It's that time of year again. We are bombarded with heavy, toxic foods we don't normally allow ourselves to enjoy. It's just a month, or two, right? What harm can it really do? Then from now till February the fad diets and weight loss programs will hit us with every ad imaginable. Gym memberships will climb and some people will just about starve themselves as penance for splurging in the colder months. By March we will get hit with the "get your body swimsuit-ready"ads and then the process begins all over again by the Fall.

You can already tell from the tone of this blog that I am all about making choices that contribute to overall health. So when a product comes out claiming to do just that, I pay attention.
Well something just got my attention. It's called Beelite.

It combines 3 of nature's super foods that I already use for health benefits just about every day: honey, cinnamon and coconut oil.
Even better: it keeps these super foods in their most natural state: RAW.

Learn more by visiting the official site.

Raw Honey. How Sweet It Is!

For the record, I have not joined the raw food revolution. I know that many people swear by a raw food diet. Good for them. 

I do happen to enjoy eating most of my veggies raw or as close to it as possible. I prefer them that way. I do not however, go out of my way to create whole meal plans around raw food.

There is something I am going out of the way for now though. It's honey. Raw honey to be precise.
This first started about a year ago when I had a sore throat so bad I couldn't swallow. I had recently heard about the rave of raw honey and we happened to have some in the house. Well, like I often do I experimented with this new finding. I took about a tablespoon of raw honey and since it was in a solidified state, I put it in the very back of my throat and let it melt there. It immediately started to soothe it. As I often do, I waited to see if it would just temporarily help or if it promised to be more therapeutic than I ever though to give it credit for.

About 2 minutes after the honey was long gone from my throat, I still felt better! It was the middle of the night. This sore throat was so bad it had woke me up, so I went back to bed for a while. By morning, I still had a slight sore throat so I applied another tablespoon of the raw honey and again let it melt. I then followed it up with a cup of hot water, fresh lemon juice for extra antibacterial power and continued to drink water throughout the day. By evening I didn't have a sign of a sore throat. That was a while ago and recently once again, the health benefits of raw honey was in the headlines. I purchased some and I've made it a point to consume a tablespoon or so a day just for overall health.

Go ahead! Try it!

Coconut Oil For Weight Loss?

I remember as a kid in the 70s and 80s, my mom went through this health nut phase. We weren't allowed to eat chocolate. We had to switch to carob ( sorry but yuck). We never saw white flour again, (that was a good thing!) we ate only whole wheat and bran.
Sugary cereals were short lived. I have vague memories of Cap'n Crunch and Corn Pops. Other than that it was shredded wheat, oatmeal, nutrigrain waffles. We ate margarine instead of butter.

We were told that was healthier. My mom believed it (she shudders to think of that now!) The headlines at the time screamed "stay away from palm oil, coconut oil, coconut oil got an especially bad rap.

So we - like most Americans at the time, believed the headlines and the fear mongers and steered clear of everything but the healthier choice, margarine.

But since then, the facts have come out thankfully. The headlines were wrong. Coconut oil in its unrefined, unprocessed, "virgin" state is one of THE healthiest oils we can consume- just as the video above explains. Not only is it a fantastic cooking oil because it does excellent in medium to high temps, it is also wonderful on your skin! Few things can moisturize better!

The first time I heard someone say they cook scrambled eggs with coconut oil I thought they had cracked, until I tried it. Oh, I've never made them with any other oil since. Seriously! One time I made brownies and replaced all of the other fats with coconut oil instead. Dee-lish! Who doesn't love a hint of coconut in their chocolate anyway! I even "greased" the pan with coconut oil.

I love the taste of coconut oil in just about anything. The fact that it's loaded with health benefits is definitely a plus! Try some today! You will be glad you did!

The Correct Approach To Wellness Is Key

It seems every time I turn around there's a new supplement or a new fad diet making the headlines. I have the feeling I'm not alone there. For every new capsule or pill or powder there are 50 different perspectives on how good or bad they are for us. The health industry can be about as confusing as the number of religions and denominations of each religion there are!

For those of us that haven't always had our health, we tend to approach health from 1 of 2 directions if and when we've survived a crisis of any kind. (I have) 

.

1) Live a reasonably healthy lifestyle, see your doctor regularly and hope for the best.

2) Learn more about how to take care of your health, be an independent thinker, and take a holistic view of health, rather than a symptom based view.

As you may have guessed, the second is where I fit.  

What does a "holistic approach"mean? Let me give you an example of the most common thing we can all relate to and show you the traditional approach versus my own.

What do you do when you feel a cold coming on? Nyquil? Chloroseptic? Halls? Call the doctor and get a prescription just in case? Okay, that's one way. Allow me to share with you what I do. It's more of a holistic approach and what's I'm committed to.

When I'm "fighting a cold" I do this:

• Hydrate. Most viruses can be drowned with enough pure water
• Avoid caffeine and sugar. Sugar flatlines your immune response and caffeine depletes what vitamin we may happen to have in reserve
• Rest. Sometimes that's all I need.
• Lysine Plus. It consists of echinacea, a natural antibacterial herb, garlic, another of nature's cures and propylis (its the stuff bees use to seal crevices in their hives! it's a powerful weapon against infection. Who knew!)
• If I already have some congestion, I take a liquid form of chlorophyll. I mix it with water and guzzle it all day! (chlorophyll is what makes plants green, it helps give the blood more oxygen to fight viruses/bacteria. don't confuse it with chlorophorm!)

You can purchase most, if not all of the products I mentioned on Amazon if you wish.

Isn't it easier to just go down to the local drug store and buy (drug of your choice)? Sure, but here's the difference and the point of this entire blog.

I don't just want to feel better. I want to be better. I want to return my body to the state where it is able to heal itself. The fact I'm "fighting a cold" means that my body is run down, probably dehydrated and lacking important nutrients. So in my view it makes more sense to make my body an inhospitable environment for that virus looking for a home. 

Will the drug store approach yes? Sure, maybe even faster, but will I be healthier after downing the meds? Will my body be stronger, my immune system better off? No. That's my goal: to BE better, stronger, well. Not just to end the crisis (cold in this case) at hand. See the difference?

This cold and flu season, I highly recommend that you give your body a break. Don't burn the candle at both ends, eat toxic, sugary foods and then wonder why you're fighting the newest flu or cold. Take care, slow down and give yourself what you need to be well.

Silencing symptoms and not addressing the larger picture is a little bit like taking the batteries out of a smoke detector. Would you do that? I didn't think so. Don't do it to your body. Listen to the warning signs and be healthy! :)