Health Tip #16 - Winter Care Package

As we are currently transitioning into the winter season, it’s a good idea to make sure our homes are stocked with the bare necessities to keep our minds sharp and our bodies energetic. Below, I’ve made a list of vitamins and minerals that are guaranteed to keep your tanks running on full fuel all throughout the winter season.

1. Vitamin D – Feeling sluggish? At this time of year the main reason for fatigue is the lack of that natural, sun kissed energizer vitamin D. The best way to get your energy levels up again is to take at least a 1000 IU daily. I, myself, am using Vitamin D in a liquid form for fast and ready absorption by your body.

2. Vitamin C – taking vitamin C before and during the winter season is a great way to build up your immune system for protection against the cold/flu season, especially if you’re prone to getting sick this time of year. Feeling sick? Take 2-3 vitamin C tablets a day, and you’ll start feeling better in no time. Feeling young and healthy? Great! But it’s still a good idea to take vitamin C a few times a week, or whenever you feel the need. Vitamin C helps manage stress levels. Stress + lack of vitamin C = bad news bears. Keep yourself stocked! J Feel the symptoms of a cold coming on? Drink an Emergen- C instant drink mix, the symptoms will disappear almost instantly. Or try a cup of Echinacea tea.

3. Rescue Remedy – Another good idea is to have some rescue remedy on hand. Rescue remedy gives you a boost any day you’re feeling sluggish. Had a hard night? Take a few drops of this and you’ll feel so good you won’t even notice. It also relieves stress and calms the mind.

4. Oregano Oil – this wonderful oil of oregano can cure anything from respiratory problems to muscle ache. Commonly known to strengthen the immune system. If you or a loved one is feeling sick, a few drops of this stuff will kill off whatever bug you’re fighting!

5. 5-HTP – this mood balancer is a must have for those affected by the decreasing sunlight. 5-Htp is a precursor to serotonin production in the brain, 1-2 capsules daily and your spirits will be lifted I promise!

6. B-Complex – Vitamin B is good to take all year around. Or bodies need the B vitamins to manage the stress in our nervous systems. Make sure to take this daily to keep your system in good working order. B helps to metabolism the fats and carbohydrates in our body.

7. Magnesium + Calcium – to keep our bones/teeth in good maintenance. I usually take a capsule every second day.

8. Tea – Don’t forget tea. Tea drinking is my favorite this time of year. I love to cozy up with a hot cup of ginger tea. Mm hmm. Ginger helps soothes the stomach, aid in digestion, and boosts your metabolism. All for the win! J Cinnamon is great too!

Salt Lamps – these lamps purify the air in your room and take away any negative or dead energy, creating calmness and peace

Health Tip #15 - Mood Boosters

With the increasing amounts of cold and darkness in our current day to day life, also comes the decreasing serotonin levels. Here are a few good quick tips that can help you get back to feeling yourself even during the winter months.

1. Exercise - water and blue sky can positively impact our mental health. Just five minutes a day walking, cycling, gardening, can improve your mood. 25 mins of exercise is said to have the same effects on our brains as 15mg of prescribed anti-depressants.

2. Socialize - Lack of a social life has been linked to depression. Fostering connections with your friends, neighbours, family, classmates, etc. People with stronger relationships tend to be happier in life.

3. 5-HTP - 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, a chemical in the brain responsible for balancing mood, sleep and hunger. You can buy 5-HTP supplements at your local health store. It's good to take during the winter months to keep you in good spirits and elevate your energy levels! I take these myself and they work wonders for me! :)

4. St. John's Wort - When taken 4-6 weeks, these supplement is said to help those suffering from depression, and SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

5. Carbohydrates - known to boost natural serotonin levels in the brain. Feeling sad? Go out and buy yourself the freshest loaf of bread you can find and have a slice or 2:)

Health Tip #14 - The Ayuredic Way

Today I completed an aruyvedic test to see how tri-doshic I was. My results were vata 26 pitta 30 and kappa 43 which shows I'm really imbalanced in my vata. If you're feeling cold anxious or nervous then your vata is probably imbalanced too! After doing some researched I learned that Vata is the most significant dosha because it is usually the first dosha to become imbalanced and the first dosha one works toward balancing.

An imblance in the Vata dosha can lead to a number of bodily disruptions that can lead to illness. The signs of an imbalanced Vata :

	Tired, yet can't relax, Fatigue, poor stamina
	Nervous, Can't concentrate
	Anxious, fearful
	Agitated mind
	Impatient, Antsy or hyperactive
	Spaced out
	Self-defeating
	Shy, insecure, Restless
	Cannot make decisions
	Weight loss, under weight
	Insomnia; wake up at night and can't go back to sleep
	Generalized aches, sharp pains, Arthritis, stiff and painful joints
	Agitated movement
	Very sensitive to cold
	Nail biting
	Rough, flaky skin, Chapped lips
	Fainting spells
	Heart palpitations
	Constipation, Intestinal bloating, gas, Belching, hiccups
	Dry, sore throat, Dry eyes

How do you balance an imbalanced Vata? The best thing about the ayuredic way is the fact that it's relatively easy if you follow the diet recommendations and everyone has a different ratio so u can fine tune yours to your needs.

Diet recommendations to balance your Vata:

	Warm food, moderately heavy textures, added butter and fat.
	Salt, sour, and sweet tastes; Soothing and satisfying foods.
	All soothing foods are good for settling disturbed Vata. Use foods such as: warm milk, cream, butter, warm soups, stews, hot cereals, fresh baked bread. Since vata is a cold dry dosha, warm, nourishing foods such as these are good for stabilizing vata. On the other hand cold foods such as cold salads, iced drinks, raw vegetables and greens are not very good for persons with vata imbalance.
	Breakfast is highly recommended. Use hot cereals such as cream of rice or wheat or any other breakfast that is warm, milky, and sweet.
	Take a hot or herbal tea with snacks in the late afternoon. Avoid drinks with high caffeine as vata gets disturbed by it.
	Use spicy foods such as spicy Mexican or Indian foods that are cooked in oil.
	Use warm moist foods such as cooked grains and cereals, bowl of hot oatmeal or cup of steaming vegetable soup.
	Warm milk is good. You can add a little sugar or honey to it if you prefer. Avoid eating candies as it disturbs vata.
	Prefer salted nuts that are heavy and oily as opposed to dry salty snacks.
	All sweet fruits are Ok for vata. Avoid unripe fruits as they are astringent
	Take warm or hot water instead of ice water and drinks.
	Summary: Breakfast is usually desirable. Hot foods and sweet and sour tastes. Reduce dry foods and bitter tastes. Warm or hot water and drinks. Raw nuts and nut butters. Spices: cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, ginger, cloves in moderation.

The ayuredic way is a proven way of life that has been around for centuries and is soon about to hit the mainstream. Want to get a head start? Start fine tunic your body's needs to the ayuredic way. You'll feel more balanced calm and have more clarity to live a long, happy and healthy life.

Click this link now to take the test and find out how tri-doshic you are!

Health Tip #13 - VITAMIN B

B Vitamins are crucial to good health. How important are they you ask? Our bodies need B vitamins in order to have proper functioning nerves, skin, eyes, hair, liver, mouth, muscles, digestive tract, brain, pretty much everything! When you're working hard and feeling exhausted the best thing to take a multi-vitamin B complex. Not only is your body exhausted, but also your nervous system. B vitamins help keep your energy levels up and your depression and anxiety levels down.

As we get older our bodies have more difficulty absorbing B vitamins. Coffee, cigarettes, alcohol and sugar all destroy vitamins in your body B vitamins aren't stored in the body and any excess is excreted just like vitamin C, so we need to replace them daily. A good thing to do is pop a vitamin B complex when you drink, you won't feel as hungover the next day!

Vitamin B deficiency can lead to a number of symptoms including: nausea, exhaustion, irritability, depression, forgetfulness, loss of appetite, weight gain, muscle pain, poor immune response, loss of control of limbs, abnormal heart action, skin problems, acid reflux, splitting nails, mood swings, teary or bloodshot eyes.

Good Vitamin B efficiency helps increase your body's ability to obtain oxygen, extends cell lifespan, regulates fat metabolism, neutralizes the craving for liquor, lowers blood cholesterol and protein synthesis, helps in the treatment of heart disease and asthma, relieves depression, raises your ability to withstand stress, improves circulation, helps regulate glucose levels.

Foods rich in vitamin B :

• Beef
• Tuna
• Oats
• Turkey
• Brazil nuts
• Bananas
• Potatoes
• Avocados
• Legumes
• and many many more! :)
  

Health Tip #12 - Beware of Glucose-Fructose

It makes me sick every time I pick up a package only to find Glucose-Fructose listed as one of the ingredients. While many believe glucose-fructose is sugar it is merely a low-grade, cheap sugar substitute that is put into everything you eat from breads to yogurt, to soups and condiments. yuck. What ever happened to good old natural sugar cane, you know the brownish coloured raw stuff. Apparently the white, over processed corn sugar is much more easier to produce, cheaper and extremely profitable these days. In fact, corn is found in just about every product you pick up at the super market.

No wonder the obesity epidemic is hitting the States and seeping into the rest of the world, kids and adults alike are eating food stocked with glucose-fructose, a substance which are bodies pass very very poorly. Our bodies aren't made to digest corn and we all know that corn passes through our bodies the same way it enters, and we certainly cannot process corn sugar! Even worse, the glucose-fructose corn sugar is entering our bodies but instead of passing through, the corn sugar dissolves and gets absorb by our bodily tissues making us bloated, fat, and feeding diseases that may be lurking in the body.

Next time you go to the super market, check the label and see how many of the ingredients listed contain glucose-fructose or other corn products. A good product won't contain any. Even more disturbing, while we're not eating real sugar these days, the corn found in most products isn't even real corn but GM Foods manufactured corn which is genetically modified to have built in herbicide and insecticides in the corn seed. They sell these "super seeds" to farmers and farmers pay a pricey license fee to grow these every year. How are these seeds affecting consumers? I almost don't want to know but why are governments letting this happen and why aren't they informing us. If the government is letting something like this into our super markets I'd hate to see what else they're putting there.

All I have to say is "Beware, Beware, Beware of the food products that you eat" :)

Stay Healthy!

Heath Tip #11 - Beware of False Diagnosis

I recently read an article in The Globe and Mail regarding Canada’s health system. It said, “Last year, more than two million prescriptions for Ritalin and other ADHD drugs were written specifically for children under 17, and at least 75 per cent of them were for young males.”

With the population of Canada reaching just over 33 million, this is a huge number and remotely disturbing. According to this 7 to 10 percent of kids under 17 are affected by ADHD, when globally only 3 to 5% are diagnosed annually. Our Canadian children that much more prone to ADHD then the rest of the world, I don’t think so.

They’re blaming this problem on the bias of teachers and saying that female teachers cannot control hyper boys and thus blame it on ADHD. Which may play a part in these statistics, but teachers aren’t the ones prescribing the meds. Doctors are the one diagnosing kids after just one visit and prescribing the ADHD meds. Aren’t doctors the one who made $249 million dollars selling these meds last year? The kid goes home and takes the pills, calms down, the teacher is happy so the parents are happy. Why experience your kid to these drugs just because the teacher can’t control them in class. Maybe we should try giving our kids a little less sugar before we start giving them Ritalin.

There’s obviously legitimate kids affected by ADHD. All I’m saying is that beware of your children’s behavior because as a parent you know your child the best, and if you really truly believe your kid has a problem then bring them to testing. Ask yourself is it the teacher only having a problem with the child, is the child bored in class? The Canadian school system is wonderful at meeting the needs of only those you can sit in a desk all day and listen to the teacher speak, without any hands on or other alternative learning.

Heath Tip #10 - What's In Your Water?

Fluoridation in water has been around for decades and for no real good reason. British Columbia, Quebec and Newfoundland have almost no fluoridation but the rest of the provinces do fluoridate their water, along with the US and Australia. The benefits of fluoride in water is said to be tooth decay prevention but this is highly unnecessary. Fluoride doesn’t prevent cavities anymore than brushing with fluoride-free toothpaste does. So why is it still in our water and what is it really doing to your bodies?

Many water supplies are treated with aluminum sulfate and fluoride which together form aluminum fluoride in the blood. Our bodies pass aluminum fluoride very poorly and as a result it damages our kidneys. Even worst, a build-up of aluminum salts in the brain is linked to Alzheimer's Disease.

Doctors prescribe fluoride to women with thin bones but while fluoride is known to thicken bones it also weakens them which leads to a lot of bone fractures especially in the elderly. Fluoride is absorbed by bodily tissues and disposed of poorly which means over time the build up of fluoride in the body can lead to many damaged cells. Not only is fluoride linked to weakened bone, but also cancer, genetic damage, weakened immune system and aging.

Beware of what's in your water. Councils posts reports of drinking water online for public viewing and every citizen has the right to know what is being added to their water supply.

Solution: If you’re worried about your drinking water being inflicted with fluoride, a well-made reverse osmosis filter system is able to remove over 90% of dissolved fluoride in drinking water.