Summer is Here - Invest Your Health Wisely

It is time for us to start thinking about how we will invest our health this summer in preparation for flu season this Fall. Yes, it really does matter what we eat now because it relates to our health later. Unfortunately, we are in a quick fix belief society. That belief system also keeps us looking at our symptoms as if they suddenly happened instead of asking ourselves what we did yesterday or even last month to cause them. We never think our current symptoms are the result of what we have been eating or drinking over the past year that may have been making withdrawals on our health. And, no way would we think what have been doing habitually for many years could have a negative impact on our health. Yes, all the stuff that comes out of your nose in the Fall and Winter seasons came from the allergic foods you consumed all year long. Remember my article titled "It's Really Cleansing (not flu) Season?" Go back and read that one to remind yourself that what you choose to eat now will affect how sick you may become if you come down with "the flu" this fall or winter. No matter what happens to you, I am always there for you.

We usually think of summer as a time to have fun so we eat whatever we want because we want to have fun. Unfortunately, if you had way too much fun eating ice cream, candy, cold soda drinks all summer long, you will pay the consequences later when "cleansing season" arrives. Remember, as soon as it turns cold, your body goes into a mode of preserving heat instead of ridding itself of excess. That change causes your lymphatics and other vessels to squeeze down thereby squeezing out all the excess stuff (forgive the medical term) that it does not need to survive the winter.

So Doctor, what do I do, you ask?
You need to invest your health by;

• Eating 3 or more servings of green vegetables per day.They give you vitamins and minerals and the fiber in them helps absorb the bad stuff and carry it out of the body.
  
• Limiting starchy vegetables like french fries and eating more leafy green salads
• Limiting ice cream or eating soy or rice ice creams instead
• Taking enzymes with meals when you are eating the 'bad' things, like this one --> click here or this one for children
  
• Taking probiotics to help keep your intestines healthy all year long like this one --> click here
  
• Exercising daily keeps your lymphatics moving and making you perspire clearing your body of metabolic and consumed toxins
• See your local Naturopathic doctor for a check up, if you have not already, and learn what foods you should or should not be eating. And, how to eat what you want and to help avoid the consequences later.

Boosting Your Immunity

There are many ways to boost your immune system. When I spoke last time of the causes of disease, we can look at what to and what not to do to keep ourselves healthy. These are in are no particular order.
Eating Healthy - eating dark fruits, eating green vegetables especially the leafy variety, eating organic foods, drinking clean filtered water,
Thinking healthy - getting outside in the sunshine helps lift our mood, exercise relieves stress, practicing forgiveness, overcoming negative thoughts with positive affirmations
Rest - getting 8 hours of sleep nightly, taking naps when you can, having brief do nothing periods letting your mind rest, going to bed when tired
Things you can take;
Probiotics with meals help build up your healthy bacteria which are the vital link to your immune system, like Ther-Biotic Complete.
Adrenal tonic; herbal adrenal adaptogenic herbs are shown in studies to boost immunity. They also help to relieve anxiety, have antiviral actions, help to repair the adrenal glands, and especially help us to adapt to stress.
Treatments you can receive;
Constitutional Hydrotherapy (read blog article here) - boosts your immune system by pumping your lymphatic system assisting your body to rid itself of metabolic toxins, is very relaxing, reestablishes healthy blood levels of cholesterol, helps lower blood pressure, goes a long way to increase your vitality. Hydrotherapy is one of the most powerful and most under used modalities naturopathic doctors have available. Call the office for an appointment. (see #4)
Home treatments;
Taking a brief cold shower daily before you leave the shower in the morning. Simply turn the hot off and stand under the cold water for a few seconds to tolerance.
Being in nature;
Whether you go for a walk on the beach or in the mountains goes a long way to relieve stress and keep us connected to the earth.
-David Hogg, ND
naturally4health.com
naturopathicwisdom.com
zeprevir.com

Swine Flu Update
Well, it seems the symptoms from the swine flu are no worse than the normal flu. http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=626918 (Please see my article on how flu season is really cleansing season in my blog.) The chicken little's are yelling about how bad it still is for everyone. Which will you believe. Remember, as I wrote last time about how germs do not cause disease. That the cause of disease lies inside your own body. If you take things into your body that cause your body to be unhealthy, then you will have a compromised internal environment leaving you open to infection. You see, bacteria and viruses feed on the bad stuff you have ingested. For example, when mucus accumulates in your nasal cavity, it creates a culture medium for viruses and bacteria. Keeping your body healthy by eating right, staying away from junk food will help keep your body healthy. As well as keeping your thoughts healthy and handling stress well.
-David Hogg, ND
naturally4health.com
naturopathicwisdom.com
zeprevir.com

Heal Your Body With Hydrotherapy

For those of you with chronic disease, Constitutional Hydrotherapy is incredibly powerful for healing your body. The treatment takes about an hour and you feel so relaxed afterwards. Healing your body occurs best when you are completely relaxed. The treatment pumps your lymphatic system to help move metabolic toxins through and out of your body. It also causes your blood capillaries to open and close and open again causing a nervous system feedback mechanism creating relaxation. The treatment also consists of very mild electrical stimulation over your lungs and liver stimulating your body to heal itself. Very relaxing music is played for you during the treatment. Some people like listening to ocean waves. The cost is only $55. You can read more on Constitutional Hydrotherapy at my blog here.

Causes of Kidney Stones

I hope you can begin to see a theme in my articles. Treating the intestinal tract is the key to treating all diseases. If you intestinal tract is healthy, then you will stay healthy. Some say we live and die with our colons. Others say it is the liver. Well the liver cannot live without a healthy digestive tract. The skin is not healthy without your inner skin being healthy. And so it is with your internal chemistry. I believe much of the cause of kidney stones begins with digestion symptoms early on. I tend to see low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria), indigestion or heartburn in patients with kidney stones. From the book, No More Kidney Stones, "loss of bicarbonate leads to an acid urine with the increased risk of uric acid stones," and "fat malabsorption prevents calcium from combining with oxalate in the first part of the intestine causing increase urinary oxalates."
Loss of bicarbonate tends to come from eating a diet to high in protein and sugars and low in vegetables. Thereby increasing your production or uric acid. The same dietary habits also contributes to gout. And, fat malabsorption can come from irritable bowel, irritable bowel disease, celiac disease, or rarely a genetic polymorphism. Fat absorption is dependent on the integrity of your intestinal tract. Therefore how healthy your intestinal tract is dictates how well you absorb fats, minerals, vitamins, proteins (amino acids), and carbohydrates.
Eating healthy is at the foundation of health. No disease or symptom ever comes out of nowhere. As we all know, kidney stones take time to form. And, so then the cause of them really began before they ever began to form. Eat healthy so your intestinal tract can be healthy so you can be healthy and live a long healthy prosperous life.