There is some exciting new research that is showing a connection between our gut bacteria and our moods. Could it be so simple to get ourselves in a happy mood? Can we see significant improvement by taking probiotics in some of the various, yet effective forms we see today?
Well … maybe! Dr. David Perlmutter discussed a clinical study which showed that 20 people (who were not diagnosed with a mood disorder), after taking probiotics for 4 weeks, had fewer negative thoughts which are typically associated with being in a sad mood. Due to the good results, these researchers issued a call for more research “as a potential preventive strategy for depression.” What about other types of mood issues that accompany us throughout life? Many people know that we have friendly and unfriendly bacteria in the gut. Antibiotics kill all of them. Some doctors who prescribe antibiotics are also now recommending that patients eat live-culture yogurt at the same time to re-populate the friendly bacteria, which are so crucial to a healthy digestive tract and immune system. This sounds like good advice to me, although personally I have sworn off antibiotics altogether. There are many other ways to say goodbye to unfriendly germs which make us sick. Our digestive tract houses most of our immune system. So yes, gut health is a critical part of us which reaches out to all areas of our health. These connections are showing how important superior nutrition is to maintain all aspects of health, including our mental health. So instead of assuming we need medication to regulate our difficult mood patterns, perhaps we should first look to our nutrition and correct unhealthy eating patterns. We can then build from there. Have a happy and holistic day! - Dr. P
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Most of us by now have heard about the SAD – the Standard American Diet – and how unhealthy it can be. We hear about pesticides, herbicides, and solvents in our food supplies and foods that have been genetically modified, like wheat. So many people are searching for improved eating choices in the hopes of staying healthier longer, and maybe being able to recover from illness more quickly when we do succumb to it!
There may be other hidden benefits in choosing higher quality foods, such as helping us avoid major illness (like metabolic syndrome), keeping our negative genetic “switches” off or at least quiet when they are on, and generally just feeling better. In order to unleash the healing and health-giving properties of food, here are some tips for clean eating:
If you practice these tips, you will notice that your portion sizes will go down! Wheat and sugar are physiologically addictive, like opiates. When you come back to listening to what your body is craving, you will find it asking for less food and different eating choices – all leading to a healthier you! Have a happy and holistic day! - Dr. P We know that since we started using vaccines, many health-problem-related statistics have fallen – this is what we want to see. But not everyone agrees with the way we do vaccines, their real effectiveness, and in particular, what possible side effects can occur from these formulations.
Dr. Will Cole, a functional medical professional who is known for his ketotarian or plant-based (mostly) food approach, states that “most vaccines, if not all contain preservatives, like thimerisol, aluminum, formaldehyde or yeast.” He believes that at a very young age, the large number of vaccines given constitutes a toxic overload, which their immune systems are not necessarily capable of handling. He shares that “vaccinated children have 2 to 5x more childhood diseases, illnesses, and allergies than unvaccinated children” according to a large study conducted recently. He further states that vaccines “are a piece of the puzzle to the epidemic rise of chronic and autoimmune diseases.” Although not against vaccinations, when an individual has a poor immune system, this can become very problematic. Is this what you want for your kids?! Depending on your genetic propensities, taking vaccines can pose more serious problems to at-risk individuals. So, should we start doing routine DNA tests to determine who is more at risk before simply administering current vaccines? Should we detoxify current vaccines and make them safer, developing a different delivery system? Dr. Joseph Mercola, another holistic medical doctor professional, also weighs in on this topic. One particular bit of information shared was eye-opening. “DTP vaccine [i.e., diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis] was associated with fivefold higher mortality than being unvaccinated. … ‘All currently available evidence suggests that DTP vaccine may kill more children from other causes than it saves from diphtheria, tetanus or pertussis.’” Dr. Mercola also shares that a high percentage of kids have been diagnosed with disorders such as ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, etc., and that these outcomes are listed as known side effects of vaccines. Scary, right?! I had my requisite shots when very young, including one for chicken pox, guess what? I still got it! If the data on how healthy kids really are with versus without vaccines keeps coming, and it appears to be doing just that, it becomes obvious that there must be another way to stay healthy and not contract diseases that used to kill many during epidemics. Vaccinations are intended to help people develop immunity against diseases and other disordered conditions, like chicken pox, the flu, diphtheria, etc. But what if we were to approach beefing up our immune systems in another way? Like healthier eating and taking supplements when indicated? This is a holistically healthy lifestyle approach – let’s make and keep ourselves in a strong, healthy condition, so that our bodies do what they are programmed to do – heal and stay healthy! With stronger immune systems, we can more readily fight off invaders like the many flu strains, so we do not have to rely on taking vaccines for particular strains … which can be predicted but not 100% reliably so. With a strong, vibrant immune system, our bodies are poised to handle better whatever comes our way! As Dr. Cole states, I too am not opposed – at least not fully – to taking vaccinations if I think it is the best choice and it can be done safely. But I would rather give my body a chance to get strong and hardy. Having said that, I rarely seem to get sick with anything viral and/or bacterial, and I have not had any but the requisite vaccines decades ago! Consider buying this guide, Prevention: Holistic Strategies for Healthy Living. In this course you will learn all about how to avoid the foods that are wreaking havoc with our immune systems (think grains and sugar) and causing many other health-related problems. Happy learning! By Hollie Frazier
Why am I feeling so nervous and scared? This can be anxiety. Physical signs of anxiety can be felt as heart palpitations, loss of energy, sweating, extreme thirst, and loss of focus. When a person has physical symptoms, we work on exercise, diet, and other things, but for mental issues, we must also think about multiple stressors. Having anxiety is not as obvious to others as it is to you. The way I help calm my anxiety is to learn coping skills I can do anywhere. Here are some skills that might help you, too:
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