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Health News

Holiday Health Myths

Health News / By

PoinsettiasEver heard the one about Poinsettia’s being poisonous?  Not true, it’s a myth.  What about the suicide count being highest at this time of year?  Again, not true.  And how about New Year’s Eve being the worst night of the year to be driving?  Not so, that would be July 4th.

But there are some health hazards to be concerned with or careful about during the holidays, such as overeating, climbing on the roof to hang Christmas lights, or letting a live tree get too dry and being a fire hazard.  Click here to read more about what you should be careful of during the holidays.

Having said this, if you do find yourself with an injured back from falling off a ladder or even being just a little down during this holiday season, consider a Bowen Therapy session.  Bowen Therapy not only is a quick fix for acute injuries, but also balances the emotions, especially when used with LED Light Therapy at Living Well Dallas.  The LED eye mask stimulates the release of melatonin and seratonin (the “happy hormone”) to help you get a good night’s sleep and be uplifted while you are awake.  

To schedule your Bowen Therapy with LED Light treatment, call Living Well Dallas 15 972-930-0260.  And have a safe and happy holiday season!

 

Best and Worst Foods for Migraines

Health News, Migraine Headaches, Nutrition Info / By

Did you know that food can play an important part in triggering or preventing a migraine headache? Even though there are far more foods on the triggering side, don’t give up hope.  These foods can definitely help:

Ginger – a powerful anti-inflammatory that can ease chronic migraines, alleviate nerve pain and boost the immune system. It can be added to smoothies, juices, soups, salads, or used in baked dishes.

Water – essential to the proper functioning of the body. Dehydration is a common migraine trigger.

Riboflavin – also known as vitamin B2, this has been tied to the reduction in frequency of migraines. Can be found in lean beef, mushrooms, spinach, and broccoli.

Healthy fats – omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats can help reduce inflammation linked with migraine pain. One great source of Omega-3 is fatty fish, such as wild-caught salmon. Olive oil is a wonderful choice for monounsaturated fats. It has been shown in studies to decrease the duration, severity of pain, and frequency of migraine headaches.

Magnesium – linked by many studies with the natural prevention of migraines, particularly menstrual-related. Top food sources are quinoa, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, fresh amaranth, Swiss chard, brown rice, and whole grains.

Worst foods for migraineurs:

Tyramine or phenylethylamine – amino acids found in a variety of foods, like chocolate, aged cheeses, processed meats, fermented foods, citrus fruits, beans, avocados, vinegar, and soy foods.

Additives – MSG, nitrites, sulfites, artificial colors, and artificial flavors are all known to be possible migraine triggers. The reason is that they can increase the flow of blood to the head in many people.

Ice-cream/cold foods – cold foods can definitely cause headache pain. For migraine sufferers, the short-lived “brain freeze” can be just the start of a full-blown migraine. To be safe, avoid any extremely cold foods.

Alcohol – can cause dehydration, which is a trigger of headaches. If you choose to drink any kind of alcohol, it’s a good idea to alternate with glasses of water in order to replenish lost fluids. Also, keep in mind that fermented drinks like beer and wine contain tyramine.

Caffeine – can be a major migraine trigger especially if you drink more than one cup a day. Interestingly, once a migraine starts, caffeine can sometimes stop it in its tracks. Common sources:  coffee, tea, soft drinks, and energy drinks.

(for the full article from The Alternative Daily, click here)

Blending Bowen Therapy and Hypnosis in Dallas

Bowen Therapy, Health News / By

Did you know that your mind can trick you in a positive way?  I didn’t before I had a hypnosis session with Valerie Grimes.  Before my frst relaxing experience in Valerie’s office, my mind told me that I was insecure, not very smart, and certainly not business-minded.  Once I learned how hypnosis really worked and had a personal experience with it, it paid off in a big way.  Now I go out into the world and pull off speaking engagements with a snap.  Teaching my craft, Bowen Therapy, at massage schools  in Dallas is more fun than anything I can think of doing.  And networking with other business professionals, which scared me to no end before, is now one of the more fun activities in my life.  Hypnosis helped me develop self confidence more than anything else I have ever done.

Once this became the norm for me, I still occasionally had flare-ups, for example, when I was going to speak to a large group.  Then, it was time to employ the tactics that Valerie taught me how to do for myself, in other words, self-hypnosis.  This is very valuable when a professional teaches you things you can do for yourself so that when you don’t have access to them, you have a back-up plan.  That would usually do the trick.  That, along with getting a  Bowen Therapy session, which is the most relaxing bodywork modality I have ever experienced.  Bowenwork flips a switch that turns on the parasympathetic part of the nervous system (meaning, it brings you back into a relaxed state).

The point of my message here is that Bowen Therapy and hypnosis in Dallas blend well and are make a great duo for relaxation therapy.

What Does Your Body Say About Your Health?

Announcements, Health News / By

Learn how to balance your body by identifying physical imbalances through observation.

What do those wrinkles on your face really mean?
What do the grooves and color of your tongue mean?
What do the broken nails and lines or grooves on your nails mean?
What plants/herbals can you use to nourish your body?

Tonja Wells, Certified Natural Health Professional, will be teaching a class Monday, April 23, where she will answer these and many other questions. This will be held at a home in The Colony from 7 to 8pm.  If you are reading this, you are invited. But you MUST RSVP to me at 214-679-4618 (text or call) and find out the address and more details.
And be sure to bring a mirror and a friend!Tonja Wells, CNHP

If you have health issues or just want to maintain your health, you will want to attend this class to learn these valuable skills.

Learn from your cat

Bowen Therapy, Health News / By

Take a lesson from your cat. Have you noticed that when cats wake up they stretch? When you awake in the morning, you’ve probably been sleeping in some funny position all night or for too long. To get your spine in correct alignment before getting out of bed, start this habit.

Raise your hands above your head, point your toes, and stretch for a count of 10. Then, roll over on your side, bend your knees and push up (rather than coming straight up). Place both feet on the floor, put your hands on your knees, giving yourself some leverage, and push on your knees to help yourself stand up with less stress to your spine.

This is how I encourage my clients to arise in the morning and any time they are getting up from a chair or out of their car, etc. It encourages your body to be symmetrical. It is also how I have them get off the table after a Bowen Therapy session. In addition, putting both feet on the floor simultaneously after therapy makes a neurological impression, or blueprint, of the session, potentially causing it to last longer.

Omega 3’s Crucial for Healthy Arteries

Health News, Nutrition Info / By

Did you know that Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for keeping your blood vessels elastic instead of hardening and crumbling to pieces? Best sources are, in this order:   wild (not farm raised) salmon, sardines, and flax seeds.  Note: Farm raised salmon do not eat the algae that create the best sources of Omega 3s — DHA and EPA. We usually eat foods with more Omega 6s, which then fight to overtake the balance of Omega 3s and thus cause inflammation in the body, especially blood vessels.

One way to ensure you get enough Omega3s is through nutritional supplementation.  If you already do this, here’s a test you can do to check the quality of your Omega 3′s: Fill a small styrofoam cup half full with water.  Puncture your Omega 3 gelcap and squeeze it into the water.  Check in 15 min. to see if it has eaten away at the styrofoam.  If so, you have a good quality Omega 3.  If not, check out Nature’s Sunshine’s Super Omega 3′s (contains DHA and EPA – the best possible sources of Omega 3s).  You don’t want any other sources.

Heard of Zyto Compass?

Announcements, Health News, Nutrition Info / By

The Zyto Compass scans 74 points of the body and helps you assess what nutrients your body prefers, so you don’t have to guess as to what your body needs most.  This device has been used in hospitals worldwide with accurate results.  Watch a 2-min You-Tube video to understand how it works.

Come to my class and find out how what it is and how it can improve your health.  My guest, Ruth Armstrong, will demonstrate this amazing and innovative new technology.

Zyto Compass Scan

When?   Sunday, Sept. 19 – 2:00 to 3:30pm

Where?  13740 Midway Rd., Suite 504, Dallas 75244

Delicious new products will also be offered for tasting.   EACH ATTENDEE RECEIVES A FREE COMPASS-SCAN.  BRING A FRIEND AND RECEIVE A DOUBLE SCAN, WHICH REVEALS EVEN MORE.

Danger: Wait Before Turning on Car A/C

Health News / By

According to research, Benzene — a cancer-causing toxin–  is emitted from the plastic in the dashboard of your car when you turn your air conditioning on.  So, be sure to roll all windows down and when you can, open the doors for a minute or two to give the interior time to air out before driving off and turning on the air.  If you get into a hot car and immediately turn on the AC, you will inevitably inhale, in quick succession, excessive amounts of Benzene.

Acceptable levels of Benzene indoors is 50mg per sq. ft.  If a car is parked in the sun in temps above 60 degrees F, the levels of this carcinogen rise to 2000 – 4000mg per sq. ft. (40 times the acceptable level).

In addition to increasing the risk of cancer, Benzene can poison your bones, cause anemia and decrease white blood cells.  The toxin can also result in miscarriages.  Prolonged exposure may even cause leukemia.

So, bottom line:  please do not turn on the A/C as soon as you enter your car.  Stay safe and live longer!

For detoxing Benzene and other toxic substances we inhale and absorb through the skin, try an herbal combination called Enviro-Detox by Nature’s Sunshine Products.  It contains 13 nutrients that support the body’s organs that play roles in detoxing:  kidneys, liver, lungs, bowels and skin.  For more info, click here.

For more specific advice regarding detoxing, you may want to consider a health consultation session (see my Services page).

6 Responses to “Danger: Wait Before Turning on Car A/C”

  1. Wow. I had no idea about benzene. This is really helpful advice and I will make sure to always air out my car before turning on the A/C now. Thank you for sharing this great information!

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Proper Food Combining

Health News / By

If we combine our foods right, do not overeat, and eat real food, our bodies have something called enzymes which will digest our food.  Substances which do not ordinarily combine with each other when they are brought together can be made to do so by a third substance – a catalyst called “enzymes.”

Enzymes cause a reaction in the food, but the enzyme itself does not actually become a part of the food.  Each enzyme has its own action and it only acts on one specific food type.  Enzymes that act on protein do not act on fats, sugars or starches.

Digesting Starch: Enzymes must also work in order.  They can perform their work only if the work has been done properly by the enzymes that precede it.  Starch should be eaten as dry as possible.  Its digestion begins in the mouth (the saliva secretes the enzyme ptyalin), continues in the stomach, then in the duodenum of the small intestine where the starch is mixed with pancreatic enzymes.  If done in proper order, the result is glucose, the substance from which you get your energy.

Protein Digestion: When protein is digested properly, it becomes amino acids.  Protein digestion begins in the stomach through gastric juices containing the enzyme pepsin, as well as hydrochloric acid; it passes through the duodenum and receives the pancreatic enzyme trypsin and is converted into amino acids by erepsin in the small intestine.

Proteins that leave the stomach undigested cannot be digested anywhere else in the digestive system.  These undigested proteins turn into toxins and the result is the production of allergies due to the undigested protein.

Factors that retard digestion: Ice gives the body a shock and causes the stomach to stop or reduce the production of digestive juices.  Liquid with meals is a major cause of poor digestion. No matter what you are eating, you dilute the enzymes and reduce the prospects for good digestion.

Fat Digestion:  Gastric juices of the stomach lining produce an enzyme called lipase, splitting fat down into components.  Hydrochloric acid also helps digest fat. When fat leaves the stomach, bile from the liver and pancreas act upon the fat to continue the digestive process. Fat is converted into fatty acids, which are broken down into glucose or energy.  Fat takes the longest time to digest of any food.

Hydrogenation is important to understand.  In order to improve the shelf life of an oil by keeping it from fermenting or turning rancid and make it a solid at room temperature, a process called hydrogenation is used.  This process renders the food undigestible since it must reach a temperature of over 300 degrees to be broken down.

Vegetables: Nonstarch vegetables digest differently from starch vegetables.  They don’t need a large amount of ptyalin or alkaline base.  Starch, proteins or fat from the vegetable kingdom are in smaller, more balanced amounts and are, therefore, more compatible with either starch or protein for proper food combining.

Fruit: Fruit is one of the foods especially designed for the human body.  Some people have problems with fruit and eliminate it from their diets because they think it is too high in sugar or they develop a bloated or gas condition.  It is really the result of improper food combining.

Fruit must pass through the mouth, stomach, and into the small intestine where the enzymes convert it to glucose.  However, when fruits are eaten with other foods and the digestive track is not empty, the fruits tend to ferment.  The rule for fruit is to eat it alone or leave it alone.  Do not eliminate fruit from your diet since the role of fruit is to cleanse the system.

To summarize, proteins should never be eaten with starchy foods, as the enzymes that are utilized to break down protein fight with the enzymes used to break down the starches. The result is that the food will either ferment or putrify and not be absorbed properly in the small intestines. Proteins OR starches may be eaten with colorful veggies. Fruit is always eaten alone.

In short, the best digestion is accomplished by correct combining of foods that take approximately the same time to digest.  To be healthy and happy, try proper food combining, it works!

7 Responses to “Proper Food Combining”

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