Best Natural Sunscreens

Summer will soon be upon us, the weather is warming and it’s time to show some skin. Most people understand that they must use caution when exposing their skin to the sun, while also getting enough unhindered UVB exposure for vitamin D production. However, there has been a lot of debate over the safety of common sunscreen lotions, and with good reason. Most sunscreens that you will find in stores contain ingredients like parabens, oxybenzone, octinoxate, cinnamates, and homosalate and other chemicals that can have ill effects on health such as actually promoting cancer!

Even some of the more “natural” sunscreens natural UV blockers that are micronized or nano-sized to make them more transparent on your skin. The trouble is that these are non-reactive while on the surface of the skin, but the tiny nano-particles may enter the skin, the effects of which are still unknown. This article details a study that found that nano particles of zinc oxide are twice as toxic to colon cells as larger particles if accidentally eaten: http://www.physorg.com/news189862905.html. Does that sound like something you would want on your skin?

Fortunately, there are safer manufactured sunscreens. Both Badger Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Stick and Loving Naturals Sunscreen, SPF 30+ contain Non-nano zinc oxide and have earned scores of 0 on the Environmental Working Group’s Safest Sunscreens List. You can see the entire list here: http://www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09/Beach-Sunscreens

If you want complete control over what goes into your sunscreen to make sure it is truly all natural you can always make your own at home! Just purchase zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide in cream or powder form. Make sure it’s not nano or micronized, and DO NOT inhale the powder, it’s best to use a mask and gloves while handling them. Add a tablespoon of one or each to about 8 oz of olive, sunflower, jojoba, eucalyptus or other oil, feel free to mix them and add any essential oils you wish and add 1 oz of emulsifying wax. All of these ingredients are available online from cosmetics or soaping suppliers like this one: http://www.camdengrey.com/

Of course nutrition plays a large role in sun protection as well. Eat foods with plenty of antioxidants like fruits and berries; foods rich in carotenoids like tomatoes and red bell peppers and watermelon; and drink plenty of tea especially green tea for natural internal sun protection.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution – Rave!

Jamie Oliver, world renown chef who has written many food-based books http://bit.ly/aSZqO0 and hosted several cooking shows has now taken America by storm with his new television show “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.”

He wants to challenge most Americans’ perception of food, and demonstrate how eating real food can diminish our country’s problems of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. He believes that this is especially true for children, so their lives are not shortened by the bad habits of their families, schools and society.

In the six-part series, Jamie heads to Huntington, West Virginia because it has been called the unhealthiest city in America. Jamie wants to do something about that. The 3 main challenges that Jaime wants to take on in Huntington in hopes of inspiring the rest of the nation are:

School Meals: To replace the processed school food with meals that were cooked from fresh ingredients, met the nutrition standards, and appealed to the kids. The school meals I trialled are now being rolled out to the rest of the school district.

Home: To show families that cooking at home from scratch is better for them, not to mention cheaper. We set up a community kitchen in Huntington that holds two cooking classes a day for local families. It is now being run by a local healthcare charity.

Main Street: To get the whole town cooking again and show people that they do have an alternative to the processed and fast food that’s invaded the American main street. We went into churches, colleges, workplaces, the local fire station, and as many places as we could think of, to teach as many people as possible a few quick and simple meals. That has changed people’s lives.

Kudos to Jamie Oliver for taking such an interest in teaching children about nutrition, food and cooking so that they will be able to reverse the foods trends taking over the country and the world. Through this television show he is opening people’s eyes to the dangers of unhealthy eating and the nutritional superiority of real food.

To learn more about Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution visit:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution

And don’t forget to watch the show on Fridays at 9:00 PM on ABC!

You can get a glimpse of it here:

Blueberries and Probiotics Counteract Intestinal Diseases

You thought blueberries were good for you before! Sure they are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, but now “new research from the Lund University Faculty of Engineering in Sweden shows that blueberry fibre are important and can alleviate and protect against intestinal inflammations, such as ulcerative colitis.”

“The researchers tested various types of diets of blueberry husks, rye bran and oat bran with or without a mixture of probiotic bacteria. The results showed that the protective effect of blueberries was reinforced if they were eaten together with probiotics.

‘The probiotics proved to have a protective effect on the liver, an organ that is often negatively impacted by intestinal inflammations,’ explains Ĺsa Hľkansson.

Blueberries are rich in polyphenols, which have an antimicrobial and antioxidative effect. The combination of blueberries and probiotics reduced inflammation-inducing bacteria in the intestine at the same time as the number of health-promoting lactobacilla increased.”

Read the full article here: http://www.physorg.com/news184943500.html

This is great news for blueberry lovers and just goes to show how natural foods can be as good or better than manufactured medicines.

Healthy Recipes - Boku Balsamic Vinaigrette

Yield: 1 cup

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon raw honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 scoop BōKU®

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a bowl, whick together the balsamic vinegar, honey Dijon, BōKU® and a pinch of salt; Let rest 5 minutes to full hydrate the BōKU®. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until completely emulsified. Correct seasoning.

Toss dressing with mixed greens, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, slivers of shallot, pecans and crumbled goat cheese as a suggestion.

Recipe & photo by Heidi Robb

Treatment Tuesdays - Back Pain

The second leading reason for visits to the doctor in the United States is back pain. Almost 80% of the U.S. population will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Many of them will end up on dangerous and potentially addictive pain medications and will eventually end up having surgery, steroid injections, and other invasive procedures—often continuing for years.

Research shows that most of the 25,000 back surgeries performed each year may not be necessary, and the condition often reappears in four years or less. Holistic medicine offers alternative options for curing back pain. Instead of just masking symptoms that often leads to failed results, chiropractic adjustments and other measures can be taken for successful treatment. Back pain can worsen over time, and prevention and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle are essential building blocks for aligning the body for optimal performance.

What Causes Back Pain?

The back is a complex mechanism. It has bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons; these are all held together by connective tissue called fascia. Soft tissue, nerves, skin, and collagen also play their part in the formation of the back. Imbalance or injury to any of these components can result in back pain. Some causes of back pain include:

• Poor posture
• Lack of exercise or physical activity
• Muscular strain from exercise, excessive body weight, or sleep posture
• Lack of movement and exercise
• Liver disease or liver toxicity (including from drinking alcohol)
• Misalignment of the spine, shoulders, and hips that can lead to a chronic condition
• Inflammation of the fascia, joints or tendons from injury, medications, or deterioration of surrounding ligaments
• Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and other spinal problems

Treatments for Back Pain

Prevention is the best treatment for back pain—and a solid prevention plan includes staying in good physical condition, eating a healthy diet, and stretching frequently. Paying attention to movement and posture is essential. Be sure you have a firm and spacious sleeping arrangement, and that your back is supported in the car (most car seats are not good for the back) and at work. This is especially important if you are overweight. Also, abusing alcohol or prescription medications (including antihistamines) can cause back pain from liver and kidney toxicity.

For easing back pain, you first need to identify the type of pain. Sharp, pointed lower back pain is often a symptom of muscular imbalance. This can easily be cured with long, slow stretching exercises done on the floor. If stretching and movement make your pain more acute afterward, then your back pain may be related to spinal or tissue damage. Dull, aching back pain located in the lower and mid back may be related to the kidneys, and may require a cleanse of the kidneys and liver. Powerful herbs that may help include milk thistle (liver tonic and detoxifier), Devil’s Claw (back pain relief), boldo, and green tea and extract (diuretic and anti-inflammatory).

Next, focus on inflammation with the best anti-inflammatories available in the natural world: fish oil supplements, garlic, cinnamon, and tumeric supplements. Make sure to get enough calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and C in your diet through natural, whole foods in your diet.

Other Considerations

Herbs such as lobelia and cramp bark can be rubbed on the affected area to reduce pain, and other useful herbs include cat’s claw, feverfew, rosemary, wild yam, and yucca root. If your back pain is related to kidney toxicity, then massage is not suggested. Instead, use saunas and detoxifying treatments. Other options for treating back pain include:

• Inversion therapy: Now accepted as one of the more successful treatments for certain types of back pain, inversion therapy involves hanging upside-down (at gradually increasing increments of time) on an inversion table. This helps your back muscles to completely relax and allows your spine to naturally correct itself. The extra blood flow to your head is another benefit of this treatment.
• Acupuncture to increase blood flow to stressed muscles
• Bodywork, including massage and deep tissue work, helps create balance and reconnect tissue.
• Feldenkrais Method to correct posture and improve range of motion
• Chiropractic to detect and correct spinal misalignments
• Hydrotherapy that applies water, ice, and steam to restore health
• Other alternative methods including oxygen therapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Ayurveda.

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy is a semi-natural treatment that stimulates the body’s production of collagen and consequently the growth of ligaments and other connective tissues. This has been useful in curing some back problems caused by ligament damage. The therapy involves injecting an irritant solution into the desired area. This causes an intense inflammatory response, which triggers a chain reaction of healing events in the body leading to the rebuilding of connective tissues. Some studies show that the new connective tissues are actually stronger than the original tissues. The treatment is generally repeated several times for full regeneration. 

Treatment Tuesday - Oral Ulcer (Canker Sore)

A mouth ulcer is a very painful open sore inside the mouth, caused by a break in the mucus membrane. Don’t panic—these sores are not herpes.

They start with tingling and burning, then form a red bump, which opens up into an ulcer, also called a canker sore. The ulcer is light colored with a red border. They sometimes have a white circle around it. The ulcer may cause painful swelling below the jaw. 

Small oral ulcers heal on their own in a couple weeks. Even a group of very small ulcers will generally heal before a month is up, with no scars or other negative effects. Larger or more painful ulcers, however, usually take more than a month to heal and you may end up with scar. Natural treatments to reduce the swelling and inflammation are a good idea for these ulcers.

What Causes Oral Ulcers?

Oral ulcers are usually an overreaction by the body's own immune system, which can be caused by food allergies, stress, and exhaustion. You can also get them from injuries such as biting the lip or getting hit on the lip, wearing braces, and passionate kisses. Here are some other causes:

• Hormonal imbalances including menstrual cycles and imbalances caused by coffee, prescription drugs, and stress
• Deficiencies in B vitamins, particularly B2, and in iron
• Candida infection
• Gluten, which is found in wheat, oats, spelt, rye, or barley and can result in chronic mouth ulcers. Many products, even natural ones, include added gluten, so read the ingredients. Even beer is often made from wheat, and of course, most bread products include gluten.
• Vitamin C products, especially ascorbic acid or citric acid
• Chemotherapy
• Illness can bring on the canker sores. If they occur often and you have avoided the known causes, your immune system is not functioning correctly.

Treatments for Oral Ulcers

• Use a highly concentrated solution of sea salt in water as hot as you can stand to hold in your mouth. Keep swishing the solution around in your mouth and on the affected area until the water cools. The salt will sting, but it will clean the bacteria out and help your tissues contract and clot, then grow back together more efficiently. Remember, your body is nearly 1% salt (sodium chloride). This salt mouthwash first expands the tissue at the wound site, then shrinks it naturally.
• Herbalists also recommend aloe vera gel and deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) chewable tablets for oral ulcers. Aloe vera gel soothes and heals the mouth’s delicate mucous membranes. Clinical research suggests that chewable DGL tablets are extremely effective oral ulcer cures. According to one study, chewing on DGL tablets completely healed oral ulcers in 15 out of 20 patients. Best of all, the healing was done within only three days. 
• As with nearly all sores and ailments, you can best avoid them by keeping your body as healthy as possible by getting enough nutrition from whole food sources, getting plenty of rest and maintaining a healthy stress level. Doing all of these things will also keep your immune system in top condition.
  

Other Considerations:
Try Vitamin E oil on the scarred areas to make them disappear.

Treatment Tuesday - Sore Throat

Sore throats often mark the onset of colds and flu, so it’s important to eradicate them as soon as they appear. Left untreated, even for a just few hours, they can grow out of control and affect, even threaten, the tonsils. In many cases, they may develop into more serious throat conditions and coughs. Scratching or itching sensations in the back of the throat are generally signs of bacteria or viruses. Eating sugar and processed foods can feed them.

Thankfully, there are many natural solutions for eliminating a sore or itchy throat.

What Causes a Sore Throat?

A sore throat is a common first symptom of both colds and the flu. A number of germs, such as streptococcus, and several viruses cause sore throats. Sometimes, however, bacteria and viruses aren’t to blame. Basically, anything that inflames and dries out your throat’s mucous membranes can cause a sore throat. This means that living in an arid climate, smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, vomiting, acid reflux, screaming, and allergies can all give you a sore throat.

Sore Throat Remedies

Over-the-counter remedies for sore throat usually just cover up the symptoms of itching and irritation. Many natural remedies, however, can actually eliminate the sore throat. What’s important is that you do something right away before it develops into a more serious condition or illness.

• Hit the throat itself with antibacterial and antiviral herbs or tinctures. Some good choices are St. John’s wort, liquid Echinacea with goldenseal, and propolis tincture. Use an eyedropper or spray to apply these to your throat.
• Gargle with warm salt water or hydrogen peroxide (diluted in half with water).
• Increase vitamin C intake by eating plenty of fresh, organic fruits and other foods high in vitamin C (plums, red peppers, rose hips, currants, etc.).

• If your sore throat is not caused by virus or infection, you can sooth it with honey and anti-inflammatory herbs.  

 With sore throats, an ounce of prevention is often worth a pound of cure. Generally the best way to keep from getting a sore throat is to avoid things that cause them such as talking to loudly or excessively or smoking. For sore throats related to infections, its best to keep your body as healthy as possible by eating lots of nutritious whole foods, drinking plenty of water and getting adequate rest.

Treatment Tuesdays - Stress

We all feel stress at some point, especially when the holidays are upon us. Sometimes stress is good  and sometimes it can make you downright sick!

Many experts believe that unhealthy stress is the number one cause of disease and poor health. Scientists agree that stress causes actual brain chemistry changes, and these changes can influence your health. Stress is or may be a contributing factor in everything from backaches and insomnia to cancer, heart disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Heart disease is the number one killer of American women. High blood pressure, heart attacks, heart palpitations, and stroke are often stress-related cardiovascular conditions.

Often, people feel the effects of stress as fatigue, various aches and pains, and headaches, or as emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. Stress affects others by causing gastrointestinal disorders such as ulcers, lower abdominal cramps, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Frequently, people under the effects of stress will have more colds and infections due to lowered immune system responses. Stress can also cause skin conditions such as itchy skin and rashes.

Why Are We So Stressed Out?

Physical stress may be the result of too much to do, not enough sleep, a poor diet, or effects of an illness. Stress can also be mental: when you worry about money, a loved one’s illness, or retirement; or experience an emotionally devastating event, such as the death of a spouse or being fired from work can add an enormous amount of stress to your life.

However, much of our stress comes from less dramatic, everyday responsibilities. Obligations and pressures, both physical and mental, are not always obvious to us. In response to these daily strains, your body automatically increases blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, metabolism, and blood flow to your muscles. This response is intended to help your body react quickly and effectively to a high-pressure situation.

This is why exercise is so vital. In nature, we are designed to be far more active than we are in modern life. The fight-or-flight response is meant to result in a physical activity, such as fighting or fleeing. When you are constantly reacting to stressful situations without making adjustments to counter the physical effects, you will feel stress—which can threaten your health and well-being. Stress significantly ages us, not only cosmetically, but throughout the body.

Stress and Hormones

Stress releases adrenaline into the bloodstream, which converts to cortisol. When there is an overabundance of cortisol in the bloodstream over long periods, it can lead to problems with thinking, raised blood pressure, weight gain in the belly, lowered immune response, muscle mass loss and connective tissue weakening, growth hormone level imbalances, blood sugar imbalances, and hypothyroidism. High cortisol from stress strongly affects memory, and even leaves the blood brain barrier open, allowing toxins to penetrate where they would not go otherwise. A life of stress leaves people more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

High cortisol can be reduced through sunshine, regular rest, exercise, and fun. If cortisol levels become too low, however, stress continues and adrenal depletion ensues. This leads to exhaustion, and is implicated in Chronic Fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

The adrenals also produce too little DHEA when they are busy with cortisol, which can be rebalanced through joy and laughter. You be can be tested for your DHEA levels to see if you need supplementation for either low or high levels of cortisol phases, but careful supervision by a health care practitioner is suggested to make sure DHEA is being used to create the proper hormones in your body. Do NOT use DHEA if you suspect prostate cancer.

Treatments for Reducing Stress

Here are a few suggestions for stress management to help maintain a healthy lifestyle:

• First and foremost, stop thriving on stress. If your lifestyle choices cause too much stress, ask yourself what you gain by continuing to make these choices (or by not changing). Perhaps a larger fear or avoidance pattern is behind the stress.
• Remove caffeine from your diet—completely! Stress is severely worsened by stimulants like coffee, and sugar, even though you may be tempted to use them because your weakened adrenals may need extra stimulation if you are pushing yourself to keep going. Don’t, as that only perpetuates the cycle and you will feel even worse later.
• Noise increases stress response, so find time in a quiet place. Better yet, create a quiet space and use it regularly for introspection, meditation, and relaxation.

Make sure you’re eating highly nutritious food if you have a high-stress lifestyle. You can help balance your system by adding super food nutrition from dark green, leafy vegetables, sea vegetables bee pollen, olive leaf extract, pine bark extract, and other nutrient-rich foods and botanicals.

Other Considerations

When you feel stress start to build, take a deep breath! Flood your body with life-giving oxygen and feel the difference immediately. There’s a reason Grandma always said take a deep breathe and settle down—because it works! One of the body’s responses to stress is to shorten the breath, which will deprive the body of oxygen. Again, in nature we would typically respond to stress in ways that would have us fighting, fleeing, or both. Physical activity (think exercise) following a stressful or threatening encounter will have us breathing deeply and more efficiently using the adrenaline and other hormones and chemicals released by our body. In modern life, we often deal with stress while we are sitting down. We continue the shallow breathing and often keep it all inside. A recipe for disaster!

• Jin Shin Do is a method of working with acupressure points to help release core stresses and help you cope with everyday stressors.
• A good massage will alleviate much stress and muscle tension.
• For many, aromatic baths can do wonders. Fill a hot bath and add Epsom salts and 20 drops of lavender, chamomile, lilac, or neroli essential oils. Breathe deeply while you soak. The aromatic healing properties will melt away your stress.

Treatment Tuesday - Heartburn

Well Labor Day is now over and so are the barbecues. It's fun to cook outside in the warm weather for your friends and family. However, one thing that those kinds of foods (especially paired with beer or soda) can cause to unsuspecting attendees is heartburn.

Although heartburn has nothing to do with the heart, the primary symptom is a burning sensation around the heart area, or just below the breast plate. It can rise into the esophagus and even affect the throat. For some, heartburn is an uncomfortable sensation. For others, it causes acute pain and damage to the esophagus, and it can last for days.

Avoid using over-the-counter antacids. Prolonged use of these products can cause severe kidney damage and other problems resulting from aluminum and sodium bicarbonate.

What Causes Heartburn?

Most people believe too much stomach (hydrochloric) acid causes heartburn. Usually, however, the problem is too little acid. Eating only small meals after 3 p.m. and avoiding all caffeine, fried foods, spicy foods, and tomato sauces in the evening can eliminate many of your serious gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) problems.

Additionally, some behaviors cause heartburn and, in these cases, the only way to prevent and relieve heartburn is to change those behaviors. Overeating, for example, is a major cause of heartburn, as the excess food causes pressure changes in the stomach that push food up into the lower part of the esophagus.

Natural Treatment and Prevention

Let’s start with some ways to treat heartburn. Here are some ways to quickly recover and restore your normal stomach pH. Try different ideas from this list until you find a solution that works for you:

• Drink a cup of cold milk. The milk will coat your stomach and esophagus, providing quick relief from the burning acid.
• Take a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (acetic acid) to aid digestion and stop the heartburn.
• If you need a little more help, take a teaspoon of baking soda (not baking powder, which is full of deadly aluminum) in half a glass of warm water and drink. This will cut down gas and heartburn. 

Treatment Tuesday - Viral Infections

Summer is nearing its end and autumn is almost upon us. With it, fall tends to bring cold and flu season. Viruses seem to thrive in our bodies as the weather grows cold, fortunately there are several things that we can do to prevent and fight viruses.

What Are Viruses?

Unlike bacteria, viruses are not living organisms. They are particles or molecules that reproduce inside the cells of other (host) organisms, causing damage to the host. They are difficult to remove once they take hold, so the best treatment against viruses is preventative treatment.

Antiviral Treatments

Viruses live and thrive in unhealthy systems, so the most effective way to remain virus-free is to keep your system strong and healthy. This means fortifying your immune system through a healthy diet. Besides adding positive substances, your antiviral treatment should include the removal of negative substances, such as tobacco smoke, excess alcohol, food toxins and additives, environmental toxins and stress. Here is a summary of the essentials:

• Take olive leaf extract and nutrient-rich, health-forming foods to support your immune system.
• Take Echinacea, St. John’s wort, and skullcap herbs for antiviral protection.
• Get exercise and a little sunlight every day, and eat more high-antioxidant foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts are great).
• Stop smoking and excessive drinking, and remove processed foods and excess sugar from your diet.
  

Other Considerations

Research indicates that the mineral zinc is also an effective antiviral agent. For example, a double-blind study published in 2000 demonstrated that zinc significantly reduces the length of overall common cold symptoms by 50%, including cough by 50% and nasal discharge by 30%.
Foods high is zinc are shellfish, red meat, beans and nuts.

Other antiviral supplements include:

High doses of enzymes will also make your body a hostile environment for viruses, while assisting digestion and cleaning out pockets of waste in your lower bowel, a place where viruses breed. These natural viral reagents will cause the weaker viruses to die and the stronger, more virulent ones to retreat into a small, safe place they can burrow in, somewhere in your body, depending on the type of virus. They’ll only awaken if you feed them something that wakes them from their dormant state (e.g., poor diet, smoking, drinking, drugging, a negative mind-set, stress, and poor sleep patterns).

Treatment Tuesday - ADD/ADHD

All children can be rowdy and hyper-energetic from time to time. And they all have times when it’s difficult for them to sit still and concentrate. But if these behaviors reach chronic levels, or measurably interfere with their ability to learn and cope with their lives, then it’s possible the child has attention deficit disorder (ADD), most recently referred to as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

ADHD starts in childhood and affects approximately 12% of children under 16 and is on the rise. Around 60% of children with ADHD will still have symptoms by the time they reach adulthood. Many sources go on and on about the types of behaviors that are symptomatic of ADHD, but they mostly boil down to the following:

• Hyperactivity (inability to calm down)
• Impulsive behavior (extremely low impulse control)
• Inattention and lack of ability to concentrate
• Learning disabilities (largely due to the above symptoms)
• Defiant or disruptive behavior, angry outbursts

What Causes ADD/ADHD?

ADHD is considered to be a neurological disorder or, more specifically, a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning that it is a problem with brain development. However, scientists and healers are divided on the subject and many natural healers believe that ADD and ADHD is just the pharmaceutical industry’s label for a range of symptoms that largely come from poor nutrition, specifically from the Standard American Diet (SAD). Other natural health practitioners believe that ADHD is a set of symptoms that come from dysfunctional environments (home, school, church, etc.).

The following is a summary of the most widely accepted theories:
• Genetic predisposition
• Brain injury during pregnancy, at birth, or in early childhood
• Environmental toxins during pregnancy and in early childhood
• Lack of nutrition combined with excess of bad foods
• Dysfunction in a child’s key environment
• Mercury toxicity from vaccines

Treatments for ADD/ADHD

Most medical experts say that there is no cure for ADD/ADHD, only treatments that help keep ADD-related behaviors in check and improve cognitive functioning. Whether or not that’s true depends on your definition of what, exactly, ADD/ADHD is. There’s a good chance that one or more of these natural remedies will help the problem. Therefore, the best therapy involves a combination of cognitive, nutritional, and psychological treatments, including the following:

• Replace sugary, fatty foods like cheese, candy, sodas, and fried foods with nutrient-rich, health-forming foods like green leafy vegetables, Spirulina, kelp, bee pollen, and maca. Studies prove that children with better diets are able to concentrate and relax more, and have higher achievement levels.
• Increase omega fatty acids in the diet with fish and flaxseed.
• Increase intake of vitamins C and E (fruit, nuts and whole grains are excellent sources)and start an antioxidant-rich diet.
• Avoid food additives and foods known to cause allergies, including wheat, dairy products, and processed meats.
• Reduce stress at home and in school and implement relaxation and calming practices.
• Reduce dysfunction at home through emotional support treatments for the entire family.

Other Considerations

If you have trouble getting your child off a sugar and junk food dependent diet, try getting away from the source of the temptation. Take a healthy, good-foods vacation for the entire family.

Treatment Tuesday - Acne

Though it is often worse in adolescence, and to be somewhat expected due to hormonal changes at that time, acne can happen to anyone at any time, and is a signal the body gives that something is out of balance. Getting embarrassed just adds to stress, which is one of the causes of acne–so smile anyway!


Causes of Acne

Acne begins in the follicles in the skin. At puberty, testosterone starts to circulate in the oil glands of the face and other parts of the body (but the face is the greatest concern). More oil (sebum) is produced. Everyone’s pores react differently to this increase in oil. For some, skin cells proliferate at an increased rate near the opening of the oil ducts. This higher production of cells, mixed with the higher production of oil, clogs the pores of the skin.


Here’s a summary of the causes:

• Hormonal cycles of not only adolescence, but also of women’s menstrual cycles, can cause acne, as well as stress, poor elimination (constipation), drugs, too much sugar leading to overgrowth of bacteria, and overly acidic blood.
• Blackheads and whiteheads can worsen, not only from the skin not being cleaned often or thoroughly enough, but also because of deficiencies such as magnesium, vitamin A, and B vitamins.
• Poor digestion can cause a buildup of toxins throughout the body, which often comes out through the pores; irritating the skin and leaving it open for acne infection.
• Anything put on the face can clog the pores, especially commercial products that are filled with chemicals that can cause the skin to react.
• Food allergies can manifest as acne.

Treatments for Acne
There are many natural treatments for acne, but not all of them are effective. Here are some of the essentials for clearing up your complexion:

• Cut down on the problem foods: sugar, fried foods, meat, processed food, soft drinks, and dairy products
• Increase water, raw foods, and eat plenty of watermelon. Be sure to get a good allowance of vitamin C and al of the B vitamins through food sources. Rose hips, red peppers, guavas and kiwi are good sources of Vitamin C; meats, potatoes, bananas, chile peppers and beans have good amount of B vitamins, although they are present in all whole, unprocessed foods.
• Reduce stress

Internal Work
Whatever the severity, one aspect of controlling acne is to interfere with the retention of the faster-forming, extra cells clogged with the extra oil in the pore. First, avoid eating foods that add to the problem. This means staying away from foods high in trans-fatty acids and animal fats, as well as refined carbohydrates. Many experts say that acidic blood is a main cause of acne, and this is a product of ingesting too much fried food, meat, sugary foods, white flour products, and soft drinks (big shocker!). Trans-fatty acids, such as margarine and heated oils prevent you from digesting the vitamins and minerals necessary for smooth skin. Avoid eating foods you are allergic to, the most common being wheat and dairy. And reduce stress and slow down when you eat.
Once you stop consuming foods and beverages that add to the problem, the next step is to fix the acne already on your skin. Here are some suggestions:

• It is important to drink eight 12-ounce glasses of pure water per day. This helps your skin flush out oil, cells, and bacteria. Remember, water is the universal solvent.
• Watermelon juice is another skin-healthy beverage.
• Another way to help your body eliminate wastes that help cause acne is by adding a variety of fiber-rich foods to your diet. Lightly cooked or, better yet, raw vegetables are a great source of fiber. They make a healthy contribution to any meal and they also make a satisfying and tasty midday snack to ward off hunger. Complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole-grain bread, and legumes are also great sources of fiber. These fiber-rich foods keep your digestive tract moving and clean, leading to acne-free skin and a healthier body overall.
• Add the vitamins and minerals your skin needs to be healthy to your current diet. Adding vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene which can be found in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and spinach) can go a long way toward clearing up your acne. NOTE: Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not take more than 8,000 IU/day of vitamin A. Consult your doctor if you fall into this category.

External Cleansing
In order to beat acne, you also need to fight the buildup of excess oils on your skin from the outside. Wash your skin with a mild soap and rinse with hydrogen peroxide, let dry, then wash with clean water again. Finish your washing regimen by spraying your face generously with lignite-activated water (also known as Willard Water). The addition of alpha hydroxy acid (fruit acid) speeds up the removal of dead cells, leaving a smoother complexion. At night, you can cover your face with a bentonite clay mask and let dry, and then wash off --pulling out impurities.


You’re Just Making it Worse

The more you touch your acne, the worse it will get. Oils and bacteria from your fingers can infect acne or, at the least, cause it to spread. Resist the temptation to touch your face. If you must squeeze a pimple, be sure to do so under sterile conditions. Wash your hands with an alcohol¬based antibacterial gel and be sure to have witch hazel ready for cleanup. Better yet, have a professional do it for you. That’s what they are paid for.
Avoid shaving if you have serious acne on your face. If you must shave, use an electric razor if possible.

Treatment Tuesday - Allergies

If you're like most people, you're probably allergic to something. It could be anything from a life-threatening allergy to peanuts or shellfish or just seasonal hay fever, or you may not have any clue what you are allergic to. In any case allergy symptoms can be at the very least annoying. Of course the best thing to do is to avoid your specific allergens, but that isn't always possible.

What Causes Allergies?

Allergies are caused by imbalances or deficiencies in the immune system. These deficiencies can be caused by dietary or nutritional imbalances, or a buildup of toxins in the body.

Treatments

Here are the first steps to controlling allergies:

• Build you immune system with high­ potency foods, such as bee pollen, Spirulina, and alfalfa. Drink plenty of water to hydrate your cells.
• Cleanse your colon and liver and use liver­-supporting foods and herbs.
• Avoid common food allergens, such as dairy and wheat products.
• Avoid toxic chemicals and get off long­ term prescriptions medications, including birth control pills.
  

For airborne allergies, local, raw bee pollen (which must be kept frozen) has been miraculous for many people. Start with a tablespoon, then increase the dose as it feels right. To avoid making matters worse, you should also refrain from smoking (including being exposed to secondhand smoke) and reduce your exposure to other forms of air pollution where possible.

Adrenal cortex extract (150 mg twice daily with food) with 1 gram of pantothenic acid and 2 grams of vitamin C in the morning and before bed may help rebuild the adrenal glands, which will help to ameliorate allergies. Skullcap herb also can help ease allergies.

Your liver plays a large role in allergies as well. An unhealthy liver means that blood is not being processed and cleaned well, which leads to allergies. Use milk thistle and apple juice to support your liver, and consider a liver cleanse.

Additionally, some health experts believe that an undiagnosed, underlying allergy to dairy products is the root of upper respiratory allergies such as hay fever and asthma. You may want to try eliminating dairy products such as milk and cheese from your diet for a while to see if it helps.