AMAZING BAKED APPLES

This is a very simple  and dish  that can be served any time of the day, any time of the year.
If you are going to make the topping then I suggest that you start straining the yogurt first so it will be ready when the apples come out of the oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium lemon
• 4 large apples, cored and hollowed but leaving the bottom intact
• 2 Tbs unsalted nut seed butter (almond, cashew, hazelnut…)
• 1 Tbs unsweetened, dried chopped fruit (apricot, cherries or pineapple…)
• 1Tbs. dried, chopped pitted prunes
• 1Tbs unsweetened raisins
• 1 Tbs of shaved hazelnuts or finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Topping (optional)

• 1 c low fat plain greek or goat yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. GF pure vanilla extract
• 2tsp raw. local honey
• 1 Tbs. toasted shaved hazelnuts or finely chopped pecans.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Squeeze about 2 tbs of lemon juice from the lemon and set aside
3. Rub the squeezed lemon over the outside of the apple, drizzling a little lemon juice on the inside.
4. Combine and mix together; nut butter, dried fruit, 1 Tbs. of hazelnuts/pecans, cinnamon and honey.
5. Firmly stuff mixture into the center cavity of the apple and place in shallow baking dish.
6. Mix remaining lemon juice with 1/4 c water and pour around apples.
7. Bake 40-45 minutes until firm but tender.

Topping:

1. Strain yogurt in a wire strainer with a towel and let sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hrs or until thick.
2. Pour off liquid and placed thickened yogurt in a bowl. Stir in vanilla and honey.
3. Spoon 1 Tbs. of topping over each apple and sprinkle with hazelnuts or pecans.

Please Read this Mother’s Comment on Gardasil

My daughter, Victoria, has been ill since February 2008. She had her first Gardasil vaccination in November 2007. Her second vaccination was in the beginning of February 2008. Immediately after her second vaccination, Victoria experienced severe diarrhea, vomiting and was nauseous for about eight weeks. She had blood work done many times and the pediatrician thought she had a virus. On March 31, 2008, she had her first seizure. My daughter has treated with many neurologists, all of whom have not related her seizures to Gardasil. Meanwhile, there are quite a few hundred people that I have found over the internet through my numerous postings and through Erin Brockovich, and their daughters are all experiencing the same symptoms, which occurred after the Gardasil vaccination. We have actually formed a group and share our daughters’ stories, symptoms and information. My daughter has had CT scans, MRI’s, MRA’s, EEG’s, blood work and was hospitalized at an epilepsy center in the video EEG monitoring unit for two separate weeks in May 2008 and September 2008. A follow-up MRI was performed and a spinal tap was recently attempted, but was unsuccessful. Victoria later underwent a lumbar puncture with fluoroscopy. She was put on many different seizure medications. After the normal EEG results, she was taken off all medications. Her SED rate has always been high and she does have protein in her urine, but doctors do not seem concerned. I was told that her red blood are small, but this apparently is not concerning either. She is also slightly anemic.
My daughter has been seen by several neurologists, a psychiatrist, psychologist, several neuropsychologists, an immunologist, several infectious disease doctors, and also treated a at Wellness Center for a period of time.
My daughter currently experiences the following symptoms: non-epileptic seizures, migraines, fainting, various tremors, twitches and numbness, intermittent leg paralysis and facial paralysis, tingling, staring or blank episodes, eye pain, joint pain, neck pain, back pain, memory loss, confusion, brain fog, regression, mood swings, hair loss and chronic fatigue. She continues to have bouts of nausea and diarrhea. She has not been in school since April 2008. My daughter can never be left home alone. She can’t go to school, go out with her friends or work or has little “normalcy” in her life. She has very few good days and always says she doesn’t feel good.

I do not know which way to turn for help. We have seen so many doctors and I can’t seem to find anyone willing to help my daughter. There are so many other young girls who have the same exact symptoms as my daughter and the one thing that all of the girls seem to have in common is the Gardasil vaccination.
There are no “traditional medical doctors” who relate my daughter’s symptoms to Gardasil as I am told “there is not enough information available” about the vaccine and doctors believe it to be “safe” . Most recently, a neurologist informed that he does believe that my daughter’s symptoms were brought on by the vaccine, just not in a way that he could test or prove.

There are some doctors who are making the correlation between Gardasil and many of the girls’ symptoms. Other doctors are willing to “try” treatment, most of which is “homeopathic” in nature and extremely costly. Once again, I must reiterate that there are so many other young girls experiencing negative symptoms.
Each night, I check on my daughter many times in the middle of the night to make sure she is still breathing (like we ALL did when they were babies).

I often cry and wonder if Victoria will be next one to die from adverse reactions to Gardasil.

We are in desperate need of medical treatment for my daughter. I have run out of ideas, doctors to treat with and finances have dwindled. I do not know which direction to turn. Any thoughts are most appreciated, especially from the medical community.
Please feel free to forward this information.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Jodi Speakman
(267) 939-0591
Jodispeaks@aol.com

P.S. Victoria is one of five girls mentioned on the NVIC website. Victoria’s story appeared on the front page of the Philadelphia Weekly Newspaper in June 2009 and also mentioned on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer in August 2009. A Fox news story recently aired as well.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/14/investigate-gardasil-vaccine-risks-now

http://www.nvic.org/Vaccines-and-Diseases/hpv.aspx

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/posted.php?id=547704835&share_id=76759221290#s76759221290

For more information, visit TruthAboutG

Quiet A COUGH

Just 2 ounces of Dark Chocolate is enough to quiet a cough. The cocoa content needs to be 65% or higher to be effective. British and Hungarian researchers  think the chemical theobromine, found in dark chocolate, relaxes the vegas nerve which triggers the brain to initiate cough reflex.

Grilled Romain with Hot Bacon Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients:

• 3 Whole Romaine lettuce ( 1 whole for 2 servings)
• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon
• Kosher salt

Directions:
1.Wash and cut romaine lengthwise, dry with a paper towel. Lightly coat the inside with EVOO and salt. Place on a baking sheet.
2.Dressing:

• In a sauce pan add 1 Tbs. EVOO, garlic and onion, saute until translucent. Add bacon and cook an additional 2 minutes on medium heat.
• Add the remainder of the EVOO and the Balsamic vinegar, reduce to low heat.

3. Cooking the romaine:

• Option 1-char on outdoor drill until slightly brown or
• Option 2- broil for 4 to 5 min in the over.
• Serve immediately and drizzle with the dressing

The 10 Commandments of Water

I don’t think that a day had gone by that at least one patient has not asked me,  ”How much water am I suppose to be drinking a day?”   I can say that almost every one is shocked when I answer, “You are to drink half of your bodies weight in ounces of water every day”.  The majority of the time people seem shocked  and even upset by the answer I give.  The most common response is “there is just no way that I could ever possibly drink that much water in a day”.

We love water and our bodies love water. We play in it, some of our favorite sports are on and in it, we spend our vacation time and dollars to go near it, we dream of living in the most luxurious homes next  it, we visit spas and read about all of its cleansing powers. The earth’s surface is nearly 70% water , our bodies are approximately 67% water by weight, and we baptize in water.

Because our ecosystem is set up to continuously recycle water, the water we drink today is the same water that our ancestors drank from Moses to Cleopatra to George Washington.
Did you know that ever living cell , whether it be plant or people contains a nutrient fluid that is mostly water.
If your body’s water content drops by as little as 2%, you will feel fatigue and /or dizzy. If it drops by 10%, you will experience significant health problems. Loses greater than 10% , that can be fatal. Still American’s don’t drink enough water. Although Americans drink many liquids, a significant proportion of those fluids are actually dehydrating to the body. Tap water, bottled water, juice, milk and carbonated beverage without caffeine are hydrating beverages. Coffee, tea, carbonated soda with caffeine, beef, wine and other alcoholic drinks are dehydrating beverages. The Average American drinks 54.5 gallons of soft drinks per year. For every 16 ounce bottle of water consumed Americans drank approximately 64 ounces of soda. These are the same people telling me that they cannot possible imagine how a person can drink 80 to 100 ounces of water a day.

THE 10 COMMANDMENTS OF WATER

Water is the most important ingredient in our diets and we cannot live without it!

1. Drink 1/2 ounce of water for every pound that you weigh every day. So, if you weight 200lb you need to drink 100 ounces of water. That equals out to 12.5-8 ounce glasses of water a day. If you sleep 8 hours a day and awake 16 hours then you need to drink 1-6 ounce glass of water every hour,  or a good drink every 20 minutes.
2. Drink water in regular intervals throughout the day. Don’t wait until you are thirsty, it is too late.
3. Drink the purest water available , but any water is better than no water, just drink water.
4. Start off each day with 2-3 glasses of water before you eat to rehydrate from the fluids that your system lost overnight and to get your digestive system started. The major function of the large intestine is to reabsorb water.
5. Make water a habit. Get in the habit of carrying a bottle with you when you go in the car, to work, make it convenient for yourself.
6. Avoid dehydrating beverages that rob your body of water like coffee, tea, alcohol, carbonated beverage with caffeine.
7. Increase your daily water if you increase your exercise level or even if your stress level increases.
8. Increase your daily water intake during illness and recovery. Fever can dehydrate you very quickly. Water also helps flush out the toxins from your body.
9. Exercise to the point of perspiration. Our skin is our largest organ and sweating is one of the best avenues for allowing our body to detoxify. It forces us to rehydrate.
10. Enjoy the taste of water. Remember, we love water and our bodies love water

FUNCTIONS OF WATER

• improves oxygen delivery to cells
• transports nutrients
• lubricates joints and absorbs shock
• cushions bones and joints
• regulates temperature
• removes waste and flushes toxins
• improves cell communication
• empowers the bodies natural healing process

BENEFITS OF WATER HELPS:

• prevent high levels of cholesterol
• prevent brain damage
• prevent Osteoporosis
• prevent Cancer
• prevent the aging process of skin, the Fountain of Youth
• promotes good eye health
• promotes weight loss
• moisten mucous membranes

Remember, water is a vital nutrient in our ecosystem recycle when you can.

• Don’t leave the water on while your brushing your teeth.
• Don’t wash partial loads of laundry.
• Make sure your dishwater is full when running.
• Collect the water in a bucket when you are waiting for your shower to warm up and water house plants or mop your floors, water for your pets.
• Before you toss out your families left over water in glasses,  collect  the water from the cups  and  use for your indoor plants.

Let me know your creative ways to help your body and our earth keeping water in balance.

In good health,

Dr Heather

Natural Relief from Allergies and Sinus Symptoms

Have you ever felt like doing this?  There are 37 millions American that are suffering from sinusitis every year making it one of America’s largest health problems. That is about 16% of the adult  US population.  Standard orthodox medical treatment for sinusitis and rhinitis centers around the promotion of drainage and treatment with decongestants, antibiotics and antihistamines.  This approach is controversial for while drugs may alleviate nasal stuffiness they have limited effects on the sinuses and can cause side effects in some individuals such as insomnia, nervousness and high blood pressure.  There are safe, simple and cost effect management options that you might not be aware of.

Here  some of the causes of allergy and sinus symptoms?

• bacterial or viral infections
• yeast or candida infections or mold
• environmental irritants
• food allergies or food sensitivities
• low functioning immune system
• physical obstruction to the nasal passage structure
• cervical misalignment

Our sinuses are hollow, air-filled cavities that are lined by mucous membranes. Sinus’ get blocked when they can not drain as fast as mucous is produced. The key to healthy sinus is to promote good sinus drainage.

1. Nasal irrigations:
If you suffer from chronic allergies, sinus disease and chronic cough you may benefit significantly from using a nasal irrigation or rinse daily. They are a safe and simple cost-effective management of chronic sinus disease. They are an essential part to nasal hygiene.  Saline nasal irrigation has been mentioned in medical textbooks and used for hundreds of years.  Yoga practitioners in India routinely used a tea pot like device for daily nasal cleaning.  Nasal-Douches have been used in England for decades. Many sinus suffers have reported the benefits of ocean swimming for their chronic conditions.

2. IgE and Ig G food allergy testing

An allergy is an immune response, resulting in inflammation and an increase in  mucous production. Such a response to food can be exhibited in any part of the body, because nutrients are digested, absorbed and circulated throughout the body. This is why food allergies can cause a wide range of problems, including sinusitis, runny nose and chronic cough.  The body produces histamine and mucous in response to any allergy whether it be an environmental allergy or food allergy.  You cannot change where a tree or certain potential irritating grasses grow but you can control what you put in your mouth. Through a simple and easy blood test you can identify food allergies and sensitivities. The solution is simple you  removing the irritant, food,  from your diet

3.Nasal Specific technique

Nasal-specific technique  involves inserting small balloon-like tools into the nasal cavity and gently inflating them . It  can expand the sinus openings. (This technique is often practiced by chiropractor or naturopathic physicians.) Nasal specific is a proven technique for treating sinusitis. It involves the insertion of a small balloon into the nasal passages to mobilize the facial bones and allow for increased blood flow and drainage.  The practitioner will perform the treatment approximately  three times, you should experience relief by the second treatment. The technique itself can be slightly uncomfortable, but it has provided relief for many.   This technique has  helped people suffering from conditions like migraine headaches, frontal headaches, post-nasal drip, and ear infections.

4.Chiropractic Care , cranial therapy manipulation

Chiropractic is not a treatment for sinus conditions, yet suffers often find relief after chiropractic care. Chiropractic helps by relieving stress on the nervous system and body structure, it  helps your body work more efficiently. Further, spinal care in conjunction with cranial adjusting can ensure that the skull bones move freely and “breathe”, permitting body fluids to drain without interference.

5. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve  the bodies functioning. World Health Organization has recognized acupuncture as effective for treating sinusitis. Acupuncture is more than 5000 years old.  Acupuncture operates on the theory that our life energy, or qi, must flow uninterrupted through the body, Qi, blood  and body fluids are the three substances that make up the body and regulate our functions. According to traditional Chinese medicine, sinusitis can be caused by several things, including lung and spleen dampness, lung heat and and spleen damp heat.  Your acupuncturist will correct the underlying root of your sinusitis. This done by inserting needles and applying heat or electrical stimulation at very precise acupuncture points.

6. Silver Argyol Treatment
Silver Argyrol is a mild silver protein that irritates the nasal mucosa and increases the drainage of your sinuses. It works as a strong anti-microbial agent to kill the bad guys in your nose that lead to your recurrent nasal infections. If you suffer from chronic sinusitis, this is an effective treatment option.
What does Silver Argyrol Treatment involve?
The practitioner will dip a long cotton swab in the mild silver argyol protein and then insert it into your nasal passage. This can be slightly uncomfortable for some patients, so be are careful to only go to your own tolerance. Once inserted, the  cotton swab  does not get moved around around. You are then instructed to lean forward over a bucket and let the silver argyrol work. It will do so by increasing the mucus flow in your nasal passages and by killing the microbia in your nose.   You will be significantly  surprised by the amount of drainage that can occur.  Nasal Specific Technique  and nutritional supplementation may be recommended for enhanced benefit of this protocol.

There are many, many more natural relief remedies from herbs to homeopathics that I did not mention. I just wanted to help make you aware that there are great alternatives to the traditional medical approach.

In good health,

Dr. Heather

Should I do a cleanse?

I hope that all of you had a fantastic Christmas and wonderful holidays, I know that I did!

“To cleanse or not to cleanse?”  is a question that I am asked frequently.

My answer is always ….. YES!!!!  and 1 to 2 times a year.

With the New Year just a few days away, there is no better time to cleans than the month of  January.  I am certain most of you have already thought about this new year. NO more of the old struggles that you have been experiencing. This is going to be a wonderful year for you and your body! Make your health your first and foremost priority this year.

Take the Toxicity questionnaire and access your bodies state of health.

WHY CLEANSE?

There are more than 80,000 harmful chemicals in the form of pesticides, fertilizers, synthetic additives and environmental pollutants that have the potential of assaulting our body everyday.  These poisons are found in our homes, the foods we eat, the air we breath, the water  we drink , the fabrics  we wear  and in the products that we put on our skin.  Imagine what these poisons are doing to your body??  The more toxic the body becomes, the greater the potential for chronic disease, illness and premature aging.

WHAT ARE THE BEST CLEANSES?

You should find a cleans that is 14 to 21 days long. The liver is the major detoxifier of our body. It requires 7 days for sulfonification and 7 days for hydroxylation to properly get the body to eliminate toxins.

Your cleans should requires a bland diet, light exercise, adequate amounts of rest and water. Never start a cleans when you know that life is going to be stressful. A cleans is meant to rest your body, not to stress it out.

My favorite cleans is the  21 Day Purification program by Standard Process. My second favorite is the NutriClear Program by Biotic.

I know that there are many good options but just make sure that the products are a pharmaceutical grade and offers a protocol program…………….

( Always check with your physician before starting a cleans)

A great book to read is The Fast Track Detox Diet by Ann Louise Gillleman.

GOODL LUCK !!! Get a “clean” start for the New Year!

During the month of January I will be posting a lot of healthy tips to get your body started on its transformation journey to a better state of health for the year 2010!

Get your New years resolutions ready!