Fork in the Road

Dear Friends,

My life is taking me in other directions right now. I will continue to post wellness themed news on my Facebook page at Wake Up To Wellness. No matter where life takes me..wellness for people and planet remains a passion.  I am also leaving this blog up because it has a good collection of timeless recipes and resources. Enjoy!

i am on a wellness vacation

sun streaming through trees at Radium Hotsprings, BC

I am traveling with my partner Catalyst Yogi around BC this summer sharing the amazing technology of Kundalini Yoga with all the beautiful people.

I am sleeping in, playing outside, breathing deeply, doing yoga and living totally in the moment.

I will be back in my writing saddle in September.

Until then ~ meet me on the Wake Up To Wellness Facebook page.

Run From The Cure

Those pink ribbon running shoes are taking you down a dead end road.

I’m done with the Pink-ification of women’s health.  It’s a candy-coated lie that is costing us our lives.  And, I’m prepared to endure a severe flaming from those invested in the status quo ~ in order to ensure another generation of girls does not end up in the cattle call of the breast cancer industry.

Yes, there are women that will state that chemotherapy or surgery saved their lives.  I would never take another woman’s victory from her.  I celebrate it!   But, it remains possible that she recovered her health, not because of the treatment, but in spite of it.

Can’t we do better than this?  Let’s wait for women to get sick and then offer them options that require agonizing physical and emotional suffering with serious long term side effects and only a small chance of lifelong success.

“The Cure” lives at the same level of consciousness that created the disease. We will NEVER, EVER create a solution at this level of consciousness (some really wise guy taught us that).  It’s a multi-billion dollar distraction that ensures cancer rates will continue to rise.

It’s time to turn around – start running away from the cure and toward the CAUSE.  We must address this at a new level of consciousness. ~ one of prevention and true wellness.

There is NO surgical savior to pray for.   There is NO of Prince Charming in a pill coming to save us.  It’s time to save ourselves.

When you’re lost, the first step to being found is to realize that you’ve been going in circles. Only at that point can you begin to find your way home to perfect health.

But, don’t listen to me.  Listen to Dr. Nathalie Kather explain with beautiful clarity what’s going on with our breasts.

Share this video with all the young women in your lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=seFg75SKh90

The Reason Being: From Pain To Purpose in Japan

The expression ‘everything happens for a reason’ has always rubbed me the wrong way.  Even though I sensed the seed of truth, its hard shell seemed impenetrable. What reason?  It felt like just another ‘G-O-D is on the outside’ statement that turned a human being into a passive recipient of their life, as opposed to an active, creative participant.

Everything happens for a reason. Really?  Everything?  Child abuse? Genocide? Glenn Beck? 

After many years trying to crack this hard nut, I’ve come to my own understanding.  Things happen for the reason that we give them.  Things happen and then we choose to give them meaning, or not.  Suffering, tragedy, catastrophe just happens. What we do with that suffering is our choice.

The same tragedy can happen to two different people.  One person will use that experience as leverage for personal transformation and perhaps commit their lives to helping others deal with the same stuff. The junkie turned counselor. The neglected child turned foster parent.  The victim turned victorious.

They choose to give their pain a purpose.

Another person, experiencing the same hardship, will sink deeper into the darkness, become a victim, learn nothing from it and die with anger in their hearts having never helped another soul.  Their experience then, had no reason, no purpose, no meaning.

When I look upon the staggering catastrophe unfolding in Japan today, I see the damage, the loss and the pain but I also see the reason.  The seeds of transformation and purpose are waiting to break open, even now in the shadow of fear from leaky reactors.

I see a generation of young people growing up with a burning, unstoppable desire to create new energy technology that will lead the world into a cleaner, safer, more abundant future.  I see a country rebuilt on the commitment to get it right this time. 

While much of the world will keep sleepwalking down the nuclear path mumbling ‘it can’t happen to us’, the people of Japan just might be able to forge reason from the wreckage. Those coastlines, now lying in ruin, could become living monuments to human ingenuity and vision.

Join in this international broadcast Midwives of Possibilities: Visions of A New Japan with Masami Saionji, Ph.D and Yuka Saionji.  Join us as two powerful women share their vision of an evolved, sustainable and safe Japanese society, and how each of us might participate by extending ourselves in partnership to midwife the inspiring possibilities that are present.  Live broadcast will be at 5:30 PST March 23, 2011, however, it can be heard afterward by accessing the archive.

Better Out Than In: How To Deal With Dictator Constipation

Dictator constipation is an increasingly common problem plaguing our world.  While the people from the Middle East and North Africa are most vocal about this problem, many in (so-called) Western countries are completely unaware that they are suffering from a form of this same problem.   The condition frequently becomes chronic and can last for decades.  Early symptoms may be experienced as only uncomfortable and inconvenient, but as time goes by, this condition  inevitably becomes dangerous and in many cases,  life-threatening.

Dictator constipation is the most stubborn form of constipation and it can take days, perhaps weeks, for movement to occur even when the most extreme remedies are applied.

COMMON CAUSES OF DICTATOR CONSTIPATION

• Ignoring natural urges to evacuate.
• Inadequate information intake.
• Insufficient opportunity to exercise human rights.
• Highly processed and low fiber diet of state television and government approved newspapers.
• Suppressing thirst for freedom.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF DICTATOR CONSTIPATION

 Lack of movement in leadership for years or even decades at a time

Occasional hopeful feelings that end up being only hot air.

Excessive straining to achieve even the slightest outcomes.

Take these steps to get things moving:

1.  Immediately cease consuming a constipating diet of national television and state approved newspapers.

2. Get lots of exercise.  Walking  in public places seems to be a critical part of evacuating a dictator.  Squatting to pick up trash or a wounded friend is also very effective.

3. Start consuming a high fiber diet including Twitter, Facebook and Al Jazeera.

4. Don’t underestimate the power of positive thinking or the use of affirmations.  Visualize the excrement being flushed down the toilet. Shout mantras such as ‘hey, hey, ho, ho this crap has got to go.”

5. If all else fails, extreme measures including a military-style enema may be required.

**This was written out of sheer frustration and also compassion and is not intended to make light of the tragic reality of getting rid of a real dictator.

Turning the Pyramid on Its Head

  The USDA keeps revising the food pyramid and with each passing year we get sicker.

If you are getting your dietary advice from the USDA food pyramid you are always about 10-15 years behind the learning curve.

Fat does not make us fat.  A diet built on fake food, carbohydrates and sweets makes us sick and fat.

The new 2010 pyramid puts strict limits on sources of protein, saturated fat and salt. It puts no limit on carbohydrates and sweeteners.  Who is most impacted most? Children. If schools don’t follow their pyramid, they don’t get funding for lunch programs. 

Science has determined that there is NO connection between excess dietary cholesterol and excess blood cholesterol.  The old belief that eggs make your cholesterol go up has been debunked ages ago. It will probably take another 5 years before the general public learns this. Cholesterol is the mother of all hormones and without it ~our bodies cannot produce other things like vitamin D.   They keep pushing our cholesterol levels down and we keep getting sicker.

If you are vegetarian, I suggest that you run (don’t walk) to buy a giant tub of organic coconut oil and eat some of it every day.  I also suggest you take a small handful of Brazil nuts every day as a great source of saturated fat and selenium which is a mineral lacking in many diets ~ especially in the North.

Salt (i’m talking about real salt) is vital to life and they keep pushing the amount down thinking that’s the culprit.  Our bodies crave salt for a reason.  Our bodies are made of water, salt and protein.

Again, children are most impacted.  They need healthy fats to grow. Think of mother’s milk. It’s loaded with saturated fat.  Would you skim the fat off and give it to an infant?  Without saturated fat, children cannot metabolize vitamins.

Sally Fallon is an advocate of an animal-based diet rich in saturated fat. She works for the Weston Price Foundation which receives no funding from government or industry.  My vegetarian friends will not like this.  I understand.  But if you know me by now ~ you understand that I’m not about telling people what to do. I’m here to provide information and support your right to knowledge and to make your own decisions.

Put up your truth antennae and watch this. Then, decide for yourself.

How To Decline Fluoride and X-Rays without a Fight

More and more people are declining some dental services for health or financial reasons.

Fluoride and annual x-rays are the most common services that are being declined.   There is growing concern that fluoride may be linked to a host of health problems and, ironcially, might be bad for our teeth.  The concern with x-rays is exposure to radiation.  Children are more vulnerable than adults to chemical and radiation exposure.

Most health care practitioners are not used to being challenged.   We are equally to blame for accepting this passive appraoch to our own health care for decades. But, things are changing. 

TELL THEM IN ADVANCE

It’s really hard to be assertive when you’re upside down wearing a bib and goofy glasses.

~indicate when you make the appointment what services you do not want

~ask that it be written in your permanent record

~tell them that if there is going to be any problem with this request you want to know in advance of the appointment

IF THE DENTIST CHALLENGES YOU

Be compassionate, but firm. The dentist is simply doing their job as they’ve been trained and they sincerely believe this is good for you or your children. 

~Listen respectfully

~Don’t try to convince them of your perspective. You are not going to change their minds.

~Just be firm that you have done your research, you’ve made up your mind and all they need to do is tell you if they will support your decision.

~If it feels right to you, consider negotiating the frequency or number of x-rays to something you can both agree with (example: minimal x-rays every 2 or 3 years ~ or ~ xrays if the dentist finds a problem during the examination)

~digital xrays are said to be significantly safer than traditional technology so ask if your dentist has this technology

If your dentist insults, mocks or laughs at you, consider finding a new dentist. Disagreement is OK, but disrespect is not. 

A common rebuttal regarding x-rays is this.  “Your child is exposed to more radiation on an airplane.”  Simply reply by saying, “I’m aware of that and that also concerns me. We are working toward minimizing all sources of radiation exposure.”

The good news is that more dentists are taking the natural path. Here is a list of a few holistic dentists.  If you do not see one in your area ~ call one of these offices and request a referral to a natural dentist in your local area.

The Dark Side of Your Yoga Pants: Support Local!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We don’t mean to poop on the yoga parade. We L-O-V-E yoga and there is nothing wrong with lookin’ good.  However, when something gets big ~ and I mean really BIG ~ the dark side starts to creep in.

Lulemon is not the same little outfit that we fell in love with so many years ago.

Supporting locally-made and owned companies is good for your health and the well-being of your  community.

In BC, we have Fruv, to name just one.

To view this Lululemon spoof and the source documents behind each statement ~ check this out.

And Lulu, please don’t sweat the criticism.  Just take a deep breath!

Soaking Will Let You Love Your Grains Again

Do I want another step in my cooking? Of course not.   It’s hard enough to remember to put out the trash once a week. Now we have to soak our grains? Yes!

The truth is that processed food has caused us to lose touch with how to cook with grains and flour.  They need to be soaked or fermented in order to be nutritious.

Grains actually have anti-nutrients called phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors.  Bottom line: they can cause more harm than good in the human body.  Unsoaked and overly processed grains and flours is one part of the epidemic of bad digestion in our world.

Soaking grains:

• increases nutrient value, especially minerals and vitamin B
• takes away some the the extra chewy texture of whole grains
• makes them easier to digest
• baked goods made from soaked grains and flour will be fluffier

Soaking actually improves our ability to digest nuts and legumes too.

I’m starting small and I suggest you do the same.  We eat hot cereal for breakfast every morning so I’m soaking those grains the night before.  We have found that the cereal is more filling and we don’t get hungry as quickly.  Rice and quinoa will be next. I’m not up for making my own bread just yet so that will have to wait.

The important thing is to just start building the habit.

Here’s how:

• soak in WARM water  for 12-25 hours (but any amount will help)
• add 1-2 tbsp of an acid medium like apple cider vinegar but lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, buttermilk or kefir work great too
• you may need less water to cook soaked grains

That’s it.  So easy.

Back To The Future of Aging

We’ve got some really dusty old beliefs about aging that need to be swept out the door.

 Is it possible to be younger tomorrow than you are today?  Well, that depends on what age is. Is it chronological or biological?

 If I told you that for the next year I wanted you to do everything in your power to accelerate aging ~ could you?  What would you do? I bet the answers come easily.  Move to Vegas, smoke like a fiend in front of a slot machine all day?  Live in front of the TV inside a bag of chips? Worry? 

 So why is it harder to accept that we can turn back the clock?  We can actually be younger. Not look younger or seem younger due to good lighting and make-up, but be younger in a measurable, verifiable way.

 It all comes down to how we measure age. Every year the earth goes round the sun and for some of us it’s just another candle on the cake. For others, it’s catastrophic.

 Look around. Do you see how differently people are aging?  Why?  It’s the choices we make and our range of choices grows every year. 

 So what is age to you? 

 To a lab rat, it may be about the length of your telomeres or the rate of DNA replication error ~ but that doesn’t mean anything to you.  

 To most of us, age is about how we feel and what we can do. When our joints hurt we feel old. When can jump out of bed pain-free we feel young. When we sleep well, have lots of energy and a clear head we feel young.  When we can’t find our keys because our hormonal insomnia kept up all night or we’re falling asleep in front of the TV at 7pm, we feel old.  When we can’t pick up our children due to aching backs ~ we feel ancient.

 All these things that we accept as a ‘normal’ part of aging ~ are not.  But,  as long as we believe they are normal, that’s exactly what will keep happening.

Yes ~ your weight gain, headaches, fatigue, aches, memory loss, bad eyes are symptoms of aging ~ but there is nothing normal about it.  We have the biological capacity right now to live a healthy long life until at least 120.  We can die without ever being sick.   But (and it’s a big BUT) we need to make different choices.  

 All of these many symptoms of aging can be reversed by various combinations of supplements, exercise programs, diet and attitude adjustments. Vital energy can return.  Joints can be repaired. Foggy minds can be cleared. Weight can return to perfect balance. Organs function can be restored.  Happy hormones can be abundant again.  Even eyesight can return to 20/20. I’ve seen each and every one of these things happen – over and over again.

 But more than half the battle is in the mind.  Are you ready to drop the “I’m getting old mantra?”   Are you ready for the new frontier of aging? Are you the willing to be part of the first generation that proves you CAN turn back the clock?

So, how’s aging going for you?   It’s NEVER too late to turn things around.