This is a fantastic NPR posting and video animation on the immune system! It is short and very informative with not too much medical terms ( if any, really!)
And if you want to learn more about the immune system, pick up my new book, HBD: Battle with the Bugs, which is a fun educational story -telling journey through the immune system. Watch the book trailer here.
Be well,
My lemon tree is about to go off….well it is going off but the lemons are not ready to pick. The anticipation and patience I must have before I can go out and pick a fresh lemon off my tree, slice it up and put in a full pitcher of water ( with some mint- yum) will be hard to control!
I didn’t grow up with any fruit trees in our yard but we did have some herbs and my grandparents had a fairly large summer garden.I always loved picking some chives and picking corn for grandma. It was always a treat.
Lemons are a gift to us. They have so many uses. As a kid, I would use lemon juice to highlight my hair, they are a great disinfectant, they smell great, they are packed with nutrients and are fantastic to bake and cook with. My favourite recipe is slicing up some lemons, garlic, butter, chicken broth, capers, some seasoning and baking this with chicken or fish. It is so easy and everyone loves it.
Let me know your favourite use of lemons. I will need some advice!
Be well,
The other day while my daughter, Merrin was grooming her ( well she wishes her) horse, she asked me to grab her camera out of her backpack. While, I was searching through all her books, I noticed a few things.
It was a moment of true parental satisfaction. The moment where all you teachings about certain things come into fruition.
She had a homeopathic Belladonna ( she sometimes gets headaches - middle school thing), Arnica and a tube of Arnica cream.
She is being proactive in her health. I love it. I want to send her off in the world knowing that she knows how to keep her body healthy and what do do if she gets sick. She is already doing it.
Happy mom!
I love them! They are full of nutrients, a complete protein, there are many, many ways to prepare them and they are inexpensive!
I have to save I kinda cring when people tell me they only eat the white parts. In school, I remember learning the importance of eating the whole egg as they were made to go together - the white and yellow. The white may have the protein but the yoke has the majority of the nutrients.
My suggestion is to cook up some eggs in the morning for your kids - scramble them or whip up a quick omelet ( my girls like ham, cheese and Merrin likes it with tomatos) - it is fast, easy and will give the kids some sustained energy to get through the morning.
Tell me your favourite egg recipe. It will be great to get some more ideas for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Be well,
Pearl and Zoe ( not sure where Merrin was?) were in the kitchen again! This time they cooked up an Immunity Soup packed full of some powerful nutrients.
Take some time to check out their video and print up their recipe. It may come in handy this fall and winter!
Be well,
I am very happy to show you the book trailer for…
Human Body Detectives: Battle with the Bugs!
It was just sent to me and I couldn’t even wait a minute until I could show all of you!
The printing is a little behind but I should have in my hands the last week of October. It will be available on Amazon in November but the book can be purchased on my site now as a pre-order!
Enjoy!
Yummy yum yum yum!!!!!
I was going threw some old Halloween magazines…you know trying to get organized for Pearl’s favourite holiday! and came across this recipe in a Martha Stewart Halloween edition.
She says not use a can of pumpkin-pie filling but I did and it turned out fine. Since I did this though I did not add the pumpkin-pie spice mix. I also used organic ingredients.
Ingredients
Directions
These were so delicious the next day nice and chilly from the fridge!
Enjoy,
My daughter, Pearl is obsessed with Halloween ( see my previous post on Arnica to learn more.)
This year she really wanted to have her birthday party on Halloween so all of her friends could trick or treat together. She also wanted to have a mystery party. This past summer, a friend of ours, hosted a murder mystery party and Pearl LOVED the concept. We decided against the murder part ( although we do love the game Clue) and I started doing some research - the thought of writing and putting together this party seemed a bit too much for me - scavenger hunts are about as far as I can go!.
I came across this website, dramatic fanatic, and realized quite quickly that it would be perfect match for the party. Pearl and I decided to chose the, “Witchy Mystery,” and the process for checking out was simple and easy. It downloads to your computer. I just read through the instructions and it seems easy and fun!
I will keep you updated on how the rest of it will go….
Be well,
This was written by a colleague of mine, Dr. Thad Jacobs.
H1N1 Flu Infection Prevention
Vaccination has its benefits, but do the risks associated with the H1N1 vaccine outweigh the benefits? The research indicates that the main groups targeted by manufacturers to take the flu vaccine are the most likely to suffer severe side effects, including:
-Pregnant women
• Children over the age of 6 months with chronic health conditions
• Adults with chronic health conditions such as chronic respiratory disease, asthma, or obesity
According to a vaccine manufacturer’s package insert, these side effects include life-threatening and debilitating Guillain-Barre Syndrome, vasculitis, paralysis, anaphylactic shock and death. Although these adverse side effects are rare, you and your doctor must determine the appropriateness of the H1N1 flu vaccine if you fall into any of the groups listed above or have a severe medical condition.
For people who refuse vaccination or are poor candidates for vaccination due to a medical condition, flu may thwarted by basic hygiene and diet and lifestyle approaches. Basic hygiene involves not touching your face or mouth with unwashed hands, sneezing or coughing into a handkerchief which you DO NOT share with anyone else, and frequent hand washing or use of hand sanitizers, particularly before meal time. A few lifestyle modifications, such as healthy diet, managing stress, and supplementing with vitamin D and colostrum, may also go far in preventing disease.
Healthy Diet Prevents Flu
Put down that donut! A sugary diet suppresses important immune system cells responsible for fighting infections.1,2 In fact, it has been shown that a single sugary snack can suppress immune activity up to 48 hours after sugar exposure. Refined grains, such as white flour, likely has a similar effect when eaten because of how rapidly the carbohydrate in these foods are absorbed into the bloodstream. Limiting sugar and refined carbohydrate intake is not only good for preventing flu and other infections, it’s good for your health in general. Common sugary food sources are sodas, juices, honey, condiments, candies and many baked goods.
Some basic healthy dietary guidelines include:
•Do not over-eat.
• Eat a variety of foods.
• Consider organically grown food.
• Eat as much of your food raw or lightly-cooked as possible.
• Eat fresh fruit and vegetables.
• Avoid drinks containing sugar or caffeine.
• Avoid sugars.
• Avoid processed and refined foods; particularly refined grain flours and foods made with them.
• Avoid hydrogenated trans-fatty acids.
• Use only certain oils for cooking and frying; such as olive oil, for low-temperature cooking, or grape seed oil, for high-temperature cooking.
• Limit animal protein intake in the form of red meat, chicken, pork, eggs and dairy to a few ounces per day.
• Eat whole grains, pseudograins, nuts, seeds and legumes.
• Eat more fish.
With regard to eating fish, it is recommended to avoid fish known to contain unsafe levels of heavy metals and other chemical pollutants. The fish to avoid are tuna, Atlantic salmon, farmed salmon, sea bass, oysters, marlin, halibut, pike, walleye, white croaker, largemouth bass, shark, swordfish and fish know to be from polluted waters. The safest fish to eat are small fish varieties, such as anchovies and sardines, and those grown in minimally polluted areas like the Arctic, Antarctic or Alaskan waters. Wild northwestern US, Canadian and Alaskan salmon and halibut are good choices. Arctic white fish and farmed tilapia are known to be significantly less effected by pollution too.
Stress Can Make You Sick
Stress is a well-known contributor to many types of illnesses. Flu and other infections are higher in individuals who report higher levels of life stress and anxiety. Cortisol is a hormone released in higher amounts when one experiences excessive physical or emotional stress. Cortisol helps us adapt to acute bouts of stress and inflammatory conditions, but prolonged exposure to high amounts circulating in the system inhibits normal immune system cell function.3-7
There are many ways to manage stress to encourage healthy immune system function and health and well-being in general. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular aerobic exercise are the foundation for supporting physical and mental health. Stress management should be individualized to meet your specific needs; therefore, discuss ways to deal with stress with a health care provider who specializes in this area.
Vitamin D May Prevent H1N1
Vitamin D has been shown in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to prevent colds and flu. Vitamin D, which is actually not a vitamin at all but a hormone, plays a crucial role in the production of antimicrobial compounds in the fluids that coat and lubricate the respiratory tract. Vitamin D deficiency is well associated with increased disease risk and supplementation has been shown to enhance immunity in many studies.
To treat active infection and prevent disease after recent exposure, I recommend taking very high doses of vitamin D to promote naturally occurring antibiotic compounds produced in the body. One thousand international units (1,000 IU) per pound of body weight can be used during active infections. Five to ten thousand international units (5,000-10,000 IU) can be used daily by adults preventively, but a blood test should be given after a two months to determine if this dose provides adequate protection.
For a more in-depth explanation of Vitamin D’s important disease-fighting role in relation to preventing H1N1 illness, I hightly recommend you read the views of vitamin D authority, Dr. John Cannell, MD.
Colostrum May Prevent H1N1
Colostrum is the first milk produced by a cow around the time of giving birth. It is rich in immunoglobulins (antibodies) and other components needed to support healthy immune function of the calf. Colostrum-derived immunoglobulins likely account for the majority of the immune system enhancing effects seen in colostrum studies.
Authors of a 2007 Italian study concluded, “Colostrum, both in healthy subjects and high-risk cardiovascular patients, is at least 3 times more effective than vaccination to prevent flu and is very cost-effective.”8 The study also revealed that colostrum was 3 times more effective than no vaccine prophylaxis. In fact, the flu vaccine was actually found to be worse than doing nothing at all; suggesting that the vaccine was the incorrect recombinant and the well-known immunosuppressive effect of vaccines played a role in predisposing individuals to another flu strain.
It is unknown whether colostrum would be effective against H1N1 specifically, but it sheds light on a potential new, inexpensive, food-based H1N1 prevention and treatment strategy.
References
1. Sanchez, A., et al. Role of Sugars in Human Neutrophilic Phagocytosis, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Nov 1973;261:1180_1184. Bernstein, J., al. Depression of Lymphocyte Transformation Following Oral Glucose Ingestion. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.1997;30:613
2. Ringsdorf, W., Cheraskin, E. and Ramsay R. Sucrose, Neutrophilic Phagocytosis and Resistance to Disease, Dental Survey. 1976;52(12):46_48.
3. Butcher SK, Killampalli V, Lascelles D, et al. Raised cortisol:DHEAS ratios in the elderly after injury: potential impact upon neutrophil function and immunity. Aging Cell. 2005 Dec;4(6):319-24.
4. Reiche EM, Morimoto HK, Nunes SM. Stress and depression-induced immune dysfunction: implications for the development and progression of cancer. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2005 Dec;17(6):515-27.
5. Godbout JP, Glaser R. Stress-induced immune dysregulation: implications for wound healing, infectious disease and cancer. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol. 2006 Dec;1(4):421-7.
6. Cohen S, Hamrick N, Rodriguez MS, et al. Reactivity and vulnerability to stress-associated risk for upper respiratory illness. Psychosom Med. 2002 Mar-Apr;64(2):302-10.
7. Arranz L, Guayerbas N, De la Fuente M. Impairment of several immune functions in anxious women. J Psychosom Res. 2007 Jan;62(1):1-8.
8. Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Di Renzo A, et al. Prevention of influenza episodes with colostrum compared with vaccination in healthy and high-risk cardiovascular subjects: the epidemiologic study in San Valentino. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2007 Apr;13(2):130-6.
I love how Michael Pollan is educating people about how our food ( at least in America) is grown, produced and consumed. His first book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, was a heavy, tough but highly informative read and most likely missing a very important demographic - kids ( this is my department - teaching kids about health with my series, Human Body Detectives). Now he has written the same book but in a young reader edition. Brilliant!
In this edition, he has some real-food rules for kids ( but of course their parents too). I am not a fan of rules but these just make so much sense….away of living.
Here they are:
1. Don’t eat anything your great grandparents wouldn’t have recognized as food.
I love this! I sometimes talk to kids about acute and chronic disease and food, and how these things have affected us - changed us - in the last 100 yrs or so. Kids are amazed with learning and understanding the evolution of acute to chronic disease and the evolution of our diets.
2. Don’t eat anything with more than 5 ingredients, or with ingredients you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce.
This is wonderful! Kids love to look at the ingredients and try to pronounce some of the words. I love kids being proactive and aware.
3. Don’t eat anything containing high-fructose corn syrup.
This is a good ingredient to have kids look for on labels. It will be a fast and easy lesson - it is in a lot of things!
This will definitely be a holiday gift to my kids ( and maybe many others!)
Be well,
On October 1st, my little Pearl begged me to take out all the Halloween stuff. This is her absolute favourite holiday. She was due on Halloween but didn’t come that day but she still stakes claims on it.
I grabbed the neighbours 6 foot ladder ( yes I am married to a general contractor but we have no ladder…?) and off to the attic I go. When I am poking my head into the dark space , I noticed a brown box and remember that is one of the Halloween decoration boxes. I go to grab it not noticing ( or really seeing ) the iron metal spider web wreath for our door, on top of it. The minute I grab the box the wreath comes full force towards me. It was a short distance and I had absolutely no time - it hit me just above my cheek bone. And it hurt and Pearl gasped.
Down the ladder I came as my husband walked in and saw my bloody face. He wondered about stitches but I was more worried about a black eye ( but happily relieved it didn’t hit my eye!). I went straight to my medicine cabinet, grabbed homeopathic arnica ( 200c) and arnica cream. For the next 2 hrs, I took the arnica pellets and gently rubbed the cream into my very tender cheek. I was absolutely astonished ( as I always am when I truly put homeopathy to the test) that after 2 hours, I had no bruising or swelling. It is still sore but I am so relieved not to have a blue and black cheek and eye.
Everyone needs arnica in their medicine cabinet. I see arnica, over and over again, work these amazing miracles with kids ( and now me!).
Off to the store you must go or to Emerson Ecologics on my site!
Be well,
I live in the country which is a far cry from where I grew up. Despite the fact I have been living in my little Hawaiian upcountry town for almost 8 years, I am still amazed at all the chickens that run around. A friend of mine has a farm and at one time had over 50 baby chicks that grew into these beautiful chickens ( I didn’t realize how many amazing ornate chickens there are out there!) Every once in a while she would call me over to pick some eggs from her coop, some kale and tomatoes from her garden and we would make a delicious, extremely fresh omelet. Yummy yum yum!
Unfortunately,where I live, the CCNRs do not allow me to have a chicken coop. Although, I didn’t realize this before I did a little research and discovered this interesting website, urban chickens. I browsed through the site and learned a lot of fun things. They have this one page that tells you the bylaws and ordinances in different states and cities. I checked out Portland, Oregon and realized I could have had a few chickens in our backyard when we lived there! They also sell 3 different types of coops which are all very stylish!
If you have a moment and are a little intrigued at the idea of having your own chickens, check out their site.
Be well,
I am going to purchase this book although I may not need it but I have some friends who I think do! 
I am all about teaching my kids to be proactive and independent in their daily life. I realized early on with my older daughter that they clearly give you signs when they are ready to be “left alone” to do things themselves. It first happened when Merrin refused to wash her hair so I just gave her the shampoo bottle and she preceded to wash her own hair and the second big memory is when she, at 20 months threw her diaper across the room and said, “NO!” That was a little scary for me as we were off to the park but I just went for it and she had very few accidents after that.
Now that the kids are older, the stakes are up. Should I let them walk home from school alone? Or with friends? It is a toughy but the more I talk to the girls and see where their comfort level is, I can see when the time is right. They really need and desire the independence and hard as it is for us to “let go” we need too.
If you entering this stage in life, this might be a great book for you to pick up, read and talk to your kids about.
Be well,
People ask me about allergy testing all the time. The tests are quite expensive and the really the best test is an elimination of the suspected food for at least 6 weeks. People do become a little overwhelmed with this answer as it takes some work and thought but if your body is allergic or sensitive, it will tell you.
I find that gluten products are a big problem for people. With all the over-manufacturing of wheat, and the over indulgence of consuming wheat, has really lead to a nation of people who are sensitive or even allergic to the gluten protein in certain grains ( actually most grains except for rice). I suggest to people to start with eliminating all grains ( except for rice) from their diet. People think I am crazy at first but within a week they notice a huge difference - more energy, less fatigue, less mucus formation and brain fog goes away. Some people may not notice anything but when they re-introduce it 6 weeks later for what I call a “party day” they usually do not feel so well.
I am writing all this because I came across an article about gluten allergy and celiac disease. This is the one food allergy test that I do suggest to people ( especially after they have tried the elimination first). It is a test that just in the past few years doctors have been prescribing more often. If you have any suspicion that you or a family member ( chronic stomach aches or a baby who is not growing well or constantly anemic) than ask your doctor about testing for celiac.
There are so many websites, cookbooks and foods in the grocery store that are gluten-free, it makes it easy to follow a gluten-free way of living. Here is a list of some of my favourite sites:
4. Blog
5. Another Blog
Be well,
PS Here is another blog I wrote on this
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