Thursday, February 28, 2013

March GIG Meeting

Please come join us for our next support meeting
Saturday, March 16, 2013, 10am-12pm
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital
2211 NE 139th St., Rooms C-D, Vancouver
Our Guest Speakers will be:
Hank Sowerwine, Mama Nanos Sauce
Skylor Powell, Dietary Mediator at Sprout Health
Stephanie Tanner, Arbonne Make Up
They will also be selling their products. Cash and checks
only please. Thank you.
We hope to see you there!

Flush Food Allergies and Relieve Rosacea

Anti-inflammatory GLA helps clear your skin and can even help relieve PMS.
Do you blush easily? Have small, red bumps on your face? Or irritated, crusty eyes? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have rosacea.
Up to 100 million people worldwide do, says the International Rosacea Foundation. Most at risk are people with fair skin, light-colored hair and eyes, particularly women between 30 and 60—especially if you’re undergoing perimenopause or menopause. It’s no wonder that rosacea is one of the leading topics on dermatology websites.
A chronic condition, rosacea occurs when hundreds of tiny dilated blood vessels become inflamed. Commonly undiagnosed, this inflammatory condition is easily mistaken for acne or eczema.
Sadly, rosacea has no cure. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it—rosacea won’t clear up on its own and may eventually require surgery.
First off, use only gentle, natural cleansing agents on your skin—no cosmetics or facial care with alcohol.
Next, pay attention to when your face starts to flush. Stress, nutrient deficiencies, lack of sleep, anxiety, and infections are common triggers, as is simply eating a heavy meal. But I’m sorry to say that what brings on rosacea in one person may be very different for others.
Food Sensitivities?
While the underlying cause of this inflammatory facial condition eludes scientific research, I strongly suspect food allergies and sensitivities.
Certainly, experts have linked both high-glycemic carbohydrates—white bread, pasta, and sugary foods, as well as other recognized allergens in chocolate, citrus, fermented alcohol, malt, tomatoes, and yeast—with rosacea. And research published in Dermatology Online Journal shows that people with facial flushing and red spots target allergenic foods (dairy, gluten, sugar, and yeast) as culprits.
Aspartame and NutraSweet in sugar-free drinks, Jello, and other processed foods cause noticeable flushing in 30% of people with rosacea. Avoid these synthetic sweeteners—and watch facial redness fade!
Periodic detox can help relieve rosacea, as can eating plenty of whole foods, including sea vegetables. Herbs like milk thistle, which supports the liver, and nettle, which helps relieve allergies, are also useful.
GLA Fights Inflammation
What’s the surest way I’ve found to treat rosacea in my clinical practice? The anti-inflammatory omega-6 fat, gamma linoleic acid (GLA) works as well for rosacea as it does for eczema and other allergic skin reactions. It even relieves psoriasis and irritated, dry eyes.
To moisturize your skin from the inside out—and alleviate redness—take two softgel capsules of GLA-90 daily, preferably with meals, or as directed by a health care professional. Not only will your skin clear up, but you may also notice that PMS symptoms and hot flashes disappear.
A new study in Reproductive Health shows that GLA helps ease PMS—affecting 80 to 95% of women (35% of whom have severe enough symptoms to interfere with everyday activities). My patients happily report that, when they began taking GLA, their mood swings and cramping during their menstrual cycle disappeared.
What’s not to like about that?!
-Edge On Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman

What Skinny Women Know About Sugar

It’s time to take your kitchen to the cleaners!
This just in— straight from the pages of the Skinny Diaries! Here’s how to beat the odds in light of the new stats that suggest that the average diet lasts only about six weeks. Half of the dieters lose their momentum because of their lack of willpower while a full 25% give up because they become moody or depressed.
This is what smart women do to obtain and maintain that slimmer figure – all year round – and what you can do, too. Try these tips on for size:
1. Get rid of processed carbohydrates and sugar from your kitchen starting today. Refined carbohydrates in the form of white rice, white bread, and white pasta (the “wicked whites”) are rapidly converted to sugars in the body and upset the body’s blood sugar and fat-controlling systems. Keeping these products out of the house is a very simple yet most effective way to maintain a well-balanced blood sugar level for long-term energy and the avoidance of temptation that jumps off the cupboards.
If you need even more help waking up your metabolism, consider Weight Loss Formula which my Fat Flushers have depended upon for well over 15 years. Weight Loss Formula contains the study-backed dose of chromium (400 mcg) which is far and away the most sugar-regulating nutrient for metabolism. More than 90% of us are chromium-deficient.  It is the most effective trace mineral for knocking out cravings, overcoming insulin resistance, and turning around hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
The more sugar you eat, the more chromium you deplete!
L-Carnitine is another key Weight Loss Formula component. This non-essential amino acid (at a 500 mg dosage) is as essential as it gets for weight loss, however. L-Carnitine converts body fat into available fuel. I have often recommended to clients they double up on the Weight Loss Formula to maximize their weight burning efforts. In fact, an article in the Endocrine Journal discussed the dramatic effects of L-Carnitine in weight management when up to two grams were taken.
2. Stop adding sugar to foods such as cereal and fruits and to any of your drinks—even those herbal coffee substitutes or herbal teas you are now using. All forms of sugar, sugar alcohols, and artificial sweeteners are out for this transitional phase. The noncaloric sugar alcohols (such as mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol) found in sugar-free chewing gums are often the cause of cramps, diarrhea, and bloating. Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame (also known as Equal or NutraSweet) can increase both sugar and carbohydrate cravings by blocking production of serotonin. Insufficient serotonin creates more sugar and carbohydrate cravings, which can then increase the likelihood of binging. Watch out for all the fancy names for any of the above, like dehydrated cane crystals, cane juice crystals, cane sugar, caramel, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, dextrose, diastase, fructose, fruit juice and fruit juice concentrates, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, sorghum syrup, regular sugar, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, and brown sugar. Even agave is a “no no” because of the high fructose connection.
3. Foodwise, just remember to go with unrefined and unprocessed as much as possible. This is the only way to ensure that you are really reducing your sugar intake, especially the hidden sugars in sauces, cereals, dressings, and such. Most vegetables and fruits as well as chicken, meat, fish, tofu, and eggs are as sugar free as you can get. The naturally occurring sugars present in legumes, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds are combined with fiber and other nutrients which help to balance your blood sugar by slowing down the body’s absorption and assimilation of the natural sugars present.
4. Dilute even the natural sweeteners or naturally sweetened foods whenever you can. If you are a health nut already and are using healthful sweeteners like barley malt or brown rice syrup, for example, then dilute these concentrated sweeteners with water. After a week or two, you are ready to transition into Flora-Key. Flora-Key is the probiotic sweetener that will not affect blood sugar nor trigger food cravings but will accelerate your weight loss efforts by balancing your colon flora to help the body extract more food energy from the calories you do ingest.
5. Avoid any food with the label “fat free,” the marketing trick that makes you think such foods may help you lose weight but have actually contributed to our increasing weight and health problems. When “fat free” is on the label, you can be sure to find lots of sugar in various disguises ending with “-ose” like sucrose, glucose, dextrose, and levulose to improve the taste factor. Excess amounts of sugar that are not balanced with protein and fat cause the pancreas to release insulin, the body’s main fat storage hormone.
6. The more natural, the better the food for you. So, load up on fresh veggies and fruits. The more processed a food may be (think potato chips and even orange juice), the more it will tend to raise your blood sugar because the fiber and nutrients are missing. Keep in mind, chromium is the best blood sugar leveler of all – especially when coupled with L-Carnitine.
7. Make a vow to ingest foods only with 0 to 4 grams of sugars per serving. Become a sugar sleuth. To cut the sugar out, you have to know where it is hiding first. There’s no way around it. If you are still buying packaged foods, you have to pay attention to what’s in them. Three quarters of the sugars Americans ingest are “hidden” in processed foods, so you have to become a health detective. Learn to read those labels and search for the various names for sugar itemized in number 5 above.
8. Now that we are on the topic of labels, note that the label “sugar free” means that the food contains fewer than 0.5 grams of sugar. The labels “no added sugar,” “without added sugar,” and “no sugar added” mean that no sugar or ingredients containing sugars were added during the processing or packing of the products and that the product has no ingredients that were made with added sugars, such as jams, jellies, or concentrated fruit juices. The term “reduced sugar” means that the product contains at least 25 percent less sugar than the original product.
9. Start eating for taste and good health. The human body requires only about 2 teaspoons of sugar in the bloodstream at any one time. You can easily meet this requirement with fresh fruits and veggies, protein, and fat.
10. Listen to your body. Think about what happens when you eat that decadently chocolaty dessert. You may feel an initial high, but an hour later the irritability, depression, and lethargy set in; what is your body telling you? It wants my Fat Flush Chocolate Whey – a whey better substitute that will satisfy your sweet tooth and enhance lean muscle mass which is your body’s innate calorie burner.
The bottom line: Skinny women choose foods that make them feel good for the long term—mentally, emotionally, and physically. And you, too, can become a slimmer, fitter “skinny woman” version of your very best self.
-Edge On Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman

Fish Oil & the Heart

The omega-3 fats in fish oil (EPA and DHA) don't appear to keep
the heart rhythm regular, as earlier studies suggested.
Argentine and Italian researchers randomly assigned 586 people
with an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) to take either 1 gram
of fish oil (containing 850 to 880 milligrams of EPA plus DHA) or
a placebo every day. Neither the scientists nor the patients knew
who was taking what.
After one year, there was no difference in irregular heartbeats between
the two groups.
What to do: Follow your doctor's advice if you have atrial fibrillation,
which is linked to a higher risk of stroke. Just don't expect fish oil pills
to stabilize your heartbeat.
-Nutrition Action Healthletter, March 2013

Dish of the Month

Savory Mushrooms
For a dazzling topping for 4 cups of broccoli, cauliflower,
or any steamed vegetable, saute 1/2 lb. of sliced mushrooms
(any kind) in 2 Tbs. of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan until
well browned. Add 2 Tbs. of reduced sodium gluten free soy
sauce and saute until dry.
-Nutrition Action Healthletter, March 2013

Sunday, February 24, 2013

March GIG Meeting

Please come join us for our next support meeting
Saturday, March 16, 2013, 10am-12pm
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital
2211 NE 139th St., Rooms C-D, Vancouver
Our Guest Speakers will be:
Hank Sowerwine, Mama Nanos Sauce
Skylor Powell, Dietary Mediator at Sprout Health
Stephanie Tanner, Arbonne Make Up
They will also be selling their products. Cash and checks
only please. Thank you.
We hope to see you there!

Larimer Chiropractic & Wellness

Due to unfortunate circumstances, our office is closing its doors. Our last day of business is Friday, February 22nd. If you would like to continue or start your chiropractic care, we have referrals to some excellent doctors in the area.

Dr. Larimer's passion remains helping people get well and stay well, which he plans to continue through personal health coaching. If you or someone you know is looking to lose weight, keep it off, and get healthy (all while staying within their budget) give him a call!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Toxic Wheat

But why is Wheat toxic?

Because its NOT really wheat anymore. It's genetically engineered SUPER-carbohydrate that came from the Sierra Mountains in Mexico in the 1960's.
Thanks to funding from a renowned foundation and the Mexican government, a small group of scientists set out to make wheat easier to grow and more pest-resistant.
The goal was noble: To help end world hunger. The result was unexpected and HARMFUL to our health.
By altering the genetic structure of the wheat, and making it more tasty and palatable, the scientists unwittingly created a new SUPER carbohydrate unlike anything the human body had ever experienced before. Dr William Davis MD, Cardiologist

Here is a list of diseases that is connected to eating this genetically altered wheat: Diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, asthma, allergies, celiac disease, brain fog, vision problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep problems, acid reflux plus many more

-True Health & Healing
-www.healthiersteps.com

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Gluten Free RN

Hi everyone!
 
   Just a reminder that we will have our February gluten free support group meeting this Saturday, February 23rd, 10am-noon at First Presbyterian Church meeting hall (in Dennis Hall). It is located on the corner of 9th Street and Monroe.

Nadine Grzeskowiak, RN, CEN
Gluten Free RN
215 SW 4th St
Corvallis, OR 97333


Saturday, February 16, 2013

Volunteers Wanted

We are looking for volunteers to provide
one or more lunches for our monthly GIG
support meetings at Legacy Salmon Creek
Hospital. Please contact Kristi Curtis asap
for more information: 360-695-0862 or
justus323@yahoo.com.
Thank you!

GIG Meeting

Today is our GIG support meeting
*** 10am-12pm ***
Please come join us!
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, rooms C-D
2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver, WA
Our Guest Speakers are:
Jan Skelton from More Than a Cracker
Molly Thurston from Queen of Hearts Baking Company

Friday, February 15, 2013

New GF Bread

Have you tried the new bread from Essential Baking Company?? They have it at Costco for $3.99 a loaf and at Fred Meyer in Battle Ground for $5.99 a loaf. IT IS AMAZING!! It is seeded!! I love that kind :) They have regular white, dark seeded, and cinnamon raisin, its so good.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

GIG Meeting

Today is our GIG support meeting
*** 10am-12pm ***
Please come join us!
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, rooms C-D
2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver, WA
Our Guest Speakers will be:
Jan Skelton from More Than a Cracker
Molly Thurston from Queen of Hearts Baking Company

Crepes and Pancakes and Waffles, Oh My!

Peachtree Corner
4400 E. Fourth Plain Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661
This restaurant is now offering some
yummy gluten free options. They seem
to be very aware of what to do and how to do
it, so as not to have cross contamination. Why
not give them a try. If you have any questions or
concerns, contact the Owner/Manager,
Valeri Darling: peachtreecorner@hotmail.com
360-694-8880

Dutch Bros Coffee

If you bring 3 cans of food tomorrow to
Dutch Bros Coffee
5700 NE 4th Plain Rd., Vancouver
You will receive a FREE 16oz. drink of your choice!
Please help with this food bank fundraiser for F.I.S.H.
Thank you

Bell Peppers

Tuesday Food Tip: when you are deciding which pepper to use in a recipe be sure to count the number of bumps. Peppers with 3 BUMPS on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating raw. Peppers with 4 BUMPS on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
-Peapod.com

Schar Gluten Free Products

Did you know that Schar currently has over 35 gluten-free products available in the US? The newest additions to our line include Frozen Cheese Pizza, Honeygrams, Frozen Bagels, and Lemon Wafers. In a couple months we will also be launching Chocolate Chip Cookies and Hot Dog Rolls.

What’s next from Schar?

As Schar is always looking to improve the options for individuals requiring a gluten-free diet, the USA team will travel to our R&D center in Italy this April to submit our consumer's requests.
Here’s your chance to tell us what you want! Please let us know which products you are most interested in seeing at your local grocery store by clicking the link below to take our brief survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/schar_2013
This survey contains 10 questions, and should only take you a few minutes.
We appreciate your feedback and ask that you email us at info@schar.com with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
The Schar Team

GIG Meeting

Don't miss our next support meeting
Saturday, February 16, 2013, 10am-12pm
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, rooms C-D
2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver, WA
The Guest Speakers will be:
Jan Skelton from More Than a Cracker
Molly Thurston from Queen of Hearts Baking Company
See you there!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Samplefest 2013

Please save the date for our upcoming
Samplefest Gluten Free Food & Health Fair
Saturday, April 20, 2013, 9am-3pm
St. John Lutheran Church
11005 NE Hwy 99
Vancouver, WA 98686
If you would like to help us with this food fair,
are a vendor and would like to showcase
your products, or are a healthcare professional
that would like to share your expertise, please contact
Kristi: #360-518-0464 or justus323@yahoo.com
Thank you

Rise Bars

Watch Rise Bar on QVC Today!
Looking for an awesome deal on your Rise Bar favorites? Tune in to QVC TODAY, Monday, February 11 at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET and save big during “Food Fest.” QVC will be offering a 24-pack of Rise Breakfast Bars for only $38 - shipping and handling included!
Our tasty Rise Breakfast Bars are packed with naturally-sweet fruits, hearty nuts and seeds to power you through any morning. Kick start your day with your favorite flavors, including Crunchy Cranberry Apple, Crunchy Honey Walnut, Crunchy Perfect Pumpkin, Crunchy Macadamia Pineapple, and Crunchy Cashew Almond.
Watch Rise Bar TODAY on QVC from your TV or stream it live on your computer by clicking here. Whatever you do, don’t miss it!
Keep on Rising!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

February GIG Meeting

Please Join us for our next support meeting
Saturday, February 16, 2013, 10am-12pm
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, rooms C-D
2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver, WA
The Guest Speakers will be:
Jan Skelton from More Than a Cracker
Molly Thurston from Queen of Hearts Baking Company
See you there!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Tip Of The Month

About a cup of mango supplies 100% of a day's vitamin C,
one-third of a day's vitamin A, and decent dose of blood-pressure
-lowering potassium, and 3 grams of fiber. Bonus: mango is one
of the fruits least likely to have pesticide residues.
-Center for Science in the Public Interest Calender 2013

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Why I Changed My Mind About Chocolate

The right kind of healthy chocolate can be a heart-friendly gift for your Valentine.
For most of us, it wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without cards, flowers, and chocolate. Americans buy 58 million pounds of chocolates—of all sorts—for their loved ones on Valentine’s Day alone, making it the second most popular day for indulgences after Halloween.
It all seems to blend so beautifully together, especially on February 14 when love is celebrated and honored in so many ways.
Of all the healthy superfoods on the market today that are loaded with extraordinary super-powered phytonutrients (think chia seeds, maca, goji berries and mangosteen), chocolate alone possesses an alluring mystical power that enchants us all. But, I haven’t always been a chocolate fan as many of you who have read my 30-some odd books know.
Offered at the sacred ceremonies of the ancient Aztecs and Mayans, chocolate has been around for a long time, and for good reason.
Researchers suggest that a bit of healthy dark chocolate— an ounce or two of the right kind, several times a week—can actually be good for your heart.
Cocoa—from which chocolate is derived—is a rich source of heart-protective compounds called flavonoids. Flavonoids—also found in Fat Flushing foods like cranberries, berries, apples, and onions—are key plant-protecting shields from environmental toxins and aid in repairing damage. When we consume flavonoid-based foods, we derive the same healthy benefits as the plant.
The special type of flavonoids in cocoa are called flavanols. They are superb at preventing fatty substances from turning into plaque in the arteries. Flavanols valiantly protect the arterial wall from buildup created by the undesirable LDLs (low density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol. In addition, by making blood platelets less sticky, you are reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots.
And let’s not forget that cocoa is a decent source of magnesium, one of the key minerals for a healthy heart in the first place. For years I have been telling my clients that chocolate cravings may be a sign of magnesium deficiency!
Perhaps the most important benefit that high quality chocolate bestows upon health is its ability to modulate nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide is essential for balancing blood pressure and blood flow. It may also have the ability to improve insulin sensitivity thus forestalling metabolic syndrome.
But not all chocolate is created equal.
Not all chocolate contains the optimum levels of flavanols that bestow so many health benefits.
If you want to get the real deal, then obtain the very best high cocoa-content dark chocolate on the market—look at the label for a 60 percent or higher cocoa content. We are not talking about milk or white chocolate here or commercial candy bars loaded with fat, waxes, chemicals, or extra sugars.
Now, chocolate may not be for everyone.
Like me, for instance, and anyone else who is a “copperhead” and is rather hyperactive with racing minds, tired bodies, and irregular sleep patterns. Chocolate, like black tea and soybeans, is a high source of copper in the diet which can be stockpiled in the tissues creating a whole slew of symptoms ranging from anxiety to roller-coaster emotions ultimately creating adrenal burnout.
But for the most part, a tiny amount of chocolate a few times a week simply can’t hurt and can heal the heart and satisfy a sweet tooth.
Knowing the importance of flavanol-rich cocoa for optimum heart health, the team at UNI KEY formulated Fat Flush Chocolate Whey Protein with a cocoa that contains the highest flavanol content they could find on the market. It is then blended with the finest non-denatured (unheated) hormone-free whey protein high in L-Leucine that turns off the hunger hormone while promoting weight loss, lean muscle tissue, and liver health. And, besides the incredible health benefits, I know you’ll be absolutely delighted by the taste!
So enjoy two smoothies per week for your dark chocolate fix and get some extra fat burning help in the process!
For Valentine’s Day, I am making my whole staff a Raspberry Truffle Smoothie with Fat Flush Chocolate Whey Protein and 1 cup of raspberries. But, just for an extra special treat—I mean it’s only one day a year—I am splurging with some specialty chocolate from my favorite brand, Chocoperfection.
-Edge On Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman

February Meeting

Please Join us for our next support meeting
Saturday, February 16, 2013, 10am-12pm
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, rooms C-D
2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver, WA
The Guest Speakers will be:
Jan Skelton from More Than a Cracker
Molly Thurston from Queen of Hearts Baking Company
See you there!

Another GF Source

Have you been to the new Canned Foods Ware House store on 99St and Hazel Dell Ave?  The owner is very aware of GF and has several very well priced items from Glutino, Amys and another brand.  She has frozen and chips etc.  Prices are great.  Check them out. 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Heart-Healthy Tips

Did you know that men and women experience different signs
and symptoms when they suffer a heart attack? If you experience
any of these, especially in tandem, contact your doctor or get to
an emergency room immediately.
Symptoms
Men: Intense pressure on the chest, like an elephant is sitting on you;
pain going down the left arm, nausea, sweatiness.
Women: Shortness of breath, pressure or pain in the lower chest or
upper abdomen, dizziness, lightheadedness, upper-back pressure or
extreme fatigue.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Men: The biggest mistake men make is assuming the symptoms are
from heartburn; really, the heart's muscles are burning from the lack of
oxygen.
Women: The non-specific nature of symptoms can be misleading.
Heart-Healthy Habits
Men: Say yes to exercise, smart eating habits and socializing.
Women: Say no to over-committing, especially when it keeps you from
exercise and important doctors' appointments.
-Elements Magazine, Winter 2013

How a Hug Can Protect Your Heart

What you and your blood pressure really need for Valentine’s Day.
Love does far more than make the world go around. It helps remove plaque from the arteries, boosts the body’s immune response, relieves stress, and lengthens life.
Do you have high blood pressure? A hug from a close friend or family member can lower hypertension. In fact, a  study at Brigham Young University shows that women who are “married with children” have the lowest ambulatory blood pressure of any group.
Family and close social networks are critical to mental health, an underlying factor in heart disease. Interacting with two or more close friends or family members weekly prompts recovery even from serious mental illness.
I couldn’t agree more! For Valentine’s Day—and throughout the year—affirm your love for those you treasure. It’s truly the gift that keeps on giving!
That’s why I recommend affirmations and journaling in my books. By writing down your feelings, you can lessen the stress in your life.
Research finds that keeping a journal can reduce physical symptoms of pain and illness, while increasing an overall sense of wellbeing. For an added benefit, the National Weight Control Registry says that people who kept a journal while losing 30 pounds were able to maintain weight loss for over a year.
A Grateful Heart
While it’s important to record all your feelings, be sure to write about the wonders that you discover each day. Taking small steps, like using the words “even if” can make a difference. Even if I’m stuck in traffic, I have a stunning sunset to watch—and plenty of gas.
Take a break each day—just stop, breathe deeply, and look around you. Remember what your kids were like at the ages captured in pictures on your desk or why you chose a particular print for your wall. Really look at it again to appreciate it fully.
Think about someone or something in your life that you love, then freeze frame that image in your mind. This helps balance your loving emotions with your physical heart, suggests Blair Justice, PhD, professor-emeritus of psychology at the University of Texas School of Public Health. This kind of “cardiac-coherence” can lower the risk for coronary events.
That Loving Touch
Research also reveals that touch, like that hug I mentioned earlier, can play a vital role in heart health and longevity, accessing the part of your nervous system that calms stress and produces fewer stress hormones. Human touch not only lowers blood pressure but also creates a sense of connection, comfort, and safety that we all need in today’s high-stress world.
The largest organ in the body is our skin, so is it any wonder that touch has therapeutic benefits? Giving a hug, instead of a handshake, can enhance mood and create a sense of overall wellness. And massage has been proven to relieve anxiety and depression.
This Valentine’s Day, offer the one you love a massage (who knows where that may lead). After all, the act of lovemaking can burn extra calories very enjoyably!
Need Adrenal Support?
If your libido isn’t what it used to be, your adrenals may be the cause. Winter is the season to support these all-important glands, as I explain in Fat Flush for Life.
Vitamin C is key to the synthesis of adrenal hormones, and the need for this important antioxidant increases 75% during menopause. You may benefit from a time-release formula of this water-soluble vitamin like Time-C .
Zinc contributes to healthy sexual response in both men and women. Alcohol and refined foods deplete your body’s supply of this essential mineral, so consider swapping the wine and dessert for oysters on Valentine’s Day.
If a 24/7 lifestyle is slowing you down, consider Adrenal Formula, which contains both vitamin C and zinc along with other synergistic cofactors like the energy-enhancing L-tyrosine that also supports the thyroid. This ultimate energy formula is made with New Zealand glandulars, which are free of antibiotics, environmental pollutants, growth hormones, and other unwanted substances.
Sources:
Fat Flush for Life
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20077164
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20074121
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19638635
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19385422
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19761951
www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/valentines-day-good-heart
-Edge On Health, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman