Antibacterial soaps, sanitizers and sponges are evil. They kill every germ they come in contact with. Even the good guys. They poison our bodies, lower our immune systems and cause bacterial resistance.

With less drama, experts say most antibacterial products do more harm than good. As usual, nurturing Mother Earth provides healthy alternatives! Here are a few natural antiseptics:

1. Cinnamon Oil is a hot since the New Yorker published, “The Claim: Cinnamon Oil Kills Bacteria” earlier this month. Based on recent studies, some researchers recommend sanitizers with cinnamon oil. Read this link for the numerous health benefits of cinnamon!
2. Tea Tree Oil is always in my medicine cabinet for my homemade cleaner and acne assistance. This article covers it’s many antiseptic applications from bruises and headaches to sunburn and warts.
3. Thyme is the main active ingredient in Listerine, did you know? It’s also used to cure toe-nail fungus and tea made from thyme is said to help coughs and bronchitis.
4. Honey. Another lucky break. According to Wellsphere.com, honey is not only antibacterial and anti-fungal, it’s nourishing and soothing. Read the rest of this entry

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The leaves are turning brown, the air is cool and there are a ton of healthy, yummy vegetables being harvested! Why not add some variety to your usual smoothies by taking advantage of the new season?

This smoothie recipe is made from spiced pumpkin filling and frozen yogurt! While a little high in sugar, canned pumpkin is low in saturated fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin E, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Iron and Manganese.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Makes approximately 20 oz

Ingredients

1 cup chilled vanilla soy beverage
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup frozen vanilla yogurt
1 tsp pumpkin spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & ginger – all ground)
3 ice cubes

Directions

1. Blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

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Feeling a bit off or even a lot off? it’s most likely your hormones! Everyone’s got them and they are fascinating, intricate chemicals that require balance or you’ll feel it. Dr. Natasha Turner demystifies hormones, how their imbalances affect our health and teaches us how to regain control of them in The Hormone Diet.

Warning! Before you read further, I feel that it’s my obligation to warn you that between the personable style in which The Hormone Diet is written AND my incredible Hormone Diet results, Dr. Turner has won me over! This may influence the following critique.

Why listen to the author? From her bio:

“Dr. Natasha Turner is one of Canada’s leading naturopathic doctors and natural health consultants. She is Clinic Director and Founder of Clear Medicine – a wellness boutique in Toronto. As an expert in nutrition and natural health, she is regularly featured in print and on television. [I saw her on Breakfast Television!] Her experience has contributed to the design and development of two commercial weight loss programs, which have helped to transform an abundance of lives. She also frequently lectures to both the public and health care providers on topics related to healthy hormonal balance.”

What does the book promise?

The book promises a “6 week health fix” and a “proven method for weight loss”. Dr. Turner has used her approach outlined in The Hormone Diet to “successfully treat thousands of patients with a broad spectrum of health goals.” She has helped people gain much-needed muscle, get healthier skin, cure headaches, improve sleep, ease digestive issues, gain more energy, improve fertility and/or sharpen memory.

Are there are questionable ideas or suggestions in the book?

Read the rest of this entry

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Would you take nutritional supplements made by pizza makers? Probably not. But you might trust scientists who could manufacture penicillin, IF they weren’t so busy in health, nutrition and preventative care!

In part 2 of my 1st USANA product review, Annabeth asked about scientific studies on USANA products by notable Universities. No luck here but I did discover a slew of interesting USANA facts to consider when comparing supplements and supplement companies.

Here are a few of them:

1. Besides the third party confirmation from Consumerlab.com, the NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements™ continues to rank USANA #1 compared with 1500+ other nutritional supplements on the market. The latest edition (4th) even awarded USANA with it’s first Editor’s Choice Award!
2. Several USANA products are listed in the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR).
3. Voluntarily meets pharmaceutical grade manufacturing standards. This is the difference between pizza and penicillin, an analogy a USANA scientist used to explain the quality of their supplements. Better reiterated in another post, let’s just say that USANA voluntarily exceeds the current supplement industry standards.
4. Athlete approved! Dozens of trained professional athletes (who have to worry about barred substances) have felt the health enhancements from nutritional supplements and trust USANA to provide them. And why not, USANA offers athlete and tour guarantees (millions of dollars!) for assurance that products comply with strict anti-doping standards.
6. Founder’s scientific background which is the basis for the USANA difference in quality, safety, potency, purity and efficacy. Pioneer in the development of human cell culture technology and winner of the Albert Einstein Award for outstanding achievement in the Life Sciences, Dr. Myron Wentz is also a published author and scientist. Here are a few of his selected citations. Read the rest of this entry

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Earlier this year we blogged about how Coffee & Kindness Makes SickKids Healthier. The success of that Pay It Backward Day event encouraged Daily Challenge to make an even bigger impact on September 30th!

In this Pay It Backward 2.0 event, there will be over 170 Second Cups involved and the goal is to raise $10,000 for the SickKids Foundation!

All you have to do is find a participating Second Cup in your ‘hood (click here for a nifty map search) and buy the next person in line a toasty beverage or treat. With every “coffee kindness” performed, Second Cup and Silk will be donating $5.00 to The Hospital for Sick Children.

Why should you bother? Well, besides feeling good about spreading kindness to a complete stranger, you’ll be helping to heal sick kids all over the world (many come to Toronto’s infamous facility).

But who better to explain the good work of SickKids Foundation than those who have been personally touched?

Check out this wonderful video posted by the Daily Challenge team on their blog:

It’s been awhile since I  first mentioned The Hormone Diet in “Are We All Just Hormonal?“. But after 10 weeks and completing the 3rd step in Dr. Natasha Turner’s health program, the time has come to review my results and the diet itself!

Down to the nitty gritty and what we all want to hear about…

The Results

This is very personal information but for you, dear Readers, I’m willing to share almost anything. One of the best aspects of Dr. Turner’s book is that she encourages us to assess our health before her program and after. So here they are for your review:

Hormone levels

Start date: cut off point for inflammation; low serotonin; low GABA; low dopamine; excess progesterone; cut off point for excess testosterone; low thyroid; and cut off point for low acetylcholine.

End of 10 weeks: I’m pleased to report that ALL my hormone levels are balanced!

Weight

Start date: 135.7 End of 6 weeks: 127.o End of 10 weeks: 131.2

Waist

Start date: 29″ End of 6 weeks: 26″ End of 10 weeks: 27″

Hips

Start date: 40″ End of 6 weeks: 36.5″ End of 10 weeks: 38″

Waist-to-hip ratio (ideal is <0.9 for men; <0.8 for women)

Start date: 0.73 End of 6 weeks: 0.71 End of 10 weeks: 0.71

Body fat percentage

Start date: 27.1 End of 6 weeks: 26.0 End of 10 weeks: 24.3

Body pH (ideal is 7.2 to 7.4)

Start date: 6.45 End of 6 weeks: 6.75 End of 10 weeks: 6.85

Dr. Turner suggests to also measure blood pressure, resting heart rate and a blood test from your doctor. However, I was too excited to start the diet and so failed to measure these health components at the beginning, so I felt no need to record them after 6 and 10 weeks.

Diet Review

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Everyone is unique. Each one of us has our own specific biochemical makeup so what’s good for one person isn’t necessarily good for another. But how do we know what our bodies need until we try things out or go to a doctor and get tested? Muscle testing is the answer!

Our bodies know what promotes health and vitality. Many say the body communicates with us via our intuition but who can hear that with all the noise in our heads?

Instead, we get aches, pains, itches and the like, and by then it’s too late. These are the effects of damaging the body.

Muscle testing: a non-invasive method used to communicate with the body in assessing imbalances and needs using a large muscle, usually the anterior deltoid or shoulder muscle. When the muscle stays strong, the body is saying “yes” or “it’s beneficial for me”. A weak muscle response is a “no” or “it’s harmful to me”.

At it’s most basic, muscle testing is biofeedback without all the bells and whistles!

Related to applied kinesiology (which was developed by chiropractor Dr. George J. Goodheart, Jr.), muscle testing is used by a wide variety of health practitioners and is used to “evaluate structural, chemical and mental aspects of health”. (Source: The International College of Applied Kinesiology)

Before you jump the gun and dismiss muscle testing as new age hooplah, check out this published study which helps validate muscle testing in chiropractic care.

What part of the body are we communicating with through muscle testing?

This answer is a tad confusing since everybody seems to have their own thoughts on the subject. Here’s what I’ve found so far:

• The subconscious – as in PSYCH-K
• Our energy field in relation to the energy of the objects or ideas being tested
• Our electrical system
• The autonomic nervous system which, interestingly, controls the parts of our body functioning below the level of consciousness
• Our heart instinct or emotional center
• The Superconscious or what Carl Jung called the Collective Unconscious. The spiritually-minded folk might call this our `Higher Self’ or `Creative Source’, the part of us that connects all life.

Keep in mind that it’s highly possible several or most of these are actually describing the same thing! On review of this list, muscle testing appears to detect physical, emotional, mental and spiritual stress in the body.

Muscle testing has many potentially diverse applications and implications

Read the rest of this entry

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Had a late night and looking for a healthy pick-me-up in the morning? This scrumptious, banana and chocolate velvet dream in a glass will give you a nutritious energy boost lasting well into lunch time.

Inspired by The Hormone Diet’s Dopamine Delight Smoothie (one of many delicious recipes from Dr. Natasha Turner), this smoothie is made with espresso and cinnamon:

Wired Mocha Monkey Smoothie

Makes: approximately 18 oz

Ingredients

1 small banana (frozen)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup rice milk (chocolate)
1 double shot organic espresso (approx. 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 serving protein powder (plain)

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients except protein powder until smooth.
2. Add protein powder and pulse until blended in.
3. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

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Does the life you want allude you? All you have to do is to consistently exercise your mind, says Bob Proctor, self-made millionaire and star of the hit movie, The Secret.

A philosopher, success coach and author, Bob Proctor has successfully used the Law of Attraction to create abundance in his life. He now uses this knowledge to teach others across the globe how to do the same.

For those of us who can’t afford one-on-one coaching from Mr. Proctor, he’s offering daily success mentoring through his 6 Minutes to Success program!

I’ve been listening to 6 Minutes every day (5 days a week) for 2 months now and I love it. It’s the first thing I do before starting my work day and it really helps me get into the right head space. He’s inspiring and motivating, and the lessons are fun, easy and require you to stop, think and feel, then take action!

The last 3 weeks, especially, I feel more confident, decisive, productive, effective and, surprisingly, more social. He challenges self-limiting beliefs and suggests other ways of thinking that have been shown to produce success. I feel the changes!

Personal development (and only 6 minutes of it daily) is the best way to start the  work day. If you want greater health, wealth and more meaningful relationships, click on the banner in this post or below in the sidebar and sign up for Bob Proctor’s 6 Minutes to Success!

To get a better understanding of what to expect from this program, view this 7 minute video, “What is 6 Minutes to Success”:

In this fantastic Healthygirl.ca article, “A Nation of Addicts,” Natalia suggests that the cause and cure for addiction is consciousness. And she’s not the only one. Many people today believe that we use our addictions to silence our bodies and emotions.

Spiritual leaders like Eckhart Tolle teach us the benefits of mastering the art of creating peace and how to activate the power of Now. For quick reference, straight from the Live Lighter vaults, here are 27 tips to bring you into the present moment so you can break the cycle of addiction:

1. Drink water.
2. Breathe! Most of us breathe from the tops of our lungs. Try filling up your lower lungs with longer inhales/exhales.
3. Run up and down a few stairs.
4. Get on the floor and do some core exercises.
5. Ask yourself: “Right now, do I really want this insert addiction here?”
6. Call a buddy who’s overcome the same addiction or who’s also trying to raise their consciousness level.
7. Yoga.
8. Stretch.
9. Make some tea.
10. Ask yourself: “Why am I better off without insert addiction here?”
11. Do some dishes.
12. Organize papers.
13. Brush your teeth. Read the rest of this entry

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