Long Time,No See AND Endocrine Issues

Sorry, long time no see! It's not that I haven't been online. I have been, but I'm trying to figure out what direction I am heading in, blogwise. Real food is a high priority, but so is dealing with thyroid and other endocrine issues (particularly mine!). I just attended a seminar by Dr. Jack Tips on the Neuroendocrine Solution, where I received a fantastic lesson on the absolute importance of the proper functionality of the endocrine system, with all of its glands and subsequently created hormones. He mentioned how our bodies are confused because of all of the toxic environment we live in, including electromagnetic pollution, chemicals, and junk food. He discussed supplemental protocols for dealing with endocrine issues, but did not discuss the importance of real food! Inconceivable!!

OK, maybe there isn't a particular food that specifically supports the pituitary gland. But, does one think that frankencrap food would? I think not!

This is a topic I definitely need to explore further. More to come as ideas are being formulated!

Bruce Bond, DC, and Detoxification

I attended a Standard Process seminar for Dr. Bruce Bond at LAX this past Saturday for free (Thanks Kay!)! It was definitely worth it.. learning about different biological processes in the body, such as phase 1 and phase 2 liver detoxification, and different herbal and supplemental protocols (SP of course) that can be used to help detox or to help rebuild the body. More details on these later. My point for today is this.. Dr. Bond emphasized a quote that I will never forget:

Every bite you eat is an act of nourishment or an act of suicide.

How will your next bites be???

The Good, the Bad, and the Soy

Soy used to be my favorite thing to eat. I used to eat lots of soy sauce, tofu, tempeh, edamame, natto (with MSG and junk in the sauce), soy protein, soy bars, etc. Until I found out one of the main reasons why I had so many health problems was due in part to soy. Oh joy. I've stopped eating it now for three years, and I still react to even small amounts of soy (like the amount you find in chocolate - yes, chocolate bars do have soy in them!). It sucks, but you know what, I got over it (and almost all Asian food). I'd rather be healthy.

Now, I find out that soy inhibits the thyroid (my latest shiny object), mimics estrogen (which is bad for an estrogen dominant person - female or possibly male!), and can cause allergic reactions in many (unsuspecting) people. Not fun for anyone.

I don't eat it. I don't recommend it to anyone, except in a few fermented products that are to be eaten every once in a blue moon. And, that's a blue moon, mister!

Now, research has come up indicating that soy products (conventionally processed soymilk, soy protein isolate, soy "cheeze", textured vegetable protein, meatless burgers, meatless chicken, etc.) are processed using hexane, a chemical solvent AND a neurotoxin. How companies can get away with using this process and still call a food "natural" is beyond me.

So, here's a video summarizing the results of a recent study. If you eat soy and plan on continuing to eat it, maybe this study will give you some thoughts about what soy sources you do end up eating.



Also, if you want to read an article from the Cornucopia Institute about questionable nature of "organic" soy coming from China (and some of the American products using the questionable soy), take a look at this webpage. The CI also has an organic soy scorecard so you can see which companies have the healthiest soy sources. This all brings me back to the point that your health depends on where your food comes from!

Thoughts? Do you eat soy?

Love and Water Can Heal the Earth

Water is a unique substance and acts like no other. It can be hard enough to break wood and soft enough to flow around obstacles in a river. You may think that all water is alike: a water molecule is a water molecule is a H2O molecule, etc. But in fact, studies have shown that water can be different structurally. Dr. Masaru Emoto and many other scientists, as portrayed in the movie Water - the Great Mystery, have shown that the energy in structured water can make a huge impact on how that water affects other living things. Positive energy, like that of love and gratitude, can create beautiful structures in water, whereas negative energy... not so pretty or neat. If water can be affected by energy so distinctly(and we humans are at least 75-80% water), how do you think our bodies will react?? If we inject love energy into water and share that water with the world, where do you think we could be?

I was blessed to have an opportunity to see Dr. Leonard Horowitz speak live last night. He spoke at D'Marie's LIGHT Bearers of the World Irvine event. He had an incredibly positive and loving energy for all participants, and boy, were we a captive audience! He is an author of many books including: Walk on Water, DNA: Pirates of the Sacred Spiral, Healing Codes for the Biological Apocalypse, and many more. His passionate speech last night was about the sacred geometry of love and bringing people back in harmony with love by coming together at his event, Live H2O, happening on June 21st (also Summer Solstice). This will bring people together in unity, both in person at many worldwide locations near large bodies of water and virtually. His belief is that if we focus on love, faith, and healing, we can change the world, and if we focus the healing on our waters, we can bring forth a healing so powerful our world can only benefit.

Why is this so important? Because we can no longer afford not to listen! Being holistic, I believe a good chunk of our well-being on this beautiful blue and green planet is due in part to the well-being of our Mother Earth. As we continue to introduce more chemicals into our agriculture and industry/manufacturing, we continue the degradation of our planet. The sicker our planet becomes, the worse our health will become as well. As far as I know, this is the only planet we can live on!

Please watch this 10-minute video on the Live H2O event and if you can, participate in a location near you:

So, are you drinking enough water every day? Did you bless it before you drink it? Dr. Horowitz said if you send love to your water right before you drink it, it'll do your body good. I'm giving this a shot, because it certainly wouldn't hurt. So far, my water experience has been excellent today! Positive intentions will lead to positive actions and reactions. It's another way to bring more love into the world!

Kefir, Kombucha, Yogurt, Sourdough Swap by Nourished Kitchen

Jenny with Nourished Kitchen has put together an online community swap for kefir grains, kombucha scobies, sourdough starters, and similar items. If you have ever wondered where to get started in finding one of these items, this would be a good place to check! The only thing you would need to pay is the shipping.

And, if you are inclined to stay local, check out craigslist.org and freecycle first. If you can find your item locally (some people have all the luck!), you will probably have to pay something for the item and some gas, but probably not much! I have yet to find my kombucha scoby... I'm laaaazzzyyy... but it is coming soon!

And, if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, google kefir and kombucha! You might be surprised at what you learn!

What's the big deal about thyroids??

OH, it's a BIG DEAL!! The thyroid is comparatively a small piece of the body puzzle.. a small two-bunny-ears-shaped gland in your neck. Some say it looks like a butterfly, but I think it looks more like two bunny ears (depending on which picture you look at)! It is a gland that is part of the endocrine system, one of the many systems that runs your body and keeps you healthy. The endocrine system is composed of organs that release hormones into your body. These hormones do all kinds of stuff: regulate temperature, release blood sugar into your system when you're hungry, maintain salt levels in the body, fight or flight, etc. The thyroid's sole purpose is to produce thyroid hormone. This thyroid hormone regulates the whole body's overall metabolism. That is why it is SO important...if the body is not running efficiently and metabolizing properly, organs and systems start to malfunction. Read here if you are interesting in hearing about how Oprah has been handling her thyroid (and weight) issues.

The human body is an utterly amazing, multi-tasking machine. On a black-box view, you eat, breathe, drink and poop. But, seeing things on the inside, all these different systems (endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, nervous, muscular, respiratory, reproductive, digestive, etc.) work harmoniously together to keep you alive and well. Talk about a miracle!

But, sometimes, things don't work out the way they are supposed to. For example, me! I was a little stunned by the hypothyroid news when I found out almost two weeks ago. It was a surprise because the last thyroid test I took indicated I had a normal thyroid (haha). But, when I started looking at the symptoms of low thyroid function as well as considering my previous health problems (fatigue, weight gain or inability to lose weight, fluid retention, depression, etc.), all the pieces of the puzzles were starting to come together. I've been taking a thyroid glandular, as well as pregnenlone and progesterone (also hormones) and digestive enzymes now for a week. My energy level has increased tremendously, and I have lost some weight. Yay! The other extreme of imbalance would be hyperthyroidism, where the thyroid is overproducing thyroid hormones. A great website with information about all issues thyroid related is at About.com,
and Stopthethyroidmadness.com is great for anyone concerned with hypothyroidism.

More on my pro-thyroid diet coming soon...

The Future of Food

If you haven't watched this yet, take a look. It's a great introduction into Monsanto and the genetically modified foods that show up in our stores and on our dinner tables. Some of this movie (like the scientific parts!) is a little dry, but it will give you a very good idea of how biotechnology has created unnatural combinations in foods. Where your food comes from matters! Grab a seat and a cup of tea before you start this one up!




Any feedback? Thoughts? Do you even have time to watch it??? =)

For more information, you can go to The Future of Food's official website