It’s the new year! All thew champagne is gone. All the party poppers have been sprung. You are now left with a brand new year. What are YOU going to do with it? Do you really want an “all new you”? I’m hoping to just improve and refine the “me” I already am!

I recently did a periscope broadcast on just this very topic (you can find me on periscope and twitter under @herbchick1, by the way). I urge you to share. What are your resolutions for 2016? I’ve got mine! I’m aiming to do my belly dance drills daily; become more avid in the use of my kettle bell (hopefully pushing along the loss of my baby apron); reduce my metabolic age (more coming on this very, very soon); and revamp my diet. In the spirit of that last one, please check out the video below. Just changing one thing at a time, like reducing your wheat consumption, can make a world of difference!

Enjoy! And hit me with those resolutions, people! They mean more when you put them in writing!

It’s cold and flu season in the Great Lakes region. That means pain and suffering for many folks. Usually, the common cold and influenza are caused by viruses. This means the antibiotics that are sometimes prescribed by doctors really does nothing but kill off beneficial bacteria in the gut. This can leave a person even more immuno-compromised than before they sought aid from the doctor.

 

An answer worth its weight in Silver

According to some historians, Alexander the Great drank water from silver vessels. Little did he know, the silver was acting as an antimicrobial agent to kill off harmful “bugs” that may have been living in the water. Silver has been assigned all kinds of magical and mysterious properties throughout time. It can slay werewolves and vampires and all kinds of, now referred to as, zombies.

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Stress can be detrimental to a person’s health on all levels. Each and every bodily system seems to be effected on so many levels. The connection between the heart and cardiovascular system and stress has been well documented and, now, is widely known to the general public. But what about the connection between stress and the digestive system? How much do we know about it?

We know that stress can cause the esophagus to spasm. IMAG0094_1_2 That same stress that can cause the esophageal spasm can shut down the mill action of the stomach, in turn, causing nausea. The stomach lining is filled with nerve endings which are constantly sending information back and forth from the brain. It has been found that some neurotransmitters are present in a higher concentration in the digestive system than anywhere else! This nervous system network, now referred to as the enteric nervous system, has its own nerve plexi and sends reflexive information to and receives it from the brain, independently of the divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).

Knowing this, and doing things to prevent the effects of stress from ravaging one’s digestive tract, can be quite different matters. For example, I have had trouble swallowing for as long as I can remember. As a kid, food would get stuck in my throat routinely. During periods of high stress and anxiety, it would become worse. Dinners where arguments ensued would just produce pain. In fact, just a couple short months ago, I found myself in a position where I suffered the consequences of not “practicing what I preach.” I was at my “real world job,” and I ended up working alone. I was hoping to stay ahead of the game by working and eating at the same time. However, upon my first bite of chicken, I found myself choking. After a brief flash of my life before my eyes, the real panic set in. You see, I am the emergency responder on my shift. I am supposed to give aid to others in a situation such as this. What in the world was I supposed to do for myself?

I threw myself over the back of a chair. This moved the bite of chicken, but it became lodged in my throat. Therefore, no water, food, etc could get down and the chicken would not come back up, either. I finished my shift, in pain, went home to see my children off to school and then drove myself to my doctor’s office. MY family doctor, even though he knew I did not want to go, sent me on to the emergency room of the local hospital. There, they could not offer any more aid. A surgeon had to be called in. Three hours later, I was the recipient of an esophageal dilation. While I realize the necessity of the procedure, I do not suggest anyone signing up for it unless absolutely needed.

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Anger can affect your kidneys.
Anger can affect your kidneys.

“I’m so pissed off!”‘

“I about pissed my pants.”

“She’s full of piss and vinegar.”

“I just feel pissed on.”

Pissed off; pissed on; pissin’ in the wind…WHY are there so many references to urinting in our verbalization of our feelings? One could say it is a coincidence. However, research comes out every day showing the links between the emotions we feel and the physical symptoms that seemed to be ever linked to those emotions.

Louise Hay, founder of Hay House publishing, was a visionary in spreading the word of these links to any person wanting to listen. Her work, along with that of others,serves as a beacon to those wanting to fully address every aspect of his or her health.

According to Louise, feelings of criticism, disappointment, failure, shame and ‘acting like a child’ can create the vibrational energies which may allow various kidney problems to surface. She equates kidney stones with the conditions present when one holds on to small lumps of anger.

While these border on the metaphysical, I find great correlation. If I have a hot, swollen kidney issue could it not be also a situation of hot anger? And then I would use cooling and soothing herbs. Marshmallow to soothe the irritation; Cornsilk to dilate the ureters and allow the heat to exit quickly; and lots of water to dilute the urine and flush it all out. Read More