HealItAll

December 5, 2009

E. Coli, Kidney Damage, and Agribusiness

A couple of weeks ago I came down with what I thought was a 24 hour flu bug. I was very surprised, since I hadn’t had a cold or flu for many years, and I had been supporting my immune system with extra vitamin D3, daily walks in the sunshine, and excellent diet. I KNEW I wasn’t going to get the flu.

Furthermore, nobody I knew had similar symptoms. I’d been around a couple of people with swine flu or bad colds with sore throats, but not a one-day bout of vomiting and diarrhea. That was my first clue that my symptoms might have been from food poisoning.

The next clue was pain in my right kidney. For a few days I thought it was just a back ache from pulling a muscle, but the pain didn’t subside over time like a pulled muscle usually would. It actually got worse. Coincidentally, my Mom, 150 miles away, ended up in the hospital just before I got sick and they found E. coli in her kidneys. Hmmm… that was strange. The doctors gave her antibiotics (which can cause even more problems, I learned after the fact).

Next, I just happened to watch the film “Food, Inc.” and learned all about the way super-bug strains of E. coli are being created in cattle by industrial feedlot practices. This type of E. coli is finding its way into our water and vegetable farms. One child in the film had severe, life-long kidney damage from eating spinach contaminated with E. coli. Hmmm… hadn’t I been drinking a green smoothie every morning, made with raw leafy greens, sometimes including spinach?

The puzzle pieces were starting to fit together in my mind. I looked up E. coli symptoms. First symptom: vomiting and diarrhea. Hmm… I found out that E. coli can kill red blood cells that then clog up the kidneys. Was that why my kidney was hurting? I have never even felt my kidneys in my entire life, and now on the heels of other E. coli symptoms, my right kidney was painful. Red flags started going up in my mind.

According to one article, antibiotics used in this situation could have dangerous repercussions, so I didn’t want to go that route. I found out that Acidophillus, Vitamin C, and D Mannose were effective natural remedies against E. coli. I started taking all of them, starting with Acidophillus and Vitamin C. I felt a little better, but it wasn’t until I went to Whole Foods and picked up a jar of D Mannose that I really noticed a difference in my kidney pain.

The first day I took three scoops, as directed on the label. By the next morning the pain had diminished by about half. I took four doses that day and the pain was almost gone. By the third day I felt as good as new.

Now I’m wondering:

1. What would have happened if I hadn’t “coincidentally” learned about the E. coli-kidney connection?

2. How many other people are out there in danger of permanent kidney damage, because they think they just caught a flu bug?

3. What would have happened if I hadn’t done my own research and learned about D Mannose?

4. Why is our FDA and USDA allowing the beef industry to contaminate our vegetables with this life-threatening strain of E. coli?

5. And damn it, why do meat eaters have to mess things up for everyone else?

Now I have to painstakingly tripple-wash all my leafy greens, just to make them safe to eat. That is just not fair. And I have to keep D Mannose on hand at all times, in case I somehow ingest more of the E. coli critters, because I’m not going to stop drinking green smoothies. They are the best way to include nutritious leafy greens in my diet.

I was lucky. I didn’t end up in the hospital like my Mom. I didn’t have permanent kidney damage like the little girl in “Food, Inc.” I was able to do the detective work myself, because I’m a health-care professional with a strong interest in nutrition, but what about everyone else out there?

I believe that my strong intention to be healthy was influential in my ability to find and recognize the clues to relieving my problem. If I had been totally aligned with joy and appreciation, I probably wouldn’t have been sick at all, but I’m not quite there yet. Even so, I do make an effort to find things to appreciate and I try to stay in the attitude of gratitude, so my life flows pretty smoothly. Aside from a day of nasty symptoms and a minor backache for a few days, my food-poisoning episode turned out to be pretty benign. That’s something else I can appreciate.

If you are reading this, the moral of the story is:

  • Wash your leafy greens really well… and other fruits and veggies too!
  • Boycott corn-fed beef (better yet, all meat)
  • Keep D Mannose, Acidophillus, and Vitamin C on hand - I suspect it will become increasingly important with our modern agribusiness practices
  • And cultivate appreciation, gratitude, joy… and awareness of your body and the environment in which you live

Some natural food stores don’t carry D Mannose, so I’ve added it to my Amazon store for your convenience - http://astore.amazon.com/heaitallcom-20/detail/B000JN4CR0

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October 26, 2009

Top Three Tools for Holistic Healing

Start Improving Your Well-being Today!

We all need tools that really work to wipe out negative habits, clear limiting beliefs, determine the nutrition our body needs, cleanse toxins from our system, and relieve the traumatic memories that keep us stuck in lack, limitation, or illness. I’ve spent a lifetime searching for the most effective tools available and these really work.

My Favorite Holistic Healing Helpers:

* Energy Meridian Tapping - EFT can usually clear mental, emotional, and physical problems quickly and almost effortlessly - like issues related to weight, money problems, creativity blocks, fears and phobias, anxiety, limiting beliefs, disease symptoms, illness, abuse, trauma, pain, or any other limiting factor.

Over 90% success rate!

* Health & Nutrition Coaching with Law of Attraction and the Art of Allowing uses the power of your thoughts and feelings, plus optimal nutrition, to create vibrant health. It really works, but it takes time. That’s why I offer long-term coaching to help you stay on track and form new, positive habits.

* Organic Plant-based Whole-Foods Diet provides sound basis for physical health and prevention of degenerative disease - and coincidentally, safeguards natural ecosystems, feeds more people, and reduces greenhouse gases!

For more information visit HealItAll.com


You Really Can Heal It All

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December 12, 2008

Best Holistic Health Info. FREE!

This may be hard to believe, but you can download an amazingly informative book on health and nutrition absolutely free by following this link -

“Lessons from the Miracle Doctors” Free Download!

This is one of the best health books I’ve ever read, and as I’ve said before, I’ve read LOTS of them.  You will find tons of excellent advice, and probably a few things you haven’t read anywhere else. This is a real find!

I highly recommend that, if you care about your health (and you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t), you download your free copy now. No strings attached!

It’s in PDF format, so you will need to download Adobe Reader if you don’t already have it. You can get it free from -

http://get.adobe.com/reader/

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December 9, 2008

Best Source of Protein - You May Be Surprised!

One of the very best books I’ve ever read on nutrition (and believe me, I’ve read lots of them), is The ProVita Plan, by Dr. Jack Tipps, particularly with respect to protein metabolism. Whether you are vegetarian, vegan, or meat eater, you will find the information vital to your understanding of health and nutrition.

Probably the most useful tip I learned from the appropriately named Dr. Tipps, is the fact that soaked seeds are one of the best possible sources of concentrated protein for the human body. Easily digested, rich in amino acids, free of hormones, antibiotics, and other contaminants, they are delicious with a sprinkle of Celtic Sea Salt or kelp granules. You can of course also add them to your morning smoothie, breakfast cereal, or other recipes if you don’t want to eat them alone.

Dr. Tipps says the best time to eat concentrated protein is in the morning - or at least before 2pm. That’s when the liver handles it best. So I just soak about 1/4 cup of mixed seeds in the evening, and then rinse them in a strainer each morning, for a super start to my day. I generally include sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds with an occasional few nuts thrown in, i. e. brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, filberts, etc. You can also use flax and chia seeds, both of which are highly nutritious, but rather gooey when soaked - not my favorite texture! I prefer to use them in recipes where the gooey texture helps to stick things together.

The soaking is important for all seeds, including nuts, beans, and grains, because seeds have protective toxins in them that are removed by soaking. Plus, soaking starts the sprouting process that magically multiplies vitamins. So always throw away the soak water and rinse your seeds with clean water before eating them.

It is really simple if you keep a jar of mixed seeds in the refrigerator. All you have to do is scoop out a small amount each evening and let it soak overnight. In the morning you’ll have the ideal quick breakfast already waiting for you! And what’s more, it’s an environmentally responsible and animal friendly breakfast!

The ProVita Plan is available at http://astore.amazon.com/heaitallcom-20/detail/0929167058

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December 3, 2008

Kale and Mustard Greens in Disguise!

One more thing about green drinks. Some greens, like kale and mustard, have a pretty strong flavor, but they are very good for you, because they are high in calcium, magnesium, and other essential minerals.

Furthermore, kale does not blend well and you will find lots of little chewy strings in your drink. Even so, I like to mix kale or mustard greens with some strong-flavored fruits, like lemon or pineapple. With enough fruit mixed in, it’s not bad.

You can also make delicious kale (or broccoli) salads by marinating finely chopped kale in a lemon and oil dressing, seasoned to taste with miso, herbs, or Celtic sea salt. It is better to eat your kale and broccoli raw, because cooking vegetables of the cabbage family (brassicas) destroys their cancer-fighting properties. Saurkraut is also an excellent way to prepare raw cabbage without losing its valuable nutrients.

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