Mental Health

In cases of mental illness, medication can have its place. If your symptoms are severe, the proper medication can ease your suffering. But what if you find yourself in the dilemma where your doctor has not found an effective medication for you or the side effects outweigh the benefits? Then you might want to explore other avenues. Please do so with caution and under the watchful care of your physician. Please understand that herbs and meds often do not mix. Some natural substances to be avoided by those taking medication can include primrose oil, St. John's Wort, Valerian, kava kava, and gotu kola. Also be aware that just because it is a natural substance doesn't mean that it is safe and not without side effects.Sometimes just changing your lifestyle, by adhering to strict health principles, is enough so that you can cut down on medication and eventually get off of them entirely. This is more often not the case. I have known people who have tried every herb in the book and still could not get true relief. Although other people have reported good results wtih kava kava, valerian and GABA with B-vitamins including inositol helpful in cases of anxiety. This no doubt in part due to the fact that we are all individuals requiring different things at different times, but it can also be due to the lack of quality of the products being used.  Nevertheless more than general health principles and an herb or two is generally required. 

Tracking and eliminating allergens and toxins can be an important part of recovery.There are many ways to detoxify the system. You don't need to purchase expensive items to do so. A master cleanse and a few 7 day rounds of colloidal bentonite and phyllium cleanses a year will do wonders to help clear the body of accumulated waste and will help you lose weight as well. Just make sure you get the approval of your doctor before doing anything.   Probiotics are important as well.  These are all subjects in themselves which should be addressed individually.

Actress Margot Kidder, who played in such films as Black Christmas, The Great Waldo Pepper, The Amityville Horror, and Lois Lane in the 1978 film Superman, suffered from bipolar illness for many years before curing her condition with amino acids such as GABA, L-taurine, tryptophan and other natural substances. If you are afflicted with this condition you might want to explore this option by checking out the following website: http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/aminobipolar.htm

The Natural Medicine Guide to Bipolar Disorder book by Stephanie Marohn describes mental illness as being the result of an imbalance of the body, mind and spirit and discusses alternative treatments involving cranial osteopathy, homeopathy and other methods of treatment.

John Nash, who inspired the movie A Beautiful Mind in which Russell Crowe played the lead, recovered from paranoid schizophrenia without the use of psychotropic drugs. You can catch Nash being interviewed on the following website: http://beyondmeds.com/2011/01/10/johnnashvideo/

A NEW VIBRANT YOU

I am not a doctor nor a dietician, however I do know what has helped many people lose weight and regain their health. The suggestions I offer are not new. They are based on time proven principles. So after checking in with your doctor to get his approval, let's begin to build a new you. The first step is hydration.  Water is essential to cleanse and keep all body processes going. You need to flood your system with half its weight in water. Seems like quite a lot, yet it is not. Begin your day with a liter of water and wait at least 20 minutes before eating breakfast. I'll have more to say about the benefits of water in future Soaring Chi posts.

Now you are ready to eat, which involves the second key principle to weight loss and better health.. Forget about the word diet and think nutrition. Feed your body whole foods. Major on vegetables, fruits, eggs, lean meat if you eat meat, beans, sprouted grains, dairy if you eat milk products and cold-pressed oils such as flax and olive oil in limited amounts.   Eliminate soda, sweets, white flour products, hot dogs, packaged foods. I'll say more on this subject in further posts as well. The third principle involves the care of your teeth. Find a good dentist that you can trust and take care of those dental issues . An infected tooth can poison your body. You need to take responsibility for your own dental care by keeping your teeth clean. I'll have more to say on that subject as well. The next thing your body requires is light exercise, get out of your house and get moving. Begin by walking, even if it is only a few minutes at first, breathing in the fresh air. Add minutes to your daily walk until you have walked 20 minutes. Begin at a slow pace and over time build up to a fast clip. This takes care of two other important health principles, your need for sunshine and your need for fresh air. Now let's address emotional and mental health. We are made of love and need to love and be loved. Emotional support and a positive mental outlook on life is crucial. Turn off that nightly news and focus on goals and not problems. Focus on what you have and not on what you don't have.  Focus on what you can do now, instead of what you can't do. Our last health principle is so often neglected in our fast paced world,  I call it the three “R's”. Our bodies require time for rest, recreation and reflection. This includes the eight hours of quality sleep that our minds and bodies require in order to function properly. Speaking of time... it will take time to reverse your health condition, so be patient with yourself. I'll flesh out each one of these principles in further posts.

CASHEW COCONUT COOKIE BALLS

Here is a quick and easy raw recipe for coconut lovers.

Put a cup of cashew nuts in a mini food processor, along with 2 tablespoons of room temperature (melted) virgin coconut oil, a good pinch of Himalayan or Utah Red high mineral salt, 1 teaspoon of pure real vanilla extract and 5 Medjool dates that have been cut into pieces.  I put the setting on chop and then grind to blend well.  You will end up with a thick gooey mixture. Take this mixture and transfer it into a bowl.  Add dried coconut and a tablespoon of honey until it forms a dough. Roll the dough into small balls and then roll them into dried coconut. I used leftover coconut from making coconut milk.  I dehydrate the leftover coconut by putting it on a cookie sheet and setting it in the oven with the light on but no heat on.  If you put it in the dehydrator, the fan will blow it all inside your dehydrator. That is why I use the oven with the oven light on. You can use lemon extract instead of the vanilla or chocolate extract or any other extract that you like.  Happy experimenting!

MAKE YOUR OWN VANILLA EXTRACT

It's super easy to make your own vanilla extract, but you have to be patient because really good vanilla extract takes two months to fully infuse. You will need a pint jar with a tight lid so that the alcohol will not evaporate. Make sure your jar is clean. With a sharp knife, cut 3 vanilla beans lengthwise leaving a little of the ends uncut. The beans will be cut down the center except for the very ends. Put the vanilla pods into the jar and push them down so the alcohol will cover them, then pour in 1 cup of bourbon or rum. I didn't have either bourbon or rum so I used vodka and it worked fine. Place in a cool, dark place like a closet or kitchen shelf and wait. Trust me it's worth the wait. The result will be the most wonderful, fragrant vanilla extract your senses have ever enjoyed. Strain and pour into a dark glass bottle. I transfer mine into a mini beer bottle with a tight lid.

You can make your own orange and lemon extracts by using vodka and citrus peels instead of vanilla. You can make your own coconut extract by adding fresh or dried grated coconut. You can make your own almond extract by adding 6 almonds. You can make mint extract using mint and vodka, ginger extract using ginger and vodka, chocolate extract using cacao beans or powder. You can even make a mixture of two or more to create your own special flavoring. I think I might try coconut and chocolate next time! Happy creating!

VITAMIN D IS FREE

Most Americans work indoors, drive to stores to shop indoors, study indoors and spend free time in front of their television or computers. We are spending less and less time outdoors unless we happen to be our own weekend gardeners. Even when we do get outside we coat ourselves with sunscreen fearing sun damage or worse skin cancer. It is no wonder that our unhealthy lifestyles have created an epidemic of deficiencies. Vitamin D deficiency is becoming more and more prevalent in America, even teenagers are afflicted with it today. The Health Research Forum insists that healthy sun bathing is good for people and that not getting enough sunshine is what is harmful. Without sunshine plants cannot grow and people cannot thrive.

If we really understood the importance of spending time out of doors, we would try to find opportunities to catch a few deep breaths and some of those healthy sun rays. Sciencebase.com states that there is a safe way to sunbathe. Start with only a few minutes per day and gradually increase your time to 15-20 minutes per day. Avoid using sunblock or sunscreen so that your skin can take in its daily dose of free D. It is important to keep hydrated and go out in the morning or some other time when the sun is not blazing hot.

Inadequate levels of Vitamin D can increase the risk of cancer and osteoporosis. Vitamin D is crucial for bone mineralization and a healthy immune system. Absorption of calcium depends on blood levels of D. According to PubMed.gov, a study conducted on March 17, 2010 by The Commonwealth Medical College in Pennsylvania, 74% of the 160 cancer patients were found to be low in Vitamin D. The Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska found that adequate levels of Vitamin D3 and calcium can cut the risk of cancer by 77%!

The amount of Vitamin D required depends on many factors. Your age, gender, health, skin color and location. An average, healthy person needs 15-30 minutes of sun per day. An elderly Caucasian woman, who lives in a northern latitude with health issues, would require more. If you think you might have a Vitamin D deficiency, ask your doctor to have your D levels checked. If you choose to supplement, you might want to consider the more natural and readily absorption D3 instead of  D2 which is a synthetic form.

Foods which offer Vitamin D include fish, fish oil, egg yolk, liver and mushrooms.

In my opinion, the most natural way is the best so I'm off to catch my 15 minutes in the sun!

NUTRIENT DENSE SMOOTHIES

 Smoothies are a fabulous way to bless your body with an abundance of vitamins and minerals. I have one or more every day. They make a perfect breakfast on the go and are great snacks. Green smoothies are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. You can use any greens that you like or any combination of greens.You can use chard, kale, spinach, baby bok choy, sorrel, beet greens, collards or any other. All you do is rinse greens in cold water, tear the leaves off the stems, put a cup or so of raw nut or seed milk in your blender, add the amount of greens you desire and blend. If you are new to green smoothies, as with anything, it may be a good idea to start with a small amount of greens and work up to the desired amount. That way your body gets used to the flood of nutrition and you will find out which greens you want in your smoothies plus your taste buds will learn to enjoy the unique taste.  I put about 2 good-sized handfuls of greens in my smoothie. After you have blended the greens and nut or seed milk, add a sliced fresh or frozen banana. The banana will sweeten your green smoothie naturally and make it more palatable. Raw green leaves are extremely healing and nourish every cell of your body. If green smoothies are just not your thing, fruit smoothies would be next best. In the summer I often have delicious fruit “shake” smoothies made from raw vanilla almond  milk and frozen bananas and berries. You can freeze papaya, mango, berries of all kinds, peaches, nectarines almost any kind of fruit will do.  You can add a tablespoon of flax oil, peanut butter or coconut fat if you'd like.

THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING HYDRATED

Healthy bodies consist of approximately 60-75 % water. Maintaining hydration is essential to good health. There are many benefits to getting adequate amounts of water. You will have less sick days and in general feel better.  Keeping hydrated reduces the risk of cancer, helps combat fatigue and aids digestion.  In addition to that your joints will stay lubricated, it will keep your skin youthful, increase cognitive function and help regulate body weight.

Signs of dehydration are dry mouth, parched lips, dry skin, dark urine, lethargy and irritability.

Everyone should consume at least half their body weight in pure water per day. This is not tap water. Tap water is loaded with chlorine and a multitude of harmful chemicals including drug contaminants and pesticides. Chlorinated water consumption has been linked with a higher risk of bladder cancer.  The orthomolecular.org website page “The Negative Health Effects Of Chlorine” states that drinking chlorinated water and swimming in chlorinated pools may sharply increase the risk of developing deadly malignant melanoma. 

There are other ways to disinfect water that does not involve chlorine. For this reason, it is my opinion that chlorine be left for toilet bowl cleaning and not for drinking.

Your requirement for water depends on many factors including age, occupation, condition of health and age. For optimal health 2 liters is recommended. If you have a job where you sweat a great deal, you will require more.

If you want to start your day off better, start drinking a liter of pure water every morning before drinking or eating anything else. We will have more to say about the value of water in future posts.