Bathe your Troubles Away!

Holidays have you stressed?

Try One of These Great Rejuvenation and Detox Baths!

Lighting a few candles and hopping in a nice warm bath at the end of a long day can be a great way to de-stress and say goodbye to the day’s troubles. Give yourself at least 45 minutes of quiet time to soak in these natural remedies, and you'll sleep more deeply and relaxed, waking up with more energy for the next day.

Pain Relief Bath: Salt and Baking Soda
For general aches and pains, muscle tension, and even body aches from allergies or the flu, use 1 to 2 cups of Epsom salts or sea salts, and 1 cup of baking soda. Add the salt and soda to your bath and soak for at least 20 minutes. This is a highly alkaline mixture, so don’t use it more than a few times a month. (This is also an effective bath for menstrual cramps; just be careful to keep the bathwater a little cooler than usual as heat can increase menstrual flow.) Do not use this bath for acute pain, such as recent sprains, or if there is swelling present.


Stress Relief, Relaxation Bath: Epsom, Sea Salt, and Sesame Oil
This bath can alleviate dry skin and help you de-stress from a crazy day. Add 1 cup of Epsom salts, 1 cup of sea salt, and 1 cup of sesame oil to a warm to hot tub of water and soak for at least 20 minutes. You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil aromatherapy, such as Lavender. Lavender is THE aroma for de-stressing, relaxing tight muscles, calming adults and children alike, and lowering cortisol levels--a good one to use before bedtime. Pat yourself dry, and be sure to clean the tub afterwards so you don’t slip on the oil the next time you get in.

Healing Bath: Vinegar
Try a vinegar bath when your body is too acidic. How do you know you are too acidic?

• You might have to take deep breaths often to feel as though you are getting enough oxygen.
• Your bowels or urine may burn upon elimination.
• Your skin can feel clammy, or even look yellowish.
• You might crave sugar often.
• Your stomach may feel sour or burn.
• You may just feel lousy and flu-like, with joint pain and muscle aches.

This bath is a quick way to restore the acid-alkaline balance to your body. Add 1 to 2 cups of 100% apple cider vinegar to a bathtub of warm water. Soak for 40 to 45 minutes. Vinegar baths are excellent for excess uric acid in the body. They’re especially helpful for the joints and for conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, and gout.

Menstrual Cramps, Muscle Cramps Bath: Hydogen Peroxide
Add three pints of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a full tub and soak for up to 30 minutes. This bath is a great muscle relaxant. Use it to relieve menstrual cramps or after exercise.

Detox Bath: Epsom Salts and Ginger
Epsom salts and ginger baths open pores and eliminate toxins. Try this bath if your feet are swollen after being on them all day. It's a great remedy if you have been partying a little too much during the holidays, removing the toxic effects of alcohol and too much sugar. It can also help to eliminate pain. One cup of Epsom salts and 2 tablespoons of fresh peeled ginger stirred in a cup of water first, then added to the bath, is beneficial. Do not remain in the tub for more than 30 minutes. The ginger can be astringent, so be sure to drink a lot of water afterwards. Use only fresh, grated ginger, do not use dried as it may burn your skin.

Happy Bathing!

Dr. Robin

Cholesterol Myth Busters

Test Your Cholesterol IQ!

Cholesterol and its effects on the body have been the subject of many news articles for many years now, so we should all be pretty well-versed on the topic, right? Test your Cholesterol IQ with this quiz. You might be surprised by the answers!


TRUE or FALSE?

1. Eating dietary cholesterol (such as in eggs and shellfish) raises your cholesterol levels and therefore your chances of heart disease.

2. Cholesterol is bad for you and is found only in foods.

3. The best way to protect against heart disease is to follow a low fat, low calorie diet.

4. Cholesterol can be only affected by diet and drugs.

5. High cholesterol can be hereditary and may not even be a valid indicator of heart health.


Although you may have heard many of the statements above, they're all FALSE, except number five, which is TRUE. In the 1960’s, when cholesterol research was instigated, it was initially theorized that blood cholesterol values were a valid indicator of fats in the arteries, leading to clogged arteries and heart disease.

Over the last 40 years, new research has shown that cholesterol isn’t as valid an indicator as originally perceived. Unfortunately, an entire revenue source has been created from cholesterol lowering drugs, perhaps explaining why this more recent research has been slow to emerge from the medical community (although it is available over the internet). Let's take a look:

1. Eating dietary cholesterol (such as eggs and shellfish) raises your cholesterol and chances of getting heart disease. FALSE!
No way. Eggs and shrimp are finally off the hook! There is no evidence that eating foods with cholesterol in them adversely affects your body's cholesterol levels. In fact, eggs contain a substance called lecithin, which decreases the effects of cholesterol on the body. And eggs are a good source of protein. Shrimp are a delightful treat, full of omega-3 fatty acids. So eat up!

2. Cholesterol is bad for you and is found only in foods. FALSE!
Cholesterol is NOT bad for you. In fact, it is essential for life. Among other things, it's necessary for brain-cell function, it's the naturally occurring building block of all hormones, including progesterone, estrogen, testosterone and cortisol, and it provides the body with an effective way to store carbohydrate (sugar and starch) calories. Your body makes cholesterol constantly, and eating cholesterol has little if any effect on that process. About 80 percent of the body’s cholesterol is synthesized from carbohydrates. Getting the picture here? Cholesterol is synthesized mostly from carbs, NOT fats . . .

The body creates two types of cholesterol--HDL and LDL. HDL, known as "good" cholesterol, protects against heart disease. LDL is known as "bad" cholesterol, but it isn't really bad in and of itself. It just oxidizes more easily. It is the oxidization of LDL that can lead to artery-blocking plaque, which can raise your risk of heart disease. Antioxidants--particularly Vitamin E--protect against heart disease by preventing this oxidization.


3. The best way to protect against heart disease is to follow a very low fat, low calorie diet. FALSE!
Low calorie and low fat diets are typically high in refined carbohydrates, the opposite of what you need for good health. People who eat vegetables, fiber, and moderate amounts of nuts, hormone-free meats, seafood, and healthy fats have far fewer incidents of heart disease deaths than those who eat extremely low fat, high carbohydrate diets. Simple, refined carbs, such as sugar, pasta, crackers, corn, chips, white rice, potatoes and breads, stimulate insulin production. Insulin reduces HDL ("good") cholesterol and leaves more LDL ("bad") cholesterol circulating in the body, where it can become oxidized and cause artery-blocking plaque.

So What Should You Eat for a Healthy Heart?

• Unprocessed vegetables, meaning not canned, boxed, or otherwise cooked to death. If you can’t eat fresh veggies, then choose frozen. Lightly steam or stir fry vegetables, or eat them raw. Never boil or overcook. They will lose all nutrition this way.
  
  
• Fresh fruit (Avoid fruit with high glycemic index, such as dried fruit, fruit juice, bananas, mangos (darn it!), and sweetened applesauce.)
  
  
• Eggs, moderate amounts of meats, such as chicken or turkey, that have been raised without hormone treatments for growth stimulation.
  
  
• Seafood, especially Wild Salmon. Farm raised Atlantic Salmon that is commonly found at the local grocery store has very little, if any, beneficial fatty acids. Wild Salmon, especially those from the Pacific (Alaska) are highly preferred for nutrition and taste. Grilled, baked or poached, wild salmon is a life-saving food.
  
  
• Nuts, Seeds, Legumes
  
  
• Garlic, Onions
  
  
• Monosaturated Fats such as olive oil and grapeseed oil (Grapeseed oil is excellent for sauté and stir-fry. It has a higher flash point for quicker cooking than olive oil, is tasteless, and contains the same healthful fats.)

Foods to Avoid

• Sugar
  
  
• Refined Carbohydrates (“any white food”)--white rice, white flour, sugar, corn, corn syrup, baked potatoes, pasta
  
  
• Too much protein and saturated fats from processed red meat
  
  
• Processed or canned food
  
  
• Trans-fatty acids (margarine, hydrogenated oils), especially those heated, as in fried foods
  
  
• Soft drinks, coffee, hard liquor
  
  
• Milk and ice cream

4. Cholesterol can only be affected by diet and drugs. FALSE!
Perhaps you have discovered through routine blood work and physical exams that your cholesterol values have increased, even though your diet hasn’t changed. Or maybe you've “improved” your diet and had no change in your cholesterol levels. A sluggish thyroid will virtually guarantee an increase in your blood cholesterol values and more importantly, your LDL/HDL ratio.

People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs must have periodic blood tests. Why? To find out if their liver is becoming toxic from the very medicine supposedly prescribed to improve their health!


5. High cholesterol can be hereditary and may not even be a valid indicator of health. This is TRUE!
You can inherit naturally occurring cholesterol values that are higher than the 200 maximum value recommended by medical groups. In fact, studies have shown that there is no correlation between cholesterol values and longevity, and there is even little valid evidence that high cholesterol levels lead to heart disease.


And now, here’s an extra credit question . . .

Which of the following people do you think is more likely to develop heart disease?

A. Someone eating tofu-broccoli salad because he’s feeling guilty and he knows it’s good for him.

B. A parent sharing his favorite ice cream with his much adored children.

Are you surprised to learn the answer is B? Researchers at the Ohio State University inadvertently discovered that happy eaters are healthy eaters. Rabbits were genetically bred to develop hardening of the arteries and coronary artery disease. Then they were all fed a high-fat diet to speed up the process. At the end of the study, a select group of rabbits were discovered to have clean, healthy arteries, while the rest developed artery disease as expected.

The difference between the two groups? It turned out that the young students who’d been feeding the group of rabbits with clean arteries had petted and played with the rabbits before giving them their food. (This study has since been replicated, suggesting a link between happiness and good digestion!)

Of course, eating ice cream for every meal isn't a great idea. But remember--for a healthy heart, be mindful when you eat and enjoy your food!

Many blessings,

Dr. Robin



Sources:

"Commonsense Guide to a Healthy Heart" by John. R. Lee, M.D.

"Healthy Hormones, Healthy Life" by Dr. Eric Berg

Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

Back to Writing, again

It appears that I can finally get back to writing things again that I enjoy, rather than writing website code, which I really, really don't enjoy. My unfinished book beckons me, and I'm really jonesin' to find out where my writing will take me.

My book is on the Stages of Change; I've identified stages that all of us go through as Change occurs (or doesn't occur) in our lives, and some of the physical, mental and spiritual signs and symptoms that can manifest in each of the stages.

Tell me, have you ever experienced resistance to Change, or adaptation to Change, and observed a discernable body response, or a predictable behavior or mental thought that you recognize as being your pattern? I would love to hear from you and chat about it.

I hope you are enjoying the new website, with all the blood, sweat and tears it took to pry it out of me. I would love feedback.

I'm going to use this Blog as a place to give you new information about natural products, treatments and activities that can enhance your world. Keep checking back, or subscribe if you want, so you can always stay in touch.

Louise Hay is still going strong

In the early 80's, I began my spiritual journey in earnest. After experiencing my first Rebirthing journey with a therapist in Fort Worth in 1980, I was awakened to new ideas in thought and action that was to govern the rest of my life. There was a wonderful gathering place in Dallas called The Alphabiotic Center, where seminars from healers, psychics, spiritual teachers, shamans, scam artists, wanna be's, and gifted artists came to speak, heal or visit.

I made incredible friends through this time of my life; friends I have to this day. One of the first teachers that we were all introduced to was Louise Hay. In case you haven't heard of Louise, she was a pioneer in the mind/body arena. She was the first to speak to the concept that our thoughts can heal our bodies. That our thoughts create our reality. In 1984, LONG before "The Secret", "The Law of Attraction" or even Oprah, Louise bravely set out to prove medical science didn't have all the answers in her book "You Can Heal Your Life".

Her book was my bible for years. I always had it in my clinic as a reference guide for myself and patients. Looking up symptoms and finding the positive affirmation to counter it was often mind-blowing in its accuracy for those new to this form of healing.

I mention Louise now because she has a beautiful new version of her book available now, along with DVD movies to watch. These have been out for a while now, but I hadn't seen them. My old dog-eared copy of her original book was lost to someone in my clinic that felt the need to take it home with them. So when my significant other purchased her "gift edition" which includes a gorgeously illustrated copy of that original book, with some updates, as well as a lovely DVD movie with material from Wayne Dyer (I adore him), Jerry and Esther Hicks, Gay Hendricks, Christiane Northrup and Cheryl Richardson.

The DVD is very well done - I often don't like movies along these lines. I find them tasteless, or poorly written and executed as a general rule. This one breaks that rule and moves along quickly and evenly, keeping the interest of even the most short-attention spanned of us.

Her website, hayhouse.com, sells this as a gift set that also includes some cards that I wish I had gotten as well. Cards as a nice way to remind yourself daily to remain in the moment, focused on positive thought, and feeling grateful for your health and well-being.

Check it out, I think you'll like what she has to say. She is still the pioneer. At 81 years, she leads all of us in the alternative medicine and holistic spiritual/mind/body approach to life.

The Product Reviews are launched!

Oh, what a day this is! After extreme frustration with computer, learning html (which I do NOT enjoy), learning Dreamweaver, writing writing and more writing, learning about shopping carts, checkouts, and more that I can't bear to name, my new website is finally launched!

If you've read the links below, you'll know that this site came to me in a dream one night, in its entirety. Little did I know what I would go through to make it reality. But I've learned more than I ever wanted to learn, and Natural Vitamin Reviews 1.0 is out there!

Yes, I know it needs some design tweaks, and not all the links are perfect yet, but that's the easy stuff. I'll keep working on it to get it perfect, because that's just how I am.

If you are looking for unbiased professional reviews from a doctor and nutritionist, of natural vitamins and supplements that really work and show results, then go there now! http://www.naturalvitaminreviews.com/ is the place.

I worked hard to create a document that will give you instant access to real products, so that you can avoid wasting money on scams and products that don't work at all. It's one of my pet peeves in the vitamin and supplement industry that there is so much junk out there, and this is my first step toward changing that.

Check it out!

Split Personality????

I've just added another blog for my other personality, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to get it added to my blogger links. (update: I think it's on the list now) So for the time being, here it is. I also hope to add a Gardening blog soon, but right now my website beckons and my unfinished book impatiently calls from the recesses of my mind that has been working on it behind the scenes.

I also noticed that Obama won the democratic nomination today; what a moment in history. I'm happy to contribute to Change; in fact, that is what my book is about. Several years ago, I began writing about the Change Process and the Stages of Change that I have identified working with patients over the years. I've gone through my own tremendous changes while working on the book - no surprise there.

The Universe gives us all exactly what we need to grow; obviously I need change in my life in many forms.

What about you? I think that the past few years have been significant -cosmically - and many of us are going through major life changes that are unexpected, both positive and uncomfortable. What has your life been like? How do you view change in your life?