A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEW DECADE

2010

I don't know about you, but on some level that I am at a loss for words, I welcome in the new decade with open arms. Each new year brings in a fresh start, but this year we have an added bonus of beginning a new decade. Now that we are just a couple years from 2012, we have an opportunity ahead of us to welcome change.

2012 is not an "end" in a destructive way, but rather a turning point to a time we all will gradually open to things our left brain cannot "prove" to be true, yet in our hearts we know it to be so. This is refreshing and it is happening to all of us now on some level. Think about it...things such as a belief in acupuncture, herbs, massage, energy work and even astrology are more widely accepted now compared to 10 years ago. We can only choose to be open to all possibilities, or be left standing in the dust as the world moves forward to "the impossible". I have come to learn being stubborn will hold you back :)

If you would like to consider doing something good for your body to kick off the new decade, I have a few suggestions for you that require minimal effort on your part, but could provide a grand pay off.

One: Drink tea
Two: Give your liver some love
Three: Try a little Slippery Elm Bark for a few weeks

TEA: When drinking tea, use 2 tea bags and steep for at least 10 minutes. Green tea is very powerful!!!! Studies show the rates of lung cancer in Asian countries are very low despite their bad smoking habits. The compounds in green tea clean the lungs...so drink up! Scroll down for more details, use the link below for more encouraging information, and of course buy organic tea when possible. Why drink pesticides when you are trying to do something good for yourself? http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm

LIVER: Give your liver a break and shower it with milk thistle or a good liver cleansing tonic. Your liver is like your body's "General" it directs all the energy or chi flowing through your body. If your liver is stagnate, blocked and toxic your life force energy will become stagnated or stuck. If this is the case you probably are experiencing such things as skin issues, allergies, fatigue, head aches etc. Your doctor most likely will NOT suggest you try a cleanse or take an herbal remedy for your liver. He/she will probably give you a drug of some sort to calm your symptoms after running a series of tests. Yep, we need western medicine when it cures. Your body is the most magnificent machine you will ever own. It will run smoothly and heal itself if you give it the raw materials it needs according to mother nature. It is a self healing machine. However, if you do not house clean at the very least once a year or mind what you put in it, your day will come when you have to take drastic measures to restore your health.

I love LIVER RESCUE from Health Force Nutritionals available on line or at Karyn's on Halsted. Take the therapeutic dosage for a week or so and then just use daily. Also at Karyn's is a line called Herbs of Light that has special tinctures to treat the liver and so much more. Straight up milk thistle is a good thing too. In Australia they sell milk thistle in 15,000 mg tablets....here in the US it is generally sold in 200mg tablets so don't be shy!

SLIPPERY ELM: Do you have stomach/intestinal issues? Consider drinking chamomile tea daily along with one heaping teaspoon of slippery elm bark dissolved in a little bit of water daily for 3 weeks. Slippery elm will coat, heal, and seal the stomach and intestinal track. This is KEY for those suffering from leaky gut, colitis, ulcers, irritable bowl, allergies etc etc!

Slippery Elm should be taken on an empty stomach. You can find it in the bulk section of whole foods in powder form. So simple and will benefit everyone! For more information on slippery
elm click here http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/benefits-of-slippery-elm.html

OK....hope this gives you something to nibble on to start off the new decade with something new! Add some tea to your daily routine....check out a liver tonic and do a regime of slippery elm bark for a few weeks!

Here is the skinny on tea!

TEA is the 2nd most consumed beverage in the world next to water. The four main types of teas are: green, black, oolong, and white. Flowers, fruits, and herbs can also be added into the tea. In Women's Health magazine it had a section on tea, claiming that "a recent study found that people who drink tea are biologically younger than their actual age by about 5 years." How does it do this? Antioxidants. One of the reasons we age is because of oxidation and free radicals.

A free radical is a “bully” atom to all the other atoms. It steals electrons from your healthy cells so it can become stable. This results in DNA damage or dysfunctional proteins. Antioxidants come to the rescue and give up their own elections to the free radicals. The antioxidants found in tea are called phenols. Four cups of tea provide:

129 mg potassium (important in the regulation of fluid balance as well as for the proper functioning of cells, including nerves and muscle)

1.1 mg manganese (essential for the development of enzymes, as well as being an important component for bone and cartilage)

76 mcg riboflavin (also known as vitamin B2; required to release energy from protein, carbohydrate and fat)

0.76 mg niacin (involved in the release of energy in tissues and cells)

Green tea
Studies have been done to show green tea may help with weight loss and prevent or slow:
Cancer (LUNG, bladder, colon, esophageal, stomach, and pancreas)
Heart disease
Arthritis
Liver disease
Tooth decay

Herbal tea
An infusion of anything from dried leaves, pieces of ripe fruit, flowers, grasses, nuts, barks, seeds or other botanicals that give the tea its flavor or health benefit. Examples:
Hibiscus - reduces high blood pressure and helps with menstrual cramps
Peppermint - calming and aids stomach and digestive problems
Chamomile - calming, anti-inflammatory and heals the stomach

Black tea
Naturally high in flavonoids which can
Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke
Lower cholesterol
Reduce inflammations
Improve blood flow
Maintains sugar levels

Oolong tea
Contains more polyphenols than black and green tea (which help protect against health conditions and diseases)
Revs metabolism to promote weight loss
Improves skin appearance
A cup contains half the caffeine of a cup of coffee

White tea
Studies have shown that white tea may:
Boost immune systems
Prevent dental plaque buildup
Protect skin cell damage

Rooibos tea
Herbal red tea that has no caffeine
Many natural minerals and antioxidants
Contains aspalathin, a flavonoid, that protects against heart disease
Anti-inflammatory and calming properties
Aids in digestive problems, nausea, stomach cramps, and constipation