HYDROGEN PEROXIDE MAGIC!

Ever since I started using Hydrogen Peroxide to get rid of armpit stains, to clean cookie sheets, as a miracle cleaner in my kitchen and bathroom, and to make my own “oxi clean”…I ALWAYS have at least one bottle of the stuff under my kitchen sink, under my bathroom sink, AND in the laundry room. This stuff is amazingly versatile!

But it wasn’t until recently, after doing some IN DEPTH research on the subject, that I came to realize what a “miracle substance” hydrogen peroxide really is! It’s safe, it’s readily available, it’s cheap, and best of all, it WORKS! It works for a LOT of stuff!

Hydrogen peroxide should really be called oxygen water, since it is basically the same chemical make up as water but with an extra oxygen atom (H2O2). Because of this it breaks down quickly and harmlessly into oxygen and water.

Some other interesting facts about hydrogen peroxide:

It is found in all living material.
Your white blood cells naturally produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to fight bacteria and infections.
Fruit and vegetables naturally produce hydrogen peroxide. This is one of the reasons why it is so healthy to eat fresh fruit and vegetables.
It is found in massive dosages in the mother’s first milk, called colostrum, and is transferred to the baby to boost their immune system.
It is found in rain water because some of the H20 in the atmosphere receives an additional oxygen atom from the ozone (O3) and this H2O2 makes plants grow faster.
Next to Apple Cider Vinegar, hydrogen peroxide ranks up there as one of the best household remedies.

Besides the obvious (cleansing wounds), did you know that it is probably the best remedy to dissolve ear wax? Brighten dingy floors? Add natural highlights to your hair? Improve your plants root systems? The list goes on and on!

There are SO many uses for this stuff that I’ve started replacing the cap on the hydrogen peroxide bottle with a sprayer because it’s easier and faster to use that way.

I have compiled a rather impressive list of uses for 3% hydrogen peroxide that I hope will have you as thrilled and bewildered as I was!

Wash vegetables and fruits with hydrogen peroxide to remove dirt and pesticides. Add 1/4 cup of H2O2 to a sink of cold water. After washing, rinse thoroughly with cool water.

In the dishwasher, add 2 oz. to your regular detergent for a sanitizing boost. Also, beef up your regular dish soap by adding roughly 2 ounces of 3% H2O2 to the bottle.

Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash to freshen breath. It kills the bacteria that causes halitosis. Use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.

Use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste for brushing teeth. Helps with early stages of gingivitis as it kills bacteria. Mixed with salt and baking soda, hydrogen peroxide works as a whitening toothpaste.

Soak your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide between uses to keep it clean and prevent the transfer of germs. This is particularly helpful when you or someone in your family has a cold or the flu.

Clean your cutting board and counter top. Let everything bubble for a few minutes, then scrub and rinse clean. (I’ve been using it for this a LOT lately!)

Wipe out your refrigerator and dishwasher. Because it’s non-toxic, it’s great for cleaning places that store food and dishes.

Clean your sponges. Soak them for 10 minutes in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and warm water in a shallow dish. Rinse the sponges thoroughly afterward.

Remove baked-on crud from pots and pans. Combine hydrogen peroxide with enough baking soda to make a paste, then rub onto the dirty pan and let it sit for a while. Come back later with a scrubby sponge and some warm water, and the baked-on stains will lift right off.

Whiten bathtub grout. First dry the tub thoroughly, then spray it liberally with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit — it may bubble slightly — for a little while, then come back and scrub the grout with an old toothbrush. You may have to repeat the process a few times.

Clean the toilet bowl. Pour half a cup of hydrogen peroxide into the toilet bowl, let stand for 20 minutes, then scrub clean.

Remove stains from clothing, curtains, and tablecloths. Hydrogen peroxide can be used as a pre-treater for stains — just soak the stain for a little while in 3% hydrogen peroxide before tossing into the laundry. You can also add a cup of peroxide to a regular load of whites to boost brightness. It’s a green alternative to bleach, and works just as well.

Brighten dingy floors. Combine half a cup of hydrogen peroxide with one gallon of hot water, then go to town on your flooring. Because it’s so mild, it’s safe for any floor type, and there’s no need to rinse.

Clean kids’ toys and play areas. Hydrogen peroxide is a safe cleaner to use around kids, or anyone with respiratory problems, because it’s not a lung irritant. Spray toys, toy boxes, doorknobs, and anything else your kids touch on a regular basis.

Help out your plants. To ward off fungus, add a little hydrogen peroxide to your spray bottle the next time you’re spritzing plants.

Add natural highlights to your hair. Dilute the hydrogen peroxide so the solution is 50% peroxide and 50% water. Spray the solution on wet hair to create subtle, natural highlights.

According to alternative therapy practitioners, adding half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to a warm bath can help detoxify the body. Some are skeptical of this claim, but a bath is always a nice way to relax and the addition of hydrogen peroxide will leave you – and the tub – squeaky clean!

Spray a solution of 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide on leftover salad, drain, cover and refrigerate. This will prevent wilting and better preserve your salad.

Sanitize your kids’ lunch boxes/bags.

Dab hydrogen peroxide on pimples or acne to help clear skin.

Hydrogen peroxide helps to sprout seeds for new plantings. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution once a day and spritz the seed every time you re-moisten. You can also use a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 32 parts water to improve your plants’ root system.

Remove yellowing from lace curtains or tablecloths. Fill a sink with cold water and a 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Soak for at least an hour, rinse in cold water and air dry.

Use it to remove ear wax. Use a solution of 3% with olive or almond oil. Add a couple drops of oil first then H2O2. After a few minutes, tilt head to remove solution and wax.

Helps with foot fungus. Spray a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry. Or try soaking your feet in a peroxide solution to help soften calluses and corns, and disinfect minor cuts.

Spray down the shower with hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria and viruses.

Use 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of water to clean humidifiers and steamers.

Wash shower curtains with hydrogen peroxide to remove mildew and soap scum. Place curtains in machine with a bath towel and your regular detergent. Add 1 cup full strength 3% hydrogen peroxide to the rinse cycle.

Use for towels that have become musty smelling. 1/2 cup Peroxide and 1/2 cup vinegar let stand for 15 minutes wash as normal. Gets rid of the smell.

Use hydrogen peroxide to control fungi present in aquariums. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt your fish. Use sparingly for this purpose.

De-skunking solution. Combine 1 quart 3% H2O2, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon Dawn dish detergent, 2 quarts warm water.

— with Joey Willis and Retha Goad Fausett.
This is from Brian Wilkenson's page on Facebook.

Brian Wilkinson

Your Guide to Healthy Poop

May 13, 2013

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Hi Sweet Friends,

I love talking turd, and I’m not ashamed to say it! Turd, turd, turd. It’s time we all stop hiding behind our toilet paper squares and start understanding one of the most important parts of our everyday well-being — poop! Sure, it’s not the sexiest of subjects, but vibrant health is pretty darn hot in my opinion. And whether you like it or not, your poo is part of that picture.
Without further a-doodoo …

The scoop on poop

Poop is made up of dead gut cells, leftover indigestible fiber and bacteria. As you know, your chow is processed in your intestines, which are lined with some very smart cells. These cells allow essential nutrients, such as sugars, amino acids, fats, vitamins and minerals to be absorbed into your bloodstream. The leftovers (aka the waste) are shuttled through the rest of your digestive system, out of your body and into the toilet. Welcome to the pool, kids!

How often should you poop-a-go-go?

The number of times you should poop per day varies. On average, it’s normal to go as much as 2-3 times per day (basically after each meal) or as little as every other day. Although I’d like to add that “every other day” seems pretty uncomfortable to me! However, if you’re going more than 4 times a day or only 3-4 times per week, you should probably consult your doctor.

The glamour shot: What does a healthy bowel movement look like?

Shape: Ready for an anatomy lesson? Since poop curves around and around inside your winding intestines, a healthy poop should look like an “S” or a “C” as it lands in your toilet.
Color: Healthy poop should be a shade of medium-brown color, courtesy of the leftover bile from your gallbladder (this bile helps to break down your food). If your poop is white or grey, you could be having a problem with your pancreas or gallbladder. Yellow stool may be the sign of an infection in your intestines or inflammation, especially if you observe mucus in your poop.
Blood in your poop may or may not be cause for alarm, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. The blood could be the result of hemorrhoids, which can be tender and start bleeding if you’re straining too much while pooping (Ouchies! Ease up, hotshot). In this case, you may see a couple of drops of bright red blood in the toilet water, on your toilet paper or on the outside of your poop. If you have any doubts about whether or not you have hemorrhoids, touch base with your doc to let him or her know about the issue. But if your poop contains dark red blood or is even blackish-red, this indicates blood that has come from higher up in your gut. In that case, please see your physician post-haste.
Texture: A healthy poop will be formed but soft — think toothpaste consistency (sans the mint). Hard, dry, pellet poop indicates constipation. Loose, unformed, or watery poop is diarrhea. If it’s foamy or floating on top of the toilet water, this could mean that you are not absorbing the fat in your diet very well — especially if it’s incredibly foul-smelling. This is another reason to trot to your doc.

How to be a gold-star pooper:

The “Four F’s” are a general rule of thumb for happy bowel movements: Fiber, Fluids, Flora and Fitness!
Fiber: 
Dietary fiber rules. As you learned in my guide to fabulous fiber, it comes in two forms: soluble and insoluble. Lack of either creates pooper pandamonium.
Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel in your intestines, which bulks up your poop and makes it smooth enough to keep the trains moving. Soluble fiber also helps regulate blood sugar and can lower cholesterol levels. Add these foods to increase soluble fiber: oatmeal, apples, oranges, pears, berries, flax, beans, peas, lentils and psyllium husk.
Insoluble fiber does not absorb water, so it acts like the bristles in a broom to sweep poop along. It also has a mild laxative effect, which helps with healthy elimination. Add these foods to increase insoluble fiber: whole grains, nuts, seeds, dark leafy greens, celery, broccoli, cabbage, onions, dried fruit and root vegetable skins.
Fluids:
When you increase fiber, you also need to increase your fluid intake. Remember, soluble fiber absorbs water, which means you’ll need more H₂O to stay hydrated and prevent constipation. There are two easy ways to estimate how much water you need each day:

• Divide your body weight by 2. This gives you the approximate amount of water in ounces that you need to drink per day. For example, a 140-pound woman should drink about 70 ounces.
• Look at your pee — it should be a light straw color.  The darker your pee gets, the more concentrated it has become, which indicates that you need to drink more fluids.

Flora:
Your intestines are home to over 100 trillion bacteria and a great deal of this bacteria (good guys and bad guys) end up in your poop. Good bacteria (also known as probiotics) are very important to help keep us regular. We need probiotics to work alongside our digestive enzymes and help break down food to release the nutrients our bodies need. In return, probiotics survive and multiply in our gut when they dine on the leftover fiber from our digested food.
To increase good bacteria in your gut:

• Eat fermented foods like tempeh, miso, kombucha and sauerkraut.
• Eat high-fiber foods (prebiotics).
• Take a high-quality probiotic supplement.

For more on building strong belly bacteria, check out my blog on gut health.
Fitness:
If you want your poop to move, YOU need to move too! Exercise helps stimulate the natural contractions of your intestines. It also tones the muscles in your core that help create healthy elimination. Gentle activities such as taking a walk or yoga can help ease constipation, but moderate aerobic activity on a regular basis is a more effective way to keep constipation at bay in the long run. Score!

It’s your turn. Don’t be shy!

Now that I’ve opened the bathroom door and started the poop-ersation, light a match and share your tips for healthy elimination.
Peace & terrific turds,


      http://kriscarr.com/blog/your-guide-to-healthy-poop/

FLU FIGHTERS

It’s flu season again, and there’s no shortage of advice on how to avoid it or manage it. It’s no wonder, either, because the flu is a health hazard to be reckoned with. Some flu seasons are worse than others, but on average each year, five to 20 percent of the U.S. population will contract the flu, and more than 200,000 will be hospitalized with flu-related complications. Unfortunately, approximately 51,000 people also die from all causes related to the flu. Practical suggestions such as washing your hands frequently, coughing or sneezing into the fold of your arm by your elbow, eating right and getting adequate exercise and sleep are all helpful. However, you may be interested in these nutrients and studies surrounding them, too, this flu season. For starters, probiotics are helpful to your health year-round, but a medical journal study presented results that one strain of probiotics, Bacillus coagulans, when tested, increased the body’s immune response to the flu virus. The study indicated significant increases—to the tune of 1,709 percent—in T-cell production of TNF-alpha, a key immune marker, upon exposure to influenza A in healthy adults who consumed Bacillus coagulans for 30 days. While more research is needed to see if these findings also translate into fewer hospitalizations or deaths from the flu, the researchers agree that Bacillus coagulans is a low-cost, healthy and proactive measure people can take against the flu—and it has no risks associated with it. Interestingly, Bacillus coagulans has a strong ability to survive typical conditions—such as adverse manufacturing conditions, extreme temperature variations, and the harsh journey through the stomach and digestive tract—that can potentially kill other probiotics before their beneficial effects take place. In short, probiotics must arrive at their destination alive in order to produce their health benefits—and Bacillus coagulans is among those that can do that. Next up is vitamin D. In the past, it’s been thought that a deficiency in vitamin D— which about 75 percent of our population has—might contribute to susceptibility to infections, including the flu. Likewise, it's known that vitamin D is what activates our immune system's T cells so that they can destroy infectious agents. Without adequate vitamin D levels, those T cells remain inactive—with no immune response—and those invaders can march right on in and gain a foothold. Japanese researchers have taken these findings a step further and have found, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study trial, that supplementing with vitamin D dramatically cuts the incidence of seasonal flu (influenza A) among children. Vitamin D boosts production in white blood cells of an antimicrobial compound, called cathelicidin, which defends the body against germs, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Cathelicidin literally “targets the bad guys,” by killing them—punching holes in the external membrane of a microbe, making its insides leak out. That’s what researchers suspect helps guard people from the flu. One researcher puts it this way: In our experiments with the white blood cells, “nothing turned on the cathelicidin gene to any degree except vitamin D. And it really turned that gene on—just cranked it up.” More studies, of course, need to be conducted on vitamin D and its relation to the flu, but vitamin D also poses no risks to people. In the meantime, those are just a couple of “flu fighters” you might want to look further into.

Copyright © 2013 <%PortalName%>

This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment.

Garden of Life- Jordan Rubin

http://www.extraordinaryhealth.com/Article-Landing-Page/Extraordinary-Health-Newsletter-February-6-2013/ContentPubID/974.aspx

How to Use Baking Soda and Vinegar TOGETHER to Get Great Cleaning Results

I failed to mention in my post yesterday the awesome power of baking soda and vinegar in drain cleaning.
The plan was to mention that today as some big surprise. (Surprise!)
Instead, some of you got all ahead of things and started telling the secrets. Thus, I share as a bit of a lag-behind. You people are so crunchy, I can’t even keep up with you.

Unclog Your Drain With Baking Soda and Vinegar

In my last apartment, we had a super finicky bathtub drain. Going one week between “maintenance cleaning outs” was enough to land me in ankle-deep water before I even had a chance to shave my legs.
I sadly say that this is not a way to unclog very troublesome drains. But it is a great way to keep on top of a slow-moving drain or after you’ve used an oil/sugar scrub (which I’ve noticed tends to increase the likelihood of future clogging).
Don’t even get me started, though, on how ecofriendly baking soda and vinegar drain cleaner is, compared to
DranoLiquid Plumranything you buy at the store. And with a little bit of extra elbow grease and a plunger, you can use them to unclog the toughest drains. It just takes a while.
But here’s how you do it the easy way (before your drain becomes a clog monster):
How to Unclog A Drain With Baking Soda and Vinegar

• Pour a pot of boiling hot water down your drain.
• Dump in about 1/2 c. baking soda. Let that sit for a few minutes.
• Then, pour a mixture of 1 c. vinegar and 1. c very hot water down on top of the baking soda.
• Cover with a drain plug (to keep the reaction down below the drain surface) if you have one and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
• Flush one more time with a pot of boiling water.

Why this works: The baking soda and hot water treatment will loosen up any grimy sludge that’s hanging out at the bottom of your drain, and the explosive chemical reaction with the vinegar will jolt it all loose. Then one final super hot-water rinse will make all the bad stuff go bye-bye.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Garbage Disposal Magic

Tossing citrus peels in your garbage disposal keeps it smelling like freshly poured sunshine, but every once in a while, when someone puts onions in there and leaves them when they’re not supposed to, you might need a little extra help.
This is where you utilize the baking soda and vinegar goodness, as well.
How to freshen and clean your garbage disposal with BS/V:

• Start by running hot water through your garbage disposal for a minute.
• Pour about 1/4 c. baking soda into the drain.
• Flip the garbage disposal on for 2 seconds, just to whirl the baking soda inside, and then leave it alone for 10-15 minutes.
• Follow with 1 c. of vinegar. Watch the bubbles erupt out of your drain. (Yay!)
• Rinse through one last time with very hot water and run your garbage disposal for 5 seconds.

Why this works: The baking soda and hot water (left in to soak for 15-20 minutes) will deodorize your drain like nobody’s business. And the vinegar volcano on top of all that will help dislodge any stuck pieces of food in the crevices, thereby releasing any potential future stinkiness.

The Baking Soda/Vinegar Issue In a Nutshell

The hard and fast rule to remember when cleaning with baking soda and vinegar:
Don’t mix baking soda and vinegar together, store them, and then expect them to work. But DO harness their explosive chemical reaction when immediate fizzy bubbles are needed to do some deep, impossible-to-reach drain scrubbing.
And I think that concludes everything we need to know about working with alkaline baking soda and acidic vinegar in cleaning.

Source: http://www.crunchybetty.com/clean-your-drains-with-baking-soda-and-vinegar-surprise

HANDBOOK FOR LIFE 2013

HEALTH:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to meditate.
6. Breathe
7. Read more books than you did in 2012.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile

PERSONALITY:
11. Comparing our lives to others is fruitless. We have no idea what their journey is about.
12. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones especially about things out of our control. Invest energy in the positive present moment.
13. Try not to over do. Understand limits.
14. Why take ourselves so seriously. No one else does.
15. Gossip drains precious energy.
16. Dream more while we are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. We already have all we need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Let go of our partner’s mistakes of the past. Focus on our present/future happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Make peace with our past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of our happiness except us.
22. Realize that life is a school and we are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons we learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. We don’t have to win arguments. It’s ok to agree to disagree.

SOCIETY:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is insignificant compared to what you think of yourself.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends & family will. Stay in touch.

LIFE:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Keep only things that are useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. Higher powers heal everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how we feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When we awake alive in the morning, be thankful.
39. Our Inner most is always happy. Release your “Inner Happy” on the world every day!

 

(www.prana.com) 

HOLIDAY STRESS AND IMMUNITY

Ready!  Set!  Go!  Here come the holidays!  The preparations for the holidays begin earlier each and every year.  A month before Halloween we already see Thanksgiving Day decorations and cards taking space in Hallmark stores.  One look at those cards and we can feel the squirt of adrenaline release.

Now I can hear you saying, “She’s exaggerating.”  So why is the biggest shopping day for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving?  Before that second piece of pumpkin pie is digested, you get into bed and set the alarm early enough to beat the crowds in the morning.  After all, it’s important to get the sales of the year and cut down on the annual debt caused by purchasing “loved ones” their holiday gifts.

It’s no wonder that by January 2^nd we feel like we’re ready to collapse, and many of us are in the middle of a winter cold or flu.

How can we survive the last months of the year and come out on the other side calmer, healthier and with some joyful memories?

Instead of waiting to add a healthier lifestyle to your list of New Year’s resolutions why not do it now?  Let’s get our immune systems ready for what’s to come.  While we’re at it, let’s look at it from a holistic point of view and take into consideration our emotional and mental health.  Many studies have confirmed their effect on our immunity.

Let’s start with the simple basics: diet, Supplements, Flower Essences, Proper Rest, Exercise and Immune Modulators.

The type of food we eat and how we digest it is most important.  Find a philosophy of eating that works for you.  Diets only work when they become a way of life.  Instead of crash dieting before the holidays (and gaining it back immediately after) starts now to eat healthy.  Whether you’re going to use the Blood Type Diet, The Zone Diet, the McDougall Plan or Macrobiotics, they all have the following points in common:

1   1)    Cut out refined sugar and white flour.

2   2)    Eat more whole grains, i.e., substitute long grain brown basmati rice for   the Rice-A-Roni.

3   3)    Eat more fresh vegetables (your mother was right!).  Each day choose at least two green vegetables (broccoli, chard) and two yellow, orange or red vegetables (carrots, squash, beets).  This simple color code will give you a fairly complete spectrum of vital antioxidants.

4   4)    Choose at least two pieces of fruit per day that are in season locally.

5   5)    Cut down on meat and dairy products.

6   6)    Reduce or eliminate caffeine, alcohol and tobacco products.

7   7)    Take food enzymes or Swedish Bitters with each meal.  After all, “You are what you DIGEST.”   If you have poor digestion, see a health care practitioner and ask about leaky gut syndrome and/or candida. 

Take a good quality Vitamin/Mineral supplement daily.  Many fruits and vegetables are picked green and ripen on a truck on the way to the market.  They may look beautiful but are missing the phytochemicals that are created when produce is ripened on the plant.

Flower Essences can create emotional balance.  Taken daily over a period of a few weeks you will begin to notice subtle changes in your reactions, peace of mind and the ability to experience joy.  Get together with a flower essence practitioner and work through those feelings of resentment, the inability to let go, an anxious mind, grief, etc. Do it now before you come face to face with that relative you only see once a year.  Flower Essences can help a person to see the good in others and establish healthy boundaries.

The combination flower essence called Rescue Remedy is used for trauma (physical as well as emotional) and especially stressful times.  It’s the perfect companion to take to the shopping mall and before going home for the holidays.

Are you getting enough rest and sleep?  Think of a good night’s sleep as being as important as recharging your cellular phone.  The body requires several hours of down time to function optimally.

If you are cursed with insomnia, it is important to find the cause of it.  Are you giving yourself a chance to wind down before bed or are you ending a busy evening with the late news reporting the latest murder and a Stephen King novel?  Herbs such as Valerian, California Poppy and Passionflower help to relax the body.  The flower essence White Chestnut helps to quiet the mental chatter.  Try Calcium/Magnesium in a 1:1 ratio before bed to relax (it’s also when it absorbs the best).  If the problem seems to be more chemical in nature, talk to your health practitioner about supplements like 5-HTP (the precursor to tryptophan) or St. John’s Wort.  Try Lavender oil in your bath water or Aromatherapy diffuser.  Finding the right combination bedtime rituals and supplements will pay off.

Get some form of exercise at least three times a week.  You don’t need to take up jogging or go into competition with Jane Fonda, but we need to move!  Get out and walk or take a yoga class.  Find something that is enjoyable enough to you that you will stick to it.  Maybe you need to alternate Tai Chi and Qi Gong.    It’s pure will power in the beginning.  But stick with it for twenty-one days and something switches.  You become aware that you’re not as depressed, that you have more energy, the weight is coming off easier and maybe you even look forward to it because you’re more relaxed after your sessions.  Stay flexible, stay strong and you will stay younger longer.

Immune modulators help our bodies to stay in balance and to be more resistant to disease.  Siberian Ginseng is an ancient immune modulator.  It gives the body a quiet energy and its effect builds over time.  Alternating herbs such as Echinacea and Astragalus (Echinacea 2 X day for one week and then Astragalus 2 X day for a week- repeat) will often help you to be the one in a group that didn’t come down with the cold everyone else developed.  The homeopathic, Oscillococcinum is especially valuable when taken just before boarding a plane and before bed that night to prevent the illnesses so many complain of when traveling.  Don’t forget to repeat it on the ride home.

If all this seems overwhelming- take a dose of the flower essence Elm; make a cup of Chamomile tea; spray the room with Lavender and take three deep breaths.  Pretend its January 1, 2013!  Get out a piece of paper and a pencil and list the things above that make sense for you.  Remember that holistic medicine respects the fact that each of us is an individual and needs to find our own rhythm, but don’t put it off.  Start now and make this the best holiday season you’ve ever had.