Alternative Health Newsletter - Dr. Janet Starr Hull

Alternative Health Newsletter - Dr. Janet Starr Hull: Healthy Fats - The Benefits of Plant Sterols Did you know that walnuts significantly reduce your blood cholesterol? Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols, walnuts help keep the blood vessels healthy and elastic. Almonds also have a similar effect, resulting in a marked health improvement within weeks. A cholesterol-lowering diet where 20% of your calories come... >>>Continue Reading

Daily Tip

"HEALTH TIP: Even if you're vegetarian, the primary weight loss principles still hold true -- calories in and calories burned. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. If you eat dairy products, choose lower fat sources such as reduced fat cheeses and fat-free milk products. Avoid fried foods and foods drowning in fat. Last but not least, always watch your portion sizes.

FITNESS TIP: When selecting a workout video it is important to know your fitness level. The worse thing that can happen is you get a video and find that it does not meet your needs or is too difficult and you get frustrated and give up.

Quiet time is a must!!

Rhiannon Rees is a mother, friend, humanitarian, healer, homeopath, pschic, teacher and writer who enjoys all of life's gifts. Please connect with her at her local Whistler Spa, Nibbana Healing Spa. (604) 935-5772.

I truly relish time to myself - even if it just means 5 minutes in the bath to gather my thoughts and feel some sort of solace from the warm water that caresses my body. Even if it just means a break in my crazy routine.

I crave it - the quiet time!! It's so surprising to me that our biggest relationship is with ourselves and people fear being alone. I mean what is going to happen? Are you going to go crazy and start mixing tangerine socks with a silver striped shirt and a black and white polka-dot umbrella? It almost seems as ludicrous as being afraid of your own shadow.

There it is! I've said it. What is the point of being afraid of your shadow. It's always with you. I feel calm in myself when I can have those precious moments alone. I can feel myself breathe and just "be" I can stretch and observe the wanderings in my own mind. I can watch the landscape and feel any ripples from the stones that I may throw into my ever-chattering subconscious pond. I feel peace and harmony. I feel love and nourishment. But most of all, I feel quiet. It's nice, because quiet is always there, we just choose to fill it up. We don't have to fill everything up. Some things are meant to be empty - they are beautiful that way. Adyashanti Has a powerful book that everyone should read on "emptiness" - It's called "Emptiness Dancing".

I am sure for most people it's hard to imagine emptiness dancing when there is literally "nothing" there. But, I guess that's the whole point. When we find that silence we are able to hear ourselves, our true inner nature for the first time. We are able to hear that age old wisdom. That "spiritual" me. I think when you love yourself then you can truly be "with" yourself and don't have a nagging need to "fill" that space with addictions, tea, coffee, coke or other addictive substances.

When we "own" who we are and are able to "flow" then we too flow in the river of life, we no longer think we are going to drown or get washed up ashore, but we are more able to feel that current that draws us along and also we can truly see the blue of the sky and the white clouds that form different shapes every second. We get so lost in ourselves that our compass actually starts to lead us into a life that we "think" is good for us. We no longer know how we "feel". Get to know yourself and become your "best friend" and you too will experience joy and harmony in a way that you could not see was possible before. Cherish each and every "quiet" moment that you have, for it is in the quiet that wisdom will appear.

SSSSHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Five Natural Remedies for IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome encompasses many symptoms associated with the gastrointestinal tract and which cause pain and discomfort when attempting bowel movement. Moreover, abdominal pain, or alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea may accompany this syndrome. Here are 5 natural remedies for IBS.

1. Avoid emotional stress and pressures.
2. A high-fiber diet can alleviate the symptoms.
3. Keep a diary of what you eat and drink to determine the cause.
4. Peppermint capsules can reduce the pain and bloating.
5. Probiotics have been shown to reduce not only abdominal pain and bloating, but allow for easy bowel movement as well.

Because the symptoms of IBS are often brought on by tension and strain in your lifestyle as well as a poor diet, it is recommended that your diet consist of low-fat, high-fiber meals. Adding plenty of greens and fruits, including spinach, whole-grain products, and drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day can also alleviate the problem. Also, prune juice may be recommended as a stimulant to improve bowel movement. Smoking should be avoided as it often intensifies the symptoms.

A daily diary noting the foods you eat may reveal the source of the problem. Perhaps fried foods are the cause, or you are not consuming enough vegetables or fruits. A diary can be quite helpful in ascertaining why your bowel movements are not only irregular, but painful as well.

Peppermint is known to reduce the abdominal pain and bloating of irritable bowel syndrome due to the fact that it blocks the movement of calcium into muscle cells in the intestines, and eases muscle contractions. It is also helpful in eliminating excess gas in the intestines.

Probiotics, which are primarily found in dairy products such as yogurt and fermented foods, offer a natural remedy for IBS. In a recent study of women with IBS, probiotics were found to be more effective in reducing abdominal pain, bloating, bowel dysfunction, incomplete evacuation, straining, and gas. Probiotics are probably the best known microorganisms one can utilize to effectively act as one of the natural remedies for IBS.

Water is an Energy Drink

7 Reasons Water Should Be Your Drink of Choice

We know water is good for us, but with soda, juice, coffee, tea, energy drinks, and other drinks so readily available, it’s hard to make the decision to choose water. Here are 7 great reasons to drink more water.

* Keeps skin looking great. If your skin looks tired and unhealthy, so do you. Staying properly hydrated removes all the toxins that build up in you skin, and helps prevent it from drying out. If you have the opposite problem; puffy bloated skin, lack of water is likely your problem too. When skin doesn’t get water, it retains what it already had, leaving your skin cells full, puffy, and not too attractive. If you want to look beautiful, you should keep yourself hydrated

* It’s cheaper. Sure, if you buy bottled water, it’s about as expensive as soda, juice, and coffee. However, studies have shown that tap water is usually as clean and safe as bottled water, and costs a whole lot less. If you have a problem with the taste of your tap water, buy a filter pitcher or one that attaches to the faucet. It still costs a lot less.

* A healthy heart. When you’re properly hydrated, your blood is thinner and easier to pump. This means your heart has to do less work and ultimately lasts longer. Studies have shown that people who drink plenty of water have fewer heart problems.

* Toxic build-up. Sure, it sound’s like something from a bathroom cleaner commercial, but you have toxins in your cells too. Some come from the environment and others you produce yourself. Either way, they’re in your body and you need to get rid of them. Just like you use water to flush your toilet; your body uses water to flush out toxins. Getting rid of this waste helps you function more effectively and feel better.

* No sugar added. While fruit juices may contain many nutrients, they also contain a whole lot of sugar. This is especially true for many bottled juices from the grocery store. This sudden burst of sugar triggers your insulin response and makes you tired and sluggish. It also helps to convert that sugar to fats faster. Sugary sodas will produce the same reaction and they usually contain no nutrients at all

* Caffeine is a diuretic. So why water? Why not drink diet soda or coffee all day? These drinks contain caffeine, which actually causes you to lose water throughout the day. You retain some of the water content of the beverages, but not as much as when you drink pure water. You can try decaffeinated beverages, but the best way to use the water you drink is to get it pure and clean, with no chemicals added.

* Energy Drink. Think you can’t get through the day without your morning caffeine boost? Well water can give you energy as well. Your body is made up mostly of water. It loses it throughout the day, so you have to replace it for your body to work efficiently; particularly the heart and digestive tract. As mentioned earlier, water helps your body work better by getting rid of excess waste. The more efficiently your whole body is works, the better you’ll feel and the more energy you’ll have. Maybe enough energy to skip that cup of coffee.

So go ahead, skip the vending machine, go to the faucet, and get yourself a nice, refreshing glass of water.

Let’s thank our illnesses for keeping us healthy!!

I know a lot of people who have been sick recently.I have been more ill in the last two weeks than I have ever been in my life. But, I find it fascinating how the body reacts to emotional stimuli. Every cell in your body has a memory and it has been proven that serious trauma(emotional or physical) gets stored in your body. So, if you have had a car crash and the accident involved a dodge, then you are more likely to keep your space or be more wary around other vehicles that are the same(Dodge) .

In a similar way, chronic emotional pain is also stored. So, on a Friday some 2 weeks ago, I received a letter from my stepmother who I have not spoken with for 25 years. I recognised the writing instantly even though it had been a long time since I had seen it. Within about 3 hours I became sick and spent a good deal of the next 10 days on the couch. I got a sinus infection which I have never had. Louise Hay believes that a sinus infection means that you are angry with someone. I also had stabbing sensations in my head.

My stepmother use to get so angry that I would be scared as a child. So, it has been fascinating to watch the process of releasing emotional baggage that has been stored for some twenty five years!! All I know is that life is a continuous series of learning and experiences and that if you are not continuously learning you are close to being dead. Also, working on yourself is like housework – it’s continuous and the more that you do just a little bit then the less work/time it requires. I am almost at the end of this bout of sickness and I have been so grateful to have it. I have released a great deal of toxins that have been stored and of course allowed myself to let go of being the “perfect child”. I already feel so much more love and joy in general.

Unless you are ill to the point where you need some serious intervention take note of what happens with your body. It just might be trying to tell you something.As strange as it sounds you may want to be thankful for your illnesses – its trying to tell you something! If you don’t notice things mentally or emotionally, then they simply get stored physically and one day they manifest as the dis-ease that you were unable to process at the time of the experience. Even if you are struggling with this concept it definitely gives you some interesting food for thought.

Predictions for 2007

Rhiannon Rees is a mother, friend, humanitarian, healer, homeopath, pschic, teacher and writer who enjoys all of life's gifts. Please connect with her at her local Whistler Spa, Nibbana Healing Spa. (604) 935-5772.

Following on from my little stint on Breakfast TV on the 29th of December, I thought that I would share with you all the predictions that I have for 2007!!

Firstly, I think that 2007 will be a year for everyone to put 100% effort into all that they do. It will result in the next 2 years of working more than one would want to, but it will have the effect of a filter – eventually, things will be narrowed down to a few areas that are really important to focus on. People will more likely follow their passions and more love and light will open up in the world towards the end of 2009. I see a real leveling effect between the average layperson and people with wealth and power who have authority. Whomever has the most compassion love and gifts of service will now find that they have the opportunity to be more influential in some very significant areas. I see this particularly within the fields of health, education, social service politics and scientific development especially research and inventions. I see many more natural calamities such as typhoons, cyclones and earthquakes. This will go on for about a period of 24 months. After this time, these events will not seem as shocking as the sheer force and drama of nature herself begins to calm down. There is only one true purpose for these natural disasters and it is simply to bring the soul back to its most natural resting point in the moment. For it is in this moment, that the soul will undeniably entertain the only approach to life is a path of love and authenticity. In this moment all other tricks of the material and physical world will evaporate and one is left with pure clarity. All that truly matters in life is the ones that you love and that you tell them this. Other than this, being true to yourself and your purpose and being present are the keys to life. You can already see that the mainstream population is now making its way into the eye of the media through reality TV and other similar shows. Of course, these people still have to prove that they have the goods, but because they realize the opportunity and it’s not simply given to them it is drawing out a new type of passion into our culture. It’s what we need.
And, for all of you who follow the celebrities. (I really don’t!). Britney will end up with at least 4 children and three marriages. Angelina and Brad will end up with 7 children and Jim Carey will also have a son. While, Jennifer Aniston will end up with some type of heart or breast complication in the coming 18months. That’s it from me. Wishing you all peace, love and harmony in the New Year. May all your dreams come true and don’t forget to tell all those that you love just how much you love them. Don’t assume that they already know, because everyone loves to feel loved. Namaste.