Understanding the Common Cold

Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is a viral infection of the respiratory tract that causes fever, headache, muscle aches, and overall weakness. There are three types of influenza virus, all of which are spread from person to person through the inhalation of infected droplets in the air. Type A virus is constantly changing and is usually responsible for large outbreaks of the flu. New strains of Type A virus develop regularly and may result in a new flu epidemic every few years. Types B and C are fairly stable viruses. Type B causes smaller influenza outbreaks, and Type C usually causes mild symptoms that are similar to the common cold.

The common cold is a contagious viral infection of the upper respiratory tract characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes, sneezing, and sore throat. Generally, colds are spread through contact with droplets from the coughing or sneezing of someone with a cold. The common cold is caused by over 200 viruses - known as rhinoviruses. Immunity to a wide variety of rhinoviruses develops as we grow older, and as such, children may have up to 10 colds a year, while adults may only have up to 4 colds a year. The common cold is the number one reason for missed work and school. In fact, due to excessive amount of missed work and school, medical expenses, and over-the-counter medications, the common cold costs Americans $2.5 billion annually.

Many adults and children are diagnosed with the cold or flu on a continual basis and/or for an extended period of time (longer than 8 to 10 days). This can be caused by a variety of dietary and lifestyle factors, but ultimately, the primary factor is a chronic weakness of the immune system.

Because the common cold and flu are caused by viral infections, antibiotics have no effect unless you are treating a secondary bacterial infection. Prescribing antibiotics creates antibiotic-resistant organisms, which are now a serious worldwide problem.

There is no cure for the common cold or flu, but by strengthening your body's own defenses through a nutritious diet, exercise, immune-supporting supplements, plenty of rest, and other functional medicine approaches, you may be able to prevent future re-occurrence. To learn more, visit us at Advanced Health Clinic

Resolving Emotions to Resolve Dis-Ease 3

Another tool I think is useful in resolving emotions is reframing. Reframing of your limitations is one of the keys to living your life on a higher level than you are now experiencing. Everything you do has an impact. Everything. Hard to believe I know, but think about it. We all give off an energy that plays a type of "energetic dance" with each other every moment of every day.  We are all connected. So all negatives, all positives, everything has an impact on outcomes. 

Why does this matter? Because you not only owe it to yourself, you owe it to the world to live to your fullest potential. Nothing less will do. That's why when your sense of intuition, your inner-knowing, speaks to you, you have to listen.  It will hurt far more if you ignore that inner voice! That's why when you see the signposts of your wisdom in daily events and circumstances, you must heed them.

Reframing something can be as simple as changing your picture of your own limitations. If you are unsure of how to reframe your limitations, use affirmations. They work! Take the thing you are struggling with and put a positive spin to it (don't lie - just turn it into something better). For example, if you have pain when you move, you could reframe that into a statement like this, "Everyday, in every way, I move with greater ease and mobility."

You never know from moment to moment who will be impacted by your decisions, so it's crucial for you to make each one count; for yourself, and for others. 

Resolving Emotions to Resolve Dis-Ease 2

Stay Clear and Connected in Everyday Life

Resolving emotions is vital for life force. Everything is energy!  Your thoughts, beliefs and even the way you carry yourself all determine the quality of your life. Again, everything is energy. It is neither good nor bad. Harnessing energy that supports your life is a decision that should come from your place of conscious awareness, acceptance, and by taking actions that support your intentions. Each of us has unlimited potential for clarity, focus, peace and joy, and the fulfillment of knowing that we are living the brilliant life we were meant to live. One simple tool you can use to help you get started is the tool of journaling.

I encourage my patients my clients to write down a list of anything that did not  support their health and wellness goals at the end of the day. Get it all out - every unsupported thought, word, action, choice that happened throughout the day. Release whatever was not helpful. Then, take that piece of paper and throw it away. Burn it, shred it, whatever it takes to release those negative thoughts and choices. Take a deep breath ... see how it feels to be release what is no longer useful.

The next step is to then write 5 things that happened in the day that you were grateful for in a permanent journal. Fill that empty space back up with light, love and peace. The best tool you have to do this is the tool of gratitude. 

The final step is to go back and read 5 things that you have previously written in your journal (once this has been established). Remember the good things that have happened. By doing this simple step, you will shift your energy, making healing possible as you sleep, which in turn, helps you awaken to a new day, refreshed and invigorated. 

Developing an awareness of what will move you towards your dream, releasing the things that challenge you, and building stepping stones out of the challenges that are holding you back is the first step in experiencing greater freedom, joy and fulfillment. 

Resolving Emotions to Resolve Dis-Ease

Do you or a loved one feel like no matter what you do, you just can't seem to get well? Everything you do seems to help, at least a little, yet you never quite get there.  It might be that below the surface deep within your emotions, lie unresolved traumas that are impacting your ability to get "well".  

There are a few things that every chronically ill person deals with. One of those is the stress of emotional trauma.  Events shape us in deep and often unconscious ways.  Finding ways to release emotional trauma is an important step to becoming well. Over the next few blogs, I will address some of the methods I use with my patients, and the resources that I think are invaluable for healing and freeing yourself from dis-ease.

Allergy Relief is Possible Using a Holistic Approach

Are you looking for holistic allergy relief?

Allergy relief is simple, and possible, using NAET techniques. We now know that many disorders (e.g., headaches, back aches, joint pains, addiction, PMS, indigestion, cough, body aches, etc.) are caused by undiagnosed allergies. When left untreated, allergies can become serious life threatening illnesses. Dr. Nambudripad's discovery, NAET®, is an innovative and completely natural method for regaining better health and effectively relieving allergies and the diseases arising from those allergens.

What is NAET?

OVERVIEW

NAET® was discovered by Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad in November of 1983. Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques, also known as NAET, are a non-invasive, drug free, natural solution to alleviate allergies of all types and intensities using a blend of selective energy balancing, testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines of medicine.

One allergen is treated at a time. If you are not severely immune deficient, you may need just one treatment to desensitize one allergen. A person with mild to moderate amount of allergies may take about 15-20 office visits to desensitize 15-20 food and environmental allergens.
Basic essential nutrients are treated during the first few visits. Chemicals, environmental allergens, vaccinations, immunizations, etc. are treated after completing about ten basic essential nutrients. NAET can successfully alleviate adverse reactions to egg, milk, peanuts, penicillin, aspirin, mushrooms, shellfish, latex, grass, ragweed, flowers, perfume, animal dander, animal epithelial, make-up, chemicals, cigarette smoke, pathogens, heat, cold, other environmental agents. It may take several office visits to desensitize a severe allergen.

Holistic Family Nurse Practitioner, Martha Bray, received her training directly by Dr. Nambudripad and has taken many andvanced training courses offered by Dr. Nambudripad. Please continue reading the following explanation of NAET by Dr. Nambudripad herself:

Allopathy & Western Sciences

Knowledge of the brain, cranial nerves, spinal nerves and autonomic nervous system from Western medicine enlightens us about the body’s efficient multilevel communication network. Through this network of nerves, vital energy circulates through the body carrying negative and positive messages from the brain to each and every cell in the body and back to the brain. Knowledge of the nervous system, its origin, travel pathway, the organs and tissues that will benefit from its nerve energy supplies (target organs and tissues) and its destination, helps us to understand the energy distribution of particular spinal nerves that emerge from the 31 pairs of spinal nerve roots.

Kinesiology

Kinesiology is the art and science of movement of the human body. Kinesiology is used in NAET to compare the strength and weakness of any muscle (also known as neuromuscular sensitivity testing (NST)) of the body in the presence and absence of any substance. A measured weakness in the presence of a substance is due to the effect of an allergy to the item the person is touching. This simple method can be used to detect your allergens.

Acupuncture /Oriental Medicine
Yin-Yang theory from Oriental medical principles teaches the importance of maintaining homeostasis in the body. According to Oriental medical principles, “when the body is in perfect balance, no disease is possible.” Any disturbance in the homeostasis can cause disease. Any allergen capable of producing a weakening muscular effect in the body can cause disturbance in homeostasis. Hence, diseases can be prevented and cured by maintaining homeostasis. According to acupuncture theory, acupuncture and/or Acupressure at certain acupuncture points is capable of bringing the body to a state of homeostasis by removing the energy blockages from the energy pathways known as meridians. When the blockages are removed, energy can flow freely through the energy meridians, thus bringing the body in perfect balance.

Nutrition

You are what you eat! The secret to good health is achieved through right nutrition. What is right nutrition? And how do you get it? When you can eat nutritious foods without discomfort and assimilate their nutrients, that food is said to be the right food. When you get indigestion, bloating, or other digestive troubles upon eating the food, that food is not helping you function normally. This is due to an allergy to the food. Different foods react differently in different people. What is food for some may be poison for others. You've probably heard the expression, “one man’s meat is another man’s poison.” So it is very important to clear the allergy to the nutrients. Allergic people can tolerate food that is low in nutrition better than nutritious food. But upon clearing the allergy, you should try to eat more wholesome, nutritious foods. You should avoid refined, bleached food that is devoid of nutrients. Many people who are feeling poorly due to undiagnosed food allergies, may take vitamins or other supplements to increase their vitality after they get treated for the specific allergy. If they happen to be allergic to the nutritional supplements they are taking, this can actually make them feel worse. Only after clearing those allergies, can their bodies properly assimilate them. So nutritional assessment should be done periodically and if needed, appropriate supplements should be taken to receive faster results.

Disclaimer
NAET does NOT claim to cure allergies or food, chemical and environmental sensitivities. NAET does not support the use of lasers in lieu of acupressure and acupuncture modalities. Do-it-yourself, at-home type kits can be extremely dangerous or harmful. Laser devices to treat allergies are currently being investigated by the FDA for inappropriate activities and claims. NAET is not responsible for any damage that is done by the use of such devices attempting to mimic NAET techniques. Any and all allergy treatment must be supervised by an approved and licensed health professional. Practitioners and programs that use words such as “distance treatments”, “JMT”, “BioSet”, “ByeBye Allergies”, “Berg technique”, “Advanced Allergy Elimination Technique”, “Allergy Pathways”, “Allergy Elimination Technique”, “the allergy kit”, and “A/SERT” do not perform Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) and are not sanctioned by NAET. NAET cannot be held responsible for any harm that may come from receiving such treatments or techniques that mimic or try to copy NAET.

The Joy of Almonds

Want a healthy snack - add almonds to your diet! Recent studies suggest eating just an ounce of almonds a day - about 23 nuts -can help people with type 2 diabetes maintain lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Almonds appear to help control weight and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Some people avoid nuts because they contain fat. But it's mostly unsaturated fate - the "good" fat that's
linked to lower levels of heart disease. Almonds contain 3.5 grams of fiber, 13 grams of unsaturated (good) fat per one ounce serving. They are also rich in vitamin E, as well as potassium and mangnesium, which are essential for a healthy heart and blood pressure.

Eat almonds raw (unsalted), or try almond butter on a piece of whole grain toast. Be sure to buy a brand without sugar (I like buying mine freshly ground). You can also soak them overnight so they just barely start to sprout for added health benefits.

Walnuts run a close second to almonds in health benefits. They're also packed with vitamin E, potassium and magnesium, and omega-3 fats that can prevent or even reverse hardening of the arteries. Just a quarter-cup of walnuts provides almost 95 percent of your daily omega-3 needs. Try them raw or sprinkled on salads.