Dehydration signs and symptoms

In the summer time we tend to burn the candle at both ends.   Everyone is trying to get as much fun and recreation in as possible that we sometimes forget to take care of ourselves.  Dehydration is something that most everyone suffers from on a regular basis.

Symptoms

Mild to moderate dehydration is likely to cause:

Dry, sticky mouth

Sleepiness or tiredness — children are likely to be less active than usual

Thirst

Decreased urine output — fewer than six wet diapers a day for infants and eight hours or more without urination for older children and teens

Few or no tears when crying

Muscle weakness

Headache

Dizziness or lightheadedness

Severe dehydration, a medical emergency, can cause:

Extreme fussiness or sleepiness in infants and children; irritability and confusion in adults

Extreme Thirst

Very dry mouth, skin and mucous membranes

Lack of sweating

Little or no urination — any urine that is produced will be dark yellow or amber

Sunken eyes

Shriveled and dry skin that lacks elasticity and doesn't "bounce back" when pinched into a fold

In infants, sunken fontanels — the soft spots on the top of a baby's head

Low blood pressure

Rapid heartbeat

Fever

In the most serious cases, delirium or unconsciousness

Unfortunately, thirst isn't always a reliable gauge of the body's need for water, especially in children and older adults. A better barometer is the color of your urine: clear or light-colored urine means you're well hydrated, whereas a dark yellow or amber color usually signals dehydration.  In order to maintain hydration you should drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water, juice or decaffeinated tea.  Caffeine will dehydrate you further and hydration drinks are full of sugar….read labels!!  If you are lethargic or suffer from tension type headaches try hydrating you may surprise yourself, it very well could be dehydration….Here’s to hydrating!! 

probiotics and prebiotics

PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS

I am a true believer in the use of probiotics.  When you become educated about the benefits of probiotics one could be considered a fool for not doing some sort of supplementation.  I also am a believer that we should try to get all our nutrients from foods and not to do a ton of supplementation.  Unfortunately, we don't live in a world that is conducive to that type of thinking.....some things need to be supplemented for the pure fact that without it our health can be effected.

Probiotic and prebiotic foods and supplements enhance the growth of healthy microorganisms in your body. The idea of using bacteria to improve human health has been around since the early 1900s, but the general public did not fully embrace the concept until recently. Today, probiotic and prebiotic products are used widely, most often in the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal conditions.

Good Bacteria

Your body contains billions of bacteria that help you stay healthy. The largest population of bacteria can be found in your intestines. These beneficial bacteria help you digest food, and without them you could not obtain vitamin K from your food. If the community of bacteria in your intestines is disrupted you may experience digestive difficulties and gastrointestinal symptoms. In order to re-establish healthy intestinal bacteria you can take probiotic or prebiotic supplements.

Probiotics

Probiotics are live microorganisms that can positively impact your health, according to the World Health Organization. Microorganisms are tiny animals made of a single cell. While most probiotics are bacteria, there are also strains of yeast that benefit your body. You can find probiotics in many food products, including fermented dairy and soy products. Probiotics can also be purchased in supplement form. The bacteria and yeast in probiotic products are well-studied strains that have been specially prepared to survive the journey through the stomach into the intestines where they can grow.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are substances that encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria—you can think of prebiotics as food for probiotics and the healthy bacteria in your system. Whereas probiotics are living microorganisms, prebiotics are non-living. Most prebiotics are carbohydrates that the human body cannot digest but which make excellent food sources for beneficial bacteria. Prebiotics can encourage the growth of beneficial bacteria already living in the body and also aid in the growth and maintenance of probiotics.

Synbiotics

The combination of probiotic and prebiotic therapies is referred to as synbiotics. The strategy of combining a probiotic with its preferred nutrient may allow for probiotics to stay present in your body for longer, according to a May 1999 article in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Synbiotic therapies are relatively new and are the focus of many studies to determine their efficacy.

Benefits

Probiotics and prebiotics have similar health benefits because they both accomplish the goal of increasing the population of healthy bacteria and yeast in your body. Healthy bacteria can form a protective shield in your digestive tract that prevents harmful bacteria and viruses from infecting your body.   The presence of healthy bacteria can also keep your immune system "primed" and ready to respond to a threat. Probiotics and prebiotics are particularly useful in replenishing healthy bacteria communities after a disruption such as an infection or antibiotic use.  Everyone can benefit from probiotics.  It is a supplement that i take regularly and recommend people to take also.

Natural Summer Survival Kit

It's finally here!  Summer has arrived and it's time to get the most from the 3-4 months of outdoor living.  People always ask me for natural alternatives to substitute for more toxic products. There are certain things I personally can't live without and know first hand help lessen the discomfort from typical ailments one may run across during this season.  As always if you have any further questions don't hesitate to contact me.

1. Burn Aide Spray.  This product is a MUST HAVE in everybody's natural medicine cabinet.  Lavender Essential Oil works well on burns also but, this product provides rapid relief of burn symptoms, without the toxic effects of local anesthetics, using the ancient knowledge of several cultures.  This formula heals the nerve endings and gives relief from inflammatory pain.  It is effective on burns, scalds, sunburns and burn pain.  
2. Cortsym Gel.  If more people understood the science behind your typical cortisone cream you may think twice about using it.  Sure it provides "relief" from itching but at what cost?  Cortsym Gel has a similar if not superior anti-inflammatory effect to cortisone.  It is a greaseless and odorless homeopathic gel that will not stain clothing nor produce stinging or pain on application.  It relieves itchy skin irritations; inflammation and rashes due to eczema, dermatitis, insect bites, poison ivy,oak and sumac, soaps, detergents, cosmetics and jewelry.
3. Trauma Gel.  If your active and/or have kids Trauma Gel is a no brainer.  It is a homeopathic topical gel that stimulates your body's own healing mechanisms when bruised.  It is greaseless and odorless product that won't sting or stain.  It aids in the quick relief of bumps, bruises, abrasions,strains, sprains and fractures(the bruising and swelling one incurs from having a fracture....it doesn't heal the fracture itself).  Amplify your body's own healing abilities.
4. Sovereign Silver First aid gel.  This product has replaced antibiotic ointment (bacetracin,mycetracin) in my medicine cabinet.  It's awesome for any bacterial skin issue.....cut's scrapes and the like.  When my daughter fell rollerblading and tore up her knees we used the first aid gel and trauma gel....Healed up with no scars and instantly felt better.
5. Allertone.  This is a homeopathic and is taken sub-ligual (under the tongue).  First off, if you are a person who has Allergies and can't go a day without your allergy meds/inhalers you need to call me and discuss the options for allergy desensitization.  I use Allertone when I am outside for a while and am affected by the pollens in the air or when I go to that one friends house who thinks dusting is a punishment.  I have many patients who have major allergies who have opted to use Allertone instead of there regular allergy meds because of the side effects they suffer from them. 
6. Buzz Off!.  This product works well to keep bugs at bay at sporting events, sitting on my patio etc....Do I recommend this for camping in the deep woods? No but for general daily use it's a great product to have.  It's ingredients are minimal but effective: West Indian Lemongrass and Citronella Essential Oil.

This is what I consider the top 6 things to survive summer naturally!  You can purchase any of these product at our Lakeville office.  If you have further questions about natural health care please don't hesitate to contact me.
Here's to a safe, happy and enjoyable summer!

Generation RX

The landscape of childhood has changed.  No longer are our children guaranteed a childhood free from diabetes, obesity or food allergies.

From the escalating rates of childhood cancers, to the increasing diagnoses for conditions like autism and ADHD/ADD, the landscape of childhood has changed, earning our children the title "Generation RX".  They are the first generation of kids expected to have a shorter life span than their parents.

According to the CDC, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15.  The journal Pediatrics has reported that 15% of American girls are expected to begin puberty by the age of 7( with the number closer to 25% for African American girls) and a growing number of American children struggle with obesity.  On top of that, the rate for having food allergies is 59% higher for obese children, with the CDC reporting a 265% increase in hospitalizations related to food allergic reactions.  And while not all of those hospitalizations are for our children, what is becoming increasingly obvious is that the health of our children is under siege.

U.S. born children have a 34.5 percent chance of developing asthma, hay fever, eczema and food allergies, compared with just 20.3 percent of foreign-born children.  In addition, children born outside the U.S. but then moved here were more likely to develop allergies the longer they lived in the country.

After I read the above I was appalled!  We are the greatest country in the world.....REALLY?  Because we want to make everything so convenient we don't care about the effects of eating terribly has on us or our kids.  I understand it's easier to rip open a bag of crap to eat or microwave something.  But, literally we are slowly killing ourselves and most of us are suffering everyday from the effects of eating poorly.  You wouldn't DARE put diesel fuel in your car that runs on gasoline but have no problem feeding ourselves and our loved ones chemically altered/treated....sugar laden foods.  As a parent, I  made the decision in my house to not buy food that doesn't fuel my body properly.  I had to deal with the "We have no food" for a few months.  Every time I heard that I would offer up healthy alternatives to fuel their body with.  We had food just not what they were used to.  It took a while for everyone's sugar tooth to calm down but, we all noticed weight loss, more energy and less issues(headaches, tummy troubles, brain fog).  If they balked....they weren't that hungry. I still eat sugar just in moderation and make sure that when I am stopping to fuel my body it's with something that is good for me. 

My advice....make changes slow!  Have a game plan.....cut things out slowly and be ready to find new things that satisfy you and your family.  If you "fall off the wagon"....who cares, hop back on.  Don't make things difficult....acknowledge that you slipped up and make a better choice the next time.  We need to make lifelong changes! 

What is candida?

Candida is a natural and beneficial yeast cell that lives in the intestinal tract.  It is kept in balance by beneficial bacteria that also live there.  But something happens in us that changes this natural helper.  The beneficial bacteria is easily killed off today by our modern lifestyles changes.  Fungal yeast, when set free from the flora that normally keeps it in check, actually changes form or "morphs" to create a more aggressive, harmful type of fungal cell and develops long, burrowing legs.  Without bacterial balance this Candida yeast grows in our intestines.  This new yeast cell is able to move throughout the body, actually burrowing through the intestinal wall.  It clogs systems, gets into organs, causes Candida yeast infections from reproductive organs to anywhere on the skin but more often in moist areas.  It can even cause fungal sinus infections that cannot be helped by antibiotics.

There is evidence that fungus is one of nature's tools to eliminate toxic buildups in the environment.  There is speculation that with the growing amount of toxins in the modern human body (mercury being one of the main ones) that our normally benign fungus morphs into this new form and multiplies itself in order to attack the heavy metals and toxins that have accumulated in us.  This is a common view held by Naturopathic doctors.

People have complained about having Candida yeast infections in their ears, in there eyes and even on their scalps-making their hair fall out!  When Candida presents in the mouth and on the tongue it's called thrush.

How can this Candida yeast be so active?  The fungal yeast cells in your body ingest sugars and carbs you eat and then these same yeast cells eliminate alcohols and expel a large variety of poisons called mycotoxins(myco means fungal; toxins means poisons.)  These Candida toxins create problems of their own throughout our bodies--slowly poisoning us in varied and unique ways according to our individual vulnerabilities and lifestyle choices.

I am going to list a few of the more common health issues people suffer from and find relief after dealing with the issue naturally. 

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Digestive issues
• Allergy issues
• Behavior issues(ADD/ADHD)
• Spaced out feeling
• Eczema/Psoriasis

I always say a phone call is free.....don't hesitate to contact me if you would like more information about Natural Health.  Happy Spring!

Backyard medicine

I can remember as a little girl going on a field trip to a nature center and ate dandelion salad.  I remember thinking yuck it's a weed that my dad puts chemicals on to kill it.  But it sparked a curiosity in me.  I didn't realize the medicinal properties of the dandelion until I started on my journey.  Dandelion is a wonderful food as well as a beneficial medicine.  It supports overall health by gently working to improve the functioning of the liver, gallbladder, and urinary and digestive systems.  It is excellent for cleansing the skin.  Next time you remove dandelions from your garden or lawn, turn them into medicine instead of throwing them away.  Please make sure the dandelions you are using have not been treated with any chemicals or come from a place where chemical fertilizers are used.  Dandelion is high in minerals, especially potassium, and vitamins A, B, C and D.  The young leaves boiled up into a tea or eaten fresh in salads are detoxifiers, clearing blood and lymph by increasing elimination through the kidneys and bowels.  This in turn benefits overall health.  You can make a simple tincture for home use with vodka or you can make an infused oil. So this spring you may want to try a dandelion tea or make a tincture/infused oil to help with overall health.  As always if you have any further thoughts or questions don't hesitate to contact me!  Becky

Why I turned to Alternative Medicine

I am excited to share health and wellness with those who are interested.  I began my journey in 2000 when I was suffering from chronic sinusitis and IBS(Irritable Bowel Syndrome) issues.  I consulted with my chiropractor who had an EDS system and my life was changed!  I am proud to say I have had 1 sinus infection since then and I no longer suffer from IBS issues.  My problem was not only my diet but I had a systemic candida issue in my body.  We all have candida that lives naturally in our body but, diet(sugars) and antibiotics created the perfect storm in my body.  I didn't realize every time I took an antibiotic for my sinus issues it was making things worse and not to mention my diet....high in sugars and processed foods.....which your body craves to feed the candida. I finally decided there had to be something else.  I found that something else.....Eastern Medicine!  I look forward to using this blog as a way for me to spread the word on Alternative Medicine and what I have learned over the years.