Red clover, a common perennial herb that grows wild in meadows through much of the world, is in the legume family, just as beans, peas and peanuts are. Its Latin name, Trifolium pretense, means “three leaves, found in the meadow”. Red clover is well-known by organic farmers as a cover crop, ideal for fixing nitrogen to increase soil fertility. Some of its other common names are purple clover, cow clover, meadow clover and wild clover.

There are hundreds of species, and many are grown for feeding livestock, but red clover is believed to be of great medicinal value. The flowering tops, on the one day when they are at the peak of perfection, are harvested for use in tinctures, teas, capsules and body care products. Because red clover, once dried, easily loses its medicinal value, it is important to choose products carefully so that we may enjoy their numerous benefits.

Red clover is considered to be a powerful alterative, meaning that it’s a remedy that restores good health. Well known for its ability to cleanse and purify the blood, red clover is believed to help prevent some of the plaque deposits that can lead to heart attacks or stroke, improving circulation and overall cardiovascular health.

Assisting the liver with the detoxification process, red clover has been reputed as a safe and useful remedy for a variety of health complaints associated with the liver or ‘dirty blood’. Over the last several centuries, one of red clover’s primary uses has been for dermal inflammations, including childhood and adult eczema, psoriasis, dandruff and various rashes. Red clover would often be added to the tea pot for daily consumption and detoxification when symptoms arose. Ointments or salves containing red clover would be applied topically to the affected area. More recently, red clover has been useful for teen, cystic or hormonally-activated acne.

Red clover is considered to be an excellent antispasmodic, meaning that it helps to relieve mild cramping or muscle spasm and it works as an expectorant, helping clear lungs of phlegm and toxins. Traditional health practitioners have used it as part of a program to calm bronchial spasms and coughs associated with the common cold, as well as some serious respiratory problems, including whooping cough, bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia.

Red clover is high in numerous nutrients, including the B vitamins, niacin (B3) and thiamine (B1); vitamin C; and several minerals, including calcium, chromium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Nutritionally, red clover is most well known as a very rich source of isoflavones, a group of compounds found in many plants. These phyto-chemicals, also found in soy, look similar to the female hormone estrogen.

Red clover is often used in herbal formulations to help girls and young women with cramping, moodiness and breast tenderness associated with PMS. Red clover has become popular for helping women with menopause and peri-menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. It is used by women of all ages to help protect the breasts and improve hormonal health.

There is a lot of confusion in the media and on health websites about how phyto-estrogens, such as isoflavones, work. When plant-based chemical compounds are naturally occurring in an herb such as red clover, these hormone-balancing little gems simply fill some of the estrogen receptors within the body. When isoflavones have been chemically isolated away from the complexity of the plant, they lose the checks and balances of the whole, natural, full-spectrum herb. They can then act more like hormone-replacement medications, providing potential results but with greater possibility for side-effects. Red clover in its whole form such as herbal tea or tincture has not been associated with any side effects.

Red clover has been used for cysts, cancerous tumors, and other growths in Europe, Asia and the Americas for centuries. Early test tube research shows that it may stop cancer cell growth or kill cancer cells altogether. Human research shows promising evidence that red clover interferes with the progression of endometrial cancer (the lining of the uterus) and may block enzymes believed to contribute to prostate cancer in men. Another study showed that red clover also may slow the development of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland.

Red clover has been a key ingredient in traditional remedies used by Ojibway and other native tribal healers. It has been an important part of several detoxifying herbal preparations in the past hundred years, as well. Rene Caisse, a nurse in the 1920’s in Canada, opened a cancer clinic using a formulation containing red clover. A portion of her formula is now marketed as Essiac, and for decades these herbs have been used to help people and their pets  with various types and stages of cancer and other blood disorders.

Also in the early 1900’s, the Hoxsey formula was used in 17 cancer clinics throughout Texas and the US. An excellent book called “When Healing Becomes a Crime” was written by Kenny Ausubel about Harry Hoxsey and his experiences with herbal and alternative cancer protocols.

The Eclectic doctors in the 1800’s used red clover often. A fomentation (hot, moist herbal compress), salve, liniment, infused oil, or poultice made with red clover and other cleansing herbs was applied topically to help reduce growths.

You’ll find several excellent red clover products available in the Wellness department and the tea aisle of your local co-op or health food store. Look for Herb Pharm’s tincture of red clover, as well as their wonderful detoxification formula, Red Clover – Stillingia Compound, for a daily or occassional blood purifying effect. And at least twice a year, we should all participate in a more therapeutic cleansing program, which might include one of my other favorite red clover products, such as:

• the detoxification formula called Flor-Essence Herbal Tea Blend, which is based on the original Ojibway formula passed along to Rene Caisse, offered in liquid or dry herb tea,

• Eclectic Institute’s Blood Support, which combines freeze-dried burdock with red clover, yellow dock, nettles and dandelion root to support liver and blood detoxification,

• Eclectic Institute also has a straight-up freeze-dried red clover. I prefer the combinations above, but this is an excellent choice for those who are looking for a high quality red clover capsule.

Happy cleansing on your path to wellness.

More than 600,000 people experience a stroke in the US every year. A stroke, when the blood to the brain is interrupted, can cause a wide variety of symptoms with mild to debilitating side effects for survivors. Mild symptoms after a stroke might include numbness, muscle weakness, either a partial or totally altered sense of smell, taste, hearing, or vision, drooping of the eyelid or weakness of the eye muscles. Serious symptoms can involve the ability to speak, understand language or walk; frequent confusion, poor memory recollection and equilibrium problems.

Rehabilitation can take months or years, and a full recovery may never be complete. Physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech and language therapy may be necessary for the individual’s recuperation process. Since nearly half of post stroke patients are believed to experience depression, antidepressant medications are often indicated. The road to wellness can be a long and arduous road for the patient and their family members. But, with a little help from nature, we may be able to speed recovery and feel better sooner.

Eating fish high in the omega 3 fatty acids is believed to help prevent heart disease and stroke. It may also be helpful for recovery after a stroke, as well, but the focus of most of the research has been on the reducing risk of stroke. There are a significant number of studies supporting the use of fish oils for cardiovascular health. Researchers at Northwestern University have reported that omega-3 fatty acids may help to prevent stroke by lowering blood pressure and LDL cholesterol.

There are several excellent herbs and supplements that are believed to support an acceleration of the healing process after a mild or even a serious stroke. Centuries of use for sustaining or regaining brain and nerve health, they may be helpful for recovering after a stroke has occurred.

St. John’s Wort has received considerable attention for its ability to support those with mild to moderate depression. Over the past twelve hundred years or so, St John’s wort has been used to support nerve health and repair damage, including some of the types of symptoms one might experience after a stroke. Rubbing St. John’s Wort Oil onto the affected regions of the body, such as the face, hands, feet, etc could help to speed recovery.

For St John’s wort taken orally, only an organic product should be chosen for optimal results. Some of the best forms used over the centuries are:
Tea (be sure to place a lid over the cup while it steeps for a full 15 min. Traditional use of tea for medicinal use usually called for 4 cups sipped throughout the day.)
Tincture (Herb Pharm, Gaia Herbs and Avena Botanicals are excellent brands.)
Gaia produces a superb St. Johns Wort extract in capsule form. Potent and very convenient.
Dried herb is considered milder in action than a good extract, but more recently has been used in capsule and tablet form.

Several years ago, a woman named Carla came to me for help for her husband. He was in his mid-30’s when he had a stroke and four years later, his right side still had issues of neuralgia, and the right side of his face still drooped considerably. This caused slurred speech and blurred vision. Her husband had become somewhat of a recluse, as he did not like dropping things, needing so much assistance, the stares as he limped and the constant repeating of words and phrases when folks couldn’t understand him. As a result, he hadn’t left their home in more than two years.

We spoke of nutritional foods to support his weakened body. We also thought that he would be wise to do a cleanse when he felt strong enough, since he had needed numerous medications during his recovery. To support nerve health, I taught Carla about the history of use of St John’s wort. She thought that her husband would enjoy taking a tea, but would likely reject the tincture or capsules. She decided to add the tincture to his tea.

Four days after our meeting, I received a call from Carla. Her husband loved the tea and had been drinking about six cups each day. She had added only a small amount of tincture to each cup. I could hear elation in her voice. She blurted out, “Cindy, I can’t believe it! He’s all better!” She went on, “I finally told him this morning that I had met with you and that you had told me about the tea. He said that he wants to drink St John’s wort tea every morning forever! Is that safe?”
“Yes, yes.” I replied. “I think so! I am so glad to hear he is better. It’s great to hear!”
“I think I will continue with the tincture until the bottle is gone. Will that be OK?” she asked.
“I bet it will. Please stay in touch, and let me know if he continues to feel ‘ back to normal’,” I requested.

You will never hear me suggest a ‘standardized extract’, the herbal products produced and promoted by the pharmaceutical industry as having specific quantities of the phytonutrients that some chemists believe to be the ‘active’ ingredients. These products are nearly always extracted with chemical solvents, leaving a small amount of those solvents behind in the herbs. I’m fairly certain that we don’t need a bit of dry cleaning fluid, nail polish remover or other chemical solvents in the herbal products we choose to help heal ourselves.

Lion’s Mane is a powerful medicinal fungus that recent research has shown may help regenerate seriously damaged brain and/or nervous system cells. This early research shows that even when cells are considered dead or permanently damaged, Lion’s mane may indeed work to restore the integrity of the cell by stimulating the production of Nerve Growth Factor. For a high quality product, please check out Fungi Perfecti.

Mental Clarity from New Chapter’s Mycomedicinals line, is formulated by the world renowned mycologist, Paul Stamets. Made predominantly from certified organic Lion’s mane, it also has Cordyceps, Reishi and other mushrooms to support nerve and brain health.

Hawthorn leaf, flower and berry support the entire cardiovascular system. Traditional uses of hawthorn include high or low blood pressure, arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), angina (heart pain), blood circulation and heart failure.

Flora has produced a fantastic Hawthorn Heart Formula, a delicious liquid that supports the entire cardiovascular system. If you prefer capsules, Gaia makes a potent organic product called Hawthorn Supreme/a>. Gaia also produces a Hawthorn Berry Solid Extract, easily added to warm water for a tasty beverage.

Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, ubiquinone, ubidecarenone, is a substance similar to a vitamin and is present in all human cells. It is responsible for the production of energy within each human cell. It is estimated that 95% of all our body’s energy requirements (ATP) is converted by the mitochondria with the aid of CoQ10. This means that organs that require a significant amount of energy such as the heart, lungs and liverNew Chapter CoQ10+ Food Complex have the highest concentrations of CoQ10.

The only CoQ10 supplement on the market that contains real, complex whole food is the New Chapter CoQ10+ Food Complex. A leading antioxidant researcher has found the CoQ10+ Food Complex to be 20 times (that’s 2000%!) greater antioxidant activity than other CoQ10 products on the market. Another testimony to the power and wisdom of nature. I would only use this superb product rather than a synthetic form or a chemically isolated form, which is what we get in every other product on the market, regardless of the delivery system that they use or marketing concepts used in their advertising.

Reishi is a mushroom used for good health, vitality and longevity for more than four thousand years. Composed primarily of polysaccharides, triterpeniods, proteins and amino acids, researchers have found Reishi to have anti-tumor, immune and blood pressure modulating effects. Look for potent, certified organic Reishi in liquid or capsules from New Chapter or Fungi Perfecti.

It can be a long road to recovery for both the person who suffered a stroke, as well as their family and support team. With a little help from Earth Mother, maybe that road can be a little easier.

Menu Foods, manufacturers of more than 40 brands of cat and dog foods, is believed to have caused kidney failure in hundreds of beloved pets across the country. Sixty million cans of these pet foods have been found to contain the poison thus far. There are likely many, many more pets whose health has been put in jeopardy from the consumption of these tainted pet foods.

This news makes me feel even more thankful that I make my dog’s wholesome organic food and purchase an organic brand of pet food for use when I travel. My little old lady pup is not in jeopardy from this tragic national scare, and my heart goes out to all those pet people who have lost their precious loved ones and those now living with the fear that their beloved four-legged may be next.

But do you know that rat poison is the key ingredient in some of the most popular cholesterol and blood thinning medications, too? Welcome to just one of the frightening realities of the pharmaceutical industry.

Warfarin was developed as a rat poison in 1948. In 1951, a man attempted suicide by consuming this rodent killing toxic chemical. Instead of dying, he became healthier, according to doctors. This prompted research into whether this chemical compound could be marketed as a medication. In 1954, Warfarin was approved as a blood thinning medication. Also used for cholesterol reduction, it has been marketed under the names; Coumadin, Jantoven, Marevan and Waran.

The side effects of these medications are numerous. They can weaken muscles, and since the heart happens to be a very important muscle, the one that these medications are supposedly there to protect, it may be more prudent to learn to detoxify the liver, blood, colon and other organs and tissues regularly so that we won’t need to be given a prescription for a questionable drug the next time we visit the doctor’s office.

One of the best selling pharmaceutical drugs on the market, prescribed for high cholesterol concerns, tells us in their ads that bad cholesterol comes from two sources; our family and our food. This is not entirely correct, however.

Genetics is not shown to pass along high cholesterol. In fact, until the 1930’s and ’40’s, high cholesterol is believed to not have actually existed. Research shows that people did not get high ‘bad’ cholesterol and low ‘good’ cholesterol before the 1930’s. And we know that our American and North European ancestors before that time consumed plenty of butter, milk, cream, meats (all locally raised), lard and other foods we’ve been told for decades to stay away from.

By the late 1940’s, cardiovascular disease had become the number one cause of death in the US. What changed? What can we do to prevent cholesterol problems and heart disease today without risking the serious side effects associated with cholesterol drugs?

Genetics do show that a propensity for cholesterol concerns may indeed run in the family in more recent generations. But the real problem may actually be that poor eating and lifestyle habits tend to run in families. When a person with the genetic propensity for heart disease and cholesterol concerns makes changes to their dietary and lifestyle patterns, their health follows suit.

The food that we consume certainly plays a roll in all issues regarding our health. The information that we have been given in the past several decades about which foods contribute to high cholesterol is far from correct and truthful, however. One of the largest studies in medical history, the Framingham Heart Study, has been conducted from 1948 to the present, and was designed to see which biologic and environmental factors might help prevent the rapidly growing problem of heart disease. The researchers found that there was a relationship between high levels of serum cholesterol and heart attacks.

Since foods like butter, eggs, steak and heavy cream were shown to contain significant amounts of cholesterol; they were immediately targeted as the culprits. But the Framingham Study showed quite a different correlation.

The study unequivocally showed that those participants that ate more of those foods; butter, cheeses and eggs, etc, actually had lower LDL, the ‘bad’ cholesterol and higher HDL, the ‘good’ cholesterol, and those who ate more margarine, refined vegetable oils, etc. had exactly the opposite!

It was then believed that it may not actually be the amount of cholesterol found in the foods that is our problem, since we’ve learned that the liver produces the majority of cholesterol in the body (about 4 times more than we eat); but the level of saturated fat that the foods contained. Saturated fat became the bad guy to stay away from. But, as the results of various studies came in, this wasn’t adding up, either.

A great example of this is shown in those people from tropical regions who consume high amounts of coconut or palm oil, both highly saturated fats. There has been little or no cholesterol issue for people in most of these regions until refined vegetable oils are introduced. Recent research has shown that some of the Caribbean countries where many refined foods including vegetable oils are now consumed have similar cholesterol problems as in the US.

Dr. Mary G. Enig, author of Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol, states that “… a study in 1981 showed that islanders with high intakes of coconut oil showed ‘no evidence of the high saturated fat intake having a harmful effect in these populations’. When these groups migrated to New Zealand, however, and lowered their intake of coconut oil, their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol increased, and their HDL cholesterol decreased.”

Once again, it seems that the real culprit is highly refined ‘junk’ food. When man alters nature to increase profits, in this case through providing longer shelf life so that we may purchase cases of packaged foods or gallons of liquids, etc at a time, and leave it on a shelf for months or years, our health suffers as those profits soar.

Twelve million Americans currently take cholesterol lowering prescription medications, and the drug companies claim that there should be 23 million more taking these expensive drugs. The way many cholesterol medications, called statins, work is by blocking the body’s cholesterol production in the liver.

Statin drugs have a significant list of potential side effects, including the following:

weakening and damaging muscles (and what is the muscle we are attempting to protect- the heart!),
disrupt and reduce our energy production,
exhaust the adrenal glands,
interrupt the body’s ability to synthesize vitamin D,
damage to the kidneys,
provoke cardiomyopathy, (where the heart muscle becomes inflamed, reducing function),
block co-enzyme Q10 production (necessary for all cells, and most important to heart cells),
increased risk of various forms of cancer, and
numerous interactions with various other drugs, both over-the-counter and prescription.

Other less common potential side effects include:

suicide,
depression, and
brain damage.

Although the drug companies say that there is a very low chance of experiencing any of these side effects, I have met dozens of people who have had one or more serious health concerns related to statin drugs. One gentleman who came to the herbal pharmacy where I was an herbalist on staff was no longer able to grip a pen to sign a check or credit card receipt. He reported that his doctor had determined that it was due to the statin drugs that he had taken for several years. Why would we jeopardize our heart muscle in this way?

Diet and exercise are always recommended to be used in conjunction with cholesterol medication. The funny thing is that proper diet and daily exercise is almost always enough to keep cholesterol levels in a healthy range (unless we are overweight). The problem may indeed be that few people know how to eat properly and how much exercise to get anymore. There is so much confusion about what’s really healthy and what’s not.

Too many people with weight concerns still have heart issues even when their cholesterol levels are modified with medication. We need to get off the couch and exercise every day. Not once a week, not two or three times a week; but every single day. Every aspect of health is optimized with daily exercise, and probably none more than heart health. And those of us who are overweight, need to lose that excess weight to be truly healthy!

Have you heard…? Cholesterol is no longer considered a good indicator for heart disease. Statistics show that about 50% of all people who have high cholesterol and lower it to the normal range will still have a cardiovascular episode. And, approximately 50% of all people who have a cardiovascular episode didn’t have a high cholesterol problem.

What recent research shows is that excess inflammation of the circulatory system is present in virtually 100% of those who experience heart disease and a cardiovascular event. The test for measuring this excess inflammation is called the C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test. Excess inflammation is believed to be the most reliable measurement for predicting heart disease or a cardiovascular episode. More doctors need to focus on these very important facts to protect our heart health.

Now I’m sure I have read more than 100 articles about the importance of reducing cholesterol in the past twenty years, but there’s one thing I’ve never seen any of those articles mention that seems to be very important for all of us to understand. Cholesterol is crucial for optimal health.

The body needs cholesterol for dozens of functions including:

Converting our exposure to sunlight into vitamin D,
Energy production,
The brain uses cholesterol for optimal functioning,
The nervous system and spinal cord use plenty of cholesterol when working optimally,
Every cell in the healthy body contains and uses cholesterol,
Bile salts, used to properly break down fats for use in the cells, are produced with cholesterol, and
Sex organs need cholesterol for proper performance.

Why would we choose to stop the liver from producing such an important substance for the body’s optimal health and performance?

Looking at cholesterol concerns from a holistic point of view is very different from the way modern allopathic medicine does. Liver and colon health are extremely important for healthy cholesterol numbers. The liver produces much of the cholesterol found in the blood, and the liver is responsible for slating excess cholesterol to be eliminated from the body. Excess cholesterol is sent to the intestinal tract for elimination, but since most Americans have poor digestion, suffering from either constipation or an issue with Irritable Bowel (IBS), elimination of this excess cholesterol is compromised. Through the leaky gut condition (which usually accompanies constipation and IBS), the cholesterol becomes reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Detoxification (and repair of the leaky gut) is an important step in eliminating these concerns and maintaining healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Supportive herbs and supplements for daily detoxification can help the liver and colon function more efficiently. Please read: Daily Detoxification, posted to this site on January 31, 2007.

Turmeric, a spicy herb from the Indian subcontinent, has gotten significant praise in the last few years for its effect on excess inflammation and detoxification of the liver, blood and cells. According to the very excellent University of Maryland Medical Center website:

”Early studies suggest that turmeric may prove helpful in preventing the build up of atherosclerosis (blockage of arteries that can eventually cause a heart attack or stroke) in one of two ways. First, in animal studies an extract of turmeric lowered cholesterol levels and inhibited the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Oxidized LDL deposits in the walls of blood vessels and contributes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. Turmeric may also prevent platelet build up along the walls of an injured blood vessel. Platelets collecting at the site of a damaged blood vessel cause blood clots to form and blockage of the artery as well. Studies of the use of turmeric to prevent or treat heart disease in people would be interesting in terms of determining if these mechanisms discovered in animals apply to people at risk for this condition.”

As I always remind readers, quality is of utmost importance. When it comes to Turmeric, most of the products on the US market are extracted with potentially harmful chemical solvents. The clue to this is on the back panel. If a Turmeric product says that it contains 95% curcumin (or curcuminoids), it’s a chemical extract every time. This is because the Turmeric root usually contains 5-7% mixed curcuminoids, and it may naturally be up to 11% or so when grown organically or biodynamically). Some of the best Turmeric products include Turmericforce from New Chapter and tinctures from Gaia Herbs or Herb Pharm. Another potent product produced by Thera Veda, and formulated by a fourth generation Ayurvedic doctor to support cardiovascular health is called Narsimha Heart/Cholesterol Support. This Ayurvedic herbal formula combines Turmeric, Guggul, Amrita and Fenugreek to assist the body with digestion, liver and circulatory health.

Cinnamon research for healthy cholesterol numbers is getting a lot of attention recently. Consuming just one gram (one half teaspoon) of cinnamon daily is shown to support the body in lowering the bad LDL cholesterol (7-27%), and total cholesterol (12-26%) levels. Now, don’t think that old, tired cinnamon that’s been sitting in your cupboard for the past ten years is going to provide you with the same sorts of results. If you’re interested in health benefits, please go buy some fresher, organic cinnamon and add it to your oatmeal, apple juice, or pumpkin soup. If you prefer a capsule, you may want to try Oregon’s Wild Harvest or Cinnamonforce by New Chapter.

Garlic is the most well researched herb on Earth. Garlic is highly regarded for its ability to support heart health, detoxify the blood, help the body to achieve healthy cholesterol numbers and improve the immune system’s ability to ward off pathogens. If you prefer to eat your garlic to support your cholesterol numbers and heart health, buy organic (of course) and be sure to whack it with the side of the knife. This activates the allicins, the part found to be medicinal. Research has shown that simply chopping or putting it through the garlic press does not thoroughly activate those allicins, so whack it first and then chop or press it for best results! Whether cooked or raw, we receive much of the health benefits from garlic.

Now, most of the garlic products on the US market are called ‘deodorized’ or ‘odor free’ or the like. It is estimated by those who research garlic that as much as 95% of the medicinal value of garlic is in the stinky oils. And, even when odorless, garlic is shown in research to provide some health benefits, so imagine how much more we are likely to get when we use a broad spectrum product with all those allicins activated! Try the Garlicforce by New Chapter for what is likely to be the most potent garlic in capsule form anywhere on Earth.

Cayenne, Burdock root, Dandelion root, Yellow dock and Red clover are some of the other herbs known to support healthy cholesterol numbers. What do all of these herbs have in common? They’re all powerful herbs to help the body cleanse and purify the liver and blood. Makes sense, right? As always, be sure to purchase certified organic herbal products from a reputable company.

For a detailed report on cholesterol written by a brilliant and well researched medical doctor, please visit: Cholesterol is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease.

Obesity, linked with heart disease and cardiovascular related complications, is at an all time high. Why do 60 million of us have high blood pressure when there are so many well researched herbs and supplements for supporting heart health?

For decades we’ve been told to reduce our fat intake to prevent obesity and heart disease. No distinction was made between the ‘good fats’ and the ‘bad fats’. For a long while, all fat was grouped into one category as harmful for our health. Thank goodness that in the past decade, ‘good fats’ have become one of the hottest selling categories in the natural supplements industry.

It is true that it is of utmost importance to steer clear of the manmade trans fats when we desire a healthy heart. But the fatty acids needed by each and every cell within the human body are quite another story. Many of the necessary fats are manufactured within the human body. There are two types of fatty acids that must be consumed because the body is unable to manufacture them. These essential fatty acids (EFA’s) include the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Although the cardiovascular system uses several fatty acids, research shows that it is the omega 3 fats that are the most beneficial for supporting heart health.

The omega 3 fatty acids are found in cold water fish such as salmon, tuna (the dark meat) and swordfish, nuts and seeds, especially flax and hempseed. They have been recognized in recent years for their profound ability to help prevent heart disease and to support a person’s recovery after a cardiac event.

There are more than 6,000 scientific and clinical studies having been performed with omega 3 fats. They have been found to help the body reduce excess inflammation, a major component in heart disease. This is reflected in numerous studies which have shown that the omega 3 fatty acids support reduced triglyceride levels, help to inhibit aggressive platelet aggregation and reduce fibrinogen (which leads to plaque). Omega 3 fats have also been shown to support lower LDL, the ‘bad cholesterol’ and higher HDL, the ‘good cholesterol’, levels. More than sixty double blind clinical studies show that omega 3 fats help the body to normalize both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels.

And here, once again, I’ll mention that it is of utmost importance to choose high quality foods and supplements for optimal nutritional value. Wild salmon is very high in omega 3 fats. But these days, most of the salmon on the market is factory farmed. These farmed fish are found to be low in omega 3 fats, and they are dyed red (to make the flesh salmon pink) because they are like a white fish when they’re filleted. High quality fish oil supplements support the heart, brain, nervous system and liver. But poor quality products have been known to be rancid or contaminated with heavy metals. Don’t be fooled by that low price tag!

And a brief word on flax. If you want to support cardiovascular (and digestive) health, and you choose to eat flax, please buy organic to prevent consuming GMO’s, and buy whole flax seeds, either golden or brown, and grind them to order. A coffee bean grinder works perfectly, and is quite inexpensive to purchase. (Don’t use the same one that you grind your coffee with, though.) Flax, high in the omega 3’s, tends to go rancid very, very quickly, usually in 15-30 minutes. The ground flax meal found in stores usually contains rancid oils, which the body cannot use properly and they may even impede optimal health.

An important factor in the body’s ability to properly utilize the essential fatty acids is how well we are able to digest. If we tend toward poor digestion, experience acid reflux, constipation, IBS or have liver or gall bladder issues, we may not be able to properly break down, absorb and utilize those essential fats on a cellular level. This would indicate the necessity for the digestive enzyme, called lipase, which the body uses to break down fats in our intestines. Research has shown that, when we consume fish, flax or supplements with lipase, we may actually utilize three (or possibly four or even five) times more of the essential fatty acids within our cells. The two companies that use a significant amount of lipase in their digestive enzymes are Renew Life and Enzymedica. Renew Life also produces a line of essential fatty acid supplements containing the lipase right with the oils. Oil Smart and Fish Smart are two of these excellent products.

Another factor that determines whether or not we are able to properly utilize the essential fatty acids that we consume is whether we use commercial or ‘natural’ cleaning products on our dishes, clothes and within our home. There is research that shows that the solvents and ‘grease fighters’ in dishwashing and laundry detergents, both machine and hand washing, can be taken into our bodies in trace amounts through foods and our skin. When this happens, these chemicals can ‘strip’ some of the good fats and inhibit our ability to properly process and assimilate (utilize) the good fats within our cells.

For optimal health, we need to switch to natural cleaning products. Many work as well as their commercial counterparts, but they’re gentler on our bodies and the environment. Look for brands such as Seventh Generation, Life Tree, Citra-Solv or Ecos. We can also easily make our own very effective cleaning products at home. We’ve been told in media advertising for decades that if we’re not using those leading brands, our clothes and homes will look dingy and grey. This is completely untrue. It’s time for us to reject those slick marketing campaigns, and protect ourselves, our families and our planet.

Besides improving cardiovascular health, research shows that consuming high quality essential fatty acids also supports eye, brain and nervous system health. EFA’s are linked with positive effects in mood, excess stress and brain fog. Numerous studies have also provided information about improvements in serious health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, PMS, menopause, ADD, ADHD, arthritis, and so much more. More on several of these benefits will be posted here very soon. Stay tuned.

The statistics on smoking and the effect it has in relation to dozens of health conditions are well documented. That doesn’t make it any easier to quit when you’re a smoker, does it? The patch, gum and other devices are actually sending nicotine directly into the bloodstream, and nicotine is considered to be one of the most harmful chemicals found in cigarettes! But, for some, these methods can work.

There are, however, safer healthier ways to quit the butts habit forever. I have witnessed the following method(s) to work dozens, possibly even hundreds of times by now (including for my own cigarette smoking), and most of the people I’ve known to quit in this way never went back to smoking! Sounds good, doesn’t it? Here is how you, too, can become cig-free for life!

There are four main components to smoking addiction:

Chemical dependence- Cigarettes are well-known for their chemical load that is deposited into our lungs and into our bloodstream. Strangely as it seems, our bodies become dependent on this toxic load being there at fairly consistent levels. When we don’t have it coming in, we physiologically crave those toxins in our lungs and in our bloodstream. That is why so many smokers light up immediately upon awakening. Some brands of cigarettes are believed to contain as many as 300 or nearly 400 ingredients, many of which are chemical compounds! We think of cigarettes as rolled tobacco, but they are really so much more than that.

Emotional dependence/ Stress- Many people reach for a cigarette every time they feel stressed or anxious and feel that smoking takes the edge off. Initially, it does feel that way, but smoking is actually shown to significantly increase stress and anxiety levels over the long-term. So, if we don’t find other tools to handle our excess stress and anxiety, our smoking habit will likely increase with time.

Finger activity- Smokers tend toward fidgeting with things, including their cigarettes. When attempting to quit, they often report that having nothing to do with their hands can be very difficult.

Breathing deeply- An interesting fact is that smokers tend to breathe very shallowly, usually taking their deepest breaths as they take that first long drag from their cigarette each time they light up. That shallow breathing does not effectively deliver oxygen to the lungs so as to oxygenate the blood and cells, nor does it allow the necessary release of toxins and carbon dioxide through the exhale. Therefore, most smokers crave a deep breath, but the brain associates this with that first drag, and we then interpret the craving as a desire for another smoke.

If you know you are ready, or nearly ready, to give up those cigarettes for good, start now, right this very moment as you read this blog post, with taking deep, calm breaths often. If you get stuck in traffic, need to wait in line at the grocer or feel frustrated with the boss, breathe in, slowly and deeply, then calmly exhale. Before inhaling again, stop for a just a brief moment, and then exhale some more, preferably to a brisk count of five. This helps to release those toxins, calms the spirit so as to reduce the anxiety and stress levels, and leaves more room available in the lungs for the next inhale to deliver oxygen throughout the body. I have known several people who have, often unintentionally, used this technique alone to quit and have never gone back to their former stinky little habit.

Next, you’ll want to reduce your body’s toxicity load in a way that is safe and proven to work in scientific studies and won’t cause increased physiological cravings. Studies show that turmeric and green tea both work to detoxify the tar, nicotine and other toxins associated with cigarette smoking from the body. Further research has provided evidence that they work synergistically even greater than either herb does alone. Turmeric and green tea are also known to provide relief from excess inflammation, which can happen within our bodies more readily when we’re smokers.

Please note: Most of the turmeric and green tea supplement products on the US market are not very pure, to say the least. Please be sure to choose a product with certified organically grown turmeric and / or green tea, whenever possible, so that you will be provided the greatest results.

There is an amazing clinical study done in India with men that were heavy smokers. This study was done with a product formerly called Smokeshield, but now renamed Supercritical Antioxidants (produced by New Chapter, Inc.), available at most health food stores throughout the US and Europe.

A little background; the men who were chosen to be part of this study smoked for at least ten years, smoked at least one pack of cigarettes a day, agreed to continue smoking throughout the study and had the blood toxicity levels to put them in jeopardy for cancer.

They took one capsule in the morning and one capsule in the evening for 30 days. At the end of the study, their blood was tested again and their toxicity markers were down to a clinical zero! Remember, they kept smoking, so these results were no small feat!

A similar, very potent product that may also be chosen for this same detoxification purpose is made by a wonderful company called Organix South. Pavan Upper Respiratory Support contains the organic herbs: Holy basil, turmeric, neem and long pepper to support detoxification of the lungs, blood and cells, so as to help our bodies crave fewer toxins.

Once again, I have known several people to quit smoking during this 30 day detoxification process as they were preparing their bodies to take the big step to quit! Even though the clinical study lasted 30 days, I have always urged folks to continue to detoxify their bodies throughout the entire quitting process, and continue to do so for approximately one month for every year they have smoked in their lives. Some have reported back to me that they have continued to take the Supercritical Antioxidants, even to this day, because they appreciate the way they feel in their new, pure cleaner bodies! With the chemical exposure we are bombarded with through air, water and the food supply, this may, indeed, be a wise decision.

So, with a clean and purified body to work with, if you haven’t already, it’s time to smoke that last butt, for good! Pick the day, enjoy the last one if you want to, and don’t look back!

Now, many smokers say that the hardest part is the stress. Whether it’s accurate or not, smokers and former smokers report that, when times get really tough, the thing many want to do instinctively is to reach for a cig and take that first long drag. Well, what are you going to do instead?

Take a long deep breath, and instead of focusing on the inhale, let your attention be mainly on the completion of the exhale. Long, slow and relaxed, let it out, so that your next inhale may better nourish your nervous system’s oxygen needs.

If deep breathing helped, but was not enough for your needs, here is a powerful answer for those intense emotional cravings. You may use them to quit, especially in the first four days when it’s the most difficult to deal with the stress and anxiety, but you can also use this technique anytime in the future when life feels difficult, and you feel those cravings and desires coming on, so that you don’t ever light up again!

Again, a little background. Homeopathy is a medical system designed to stimulate the body’s inner healing processes to regain harmony and balance. Homeopathy is based upon the concept that very dilute amounts of plant (or mineral) medicines can alleviate the symptoms of illnesses that very high doses of the plant (or mineral) may actually cause. This is the theory called ‘like cures like’. In Germany, homeopathy is the most prescribed form of holistic medicine, being practiced by more than 80% of all medical doctors there.

We are a culture that firmly believes and practices ‘more is better’. In homeopathy, however, the less we have of the original substance, the more potent the homeopathic remedy becomes. The milder doses are considered so safe that they may even be administered to newborns and small children without concern.

Usually, homeopathic remedies are purchased as tiny simple sugar pellets that are placed under the tongue to dissolve and easily enter the bloodstream. It is best if we don’t touch them with our hands, so they are usually placed onto a folded piece of paper, then dropped into the mouth under the tongue.

So, now that you have a functional understanding of homeopathic remedies, we can discuss dealing with the emotional cravings for a smoke. There are several excellent homeopathic remedies that can immediately eliminate the urge for a cigarette, and they tend to work best on those emotional cravings that are so challenging to get through.

The following is a list of homeopathic remedies, in order from top to bottom according to how many people I have known to use them successfully to permanently eliminate the smoking habit from their lives. At least one or two of them are available at virtually every health food store in the US and Europe. There are others, as well, but these are the ones I have used and / or seen others successfully use.

Natra-Bio’s “Stop It!”
Natra-Bio’s “Smoking Withdrawal”
King Bio’s “Smoke Control”
B & T’s (Boericke & Tafel) “Smoke Free”
Homeo-Care Stop Smoking Formula
Boiron’s “Quit Smoking Care Kit”

Replace the fidgeting with flavored toothpicks (Thursday Plantation and … are excellent and available at most health food stores), a tongue depressor, a gum stimulator or even modeling clay such as Fimo or Sculpey. This will quickly replace the fumbling with a cigarette, especially when stress levels are high, and relieve the desire to return to your former unhealthy habit.

Now, let’s address the reason for weight gain when quitting. It may be somewhat obvious. When giving up cigarettes, we often replace the need for an emotional release and something to do with our hands with eating, especially snacking. This is a bad scene for the waistline! But, not to worry …, the program above has been the chosen method of quitters I’ve known and coached all over the northeast, and weight gain has never been an issue.

So, good luck with becoming a healthier, more vibrant you! Please, once you have successfully gotten over the hump and feel your energy levels returning, send us a donation that you can now afford, possibly the amount that you would have spent on cigarettes in a week, a month or even a year, so that we may continue to provide you, your loved ones and our world community with detailed information about herbs, supplements and healthy lifestyle choices that you will not find anywhere else. Thanks. Be well.

If you suffer from chronic pain you were probably stunned when you heard that Merck’s Vioxx was being pulled immediately from the market for a considerably increased risk of heart attacks. Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra, were originally believed to be safer than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), the over-the counter medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen used by millions of people for hundreds of complaints.

These over-the-counter NSAID medications are considered to be safe enough to take every day, but research shows that even one dose can actually cause significant damage to the mucosal lining of the digestive tract, including internal bleeding. A recent study showed that regular use of NSAID’s was associated with small intestinal damage (lesions or ulcers) in a whopping 71% of participants as compared with only 10% in the control group . Aspirin alone is believed to be responsible for approximately 5,000 deaths every year in the US, and over-the counter medications are associated with 30,000 deaths per year. Just doesn’t seem right, does it?

Excess inflammation plays a powerful role in all of our chronic aches and pains, whether joint, muscle or nerve pain. But have you heard that research has now shown that excess inflammation is found to be associated with several degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, and many types of cancer? There’s certainly a great need for a better pain reliever and inflammation normalizer.

The search is on for a truly safe and effective alternative to prevent both daily pain and life threatening diseases. Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, tai chi and karate have all been shown to be noteworthy anti-inflammatory practices. Daily practice for as little as ten or twenty minutes can offer significant benefits. If we are in pain and/or choose to do what we can to prevent degenerative disease, we must be able to find twenty minutes in our busy day to obtain such rewards, right?

So, what else can we do to support our optimal health and find relief from debilitating pain and discomfort?

Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), based on thousands of years of herbal and nutritional medical practice throughout the globe, offers dozens of possible solutions using herbs, supplements and nutritional foods. Remember that quality is the single most important factor when choosing an herb, food or other product to support your health. Please read: Quality is Everything, posted to this blog on August 28, 2006.

Detoxification at regular intervals throughout the year was a practice employed by healthy cultures of people in every region of the world until recent times. It is estimated that an average American is exposed to as many as 7,000 chemical compounds in an average day through foods, water, air, cleaning products, work and play. One study revealed that a child on her/his fifth birthday has had the chemical exposure that an eighty year old had just 50 years ago. This would help to explain the significant increase in childhood diseases once considered to primarily affect the elderly. Many toxins are known to exacerbate inflammation within the body, contributing to our pain and discomfort.

Detoxification may be implemented as a daily practice, one day each week, a one or two week period every spring and fall or a few days at the start of each of the four seasons may be set aside for the observance of a cleanse. There are hundreds of detoxification practices, some better than others. One of the most important things to give attention to every day throughout the cleanse is the elimination process. The body’s elimination processes include sweating, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, urinating and defecating. Forgive me for discussing this, but it is of utmost importance. Achieving good bowel movements (two to three daily, and sometimes even more during a cleanse,) is essential. The toxins that are being stirred up inside as you cleanse may do more harm to your body or mind if not properly eliminated. For lots of detailed information about the detoxification process and various detox methods, please read: Detoxification, It’s a Matter of Health, posted to this site very soon.

There are many foods that help the body stay healthy and help prevent an excess of inflammation. There are also many foods that can increase inflammation. Let’s begin with those. I will share with you, however, that there are some variables in this discussion, depending on your family heritage and ethnic group. A good example would be that, for most of us, milk would be a trigger for excess inflammation, unless we are of northern or eastern European descent. (Even then, it could become a trigger, especially if we consume it in great quantities.) Having come from these regions, your ancestors would have always consumed milk products, therefore making those of us with this family heritage least likely to experience this particular inflammatory response.

Before we go on, I need to address one of my greatest pet peeves in the health and nutrition industry, and that is the amount of misinformation provided within generalizations. Except for nuclear waste, I don’t think that there is anything that is truly 100% bad (and I still hold out hope for nuclear waste to hold some redeeming quality or benefit). Most articles say things like: Dairy products are bad for your health; or Dairy products are good for your bones. Generalized is these ways, they’re both wrong!

Food Triggers that may Increase Inflammation

Homogenized and pasteurized milk products, when consumed by somebody over four years old, may not be good for our health, and are considered to be one of the greatest food triggers for an excess inflammation response. Another bit of that misinformation I was mentioning: I bet you didn’t know that the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study showed that drinking two glasses or more of milk daily does not decrease our risk of hip and arm fractures (osteoporosis) whatsoever! For a better understanding of how to achieve better bone health at any age, please read: Strong Healthy Bones at Any Age, posted on Sept. 20, 2006.

Yogurt, preferably organic whole milk, (not the commercial stuff loaded with sugar, fruit, chemicals, etc) on the other hand may benefit the majority of us, and is the dairy food that is least likely to produce an inflammation response. Although Asians as a general group are shown to be 90% lactose intolerant (unable to digest cow’s milk without the use of an additional enzyme product), research shows that this same population is able to digest (and thrive) with the addition of yogurt in the diet .

Raw milk and raw milk products including yogurt, when available, may be a better choice for the majority of us. I will not go into the whole debate about this here, but for more information for those who would like to better understand this philosophy, please visit www.westonaprice.org . Organic raw whole milk yogurt may be best of all, for those of us who choose to consume the most healthful and nutritious dairy products.

Now, back to our look at which foods may exacerbate an excess inflammatory condition. Commercially prepared dairy products, with synthetic hormones and antibiotics, may be more likely to increase inflammation than the organic and raw dairy product choices. Organic yogurt, kefir and other cultured dairy foods are nearly always the exception. And when it comes to cheeses, the rule of thumb is the harder and more aged (and of course raw if available) cheeses are more easily digested and are likely to produce less inflammation within the body. If you love dairy products, and you cannot imagine your life without them, but you need to work on reducing the inflammatory triggers, you may want to experiment with goat or sheep (and other mammal) milk choices. They are becoming more readily available in health food stores and grocers, but visiting the farm and purchasing directly from the farmer, when possible, provides the freshest products, and it makes a great field trip for the kids!

Likely, the biggest culprit in the American diet contributing to an unhealthy inflammation level is the quality of oil that most of us are using. Trans-fatty acids, or trans-fats, have certainly gotten the notoriety that they’ve deserved. But most folks do not realize how very harmful fried foods and the commercial vegetable oil in their cupboard really can be. Hydrogenated vegetable oils have been strongly associated with increased breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, poor blood lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglycerides) and overall excess inflammation, especially in women. (The ‘overall excess inflammation’ may also apply to men, but there are more studies with women at this point.)

In regions of the world such as the Mediterranean area and Japan, where high quality cold pressed oils are consumed abundantly, these diseases barely exist compared to America. One study showed that “together with regular physical activity and not smoking, [the] analyses suggest that over 80% of coronary heart disease, 70% of stroke, and 90% of type 2 diabetes can be avoided by healthy food choices that are consistent with the traditional Mediterranean diet” .

The nightshade family of vegetables, including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, paprika and chili peppers has been linked with increased inflammation since the 1940’s. Many people have found a near elimination of arthritic flare-ups when these foods are completely eliminated from the diet. Many derivatives of these popular foods are found in commercially prepared products, so the elimination process can certainly be tricky, but with careful reading of labels and steering clear of restaurants for awhile (since we cannot read the ingredient labels), you may experiment with the removal of the nightshade family from your diet, and see how you feel.

Chemical preservatives and additives can trigger an immune, and therefore, an inflammatory response in the body. Nitrates, nitrites, food colors and artificial flavorings should be avoided to help the body that’s aflame. Processed meats and ‘junk foods’ are loaded with these chemicals. You’ll want to avoid them whenever possible.

Refined sugar is well known to be potentially harmful to those who overindulge, certainly the majority of Americans. One of the many ill effects it can have on the body for many of us is an excess inflammatory response. Yet another great reason to avoid refined sugar whenever we can!

Recently, there has been an increased awareness of gluten intolerance and a condition called called Celiac disease. Gluten, the protein found in wheat and related grains, is believed to be a significant trigger for inflammation. When sprouted or cultured, wheat is less likely a factor in those with gluten intolerance (sprouted grain and sourdough baked goods are available), but those with true Celiac need to make serious lifestyle changes, and avoid wheat products completely for best results. There are dozens of companies devoting themselves to gluten-free products, but the problem more likely arises from the consumption of a very narrow range of foods. Our ancestors were known to eat with the seasons, and consume as many as 500 different vegetables, fruits, grains and other wholesome foods over the course of a year. Today, many people eat from a small range of seven or ten or fifteen foods, limiting nutritional support and thereby damaging the body’s digestion and immune response.

Simply substituting another type of (gluten free) flour for the wheat and white flour may provide relief in the short-term, but it is certainly not the long-term solution. The human body needs a wide variety of nutrient rich foods for optimal health, so we need to change our eating habits and broaden our menu to include many more vegetables (and cultured whole foods) to remain fit and healthy.

Wheat is not inherently bad, just dramatically overused in our culture, leading to the body’s overreaction to it. Eliminating it for a period of time, minimum of two weeks and as much as six months, then reintroducing it slowly to see if symptoms return immediately (meaning within a few days) will help you and your healthcare providers to determine your particular situation and individual needs. Please do a web search on Celiac (formally called Celiac Sprue) and gluten intolerance to learn more.

Another big trigger in the modern diet may be soy. Most of the health benefits associated with soy come from the research of miso and natto, two fermented soy foods eaten daily in the traditional Japanese diet. Miso and natto are usually consumed in small amounts (one teaspoon per day is a good amount), more like a condiment. The traditional Asian diet did not contain the large protein sources that many Americans, especially vegetarians, eat in soy foods. Many Asian cultures believed that if soy was not cultured (fermented) or sprouted (as with edamame), soy was inedible and indigestible. Please note: Tempeh, a traditionally cultured soy food from Indonesia, may be substituted for tofu in nearly any non-sweetened recipe. For best results, slice or cube, then sauté in a small amount of coconut, olive or sesame oil before adding to the desired recipe. For more information on the topic of soy, please read: Myths in Nutrition-part one-The Great Soy Debate, posted to this site shortly.

Corn, another common food allergen, may also increase inflammation when we are susceptible. Another over-consumed food in today’s diet, corn products may be eliminated to see if this is a food that you will need to avoid, at least for awhile.

As you can plainly see, most of the foods consumed in the narrow American diet, often referred to as the standard American diet, or SAD for short, can put a body on fire with excess inflammation. Considering the effect that inflammation is shown to have, it is time to find a wider range of choices for dinner!

Foods to Support a Healthy Level of Inflammation

This next section will be focused of the healthier choices for supporting the body that is on fire with pain and/or excess inflammation, whether we are aware of it yet, or not. Research has shown that many dietary choices can help, and may I once again remind you that quality is truly everything, when we choose foods and products to support our health and vitality. (If you haven’t already, please read: Quality Is Everything!, posted to this blog on August 28, 2006.)

Eat more vegetables! When I teach my classes, I often have people attending who share that they eat only two or three vegetables in their diet. This is not good, if we want to experience good health and vital energy levels. I urge my class participants, as I urge you now, to consume as many vegetables as you can possibly find! Visit farm stands, farmers’ markets and Whole Foods Markets, if you have one in your region. (They have a huge selection of organic veggies, educated team members to offer you complete answers to your questions and a great selection of cookbooks in most of their stores to help you know what to do with your newly found vegetables.)

Experiment with new vegetables every week. Purchase enough to be able to prepare it at least two different ways. You may go online for recipes, ask at the store, visit the library cookbook section or just steam or sauté (in good oil, of course). For best results, as you’re trying them for the first time, be sure to have an open mind.

Root vegetables are very supportive of the body’s ability to cool the inflammatory fires. Carrots, turnips, radishes, parsnips, beets, rutabagas, and my personal favorite, sunchokes (formerly referred to as Jerusalem artichokes) have myriad health benefits, including supporting digestive and immune health. Previously, it was believed that somebody with blood sugar issues, especially diabetes, should stay away from these roots, but more recent research suggests that these vegetables, in spite of their starch content, do not adversely impact blood sugar and may provide additional benefits.

Dark leafy greens are nutritional powerhouses, loaded with minerals, vitamins, fiber, trace minerals and phytonutrients. I do not refer to lettuce (even romaine) here, but the true dark greens, such as kale, collards, spinach, arugula and watercress, (as well as most of the weeds we yank from our vegetable gardens!) These dark leafy greens are not only cooling to those of us whose excess inflammation is a concern, but they are very supportive of bone health, healthy blood, detoxification, beautiful skin and just about everything else. Find any recipe that calls for spinach, and substitute your choice of the other dark leafy greens.

If you’re new to eating dark leafy greens, try sautéing two to three cloves of chopped or sliced garlic in a high-quality oil over low heat. Wash and chop your chosen green vegetable. Toss it into the pan, add about a TBSP of water, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer. Arugula and watercress take only a minute or two, while kale and collards take about seven to ten minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, a pat of butter, a splash of vinegar (not white) or a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds. Simply delicious!

Cruciferous vegetables are loaded with nutrients and are well-known to help prevent many types of cancer, including breast, lung, colorectal and prostate. The cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, Swiss chard, turnips, bok choy and Chinese cabbage, arugula, horse radish, radish, wasabi and watercress. There are hundreds of fun ways to prepare and eat these vegetables. It’s high time to get started, if you haven’t already!

Sprouts, especially cruciferous sprouts, are delicious, easy to eat a handful a day (on almost anything and everything you’re serving), inexpensive, easy to grow and abounding in essential nutrients. According to Chinese medicine, sprouts are very cooling. The research on sprouts, and the benefits they provide, is overwhelmingly positive. Try a few broccoli or radish sprouts the next time you visit your local health food store. Chances are good you’re going to love them!

Sea vegetables, or seaweed, considered to be the most nutritious foods on Earth, are mineral dense and contain a wealth of the building blocks necessary for healthy cells. Americans are usually not familiar with eating these nutritious vegetables, but they have been a staple in healthy cultures of people near the seas, likely for all time. For more information about cooking and using sea vegetables, please read: Strong Healthy Bones at Any Age, posted to this site very soon.

A word about children and veggies (and introducing other healthy new foods, too):
I’ve been blessed with two absolutely wonderful daughters who love vegetables! Many people over the years have asked me how this could be, as their child(ren) won’t touch a vegetable if their lives depended on it! (And their optimal health really does depend on it.) The answer is that children eat what is there in the house. If you feel your children eat too much sugar and ‘junk food’ and not enough vegetables, the solution can be easy, really. Clear the house of the sugar and junk, and provide lots of yummy vegetables. Most parents who have tried this method were surprised to find that by the third day (be patient, some beautiful, stubborn souls take a little longer), their children begin to eat the vegetables. It sounds like a miracle, but I have yet to meet or hear about the exception!

Another great technique is the ‘thank you bite’, which we employed for much of the girls’ childhoods. We had a rule that, because the cook took the time to prepare each dish (and the farmers used their resources to grow them, etc) the polite thing is to try one bite, the ‘thank you bite’. I would often add additional comments such as, ‘you never know, you might even like it!’ Please note: This method doesn’t work well if it becomes a power struggle. My younger daughter, Mollie, a powerhouse if ever there was one, was a willful child, to say the least. Rather than make a huge thing of the ‘thank you bite’ routine; at every opportunity, I simply stated the request, and added a little tidbit about the flavor of the food, or a nutritional fact, or the growing method, or something to attempt to pique her interest, and then I’d more on. Eventually, my little powerhouse was not only trying the food or dish, but finding that she really did like many of them (although not always on the first try). Please read: Children Love Healthy Foods! to be posted to this site very soon.

Another tool to try with children is to let them help with the food preparation. Children will often try a little taste as they go, and be more willing to taste what they helped to prepare. They are never too young to help out with something.

Children very often enjoy watching and helping with the process of growing sprouts. Most sprouts take only three to seven days to mature, and it is very exciting to observe the changes that take place each morning and evening as they grow. I have sprouted for years, and the beauty of nature, watching real alchemy in action, never gets old!

And the best way to get the kids to eat their veggies is by setting a good example! If you aren’t eating them, then likely you will find very little power in convincing your little ones to eat vegetables.

Other foods to support a health level of inflammation include organic green tea, spices including ginger, turmeric and oregano, whole grains and cultured whole foods. Notice I specified ‘organic green tea’, and didn’t include the commercial brands, too. This is because the tea crops throughout the world are most often heavily sprayed with chemicals (herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, etc) when they are not organically grown. Remember, chemical exposure may exacerbate excess inflammation.

When you make a habit of preparing and eating the herbs and spices in your daily diet that are shown to cool the flames of excess inflammation, you want to have your attention on the quality of the product you are buying. Ask yourself the following questions before your purchase, to be sure what you’re getting a product that may offer you the benefits that the research has shown:
Is it organic?
Am I buying an amount that I can consume within a month or two?
Does the jar that contains the bulk herb in the store have a tight-fitting lid that was closed well when I arrived?
Does this market sell enough bulk herbs so as to assure freshness?

Then, when you get home, be sure to transfer your bulk herbs and spices from the bag into a jar with a tight fitting lid. It’s a good idea to always mark your jar with the name of the herb or spice and the date purchased. Now it’s time to cook up your favorite dish!

Whole grains should be eaten whenever possible, instead of the white, refined ones of our culture. If you haven’t yet switched from white bread to a whole grain, there’s no better time than the present. Be sure there are not preservatives listed on the ingredient label.

A rule of thumb, when reading labels: If it sounds like a chemical, it is a chemical! It really doesn’t matter that much if the chemical originally came from a zucchini or a yam, if it was isolated with the use of chemical solvents and all the other constituents of the zucchini or yam are gone, then it’s a chemical, plain and simple! Please do not be fooled by companies that call their product natural because their chemicals used to be part of a coconut or an apple! Side effects have been associated with virtually all isolated, manufactured chemical compounds, regardless of their origin.

Now, back to whole grains. ‘Whole’ ideally means intact, so it would be best to eat brown rice, buckwheat (which, by the way, is not in the wheat family and contains no gluten), millet and whole oats than to eat wheat bread or oatmeal made with quick cooking oats. When we pulverize that whole grain into a thousand pieces, it’s not really whole anymore, is it? Whole grain flour is really an oxymoron, but what it is implying is that the germ and the fiber have not been removed, which is certainly better than white flour. In my estimation, we need a different name for it, since a thousand little bits is far from whole! But, alas, I simply can’t change the whole world at once!

The more truly whole grain breads and baked goods are the sprouted grain products, usually found in the freezer section of your local health food store. They definitely require more chewing than one might be used to, but the flavors are complex and delicious! Some of the best brands are: Food for Life, Ezekiel and French Meadow Bakery. And for a sweet treat, try the Manna Bread selection. Careful though, they’re quite gooey!

Another important category of foods that seems to support a healthy inflammation level, and is sorely lacking in the American diet, is cultured (fermented) whole foods. This would include yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, pickles, pickled beets and even red wine and micro-brewed beer! These foods (and beverages) have been consumed daily in small quantities by healthy cultures of people throughout the world for more than 7,000 years. They have been written about in some of the earliest medical texts as supporting digestion and immune health, and found in numerous tombs.

Until recently, it was believed by the masses that culturing foods was simply a method of preservation before we had the refrigerator. But the story is so much greater than that! Fermentation is a true alchemical process where the beneficial microorganisms used in the culturing process actually biotransform the original food and its associated nutrients into something much, much greater than the original food contained! All of the B vitamins are multiplied dozens or even hundreds of times, and there have been millions of micro-nutrients produced through fermentation that did not exist in the original food! This is a fascinating field of study at the current time, and I commend the food science researchers who are committed to working with fermentation . It certainly confirms what many of us have firmly believed for decades; that cultured whole foods are an essential part of any healthy diet.

Fish is the last healthy food group that we will discuss here today for supporting our body’s ability to keep inflammation to healthy levels. Most of the fish sold in grocery stores today is farm raised, with lots of chemicals. These chemicals include synthetic hormones and antibiotics. The fish are raised in over crowded and unsanitary conditions, and the resulting product offers only a small fraction of the nutrient profiles that their free-swimming cousins provide for us. Did you know that most farm-raised salmon is a white fish, which has been dyed red to look like the pinkish-red salmon we were once used to buying? And it contains little, if any, of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids that its free-swimming cousin contains, well researched for supporting the good inflammation levels we so desperately need to return to. When you buy fish for health purposes, be sure to ask for details. Don’t get fooled!

As you can see from the information above, if we eat what is strongly believed in the early twenty-first century to be a healthy diet, and avoid those foods deemed less healthy, then we are taking a giant step in the right direction toward keeping our inflammation levels in a healthy place. But if you regularly dine on fatty foods and what’s widely referred to as ‘junk food’, excess inflammation may be getting the better of you and your health.

Herbs to Support a Healthy Inflammation Response

Using herbs for good health has likely been going on since there have been human beings. Herbal medicine is still, to this day, the most widely practiced medical system in the world. Until recently, there were few scientific studies to indicate the effectiveness of herbal remedies, likely due to the cost of conducting a proper scientific study, and the unlikelihood of then being able to patent the herbal product. But this is changing. Much more research is being conducted. In great part, this is likely due to the fact that some of the earlier studies that have gotten funded and conducted in Japan and at prestigious facilities such as Harvard University showed very promising results with those people who eat more healthy foods and use more herbal preparations.

Spicy herbs like oregano, turmeric, ginger, holy basil and rosemary, widely used for thousands of years, are recognized in quite a number of studies to help reduce inflammation. Research is also now indicating that these herbs may also be effective in helping to prevent heart disease, various cancers, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies are underway to see if herbal products may also be safe alternatives for the treatment of some of these and other serious health conditions.

Turmeric is considered to be the single most effective herb for use as an antioxidant and for supporting a healthy inflammation response within the body. Pure, organically grown turmeric in a full-spectrum extract can assist the body’s ability to detoxify the liver and blood, thereby helping with healthy blood lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglycerides). Most of the turmeric products sold on the US market are chemically extracted. There have been concerns that these more drug-like products may come with potential side-effects. Look for the purest, preferably organic, and most potent product available in your area. For a listing and comparison of the most reliable companies’ products, please read: Herbal and Nutritional Products: Good, Better and Best, posted to this site very soon.

Omega-3 fatty acids are some of the ‘good fats’, and are found in fish, especially fatty fish, flax and hemp seed. Research describing omega-3 fatty acids as modulators (balancers) of inflammation and a healthy immune response abounds. Many of these studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids can have powerful anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory activities in a wide array of diseases (e.g., autoimmunity, arthritis, and infection) . Again, it is of utmost importance to purchase a high quality product, as many fish oil products on the US market are laden with contaminants, including heavy metals, especially lead and mercury, or chemicals such as PCB’s and toxaphene (from insecticides), and dioxins (by-products of the chlorine bleach used to whiten paper.

Enzymes are produced in the body to perform a wide variety of biochemical reactions. There are more than 50,000 different enzymes, both digestive and metabolic, that perform tens of thousands of functions within the body each day. Research as far back as 1956 shows that enzymes, specifically proteolytic enzymes (protein digesting enzymes), help to modulate excess inflammation through a variety of mechanisms, including reduction of the swelling of mucous membranes and of dissolving excess fibrin deposits, the material that is used by the body to plug a bleeding wound site, but can thicken the blood until it doesn’t flow easily. Many Naturopathic physicians suggest the use of proteolytic enzymes taken with meals to support digestion, and in between meals to support healthy inflammation levels.

Considering the list of serious potential side effects (including death) associated with both over-the-counter and prescription medications for inflammation and pain, choosing healthier foods, herbs, supplements and lifestyle choices may be just the ticket to better health and inflammation levels that you can feel better with.

Source references:

Graham DY Visible small-intestinal mucosal injury in chronic NSAID users. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2005.

Nurses’ Health Study News 2004 volume 11:4-5

Biomed Environ Sci. 2005 Jun;18(3):192-7

Public Health Nutrition 2006 Feb; 9(1A):105-10. The Mediterranean diet: science and practice.

Annu Rev Nutr. 2006;26:45-73 Fatty acids as modulators of the immune response.