A way to get pointed in the right direction

Over the years the most common question I have always been asked is with all the things on the shelf in health food stores, what do I really need? My answer to this question is always the same, "how do you feel?"This really is the deciding factor when starting a supplement program.

Many people will say I have been taking this and that for years, and my question is still always the same, "how do you feel?" The funny thing is so many people will say lousy, or tired, or just exhausted or I hurt, or I cannot sleep, I usually ask why do you keep doing something that does not work? And after they think for a second, most people say I do not know, habit I guess.

Today I want to give you a list of questions to ask yourself to see what areas you need to focus on, and you may find the questions to be things you never though could relate to how you feel. It basically gives you some guidelines or parameters to work with so you are not taking a stab in the dark, but instead hitting the nail on the head ,if you will.

1) Do you drink a lot of caffeine

2) Do you eat many servings of sugar?

3) Do you eat in between meals?

4) Are you a rollarcoaster dieter?

5) Do you have more than a couple meals served through the window of your car?

6) Do you starve yourself and then binge eat all night at home?

7) Do you eat when depressed?

8) Are you exercising?

9) Do you sleep well at night?

10) Are you an anxious person?

11) Does stress rule your life?

12) Are you moody, or negative all the time?

13) Do you eat at least three servings of vegetables daily?

14) Is your digestive system working correctly?

15) Are you on more than one medication?

16) Do you drink 8 glasses of water every day?

17) Do you work on computers daily and are your eyes healthy?

18) Is your blood pressure normal?

19) How are you hormonally?

20) Do you use antibiotics frequently?

21) Have you been to the dentist within the last twelve months?

22) Have you had bloodwork and a physical in the last year?

23) Do you work in a germ filled atmosphere at work?

24) Are you a happy person?

25) Are you always tired and running behind?

26) Do you have eliminations every single day?

27) Are your fingernails and hair healthy?

28) Have you ever taken vitamins on a regular basis?

29) Is your skin healthy and do you have adult acne?

30) Is your cholesterol normal or high?

31) Are you a diabetic, is it in the family and have you been tested?

32) Do you have a pet?

33) Do you travel frequently?

34) Do you bruise easily and do your gums bleed?

35) How is your memory and do you get headaches frequently?

36) Do you have a nervous stomach?

37) Do you have hobbies or activities you do outside of work?

38) Do you have seasonal allergies?3

9) Do you watch a lot of television?

40) Are you a procrastinator?

41) Do you cook at home or eat out more often?

42) Do you study or taking classes or continuing education of any kind?

43) Have you switched careers in the last year?

44) Do you smoke or drink daily?

45) Have you gone through any surgery in the last year?

46) Do you now or have you ever had cancer and completed treatment?

47) Do you salt your food before tasting it?

48) Do you spend more time indoors or outdoors?

49) Are you a slow eater or do you eat on the run and quickly woof your food?

50) Have you always been nutritionally oriented or is this new?

This will be enough to get you started. I think you should print this and answer the questions. You yourself will find a pattern and will almost for certain link many of the problems you may be experiencing to your own bad habits. We sometimes are such creatures of habit that the craziest things become normal until you see them in print.

Make sure to hold on to these questions because every month I will add some more. This will let you get closer and closer to formulating your own areas that you will want to pay attention to. Something that drives me crazy is when you are told that one thing will do great for everyone, which is absurd because we are all different.

This list is also something to take with you when you start researching nutrition. If you are lucky enough to find someone nutritionally well versed and trained, they will be able to look at this list and give you a very focused nutritional program that you yourself will get great benefits from. If on the other hand, you go somewhere where the individual knows next to nothing, kindly say thank you and leave and go somewhere else. Never feel obligated to compromise with your health, NEVER.

Always feel that you are working with someone that is knowledgeable and knows about health situations and also medications and side effects, and is well versed in alternatives. I always tell everybody to ask yourself, would you let this person work with and make a vitamin supplement program for your mother? Hopefully you like you Mother and you would want a trusting individual to work with her. If your gut tells you yes, then give them a try.

Nutrition is like buying a car. Not everybody will fit in a corvette, some people need a truck, an SUV, or an economy car. The great thing is when you ask yourself questions and get a better grip on your own health, you actually narrow down the choices, which is a good thing.Good luck...

How far back on the back burner do you live?

Another month bites the dust as we approach the crazy holiday season. It is amazing how fast this year has zoomed by for me, and from what everyone says, for them too!

I often wonder if it is due to the super speed we push ourselves to maintain or is it that we take so very little time to relax and actually enjoy life at all? I am sure it is a little of both with a sprinkle of forgetting to slow down and smell the roses, a dash of over working and a side of doing everything for everyone else and forgetting to do for ourselves. The combination does make time go by quickly and it puts us at the front of the line for premature heart attacks, strokes and early retirement to the grave.

Most individuals will not slow down until something serious happens to them or the Doctor orders them to make a change, or one day they cannot function at that speed anymore and they instantly begin to fall apart at the seams. You would think, as we are all intelligent people here that we could just look in the mirror and realize we are changing, and in most cases not for the better, and that we have no time for ourselves and because we never say no to anyone I guess you could say it is self induced stress. Day after day and month after month leading to year after year we push ourselves so far back on the burner of life that we can actually forget our own dreams and aspirations until we start to forget who we really are. This is a common scenario and an unhealthy one too.

When you are the one person that always does everything for everyone, believe you me the word gets out quick and you become the person that never says no and will help everyone with everything. I have found this was the case for me for more years than I want to admit. It all rang true when after helping so many people move over the years that I had lost count of the friends I helped relocate. I finally had a chance to do some relocating and I called and everyone had something to do, amazing how that happens that everyone is busy at the same time? I started thinking that no matter what I had to do, I would never say no, so I said to myself, maybe I need to say no once in a while when I really cannot help out or do a favor.

The next week one of my acquaintances called and needed me to help with some stuff, obviously one of the ones that was too busy to help me, so I said sorry I am busy. Well you could have heard a pin drop, wow I thought to myself. My friend said really? I said yep, he said well I guess I will have to rent a truck. I felt very weird saying no, but I felt great because I have so much going on already I would have never got caught up if I had once again joined in.

The moral of the story is that we all have normal stress in our lives and if you are an over doer, sometimes you need to, for your health to just say no. The other thing was the world did not stop and they got over it quickly and possibly learned a lesson that I am not the end all helper anymore.

The stress of being an over doer can affect your blood pressure, your heart, cause depression and affect your health and well being. We want to always help but in the long run and at the end of the day, sometimes it just stresses us out and negatively affects our health beyond belief.

I guess I have decided that moderation is the key to a much more balanced life in every aspect of our being. Sometimes saying no when we really have to is an alright thing, and putting ourselves first for once is a Great Thing!!!!!

Why did I walk in this room and where did I park my car?

Have you ever had one of those days that made you feel you left your brain somewhere else other than in your head? I think it is just so frustrating when you forget the simplest things like a name or number or why you walked into a room. They say it is all a sign of growing older but I really feel in many cases it is stress, the stuff that gets us all tied up in circles to the point where we do not know if we are coming or going.

I mean when we get away from the bump and grind of work and the day to day stress, it seems that our brains go back to normal, so what do we do to help us while we are in the stress of the moment, and we need to be at our mental and focal best? They always say that cardiovascular exercise is a good start and I really do agree as it really does get the blood circulating and forces blood to the starved areas like our overloaded brains.

I was at the mall today and when I was leaving I noticed about four or five people walking aimlessly around the parking lot looking for their cars. Is it that they had so much on their minds when the parked that they did nit pay attention. Could they actually be on the other side of the mall and they are not even in the correct lot? Yes, is the answer, when we are concentrating on so many things we lose the simple short term memory temporarily. It does return and when it does we are always so happy with ourselves.

I think that Disneyland has the right idea, they label their parking lots with the name of cartoon characters, I mean how hard is it to forget that you are parking in Goofy 4? I guess at one time it was a big problem so they re labeled. I guess the people that never found their cars are now the employees in costume everyday, they just kept them there and put them to work!

Nutrition may also be a great step. Avoiding white bleached flour and sugars and food that are empty in nature or has been emptied of nutrition by processing. Increasing nuts and seeds and green veggies and protein seems to be the direction we need to be heading in, and away from the other stuff that tastes great and does zero for our bodies.

What about a list of nutritional supplements that help focal attention. Ginkgo Biloba, Vinpocetine, Huperzine, Choline, DMAE, B Complex to name a few are the leading brain nutrients getting the best attention and feedback.

I am sure you read every day how we are living longer but at the same time dodging geriatric diseases that we should not be anywhere near facing for a few more decades. I myself feel, as do the best nutritional Physicians in the country that dodging the bullets with an arsenal of diet and exercise and nutrition that we can definitely slow down the aging process and avoid the mental grim reaper.So do not despair when you cannot finish a thought, or when you walk into a room and have absolutely not a clue why you are there. And do not worry when you are at the mall and you cannot find your car, just go back in and do some more shopping and pretend it was just a fresh air break. I guarantee the short term memory stuff will come back if you take better care of the one organ that needs some TLC on a daily basis, your brain!!!

Remember how important your pet is to your life and your health!!!

In a time where happiness and success in life is measured by the almighty dollar, it is good to know that many people measure their success by their friends, their families and the loving devoted pets.

If you are not a pet owner or an animal owner this may be something that is hard for many of you to understand how much richer a life can be that has a pet in it. Pets are the missing link in a life when many people have stress that ruins their life, or loneliness that seems to go on forever, disease and hardship, depression and basically a thankless world that expects all and many times gives nothing back. In a world where we are judged not only by performance and going ten times beyond what is expected just because people think we should and being asked to put our lives so far on the back burner to make other people successful that we sometimes seem to disappear.

Where we are judged by the clothing we wear, what we drive where we live, how we eat, the friends we associate with as well as our dislikes and likes.There is some peace of mind and it is great to know that a pet is the neutral part of our life that does not care about any of the above.

Bad hair days, being overweight, being a bit of a couch potato, or wanting to just hang out and do nothing, our pets are happy to be in the room and a part of the moment. It is amazing that they can actually stimulate our immune systems, help to ease loneliness and lower blood pressure, yet ask nothing back in return except love and being your friend and devoted companion.

Today my very good friend Peni said goodbye to her best friend Poutie. A companion, family member and friend for fifteen years. This blog is to appreciate our four legged friends and maybe to remind us just how important our pets really are as companions and to our health and well being.

Below is a poem I love. Peni, I hope it helps to get you through the days upcoming a little easier.

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Holidays already? EEEEEK!!!

Are you already beginning to stress about the holidays? Feel comfortable that you are in the majority and not the minority of people around you. Most people, although saying they will be more organized than previous years are most likely still applying the same routine as they do on their New Years resolution, you know, I am starting soon.

Remember to be a little nicer to yourself this year and take your vitamins more regularly and get more rest and exercise than years past Making better food choices should also be an area to focus on as smarter choices will make you stronger and healthier and keep your immune system on guard to deal with your self induced holiday stress.

Take more B Complex daily, preferably an extra 100 mg in a timed released formula. Taking extra Vitamin C, once again timed released complex form for maximum all day protection keeps germs at bay and you up and around and not flat on your back. You might also want to make sure you are actually sleeping at night and resting and not just going through the motions. If you wake up beat up and exhausted every morning like you have not even had any sleep at all look for some natural alternatives to help you do the job more completely.

L-tryptophan and Calcium and Magnesium or multiple mineral preparations taken at bedtime will help to induce a natural and more complete nights sleep. You also can choose from other alternatives like Melatonin, Valerian root, or combination herbal preparations. Whatever you choose, pick the strongest you can handle to get you the most restful and re cooperative nights sleep you can. Just these few small changes will make stressful holiday craziness more deal able, and keep you just a little more focused and sane. The bad gift choices is something you will have to deal with on your own!

I want to thank my New York friend Laura for the doggie picture for today's blog, the picture is way to cute not to share.

Is there a junk food junkie in the house, rather is there someone who is not?

Are you a junk food junkie? Lately when I speak to people about diet or we are reviewing their blood work or they are passing on the comments from the Doctor, the subject of diet always comes up.

They are actually amazed when the Doctor said they have to change their diet. I ask for a two or three sample diet or plan of what they commonly eat, and it is amazing some of them are still alive.Junk food has not only become a staple for the American diet, it is also a sport a past time and a daily social event. I see the faces of so many people that have been told to thin down to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol, or give up the junk food do to heart disease or other circulatory problems and although they way down deep agree, they are crushed, I mean totally destroyed that they cannot be with their best friend junk food anymore.

How weird are we that we have allowed food to take over every aspect of our lives? Some of us are so out of control that we have to given into drastic surgery to make our body reject it. Will power and the fear of God and dying no longer do the trick. We are not scared of dying and we know that somewhere there will be a medication or drug therapy to save us if we get out of control.

The problem is the adults have done it so long now and have become so ridiculously out of shape morbidly obese and desensitized that now the kids do not care either. With a gym on every corner, and a fast food restaurant on every other corner, the gyms and smart choices are losing.

How overweight and sick as a nation, how reliant ion drugs, how lazy, tired, fatigued, stressed out, depressed and pharmaceutic ally controlled do we actually have to get to make the changes so many of us need? I am sure it could be bet on here in Las Vegas, I am afraid to say the time needed to make changes as a nation will be a hands down long shot of the century to say the least!

What did it for you, do you remember?

What was it that made you decide that today was the day to become healthy. That today was the day when you would drive by your favorite fast food restaurant and make better food choices.The thing that made you want to finally go to the gym and visit that membership you have been paying for for years and have never used. Sometimes I think we want to be able to say, I belong to a gym!

Was it a feeling of over fullness after a binging meal? Was it something your Doctor said at your last checkup? Was it a comment made by a friend, or your spouse that was hurtful or direct and to the point out of concern? Was it a snicker from a passerbyer? Think back and try to remember what it was, cement it into your memory and remember it everyday because whatever it was, whoever said it or whatever context it was presented in, it worked! Be thankful that it worked.

I am among those that agrees that people are hurtful, mean and sometimes down right cruel, but if gets us to do a task we have been trying to do unsuccessfully that in some cases could change our life, maybe on the outside we can be a little shattered, but on the inside voice we should be screaming from the rooftop THANK YOU.

Cold weather is coming and cold and flu is trickling in

Can you believe cold and flu season are here already? I am getting emails from people sick this early in the year and they are desperate for a natural alternative, as we all know the main stream antibiotics do nothing for flu and cold problems. In many cases most Doctors will admit to prescribing antibiotics knowing full and well they will do nothing, but they do it because that is what the patients want.

Although flu and cold season are actually a little down the road time wise, in Las Vegas, as we are the worlds melting pot, flu season comes early and from all over the world with the visitors to our city. Many people will say that they never go to the casinos and they cannot believe they got sick. Well just remember, all casino workers and employees that are daily in the melting pot of germs also have regular lives like the rest of us. They go to the gym, the grocery stores, the libraries, the malls and all of the places people that may not go to the casinos go. The moral is, you cannot hide from germs because where ever you, go you are exposed. How you react and how your body deals with the presence of flu and cold germs bombarding you is actually up to you.

At this stage of the game a little prevention would be a great thing for you to start as soon as possible. Number one, drink water, I know it is not hot outside and you may not be as thirsty as in August, but it is actually more important, or at least as important as in the summer months. Dehydration can cause poor emimination, bad digestion, dry skin and hair, urinary and bladder infections and if you are sick can actually cause the flu or cold to last much longer along with a fever.

Second, add more Vitamin C, about 2000-3000mg of extra Vitamin C daily, preferably a timed released complex form as it is buffered for the tummy would be a good starting point. Colloidal Silver every morning, about half a teaspoon in a shot glass of water. Remember to swish and gargle and swallow. Colloidal silver daily gives you a little added protection as well as a daily non harmful antibiotic that works to prevent bacterial as well as viral infections. If you are already sick, you can take it as much as hourly as well as spray it up the nose for sinus infections and drainage.

An overall product that has been a number one product in popularity for years now is Body Well. It is a combination of all herbal and nutrient based support for boosting the immune system. In can be taken daily until March or April although many people use it year round for added protection.

As far as your diet is concerned ,watch the sugar and dairy, wheat and glutenas these are all mucous forming foods, as well as the foods that pack all the holiday pounds on us every year. Too bad they always taste so good!! Eating plenty of good quality protein, green vegetables and purple fruits will help to keep the mucous down and give you much more energy.

Good Luck>>>>>>>>>>>..

Resolution day in October???

Isn't it amazing that we are already in the middle of October. I am still receiving emails from people interested in getting their New Years resolutions started. They say the friends say "why start now, it will be New Years in two months?" Well let us take a look at that statement.

If weight loss is your resolution, by New Years day, you will be about ten to fifteen pounds heavier than you are now. So rather than beginning now and being ahead for the New Year, you will spend the first two months of the year working on the holidays, and not even begin working on your actual goals until March or April. If smoking is your resolution, well how do I say it, two more abusive months of terror on the body and two more months of damage taking you closer to the chance of Cancer in every part of the body. Also two more months of not being able to taste your food, two more months of not breathing well while fighting cold and flu season. The most important about six hundred more dollars spent on the habit before you quit.

Lets say it is a bad relationship, going to the gym, changing jobs, starting a hobby or whatever it is procrastination of just two months can make it harder to start in January. I really think New Years resolutions should be whatever day you decide to make a change or start or end something. It should be whatever day you declaretoday is my New Year and I begin my transformation right now!

So when your friends and family tell you why start now, just tell them to shut up and proudly wish them a Happy New year.

The above picture comes to us from Canada from my friends Lynn and Gary, it is of their little girl Scarlett, one of my pups.

Choice!

So another Great Earth convention comes and goes. So many new products that are up and coming and that will be on there way to the stores very soon, as well as many more modes of information for the stores to pass along to the customers. The field changes every year and is becoming such a fine tuned operation that you can almost shop at quality stores and be in control of your health like never before.

I think this is the way of the future , as far as nutrition is concerned. We are at a point where if you truly want to be healthy and cut back on the need and reliance on prescription medications you can. If you want a healthy lifestyle that is full of great energy and fewer down times being sick, you basically have control over that too. On the other hand, you also have the right to be as bad to yourself as you wish. To make lousy choices all the way around and basically dig yourself an earlier that planned grave. It all comes down to choice. Choice of taking quality supplements with great science behind them, or the choice to take the bargain of the day, that in most cases will do nothing for you except make your wallet feel temporarily happy. The choice to speak to trained nutritional personnel that keep up on the latest supplements and are trained as to the best choices to make for many and all situations, or you can make the choice to shop at a bargain basement or bulk store where your only answer to whatever question you ask, on a good day would be, "would you like a box for that?"

Choice is one of our greatest and protected rights as an American, use it wisely and to it's full benefit and potential. I have come to the conclusion that if you do not make the smart choices for your health now or someone you do not even know, or who does not know you with little concern for you could be making them in your future!

Taking control out of deperation, sometimes it is the motivating way to win.

The months start zooming by and stress starts to build

It is amazing to me that once July 4th gets here and passes by, it is almost a hop and a skip to the end of the year. It seems to happen every year lately, or maybe just now that I am thirty nine years old and holding. Funny thing is I heard younger people saying it too.

Do you remember when you were younger and it took forever for time to go by. We would start school and immediately start counting down the days until Christmas Vacation, and when we returned to school it was the spring break countdown. Soon after we started on the summer vacation, and even during that we dreaded the countdown until it was time to start all over again. Now if you blink whole months rush by. I find myself dreading the upcoming holiday season if only because as soon as Halloween gets here, New Years day is right around the corner.

I guess it is getting older. or maybe that we all have way too much on our plates, and the stress of events and projects coming due, or money needed to survive the holidays or just mental overload, it seems as if this is a game that all adults participate in yearly, and not by choice.

So, when asked what can we do to better cope with all of this added stress and with the pileup of things that are already overflowing our plates, I always recommend going back to basics. Many of us fall prey to the new and flashy things on the market to help with the problems that ail us, but sometimes getting back to the drawing board is ultimately and actually satisfyingly better, and more effective.

B Complex is still the most effective thing to use for our added stressful lifestyles.Preferably timed released for better all day coverage, as B Complex is water soluble and flushes out too quickly, but lasts all day with a perfectly balanced timed released formula. There are also calming herbs like Kava, Passion Flower, Chamomile and even St Johns Wort for when there is also a touch of mild to moderate depression symptoms. Something that many of us also overlook is the importance of getting a great nights sleep. Not just a period of time when you are in the bed going through the motions and tossing and turning and waking up more tired than when you went to bed, but an actual restful rejuvenate night of rest.

Sleep deprivation adds to the stress and leaves us anxious and burnt out and struggling to recapture our energy. If sleep is a problem there are wonderful alternatives to prescription medications that are safe and sold over the counter.Many adults spend their entire day loading caffeine beverages and using stimulant drinks just to get through the day, when if they would go back to square one, better sleep, more daytime energy.

The rebirth of L-Tryptophan has been a wonder pill for those individuals that are sleep deprived. Melatonin as well as Valarian Root are other viable solutions that could be tried. All of these things help us to be in better control of our energy as well as keeping us balanced and more able to deal with the stress life throws at us, or the stress we throw at ourselves.

If stress and sleep deprivation have been a continual problem for a long period of time,it might be a good time to see your Physician, and get a basic check up and some blood work done to rule out anything that might be an underlying physical cause. If all of that goes fine with the Doctor, keep in mind some natural alternatives for better stress control and of course some thing we all need, Better Sleep!!!

Ten things in your home that can kill your pet

Every once and a while, a friend will send me useable information , and when it comes to being a benefit to pets, it gets included for all to read and learn from. Mary Kay Grahn, who owns Smarty Paws, just about the best dog training facility in the west, and whom is here in Las Vegas sent this to me. By the way, if you want the most knowledgeable trainer that knows every aspect of dog training as well as dog nutrition, contact Mary Kay at smarty paws by going to her site directly at

smarty paws make sure to visit the sirte especially if you have a four legged friend that need some extra attention and schooling. The dog above is Ditto, one of Mary Kay's dogs doing what he loves, agility.

10 Things in your home that can kill your pet

Dogs are very curious animals and as omnivores and natural scavengers, can get into and eat just about anything. However, there are many toxic substances found in your home that could potentially kill your dog. The following is a list of ten common household substances that you should make sure to keep out of your dog's reach.

1) Antifreeze: Many people do not realize it, but common antifreeze kills many pets each year. It smells and tastes very sweet to your dog and is very appealing to him. Ethylene glycol is toxic however, and each winter, many animals are killed by it. Symptoms of toxicity include seizures, vomiting, stumbling and lethargy leading to kidney failure. Make sure to keep your antifreeze out of your dog's reach. If you suspect that your dog has ingested antifreeze, take your dog to the veterinarian immediately.

2) Chocolate: Chocolate contains a substance called the obromine which is toxic to dogs. Baking chocolate and dark chocolate is especially dangerous. While it usually takes a somewhat large amount of chocolate to kill a dog, poisoning and death does occur with smaller amounts ingested. Signs of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination, and increased activity. This can progress to seizures and unusual heart rhythms. Call your veterinarian immediately if you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate.

3) Bleach: As you might imagine, household bleach is toxic to dogs. Keep all products containing bleach out of your dog's reach. Symptoms of bleach poisoning include drooling, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Do NOT induce vomiting if you suspect your dog has ingested bleach and contact your veterinarian immediately.

4) Tylenol: As little as two regular strength Tylenol tablets can kill a small dog. Dogs lack the proper liver enzymes to break down acetaminophen. Signs of toxicity include drooling, lethargy, and abdominal pain. If you suspect your dog has ingested Tylenol, call your veterinarian immediately.

5) Watch Batteries: If your dog ingests a watch battery, it can cause a potentially fatal ulceration in the stomach within 12 hours. All other alkaline batteries are toxic to dogs as well. Symptoms of toxicity include drooling, lack of appetite, vomiting, and lethargy. If you suspect your dog has ingested a watch battery, contact your vet immediately.

6) Moth Balls: Moth balls are very dangerous to dogs. They contain an insecticide that causes central nervous system excitement and seizures. When metabolized, ingestion of moth balls can lead to liver failure. Symptoms of poisoning by moth balls include vomiting and seizures. If your dog has consumed moth balls, do NOT induce vomiting. Seek veterinary care immediately.

7) Fabric Softeners and other detergents: All sorts of household detergents are toxic to dogs at one level or another, but fabric softeners fall into the highly toxic category. Signs of toxicity include vomiting, lethargy, burns to the mouth, drooling, muscle weakness, and even coma. Do NOT induce vomiting if your dog has ingested any detergent. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

8) Mouthwash: Mouthwash can contain boric acid which is highly toxic to dogs. Symptoms of poisoning by mouthwash include vomiting, drooling, seizures, and coma. You should take your dog to the veterinarian immediately if you suspect poisoning by mou! thwash or other household item containing boric acid like contact lens solution or denture cleaner.

9) Peach Pits: With most fruits, the pits and the seeds are toxic to dogs. Signs of poisoning include drooling, vomiting, and lethargy. If you suspect your dog has eaten a peach pit or the pit or seeds of any fruit, take him to the veterinarian immediately.

10) Household Plants: Many common and popular household plants are highly toxic to dogs. A partial list of toxic plants includes poinsettias, lilies, ferns, devil's ivy, aloe, and ivy. Symptoms of poisoning due to ingestion of toxic plants include vomiting and central nervous system excitement. Many of these plants are fatal if ingested. Please contact your veterinarian immediately if you suspect your dog has eaten a toxic houseplant.

With diligence on our part, we can help prevent our dogs from getting into substances that are toxic to them. Many veterinary school websites offer lists of things that are toxic to dogs and what you should do if your dog ingests such things. As always, if you think your dog may have eaten something dangerous, contact your veterinarian immediately or take your dog to the closest emergency clinic.

I hope this article will give everyone that reads it the tools to prevent problems with our four legged friends. Thanks Mary Kay!!!!!!!!!!!!

So you are recently diagnosed with high blood pressure!

Have you recently been told that you have high blood pressure? It is a rising epidemic that for many people expresses not one symptom until they have a heart attack or a stroke. Others can feel light headed, tired, sluggish, they may have numbness in the fingers or may experience a warm sensation to the face and have headaches frequently.

Once diagnosed, most but not all people should look to their weight as the culprit, with a sprinkle of inactivity, stress and bad diet, and topped with fast food, excessive caffeine consumption and sprinkled with a drop of lack of sleep.

Many Doctors will recommend exercise and dietary changes, and many unless it is through the roof will ask you to monitor it and come back in a few weeks to see the changes, if any. Many people do nothing and end up on a lifetime of medication that can cause many side effects, but the trade off is they feel now no changes need to be made by them.Lack of personal motivation, yes. Laziness, yes, that too!

If you do find out that you have this problem, remember dietary changes and exercise changes are key, and supplements add the final touches. You want to make sure you let your Doctor know that you will be making changes and let them see the benefits AND MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS.

Some great nutritional suggestions for blood pressure reduction are as follows: adding Garlic, Cayenne Pepper, Hawthorn, B complex for stress help, also there are wonderful blends like BP blend which has many of the above all in a convenient formula. One thing to remember is that many people use these products along with their blood pressure medication and they use it safely. If you choose to do this, make sure you monitor it so as not to let it possibly drop too low. You can also add more garlic and onions to your food and also gain great benefits as well as adding flax seed oil. Sometimes when cholesterol comes down as fatty blockages are melted away, blood flow increases and blood pressure naturally comes down also.

So keep in mind that you can be in charge of your Blood pressure levels, seeing as we are the main culprit that caused it to be high in the first place. Try not to jump into the prescription revolving door first if you do not have to, and find a Doctor that has the same belief system you have. Good Luck!!

How is your adult skin???

Being as acne is not just a juvenile situation as it was when I was a kid, maybe some possible healthy suggestions are in order. When I was a kid when you turned about sixteen or seventeen acne was over as hormones started to balance out a little. It really was a childhood situation, but today it has changed drastically to an adult situation that is worst than the teenagers of today.

If you go into any Dermatologist office today you will find an array of skin disorders and among them will be chronic adult acne. Not just on the face, but also on the chest and back, and much more serious cases than you have seen in adolescent years. I have often wondered what the cause of this terrible and annoying skin problem could be, I am guessing it is a combination of many things. Not the least being stress, diet, pollution, internal bad digestion, bad elimination, water deprivation, fast food, fatty diets, medication side effects, and just bad luck. There are actually many nutritional things both internal and external that can be used safely and with great success.

Number one, and the easiest to do would be to increase your water consumption and cut back on chemical based and carbonated beverages. Second, making drastic diet changes like learning to stay away from the junk and from excessive sugar packed sweets and greasy and fast foods. Next on the list would be to check your elimination, if you are not expelling wastes through the normal means regularly and consistently, the body will force impurities and toxins through the skin to get it out of the body. Problem is it gets through the skin and then sits there and gets worst by the day. You can give into topical steroid creams and lotions that you will immediately notice clear things up, but soon after discontinuing them the skin problem without your making any lifestyle changes will always rear its ugly head again and with avengence most of the time and sometimes worst than before.

Internally, cleansing the body three or four times per year is very helpful to get rid of excess toxins that most people do not flush out on their own. Make sure to use a good over all vitamin program, I recommend the NSP program because of it's complete formula making sure you do not miss essential and vital nutrients. Flax oil and fish oils benefit by internally lubricating the skin and helping to prevent dry skin problems from the inside out. Taking extra Vitamin A, Zinc and acidophilus are also essential to help round out the internal defense program against these awful skin problems. If stress is an issue adding B complex will help to ease the stress and can also benefit the skin in a positive way.

Topically, there is a wonderful skin oil called Squalene that lubricates the skin and does it without causing a greasy layer. It is absorbed so quickly and makes your skin feel like it has a silk glove over it. The lotion can be used in larger body areas and is something that once you use it, you will never stray from it.

Hopefully these few tips will help to bring your skin back to it's healthy best. We all hate to make changes, but when it comes to your skin, it is hard to put your best face forward when your skin is not at it's healthiest. Small changes will yield huge benefits.

You have to wonder why twenty five to thirty years ago we never had adult acne, but we see it now in large numbers everyday. It is a good sign that this is one more thing we are most likely causing ourselves by our unhealthy lifestyles and fast paced living. The solution; clean up the diet, supplement internally and clean up the skin topically. A healthy glow is a great thing!

A day of global and American obesity statistics

Today's blog deals with statistics, most of which have to do with the bad health of this country. Sometimes when we see it in print, it really hits home as to the decline of health in America.

Latest Obesity Statistics

USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions
58 Million Overweight; 40 Million people are Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese

Eight out of 10 over 25years of age is Overweight

78% of Americans not meeting basic activity level recommendations

25% completely Sedentary

76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

"We estimate that 22 million of the world's children under 5 are overweight or obese," said Mary Bellizzi, an expert with the International Obesity Task Force who presented the research to health ministers at the meeting

Deaths from Obesity: 300,000 premature deaths associated with obesity annually (CDC). Death rate extrapolations for USA for Obesity: 300,000 per year, 25,000 per month, 5,769 per week, 821 per day

Costs for Obesity: $33 billion annually spent on weight-loss products and services

Physician office visits for Obesity: 62.7 million

Work Days Lost from Obesity: 39.3 million

Bed Days from Obesity: 89.5 million

I think we need to take a look at a solution for this problem. I feel, as does the medical establishment and the world health organizations, that we will eat ourselves into early graves and become a financial strain on the medical system that cannot continue to support this epidemic.

It is not just about eating less, it is also about exercising, making better food choices, getting more rest and of course making sure all of your nutritional supplementation needs are met with your diet and your supplements.

Making sure you do not end up overweight, sick and malnutritioned is something this population needs to focus on. Not just adults, but the children of America, who are another growing epidemic in this country with staggering numbers that are also quite depressing and disheartening.

I hope that attention to these figures will reach enough people over the next few years that changes will start to happen, for all of our sake.

the last third of the year is here, pay attention!!

First of all Happy Labor Day Holiday to all. A time of the year when the summer draws to a close and the fall and winter season is just around the corner. Also a time of great stress and inactivity, I mean physical activity. Did you know that this time of the year is famous for many things. Not the holidays that we are all familiar with, but other things and milestones that seem to rear their ugly heads every single year at this time.

This time of the year has the highest incidence of urinary, bladder and kidney infections. Why, because most people are used to drinking water and fluids in the summer because they are actually feeling the sense of dehydration due to the heat, so they satisfy and quench themselves due to that feeling. In the winter, we do not have the sensation of heat upon us so the symptomatic warning signs are not there to slap us in the face and alert us. What we do finally notices is a urinary infection, sore kidneys, dry mouth, electrolyte imbalances, prostate infections and severe constipation.

This time of the year also yields itself to more obesity. As the weather gets cooler and we start to cover up more often, we get lazier and spend more time on the couch and not being active. We use every excuse from it is dark earlier, it is too cold, or we are getting ready for the holidays. whatever excuse works, and then we rotate the excuses so as to to sound totally lame and lazy.

Dry skin is a big issue also this season because as I mentioned above we do not drink enough water and fluids. We also start to pilr and layer heavier clothes that end up rubbing against our already dry flaky skin which causes more dryness and irritation. This is also a time for Dermatologists to double their patient load as Eczema, Psoriasis and Contact Dermatitis get more common. We also turn the heat on because we are cold and that heat taht allows us to warm our cold bodies also sucks the moisture out of our skin and dehydrates all of the fluid and actually makes our skin age and look older.Remember that using lotions topically is a wonderful thing to do. but beauty and healthy skin starts from within.

Of course we put our digestive systems to the test every year as we do the" indulge in everything because I am starting a new diet in January routine". We all do it to some degree but some people are well known for it, and will admit to you each and every year that this is the year they follow through. I know when it comes down to sticking to so called resolutions, it is no body's business except the person posing the resolution and their conscious and nobody else. It just seems that they seem to drag us in somehow, and before you know it they actually have us either supporting their failures, or they put us on the other end we end up yelling at them to get motivated. Crazy as it sounds, it happens every year to millions of us, though we swear we will never go through it again.

So as you start to think about the stressful holiday season approaching, and the upcoming weather changes that are around the corner remember to think you actions through carefully. This time of the year can actually be a very happy time where we get a jump start on the problems we all face this time of year, or it can be a disaster that takes you the first quarter of the year to correct what we put our selves through.

My suggestion, make it the year of positive changes and personal benefits and then start the new year ahead of the game; healthy, happy and enjoying your life.

September already

So here we are in September and I am starting my second year of blogging already. It has been an interesting year for me as I am doing things that I never thought I would do. After running my own stores for so many years and being within those four walls everyday, and loving it, I am now out in the field and the walls are down.

I am able to do what I love most which is train and inform and lecture and learn more myself about nutrition. As I visit different stores and meet different people around the country I always ask them about the people they work with. The most amazing thing is that no matter where I go or whom I speak with, the answers and the profiles are always the same. No matter where I am, what demographics, sex, religion or race or even age, most people all have the same concerns. What does differ in some areas is the actual motivation that people have to make these wishes or changes come true.

I am not sure if this is a geographic thing as it seems many people that are in larger cities seem to be more interested or health oriented, I guess it just comes down to the fact that we either are motivated or we are not. I have learned that most everyone does want to be healthy. Everybody does want to get off medications, live longer, look better, and have more energy and be able to deal better with stress. I feel that if there was an across the board thing that everybody does want, it would be to be more energetic and possibly happier and not so depressed.

What I see everyday are people running around in circles basically in a hurry to go nowhere quickly. Sweating the insignificant small meaningless stuff and focusing way too much on their careers and their jobs and forgetting to live and enjoy all they work for everyday. I am not saying to screw up on the job, I am saying to do it and do it well, and then go home and enjoy yourself your families and your friends as life is way too short.

A healthy life is attained by focusing and getting back to basics,the things that would make the largest percentage of benefit to everyone. Basics meaning eating a little better and making better food choices and drinking a little more water.Try focusing on getting more sleep, learning to relax, being more consistent with exercise and taking your supplements, and maybe the best thing, try not to take life too seriously. Learn from your mistakes but then laugh at your self for knowing better in the first place. Try to attain your goals no matter how small they are, and never let anyone keep you from those goals, and then focus on the number one thing to do for better mental and physical health and a better quality life, slow down and enjoy it! You know, smell the flowers and stop walking on them.

Smell the roses

Today a new poll came out that said Americans are among the unhealthiest people in the world. Really, where have you people been, this has been common knowledge for years. I was hoping that all of those unhealthy people that heard the first poll years ago might have made changes and the new poll would have been better. Wishful thinking on my part.

The technology is advancing at a speed of light pace. I bought a laptop six weeks ago. I am sorry to say my car was vandalized and I had to purchase a new one, and in just six weeks the model I bought which was the top of the line was already discontinued. How can that happen in six short weeks? I am amazed that people have the focus of advancing technology so quickly. I mean we have faster computers and cellular phones that do everything except hold conversations for us, but we remain unhealthy and falling apart at the seams.So why I ask can we not figure better ways to motivate people to WANT to stay healthy and make better choices? When do we start to shift our priorities for even for a little while? Long enough hopefully to just get the focus of everyone long enough to get our bodies, mind and spirits back on track and headed in the right direction. Long enough to get a good look at where we are and where we may be heading if change is not made immediately.

This might be the way to get a grip if you will. To see that we have absorbed a way of looking at things and prioritizing in a way that leaves our own bodies and our physical and mental health far away from our focus.

Maybe the next generation will establish barriers and boundaries that focus on themselves first and everything else second and third on the list. If you really think about it, the more we focus on our health, the better everything else in our life will go.

Prospering and benefiting and getting the most out of this short time we are here really does start at home. It needs to be the first thing we think of everyday and the last thing we think of before bed. I am sure that if we would focus more we would have so much more to be thankful for. I have heard so many times in my life from people everywhere that they wish they would have taken better care of themselves.

So do like they say, stop and smell the roses, stop walking over them or on them or just walking by and ignoring them. Oh, and remember to water them..................

Late night promises or late night desperation

Are you ever amazed at what people believe in. It is crazy to me, I mean being in the heath field I have always prided myself on giving accurate information and proven tests and quality studies so individuals can make a valid decision as to their choices and their health.

Sometimes I will be up late answering e mails, or doing research and I turn on the television. I cannot believe the advertisements and infomercials I see. After watching them for a few minutes , although I know better, I am reaching for my credit card because they have me convinced.

I wonder how many thousands and tens of thousands of people they have drawn in. I know we are all looking for the magic bullet and the quick fix, but really do you think this stuff can deliver the miracles that are being linked to it? It may be that at three o'clock in the morning our intelligence flies out the window and are replaced by desperation and hope and non realistic thinking. I do not know, but for a few minutes I felt it, and it was strong and powerful and like I said it drew me in, and I know better.

So how do we deal with this late night desperation advertising? The answer is we don 't, we just realize that to get where we want to go and the results we are looking for comes down to the basics. Exercise, better food choices, great supplements choices, lots of rest, clean fresh water, great friends, jobs and careers we enjoy going to and most of all being happy. I find that happy people are healthier and not on an abundance of medications, are able to make smarter choices with everything, and most of all happy people do not bury their stress in food, or let food try to cover it up.

Happy Birthday to me

Well today is my birthday. I have decided to give thanks to all the people that make my life what it is. Thank you for being a constant reminder to shoot for the stars. Thank you for always pushing me to learn more and pass information on to all of you. Thank you for allowing me to be there when you need help and encouragement. Thank you for trusting me and my knowledge and my experience and searching me out even now when I am hard to find.

Thank you most of all for making me want to do what I do everyday and for pushing me to want to keep going, achieving and pushing my goals to the heavens. Most of all, thank you for taking the responsibility to be healthier,happier and for wanting the best health for yourself and all who are in your life.

Like sheep being branded

It is getting kind of hard to know what to do anymore. Today we are introduced to new ground breaking drugs that could save our lives. Six weeks or six years later, the same person that encouraged you to take it says" stop taking that, don't you know that stuff can kill you?". So they put you on a new prescription, and we do what they say with no questions asked.

New foods come on the market that are sold in main stream grocery stores. New flashy labels with their versions of the natural. Not as many chemicals, or newly fortified, or half the sugar, fat or caffeine. Once again we flock and say wow we can eat this now. We never question what they put in the place of what they took out. Six months or six years later we are told not to eat that because the chemicals in there can kill you. Once again we stand in line and wait fir the next thing to use that has promises of less bad stuff in it.

So I start to think. We are privy to all of these big promises that come and go as fast as they came. Sometimes because bigger and better things replace them, or sometimes because after they did more studies, they could be harmful or fatal. Why do they keep doing this to us, because we give them full control and allow them to scoop shovel after shovel of garbage at us no questions asked.

When you listen to the news and find out this is bad, this class medical law suit, stay away from this chemical and this sweetener, this soda, you would think we would try another route. But sadly, we do not, we just stand in line like sheep to be branded and do not even ask if it will hurt.

Next time, try going to a health food store and trying organic vegetables and free range beef and chicken. Try the natural alternatives first before jumping into the back yard pharmaceutical pool that has no water in it. But I am warning you, there might no be any chemicals, side effects, class action law suits or recalls, so you may just have to sit back and enjoy with no stress.

Man's best friend, sometimes taken for granted, so stop it!

Many people think that many of us out here that put our pets before anything or anyone else are a little obsessive. Well I must agree, we are and we accept that .I have discovered that while being a pet lover, I also rely on them more than I previously thought.

When I travel and I am gone for a few days, I always notice the difference my pets make, especially when you have a lot of them. They are always there when you need them, and they never ever judge us on any level. When the rest of the world may rear it's ugly head, our pets always are there just to please. A little overweight, a bad hair day, you spilled food all over your shirt, you are just having a bad day, no matter, our pets are there to see us and they are just happy we are at home.

They have actually filmed pets who get to know our routine. They will instinctively know the time we should be there and some of them will actually sit by the door and wait. The great thing about animals and pets is all they demand or need is love and attention. This is what drives them to be alive and stay healthy and happy. It is amazing how simple they make it. Maybe we should all take a tip from the pets of the world and be happy with just the basics and stop being in such a hurry to go nowhere quickly. Maybe just focusing on what we have and not on what we could have might actually make us healthier and happier in the long run. I am amazed how we get spinning out of control to keep up with the neighbors and forgetting all that we have already achieved and how far we have already come in this world. I think we have lost that chromosome that allows us to be satisfied, or appreciative.

So next time you are at the store picking up your dog food, do not skimp. Get the best you can afford, and get some great nutritional pet formulas to keep them healthy. By using nutritional formulas like Mezotrace minerals, Flax seed oil, Four Dogs and Four cats, Barley dog and cat, you may just keep your best friends here a little longer. The extra shirt and things you crave so badly and do not need could be changed in for a better life for the one thing in your life that is always there for you, man's best friend, your best friend, Your pets!

The Master Cleanser diet made even easier

It is funny how old things recirculate. Everything from clothing styles to old sayings to fads of all different kinds. They come and hit strong, stay around a while and then disappear and the five or ten years later, boom they are back again.Sometimes they hit even stronger that previous times, and then sometimes they fizzle out quickly as the audience is different and likes and dislikes have changed over the last few years.Sometimes things we found important years ago are not as important now.

Hollywood is the place that is most well known for recycling things. Everything from sayings, fads,diets and what to wear are just a few things that seem to change daily in the glamour capital of the world. There is not a day that you will not see or read a periodical that is touting a new or a renew , if you will diet program. The one that is getting huge attention this month is the Lemonade diet, or the Master Cleanser program. Although this diet has been around about forty years, you would think by the attention it is getting that it was fresh off the press. This program utilizes a sort of fasting that allows you to flush out the system and it is quite effective. People that are on an array of medications may have to talk to their Physicians before attempting this since you are actually fasting and there is no food eaten for ten days. Many medications need food to work correctly. If you are presently working with a Doctor, checking with him or her should be first and primary before starting this or any diet. Most everyone else can do quite well with this program with little or no change to the daily routine.

The foundation or premise of this program is to drink a gallon of water with the squeezed juice of 6-8 lemons and 5-6 Tablespoons of natural maple syrup and as much Cayenne pepper as you can handle in the beverage. This process allows the body to burn stored fats while shrinking the appetite and deterring the cravings for sweets. This actually serves many purposes like weight loss, reduced cravings for junk food and a good cleansing as well as giving the digestive system a chance to rebuild and relax a little.

Some good points to this program are the quick results and that it is easy to follow, and after a few days hunger pangs diminish very fast. One problem is that not everyone can carry the gallon of liquid with them nor do they have the space or availability to have the liquid at work. This is something that has been a bit of a dilemma. The company I work for Great Earth has come up with what I feel is a ground breaking solution idea and it is called Lemonate. It is the same idea in a tablet formula. What an amazing idea for those who want it even easier. This way you could actually drink the liquid mixture at home in the morning and evening and use the tablets with a lot of water during the day. You could also do the liquid all day and still add the tablet to speed the results and cleanse and lose weight faster and easier.

Some people are using it as a ten day wake up call for the body to prepare it for a new way of eating. or a dietary change, or a fast flush before a special event, or just to do have a quick way to shed a few pounds to get you motivated.

Whatever you choose to use it for, it will be an easy and quick way to get results easily and quickly. If you are interested, leave me an e mail and I can direct you to the closest retailer.