One week to set smart and attainable goals

Wow, another Christmas just zoomed on by without a hitch, that is pretty amazing with all going on in the country. I think many of us feel that the big picture is so far out of our hands that we need to just concentrate on the things we can fix like our health, our family, and maybe getting ready to control our bad habits with next weeks resolutions.

I am amazed because it seems like more and more people are really starting to want to make some changes, and I think for the first time in many years, I think they really mean it! All I can say is over the next week as you ponder where you are and where you would like to be, when you mull over your bad habits and the changes you would like to make, set easy and attainable goals. What I mean by that is, if you have sixty pounds to lose, set your goal at five pounds per month. When you are able to satisfy your goals every month, you WILL stay motivated and you will find you can even lose more every month once the goal is attained.

When you have a huge mountain goal in front of you it is a mountain that most people can not conquer, but attainable goals are satisfied, and you will walk over them and on to the next one with a positive and take on the world attitude.

So, be kind to yourself and smart about the goals you set, and logical on how long they may take to complete.

Good Night! R U sleeping or staring at the ceiling?

How do you sleep at night? When asked this most people say, I go to bed and I wake up in the morning. Daah!! What I am interested in having you do is to take a look at are you getting the rest you need and deserve, or are you just going through the motions?

Think before you answer these questions.

1) Men, do you get up more than once or twice per night and have trouble going back to sleep again. If yes, it could be stress or it could be time to get your prostate examined to find out if you have prostate enlargement, which could cause frequent urinary elimination or the urge during the night. Remember, there are many natural remedies that can and are very successful with prostate problems.

2) Do you get leg cramps frequently or Charlie horses in your legs? This could be over or under worked muscles, and a sign that you need to take a chelated multiple mineral supplement as well as some supplemental calcium and magnesium. We heal the muscles and joints when we sleep so having minerals in the system help this process and keep the body from robbing needed minerals from our muscles that cause us to cramp.

3) Are you the person who cannot shut down your head? You take work and personal problems and stress to bed with you and you dwell and cannot stop thinking. Are you always thinking about what could happen before it does or dwelling on the days or past weeks to the degree that you could not fall asleep if you wanted to? There are great nutritional supplements to take for this as well before you jump into the addictive pharmaceutical drugs.

We need to remember, if sleep is a problem for you at any age get some nutritional help. If you do not get rest you actually are causing your immune system to become faulty, putting stress on your body and heart, keeping your body from healing and repairing, causing cloudy and foggy brain activity and affecting your memory.You will also age faster and visibly show the signs of aging. Now that should be enough for you to do something, and quick!

Holiday spirit

Have you noticed that as December begins most people are in good moods? Maybe because they are still full from Thanksgiving dinner, but realistically they may be feeling the holiday spirit.

On the other hand make sure to suck up all of this good energy because as the month rolls on, the niceness seems to go away and the short tempered moods, irritated personalities and hateful scrooge like attitudes emerge. I am a believer that most people go so overboard during the holidays and I really do think that fear of disappointing someone adds to the gift list, the credit card statement and the stress now and when the bills come in January.

I am also a believer that most people have lost the true meaning of the holidays and have instead become a product of guilt driven Madison avenue price tag holiday bliss.

About ten years ago a dozen, actually 6 couples whom I have known for years told me they had all decided to step away from the holidays. The twelve of them always did the gift swap and every year it continued to get bigger and bigger including everything from clothing to trips and cruises. They said they had decided to do it different and they were going to rent three cabins at Mt Charleston, north of the Las Vegas Valley. They packed up all the food and festivities and put all their names in a hat and each drew one name. This is the one and only gift they could buy and the limit was twenty dollars.

They arrived at Mt Charleston and went into their cabins. They went on hikes, went on a sleigh ride, popped popcorn and strung it with cranberries and decorated a big pine outside one of the cabins. They built fires and sat around and enjoyed each others company free of the normal high price tag holidays. They told me it was the best holiday ever and that it would continue yearly, and it has with this year being the tenth year in a row. They said they still spend twenty dollars on the gift but they have all become extremely creative when they shop and try to out do each other with creativity and variety.

I wish this for everyone, but not everybody is able to do this, so for those of you stressed out and starting the 4 week steep climb to the holidays, these few nutritional changes may help you stay focused and healthy and a little more stress free.

Drink plenty of water and do not skip meals to keep you blood sugar from dropping, take time out and schedule meals. Did you know that when blood sugar drops it causes your emotions to change, causes you to make bad choices and may just keep you from staying focused and on track.

Take plenty of B Complex vitamins for energy and stress relief and plenty of good chelated multiple minerals at night to sleep well and keep those muscles and bones strong. Take your Vitamin C to keep your immune system strong, and wash your hands as frequently as possible. Get enough rest and when going shopping go out with a list and stick to it.

I thought you might enjoy the story of my friends and their quest to regain the true holiday spirit. Their story allowed me to enjoy and remember and experience the true meaning of the holidays.

GIVING THANKS, BEING WITH LOVE ONES, GREAT FOOD AND CELEBRATING LIFE!

i

Dry skin?

Dry skin is a problem fro some people all year long, but for many of us it is seasonal and creeps up on us when the weather changes. It is like someone has taken every ounce of moisture out of our skin, and all you need to do is rub your skin lightly and the dry skin flakes off almost like it is snowing.

We need to remember three things to solve and fix the seasonal dry skin dilemma.

1) Hydrate externally with lotions and oil products

2) Hydrate internally with oils from supplements and foods

3) Hydrate internally with water

That's it, that is all it takes for you to solve the dry skin problem. Why then do you ask does it seem to get worst and not better? The problem is most people only do one of the three things. Most people put lotion on once a day and expect miracles. For a lotion to work it should be high quality and chemical free utilizing natural ingredients. Did you know that many lotions actually that are labeled for dry skin relief actually have so many chemicals that it causes dry skin because of what is in the product.

The second thing is most people only eat and consume oils that are hydrogenated, like deep fried oils in their fast food. The oil they need they need to consume from food includes olive oil, sesame oil, salmon, sardines, avocados and all deep sea fish. These foods not only lubricate the skin but also help to lower the risk for heart disease and help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The third is to consume supplemental oils like flax seed oil and omega 3 capsules. This way you round out the oils internally with the lubricating natural lotions you use on the skin topically.

Last, but certainly not least, water. Yes, something as easy as water consumption can hydrate you and make your skin soft, moist and subtle. We drink a lot of water in the summer because we can visually see and feel the signs of dehydration. But in the winter we are not hot, we are not thirsty so we do not drink water. Your skin is not all that suffers from your not drinking water. The winter months also, due to dehydration brings on the highest incidence of prostate infections, kidney infections, urinary and bladder infections as well as bacterial infections in the urinary tract. So when I stress water, I mean it. You may not be thirsty but you are in the inside and you just do not know it.

Dry skin over long periods of time makes you look and feel old, ages you long before your time and is not healthy. So follow these three steps and have beautiful healthy skin all year long.

Cold weather is coming to your city.

Wow, cold weather is upon us, and flu and cold season is here. Are you affected yet? I am seeing so many people all with red tipped noses, coughing, sneezing and feeling yucky, and the crazy thing is the season has barely begun.

It seems that every year I start nutritionally preparing everyone on what to do and what nutritional changes to make, and sometimes I feel like nobody is listening. But then again, at the end of the season I will get hundreds of e- mails thanking me for the suggestions and for helping them to get through a season without one sick day, this makes it all worthwhile.

Doesn't it just make you crazy when you give friends and family members advice, and they do not listen and they end up getting into the situation you warned them about and they look at you with that"how did this happen look"? Me, it makes me crazy and I wonder whether they listen to anything I say, ever?

Bottom line, all you can do is give people the tools that can make them steer themselves to a healthier, happier life. What everyone does with this information is not for us to worry about.

A few blogs ago we talked about flu preparation, check it out and remember you can always e mail me if you have further questions. I guarantee you that hind sight is always 20-20, and when you are sitting in an over crowed germ filled waiting room at two AM in the morning with every other sick person in your town or city, you will kick yourself for not putting yourself first and taking better care and focusing on some basic prevention, and you will be thinking, I will never do this again!

Election 2008 over at last

It seems as if this presidential election has been going on for years now, maybe that is because it has. Day after day of more mud slinging and gossip, positive and negative information coming from all sides,frankly I am sure the country has just about had it, I know I have.

As this Presidential election comes and goes we move onto a new era in American history. President elect Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States of America, and he will be the first African American president in American history.

This could also be the many of first for America. The firsts that I am listing here are hopeful scenarios that I would love to see come to fruition. Let's face it anything can and may happen and with positive thinking anything is possible.

1) The first health care program that makes health care available to all Americans, and nobody is left out.

2) The first time our economy becomes rock solid after years of it struggling to stay above water.

3) The first time the dollar starts to gain it's worth on a world wide scale in many years.

4) The first time we hear that cancer has been cured and it is actually true.

5) The first time our school system gets back on course and our High school graduates can compete on a global scale as truly educated adults for the first time in more years than I want to think about.

6) The first time all Doctors are open to using alternative nutritional medicine BEFORE they recommend pharmaceutical drugs.*

7) The first time all of us as a nation decide to take better care of ourselves and health becomes a nation wide focus.

8) The first time we as a nation decide to do everything we can to preserve our environment and make better and greener choices.

10) And the first time everyone decides that stress, illiteracy, poverty, pollution, greed, disease and crime are no longer words in the dictionary because they no longer apply.

I know, a lot to ask for, but I was always told to ask for as much as possible and maybe half of it can and will come true.

Zoom Zoom Zoom goes the year

Amazingly another year has slipped by us and as the holidays slip on by we will be at the doors of another night of New Years Eve resolutions. Can you believe it is that time again? I seriously do not know where the year went. I am still trying to figure out whether it is because I am older and life is zooming by, or that I have way too much going on and I am just forgetting to smell the roses, Hell, I do not even know where the flowers are any more.

It seems like it was just a few years ago when I wishing to be older so I could be treated like an adult and people would stop referring to me as a child. Now as I am approaching, excuse me while I swallow, 50, all I want to do is go back to being a kid. To a time when the only deadline in my life was a paper on a book I was supposed to read. When doing chores was something I hated but when they were done I could have fun. When the countdown of time was for Christmas and summer vacation alone and nothing else. How do we go from the simpler times to where we are as adults.

Bills, deadlines, mortgages, shopping, car payments, insurance, upkeep of houses, clothing and our own personal up keep as well. Making payments on everything and trying to meet that someone special in what seems to be a world of people would act like someone different because they themselves have gotten lost in the translation, if you will. We are all in a hurry to keep up with the Jone's, and we do not even know who the Jone's are. People are driving cars they cannot afford, wearing clothes they should not be wearing and living a lifestyle that has us in a hurry to go know where quick.

I guess I am at the point where I say enough!! It is time for friends and a slower lifestyle. A time to be ourselves and be with the people who accept us for who we are. To be doing the things we really enjoy, and living the life that actually makes us happy. When we all stop acting like we are better than everyone around us and just be happy we are not alone. A handful of incredible true to life friends is worth a hundred acquaintances who in an emergency would never be there when we really needed them.

A back to basics philosophy. Basic food and nothing crazy, basic nutrition, good quality that covers all the basis. A career that you enjoy getting up for every day and do not hate the entire day you work at it. Pets, yes pets, we all need them as they are the key to unconditional love. Pets have the right idea. They never see us being overweight or out of shape, or never see us on a bad hair day as anything than the one that loves them. They do not care if we are the president of a company, or the person that drives the president around. Love that is always there every night when you get home and every morning when you leave. Pets have it right, simple ideals, simple lives and they get to sleep all day waiting for their special person to walk through the door.

Remember, when you think you are in overload with hundreds of things to do write them down and prioritize. You will find that out of that list of a hundred things, only a few are actually pressing to be done today. We all just get so far turned around and the plate is so full that we lose the state of reality and cannot see clearly. So stop, take a breath and ask yourself some questions, just a few, but I guarantee they will make you say hmmmmm.

1) Do I like my chosen career?

2) Are my friends there when I need them, and am I there when they need me?

3) Do I like myself unconditionally, and if not why?

4) Am I the kind of person I would want for a friend?

5) Do I take care of myself?

6) Am I as healthy as I can be?

7) Am I doing anything I set out to do when I was younger with dreams? If no, why?

8) Is my relationship healthy, if not why am I in it?

9) Do I spend my day pleasing my self, or spend it worrying about pleasing others?

10) Have I ever had unconditional love, if no get a pet?

I was just reminded by someone special that I forgot something very important, I am amazed I could forget something so important to me.

11) Have you laughed today alone or with a friend, if not, look in a mirror. I feel laughing at ourselves is the BEST MEDICINE AROUND!

November, here we go!!!!!!!!!1

I know, I know, you had a lot of candy left over from last night and you do not want it to go to waste. A good excuse and one used for a very long time. The answer, knock on your neighbors door and say, will your kids enjoy this as I need to stay clear of candy, problem solved.

We are so good with weight based excuses, as Americans we have all of them on the tip of our tongue everyday, along with the marketing folks who know us better than we think. They have the best ways to may garbage food look good to you,wonderful inviting ways to make inconvenience a thing of the past and food with no nutritional value seem the only way to go. Remember, they are selling something to you, and they a re great at it. They are in the drivers seat and leading you to a golden road filled with the promise of nutrition, great tasting food and convenience to make your life so easy you will have more time to sit on the couch.

The next few months are actually the time of year people all across America put on the more weight than any other time of the year. Christmas parties, eating late, fast food because you are swamped with end of the year projects, holiday stress around every corner. Let's try an experiment, when you are shopping the next time for groceries, look around you and focus on the center of the store. Look in other people's carts and notice that most people shop in the middle part of the grocery store. The isles where all the nice labels, pre- made easiness are.

Try just one time to do all your food shopping from the outside walls. This is where you will find vegetables, fruits, meats and poultry and freshly made bakery. If you shop in this part of the store you will actually have to do preparation and really have to cook, wow, what a concept, but you will feel great.

Try for the rest of the year to shop here.Resist the temptation to open a box an throw a frozen container in the microwave, resist the temptation to have food thrown thrown through the window of your car. You will have more energy and stamina, feel and look better and your heart, waistline and cholesterol levels will be most appreciative.

Halloween already?

Although Halloween is a holiday of a sort, it is not really a holiday about giving thanks like Thanksgiving and many others. I thought I would include a wonderful story that came to me via e mail, I hope they do not mind that I am sharing this as it has to do with two things I love, animals and the devotion of animals to their humans.

This is a wonderful story, enjoy.
************************************

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't, and you may even decide you need one!Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably,someone would forget and something would come up missing.Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys.

Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact , she was just sure it was fatal.She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders.The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky.A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through.If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him.

The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom.

Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life. He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky? He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure. Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us. If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours!

Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this circulating,even if it's to one more person. In memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still living with it.

Germs are everywhere, even in places we forget to think about

I hear so many people say that they cannot believe the picked up the flu or cold bug because they did not go anywhere where sick people are. You must remember that things you do everyday that you would never think twice about expose you to germs. Below is a list of things you touch that have more germs than you can possibly imagine. Always carry a small container of hand sanitizer. People will say that is kind of over reacting, I will usually say, when you are flat on your back with the flu for a week, I will remind you.

Remember, this list is just to make you think that simple things we do every day expose us to millions of germs, and then we go on and do not wash out hands or we eat in the car or wipe your nose or mouth.

1) ATM machine buttons

2) Fax machine buttons at work

3) Door handles everywhere

4) Shopping carts

5) Baskets at the grocery store

6) Public phones

7) Pens at the bank

8) Buttons on point of purchase machines everywhere

9) Shaking hands

10) Hugging

11) Escalator handles

12) Revolving doors

13) Coffee machine handles

14) Drinking fountain handle

15) Kids toys

16) Dressing room doors at clothing stores

17) Restrooms, handles, sinks, toilets, toilet seats and flushers

18) Airplanes, seats and handles and bathrooms

19) Hotels, all doors and even bedding and furniture

20) Your luggage handles after you pick up baggage at airports

21) Copy machines at work

22) Sugar and creamer bottles at your morning coffee place

23) Napkin dispensers at restaurants

24) Counters at all establishments

25) Even when you are looking at CDs at the store that others have handled.

This is just a short list, but the point is that germs are all around us everyday. Make sure to take extra Vitamin C, your Wellness formulas, Echinacea and Golden seal, and bottom line wash your hands often, or carry hand sanitizer. Small price to pay to stay healthy and avoid the crud.

A trip to the city

I ventured into New York city last night. I actually love the crowds and the craziness of it all. I was a little early for the holiday decorations, but it was still a nice little side trip. I always notice the stress in the air on every corner. I was there at about five o'clock, or rush or peak hour in the city, oh my word. It was crazy and the stress on people's faces was so visible as the scurried to get to wherever it was they were going.

As I walked a little further away from Penn Station it started to settle down a little, but just a little as the side walks were crazy with crowds too. You must realize that a large portion of people that work in the city do not live in the city, they commute form places all over New York and New Jersey. If you have never gone to the city or experienced the trains or subway in New York, it is a hoot. When you are waiting for train track numbers to be posted down in the terminal everyone stands and waits and when they post it they run, not walk, but run to that track. The first time I was there I was so confused I did not know what to do, it was like a crtoon where you are going one direction and five thousand people are going against you. After a few years of doing this you learn where to stand to be in the first group down the stairs, as seats fill up fast during peak periods.

I think I would like to open a little stand selling B Complex Vitamins and Stress tabs. I could do very well as panic is on every one's face. Could I live this lifestyle? sure, would it be hard, I think yes.

The funny thing is many of these people change trains more than a couple of times just to get to their homes and some have a ways to drive once they arrive at the station. The moral of this is when you think a little bumper to bumper traffic is such a devastating thing for you some days, get over it as you have it pretty darn good. I wonder how all of these people can stay sane and not get sick?I have put the following list of should do nutrition for all big city commuters because of weather, stress, the close proximity you have with germs and because you are all stressed out to the max.

1) Take a strong timed released Multiple vitamin
2) B complex timed released, at least a 100mg
3) Vitamin C timed released, about three times your normal dosage during flu season
4) Echinacea and Golden Seal, about four times per week
5) A wellness formula daily
6) Zinc lozenges

Make sure you drink plenty of water and limit sugars and wheat and gluten foods. These foods produce a lot of mucous and this can keep and cold or flu much longer than we need. A few wise choices and mild moderation to your normal lifestyle could mean the difference between a healthy winter and holiday season, or one that is full of sickness and stress. Also, hats off to you that can do this every day, the more I think about it, I couldn't.

Weather

Another day out here on the east coast and I have forgotten how chilly it gets in the morning. The days have been very nice, but it takes a few hours to take the chill off. Now remember, I have been in the desert for a long time and I guess my blood has thinned out because it is still thirty to forty degrees warmer than it will be in a month.

I always wonder why people choose to live in such crazy climate areas, this coming from someone who lives in an area where in August, the high nineties is a cooling trend, what can I say? I guess no matter where you are or where you live we all make compromises for being where we are. Sometimes all the other aspects of our home place outweigh some questionable weather. And let's face it, it is so beautiful in the fall, and the spring, that pesky winter just has to fall in between the two.

I must say that seeing trees change color right before my eyes, and the field of red, and yellow across the wooded areas is a thing of beauty long forgotten by my eyes. Maybe the best thing to do when you are gone from home should be to absorb the beauty, and embrace the differences and enjoy your surroundings and create some visual memories that you can take back to your little neck of the woods, wherever that may be.

A day of loss for all who knew my friend.

Most of you that know me know I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. You also know that when you are in my life, you are in my life. If you are my friend and or family I will go to the mat forever no questions asked. Relationships like these are important and heartfelt, they are some of the things we should be grateful for, and also I, in my heart am grateful for all of my close relationships every single day.

When we lose a link of this very important chain, it almost seems as if our world stops spinning for a while. Like a large piece of heart and soul is taken away and we are supposed to continue as if nothing happened. Impossible for me, I am too close to all of my special people and too grateful for them to feel whole after such a loss for a very long time.

I lost someone on Saturday that was a very important part and vital relationship in my life. Although his fight with cancer has been going on for just under four years, and he was in a forth stage situation when it started, the reality, although in front of us for so long never really seemed to be a possibility. Mel always had this effervescent personality, almost too big to be in a small room, and immortality, if you will that seemed like it could never be taken away, nor his flame that burned so bright ever be extinguished.

Mel Rich was a mentor, a teacher, a friend, a father to many of us, a leader in the field, and an individual whose visions helped to develop the products many of you use everyday. Products we rely on due to the quality and expertise that is used and the love and research that were put into them, this is why we will continue to take these supplements everyday and will continue to long into the future.

Mel was known to all as an innovator and leader in the field. His reputation preceded him everywhere, and I may say when you talked about Mel, ears perked up everywhere in every situation. When it came to quality and being able to create greatness in the nutrition field Mel was there, right in front leading the crusade for products that are life changing, health creating, and high quality. Making these products was not just a desire for Mel, it was the thing that drove him as well as his mission statement, and we were all the healthier for them, and for him.

I will personally miss his laughter, his zest for life, his shoulder, his appreciation and the talks and chats when I needed them most in my life. I will cherish all the memories that I have of him and I am sure more of them will come back to the memory front, ones I might have temporarily forgotten, but great memories that will come back to me as I think of him in the future.

A loss for all who knew him, and also those who did not have the distinct pleasure of meeting him or knowing this great man.

Mel, I will miss you.

Here we go again, FLU SEASON

Good morning everyone. Wow, what a busy month it has been for me and all around me. Four of my dogs delivered their litters this month and it will of course be a very busy fall and winter at my house.

I just returned from New York and along the way both in the airports and in the airplane people are already sneezing and coughing as the flu cold season is upon us. I have learned that when traveling I change my nutritional routine, but lately I have decided to keep it consistent on a daily basis for the entire season. Living in Las Vegas is like traveling around the world every other day. People are here vacationing and leaving money, it's Vegas remember, and germs in the city.

I am often told by people that they never go to the casinos, but when you think about it, all of the people that work in the casinos, and are exposed to germs on a daily basis go to all of the places you normally go. If you go to the grocery store, the gym, any mall, almost anywhere, you might just as well have been sitting in a casino.

The moral to this situation is be prepared every day no matter if you are visiting tourist locations or not. I am always asked is it hard to stay healthy this season, and the answer is no, just go back to your basics on everything.

1) Drink more water, eight to ten glasses daily. It is a little harder because most of us are not as thirsty this time of year, force yourself.

2) Take a strong timed released Multiple Vitamin, once or even twice daily, with food.

3) Take a triple amount of Vitamin C, make sure it is buffered and in complex form and timed released for all day protection.

4) Cut way back on wheat and gluten and dairy products, all of these are mucous forming foods and if consumed when sick can take you from a simple cold to pneumonia very quickly. Keep the lungs clear of mucous.

5) Eat lots of vegetables and fresh healthy seasonal fruits, not caned.

6) Take half a teaspoon of Colloidal Silver in a shot glass of water morning and evening. Keep it in the bathroom and take it morning and evening after you brush your teeth. This is a preventive and medicinal long term protective antibiotic that works on viral and bacterial infections.

7) Keep Echinacea and Golden Seal tablets or capsules handy for the first sign of a bug exposure to a group of sick people with a cold or flu. I take it two or three times a week as prevention.

8) Exercise, both cardiovascular and weight training keep your immune system strong. Drink a lot of water before and during exercise, and if you go to a gym, wash your hands thoroughly when leaving as germs are spread here at the gym very easily.

9) Get as much sleep as needed to refresh yourself, and recharge your batteries.

10) Balance your stress, try not to get completely caught up in the holiday end of the year craziness, if possible, and take one or two extra timed released B Complex supplements to help your body deal with stress better.

11) Keep these supplements available in your medicine cabinet for you and the family. Oil of Oregano, Elderberry syrup, Zinc lozenges, Nasal Colloidal Silver, and extra Vitamin C Complex.

Having things on hand can make the difference between being down for a day, and down for a week or more. Starting the nutrition now before you are run down is the best thing you can do for yourself. Being ahead of the game is the best medicine for yourself and all of those around you, and tell everyone about flu preperation, some will listen and some will not, but tell them all anyway.

As summer heat begins to slip away

So another hot summer is coming to a close, which means only one thing, STRESS is right down the road. Around the corner from stress buildup are the holidays and getting sick during flu and cold season is next in line.

The preparation for holiday stress and flu and cold season are actually very closely related. The better your immune system is charged up the less effect stress will have wearing you down, and adversely the better you handle and are prepared for stress the less wear and tear it will have on your immune system.

Make sure to eat and make better food choices daily including lots of green vegetables and purple and red fruits. Both of these are powerful for fuel and loaded with anti oxidents to keep your system strong and give you wonderful energy. Although it is starting to cool down and you may not be as thirsty, continue to drink extra water daily so not to dehydrate. Missing this step of drinking water is a major reason the risk of bladder infections, yeast infections and prostate irritation and infections go up every winter season.

Exercise is of course at the bottom of every one's list, but a little extra effort can keep your entire system running better, faster and the way it was meant to run. It can also keep you from gaining holiday weight and keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels down during the season of stress and bad eating and holiday foods.

Supplementation is very important so make sure you are using a strong Timed released Multiple Vitamin, a supplemental Vitamin B Complex, Timed released Vitamin C, a strong antioxident, a multiple mineral and keep in mind a digestive enzyme for maximum absorption of your supplements and your food.

If you are having specific health problems make sure to only deal with trained staff and knowledgeable people to guide you through your nutritional choices. I am afraid to say many of us have good intentions with our nutrition, but we are I guess to proud to ask for help or guidance and make bad or poor choices.

I always feel if you are going to take nutritional supplements and drive to a specific store, make sure the store first of all has a well trained staff and that the store offers a choice of only high quality nutritional supplements. If the best they have is the worst quality in another location, LEAVE!

How is your memory?

How have you weathered the summer this year? It seems like every year it gets a little harder to deal with. You would think that by living in the desert for over 27 years that I would be used to it, but every year it seems as if I have no memory of what summer was like tghe previous year.

Everyone says" wow it is so hot this year", as if we have never been here in the summer before. Maybe we just block it out? I think it is that we are getting older and we are losing it a little more each and every year.

I find that I am using more Ginkgo Biloba, Vinpocitine, Huperzine, and more B Complex now than I was last year. I am thinking that more added stress, travel, also I am not getting enough activity that gets blood to my brain as well as being a year older.

I have memory ailments in my family genetic blood lines,and it scares me to death. I am always trying to make sure to keep the supplements in me so just in case it comes my way I am a little more nutritionally prepared.

Remember, if you are noticing you are getting the first signs of memory problems like short term memory loss, have no fear it can be a nutritional deficiency, or well worth a try to see if that is what is causing the problem.

There are wonderful herbs and supplements used all over the world successfully, here in this country you need to get to a well stocked store with a knowledgeable staff and high quality absorbable products. Keep in mind this list of products to research and to share with your Doctor. Make sure to have all necessary blood work first and an exam to rule out something more serious.

Ginkgo Biloba, Huperzine, B complex vitaminsto name a few. Alos DMAE, PS as well as the large selections of combinations of nutrients that are made to help take out the confusion and guesswork. Exercising, drinking a lot of water, getting more sleep, and learning to chill out are also key players with memory loss. Keep moving, any kind of activity will promote circulation and the better the blood is moving the better we get it to the brain.

Good luck

How lazy are we?

A friend of mine and I were chatting the other day about how we as a nation have become so lazy. You would think with health food stores and gyms on every corner maybe it would rub off and help us to make better choices. Painfully we have ignored most of the signs and have fallen to our laziest, most out of shape, obese and unhealthiest levels we have ever been in as a nation.

From using remote controls, or eating our meals in the car, or microwaving everything we eat is just the tip of the iceberg. We use pre- made foods as we never cook anymore and rely on the convenience of all aspects of out lives to make it quicker, easier and faster.

Isn't it amazing that fifty or more years ago there was basically no technology and people worked twice as hard and twice as long and still seemed to have plenty of time for family, hobbies and healthy living? Today we have computers, mobile phones, car navigators, on line shopping and banking with deliveries direct to our homes. We have made every part of our lives so easy it almost takes care of itself, but everyone I talk to is running around in circles and has no time to do anything.

I think the whole country needs more sleep, more vacation time and less technology. Do not get me wrong, I would not be able to do my job without the convenience and technology available, but when is too much, too much?

I think we need to start cooking our own mealsand actually sitting at a table to eat them. What about cleaning our own houses, getting up and walking across the floor to change a television channel and walking upstairs to talk to family members in person rather than sending a text!

I really wonder how with all of this technology and information at our fingertips and while we have made living and doing business and living supposedly so easy why we continue to never have time available, and the time we have freed up for ourselves we spend laying on the couch?

I feel we all need a good vacation from ourselves, our busy nutty lifestyles to get back to basics. The basics of good food, good nutrition, and possibly doing things the old fashioned way, you know, when we actually did something on our own.

Happy August, where have I been? Goofing off to be honest!

Wow, it has been quite a while since my last post, sorry. You know no matter what we do, where we live or what our daily situation, we all have stuff. Stuff that keeps you from getting things done that we cannot control all the way to stuff we could control that I sometimes think we use for an excuse so we do not have to do stuff. So what is it for me, a little of all of the above.

The reason I chose this subject is that over the last month I have received so many e mails about people from all over the country trying to do this and that with their health, still trying to get their New Years resolutions started, and we are now in August.

I guess what I am trying to say is procrastination is everywhere and that if you are guilty of this new American past time, you are in the best possible company around. The smartest, most intelligent and talented people everywhere have fallen privy to this new hobby.

So what should we all do about this quandary that has so many of us in it's hold, I mean procrastination? Chill out, take some time to look at the things you are putting off, as they might just be things that never ever really need to be focused on. They may also be things that do need immediate attention and possibly looking at these in a newer light may be all that is needed to see that attention is needed. Some may have been ideas or maybe badly set unattainable crazy goals that were set out of desperation or foolishness, and when reevaluating them, you may see that taking them off the list would be wise.

I think we as Americans have the best intentions of any country I know of, and we really do have the most passion about our intentions. I think we just lose a little momentum or end up, after they are set trying everything possible to find excuses not to achieve them. I think we also have the ultimate problem of putting them in motion along the way.

So what is the real moral of this story? I think we all need to chill out a little and possibly retake another look at these goals.We might also want to complete a few of those undone tasks no matter what they may be, you might just end up a lot healthier, more in shape, and possibly feel a lot more motivated once a few are checked off the list....

Help your pets through the 4th of July holiday

The K9 Magazine Firework Safety Code For Pet Owners


Every year the skyline is set alight with rockets, Catherine wheels and Roman candles as celebrations take place to the accompanying sound of fireworks. Bangs, explosions and bright lights are partnered by screams, sirens and the occasional howling dog.

Dogs do not like fireworks. Fact. Every year dogs along with many other animals experience fear and confusion, sometimes alone when their owners are away enjoying an organized bonfire.
It is not unusual for dogs to run away or escape from the home when frightened by fireworks so ensuring your garden is ULTRA secure is a must, especially at this time of year.

Our simple 6 point guide should help to ensure your pets can get through the firework season safe and sound.

It is a good idea to bring any outdoor pets inside for the duration of firework period. If this is not possible, covering kennels up with a blanket at night will give a dog a little protection from the bright flashes and loud bangs. Outside dogs are often used to thunder but fireworks can cause a very different reaction. Always remember how acute a dog's sense of hearing is. A loud bang to us can feel like volcano erupting to a dog.

It may be hard, but try and stay with your dog during the majority of the firework season. A dog can often react very differently to a bang when you are not there. If it is possible, see if you can view your dog via a hidden vantage point just to gauge his or her reaction to the bangs. Even though you may elect to stay with the dog, try very hard not to react to the sounds of fireworks yourself. Do your best to ignore the bangs and crashes, showing your dog that there is no imminent danger despite the loud noises and bright flashes.

Always make sure your dog has his or her own special area where they can go to feel safe. Be it an indoor kennel or a place under the stairs, dogs love to have a den at their disposal.
It sounds obvious, but try to keep the windows and curtains closed as often as possible during firework season as this will lessen the effect of the noise and bright flashes.

Normal household noises such as the TV, vacuuming or music can help to distract from the loud noises coming from outside. Maybe firework season is a good time to have a disco at home followed by a few days of vacuuming!

Last but certainly not least, always ensure your pet has some sort of identification on him or her. It is a sad fact but many dogs do run away from home during firework season, even dogs that has previously shown no fear of fireworks can occasionally take flight at the loud noises and flashes in the sky. Be prepared, your dog has no comprehension why the sudden noises and bright lights and as an animal with ultra sensitive senses, it's important to be prepared for any sudden displays of anxiety or fear.

Why do we wait???

Why do people wait until they are completely falling apart before they even think of using or trying nutrition to fix deficiencies in their bodies? I am amazed and as I have seen this so many times over the years, it is confusing for my head to comprihend.Frankly it is so frustrating to the point of wanting to scream at them and ask what were, AND WHAT ARE you thinking?

To use an example, and to let you know, I asked their permission to borrow this story as it is a good one. I have a couple that have been customers of mine for over twenty years, or I guess I should say she was a customer and he would stand in the door way smoking and blowing his smoke out the door while she shopped.

Over the years he would ask a question here and there, but it was basically tradition that he would stand in the doorway while his wife shopped. Now you need to know she had tried for many years to get him to clean up his act and eat better, exercise and quit the bad habits with no success. Well, about a year ago he went to the Doctor for the first time in twenty years. He found out after an examination that he had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, an enlarged prostate, skin cancers, bad circulation, and the beginnings of emphysema. On top of this he was deficient in almost every vitamin and mineral and had elevated levels of free radicals in his blood and a low grade infection. What a mess!! the Doctor said he was going to have to make changes today or he would not be here to see the New Year.

Now you need to know that his wife went through cancer, actually forth stage and her Doctor allowed me to work on her diet and nutrition along with him and the therapy and she has been in remission for over ten years and every checkup is perfect. The Doctor himself has become a wonderful believerr and uses nutrition in his practice and always says he thought he knew everything until he me Jeff and his vitamin magic. While working with her and her Doctor were able to, along with nutrition were able to get her off every medication that she used. She now uses only natural supplements for blood pressure, cholesterol, mood and hormones, as well as her immune system that is working great.

Her husband followed her in the Saturday after he had been to the Doctor and for the first time he actually came in the store. He actually walked over to the counter and asked me if he could chat. He began to cry and I almost flipped as he unloaded his new medical findings. I asked him what the plan was, he said his Doctor said he has thirty days for a total lifestyle cleanup and then he would have more tests and begin radical prescription drug therapy. I then asked what his plans were? He said I am surrendering and will do everything you ask.

So, to get to the purpose of this blog, why oh why do people wait until this point to ask for help? Do you think you can keep doing everything wrong and never pay the piper? Do you think that an unhealthy lifestyle will never wear you down and get it's revenge? Wow, I wanted to scream at him but as I looked into his eyes all I could see was a scared little boy afraid and desperate. I decided to help, please like I would have actually said no.

We decided to meet on the following Monday evening at their home and I said you will be a non smoker by Monday or I will wash my hands of you, he agreed. We met and I put him on the strictest program I have ever put anyone on ever! The following month he went to the Doctor and most of his levels were down by almost fifty percent. His blood pressure was near normal and his blood work was great. The Doctor said keep doing what you are doing and in ninety days we will re test.

I am glad to report that he is not only in amazing health a year later but he now brings everyone he knows to the store and always preaches not only good health, but he has become a proponent of total prevention.

Now, if I could bottle his new ideas and motivation, that my friends would be a winning combination!!!!!

Warm days require re hydration and minerals

Every time I come to the east coast in the warmer weather I am reminded of what humidity is and how it feels. I was raised in the mid west where humidity was the norm in the spring and summer, but I have been away from it and in the desert for a very long time.

This is usually the time I remind everyone who is in this climate to drink and actually over drink water to keep the body hydrated as it dumps fluid out through the pores and through frequent urination. This is also the time time to remind ourselves and those around us to increase our nightly dosages of minerals and calcium to keep muscles limber and prevent cramping. Arthritics sometimes feel that the colder months are harder on them, and they may be, but losing all of your minerals through dehydration and not replacing them will cause similar symptoms and many times worst than the effects of a cold winter day.

One other thing that many people still do not grasp is that huge consumption of sodas or sugar filled energy drinks can actually cause dehydration and strip the body of healthy minerals. Water is the key to re hydrating your body, and minerals are the key nutrients for rebuilding healthy muscles, bones, tissue and healthy cells. Your skeletal system needs and demands minerals and hydrating fluids to protect it's organs too.

Bottom line, hot and hot and humid weather requires a checklist of things we need to remember. Sun screen, water, minerals, healthy foods, lots of rest and living in the land of re hydration.

Stress is around you even when you do not see it's face

When people talk about the stress in their lives they all have reasons that they feel are the culprits at that time for the added stress. When asked people will say it is financial, emotional, relationship , sickness based, the kids, the career, but how many people say it is the people they work with?

I think we take for granted that we are around certain people that are not our family for upwards of forty hours per week. I think we fail to remember that when people at work are having a crisis, and if we like them even a little bit, we are touched by the their stress, and may even go through it with them every step of the way if we are good friends. We also pick up vibes both good and bad from the people we are around all day long, and I am sorry to say that we sometimes take those bad vibes home with us, and many times create a Hell of our own at home and then it becomes a whole other kind of twenty four hour stress.

Recently I have been reminded by someone very special to me to let things roll off my back and realize that most of the time people that are very difficult at work whether it is a fellow employee an owner or a boss may be in a lot of pain and venting or yelling or generally being hard to deal with is their only salvation. It is not good that they ignore all of the rules set forth my courtesy manual number one or that they do things that would make Miss Manors scream out loud, we just need to be supportive and let them lean on us.

One more thing, if it is all bad and there are no good times at all anymore, then it is time to leave and let them sink in the hole they have dug for themselves. Nutritionally, always take extra B Complex daily, preferably a stress formula so you do not get run down. Make sure you increase your nightly minerals, take some L -Tryptophan or Valerian root, Exercise and eat well and treat this as if you were going into combat every day. A war we can win while we are being supportive, allowing ourselves to be leaned on, and hopefully getting all those around us into to a better and healthier place.

Hopefully!!!!!!!!!!

Plastic water bottles in the news

Today on the morning news they were talking about the damaging and health problems associated with of all things plastic water bottles. Plastic is of course loaded and made with chemicals, but on the other hand plastic has been a savior for us in almost every avenue of our lives. I do not think I could imagine life today without plastic for everything from car parts, medical supplies, security, technology, cell phones and the list continues.

The segment this morning was addressing the use of plastic in our drink bottles and re usable water bottles. I have in my mind always felt that a few refills will most likely not be a problem, but after over using and dishwasher cleaning what about long term use. They were speaking about how chemicals in the plastic could seep into the liquids we are drinking and possible affect our health negatively. I am sure much more testing will be done and I will keep you posted as I am very interested in where this will go.

As of this point I will go back to using glass or a steel water bottle, just for my own piece of mind. But I am also the clumsiest person I know so I will have to be careful not to drop my bottle like I do the plastic one I am used to using. I am also guilty of being a re user and re filler of bottles and use them for weeks at a a time. I always thought that reusing them would cut down on land fill debris, when I guess I actually should have just not used a plastic bottle at all. We should most likely think convenience for us for the moment and permanently in the landfills.

Maybe this will be a way to start doing a huge recycling campaign and pay by the pound to get people to recycle.

The picture above is my new filly, she is five days old here with her Mom.

How is your allergy season going?

So, how are you doing this allergy season? It seems to be a the worst one in a while in many parts of the country and in Las Vegas it is awful. There are some wonderful things for relief that are easy to use and some basic dietary restrictions that can ease you through the rest of the season.

First of all, as you know mucous is a major culprit that causes annoying symptoms. This one problem causes runny noses, scratchy throats, chest congestion and also carries bacteria into our lungs which can quickly inhibit our breathing and lead to bronchitis and chest infections. If you are privy to these problem,s try cutting out all dairy, wheat and complex carbohydrates for a few weeks. Anything white, or sweet will also cause problems. I am the first to say eat n "ATKINS" type diet for a few weeks to allow your body to flush out old built up mucous while not adding any more.

Water and liquids are very important to keep us hydrated as well as diluting old mucous so it does not get thick and a gluey consistency, this is when it is almost impossible to clear out and gets stuck and coats everything. Using fluids often helps more than you think and as basic as it is to drink a lot of water many of you do not drink enough and our skin, bladders, urinary tracts and elimination cycles will let you know it if you would just listen to your bodies.

Next, let us focus on proper nutrition. Vitamin C in higher dosages, always buffered and in complex form and timed released is my favorite suggestion to insure proper success. If you usually use 2000mg per day, try doubling or tripling the dosage. Your intestines will let you know if you have reached your "bowel tolerance".

Next increase your B Complex for the stress on your adrenal glands and supplement extra pantothenic acid, or B-5 to support the adrenal glands. You might want to bring in an immune booster, make it a blend so you can cut down on the amount of products you have to take, Body Well is a wonderful combination that can be used during flu and cold season as well as allergy season. It combines all of the things that build and support our immune systems and help to keep us healthy and strong to fight against the things that weaken our defenses.

Just these few basic changes will make a great difference for any of us no matter where you live. As each part of the country has different types of plant growth and different types of pollens, all of the changes above are of benefit as they work on making us stronger. They allow our bodies no matter where we live and no matter what pollens we are dealing with to be stronger, healthier and help us to glide through the season.

If you have to use something from the drug store because your body is run down, go ahead, but as soon as you get your body tuned up try to phase it out and let the nutrition help your body do the job for you.

Small world, big world

Being at a convention of this magnitude, you see a cross section of people from all over world. The funny thing is their customer base, no matter where they are hailing from go through the same health trials and tribulations that we do here in the states.

They ask questions and are searching for the newest support and relief for arthritis, stress, sleep problems, digestive disorders, pain, mood, anxiety, bad skin problems, hair loss, body odors and bad breath and cholesterol. They have their own group of customers, family members and clients that are looking for alternatives to prescriptions for cholesterol, heart disease, depression, auto immune diseases and even alternatives for sleep medications.

I guess that no matter where you are in the world, and the world itself is well represented here at this convention, humans will be humans. We all have an innate desire to want to get away with all of the bad habits with no repercussions, but at the same time we want to have huge success rates no matter what is wrong and we want it to be fixed by tomorrow.

So no matter where we are from, no matter what we are looking for as far as nutrition is concerned, we all want a magic fix with least work, the highest success and for many people an even high success rate without giving up any habit that may have caused the problem in the first place.

Expo west 2008, national health food and supplement convention

Being at another national food industry convention is really amazing. When I started in the field, there was one large room for distributors to shows their products. This year there are over 5 large convention halls all devoted to the health food industry.

Rooms and rooms of supplements. food products, cosmetics, body products, herbs, greens and products for every possible thing you can think of. The industry has boomed into a multi billion dollar industry as more and more people decide to take control of their lives and stop relying solely on the not so goodness of the medical community.

I am always happy to see more and more Doctors here becoming more involved with the industry. I see nothing but continued growth for these alternative choices for our better health, and I am looking forward to the day when this is the norm and the chemicals and prescriptions are the alternative choice.