Happy Halloween

So Halloween is here again, the candy by the handful consumption night of the year. I actually had a ton of kids trick or treating, as it changes from year to year I never know what to expect. It always amazes me the interest and excitement for this holiday, I am sure every Dentist out there enjoys the possibility of new patients. Just kiddding, it is and always will be a night for the kids and many not so much kids anymore, but everyone that needs a night to let loose, live out their fantasy's and just have some safe healthy fun.

So Happy Halloween everyone, and remember tomorrow is the start of the holiday season, so hold on it is a rollarcoaster ride to January first.

Flu season part 5

Today is the day we talk about what to do when we are sick. You know flat on your back, missing work, fever, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, ear aches, flushed face, upset stomach, queasiness and just plain blah. You have spent a ton of money on non needed antibiotics and every one of the flu formulas from the drug store is on your bathroom vanity. The bad thing is that nothing is working and this simple three day flu is now going on for a week and half. You have to remember that this routine gets old very quickly.

Eventually you get past the flu and you forget about the way you felt, but the problem is because you never took the time to build your immune system you will rebound in a very short period of time. People will say I had the flu three times last year, when in reality they had it once and never completely got over it. It kind of hangs on waiting for you to run yourself down, and there it is rearing it's ugly head, and usually with avengeance.

So what to do when it has you down. Colloidal silver, up to a half a teaspoon in a shot glass of water, swish, gargle and swallow. Vitamin C, as much as you bowels can handle, cut it back if they happen to get too loose. Echinacea and Golden seal as much as 2-3 capsules every four hours. Find the best complete immune booster formula your health food store has to offer like Body well, and when you are better, continue to take it throughout the rest of the season so you do not end up like this again. Hot tea with lemon, honey and a tiny little pinch of cayenne pepper will loosen mucus and sooth the throat. Sucking on zinc lozenges also work, they taste bad, but who cares they work.

I find sweating helps the body by flushing out through the pores, hot baths with two cups of apple cider vinegar will help, or a jacuzzi is just what the Doctor ordered. All of this makes a big difference, and you will rest better and get well faster. Of course rubbing down your chest with a menthol rub never hurt anyone, yes your Momma was right!

Good luck, I hope these five nights have helped you to at least stay focused on this upcoming issue that will get you down no matter how old or young you are, or how smart or uneducated, I do not care where you are from, what race you are or where you live now. Germs like the flu find their way into our bodies and they bring healthy non suspecting people to their knees and some to their graves, so stay healthy, please.

Flu season part 4

So we have focused on food and some life changes and today we will focus on herbs and herbal preparations. Many natural medicines have come on the market as well as many singular herbs for flu and cold season prevention, some are worthy of discussing and a few I like to recommend are as follows.

A preventive formula that can be used from November through April is called Body Well. It is a complete formula of herbs and natural ingredients to boost the immune system and keep it functioning up to par so you have an edge over the germs you come in contact with.I have been putting people on it for over fifteen years, and many of them stay on it all year because they work in germ filled environments Of course the well known herbs like Echinacea and Golden Seal are still great alternatives for prevention as well as fighting the one that gets a hold of you quickly that can knock you for a loop.

There also is a product that has been around since the early nineteen hundreds called Colloidal Silver, the brand I prefer is called Graces Silver. This product uses a process of electronically charging actual particle of Silver and causing them to suspend and move in water, it is taken orally for internal prevention and actually fighting both viral and bacterial infections. Remember it can do what normal prescriptions can not, which is fight viral infections.

Grape seed extract is also beneficial as well as grapefruit seed extract, but if I had one choice or two lets say, it would be Body Well and Colloidal Silver. One great thing about the silver is it can be used in the ear for ear infections for adults and children, and sprayed up the nose for those annoying sinus infections. I cannot tell you how many hundreds of letters I have received thanking me for this information that kept people far and away from the Doctor and his prescription white pad.

As you can see once again, you are in control of your destiny with flu and cold germs. So do a little prevention and glide through the next four months, or do nothing and remember them with memories from the Doctors office and from standing in line at the Pharmacy.

Flu season part 3

Today we will discus supplements, or vitamins to support out health and help to build our immune system so we can glide through the upcoming germ season.

Vitamin C, the place it all starts is where we will be begin. If you are exposed to a lot of germs and are in an environment where you are around a large percentage of people every day you will need to take a higher dose. The Vitamin C I recommend is complex form, one that uses the highest quality blend of C and buffers like bioflavinoids, rose hips, quercetin and ester C. Not only does this buffer the Vitamin C, but it helps absorption, and all aspects of it work on building the immune system.

A multiple vitamin should be used daily, preferably a strong timed released form so it will last all day. A non timed released form is out of the body too quickly and does not gradually release throughout the day. The higher the B Complex, the more it will help the body deal with stress. Just remember stress weakens the immune system, and people under extreme stress get sick more often because the body is run down and it's ability to fight infection is severely compromised. Stress can be a killer, not only with the risk of heart disease, but allowing stress in your life will and does weaken you defenses.

Supplemental B complex, Zinc, Beta carotene or Viamin A and Vitamin E all boost the immune system, and can be added to the above mentioned nutrients for flu season. It may seem like a strong nutritional; base, but one good flu can stretch out for weeks at a time, and then cause the body to weakened all season. So add these and keep the foundation strong. Tomorrow we will delve into the herbs and natural herbal medicines available to use both as prevention and also at the time of sickness.

Flu season part 2

Today we will start the series on things to do to keep us out of the Doctors office and hopefully not end up sick on our backs for two weeks.

The easiest place to start is with the food we consume.It is a fact, we all eat heavier foods this time of year, you know high calorie, full of sugar and loaded with dairy and carbs great tasting stuff. Not only does this expand our waistline and our rear ends, it also is a producer of mucus. This mucus is what fuels the fire in your sinus cavity and your lungs that provide that endless stream of drainage and pressure that causes all the pain associated with colds and flu.

A good rule of thumb is eat like it was summer. Lots of fruits and green vegetables, lighter soups and plenty of water. This lighter style of eating also keeps your metabolism working up to par as well as tuning up your immune system. It is also a great idea to complete a cleanse right now before the season and the germs really start flowing.This way you rid the body of built up excess waste and debris that has been storing for a while, and gives your body and your immune system a blank fresh canvas to start doing it's job.

Tomorrow we will start with the vitamins for flu prevention.The next day we will focus on herbs to use before and during in case it slips by you and knocks you for a loop. The fifth day we will talk about actually dealing with being sick, and how to get you through the recovery quicker and back on you feet. I think this will also be a great day to discuss how to create a healthy protective bubble around you when you work in the germs from around the world melting pot,Las Vegas.

I think breaking this down over a few days will give you time to let it all soak in, but also to realize that changes are eminent and to stay healthy change is something we need to make our best friend, if not your best friend will be your physician.

Flu season intro, Part 1

Does it seem to you as if the holidays start earlier every year? There was a time when the Christmas season started after the J.L.Hudson Christmas parade in Detroit where I was raised on Thanksgiving day. I was just a kid, and I still remember after the parade all of the windows would lift up their curtains and they would have all of the animated figures moving and they were brightly decorated, it was then that the season had begun. There also was the day after Christmas when everything went on sale and you would go return every gift that people bought you that you did not want and get twice as much stuff you did want at half price.

I stopped into one of the malls today and there was actually a sign saying "Christmas items 50% off", It is not even November. It is bad enough that stores put up their Christmas trees in July, and start playing the music in October, but a half off sale for a holiday that has not even happened that is two months away, give me a break.

As I walked around the mall I could already start to see the faces of frustrated shoppers already scampering around as if it was Christmas eve, it was frightening. I know the season is upon us as this is when the weather changes quickly,almost over night, and everyone starts to line up for their flu shots whether they need it or not, people are bound and determined to have last years flu vaccine injected into their systems so they can avoid a flu that might not come.

The thing they fail to remember is we live in Las Vegas, the travel melting pot of the west and the vaccine is based on last years flu.Tthis year people will come from all over the world to live, to play and to visit Las Vegas and all of them leaving a little or a lot of their personal wealth behind, as well as a flu bug from wherever they are from. Most of the time it is a strain that you are not even inoculated for, or a strain that is already resistant to the shot, so why do we not just go back to square one and work on the one thing that will protect us every year if we take care of it, our immune system.

For the next couple of blogs I will address the building of your immune system, and give you some great suggestions to make it a less stressful holiday, and hopefully one that does not include multiple prescriptions of antibiotics, and Doctors or emergency room visits.

Tomorrow will be the first of flu preparation week, so tune in, and lets stay healthy, so we can deal with all of the sick people around us that are not taking care of themselves. We have to remember,we cannot live in a bubble, so we need to be able to handle whatever germs come our way.

Dandruff and dry scalp

I received a question yesterday about dandruff and dry scalp, and as this blog will be long running, eventually we will address everything at least once.

Dandruff shows up because of both internal and external influences, externally from dry climate and topical gels, shampoos, hair spray, blow drying, permanent solutions. Many of the products on the market use all synthetic and chemical based solutions, and for many people they produce skin irritations, rashes which can affect the skin on the face and neck as well. So many people go to the Dermatologist and end up using salves and topical solutions to help with the problem, and many times internal steroids are suggested. The thing we have to remember is that unless you change what you use on your skin, you will always have a sensitivity.

I recommend that if you have dandruff, or psoriasis on the scalp, the best thing to do is discontinue all the drug store bought shampoos and hygiene products you are using and go to your natural health food store and change what you use. I would look towards
products that contain Tea Tree Oil, and Jojoba, also Aloe Vera products are beneficial. Remember there are also some topical healing and conditioners that can be used to re moisture the damaged scalp. Always ask the person which one would be best suited for you. If they are not knowledgeable at that stotre, there are places where they are, so go there, no sense working with people that are not knowledgeable or well trained.

Internally increasing water intake, and supplementing Selenium and increasing oils like Flax Seed oil and fish oils can make a wonderful difference.Sometimes the problem is as easy as what bottles you have in your shower right now.