Thursday, February 28, 2013

Documentary of the Week: "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"

This documentary literally transformed my family. I had grown up with my mom regularly juicing. It was typical to see carrots and apples whirring through the Jack Lalane and wheat grass growing in the kitchen. Then we moved away from this lifestyle for several years, it had become a distant memory. That is until we watched "fat, sick and nearly dead" two years ago.

This movie documents the inspiring lifestyle change of Joe Cross who is a successful business man in his forties. Along with his business success came a lifestyle that brought him to a place where he was literally fat, sick and nearly dead. He decides that he needs to take a definite measure to "reboot" his body, mere dieting would not be enough. A total lifestyle change is what he needs, and a 60 day juice fast to save his life is his first step in that new direction. Joe does his reboot in the United Staes; the first 30 days in New York City, and the next thirty days driving cross country. Reasoning for partaking in this juice fast are shared, and other people's experiences with juice fasting, at varying degrees, are shared.

Robin, my older sisters, life was literally saved after watching this movie. She had gone from being a super star athlete in high school to being fat, sick and nearly dead at age 25. Small attempts at dieting were made, or cutting certain foods out of her diet, but any weight she lost would come back on very quickly. It wasnt about dieting and restriction, she needed to "reboot" her system; retrain her food palette and body to crave nourishing food.

On a Wednesday Robin watched "fat, sick and nearly dead" and on a Thursday she bought a juicer and was on her own 60 day juice fast. She powered through some major detox and in the end got her life back. After her fast she adapted a plant powered diet, and two years later she is thriving.

I could go on about how wonderful this movie is, how it has effected me, my mother and my friends, but I think it best if you watch it for yourself.

Here you can watch it for free:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/289122

Juice on!









Monday, February 18, 2013

Healing Power of Tea?

So this past month I have taken the plunge into using organic herbal teas to help heal ailments, specifically ones pertaining to my lady parts (ovaries).

About six months ago when someone suggested taking raspberry leaf tea to help with my severe menstrual cramps it was as if they were speaking a foreign language. It seemed like a lot of work, and I was doubtful that drinking tea could really help. BUT my mind was open to the idea (anything so that I would no longer have to take an average of 6 Advil's every month to relieve my excruciating pain). So, I started with baby steps. First I started purchasing organic red raspberry leaf teas and when I drank tea, that would be the tea I drank (maybe 3-4 times a week). This flirtation went on for months until I decided to drink at least one cup a day (which I decided at the start of 2013). I had not experienced any results yet, but I had started researching and talking with people and learning that if done consistently people have experienced positive results.

This leads me up to the present time where I have decided that if I am going to use tea to heal that I would do it right and give it a chance to actually work. After extensive research I finally decided on a tea concoction that I would drink everyday. My new lady parts tea consists of red raspberry leaf, burdock root, motherwort and chaste-berry teas, all organic. I ordered the teas in bulk, along with reusable tea bags, and measure out 1 tablespoon of each into one tea bag. I have been soaking the bags in 4 to 8 cups of hot water and drinking it each day. I am at the very beginning of this tea journey, I have only been doing this for one week now. So far I can not praise or criticize the effectiveness of these teas.

Why these four teas?

About a month ago I was researching tea "recipes" and this one came highly recommended for ovary health and seemed simple enough. Then I read into each tea individually and discovered interesting healing properties about each of them. Below is some of the information I have come across:

Raspberry Leaf Tea:
-contains vitamin C
-contains calcium
-tones the uterus (strengthens the uterine wall while relaxing the smooth muscle of the uterus)
-helps with heavy periods
-relieves symptoms of PMS
-Helps prevent dehydrations
-remedy for soar throat, irritation of oral cavity and gum disease
***warning for this tea: contradicting opinions on whether or not to drink while pregnant. Some say to not drink during first trimester, but to drink later in pregnancy to help with labor

Motherwort Tea
-helps ease menstrual disorder (mood swings, anxiety, cramps)
-helps ease menopausal discomfort
-mild sedative
-helps lower high blood pressure
-aids in Treating thyroid hyper function
-relives pain during childbirth
***warning
Possible side effects: DO NOT drink while pregnant, but good for labor
diarrhea, stomach cramps.
Blood thinner, hard to stop wounds from bleeding

Chasteberry Tea
-helps with menopausal symptoms
- helps with PMS (bloating, headache, irritability, depression and breast tenderness)
-helps with menstrual irregularity and infertility
-lowers prolactin levels, which regulates menstrual cycle and encourages normal ovulation
-anti cancer benefits. Killing tumor cells of various cancers; breast, ovarian and colon.
(Livestrong.com)
***warning
Possible side effects: DO NOT take while pregnant
dizziness, acne like rash, stomach upset
Interferes with oral contraception

Burdock Root Tea
-eases PMS symptoms
-diuretic, increases urine flow (allows toxins to exit the body)
-promotes perspiration, toxins exit through pores
-blood purification abilities
-contains iron
-contains vitamin C
-anti fungal and anti microbial properties
-helps get rid of gallstones and kidney stones
-lowers blood sugar
-clears congestion in respiratory, lymphatic, urinary and circulatory systems
-topically* used to treat skin disorders: acne, psoriasis and eczema
***warning
DO NOT take while pregnant, could cause miscarriage or birth defect
Over use can lead to dehydration (because of diuretic properties)

With this information in hand I am encouraged to give this tea an opportunity to see how effective it can be. I will post a update in three months to see how its going.


*** I have to note, I am not a doctor and if anyone's decides to implement healing teas into their lives they need to consult their doctor and do their own research, independent from this blog***