Inflammation Helps Your Body Heal

“Your dog is going to be permanently paralyzed.” These were the words from my veterinarian last week. I was not prepared to hear this nor was I was willing to believe him.

It started out like any other Sunday. “Come on, Scout -- let’s go for a walk.” He joyfully jumps up and down and all around. A Sunday walk, ooh these are good. We are driving to our favorite place where no leashes are required so my energetic Rat Terrier can run to his heart’s content. I open the car door to let Scout out and he spots a huge black bird, the kind he loves to give chase. Out of the car quick as a whip and in a flash as he is flying through the air, his back right leg hits the curb. Then the scream and howl…he is on his back, screaming in agony, contorting his body trying to fix whatever damage he has done. With Scout alternating between screaming and whimpering, with people coming from everywhere to see what has happened, my husband wants to help our poor helpless, writhing dog. Scout bites him, his eyes saying “I’m sorry.” He soon becomes exhausted and we are able to get him in the car and rush him home.

I start giving Scout homeopathic remedies for trauma. I check him all over for broken bones; there are none. I surmise that he must have knocked a disc or two out of alignment when he hit that curb at full force and he has pinched some nerves in his back. So I give him some nutrients for inflammation. It’s Sunday so I look up vets in our area who do chiropractic work on dogs and make an appointment for the next morning. On Monday, I have to carry Scout into the clinic. The vet takes one look at him and pronounces, “Your dog is going to be permanently paralyzed.” I said, “No, he’s not. Please don’t say that again. I know I may not seem like your “normal patient” and I don’t mean to be rude, but this is what I’d like you to do. I would like you to take x-rays of Scout’s back to make sure there are no fractures in his spine and then I would like you to give him a chiropractic adjustment.” “But, he needs steroids,” the doctor stated emphatically. “I hear what you’re saying; please just do what I ask. Is that okay with you?” “Okay.” Truth be told I am greatly shortening this exchange; let’s just say Scout’s x-rays showed compression of 2 discs and no other injury. The doctor gave him a chiropractic adjustment and after the visit was over I took Scout outside and he went pee and thank God and Hallelujah he was able to go poo, albeit very sorely.

We have continued on this path of recovery and Scout is now running, jumping up on the couch, on the bed, and on me. He just has the slightest pain and weakness in the one right back leg which we are praying will heal completely.

The point of my story: what if I had believed the doctor? I would have a paralyzed dog right now. There are other ways to treat the human body. We have whole food nutrition for one which is amazing. The body is a living machine that requires certain nutrients to run at optimum health. I read stories from my doctor’s group where even the doctors are starting to make changes, starting to question. They are seeing that old standby ways such as treating things like sprains and pulls with NSAIDs drugs are causing more harm than good. These drugs stop the body’s inflammation process. It turns out that the body’s response of inflammation is what actually heals the sprain or pull. Ice is best; maybe a pain med for the first day or two.

Doctors are starting to question the status quo. Maybe we should too.

Miracles happen every day when you give the body what it needs to heal. It’s real and simple.

Quess Where Americans Spend $110 Billion a Year?

“Americans spend more money on fast food than on higher education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars. They spend more on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music--combined….In 2000 Americans spent more than $110 billion (on fast food).” (Eric Scholsser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.)

During this time of economic hardship for most people in America, we all want to cut corners on costs anywhere we can. I hope those corners are not cut from the food you choose to eat. There are many ads on TV right now from various fast food corporations for enormously large amounts of food for “a good deal”. Have you seen the one from KFC where you get practically a bucket full of food for about $4, or the meal from Jack in the Box that includes a hamburger, two tacos, large fries, and a soda for about $3? Now I can just imagine those marketing executives thinking of you as they put these campaigns together to offer you “support” in this financial burdened time. But are those “deals” really saving you money?

For the cost of one of those meals, you could buy fresh produce from a local farmers market for one person for 3 days! Have you ever been in the produce department and seen how much veggies you could buy with $5? I’m imagining a pretty yummy salad right at this point that could last me for a few meals.

But it’s not just the cost of the food itself. Imagine the cost to your health each time you get one of those “good deals” to feed your body.

“ Devitalized food is often ‘easy’ and convenient, but it leads to a devitalized life and a low level of health. The body was not designed to cope with chemical additives, preservatives, artificial colors, flavorings, and so forth, but functions most effectively on fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and other foods, prepared in such a manner that their nutrient value is not impaired or destroyed. I say ‘live foods, live body…dead foods, dead body!’ The whiter the bread…the quicker you’re dead!!” (Loree Taylor Jordan, Far From Poopin: When Sh**t Doesn’t Happen)

And that is exactly what we are eating when we take up on that “good deal” -- dead food. The body breaks food down into particles small enough particles to become part of the body, to nourish the body. You know the saying “You are what you eat!” It’s a saying for a reason! Food Matters! The cost that you’re “saving” from that “good deal” is far less that the cost it is taking on your health. Eat LIVE foods for your LIVE body!

By the way, my household recently cut out breads, pasta, sugar, and processed food of any kind and our cost of food went DOWN $175 per week! That’s $700 a month! There’s some food for thought.

Listen to Your Voice and Heal

Today I am feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for this abundant universe and our ability to heal ourselves, create change and manifest the gifts in our lives. I would like to share a story with you.

It was about five years ago that I walked out of the doctor’s office feeling overwhelmed with conflict from the news I had just received. After many tests and doctor’s appointment, the experts had determined that my body could not become pregnant. Although we were not trying to have a child at that time, I knew I would want to in the future. There I was, only 30 years of age; I had not had my menses in years and I did not produce any estrogen.

The source of the conflict I felt was the two different voices I could hear. The first voice was the doctor proclaiming with certainty that my female body could not ever get pregnant. The second voice was my own, which did not agree with the doctor. Not out of denial or anger but out of love and a higher knowing. I decided to listen to my voice and wanted to explore the communication of my female body and spirit.

I kept thinking of the women’s meditation classes I was involved with and how difficult it was for me to be there when I first began the classes two years earlier. In fact, it was still difficult to sit in a room with all women and feel comfortable. It was difficult to become more aware of my female space. With these thoughts I smiled and reminded myself that my resistance to looking at my female space was an indication that that was exactly what I needed. By exploring my woman’s body and spirit communication and validating this space, my healing journey truly began.

Throughout the year I recall a deeper knowing that the physical limitations the doctors saw in me were being healed. It wasn’t so much that the doctors were wrong as that at that time, the limitations were very real in my body. However, by validating my female space I began to heal myself. I remember calling the doctor’s office and demanding a blood test to check my estrogen levels. They discouraged me and thought I was in denial. When the results came back as normal, in disbelief the doctor asked me what I had been doing. I replied with certainty, ”meditating and healing myself.” She replied, ”Well, keep doing what ever it is you’re doing!”

As I am writing my story, my adorable little girl Sofia is in my arms. She is almost 6 months old and is in perfect health. I had the most amazing pregnancy and birth experience. I am so thankful for the ability to explore, validate and heal my own unique female vibration. I am empowered.

We all have the ability to heal ourselves. In fact, no one else can heal you, only you can. It is your unique vibration that is needed to heal. Just as your energy can not heal some one else, theirs can not heal you either.

If there is a limit that you believe to be true, really look at it and decide if you agree. Meditate on it, breathe into it and believe you can heal yourself emotionally, physically and spiritually. Listen for your voice, as you know best. It is an abundant and kind universe!

EGG YOLKS are Good For YOU, Here's the Data

Ask the Queen
I love eggs, but I have heard eggs are high in cholesterol and you should only eat the whites without the yolks. What is your opinion?

Signed, Yoked in Sacramento

Dear Yoked,
Patients with severe burns are often force-fed huge quantities of whole eggs and egg concentrates as a source of protein to rebuild large areas of lost skin. During this egg therapy, however, there is not significant increase in their serum cholesterol. In one study, volunteers fed 18 eggs per day actually showed reduced levels of cholesterol. Perhaps it is because when you are full of eggs you don’t have room for sugar and the junk foods—the real culprits in cholesterol scenario. Eggs are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. They provide protein of the highest quality plus all the known vitamins and minerals except vitamin C. (David W. Rowland, Health Naturally)
The prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has a report on eggs and cholesterol. A group of New Guinea natives, whose diet is exceeding low in cholesterol, were fed eggs to measure the cholesterol-raising effect of eggs. The researchers figured the serum cholesterol levels would be blown off the charts. Instead the results showed that the eggs had no significant effect on the blood cholesterol. Another study done by the American Cancer Society revealed that people who ate no eggs at all had a higher death rate from heart attacks and strokes than egg users. This was a very large (and so convincing) study involving over 800,000 people. (William Campbell Douglass, MD., The Milk Book)
With all the publicity about eggs and cholesterol causing heart disease, the food industry quickly responded by making a preparation that looked and tasted like eggs. One such product was called EGG BEATERS. An experiment was conducted at the Burnsides Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, by Meena Kasmau Navidi and Fred A. Kummerow in which one group of lactating rats were fed exclusively on fresh shell eggs and another on EGG BEATERS. The rats eating fresh shell eggs thrived, were perfectly healthy, and grew normally. Those on EGG BEATERS did not grow normally, were stunted, and all died long before reaching maturity. (H Leon Abrams, Vegetarianism: An Anthropological/Nutritional Evaluation)
An unpublished study carried out at the University of California at Berkeley proves the folk wisdom of the Orient—that eggs are a brain food. Researchers studied men in their eighties by dividing them into two groups: those who were senile and required constant care, and those who had all their faculties intact and were able to care for themselves. All men were given dietary surveys. Researchers found only one difference between the dietary habits of those who required care and those who were mentally alert—the latter group at least one egg per day.
Scientists engaged in a recent study of breast milk components carried out in China discovered that pregnant and nursing mothers routinely ate up to 12 eggs per day. This explains why their milk had high levels of DHA, a fatty acid found in egg yolks that is necessary for optimal mental development of the infant.
The public has not been served well by the recommendation that the long-standing custom of having one or two eggs for breakfast be discontinued and replaced by consuming no more than two or three eggs per week—or worse, the substitution of the recently marketed “chemical egg” concoctions for the real thing! Eggs are a valuable food, providing excellent protein, vitamins and minerals. The cholesterol in them is balanced with sufficient lecithin to keep the cholesterol circulating in the blood and prevent it from depositing in the arteries. This is another instance showing the balance in whole, natural foods. (Emory W. Thurston, PhD, Nutrition for Tots to Teens)
In Framingham, Massachusetts, a study showed that the more saturated fat, the more cholesterol, and the more calories one ate, the lower the subjects’ serum cholesterol levels were. They found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, the most saturated fat and the most calories weighed the least and were the most physically active. (William Castelli, Director, The Framingham Study)
For 15 years, an 88-year-old Denver man has been consuming 24 eggs a day. This particular story made it to the New England Journal of Medicine because a researcher from the University of Colorado wondered how this compulsive cholesterol cuisine might be affecting the man’s health. To his surprise, the scientist found that despite a cholesterol intake close to 6,000miligrams a day, well above the recommended maximum of 300 milligrams per day, the man had normal blood cholesterol and showed no signs of heart disease. Over the past 13 years, a growing body of evidence suggests that there might be something in our food that is causing blood vessel damage. The suspected ingredient is a modified form of cholesterol called oxidized cholesterol. This is not the kind you find in eggs or other fresh foods. Oxidized cholesterol forms when cholesterol reacts with oxygen. This usually occurs when high cholesterol foods are dried, such as in powdered eggs. Oxidized cholesterol also can be found in small amounts in powdered dairy products such as milk, cheese or butter. One soon-to-be-released study found significant amounts in fast food French fries that had been cooked in animal fat. (Edward Blonz, PPNF Health Journal)
Since eggs have the highest amount of cholesterol per unit weight of all common foods (liver and brains have more), people began to fear them. Once called nature’s most perfect food by nutritionists, eggs fell into disfavor and their consumption began to plummet after 1950. The average number of eggs consumed in the U.S. per person per year dropped from a high of 389 in 1950 to only 234 in 1989. Americans are eating many fewer eggs today than at the turn of the century. Thousands of eggs farmers have gone out of business over the last 30 years because of the false dietary cholesterol scare. And millions of Americans have given up or substantially reduced their consumption of one the best and most economical foods available – and for no good scientific or common sense reasons. (Russell L. Smith, PhD, Health Freedom News)
“When I was chief physician at Hotel Dieu Hospital, Paris, some 3,500 patients passed through my hands during a year. Before my term expired I tried the experiment of giving one-half of the patients that were then present no medicines at all; the rest, the usual medical treatment. The former were given, instead, only what is known as “foods and Home Remedies,” and, to my unbounded surprise, they all got well, not a single death; while among those receiving medical treatment the customary number of deaths occurred. A second trial yielded a like result, and I was converted. Ever since I have given but little medicine to my patients.” Dr. F. Margendie