We Shouldn't Be In Pain- What One Can Do About Arthritis

Hey, My dear cousin says that she is too arthritic to ride horses any more. O.K., but she's only 50 years old. Shouldn't she be still able to do the things that she was doing 10 years ago? Her doctor may say that this is a normal condition related to the process of aging. That's BULL. We should lead full and vibrant lives until the day we die. There is nothing normal about experiencing pain at the age of 50, yet more and more we see this happening in young adults.
Pain is inflammation. There are many reasons that inflammation is happening in the body and there are many ways to stop this inflammation process without taking drugs with dangerous side effects.
Inflammation that occurs in the body is the result of toxins or irritants in the body and/or an unhealthy inflammation response from the body. Toxins can be in the form of environmental toxins that are not eliminated from the body properly or they can be the end products of improper digestion, especially proteins. Proteins that are not digested properly can pass through the intestinal wall and travel via the bloodstream and deposit anywhere in the body causing irritation and pain. If you experience bloating, gas, constipation or any other gastrointestinal discomfort, you probably have improper digestion.
There are several ways to alleviate this situation. The first is to speed up the digestion and the elimination of toxins which is usually due to a sluggish liver. The second is to eliminate the foods that can cause this unhealthy inflammation response to go haywire and make our own body attack itself.
Digestion can be helped by drinking fresh squeezed lemon juice first thing in the morning. It speeds up the digestion and helps cleanse the liver. Our liver has millions of chores to handle, it can use all the help it can get! We abuse it everyday with alcohol, tobacco, environmental toxins, pesticides and other chemical residues on our food, fatty foods, and stress. As a matter of fact, when the body is under stress, the whole digestive system shuts down, except for glucose being pumped into our bloodstream. This is called 'the flight or fight response" and in some individuals, it is always triggered.
Also, the digestive system needs rest. 'Fasting' or partial fasting is a regular occurence in other cultures. This should be discussed with a natural health care provider before being done. A whole body cleanse or a simple liver cleanse with natural herbs can also help immensely. As far as diet goes, eating foods that are closest to nature is always a good rule to eat by. Packaged and overly processed foods are dead foods and have no enzymes to aid in digestion. Raw, fresh foods contain an abundance of digestive enzymes.
Eating foods high in antioxidants will help balance the inflammation process. Inflammation is a good thing that occurs when you bang yourself or cut yourself and the body reacts by sealing off the area with inflammation. It is not normal, however, for the body to react to migrating protein particles by attacking them. Antioxidants curb chemical spark reactions in the body by protecting our cells against damage from foreign particles that may attack our tissues. Foods high in antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E are dark colored fruits and vegetables like carrots, peppers, dark leafy greens, broccoli, and berries of all kinds.
The foods that should be eliminated from our diet are trans fats in the form of hydrogenated oils. Oil becomes rancid when it is heated. This is toxic to our bodies and creates the wrong inflammatory response. Trans fats are heated and added an extra molecule to them to make them more shelf stable and solid at room temperatures. Health Canada knows that trans fats create disease. They are looking for an alternative to them before taking them entirely out of the food chain. I say that the alternative is right in nature. WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE! Anything deep fried is damaging to our cells also. Look for cold pressed oils in the form of olive or sunflower or grapeseed. Stay away from canola and soy oil. They are all genetically modified and as far as I'm concerned undigestible.

Hey everyone, cold and flu season is upon us here in the great north east.
There are many ways to lessen the severity of both the cold and the flu.
Remember when your mother used to tell you to dress warm or you'll catch a cold. Well, she was right. We are more likely to catch cold or flu viruses when our immune system has been compromised by being exposed to cold temperatures. This is because our PH balance changes. We are also more prone to illness due to unhealthy eating habits, lack of sleep and/or stress.
Washing your hands does help, but maintaining a healthy immune system by dressing appropriately for the weather, managing stress levels, eating a whole foods diet, drinking lots of water and taking probiotics are a sure fire way to stay on the healthy track.