To Detox or Not to Detox...

So, you spent another Solstice/Christmas/Yule/New Year's laying about, over indulging in sugar, alcohol, chocolate - just fueling some bad habits and feeding the mold, yeast and other nasty critters in your gut. You wake up 2 days after the new year feeling heavy, yukky and wondering how and if you can ever feel 'good' about yourself again.

But right now you feel like a bag of sh** and you are seriously considering doing something about it. Perhaps a change in diet or a detox, or some exercise....

For the life of me, I can't understand why this is such a dilemma! I mean, what on earth holds you back, keeps you stuck in that place and won't let you go? We can read about it, talk about it, cry over it - and yes there are many energetic, spiritual, emotional, fear based reasons that you are still doing all the same things; over and over again.

Ultimately, it is up to you and only you to break these patterns. You are the only one who can stand up (get off your arse) and place one foot in front of the other one and take those first steps towards making the most important decision of your year and perhaps your entire life.

If you are still addicted to anything, you need to detox. If you do not exercise, you must detox. When you spend days, weeks and months over eating the wrong types of foods - your body needs a break, you need to take some time to clean and support your internal digestive functions. 

If you are sick, unwell, have taken anti-biotics (or drugs) of any sort over the last little while - you need to rebuild your system from the beginning using clean water and real food. And you must find a way to exercise, get out side and follow your dreams.

Now, for those of you who are wanting to follow a higher path, pursue your own spirituality and embark on the single most important journey of your life - there is no time like this moment. And no better way to begin then to clean up your diet, start a detox (water fast) and change your life.

What you need, is here

April

The Pagan Diet - a great place to start... also available on Gumroad in pdf 

Natural Immune Boosters.... A Lifestyle!

Keeping with the theme of staying healthy during these winter months it comes to mind to mention some natural ways to boost our immune systems... Of course this being my blog and all about The Pagan Diet - I would start with fasting as the easiest and best way to boost your entire body.

Right now I am on day 3 of my December detox and I am feeling great. To be honest, other than consistently eating a clean diet, fasting is probably the fastest way to boost your internal systems and the overall function of your entire body.

However, I would have to say your diet would need to be great in general to reap the full benefits - as well as a healthy lifestyle, unlike that being promoted through the airwaves. If you take care of your body, treat it well and do your utmost to remove toxins - your immune system will naturally benefit.

It is also important to detox regularly - thus the mention of fasting, which in my mind is the easiest way to cleanse because you allow your digestive system to virtually shutdown while you clear away old debris. And please don't think - oh, I did that a couple years ago, so I'm good - you are only scratching the surface...

So, as far as immune boosting goes there are a few approaches a person can take - start with food. On the days you are eating, include foods such as garlic, elder berries & blueberries, broccoli, oats, wild fish, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and seaweeds. And Vitamin C rich foods such as kiwi, oranges and parsley.

As well, it is counter productive to eat a lovely meal full of wonderful veggies and fish - then to chase it all down with a bottle of wine and a sugary dessert. If you are going to do this, keep it to a minimum and remember that positives do not outweigh negatives as far as food is concerned. Poisons and toxins win and do damage every time...

For the herbs that you might want to include in your weekly diet - try growing your own in pots (this can be done year round inside). Some of the best ones are coriander, parsley, basil, rosemary and thyme. But there are many others you can cook with - for instance elder berry mentioned above can be used in a stuffing, and you can make a tea from the flowers. 

As for a list of herbs which strengthen our immune systems some of the best ones to use are echinachea, goldenseal, ginger, turmeric, ginseng, astragalus and of course garlic as already mentioned. You can get some of these into your favourite foods and meals and make a tea with the rest. Start a new habit of having herbal teas in the evening for instance...

I must have been a water fairy in another lifetime because I am so fussy and sensitive about the water I drink. I remember being 8 months pregnant and running out of water while on a training course. I waited until I got home to have a drink - it was that important to me to only drink clean unprocessed water. 

It should be the same for all of us - our bodies are 66% water and this is the number one cleansing agent as well as being the primary ingredient in nearly every function and reaction inside our cells. If you want to boost any part of your health and well-being, drink only clean untreated water. 

Another natural way to boost your immune function and put yourself in a feel good mood is to exercise. Any kind of movement will do, but the ones I like the best for boosting our systems would be Yoga, pilates and dance. Aim for about 60 minutes per day (that's right) for each day that you eat food...

There is a lot to be said for an organized, tidy, low stress home environment and the amount it can potentially contribute to our inner workings. I happen to know that when my home life is lower in stress levels (that's not always easy to achieve) then my body works and feels better. There is the mind connection to all of this as well.

For us here, we don't deliberately go out of our way to avoid the flu (or try to get it either!) but, should it come our way, we would be ready and more then able for it. You could reduce the severity and length of any illness by taking some of these things on board and sticking with them during the winter months. 

April

Porridge with sugar free homemade jam and banana

It's Flu Season! How's Your Motor Running?

This is the time of year when most people are being told to get flu shots, stay away from hospitals because of winter vomiting bugs, kids come down with chicken pox and nearly everyone seems to have a runny nose...

I don't know about you but - as a Medical Intuitive, Nutritionist, parent and human being living on this planet for a number of years... all of this seems to be quite normal to me. I mean, this takes place every year, we get colds, we get bugs and this should be usual, right? 

So, why all the running around and fuss being made about how to avoid a cold? Get a flu shot? Not wanting our bodies to experience anything close to a 'sick' day has gotten to be a bigger epidemic then the so called Swine flu that never was... (I got it by the way, and now I have natural antibodies).

I guess my point here would be to say, why would we go out of our way to fight the flu, prevent colds (so we won't miss work or school?), run away from bugs and what not... This is the winter season, this is the perfect time of year to take your immune system out for a test run.

What I like to tell people is this: it's as if you have a fancy car sitting in your garage, perhaps a Porsche. It sits there week after week, month after month and you never take it out for a spin. Not once in all that time. How would you know, when you are ready to use it, that all is in working order?

Your immune system is exactly like that car. You have the most amazing machine, it is a work of art - that has taken millions of years on this earth co-evolving with bacteria and viruses, to get to a state where your body can detect and respond to millions of different organisms. 

Each year you get a chance to take this incredible magical system out for a test - to ensure all is in order and to iron out any problems. Perhaps to give it a tuneup along the way... You get a cold, you might have a 24 hour bug or (shudders) you get a flu that puts you down for a week. 

This only makes perfect sense to me - how else do we test these bodily functions? Your body needs to be clean, be able to respond appropriately and know that it can heal and repair itself when any of this is necessary. 

To shut down your immune function with vaccines, medications, poor food choices, lack of exercise - and then to think  to yourself "I'm perfectly healthy, I never get a cold or flu" - is the biggest lie being told on the earth today. 

If your immune system hasn't kicked in for a while, it's time to make some serious changes to your life...

April

Corn growing in the garden...