If you are experiencing stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing – usually indicative of a cold or flu symptoms, quite possibly you are reacting to pollen season which is now in full swing. We are bombarded with grasses and flowers blooming and of course there is mold and fungus all around us. There are ways to investigate and ascertain what is bothering us(pollens, molds, or virus). I have not yet written in these blogs about using muscle testing for testing what ails us. I haven’t written much about muscle testing because it is so controversial. But it really does work and can be useful for testing pollen, foods and even deciding on what cosmetic to buy, seeing what you are sensitive to with doing a muscle test, (there are muscle testing protocols w using an assistant or self testing). It is really fun and pretty accurate.

As far as what to do for the stuffy nose, and allergy symptoms, check out treatments of allergies , and some good recommendations is xlear w/colloidal silver added to the xlear. Works really well. and take a digestive enzyme before meals, vitamin C enzyme formula and cut out the sugars and carbs.

I know I am usually referring to weight loss, but I often forget about speaking to those individuals who have trouble gaining weight. Some have had this their whole life. I know it is hard.

The condition is really directed at absorption of nutrients, – which is what usually worries these individuals. They eat and eat, but nothing changes. They still often look emaciated.

I have not particulary in favor of eating often (every hour or even every two hours) and eating great amounts of food. This is not really the answer. Eating three meals a day is usually sufficient for most people and eating wholesome foods, organic, lots of raw and taking the right enzymes is critical. Usually these people do well with a fat digestive enzyme taken with meals – on the first bite usually If they really need to put on weight, drinking a whey protein powder drink or for vegetarians, a rice/pea  protein with fruit and other ingredients such as green powder and flax or hemp seed  can be effective. Again take the enzyme before you eat so that you absorb the nutrients and utilize the calories.

Last week a Julie, age 46  came to see me complaining of severe frontal headaches.  She had experienced occasional tension headaches from time to time but would come and go very quickly.  About one year ago, she suffered a severe flu virus, which put her out of work for a month.  Around the same time her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she began to develop premenopausal symptoms.  A complete BioSET evaluation  was performed which included an enzyme and detoxification  evaluation and food and environmental sensitivity testing.  I found she was sugar and carbohydrate intolerant and sensitive to hormones, flu viruses, certain environmental and chemical substances, sugar, dairy products, nuts, grains, fruits and caffeine.  A BioSET sugar/starch enzyme was recommended and then proceeded to desensitize her for the various items.  Many uncommon sensitivities may be linked to headaches and migraines.  Read the article on Live Free From Headaches and Allergies.

Since I had written about the phenomenal results with complementary medicine for allergies, I have come across many articles on this topic. One such article appeared in Medscape titled “A Role for Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Patient Care”. It states that one of the most common areas for CAM is allergies. And often the therapy prescribed are supplements with herbal ingredients. But one caveat is that these herbal ingredients may give an allergic response. There is much more information in this particular article, but before I review it any further I do want people to know that there is a system, BioSET which offers a natural, non-invasive mostly permanent allergy desensitization. It is slowly gaining more popularity. BioSET has about many calls a day for referrals for pracititoners. BioSET is practiced by health care providers all over the world and is safe, and successful with sensitivities as well as other health disorders. Check out the website. Please, don’t get caught up in the misery of conventional allergy treatment, try something new and innovative. http://www.drellencutler.com

Two people today asked me about snoring. is there anything natural that can be done?. I have found that deceasing yeast products or foods that promote yeast can often be a solution. Trying a candida diet, or yeast free diet is worth trying. But it needs to be done for at least two weeks to see results. On a yeast free diet, one should avoid carbohdyrates, no grains at all, no breads, cereals, yeast, vinegar, cheese, sugar,fermented foods (no sugar at all ) and enjoy a diet of vegetables (watch the sugar veggies) and protein. Nuts that are roasted, (no salt) is a better choice than raw nuts. Don’t eat food that is not fresh and eat less food at a meal. Take a digestive enzyme. If you are craving the sugar, what I recommend is take a carbohydrate digestive enzyme when you are craving, it can trick you mind into thinking you just ate sugar. It sounds strange, but works for some. You also may try a detoxification program along with this diet, may be helpful as well.

I have some other recommendations in MicroMiracles. Say goodbye to snoring and hello to a good night sleep. Sweet dreams.

There were two articles today that pretty much contradicted eachother. First one was about stroke deaths dropped after folic acid( B vitamin ) was added to food. Folic acid can lower homocysteine levels. Homocysteine – a amino acid in the blood is a risk facctor for stroke and heart disease.

Another article mentions that lowering homocysteine does not protect the heart. It does indicate that levels of homocysteine may be high in people predisposed to a heart attack or stroke, and folic acid and other B vitamins does lower the homocysteine, but studies have shown that the risk of stroke or heart attack is not changed.

“The rate of heart problems or stroke was 18.8 percent for volunteers getting the supplements and 19.8 percent for the placebo recipients. There was not much of a change.

Little disconcerting. I have been under the impression that lowering homocysteine does reduce risk of heart disease and stroke.

Well I am a believer in protease and nattokinase for preventing clot formation and stroke. There are both safe and natural and the studies are already promising. i recommend everyone take protease and those with history of irregular heart beats, DVT, and have had minor strokes it is an excellent adjust to their regimen.

It could be that what you are eating, or rather the foods you are sensitive is causing you problems with sleeping. More than 50 percent of American adults exprience insomnia at least a few nights a week. Sleep deprivation causes reliance on artificial stimulants to sustain them through the day. Not everyone needs 8-9 hours of sleep. Generally if you’re able to wake up on time without an alarm clock, you’re getting enough rest. If even an alarm clock can’t rouse you, you probably aren’t sleeping as much as you should. I have found poor digestion, food sensitivities and impaired liver detoxification to be the cause of insomnia. Over the years I have seen the following food sensitivities to be the underlying root of insomnia: corn, wheat, dairy, caffeinated products and sugars.

Taking a digestive enzyme before meals and a new sleep-enhancing enzyme formula stabilizes sleep patterns and improves sleep quality. Rid those food sensitivities and eat less food will help with better sleeping patterns.

In an article written in the medical journal “Thorax” by Dr. N.J. Wareham et al of Medical Research Council in Cambridge, UK reveals that modification of diet can reduce onset of asthma. It is reported that people who suffer with asthma tend to consume less fruits and have decreased intake of Vitamin C and manganese. It was also reported that blood levels of vitamin C were lower in people with asthma than their healthy counterparts.

So eat your raw meal each day, take your enzymes for good absorption of vitamins and minerals and eat more vitamin C foods. I have seen vitamin C to be extremely good for asthma. I have actually seen it stop wheezing associated with an episode of asthma almost immediately.

In addition to direct support of the skin, digestion, nutrient absorption, waste elimination, food sensitivities and toxic reactions influence skin health. Digestive enzymes break down food and facilitate the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream. Eating wholesome organic foods with digestive enzymes can minimize free radical damage. As the body’s metabolic thermostat, the thyroid gland is important in regulating temperature and energy production, with a direct impact on enzyme activity and therefore skin health.

Neutralizing toxins that trigger free radical formation also minimizes free radical damage. The liver plays an important role in the elimination of toxic waste by filtering toxins from the blood. The colon is also critical to the detoxification process. Also, both protease (protein digesting) enzymes and probiotics support a healthy immune response and reduce the risk of infections throughout the body, including those related to acne.

When I was younger and practicing as a chiropractor I herniated my L4 -5 disc and became unable to practice chiropractic manipulation again. It was very hard, and debilitating. I had surgery for my disc, but unfortunately the surgery was not successful. I experience leg pain almost every day. Honestly the only thing that saved me was my diet, enzymes and exercise every day. Standing and sitting for too long was always pro-inflammatory. I bring this up, because I remember experimenting with different foods to reduce inflammation. The most remarkable change in pain and stiffness was the complete avoidance of sugars, starches and grains. It was almost immediate. The chronic inflammation was 75 % less. So therefore my outlook on grains emerged. And I began to study and research the not so healthy aspect of grains.

Today I came across an article about Mediterranean diet having anti-inflammatory effects. It seems like sticking to a Meditarranean diet high in fruits, and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, meat and meat products, fish, a and low in saturated fats, lowers levels of inflammation in the elderly, as reflected by lower levles of a metabolite called C-reactive protein (CRP) – this is a marker of inflammation. This diet also contributes to prevention of heart disease. So kill two birds with one stone. And you may also loose weight as well. I bet the antioxidants in these foods is probably the reason.

Well add a digestive enzyme to you food. people with inflammation may do better with the protein/fat digestive enzyme and definitely protease. These are very effective.