Easy Weight Loss?

As I was driving this morning, I saw a billboard that read "Free Yourself. Easy Weight Loss. Get Bariatric Surgery Today!"

That might be relatively "easy" weight loss, but is it healthy?

In receiving a bachelor's degree in Exercise Physiology, I studied all of the popular diets, exercise, and weight loss plans. I conducted research on a group of people that lost nearly 100 pounds in one year. I studied at a hospital where they put people on EXTREME diets for weight loss. When, in the end, most of those people gain their weight back when they begin eating 'normal' food. On top of that, the diets that doctors and highly trained professionals were recommending were very bad, very unhealthy. Many consisted of eating canned foods (that are totally depleted of all their mineral content), while others recommended supplements that contained harmful chemicals and additives including MSG. Some of these people were only consuming 500 calories per day, essentially starving themselves of nutrients and nourishment in order to lose weight (and then gain it back when they began eating a regular diet again).

Weight loss can be very difficulty, especially depending on what type of a program you are doing. Some are way more difficult than others, and require you to always watch what you eat and count the calories that you are consuming.

What if weight loss was easier than that? What if your lifestyle is what you focused on, and you lost weight and kept it off? You don't have to be on a diet forever!

I see many "weight loss professionals" out there who have written popular e-books. I have found many of these 'professionals' not to be professional at all, but instead, very good at marketing. They recommend the most popular fad diets at the time and throw in a little exercise.

Every person that I work with to lose weight is different. Each person needs an individualized plan, one that matches where they are in life, and one that will work for them. It is very rare to see two people on the same plan. Some people need more exercise while others lose 50-60 pounds by changing their diet alone.

I have never, and will never, recommend a diet of 500 calories per day. For the average person this isn't enough nourishment to get them through a full day. The body, including the brain, need nourishment to function properly. 

Weight loss comes when you free yourself of how you look at food. It comes when you 'revamp' your lifestyle to match a lifestyle of health and longevity. Health can be forever and should be forever!

So, get on the right path to health through lifestyle changes and a healthy mental attitude. This is the only solution that works for lasting weight loss and optimal health!

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Svea is a traditional Naturopath, classical homeopath and holistic doula. Her private doula practice can be found here. Her Montreal Natural Fertility site can be found here. 

Natural Treatment for Ringworm

By writing this article, I hope that I save you a trip to your doctor's office.

Ringworm can be very annoying, especially with people who do not know how to treat it themselves.

 Interestingly enough, ringworm is actually not a worm, but instead a contagious fungal infection. It can affect the scalp, the body (particularly the groin), the feet, and the nails. Its name comes from the characteristic red ring that can appear on an infected person's skin.

Ringworm is usually an itchy infection, showing up differently on different parts of the body. Ringworm of the scalp begins as a small pimple that becomes bigger and leaves scaly patches of temporary baldness.  Ringworm of the body can show up as a flat, round patch (anywhere on the skin). It becomes larger and looks more like a ring as days progress. The area can be itchy. Athlete's foot is a fungal infection of the feet, another form of ringworm. Athlete's foot appears as a scaling or cracking of the skin, especially between the toes. You can also develop ringworm of the nails. With this infection, the nails become thicker, discolored and brittle.

One of the most successful home remedies I have seen to cure ringworm is Tea Tree essential oil. Tea tree essential oil is a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral substance. You can easily buy Tea Tree essential oil from most health food stores or online (make sure it is 100% pure essential oil). Apply Tea Tree to the affected area 2-3 times per day until the ringworm fungal infection disappears.

For some people, however, tea tree is not enough to kill ringworm. Another successful 'at home remedy' is to soak a couple of pennies in apple cider vinegar for a few hours. You can then take a cotton ball and dip it into the apple cider vinegar and apply it to your ringworm. Do this for 3 to 4 days, or until your ringworm is gone!

And, WALLLAAAA!! You have successfully treated a Ringworm infection on your own!

UPDATE: As I have experimented with other remedies for ringworm, I have discovered another remedy that works (and more efficiently for some people, I might add). Organic, cold-pressed Coconut oil is also anti-fungal and kills ringworm within a day or two.  I have found that apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil feel uncomfortable when placed on ringworm on the skin, while coconut oil feels nourishing as it is working to kill ringworm.

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Svea is a traditional Naturopath, classical homeopath and holistic doula. Her private doula practice can be found here. Her Montreal Natural Fertility site can be found here. 

Natural Healing for Cancer

Cancer is an illness that can be frightening for many, especially if diagnosed as serious and fatal.

So often I see people who have been diagnosed with many different cancers and are going through chemotherapy. I see them drinking Diet Soda from McDonald's, and eating chips and pizza. Many of their Doctors do not educate them about the importance of eating healthy food to build their body back up and to strengthen their immune system.

What is cancer, anyway?

Cancer starts out in one specific area of the body (which is a different location for everyone). Normal cells would divide and make more healthy cells that build whatever structure it is working on. Cancerous cells are basically cells that have gone haywire and started dividing uncontrollably. It's almost like they have missed (or ignored) the memo to build good healthy cells. If the body goes on in the state that it is in (dis-eased state), then the cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body, and start forming cancerous cells there as well. Cancer is far more complicated than that . . . this is a brief explanation of what the cells are doing.

Cancer begins in the body when it is in a state of dis-harmony. Somehow, throughout time, the body has gone out of balance. This could be caused by the stresses of a person's life, the unhealthy foods they consume, environmental toxins, parasites, emotional trauma, unhealthy belief systems etc etc etc. A physician's 'cure' is based on toxic chemicals (chemo) that work against the bodies natural abilities of healing. Chemo kills cancerous cells as well as healthy cells, and really wrecks havoc on the human body. The average physician does NOT educate their patient how to live healthy lives, but instead, tries to manage the symptoms. No lifestyle changes are taught in that field.

What we should be doing with people who have cancer is education on how to live 'correctly.'

What does a human need to stay healthy and function at their optimal level?

They need fresh air (free of toxins and chemicals), fresh water to drink and bathe in(also free of toxins and chemicals), adequate sunlight (oh so important for EVERYONE...without sunscreen), proper rest, nutritious foods, and a healthy emotional environment (internally and externally).

We are beginning to live in a world where many of these things are not taught as being important anymore. The average person, as listed above, drinks diet soda and eats pizza, chips, and other 'dead' foods. When we eat 'dead' foods, it is hard to build 'living' cells. These people also may work in a job that they hate, and they may not get adequate rest. It is not shocking that cancer rates have risen so dramatically.

So, folks, let's get on the right track here. Eat foods that are living and vibrant. Drink adequate amounts of quality water. Get outside in the sunshine and restore your levels of vitamin D. Find the things that you love to do, and do them everyday! Work through your emotional traumas, and don't suppress them anymore.

These things will all help to build your body back up to optimal levels, and will strengthen your immune system to fight cancer cells. Some cancers are severe, and should be handled more seriously. There are other herbal suggestions, homeopathic remedies, natural therapies and modalities that you can try to see which fits you best for your healing. I urge you to see what else is out there, even if you want to supplement your body while you are doing chemo. You will be amazed at the systems of healing that are out there that you may have never heard about.

I recently read an article about "Hoxsey Therapy." The gentleman who 'created' this therapy was claiming to have a cure for cancer in the 1920's! He faced a lot of abuse from the American Medical Association as they felt threatened from Hoxsey. Hoxsey's records stated that he was treating cancer with an 80% cure rate. He used two simple herbal blends, one to be applied externally for tumors and lumps, and the other to be applied internally. He was an interesting fellow, and I am shocked that more people don't know about him. I really believe that this 'cure' has been suppressed by the American Medical Association.

In 1976 Linus Pauling was doing studies on curing cancer by using high doses of vitamin C. He used 10,000mg of vitamin C on 100 terminal cancer patients every day, and found that these people survived three to four times longer than other terminal patients who did not receive vitamin C. This was more than 30 years ago!

Regardless, cancer is not a disease that should be taken lightly. I really encourage you to build up your body and examine the way in which you live.


**Please read my disclaimer! I do NOT diagnose or prescribe, nor do I want to replace your medical doctor. But, I do want you to know that there are OTHER options out there. Naturopaths DO NOT claim to cure cancer... but instead they work with the body's innate ability to heal itself.**

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Svea is a traditional Naturopath, classical homeopath and holistic doula. Her private doula practice can be found here.