Cleansing Season

As spring emerges and the snow melts, many of us begin to feel the importance of spring cleaning. We throw out a bunch of old furniture, give away old clothes, deep clean our spaces, cars and our yards. But, what about our bodies?

March and April are liver cleansing months. Our bodies should be our TOP priority for cleansing, although cleansing of our spaces is so important too!

My favorite cleanses involve juice fasting. By eliminating solid foods, our body is able to focus on cleansing and building instead of digestion and elimination. The cleansing program I outline below is a general guideline and can be personalized for each individual. It is a program that will purify the body so it can heal more easily. If you are overweight, this program will help to normalize you to a healthier weight. If you are underweight, it will bring you back up to a normal weight. This cleansing program will also help to eliminate the disease-causing mucus from your body. The food in this program also supports your body and provides nourishment so your body can rebuild itself where necessary.

The Cleansing Program:

You should start your cleanse with a three to four day juice fast (and even longer if you can stand it). If you are a beginner, then start with a three day juice fast. During these days, you will not eat any solid food, but instead will drink different juices like: carrot, citrus, grape, apple, beet, celery, etc. You will need to purchase a juicer for this (and should have one for everyday living). I prefer the champion juicer, which runs around $300 USD, however, you can purchase an inexpensive juicer if you are not able to afford the champion juicer. Many department stores sell these juicers.

You should also seriously consider doing enemas the days you are fasting. Enemas are a great way to cleanse your digestive system! You can do many different kinds, including: coffee enemas, wheatgrass enemas, water enemas, herbal enemas and many more. Most people say, "You want me to stick that...where?!" But, once you start doing enemas during fasting and cleansing, you will love them! They release a lot of blockages and bring abundant energy! They also relieve headaches, constipation, nausea, weight gain, and more. Enemas bags can be purchased from many pharmacies and super markets.


Day 1, 2, & 3:

Morning- Upon rising, drink one cup of warm water and the juice of half a lemon. This will help to 'wake-up' your stomach for digestion for the day. This will also help to cleanse your liver and bowels. 

When you begin feeling hungry, make your first glass of fresh juice. You can experiment to see what you like. Drinking fresh juice should be a good and fun experience. Juice can taste very good (and SHOULD taste amazing)! My favorite blend is:

One apple, 1/2 red beet, 2 stalks of celery, and 3 carrots. Juice these and mix with 1/4 glass of water. 

This is just one recipe out of 100's of recipes. You can use other fruits and vegetables, always making sure they are fresh and raw. 

Drink as much juice as you need to throughout the day. This will be different for everyone. For me I notice that I need juice every 2-3 hours. You should drink juice every time you are hungry. Fruit juices taste good in juice, however, you should make sure that you are using more vegetables than fruits. 

MAKE SURE YOU ARE CHEWING YOUR JUICES. WE TEND TO JUST SWALLOW LIQUIDS, HOWEVER, IF YOU CHEW YOUR JUICE, YOUR SALIVA WILL BEGIN TO DIGEST IT EVEN BEFORE IT GETS TO YOUR STOMACH. THIS WILL ALSO HELP WITH BLOOD SUGAR REGULATION. THIS IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT!

Also, drink adequate water throughout the day. Each person is different for their water requirements, however, could follow this general guideline: drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of quality water per day. So, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should be drinking 70 ounces of water per day. 

Day 4, 5, 6, and so on...

Break your juices fast with ONLY raw fruits and vegetables. Here is an example of what your day looks like: For breakfast eat three or four fruits in season, possibly sprinkled with raw almonds and a teaspoon of raw honey for sweetening. Also, continue to drink raw juices. For lunch, eat a nice salad with all raw vegetables. Drizzle organic cold pressed olive oil over your salad. For dinner you can have another salad, fresh raw juice, and fresh raw fruits and vegetables.

You may feel weak during this cleanse. During this time it is very important to rest and sleep as needed. Be assured that your body is working very hard at detoxification. You may feel weird aches and pains in certain areas of your body, you might get a 'cold', or experience other symptoms. These are all a part of cleansing and eliminating toxic material from your body. Remember, when the cleansing is over you will feel abundant energy and a higher level of health.

Continue with the cleansing diet for as long as you feel necessary. If you want to promote health to a greater degree in your life, you can eliminate these foods from your 'normal' diet:

Processed salt
Eggs
Meat
Milk & Milk products
Flour & Flour Products

Since March and April are liver cleansing months, you should consider using some liver cleansing and supporting supplements. These are a few amazing liver herbs:

Yellow Dock
Milk Thistle
Stinging Nettle
Burdock
Chelidonium Root
Dandelion Root

There are many more, however, this is a good place to start.

Good luck on your spring cleansing! Throw out all that 'old' and toxic stuff and allow your body to build new and healthy tissues!

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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. 

Hidden Cures for Cancer Part 1: Hoxsey Therapy

Harry Hoxsey was a self-taught healer who cured many cancer patients using an herbal formula that was handed down from his great-grandfather. His great-grandfather observed animals in nature, and noticed that when they were really ill, they seemed to eat a different blend of herbs and plants. He prepared a formula with many of the same herbs and found that it was very successful in curing cancer.

Harry Hoxsey began using this herbal formula, and by the early 1950's, he had the biggest cancer clinic in the world. The Hoxsey Cancer clinic spread to 17 different states and was reporting an 80% cure rate for all different forms of cancer.

During that time the American Medical Assocation was gaining ground and money. They attacked many natural healers and threatened them with court fines and jail for 'practicing medicine without a license.' He fought back each time and continued to practice when he got out of jail. Hoxsey's clinics were continually shut down. The AMA, NCI and FDA worked together to suppress his methods of healing since they were taking many patients away from the conventional medical practice. He helped many people with 'end stage' illness to heal fully and live happy and healthy lives.

Hoxsey was labeled as "the worse cancer quack of the century." His herbal medicine formula was said to be a 'colored bottle of water' that contained useless backyard weeds. Further, FDA officials went to his patient's homes, telling them they were being tricked by a quack. The FDA intimidated them and took away their Hoxsey medicines.

Hoxsey continually asked the FDA to come and research his formulas, to look at his statistics, to talk to his patients, and to see his cancer cure in action. They never came. Instead, his cures were outlawed and illegal to practice. He even 'challenged' the AMA to come and see him cure a case of severe and 'incurable' cancer. He did just so. He cured the man in front of everyone's eyes (of course over a period of time). The federal courts and AMA even said that one of Hoxsey's formulas were successful at curing cancer, however, the judgement still stood - he wasn't allowed to practice and his formulas were banned.

There are many documented reports of cured cased. Hoxsey moved his clinic to Mexico so he could practice without the harrasment of the big corporations in America. They continue to heal people every day with the same formulas that Hoxsey originally used.

All of the herbs in Hoxsey's formula have been researched. James Duke, Ph.D, an eminent botanist of the United States Department of Agriculture, said that all of the herbs used are cited as Plants Used Against Cancer, a global compilation of folk usage of medicinal plants compiled by NCI chemist Jonathan Hartwell (but wait, NCI was also attacking Hoxsey?!?! interesting...). James Duke also noted that all of the 'Hoxsey herbs' have been used by Native American healers to treat cancer for hundreds of years (if not thousands).

This is one cancer cure that we don't hear much about. It is still out there and being practiced by many. It still remains as successful as it was in Hoxsey's day, curing more than 80% of cancer cases.

Why we don't hear about this amazing cure:
The American Medical Association is a big organization, backed by funding and power from the pharmaceutical companies. Since you cannot patent a natural substance (like an herbal formula), the pharmaceutical companies have no interest in hearing about it. This information is not taught in medical schools since most of the pharmaceutical companies fund most medical schools (if not all). If they could, they would make a synthetic formula of their own that has the same cancer curing principles, however, that is not how nature works. Each substance in Hoxsey's formula contains beautiful balancing properties, and cannot be replicated in a synthetic form. As long as the pharmaceutical companies are in power, we will NEVER see a cure for cancer. Please be aware of that each time you donate to cancer research. The cures are already out there, yet have been suppressed because you cannot make any money off of them.

This is just one of the many suppressed cures. Please stay tuned for further articles in our cancer cure series!

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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. 

You're Destroying Me : A Letter to the People of the World

 

This letter is written from our Earth to the people of the Earth. It is one way in which I am able to express my frustrations and concerns with what is happening in the world at this time.

Dear People of my Land,

I have stayed quiet much too long. Every day you are destroying my soil, my water, my air, and my heart. There are a handful of you who really care and are trying to do all that you can to change the other humans. This is a massive undertaking, and until you succeed, I am becoming more and more toxic. Soon, you are not going to be able to live a healthy life off of the substance I provide for you. 

My note to you on water:

Your body is similar to mine, mostly made of water. That water helps to purify your cells and to cleanse your body. You need clean water just as much as I do. Without this clean water, your body will become toxic and you will begin to develop many different diseases. Your cities are dumping fluoride into my water and telling you that it will prevent you from having cavities. Did you know this fluoride is coming from the phosphate fertilizer industry. This fluoride is a byproduct of that industry and used to cost them many millions of dollars to properly dispose of (because it is so toxic). You are now allowing them to dump this in your drinking water. This is one of the most toxic things you are doing to my water. Please stop, this is not necessary.

The chloride that you are allowing in my water is also very toxic for your body. Did you know this is one of the major causes of damage to injuries - then leading to 'clogged' arteries and possible heart attack? This chloride also strips your body of antioxidants and could leave you susceptible to cancer. On top of that, did you know that your fellow humans are using chloramine, which is an ammonia derivative, to disinfect water? This is more toxic than chloride because it doesn't 'boil off' in the air, and instead stays in the water to toxify your body even further. 

You are allowing farmers to spray extremely toxic chemicals on their crops. This is destroying my soil AND my water. If you live in a home that is near a field, you probably have pesticides, herbicides and/or insecticides in your water supply.  These chemicals are DESTROYING my soils, and it will take many years to cleanse. If you only realized that when you have healthy soil, with adequate vitamins and minerals, then you wouldn't need the chemicals. You think you need these chemicals because the bugs are confused. My bugs think your crops are sick crops because their soil is so toxic, that the bugs think they must eat your crops, to help decompose them faster. You are also causes more ill health in your bodies from allowing farmers to spray these crops. Your fellow humans have done research and found these chemicals to cause many chronic diseases like cancer, respiratory illness, birth defects in babies and so much more. 

You are also destroying my water supply by allowing big corporations to "Frack" my crust. They want to reach my supplies of natural gas, so they use big equipment and extremely toxic chemicals to "frack" (to drill holes down into the natural gas collections). When your fellow humans do this process, they are drilling through water reservoirs, which flow freely almost like a river underneath my soil. As they drill through these rivers, the toxic chemicals that are used in this process are then taken down the river and flow into your water supply. Did you know that some of your fellow humans can take the water from their faucet and light it on fire because of these chemicals? Some of you humans are not aware of this process, and it is happening all over the world. 

Many of my lakes, streams and rivers have become so toxic that it is not even healthy for you to swim or bathe in them. This is very sad to me because they are meant to be beautiful and clean. 

A note on the children of my land:


Have you noticed how sick your children are? I have never seen so many illnesses and diseases in small children. Many of you don't even think about why your children are sick, but instead, accept it for what it is and do what you need to do. I really commend you for taking care of a generation much different than any I have ever seen. ADD and ADHD are greater than ever before, auto-immune illnesses are greater than ever before, cancer and leukemia are greater than ever before, autism and other neurological disorders are greater than ever before, asthma and allergies are greater than ever before, and there are diseases being named that have never been named before. Humans, please hear me. You are doing this to your own children. You are doing this by allowing farmers to use toxic chemicals, by allowing big corporations to disperse toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, by allowing their food to be so devoid of vitamins and minerals, by feeding them processed and harmful foods, and by injecting them with extremely harmful chemicals (vaccines). My soils and earth were meant to grow beautiful fruits and vegetables to feed your children. 


A note on vaccinations:
Do you know what you are allowing a doctor to inject into your child? They tell you that they are preventing illnesses, however, do you realize they are creating much worse illnesses now? They are injecting mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, lead, polysorbate-80, MSG, dead animal tissue and more. Do you know why they stopped using mercury thermometers? They stopped using them because the mercury inside the thermometer is so toxic, causing neurological disorders and specifically attacking the nerves and the brain.  Do you know that they shut down a lake if there is any mercury found in it? This is also because of the toxicity of mercury, yet the pharmaceutical companies continue to use it as a preservative. Did you know if parent's follow the vaccine schedule, including all recommended vaccines, their children are receiving 95 vaccinations by the time they go to school? Parents: this is not necessary. I have compassion for many of you because you are trying to do the best you can, but hear me now. Vaccines are causing your children to be very sick. Vaccines cause many other illnesses including: seizure disorders, neurological disorders, learning disabilities, autism, asthma, allergies, auto-immune illnesses, leukemia, cancer, ADD, ADHD and so many more. I know many parents base their decision on fear that their child will contract a very 'serious' illness, however, most parents don't realize that most of these 'serious' illnesses decreased by 90% before vaccinations were ever given. On top of that, homeopathy has proven to be the most successful 'cure' for epidemics, pandemics, and any other illnesses.

Do you know that there is no research conducted on how vaccines affect the next generation? We are now seeing the serious decline in our immune systems as a result of vaccine use in our parents, and sometimes even in our grandparents. This is all highly experimental and you are all guinea pigs. 

Please allow the children of my land to grow up to be healthy and strong humans. I need these small humans to fight for me, to fight for my health, and to fight for their rights. Seek alternative directions of how to strengthen their immune systems without the use of vaccines. 

A note to you on food:
I have to admit that my feelings are hurt. My land grows such healthy and vital foods to feed your body, and yet you are seeking other food sources. The average family eats meals out of a box, where all the vitamins and minerals have been destroyed in processing. How many of you order food at McDonald's or other fast food restaurants? This is not food that will feed your vital force. This is dead food and this food doesn't offer your body anything. Humans, you must remember that you are ALIVE, and that you need to eat foods that are alive. These foods that come from my land (fruits and veggies) will feed your bodies, build your immune system, and provide enough energy to get you through your very busy and hectic days. 

I also must admit that I am very disappointed in what you have done to my soil. My soil is meant to provide adequate nutrients to grow healthy foods, however, it is becoming so depleted because of all the harmful chemicals you are using on your food crops.  You humans are also growing crop after crop, without providing the field an adequate rest. This also depletes my soil. Have you noticed that nettles and poison ivy grow heavier on some lands? This is because they are telling you to stay away. They are working at revitalizing your soil, however, you are not listening. You spray these beautiful plants with round-up or other 'weed' killing substances. Please listen to your land. What is it telling YOU?

On recent events:
My heart is crying for the losses of humans in Haiti, in New Zealand, in Japan, and all other places that have experienced loss. Some of these events are necessary to tell you to wake up. As imbalance becomes greater among humans, imbalance becomes greater in nature too. Humans have become so greedy, living their entire life to make money and to further their successes, drilling into my crust for oil and natural gases. 

One of the greatest disasters happened this year in the United States of America. The President approved off-shore drilling. BP began drilling into my crust off the coast of the U.S. They wanted fast production and they had very unstable equipment. You all know what happened, one of the biggest oil disasters of all time. My waters turned black and my heart cried even more. My blood (oil) kept leaking for many days, destroying my beautiful water and my beautiful animals of my oceans. Humans were very concerned for that period of time, however, nobody has fought for me enough. 

My animals died. Have you seen the pictures of birds soaked in oil?How do those images make you feel? It is because of your lifestyle that this happened. Your busy lifestyles involve using gasoline and oil for transportation, for factory farming, for industry and for the hustle and bustle of the world. This is not what life is meant to be or look like. 

After the 'clean-up' it seems like this event dropped off the face of the earth. Many people act like it's out of sight, out of mind. Did you know that you allowed BP to dump in harmful chemicals into the ocean to disperse the oil? Did you know this made the water MORE toxic, with these harmful chemicals and oil mixed together. Instead of being able to see this oil on the surface, it is now buried deep into the depths of the ocean. This is not out of sight out of mind... it is still there, yet you cannot see it because they are hiding it from you. My fish have become so toxic that humans should not eat them anymore. Many dolphins have died, along with sharks, fish, and many birds. My heart is still mourning the losses from this event.


If you continue to destroy me, I will continue to try and counter balance it so I can survive. This includes destruction in the form of tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, storms and other severe weather. Can you not see the correlation between human corruption and severe weather? I am trying to do all that I can. Please understand where I am coming from. I am trying to teach you that life is not all about money or financial gain. Stop for a moment and smell the flowers. See the beauty in your earth and feel the beauty that God has given you. After you do that, stand up and fight for something that you believe in. If nobody fights the battle they are compassionate about, change will not happen. As you can see from the above discussion, there is so much to fight for. Fight for your rights, for clean water, nutrient dense food, healthy children, and for yourself.


I can feel your tears and I know that some of you are passionate about bringing me back to a state of health. I need more of you to turn around and work for me, not for money and greed. Please help me, everyday I am becoming sicker and sicker, and eventually I might die. If I die that means that you do too. 

With much love & admiration,
Your Earth 

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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. 

Sunshine, Sunscreen, Skin Cancer & Vitamin D

Last week I was on vacation in sunny Florida. For all of you Michiganders out there, you know how little sunshine we get in the wintertime. Michigan seems to be one of the only states that is covered with CONSTANT cloud cover in the winter... like a gray blanket. It seems like no matter how busy you keep yourself, the creeping doom and depression of a sunless season always comes, sooner or later. 

When we went to Florida I decided that I was going to take sunshine in moderation, starting slow to let my skin get used to its rays. Almost immediately I could feel the HAPPINESS of sunshine - the sweet little dance it does on your skin and inside of your body. 

It is really surprising how many people are afraid of sunshine. Many think sunshine causes skin cancer so they load their bodies with sunscreen. The truth is that sunscreen is said to cause cancer MORE than the actual sun! Many studies have been released that reveal the danger of sunscreen. The FDA knows about the results of these studies, however avoids alerting the public, and in fact, denies it all together. 

An article: "Could Sunscreens increase melanoma risk?" published in the American Journal of Public Health (Garland, Cedric F., et al - Vol. 82, No. 4, Apr 1992, pp. 614-15) revealed that the greatest rise of melanoma (skin cancer) in the world has been in countries that use and promote sunscreen. Queensland, Australia has an alarming increase in melanoma, and is said to have more incidences of melanoma per capita than any other place on Earth! The medical establishment in Queensland, Australia has vigorously promoted the use of sunscreen.  

In "Beneficial effects of sun exposure on cancer mortality" in Preventative Medicine (Vol. 22, February 1993, pp. 132-40), Dr. Gordon Ainsleigh explains that the use of sunscreen causes more cancer deaths than it prevents. He estimates that the 17% increase in breast cancer observed between 1981 and 1992 may be the result of the pervasive use of sunscreens over the past decade. 

M. Berwick from the University of New Mexico Cancer Center and Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, believes that sunscreens protect against sunburn, but there is no evidence that they protect against basal cell carcinoma or melanoma. He also explains that people who use sunscreen stay out in the sun much longer than people who do not wear sunscreen, which also contributes to skin cancer.

So, is this just another story of the FDA 'hiding' the harmful effects of substances? If the FDA was doing their job properly, safety studies would be completed on all drugs and all substances that consumers use. However, we see the FDA pulling products off the shelf every day because they haven't been tested properly, and they are being reported as having extremely harmful side effects (otherwise they wouldn't pull them off the shelf!).  As consumers we think the FDA is testing ALL products, however, it is the drug companies doing the testing. Can you say conflict of interest?! I have been involved in compiling research, and I know how easy it could be to write whatever conclusion you want to. Sadly, we see this happen all the time - with vaccinations, with pharmaceuticals, with GMOs, and more. 

"Anyone's life truly lived consists of work, sunshine, 

exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air, and a happy contented spirit. "

-Lillie Langtry

Sunshine & Vitamin D

Sunshine is so important for its vitamin D boosting benefits. 

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that people with the lowest vitamin D levels have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease and other causes over an eight-year period compared with those with the highest vitamin D levels. Another study published in Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that lower levels of vitamin D are associated with a higher risk of heart attack.

When the sun's UV-B rays hit the skin, a reaction takes place where the skin is able is manufacture vitamin D. Sunscreen blocks the skins ability to do this, and thus, we gain no vitamin D when wearing sunscreen. 

A person with fair skin needs around 10 minutes of mid-day sun exposure per day to produce 10,000 IU of vitamin D. Dark skinned people need more time in the sunshine to produce this amount of vitamin D. 

All people need sunshine!

What to do to protect yourself

 I tend to have very fair skin, and I have found that coconut oil provides a bit of protection against sunburns. This isn't true for everyone, however. Coconut oil will provide protection for some, while it will not for others. 

Wear long sleeves and long pants. There are many options out there for very light clothing that you can wear to protect your skin from a sunburn, and yet stay cool in the hot summer climates.

DO NOT WEAR SUNSCREEN! There are many ingredients in sunscreen that have been proven to cause cancer in lab animals (and humans too!). If you feel like you are saturated enough, go out of the sun. If you are not able to then cover yourself with light clothing.

Sunshine deficiency is much more severe in our culture, and I believe that more people die from lack of sun than too much sun.

So, get out there. Enjoy the sun and its healing rays.

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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. 

Spring is Coming!

In the last month I haven't had much of an opportunity to write a blog. We have been so busy with travel, teaching, clients, planning and so much more!

I will be back, I promise! I am planning a new "cancer series". This series will talk about the many suppressed cures for cancer that have been found throughout the years. Since Spring is coming I will also be writing about Spring cleaning (cleansing and detox programs).

See you all soon!

Svea

Winter Medicinals for Cold Weather Areas

For my birthday my sweetie took me to an outdoor winter medicinals class, taught by Jim McDonald. For those of you who live in the cold weather states, then you probably would never think about taking an herb walk class in the snow. In fact, here in Michigan, we have over 2 feet of snow, and had quite the snowfall while we were out on this herb walk. I have studied herbology for a few years now, and nowhere, ever, have I read about collecting medicinal plants in the winter.

I have often found myself wondering how cultures survived in cold weather places when they couldn't go to the grocery store, or they needed herbal medicines for that time. I believe in collecting plants in season and that our creator provides for us what we need, when we need it... winter time included.

But, Jim McDonald filled us in. I was extremely impressed by his knowledge of medicinal plants, especially his winter medicinal herb teaching. One of the first plants we visited was the White Pine tree. This tree can be identified by its 5 needle cluster, as opposed to the Red Pine that has 2. Jim explained that the White Pine is high in vitamin C and would work wonders for people who have scurvy (although we don't see a whole lot of that here anymore). At that time I tasted a needle, and sure enough, it tasted like it was high in vitamin C (the sour lemon/orange flavor/rose hip flavor). The White Pine is also great for people with coughs and congestion that is stuck in the lungs and won't come out (more of a wet cough). White Pine works as an expectorant, and helps the body to eliminate the 'gunk' in the lungs through effective coughing.

*Remember, that we never want to take anything to 'make our sickness go away' but instead, we want to promote the body's natural abilities to eliminate and heal itself. In Naturopathic Medicine we never want to suppress symptoms.

We continued to walk through the woods and field and learned MANY other plants that can be used as medicines in the winter time. Some of these include: the stalks of the black or red raspberry plant (as an astringent), rose hips on the rose bush (high in vitamin C), and burdock seeds (for people who get sick from catching a chill).

I am so impressed! I love the fact that we can still 'harvest' some medicinal plants in the winter, especially if we are in an emergency situation!

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

Poop 101: Do you have healthy bowel movements?

This is a topic that I find many of my clients snickering at. Who talks about poop?

In the Naturopathy field we recognize the importance of having healthy bowel movements. But, what is healthy, really?

The first question I usually ask my clients is if they have 'healthy' bowel movements. Most say yes to start. However, the surprising fact is that most of these people only have 1-3 bowel movements PER WEEK and consider this to be 'normal'. Yes, this might be normal for some, but it is not healthy.

Each time we eat, we should be poopin' out the previous meals we consumed. We should be pooping 3 times per day, and if we are not we probably have fecal matter that is 'stuck in our gut' and feeding back toxins to our system that we should be eliminating. I once heard that the average person has almost 20 pounds of impacted fecal matter in their gut. Elvis Presley? Well folks, his autopsy revealed he had 50 pounds of impacted fecal matter. Can you see the importance now of eliminating your wastes properly?

If you are constipated, then you have this problem too. Your body is not letting go of the 'crap' that is stuck in your intestinal tract. This can cause a whole host of problems, including: headaches, nausea, bad breath, skin eruptions, and other more chronic illnesses. 

There are many causes of constipation, and each person's treatment plan is different. I have listed below some guidelines to follow when observing your poop.

How frequent are they?

It is healthy to have at least 2 to 3 bowel movements per day. What goes in should come out. If you are not eliminating this much, then you probably have a backup of fecal matter that is allowing your body to reabsorb the toxins that it is trying to eliminate. This is one of the major causes for blood that has become unhealthy and toxic. Like I said above, the cause of constipation is different for each person. One thing you could focus on for this section is your intake of dietary fiber. Fiber is like the broom and mop for the intestinal tract and is a necessary substance for removal and elimination. Fruits and vegetables contain fiber, and are, in fact, the best way to get fiber into your diet. You should be getting at least 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You could also try Psyllium as a good source of fiber. Are you considering taking a fiber supplement? Make sure you are getting enough water throughout the day since fiber grabs onto liquid and creates bulky stools.


What do they smell like?

Do your bowel movements stink? I have heard many people say "it smells like something is rotting inside of me!" (GROSS, I KNOW!) However, this is true. If you aren't eliminating as much matter as what you are ingesting, then you do have 'something rotting inside of you'. Bowel movements do not have to smell, and if you are eating a healthy diet and eliminating properly, then they probably won't smell (that bad). Animal proteins in the diet can also cause your bowel movements to smell since it takes the body a long time to digest. Another cause? A lack of friendly bacteria in your gut! Since we are a society that takes antibiotics each time we feel ill, we can safely assume that most of the population does not have a good supply of healthy bacteria. Each time you take an antibiotic it affects your healthy gut flora for 2 years! Other drugs also kill your friendly bacteria, including: steroids, birth control pills, and other drugs and chemicals that are part of the modern American lifestyle. If your poop smells bad, then consider looking at your diet, and the possibility of taking a probiotic supplement. This will add healthy flora to your gut and get you back on a track to health! Aside from smell, healthy flora is so important for many other things! Healthy and balanced gut flora plays a very significant role in fighting off pathogenic bacteria, toxins, allergens, chemicals and pollutants.Yogurt isn't enough to give you this healthy flora if your gut flora has been damaged, so you will need to buy a good probiotic supplement.

What do they look like?

How well formed are your bowel movements? Many natural health practitioners believe that a perfectly healthy bowel movement is one to two feet long. Doesn't it feel good to turn around and see a well formed and super-long bowel movement?! When we see this some of us think "SUCCESS!" In order to get your bowel movements well formed, beneficial bacteria and fiber are so important. If your bowel movements are poorly formed then your food is not being digested efficiently. And, if you are not digesting your food properly, then you aren't getting the important vitamins and minerals from your food. If your body cannot digest, then it cannot break down your food. Hydrochloric acid helps your body to break down food substances, especially protein. If you have low stomach acid, a whole host of problems can arise, including: bloating and belching after meals, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, food allergies, nausea, iron deficiency, asthma, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, eczema, gallbladder disease, psoriasis, osteoporosis and much more. A common supplement in the typical American medicine chest is an Antacid product. This does the opposite of what I am telling you... it eliminates stomach acid so you don't feel indigestion. Most of us need MORE stomach acid, NOT LESS! If you find yourself popping antacids throughout the day, I urge you to look at your diet and consider consulting a natural health practitioner. You are seriously depleting yourself of the very important substance needed for proper digestion! So, for most of us who are low in stomach acid - juice 1/2 of a lemon in the morning before you eat anything and drink with water. This will help your body digest food throughout the day and with an adequate amount of stomach acid!

Do you ever see whole pieces of food come out the other end? This is another sign that you are not digesting your food properly. This is also a sign that you need to learn how to chew your food properly! Chewing is so important and is the first step of digestion!

Do they float?

This is NOT something that we learn when we are growing up. A perfect and healthy bowel movement should be on that does not smell, is well (and loosely) formed, and floats at first (and then sink as they absorb water)! If yours are sinkers, then you must realize that there is something missing in your diet. Fiber is so important, and if you are eating mostly raw fruits and vegetables, then your poop will float. However, if it is not, consider your diet once again as the culprit. Again, fiber is important here. Essential fatty acids are also vital to each of us, since most people are deficient in healthy fats. Part of this stems from the very popular belief that fats are bad. Fats are certainly not bad, but instead, so essential to build many substances in your body. Ground up flax seeds are a great addition to your daily diet and are tasty in soups, smoothies, salads, yogurts, and more. They will also help your poop float for a healthy and perfect bowel movement!

I have also heard some people say that they have never turned around to evaluate their poop. Please, for the sake of your health, turn around and observe what is coming out! This will only help you to assess your health and determine the next step for healing!

Update: You can view my most commonly asked questions with answers about poop here.

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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. 

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.