And so we begin again with a new year. 2011 offers both hope and trepidation. Hope that this second decade of the century will bring with it growth and opportunity, and trepidation related to the political and business world that is embroiled with greed and the desire to control. And while I feel that we are not “out-of-the-woods” yet, I would urge each of us to take control of our life and situation as best we can.
Let me share with you, if I may, what my plans are for the New Year. I am generally pretty fit, but this year I would like to get more serious with running. I will be 52 this year and find that my knees are not as happy as I would like them to be after nearly 40 years of running and physical activity. So I’ve decided to take my own advise and commit myself to taking Turmeric and/or our Anti-Inflammation Formula daily. Both of these herbal remedies are known for reducing inflammation in the body. And it is inflammation in the body that causes pain. You can have a joint that is arthritic but if it is not inflamed, it won’t hurt. These herbs are also great for the digestive tract and some research even suggests anti-cancer effects.
I am also going to be more consistent taking Earth’s Nutrition and/or Bountiful Blend. Earth’s Nutrition is higher in the B-Vitamins and Bountiful Blend is higher in the antioxidants. I will probably rotate between the two. Both of these products increase energy by providing nutritional building blocks on the cellular level. Well-nourished cells produce lots of energy.
My family is in the process of putting together a family exercise chart. When first suggested everyone moaned that my fitness motivated oldest son is going to win. But the competition is individual not against each other. The accountability, the encouragement and the accolades are from the whole family. Each member will design their own workouts and the criteria for what counts and what doesn’t. My exercise equipment of choice is a pick, shovel and wheelbarrow and my gym is the garden, so for me, lifting weights or any other heavy object that I’m setting down in the same spot doesn’t make much sense. There’s plenty of exercise for me in the garden.
Last year I read a great book – Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. For Christmas this year I got a pair of 5-Finger shoes for running. They are like toe socks with a very flexible rubber sole. The concept is to give the foot some protection so you can essentially run barefoot. When I ran cross-country in high school in the 1970’s we all wore Onitsuka Tiger running shoes (thin soled with a cheap nylon upper – by the end of the season held together with athletic tape). We wore these while running out on the streets but on campus we all ran barefooted. Injuries were uncommon because the muscles of the feet were strong and supported the feet not the shoes. As shoes came on to the market that provided more and more support, the feet naturally became weaker (no need to stay strong because the shoe was now doing all of the support work so the foot muscles didn’t have to). The more support, the more injuries – due to weaker feet. Now there is a growing resurgence of non-supportive shoes and lo and behold many chronic injuries are resolving as feet grow stronger. So I am very excited about these new shoes and hope to get in a marathon or two this year.
It has been a while since I have done Western Botanicals’ Colon Cleanse Program, Liver-Gallbladder Flush and Kidney-Bladder Flush. Each of these programs are designed to progressively (sorry to use the P word – Glenn Beck) eliminate toxins stored within the body as well as nourish, strengthen and tone the organs. We begin by cleansing the colon. Our Colon Cleanse capsules will gently but effectively assist in elimination from the bowel. Our bowel is designed to move two to three times daily. After a week of increased elimination, we add to the Colon Cleanse our Colon Detox. Colon Detox comes in capsule or powdered form. I usually take a scoop of the powder mixed in water and drink that down four or five times each day for six or seven days. It is akin to using a clay mask that you would put on your face to draw all of the gunk out of your pores, but on the intestinal lining. The Colon Detox binds up and pulls out plaque and toxins that may be adhering to the lining of the colon so it can be eliminated. A more detailed how to of our Colon Cleanse Program can be found by clicking on this link.
After the colon, we move to the liver flush. The day begins with a drink comprised of orange juice with a little ginger, garlic and olive oil. This stimulates the liver to cleanse and detoxify itself. During the day our Liver-Gallbladder Formula is taken (tincture or capsules) and we drink several cups of Liver Detox Tea. We have many people drink this tea on a daily basis as a coffee substitute. It’s that good. After a week of the Liver Flush, we progress to the Kidneys and Bladder. Another drink in the morning and Kidney Bladder Formula and Tea during the day. Of course, a healthy diet is recommended throughout this time and no you do not need to fast. This program is very effective without making you starve.
Touching on food, one of the great things that I will continue to do is provide my body with the healthy good bacteria called probiotics. My favorite sources of probiotics is from homemade sauerkraut (click here for recipes), homemade ginger-ale, yogurt, kefir and sourdough. Before the days of refrigeration, food preservation was important. Every culture had their own form of fermented vegetables – sauerkraut for the Europeans, kimchi for the Koreans, etc. By allowing food to naturally ferment, it improved the shelf life, the taste and even the nutritional value. Digestive problems were uncommon among those who ate nourishing traditional diets (indigenous to their people and culture) as was discovered by Weston A. Price DDS in the 1920’s. By incorporating these foods, harmful intestinal mircrobes such as candida albicans are kept in check and digestion, assimilation and elimination are greatly improved.
Another very important aspect of getting healthy that is often overlooked is our emotional/spiritual health. We have all gone through experiences that we have not have the tools, experience or support to adequately deal with. The resultant emotions can be buried and suppressed by the subconscious mind. Emotions that are buried alive never die but return, often in the form of physical symptoms. Part of the healing process for you and for me is to forgive (or let go) of these negative emotions and work to change our hearts to become new and open and forgiving. There are many new healing techniques emerging that work with releasing trapped emotions. It may be worth investigating for you.
So much of my writing during the past couple years has touched on or directly addressed preparedness in some form or other. In essence life is about preparation. The key, of course, is to not become so focused on the future (or the past for that matter), that we don’t enjoy the journey, but to achieve a balance in living. Enjoying life with an eye on the future and a memory on applying the lessons of the past. Personally, I am having a grand time learning about self-sufficiency. This winter I have applied what I have learned from Eliot Coleman’s books in my unheated greenhouse and my salad greens, beets, chard and spinach are doing just fine and making it to our dinner table in spite of temperatures down into the single digits. How cool is that! To be able to eat from the garden all year long in spite of a harsh winter climate.
So in summary, our New Years wish and recommendation to all of us, is get healthy, get strong, get clean. Do this by:
1) Do some herbal cleanses such as the Colon Cleanse Program, Liver/Gallbladder Flush and Kidney/Bladder Flush
2) Take a whole food natural nutritional supplement such as Earth’s Nutrition and/or Bountiful Blend
3) Begin or refine your exercise or movement program
4) Learn some new skills that you can get really excited about – for me it has been and is gardening.
5) Refocus your diet to eat whole natural foods. See how long you can go without eating processed, de-vitalized, nutritionally compromised foods.
6) Understand that emotions play an important role in your health as well as happiness.
Do those things that will bring you greater health and happiness. Live a better life in case times get tough, or even if they don’t. Love and cherish your family and friends for that is the meaning and purpose of life. Life is not about things, it is about love and goodness and joy.
Blessings,
Dr. Kyle Christensen
Western Botanicals - December 31, 2010
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