Taking Care of YOU – Slow Down and Enjoy Each Moment to Protect Yourself from Cancer
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on February 7, 2010 – 12:31 pm -
It’s been a week to remember and all the messages I’ve received all week were “slow down” and “take care of yourself”.
A couple were obvious…others more subtle.
I don’t consider myself a tired person; quite the contrary. My energy seems almost without limit. I sleep very little, am constantly on the move and I get a lot accomplished. Yet a nagging voice in the back of my mind has been wondering if I may be causing some hidden damage to myself by sleeping so little.
On Wednesday evening I ran into to technical challenges with the teleconference for Week 3 of my Balance My Body Blueprint course. I had a slide presentation ready to go, and was all set to launch into new territory. The technical challenges prevented participation on the web, where more than half my students participate. So I decided to do a question and answer segment. It was just the right thing to do. I was able to answer lots of questions, and even helped a few people to determine the probable cause of long standing health challenges. Wow. Slow down. Most people were not ready to jump into what I had planned. They were perfectly fine with slowing down and getting their questions answered.
On Thursday, I was moving quickly through my kitchen, and caught my slipper on a door stop. It sent me flying through the air and I landed hard on the tile floor. My left arm hit first, and it hurt so badly that I immediately thought it was broken. While I had lots of plans for the rest of the day and the next, I spent most of the time in bed, icing my arm and resting. Slow down. It took an injury to get me to get a good night’s sleep. It’s recovering nicely now, as evidenced by the fact that I can type today. Yesterday I could barely hunt and peck with one hand.
I’m getting small messages, and I’m taking them to heart. Better listen to the soft calls than to wait for a big one.
Earlier this week I received the sad news that a dear friend had died of cancer. She was a young woman, in her forties, and she’s survived by her husband and four children. The children are young. Her oldest is about the same age as my youngest. And now they are without their Mommy, and the world will no longer experience the joy of Anna’s sweet, kind heart and loving and giving nature.
I’ve experienced the loss of a loved to cancer several times over the past 5 years. And while the importance of diet and detoxification are high on my list of cancer prevention techniques, Anna’s death forces me to really look at the bigger picture.
Anna was a raw food enthusiast. I met her at an Alissa Cohen Teacher training. She was the founder of Purely Delicious magazine. She was excited about sharing what she learned about the health benefits of raw and living foods with the world. Still, she got breast cancer. Sure, her diet wasn’t perfect, and we can point fingers at her imperfections, and blame them for her cancer. Yet others, many of my family members included, eat way less “perfectly” than Anna did, and use toxic home and body care products and drink tap water, and they don’t have cancer…yet.
The sad truth is that almost 50% of us will get cancer. Perhaps not all will die as a result, yet it’s an alarming statistic nonetheless.
While it may be easy for skeptics and critics of the living foods lifestyle to use Anna’s story as an excuse to just let it all go and eat whatever they want, it’s important to look beyond, and continue to hold the utmost respect for the value of high antioxidant, unrefined, whole fresh plants as a vital element in keeping you healthy.
I could quote from all sorts of research right about now, and try to convince you from an intellectual level of the importance of diet in protecting you from cancer, yet I’d rather speak to you from my heart. It’s easy to hear Anna’s story and become fearful, and doubt your choice to lead a healthy life and eat a healthy diet. The truth is, there’s a big picture here. And many of its parts are a somewhat mysterious.
Cancer is always caused by exceeding your body’s ability to detoxify and repair. Cancer starts almost daily in just about everyone, and is quickly thwarted by an intact immune system and a working detoxification system.
The choices you make daily effect your ability to detoxify and thwart cancer before it takes over. Those include the quality and quantity of the water you drink, how much sunshine you get on bare skin, your movement, your thoughts, your feelings – fear and judgment create a breeding ground for cancer–how much fun you have, how much deep restful sleep you get, the quality of the air you breathe and of course, your diet.
There are so many elements that determine your cancer risk…and your ability to be healthy. Some may appear to be beyond your control:
- Genetics: some of us were born with genetic variations, called single neucleotide polymorphisms, aka SNPs (pronounced snips), that make it difficult to detoxify our environment without a little extra help.
- Your Mom’s Emotional State when she was pregnant with you. You may have been born with worn out adrenals and low cellular energy as a result, making you prone to cancer and other illnesses.
- Your Mom’s nutritional status and toxic exposures while she was pregnant with you. If she was depleted, you were born with nutritional imbalances.
- Early feeding:Whether you were breast or bottle fed and what your early solid foods were determine the state of your digestive tract and immune system. Leaky gut and immune system problems can increase your risk of cancer and other illnesses.
Many people embark on a health journey and address a single aspect. I see many living foods diet followers who don’t exercise, or stay indoors all the time, or push themselves hard and don’t sleep enough (like me). It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that the good food can compensate for shortcomings in the others, but very often it cannot.
It’s time to look at the big picture. Sometimes just eating a healthy diet isn’t enough.
As a mother of 4 and editor and chief cook and bottle washer for a quarterly publication, Anna had no time left for herself. Even after she found out she had breast cancer, she continued to put others first, until she had to slow down. Unfortunately, it was too late for Anna. She opted for chemotherapy and radiation out of fear and perhaps desperation.
Most likely one or more of the early factors were at play with Anna. Yet, in spite of your genetics, early exposures and maternal environment, you can do what it takes to give yourself the best possible healthy and happy life. Once you identify the early factors that may be at play, through a combination of family history and genetic testing, there are steps you can take to correct for the inborn and early deficits.
It’s important to take inventory of your life and self correct where you can. If you’re not sleeping enough because you’re not going to bed at a reasonable hour (guilty as charged) then make a different choice. If you’re not sleeping enough because you have difficulty falling or staying asleep, you might have a hormonal imbalance. Adrenal imbalance and insulin dysfunction are the most likely culprits and they are both correctable.
If you have a lot of stress in your life (who doesn’t) you owe it to yourself to master te
chniques for transforming the negative impact on your body to positive.
Enhance your body’s detoxification systems, harness the power of blended greens and drink your greens at least once a day. Look for the positive and practice appreciation. Get in touch with really matters to you, and make daily choices that are consistent with your highest good.
Take care of others, but not at the expense of yourself. It’s important to take time for fun and pleasure each day, even for just a few moments.
No one can predict the length of your life – that’s out of your control. You can effect the quality of your life and decrease the likelihood of suffering as Anna did by making conscious and consistent choices to put your self first. Yes, you need to put yourself first. It is only by taking care of your needs that you have the energy and ability to take care of others. And if we all took better care of ourselves, there would be a lot less need to take care of others.
Love yourself. Slow down and have fun daily. Choose happiness daily and allow good health to follow.
In memory of Anna Tipps, friend, Mom wife, daughter, teacher and kind hearted loving soul. You will be missed.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, cancer, cleansing programs, detoxification programs, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, livingfoods, raw foods, raw foods recipes, whole foods
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Raw and Living Foods For Optimal Health: Meeting of the minds at Raw Spirit Fest
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on June 9, 2009 – 2:31 am -As I write these words, I’m sitting in “food court” area at Raw Spirit Fest getting ready to make my departure. The “food court” is a dream come true. My vision is for each and every mall in America to have such a food court, filled with delicious foods that enhance health rather than detract from it as typical food court fare does.
It’s been an inspiring and fun weekend.
I’ve met some amazing souls…united with a common mission.
Everyone who came together here is dedicated to improving their own health, the health and the planet an the health of all with whom they come in contact.
We hear of health practitioners referred to as healers. When you
refer to another as a healer, you are giving over your power to that person, when, in fact, the true healer is inside you.
There are all sorts of opinions, opinions stated as fact and myths related to healing and wellness. The truth is that health comes from healthy living. What does healthy living consist of? There in often lies the confusion. I contest that it is easier than you think.
At the festival, practitioners and teachers from many disciplines came together with “ordinary people” to discuss their approach, beliefs and practices.
It would be easy to become confused. Some touted the amazing health benefits of raw chocolate. Others proclaimed it a health hazard. Fruit is good for you. Fruit promotes cancer. Fermented foods are full of health benefits. Fermented foods are rotting decay. Who do you believe? What do you believe?
As I said above, true health follows as a result of healthful living.
I’ll be starting a series of articles on my blog to discuss the controversy about what constitutes healthy living. I’ll lend not yet another opinion (mine) but a way for you to sort through it all and make the decisions that are best for you in each and every moment.
Subscribe to the blog, Okay? That way you won’t miss the a single life changing post.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
P.S. Please comment below . Tell me one thing you do EVERY day to promote your health. Thanks
Tags: cancer, living foods, livingfoods, lRaw Spirit Fest, raw and living foods holiday recipes, raw foods
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Comfort Foods Raw Vegan Style: Foods that Nourish and Energize
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on May 28, 2009 – 9:02 pm -
Being tired is one of those emotional triggers that can lead you down a path of poor food choices, emotional alienation and lack of joy.
Turning to diet as part of the solution is definitely worth consideration, especially since the most common foods in America and the Western World are energy depleting and contribute to chronic fatigue and degenerative disease.
If you’re like most people, you desire the outcome that a healthy lifestyle offers, yet you crave the comfort foods of your past.
My most successful patients, students and clients are the ones who learn to recreate their favorite comfort foods in new ways…ways that support their health rather than deplete it.
As part of the Fatigue Freedom Formula that I teach, I recommend creating your healthy living toolkit. One of the “tools” in the kit is a collection of delicious and satisfying recipes. My e-books contain such recipes and many of my patients and students report that using these gluten free raw and living foods recipes has helped them to make healthier choices on a more consistent basis, and as a result overcome the fatigue issues that prevent them from fully living their lives.
Even more powerful than reading and following recipes is attending a live workshop. During my classes, participants not only watch and taste the delicious foods created right before their eyes, but they also get to participate and make foods of their own.
One of the most important food groups is greens. Including them as a large part of your daily diet not only enhances your energy and can help reverse adrenal fatigue, but protects you from cancer as well. Greens can be incorporated into a variety of comfort foods, from chips to desserts. Have you ever tried Kale Spirulina Brownies?
I am excited to be hosting a class on Tuesday June 2, 2009 with Jackie and Gideon Graff of Georgia. They’ll be preparing a 6 course meal of Country Barbecue style fare. The class will be live in Austin, Texas and will be also webcast, so you can participate from around the globe!
If you come to the live class, you’ll be rewarded with a 6 course meal! I’m excited to be hosting the Graffs. The were the owners of the Sprout Cafe in Atlanta, until they decided to take their show on the road and teach their delicious cuisine while travelling in their RV.
You can find out more about the class and the Graffs at my website on the Classes page. I’m looking forward to the experience of the Country Barbecue Living Foods Class with Gideon and Jackie Graff
.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, cancer, chronic fatigue, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, Gluten Free Diet, green smoothie, living foods, livingfoods, raw foods, raw foods recipes
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Articles, Chronic Stress, Gluten Free Diet, Raw and Living Foods Recipes, cancer, exhaustion, fatigue treatment, raw foods | No Comments »
How Do YOU Protect Yourself From Cancer?
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on May 27, 2009 – 12:52 pm -Cancer effects an alarming 42% of Americans, and that number is on the rise. That’s a scary statistic, isn’t it?
Would you like to be another statistic, or would you rather shift your odds in favor of cancer prevention rather than cancer promotion?
Diets high in red meat and low in green vegetables are associated with increased colon cancer risk. This according to the Journal of Carcinogenesis.
Green vegetables have been shown to have cancer protective effects when eaten regularly and in significant amounts.
In particular, broccoli sprouts have been linked to protection from just about ev
ery kind of cancer known to modern science. There are studies showing a protective effect in regards to stomach cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and skin cancer. Apparently they contain a compound called sulforaphane, which protects cells from injury.
Other greens in the brassica family are also cancer protective. Cabbage has been shown to protect against breast cancer as a result of compounds called glucosinolates and an enzyme called myrosinase.
So what other benefits do greens have? Well, they are packed with nutrients, especially vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, zinc, folate, lutein, beta carotene, chlorophyll and protein. Yes, protein. Greens contain a large percentage of calories as protein. For example, broccoli is over 50% protein.
Green vegetables are the food most missing from modern diets, even those considered among the healthiest. The standard American diet is approximately 5% greens. A healthy percentage is considered to be close to 50%, which is about what chimpanzees eat.
Green vegetables have many life giving properties. In addition to cancer protection, greens strengthen the blood and immune systems, and fight depression naturally by supplying a plethora of nutrients needed to make neurotransmitters.
The fiber in raw greens help to keep the digestive tract moving, and many people report that greens are energy-giving foods, increasing mental clarity and sustaining energy. Foods in the brassica family…broccoli, kale, mustard greens, cauliflower, and cabbage, have been shown to speed the liver’s ability to detoxify ingested toxins.
Do YOU eat enough greens?
Studies show that those who eat greens daily are overall healthier than those who don’t.
Would you like to learn creative and fun ways to include more greens in your daily diet? I’ve teamed up with Chef Alicia Ojeda to bring you the most comprehensive class on greens available.
In this class we’ll teach you you many ways to include the greens in your diet, including salads, soups, dips, dressings, marinades, slaws, roll-ups, smoothies and desserts. YES DESSERTS! You CAN make delicious deserts that include greens! We’ll give you he scoop on sea vegetables, the richest mineral source of all, and show you delicious and easy ways to prepare them.
http://www.drritamarie.com/GreenClass
(One of my favorite ways to eat greens is kale chips, which we’ll teach you in this class. ) The kale brownies are amazing, too!!!.
Here’s the details.
http://www.drritamarie.com/GreenClass
This class will be presented live and in person, with a hands on sprouting segment, and broadcast over the web as well.
I hope you can join us in person on June 14, but if you can’t, sign up for the webcast and recordings.
Special pricing applies until June 1, and you’ll get access to the recordings of the webcast if you attend the live class.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Add new tag, cancer, fatigue, green leafy vegetables, green smoothie, green vegetables, greens, living foods, raw foods, whole foods
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New Findings About Vitamin D, An Often Overlooked Cause of Fatigue, Depression and Chronic Disease
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on May 13, 2009 – 3:45 am -Vitamin D is being researched more and more and deficiencies have been found to be rampant in our Western World. Vitamin D is called the Sunshine Vitamin because your body can make it when exposed to sufficient sunshine.
Vitamin D3 is actually a steroid hormone formed when your skin is exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. UVB converts a cholesterol derivative in your skin into vitamin D3.
Controversy abounds about just the right amount of sunshine needed to produce adequate Vitamin D, and most experts are now recommending testing and supplementation for those that are low.
If you live in the tropics and spend most of your time outdoors, chances are good you have plenty of vitamin D. If you live in Alaska, or Seattle, chances are that you don’t. For those of us in between, how do we know?
A simple blood test can test for vitamin D levels. I’ve been recommending that you can rely on mother nature if you are exposed to sun over 25% or more of your body 20 minutes or more each day. On the days when this is not true, take a supplement. Liquid D3 seems to be the most effective.
Today I ran across an article by Dr. Joe Mercola and I was shocked at the title, which said that exposure to sunshine could decrease your vitamin D levels.
Turns out that window glass filters out the majority of UVB radiation, but it minimally filters out UVAs. Vitamin D3 is formed from exposure to UVB rays. UVA radiation destroys vitamin D.
Whoa, hold on. Being indoors not only keeps you from making the Vitamin D you need but destroys the Vitamin D you already have! Wow. This is actually a clever method that nature has to prevent Vitamin D overload. It helps destroy excess vitamin D when you’re outside a lot.
When you are outside, you get BOTH UVA and UVB, so there is a balance. When you’re exposed to sunlight through windows you get the UVA but almost no UVB. To make matters worse, UVA increases oxidative stress. So working indoors and driving in a car can lead to health challenges. All the more reason to retire to the beach.
UVA is a primary player in skin cancer. It also what causes you to tan and leads to photo aging of your skin.
Dr. Leonard Smith discovered that increasing his vitamin D levels resulted in the resolution of skin conditions such as moles and basal cell carcinoma.
Vitamin D and Showering
Another interesting tidbit about Vitamin D that Dr. Mercola wrote about was the association between Vitamin D levels and showering with soap.
It turns out that the Vitamin D3 formed on the surface of your skin does not immediately get absorbed into your bloodstream. It actually takes up to 48 hours to absorb the majority of the vitamin D you made as a result of sun exposure.
So, if you shower with soap, you’ll wash away a lot of the vitamin D3 your skin generated. Since you are not likely to want to go so long without a shower, Dr. Mercola recommends that you reserve the soap for your armpits and groin, and wash the rest of your body with plain water. I usually do that anyway, so I’m happy to hear that there’s a benefit beyond saving money on soap!
In summary, here’s how to ensure that you get adequate Vitamin D levels:
- Get safe outdoor sun exposure or use a tanning bed, 20 minutes a day. Just be careful to avoid getting sunburned.
- If you can’t or won’t get adequate sunlight, take a liquid Vitamin D3 supplement. Just be sure to get your vitamin D levels checked regularly, to be sure you are dosing porperly. You can get the testing done without a doctor’s prescription at www.directlabs.com.
- If you shower after sun exposure, avoid soaping exposed areas for for at least two days, to maximize the absorption of vitamin D in your skin.
Vitamin D needs to be taken seriously. Deficiencies can lead to many health challenges including heart disease, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, hypertension, arthritis, depression, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, PMS, Crohns Disease, cancer, MS and other autoimmune diseases.
So go have some fun and get your vitamin D levels optimized.
Love, Health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Add new tag, cancer, fatigue symptoms, pain and inflammation, raw foods, sugar, vitamin D
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Articles, Gluten Free Diet, Vitamins and Minerals, exhaustion, fatigue treatment | 2 Comments »
Health, Travel and Cancer Resources
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on January 26, 2009 – 3:17 pm -I’ve been traveling and so busy that I couldn’t fit the time in to write a blog post until now. I have a long list of topics to cover and will be getting into a regular groove very soon.
I attended a very impactful business retreat this past week and the breakthroughs I had will be reflected in my writing, image and work over the months to come. It’s very exciting.
My retreat was followed by delightful time with family. One of my sisters and one of my brothers live here in Tucson and I have had a busy time visiting with them. My 1 year old grand nephew Jason had a very healthful eating day as Aunt Ritamarie fed him a tropical green smoothie, almond milk and a sunflower seed veggie pate, kind of like a mock tuna salad. He loved it.
My 10 year old nephew Anthony ate 2 helpings of salad, tried the tropical smoothie and got excited when I told him he could make spaghetti out of zucchini using the spiralizer I gave them as a Christmas gift.
Spiral Slicer Saladacco – Make Pasta out of Vegetables
I made a yummy sesame ginger kelp noodle dish for dinner. It is a gluten free, raw food antidote for fatigue, with all of its minerals and phytochemicals. I promise the recipe and others will be posted soon.
On a sad note, I’d like to pay tribute to our dear friend Noah, age 15, who left his worldly form behind yesterday after a 3 month battle with cancer. Our hearts reach out to his grieving family as they feel the pain of such a loss.
Cancer unfortunately effects 42 percent of the population. I’ve read a couple of good books lately on cancer prevention and management. These are listed below:
Read more »
Tags: cancer, fatigue symptoms, Gluten Free Diet, green smoothie, immune system, living foods, livingfoods, raw foods, raw foods recipes
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Creating Health in 2009: Updating Your Relationship with Food to Bullet-Proof Yourself Against Disease
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on January 1, 2009 – 5:24 pm -Today we welcome in a new year. It’s a time for dreaming, visioning and creating a plan for making your life what you want it to be. Don’t let fear and uncertainty stop you from pursuing your dream. Don’t have a dream? Now’s the time to do some soul searching and discover your passion. What is it that juices you more than anything? What would you do night and day just for fun that you can turn into your life’s work? There’s a book called The Passion Test, by Janet and Chris Attwood that can help you to identify your true passion and begin to live your life to its fullest.
While it feels like the year 2008 literally flew by, and I certainly did not complete all the projects I had planned, as I look back and reflect upon the events of the past 12 months, I am awed by the many changes and accomplishments that I’ve experienced in such a short time. Some of my 2008 experiences were very painful. Others were fulfilling and rewarding.
I spent an emotional afternoon on New Years Eve, one which, like many of the other events of 2008, reinforced to me the importance of my life’s mission.
As cancer and surgery touched my life quite intimately this year, I began to really appreciate both the gift of health and its fragile nature as well.
I watched helplessly as my younger sister Cathy was diagnosed with lymphoma, which took her life within 3 months.
I so wanted to guide her back to health, but my approach of diet and lifestyle change was so foreign to her and the medical approach felt so safe that she turned her care over to the hospital staff and closed herself off from alternatives. I felt angry and betrayed by their ignorance of basic nutritional science.
During my 8 day round the clock stay at Cathy’s bedside, I learned with horror how little the medical staff actually knows about restoring health. They are masters at the mechanics of repairing broken body parts, cutting out unwanted growths, and stitching things back together. But when it comes to rebuilding the broken immune system,balancing body chemistry to safeguard against disease and strengthening the body, mind and spirit, they are seriously lagging in technology.
My experience this afternoon brought me back to the frustration I felt at Cathy’s bedside. I spent the day at the bedside of a 15 year old boy, a good friend battling for his life against cancer. He’s had the surgery, chemo and radiation and his parents decided to take him home and build his immune system using alternative therapies, such as Qi Gong, energy healing and nutrition.
The family set up a hospital bed in the dining room and are providing round the clock care for their son. He’s on a feeding tube that goes directly into the small intestine, and he was prescribed a pre-packaged nutritional formula, the same one as my sister was prescribed. The ingredients confirm a complete lack of understanding of the digestive process and nutritional needs of a cancer patient. With such ingredients as corn syrup, canola and corn oils and soy and milk protein, all implicated in the causation of cancer, how can a cancer patient be expected to rebuild and repair?
My friend and I are brainstorming other options, like wheat grass juice, E3 Live and green juices, and we’reconsulting with an expert in the area of cancer nutrition, Dr. Thomas Lodi in Arizona. I am so inspired by the videos on his site.
I also suggested that they try the Healing Codes, an energy system developed by Dr. Alex Loyd and promoted by Dr. Ben Johnson, MD, NMD, DO. They have lots of testimonials from people who’ve been helped with cancers of various types.
While it’s nice to know that there are doctors who specialize in helping people with cancer to restore their health, like Dr’s Lodi, Loyd and Johnson, and many others, including Dr. Brian Clement at the Hippocrates Institute in Florida, I’d much rather see you prevent cancer in the first place. It’s easier to build your immune system and create a fortress to protect you from cancer than to treat it after it takes hold.
I for one am tired of seeing my close friends and family members becoming afflicted with cancer and other debilitating diseases. This year has been a challenge for me as I watched close friends and family members deal with lymphoma, sinus cancer, breast cancer, a brain tumor, depression, diabetes, lupus and substance abuse. Many of these and other serious health challenges can be prevented and reversed through dietary and lifestyle balance.
A diet high in greens and living foods is a great starting point, along with balancing body chemistry through targeted nutritional supplementation, herbs and energy work. It helps to get coached by a trained practitioner, knowledgable about the medical science, nutritional biochemistry and fresh, whole foods diet.
Adrenal fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, autoimmune disorders and cancer can all be prevented through diet and lifestyle, including exercise, positive attitude, a gluten free diet, lots of greens and raw and living foods.
It’s estimated that more than one in three people will get cancer during their lives. Don’t wait to become a statistic. Stop disease before it starts. I’ll be posting a series of videos, audios and written materials over the next few weeks to help you bullet proof your immune system. They are part of my soon to be announced Stepping Stones to Vibrant Health Program.
Everyone who signs up for the Stepping Stones to Vibrant Health VIP notification list will receive access to these audio and video resources.
My next blog post will be my special list — Best of 2008 – resources to make 2009 your healthiest year ever.
Sign-up NOW to receive notices whenever I post a new article to my blog.
If you found this article useful and would like more articles on the management of disease through nutrition, especially fresh, living green foods, write a comment in the box below. Let me know what topics are of most interest to you. If you have any important cancer resources, let me know and I’ll include it in my resource list.
I wish you Love, Peace and Joy in the New Year .
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: cancer, cleansing programs, fatigue symptoms, immune system, living foods, raw foods, sugar and cancer, whole foods
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Halloween Treats: 3 Simple Strategies For Avoiding The Tricky Health Attack From Halloween Treats
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on October 30, 2008 – 6:32 am -It’s only 2 days away. The media is hyping it. The stores have several aisles devoted to displaying the colorfully disguised immune system bullets masquerading as Halloween treats.
Do you have any idea what happens to your immune system when you eat candy?
Sugar suppresses the immune system. A suppressed immune system is ineffective at killing bacteria and viruses that can potentially harm you. A suppressed immune system can’t stop the growth of cancer cells. The equivalent of one 12-ounce can of soda can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent and the effect lasts for five hours.
Here’s what’s about to happen in just a couple of days. Kids across America will don scary costumes and walk the neighborhood begging for candy. It doesn’t sound so cute when stated that way, does it? They walk door to door and threaten a trick if the nice person inside doesn’t give them candy. Have you ever wondered where this odd custom derives from?
By the time they make it home, most kids have eaten more candy than in the 12 ounce coke I mentioned above. Then they come home, go through their loot and eat some more, along with some hot chocolate or soft drinks.
No wonder why Halloween heralds in the “cold and flu” season. Illness rises, doctor visits soar and focus plummets during the weeks after Halloween.
There are some awesome visuals that go into more detail about the immune system at www.leavesoflife.org/media/ImmuneSystem.ppt
Here are 3 simple strategies for avoiding the health destroying effects of Halloween treats
1) Don’t give out candy. Instead, go to the dollar store or the party supply store and buy small toys, cute pencils or scary erasers. One of my patients said she loves to give away books.
2) Create new fun rituals that don’t revolve around candy. Learn about the meaning behind Halloween, and take time to honor and celebrate your departed ancestors. Play games, tell scary stories and take some of the focus off the candy. Have your kids trade in their candy for prizes.
3) Learn to make or find sources of ready made healthy, whole food treats. There are many such recipes in my new book “Healthy Halloween Treats: Quick, Healthy and Delicious Recipes and Rituals to Delight Kids of All Ages” . There is also a list of online sources of a variety of nourishing and delicious treats.
Why not have fun this Halloween, without destroying your immune system? How much is it worth to you to protect your health and the health of your loved ones? Is the pleasure of a few seconds on the tongue worth having your immune system paralyzed for hours and days afterward?
Tags: cancer, Halloween treats, immune system, raw foods, sugar
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