Day 14 of the 30 Day Fun and Sleep Challenge: Exercise, Vitamin D and Antidotes for Chronic Fatigue

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on March 15, 2010 – 10:05 am -

What do chronic fatigue, belly fat, depression and hormone imbalance have in common?

Exercise, sleep, fresh air, sunshine (vitamin D) and fresh foods.  A deficiency of any or all of these can create imbalances in hormones and  blood sugar irregularities that lead to persistent belly fat, fatigue and depression.  So what do these have to do with the 30 day fun and sleep challenges?  Plenty!  Most people I talk with feel fatigued much of the time and would like more energy.

Lack of sleep is only part of the equation, but it can make you fat.  Researchers have found that lack of sleep can cause decreased leptin levels.  Leptin is a hormone that regulates your appetite. As a result of not getting enough sleep, you’ll find yourself more hungry and you’ll find it challenging to control the amount you eat.  This leads to blood sugar imbalances, insulin resistance and increased belly fat.  Insulin resistance results in fatigue after eating, rather than  increased energy, which means you’re less likely to exercise.  It’s quite the vicious circle.

While I have not been as good as I had planned at writing these blog posts daily, I am pleased to admit that the reason why I haven’t had the time to write the blog posts daily is that I have been fulfilling my commitment to get to bed as close to midnight as possible.  Thus, I am sleeping more.  As a result of sleeping more, I’ve also been exercising more.  A double win!  There have only been a couple of later than midnight bedtimes, and that was because I chose to sit in the sauna before bed.

If my lack of posting has in any way effected your commitment to the 30 Day Fun and Sleep Challenge, my apologies.  I am committed to resuming writing daily, and have it scheduled in my calendar.

Our weather in Austin has finally become warm and sunny!  I’m very happy about that.  The mornings have still been cool…40’s, but the afternoons are in the 70’s and 80’s.  So I have been out for a run in the sun most days this week.  It feels great.

I am usually very consistent with exercise…as consistent as I am with food.  When the weather got so cold and cloudy for so long, I got out of the habit of running first thing in the morning, and some days, time and obligations got away from me and I found my exercise dwindling.

In addition to getting your daily dose of vitamin D on sunny days, exercising in the fresh air offers so many benefits. Exercise is super important for hormone balance, weight management, increasing your energy and overcoming fatigue.  It’s also good for your heart, your mood and your immune system.  Fresh air and exercise are a dynamic duo, so get outside and move as much as you can.

My blog post back in the fall about exercise and burst training is a good one to review for some tips.

My report card for the last few days:

1- getting to sleep at or around midnight:  Excellent

2- exercise:  excellent

3- writing my blog posts:  fair

4- Having fun – good.  I’ve spent a lot of time with family and have had some friend fun too.

My commitments for Monday:

1- bed by midnight.

2- finish writing a few projects that are close to completion

3- fun time with kids, who are off school for spring break

4- running in the sun

Commitment for at least one day this week:  Get to bed by 10 PM and see if it is really as good as it’s cracked up to be!

What about you?  What are you committed to?

Post below in the comments section.

This week we’re having a contest.  I’m offering a prize to whoever posts the most this week…genuine commitments and report cards.  I’ll post the prize on Tuesday.

Wishing you lots of Love, Health and Joy (and sleep, too)

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, chronic fatigue, depression, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, exercise, exhaustion, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, living foods, livingfoods, raw foods, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, sunshine, vitamin D
Posted in Articles, fatigue treatment, fitness, vitamin D | No Comments »

Adrenal Fatigue, Depression and Illness: The Sleep and Fun Connection (Day 9)

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on March 9, 2010 – 9:30 pm -

I work with a lot of people who are struggling with adrenal fatigue and depression.  It’s almost an epidemic in our world today, and if you stay up with current events, watch the news and read the newspapers, there’s a good chance that you’re experiencing some adrenal fatigue symptoms and heavy mode as well.  The media thrives on shifting people into fear mode.  Fear sells.   When you are fearful, the part of your nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system takes control, getting you ready for fight or flight.  In this mode, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure increases and your digestion shuts down.  The aftermath is fatigue, nutritional deficiencies and depression.

I just wrote a very detailed article for Purely Delicious magazine about stress, fatigue and burnout.  It will be published soon.

When you’re burning the candle at both ends, you are much less able to deal with stress.  To compound the problem, when stress levels are high, you have a tendency to sleep less, because stress can cause insomnia or frequent night time awakenings.

And of course, taking time for fun goes out the window in times of stress because of the perception that there just isn’t “enough time”.

My commitment for this month is to incorporate more fun and sleep into my life. Yours may also include eating balanced meals, eating more slowly, becoming more conscious when eating.  These are all VERY important and I support you in your commitment.

So try this.  Before you begin to put food into your mouth, stop.  Take a nice deep breath.  This alone is enough to shift you out of your  sympathetic nervous system – remember–the system that causes your digestion to slow way down. Then take a few seconds to appreciate the food you are about to consume. Think about where it came from, how it was prepared, how it will nourish every cell.  Only then, begin to eat, staying conscious of each forkful.

No kidding, it will take some focused effort to do this!  Yet the time and attention to conscious eating, appreciative eating, is well worth it!

Go ahead and give it a try, and post a comment about how it went for you.

Join me on Wednesday March 10 at 12:30pm CST for my Blog talk Radio Show: Creating a Vibrant Life, during which I’ll reveal 5 strategies for balancing your mood through food.  www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-ritamarie

My Report Card for Monday:

1- Green Smoothie – 2 quarts Done

2- weight training exercise Done

3- bed by 11:30  (how daring of me!) maybe even earlier a little later – 12:20

4- write a chapter in my new book did the research but didn’t complete the chapter

5- quality time with the kids – family conflict rather than quality time…

Commitments for Tuesday:

1- run 3 miles

2- bed by midnight

3- Drink 1 quart of green smoothie

4- drink 1 cup veggie juice

How about you?  What are you committed to today?

Let us know.  Post your comments below.

Love, Health and Joy to you,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, cleansing programs, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, exercise, fatigue symptoms, living foods, livingfoods, raw foods
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Articles | 1 Comment »

30 Day Sleep and Fun Challenge: Day 3 – Conscious Competance

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on March 4, 2010 – 12:35 am -

So, I’m going for progress not perfection.  Habits take time to change and sometimes it takes days or even weeks of repetition to make permanent changes.

This challenge has brought my habits in need of change to my forefront and that’s what’s  important.  I learned a long time ago, from the teachings of Abraham Maslov,  that all learning comes in 4 stages:

1. Unconscious Incompetence

   This is the “ignorance is bliss” stage. You don’t know what you don’t know, and are not bothered by this lack of knowledge.  For example, most people walk into fast food restaurants, completely unaware f the way that food effects them, without knowledge of or competency in a different way of eating.

2. Conscious Incompetence

   Here’s where you become aware of what you don’t know.  Perhaps you attend a lecture or read a book and realize that your way of eating is making you sick.  You are conscious of a new way of eating, but you have no skill at it;  you are incompetent, yet aware of it every time you put something into your mouth

3. Conscious Competence

   You now understand or know how to do something, ie how to eat healthfully.  However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires a great deal of consciousness or concentration.  You need to stop and ponder the choices and consciously make yourself make healthy choices when confronted with a wide array of food.

4. Unconscious Competence

   You have so much practice and skill, that the behavior becomes “second nature” and can be performed easily, without concentration or conscious control.  You can at this point easily follow through without thought or effort.  In our example, you know what foods are helpful, which ones are harmful, and you naturally choose the ones that promote health.  It’s a non issue.

If you would like to know more about the 4 stages of competance, this series of articles goes into great depth.

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/4StagesOfLearning

For me, eating well is stage 4.  For sleep, I am at stage 2.

Given that,  I honor the progress I have made this week.  I am light years ahead of last week.  So here’s my “Report Card” for yesterday, March 2.

1- Shut down the computer no later than 11:30, lights out by midnight - I  got off the computer by 12:05 and lights out by 12:25.

2- Drink 2 quarts of green smoothie.  Yeah!  did this.

3- Exercise for at least 30 minutes FLOP. It was cold in the morning, so I opted out of a 7AM run, then had to drive kids to school, then had a busy day.  Was intending to do the stairmaster (in my bedroom) after my teleconference call, but a neighbor friend had hurt his back so I worked on him at 9:15 PM.   After that I had bits and pieces and follwo-ups to do and never got to the exercise.  Lots of excuses, eh! Lesson:  Look at the calendar in advance and plan a specific time to do exercise.

FOR Fun:   Water color paint for 5 minutes -  FLOP again.  Instead for fun I hung with my 11 year old and talked about his day.

OK.  So I am making progress.

Here’s my comittment for today:

1- Exercise: 2:30 – 3:30 get out for a run and do a few weights

2- Fun break:  9:30 PM – after my Balance My Body Blueprint teleseminar call on Balancing Adrenals

3- Off computer by 11:30, in bed by 11:45, lights out before midnight

How did you do yesterday? What are your commitments for today?  Comment below.

Enjoy!

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

P.S. If food is an issue you are working on, check out the recording of a teleconference call I did Tuesday night with Nomi Shannon, the Raw Gourmet

http://www.drritamarie.com/DeliciouslyQuickRawFood-SignUp.php

Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, fatigue symptoms, goal setting, living foods, livingfoods, Maslov, raw foods, unconscious compteance
Posted in Articles | 2 Comments »

Sunshine and Fun are Vital to Your Health

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on February 28, 2010 – 3:48 am -

It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Austin, today.  Before I go outside and enjoy it, I thought I’d take a moment to connect. 

I encourage you to please use your weekend to regenerate your energy from the week. 

Get outdoors and replenish your vitamin D stores.  I am discovering lots of vitamin D deficiencies in working with people lately.  And be sure to refrain from washing with soap on the exposed areas for 48 hours after you get your vitamin D sunshine dose, or you may decrease your absorption of what your skin creates fromt he sunshine.  It can take up to 48 hours for the Vitamin D to be fully absorbed.  That explains why iI’ve been seeing deficiencies even in sun worshipers who dont use sunscreen.  

 Also important for your health is having fun.  What will you do that’s fun today?  Comment below.  Please respect the importance of fun and recreation.  They are up there with fresh raw and living foods and exercise.

If you live in or near Austin, join me and my friends for a raw foods potluck tonight.  Go to www.drritamarie.com/potluck  for more information and sign up to be part of the action at www.drritamarie.com/meetup.

Have a wonderful day.

Wishing you Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: energy, fun, living foods, livingfoods, raw, raw and living foods holiday recipes, raw foods, recreation, sunshine, vibrant health, vitamin D
Posted in Articles, Immune System Support, raw foods | No Comments »

The Sweet Side of the Agave Controversy

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on February 24, 2010 – 5:59 am -

My article The Bitter truth about Sweeteners explores the topic of sweeteners, their safety, danger and a users guide to selecting them.  I reprinted an article slamming Agave nectar in a previous post.  Here’s the other end of the debate: This is excerpted from an article on the Altered Plates Blog, in response to an article that appeared on Natural Health News . It is reproduced here as part of an expose on agave. Read and think about it.  The decision is yours.

By Craig Gerbore, President of Madhava

Mr. Nagel’s article is based on the view of a sole individual, Russ Bianchi. I suppose we should thank Mr. Bianchi for pointing out some issues that may have contributed to Iidea’s (the initial manufacturer of blue agave nectar) demise from the market, however I want to be clear, this is not about Madhava or our agave nectar. Once a dominant supplier, as of this past summer Iidea is no longer a major supplier in the agave syrup business. The distributors using them as a supplier have quietly switched to newly formed blue agave companies for their supply.

Madhava has always worked exclusively with Nekutli, the producer of agave nectar from the agave salmiana, a very different species of the agave. However, there is no mention of our agave nectar from salmiana in the article, nor of the differences in the plant, the collection and production of our product. So, the author has blurred the line with his all encompassing attack on blue agave nectar, by his failure to present complete information on the subject of agave nectars. For what purpose was this article written? If it were to educate the public, I think it would include all the information available.

With the errors and misstatements and half-truths, I don’t think this article is about education, it is an all out shotgun attack. I believe Mr. Bianchi, presented as the sole authority on agave nectar, was initially introduced to Iidea’s blue agave syrup product on their entry to the market in the late 90’s. At that time, Iidea was promoting a 90% fructose agave syrup. This is what I believe Mr. Bianchi is referring to. Unfortunately, he ignores the fact that this is not the agave sold on the market today, nor is it representative of Madhava’s product. In fact Mr. Bianchi has never even acknowledged the existence of our agave nectar from the salmiana variety. So, all his comments are apparently based on his experience with Iidea’s product, but I find ourselves caught in the blast. In their zestful attack against the blue agave syrup he was introduced to initially, Mr.’s Bianchi and Nagel have also made inaccurate comments which reflect on agave nectar generally.

As such, I take issue with several of their statements and claims and want to clarify some things as regards Madhava’s Agave Nectar from agave salmiana. Their discussion of the processing of agave nectar is in no way reflective of how Madhava’s agave nectar is produced. There are three ways to convert complex sugars into a simple sugar sweetener such as agave syrup. It can be done thermally, chemically, or enzymatically as ours is.

There are no chemicals whatsoever involved in the production of Madhava’s agave nectar from agave salmiana, nor is it cooked. Our agave is subject only to low temperatures during the evaporation of excess water from the juice. The author states “The principal constituent of the agave is starch, such as what is found in corn or rice.” This statement, which is the foundation of much of their argument comparing agave nectar to corn syrup, has no basis in scientific fact, THERE IS NO STARCH IN THE AGAVE.

How can the author and his source be so mistaken on this statement on which he bases his attack? All plants store energy in one of two ways, as starches or fructans. All agave plants create fructans as their energy storing means. So, agave plants have fructans, not starch. From Wikipedia: Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants. They belong to a class of fibers know as fructans. Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and it typically found in roots or rhizomes. Most plants which synthesize and store inulin do not store other materials such as starch.

There is no starch in either species of agave, and agave nectar is not from starch as the author and Mr. Bianchi claim. They have tried very hard to propagandize the public with a false fact, either by design, or ignorance, for which there would be no excuse. Such an error of fact certainly casts doubt on the validity of the rest of Nagel’s article, as the lack of depth of his research has to be apparent to all. Really, he is just regurgitating the singular views of Mr. Bianchi. I personally spoke with the author during his “research”, as did at least one other in the industry.

He chose not to include one word of the information given to him by us, which I will repeat below, and failed to make any distinction between Madhava’s Nekutli agave nectar from salmiana and that from the blue agave plant. He only mentions blue agave. The plants differ, the locations differ, the methods and production differ greatly. The information we gave him did not fit his purpose and so was omitted in favor of a generalized attack. Madhava’s source is exclusively agave salmiana. If you haven’t already reviewed our site at www.madhavasagave.com , you will find background information there. Briefly though, the native people supplying the juice collect it from the live plant, by hand, twice daily. There is no heat involved in the removal. The juice is immediately brought to the facility to remove the excess water as it will ferment rapidly if left standing.

It is during the removal of the moisture that the only heat is applied. The juice is evaporated and moisture removed in a vacuum evaporator. The vacuum enables the moisture to be withdrawn at low temperatures. The temp is closely controlled. Subsequently, our agave is handled and packaged at room temperatures. No other heat is applied. And, rather than convert the complex sugars of the juice thermally, we use gentle enzymatic action. Just as a bee introduces an enzyme to flower nectar to make honey, we introduce an natural organic vegan enzyme for the same purpose.

The technical term for the conversion of complex sugars into their simple sugar components is hydrolysis. Inulin is a fructan which is hydrolyzed into the simple sugars composing agave nectar, fructose and glucose. Honey is composed of the same simple sugars.

The blue agave plant is harvested and the blue agave nectar is produced by a completely different method. I will have to leave it to the blue agave nectar sellers to comment on the production themselves. While I know of it, I have not witnessed it as I have Nekutli’s. Unlike the author, I won’t comment publicly on something I cannot verify.

To clarify further on another claim, “Agave Nectar as a final product is mostly chemically refined fructose”. As regards Madhava’s agave nectar, there are no chemicals involved in our production whatsoever. The sugars in our agave nectar come from the breakdown of the inulin molecule through the introduction of the enzyme to break apart that molecule. It is in no way chemically refined, there are no chemicals involved in any part of the production or packaging process.

Our agave nectar is refined only in as much as the excess moisture is removed from the juice of the plant.

“HFCS is made with GM enzymes”. Bianchi’s states “they (agave and corn syrup) are indeed made the same way” This is another false assertion as regards Madhava’s agave nectar at least. Our agave nectar is certainly and clearly not made the same way as corn syrup. There is no starch in our agave. There are no chemicals, no refinement beyond the evaporation of water. And, there are no GMO’s whatsoever. The agave salmiana has never been subject to this and the enzyme is a natural, non GM organic, vegan enzyme.

Other points regarding fructose apply to sugars in general and are a consumption, or overconsumption issue. Certainly consuming large amounts of sweeteners of any kind will be detrimental to one’s health. Suggesting fructose could cause health issues when concentrated amounts are eaten is a statement which should really apply to the overconsumption issue. The information the author links to agave nectar is the result of megadose testing of pure clinical fructose. Not the same thing as normal daily use of agave nectar in the course of our meals. The antisweetener advocates just have to admit that it is the overconsumption of sugars that is the problem. Used in moderation, sugars serve a purpose, to make other foods and beverages more palatable. Imagine a world without sweeteners if you can. Affinity for sweet taste is a human trait that most want to satisfy.

For those who use sweeteners, there are limited choices available and many choose agave for its particular attributes. It is a good choice. Madhava Agave’s neutral flavor suits the purpose. It is in fact low glycemic, organically certified and non allergenic. Many with diabetes and other special diets find it suitable for their use where other sweeteners are not. It’s easy to use and you can use less. And, we guarantee the purity of our product.

Tags: Agave, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, fructose, living foods, livingfoods, madhava, raw foods, raw foods diet
Posted in Articles, raw foods | 1 Comment »

3 Keys to a Vibrantly Healthy Valentine’s Day

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on February 14, 2010 – 5:36 pm -

Valentines Day is the LOVE holiday…the day when we express our love to the special people in our lives.

The tradition of Valentine’s Day is believed to have originated from the pagan customs of the Third or Fourth Century B.C., when the Festivals of Purification were celebrated in Ancient Rome.   With the advent of Christianity, priests attempted to replace all ancient heathen practices, and in the fifth century A.D., they created its own holiday around the same date,  and selected a saint who to honor for his devotion to love.

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is a day when health takes a  backseat as most people embellish their loved ones with chocolates, little candy hearts with sayings on them and all sorts of sweet, heart shaped treats and lavishly rich dinners.

What would it be like to enjoy the magic of your  Valentine’s Day love connections without compromising your health and your waistline?

Here are 3 key strategies that you can use to create new and memorable health promoting Valentine’s Day rituals.

1- Celebrate and thank the one person you can count on to be there every moment in your life, through thick and thin, good times and challenging ones and until you take your last breath…YOU. Do something special for yourself. Self love and care is health care. One of the best ways to improve the quality of your health and increase your energy and longevity is to consistently make time to reward and acknowledge yourself.

Take a minute right now to stroke and massage your shoulders, arms and hands. Doesn’t that feel great? Plan a time for a candle-lit hot bath, or an evening in bed to read, write or meditate. What’s your favorite pass time? What do you love to do? Reward yourself by scheduling time to do it. Schedule it right NOW.

Jot me a note in the comments box and let me know how you plan to show self love.

2- Create special treats for your loved ones using whole, fresh, organic and living foods.

As a special Valentine’s Day gift from me to you, I created a recipe sampler you can use and enjoy.

http://www.drritamarie.com/candy.htm

3- Make aphrodisiac foods a part of the celebration, to spark some passion into your love life.  These  traditionally include:

• Almond – aroma is supposed to induce passion in a female.
• Arugula – has been documented as an aphrodisiac since the first century A.D.
• Avocado – The Aztecs called the tree the “testicle tree”.
• Basil – Is supposed to stimulate the sex drive and boost fertility.
• Chocolate – contains PEA, a neurotransmitter that stimulates a feeling of love and connection.
• Fennel – a source of natural plant estrogen, fennel was used in the early Egyptian times as “libido enhancement”.
• Figs – An open fig is said to resemble the female sex organs and traditionally thought of as sexual stimulant.
• Garlic – is said to stir sexual desires.
• Mustard – is believed to stimulate the sex glands and increase desire.
• Pine Nuts – have been used to stimulate the libido as far back as Medieval times.
• Raspberries and Strawberries – are described in erotic literature as fruit nipples
• Vanilla – The scent and flavor is believed to increase lust.

Do you have any favorite aphrodisiac foods?  Submit your recipes and a description of the aphrodisiac properties of the food here:

http://www.drritamarie.com/newsletter/contributions/

I’ll be choosing one to publish in this month’s newsletter, which will be sent on Thursday February 18.

Please comment below… what are your valentines day plans?

Happy Valentines Day!

Remember to download your Valentines Day Recipe Sampler HERE and have fun!

With Love, Roses and Raw Chocolate Kisses,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: Add new tag, aphrodisiac, chocolate, gluten free holiday, holiday recipes, living foods, livingfoods, raw and living foods holiday recipes, raw foods, Valentines day, whole foods
Posted in Articles, Gluten Free recipes, Raw and Living Foods Recipes | 9 Comments »

Detoxification and Leaky Gut Go Green!

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on January 23, 2010 – 2:08 pm -

Having Fun with

Living Foods Detoxification

Dr. Ritamarie’s personal Journey Through the Six Week Detox Program

The first week of the 6 week detox is more than half way over, and I’ve been doing it right along everyone!   My “shoulds” told me that Option 3 was the right way to go.  Lots of fresh green juice and wheat grass, sprouts, and green smoothies are after all nature’s perfect detox foods.  They support your liver, provide loads of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, give your digestive tract the rest it needs and the nutrients it requires to repair leaky gut and get rid of pesky bugs, like the candida, parasites and bacteria that most of us have lurking in the crevices of our bowels.  Lovely thought, eh?

My life at this time is not conducive to juicing for hours a day and sprouting and all the preparation and clean-up that entails.   After all, I still need time for kids, exercise, creating new products and programs, research, writing,  seeing patients and and growing my online business to reach the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide whose health needs a lift.  As it is I only sleep 4 hours a night…so where am I supposed to find the time to juice?

I’ve been doing option 2 of the 6 week detox program and LOVING it.  It’s amazing how full you can get mostly drinking and eating green foods, when you space it out and add super nutrient dense whole food supplements.  I’m generally not a big proponent of superfoods and whole food concentrates.  I generally prefer the whole fresh foods as I grow them in my garden.

However,  years of toxic buildup, nutrient deficiencies and a damaged digestive track sometimes require a bit more than salads and fruit to get back into balance quickly.  That’s why I created the leaky gut repair and detoxification protocols we use in the Six Week Deep Tissue Detox Program

The “food only” option that requires juicing, sprouting, culturing vegetables and LOTS of FREE time.  And some of our participants are doing it.  But most are doing option 2, like me, and using some whole foods concentrates, sprouted rice protein and greens powders, along with green smoothies, salads and juice whenever it’s convenient.  You can follow my process and recipes on the Six Week Detox Blog.

Love, Health and Happy Detox smiles,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: cleansing, detoxification programs, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, living foods, raw foods
Posted in cleansing programs | No Comments »

Detoxification, Raw Foods, Leaky Gut and the 6 Week Detox Program Progress

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on January 18, 2010 – 9:26 pm -

(Written Sunday January 17 at 11PM)

I’m leading a 6 week detox program and I am super excited about how it’s unfolding. (NO, its not drug or alcohol rehab!)

There’s a group of over 100 of us healing leaky gut, getting candida and parasites under control, and enhancing our liver detoxification pathways so we can eliminate the 1000’s of toxins that we’re exposed to or producing each day.

Most disease and dysfunction stems from toxins that overwhelm your body’s ability to eliminate them. This creates challenges to your immune system, hormones, digestion, heart, skin…you get the idea. It effects just about EVERYTHING!

There are lots of detox supplements lining the health food store shelves. That’s not what this is all about either. Yeah, we use some special nutrients, herbs and whole food concentrates to support the detoxification process, but this is a whole lot more. We also focus on creating an emotional detox and creating healthy habits that last a lifetime.

We encourage the use of lots of greens…juices, smoothies, powders, salads and soups. And its so interactive…people get to check in at the end of each week and let us know how its going and we help to personalize the program. So it’s nit just a boxed detox…its all about creating a personalized detox experience and new habits.

I’ll be blogging about it as we go through it, as I am participating fully in the process.

Off to get my detox sweating in – hot tub and sauna. More tomorrow.

Love, Health and happy detox,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: 6 week detox, cleansing programs, detoxification programs, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, Leaky Gut, living foods, livingfoods, raw foods, sixweekdetox
Posted in cleansing programs | No Comments »

Leaky Gut and Candida: Get Your Tract Back on Track!

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on January 13, 2010 – 8:49 pm -

Abdominal pain, bloating,constipation, eczema, allergies…all these and more are symptoms of leaky gut and candida. It sounds kind of scary, doesn’t it?  Can I leave the house with a leaky gut?  Is it messy?  What’s actually leaking and where does it leak to?

Leaky gut is a very common condition of the small intestine. A leaky gut has been damaged and thus allows larger food molecules and toxins to readily enter the blood stream.

Rest assured, while leaky gut can have some very serious health complications, it’s generally not life threatening….at least not in the short term.  And nothing is leaking out of you, so no one can tell that you have it unless you tell them.  What’s leaking is the some of the contents of the small intestine, and where it’s leaking into is the blood stream.

These symptoms are, not surprisingly, very similar to the symptoms of candida overgrowth.  And, the symptoms are not confined to the gut!

Treatment for leaky gut and candida are very similar since both are caused by an overload of toxins that your body just doesn’t have the resources to get rid of.

Tune in today, Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 12:30pm CST to my radio show, Creating a Vibrant Life as I discuss leaky gut and candida. There will be a Q&A session so come prepared with questions!

www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-ritamarie

Tags: cleansing programs, detoxification programs, Gluten Free Diet, green smoothie, immune system, Leaky Gut, living foods, livingfoods, raw foods, raw foods detox, raw foods diet
Posted in Leaky Gut | No Comments »

Holiday Health Gifts

Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on December 24, 2009 – 7:09 am -

Christmas is just 2 days away and that’s the day I’m drawing the winners names for my big raffle. Will your name be amongst the winners?

Here’s the scoop.  I’ll be giving away the following prizes:

1- An e-book of your choice (value up to $29.95)

2- Eat Your Way Out of Pain Home Study Course (Value $67)

3- Lifetime Membership in Dr. Ritamarie’s Green Cleanse Program (Value $97)

4- A 20 minute private consultation (Value $150)

5- A complimentary membership in my new “Balancing Nutrition Self Assessment Program” (Value $397)

As you can see, these are valuable prizes!  And I’ll post the winners names(and website if you’d like) on the Monday after Christmas.

SO how do you enter the raffle?

There are 2 ways

1- Make any purchase between now and December 24th at midnight and you’ll be automatically entered into the raffle. Each separate purchase counts as a separate entry.

Use Coupon Code 15ebook and receive 15% off any item on this page:

http://drritamarie.com/EBookOrderForm.htm

2- Purchase a raffle ticket for only $7.
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/raffle

***I’ll donate 25% of all raffle ticket purchases to Safe Space, a local charity that protects battered women and children.

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/raffle

I wish you a peaceful, joyful and very healthy Holiday Season.

If you’re ready to create the best possible health in 2010, check this out

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/Health

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah,Kwanzaa, Solstice, Yule or whatever you celebrate this time of year!

Love, Health and Gratitude,

Dr. Ritamarie

Tags: cleansing programs, detoxification programs, gluten free holiday, green smoothie, living foods, livingfoods
Posted in Articles, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, Raw and Living Foods Recipes, living foods, raw foods | No Comments »