Category Archives: Natural Living

Blog, Member Newsletter, Natural Living, Nutrition

Bye Bye Sleeping Through the Night

Oh,that elusive sleep.  That time to relax and regenerate.  To heal and repair. 

If you need that coffee or two (or three) every morning you may get some very useful tips in this post.

Sleep isn’t just important for your mind and body to have energy and be alert.  Lack of sleep can contribute to serious health issues which you don’t want.So let me have your attention for this “tip-filled” post on the importance of sleep and how you can get your fair share.  I’ll even throw in an amazing caffeine-free latte recipe for your afternoon “pick me up.

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Blog, Natural Living, Nutrition

Gluten-free to Paleo to Whole 30 Journey

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I promised that I would share my Paleo journey.  In previous posts I mentioned that due to my autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, I  am going gluten-free.  The research is here if you want to read my post. Gluten-free is definitely a challenge for this Italian girl. When I started out a few months ago, I decided to go “gluten-free”: first.  I immediately noticed a difference in that I saw less bloating.  I had no idea that I had gluten-sensitivity .  Remember I was doing this because of the research I found regarding auto-immune disease and gluten.  Going gluten -free was not as difficult as I thought.  There are many gluten-free products out there and as a matter of fact I fell into the “gluten -free snack trap”.   I began to eat foods that I don’t normally eat just because now it said , “gluten-free”. My next phase was to follow the  Paleo plan.  The Paleo plan is here if you want to read about it.  On this plan, I began to eliminate all grains. This is NOT the Atkins plan. This is a lifestyle that also includes fruits and veggies.  Once again, I continued to feel better.  My goal was not to lose weight, but to improve my health.  As my body began to heal, some of the bloat and weight came off without trying. My third and final phase was to join the “Whole 30″ craze. ” Whole 30″ is considered ‘ Paleo on steroids’.  You can read about it here. During this phase I took out all sweeteners which includes, agave and stevia.  I have heard many positive testimonials regarding the Whole 30 and decided, I will try this next.  Again, I am doing this because of my autoimmune disease. Below you will find my results from going gluten-free.  The blood test, C-Reactive Protein measures “the amount of a protein called C-reactive protein in your blood.  C-reactive protein measures general levels of inflammation in your body. High levels of CRP are caused by infections and many long-term diseases. But a CRP test cannot show where the inflammation is located or what is causing it. Other tests are needed to find the cause and location of the inflammation.” (WebMd)

Results from going completely Gluten-free:

Less Bloating Weight Loss Inflammation decreased C-Reactive Protein lowest it’s been in 6 years  
Notes
I will continue to update you as I go through the Whole 30. I am not a doctor.  Always consult your doctor when changing diet or exercise program.  
Essential Oils, Natural Living

Essential Oils- Do they really work? Part One

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I have been researching or partaking in non-conventional forms of therapy and looking into alternatives to traditional Western medicine.  But since I am a lover of information and I research everything, I really want to know if they work.  So I am going to do some investigation into Essential Oils. (EO)

Some of the EO claims are: that it cures infections, decrease or eliminates pain, helps with anxiety ,  depression, tumors, premenstrual syndrome, nausea, and many others.  As of late, I have made my own natural antiseptic surface cleaners.  I want to know if there has been some research in a lab, with a Petri dish comparing EO’s with Purell.  I have accepted it as true but now the work begins.

After reading an article from , “Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing”  I discovered that there really hasn’t been a lot of research done except by food, flavoring, cosmetics, and tobacco industries. Those industries seem to be  interested in the flavor, mood alteration, and preservative qualities of essential oils.  Current research is being conducted in Europe, Australia, Japan, India, the United States, and Canada.  The studies have revealed, so far, that there are remarkable healing properties of oils.  But where are these studies?  That is what I am in the process of doing right now…….more to come.