Happy New Year 2020

Well well...Its been a very long time since I've written anything in this blog.  Almost eight years to be exact.  I've learned a lot about myself and the holistic way of life in that amount of time.  I fell off the wagon soon after the posts you saw in 2012.  My marriage ended, I had many life changes.  I had what I now consider a nervous breakdown because of the death of my mother in August 2010.  It took a couple of years for me to realize that was what had happened to me but not until after I saw my life in wreckage and torn apart.  When I was in the middle of this turmoil, I was blind to the fact that I was having a breakdown.  I don't recall hearing when I was growing up that the loss of a parent or someone close to you will break you and bring you to your knees.  That's just what happens though.  During the year 2013 the cracks in my world really materialized and I ended up having to lose everything in order to rebuild my life from scratch.  It was during this year that I would meet my future wife.  The majority of 2013 sucked with a ray of light at the end of the year.  Once 2014 arrived I was resolved to make it a much happier year and it was.  I had met someone who made me smile and I liked hanging out with her.  I was much more focused on work with the task of pulling the company out of the low it was just in.  My healthy habits were sticking and I was keeping the weight off.  I was also working out and doing boxing training steady and fighting amateur fights during this time which as an amazing experience.

Final amateur record 2-1

You would have thought I was on a path to enlightenment and I was with several detours on the way.  I went into 2015 with hope and excitement.  I was still working out doing boxing training a minimum of 4 days per week 2 hrs per session.  I had dirty little secrets though.  After training I'd go straight to the nearest convenience store and buy a reeses PB cup.  My reasoning was that I had burned off so many calories that I could eat this guilt free.  Little did I know that I was just feeding the demon inside of me.  This demon had been in there for most of my life but I didn't realize it until I crashed and burned, pockets full of Hershey kisses.

Flash forward into 2016.  I have let more and more healthy habits go and I start my spiral into full blown food addiction (especially sweets, my go to).  Starting towards the end of 2015 I proceeded to fall into a full blown food binge that lasted for 3 and 1/2 years.  I gained 80lbs back of the 140 I had lost.  I felt miserable, deflated and ready to give up.  All of my hopes to help others came to a screeching halt.  How could I help anyone if I couldn't help myself?  By the time Jan 2019 came around I had truly given up.  Mentally I was foggy, slow, and cranky.  Physically I was tired, weak, feeling nauseous with a stomach ache all of the time.  I had grown out of all of my clothes and had bought begrudgingly larger pants as the sizes I needed just kept growing.  I was angry with myself for letting me get this way (again) especially since I knew what this food does to our bodies.  I had researched nonstop for a year in 2011.  Every waking moment I wasn't at work was dedicated to reading studies in the government med pub sites.  Looking up words I didn't understand struggling to gain some insight into what killed my mother.  This was how I was able to give up processed foods, junk foods, and carbage in the first place after years and years of abusing myself with foods.  

My perspective sure has changed since those first years of study and research.  I was only interested in the physiological aspects of food and its relationship to our bodies.  Now what I've realized 8 years later is that the mental component is just as much if not more important to understand.  I've learned that I'm a sugar addict and that no matter how healthy I thought I was being I was never going to conquer this addiction until I actually realized I had an addiction in the first place.  

I've had so many people tell me that my approach should be everything in moderation.  I've tried that, believe me I have, but when I eat a (insert the food item here) I find that I am unable to eat it in moderation.  Either I have to have more of it right then, which is likely the case with me, or I keep thinking about it and know it's there and will keep on going back to it until its gone.  

So on January 6th of 2019 I gave up sugar completely with the help of a Sugar Addiction group on Facebook I began my long journey out of sugar hell.  When I say I gave up sugar I mean approximately 90-95% because there is literally sugar in just about everything boxed, bagged, or in a jar.  This meant a lot of processed foods, dressings, and sauces.  Sugar including natural sugars and sugar substitutes.  I only eat a handful of berries every few days.  Count my carbs and try to avoid baked goods and starchy veggies.  I have found that even sugar subs set off addictive behavior. 

I try to keep my sugar at or below the amount recommended for a woman with type 2 diabetes with is 22g per day or less.  You'd be shocked at how much that really is.  Not much and I'm not always successful but it is the goal daily.  I use the glycemic index to monitor these numbers.  

The most important thing I do is reinforce my brain regarding how destructive sugar is by meeting with likeminded people who are on the same path, listen to pod casts, or read about conditions that pertain to my health.  I also watch documentaries regarding what sugar does to us inside of our bodies.  There are several good ones out there.  My body is responding slowly but surely.  I am now a year off of sugar and I see that I have more motivation, less mood swings and depression, my premenopausal symptoms are gone, I have stopped overheating, no more brain fog and my thyroid symptoms are so much better as well as much less cravings.  My weight has gone down significantly 65lbs as of today.  Its the non scale victories or NSV's that I'm happy about.  I've gone down to the pant size I was at when I was at my lowest weight.  Previously, I could never lose weight in certain areas of my body because I still ate a lot of sugar even though it was considered "healthy" sugar.  The funny thing though is its not about the number on the scale for me anymore.  I want health.  True health and I don't want to feel like crap anymore.  My mind is at ease thanks to a wonderful support group I joined in the middle of the year last year.  That has made all the difference in the world to me.  Still a work in progress.  I'm finally happy to realize I have an addiction and that I'm now in recovery and will be for the rest of my life no matter what my size is.  At least I finally have an answer and a plan.  

Stay safe out there temptation is everywhere but you can do it with knowledge, kindness and support.

Organic vs Standard Growing Practices, Why?

Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.  Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine, is known for this famous line.  Keeping that in mind, lets look at our medicine, uh er food.  In todays day and age, we have so many more choices than our parents or grandparents had.  From the good to the not so good choices our grocery shelves are bursting with options.  The newest choice we have in our grocery store is to buy organic or not to buy organic.  There must be a reason why organic foods have become so popular recently.  The health of our country has been on the decline in the past decade even though we spend the most money of any other country on healthcare.  So we turn to our food to see if it can become our medicine.  When we do this we seek foods with the best possible benefit to our bodies.  On top of the list?  Leafy greens, veggies of all kinds (taste the rainbow) and fruits.  I suggest take that thought process a little further and think of how that fruit or veggie was raised before it made it to your plate as a salad, chopped with love by you of course.  Organically grown produce versus factory farmed produce so whats the big deal?

First, before I go any further, I want to express that I know that buying organically grown produce is more expensive than purchasing the standard grown stuff.  I want to try to give you reasons through this article of why you might want to come off of your hard earned bucks or heck start growning a "victory" garden yourself.  In 1963, Molly Orshansky, an employee of the Social Security administration, created the nations first poverty threshold.  She tripled the cost of the FDA's "thrifty" food plan.  The amount calculated was 1/3 of the families income on food.  Currently we spend the least amount of our income than any other country in the world, 6 %.  The UK spends 9%, France spends 14%, India spends 35% of their income on food.  I'm not suggesting we spend upwards of 30% on our groceries but I only suggest that you consider this, you get what you pay for.

So what are the differences?  Well the most obviously known difference is whether or not pesticides have been used.  How important is this?  Let me say that I feel it is extremely important.  From the exposure side of the coin just how many pesticides are acceptable to feed to yourself or your child.  I know you may say, I wash my produce thoroughly before I eat it.  I'm sure that is the case, as I do this myself.  However, you are taking a gamble everytime you select, wash, chop and eat this chemically treated product.  How about Methyl Iodide?  Its considered a "highly toxic" chemical and is used in California on Strawberries.  Exposure causes late term miscarriages, contaminates groundwater, and is so reliably carcinogenic that its used to create cancer cells in laboratories.  This year the FDA approved a new genetically engineered corn which resists the poisionous herbicide 2,4 D.  This is the key ingredient in agent orange.  Remember that disaster from Vietnam?  That chemical is half of the"new" herbicide formula being proposed for use.  On top of that, keep in mind that the corn is also genetically modified.  There have been very few (if any) scientific studies on the effects of GMO plants and the human body's reaction to them.  Yet another reason to truly look at what we're putting on our plates.  Unfortunately, the corporations which make money on these copywrited seeds have fought tooth and nail in D.C. to keep from having to label GMO's.  Most of the time, its the companies which don't have GMO's who label their products.  Look for the NON GMO project verified label.  Here are just a few examples of the possible contaminants and modified plants which could make it into your cart and onto your plate.  Please do your own research to fully inform yourself of the contaminants you could be eating right now.  You could be spending a little extra money now to save yourself from spending it at the doctors office later in life.

The bug connection and phytonutrients.  You might think that purchasing a plant with some bug holes on a leaf would be a less than ideal situation but I say bring em on!  Now, when I go to a farmers market I am actually LOOKING for bug bites.  Why? you say.  Emerging science is showing that the defense mechanism of a plant when being attacked by a pest is to increase its phytonutrient chemicals.  The plant increases these as a protective measure and at the same time we benefit from this process.  These phytonutrients are the "good" things we want from plants to begin with.  They are the antioxidants we hear about all of the time from folks like Doc OZ, health mags, etc.  Antioxidants fight the free radicals we have in our bodies from the contaminants we run into on a daily basis via ingestion, breathing and less than ideal habits.  When I found this out I laughed a little.  I was like well isn't that the funniest thing.  We spend tons of time, money, effort and more to keep the bugs off of the plants but they are actually making the plant more nutritious.  Another funny from the universe.  I see how the universe has a vast sense of humor as I plod through this new and exciting path of holistic health.  I also see how the old "folk" stories about food are really are trying to tell us something.  Phillip said this last week and it applies "One for the blackbird, one for the mouse, one for the rabbit and one for the house".  I say one for the aphid and one for the house.

Farm to table is the ideal situation but if you don't have time, a green thumb or the inclination to grow your own food please take into consideration the health benefits of organic or "naturally" grown produce.  Add 2% to your food budget you'll still be under the UK's spending by 1% and under Frances by 8%.  Your body, the environment (less chemicals in the ground water), the bees (which are dying off in dramatic numbers), and small farmers will thank you.

Our Society: Opinions, Prejudices, & Misconceptions on Weight Loss

I wanted to share some realizations I had regarding weight loss in our country.  I'm not sure that I would've believed these revelations until I had experienced them myself.  I live in the south east united states.  There are a lot of notions down here but one thing most people have heard of is southern hospitality.  I can attest to the fact that it is alive and well here in the sunny south because I've lived here for 20+ years via way of New England.  This gives one perspective when considering the southern hospitality way.  Nothing like a complete reverse of behavior coming from rushed and hurried New England to the slow warm drawl way of the South.  Just because southerners are warm, kind and most of the time helpful doesn't mean they don't carry opinions with them.  No fault to them I believe this is a human condition no matter what part of the country/world you come from. 

The interesting thing about this is that when it comes to weight loss everyone will tell you what they think.  I'm not sure what the thinking is but I believe it to be along the line of, "as long as I'm talking about you losing weight its ok to discuss it".  I'm not sure if that statement is true but people do take full advantage of it.  Having lost 110 lbs over the course of a year, I've heard it all and a whole lot more.  Everything from are you sick to you've lost too much weight and when are you going to stop this.  The funny thing is that I'm still about 20 pounds over my "ideal" but some insist that I should stop doing what I'm doing.  What I'm "doing" is eating a lot of vegetables, fruits, I cook almost all of my meals from scratch, I've deleted gluten, corn, soy, and dairy from my diet and I'm taking care of my body for probably the first time in my life.  I exercise regularly and have been building up my muscles.  I'm not actually "trying" to lose weight anymore just trying to follow the path of whole health.  I feel that when my body is where it should be it will stop losing weight and it has slowed down tremendously.  Sometimes I get the are you sick line.  I explain that no I've just been eating healthy for over a year now and exercising and that this works.   If you dump the prepackaged foods, sugar, and eat a healthy diet overall you will drop the lbs.  The other day one of the woman I work with told me I was at a healthy weight.  That was a compliment to me and a waitress who hadn't seen me in 6 months said I look good.  Its funny but you will get comments from people who barely know you.  It can get old fast hearing every ones opinions of your weight loss but I do understand that this kind of weight loss makes a person look quite different.  I just think of all of the times when I was stuffing my face with pizza, ice cream and other junk foods.  People don't give you their opinions when you are gaining weight.  Oh believe me they are still there but they don't share that information.  So revelation #1 is that people think its ok to talk about a persons weight as long as its a loss and not a gain.

This leads me into another revelation I had after the significant weight loss.  Large people become almost invisible to the general public.  I know this sounds like a reverse of the truth but I found this out after losing the weight.  Once I had dropped the lbs I found that complete strangers were talking to me more and being much more helpful.  I do a lot of around town work and I started to notice how much more people were engaging with me after about 70lbs gone.  When I was large I didn't notice being shunned or ignored.  It was after the weight loss that I noticed the difference.  These were people whom I had never met so they didn't know I had lost the weight.  All of a sudden strangers were chatting it up.  I don't think our society does this as a conscious choice but I believe there is something that makes them less open to our plus size brothers and sisters.  I was relating this to a friend who is plus sized and she said she knows this and uses it to her advantage.  She can melt into the background when wanted or be the center of attention if need be.  I was unaware of this until recently.

These realizations have been interesting to say the least.  Just observations basically.  Nowadays, I make an effort to make eye contact with plus size people and say hello when out in the world.  I am aware, so its my job to be the change I want to see in others. 

Coconut - Health in a Shell

The coconut tree and its amazing offspring, the coconut, should be considered one of the most complete and versatile plants available today.  There are so many different products derived from the palm tree, coconut and its tree sap. Over the years some of the products, especially coconut oil, have been given a bad rap by the media.  Today, I'd like to give you some of the insight concerning the coconut tree.

The Coconut palm tree, Cocos nucifera, from the family Arecaceae or palm family is the only accepted species in the Cocos family.  This palm is large and can grow to just under 100 ft.  According to its classification, the nut is actually a fruit and not considered a nut.  Just about every part of the tree can be utilized.  We can see this when reading the names various cultures have used in naming the tree.  Some of the names that have been used translate to, Tree of Life, Tree of a Thousand uses, or The Tree which provides all the necessities of life.  I tend to agree with these cultures as I've been using several of these coconut tree products over the past year and have had some excellent results. 

The list of coconut palm tree products goes on and on.  It is used in culinary products, health and beauty products, as a drink, the outer husk is used to make ropes, stuff mattresses and in horticulture for potting soil mixes.  The leaves are also used for a myriad of uses too!  From weaving baskets to making brooms and patching roofs to ceremonial mats, the palm leaves do it all too!  One of my favorite products that comes from the coconut tree actually comes from the tree sap of the coconut palm flower.  The sap is boiled down to create coconut palm sugar or nectar.  The method is similar to tapping a maple tree for maple syrup, however, they don't have to "tap" the tree itself only the trees blossom.  This makes the collection of coconut sugar a more eco friendly option as well.

When I started my new health regime, I had to find a replacement for table sugar so I went online and did hours and days of research.  I didn't want to go the same old route of using items like splenda, equal, or sweet n low because of all of the chemicals used to make those products.  I was looking for lower glycemic options that still tasted good but that were less processed and didn't spike my blood sugar like high fructose corn syrup or white table sugar did.  Eventually I came across information on coconut palm sugar.  First, I read that the GI (glycemic index) of Coconut Palm sugar is 35.  Considering that table sugar has a glycemic index of 100, I was pleased to find a much lower option.  FYI:  I have also read that more recent GI tests of Coconut Palm sugar have not been able to repeat the index number of 35.  Considering the positive experience I've had with this product, however, I do feel that it is a better option that plain table sugar, agave syrup or HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  My next requirement for a new sweetener was that it had to taste good so I bought a bag and tried it out.  Coconut Palm sugar does taste good.  It has a mellow brown sugar type of flavor.  I love it in baked goods (gluten free of course) and on top of oatmeal (again gf) but it did take me a minute to get used to it in my morning cup of coffee.  Now I use coconut sugar and coconut cream in my coffee and I think its delicious!  I have completely dropped eating anything with cane sugar or condiments that contain HFCS or sugar.  I make my own ketchup with honey (that's another blog for another day).  You will be shocked at how the lbs drop off when you drop the sugar.  By the way, I don't recommend that you eat a cup of Coconut Sugar per day either and diabetics should be careful because this is still sugar.  Everything in moderation.



Baby Coconut Palm Tree


A few of the other coconut products that I use are; coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut cream, shredded coconut and, last but definitely not least, coconut flour.

I could take up days and days talking about the different coconut products that I use and you might think I'm a coco"nut"!  I know I only have your attention for so long so the other important find I'm going to tell you about is coconut flour.  I often say, "coconut flour changed my life".  You might say why are you so dramatic and I'd say because it really did change my life.  At the beginning of my weight loss journey, I had to have a substitute for my sweets and baked goods.  Going cold turkey was NOT an option.  I'm sorry to say this but I ate my way into that mess and I was going to eat my way out of it.  I decided to research gluten free recipes because I couldn't find or afford the gluten free options at my local health food market.  In doing my research, I found another great coconut product, coconut flour.  It sounded good to me because I love the flavor of coconut and I had already tasted coconut sugar.  I purchased a bag online because it still isn't an easy to find item, although the health food stores are starting to come around.  While I was waiting for the flour to arrive, I started looking up coconut flour recipes.  What I found in my research was exciting.  Coconut flour is not actually a "flour".  It is the coconut meat completely stripped of all moisture so it is a dry powder the consistency of flour.  It is 100% gluten free and has a higher amount of fiber than bran!  Because it is so dry it absorbs liquid very quickly so adhering to the recipe is important to get the right consistency.  Also because it doesn't have gluten you have to use eggs to bind the ingredients.  These muffins also have to meet my must taste good requirement, which they do!  I use coconut sugar in the recipe too!  Yummy!  So far I've made Lemon Poppy seed, Orange Poppy seed, Chocolate, Chocolate & Almond Butter, Coconut, Cinnamon Raisin, and Banana.  I will share the recipe for the standard coconut muffin here.   Eventually I will share them all in my cookbook/story.  Oh yeah and the great thing about this recipe is that because coconut flour is high in fiber the muffins fill you up faster without raising the blood sugar or leaving you hungry 30 minutes later like a regular baked muffin would.  I don't know about you but I always had a hard time eating a bran muffin even knowing that they were high in fiber, the taste just wasn't there.  Great taste will always be an important factor for me. 
I really wanted to tell you of the health benefits of medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil but we're out of time.  If you're surfing the net sometime, take a look at the benefits of coconut oil and other coconut products.  This big tree of 1,000 uses is truly amazing.

Till next time, Take Charge of Your Health.
Knowledge is Power!

Coconut Muffin Recipe

1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
2 tablespoon coconut milk/cream
1/4 cup coconut oil or grapeseed oil
1/3 or 1/2 cup coconut sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
1.5 teaspoon coconut extract (can sub with vanilla or a combination of both)
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Dry ingredient bowl:

combine sifted coconut flour, salt & baking soda

Wet ingredient bowl:

combine eggs, coconut milk, oil, sugar, extract

Blend dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix
add shredded coconut once dry and wet ingredients are incorporated together

Line a cupcake tin with paper liners or grease tin

scoop mix into each tin about 1/4 cup each (I use an ice cream scoop to measure and scoop)
optional:  you can sprinkle some shredded coconut on top.  it will brown in the oven and is tasty
makes about 10 cupcakes

Bake at 375 degrees for approx 20 minutes

These muffins can be frozen in ziplock bags to extend the shelf life and thawed as needed

This will save you a ton of money as opposed to buying gluten free at the store.

The Great Liver Cleanse Debate also known as Huh?



BEFORE







Last year on January 2nd my New Years Resolution was to lose weight and that I did, a whopping 106lbs and counting!  The great thing about this wasn't what you'd expect.  Yes the lost pounds, astounded gasps from people I only see on a limited basis, and new clothes in sizes that I hadn't seen since my 20's were great.  However, the best gift I received from last years New Years resolution was stumbling upon the truth of health and nutrition.  That gift, more than anything else, saved my life.  This brings me to New Years 2012.  How can you top a resolution like that?  Well whats funny is that the Universe or Universal power, higher power, God, Goddess or whatever you want to call it has a way of topping things and has a twisted sense of humor.



AFTER



Towards the end of the year last year I had decided to do my first ever liver and gallbladder cleanse.  I have been reading books by Andreas Moritz and stumbled upon his book The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle cleanse.  It intrigued me because I had already read his health views in his other book Cancer is not a Disease its a Survival Mechanism and these views rang true with me.  After watching a family member suffer with cancer, I found Andreas' book to be a new way to look at that disease.  This is how I stumbled upon his liver cleanse book.  I tried the cleanse the week after Thanksgiving and I must say I believe we could all benefit from a cleanse or two or more!  The cleanse isn't a new thing in the Holistic world.  As a matter of fact, body (liver, kidney, and other systems) cleanses have been performed for thousands of years in many cultures.  Kims family joked about how their grandmother used to "cleanse" them every spring with a "tonic".  I was thinking of how much our elders really knew and we just blew it off!  So here's my experience with liver cleanse #1.  Oh and by the way my New Years resolution for 2012?  I'm calling it "The Year of the Cleanse".  A cleanse every 6-8 weeks, as my body allows, for the rest of the year.  I can hear the Universe chuckling right now.

Hols first cleanse:



It was 5 days of eating very light.  Not much fats, no animal products (meat, cheese, eggs), lots of soups, salads, rice, etc.  Each day I was to drink 32oz of apple juice for the action of the malic acid.  I was quite nervous as this was my first ever attempt at a liver cleanse.  I had been on youtube and curezone.com a lot looking at other peoples experiences.  Some of the people on Youtube scared the you know what out of me but curezone reassured me that I was on the right track.  So on the day of the actual cleanse (day 6) you dont eat much.  They recommend a light breakfast of oatmeal or rice cereal no sugar or nuts.  For lunch they recommend a light meal of rice and broth and no food after 1pm.  In the evening I got to start the "fun" part of the cleanse (joking).  There were a series of epsom salts drinks then at 10pm a concoction of olive oil and grapefruit juice.  Needless to say the flavor of the epsom salts left MUCH to be desired.  Actually it tasted HORRIBLE.  Funny but the olive oil and grapefruit juice wasn't bad.

After it was all said and done, 2 days later, I knew I felt different but was unsure as to the succcess of the cleanse.  I received a true confirmation via blood test a few weeks later as I had tested my blood prior to the cleanse and a few weeks after the cleanse and it showed a hugh improvement in my liver function in relation to my thyroid activity.  My naturopath commented without knowing of the cleanse that my liver function was much better.  It was then that I told her of the liver cleanse and she said "I can see the improvement". 

Well according to the book I've been following regarding the cleanse I have to repeat this procedure another 4-10+ times to truly cleanse the liver of years of congestion.  The book is an important tool and I highly recommend it if you've been thinking of doing a cleanse.  Andreas covers a lot of points other then the actual cleanse like why we do this and what sort of processes are occuring to create a congested liver. 

IMPORTANT:  I don't recommend doing this cleanse without the assistance of a health care professional or your personal health advocate.  I absolutely do recommend doing a cleanse to alleviate the years of stress we put on our liver and to assist it with its hundreds of essential functions.  Talk with your healthcare practitioner for advice.  If they're not open to this way of thinking maybe you should consider finding a doctor who is open to alternative methods of health as well as current standard methods.  Its your health, you have the right to take charge of it!

Hopefully this information helped.  Let me know if you have questions, need advice or have some advice.
Cheers to Health!
Hols



Pondering Pau d' Arco

Pau d' arco



Pau d' arco has been chasing me around the health circles for some time now.  At first, I would see the it on the shelf shredded and in little bags and think to myself "hmpf, Pau d' arco, funny name I wonder what it's all about".  Then I'd get side tracked while in the store and forget to go back and do research on this funny named herb.  Eventually, after many visits to several of the nice health food stores around Atlanta, I came to realize this herb was calling out to me.   I know that sounds funny but I've always been one to look for the clues in nature and around me.  I've noticed this skill even more as I've shed the layers of weight.  I can tell if a food or supplement is "working" by the way I feel and other clues.  Of course, I do a lot of blood tests and work closely with my health team to make sure my "feelings" are accurate.  This all leads me to tell you of my experience with Pau d' arco. 

Recently I saw Pau d' arco in my local health food store for the umpteenth time and this time I decided to purchase a box of tea.  There are many forms of Pau d' arco.  Its available as raw bark, already sealed in tea bags, in pill form, or as a tincture.  For my first experience (or experiment lol) I thought the tea bags would be the easiest to use and test.  Once I'd purchased a box of tea, my hound dog research skills took over and I found out a lot of interesting facts about Pau d' arco that I'd like to share with you and then I'll share my personal experience upon trying it for myself.

Pau d' arco grows in Central & South America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, the islands of Hispaniola and north into Mexico.  It is possible for it to grow in areas of south Florida as well.  It grows from 16 to 160 ft depending on climate and location.  There are approximately 1,000 species of Tabebuia Avellanedle tree.  Pau d' arco has been used for many hundreds of years (if not longer) by south American tribes to include the Incas and Aztecs and other Indio tribes.  The herb Pau d' arco is retrieved from the inner bark of the TAHEEBO tree.  It can be made into a tea, tincture, or ground up and put into a glycerin capsule to swallow.

Below, I've listed are some of the supposed benefits of Pau d' arco.  Some of these have been tested and researched on animal subjects over the years.  Some of these conditions have been treated using Pau d' arco in clinical situations in south America and central America.  Some of these benefits are claims of the locals who have used Pau d' arco for many years and many generations.

Claimed Benefits of Pau d' arco: 

Relieves Inflammation, Anti-Fungal or Yeast (beneficial in candida treatments), Anti-Viral, Anti-Bacterial, Helps Lowers Blood sugar in diabetics, Anti-Parasitic, cancer & tumors, immunodeficiency, skin disorders, rheumatic conditions, liver boost, blood purifier, fever, and pain.  Please check with your doctor or health care advocate before using or trying any new supplements or herbs as they may counteract with medicines or existing conditions.

My personal experience with Pau d' arco was far from uneventful.  Since I've hopped on the holistic health train there are many foods and medicines I will not ingest anymore.  One of the things I've stopped taking is over the counter pain medicine.  Everybody has the choice of what they will and will not put inside their bodies and for me its chemically manufactured medicines.  Instead, I look for natural sources to alleviate the symptoms that i have which would typically require the use of over the counter meds.  For example, if i have an upset stomach I might drink water infused with ginger.  I didn't have a go to for pain as of yet but I was about to find out that for me Pau d' arco tea alleviates pain.  From time to time I have pain in my body from lifting heavy objects, which my work requires me to do.  I found that after a cup of Pau d' arco tea I was without pain for 3-4 hours.  I also noticed an enhanced feeling of well being.  So for now I plan on drinking a cup per day and continue monitoring how my body reacts to this herb with the funny name. 

How to make a Pau d' arco tincture at home:

For those advanced botanists, I'm including a recipe of how to make your own Pau d' arco tinctures to save money.  The key is to use high quality herbs and vodka but you will still save money as opposed to paying the health food store prices. 

*This recipe does include alcohol, but the dosages are so small that its not likely to have much of an effect. If you abstain from consuming any alcohol, however, you can substitute apple cider vinegar for the vodka. Vinegar tinctures have a shelf life of around one year when stored in a cool, dark place.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 ounces dried pau d’arco bark
• Quart-sized glass jar
• 60 proof or higher vodka
• Dark glass bottles for storage

Directions:

1. Place the dried pau d’arco bark in the quart-sized glass jar, and then fill to the top with vodka (or apple cider vinegar).
2. Secure the lid on the jar and place in a cool, dark place. Allow the mixture to stand for three to six weeks, shaking the jar once each morning and once each night.
3. Strain the bark from the liquid, squeezing it out before discarding.
4. Store the resulting pau d’arco tincture in dark glass bottles.

*recipe courtesy of themodernherbal.com 

Happy New Year aka Happy Anniversary

As the New Year rings in, many of us get restless about what we have or haven't been doing in our lives.  This is the time of year most of us decide to get on the health train to lose weight, exercise, or quit something (smoking, overeating, or other). 

Last year, I did that same thing.  I decided I was going to lose weight.  I was wondering if I would do my usual new year's resolution dance.  Say I'm going to stop or start something to live "better" with all of the best intentions but end up frustrated and quit within 2 weeks of the initial declaration.  On January 2nd of 2011 I started my journey to health.  At that time, I weighed 289lbs and I was miserable.  My "fatter" clothes were tight and I felt tired, heavy, and uninspired.  I was willing to try anything.  There were times during the 2010 year that I had considered lap band surgery or even gastric bypass.  Luckily I was a chicken about hospitals and knives.  I've never been one to have an overabundance of will power but due to an unfortunate event that occurred in Aug 2010 my inspiration had arrived.  A tragic event can be a catalyst to permanent change.  At the time of the event, I didn't see any sort of silver lining but a year and a half later I now understand that most, if not all, tragedies come with lessons.  Fortunately (or unfortunately), these can change our lives for better or worse.  The trick is to use them to our benefit.

This plan to health has morphed many times from point A to point L (I'm not to Z yet).  At first I eliminated all sugar from standard table sugar, to the more hidden sugar in sauces and condiments and prepackaged highly processed foods.  Some of these items consisted of high fructose corn syrup or just plain corn syrup, white flour baked goods and pastas.  It took 30 days for most of the cravings for sugar to subside but they eventually did.  I started cooking almost every meal and reading the labels very carefully when grocery shopping.  These first stages were tough to me for two reasons, I love to eat out and once you start reading the labels you find that there are chemicals in almost everything we eat.  The chemicals are everywhere including most canned veggies, beans, boxed foods, and sadly, our meat.  When you drop the highly processed overly packaged items from your diet you will be shocked at how fast the weight drops off.  You will "melt" in places you never thought would be "fat free".  I know how hard it is in the beginning because I was a twinkie-a-holic most of my life.  Once you make the committment to be "box" free your body will respond with weight loss, energy gain, less moodswings, and general feeling of well being.

FYI:  You don't have to do it ALL at once.  I wasn't able to exercise early on.  My motivation wasn't UP enough at that time but after about 3 months of being "on track" I started warming up to exercise.  I started playing tennis in March and I absolutely love it.  I also started riding a stationary bike on cold and rainy days.  I was only able to peddle for 10 minutes in the beginning but eventually worked up to 50 minutes on the bike.  Conquer the food first and continue to work in additional changes as you feel ready.  Remember to always give yourself a little push in the right direction but don't give up and "throw the baby out with the bathwater" if you slip up.  NOBODY IS PERFECT.

You can do this.  Believe me if I can do it ANYBODY can.  More tips and nutritional finds in upcoming blog posts.

Cheers to Health!

Disclaimer:  Always check with your MD, NP, or health care advisor prior to starting a new eating plan.