nutrition

Lose Ten Pounds And Get Rid Of Foot Pain Naturally

Feet hurt? Feet take a beating all the time. And if you are carrying a few extra pounds that creates a lot of stress on the joints, bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons in your feet.

A rheumatologist (a medical doctor who specializes in arthritis and similar diseases) said that if you lose just ten pounds–Just Ten Pounds!–a lot of your foot pain will be gone!

Gone!

She said you don’t have to get to normal weight to get rid of foot pain. Just Continue reading “Lose Ten Pounds And Get Rid Of Foot Pain Naturally”

January 28November 6

How Food Causes Pain

Can food cause pain?

A very common reason for your aches and pains, tiredness and fatique, diabetes, lack of energy, osteoporosis and other problems and diseases is…TA DA! The stuff you put into your mouth. 🙁

You may have heard me complain before about the state of our “food.”

Too much highly processed food (gee, I hate to call it ‘food’) comes out of the supermarket. The packaging is pretty. The tastes and smells and colors leap out at you. It’s planned.

Did you know there are “food chemists” and whole industries whose only job is to get you to buy more of their company’s products?

Do you know that a lot of the flavors and scents they create and add to your food are petroleum based? Yup, the same thing that fuels your car. But your car was built to use petroleum. You were not.

And ‘spices’? Turns out that Continue reading “How Food Causes Pain”

December 4November 6

Simple Pain Relief Tip – Raw Foods Reduce Inflammation and Pain

Inflammation causes pain and by changing your eating habits you can start reducing your pain. Julie Hoffenberg and Sarah Woodward are the authors of the Healing Patch Cookbook and I had the pleasure of interviewing them today on Pain Relief Radio.

Your body is trying to protect you with the inflammatory response.

Your diet, however, can cause more inflammation and that creates more pain. Pain (which causes inflammation) plus diet (which causes inflammation) equals too much inflammation! And THAT causes more pain.

Sarah and Julie explained that Continue reading “Simple Pain Relief Tip – Raw Foods Reduce Inflammation and Pain”

December 3November 6

How to Prevent and Treat Colds and Flu Naturally by Dr. Mercola

You can prevent and treat colds and flu naturally. Since I don’t want you to have any type of pain–not even the flu or a cold–I think it’s important to share this with you. The healthier you are, the less pain you will have.

Here’s Dr. Mercola’s article:

Colds are a leading cause of doctor visits and missed days from work and school, and this season is no exception. Americans suffer from approximately 1 billion colds per year, or about two to four colds per year for the average adult.

But why do people start getting sick as the leaves start to fall?

Unfortunately in the US, thanks to the CDC, nearly anyone seeing their doctor for a cold will be told that they are infected with H1N1 and will be added to the already inflated CDC statistics.

However, according to the CBS News study, when you come down with chills, fever, Continue reading “How to Prevent and Treat Colds and Flu Naturally by Dr. Mercola”

May 6November 7

3 Common Causes of Aging and the Pain of “Old Age”

You’ve seen people who are only 40 who already look “old.” And you’ve probably seen folks in their 80’s or 90’s who still have a spring in their step or a sparkle in their eyes.

Why do some of us grow old so quickly and other stay youthful?

Here are 3 reasons:

1. Attitude. Optimists may not always have the most realistic outlook, but they live longer, healthier lives than pessimists and enjoy living more. Attitude can be learned and unlearned. A healthy attitude includes gratitude and happiness.

2. Nutrition. People who give their bodies all the nutrients it needs are much more likely to be healthy and feel better longer. This gets harder and harder as more of our “food” comes from factories rather than farms and gardens, but it CAN be done. The best place to buy your groceries is in the produce section, and if possible, the best ones to buy are organic. Try to eat a lot of different colored foods (and Froot Loops don’t count.)

3. Posture. When you lose the fight to gravity, and gravity is winning, your heavy head moves in front of your body. Then, gravity can pull you forward even more! Your posture can be corrected, at least enough to relieve some of your pain. Posture is a BIG key in aging. When you collapse forward, your organs gets squashed. How can your heart function its best when it is being compressed? How can your intestines and stomach do their best job? This is a common cause of constipation. You can overcome poor posture by stretching the muscles in the front of your body and strengthening the muscles in the back.

George Burns, the comedian, said: “It’s okay to get older, as long as you don’t get old.” I’m sticking with George!

April 23November 7

Why Do We Have Pain? Self-Help for Backaches, Headaches, Fibromyalgia & More

There are reasons why we have pain. We don’t get a backache or a headache or any other pain unless there is a reason.

Chiropractor Greg Fors has written “A Complete Physical & Spiritual Guide To Healing Your Chronic Pain WHY WE HURT Your Total Self-Care Guide for Backaches, Headaches, Shoulder Pain, Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.”

Yes, that is a very long title, but perhaps that’s okay because it’s a very thick book. Dr. Fors explains that pain can be healed. He tells us the causes of pain, which he believes are 3: physical, biochemical and spiritual.

Dr. Fors goes into the causes of pain, too. Some of the causes may never have occurred to you. He’ll tell you where the toxic chemicals that affect your health come from, and much, much more.

Why We Hurt is a logical, well-written, pretty easy to read pain relief book.

April 21November 7

Children & Migraines: 5 Causes of Migraine Headaches in Children

Children are getting migraines at younger and younger ages. Why?

One of my clients took her 6-year old granddaughter to the pediatrician. The little girl gets migraine headaches that make her sick. This shouldn’t happen to a child! It’s bad enough when an adult gets a migraine.

What did the doctor say?

He said, “We are seeing more and more children this young with migraines. It’s because of all the chemicals in the food now.”

Here are possible causes for your child to have migraine headaches:

1. Chemicals and other food additives. These are produced in chemistry labs for the purposes of either prolonging shelf-life or “enhancing the taste.” If something “tastes good,” people will buy more and the chemical companies and food processing manufacturers will make more money. Diet sweeteners are a big cause of migraines in adults; why not in children with their much smaller bodies?

I must tell you, I’m all in favor of successful businesses and making a profit, but NOT at the risk of our health!

2. Magnesium deficiency. All of the vitamins and minerals we USED to get are necessary for our health and wellness. Magnesium is a mineral that our bodies need for lots of functions. Deficiency is a known cause of migraines.

Magnesium occurs naturally in halibut (a fish), spinach & dark green leafy veggies, nuts, seeds and whole grains. White flour has very little magnesium left after processing. More information is at National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements.

When you look at the Recommended Daily Allowance for children, remember that’s a number that prevents sickness. It’s not a number that promotes health. There is a difference. The minimums are listed. In the case of a deficiency, it may take a while to build up a sufficient amount of magnesium (or other nutrients) again. It may take Continue reading “Children & Migraines: 5 Causes of Migraine Headaches in Children”

April 21November 7

Muscle Pain & Nutrition: Will Organic Food Stop Your Pain?

Pain in your muscles and soft tissues can be caused by many things. One of them is most surely the additives and unwanted additions to the food we eat.

When your muscles are happy–getting what they need from your diet–they are able to function better.

Humans used to eat “natural.”

We ate what grew on trees, bushes in or on the ground. We ate “wild caught” fish and meat. Your body was designed to eat real food.

And now?

A lot of the things we eat come out of factories. Yum.

Our bodies just don’t know how to process the chemicals, petroleum products and other additives that are added for shelf life and flavor. (Did you know there is a whole chemical industry devoted to developing new flavors and scents so we will buy more processed “food” products?)

There are lots of reasons you should consider organic food for pain relief but here’s my wrap-up:

Yes, organic food WILL help you feel better! It WILL help your body heal and function better!

Eating organic, fresh fruits, veggies, eggs, and whatever else you like to eat WILL help you get rid of your muscle pain because you won’t be pumped full of chemicals.

You are worth it!

April 20November 7

We Need Organic Food – Let’s Not Kill Organic Farms

Organic farmers need you!

Note: This is an old article, originally published in 2009. However, you’ll see that organic farmers still need us to speak up for them!

Big farm money wins in Washington DC. Factory farms do produce a lot of, well, produce, but it’s laced with pesticides, herbicides and chemicals. And those things end up inside of us! 🙁

So, I wrote to my legislators. The responses I got were not even related to my letters to them. I’ve attached them at the end of this post. ~~~~~~~

We need organic farmers, too. Chemical companies are poisoning us and our children.

This bill, HR 875, will prevent organic farmers from doing what they need to do to get organic food to us.

I hope you can take the time to read, and please pass this along. If you have never written to your legislator before, this would be such a good time to start. Below is my letter to my legislator. Below that, is his response to my previous email to him.

Re: Organic Seed Harvesting & Use HR 875

Monday, April 20, 2009 11:21 PM
From:
“Kathryn Merrow”

To:
“Congressman John D. Dingell”

Dear Congressman Dingell,

I have been puzzling over your response to my email.

I believe it is in the best interests of ALL Americans that organic farmers be able to harvest and use their own organic seeds.

How else will we, Americans, be able to get organic produce?

Why are you willing to put the growing business of organic farms out of business?

Of course! That’s it, isn’t it!

If organic farmers are not able Continue reading “We Need Organic Food – Let’s Not Kill Organic Farms”

January 19November 7

Got Pain? Sick? Is What You Eat Causing Problems For You?

Ever wondered whether food could cause your headaches, diabetes, overweight, body pain or other problems?

Years ago, when I suffered seriously from migraines, I became aware of the cause and effect that food can have. After I eliminated trigger foods, my migraine headaches became much less severe and frequent.

My brother recently gave me some packets of honey from a well-known fast-chicken place. (That’s like fast food, but it’s chicken.)

I was going to put some honey in my tea, until…

I noticed that the label said “Honey” in large letters and “sauce” in little letters.

So I flipped it over to read the ingredients. Now, wouldn’t you think that something that says “honey” would actually be honey?

But, nooo…

Ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, sugar, corn syrup, honey, caramel color. (Pssst–caramel color isn’t the caramel you make on your own stove with sugar and butter. Nooo.)

Not just honey.

Honey in the ingredients list was #4, after 3 sweeteners. 🙁

Bad.

I don’t know whether anyone has told you yet, but high fructose corn syrup is a killer. A slow killer.

Honey is a natural product. Sugar is a natural product. Sure, too much can cause problems, but a bit is fine.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is made by splitting corn syrup into parts. It is the sweetest part. It is extremely sweet. It is no longer a natural food.

Many, many manufacturers of “food products” use HFCS instead of honey, sugar or even whole corn syrup because it is cheaper to use.

It’s one of the franken-foods.

Sounds scary, doesn’t it? It is.

Because it is not real, and because it’s so hyper-sweet, it messes with your pancreas and insulin level. HFCS is a primary cause of diabetes and obesity.

Don’t think so?

How come we Americans are the ones with the most sugar diabetes and the fattest kids?

You know it’s not “genetics” because we come from a huge gene pool from all over the world. Are the people where we came from fat and sick?

Only the ones who are starting to eat “Americanized” food are getting sick and fat.

Read the label on your bread, on your hotdogs, lunch meat, catsup…you’re gonna find it all over the place.

You’ll find it in places you’d never expect. Check out your ice cream, your kids’ lunch foods, puddings, fruit roll ups, cereals, chocolate milk and syrup…

Some companies have their own product lines and are putting good and real ingredients into many of their branded foods. Meijers has a Gold and an Organic line, both of which have pretty nice ingredients.

There are a few cereals with some real sugar in them, and a few with no sweeteners (hey, add your own if you need a little bit.)

Want to stop being a sucker for the food industry to make a profit from, at the expense of your health?

Read labels.

Buy food that is as close to real as you can. (Hint: Check out the fruit and vegetable aisles, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains.)

Eventually, the food industry (it is a huge industry) will get the message.

“Because You Deserve To Feel Better!”

October 22November 7

Migraines, Headaches, Pain & Diet: Are You Taking Care of Yourself?

I recently went to a birthday celebration.

It gave me the opportunity to observe how some people take care of themselves…or don’t.

The party was for a sixteen-year old boy. He has chronic headaches.

He has been treated by a neuromuscular massage therapist (not me,) which helped, but did not cure him. He is being treated by a headache pain clinic. The various treatments he receives (some of which are not very pleasant, involving shots in his head, and medicine with side effects) also help only temporarily.

Because I specialize in relieving head pain and correcting posture, I watched him “in motion.”

He has been told about the connection between posture and his headaches. Someone told me that when his mother would say, “Sit up straight,” he would respond, “You don’t.” (And she doesn’t, but that’s another story. And, she doesn’t have constant headaches, either.)

So, over the course of several hours I watched the birthday boy. He slouched, he leaned back in his chair with his head pressed forward, he stood with a forward head/casual posture.

The thing is, when we do those things, those of us who are prone to headaches or migraines will get a headache or migraine. And, he does!

Those types of movements aggravate the muscles at the base of our skull and the front and sides of our neck. When those muscles get aggravated, they react by tightening up. They develop trigger points. The trigger points “trigger” pain in our head.

Another thing I noticed was that he was drinking an artificially sweetened drink. Can’t be positive, but I’m pretty sure that the headache clinic would have told him that artificial sweetners cause headaches.

So I wonder: why isn’t he being proactive – taking an active role – in helping himself to get rid of his headaches? He already knows the reasons for his head pain.

Right now I am speculating that he doesn’t know how to keep his head and body in neutral positions. Perhaps his back muscles and the muscles in back of his neck are too weak to hold him upright in neutral positions. Or, perhaps he thinks it wouldn’t be cool to be straight. He is not a tall, lanky boy, so it’s not concern that he is “too tall.”

People who get headaches and migraines have no choice except to fix their posture. The best way to do that is to get a strong backside, from the base of your skull to the back of your thighs.

The second opportunity I had was to talk with a man who has been seeing various nutritionists and naturopaths. He is looking for advice and products to cure his various health issues, and is going to see a new doctor shortly.

He wants herbal remedies or supplements, or some type of magic, to cure his problems, a lot of which are caused by his diet. He wants a doctor to cure him.

He also wants to continue to eat cookies and goodies and big meals and two servings of birthday cake!

Hmmmph! I guess we can’t have our cake and eat it, too, after all.

But, we can take care of ourselves. We can seek out the knowledge that will help us. We can take action. We can change old habits that are not good for us.

Because you deserve to feel better.