The Cleanse is Over!
Well, “spring cleaning” is over. I thought I’d report back to you all. By the grace of God, I have finished the seven day cleanse. It was my first. I’m a new convert to these internal scourings. Truth be told, the way I’d heard other people so freely discuss their personal internal workings really made me wonder if these kind of unique forms of torture (as I perceived them to be), were truly made exclusively for the fringes of society. You know who they are… the crunchy mommas of the world… the granola girls… or dare I say it? Perhaps the grown-up edition of the high school bulimics? If you classify yourself in one of the first two categories, you are probably wise enough to smile, tip your head to the side and reminisce about what it was like when you were making the transition from fast food eating insanity into health nut guru.
Turns out, I have been blinded and I now seen the light! I’m not going to say I enjoyed the process of
the cleanse itself. I mean, come on…
would I rather take more than twenty supplements four times a day, accompanying
them with 16 different homeopathically-enhanced drinks a day? Or would I rather have the grilled salmon
with veggie kabobs that we are having tonight?
Well, that’s a no-brainer. But
the effect it has had on me has been wonderful.
And I’m just going to put this out there: Yes, you have to clean out your gut from,
literally, the bottom up. I opted for colonics. I have a trusted friend in Atlanta who has
been doing this for a long time. Her
business name reflects her amazing sense of humor: Innerscents.
It was really not nearly as bad as I had imagined it to be. I told myself that I could either get myself
clean and healthy now or else end up later in a gastroenterologist’s office
having to do tests that felt the same as a colonic except that visit would be
due to illness from lack of caring for my body in the proper ways. It’s our choice. I choose health.
From the beginning of the cleanse to the end (7 days), I
have lost thirteen and two-thirds inches from various parts around my body. I was amazed at that. I also lost 7 pounds. I was carrying a lot of excess water
throughout the tissues in my body. I
feel so much better. I am thinner. I am cleaner. I am healthier. My husband, who did the cleanse with me
(which made it soooo much easier), lost an amazing 23 pounds! His abdomen looks like it belongs to the man
I married years ago!
I still have a long way to go on my journey to repairing all
of the damage I have done to my body, but I didn’t do this damage overnight and
it can’t be fixed overnight. That’s
okay, because I’m on this health kick for the long haul.
Spring Cleaning...a little late
Spring Cleaning
Well, it’s definitely past that time of year… But then again, what am I saying? For me, it’s past that time of LIFE. I’m not talking about cleaning out the dust bunnies under the couch or reorganizing the junk drawer. You know it… I mean the garden-variety health nut internal cleanse. I’m not one of those people who ENJOY cleanses (yes, I’ve met them; talked to them; and stood slack-jawed and furrow-browed listening to them voice their obsession for cleanses, colonics, and numerous toxin removing torture techniques.
In my limited experience with cleanses, the process itself is not one to look forward to (that’s code for hellacious, horrible, horrendous… all of those terrible “h” words, rolled up into one experience). I know that given my future in the health profession as a Naturopathic Doctor, many people would suggest I not be so outspoken about my disdain for them but I am all about honesty.
What I HAVE decided (in my very limited experience) is that the end result makes them well-worth the effort. Three years ago, I had gallstones so badly that my right lung started wheezing because it could not inflate enough due to the size of my gallbladder. Yes, it was painful. It took that much pain for me to decide I would take the plunge into my first cleanse. Two hundred gallstones later, I was pain free. No surgery: Just some nausea and going hungry for a while. I soon realized, I should have done this before now!
Well, this morning began the “adventure.” I gagged and guzzled my way through a two
part cleansing drink, flaxseed tea, 8 alfalfa tablets and a slew of other
capsules, herbs, supplements and more just to know that in another hour and a
half I get to start it all over again… and again… and again… each day for the
next week. Anybody wanna join in the
wonderful, productive healthy misery? 
Now that I’ve decided to rescue my body from the effects of
years of bad habits, I know a good cleanse is in order. I will let you know how things turn out (in
the least graphic way possible).
Mayans and the concept of Zero
Zero
Perhaps it was a sad day when the concept of “zero” was
realized by the Mayans around 200BC. Today, let’s realize all of the things in our
life that fill up our “zero” (thus making our lives more than zero) and then
let’s be thankful for them! And ponder this: If we didn’t have the concept of zero, we would
never realize when we have nothing!
A Native American remedy for jet lag
A Native American remedy for jet lag
Have you ever wondered why the first thing you want to do
when you get to the beach is throw your shoes off and feel the sand beneath
your feet? Or why it feels so good just to lie on the grass on a cool spring
day or while looking up at the stars at night?
There are many benefits gleaned from simply standing on the earth barefoot. Even the scientific community acknowledges its value through publications on studies conducted The Earthing Institute.
Would you have ever imagined that there is a simple ancient remedy for the modern day problem of jet lag? One of my elders, Dr. Suuqiina, taught me that the Native cure for jet lag is simple: Wherever you are, walk outside barefoot and stand on the earth. He went on to describe how being barefoot and connected to the earth resets our internal clock and recharges us, giving us energy and basically helping our body catch up to where we are on the planet.
One final tip Dr. Suuqiina gave on the point: Don’t do this during a thunderstorm (both he and I have been separately struck by lightning!) Sounds like good advice to me!
Just click to be directed to our page.
Learning about shea and what it can do for your skin.
Shea butter comes from the Vitellaria paradoxa tree, also known as Butyrospermum parkii, commonly called Karite. It grows only in Africa in a the region of the Sudan and Sahel belts across Africa that act as the borderlands from the Sahara desert to the wetlands of the more tropical inland central region of the large continent (kind of like the invisible “Bible belt” of the U.S.).
Gathering the fruit from the shea tree is usually done by
women and is seasonal, from June through September (with some variation). They remove the pulp, clean the nuts, boil
and shell them and then extract the nuts.
The nuts are then dried in the sun, ground into a paste, heated and
mixed by hand with water. It is then
filtered and separated.
One of these phenolic compounds, catechin, is present in
shea nuts at a higher amount than ripe olives.
Shea is even a better emollient than cocoa butter. It is also sometimes used in place of or with
cocoa butter in the manufacturing of chocolate, since shea butter is
edible. It is used in Africa as a
cooking oil, like Americans would use canola, vegetable or coconut oil (much
better for us than the former two).
My favorite way to use shea… in a Native Touch rub! See Rooting Bear Rub, Grizzly Bear Rub,
Warrior Bear Rub, Rooting Cub Rub, and Paws & Hide Rub. Our customers use these products for cuts, burns, bug bites, skin cancer, eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, acne, diaper rash, lupus, diabetic neurophathy and more!
Go Natural Go Native!
The Native Touch Leaf Lady
Native Touch Facebook Page
Native American Herbal Medicine Ways- Blackberry
“Blackberry “- Ga-nu-ga
(Gah-noo- gah) Eastern Band Cherokee Translation
Native American tribes throughout the southeast find
blackberry to be very useful. The following uses are still a part of Cherokee
herbal medicine practices today.
- · Using a strong tea from the roots is helpful in reducing and soothing swollen tissues and joints.
- · An infusion from the leaves is also used as a tonic for stimulating the entire system.
- · The teas from the leaves are great for stomach aches.
- · A decoction from the roots, sweetened with sugar or honey, makes syrup used as an expectorant.
- · It is also healing for sore throats and gums. The leaves can also be chewed fresh to soothe bleeding gums. The Cherokee historically use the tea made from the dried root for curing diarrhea.
- · The astringent action of the tannins in blackberry helps constrict blood vessels and stop minor bleeding. This action would tend to explain the traditional external use of blackberry to treat wounds by warriors as well as applying it to the skin to soothe burns and scalds.
The Native Touch Leaf Lady
Go Natural, Go Native!
Native Touch All Natural Skin Care Products
Breaking water down into bite size pieces- by The Native Touch Leaf Lady
Did you
know that the body’s thirst mechanism can actually be shut off if it is
deprived of enough water? Someone who’s
not been drinking enough water doesn’t have her thirst meter registering the
right amount of hydration need. When I
say “someone,” I should mention the big neon sign above my head with an arrow
pointing right at me.
So, the battle begins in the mind. When you hear “drink 8 glasses of water a day,” do you feel overwhelmed? I did! But those glasses of water need only be 8 oz. That’s just a little measuring cup. I determined to start my water drinking improvement yesterday with the intention of at least drinking four cups of water on the first day, just knowing that eight was too lofty a goal. I’m happy to report that I was wrong!
Once I started drinking the water, my body started wanting it. I was surprised how fast my thirst mechanism was revived. To my surprise, I actually drank the whole eight! My mother, a registered nurse, has always had the mantra “drink water.” One of her favorite sermons is “drink water.” Her cure-all prescription for whatever ails you is “drink MORE water.” I don’t know how I got this far in life without it sticking, but now that I’ve converted, I can tell it’s a lifestyle change here to stay.
I’ve tried and failed at the-big-container-of-water-sitting-on-my-desk. It just sits there all big and intimidating, looking like an insurmountable task. I’d give it occasional sips. But at the end of the day, most of it was still sitting there, a mere practically-invisible liquid mocking my failure. So, here’s how I broke 64 ounces of interior flooding into bite-size pieces:
- 1. One cup upon waking: Right after the teeth brushing, during the stretching, amidst my Scripture reading time.
- 2. Extra sips during exercise.
- 3. Two cups at my desk before lunch.
- 4. One cup with lunch.
- 5. Two cups at my desk after lunch.
- 6. One cup with dinner.
- 7. One cup between dinner and bedtime.
So this is how I take one day, one cup at a time. Even at the end of the first day, I’d noticed a difference in the turgor and hydration state of my skin. While Rooting Bear Rub is great in handling moisturizing the skin, just like beauty, it really starts from the inside going out.
With a well-hydrated smile,
The Leaf Lady
Tips and Tricks for cleaning your home naturally
Bathtub and Tiles
The bathtub and tiles can be cleaned using a quarter cup of borax mixed with a vegetable based liquid soap and half a teaspoon of lemon oil to form a paste. Using a sponge, the paste can be applied to the tub or tile and then rinsed clear for a clean shine.
Mirrors and Windows
Vinegar has long been known as an inexpensive and non-toxic household cleaner. For mirrors and windows, one-quarter of a cup of white vinegar should be used per gallon of water. Applied to surfaces using crumpled newspaper, and then dried with more newspaper, this mixture will leave a streak-free shine.
Floors and Surfaces
Vinegar, borax, and a vegetable-based dish detergent can be used to clean grease and dirt from floors and other surfaces. Two gallons of hot water should be mixed with one cup of white vinegar and one-quarter of a cup of borax, and then a teaspoon of the detergent should be added. This concoction can be applied using a mop or a sponge, then rinsed clean.
Window Blinds
An easy solution for dusty mini blinds is to put a pair of clean, old socks on your hands. One can be dipped into a bucket of warm water that has been mixed with a vegetable-based dish detergent; then, run along the top and bottom of each blind. The other sock-covered hand is used to dry each blind.
Pet Hair
For pet hair removal from upholstered furniture, a damp rubber glove is effective. Putting on the glove and wetting it and then running it over the upholstery will cause the hair to clump together. It can then be picked up and thrown away.
Oven Cleaner
Baking soda is a great oven cleaner. For an easy and non-toxic cleaning with no smelly fumes, you should sprinkle water on the interior surfaces of the oven. Then baking soda is sprinkled over the water, using enough to form a white paste. This mixture should be left to sit for twelve hours, then wiped away. Whatever grease is left can be removed with a vegetable-based dish detergent.
Wood Polish
When it's time to polish wood furniture, olive oil is the natural product of choice. Three parts olive oil to one part vinegar is one recipe that can be mixed quickly and then applied with a clean cloth. The wood will shine and the oil will soak in to lubricate it naturally.
Further Reading:
http://health.learninginfo.org/household-cleaning-tips-2.htm
http://www.pagespersonalcleaning.net/home_cleaning_tips.htm
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03417/4-Tips-For-A-Naturally-Clean-Home.html
Most honey sold in U.S. grocery stores not worthy of its name
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