NATURAL HEALTH TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER

Dr. Denice Moffat, Medical Intuitive

November, 2012                          Volume 8 Number 5

In This Issue:

• Health in the News: Lot L114 of Standard Process products Cataplex C, Cataplex ACP and Pancreatrophin PMG recalled. Gummy Bear diet for Dairy Cattle? Monster Drinks Kill 5.
• Case of the Month: Nightshades in the Diet
• Product of the Month: ANIGHT-Nightshade Allersode
• Media Reviews: (Book) Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, PhD
• Ask Dr. Moffat: Dermoid cyst in a dog
• Tips and Tricks for a Healthier Life Pectins, Pomona and ChillOver Powder for Jams and Jellies, Xanthan gum, Suchero sweetener.
• Client Testimonials: Helpful things I do. Dog with cancer.
• Healthy Recipes: Gluten Free Banana Bread
• Inspiration & Perspective: The Window, Murmurations
• What’s New at Our House? We’re wasted from 2012 Farm Season! Some photos of the last 3 months.
• Local Events: 2^nd Annual Black Friday Special Half-off phone consults in Dec-Jan.

(Please note that full names are never used in this newsletter or on my website without the full consent of the sender or client. Some cases also encompass groupings of cases with similar symptoms and suggestions for healing in an attempt to educate the general public.)

From the Desk of Dr. Moffat:

I’ll be sending you a reminder for the 2^nd Annual Black Friday Special a few days before it happens. Please forgive me this month for filling up your inbox with a couple extra emails.

Health in the News:

Three Standard Process Inc products recalled. Yep, one of my favorite companies had a recall. Couldn’t believe it. Only three products though: Cataplex ACP (which I was taking by the way and had no symptoms or problems taking the very same batch that was recalled), Cataplex C and Pancreatrophin PMG. I’ve contacted my clients who were taking these products, but I know there are many of you that take products you obtain from other sources. The Lot number is L114. Lot numbers are printed on all boxes and on the neck of all product bottles.

I had to do quite a bit of digging before I was told which specific ingredient was contaminated with E. coli (I know. . .many of my vegan/vegetarian clients always suspect that it was some glandular). That was not the case in this instance. It was the alfalfa. The FDA found that some paperwork stated that there was E. coli in this particular batch of alfalfa that was supplying alfalfa for these products (and they didn’t bother to stop it at that point?) Anyway, it was processed before it went into product which killed the E. coli. Subsequent testing within the Standard Process Inc. company’s own research lab found no contaminants. Also, there have been no reported instances of illness from taking these products, but one can never be too careful out here in the food supplement world.

Think your milk is safe? Think again. Dairy Cattle are now being fed cookies, gummy worms, marshmallows, fruit loops, orange peels, even dried cranberries. Cattlemen are feeding virtually anything they can get their hands on that will replace the starchy sugar content traditionally delivered to the animals through corn since the price of corn has gone up quite a bit this year due to drought. Great, just what we need. . .more chemicals and dyes in our food. I was just appalled at this. Read more: https://www.vancouversun.com/health/farmers+turn+gummy+worms+fruit+loops+feed+cows+after+corn+shortage/7287131/story.html#ixzz2BBePqoVk

When I ask my clients what they drink besides water, it’s rare that they tell me they drink energy drinks. Good thing, too! This in the news lately:

FDA: 5 Reported Deaths With Monster Drink Link. “The highly caffeinated Monster Energy Drink has been cited in five deaths and one non-fatal heart attack, according to reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating. The reports claim that people had adverse reactions after they consumed Monster Energy Drink, which comes in 24-ounce cans and contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, or seven times the amount of the caffeine in a 12-ounce cola.” Read more here: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fda-reported-deaths-monster-drink-link-17537828#.UJWup1JvFfx

For a list of energy drinks: https://naturalhealthtechniques.com/list-of-energy-drinks.htm (Who would have thought there were this many on the market?)

Case of the Month: Nightshades in the diet

It has been several years now that I had discovered on my own that I was allergic to the solanaceous family (the nightshades). Nightshades include: Potato, tomato, eggplant, peppers (both sweet and hot varieties), tomatillo, mustard greens, tobacco, mandrake, nightshade, belladonna, garden huckleberries and ground cherries.

I was discussing this controversy with a client a while back and she sent some links which I have listed at the bottom of this article summary. So I’ve been validated—but it doesn’t make things easier. . . especially if you go out to eat or socialize at all. Nightshades are in all the “favorite” dishes.

Here’s a summary of that article: Nightshade foods and why to avoid them:

Nightshades contain nicotine (solanine), and tomatine which all block acetylcholine at the nerve ending. Small doses of nicotine affect the brain to produce calmness but larger doses cause overstimulation of the nerves which can lead to muscle weakness, muscle twitching, hypertension, increased intestinal contractions and increased secretions of tears, sweat, saliva, gastric and intestinal glands.

Fun Facts About Nightshades:

• Macrobiotic dieters do not eat nightshades.
• Tomatoes are listed on the AVOID list for ALL blood types.
• If we were to have discovered the nightshades in today’s world, the FDA would have a law against eating them because they are too high in acetylcholinesterase inhibitors which is the substance solanaceous plants contain that negatively affects our nervous systems.
• To make matters worse, non-organic vegetables are often sprayed with organophosphates and carbamates that also work as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. These substances were used in World War II as nerve gas. Organophosphates were used by livestock farmers years back as growth-promoters.
• Because these substances cause muscle weakness and increase secretions of digestive fluids, this causes the animal to exercise less and eat more, thereby fattening them up more quickly.
• If a human ate eight cigarettes and had never smoked, this would most likely be a lethal dose. Livestock can be poisoned (and die) if they eat too many nightshade leaves (including tomato leaves).

People with the following diseases often find that eating nightshades makes their symptoms worse:

• Arthritis
• Asthma (especially evident during sleep)
• Eczema and Psoriasis
• Smokers (those trying to quit may have better luck detoxing by eliminating nightshades)
• Cystitis and interstitial cystitis
• Lupus
• People who are receiving chemotherapy

Potatoes: If the potato has green skin or black streaks through it or tastes bitter when tasted raw (after being peeled) you should throw it out. It has too much solanine poison in it to be safe. Pregnant women should not eat potatoes as it has been associated with headless babies (anencephaly) and spina bifida.  I tried to find a picture of the headless baby, but . . .oh. . . I’m just kidding. How sick is that!? . . . (I now hear one of my brothers saying, “It’s not funny, Denice!” I’d respond by saying, “Lighten up.”)

The highest incidence of spina bifida occurs in Ireland where wet climate encourages late potato blight. Eating potatoes with no green skin is much safer–store potatoes in brown bags and in a dark place so the skins don’t turn green.

Peppers and capsicums were rare in the Western diet until the 1980s. Now they are widely available. Peppers contain solanine and solanadine which are nicotine compounds unique to nightshades.

Nomato products are an alternative for tomato products. They contain no tomato. Purchase them in your local health food store or Co-op. Here’s the link for Nomato products:  https://nomato.com/index.htm Nomato is made from vegetables and seasonings (carrots, beets, onions and spices). It contains no soy, dairy, wheat, gluten, nuts and of course no tomato.

I found this alarming (from the Whole Foods website): “Some researchers have speculated that nightshade alkaloids can contribute to excessive loss of calcium from bone and excessive depositing of calcium in soft tissue. For this reason, these researchers have recommended elimination of nightshade foods from the meal plans of all individuals with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other joint problems like gout.”

One common question I get often these days is, “Are purple potatoes OK to eat them?” No. Sorry.

It’s always so amazing to see people purchase all these plants from our nursery stock every year (in great quantities I might add). I guess some people are luckier and have fewer allergies than I do.

I’m still trying to picture the headless baby. Hmmm. Moving on now.

Helpful links and references on Nightshades and their associated alkaloids:

• From Whole Foods website: https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62

Thanks to Trish LeClair for sending the following links:

• New England Journal of Medicine: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199308053290619
• Nightshade family in general: https://www.organicfoodee.com/inspiration/craig/nightshadefoods/

Product of the Month: Nightshade Allersode (ANIGHT)

I know I’ve told you all before that just one bite of green pepper for me lead to fibromyalgia symptoms three days after ingesting it. MAN, does that hurt! One homeopathic allersode made by Professional Complementary Health Formulations for Nightshades helps calm down these symptoms.

Nightshade Allersode (ANIGHT) Contains most of the common nightshades we eat in addition to a couple supportive agents: Ingredients: Adrenal 3x, 4x, ACTH 6x, 30x, Histaminum hydrochloricum 12x, Liver 6x, 12x, Chilis, Eggplant, Ground Cherries, Mustard Greens, Peppers (red/green), Tobacco, Tomato, Potatoes (red/white), Mushroom all at 6x, 12x, 60x, 100x (I have no idea why mushrooms are in this mix—are they a nightshade?)

Media Reviews: (Book) Journey of Souls–Case Studies of Life between Lives

Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life between Lives by Michael Newton, PH.D. Dr. Michael Newton, a certified Master Hypnotherapist and initially a self-proclaimed atheist, began regressing clients in his practice to access memories of former lives.

He wasn’t prepared for the fact that some of these clients began describing what was happening BETWEEN lifetimes. His curiosity piqued. He eventually limited his practice only to discovering what was happening to souls between lives, regressing hundreds of patients and asking as many questions over a period of many years.

After developing and refining many of the techniques used in his practice, eventually he wrote, in a case-study fashion, three books on these topics answering questions one doesn’t even dream to ask. This is the first of the three books. His third book is for the practitioner describing his regression techniques and how to use them in their own practices.

Michael’s journey started when a client came to see him about chronic pain in his right side. Under hypnosis to intensify the pain (a technique used to manage pain using hypnosis) the patient uncovered a former life in World War I as a soldier in France who was killed by a bayonet. Dr. Newton discovered that chronic, unresolved and  psychosomatic illnesses in this lifetime are often a result of past life issues. Sometimes the process of regression allows the issue to dissipate in this lifetime.

It didn’t take long for Dr. Newton to realize that our deep-seated memories offer a set of past experiences too real to be ignored. His next patient enticed him to ask more questions in the area of life between lives rather inadvertently by asking her if she missed a group of friends. The patient, breaking into tears replied, “I miss some friends in my group and that’s why I get so lonely on Earth.” After questioning her further about where this group of friends was actually located, she replied, “Here, in my permanent home.”

I thought you’d be interested in a snippet of a case that Dr. Newton writes about in this first book.

From the Death and Departure Chapter 1: “I’m rising up higher . . . still floating . . .looking back at my body. It’s like watching a movie, only I’m in it! The doctor is comforting my wife and daughter. My wife is sobbing (subject wiggles with discomfort in his chair). I’m trying to reach into her mind. . .to tell her everything is all right with me. . .I want her to know my suffering is gone.”

Chapters 2 and 3 describe what happens once you go to the light and through the tunnel into the spirit world. Who meets you on the other side? Relatives? Friends? Are you alone? What guides you to go to a place where you can veg out for a bit before getting back to work in that big classroom in the sky? Who are these Guides who watch over you your entire life?

On suicide: Although there is no such thing as punishment on the other side, your guides and soul group make it known that they are not happy with you if you’ve decided to shorten your own life through the process of suicide. An exception here is when a body is in chronic physical pain. The soul, when suicide happens, spends time in a healing room where the soul is repaired and rejuvenated before the next trip down. Progression of the soul’s journey is slowed with suicide.

Chapter 4 is a popular chapter containing several case studies of clients who answer questions like what happens to murderers and other disturbed souls who have performed evil acts in a lifetime? What if you don’t accept the fact that you’ve died (ghosts). It discusses those souls that do not go to the Light and how that all shakes down. Dr. Newton’s subjects explain that no soul is inherently evil and that often souls will be damaged by poor life choices. Some souls spend a LOT of time alone before being re-integrated to a group setting. They do not progress very quickly. Is there a hell?

Dr. Newton notes that when his intrusion into a soul’s journey seems clumsy or unnecessary, the soul’s guides will block a subject’s response with silence or answer in obscure metaphoric language. Dr. Newton has developed many tricks over the years on how to regress a soul most effectively and how best to ask questions to get the answers the client came for. These strategies are written up in his third book on the topic, Life Between Lives: Hypnotherapy for Spiritual Regression.

Dr. Newton realized during the first years of doing this type of work that there are younger souls and more advanced souls and that the soul will emanate certain colors or auras depending on the progression of the soul. He notes that a soul group or pod of souls usually has a similar color and doesn’t often interact with other colors unless it’s for teaching purposes. Advancement does not make one soul “better” than another.

Everyone on the other side is dedicated to helping each other. There is no judgment, no ill feelings towards one another (even if they’ve given you a really awful time in this lifetime) and an endless amount of patience. Souls overall are concerned with the advancement of ALL souls and are very dedicated to this process.

When asked about seeing God, I did not read one case study in the two books I read written by him that said they had seen God, although many souls stated that they knew God or a higher power existed and could feel the energy of a Higher Power and that it was innately known that a Higher Power existed.

Most souls choosing to come to Earth keep returning to Earth because it’s just too difficult to change directions and learn about a new planet once you have spent a few lifetimes in one place. Souls are allowed to vacation on other planets between lifetimes. The soul feels that by switching planets, it stagnates the progress of the soul. All souls Dr. Newton talked to about this felt that incarnating on more than one planet slowed down their spiritual progression.

Apparently we get to choose what lessons we will focus on when we incarnate, where we will be on the planet and which parents we will have. We are able to go to an IMAX type of movie theater before birth where we see snippets of our lives and what they will or could accomplish in the pre-planning stage. We then get to interact with other souls and work out a game plan and back up plans for accomplishing our goals.

Major players in our lives trigger subconscious memories of what they look, act and smell like so that we stop and spend more time with these souls upon reincarnating. We spend much time on the other side memorizing these specific cues so that we don’t miss our connections after reincarnating because we know we forget most everything from this pre-screening experience once we slip into the infants brain and integrate with them. We get to choose the bodies we enter, even matching character flaws with temperament for specific growth patterns. Apparently the soul enters the baby between 3-9 months in utero and melds with the baby’s brain. (This part of the book was a bit of a reach for me.)

If it’s so good on the other side, then why would souls just not choose to stay there? Well, people choose to reincarnate because without a body their studies take longer to accomplish states Dr. Newton. One reason why people choose bodies with physical challenges is that they can spiritually accelerate the pace of their lessons.

What about deep-seated family issues? There are spiritual reasons for our being raised as children around certain kinds of people, just as other people are designated to be near certain adults. Gee, if we only knew why we had to endure some of these things! Why can’t it be more obvious? Maybe we just don’t understand the big picture here. Apparently the spirit world is the center of divine compassion. I know many of you are thinking that if it’s so compassionate, couldn’t they make things a bit easier down here?

When people talk of chance, happenstance or impulses, or meet crucial contacts that have shifted their life paths and life choices these are not chance happenings. These are pre-determined prior to birth.

Dr. Newton’s subjects tell him that the shock of being born is much more jarring than the death process. I think that people who are afraid of dying and that hold on to the very end really just haven’t remembered where they came from and where they are going back to. Fear of the unknown. Of course sometimes they don’t go back, but that’s a topic for a future newsletter.

Journey of Souls has been transcribed into ten languages. It’s quite the mind stretcher. I get the impression, although it’s not obvious, that being involved in this work has transformed Dr. Newton’s atheistic preference. For those who are afraid of death and dying or are wondering why all sorts of “bad stuff” happens to you in this lifetime, this book may give you some insight and answers.

As a side note, when I choose and read a book, I choose books for the best use of my time and for the truthfulness of the book through the use of muscle testing. If the truth of the book is less than 70%, it isn’t worth my time in trying to figure out what is real and what is “Memorex” if you know what I mean. And the book needs to vibrate a couple hundred points higher than the vibration of the present world (210). For anything vibrating over 500, a person can receive a healing just by reading it or being in the room with that person, sound, or object according Dr. David Hawkins Scale of Consciousness (from his book Power vs. Force if you’re interested). Journey of Soul’s tests out as 88% truth and it vibrates at 520. That was good enough for me to read it.

Ask Dr. Moffat:

Hi Dr. Moffat, I read your article about dermoids:  (https://naturalhealthtechniques.com/dspecificdiseasesdermoidcysts.htm) I recently got some info from the Universe that my puppy with an eye dermoid had a twin that did not survive and that this is somehow connected with his eye dermoid and also his separation anxiety. I did not even know prior to this that dogs had twins. I had looked around online and all I have seen is about ovarian dermoids being connected with vanishing twin. Could this be possible with my dog and if so, is there anything that can be done? My regular vet just recommended surgery. Homeopathic vet suggested Thuja in a 10M dose, which I gave him to build him up. Anyway, just thought I would see what your thoughts might be. Thanks. Sandy

Dear Sandy: Dogs and cats have many twins that don’t make it to birth because fertile eggs may not embed on the correct parts of the uterine horns within the female’s body or the fertilized egg is defective. Very common. The Thuja won’t work in this case. Sorry.  I don’t exactly know how to handle a case like that except to use the standard methods to overcome separation anxiety. I’ve discussed separation anxiety in the media book review, The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell. You can read that review here: https://naturalhealthtechniques.com/the-dog-listener.htm

As for the cyst itself, the best bet would be to have it surgically removed before it gets too large, Sandy. If the dermoid continues to grow in size, a larger area of tissue needs to be removed. This type of eyelid surgery can eliminate many of the mebomium glands in the eyelid itself which could be saved right now if you choose to have the surgery done sooner than later. Mebomium glands produce tiny amounts of oil which is released into the tears. The purpose of this oil is to prevent the tears from evaporating too quickly. Without the proper amount, the eye would dry out and become what is called “dry eye” or kerato conjunctivitis sicca (KCS for short) and you’d have to put eye drops into the dog’s eye for the rest of its life if you didn’t want the eye to be damaged. An animal may go blind in that affected eye eventually (from it being so dry). Just a side note here—a blocked mebomium gland is called a stye. Thanks for finding my site. I hope that answers your question. Denice

Tips and Tricks for a Healthier Life

Five Alternatives to using Pectin or Certo: Pectins, Pomona and ChillOver Powder for Jams and Jellies

Many multiple chemical sensitives are allergic to jams and jellies because of the sulfites within the gelling products. One of the challenges in this arena is that there are few organic alternatives and the organic alternatives are quite spendy. We do carry Food Additive Detox Drops for sulfite allergies, but if you don’t have to use them, and you make your own jams and jellies, then why not start out sulfite free? Here’s what’s available so you can make your own choices. Happy canning season!

Most pectins have preservatives, including sodium or potassium benzoate. Preservatives are what are known as biocides. Organic farmers and/or consumers don’t want biocides in their food. According to Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_benzoate “in combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate may form benzene, a known carcinogen. Heat, light and shelf life can affect the rate at which benzene is formed.” Since the goal of pectins is to preserve things so that they last longer, this seems to be a challenge and contradiction when it comes to benzoates.

Pomona brand low methoxyl (LM) pectin has no preservatives but Pomona pectin is made, just like its preservative-laden cousins, from the by-products of processing non-organic fruit. Low Methoxyl (LM) pectins are chemically modified so they gel with the use of calcium rather than sugar. I tried Pomona Pectin this last year during jam and jelly season and I found it a bit tricky to work with. The package directions were not that understandable. Some jams set really well, but with others I couldn’t seem to figure out how much to put into the batch and it ended up not setting well at all. Also of note, once a bottle of jam is opened it needs to be used up within a shorter time than jams/jellies preserved with other pectins, so if you’re eating for one or two, you may want to can your jams in 4 oz. jars instead of larger jars. Another downfall is that Pomona pectin seems overpriced. It costs between $4.50 and $5.00 per ounce. The cheapest price on-line for 1 lb. bulk Pomona is $47.95 (https://www.canningpantry.com/pounpe1lbbup.html).

Gel-EZ Lite LM pectin. You can purchase this for $13.95 a pound https://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=IN1521), but it contains preservatives. Gel-EZ Lite also contains maltodextrin, a sugar, so you must use twice as much to get the same jelling action.

Making your own pectin from organic fruit. Since unripe apples have the most pectin and some of these fall to the ground, or can be easily picked, making your own pectin might be an idea. Other fruits (apricots, rhubarb and Italian prunes) are high in pectin as well. If you add a few unripe fruits to your batch of jams, this will assist a good gel. Here are some links for making pectin from unripe apples:

• https://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1980-05-01/Make-Your-Own-Pectin.aspx
• https://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/The_Forager/pectin.htm

Hawthorne berries are also high in natural pectins. The seeds however are high in cyanide so you don’t want to eat those. The claim to fame for Hawthorne berries is that they are high in pectin, so they have been added to other fruits to make jelly. Hawthorne berry itself often has little apparent taste. However some hawthorns are tasty enough in their own right to be made into jelly. Just ripe berries have the most pectin:; overripe berries the least. https://www.eattheweeds.com/the-crataegus-clan-food-poison-2/ Hawthorne is used by herbalists to strengthen the heart muscle. Just don’t eat the seeds.

ChillOver Powder from www.maryjanesfarm.com  ChillOver powder is made from Agar-agar Kanten  and makes superior jams. It can be purchased in bulk. It is also used as a gelatin replacement,  to make homemade yogurt–anything that needs to be thickened. To purchase: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/store/p/65-ChillOver-174-Powder.aspx

Did you know that commercial jams and jellies also contain corn syrup to prevent the product from crystalizing after it has been opened and refrigerated?

And speaking of thickening agents: More and more manufacturers are looking for gluten-free substitutes when it comes to offering baked goods to gluten intolerant people.

Xanthan gum is one of those thickening agents used in the place of gluten for baking. But what IS xanthan gum? Well, have you ever seen a cauliflower rot? See that black moldy stuff on it? This is the bacteria used to make xanthan gum. Read more here: https://www.livestrong.com/article/315249-xanthan-gum-side-effects/

There’s a new sugar substitute on the market. Suchero. It’s made from coconut sap and is a low glycemic organic natural sweetener that has been minimally processed (not like the white form of Stevia or Just Like Sugar). Thought you’d all like to check into it since coconut stuff is big these days. I emailed asking how it was processed and got this reply: “Suchero comes from the nutritious sap of organic Cocos nucifera trees. The sap, oyster white liquid, is collected and heated to let the water content evaporate until Suchero granules are formed.  The Suchero granules are further dried in convection ovens to achieve an equilibrium moisture level, then cooled and packed ready for shipment.  Our process is 100% natural and organic – no additives, no artificial flavoring, no coloring, no preservatives and no chemicals.  Suchero is unbleached, unfiltered and unrefined”. Here’s the website: https://suchero.com/

Denice’s Note: Most blood types do not tolerate coconut products well because of the lectins within coconut. It either floculates or thickens the blood serum or accentuates the toxicity of other foods. (Reference: https://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/depictor5.pl?2 ).

Client Testimonials:

Dear Dr. Moffat: There are some things I realize you do that I think are really helpful – you ask for how many days or weeks to take something and also you take the body back to early morning before any supplements have been taken. . . Also, you ask if the supplements work together. . .

Denice’s note: Well thanks! It took me years and years before I figured out I could be more accurate by asking additional questions like “Is this the best product and brand name for this body.” I’ve also noticed we can become more accurate by asking your own guides and angels to be in on the consult. They know what you eat, your emotional challenges now and coming up and even your economic issues. My own guides are more medically focused and don’t know that much about you so it’s helpful for them to work with your guides. I’m glad you appreciate that energy.

This was a tough one. . .

Hi Dr. Denice, Can you recommend something I can give our dog Tank for pain in his spine?  He’s really starting to get bothered by it and I’m afraid it’s almost time to put him down.  He mostly hurts at night, seems better during the day. Thanks, RB

Dear RB: I think you’re right. I’m testing that his pain scale is quite up there (7 out of 10) right now. Nothing “natural” is going to do a good job for that kind of pain. Do you have a local vet?  Denice

Dr. Denice, we decided to have Tank put down tonight.  He was in a lot of pain, like you said and I don’t think he would have had any quality of life if we’d kept him medicated.  I want to thank you for all you did for him and I’m grateful I had him for 2 years after his cancer diagnosis.  My husband said he went peacefully-he was having such a hard time breathing this afternoon, I didn’t think he’d struggle. Thank you again, RB.

Healthy Recipes: Gluten Free Banana Bread

From the Kitchen of Dr. Denice Moffat

• 1 1/2 cups Creamy Roasted Almond Butter, brought to room temperature
• 4 tablespoons Almond Oil
• 6 large Duck Eggs
• 2 tablespoons Agave Nectar
• 1/3 cup Organic Granulated Cane Sugar
• ½ cup Blanched Almond Flour
• ½ cup Arrowroot Powder
• ½ teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ tea Cinnamon Powder
• 3 mashed Bananas

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 4 x 9-inch metal loaf pan with butter and dust with almond flour.

1. In a large bowl, mix the almond butter and almond oil with a hand held mixer until smooth, then blend in the eggs and agave nectar.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda and cinnamon.
3. Blend the almond flour mixture into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined, then fold in mashed bananas.
4. Pour the batter into the loaf pans.
5. Bake for 35 to 55 minutes on the middle rack of the oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 1 hour, then serve.

Makes 2 loaves (about 24 slices). Freezes well.

Inspiration & Perspective:

“If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits into your energy accounts of life, you will be out of balance and overdrawn. Know when to close the account.” Who said that? I don’t know, but I like it.

The Window

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.  As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.’

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. ‘Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.’

The origin of this letter is unknown although when I tried to look up the name of the author there were many, many sites where this story had been used in sermons for various religions. I couldn’t even find a title for it. I guess we all fit into the plagiarism category for reposting this one!

Have you ever heard of Murmuration activity? I didn’t know what it was and hadn’t learned about it in my studies in Animal Science, Veterinary school or even in my Ecology class while attending Eastern Washington University studying for my Master’s degree. Here’s an awesome video of what birds can do as they fly. Enjoy: https://vimeo.com/31158841  (Wow!)

What’s New at Our House?

We had a thunder/lightning storm this summer which caught about 140 acres of slash and 2^nd growth timber on fire about 5 miles from our home. We weathered the smoke from that fire for days. Several crack teams of firefighters came to help put the fire out. We are SO blessed—all of us in our country—to have people fly in from all over the United States and Canada to save our homes. It’s just an amazing process. For a month or two after that many new fires within 200 miles of us produced smoke which made it difficult to work outside—we were still out there watering for 4-8 hrs each day because the plants didn’t pay any attention at all to those fires. I ended up taking Smoke Allersode drops. It was a tough time for all my local “lunger” cases.

Michael and I grew flowers for the Deary Days Float and the Stanton Horse trials for these two August events. We’ve wateried over 35 pots of flowers every day for those events. Sure did make our back porch look pretty. My preference is to have a beautiful view from every window in the house. I’ve got a couple of window views to go, but this was the view from our kitchen window for several months this year:

 

Here’s a photo of us at Deary Days Aug. 3, 2012. The Avon Busy Bees sold homemade strawberry shortcake. Many of the group (including us) harvested the strawberries from our own patches.

We had an early frost this year—Sept 10 and 11 so we gleaned like crazy people and harvested about 500 pounds of winter squash, 100 pounds of summer squash and zucchini, 250 pounds of tomatoes (which we don’t eat except for a bit of color on our salads), 10 gallons of peppers and there were about 60 more heads of cabbage left to go to the food banks after that. (That’s them under the quick hoops on the right in the photo below.)

On Sept, 23^rd our local food bank volunteers, the new Seventh Day Adventist minister and his wife and our farm members and their friends harvested the 240 feet of potatoes, a row of cabbages and two long rows of celery (we did a celery variety trial this year) we grew for the local food banks. What a turnout! We all had a great time.  Thanks to everyone who helped.

Earlier I processed massive amounts of kale and my first batch of collard greens. This photo shows about half of what we harvested that day.

Michael and I picked 22 pounds of Bing cherries from just one tree at Nelson Orchards in Troy, ID on our anniversary so our freezer is stuffed to the gills.We didn’t even have to step onto a ladder. Just moved the truck right underneath the tree and picked like crazy.

For the last few months we’ve spent several hours each day trying to keep the plants happy by watering 4-8 hrs. each day. It was a really hot summer. We’re kind of looking forward to slowing down a bit.

We hosted two farm tours this year and one workshop on Quick Hoops for season extension.

We’re looking forward to spending a year working in the forest our house lives on and cleaning brush up from the logging that was done before we moved here December 24, 2008. I’ve been finishing arbors as the vines get to the top of the half-finished arbors and have finally figured out how to make them square! Michael helped me with the lid on this one and also helped me lift of the pre-made sides. The toughest part was to drill holes to attach the top bars to the side bars. I decided it was most stable to use pegs instead of nails or screws. I think this one will be fabulous once the trumpet vines cover it. Well, it already is in my eyes!

Local Events:  Natural Health Technique’s Second Annual BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL 50% OFF Consults.

Nov. 23^rd through Nov. 25th, 2012. Anyone making an appointment for the month of December or January via email or telephone on Nov. 23^rd through Nov. 25th, 2012 will receive a 50% discount on their phone consultation (special includes new or existing clients–supplements not included.)

That’s it for this month. Be well.

Dr. Denice Moffat

https://NaturalHealthTechniques.com