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NHT News. Vol. 2 No. 5 May 2006

Denice Moffat

NATURAL HEALTH TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER

May, 2006   Volume 2 No. 5 

(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.)   

In This Issue:

Health In the News: Beware of Possible Contaminated Moldy Food  Contamination of a certain brand of dog food with moldy corn was discovered December 20, 2005. The food had been recalled, and the company set up a toll-free hotline to answer questions related to the incidence. I received the tip from an email. As I didn’t want to put out misinformation, I did not put this into last month’s newsletter. Instead, I called the hotline and did some digging. 

Trending
Life in Five Short Chapters

The reason why I bring this up is that something like this could happen at any time.  Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical that comes from a fungus found on corn and other grains that causes severe liver damage.  This is a reminder that feeding moldy food can cause life-threatening, permanent liver damage. So, eat fresh, rotate your stock, and use high-quality foods or foods that you can trust the source of. 

My email buddies tell me to check out www.Snopes.com  chronicles hundreds of scams and misinformation that fly through the internet world. For this article, I just called the source.

The Hazards of Soy

For years I have purchased soy milk, stocked it on my shelf, told myself I should open it and include it into my diet. After opening it though, it just sits in the refrigerator for a month or two. Then, of course, it’s too old to drink, so I throw it down the sink and the cycle repeats itself a couple months later. Now I believe that my body was telling me that it didn’t want the soy milk as I’ve been reading up on the soy controversy lately. Here is a summary of that information. . .

Those magical isoflavones—the estrogen-like hormones that all work to help you stay young and healthy may not be the magical food that you have been led to believe. Soy is just one example of the many fad foods/ supplements/ cures that I find myself exposed to in trying to decipher the long-term health benefits before sharing them with my clients.

Soy has been marketed as a health food when, at one time, it was only a toxic by-product of the vegetable oil industry. To this day, use of soy protein is labeled as GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) only for use as a cardboard binder. This means that soy protein must be subject to pre-market approval procedures each time manufacturers intend to use it as a food or add it to a food.

Hmm. . . .that doesn’t sound right, does it? Don’t we eat soy in lots of things now?

Advances in technology make it possible to produce Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) from what was once considered a waste product—defatted, high-protein soy chips—transforming something that looks and smells terrible into products that can be consumed by human beings. Flavorings, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers and synthetic nutrients have turned SPI, the food processors’ nightmare into a virtual fat hog.

All soybean producers pay a mandatory assessment of one-half to one per cent of the net market price of soybeans. The total—something like $80 million annually—supports United Soybean’s program (https://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/mpb/rp-soy.htm) to “strengthen the position of soybeans in the marketplace and maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets for soybeans and soybean products.”

Soy milk, made from raw soy, has posted the biggest gains, soaring from $2 million in 1980 to $300 million in the United States last year. Recent advances in processing have transformed the gray, thin, bitter, beany-tasting Asian beverage into a product that Western consumers will accept.

The soybean did not serve as a food until the discovery of fermentation techniques, some time during the Zhou Dynasty around 690-705 A.D. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Dynasty . The first soy foods were fermented products like tempeh, natto, miso and soy sauce. At a later date, possibly in the 2nd century BC, Chinese scientists discovered that a purée of cooked soybeans could be precipitated with calcium sulfate or magnesium sulfate (Plaster of Paris or Epsom salts) to make a smooth, pale curd they called tofu or bean curd.

The Chinese never ate unfermented soybeans as they did other legumes such as lentils, because the soybean contains large quantities of natural toxins or “antinutrients.” These antinutrients are not completely deactivated during ordinary cooking. They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, diets high in these antinutrients called trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer.

Other harmful substances in soy products include haemagglutinin, goitrogens, phytic acid, nitrates, phytoestrogens (in large amounts.)

Haemagglutinin is a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together.

Trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinin are growth inhibitors that are deactivated during the process of fermentation. In precipitated products (like tofu,) enzyme inhibitors concentrate in the soaking liquid rather than in the curd. Thus, in tofu and bean curd, growth depressants are reduced in quantity but not completely eliminated.

Soy also contains goitrogens – substances that depress thyroid function. This is a major concern of mine as I see our population having more and more thyroid issues with each passing year.

Soybeans are also high in phytic acid, present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. Phytic acid can block the uptake of essential minerals—calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc—in the intestinal tract. Scientists are in general agreement that grain and legume-based diets high in phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world countries.            

The Japanese have traditionally eaten small amounts of tofu or miso as part of a mineral-rich fish broth, followed by a serving of meat or fish. This is not how vegetarians and vegans consume soy. The results of calcium, magnesium and iron deficiency are well known; those of zinc are less so. These are the exact mineral deficiencies I have been seeing in my practice.

Many people in my practice now come in with that tell-tale tan chin, indicative of iron deficiency. They are low in energy and worried about osteoporosis, but  they look like thyroid cases.  Their thumbs point toward their hips as they stand and walk instead of pointing forward, and they carry more weight evenly dispersed on their body. Most of my clients are also low in zinc.

Zinc is needed for optimal development and functioning of the brain and nervous system, it is used in protein synthesis, collagen formation,in the blood-sugar control mechanism thus protecting against diabetes, and is needed for a healthy reproductive system. Zinc is a key component in numerous vital enzymes and plays a role in healthy immune system function.

Soy processors have worked hard to get these antinutrients out of the finished product, particularly soy protein isolate (SPI), the key ingredient in most soy foods that imitate meat and dairy products, including baby formulas and some brands of soy milk.

Nitrites, which are potent carcinogens, are formed during the spray-drying process of making Soy Protein Isolate (SPI). Test animals fed SPI develop enlarged organs, particularly the pancreas and thyroid gland, and increased deposition of fatty acids in the liver.

So, why are SPI and textured vegetable protein used extensively in school lunch programs, commercial baked goods, diet beverages and fast food products? (Yikes!) Soy is also heavily promoted in third world countries and forms the basis of many food giveaway programs.

Researchers studying soy-based foods in one school research project noted several alarming symptoms after children ate soy-based meals including: “occasional” vomiting, periods of moderate diarrhea, upper respiratory infections, rashes and fever.

Do the Japanese really have less cancer than Americans? Some researchers say so. The Japanese, who allegedly eat 30 times as much soy as North Americans, have a lower incidence of cancers of the breast, uterus and prostate. BUT the Japanese, and Asians in general, have much higher rates of other types of cancer; particularly cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, thyroid and liver.

Just how much soy do Asians really eat? A Cornell study conducted by Colin T. Campbell in 1998 found that the average daily amount of soy protein consumed in Japan was about eight grams for men, and seven for women. This is only less than two teaspoons. Do Japanese really eat more soy than Americans? At this point, I don’t think so.

Except in times of famine, Asians consume soy products only in small amounts, as condiments—not as a replacement for animal foods—with one exception. Celibate monks living in monasteries and leading a vegetarian lifestyle find soy foods quite helpful—because they dampen libido.

So what are the side-effects of too much soy? (These are only in alphabetical order and not by the proportion of incidence.)

In 1991, Japanese researchers reported that consumption of as little as 30 grams or two tablespoons of soybeans per day for only one month resulted in a significant increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone, and 100 grams of soy protein, (promoted for its bone-building isoflavones and cholesterol-lowering effects) contains the estrogenic equivalent of the Pill. In vitro studies suggest that isoflavones inhibit synthesis of estradiol and other steroid hormones.

It is the isoflavones in infant formula that gives me the most cause for concern.

Feeding soy milk replacer began in the 1970’s. By 1998, investigators reported that the daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant formula is six to eleven times higher on a body-weight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults consuming soy foods. Circulating concentrations of isoflavones in infants fed soy-based formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than plasma estradiol concentrations in infants on cow’s milk formula. Approximately 25% of bottle-fed children in the United States receive soy-based formula.

One researcher estimated that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day. Almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products.

In children, soy anecdotes have included:

Can’t have dairy? There are options. Other combinations of formulas that may take a bit more time to make for your baby include mixtures of carrot juice, oat milk, almond milk, goat and rice milk. See: https://www.naturodoc.com/library/children/formula.htm  or https://www.westonaprice.org/children/formula-faqs.html#homemade

If the mother is large-breasted, it also helps to use a breast pump, complete the milking and combine all three fractions of milk. If the baby only gets the first fraction, which is more watery and has less protein, it makes the baby gassy. Also, if the mother eats lots of raw fruits and vegetables, she will have lots of milk and the milk will be healthier for the baby. I’ve personally seen a midwife adopt a newborn baby, take milk-producing herbs, and nurse the baby herself for a year using her own breasts! Herbs can be very powerful when you know which ones to use.

Other purists recommend raw, unpasteurized milk, saying that the baby will not be allergic to this since the proteins within the milk have not been modified from the pasteurizing process or from using microwave ovens. You will have to make your own decisions and choices with this (know your source!) as this type of milk can be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria.

Some references:

Case of the Month: Psoriasis and Eczema

I’m seeing lots of dry skin, psoriasis, and eczema cases lately. It seems that I have a gift for helping people with these challenges although dog and cat cases are not as easy. Why? One reason may be that allergens are absorbed into the body via the skin, nasal passages, lungs, or digestive tract.  Now, 30% of all the toxins we produce in our bodies are expelled through the skin. Let’s face it . . . it’s difficult to give your pet a bath every day, so we don’t have that tool for our arsenal of allergy management. 

I thought you’d like some tips on how to manage allergies this month. 

I have HUGE amounts of experience with this type of thing. I was gifted with having skin dis-ease most of my life (for about 40 years of it!) As a child I was hospitalized for dermatitis at various times. One time, I was even put in a straight jacket as I self-mutilated on a regular basis (boy, does that feel good!) I guess what bothered me most about the whole thing is that not one doctor asked me what I wanted to do and what kind of treatment I would be comfortable trying. Basically they just used me as a guinea pig, dispensing the latest, greatest treatments that they knew of and occasionally doing a regime of antibiotics, steroids and bowel cleansings. I remember once eating only rye-tack for a week to clear out my body for some allergy skin testing.  I think it was harder on my mom than it was on me to tell me I couldn’t eat with the rest of the family and “Wouldn’t I like another piece of rye-tack?” I was allergic to eggs, chocolate and tomatoes . . . imagine that!

Fortunately I grew out of these allergies, but now have allergies to all kinds of foods, sulfites, nitrates, MSG, antibiotics, phenol, formaldehyde, squirrels, guinea pigs, nuts, peppers (causes fibromyalgia signs), pollens, environmental toxins, paints, petrochemicals, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and who knows what else. These allergies show up in a variety of ways in my system, but the easiest thing to control are the skin symptoms.

I found, over the years, that I was a better doctor by listening to my body and what it liked than the doctors and their allergy tests.  Gee, when a kid almost vomits at the smell of hot dogs or upchucks their cream of wheat, I think that’s a pretty good sign there is a problem with the food . . . The body is rejecting it.

Dogs and cats are pretty good at telling you what they need as well, but if you only give them one choice of food, they just choose not to eat as much. I’m tending towards raw food diets for pets these days, often called BARF diets. They are now quite available in the freezer section of most pet stores. Testing for the individual foods to put into the foods, the volume, and making big batches is often worth the extra effort as specialized allergy diets can be very expensive.

One can’t do much about your hereditary predisposition to allergies, so the next best thing is to minimize, eliminate and manage certain things within the allergy sufferers’ environment.

In general, here is what I’ve found works best for skin signs such as psoriasis and eczyma:

Ask Dr. Moffat

Question: How do I know if I’m having a stroke?  Answer: Recognizing a stroke—3 Easy Questions to ask
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three
simple questions:

Ask the individual to SMILE.
Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. I would personally take an aspirin immediately or pop a few capsules of Ginkgo biloba to thin my blood temporarily (to prevent additional clotting.)

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

And, as an ex-EMT, I would urge EVERYONE to have highly visible house numbers. Every minute is crucial when an emergency like this occurs and it is totally aggravating to be driving around trying to find your house! If you have a partner, you can be sure they will want to stay with you instead of running out into the street to flag down an ambulance! Use highly contrasting colors and numbers big enough to read from the street. If you live out in the country, put your name somewhere on the entrance to your property, and make sure your blue RAIN (Rural Access Identification Number) sign is not covered by plants.

Question from Gi: I have read your fingernail analysis article and am trying to analyze the color of my nails.  I don’t think my nail color fits into any of your categories.  They appear to be the same color as the skin below my nails, almost like I have no nail . . . I only have a faint lunula on my thumbs and the rest are not visible.  I have vertical ridges on both thumbs. So what does this mean with regard to my health?

Answer: Nail evaluation is just only one piece to the jigsaw puzzle of your health, but from what you describe, you are not getting enough oxygenation to all the different organs (each finger represents a different part of the body.) I’ll have to tell you that over the years I’m coming to the conclusion that Americans just don’t breathe as deeply as they should (hence fewer than eight lunulae.) I have noticed some Oriental practitioners are convinced that it is just a matter of time before those people with less than eight lunulae end up with cancer. I’ve had cancer, and I also can’t seem to make all my lunulae show as they should. I know I don’t breathe deeply enough, but I’m doing better at that. Maybe there is an association, but I haven’t seen a solid one yet as lots of people have fewer than 8 lunulae who don’t have or get cancer. 

The thumb lunulae, if it is over 25% in height of the total nail, means that your heart and lungs are working too hard to get the blood out to the areas farthest from the heart. 

Is the color of your other membranes too light? If so, maybe you need more minerals in your diet. 

Vertical ridges mean that the small intestine is not absorbing as well as it should, and having vertical ridges on the thumbs mean lack of nutrients specifically to the reproductive organs. So do you have problems there? Or have they been surgically removed? Surgery to an area disrupts the blood supply to it and often the peripheral supply does not provide enough nutrients. You will have to be your own Sherlock Holmes on that without an exam. I highly recommend (and take myself) ionic minerals and liquid vitamins as they absorb better—I take the New Vision brand. Celtic Sea Salt has also been helpful in my life as it has all the minerals in it and has not been processed at high heats that make the minerals biologically unavailable. You can read about the minerals under Basics of Health/Ionic minerals. 

For more on Nail Analysis, go to my website under Exam Forms then Fingernail Analysis at www.NaturalHealthTechniques.com.  

Product of the Month: Allergy Allersodes

“Can I get another bottle of this? I’m out, it works great, and allergy season is here.” My clients say, as they hold up the tell-tale little brown bottle with its yellow label.

I thought at first that I was manifesting a placebo affect because these products worked so well, but over the years clients have come in every other year or so just to pick up a bottle of Tree Mix I or II when they run out. I never see them any other time. A bottle lasts anywhere from one month to two years depending on what you are trying to manage, how much you need and how short the exposure is.

My favorite allergy remedies come from Professional Complementary Health Formulas. The remedies are called allersodes. Allersodes are homeopathic drops that minutely stimulate the immune system to recognize, glom on to, and expel the allergy-causing organism from the body, usually through the kidneys or bowels. These particular allersodes contain homeopathics to support the adrenal gland and liver as well. I think that is one reason why they work so well.

It has always been difficult for me to comprehend that the more you dilute a homeopathic substance, the stronger it gets and the faster it works. But, you may need only a few treatments. I use low-dose homeopathic remedies in my practice because I can’t monitor my clients on a daily basis and most of my clients have only recently been introduced to homeopathics and natural medicine. It’s extremely rare that anyone has side-effects with using them. They are safer and you can use them for several months at a time if necessary. Each bottle costs $15, but often during an exam I will combine several remedies and make a custom formula for $20 (which saves a person quite a bit of money if they are shifting and changing and don’t need a whole bottle of several different remedies.)

The dosage is normally 17 drops three times daily for acute situations and 15 drops daily for chronic allergies. Here are a few of the remedies my clients and I have utilized over the years for various allergies causing skin problems, rhinitis, itchy eyes, irritability, asthma, depression, feelings of spaciness, and a slough of other symptoms:

Animal Mix—for allergies to Camel, Cat, Chicken, Cow, Dog, Duck, Fish, Goat, Guinea Pig, Horse, Llama, Mouse, Pheasant, Pig, Quail, Rabbit, Rat, Sheep and Turkey. 

Biting Insect Mix—for allergies to Bedbugs, Bees (5 Types), Chiggers, Cockroach, Deerfly, Flea, House Fly, Lice (Head And Body), Mosquito, Moth, Spider (5 Types), Ticks, and Wasps. Excellent product for your first aid kit because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated like epinephrine.

Flower Mix—for allergies to Aster, Camellia, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Daffodil, Daisy, Daphne, Gardenia, Gentian, Gladiola, Honeysuckle, Iris, Lilac, Lily, Larkspur, Lupine, Marigold, Oleander, Pansy, Petunia, Peony, Poppy, Rose, Snapdragon, and Tulips.

Household Dust & Molds—for allergies to Black Mold, Grain Dust, House Mold, House Dust, Lint, Mattress Dust, Mildew Dust, Paper Dust, Rug Dust, Upholstery Dust, Yeast (Baker’s/Brewer’s) and Dust Mites.

Grain & Seed Mix—for allergies to Barley, Corn, Cotton Seed, Flax Seed, Gliadin (whatever that is), Gluten, Millet, Milo, Oat, Poppy Seed, Rice (Brown/White), Rye, Safflower, Sesame, Sorghum, Soybean, Sunflower and Wheat.

Grass & Weed Mix—for allergies to Alfalfa, Amaranth, Bamboo, Chenopodium, Cocklebur, Dandelion, Fox Tail, Grease Wood, June Grass, Johnson Grass, Kapok, Lambs Quarters, Marsh Elder, Mugwort, Pampas Grass, Pigweed, Ragweed, Sage, Scale (All Scale/Wingscale/Lenscale), Scotch Broom, Sheep Sorrel, Yellow Dock, Red Top, Meadow Fescue, Sweet Vernal, Kentucky Blue, Orchard, Perineal Rye, Timothy, Red Clover, White Clover, Goldenrod, Velvet Grass, and Thistle.

Tree Mix I—for allergies to Alder, Ash, Birches, Cedars, Cottonwoods, Cypresses, Elms, Firs, Hemlock, Hickories, Junipers, Maples, Mulberries, Western Oaks, Eastern Oaks, Pines, Redwood, and Spruces.

Tree Mix II—for allergies to Acacia, Aspen, Bay, Elder, Eucalyptus, Fig, Flowering Apple, Flowering Cherry, Lilac, Magnolia, Mesquite, Oleander, Olive, Pepper, Privet, Sycamore, Tulip, and Willow.

Nightshade Mix—for allergies to Chilies, Eggplant, Ground Cherries, Mustard Greens, Peppers (Red/Green), Tobacco, Tomato, Potatoes (Red/White) and Mushroom.

Media Reviews: The Dog Whisperer by Jan Fennell

I’m always looking for books that will help my clients. Dog problems can be a big hassle, and by not knowing how to communicate with your pet, the pet can often end up being euthanized. This just tugs at your soul, and isn’t right.

 Animals are not disposable objects. If we take on the responsibility of having one, we need to do what we can to make their life and ours an enjoyable experience. Jan Fennell, in her book, The Dog Whisperer, discusses problems such as separation anxiety, biting, chasing cars/bicycles, soiling in inappropriate areas, pulling on the leash, and dog to dog aggression.

Here are a few tips I picked up by reading the book. I think you can safely use them even before you read the book.

To communicate successfully with our dogs, it is up to us to learn THEIR language. Dogs share a universal language—the language of the pack. A dog believes it is a functioning member of a community that operates according to principles directly descended from the wolf pack.

Dogs like routines they can count on. Placing lots of toys out for the pet is not effective. By doing this, you are establishing that the dog is the top dog of the pack (humans are included in the pack in the dog’s mind.) Because the Alpha dog (pack leader) would distribute and play with the toys only when they wanted to.

Dogs believe they are part of a social grouping and a pecking order that must be adhered to at all times. If we don’t utilize their language and establish the correct hierarchy, things can go wrong, because the dog immediately assumes it has been elected leader of the pack.

At the head of every pack is the Alpha pair. They are the strongest, healthiest, most intelligent and most experienced members of the pack. It is the Alpha pair’s job to ensure the pack’s survival. As a result, they dominate and dictate everything that the pack does and maintain that status through consistent displays of authority. The rest of the pack accepts this rule unfailingly and is content to know its place and function within this pecking order. Each member of the pack has a vital role and place within the pack. Maintaining this order establishes a happy and serene environment that the dog loves.

Establishing yourself as the leader of the pack must be practiced on four occasions: When the pack reunites for any reason; when it eats; when the pack is under attack; and when the pack goes on a hunt.

Jan had an interesting interpretation of separation anxiety. If the dog thinks it is the Alpha of the pack, it feels uncomfortable when you leave the pack (to go to the store, work, outside or even to the bathroom!) If your dog follows you around the house, it thinks it is the Alpha. If the dog destroys the molding of the door or rips out the carpets when you are gone, it’s an Alpha. As an example:

Bruce had severe separation anxiety. His anxiety was heightened by his owner’s mood. When she returned home from work and saw the mess that Bruce had made she yelled at him. Now, Bruce’s interpretation of his owner yelling and getting upset was that going out into the world was very upsetting to the owner. Wasn’t that obvious by the way she left in the morning acting happy and they way she came home at night all upset? As a result, Bruce became anxious whenever he saw his mother go out.

The situation was also exacerbated because the owner kept a basket of biscuits at the door. Food is provided by the leader. If there is food around all the time, then the dog must be the leader, because only the Alpha of the pack has that food available whenever it wants. Bruce never ate the biscuits because he was out of his mind with worry that his pack had been separated. He was falling down on the job.

The first thing Jan recommended for this case was to re-establish the pack structure. The first step was to adhere to the 5-minute rule. The next was to do some Amichien Bonding by doing what she calls “food gesturing.”

The five-minute rule: Whether the owner leaves the house or leaves the room to go to the garden or bathroom, the dog sees it as its child leaving the protective custody of the pack. Jan’s interpretation is that the dog does not know how long you will be gone, so when you come back into the room, you must reestablish leadership by ignoring the dog for five minutes. Do not acknowledge barking, licking or throw the toy that it brings you. Even by turning around and saying “stop it,” an owner is allowing the dog to achieve its aim. So, no eye contact, no conversation and no touching initially unless it is to gently push the dog away. This process takes about two weeks, but each dog is different and may need more or less of the bonding process to reestablish pack order.

In dog language leaders do not announce themselves coming OR going to subordinates of the pack. Leaders come and go as they please. An Alpha has its own personal space. No other dog is allowed to encroach into this space unless invited to do so. By rejecting or accepting the attention of other members who wish to enter their space, the Alpha pair reestablishes their primacy in the pack without ever resorting to cruelty or violence.

Jan explained the process of Amichien Bonding for Bruce’s situation. When the owner leaves the house, she was not to address the dog as she left. If there was usually lots of noise in the house like the radio, TV, or people talking on the phone before the owner left, then it was suggested to keep those things on in the absence of the owner. The client was also instructed to pick up all food and feed twice daily meals only, plus treats when the dog did anything acceptable. She also instructed the owner to reestablish the hierarchy by practicing “gesture eating” for two weeks.

Gesture eating is done as follows: When you prepare the dog’s food up on a counter while the dog is watching, you also prepare a small cookie or cracker for each human being in the house and place it on a small dish right next to the dog’s bowl (where they can’t see it.) You want the dog to think that you are eating out of its dish because that is what the Alpha of the pack does. Now, before you offer the dog its meal, each person of the house takes a cracker out of the dish and thoroughly chews it in front of the dog. The dog’s meal is offered for 20 minutes only before taking up the excess.

Subordinates in the pack warn the pack of unidentified threat. Dogs barking or jumping up at the sound of someone at the door should be thanked, then removed from the decision-making process and given a favorite tidbit for cooperating. After that, it should be lead into another room or put on a leash unless you know who is at the door and they know not to acknowledge the dog for five minutes after they enter.

Does this stuff really work? See last month’s newsletter under Client Testimonies!

Tips and Tricks for a Healthier Life:

Retaining Fluids? Add 10% fruit juice (preferably fresh) to the water you drink. This will trick your kidneys into thinking it is processing a food and really helps with the swelling. Also, use distilled water for drinking if your kidneys do not process water very well. Watermelon and parsley are two products I eat lots of. My clients test they need lots of these two items as well. 

From My Mailbox: I suffer from acid reflux. How easy is that to treat and where should I start?

Answer: I really have great results with the Acid Reflux problem when I put people on the Eat Right 4 Your Type diet and they eat their minimum of raw fruits, raw vegetables and cooked vegetables daily. Blood Type A people may need some extra digestive enzymes (say Zypan®, Multizyme®, Papaya enzyme, or Bromelain.) I personally got a bunch of help from my Nikken Far Infrared Quilt. I used to take a lot of Maalox, but don’t even stock it in the house anymore. I’ll bet this simple protocol can change your life as well, as it works for virtually everyone that follows this advice. Here is the link to read more about the Far Infrared Quilt:/Basics%20of%20Health/far_infrared.htm 

Blackstrap Molasses Tip: Sometimes I’m asked how to get the blackstrap molasses (for more minerals and high amounts of bioavailable iron) into the diet. I mix my molasses 50/50 with honey and use it in cooking and on my granola in the morning. I also add a little bit of distilled water to the batch to make it slightly thinner, because I don’t like it when the honey crystallizes in the container. 

Visa Slush: For years I’ve always dreaded the Visa bill arrival. Not anymore. If I charge anything on my card, I immediately write the amount in my checkbook as if I’d written a check for that amount. I label it “Visa Slush.” Then, when the bill comes, I already have the money to pay for the bill in full and don’t have to stress out about it. What happens if I use my charge card for something that I can’t afford? I don’t. I save up for it first. Less stress. . . more health! Try it.

Client Testimonies

From Shantel: Hello Denice! Just a quick note to tell you that mom’s blood pressure has been just great! She has lost 4 pounds. This is exactly what she needed in her life. What you give to people is amazing. I am sure looking forward to our follow up, as she is coming right along. Ravi, my cat is all perfect and back to normal. You saved his life. My friend Jackie with the cats is planning to schedule a consult with you, I have been keeping her up on all the progress and it is really positive and she knows how important this is to my mom. Much Love to you for all your good work! Shantel

(Thanks for the birthday crystals Shantel! Love the Buddha’s eye!—Namaste. Denice)

Dear Dr. D. I’ve been on your program for one month now and am overjoyed! Thought you’d be pleased to see my Doctor’s Report:

My glucose is 95, down from 113.
My cholesterol is 200, down from 264
My triglycerides are 167, down from 257
My HDL cholesterol is 32, down from 35 (I thought this would go up….)
My Calculated LDL cholesterol is 134.6, down from 175.6
My VLDL cholesterol is 33.4, down from 51.4
My Cardiac risk is 6.3, down from 7.1
My Direct LDL cholesterol is 144, down from 194

A couple of them are still on the high side – calculated LDL Cholesterol and Cardiac Risk but they are improved and overall everything is much improved!  My liver stuff is all normal now. . . I am going to take a bit of delight in telling the doc I threw away his meds in February 🙂  My blood pressure and pulse rate remain glorious. From C.A. 

Editor’s note: Telling her doctor about this did NOT go over well. Sometimes it’s best not to flaunt the benefits of natural medicine.

Inspiration

We have several friends right now who are living in care centers. One couple we know is spending about $8000/month for the both of them. They are each in different locations and having a difficult time finding one location that will handle both their challenges. Not meaning to make light of this, but sometimes a bit of humor helps. I got this story via an email about a year ago and was saving it for a special time. I haven’t checked the prices of a cruise lately (I don’t even like to travel!) 

NO NURSING HOME FOR ME

About two years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room.

I noticed that all the staff, ship officers, waiters, busboys, etc. all seemed very familiar with this lady. I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told she owned the line, but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises, back to back. As we left the dining room one evening, I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said, 

“I understand you’ve been on this ship for the last four cruises.”

She replied, “Yes, that’s true.” 

I stated, “I don’t understand” and she replied without a pause,

“It’s cheaper than a nursing home.”

So, there will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess cruise ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 a day. I have checked on reservations at Princess, and I can get a long-term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:

1. Gratuities which will only be $10 per day.
2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast in bed every day of the week.)
3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers and shows every night.
4. They have free toothpaste, razors, soap and shampoo.
5. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
6. I will get to meet new people every 7 to 14 days.
7. TV broken? Light bulb needs changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.
8. Clean sheets and towels every day and you don’t even have to ask for them.
9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip, you are on Medicare.
If you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship, they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.

Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia or name where you want to go? Princess will have a ship ready to go. So don’t look for me in a nursing home, just call shore-to-ship.

P.S. And don’t forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side at no charge!

How Much Land Can We Farm?

Although we are surrounded by farmland on the Palouse, most of the Earth cannot grow crops. An easy way to visualize how much land on the planet can be farmed goes like this:

Take an apple and let it represent the globe. The surface of the apple is the surface of our planet. Now cut the apple into quarters. Set aside three of the quarters to represent the Earth’s oceans, which cover about 70% of the globe.

Take the remaining one quarter and cut it in half. Set aside one of the halves to represent the polar ice caps and land mostly under snow and ice in mountains.

Take the remaining one-eighth and cut it in half. Set aside one of the halves to represent the land that is too hot, too day, or too wet to grow crops.

Take the remaining one-sixteenth and cut it in half. Set aside one of the halves to represent land that is covered by cities, highways and towns.

Now you have one thirty-second slice of the original apple. Carefully cut off the skin of this narrow slice. The skin represents the top five feet of the Earth, the zone that contains soil we can use to grow crops.

Soil erosion can threaten the skin on that tiny slice of the apple. In fact, before the beginning of direct seed (no-till) farming methods, the Palouse was known for having the highest rates of soil erosion in the entire United States.

So that’s the article. Now:

How much of that one thirty-second is organically farmed?

Also note that if Americans stopped feeding grain to cattle, the excess grain could feed 500 million people (not to mention the land that could be used for growing crops instead of grazing cattle. Right now, the cattle compete for some of that one thirty-second of the planet.

I am not a vegetarian. I love a good steak, but I am sure willing to cut back on meat. I think we use too much meat anyway. It seems a small price to pay to use meat as a flavoring and an occasional meal instead of having meat as the main course for at least one meal a day.

What’s New at Our House?

The tulips are blooming and it looks like the rearranging I did last year worked out quite well. I started the month out by writing a chapter for a book on vanishing twin survivors for an author in England who saw my webpage on vanishing twins. I celebrated my 48th birthday with my husband. He gave me a hot air gun which I asked for (I love tools), a plum tree, a gift certificate for a massage and a wonderful book on how to replace our carpets with wood flooring—that will be a fall project. We are trying to make our house look as nice as we can as she will be 100 years old next year. One of my clients gifted me with a huge box of crystals. What fun! I kept pulling out crystal after crystal, some of which I didn’t even know existed.

We’ve started our garden shed, tore out the fish pond (which was just attracting wasps and functioning as a fish farm for the local raccoon) and purchased a junker trailer to haul behind our car. No more going to the U-Haul place to rent a trailer for a day! Now I can haul all the manure that I want to and put fewer things on top of the car. We gave away about 400 plants to people last month. I believe that gardens were meant to share and I love that Johnny Apple Seed concept. It makes me feel good to know my little babies now have a life in someone else’s yard. The lilacs are blooming and it looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of Tayberries and raspberries this year. Michael’s giant pumpkins are up and he’s pretty excited about that. One of these month’s I’m going to figure out how to use a picture flash program so you can see all the neat things coming along around here. One of my good friends is going out of the organic egg business, so we have purchased six of her girls and will hopefully have the chicken coop built by the time the next newsletter comes out. It’s been a busy month.

Be Healthy.

Please forward to a friend. 

Dr. Denice Moffat is a practicing naturopath, medical intuitive, and veterinarian working on the family unit (which includes humans and animals) through her phone consultation practice established in 1993. She has a content-rich website at www.NaturalHealthTechniques.com and free monthly newsletter. 

© 2006 By Dr. Denice M. Moffat

 

 

 

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