NHT News. Vol. 3 No. 5 May 2007

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NATURAL HEALTH TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER

May 2007 Volume 3 Number 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: Does Plastic Affecting Fertility? Women Born with Aspirin Shortage?
  • Case of the Month: Tongue Diagnosis
  • What’s New on the Website? Purchase of Camcorder, Preparing rough drafts of more pages, Making Nutrition Work Seminar Notes are now posted.
  • Ask Dr. Moffat: Long Lists of Questions—How they are handled.
  • Product of the Month: AM/PM Menopause Formula by Integrative Therapeutics, Inc.
  • Media Reviews: Book Review: Better Off—Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende
  • Tips and Tricks for a Healthier Life: Seek to feel Joy for best health results.
  • Healthy Recipes: Almond Milk
  • Client Testimonials: Migraines better, but gas and bloating still persist.
  • Inspiration & Perspective: If Thou Hath Cow Story
  • What’s New at Our House? Vet Clinic is no more. Breakfast with friends. Tree donation blunder. Composting
  • Local Events: June 1st Reiki Circle with Jim Johnson, Saturday June 2nd Arboretum Plant Sale 9-Noon at the Moscow Ice Rink at the Latah Co. Fairgrounds. Saturday June 9th Free Yak Burger Samples at the Co-op. Yoga and EFT classes continue with April Rubino. 

Health In the News: Does Plastic Affecting Fertility?  

Trending
Life in Five Short Chapters

Week after week when I perform the spays and neuters down at the Animal Shelter I am noticing an increase in reproductive problems. I often wonder what could be done to prevent them in both animals and humans. I’m talking retained testicles, ovarian and uterine cysts, misshapen organs and once even a full hermaphrodite (this cat had both a full female and male reproductive system.) Could plastics be part of the cause? Or polluted water? 

One website I recently ran across, www.environmentcalifornia.org reported that BisPhenol-A (BPA), a chemical in plastics that mimics estrogen, causes reproductive problems in animals at far lower doses than most people are exposed to every day. 

Polycarbonate plastic contains BPA and is found in many products including baby bottles and the inside coating of food cans (especially tomatoes). Heating and repeated washing of these cans and bottles can cause leaching of BPA into the product.  

BPA also is thought to cause hyperactivity (ADD and ADHD), altered immune function and early sexual maturation (called precociousness). Efforts continue to ban BPA’s in children’s goods, but I think we also need to look at banning it permanently. Moving on. . . 

American Heart Association claims that women were born with an aspirin deficiency! 

In the latest issue of Dr. Bruce Bond’s Health Alert (May 2007/ Vol. 24, Issue 5) Dr. Bond writes that the new American Heart Association guidelines are out, claiming that nearly all American women are in danger of heart disease or stroke and that they should be aggressive about lowering their risk with daily aspirin! 

I don’t know about you, but as a young girl I had achy knees. When I went to the doctor, he told me to take a couple of aspirin every 4-6 hours up to four times a day. It only took a couple weeks of that protocol to achieve a total gut ache. I now cannot take any Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) without getting a strong pain in my stomach. The weirdest thing is that it also causes a subluxation in my thoracic spine necessitating a chiropractic adjustment. Yikes. These days the strongest painkiller I take for headaches and mild joint aches and pains is White Willow Bark. 

Aspirin (and any NSAID) can be dangerous when taken in large doses. Aspirin causes thousands of deaths annually from overdose and intestinal bleeding. Maybe if one just at the right diet with more whole, raw foods, less saturated fats and more fiber there would be no aspirin deficiencies? Hmmmm. Novel idea.  

Case of the Month: Basic Tongue Diagnosis 

On April 28th, 2007 I attended a Tongue Diagnosis seminar at Bastyr University given by a wonderful author, Dr. Giovanni Maciocia. I had read his book several years ago and had been looking at tongues (both human and animal) for years, but it seemed that there was SO much to know and try to understand. It seemed overwhelming. This seminar helped me quite a bit on understanding some of the disease processes I see in my client’s tongues. I don’t know if its’ just another entire way of viewing things—and maybe because I was not born in the East, I don’t comprehend it all—but it seems to me that I still have to have more pieces to the puzzle than just a tongue, some fingernails and feeling the pulses to give accurate recommendations. I still believe that using the best of all worlds is the most accurate. 

It’s common to see thick tongues, purplish tongues, tongues with teeth marks in them and tongues with cracks in various places. I also have noted tongues with coats both white and yellow, sticky and thin coats. A few of my clients have what is called Geographic tongue. But what do they mean? 

Here is some of what I learned at the seminar: 

Before examining the tongue, make sure the patient has not eaten pickles, cayenne pepper, curry or other hot things. These will temporarily turn the tongue red. It also takes a few hours for the tongue to get its normal coat back after the person has scraped it. And smoking turns the coat yellow. 

Ask what medications the patient is on, because they affect the tongue. 

  • Antibiotics make the tongue peel within 2-3 days and this peeling is not replaced until 2-3 weeks after the antibiotics are stopped.
  • Asthma medications (bronchodilators) causes the tip of the tongue to redden.
  • Diuretics cause the coating to disappear (yin deficiency). Years of diuretics cause the tongue to peel.
  • Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) cause the tongue to have red points (dots) and makes the body of the tongue thinner. Years of taking these drugs cause the tongue to peel.
  • Anticancer drugs can cause the tongue to develop a thick brown to black dry coating.
  • Steroids cause the tongue to become red and swollen.  

A normal tongue is pink in color, medium thickness, no cracks, ulcers, no teeth marks and with a light white moist coat (with root) on it. It has a look of aliveness and is supple (not stiff). There is no movement to the tongue including quivering, trembling, side-to-side motion, curling or shifting to one side. A healthy tongue looks like a piece of freshly killed meat. (Nice, eh?) 

In general the tongue is divided into three regions called burners.

  • The first third of the tongue (tip of the tongue) indicates what is happening in the heart and lungs.
  • The middle third of the tongue is related to the stomach and spleen.
  • The back third of the tongue is related to the bladder, kidneys, small and large intestines.
  • The liver and gall bladder areas are on the sides of the tongue.
  • The chest/breasts areas are just behind the tip of the tongue but on the side edges. 

A systematic analysis of the tongue should be performed. Dr. Maciocia says that the color is the most important, and then shape and coating come next. Moisture and vitality (called Shen) are also important. 

Shen can also be seen in the eyes, the walk and the way the patient communicates (talks/barks/vocalizes) and is an important indicator on the ability to recover from imbalances. 

Color of the Tongue: 

  • Progression of Color: When a body shows dis-ease the tongue color (underneath the coating) turns from pink to pale, to red and then to purple which is the sickest color.
  • Purple tongues mean blood stasis.
  • Red dots on the tongue are called points and they have a meaning wherever they are on the tongue. In Asian and African people these red dots can look brown. 

Coating of the Tongue: (Coating is related to Stomach function.) 

  • A white coat corresponds to cold in the area of the body correlating to the tongue.
  • A yellow coat is related to heat.
  • A coating can be with “root” which means the coating cannot be scraped off and it looks like grass growing from the soil.
  • A coating without root looks like it has been sprinkled on and can be scraped off.
  • The thicker the coat, the more progressed the disease.
  • Lack of a coat means that the digestion is not working correctly.
  • The coating is slightly thicker on the back of the tongue.  

When you look too far back you will see the circumvallate papillae (larger round, raised bumps which are taste buds.) These have no significance in a tongue reading and beginner tongue readers often get alarmed when they see them (especially if they don’t know basic medical anatomy.) 

Shape of the Tongue: 

  • Thin tongues mean deficiency.
  • Swollen tongues can mean lack of harmony in getting fluids processed and can involve the spleen, stomach, kidneys and heart. Swollen tongues are also caused from to much alcohol or increased toxic buildup.
  • Swollen edges can mean weak spleen.
  • Swollen sides can mean liver challenges.
  • Swollen tip can mean heart problems.
  • Swelling between the tip and middle of tongue and mean lung problems, phlegm, chest or breast problems. Ulcers here can mean cancer of the breasts.
  • Localized swellings involve the corresponding organ.
  • Teeth Marks (also called scalloped tongue) are the most common thing I see in my own practice (in humans). They signify Spleen Deficiency. To me, this means that the body is fairly run down which includes dehydration, lack of raw foods and enzymes, too much caffeine and sugar and just a little bit of a lot of things that are not being managed in the person that will eventually break the body down to a point where it can’t recover as you get up in years. Most of these people love hot, spicy foods. I think it’s because it gets their circulation going. They also usually have some adrenal exhaustion.  

Tongue Cracks: 

  • The deeper the crack the longer the dis-ease, imbalance or stronger the genetic weakness or tendency.
  • Transverse cracks or cracks on the sides has to do with spleen challenges.
  • Center cracks mean stomach/digestion problems.
  • If the center crack goes to the tip of the tongue it also involves the heart.
  • Transverse cracks behind the tip on either side of the center of the tongue but not on the edge or side indicate lung weakness.
  • Geographic tongue where the tongue is cracked, missing some of the coat and papillae and is quite red in places can be constitutional and indicates a deficiency in stomach yin. It can also be associated with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus or a family history of atopic eczema and allergies associated with rhinitis (runny noses with clear mucous).  

Stomach Yin Deficiency may present as a lack of appetite, or unidentified cravings for food of some kind, an achy, uncomfortable feeling in the stomach and/or epigastric region, dry lips, mouth and tongue and either lack of a tongue coating or a patchy coat that is easily removed (especially on the center of the tongue).  The most common cause of stomach yin deficiency is eating late at night. Other bad eating habits exacerbating this deficiency eating at irregular times, skipping meals, eating while working, or eating too quickly. It’s best to sit, relax and chew your food well so the Stomach qi can go in the right direction: downward instead of up to your head! 

When the very tip of the tongue is red this means that there is a major emotional cause of whatever the rest of the tongue indicates as dis-ease. 

I didn’t know enough about Chinese medicine (or the language!) to be able to decipher how to treat the body (with Chinese herbs) once you figure out what is wrong with it. It appears there are hundreds of formulas and combinations of formulas and “exceptions” to rules. I guess I have my job cut out for me going through my herb books and figuring out which are heating, cooling, yin/yang herbs and finding the American names for the Chinese herbs because I’ve been known to order “Chinese” tinctures from herb companies before only to receive something I’d already had on my shelf! 

Overall, it’s all about finding what areas are stagnated, which need to be nourished, which are getting too much circulation or too little circulation, too much energy or too little, and how to balance out the body so that everything is in harmony. There are lots of ways to do this. 

What’s New on the Website?  

I cranked out a few rough drafts of some pages I want to put up on my website, but have not finished them yet. Look forward to helpful information on clay packs, castor oil packs, hot flashes and night sweats and flatulence! 

I also purchased a camcorder so I can take some videos of some of the techniques I try to explain to my clients which would be better exemplified visually. I purchased the camcorder on-line with my credit card. It took 8 emails and several verifications along with three calls to the company to confirm that I was not using a stolen credit card. 

After the first few interactions I became kind of freaked out and called to cancel the order. I just could not comprehend that “all day long they have to deal with people using stolen cards to purchase their equipment because we have such low-quality customers that want to purchase our products because they are so cheap!” 

I wondered what kind of a client he thought I was. 

“Is that the vibration you really want to attract to your business? I’ve never had a client yet who has used a stolen card to pay for services.” I said.  

He had no idea what I meant. I was happy to be in Idaho. 

He upsold me an extended battery pack.

Ask Dr. Moffat:

Answering one question at a time (each with a separate subject line) is so much easier for me. That way it doesn’t seem so overwhelming time-wise. I can answer the easy ones first and save the more involved questions for later, but often I will get a litany of questions like in this email. To make sure I don’t miss anything, I usually answer each question in a different color but for the website I’ve italicized and bolded. Here’s and example:

Hi Denice, I am trying SO hard to be the “ideal patient”, but I have so many questions that keep popping up during this fast. Today is day 9 of the fast. I originally started out wanting to play it by ear for the number of days, all the while hoping for either 7 or 10 days.  I made it past 7 and so I think 10 it is.  I really wanted to go until I could correct the issues I have been having for so long.  The liver lines on my fingernails have all faded, the left hand is still a tad brighter then the right, but I hope with continued juicing and better eating that will completely resolve. They will, but it will also come and go depending on how many toxins you are exposed to.

Something I find odd, but could be normal, is that the white coating on my tongue turned yellow yesterday.  I can’t find anything on the net for why/what this is.  Everything just says white, yellow or gray coatings are typical.  Nothing says anything about changing color mid fast. In general light white coat is normal, heavy white coat is cold or yeast coming out and yellow coat is heat in the associated areas. The base of the tongue will have a thicker coat and that is normal.  It sounds like you are releasing toxins and some organs are creating localized fever. I’m testing this is normal and good for you.  

A frustration with the fast has been the enemas.  As we discussed, I have been constipated for the past few years.  I figured the enemas would produce a lot of stuff, but they have not. I have had only a minute amount of  very small pebble stools per elimination along with a bit of mucous.  And, I was able to hold the enema for up to 20 minutes in the beginning. Now I can only hold them for a few minutes. Seems like it should have been the other way around.  The other day I had to stop after a few minutes to eliminate only to eliminate water and then I resumed the enema. Yes, I did that too during my own 40-day fast last summer. . .until I switched to coffee enemas then, blam! I could never hold any of the different fluids I tried for 20 minutes either. I was able to retain them for a few minutes only while I massaged my abdomen. The first enema I did Epsom salt and garlic and the rest have been plain water other than yesterday day when I did Epsom salt again for the last time during this fast.  I don’t know why, but I get creeped out with stuff unless it’s just water.  I know everyone is different, but does this seem to fall into the “norm” category? I think you need to work through that and do a coffee enema. Each person is different and each has their own little idiosyncrasies. You’re fine.

Pyrantel Pamoate–As of last night after the enema, my gut has been gurgling up a storm. The gut flora is shifting.  Is it okay to take the Pyrantel Pamoate while fasting? Yes, and it would be more efficient that way as well.

At what point do I start adding the good flora back in orally and via enema? Two days before you quit the fast–but I’ve done it both ways (sometimes adding some prior to quitting and sometimes not adding any probiotics). Add a few capsules of a good-quality probiotic into the enema solution. Then, when you start eating solid food, take the probiotic capsules or liquid orally. Also get a bottle of FOS and take 1 tab/day as it helps the good gut flora to grow. It seems that the flora rebalances more quickly by taking both FOS (Fructo Oligo Saccharides) and probiotics together.

As far as everything else on this fast, I feel really good. Days 3 and 7 were HORRIBLE—especially day 7.  I have lost 10/11 lbs. and feel so much better in my skin! Great!  The rosacea redness has lightened, but it is still there (sigh). Yes, this will be a predisposition for you as it is a weak spot in your body.  The fading seemed more pronounced after the first few days, and then like the tongue thing, it seemed to get a bit redder around day 7/8. Typical cyclic nature of these things.

My husband used to make us a delicious chicken curry (yellow curry).  We had it so often during the early years that I got sick of it and even hated it and so he stopped making it and we haven’t had it for years.  And, what do you think I have been craving the most during this fast?  Yep, chicken curry.  I looked up yellow curry to see if it has any benefits and I found one small blip about yellow curry being an anti-inflammatory.  Who knows, but I’m pretty sure a small portion of his chicken curry is in my future! :o) Funny. Go for it.

Product of the Month: AM/PM Menopause Formula by Integrative Therapeutics, Inc.

I had been experiencing quite a few hot flashes this week, then remembered I had forgotten to add the above supplement to my daily protocol. I determined, once again, this formula really works!—especially for mild symptoms hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings of menopause and perimenopause. 

AM/PM Menopause Formula is my product of choice that helps relieve all the common menopause symptoms experienced during the day and at night. The package recommends that you take one (white) AM tablet in the morning and one (purple) PM tablet approximately 30-45 minutes before bedtime. It also state that it may take four to five weeks to achieve full benefits. Continue use to maintain benefits. I noticed that it does take a few weeks to become fully effective. 

The AM formula (the white pill) contains standardized ginseng and green tea for daytime energy. PM Formula (the red pill) has theonine and valerian to help you sleep better. Valerian doesn’t work for some people. 

The valerian in the PM formula doesn’t work at all for me for the perimenopausal insomnia, but it sure works wonders for mild hot flashes. It also seems to work for hormonally-caused migraine headaches. 

I muscle-test how many to take each day. I need only one tablet per day (so alternate one day of white with one day of red tabs taken any time during the day.) Other women need up to three tablets daily for starters to help with headaches and hot flashes. Both colors include time-tested Black Cohosh for relief of hot flashes, night sweats, and irritability. 

Contains No: sugar, salt, yeast, wheat, gluten, corn, dairy products, artificial flavoring, preservatives or ingredients of animal origin. All colors used are from natural sources.   Product Numbers: 77206 #60 Tablet Box ($21.50) 

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. 

Media Reviews: Book Review: Better Off—Flipping the Switch on Technology 

I’m always looking for lifestyle changes that will help people deal with everyday stress. Less stress means a longer life and fewer disease processes, so when my son-in-law gave us the book as a Christmas present it piqued my interest. I liked it. I’m always in the ongoing process of getting rid of all my “cows” (see Inspiration and Perspective this month) to simplify things. 

The title says, “Two People, One Year, Zero Watts” written by Eric Brende © 2004. Eric is a Yale and MIT graduate and critic of modern technology who volunteered to give up technology by living with an Amish group out of St. Louis Missouri for 18 months. 

I’ve always been one to eat simply, grow my own stuff, and preserve for the winter months. Eric Brende married Mary and they had a baby during their stay with the Amish. They had no electric stove, refrigerator, running water, telephone, TV, computer or anything else that makes our lives easier. 

As a visitor, he was allowed a car, but they drove it only rarely during the 18 months he was there (once when his wife was in labor and in need of the midwife who lived five miles away and another time when they went in search of a home to move to after they left the community were to times discussed in his book.) 

The Amish had some very ingenious ways of converting appliances to horse-power or hand power. Mary loved sewing so learned how to use a treadle machine. I remember sewing on one of those as a child once. It was hard work and it really worked some interesting leg muscles. 

They learned how to till fields with horse-driven equipment and hand-threshed the wheat they produced. They also built barns and houses without power tools while they were there. They heated their house with wood, learned how to can foods, store meat in an ice room by harvesting the ice from a local pond, used a wringer washer, grew crops (pumpkins and sorghum), and sold what they grew to subsist with minimal technology within a community of loving people who barter for services. 

I have a friend in Albion, Washington who purchased a new wringer washer machine just a few years ago through the Cumberland Store. I couldn’t believe it. 

I enjoyed his writing skills and reading about Amish politics, their religious beliefs and the differences they have between communities. This particular group of Amish people Eric labeled as “minimalists.” This community had a telephone booth (for emergencies and arranging the sale of crops) and allowed flashlights (because it took too long to light the kerosene lamp when wild animals were chasing the livestock.) Other Amish communities allow some additional technology. Some use power tools. 

Eric currently is a rickshaw driver, soap maker and rents his basement out as a bed-and-breakfast. 

I would have liked to have heard more about how the women thrived in this community. At several points in the story, I was wondering how Mary’s pregnancy was coming along and how she survived all the heat and hard labor which was completed almost up to the very last moment of birth. 

I don’t think I would ever willingly give up my hot showers or electricity, but we are seriously thinking about a future home with solar power and alternative energy sources. It also makes me want to be a part of a community that is kind to the earth, uses alternative energy sources and has innovative and natural ways of farming. 

Tips and Tricks for a Healthier Life

This is an Abraham Quote. I often utilize this concept and explain it to my clients. The theory is that joy increases endorphins in the body which help it to repair damage and deflect toxins. Very important.

“Every cell in your body has a direct relationship with Creative Life Force, and each cell is independently responding. When you feel joy, all the circuits are open and the Life Force or God Force can be fully received. When you feel guilt or blame or fear or anger, the circuits are hindered and the Life Force cannot flow as effectively. Physical experience is about monitoring those circuits and keeping them as open as possible. The cells know what to do. They are summoning the Energy.”   From www.abraham-hicks.com daily quotes.

Recipe of the Month:             Almond Milk 

I purchased a raw food recipe book at the Bastyr University Bookstore (https://www.bastyr.edu/bookstore/) for Michael when I was there taking the Tongue Diagnosis seminar. I noticed that many of the recipes contained ingredients that I was allergic to. Michael did his best to replace the ingredients with things I could eat (like instead of hazelnuts he used almonds.) I asked him to do half-batches, but he isn’t comfortable with that. Oh well. 

Our first recipe was some kind of raw fudge. I was up for trying something a bit healthier that my favorite Fantasy Fudge. This one was made with carob powder, Agave nectar or honey and alfalfa sprouts! Hmmm I thought. This should taste interesting. 

The first bite wasn’t so bad. It definitely wasn’t fudge, but it was an acceptable sweet confection—until I burped up alfalfa sprouts immediately after swallowing it. We brought the rest of the batch to a friend’s birthday party because we knew that there were a few people there who only ate raw foods. We learned a lot. We learned that it wasn’t a totally raw recipe because the honey was not raw and the carob was roasted! They said it tasted good. 

Must be an acquired taste. 

The second recipe was some kind of dehydrated seed and nut breakfast bar. We didn’t have a dehydrator at the time, so he spread it out on the toxic-coated cookie sheet. “Honey, that’s the wrong pans to use. The coating is coming off. I just use those pans to set egg cartons on when I start my plants.” 

He used them anyway. When we tried taking the bars out of the pan, the rest of the toxic material stuck with the bar. That recipe went in the trash. . . 

The next recipe was some kind of raw pie. This recipe was a bigger stretch for me. Interesting ingredients like chopped almonds for the crust and Gogi berries. It was the frosting that I couldn’t get past. . . 

Actually I had a couple shots of brandy before I had the guts to taste this one. 

“OK, lay it on me babe.” (Eewwwh! I was thinking.) “Cut me off an inch slice or so. . .  No, . . . less than that.” 

It actually wasn’t so bad, but how can one tell when they are slightly inebriated? I could never take part in a reality show. The frosting was a nice consistency—made of avocado and carob powder. The book called it “chocolate frosting.” (Where do they come up with these names?) I just couldn’t quite get my mind around it. Michael liked it though. 

He ate the rest of the pie. 

Then, last night he made “hamburgers” 

Yeah, right. 

I did find a dehydrator on sale for him so he could properly prepare the recipes like the directions said this time. 

These consisted of grated leeks, carrots, ground almonds (after making almond milk with them first, then using the pulp remains for the recipe), garlic and olive oil. You form them into patties and then DEHYDRATE them! Sheesh. 

They really weren’t that bad, but they just were not hamburgers! And they fell apart as you ate them. The directions didn’t say, but were we supposed to put the burger between a bun and eat it that way? Isn’t the bread baked? Or, were we supposed to use a couple of cabbage leaves and call it “Hamburger bun?” 

This job is sometimes difficult. You can see I sometimes don’t take it as seriously as other health-minded practitioners. 

I experimented with flax oil and made three horrid salad dressings this month. 

The Almond milk is great though. . .Especially in Mochas (with caffeinated coffee and Hershey’s syrup!) I found the Almond Milk actually tasted better after a day or two in the fridge.  Here’s that recipe: 

Almond Milk 

  • 2 cups Raw Almonds, soaked 4 hours to overnight, then rinsed and drained
  • 2-4 cups Water
  • 1 Tbls. Vanilla (not imitation)
  • Sea Salt (Optional) 

Put nuts in blender and cover with water 1-2 times above the level of the nuts. Less water makes a richer milk: more water makes a skimmer milk. Blend at high speed until the nuts are chopped as fine as possible. This will take less than a minute in a high-speed blender, longer in a regular one. Get a large colander and line it with piece of clean, plain muslin cloth. Put the colander inside a larger bowl to catch the liquid. Pour the slurry into the cloth a bowl beneath to catch the milk. Gather it up and hold the bag tightly closed, gently “milk” the ground nuts and water until most of the liquid is pressed out. Add a touch of sea salt if you wish to make it taste more like cow’s milk, or other desired flavors. Serve or refrigerate. Use within 4 days. Makes about 4 cups.  (It was still good after 7 days in the fridge, but I froze the leftovers of the second batch in ice cube trays.) 

Modified from: The Raw Food Gourmet—Going Raw for Total Well-Being by Gabrielle Chavez © 2005 

Client Testimonials:  

Dr. Denice, I just thought I would touch base with you. I just wanting to tell you I have gone over a month without a migraine. I can’t believe it. The last one was after eating out last Sunday and it really wasn’t all that bad. Some days I’m still having a stiff neck and a little pressure in the head, but no migraines. The main problem is that I’m still having bloating, constipation and feel tired a lot.  I’m doing the Blood Type Diet faithfully with about 1200 – 1400 calories a day. I should be easily losing weight, but I feel like I keep gaining weight. I do strength training and some cardio every day, depending on my energy level. I’m trying not to get too tired. 

Dear Deena: One challenge down, a few more layers to go. Talk to you next week and we’ll set up a recheck appointment (unless you want just supplements for awhile.) The body releases its toxins little by little, layer by layer. It often does not release the weight until the toxins have been cleared. Don’t give up hope and keep at it. I’ve noticed that sometimes the body goes in spurts where there is quick progress then slow, big progress then small. Going in a positive direction and doing the steps will not fail you. 

Inspiration & Perspective: “If Thou Hath Cow” Story 

It was a story told to us by Dr. Scott Walker, (www.netmindbody.com) developer of the Neuro Emotional Technique.  I repeat it occasionally to clients who are stressed and wrapped up with material things and people who have so many things in their social calendars that they have little time to breathe. It goes like this:  

A Buddhist monk lived alone up on a hill in a small, stark, simple house. He expressed occasionally that he was lonely, so one day, a friend brought him a small kitten to care for. 

He loved the kitten and so, every day, he walked to town to get milk to feed the kitten. Day after day, month after month, walking to town to get the milk. 

One day he thought, “This is too hard. Every day I must walk to town to get milk for the kitten. I should get a cow. That way, I will have the cow right there. I can milk it daily and use the additional milk to drink and to make cheese with.” 

So he purchased a cow to feed the kitten. 

He loved that cow and so repaired the fences and built a shed so she would be protected from the wind and cold. He also built a milking area, made a milking stool, bought a bucket for the milk and one to hold food in so she could keep busy by eating while he was milking her. He purchased disinfectants and cotton to clean the cow’s udder before each milking and some equipment to make cheese. The cow needed wormers and vaccines. He hired someone to trim her hooves. Then he purchased some straw for bedding, a salt block, two tons of grass hay for the winter and a tarp to cover the hay. 

After a few months of milking the cow he thought to himself, “This is too hard. I should marry. That way I can have a wife who will help me with some of the duties of milking the cow.” 

So he found a lovely woman and married her. She milked the cow, did the chores, washed the clothes, made the meals and they were happy. Life was good. They were in love. 

One day she became pregnant. They remodeled a spare room to make it into a nursery and purchased all the things a baby would need. The pregnancy went well and they brought a young child into the world. He started a savings account for the baby’s education. Everyone was happy. 

Then one day she said to her husband. “Husband, I am tired of doing all these chores and  cooking without the benefit of running water and electricity. The laundry is getting out of control. Look at all these diapers! I want some equipment to make life easier like the women have down in town.” 

Because he loved his wife, he had electricity put in, plumbing installed and purchased a washer and dryer. He then had to go out and get an extra job to cover the costs. He loved his wife, his child and his pets, but would have liked to spend more time with them, but—being a responsible husband—he continued to work so that he could provide for his family. 

Each piece of technology came with operation manuals and instructions eventually necessitating the purchase of a file cabinet to house all the extra paperwork. With the additional responsibilities came extra paperwork which took extra time to process, file and house. He built an office to house the paperwork which took additional time away from quality time with his beloved family. 

The moral to the story is, “If thou hath cow, thou hath care of cow.” 

How do we make life simpler and alleviate all the unnecessary drains on our resources? I often think about this story before purchasing anything new or adding additional tasks or responsibilities into our lives. 

Do they fit in with our lifestyle? Our life purpose? Do they bring us closer together or take more time away from our quality time together? Do they energize and serve us? Or do they burden us in trying to maintain them? All good questions to ask in keeping our lives as simple and stream-lined as possible giving us the most time for our true gifts and passions and time for the people we love.   

I try to choose my cows wisely these days or at least minimize my visits with them! 

How many cows do you have that drain your energy or resources that you can send to auction? 

What’s New at Our House?  

We’ve given up on the idea of a vet clinic in the basement for now. Michael has turned in the permit application for a simple residential remodel. I’ve been madly tilling and planting both our garden beds and the beds next door which we are taking care of. Seedlings are starting to surface and we’ve been eating organic spinach, parsley and lettuce from our garden for a couple of weeks now. 

I went Morel mushrooming for the first time this month. It was fun. I learned a lot about mushroom picking etiquette, where to look for them, and when to find the best and freshest mushrooms. I found about six, took two home to sauté in butter and try. They were great. It did take a lot of time though, and I found I was distracted by what seemed like a massive amount of mosquitoes. I could also see how easy it would be for me to get lost in the woods! I actually found more bones than mushrooms. I love finding bones. 

We had a lovely breakfast with a few friends (long-term clients) in Deary, ID this month and spent a few hours 4-wheeling around the property of one of those friends. I did not drive the 4-wheeler personally, but maybe I can learn to do that someday. 

The tour gave me new hope of finding a big chunk of property with a creek on it around our area for our future plans of a retreat center, organic farm with berry and pumpkin patches, botanical gardens, meditation areas, memorial trails and a possible care center that serves organic foods. I figure I’ll need something like that when I get into my 90’s. It’s good to have goals. I do think about this more often during this time of the year when people are spraying for weeds and I can hardly walk from all the toxic buildup. The thought of eating canned soup and sulfite-laced sandwiches in an old folk’s home is quite distasteful to me. 

I noticed my favorite nursery in Kooskia, ID where I get my Ace tomatoes sold their green houses, so I asked why. They said the $13,000 propane bill last season was a bit more than they could handle. This just fortifies my belief that our own (future) green houses need to be solar-heated! I’d have rabbit-heated greenhouses (https://davesgarden.com/forums/t/478244/) but then you’d have to get into the meat market and I just couldn’t do that. 

I had emailed our local Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute (https://www.pcei.org/)  asking them if they wanted the hundred or so trees that I had planted a year or so ago because I couldn’t bear to kill them. They didn’t answer, so we drove over there and poked around trying to find someone to ask about the tree donation. No one was there, so we decided to quietly set the trees out by their nursery after hours. It reminded me of the Wizard of Id cartoon where a man was telling the king there had been a break in at the local animal shelter. “Was anything missing?” asked the king. “No, but they ended up with 15 extra cats” said the man. 

As we were unloading, Maggie jumped into the front seat and jumped on the horn! BEEEEP! 

How embarrassing!. . .We’d never make good criminals. Who would have figured a dog would do that? 

. . .Well, I did have a dog in my practice in Oregon who drove his owner’s car through a video store window while his owner what seeking to rent a movie for that night, but that’s another story. He had left the car running so the air conditioning would be on for the dog. . .He was awfully proud of that dog.    

Oh, and we broke into our 4’ x 4’ x 26’ compost pile which we created last September to turn it over only to find that it had already composted! So the beds all have new mulch on them for the year. We hope that will cut down on our water bill AND give the plants some great nutrients. Wish you could have seen all the worms in that stuff. It was great.   

Local Events: 

  • June 1st Reiki Circle 7-9 p.m. at the Orchard Studio in Moscow, ID. Contact Jim Johnson, fireheart@moscow.com for more info. 
  • June 2nd (Saturday) Arboretum Plant Sale 9-Noon at the Moscow Ice Rink at the Latah Co. Fairgrounds 
  • June 9th at the Moscow Co-Op Free Yak Burger Samples. Yak farmer Tammie Damiano, of Tamarack Yak Farm in Santa, Idaho, will answer questions about yaks and provide free samples of her yak burgers from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 9 at the Moscow Food Co-op meat department. The Co-op is located at 121 East Fifth Street in downtown Moscow. Yaks are a species of bovine native to Tibet, with many similarities to American bison. They are exclusively grass-fed, and their meat is low in fat and high in protein. Damiano learned about yak meat when a friend with a health condition was searching for healthy alternatives to beef; eventually, she quit her job to become a yak farmer. “Once you try yak, you can never go back,” she said. Damiano currently has 67 yaks; the Moscow Food Co-op carries Damiano’s frozen yak burger patties. She markets other yak products as well, such as fur fiber, hides, and manure. For more information contact Damiano at 208-245-1349.  
  • April Rubino emailed me this last week. She has an updated list of dates for Yoga and EFT classes. You can see that list at www.integrativemindworks.com

That’s it for this Month!

Be Healthy.  Denice

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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 newsletter.