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NHT News. Vol. 9 No. 2 December, 2013

Denice Moffat

NATURAL HEALTH TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER

December, 2013                          Volume 9 Number 2

In This Issue:  

(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.)  

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Life in Five Short Chapters

From the Desk of Dr. Moffat: 

Yep, this is my baby.  . . headed to the local county fair where she won Best of Show! See more pictures (there are 35 in all) in our Christmas letter. This was my first giant pumpkin—8’ 10” around and 325#! I learned a LOT!

 

Dr. Moffat with her first giant pumpkin. Yep, 8′ 10″ and 325 pounds!

2013 Black Friday Special:

We’re doing it again! 50% off Consults! This year’s Black Friday Special to make an appointment for consults in Dec/Jan/Feb runs from Friday, Nov. 29th through Monday Dec. 2nd. Read about it here: https://naturalhealthtechniques.com/annual-black-friday-special.htm

Health in the News:

Case of the Month: Are you taking toxic doses of Vitamin D?

I’ve held off for almost a year now before writing about this topic. There’s a new test out for vitamin D levels in the body and it appears that over 90% of all the people in the United States are low on Vitamin D.

Really folks, does this make sense?

Are there that many couch potato, sunscreen using people out there that they can’t convert 5-20 minutes of sunshine (specifically UVB rays) a couple of days per week into the normal proper levels of vitamin D in the body? Or are we all eating some things that are tying up the D or some kind of environmental influence? A combination of all these things? Or maybe, just maybe there is something wrong with this test.

History repeats itself: A few years back we were all deficient in Vitamin E. A few years before that we were all born with a supposed aspirin deficiency. Every time we come up with a new test the market gets flooded by helpful products to right the wrongs. I’m imploring you all to listen to the voice of reason and common sense. It reminds me of the story that goes like this:

“One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go on and get lost.” God listened very patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well, how about this, let’s say we have a man making contest.” To which the scientist replied, “OK, great!” But God added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.” The scientist said, “Sure, no problem” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt. God just looked at him and said, “No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!””

Vitamin D can be measured 87 different ways and I don’t know actually which test is being used or if every lab is using the same testing procedure and measuring the same metabolite for my clients being tested.

I see the gambit of Vitamin D recommendations as well. Some doctors recommend mega daily doses with no end point and others recommend a once or twice weekly dose for 2-3 months. Most often, the people who consult with me who are on vitamin D supplements test they don’t need them. The same goes for fish oil supplements.

I don’t really know why this is, but I suspect that they are allergic to something in the gel capsule or the product and how it was processed. Some of these vitamin D supplements are made from lanolin or the skin of cattle and some are not sulfated. A sulfur molecule acts with the vitamin D by connecting with an LDL cholesterol molecule for transport through the body. The more synthetic the supplement, the fewer peoples bodies like them. (And God said, “Hey, make your own dirt!”)

One source I read stated that cod liver oil supplements have been processed to remove mercury and other toxins and that the processing removes most of the vitamins A and D in the process. No wonder very few people test they need cod liver oil and if they do, the best one for them is Carlson’s or some other higher-quality company’s oil. .

People taking vitamin D supplements (D2 or D3) often do not experience the rise in blood and tissue levels that would be expected after the person has supplemented with synthetic vitamin D. There must be more to the story, don’t you agree?

Bodies like real, whole, unadulterated foods. God does a pretty good job with that. Humans aren’t so good at synthesizing these things.

The truth is that the body’s vitamin D needs (and other dietary needs) are highly individual. One recommendation does not fit all. I don’t believe people should take supplements for prevention. They should take what they need. Period.

Vitamin D Uses:

Vitamin D has been espoused to help a myriad of diseases; it has been promoted for prevention of dis-ease and to help keep many systems functioning optimally. Some uses for vitamin D:

Wow. You name it. Oh the list goes on and on. I’ve just listed a few. If it’s a disease, vitamin D helps it. Another miracle ‘herb of the month’ I call it.

I guess the scenario that really pushed me to write this article is that I met a woman who had a friend taking Vitamin D BUT, he was also now taking Vitamin K to help the vitamin D work. I was appalled. The only time I prescribe or recommend vitamin K (in pill or injectable form) in my practice is when an animal has eaten rat poisoning or some woman’s 30-day supply of birth control pills or if a woman going through peri-menopause has started a period and hasn’t stopped so is literally bleeding slowly to death.

Some internet sources say that taking vitamin K is fairly safe, but I don’t think so. Excess vitamin K dangers include:

Blood clot formation, or thrombosis, is a symptom of vitamin K toxicity. Since vitamin K helps to form clots that protect from profuse bleeding, too much of it could cause excessive clotting. Thrombosis is considered a medical emergency. A blood clot in a leg for example, can break off and travel to the lungs, heart or brain causing severe injury or death. Vitamin K toxicity can also cause kidney damage, jaundice and hemolytic anemia. These diseases are not mild annoyances. I think there’s a reason why vitamin K is not stocked profusely on the shelves in your local health food store, although it’s not possible to overdose on vitamin K when you’re eating whole foods. Note that people taking coumadin and other blood thinners need to keep the doses of dark leafy greens at a consistent level so the circulating levels of coumadin stays constant (yes, you can still have green vegetables when taking blood thinners if you do so correctly—and your body needs those live enzymes and minerals in plant-based foods).

Medical doctors use the injectable form of vitamin K if a patient has overdosed on blood thinners. Some antibiotics can interfere with the absorption of Vitamin K.

There are three forms of vitamin K.

Natural Sources of Vitamin D and K: Dark leafy greens, free-range eggs produced from pastured chickens, seafood, sun dried mushrooms, beef liver, and whole grains are great naturally occurring whole food substances high in both vitamins D and K and you can’t overdose on them by eating these items like you can by taking it in pill form.

A couple notes: Free range/pastured eggs contain 3-6 times more vitamin D than commercial eggs. Organic and grass fed animal liver is free of many toxins that intensively raised (CAFO) animals contain.

Natural, whole foods contain ALL the components the body needs if you’re eating the correct amounts and types. It is also the reason why you want to grow your own or eat foods that are organic and grown in chemical-free soil fortified with compost. When a food is ‘fortified’ with vitamin D it means that synthetic vitamin D has been used.

Vitamin D helpers: Vitamin D needs the other fat soluble vitamins (A, E and K), sulfur, calcium boron, zinc, iron, magnesium and who knows what else to work optimally. If there isn’t enough vitamin A then the D can’t convert to a usable form. An excess of vitamin D can raise calcium levels too high. So, do we take all of these other supplements too?  I say no! High doses of isolated and human-made (synthetic) nutrients can and do lead to imbalances which can be worse than the deficiencies!

Large doses of all the fat-soluble vitamins build up in the body—specifically the liver. Over time the inactive form of vitamin D produced by the interaction of the sun with your skin can’t be processed to make active Vitamin D.

It seems like we’re really messing up the body by adding high doses of stuff that will trash our livers in the long run. What a mess. As the inactive form of vitamin D passes through the liver and into the kidneys it becomes the active form of vitamin D which the body can use. This active form tells the intestines to take up calcium in the blood for the bones.

The skin, liver, kidneys and intestines have to all work properly to process vitamin D. In addition to these organs, studies have also found that the prostate, breasts, colon and other tissues are capable of activating the raw vitamin D stores generated in the skin via sunshine. The parathyroid gland senses if the body needs more or not. Production of the active form of Vitamin D is either increased or decreased as the body needs it. It’s all pretty complicated stuff and if you’re not a biochemist how do you keep track of all these interactions?

We now know that EVERY tissue and cell in your body has a vitamin D receptor indicating that every organ and tissue has a use for Vitamin D. Because we now know this about vitamin D, it no longer falls into the vitamin category. Technically it’s a hormone by definition.

Factors affecting the effectiveness of vitamin D:

Is this making your head spin?

I guess the big questions are: Is our environment influencing the effectiveness and activation of our vitamin D levels? Is it obesity? What is the laboratory testing for? How is it being measured, and isn’t it just a snapshot in time? How does the lab test tell us if the vitamin D contained in our body is actually effective?

Some studies from the Institute of Medicine and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conclude that in actuality, only 8% of the population is deficient in Vitamin D. Who do you believe? The confusion is often due to lack of agreement on how to define adequate, inadequate or deficient blood serum levels. There are differences in the normal ranges from one lab to another which can vary by 10-25%. There is not yet consensus on what ‘normal values’ are for vitamin D.

Epidemiological vs. randomized clinical trials: Studies used in determining vitamin D levels have been epidemiological—which means that the evidence is focused on distribution of certain diseases or conditions among populations attempting to find connections with diet, lifestyle or other factors. Epidemiological trials do not prove cause and effect.

Does having a particular disease CAUSE a vitamin D deficiency or does being deficient in vitamin D cause the disease? Who knows at this point.

Randomized clinical trials to measure vitamin D in individuals are difficult to accomplish because of all the factors above. How do you standardize individuals? You can’t keep people from going outside or make them all eat specific diets. It just doesn’t work.

Vitamin D Side Effects (Vitamin D overdosing):

Vitamin D is the most toxic of all the vitamins. Over time, I feel we’re going to see lots of clients with vitamin D toxicity effects.

Note that some of these symptoms are the same for not getting enough calcium but remember you can’t overdose on calcium by eating calcium rich foods just as you can’t overdose on vitamin D by spending time in the sun. And of course if you take the wrong calcium for your body, then you’ll end up with bone spurs, arthritis, gallstones, kidney stones. . .well, we need to move on.

In essence: Your skin knows how much vitamin D to make.

The BEST source of Vitamin D:

All of these deficiencies could be ameliorated if we just ate healthy food, exercised and got some sun every day—sun without the sunscreen.

Government experts advise that we expose our face, arms, hands, legs OR back to the sun at least twice a week for only 10-15 minutes. Other sources say 30 minutes several times a week. Now all the fancy health clinics where people pay big bucks to be healed advocate sunshine as part of their healing protocols—you don’t have to pay for sunshine, you just have to get some. Gosh, it even makes you feel better just being in the sunshine.

Sunscreens: Did you know that Ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation (the wavelength thought to cause skin cancer) is not filtered out by sunscreen? Really? Then why are we using it?  When I was young it was recommended we stay out of the sun from 10am to 2pm or you would burn, but that’s exactly the time when the most UVB waves are present. These are the waves we need for optimal vitamin D production.

You don’t have to burn to get the positive effects of the sun. It’s even possible to get the sun’s effects under cloud cover or just by being under a shade tree, but windows block out UVB rays so sorry, you can’t get what you need behind any kind of window. Most tanning beds produce UVA rays, so if you want to tan in winter make sure the beds you are using have UVB rays.

How much vitamin D does the sunshine generate in the body? Ten to fifteen minutes of sunshine generates about 10,000-25,000 IU of vitamin D. Vitamin D is formed in the oily sebum of the skin  so some vitamin D researchers advocate not bathing those areas exposed to the sunshine before or after exposure and to use only oil-based soaps when you do bathe so that the vitamin D produces on the skin won’t be washed off before absorbing into the skin.

Maybe it’s just time to get a tan. Get outside and stop using sunscreen for a while. It’s one of the oldest cures for disease.

References for Are You Taking Toxic Doses of Vitamin D:

Product of the Month: Olive Leaf

(Olea europaea)

Olive tree photo.

 

Olive branch with olives

 References for Olive Leaf pictures:

About Olive Leaf: Olive leaf has been cultivated since prehistoric times (3500 BC in Crete) and loves Mediterranean climates. We eat the fruits and use the oil but one of the most common antioxidants that comes up for people using muscle testing is olive leaf in capsule form.

The olive branch is symbolic of peace. A crown of olive leaves was worn by victors in ancient Olympic games. Olive oil has been used for ritual anointing in some religious circles.

Historical Uses and Actions of Olive Leaf, Olive Oil and Olive Tincture:

Olive oil is added to liniments, ointments, skin and hair preparations and used for making soaps. 

Parts of Olive Leaf Plant Used: Leaves are collected and dried throughout the year for infusions, liquid extracts and tinctures or ground up into powder to encapsulate. Wild olive leaves are thought to contain higher concentrations of active principles. The fruit and oil of the olive varieties vary greatly in flavor depending on variety, time of harvest and processing techniques. Interestingly, the finest oil (called extra virgin) often comes from unpalatable varieties and is pressed without using heat or chemical solvents. Cold pressing results in less acidity and better flavor. The higher the acid content, the lower the quality of the oil (so the cheaper it is too). The fruit is picked unripe (green), semi-ripe (purple-mauve) or ripe (black). The olive is used in salads, spread, pasta sauces, tomato and eggplant dishes, pizza, breads, cooked dishes and mayonnaise. 

Properties of Olive Leaf:  Antiseptic, astringent, mildly diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, nervine, antibacterial, antiviral, emollient

Chemical Constituents of Olive Leaf: Oleoropine, oleasterol, leine, oleic acid (75% of the oil)

Contraindications, safety issues, concerns, harmful drug interactions and allergy precautions for Olive Leaf: Olive oil and olive products are quite safe. Occasionally a client will have a delayed allergic reaction or contact dermatitis to olive products. Russian Olive tree pollen allergies are fairly common in my practice—these allergies respond well to Tree Mix II (ATREE2) homeopathic allersode made by Professional Complementary Health Formulations.

Other Notes for Olive Leaf: If you’re going to use Olive Leaf as a medicine, it’s best to get a standardized formulation. We use Nature’s Way brand (the purple label) but I also like Starwest Botanicals product which isn’t standardized but can be purchased in bulk or in capsule form.

Cultivation of the Olive Tree: An evergreen tree growing to the height of 30 feet, olives grow in well-drained soil in full sun. The bark is deeply grooved, gray in color and the branches contain small leathery leaves and clusters of small greenish white flowers. Olive trees are propagated by seed sown in the fall or with semi-ripe cuttings taken in the summer. Fruit is produced on one year old wood, so it’s effective to prune out old branches to encourage new growth. Diseases include scale, root nematodes and Verticillium wilt. Whitefly, thrips and spider mites are attracted to plants under cover. They are robust plants that are sometimes considered a weed in parts of Australia. Fruit is harvested in the fall and winter months. The pressed oil is stored in cool, dark conditions.

Helpful Links and References for Olive Leaf:

Media Reviews: (Book) Food Rules—An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan © 2009. 

Review/Summary by Dr. Denice Moffat

I liked this book. It’s short, easy and fast to read and packed with great advice from many people’s mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, other cultures, nutritionists, doctors, folklorists, anthropologists and nurses (plus about 2500 responses when a request was put out through an article in the New York Times blog).

Here are some proven facts and statistics presented in the book:

I often have clients who are concerned about their weight. Advising about diet is a difficult task because most of these clients are unconscious eaters. I remember one gal who came in when I had a physical office who was concerned about weight even though “she hardly ate anything all day long”. We discussed being aware of what and when she ate. I asked her if she ever counted calories. “No, that’s too much work and besides, I hardly eat anything all day. Just little bits here and there, I skip breakfast usually and sometimes I only eat one meal per day.” We discussed hormones and I asked her if she liked raw, hulled pumpkin seeds which are great for balancing out reproductive hormones in both women and men. “Never tried them before” she said.  I had some, so put about two cups into a little bowl in front of her so that she could try a few. Now, that’s about 2592 calories/cup! I had previously discussed the amounts of calories in nuts and certain condensed foods so I didn’t expect her to eat the entire bowl while we were talking, but every few minutes she’d reach down and grab another handful.

It takes ingesting an extra 3500 calories to add on a pound of body weight. Gee, I wonder where that extra weight is coming from? She also loved tortilla chips (those are 13 calories per chip by the way.) See the book for Rule #25—Eat less (Michael Pollan’s most unwelcome advice in the book.)

Most people don’t eat enough raw fruits and vegetables. They eat ‘grab and go’ stuff that’s less messy but more high-calorie dense and they eat as they multi-task. This is not good. Did you know that if you crave foods to crunch on when you’re driving this is a sign you may have petrochemical allergies?

Just keeping a food diary for two weeks a year may be enough to see where you’re ingesting too many calories. Do it for yourself. Ahh, getting back to the book. . .

Michael Pollan (author of other books including The Omnivores Dilemma, In Defense of Food and the Botany of Desire) calls himself a curious journalist. In writing Food Rules—An Eater’s Manual, he was hoping to answer the question ‘What should we eat” for both himself and his family. Of course other questions came up during his research like, “Why do we have so many brain cells in our stomachs?” (We don’t know the answer to that).

Michael says, “The more I read and researched, the simpler the answers became.” His research came down ultimately to just seven simple words:

EAT FOOD, NOT TOO MUCH, MOSTLY PLANTS.

He’s distilled his research into 64 rules and divided the book up into three sections:

1) Part I: What should I eat? (Eat Food)

2) Part II: What kind of food should I eat? (Mostly plants)

3) Part III: How should I eat? (Not too much)

Some of the rules I was happy to see—paraphrased with my own wording—were ones I had learned growing up):

I remember seeing my grandmother read Prevention magazine decades ago. She taught me the basics of food combining when I was about ten years old. For the food combining technique, I often refer to the book Fit for Life by the Diamonds—especially for blood type A people who have digestive disorders or for people who pass undigested foods in their stools.

Michael Pollan doesn’t address the blood types, zone diet or really any other diets specifically. He sticks to the tried and true food rules passed down from generation to generation. Here are some other rules that I find helpful:

Two rules I didn’t see in the book were:

There are a bunch of rules I didn’t touch on, most of which have to do with Localvore eating and the purity of how things are raised and processed, but you’ll have to get a copy of the book for yourself to read those. It’s definitely worth a read. 

Ask Dr. Moffat:  

Hi Denice – Yay! I ‘just’ did the coffee enema — woo-hoo! Today I was feeling low energy and concentration, but now I feel GREAT — as if I am not even fasting! I can see now why you recommend them, they’re pretty amazing! So, the question is, may I do them the next 2 days? Please say yes — I really like the way I feel right now — and I am sure I have more gunk to get loosened up from my tummy. I’m kinda amazed at how much stuff was stuck in there — mung beans from soup I made like 2-3 weeks ago — WTF?! Crazy that I have as clean of a diet as I do, and still things get stuck in my colon. I’m wondering if I need another colon cleanse like Colonix again? Anyway, let me know about enemas for the rest of the days — I am a fan! Denise

Dear Denise: Although I advocate coffee enemas for certain things, I don’t advocate overdoing it. One enema pre-fasting and two during a 5-day water only fast are enough. For some, enemas are addicting. That is weird that you’d see mung beans eaten weeks ago. It makes me thing there may be an intestinal pocket or two in your large intestine. That makes sense too since you’ve shared your bloating issues with me in the past. Lots of belly massage and a few sit ups each day can actually correct the pocket issue. You just have to be persistent about that. GOOD FOR YOU for finally taking the plunge and doing that water fast though! How long have I been suggesting that for you? Eight years or so?

Hi Denice! Went to the vet with the dogs a coupla weeks ago. Checkups, shots, etc. You were right, it was lice (no, we typically don’t have fleas in Alaska). And way to  go! I casually mentioned the juvenile cataracts to the vet and she sees no sign of it! ‘Just a little haze on one eye’ I think were her words. Thank you so much! Panda needs to lose a little weight but that’s easy.

So I gave them each an application of ‘ SimpleGuard3’… Which didn’t agree w Mingus’ skin. He has red skin eczema with raised bumps all around his crotch. Got any ideas for how I should manage the lice? I did a sanitary wash on the dog bed covers, had the carpets cleaned too (that was amazing timing!!) so that stuff is covered.

Happy to book rechecks if needed as well. Many blessings to you from all of us! Thank you, Sara.

Dear Sara: Well, I think a good medicated bath will help remove some of that SimpleGuard3, but it will have to wear off and detox out of the body over time. Feel free to check with me in the future before applying any other topicals. As for the lice, use the Mycodex shampoo we found that Mingus likes when we tested out the best shampoo for him and add 10 drops of Clove Essential Oil to the 8 oz. bottle, shampoo the dogs, leave it on for 6 minutes and then rinse really well.

The clove oil mixed with a flea shampoo or medicated shampoo does a spectacular job of killing lice (in both animals and humans by the way). People with head lice usually have to repeat the shampoo procedure for three days in a row, but I’m testing the lads only need one bath. Good luck! 

Tips and Tricks for a Healthier Life: 

Client Testimonials:  

Hey Dr. Moffat. FYI, Branson LOVES the formula you created for him. So much so that breaking him from the formula when that day comes appears as though it is going to be our biggest challenge to date.  We give him his “milk” at the end of his meals or else he will choose to fill up on formula and not eat regular food.  When he eats he will eventually stop eating and demand his milk, goes berserk if we don’t hand it to him as fast as he would like – kicks his feet, yells and generally freaks out.  The only thing I can relate it to is when someone is trying to break a kid from breast feeding or the bottle.  He gave up the bottle with no problem.  He gets one per day now and that is at the 9 PM feed since he’s asleep when he gets that feed we have opted to keep using the bottle for now.  Anyway, thought you would like to know that you seem to have created a delicious and obviously nutritious formula (even if it was painful in the beginning)!

(Denice’s note) Painful is right! This little adopted baby barfed up everything that anybody suggested—sometimes projectile vomiting. We finally had to divine the formula out from several nutritional substances and kept having to change the formula for what seemed like months. So glad he’s doing better!

 

Dr. Moffat: Your web site is very helpful and useful.  I am 64 with no gray hair 🙂 and have tried to do the health food thing most of my life.  Drank distilled water for the past 10 years or so and use my juicer not as much as I should.  Tend to keep the bowels moving with figs and prunes and dates.  But I have never done a fast or an enema and found your information most helpful.  Have done a water-only fast for the last four days and am now transitioning to vegetable juicing with no issues so far.  The enema experience was really easy after reading all your goodiInfo.  Thanks again, David.

Dr. Moffat’s Note: Thanks for finding the site David. Glad you found it so helpful!

The healing of a Jacaranda tree down under:  

Hi Denice. . . .The Blessed Jacaranda Tree that fell over in our storm a while ago is coming along fabulously, Tim has just gone down to take the latest photo for me to attach to this email so you can see where your wonderful energy went whilst she, the tree, was in crisis.  You can see that the main trunk has shoots as well………she’ll come along in the summer now.  Meanwhile her children that she’s sown, have grown heaps now that they can see daylight, and will flower soon.  Many thanks again. Sue from Down Under

The Jacaranda tree that talked to me. It didn’t want to be cut down.

(Denice’s note: Sue mentioned that this tree had been damaged in a storm and I shared that I could talk to it and ask it what it needed to get better. She followed what the tree wanted and it responded. “Just prop me up. I can make it” it told me. Nice case! Love these.) 

And I count this one as a big win this year. A client of mine asked me if she could write a testimonial about a Great Dane named Stella that I was privileged to help (with the help of the Guides and Angels of course). It bothers people sometimes when I can’t come up with a diagnosis for their problems . . . just a healing. I’m glad this couple trusted enough to just follow the body’s lead and do the steps it took to get Stella well. I am both touched and honored by her words. . . 

Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am writing to share my story with you about how Dr. Moffat saved my puppy’s life. Her name is Stella, she is a beautiful, vibrant and affectionate Great Dane who is now two and a half years old. She fell ill approximately one year ago, primarily showing flu like symptoms alongside a major lack of strength. We took her to our vet, who diagnosed it as a bacterial infection, provided us with antibiotics, and sent us back home.

Once the antibiotics were used up, the symptoms very quickly returned, as well as a strange hacking cough. Upon further inspection, our vet was adamant that she was suffering from something called a pyometra, which essentially means a bacterial culture had gotten into her uterus, convincing her body of a false pregnancy and requiring immediate spaying or else she would surely die. The one thing that stood out to us, however, was that she wasn’t showing the primary symptom of this type of infection – looking like she was pregnant. When my partner and I questioned our vet about this, he quickly dismissed it, and encouraged us to stop reading all the “horror stories” about this issue, as it would just stress us out further. Our poor Stella was weak, stressed, tired, and not at all herself. We worried on a daily basis that her life would be ripped from her at too young an age.

After the surgery, she was put on a different antibiotic and, once again, upon completion she fell ill. This time, on top of her flu like symptoms, extreme weakness (to the point that she could barely carry her own weight), and hacking cough, she also demonstrated bell’s palsy on the right side of her face, cysts that grew in her tongue in a perfect, spaced out pattern, and intense shivering/convulsing. We went through periods where we had to tube feed her at home, preparing this mash of wet food and water and slowly putting into a tube through her nose so she would have enough strength to keep her heart beating. This roller coaster of trying different antibiotics and falling ill again upon their completion continued for months. It became a part of our daily routine to heavily medicate her up to four times a day, totalling in twelve pills and sometimes also Tylenol to relieve her of any extreme fever she may be dealing with.

Throughout this experience, we went to a total of five different vets, two specialists who were recommended as top in their field, and spent an upwards of $7,000. All of this and we still had literally no answers at all, though we were certain of the things she did not have.

I think the final push for us was the last round of testing we took Stella for, where our “expert” said, “Well, it looks like our only answer here is to pull a bone marrow sample and see what we get. I will warn you, however, that she is not at all an ideal candidate for this surgery, she will absolutely be in pain from it, and we will be testing for things like cancer, which we don’t think she has.” We walked out of her office immediately, said thank you but no thank you, and felt completely lost and saddened, and essentially prepared myself for saying goodbye to my best friend who had too short a time on this planet.

Then came along my co-worker and friend Sheralynn, who had mentioned Dr. Moffat to me and recommended her, as she had used her with her nine month old daughter ten years ago for an illness she too could not get an answer for. She swore by her, and said she worked and was so thankful for the change in quality of life for her daughter that not a day had passed where she wasn’t thankful she had called her. I did some research on her, and of course was sceptical, as was my partner. We are both science driven, like results that have sound explanations, and are something we can measure and fully understand. With that said, I also recognized that that wasn’t working for us, and what was the harm in trying? We had already spent over $7,000, what was the harm in spending significantly less than that, and perhaps getting some sort of answer, or, better yet, getting Stella back to full health?

So we called her, we had phone consultations with her, we strictly followed all the changes she prescribed for us (only filtered water, one cup of zucchini, asparagus and spinach sautéed in organic butter, no more chicken, fish, or anything outside of her Holistic Select dog food and whatever else she deemed necessary to her diet). She sent us drops that would heal the five different infections she claimed Stella to be suffering from, and finally, we could wean her off antibiotics after being on them for seven months straight.

We were so scared to take her off her medication because it was literally keeping her alive, but we followed instruction nevertheless, knowing that if any symptoms returned we would put her right back on them. We never had to, she got weaned off, and in place we were giving her healthy, completely organic drops that would not negate her liver or kidney function, and we were absolutely seeing results. Every day that passed we felt a little more confident in Dr. Moffat’s abilities that we could not completely understand, and we saw Stella returning to something we thought we had lost forever.

It has almost been a year since this whole thing started, and I can very confidently tell you that Dr Moffat saved our dog’s life. Though we do not fully understand how she taps into this energy field that every living thing contains, she was able to tell us exactly what was going on with Stella and provide a solution. She listened to us, was gentle and respected our apprehension. She was a strength we so badly needed, and we can never repay her for what she did for us.

If you are reading this, and are feeling apprehensive about her abilities, please do not. She has been doing this for years, and all I can say is the results are there! It doesn’t matter if you cannot understand how she works, just know that she has a gift we do not, and she is using it to help people like you and me. Thank you so much Dr. Moffat, you saved Stella’s life and our hearts from breaking in half.

Happy endings after trusting the process.

Sincerely, Jennifer Carter and Stella 

Healthy Recipes: Cuban Black Beans

Michael and I love this recipe. We’ve been at two of the same potlucks that Britt has been to and wanted (but didn’t) go back for seconds on this recipe. I asked Britt if I could share and she agreed.

From Britt: I’m posting this fantastic recipe again! It’s just too delicious, too easy, and too versatile! It’s also pretty AND it’s my secret weapon when we have vegetarian friends over. And now it’s even a winning recipe! I submitted it to the Idaho Farmers Market Recipe Contest this year and won the Best Use of Idaho Beans category!

My mom gave me this recipe about 15 years ago and I’ve adapted it a bit to fit what’s in season at the market. It’s a staple in our house – loved by grown-ups and kiddos alike. It’s comforting in winter and quick and simple in the summer. It’s endlessly versatile. You can serve it over rice, in tortillas, make it “saucier” for a black bean soup, put over chips for nachos, or turn into enchiladas. If you forget to soak your beans, you can always cheat and buy a can or two. You can sneak in lots of greens coming out of your garden or from the market. It makes a vat and we usually get 2 or 3 meals out of the recipe.  Enjoy! Britt Heisel

Cuban Black Beans from the Kitchen of Britt Heisel 

Soak beans overnight. Cook beans until tender and drain. Sauté spinach or kale in large pan or pot. While beans are still hot add to pan and toss with remaining ingredients. Serve over rice with lemon wedges or wrapped in a warm tortilla. Top with crumbled feta.

This dish comes together so easily and is always a hit with our family (including our three boys ages 6, 4, and 2). It’s endlessly versatile. You can serve it over rice, in tortillas, make it saucier for a black bean soup, put over nachos, or turn into enchiladas. It is also my go-to meal for hosting vegetarian or vegan (sans cheese, of course!) friends.

Reference: https://idahopreferred.com/recipes/cuban-black-beans 

Inspiration & Perspective:

One of my favorite videos this year. Published on Oct 1, 2013 9 minutes and worth every one. The Story of Solutions explores how we can move our economy in a more sustainable and just direction, starting with orienting ourselves toward a new goal. What if the goal of our economy wasn’t more, but better — better health, better jobs and a better chance to survive on the planet? Shouldn’t that be what winning means? View it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkRvc-sOKk

A Prayer for Thanksgiving: Oh Autumn!

“O sacred season of autumn, be my teacher, for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment. As I gaze upon your full-colored beauty I sense about you an at-home-ness with your amber riches. You are the season of retirement, of full barns and harvested fields. The cycle of growth has ceased, the busy work of giving life is now completed. I sense in you no regrets; you’ve lived a full life. I live in a society ever restless, always eager for more mountains to climb, seeking happiness through more and more possessions. As a child of my culture, I am seldom truly at peace with what I have. Teach me to take stock of what I’ve been given and received; may I know that it is enough, that my striving can cease in the abundance of God’s grace. I know the contentment that allows the totality of my energies to come to full flower. May I know that like you I am rich beyond measure. As you, O Autumn, take pleasure in great bounty, let me also take delight in the abundance of simple things in life that are the true source of joy. With the golden glow of peaceful contentment may I truly appreciate this autumn day.” Amen!

Submitted by our favorite Lutheran pastor (Michael’s son, Brian Robison) borrowed from A Book of Wonders: Daily Reflections for Awakened Living, by Edward Hays.  Notre Dame, IN: Forest of Peace/Ave Maria Press, © 2009, p. 289.

What’s New at Our House? 

See what we’ve been doing all year and why I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been building newsletters! You can check out our current projects by reading this year’s Christmas letter: https://naturalhealthtechniques.com/2013-christmas-letter.htm 

Local Events:

December 4th, 2013 Wednesday:  “Light up the Night” Holiday Parade 7pm in Moscow, ID Everyone is invited to come out and watch this fantastic display of lights. 

Dec. 7th,2013 Saturday. Palouse Cares Food Drive: Palouse Cares is an outlet for bringing our community together for a very special one day event. Hundreds of individuals come together and form a magical team all with an eye out for compassionate help for children and children based nonprofit charities. Our goal is to have no child go hungry. We also feel that no adult should go hungry either. We have an amazing door to door food drive followed by an auction in selected towns. Food Drive starts at 9 AM. The goal is to go by everybody’s houses and pick up canned food items (Our local food bank in Deary is set up to receive excess garden produce as well just so you know.)

Silent Auctions and BBQ Lunch starts at 11:00 in the towns of Moscow, Pullman and Colfax locations only. Donate food at the following locations:

For more information or to volunteer to help pick up food go to: https://www.palousecares.org/

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