Before we get to Niko’s second guest blog post on pain, I wanted to invite you to my next class. Did you know it’s possible to be pain free without medication or surgery? Let’s put a stop to out of control inflammation and the auto-immune problems it can cause. Discover your body’s relationship to the food you eat and reduce inflammation. Learn the causes of pain and how to quiet it.  For more information check out the facebook event.

My husband’s book How to Succeed in Anesthesia School (And RN, PA, or Med School) is on Amazon and briefly in other digital and ebook formats.   Enjoy his latest thoughts on pain. 

Though I used smaller words, last time I showed that whether pain is psychosomatic or a true physiological response for an individual, the key is a complete, integrative approach that addresses more than pharmacological imbalances (chronic narcotic use decreasing endogenous endorphin production).  Don’t worry,  I intend to keep this conversation simple and occasionally silly.

Roots of Pain

From a natural medicine perspective, inflammation from toxins can manifest in vague ways including pain.  By that approach, the root cause of pain syndromes can be sub-clinical (hard to detect) chemical or food intolerances.   Here’s a novel idea, so brace yourselves (because if this astounding post knocks you to the floor and creates more pain, that would be ironic).  It doesn’t matter too much what someone names your pain.  You might as well call him Rupert.  Rupert is a classy name and will do you just as well as fibromyalgia or chronic pain syndrome.  These are diagnoses of exclusion, meaning that disorders with symptoms of chronic pain, stiffness, and fatigue; multiple sclerosis; and other auto-immune syndromes need to be ruled out first.   The aches, sensitivities, and emotional components of fibromyalgia Rupert are often difficult to describe and diagnose.  A variety of multi-modal therapies are needed, often including immune-suppressing drugs.   As such, the diagnosis is less important than relief of symptoms, even though that relief can be difficult to achieve.  For example, two months ago Medicare decided that TENS units (devices that buzz painful areas with low voltage vibrations to confuse pain nerves) won’t be reimbursed anymore.  It certainly helps to discern if the problem stems from your own immune system, a brain or nervous system problem, or a cause outside of your body–such as the prion that causes Mad Cow Disease or the toxins in Agent Orange.  Alternative medicine especially tries to dig out the root of a problem rather than the ugly branches of symptoms management, boughs laden with ugly Rupert fruit (some of you are so confused right now).  The favorite diagnoses of exclusion (again, the leftover possibilities after tests for specific diseases with specific treatments) in natural medicine won’t immediately change your pain level either.  After all, there’s not a cure-all supplement for Leaky Gut Syndrome or Lyme Disease.

Pacifying Pain

I guess I should discuss a few pain relieving herbs and such, but don’t you and Rupert get all excited on me.  Early in her wellness journey, someone suggested an herbal supplement to Melanie that boasted, “Contains 3000x the helpful plant nutrients found in nature!”.   I assure you that most synthetic, over the counter medicines will be of more use than an embarrassingly concentrated natural compound.  That supplement was part of the reason Melanie won’t recommend those type of products to her clients today.

I previously recommended magnesium as a supplement or in bath water, therapies such as chiropractic work and massage, and steps to reduce inflammation, including fish oil intake and decreasing inflammatory foods in your diet.   Just like my lavender and peppermint blend decreases anxiety and nausea, frankincense essential oil decreases pain: you can even rub it on afflicted joints.  The herbs that help the most with pain are the “ultimate” ones in the traditional medicine cultures of India and China: Ashwagandha and Ganoderma (reishi mushroom).  If you live locally, check out our links page for the closest herbal store to get you some ‘o dat.  At Old Thyme Remedies, Melanie’s will begin using infrared light and cold laser therapies to treat clients with pain, and she’ll be teaching another class on pain and inflammation a few Thursdays from now (feel free to print the flyer here).

Historically, the above herbs were used in a context completely alien from how we tend to see the world today.    Of particular interest for those who notice more pain in winter or with changing weather patterns, traditional Chinese medicine incorporates the seasons into considering if the body is too “damp”, “fiery”, “windy” etc.  Treatments often require the patient to refrain from drinking either hot or cold liquids.  The most similar parallel in Western Medicine would be Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is basically winter depression.  And that’s why I recommend dipping Rupert in icy water twice daily.  Maybe not, but steam rooms, saunas, and more sunlight exposure can alleviate acute and chronic pain.

The Magic Bullet

Magic or not, I don’t think being shot with any sort of bullet would instantly cure pain.  Despite the success Melanie has in her practice with subduing chronic pain by dietary and life-style changes even before adding any herbs or supplements, it is difficult finding research-backed therapies that work for a majority of patients in pain management.  As I said in the comments section of my last post, find what works for you, even if didn’t for other people.  The trend is toward more invasive solutions for pain–epidural injections (hopefully fungal free!), surgery, and intravenous drugs.  As a culture, we’ve seen that heavy narcotic use is not effective as a stand alone therapy–recent statistics state that there are enough pain pills in America for every person to have one every four hours for a month! That’s why alternative therapies like accupuncture , reflexology, cranial sacral therapy, etc. need more research.  Even the pain-reducing medicines I use in the OR have different effects.  One drug will take away your preoccupation with pain, while another severs the emotional reaction associated with pain, meaning that you could merrily saw someone’s arm off while they stared at you quizzically.  Still another drug reduces the amount of neurons firing pain-stimulating chemicals rather than decreasing the actual sensation of pain.  Now do you see why pain needs a holistic approach?  Keep those questions coming!

–Niko

Tweet

The title of this soup is beyond fitting.  I came home from the farmers market with two beautiful heads of broccoli that I was determined to do something extraordinary with.  You know, something besides roasting, steaming, or eating them raw.  This soup came together so quickly it reminded me of a quote I recently saw on facebook.

Isn’t that the truth?  Real food should be easy to cook and taste good because it relies on real flavors.  Healthy food does not have to be complicated or require crazy ingredients (Niko just yelled out, “Weasel milk!”), which is why I love this soup.

Broccoli Soup

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 large carrots, chopped

3 T butter or coconut oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1 quart broth or water (I used turkey broth)

1/4 cup  chopped fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped

fresh lemon juice (half a lemon or to taste)

salt and pepper

1.  In a large saucepan over medium heat saute onions and carrots in butter or coconut oil until softened, about 8 minutes.

2.  Stir in garlic, broccoli, and  broth and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until broccoli is tender, another 5- 1o minutes.

3.  Puree soup in batches, filling blender halfway. Return to pot. I like  a more chunky soup, so I pureed about half of the soup.

4.  Stir in chopped fresh herbs, additional salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

I hope you enjoy this creamy cozy winter soup as much as I do!

-Melanie

P.S. – Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter (on the right side of the page above the facebook bar) for exclusive recipes, my latest book updates, and alternative health information.

Tweet

During college,  I would promptly fall asleep at 9:30pm unless I had a jolting dose of coffee coursing through my system.   The night before a big paper was due, you wouldn’t hear me in my room tapping away at the computer keyboard.  Nope, you’d find me at Starbucks getting a double shot espresso.   Procrastination loves company, so I would sip expensive drinks with my friends as we avoided homework together.  Then I’d swing back to my room and finally get to writing my paper.  Without that coffee I would have slept through every good procrastinating moment.

I never got into a morning ritual with coffee.  It simply became my emergency focus drug to stay up late and get work done.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the smell of coffee and will occasionally (once or twice a year) drink a tiny cup of Greek coffee, but otherwise coffee is not a big part of my life.

Considering the almost 5 million people who visit Starbucks daily, coffee is a major part of most people’s lives.  Coffee makes the news regularly, but studies are always controversial.  Some say it can cut your risk of dying while other research shows that coffee is dangerous and should be consumed at your own risk.  What I can tell you is that while coffee contains antioxidants, it is acidifying.  Our body has to steal alkaline minerals from our bones to stay neutral.  Also, coffee has a stimulating effect on the adrenals that over time  can tire them out, just like stress does.  While I’m not one to take away anyone’s favorite food or drink,  (just ask my clients about the healthy dessert recipes I email them),  if coffee is giving you acid reflux or stomach troubles then by all means, opt for something natural.  It’s not natural to have the shakes or a migraine before you drink that first cup or to fuel your body with stimulants instead of food.

As with anything you ingest, consider your  individual reactions before paying attention to any study.

So, what’s so awesome and health promoting about this dandelion mocha?

Dandelion:

-Has a stimulating and decongesting effect on the liver.

-Encourages optimal digestion with an array of bitter compounds to let the digestive organs know, “food is coming!”

-Stimulates the production of bile, which in turn helps to break down fat and allow for better absorption of nutrients.

Not to mention the cinnamon has blood sugar balancing effects, the organic cocoa brings antioxidants to the table, and the raw honey is helpful to those seasonal allergies!

For all the health benefits this soothing drink has to offer, it tastes delicious.  It has a slight coffee-like bitter component while remaining mild and earthy.

I noticed the taste is even stronger the next day, so if you can make enough for 3 or 4 days, it reheats beautifully and the flavor intensifies.

Dandelion Mocha

Dandelion Mocha

Yield: 2 servings

This is an adapted recipe from Kami McBride’s, The Herbal Kitchen.  Kami is an inspiration in the kitchen and transforms medicine into food.  She has helped countless people wean themselves off coffee with this health promoting drink.  Remember, whatever your warm winter drink of choice, pay attention to how your body responds.

Ingredients:

3 T roasted dandelion root (I buy mine at Old Thyme Remedies, try Mountain Rose herbs or your local bulk herb store.)

2 T cocoa powder (or cocoa nibs)

1/2 C coconut milk (I used Native Forest)

2 T raw honey

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Instructions:

1.  In a medium saucepan simmer the dandelion root and cocoa in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Strain and return liquid to saucepan. Discard or compost dandelion root.

2.  Then add all remaining ingredients, stir to combine and reheat as necessary.

That’s it!  I hope you’ll try this warm refreshing drink and let me know what you think, especially those die hard coffee fans out there.

Do you drink coffee?  Let me rephrase that–do you attach an IV drip of coffee to your arm as soon as you wake up? Leave a comment and let me know

Other Natural Coffee Alternatives to check out:

1.  Teechino

2.  Mountain Rose herbal Coffee Tea (sold locally at Old Thyme Remedies)

3.  Elana’s Pantry Dandelion Root Coffee

This post linked with  Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Real Food Wednesday, and Keep it Real Thursdays.

-Melanie

Tweet

Today’s guest post is brought to you by my husband Niko.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy his witty words and fun pictures as much as I do.  He works as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and recently wrote his third book, which includes a section on complementary alternative medicine and is available here:

We’ve all seen those commercials with joyful old people jogging or stressed mothers trying to decide between three pills twice a day or one pill three times a day.  Which pain medicine will lead to unending bliss as you take it for the rest of your life?  It’s the dosage that matters, not the number of pills, and following the advice of those commercials will eventually destroy your stomach (aspirin), liver (Tylenol/acetaminophen), or kidneys (Motrin/ibuprofen).  I’m not saying that taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug like the above for a short amount of time requires an immediate enema of repentance and a six month raw food detox plan.  You’ve never heard of an enema of repentance?  I really hope I just made that up.  Whew, a google search turned up nothing, so we’re still safe.  Anyway, blocking the body’s natural inflammatory pathways can impair healing—it’s a much better idea to work with your body.  I could ramble on about inflammation, but Melanie does occasionally teach a wonderful class called “Extinguishing Inflammation Naturally” that highlights ways to battle chronic irritation much better than I could.

So how do you work with your body?  Despite the sixty hours I’ll spend working in the operating room this week, surgery is rarely the answer for pain.  Your body simply finds another vertebrae to place stress or another passageway for nerves to travel along pain pathways.  Alternative medicine favors gradually curative but admittedly eclectic therapies.  The Western approach to managing chronic pain emphasizes narcotics, procedures, or a strange mix of the two like implantable pain pumps.  Obviously, it’s easier and cheaper to augment pain control techniques with fish oil and magnesium supplementation or reflexology points, but not everyone is as bright as you, dearest reader. 

The only positive result of the fungal spinal meningitis scare has been a subtle change in our pain intolerant culture.  That culture and our healthcare system promote quick fixes of symptoms rather than lifestyle changes to address core issues.  From personal experience as an anesthetist, I can assure you that immigrants from other countries require much less pain medicine than the typical American.  Now, patients who used to sign release forms without a problem are paying attention to the words “every procedure carries risk, including that of death.”  However, because pain is so complex, a holistic approach shouldn’t necessarily shun osteopathic treatments completely in favor of naturopathic or homeopathic cures.  After all, many of the herbal supplements for chronic pain that Melanie muscle tests clients for contain white willow bark, which led to the creation of aspirin.  Also, alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine all come from natural substances, but their positive uses are far outweighed by the problems they cause.  If you disagree, feel free to defend your viewpoint below, once you’re not under the influence of your preferred substance.  Come to think of it, you may want to disguise your identity before you explain the therapeutic effects of powdered coca leaves.

Let’s say you were injured protecting your parakeet from a ruthless gang of urban pigeons.   What wonders can modern medicine work for you? As you refill your Vicodin prescriptions, you’ll notice that your body begins to interpret more sensations as pain.  This is because your body stops making its own pain killing chemicals once those are supplied from an outside source, and your liver learns to break down morphine-type substances quicker, decreasing the effects.  The latest research shows some improvement from adding drugs that affect the nervous system, such as Lyrica, Neurontin, and antidepressents.  A less complex approach—and I know you all saw this coming—is to improve your diet.  What?  Nutrition as a cure-all, here on The Grecian Garden?!  Well, let me explain (and if you’re still confused, I can go into more detail and cite more research in the comments section).  The gut makes a majority of the feel-good transmitters for your nervous system for free without a prescription.  A tune up detox and anti-inflammatory diet convinces the organs to work in harmony.  An additional step is restoring bowel flora: trauma and narcotics both slow down the intestines, affecting the quality of life of your hard-working protective gut germs.   Fermented foods act like a petri dish full of bacteria to repopulate your intestines.  It’s not quite as gross as I’m making it out to be.

Melanie picking hot peppers, rosemary, and sage from our garden.

A more aesthetically pleasing alternative is aromatherapy with essential oils: I’ve used  a combination of topical or inhaled lavender and acupressure for post-operative nausea and pain.  Plant preparations possibly prevent particularly peculiar pains (sorry for the overdose of unnecessary alliteration there), but just slapping hot sauce, er, capsaicin on a sore knee isn’t going to cut it.  Acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropractic techniques are examples of the continuum in alternative health from fraud to fabulous.  Depending on the practitioner, you could get better or just be paying someone to gleefully poke you with needles (although we’ve started a list of some good people).  Next time Melanie has me write, I might be more useful and discuss specific pain-killing foods and supplements.  We’ll also examine pain from the framework of your practitioner’s favorite diagnoses of exclusion (whether it’s a personal physician saying you have fibromyalgia or your natural doctor bringing up allergies and leaky gut syndrome), and what that all has to do with traditional Chinese medicine philosophy.  What questions do you have? 

If your particular issue can’t be cured through a blog comment (hard to imagine, I know), Melanie accepts clients at Jacobs Chiropractic in Gulf Breeze and Old Thyme Remedies in Pensacola, so stop by the Services page for more info.

–Niko

CapsaicinWikipedia: Capsaicin ( 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide, ( (CH₃)₂CHCH=CH(CH₂)₄CONHCH₂C₆H₃-4-(OH)-3-(OCH₃) ) is the active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. →

Tweet

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! {oops, too soon?!}

Fall. Autumn. Harvest.  Whatever you want to call it, it has to be my favorite time of year.  Fall begins the season in which I never leave my kitchen.  Yep, once summer melts away and cooler winds start blowing, I’m calmed by the smell of roasted squash in the oven, sauteed apples with cinnamon on the stove, and a paprika topped shepherd’s pie waiting to be cut into.  I’ve been known to spend entire Saturdays cooking, not because I have to but because I want to.   During those times, no recipe seems too difficult to try out at least once.  And the cool thing is, each time you try a seemingly difficult or time-consuming recipe, the opportunity exists to learn a new technique or flavor pairing.

A Bob’s Red Mill sponsored post.

I met the lovely Sarena from The Non-Dairy Queen at Nourished in May.  She was there as an ambassador with Bobs Red Mill.  Before I unpacked my bags from my trip, Cassidy from Bob’s Red Mill  emailed me asking if I would like to submit a holiday recipe (thanks Sarena!).  I had to use a Bobs Red Mill product and they would supply it!  I narrowed down my options and came up with this Thanksgiving side dish sure to please any crowd.  They not only sent me the Wild Rice Blend, but the Country Rice Blend as well! I  realize most people do not share my love of cooking or all-day baking adventures, especially around the holidays.  This is why I created my chestnut and herb wild rice.

My influences for this recipe.

Chestnuts just say Thanksgiving to me.  My mom puts them in her chestnut sage and meat stuffing every year, and I usually eat about three servings before it hits the table.  My mother in law’s influence is the addition of the beet greens and  dill which reminds me of her Spanakorizo, a rice side dish that will put a smile on any Greek’s face!

You can soak the rice and sauté the vegetables and herbs before Thanksgiving day, so that when the busy day arrives  you are only cooking the rice.  Give it a try this year at your Thanksgiving table; I don’t think you’ll be dissappointed.

Chestnut and Herb Wild Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Wild and Brown Rice

Water for soaking

1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar

2-3 tablespoons coconut oil

2/3 cup celery, finely chopped

1 cup onion, finely chopped

4 ounces chopped beet greens or other quick cooking green such as spinach or arugula (2 cups loosely packed)

4 large garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 tablespoons when finely chopped)

2 tablespoons fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dry

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup diced chestnuts (I used Musette Traditional French Chestnuts.  I buy mine from The Apple Market)

2 ¼ cups hot water or chicken stock

½ lemon, used just before serving

Directions:

1.  The night before you are serving, add the rice to a medium sized bowl and cover with filtered water, stir in the lemon juice or vinegar.   Cover and set aside overnight.
2. The next day, strain the rice and rinse, set aside.  In a large dutch oven pre-heated to medium heat, begin to sauté the celery and onion in coconut oil.  Once translucent and tender, add in the greens,  garlic, dill, oregano, salt, and pepper  and sauté until greens are tender.  Add in a few teaspoons additional coconut oil to prevent sticking.
3. Stir in the soaked rice, then add the hot water or broth and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook for 45 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes covered and unstirred.
4. Fluff rice with a fork and stir in chestnuts.  The hot rice will warm them.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.  Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  You can also find my recipe at Bob’s Red Mill.

-Melanie

Tweet

I peel my almonds after soaking. It's completely optional, but does produce a creamier finished product.

Are you over the flurry of fluffy fall drinks yet? Because I’m just getting started turning sweet innocent pumpkins into delicious elixers of wellness.  Last week I went to measure out 1 cup of almonds for soaking and I only had 1/2 cup!  I’m a huge fan of homemade nut milks and I seriously wanted to try making Mama Natural’s pumpkin smoothie in my quest to find a fantastic frothy–oops, there I go again.  Anyway, I scoured my pantry for more almonds and came across some raw pumpkin seeds. The idea for pumpkin seed almond milk was born.  I’ve since made several batches and the light green color is seriously growing on me.  The flavor actually has a hint of pumpkin spice that goes well in most almond milk applications.  Oh, and it’s also really easy to make!

You can't tell by the picture, but the pumpkin seed almond mik has a slight green tint to it.

Pumpkin Seed Almond Milk

Yields 1 quart

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup raw almonds

4 cups water plus extra for soaking

1 1/4 tsp salt, use divided

1 T honey

1.  Cover almonds and pumpkin seeds with water in a medium mixing bowl and add 1 tsp of salt.  Leave on counter over night.

2.  In the morning drain nuts/seeds and rinse well.  Add to blender with 4 cups purified water and blend on high until completely smooth.

3.  Strain milk using a nut milk bag or a never used knee high nylon.

4.  Add strained nut milk back to blender and add in 1/4 tsp salt and 1 T honey. Blend well then refrigerate.

After several attempts at the perfect pumpkin smoothie, I concocted a batch that prompted my husband to exclaim, “It’s like pumpkin pie in a mug!”  That’s when I knew I had it.  I’ll be sharing that recipe at my kefir class this Saturday.  I’ve been making kefir for 5 years.  I started out using raw cow milk and then ventured into water kefir, coconut water kefir, and coconut milk kefir.  One of my favorites is water kefir mixed with lemon juice and honey.  At the class I’ll be showing you how to make kefir easily with the desired milk or water of your choosing.  You will not want to miss this informative class.  As always, there will be tasty samples and you will leave with helpful tips and recipes for creating kefir in your own home! More details below.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Kefir 101

Kefir is a probiotic rich, cultured milk that has a tart and refreshing flavor.

At the class we will be discussing:

-Homemade milk kefir and water kefir (healthy soda alternative).

-Where to obtain kefir cultures and their differences.

-Flavoring options and maintenance.

-Homemade vs. store-bought.

-Dairy free kefir with coconut.

-Plus how kefir can help boost your immune system.

Where:  Old Thyme Remedies, 2475 East Nine Mile Rd, Pensacola, Fl 32514

When: Saturday, November 3rd at 11 am      

Cost: $20

RSVP: Through facebook or by calling  (850) 912-6996

I hope to see you there!

~Melanie

Tweet

Expecting a baby or know someone who is? Want some clarity about which foods to introduce to your baby and when? Are you a new or experienced mom or dad looking for the best way to feed your children so they will grow up strong and disease free?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this is the class for you!

In the US over 12,000 children each year are diagnosed with cancer… Nearly 6 million children suffer from food allergies… and the number of childhood behavior disorders is rapidly increasing.

We can change these statistics dramatically simply by what we choose to feed ourselves and our children.

At this informative class you will learn:

1. How to prevent and reverse food allergies
2. What constitutes a preconception diet
3. What the best first foods are for babies
4. How to make nutrient dense foods kid friendly

Where & When

Ever’man Natural Food Cooperative

1. 315 West Garden Street  Pensacola, FL 32502
2. (850) 438-0402
3. 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Cost

Free!

~~~

You can watch more updates here:

We’re slowly transitioning the RSS feeds and emails we send from Feedblitz to Feedburner and Mailchimp, so check your spam filters occasionally. The process is automatic so you won’t have to sign up again. Originally, I planned to make this parapraph much more entertaining by comparing spam filters to gluten and getting the junk out of our diet, but the analogy failed to rise to the occasion, just like my first attempts at grain-free bread!

–Melanie

Tweet

1. Eat Fruits And Vegetables

Just one apple has over 10,000 phyto-nutrients in it – antioxidants and compounds that help fight free radical damage and keep you healthy. Over 8,000 studies show that eating fruits and vegetables reduces your risk of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

2. Go For A Walk

Despite the hottest, newest fitness fads, walking is still one of the best exercises you can possibly do for your health. Walking helps stimulate your blood flow and lymphatic system, just to name a few of the benefits.

3. Meditate

Meditation is one of the quickest and easiest (depending on who you ask) ways to relax your body and mind, stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. In these days of fast-paced lifestyles, fast food, fast cars, and fast TV shows, we can go all day with one rush of adrenaline after another. But this drains our kidneys and our body of energy and eventually we crash – unless we can rest and relax to recover. Meditation is a great way to do that.

4. Take A Nap

Ahh, a nap! In the old days (like when my parents were in school), napping was much more common. Nowadays, it seems like almost no one takes naps anymore. I guess we’re just too busy for sleep. But only sleeping 4 hours a night with no naps in the day is a good recipe for chronic fatigue and other problems that come from sleep deprivation.

If you can’t take the time to sleep now, you won’t have time to do anything later on!

5. Make A Healthy Smoothie

A smoothie can be one of the easiest and quickest ways to get a lot of great nutrition in your body. Try a healthy smoothie recipe that’s loaded with greens, superfoods, fruits, nuts and seeds.

6. Breathe Deeply

Deep breathing is also a great, quick and easy way to reactivate your parasympathetic nervous system, relax your body and relieve stress. When you get angry, anxious, or fearful, your chest gets contracted and your breathing becomes very shallow. Most people spend all day in this mode. Taking just 2-3 minutes for some intentional deep breathing can help you calm down, relax and has been shown to improve your immune function as well!

7. Be Grateful

One of the most important health habits I’ve developed is to count my blessings. Whether you want to write down 3-5 things you’re grateful for, share them with your spouse, or just think about it in your head, take the time to count your blessings every day. Even if you’re sick – what are you grateful for?

This practice could change your health – and your life.

8. Drink Water

Most people are chronically dehydrated. Carry a water bottle with you at all times (preferably not plastic because of the chemicals that leach from the plastic into the water). Make sure to drink at least a glass of water when you wake up in the morning.

9. Take An Epsom Salt Bath

A salt bath is a great way to relax – and it’s got the added benefit of removing toxins from your body through your skin. Epsom salt baths have been used for years for athletes who have sore muscles or injuries, but it works wonders for any body.

10. Learn More About Nutrition

Study nutrition. Our lifestyle choices are the #1 thing that effect our health – and the good news is that you’re in 100% control of your choices. But to make the best choices, you have to take the time to learn more!

I consider health and nutrition a lifelong study for my own personal health – sharing it with others is just a bonus.

About The Author: Tom Corson-Knowles is the founder of the Authentic Health Coaching podcast show, the #1 Alternative Health podcast show on Podomatic. Tom blogs regularly about nutrition, natural weight loss, and how to live a long, healthy, happy life.  Our podcast together is also on The Grecian Garden media page.

A fantastic group of bloggers and themes to check out:

• June 30th Food: Cheryl of Gluten-Free Goodness
• July 7th Support and Connection: Valerie of City Life Eats 
• July 14th Movement : Shirley of Gluten Free Easily (GFE) 
• July 21st Creativity: Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl
• July 28th Inward Reflection: Iris of The Daily Dietribe 

I’m really looking forward to Carrie’s post on creativity.  I love scrapbooking and creating crafts for gifts, but I don’t do it enough considering the vast array of supplies that I have.  Hopefully her post will inspire me to open my craft drawers and be creative!

-Melanie

P.S. click here for information about my next class on Saturday,  August 19th called  “Nourishing our Children” in Pensacola.

Tweet

Purple stained fingers from picking blackberries, baskets full of produce too heavy to carry from the farmers market, and long days at the beach. Yeah, summer is here. Are you enjoying the bliss of this season as much as I am? I sure hope so and I have a recipe that tastes just like summer. I’m sharing it with you over at my friend Danya’s blog, Pink Peony Style. I’m so happy to be contributing my recipes and healthy living tips with you around the web. Danya has put together a team of ladies who will be sharing trendy fashion tips, healthy recipes, and becoming the woman God wants us to be.

Any time a new recipe of mine is shared I will let you know through my blog and through facebook. I wouldn’t be Greek if I didn’t want to share my very best recipes with you. The only difference is that I don’t leave out my secret ingredients. Speaking of recipes, I have the perfect summer appetizer for you, quinoa stuffed squash blossoms.

These delicate flowers get stuffed with a quinoa/pine nut/cranberry filling and then lightly seared until tender. oh my deliciousness, this is a must try recipe.

Head on over to Pink Peony Style for the full recipe and leave a comment letting us know you stopped by. You can also access Danya’s blog through our links page, and the latest pictures and podcasts of what I’ve been doing on our new media page.

Happy Summer!

-Melanie

PS: My “Extinguish Inflammation Naturally” class at 7pm on Thursday, June 21st will teach participants about anti-inflammatory herbs, foods, and natural health techniques that promote healing within the body and put a stop to inflammation. Cost: $24 or $ 20 each with a friend. RSVP by June 19. Jacobs Chiropractic and Wellness Center, 215 Gulf Breeze Pkwy. 850-916-7060.

Tweet

I spent this past weekend in Chicago at Nourished and I’m so glad I did.  I learned invaluable information from our sessions, made great friends, and ate fabulous gluten free food! Before you take a peek at my Chicago adventure I want to invite you to my upcoming cultured vegetable class:

Get Cultured!

Where:  Old Thyme Remedies 2475 E Nine Mile Road Suite E, Pensacola, FL 32514

When: Saturday, April 21st at 10:00 am

Cost: $20 or $15 each with a friend!

RSVP to Theresa at (850) 912-6996.

I hope to see you there!

Nourished

Sorry it's blurry!

The lovely Amy Green from Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

The conference was centered around educational sessions from authors, bloggers, and food writers.  Here is a brief recap of  3 out of the 4 sessions I attended.

Mary Fran Wiley of Franny Cakes taught me how to carve my niche, create a logo, and most importantly to follow my gut.

I learned from Karen Morgan of Blackbird Bakery how to fine tune my g-free recipe development, how to bake without a rubber band (gluten), and not to click “publish” until it’s perfect.

Lauren Lucille of Celiac Divas and Anne, Schar’s Dietician gave pointers on making the best of a business partnership and being bold in your goals.  They said that in Italy, if you get diagnosed with celiac disease you get an extra 200 euro a month for food!  Just might be moving to Europe.

As usual when traveling, I packed a ton of food including lunch for the day of the conference. What an awesome surprise to walk into this room and be served a gourmet gluten free lunch.  There was not an ounce of room left in my stomach after finishing our meal.

Yup, I didn’t go hungry.  That little purple leaf is an amaranth sprout, isn’t it beautiful?!  Everything tasted as good as it looked and you would have never known it was gluten free.

Having lunch with some fabulous ladies!

It was great to be able to eat lunch at a conference and not have to ask or worry if the food you were eating truly was gluten free.   That in and of itself was beautiful, and we all  felt connected by the feeling that we were being nourished without having to scrutinize each bite, which made the atmosphere inviting and comfortable.

White chocolate raspberry cupcakes.  Gluten freedom.

I also learned from Jennifer Harris of the examiner.com how to properly eat a cupcake.  Jennifer explained that you cut the bottom off the cupcake and place it on the top making a cupcake sandwich, then sink your teeth in.  It’s lady like and you get frosting in every bite.  It was worth flying to Chicago just to learn this little tip!

Classy ladies!  Rachel from Gfree Gal, Lauren Lucille from Celiac Diva, and Jasmine from Healthy Jasmine.

Lasting connections!

We finished off the day with the key note speaker Cybele Pascal and a g-free cocktail party!  After having our fill of goodies from local and national vendors, we all received two huge goody bags filled with g-free awesomeness!

Me with Rebecca from Going Free…such a sweetheart!

When you have to eat different from everyone else (either for personal choices or health reasons) feeling isolated can often become the norm due to the difficulty in dining out, traveling, family dinners, or work.  I can’t tell you how many social gatherings I turned down when I first went gluten free for fear there wouldn’t be anything for me to eat, or being tempted to eat something that I knew would make me sick.

We often become undernourished in the friend/connections category, but instead of turning to a croissant for comfort we look into the virtual internet world and find that there is a whole community out there just like us living exactly the way we do and having the very same experiences we have.  We have built a community for ourselves so that when we come online its like seeing a friendly neighbor waving when they post a fabulous recipe or we see the flash of a smile when someone leaves a comment on our blog.

Conferences like Nourished bring a family of friends together tied by two things, the love of food and sharing it with others.  Just like gluten really ties together a croissant–just kidding!  After Nourished, not only were our tummies filled with delicious g-free food, but our hearts were filled with love as friendships were solidified or simply began.  Nourished was nourishing for the body, soul, and mind.  Thank you to Amy and Jen for creating such a beautiful event!  I can’t wait until next year when it will be held in Dallas!

-Melanie

Tweet