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Natural Treatment of Headaches and Migraines

January 20, 2010 in Green Living, Healthy Nutrition, Supplements by donna | No comments

One of the most common health concerns that I hear is that someone has a headache. And not just a once-in-a-while headache, but often, these folks have headaches very regularly and they end up doing one of three things: 1) Live with the pain and go about their business as best they can. 2) Medicate themselves to deal with the pain. 3) Become incapacitated by the pain and remove themselves from daily life while the pain subsides.

That is no way to live. If you are ready for another option…read on…

Please remember that I am not a health professional, I am merely sharing what has helped other people and made a huge difference in their lives. I have not personally suffered from migraines or headaches so I cannot speak to the effectiveness of this program. I can tell you that there is a money-back guarantee, so what have you got to lose?

In the interest of full disclosure I am an Independent Shaklee Distributor and if you choose to order products through me or my website I will receive a commission. There is a reason I chose to distribute Shaklee products and that is because of their extreme attention to quality, third party testing, and consistent results.

STEP ONE:

To start with, headaches are often tied to a body that is overrun with toxins. The first step is to detoxify the body by doing the following:

Consume purified water
Take DTX to detoxify the liver
Take Alfalfa to purify the blood
Take HerbLax to cleanse the colon and bladder
Take Optiflora to support the digestive tract and to provide good bacteria to support the detox
Increase fiber consumption (may be able to decrease Herb Lax).

Continue the above program until the body is having two bowel movements per day (no constipation, no diarrhea) and urinating several times per day.

STEP TWO:

The second step is to create a consistent regimen of giving your body what it needs to be strong and healthy. Don’t be surprised if in addition to decreased headaches you also have more energy and other health complaints may decrease as well. Make sure you are eating a healthy diet and continuing with purified water. Take the following:

VitaLea 3x/day
B-Complex 6/day
Herb Lax 2-4/day
Energizing Soy Protein 3 tablespoons daily
Vitamin C (sustained release) 6/day
Calcium/Magnesium 6/day
Alfalfa 12-15/day
OmegaGuard 6/day
GLA (gamma linolenic acid) 6/day
Optiflora 1 each/day

Investigate if there may be a food you are consuming that is causing the headaches including:

Chocolate
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Food colorings
Fruits such as bananas, plums, or pineapple
Wheat
Dairy
Alcohol (especially red wine)
Pickled herrings

EMERGENCY RELIEF:

For a migraine that is coming on, have these packets ready to go to take to head it off (take one packet per hour until you experience relief):

2 B-Complex
2 Cal/Mag
2 GLA
4-5 Alfalfa
2 OmegaGuard
Drink 1-8 oz. glass of Performance (Shaklee’s sports nutrition rehydration beverage)

If you are a regular reader then you know that I do not usually push Shaklee products on you. In this case, I need to tell you that if you choose to use other company’s products you will likely not experience the same results. Shaklee products are consistent quality and tested to make sure they actually get absorbed into your bloodstream. Take a chance and give it a try. As I mentioned before there is a money-back guarantee. Wouldn’t it be great to have had your last headache or migraine? Please feel free to contact me at: keithdonnacopeland@sbcglobal.net to get more support. You can place orders at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com I am paid by Shaklee for products purchased through me or my site. Good luck!

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Tags: headache treatment, natural headache prevention

Headaches: What to Check For

January 18, 2010 in Green Living, Healthy Nutrition by donna | No comments

I have had a few times in my life where I have been plagued by regular headaches and I can tell you it is no fun. Thankfully I have been able to identify where the source of my headaches was coming from and fix the problem. For some people, it isn’t that simple; they may have migraines that come on out of the blue with seemingly no triggers or they may experience a dull headache pretty much 24/7.

I thought it may be helpful if I share some of the causes of headaches that I am aware of that you may want to discuss with your health professional to see if any of them may be the cause of your headaches. Please know that this is not a complete list and that I am not a medical professional. Always seek the advise of a health professional to diagnose and treat your particular symptoms.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way…causes of headaches:

Dehydration: This is likely the number one cause for headaches in the world. Many of us are walking around dehydrated on a daily basis and we don’t even realize it. If the majority of your fluids come from coffee or other caffeinated beverages or carbonated beverages, you are likely dehydrated. If you feel a headache coming on, try to consume a full glass or two of water and wait fifteen minutes to see how you feel before taking any medication.
Blood Sugar: You don’t need to be a diabetic to suffer from fluctuations in blood sugar. A very common response (besides moodiness) is headaches. We can all follow the same advice that diabetics receive which is to consume regular meals and to include good, absorbable sources of protein at each meal; avoid simple sugars and simple carbohydrates; include a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day.
Brain Tumors: Not a pleasant consideration and a lot more complex than drinking more water, brain tumors can most definitely cause headaches and anyone who experiences headaches consistently needs to get tumors ruled out as a possibility.
Aneurism: There was a man I worked with back in the mid-90’s and his wife died very abruptly of a brain aneurism. The primary sign was terrible headaches that came on regularly in the days leading up to her death. Sudden, serious headaches are nothing to ignore.
Physical Stress: This is my number one cause of headaches. Sitting in front of the computer too long (while hunching over the cat so he can sit in my lap while I reach for the keyboard) is the most likely reason for me to get a headache. Stretching, massage, regular exercise, and practicing good posture will all help to avoid these headaches. I can identify the cause of mine because the tightness starts in my shoulders and works its way up.
Emotional Stress: We can all relate to the pressure of reaching a deadline or having a family crisis and that resulting in a headache. Meditation, relaxation techniques, and good communication skills coupled with effective boundary-setting are all tools that can help you to deal with and avoid headaches from emotional stress.
Lack of Sleep: Here is a good reason to fit a nap in or get a few extra hours on the weekend. If you suffer from sleeping challenges, there are a variety of suggestions to create an excellent night’s sleep. I will do another blog in the future on creating great sleep.
Eye Strain: Make sure you have adequate lighting for the tasks you are doing. I have also found that consciously thinking about relaxing the muscles around my eyes makes a huge difference when I am focusing on a very visual task. Also, take regular breaks and focus your eyes on a variety of distances to reduce eye strain.
Food or other allergies: I found that when I discovered gluten was an itolerance of mine that my headaches went away when I removed gluten from my diet. For seasonal allergies a tremendous amount of help can come by increasing water consumption and strengthening the immune system.

So there you have it…some of the most common causes of headaches. Do any of them ring true for you? A headache can really take you down a peg or two so if we can avoid them, we will all be better off. Take good care of yourself!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys helping others to live healthier lives naturally. You can visit her website at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com to find out more about the products and business opportunity of Shaklee. Donna is paid a commission by Shaklee for sales done through her organization.

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Tags: headache causes, headache prevention

How to Avoid BPA

January 13, 2010 in Green Living, Healthy Nutrition by donna | No comments

BPA, or bisphenol A, is an endocrine disruptor and one of the most disturbing chemicals found commonly in plastics. It has been linked to a variety of diseases and other issues including breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, and attention deficit disorder. (See my post from January 11, 2010 for more details). The good news is that BPA is NOT an essential ingredient in plastic so there are plastics available that are BPA-free. The bad news is that it isn’t only plastics we need to look out for. BPA may be also found in printer ink as well as canned foods and soft drink cans.

I don’t think it is realistic to completely remove every trace of BPA from our lives. To do that we would need to never eat out or in other people’s homes, always contact manufacturers before we purchase their products, and in general live an almost militant existence that will affect every aspect of our lives. Neither do I propose that we throw our hands in the air and say, “It is outside of my control, there is nothing I can do about it.” You need only to look at the plethora of green products that are in the market today (yes, some of them are questionably green, but green is big any way you look at it) to know that we have a lot of control in the marketplace. We get to vote with our dollars and when enough of us start voting against BPA, the manufacturers will take notice and make changes.

To avoid increasing your exposure to BPA from items you may already have in your home:

Avoid temperature extremes. For heaven’s sake do NOT stick that plastic in the microwave or freeze that water bottle. Those types of temperature extremes have been shown to increase the rate that BPA transfers from the plastic into the food. Just because a plastic says “microwave safe” doesn’t mean it won’t transfer harmful chemicals, it simply means it won’t melt when heated. It is good to remember that distinction.
Save those canned foods for emergencies. I keep a stockpile of canned vegetables in case of emergency but I don’t use them for everyday meal preparation (although I don’t want you think I am super-human…I do resort to canned foods when the pantry or freezer is bare of alternatives…I guess that is an “emergency”). In general I try to prepare my meals from whole foods that look like what they did when the farmer brought them in from the field.
Put plastics marked #3 or #7 in recycling and don’t use them any more. Those two numbers are the most likely to contain BPA. Sometimes new #7 will say “BPA-Free” and in that case, feel free to keep them. Sevens are the wild card of plastics.
Store hot foods in glass or ceramic. There are many great options with lids available. The holidays are coming and that would be a good gift idea.
Recycle plastics that are scratched or cloudy.
Bring your own BPA-Free containers to restaurants for your “doggy bag”. My husband and I started doing this to avoid all the styrofoam containers we were accumulating and then realized the benefit for avoiding BPA as well.

In addition, contact the manufacturers of items you use, such as plastic wrap, and ask them if their products contain BPA. You will be doing two things when you call: 1) You are educating yourself on what products are safe. 2) You are letting the manufacturer know that there are consumers out there who care about things like that. Manufacturers figure that for every person who calls there are ten others who have the same concern who don’t call…pick up the phone and let them know you care.

Most of the information in this article came from Mother Earth News, August/September 2009 edition “Plastics: What’s Dangerous, What’s Not.” There is a lot of information there that isn’t included here. Continue to educate yourself and make conscious choices for your own good, the good of your family, and the good of the planet.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys educating herself and sharing the information she learns with readers of her healthy living tips. Before Donna even knew what BPA was or that it was a danger, Shaklee assured her that their plastics and inks are all BPA-Free. Donna is paid a commission by Shaklee on sales from her website. You can go to: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com She is not paid a commission by Mother Earth News to endorse their magazine.

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Tags: bisphenol A, BPA alternatives

What is the Deal with BPA?

January 11, 2010 in Green Living by donna | No comments

Maybe you have seen the warnings: “Avoid plastic because of BPA” or “Make sure your plastics are BPA-free”. I don’t remember the first time I heard of BPA (bisphenol A) because it probably went right over my head. More and more I started hearing the warnings but I still didn’t know what the problem was. If you have found yourself in the same boat, grab an oar and I’ll share what I have learned.

Most of my information from this article (particularly any studies mentioned) come from “Mother Earth News” August/September 2009 on page 70: “Plastics: What’s Dangerous, What’s Not.”

Bisphenol A is one of the most widely produced and used chemicals around the world. One of the greatest concerns is how easily it travels from what it started in (such as a plastic bottle) to whatever that surface touches. Some things make it “migrate” faster including:

Heat
Acids (any kind including citrus, vinegar, soft drinks)
Alkaline (the other end of the spectrum!)
Repeated washing

BPA is found not only in many plastics but in an assortment of the lining of pop (soda) cans and other canned foods, certain dental procedures, inks, and water pipes, to name a few. Because it is in many inks, most recycled paper contains BPA; it sure sounds like a stubborn chemical. To add to our concerns, it can also be inhaled and it can be absorbed into our bloodstream through our skin.

A study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 95% of urine samples had BPA in them. One of my greatest concerns is that the research seems to correlate the side effects of BPA with the increases we have seen in the past several decades with human health. Here are a few things that research has shown are related to BPA:

Type 2 Diabetes
Infertility
Breast Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Obesity
Autism
Attention Deficit Disorder
Cardiovascular disease

BPA produces an “estrogen-like” response in our bodies that causes trouble. This is a synthetic estrogen (also called xenoestrogens) that can increase our risk for hormonally-related cancers, make PMS symptoms more severe, and likely affect other parts of our lives and health that we don’t yet comprehend.

I will blog again on how to reduce your own exposure to BPAs. I am on the same path as I am looking at replacing reusable water bottles and finding better food storage alternatives. Think twice before you put that plastic container in the microwave, would you?

Donna Copeland is an Independent Distributor for Shaklee. Shaklee is committed to NOT using BPA, in any form, in our products and packaging. Donna is paid a commission if you purchase products through her or her site. She is not paid to endorse Mother Earth News. You can explore Donna’s website at: http://www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com

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Tags: BPA, dangers of BPA

Self-Protection for Women

January 6, 2010 in Self Protection by donna | No comments

One of my favorite classes to teach is “Self-Protection for Women” and my favorite version of it is: “Women’s Self-Defense, Inside and Out” where we combine both protection tips and tools against an attacker as well as discussing ways we can protect ourselves against early death by preventable diseases.

Today I thought I would share a few of the self-protection tips against an attacker. First and foremost, I always stress the point that our moms were right: who you hang out with can get you in trouble.Over 80% of the time women know their attackers. So right there, if we just pay attention to who we are with, don’t put ourselves in compromising situations, and speak up for ourselves, we MAY be able to prevent ever needing to defend ourselves.

I say “MAY” because some of these bad guys that prey on women they know are very good at looking like good guys until they have their opportunity to show their true colors (plus there are those random attackers too).

The second main point I always share is that we need to do a better job of trusting our gut instincts. If you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach or a general sense of, “I shouldn’t be here” that would be a good time to change your circumstances. You don’t need to make a big deal out of it but neither do you need to allow someone to talk you into something you are uncomfortable with or shame you by saying, “I wouldn’t do anything, are you afraid of me?”

I once had an uncomfortable encounter with a man who had been riding his bike up and down the sidewalk in front of our martial arts school. This happened to be one of the two days a year that all of the classes were being held at a local park and I was the only one in the school. He came in and he had a wrench in his hand. I was behind the counter and he started asking a few questions. He was holding the wrench in one hand and kind of lightly hitting it in the palm of his other hand. I politely asked, “Would you please put the wrench away?” He replied, “I’m not going to do anything with it.” (In my head I am thinking…”I’ve seen CSI and I know how much damage a wrench can do.”) I said in a polite and slightly more firm tone of voice, “The wrench is making me nervous, please put it away.”

At that point he put the wrench in his back pocket, we finished our conversation with me being constantly aware of where he was, that I stayed behind the counter and I did a mental inventory of what was at my disposal to use as a weapon if I needed it. Thankfully, I didn’t need it and he left, never to be seen in our business again.

I think back to who I was several years ago and I don’t think I would have had the confidence to ask him to put the wrench away. And if I had asked him the first time, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have asked again the second time. It isn’t about getting angry and spitting fire. It is about being kind and firm (there IS a time to spit fire but that is when you are 100% sure you need to defend yourself).

If all women could be trained to both trust their inner voices and speak up for themselves, we would all be happier and healthier; not only because we would need to defend ourselves less but also because we will have better relationships, both personally and professionally.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who is available to give women’s self-protection seminars. For external self-protection, you can visit: www.Quest-MartialArts.com. For help creating a healthy body, go to: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com Donna is compensated by Shaklee for products purchased through Donna or her website. As a partner at Quest Martial Arts she is also compensated through Quest.

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Tags: preventing attack, women's self defense

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Articles by donna

Natural Treatment of Headaches and Migraines

Headaches: What to Check For

How to Avoid BPA

What is the Deal with BPA?

Self-Protection for Women

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