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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

Ease Menstrual Pains

January 4, 2010 in Green Living, Supplements by donna | No comments

If you are reading this I am sure you have had your own experiences with menstrual pains (either from yourself, a friend, or spouse). I know people who have such tremendous pain with their menstrual cycles they have difficulty holding down a job. As always, I thought I would share my personal experience and what I have found to be the most helpful in naturally alleviating both physical and emotional pain that can be associated with my cycle.

I would describe my “normal” menstrual symptoms as moderate. Prior to doing the tips that I list below I would have cramping that caused me to double over in pain but I was still able to function and work. I could be quite unreasonably emotional and hard to get along with (so much so that if I could have gotten away from myself, I would have).

The number one thing that has helped my cycle is increasing water consumption. This month, especially for the last week, I did less well on water intake and I could tell in my feelings of moodiness.

Number two for helping my cycle is listening to my body and making sure that I am paying attention to the signals it gives me (throughout the month). Instead of blindly popping a pain reliever if I have a headache, I will work backward and do an inventory of my body to identify where the headache might have come from. If I realize I have been hunched over the computer I will do some stretching and ask my hubby for a back rub or if my water intake has been low I will drink 10 oz of water right away and then make a conscious effort to get another 20 oz into my body in the next hour.

One big piece of this is resolving differences in relationships and not letting bad feelings fester and grow. For me, it is taking time to grieve losses I have had or they really show up during PMS time. I also strive to get eight to nine hours of sleep per night because that really makes a difference for me.

To help with my cycle overall, and especially for the emotional side of things, I have added GLA (gamma linolenic acid) which is an omega-6 fatty acid that our bodies use to form prostaglandins (hormone-like substances that our bodies use to regulate processes). I take two a day and the week to ten days before my period starts I bump it up to three per day.

The first month I added GLA to my daily routine my period started around my normal timing and I mentioned it casually to my husband that my period had begun. He looked over at me surprised and said, “I didn’t think it was coming up so quick.” To which I replied, “I don’t know why you would be surprised, it falls around the same time every month.” He said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t have any warning this month that it was starting.” (He meant crankiness and then he asked if he could buy stock in GLA.)

I almost always have a backache the first 24-36 hours of my period. I have found that Shaklee’s Joint and Muscle Cream really eases my back pain. If the cat gives me a snuggle too, it is even more effective.

I also take chewable Calcium and Magnesium supplements the first couple days of my period to help relax my muscles.

I am a big fan of using glad rags or another reusable product for menstrual flow. You can go to www.gladrags.com and check out what they have for both external and internal use. The organic cotton is really wonderful feeling and so much better for our bodies than all the synthetics and chemicals in disposables. Plus, I haven’t had to purchase any supplies in years! It is an investment initially but then you more than make your money back.

Take care of yourself and honor all parts of you. Try not to get so caught up in day-to-day tasks that you don’t listen to the messages your body is sending. We women sometimes get busy and put others ahead of our own needs. Remember if you aren’t good to yourself, you won’t be able to be good for others. Take time to nurture YOU.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who prefers to support her body and provide nutrition to give the building blocks for health and happiness. You can check out the supplements at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com There is a money-back guarantee on all products. Donna is paid by Shaklee for products purchased through her or her website. She is not paid or compensated in anyway by gladrags.

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Tags: natural menstrual solutions, PMS

Getting Enough Sleep

December 28, 2009 in Supplements by donna | No comments

You have probably heard it said that we should be getting eight or nine hours of sleep per night for optimum health. I know many people consider themselves to be doing good if they get six uninterrupted hours per night. What we may not realize is the danger we are putting ourselves in when we consistently cut ourselves short on sleep.

Our bodies need sleep to rejuvenate, heal, detox, and grow. I know there are some people who seem to operate just fine on four, five, or six hours of sleep per day. That may be true. However, before you lump yourself into that category…consider the following:

There have been several sleep deprivation studies that have clearly shown that people who are sleepy behind the wheel drive as poorly as people who have had alcohol.

People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have heart attacks.

People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick.

People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get headaches.

People who don’t get enough sleep tend to have more mood swings.

So how can you get enough sleep?

It is my opinion that there are two keys to getting enough sleep:

Plan to get enough sleep. Arrange your schedule and your activities so you can get to bed and sleep for a full eight to nine hours. This means better use of your waking hours so you aren’t up at midnight working on that special project for school or finishing the laundry.
Use self-discipline to go to bed. When we were little our parents (most of our parents) made sure we were in bed by a certain time in order to get enough rest (and give themselves a break). Now WE need to each take responsibility for ourselves and demonstrate the same self-discipline we use to get to work on time or make sure our bills are paid to get ourselves in bed at a decent hour.

Additional tips for getting enough sleep are:

If you nap during the day, keep it brief (30 minutes or less)…set an alarm! Too much sleep during the day will throw off your nightly routine and could set you up for a bad sleep pattern.
Keep your bedroom dark. Our brain patterns for sleep work better in the dark. Plus I read of one study where people who slept in rooms that were not dark were more likely to develop cancer.
Turn down the lights as you get closer to bedtime. This helps our bodies natural rhythms to recognize that sleep is coming, sort of like the sun setting.
Watch how much you eat and drink before going to bed…especially caffiene and alcohol. Alcohol may make you sleepy initially but the effects can wear off after a couple hours. If you find yourself awake in the middle of the night and have a hard time going back to sleep, cut out the alcohol or consume it with dinner and not before bed.
Turn off your brain. I regularly will read a chapter of a light reading novel before going to sleep. It helps me put good thoughts in my brain and decrease thoughts about “what I need to do tomorrow” or “what happened today” that may keep me awake and pondering.
Take “Gentle Sleep Complex” 20-30 minutes before you go to bed. It has Chamomile and Valerian Root plus a few other herbs, is non-addicting, and doesn’t make you dopey. I use it on nights that I know I will have a harder time turning my brain off and settling down to sleep.

Consider committing to yourself to set up a good sleep habit for the next month and stick to it. See how your body feels if you are consistently getting eight hours of sleep per night.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who values a good night of sleep and loves waking up refreshed. You can find Gentle Sleep Complex at www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com As a Shaklee Independent Distributor she is compensated if you purchase products from her or her website.

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Tags: lack of sleep, natural sleep aids

Immune System Support

December 16, 2009 in Healthy Nutrition, Supplements by donna | No comments

With all the concern today about Swine Flu and flu season in general I thought I would address ways we can keep our immunity strong, not just today with this current concern, but every day. I have information that ranges from common sense to cutting edge research. First off, do you do the basics that your mom taught you?

Get plenty of sleep (7-8 hours each night). This is critical to keeping your immunity strong. Studies have also shown you are less likely to have a heart attack and more likely to lose weight if you are getting adequate rest. This is the time your body needs to slow down and regenerate.
Drink plenty of water (2-3 liters per day). Your body is made up of water so it makes sense that you need to add more good, pure water in to keep it healthy. If your body is fighting being exposed to something you want to give it support by helping to flush out any toxins. Filtered water is best because truly your body doesn’t need the bleach they put in municipal water systems. (Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake too.)
Eat good food and maintain a balanced diet. Get your fruits and veggies; avoid sugars and high-fat diets (although feel free to be liberal with “cold pressed” fats like many olive oils as long as you are eating them cold, not using them to fry chicken!). See some of my other posts for more information on good nutrition.

You know there is more but you aren’t looking to read “War and Peace” today. Okay! Now onto some of the things your mom may not have told you about. She likely didn’t know this information to share it with you. She may have encouraged you to take a daily vitamin and that is a good start (as long as the supplement actually breaks down in your body and gets absorbed and isn’t tainted with lead like so many are today). You want to choose supplements that are based on food, not synthetics. If the pill is rather small but covers most of the RDA suggestions for a day, it is likely synthetic and packed so tight there is no way your body is going to break it down to take advantage of the nutrients. Plus, our bodies recognize synthetics differently than “real” food. Don’t waste your time or money taking a vitamin your body doesn’t want. Here are some specific “immune system support” supplements:

B Vitamins: All of them, but especially B6, Folic Acid, and B12. When our bodies are stressed they really go through the B Vitamins so if you have been under extra pressure, get additional B Vitamins in your diet.
Vitamin A: Also known as beta carotene.
Vitamin C: Probably one of the most well-known immune boosters; Very helpful for cell regeneration and healing.
Vitamin E: Not just for healthy skin, it is good for you inside and out.
Zinc: You may have become aware of the studies showing that zinc helps lessen a virus’ severity and length; taken as a precaution it also aids with prevention.
Echinacea: This is for short-term use only when you think you may have been exposed to illness. I helps to “supercharge” your immune system but overtime your body adjusts to its use and the affect lessens. Use for only two to four weeks at a time.
Resveratrol: This miracle supplement that has been featured by Barbara Walters and separately on 60 Minutes has been shown to increase our body’s immunity at a cellular level, where the battle is being waged.

One last tidbit your mom didn’t know about. Your body’s immune system is greatly supported by interferon. Interferon was discovered during the 1950’s in Japan and since then researchers have discovered how to create a drug form that is used commonly for cancer and AIDS patients. From what I understand the side effects are pretty challenging. However, the same immunologist who discovered interferon also created a supplement that helps our body’s boost our natural production of interferon for immune support. I think this is partly responsible for why I didn’t get ill after my dad died last year. Even with all the stress and the lost sleep, I was able to stay healthy and I credit a lot of that to my supplements.

You can learn more about immune support and interferon at the website www.ImmunityFacts.com. If you are interested in getting some good, clinically proven (and money-back guaranteed) supplements to boost your immunity, get in touch with me. I am not into scare tactics but I think there is a lot more we can be doing for our bodies on a regular basis that the media doesn’t tell us about. They would rather scare us and then hope there is a large enough stockpile of drugs to treat everyone. Personally, I am looking to avoid Swine Flu and other illness in the first place. Want to join me?

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys helping people live healthier lives by choosing wisely. You can visit her website at www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com In case you are curious, the supplements Donna takes each day are: Vitalizer, Vivix, Nutriferon, Osteomatrix (calcium), Alfalfa, GLA (for balancing women’s cycles), Iron, and Liver DTX (for detoxing the liver). Donna is paid by Shaklee for purchases made through her or her website.

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Tags: immunity boosting, natural immunity

Nutritional Supplements for Anti-Aging

December 9, 2009 in Supplements by donna | No comments

I wrote in my last blog about cells growing uncontrollably and how that manifested in my body in a lump in my breast that was benign but concerning nonetheless. I started looking into nutritional supplements that would help repair my body.

You have probably heard that our cells age overtime and there isn’t much we can do about it. It is a natural process of aging. You may have also heard that once we have damaged our bodies we can’t undo it. That is all true to a certain extent. However, science has made some marvelous breakthroughs in how we can repair our bodies at a cellular level. Here’s the deal…

Our cells age in four ways…
1. DNA damage that creates a “typo” in our cells that then gets duplicated as that cell gets reproduced. This is damage that gets done in part by what we expose ourselves to so we can aid our bodies by reducing what we are exposed to that will harm us.
2. Genetic regulators tell our cells to age. This is a natural process although it does seem to happen more quickly for some than others.
3. Cellular energy production declines. Our cells “power packs”, called mitochondria, keep our cells (and us) active and healthy.
4. AGE proteins (Advanced Glycation Endproducts) accumulate and “muck up” our systems. These end-products (Keith calls them cellular poop) make our cells not be as effective and not live so long.

Here’s the deal. You may have heard the saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always gotten.”

So, if we do nothing, our bodies will continue down their path toward disease because almost all of us have been exposed to unhealthy toxins for years. How many times have you breathed unhealthy exhaust or eaten a poor diet in your lifetime? Those toxins don’t go away unless you go through a detoxification. Most of them get stored in our fat cells (and I was reading they can get released during pregnancy and breastfeeding to go into the newly developing body. YIKES!). So what nutritional supplements are available that are safe AND effective?

Have you heard of resveratrol? It is the substance that has been found in red wine that increases health and longevity. Studies have shown though that you need a lot more resveratrol than what is in a single glass of wine. AND, you probably know, that doctors don’t recommend more than a glass of wine a day (and indeed for women they recommend LESS than a glass of wine per day). They have looked at optimal amounts of resveratrol and have discovered that about the equivalent resveratrol would be found in 100 glass of red wine per day. That would be enough to impact cellular aging.

Resveratrol effectively supports the first three areas of cellular aging AND has been shown time and time again to do so in clinical and laboratory trials.

What about the fourth area? That “cell poop”? Well, it turns out that a polyphenol blend is an excellent addition to resveratrol because it cleans up that cell poop 10 times better than resveratrol alone. Pretty cool.

It turns out that resveratrol is sensitive to light and heat and becomes less effective pretty quickly if it is exposed. So, you want to look for a resveratrol supplement that has been properly processed and packaged to maintain all the good stuff that you are looking for in the first place. Dried or tablet forms are definitely out of the running.

Another consideration is purity. There is a naturally occurring substance in resveratrol called emodum that is a laxative. Make sure that your resveratrol supplement has been properly purified to remove this laxative.

The final consideration is about the polyphenols; are you getting those at the same time?

As you may have guessed, resveratrol is proving itself to be incredibly valuable in treating diseases and illnesses that have been associated with aging. Some of the afflictions that resveratrol is helping are: cancer prevention and treatment, joint health, Alzheimer’s, neurological health, and cardiovascular health to name a few.

For more information about an excellent resveratrol supplement you can go to: http://donnacopeland.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku=21200

You can also google “resveratrol” and see how many hits come up. There have been over 2,000 research studies on resveratrol and I think that number may be up over 3,000 now!

It is time for me to take my daily dose of resveratrol and polyphenols. A toast to each of you in the New Year for health and happiness!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who is paid by Shaklee for products purchased through her or her website. You can learn more by going to: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com

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Tags: cell health, natural anti-aging

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Supplements

Natural Treatment of Headaches and Migraines

Ease Menstrual Pains

Getting Enough Sleep

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