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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

To start with I considered what I had.  I had stopped by a veggie stand earlier in the day and bought some really great looking green and yellow peppers along with corn on the cob.  I decided to have some of the fresh peppers chopped with Blue Cheese Dressing for dip and to boil the corn on the cob.  I also knew I had some brown rice to use up.  (If I didn’t have the fresh veggies I probably would have gone into the freezer and used broccoli or peas and steamed them.)

Then I got to the hard part…what to do about protein?  Keith and I had both been working hard in the yard and we needed protein.  As I perused the shelves, I noticed a small can of black bean soup, maybe big enough for one person.  But, I realized, I can stretch that can of soup into plenty for two people and serve it over the rice.  I grabbed the can of soup, an extra can of black beans, and an extra can of diced tomatoes.

I sauteed one onion and 1/2 each of the green and yellow pepper.  When they were soft I added the soup, beans, and 1/2 can of diced tomatoes.  I added some spicy season salt and simmered to blend the flavors.  I decided to serve it over the rice so I thickened it a bit with some cornstarch.

As I had been finishing my yardwork earlier I noticed one of our apple trees still had a few apples on it.  I picked four that looked relatively good (but they still had some suspicious spots on them) and brought them inside.  I knew I had a gluten-free pie crust in the freezer so I pulled that out and my original plan was to fold the pie crust on itself and bake it so it would be more like a turnover.  When I started working with the crust it was obvious it was too fragile for that so I left the crust on the cookie sheet, sliced up the apples (after peeling, coring, and cutting out all the bad spots), mixed the apples with some sugar, cinnamon, gluten-free flour, and apple pie spice, then poured them onto the flat pie crust. 

I used a spatula to push up the edges of the crust to make an edge and then dotted the top with a few dollops of butter then baked it at 350 until the apples were soft.  What a yummy dessert!

Hopefully the next time you are standing, uninspired, in front of your pantry try to think of how you can stretch what you already have and make something out of nothing for dinner.  The results can be very tasty!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys cooking and experimenting with food.  One of Donna’s favorite meals-on-the-go is Shaklee’s Cinch Shake, vanilla with frozen strawberries blended in and soy milk.  You can see more at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com  Donna is paid by Shaklee for products purchased through her or her site.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

To “go green” in the kitchen, the first thing I am going to do is to encourage you to actually use your kitchen more for what it was intended.  We Americans eat out an awful lot and that is hard on the environment.  Many restaurants do not recycle either their cans and boxes or their food waste that could be composted.  Plus there can be a lot of throw away plasticware, table cloths, and other packaging.

In addition, your kitchen was intended for cooking, not just opening a package of lunchables and washing it down with a Diet Coke.  I know I am getting a bit preachy here and I apologize if I have offended you.  I know not everyone had the benefit of a mother who cooked and encouraged cooking skills in her children.  If you don’t know how to cook, check out some cookbooks from the library that seem simple.  It is really just a matter of following directions.

As I mentioned about the restaurants, if you recycle your packaging AND compost your food waste (no oil, dairy or meat products can go in the compost), you will be doing a tremendous amount to help the environment.

Speaking of recycling, consider what kind of packaging you are purchasing.  Instead of getting individual servings of fruit cocktail or getting juice boxes, could you be creative and get a full-size can of fruit cocktail an entire bottle of juice?  Instead of buying the sliced and cored pineapple, buy the whole pineapple and cut it yourself, storing it in a reusable container.

While we are speaking of pineapple, consider how far away your food has to travel to get to you.  The closer your food has been grown, the less shipping costs and environmental factors PLUS your food didn’t have to be picked completely green and then ripen en route.

Look at the cleaners you are using in your kitchen.  Bleach is terrible for the environment AND for you.  Simple dishsoap will take care of a lot of the germs created in general food preparation and day-to-day living.  If you have splattered raw chicken across the counter, use a germicide but make it one that is environmentally friendly (note: you will want to rinse off the area with fresh water rather than just leave the germicide sit there).

Phosphates are still permitted in dishwash detergent and they cause a variety of problems in the environment.  I am running short on space here but trust me, they aren’t good for the environment and it is questionable that they are any good for us either.  Do yourself and the planet a favor…look at your dishwash detergent (especially you automatic dishwash detergent) and see if it contains phosphates.  If it does, please get some that doesn’t.

We haven’t even touched on purchasing organic foods (good for you AND the planet) or cooking with a crockpot instead of the oven (uses significantly less power) or reducing your meat consumption (good for you and the planet).

If any of this strikes a cord with you, try taking on the one that seems the simplest or makes the most sense to you.  Try implementing the habit until it actually feels like a habit.  Make sure you talk to your family members and/or roommates to make sure they are on-board too.  Good luck!

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who cares about the planet and the people living there.  You can find awesome green cleaners at her website: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com  Donna is paid by Shaklee for products purchased through her or her website.

• Keeping our immune systems strong is our best defense against Swine Flu or any other disease, both from catching the virus in the first place and especially from preventing death.
• There will be more illnesses coming around.  We don’t know if they will come next week or next month or next year.  Of course each year there is a new strain or two of the flu that makes it’s way around.  What about the next “bug” that no one has seen before?

So some additional immune-boosting tips are:

• Have an Echinacea and zinc supplement “standing by” to boost your immune system when you have been exposed to illness or are starting to feel a little run down.  Echinacea is not meant to be consumed every day of every year because our bodies will develop a tolerance.  Instead use if for a couple weeks at a time to give yourself a quick boost then stop taking it again.  Just keep it handy because when you feel like you need it, you don’t want to have to be running around trying to find it.
• Avoid sugar.  I did a post last week on some of the dangers of sugar.  What I didn’t discuss was that sugar is the “anti-nutrient” and it actually depletes your body of vitamins and minerals that are essential for your immune system (like B Vitamins, antioxidants, and zinc).  A side note, based on the number of hits for THAT post, people don’t want to read about the dangers of sugar.  So, I am going to take a lesson from the food industry and rather than outright address sugar, I am going to incorporate my anti-sugar message in places where you wouldn’t expect to find it.  That is what the food industry has done.

In 1900 the average person ate 10 pounds of sugar a year.  In 1985 that was up to 124 pounds per year.  In the year 2000 we reached 160 pounds per year.  When will it stop?  How much sugar do YOU want to consume each year?  How much sugar do you want your kids to consume each year?  I’m not saying to never have sugar.  I had rhubarb crisp as a Mother’s Day dessert with my mom and later I had a chocolate, peanut, and caramel candy last night, two actually.  They were tasty!  I’m suggesting that we be more thoughtful in our sugar intake and reduce BOTH how much we consume and how often we consume it.

• Reduce exposure to toxins.  It is remarkable how many things we have been conditioned to think are actually a good thing are, in fact, dangerous to us.  Everything from air fresheners to having a green and dandelion-free lawn increase our levels of toxic exposure.  The air quality in our homes is 2 – 5 times worse than the outside air, according to the E.P.A.

Some of the top toxins our bodies are battling everyday (in my opinion):

• Household chemicals that touch our skin or that we inhale (cleaners, detergents, etc)
• Pesticide or herbicide foods (most farms that produce our foods use pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides to create “prettier” and more plentiful results then we consume that when we consume our food)
• Artificial, synthetic drugs that we take.  You have probably heard that many of the drugs that are available actually were originally discovered in nature.  And that is true.  What isn’t stressed is that the researchers take the natural component, isolate it, and figure out how to make a synthetic version of it (for two main reasons: 1) They can better control the consistency of dosage with synthetics because natural components vary in their dosage based on water and nutrients in the soil.  2) They can put a patent on a synthetic compound and then sell it for higher profit.  The downside is that there are side-effects for drugs.  Look at the warning labels.  How many of them warn against damage to your liver or all kinds of damages to your stomach or eyesight?  For some of them the cure is worse than the disease.

There is a time and a place for drugs but my belief is that time should be few and far between.  We need to keep our body’s strong and be less reactionary about our health.  We, as Western humans, tend to expect that we can ignore advise about eating healthy and exercising and figure that the medical community can take care of our ailing bodies when that time comes.

There will be more “Immune-Boosting” tips to come!  In the meantime, choose one or two things for yourself that you could see yourself doing that will boost your immunity.

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who dislikes seeing other people in pain or hurt.  It is her mission to help make the world a safer and healthier place for all by sharing information about how we can easily impact our health and the health of others and the planet through our consumption choices.  She blogs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays about a variety of health and wellness tips.  You can visit her website at www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com.  Donna is paid by Shaklee for purchases made through her or her website.