Here are some warning signs of a heart attack from the American Heart Association: Chest discomfort, discomfort in other areas of the upper body, shortness of breath, and cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.  Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the chest that can last more than a few minutes to a few weeks.  It could present as pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.  You could also have pain in one or both arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach.  It is critical not to dismiss any of these symptoms and to seek medical attention as soon as possible to rule out a heart attack.  [...]

I bet there’s more in your kitchen than you think that you can stick in the dehydrator.  What can you do with that dehydrator that’s sitting on your counter or in the cabinet and not getting used?  How about pizza dough (read below!)?  A healthy alternative to the corner pizza place and you can add all the fresh veggies you have in the fridge.  It doesn’t have to be completely raw either.  Have potatoes, but no oil for frying?  Did you know you could dehydrate slices of potatoes and make your own healthier variety of potato chips?  Not only potatoes, but [...]

A food allergy is an immune system response and a food intolerance is a digestive system response.  Does a certain food give you a rash, nausea, airway restriction, itchy skin, diarrhea or shortness of breath?  That would mean you have a food allergy.  Food intolerance symptoms are stomach pain, nausea, cramping or bloating, heartburn, headache or vomiting.  According to Webmd,  ”A food allergy is an immune system response. It occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food — usually a protein — as harmful and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it. Food allergy symptoms develop when the [...]

Last time I talked about fasting.  A great way to allow the body to rest.  Our bodies use so much energy digesting food, that a one day fast a few times a month, can certainly help with healing, not to mention you could learn a lot about yourself.  What’s the difference between a fast and a cleanse?  Here’s what Wikipedia says about a cleanse…”Body cleansing or detoxification is a treatment in alternative medicine which proponents claim rid the body of accumulated harmful substances that exert a negative effect on individual health.  Critics argue that such cleansings are often unnecessary, and are based [...]

I was sitting out on my back deck enjoying the river flow by.  The sun finally came out today and it feels like summer is finally showing up.  I just drank my green smoothie, and I started to think about what my body wants now.  Apples and raisins came to mind and I found a great recipe for Apple Raisin Squares.  It only requires a half cup of sugar and you can substitute sugar with anything from agave and stevia to maple syrup or honey. If you do this, you would have to decrease liquid in the recipe.  Also try substituting some raw ingredients when you [...]

I’ve been hearing so much about all the shifts in the universe these last months.  Is this the time for you to shift?  What do you need to do to shift?  What are you experiencing these days?  Is there struggle?  Is there drama?  Is there something pushing you from behind?  How can you use these struggles and difficulties? Most of you know I am closing my business that I’ve had for 20 years and moving to another state.  Big changes, right?  I’m ready; I’ve been ready and preparing for quite some time now.  A good friend of mine decided a [...]

Here’s another topic I’m way too familiar with.  Fortunately I suffer from seasonal allergies and this is the season for me.  Spring and pollen.  Pollens are small, microscopic particles that are produced by plants and trees during the process of reproduction.  Hello spring and new growth!  I was in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago and I was feeling it then, but Vermont is behind its southern states by a couple of weeks.  So here I go again.  The only time I didn’t have any symptoms at all was when I had been eating a 100% raw diet for at [...]

Yesterday I was in the shoe store trying very hard to buy a new pair of hiking shoes.  My arches are low and so are my ankles.  It makes it very difficult to purchase shoes.  What I realize each time I go to the shoe store, finally, is that growing up I never felt like I “deserved” a new pair of shoes.  That’s my own self-esteem issues.  So each trip to the shoe store for me as a child was emotional, if I even went!   I kept saying, “No, Mom.  These shoes fit fine.”  NOW, I say….I deserve a pair of [...]

I know…it’s hard to talk about, but it’s actually one of my favorite subjects.  Poop and the inability to poop.  Let’s face it guys, EVERYONE POOPS!  Whether it’s infrequent or difficult to pass, in order for your body to eliminate waste materials (that which it does not need), you must have a regular bowel movement.  One to three bowel movements a day is normal.  If that is just not happening for you….then let’s talk about getting things moving and why they don’t move. Food sitting too long in the stomach and moving too slowly through the large bowel are the [...]

Do you get a burning sensation in your stomach before or after eating? Tried everything and still can’t stop the pain of heartburn or “acid stomach”? According to James Balch, M.D. in his book Prescription For Nutritional Healing ,“….heartburn often occurs when hydrochloric acid, which is used by the stomach for digestion, backs up into the esophagus.” It causes a backflow through the sphincter (ring of muscle) separating the stomach from the esophagus. If this muscle isn’t closing after food flows through, gastro esophageal reflux, or heartburn as you and I know it, can occur. Heartburn can also be caused [...]