Natural Healthy Family Blog

Know What to Eat

2009-08-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

Since I remember clearly when I was just getting into the conversation of natural health and using diet as a method of health instead of depending on a doctor, I figured some of you might be new to this whole thing too.

So I figured I’d make it super simple.

Here is my family’s rule of thumb for natural healthy eating:

Stop eating dead food, and start eating living food.

That’s it.

What do we mean by dead and living food?

Dead Food

Dead food is any food that has been frozen, chemically preserved, cooked, processed, pasteurized, or refined.

Frozen meat, fruit, and vegetables

Chemically preserved food. (Anything that comes in cellophane wrapped plastic is probably loaded with chemical preservatives.)

Cooked food. (Yes we know that some foods have to be cooked, but the more you cook them, the deader they are.)

Processed foods are foods that have been put through a devitalizing process of adding chemicals and additives. Canned foods, low-fat anything, hot dogs etc.

Pasteurization is a wonderful process that has prevented the spread of disease-causing bacteria and pathogens, but it still deadens milk and dairy products.

Refined foods like white bread, white rice, and white sugar.

The deader a food is, the less available the nutrients are to our bodies. But we feel like there is also an energetic or even spiritual component to choosing living food over dead food.

There is a vitality, energy, and aliveness that is lost when foods are over-processed and refined.

If processed and refined foods are dead, then what foods are alive?

Living Foods

Living foods are as close to literally being alive as you can get without having to wrestle, or cut it down yourself before you put it on your plate.

Fresh, raw, (especially organic) fruits, and vegetables.

Meats that have never been cooked, preserved, or frozen before you purchased them.

Fresh whole grains, beans, and rice.

Raw, whole, un-pasteurized milk and dairy products

Basically, any food that is raw and whole, and has never been cooked, frozen, or processed in any way is a living food.

At first you might think that this really limits what you can eat. And in some ways it does. But we believe in baby steps when it comes to the Natural Healthy Family lifestyle.

We also believe in common sense. Ultimately you have to be the judge about what foods are healthy for you and your family.

What's with Good Fats and Bad Fats?

2009-08-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's time, once and for all to dispel this myth that fat is bad! There is a common belief in this country that low-fat = healthy. And it's just not true.

Let's get clear about the two types of fat that we are talking about.

Good Fat: The first type of fat is omega-3, found in fish (especially salmon), walnuts, flax seeds and other foods. This type of fat is necessary and has all kinds of benefits for our bodies, including lowering the amount of lipids, (fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides,) circulating in the bloodstream, and reducing the risk of becoming obese by improving the body's ability to respond to insulin by stimulating the secretion of leptin, a hormone that helps regulate food intake. Bad Fat: Omega-6 is not actually bad fat, it's also necessary for our bodies as well, in small amounts. You can get all you need from whole grains, seeds and nuts. The reason why we say it's a "bad fat" is that we are consuming tons of this stuff, and we're getting it from sources in which the fats have turned rancid!

This is what Julia Ross, author of The Mood Cure (a book we highly recommend) has to say about omega-6 fats.

"Here are the reasons I fear these fats. First, they are very unstable- that is, they can become dangerously rancid very quickly. Rancid means oxidized, and in your body, oxidized means damage to your cells and tissues, especially to the areas rich in fat like your brain... If you eat vegetable oils that are already oxidized from heat and light in processing, you are exposing your own healthy tissues to a volatile substance that will damage them. Here's where butter is truly better. You can keep it on the table for days at a time and it won't spoil. Why? It's not damaged by light and heat, and it's packed with natural substances called 'antioxidants' that prevent oxidation. In contrast vegetable oils have had their antioxidants removed and destroyed in processing... Oxidation, or rancidity, is a major contributor to most degenerative diseases, and we consume, on average, fifty-seven pounds a year of rancid vegetable oils..."

So which oils contain high amounts of unstable (Bad) omega-6 fats?

Corn oil, soy oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, wheat germ oil, cottonseed oil, walnut oil, and all of the margarines, shortenings, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and baked goods that are made from and with these oils.

Safe oils to use are extra virgin olive oil, and pure coconut or palm oil.

Whole Milk VS Low-Fat Milk?

Once again their is a myth about low fat and skim milk being healthier, because it has a lower fat content. The fact is that without the fat, milk is just protein, water, and sugar.

That's why our "Healthy Recipes" frequently contain whole milk, real butter, and whole wheat flour.

We're not saying that you can eat as much fat as you want. What we are saying is that your body needs good fat (in moderation), and that most of us are consuming way too much of the "bad" (specifically, rancid) fats and sugar.

For more information on Good Mood Foods, please visit Julia Ross's website at http://www.moodcure.com/ (Definitely check out the "Good Mood Foods" link.)

Allergies

2009-07-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

What with it being allergy season and all, I thought some information from the book "Bio-Kinetic Testing for Health" would be appropriate...

Allergies come from four sources:

1. Something you eat
2. Something you breathe
3. Something you touch
4. Something that bites you

We often think that an allergy food is limited to things like pollen, strawberries, or shellfish.

But it really runs the full gamut. Many people are allergic to the chemicals in their cleaning products or fragrant candles. A huge proportion of people are allergic to any foods containing corn (which is almost as many that contain wheat). And a large amount of people are sensitive to microwaves.

Here’s what you should understand about Allergies:

1. An Allergy can be inherited.

2. Allergies can vary in the same family. Just because mom has one, doesn’t mean Jr. will too.

3. They can come and go overnight.

4. Allergies can be made worse by other infectious agents.

5. Allergies can be to only one part of a food. For example, if have a milk allergy, is it the fat, the calcium, the hormones, etc. that you are allergic to?

6. Allergies come in varying degrees. Some can cause a tickle in the throat, some can cause death.

7. It’s often something you have an aversion to anyway.

The good news about Allergies is that some can be disappeared, or reset, without the use of often harmful allergy medicine.

Many chiropractors are able to do this, for a nominal fee. But with Bio-Kinetic testing you can do this yourself for you and your family.

Imagine the freedom a person experiences after being reset and eating a thick slice of hot, crunchy wheat bread for the first time in years. Or having a huge dish of ice cream after years of avoiding dairy products.

The process of resetting allergies is really quite simple. It consists of testing for which meridians are affected, tapping on the start and end points of each affected meridian, then staying away from the allergen for 48 hours. That’s it!

So for those of you readers who experience uncomfortable Allergies or know people who do, I hope you’ll look into getting them reset, by any means. It really could open up a whole new part of life for you.

Yet Another Reason to Love Hydrogen Peroxide

2009-06-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, besides the first aid benefits and the fact that I use it to rinse my mouth every night before I go to bed, (it whitens my teeth and kills bacteria), I recently discovered yet another reason to love hydrogen peroxide: CARPET STAINS.

Now I can’t stand chemical cleaners. I make my own all-purpose cleaner to disinfect in the bathroom and cut grease in the kitchen. I use an equal mixture of water, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol for a window cleaner. I also use old fashioned hot water and Borax to clean the floor. So in my world of messy kids and muddy dogs, this “new” discovery is pretty exciting.

Simply pour directly onto the stain and rub with your finger. Let it sit for up to a minute, then rub dry with a rag. There isn't a stain on my carpet it hasn't been able to remove.

This is a great investment. Instead of spending around $5 for a bottle of chemicals which can do us or the environment no good, spend around $1.

I love peroxide.

The Cheap Fix: Hydrogen Peroxide

2009-06-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve been learning more and more about the magic that is Hydrogen Peroxide. Yep, that dark brown bottle of 3% peroxide that costs $.89 at the drug store. Go buy yourself a case or two.

Here’s why:

- Use it as a fruit and vegetable soak to clean off pesticides.

- You can also use the 50/50 mixture for athlete’s foot. Spray some of the affected area and let it dry.

- Peroxide disinfects. Use it the clean countertops, cutting boards, bathrooms, soak your kitchen sponge, soak toothbrushes, and clean your dishwasher, fridge, and microwave.

- Pour peroxide on fresh wounds and enjoy the show. All that bubbling will kill the infection causing bacteria. (For continued treatment of wounds, we actually recommend that you switch to Tea Tree Oil. Peroxide does not discriminate about what it kills. It will kill the good stuff and the bad stuff. Tea Tree Oil may help the healing process more than peroxide will for that reason.)

- I used to work for a dentist. People would spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars getting their teeth whitened. Don’t waste your money. Take one little capful of peroxide and swish it around in your mouth, spit, and rinse. There will be a lot of bubbling, but each time your teeth will be whiter and whiter. It also kills bad breath.

- Whenever you have a cold or sinus infection make a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and distilled water. Put a few drops in your nose, let it sit for a few seconds (or 30) and blow your nose. Also put a couple of drops in your ears. It will travel to the nasal passages and loosen mucus. You can also gargle with it to sooth sore throats.

- Peroxide will whiten clothes. Add one cup to your laundry instead of polluting the water systems with bleach.

Okay, I’m going to stop there. And I’ve really only touched the tip of the ice burg. Here I’ve given you a few ideas for household uses of hydrogen peroxide. But the list really could go on and on. Hydrogen Peroxide has been used to treat cancer and cure arthritis! It’s been used with much success on degenerative diseases. Growths that can occur in our bodies, like yeast, viruses, and tumors are stopped by the extra atom of nascent oxygen in hydrogen peroxide. Amazing!

Start doing a little research. It may open up a whole new path to health for you.

Epstein-Barr Virus: The Energy Sneak-Thief

2009-02-27T09:35:00.000-08:00

By Beth Blasingame

Without a doubt, one of the two most common problems I see with my clients while Bio-Kinetically Testing them is the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV).

EBV is the most common virus in humans in the Western Hemisphere. It’s estimated that some 95% of adults have been infected with this virus at some time in their life. And it's incredibly sneaky! Like a "wolf in sheep's clothing", it manifests itself as many common illnesses, and most people never even know that the EBV is actually causing their symptoms.

What Common Illnesses Might Actually Be Epstein-Barr?

Here are some common illnesses that are sometimes actually mis-diagnosed cases of (or are linked to or caused by) the Epstein-Barr Virus:

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Mononucleosis
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Lymphoma
Depression
Hyperactivity
Anxiety Disorders
A.D.D (Or whatever they are calling it now)
Intestinal Complaints
Headaches
Flu-like Symptoms
Low Energy and Common Malaise

Epstein-Barr can manifest itself in clever ways. One client came in after being diagnosed with MS. After testing, it turned out he had EBV in his brain. Once the EBV was cleared out, the MS symptoms mysteriously cleared up.

Another client had a terrible upper back ache. She tested for EBV in the liver. Once again, when the EBV was cleared out, the back ache went away.

But by far, the most common complaint I hear is a general feeling of tiredness. And so far, every time I test someone who feels this way, I find the presence of the Epstein-Barr Virus.

A Modern Day Plague?

Tisha Mecham, author of the book Bio-Kinetic Testing for Health and one of my mentors has ventured to say that EB is at plague proportions in our society, and based on my experience I would have to agree with her.

The virus has been able to reach these "plague proportions" because it's so hard to identify and easy to mis-diagnose. And EBV doesn’t kill you; it just makes you feel like you’d like to be dead. So there isn't the same urgency in the medical community to find a cure, nor does it get the same media attention as something like cancer.

I mean, could you imagine seeing this headline...

"This Just In, Hot Off The Press!
Local Woman Feels....Tired."

And How Do You Catch EBV?

1. A pregnant woman can pass it on to her baby in the uterus
2. Vaccinations can contain the virus
3. It is spread from one person to another like the common cold.

This thing spreads like wild-fire for exactly the same reasons that make it so hard to diagnose. It can literally hide out in your body for years! (Like yeast and bacteria, EB somehow is able to keep from being completely eliminated by your immune system.) And at first, it will only make you feel a little tired, if you feel anything at all! So people are walking around spreading this virus, with no clue that they even have it.

So now that I’ve convinced you that you might have EB, what can you do about it?

How To Rid Yourself Of Epstein-Barr

Luckily for you and me, we know how to use Bio-Kinetic Testing. So we can easily identify this insidious virus and get rid of it!

What's that you say?

You STILL haven't joined the Bio-Kinetic Testing Home Learning Center and learned how to test for yourself?

Huh.....

(Sorry about the plug...but really...don't you think it's about time you got on board?)

Ok, for the benefit of those of you who still refuse to learn this for yourself, I'll give you the low down on how to rid yourself of the Epstein-Barr Virus.

Getting rid of EBV is a simple matter of a cutting out certain foods and taking a few herbs.

That’s it!

You can cut out certain foods that feed the virus; any high-fat foods (cheese, creams, red meat, deep fried foods), wines and liquors, potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, and eggplant.

There are also a few common herbs and supplements that help to get rid of EB: Astralagus, Blue Vervain, Burdock, Cayenne, Echinacea, Elderberry, Myrrh, Olive Leaf, Rose Hips, Slippery Elm, Uva Ursi, Yarrow, Yellow Dock, and Vitamin C.

The basic idea is to remove anything that feeds the virus from your diet, while simultaneously adding things to your diet that will drive the virus out. After a couple of weeks, you should notice a definite difference in the way you feel. (If you know Bio-Kinetic Testing, you can just "test on a scale" and see how much of the virus is left in your body....)

Clients who have never had an energetic day in their lives suddenly feel like hiking, jogging, and taking up new hobbies. It truly is amazing to see.

That’s a very brief overview of the Epstein-Barr Virus. The book Bio-Kinetic Testing for Health by Tisha Mecham is a great resource for EB. So is the internet. Just take internet information with a grain of salt. There are a lot of very wealthy companies that would lose a lot of money if everyone tested and got rid of their EBV with a few herbs and diet change.

And of course, if you suspect that you have EB (and aren't interested in learning Bio-Kinetic Testing) you can always hire me to test you!

As always, we love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment here on the blog.

Or, click here to leave this Epstein-Barr Virus blog post and find more Natural Health Resources.

Immunizations

2009-02-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

My 3-month-old daughter has her first doctor’s appointment tomorrow. Up until this time she and I have been under the wonderful care of my fabulous midwife. The big question at tomorrow’s appointment will be “What immunizations will she receive?”

My answer to that question is pretty controversial for a lot of people. My answer is no.

Now I am not writing this saying that no one should get their kids immunized. And I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do. It has been my experience that the information out there is pretty one sided.

My take on things is that everyone does what they think is the right thing based on the information they have at the time. My 4-year-old has been completely immunized because that’s what I felt was the best thing to do at the time.

My decision now not to immunize is based on an extensive amount of research. I thought I’d share some of that research with you. That way, you can make the best decision for you and your kids. I truly hope this helps you make an informed decision. Good luck!

P.S. Bio-Kinetic Testing has been VERY successful in treating certain types of autism and immunization side effect. It tests for allergies, can detect yeast with pinpoint accuracy, and uses diet and herbs to detox the effects of mercury poisoning. For more information on this method, contact us through our website.

This is an article from Rolling Stone written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. http://www.naturalhealthyfamily.com/

Generation Rescue is Jenny McCarthy’s autism organization. http://www.generationrescue.org/

This is a great article about the immunization autism link. It has a lot of resources at the end. http://www.healthtruthrevealed.com/full-page.php?id=10022231911&&page=article

Allergy Food and No More Allergy Medicine?

2009-02-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

Today I’d like to write about Allergies.

Allergies come from four sources:

1. Something you eat
2. Something you breathe
3. Something you touch
4. Something that bites you

We often think that an allergy food is limited to things like nuts, strawberries, or shellfish.

But it really runs the full gamut. Many people are allergic to the chemicals in their cleaning products or fragrant candles. A huge proportion of people are allergic to any foods containing corn (which is almost as many as contain wheat). And a large amount of people are sensitive to microwaves.

Here’s what you should understand about Allergies:

1. An Allergy can be inherited.

2. Allergies can vary in the same family. Just because mom has one, doesn’t mean Jr. will too.

3. They can come and go overnight.

4. Allergies can be made worse by other infectious agents.

5. Allergies can be to only one part of a food. For example, if you have a milk allergy, is it the fat, the calcium, the hormones, etc. that you are allergic to?

6. Allergies come in varying degrees. Some can cause a tickle in the throat, some can cause death.

7. It’s often something you have an aversion to anyway.

The good news about Allergies is that some can be disappeared, or reset, without the use of often harmful allergy medicine.

Many chiropractors are able to do this, for a nominal fee. But with Bio-Kinetic Testing you can do this yourself for you and your family.

Imagine the freedom a person experiences after being reset and eating a thick slice of hot, crunchy wheat bread for the first time in years. Or having a huge dish of ice cream after years of avoiding dairy products.

The process of resetting allergies is really quite simple. It consists of Bio-Kinetically Testing for which meridians are affected, tapping on the start and end points of each affected meridian, then staying away from the allergen for 48 hours. That’s it!

So for those of you readers who experience uncomfortable Allergies or know people who do, I hope you’ll look into getting them reset, by any means. It really could open up a whole new part of life for you.

Beth

Click here to leave this Allergy Food and No More Allergy Medicine post and find out more about Bio-Kinetic Testing.

Share Your Birth Story!

2009-02-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Most of our readers have probably already heard our natural birth story.

We recently (November 3rd) had a beautiful baby girl named Lilly. We (and when I say "we", I mean Beth :0) had her right here at our home, naturally, with the help of a team of midwives.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I'm extremely grateful to Beth for having the courage to have our baby in that way.

But that's not what this blog post is about. (If you want to read more about our natural birth experience, you can read about it here.)

We want to to hear YOUR birth story!

We are committed to providing the information and support that new moms need to make an informed and responsible decision about how to have their babies. For this reason, we want to provide a variety of birth stories for expecting mothers to read that will help them make that decision.

There are a lot of expecting mothers out there that would love to hear about your birth experience. So if you are willing to share, we would love to include your story on our website.

We are looking for stories about natural births, home births, hospital births, any births!

If you are interested in sharing, please visit this page...

http://www.naturalhealthyfamily.com/natural-birth.html

...and use the contact form there to let us know. We'll get right back to you and work out the details.

Thanks for sharing! We look forward to hearing from you.

Josh

Click here to leave this Birth Story blog post and get more information on natural family health.

Recipe for Pizza

2009-02-11T14:51:00.000-08:00

We have a fun tradition at our house (and it includes a recipe for pizza). We take turn every Thursday having a family dinner at our house or my brother’s house. We have a 4-year-old and he has a 5 and 9-year-old. We usually end up inviting a few friends or neighbors into the mix. We end up with a bunch of different kids with different tastes, a few picky eaters, and only one chance to interest them in a healthy dinner.

So here’s our tactic…

Homemade mini pizzas.

It’s genius if we do say so ourselves. We have a super simple super healthy homemade pizza crust recipe. We whip that up, divide it, and let the kids have fun pressing out their own dough. Then we supply bowls full of toppings and let them put what they choose on their pizzas. We also provide a green salad or raw dipping veggies to compliment the meal.

This way there’s no complaining that so and so doesn’t like what we’re having. How can they when they were in charge of making their own dinners?

And by the way, there are a lot of adult picky eaters out there too. You don’t have to save this meal for kids. Adults can’t complain either with this one.

Here’s one of the pizza dough recipes we use. This one makes about a 10-inch pizza, so we usually double or even triple it for a group of mini pizzas. http://recipes.robbiehaf.com/T/272.htm

Note: To make it healthier, we use whole wheat flour and fresh organic ingredients.

We’re having mini pizzas this Thursday as a matter of fact. I can’t wait!

Click here to find more healthy recipes that your family will love.

Herbs for Kids

2009-02-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

I get asked a lot about how to administer herbs for kids. It’s pretty simple actually, but what it starts with is a commitment.

What I mean by that specifically is that sometimes, what’s healthy for kids is not always what they want to do. If I left it up to my 4-year-old, all she’d eat all day is plain M&Ms and flour tortillas. So I don’t leave it up to her.

My commitment is that she eat a healthy, balanced diet and sometimes she just doesn’t want to do that. That’s where my commitment comes in.

The same is true for herbs. Sometimes she just plain doesn’t want to take her herbs. Luckily, manufacturers make herbs for kids. They come in a liquid form called a tincture. They taste good and use a glycerin base instead of the more common alcohol base. We actually prefer tinctures in our house because of how easy they are to take and they last a really, really long time.

To administer herbs for kids, the easiest way is to put the tincture drops in a small glass of juice, (we use a shot glass).

Ideally, you would use Bio-Kinetic Testing to determine which herbs and how much to give your kids. If you haven't learned how to test yet, just go by the guidelines on the bottle.

Note: Usually you don't need to use nearly as much as it says to on the tincture bottle. A few drops goes a long way.

Then just have the kid drink it down.

Most of the time it’s not an issue because the herbs have no taste or are naturally flavored to taste good. But sometimes the herbs are yucky and there’s a bit of a showdown. Luckily for me, my commitment is for my kids to be in optimum health, so I usually win.

If your kids need to drink a tea, make them a little spritzer with half tea and half juice. If you’re feeling a little playful, put a little sparkling water in it for some fun fizz.

Giving herbs to kids who are still using a bottle is a lot easier. Just make sure you don’t add any until you are about to give the bottle to the child. There are some herbs that can react with the liquid and make the taste unbearable if it sits for too long. Another option for small kids is to put the herbs and liquid in a syringe and just give them a little squirt.

So that’s how we do it at our house. I hope this will help some of you out there. I’d love to hear how other people do it, so feel free to leave a comment here and share your thoughts with me.

Click here to leave this Herbs for Kids blog post and find out more information about Natural Herbs!

Natural Decongestant

2009-02-09T15:48:00.000-08:00

In doing our research on onions this week, we discovered that they are a natural decongestant. This isn't too surprising. Anyone who has chopped a particularly strong onion can attest to the power and potency of it's effect on the nasal passages.

But it got us thinking about what else could be used as a natural decongestant.

So, we did a little digging and came up with a few more.

First, let's start with this week's featured healing food...

The Onion

Raw onions are a well known decongestant. As we said, they are so strong that even the act of cutting them up can help to loosen up nasal congestion.

If that doesn't work, just add raw onions to whatever food you happen to be eating. They are great on salads (see this week's recipe) and sandwiches.

Anything Hot and Spicy

Once again, no surprise here. If you have ever eaten at an authentic Southern, Mexican, or Far Eastern restaurant, you know how much spicy food can make you sniff and sweat. Any hot pepper, or even wasabi. If it burns, it should clear you up!

Other Decongestant Herbs and Supplements

Tea made from herbs like fresh ginger and peppermint
Vitamin C
Marshmallow Root
Mullein
Eyebright

Here is an Indian remedy that we ran across. We haven't had a chance to try it yet. Let us know if you do.

Add 2 tsp of honey and 1 tsp of turmuric powder to a mug of warm milk. Have this at least 2-3 times a day.

Non-Food Decongestants

An old and effective treatment for congestion is to use steam. Take a hot shower. Boil a pot of water with a little Eucalyptus added to it. Or even put your face over a steaming hot pan of water and make a tent over your head with a towel. (Be careful that you don't burn yourself.)

Inhaling salt water is also a natural decongestant, and it probably works really well. Not our preferred method though.

It's interesting to note that most of the natural decongestant treatments can also be used as a form of mild torture. Kind of a frying pan into the fire thing.

Click here to leave this Natural Decongestant post and get more natural healthy family resources.

Making Baby Formula

2009-02-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered, thanks to Bio-Kinetic Testing, that my 3 month old is allergic to animal products. So that means no more cow milk formula. This is a pretty common phenomenon with kids under 6 months.

Well I don't do soy due to disturbing research linking the overuse of soy products to serious long term health problems. So I've decided to make my baby formula using rice milk.

There's a great website which helped me get started. It's http://www.naturodoc.com/library/children/formula.htm
It has a ton of great health information for kids. Check it out.

I compiled a list of what I call "adds". These are the items like fish oil, multi-vitamin/mineral, calcium, etc. which are recommended in each of the recipes on that web site and some recipes from other alternative healers.

Now, with each bottle, I simply used Bio-Kinetic Testing to see which "adds" the baby needs. It's working really well. She's plumping out nicely and I'm very confident that she's getting all the vitamins and nutrients she needs.

Bio-Kinetic Testing Home Learning Center Video Tour

2009-02-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

We have been talking about the Home Learning Center here on the blog for quite a while now, so I thought you might like to get a sneak peek at it!

I just created a "Quick Tour" video of the Learning Center. I initially created it to make it easier for new members to navigate around the Center, but I thought you might enjoy it as well.

For more information on our programs, including a special limited offer for the Home Learning Center, feel free to visit us at http://www.bio-kinetictesting-hlc.com/

Thanks!

The Secret to Balance Your pH

2009-02-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

In the Friday Afternoon Chat last week, someone asked how tobalance your pH in your body.

For fun and practice, Tisha had everyone that was in the chat room stop and use Bio-Kinetic Testing to determine what our own body's pH was.

Beth was not surprised to find that she was slightly alkaline, but Josh was a little alarmed to discover that his pH was highly acidic!

So we thought it might be a good idea to take this week and discuss pH and give some tips on how to keep the body more balanced.

What is pH?

The pH scale is a way of measuring how acidic or alkaline the body is. The scale goes from 1 to 14; 1 being highly acidic, and 14 being highly alkaline. Pure water runs at about a 7, which is considered neutral. If you don't know Bio-Kinetic Testing yet, you can also find out your own pH level by purchasing test strips at your local pharmacy. These strips can be used to test your saliva or urine.

What effects does pH have on our bodies?

According to our research, an acidic pH seems to pose the most health problems in our bodies, although a highly alkaline body can also experience problems.

Problems stemming from over-acidity include cardiovascular damage, increased risk of cancer, liver, bladder, and kidney problems, weakened immune system, weight retention, and low energy, including chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

Our bodies are healthiest when they are in balance, but slightly alkaline (about a 7.4).

One interesting side note. During her years of using Bio-Kinetic Testing with her clients, Tisha Mecham has found a correlation between pH balance and something else. In a previous issue of the newsletter, we talked about the delicate balance in our bodies between bacteria and yeast. Tisha has found that a highly alkaline body will promote the growth of yeast, while an acidic body will promote the growth of bacteria.

How do you regulate your pH?

The easiest way to regulate and balance your pH is through your diet. An easy rule of thumb to remember is that meats, most carbohydrates, and fats are acid forming. Most fruits and vegetables are alkaline. (Surprise surprise right? When are we going to discover that chicken wings and cheetos are a miracle cure for something?)

Acid Forming Foods

Meats (pork, beef, turkey, chicken, eggs, fish)
Carbohydrates (white breads, white rice, pastas, cakes, pastries)
Sweets (candy, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, sweetened fruit juice)
Alcohol (liquor, wine, beer)
Most nuts
Sodas
Coffee
Dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream)
Most processed and prepared stuff (mayo, mustard, snack foods, canned foods, dried foods, ketchup)

Alkaline Foods

Fruits (apples, bananas, berries, melons, grapes, figs, lemons, limes, avacado etc.)
Sprouts, roots, herbs, and grasses (wheat grass, sprouts, garlic, parsley, watercress, cayenne pepper, cilantro)
Whole grains and beans, including green beans
Vegatables (spinach, celery, peas, cabbage, green pepper, eggplant, etc.)

It turns out that the "secret" to balance your pH is about the same as the secret to everything else health related.

Cut down on meats, sugar, and junk food.

Increase your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

In other words...it's not much of a secret.

Click here to leave this "balance your pH" post and get more natural health information.

The Bio-Kinetic Testing Home Learning Center is Finally HERE!!

2009-01-26T11:14:00.001-08:00

Ok, we have been talking about this for the last 3 or 4 months, and it's finally here!

Most of our readers know all about Bio-Kinetic Testing.

They know that we have used it to test and heal our own children as well as our clients.

They know that we have used Bio-Kinetic Testing to find out why our baby wasn't gaining weight, and exactly how to treat her naturally.

We have also used Testing to treat minor illnesses and even chronic diseases that have been labeled as "incurable" by the medical industry.

Not to mention using it to save thousands of dollars on medicines and supplements.

If you already know all about Bio-Kinetic Testing, then you have been waiting for us to post this link http://www.bio-kinetictesting-hlc.com/nhf/home_learning_center.html so that you can go and register for the program.

For those of you who are not familiar with Bio-Kinetic Testing, you can learn more about it by going to our website or by going directly to the Home Learning Center description page.

This is the exact system that we use every day to keep our family healthy naturally.

If you are committed to having a Natural Healthy Family, you really won't want to miss out on the opportunity to learn Bio-Kinetic Testing for yourself. It is the best investment that you will ever make for the continued health of your family.

Thanks!

The New Year's Family Health Makeover Was a Screaming Success!

2009-01-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

To make sure that they have their healthiest and most abundant year ever, we gave our readers free access to a series of Tele-Classes and bonuses between January 5th and 16th.

The events went even better than we had planned, and we ended up with a ton of great information and new resources.

Here's what came out of the event...

The 7 Simple Steps to a
Natural Healthy Family
Study Guide

This 70 page E-book is designed to walk you step by step through the process of learning what it takes to have a completely natural and healthy family.

Over 6 Hours of
Expert Interviews and Tele-Classes

An Overview of the 7 Steps with Beth and Josh (that's us)

Know What to Eat Tele-Class with Lisa Jones, Raw Food Chef and Nutrition Consultant

Holistic Home Remedies Tele-Class with Cynetha Latiyah Stevens, a Certified Holistic Health Counselor

Bio-Kinetic Testing Interview with Tisha Mecham, Master Herbalist and author of Bio-Kinetic Testing for Health

Relationship Coaching Tele-Class with Rebecca Overson, professional Relationship Coach

And a Bonus Interview and Case Study with Carla Ludlow (find out how one mother has used Bio-Kinetic Testing to heal her family)

PLUS
3 Bonus Special Reports

Food- The Power to Hurt or Heal by Lisa Jones (Including some of her very own healthy recipes!)

Holistic Home Remedies for Common Ailments by Cynetha Latiyah Stevens (This 19 page e-book is full of great remedies using healing ingredients that you can find in your own kitchen!)

Plus, 99 Ways to Stay Fit without Exercise This is a fun resource that we (Beth and Josh) put together to give you ideas for staying fit without going to the gym.

These Study Guides, Tele-Classes and Bonuses ended up providing so much value that we have decided to bundle them together and offer them as a new product that we are selling for only $17.

However, because we promised our readers that they could have them for free, we are also giving them away as a Very Special Bonus to our Newsletter Subscribers!

If you would like to take advantage of this special offer, just go here to sign up for our weekly Family Health News!.

It's free, it's risk free (you can unsubscribe at any time), it's safe (we will never spam you or sell your contact details...ever), and it only takes a second.

We will be releasing ALL of this material to our Newsletter Subscribers in the next week, so act now if you don't want to miss out!

Thanks

Physical Activities for Staying Healthy in Winter

2009-01-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

We all know that physical activities are absolutely necessary for maintaining optimum health...but in case you hadn't noticed, it's winter outside.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, that means it rains... a lot.

In Utah, where we used to live it meant that it snowed... a lot.

Regardless of where you live, chances are good that you react to winter in much the same way that we do. Your hybernation clock goes off and you bundle up and hunker down. Your body slows down, giving itself permission to store a little extra fat, just in case.

We're the first to admit that finding ways to stay active in the face of rain, snow, and cold is not nearly as easy as when it's 75 degrees and sunny outside. But the fact is that for optimum health, physical activities are no less important in the winter than in the spring. In fact, in some ways they are more important.

So how do you stay active when all you want to do is snuggle up in your favorite blanket and sit next to the fire with a good book and a cup of tea?

We thought you'd never ask.

Tips for staying active when all you want to do is snuggle...

Let us first address all you overachievers out there. You know who you are. You are the ones who will actually wake up at 5 am after a snow storm to drive up the canyon just to be the first one to cut tracks in "fresh powder".

We have to admit that we don't understand you. We aren't you. You might even say in some ways we resent you.

But let us also say that we respect you and we love your enthusiasm! If you are one of those people, we are probably the last people on Earth that you should be taking advice from when it comes to staying active.

So let's move on to the "normal" people. You know... people like us! For the normal people, our first suggestion is to...

Find Physical Activities that You Enjoy

The first thing that we would recommend is to find activities that you enjoy. We mean, REALLY enjoy. Like something that you enjoy enough to overcome winter-time-inertia and the mattress monster. This could be anything. From walking in the evening with your spouse or your friends, to snowshoeing across the countryside and taking pictures of snow covered fields.

If this doesn't work, and you can't think of anything YOU enjoy, then maybe you should look at doing something that your kids enjoy.

Why?

Because even though most of us wouldn't expend any additional effort for the sake of our own health and wellbeing, we WILL wake up at 5 am after a snow storm just to avoid breaking a promise to our kids.

Which brings us to our next suggestion...

Make Promises You Know You Won't Break

Get the family together and plan some fun activities that everyone can enjoy. And then commit to doing them. First off, as we said before, most of us hate to break promises that we make our kids. But also, our kids hate us to break those promises even more.

So let your kids do what they do best. Let them nag you about that hiking trip you promised them until you just can't stand it anymore and you would rather pack up the car and go than listen to them for one more second.

If All Else Fails

If none of these solutions work, then just start picking physical activities that are easy to fit into your busy schedule.

Park in the furthest space from the store instead of the closest one you can find. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to the corner store instead of driving. Set a recurring alarm that goes off every hour. Every time it goes off, get up from your desk and walk around the block, or the yard, or just do some light stretches right there in your office or living room. Just keep in mind that any extra physical activities are better than no activity at all.

If you have some suggestions, we would love to hear them. Just leave a comment right here.

Live Teleseminar with Holistic Health Counselor TODAY!

2009-01-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the late notice. (If you were on my list, you would already know about this...)

We are hosting an interview with Latiyah Stevens, a certified Holistic Health Counselor today at 2 pm PST (3pm MST, 5pm EST).

We will be talking to Latiyah about holistic remedies and holistic solutions for families. I would tell you more about the call, but it's almost time for it, so I'm going to go.

Register right now if you want to be on the live call.

Important Note: Register even if you miss the live call, and I'll make sure you get a copy of the recording. Also, Latiyah has generously agreed to give anyone who registers a FREE copy of her "Holistic Home Remedies for Common Ailments". I just got a sneak peek at it, and it is WELL worth giving up your name and email address for! Great stuff.

Thanks

Follow up on last night's blogcast

2009-01-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

The blogcast went well last night. We had a lot of activity, questions, and comments.

For those of you who still haven't had a chance to hear the full interview with Rebecca Overson, Relationship and Clarity Coach, here is another opportunity.

You can listen to the recording right here. Just leave a comment to this post and let us know if you had some additional insights, questions, or comments.

Important Note: The recording software started recording 3 minutes and 17 seconds early. So you will need to fast forward the recording to that time before you will hear anything. To fast forward, you have to use the little box at the top, to the right of the play/pause button. It's not a very subtle fast forwarding method. Sorry about that...

Remember to leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers!

Thanks

Tonight's Live BLOGCAST!

2009-01-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

This is the location for the live Blogcast with Relationship and Clarity Coach, Rebecca Overson.

Rebecca and I had a wonderful conversation last night on the Live Teleseminar. Here are just a few of the highlights from the call.

"New Year's Resolutions" seldom work because they are based on trying to change something that we don't like about ourselves or our environment.
Change doesn't work because "Change begins and ends with violence". (You'll have to listen to the call.)
"Problems" in a relationship stem from the mistaken belief that "this shouldn't be happening". (We say "mistaken" because this belief is opposed to the reality of the situation.)
One of the tools that Rebecca uses to help people to dismantle these mistaken beliefs is "The Work" of Byron Katie.
The Work consists of "four questions and a turn around".
Rebecca actually walked me through doing The Work on my tax return! (Thanks Rebecca) If any of you are having a problem with your relationship to money, you won't want to miss this conversation.
We uncovered the effect that my relationship to money was having on my relationships to Beth and my kids.
An upset or incompletion in any area of your life can negatively effect every other relationship. (Nothing happens in a vacuum.)
And finally, Rebecca left us with a very generous offer that you can take advantage of by going to her website, using her contact form, and mentioning this interview.

Ok, that was the "Reader's Digest" version.

To listen to the complete recording of the call, copy and paste this web address into your browser and download the mp3 file that you find there:

http://www.naturalhealthyfamily.com/media-files/rebeccaoverson.mp3

Note: Don't click the link, for some reason it doesn't work as a hyperlink.

Very Important Note: The recording of the call started 3 minutes and 17 seconds early. So for the first three minutes there is nothing but dead silence. Don't worry, it's just the recording. Simply fast forward your media player to the 3 minute and 17 second mark and start listening there. Sorry...

The Blogcast

Here is how the Blogcast will work.

Simply reply to this post using the comment feature below, and let us know if you have any questions, comments, concerns, insights, or just want to shoot the breeze with us.

You can leave your comment anytime between now and 6 pm tonight PST. (Feel free to leave comments after that as well. I check the blog every day and will respond to any questions or comments that you leave.)

Rebecca and I will be here on the blog, Live, between 5pm and 6pm PST (6-7 MST). We will be answering any of your questions and responding to your comments at that time.

I recommend that you listen to the call if you weren't able to make the live event last night. That way we will all be on the same page.

Thanks so much. We look forward to hearing from you!

FREE Relationship Coaching Today

2009-01-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

The fact is that everybody has down times in a relationship, or maybe have aspects of a relationship that could use some improvement.

We get stuck in a rut. Things aren't working as well as we would like them to. Maybe the "spark" isn't there and we aren't experiencing the intimacy that we would like to.

Ulimately, when things aren't working in our relationships,we are left with the feeling of not being fully and intimately connected.

But it wasn't always this way, was it?

Remember the intimate connection that you had when you were first together? When you could just sit for hours and talk?

Now, (if you're like 90% of relationships) you're like two ships passing in the night. You go about your day, each of you focused on your particular "job" in the relationship. And you are reduced to communicating through a series of grunts and shrugs.

What happened?

You stopped seeing each other. You stopped seeing your partner for the amazing person that they are.

And more importantly, you stopped really listening to each other.

What would things look like if you brought that level of connection, intimacy, and communication back into your relationship?

You might experience a deep sense of peace and satisfaction in your home and in your relationship.

You might find a common purpose that you are both inspired by. Something that you can work towards together.

Who knows? You might awaken dreams and visions together that go beyond what most people can even imagine.

The possibilities for being in a relationship are endless. The power that can be generated in a relationship goes beyond the power of two. When you are fully connected with your partner, your potential expands exponentially.

But it begins with you.

You have to have the courage to be willing to look at where your relationship isn't working.

You have to have a commitment to changing that.

We have done this work ourselves. The work isn't always easy, but it has made all the difference for us. It left us with a sense of belonging and peace in our relationship that was never there before. And it just gets stronger every day.

You may never have experienced Love like this.

If you haven't yet, please register for this free live teleseminar happening tonight at 5 pm PST, to find out the questions that you should be asking if you want to have the peaceful, loving, and inspiring relationship that you always wanted.

We'll talk about the mistaken beliefs that led you to stop listening to your partner. And we'll tell you how to get that intimate connection back into your relationship in a way that will have your relationship grow stronger and more vibrantly alive every day.

Register even if you can't be there for the live event. We'll send you a copy of the recorded call. And we'll tell you how you can get all of YOUR relationship questions answered for free.

Sign up now, because this is one conversation that you just can't afford to miss out on.

Last Year's Lessons

2009-01-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

One of the things that we think it's important to ask at this time of year is, "what lessons did I learn last year?".

So we thought we would take a minute to share some of the lessons that we learned. Lessons that had a big impact on us.

Lessons that Kendall Learned

We asked Kendall, our 4-year-old, what lessons she learned last year. Here were her responses.

"I learned that I like being a big sister. I love my new school! I learned that it's important to have fun."

Lessons that Beth Learned

"I learned that I should always trust the Universe and my body, because they always know way more than I do. We really weren't happy where we were last year (in Salt Lake). And suddenly the Universe presented us with an opportunity to sell our house and move. Now we are living somewhere that we love, and doing what we love to do.

"We were also bouncing around the idea of having a baby, but we just weren't sure if it was the right thing to do or not. Now we have a beautiful baby girl, and we're so glad that that particular decision was made for us."

Lessons that Josh Learned

"I learned to trust that things will always work out exactly how they are supposed to. I had some real concerns about the direction that things were headed last year, but I just trusted that things would work out and they did.

"I also learned that I would MUCH rather do what I love to do and live with some financial uncertainty, than to have a steady paycheck doing something that is uninspiring and lame..."

Those are some of the lessons that we learned over the last year.

We would love to hear from you about the lessons that you learned. If you want to share, just leave a comment right here.

New Free Audio and E-book

2009-01-05T10:08:00.001-08:00

Beth and I just did an hour long interview about our 7 Steps to a Natural Healthy Family.

It was a lot of fun and we gave out a lot of great information.

This is the opening piece of our two week long Free New Year's Family Health Makeover.

We have a bunch of new interviews, live tele-seminars, and free bonuses coming up.

The next event, on Wednesday the 7th at 5pm PST is a Live Teleseminar with Relationship Coach Rebecca Overson. Rebecca will be explaining why "New Year's Resolutions" never work, and sharing her secrets to creating an intention for the New Year that WILL work!

She will also be talking to us about some simple steps that you can take to get the spark back into your relationship.

Rebecca will also be joining us RIGHT HERE for a live Blog Cast on Thursday the 8th at 5 pm PST. She is making herself available to answer any questions that you might have from the Teleseminar. So make sure that you register for the Live Teleseminar right now, because you won't want to miss out on that. (Register even if you can't make it to the live event so that we can send you a copy of the recording.)

To register, just take a minute and fill out the form below. Don't worry, your info will only be used for sending you the details for these events. We will absolutely respect your privacy.

Let me know if you have any questions. You can just leave a comment here on the blog and I'll get back to you.

Thanks!

Family and Health

2008-12-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

The New Year is approaching, and I wanted to talk for a minute about family and health.

First off, I know that you, like the rest of us, are constantly bombarded with information from the health community about the latest developments in nutrition, physical health education, pharmaceutical advancements etc.

At some point, you get so much information, from so many varied sources, that it's hard to know what to believe when it comes to your family and health.

One minute milk "does a body good", the next minute it's full of anti-biotics and hormones and is bad for you.

And the fact is that you can usually look at who "sponsored" a specific ad and get a pretty clear idea about the agenda behind the ad.

A great example of this is the new High Fructose Corn Syrup commercials.

Here's one right here:

Now look. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that high fructose corn syrup is evil. I'm not even going to tell you it's bad for you. I AM going to tell that there is a lot of evidence out there that suggests that it is bad for you in the massive quantities that most of our family's ingest it. (Just do a google search for high fructose corn syrup and you can judge for yourself.)

Whether it's "good" for you, or "bad" for you is not the point.

The point is that it's time for us to start taking responsibility for our own family and health. It's time for us to start questioning ALL information sources (including this one) and start looking for ways to be our own best health advisor.

Over the years there has been a movement, mostly here in the U.S. towards specialization when it comes to health; and we have allowed the opinions of "experts" to take the place of self-education and common sense.

We'll be introducing some ways to change all of that in the next few weeks. So stay tuned.

And please, leave a comment here and let us know what your thoughts are. About corn syrup, commercials, family and health, or anything else you want to talk about.

The FREE New Years Family Health Makeover

2008-12-20T16:05:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you guys know that we are doing a FREE New Years Family Health Makeover from January 5th to the 16th.

It will be a good chance to set an intention for the New Year that will actually stick.

We are doing a series of fun interviews with some experts who are skilled at helping people to produce results.

I think it will be a perfect way to kick off the New Year.

So far we have a professional Clarity Coach who is going to show us why our New Year's resolutions never work. (Hint: New Year's Resolutions are based on "Violence".... I'm not sure what that means, but I'm excited to find out.)

And we have a Holistic Counselor who is going to give us some great tips on Holistic Home Remedies for Mom's. (She even promised to put together a pamphlet for you so you have something to take home and use.)

We have Tisha Mecham, author, Master Herbalist, and 30 year practitioner of Bio-Kinetic Testing. She is going to give us some tips on how to keep our families healthy all year around.

And we have more guests and free resources planned for you.

I'll let you know as soon as we start scheduling things.

In the meantime, go to the Events page on our website and reserve your seat for the festivities.

http://www.naturalhealthyfamily.com/events.html

Feel free to message me directly if you have any questions. Or leave a comment here on the blog.

Thanks,

Josh

Herbs for Newborn's Tummy

2008-12-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

This is one of the reasons why I love Bio-Kinetic Testing.

My six week old has been throwing up half of her milk for the last couple of weeks. This has been very frustrating for us, because she isn't gaining weight the way she should be.

We tried changing to an organic formula. (We have been supplementing her breast feedings because she hasn't been gaining enough weight.) We have tried keeping her propped up so she isn't laying flat.

And these tactics seemed to help for a while, but then last night she threw up twice in a row, despite everything we have been trying.

It was even suggested that we take her to the doctor to get a prescription for her.

So today it finally occurred to me to use Bio-Kinetic Testing.

I tested her, and it turns out that she has yeast in her stomach.

No wonder she's so gassy and pukey!

I tested to see if there was a natural herb that I could safely use on her to get rid of the yeast, and I came up with Chamomile.

Just to be on the safe side, I had Josh do a quick google search to make sure there was no warnings against using it with infants. It turns out that people have been using Chamomile on babies for centuries to help with Cholic with no problems.

So, I'm off to get some loose Chamomile at the health food store. I'll make a tea and add a little to her next formula supplementation and let you know how it goes.

Expecting Miracles

2008-12-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

Every morning, I do something that I call my "morning practice".

I start by de-cluttering my workdesk and turning on my computer. Then I do my "Daily Target Praxis". (If you want to try this, go to simpleology.com and sign up for simpleology101. It's totally free.) In my Daily Target Praxis, I plan my activities for the day, and I convert them to my google calendar if need be.

Once I have my day planned I sit for a minute and I make a list of at least 5 things that I am grateful for today.

Then I create an intention or a possibility for the day. (Today's possibility is Expansion.)

I have a list of Wayne Dyer's "Seven Faces of Intention" posted on my office wall. These are the possibilities that Dr. Dyer has identified as the faces of intention. These are some of the attributes or intentions of God (or Source, or Spirit).

I'll list them here, in case you haven't seen or heard them:

Creativity
Kindness
Love
Beauty
Expansion
Abundance
Receptivity

I almost always choose one of these as my intention or possibility for my day. It helps to keep me connected to Source.

After I choose an intention for the day, I do a meditation. Either I'll just sit quietly, or I have a bunch of guided meditations that are recorded on my computer.

The one that I listened to today was by Joe Vitale. It was a manifestation meditation. And something that he said at the very end of the meditation prompted me to post this blog.

He said, "Enjoy your day, and expect miracles!"

When I heard that, I realized that I haven't been expecting miracles. I've been expecting dissapointment. (And that's what I've been getting.)

See, I believe that we almost always get exactly what we expect. Dr. Vitale expects miracles, and he gets them. All the time.

I expect dissapointment, and what do you know... there it is again.

So, today, my intention is Expansion, and I am expecting miracles!

Thanks for letting me ramble.

Josh

New Free Blogging Course!

2008-12-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

The best blogging techniques.
How to get traffic to your blog.
How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

On a personal note, I have used the Simpleology (the simple science of getting what you want) for some time now, and I love it. Highly recommended.

Upcoming Event

2008-12-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

A live Tele-Seminar and Blog Cast with Tisha Mecham, author of the book Bio-Kinetic Testing for Health: How to Take the Guesswork out of Healing.

We are very happy to announce that we will be having a live interview and simultaneous blog-cast with one of our mentors. We'll let you know as soon as that's scheduled.