Vim & Vitality Blog

   So, I have this friend named May Davies who pretty much speaks another language, and it totally cracks me up! (I love ya, May!) I like being with her just to get a good chuckle, which negates the notion that my children have about me not laughing enough (at least not at the things that they find humorous-- you know, bodily function humor is what makes them laugh. And I have been there and done that already. Plus my humor is really dry-- think Dr. Michael Dobbins-- ROFL!-- by the way, one reason that I use ZYTO Biofeedback in my practice is to avoid the bias with muscle testing tha...

 Part 1A If you do a Google search on “antioxidants,” the following information is what you will find under the top item that comes up, which happens to be a Wikipedia article. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals.Free radicals can start chain reactions. When the chain reaction occurs in a cell, it can cause damage or death to the cell. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. (1)   This article further explains the theory of antioxidants, along with the arguments for and against the benef...

 Introduction As a holistic healthcare practitioner, I am constantly exposed to new products, research, and concepts. In order to provide the best advice and care for my clients, I must take a critical look at the scientific theory and proof behind each of these items. It is imperative that I stay current, not clinging to tradition or to what I have been taught as if they were “the gospel truth.” I must be a “devil's advocate,” if you will, and I challenge you to be the same: Question what you hear being promoted as healthy. Go even beyond provoking debate, and become an advocate ...

  The Thanksgiving "Test Kitchen" With both sides of our family being local, Thanksgiving is usually a large family affair with cousins, in-laws, aunts, uncles, grandparents and grandkids. And my husband and I are the common thread between all of our relatives, so Thanksgiving is usually at our house. While I love to indulge in all of the typical foods served at Thanksgiving, I get bored with the “same old, same-old,” so I will try out new recipes that add a twist to the traditional fare, and our extended family has become the “guinea pigs” for all of my experimentation with food....

Part 5C Is Your “Oil Light” Flashing? Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis (cont'd) Do you have slick, raw patches on your tongue?Does the coating on your tongue have a yellow, white, or greenish tint to it?What about the color of your tongue itself-- is it purplish or reddish?Do you have lines or cracks in your tongue?Does your tongue quiver when you try to hold it out nice and still?   The analogy being made in this installment of "Under the Hood" is between the tongue and the oil light of a car. If your car runs low on oil, the engine can burn up in a matter of seconds, so when...

Part 5B: Are You Running on Fumes? Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis (cont'd) Last time we talked about our facial characteristics being similar to the odometer reading on a car. The lines, coloring, and skin qualities of our faces all indicate what is going on below the surface of our skin. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), they reveal the condition of our organs, glands and systems. We learned that you can actually appear younger and virtually turn back your “odometer” or biological clock by working on specific organ systems! Today we will be talking about what your...

Part 5A: What Is Your “Odometer Reading?” Chinese Face, Tongue & Nail Analysis Do you believe that lines and wrinkles on your face are inevitable as you age? Much like an odometer indicates the mileage driven in an automobile, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), lines on the face are an indicator of “wear and tear” on the Human Machine.  Ancient Chinese healers were not allowed to touch female patients, so they had to master the art of observation. Up until the 1940’s, doctors used tongue analysis to assess the health of patients. Much can be learned from observ...

 Part 4C: "Rewiring" Your Main Computer The Thalamus & Limbic System (cont'd) In Parts 4A & 4B of this blog series, we talked about how smell and taste are linked to memories and emotions, and how these two senses can enhance learning, memory and healing, both emotionally and physically. We also learned about the power of our own voices being used to overcome negative thought and behavioral patterns. This is what is referred to in the Bible as “renewing our minds”(1). In this blog, we are going to delve more deeply into how how hearing, sight, and touch can be engaged in the r...

Part 4B: Is it Time to Reset "Your CO Sensor?" The Thalamus & Limbic System (cont'd) In Part 4A of this blog series, we talked about the connection between our sense of smell and memories, and we learned that scent is the most powerful memory trigger. The thalamus is likened to the hard drive in a car computer because it holds the "software" for our brains, ie- it was programmed by our Creator with a knowledge of the truth as well as how to process sensory input.  The thalamus works together with the amygdala as a storage device for our memories and emotions, also called the “limbic...

Part 4A: How to Do a “Factory Reset” on Your Brain The Thalamus & Limbic System Modern vehicles contain at least one computer, such as the Engine Control Unit (ECU), which I likened to the endocrine system in Part 3A of this blog series. As cars become more complex, additional computers are added to manage the many controls available to the driver, such as modules containing a microprocessor to consolidate all of the functions in the driver's side door: power locks, power windows, power mirrors, power seats, seat warmers, etc. Older vehicles utilized one wire for each component which r...

Part 3B: Is Your "Accelerator" Stuck? The Adrenals As Americans we jam-pack our schedules so that we are always running here and there, and this stress can put our adrenals into a state of “fight or flight.” In fact, most Americans live in a constant state of “fight or flight,” much like when the accelerator on a car gets stuck. Eventually the adrenals become fatigued from pumping out all of that adrenaline for day-to-day life, and they quit producing the proper amounts of hormones to balance other bodily functions. In addition to adrenaline and cortisol production, the adrenals contri...

 Part 3A: Is Your “Check Engine” Light On? The Endocrine System Just as the spark plugs in an automobile must fire in perfect timing, bodily chemicals must be present in the precise quantities at the proper times for metabolic processes to take place. Utilization of fuel in a vehicle with a combustion engine is governed by the Engine Control Unit, or ECU. During my research, I was amazed at the complexity of the ECU because it monitors at least seven input sensors, many times utilizing over 100 different lookup tables to mathematically calculate over 100 engine performance parameters ...

 Part 2B: The “Key” in Your “Ignition” The Exocrine System (continued) Additional non-digestive enzymes, or metabolic enzymes, and hormones are required to complete this conversion process. Enzymes are simply proteins that act as catalysts for chemical reactions within the body; they are chemicals that facilitate other chemical reactions. The human machine manufactures over 22 enzymes for digestion alone in addition to hundreds of other metabolic enzymes. We cannot utilize nutrients from our foods without enzymes to transport them throughout the body and “unlock” the benefits ...

 Part 2A: Is Your “Ignition Switch” Faulty? The Exocrine System In a sense, the ignition of an automobile can be likened to the many enzymes that begin the process of digestion. “Digestive enzymes break down the food we eat so that it can be used as a source of nutrients and a source of energy.”(1) If you lack digestive enzymes, it is like putting gas into your car but never turning the key to ignite that fuel in order to start the engine. Our bodies are unable to utilize the foods we eat unless they are first processed by digestive enzymes through digestion. As we age, our human ...

 Part 1: Has Your “Paint Job” Lost Its Luster & Shine? The Integumentary System Comparing the human body to a machine is like comparing G-d to the internet in that no matter how sophisticated and complicated a machine or the world-wide web may become, these man-made inventions will always fall short of the real thing. Utilizing analogies and metaphors allows us to understand a new and less familiar concept by relating it to a subject with which we are already familiar, however, it would be an oversimplification to say that any single organ in the human body has only one functionâ€...

Recently while on vacation with my husband, I had some time for leisure reading. Being the health geek that I am, I picked up my copy of Choose Life or Death by Dr. Carey A. Reams. This man has been one of my heroes since the time I learned about him and his Biological Terrain Analysis (RBTI) equation during my training as a Master Herbalist. After reading his book, I have an even greater respect for this brilliant mathematician and man of G-d! Through this book, I learned some fascinating facts that explain the science behind biblical truths and how we were created. Did you know that: The ele...

 Part VE: The Chemistry of Nutrition Here we are at the conclusion of this blog series on The Chemistry of Aging.  To quickly review, aging is slowed and health is improved when we balance our pH by: 1) Managing Our Stress (including sleep) 2) Oxygenating Our System 3) Improving Our Digestion (Part IVA & Part IVB) 4) Optimizing Our Diet Optimizing Our Diet involves a) drinking plenty of water at the right time and temperature, b) consuming the correct proportion of foods that alkalize the body, c) balancing the intake of raw vs. cooked foods, and finally d) incorporating both DEF...

 Part VD: The Chemistry of Nutrition We are winding down to the end of this series on The Chemistry of Aging and how to slow down the aging process. As I have said before, the same principles that decelerate the aging process are also the keys to health: What keeps us healthy also keeps us youthful!  A final note about the 80/20 rule: It is not uncommon for my new clients to think that they are eating plenty of vegetables; most people think that if they eat vegetables daily, then they are doing good… but many of these people are only consuming 4-6 servings of vegetables in a six-da...

Part VC: The Chemistry of Nutrition In this part of Staying Youthful Longer, we have been discussing The Chemistry of Nutrition as a factor that regulates the speed at which we age. There are four dietary recommendations that I make to all of my clients, and so far we have covered the first two: 1)Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water (and clear liquids such as herbal tea) each day 2)Drink room temperature water continually, separating from meals by 1 hour, and drink hot water before meals for optimum digestion The third piece of nutritional advice I give to every client is: Follow the ...

Part VB: The Chemistry of Nutrition This blog series has covered the key to health and youth: a balanced pH. We have discussed three factors that affect the rate at which we age: 1)Stress (including sleep) 2)Oxygenation 3)Digestion (including leaky gut) Previously, we began to delve into the fourth factor: Nutrition. I told you about the first of four nutrition tips that I give to every client: adequate hydration. This is the cheapest and easiest health practice for slowing down the aging process. This time we will discuss the second dietary recommendation that I make to every client: The corr...