How Candida Causes Junkfood Cravings

You make a resolution. You are going to eat healthy every day. No more junk food. And then it hits–those cravings. You have to have chocolate. You’ll die without chocolate!

There is no doubt that your blood sugar has a lot to do with sugar cravings, but blood sugar is not the only metabolic process driving you. If you are living with an overabundance of Candida in your system, it wants to be fed. And it’s preferred food is sugar.

Our bodies contain 10 times as many microbes as human cells. Many of these microbes are beneficial. We actually enjoy a symbiotic relationship with many of the bacteria (they help digest food, create serotonin, create B vitamins and more), but other microbes can cause disease, especially when they are out of balance.

In today’s bacteria phobic world, we use antibacterial soaps, we pasteurize milk and juice, and we kill as many bacteria as possible in an attempt to create an antiseptic environment with no regard to the healthy bacteria we destroy. In addition, we take antibiotics without considering the indiscriminate destruction of the healthy bacteria we need for optimum health.

Related: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Candida is opportunistic. Whenever it sees an opening, like when we consume refined foods, Candida increases its numbers. It flourishes. And when it does, it wreaks havoc on its host. It doesn’t just live inside of us, it feeds off of us. It changes from a one-celled yeast to grow filaments that bore through our tissues–not only in the gut but in other organs as well. Enzymes are released from these filaments that digest our tissues. Then the Candida soaks up nutrition from the cells it destroys as well as the food we eat.

The balance of Candida to beneficial flora is ever changing. Beneficial bacteria vie for dominance in the gut. As the balance shifts (like when we aren’t eating foods that feed it) and Candida die off, the dying Candida releases 79 different toxins into our system. These toxins make us feel ill. As it continues to attack us from the inside, we eat a little sugar (or a lot of sugar) and we feel better because we have just fed the Candida and ended the die-off process. Candida flourishes again (along with bad bacteria, which also likes sugar). You eat a little better, Candida dies off. You feel bad. You eat sugar. The cycle continues.

When the level of Candida rises to the point it causes ear infections, gum infections, sinus infections, vaginal infections, tooth infections, or skin infections, we may put two and two together and realize there is a cause and effect every time we eat sugar because we feel the negative results almost immediately. This is due to a low level of chronic infection that flares every time we feed the Candida.

Foods that feed Candida include concentrated sugars (corn syrup, sugar, agave, fruit juice, etc.). and other refined foods (sugars, flours, bread, pasta, white rice, etc.). Alcohol also indirectly promotes Candida growth. For those with particularly bad Candida, even a lack of sleep and other things that weaken the immune system actually can feed Candida (they feed off of our weakest cells, sleep deprivation depletes individual cell health).

You can rid your body of Candida naturally and get off the sugar roller coaster ride, but it will take time and discipline. You

There are a number of herbs and supplements that will boost your immune system, kill off the Candida, and increase your beneficial bacteria.

Once that’s over, you’ll have no excuses. If you eat that chocolate, it’s on you. Unless of course, it’s raw unsweetened chocolate. That’s good for you. It’s the milk and sugar they put in it that feed Candida.

Check out How To Heal Your Gut. If you’re consuming sweets and other refined foods over the holidays, be sure to have a good probiotic a couple of other items on hand to kill excess yeast.

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

The first three should be plenty for most people, but for really prominent fungal issues or for impatient people with a bigger budget I’d recommend all of these:

I recommend taking the SF722, Berberine, MycoCeutics, and Microdefense with meals, and the Abzorb and Syntol separately, on an empty stomach (like in the morning and before bed). The Abzorb and the Syntol are a bit redundant, but I find good results using both if the budget can afford it. If money is really tight, just get the SF722 and put your money into your diet.

Further Reading:


Relieve PMS with these Foods, Herbs, Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements

Suddenly you realize there’s a little black cloud over your head. Or maybe it’s a big one. Things that usually don’t bother you are getting on your very last nerve. You’re not sure if you want to pick a fight or cry. Before you tell your boss what you really think of him or confront your significant other about his shortcomings, stop and check the calendar. Is this PMS? Is “estrogen poisoning” ruining your day? If that’s the problem, there are supplement and herbs you can use to get back in control.

Herbs known to relieve symptoms of PMS

  • Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
  • Burdock
  • Chaste tree or chasteberry (Vitex agnus castus)
  • Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
  • Dong quai (Angelica sinensis), also known as Chinese Angelica
  • Evening primrose oil (Oenothera biennis)
  • Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
  • Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
  • Maca (Lepidium meyenii)
  • St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)
  • Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa)

Vitamins, minerals, and supplements to relieve symptoms of PMS

Chocolate candy is not your best friend right now. You do not need to add unstable blood sugar to unbalanced hormones and underachieving neurotransmitters. If you are craving chocolate, your body is craving magnesium. But that is not the only supplement you need right now. Your first aid supplements should include the following:

  • B vitamin complex
  • Calcium
  • Vitamin D
  • Magnesium
  • Chromium
  • Omega 3s (either as a supplement or take a tablespoon of flaxseed oil, fish oil, or a blended omega 3.6.9. oil)

If you take a really good multi-vitamin with all of the above included, unless it is very high in B vitamins, it’s not a bad idea to include a B complex. B vitamins are nature’s Valium; many women feel considerable relief fifteen minutes or so after taking a large dose of Bs.

This is a day to be on your best behavior. Not only do you need to hold your tongue, you need to watch what you put in your mouth. This is a perfect day to snack on fresh organic veggies and fruits all day long. And all those things you’re not going to say? Write them down and see if those are issues you need to deal with next week, when you’re not feeling so intense. Chances are, you really do need to deal with those issues, just not right now.

Shillington’s Female Balance Formulas

Shillington offers three formulas that help balance female hormones.

Female Balance Formula

This formula is the 3 balancing herbs to balances the hormones. It’s good for alleviating cramps and anxiety. Ingredients include Chaste tree berry, wild yam root, and dong quai root in a base of grain alcohol and distilled water.

Female Formula

This formula is predominantly the 3 balancing herbs from the Female Formula along with a few others making it an overall female tonic for balancing hormones, relaxing,, as well as a cramping and anxiety handler. Ingredients include wild yam root, chaste tree berry, Dong Quai root, blue and black cohosh, valerian root, passion flower, uva ursi, hops flowers, cornsilk, juniper berry and dandelion root in a base of grain alcohol and distilled water.

Female Energy Formula

With Damiana leaf, wild yam root, licorice root, siberian ginseng roots, sarsaparilla root, saw palmetto berry, oat seed, kola nut and ginger root in a base of grain alcohol and distilled water, this formula works well at balancing the hormones and improves energy as well as sex drive.

What typically causes PMS symptoms

An inability to process and assimilate B vitamins, a lack of vitamin D, and other hormonal imbalances can be traced back to an overabundance of candida. Like so many diseases, candida  is often the underlying cause. Even when candida is not the source, at the very least, candida exacerbates PMS symptoms. Check out the first source below for information about candida and the gut.

While it is great to know that there are natural remedies to alleviate the symptoms of PMS, alleviating symptoms is a short term strategy, not a cure. If you are ready to rid yourself of these miserable symptoms and get your hormones in balance, it’s time to make some lifestyle changes.

If you’re on the lookout for some healthy chocolate recipes, go to healingthebody.ca. And see Natural Remedies for PMS for more information on diet, herbs, and other supplement options.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:


How to Cure Migraines For Good

A surprising 10% of the worldwide population suffers from migraine headaches. Although we know people have been suffering from migraines since the beginning of recorded history, we still aren’t sure what causes them.

The original belief that migraines are caused by a vascular condition (caused by arteries and veins) was challenged by a later theory of a neuroinflammatory process (inflammation of nervous tissue), and is now thought to be a neurogenic disorder (caused by or controlled by the nervous system).

Not all migraines are the same and not all migraines respond to the same medications, which might lead one to think that all these causes may be valid.

Generally, (but not always) migraine headaches affect one side of the head. Generally (but not always) they are associated with throbbing pain. If left untreated, they last for hours up to days.

There are four recognized stages for a migraine episode, though not all sufferers go through all four stages. These stages are as follows:

  • Prodrom — A day or two before the onset of a headache, symptoms include food cravings (often women crave chocolate), depression or irritability, stiff muscles–particularly the neck, uncontrollable yawning, hyperactivity, etc.
  • Aura — (experienced by 20% of migraine sufferers) an hour or two before the onset of a headache, sensory disturbances occur. The most common are visual with flashes of light, jagged lights in peripheral vision, blind spots, even loss of vision. Numbness and tingling in arms and legs, including weakness and speech problems. The aura lasts 20-60 minutes.
  • Attack — Usual duration is 4-72 hours. Symptoms during an attack often include nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, sensitivity to sound, light, smells, lightheadedness (possible fainting) and pain on one or both sides of the head.
  • Postdrome — This phase lasts up to a few days. Fatigue and cognitive disturbances that interfere with work and interactions with others. It is described as “brain fog.”

Natural Treatment for Migraines

There is s strong belief in the natural health community of one disease, one cause. In other words, the body, if cleansed of toxins and given proper nutrition, will heal itself. All disease begins at a cellular level. There is also a consensus that health starts in the gut. Four things are known about migraines: they involve vessels, inflammation (nerves and vessels), low levels of serotonin, and may be caused by heavy metal toxicity.

Boost serotonin

One of the symptoms common to migraine sufferers is a drop in serotonin or low levels of serotonin before a migraine. The beneficial bacteria in the gut produces 80% of the body’s serotonin, therefore it stands to reason that gut health and high serotonin levels may reduce or eliminate migraines. In order to achieve this, one must cleanse the gut of bad bacteria and Candida and repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria. The diet must be rich in both prebiotic and probiotic foods. (See link below regarding how to kill Candida.) A healthy, healing diet is organic and consists of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce–more vegetables than fruits. Eat a large variety of real foods. Include omega 3 fats each day. Do not eat known trigger foods. Avoid dairy and gluten (in order to heal your gut and due to the fact that they are probably trigger foods or allergens). Do not eat any artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Do not eat MSG, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, or GMOs. This is fairly easy to do if you stick to real foods, not processed foods, and eat organic.

Related: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Reduce inflammation

Inflammation is another causal factor. To reduce or eliminate inflammation, eliminate all foods that cause an allergic response. Include omega 3 oil in your diet on a daily basis (fish oil, flaxseed oil, krill oil, etc. ) Or consider Johanna Budwig’s recipe for inflammation. (See below.)

Vitamins and minerals to supplement

B-vitamins are essential for vascular health and for nerves and nervous tissue. Always take a B-complex vitamin rather than just taking one B vitamin for any length of time. Omega 3 oils help the body assimilate B vitamins. Vitamin C and vitamin D also aid in vascular health long with calcium, magnesium, and selenium.

Heavy metal toxicity

Heavy metal chelation may go a long way towards ending your battle with migraines. For many people, removal of mercury fillings has ended their susceptibility to migraines. (To learn more about mercury, see the link below).

Stress

Stress is a factor for migraines, as it is for all disease. It is important to learn how to release stress, as chronic stress does affect our biochemistry. Examine your lifestyle and decide if there are changes you want to make. If you want to make a serious impact on your stress level, learn to breathe (seriously–see link below), exercise, and meditate.

Dr. Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula Recipe (or click to purchase)

  • 2 – parts Valerian Root
  • 2 – parts Lobelia Seed Pods
  • 2 – parts Passion Flower
  • 1 – part Hops Flowers
  • 1 – part Black Cohosh
  • 1 – part Blue Cohosh
  • 1 – part Skullcap
  • 1 – part Wild Yam

Dr. Shillington’s Brain Tonic Recipe (or click to purchase)

  • 15 – parts Gingko Leaf
  • 1 – part Gotu Kola Herb
  • 1 – part Calamus Root
  • 1 – part Rosemary Flowers
  • 1 – part Cayenne Pepper
  • Optional:- 1 part Kola Nut

Parts are by volume. Blend all ingredients together and make into a tincture using a 50 – 50 Blend of Alcohol (100 proof vodka) and distilled water. For more, see How to Make a Tincture.

Shillington’s Formulas aren’t going to stop most migraines in their tracks, but they will rebuild and heal the body.

The Real Reason You Have Migraines

The most likely causes of a migraine are gut imbalance and drug use. Smoking anything can eventually lead to migraines. Lots of different pharmaceuticals cause migraines. Toxins cause migraines. A toxic gut ecology leads to chronic issues including migraines. And most people who use pharmaceuticals and/or smoke have a toxic gut-ecology.

Fixing the gut means eliminating the excess Candid and other fungi.

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

The first three should be plenty for most people, but for impatient people with really prominent fungal issues and bigger budgets could use all of these:

Conclusion

Whether migraines are rare or frequent, the pain can be overwhelming. No one should ever have to suffer through a migraine. To fully address the actions you can take to eliminate migraines from your life, follow all of the steps above. Here’s a recap:

  • Detox
  • Eat a healthy, healing diet with lots of raw produce
  • Boost serotonin – reduce candida and balance gut flora
  • Reduce inflammation – daily dose of omega 3’s
  • Supplement – vitamins C,D, and B-complex; calcium, magnesium and selenium
  • Heavy metal chelation – and get mercury fillings removed
  • Keep ginger on hand (and essential oils if they help)
  • Reduce stress – learn to breathe, exercise, meditate
  • Rebuild the nervous system and optimize the brain with shillington’s formulas

If you need help with a migraine right now, check out Natural Remedies For Migraines That Work Fast.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:


Increase your IQ with the Right Foods, Herbs, Vitamins, and Exercises for Your Brain

Not too long ago, the general consensus about our IQ was that our intelligence can’t be improved. Though this issue is still debated occasionally, today most of us know that learning a new language and becoming an avid reader have both been proven to increase one’s score on any intelligence aptitude test. The idea that people cannot get smarter is ridiculous, but so are a lot of other conventional medical beliefs still held today.

Contents

If you can take IQ tests over and over again, study them, get help figuring them out, and learn how to do them quickly and well, your score will improve. Some would argue that this is not really increasing intelligence, but it is. Experiences that challenge the brain’s cognitive abilities raise intelligence–real intelligence. IQ tests, while certainly not a great indicator of how well someone will do in life, are a pretty decent indicator of memory, problem solving skills, and other cognitive functions. Obviously, an abundance of these skills is helpful.

A better idea than taking IQ tests over and over again is to do some other brain teasers, learn a language, and learn to constantly exercise your brain. Live life like it’s all about learning, because it is!

Combine these mental push-ups with the right diet, a fitness program, and a few brain boosting herbal supplements, and your focus will be sharp while your cognitive ability will improve significantly.

The more you practice using your brain in various, challenging ways, the better you will get at using it. The better you take care of your brain’s health, the more efficiently and easily it will work, and the longer it will work as well.

How Brain is Connected to Your Gut

Your brain is very connected to your gut. We have a symbiotic relationship with every microbe living inside us, and the highest concentration of microbes is in our gut. In addition, parasitical influences, like candida running rampant throughout our body causing us to crave junk food, can be traced back to intestinal health.

Speaking of candida, this fungus has been identified as a possible cause and a definite contributor to depression. Getting your intestinal health up to par is the most important first step in increasing your intelligence. Healthy gut = healthy body = healthy brain.

Good bacterial health is necessary for balanced hormones. Gut bacteria produce 90% to 95% of our serotonin, the key neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood. We need bacteria to assimilate B vitamins, which are essential to the function of the nervous system and the brain. Without enough B vitamins, we can’t concentrate well.

Gluten also leads to an overabundance of Candida and a host of other problems in the gut and the whole body which directly affect the brain’s ability to function.

Brain Boosting Herbs

If you’re looking for a quick boost to finish a term paper, there are lots of herbs and other things you can do right away. If you’re looking to increase your cognitive abilities over a period of time, and enjoy life with a clear head and all the focus you need, then the first step for most people is to kill the candida and balance the gut, so don’t skip that section above!

Bacopa

Bacopa is used to treat ADHD, anxiety, brain disorders, poor memory, and tension. Bacopa has been shown to stimulate brain function and improve cognition skills and memory. It also increases serotonin, a brain chemical known to help sooth and relax the mind.

Ginseng

Ginseng is a well-known stimulant that can reduce stress, increase focus and memory, and raise metabolism and energy levels.

Sage

Sage has been shown to improve memory. Sage is being investigated as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Gota kola

Gota kola renews nerve functions, fights premature aging, aids circulation, and improves memory and intelligence.

Rosemary

Rosemary stimulates the pituitary gland, which produces the HGH (human growth hormone) needed to regulate weight and look younger. It also improves memory, along with a host of other benefits.

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea has been shown to increase energy levels, reduce fatigue, and improve cognitive ability (specifically: associative thinking, short-term memory, calculation, concentration, and speed of audiovisual perception)

Ashwagandha

This herb is to Ayurvedic medicine as ginseng is to Chinese medicine. People use ashwagandha for improving cognitive ability and it treats many other health problems from infertility to inflammation.

Vitamins, Minerals, Fats, and Other Nutrition Our Brains Need

A deficiency in any one of the following nutrients can lead to brain health issues. Even less than optimal levels can impair cognitive function.

Fats

Numerous studies have proven that eating a balanced diet with healthy fats, and/or a fatty acid supplement with omega 3s, are imperative for all brain functions. It’s no wonder, since the brain is about 60% fat (if you exclude water, which makes up about 70%). DHA is a fatty acid chain that is one of the major building blocks of the brain, critical for optimal brain health and function. Of the many fatty acids that benefit the brain and offer noticeable cognitive improvement, DHA is the most significant. Balanced healthy fats are also needed to properly assimilate B vitamins.

B Vitamins

B vitamins are the vitamins of the nervous system and they are needed for the numerous functions critical to every cell in the body. B vitamins are essential for hormone production, stress management, and the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. B vitamin deficiencies are not uncommon, and lead to many physical and mental illnesses. Anyone suffering from an inability to concentrate, PMS or other hormonal issues, insomnia, depression, or virtually any other mental health issues should reach first for B complex.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is more than an anti-oxidant and necessary vitamin for fighting infections and viruses, it is necessary to synthesize the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. It also helps the body flush heavy metals such as iron and copper from the brain.

Vitamin D

Normal brain development and function is dependent on vitamin D. Deficiencies have been proven to impair cognitive abilities.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is essential to maintain the integrity of cell membranes. Among other symptoms, a deficiency in this vitamin manifests in neurological symptoms including injury to sensory nerves and impaired coordination and balance.

Calcium

The brain requires calcium for secretion of neurotransmitters. The body maintains a specific level of calcium in the blood at all times, pulling calcium from the bones, if the level in the blood drops too low. So deficiencies generally affect bone health, not the brain.

Iodine

The thyroid requires iodine to produce its hormones, which are used in the myelination of the central nervous system. It is also critical in the development of the brain, therefore deficiencies during pregnancy can result in various neurodevelopmental deficits from mild cognitive deficits to mental retardation.

Iron

Iron is essential for proper development of the brain cells that produce myelin and for the synthesis of neurotransmitters. An iron deficiency during fetal development can cause permanent learning and memory deficits; childhood deficiency also causes cognitive impairment.

Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for metabolic reactions required for brain function. Deficiency results in neurological and muscular symptoms.

Selenium

Selenium is required for antioxidant enzymes in the brain and other tissues.

Zinc

Zinc plays a role in neurotransmission as well as catalytic, structural, and regulatory roles. Deficiencies can cause congenital malformations, deficits in learning, and other deficits including attention and learning.

Choline

Choline is another essential nutrient needed for myelination of nerves, neurotransmitter synthesis, and cell membranes and other structures of the brain and nervous system. Deficiency is related to cognitive defects.

Antioxidants

Your brain uses a lot of oxygen, and therefore, it is highly susceptible to free radical damage. This is why antioxidants are critical brain boosters. They protect brain cells by neutralizing free radical damage and preventing premature brain cell aging. Anthocyanins, the antioxidants that are found in berries, have been found to be particularly beneficial to the brain.

Food that’s Good For Our Brains

When you talk about food for the brain, cold-water fish top the list due to their fat content. Fish like salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel, and cod contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and essential amino acids in proteins that build healthy brain cell membranes and improve cognitive function.

Other great foods for the brain (especially if you’re vegetarian or vegan) include:

  • Avocados, pumpkin seeds, various nuts, and other oils containing healthy fats along with vitamin E
  • Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables provide antioxidants and brain defending carotenoids
  • Berries give the brain vitamin C, create healthy connections between brain cells, and protect brain cells against free radicals with antioxidants.
  • Turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, detoxifies the brain.
  • Cayenne can wake you up like nothing else, rushing blood to the brain. Cayenne is a great supplement to take with other remedies.
  • Ginger protects the brain and has some of the same effects as cayenne, as far as waking up the senses and increasing blood flow.
  • Pretty much all produce nourishes the body and therefore the mind.

Essential Oils for Cognitive Function

Many essential oils are great for temporarily boosting cognitive function, and there are some combinations that work particularly well. Three drops of rosemary with two drops of lemon is a simple recipe to boost memory. Four drops of cypress with one drop of rosemary is another recipe for brain power. So many essential oils offer powerful and beneficial effects with the brain. In particular, rosemary is proven to increase memory by up to 75%. Peppermint, lavender, cedarwood, and sage are other essential oils particularly notable for proven abilities to increase brain function, but the list doesn’t end there. If you happen to have any essential oil around, give it a sniff and see what happens. Better quality oils produce better results.

Use It or Lose it

Our brain works much like the rest of the body in that it is a “use it or lose it” organ. If you don’t use your brain enough, your cognitive abilities suffer. People who really think more than the average person, like scientists and professors, are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases of the brain.

Studies show that learning a new language increases intelligence measurably. It’s not just languages though. Learning anything complicated that takes lots of time and practice, that uses the brain in many different ways, will have a noticeable effect on intelligence. If speaking another language isn’t in the cards, learning to play a musical instrument, mathematics, or learning computer languages can offer the same benefits. Learning how to develop websites, for instance, is an excellent way to exercise the brain. I personally had an IQ increase of 6 points after spending a few years learning HTML, PHP, CSS. There are also countless apps and websites with daily brain-teasers and exercises. Most of us know that reading increases our intelligence, but processing a variety of information has a greater effect than just reading fiction or a single other genre. All reading, whether it be fiction, magazine articles, blog posts, or historical, has benefit and can work our brains in different ways.

Exercise itself is huge for brain health! Being physically fit has been show to help with concentration. Exercise regulates proper hormone production, and exercise is the best way to take a break from an arduous brain task.

Be sure to keep taking those free IQ assessment tests when you can, too. What better way to raise your IQ than to practice taking various different IQ tests? There are also lots of toys and games like the classic Rubik Cube. If you really want to turn your noggin into the mind of a brainiac, playing with brain teasers, puzzle toys, crossword puzzles and the like should be a hobby. Collect them and use them on a regular basis.

Breathe Right

Take deep, slow breaths. Breathe so that your abdomen expands with each breath and your ribcage compresses with each exhale. Read How to Breathe for more.

Drink Plenty of Water

Most people are chronically dehydrated. Coffee and sodas are only making it worse. Our brain is made up of 75% water. Sometimes when concentration seems impossible and the day feels like it’s spiraling out of control, chugging a few cups of water can change perception and get things back on track. .

Maximum Brain Function Regimen

Obviously, I eat well, typically consuming lots of produce with beneficial fats, enzymes, antioxidants, and all the other nutrients my body needs. But sometimes I need a boost. If I am tired, having trouble focusing, can’t figure something out, or am in need of some brain help for any reason, I have a protocol I use.

I juice equal parts turmeric, lemon, and ginger. I make about ½ of a cup total, spike it with as much cayenne as I can handle, and take the shot. I follow that up with a B vitamin complex, Shillington’s Brain Tonic, and then Shillington’s Blood Detox. If there’s any chance I have some candida going on (which always impacts my focus) I take about 15 SF722 and 5 FloraMend as well.

And then I make my salad for the day.

If you’ve got a routine you love that gets your mind just right, whether it’s for increasing focus and cognition or elevating your mood, please share with us in the comments below.

Shillington’s Brain Tonic Recipe (or click here to purchase)

This is such an amazing formula, not just for overall long-term brain health, but also to give the brain a boost when it needs it the most.

(Mix the following by volume, and make a standard tincture (click here for instructions) using 100 proof vodka as your menstrum.)

  • 15 – parts Gingko Leaf
  • 1 – part Gotu Kola Herb
  • 1 – part Calamus Root
  • 1 – part Rosemary Flowers
  • 1 – part Cayenne Pepper
  • Optional:- 1 part Kola Nut

A ‘part’ is a measurement by volume.  Blend all ingredients together and make into a tincture using a 50 – 50 Blend of Alcohol and distilled water. For more, see How to Make a Tincture.

A Dropperful is considered to be about 1/2 way up the dropper from a two ounce bottle.

Be sure to shake well before each use.

Conclusion

The most important and significant thing you can do to increase your concentration and other cognitive abilities right away without making any lifestyle changes is to breathe right, take a B vitamin complex, a dropperful of brain tonic (or other herbal combination for brain function), drink water, and do a few squats. For long term, taking something like Shillington’s Brain Tonic, and the right diet makes for a more intelligent, and aware person who isn’t just trying to make it through the day.

If your mind is sluggish, detox. If you smoke anything, stop. It all impairs brain function. So do pharmaceuticals and alcohol. As stated, a healthy body = a healthy mind. An unhealthy body, i.e., a body full of drugs and other toxins, with limited nutrition and little ability to absorb it, makes for a brainwashed sheep who simply tries to make it through the day without getting slaughtered.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources:


Natural Cure for Sinus Infections

There’s nothing quite like a sinus infection. You get to experience non-stop pressure and pain. Your face hurts. Your head hurts. Possibly, your teeth hurt as well. Left untreated, the infection can involve the bones of the face and in rare cases, can actually spread to the brain.

Our sinuses are open spaces or pockets above and beside the nose that are lined with mucous membranes. Each time we breathe in through the nose, mucous acts as the first defense against pathogens and foreign substances we inhale. Small particles are trapped by mucous, which is continuously swept towards the throat by cilia, tiny hair like structures. Mucous is swallowed and stomach acid neutralizes most of the pathogens that reach it.

Sinuses become infected when they cannot drain properly. When sinus tissues swell, mucous becomes trapped and the sinus fills, causing pressure and pain and creating a perfect environment for an infection to breed.

Sinus infections can be viral, bacterial, fungal or a combination; they can be acute or chronic.

How To Avoid Sinus Infections

If you suffer from recurrent sinus infections or chronic sinus infections, Candida is likely to be a part of the problem. At the very least, you immune system needs help. A truly healthy diet will help heal the infection and rebuild your immune system.

Diet

Eat real food, not processed food. Your diet should consist of 80% raw, fresh, organic produce, more vegetables than fruit. Be sure to include healthy fats. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are an important addition to your diet, and they reduce inflammation. (Reduction of inflammation, and swelling that accompanies it, allows the sinuses to drain. Avoid all artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives as well as MSG, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and GMOs. And here’s what may be the hardest part: stop eating sugar. Sugar feeds Candida as well as viruses and bacteria. In addition, each time you eat sugar, it takes your immune system a good three days to recover.

Avoid all allergens. Many people who aren’t aware that they are allergic to dairy, find that eliminating it from their diet stops a cycle of chronic sinus, respiratory, and ear infections. (To learn more about a healthy diet, see the links below. )

Detox

To heal your immune system, you need to cleanse your body. A good cleanse will help kill off Candida, parasites, and pathogens. You need to rebuild the balance of your gut so the healthy bacteria keeps Candida and bad bacteria and the toxins they exude in check. If your sinuses are the only thing your immune system has to deal with, it will do a much better job of healing any current or future infection. (To learn more about how to detox, see the link below.)

How To Treat Sinus Infections

Sinus Irrigation

Flushing the sinuses with saline solution can aid in reduction of swelling and remove excess mucous along with debris and pathogens. A neti pot (click to purchase here) can aid you in sinus irrigation. To make a saline solution, use 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to 16 ounces (2 cups) of warm water.

Be sure that you use the following:

  • Distilled water or boiled water.
  • Real salt. Make sure it is fine and has no additives (no iodine or flavorings).
  • Baking soda.

Doc Shillington’s Herbal Snuff Recipe (or click to purchase)

If you are suffering from an acute sinus infection or a chronic sinus condition, Doc Shillington’s Herbal Snuff can get those healing herbs right into the spot where they will do the most good.

This recipe is by parts, whether teaspoons or tablespoons or more…

  • 7 parts Goldenseal Root Powder
  • 7 parts Bayberry Bark Powder
  • 1 part Cayenne Pepper Powder (Habanero Cayenne is best)
  • 1 part Garlic Powder

Grind as finely as possible and mix well.

To use, snort a very small amount, about half the size of a match head. Use several times per day until all symptoms have disappeared. Be forewarned – this will burn, but it works.

Update!

Now I sip on Mother Earth Organic Root Cider whenever I feel anything in my throat or sinuses that could indicate a cold coming on. It’s the best thing we’ve put on the market to date, and that’s saying a lot! If you find yourself getting sick regularly, or dealing with chronic sinus issues, you’ll love this. It tastes horrible, but you’ll stuff love it. Try it. Take a dose every day, and if you feel any potential infection coming on, sip on it throughout the day. As always with GLM, if you don’t love the results, get your money back.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:

Sources:



Detox vs. Fasting – Which One You should do?

It’s often argued that a detoxification regimen is pointless because the body is always detoxifying. While this is true, there is also a process of “medicinal removal of toxic substances” which is the definition commonly used by naturopaths, and other alternative health care advocates. So, for the purposes of getting past this inane sticking point, let’s redefine detoxifying, and “detox” to mean a method to expel waste from the body at a significantly greater rate than what the body will remove without such aid.

Personally, I think that sounds pretty good. If you’ve got a better definition, I’d love to read it in the comments.

There is a huge difference between detoxification and fasting, and yet the words tend to be used interchangeably. To detox is to facilitate the removal of toxins from the body whereas fasting is a severe restriction of calories. A fast may be a water fast where no nutrients are consumed, but the typically fast is to eliminate all solid foods while drinking a lot of fluids, including juices, to flush out the body. The Master Cleanse lemonade diet is a well-known example. The Master Cleanse does help to detoxify the body, so it is both a detox and a fast.

People often wonder if a beet juice fast, or a watermelon fast, or some other kind of fast is right for them.

Benefits of Fasting to Detoxify

  • Whether it be a viral, bacterial, fungal, or a parasitic infection, not eating is the easiest way to ensure you do not feed the infection.
  • Fasting quickly resets the taste buds, which can make it easier to enjoy healthy foods when the fast is over.
  • Not eating for a while can reset the appetite, allow someone to come off of the fast with more restraint from overeating.
  • Fasting can break or adjust psychological barriers with weight loss and food.
  • Fasting can kick start a weight loss diet by shedding pounds quickly.
  • For people with a severely compromised digestive system, juicing only, or exclusively consuming fruits that are very easy to digest, is often the best way to quickly facilitate healing.
  • When taking certain tinctures and other herbal formulas, fasting can ensure that no foods or herbs are eaten that could reduce the effects of the formula.
  • It is difficult for a toxic body to detoxify without supplemental support, even with a very healthy diet. Fasting can overcome this, especially when lots of fluids are consumed, flushing the body.

It’s easier to restore one’s health by eliminating all foods, and then slowly adding produce and then other foods into the diet as health improves, learning along the way which foods should be avoided and why, as opposed to simply learning what foods to avoid.

Fasting is great. It’s got most of the benefits of detoxifying, with additional benefits as well. Fasting, when done right, is powerful. Personally, I recommend fasting regularly, but only for short periods of time.

Once the intestinal tract is capable of properly digesting food, if the person’s health isn’t too poor, introducing the right foods into the diet can aid in the detoxification process.

Benefits to Detoxifying Without Fasting

I highly recommend eating while detoxifying. When made right, salads have amazing medicinal benefits. Try one with as many different vegetables as possible, from dandelion leaves to collard greens, and add a bunch of fresh garlic, lemon, and apple cider vinegar. Salads are the easiest way, in my experience, to digest a lot of raw garlic at once. Even if you don’t care for salads, after a fast, this sort of vegetable medley can be very appetizing. Check out 80% Raw Food Diet for more on that.

  • It’s possible to sustain a detoxification regimen longer when eating, which is imperative for ridding the body of many serious health afflictions.
  • Many foods are actually well known to aid the body in detoxification. Great examples are cilantro, garlic, turmeric, and cabbage.
  • Vegetable, spice, and herb health benefits often have accumulative effects when eaten together.
  • It’s easier to get a lot of nutrition and a lot of garlic into the body.
  • When the intestines are healthy, nutrition is better absorbed as food.
  • Enzymes, found in fresh food, also help the body detoxify and rebuild.

It’s true that the body is always expelling waste. To oversimplify things, a sick body, and a body that is getting sick, expels toxins slower than it accumulates them. A healthy body, or a body getting well, eliminates toxins at the same rate or more quickly than the body accumulates them. The right foods help to detoxify the body. Getting enough nutrition allows the body to detoxify on its own. A healthy person who has practiced eating a truly healthy diet that focuses on fresh produce and eliminates toxic food almost always eliminates more toxins than accumulated. These are the people who do detoxify every day, all day. Some assistance via supplementation, every now and then, can increase the body’s ability to detoxify from environmental toxin accumulation.

Regardless, Get Nutrition

Restricted calorie programs don’t have to restrict vitamins and minerals and other important nutrients. We recommend a good multivitamin/mineral formula regardless of whichever detox protocol you choose. Even when we eat very well, it can be hard in this day and age to get enough nutrition from our food. Especially while fasting, a nutrition powder can significantly affect the results in a positive way.

Make sure any detox you do addresses candida. If you’re looking for an inexpensive, and easy detox, click here, and see Make Your Own Nutrition Formula for a recipe, or check it out to see some of the best ingredients to look for when shopping for yours.

Recommended Supplements:

Further Reading:


Natural Remedies for Chronic Stress

Chronic stress doesn’t always have a simple solution. It doesn’t usually have a single cause. There is no doubt, however, that a sense of powerlessness lies at the center of that emotional cyclone. Whether the stress is due to financial concerns, a job you hate, a relationship doomed to fail, an imminent or recent loss, or any number of issues, if you could have changed it, you would have changed it. You either can’t, or at least you can’t see how to change it right now, so you worry and fret and cry and shake your fist at the universe or you suffer quietly while stress eats you alive.

There are a number of things you should never do to deal with stress and there are a number of things you can do that will help get you through to the other side.

What Should You Avoid When You Are Dealing With Stress

Too often our “go to” coping mechanisms are short term solutions that may make us feel better for the moment but are guaranteed to make us feel worse in the long run. You know what they are:

  • Alcohol
  • Junk food
  • Caffeine
  • Nicotine
  • Drugs

Have any of these ever actually helped? Aren’t all of these coping methods a form of self abuse?

When stress is overwhelming, it is time to take exceptional care of our bodies and our psyches, not add to physical and mental stress.

What You Should Do To Deal With Stress

When it comes to dealing with stress, mindset is everything. We can always count on life to throw challenges at us. How we deal with them is the key. My favorite analogy is a wave. You can stand at the shore and get bowled over by the force of it, or you can learn to ride the wave. The choice is yours.

Life will never be fair or just. Your job is to be the best version of you, that you can be, regardless of the circumstances. Part of that process is knowing that most of the things in your life are in your control. Most of the things that happen to us, are due to our choices. Those that aren’t –well, those are the times when all we can do is control our reaction.

When your mind is swirling with the problems at hand, write them down. Start a journal. Use pros and cons lists to problem solve, when you can. If nothing else, getting it down on paper helps you to stop reliving and rehearsing–churning the events around and around.

Create a “to do” list. Divide it into short, fast tasks and long tasks. Now prioritize. Start with the short list and accomplish something.

Sleep. Schedule a solid eight hours a night for sleep. If you are suffering from insomnia, see the link below. (And keep your journal beside your bed to write down anything that is occupying your mind when you try to sleep).

Breathe properly, and deeply. Meditate. Take up yoga or Tai Chi.

Exercise. At the very least, walk, dance, use a rebounder, or jump rope–just move each day.

Do something for yourself each and every day. Many of us, especially if we are parents, have forgotten that we have needs, too. Find a small thing (or a big one!) to do for yourself each day. A bubble bath, a massage, a nature trail–whatever feeds your soul.

A Healthy Diet

Stress takes its toll on the body. Your adrenals are overworked and likely exhausted. You are at high risk for illness because your immune system is probably not working at its best. This is the time to eat the best possible diet. Avoid all processed foods. Do not eat anything with artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, or trans fats. Make fresh, raw, organic produce the mainstay of your diet–more vegetables than fruit. All meat should be organic. Remember to add healthy fats to your diet. Avoid conventional dairy and gluten. And don’t eat sugar!

Supplements and Herbs to Help You Deal With Stress

The following supplements will help you feel more relaxed, help you avoid illness, and help you sleep:

  • Vitamin B complex
  • Tryptophan
  • Calcium Magnesium
  • Vitamin C and D
  • Multi-vitamin
  • Omega 3s
  • Melatonin and Valerian Root (if insomnia is a problem)
  • Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula and Brain Tonic

Vitamin B Complex

While a few of the B vitamins are regularly recommended for stress, it is always best to take B vitamins in a B complex form, as B vitamins work together. Research has also shown that taking one B vitamin alone over time can actually cause deficiencies in other B vitamins. B vitamins are nature’s valium. They soothe the nervous system and aid in many functions in the body and brain. They may also help you sleep. On the other hand, when dealing with stress, a little extra B-5 can be a big help. There are some complex B supplements that add extra of one or two B vitamins depending on what the formula is designed to do.

L-Tryptophan

L- tryptophan is an amino acid our body needs in order to make serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is the basic “feel good” neurotransmitter, whereas melatonin is needed for sleep.

Calcium and Magnesium

Calcium and magnesium work together. Magnesium is calming to the body. You can take it as a supplement, or soak for 40 minutes in epsom salts.

Vitamin C and Vitamin D

In times of great stress, the immune system is often suppressed. Vitamin C and D aid the immune system and may keep you from catching a virus at an already difficult time.

Multi-vitamin or Total Nutrition Formula

Times of high stress are a good time to ensure all of your nutritional needs are met. A daily multi-vitamin and/or Total Nutrition Formula will aid you get all the nutrients your body requires. See how to make your own Total Nutrition Formula in the “Further Reading” section below.

Omega 3s

Krill oil, flax seed oil, fish oil, or a good oil blend will help with stress and aid in concentration and mood stabilization.

Melatonin and Valerian Root

If L-tryptophan and B vitamins have not reversed your insomnia, add melatonin and valerian root to your nightly routine.

Shillington’s Nerve Sedative

This is a tincture that contains the following: valerian rhizome, hops flowers, passion flowers, lobelia, black cohosh root, blue cohosh root, wild yam root, and skullcap.

Shillington’s Brain Tonic

This is a tincture that contains the following: organic and wildcrafted gingko biloba, gota kola, kola nut, calamus, and rosemary.

A healthy diet and exercise is enough for most of what life throws at us. For those with compromised health and for those dealing with very difficult situations, we highly recommend a combination of B vitamins and a fat supplement (they work hand in hand), L- tryptophan, Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula, and his Brain Tonic. No pharmaceutical chemical cocktail can even come close.

Here are Shillington’s recipes:

Doc Shillington’s Nerve Sedative Formula Recipe (or click to purchase)

  • 2 – parts Valerian Root
  • 2 – parts Lobelia Seed Pods
  • 2 – parts Passion Flower
  • 1 – part Hops Flowers
  • 1 – part Black Cohosh
  • 1 – part Blue Cohosh
  • 1 – part Skullcap
  • 1 – part Wild Yam

Doc Shillington’s Brain Tonic Recipe (or click to purchase)

  • 15 – parts Gingko Leaf
  • 1 – part Gotu Kola Herb
  • 1 – part Calamus Root
  • 1 – part Rosemary Flowers
  • 1 – part Cayenne Pepper
  • Optional:- 1 part Kola Nut

Parts are by volume. Blend all ingredients together and make into a tincture using a 50 – 50 Blend of Alcohol (100 proof vodka) and distilled water. For more, see How to Make a Tincture.

Conclusion

While not much focus was put on it, breathing properly is actually the most significant thing most people can do to alleviate stress. Life is all about focus and perception, and opening up your lungs to take in deep soothing breaths and getting your body well oxygenated changes one’s perspective. If you take nothing away from this article, get a B vitamin complex, the Nerve Sedative formula, exercise, and learn How to Breathe.

Recommended Supplements:
Further Reading:
Sources: