Within the world of health, and especially natural health, there are a plethora of misconceptions which lead people to make what I think of as disastrous choices regarding food and medicine. Here are my top 7 misconceptions from the health food store world:

1. Low fat is better for you
2. You can eat as much protein as you want, just watch the carbohydrates
3. Juices are good for you and a great way to get a serving of fruits or veggies
4. GMO-free means it is close to organic
5. All the vitamins I get from the health food store are good quality
6. Alkaline water is great for everyone
7. Canola oil is ok as long as it's organic

I think it is important to understand why these concepts are flawed considering their prevalence. So, let's break it down:

Low-fat products have no ability to impart fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin D, K, A, or E to your body as, without the fat, these are missing. Of course, manufacturers have thought through this and now add synthetic vitamins to the products to make up for...

Meals are mini-meditations. In an ideal world, every time we take food into our bodies, it would be done with the mindful attention we give to meditation and prayer. Almost every ancient tradition speaks of food in this way, extolling the benefits of taking time, becoming present, enjoying the meal, and chewing slowly. It appears that in our modern rush to do everything expedient, this has long disappeared from our perspective. Yet, the further we have gotten from a mindful meal, the greater our physical distance from nourishment has grown. This distance serves as the primary key in many if not all of our reactions to food, and the illnesses that come as a result of them.

In Chinese medicine, we speak often of Qi. There are many types of Qi in the body, all really treasures of our longevity. However, the two with perhaps greatest importance to an extended and happy vibrant life are the Spleen and Kidney. The Kidney Qi is our pool of longevity, the inherited Qi imparted to us at...

Is This Normal?

I get asked this question a lot because as people change diets, and adopt new lifestyle patterns, many questions emerge regarding what should and can be construed as normal. Suffice to say, this varies person to person and rarely in medicine can it be said there is a one size fits all answer, but some generalities do apply.

1. I just cut out all of the non-beneficial foods from my diet but now I feel bloated and gassy. This happens often because once the offending foods have been eliminated, there is the possibility of restoration of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. The growth of these bacteria can initially cause gas due to their re-colonization of intestinal tissues and the consequent crowding out of pathogenic bacteria which do not support health and life.
   
2. I started drinking more water but now I am thirsty all the time. Truthfully, most people are dramatically dehydrated, as a result, when the body finally finds it's self hydrated, the results are dramatic....

The small intestine may be one of the single most unappreciated organs in the body.  We give credence to the stomach, the liver, gallbladder, large intestine, and pancreas, but for the most part, little to nothing for the small intestine.  Yet, this organ has jobs essential to our longevity and survival.

Tasks of the Small Intestine:

• Basic Digestion facilitated by bile from the gallbladder and enzymes from the pancreas
• Manufacture of essential vitamin substances including B12
• Immune system information and modulation
• Nervous system information and modulation including a large degree of biological serotonin synthesis
• Essential fatty acid synthesis
• Inflammation modulation via mucosal integrity

Each of these functions is essential, and if they become disturbed, can lead to significant health challenges including but not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Irritated Bowel with irregular and impaired digestion
• Insomnia
• Joint pain
• Migraine
• Fatigue
• Endocrine disturbances

...

To my surprise, these words were used to describe products sold and distributed by a direct sales company and were uttered as proof and testimonial as to the products efficacy and standing. The description was qualified under the banner of our collective decreased time, hectic schedules and increasing demands, mixed in with our ever-growing despair about health, and desire to improve it.  Argument was further made as to the expense of organic food, the likelihood it would rot in our fridge, and that this company’s non-organic but non-GMO products were the “better than organic” solution to the problem.

Considering the dramatic state of our food supply, claiming non-GMO to be in fact better than organic is beyond incredulous.  Non-GMO means only one thing, the products or substrates in question were not genetically modified.  It says nothing about the manner in which a crop was grown, the degree of pesticide application or the quality of ingredients,...

Doctors hold their title because they have completed schooling, whether Naturopathic or Conventional, they are at least by name people who could complete a degree program. Having the title infers nothing about their ability to think clearly, independently, or with innovation, the hallmarks of what truly makes a good physician aka, one who helps others heal.

When I first graduated from school, I was a doctor but in my approximation now, 10 years after the fact, not really a physician. I could name a plethora of conditions, remedies, blood, and other tests, what they were used for, and possible side effects of so many things, but I had little true understanding of healing. My real training came after I graduated, when faced with real-life patients who rarely present or respond like the textbook says they will.

As I watch how medicine is practiced today, and witness the total infallibility given to doctors by their patients, I grow ever more concerned for our future ability to...

Macadamia Nut Crust

1 cup Organic Macadamia Nuts
1 cup unsweetened Organic Dried Coconut
2 TBSP Raw Organic Coconut Oil
4 TBSP Organic Grade B Maple Syrup
2 pinches of Celtic Sea Salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor and press into a pie pan.  Then refrigerate or put in freezer until filling is ready.

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup Organic Raw Cocoa Powder
1 cup Organic Grade B Maple Syrup
2 TBSP Organic Raw Coconut Oil

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth.  This can be used as a filling for a pie, as a topping for ice cream or with nuts, bananas……let your imagination roam!

With New Year’s Eve quickly approaching, it is the time of “fresh starts” and “resolutions” leading many to consider starting a new diet. Every year, it begins the same way, weight slowly accumulating, leading up to holiday indulgence, creating a scenario where people overindulge under the pretense that come the new year, they are going to be on a diet anyway.  A great plan, except for the reality that few if any accomplish weight loss goals set for the New Year, and most diets will fail by the second week into 2014, indicating that the premise may have been flawed, to begin with.

The entire concept of a diet often ends up being an exercise in self-punishment, tinged with a lot of self-judgment, and criticism bound up in feelings of diminished self-worth, and a bit of regret.  That is not to say that people cannot lose weight by eating well, but if any aspect of this new plan has emotionally charged restrictions, negative self-talk, or...

Would You Like To:

1. Strengthen your natural immunity to lower-vibrating toxins, energies, pathogens, situations, and even people.
2. Increase the power of your bioenergy blueprint, or “attractor fields,” to pull higher-vibrating individuals and outcomes into your life.

The benefits of increasing your individual vibration can range from coming down with fewer colds and flus, to having more friends and greater financial support, to being able to safely and gracefully navigate even the most difficult challenges.

Raising your personal frequency also encourages detoxification of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual hindrances that are no longer a fit for your evolving consciousness.

These statements apply to an experience called DNA Activation or Potentiation which is now available at Seven Directions, here are my insights from my own work with this process:

In August of 2013, my husband and I were invited to lecture at the People’s Institute in Delton MI.  I...

Diabetes is a very misunderstood health topic. Medical doctors have simplified it to be about carbohydrates and insulin and not much more. In reality, diabetes is a complex inflammatory condition with roots in toxicity and autoimmune reactions prompted by numerous factors including GMO foods, pesticide exposure, heavy metals, vaccines, liver stress, lifestyle stress, and poor general health.

The fact is, most diabetics eat less than 100g of carbohydrate per day and still experience elevated blood sugar. Many avoid carbohydrates altogether and yet still experience high blood sugar, illustrating a serious but never considered fact that diabetes has significant other instigators beyond sugar. Now, food has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. Most of what can be bought in the grocery store is 80-100% GMO, and has been shown to hinder immunity, create autoimmune reactions, destroy gut and endocrine function.  Since the pancreas is in fact another endocrine organ, it makes...