Mother's Day - A Gift of Health

This past weekend Kristie Whitesell, the owner and chef at the Uptown Cafe in Noblesville, hosted a Women's Health Event at her cafe. Nancy Caniff, Publisher of Natural Awakenings Indianapolis helped us promote the event and Jeff Spencer, an organic farmer who is a regular vendor at the Noblesville Farmer's Market and Trader's Point Creamery Market, provided local/organic shiitaki mushrooms for our amazing dinner, prepared by Kristie. We talked about health issues that women face at every stage of life and how we can approach them naturally. When I was preparing for the event, I was really surprised at some of the information I came across. With Mother's Day approaching, it is a good time to remind all the women and Moms in our lives about the importance of taking care of ourselves... here are a few of the highlights we discussed...

4 of top 10 causes of death are chronic diseases with well-established links to diet…
Coronary Heart Disease
Cancer
Diabetes
Stroke

1 out of 3 women are estimated to get cancer
Psychiatric disorders... 26% of adults, 20% of kids
Depression: 20 million... Anxiety: 40 million
1 in 10 Americans takes an anti-depressant
Asthma affects 16 million adults …7 million children ...
Asthma causes 3600 deaths/year
From US Center for Disease Control, Ultra Mind Solution Mark Hyman MD

Give yourself and your family a gift that will last your life-time this coming Mother's Day... To often Mother's put everyone else's needs before our own so take time for yourself and prioritize your health by committing to at least one healthy lifestyle change this week.

A Prescription for Health...

A Good Diet … with “real food” (In Defense of Food … Michael Pollan)
Exercise
Adequate rest
Love and laughter
Quality supplements that help maximize prevention of disease and fill in the gaps

Please share this all the women and Moms that are special in your life.

Earth Day Week...

This past week was No TV Week and a great way for our family to celebrate Earth Day. Bike rides, walks, reading and playing at local parks are some of the things that kept us busy. It was more challenging for some of us at times than others. My youngest loves playing webkinz and other fun computer games, I think it was hardest on him.

Yesterday was Earth Day Indiana and there was an amazing turnout! The new location was perfect and the rain even held off for us. I met a lot of interesting people, made new friends and reconnected with others. I collected information that I will be following up on and hopefully sharing with you.

What did you do for Earth day 2010?

Earth Day Indiana 2010

This coming Saturday we will celebrate the 40th annual Earth Day and Indianapolis celebrates the 20th Earth Day Indiana. Earth Day Indiana has a new location at White River State Park, 801 W. Washington St., Indianapolis and runs from 11 am to 4 pm. The festival will feature 130 environmental/conservation exhibits (come say hello, I will be in Tent B, Booth #55), great music, food and lots of fun activities for families and children.

For more information go to www.earthdayindiana.org
On Facebook? connect with them on their Facebook page

Live in Hamilton County and want something that fits in between youth soccer and baseball games? Hamilton County cities are partnering to celebrate Earth Day with a community wide "Tidy-Up, Be Bitter About Litter" event from 9 am to Noon on Saturday April 24th. Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Cicero, Westfield and Hamilton County municipalities are organizing cleaning sites. Contact individual cities and towns for locations.

Do something special with your family and/or friends this coming Saturday and if you make it to Indy to the Earth Day Indiana festival, please stop by and say hello!

The Story of Bottled Water

In the Midwest, we rarely face water shortages or safety concerns of our water. In fact, millions of Americans use water freely without a thought of running out or safety issues. A recent release, The Story of Bottled Water, is making it's way around the Internet and is made in the same way as "The Story of Stuff". A great message to share with your children, family and friends as we move closer to Earth Day this April.

March 22nd was World Water Day and The National Geographic is highlighting the global need for fresh pure water for everyone.

"Fresh water has become a critical issue to our planet. National Geographic’s single topic issue “Water: Our Thirsty World” highlights the challenges facing
this critical resource, and is available for free download until April 2." Here is a sobering quote from the issue... "Americans use about 100 gallons of water at home each day. Millions of the world's poorest subsist on fewer than five gallons. 46% of people on earth do not have water piped to their homes. Women in developing countries walk an average of 3.7 miles to get water. In 15 years, 1.8 billion people will live in regions of severe water scarcity."

It is important for every person, home and business to consider our global impact on water availability now and in the future.

Earth Hour 2010

This coming Saturday, March 27th, cities and families all across the U.S. will join other countries to turn out the lights for Earth Hour at 8:30pm. Three years ago Earth Hour began and has grown to a become a global movement. Earth Hour is more than a symbol... It is a way to show our children how we each make a difference when we work together. It also allows us to slow down and spend quality time with our family without the all too common distractions of tv, video games and other electronic devices. Share what you will do with your family & friends and invite others to join you for Earth Hour 2010.

All Fish Oils are NOT Created Equal!

The buzz in nutrition right now, is about Fish Oil supplements.

Research shows you should take them every day… because multiple studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish-oil) can reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 68% and are also effective at fighting other inflammatory diseases like Alzeimer’s and Arthritis. But “most fish-oil supplements contain toxins that should be avoided.”

Well, recently on Good Morning America we learned the top 10 selling fish-oil supplements were tested and found to contain elevated levels of PCB’s, including: GNC, Solgar, Rite Aid, Nature Made, Walmart, Walgreens, and others.

Why is that important? Because PCB’s were outlawed decades ago. Why? Because PCB’s cause cancer!

Lawsuits have been filed against these manufacturers.

The “experts” on the show recommended you chose the one with the least amount of PCB’s!

WHAT? Why not choose one with NO PCB’s or other toxins?

I use Shaklee OmegaGuard™ – Ultra-pure Fish-oil because I can trust Shaklee's research and science. I want all the benefits of fish-oil without the dangerous toxins!

Here are five good reasons why:

First, Shaklee goes to the deepest waters off the coasts of Japan to find the purest fish possible.

Then, use a TRIPLE MOLECULAR DISTILLATION process to REMOVE ALL IMPURITIES

This unique process actually CONCENTRATES the beneficial Omega-3’s, making them even more potent.

OmegaGuard contains ALL 7 Omega-3’s (no other product does)

You get 1000 milligrams of important EPA and DHA in a single serving

Learn more here.

What are the Health Benefits of high-dose fish-oil?
• Reduces inflammation – which leads to heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, and more
• Makes blood and blood vessel walls ‘slippery’ to prevent build-up of plaque
• Helpful for those with ADD and ADHD (DHA is an omega-3 that is critical for proper brain function)
• Reduces dangerous triglycerides
• Balances hormones

What about Fish?
Fish contain a lot of toxins (this is where they come from). For this reason,
higher amounts of fish-oil are not possible through fish alone.
Also -- fish ‘muscle’ (what we eat) does NOT contain a high concentration of omega-3s. That’s why supplements are a good option – but you should also try to get fish twice a week -- it’s a great source of low-fat protein.

What about Flaxseed?
Flaxseed and other plant sources of omega-3s are not as concentrated.
They offer a fraction of the amount that marine sources offer.
In addition – it is a complicated process for the body to ‘convert’
the plant fatty acids into omega-3’s. Diabetics cannot make this conversion at all.

How much is enough?
The experts recommend 2.5 grams per day as maintenance. Those with chronic illness would bump up to 5+ grams per day (always start small and build up slowly).

What if I’m on Blood Thinners?
Studies show that adding fish-oil when already taking blood thinners –
does NOT change the time it takes for blood to clot. However, you should consult your doctor.

Watch the Good Morning America video here.

Toxic Chemical Reform Hearings

Things are starting to heat up on Capitol Hill as the chemical industry and public health organizations debate how the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) will be updated for the first time since its original adoption in 1976.

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL)are expected to introduce a Toxic Chemical Reform bill later this month and hearings have already begun on this important issue. Last Thursday, March 4, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing was on Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Chemicals (PBTs), which include many of the most dangerous substances on the planet including dioxin, mercury, lead and cadmium. This Tuesday, March 9, the Senate Environment and Public Works hearing will invite business leaders to testify on how a move from toxic chemicals would affect their industry. The hearing will be audio webcast at http://www.energycommerce.house.gov.

The chemical industry claims they want real change, yet they are proposing costly and time consuming risk assessments which would delay any meaningful changes. However, the word is getting out... In a CNN segment called Chemicals, innocent or guilty, Sanjay Gupta, a physician and CNN’s chief medical correspondent, said that Lautenberg’s aim is “changing the paradigm from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent, in the sense that [a chemical] has to be tested before it can actually come to market.”

Please call your Congressional Representative and Senators to let them know we support Toxic Chemical Reform and we hold them accountable to make real and significant change! You can reach the Capitol Hill Switchboard @(202)224-3121 .