Nutri-Living Blog

How would you like to lose your mind *productively*, manage your stress fully, and master your health — body, mind, and spirit?

For ages many of you have been asking me, and I’ve been promising to make it a reality, and now it’s official!  I’m thrilled to invite you on an AMAZING adventure to help you rebuild wellness and inspire wellness on every level.

Join me for 7 fabulous days and nights on our upcoming health retreat being held March 2 to 9th in the sweet, blissful, lush, and eco conscious country of Costa Rica.

Foods For Fibromyalgia –
Creating Sustainable Wellness From Within –2013 Retreat

It’s designed for women and men just like you to break free from struggles with fatigue and stress and to rest, rejuvenate, and ultimately change the way you live the rest of your life.

Imagine 7 whole days surrounded by beautiful beaches and tropical plants, warming yourself in the middle of winter. Imagine someone else cooking delicious, nourishing meals for you (and doing the dishes). Imagine deep relaxation, being in the company of a wonderful group of special people who understand what you’re going through and share in your healing journey. Imagine the focus of your day being on learning and growing…discovering how to feel good in your body!

There’s no need to imagine it — it already exists. All you need to do is say YES to taking retreat and joining me on this restorative adventure. NOW is the time to do it!

You can check out all the details and register here:

Foods For Fibromyalgia –
Creating Sustainable Wellness From Within  –  2013 Retreat

There is only a limited number of spots available and once they’re gone we are not sure at this time if or when we will have another retreat in 2013. So grab your spot early!

One week could change the rest of your life!

Health and love,

Deirdre

P.S. Here’s what one of my clients has to say about working with me:

” The comprehensive approach and understanding of wellness that Dr. Deirdre has have made all the difference in my relief from the pain of fibromyalgia The chronic pain that I had when I started the program is now a very rare occurrence and the chronic fatigue that I had lived with for such a long time has significantly reduced.  I feel like I will be able to have a life again

Filed under: Detoxification, Energy & Vitality, Fibromyalgia, Food & Nutrition, Gluten Free, Health Retreats, Love, Meditation, Nutritional Wellness, Organic, Sleep, Spirituality and Personal Growth, Stress Management, Weight & Wellness, Yoga, Yoga Nidra Deep Relaxation on July 11th, 2012 | No Comments »

What is MSG?

MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a processed food additive. It is an extremely dangerous neurotoxin (excitotoxin) that shrivels and kills brain cells in the hypothalamus and has been linked to numerous symptoms that can even be fatal.

Ingestion  of  monosodium glutamate (MSG) is known to  produce  a variety of adverse reactions in certain people.  These reactions, although  seemingly  dissimilar, are no  more  diverse  than  the reactions  found  as side effects of certain neurological  drugs. We do not know why some people experience reactions and others do not. We do not know whether MSG “causes” the condition underlying the  reaction,  or  whether the underlying  condition  is  simply aggravated  by  the  ingestion of MSG.  We  only  know  that  the reactions  listed  below are sometimes caused or  exacerbated  by ingestion of MSG.

All  forms  of MSG (free glutamic acid that occur in  food  as  a consequence  of  manufacture)  cause  these  reactions  in   MSG-sensitive  people.  Names of offending ingredients used  to  hide MSG   in   products  include:  MSG,  glutamic  acid,   glutamate, hydrolyzed  protein,  sodium caseinate,  autolyzed  yeast,  yeast nutrient,  yeast  food, natural flavoring, and a  host  of  other ingredients.   In  addition, the MSG  produced  when  a  protease enzyme  or  other  reactive  agent is allowed  to  interact  with protein  during  product  manufacture can  bring  on  these  same adverse reactions in MSG sensitive persons; and there is often no clue  on  the  product label that such an interaction  is  taking place.

Cardiac 

Arrhythmias

Numbness or paralysis

Seizures

Extreme drop in blood pressure

Slurred speech

Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)

Angina

Circulatory

Swelling

Muscular

Flu-like achiness

Joint pain

Stiffness

Neurological

Depression

Dizziness

Light-headedness

Loss of balance

Disorientation

Mental confusion

Anxiety

Panic attacks

Hyperactivity

Behavioral problems in children

Lethargy

Sleepiness

Insomnia

Migraine headache

Digestive

Diarrhea

Nausea/vomiting

Stomach cramps

Irritable bowel

Bloating

 Respiratory

Asthma

Shortness of breath

Chest pain

Tightness

Runny nose

Sneezing

Skin

Hives or rash

Mouth lesions

Temporary tightness or partial paralysis

(numbness or tingling) of the skin

Flushing

Extreme dryness of the mouth

Urological

Swelling of prostate

Nocturia

Visual

Blurred vision

Difficulty focusing

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) Toxicity Web page: http://www.holisticmed.com/msg/

Truth in Labeling Campaign, January 1, 1995: http://www.holisticmed.com/msg/msg-reactions.txt

 

Filed under: Cancer, Cardiovascular / Heart Health, depression, Food Additives, Stress Management, Toxins on June 24th, 2012 | 1 Comment »

A few years ago in preparing for a lecture on diet and aging I ran across a study in National Geographic.  In it the researchers analyzed the diet and life style of three different populations where the people not only live longer lives, but longer, healthier lives.  The Italian Sardinia population, the southern Californian Seventh Day Adventist and the citizens from the Japanese island of Okinawa, who all have a large population of healthy centenarians, were part of the study.  So what common factors made these three seemingly unrelated groups connect?  All three reported putting family first, being physically active every day, staying socially engaged and eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Amen to that.

Okinawans have a saying which I believe summarizes the philosophy underlying their healthy lifestyle.  The saying is – hara hachi bu. I had never heard this phrase and wondered why it is considered to promote health into the golden years.  The translation – eat until you are 80% full.  I grew up in the “clean your plate” era and so was curious about the reasoning behind this supposed wisdom.

Turns out it takes our brain 20 minutes to recognize that your stomach is full.  As a result, if you keep eating until your mind registers you are full; you will have over eaten by about 20%. If we push away the plate and stop eating when we feel we are at 80%, it is likely that your body will get exactly what it needs.  The feeling of complete satiation arrives in about 20 minutes and the risk of overeating is greatly diminished.

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Filed under: DASH Diet, Food & Nutrition, Health & Healing on May 29th, 2012 | No Comments »

On May 1st, 2012, I am happy to announce the launch of my new book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide ® to DASH Diet Cooking. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Eating Plan is a dietary program developed by the National Institutes of Health and has been proven to be one of the most effective and healthy diet plans available today.

It’s a healthy, balanced eating plan, low in sodium, rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low fat dairy products. Meats, nuts, beans and legumes are all permitted, although red meat, added sugars, and added fats should only eaten in moderation. The primary intention and benefit of the plan is to reduce the effects of hypertension. However, the DASH plan has also proven to be an effective weight loss and diabetes-friendly diet plan.

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Filed under: Cardiovascular / Heart Health, DASH Diet, DASH Diet Cooking, diabetes, Energy & Vitality, Food & Nutrition, Uncategorized on April 16th, 2012 | No Comments »

Are you ready to clean out the old and begin the new?

If you are, you may want to consider a Detoxification program.

If you are like many others, springtime is a time when you begin to refocus on your health. Many of us have spent the winter months allowing our routines to fade with the added stresses of the holiday season. We have eaten too much and exercised too little. It is time to get back on track!

Why is detoxification important?

Today, we are exposed to synthetic, often toxic chemicals on an unprecedented scale.

• Industrial chemicals and their pollutant run-offs in our water, pesticides, additives in our foods, heavy metals, anesthetics, residues from drugs, and environmental hormones are trapped within the human body in greater concentrations than at any other point in history.

• Every system of the body is affected, from tissue damage to sensory deterioration.

Many chemicals are so widespread that we are unaware of them.  But they have worked their way into our bodies faster than they can be eliminated, and are causing allergies and addictions in record numbers.  More than 2 million synthetic substances are known, 25,000 are added each year, and over 30,000 are produced on a commercial scale.

Only a tiny fraction is ever tested for toxicity.  A lot of them come to us from developing countries that have few safeguards in place.  This doesn’t even count the second-hand smoke, caffeine and alcohol overload, or daily stress that is an increasing part of our lives.

How can I tell if I’m toxic?  Signs and Symptoms

Neurological signs and symptoms include: Headaches, Alzheimer’s,Memory loss, Learning disorders, Parkinson’s disease.

Endocrine signs and symptoms include: Cancer, Thyroid Dysfunction, Adrenal/Stress, Fertility Problems, Abnormal pregnancy outcomes

Musculoskeletal signs include: Joint Pain/Chronic Pain, Chronic fatigue syndrome/Fibromyalgia, Muscle weakness

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity signs and symptoms include: Increasing sensitivity to exogenous exposures: odors, medications, etc. Allergies, Immune Dysfunction

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Filed under: Anti-aging, Chronic Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, depression, Detoxification, Fibromyalgia, Food & Nutrition, Food Allergies & Intolerances on March 26th, 2012 | No Comments »

Meditation Method for Accessing the Quiet Place Within – by DavidPaul Doyle

A quiet mind is a peaceful mind. A peaceful mind is a mind that is joined in awareness with its Source.

There are many ways to quiet your mind to become aware of your Source — to become aware of the Presence of Love within you. Some of the methods we typically hear about include: doing what we love, listening to music, being in nature, being present with another or with an activity we are engaged in, and consciously breathing. All of these examples, and any other example that helps us to quiet our minds, have something in common — they are all demonstrations of relating with love.

When we relate to anything with love, we are joined in awareness with our Source, which is Love.

When we relate in a loving way to any thought, feeling, sensation, person, circumstance or any other “thing” we can identify or “label” in any way, we are joined in awareness with the Love of Source within us.

The mere fact of relating with love immediately restores our awareness to our True Nature.

In this moment, you can pick anything that you are aware of to practice this. You can pick something that you see with your eyes, something you hear with your ears, something you feel emotionally or physically, something you visualize within your mind, or any other thought or belief that you become aware of within you. Take any one of those items and simply relate to it in a loving way. Relate to it with compassion, understanding, kindness, acceptance, a blessing, gratitude, or any other “flavor of love” you can imagine.

When you do, you are in fact joining with the Source of all Love within you, which I call God.

When you join with Source in this way — consciously, with intention, and an open heart — your mind will become quiet because you are thinking with God. When you relate with love, you’re relating with the consciousness of your True Self. When you are joined with that consciousness, the ego becomes quiet and you quickly find yourself in that quiet place within where your True Voice can be heard.

You can practice this process with your eyes closed in meditation or you can practice this with your eyes open while moving about the world, relating to whatever you notice in a loving way.

Practice relating to what you become aware of in the world in this loving way, and see what happens when you do. Notice if your mind quiets down when you relate with love. Notice what happens to your judgments, fears, and resistance the moment you open your heart and relate to anything with love.

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Filed under: Love, Meditation, Spirituality and Personal Growth, Stress Management on March 3rd, 2012 | No Comments »

Enjoying an active and healthy sex life is essential to our wellbeing, and the foods we eat play a large role in whether we are in ensuring we feel in the mood.  Ten super foods to help increase libido include:

Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are one of the few foods that contain zinc, which is vital ensuring us vibrant sexual desire. Zinc is especially helpful for men as it helps to build healthy testosterone levels. These yummy seeds are also a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, which are mandatory for sexual wellbeing.

Chocolate
Women have compared chocolate to sex for decades. Now research is revealing a strong scientific link between the two.  According to Italian researchers, women who eat chocolate regularly had the highest levels of desire, arousal and satisfaction from sex. Try eating dark chocolate

Celery
This sexual stimulator boosts a powerful substance known as androsterone, which is an odorless aphrodisiac in male perspiration that arouses the woman…or at least ensure they take a second glance.

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Filed under: Love, Uncategorized on February 10th, 2012 | No Comments »

Are you SAD?

Shorter days make many people feel anxious, especially as to-do lists grow longer near the holidays. But if you’re sleeping and eating more and you’ve felt depressed in past winters, you may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Decreased daylight causes a decrease in Vitamin D and a hormonal imbalance in millions of people each fall and winter that leads to depression. It can begin in October or November and becomes more severe in the winter. If you know someone who always seems to feel great in spring and summer, but down in fall and winter, it may be seasonal affective disorder.

In addition to its seasonal nature, noticeable symptoms are craving carbohydrates and being tired or sleeping more. These symptoms may be accompanied by decreased energy, sadness, weight gain, loss of interest in sex, withdrawal from friends and family or difficulty concentrating on and accomplishing tasks. It is most common in women and among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, but can affect children and older adults too.

Fortunately, initial treatment for SAD is easy. People with seasonal affective disorder almost always respond to light therapy. Seventy to eighty percent significantly improve within a week. A study performed in Canada tested light therapy against the commonly prescribed fluoxetine (Prozac) for SAD patients. The study found that both treatments relieved symptoms equally well, but the light therapy worked much faster, showing positive results in less than one week! Phototherapy has no known side effects, other than the potential for overuse. When you compare that to the multiple known side effects of prescribed antidepressants it makes sense to try the natural alternative first.

Light therapy increases the amount of vitamin D produce by the body, but some people may need more vitamin D. That’s where high-quality vitamin D supplementation can be very beneficial. If you’re dealing with seasonal affective disorder and suspect your vitamin D level is low, work with a healthcare provider to test your levels to verify your vitamin D status, and then work to get them back up to normal. Some people may need to take between 2000-6000 IU per day for several weeks to reach adequate levels and reverse symptoms of SAD.

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Filed under: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, depression, Vitamins & minerals on February 5th, 2012 | No Comments »

Workers with severe radiation exposure at the Fukushima nuclear plant had major reduction in cancer risk when supplemented with vitamin C and other anti-oxidative nutrients. Sixteen men aged between 32 and 59 years worked 5 to 6 weeks in a radiation contaminated area, collecting contaminated water, measuring radiation levels, operating heavy machinery, and removing debris. Blood samples were obtained to measure whole blood counts and blood chemistry, plasma levels of free DNA, and 47 cancer related gene expressions.

Four workers who took intravenous vitamin C (25,000 mg) therapy before they went in, and continuously took anti-oxidative supplements during the working period, had no significant change in both free DNA and overall cancer risk.

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Filed under: Cancer, Orthomolecular Nutrition, Vitamins & minerals on February 1st, 2012 | No Comments »

It’s Dr. Deirdre here with a very special announcement!

As always it’s been my intention to provide you with the latest and most cutting-edge information and tools you need to heal yourself from fibromyalgia and to take advantage of the amazing resources available to you from the top medical professionals and leading health experts who can help you.

To better serve your needs and desires I have brought together 10 TOP FIBRO EXPERTS from across the globe in this, our 2nd edition of Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts E-book and audio series. This is truly a work in progress containing all of the latest and greatest treatment strategies and protocols available to you today.
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Filed under: Chronic Disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Food & Nutrition on January 31st, 2012 | No Comments »