As we age we often begin to lose the fine motor control associated with youth. At first, this may be an imperceptible tremor that only occurs when we are trying to keep our hands very still. These “shakes” may eventually keep us from doing important things: delicate artwork, tying a fly, needlepoint or even simply signing our name.

Loss of fine motor control usually begins with inflammation in the brain. Inflammation usually begins with free radical activity: too many toxins, too much stress, not enough anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disorder typically affecting people over age 55. The condition is caused by the death of nerve cells in certain parts of the brain, leading to characteristic problems with movement. These include a tremor in the hands, a shuffling gait, decreased facial expressiveness and trouble talking. Thinking ability may become impaired in later stages of the disease, and depression is common.

Many researchers believe that free radicals play a role in destroying nerve cells that supply dopamine (a neurotransmitter) in Parkinson’s disease. Most treatments for Parkinson’s disease work by artificially increasing the brain’s dopamine levels. Many people take levodopa with carbidopa, a drug that increases the amount of levodopa available to make dopamine.

Essential tremors

There is another kind of nervous disorder called essential tremors. Essential tremors are not caused by disease, such as Parkinson’s disease. Rather, they arise without any other signs or symptoms. Essential tremors do not progress into anything more severe; they are not related to any other condition. They exist as a fundamental defect in the part of the brain that controls motion.

Essential tremors are often called “family tremors” because they occur in higher concentrations among family members. People that are related to each other share many genetic characteristics. That means that they may also share some of the same vulnerabilities. These weaknesses only become apparent under specific stresses. So, two people with identical genetics – identical twins – may not have the same tendency toward essential tremors unless they experience the same stresses.

Tremor triggers

As mentioned, inflammation is the last thing that happens to your brain before you experience a tremor – whether it is from Parkinson’s disease or essential tremors. Anything that causes inflammation is a tremor trigger. What are the common triggers?

• Deficiency – Oxygen deficiency is very common, especially as we sleep. Practice deep breathing for 20 minutes before sleeping and take brain-specific antioxidants such as CoQ-10, Vitamin E and Optima4 at bedtime.

• Toxins – Household chemicals, refined sugar and allergens commonly trigger loss of fine motor control. Golfers and gardeners are often exposed to high levels of toxins. It seems that everyone has allergies – and sugar consumption is at an all-time high. Isolating yourself as much as possible from chemicals and allergens is crucial for brain health.

• Stress – When I ask an audience, “Do you feel stressed out?” almost everyone responds affirmatively! Stress burns out the coordination areas in your brain. Adaptogens put the fire out by helping us build a defense against stress.

• Trauma – Head injuries are common and becoming even more common. The delicate tissues of the brain are traumatized in auto accidents, injuries at work or around the home, or sports-related injuries. Trauma creates subtle inflammation that may smolder for years.

Conclusion

The cause of Parkinson’s and essential tremors is certainly different, yet the trigger is the same: Inflammation. The best hope for “cure” lies in prevention. Applying the 10 Essentials gives you protection from a rapid decline in health. And, the suggestions are easy to follow. Supplement your diet with nutrients and brain-specific antioxidants. Isolate yourself from toxins and put out the fire of chronic inflammation. Start today. The brain you save may be your own!

If you want high quality products, take a look at TriVita. Go to www.havingplenty.com, and find out about Nopalea that can help in reducing inflammation.  if you’re interested in finding out more about Sonoran Bloom Nopalea, call me on 718-407-0035.

If you’re interested in being involved in a Wellness Opportunity, take a look at www.roadmaptowishes.com.

Wishing you much health and wellness

Kathy

Katherine Smith
TriVita Independent Affiliate Member 13158176

You’ve heard that the best defense is a good offense. This is especially true when it comes to your immune system. By practicing healthy lifestyle habits and reducing our exposure to infection (offense), we can better help protect against illness (defense).

What determines if you get sick or not?
Louis Pasteur and Antoine Bechamp – physicians 150 years ago – were keenly aware of the same things you and I experience every year: during the cold and flu season, some people get sick and some people don’t. Pasteur spent his life looking for what makes sick people sick. Bechamp spent his career looking for what keeps healthy people healthy – and how we can be like them! They settled their argument with the discovery that illness visits people with poor habits much more frequently than those who care for their health.

It turns out that microbes prefer to wreak their havoc on people with compromised immune systems. Simple things can compromise our immune system, including:

• An imbalanced diet
• Alcohol and caffeine consumption
• An argument with someone you love

Just as Pasteur and Bechamp discovered more than a century ago, our health revolves around a healthy lifestyle more than the virulence of a microbe.

Help protect against illness
The phrase that describes our vulnerability or resistance to disease is “biological terrain.” The terrain or landscape of our health is made up of our genetics, our environment and, most importantly, our lifestyle. Vigorous application of the 10 Essentials yields the healthiest, most disease-resistant terrain. Skipping even one of these principles will change your terrain and leave you vulnerable to infection.

• A base of healthy nutrients
  Establishing a base of healthy nutrients can provide us with a very resilient terrain. The more dense the base is, the more disease-resistant our terrain will be. Taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement every day is an excellent start. Almost all physicians recommend an Omega-3 supplement as well. If your terrain is being remodeled by stress, you may need adaptogens to help you cope while remaining disease-resistant. Indeed, the long-term studies of adaptogens in Russia clearly demonstrated that these plants help you resist infections and speed healing.
• Vitamin C
  Vitamin C is a favorite for protecting against and even treating virus infections. Russell Jaffe, MD, former director of the National Institutes of Health, recommends a loading dose of Vitamin C: one teaspoon of Vitamin C crystals every 15 minutes until you “flush.” By this, he means a complete bowel evacuation. After the flush, he recommends a daily serving of Vitamin C (for one month) that is equivalent to 75% of the amount it took you to flush. This should really improve your terrain!
• Echinacea
  Echinacea is used in a similar way. Significant medical research from Germany suggests that an hourly dose of Echinacea will help reduce symptoms and may help shorten the duration of a virus infection. Taking a gram of Echinacea every hour for three days may even “abort” an infection that has already begun. Continue taking Echinacea three times daily for up to two weeks afterward to protect against a relapse.

Reduce your exposure
Here are some great recommendations for reducing your exposure to infection:

• Wash your hands
  First, the largest contributor to infection is unwashed hands. Washing your hands with soap every few hours will reduce the chance for pathogens to gain access to your system. You should also make sure they are completely dry. Then, use the disposable towel to open the door out of the washroom. Many ugly microbes lurk on door handles – usually from people who have not properly washed and dried their hands.
• Clean surfaces
  Next, disinfect surfaces that are shared by many people. For instance, public telephones bring you within kissing distance of hundreds or even thousands of people. Who knows what their hygiene habits were? In a typical day we may be exposed to germs from as many as 150 countries or more!
• Reduce stress
  Reduce stress. Stress decreases the effectiveness of your immune system. Your immune system may begin to overreact or not react in time to stop an infection when you are under stress. The source of the stress really does not matter. For instance, job stress and an injury may seem like entirely different stresses to your mind but they are treated exactly the same way by your body.

Remember, building up your terrain and reducing your exposure are keys to a great offense… which will help improve your defense!

Learn More…

• The proper way to wash your hands
  A quick rinse isn’t enough to avoid infection – find out the best technique for washing

And learn more about Nopalea – a superfruit juice with rare antioxidants that will boost your immune system.

If you want high quality products, take a look at TriVita. Go to www.havingplenty.com, and if you’re interested in finding out more about Sonoran Bloom, call me on 718-407-0035.

If you’re interested in being involved in a Wellness Opportunity, take a look at www.besthomebasedbusinessforyou.com.

Wishing you much health and wellness

Kathy

Katherine Smith
TriVita Independent Affiliate Member 13158176

Stress is an engineering term. It describes the forces that try to tear a structure apart such as weight, wind, temperature and pressure. In humans it is much the same: Certain pressures try to tear us apart. Sometimes these stresses come from inside of us; sometimes the pressures tearing us apart come from the outside.

Homeostasis is a gift that humans and other living creatures possess but bridges and buildings do not have. Homeostasis is the force that moves resources from our reserves to wherever they are needed to combat stress.

Where stress begins
Stress is caused by change – any change. Change requires us to rearrange our priorities to meet new circumstances. Stress can also be the same circumstance over time because time itself is change.

An easy way to conceptualize stress is to say it comes from inside of us and outside of us. Some examples:

Stress from inside

• Hunger
• Aging
• Time pressure

Stress from outside

• Air pollution
• Water pollution
• Noise pollution

Stress is the accumulation of all the things that pull us apart.

Homeostasis
The antidote to change is homeostasis. The Greek word “stasis” means to stand still or to stand equally. It describes a point where the tug-of-war balances out and motion ceases. Homeostasis is the ability of living organisms to adjust their internal environments to create balance. Of course, people can adjust their external environments as well (at least to some extent).

Just imagine all of the stresses pulling you apart every day: gravity, temperature, emotional upsets and expectations, etc. What balances that tug-of-war? The 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness!

Nutrients and nurturing
A body and mind deprived of proper nutrients and nurturing will be more prone to disease. “Disease” is the joining of two words. “Ease” is the freedom from difficulty, hardship or effort. “Dis-ease” is the opposite of ease: the things that make life more difficult and hard. It is also the abnormal functioning of the body or mind when the balancing forces of homeostasis fail to meet the demands of change.

The 10 Essentials create a reservoir of energy to combat the destructive forces of stress. For example, the simple act of breathing deeply can reduce the level of toxicity in our body and therefore reduce the state of imbalance.

Vitamins and minerals
Nutrients create a bulwark against stress as well. A reservoir of vitamins and minerals can help protect you from deficiency. Nutrient deficiency means specifically that you lack the nutrients you need to meet the stress imposed on your system. Without nutrients you will be weakened and you will lose the tug-of-war with stress. You will develop disease.

Adaptogens
Specific plants called adaptogens help pull us back into balance. Adaptogens help us adapt no matter what the situation is – no matter where stress tugs at our body and mind. A recent conference of psychiatrists and psychologists demonstrated that a single adaptogen (Rhodiola rosea) was as effective at reducing emotional stress as several popular medications.

Another paper published by the University of Toyama in Japan demonstrated that in animal models, the adaptogen Eleutherococcus senticosis hindered the brain plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease. It even helped slow some of the brain damage. Given the safety of adaptogens and the extreme nature of this stress-related disease, supplementing with these nutrients should be a daily routine for anyone concerned about the possibility of Alzheimer’s.

Conclusion
Stress pulls us apart. Homeostasis struggles to put us back together. Disease is the result of an imbalance between stress and homeostasis. Nutrients and nurturing support homeostasis and help build a bulwark against stress – the silent killer!

If you want high quality products, take a look at TriVita. Go to www.havingplenty.com, and if you’re interested in finding out more about Sonoran Bloom, call me on 718-407-0035.

If you’re interested in being involved in a Wellness Opportunity, take a look at www.besthomebasedbusinessforyou.com.

Wishing you much health and wellness

Kathy

Katherine Smith
TriVita Independent Affiliate Member 13158176

How to make a Spicy Pink & Purple Sauerkraut!

This is a really yummy warming breakfast. It uses the grain spelt instead of oats to create a creamy porridge. Spelt is ancient form of wheat that is said to be much better for you than wheat. 

Yield: Serves two.
You will need:

1 cup of spelt berries
3-4 cups of water
a few grains of salt
7-8 prunes
optional: rapadura sugar/honey, almonds and fresh […]

This is a simple tart-flavoured strawberry jam that uses the whole of the lemon to aid in preservation and for added health benefits!

http://www.mfm.com.au/markets.htm 
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Slow Food Melbourne Farmers’ Market: 

When: 4th Saturday of every month
Where: Abbotsford Convent, St Heliers Street, Abbotsford
Melways ref 44 G5
Time: 8am-1pm
Entry: It will cost $2 and you can stay all day
Parking: Designated St Heliers Street
carpark is a $2 donation to assist with upgrade and maintenance
For more Slow Food Melbourne info:
M: 0429 146 627 E: miranda@mfm.com.au
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Veg Out […]