Belmont Street Natural Health: We Blog

Now that it is getting dark earlier and the frost is on the pumpkin, you may be experiencing an energy shift, as in, "I have no energy." Perhaps you are fighting off a cold already, or you have come down with something. Know this: the change of seasons will expose your constitutional weaknesses. The THYROID is the gland of temperature adaptation, and if yours is struggling, it will let you know this time of year. Also SPLEEN is an important organ of the immune system, and it is very sensitive to cold and damp conditions. It struggles when you are exposed to mold and mildew in your living space. It wants you to move to Palm Springs. Also, it is sensitive to sugar. The holidays of Sugar (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) wreck your spleen, it's begging you to have a nice bowl of low-carb chicken soup. It would also like a T12 spinal adjustment.

One thing I see in practice and in our community at large is gall bladder congestion in women and men that results in abdominal gas, pain and bloating, as well as headaches, migraines, and diarrhea. If left to continue untreated it will lead to blood lipid imbalances and malnutrition from impaired fat digestion. The gall bladder was mentioned and discussed frequently throughout Dr. Lang's class, and she teaches that estrogen dominance in women and men is responsible for this common problem.

I have just completed my first class with Dr. Janet Lang, 12 hours over this weekend. The topic is extensive and the material is advanced and very challenging, but it was very well organized and extremely interesting and useful. She is an expert in the management of male and female hormone imbalance, and also an excellent teacher. She advocates using one certain laboratory testing facility that does saliva testing to measure all the endocrine hormones, Diagnos-Techs. She thinks they are very accurate with respect to their reference ranges, or what "normal" is. It is impossible to accurately manage hormone balance with blood testing because those blood and serum tests only measure inactive or "bound" hormone. She is very cautious and exact when using bio-identical hormones (very fashionable right now with the anti-aging set) and accurate testing provides more accurate application.
I learned so much! All about hysterectomies and why using progesterone cream is BAD and why you should be very wary of routine mammograms and microwave ovens.
I will write more about this. Here is Dr. Lang's website:
www.restorativeendocrinology.com

I'm about to eat indie-farm grown eggs from one of my dear patient's little indie farm! She has fifty chickens!
These beautiful little egg-gems are my first animal protein after my successful seven day fruit-veggie-and-smoothie cleanse to improve my health, clarity and energy level for the exciting, yet generally challenging times ahead.
The SP Complete smoothie mix does contain some whey protein, which I've much appreciated these last seven days.
What I ate:
SP smoothies made with frozen strawberries, water, the juice of one small tangerine, and occasional extra psyllium fiber or Redmond Clay (bentonite.)
Also, lots of coleslaw and spinach salad made with a small amount of almost fat free vinegrette (Bragg's apple cider vinegar, honey, pressed ginger or garlic, Redmond sea salt, and a dash of toasted sesame oil)
Fresh citrus, navel oranges and tangerines
Cooked Apples
Raw slices of cucumber and celery stalks
Stir Fry Vegetables cooked down in a small amount of water, then sprinkled with a dash of toasted sesame oil, tamari and sometimes Tabasco sauce : )
On a few occasions, I had small servings of lentils or black beans.

This is my last fruits and veggies only day. Tomorrow I will start eating protein again, how exciting! It's been a good week, only mildly challenging. Lots of food preparation. Lots of eating to keep from getting hungry. If you wait to eat until you're hungry, the hunger will hit you like a truck. Luckily that only happened a couple of times. I definitely feel lighter and actually less hungry. My energy is good, and I've been sleeping really well. The best part is, having had a seven-day separation from sugar, starch, grains, and dairy, I am ready to resume a more healthful eating regimen. I feel good! I should do this more often. It honestly wasn’t that hard. I will say, though, that if you want to try this it’s good to look at the whole week and make sure you don’t have too much going on so you can be at home whenever possible. You definitely have to go to the bathroom more.

The toughest part of doing a cleanse is getting to the place where you don't crave starches, sugar, meat, etc. (this is not to say I am opposed to meat, I think it is very healthful. You don't eat it while you are cleansing, though.) I have to say this cleanse it didn't really take very long for me to get into the "zone." I started feeling really good right away and enjoy the veggie prep that is constant with this process. I will admit that yesterday I didn't eat enough and didn't bring enough food with me, so I was pretty much a basket case by about 7:00 PM, and my day was still going. Bring food with you! It's important. Day Two I worked and treated several people and it all went fine because I had oranges, celery sticks, and a big yummy spinach salad with me, and I was able to actually eat it all during my shift.
I feel really clear. Good things are happening.

Thought I'd share with you all that I'm committed to a week of cleansing! It's a good thing to do, it always helps me lose weight, have more energy, and re-establish my connection to shopping for, preparing and eating lots of fresh vegetables. It helps diminish cravings for starches and sugars, so when you start to break the fast/cleanse (this really more of a cleanse since you do get to eat) you are used to eating these types of foods for your carbohydrates. This really helps out you blood sugar balance. I am using the Standard Process purification products, specifically the SP Complete powdered drink mix and the SP Cleanse capsules.

http://www.standardprocess.com/display/StandardProcessCatalog.spi?ID=45

http://www.standardprocess.com/display/StandardProcessCatalog.spi?ID=48

The Standard Process Purification Program makes detoxifying relatively easy. I'm still planning on having black coffee, one cup, and then after that it's just veggies, fruits, and SP Complete smoothies made with frozen berries, water and Redmond clay. I just made a wonderful coleslaw with cabbage, carrots, radishes, green onion, and parsley run through a food processor. I made a light dressing with apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, and sea salt. It is divine. I ate it with the most fabulous little avocados they sell at Cherry Sprout Produce for $0.25 each! Yum!

The very small (on my honor) amount of honey in my coleslaw is the only sweetener I had today, hopefully tempered adequately with a big mound of shredded veggie goodness, not to mention the Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar.

http://www.bragg.com/products/applecidervinegar.html

I just had the lunch of my dreams, "Jazz Brunch with Nancy King" at Mother's Bistro. My bandmate Caroline from Miss Massive Snowflake attended with me. If you've never heard Nancy King sing, please do. She is an absolute treasure and such an endearing personality. She gave an interview at this luncheon and was honored with a mayoral declaration of February 22 to be Nancy King Day in Portland! Her record with the great pianist Fred Hersch was nominated for the best jazz vocal Grammy last year.

http://www.nancykingjazz.com

I will be seeing her perform tomorrow night at the Newmark Theater.

Yes, I went away again and closed the shop, briefly. I just got home from visiting my friends Sierra and Crystal in their new place in Green Valley, Arizona. We had a great time. They showed me some very neat attractions in their area, including the historic town of Arivaca, AZ and the Beunos Aires Wildlife preserve that is there. We also went to Nogales, Mexico for lunch and a bit of shopping. Crystal got a fabulous little tiled table she had her eye on for awhile. I got my husband Todd a great blanket made of saguaro cactus fibers, it feels just like cotton and it supposedly washer/dryer safe. It's gorgeous. Check out some photos I posted in the Photo section. Thanks for letting me get away again, I'm back at work tomorrow!
Jeanne

Oh yes, it looks mega-sweet. Drive by and check it out. I'll be posting a photo of it in the photo section later today.

Shane DeLeon, my good friend, designed it for me and I couldn't be happier.

A friend emailed me this today, it is really interesting. It discusses the relationship of blood sugar, hormone balance, and the SKELETON! So cool!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/health/16diab.html?ex=1193198400&en=a1b5b0abd4a82b1f&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Only on one little groovy track. It's a group a'capella, too, so you'll have to really bend your ear to hear me. : )

Buy this record. You won't be disappointed. It is so good you will thank me.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/hirsh2

If you prefer iTunes, here is that link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=265583688

Thanks again to everyone who stopped by that day. The shopping and the music were so top drawer. Check out the photos to see what I'm talking about.

Thanks to everyone who came by on Saturday! We had a lot of fun. The music was great, my friends the Hank Hirsh Quintet and Miss Massive Snowflake really made it special. I want to post photos I took from the party, but I can't find my camera now. When I get that together ( I hope it turns up! ) I will post some pix.

If I were to be STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, like Gilligan, here are the little pills, powders and herbs I would be very fortunate to have. They would help me thrive in a desert island evironment and give me the strength and brain power to make remarkable things out of grass, bamboo, and monkeys, like the Professor.

ZYPAN by Standard Process. Digestive enzyme. Take after food. Enjoy better protein digestion. Less gas. Gets it all down the pipes smoothly. Improves absorbtion of nutrients from food. Essential when traveling or dining out.

REDMOND CLAY by Redmond Minerals. Take it internally to soothe and heal the digestive tract. Use externally for any skin issue. Fantastic facial mask.

CATAPLEX C by Standard Process. Amazing low-dose whole food origin vitamin C. Many benefits. Feel your vitamin C working.

MAGNESIUM TAURATE by Ecological Formulas. The best magnesium. Great for muscle spasm, PMS, any tension. It makes you NOT CARE AT ALL about chocolate.

ER 911 by NET Formulas. Homeopathic formula. Calms you down and helps you let go of stress and anxiety.

RED CLOVER BLOSSOMS herb. Make tea. Benefits include better digestion. Lessens allergies especially to foods. Better skin and hair texture and strength. Relieves edema. Generally safe but always check with a health care provider before using herbs if you are taking any other medications.

Jeanne

Saturday September 8, 2007 will be the annual Belmont Street Fair, and this Belmont business will be having a day of free music, crafts, muscle testing demos (of course!) and flea market-type fun out front in the parking lot. Come down! I just booked the Hank Hirsh Quintet to play at noon! Miss Massive Snowflake will also play, time TBA, with yours truly sitting in on bass and probably vocals!

Jeanne

Do you have a hiatal hernia? If you do, you're not alone. It's ridiculously common. I treated three today. You may have these symptoms: Acid reflux, gas after a meal, bloating, hiccups, or just a feeling of being a bit crowded in your chest cavity. Hiatal hernia is not like a groin hernia. There isn't usually a need for surgical repair. It is common to find after any kind of rib injury. It involves the diaphragm being alowed to separate at its overlap points (it has three sections, like overlapping tarps.) The diaphragm separates the heart and lungs from the stomach, small intestine, liver, and other organs of digestion. When there is a gap, the stomach is allowed to poke its head up through the diaphragm into the chest cavity and have a look around. This really annoys your heart and lungs. They don't like stomach in their space.
This is not difficult to fix. Sometimes there is a strained muscle that needs attention, or the mid-back needs adjusting. Then the stomach can be stretched back down into its own territory.

Jeanne Kennedy Crosby, D.C.

Another nice summer weekend was recently spent hanging out with my teacher Dr. Timothy Francis. He teaches his classes now at Western States Chiropractic College, so I get to go back to my old school. Since it happens on the weekend the place is pretty deserted except for us. We just hang out in one room full of adjusting tables and he lectures and shows us cool stuff to do on patients and each other.
He demonstrated his latest work. He is so generous with us, we learn so much in a weekend it is overwhelming. He makes you look at yourself and your life and does these heavy little demonstrations of his treatment flow. This class had only 16 people in it so we all got lots of quality time with the man.

Jeanne Kennedy Crosby, D.C.