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Part I, Statins

Prescription drugs are not ‘cures’, and their side effects are more insidious than those listed in the package insert. In fact, common drugs like statins, acid reflux drugs and antidepressants actually suppress symptoms and rob your body of the very nutrients you need to be healthy.

But whether you like it or not, you and the people you love are likely to take prescription drugs at some point in life. According to the Center for Disease Control, over the course of a year, over 2 billion prescriptions are written. Still, many people don’t know about the real damage that some drugs can do to your overall health, even while they seem to be helping a specific symptom. This article is Part 1 of a three-part series.

One of the most important keys to remember is that drugs supress symptoms but can never create vibrant health. They also make your blood more acidic, and when you are on them you must eat a more alkaline diet, full of fresh fruits and veggies. If you must take prescription drugs, I’ve outlined some common drugs that zap nutrients from your body and the recommend foods and supplements that can assist in counteracting their negative side effects.

The top 5 offenders in this arena are: statins, diabetes drugs, heartburn/acid reflux drugs, anti-depressants and arthritis drugs.

Statins: The statins are commonly known as Cholesterol-lowering drugs. They include brands like Lipitor, Provacol and Zocor. Statins deplete your body of Coenzyme Q10, an essential enzyme that protects your body from heart disease and cancer, CoQ10 is also considered an effective treatment for heart attacks and heart failure. Drug manufacturers know that statins dramatically reduce your body’s level of this heart-healthy enzyme but have managed to keep it quiet.

Common problems associated with statins:

• Muscle pain and weakness. This is most likely due to the depletion of Co-Q10, a nutrient that supports muscle function.
• Neuropathy. This is characterized by weakness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet as well as difficulty walking.
• Heart failure. Currently we are in the midst of a congestive heart failure epidemic here in the US. Deaths due to heart failure more than doubled from 1989 to 1997. Again, the interference with the production of CoQ10 is the most likely explanation. The heart is a muscle and cannot work deprived of CoQ10.
• Cognitive Impairment. If you take statins, consider taking a Co Q10 supplement. Another good source is organ meats. To further reduce your risk for atherosclerosis and heart disease, up your exercise to increase your good cholesterol (HDL) levels. For a dietary approach, avoid trans fats, seed and nut oils (Canola, Soy, Safflower). These oils are very unstable, go rancid quickly and create large amounts of free radicals in the body. Instead, eat plenty of good fats such as raw milk, butter, coconut oil and avocados.

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

So you’ve heard about it on the news: Spinach is causing us to get sick… or so they say. E. coli, linked to raw spinach, has infected 100 consumers and has resulted in at least one death. If we were to pay attention to only the 10 p.m. news, we would be afraid to go anywhere near spinach and would believe that it is the major cause of some serious stuff. However, that’s not the whole story when we look at the whole story. In fact, there aren’t any specific illnesses that can be traced to any one farm that grows spinach. Curious, isn’t it?

What’s up, then? The more stones that are unturned, the more the story leads in the direction of a surprise: beef and dairy cattle.

To give you some quick facts: E. coli is a generally harmless bacterium, abundant in the digestive systems of healthy cattle and humans. And the acid in our gut is usually enough to kill any extra strains that may come our way. The current E. coli outbreak, though, is a much stronger type that can produce abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, and in rare cases, fatal kidney failure. In this case, our stomach juices are not strong enough to kill the bacterium.

How do we come into contact with this strong form of E. coli? Most beef and dairy cattle are fed on grain, and it is the infected manure from these cattle that contaminates the groundwater and spreads the bacteria to the produce growing on farms, just like the spinach we are now hearing about.

Thank goodness we have food safety measures in place that prevent contaminated fecal matter from getting into our food most of the time. Because in 2003, The Journal of Dairy Science noted that up to 80 percent of dairy cattle carry this strong strain of E. coli. And the journal also notes that interestingly enough, if cows switch from a grain diet to a hay diet, the problem for us decreases dramatically. Cows are not grain eaters to begin with; they naturally eat grasses. The type of E. coli we are talking about is not found in the intestinal tracts of cows raised on their natural diet of grass and hay. And now, it will take much more time and energy to clean-up the recent E. coli contamination to all irrigation sources. Hmmm…

Taxpayers are financing a policy that only treats the symptom, not the disease… and at tremendous expense. The only long-term, and simplest, remedy is to stop feeding grain to cattle. And keep the industrial feed lots farther away from close proximity to growing fields.

Sadly, the spinach industry is taking a huge hit for an outbreak it probably did not cause. As consumers, our attention needs to be focused on the ones who just might be able to solve this deadly problem – the beef and dairy farmers.

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

Add your favorite flavor to water to make natural healthy flavored water. Only 1 drop needed per 23oz. of water, adjust per desired taste.

Add to plain yogurt. This gives diabetics or anyone a sweet flavor without added sugar.

Try the Vanilla Creme flavor in pancakes, French toast or waffle batter.

Add to whipped cream to top your favorite fresh fruit.

Cut fresh apples into chunks. Saute in a small amount of coconut oil, add chopped nuts, fresh ground cinnamon and nutmeg to taste and finish off with your favorite flavor. I suggest you try the English Toffee!

Combine two flavors to create new flavors; i.e. mix Vanilla Creme with Valencia Orange to make a creamsicle flavor; Cinnamon or Peppermint mixed with either Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate are other delicious combinations.

Flavor ice cubes or crushed ice. Root Beer flavor mixed in water over Vanilla Creme flavored ice cubes. Think root beer float!

And of course all of the flavors are great in teas.
Stevia is ideal for dieters, weight management and diabetics. It will not promote tooth decay and is totally heat stable. The uses are limited only by your imagination!

**************************************************

Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as an event that accomplishes its intended purpose. In other words, we are successful when we set out to do something, anything and we get it done – regardless of the size or intensity of the task. What a simple concept. Yet somehow, when applied to our health, we build the meaning of success into something extraordinary and unattainable. We discount our progress because we: haven’t yet reached the end result, set unrealistic goals, and become overly discouraged when we make mistakes.

It’s time to change all of that erroneous thinking. And by accurately defining what success is, we’ve taken a leap in our journey toward healthy living. My mentor, Roy H. Williams, inspired me with the following; it’s a simple formula for success and I want you to have it.

1) Visualize a specific goal and heed the knowledge of White Rabbit who once said, “When you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”

2) Take the first step – don’t sit around waiting to accomplish it all at once. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Lao Tzu

3) Never stop, keep on going one small step at a time. American Author, Daniel Quinn said, “Don’t wait. Where do you expect to get by waiting? Doing is what teaches you, generates ideas, and leads to inspiration. Nothing else and nothing less.”

4) Appreciate your progress each and every day. Give yourself credit for what you’ve done. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day.” -Genesis 1:31

5) Move. If evening finds you at the same place you were this morning, take just one step before you lay down. In the words of Henry Van Dyke, “The magic isn’t in the size of your actions, but in the relentlessness of them.”

Just like beauty, success is in the eyes of the beholder. As you work toward your personal endeavor of healthy living, don’t lose track of what true success is (even small achievements deserve celebration). At Women’s Health Advantage we’ll help you to keep moving forward no matter what. Together we’ll achieve your goals. Give us a call today!

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.

Have you ever encountered one of those days when your alarm clock has the audacity not to ring? I know I have, and it went something like this…

Okay, it’s possible this was the fifth time I hit the snooze button (too many hot flashes and not enough sleep!). There is not one thing in the fridge to eat except double AA batteries, and there’s a very strange woman inhabiting my bathroom. Oops! That was me!! I’ve got to do something about that face!

Sound familiar? Then you already know what happens next.

You hit the highway going Mach II with your hair on fire when you realize your gas gauge is now past the empty mark. You give the gauge a hard smack as you glide into the curb. And guess what… you’re only an hour into the day!!

Having had my share of these “days from hell,” I know just how easy it is to let circumstances and people readjust my attitude thermostat.

So, what typically happens after such a glorious beginning? Well, I don’t know about you, but I will probably stuff all the carbs I can down my throat – all the while blaming my “bad day.” My blood sugar will rise, then plummet to new lows, I will growl and hiss at co-workers and friends and there will be no taming this shrew! Please, somebody get her some estrogen and a piece of chocolate!

As the kids say, I am carrying around some really bad “tudes.”

Now, let’s stop the projector, change the reel, sit back in our seats and take a hard look at these reactions and attitudes.

1. Taking it from the top, let’s begin with a question for you: Do you have a personal philosophy? No, not that class you took in school – your philosophy, the way you view life. Stay with me here…

To quote the great Jim Rohn, “Philosophy drives attitude. Attitude drives actions. Actions drive results. Results drive lifestyles.” So, if the results you’ve obtained so far with your health, relationships, career, or finances are less than stellar, maybe a philosophy checkup is in order.

Now most of us, me included, will likely make the big mistake of starting our overhaul with “action.” But, thinking this through, when you put together a lousy attitude and no personal philosophy, how meaningful can any action possibly be?

So, I’ll ask you again: What is your philosophy, or do you even have one? If not, give it some serious thought and write your thoughts down. This will be the driving force that will guide your attitudes and ultimately your life.

2. Now that you’ve established your personal philosophy, time to develop a “YES” attitude. I can hear you asking… “Why can’t I just have a ‘positive’ attitude? And besides, what’s the difference?”

Good question! I admit, they both sound good and you would be right, except… “Yes” is so much more powerful because it assumes that everything will start with “yes” even when it’s “no.”

A “YES” attitude helps you formulate your responses in a more positive form and is more declarative. If you think of yourself as a “YES” person, not only will you be in a more positive frame of mind, but you will assist your mind in bringing about the positive outcome you’re looking for.

Now let’s take that attitude one step further…

3. Have an attitude of celebration! No, this isn’t a call to become a “party animal,” but give yourself the credit you deserve. Rethink the fact that, so often, we only rejoice our major victories rather than the many successful steps we’ve taken to ultimately reach our goal.

How many times have we postponed acknowledging our small accomplishments until we “lose all the weight” or “complete writing the entire novel” we started?

It’s equally important to celebrate the steps that went into making these achievements happen. So, get out there and kick up your heels about losing those first 5 pounds, or completing that first chapter of your novel. After all, you deserve it! And that brings us to the next step…

4. How does your time management attitude stack up? Or, to say it another way, do you know what is really important in your life right now?

I’m sure you know what you should do, whether it’s lose that 20 lbs., exercise more or eat a healthier diet. So, it’s not a lesson in time management that I think is needed as much as a lesson in how you’re spending your time.

Is valuable time being lost to procrastination, poor self-image, fear of rejection or possibly preparation? It is the power of these lessons that allows us to execute the things that in our minds we believe we “don’t have time for” but in reality we are just avoiding. Here’s a change in attitude that brings enormous benefits…

5. Have an attitude of selfishness. Yes, you heard me right, but this does not mean license to whine or manipulate, far from it. It is just a reminder that in order for you to be the BEST you can be for others, you must first be the BEST for yourself.

Maybe you’ve noticed that your husband, children, career or other responsibilities have worked their way into those front positions of your life… leaving you standing at the end of the line, patiently waiting your turn.

Remember, it’s okay to set limits and say “No” to others, you need to indulge yourself on occasion as well as pursue your own goals and dreams. The more that you take care of your own needs, the healthier and stronger you’ll be and the more you’ll be able to achieve as a result.

Remember, you really are #1. Take care of yourself first and everything else will fall into place.

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Please feel free to print a copy of this article.

Invest in yourself ~ Women’s Health Advantage is ready to help!

Are you…

• DONE wishing for better health?
• TIRED of just talking about what to do next?
• READY to make positive changes and live a more vibrant life?
• SUFFERING from health symptoms that are unexplained or unrelieved?
• Are you ready to create optimum wellness and vibrant health?! Ready to feel strong and alive? Then it’s time to get in touch with Jill Redfern at Women’s Health Advantage to assist you in creating your best life ever! Jill can guide you in any dietary, digestion, and nutritional issues and help you get going with vibrant health TODAY! After all, if not now… when?

Jill Redfern is a registered nurse in the Valencia area with 30 years of experience in both traditional and alternative medicine and a pioneer in the field of women’s alternative health and enzyme therapy.