Health Advice for Women

We have Cancer survivors and I’m a multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) survivor! I hope my blogs help you figure out how to treat your multiple chemical sensitivity.  I wish I could say I’m totally symptom free, but I now live an energetic healthy life. Multiple chemical sensitivity doesn’t rule my life like it once did. I have great energy every day, hike daily for 45-60 minutes up a mountain and live life to the fullest. I only tell you this because there was a time when I didn’t have energy to go to the grocery store much less enjoy life. I couldn’t go into Target without getting a headache from all the chemicals off-gassing in the store. So…how did I treat my multiple chemical sensitivity?

First off have you figured out you have it? (Read my blog on MCS to see if you have the symptoms) The most important thing is to get yourself in an environment that is not making your body sick or sicker. Initially I really didn’t know what to do and some of the things I was doing to help were actually harmful.

Get all the chemicals out of the place you live and sleep. Here’s your list of things to do:

• Take out the carpet and install ceramic tile - this will be huge. If you have hardwood floors this is good, just get rid of any area rugs in your room.
• Wash all your bedding in plant derived laundry soap. I like the Seventh Generation - Free & Clear products. They are not made with petrochemicals and have no perfume. If you have been using cleaning products made with petrochemicals (Tide, Cheer, ERA, etc.) you will need to wash them 3 or 4 times to get the petrochemicals and fragrance out.
• Get rid of all perfumes and fragrances in your house.
• Switch all your personal products over to fragrance free and petrochemical free. This is hard, so go to your local health food store to find this type of product. I’m talking shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreen, anything you put on your body.
• Switch all your household products over to non-toxic, fragrance-free and petrochemical free. Stick with Seventh Generation free& clear if you can find this line. Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage carry this brand.
• The clothes you wear can be killing you. Most people don’t know how many chemicals are in the clothes we wear. I love to wear my oldest cotton clothes that have been washed a million times! Do you know why, it’s because all the chemicals have been washed out. Don’t dry clean or have a laundry wash and starch your clothes because this will not help. If you have to buy something new, stick with natural fibers like cotton and then wash this new item at least 5 times before you wear it. I probably wash new clothes at least 10 times before I wear them. If I don’t I get a headache very quickly!
• Don’t buy new furniture or anything new if you can avoid it. Everything on the market these days is loaded with chemicals. It’s just that we are so surrounded with them, that most people don’t notice the chemicals until our body is overloaded. Until you can get your MCS under control, you need to control your environment very carefully.
• If you have the choice you should move to a very unpolluted place in the mountains or by the ocean to give your body a rest from the chemicals. Most of us don’t have that luxury, but the mountains are less polluted and your body can get a rest from the chemicals it is reacting to.
• There is a great book called “Creating a Healthy Household” that I used to help me initially turn my house into a safer, less-toxic home.
• Lastly, get as much exercise as you can. Hiking in the mountains everyday has helped me to continue to improve my health.
• Try not to drive your car if possible, the car is loaded with chemicals and puts off exhaust that weakens our body. I now drive a hybrid and it’s much better.
• Here’s a big one that took me a while to figure out. Don’t fertilize your lawn, this fertilizer is so toxic to our bodies and it lingers in the lawn for a long time.
• Don’t have your house sprayed with pesticides for insects, this is going to kill you. Use healthy alternatives to getting rid of insects.
• Don’t use bleach. Initially I thought I was killing the mold which was good, the bleach was killing me!
• Indoor air can be really toxic when all the windows are closed. Spend the money and buy some good hepa air filters. I use Healthy Mate from Austin Air. It helps a lot!
• Get rid of pets if you can. They are a major contributor to indoor toxins and allergens.
• Minimal decoration is best. Remove curtains and just have blinds or nothing on the windows. If you have just bought new furniture, put it in the garage until it can off-gas.
• Don’t park your car in the garage. The toxins from your car go right into the house!

Are you looking to give great green Christmas gifts in 2008 that are good for the environment and that are well received? Christmas is a wonderful time, but it’s also a time of huge waste, so let’s do something about it in 2008. Below are a collection of ideas, please send your comments if you have others to add!!

• Try to give organic gifts when possible, they use no pesticides which is healthier for us all.
• Give gifts that cut back on gas usage in the coming year. I gave my sister free web conferencing for a year, she can do all of her meetings over the web and not waste time and gas driving to her meetings. Here’s a link to the great low cost web conferencing I found www.webpresentnow.com.
• Give your wife a new hybrid car. I love my Toyota Prias, it gets 50 mpg or higher around town!
• The packaging and gift wrapping usually goes right into the garbage 5 seconds after opening the gift. Try packaging and wrapping your gifts with another gift. For example, if you are giving someone a glass object, wrap it in some organic towels. This keeps it from breaking and there is no waste.
• Be creative this year with gift purchases and gift wrapping. Think of gifts that can last forever (diamond rings), gifts that can be passed down from one generation to another (jewelry), or gifts that continue to give like plants or flowers, check out www.aerogrow.com.

The female sex drive has been the target of many male jokes, but the truth is men and women can both have issues with their sex drive, especially as they age. Now you all probably think I’m referring to a low sex drive when I say issues? A low sex drive or a high sex drive can both be a problem, but in very different ways.

Many women in their 40’s and 50’s actually have an increase in their sexual drive. This stage is often compared to the teenage male’s sex drive. I guess that’s how the wild divorcee’ got such a crazy and sexual connotation. This high sex drive is usually a problem with the woman’s husband or boyfriend in that he can feel inadequate by not meeting her needs.

If you do feel like your sex drive could use a little boost, please talk to your OB/GYN or visit your local acupuncturist. Stress or prescription medications can be a major contributor, but sometimes your body is just a little out of wack. My advice is don’t wait to take care of this, “we all deserve to have a wonderful sex life”. This was a direct quote from an OB/GYN!

Are you looking for that perfect gift for your woman for Christmas 2008? Well look no further.

We have polled women far and wide to compile the 2008 Christmas List for Women. Here’s your top no fail gift list.

1. Jewelry - Guys if you want to score big go for the jewelry!
2. Chocolates - Go for fabulous organic chocolates.
3. Gift Certificate to a Spa - Pamper your love to her favorite spa.
4. Gift Certificate to a great restaurant - Its an event and fun.
5. Trip for Two to an Exotic Getaway - Enough said.
6. Indulge her Favorite Hobby - If she loves skiing, get her those hot new skis

Can white vinegar cure yeast infections? White vinegar from your kitchen? And why do some women get chronic yeast infections? If you have had this issue, it’s not a fun thing! Well it turns out there is a very simple reason some women get plagued by yeast infections, but there is also a very simple cure!. If your vagina area is not acidic enough, those nasty germs just start growing like crazy.  By douching or applying white vinegar to the vaginal area you can create a more acidic environment that kills the yeast infection. I don’t recommend apple cider vinegar, white vinegar is cheap and it does the trick.

If you start to feel a little itchy get that white vinegar out. You can dilute the vingar with water or if you have a persistent yeast infection, go full strength.

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Getting married is a wonderful right of passage for a woman. Many of us wait to establish our careers, find the right person with the same life goals, and take immense joy in planning our “perfect” day.  And the best part is that we can finally stop hearing the dreaded question “So when are you getting married?”

Unfortunately, that question is immediately replaced with “So when are you going to have children?”

Time and time again I’ve heard brides recount the fact that they didn’t even get out of their wedding reception without someone, or multiple someone’s, asking them when they were going to start a family. And whether they wait to start trying or want to have children right away, getting pregnant is often not as simple as planning a wedding; there can be complications, set backs and an emotional toll that even the best planner is not prepared to deal with.

To most, pregnancy seems like the most natural process in the world. If you stop using birth control, you’ll get pregnant within three months right? Wrong. More and more, women are struggling to get pregnant. And the frustration builds when you are told by your OBGYN that you have to wait a year to formally be diagnosed with an infertility problem before receiving any kind of infertility counseling and/or treatment.

What women and some OBGYN’ s do not realize is that there are signs that show up way before a woman tries to become pregnant that could signal a problem with their reproductive systems. Some questions to ask yourself if you feel you might have a problem:

Do you suffer from missed periods?
Do you have excess fat around your middle?
Do you crave carbs?
Do you suffer from depression or have emotional ups and downs?
Do you suffer from adult acne or have thinning hair?

Some or all of these symptoms could mean that you have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a common problem for women in childbearing years that can severely inhibit their chances of becoming pregnant.

PCOS is the cause of an alarming variety of conditions in women today, but its symptoms are among the most widely misdiagnosed. What’s worse is that women with PCOS often suffer through one ineffective and frustrating infertility treatment after another – and still not get to the root cause of your infertility or get pregnant.

The good news is that women with PCOS can improve their health and chances of becoming pregnant just by making a few changes to their daily lives. From adopting a low carb, healthy diet to exercising daily and taking vitamins, women can decrease the symptoms caused by PCOS and increase their chances of becoming pregnant naturally. And there are many support groups out there to help you. For example, many women use Insulite Labs’ 5 Element System (found at www.pcos.insulitelabs.com) to help them reverse PCOS. The Insulite Labs PCOS System helps you get the nutrients and supplements your body needs, helps you change your eating habits, and works with you on getting the exercise and emotional support to deal with PCOS.

For more information on PCOS, please visit:

Insulite Labs (http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/)
PCOSupport.org
Soulcysters.com

Can one person save 86,000 barrels of oil in a day. Yes! If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 25oz petroleum-based diswashing liquid with a plant-derived product we would save 86,000 barrels of oil. This is enough oil to heat and cool 4,900 U.S. homes for a year.

That’s inspiring to think of how much power we have with our purchases! So here’s my challenge to you. Convince one relative or neighbor to do this and ask them to do the same. Don’t just replace your dishwashing liquid, replace your laundry detergent, shampoo, liquid soap, and household cleaners with a plan-derived product! Think of how much oil we will all save then. We could end the oil crisis with our choice of purchases. To top it off, plant-derived products are much more healthy. It’s all I have in my home, in fact there are no products in my home made with petrochemicals. It’s time to move into the 21st century, get rid of those petroleum based products and help save our world!!

I went online and sent my sister a complete array of personal and household products that are plant-derived versus made with petrochemicals. Go to mothernature.com and the shipping is free.

So you need to lose 10 (or 20 or 30) pounds - or think you do – but we’ll get to that later, missy. Well what is so hard about that?  All you need is a little self discipline. After all, you only need to eliminate 3,500 calories from your intake, and whoosh – it’s gone.
A one time deal and you never have to think about it again, Right? Right?? Don’t I wish!!

Why is it that I don’t hear cheers and the sound of high fives from around the room? What I do hear is the sneaky rustle of potato chip bags and Twinkie’s wrappings. Ah, you say, I could stick to a diet if it weren’t for those nasty food cravings.

All right, I hear you, and yes, I’ll admit that food cravings are real, and the good news is that there could be medical reasons for these cravings.

• Are you pregnant? If you think you could be, please get tested. Don’t wait for nine months to find out, girls. That kid needs to be fed right, and fed right NOW. (You want a pickle? Go for it, mom! Just don’t use pregnancy to justify stuffing your tummy with everything you have tried to deny yourself for the past 15 years. )
• Premenstrual? Look at the calendar. Does simply being a woman make want you a candy bar? (Or several candy bars? I’ll take two plain chocolate, one with almonds, and a little bag of…but you get the point.)
• Low insulin levels? Yes, lack of insulin could be driving your irrational desire for Real Food, i.e., lots of carbohydrates. If you have low blood sugar or if there is diabetes in your family, your body will try to protect itself by storing every calorie within reach. Go to a doctor immediately, and get this checked out, will you? There are also great website loaded with information, check out www.insulitelabs.com.
• Low Serotonin? So your boss hates you, your mom won’t get off your back about your messy living room, and your guy is the reason for the messy living room, in the first place. Sure, everybody wants to feel good, and if you are under a lot of stress, your body may start to holler for a one pound bag of chocolate chip cookies, fudge-ripple ice cream or three Margaritas. Are you going to give in?
• Yes, food cravings are out there, but the question is, ‘What can you do about them?’ Well, apart from the very real medical issues that some women face, you can do a lot.

Now I know that some of you do not want to go the gym, but exercise really helps. Not only does it elevate the level of those natural feel-good chemicals, it tones your muscles (making the body you have look better, even if it weighs the same), it reduces the number of calories that are available for storage on your inner thighs, and gets you out of harm’s way (that bag of potato chips can’t see you when you are at the gym).

Now that’s not just a two-fer, it’s a four-fer! Of course, you don’t have to go to the gym to exercise. You can take long walks with a friend, go bowling, or swim at your local pool - better than watching TV any day.

Meditation and yoga help, too, and yoga helps keep you flexible, as well as calming your nerves (the ones that are frayed because of your guy, your boss, and your mother: see above). Sex and a bath with candles can help, too. The point is that we do have a lot of control over our lives, so let’s go girls!

Are you overweight and fatigued? Do you feel jittery and irritable but better once you eat? Do you feel sleepy after eating a meal heavy with carbohydrates? Do you suffer from high blood pressure or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)?

These are all signs of Insulin Resistance, one of the major underlying causes of excess weight and obesity. It affects up to 65% of the overweight population.

Insulin Resistance vastly reduces the insulin sensitivity of cells, which impairs the processing of glucose through the cell wall for conversion to energy. As a result, glucose remains in your blood stream, causing elevated levels of blood sugar, which are sent to the liver. Once there, the sugar is converted into fat and stored via the blood stream throughout your body. This process can lead to weight gain and obesity

Insulin Resistance has many factors that contribute to its presence in the body. In essence, our environment and lifestyles have evolved too rapidly for our bodies to keep pace. We are still genetically “wired” to thrive on the entrenched habits of our ancestors who consumed different, nutrient-rich foods, a diet low in carbohydrates and also sustained greater levels of movement and exercise.

Some people may also have a genetic predisposition to Insulin Resistance. Others develop Insulin Resistance through unhealthy lifestyles.

Over time, the above factors have damaged the complex ability of your body’s cells to properly utilize insulin to convert glucose to energy. Unhealthy diets cause the pancreas to overproduce insulin that overwhelms the cell thereby reducing its sensitivity to insulin and impairing the vital glucose-to-energy conversion process. If you feel you may be suffering from obesity caused by Insulin Resistance take this self-test.

The good news is that Insulin Resistance is reversible, without drugs. By weaning yourself from “bad” carbohydrates and replacing them with “good” carbohydrates while increasing your consumption of nutrient-dense foods, you can break the cycle and heal your body by changing the way it responds to food on a cellular level.

Here is a sample daily meal plan from The Insulite Labs’ Guide to Reversing Insulin Resistance.

For additional information on reducing carbs visit Insulite Lab’s Excess Weight and Obesity web site: http://weight.insulitelabs.com

Breakfast: Avocado and smoked salmon toast. Puree avocado, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp. lemon
juice, 1 tsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. fresh cilantro or parsley. Spread on “Manna from Heaven” bread.
Layer with 6 oz. smoked salmon. Fat 19g, Carbohydrates 18g, Protein 8g

Snack: Yogurt with fruit. One 4 oz. container plain whole-fat yogurt with 1/4 cup blueberries,
plus a pinch of cinnamon. Add stevia to sweeten to taste. Fat 4g, Carbohydrates 11g, protein 4g

Lunch: Chicken with vegetables and salad. Grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli, and
arugula salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. feta cheese over
the whole plate. Fat 24g, Carbohydrates 17g, Protein 36g

Snack: Slathered celery. Two celery sticks with regular-fat cream cheese.
Carbohydrates 1g, Protein 2g

Dinner: Grilled tilapia. Grilled tilapia with 1 Tbsp. each of capers, lemon juice, and olive oil.
Salad: sliced cucumber and tomato, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves with olive oil dressing
and chopped dill. Fat 7g, Carbohydrates 6g, Protein 28g

Daily total: Fat 64g, Carbohydrates 53g, Protein 78g

There is nothing more frustrating than losing control. At work, at home, with others, with ourselves, it hurts when we see all our well laid out plans get turned upside down by factors that we can’t do anything about.

For women with PCOS, that frustration is magnified by the fact that PCOS often controls multiple factors in our lives. From health issues to pregnancies and appearance to self esteem issues, PCOS is a beast that we feel we cannot tame.

Like in every good fairytale, we girls dream that our knight in shining armor will slay the beast and give us our life back. That, of course, will not happen – it’s why they call them fairytales. But there is someone who can help us get our PCOS symptoms under control and set us on the path to improved self esteem and, as a result, a bigger and better life: Insulite Laboratories

Insulite Labs’ 5 Element System incorporates nutrition, exercise, nutraceuticals, an awareness program for food addiction and cravings and support networks, all designed to deal with the symptoms that cause us so much angst. With Insulite Labs, we are no longer victims of pre-diabetes, weight gain, adult acne, hair loss and irregular periods. With Insulite Labs, women with PCOS have a fighting chance; they are the ones who have taken control and have killed the beast that has been weighing them down most of their lives.

Still feel like Rapunzel? Stuck in the PCOS tower for life? Take a few tips from some women who have used the Insulite Labs protocol to get their health back on track:

(With Insulite Labs) I have more energy, deeper sleep, menopause seems easier, I have already lost weight and some inches around my incredibly large midsection and my face looks younger and more refreshed. It is very easy to follow this health regimen which uses a systematic approach to reverse the PCOS instead of the classical approach with prescription pills which don’t even handle the PCOS and instead add side effects.
I’m eating and eliminating properly. As a chronic osteoarthritic, my improved diet and something in the supplements is helping my joint symptoms, and I am more energetic.

An old friend said “you’re starting to sound like your old self again, like you’re alive again. And, you look like you’re getting smaller.” Anyone with PCOS should not hesitate to give this program a try!”
– NR, New York

“I have been on the PCOS System for exactly two weeks today, and I have noticed some very welcome changes! I am getting a better quality sleep, I do not wake and toss and turn and have millions of disturbing dreams; I wake feeling more rested and rejuvenated. My acne has improved, my face is not inflamed any more, my complexion is more evenly toned and not as greasy. I have found my food cravings dropped dramatically! I find that I sometimes forget to eat because I no longer feel ravenously hungry all the time! My cravings for sweets has diminished, and if I do find myself hungry and in danger of eating the delicious looking Mr. Goodbar, I pop a breath mint in and the craving goes away!”

- B.G, Plymouth, MI

So go ahead Rapunzel… let down your golden hair. Climb down from the tower and battle PCOS head on. Contact Insulite Labs today!
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