Get your summer Six-Pack

with Dr.Andi’s Killer Ab Workout!

As summer quickly approaches, many of us are attempting to get ourselves beach ready, and to many of us, that means getting those tight tummies back!!

Many people mistakenly assume that you can “spot-lose,” meaning that if you work one specific area, you can lose weight in that one specific place. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work that way. We still need to engage in a compete exercise program, especially if weight loss is our goal. But what you can do is tone and build muscle – especially on our abs. As you meet your weight loss goals, those newly formed muscle will show through beautifully! And if you are already at your goal weight, then start sculpting. Or if you’re just looking for a challenge, then these exercises are perfect for you.

Here are my top 6 personal faves when it comes to working my abs and core. When it comes to my program, I believe in constantly challenging myself, and I wanted to share this intense workout with you.

These exercises actually focus on core strength as well as abdominal sculpting, strengthening your entire centre. Working only on our abs can create muscle imbalances, so it’s important that we work everything, so ourt entire centre not only looks sculpted, but stays strong. It not only looks great, but will also help prevent injuries later and allow us to stay more funtional.

Here’s how I suggest completing this workout:

On Cardio Day:
Warm-Up: 5-10 minutes
Ab workout: Complete each exercise listed below once, then go back to the beginning and repeat! Do this ab circuit 2-3 times.
Complete your cardio vascular activity : 40 min( intense)
Cool down.

On weight training day:
Warm up : 5-10 min
Complete 1 abdominal exercise after every weight set, before your rest. By the end of your workout, you will have completed an intense ab workout!
Cardio: 30 min: moderate intensity
Cool down

Ab Circuit: Intermediate/ Advanced

Ab Warm Up: Amped-Up Crunches

Don’t forget to do the exercises on both sides!!
For a little extra help to get those abs you really want, try TrueLean Extreme and TrueLean/A.B.S get the number one vitamin and supplements here: :

So start sweating and get your summer-six pack ready!

Dr. Andi

Nutrisearch Comparative Guide

talk GMO! genetically modified foods

by CANNP
Mike Adams of NaturalNews posed a very concerning query: If the biotech industry is so proud of GMO’s (genetically modified foods in particular), why don’t they tout it on food labels?

You would think if it were such a wonderful approach for the general population, that is merrily eating these products without full disclosure, then it would be on all packaging. When transfat was first pinpointed on the nutritional hit list, suddenly no-transfat labels were sprouting everywhere. It is easy to see Mr. Adams point and it should make us wonder.

In the world of Holistic Nutrition, GMO’s are anti-foods — they are not natural but does that make them bad, or just more undesirable for optimal health? The truth is that in addition to the cloud of secrecy referred to above, long term studies have not been conducted so that we really don’t know and understand the long term effects of these products.

But let’s back up. What are genetically modified foods and how do they become GMO?

According to the Natural Standards database, scientists have been experimenting with foods, “modifying”, “enhancing” or “improving” the organisms natural traits since the 1990’s. There are 4 methods in which this is achieved and all involve altering the plant or animal by manipulating the genes or DNA.

The Health Canada website provides the following definitions:

Genetically Modified organisms, animal, plant or bacterium, are those which have had genetic material altered through any method.

Genetically Engineered organisms have been genetically modified using techniques that permit the direct transfer or removal of the organism’s genes.

The United States is the largest producer of genetically modified foods (GMF), signed under the international trade agreement for labeling GMF. As exporters they must label these foods so that importing countries can decide whether they want to purchase or not. Once imported, the importing nation can decide about their own labeling. (Natural Standards. com)

In a recent CTV News segment (March 8, 2012) if was reported that about 70% of goods sold in Canada include GMO ingredients from common crops such as corn, soy and canola, and Canada does not have mandatory GM labeling. The inclusion of GM labeling is voluntary and all but non-existent.

Health Canada holds that there is no known health risk from eating these foods and that they undergo rigorous safety assessments. Currently in Canada mandatory labeling is only put in place if there is a health or safety issue with food and only if it might be mitigated through additional labeling.

Jerry Smith’s recent article, “Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Foods,” states that after reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, renowned biologist Pushpa Bhargava concludes that GMF are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans. At the very least they may be a large contributor to food allergies — how many of your peers had peanut allergies a children?

It may be prudent, as we work toward optimal health, to avoid GMF.

Avoid products including soy, corn, canola, cottonseed and sugar beets. Make olive oil your oil of choice. Make your own salad dressing.

Corn products – corn flakes, corn chips, corn syrup, corn starch and all the rest are best avoided.

Sugar made from sugar beets is less costly than cane sugar and is now being used on many labels. (Take a look at the 3 Simple Rules video about label reading, on our blog.)

There is some talk about those pesky little stickers on your fruit and vegetables. It seems that there is relative consistency in that if the sticker number begins with a 9 that the product is organic. If it begins with an 8 it is GMF but that is much more inconsistent and less reliable.

One might conclude then, that we have to become our own advocate in avoiding GMF until Health Canada decides this is a cause worth pursuing — until studies prove that GMO are a detriment to health.

HIIT Circuit Training for Maximum Fat Loss

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training…If you’re familiar with circuit training, it involves timed intervals between different exercises which can also be effective if done with the proper weight and intensity…I’ve developed my own fat loss, muscle building program that incorporates both HITT Training and Circuit training all in one… It is beneficial for both men and women. It’s challenging but very effective.
In this program… you will not only be harnessing the muscle-building and metabolism-stimulating power of intense, full-set weight training, you will also be incorporating the great calorie-burning effects of cardiovascular training. Most circuit training programs now are timed with a short period of rest and is light weight, higher reps…this program is definitely different than the typical circuit training workout.
The proper combination of the two styles (weights and cardio) into one workout is, quite simply, phenomenal for fat burning.
In order to use HIIT Circuit Training for maximum fat loss, you will need access to both weight equipment and cardio equipment (and/or benches or stairs), preferably located in fairly close proximity to each other.
This type of training is harder to do in a crowded gym as it will involve you moving back and forth quickly between different pieces of equipment. If someone is waiting to use your cardio machine the moment you step off, it will defeat the purpose of the workout. This technique is best used in a fairly uncrowded gym where you have more freedom to use equipment or, better yet, in a home gym with weights and cardio equipment and no one waiting for anything!
But, if you do work out in a crowded gym, I will tell you exactly how to get around it.
How The Training Works:
• Essentially, this is a combined circuit/interval training.
• You will be going back and forth between your weight-training exercises and one cardio exercise for the duration of the workout.
• Your rest period for weights will be your cardio, and your rest period for cardio will be your weights.
• You will be doing some sort of activity for your entire workout without any break so be sure to have a towel and water bottle handy.
Why is this type of workout so effective?
• It forces your body to burn calories and fat continuously during the workout without rest.
• It utilizes resistance training and cardio training so you get all the benefits of both in one workout which saves you time…
• By forcing your body to work like this, you dramatically increase your metabolism leading to increased fat burning long after the workout even when you are at rest!
• It saves time—you get both your weights and cardio in the same amount of time as your regular workout.
• You will still be able to use heavy weights if you wish in your weight training, helping preserve muscle mass…you also have the option to do a lighter weight and higher reps especially if you are a woman who is just looking to tone muscle.
Step 1 – Preparation
Take time to be prepared and set everything up before you start…this will help you to have a smooth workout without any hassles. The less time you spend on preparation during your workout itself, the more effective that workout will be, especially since you want to be continually active throughout the workout. You can use any type of cardio that is convenient and enjoyable to you, be it a machine, stair stepping, or skipping rope.
If you are working out in a crowded gym, try to claim an area for yourself and focus on dumbbell exercises. You won’t have to wait in line to use any weight machines that way.
If you don’t have access to convenient cardio machines, you’re going to have to go low-tech. You’ll need to do stair-stepping (stepping up two stairs then back down works well), bench-stepping (step up onto a flat bench or Step platform then back down), or rope-jumping (be sure you’re not close to anyone if you choose this). These approaches work just as well as cardio machines and allow you to perform this training style in a busier setting.
Step 2 – Warm up
Do a few minutes of low-intensity cardio as a warm-up. You may wish to do a few light sets of a few of the exercises you’ll be working with before you start into it…remember this is just your warm up…don’t tire yourself out in the first few minutes…
Step 3 – Start with 30 to 45 seconds of moderate intensity cardio
This could be setting a stair machine to a level that is not easy but is not so challenging you’re going to exhaust yourself right away. Watch the timer on your machine and go for approximately 30-45 seconds.
If you are using a machine such as a treadmill or stair machine that you will leave on with the timer running, just watch the time counter on the machine and keep track of when you get on it to get the designated period. You can also use your own stopwatch or timer on your watch to keep track. Start the timer when you start the cardio.

Step 4 – Do a set of weights.
Go as quickly as you can to your first exercise. Do a set of the first exercise on your program for the day. Do this with no rest, going from the cardio immediately to the weights. Do all your reps until you start to approach muscular failure.
Also, be very sure to use proper form and tempo when lifting the weights. NEVER rush your weight sets—perform them with the same form and speed as you would if you were doing a regular set in your training. Fast, sloppy or improper weight sets are NOT what we’re looking for here…as this could lead to injury. Always be sure to use proper form and technique!
Step 5 – Go back to the cardio ASAP without rest
Get back to the cardio and do another 30-45 seconds of moderate-intensity cardio. You don’t have to do the same type of cardio each time…you can mix it up if you wish!
Step 6 – Repeat the cycle for the duration of the workout.
You will be going back and forth continuously between cardio and your weight-training exercises, using the cardio as the rest period between your weight sets. During this intense workout, you’ll be burning calories and fat throughout the duration and long after you’re done!
Take Note:
• As you improve your cardio ability, you can choose to increase the intensity of your cardio training between sets. You may wish to start at a lower level and gradually increase the resistance over the course of the workout or start at a higher level and keep it there. Over time, you may wish to increase your cardio time to 60-90 second intervals!
• This Workout Technique can be used with nearly any form of cardio exercise as long as it is convenient to go back and forth with the weights. The real key here is to maintain activity for the entire workout.
• Keep your workouts to no more than 45 minutes at the very most when doing this type of training…as It’s extremely demanding and you’ll be working every major energy system in your body.
Lynn Callaghan

11 most toxic ingredients in vaccines and their toxic side effects:

from natural news:

Nazi convicted mass murderers became executives for major U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical companies
Fritz ter Meer, found guilty of slavery and mass murder at Auschwitz, served only seven years in prison and became Chairman of the Board at Bayer in 1956. Still trust U.S. vaccines?

Carl Krauch, Executive Member of IG Farben and Head of Military Economics for Hitler, found guilty of slavery and mass murder, served just 6 years in prison, then became Chairman of the Board for BASF in 1952. Still want to get those flu shots? How about that HPV shot for your daughter or son?

This is the same vaccine industry today which protected and employed Nazi war criminals. The very industry that produced the Nazi gas chambers was purchased by Bayer. So, exactly whom are you trusting with your children’s health and welfare?

Currently, the U.S. Government and the CDC rely solely on the manufacturers of vaccines to report problems, injuries and deaths. This atrocity is like letting murderers be their own judges in court! Where are the checks and balances this country was founded upon? Vaccines have economic and political agendas now, and the FDA does absolutely no testing of their own before making decisions to release vaccines to the masses.

Want more research before you or your child get injected with a new concocted disease for which there is no cure? Listen to stunning admissions by vaccine industry experts, including Dr. Maurice Hilleman (formerly w/Merck), who admitted to the deadly nature of the most trusted vaccines. (http://www.naturalnews.com/033584_Dr_Maurice_Hilleman_SV40.html)

Today’s vaccines not only contain live versions of the diseases you DO NOT WANT, but also contain GMOs, hormones from infected cows, pigs, chickens and monkeys, untested virus combinations (like H1N1), aluminum, mercury, emulsifiers, and crossbred bacteria from animals, mosquitoes, and diseased humans:

Measles Live Virus Vaccine: (Attenuvax) Made by Merck. Two injections are given; one at 1 year and another at 4 years old. Contains gelatin, sorbitol, sodium chloride, bovine cow serum, egg protein and human albumin.

Measles and Mumps Live Virus Vaccine: (M-M-Rvax) Made by Merck. Injected into one year old babies. Contains gelatin, sorbitol, sodium chloride, bovine cow serum, and human albumin.

Diptheria, Tetanus and Polio Vaccine: Five injections given between 2 and 6 years of age, plus boosters “recommended” every 10 years. Contains formaldehyde, phenoxyethanol and aluminum phosphate.

DTaP, IPV, HBV and Hib*: (Diphtheria, tetanus, polio, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B) Given to infants 2 to 12 months with boosters less than a year later. Contains aluminum hydroxide, formaldehyde, and bovine cow serum.

Gardasil HPV: Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Made by Merck. “Recommended” 3 intramuscular injections; given at birth, 2 and 6 months of age. Re-administered to children as young as 9 years of age for a rare sexually transmitted disease. Contains polysorbate 80, sodium chloride, aluminum, and a “denatured” (fragmented and weakened) form of the virus.

Toxic vaccine ingredients and their adverse effects:
• Bovine cow serum: Extracted from cow skin. When injected causes connective tissue disorders, arthritis and lupus; also shortness of breath, low blood pressure, chest pain and skin reactions.

• Sorbitol: Synthetic sweetener which metabolizes very slowly and aggravates IBS and gastrointestinal issues.

• Gelatin: Derived from the collagen inside animals’ skin and bones. Injecting gelatin poses the risk of infection from synthetic growth hormones and BSE infectivity (mad cow disease).

• Sodium chloride: Raises blood pressure and inhibits muscle contraction and growth.

• Egg protein: Vaccines are prepared in eggs (certainly not organic). May contain growth hormones, antibiotics, and salmonella bacteria.

• Thimerosal: A neurotoxic mercury which causes autism: There are 25 mcg in one average flu vaccine, and the EPA safety limit is 5 micrograms, so children who are vaccinated simultaneously with multiple* vaccines receive over 10 times the safety limit of mercury in one day.

• Human albumin: The protein portion of blood from pooled human venous plasma; when injected causes fever, chills, hives, rash, headache, nausea, breathing difficulty, and rapid heart rate. Injecting “pooled blood” can result in a loss of body cell mass and cause immunodeficiency virus infection, or contain SV40, AIDS, cancer or Hepatitis B from drug addicts.

• Formaldehyde: Highly carcinogenic fluid used to embalm corpses. Ranked one of the most hazardous compounds to human health; can cause liver damage, gastrointestinal issues, reproductive deformation, respiratory distress and cancer. Plus, formaldehyde has been known to fail to deactivate the virus the vaccine is intended to cure, thus enabling a live virus to enter your blood and infect your system.

• Phenoxyethanol: A glycol ether/chemical; highly toxic to the nervous system, kidneys, and liver. The FDA warns “can cause shut down of the central nervous system (CNS), vomiting and contact dermatitis” in cosmetics; imagine when injected into your blood.

• Aluminum phosphate: Greatly increases toxicity of mercury, so caution about minimum mercury tolerance is therefore severely underestimated. CDC scientists and all doctors are well aware of this.

• MSG (monosodium glutamate): When injected becomes a neurotoxin, causing CNS disorders and brain damage in children.

If you especially enjoy being lied to, visit vaccinateyourbaby.org, where they tell you formaldehyde is safe because it is “present in the environment and is a byproduct of metabolism, so it is already present in the human body.” They also inform you that aluminum is good for you, because “[a]luminum is also commonly found in food, water, infant formula and even breast milk.” Hey, if it’s in the environment, it must be safe to inject into your veins (so why not use snake venom, bleach, and plutonium?).

Want the ultimate alternative to vaccines that prevents disease? Buy organic vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and enzymes! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH6N7tHGsi8)

Sources for this article include:

http://www.naturalnews.com/033584_Dr_Maurice_Hilleman_SV40.html

http://vaxtruth.org

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~baustin/trials3.html

http://www.novaccine.com/vaccine-ineffectiveness/

http://www.novaccine.com/pdffiles/gardasil_information_HPV.pdf

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/components-MMR.htm

http://www.fda.gov/cber/efoi/approve.htm

http://www.tetrahedron.org

http://www.supernutrient.com/articles/fibromyalgia/taf.html

http://www.whale.to/b/nazi_allopathy.html

http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/about/ingredients.cfm

http://heinonline.org

http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/mad_cow.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035431_vaccine_ingredients_side_effects_MSG.html#ixzz1qmuSqoo0

BUTTER VS MARGARINE

The great debate of butter vs margarine has been a long one but which is better when it comes to your health? Both are high in calories and fat, approximately 35-45 calories per teaspoon. Butter contains cholesterol and saturated fat…margarine contains vegetable oils and to render the oils solid at room temperature, hydrogen is added during processing, creating trans fats. These fats are even more harmful to the heart than saturated fats because they raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL, or “good” cholesterol. Some margarines contain high amounts of trans fats, while some others are free of trans fats so be sure to read your labels carefully!

So what solution is there? Do we avoid margarine and butter all together? No, but try replacing them with healthier options whenever you can. Butter sprays add butter flavor to potatoes, vegetables and other foods without adding many calories. When cooking, use healthy oils such as olive or coconut oil, your body will thank you. When baking, you can cut out the butter or margarine and add applesauce instead. Remember to be practical and use common sense and portion control at all times.

Ten Reasons to Throw out your Microwave Oven

From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens.

1. Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term – permanent – brain damage by “shorting out” electrical impulses in the brain (de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue).
2. The human body cannot metabolize (break down) the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.
3. Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.
4. The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual (long term, permanent) within the human body.
5. Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.
6. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.
7. Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths (tumours). This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in America.
8. The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.
9. Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.
10. Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking by Anthony Wayne and Lawrence Newell.

http://campaignfortruth.com/Eclub/210703/CTM%20-%20microwave.htm

The ideas and suggestions in presented here are not intended as a substitute for appropriate care of a
licensed health care practitioner. They are meant for educational purposes only.

Major Health Crisis?

Stressed out Canadian office workers are becoming “desk potatoes” which is threatening the well being of Canadians. As a nation we need to promote physical activity, wellness and optimal nutrition for all.

The prevalence of obesity is rising quickly for many inactive Canadians, especially those who are juggling family, careers and responsibilities! Many spend their days at their desk, on the computer, on the phone, sitting for 8 hours a day!

We need employers to make physical activity and wellness a priority in their strategic planning so that stress, workplace injuries, absenteeism and benefit claims would decrease! Employers need to boost morale, productivity and job satisfaction with activity and wellness for all.

Physical activity and healthy eating not only reduces the risk for diabetes, heart disease, obesity, stroke, depression, premature death and disability, it will give the private sector a competitive edge.

An inactive person on average costs the health system $300.00 more each year than an active person. (dr. Robert Cushman, spokesman for the Canadian public health association).

Considering that the total cost of dealing with diabetes is 9 billion yearly and that physical activity can reduce the risk factors by 50 %, it’s clear that urgent steps need to be taken.

Many Canadians work through lunch at their desks, we need to encourage them to get out for a noon hour walk or fitness class. Nurturing physical activity at work will produce better workers and better outcomes, a win/win for both employers and employees.

Our public health system is in trouble and we all need to look at the long term of reducing the burden of illness!

So ask your employer for support to start up a lunch hour fitness class, walking club or have some wellness lunch and learn sessions!

To your health!
Lynn Callaghan RHN, PTS, FIS

Adrenal Fatigue and Stress

Excerpted from www.mercola.com
When our body is under stress, circulation moves to the arms, legs and head to give us the energy to run away from a threat. This evolutionary trait is preparing us to think quickly and escape and in this state, oxygen and blood flow are removed from none essential processes such as digestion. We end up with ~
• Decreased nutrient absorption
• Decreased oxygenation to your gut
• As much as four times less blood flow to your digestive system, which leads to decreased metabolism
• Decreased enzymatic output in your gut – as much as 20,000-fold!
Many nutrients are also excreted during stress, particularly:
• Water-soluble vitamins
• Macrominerals
• Microminerals
• Calcium (calcium excretion can increase as much as 60 to 75 mg within an hour of a stressful event)
As if that’s not enough, your cholesterol and triglycerides also go up, while gut flora populations decrease. You’re also more likely to experience increased sensitivity to food and gastroesophageal reflux.
But perhaps most importantly, when your body is under the stress response, your cortisol and insulin levels rise. These two hormones tend to track each other, and when your cortisol is consistently elevated under a chronic low-level stress response, you’ll likely notice that you have difficulty losing weight or building muscle. If your cortisol is chronically elevated, you’ll tend to gain weight around your midsection. Body fat, especially visceral fat (the fat that gathers around your internal organs, around your midsection) is a major contributing factor to developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
When you eat under stress, your body is in the opposite state of where you need to be in order to digest, assimilate nutrients, and burn calories. Practice ‘mindful’ eating and NEVER eat when you’re stressed. It’s best not to eat at all.
Stress also plays a major role in your immune system, and can impact your blood pressure, cholesterol, brain chemistry, blood sugar levels and hormone balance.

Adrenal Exhaustion: ENERGY, WEIGHT LOSS, ALLERGIES and more!

What symptoms do you suffer with?

· Fatigue and lack of energy?

· Weight loss struggles?

· Cravings and low blood sugar?

· Difficulty sleeping?

· Digestive problems?

· Hot flashes, night sweats, PMS

· Mood swings, depression, anxiety?

· Loss of libido?

· Allergies and sinusitis?

· Difficulty concentrating, brain fog or ADD?

…Maybe you suffer with many of the symptoms listed above? Well, you’re not alone because, stress and diet are the two biggest causes of adrenal fatigue, which is the major underlying cause to so many of today’s health complaints.

First, understand that your Adrenal Glands are important to how well you live and how well you feel.

The adrenals glands are primarily known for the production of our stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. But they are literally a hormone factory and significantly affect the function of every tissue, organ and gland. They produce our anti-aging hormone DHEA, our reproductive hormones: estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, as well as aldosterone which regulates our sodium and potassium.

The basic task of your adrenal glands is to rush all your body’s resources into “fight or flight” mode by increasing production of adrenaline and cortisol. The problem occurs when we are constantly in the “fight or flight” mode and we begin to produce too much cortisol and adrenaline.

If you are living your life in constant stress and always on the go, you are constantly in the “fight or flight” mode which triggers your body to burn calories from carbohydrates and proteins (lean muscle), and NOT stored body fats. The constant squeeze on the adrenal glands will cause your heart to race, your blood pressure to increase, your digestion to slow down and your immune system to go on alert. More importantly, it will affect your metabolism, which controls your energy and your ability to lose weight.

However, when the body is in the “resting-digesting” mode, it will burn stored body fats for energy. This is important because you get two and a half times more energy when you burn fats instead of carbohydrates or proteins. This is why it is so important to manage your stress, but you need to know (Identify) where it is coming from and you need to realize that…

Stress is Cumulative…

The effects of stress are cumulative and the more you call on our adrenal glands to produce more cortisol and adrenaline, the faster you deplete your adrenal glands.

Cortisol isn’t a bad hormone, as infomercials want you to believer, but prolonged stress and the constant production of additional cortisol and adrenaline begin to deplete and fatigue your adrenal glands.

Stress is more than worry, fear and anxiety. It is anything that causes your adrenal glands to produce more cortisol and adrenaline. It’s like the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back.” The more stress you tax your adrenal glands with, the more you deplete them and the more you have to nourish them.

A major reason why so many people have a hard time overcoming adrenal fatigue and exhaustion is because they can’t Identify where their stress is coming from…

The Diet Connection…

Your diet is a major contributor to adrenal fatigue and exhaustion and must be addressed! You can’t overcome it by simply swallowing more pills!

Low blood sugar and digestive difficulties cause the adrenals to produce additional cortisol and adrenaline, which results in even more work for the adrenal glands which is added to all the emotional and physical stress in our life.

The adrenals can only handle so much work before they become depleted and you feel the result of adrenal exhaustion.

Cortisol and adrenaline are used to balance your blood sugar when it drops. As your blood sugar drops due to skipped meals, delayed meals, or eating the wrong foods (processed, refined grains and high fructose corn syrup), your adrenals will be forced to produce even more cortisol and adrenaline. This is a big problem! If the adrenals are exhausted and unable to produce enough cortisol or adrenaline then your blood sugar will continue to drop! This brings on the cravings, hypoglycemia, PMS, inability to focus, ADD and weight gain.

It is a vicious cycle that keeps repeating itself and needs to be addressed. You can take all of the supplements you want, but they won’t help your adrenals if you can’t keep your blood sugar stable. This is why you will never restore your adrenal glands if you can’t keep your blood sugar stable!

The Digestion Connection…

Bloating, indigestion, heartburn, reflux or any of the other irritable bowel problems add to the stress on your adrenals.

When your digestive system is irritated and inflamed, your body’s natural response is to eliminate the inflammation. Cortisol, produced by the adrenals, is generated to reduce inflammation. So, the continual irritation in your digestive system causes your adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. This is more work for the adrenal glands and contributes to the overproduction of cortisol and adrenaline racing through your body.

This contributes to the vicious cycle, because elevated levels of cortisol begins to erode the intestinal lining. This leaves you susceptible to hidden food allergies, yeast, fungus, and candida overgrowth. These all contribute to digestive difficulties which further inflames the intestines and causes more work for the adrenal glands.

Physical Stress Connection…

The many sources of physical stress also cause the adrenals to be depleted. Not enough sleep, too much exercise, doing the wrong type of exercise (such as Aerobic exercise that triggers Anaerobic metabolism), joint and back pain, as well as, being overweight are all additional stressors that tax the adrenal glands, which is one more factor to exhausting your adrenal glands!

The Hormone Connection…

Hormonal imbalances associated with progesterone deficiency are also directly tied into the health of the adrenal glands.

When your body is under stress and needs more cortisol, the body may have to direct more of its resources (pregnenolone and progesterone) to make that cortisol. This causes two more problems.

First, a percentage of progesterone is being used to make cortisol. You can NOT make cortisol without progesterone. The adrenal glands literally steal the progesterone, which leads to lower levels of progesterone. This throws off the balance of progesterone to estrogen. This affects fertility, PMS, hot flashes, night sweats. This is significant problem for women in pre- and post- menopausal stages, when hormone production becomes highly dependent on the adrenal glands!

Secondly, it reduces the available pregnenolone that is needed to produce DHEA, testosterone and estrogen which means it produces less of the anti-aging hormone (DHEA), testosterone and estrogen. The adrenals simply don’t have enough resources to produce enough cortisol and our sex hormones and a major reason for low testosterone for both men and women and a main cause of loss of libido.

The bottom line? You simply cannot live without your adrenals and the hormones they produce. And how well you live and feel depends a great deal on how well your adrenal glands function!

The more stress in your life, the more you tax your adrenal glands! Stress originates in multiple areas, including emotional stress, blood sugar imbalances, digestive difficulties and physical stress. And all of this stress builds up over time and it has a cumulative affect! The adrenal glands are involved in multiple functions of your body:

· Metabolism

· Blood sugar and cravings

· Digestion and elimination

· Thyroid

· Reproductive hormones

· Mood and chemical imbalances

· Blood pressure and heart health

· Immune system (allergies, infections, etc.)

· Liver and detoxification centers

As you can see, when your adrenal glands aren’t functioning properly, it affects so many areas of your health and can form a vicious cycle.

CAUTION: It’s more than simply lowering cortisol…it’s about nourishing those exhausted adrenal glands.

Stress and the Aging Process

Is your body Building up or Breaking down? The body is always in a continual state of re-building and tearing down. The rebuild phase is called “anabolic” and the tearing down phase is called “catabolic.” One key to staying healthy is to make sure your body is doing more rebuilding than it is tearing down. When the body is in a more `catabolic’ state – it’s wearing down. People who struggle with adrenal exhaustion, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other degenerative, chronic health problems find themselves in a more catabolic state.

Cortisol and adrenaline are both considered to be catabolic hormones, meaning they break things down. While hormones like DHEA, testosterone, insulin and growth hormones are considered to be anabolic hormones and are needed to begin the rebuild and growth process.

The constant production of cortisol and adrenaline keeps us in that catabolic state which affects our overall health. This is why stress ages us and cause us to wear down and deterioriate faster. When we manage our stress and aren’t over-producing cortisol and adrenaline we allow our body to make DHEA, testosterone and the other growth hormones that keep us healthy. But when we are always running from the saber-tooth tiger, needing quick energy to fight or flight, we shut-down our anabolic growth hormones. This prevents us from repairing and rebuilding our body, which affects our overall health.

The key is to balance those stress hormones. Not everyone’s stress hormones are too high as infomercials want us to believe. Which means NOT everyone should be taken something that is only going to lower cortisol.

If you have been under constant stress for a prolonged period of time you may have reached that point where your adrenal glands aren’t making enough of your stress hormones. This is why nourishing those adrenal glands with specific nutrients known as adaptogenic herbs can help balance out those hormones. They can lower the production if they are too high and raise the production if they are too low. Some of the most researched adaptogenic herbs are ashwagandha, rhodiola, cordyceps and ginseng.

Products that simply focus on neutralizing cortisol may be doing more harm than good. They indiscriminately lower cortisol levels when they may already be too low! Also, many of these products do absolutely nothing to help nourish and replenish your adrenal glands. Simply put, they attempt to treat the symptoms (often unsuccessfully), not the source of the problem!

Here’s the solution:

Support and replenish your adrenals with adaptogenic herbs for example

Identify where your stress is coming from….use the online health quizzes!

Stop doing the things that are depleting and exhausting your adrenal glands:

· It is too much mental stress?

· Are you skipping meals or eating the wrong foods that throw your blood sugar off?

· Do you eat foods that irritate and inflame your digestive system?

· Too much exercise? Not enough sleep? Poor nutrition?

We have found that people with mild to severe cases of adrenal fatigue can see significant improvement through a few simple steps that will help support and replenish the adrenal glands.

You will see dramatic improvements as you begin to restore normal function back to your adrenal glands.

So start today with these few small steps and you’ll begin to feel and see the difference almost immediately. But don’t wait because you will really love the way you feel when your adrenals are functioning well!

Modified from source: http://natratech.com/Solutions/adrenal_exhaustion.htm

What you need to know about the autonomic nervous system

The Greek doctor Parmenides is quoted,give me the power to create fever in an ill person,
and I shall be able to cure any disease!” Fever is one of the most powerful healing tools in
nature because it activates the human defense system and viruses and bacteria die easier in
high temperatures. Above all, fever gives the autonomic regulation new impulses.
This is called „conversion” and one can notice that a feverish patient who is at first pale and
freezing, gets a better circulation through his fever, and his hands and feet start to get warm.
The patient relaxes and falls into deep sleep, thus allowing his healing system to work.
But not only in feverish diseases, but in the majority of all diseases the autonomic regulation
plays an important role. This is especially true for acute diseases that go along with pain,
dizziness, unrest or other sensible symptoms. Generally it can be said that whenever a patient
feels uneasy, it`s the autonomic regulation that plays the key role. If the therapist can mange
to rebalance the autonomic regulation – just like fever can – he has an important tool towards
well-being and health.
Before I talk about the therapy of the autonomic regulation, I want to explain the function and
meaning of the autonomic regulation a little more in detail. The autonomic nervous system
steers the organism in a subtle and unconscious way, and has its capital in the hypothalamus.
From there the body is regulated automatically. You can compare it to the air-condition in a
car. The autonomic regulation leads to proper organ functions inside our body. Practically all
functions that aren`t influenced by will- power are steered by the autonomic system, like
heart-beat rate, digestion, skin temperature, blood pressure and sleep. The autonomic
regulation is active, too, when you think in terms of reproduction or emotions.
The autonomic regulation consists of two poles that mark extremes: The sympathicus and the
parasympathicus (called „vagus”). In our daily lives we always swing like a pendulum
between these two poles. While daytime is controlled mainly by an active sympathicus, the
parasympathicus is active during the night. You can spot sympathicus action by: fast pulse,
high blood pressure, fast metabolic system, pale and wet skin, inner tenseness and unrest.
If the parasympathicus is active you will find the contrary, such as slow heart beat, low blood
pressure, slow metabolism, dry skin, a need to rest and sleep, feeling tired, cramps of the
intestines and constriction in the lungs.
If someone is healthy, the autonomic regulation swings like a pendulum from one pole to the
other. This leads to a feeling of well-being, joy and health. But if the autonomic regulation
remains in one position – like an air condition heating too much or cooling too much – we
begin to feel uneasy. The more time we are out of autonomic balance, the more the functions
of the body are disturbed and after some time the first symptoms will show. The following
graphic can show this well:
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Sympathicus Parasympathicus
Stress relaxation
Day activity sleep- night
Adrenalin Acetylcholin
Coloured region=
Harmony – Well-being
Health and well-being depends directly on the proper functions of the autonomic nervous
system. If we have too few challenges from the outer world, we become dull and passive –
and before long this will turn into its contrary – cramps and tensions. People in a
parasympathic condition are mainly tired, suffer from fatigue, loss of interests and a tendency
to sleep, but also cramps in the inner organs like the intestines, leading to constipation can
occur. The head muscles are tense and lead to tension headaches. If you look at these persons,
you will find narrow pupils (miosis), dry skin, tired faces and symptoms like gastric ulcers,
gallbladder cramps, constipation, low blood pressure, slow heartbeat etc. The other edge is
the sympathic condition where you will find nervousness, hectic and alertness. Those persons
do not want to rest or sleep, they have a tendency to suffer from diarrhoea, high blood
pressure and high pulse. The characteristic signs are wide pupils as well as wet skin and a
nervous and hectic appearance.
The reasons for autonomic dysregulation
If the autonomic nervous system doesn`t work properly, one used to put it in terms like
„autonomic malbalance” or „appearing- like- somatic- symptom”. Many persons who are
diagnosed like this, feel misunderstood, and are treated as if they didn`t want to work, or take
advantage of being “out of order”. If a doctor has no clinical findings in his blood tests, the xray
or other, the patient is diagnosed with „autonomic malfunction”. Many doctors feel that
there are emotional reasons behind, and they advise their patients to do psychotherapy and
normalize their life-style. This means doing exercise, no smoking or drinking, going to bed
early and meditation or relaxation.
For the majority of all patients these advices bring about even more distress – because they
feel pushed in the wrong direction, and feel uncomfortable with this kind of treatment.
From my holistic experience – treating persons in a way of natural healing for many years
now – the patients are perfectly right! The advices of conventional medicine aim in the wrong
direction, when it comes to autonomic malfunctions. This is why I want to explain about the
real causes for autonomic malfunctions.
The most important cause are hidden emotional conflicts, that are below the patient`s
conscious mind, and only appear on the surface by psychoenergetic blocks. This is why most
of the patients think that their symptoms can`t be caused by emotional reasons – simply
because they are beyond the reach of their conscousness. These emotional conflicts are deeply
subconscious and can hardly be put in words by the patients. This is a perfect explanation, too
why most patients dislike the traditional “talking psychotherapy”.
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Disturbances in the psychoenergetic field lead to malfunction of the chakras and finally to
autonomic disturbances. Then the circle is closed, and we can understand clearly how
autonomic malfunctions come into action. When we use the testsystem “Psychosomatic
Energetics”, we can find the disturbed chakra and the connected emotional conflict within
minutes. We can dissolve them in only weeks with the help of specifically designed complex
homeopathic remedies, the socalled “chakra remedies” and “emotional remedies”. Much to
our surprise most of the patients begin to talk about the emotional background of their
diseases after such a treatment. It seems as if the remedies open the door to the subconscious
mind and melt away the blocks– and only then a psychotherapy can really be effective and
“come to the point”.
The other important causes for autonomic malfunctions are geopathic stress, foci, like chronic
infections in the sinuses, and disturbances of organ functions, like the digestional system with
intestines, gallbladder, pancreas or stomach. For testing these organs, I use the “organ testkit”
(Rubimed company) to find out the muscle reaction to different vials. Further examinations
like neuraltherapy and testing the reflexes serve to support my findings. Sometimes I even
need specialists in clinical examination, e.g. in cases of chronic infections in the tonsils that
need surgery. I want to give a few examples why these hidden causes can lead to autonomic
dysbalance. Everyone knows cases of „bad stomach” due to a meal that was intoxicated by
bacteria (salmonella etc). These bacteria disturb the healthy bacteria in the intestines very fast,
and lead to vomiting and diarrhoea. If bad bacteria in the intestines become chronic, they
irritate the autonomic balance and lead to a feeling of unease. Geopathic stress disturbs our
sleeping patterns heavily, causing a feeling of constant fatigue and tiredness. Chronic
infections of the sinuses lead to the miserable feeling of having a constant cold, wearing out a
patient and making him feel sick. Patients usually comprehend in an instant why a certain
autonomic malfunction has led to the disease they suffer from. It doesn`t take studies at the
university, but a practical mind and understanding is enough to get the message.
Because medicine doesn`t have objective testing methods for these malfunctions, many
humans are diagnosed wrongly and are classified as „autonomic malfunction” even though
they suffer from geopathic stress or a focus – and could be helped, if only one knew. This is
where holistic healing has its main place. According to the sentence, “the one who heals, is
the one who is right…” the holistic therapist has to keep an eye on all these hidden causes for
illness. The tighter we come to the real cause at the beginning of the disease, the better the
results will be. Finally autonomic malfunctions will disappear, and the patient will regain his
health – and well-being.
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In many cases it`s not sufficient to detect and treat the real cause of an autonomic disturbance,
it`s also necessary to give the patient instant relief in acute crisis. The most simple treatment
is to remove the autonomic block and bring the autonomic pendulum back to swing again. In
acute diseases like common cold, pain, unease or vertigo it`s often enough to rebalance the
autonomic regulation in order to achieve fast and good results.
My colleague Dr. Ernst Hartmann, the discoverer of the global cosmic net (also called
Hartmann net), had understood this important law for healers, and in the sixties he invented
„Polyxan blau” (for treating sympathicus) and „Polyxan gelb” (for treating the Vagus). These
homeopathic remedies are made from meadow grasses that grow on geopathically disturbed
spots. Nowadays there are two new homeopathic remedies called „Simvita” (for treating
sympathicus) and „Paravita” (for treating the vagus), and they show wunderful results, much
faster and stronger than the ones I had before. If you test the pulse rate and look at the pupil of
your patient, you can easily find out which one of the two he or she will need. You can test
these remedies as vials in a muscle test, too. If e.g. the arm gets weak when stressed with
„Simvita”, the patient will need exactly this medication to rebalance his autonomic regulation,
and feel well again.
In acute cases the dosage is 10 drops per hour, and can be reduced to three times 10 drops
daily,as soon as the patient feels better. Hartmann advised to take 40 drops in a glass of water,
and drink a zip every 5 to 10 minutes until the client feels relief. Sensitive persons feel the
relief even in minutes. You can use “Simvita” and “Paravita” in practically all cases of acute
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diseases that you would normally treat with natural remedies, like common cold. I could feel
the effects myself, when I caught a cold, and healed it within one day with Simvita.
You can also use Simvita or „Polyxan blau” wherever sympathicus regulation is out of
balance – starting from tachycardias to nervousness and anxieties (where you can combine it
perfectly with „anxiovita” – another wonderful homeopathic remedy especially designed for
all kinds of anxieties). I learnt from a colleague that she even treated a patient`s hypertensive
crisis with Simvita – and was successful. Paravita and Polyxan gelb respectively, are good for
all vagotonic conditions, like weakness, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, and low blood pressure.
Other classical indications are chronic pains and diseases that go along with cramps and
tensions.
Outlook
Any therapy that leads to relief and bettering of symptoms, almost automatically rebalances
the autonomic regulation. If you do an acupuncture, a massage or prescribe a fitting remedy,
you will always get autonomic balance, if you have pushed the right buttons. The important
point is that we get a better understanding for the connections between psychoenergy and
physiology, and that we use the tools we have in the best possible way. Better understanding
will lead to medical treatment that is both holistic and deep-going, and converts the patient in
his whole physical-emotional and mental being.
Conversion means:
?? That autonomic polarity is turned into ist opposite by therapeutic means,
?? The patient comes back into a state of harmony and
?? Life force begins to flow again, and healing mechanisms can start.
But conversion is even more, as any experienced therapist knows. The patient`s whole
existence begins to change, and many persons develop, and open up, speaking in emotional
terms, they become friendlier and regain hope. Healing diseases and healing the mi nd and
spirit in a religious sense are tightly connected, and the full range of results can only be seen if
we really manage to bring our patients to a holistic conversion. The best way to do so, is, as I
tried to show, finding the real causes, treating them and aiming at the autonomic balance.
Translation: Dr.med.Ulrike Banis M.D.
Where you can get the remedies:
1. Polyan blau, gelb, grün (Mixture of blau/gelb): Fa.Ritsert/ Eberbach (Germany)
2. Organtestkit, Simvita, Paravita, Neurovita and Anxiovita test vials :
Fa. Rubimed AG Grossmatt 3 CH 6052 Hergiswil, Switzerland
The author`s address:
Reimar Banis MD, ND
General practicioner, Holistic health
Rathausstrasse 11
A-6900 Bregenz (Lake Constance)
e-mail: drbanis@hotmail.com