It is now recognized that metabolic cardiovascular disease and Type II Diabetes are diseases that have clear connection to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism dysfunction or mitochondrial dysfunction. These metabolic diseases not only lead to inflammation and insulin resistance but are also related to cardiovascular health.  Oxidative stress and its end result play important roles in mitochondrial dysfunction, and there is growing evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction may be a relevant intermediate link by which cardiovascular risk and insulin resistance progress. Scientific studies using kudzu and other herbs, for the treatment of relevant mitochondrial diseases through anti-ROS/RNS mechanisms, showed positive results for kudzu, moreover, the herbs had anti-fatigue, and other positive side effects.

Further collaborative studies define the active phytochemical compositions of kudzu have helped bridge the gap between traditional medicine and modern biomedical medicine, suggesting kudzu root as an effective medicine for the management of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.  Collectively, these findings suggest that kudzu reduces the severity of hepatic lipoprotein production and secretion.  Present cell culture findings may explain why circulating VLDL and LDL levels were attenuated in animals supplemented with kudzu.  Since decreasing the production and secretion of atherogenic lipoproteins decreases the risk of development of cardiovascular disease, diets supplemented with kudzu root may provide a safe, effective and beneficial cardio-protective effects in humans.

Cellular studies of puerarin, a main isoflavone glycoside in kudzu, showed inhibitory activity on free radical induced cell damage.  The research indicated that kudzu inhibited the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potentials.  In addition, kudzu also reduced toxin exposure damage.  The above results suggest that pretreatment of cells with kudzu could block toxin-induced damage through the mitochondria.

Our product eNRG, is specifically designed to support both mitochondrial energy production and mitochondrial stability and biogenesis.  Kudzu was added to eNRG with the direct intention to support the mitochondrial function.  Through studies like these we can understand and build the most advanced cellular formulas.

Curr Diabetes Rev. 2008 Nov;4(4):320-8; Herbal and traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular complications in diabetes mellitus; Ceylan-Isik AF, Fliethman RM, Wold LE, Ren J. ;Center for Cardiovascular Research and Alternative Medicine, University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.

Protection by puerarin against MPP+-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells mediated by inhibiting mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase-3-like activation; Bo J, Ming BY, Gang LZ, Lei C, Jia AL; School of Environmental and Biological Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China.

The effect of Puerariae radix on lipoprotein metabolism in liver and intestinal cells; Jeong-Sook Lee¹, John Mamo², Nerissa Ho² and Sebely Pal^2*

Phytother Res. 2009 May;23(5):701-6.\; Protective effect of daidzin against D-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide-induced hepatic failure in mice; Kim SH, Heo JH, Kim YS, Kang SS, Choi JS, Lee SM; College of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi, Korea.

We all know the ‘exercise and eat right’ theory and how given the right amount of ‘this’ will give you the right amount of ‘that’.  Well, the dilemma is that it doesn’t always work and as I’ve done a lot of my own private research, experimenting, and doing, and once again has hit a plateau, it’s a butt-kicker getting nudged off it.  There is a percentage of people out there that would like the few extra body fat percentages to just go away and melt into oblivion, maybe tone up just a little more, and see a couple less pounds on the scale.  We may not be the average person, we are what I believe to be a smaller percentage of people, but nonetheless, we exist.  We exercise multiple times a week, eat well, don’t have a whole lot of anything “nasty and bad” to cut out of our diets, include many veggies in our daily diet, eat few grains, paleo-type diets (Pro-Vita! or Cellular Healing Diet) experiment with a variety of different workouts & exercises, etc, but to no avail.  We even supplement to boost our thyroids, just in case they are “under working” and help balance our hormones, just in case those are problematic and not assisting our fat burning metabolisms!

I’ve discovered that there is no one answer that is “the ticket” for every person!  This is me being honest, after asking, researching and chatting with real people, in real life, dealing with these real plateau issues – I now know many!  And another realization I have had is that most of us are comparing ourselves to some kind of ideal that is out there in the world of human bodies, female or male.  I have been researching the realities of these people, the ripped, cut bodies of “fitness”.  I have discovered that most of these people, like the body builders, bikini fitness competitors, elite athlete types are generally doing all kinds of “unnatural” things to themselves to look the way they do, and it is only for a moment in time that we see them, not realizing that they do not look like this all the time.  There are crazy diets they go on, take “de-water” pills to strip their bodies of the possible 10-20 pounds of water that the average human contains to appear more cut, or like a famous Olympic female swimmer, become bulimic in an attempt to reduce her weight for competition in the last Olympics.  Don’t even get me started on Photoshop and fat burners!

I do understand that there are genetic phenoms that are quite naturally ripped and/or toned – and boy, do I take my hat off to them, and I DO NOT underestimate the amount of hours some athletes put into training to get the bodies they have – the difference I have begun to make is that I used to think that was how it happened, getting the beautiful, toned, ripped, cut body: hard workouts, longer workouts, eat well!  NO!  That is not generally the case – I’ve realized that most of us compare our everyday selves to “moment in time” shots of people and think that is what we can/want to look like everyday!  Real bodies go through cycles and phases, just like everything else in nature – why do we think we are any different?  I realize a little more patience and love is required here!

In general, most of us do not get to train 6+ hours a day, on average, amidst the rest of life happening, therefore we need to make what we can do count and enjoy it as much as possible, and realize that we are real human bodies & beings doing our best to be healthy, fit, strong, real people!  I know a few things now: doing is better than not doing, do what you can when you can, don’t beat yourself up, say kind words to yourself about yourself, no longer compare yourself to the “moments in time” images we are flooded with daily – they are not like that everyday either, practice love, work hard and sweat when you can, and do what feels right when it feels good to do it – let your body and soul guide you on your way!  They know best & always have and won’t let you down if you give them a chance!

I will keep you posted on this new tactic in the quest for the ultimate health and wellness!  Here’s to those ripped, cut, and the rest of us!

• 1 KYRO
• 1 MIN
• 1 N3 – Relaxa
• 1 N – Nerve
• 2 Epic
• 2 ROX
• 1 Wood Tonify (Especially if patient is edgy and irritable)

EE applied topically to affected area, 3-4 times a day

Take regimen 3 times a day

If patient can lie down comfortably in a tub, she/he should soak daily in a 20-minute bath of comfortably warm water with 4-5 cups Epsom salts and 1 cup baking soda.  This is a transdermal application of magnesium, bypassing the liver and allowing a direct dose of magnesium to the tissues, rather than through the degradation of the digestive tract.

Have patient consume nutritious, rather bland soups, made from organic, grass-fed bones and replete with dark, leafy greens, a splash of apple cider vinegar or organic wine, a little onion, some carrots, and seasoned with Celtic sea salt.  This will nourish the muscles and sinews while relieving the body of the energetic need to digest foods—soups are a pre-digestion of foods for a healing body.  Keeping the soup rather bland doesn’t further stimulate an already challenged nervous system.  Onions are replete in sulfur-bearing, joint-nourishing compounds.  The carrots will give a little carbohydrate boost to the body.  The marrow bones will be a rich source of minerals, glucosamine, chondroitin, collagen and healthy saturated fats.  Vinegar or wine will allow the minerals in the bone to be released into the broth, making them bioavailable to the body.  The greens (kale or chard are great choices) are also a terrific source of magnesium, a needed nutrient for muscle relaxation.

The patient should remove refined grains and sugars from the diet, as well as vegetable oils.  Butter, tallow, coconut oil and a little flax oil should be used instead.

The patient should also decrease any caffeine or alcohol consumption, and should drink room temperature, filtered water with a pinch of Celtic sea salt in each glass.

Healing and recovery phase:

• 1 ROX
• 1 Epic
• 1 Vista
• 1 eNRG
• 1 KYRO
• 1 MIN
• 1 ACP

Take regimen 2-3 times a day for at least one week past full recovery

Patient should apply mild heat to the affected area before the day’s activities begin, allowing the tissues to warm up and loosen.

The dietary recommendations listed above should be carried forward to decrease inflammatory responses and improve cellular health.  Incorporation of organic, grass-fed organs and muscle meats, pastured eggs and cultured and fermented foods (raw sauerkraut, whole-fat, plain yogurt, raw cheeses, etc.) will also be excellent sources of minerals, vitamins and digestion-supporting enzymes and probiotics.

Sarica Cernohous, L.Ac., MSTOM

www.naturallylivingtoday.com

I have made this salad numerous times and it is amazing!!!  Feel free to add this on top of romaine lettuce too, and I don’t use the anchovies, but feel free if you want to! Enjoy this great summer salad.  (I think I got inspired thinking about our fabulous Systemic Cruise we are taking in September, mostly around the Greek Isles!)

The Mediterranean countries are all olive-oil producers, and each country, even each region within a country, has its own style of oil. Oils from Greece tend to be rich yet mellow. Tuscan oils are distinctly peppery, while Sicilian oils are “big” and earthy. Olive oils from the south coast of France are buttery. Whenever possible, choose oils that match the style of a dish, with lighter, milder oils for delicate salads, vegetables or fish. More robust olive oils pair well with sturdier vegetables, anchovies, garlic, dark greens and red meats.

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 cucumbers
• 2 red onions
• 1⁄2 lb. feta cheese
• 1 garlic clove
• 3⁄4 cup Kalamata olives
• 6 anchovy fillets (optional)
• 2 Tbs. capers, rinsed
• 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh dill
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1⁄3 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Seed the bell peppers and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Stem the cherry tomatoes and halve one-half of them, leaving the others whole. Peel and thickly slice the cucumbers, and thinly slice the red onions. Cut the feta cheese into 1-inch cubes. Crush and mince the garlic clove.

In a large bowl, combine the bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta cheese, olives, anchovies and capers and toss together.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, dill, oregano, salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to make a thick dressing. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss and serve immediately. Serves 8.

Variation Tips: For a more formal presentation, arrange the bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta cheese, olives and anchovies on a platter. Sprinkle the capers over all the ingredients and pour the dressing over the top. Or, try sliced large tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes. Line the platter with lettuce leaves or young spinach leaves to make a bed for the other ingredients.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Salad, by Georgeanne Brennan (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

Clean Eating BBQ Sauce

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce – no sugar added
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste – no sugar added
1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce OR Bragg’s Amino’s
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
4 tbsp. unsulfured molasses
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and mix well using a whisk.  Use as you would any other BBQ sauce!  Eat & enjoy!!!

Makes approximately 10 servings.

I thought I was a pretty healthy eater, however I wasn’t getting nearly this many in any day and I also realized that I had to be deficient in dark leafy greens since at best I would eat spinach a couple times a week but not a variety and not that much daily!  Not to mention, physically eating that many cups of veggies and fruits is a pretty amazing task, not to mention, the breakdown of nutrients is not as great when chewing versus blending.  So, we got a VitaMix Blender and were given the book “Green Smoothie Revolution” by Victoria Boutenko (I call her the “Queen of Green Smoothies”!) – hence, the journey began.  I have also been turned onto another woman that is hot on the trail of Green Smoothies, Robyn Openshaw, the self-proclaimed, “Green Smoothie Girl” (I call her the “Princess of Green Smoothies”!).  Both of these women are Green Smoothie guru’s, in my opinion, and I have read a wealth of information about the world of Green Smoothies from them and others.

I have tried to distill the information down to simple bits, which make Green Smoothies easy and accessible to all (even kids)!

Green Smoothie Facts & Tips:
*The better the blender, the better the smoothie – you need a high powered blender to get the most bang for your smoothie!  If not, your smoothie will be chunkier and that is not great and a little weird, and most kids will turn their head and cringe! (Vita-Mix, Ninja, Montel Williams HealthMaster, Blendtec, all will do the trick)

*Use 50% dark leafy greens & 50% fruits, with mostly water and ice as your basic recipe

*I use 1/2 spinach and 1/2 kale/collards OR 1/2 spinach and 1/4 kale/collards and 1/4 chard (chard when blended has a grassier taste so when I use it, I don’t use it as 50% of my greens, only about 25% and it is much tastier!)  You can use dandelion greens too! They are pretty tasty & not bitter!
*The goal is to keep the Green Smoothie only dark leafy greens & fruit, nothing else like protein powders, other veggies, dairy, etc.

*Sip it over a bit of time, don’t chug it, and drink it about 30 minutes away from any other food or drink.

*Try to drink 1-2 quarts per day, you can go up to 4 quarts but that is a whole lotta green drink in one day!  (1 quart = 32 ounces = 4 cups)

The recipe below will fill the whole blender (64 oz/8 cups) – I split it between 2 people.

Green Smoothie Delight:

About half the blender should be fruit:

1 banana
1 orange (if organic, leave peel on, cut into quarters and put in blender)
1 avocado (peeled & pitted)
Either 1 cup berries, a mango, pineapple or whatever other fruit you have or want to put in it
Half the blender should be dark leafy greens:

2-3 handfuls spinach
1 handful kale/collard greens
1 handful chard

Top it off with liquid and ice:
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (optional, but I like the creaminess & goodness of coconut)
1 cup of ice
A splash of OJ (only if you want a little added zing!, but does add a little more sugar)
Rest of liquid – water – mix to your favorite consistency

A bit of stevia for added sweetness (if you want it sweeter)

You can also add when the blender is blending:
1-3 scoops of FBR Fiber powder
1 dose OMGA lq
1 dose MLTI lq
2-3 TB. Coconut oil
Hemp protein (I do use this sometimes since it comes straight from a green leafy)
Also, for kids or summer fun, you could make this into popsicles or ice cubes with toothpicks stuck in them – tell your kids Shrek thinks they are cool!  If you make a greens & berry smoothie, the smoothie will be mostly purple-reddish colored and they may not even know there are green things in it!  A little more OJ helps too!

For more information look up: The Green Smoothie Girl or Green Smoothie Revolution

Are you passionate about what you do to earn a paycheck?  Do you brag on a regular basis, a daily basis about what you do?  Do you share that you are a healthcare practitioner to everyone you come in contact with? Do you share frequently that you change lives on a daily basis by providing wellness to those around you?  Do you enlighten those around you because you hold up a very bright light in the world to spread world wellness?  Do you consider yourself a HEALER? Do you believe you are a Master of Healing?  Are you fearless in sharing yourself with the world around you?  If you don’t, read on, if you do, great job and keep reading anyway!

During March we attended a variety of events that left me inspired and ready to share new information.  During mid-March we went to Washington, D.C. for the Adobe Photoshop Conference (Tyson our Graphics/ Website/ Photographer/ Videographer went to gain training for his job, I tagged along!).  At the end of March we had our Spring Rep Meeting and our Spring Intensive Training.  I went to a variety of different workshops in D.C. about business and marketing, rather than the technical workshops.  I was looking for information and inspiration to take away from these classes that I could relate to my work here at Systemic.  I listened to many different artist-photographers discuss how they became successful in their service-oriented industry.  What is the most common cliché’ you hear about an artist?  Yep, the Starving Artist…  I figure if these creative’s could make it in his or her field, the advice should hold some truth for anyone!  After a few talks I began to gather pieces of similar stories of how they have become successful and put this into context for us here at Systemic and you, our customers (healthcare practitioners, members of a service-oriented industry).  I realized that to be successful in anything, but specifically in a service industry we seem to make it too complicated, as we frequently do with our health!

The steps seem to go somewhat like this:

YOUR INNER WORK… SOME PRACTICAL WORK…

1. Determine your PASSION – what are you most passionate about?   What is your special light you bring to the world?  Only do the work that you love!
2. Simplify your passion to one area of EXPERTISE – you can still do all that other stuff, but what do you want to be KNOWN for & can market like crazy?  You only get to choose one area, write it down, if you are not this, ask yourself why not and what is stopping you?!  Go ahead, BRAG ABOUT IT!  If you don’t, no one will for you!
3. Determine our core group of clientele – who do you love working with most? Write a list of the places these people hang out, work out, eat, play, rest, etc and focus your efforts there!  These are the people you want to see in your office/clinic/traveling van of health.  Pick your lane and stay with it – DO NOT swerve into oncoming traffic!  Even if you do see lots of different people & deal with lots of different issues, put that in your bio info on your website, but specify your marketing to just what you determined to be your EXPERTISE!
4. Write down your ‘unpractical purpose statement’ & hang it where you can see it daily – begin where you are and be unpractical at the same time with what you believe you want to bring to the world, dare to reach and dream!  Don’t let anyone else steal your dream!
5. Make at least 40 cold calls a day to your targeted clientele – really, make the calls to groups, businesses, networks that “house” these folks in order to grow your practice (whatever that looks like to you).  If you aren’t going to make the calls, have someone make the calls!  CALL!!!
6. Do not take NO for an answer, at least not until you have asked 8+ times for what you want!  DO NOT take NO personally!!!  Seriously, a potential sale of anything goes up from 10% at 2 attempts to 80% after 8 attempts.  Most of us stop after the 1^st NO!  If you persevere 7 more times, you will out-do your competition by 70-80%, WOW!  Or differently put, you can be 70-80% more successful or have that much more growth!  Who does not want that?  Persistence WINS!
7. Don’t be afraid of snail mail!  Use your target list of people and send a postcard, wait 2-3 days and follow-up with a phone call, leave a message if you have to!  Now make 7 more contacts, this counts as 1!  Feel free to hand deliver goodies to these people as well!
8. Know your competition, just because that helps but don’t dwell there.  Look at your pay structure, see who fits that, seek those people out.  Hard work will out-perform talent in many instances! Advertise where it counts – in the hands of your target market (magazines, newspaper, etc).
9. Only buy what you can afford, decide what you will sacrifice to do your work and stick to that plan!  Make your every move work toward your work plan.
10. You are your own brand – use your name in your clinic name!  You are now an entity, not just a practitioner.  Provide great customer service – maintain your reputation at all times!  It counts!  Bad news travels faster than good!  Create a team of people you trust & be good to your fellow practitioners!
11.  Have a website!!!  Secondly, change/update it at least 1/week (more if possible) – give current customers a reason to look at it, give potential customers a reason to want to look at it in the first place!  It can be a small change, like a photo, testimonial, recipe, workout tip, supplement factoid, blog posts, philosophy, etc – you get the idea, just do it!
12.  Use social media as a strategy to connect to your peers and to potential customers/clientele!  Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, etc – these can be used for favors every so often too, if you need assistance or tables for a training, etc!  People have stuff & they like to help others they like out!  Simply ask!
13. Always carry and give out business cards, make sure to always get the other persons card too!
14. Be on time for your appointments!
15. ADAPT OR DIE!!!  Stay connected to your fellow practitioners and what they are doing.  Enough said!
16. Look around you – are you in alignment with what you say you are and what you do?  Check in with your area of expertise and see if all that do/say/are coincides with this.  Are you congruent with who you say you are?  If so, keep it up, if not, change what is not.  If you don’t know, ask someone you trust – they will tell you!
17. Success is directly proportional to your efforts you put into it – if this is not holding true, re-examine Steps 1-4!  And look really hard at #16!  I bet you will see where it has gone awry.

As I mentioned above, we had our Spring Rep Meeting and Spring Intensive at the end of March.  I asked both groups just a few of these questions: Who bragged about what they do to someone on the plane or at the airport or at the gas station on their way here to this training?  2 hands went up.  Who told someone on your way here that you were going to a training to become a better healer (besides their family)? 2 hands went up.  Who has a website?  More hands up.  Who updates their website at least 1/week?  Most hands went down, 1 remained up.  Who makes at least 40 cold calls to potential clients per week? No hands went up.  How many of you are seeing as many clients as you would like? No hands went up.  How many of you would like to grow your business? All hands went up!  I hope you are seeing the trend.  I determined that in general, we are holdouts!  We do not share ourselves as freely as we could, we do not tell those around us what we do that we love to do, let alone the world!

My final question I pose is this: How do we expect to heal the world if we never tell anyone that we can help?

By Anne Marie Helmenstrine, Ph D., About.com Guide

It’s fun and easy to use foods and flowers to make your own Easter egg dyes. The two main ways to use your own dyes are to add dyes to the eggs when boiling them or to dye the eggs after they have been hard-boiled. It’s a lot faster to boil the dyes and the eggs together, but you will use several pans if you want to make multiple colors.  Dyeing the eggs after they have been cooked takes as many dishes and more time, but may be more practical (after all, most stoves have only four burners!).

Try both fresh and frozen produce. Canned produce will produce much paler colors. Boiling the colors with vinegar will result in deeper colors. Some materials need to be boiled to impart their color (names followed by “boiled” in the table). Some of the fruits, vegetables, and spices can be used cold. To use a cold material, cover the boiled eggs with water, add dyeing materials, a teaspoon or less of vinegar, and let the eggs remain in the refrigerator until the desired color is achieved. In most cases, the longer you leave the Easter eggs in the dye, the more deeply colored they will become.

Here is the preferred method for using natural dyes:

1-     Place the eggs in a single layer pan

2-     Add approximately one teaspoon of vinegar

3-     Add the natural dye. Use more dye material for more eggs or for a more intense color.

4-     Bring water to a boil.

5-     Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

6-     If you are pleased with the color, remove the eggs from the liquid.

7-     If you want more intensely colored eggs, temporarily remove the eggs from the liquid. Strain the dye through a coffee filter (unless you want speckled eggs). Cover the eggs with the filtered dye and let them remain in the refrigerator overnight.

8-     Naturally- colored eggs will not be glossy, but if you want a shiny appearance you can rub a bit of cooking oil onto the eggs once they are dry.

You can use fresh and frozen berries as ‘paints’, too. Simply crush the berries against dry boiled eggs. Try coloring on the eggs with crayons or wax pencils before boiling and dyeing them. Happy Easter!

Today I saw a 42-year-old male patient who has just completed the Systemic Formulas 60-day Detoxification program.

He came to me looking to improve a life-long poor immune system. At the end of the first 20 days, he “felt better” and for the first time did not get sick when his children got sick. Now after 60 days he told me, “It has changed my life!”

He has lost weight, has more energy, his brain fog is gone, he has weaned completely off anti-depressants, and has avoided the colds and flu’s around him at work and at home. When he did catch a cold last month, it lasted less than a week.

He is thrilled, and I am thrilled, with the power of this simple, easy to follow program. Happy patients make happy doctors!

Please watch the video below for more information on the Systemic Formulas Detox Package!

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1 cup chopped turkey bacon

½ cup sautéed mushrooms

Quiche pie crust- See Ingredients and instructions below

Add if desired:

Spinach, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, peppers

Salt & Pepper to taste, also add in fresh herbs (basil, thyme, pepper flakes etc…)

Instructions for gluten free pie crust:

1 ½ cups blanched almond flour

¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup grape seed oil

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda. Add grape seed oil, pat dough into a 9 ½ inch glass pie dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 to 15 min.

Instructions for quiche:

Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chopped turkey bacon, mushrooms and other desired vegetables in large sauté pan. Place the mixture into the pie crust. Whisk eggs in a bowl then pore over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife in the center of the quiche comes out clean.