The Bitter Truth About Sweeteners

• Personal Note from Dr. Ritamarie
• Teleclasses and Events
• Feature Article: The Bitter Truth About Sweeteners
• Reader Contribution: An Alternative Means of Meditating
• Success Story: From Exhausted to Energized
• Featured Food: The Magic of Garlic
• Recipes: Inflammation Fighting Salad Dressing
• About Dr. Ritamarie
• Energy Enhancing Resources Dr. Ritamarie Recommends

I realize now how much wisdom there is in those words. When you can reframe your life events and classify the bumps in the road as opportunities to learn and grow, everything changes. Not only your mental state, but your physical and biochemical body change as well once you change the way you think about something.

I’m in the process of writing a new book, unlike anything I’ve ever written before. To help me birth my book, I’ve hired a book doula, Dr. Liz Alexander. Liz, the author of ten non-fiction books, who very graciously submitted a wonderful article for this month’s newsletter, on the power of labyrinths for transforming stress. As we’ve been developing the book, I’ve been coming up with simple, one sentence descriptions of how each of your body systems….biochemistry, emotions, structure, thoughts and energy, influence each other to create your integrated whole.

Getting back to what I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the link between thoughts and emotions is very often overlooked. That is, ”thoughts create emotions”. Many people claim that emotions just happen, as a result of events in their lives. In fact, it’s not your circumstances that create your emotions, but your thoughts.

Thoughts create emotions. I can look outside today and think…”Drat. I am so sick of winter. I can’t believe it’s actually snowing here in Austin Texas at the end of February. It’s supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny.” That will create negative emotions. Instead
I can think, “How wonderfully odd…it’s snowing at the end of February when it’s usually 70 degrees and sunny. It’s beautiful, and I don’t even have to travel to see a winter wonderland.” That creates positive emotions.

It’s your choice. I now realize, as I write this, that part of my opportunity for growth this past month has been taking a look at how I have been thinking about things, and how I can rethink them to create a more positive internal environment.

This issue is chock full of features; The bitter truth about sweeteners, the magic of garlic, transforming stress with labrynths, and Allison’s inspiring story. What ties all of them together is the detoxification theme I’ve been immersed in for the past 6 weeks, as a result of leading over 100 people through a 6 week detox program. Important to detox is ridding yourself of toxins in your diet, environment and emotions and adding foods, nutrients and emotions that support healthy removal of the toxins stored in your body.

This issue supplies you with all of these. So go make yourself a cup of hot herbal tea, sit down and relax, and read and really absorb this issue of Creating Vibrant Health. There’s so much to learn on your path to the truly vibrant, energetic and balanced person that you are.

Much love, vibrant health and joy to you,

Dr. Ritamarie

PS…This Wednesday is my radio show, Creating a Vibrant Life. Our topic is the importance of hormonal balance. I am excited about my special guest, Dr. Lindsey Berkson.

Dr. Berkson is an expert in hormonal balance and is about to release her new book, Safe Hormones, Smart Women. 

The radio show is from 12:30pm – 1:30pm CST at www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-ritamarie. I hope you can join us.  The show will be recorded so you can listen later if you’re busy.  Submit your questions for Dr. Berkson on my blog at HormoneQuestions (www.drritamarie.com/go/HormoneQuestions )

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• Feb 23 –   Balance My Body Teleseminar – Thyroid and Adrenal Balance
• Feb 24 –   Creating a Vibrant Life Radio – The Truth About Hormonal Imbalances
• March 3 – Balance My Body Teleseminar – Insulin and Blood Sugar Balance
  
  
• March 8 – WISH Summit– 40 of the World’s Leading Experts in Health and Wellness Have Come Together to Share Their Wisdom with Women and You Can Listen to Them For Fr^ee All in the Comfort of Your Own Home – Dr. Ritamarie is proud to have been chosen to be one of the featured experts.  There’s no charge if you sign-up by March 8. https://drritamarie.com/wp-clone/go/WISH

• March 16 – Your Raw Food Diet Live -Join Nomi Shannon, best selling author of  The Raw Gourmet, Simple Recipes
  for Living Well, along with Dr. Ritamarie and several other raw food experts for a 4 month coaching program where you’ll learn how to thrive on a raw food diet, whip up delicious meals in 10-30 minutes, and stop feeling confused by conflicting information, https://drritamarie.com/wp-clone/go/RawGourmet

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Face it. Sweet stuff is really appealing…and addicting. You probably know by now that sugar contributes to just about every major disease. 

Perhaps you turn to sweetened desserts to make up for lack of sweetness in other aspects of your life. Or maybe you just enjoy the taste. In any case, you deserve some sweetness in your life…every day!  So be sure to get some, whether from food or from the special people and relationships in your life.  And wouldn’t it be great to get the sweetness you deserve without compromising your health? 

I’d like to start by sharing some facts about sugar…to help you naturally turn away from the addicting sweet stuff. 

Besides contributing to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay (as if that’s not enough), the hazards of refined white sugar and high fructose corn syrup are wide-spread. Articles and books abound describing the hazards of sugar consumption. The link between sugar and serious disease has been published in the scientific literature for a very long time.

Sugar has been known to contribute to disease as far back as the early 1900’s. In the 1930’s, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Otto Warburg for discovering the connection between sugar and cancer. Cancer is a little more serious than obesity and dental cavities, yet the connection is not often mentioned in mixed company. 

Read the full article on my blog

 An Alternative Means of Meditating

You’re probably already aware of the many health benefits associated with meditation, a practice that has become increasingly popular as more yoga studios and spas have helped to promote its physiological, psychological and spiritual effects. From reducing anxiety, depression and stress to alleviating insomnia and pain, from enhancing concentration and self-confidence to boosting the immune system, there appear to be few health issues that regular meditation cannot influence in some positive way.  But what if, like me, you find it difficult to sit still? This is where finding—or even building—a labyrinth can be invaluable. 

With its history buried in the mists of time and mythology, the labyrinth symbol is found in cultures throughout the ages as a representation of life’s journey. Unlike mazes which were built as challenging puzzles that are hard to navigate successfully, labyrinths have a single pathway that winds in various patterns to the center. From the mouth of the labyrinth, all you have to do is follow the path–the same route that takes you both in and out. 

As the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh explains:

“Walking meditation is meditation while walking. We walk slowly, in a relaxed way, keeping a tight smile on our lips. When we practice this way, we feel deeply at ease, and our steps are those of the most secure person on earth. All our sorrows and anxieties drop away, and peace and inner joy fill our hearts. Anyone can do it. It only takes a little time, a little mindfulness, and the wish to be happy.”

In many ways walking a labyrinth, engaging in ritual and going on a secular pilgrimage are one and the same. Many people find that their meditative journey walking a labyrinth provides them with the same calming, reflective, health-boosting benefits as sitting or lying down to meditate. That is undoubtedly why many hospitals, churches, and spas have included labyrinths in their grounds. The beauty of labyrinths is that, unlike more passive forms of meditation, they can inspire you to be totally authentic.

For example, Nicholas Halpin, responsible for the 36 feet diameter Chatres-pattern canvas labyrinth at Dundee University in Scotland, discovered that de-stressing can take different forms–all of which can be accommodated by walking the labyrinth. While most people choose to walk slowly, as described by Thich Nhat Hanh, others will skip, dance or even run around a labyrinth. “After all, a meditative state takes lots of different forms, according to different needs,” says Halpin. While slow, deliberate steps may enhance mindfulness and reflection, navigating the labyrinth in a fast way can help kick-start your creativity or give a much-needed boost to your circulatory system. The choice is yours. Now, doesn’t that sound more appealing than sitting still?

You can find a labyrinth near you by accessing the World-Wide Labyrinth locator, a database of labyrinths around the world.
 
Dr. Liz Alexander is the author of ten nonfiction books, including The Magic of Labyrinths: Following Your Path, Finding Your Center (written under her former name of Liz Simpson), published by HarperCollins in 2002. Also known as The Book Doula, she works with would-be authors to creatively conceive, grow, and birth books that help them leave a legacy and use this promotional tool to boost their business, service, or subject-matter expertise. www.bookdoula.biz.   

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Allison never thought she would have a weight problem. She was always the short, scrawny little girl that no one wanted to pick for their team at school. That all changed when she had part of her thyroid removed. She began a battle with her health that lasted for several years until one day she decided she had had enough and took control of her health.

Be sure and read Allison’s story. Who knows…it could be just what you needed to hear!

Want to share your story for inclusion in our newsletter? 

Just go to https://drritamarie.com/wp-clone/newslettercontributions/

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 The Magic of Garlic

Garlic is truly a wonder food. Not only does it protect your liver and heart from damage, it improves your ability to combat potentially fatal conditions like cancer and heart disease. Garlic may also help protect you from heavy-metal accumulation, smog and air pollution. It appears to be the sulfur compounds in garlic, especially allicin, that are most protective.

Garlic is also a useful adjunct to detoxification, because it conserves antioxidant levels, particularly glutathione, protects against liver damage from acetaminophen, and can increase the intestinal activity levels of detoxification enzymes, in particular quinine reductase and glutathione transferase, used by the body to eliminate toxins.

A study was conducted to see if garlic could be helpful in preserving glutathione levels by exposing a group of laboratory rats to a chemical known as bromobenzene. One group of rats was given garlic before being exposed, and their glutathione levels were tested both before and after exposing them to bromobenzene. When compared to a group of rats who were not pre-treated with garlic, the animals treated with garlic before exposure to bromobenzene had higher levels of glutathione after exposure than did the untreated group.

Great, but what if you are among the small but significant people who have adverse effects to garlic?  According to ConsumerLab.com, large doses of garlic can lead to upset stomach, facial flushing, rapid pulse, dizziness, allergies or insomnia, and can affect the mind and concentration.  

According to Chinese Medicine, garlic is a warming and drying herb, so people with a hot constitution should use it cautiously, as it can create the side effects mentioned above. People who have an angry temperament or reddish complexion would be classified as having a hot constitution and should proceed cautiously with garlic. As a substitute for garlic, scallions or spring onions can be just as effective as garlic, with less pungency.

Other foods and herbs, like broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables, dil l,  caraway, turmeric,oranges and tangerines, dandelion, burdock root, apples, basil and je rusal em artichoke also support phase 2 liver detox and can be used to support a successful detoxification program.  

So enjoy the benefits of garlic if you can and if not, know that
there’s more than one way to detox a liver, and choose enjoyable foods and herbs that assist in the removal of toxins, leaving you light, strong and energetic.

P.S. You might enjoy this video about the role of glutathione in health and illness, and the research supporting the use of herbs, especially turmeric, to support glutathione and reverse major disease.

Infla

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sesame tahini or whole sesame seeds
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 cup wate r
3 cloves garlic
1/2 inch  piece ginger
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kelp or other sea veggie powder
salt if desired to taste

Directions:

1-Blend all ingredients.
2- Thin with additional water or thicken with additional seeds to your desired consistency.
3- Serve over a bed of mixed greens, sprouts, seaweed salad, kale salad or your favorite mix of shredded or chopped vegetables.

Next Issue…

We are talking about aloe. Do you have a great recipe using aloe you’d like to share? Submit your recipe at: https://drritamarie.com/wp-clone/newslettercontributions/

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As a Doctor of Chiropractic with Certification in Acupuncture, a Diplomat of the American Clinical Nutrition Board, a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, a licensed HeartMath® provider, and soon to be Certified Herbalist, Dr. Ritamarie touches many lives with her message of empowerment.

Have you ever wondered why some people continually fail to improve their health while others make what seems like a miraculous transformation? It’s all in their heads. That’s right…the difference between success and failure is mindset. Read more here…

You might have heard many health experts say that it’s crucial to begin your day with a meal. What they might have failed to say, though, is how to make your first fuel of the day powerful enough to propel you forward with energy and gusto! Read more here…

 We videotaped the Green For Life talk that Victoria, Sergei and Valya Boutenko did in Austin, Texas so you can watch and learn from the comfort of your own home. There are 3 hours of video, filled with valuable and inspiring information. Read more here…

Periodic cleansing and resting your digestive track is essential for vibrant health and boundless energy.  While going away to a retreat center and fasting on green juices is probably the best way to do this, let’s get real.  Who has the time?  And cleansing on your own is just not as effective as having a support group and a mentor with over two decades experience to back you up and cheer you on. Green Smoothies are a great way to cleanse because you’re not hungry all the time.  Find out more about how you can feel more energetic, less bloated and stronger andleaner than ever.

If you love your carbs but hate what they do to your body, we have some really good news for you. By learning the ancient art of dehydration, which is, in essence,  “low temperature baking”, you’ll be able to eat guilt-free breads, loaded with veggie goodness, and have them taste similar to your old favorites.  Gluten free raw foods like pizza, enchiladas and tacos will become your favorite staple foods once you discover how easily you can make them at home.  Read More…

Healthy Holiday Books That You Can Use Year-Round

I know you’re dedicated to doing the best for your kids. You want them to be healthy, strong and successful. That’s what every parent wishes for their children. But the more you learn about diet and nutrition and the role it plays in your kids’ resistance to disease, ability to focus at school and overall mood and behavior, the more scared you become about how to handle the candy in all the olidays.  While this was written for Halloween, the healthy alternatives to  the sugar, chocolate and artificial colors and flavors in conventional sweets, this book has recipes that work Valentines day, Easter and birthdays.  .

 Find out about healthy alternatives to candy here…

Traditional Thanksgiving recipes, like mashed potatoes, yams, apple pie and cranberries can be enjoyed year round.  Thanksgiving stuffing can be made into delicious veggie burgers and loaves.  The desserts are delicious anytime.

 Find out how to create a Thanksgiving-like feast any day of the year here…

The techniques taught in Indulge without the Bulge can be used every day of the year to make hea lthy choices and indulge in self care.  The recipe demos are delicious year round. for help with avoiding the on the cookies and pie, keeping up with your exercise, and keeping your stress low,  Read more here…

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“Would you like to learn more simple strategies to achieving vibrant energy, a strong lean body and an extraordinary life? Go to  www.GreenFoodMagic.com and pick up your free e-book cntaining simple strategies and recipes for increasing energy, decreasing weight and feeling great. For more great articles, visit www.DrRitamarie.com

Internationally recognized speaker, author and mentor, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo is the “Woman’s Fatigue Expert and Vibrant Health Mentor.”

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