My Pics
I am always asked what products to use. Choosing a safe product is a matter of individual preference and tolerance. Every individual is different. What works for one person may not work for another. What is safe and works for you could in part be due to your body pollution/chemicstry. Despite these qualifications I have put together a list of 'my pick' in various categories. Things that have 'worked' for me and 'helped' me in my well-being journey. Remember that ingredients and processing methods can change at any time so that it is important to always be vigilant in your search. Check out www.costmeticsdatabase.com and www.lesstoxicguide.ca for safer product options. Below you will find my personal picks, including books and self help therapies and tools. Remember that anything that benefits one aspect of your well-being, ultimately benefits the other aspects of your well-being just as anything that harms one aspect of your being can potentially harm the other aspects of your being. Wishing you continued 'forward motion' on your well-being journey. This page is under construction so check back for updates. Keep in mind that product ingredients, methods of process and raw material sources can change at any time. P.S. Just because you find a product in the natural health section or store does not mean that it is necessarily safe. Just because a product has the words natural or organic on the label or brand name, does not mean that it is necessarily safe.
| Personal Care Products. Learn to muscle response test your products for safety. Check out what is in the products that you use on your body at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com | Hair: Aubrey Organics (shampoo, conditoner, hair spray, sunscreen), Green Beaver shampoo, conditioner, |
| Face & Skin: Grapeseed oil, Heiko Age Defense, Green Beaver moisture lotion. Aubrey's organics moisture lotion. | |
| Toothpaste: Green Beaver Frosty Mint natural toothpaste, other natural toothpastes without harmful ingredients (e.g. sodium laurel/laureth sulfate, parabens, flouride). | |
| Deodorant: DSA Pure & Natural Crystal Deodorant + lavendar essential oil spritz (homemade - a a few drops to distilled water in spray bottle) | |
| Hair Spray: Aubrey organic hair spray, Botanical natural hair spray, Sante Naturkosmettik, Andalou Naturals. | |
| Hair colour: I have stopped using hair dyes for health reasons and am happy that I did. I have had enough challenges in the past due to chemicals. p.s. beware of products that say they are safer. Investigate your hair colour Palette by Nature is 100% natural | |
| Makeup: Use very little. Organic and natural only (have used Suki, Almay). Alima Pure lipbalm. | |
| Feminine protection | Non toxic products available at Zehr's and major health departments for all types of protection. |
| Water protection | Brita shower filer (your skin is your largest organ), brita water filter (Canadian tire). A must in most parts of Ontario. Better to be safe. |
| Air protection | Heaven Fresh air purifier for home and car (hotel rooms), www.heavenfresh.ca (it needs to be able to take out VOCs) plants and environmental air sponges. Environmental Air Sponge to absorb vocs. Change the air often by opening windows and doors if you have good outdoor air. |
| Foods | I buy some organic. I muscle response test my food products since organic products can have VOCS due to rain, especially in industrialized areas. What is safe for one person may not be safe for another. Learn muscle response testing I eat foods that are as close to their natural form as possible. Raw foods with their DNA repairing enzymes are a must. No additives, artificial flavours, preservatives, no pork, no genetically modified, no microwaved, no irradiated, no herbicides or pesticides, no added refined sugars (use honey or maple syrup or molasses). I try to eat less than what I think I need. Most people eat more than what they need to survive on a daily basis. (After reading Victor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning, I am convinced that food is not what keeps us going). For a Personalized Nutrient Assessment to determine your individual calorie and nutrient requirements download or email lhines@mybodycanhealitself.ca. I make sure that I eat enough fat (saturated and unsaturated) for healthy brain function and hormone production. The "low fat/no fat" trend does not provide enough saturated fat. You need about 10% of your calories to be saturated fat. "Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick, is to feed your sickness." Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, Greek Physician (460BC-377BC) |
| Supplements | My personal philosophy on supplements, as a Nutritional Consultant is the same as Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, "Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food". There are times when supplementation is required during times of healing, injury, distress, detoxification or rehabilitation. This supplementation should be under the prescription and supervision of a qualified practitioner who does not benefit from the sale of what is prescribed. Recent research on supplementation and links to cancer create great concerns (see links main page and Dr. Gregor - NutritionFacts.org . Generally speaking money would be better spent on a consultation with a Nutritional Consultant to devise a nutrient rich dietary plan. Stories from "septic tank pumpers" about layers of undissolved supplements at the bottom of septic tanks has to make you wonder if you are actually getting anything out of the supplements. Food sources of supplements are more easily absorbed and utilized by the body. Organic vegetable/fruit juices and vegetable broths would be a better alternative if getting enough nutrients from food sources is a concern. Add DNA repairing foods and herbs to your diet. |
| pH testing | I check my pH whenever things feel "out of balance". A home test pH kit is available at pharmacies and health departments. A healthy pH if important to well-being. Drugs, detoxification, disease and toxins are a few of the factors that can change your body's pH level. Know what your pH level is. You can adjust your pH by choosing different foods from the acid/alkaline forming food charts. (from muscle response testing results on numerous clients I have found green tea to be acid forming - try white tea ) Artificial sweeteners cause imbalances and affect your well-being. Acidic pH can result in disease. |
| Clothing | I use mostly cotton clothing and bedding. No permanent pressed. No dry cleaning. Limit dark colours unless you can test them for safety (these dyes are often set with harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and will continue to be released when damp eg. wet towels, perspiration on clothes and bedding) unless they are toxin free. Many clothes and shoes made "off shore" are made using harsh chemicals. I wash my clothes in Ecover and Ecos laundry soap and use laundry discs . I use permanent non toxic dryer sheets from Home Hardware to reduce static when needed (really no static with natural detergents) in the dryer but hang my clothes to dry as much as possible. |
| Exercise | Walking: Taking in the fresh air and the sun. You can wrap a blanket around yourself and sit on your deck in the sun for 15 minutes during the sunny time of the day wherever you are. The sun is very healing. Sit by a sunny window. Walk around inside your house for at least 20 minutes minimum a day if you can't get out. If you sit or lay a lot, get up and move around your room/office/home every 1/2 hour to promote circulation. Movement increases detoxification which promotes healing and well-being. |
| Sleep | Getting enough deep sleep can be a challenge. Try to go to bed at a consistent time. If you wake up later read or listen to music until to fall back to sleep. Use stress reduction therapies to help to fall back to sleep. |
| Stress Reduction ►promoting
balance & healing
|
Stress is a normal part of life. It is important to understand stress
and
stress sensitization which is a very real and harmful possibility if you
are under chronic stress.
To help myself to deal with the stresses of my life I use a variety of
supports: Prayer and meditation. Walking. Tai Chi. Stress Reduction Therapies: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PH.D., The Program of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre. Daily Devotional Inspiration: Courage for the Climb by Kristen Armstrong, other inspirational books. Music: Music can rebuild the neural pathways in your brain so just imagine what it can do for those of you who only need a boost. I listen to a variety of music including: The Serenity Prayer by Jack Bielan, Pope John Paul II (Abba Pater, the World Youth Day CD ), Placido Domingo - Amore Infinito (Songs inspired by the poems of John Paul II) and Andrea Bocelli , Roland Hanneman (The Healing Garden -Tranquil Reveries etc.) Just a note, not all meditation tapes and cds are uplifting and beneficial to your well-being. Learn muscle response response testing to determine what is beneficial to your unique needs. Some music can weaken you (eg. heavy metal - see what it does to ice crystal - Hidden Messages in Water - Masaru Emoto http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/e_ome_home.html ). My Happy Place: I have learned that going 'back' can be counter productive to well-being. There are times when we have to go back and deal with the past to move forward. Once you have done that, creating a 'happy place' as a redirect can help you avoid reliving the pains of your past (we all have some). My 'happy place' is a rock waterfall where I can lay down and escape. Revisiting painful memories can cause weakness throughout the body including your major organs and immune systems. To be healthy you need your body and systems to be strong. Positive Thinking: I have made an active choice in my life to think positively. I believe that positive thinking is paramount to well-being. Negative thinking can cause weakness throughout the body including your major organs and immune systems. Gratitude: I choose to be grateful for what I have and have had. I choose to see my life, relationships and way that I was parented - as a glass half full. Focusing on 'what was not right, what did not happen, what you did not get' creates negative thinking and negatively affects well-being. Visualizations: Using customized visualization that I have developed. Affirmations: Using customized affirmations that I have developed. |
| For Coping & Peace ►promoting balance & healing. | Prayer and meditation. Exercise. Tai Chi. Volunteering. Establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries. Boundaries by Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend is an excellent resource from a Christian perspective. This is a ongoing life long challenge. Music. My Happy Place. |
| What's important? | Anything that benefits one aspect
of your well-being also benefits the others.
Besides all the things listed above: My relationship with God: This is a very important part of my spiritual well-being. Church: It is a place to recharge my 'spiritual batteries". Spending time with positive, honest people. I am blessed to be a mother of 5 amazing 'beings' and 'grandmother' of 6 beautiful 'little beings'. In 2011 I was blessed to have Jon officially become my grandson. I am blessed to get to know and spend time with my children's wifes, husbands and significant others. . I try to listen to my heart and follow my intuition, passions and dreams. I try to be 'true to myself and my God'. |
| Books | These are just a few of the many books that have helped me on my well-being journey. I am working on updating this list from my library of books. Check back for the updates. See the books listed on the main page as well www.mybodycanhealitself.ca | When the Body Says No, The Hidden Cost of Stress, Gabor Mate, M.D. |
| Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by Phyllis A. Balch | ||
Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants (Hardcover) by Andrew Chevallier |
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Allergies: Disease in Disguise : How to Heal Your Allergic Condition Permanently and Naturally (Paperback) by Carolee Bateson-Koch |
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The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness by Dr. Jerome Groopman |
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Spontaneous Healing : How to Discover and Embrace Your Body's Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself by Dr. Andrew Weil |
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| Healing the Planet One Patient at a Time, Dr. Jozef J. Krop, A Primer in Environmental Medicine | ||
Prayer Is Good Medicine Author: Dr. Larry Dossey |
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| Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind Body Medicine, Dr. Deepak Chopra | ||
Health Through God's Pharmacy: Advice & Experiences with Medicinal Herbs Author: Maria Treben |
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| Love, Medicine & Miracles, Dr. Bernie S. Siegel | ||
| Peace, Love & Healing, Dr. Bernie S. Siegel | ||
| Full Catastrophe Living, Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. The Program of the Stress Reduction Clinic at The University of Massachusetts Medical Center. | ||
| Healing Words, The Power of Prayer and The Practice of Medicine, Dr. Larry Dossey, M.D | ||
| Boundaries, by Dr. Henry Cloud, Dr. John Townsend. | ||
| Be Careful What You Pray For . . . You Just Might Get It, Larry Dossey, M.D | ||
| Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton | ||
| Inside My Heart, Robin McGraw | ||
| Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell | ||
| The Gift of Fear, Gavin deBecker | ||
| Herbal Defense: Positioning Yourself to Triumph over Illness and Aging by Robyn Landis, Karta P Khalsa. |
| Self Help Therapies & Tools | This is a list that I add to as I find additional beneficial therapies and tools. Check information and links on the main web page and check back for updates. | Prayer: Always my first option. Prayer is Good Medicine, Dr. Larry Dossey |
| Believing: Taught to me by my mother. My understanding of the power of 'belief' from my early years has been confirmed by Body/Mind Medicine Research. | ||
| Avoid focusing on the diagnosis and the prognosis. Your brain has an amazing ability to solve puzzles. By accepting a diagnosis and prognosis you may be giving your brain an "end result", so to speak, preventing it from continuing to solve your 'symptoms puzzle'. Avoid prescription drugs if possible. Symptom relief is at times a necessity but should always be in combination with ongoing symptom investigation and pursuit of alternate natural relief options. Search for the cause behind the symptoms. Always! Never stop investigating your symptoms for cause and elimination! See Health by Design Introduction video See medicine withdrawal for improved health. Peace, Love & Healing, Dr. Bernie S. Siegel | ||
| Intuition: Everyone has it. Learn to use it. Don't be afraid of it. Awakening Intuition, Using Your Mind-Body Network for Insight and Healing by Mona Lisa Schulz, M.D., PH.D. | ||
| Exercise: For me walking. Stretching exercises. Tai chi. | ||
| Sunlight: A natural therapy. | ||
| Music: Rebuilds the neural pathways in your brain. Be careful what you listen to. Not all music is therapeutic. Follow your intuition. | ||
| Muscle Response testing: The self help tool that I believe saved my life. It allows me to avoid factors that weaken my body's defenses so my body can focus on healing, with lots of energy left over. | ||
| Meditations: Body Scan Meditation in Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, PH.D., The Program of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Centre | ||
| Detoxification: Ongoing natural detoxification, detox and healing baths (see main page). Taking supplements internally to detoxify can put extra strain on the organs and not effectively remove toxins from areas like the brain or extremities. Detox baths draw toxins out through the skin, your largest organ, and from all over the body. Sauna are also beneficial. There should always be a minimum of 3 days between any detox therapy. It takes about 3 days for the body to make adjustments to the detoxification therapy. Take caution in using any type of detox therapies that use electrical energy, there is a possible risk of harm to the meridians and nerve endings. | ||
| Nature: A natural therapy. I make an effort to get outside and experience nature as often as possible. The natural botanicals that are in the air in the forests are very therapeutic along with the increased oxygen. Visit a garden (real, gardening show, green house,garden slide show). | ||
| Laughter: Funny and up beat people and movies. Increases "feel good" chemical production. | ||
| Spending time with positive, honest people. | ||
| Gratitude: Counting my blessings daily. A gratitude journal and . | ||
| Positive Thinking. Inspirational wall art words. | ||
| Volunteering: Reported to have therapeutic value. Always works for me. | ||
| Reading: Inspiration materials. | ||
| A Happy Place: By creating a "happy place" you can avoid going back and reliving the pains of your past (we all have some). There are times when we have to go back and deal with the past to move forward. Once you have done that creating a "happy place" can help you avoid going back and reliving the pains of your past (we all have some). My "happy place" is a rock waterfall where I can lay down and escape. Create a 'happy place" for yourself. Whenever you feel overwhelmed or stressed tell your brain you are going to your "happy place". Redirect. Painful memories can cause weakness throughout the body including the organs and the immune systems. | ||
| Random Acts of Kindness, Up With People, MindUp, - see main page links | ||
| Pay it Forward - The Pay it Forward Foundation - see main page links | ||
| Sharing the values that make a difference in our communities - The Foundation for a Better Life www.values.com | ||
| Quotes and other inspirations: This is a list that I will add to as I find additional quotes and inspirations. Check back for updates. |
My mom. She had the strongest 'belief' of anyone I have ever met when my brother was diagnosed with cancer at 18 months. Knowing what I know now about the power of belief (Body/Mind Medicine) and the scientific evidence for the power of prayer, I believe that she is one of the reasons my brother is alive today. He has beat the odds from retinoblastoma at 18 months to melanoma and sarcoma in his forties. We celebrated his 50th birthday in 2007. "Miracles do happen to those who believe". See scientific evidence for the power of prayer link on the main page for more information on the "power of belief and prayer". |
| "Surviving is about getting up one more time than you go down". | |
| "It is possible to wake up from a nightmare and have a beautiful life". | |
| "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." Mark 11:24 |
| "If I am not for me, then who?" | |
| "Anything that offers hope has the potential to heal, including thoughts, suggestions, symbols and placebos". Dr. Bernie S. Siegel, Peace, Love & Healing | |
| "Just as that healing system can be set in motion by self-affirming beliefs, self-negating or repressive emotional patterns can do the reverse. " Dr. Bernie S. Siegel, Peace, Love & Healing | |
| "the emotional environment we create within our bodies can activate mechanisms of destruction or repair". Dr. Bernie S. Siegel, Peace, Love & Healing | |
| "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning. | |
| "We have to realize that there are social and psychosocial poisons in our own homes that predispose us to disease by creating certain attitudes and feelings within us". Dr. Bernie S. Siegel, Peace, Love & Healing. | |
| "Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." Pope John Paul II | |
| "Humility is the mother of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience. It is in being humble that our love becomes real, devoted and ardent. If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not put yourself on a pedestal." Mother Teresa | |
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"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is
bliss, taste it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise,
fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a
struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure,
dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it." Mother Teresa |
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| "It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has." Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine | |
| "Walking is man's best medicine." Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine | |
| "Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food. But to eat when you are sick, is to feed your sickness." Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, Greek Physician (460BC-377BC) | |
| Change your thoughts and you change your world. (Norman Vincent Peale) | |
| You can't control the situations in your life but you can choose your attitudes to deal with the situations. | |
Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it. |
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