Dr. Linda Page's Weblog

Step-by-Step Estrogen Balancing Diet for Women

You can follow a diet like this for 1–6 months. Add more variety by including your choice of fresh, seasonal organic produce whenever possible. Choose free range meats and seafood from uncontaminated waters as much as possible. Note: Pesticide residues on commercially grown foods can disrupt your hormone balancing efforts, so stick to organic foods whenever possible.

On rising:  take lemon juice in water with 1 tsp. maple syrup. Add 1 tsp. of royal jelly or one vial Red Ginseng Royal Jelly for extra hormone balancing help.
Breakfast: Have some fresh fruit, nuts and low fat yogurt or kefir; or have my personal breakfast of champions: brown rice, with steamed cruciferous vegetables, sprinkled sea vegetables and a little tamari sauce and fresh ginger.
Midmorning: have a mixed vegetable juice with carrot, dandelion greens, beet, cucumber and parsley for a liver detox; or Liver Cleanse Flushing tea (highly recommended); or a high mineral Potassium broth.
Lunch:  have a green leafy salad with lemon/flax oil dressing; or a turkey, avocado and baby greens sandwich (gluten-free read) or salad; or a light oriental soup and salad, with sea veggies and rice crackers.
Midafternoon: Have another cup of Liver Cleanse Flushing tea (highly recommended).
Dinner: have a Chinese stir fry with dark greens and mushrooms, and miso soup with sea greens chopped on top. Or, have baked or poached seafood with vegetables and brown rice or couscous; or a black bean or lentil soup and small salad.
Before bed: have a glass of mineral water, or a relaxing herb tea like chamomile tea or Crystal Star Stress Arrest tea.

Ongoing diet tips: Have a fresh green leafy salad with your organic veggies of choice every day. Add more fish and seafood to your diet. Add sea veggies like wakame, nori and dulse regularly. Algin, a gel like substance in sea veggies, protects against chemical overload (often involved in breast cancer) by binding to chemical wastes so they can be eliminated safely from the body. Choose hormone-free chicken and turkey, and hormone-free dairy foods, too. Eat cruciferous veggies like broccoli regularly to improve estrogen metabolism. Add nuts, seeds and avocado for essential fats.

To your best health,

Linda Page

PS.  For the month of May, order $75 and receive a FREE Diets for Healthy Healing book on Healthyhealing.com.

I hope you get a chance to take advantage of this FREE Diets for Healthy Healing promotion code, good for any order over $75 for the month of May: GIFT7642. Simply enter this code when you go to check out, and it will be applied to your order. The code expires May 31, 2012.
 
*Online orders over $75 only. One coupon per customer. May not apply to additional promotions and sales. Some restrictions apply. You must enter the stated "promotion code," into the specified field during checkout, to receive the stated discount.

Are Hormone Disrupters impacting You?

Science is just beginning to accept, even though naturopaths have known for some time, that man-made estrogens can stack the deck against women by increasing their estrogen levels hundreds of times over normal levels. Although many scientists still believe that there is no significant difference between man-made and natural hormones, the evidence of thousands of women shows that even if a lab test can’t tell the difference, their bodies can.

There is a link between pesticides and breast cancer. Pesticides, and other pollutants, are stored in body fat areas like breast tissue. Pesticides like PCB’s and DDT compromise immune  and liver function, and affect glands and hormones the way too much estrogen does. Today’s dramatic rise in breast cancer is consistent with the accumulation of organo-chlorine residues in the environment. One study shows 50 to 60% more dichloro-diphenyl-ethylene (DDE) and polychlorinated bi-phenols, (PCB’s) in women who have breast cancer than in those who don’t. The amount of DDT in body tissues is also higher. Some researchers suggest that the reason older women are experiencing a higher rate of breast cancer may be that these women had greater exposure to DDT before it was banned.

Other women’s diseases associated with long exposure to estrogen mimics in the environment: 1) reproductive organ cancer; 2) breast and uterine fibroids; 3) polycystic ovarian syndrome; 4) endometriosis; 5) PID (pelvic inflammatory disease); 6) gallbladder disease; 7) blood clots, stroke.

Are Hormone Disrupters Impacting You?
Signs that you may have estrogen disruption:
•    Breast inflammation and pain that worsens before menstrual periods, usually followed by heavy, painful periods.
•    Weight gain: especially in the hips. Bloating, mood swings, low sex drive or vaginal dryness.
•    Head hair loss/facial hair growth. Dry skin or premature wrinkling.
•    Hot flashes: or early perimenopause.
•    Endometriosis: now linked to dioxin, an airborne hormone disrupter.
•    Breast and uterine fibroid development, ovarian cysts, and pelvic inflammatory disease.
•    Breast, uterine and reproductive organ cancer: up to 60% more DDE, DDT and PCB’s, known estrogen disrupters, in women with breast cancer.
•    Early puberty: nearly half of African-American girls and 15% of Caucasian girls now begin to develop sexually by age 8, a clear indicator of estrogen disruption.

Are You At Risk Of Exposure To Estrogen Disrupters?
You may be especially exposed if: 1)  you live in a high agricultural area; you eat a high fat diet (fatty areas of your body store pesticides and other agricultural chemicals); 2) you eat hormone-injected dairy foods or meats regularly; 3) you’re on prescription HRT drugs or birth control pills.

You Can Reduce Your Exposure
Try this 3-week anti-estrogenic diet to overcome estrogen overload.
Week 1: Detoxify your liver first…Gland function (especially adrenals) responds quickly to give you the best results for hormone balance (try Liver Cleanse Flushing Tea and Liver Renew caps for 1 week) Then cut back on fat! (A liver detox allows your body to metabolize fats and carbs much more efficiently so they don’t end up in that stubborn roll of belly fat.) Hormone disrupters accumulate in body fat… the reason a high fat diet is a major risk factor for long term exposure to them, and why it may lead to increased risk for hormone-driven cancers.
Week 2: This week, add sea veggies like wakame, nori and dulse regularly. Algin, a gel like substance in sea veggies, protects against chemical overload (often involved in breast cancer) by binding to chemical wastes so they can be eliminated safely from the body. Sushi is a delicious way to add more seaweeds. Eat cruciferous veggies like broccoli regularly to improve estrogen metabolism. Add eggs, fish, nuts and seeds, and yogurt or kefir and kefir cheese.
Week 3: Have a fresh green salad every day. Add more fish and seafood to your diet. Add small amounts of whole grain breads, pita chips, crackers and pastas. Choose hormone-free chicken and turkey, and hormone-free dairy foods, too. Avoid all fried foods. Avoid hormone-injected commercial meats, especially beef and pork.

To your best health,

Linda Page

Are You Stressed Out?

More than 30% of Americans say they are under constant stress. Eight out of ten people say their stress has grown in the last 5 years, citing the economy as the most significant factor. The impact on health is devastating. Research shows that up to 95% of visits to health care professionals are stress-related!

Everyone is affected by varying degrees of stress… people who work in polluted areas, people at control desks, people who travel coast to coast, people with boring jobs, and especially people who can’t find a job. Profound stress, like that caused by job loss or the loss of a loved one, takes a serious mental and physical toll.

What are the health effects of chronic stress?

Stress in itself is not a disease, but the more “stressed out” you become, the more vulnerable you are to colds, flu, ulcers, allergies, even heart attacks and high blood pressure. Long term stress invariably leads to severe fatigue from adrenal exhaustion, and can result in depression. Stress shows up in how you look, too.  Blemishes appear around the chin; nails become brittle and peel, hair is dull and lifeless. Stress can even make your hair fall out!  

 

Herbal nervines calm stress reactions, safely.

While drug therapy provides good short-term results in anxiety reduction, it has serious drawbacks like addiction and over- sedation. Antidepressant drugs, besides their side effects, change body chemistry and make you more at risk for panic attacks and abnormal behavior. In contrast, herbal nervines tone, relax and have a strengthening effect on the nervous system. The natural nervine action of herbs like ashwagadha and scullcap (Relax caps) help to reduce symptoms of stress, without causing daytime sleepiness.

Quick tip: Massage therapy once a month, especially cranial sacral therapy is another wonderful stress-relieving choice.

 

To Life-long health,

 

Linda Page

 

Revitalizing Liver Health

Your liver may be the last thing you’re thinking about right now, but the truth is your life depends on your liver. More than any other organ, the liver enables us to benefit from the food we eat.  The liver is really a wonderful chemical plant that converts everything we eat, breathe and absorb through the skin into life-sustaining substances.

Did you know that the health of your liver is related to your immune strength? The liver is responsible for more than 1500 functions that directly maintain your immune system. It produces interferon, the body’s natural germ killer, which activates white blood cells that destroy and eliminate disease-causing toxins. It’s also intricately involved with hormone balance because it’s the liver’s job to metabolize hormone excesses that lead to disease.

Since the Standard American Diet (SAD) is high in calories, fats, sugars, and alcohol, with unknown amounts of toxic substances from preservatives, pesticides and nitrates, almost everyone has some degree of liver stress.

Look for the following liver exhaustion signs and symptoms: unexplained fatigue, depression; a distended stomach even if the rest of the body is thin; frequent colds and flu; dark circles under the eyes; food and chemical sensitivities; PMS. Anemia, large bruise patches, and jaundiced skin can indicate severe liver exhaustion.

A gentle Liver Detox can revitalize liver health. Sluggish digestion and fatigue usually improve right away. You may notice fewer instances of swollen glands and infections during the cold and flu season. Weight and cellulite control difficulties are often reduced as built-up toxins are released. In many cases, the skin and eyes actually become more radiant!

To Life-long Health,

Linda Page

Weight Loss Success After the Holidays

During the holidays, most of us overindulge in sweets. Sugar cravings are the downfall of many well meaning dieters. I know from experience that once you start binging on sugary foods, it's hard to stop. Overeating sugar can lead to serious consequences such as hypoglycemia and diabetes. Further, sugar raises insulin levels too much, your body’s signal to make fat, bad news for weight loss.

Do you need to control sugar cravings?

• Do you binge on junk foods, especially fatty and sugary foods?
• Do you eat all of your calories at one meal?
• Do you have second and third helpings at a meal but still feel hungry?
• Do you experience a wired feeling that is only relieved by eating sweets?
• Are you easily frustrated, and moody with frequent crying spells?

If you answered yes to 3 of the 5 questions above, then a sugar craver's weight loss program may be right for you. First, add 2 apples to your diet every day for stabilizing fiber. Second, drink more water to get over diet plateaus. Dehydration slows resting metabolic rate (RMR) and can cause waste products like ketones to build up.

Featured products

 Weight Loss Kit #2- Sugar Craver's Control: herbal weight loss program to help your body overcome your greatest weight loss obstacle: the need to control your sugar cravings.

Green Tea Cleanser: A cleansing, energizing tea that revitalizes and refreshes your body. Possesses broad range anti-oxidant activity and boosts metabolism.

For the best results, use sugar sparingly, on special occasions for longevity and better health.

To Lifelong health,

Linda Page

Menopause- Taking Control Of Your Life Change

By 2015, almost half of all American women will be in menopause. Will the temperature of the planet rise from all the hot flashes?! Menopause is intended by Nature to be a gradual reduction of estrogen by the ovaries with few side effects. In a well-nourished, vibrant woman, the adrenals and other glands pick up the job of estrogen secretion to keep her active and attractive after menopause. While almost 90% of women experience some menopausal body changes and hormonal fluctuations, most only last a year or two and are not severe enough to interrupt their lives. Still, our modern stressful lifestyles and poor eating habits mean that many women reach their menopausal years with prematurely worn out adrenals and poor liver function where estrogen is not being processed correctly, so hormone fluctuations are magnified.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

There’s a firestorm of controversy about synthetic hormone replacement. Premarin, an estrogen replacement drug for menopausal women made from pregnant mare’s urine, is one of the top selling drugs in the U.S.  The threat of breast and uterine cancer is dramatically increased with HRT, and the risk increases as a woman ages. In an action that received wide media attention, U.S. government scientists halted a July 2002 study on hormone replacement because it was such a threat to the participants’ health. Increased risk of invasive breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs) were all cited as reasons for halting the study. The drugs being tested included Premarin, Prempro and Provera. In hopeful news, some research finds that the higher risk for breast cancer diminishes, even largely disappears when a woman is off HRT treatment for five years.

What’s The HRT Connection To Osteoporosis?

HRT is still strongly promoted for osteoporosis prevention. Many menopausal women are so afraid of osteoporosis that with a little coaxing from their physicians they begin taking hormone drugs right away. Of those, about 60% discontinue the therapy because of side effects or fear of cancer! There is no question that hormones are involved in bone-building and bone loss, but declining estrogen levels after menopause do not by themselves cause osteoporosis. Although some studies show estrogen inhibits bone cell death, the newest tests reveal that as many as 15% of women on estrogen therapy continue to lose bone! Moreover, estrogen isn’t the only hormone involved in bone building. The hormone progesterone actually increases bone density in clinical tests. Low androgen levels of DHEA and testosterone also play a role in bone loss.

All About BHRT (Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy)

With celebrity endorsements from Suzanne Somers and Oprah Winfrey, today bioidentical hormones are an incredibly popular approach to relieve menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and low libido. One reason is bioidentical hormones avoid high doses of estrogen common to conventional HRT drugs like Prempro. Early research suggests they may even be safer with less breast/uterine cancer risk than traditional drugs. Common side effects like weight gain and mood swings are often reduced, too.

How Are Bioidentical Hormones Unique?

Bioidentical hormones are synthesized from plant sources and are chemically identical to what is produced in the body. Estradiol, estrone, estriol, DHEA, progesterone and testosterone are all available. Some bioidenticals are FDA approved and sold in a standardized dosage. However, most are produced on a case-by-case basis. Your physician tests your blood or saliva in order  (sometimes at different times of day) to develop the formula for you to reach a targeted level of hormones. A compounding pharmacist then produces a customized hormone Rx in the exact proportions that your body needs.  

Menopause The Natural Way

80 percent of postmenopausal women in the U.S. do not use any form of HRT at all! Beyond increased cancer risk, HRT can have many unpleasant side effects. Women taking hormone drugs report weight gain (especially fatty deposits on the hips and thighs), heavy bleeding (worse than former menstrual periods), PMS-like pain, severe leg cramps, migraine headaches, uterine and breast fibroids, and low libido.

 Unless you have specific, extenuating circumstances (only about 6% of American women do), a natural menopause may be the best. Even women who don’t have a symptom-free menopause say they feel younger and more energetic when they address menopausal changes, naturally. If you are about to be confronted with the great HRT choice, consider carefully before you agree. Symptoms that accompany menopause are due to the body’s difficulty in adapting to its new hormone functions. Many are positively influenced with natural approaches like whole herb formulas and bodywork therapies. If you’re experiencing a hormone roller coaster, with hot flashes, mood swings, vaginal dryness and low libido, check out my newest book release, Healthy Healing 14^th Edition for much more information on the natural way to “keep the change!”

To Life-long health,

Linda Page

Are you prone to kidney stones?

In every decade since World War II, the U.S. has seen a steady rise in kidney stone cases. Today 10% of American men and 5% of American women will have a kidney stone by the time they’re seventy. Kidney stones are a diet-related illness. They are directly linked to lack of water, large amounts of animal protein and too much salt. Notable amounts of unabsorbed calcium (usually from dairy sources or antacids), also may play a part. Diet improvement can deter, even arrest, kidney stones.

 Is Your Body Showing Signs That It Needs A Kidney Stone Cleanse?
There may be no apparent symptoms at first except a dull ache in the lower back. When the stone(s) become large enough to block the urinary tract, there is excruciating, radiating pain with extremely painful urination and constant urgency to urinate. The abdomen becomes distended.  As infection sets in, there are chills, nausea, vomiting and fever.

Healthy Healing 24 Hour Kidney Stone Cleanse
Note: Drink plenty of water, 8-10 glasses of bottled water each day of your cleanse so that waste and excess minerals are continuously flushed and urine flow does not stagnate. Dehydration is a key factor in kidney stone formation.
The night before your kidney stone cleanse…Take a cup of chamomile tea.
The day of your cleanse…Take 2 tbsp. olive oil through a straw every 4 hours to help dissolve stones.
For 24 hours...
On rising: take cranberry juice (from concentrate) in water with 1 tsp. maple syrup; or 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar in water with 1 tsp. honey; and a cup of chamomile tea.
Breakfast: have a glass of cranberry juice, fresh unsweetened lemonade or fresh watermelon juice, or watermelon chunks, or Green Tea Cleanser.
Mid-morning: 1 cup watermelon seed tea (grind seeds, steep in hot water 30 minutes, add honey); or dandelion tea, or Bladder Comfort tea.
Lunch: have a carrot/beet/cucumber juice, and a green leafy salad with cucumbers and sprouts.
Mid-afternoon: have a cup of chamomile tea; and asparagus stalks and carrot sticks with kefir cheese; or fresh apples with kefir or yogurt dip.
Dinner: have brown rice with steamed veggies or steamed asparagus with miso soup and chopped, dry sea veggies; or a baked potato with kefir cheese and a green leafy salad.
Before Bed: take a glass of aloe vera juice and another cup of chamomile tea; or miso with sea veggies chopped on top.

After your cleanse: As you return to solid foods, make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Even meat eaters have a lower incidence of stones when they add extra fresh fruits and vegetables. Keep salt and protein low for at least 3 weeks. Establish a diet with plenty of fiber. Vitamin K plays a key role in your body’s natural inhibition of kidney stone formation. Make sure you add plenty of green leafy vegetables, sprouts and sea veggies, high in vitamin K.

Featured products

Stone-ex provides both pain relief and stone dissolving activity. Important note: Before embarking on a self-help program, we recommend people with kidney or gallstone problems seek medical attention to determine if stones are small enough to be passed naturally.

For enhanced results: Take with Dr. Enzyme with Protease & Bromelain, 6 daily.

For a complete natural program to overcome gallstones or kidney stones, please see Healthy Healing 14th Edition.

To Life-long health,

Linda

My new book, Healthy Healing 14th Edition is now available for presale! Ships Nov. 15!

Avoid side effects, drug interactions and skyrocketing medical costs! Explore your natural options in Healthy Healing 14th Edition.

You are the real champion of your health, not your doctor or even your naturopath. Healthy Healing is the only book on the market, which allows you to customize your own personalized natural health program for more than 400 ailments.

Healthy Healing offers step-by-step recommendations on the foods you put on your table, the supplements you purchase, and the stress-relieving therapies and exercises you choose for healing. Natural remedies work—by themselves or with conventional protocols—for many health concerns. For over 25 years, Healthy Healing has proven this philosophy and is America’s Original Guide to Natural Healing.

New & Updated Sections in Healthy Healing 14

• Using Enzyme Therapy To Speed Illness Recovery
• Are Alternative Vaccine Schedules a Better Choice?
• Infertility Solutions & Natural Pregnancy Care
• Is a Gluten-free Lifestyle Right For You
• Green Living & The Importance of Following a Plant-based Diet
• Healthy Diets for Dogs and Cats- Homemade vs. Commercial
• Genetically Engineered Foods – Are they “superfoods” or a disaster in the making?
• Organic 101-The most heavily sprayed foods to avoid and much more!


Brief Table of Contents
Customize your own personal healing program using natural therapies for more than 400 ailments through diet, whole herb supplements and exercise.

1.    Your Health Care Choices today
2.    Holistic Recovery from Surgery or Illness
3.    Herbal Healing
4.    Foods for Your Healing Diet
5.    A Special Guide to Detoxification
6.    Lifestyle Healing Programs for People with Special Needs
7.    Ailments and Health Conditions- over 400 healing programs
8.    Look it up in the Alternative Health Care Arsenal
9.    Product Resource Listing- Where to Get What We Recommend

Media Contact: Leah Thomson, 1-800-736-6015
Fax: 1-800-260-4349; Email: leah@healthyhealing.com
Website: www.healthyhealing.com

ISBN 1-884334-97-0

Healthy Healing Enterprises Copyright December 2011

Do You Need a Brain Boost?

Most of us feel like we need a brain boost, especially as we grow older. Yet, aging is not synonymous with mental decline. We all know seniors who are just as sharp (if not sharper) as younger people. 

Factors that contribute to memory loss...
• depression, lack of sleep or low neurotransmitter levels
• chronic stress causes elevated cortisol (kills off cells in the brain’s hippocampus and shrinks it)
• poor circulation to the brain; narrow blood vessels (arteriosclerosis)
• mini strokes, or brain disease (Alzheimer’s, tumors)
• free radical damage from chemotherapy, alcohol or drugs

Brain nutrition is the real key.
Nutrient fluctuations and deficiencies can send the brain into major decline.  Take a look at your diet if you have trouble concentrating or if your memory has deteriorated.

1. Brain cells are almost 60% EFAs. Keep your brain nourished with EFAs from foods like seaweeds, spinach and other leafy greens; fish, sprouts, eggs; olive, perilla and flax oils; avocado, nuts and seeds, and wheat germ.
2. Drink plenty of water for brain health. An Italian study shows that even a 2% loss of body fluid affects short term memory!
3. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats. Meals high in saturated fats make you sluggish. Trans fat chemicals replace natural DHA in brain cell membranes and disrupt neuron communication. .
4. Add antioxidants to boost brain activity: have 1 cup green or white tea each morning; include plenty of cranberries, raspberries, blueberries.

Featured products:
Mental Clarity caps: Wake up your brain. Enhance your mental acuity. Stimulates mental capacity; reduces mental fatigue.

Evening primrose oil: Pure, unrefined Evening Primrose Oil with the highest, unadulterated GLA content.

Ginkgo Biloba extract: Helps to increase peripheral blood flow. Helps overcome sluggish brain activity.

Stress Arrest tea: Herbal nervines help to calm your mind. Rebuilds nerves to help fight fatigue.

 

To Life-long health,

Linda Page

Natural Solutions for Psoriasis/Eczema

Dear Friends,
The heat wave is getting worse in many parts of the country, and here at Healthy Healing we are receiving a lot of questions about how to deal with summer skin problems. Summertime is an especially important time to take extra good care of your skin. Skin problems like acne, rosacea, eczema and psoriasis are magnified in summer heat. Unfortunately, conventional treatments have not managed skin conditions very well at all. Most exacerbate symptoms or simply do not help.

Cool Down Summer Skin

Soft smooth skin depends adequate EFA’s in the diet. Just eating fish or seafood 2 – 3 times a week noticeably reduces skin dryness or wrinkling, and can help ease psoriasis and eczema symptoms.

Go gluten-free. Some research and dramatic case reports showing improvement in psoriasis with the adoption of a gluten-free diet. Good replacements: rice (red, brown, wild, risotto), quinoa, amaranth and corn. 

Avoid excess protein from red meat. It increases inflammation and sets up an acidic body environment, disastrous for good skin. Include proteolytic enzymes like Dr. Enzyme with Protease & Bromelain to improve protein metabolism. Take 1-2 caps 3 times daily between meals for the best results. (Also helps scarring.)

Herbal alteratives (blood cleansers) like burdock, sarsaparilla and red clover help eliminate toxins that show up as poor skin texture or skin allergies. Herbs like white tea and turmeric extract smooth skin texture and reduce redness. Red Skin Relief caps reduces redness and soothes your skin. Take 2 caps daily as needed to reduce redness and soothe your skin.

Take extra care of your skin during the summer months and of course use common sense about sun exposure. We all know powerful UV rays from the sun can seriously damage your skin. Double your protection if you have light-colored eyes and hair, and fair or freckled skin. Always keep a high quality aloe vera gel on hand for sunburn relief.

To Life-long health,

Linda