It literally brings me to tears when I think about the number of people who are affected by cancer every day. Whether it’s you, your mother, your sister, your child, or maybe your best friend, we are all affected by this horrible disease at some point in our lives.

It saddens me even more to think that there is a multi-billion dollar industry supported by those who are suffering. We pour millions of dollars into research, walk thousands of miles a year to raise money, and we continue to “fight the war on cancer.” Sadly though, there are more people diagnosed with cancer today then there were fifty years ago.

After all of the time, energy, money and research, we are still losing our loved ones to this awful disease. We are watching their quality of life diminish as they are given conventional treatments that cause all types of terrible side effects. Something has to be done and this has to stop.

Just a short time ago I came across some information about a doctor who is treating cancer without harmful chemotherapy and radiation. A doctor who has been doing research on this subject and administering his treatments for over 30 years! However, he has been met with much opposition from the FDA and many other government agencies.

Their opposition was never about the safety or effectiveness of his treatment, but rather about trying to put him out of business. Recently, a gentleman by the name of Eric Merola released a fascinating documentary about this doctor, named Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, and told the story of what he has gone through over all these years.

The documentary gives you more information about Dr. Burzynski’s treatment and explains how it works. It also covers the stories of numerous terminally ill cancer patients who were told they were going to die by their oncologists. These patients are alive and well today, some 10 or more years after they were told they were going to die, with no sign of cancer to this day.

I am not writing this to tell anyone that this man will cure you or your loved ones of cancer. I am writing this because I feel it is imperative that you are aware of this information. I believe it is up to each individual to decide what may be the best course of treatment, should you ever be faced with that decision.

I believe that we all have the right to make informed decisions, meaning we should have the information available to us to make the decision we feel is best for ourselves. This information is unfortunately not mainstream at this time, but I do hope that you will take the time to buy this documentary, watch it, and then share it with everyone you know.

We must spread the word that there are choices out there. We should never feel bullied into chemotherapy, radiation, or any other treatment, unless we feel that is the right choice for us.

You can purchase the movie at BurzynskiMovie.com. However, through this Sunday (June 20, 2011), you can watch it free at that same website and you can also purchase the DVD at a discounted price. No, I have absolutely no affiliation with the site and I certainly don’t make a dime if you buy the movie. I am just passionate about sharing this information with you as I believe it may be life-saving for many of us.

I believe you have the right to have access to this information so that you can make a more informed decision, should you or a loved one ever be in that situation. Below is a trailer for the movie if you’d like to take a quick peek and I wish you good health and happiness.

If you are tired of going to doctor after doctor and only coming out with a prescription in your hand and no real answers, then Breakthrough: Eight Steps To Wellness should be on your reading list.

Suzanne Somers has written another great book, sharing loads of cutting-edge information through her interviews with over a dozen different doctors.

She, along with these doctors, shares her passion for being proactive with her health and living in a state of abundant energy and well-being. She feels strongly about looking at her body as a whole, rather than treating or masking individual symptoms.

Suzanne writes about her eight steps to wellness in this very interesting and educational read, and I want to give you a brief look at those now.

Breakthrough: 8 Steps To Wellness

1. Get Biodentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)

This one will come as no surprise for those of you who are familiar with Suzanne Somers. It is no secret how passionate she is about BHRT.

After all, we age because of our hormonal decline and the idea behind BHRT is to put back the hormones that are lost through the aging process.

She discusses with many doctors the important differences between BHRT and hormone replacement therapy with synthetic hormones (synthetic hormones have created quite a bit of controversy).

They discuss the many benefits of BHRT, as well as the roles of hormones in your body and how BHRT can bring you back to a state of well-being.

2. Avoid Chemicals and Detoxify Your Body

We live in a very polluted world. Period. There is no disputing that. The chemicals and toxins that enter our bodies through our food, water, the air we breathe and through our skin can wreak havoc on our body.

It is essential that we understand how we can protect ourselves from these pollutants and limit our exposure, but also how we can rid our bodies of them. After all, we can do many things to protect ourselves, but we can’t live in a bubble!

3. Take Nutrition Seriously

So many of us go through each day grabbing food just to curb our hunger and get out the door quickly. We eat the most convenient thing we can find and often don’t give much thought to what the ingredients might be or if the food has any real nutritional value.

This is a recipe for disaster! We are what we eat. It’s really that simple. It is essential that we fuel our bodies with the right foods if we want and expect to have the energy to live a productive, healthy and fulfilling life.

This part of the book is not just about telling us what we shouldn’t eat and it’s not about going on a diet. It is about eating good, real foods that nourish our bodies and provide the vital minerals and nutrients to keep us healthy and young!

4. Create A Healthy GI Tract

According to this book, it is estimated that as much as 40% of the population suffers from some type of digestive stress. Personally, I think that’s a pretty startling number, leading me to believe that perhaps we should think a bit more about our gut.

Unfortunately, many people who are suffering end up going to their doctor and getting prescriptions or OTC drugs to “solve” their digestive problems.

In this book, Suzanne breaks down how our digestive system works, the impact it has on our health and what we can do to keep it in good working order, without having to run to the pharmacy!

5. Avoid Pharmaceuticals Unless Absolutely Necessary

The unfortunate reality is that there is a lot of money and conflicts of interest tied into the pharmaceutical industry. This is not to say that all prescription drugs are bad, but there is definitely a time and a place.

Suzanne discusses some of the natural options we have available, rather than always relying on drugs with potentially harmful side effects.

6. Supplement Your Diet

It’s really a shame what we have done to our food supply with of all the chemicals and toxins that are rampant in our environment. The majority of our food grows in soil that is no longer rich in the proper nutrients, vitamins and minerals it once was.

Therefore, it is important to consider the possibility of supplementing our diet to obtain the essential nutrition to stay healthy. Suzanne discusses supplements that are important to add to your diet and how these nutrients enhance our health.

7. Exercise Regularly

We weren’t meant to sit all day. We were meant to be active individuals and when we are active, we are much healthier. Suzanne points out that exercise doesn’t have to be regimented and it doesn’t have to be at a gym.

Just go out and take a walk, go for a hike, a bike ride or whatever it is that you enjoy. It is important that we all have some form of exercise in our life that we are consistent with it if we wish to reach our optimal health.

8. Get Proper Sleep

This one definitely hit home for me. We live in a very busy world where no one has time to eat, sleep or take care of themselves. Many people sleep less than 5 or 6 hours a night.

At one point in my life, I used to be up late at night, sleep late sometimes, get up early others. My sleep patterns were inconsistent, however I was almost always up late. I have changed my sleeping habits over the last few years and I can’t tell you the difference it has made in my life.

Suzanne discusses the importance of not only sleeping, but getting proper sleep. It does matter when we go to sleep and the environment we sleep in. It’s not as simple as sleeping for 7-8 hours and Suzanne explains this in detail.

Well, I hope this gives you a good glimpse into this very insightful book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Breakthrough Eight Steps To Wellness and I hope you do too!

Feel free to share your comments below on the book, or perhaps your experience with BHRT, so that we can all benefit from this great information.

Low-fat. Low-carb. No red meat. Butter or margarine? Vegetable oil or olive oil? Whole milk or skim milk? Grass fed? Organic?

It seems like every year there is “new” information telling us what we should or shouldn’t eat and many times it contradicts what we may believe or may already be doing.

I recently finished reading Real Food: What To Eat And Why by Nina Planck, and I thought it was a fantastic book.

100 years ago, heck 50 years ago, food wasn’t this complicated. It wasn’t all about fad diets.

It was about farming and living off the land. It was about eating what Nina refers to in this book as “real food.”

Nina grew up on a farm eating raw milk, butter, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade granola and whole wheat bread, and just about anything and everything else that they produced on their farm.

I’d like to point out that the butter and raw milk she ate came from their own grass fed Jersey cow. The meat was grass fed as well, and the eggs she ate came from chickens that were free ranging, not raised on “vegetarian” diets (did you know chicken’s aren’t natural vegetarians? They aren’t!).

They didn’t treat their animals with antibiotics or hormones and they certainly didn’t spray their produce with pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

She ate all these wonderful foods growing up, but yearned for “American food, the kind ‘normal kids’ ate.” As she got older, she began falling into the trap of our culture.

Like the rest of us, Nina kept hearing things like:

Too much meat is bad.

Saturated fat is bad.

Too many carbs are bad.

Every year, we hear something new. So, she began a quest in her teens and twenties and became first a vegetarian, and then a vegan. She lived this lifestyle for many years, but never really felt well.

She had poor digestion, was moody and got sick during cold and flu season. She was exercising regularly, but gained weight on this supposedly healthy diet.

Her job at the time brought her over to Europe, and through a series of events, she ended up opening London’s first farmer’s market in 1999. She went on to open up more and then quit her job at the time as a speechwriter for the U.S. Ambassador to Britain to focus on the farmer’s markets.

Spending time at the farmers’ markets inevitably led her down the path of reintroducing herself to the foods that she grew up on. She began to slowly start eating foods from her childhood such as meats and ice cream as opposed to nonfat yogurt and tofu.

She soon began feeling better, and her colds and flu disappeared. As she continued to eat more meat, butter, fish and eggs, her health continued to improve, as well as her weight and her mood.

She set out to research the real foods that she grew up on and the diet of humans going back many years. She learned quite a bit about the traditional foods our ancestors ate and how they differ from the industrial foods we eat predominantly now.

It is a wonderfully refreshing book because she shares not only facts, but more importantly, her experiences and her journey back to good health.

She points out very clearly the facts that not all food is created equal and there are important distinctions we must understand when making choices for ourselves.

For example, grass-fed meat vs. grain-fed meat. Or raw milk vs. pasteurized and homogenized milk. Or farmed fish vs. wild fish.

There are so many traditional foods that we have altered over the last 50 or so years that have changed the way they impact our health. It is important that we understand the differences and the consequences of the food choices we make. She does a great job of explaining this in the book.

Overall, I thought this was an extremely well-written book and it read more like a story, not like a text book. I think some people may be apprehensive to read these types of books because they may appear to be boring – like reading an encyclopedia or other reference book.

This is most certainly not the case with this book. Nina does a wonderful job of both telling you her story, but also providing you with compelling information about where our food comes from which is what makes it so enjoyable to read.

I would highly recommend Real Food What To Eat and Why to anyone who has an interest or a passion in learning more about food, real food, the history and the truth about how it impacts our health.

I recently finished reading Ageless by Suzanne Somers and what can I say, except that I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone over the age of 18.

When you are doing something you are passionate about, at any age, it shines through in your work. This is most certainly the case with Suzanne Somers.

She has found a far superior quality of life through not only eating well and exercising, but also through  Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) and the use of quality supplements.

Most of us don’t go through our lives thinking too much about how our hormones work, let alone when or if we should ever replace them. Suzanne explains the functions of each of our major hormones, as well as our minor hormones in the beginning of the book.

She then goes on to discuss PMS, Perimenopause and Menopause and the effects these have on our bodies, our health and our lives. For all the men out there, don’t worry, this isn’t a book only written for women. This book is also very important for your health as well. In addition to the overall information, she devotes multiple chapters specifically to men.

Not to mention, it’s important that you understand not only your own body, but also your wife or significant other’s, so that you can better understand what she may be going through!

Suzanne then goes on to discuss the importance of finding the best doctor for you, one who understands what you are going through and who is willing to work with you to get better.

She also goes over the difference between static dosing and rhythmic cycling when taking bioidentical hormones. The methods are different and it’s important to understand the differences.

She shares her interviews with over a dozen different doctors, as well as other people who have experienced BHRT firsthand, including her son Bruce. The interviews are fascinating and filled with information that you won’t get from a traditonal doctor’s office visit or on your local news.

These doctors are using bioidentical hormones, hormones that match exactly to what our body makes, rather than synthetic hormones which don’t match the hormones in our body and can potentially wreak havoc in our bodies over time.

They are also using cutting edge treatments, natural supplements and detoxification methods to provide their patients a better quality of life. They are doing this without pumping pharmaceutical drugs into their patients which could potentially have short and/or long term side effects.

Suzanne also discusses how our environment is causing many problems with our health. Everywhere you turn there are chemicals, pollutants, radiation and an inferior food supply which are all causing harm to our bodies. She discusses the importance of limiting your exposure to the best of your ability.

Of course, we can’t live in a bubble, so it’s important to understand how to detoxify our bodies and provide the right supplementation to improve our quality of life. We have to learn how to protect ourselves from the environmental assault our bodies receive day in and day out!

Suzanne also discusses the importance of good nutrition as well as moderate exercise in order to keep ourselves healthy. She discusses the significance of eating good, wholesome, real foods, ones that are not filled with numerous chemicals and preservatives. She also doesn’t advocate too much exercise. She believes that moderate exercise is good, and too much exercise can actually do more harm than good.

Overall, as with her other books that I have read, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about their health and the aging process. I wish I had this book when I was 18, so don’t think you are too young to read it. After all, you are never too young to learn and to get yourself on the right path to a long and healthy life!

Finding a safe, natural body lotion that I actually like has been a project, to say the least.

I am an avid label reader, whether it’s food or skin care products, it doesn’t matter. The way I see it, whatever I’m putting on my body is going to end up in my body.

I certainly don’t want to use skin care products that contain unsafe and potentially toxic ingredients.

Because of this, I’ve tried many different creams and lotions, but I’ve recently found one that I love and wanted to share with you.

My New Favorite Natural Body Lotion

Several months ago I came across a website when I was searching for a reputable source for organic virgin coconut oil. The company is called Tropical Traditions (www.TropicalTraditions.com) and they are well known for their hand-made, high quality virgin coconut oil.

They also have a line of skin care products, including moisturizing lotions and creams. I purchased the lotion a couple of months ago and just reordered another bottle because I love it!

As I mentioned before, Tropical Traditions is a very reputable company that is well known for their high quality organic coconut oil, which we use and love. This coconut oil is the main ingredient in their lotion, which is great for your skin.

There are just five other ingredients in the unscented lotion: purified water,  organic jojoba, emulsifying wax (plant-based, no soy), grapefruit seed extract, and organic virgin palm oil .

Tropical Traditions does have a few scented lotions, and the only additional ingredients in those are organic essential oils.

Ask Chad. I read A LOT of labels, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a skin care product with such a small list of ingredients that are all safe.

The lotion isn’t greasy feeling at all, and it’s safe to use from head to toe; which is great because you don’t have to buy a separate face cream if you don’t want to.

As I mentioned above, there is palm oil in the lotion as well as coconut, which among other things has powerful antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Speaking from my own personal experience, Vitamin E is one of the most important things in skin care.

I know that aloe gets touted as good for skin and burns and such, and I do think that aloe is great and very soothing. However, when it comes to healing, I’ve found for many years now that I tend to reach for Vitamin E first.

I am passionate about great, healthy, safe food and equally passionate about great, healthy and safe skin care products. I am glad to have found this lotion and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it if you are looking for a safe, natural body lotion as well!

Here is a link directly to their website so you can decide for yourself what you think!

Please feel free to leave comments below about your experience with Tropical Traditions or suggestions on any other quality product lines that you have used and can recommend.

I’m always amazed how some people react when I mention acupuncture or chiropractic care.

These and other modalities have been around for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Yet taking a synthetic drug that was recently developed to treat the latest disease seems completely viable and doesn’t concern us at all?

We aren’t worried about the side effects, in spite of the fact that this form of “treatment” is still in it’s infancy when compared to some of the older “alternatives.”

So, why are we so afraid of these alternatives? Simple. We’ve been taught that we should be.

I truly believe that it is the conditioning of our society to believe that taking prescription drugs is how we get better from disease, illness or pain!

Now, I’m not suggesting that there isn’t a time and a place for certain medications, but the way we have come to depend on them and the amount in which they are consumed is, at least to me, disturbing.

If there is a crisis or trauma in which immediate medical attention and intervention is necessary, then by all means, I understand the use of certain life-saving procedures and drugs. However, we treat every cold as a reason to take an antibiotic half of the time!

Furthermore, we as a society, are prescribed medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, acid reflux, headaches, back pain…and the list goes on.

The truth is that many of these symptoms and diseases can be corrected/treated by a change in our lifestyle and a more natural holistic approach.  Often times these problems can also be helped by modalities that have been around for generations that don’t carry the potentially harmful side effects of prescription drugs.

I’m not a doctor and I’m not trying to come across as one. For those of you that know me, you know that I am passionate about sharing alternatives…in all areas of life. Unfortunately, the sad truth is things like massage and acupuncture which have been around for thousands of years are considered “alternatives” in western medicine.

This is probably one of the most frustrating things for me to swallow. I remember when I was getting fairly regular tension headaches and I was concerned so I went to the doctor. He basically prescribed me “prescription strength” ibuproren.

That was it.

After taking that among other OTC drugs for some time, I decided I didn’t want to be dependent on taking pills on a regular basis. So, I decided to seek out “alternatives”, like acupuncture for example. In addition, I assessed certain things about my lifestyle.

Wow.

No more headaches…seriously.

You see, we are led to believe that headaches are “normal” just because they are “common.” Not true. Something is causing your headaches and that root cause must be addressed. Taking OTC pills and prescriptions doesn’t address your headaches, it just alleviates the pain at the time of your headache.

The problem is ultimately still there and it is definitely not a result of an Advil or Tylenol deficiency!

Many things can cause headaches like dehydration, poor diet, lack of protein, your body being out of balance or many other things. I always recommend consulting a Naturopathic Doctor to address your concerns and determine a good course of action to take.

My personal experience with acupuncture, as well as staying hydrated and not allowing myself to get to that point of being “past the point of hunger” has helped me tremendously. I almost never get headaches, whereas I was having them regularly at one time just a few years ago.

Having headaches is just an example. My point is it is best to implement more natural approaches into our life to prevent headaches, colds, etc…rather that reacting to these things with prescription drugs.

We are all logical people and we all have the ability to think for ourselves and do our own research and due diligence. Just because we do not spend years in medical school does not mean we don’t understand our body and how it functions. If we listen to our bodies, it’s amazing how much we can learn and understand.

We need to start questioning every time we are handed a prescription for every ailment or symptom under the sun. We need to become advocates for ourselves and our own health because ultimately nobody cares about your health and well-being more than you do! We have to live in our bodies, so it is important that we understand, at least on some level, how they work.

We go to the doctor’s office when we are sick, so why don’t we focus on doing things to prevent illness and keep ourselves healthy, active and out of the doctor’s office! Of course I’m not implying that we can control everything that happens to us…some things are simply out of our control, but let’s try to control the things we can.

Let’s make positive changes and demand better health for ourselves and our loved ones so that we are not continually being poisoned by so many unnecessary drugs!

Let’s focus on being proactive, and prevent illness, rather than reacting to it.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I enjoy some “bad” foods and splurge sometimes when I’m eating, but for the most part, I eat to nourish myself and feel good. I feel like somewhere along the way this has gotten lost in our society.

We are such an advanced culture in so many ways, however we are such a “sick” society with new “diseases” and new synthetic drugs being developed all the time. We don’t eat well, don’t take care of our bodies, don’t nourish ourselves and then we go to the doctor because we “don’t feel well” and what happens? We get prescriptions for drugs or we get no answers and continue to feel bad.

How often do you have a conversation about your “diet” with your doctor and actually discuss the foods you eat and how they affect how you feel? Do you prepare your meals throughout the day or week based on good food choices or is it about grabbing something to eat so you don’t feel hungry?

Believe me, I think eating so that you don’t feel hungry is important, but I don’t think it is the most important part of meal planning. How many vegetables/fruits do you eat in a day? How much protein do you eat? Do you make meals prepared with whole foods that have been organically grown or do you make ready to eat packaged meals filled with preservatives?

I’m not writing this blog post to sound “preachy” at all, but rather to make you think about what you are putting in your body. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t always make the right food choices, but I’m a lifelong student of nutrition and will always be looking to improve my eating habits. More importantly, I think about what I eat and I think about how it affects me and I recognize that there is a direct correlation to what I eat and how I feel.

So many of us go through week after week feeling tired, sluggish and foggy. Maybe you are suffering with headaches, abdominal pains, and so many of us don’t even stop to recognize that one of the first things to try in order to resolve these problems/symptoms is change the way we eat!

I know, I know… “there isn’t enough time”  to cook from scratch, or at least that is the most common attitude towards eating a better diet and making better food choices. Well, in my experience we make time for what is most important to us.

Eating well doesn’t take hours and hours of preparation and endless slaving over a stove…you can have a healthy meal prepared in less than 30 minutes if you want which is less time than it takes to watch a sitcom…heck put the tv in the kitchen and you can do both!!

Sorry if this came on a little strong, but I just wanted to get this off my chest…so many suffer so needlessly!

Feel free to leave comments with healthy meal suggestions or tips on how to spend less time in the kitchen while still eating well

What has happened over the last 50 to 100 years that has led us to this point where we need to label natural, sustainable food that hasn’t been treated with dangerous chemicals and pesticides and such as organic?

Shouldn’t that be the way we expect our food to be unless stated otherwise? It’s really amazing to think about what has happened to present day agriculture and our food supply.

Why and who has allowed this to happen and what can we do about it?

First of all, let’s take a step back for a moment and reflect…reflect on the fact that 150 years ago there weren’t big companies out there that controlled our food supply. There were farmers who produced good quality crops that our ancestors ate without worry about any effects from dangerous chemicals, pesticides or genetically modified foods.

Now, we have lost touch with our food supply, our land, nature and the true meaning of farming that we have to label food that isn’t “conventional” as “organic.” Conventional farming may include the use of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and growth hormones, all of which are dangerous to our well-being.

Just our common sense should tell us that ingesting synthetic chemicals used to kill bugs and weeds can’t be good for us. Do you have some type of ant or roach killer in your household? Would you spray it on your food and then eat it? I know, it might seem like an extreme example, but doesn’t it make you think for a minute?

We should all stop and think for a minute.

Why is something like organic farming, which is the way farming was done for centuries all of a sudden something out of the ordinary and different? Why have we allowed our food supply to become so corrupt?

Shouldn’t our food say “pesticide laden” apples instead of having to point out that they are “organic” apples for example. Or our meat and poultry…shouldn’t our meat say “treated with antibiotics and growth hormones and not allowed to graze” instead of “antibiotic free” , “free range”, “organic” or any other similar label.

I guess I’m just wondering if we are holding the right people accountable. We have allowed things to get so out of control that now if you want to be a “certified organic” farmer, it costs you more money and time to go through the process, which almost seems like they are being punished! Additionally conventional farming methods produce more crops for less money, which might sound good, but at what cost to our health and our planet?

So how can organic farmers compete?

Well, for starters, they can compete when we, the general public, begin to educate ourselves and take a little time to understand what we are putting in our bodies. They can compete when we choose organic products over conventional ones. Business is always about supply and demand, so let’s make the right decisions and when there is more demand for organic products, we will start to see more and more of them.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. However, please don’t leave comments like “Organic food is expensive” because to me, there is nothing constructive about that. I will agree that overall it tends to be more expensive…but so are 60″ TVs and going out for coffee everyday, which most of us don’t bat an eyelash at.

I think we all have to make decisions as to what our priorities are and what sacrifices we are willing to make.

Maybe one day things will be the way I believe they should be and products that are not “organic” will have to be labeled as such and organic products will just be the “norm”.

Until then, it’s our job to become advocates for ourselves and become educated about the food we are eating.

I wish you all nothing but good health and well-being

It was a Friday night in April of 2005 and I had gone out to dinner with some friends. When I got home, I was feeling a little bit of heartburn, a little more than what seemed normal, but I went to sleep figuring I would feel better in the morning.

I woke up in the middle of the night with a more intense heartburn, nausea and overall discomfort in my chest and abdomen. I hesitated for a minute, but then knew I had to wake up Chad to take me to the emergency room. We got up and headed over to the hospital, checked in and then waited to be seen.

The doctor who saw me gave me some anti-nausea medication and then decided to “run some tests.” I rested for awhile with Chad right by my side, waiting for some answers from the doctor. The doctor came back to see me and basically told me that he didn’t have an answer for me, that the tests didn’t show that anything was “wrong” and I should follow up with my primary care physician.

I followed up with my doctor within a few days and she decided to send me for yet some more tests. A few days later, my doctor’s office called me with my diagnosis…Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, more commonly known as GERD. So I needed to make an appointment to go back in to see my doctor to find out the treatment plan.

Well, my doctor told me not to eat spicy food and that I should take a prescription called Protonix which would help control my heartburn. So I began taking the medication as directed and began feeling better, right?

Nope.

I felt consistent abdominal pain, nausea from time to time, headaches and just overall discomfort. Also, I felt anxious a lot of the time and couldn’t seem to just relax and enjoy my day to day life. My heartburn seemed controlled at best, but overall I felt terrible.

This went on for some time and continued on into 2006 while Chad and I were planning our wedding.  I spent many months not going out very much and feeling bad about staying in a lot, but I didn’t want to risk going out and then start feeling terrible out of nowhere (at least it seemed out of nowhere!)

I continued taking my medication and was expecting that I would be feeling better over time, but that was not the case. Finally, by the end of 2006 just a couple of months after our wedding, I decided to seek out some other options and look for some answers.

After all, just a couple of years before, I was very healthy and living a relatively normal life.  Now I was feeling terrible no matter what I ate or did, it seemed, and I was frustrated and not feeling any real relief from the medication. Not to mention, that I was 31 at the time (funny how I’m only 29 now ) and didn’t really want to be on “reflux medication” for the rest of my life!

This is the beginning of when things started to really change in my life. This is when I started to change. This is when I started to look for answers, become an advocate and take some responsibility and ownership over my health.

I decided to go see a Naturopathic Doctor for the first time and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. First of all, she was the first doctor to really spend time with me and really listen to what I was telling her and all of the symptoms I had been having. As she listened, she thought about the big picture.

Why was I having heartburn?

What was causing it?

Why was I having so much abdominal pain?

Why did it seem no matter what I ate I didn’t feel well?

Instead of just saying “You have reflux ‘disease’”, she explored  why I was having all of those symptoms and helped me to figure out what the underlying cause of those symptoms were. You see, my reflux was a symptom, not a “disease” as my conventional doctors led me to believe.

She had me tested for food allergies and what do you know…I’m allergic to soy! Well, I guess technically it’s more of an intolerance. I’m not going to die or have to be rushed to the hospital if I eat it, but after consuming it, I will not feel well at all…and after consuming it in unknown quantities for an extended period of time it’s going to cause me quite a bit of discomfort. For example, perhaps heartburn and abdominal pain among other things.

Sound familiar?

By the way, if you’re thinking “What’s soy in anyway?” then may I suggest you take a look at the ingredients of some products at your local grocery store! I was ingesting it day in and day out to the point where my body couldn’t handle it. It was like a toxin wreaking all sorts of havoc on my body thus causing the abdominal pain, heartburn, nausea and other symptoms I was experiencing.

You see, the Protonix that I was taking was only alleviating my heartburn at best, but it wasn’t curing anything or solving the underlying problem so that is why I wasn’t getting better. Once my Naturopathic Doctor helped me to find my soy allergy, and I was aware of it and able to change my diet and eliminate it from my diet, it was just a very short time before I was feeling much better.

Shortly after that, I stopped taking my medication and have never taken it since. Furthermore, I get heartburn about once every 3 months at most! I literally went from feeling terrible almost all of the time back to my old self with my active lifestyle.

I literally feel as though that experience not only saved me from the day to day discomfort that I was feeling then, but it has forever opened my eyes to wanting to understand my body and become an advocate for my own health. I strive everyday to improve my health and continue to learn on a daily basis.

I am sharing this experience with you so that you can understand why I am so passionate about holistic health, about learning and growing, and about sharing my knowledge and experiences with you so that you too can live a happier and healthier life.

Well, for those of you know that know us, you know that we are very passionate about living a holistic lifestyle and we are also very passionate about our “girls” Wynnie and Vega (yes, they are technically dogs). Therefore, it is only natural that we want the very best for them and we want them to have a healthy diet based on whole foods, not processed canned foods. We don’t eat canned or processed foods, so why would we feed them to our “girls”??

We have searched for a place to find products we feel good about for our girls and have found them at OnlyNaturalPet.com. You will find everything from flea and tick control to shampoos to supplements to pet food and more and you can feel good about the products you find there. We have also been very impressed with the customer service and how quick we get our orders.

We know there are so many products out there and it is overwhelming to know what to do to take care of ourselves properly half of the time, never mind our four-legged “kids.” This is why it has been such a great experience for us shopping at this site and we wanted to share our experience with you! We hope that you take a look at OnlyNaturalPet.com and find that you are as pleased as we have been

Please feel free to share your experience with OnlyNaturalPet.com in the comments so we can help others to make better and more informed decisions!