Choosing a Holistic Practitioner

In studying natural health, one question comes up over and over again. How does one go about choosing a good alternative medicine physician or holistic health practitioner?


Just as in allopathic medicine, the choice of health care provider is critical to your overall results. If it is a new experience, choosing an alternative health care doctor can be overwhelming. These 10 questions below adopted from the American Holistic Medical Association, can be used to help you find and build a relationship with a practitioner that you can partner with to secure your natural, holistic health.

1. How does this practitioner feel about second opinions or your interest in alternative health care therapies or treatments?


2. How do you react and respond to this practitioner's staff and office? Are you comfortable?


3. Is your personal dignity respected by this practitioner and his staff during examinations and any other interactions?


4. Does this practitioner honor your doubts, anxieties, or fears?


5. Do you feel like a valued partner in managing your health?


6. Does the practitioner himself appear healthy?


7. Are you treated as if this is an important, ongoing relationship?


8. Are you allowed sufficient time between consultation and treatment to allow time to make well informed decisions?


9. Does the practitioner offer you unconditional acceptance and an open mind?


10. Would you recommend this practitioner to another person that you care about?

Use these 10 steps to find a natural health practitioner and lay the groundwork for establishing a healthy relationship with them in securing your holistic health.



To find out more about natural methods of health and healing with alternative medicine, visit

Naturopathic-Medicine.net

To find out about natural health education, visit

Certified Natural Health Professionals - SC Chapter

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Insulin Resistance - The Silent Killer

Insulin resistance, or the body's inability to properly use insulin to burn blood sugar, has become a silent epidemic. It has been labeled Syndrome X. Insulin resistance can be a precursor to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and a host of other diseases. Signs of insulin resistance can be obesity ( belly fat ), high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglyceride levels.

To prevent syndrome X, consider these healthy lifestyle choices:

1. Avoid refined carbohydrates. These are foods that are generally white in color, e.g., white bread, cereals, cakes, pasta, ice cream.
2. Increase your protein intake in your diet. Limit red meat as it would have a tendency to aggravate further accompanying symptoms. Healthy choices would include fish and poultry.
   
3. Exercise daily. Walking, swimming, or cycling are all great choices.
   
4. Include dietary nutritional supplements that assist in metabolizing blood sugar and insulin, i.e., vitamins E and C, zinc, chromium, silymarin, and alpha lipoic acid.

To find out more about diet and nutrition, visit

Herbal Nutrition Systems

To find out more about natural methods of health and healing with alternative medicine, visit

Naturopathic-Medicine.net

To find out about natural health education, visit
Certified Natural Health Professionals - SC Chapter



Technorati tags : nutrition, holistic, certified natural health professionals, alternative medicine, fat, insulin resistance, heart disease, diabetes

Let Them Eat Cake, Nutritionally

Here in the US, we just celebrated a major holiday, July 4th. For many of us this meant not only a day off from work to celebrate our nation's birth, but also a time to gather with friends and relatives for the annual 4th of July Cookout.

Traditional meals for the annual 4th day cookout typically include barbecued chicken, beef, and/or pork, potato salad or pasta salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, grilled vegetable kabobs, hot dogs, and dessert. ( My experience is primarily of the southern cookout, so mileage may vary across the country; but these foods represent a typical holiday feast. ) Desserts vary greatly. This may include ice cream, custards, fruit pies, and/or fresh fruit such as berries, watermelon or canteloupe. But often times, combined with any of these other choices is cake.

For those choosing cake instead of fresh fruit, even the type of cake selected for the meal can make a big difference. For example, an average slice of devil's food cake ( approximately 2.5 ounces with icing ) contains 234 calories, 8.5 grams of fat and 3 grams of protein. However, a 2 ounce slice of angel food cake contains only 137 calories, zero grams of fat and 3 grams of protein. The angel food cake could be combined with fresh fruit for added flare and flavor. While this would add more calories, the fresh fruit would also add antioxidants, vitamins, and enzymes.

If choosing a traditional meal for the annual cookout, careful choices in ingredients and preparation can help make the meal healthier. The types of meats, dairy, and oils or fats selected can make a big difference in the overall caloric and fat intake. Adding fresh fruits and vegetables not only adds great flavor but adds a healthy component to the meal as well. Hopefully these are ideas you can integrate into your next holiday feast.

To find out more about herbs, diet, and nutrition, visit

Herbal Nutrition Systems

To find out more about natural methods of health and healing with alternative medicine, visit

Naturopathic-Medicine.net

To find out about natural health education, visit
Certified Natural Health Professionals - SC Chapter


Technorati tags : nutrition, holistic, certified natural health professionals, alternative medicine, fat, herbs, antioxidants

Healthy Fat - Nutritional Oxymoron?

Many people consider the 3 letters, F-A-T, to compose a 4-letter word. However, fat is necessary for healthy living. It is one of the 3 basic food types - fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. It is necessary for healthy metabolism and good nutrition. However, just like for carbs and proteins, there are both healthy choices and unhealthy choices for fat consumption.

Face it. You have to admit it. We all like the taste of fat. People have a strong sensory preference for foods high in fat. Fats provide reserve energy and provide essential fatty acids that we can not produce ourselves. These fats also carry fat soluble vitamins. Not only do fats make food taste great, but they also make you feel full.

However, we have to be careful in the source in which we derive our fats. Unhealthy fat is derived from saturated fats. These fats are derived from foods of animal origin, primarily red meat, and may contribute to the development of heart disease and illness. Over-consumption of saturated fats may be responsible for much of the premature death and disease in the country. Saturated fats are easily identifiable as they are generally solid at room temperature. For those seeking to pursue a holistic or natural health lifestyle, these specific fats should be avoided.

Unsaturated fats come from plants and are considered the healthier choice. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. But even unsaturated fat can be unhealthy if it has been synthetically altered. Hydrogenation is the process of adding hydrogen to unsaturated fats to make them "more saturated" in order to give them a longer shelf life. Trans fats, another type of altered unsaturated fat, is even more altered in order to give an even more extended shelf life ( ... or is that half-life?). As it is harder for the body to recognize and metabolize these substances, hydrogenated and trans fat laced products should not be included in a holistic diet. They not only have a long life on the shelf, but perhaps spend an extended time in the body as well.

So what's a person seeking a healthy diet and lifestyle to do? Fats from nuts, seeds, grains, and fish can provide needed essential fatty acids into a diet. My favorites in this category are oils and fat from flaxseed and salmon.

Eating fish can provide the healthy fats needed in a diet. All fish, especially fatty fish such as tuna, mackerel, salmon, and sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids can dramatically reduce the risk of stroke, cancer, and heart disease. For good nutrition and optimal holistic health, include fatty acids in your daily diet.

Be careful with tuna though, especially canned. Light meat tuna from bluefin or yellowfin tuna contains very little omega-3 fatty acids, while white meat tuna from albacore is a good source of omega-3. Avoid tunas packed in oil as the oil used generally does not have high nutritional value.

Try to get a much of your fat from nuts and grains. Read food processing labels and avoid trans fat and minimize saturated fat. Include "healthy" fat in your daily diet.



To find out more about diet and nutrition, visit

Herbal Nutrition Systems

To find out more about natural methods of health and healing with alternative medicine, visit

Naturopathic-Medicine.net

To find out about natural health education, visit

Certified Natural Health Professionals - SC Chapter

Technorati tags : nutrition, holistic, certified natural health professionals, alternative medicine, fat, omega 3 fatty acids, trans fat, saturated fat

Spring Cleaning - Time for Natural Detox

It's spring and time for spring cleaning. ...Not just for your house but for your body systems as well. We are constantly bombarded by external toxins and create our own just through the basic metabolic process. These toxins build up over time and affect our health and wellness. In order to restore your holistic well-being, detoxification should be used to clean your internal house, so to speak. Detoxing helps the body to cleanse itself and heal. We can naturally detox in various ways: nutrition, herbal medicine, enzyme supplementation, hydrotherapy, and exercise. Let's briefly look at each of these methods.


By applying a targeted approach to our basic diet, we can minimize the impact of toxins with nutrition. By avoiding the problem foods that trigger toxic reactions, we can improve elimination and aid digestion. Foods such as unrefined sugars, dairy, wheat gluten, and meats which more often than not contain harmful amounts of hormones and antibiotics should be avoided or minimized. Adding lots of fresh fruit and vegetables provides the fiber necessary in the diet and adds loads of antioxidants and vitamins as well.


Herbal medicine can be used to supplement nutrition as it can help the organs cope with the detox process. Dandelion helps the kidney and bladder and is a great toning and cleansing herb. The herb milk thistle is particularly great in helping the liver cope with toxic stress and helping to eliminate toxins. Various herbs as well can be used as a gentle herbal laxative to cleanse the colon and small intestine.


Enzymes aid digestion. They are produced naturally by the body. But as we age, we do not produce the necessary amounts needed for proper digestion. They can be found naturally in raw fruits and vegetables or may be purchased in supplement form. Supplementing your diet with enzymes between meals can be especially helpful during a detox.


Drink plenty of water during a detox. This is very important. The water is necessary to dilute the toxins, hydrate the cells and organs, and assist with elimination. However, hydrotherapy can assist in external ways as well. Soaking detox baths containing epsom salts or baking soda can do wonders as they help draw heavy metals from the skin and support the kidneys. Be sure to soak at least 20 minutes in a warm bath and scrub with a natural fiber gently on the skin.


Heavy exercise make you sweat and sweating helps to eliminate toxins. Not only does this help with detox, but the act of exercise itself speeds up metabolism and releases toxins. It helps to oxygenate the body and mind and helps improve blood flow -- both of which move toxins out of the body.


By implementing these simple strategies, you will be well on your way to a healthy spring cleaning and natural spring detox.



To find out more about herbal support for detox, visit

Herbal Nutrition Systems

To find out more about natural methods of health and healing with alternative medicine, visit

Naturopathic-Medicine.net

To find out about natural health education, visit

Certified Natural Health Professionals - SC Chapter

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Making Healthy Choices -- The Need for Caffeine Detox

Many Americans grab a cup of coffee in the morning in order to start their day. Some say the aroma, the taste, the warmth all combine to give that morning boost. But actually, it's the caffeine that revs up the system and gets the nervous system excited and generally over-stimulated. Let's take a closer look however, at just how the daily caffeine affects the body and overall health. Does an herbal medicine approach exist to address this?

Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and adrenal glands. For many of us these systems are already overworked which leads to our feeling constantly tired and exhausted. Furthermore, caffeine disrupts natural sleep patterns making you even more tired. By adding caffeine to an already overly stressed - overly tired system, we only add to and extend the problem. Caffeine is a drug and anyone who has started this cycle and then tried to abruptly stop has experienced the withdrawal systems of stopping cold turkey. The feelings of irritability, sluggishness, anxiety, nervousness, and headaches are all common symptoms.

Coffee is by far our favorite method of digesting large amounts of caffeine. Just six ounces of brewed coffee contains 102 mg of caffeine. Just thinking about all the Grande Lattes from my past, the amount of caffeine that must have been in them, and the impact on my health makes me shutter even today.

Instant coffee contains only half the caffeine of brewed. Although, when I drank coffee, I never thought that instant tasted quite as good as fresh brewed. Now I'm not sure if it was really the taste or the fact that instant probably didn't feed into my caffeine addiction as much as the fresh alternative did!

Brewed tea has even less caffeine than coffee. Eight ounces of brewed tea contains approximately 40 mg of caffeine. Tea also contains antioxidants which makes it a much better alternative, especially green tea.

If you are looking to improve your health and trying to wean yourself from caffeine and don't want to suffer from all the withdrawal symptoms, drink lots of pure water and get plenty of exercise -- enough to work up a good sweat. This will help sweat out the toxins and help you with overall detox. An alternative is to use herbal support to minimize withdrawal side-effects. One great product to alleviate detox symptoms is a product offered by Herbal Nutrition Systems called Caffeine Detox. This is homeopathic medicine solution that provides natural relief for caffeine withdrawal. One product to consider combining with this is called Nutri-Calm. It provides an herbal combination of B-complex vitamins and nourishing herbs to support and nuture the nervous system and improve relaxation and encourage restful sleep. This herbal one-two punch not only assists with detox symptoms but also helps to address the underlying cause for the feeling for extra caffeine in the morning.

For other great solutions offered by Herbal Nutrition Systems that you can get at discount, check out this link

http://www.herbalnutritionsystems.com


For information and training on natural health, body systems, and the impact of toxins in the body, check out

http://www.sc-cnhp.org



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Children's nutrition gets a holistic boost

This week, the national news reported that many of our nation's schools are changing their school lunch menus to offer a more nutrition based, health-oriented meal plan. This major change in direction is based on the unprecedented incidents of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes. Considering the overwhelming evidence supporting the links between nutrition and health, it's amazing that it has taken this long for action to take place in this area. The long-term effect of junk food served both at home and in our nation's schools has been devastating.

Insulin resistance is on the rise and is being seen in younger and younger victims. Cancer rates have skyrocketed and incidents of morbid obesity have soared. Heart attacks are now claiming our youth. Poor food choices ( or lack of good choices as has been the case with school lunches) and lack of exercise due to diminished physical education programs does not allow our children to thrive.

Americans are among the fattest and most unhealthy population on the planet. We are literally eating ourselves to death! Basic naturopathic medicine principles re-enforce the concept of you are what you eat. It's no wonder kids have so many problems with A.D.D., A.D.H.D., allergies and asthma when they only eat hamburgers, french fries, sloppy joes, and soft drinks! When I was growing up, there were generally only one or two overweight kids in the class. Now, it seems that being overweight is the norm.

I applaud the education system for finally recognizing this link and moving to include healthy food choices in its lunch menus and vending machines. By teaching children healthy eating habits, we can solve this nutritional crisis. Hopefully, the next target will be requiring daily exercise by bringing back PE!


Certified Natural Health Professionals nationally offers natural health education on advanced nutrition and have a capstone training seminar entitled "Childrens Nutrition & Vaccinations". To find out more about CNHP and their course offerings and local chapters, click this link:

Certified Natural Health Professionals of South Carolina


To find out more about naturopathic medicine and the impact of nutrition and healthy living, check out

Naturopathic-Medicine.net


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REVIEW: Certified Natural Health Professionals

Certified Natural Health Professionals is a national seminar program where anyone interested in gaining knowledge about natural health and healing can receive guided instruction and attain certification in alternative medicine. A successful candidate must attend and complete 5 institute seminars based on actual theory and techniques used by natural health practitioners. The seminars are taught by competent, "active in their fields" faculty who are both dedicated and experienced. Classes are offered throughout the United States.


I have attained my CNHP status and greatly appreciate the professionalism and care in which the instructors guide you in learning. The course material and supplemental information provided by the instructors is always fresh and relevant. The opportunities for hands-on learning provide a very rewarding and unique experience in natural health education.


CNHP Required Seminars for Certification:

1. Nutrition
2. Body Systems
3. Iridology
4. Body Work
5. Practicum

In addition to the basic seminars, the National Association of Certified Natural Health Professionals offers advanced capstone courses for continuing education. In order to retain one's certification, you must enroll in at least one capstone per year or re-take a basic seminar. Again, as the material is always evolving, this gives you an opportunity to stay abreast of recent developments in holistic medicine.

Each seminar and capstone involves a minimum of thirteen hours of study, classroom participation and/or practical demonstration.

Advanced capstones include traditional naturopathic medicine specialties such as homeopathy, herbology or herbal medicine, dried blood cell analysis, clinical aromatherapy, bach flower remedies, advanced nutrition, enzymes, reflexology, etc.


If you are interested in CNHP courses or attaining your certification, you can check out their website at this address:

Certified Natural Health Professionals

In recent years, CNHP has started to organize itself into state chapters. You can check out the South Carolina chapter to find out more about state and regional chapters.

Certified Natural Health Professionals of South Carolina

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