Loving Yourself to Great Health: Thoughts & Food--The Ultimate Diet

Did you know that a lot of remedies supporting health and healing can be found right in your garden or kitchen cupboard? In fact, today’s modern pharmaceuticals have their history in medicinal plants. Up to the mid-1800s, drugs made of herbs, plants, roots, vines, and fungi were used exclusively, until the first synthetic drug was introduced in 1869.¹ Today, 70 percent of pharmaceutical drugs begin from or were inspired by nature.²

If science recognizes the medicinal benefits of plants, why did it move toward synthetics? One of the biggest reasons is the drive for profits—plants can’t be patented or controlled the way synthetics can. Compounding the issue is the fact that it can take more than a decade for a pharmaceutical company to test a drug and get it to market, with a total price tag of over $800 million, which often means these drugs are rushed into production before the side effects are fully understood.³

“I lovingly do everything I can to assist my body in maintaining perfect health.”

— Louise

In Chapter 2, you learned that properly prescribed pharmaceutical drugs were one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that serious adverse drug interactions are found only after the drugs have been approved by the FDA.⁴

Keep in mind that we are not suggesting you ever ignore doctors’ orders or stop using your prescription medications. If you have a serious health condition or are on medications, we recommend that you speak to your doctor and other practitioners you’re working with before using the remedies or supplements in this chapter. Sometimes even natural remedies can have interactions with medications, so checking with your doctor will support you in taking responsibility for your good health.

This chapter is going to be fun because we’re going to share some of our favorite home remedies, supplements, and ancient healing techniques that have stood the test of time. These are practices we use in our own homes and with our clients. (Please note that we recommend choosing organic herbs, spices, essential oils, food remedies, and teas whenever possible.)

Before we jump into the remedies, there’s something important to recognize: You are your best health advocate and the only one who lives in your body, so you know what feels and works best for you. The more you learn to listen to and trust your body, the more you will be guided well by its signals.

Some people like to experiment with remedies and supplements, while others require guidance from a doctor, nutritionist, or other health practitioner. Make sure you research the supplements you’re considering and always listen to your body. If something you take makes you feel unwell, stop taking it and investigate why. Know that several things can happen when you start taking a new supplement:

— Castor-oil pack. These have been used since ancient times for constipation, cleansing, and lymphatic drainage. Supplies you’ll need are: castor oil (buy organic cold-pressed, rather than solvent-extracted or deodorized), a piece of cotton flannel (you can get this at your health-food store, or Amazon.com sells Heritage Products organic cotton flannel), a hot-water bottle, a towel, and some plastic wrap.

— Magnesium. See the section on magnesium at the end of this chapter for more on why this mineral is so important for bowel health. Constipation is a sign of magnesium deficiency.⁷

— Fiber. As you eat a healthier diet, you will likely increase your fiber intake. For some, this alleviates constipation, while for others, it can create more challenges. If adding more fiber is constipating for you, avoid this and focus on the other remedies listed in this section. It’s possible that fiber is more irritating for people with compromised small intestine health. If the other remedies listed in this section don’t help, make sure to talk with your health-care practitioner.

— Probiotics. Learn more in the “Overall Digestive Support” section later in the chapter. (Note that the remedies in this section are all helpful options as well.)

— Enema (or coffee enema). If constipation persists, you may want to look into doing an enema. This inexpensive home remedy was a go-to cure dating back thousands of years. While there is a great deal of controversy about enemas, many well-respected medical doctors and naturopathic doctors still recommend them today. For example, in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride recommends that people with persistent constipation do an enema rather than staying chronically constipated because it’s better for the body to eliminate the stored toxins.⁹

You can buy an enema kit with a stainless-steel bucket, medical-grade silicone tubing (as opposed to the lower-quality PVC tubing), and catheters at online retailers such as Amazon.com. When you receive your kit, you will have instructions for how to do the coffee enema as well. Always use clean, filtered water, and organic coffee that you have ground fresh in preparation for the coffee enema.

— Adequate hydration. Make sure you are drinking enough water (see Chapter 5 for more).

— Probiotics. Learn more in the “Overall Digestive Support” section later in the chapter.

— Castor-oil pack. See the “Constipation” section earlier in the chapter for how to administer one of these packs.

While acid reflux and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) can have a variety of root causes, some of these remedies may help. Keep in mind that reflux can be a sign of too much stomach acid or, paradoxically, too little. Chapter 3 talks more about how the sphincters, like the lower esophageal sphincter, can lose their ability to function properly. This is one of the reasons for heartburn, reflux, and GERD.

— Melatonin or L-tryptophan. Melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone, has been shown in studies to alleviate GERD if used over an eight-week period. Additional studies had success with L-tryptophan (the amino acid precursor to serotonin, the happiness hormone) or a combination of melatonin and L-tryptophan.¹⁷ This may be especially helpful for people who tend to have symptoms that increase from 4:00 P.M. on, or who feel energetically sensitive and have trouble breaking down stress hormones (that is, they feel overly stressed or anxious at night). Because there are some contraindications to using these supplements (for instance, if you’re taking antidepressants), we recommend that you work with a health practitioner if you’re considering this option.

— Foods for prevention. While foods and drinks such as tomatoes, coffee, tea, alcohol, carbonated beverages, citrus fruits, and chocolate can trigger acid reflux, heartburn, or GERD, a whole-food diet can help, with the following being especially helpful¹⁸:

Remember to stop eating a few hours before bedtime so that your body has a chance to digest before you lie down.

— Digestive support. Since acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD are all symptoms of an overburdened digestive system, the remedies listed in the “Overall Digestive Support” section that follows can be very helpful. If you have persistent symptoms, though, make sure your doctor rules out candida with a stool test, small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) with a breath or urine organic acid test, and H. pylori bacterial infection with an H. pylori blood-antibody test or breath test.

Soak for 10 to 30 minutes in the bath, and then rub castor oil or extra-virgin olive oil on the skin of your abdomen in a clockwise motion (starting from the right side of the body and moving toward the left in a circular motion).

Castor-oil packs have many benefits, including: alleviation of constipation, arthritis, and lower-back pain; and cleansing the liver, kidneys, and other organs. (Learn more in the “Constipation” section earlier in the chapter.)

Digestive enzymes help supply your body with enzymes needed to digest protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Plant-based digestive enzymes tend to be a wonderful option to support digestion because they work well in both the stomach and intestines.²⁰

You learned about good bacteria in Chapter 3, so you know that they work hard to keep you healthy and strong. If you’re experiencing immune or digestive-related disorders, probiotics are worth exploring. We tend to like the use of probiotics and have seen many of our clients benefit from them. Yet while many people have benefitted from using a probiotic supplement that has a wide range of good bacteria strains, new research is suggesting caution in their use. In cases of chronic digestive problems, it’s important to talk to your practitioner, or carefully research the use of probiotics to make sure that they’re right for you.

When choosing a probiotic, it may help to find one that contains a wide range of strains, is not fermented on dairy, and does not have any fillers. Custom Probiotics (CustomProbiotics.com) makes a variety of great ones, including 5-strain and 11-strain options. Another option is GutPro, which is recommended by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride for people with sensitive guts. (It can be ordered at: Organic3.com/gutpro.)

One easy way to check whether you have enough stomach acid is to do a test first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking. Mix ¼ teaspoon baking soda in six ounces of water and drink the whole glass. If you belch within two or three minutes, you likely have enough stomach acid; however, if you have not belched within five minutes, your stomach acid is likely low.²² If you start belching quickly and continue belching often, you may have too much acid.

— Drink four ounces of water with half of a fresh-squeezed lemon about 15 minutes before eating a meal. This can boost stomach acid gently and naturally.

— Put one tablespoon of raw, unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar (such as those made by Bragg or Spectrum—you’ll see debris floating at the bottom of the bottle) into eight ounces of water. Drink this about 15 minutes before eating a meal. Some people gradually add another tablespoon or two if they need more support. This is another natural, gentle way to boost stomach acid production.

— Take digestive bitters. Digestive or Swedish bitters have been used as a remedy in Europe for quite some time and are a natural way for stimulating HCl to aid digestion.²³ You can put ¼ teaspoon in water, or some in a spray bottle.

Most digestive bitters are made of a combination of herbs, such as: aloe, angelica root, manna, myrrh, saffron, rhubarb root, zedoary root, senna leaves, camphor, and others. We love the organic citrus bitters made by Urban Moonshine—you can get them online or in health-food stores in a glass bottle or purse-sized spray bottle. The ingredients are slightly different from Swedish bitters, and they are a little easier on the taste buds. They include: dandelion root and leaf, burdock root, orange peel, fennel seed, yellow dock root, angelica root, gentian root, and ginger root.

— Take an HCl supplement. The gentlest we’ve found is Premier HCl, by Premier Research Labs. While there are other supplements on the market, if you are very sensitive to HCl, you may get a burning reaction when you take it. We have seen the Premier HCl work gently for even the most sensitive people.

— Ox bile. This is especially important to take with meals if you have had your gallbladder removed. NutriCology brand is free of fillers and has two different strengths; start at a low dose and see how you feel. Work with a practitioner if you would like some guidance with this.

— Bitter and sour foods. These can aid your digestion. Some examples are dandelion greens, lemons, limes, and raw cultured vegetables (like sauerkraut) made without white vinegar. (Note that vegetables in white vinegar are typically pickled, which is different from fermentation, and white vinegar can act as an excitotoxin for sensitive individuals.)

You might also benefit from putting digestive bitters, lemon, or raw apple cider vinegar in your water (see the HCl testing section on the previous page). Raw apple cider vinegar is a fermented liquid made from apple cider that has many health benefits—it is very different from white vinegar, which is a fermented ethyl alcohol.

You can make cultured vegetables yourself (we’ll show you how in Chapter 10) or purchase them in a health-food store or online. If you do purchase them, be sure to look for those that are organic and have been fermented naturally in brine, not white vinegar. White vinegar can act as an excitotoxin; additionally, vegetables in white vinegar are often pickled and don’t have the benefits of fermented vegetables. We also prefer glass jars instead of plastic bags or containers because toxins from the plastic can be leached into the cultured vegetables.

Food combining can be very helpful if you’re experiencing gas, bloating, abdominal pain or cramps, fatigue after meals, belching, heartburn/reflux (or GERD), headaches, or any other symptoms of poor digestion that you have learned about so far. The basis of food combining is to remove stress from your digestive process by only eating together foods that digest in similar ways. Foods that require different speeds or enzymes for digestion can tax a weak digestive system, causing a wide variety of symptoms.

2. Know that grains combine well with all—that is, starchy and nonstarchy—vegetables.

3. Eat fruit alone, on an empty stomach. Fruit digests very quickly, so if you combine it with protein or carbohydrates, it can slow down in your digestive system, leading to internal fermentation and causing uncomfortable symptoms. Some people can tolerate fruit with nuts and seeds (like an apple and almond butter, for example), and these do combine well in your digestive system. However, always eat melons alone because they digest the fastest of all fruits and tend to combine poorly with other foods.

4. You can eat fats and oils with anything, except fruit. Check Chapter 5 for the healthiest options to choose for fats and oils.

Many people turn to vitamin C to support their health for colds and flu. However, it is an antioxidant vitamin with even more health benefits, including: the formation of collagen (the basis of connective tissue found in skin, bones, teeth, joint linings, and cartilage); support for the immune system, thyroid, and adrenals; aiding in cholesterol metabolism; and helping to burn fat.²⁶

Keep in mind that ascorbic acid is only a part of the more important whole-food vitamin C molecule, and we recommend avoiding ascorbic acid in your supplements because research is showing that it may have adverse health effects. Instead, choose a whole-food form of vitamin C, such as rose hips, camu camu, or Innate Response Formula’s Vitamin C-400.

B-complex vitamins include: thiamine (B₁), riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pantothenic acid (B₅), pyridoxine (B₆), biotin (B₇), folate, and vitamin B₁₂. You already learned about vitamin B₁₂ (the “master key” vitamin) and how it helps almost every organ and system in the body. B-complex vitamins are helpful as a whole because they support moods, brain health, energy, and digestion. They dissolve in water, so excess is excreted in urine.²⁷ Make sure to look for a B-complex supplement that has the active forms of vitamin B₁₂ (methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin) and folate (L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate or 5-mthf). Avoid folic acid, the synthetic form of folate, in supplements because over 40 percent of the population can’t break it down, and it can become toxic to the body.

In Chapter 3, you learned that researchers refer to vitamin B₁₂ as the master-key vitamin when it comes to health and healing. We like to think of magnesium as the master-key mineral. Depending on which studies you read, magnesium is responsible for between 300 and 800 enzyme-driven processes in the body, such as²⁹:

Magnesium is so important for so many functions of the body that you’re likely to see it listed as a remedy for a wide range of health issues.

— Magnesium is farmed out of the soil much more than calcium. As Dr. Dean explains, “A hundred years ago, we enjoyed a diet high in magnesium with a daily intake of 500 milligrams of magnesium in an ordinary diet. Today we are lucky to get 200 milligrams.”

— People do need to supplement with magnesium. After all, two out of three Americans do not consume the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) for magnesium, which is 500 milligrams per day.

— Calcium has been touted as an important mineral to take regularly; however, many experts are backing off of that recommendation because new information is showing that we get enough calcium from food. These days, without supplementation, the standard diet is too low in magnesium and too high in calcium, making the amount of calcium ten times that of magnesium. This can contribute to a lot of health problems. Too much calcium with too little magnesium can lead to: arthritis, kidney stones, osteoporosis, hardened arteries, and heart disease.

— Vitamin D requires magnesium to be metabolized, so if you’re taking a high dose of vitamin D and you’re magnesium deficient, you could be putting your body into an even greater deficiency.

The following chart reveals the stages of magnesium deficiency, with stage 1 showing mild magnesium-deficiency symptoms, to stage 4, which shows life-threatening magnesium-deficiency symptoms. Circling any symptoms you have that appear on this chart can show you how serious a magnesium deficiency you may have. The good news is that once you’re aware of this, there are steps you can take to replenish your body with magnesium.

There are a couple of options for this. Given that it’s important to look at your entire mineral status, we suggest you start by getting a hair mineral test. We highly recommend getting hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) from Morley Robbins at: GotMag.org. We have all had consults with Morley, who is known as the “Magnesium Man,” and find him to be incredibly knowledgeable about how mineral imbalances create health conditions and how to correct it. We love that when Morley met with Louise months after she turned 87, he said that her mineral status was better than people half her age, and it was a testament to how she took loving care of herself with thoughts and food.

Another helpful test is a MagRBC test, which is a blood test to check your magnesium levels. If you get your HTMA first, Morley will let you know if this test is necessary for additional diagnostics. If you do want to get a MagRBC test, you can ask your doctor, or order online at: Requestatest.com and have your blood drawn in your local area (you will be able to choose a local lab from a list when purchasing your blood test).

Morley Robbins suggests that you work with a wide range of magnesium, but remember to listen to your body when it comes to choosing the right form for you. The following chart, which we created with information from Morley, shows different forms of magnesium that might work for you.

If you have kidney failure, bowel obstruction, heart blockage, or myasthenia gravis, do not take magnesium. Additionally, if you are on heart medication, talk to your doctor first before taking this mineral because it may reduce the need for your medication, and you’ll want your doctor to help you track this.³³ Additionally, you may need to create a plan with your doctor for how much time to wait between taking your heart or blood-pressure medication and your magnesium.

How to Work with Herbs and Spices

Herbs and spices, chock-full of antioxidants and healing properties, can be wonderful healing tools in the kitchen. Here are some ideas to work with them:

— Add fresh herbs to salads, smoothies, or cooked meals. Herbs can be purchased fresh or dried. If you want the benefits of fresh herbs, you will find that many are included in the meals in our recipes section. Dried herbs and spices are also wonderful for your health, and you will find recipes for using these, too.

— Heat dried herbs and spices in a healthy fat or oil first. Gently heating your dried herbs and spices in a skillet with a healthy animal fat or coconut oil is a great way to release their aromatic taste and medicinal benefits. If a recipe calls for herbs and/or spices, heat them gently in a skillet for a few minutes and then continue with the steps in your recipe. As you get more comfortable with cooking, you might choose herbs and spices you want to work with for their health benefits and substitute those for the spices in a recipe. In general, the green herbs (rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, and sage) are great for savory dishes; and spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg are great for sweet dishes (although they can be used in curries and other delicious savory Indian recipes, too).

— Sprinkle on and in foods. Add fresh herbs or dried herbs and spices to soups, stews, salads or salad dressings, eggs, meat, fish, poultry, and any other foods you have already cooked. While they are best used during the cooking process, you can benefit from sprinkling them on for added flavor and medicinal benefits after cooking as well. You can even make a healthy popcorn with organic air-popped popcorn topped with melted coconut oil or raw butter and your favorite spices. Try fennel, fenugreek, sea salt and pepper, or turmeric and sea salt.

— Make teas. You can make your own healing teas with your chosen herbs (fresh or dried) and spices. The easiest way to do this is to purchase empty tea bags or reusable organic muslin tea bags. It may be more convenient to make a quart of tea at a time and store it in a glass jar in your refrigerator. You can get quart jars very inexpensively at most supermarkets. You will use 4–8 tablespoons of herb/spice per quart (or 1–2 tablespoons per cup of water). Boil water and pour it into your glass jar, allowing your tea bag to steep in the water for 30–60 minutes. Remove the tea bag and store excess in the refrigerator. Reheat the tea or drink it room temperature or cold, if you like iced tea.

— Chew seeds. In India, Germany, and other cultures, people have been chewing seed spices, like fennel or caraway to aid digestion and reduce bloating, anise seed to freshen breath, and cardamom pods to stop cravings and freshen breath.

Stage 1: Mild Daily Challenge	Stage 2: Greater Daily Challenge	Stage 3: Severe Daily Symptoms	Stage 4: Life-Threatening Challenge
Fatigue	Anxiety & panic attacks	Arteriosclerosis	Alcoholism
Constipation	Arthritis	Blood clots	ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Dizziness (vertigo)	Asthma	Bowel disease	Alzheimer’s
Dysmenorrhea (excessive menstrual pain)	Attention Deficit Disorder	Calcified mitral valve (mitral valve prolapse)	Cancer (breast, colon, prostate)
Facial twitches	Backache, upper back: excess cortisol	CFS/ME (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis)	Cardiac afibrillation
Food cravings (especially sugar, caffeine, simple carbs)	Backache, lower back: emotional	Celiac disease	Congestive heart failure
Headaches	Cystitis	Cerebral palsy	Eclampsia
Heart palpitations	Ear infections	Chronic kidney disease	Emphysema (COPD)
Hiccups	Gluten sensitivity	Concussion	Myocardial infarction
Hyperglycemia	Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol, triglycerides)	Depression	Obesity
Hypoglycemia	Hypertension	Diabetes	Parkinson’s disease
Irritability	Insomnia	Epilepsy/seizures	Renal failure
Loss of appetite	Insulin resistance (pre-diabetes)	Endothelial dysfunction (dysfunction of lining of blood vessels)	SIDS
Mood swings	Migraines	Failure to thrive	Starvation
Muscle cramps, spasms	Multiple pregnancies (exacerbates magnesium deficiency)	Heart arrhythmias	Stroke
Nausea	Nerve problems	Hormonal imbalance	Sudden cardiac death
Nervousness	Obesity	Hyperparathyroid	Ventricular fibrillation
Poor memory /concentration	Osteopenia (precursor to osteoporosis)	Hypothyroid
Pregnancy (exacerbates magnesium deficiency)	PMS	Kidney disease
Raynaud’s syndrome	Poor concentration	Liver disease
Weakness	Pre-diabetes; insulin resistance	Metabolic syndrome
	Sinusitis	Miscarriage
	TMJ disorder	Mitral valve prolapse (calcified mitral valve)
	Weight gain (especially on waist)	Multiple sclerosis
		Obesity, severe
		Osteoporosis

Type of Magnesium	Typically Best For
Magnesium citrate or lactate	Intestines. Some people do very well on this and others do not. Magnesium citrate often comes in powder form and can be mixed into hot water or tea. You may be familiar with brands like Natural Calm. We suggest one with no citric acid, like the NOW brand, because some people are sensitive to citric acid. Magnesium citrate has a laxative effect, so you don’t need much, and while it works for many, it does not work for everyone.
Magnesium glycinate	This is a chelated form of magnesium that many believe is the most bioavailable and does not cause loose bowels. Be aware that in some sensitive individuals, this form of magnesium can convert to glutamate or oxalates. If you have an adverse reaction to magnesium glycinate, switch to another form.
Magnesium malate Magnesium taurate	According to magnesium expert Morley Robbins, these forms of magnesium are best for the heart.
Sea minerals that include magnesium—this gives you a natural, balanced form of magnesium, along with a broad spectrum of minerals	Morley Robbins and his colleagues have found that a supplement with a wide base of minerals and magnesium has prompted some of the best healing responses in people. His favorites are: Anderson’s Concentrated Mineral Drops (also called Anderson’s CMD) from Andersonscmd.com, and South Sea Minerals (Ocean Pure) from SeaMinerals.com
Magnesium orotate	Low doses have been found to be helpful in cases of multiple sclerosis (MS), mood disorders, alcoholism, radiation effects, and cancer.³¹
Milk of magnesia	If you feel you must use Tums, Morley Robbins suggests using milk of magnesia instead. He says you can get the same results without creating a magnesium deficiency from the calcium in Tums. The calcium-to-magnesium ratio in Tums is much too high at 300:1. Make sure to choose a brand of milk of magnesia that has only magnesium hydroxide and filtered water as ingredients, such as Good Sense brand original flavor, from Vitacost.com.
Magnesium oil	Magnesium oil is magnesium chloride in water, so it’s not really oily. You spray this on your skin and rub it in. Because it is absorbed through the skin and does not need to go through the digestive system, it can be very effective for people with challenged digestive systems. Most people rub this on their feet. Ancient Minerals brand is respected by many experts, and you can purchase it online at Amazon.com and other vendors.
Magnesium bath flakes or Epsom salts	Magnesium bath flakes (magnesium chloride) are another good way to get magnesium in through your skin. You can use them for foot baths and full-body baths. Ancient Minerals is a respected brand that you can purchase online at: Ancient-minerals.com. Some people do well with Epsom salts for baths or foot baths. These are more affordable and work well for many people. However, if you are sensitive to sulfur or sulfates, Epsom salts may not be for you. Listen to your body. You can get Epsom salts in the grocery store, a health-food store, or online.
Avoid: Magnesium glutamate, magnesium aspartate, or chelated magnesium (e.g., magnesium with amino-acid chelates or magnesium chelate)	Dr. Carolyn Dean warns her readers not to take these forms of magnesium because they can act as excitotoxins and have adverse health reactions.³² See Chapter 5 for more about excitotoxins.

Health Condition	Remedies
Cravings	Whole-food diet as a way of life (see suggestions for cravings in Chapter 5) Sour foods (like cultured vegetables) Bitter foods (dandelion greens, arugula, digestive bitters) Spices—cardamom (sweet cravings), cloves and cinnamon (blood-sugar balance), turmeric (salty food cravings) Magnesium L-tryptophan (amino acid) when cravings are related to depression, worry, anxiety, SAD (seasonal affective disorder), or low self-esteem. Capsules come in 500 mg, so start there. Some people benefit with up to 1,000 mg. Do not take this if you are on antidepressants, or talk with your doctor first. Pure Encapsulations has a pure form of L-tryptophan. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) for stress-related cravings or overwork/overwhelm-related cravings. Consider 100–500 mg. You can get this online or in a health-food store in pure powder form with no fillers. Source Naturals brand is an example. Talk to your doctor or health practitioner about the amino acids: L-tyrosine (if you really need caffeine or have cravings related to needing an energy boost or lack of drive) or DL-phenylalanine (if you have cravings related to emotional pain or feel you need comfort or reward food). Both of these have contraindications and are energizing, so it’s important to know whether they will work for you before taking them. (Learn more by reading The Mood Cure by Julia Ross.) 5-HTP—50 mg can help with evening cravings. This may not be suitable for long-term use. See recipes section for more ideas on meals that support various cravings.
Cholesterol Problems	Shiitake mushrooms (you can purchase them in the produce aisle at your health-food store or take the medicinal shiitake mushroom supplement in capsule form) Herbs and spices—basil, cinnamon, coriander, curry leaf, fenugreek seed, garlic, ginger, horseradish, oregano, lemongrass, mustard seed, turmeric Seeds—pumpkin seeds (especially Styrian) and sesame seeds (make sure to soak them first; see Chapter 5 to learn how). Triphala Magnesium Oil of oregano. (Premier Research Labs Oregano Oil or Olive Leaf Immune capsules are great options. Another option is Oregulin, from North American Herb and Spice: NorthAmericanHerbandSpice.com. Oregulin is an extract with a combination of oregano oil, cinnamon, fenugreek, cumin, and myrtle, giving you a nice dose of oregano oil and spices that aid with cholesterol and digestion.)
Headaches or Migraines	Ginger Peppermint essential oil (use a carrier oil, like almond oil or jojoba oil and rub onto the area of tension or rub on your belly) Magnesium Ice pack on your neck or head and hot-water bottle at your feet Feverfew—studies have shown that 50–100 mg daily was successful with migraine headaches.³⁴ (MountainRoseHerbs.com carries an organic herbal extract of feverfew.)
Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, and Sleep Problems	Magnesium Herbs and spices—coriander, lemongrass, saffron B-complex vitamins L-tryptophan, 5-HTP, or GABA (see the sections on cravings and moods to learn more about these supplements that also help with sleep). If you decide to take GABA, you may want to look into a supplement called ZenMind by Nutricology brand that has a combination of the amino acids GABA and L-theanine (a calming amino acid that is found in green tea). Calming practices like meditation, deep breathing, and yoga are stellar ways to de-stress and allow your body to move into parasympathetic nervous system mode, necessary for good sleep.
Joint Pain and Arthritis	Magnesium (several forms work; see information on magnesium oil in the previous section on magnesium, as it can be useful for spot-pain relief) Medicinal mushrooms in capsule form, as tea, or add a teaspoon of powder to a smoothie—reishi, cordyceps. Paul Stamets, mycologist and author of Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms, sells organic medicinal mushrooms online at: Fungi.com. Herbs and spices—bay leaf, celery seed, fennel seed, ginger, rosemary, turmeric
Moods	B-complex vitamins L-tryptophan (amino acid)—see cravings section for more on L-tryptophan 5-HTP—50 mg can help with mood³⁵ Saint-John’s-Wort—300 mg (you can find this in tincture form)³⁶ Magnesium (depression, anxiety, irritability) Herbs and spices for depression—black pepper, nutmeg, rosemary, saffron (also for PMS) Herbs and spices for anxiety—lemongrass, mint, nutmeg, rosemary, sage, saffron
Lack of Energy	Green tea (switch from coffee to green tea or take the extract form, like Premier Research Labs Green Tea-ND) L-tyrosine B-complex vitamins Herbs and spices for mental fatigue—saffron extract, sage Herbs and spices for physical fatigue—pomegranate CoQ₁₀ (see previous “Noteworthy Supplements for Overall Health” section)
Immune Deficiency	Green tea (switch from coffee to green tea or take the extract form, like Premier Research Labs Green Tea-ND) Magnesium B-complex vitamins Herbs and spices—almost all herbs and spices will support your immune system because they are rich in antioxidants. Some key players are: cinnamon, cloves, fenugreek seed, garlic, ginger, horseradish, oregano, parsley, rosemary, saffron, thyme, and turmeric.³⁷ CoQ₁₀ (see previous “Noteworthy Supplements for Overall Health” section) Medicinal mushrooms in capsule form, as tea or add a teaspoon of powder to a smoothie—reishi, cordyceps, maitake, agarikon, and shiitake. Paul Stamets, mycologist and author of Growing Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms, sells organic medicinal mushrooms online at: Fungi.com.