B-12 and side effects?

B-12 is a water soluble vitamin vs fat soluble vitamins. That means that we pee out whatever we don't use, so there are no side effects. B-12 is needed to process iron. B-12 is highly valuable to the CNS and to the brain. It helps with general function.

So, when a friend took some liquid B-12 and had almost instant shakes and blood sugar issues, I thought it didn't sound like everything I had been hearing about B-12.

People with MS are more likely to be deficient. She doesn't have MS. And if she was deficient, you would think her body would be lapping it up instead of having a fit about it.

They now have B12 patches-interesting. It causes increased energy. It is recommended for diabetics. Says that the effects on blood sugar should be GOOD, and that they should notice increases in energy. A-yeah!

Methionine is an essential amino acid that we get from protein. Some is turned into homocysteine, and then into methionine with the help of B12. If we are low in B12, homocysteine levels are high because the body can't do the reaction it needs to. Homocysteine is a nerve toxin and vessel toxin-
levels are high in Alz, stroke, cardio disease, eye disorders.

So to prevent high homocysteine, we need B12.
To lower blood pressure, take B12 shots. It's highly unlikely that low B12 is causing high BP though.

It totally doesn't understand the reaction though. Maybe an allergy? Maybe an emotional allergy? We can see. But meanwhile-it defies standard explanations! LIKE WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT!

More fear marketing-hand sanitizers

I'm amazed at the plethora of hand sanitizers that have sprung up everywhere. You can wipe the handles of everything before you touch it. Heaven forbid you should touch something that someone else has.

Now folks, does this even make sense? Can you REALLY accomplish this? Can you? You are in a world populated by others. So we have automatic doors, automatic flushing toilets, automatic water taps. We have automatic paper dispensers. Pretty interesting. I watch people trying to open doors with their elbows! Good trick if you can do it.

Do you ever watch yourself? Do it for one day. Where is your FEAR?

My son was just telling me that last year in high school they did an experiment: hand sanitizer vs bar soap. He was the test dummy. He scrubbed his hands with soap. They took a skin scraping. He walked around the room for a few minutes, came back and they took another skin scraping. He made sure he touched things, just behaved normally for about 15 minutes. Then a third after another scrub.

Then he used hand sanitizer and did the same thing. Skin scraping right after the sanitizer, then walked around, touched things as normal for 15 minutes, then another skin scraping, a third after that.

While they all knew the ads-hand sanitizer destroys 99.9% of the bacteria, that was not a surprise, or as it turns out, was it a lie. It does kill all the bacteria-including the good that is a protective barrier and meant to stop the majority of bad bacteria from getting further into our system!

We are a symbiotic ecosystem-we are meant to have good bacteria on our skin, just like we are meant to have good bacteria in our intestinal tract. They keep us healthy. Get over the advertising that bacteria is the bad guy. It's not.

Here were their results:
These high school kids discovered that when you use regular soap, you kill the bad bacteria, and you keep the good bacteria. They saw it for themselves under the microscope.

When you use hand sanitizer, you destroy all the bacteria, and then when you touch something else you double the exposure to bad bacteria-with no protective barrier in place to stop them.

He mentioned casually "whoa was there a lot of bad bacteria then!" I smiled.

In other words the more you use hand sanitizers, the more you destroy your own ecosystem, your own defenses. It's like saying because you have soldiers with bows and arrows all around the castle walls, you can open the gates and lower the draw bridge.

I've never been a germ-a-phob. I figure we live in this world. Stuff drops on the floor. I have animals. We live with them. That means our energy mingles, our life force mingles, and our germs mingle. While I don't kiss my dog on the lips, and ew I don't like her to lick my face either, I'm not overly concerned about methodically washing my hands at every contact. With her or with the world. Germs are just germs. And btw, we are an extremely healthy family. Always have been.

Come into right relationship with your world, and you will be fine. Really. You want strong healthy kids-STOP using sanitizer on everything. Let them get dirty for goodness sake. They will strengthen their immune system through everyday life. Being a 'good mom' does not mean making your children live in an antiseptic world. And fanatically scrubbing everything down only gives them the vibrational message that the world is not their friend. Is that the message you want them to have?

Let's look at this another way:
Vaccines are about 'exposure' in order to build up an immunity.
Why would we not get the same benefits from building up our natural immunity to germs? They can't have it both ways. Oh wait. yes they can. It's called fear marketing.

We're getting marketed into the benefits of vaccinations, but we are are being reverse marketed about germs. We aren't in a battle with germs. In many cases, bacteria are our friends. Folks, touch your world. Get into it! You'll get stronger for it.

Raw ish - Fast Breakfast

1/2 avocado, cubed
1/2 tomato, chunked
1 cup cabbage, fermented overnight in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
s&p

Here's the raw-ish
1 hardboiled egg chopped

Or the vegan option is always cubed tofu.

Add a touch more balsamic and oil if you like it wetter. Toss and eat!
Enjoy!

Liver Detox

Many of my friends that were in Mexico with me last week have reported they were quite sick when they got home!

I told them my remedy and I will say I didn't get sick. I felt a bit off but I thought it was the traveling.
I also didn't eat the fruit on the beach the last day. Maybe that was it?

Here are my home remedies that I swear by, and I took them while there too.
Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin D, and zinc. I take it all at the first feeling of a bit under the weather. All of these boost our own immune system so that it can do what it needs to do.

I also did the green juice when I got home, and I made some detox soup.
1 can of stewed tomatoes, or 5-8 fresh tomatoes, quartered and mashed
1 can of water
2 tbs chopped garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 stalks celery chopped
1 bumch kale, washed and chopped into 1" pieces
1 bag baby spinach, washed and chopped into 1" pieces
1 good handful of fresh cilantro, washed and chopped

Put it all in a pot and put it on low. Cook until all the vegetables are soft.
Add salt, pepper, cayenne.

This is a great detox. Make it anytime you feel a bit punkish. It will clear your system out!
If you want more flavor, add some bullion. Vegetable miso or chicken work best.

Raw Juice To Start Every Day

Fresh raw juice is the best, most nutritious, easiest to assimilate food you can have! It feeds you. And it feeds you on multiple levels. It has rich color, flavor, smell, and taste. So why isn't everyone doing it?!

Night time tonic:
2-3 apples, washed and quartered. When it comes to apples, organic is best
5-6 stalks celery
1/2 lemon
1 inch of ginger

Juice it and drink it before bed for a tonic that will improve your sleep and end your day the right way.

Corn Tortillas are a great alternative

Did you know that a corn tortilla - a little one, only has 32 calories? Or 58. Or 62. It depends on the brand and the size. But overall, if you have a corn tortilla instead of bread, it's a big savings. That's if you are looking for alternatives. You can have raw ingredients with it. Shredded cabbage, fresh salsa, sliced avocado. Yum! My current favorite.

They are great for fish too-if you are doing fish...

Raw-ish Spinach. tomatoes and white beans over pasta

Fresh ingredients:
Tomatoes-chopped
Spinach-torn into pieces
1 onion-chopped fine
2-4 cloves, chopped fine
1/2 bundle parsley-chopped
4 leaves basil-chopped

salt and pepper
cayenne or hot pepper flakes
I can white beans, rinsed and drained

In a wok pan saute the onion, garlic and tomatoes and spices in a splash of olive oil until soft
Add the beans to warm them
add the fresh spinach and stir until it's wilted

Cook angel hair pasta until soft, and drain
top servings with mixture and add parmesan cheese (unless you're vegan)
and eat!

You can use quinoa pasta or bean pasta if you want to opt out of gluten too.

Raw - Marinated Cucumbers

Since we are all entering harvest time, here's a fast raw favorite of ours:

Peel and Slice 1-2 cucumbers. Make slices about 1/4"
Add:
1/3 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
(this are aprox. I splash it in so bare with me on this one)
2 tsp garlic
Juice of one fresh lemon
salt and pepper.
Fresh chopped: basil.

Yes, we use both the vinegar and lemon, but you can use one or the other.
This saves for a few days-if there are any left, so we do usually make extra.
They are great alone as a side dish or add them to the top of any salad.
Take them to work because marinated doesn't need to be refrigerated!
If you take your salad in one container, without dressing, take the cucs in a separate one and add them as the dressing.

Variation:
we add crumbled feta cheese at serving, and sliced olives for a greek flare!

Variation #2:
Add sliced red tomatoes to the cucumbers before marinating so they are both steeped in the dressing

Raw - Stuffed Tomatoes

6 nice big fat deep red fresh tomatoes! This is the season for them!
Cut off the tops and core them scooping, out the insides so you have tomato cups

save the insides, chop and mix with:
1/3 c each: onion, celery, finely chopped
jalapeno pepper chopped - to taste. If you like it spicy add more.
fresh basil leaves-finely chopped, *I use about 1 big leaf per tomato
I cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped mango
salt and pepper
juice of 1 fresh lemon
a splash or two of olive oil

Mix all ingredients and stuff into the tomatoes until they are heaped full! Garnish with a sprig of parsley and a serve with wedges of fresh lemon or lime and pita bread and more mango!

This is another great on-the-go lunch recipe!

Rawish-salmon spread

This isn't raw-technically. I use a large can of alaskan salmon...but it IS raw-ish and salmon is chock full of omega 3s for great brain function!

I make this and keep it on hand, sometimes I'll freeze half for another time too. As you can see, the recipe varies with what I have on hand

1 large can alaskan salmon, drained. Flake with a fork and mash so any tiny bones are dissolved up
1/2 onion chopped fine
1/2 gr pepper chopped fine (or red, or yellow)
1/2 c edamame or green peas
chopped fresh: parsley, cilantro, oregano and basil
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
parmesan cheese
toasted pine nuts (or leave em raw too)

mix up and add a splash of olive oil, a good swig of red wine vinegar, and the juice of a whole lemon
I don't add mayo but I suppose you could if you like it

ANd we like it hot, so the pepper flakes, jalapeno peppers and a sprinkle of cayenne go in for us.

Toast corn tortillas in oil until crispy and then fill with this mixture, top with shredded cabbage and a squeeze of fresh lime before eating!
You can use lettuce leaves instead of tortillas but of course!

This is one of those "even better the next day" so it's great to make enough for lunch the next day too.