Upbeat Living: Chocolate for Your Health!

Tags

chocolate, Dark chocolate, Feeling energized, Health, Kebba Buckley Button, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved. In Upbeat Living^sm, we emphasize the positive in all possible ways; today, we celebrate the health benefits of chocolate!  Yes, it’s true.  When you think of chocolate, you can think of it—dark chocolate, anyway—as a health food.  Remember, the Inca Indians discovered it and drank it hot, without sweetening, hundreds of years ago.

A number of medical studies have shown that modern people can use it for health.  Without being too technical, here are some of the great ways dark chocolate serves the body:

• Provides antioxidant power, which fights free radicals, thus reducing risk of heart disease. Note that milk may interfere with the absorption of the antioxidants.
• Lowers mild high blood pressure.
• Is associated with drastically lower occurrence of major diseases, when consumed as natural hot cocoa. These diseases include: stroke, heart failure, cancer, and diabetes.  Natural cocoa has a very high level of epicatchin, a type of antioxidant that some believe should be classified as a vitamin.  Epicatachin is also found in some teas, wine, and some fruits and vegetables.
• Can strengthen tissue and help build muscle, due to the epicatachin.

You people who love white chocolate or milk chocolate can keep eating it as a treat.  Dark chocolate lovers, this is your time!  Snack on dark chocolate bars and put dark chocolate chips in those cookies.  Stir natural cocoa powder into your smoothies, and make your own low-fat snack bars.  Enjoy your increased vitality!  Are you feeling energized now?  That feeling is part of  Upbeat Living!

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• If you enjoy this post, please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column! You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma! Due to a recent FB change, our “likes” look low.  Thanks for your help!

Energy – Peace – Meditation

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com. 
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .

 

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Upbeat Living: Happy National Cheesecake Day!

Tags

cheesecake, Health, health food, Kebba Buckley Button, National Cheesecake Day, pleasure, Relax, stress, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.

In recent years, health pundits would not have called cheesecake a “health food”; but today is National Cheesecake Day!  So relax and take a time-out from worrying about fats, and celebrate the pure pleasure of this family of deserts.  In fact, cream cheese is loaded with Vitamin A and fatty acids that help our health.  And a key dimension of Upbeat Living is enjoying your life!

Want to make your own cheesecake? Here is my own recipe for an Irish Cream Cheesecake, no technical skills required.

KEBBA’S IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE

For filling:

3 x 8-oz. bricks of cream cheese, room temperature
½ c Irish Cream liqueur (Kebba’s favorite: Carolan’s, available at Trader Joe’s)
½ c heavy cream
3 eggs
3 T flour (GF if you like, rice flour or oat flour if you like)
1 c organic sugar
1 t vanilla or almond extract
1/8 t sea salt

For crust:

1 ¼ c graham crumbs + 3 T butter + 3 T organic sugar + 1/8 t sea salt
OR use 1 2/3 c honey corn chex crumbs + ¼ c butter + ¼ c organic sugar
OR use 2 frozen GF pie crusts, following package directions

If making your own crust, blend the ingredients with a fork and press into an 8” springform pan, pressing up sides.  The Chex formula can fit a 9” springform pan. (Ever try to buy an 8” springform pan?)  This may sound dumb, but wrap the bottom of the springform pan firmly with foil, as the melted butter may leak.  Now put the cheesecake on a cookie sheet.

Blend the filling ingredients.  In springform pan or pie crusts, bake at 425 for 25 minutes.  Take it out for 10 minutes and finish baking at 350 for 15 more minutes. In the pie crusts, test for firmness after 5 more minutes. Of course, note variations needed with your stove.

Chill the cake/s before serving, for 2 hours or even overnight.  Dust lightly with cocoa powder and drizzle with favorite fudge sauce, just before serving.  Next time, make 2 and freeze some.

Now sit down with your cheesecake and enjoy every bite slowly.  Savoring causes a food to fill us up sooner.  And relaxing with a pleasure is also stress-dissolving.

So Happy National Cheesecake Day, my friends!  Enjoy, and let me know how you like this cheesecake!  And that’s Upbeat Living.

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• If you enjoy this post, please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column! You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma! Due to a recent FB change, our “likes” look low.  Thanks for your help!

Energy – Peace – Meditation

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com. 
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .

Beating Wake-up Stress: Top 7 Daystarters

Tags

Daystarter, Dealing with stress, Effective living, Health, Kebba Buckley Button, stress, Stress Management, The life you want, UpBeat Living, Wake-up Stress

©2016  Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.

Let’s be honest:  almost all of us have experienced Wake-up Stress!  It can be hard to get out of bed!  Most of us resist getting up when we know we need to, to get to work or to meet other responsibilities.  The Upbeat Living^sm philosophy is to make the most of our lives in every way, including on a daily basis, beginning with rising.  Fortunately, adding positive daystarters can end your resistance to rising and get you off to a pleasant and powerful day.  Here are 7 of the best daystarters:  

• Pick your wake-up time by your body’s clock, if possible.  In Chinese medicine, 6 am is the perfect time to rise, as the large intestine wants to activate.  It’s time to go to the bathroom and release solids easily.  You’ll be more awake if you get up when your intestines want to get going.
• Use an alarm ringtone that stimulates without startling.  Classic alarm-clock ringing is coarse and would startle anyone.  Air raid sirens are too much.  How about some Chopin or Bach chamber music (on your smartphone alarm utility), trills, or soft rock?  Experiment to find out which sounds give you a boost rather than a jolt.
• If you really hate starting the day, when the alarm goes off, immediately say, “I’m getting up and making it a great day!”  You’ll be amazed at how different you feel.
• If your metabolism is very sluggish, find an alarm light that glows more and more brightly over a half hour, prior to your alarm going off. The light will stimulate your brain and help your system get moving.
• Once out of bed, as early as possible, greet the Divine or read a positive script to yourself.  Affirm your positive place in a positive and supportive universe.  Paul Valery said,

The best way to make your dreams come true

                              is to wake up.

• Eat the right breakfast, for you. Some people are just not hungry when they get up.  For these people, a beverage to drink and a protein bar in their pocket for two hours later may be just perfect.  Some people really need several ounces of protein and some carbs with their breakfast beverage.  For a speedy munch, how about a peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole grain bread or rice cakes?  Or, how about at least an ounce of almonds or cashews, 2 pieces of fruit, and some tea?  Experiment with the breakfast that fits your metabolism and keeps you going for at least two hours.
• Drink the best breakfast beverage, for you. Notice, I haven’t mentioned coffee until now?  Many of us love a cup or two of joe, and we feel really great after having it with breakfast.  But not all coffees are created equal, and many people feel best all morning after drinking tea, hot chocolate, lemon water, or a fruit smoothie.  Coffee is loaded with antioxidants, not just caffeine.  Green and black teas have other beneficial compounds.  Both have been shown to have health benefits.   And just the heat from a warm beverage can soothe and also stimulate your digestive system, helping you to wake up more. There is so much research on this that we’ll have a separate article on coffee and tea soon.  The bottom line is:  what beverage works best for you, at breakfast time, and two hours later?

Try these daystarters and soon you’ll be replacing Wake-up Stress with Morning Zip! And that’s Upbeat Living!   _____________________________________________________________

Energy – Peace – Meditation

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition. Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine. Both that book and Peace Within are available through her office.  Just email books@kebba.com. 
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com.

 

Natural Help for Allergy Stress

Tags

allergy, Allergy stress, Feeling energized, Health, Kebba Buckley Button, s, stress, Stress Management, The life you want, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

Peak allergy season is upon us, in many parts of the country, and the misery of allergy stress is keeping sufferers from enjoying Upbeat Living.  Sniffles, congestion, headaches, sore throats, raspy voices, brain fog, fatigue, and even nausea are all symptoms people are having this week.  For those who want to track the density of pollen in their area, websites like Pollen.com can send out a daily email alert, with a rating of 0 to 12, and the types of pollens that are high that day.  Today, my city, Phoenix, rings in at a whopping 10.6.

Everyone knows there are over-the-counter antihistamines of several different types.  If you have been taking one, and it isn’t working while a particular pollen is high, you may want to try another type.  Also, there is now a different type of medication for allergy, an antileukotreine, that may work better for you.   A popular prescription brand is Singulair, with the generic name Montelukast.  Check with your doctor about symptoms and possible interactions with other drugs you may be taking.

But wait!  This column is usually about natural solutions!  Yes, and these tend to be low-cost and pleasant, with quick- and also extended relief.  Here are some you may want to try.

1. Rinse your sinuses with salt water. You can purchase a pot with a pointed end through which to sniff or snort the salt water.  It might be called a neti pot.  Be sure to follow the instructions on keeping the pot clean.  You can also put warm water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl, and simply sniff or snort the salt water.  Hold your head back or down, and hold your nostrils, to get the salt water into your sinuses.  Blow the water and possibly mucus out and repeat several times; you may also want to gargle with the leftover salt water.  There are packets of salt water available to add to your warm water.
2. Stay inside and be sure your air system filter has been changed. You can also run room-size air filter units ($39 to $450); park one near your work area.  Some types are silent, and some make a humming or whirring sound.  Some require purchased replacement filters, and some simply have a contact plate inside to wipe clean.  Play around with different models, to find the best type for you and your budget.
3. Outside, filter what you breathe. Wear a mask if you like, and have a fresh air filter installed in your car. There is probably also an “air recirculate” setting on your air conditioner or heater.  Use that to limit the amount of fresh air coming in.
4. Vacuum and dust. Allergens such as dust can make your seasonal allergies worse.  Use a water-bath vacuum if you have one, and use a damp cloth for dusting.
5. Try a salt lamp. Salt lamps favorably change the ions in the room, and they are said to purify the air.  Until more research is done, think of salt lamps as pleasant glowy things that offer a comforting, soft light, and may be beneficial to your health.  These are available in white or amber, in natural mineral shapes and as spheres,  from golf-ball size to bowling-ball size.  My office has an 8” round salt lamp in each room, with embedded dimmer switches; found online, they were about $35 each.
6. Wash and dry your hair every night. Yes!  Your hair efficiently picks up odors, smoke, dust, and pollens, during the day.  Then, when you lie down to sleep, you are breathing a special concentration of the very irritants that are causing your allergy stress.  So wash that hair every night.
7. Put a small, fresh towel across your pillow every night. Especially if nightly hair washing doesn’t work for your lifestyle, at least you can give yourself a clean surface to sleep on every night.  In the morning, throw that little towel in the wash and launder it on HOT with natural detergent.  Dry it on HOT.  You can also use a bath towel you have folded into a pillow size and shape.
8. Do yoga or chikung (Chinese yoga) to increase breath. Ask your yoga- or chikung teacher, or try these exercises:  in yoga, do Suryanamaskar, the Salutation to the Sun.  In chikung, do the Northwest Exercise.
9. Take Vitamin C and its friends. Vitamin C increases breath and strengthens your blood vessels.  Some Vitamin C supplements are available with other helpful vitamins, minerals or herbs that may reduce your allergy symptoms.  The two most popular are Emergen-C and Airborne.
10. Elevate your head when sleeping. If you are very congested, despite your best efforts, sleep on a wedge pillow or simply add an extra pillow.  As always, experiment to make it the most comfortable.
11. See your doctor. If your throat feels raw, or your nasal discharge is white or green, it may be time to let your doctor check for strep and its friends.  Infections are even less fun than allergies!

Have fun experimenting with a few, or all, of these natural helps.  Remember, what relieves your allergy stress may or may not work for your friend or your relative.  Hopefully, you’ll be much more comfortable after using these tips, and you’ll be able to enjoy your life during pollen season.  And that’s Upbeat Living!

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You, plus Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition. Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine. All the books are available through her office.  Just call, or email books@kebba.com.
• Due to FaceBook changes, our FB likes look low.  Would you please click “Like” for this blog?  You’ll get our unending gratitude and a large uptick in your good kharma!
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .

 

Food Stress: Eating for Youth

Tags

antioxidants, Effective living, Feeling energized, Food Stress, Health, Kebba Buckley Button, stress, Stress Management, Switch what you swallow, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, M.S., O.M., World Rights Reserved.

Marilyn Barbone – Fotolia

Hands up, everyone who would like to feel or look younger!   Everyone knows the signs and sensations of aging.  So what if you could do something that would take no extra time or effort on your part, but would work against the mechanisms of aging?  You have about 70 trillion cells in your body.  Your cells have only what you put in your mouth, and what you breathe in, to use for their processes and for making new cells.  Why not make the most of what you feed your cells?

That’s right, I’m recommending you eat.  However, I want you to switch what you swallow.  And I want you to chant “switch what you swallow” to yourself every time you get ready to eat, and every time you wish you were or looked younger.  Antioxidants are your new best friends, if you want to feel and look younger.  So what’s an “antioxidant”?  It’s basically any substance that fights oxidation, or free radical damage.   Substances around us, like air pollution and cigarette smoke, are huge sources of free radicals.  They promote cell aging.  Pesticides in conventional foods are a great source of free radicals.  More environmental toxins in this century make it a wise choice to make sure you eat more antioxidant foods.

Jim Rohn said,

Take care of your body.  It’s the only place you have to live.

Your multivitamin/mineral supplement is probably helping to some extent.  However, eating fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains is powerful.  Antioxidants fall into several groups: enzymes, vitamins (A, C, E, Beta-carotene), and flavonoids, or polyphenols.   There are over 5,000 flavonoids in different foods, according to Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, a Tufts University professor of nutrition, quoted in WebMD.  Blumberg says different antioxidants work in different ways and in different types of tissues.  Therefore, we need a variety of antioxidant foods working for us.  For enzymes and vitamins, catechin, hesperetin, luteolin, and quercetin, think berries and citrus, other fruits, green crunchies, nuts and seeds, even squash, sweet- and white potatoes.  For epicatechin 3-gallate, drink your green tea.  Cook produce as little as possible, since a British study found cooking can reduce much of the antioxidant power of food.  Find selenium in chicken, eggs, fish, garlic, grains, red meat, and shellfish.  Find lycopene in tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon.  Look to the dark green vegetables for lutein. Concentrated flavonoids are in cranberries, pomegranates, and purple grapes.

Are you craving a giant salad with lean protein yet?  Good!  Why not have that for dinner, for the next 3 days, and eat fresh fruits or veggie sticks for snacks?  Why not cut back on sugary sodas for several days, and drink juice blends instead?  Try my easy antioxidant invention, the Moteajo:  Pour a cup of green tea over ice, and add a cup of blueberry-acai juice; crush in some fresh mint leaves, and enjoy!  Notice your energy rising in just 30 minutes.  Try fewer processed foods just for 3 days, and notice how smooth and soft your skin is, how bright your eyes are, and how calm and clear your mind and emotions are.  So to look and feel younger, it’s powerful to switch what you swallow!

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com. 
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .
• Recent changes have made our Facebook likes look low.  Would you click “Like” in the right-hand column?  You’ll get our appreciation and a huge rise in your good karma!

Food Stress: A Little Levity on Healthy Eating

Tags

Eating right, Effective living, Feeling energized, Food Stress, Health, Humor, Kebba Buckley Button, lighten up, stress, UpBeat Living

© 2016 Kebba Buckley Button, M.S., O.M., World Rights Reserved.

Do you ever feel like there are so many rules for eating that you never enjoy a meal or snack anymore?  With so many experts and so-called “gurus” giving pointers, do you ever feel like you’re in Food Jail, boxed in by too much conflicting advice about dieting and exercise?  How are you supposed to be in Upbeat Living, if you aren’t allowed to enjoy food and beverages?  If this sounds like you, then the following interview with Dr. Hart A. Tack may provide some comic relief.  A few years ago, this interview circulated the Internet, interviewer unknown.

Dreamstime

Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it…  don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually.  Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster.  Want to live longer?  Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies.  What does a cow eat?   Hay and corn.   And what are these?  Vegetables.  So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system.   Need grain?   Eat chicken.   Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).   And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A:  No, not at all.  Wine is made from fruit.  Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way.   Beer is also made out of grain.  So have a cup now and then!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.  If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry.  My philosophy is: No pain…good!

Q:  Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
A:  Nonsense.  Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil.  In fact, they’re permeated in it.  How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q:  Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q:  Is chocolate bad for me?
A:  HELLO: Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!

Q:  Is swimming good for your figure?
A:  If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q:  Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?
A:  Hey!  ‘Round’ is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
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I hope this piece gave you a chuckle.  Now, for real food advice, and pointers you can really use to feel your best, read the next two articles and generally look around this blog.  Or send your questions to Kebba Buckley Button at kebba@kebba.com .

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Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office.  Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com. 
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .
• Recent changes have made our Facebook likes look low.  Would you click “Like” in the right-hand column?  You’ll get our appreciation and a huge rise in your good karma!

Six Super Secrets to Defeat Your Cold NOW!

Tags

bioflavonoids, Energy therapy, heal, Health, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Kebba Buckley Button, Reiki, soak, stress

© 2015 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.

 

iStockPhoto

Colds feel bad and stress you out.  Colds keep you from doing the things you would rather do.  But take heart!  Today, there are more ways than ever to help yourself beat a cold—inexpensively. I recommend using ways that strengthen your system, allowing you to rise out of the illness, sometimes stronger than before. A cold is a virus and won’t respond to an antibiotic. So don’t think about using an antibiotic, unless your doctor says you have a secondary bacterial infection.

 

Secret #1: Make sure you don’t have the flu. Severe muscle aches say flu (influenza), probably not a cold. Call your doctor now. New antiviral prescriptions that may help you. Also, if you have special medical conditions and should call your doctor in case of cold/flu symptoms, do that immediately. Every doctor’s office has 24-hour paging or emergency numbers. If you are sure you have the flu, and you prefer a homeopathic remedy, you may want to try Oscillococcinum from your health food store (under $15). Dissolved under the tongue, this is very effective for many.

 

Secret #2: Support your body with rest, fluids, and soaking. Get extra rest. Drink lots of water and soup–alcohol is generally not helpful for a cold. Take a hot bath, at the “ahhhhh” temperature for you, which may be about 103 degrees F. Add 2 cups, or a one-pound box, of Epsom salts and set a timer so you stay in for at least 20 minutes. If you are concerned about your tub’s jets being hurt by the Epsom salts, dissolve them before adding to the tub, or buy your Epsom salts in liquid form. Most drug stores and grocery stores have both forms.

 

Secret #3: Treat a sore throat with natural gargle. If your throat hurts, mix salt and baking soda in equal proportions in a small storage jar; use a teaspoon of mix in a glass of pleasantly hot water, and gargle thoroughly. Making deep tones while you gargle will help the liquid reach further into the back of the throat.

 

Secret #4: Try a homeopathic remedy. A popular one for colds is Coldcalm, made by the same company as Oscillococcinum for flu. Just follow the package directions.

 

Being ill is one of the greatest pleasures of life, provided one is not too ill and not obliged to work until one is better.

~ Samuel Butler

 

Secret #5: Bolster yourself with nutritional helps. These are cheap and can strengthen your immune system to beat the cold virus quickly.

• Drink black or green tea, with minimally processed honey in it. The tea contains heart-healthy compounds and the honey contains many enzymes and other energizing nutritional components. Get organic tea, loose or in non-paper bags. The chlorine in the paper may give some people joint pain.
• Eat yang foods. In Chinese medicine, a cold is a “yin” condition, so adding “yang” foods to your body will make you feel much better and literally make you more vital, right away. Keep warm (yang) and drink your tea or soup warm. Stir a little ginger powder into that tea or chicken soup. You probably have ginger powder in your spice rack. Or use ginger extract drops from your health food store.
• Try Vitamin C with bioflavonoids. One highly absorbable form is the widely available “Emergen-C”, available in most grocery stores and drugstores in many flavors; the small packets contain ascorbate compounds of Vitamin C, B complex, and minerals. Related popular products include “Cold-Eeze” and “Airborne”. Try different formulas to find the one/s you like best. Most pharmacies now carry these.
• Soluble B-12 with folic acid and B-6 is also widely available now.
• Eat fresh fruit, not frozen or canned if possible, due to the loss of nutrition and vital life force energy in processing. The colors represent the natural bioflavonoids. Add fresh lemon to your tea.
• Herbal drops are widely available for strengthening the immune functions. Separately or in combined drops, these may include: astragalus, echinacea, goldenseal, shitake or reishi mushroom, fresh red root, licorice root, and suma root.

 

Secret #6: Get some energy therapy. Jin Shin Jyutsu and Reiki can be very powerful for harmonizing your system right out of a cold. You’ll finish this cold and come out on a higher vitality level than you went into it with. Then let me know what worked best for you!

 

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If you enjoy this post, please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column. You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma! Due to a recent FB change, our “likes” look low. Thanks for your help!

Energy – Peace – Meditation

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition(http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office. Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.
• For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: bookings@kebba.com .

Upbeat Living: Beat Acidosis to Beat Illness and Feel Great!

Tags

Acidosis, beating fatigue, breath, Eating, Eating right, energy, exhaustion, fatigue, Feeling energized, Health, pH balance, stress, Stress Management, tired, UpBeat Living

© 2014  Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved.

Microsoft

The Upbeat Living philosophy is to encourage people to switch little habits that will lead to big results, to feel our best and enjoy life the most. And little changes often can help you have a lot more energy, plus feeling and looking younger!  Would you consider making one or two easy changes in your daily habits, if you could feel much better as a result?

Here are some points to ponder regarding a condition affecting many people and causing silently deteriorating health, yet which you can easily and inexpensively control. It’s called acidosis, meaning excess acid in the body’s fluids.  Stress, eating habits, lack of exercise, and too little sleep all contribute to this condition.  And dealing with stress, changing your eating habits, exercising, and sleeping more—these can all help correct the condition.

Relative acidity is measured on the pH, or potential hydrogen, scale that indicates hydrogen  ion concentration. The pH scale goes from 1 (extremely acidic) to 14 (extremely basic, or alkaline). The body operates best when its acid balance, or pH, is between 7.35 and 7.45, ideally at 7.4. Yet diet and stress tend to acidify the body’s fluids. More biochemical waste in the body can also lower pH, making the body more acidic.  To see some beautiful graphics of the pH scale, put “pH scale” in your search bar and enjoy.

While the condition is simple, the symptoms are many. A person with acidosis may experience frequent fatigue, allergies, bronchitis, colds and flu, foot fungus, acne, boils, eczema, age spots, arthritis, diarrhea and/or constipation. Effects less easy for the individual to see are serious internal processes, such as the inflammation of veins, arteries, and the muscle tissue of the heart. This creates cardiac system issues that result in elevated blood pressure, which in turn increases heart deterioration.

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Acidosis also leads to premature aging via accelerating free-radical damage to cells. Cells are actually poisoned by inefficiently eliminated cell waste. An acidic pH prevents the proper storage and release of cellular energy, meaning that the body cannot respond fully to stress or infection.  This means you’re tired! Red blood cells clump together, which limits their oxygen-carrying capacity and leads to fatigue and weakness. Cancer cells thrive in lower-oxygen  (acidic) environments such as acidosis can create. Other mechanisms caused by acidosis may lead to pancreatic dysfunction, diabetes, weight gain, and osteoporosis.

The body has natural mechanisms for monitoring and controlling its acid-base balance. When plasma is too acidic, the respiratory system speeds breathing, and the kidneys can produce substances that turn the pH around. The body also uses intracellular absorption of hydrogen atoms by molecules of protein, phosphate, and carbonate in bone, thus raising the pH to less acidity.

So what can you do to help yourself beat acidosis? First, get litmus paper from your pharmacy and test your saliva. The litmus paper will turn color to show the acidity of your saliva. If your saliva’s pH is too low/acidic, re-assess your current stress, exercise (or lack thereof), sleep, and diet. Consider these dietary changes:

1. Stop drinking any sodas or sugared drinks, or any artificially sweetened products. Switch to juices or filtered water.
2. Stop eating sugared desserts and foods made mainly with white flour and yeast, such as pizza and bagels.
3. Eat dark-green leafy salads, other green vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, celery, parsley), and root vegetables (carrots, yams, daikon radish).
4. Eat fruits, especially fresh fruits, such as apples, apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, dates, figs, grapefruit, peaches, and grapes. For dried fruit, try raisins.
5. Eat rice and buckwheat, almonds, dairy products, and eggs.

Try changing your diet for a week, and add exercise and sleep more. Check your pH again. Notice if these changes make you more relaxed, clear-minded, and vital. If so, you are making a major investment in your long-term health. Why not feel your best, starting now?  That’s Upbeat Living!

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● Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert.  She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc).  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister.

● Liked this article?  You can buy Kebba’s books:  just click the links!

• Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br). 
• Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core (Second Edition) (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc)             

● Enjoyed this post?  Please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column!  You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma.

● Please comment!

● Get these articles by email– just click the Subscribe Free option in the right column.

● Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UpBeat Living: Coffee, the Health Drink

Tags

antioxidants, Brain health, Coffee benefits, energy, Feeling energized, Green coffee extract, Health, stress

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Good news, coffee lovers!  The case for coffee as a health drink has been building.  In my book, Discover The Secret Energized You, there is a section (p. 53, “Perk With Coffee”) on the health benefits of coffee.  In the several years since the book came out, everything it said about coffee has been further proven, and more medical benefits have come to light.  So don’t stress over your love of coffee, just read on while sipping!

Of course, this article is not medical advice.  Confer with your doctor before making any dietary changes.

Coffee is one beverage found delicious by people in many cultures for centuries.  And now it is known to have many health perks.  While many think the only ingredient in coffee is caffeine, coffee actually contains thousands of organic compounds.  The lift people get from drinking it may come from the antioxidant compounds, more than from the caffeine.  And, it contains only 6 calories per cup, if you don’t add the sugar, the syrups, the milks, or the whipped cream.  Or that muffin that looks so good, over there in the glass case.  Save yourself hundreds of calories per serving by drinking coffee black.  Another reason to drink coffee black is that a compound in dairy products, casein,can block the benefits of the  antioxidants.  Darn!  But this doesn’t apply to nondairy creamers, soy milk, almond milk,  or coconut milk.

Speaking of dieting, recent medical research has shown that green coffee beans can help you lose weight surprisingly fast.  Bottles of green coffee bean extract are flying off store shelves. But if you want  less caffeine and more beneficial compounds from your coffee, use dark roasts, even espresso, and keep the brewing time short.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), the antioxidants in coffee may reduce inflammation and thereby reduce the risk of potential disorders related to it. Cardiovascular disease is one of these. Phenols, volatile aroma compounds, and oxazoles in coffee contribute to its high antioxidant content. A typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries, and oranges, according to another study in the AJCN.  Antioxidants fight aging. and give you energy right now.  Would you like to age more slowly?

Want more good news?  Coffee drinking is now associated with lower risk of cancers of the kidney, liver, and prostate.  It’s also associated with lower risk of Type 2 diabetes (tends to lower blood glucose), with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and dementia.  Short-term, coffee helps you feel more alert and improves concentration.

Possibly the most interesting research indication currently is that coffee seems to raise the activity of Bifidobacteria in the digestive tract. You may have noticed coffee , um, stimulating elimination.  Some people even use coffee for enemas.  But lactobacillus Bifidus is a primary digestive bacterium specific to the large intestine. So you could get more efficient digestion and possibly a flatter abdomen from drinking coffee. Or taking green coffee bean extract.

So do you love coffee? Do you feel good, feel alert, and function well with a cup or several per day? Then why not relax in a favorite chair, sip your favorite blend, and let the research roll in?

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● Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert and the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc).  She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister.

● Liked this article?  You can buy Kebba’s books:  just click the links!

• Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br). 
• Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core (Second Edition) (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc)             

● Enjoyed this post?  Please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column!  You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma.

● Please comment!

● Get these articles by email– just click the Subscribe Free option in the right column.

● Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com .

UpBeat Living: Yummy Gluten-Free (GF) Desserts, Part 3

Tags

chocolate, GF, gluten-free, Health, UpBeat Living

© 2014 Kebba Buckley Button.  World Rights Reserved.

The UpBeat Living philosophy is always to do what is best for your body-mind-heart-spirit system.  For those sensitive to wheat or gluten, it’s vital to moods and overall health, to eat gluten-free (GF).  Today’s recipes are for the chocolate lover!

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Easiest GF Brownies

• In a small microwaveable bowl, put:
  • 4 oz unsweetened GF chocolate
  • 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

• Microwave the chocolate mixture 1 minute at a time, until it is liquid and can be stirred.
• Add, while stirring:  2 c. organic sugar, 3 beaten eggs, 1 T. vanilla extract, 1 T. espresso powder, 1 c. white rice flour, ½ t. sea salt.  Stir only until smooth.
• Spray a 9” x 13” pan with GF baking spray, or butter and flour the pan.  Pour the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan to even the level of the batter.  Try not to eat too much of the batter :-).

• Bake at 350 degrees (325 for pyrex pan) about 32 minutes.  Standard doneness tests do not apply.  Let the brownies cool completely before cutting, probably 25 minutes.
• These make a great base for brownie fudge sundaes, using the hot fudge sauce below.

Easiest GF Hot Fudge Sauce

• In a small saucepan, melt over medium heat:  2 c. less 2 T. GF chocolate chips, 1 oz unsweetened chocolate, 2 c. heavy cream or half n half.  Stir gently with a wire whisk until it suddenly turns into a light pudding-like texture.

• Make ice cream sundaes with: a brownie from the above recipe, GF ice cream, and the hot fudge sauce.

Enjoy!

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● Kebba Buckley Button is the author of the 2013 book, Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core (Second Edition).   Keep this book with you constantly, to quickly recharge your Peace Within, with quotes, photos, and poems that take you directly there!  Kebba is a corporate stress management trainer, and she also has a holistic healing practice.

● Liked this blog?  Why not buy Kebba’s books?  Just click the links!

• Peace Within:  Your Peaceful Inner Core (Second Edition)( http://perfectboundmarketing.gostorego.com/authors/kebba-buckley-button.html)
• Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br). ● Enjoyed this post?  Please click “like” in the FB widget in the right hand column!  You’ll have our undying gratitude plus a huge rise in your Good Karma.

● Your comments are welcome!

● Reach the writer at kebba@kebba.com .