Usually let the Thanksgiving turkey get the best of you? Re-COOP naturally!

It happens to the best of us - we all tend to overeat during our tasty Thanksgiving dinners. Of course the table is spread with wonderful buttery morsels, carbohydrates, and carbohydrates stuffed with carbohydrates. However, there are some ways to avoid your usual bloating without having to pop two Tum tablets every hour.

Re-coop naturally by:

-Sipping on some hot tea infused with lemon. Peppermint tea is also a very great choice - both will aid in digesting properly.

-In between bites of stuffing and potatoes, try some asparagus or tomatoes. These foods are rich in potassium, and help to regulate the balance of fluids in your body - thus reducing bloating.

-Prepare a meal that includes either cayenne, ginger, or licorice. All of these foods stimulate salivating, which aids tremendously in the breakdown of carbohydrates.

-Using aromatic herbs to relax your stomach muscles, which increases the movement of the intestines. Chamomile, coriander, thyme, and peppermint are great for this purpose. Throw some of these in hot tea or during cooking!

-Eating Oatmeal for breakfast. Oats are great for soothing spasming or inflamed membrane throughout the digestive tract.

Most of the information taken for this blog is attributed to:

http://meditate-this.blogspot.com/2010/11/3-simple-natural-remedies-for-post.html

and

http://herbalwise.net/best-remedies-for-thanksgiving/

I hope this is helpful for you. I know it will be for me!

THANK YOU!

To all of you who have just answered my appeals on both Facebook and Twitter, thank you for taking time to check out this blog! It really does mean a lot!

Marcie Macari- Holistic Nutritionist

Can you imagine waking up one day with a debilitating disease, completely out of the blue? This very thing happened to Marcie Macari, who awoke with a severe chronic illness that seemed to develop overnight. Confined to her bed for almost eight months with chronic vertigo and headaches, Macari went to neurologist after neurologist who continuously failed to provide her with a diagnosis. Determined to live her life well and healthy, Macari delved in to the world of natural and holistic treatments.

After doing her share of research, Macari decided to try a few remedies. After a while she began to see dramatic improvements in her health, and remarked that she is now "about 95% better" than she had been while trying over-the-counter medicines. After her success in using natural remedies, Macari decided to further her education in holistic medicine in order to help and treat others. Graduating with high honors from Edison Institute of Nutrition, Macari is now a registered Orthomolecular (literally, making molecules "right") Health Practitioner and Holistic Nutritionist. She is also the owner and editor of The Natural Health Gazette, and is the author of "She Births: A Modern Woman's Guidebook for an Ancient Rite of Passage."

To maintain her health, Macari focuses most on using doTerra Essential Oils in her daily life. Not only does she use these herself, but her children are seldom sick due to her daily infusions and blends of these oils. Regarding what oils she uses personally for her ailments, Macari said, "I use frankincense all the time under the tongue. It is a really great oxygenator. It is able to cross the barrier in the brain, so it oxygenates the blood in the brain, which relieves headache and vertigo." Macari went on to explain that she also dealt with severe anxiety for about two years, where she was afraid to leave her home. This condition was also treated by using doTerra Essential Oils - Wild Orange in particular. Wild orange is an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-depressant, anti-septic, disinfectant, and sedative oil. It is used to ease fear, anxiety, heart palpitations, insomnia, and is uplifting emotionally and mentally.

The common cold is in full swing, as we all know - and of course Macari has some useful tips and treatments for all of the symptoms that the common cold entails. Macari recommends doTerra Essential Oil blend OnGuard. OnGuard is a mix of other oils including Cinnamon Bark, Clove Bud, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Wild Orange. OnGuard is recognized as safe by the Federal Drug Administration to use in cooking, and can be diffused in to the air or applied directly to the skin.

For congestion and sinus buildup, Macari recommends doTerra's Breathe essential oil that clears out sinuses and aids in relieving congestion. Also, Macari uses her own concoction of Oregano oil and Tea Tree oil, washed down with lemon-infused water. This same mix of oils is also used by Theresa Pilitan, a Buffalo native and dabbler in natural medicine. "The oregano is exceptionally strong, but also very effective. I use it every time I feel a cold coming on," Pilitan says. Macari also uses methods other than oils for treating the common cold.

"When the cold hits our house, sugar is completely off the table. Just one teaspoon of sugar can reduce your immunity." Along with sugar, wheat is eliminated from the family diet.

It is definitely not a secret that doctor appointments, prescriptions and basic over-the-counter medicines are expensive. Macari brought up a few reasons as to why natural remedies are feasible and budget friendly. "The oils are about one or two pennies per drop and essential oils never expire, unlike over-the-counter meds."

Macari also saves money by making her own laundry detergent, soap, and other cleaning products. The blend of oils she uses in these products are antibacterial and kills up to 99% of germs, and is now being widely used in many hospitals due its effectiveness.

Macari has some advice for those who are new to natural remedies.

"Two things. Don't do too much too soon, and don't follow every new fad...please make sure you do your research...everybody is biochemically and physically different."

Below is a link about Marcie Macari if you'd like to learn more, as well as a link to her online gazette. She has some extremely helpful and informative content on both of these sites...please take a look!

http://naturalhealthgazette.com

www.leapingwillow.com

Helpful links for you and me!

I have recently been doing some web research for some links to helpful and interesting information about natural remedies. I'm not quite sure how you feel about the magical Dr. Oz and his television show, but both the video and the link below have been really interesting to me. In the video, Dr. Oz describes his mission to find natural remedies that work (listen carefully now) for FIVE DOLLARS OR LESS. These remedies include solutions for many things, such as the common cold and back pain. Darria Long Gillespie M.D, graduate of Harvard medical school, gives very cheap and reasonable solutions for our ailments. Also the link posted below will take you to the Dr. Oz website, where you will find 12 Natural Immunity Boosters. I hope you find these as helpful as I did since we have officially entered the season of sniffles, aches, and all that good stuff!

Here is the link for your great 12 Natural Immunity Boosters:

http://www.doctoroz.com/slideshow/boost-your-immunity-naturally?gallery=true

Kava Kava Time.

Hey all! So, I have done my research on Kava Kava root...and I can tell you right now that it absolutely works! I have been dreadfully sick with the common cold the past week. Although it's not necessarily something I would wish upon myself, at least I was able to try a few natural remedies. On day three of my cold I woke up with a horribly sore throat, and I immediately thought about trying Kava Kava. I went to the local drugstore (I live out in the country where the closest herbal store is an hour away) and purchased myself a container of Kava Kava "Liquid Capsules." It is recommended to take 1 capsule 3 times daily between meals. Personally, I only took one capsule a day with my meal at lunch. It took about only 3 hours for me to feel any change...but eventually my sore throat wasn't sore anymore! In two days the pain was completely gone, although I am still left with a hoarse voice that sounds quite scary in my opinion! The only negative effect I experienced was that it made me very drowsy due to the muscle relaxing components, and since I took the capsule at school in between classes, keeping my eyes open and driving home were a challenge. I would advise to only take Kava-Kava if you plan on being home or in the same place for a good amount of time.

A brief synopsis from WebMD of what Kava-Kava is:

"Kava is used to calm anxiety, stress, and restlessness, and treat sleep problems (insomnia). It is also used for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, psychosis, depression, migraines and other headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), common cold and other respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis, muscle pain, and cancer prevention."

"Some people use kava for urinary tract infections (UTIs), pain and swelling of the uterus, venereal disease, menstrual discomfort, and to arouse sexual desire."
"Kava is applied to the skin for skin diseases including leprosy, to promote wound healing, and as a painkiller. It is also used as a mouthwash for canker sores and toothaches."
"Kava was named by the explorer Captain Cook, who chose a name that meant 'intoxicating pepper.' While Captain Cook may have named kava, he didn’t discover it. Kava has been used for thousands of years by Pacific Islanders. Today in the South Pacific, kava is a popular social drink, similar to alcohol in Western societies. It also still has a role in rituals and ceremonies."

How does it work?

"Kava affects the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. The kava-lactones in kava are believed to be responsible for its effects."

Although this treatment worked for me, please do your own research in to Kava Kava before trying it for yourself. Just a slight warning:

The US FDA advises that a potential risk of rare, but severe, liver injury may be associated with Kava-Kava. Do not use this treatment if you have, or have had liver problems. Please do not take Kava-Kava if you take any other medications without first consulting a doctor. Also, this treatment is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

If you do try or have ever tried Kava-Kava, please comment on your experiences - I would love to hear them!