By: Heidi Whitaker

After reading the book Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out, by “The Secret’s” and “Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul’s” Marci Shimoff. , I knew that I wanted to start a forum for it. The book covers so many aspects that are relevant to members of the Connecting With Women / Real Guy Talk communities as well as my healthydivas.com community.

This forum is especially geared toward individuals building a network marketing business as well as individuals with autoimmune diseases such as Fibromyalgia, CFS, MS, RA, and others.

This positive group’s purpose is to help one another implement the principles that lead to building happiness from the inside.

What does that have to do with network marketing?

Think about it for a minute.

It is MUCH easier to recruit the perfect people into your organization when YOU are the kind of person that others want to be around. The fact is that people prefer to be around happy and optimistic individuals.

Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out teaches you HOW to be the kind of person that prospects want to go into a network marketing business with.

Being happy for no reason literally can make you an MLM magnet.

Being happy doesn’t cost you a thing. Learning how to be happy no matter what your circumstances doesn’t cost much either. You can get Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out from your local library. It is also available at Amazon.com.

I invite you to join the forum (even if you don’t read the book).

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Click to join happy_for_no_reason

“Ample is so much nicer a word than fat.”
- Elizabeth Taylor

Pardon the pun, but a large body of evidence shows obesity is a major contributing factor to the overproduction of inflammatory proteins called cytokines. Cytokine over-production due to obesity seems to be the worst among “apple-shaped” women. (NY, Reuters Health, 10/22/03) About 30% of our fat cells chronically produce cytokines, which circulate body wide. http://netriceuticals.com/articles.asp?id=75 What’s the big deal?

These cytokines interfere with insulin action. This may cause insulin resistance, which is nearly 3 times higher in obese people than those of average weight. (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/292/12/1440 Insulin resistance increases the chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/

Note: For a Body Mass Index (BMI) that evaluates body weight in relation to height to determine if you are considered underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese, visit

http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/#bmi. I like this particular table because it has realistic numbers for those who are “larger boned”.After you eat, the food is broken down into glucose, which is the main source of energy for the body’s cells. However, your cells cannot use the glucose without insulin to help convert the glucose to energy. In the case of insulin resistance, the insulin does not convert the glucose to energy. The pancreas therefore makes more and more insulin. The result is too much unused glucose and too much unused insulin in the blood. (http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/) This insulin surge stimulates even more cytokine production. (http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-146a.shtml) It also causes weight gain, creating a vicious cycle.

“I worry about scientists discovering that lettuce has been fattening all along.”
- Erma Bombeck

Studies show that lifestyle changes can break this cycle, reverse insulin resistance, and reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 58%. Those changes include weight loss, exercise, and eating small, frequent meals consisting of foods that are low on the glycemic index. (http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance/) It also means avoiding MSG, which stimulates excess insulin production. MSG also causes “leptin resistance”. Leptin is a chemical released by your fat cells that tell your body that you have enough fat cells. MSG’s interference with leptin makes your body believe you need to gain weight in the form of fat. http://www.msgtruth.org/foodfor.htm

“Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness.”
-Earl of Derby

Exercise has not only been shown to help insulin resistance, it has been shown to lower cytokine production. http://health.yahoo.com/news/61590 Walking is a perfect exercise, which requires no special equipment. You should start off slowly and increase your time and speed little by little. Do not exercise to the point that you are very sore. This is a sign of acid buildup in your muscles and the acid will make autoimmune symptoms worse by increasing pain, weakness, and cytokine production. http://www.arthritisremedies.org/#herbalremedies Just a brisk 10-minute walk has been shown to be able to lower blood sugar levels. A brisk 10-minute walk after a meal can help keep blood sugar levels in the normal range. http://www.drwhitaker.com/c/store_immune_exercise.asp

Note: TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR and until the level is reduced, do not exercise if you have blood sugar levels over 300. . http://www.drwhitaker.com/c/store_immune_exercise.asp

“Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive.”
-George Bernard Shaw

The glycemic index is a measurement of how a food affects blood-glucose levels. A high rating means that blood-glucose levels are increased quickly. (http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm)

One effective way of reducing insulin production is to eat a diet consisting of foods low on the glycemic index and eating 6 small meals in one day instead of 3 large ones. The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their effect on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly have the highest glycemic index. Those that break down slowly have the lowest index.

(http://www.tinnitusformula.com/infocenter/articles/treatments/sugar_met2.aspx) Eating high glycemic foods causes an insulin surge that contributes to chronic inflammation. (http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-146a.shtml)

Note: Any food is a high glycemic food if you eat a large amount of it. The glycemic index is based upon the suggested serving size of a food.

A Glycemic Index Chart can be found at: http://busycooks.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.healthchecksystems.com/glycemic.htm

Certain herbs and supplements can lower insulin levels and improve insulin resistance. Studies show that garlic, onions, and aloe vera help to slower blood sugar levels. http://www.newstarget.com/008191.html The mineral chromium picolinate or chromium GTF (not chromium salts), which is available in supplement form, has also been shown to help with insulin resistance. http://www.anitaflegg.com/Nov82002.htm

Note: Grains are a source of chromium, but processing destroys the chromium in the grain.

Everywhere you look, hoodia is being pushed as an easy weight loss fix.

What is it? Hoodia gordonii, although it looks like a cactus, is actually a succulent from southern Africa.

How does it work? Hoodia tricks the brain into thinking you’ve eaten, and makes you feel full. Hoodia also reportedly reduces interest in food, delays the time after eating before hunger sets in again, and helps a person feel full more quickly. Hoodia may work right away, or it make take several weeks to feel its full effect. Bushmen from the Kalahari Desert area have been using hoodia for centuries to help ward off hunger during long trips in the desert.

Is it safe? Hoodia gordonii is entirely natural. It is not a stimulant or a drug. At this time, it has no known side effects. Pharmaceutical companies find it so promising, however, that they are trying to isolate the appetite-suppressing molecule, P57, to create a patented diet drug in the future.

Some food for thought: Just because a supplement decreases your appetite doesn’t mean that it will also decrease your waist line.

Note: Vitamin C offsets the stress that mercury vapor puts on the adrenal glands. For an adrenal support tonic recipe, visit http://www.wildrots.com/adrenal.html.

Written by: Heidi Whitaker

Commercials for heartburn relief medications haven given stomach acid a bad rap. What these advertisements don’t tell you is that too much stomach acid and too little stomach acid have the same symptoms.

• Consistent use of antacids favors yeast growth, bad bacteria in the stomach, inflammation, and stomach cancer.

• Most minerals and Vitamin B-12 requires adequate stomach acid for absorption.

• For individuals with MS, autism, Lyme, and perhaps Fibromyalgia and CFS, the problem is compounded. Adequate stomach acid production is necessary for the body to be signaled to produce secretin, which is necessary for myelin sheath repair.

Addendum by Randi Gerber

What you can do to reduce or eliminate heartburn naturally.  Most will find with these 10 simple changes in diet and the way they eat they will naturally eliminate all symptoms of heartburn.

1.  Do not drink cold beverages including water with your meals, because cold beverages will destroy your natural digestive enzymes.

2.  Instead drink a very small cup of warm to hot water. This will actually increase enzymatic activity.  Drink most of your water in between meals. 

3.  Drinking a teaspoon of organic apple cider vineger may be very beneficial if low acidity is a problem for you.  If this does not help you than your problem is not low acidity, but is more likely a lack of sufficient digestive enzymes.

4.  Nuts may increase heartburn, because they are a natural enzyme inhibitor.  Soaking nuts in water or toasting them in the oven will destroy the natural enzyme inhibitors. 

5.  Eat fruits and vegetables with every meal.  They contain natural digestive enzymes. 

6.  Supplementing with plant digestive enzymes at every meal may prove to be extremely beneficial.  click to order enzymes. 

7.  Do not cook with Canola oil or eat foods high in it.  All hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils will destroy enzymes, and make meals very difficult to digest.  Virgin Coconut oil is a far superior cooking oil.  You also may use olive oil, flax oil, or peanut oil.   

8.  Chew your food until it is nearly liquid in the mouth.  Chewing activates your natural enzymes, and makes digestion easier on the body. 

9.  Do not eat too much at one meal. 

10.  Stay away from greasy foods, and too much red meat, especially pork.

Heidi Whitaker is an author and popular speaker on the topic of nutritional support of autoimmune disease.  An advocate for alternative health solutions, she co-founded http://healthydivas.com, a resource center for those autoimmune sufferers looking for real answers outside of what conventional medicine can provide.

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In the case of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, MS, ALS, autism, Alzheimer’s, lupus, and Lyme Disease, inflammatory proteins called cytokines cross into the brain. They do so through weakened areas of the blood brain barrier (BBB). In the brain, they cause “brain fog,” sleep disturbances, and increased pain, depression, and anxiety. Certain cytokines can deplete the brain of tryptophan, which is necessary in the production of serotonin.

Low serotonin levels can result in non-restorative sleep, depression, increased stress, increased appetite, increased pain perception because of an increase in Substance P, and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). The decrease in serotonin and increase of Substance P may result in low Growth Hormone (HGH) production, which is characteristic of Fibromyalgia.
This tryptophan deficiency is especially detrimental in those who suffer from depression, anxiety, Chronic Lyme, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia sufferers, who already struggle with low serotonin levels.

It is important to strengthen the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) against cytokine invasion. Cytokines will only cross the BBB in an area that it is weakened. Low levels of vitamin B, a deficiency of certain essential fatty acids, and a viral infection, like a cold or flu can weaken the blood brain barrier. A study published in June 2002, in the scientific journal Differentiation, reported new evidence that mobile phone radiation can also weaken the BBB against harmful substances. (Cordless phones pose the same risk, but to a lesser degree.)

Diet and dietary supplements can strengthen the brain’s protective barrier (BBB) against cytokine invasion. Because vitamin C can strengthen capillaries and the blood brain barrier is made up of capillaries, it is reasonable to believe that vitamin C could provide the BBB with added protection. Additionally, animal studies show that flavonoids, like those found in blueberries, bilberries, and grape seeds can protect the blood brain barrier. These flavanoids can be purchased in supplement form. They are also anti-inflammatory, so they protect the brain by reducing cytokine levels and strengthening the BBB.

Heidi Whitaker is an author, popular speaker, and co-founder of http://www.healthydivas.com She has dedicated her life to the fight against autoimmunity. To download a free copy of her book “Conquering Autoimmunity” visit http://www.healthydivas.com/conquer_autoimmunity_free_download.html

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It wasn’t until I was speaking over the phone with the president of a Fibromyalgia association in the Midwest that I realized this subject was even up for debate. As far as I was concerned, Fibromyalgia is as much an autoimmune problem as MS or any other autoimmune disease.

Many who suffer from Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) also pile on various autoimmune disorders, as I did. Whether you believe that Fibromyalgia is another autoimmune disorder or condition that leaves you vulnerable to autoimmune diseases, it is an indisputable fact that pro-inflammatory cytokines are a cause of Fibromyalgia/CFS and traditional autoimmune disorders.

In traditional autoimmune disorders, cytokines gather in certain areas of the body causing pain, inflammation, and the body to attack itself. For example, in the case of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), these cytokines gather in the joints. In Fibromyalgia and CFS, cytokines are able to cross the protective barrier of the brain (BBB) because of “gaps” in the barrier. In the brain, these cytokines cause “brain fog,” sleep disturbances, increased pain, and increase or cause depression and anxiety.

Viral infections can allow cytokines to cross the BBB. This is also true of stress. A study published in June 2002, in the scientific journal “Differentiation”, reported new evidence that mobile phone radiation can weaken the BBB against harmful substances. (http://tuberose.com/Germ_Theory.html) Cell phones further increase the “gaps” in the blood brain barrier allowing even more cytokines to cross into the brain.

Heidi Whitaker is an author and popular speaker on the topic of nutritional support of autoimmune disease. An advocate for alternative health solutions, she co-founded http://www.healthydivas.com, a resource center for those autoimmune sufferers looking for real answers outside of what conventional medicine can provide.

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As more truth about the toxicity and danger of pharmaceutical drugs comes to light, increasing numbers of individuals with autoimmune disorders like Fibromyalgia, Chronic Epstein-Barr, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme, ALS, Lupus, Chrohn’s, and many others are turning back to God-given relief of inflammation found in nature.

Traditional Uses of Some Anti-Inflammatory Herbs and Supplements:

BEE PROPOLIS is anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial. It is also a natural anti-inflammatory.

BILBERRY promotes the formation of connective tissue , is anti-inflammatory, and strengthens the blood-brain barrier.

BOSWELLIA has been used extensively to reduce the symptoms of arthritis.

BROMELAIN is a digestive enzyme, anti-inflammatory, and pain reliever.

CAYENNE can relieve pain by interfering with sensory nerve signaling. It is an antibiotic.

CITRUS BIOFLAVONOIDS provide natural antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergy properties.

DEVIL’S CLAW ROOT may help relieve pain and inflammation.

GERMANIUM SESQUIOXIDE oxygenates cells, is anti-viral, ant-inflammatory, and increases endorphins for pain management.

GINGKO BILOBA improves blood flow and is a natural anti-inflammatory.

GLUCOSAMINE is an anti-inflammatory and can increase joint range of motion.

GLUTATHIONE protects body the body from the effects of inflammatory cytokines.

GRAPESEED EXTRACT is an anti-inflammatory, which strengthens blood-brain barrier.

LICORICE ROOT is an anti-inflammatory, which has also been used in the treatment of depression.

PAPAIN is a digestive enzyme, anti-inflammatory, and pain reliever.

POLYPHENOLS reduce the incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

TURMERIC is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and is good for the liver.

UNA DE GATO is an anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and immune-stimulating herb.

VANADIUM is used as a treatment for chronic inflammatory conditions and diabetes.

YUCCA ROOT is an anti-inflammatory used to establish a flora balance in the GI tract.

To order germanium click here.

To order medicnal herbs click here

Note: This is not intended as medical advice.

Heidi Whitaker is an author and popular speaker on the topic of nutritional support of autoimmune disease. An advocate for alternative health solutions, she co-founded http://www.healthydivas.com, a resource center for those autoimmune sufferers looking for real answers outside of what conventional medicine can provide.

Want your business online?  ConnectingWithWomen.com will walk you through every step.  Learn more.

When we build a fire, there is an ash left behind by the burned fuel. The same is true of our body when it burns food for fuel. The food leaves an ash. That ash will either be alkaline or acidic, depending on the food.

Acidity and alkalinity are measured on what is called the pH scale. How acidic a food is on our plates is often the opposite of how acidic the ash residue will be. For example, acidic fruits and vegetables tend to leave an alkaline ash, while alkaline meats and cheeses tend to be acid-forming in the body. Our bodies also produce acid as a by-product of normal metabolism. Because our bodies are designed to be alkaline, this acid must be buffered with alkaline substances. However, our bodies cannot manufacture acid buffers. Food and supplementation are the only means of replenishing alkalinity in the body.

Due to the Standard American Diet (SAD), most people suffer from an unbalanced pH that is too acidic. In other words, their bodies are full of acid waste. Because the body was meant to be alkaline, this condition forces the body to borrow minerals, like calcium, from the body’s organs, ligaments, muscles, and bones to neutralize the acid in an attempt to safely remove it from the body.

Because calcium is being drawn from the bones to buffer acid, this waste product causes osteoporosis. Dr. Susan Brown of the Osteoporosis Education Project considers acid waste a major hidden cause of osteoporosis. A change in diet, not just calcium supplementation, is needed to fight osteoporosis.

Addendum

By: Randi Gerber

Below are 7 things that you can do to alkalize the body and increase your available minerals.

1.  Eat leafy green vegetables with every meal.   They are wonderful for alkalizing.  You may also use a “greens” supplement.  Click here to order.

2. Drink liquid chlorophyll on a regular basis.

3.  Do not red meats regularly.  Red meats cause severe acidosis in the body.

4.  Do not drink soda.  It will stop your bodies ability to absorb calcium and also make your body very acidic.

5.  Supplement with natural herbal minerals.  Order here 

6.  Get plenty of rest.  Less than 8 hours a night can cause acidosis.

7.  Keep your body free from stress.  Learn secrets here.

8.  Drink alkalized water.  You can make this yourself if you own a water alkalizer.

9.  Processed foods almost always cause acidosis.

10.  Coral calcium may be very beneficial when taken regularly.  order here

Heidi Whitaker is an author and popular speaker on the subject of autoimmunity. She co-founded http://www.HealthyDivas.com, a resource center for those with autoimmune disease looking for help and answers. Heidi has given hope to many with fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, MS, arthritis, and Chrohn’s.

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“Saturated fats and cholesterol are not the cause of coronary heart disease. That myth is the greatest scientific deception of this century, perhaps of any century.” -Dr George V. Mann, M.D.

Because it is anti-viral, has a positive effect on the thyroid, and boosts the immune system, I suggest that individuals with autoimmune disease use coconut oil to. Then I wait for the protest that I know is coming.

“Coconut oil?!? That’s saturated fat! My cholesterol is already high as it is. So I’ll have a healthy thyroid and immune system, but I’ll die of a heart attack.”

No one thought a thing of eating saturated fat before the 1920’s. Of course, at that time, there were no margarine tubs or hydrogenated vegetable oils. People used butter and lard because that is what they had on hand. However, while eating all of that saturated fat, there were far fewer deaths from heart disease then today. In 1914, Harvard Medical School’s Dr Richard Cabot published an analysis of 600 cases of heart disease. The most common cause of heart disease at that time was rheumatic fever.

If saturated fat is not the problem, what is?

By 1936, the introduction of “healthy” vegetable oils had changed the situation dramatically. The clogging type of heart disease we know today had become the most common. Also, a new kind of heart attack (Myocardial Infarction) with sudden chest pain followed by death appeared on the scene. According to the British medical journal, The Lancet, this type of heart attack was almost unknown before 1926.

Researches at the Wynn Institute for Metabolic Research in London examined the composition of human artery plaques. Their study found that the artery clogging fats in those who died from heart disease were composed of 26% saturated fat and 74% polyunsaturated fatty acids – the same supposedly “healthy” fats found in vegetable oils.

What about coconut oil specifically?

In a study published in 1981, South Pacific islanders were examined over a period of time starting in the 1960’s. This was before western foods were prevalent in their diets. Instead, up to 60% of their caloric intake came from the saturated fat of coconut oil. The study found the people were relatively free from modern diseases of western cultures, including obesity and heart disease.

Note: Never use refined or hydrogenated coconut oils. Use only virgin or extra virgin coconut oil.

Addendum

by Randi Gerber

Anti-oxidants are another powerful tool for reducing your risk of heart disease.  Many fruits are high in antioxidants.  Gogi berries, blueberries, strawberries,  acai berry, pomagranate fruit, oranges, mangosteen fruit, noni fruit etc are all high in anti-oxidants.  Eating these regularly can have tremendously positive results.  I have found that a great supplement to add to my diet is a drink that contains many of the fruits mentioned above.  Learn more 

Heidi Whitaker is an author and popular speaker on the subject of autoimmunity. She co-founded http://www.HealthyDivas.com, a resource center for those with autoimmune disease looking for help and answers. Heidi has given hope to many with fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, MS, arthritis, and Chrohn’s.

Let ConnectingWithWomen.com help you get your business online today.  Don’t have one - we’ll also provide you with one to market.  Learn more