Ultradian Rhythm

Ultradian Rhythm

Do you wake up, chug some coffee, and fling yourself into a nonstop day of meetings, classes, pick ups and drop offs and before you know it you’re too tired for yoga class, order a pizza on the way home, eat dinner in a haze and at bedtime you’re too wired and tired to sleep, much less have sex? Did you use the bathroom today? Do you remember?

The human body is designed with a 90 to 120 minute attention span, called our Ultradian Rhythm cycle and when we ignore it and override our circuits, we get tired, thirsty, foggy, hungry and cranky.

Often we reach for Coffee, sugar or carbs for a lift, when what we really need is to STOP. Ideally we should be taking a 15 to 20 minute break in the morning and afternoon. The best case scenario is to lie down in a dark room. At the office? Try tilting the chair back and wear a pair of blue glasses to stop the overstimulation of the lights. Ok maybe I’m stretching, but did you pee this morning? How about a trip to the bathroom and a glass of water. Grab a healthy snack like nuts or nut butter and an apple. Or call, or Skype a friend, call not text, I’m talking about heart connection here, stepping away resets your brain. Leave your to do list alone. Go sit in your car and close your eyes. Your brain will thank you and you will perform better for it. Some employers are creating dark break rooms, because the rewards are that great. The funny thing is children do this naturally, watch your kids, sometimes that’s when you get the best hugs.

FDA Healthy Food Guidelines

Today, the FDA says its going to need a few more years to get a grip on what’s healthy and what’s not. Like Frosted flakes are ok but the jury is out on salmon, nuts and avocados. Really? How many times does the clue phone have to ring? We are responsible for our own bodies and everybody’s body is different. Now hear this: Frosted Flakes, much as I love them, and I do love them and Tony The Tiger too, are not healthy food. Corn, GMO Corn and sugar are going to make you fat, cranky and sick. That’s the real truth. Somebody has to tell you and that somebody is ME.

My private clients are well aware that we must take charge of our own health. National statistics declaring we are a sick society, and getting sicker, are skyrocketing and if you have been waiting for the US government to tell you what to eat, you will get, be or stay sick. Your brain wont function as it should, you will get fat, depressed and ultimately sick. We are talking obesity, heart disease, diabetes and Cancer, just for starters.  Then you will be subjected to the medical system of medications that mask your symptoms, don’t make you well and feeds the fatcat salaries of Big Pharma.

Come on, be your own person. Get your head out of the sand. Take charge of your health. The human body is designed to heal itself. Every time you put something in your mouth you have the opportunity to feed your body, mind and soul. That’s what makes and keeps you well.  Food is meant to stimulate your brain. Anticipation triggers your nervous system. Smelling and seeing a beautiful plate of food stimulates your digestive juices. Chewing your food well breaks down the fibers and allows your digestive juices to do their job, so your body can absorb the nutrients and process the wastes, giving you the proper amount of time to feel satiated and satisfied.

If you are waiting for the Government to tell you what’s right for your body, you could wait a very long time and given the state of our political system and the current election dog and pony show…. well, I think I’ve said enough!

The MOFO Club

I’m a double MOFO, that’s the MTHFR or methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene. I carry a compound heterozygous gene mutation, a genetic polymorphism, variance or flaw in today’s science. One in every two people may have it.

Born covered in eczema, I suffered migraines, irregular menstrual cycles, epic PMS, food sensitivities and environmental allergies, have a delicate nervous system, was prone to depression and a tendency toward addictive behaviors. Twice treated for heavy metal toxicity I can get a hangover from a cookie. Sound familiar? Get tested for the MTHFR gene ASAP.

In 2012 I experienced severe gastrointestinal issues following treatment for an intestinal parasite. Sentenced to the FODMAPS diet, I endured 5 months of Rifaxiamin and Neomycin and felt worse. My system shut down, my body was toxic. I was hardly eating, bloated, gaining weight rapidly, had zero energy, no memory, couldn’t concentrate, was scared, depressed, couldn’t work and wildly constipated.

Enter Tracy Piper, a hydro therapist, licensed acupuncturist, massage therapist and herbalist, uniquely qualified to help me detox so I might address what got me there in the first place; she reviewed my symptoms and immediately sent me to be tested for the MTHFR Gene.

I tested positive for both mutations. FYI, MTHFR is not singular to any ethnic group. Tracy has it and she is a beautiful Island woman. I started a regime of herbs, supplements and weekly colonics. Most people feel energized and lighter after a session, I felt even more tired and depressed after the next 4-6 treatments.

My body responds to integrative/functional medicine. It has been a scavenger hunt to find an MD in NYC who gets it. Linda Tao read my records and said “based on your anecdotal history I would have tested you for MTHFR but I see you have the double mutation. Do you understand what it means?”

I wanted to cry. This was a real thing. Using a chart, Dr Tao explained this relatively new science. What we do know is MOFO’s don’t process toxins like other people. We don’t absorb B Vitamins or methylate correctly. We’re highly sensitive emotionally and physically, prone to increased levels of inflammation and at higher risk for certain cancers. My entire medical and personal history fell into place that hour.

It’s been 14 months since I started treatment. This is a process and its forever. I’ve successfully reduced my homocysteine levels, pay attention to diet, and am religious about my ever changing list of herbs and supplements including Adreset to balance my adrenals, Fenugreek and Thyme to process fats, Active B Complex and MethylProtect, Dim Detox, Selenium, Ubiquinol, a probiotic, Glutathione, Vitamin D3, Magnesium L-Threonate, Magnesium Citrate, Super II, Chlorphyll, Milk Thistle and Dandelion Root. I’ve re-committed to meditation and yoga. The amazing reflexologist and Integrative Postitional Therapist Shelley Kerman advises soaking my feet in Epsom salts, baking soda and ACV to assist my lymph system, I get regular lymphatic drainage massage, and see Tracy and Dr. Tao quarterly.

I created The MOFO Club as a platform for ideas, change and support. Please share your stories. If you’ve encountered a gifted practitioner, had success with a particular herb, supplement or lifestyle change, we need to know about it.

Don’t worry. No dues. Being a MOFO is enough.

If you'd like to know more, check out The Mofo Club's Facebook Page at: www.facebook.com/mofoclub

Women's Sexual Health

FDA approved Viagra on March 27, 1998. On CNN's Larry King Live show, former presidential nominee Bob Dole admits he took part in experimental trials for Viagra, calling it "a great drug." In December of 1998: Pfizer announces it has hired Bob Dole as a spokesperson.

On August 19, 2003: The FDA approves Bayer Corporation's vardenafil hydrochloride, sold under the brand name Levitra, to treat erectile dysfunction in men. Cialis was the third drug for ED to receive approval by the FDA at the end of November 21, 2003. Cialis is manufactured by Lilly ICOS LLC.

In 2008, The Washington Post reports that the CIA is using Viagra to gain friends in Afghanistan. "While the CIA has a long history of buying information with cash, the growing Taliban insurgency has prompted the use of novel incentives and creative bargaining to gain support in some of the country's roughest neighborhoods, according to officials directly involved in such operations."

2011: A federal judge extends Pfizer's U.S. patent for Viagra, making sure generic brands cannot come to market until 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal.

By 2012 there were 8 million sales of Viagra resulting in $2 Billion revenue.

So, in the 16 years and billions of dollars in revenues since Viagra was approved by the FDA, how is it we women are now having a full on battle for FDA approval of flibanserin, the one drug that has the potential to help millions of women all over the world with Sexual Dysfunction. That means millions of women with no libido may once again have the option to fulfill their god given right to be a sexual being. Just like men.

Why do women have to fight for everything? Who started the rumor that we don’t love it if we didn’t have to work for it? The general opinion is flibanserin is for women in peri menopause and menopause that may be experiencing a lack of desire for sex. News flash, this is not about boomers wondering where their next boom is coming from. The bottom line is that women between 18 and 36 that are experiencing the greater diagnoses of Sexual Dysfunction.

How is it that young women all over the world, in their sexual and reproductive prime are just plain old not interested in sex? Oh there are ever so many reasons but lets not go there right now, but lets stay focused on why we should even have to wait or wonder why we don’t have as many options as men, again.

Dig this. This drug has been tested on over 11,ooo women. Initial resistance suffered arguments at hearings such as the concern that women who use this drug most likely drink alcohol and so, might abuse the drug or be less than responsible with this prescription medication. What, like no guy has ever come back from the Pharmacy and said to his buddies, “ Hey look what I got, you want one?” or “ Hey, that was fun let's try two!”

Piffle, there is a drug for men with ED on the market that has barely 100 test cases and is slated for approval. The drug is to help those men afflicted with a crooked penis. The side effects include the possibility that the drug could cause the penis to explode.

Are you kidding me?

Really what is the old boy network so afraid of? That women of all ages will suddenly be sexually active again and that Viagra sales will fall as the heart attack rate rises putting a strain on our men of fighting age? The sheer dollars alone could eliminate illiteracy in the female population on a global level and you can rest assured that if anyone’s vagina explodes that we girls will form together in sisterhood to get her a new one.

You simply cannot make this stuff up.

Ciggies

How many times today I wanted a ciggie.

276

Cigarettes actually smoked: 0

Cigarettes in possession 0

I know, I know, I’m a Lifestyle Evangelist who waxes poetic about green juice and grass fed beef. I also say Life is short and perfect is boring. I have my vices and cigarettes are on the top of that list.

More addictive than heroine and a lot easier to get at a moments notice.  I often wonder what my life would be like if Omar at my corner deli would sell me one cigarette at a time….

What’s my biggest excuse? It’s genetic. My Great-Grandmother Lilian May was born on a tobacco farm in West Virginia. She smoked up until the stroke, three months before she died at 93. Nicotine is in my blood.  

To this day, almost 16 years since I quit smoking, I scan the room when the phone rings in search of the red pack that morphed into the blue pack when all of a sudden I thought that smoking organic had to be better for my health than just plain old smoking. 

Ahhhh, that feeling when the first deep breath, in what feels like forever, releases my soaz muscle and delivers that first blast of nicotine to my system. My shoulders come out of my ears and there just ain't no substitute, electric or otherwise, that will be better than that.

Helen Mirren Smoking - Oh she so hot!

I confess its vanity more that keeps me from puffing up. Yes, I hate the smell of smoke in my hair and on my clothes. I can wash those. It’s the lines on the upper lip that keep me from sucking back a few ciggies when the going gets tough or when I want to celebrate or when I want to be sure that lunch is really over.