Starting my certifications

     As of Thursday March 8, 2012 I started my certifications for Natropathic Practitioner and Holistic Nutritionist.  I am excited about finishing these courses so that I can start my counseling services while I get my Bachelor of Science in this field.  I look forward to sharing my new tools, information and and knowledge with you as I complete my courses.  I hope you find a wealth of information in them that you can apply to your new healthy life. 

     For those of you that have purchased my book and would like to start your journey contact me through my email, FB or this blog and we can set up free at this time consultations, field trips or anything else you may need to get you started on your new journey.  I am always here to answer any questions you might have as well.

     Please pass this blog and my FB book page along to anyone who would enjoy or benefit from the content of these pages.  Also keep in mind even though my book is about my journey to reverse Type 2 Diabetes, the information is valuable to anyone with chronic illness and disease.   Most of the chronic illness and disease we suffer from today is due to lack of proper nutrition, exercise and environmental factors.  All of which can be changed, controlled and improved very easily and ridding yourself of a diseased life.

     Be watching for my upcoming blogs and follow me on FB for better health and a new you :)

Cherise

Life Tastes Better!

    Since July 18, 2011 I have gone to the gym after night's out and staying up too late, gone when I could only see out of one eye on 3 different occasions, gone with countless other medical issues and have never missed a workout.  Why?  Because "Life Tastes Better!"  Life tastes better than any food I no longer eat, better than missing a day at the gym, better than having to go to the doctor, better than anything I can think of.  With that being said there is nothing that could make me go back to the way I was living my life, making excuses and cheating my life with diabetes because I, for what ever reason couldn't taste life anymore.  Is that where you are today?  Maybe it is someone you love who is there.  Don't wait till it hurts too much that you decide to get up and do something about your health.  Don't wait until the fire alarms are sounding to make a change in your eating, exercising and bad habits.

     We have such a short time here on earth so taste life and don't waste life!  Make today the day you make the changes and reap the rewards from them.  Why wait one more day to experience health?  My friends, I can honestly tell you I wasted too many years.  Find what it is that motivates you.  Maybe it's your child, spouse, family, grand child, volunteering, a hobby, your passion.  Whatever it is let it fuel your fire to seek a healthier new you.

     Life tastes better when your healthy!  I can assure you it does.

Cherise

What do you want to hear or learn about and other thoughts

I thought I would get some suggestions from everyone so I can get out information you are interested in.  I am going to be learning all kinds of wonderful new information that I will be passing along to you as I complete my certifications.  In the meantime I will strive hard to come up with thought provoking blogs that will make you think.  Making you think is the main goal of my book.  You see we have been conditioned to have people think for us and to not ask questions.  If you don't believe me pick up the book "The Underground History of American Education" by John Taylor Gatto.  He points out how our school system is designed to make us not question and to be told what, when and why to think.  I absolutely love this quote that I used in my book. 

 

"If the people let government decide
what foods they eat and what medicines they take,
their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state
as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."

-Thomas Jefferson

 

This is where we are right now my friends.  You hear it everyday in the mainstream media.  Our schools are trying to classify pizza as a vegetable.  There are countless pharmaceutical ads daily with  new conditions and the magic pill to treat the symptoms of the American people.   Our Standard American Diet isn't fit for anyone who wants to be healthy and now here we are.  Collectively, Americans are the unhealthiest people of all the world and yet we have the best medical care.  This is where I see what Thomas Jefferson so eloquently stated so long ago has come to fruition.   It is high time we stand up, question, think and no longer live under this food tyranny.  Learn about GMO's, Monsanto, HFCS, and the likes.  Know what your putting into your bodies, your children's bodies, grandchildren's bodies.   Get involved in the food revolution and make these big corporations label these cancer causing ingredients.  If they are so proud of these new man made frankenfoods then why do they not want to label them.  

So I leave you with this thought.  Next time you go to buy or eat food think about what it is you are truly eating, where it came from, how it was grown, how it got to your plate and what it is going to do to your body.

Cherise

 

What's the deal with protein?

The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was the number one health problem in America. Of course it's not.  What is on the list? Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity -- diseases of affluence. Diseases linked to eating animal products. According to the American Diabetes Association, which looked at all of the science on vegetarian diets and found not just that they're healthy, but that they "provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."    "Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence ... Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than non-vegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer."

Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, and whole grains are packed with protein. So are all vegetables as a caloric percentage, though they don't have enough calories to sustain most people as a principal source of sustenance. And these protein sources have some excellent benefits that animal protein does not -- they contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates, where meat has none. That's right: Meat has no complex carbs at all, and no fiber. Plant proteins are packed with these essential nutrients.

Since plant-based protein sources don't contain cholesterol or high amounts of saturated fat, they are much better for you than meat, eggs, and dairy products.  It is also worth noting the very strong link between animal protein and a few key diseases, including cancer and osteoporosis.  High-protein foods, particularly excessive animal protein, dramatically increase the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, and many other illnesses. In the short run, they may also cause kidney problems, loss of calcium in the bones, and an unhealthy metabolic state called ketosis in many people."

Borrowed from an article at http://www.alternet.org/health/86942

So what is all the hype about protein then?  It's just that hype, myths and flawed logic.  A well balanced vegetarian or near-vegetarian diet is a vast improvement over the typical American meat centered diet our "SAD" Standard American Diet .  In my book I point out that the only way to reverse these devastating chronic illnesses is through a plant based diet.  You don't have to do this quickly, you can do it like I did gradually.  It has been a life saver for me and now my husband.  I do still get 10% of my protein from a good healthy animal source which is enough to satisfy me.  I don't have to live on meat 24/7.   Humans also are the only species that continues to drink milk after it's been weaned.  I never gave that much thought before but you have to question why.  As with the meat consumption, if cows and other animals can live off of plants and water why cant we?  We can and we did for the most part until the 1900's, before that meat and dairy were not available for ordinary people until the factory farms and modern meat processing plants came on the scene along with refrigeration.  Between the 30's and 50's Americans spent 23-26% of their income on food.  Today we spend 9.47%.  Americans have demanded cheap food and we got it to our detriment.  This is why the plethora of diseases we have at alarming rates can be called diseases of affluence.  We now eat more food for less money and the quality of the food we are eating now pales in comparison to what our  previous generations ate.  Compared to what was grown only fifty years ago, today's foods contain far fewer vital nutrients, particularly minerals that our bodies need. Compounding the problem is the fact that millions of Americans rely on the standard American diet of convenience foods, which are far more deficient in minerals and other vital nutrients than fresh, whole foods. Many commercial products, such as breads, muffins, and pastas are typically made from refined white flour, which has been stripped of up to 90 percent of its minerals during the refinement process. Even modern food preparation methods add to the problem. Overcooking vegetables, for example, significantly reduces their nutrient content.  So with all that being said why do we continue to worry about protein?   The way I see it we have bigger things to worry about.  For me the answer is simple.  When you eat the from good clean unadulterated food sources you cant go wrong and yes even on a plant based diet you will not be lacking in protein.  Just some food for thought.

Cherise 

Revelation at dinner last night

     I have to start by saying that I am the only 90% vegan in our home.  My son is about 70% and husband well lets just say he has a long way to go as he is sitting on the 50 yard line.  So with that said I still buy organic grass fed beef and chicken.  The last shopping trip I made to Kroger I found this Chef Bruce Aidells all natural, no MSG, no nitrates, no gluten, no added hormones, no artificial ingredients and minimally processed roasted garlic with Gruyere cheese chicken sausage marked down half price at $3.59 for 14 ounces of sausage.  What a steal!  Now those of you that have read my book or know anything about what I look for in food know I was excited because I could eat this as well.  It fits all of my criteria.  The ingredients are so simple:  chicken, Swiss cheese, roasted garlic with olive oil, salt, Gruyere cheese, milk, parsley, spices, rosemary in a pork casing.  A 4 yr old can read all the ingredients which is key to anything I buy in a package.  I have to say it was amazingly delicious.  My husband cooked the sausage, a chicken kabob for me and a Nolan Ryan steak for himself.  I made us all huge organic salads with nuts, dried cranberries, seeds, croutons, oil and garlic dressing from HEB that is just wonderful and Spanish and Kalamata  olives.  I put some roasted red pepper humus and almond crackers on my plate.  We were ready to eat.  My son wanted a couple of bite of steak and so I decided I would put a couple on my plate.  As we all began to eat I started smiling because I was eating my humus and salad first and they went straight to the meat.  They are not quite there yet.  As I finished up my vegan part of my meal I went on to take a bite of the chicken and sausage which was melt in your mouth amazing.

       Now we are to the point of my blog, my revelation at dinner last night.  I watched as they enjoyed their steak and decided I would take a bite of mine.  I put it in my mouth and with my first chew I wanted to spit it out.  I did not like the taste of it.   I gave my husband the other two bites I had on my plate and tried desperately to get the taste out of my mouth.  It is still there this morning.  I have come a long way on this journey and I can remember when I sat in my friends living room and she said "Cherise just give up meat and you wont have diabetes anymore."  and to that I said "I can never give up my meat!"  Well my friends I have given up my meat and I don't miss it and I am diabetes free!  I am sure the meat was fine.  This isn't the first time I have tried to eat something I used to love and thought I couldn't live without and it tasted horrible to me but everyone else said it tasted just like it always has.  That is the wonderful thing about this new way of life.  When you get your body clean and free of all the junk, toxins, chemicals and additives you have poisoned your body with over a lifetime your body won't let you go back.  It rejects what it sees as a threat to it's now pure state.  I still find it hard to believe I have made these changes and I don't miss any of the things that kept me sick for almost 12 years.

     I challenge you to start once a week and have a meatless day, then two, three, four, five and see the difference it makes in your life.  I promise you it wont kill you :)

Have a blessed day,

Cherise

The Hippocratic Oath or Not?

While researching for my book I decide it was important to include the Hippocratic Oath.  So I looked online to find the original version and what I grew up to know as the "Do no harm" oath that I thought all doctors took.  Well to my surprise the "oath" isn't what we were led to believe it was.  Here is a direct quote from a website that had posted what they thought was the "Modern Oath".
 
"The AMA has a code of ethics, but there is, in fact, no version of the Hippocratic Oath that the AMA espouses or promotes. This is the information we have received from the AMA's Ethics Division. Our own research on the Hippocratic Oath, inspired by the discovery that our posting of the Modern Oath did not originate from the AMA, has been most interesting. While it is common knowledge among both doctors and the lay public that doctors take an oath that says, "Never do harm," the fact is that not all medical schools require their graduating doctors take the Hippocratic Oath. In addition, Medicine's use of the Oath changes over time. Here are some items for your consideration, the results of a study by Robert Orr, M.D. and Norman Pang, M.D., in which 157 deans of allopathic and osteopathic schools of medicine in Canada and the United States were surveyed regarding the use of the Hippocratic Oath:

1. In 1993, 98% of schools administered some form of the Oath.
2. In 1928, only 26% of schools administered some form of the Oath.
3. Only 1 school used the original Hippocratic Oath.
4. 68 schools used versions of the original Hippocratic Oath.
5. 100% of current Oaths pledge a commitment to patients.
6. Only 43% vow to be accountable for their actions.
7. 14% include a prohibition against euthanasia.
8. Only 11% invoke a diety.
9. 8% prohibit abortion.
10. Only 3% prohibit sexual contact with patients.

From - "The Use of the Hippocratic Oath: A Review of 20th Century Practice and a Content Analysis of Oaths Administered in Medical Schools in the U.S. and Canada in 1993." by Robert D. Orr, M.D. and Norman Pang, M.D.

UPDATE
The British Medical Association, in March 1997, published their first draft of a revised Hippocratic Oath to be considered by the World Medical Association.
If you would like to hear the critique of this proposed revised Oath by The Gersten Institute, click here.
"The Oath, a set of ethical principles derived from the writings of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, has been updated to put patients first. It aims to be a unifying force, superseding national, ethnic, religious and cultural boundaries by focusing on widely shared values.
The new wording can be adapted by nurses, paramedics and other health professionals."
Commenting on the revised wording, Dr Sandy Macara, chairman of the BMA Council, said:
"It is as important now as ever it was for doctors to have an agreed statement of ethical principles. On qualifying, doctors need such a statement to make a public commitment to the professional responsibilities they are assuming. Thereafter these principles should provide guidance in the increasingly difficult ethical decisions they will make throughout their professional lives.
"The value of this update will be all the greater if it comes into use by every doctor qualifying from every medical school in the world."
The BMA has been campaigning for the past five years for a revitalisation of the Hippocratic values. It has gathered examples of ethical codes from all over the world and common points from these have been integrated into the new wording.
The BMA has undertaken this work on behalf of the World Medical Association as the first stage of a revision of the current international code of medical ethics, the Geneva Declaration, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year.

Appendix I
DRAFT REVISION OF THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH
The practice of medicine is a privilege which carries important responsibilities. All doctors should observe the core values of the profession which center on the duty to help sick people and to avoid harm. I promise that my medical knowledge will be used to benefit people's health. They are my first concern. I will listen to them and provide the best care I can. I will be honest, respectful and compassionate towards patients. In emergencies, I will do my best to help anyone in medical need.
I will make every effort to ensure that the rights of all patients are respected, including vulnerable groups who lack means of making their needs known, be it through immaturity, mental incapacity, imprisonment or detention or other circumstance.
My professional judgement will be exercised as independently as possible and not be influenced by political pressures nor by factors such as the social standing of the patient. I will not put personal profit or advancement above my duty to patients.
I recognise the special value of human life but I also know that the prolongation of human life is not the only aim of healthcare. Where abortion is permitted, I agree that it should take place only within an ethical and legal framework. I will not provide treatments which are pointless or harmful or which an informed and competent patient refuses.
I will ensure patients receive the information and support they want to make decisions about disease prevention and improvement of their health. I will answer as truthfully as I can and respect patients' decisions unless that puts others at risk of harm. If I cannot agree with their requests, I will explain why.
If my patients have limited mental awareness, I will still encourage them to participate in decisions as much as they feel able and willing to do so.
I will do my best to maintain confidentiality about all patients. If there are overriding reasons which prevent my keeping a patient's confidentiality I will explain them.
I will recognize the limits of my knowledge and seek advice from colleagues when necessary. I will acknowledge my mistakes. I will do my best to keep myself and colleagues informed of new developments and ensure that poor standards or bad practices are exposed to those who can improve them.
I will show respect for all those with whom I work and be ready to share my knowledge by teaching others what I know.
I will use my training and professional standing to improve the community in which I work. I will treat patients equitably and support a fair and humane distribution of health resources. I will try to influence positively authorities whose policies harm public health. I will oppose policies which breach internationally accepted standards of human rights. I will strive to change laws which are contrary to patients' interests or to my professional ethics.

APPENDIX 2
Translation of the Original Hippocratic Oath by authors of this BMA draft.
"I swear by Apollo the physician, and Aesculapius and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgement, I will keep this Oath . . . "
Commentary from The Gersten Institute
1. Be it declareth this date, October 4, 1998, that the above Revised Hippocratic Oath, herein and hereafter referred to as RHO is a wee bit dry. Okay, let's get to the point. There is not enough heart in the RHO. It does not move or inspire. As a physician who has no recall at all if my medical school administered any version of the Hippocratic Oath in 1975, the year I graduated, I strongly believe that if doctors are to take an Oath ONCE in their lifetime, it should be a powerful, impassioned Oath that carries, at the very least, the spirit of the original Hippocratic Oath.
2. RHO is couched in a good deal of legal terminology. Perhaps that is necessary in this era of medicine, but it only adds to the growing distance between doctors and patients and does not, in my opinion, advance the real issue, namely quality of care.
3. The philosophy and principles contained in the RHO are good and sound.
4. The BMA translation of the original Oath is interesting. Instead of the correct translation in the first line, which refers to the Greek Gods Apollo, Aesculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea, this translation mis-tranlates "Hygeia" as "Health" and "Panacea" as "All-Heal." We should have a genuinely honest translation before we can consider revisions.
5. Gallup polls in the 1990's show that 95% of Americans believe in God and that 50% of atheists and agnostics PRAY! 50% of patients would like their doctors to pray with them. While it is correct to "drop the Greek Gods," is it a disservice to both doctors and patients to totally leave out the spiritual dimension in the RHO? I think so. It is an impossible task to try to capture the spirit of the original Hippocratic Oath while throwing out all mention of God, holiness, sacredness, and spirituality. It is necessary and sufficient as physicians to swear to practice according to the highest dictates of our conscience, with God (as we know and call Him or Her) as our witness.
6. With these items considered, perhaps the world should consider this Revised Hippocratic Oath. On the other hand, perhaps Hippocrates knew what he was doing. Perhaps we should keep the original Oath and simply make note that Apollo, Aesculapius, Hygeia, and Panacea are not universally accepted. Nor is Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Krishna or Ahura Mazda.
Dennis Gersten, M.D"

I found this quite interesting.  So if you take the statistics in to count then it explains why we have a medical profession that does not live up to the standards set before them in the beginning.  It is no wonder that we have doctors that are beholden to the pharmaceutical industry and why 57% will not hold themselves accountable for their actions and if you look at 6 to 10 the percentages of "in a patients best interest" is appalling to say the least.  I ask you "Do you want your doctor to swear to the original Hippocratic Oath or some new modern version that has been rewritten to conform to the times?"  I personally want my doctor to be one from the old school thought that they should "Do no harm."

I apologize this is such a long blog but this has been weighing heavily on my mind since I sat behind my laptop and started pounding out my book.  I have lost sleep thinking back to conversations I had with doctors and then resorted to researching things myself because I never felt like they were doing enough.  In several cases that is exactly what happened.  Once I diagnosed my husbands Mononucleosis before the doctor did and the doctor had labs and medical expertise as well as 3 weeks to come up with the diagnosis.  I have several stories just like this one and I shouldn't have one.  I understand we are human, we all make mistakes but when those mistakes on countless occasions have almost cost our lives and have cost others their lives it is unacceptable.

I want to leave you with this last thought.  Why is it in the late 5th century BC the Hippocrates felt that the people need an oath for the physicians to uphold certain medical ethics and today we don't hold our physicians to the same ethics?  I believe this is where our esteemed medical profession derailed for lack of a better term.  No more do our physicians as a whole truly put the patient first.  I believe this because of what my husband and I have endure at the hands of this profession.

Cherise     

"So honey what is your first blog going to be about?"

Since my first blog entry my husband asked "So honey what is your first blog going to be about?" and I said "I just wrote it!".  So to that question my first official blog is this:

As of 4:30 today I have officially started the enrollment process into school for my certifications of  Certified Natural Health Practitioner & Certified Holistic Nutrition Practitioner thanks to my best friend and supporter Jacque Hoffman who I can't thank enough for her support personally and financially.

I look forward to starting school in the next week or two and being able to start helping people soon.  I know this is just the tip of the iceberg in my new journey but it is a place to start.  I am so excited with the progress this journey is making in such a short time.  I still can't believe I have arrived at this moment in my life.  I never quite knew what it was I wanted to do when I grew up and what my calling was.  I have heard all my life that God gave each of us our own special talent to use to his glory.  I have been searching for that my whole life.  In looking back it was always writing for me.  Not the writing you were forced to do in school but the creative writing that burned in your soul.  Now I have an opportunity to feed that fire and develop it to the fullest.  I look forward to the challenge of keeping you informed and entertained with this blog.

I hope this has answered my husbands question and gotten the blogging juices flowing so I can post again soon with something new and thought provoking.  Please bare with me as I maneuver these uncharted waters of blogging.  With that said I will bid you a farewell until my next blog.

Cherise

The beginning of my new journey

I have never done this before but thought I might want to start.  Wow the last four months have been a wild ride.  I never thought I would get to this point.  I remember the day I posted on Facebook I was starting my book.  I am sure my friends thought I was nuts.  Many probably didn't think I would finish or get it published.  It never stopped them from cheering me on, supporting me or believing in me.  I have to thank them for that because they were a motivating force in me finishing the book.  Now I have sold around 30-40 copies and have had wonderful feedback on the book.  I am still in awe that I can possibly make a difference in someones life.  It is very humbling to hear readers comments.  I have never seen myself the way people are seeing me in print.  For me it was my life, nothing heroic, nothing amazing,  just painful and my reality.  I started this blog to help get out my message that no one has to live a life of chronic illness and disease.  It is also a way for me to interact on a more intimate level with others needing support.  I don't know that I will post daily all the time but I will try to stay active with my blogs.  I welcome your comments, questions and interaction.  I want this to be a place where you can find hope and support.  As I go through my schooling I will post things I learn that will benefit you.  I will also post nutrition articles I will be writing for local papers to start getting my name out there in this field.  So follow me on my new journey of bringing health and wellness to the world one blog at a time.

Blessings,

Cherise