Your Magnificent Liver: Get to Know, Love & Treat Yours Well

October is National Liver Awareness Month. Are you ready to love your liver?

I love mine. Dearly. After reading this, you’ll love yours too.

About 5.5 years ago, when my health pretty much exploded and I was lost in the maze of conventional medicine, one of the complications I had was medication-induced hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

Trust me, it sucked.

No thanks to that and a cluster of many, many other health issues, I was laid up in bed for months. I had to leave my career and go on disability for the ensuing two years.

Curried Quinoa with Cauliflower & Artichokes

Do you ever stop and admire the cauliflower and broccoli you see at the farmer’s market or in the grocery store? No? Well, maybe you’ll want to after reading these facts and trying the recipe below.

Welcome. Meet the cruciferous (brassica) family of veggies, which includes: broccoli, broccoli rabe, broccolini, cauliflower (white, orange, green, and purple), all cabbages (white, purple, napa, etc.), brussels sprouts, collard greens, and all kinds of kale.

The cruciferous family, if they were human, would be a very loving and nurturing family. No dysfunction here. Here’s why:

Talk. Not Treats: A Powerful Manifesto

My brilliant client, entrepreneur Karri Flatla, recently penned a manifesto borne from her personal frustration as a parent to two young children, as a participant in a society that tends to take the easy way out by bribing with “treats” versus taking the time to talk and get to the core of what children (and the rest of us!) REALLY need.

I just read it and have massive goose bumps. Well said, Karri.

Here it is: Talk. Not Treats.

How do you handle the “treats vs. talk” situations you find yourself (and your children) in?

Eating for Focus & Calm

Author’s note and disclaimer:  This information is provided for educational purposes only. The recommendations included in this informational article are not to be construed as medical advice and do not take the place of medical advice. You should seek medical advice and continue to consult with your existing medical practitioners as needed. This article is not meant to formally and thoroughly address ADHD or ADD, but some of the common symptoms and root causes shared by those diagnosed with these conditions as well as those with general overwhelm.

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Could It Be Adrenal Fatigue?

Author’s note and disclaimer:  This information is provided for educational purposes only. The recommendations included in this informational article are not to be construed as medical advice and do not take the place of medical advice. You should seek medical advice and continue to consult with your existing medical practitioners as needed.

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Feel like you wake up tired, stay tired, then dip even more around 3-4 pm, push through the evening, then gratefully fall into bed? (And maybe even have trouble falling or staying asleep despite all that tired-ness?)

Chicken Broth or Bone/Mineral Broth

This year’s transition from spring into summer has been a bit bizarre in many parts of the U.S. Many people went from shivering from cold straight to summer! As such, there seems to be one bug in particular that seems intent on making us suffer from sore throats and lots of sniffles, much later into the year than usual.

After two years of no colds or bugs whatsoever (thank goodness!) and after dodging this bug 2 times before (sore throat was creeping in but I was able to get rid of it overnight in both cases)… it got me. This week, I am tearing through tissues like nobody’s business and nursing a hoarse voice, which I tend to get with any cold. Bummer.

Artichoke Hummus

Gluten-Free, High-Nutrient Snack for All Ages!

My dear friend Amy is our guest contributor for this deliciously healthy and easy recipe. She and I met in high school overseas. After sharing much fun and many foibles over the years, we remain close friends.

Amy was waaaay into healthy eating and cooking waaaay before I even learned how to not burn soup. To this day, she is always an inspiration. And I still credit her for being the person who turned me on to avocados about 10 years ago with her home-made guacamole. YUM.

Tips for Healing from Fibromyalgia

Last Thursday, May 12th, was National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.

I chose to post a series of free tips on how to heal from fibromyalgia on Twitter that day and got a few requests asking if I could please compile the tips all in one place for easier access. Your wish is my command! Here they are (below), straight from Twitter.

Of course, there are many facets to fibromyalgia and its usual companion, chronic fatigue syndrome. These tips are very high level and there are many more steps one must take to heal. However, these tips are a good start. Over time, as you weave all these pieces together and dig further to uncover your particular root causes and address those too with the right support, you will experience relief and, hopefully, full remission.

There is No Such Thing as Work-Life Balance

We go around looking for the holy grail of “work-life balance,” and fail to find it again and again. It’s fleeting at best, it’s the promised land that seems as far away as ever as we paddle furiously towards it, trying so hard to make it happen.

We think that, if only we did things “right”, we could have this magical equilibrium between our personal and business lives. One that makes us and everyone around us happy.

By definition, however, balance is a state of micro-adjustments, not a single, perfect, static state that you can hold indefinitely.

Avocado-Tepenade Mash

Such an easy, delicious breakfast or snack option. Spread over your favorite gluten-free bread, go at it with veggie sticks, or just spoon it up if you can’t wait.

Great for a busy, demanding day ahead. Will help give you a steady mood, steady energy, and keep your appetite under control!

Simla’s Avocado-Tepenade Mash
Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

2 avocados, seed removed
4 TBS olive tepenade
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

Optional: 4 TBS crumbled goat or sheep feta cheese

Directions

1. Mash all the ingredients with a fork.
2. Eat!

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