Statin Crazy: Don't Be Duped by Their Newest "Benefit"

It is known, though not well known, that one of the reasons your liver makes and sends additional cholesterol to accumulate in your arteries is because there is potential arterial damage afoot. Cholesterol acts like a bandage on an area of arterial inflammation. Removing cholesterol without addressing the cause of inflammation is like removing the bandage from an open wound leaving it vulnerable. (By the way, typically, you ingest 20% or less of your cholesterol from food. If your cholesterol is high, one of the reasons could be because your liver is working to protect your arteries. Statin drugs subvert the normal, natural function of your liver as it works to protect your arteries.)

Here, briefly, is how statin drugs work. The following paragraph was taken from an interview posted at the Mayo Clinic website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/statin-drugs/CL00035 with Mayo Clinic cardiologist Gerald Gau, M.D.

"Dr. Gau: Statins work directly in the liver. There is a system in our liver that produces cholesterol. Cholesterol is necessary in our body, and the statin mechanism, it creates bile — it's one of the mechanisms of bile creation — and bile is necessary in our digestion and absorption. So the liver makes cholesterol to make this happen. It can also remove cholesterol from the blood for this purpose. Statins work by attacking in the liver the enzyme system that produces the cholesterol in the liver. And that forces the liver cells to pull it from the blood and thereby lowers your cholesterol. And so our cholesterol comes down because we stop the production in the liver."

I ask you, Is this what God and Nature intended? Sure isn't holistic, and sure hasn't addressed the reason for the high cholesterol in the first place, and sure has not admitted that high cholesterol really is not a marker for heart disease anyway (see information from the Framingham Study http://bewellwithmichelle.blogspot.com/2009/03/high-cholesterol-from-your-food-not.html ), and that the side-effects of the drugs can be worse than having high cholesterol.

There is an enormous mound of misinformation on the high-cholesterol vs statin-drug topic, and I hope that the article below will help clear up some of those points. Enjoy!

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Statin Crazy: Don't Be Duped by Their Newest "Benefit"

Reprinted from Bottom Line Secrets newsletter of March 26, 2010

By Mark A. Stengler, NMD
La Jolla Whole Health Clinic

Statins have gotten a lot of press. Researchers made headlines when they found that rosuvastatin (Crestor), a cholesterol-lowering drug, reduced the risk for heart attack and stroke in people who had normal cholesterol and high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a sign of inflammation. The recent JUPITER trial (which stands for Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) was lauded as a breakthrough. The findings were found to be so positive that the trial was cut short -- to allow even the placebo group to receive the purported cardiovascular benefits of the drug. We are accustomed to thinking about statins in terms of lowering cholesterol, but this study caused some cardiologists to think statins -- already a best-selling class of drugs -- should be prescribed even more widely.

Ready to get a prescription? Hold on. In my opinion, the researchers duped other doctors and their patients. In terms of statistics, Crestor did reduce the risk for a heart attack or stroke by half, but in terms of real-world risk, only one person out of 120 actually would benefit from the drug as the trial indicated. Worse, 25% more patients taking Crestor developed type 2 diabetes compared with the placebo group, a fact that was not widely reported.

If there is anything useful resulting from this study, it is that mainstream medicine recognized the importance of CRP and the role of inflammation in heart disease. This is a topic that holistic physicians have been talking about for years. I wrote about inflammation and heart disease in the very first issue of Bottom Line Natural Healing back in 2005.

Statins may reduce symptoms of heart disease by lowering cholesterol and inflammation, but they do not address the source of the inflammation, as natural therapies do. Although statins have a place in the conventional treatment of patients, including those with a history of heart attack or very high CRP levels, they are expensive -- costing hundreds of dollars a year -- and can cause serious side effects, such as muscle pain and damage, fatigue, liver and kidney damage, diabetes and memory impairment. They may even increase cancer risk.

Important: Most of us can lower CRP levels naturally by losing weight if we need to and by exercising if we don’t already do so. But perhaps the most powerful factor influencing inflammation is what we eat. We also can supplement with specific nutrients to further reduce inflammation.


The Inflammation Connection

About 10 years ago, Harvard University physicians demonstrated that chronic low-grade inflammation throughout the body could damage blood vessels and was a better indicator of risk for cardiovascular disease than cholesterol. The researchers developed a laboratory test for CRP to measure low-grade inflammation in the body. An elevated CRP level doesn’t just affect the heart. It hurts the whole body. Several years ago, a health author whom I know and respect, Jack Challem, wrote The Inflammation Syndrome. He described how "every disease, every ache and every pain... revolves around inflammation... " and how many inflammatory diseases are related to one another. For example, having periodontal disease (which inflames the gums) or rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis increases heart disease risk. Similarly, being overweight or having type 2 diabetes increases CRP levels and heart disease risk.


Diet Comes first

To reduce inflammation, it’s best to start with what you eat. Your body makes both inflammation-promoting and inflammation-fighting substances called eicosanoids, compounds derived mostly from the fats you eat. Consuming a lot of sweets and unhealthful oils, such as corn, safflower and soybean oils, and trans fats found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils ramps up the body’s inflammatory eicosanoids. In other words, junk food increases inflammation.

However, if you consume fish (the best choices are cold-water types, including salmon, trout and sardines), free-range meats and health-promoting cooking oils (such as extra-virgin olive oil, macadamia nut oil and avocado oil), you can increase your body’s production of anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. Eating a lot of vegetables, such as romaine lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, and fruits, such as blueberries, raspberries and kiwifruit, also helps maintain normal CRP levels. These foods are high in fiber and rich in antioxidants, nutrients that neutralize harmful molecules called free radicals.

Make sure that the vast majority of foods you eat are fresh -- not out of a box, can or jar. You’ll be avoiding packaged foods, most of which have been adulterated with added sugars, salt, refined carbohydrates and unhealthful fats.


Supplements THAT HELP

For many people, healthful eating habits are not enough to lower CRP levels. Some of my patients have greater needs for specific anti-inflammatory nutrients.

First step: Insist that your doctor measure your CRP level annually. Ask for the high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) test, the newest form of the test. It’s a simple blood test and relatively inexpensive (about $25 to $50). Some insurers will cover the test.

Multivitamin. Several studies have found that taking a multivitamin can lead to impressive reductions in CRP. One study conducted at the Cooper Institute in Dallas showed that a daily multivitamin lowered CRP by 14% after six months.

Many individual vitamins, including vitamins C and E, have been shown to reduce CRP. Niacin (a form of vitamin B-3) also lowers CRP.

Important: While many individual vitamins are beneficial, I recommend a multivitamin because it contains numerous vitamins that can reduce inflammation.


Omega-3 fish oils. The omega-3s form the biochemical basis of some of the body’s anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. They benefit cardiovascular health in a number of ways, including mildly thinning the blood, slowing the heart rate, lowering levels of triglycerides and improving blood vessel flexibility. Look for fish oil that contains both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

One good choice: Krill oil, a type of fish oil made from shrimplike crustaceans. Krill oil contains the antioxidant astaxanthin, which also is good for the heart.


Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). This essential fatty acid in plant oil is the principal anti-inflammatory compound in the omega-6 family of fats. It works by shifting a major part of the omega-6 biochemistry from inflammatory to anti-inflammatory activity. In the process, it increases production of anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. GLA and fish oils are synergistic -- they work better together than either on its own.


Curcumin. This extract of the spice turmeric, common in South Asian cuisines, blocks inflammation. More than 2,000 studies have documented the benefits of curcumin for such inflammatory diseases as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. It also may prevent cardiac hypertrophy, a type of enlarged heart. Given the anti-inflammatory nature of curcumin, research is likely to uncover more heart-healthy benefits.


Pycnogenol. This proprietary ingredient, extracted from the bark of French maritime pine trees, has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. It has been shown to improve circulation, to work as a mild blood thinner and to reduce the need for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor drugs that are used to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.


Vitamin D. Half of Americans are deficient in vitamin D. A recent study in Archives of Internal Medicine found that men with low vitamin D levels were two and one-half times more likely to die during the next eight years than those with the highest levels.


Red yeast rice extract. This is one of my favorite supplements because it can lower levels of CRP and LDL (bad) cholesterol. It is sold at most health-food stores and contains trace levels of a naturally occurring statin compound. In these small quantities -- a fraction of what’s in drugs -- statins are safe. Studies have found that red yeast rice extract can lower CRP levels by up to 50%. Statins (perhaps even natural ones, such as red yeast rice extract) are known to deplete coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant necessary for heart health. If you take red yeast rice extract, supplement daily with 100 mg of coenzyme Q10.


About the author:Mark A. Stengler, NMD, a naturopathic medical doctor and leading authority on the practice of alternative and integrated medicine. He is editor of Bottom Line’s Natural Healing newsletter, author of The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies (Bottom Line Books), director of the La Jolla Whole Health Clinic in La Jolla, California, and adjunct clinical professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. To learn more about his work, visit www.drstengler.com and www.lajollawholehealth.com.

Type D Personality and How To Overcome theHealth Risks of Chronic Anxiety, Negativity, and Stress with Affirmations, Meditation, and Qigong

Are You a Type D Personality?

The article below is reprinted from Bottom Line's Daily Health News email newsletter of  March 9, 2010

What I love best about it is that it advocates the use of Meditation and Qigong (related to both tai-chi and yoga) to regain health and wellness. Affirmations would also work well in this situation, especially if you have a recording on iPod or CD that you listen to at night while asleep. These are very powerful techniques time-tested and study-proven to facilitate self-healing.

Are You a Type D Personality?

You’re probably aware of whether you tend toward a type A or type B personality, since those labels are part of our lexicon. What you may not know, however, is that there is a third type -- type D -- and it’s not a great category to find yourself in. The D stands for distress, and a growing body of research links this personality type with a variety of health risks and even early death -- so it may be especially important for these inhibited and gloomy folks to do everything they can to lighten up.

Remember Eeyore -- the sad, self-conscious donkey character in Winnie-the-Pooh? To my mind, he is a perfect illustration of the type D personality. He always expected the worst and therefore, that’s what he usually got. Traits associated with this personality type include social inhibition, a negative self-image, depressed mood, hostility, tension, chronic anger and a tendency to overreact to stressful events.


Type D & Death Risk

It’s already known that having this type D personality elevates risk for people who have had heart attacks, cardiac bypass surgery and/or stent implants. In new research from the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, scientists set out to determine the impact of these characteristics on people with a common condition called peripheral artery disease (PAD), a circulatory problem in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs. People who have PAD have four to five times greater risk for heart attack and stroke.

Researchers asked 184 patients (average age 65) diagnosed with PAD to fill out a 14-item personality questionnaire to assess character traits, such as negativity and social inhibition. They rated statements such as "I would rather keep people at a distance" and "I often find myself worrying about something" as false or true on a scale of zero to four. During the next four years, 16 patients (9%) died -- six of cardiovascular disease, seven of cancer and one each from emphysema, pneumonia and acute pancreatitis. After factoring in other variables such as age, gender, diabetes and kidney disease, investigators learned that those with type D personalities were more than three times as likely to have died as those who were Type A or B.


How Distress Raises Risk

There are numerous pathways linking this particular personality type with poor health outcomes, I learned from study coauthor Johan Denollet, PhD, a professor of medical psychology at Tilburg University. Some are physical, other behavioral. For instance, Type D individuals tend to...

•    Experience chronic anxiety and negativity. Living in such a state has a variety of physical effects on your body, none beneficial. Chronic stress drives up levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines, which leads to increased oxidative stress and contributes to disease. The adrenal glands respond to stress by pumping out cortisol, the hormone that helps us meet perceived threats. Having high and prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream causes serious problems, including blood sugar imbalances, reduced immunity, slower wound healing and increased abdominal fat.

•    Have poor health habits. Research has shown that people with type D personalities often neglect their health by eating improperly, not having medical checkups and being sedentary.

•    Are unlikely to be proactive in seeking medical care. Perhaps because they are unable to express their emotions and are tense, insecure and uncomfortable in social situations, type D individuals are often slow to seek the medical help they need. In one study, type D patients with chronic heart failure experienced more cardiac symptoms and worried more about them than other people but, paradoxically, were less likely to discuss them with health-care professionals. Other research demonstrates that heart failure patients with "inadequate consultation behavior" face a six-fold increased risk for impaired health.


What Can Help

Generally speaking, you can’t change your personality -- but if you recognize these traits in yourself or a loved one, there are plenty of things you can do to address the issues and minimize the impact on your health. For example, Dr. Denollet notes that type D personalities are more likely to experience anxiety and depression -- and points out that these can be managed to a significant degree with counseling and/or medication. Other strategies include...

•    Adopting healthier lifestyle behaviors, such as better diet and regular exercise.

•    Participating in programs or counseling to conquer addictions, such as smoking or alcohol abuse, or to improve social skills and learn to relax.

•    Using techniques such as guided imagery, breathing exercises, meditation, tai chi and yoga to help manage stress and mood and learn to control anger and hostility.

While you can’t change who you are, if you have a type D personality, you can take these concrete steps to make yourself healthier and, I’ll bet, happier.

Source(s):

Johan Denollet, PhD, professor of medical psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

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If you would like help applying Affirmations, Meditation, or Qigong (Chi Kung) practice to this debilitating health issue, contact me at bewellwithmichelle@gmail.com

Mammogram Blackmail: HRT meds held hostage

This is not a joke, and is certainly not to be taken lightly by anyone, patient or physician.

Here is the story, and I have to say I honestly would not have believed myself it if I had not heard it first-person from the woman who was the blackmail victim!

Last week in Bend, Oregon my friend went to her doctor to pick up her bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy prescription. The woman behind the desk at the physician's office waved the prescription in the air in front of my friend's face and told my friend that she would get the prescription as soon as she had a mammogram!

Now, as far as I know, there is no medical reason to have a mammogram when picking up a prescription for bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. There is nothing in a mammogram that measures blood levels of hormones, and my friend is not at risk for breast cancer, so withholding medications was unjustified to say the least, and possibly criminal.

My friend went and had the painful, unnecessary, and cancer-causing* mammogram, and did finally receive her medications. She is not happy about this, and I certainly don't blame her a bit.

Ladies, if you are ever in a similar situation, I suggest the following monologue to your (ahem) health care practitioner: "Thank you for your suggestion. I will have my attorney contact you regarding the withholding of my prescribed medications. I will also inform the AMA regarding your choice to withhold my medications. I will also inform you as to where to send my medical records for I will never again step foot into this office. Have a nice day."

Then, WALK OUT AND DON'T LOOK BACK! If your health-care provider is going to blackmail you into unnecessary and expensive and lethal tests, that is one person you do not need in your life.

If you live in Bend, Oregon and you have likewise been blackmailed, I urge you to report it, and change health-care providers immediately. I very sincerely hope that the woman who withheld the prescription from my friend is soundly reprimanded.

* Here is a link to an article on the cancer risks associated with mammograms. Please feel free to have a glass of wine while reading it. http://bewellwithmichelle.blogspot.com/2008/04/alcohol-v-mammogram-as-breast-cancer.html

Genetic Disease Isn't Caused By Defective Genes

This information is – finally! – seeping into our knowledge base and into our consciousness. More and more, it's being proven that your mind and emotions are in control of your physical wellness. Rather than genetic dysfunction, disease is really an indication of imbalance in your mind-body-spirit.

The article below is reprinted from Mercola.com, but there is also an excellent report written in 2008 by Dr Roger Jahnke, founder and director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, demonstrating how the practice of qigong can control the genetic expression of disease. To read that report in Adobe Acrobat format, follow this link: Researching the Benefits of Mind-Body Practice by Investigating Genetic Expression


Here is Dr Mercola's article on this emerging understanding of the role of the mind-body consciousness and connection in determining how we manifest disease.




Radical New Understanding of Genetic Disease

Posted by: Dr. Mercola March 02 2010





















The theory of the genetic origin of diseases is one of the most firmly upheld doctrines of today's medicine.

Medical science claims that cancer is brought on by "mistakes in DNA replication," causing cells to gradually change from normal to "abnormal" and eventually to "malignant" cells.

Studies in the science of Epigenetics show that genes are by no means 'set in stone' but that they can alter themselves in response to a person's environment.
In short, the DNA and thus the biology of an organism are constantly adjusting themselves to signals from outside the cells, including energetic information arising from thoughts and beliefs.

Diseases such as cancer are not caused by defective genes, as claimed by mainstream geneticists, but rather by non-genetic factors that alter the expression of genes without changing the DNA sequence.

Your brain controls all processes in your body. By comparing brain CT scans with medical records and personal histories, it becomes evident that emotional trauma or "conflict shock" leaves a visible mark in precisely the same area of the brain that controls the disease process.

In fact, diseases are not senseless "disorders" but in reality meaningful biological processes trying to save an organism rather than to destroy it. Your whole organism is engaged in facilitating a conflict resolution. The conflict-related organ responds with functional changes to assist the individual on the physical level during the unexpected distress.

A positive attitude, letting go of anger, feelings of trust and forgiveness can significantly reduce the intensity and duration of a conflict and therefore the "disease"-symptoms.

German New Medicine shifts or rather elevates "prevention" and "healing" to a level where the biology of human beings can be understood as intimately connected with spirituality and a chance for spiritual growth.

An understanding of GNM and the Five Biological Laws has in itself a healing effect as it liberates your mind from fear and inspires trust in the creative wisdom of Mother Nature.

Sources:

Learning GNM 2009

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

If you have not yet heard of epigenetics, I’d like to introduce you to it right now. Epigenetics is probably the most important biological discovery since DNA -- and it is turning the biological sciences upside down.

Where it was once taught (and still largely believed in many conventional medical circles) that you are a victim to your genes, helpless to the whims of the genetic roadmap you received from your parents, it’s now known that your genes in no way are the final arbiter of your health.

It is important to realize that you are in control of your genes … and are changing them often -- daily and perhaps even hourly -- based on the foods you eat, the air you breathe, and the thoughts you think. It’s your environment and lifestyle that dictates your tendency to express disease.

The problem is, once you understand that –your health is not dictated by your genes and that they don’t control themselves but are controlled by environmental influences that tell them to be expressed or not expressed -- it just blows everything out of the water.

It’s now known that your habits are more important than your genes! But please realize that, depending on your choices, the changes you influence can be good or bad. It works both ways.

Your Mind is at the Helm

Epigenetics literally means "above the genes." And what is above the genes?

Your mind!

Bruce Lipton’s “New Biology” is another school of scientific thought that adds to this “new” way of thinking about disease.

In his book, The Biology of Belief, Dr. Lipton explains the foundation of epigenetics, and how the true secret to life does not lie within your DNA, but rather within the mechanisms of the cell membrane. In this way -- which is contrary to conventional medical science -- it is actually the cell’s membrane -- operating in response to environmental signals picked up by the membrane’s receptors -- that control the “reading” of the genes inside.


The Biology of Belief














What does this mean?

Again, it means that you are not controlled by your genetic makeup. Instead, your genetic readout (which genes are turned “on” and which are turned “off”) is primarily determined by your thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions!

German New Medicine

Another eipgentic model is German New Medicine (GNM), which operates under the premise that every disease, including cancer, originates from an unexpected shock experience.

This experience does not necessarily have to appear traumatic to others, however; it’s simply shocking and unexpected to you. Someone else may not react or deal with it the same way when put in a similar situation.

According to GNM, the resolution phase -- the healing phase -- is as long as the trauma phase, which is why you are recommended to always deal with your emotional trauma as swiftly as possible. The faster you resolve your trauma, mentally and emotionally, the faster your body can proceed through the healing phase.

Now, why is this important?

You want your healing phase to be as short as possible, because GNM also claims that all “diseases” are in fact your body going through the resolution phase, meaning what appears to be a disease is in fact your body healing itself.

Serious trouble can arise if your trauma phase was quite extended, as your body will need the equal amount of time to heal – which will appear as a “disease” -- as it took for the initial damage to take place.

Why do Diseases Run in Families?

If you are not a slave to your inherited genes, then why is it that diseases often run in families? The answer to this appears to be hiding in plain sight.

As German New Medicine explains:

“Since families share the same cultural and social conditioning, the same indoctrinations, the same beliefs, and so forth, they often experience the same type of conflicts, causing the same "diseases."”

Dr. Hamer uses the example of Lou Gehrig's (ALS) and Huntington Disease (HD) as "genetic disorders" that are passed on through generations. GNM continues:

“According to Dr. Hamer's discoveries, the biological conflict linked to the muscles is "not being able to escape," "feeling tied down," or "feeling stuck," resulting in muscle paralysis during the conflict-active phase.


A daughter or son of a parent with such a muscle "disorder" is naturally much more susceptible to experience a "stuck"-conflict. We must also keep in mind that any biological conflict shock can be experienced with or for another person, particularly when the distress concerns a close loved one.”

But the distinction here is that diseases may run in families due to similar emotional experiences … but they need not. As GNM states:

“Even if members of a family or generations of families experience the same type of conflicts, the conflict shock itself is still a highly personal event which in that instant involves solely the brain, or rather the brain-relay, of the person suffering the conflict at that particular time.


This is why diseases cannot be passed on to future generations nor can they be genetically inherited from a family member or ancestor, either genetically or "epigenetically."”

You are Now Free to Go on With Your Life

The major problem with believing the myth that your genes control your life is that you become a victim of your heredity. Since you can’t change your genes, it essentially means that your life is predetermined, and therefore you have very little control over your health.

The new science reveals that your perceptions control your biology, and this places you in the role of Master, because if you can change your perceptions, you can shape and direct your own genetic readout.

It places YOU in the power position, for better or worse.

So if you have been living in fear of an inherited disease, this “new” research sets you free.

But, these ideas are not really new.

Bruce Lipton, much like Dr. Hamer, has been at it for more than 20 years. The only “new” aspect here is the fact that they are finally able to provide overwhelming, and in many cases indisputable scientific proof of HOW it actually works -- even down to the cellular level.

As it turns out, this is not a popular truth.

People are not embracing these facts with open arms, jumping for joy at being told, “You are completely in charge of your health!” For most, it’s a frightening proposition, despite its promise of ultimate freedom.

But please realize that this is not only an abstract realm … you can use this information in practical ways.

How to Heal Your Emotional Traumas

If your thoughts and emotions play such a significant role in modifying your biology and your health (and I believe they do), then treating your emotions becomes an essential part of optimal health.

Terms like “energy medicine” and “energy psychology” are terms that have sprung up in response to these shifts in perception of reality, and I’ve long been an advocate of energy psychology tools to address underlying emotional traumas that can trigger disease, or keep you locked in a disease pattern.

Meridian tapping technique (MTT) and emotional freedom technique (EFT), for example, which work on several levels of your collective mind-body-spirit simultaneously, can help you get a better handle on your emotions and buried pain, including the stress from unexpected tragedies.

Optimal health might really hinge on dealing with, and resolving your emotional traumas as quickly as possible; not letting old emotional wounds linger and fester.

So if you have old or new emotional wounds that you have not yet dealt with, please take the time to give MTT/EFT a try.

And in the meantime, as you make a conscious effort to eat healthy and exercise each day, make an effort to control your thoughts and beliefs, as well. Keep your thoughts positive and your feelings will follow suit … likely to great benefit within your body.

Creative Health Tip March 1 2010 Choose your reaction

Today's tip is about making choices.

Whatever is going on around you or in your life, Choose to find the good in it.

A lot of times, bad things happen to good people, and people often feel that you are at the mercy of the circumstances.

You may not be able to change the circumstances themselves, but you have absolute power over how you react.

If you react well, consider it as a learning experience, consider it as a way to gain knowledge, consider it as a way to take your power back, and not let all of these outside things just wash over you and cause you to tumble and fall and break. You will go a long way to creating excellent health for yourself.

If things happen and you let them make you crazy and stressed out, you are going to create illness for yourself. All that stress is just not going to sit well in your physical body, and eventually it will come to roost somewhere. You don't want that.

So, take back your power, make your choices good, and make the good choice to find the good thing in everything. There is always something good, even if it's just a learning experience or a way to help someone else out of a problem. If you can help someone else, you will often feel good about your own problems, and also find ways to help solve them, too.

Have a great week!

Michelle

P. S. Therapeutic Tea Time is still free! If you would like to get together on the phone, online, or in person to chat about your health challenges and holistic alternatives, let's set a time to get together! Write to me at bewellwithmichelle@gmail.com to make an appointment.

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