Month: January 2018

Beat The Flu – Naturally!

lizgoebel79Leave a comment

Hello, friends!  With all the propaganda in the media surrounding the flu, I thought it was high time I write a post, and shed a little truth on the matter.

To start, the flu in and of itself is not deadly.  That’s right.  The flu cannot kill you.  Secondary infections (like pneumonia) from the flu can though, if left untreated.

The CDC lumps pneumonia deaths in with flu deaths, so most of the people who die “from the flu”, actually die from pneumonia, or other untreated infections (because we already discussed, the flu won’t kill ya!). I mean, how else can they scare you into going and getting that flu shot (which the CDC admits is only 10% effective this year) unless you think you’ll die without it??

Anyway, the best defense against the flu, or any other virus or bacteria, is a healthy immune system.  The best way to a healthy immune system is to live a healthy life: eat plenty of fresh, organic, local, whole foods and fermented foods, get plenty of rest, exercise daily, drink fresh, clean, water, and exercise daily.  Also take a good quality multivitamin (like Smarty Pants), and drink green juice (we love barley life products, and I swear by their garden trio to keep the sicknesses at bay!).

However, if you do get the flu, here are some proven ways to get better fast:

  • Ginger Tea – just buy some fresh ginger, peel and cut up a small amount (about a teaspoon), and seep in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then add a bit of honey to taste.  Ginger activates macrophages, the white blood cells in the body that mount an immune response.  It also helps your bronchial tubes to clear secretions (a natural expectorant of sorts), and it soothes the throat.  Basically, ginger is freaking awesome!
  • Homeopathy – My top two for flu are Influenzium, which is a homeopathic flu shot, and Oscillococcinum. Two studies, published in peer-reviewed journals, show that Oscillococcinum helps to reduce the severity and shorten the duration of flu-like symptoms.1-2 The most recent study showed that 63 percent of the patients who took Oscillo at the onset of flu-like symptoms showed “clear improvement” or “complete resolution” of their symptoms after 48 hours, vs. 48% with a placebo.  https://www.oscillo.com/cough-cold-flu/faq/ I have personally seen both of these remedies work wonders!
  • Extra Vitamin C and D – load doses of both are needed for a few days.
  • Umcka – this can be found at Natural Grocers, Whole Foods and Sprouts. Umcka is an herb, native to south Africa, that helps with upper respiratory track infections.  This herb is well studied, and it is amazing!  You can find more info on it’s effectiveness here  https://healthyfoodandlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/health-benefits-of-umcka-stops-viral.html?spref=pi.
  • Elderberry Syrp – this berry is a strong anti-inflammatory and is loaded with antioxidants and vitamin C.  This stuff will help your body clear an infection fast!  It can be found at any natural grocery store.  Many people take this daily during cold and flu season.

Well, there you have it, folks, and whatever you do , do not take Tamiflu, it has been linked to some pretty horrendous side effects (including death).  Nasty stuff.

What natural remedies do you swear by for the flu? I always love to hear from you!

In health,

Liz

Weight Loss Supplements That Work!

lizgoebel79Leave a comment

A friend recently asked me if I knew of any “natural” diet pills to help with her weight loss journey.  This question (a great question, and one I’m sure many people attempting to lose weight have wondered), led me to write this blog post.

So, I dug in, and did some research, and found some awesome information that I’d like to share with y’all.  Hope this information helps you on your own journey!

I want to start by saying a healthy diet and exercise is the best way to shed excess pounds and get healthy, and my family and I have experienced great success with the Paleo diet and BeachBody On Demand exercise programs (I am not affiliated with BeachBody, I just love their work out programs); however, these supplements may boost you to the next level, and/or help you get started.

  • Raspberry Ketones: encourage fat cells in the human body to secrete high levels of adipocentin.  Adiponectin is a hormone produced by fat cells that helps control weight gain, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.  A 2004 study on raspberry ketones found that when they were given to mice in concentrated form, the mice experienced rapid weight loss with no change in diet.  Dr. Oz calls theses bad boys “the #1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat”.  Um, I don’t know about you, but I can’t get over to Amazon fast enough to try these out!
  • Green Tea Extract: In a study reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, green tea extract significantly increases your energy expenditure (increases your metabolism), while also helping your body oxidize fat (burn fat).  Yes, please!  You can reap the benefits of this extract by having a daily cup of green tea, or taking it in supplement form.
  • Capsaicin Extract: (from cayenne peppers) A study, supported by The McCormick Spice Company, and the National Institutes Of Health, found that mixing 1/2 teaspoon into food, or taking in supplement form, assisted people to burn about 10 more calories in a four hour period, compared to eating the same thing without the extract.  The peppers also helped to curb the appetite, and boost the metabolism, of the study participants.  Not too shabby for a little pepper, eh??
  • Garcina Cambogia: A study in 2004 found that the extract (from a fruit in Asia) was linked to reduction in body weight, and BMI, and had a positive effect on cholesterol, appetite suppression, serotonin levels, leptin and triglycerides.  The compound, in the rind of the fruit, which is responsible for these (pretty amazing) benefits is called Hydroxycitric Acid, or HCA.  It works by inhibiting an enzyme in the liver that is responsible for turning excess carbs into fat.  Instead, they are burned as energy, and production of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides decreased.  The increase in serotonin is also linked to appetite suppression in many studies.  Whew, that is one awesome fruit!

I hope this post helps you find the right weight loss supplement for your journey!  I’d love to hear from you.  What are your favorite weight loss supplements?

XOXO,

Naturally Liz

Exciting News Ahead…

lizgoebel79Leave a comment

Hello, everyone!  I hope this post finds you all doing wonderfully well.  It’s been a long time.  So much life happened over here: I had a baby (Roman is almost 2), I was dealing with a very sick kiddo (B has been clinically diagnosed vaccine injured…so much more on that to come), and I am now a SAHM, and a WAHM.  It’s been quite a journey!

During this time, I’ve been praying and contemplating what I wanted to do with this blog.  What do you all want to hear about (please reach out anytime with ideas – I want to hear from you)?  What is God leading me to do?  So many questions, and so many answers and things to share with you!

I am going to be sharing everything natural remedies, eo uses and recipes, homeopathy, paleo nutrition, yoga inspiration, functional medicine, herbology, holistic health, vaccine education, homemade beauty and body recipes, and so much more.  After all, I’m a warrior mama, and I want to empower other parents (and anyone seeking health) to be “warrior parents” (more on what that means later) too!  So here’s to us, and a future filled with health, and all things natural.

Naturally Liz