Improving digestion, especially of proteins and carbohydrates, along with dietary restrictions of foods that cause allergic reactions, can help eliminate food allergies.
     Identifying allergic foods can be done very simply with a modified diet. A few of the more common headache-producing foods include simple sugars and carbohydrates such as what is found in candy, especially chocolate, and other sweets and desserts as well as milk and milk products.
     These are very common injuries and they always result in edema, swelling, and inflammation. Enzymes can help reduce inflammation and swelling and speed up healing. Using these as soon after an injury as possible brings remarkable relief in a very short time. They are also exceptionally effective for any insect or plant bites or stings.      Do you or someone you know have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep? If it is the first, trouble getting to sleep, avoid simple carbohydrates and sugars, especially with or after dinner. As explained in a previous newsletter, excess simple sugars use up a lot of potassium. With low potassium your sympathetic nervous system becomes overly active. You become wired, ready to flee or fight.
     Trouble staying asleep? Your blood sugar is probably falling too low during the night. You are likely having difficulty with your proteins and your sugars. You could try having a small amount of a complex carbohydrate after dinner or before bed.      Another nighttime problem that bothers a lot of people

is what is described as night sweats. This can also be related to a blood sugar problem.      Who has never experienced depression - another of those common problems that is increasing in frequency with our modern diets and fast-paced, frenetic lifestyles. This almost always responds to improving digestion. Improperly digested food spends much too long in your digestive tract. This gives it time to ferment or rot. You end up with a lot of gas and discomfort. That is depressing enough, but it also results in toxins that can be, and are, absorbed into your blood stream.
     Carbohydrates are the most common culprits in problems with depression. Reducing your consumption of simple sugars and carbohydrates will make a big difference.      By definition, arthritis is a problem that results in inflammation of a joint or joints. Nutritionally, it indicates difficulties with proteins, minerals, and fats.
     Most people consume too much, as well as the wrong kinds of, fat on a regular basis. Fats are changed from healthy foods to toxins by overheating them. This means any foods made with fats and heated too high and/or too long. Think of all the baked and fried foods we Americans consume daily. All oils also become rancid or toxic with time by chemical reactivity with oxygen.
     I only recommend four types of fats for human consumption. The first, extra virgin olive oil (the darker green the better), is great for making salad dressings. Barlean or Flora make the best olive oils. These have a shelf life (do not refrigerate) of six months so purchase the smaller sixteen ounce size you'll likely use within that time.      Organic coconut oil and macadamia nut oil are the only ones you should use for cooking at high temperatures.

Spectrum Naturals is the only company we know that produces coconut oil from organic sources. It can be found in the hair and skin care section at Oceana, one of the local health food stores. It is solid at room temperatures but melts rapidly at body temp.
     Coconut oil is terrific for baked goods. They really come out light and fluffy. The media hype about coconut oil being bad for you is just that, hype. Olive oil can also be used for cooking, especially things like stir-fries.
     Another great fat source is organic, clarified butter. This is called Ghee. It is great for when you just must have the flavor of butter. If you have any margarine, throw it in the garbage. It is a petroleum oil by-product that is a health hazard at best.
     Everything just said about arthritis can be repeated here. Improve fat digestion and metabolism and you take care of the primary problems associated with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Get off the bad fats and use the good ones only. Avoiding fats is a mistake. Your body requires fats for a multitude of uses. If you do not get adequate fats in your diet, your body actually produces excess cholesterol. Other helpful products for high blood pressure and high cholesterol are cayenne pepper (minimum 100,000 heat units) and garlic. These products are also available at our office. the great weather, but be somewhat gentle with yourself. Gardening and all the wonderful outdoor activities are great for business, but can be tough on your body.