It is important to remind people that anything you choose to ingest often has a positive and negative benefit to it.  Although I drink green smoothies daily and believe they are a great way to help alkalinize your pH daily, some caution for the general population might be warranted in terms of ingesting them in excess.

Drinking green vegetables which are full of fiber feed all bacteria in your gut- both good and bad. If you have been on courses of antibiotics in your life, taken birth control pills or other medications, you likely have some bad bacteria in your system. Certainly digestive disturbances like gas or bloating would be some indication that you might benefit from more good bacteria in your system.  There is a strong gut-brain axis so feeding bad bacteria could lead to the generation of toxins that negatively affect your mental health. (Stool tests can help determine the ratios of good to bad bacteria but in many instances supplementing with good bacteria can influence the ratio favoring the good). I read some reports of people having bad bacteria in their system- bacteria that feed on iron for instance can make people more susceptible to iron- deficiency anemia. There are herbs that can kill bad bacteria- please book an appointment to discuss this with me. You can read my post on probiotic bacteria to refresh your memory about the importance of bacteria.

Drinking green smoothies without rotating the greens you put in them is not ideal. For instance, the brassica family which includes kale, collards, arugula, broccoli, and others can act as goitrogens in those with low thyroid function if ingested in excess. I probably would not recommend green smoothies for people with questionable thyroid function (both low and high).Because of the oxalates in spinach, those susceptible to calcium oxalate kidney stones would be at risk ingesting green smoothies all the time. In fact, I would not recommend green smoothies at all for those folks. There are positive benefits for most of the population from drinking green smoothies such as higher intake of minerals including calcium and magnesium, a considerable increase in vegetable fiber, more energy (chlorophyll, a pigment found in plants mimics hemoglobin in the blood thus green smoothies give you more life energy) and more hydration for your tissues, thus some tips to making your experience better are warranted.

Buy organic greens for maximal benefit; otherwise they are high in pesticides. Rotate the greens you put in your smoothies every 2 weeks if possible. For two weeks, choose kale and romaine lettuce; the next two weeks choose spinach and leaf lettuce; the next two weeks choose parsley and bok choy; the next 2 weeks choose collards and chard. These are ideas only. if you can think of other greens you really like then add them into your rotation…Then add other veggies to the basic greens selected; choose cucumbers (peel if not organic), organic celery, organic apples, kiwi (if you like extra fruit) and 1/2 avocado for healthy fat. I add fresh peeled ginger root (1 – 2 cm) and I have been known to add other herbs like fresh organic sage or fresh cilantro. I always add a glass of water to the basic mix and blend in a decent blender. I use the Ninja blender from Canadian tire which is affordable and effective to blend greens. Other people like to use Vita-mix blenders.

Since I have been drinking green smoothies, I have more energy and I have more stable blood sugar. I have more color in my face and my immune system is stronger. Try them out and post a comment about your experience on my blog…

We all have grown up with a lot of conditioning and programming due to the influences of those around us; our parents, our cultural roots, our educational upbringing or the society in which we were raised. As a result of these influences, we have all developed our own unique belief systems that determine how our life is created each and every day. When I was diagnosed with M.S. in 2003, I spent two years in contemplation of my life path and the factors that had influenced me. You might say the the disease woke me up and acted as a catalyst for my own personal transformation. In fact, I have written a book on this experience and I plan on self- publishing this year. The M.S. was a huge gift because it started a path of self search for me that was deeply insightful and awakened a state of joy in myself that did not exist before my diagnosis.

What I didn’t realize is that this state of personal transformation is happening to a lot of people all over the world. I have realized that almost everyone is waking up in their own lives in their own way; this is part of the evolutionary shift in people’s consciousness well underway right now that will culminate in the year 2012. I am seeing the shift in all of my patients in different ways. I don’t share my own personal beliefs about this state of awakening because that is not my job as a naturopath to talk about this sort of thing. I may be a silent observer but I see that people’s hearts are opening more to others in their lives, many are more aware of determining the factors that make their own personal heart sing so that they can live more authentically and most people are doing a lot of self searching. I see that people that are challenged right now whether it be financially, professionally, personally, or with regards to their health are being forced to do a lot of self searching. That is the gift inherent in any challenge- pain whether it be mental, emotional, physical or spiritual is a great motivator. It motivates you to search for the answers to your own well being.  Each person’s journey is unique but we all share the need for compassion and understanding from others especially in a difficult time.

In this time, we are being challenged to rewrite our own script for our life. We are not to settle for what we were raised to believe about life or to look to others to validate our own need for self acceptance or belief in ourself. Our basic worthiness must come from within. If you look to the external world to validate you at this time you will likely feel disappointed. You must believe in yourself and your ability to have a better life whether it be financially in terms of abundance, personally in terms of relationships, physically in terms of health and well being and even spiritually whatever that connection looks like to you.

It is time to claim your worthiness, your goodness, your sparkly light, your healthy vibrant self who is capable of accomplishing anything that you set your mind/body/spirit to at this time in your life. The question is how do you want to rewrite your script to reflect more of who you are?  How can you live your life more authentically and align yourself internally with your own inherent goodness so that you can share the highest most divine expression of yourself with the world and touch others around you with your love and kindness? I dare you to rewrite your script this year…you can do it!

Mind/body medicine utilizes the mind/body/spirit axis to influence healing. This might feel like a big responsibility to take the reins of your own personal healing but remember to see it like a challenge versus a heavy burden. I’ve blogged a lot about how important your thoughts are in influencing healing so for starters get clear on what you are hoping to achieve. Be very specific. For myself, I would love to remyelinate my brain. Therefore I need to take time in my day to direct my attention to visualize that task happening. I suggest 20 minutes twice daily to start with.

Adam (the dreamhealer) has been instrumental in creating specific visualizations so you can do just that. I suggest reading his book “Intention Heals”. If you do not have access to Adams books, he suggests doing the following: research the area of concern thoroughly so you can create accurate visualizations; understand the body’s mechanism for healing this area; what is the healthy functioning of this area? I also spend time visualizing what I will be able to do in time.

I used to run long distances so sometimes I spend time visualizing myself running…I imagine that it feels effortless to run for a short distance. It feels great to feel the pavement under my feet…to feel the solid power in my legs and feel the oxygen flowing through my lungs. I imagine that I am carrying a stop watch and that I see it stop on the twenty minute mark. I visualize myself waking up pain free and symptom free and feeling great the day after my run.  I see this as one possible outcome of remyelinating my central nervous system- more enjoyment of my body and what it can do.

Sometimes I use visualizations to bring up specific memories from my past to create a happy feeling state… a moment where I felt pure joy in the past to draw upon in my present reality. When you use your mind in the positive to bring about positive changes in your body and spirit then it is working in your favor. Too often, we use our mind to dwell on what isn’t perfect in ourselves or our lives rather than directing our focus to what we really want; if we focus on what we want and that wanting brings up to a better space than it is never time wasted. Imagine that your body is doing everything the way it has been designed to do; imagine that the power of your own healing is limitless; you have to believe it first. I dare you to believe! Happy New Year!!