Dragonfly News

The Official Monthly Newsletter of Song of Health
FEBRUARY 2010

Click here to download a printable
version of this newsletter.

March 10 Newsletter
January 10 Newsletter

Welcome Subscribers, to Dragonfly News. We are excited about the opportunity to share interesting and helpful information with you in our monthly newsletter, which is available to subscribers only. We first email the newsletter and food resource updates to you directly in .pdf form. Then, in a few days you will be able to access the newsletter on the website. The food resource updates will be incorporated into the existing Food Resource List and can be found by clicking the icon on the left side of most pages on the website.

If you did not receive this issue at your email address and would like to, please notify us immediately at manager@songofhealth.com.

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The information in Dragonfly News is brought to you by the Song of Health Team:

Sandra Strom, CEO of Song of Health
Dr. Letitia Dick, N.D., Staff Doctor
Dr. Jared Zeff, N.D., Staff Doctor
Dr. Caryn Potenza, N.D., Staff Supporting Doctor
Elizabeth Vedder, Manager of Food Resource Updates
Shawn Murphy, Song of Health Webmaster and Graphics Designer

IN THIS ISSUE:

SUBSCRIBERS SPOTLIGHT:
Stories, Comments, Questions Asked
and Answered

ARTICLE: "A Reminder: Remember to Exercise," By Caryn Potenza, N.D. (Windrose Naturopathic Clinic)

SHARING EXPERIENCES: “ “WHAT SECRETS TO LIVING LONG?” By Sandra Strom, CEO of Song of Health

RECIPES:
Cereals and Grains:  Corn Meal Mush; Polenta
Vegetables:  Acorn Squash, Baked

FOOD RESOURCE UPDATE:  February 2010

The Carroll Institute of Natural Healing, co-founded by our renowned Doctors Letitia “Tish” Dick, N.D. and Jared Zeff, N.D., LAc., is an educational opportunity for Naturopathic physicians and students to further their education in the traditional methods of Naturopathy, not otherwise taught in the Naturopathic colleges. This is where physicians and students learn how to perform the Carroll Food Intolerance Evaluation method, constitutional hydrotherapy and other important methods of traditional natural healing.

Song of Health and The Carroll Institute of Natural Healing work together to reach as many people as possible, to educate and help understand the importance of avoiding personal food intolerances, applying traditional Naturopathic methods of healing and naturally restoring the body to health.

We invite everyone to contact us with any questions you may have regarding these methods at manager@songofhealth.com.

Song of Health.com actively promotes physicians and professionals who support our work and companies who act with integrity and are honest their products and services.
Check out your Goods and Services section at Song of Health.com.

Those interested in advertising at Song of Health.com, please CLICK HERE or email us at advertise@songofhealth.com.

WEBSITE CHANGES!

IN THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST, UNDER “OILS”, the listing for Rapunzel Organic Sunflower, 01/07: Original results = N (Neutral). This was in error.  It has been corrected to = G (Grain).  Our apologies for this error.

 Added to the Food Categories List for Fruit:
        ~ Mace
        ~ Sunflower Oil

THE SUBSCRIBERS RECIPES SECTION CONTINUES TO UNDERGO CHANGES.

~     The ingredients in all the recipes now include food category codes, identifying what ingredients to be aware of.  We hope this will better guide you in your cooking endeavors! From now on, the recipes included in the monthly issues of Dragonfly News will also be coded. We are also adding cooking and baking tips and suggestions.
~     The Recipes Index is nearly done!  The index will list all recipes in alphabetical order, as well as linking the listing to the recipe. 
~     The Cakes and Candies section is being changed.  There is now a separate Cakes section and a separate Candies section.
~    The Sauces, Syrups and Dips section is being changed.  Dips are now with Hor Duerves in the category Dips and Hor Duerves.

 

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Refer a new subscriber and receive 10% off your next renewal!  To receive your coupon email manager@songofhealth.com and tell us the name of the person you are referring.  Once they subscribe, you will receive your 10% discount. It’s that easy!

Visit Sandra at Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook. You’re invited to follow and share comments!

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Click on the box to:

Learn how to quickly identify your personal food intolerances in ingredients lists on food packaging.
Learn new, easy recipes and substitutes for favorite ones that your entire family can safely eat and enjoy.

If you have any questions or need help with the appointment or payment process, please contact us at: manager@songofhealth.com.

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	SUBSCRIBERS SPOTLIGHT STORIES, COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

Share your story with others.

SUBSCRIBERS, PLEASE…help others by sharing your story.  When you allow us to publish it in Dragonfly News and Subscribers’ Testimonials, a dedicated section on the Song of Health website, you provide the opportunity to reach out to those who still suffer but are not confident that our dietary lifestyle will work for them. By hearing and reading about how our lives were dramatically changed we can help others to step through the door toward wellness. WE WOULD BE HONORED TO INCLUDE YOUR STORY about how you came to follow the Carroll Food Intolerance way of life. We reserve the right to edit for grammar and spelling correctness, however we will not change your story content.

IF YOU PREFER US TO HELP YOU WRITE YOUR STORY, WE WILL BE HAPPY TO. JUST ASK!

Please email your contribution to manager@songofhealth.com.

Thank you for helping us to achieve our goal of reaching out to as many people as possible in order to provide help, hope and answers. The more we give away, the more we receive!

A note of encouragement: A subscriber was concerned that her story was uninteresting. There is no such thing as a boring, uninteresting story! We are here to support each other and every contribution helps, no matter how small or large the content. Please don't let that stop you! We invite you to check out Subscribers Testimonials to read what subscribers have shared.

REMINDER: IMPORTANT!  We will continue to print this message in every newsletter from now on. It is an important issue that we believe needs to always be addressed:
On occasion, a subscriber will ask our doctors a question regarding a food intolerance and their responses will slightly differ. This has sometimes caused confusion and has been expressed directly to one of our doctors by several patients.

Per Dr. Zeff: “…most likely, we are not evaluating foods for, e.g., potato content. We are evaluating a food against a blood sample of a person with a known potato intolerance…” Test results for one patient to a food can vary from another patient, even though they are intolerant to the same food category. So, Dr. Watrous may determine a different result than Dr. Zeff, or any of the other doctors who competently perform this testing, because they are testing a patient’s specific blood sample to a specific food sample. As Dr. Zeff puts it, “It is one of the peculiarities of the methodology.

”For this reason, we constantly emphasize throughout the Song of Health website that the information found on the website is a guide only. If you have any personal issues with a product, in other words, a test evaluation shows a food should be o.k. for you to eat, yet you have a reaction to it anyway, we suggest you refrain from consuming it until you have it tested for you personally.

Always, always, always consult your physician with any medical issues you may be experiencing, any drugs you have questions about or your medical care. Our purpose is to help you to determine what foods are included in food intolerance categories. All other information, including articles, are for educational purposes, and is not meant to replace your doctor’s care for you. We are set up as a support team for doctor, patient and subscriber. There are many questions Song of Health can answer for you, and we encourage you to ask us first, in regards to food and food intolerances. What we are not qualified to answer directly, we refer to our doctors and they, in return email their responses to us. You may consider Song of Health as your information center.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us. We are here to support you and your efforts to claim and maintain great health by refraining from your food intolerances and learning about other natural health issues.
In Health,
Sandra Strom

QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED:

Questions Emailed to us:

Song of Health has been given permission by our Subscribers to share the following communications with you.  In so doing, we all reap the benefits of learning together.

From Sara:  Hi, I was hoping you could give me the brand name of a rice milk that my son and husband could both drink. I remember Dr. Potenza mentioning one but I couldn’t find one on the list.

One is Dairy-Fish intolerant and the other is Dairy-Soy intolerant. Both cannot combine fruit and sugar.  Thanks for your help with this!

Also I just wanted to confirm that paprika, nutmeg and cloves are all considered fruit? Are there any other spices?  Sara

Reply from Sandra:  Hello Sara, I am forwarding your question to Dr. Potenza, to see if she can remember what she may have mentioned to you.

All the information that is furnished to me by our doctors at Windrose Clinic and Salmon Creek Clinic are published. Every now and again, I will come across something that was inadvertently missed and will correct it immediately. If you do not find a product listed in the Food Resource List, then it has not been evaluated by our doctors. Likewise, in the Food Categories, it is complete to the best of our ability.

With spices, you may want to check the Food Resource List to see if a specific brand has been evaluated for hidden ingredients. The spice itself may not be fruit, for example, but the processing of a brand could have fruit in it. Cinnamon is a good example. Cinnamon is not fruit, yet all ground cinnamon products have “tested” positive for fruit. I always use it in bark form.

To my knowledge, paprika is not considered fruit. I will ask our doctors to verify that. It is not on the Fruit page under Food Categories. Nutmeg is a fruit, and according to Dr. Zeff, all clove products he has evaluated tested positive for fruit. It is, therefore, on the fruit list.

In the Food Resource List, WestSoy Plain Rice Beverage does not have soy, seafood or dairy. It contains fruit, so avoid sugar. That is the only one I can find on the List for you. Hope this helps.  In Health, Sandra Strom, CEO of Song of Health

Reply from Windrose Naturopathic Clinic:  The Fred Meyer Naturally Preferred Rice Drink “tested” positive for just grain (has not been tested since 2007). Nutmeg tests positive for Fruit, Whole Organic Cloves do not. Paprika usually tests positive as fruit (probably because of the anti- caking agents).

In Response to question in January 2010 newsletter from Lisa:  I am wondering if we can request updates on certain foods that you have tested, but it has been a couple of years since you tested them. There was something from Bob's Red Mill (a flour) that I asked them specifically about potato content for, and they investigated and said no, but your report (from 2 years ago) says yes....Specifically, it is: Bob's Red Mill Unbleached Organic (evaluated 7/07).

Reply from Dr. Tish:  Dear Sandy and Lisa:  As far as I know, Bob's Red Mill Unbleached Organic Flour is fruit and grain, and most likely still Potato. I am of the understanding that Bob's puts a fruit (natural) preservative in their flour for longer shelf life. How the potato gets into the product I can only speculate. I often think it is some sort of plastic bag in storage and shipping in that may contaminate it. It is possible the flour is milled in a facility that also mills enriched grains that are sprayed down with the synthetic/potato B vitamins and then milled. This will contaminate the milling equipment and pass on the substance to the next batch of milled grain.

A sure bet for clean flour is the Wheat Montana Bronze Chief or the Prairie Gold. I have used this flour for years without any difficulty and, personally, my intolerance is Potato with a Fruit and Grain combination.

I hope this helps you. It is difficult to know all that goes on with the processing of our foods, even if they start out organic and are raised properly.  In Health, Dr. Letitia Dick

From Peggy: Hello Sandra.  You asked how I found out about Song of Health.  Well, I just moved to Spokane a little over a year ago and wasn't feeling my best, having a lot of digestion problems and very fatigued.  I found Dr. Tish on the internet and was very interested in what she did.  I also knew someone else that was having a lot of health issues and told them about what Dr. Tish did in her practice.  This person went to her before I did, and I saw a huge improvement in them, so I made an appointment; and through the clinic I learned about Song of Health.  I'm doing so much better; every week I keep improving. So, thank you. I enjoy looking at the web-site. 

I would also like to mention, I have lost seven pounds by staying away from my food intolerances in three and half weeks. I'm thrilled about that!!!  Thanks for your work. Peggy

Editor’s Note:  PASS THE WORD TO OTHERS!  By just sharing our experiences with others in a kind and compassionate way, we get the word out about what wonderful work our Naturopathic doctors are doing to help others.  They don’t actively advertise, and with so much flak dished out by the Allopathic medical world against the benefits of natural medicine, the only way to convince others that avoiding food intolerance and trusting in Traditional Naturopathic methods works to help us live healthily, is to be the walking evidence and to explain how this lifestyle works for us. Sandra

From Elana: Hi there – My name is Elana and I joined your website a few weeks ago. I visited my doctor with my 3 year old daughter seeking his help/guidance with her allergies. She is allergic (not intolerant, but allergic) to dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, white fish, tuna, sesame, apples, poppy seeds, lentil, birch pollen and dust mites – that we know of. She has reactions to each of these things, ranging from hives/itchy; mouth/breathing issues; lowered oxygen intake; vomiting; diarrhea, etc. After visiting our Naturopathic doctor, we discovered that Hannah is also sugar intolerant. So here is where my questions begin…

It seems to be difficult to use your website for my daughter since she has so many restrictions. Once I bring the list of “sugar cane” free foods to the store, I then have to be sure that they don’t contain any ingredients that she is allergic to. Is there a better way for me to use your list? Have you had experience with other “clients” who have had the same concerns? Unfortunately, with all of the restrictions that we have, I don’t think your list will be useful for us going forward. What do you think?

I wonder if you have a list of “safe” produce in NYC.  Rather than have our Naturopath test every single fruit and vegetable I bring to him, maybe you already have a list?  I saw that there are some brands that have been tested, but where can I buy those brands in NYC?

With my Naturopath’s guidance we will be giving my daughter Nat Mur as a remedy. We are starting tomorrow. With all that I shared, perhaps you have some additional advice? Or any thoughts? 

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your response.  Best, Elana

Reply from Sandra:  Hello Elana,
Do you need me to help you figure out what fresh foods, food categories, etc. that your daughter can have?

Regarding fresh foods that are on the Food Resource List: They have been brought into Windrose Clinic by patients for evaluation. We compile the results, then share them with you. So, if there is a local fresh food you are interested in, it would have to be evaluated. Remember that results can change, depending on how a product has been processed, shipped, etc. I realize how frustrating this can be; the odds are in your favor to stick to organic fresh produce.

I am happy to help you in any way I can. I just need some direction from you as to what information you are looking for. Thank you for your patience.  In Health, Sandra

Elana:  Thanks Sandra - I brought organic produce to my doctor and he “tested” it. (Editor’s Note: Elana’s Naturopathic doctor is certified by The Carroll Institute of Natural Healing to perform the food intolerance evaluations.)  All “tested” positive for "sugar cane". So rather than keep bringing him a million different samples to test, I wondered if you ever tested produce in the NYC market and know where I can buy them.

Also, based on all your knowledge, I would love to know about any experience that you have had with children with severe allergies. Any case studies or stories?  Thanks, Elana

Sandra:  Hopefully, I will be able to help you with some insight and answers to your questions.

First, the answer is yes to whether other children have been helped by practicing the Carroll Food Intolerance methods and specifically, we have been able to help them improve their health with the information provided at Song of Health.com. I highly recommend reading Subscribers Testimonials, specifically Stephenie R.'s about her children. Fascinating!

Regarding food intolerances and allergies: We have often found that, by avoiding their food intolerances, a person's allergies often subside. The reason why this happens is that when a person consumes a food they are intolerant to, the body expends energy to combat what it perceives as toxic poisoning, thus weakening its immune capabilities. Read a simple explanation by Dr. Zeff on our page http://www.songofhealth.com/foodintolvsallergy.html. By removing food intolerances, the body has an opportunity to restore and maintain health. (See the diagram of the Healing Process at http://www.songofhealth.com/songofhealthpublichealingdiagram.html.) Therefore, the immune system becomes strong and is able to overcome, or at least minimize, what was causing immune responses - or allergic reactions - to otherwise benign products. By keeping your daughter off all refined sugars, she will hopefully begin to "outgrow" many allergies she currently suffers from.

Another cause of allergies among children is often allopathic medications. I assume that your Naturopath is helping you to treat your child naturally instead.

In the meantime, let me see if I can help you simplify some things to make your job feasible:

First, I need to know what food products you generally use for cooking meals. Do you stick to fresh food or do you use packaged products? What kinds of foods did your doctor evaluate for you that were positive for sugar? I can better help you if I know where to begin! The fresh products generally evaluated by our doctors (Windrose Naturopathic Clinic in Spokane, WA.) are local to that area. Most subscribers who submit products for evaluation send packaged type goods rather than fresh, although you all are welcome to do so. (See "Send A Sample For Evaluation.") What we compile in The Food Resource List are the products that have been submitted by patients and Song of Health Subscribers. I realize how frustrating this can be for you, feeling like you need to have everything “tested.” I'm wondering, though, are the fresh fruits and vegetables you are having your doctor  analyze also positive for sugar? I find that odd. Oftentimes, we may find them “testing” positive for fruit or potato, even grain, most likely due to packaging or factory contamination. There are actually many products listed in The Food Resource List that have been analyzed free of sugar.

The food categories that your daughter's allergies are affected by, according to the Carroll method, are: dairy, eggs, fruit (apples, tree nuts), grain (wheat, sesame), seafood (shell fish, white fish, tuna), soy, and sugar (intolerance). Did your doctor “test” for possible intolerances of combinations of any of these, by any chance?

What your daughter may have are meat; fresh vegetables; legumes other than lentils (beans); rice, quinoa, amaranth, corn (grains); honey; all melons; potatoes; cactus plants and roots (yucca, agave, etc.); fresh fruits THAT ARE IN SEASON other than apples and tree nuts (see the Food Categories Fruit page for all the tree nuts); pure maple syrup - all preferably organically grown. It is important to avoid the chemical sprays and additives so often found in the production of our food. They are toxic, carcinogenic, allergenic, etc.

Hopefully, this is a start for you. Please let me know how I may further help you. If needed, I have advice counseling available for a fee also - 1/2 hour or hour sessions. My aim, though, is to help you to become comfortable with the website and our Subscriber services so you can find what you need. Just ask and I'm happy to help!  In Health, Sandra

Elana:  Hi Sandra - Thank you so much for your amazing response!
Sorry I took so long to get back to you, but my daughter is sick (the one with all the allergies). Every 6-8 weeks she gets a high fever 102-105 degrees for 3 days and has an awful cough. She was hospitalized once for this, but now we see it coming and have her on a nebulizer and steroids immediately. For some reason, this one is still going strong into day 3. I would imagine (and I hope) that this is all tied into her weak immune system and that we can work it out over time.

OK, so we know that Hannah has all the allergies. Now we know that she has a sugar intolerance (especially a fruit/sugar combination). Since her diet is so restricted already, removing ALL sugarseems almost impossible. She currently eats fruit (oranges, bananas, cantaloupe, grapes, blueberries, pomegranate, etc). Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, corn, broccoli, onions). She eats quinoa and rice pasta (some with amaranth), brown rice, meat, turkey cold cuts (kosher in order to avoid dairy contamination), rice cakes, EnerG Tapioca bread/English muffins, rice milk, puffed corn, Van's egg/wheat/dairy free waffles with pure maple syrup, kosher hot dogs, homemade fries (sweet potato and regular),potato chips, corn chips with salsa, OrgranCookies, Jello.I make meat/vegetable sauce for the pasta. I put flax in as much as possible. She drinks calcium fortified OJ. She has olive oil on everything.

My doctor “tested” our sweet potatoes and carrots, and found sugar cane. His office is not too close to my home, so rather than keep running down there with vegetables to test, I thought maybe a list already existed somewhere.

In a few weeks I hope to see the doctor again and intend to discuss vitamins. Right now she is taking the sugary chewy calcium and multi vitamins. I can't find another option that doesn't contain anything that she is allergic to.

I appreciate all of your time and assistance. I also don't want to overstep my bounds. I think what you do is amazing and I am desperate for your knowledge. I have met with nutritionists and doctors who either have no answers or their answer is, "Put your daughter on steroids indefinitely. " I am at my wit's end!  Thanks again for your time.  Elana

Sandra:  This is my advice. Remove ALL refined sugar from your daughter's diet! I say this, now that I am informed her food intolerance is fruit with sugar combo. Her diet is inundated with fruit foods, including the packaged ones, as so many of the grain products also contain fruit (mainly citric acid for preserving).

No Jello! It's loaded with sugar. And I believe most of the processed meat products, i.e. hot dogs, also include sugar, usually in dextrose form. Although this is either derived from potato or grain, it is also refined, which turns it into a sugar form that cannot be mixed with the fruit. I have the same combo, so I know this from vast years of experience!

Why not cook ORGANIC meatssuch as pot roast, or open roasts to make her lunches with, in place of the processed meats? That way, you know what she is getting. There are generally so many hidden ingredients in processed foods that it is difficult to know even by reading the package ingredients, unless they are evaluated by our doctors.

I'm amazed that the fresh vegetables and potatoes you are purchasing are "testing" positive for sugar. I can understand that when they are frozen, canned or otherwise processed. I'm wondering if the sugar is rubbing off from bags or other types of containers they are in. Or possibly, the farmers are rotating the crops with sugar cane and it is leaching into the foods from the soil. It is truly a mystery, sometimes, what is in our food!

Does your daughter have any other food intolerance, such as a main one, or just the combo? I think you will see a marked difference if you cut out the sugar. You can make homemade "jello" by using gelatin, sweetening with honey, agave syrup or unsweetened fruit juice, such as organic apple juice. English muffins are out, unless homemade. I personally stay away from all products with sugar other than honey or maple syrup. Agave syrup is ok too. That way, I have a good chance of not mixing the food intolerant combo. Another thing I just remembered is that often products with salt will analyze positive for sugar, as dextrose is often added to counteract the bitterness in the salt from the mining/processing. To protect your daughter, look for potato chips that are organic and contain sea salt instead of just "salt." When it isn't specified, the salt is mined salt.

Hope that helps. And continue to have hope, while we all work together and you continue to work with your doctor. The last thing you want to do is believe that steroids are actually an option for your daughter. I think you will find some relief from the frustration and heartache from having to watch your daughter suffer once the sugar is removed completely. No fudging! Even a little amount will have a major impact. Her immune system is too taxed at this time, and is not able to handle the toxicity.  In Health, Sandra

Elana:  Thanks AGAIN for your amazing response. Since my last email to you, Hannah got her first ear infection. It was so awful that I just had to listen to the doctor and give her antibiotics. I am sick over it. Anyway, once this is out of her system we will remove all sugar. It won't be easy to do with a 3 year old since we are inquite a routine. Does your organization have a person who will create menus based on specific food intolerances (and allergies)? I would pay for this service. I truly don't know what to feed my daughter for breakfast if she can't have any EnerG products or waffles, etc. Remember that she is also allergic to all those other things - it's very difficult.

Hannah’s "main intolerance" is dairy. I didn't mention it since she is severely allergic to dairy so she never touches it anyway. She can't even eat cold cuts that were sliced on the same machine as cheese or she will have full body hives! So we are extremely careful with this since we discovered the allergy at 9 months old.  Thanks, Sandra.  Best, Elana

Sandra:  I would be careful with the processed products without having your Naturopath or our doctors evaluate them for sugar for you. I just looked up EnerG’s Thin Sliced Tapioca Bread and it contains cane sugar and fruit, among other ingredients. Another ingredient you need to be cautious of is yeast. It is derived either from potato or sugar, depending on the brand. (See The Food Resource List.) I highly suggest baking your own bread. It is not only the safest way to go, but so much more nutritious, and so delicious! Plus, you then don't have mystery ingredients. Follow the products in The Food Resource List that have been evaluated (i.e. the flours). Then you are assured of being as safe as possible.

You are trying to be so careful, yet so many of the products that you believe are safe for your daughter are actually poisoning her. My heart goes out to you. This is not easy, switching over to safe foods, at first. With time, however, it will become second nature to you as to what becomes a "red flag." As a subscriber, you have us as your resource. We are always willing to help to the best of our knowledge.

Re: Your question about a professional who can help with determining safe and healthy meals: I am able to help in a limited capacity. However, in your case, you need more than what I offer. In our Goods and Services section, we have listed several Health Life Nutritional Counselors, who support the Carroll Food Intolerance methods and incorporate them in their service to clients. One listed is not only in your area, but I understand that she works with some of your doctor's patients. Her name is Ellen Ziegler:

Ellen Ziegler, AAS, CHC, AADP
Marilyn Benkler CHC, AADP
Creative Healing Plus
3 Dore Court
New City, N.Y. 10956
845-634-2261
Holistic Health Counselors certified by
Columbia University Teachers College.

Ellen is also an avid supporter of Song of Health. Together, I am sure we can help you.  In Health, Sandra

NEW IN THE SUBSCRIBERS TESTIMONIAL SECTION:  TERRI BATES shares her story, January 12, 2010.

To fellow subscribers:  I have some wonderful recipes I can share with you. Please contact me if you are in need of a shoulder to lean on!  Terri Bade
badefam@gmail.com

From Sandra:  Thank you Terri so much, Terri, for sharing your uplifting, upbeat story. Yours is truly inspirational and will be extremely helpful to those people who feel lost and hopeless. It is so encouraging to hear how well you are doing and what you do to make that happen. 10 children!  My goodness, you do have your hands full. Congratulations on all the great work. And thank you again for your willingness to be an inspiration and network for others.  In Health, Sandra

~~~~~

From Michele: Hi. My intolerance is potatoes; also a fruit/grain combo.  What should I use to store my homemade sauces in for freezing?  I have seen that the Ziploc bags I have always used contain potato. Also, storing breads, etc.?  Thank you for any helpful suggestions.  I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with the new changes I am having to make in my life.  I live in a small town without access to a lot of the products suggested.  Michele

Posted by Sandra, CEO of Song of Health:  I have potato intolerance also.  I use glass jars to freeze anything that will fit in it!  With liquids, remember to leave room at the top for expansion when freezing.

For wrapping items such as bread, I like to use the biodegradable storage bags that can be purchased at natural food stores.  It is made from grain, generally corn.  I will sometimes re-use grocery vegetable plastic or biodegradable bags, doubled, and have not noticed any reactions to the foods when eaten.  But, I have not had the bags tested for potato, so I can't guarantee for anyone else that they would be ok using the same.

I will forward your question to our doctors, who also deal with the same food intolerances, to see what they do.  In Health, Sandra

From Dr. Tish: The ONLY plastic Ziploc type bags that are not fruit or potato are the Fred Meyer Brand bags. Either their regular or the freezer kind is clean and alright for everyone.  I use Pyrex glass bowls for storing leftovers in the fridge and usually canning jars for freezing things in the freezer.  The baking/ parchment paper you can get at the health food store works well for wrapping meat and then wrapping aluminum foil or butchers wrap over that and freezing it.  That way your meat isn't in contact with the plastics.  Hope this helps.  Dr. Tish

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Subscriber Stephenie R. suggests:

 When posting a question or comment on The Forum to a thread that is not recent (within the current week), PLEASE CREATE A NEW THREAD, even if the topic has been discussed at a prior time. This way, new entries won’t get unintentionally missed.

The Forum is a great way to make new friends!

It is a great opportunity for you to share tips, meals, recipes and any other information to help support and educate each other!

.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Each month we bring you articles on a myriad of topics regarding health and environmental issues. The main focus of Song of Health is to avail you of expert information on the Carroll Food Intolerance dietary methods. This is the first step to getting and staying well. We feel, however, that there are also many other interesting and important issues to be aware of. It is our goal to share, with you, our findings on what may have a cause and effect on our healthy lives.

A Quick Reminder:  Remember to EXERCISE
By Dr. Caryn Potenza, N.D. (Windrose Naturopathic Clinic)

Avoiding your food intolerance and eating healthy are vital to obtaining optimal health.  Dr. Tish, Dr. Zeff, and I talk at length about specific foods that are compatible for you based on your food evaluation.  This is important to follow because identifying the foods that you can’t digest allows your body to absorb all the great vitamins, minerals, protein, sugars, and fats in your meals without producing inflammation.  Inflammation is what will cause disease.  Exercise is also part of the whole picture for achieving optimal health and will help reduce inflammation.

Generally speaking, exercise should be a part of our daily lives.  It is important to move your body every day.  Ideally, exercising at a sustained rate for a short period of time will do wonders for your heart, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, adrenals, and mental health.  We recommend doing some sort of aerobic exercise for 20-30 minutes 3 or more times per week and to do non-aerobic/weight bearing (lifting weights, stretching, Yoga, Pilates) 2 times per week for 20-30 minutes.  This is a general guideline and we recommend that, if you haven’t been exercising, or have particular limitations, then start SLOW!  Feel free to ask us where you should start and what would be best for your specific health concerns. 

Everyone has heard about the health benefits of exercise and most people have personally experienced improved health when they incorporate it into their life.  When I ask patients if they exercise, those who aren’t currently exercising usually respond, “I’m not right now but I know I should be.  I feel so much better when I do exercise.”  People feel better when they exercise because there are so many health advantages.  Some of the most popular health benefits are:  weight loss, improved energy, improved muscle tone, decreased risk for osteoporosis, improved osteoporosis, decreased cholesterol levels, increased “good” cholesterol, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, decreased risk of stroke, normalized blood sugar levels, improved sleep, improved adrenal function, reduced anxiety and depression, etc.  The list is long and to sum it up, it improves your health, so do it. 

Modern day life has become very sedentary.  Most of us drive most places we go.  Most of us sit in an office all day.  Most of us are too tired at the end of the day to do anything else but eat and go to bed.  But by living this way we are harming ourselves.  We need to move our bodies to have good physical and mental health.  Our body is designed to deal with stress by physical exertion.  The autonomic nervous system is hard wired to get us out of life threatening situations without us even having to think about it.  I’m referring to the “fight or flight” response.  When we perceive that we are in danger (i.e., running from a tiger), the sympathetic nervous system will pump blood to our limbs, make our muscles stronger, make our pupils dilate, increase heart rate, increase blood pressure, slow down digestion, increase sweat, increase adrenaline, and expand lung capacity, all just to help us “run from the tiger”.  The parasympathetic nervous system does the opposite.  It is known as the “rest and digest” phase.  The autonomic nervous system has evolved so we could get out of dangerous situations.  The problem is that in today’s society we are faced with daily stresses that cause the sympathetic nervous system to fire, but we aren’t running anywhere.  Examples are:  Stressful situations at work, getting stuck in traffic when you are late for a meeting/appointment, someone cutting you off on the freeway, relationship difficulties, etc.  The list is long and you know which stressors affect your life.  Exercise will help relieve the pent up stress you experience throughout the day.

Lastly and most important, ENJOY the exercise you choose to do!  You do not have to take a step aerobics class at the gym.  You can walk, bike, play tennis, racquetball, swim, whatever you like to do.  Listen to your IPod/headphones and workout to music you love or listen to an audio book.  Read a book if you’re on a stationary bike or able to do that when you’re walking on a treadmill.  There are classes that you can take.  The YMCA and local gyms have a number of classes and activities to choose from:  Water aerobic classes that are easier on the body, Zumba dance classes that are fun, core strength training classes, Yoga, etc.  Or if you feel more comfortable at home, buy a Wii with an exercise game.  Check out your local library for exercise tapes.  Get a friend to exercise with you.  Just pick something that you can have fun with. 

We want all our patients to be healthy.  We want to treat the whole person.  Exercise is part of everyone’s optimal health plan and we want you to take part.  So enjoy yourself and get moving.

In Health, Dr. Caryn Potenza

SHARING EXPERIENCES:

Remember that eating our food intolerances can have a dramatic effect on our moods as well as other symptoms we discuss ad infinitum. 

WHAT SECRETS TO LIVING LONG?
By Sandra Strom, CEO of Song of Health

Mrs. N has been awake and on the move for at least a couple hours, probably more.  A little slip of a gal at just under 5 feet and tipping the scale at 90 something, she scoots along – she’s the energizer bunny.  By 7:30, over half the housekeeping chores, laundry, sweeping the patio, watering the beautiful flowering baskets – a testimony to her green thumb – and finishing her breakfast, coffee, and the paper are now history.  She’s considering what chores will be shifted to her husband - if for nothing more, to keep him moving.  What will she make for dinner?  Will she bake today? Make handmade cheese blintzes, chocolate chip cookies that absolutely no one, not even Mrs. Field can beat, and wrap each one separately to be distributed mostly to her children?  Barbeque chicken?  Make a rich shrimp and avocado salad?  If the sun is out, a walk is definitely in.  The days seem to be taken hostage more and more by the growing needs of her husband.  Getting old ain’t for the cowards, an old friend used to say.  What used to be is no more and it sometimes feels unbearable.   Feels like abandonment.  Feels scary.  Her husband was so strong, intelligent, could fix anything, provided more than adequately for the family, was fun to go to parties with, a good traveling companion, a loyal husband and caring father.  Life plays dirty tricks on seniors.  Some just slip away; some refuse to give up, and fight.  Yes, Mrs. N is a fortunate woman.  She and her husband can still live in their own home in their beautiful neighborhood near the sea, and they have each other to take care of.  It could be worse. 

Through the sea of illness and death that we often witness, we also hear of many amazing stories of our elder generation, such as Mr. and Mrs. N’s (a true story).  What keeps that generation ticking well into their 80’s and 90’s, even 100’s?  And how many of their parents had lived to reach 90 and above?  With all the leaps of ah-ha moments in technology and western medicine, why does the grandparent generation appear to be sturdier than our own?  I ponder, will I make it too?  And I don’t mean sitting in one place with my mind in another.  I mean driving, shopping, reading and remembering what I read, visiting and remembering the visit, long walks and dancing – LIVING! 

I have a few theories about how the previous generations manage to outlive the odds, even with them happily consuming foods that would relegate me to the couch, waiting out the suffering.  It should first be noted that the general attitude toward senior citizen health is attributed to doctor drugs.  Our elders have been convinced by their medical professionals that the innumerable vials of pills sitting on the drain board are what keep them alive.  Personally, I believe they survive in spite of the blood pressure, kidney, heart, cholesterol and you-name-it meds.  The side effects accompanying most of them are dramatic.  In spite of the food indiscretions and multiple medications, how do they do it?  What has contributed to the strength of the geriatric generation?

The geriatric generation had the opportunity to build strong bones, hearts, organs and healthy connective tissue.  They were fed the necessary unadulterated nutrients required to build strong bodies to house their tenacious generational spirits.  I argue:  This is our proof today of why we see men and women in their 80’s and 90’s still physically active and not because they take umpteen drugs to keep them on life support. 

Among all the environmental blasphemies of present day that threaten our well being, there is the element of hope.  The farmers who insist on practicing sustainable, organic methods amidst the odds against them avail us the options to support ourselves in the old ways, as close to “the good old days” as we can get.  

This month, when the word “love” is tossed around like a beach ball in cards and candy, remember to walk the walk by treating your family - and self - to a healthy lifestyle, filled with live food, exercise and fun.

To All My Relations, Sandra

“Every dis-ease known to humans is created in our digestion system” (Dr. Harold Dick, N.D.)

NEW RECIPES

The Recipes section for Subscribers HAS UNDERGONE major changes! 

         The ingredients in each recipe are now coded for food intolerance items.

         A Table of Contents has been created for each section, including links for each recipe.  We are now working on a Recipes Index.

         We continue to add cooking and baking tips in order to help and teach you how to easily adapt recipes, to prepare meals easily and sometimes quickly, and to help you enjoy cooking!

         WE INVITE YOU TO SHARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS, RECIPES, COMMENTS AND CONCERNS.  Please go to The Forum and post in the Recipes section, or contact us at manager@songofhealth.com.

~ Always use organic products whenever possible.
~ We recommend you use Celtic sea salt, which is Neutral.
~ All new recipes are now coded for Food Categories. 
~ If a recipe contains your food intolerance, see the FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS LIST for alternative ingredients.

Valentine celebrations are this month.

 Check out the Cakes and Candies for “sweet tooth” recipes.
 See the Food Substitutions List for easy alternatives to adapting your favorite recipes.

KEY FOR CODES

REMEMBER TO: REFER TO THE FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS LIST FOR ALTERNATIVES AND THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST FOR HIDDEN INGREDIENTS.  

CEREALS AND GRAINS

CORN MEAL MUSH
(Contributed by Sandra Strom, CEO of Song of Health)

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.
Add corn meal and salt. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to simmer and cover.
Check and stir every 5 minutes, to keep from sticking to bottom of pan.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until corn meal is soft and tender and water is mostly cooked in.
Serving suggestions:
 Serve with maple syrup, honey (H) or agave syrup to taste, 1 small pat of butter (D) and ¼ cup milk (D) or substitute.
 Add 2 Tbsp. raisins, currants, chopped apples (F), nuts, sunflower or sesame seeds (G), or cashews (F). Be creative!

POLENTA
(Contributed by Sandra Strom, CEO of Song of Health)

FOOD CATEGORY	INGREDIENTS
G	1 cup cooked corn meal mush
	¼ cup oil
	¼ clove garlic, finely minced (optional)

Spread cooked corn meal mush in a square baking-type dish and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cut corn meal mush in squares.
Heat oil in medium skillet to medium high.
Add garlic and fry for a few seconds only, so as not to burn.
Add corn meal mush squares.
Fry on each side until golden brown.
Remove from skillet and place on paper or cotton cloth towel, to drain oil so Polenta is not greasy.
Serve immediately as a side dish.
Yield: Serves 2.
Variations:
 While corn meal mush is still warm, add any variation of finely diced: 2 Tbsp. sun-dried tomatoes; parsley, oregano, sweet basil, savory or other choice of Italian herbs; cilantro, green chilies; red bell pepper.
 After turning Polenta over in skillet, sprinkle grated cheese (D), such as Cheddar, Swiss, Cotija, Parmesan or Romano, over squares. The cheese will melt on top when Polenta is done.

REMEMBER TO: REFER TO THE FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS LIST FOR ALTERNATIVES AND THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST
FOR HIDDEN INGREDIENTS.

VEGETABLES

ACORN SQUASH, BAKED
 (Contributed by Sandra Strom, CEO of Song of Health)

FOOD RESOURCE LIST UPDATES    

THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST ON THE WEBSITE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINTABLE VERSION. JUST GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE AND CLICK ON "SOH RESOURCE LIST PART 1 OR PART 2" FOR THE VERSION IN .PDF FORM.

Use the codes below to translate the Results Column.

HOW TO READ THE FOOD RESOURCE LIST AND USE THE KEY:

 As items are submitted and analyzed by our staff doctors, they are then added to the Food Resource List on the Song of Health website. We compile the updated lists to email to you as well.

 The items are listed per category.

 By listing the “Date Evaluated” you can be assured of the most recent updates.

 Under the “Evaluated For” column, “ALL” signifies that the product has been analyzed for all food categories included in the Carroll Food Intolerance Evaluation Method. In some cases, you will see ingredients listed in the “Results” column that are not included in “Evaluated For.” This is because the ingredient has been listed on the packaging, or it is obviously in the stated category. For example, results for milk will be “dairy (D).”

 Under “Purchased At” we furnish where the product was purchased, whenever the information is available, in the newsletter. (Most brand foods considered “natural” or organic products may be found at your local natural foods store.) We are not able to show the “Purchased At” column on the website, however.

If you have any questions, please contact us at: manager@songofhealth.com. We are happy to help!

FOOD RESOURCE LIST UPDATES
JANUARY 2009

TOGETHER WE ACHIEVE...

GREAT HEALTH - GREAT LIFE!

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