Month: April 2014

I have to admit I have not read Alicia Silverstones new book “The Kind Mama” but it seems that a lot of the kind mama advice is creating quite the shitstorm.

The first I had heard about this new book was last week on the news when the fact that she said that perhaps vaccinations were not a good idea, there is no proof but there is anecdotal evidence that vaccinations can lead to babies that are not quite the same ever again.

Sorry, but that is horseshit.

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The fact is that we are getting more and more vaccinations these days, I am not sure if there are too many or not but I, and Alicia Silverstone, can not possibly have the knowledge to make a claim against vaccination and the fallout of celebrity anti-vaccination stories have already led to a huge uptake in measles cases this year thanks to parents not listening to doctors and instead listening to celebrities.

If I am looking for information on how to be a better actor I will go to Alicia Silverstone. If I want info on vaccinations I think I would go to a doctor, actually that is exactly what I did years ago when our kids were born and my doctor said yes for sure, mercury is not an issue and I should want to protect my child.

The fact is that Alicia Silverstone is not a mainsteam mom. She has a privileged lifestyle that she has earned by the work that she does and the money that this work generates. The trouble with celebrity culture is that we tend to look at these famous people as having knowledge in areas that they have never been trained in and have access to cameras and microphones, and a society that is willing to listen.

So again, I am not a doctor, I am not a mom (I am a dad!) and I am not a vegan. Alicia Silverstone is writing about a different type of raising of children that is working for her right now but is not just advocating anti-vaccination but a few other things in her book that may not really be based on valid science:

• No Tampons, the cotton may have pesticides and the fragrances may cause infertility (based on no science but her opinion)
• A vegan lifestyle will help fertitlity  (based on no science but her opinion)
• There are health benefits to eating the placenta after childbirth ( (based on no science but her opinion)
• No Diapers, Alicia thinks that wearing a “toilet” as she calls it leads to confusion and stops a child from understanding when they have to go to the bathroom (Both my kids, and every other kid I have known has been potty trained successfully, even after wearing a toilet)

So when looking through the covers of the tabloids at the local Walmart or 7-11 please remember, the people on those covers are as screwed up and as knowledgeable as anyone else. They are not doctors, they are possibly parents, and they just have an opinion. Most importantly though, please don’t take medical advice from a person whose only real credentials is that they may or may not have played a doctor on TV.

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I like to sleep in a bit every Saturday and when I wake up I make myself a smoothie or green juice. Today was not exception except I have been having trouble with my blender lately and had some avocados sitting in my fridge.

The story with avocados is that they are not supposed to be put through a juicer. They are too soft and will not really juice like an apple or an orange does so I came up with a bit of a better method today that worked fantastic.

First I made the juice and had it drain onto a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup. This is what I used

Saturday Juice Smoothie

I had some leftover fruit in the fridge so

• 2 apples
• 2 oranges
• 3 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots

After this I had a fair amount of juice but I pitted and peeled the avocado and added it into the soup of juice and then used our handheld immersion blender to blend it up. Avocado is a very soft fruit so it blended up well and it tasted absolutely fantastic.

I ended up with a thick juice almost like a smoothie and I could taste all the fruit and in addition to the wholesomeness of this drink the avocado adds in a whole lot of very good fats.

Try this one out, it is probably the best tasting juice I have had in a long time.

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Getting happy is very very important for no other reason than the happy person will do what is necessary and the unhappy person will instead dwell on failures and not bother raking those steps to get into better health.

(hint: Serotonin makes you happy)

More than 25 million people received treatment for depression last year and the American Psychological Association reports: more than half of Americans say they are stressed. It’s becoming a primary focus for doctors world-wide.

Here’s what you need to know, to protect you mind and your body.

These days, world-renowned speaker Deepak Chopra teaches that happiness is no longer just a mental quest, but a physical one. Chopra recently released his newest DVD “The Prescription for Happiness.” Doctors are on the same page. They now have solid evidence your happiness directly affects your health.

Brain Drugs will help you be happy

“We discovered where ever a thought goes, a molecule goes and it affects your biology,” he says. Well-being translates into a biological response because your brain secretes things like dopamine, and opiates and serotonin, oxytocin, all of which are hormones which make you happy.” – Said Deepak Chopra

Serotonin is the hormone that gives us that happy “feeling.” Low levels can lead to, among other things, insomnia, fatigue and depression.

Doctors with the National Institute of Health have found during bouts of depression certain parts of the brain shrink by as much as 40%, and over-time that can do permanent damage.

Not only Deepak Chopra but also the Dalai Lama tells us that we should stay happy and quest for happiness.

Dopamine, known as the “pleasure system,” controls emotional responses and movement. People with Parkinson’s disease often have low dopamine levels.

Liz Vaccariello, author of the flat belly diet, studies why people who are depressed or stressed typically gain weight.

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“Cortisol is the hormone that we create when we are stressed out and that makes us crave sweets and makes your body store extra calories that we consume as belly fat,” she says.

What can we do to get happy

What we can do about it is not rocket science, but some might be more obvious than others.

• Regular Exercise: most of us know this one. Regular exercise provides a host of benefits including maintaining weight and lowering blood pressure.
• “Runners, for example, hit a wall and start to get fatigued and think ‘I can’t go on any longer.’ If they just do one thing, ‘smile,’ just the act of smiling changes what is hormonally going on in the body. There is a 30% increase in their ability to perform for the next several minutes,” she says.
• Get a Well-Balanced Diet: which includes vitamins b, d, and omega oils-which all help manage depression.
• Get “Good” Sleep: the body burns the most fat during “deep sleep”, and re-sets chemical patterns in the body-which regulates everything from moods to memory.
• Think Happy Thoughts: thinking happy thoughts might sound a bit fluffy, but Vaccariello found, for example, a sense of happiness in athletes–even if it’s “faked”–improved performance.
• And Maintain Relationships: Chopra says people in countries outside the US are typically happier, because they pay more attention to relationships.

“Happy people are generally not only healthier, they’re able to accomplish a lot more because they come from a place of strength and power,” he says.

Getting happy is very very important for no other reason than the happy person will do what is necessary and the unhappy person will instead dwell on failures and not bother raking those steps to get into better health.

To get happy it is important to follow these tips and get good sleep, exercise, and happy and healthy relationships. Having a great and invigorating day will mean a lot more to you when you put your head on the pillow at the end of the day to sleep.

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