DEET sprays can melt plastic bags and fishing lines. Doesn’t that make you wonder what it can do to you?

Commercial bug sprays contain the chemical permethrin which is a neurotoxin. Duke University Medical Center pharmacologist Mohamed Abou-Donia spent 30 years researching the effects of pesticides. He discovered that prolonged exposure to DEET can impair cell function in parts of your brain.
When rats had their skin treated with the average human dosage of DEET, they performed far worse than control rats on physical tests requiring muscle control, strength, and coordination. This is consistent with reports of symptoms after the military used DEET in the Persian Gulf War. Exposure causes neurons to die in several parts of your brain including areas that control muscle movement, memory, concentration, and learning.
Heavy exposure to DEET and other insecticides can cause eye and skin irritation, memory loss, headaches, weakness, fatigue, muscle/joint pain, nausea, tremors, and shortness of breath. Symptoms can appear months or even years after use.

General repellent:

• 6 drops of peppermint oil
• 6 drops of melaleuca oil
• 9 drops of citronella
• Dilute with water 20:80 and apply to exposed skin as needed.
• Avoid eyes.

Mosquito repellent:

• 6 drops lemon
• 6 drops peppermint
• 6 drops eucalyptus radiata
• 6 drops lemongrass
• Dilute with water 20:80 and apply to exposed skin as needed.
• Avoid eyes.

Lavender and peppermint oils reduce insect-bite-induced itching and infection.

Hello, This is Tessa writing you today. I just had the honor of facilitating a distance session with a young mother and her daughter. I feel so very privileged to be a part of someone’s personal steps in transformational evolution.

I have been experiencing personal transformational evolution for decades through personal work as well as group work facilitated by gifted instructors. I discovered long ago that if I did not attend to my emotional ‘baggage’ I would find life on Earth a bit uncomfortable. In my session work with clients I have also observed the results of ignoring or pretending the emotional traumas are not there.

Please know I do not hold a degree in counseling or psychology. I have earned my abilities through years of personal work and client support work. I have always been perceptive in ‘emotional’ language and have developed my own skill set and information base called Self-Health Essentials ie S.H.E.  I have tested this system and I trust it.

Today’s session once again showed me the significant blessings that are contained in S.H.E. distance session work. This young mother not only released emotional patterns that had been with her since childhood and before but also assisted her 4-year-old daughter in releasing hers patterns. She saw threw a real life experience how some old emotional patterns that she had released in her last session of S.H.E. were mirrored back to her in her daughter. Before her session with Self-Health Energetics she could not perceive the pattern. When it was gone, her new open clarity made it so very evident and gave her tools with which to free her young daughter before she too created a lifetime of being the effect of that limiting emotional perception.

My client shared some of her physical sensations as she allowed herself to ‘feel’ emotional patterns that had kept her ‘ boxed in ‘ all of her life. She mentioned nausea, hyper-ventilation, chest pain and vertigo.  Each of these are listed as ’symptoms’ in many illnesses. Research has shown how trapped emotions can lower the immune function, create symptoms like allergies, exhausted adrenal function, mood disorders, affect blood sugar, affect headaches and body aches. She noted that in the past she would not have been able to move when these ’symptoms’ appeared. Now she not only moved but was able to experience a profound interaction.  She embraced an opportunity and expanded her life choices because of it. How useful is that?                                                    

I am simply thrilled for her! I am indeed blessed to have gathered so many energetic ‘tools’ that have gone into creating Self-Health Energetics. I consistently use them on myself. I KNOW people CAN change their lives, their health, their world, for I have done it myself.

I remember a teacher sharing the phrase…’emotion is energy in motion’…I am reminded that as one shifts an emotion and releases emotional traumas and emotional walls that in a split second the energy in motion moves new possibilities into not only their life but also each life that they touch. Our world is quantum and holographic.

Tessa

Tessa and Sauerkraut

I am pretty sure it all began with a battle of wills between my Father and myself.

One evening in my preteen times, my Mother created a meal with sauerkraut. I took one taste and refused to eat it.

I believe my father’s words were…”This will be the last thing you eat”…something like that. Anyway…I stayed at the dinner table slowly trying to eat it way into the night and eventually was excused. That night I was violently ill and swore off sauerkraut forever.

Each time Robert would try a different recipe…I would assist him and after it was fermented take one bite then leave the batch for his lucky digestive system. You may or may not know that sauerkraut is really good for your entire body but particularly your digestive system.

One day we found sauerkraut at a Health Food Store that I really liked. I liked the taste as well as the texture. We decided to create our own version of the concoction. We decided to use our Champion juicer to grind the green cabbage into fine pieces instead of the food processor. We found that the finer pieces fermented quite easily.

So now I love sauerkraut our way. I share this recipe with you so you can bless your digestive system with a wonderfully tasty and beneficial fermented food. YUM!

Chop your organic green cabbage up so it will fit into your juicer.

Juice it.  Save the pulp.

The beauty of juicing the cabbage is you have created the brine quite easily. If the cabbage is not covered by the juice (it should be) add water until the cabbage is covered; then let it ferment for 6-7 days. May take less time with this juicing step.

We use our sauerkraut on many many many things…salads are my personal favorite. With a little organic extra virgin olive oil, the taste is quite wonderful replacing salad dressings.  You can add other vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices. I encourage you to start simply then explore your organic vegetable section of your market to personalize your sauerkraut.

Meet Tessa and Robert Brauer and Learn more about what they can offer YOU!

www. Self-HealthEssentials.com

The following is an interview of Tessa and Robert Brauer by Joan Newcomb on Contact Radio. This interview took place on April 7, 2009. This interview offers you some telling insights into their views on health, their passions and gifts. It gives you a deeper feel for who they are and what they can offer you in Self-Health Essential Consultations and Life-Force Coaching.

How did you come to offer the things that you offer? T-Joan, May I take a moment to appreciate you and each person hearing my voice? Thank you for inviting us to your radio show. I also am appreciating each person listening for joining us in our conversation. Self-Health Essentials is the name of our website as well as our philosophy around wellness. We believe health, be it physical, emotional, or energetic is an essential personal journey. We offer informational articles, services and products that we have found essential to our own self- health. We speak from a very personal perspective and celebrate the empowerment of others in their personal path to self- health.

R – I have always had an interest in nutrition. About 30 years ago that interest grew into a passion. Since then I have used my body as kind of a test laboratory. Testing one diet or fast after another, after awhile my changes became fewer as I began to recognize a natural relationship to food that I believe man has mainly lost. The good thing is we can reclaim a healthy respect for the food we eat, in fact through my research I have learned that eating in harmony with nature is backed by science and numerous studies.

What is the difference between calendar age and biological age?  R – Well calendar age is the number were used to thinking about when we consider our relationship to when we were born. The problem with this way of looking at ourselves is that it has been overlaid with a lot of programming that says as you get older certain things happen, like your ability to move around, your health, mental function, and your ability to enjoy life all suffer, which is not true. It’s a very strong thought form in developed counties around the world.

In contrast, biological age is the health and integrity of your body and its various organs and tissues. All of us probably know someone who looks and feels 20 or more years younger than their calendar age. Why is that? Well, if you ask these people questions about how they live, certain common things begin to surface. These people have a strong sense of self-determination that is flavored by their taking responsibility for the things in their lives. They enjoy life. They care about something more than themselves. And, they take care of themselves, which includes what they eat and exercise. After being around people like this you come away with an up, light feeling, which I feel is the joy of feeling alive. Very low on this list, if it is there at all, is the common reply most heard that it’s probably genetics.

In our practice and on our website we share with others practical tools for making the shift away from a calendar age way of being to a biological age way of being.

What is Useful Magic? T-Useful Magic is a phrase that came to me after a session with a client who was experiencing a dental dilemma. May I refer our listeners to our website Blog article titled Useful Magic for the specifics of her success? I blend intuitive energetics with self-healthy references into Self-Health Energetics, which is supercharged by Matrix Energetics and Yuen and a dozen other methods I am trained in. My clients find these sessions very useful in navigating life experiences. IE the name Useful Magic. Isn’t that truly the way we could be living in ways that seem magical.

What is your personal peak health experience? T-My personal peak health experience is a 67-day juice cleanse, Robert and I did together. 67 days of raw veggie juices with a veggie potassium broth in the evenings. I have many stories from that cleanse. I can still remember the image of a hamburger floating in my consciousness for days somewhere around day 45. Hmmmmm! The cleanse was an amazing journey in the power of life force and the transformational power of enzyme rich raw veggie juices.

What kinds of things are people dealing with when they seek your services? T-We attract clients who want to be guided and empowered. They are self-starters who lead busy lives and want guidance in nutritionally sound; life force enriched strategies so that their personal wellness matches their vibrant life styles! We also attract clients who desire guidance in adrenal rejuvenation, weight reduction and Age(less)living.

R – A lot of people I see have physical energy issues, hormonal imbalances like adrenal burnout and low thyroid levels, sleep disturbances, weight issues, allergies and digestive problems. Most of these can be alleviated by making the proper diet and lifestyle changes. But there is also the emotional and psychological aspects related to these same issues as well as to recurrent negative patterns in their lives that they would like help being resolved. There is often various levels that subconsciously interfere with a person taking positive steps toward realizing their health and life goals. I help people with these things, sometimes in working with a client; we get insights into the reasons behind a stuck pattern – like a forgotten unnecessary belief pattern. Other times it’s not necessary to know the reason, a shift is felt and it’s like walking through a door into a new way of being with the old pattern left behind. It’s all very personal, everyone and every session is different.

 Useful Magic

www.Self-HealthEssentials.com

Hello, this is Tessa from Self-Health Essentials. The story below so touched me I wanted to share it with you in this form. This is a sharing from one heart to another. I know I am only the conduit for the possibility that is available to each one of us. It is an honor for me to witness and facilitate Self-Health Energetics (Matrix/Yuen + more) sessions like this one.

Living with Far Infrared Heat—Hmmmm Good

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 Just a few of the personal stories from those who are enjoying the many self-healthy benefits of Far Infrared heat.

 

"For a couple weeks I’ve been using my ComfortZone™ far Infrared heater to warm up my bedroom before going to bed. Previously an electric space heater brought the room’s temperature to a comfortable level. But my sheets and blankets would still be chilled! Now within just an hour or so the FIR heater gets the air warm and my bed, too. I jump into bed and am immediately embraced by friendly and comforting warmth. After just a few minutes of reading, I fall gently and comfortably to sleep and rejoin my dreams of adventure and epic achievements.
In the morning I wake up refreshed and not grumbling about the obligations of the day. I feel like the warmth stays with me long after breakfast. A hidden benefit: I’m much more cheerful on the bus and fellow commuters are relieved they don’t have to sit next to a grouch." D.S., WA.
                                                                                                

"My experience with the ComfortZone™ far infrared heater is … WOW !!! I feel this like ’surge of energy’ when I walk into the house where the heater is heating. For the first time in years I feel warm from the inside out, top to bottom. Previously, I had a gas furnace, but that would bring a ‘wave’ of heat, then one would slowly get cold. This is NEVER experienced with this FIR (Far infrared) heater! I LOVE IT… just wanted to tell you that I just received my new power/gas bill.  It’s amazing what having 3 heaters has done to my power bill!!  It was less than last month’s bill…AND was over 100.00 less than the bill at this time last year!  Gotta love the FAR…"  C.B., WA.

"I am loving my ComfortZone™ heater! I feel fed! The quality of heat generated is like being bathed in natural light. I wish every building had this kind of heating system because it feels so good.
I no longer wake up in the morning with dry sinuses and throat. For the first time in my life I feel normal. I’ve suffered for years with forced air furnaces, and am thrilled that there is an affordable alternative to heating my home."
K.L., WA.

"We have noticed our plants growing with more vigor even in the dead of winter since we started using our ComfortZone™ heater! This is a miracle especially in this house since it is so dark anyway. The cut flowers I place close to the Comfort zone heater last 3X their usual amount of bloom time. How neat is that?!"
T.B., WA. 

                                                                                                                           

 ComfortZone™ Heaters See More

So, eating Soy is bad for me? Why?

www.Self-HealthEssentials.com

We receive many inquiries from our clients about Soy. One dear friend drinks soy milk as often as she can hoping it will assist her body with healthy aging.When in fact it is quite possibly speeding up her aging process.

There are many, many studies available to offer another view. The following comes from Dr Mary Eng and Sally Fallon in their book Eat Fat Lose Fat.

Today, many dieters try to meet their health requirements by eating foods based on soy, promoted as beneficial in many popular books and weight-loss plans. However, soybeans contain several toxins, and high-temperature chemical processing adds many more. As early as 1972, a soy-industry textbook (Soybeans: Chemistry and Technology) listed a number of well-documented toxic effects from soybeans—everything from endocrine disruption to undesirable changes in many organs.

The most serious problem with eating soy while you’re trying to lose weight is that soy is a goitrogen, that is, it depresses thyroid function. When your thyroid gland malfunctions, you tend to gain weight even when you eat very little. Dr. Dan Sheehan and Dr. Daniel Doerge, government researchers at the National Center for Toxicological Research, discovered that the anti-thyroid component of soy is the isoflavones or phytoestrogens, which inhibit the synthesis of thyroid hormone. All soy foods, including tofu, soymilk, protein bars and meal replacements, contain these thyroid-inhibiting isoflavones. In 1999, these researchers actually wrote a letter urging FDA to require a health warning on soy foods, rather than the health claim the agency eventually approved.

Soy foods also contain anti-nutrients known as phytic acid which blocks mineral absorption, and enzyme inhibitors that block the enzymes needed for protein digestion.

Reading labels is very useful especially when it comes to soy. Over the years we have removed soy from our diet and happily so.If you would like to learn more about this topic, the book, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food, is a must read. This is an area that one is best served as a Self-Health sleuth!

Liver Cleansing, PMS Eliminating, Thyroid Supporting!                       

WWW.SELF-HEALTHESSENTAILS.COM

I can hardly hold down my excitement! Hi, This is Tessa of Self-Health Essentials.

I have been enjoying a book called "Juicing For Life" by Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane.
Mind you, Robert and I have juiced for decades now…we have actually worn out a Champion juicer…which is hard to do if you know your juicers!

This book is so well done with a few exceptions (research has disproved their theories about soy) and a couple of other small points. I really like the way they share simple and tasty vegetable juice combinations. Cherie’s Cleansing Cocktail blew my mind at how a little ginger, a beet, an apple and carrots could taste sooooo good and have my body singing the Alleluia Chorus at the same time!

Anyway…I wanted to share another recipe that I have been enjoying from the book.They include it in their "Seven-Day Liver Cleansing Diet Guideline" pg 312
 

• Take one cup of very finely shredded carrots or carrot pulp from your juicing. The carrots should be shredded to a mushy consistency with a food processor or fine grater.

• Combine 1 Tablespoon of organic extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. You can add more but never less.

• Pour this over the carrots and if you like, stir in currants and pineapple.

• If you want a gentle and effective cleanse do this each day for seven days. If you miss a day you need to start over.

My body is loving this simple yet effective nutritional action step. According to Dr. Peat, Ph.D. in his book From PMS to Menopause, eating raw carrots in this version can eliminate PMS, headaches and allergies. The use of oil and vinegar or fresh lemon juice intensifies the bowel-cleansing effect of the salad. If you wanted to try coconut oil instead of olive oil it could offer a thyroid promoting alternative.

Don’t take my word for it….make your step to self-health…..it could change your life!

 ©Self Health Essentials LLC 2009

Nutritional Solutions for Mood Disorders and Depression Part I

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Did you know that it is our brain that makes us distinctly human? It is the basis of our emotions, memories, behaviors and moods. Because of our brain, we can read, write, compose and appreciate music, communicate with others and plan for the future. A balanced brain is the foundation for a life that is happier, more satisfying and one that can sustain healthy aging.  In this article we are looking at the importance of balancing lifestyle with nutrition to support each of us in a healthful approach to mood disorders.

Researchers believe most mood disorders are caused by complex chemical imbalances in the brain. The body responds to all sorts of factors both internally and externally from the thoughts we think to the kinds of foods we put into our body. In the field of nutritional science, we are looking for the most natural ways to support and balance those conditions using diet, supplementation, mind-body exercises and creative relaxation techniques.

Each year, almost 44 million Americans experience a mood disorder. 7-14% of children will experience an episode of major depression before the age of 15. While 20-30% of adult bipolar patients report their first episode during their 20s. Almost everybody will be challenged by depression at some point in their life. Research is showing that children are even more impacted by mood disorders than ever before. Statistics are showing pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants. At least four percent of preschoolers — over a million children– are considered clinically depressed.

There are two primary classifications for mood disorders. They are bi-polar (also known as manic-depression) and depression alone.

 Symptoms of Depression include:                                                                                                      

  The second classification is Bi-Polar. It includes all of what is listed above with these following signs added:                                                                           

What Can I do?

1. Create a plan, which works on changing your depression that includes: nutrition and dietary supplements, exercise and learning more about how to reduce stress and cortisol levels by more rest.
2. It’s important to realize that rest does not need to mean deep sleep. Listening to relaxing tapes or watching fish in a bowl can be restful. People with active mood disorders may need more rest because of the exhaustion from the emotions.
3. Breathing exercises are also very effective in bringing down anxiety or lowering tension and stress.
4. As a dietary strategy, one can use the Ziquin products as part of a nutritional plan for people who are challenged by mood swings and stress. The Mind and Body Tonic, EFA Complete and All Xymatic are foundational to finding balance between mind and body health. They are very useful in balancing the blood sugar, which helps people to stabilize cravings for sugar, feelings of irritability and loss of confidence.  It is important to keep nourishing the body since most people who suffer from depression will stop eating or eat too much of the wrong foods. Eating too many carbohydrates, sweets, caffeine drinks, drugs or alcohol can imbalance the brain. In the Mind and Body Tonic the vitamin B and D help to produce serotonin and melatonin which support the body to rest and relieve distress.  Why Ziquin
   

 © Self-Health Essentials LLC 2009

Nutritional Solutions for Depression and Mood Disorders Part II

Depression and mood disorders are characterized by extreme feelings. These feelings can include feelings of dejection, sadness, and emptiness. Symptoms can include poor appetite accompanied by inadequate diet and weight loss, or increased appetite with weight gain: insomnia or excess sleep; changes in usual activities; loss of interest; fatigue; loss of concentration and feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt.

In certain cases depression is indeed appropriate to a life event. To be diagnosed as depression, the depressed state must  be experienced for at least one month and should be defined as inappropriate to one’s life’s events. The causes of depression are categorized as psychological, sociological, biochemical or physiological. Specifically, they can include an overreaction to one’s life’s events or to stress, lack of sunlight during the winter months (Seasonal Affective Disorder), poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, allergies, environmental and microbial factors or any serious physical disorder.

Good nutrition is a vital part to appropriate psychiatric care. Studies have shown that nutrients can profoundly influence biochemistry and brain activity. Among nutritionally oriented doctors, it is believed that diet is often the cause of depression and that our Western diet –which emphasizes junk food, snacking, processed foods and poor eating styles- is the primary contributor to mood disorders.

Some Nutritional Lifestyle Suggestions

vAvoid Caffeine and sugar. Research is showing many individuals experience a wonderful lift emotionally after eliminating caffeine and sugar from their diets.

vIncrease your consumption of tryptophan-rich foods. L-tryptophan is an amino acid that essentially is responsible for the production of serotonin, which is the part of our brain chemistry that can elevate mood and assist in normal sleep. Research has shown that in depressed individuals, the transportation of tryptophan maybe inhibited. A complex carbohydrate rich meal has been shown to facilitate the body’s ability to absorb tryptophan. Some tryptophan rich foods include turkey,raw  milk, bananas, figs, and dates.

vAvoid over processed and rancid fats. Bad fats can inhibit the synthesis of neurotransmitters in the brain,and can cause the blood cells to clump together resulting in poor circulation to the brain. On the other hand, healthy fats, like organic extra virgin olive oil, organic virgin coconut oil, raw organic butter and avocados ensure vascular flexibility and improved circulation.

v  Eating quality proteins that contain essential fatty acids can increase alertness. Some foods that contain essential fatty acids are wild caught salmon, sardines, organic almonds and sunflower seeds. Please make these organic whenever possible.

vIncrease your exercise. We keep hearing that gentle exercise done 3-4 times a week will make a great deal of difference in one’s ability to balance a mood disorder. Studies show a decrease in depression with an increase in movement and exercise.

vStudies have also shown the benefits of appropriate supplementation with whole food vitamins, systemic enzymes, Essential Fatty Acids and minerals. Why Ziquin

We at Self-Health Essentials support you in making these simple action steps in gaining balance and peace of mind. Please know this information is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your health care provider.These are suggestions to begin as you gather your many resources.