6 Health Conditions Vitamin D Might Help

6 Health Conditions Which Vitamin D Might Help

Despite its name, vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone, which you get primarily from either sun exposure or supplementation, along with some foods. Many of its health benefits are due to its ability to influence genetic expression.

Moreover, researchers have discovered that vitamin D is involved in the biochemical cellular machinery of ALL cells and tissues in your body. Hence, when you don’t have enough, your entire body struggles to function optimally.

As a general rule, it would be wise to improve your vitamin D status regardless of what ails you, but if you suffer from any of the following conditions, optimizing your vitamin D is clearly indicated.

Remember that while sunlight is the ideal way to optimize your vitamin D, winter and work prevent more than 90 percent of those reading this article from achieving ideal levels without supplementation. The only one to know you have therapeutic levels of vitamin D is to measure it.

Parsley and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Parsley and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Parsley’s flavonoids—especially luteolin—have been shown to work as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based free radical damage to cells. In addition, extracts from parsley have been used in animal studies to increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood.

One study indicates that vitamin C-rich foods, such as parsley, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis—a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

This research was presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases and were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects who kept diet diaries and were arthritis-free when the study began. It also focused on subjects who developed inflammatory polyarthritis and similar subjects who remained arthritis-free during the follow-up period. Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts.

So, next time parsley appears on your plate you can enjoy parsley’s legendary ability to cleanse your palate and your breath at the end of your meal, while providing your body a good dose of vitamin C. I also recommend you make my Rosemary Walnut Pesto.

Rosemary Walnut Pesto

Yields 2 cups

Pesto in our kitchen takes on many forms through the seasons. This is a fall/winter pesto recipe that is absolutely delicious.

• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup chickpeas or white miso
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, to taste
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a food processor, slowly pouring in the olive oil. Adjust flavor and consistency as desired. Add the juice of half a lemon for a bonus alkalizing kick!

Shopping List/ Check the Pantry

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• Chickpeas or white miso
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Hazelnut
• Sea salt

From The Juice Lady’s Anti-Inflammation Diet

The Power of a Cleanse Retreat

The Power of a Cleanse Retreat

Over two decades ago I attended my first juice and raw foods cleanse retreat. I have never felt so clean and alive as I had that week. I went back every year for a tune up. There was something about cleansing and juice fasting with others that made the whole process much easier and much more fun. I was determined to have my own cleanse retreats one day and to address whole person cleansing—body, soul, and spirit. I knew that’s where I’d see the most powerful and profound changes in people’s lives.

Almost 3 years ago my husband and I started The Juice and Raw Foods Cleanse Retreats. We’ve seen miraculous things happen since the day we started. I’m sharing a couple of testimonies in this newsletter with you. I want you to feel sparkling clean and vibrantly alive too like so many other people have.

We do three days of juice fasting preceded and followed by raw foods. Juice fasting eliminates the usual mucous forming foods from the diet like refined flour, dairy, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, and stimulates the digestive tract to be more active. It eliminates irritating substances and prevents the production of excess mucus. In addition, juice fasting helps the body remove dead cells and toxins while also supplying an abundance of nutrients the body uses to heal.

Raw juices are very alkaline and highly beneficial in creating acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues. The juices extracted from raw fruits and vegetables require no digestion so your digestive track, and indeed your whole body, gets a rest. Also, vital nutrients are assimilated directly in the bloodstream.

I hope you’ll be able to attend our Fall Retreat—September 20-25 at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in Spokane, WA.

Testimonies From Past Retreats

A life-changing event!

“It’s now been a month since I was on your Wellness Retreat, I didn’t want to comment as soon as I got back as I wasn’t sure if the benefits I experienced would be short lived and from the “high” of being there. Today, one month later, as I was walking through the mall, I noticed how energized I feel. My weight is down 10 pounds so far– 6 pounds were lost at the retreat..By the end of the retreat, my constant post nasal drip had cleared up 98 percent . Prior to the retreat,  I was feeling constantly anxious and overwhelmed. Now, I feel a sense of calmness. Thanks Fr. John. My blood pressure, which was in the dangerously high zone, is now in the pre-high blood pressure zone and is still improving.. And, I am not craving carbs from wheat any longer.”  ~ Eileen

“Thank you for an amazing week! 

This retreat was a chance to renew, nourish and connect, body, mind and spirit.  I learned how great our bodies can feel when we nourish them with “real” food. And how “delicious” that can be!  I also learned how our bodies work, and the amazing things they are capable of if we help them function the way they are meant to.  And I learned about connecting our minds to our hearts, the importance of this, and the part our attitudes and emotions play in our health.  Each part is important,  but if we want to live the lives we are truly capable of, no matter our circumstances, we need to do all three.  And Cherie and Father John teach and demonstrate how to do this!

Tiffany lost 8 pounds, gained 20 friends

Mere words cannot express my gratitude to Cherie, Fr. John, and Catherine for last week’s Trinity Wellness Retreat. I was first introduced to Cherie’s juicing through Dr. Mercola’s website and have been enjoying juicing for the past 18 months. When I read about the retreat, I knew it was exactly what I needed to take my juicing to the next level to provide a supportive environment for a week-long cleanse. The retreat exceeded my expectations off the chart! The classes I attended at the retreat were packed with juicing information and recipes, healthy lifestyle changes, and loving support. While weight loss was not my priority, I did return home 8 pounds lighter but far more important were the 20+ new friendships I gained! No matter if you are just starting out with juicing or have been embracing and enjoying it for years, you must treat yourself to this life changing experience!”

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