One of the most amazing results I witnessed when working as the Naturopath at Hippocrates Health Centre, was the resolution of arthritic pain in less than a week.

I would see people come in on heavy pain medication, stiff, with limited mobility, often with swollen inflamed joints - and after going through a juice fast and detoxification process, they left the retreat with less or no pain, no medication, greater mobility and a reverence for the power of raw food in the healing process.

In arthritis we often find a ‘hot” or acidic condition with inorganic calcium deposits solidifying cartilage and ligaments, restricting movement and causing pain and inflammation.

Juice fasting for a period of time, and then incorporating juices into the diet on a daily basis, can help to break down the accumulation of waste deposits and regenerate the cartilage and joints.

Watermelon is a beautiful alkalising and cleansing juice, and can be of great benefit to hot conditions that need cooling.  Watermelon is a natural diuretic and kidney tonic and after just a few days on watermelon juice, many arthritic patients report an amazing amount of pain relief.

Celery juice is another healing remedy, very high in natural sodium which helps to maintain calcium balance and can facilitate waste excretion.

Carrot juice is highly nutritious and helps in the regeneration process of the cartilage and joints, while green juices such as wheatgrass or barley grass provide essential nutrients and chlorophyll.

Of course correcting the factors that led to the arthritic condition in the first place are important, such as a processed food diet, consumption of inorganic calcium, lack of movement and exercise, stress and poor digestion resulting in a low amount of mineral absorption.

A good detox can put you on the path to recovery and give you fast intial results that inspire you to continue the lifestyle and dietary changes that bring you relief.

You can find out more about detoxification in my July / August newsletter, or you can come to the Embracing Life! Retreat  and experience the benefits of it for yourself!

I am very happy to be announcing the launch of my fantastic health retreat experience, the Embracing Life!
Six Day Detox, Healing and Renewal Retreat.  My passion in life is to spend time with people dedicated to
learning about health and healing, and there is nothing better that doing that with a group of like-minded people in a beautiful luxury setting.
 
You can read more about this exceptional retreat experience below, and you will find more detailed information, and how to book in for the retreat, at my website: www.EmbracingHealth.com.au/retreat
 
The first of these retreats is being held on the Sunshine Coast of QLD in September, and if you are quick, there is an early-bird special for 6 lucky people who book and pay for the retreat in July.

I’ve put the retreat blurb below for you to have a bit of a read of - and you can also register your interest to have a retreat held in your area at the website.  I look forward to many of you joining me for a great week of detoxing, fun, relaxation, laughter and fantastic food!

Leisa Wheeler, founder of Embracing Health, is proud to announce the creation of a fresh, innovative style of luxury health retreat.  Departing from the rigid ways of “right” and “wrong” that have pervaded the older mind-sets of healing, Leisa has brought to life a new approach to the concept of a healing retreat - designing a program that empowers participants with knowledge that opens them to a higher awareness of what healing really means.

Not bound by any one strict doctrine, Leisa has woven together the best of the natural medicine world, blending the fields of detoxification, the secrets of superfoods,  the art of raw vegan gourmet cuisine, and the healing power of whole foods, into a delightful six day living experience of food as medicine.

Healing with whole food is only one part of the Embracing Life! Retreat, where as much emphasis is placed on feeding the mind,  understanding the emotions, and nurturing the soul, as in supporting the body.

Daily lectures on a range of health subjects cut through the confusion; yoga and meditative walks centre the mind; healing massage soothes the body; discussions on the role of emotional healing provides sustenance for the soul; and plenty of personal time gives you the space to really rest…

With dedicated attention to every detail of your six day renewal retreat, you will find the information, the luxury settings in exclusive boutique resorts around Australia, the food, the support, the whole experience – will surpass every expectation you ever had about what a week in a healing space should be.

You deserve to take some time out, to experience the divine combination of pampering, detoxification, education, rest and inspiration that a week with Leisa and her team will bring.

We look forward to seeing you there…

This is a great idea for people who don’t have the time to read, or would like to read a comprehensive review of a book before they purchase it.

Mike Adams from Natural News and Kevin Gianni of Renegade Health have put together a site called Health Book Summaries to provide exactly that - a summary of some of the latest books on health and fitness.

They’ve already got some great books in their library for you to check out, and you can join for free to receive e-mail alerts when they add a new book to their catalogue.

Have a look www.healthbooksummaries.com  

With stress being the causative factor in so many degenerative health conditions, part of my philosophy on healing is to lower and manage stress through various techniques.

I talk to people about the benefits of regular exercise in stress reduction, we talk about resolving and working on the emotional aspects of stress, we can look at using herbs and supplements that support our body and help us adapt to stress - but one tool that I think is essential, is meditation.

Now when I say that to most people, they have a vision of having to sit cross legged on the floor, eyes closed, and “OM” for a half an hour while the mind races and reminds us of all the other things we could be doing.  For most people this style of meditation doesn’t suit, and causes more stress that it relieves.

There are many people who do have the discipline and interest to study and learn these type of techniques, such as Transcendental Meditation, yet for many of us, we try, we get bored,  and we’re not really that interested.  We may practice that style of meditation for a while, and then we give up and move on.

Because the benefits of meditation are so numerous - physically, mentally and spiritually - it is important to include in out lives - but we need to find a style of meditation that suits us, and that doesn’t mean sitting cross legged on the floor.

All sorts of practices can move us into that meditative state, where our mind has switched off and we have a heightened but peaceful awareness and connection.  Often that comes doing something we love that we are so focused on that we lose the racing mind and enter another state.

I realised that yesterday when I spend some time with some horses - my mind was still, I was immersed in what I was doing, and I was definitely in a meditative state for quite a while.  When I had finished with the horses I felt rested, alert, energetic and very calm.  That is the state that helps us be healthy, and the more often we can access that, the better for our stress levels.

So meditation doesn’t have to be a cliche.  We can find that meditative space doing all sorts of things - surfing, horse-riding, gardening, walking in nature, yoga - often it will be found when you are doing something you love.

Being healthy doesn’t mean we have to do things that are difficult that we don’t enjoy just because we think they’re good for us.   Happiness keeps us healthy, and if we are aware of what brings us to a peaceful, joyous space, then that is what we need to do.

I know I’ll be spending a lot more time with horses - what is that you will do?

I regularly receive a newsletter from Matt Monarch, raw food guru, and in his latest e-mail he links to a great radio show, “Vitality” on Tribeca Radio.

He was interviewed by the hosts of the show, about raw foods, cleansing and his spiritual experiences with the raw diet - it’s great to hear about other people’s experiences and philosophies.

The radio show also has some other great interviews with people such as David Wolfe and Fred Bisci with links to many more programs on health and wellness.

Check it out here!