Ubud, Bali Retreat

24th October – 2nd November, 2013 – 9 nights

For comprehensive information on everything included in the retreat, please go to the Main Retreat Page

The Embracing Health Nine Day Detox, Healing & Raw Food Retreat in October 2013, is being held in beautiful Ubud, Bali. Our previous retreats in Bali have always been eight nights, but due to our guest feedback I have extended the retreat for one more day, so that guests can have a little more down-time to explore the fascinating area of Ubud. Ubud is known as the artistic and spiritual heart of Bali, it is away from the busy tourist centres and embodies the charm and simplicity of life in Bali. The people are warm and generous, the scenery is tropical and green, and you can feel the magic in the air. Ubud is very easy to get to; fly direct into Denpasar, Bali and we will organise transport to collect you at the airport, and take you right to the door of our retreat.

Book Now!

The venue that we are holding the retreat at is absolutely stunning! A delightful Balinese boutique resort only minutes from the main street of central Ubud, but set in quiet, lush gardens with everything we could possibly need for a amazing time together. Kori Ubud is a spectacular facility and we have booked the whole venue so that we are assured of having our own private space for the whole retreat. With beautifully tended gardens, two swimming pools, a spa, sun-decks and lounges, restaurant, yoga area, on-site Day Spa, conference facilities and an abundance of lovely staff to tend to our every need. Kori Ubud is a little slice of heaven in Bali.

The accommodation at Kori Ubud is of a very high standard. We have two rooms types on offer – single rooms or twin share, with the twin share rooms being very generous in size with beautiful big bathrooms. The single villa rooms all have quality appointments and also have lovely big bathrooms with bathtubs. All rooms have air-conditioning, private balconies, many rooms have mosquito nets over the bed, they all have a safety deposit box, robes and slippers and daily mineral water provided.

With this nine night retreat, we have found the perfect balance between activities, education, healing, rest and relaxation as well as showcasing beautiful Bali. We start each day with a yoga practice that caters for both beginners and more advanced participants, taken by our experienced and knowledgable yoga practitioner Oksana Sokol. Each day, through lectures and other activities, we learn more about the art of healing, detoxification, food as medicine, and the emotional aspects of life, as we also allow the Bali magic do its wonders, opening us up to new insights and inspirations.

The overall premise of the retreat is for you to have an experience of food as medicine, not just as a concept, but during this retreat you will be living it! Our Executive Chef is the acclaimed Cat Cannizzaro from WildRaw and she has designed a delectable menu, introducing you to the delights of gourmet raw food and showing you just how delicious eating this way can be. For the first five days we will be juice fasting, and each juice will be created using local organic produce, bringing in the medicinal properties of the foods and cleansing the body. After the fast we move into eating organic, raw vegan food, with Cat taking you through food preparation classes, teaching you how to make simple, but tasty dishes. You will be surprised at how easy the program is!

*Click on any of the photo collages to see a bigger view!

In Summary…

There is only one price to pay which includes everything you need for this 9 night luxury retreat. No add-ons, no surprises. Payment plans are available.

• Luxury accommodation for nine nights including airport transfers
• All food and drinks from Thursday evening to Saturday morning
• A five day juice and superfood smoothie fast
• Daily yoga classes – adapted for both beginners and experienced participants
• Three food preparation classes with our Raw Food Chef Extraordinaire Cat Cannizzaro from WildRaw
• A three hour transformational breathing session with Daniel Aaron
• Afternoon shopping trip to Seminyak for shopping
• Bali Cultural afternoon trip to a Sacred Water Temple & local charity
• Dinner at Fivelements Resort
• Angi Hotra Sacred Fire Ceremony
• Three traditional Balinese Deep Tissue Massages
• Two colonic hydrotherapy sessions
• Unlimited use of the sauna and resort facilities
• All workbooks and lecture notes
• A gift bag on arrival containing lots of free goodies valued at over $100!

(Flights, phone calls, and extra services are at your own expense)

Book NOW!

Please click on the “Book Now!” link to take you to the main webpage where you can scroll down and secure your place for just $250!

I look forward to seeing you there,

Leisa

I’ve been running the Embracing Health Detox, Healing & Raw Food Retreats for almost five years now, travelling around Australia and to Bali, teaching hundreds of people about the benefits of detoxification and sharing with them an incredible physical and emotional experience over the week of my retreats.

When I started up, there were very few people doing what I was doing – finding boutique resorts at different places around the country, and running retreats.

Nowadays however, there seems to have been a boom in the industry and all types of retreats and getaways are being started up everywhere – and as people are looking for a good quality retreat to cleanse and heal, I get asked about what makes the Embracing Health Retreats so different.

There are three main answers to that question and many points of distinction that are worth noting. For anyone wanting to do a genuine detox program and get the most out of a week or more away, these points become imperative when evaluating the type of program to engage in.

One of the first elements that I feel is important, is to do with qualifications. To me, qualifications are essential when you are putting your health into someone else’s hands and expecting them to guide you through a healing program. I have noticed so many people popping up these days running “wellness retreats” or “health coaching” programs, with no qualifications other than reading a few books and maybe doing a weekend course or a short correspondence course on health or “life coaching”.

Every time I hear about another unqualified person taking people through a health protocol, it scares me! These “pseudo-practitioners” are playing games with people’s health. I know from experience that many people who come to a detox retreat are very unwell, some suffering with quite severe or even terminal illnesses. They require special consideration with regards to their food, supplements and activities. This is a field where unqualified people can do much harm.

At the very minimum you want a qualified naturopath running your detoxification program. Naturopaths are not people who have read a few books and decided that eating healthfully is the latest craze, so let’s set up a business. We study for four years full-time, incorporating an incredible depth of study into anatomy and physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, nutrition, herbal medicine, and many, many other topics, as well as doing hundreds of hours of clinical practice before graduating. Even though a lot of what we talk about is shared in “layman’s terms” and we talk about everyday subjects such as food, the knowledge behind what we share is involved and complex.

I feel this is a very important point when looking into who is running your retreat program, or even someone who is coaching you or advising you on your health. Always, ALWAYS ask about the qualifications of the person who is advising you on your health – and if they don’t have any formal qualifications, then I would be very wary about taking their advice.

At the Embracing Health Retreats we have two highly-qualified naturopaths on staff, myself, who has been studying natural medicine for over twenty years and Rhianna Smith who works for Embracing Health and is a very talented naturopath. Rhianna has been on the Embracing Health team for over two years, and is a vital part of the retreats, consulting, supporting and sharing her wealth of knowledge.

The second element comes down to experience, and have knowledge about the detoxification process in great detail. Understanding what is happening in the body is so important – the processes it is going through, how to support the body properly through its cleansing, and how to also deal with the emotional aspects of detox that also occur. Again, if your retreat host has only attended a few retreats, or done a weekend workshop or two, that doesn’t give them the necessary training to be able to successfully work with people through a comprehensive program.

It is the depth of experience of your host, that becomes a huge asset as people journey through their detox experience and open to new insights and awareness of their body and their emotional health. To be able to trust their host, to have faith in their knowledge and ability, is a big part of a successful detox program.

My experience, for example, has not only been a lifelong journey of personal discovery which gives me a solid grounding in the healing world, but I spent years working as the naturopath at the Hippocrates Health Centre in Australia, a very strict raw detoxification program, coaching people and supporting them through the cleanse. Every day for several years, I was witness to, and intimately involved in people’s healing and recoveries.

Of course there were sad stories as well, with people that we couldn’t help, but I was privileged to witness and be a part of seeing almost every disease known to man resolve or improve. It was an amazing experience and one I will always be very grateful for. From there I went on to set up my own Embracing Health Retreats, and have spent another five years facilitating retreats and working with people as I educate them about detoxification, food as medicine and the emotional aspects of healing. It is this level of experience, consisting of over a decade immersing in the world of detoxification, that allows me to have such confidence in my program and know the sort of results that can be achieved.

Thirdly is the knowledge of what needs to be included in a comprehensive program and why. It’s all very well and good to put a few juices together and put people on a fast, but to get the best outcome, there needs to be a depth of understanding of the ingredients used and how they are put together to work on specific organs of the body to create a desired outcome.

This takes a lot of study into food as medicine, and a grounding in the biochemistry of how different elements in foods affect different systems and organs, and initiate biochemical reactions in the body. It is the same with utilising supplements and herbs into a program – years of study and working with hundreds of patients provides a deep understanding that comes from experience, which cannot be duplicated without those years of both study and practical research. This ensures that the Embracing Health program is based in a solid background of application and assessing the results, fine-tuning and perfecting the protocol. This is one of the reasons why we obtain such incredible results at these retreats, because every element involved in the retreat has a purpose to it.

Having a fully qualified and talented chef on the team is also an incredible asset that the Embracing Health Retreats have. WildRaw Chef Cat Cannizzaro is a chef by trade, who spent years working in the industry, starting as all chef’s do, as an apprentice and working her way through the ranks in five star hotel kitchens and gaining experience in all aspects of food preparation. From that solid basis of chef training, working with all manner of talented and renowned chef’s, she developed a passion and love for fresh, organic local produce, and developed into the field of raw food.

Being a qualified chef is very different from picking up raw food preparation from a few short courses or practicing raw food for family and friends, and then setting yourself up as a raw food preparation teacher or trainer. Again, as it is with naturopathy, it is the depth of training, the experience, the knowledge, and the application that makes a huge difference. Not just to the quality of the food being prepared, but in the ability to combine ingredients for their specific healing purposes and create dishes that are medicinal as well as delicious. That is not to say that there are not many, many talented people out there who have chosen to move into raw food preparation as a business – but when someone is looking for the best, there is no comparison between someone who is fully qualified, and someone who is not.

That point also shines through in the quality of the ancillary staff we bring in as a support team for the retreats, from the massage shaman’s who perform magic on the guests, to the yoga teachers who live and breathe their passion and inspire as they teach, to the guest lecturers who bring other elements of knowledge to share. Each person is hand selected for what they can bring to the experience of the retreat, taking the guests through a week long journey that opens them up to a new way of healing and a new way of seeing the world.

For me it comes down to those three main points of distinction – qualifications, experience, and application of knowledge. Knowing that the team leading you through a detox program, has such a depth of understanding, that you can be assured that you are getting the best information and knowledge available to guide you in your healing journey.

Leisa

One of the most common “irritating complaints” I see on a regular basis, are people struggling with the symptoms of Candida overgrowth. Unfortunately, the medical profession doesn’t really give much guidance when it comes to this problem. Patients of mine have actually been told “Well, that’s what you get for not eating enough yoghurt”. Others have been told; “it is not related to diet AT ALL”, and some people “are just susceptible to it!”. As a naturopath, these statements horrify me! Let me explain to you my naturopathic understanding of Candida, and what you can do to treat yourself starting now!

What Is Candida?

Candida albicans is a strain of yeast that occurs naturally in our body. Don’t worry, you haven’t caught Candida, it’s always there, existing as part of our microscopic ecology. Even if you never suffer from a flair up, such as a thrush infection, you will still have this yeast in your body at some level. When it grows out of control is when we see flair up symptoms. Candida is opportunistic, meaning if given the right environment it can grow out of balance and out of control. This yeast is very insidious; it can be difficult to bring back under control if it has had the chance to become imbedded in certain body tissues. Which is why we often see recurrent flair ups, or hard to treat infections. It can affect numerous parts of the body including the mouth, ears, nose, nails, gastrointestinal tract and vagina.

Because of this wide involvement, symptoms of a Candida infection can be varied. Some of these symptoms include constipation, headaches, memory loss, nasal and sinus congestion, fatigue, kidney and bladder infections, low mood, food allergies, hypothyroidism, adrenal problems and thrush. This is not to say that Candida is the only or primary cause of these complaints, but it has been shown to have an association. It has also been linked to cancer, a huge reason to get it under control as soon as possible!

Why Does it Overgrow?

Candida feeds on sugar. If there is an imbalance in our body’s friendly bacteria, sugars in our diet are not metabolized properly and Candida can flourish. This is where it can get difficult (and not very fun!). EVERYTHING we eat is broken down in our digestive tracts into glucose…. Yes that’s SUGAR! So does that mean we can’t eat anything? NO!!!!!!!!! What it does mean is that if we want to reduce the population of Candida in our bodies, we have to be very careful about the amount and availability of sugars in the foods we are eating. We need to cut out the simple sugars from our diet and reduce our carbohydrate intake to help starve the yeasts. If they don’t have easy access to food, they die!

Starving Candida

The traditional “anti-Candida diet” has been around for years! And the reason it has survived for so long is that it really does work! It is an invaluable tool in helping to control Candida outbreaks, and although it may be a “boring” way of eating, the pros will often outweigh the cons for may chronic Candida sufferers. An anti-Candida diet can be used for weeks, or months. Each person will have his or her own needs, based on their history, lifestyle and current health.

Sometimes it is best not to put a time limit on this way of eating, but rather use how you feel as your guide. Initially, strict adherence to this way of eating is needed to reduce high Candida numbers, but over time you may be able to relax the rules and bring in some of the initial foods you need to avoid. When we aim to starve Candida, we need to cut back its food source as discussed above. This means cutting out 100% of:

• Simple sugars- cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, rapadura, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, coconut nectar, agave syrup, fructose, rice syrup, malt syrup, beet syrup and carob syrup.
• Fruit- this includes all fresh fruit, all dry fruit and fruit juices.
• Some vegetables- corn, peas, pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, all vegetable juices.
• Simple carbohydrates- wheat products, processed white rice products, white rice, gluten-containing products, all refined products including pasta, bread, biscuits, cakes, slices, wraps, crackers etc.
• Alcohol- all alcohols.
• Dairy products- all animal milks, cheeses, butters, creams and yoghurts.
• Some condiments- vinegar (excluding apple cider), soy sauce, anything with gluten, sugar or dairy.

So What Can I Eat?

Basically, you diet should consist of lots of vegetables, protein and complex carbohydrates like quinoa, brown rice, millet, buckwheat etc. Meals can take a little getting used to but they will fill you up and help starve the Candida. Don’t forget to take a supply of nuts and seeds with you everywhere in case you feel peckish. When eating out, you can usually order a salad and meat with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. You will have to get used to asking what is in your meal- EVERYTHING HAS SUGAR! You will be horrified by all the sugar hidden in your diet! Watch out for sauces, marinades, and dressings- sugar hides here! Most places are very accommodating so don’t be afraid to ask for a simple meal that suits your dietary needs. It’s not hard for most restaurants to grill some fish or meat with pepper and salt and lemon juice and provide you with steamed veggies or an undressed salad. Remember food allergies and intolerances are becoming more common in our society, so if you feel uncomfortable, just say you have food allergies!

Killing Candida:

There are many ways we can help eradicate Candida through food as medicine. When Candida dies, they release many toxins, which may cause us to feel worse initially. Common symptoms include bloating, headaches, tiredness, irritability, low immunity and nausea. These are good signs because we know the Candida is dying, but we do need to try and reduce these symptoms in the first week or two. Initial Candida die-off is a bit of a double-edged sword. But don’t worry; this won’t be a problem after about 2 weeks. Making sure the liver and bowels are functioning optimally is the best way to avoid the die off symptoms. The ways to kill and remove Candida are listed below.

1. Antifungal

Garlic is nature’s antimicrobial/antibiotic. It is one of the few things Candida does not get resistant to, and therefore can be taken for long periods. It is also high in glutathione, an antioxidant very active in slowing down aging in our body. Garlic should be eaten fresh or slightly cooked. Add crushed garlic into a dish after it comes off the stove, or chop it into pill like cubes and swallow it. 2-4 cloves a day is best. Take it at night to help avoid garlic breath.

Coconut Oil contains caprylic acid, which has been shown to liquefy Candida from the inside out! You can use it in cooking or add it to meals. 1-2 dessert spoons are needed per day.

Green Tea inhibits the adherence of the yeast cells onto the wall of the gut and can therefore be antifungal. 2 or 3 cups per day is enough. Do not drink this before bed, as the caffeine can be stimulating.

2. Protect and Repair

Fish oil can help repair the damage caused by yeasts and help prevent a further infestation. Making sure the diet is high is oily fish, sardines, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and flaxseed oil can increase the essential fatty acid levels in your body. You may need a good quality fish oil supplement to initially boost your EPA/DHA levels.

Glutamine can help heal the damage caused by Candida, and help heal up the gut to help prevent leaky gut which may cause Candida outbreaks.

Fibre, both soluble and insoluble can prevent future outbreaks through maintaining good bowel health. Preventing constipation is important because Candida can thrive in any matter staying in the bowel for long periods of time. Insoluble fibre like psyllium husks, chia seeds and vegetable fire acts as a broom and sweeps out wastes, while soluble fibre like slippery elm, and vegetable pectin’s provide nutrients for the good bowel flora to feed on.

Water, in 1-2 litres per day will help flush out toxins. Drinking Dandelion tea, Pau D’arco tea and other herbal detox teas can also be helpful. Make sure they are all caffeine free.

3. Killing Herbs

Phellodendron, this herb has replaced Pau D’arco in many naturopathic products aimed at Candida. Although Pau D’arco is still effective as an antifungal, it has been classed as endangered and therefore not used in preparations for sustainability reasons.

Thyme, usually used in oil form in naturopathic capsules, this immune boosting herb also kills fungus and bacteria due to its essential oil content.

Oregano, another oil used in the treatment of yeast infections. This very strong tasting oil can be very unpleasant on its own, and is best taken in capsule form under the care of your naturopath.

Horopito, this herb from New Zealand can help restore the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract while reducing Candida numbers. Discuss the use of this herb with your naturopath.

4. Getting the Good Guys!

Probiotics, you may need to take a multi-strain course of probiotics, after your initial killing phase to help top up your good bacteria levels and help prevent further outbreaks.

Saccharomyces boulardii is a non-colonising yeast that can help reduce the Candida colonies in the gastrointestinal tract. It may not be suitable in severely immune compromised patients, so please discuss this option with your naturopath.

Fermented Foods can be a great way to feed the good guys and keep their colonies high. Use sauerkraut, kim chi, and kefir after you have improved.

Candida is a complex problem, especially when it becomes chronic. There are many aspects of this condition that have not been touched on, such as the emotional, parasitic and hormonal involvement in this complaint. Working hand in hand with your naturopath will give you the best chance to get Candida under control and keep it there! You may wish to get a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis test to discover the health of your good bacteria, and the level of Candida you have in your digestive tract. Candida IS treatable, it is not something you just have to put up with. You can take the first steps towards conquering Candida now!

Rhianna

“Enduring, Radiant Health” Talk & Book Signing

Gabriel Cousens, M.D. is considered to be a leading medical doctor in the holistic medicine and raw and living food movements today.  In this lecture, Dr Cousens will present new insights on how to use a lifestyle based on organic, plant-source foods in their live, natural state, plus other complementary practices, to create a life full of vitality and joy.

When?

Wednesday March 13th 2013
6:30pm Book Signing
7:00pm Lecture
9:00pm Optional Meditation

Where?

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Grey Street Boulevarde Auditorium
Boulevarde Level Cnr Merivale & Glenelg Streets
Southbank, Brisbane QLD 4101

Contact & Tickets:

Lotus Holistic Medicine
P.O. Box 1113 Buderim QLD 4556
(07) 5313 3577
admin@lotusholisticmedicine.com.au
www.lotusholisticmedicine.com.au

All tickets for this event are $49.00

“Leading Integrative Medical Doctor Reversing the Diabetes Epidemic”

Diabetes is the world’s fastest growing chronic disease. It is estimated that 280 Australians develop diabetes every day. Close to 2 million Australians already have diabetes and half of these are yet to be diagnosed. The incidence in Australia of diagnosed diabetes is increasing by 8-10% every year.

According to Diabetes Australia the total financial cost of type 2 diabetes is estimated at $10.3 billion and as Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease and the sixth leading cause of death in the country it is vital that people are educated about how they can take action to prevent developing it.

Dr Gabriel Cousens, an integrative medical doctor from The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Centre in Arizona, USA reverses type 2 diabetes as a matter of routine. His 21-day “Reversing Diabetes Program” which includes a vegan living food diet, claims a 53% instant success rate in reversing type 2 diabetes totally. Type 2 is the form of diabetes which is developed later in life and is associated with a poor diet and lifestyle habits and obesity; it’s the type of disease that we live ourselves into. Type 1 diabetes is generally contracted in childhood and is an auto-immune problem where the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed, causing the person to become dependent on insulin injections.

Oscar winning director James Cameron recently announced that he and his entire family were now vegans, citing that to be a meat eating environmentalist is an oxymoron. He, along with a growing number of celebrities including tennis champions Venus & Serena Williams, Russell Brand, Jason Mraz and Woody Harrelson are proudly extolling the virtues and benefits of consuming a plant based diet for health, ethical and environmental reasons.

Lotus Holistic Medicine is honoured to present the return to Australia of one of the world’s leading authorities on plant based living, Dr Gabriel Cousens. The New York Times describes Dr Cousens as “the fasting guru and detoxification expert” and his last visit here sparked a great deal of interest in the health, environmental and spiritual benefits of transitioning to a living foods diet.

Celebrity actor Woody Harrelson has stated, “In my mind, Gabriel Cousens is probably the greatest living health practitioner.”

Dr Gabriel Cousens “Enduring Radiant Health” Brisbane Lecture will take place at 6.30pm on Wednesday March 13^th at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Tickets can be purchased at: www.lotusholisticmedicine.com.au/events or phone: 07 5352 3468

Leisa

Embracing Health currently has about 1600 likes on Facebook and I really, really would love to get to 2000! So if you haven’t already, take a moment to go to my Facebook page and click the “Like” button. It’s an easy way to stay in touch and ensure you always get the latest information and know what we’re up to! As soon as we hit 2000 likes, one person will be drawn, to win the awesome prize pack below!

If you  have already liked us on Facebook, make sure you let your friends know about the competition, if they win, they might be nice enough to share their goodies with you!

Included in the Power Super Foods prize pack are…

• A 900g of Premium Magnesium Bath Crystals – beautiful for a relaxing bath
• A 100g pack of Superblast Antioxidant blend – including Macqui, Pomegranate & Goji powders
• A 100g pack of Acai Berry powder

Good luck, and make sure you like the page so you don’t miss out on being in the draw!

Leisa

I first learned about the principles of Earthing from David Wolfe – and it makes so much sense! In nature, we would continually be connected to the earth, we would walk on it, live on it, sleep on it. It is only today with our modern ability to keep us off the ground, that has taken us into a total state of disconnection from its healing force.

My friend Anand Wells is holding some great events over the coming weeks, where you can learn about how to stay earthed, even in the most modern environment – and if you put the code EHfree into the box upon check-out – you can go for free!

The Global Phenomenon of Earthing; Healing the body with the Earth’s electrons
A talk and demonstration with Anand Wells

For decades new-age gurus have referred in a vaguely hopeful way to “the healing power of the Earth”. Recent scientific research has found proof that the Earth can indeed heal us – in a very basic and profound way.

Discover how by connecting to the Earth’s electrical field you can:

• Reduce pain and inflammation
• Thin blood and improve blood pressure and flow
• Improve sleep
• Reduce stress
• Increases energy
• Relieves muscle tension and headaches
• Lessons hormonal and menstrual symptoms
• Dramatically speed healing
• Reduce or eliminate jet lag
• Protect the body against potentially harmful electromagnetic fields (EMF’s)
• Accelerates recovery from intense athletic activity

Grounding yourself is as simple as walking barefoot on the grass and for times when this is not possible we will be demonstrating how you can now Earth yourself while indoors via conductive grounding devices. During the events Anand will be sharing the fascinating history and science behind Earthing as well as some doing some revealing, fun experiments that will demonstrate:

• just how electrically conductive the human body is (we are literally walking antennas) 
• how Earthing dramatically drops body voltage
• how to test, measure and minimise Electromagnetic Frequencies in your environment using Gauss and Radio frequency meters
• how Earthing can normalise blood pressure and viscosity.

At all the events we will have top live blood microscopists, who will be taking blood from five or six lucky participants before and after (being Earthed) and we will get to see first hand the changes that occur to blood when we are grounded on the big screen. You will also learn how live blood analysis works for diagnosing and treating patients.

There are three prerequisites to having your blood analysed on the day:

- 1/ you must have a known health issue 

- 2/ you can’t be already Earthing on a regular basis

- 3/ you need to come and have a blood sample taken at 12.30pm on the day of the event and stay until 4pm to have another blood sample taken after being Earthed for a few of hours.

If you want to be one of the lucky few to participate in the live blood microscopy, please contact Anand via his website, prior to the event. The change in volunteers blood profiles after being Earthed at the first event in 2012 were nothing short of dramatic!

All events run from 2pm – 5.30pm

- Brisbane Sunday 3rd of March 2013 – Paddington Centre

- Adelaide Sunday 31st Of March 2013 – The Ballroom, Hindmarsh.

- Sydney April 2013- TBA

If you get the chance to go along to the event, I would highly recommend it – Anand is a wealth of knowledge and will take you on an amazing Earthing adventure!

Leisa

Yesterday I happened to come across a video of a song that was performed at the Academy Awards a day or two ago called “I Saw Your Boobs”. And it made me really angry. You might ask why someone who writes about health, food as medicine, nutrition and emotional healing, wants to write about a song that was meant to be a piece of comedy related to an industry that I have nothing to do with – however I see this so called “light-hearted” sketch as having much broader repercussion, as a statement about women.

Now you might say that I’ve just lost my sense of humour. Maybe in this instance that is true, but I know I normally have a fantastic sense of humour - sometimes it’s pretty way out there and I find humour in many varied situations – so I honestly don’t think it’s that simple. This song triggered in me a whole cascade of thoughts that I want to share here. At the very least it will be food for thought for some who may have just had a laugh and moved on!

For those who haven’t seen it or heard about it, the host of the award show sang a song (above) about actresses and the movies they have been in where they showed their boobs. This disturbed me on so many levels. Being in the natural health industry, and interested in so many more interesting subjects than what is going on in Hollywood (as with most of my readers) - movie stars and their lives don’t really rate much of mention on my radar. But I can’t disregard the fact that Hollywood has a huge influence over our modern culture. What happens in Hollywood, the themes, the direction of the latest movies, what gets the most press, what wins awards - is all determined by mainly powerful, rich, white men in a capitalist society, manipulating the world into seeing their version of reality. To my way of thinking, it is a pretty sick and twisted version that is most often represented.

Not only do we have “sex and violence” used in the same sentence as issues of equal importance when it comes to rating movies and determining what will be too “damaging” for young eyes, when we do see sexuality on screen it is very rarely infused with anything resembling a higher level of love, awareness and spirituality. This bastardised form of sex that is promoted in Hollywood, shows the depth of disengagement people have from their bodies, and has twisted healthy sexuality into something that is often depraved. We see that acted out in our culture on a regular basis.

With the Academy Awards being watched by millions of viewers as the industry is showcased around the world, this sort of humour cannot be written off as simply a bad taste joke. A lot of behind the scenes thought would have gone into it, the segment would have to have been approved, and there would be much more to the psychology of using that song than most people would be aware of. This is big business and a multi-billion dollar industry, nothing would be left to chance.

The song reduced the actresses to boobs. Infantile, shallow, degrading, reductionist. As if the women being sung about had no more value than their breasts. For sure, these women are not doing brain surgery and saving lives everyday, but they are living their passion in life, they are brilliant at what they do, they bring in billions of dollars to their industry, they take roles that highlight important topics like domestic violence, mental illness, endurance and love in all it’s many facets - and they are philanthropic, doing more for charity and good causes than most. So to objectify these women and make up a song about them showing their boobs on film, is to reduce these women to nothing more than one body part. It doesn’t hold them up as creative, inspiring, intelligent individuals, but reduces them to just their boobs.

The flow-on effect of this is a culture that continually makes it OK to objectify women. To value them on their looks alone. I can’t tell you how many women I have seen in clinic who hate their body, who diet, starve, binge and punish themselves for not looking a certain way. They may be unwell, they may have huge stresses and suffering in their lives, but it is the way they look that consumes them. Where does this idea come from? And who is perpetuating it?

Humour is essential in this life, but for me, humour that is representative of an insidious theme of devaluing people, is not funny at all. In Patricia Evan’s book The Verbally Abusive Relationship, one of the characteristics and categories of verbal abuse is termed “Verbal Abuse Disguised as Jokes”. She states “Abuse disguised as a joke is a category of verbal abuse which all of the women I interviewed experienced… This kind of abuse is not done in jest. It cuts to the quick, touches the most sensitive areas, and leaves the abuser with a look of triumph. This abuse never seems funny because it isn’t funny. Disparaging comments disguised as jokes often refer to the feminine nature of the partner, to her intellectual abilities, or to her competency.”

I’m not trying to say that the song is “abusive”, however the parallels are there. Abuse themed “as a joke” is pervasive in our society and is used as a common way to denigrate others.

Seeing as the host of the awards also made jokes about domestic violence, it normalises these topics in the eyes of the general public. Domestic violence and reducing talented women to nothing more than breasts, becomes funny and “normal”. Does anyone else not see the deeper ramifications of normalising these behaviours and attitudes? Am I the only one that found this song to be representative of something greater than it appeared to be? What were your thoughts when you heard it? Just a laugh and that it meant very little, or did you see something more in it? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Rant over

Leisa

I just wanted to pass on some information on a great event that is happening in Sydney on the 10th of March.  It is called the Happiness Class and is run by Carl Massy, author of The Guidebook to Happiness, and someone who I know personally and respect.

Carl not only knows the science of happiness, the integration of body-mind-emotions, and how to get results with his coaching clients; but he is 100% heart and is all about helping people to experience more joy and fulfillment in their lives. He also has a lot of energy and is so passionate when he presents. So I know you will get a lot out of his presentation. The other thing is that coming from a corporate planning and training background he sets his events up to have a specific before and after element, so you get the best long-term results.

You can check out this flyer with all the details or go this this link http://www.worldsbiggestgym.com/carlmassy/workshops to see a short video he made up and all the details. I think the Happiness Class is focused at women (because there will be talk about emotions and feelings and love), but I am sure if a guy is cool with those words then he is more than welcome.

If you get along, let me know how it goes too!

Leisa

Carl Massy is a good friend of mine and you can check out his website and blog here!

Yesterday, on a mainstream news website, came this story “Women with high levels of calcium are at twice the risk of dying from heart disease“, a fact that naturopath’s have known for quite some time, but has been soundly ignored by medical professionals and the media.

How often do we hear of a woman being diagnosed with osteoporosis, and being told by their doctor to take high-dose calcium supplements? This comes straight from the medical mind-set of “one pill for one ill”, as if calcium is the only mineral that bones are made of, and that taking extra will fix the problem. There is so much wrong with this way of thinking, and we are seeing the consequences of that with the increased risk of heart disease from calcium supplementation becoming more widely publicised.

As I wrote in a previous blog post: A Calcium Supplement Problem – Serious as a Heart Attack” – “Anyone who has listened to David Wolfe’s Longevity Now! Program, or been to one of his live events, would be familiar with his stance on calcium supplements and the danger they pose to our health. We have been told for decades we need extra calcium to support our bones and prevent osteoporosis, however nothing could be further from the truth. Osteoporosis is a complex and multi-faceted disorder, and not one that can simply be corrected by adding in extra calcium supplements or increasing your dairy intake.

More important than calcium for bones, are the minerals magnesium, boron, silica and zinc; we need good levels of vitamin D, adequate protein intake, good hydration, an alkaline diet, hormone balance, and weight-bearing exercise to support our bone strength and to prevent osteoporosis, much more than any dangerous calcium supplement. And as this article below shows, calcium supplementation increases your risk of heart attack and cancer, not to mention painful calcification in other areas of the body such as joints and soft tissue.”

The article from the Daily Mail website states: “Women with high calcium levels are at twice the risk of dying from heart disease than those with ‘normal’ levels, scientists warn.
 
New research adds to evidence that calcium supplements could be doing more harm than good in people with adequate intakes by overloading the body. Hundreds of thousands of women over 50 take supplements for preventing osteoporosis, or thinning bones. But the latest research shows women with calcium intakes at least double the recommended level are at high risk of death from all causes, particularly cardiovascular disease.
 
Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden studied 61,443 Swedish women aged 50 and over for an average of 19 years, including their calcium intake from diet and supplements. Average intake among those with lowest levels was 572mg per day (the equivalent of five slices of cheese), rising to 2,137mg per day among those consuming most. Results showed that over the 19 years, 11,944 women (17 per cent) died: 3,862 of these (32 per cent) died from cardiovascular disease, 1932 (16 per cent) from heart disease and 1100 (8 per cent) from stroke. The highest rates of all-cause, cardiovascular and heart disease were observed among those with a dietary calcium intake higher than 1400mg per day. In addition, researchers observed higher death rates among women with an intake below 600mg per day.
 
Women whose daily calcium exceeded 1400mg and also used supplements had a higher death rate than those not taking supplements – the risk was double compared with a daily intake of 600-999mg. The Food Standards Agency recommends adults have 700mg of calcium a day, which should come from dietary sources including milk, cheese and green, leafy vegetables. Researchers claim the way supplements increase the levels of calcium circulating in the blood appears to have a ‘flooding’ effect which might be harmful. Dietary calcium taken in small amounts is absorbed slowly, and efforts should be made to boost intake in people eating too little, they say.
 
There have been conflicting results from past research, with some studies finding high calcium intakes increase the risk of heart death among men and women while others have failed to show a link.”

This is why a holistic approach to healing is absolutely necessary. As naturopath’s, we understand that the human body does not have parts in isolation. We an integrated system, and what happens in one part of the body, affects every other part. We also do not conform to the “one pill for one ill” way of thinking, knowing that there are thousands of factors involved in the maintenance of health. To take a calcium pill to halt osteoporosis is a reductionist way of thinking and doesn’t take into account the complex processes involved in building healthy bone. And the side-effects of this way of thinking are now being seen.

Stay away from calcium supplements, and look to food as medicine to serve your nutritional needs. If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, then consult a qualified and experienced naturopath – such as the service we provide at Embracing Health – and look at a comprehensive healing program that encompasses a lot more than calcium, for a true healing, without the dangerous side-effects.

Leisa

The recent article about a 30 year old mother whose death was caused by too much Coca-Cola saddens me on so many levels. It is a tragedy for a woman in the prime of her life to leave behind eight children and a husband for any reason. It is disgusting that Coca-Cola is not admitting that 10 litres of Coke consumption per day could possibly be responsible for this young woman’s death. And it is also terribly sad that anyone could think that 10 litres of Coke consumption per day could possibly be healthy.

Some people are calling for warning labels to be placed on food and beverage items to help prevent this kind of needless loss. Personally, I believe we need to take it back to the grass roots and start educating ourselves and our children about healthy eating.

We live in a Western society that is rife with obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. We rely on “modern medicine” to save us with the “magic pill” (or should I say pills) as soon as thing start going pear-shaped. We pour bucket loads of money into researching new drugs, new surgeries and new treatments for these diseases, but we don’t stop for a moment, and look at education as a powerful tool for prevention!

Every condition mentioned above can either be prevented, treated, or improved by a healthy lifestyle and educated food and beverage choices. Let’s stop focusing on treatment and start working on prevention!

The drug companies don’t want this happening of course; without illness they have no income. They need to sell a pill to gain a buck. So prevention is in YOUR hands! It has to be up to the individual to start this huge ball rolling.

Simple steps to start:
• Everything in moderation- even 10L of water per day will be deadly
• Keep it simple- you don’t have to create masterpieces with 100 ingredients to have a delicious meal e.g. steamed veggies with olive oil and garlic and grilled fish with pepper and lemon- Yum!!
• Start from scratch- cook with whole foods, if you can’t identify what is was in nature, don’t eat it!
• If it’s not a word used in modern language don’t eat it- stay away from foods that contain scary chemical names and numbers
• Listen to your body- symptoms such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, etc mean something is wrong. Your body is trying to tell you something. Go to your natural healthcare practitioner to gain insight.

No matter where you are in life, you can always turn over a new leaf. You may need some help initially, but as soon as those lessons are learn, you can go on to spread the word and share your knowledge with others. Teach your children, your family, your friends. If enough people become aware and start caring about health, we can make some of the biggest, most amazing changes our world has ever seen!

Click here for the full article about this sad story:

“Drinking too much Coke killed mother of eight Natasha Harris, a New Zealand coroner has found. Ms Harris drank up to 10 litres of Coke every day – equal to more than twice the recommended safe daily limit of caffeine and almost 1 kilogram of sugar.

She died aged 30, on February 25, 2010, from a cardiac arrest. Her partner, Christopher Hodgkinson, found her seated on the toilet, slumped against the wall and gasping for air.

                       Photo: Supplied

Natasha Harris, who died in February 2010, after drinking up to 10 litres of Coke a day. Coca-Cola has argued that the huge quantities of Coke drunk daily by Ms Harris day could not be proven to have contributed to her death. But in findings released on Tuesday, New Zealand coroner David Crerar said Ms Harris would not have died if it wasn’t for her dependence on Coke.

‘‘I found that, when all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died.’’ Read more here:

Do you think junk-food needs to have warning labels? Is there enough education already about the health dangers of soft-drinks and junk-food?

Rhianna