Tired of throwing away rotten food?

FreshPaper will keep your food fresher for longer!

It's always a pain when food spoils faster than you can eat it.  Picking out the right produce is not always easy.  Just the other week I bought organic peaches from Trader Joe's and one of them didn't even last 3 days in my fruit bowl where it was supposed to ripen.  It just went from 'as hard as a rock' to moldy and I missed my window to have my daughter eat it.  At least it was only one peach and I could save the rest.  But the waste of both money and food bothered me so I went online to see what could be done and I found FreshPaper.  

I have been in awe of how these little sheets of paper work! I don't know exactly how but the results speak for themselves.  My strawberries stay fresh for twice as long and basil, which I never go through fast enough and always have to throw out, lasted long enough for me to use it all!

It was developed by a woman who experimented in her garage after visiting her grandmother in India.  Her grandmother made her a special tea while she was there and the woman could feel the health benefits from it.  After she came home and was interested in helping the food economy the woman used  the herbs in the paper and started selling them at local Farmer's Markets and the rest is history!  

She also has one to keep bread fresher longer which I haven't used yet.  I don't have a need since it's not something I buy but if you use it please let me know how your experience was.  The feedback is valuable to other patients!

It's $10 for a monthly supply which she estimates will save you $50.  I appreciate the savings and am so grateful to not have the waste. I promise, you will too!  I have some packages at the office for your convenience if you want to get them there.  

Book on Chakras

Harmony in Chakras

Dr. Armitstead is fortunate enough to have collaborated with other healing professionals in writing a book about Chakras.  Here is a short excerpt from the chapter she wrote in Harmony in Chakras:

I will never forget the first time I worked with chakra energy in my office.  Sarah was a 34 year old woman suffering from anxiety and depression.  I had been working with her for about 6 weeks on dietary and lifestyle changes and designing a clinical nutrition program with whole food supplements to help her.  She was reporting a little improvement but it wasn’t the progress I was expecting.
In my healing work I use muscle testing as a tool to help identify what nutritional support the body needs to heal.  Using muscle testing I screen for heavy metals, heavy chemicals, immune stressors like bacteria, viruses, fungus, and parasites and food sensitivities using homeopathic vials. Any of those things can cause an imbalance in the body and can lead to symptoms; in Sarah’s case, depression and anxiety.  
Muscle testing is based on quantum physics. E=mc2. So if energy equals mass times the speed of light squared then anything with mass has energy and we are using that energy and muscle testing to get a response from the body. This response allows us to know what energy is disrupting the body and make very specific lifestyle and supplement recommendations for that person based on the muscle testing. 
I had been using this technique for years and seen great results with depression and anxiety so when Sarah came in that day and wasn’t getting the results I expected I wanted to go deeper into the emotional component with her about her anxiety and depression and since muscle testing is my tool I decided to muscle test the chakras for the first time and see what would happen.  
Up to this point I knew what chakras were from a very superficial point.  I knew they were energy centers in the body each correlating with certain emotions.  The red one had to do with feeling safe and being at home in your body, the orange one had to do with our sexuality…and so forth.  I wasn’t even sure of the proper names, just the colors.  I had seen pendulums used before in testing chakras so I thought if pendulums can pick it up then maybe muscle testing can too.  So this time instead of muscle testing the organs, with Sarah’s permission, I put my hand in the energy center just a half-inch off the body to see what would happen.  To my surprise, but I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising, the body responded!

To get your signed copy of the book and learn more about Chakras and how I muscle test them come to the book launch on

Thursday, August 9th, 530-7pm
Skinny Bar and Lounge at
174 Orchard St, NY NY 10002
Event details

Book details

PSYCH-K, How to change your belief systems for better health!

Healing Belief Systems

I'm a big believer in mind over body even though I work with the body every day. It is actually my respect for the body and the healing journey that allows me to have such respect for the mind as well.  When a patient comes to me and tells me that they can't sleep because their job is so stressful I believe them.  For what they believe is their truth and not working with their truth won't help me or the patient.  My goal then, as the healer, is to help the body on the physical level to manage the stress from their job so they can sleep better.  I've had a lot of success in helping people this way but sometimes I see that the stress is just too much and then I dig deeper and figure out with the patient what stress management needs to be implemented.  These lifestyle changes to help the patient deal with their stress so it's not creating such chaos in their body is key.  But sometimes even with implementing lifestyle changes the insomnia continues or they are literally too stressed out and overwhelmed so they can't implement the changes.  It is in these cases I feel like my ability to help them on their journey is limited.

I've been in practice for over 12 years and it doesn't happen often but when I don't think I can help a patient I'm always at a loss to tell them what would help because if I knew what that would be I would be doing it!

I figured out a missing piece to the puzzle recently which is our belief systems can get in the way of our healing capacity.  What the mind thinks really does play a part, not just in health but in all aspects of our life.  It's not only what we think but also our subconscious that plays a part.  The subconscious brain with the autonomic nervous system controls the heart beat, allows you to digest your food without thinking, allows scars to heal without you having to do anything, is said to control about 95% of what is truly going on.  Studies show that what you think even effects your genes! For more info on this watch my video on The Biology of Belief.

I read the book, Biology of Belief, by Bruce Lipton years ago and was fascinated with the research that shows how genes actually change expression with different thoughts but he had no way to explain how to change this mind-body connection to help people. He just knew that it happened.  I finally found the answer when one of my patients mentioned to me a muscle testing technique called PSYCH-K® which I am now certified in and am loving the results I am seeing in the office! 

PSYCH-K's motto is 'an evolution of consciousness' which I couldn't agree more with.  It really does have the ability to help you identify belief patterns that no longer serve you and then reprogram new belief systems so you can live the life you want.  This reprogramming is due to using specific neurological techniques to build new neural pathways and take out the electric charge of old neurological pathways.  

We all know when we are being triggered by someone or a situation.  Our eyes get small, our heart beats faster, we hold our breath and hopefully watch what comes out of our mouth next.  Whether the feeling is anger, shame, guilt, sadness our body is going 100 miles a second having it's own reaction to what is happening while the brain is also going 100 miles a second having whatever emotions you would label it. With both the brain and body going 100 miles a second we tend to overreact and say things or do things we later regret.  What if we could stop this reaction on the neurological level and have the body and brain not overreact?  What would your life look like if you thought clearly through every situation and could act accordingly?  What if you could follow through on every goal you set for yourself?  There is no limit to what you could do!

If you are interested in learning more about PSYCH-K or want to book an appointment that could be done in person or over Skype just email or call the office.  Appointments are $75 for 15 minutes.

DIY Toothpaste

DIY Toothpaste

Nobody I know loves going to the dentist. But if I told you it would help your heart, would you be more inclined to go?  We should go for our bi-yearly cleanings and make sure all is healthy and if not, address it. For a tooth infection can disrupt the whole gut flora system.  Mouth to anus is one long tube so a tooth infection can drip down and give stomach aches, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, etc.  Teeth infections can also cause headaches and it can also cause heart disease.

There’s a BIG link between oral health and heart health.

And if your oral health isn’t in tip-top shape…your gut and heart health could be at major risk.

And according to Harvard Medical School and The Mayo Clinic — swallowing too many of these “bad bacteria” can harm your blood vessels, increase blood pressure and put you at major risk of heart disease and stroke.
(https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/heart-disease-oral-health
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/heart-disease-prevention/faq-20057986)

People think brushing their teeth more could help but it turns out brushing could actually be making the problem worse if you're using the wrong toothpaste.

Many toothpastes contain chemicals like:

• Triclosan, a pesticide and hormone disruptor.
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) which causes canker sores for many people.
• Artificial colorings, which are linked to ADHD and hyperactivity in children. Toothpaste does not need to be blue!
• Fluoride, which can be toxic if swallowed and doesn’t even work in toothpaste.
• Titanium dioxide, which is added to make a toothpaste white. Most of the data shows it’s safe and is not absorbed by the skin, but I have yet to find a study done to measure absorption by oral tissues. The EWG has a good list of safety concerns around titanium dioxide, but the take-home message: it can cause cancer.
• Glycerin, which isn’t toxic, but has no place in the mouth as it’s a soap that strips your body’s natural oral mucosa and leaves a film. This film could coat the teeth, messing with the structure of the biofilm which could alter the microbiome in the mouth and impact the natural remineralization process — your body’s natural cavity-fighting mechanism.
• Highly abrasive ingredients, which damage enamel, making teeth sensitive and more prone to gum recession and cavities. Toothpaste should be only a little bit abrasive — this graininess aids the brushing motion to remove the biofilm of the tooth.

These nasty toothpaste toxins do a number on your oral health… and over time, may INCREASE bad bacteria in your mouth. If you aren't sure of the ingredients of your current toothpaste, it's on the box that you threw out when you bought it.  So google the ingredients and  you can also look it up on ewg.org which gives it a health rating to help you figure out if it's healthy enough to use.

If your mouth has bad bacteria it means every time you swallow, you could be putting your body at risk.  To help kill the bad bacteria finding the RIGHT toothpaste is part of it.

The best ingredients to find in a toothpaste

• Coconut oil, which can help boost the microbiome in your gut (remember, the gut begins in the mouth!) and naturally prevent candida in the mouth. 
• Trace minerals drops, especially if you drink reverse osmosis water, which removes bad stuff from the water but also removes the good minerals too. I use ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops. 
• Crushed cacao nibs. Believe it or not, the ideal toothpaste would be a chocolate toothpaste, since compounds in cacao beans promote remineralization better than fluoride (and of course, much more safe). Crush the cacao nibs to a small size and it will  be a safe abrasive to break up the mouth's biofilm.
• Bentonite clay, which is a natural polisher rich in minerals that isn’t too abrasive. It’s also alkaline, so it helps reduce acidity in the mouth. Don’t be afraid of putting “dirt” in your mouth.  Great dental health is actually about achieving a balanced ecosystem of bacteria in your mouth, which protects us from illness and promotes tooth remineralization. 
• Xylitol for its abilities to reduce cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. Just don’t add too much since it’s a sweetener — too much can reprogram your taste buds to crave too much sweetness.
• Baking soda, for its alkalinity. Our teeth and mouths are constantly under attack by acids thanks to the foods we eat. Neutralizing these acids with vegetables and water is essential to maintaining proper pH in the mouth to encourage the right bacteria as well as protect enamel from decay. Baking soda has a pH of 9 to 11 (alkaline), so it helps to neutralize acids while not being too abrasive to teeth. You could also buy and drink 16 ounces of alkaline water a day.  

Here are two toothpastes I have made in the past that I like. The first one is easy but I feel like the second one does a better job.
#1
Ingredients:
 

• ½ cup coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• 2 individual packets of stevia
• 15-20 drops of peppermint essential oil

To make it, stir all the ingredients together in a bowl or Pyrex container until consistent. Then just put a little bit on your toothbrush, and you’re ready to go!

I love this toothpaste because it takes just a few minutes to make.  It’s extra powerful so I only have to put a tiny amount on my toothbrush — so it lasts a long time.

#2

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons Cold-pressed Organic Coconut Oil
• 4 tablespoons Food Grade Bentonite Clay
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 tablespoons Xylitol
• 4 capsules Probiotics 
• 1/2 teaspoons Cacao Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ginger Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil
• 4 tablespoons distilled or filtered water (divided)

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, heat coconut oil over low heat until melted, about 1 – 2 minutes.
2. Add bentonite clay, baking soda, xylitol, probiotic, cacao, ginger and cinnamon to a food processor or high speed blender and blend for 10-15 seconds until all powders are evenly combined, tapping sides and top of blender so powder will fall to the bottom.
3. Wait a couple of minutes before opening to allow powders to settle, then pour one tablespoon of coconut oil into the blender. Blend for 10-15 seconds; mixture will be crumbly. Take the small end of a wooden spoon (a chopstick or small spatula will also work) and run it along the inside edge of the blender, making sure to combine all the powder with the oil.
4. Add the vitamin E and remaining coconut oil, and blend another 10 – 15 seconds. A this point, the mixture will be runny. Again, run the wooden spoon end along the edge of the blender to make sure all the powder is incorporated. Blend again if necessary to create a smooth and creamy texture.
5. With the blender running, slowly add the water and blend for at least 30 seconds, or until it is thoroughly mixed.
6. Transfer to a glass container with a plastic lid.

Storage tips & how to use

Dip a clean spoon into the toothpaste and apply to your toothbrush. Store half at room temperature and use toothpaste within 7-10 days. Store the rest in the refrigerator for later use. Alternatively, fill a refillable squeeze tube with your toothpaste and squeeze about a quarter teaspoon onto your toothbrush twice daily for best oral hygiene. Store in your refrigerator for extended freshness.

Grainless Food that Tastes Great!

Grainless Goodies!

Here is a list of our favorite foods that are grainless and yet still taste good! I know hard to believe, but it's true.  Healing Arts tested and approved list for your convenience.  
Don't know what to eat for breakfast?  Try Coconut Flakes.  That's all they are, coconut meat, coconut water and palm starch.  All these can be found on thrivemarket.com which if you haven't tried yet you must!  It's an easy way to get all these products shipped to you at a lower cost than what you would find at your local health food store.  
 

Do you have a craving for granola?  Try this grainless granola that can be found at Whole Foods or online.  It's a delicious nuts and seeds combo blended with a generous portion of unsweetened coconut and berries. They have all different flavors.  


Try these tortilla chips make with coconut!  They are thick and hearty and will go with any dip.  They come in different flavors which I haven't tried and the company also makes cookies!


Here's another tortilla chip alternative made from cassava which is a root vegetable, kind of like a potato.  These chips are thinner than the coconut version and also come in lime flavor.  


Want crackers with your soup or as a quick snack? Try these made with almond flour.  Can be found at Whole Foods or other health food stores. 

Trying to find an alternative to bread to make a great sandwich? These two different wraps could be what you are looking for.  The first one is is made from coconut, is a little sweet and thicker.  The second one is from cassava and doesn't add any taste at all.