Happiness is Medicine

Yes, happiness is something that can be learned. You may have heard that happiness is a choice but the question is how do you learn to make that choice?  When everything is going the way you expected or maybe even better than you expected, it is easy to be happy. Feeling happy is our default when our expectations are met.  What needs to be learned, and it can be learned, is to be happy when our expectations are not being met.

Some people say not to have expectations is the easiest thing to do but I don’t think so.  For the definition of expectation is to have a strong belief that something will happen.  To not have an expectation is to stop believing, to not have hope and what kind of life would that be?  The goal would be to have hope, to have expectations AND trust that if your expectation is not being met that it is for your greater good.  The goal is to have expectations and be flexible for expectations are assumptions and you know what happens when one assumes sometimes.  When an expectation is not met, when you assumed wrong, when you were blindsided, there is something to be learned from the situation and it is usually not about the situation itself or the other people in it, but to learn something about yourself.  If you do learn the lesson you will grow from it.  In that growth your comfort zone increases, meaning you have more situations that no longer make you uncomfortable and you can handle more of life with ease.  Fewer things will stress you out.  In being able to handle more you can live a fuller life.  A fuller life means a happier life for it will be easier to choose happiness with a wider comfort zone.    

When your expectations are not being met you may not be able to see the greater good in that moment or even a year later but somewhere down the line of living your life you will look back on that moment and know that what happened made you stronger.  That’s why the saying, ‘If it doesn’t kill you, it will only make you stronger”, is so well known.

But what happens when your expectations are not being met and you’re in the middle of that growth process?  It can be really uncomfortable.  It can feel awful and look ugly.  You have two choices.  You can either resist the growth and make it feel even more uncomfortable or you can surrender to the process knowing that what you are going through and the way you are feeling is only temporary.

Signs of resistance include addiction, anxiety, insomnia, negative distractions like too much TV, eating too much chocolate and illness.  You can feel resistance in your body in the form of a tension headache, upset stomach or constipation.  When your body is upset stop and check in with your thoughts and find the pattern of thinking that is causing the dis-ease and choose a better way of thinking.  Reframe your thinking whether it is a more healthy thought, reasonable thought, truly happy thought or even humorous thought that puts a smile on your face. Keep a sincere smile on your face and I promise you will feel better!

What does surrendering look like?  The process of surrendering means you choose thoughts that bring you peace and happiness.  You have to have the discipline to 1) watch your thoughts and 2) when you have a thought that makes you unhappy stop yourself and start thinking about something that makes you happy even if it’s a different topic all together. I have personally found the quickest way to put a smile on my face is to think of my daughter.

Only think about the topic that is causing upset in order to problem solve.  Do not dwell on it.  Do not go back and forth in decision-making and if you catch yourself doing so have the discipline to stop.  When we first start watching and choosing our thoughts the easiest thing to do is to distract ourselves as a way of choosing another thought.  When your upset about the topic and you can’t problem solve it then take your mind off the topic all together but make sure you if you are going to distract yourself do it with a healthy outlet like exercise, productive work or an enjoyable book.

If you don’t choose happiness, by default you are choosing sadness or somewhere on the spectrum of sadness, including fear, anger, frustration, irritation, desperation, and on the extreme end, depression.  Yes, depression is a choice that if chosen enough times creates a biochemical reaction in the brain that gets hardwired and starts becoming second nature.  The good news is if you can choose depression you can also choose to get out of depression.

If the depression is due to circumstance, for example a breakup, loss of a job or death of a loved one, watch your thoughts carefully as you process and integrate the new circumstance.  Feel your feelings, think your thoughts but do not get stuck on thoughts that drag you down.

If the depression was a slow process and somehow you find that you went from child-like happiness to adult depression it can be a slow process to get out of depression once you choose to do such.  For once the goal is set, every choice after that either takes you towards your goal or away from your goal. So maybe 10,000 good choices have to be made to get you out of your depression and that will be a lot of work, a lot of self-love, but it can be done.  The progress may be slow at times but you have to have the expectation, the belief in yourself, that you can do it. That mindset will make all the difference.  Know that it is a journey with ups and downs but if you check in with yourself once every 3-4 weeks and you see progress in how you are feeling then stay on the path, keep doing the work, making good choices on what you think, eat, work and how spend your free time. Let go of the bad choices and keep the good choices firm. If you check in with yourself and you do not see progress then figure out what things need to change and start making changes.  One change at a time, to not feel overwhelmed, and start with the change that will be easiest for you to make.

Another key to learning happiness is to have the discipline not to give in to instant gratification, those things that make you happy in the moment but that you later regret.  Happiness is something to be created for the long haul so you have to have enough discipline to see the big picture and choose not to give in to your every whim.

One has to have the wisdom to choose for the greater good, to choose what is best for the long haul.  You have to have a goal in sight and know what choice is going to get you there.  If you think losing 30 pounds will make you happier because you will be able to walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath, take less blood pressure medication and fit back into your favorite jeans then you have to have the knowledge that eating that donut that your coworker brought into work is not actually going to make you happy.  You are living an illusion if your goal is to lose weight and you choose to eat that donut.  Yet how many of us sabotage ourselves? How often do we set a goal and end up making choices that don’t get us anywhere other than 5 steps forward just to later make choices to take 5 steps back and end up in the same place. During these times of self-sabotage take time to be introspective and look at your thoughts and debug your brain to find which thoughts are not serving your goal.  It could be a thought of, “I’m working really hard and deserve that donut, “ or “I ate poorly this morning so today is ruined so I might as well enjoy eating the donut”.  No matter how we justify it, it will not make us truly happy. In fact we will feel guilt, remorse, maybe even an upset stomach or a headache from too much unhealthy fat and sugar.

There are subconscious reasons for self-sabotage and they are due to a lack of self-love in forms of lack of self-worth and feeling disloyal to our friends and family if we are happier. In order to reach any goal one has to feel worthy of it.  So watch your thoughts for negative self-talk and ask yourself where that thought came from.  Is the thought something you truly believe or is it the voice of a parent, teacher, or friend?  We are programed with thoughts all the time so take the time to deprogram your thinking when the thought does not serve you by choosing a thought to replace it.  Maybe the thought used to serve a purpose but if it is now holding you back from happiness then it is of no use. For example, you have a goal of making more money but you have a thought that creeps up every now and then that rich people are selfish.  But is it really true?  No. Could you replace the thought with another thought? Absolutely.

Another way we self-sabotage is by thinking if we reach our goal we are being disloyal to our friends and family.  Let’s say you do start making more money and your fear is that your friends or family will be jealous and so that type of thinking actually keeps you from making the money.  If they really do become jealous that is not your fault and shows that there is growth from them to do which is something you are not responsible for. You need to first and foremost be loyal to yourself.

Loyalty to self, self-worth, self-love are all attributes that need to be cultivated for they will bring happiness.  In other words you do have a relationship with yourself and that relationship, just like any other, needs to be worked on with love and compassion.  A daily spiritual practice of meditation, journaling or reading can help you spend time with yourself.  During this time be introspective to figure out what thoughts are holding you back.  It is best to spend this time alone in the morning so you have more inner strength to make good choices throughout the day, bringing you closer to what you really want, bringing you closer to happiness.

Babies are naturally happy and we should be too but something happens down the line of life where happiness feels more like a luxury than a natural state of being. I challenge you now to work towards moving back towards your natural state.  I challenge you to choose happiness. Choosing happiness leads us to feelings of joy, love, bliss, peace, patience, and satisfaction. If you feel that any one of these feelings is lacking in your life take the advice in this article to heart and learn to choose happiness.

Eat This: Bone Broth

There’s a South American Proverb that says, “A good broth can raise the dead.” There is a reason why we eat soup when we are sick. A real bone broth has been simmering for hours to leach all the minerals and vitamins out of the bone making it liquid gold for our immune system. There are other great benefits to drinking bone broth on a daily basis.

If you slow cook the bone it draws out the collagen, marrow, and other healing elements from the bones, including amino acids, minerals, glycine, and gelatin—which helps heal the gut and reduce inflammation for the whole body.

Collagen, the protein matrix in bones, tendons, ligaments, and other flexible tissues, is broken down during the cooking process into another protein called gelatin. Gelatin is the reason properly prepared broth congeals in the fridge. This gelatin has in it the raw materials to rebuild your own connective tissue, especially tendons (which connect muscles to bones) and ligaments (which connect bones to each other).

Another benefit of bone broth for joint health comes from glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), a family of carbohydrates found in bones and connective tissue that show interesting effects in reducing joint pain. One of these GAGs, hyaluronic acid, is an effective treatment for osteoarthritis.



Bone broth helps in digestion by containing glycine, because it stimulates the production of stomach acid. Who may need more stomach acid, you ask? People who have acid reflux do because acid reflux is actually a problem of too little stomach acid, not too much. By prompting your body to secrete more stomach acid, glycine can help prevent or treat this painful and potentially dangerous problem. This makes bone broth a delicious supplemental food for anyone suffering from acid reflux, IBS, or FODMAPS intolerance.

Adding to its metabolic virtues, glycine is also an important component of bile acid, which is necessary for fat digestion in the small intestine, and also helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels. Especially for people who are new to Paleo and switching from a carb-based to a fat-based diet, this has the potential to keep the digestive process running a lot more smoothly.

Glycine isn’t the only useful protein for gut health, either. glutamine, another amino acid found in bone broth, is a natural remedy for “leaky gut,” that unpleasant and dangerous condition where the barrier between your gut and the rest of your body isn’t working properly, allowing molecules that should stay inside the gut to cross over into the bloodstream and potentially set of a cascade of autoimmune reactions. Glutamine helps maintain the function of the intestinal wall, preventing this damage from occurring.

Glycine also helps in detoxification because it supports the liver in removing anything dangerous from the body.
Glycine is also necessary for the synthesis of glutathione and uric acid, the body’s most important endogenous antioxidants.

Yet another detox-related benefit is that glycine helps clear out excess methionine, another amino acid found in large quantities in eggs and muscle meat. Methionine is an essential amino acid, but too much of it can raise blood levels of another amino acid called homocysteine, and the process of breaking down homocysteine increases the body’s need for B vitamins (thus increasing the risk of B vitamin deficiency even if your intake is adequate). Glycine from broths and cartilage can help break down homocysteine without the need for B vitamins.

Bone broth is extremely high in minerals. Bones from land animals are rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, and fish bones also contain iodine. We know that at least some of this mineral content leaches out into the water, because the bones are crumbly and demineralized when the broth is done cooking – often they’re so weak that they’ll fall apart if you put any pressure on them. If you use smaller bones, like chicken or fish, they’ll sometimes even entirely dissolve into the stock.

Another interesting anti-inflammatory benefit of the proteins in bone broth is more rapid recovery from injury. Under the stress of an injury or disease, the body’s needs for these amino acids increases and bone broth is perfect for supplementing this increased need for the body to repair.

So the old advice of drink soup when you are sick still stands. Drink soup when inflamed, when joints hurt, to heal the gut or when recovering from an injury as well! If you don't want to make your own bone broth there's a great organic bone broth place in NYC, Brodo and online, even though it comes in plastic, The Osso Good Co.

Turmeric Is a Brain Health Miracle

Are you concerned about maintaining the health of your brain as you age? I wasn't concerned until I read that by age 65, sadly 1 in 8 Americans will suffer from severe cognitive decline, and by age 80, an astonishing 1 in 2 will at the Alzheimers prevention website.

Researchers have been working for years to develop an effective treatment. But one "miracle" drug after another has failed to live up to its promises, and it's becoming more and more apparent that pharmaceuticals are not the solution. Unfortunately, the medical establishment is so narrowly focused on finding an elusive "cure" that scientifically proven prevention strategies are often ignored.

There are a number of natural brain protectors out there, but did you know that one herb has shown more promise when it comes to supporting your neurological system than any other medical finding to date? It's a scientific fact that curcumin, an antioxidant compound found in the root of the turmeric plant, is one of the most powerful natural brain protecting substances.

The hallmark process associated with certain types of cognitive decline is the formation in the brain of abnormal protein structures. Normally when malformed proteins are formed with the brain, the immune system sends out cells known as macrophages, which engulf and destroy the proteins. If this ordinary function fails, defective proteins accumulate in the brain and cognitive decline can follow.

Curcumin works by encouraging the immune system to send macrophages to the brain in order to destroy these abnormal proteins, restoring proper brain function.

For more information on how healthy turmeric can be for you read how turmeric helps with killing Candida and cancer and another blog on 8 reasons to drink golden milk or to add turmeric to your curries, apple cider vinegar drink, smoothies or in supplement form.

What is a MTHFR Gene Mutation and How is it Affecting Your Health?

It is estimated that about 25% of the population has a MTHFR gene mutation which has many adverse effects. One of the effects is the inability to break down folic acid and it must be supplemented in the form of “methyltetrahyrofolate” or “metafolin” or “folinic acid”. When the body cannot break down folic acid, you end up with high levels of homocysteine. The effect of high homocysteine takes many forms and they are still being discovered. But here is what is known:

The effects of a MTHFR gene mutation is that the liver doesn't fully do it's job and it can cause: blood clots, stroke, depression, autism, bi-polar disorder, cardiovascular disease and infertility or several miscarriages.

And how is the gene mutation “turned on”? Usually methylation is inhibited by Candida overgrowth in the gut. And what is the #1 cause for Candida (or yeast)? It is heavy metals toxicity. So the best way to help the body with this type of gene mutation is to detox heavy metals first and then kill Candida while supporting methylation which is the liver's ability to breakdown toxins. So unfortunately, when I help patients with the mutation their detox program has to go slow so the already slow liver doesn't get backed up with the detox and become even slower.



However, we know now that it is possible for a gene mutation to be “turned on” and “turned off” with environmental factors. So what can you do if you suspect a MTHFR gene mutation?

#1 – Get a geneticist to run the tests to look for a MTHFR gene variation. Or www.23andme.com tests for methylation SNPs. You download your 23 and me results into genetic genie to get methylation information. It is only $99 and is a spit test. LiveWello can also interpret your raw data from the 23 and me test for you.

*And please be advised that testing levels of folic acid in the blood does NOT tell us anything. The only true measure of one's folic acid is measured with a spinal tap and that is very invasive.

#2 – Treat the Yeast. Eat a low sugar diet with more healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil & avocado and less grains and carbs. Yeast feeds on sugar & carbs. Also get muscle tested for the right, exact supplements and dosage you need to kill the yeast.

#3 – Take Methyltetrahydrafolate. I like 5-MTHF by Thorne. 5-MTHF is the most biologically active form of the B-vitamin folic acid. 5MTHF works in concert with vitamin B12 in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine.

#4 – Removing the heavy metals from the body and brain is the only way to possibly reverse the effects of the gene mutation.

#5 - Most importantly....please know that this mutation makes detoxification difficult for the body. So, go green and keep toxins away!

Benefits of Ozone Water

I have been doing a lot of research on ozone therapy and what machines would be best. I finally decided to purchase the Ozo-pod. My main use for it is to make ozonated water to clean all my fruits and vegetables.  I felt like all the cleaning sprays for pesticides were not really doing a good job so when I first learned about ozonated water I was excited to try it on my produce and I love it!  It also purifies drinking water which is great for camping and I also started washing my face with the ozonated water and I do feel a difference, like my skin is tighter. more oxygen to the skin is only beneficial.  I then wanted to learn more about what drinking ozonated water could do for the body.  In general, I suggest drinking 16 ounces of ozonated water a day on an empty stomach.  

In the ozone process, the water molecules are disrupted by agitation from bubbling or electricity, infusing some of the oxygen molecules with an additional two oxygen molecules, creating ozone which is a bond of three oxygen molecules together. Ozonated water is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom with separate 3 oxygen atoms (or ozone) instead of the normal 2:1 ratio in regular water. Because ozone is unstable, the newly formed bond is only temporary and the ozonated water must be used or preserved no more than 20 minutes after creation to be most effective.

Biological Benefits

Ozonated water has a clean, fresh taste. This type of water has been shown in a number of scientific studies to kill bacteria and viruses. It has proven effective in killing E. coli, yeast, salmonella and listeria. The biological benefits are a result of the ozone breaking apart creating a single oxygen atom that the body can use.  The more oxygen in the body the better! Ozone adds oxygen to the blood stream and eliminates impurities. Increased oxygen in the brain heightens its function. Single oxygen atoms introduced into the immune system makes it stronger and better able to fight infections. Drinking cold ozone water on an empty stomach regularly can detoxify your intestinal tract.

Physical Benefits
Drinking ozonated water increases energy level. It speeds extra oxygen into the body. But the effectiveness of ozonated water is not limited to drinking. Bathing in ozonated water is great therapy for skin disorders. It can be used to treat muscle soreness, spinal and back injuries and neck stiffness. These baths can be incorporated into a healing or wellness plan as directed by a physician. Proper diet and hydration work in conjunction to make these ozone baths most effective. The level of clean after a bath in ozonated water is better in comparison to regular water. The benefits extend to food, also. Washing foods such as fruit, vegetables and meats in ozonated water improve their cleanliness, too.

Medical Benefits
Due to its disinfecting properties, ozonated water is used during surgeries to keep opened areas sterile. It also is used as a supplemental treatment of cancer. Research has shown that the introduction of the third oxygen cell can aid the body’s immune system in containing the existing cancer cells, thus preventing the spread of cancer to uninfected areas of the body. Though this is not potent enough a therapy to be used alone, ozonated water has been shown to kill small numbers of cancer cells in patients.

Blood Detoxification
Ozonated water has been found to convert wastes and toxins to water and carbon dioxide after which they are easily expelled from the body. This is especially essential in neutralizing the effects of harmful toxins.

Fungal Infection
Water that has been ozonated for at least 10 minutes has been found to be effective in treating fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, ringworms and nail fungus.

Mouth Health
Ozone water when used in bushing of teeth, eliminates bad breath and gum problems.

Skin Cleanser
Ozonated water is a gentle yet effective cleanser for the skin, and is especially helpful in treating acne, blackheads and pimples.

As if drinking ozonated water was not enough you can also get an ozone sauna treatment at our office where you sit in a sauna pod and your skin soaks up ozone.  The extra oxygen gets absorbed into the blood and lymphatic system giving your energy and immune system a boost while also helping the body detox.  For more information on the ozone sauna therapy, read here. 

Natto, The Ultimate Bone-Building Superfood

Natto is a Japanese food that is fermented soybeans.  For those of you who know me, you know I am not a soy fan but when soybeans are fermented most of soy's negative attributes are changed to be healing.  During the fermentation process soy's toxic phytate and antinutrient levels are eliminated along with it's thyroid inhibiting qualities as well.  Once fermented, soybeans are the most powerful bone building superfood on the planet.  Samurai are said to have eaten natto everyday.  But I will tell you now, if you don't already know, natto is slimy and smells foul and yet 7.5 billion packages of natto are consumed in Japan yearly.  For those of us who are not used to it that's why I provide it in pill form for my patients.

Natto's superfood abilities comes from a high vitamin K2 concentration.  So if you don't muscle test for the natto I then test you for a vitamin D3 and K2 supplement.

Habitual intake of natto was associated with a significant and beneficial effect on bone health in elderly men and this association is primarily due to vitamin K content of natto was concluded in Osteoporos Int. 2012: 23 (2).

Women who ate 4 packets of natto a week reduced bone mass loss on the thigh bone by 80% according to Journal of Nutrition 2006: 136

Those in the highest third of vitamin K2 intakes were 52% less likely to develop calcification of arteries according to Artherosclerosis. 1995: 226 Also Menaquinone (Vitamin K2) is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Journal of Nutrition 2004: 134 (11)

Vitamin K is proven to help rebuild bone and protect against heart disease but there are two kinds.  Vitamin K1 is the type found in dark leafy vegetables and for a long time I recommended them as a high source of vitamin K.  However, studies show now that we only absorb 10% of K1 from dark leafy vegetables.  Research has now turned to more effective vitamin K2.  Vitamin K2 is hard to get from food other than natto so next time you are at a Japanese restaurant or section of the grocery store try it.  It's an acquired taste as sometimes healthy things are!

Are You An Empath?

I know I have talked to a few of you about being an empath because I can see how it affects your health in a negative way.  I wanted to take the time now to explain to you that an empath is a person that is affected by other people's energies, and have an innate ability to intuitively feel and perceive others. Most empaths don't understand that they have this ability and seem to be 'sensitive to others'.  It is best to figure out if you are an empath and then how best to use it as a strength and learn how to protect yourself energetically from others' energy for your life is unconsciously influenced by others' desires, wishes, thoughts, and moods. Being an empath is much more than being highly sensitive.  
Empaths have a deep sense of knowing that accompanies empathy and are often compassionate, considerate, and understanding of others.  There are also varying levels of strength in empaths which may be related to the individualís awareness of self, understanding of the powers of empathy, and/or the acceptance or non-acceptance of empathy by those associated with them, including family and peers. Generally, those who are empathic grow up with these tendencies and do not learn about them until later in life.



Empaths are sensitive to TV, videos, movies, news and broadcasts. Violence or emotional dramas depicting shocking scenes of physical or emotional pain inflicted on adults, children or animals can bring an empath easily to tears. At times, they may feel physically ill or choke back the tears. Some empaths will struggle to comprehend any such cruelty, and will have grave difficulty in expressing themselves in the face of another's ignorance, closed-mindedness and obvious lack of compassion. They simply cannot justify the suffering they feel and see.
The following are signs that you might be an empath:

You sense fear, anxiety, and stress from other people. You draw these feelings into your body, resolving them as your own physical pain and symptoms. It doesn't have to be people you don't know or don't like. You're also impacted by friends, family, and colleagues.
You quickly feel exhausted, drained, and unhappy in the presence of crowds.
Noise, smells, and excessive talking can set off your nerves and anxiety.
You need to be alone to recharge your energy.
You're less likely to intellectualize what you're feeling. Your feelings are easily hurt.
You're naturally giving, generous, spiritually inclined, and a good listener.
You tend to ensure that you've got an escape plan, so that you can get away fast, such as bringing your own car to events, etc.
The intimacy of close relationships can feel like suffocation or loss of your own self.

Recognize when people bring you down so you can spend less time with those people and draw healthier boundaries for yourself.  This is extremely important for you will not only absorb people's energy and emotions and feel them as your own but also store them in your body which lowers your health level.  
If you think you may be an empath take this quiz now, www.empathtest.com