Doctor Trust

8 Natural Doctors, Health

When I was a young teen in the late 80’s, I found an old book in my grandparents’ storage. It was called, “As a Man Thinketh in His Heart, So Is He,” by James Allen. It was the first time I remember my mind being exposed to the idea that our thought-life has much to do with our physical wellbeing. A statement from that book that stood out to me was…

“Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts and cultivating toward perfection and flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts.”  ~ James Allen

Although I kept the book for years, I wish I had been more attentive to the content at that early time in my life.

The truth is, we can put all sorts of wonderful organic, nutritious, whole-foods in our bodies, and do yearly or even monthly cleanses to purge ourselves of many impurities (and this is all very good), but what we put in our minds is there to stay. The things we dwell on affect us more than we think. Science is showing this to be absolutely true.

• “All illness comes from lack of energy, and the greatest energy drainer is mental and emotional stress, which I believe to be the root cause of all illness.” ~ Dr. Leonard Coldwell
• “75% to 95% of the illnesses that plague us today are a direct result of our thought life. What we think about affects us physically and emotionally. It’s an epidemic of toxic emotions.” ~ Dr. Caroline Leaf (communication pathologist and clinical neuroscientist specializing in psychoneurobiology)
• “75% to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians result from stress-related disorders.” ~ Dr. Paul Rosch M.D. (President of the American Institute of Stress)

Sickness of the mind prevails everywhere! No doubt, dis-ease is many times the result of our minds allowed to run wild.

“Man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weeds-seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind.” ~ James Allen

I won’t sugar-coat it. It takes a lot of intentional discipline to re-train the mind, but it is possible!!! Our brains are malleable! And if you haven’t seen a faster turn-around in your health, this may be an area that you are neglecting. Working on this area has made an amazing difference in many lives. Here are a few things that can make a huge difference in your health…

• On an index card, make a list of 3-5 meaningful things you are grateful for. Do this every day. Take this list wherever you go and take a moment to read it throughout the day. Not just when you are feeling low. This is important. Even reading it out loud when you are able; putting emotion into your voice and letting it really sink in. For an extra boost, add a positive, inspiring quote/biblical passage/etc. that impacts you. Lay it by your bedside when you go to bed and if you wake in the night with ruminating thoughts, take it and read it several times. A grateful heart will do more to promote healing than anything else!
• Binding negative thoughts with their counterpart. For example: when you catch yourself worrying, stop and choose to trust. You can say something like: “Worry is blind and cannot discern the future.” Make up your mind to bind the thoughts that are taking your life.
• Silently stepping away from toxic conversations or politely changing the conversation if you are able.
• Strength training. Crossfit is excellent! It does wonders for the mind!
• Fasting one day a week (check out The Miracle Of Fasting by the Bragg Family) (paste amazon link here).
• Focusing on others and their needs.

To get more out of everything in life, more out of everything that you EAT, a grateful attitude is key. Your body will get more out of the food that you eat, and your digestion will be better. So, the only thing that can make Simple Kneads better, is a happier you! It’s an experiential reality.

Sandy K Workman
SK Director of Brand Development

Doctor Rest

8 Natural Doctors, Health

Our bodies are so amazing! When they get the right fuel, they can start to function properly, despite years of abuse!

VITAL HORMONES TO KNOW ABOUT:

You may have heard your parents or grandparents say: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” If we go to bed late at night the effects soon become obvious, we’re cranky, irritable, tired and depression can set in. In this state of mind, we are not able to manage stress, and soon our physical, mental and emotional health goes spiraling down.

A friend recently turned her 3-month bout of depression completely around by going consistently to bed by 9 PM, waking by 5 AM and getting out in direct sunlight for an early morning walk as soon as the rays came out. It was astounding to her that these simple solutions could so profoundly affect her health! However, this makes perfect sense when you understand that serotonin, our mood hormone, is not sufficiently produced with continual late nights. In addition! Your body also produces serotonin when you can get into direct light within 20 minutes of waking!

Melatonin is another important hormone that is produced only in the hours of darkness. So having your sleeping quarters completely dark is crucial! Many like to have night lights, but this disrupts the body’s biological clock and significantly reduces hormone production. Start putting these simple little things into practice and you will find that when you’ve gotten your full production of melatonin in the night, you will feel energetic and ready to get up and go in the morning!

Then there is a hormone called epithalamion. This one is so important for kids to know about! This hormone increases learning capacity. Deficiency of this hormone can be most noticed in children who are allowed to stay up late. Not only can they be cranky, tired and even depressed at school, but they will show difficulty in understanding simple mathematical equations and retaining what has been taught in the classroom. And believe it or not, this hormone does not need to diminish as you age! In fact, epithalamion slows down the aging process!

The human growth hormone is released during deep sleep. Interruption of this sleep will stop the release of this hormone. Reducing your sugar intake and also vigorous exercise are some simple, and powerful natural ways to activate the human growth hormone. Studies have also shown a major increase of HGH levels when fasting for just 24 hours!

Then there is arginine vasotocin. This one affects how deeply we sleep and is obtained through our diet. Although this hormone is plentiful in many dairy products, those living on a plant-based, whole foods diet can obtain it through certain seeds. Pumpkin seeds are known to contain one of the highest concentrations of arginine. Other seeds with high levels are sunflower, sesame and watermelon. Whole grains are also a rich source of this hormone. Grains with an especially high amount are brown rice, buckwheat, oats and corn.

Some other culprits that decrease hormone production are:

• Stress
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Late evening meals

It’s amazing how many suffer from insomnia (one in three adults worldwide) but could actually do something about their situation if they only understood better how the body operates! If you suffer from this disorder, here are a few easy things you can do:

• Get a regular sleeping schedule going and stick to it. Remember:“early to bed, early to rise.”
• Circulation of fresh air by cracking a window can be very helpful.
• Get on a regular exercise program 3-5 days a week!
• Take a warm bath.
• Try to stay away from sleeping pills and alcohol. They keep you from the healing benefits of rapid eye movement sleep.
• Many like to eat before going to bed but this is not healthy. Your digestive system needs rest too and some hormones don’t even get released if the body is busy digesting food!
• Taking an evening walk, and also drinking a hot cup of herbal non-caffeinated tea is often helpful.

But rest doesn’t just have to do with getting a good night’s sleep. During the day we use up energy at work and with other activities, and the body needs time to repair! When a person overworks by working long hours without any rest, it is much easier to become restless and irritable. The opposite is also true, too much rest and not enough work will do the same. We can feel like we are not accomplishing anything in life and that can contribute to unhappiness and depression. We need to have a proper balance.

So many suffer from poor health because they just don’t know how their body functions and that there are simple, natural, low-cost solutions. “Knowledge is power” is certainly a true statement. So, take some time to know how your body functions and begin to take charge of your life!

Sandy K Workman
SK Director of Brand Development

Doctor Pure Air

8 Natural Doctors, Health

Good health does not happen by accident. It is a result of intentionally applying the 8 natural laws on a daily basis. These are the true keys to ultimate health. Today we will look at the importance of pure air when it comes to maintaining and/or regaining health.

We all know we can go weeks without food, days without water but only minutes without air to breathe. Our bodies need a constant, daily supply. However, the kind of air you breathe makes a big difference. Studies show that lung cancer is much higher among city dwellers than those who live in the country. In fact, avoiding strenuous exercise that would require outdoor heavy breathing in the big city is important for brain health!

Deep breathing is also vital for creating pure clean blood. In fact, blood won’t flow like it should without it, and it’s crucial for healing the digestive system, and getting deep, rejuvenating sleep! The book Super Power Breathing For Optimal Health And Healing by the Bragg Family, is an awesome resource to have in your personal library! It is filled with powerful testimonies and many deep breathing exercises, teaching you how to replenish the oxygen your body needs for better health.

You can get started on deep breathing today with Wim Hoff’s simple but powerful deep breathing tutorial:

Sandy K Workman
SK Director of Brand Development

Doctor Self-control

8 Natural Doctors, Health

In the last few weeks, we have been looking at 8 POWERFUL natural doctors! These are available to everyone, rich or poor!

The first was NUTRITION, followed by EXERCISE. Then we learned the importance of WATER! The last one we visited was Doctor SUNSHINE! And today meet Doctor SELF CONTROL.

This may seem like a strange one, but the laws of physical life would not be complete without this natural doctor. In fact, overall health would be impossible without self-control!

Overeating, overworking and emotional stress are three of the main causes of disease. You can quickly see that self-control includes more than just what you put into your body. Dr. Neal Nedley, president of Weimar Institute in California, shares some phenomenal information on what he calls The #1 Problem in the World. Check it out here:

You will quickly see that self-control is critical to health, body AND mind!

Most people, if they are honest with themselves, know what is unhealthy for them. Unfortunately, it’s not until sickness sets in that they begin to take action.

FASTING:

After sickness and disease have settled in, one of the most powerful ways to get the body back into health is through fasting. It’s also one of the most powerful ways to strengthen self-control!

Did you know that fasting from food for just one day a week, has incalculable benefits! The Miracle of Fasting by the Bragg family is a book with incredible information and testimonies on this! Here’s a link so you can check it out.

Fasting is also one of the most natural powerful ways to activate your stem cells! Check out this article.

If you have never fasted and would like to try it, you can do it a number of ways:

• Go to two meals a day for a couple weeks, leaving 6 hours between each meal. For example: first meal at 9 AM and your second and last meal at 3 PM. Should you get hungry between meals, that’s ok! Drink some caffeine-free herbal tea with a few drops of liquid stevia or monk fruit, if you would like it sweetened. This is always helpful! I have even gone on a one meal a day, 5 day food fast, and have had exceptional results!
• If you feel you are able to go straight into a one-day food fast, first pick a day you will not have much to do (preferably stay at home). On that morning make 2 or 3 quarts of an electrolyte-type of drink. Sometimes I will make the following “lemonade” drink on my weekly fasting day: Fill each quart with distilled or natural spring water, juice of ½ freshly squeezed lemon, a pinch of Celtic salt, around a tablespoon of organic maple syrup or a few drops of liquid stevia. Drink at room temperature. Feel free to drink caffeine-free herbal tea during the day to give you variety. I personally like to make mint tea. If you are not used to food fasting and get too hungry, have a light fruit smoothie, or a green smoothie. With time you will progress to a one-day water fast with ease. The important thing is, go forward with what you feel you can do. Whether you fast for a whole day or just one meal, believe me, you WILL feel the difference!

Did you know that you can also fast from other things besides food? Some of these things could be social media, your phone, texting, television, music, video games, gossip, getting angry, complaining, etc. I have a friend that fasted from all form of talking for a 24 hour period! She simply alerted everyone she would not be talking or texting on that day. She shared that the peace that she experienced was incredible! It’s interesting that talk, or speech fasting has been known to lower blood pressure dramatically in individuals who suffer from high blood pressure, and lower cortisol levels in others!

Now, how does Simple Kneads bread fit into all of this? Why not try fasting from all other kinds of bread and stick to Simple Kneads Gluten-free, sourdough for a few months and see how you feel! 😊 And stay tuned for Doctor Pure Air in our next email!

Sandy K Workman
SK Director of Brand Development

Doctor Sunshine!

8 Natural Doctors, Health

Every living thing in this world depends on sun for survival. Without it, everything would die.

Green plants cannot grow without sunlight and warmth, and without plants there would be no food for animals or humans! That’s right, no Simple Kneads plant-based, gluten-free sourdough bread if Doctor Sunshine stopped shining! We must admit, the sun is a very important object in the sky.

But what are it’s practical benefits for me? Can I really receive better health from proper exposure to it? Well, believe it or not, sunlight helps with:

• Lowering your blood pressure
• It increases your white blood cells – which help destroy harmful viruses in your body!
• It is known to help with depression and give deep restful sleep.
• It is even valuable in forming strong bones and teeth!
• And did you know that vitamin D, which is the vitamin LEAST found in food, is supplied by the sun? And exposure to those rays helps enhance and change our gut bacteria!

Of course, we do have to be careful. Too much sunshine can be harmful, and more so for some than for others. Dr. Zane Kime, in his book Sunlight, wrote this on page 117:

“…sunbathing is dangerous for those who are on the standard high-fat American diet or do not get an abundance of vegetables, whole grains and fresh fruits. Those on the standard high-fat diet should stay out of the sun and protect themselves from it; but at the same time, they will suffer the consequences of both the high-fat diet and the deficiency of sunlight.”

If you want to get more sunshine and are worried about too much exposure, experts say that the safest time to sunbathe is before 11 am and after 3 pm.

Combine sunshine with the other 8 natural doctors and our true sourdough gluten-free bread, and your gut will become a powerhouse of health!

So, get out there and enjoy the healing properties that have been given to us by Doctor Sunshine!

Sandy K Workman
SK Director of Brand Development

Doctor Water: The Essence of life!

8 Natural Doctors, Health

We have been looking at 8 powerful natural doctors that will bring back energy and vitality to your body! Today, we will look at the 3rd natural doctor – WATER!

Did you know that water forms 83% of the lungs, 79% of muscles and kidneys, 73% of the brain and heart, 64% of the skin and even 31% of the bones! No one can argue that without water, life as we know it, would be impossible.

Since the human body is composed of 50-75% water, and our body loses at least ten cups every day, replacing it is vital! In fact, not drinking enough can have a detrimental effect on your overall health. If we lose just 10%, we become seriously ill, and a loss of 20% is fatal! Let me share a story illustrating the power of hydration …

Three years ago, I got COVID. It was pretty bad. I had a low grade fever for 12 days. Every day I became more and more lethargic. I slept a lot and therefore didn’t eat or drink much. By day 13 my O2 sat ranged from around 75-80. I would break out in a sweat when just taking a few deep breaths. As you can imagine, I was very concerned. Everyone was concerned! Friends and family encouraged me to go to the hospital, but I had heard some horror stories from my aunt who is a nurse. I didn’t want to make any wrong move.

During this crisis I thought several times about doing a hydration cycle. It’s a powerful and easy natural remedy to hydrate your body. I had learned how to do this years ago at a wellness center in the northwest and had done it myself many times. But it takes 6 days, and I didn’t have 6 days!

As things got worse, I broke down sobbing. I was so weak and so tired. I finally gave in, said a prayer and headed to the hospital. This was extremely difficult for me, but I left it in the hands of providence.

As I walked out the door my phone rang. Our close friend, and CEO of our company, Tristaun, was wondering how I was doing – “well, I’m headed to the emergency room,” I told him, and explained my situation. “No! don’t go!” He said, “do a hydration cycle!”

I told him my situation was pretty serious and I didn’t have 6 days. He encouraged me to do one right away and in a couple hours to do another round. His call seemed so timely, and his tone so emphatic, that I took note. I sensed a lot of peace with the suggestion and decided to do it before making any other decisions.

About 15 minutes later he drove into our driveway with lemons and some other ingredients, for an extra boost. I made my drink and started the cycle. That was around 4 pm in the afternoon.

For about 10 minutes after the first cycle, I felt nauseous, but then it subsided. About 30 minutes later I began to breathe significantly better. My 02 sat had gone up to 92 and I felt the greatest relief I had experienced since getting sick 14 days earlier! About 2 hours later I did another hydration cycle and experienced even greater relief. My 02 sat was now around 95. I slept soundly that night and woke up feeling like a different person. It was as if I hadn’t even been sick! I did another cycle that morning and continued to experience better and better health.

Now, in general, drinking a half a cup of water at a time is the best; it doesn’t erode the inner terrain of the body and is utilized better. However, if you have a challenge to your immune system like I did, or have signs and/or symptoms of dehydration, then the hydration cycle is very helpful. It is a wonderful, natural way to force the water into your cells, so that the body can do what it needs to do to help you!

For those interested in the hydration cycle here is the recipe:

• 1 quart of pure water (distilled or natural spring water)
• Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon or lime
• ¼ tsp of celtic salt (optional)
• Drink this first thing in the morning (before eating or drinking anything else), and drink it down within 20 minutes. I like to put a timer on for 10 minutes so when it goes off, I know I have 10 minutes left to finish the quart. Wait at least 30 minutes after drinking the quart before you eat.
• Do this for 6 consecutive days.
• You will want to also be sipping on another quart of water during the rest of the day, preferably between meals.

So, you might be wondering how water and hydration apply to Simple Kneads bread? To answer the question, you need to understand how sourdough works. Unlike regular yeast risen breads, the natural sourdough leaven actually breaks down the grain, allowing it to absorb more of the water. It’s the more complete hydration of the grains before the baking, that helps the bread thoroughly cook and therefore digest and assimilate properly.

So drink up! And don’t forget to eat Simple Kneads Sourdough bread, it’s so good for you!

Sandy K Workman
SK Director of Brand Development