millie says: Serviceberries

hello fruit fans.  let’s congratulate ‘not-far-from-the-tree’, a Toronto special starring fellow-Sackville-native, Laura Reinsborough and her fab team of volunteers as they kick off their second season of scouring Toronto for urban delectables with a big bang!  follow me as I write a seasonal column on the health properties of Toronto’s abundance of free fruit!

http://www.notfarfromthetree.org/

check out my first post on Serviceberries:

Serviceberries, of the Amelanchier spp., are indigenous to most every part of Canada and the US, possibly putting ‘Saskatoon’ on the map. Other colloquial names refer to their seasonal availability, such as juneberry.

From slightly tart to nutty sweet, these nutritious delicacies are used to flavour Native American Pemmican. They and appear just as the shad run, hence another name: shadbush.

Because of their dark red-blue-black colorings the ripe berries are jam-packed with proantho-antioxidants. Doctrine of signatures from Chinese as well as Iroquois herbal traditions place them among the blood-building kind due to their dark colors, especially for nourishing mom after childbirth. Phenolic acids have been isolated from European Juneberries unveiling the health benefits of these dark little berries, providing a mechanism for positively affecting blood pressure and blood circulation.

Careful eating them before harvest, as they may induce vomiting when unripe, a popular use for them in 18 and 19th century Europe.

xox dr millie lytle nd

Whistleblower Report

Check out this intresting article on vaccines, and what a former vaccine and drug regulator has to say about it…

Shiv Chopra, former Health Canada Scientist on the Vaccine and Antibiotic Controversy

by Helke Ferrie

http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/apr_08_helke

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says if you can’t follow me to europe follow me to twitter

i miss you and although plans to continue the blog are still on the side plate of the ol’brainio, currently she is active on twitter, milliesays follow me there.

one tidbit: once the baby is born, it is extemely important to keep nutrition levels high, sky higher than they’ve ever been in order to protect nervous system (post partum depression, insomnia), and endocrine system (hair loss, sluggish adrenals, low thyroid function).   particularly it is extremely important to replenish iron stores in a big way.  a favorite post partum tonic are nettle and alfalfa, and made by several companies, but also bone marrow soups, liver, and a daily tablespoon of blackstrap molasses are all a good idea to keep stores up.  iron also comes in capsules, bound to citrate and chelate, which will constipate less than the ferrous gluconate.  when iron is taken with vitamin C it is better absorbed, as long as it is taken regularly will work, dessicated liver is also an option.  with any luck, keeping iron and B12 levels and the full compliment of nutrition post partum will protect the adrenals and thyroid against stress, especially during the intense times of 3am feedings, lack of sleep, physical recovery.

xox dr millie lytle nd

poem from a patient

Thanks to Jacinta Doyle for her humourous and thoughtful poem:

Enlightenment

Millie stayed in school, just so she could study the stool

She talked about door #2 and then told us to go and have a good pooh

She said take a look at your pouch,

For God’s sake get off the couch

She told us, as you leave your gate, for Heaven’s Sake stand up straight

She said to get out of your rut get off your butt

She said quit being an owl, and start eating some organic fowl

She told us to pick up the pace; she she did it with such grace

She said you better drink your water

If you want to be a thin bride, at the alter

We learned we could have a piece pf pie, but not all,

or she’d give us the evil eye

We learned we could go to the bar and have a malt,

even talk about kosher salt

We learned about beans, so we could all be lean

We learned about the fart, which made us all smart

We learned about fiddleheads, so we were no longer bubbleheads

She got right down and talked about the itchy ass,

But you know Millie, she did with class

But, when she took to the floor [and demonstrated "plank" position]

We knew then miss Millie could do no more.

millie says check out your apple horoscopes

what does astrology have to do with inidividual diet? i dont’ know, but it’s fun to read about it. thanks to Monica for this one.

http://www.fayeclack.com/ontarioapples/jan09/applescopes.html

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says come hear me speak…before I leave Toronto

Wanna hear me speak about the ‘food for mood diet’ first hand? Come on out to this event sponsored by the International Schizophrenia Foundation.

The mission of the ISF is to promote the use of orthomolecular medicine, the therapeutic approach which uses natural nutrition and supplementation to prevent and treat disease. Ticket Info: $5.00

Website: http://www.orthomed.org/news/news.html Toronto Public

Information Series: Orthomolecular Medicine & Mental Health

Wednesday February 18, 2009 from 7:30pm – 8:30pm

OISE 252 Bloor St. W., Room 5250 Toronto, Ontario M5S 1V6

Toronto Public Information Series: Orthomolecular Medicine & Mental Health Spring 2009.

Wednesday, February 18, 7:30 pm

“The Food For Mood Diet”

Presented by Millie Lytle BA, ND, C. Ht.

Held at: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) 252 Bloor Street West, Room 5250 (St. George Subway). Admission to each presentation is $5 at the door. Pre-registration is required as space is limited. This event is wheelchair accessible.

To register, please call (416) 733-2117 or email centre@orthomed.org

Upcoming presentations in the series: Wednesday, March 25, 7:30 pm Restoration and Maintenance of Health Presented by Leigh Arseneau, ND

millie says public {needs more} health on HPV

KUDOS to the Ford-Iroquois Public Health Department for warning smoking women of their increased risk for cervical cancer.  much better than the GARDASIL vaccine advertisements, Toronto Public Health, Ministry of Long Term Health or most MDs are doing in teaching women and their young daughters about the risk factors for HPV (the virus that causes the sexually transmitted cancer and pre-cancer diseases: Cervical Cancer/Atypia/Dysplasia).

sorry to be harsh, but rather than nod blindly to a massive ad campaign on the “free”[dumb] provided by the vaccine, shouldn’t public and health educators speak to the other more holistic prevention/risk reduction methods for contacting the HPV virus?  …rather than allow our daughters to be guinea pigs for MERCK and crony Stephen Harper.

Let me lay it out bluntly, and please spread the word.

1) having sex before the cervix has stopped growing (18 years) puts a teen/girl at risk for abnormal cellular changes
2) the more unprotected sexual partners a girl has before the age of 18, the more exposed to contact, virus, bacteria, the more likely she is to develop the symptoms
3) being a teenage or young girl means having a high vaginal pH susceptible to catching STDs such as HPV, moreso than mature women who have an acidic vaginal pH
4) smoking kills cells; particularly in the cervix; limits the immune defences.  girls (and women) who smoke are at an increased chance of developing the disease.
5) poor nutrient diet: without fruits, vegetables and other antioxidant-rich foods (green tea!!!), one is at risk for developing this disease.

not only are there preventative strategies, there are also natural treatments.  take it from me,

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says dag nam lead pipes

oh! the foiler, the spoilers! just when you think that local water is great to drink because it’s filtered and monitored, and when left in a carafe for 24 hours the chlorine evaporates and it’s free and ‘millie said so’, you find out the lead (Pb or Plumbum)  many old plumbings (see the root word?) has ruined it for all of us. but before turning in your tap water for a quick-fix plastic drinking water, check out your lead levels with a blood test or a contraversial hair mineral analysis. problems with large doses of lead: namely, iron deficiency anemia that just wont go away. reason being, lead in the blood will replace the iron in the centre of the hemoglobin molecule (that which carries oxygen to our brain, cells, organs, muscles and toes). a million leaded-hemoglobin molecules replacing the iron doesn’t deliver 1/2 as much oxygen, leaving us even more fatigued than normal iron deficiency. do I smell 2 million necessary hair-mineral analyses in the city of Toronto alone?

other amorphous signs of lead toxicity:

* Stomachaches, cramping, constipation, or diarrhea

* Nausea, vomiting

* Persistent, unexplained fatigue

* Headache

* Muscle weakness

* stunted growth in children

* kidney and reproductive failures

watch for children who like the taste of metal, paint in old houses…as lead has a sweet taste. candy.

xox dr millie lytle nd

ps: hope this in part makes up for a good effort (but possible information deficiency/toxicity) found here: http://www.toronto.ca/health/lead/index.htm

millie says here’s a quick nutrition review

quick nutrition review:  there are nutrients.  there are two different kinds- macro and micro.  within those different kinds are different kinds- macro: protein, fat, carbs and micro: vitamins, minerals (antioxidants and phytoestrogens also contained within this group but sometimes overlap in category).  here we go.

macronutrients: complex molecules, body needs all 3 in abundance everyday.  requirements vary over age and on metabolic need/goals.

• protein (all essential amino acids, the ones the body doesn’t make on its own)

• fat (monounsaturates [omega 9], polyunsaturates [omega 3 and 6] , saturated, hydrogenated)

• carbohydrate (simple [easily and quickly digested], complex [slowly digested, more filling, more healthy, including but not limited to fibre]-

micronutrients: body needs relatively small amounts still daily.  requirements vary somewhat over age, sex, lifestyle and genetics eg: those who lose blood monthly need more iron and B12, those that are predisposed to thin bones need more Vit D, Calcium and Boron.

• vitamins- from ripening process of fruits and veg, levels increase (water soluble- don’t get stored, don’t become toxic: Bs (though B12 can be stored), C, beta-carotene, folic acid.  fat soluble-A, D, E, K.  do get stored, can become toxic if ingested at very very high dosages)
  
• minerals -from the ground and water (oligo minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron that body needs more of.  trace minerals such as chromium, selenium, copper that body needs less of.  do get stored in body.
  

if any of these are missing from the diet, the diet is not complete, not healthy, not capable of carrying on healthy life, must function with a deficiency, causing problems.  similarly if balance is off and too much of any one or two or three in the diet, problems will also be created.  there is deficiency which causes medical conditions (ie: scurvy, beri-beri), but there is also low intake which does not provide enough nutrition for wellness.

N-U-T-R-I-E-N-T-S

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says juice organic is back

pretend we live in San Diego in the late 60s or listen to this story…

when i was still in undergrad, back in 1997 i became a juice barrista at this little vitamin store/juicebar/naturopathic clinic and was mentored on everything from the cleanser to the liquid lunch by this raw foodist named Barry, who was also into sprouting.  I got to know the ins and outs of the machines too; the osterizer, the vitamix and the omega 8005.  i would entertain the local Forest and Summer-hillians with my tales of a socio-political lifestyle downtown, organics versus non-organics (concentrated nutrients vs concentrated toxins and pesticides) and the health value of my orange skin (lots of beta carotene good for the skin, eyes, cells in general and the natural bronzer color protects you from getting a sun burn).  i was involved in juice culture, let’s say, and there would be parties, and people would mix vodka with fresh juice and it was novel and delicious, healthier and fun and we would talk about detoxing while retoxing.  i even appeared on breakfast television making juice discussing the benefits with Ann Romer, a frequent customer in those days.

years later and now with health training, what i learned back in those days that still counts, no matter how popular juicing is in the moment 1) you can always get a nice slow juicer on craigslist or at a garage sale for 10-20 bucks (the fast ones kill the living enzymes of the juice and are NOT worth the money) 2) juicing ORGANIC vegetables is an amazing way to get a high nutrient liquid salad, deliciously complete with enzymes, antioxidants and minerals.  3) there are many health benefits to juicing such as liver detoxification with a combo such as  carrots, beets, green apples and lemons, ginger AND ulcer curing with carrot, cabbage and raw potato. 4) drinking fresh juice gives you improved baseline nutrition explified through beautiful skin, healthy bowels and energetic mood 5) that it is a taste sensation, when mixed with vodka but especially on its own. 6) it’s a great way to use up leftover organic vegetables and fruit that you will not possibly be able to eat before they expire

cons of frequent juicing: 1) cleaning the juicer each time and protecting the blade 2) no fibre so does not replace all nutritional needs provided by eating vegetables 3) drink within 15 minutes of making for optimal nutrition- enzymes and antioxidants start breaking down right away 4) orange skin

Barry’s Liquid Lunch Recipe (creamy, thick, refreshing and filling)
in a juicer add: 2-3 organic carrots (a beet is optional)
in blender add: carrot juice base, 1/2-full organic lemon, 1 apple cut and cored, handful of sunflower sprouts, 1/2 avocado
Mix. 

xox dr millie lytle nd