castor oils packs

Here is an explanation and how-to from the ND with the most castor oil packing cache Dr. Dickson Thom ND (Biotherapeutic Drainage Book):
The castor bean (Oleum ricini), also known as Palma Christi, due to its leaf shape and healing properties, is known principally as a cathartic. A gentler use is in the form of a pack placed over the abdomen, usually with heat applied. The oil is absorbed into the lymphatic circulation to provide a soothing, cleansing, and nutritive treatment, which stimulates immune function and tonifies internal organs.
Castor Oil Pack (COP) Procedure:
• First wash the flannel (if new) in warm water and dry. Fold flannel into 2-3 thicknesses to fit over your entire abdomen (including liver area).
• Soak flannel with castor oil, and wring out until damp like a wash cloth. The first few times you use it, it will seem there is too much oil present. However, be patient and usually after several applications, the flannel will have just the right amount of castor oil.
• Lay wool blanket, old sheet, large sheet of plastic and old towel out on the surface you will be lying on. This will prevent staining.
• Lie on your back, with your feet elevated (pillow under knees and feet), placing flannel over abdomen, cover with a small sheet of plastic and towel and then place a hot water bottle or heating pad on top.
• Wrap yourself in the sheet and wool blanket.
• Leave pack on 45-60 minutes. Watch TV, practice visualization, meditation or relaxation breathing. Or just sleep, some people wear the pack all night using an ace bandage to hold it in place.

I recommend that women use the COP between days 5-12 of cycle. Women should avoid COPs during menstruation (increases bleeding) and if they suspect/know they’re pregnant.
Men can use the COP anytime, although it’s wonderful if a couple can use the COPs at the same time.
An electric heating pad is OK, as long as it’s on the lower setting (gentle heat).
To avoid a detox reaction, be sure to drink lots of water on the days that a COP is being used.

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says march 29

Let your blood flow. Wearing a pad instead of tampons allows your body cleanse itself without the risk of bacteria build up. This can ultimately prevent conditions of blood stagnation (Chinese medicine diagnosis) such as pain, cramps and endometriosis. For extra cleansing and relief try castor oil packs over the uterus and liver.

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says march 28

If your baby is in breech or transverse position, move that child with positive thought, encouragement and coaxing. Try everything possible before resorting to C-section such as telling your baby how important it is he/she moves, imagining and visualizing the turn, putting a microphone with interesting music playing at your pubic area, swimming, drinking lot of water and most importantly slowing down so baby can relax and perform a happy summersault. if this doesn’t work seek alternatives such as homeopathy, acupuncture, Webster technique and ECV from a professional.

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says march 27

Moisturize from the inside out by including a healthy dose of essential fatty acids (EFAs) like flax, borage, sunflower and pumpkin seed oils in your daily diet. These oils will go further towards beautifying your skin than oil of olay or any other product out there. Udo Erasmus, maker of Udo’s oil, says if you take 2 tablespoons of his cold-pressed combo called Udo’s oil daily, you will have velvet skin. Udo doth not lieth.

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says march 26

Admit it. Rather than ignoring or repressing, try addressing your inner demons. No matter if you ‘fess up to a friend or close your eyes and watch as your assertions pass on a velvet curtain in front of your eyes and float off stage left. Confessing has been shown to lower blood pressure, calm heart rate, improve your mindset and boost your immune system. So admit it.

xox dr millie lytle nd

vitamin vittles

Here are some tips to help you get the most from your vitamins

1) dont buy cheap vitamins like COSTCO, CENTRUM or even JAMIESON, let’s call it the best of the worst. Read the labels. usually they have unknown sources, which means your dont know where the raw materials is coming from. They also may have allergens in them (wheat, corn, soy, dairy, sugar, yeast, etc) unless they specifically state they dont. And most importantly cheap vitamins may contain additives; various salts for preservation and stabilization. These additives can make it difficult to digest these vitamins. Buy at the very least a moderate price range, free from additives, chemical preservatives and allergens such as SISU, Natural Factors, Udo’s, EhN or Greens + brand, etc. The most absorbable vitamins and minerals often are in liquid or powder form, not in a compressed horse pill. Professional brands are often recommended by a health professional and especially when you need a product specified for an illness or health condition. Some of these brands are Thorne, Seroyal, Metagenics, NaturePharm, Bio. Professional products are usually only available in specialty health stores and from practitioners. they are more expensive but have well-sourced high quality ingredients. they are also more controlled than other health products. Often times research has been done on them. However self-medicating yourself with combinations herbs and supplements may be dangerous especially if you are on medications or have a health condition, so dont assume they are safe. dont’ be foolish.
2) Take most vitamins and minerals with meals, containing vegetables and whole grains. Take chromium piccolinate 20 minutes prior to meals to help with sugar regulation. Take fats with the fattiest meal as digestion will be preparing to digest fat- this might be lunch or dinner, probably not breakfast.
3) do not take vitamins with coffee or alcohol (within an hour) as these prevent certains vitamins from being absorbed.
4) take herbs between meals so they can be absorbed into blood stream quicker. Also take acidophillus between meals, preferably before bed, as it will have a direct path to your colon.
5) take calcium at night as this is when the body heals and it is the best time to absorb calcium. Liquid calcium may be best absorbed. Look for a high quality brand with magnesium and potentially other minerals too like potassium, boron and silica.
6) do not take calcium with iron as they compete with eachother.
7) take iron with vitamin C and vitamin A (not beta-carotene) as it helps its absorption. Iron on its own can cause deficiency of vitamin A, especially in vegetarians, as Beta Carotene, a water soluble vegetarian form of vitamin A does not replace the fish and dairy lipid soluble pure form of Vitamin A

8)do not take ferrous gluconate. this is an example of a mineral bound to salt that make it unabsorbable and highly constipating. Take iron bound to vitamin C like Iron Citrate or Iron Chelate. You’ll notice you only need to take 40-50 mg per day as opposed to 300mg, and your digestion wont be affected. When your digestions is affected you may becomes constipated, which can cause other problems such as abdominal discomfort, gas, bloating and skin conditions due to a re-circulation of hormones and toxins, as opposed to an elimination of them.

9)If you take Zinc take copper at a ratio of 15:1 as zinc will cause a deficiency in copper over time. Always take zinc on a full stomach as it can cause nausea.
10)Preserve your oils in dark amber bottles in th fridge. do not heat EFAs or Omega 3-6-9. Do not let them be exposed to air or light either as they will rancidify, causing free radicals thereby losing their health benefits. do not take old oils, especially in liquid form.
11) If possible spread out your vitamin intake throughout the day. The best vitamins are not one-a-days as inevitably your body wont be able to use all at once. Water soluble vitamins , in particular, such as antioxidants, B vitamins (including folic acid) and C should be taken several time throughout the day if possible.  If not possible, then take with meals but away from coffee, tea an alcohol.

12) fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E and K are stored in the body and therefore dont need to be taken as often throughout the day.  B12 is an exception, as it is also stored in the liver and the same rule goes.  the best source of vitamin D is from the UV-b rays from the sun.  Expose your bare skin to the sun, sans  sunscreen for 15-30 minutes depending on how hot it is.  Babies and small children need even less time.  Basically these rays convert the cholesterol on our skin to vitamin D, how cool is that!

taking your vitamins with some background knowledge can really help you get the most for your money. You will notice better results within 3 months if not sooner.

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says march 24

Foster authentic yogic karma by doing things for the sake of the action itself rather than being dependant on the outcome. In other words, practice sans (French meaning without) agenda.

xox dr millie lytle nd

millie says march 23

Walk to work.  If that’s unreasonable, walk around your building 10 times or for what feels 10 minutes but is actually 20.  You may feel silly but that’s not a bad thing as you will elevate your heart rate between 100-130 and enter into fat-burning mode.  If your heart rate is above 131 then you’ll be working on your endurance, but no longer burning fat.  Maintain for 20 minutes 5 days per week for a weight loss plan.

xox dr millie lytle nd

Candida be gone ? (Part Deux)

So now that you have a hunch if candida is urking you, to be sure, it can be isolated by a stool test, vaginal or oral swab…depending on where you have the symptoms, but for the more generalized symptoms such as sugar cravings, mood disorders diagnostic tests are not reliable.

The best thing to do is to consult a naturopathic doctor or chinese medical doctor. Alternatively you could get yourself the book “The Yeast Connection” or visit the website by the same name.
If you’re ready to dive in by yourself here are the tips that you need to follow in order to kill the candida.

1) starve the yeast. This means avoid eating anything that yeast feeds on such as
a) sugar and anything that breaks down as sugar in our body- simple sugars, candy, fruit, white potatoes, white flour, bagels and pasta.
b) distilled products like vinegar, alcohol, soy sauce, and most condiments containing these products.
c) Lastly yeast feeds on other yeast and fungus spores found on food such as button, cremini and portabello mushrooms, peanuts, macadamian nuts and melons).
2) kill the yeast. Take natural antivirals and anti-fungal such as raw garlic or garlic capsules, grapefruit seed extract, oil of oregano, pau d’arco tea as they dont lower the immune system like antifungal medications.

3) Replenish the good bacteria in your digestive tract by taking a diet rich in good ferments: natural sauerkraut or kimchi (no-vinegar- salt only), organic non-gmo miso, rejuvelac, kombucha or supplemental probiotics,  if you have a persistent infection it’s best to use a supplement for 3 months such as  HMF forte by Seroyal or equivalent probiotics  with 10 billion  live cells of acidophilus, bifidus and FOS. or consider an extra strength yogurt such as BIO-K.

the candida diet is strict and lasts for 4 months. After 3 weeks of seeing good results you can slowly start adding low sugar fruits such as apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries and plums.

xox dr millie lytle nd

see list of foods candida diet

Candida you nasty thing part 1

Candida is not considered a disease despite thousands of North Americans sufferering from its effects. While western medicine continues to turn a blind eye, except in the severely immuno-compromised, at the other end of the health care spectrum, the energy practitioners are consumed by it. So what’s the deal?

Candida albicans is a common yeast-like fungus that is ubiquitous, meaning everywhere in our environment, plus in our bodies. It is prone to causing easily-treatable red, itchy and yeasty symptoms when localized such as thrush, yeast infections and warts. It gains strength in our bodies and is elevated to ‘parasite’ status when we’ve taken anti-biotics without replenishing our digestive tract with probiotics such acidophilus and bifidus. In the presence of a high sugar diet, and years of oral contraceptive use it’s also made worse.

When yeast becomes chronic or recurrent it is due poor treatment or failing immune system. Poor prescriptions of pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, corticosteroid creams and birth control pills can cause the symptoms travel from localized and superficial areas of the vagina or mouth to a deeper area of the body. The fungus candida, what was an easy-to-treat problem can move into the blood stream and become “systemic” causing possible problems in the skin, legs, feet, hands, urinary tract, kidneys, uterus and ovaries.

At this point candida no longer appears the same and can baffle medical practitioners unaware of this organisms’ strength. The condition can also worsten until another medical diagnosis is warranted. How candida expresses itself in the body is not known by science, however in my practice I see its devastation in many ways: chronic athelete’s foot, itchy vagina and labia, cracks in the skin, chronic urinary tract infections, cystic acne, poor energy, depression, sluggishness, food intolerances, PMS, painful periods, constipation, “ibs”, sugar cravings, alcohol cravings. i even question if endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts and some forms of infertility are as a result of improperly treated candida.

xox dr millie lytle nd

take the questionnaire to see if you have the symptoms.   Candida Questionnaire