raw cashew cheese

raw cashew cheese

I made this raw cashew cheese the other day as I can't eat dairy and was missing cheese! The added spices and herbs of garlic powder, onion powder and dill really did lend a nice cheesy savory taste. It was very easy to make and by using agar agar in the recipe the cheese mixture firmed up nicely. It slices and grates just like regular cheese. I even melted it on some rye sourdough for my version of a cheese melt- yummy!
I soaked the cashews before hand for about 4 hours and made sure they were raw and organic. They blended up really easily with a touch of salt and lime to enhance the flavor. You could add jalapenos, black pepper, or any other spices that you enjoy. Next time I am going to try it with some spicy peppers and paprika for a taste kick. I think the flecks of color will look attractive too.

Brain Wave Optimization- balance and heal the brain naturally

To enjoy greater health, emotional balance and mental clarity, a person needs to have a balanced and healthy brain. Our brain waves cause certain symptoms for each of us and is the underlying cause of many afflictions such as ADD, depression, suicidal tendencies, anxiety, sleep disorders, physical pain, learning difficulties, addictions, PTSD to mention just a few.

Recently I learned of an exciting and harmless therapy that helps the brain balance and calibrate itself by resetting the brain waves. There are no drugs, medication or side effects to this unique and revolutionary modality. Simply put by listening to certain musical tones the brain is able to balance out irregularities that may have manifested through stress, childhood traumas, daily living, accidents, illness - all manner of things that can interrupt the balance and function of our brains.

After an initial brain assessment which takes around 40 minutes and requires the participant to undertake certain activities whilst electrodes attached to the scalp record the brain waves, the program determines which tones are to be used in the first session. The activities that are initially done in the assessment might include reading a short passage and then summarizing it, looking at a picture, basic math sums.
A person usually does at least 10 sessions and each session's data is run through the brain state optimization algorithms to determine the brain waves in different parts of the brain. The client can see these brain waves and the patterns that their brain is making and therefore can monitor and analyze each session's progress in real time.

The therapy itself is very pleasant and relaxing. Depending on the need there might be 6 or more exercises per 2 hour session. Some of the sessions might require the client to visualize a peaceful place in nature, or a relaxing place full of color. Electrodes are attached to different parts of the scalp during the sessions and the person listens to different musical tones through an ear piece. The brain waves are recorded and the data is run through the hi tech software each time. During the sessions the person reclines comfortably on an anti gravity chair and this helps with the ability to relax and let go.

I had 13 sessions in all and will definitely have more as time permits. My initial assessment showed that I was left brain dominant which meant a tendency to analyze and think a lot. The goal for a balanced brain would be to have equal strength in both the right and left brain to ensure optimum health and well being.
I was fascinated with the data of my brain waves after each session. Initially there was quite a gap between the right and left brain, but after around the fourth session the brain waves started to come together in a beautiful and symmetrical pattern.

One month on I can see some major benefits from having had this therapy. I have less pain in my neck and shoulders. I have a calmer mind and feel generally more creative. I am sleeping better and have found the motivation to exercise on a more regular basis!

This is of course a layman's testimonial - for a more scientific and rigorous explanation of exactly how Brain wave optimization works please click here.

I had my sessions with Dr Sung Lee in Sedona-  who is the lead researcher for Brain State technologies. It was a wonderful experience and I learned so much from my time with Dr Lee, who is a caring and diligent practitioner with a real ability to put the patient at ease.

To experience this therapy in a  Californian Monastery retreat setting please check out this link.

Varicose and Spider Veins- natural cure

Varicose and spider veins are a common problem for women and men, although more women are affected. Varicose veins can be a serious health issue as well as being a cosmetic concern. The presence of these ropey and bulging veins can indicate an underlying problem with blood flow and the risk of blood clots forming. Some women notice the development of such veins in pregnancy, others have a family history of vein issues - but whatever the cause it is crucial to treat the underlying cause of this symptom.

The standard care of treatment is surgical removal but this does not mean that more veins won't appear. The cost can be prohibitive and the recovery time can be lengthy. The underlying cause of the venous insufficiency is not addressed in order for the person to heal from within.

Spider veins are not a serious health concern like varicose veins, but they can cause the sufferer to feel embarrassed about their legs and avoid having to show them off. Spider veins commonly show up on the ankles, thighs, behind the knees as well as on cheeks and around the nose. The standard of care treatment for legs is sclerotherapy where a saline solution is injected into the vein in order to collapse it. The body then reabsorbs the vein over time. The drawbacks with this method are that it is considered a cosmetic treatment and therefore not usually covered by insurance. It is a costly procedure and often requires several sessions. Thick compression stockings have to be worn for several days after the injections and the veins will often reappear in other places, since the underlying causes have not been addressed.


So what can a person do to heal their veins via a more natural process? There are a number of things that can be implemented, some of which are :

Diet

Nutrition

Homeopathy

Exercise

Massage

Yoga

Reflexology

I recently read an interesting ebook- Varicose Vein Cures by Diane Thompson.  The author healed her own painful varicose veins through the use of all natural and cheap protocols. She had endured surgery but had a very problematic recovery and worse yet, her veins reappeared. Her own quest for a natural healing led her to researching various alternatives. The results of which are included in her thorough ebook.


The book was very readable- written in a way that anyone can follow and understand. The therapies included are all common place and inexpensive and can be easily incorporated into a person's life. The cost is $27 and is instantly downloadable, with bonus ebooks for free that help with acne, wrinkles and other beauty concerns. What I like about the book is that it is well researched with many modalities of healing to choose from in one place. Considering the cost and inconvenience of surgery I consider the book price to be worth it as even if your veins don't entirely heal, adopting some of the author's suggestions will help with your overall health. I personally use homeopathy, exercise and nutrition to keep my vein walls strong.

Please click below to order your copy of Varicose Veins Cure.


 http://buddha2.varicose.hop.clickbank.net

Lamb Shank Soup on a budget

Lamb shank broth

 Eating as well as we can with high quality ,nutrient dense ingredients can get pretty pricy so I do my best to get the most value for my money.

This delicious and nutritious lamb shank soup costs under $10 to make and will feed four people.  I used all organic ingredients , mainly with veggies I had left over in the fridge. The key with lamb shanks is to cook them for a long time in order to break down the marrow and get all the goodness out of the bones. They are very cheap cuts of  meat so longer cooking will ensure the meat falls off the bone easily. Another tip is to use a crock pot, that way you can put all the ingredients into the pot and leave it to cook by itself. Make sure you initially soak the bones in water and some apple cider vinegar for an hour or so to start the process of breaking  down and releasing the nutrients that are in the bones and marrow.

You can use any vegetables you have on hand , I happened to have leeks, peas, carrots and sweet potato. I like to add a little turmeric to the stock as it gives an appetizing golden hue to the broth. Make sure to season well with good quality salt. I used celtic sea salt.

You can use any bones for this hearty fare- beef , chicken, fish heads- all will give a tasty and healthy meal without costing much money at all. Some butchers even give away the scraps if you ask them. I bought a huge salmon head for $4 and plan to make a rich fish broth with it.  Nutritionally this type of food is excellent as it is easy to eat and to absorb the goodness out of the dish.

Soak the bones in water with a tablespoon or so of acv then add bay leaf, salt and let cook for at  least 6 - 8 hrs. I like to add most of my veggies nearer the end of the cooking time to keep them crisper but you can play around with it. Taste prior to serving to see if it it needs more seasoning. I sometimes add some cumin , coriander and cayenne pepper to lamb shank soup as I like the aromatic spices with lamb.

Enjoy and eat well!

Review of Immuno Bloodprint testing for food intolernaces

Many people have food intolerances that can cause a host of problems from gastrointestinal problems to asthma, eczema, migraines, ADD and many other ailments. Often times the very foods we crave and eat regularly can be the culprit of these wide ranging and destructive symptoms. I suffered with sinus, asthma and gut problems for a long time. Eventually my NMD referred me to Immuno Laboratories to have a blood test taken to see which foods were causing me issues. My test results showed I had 24 sensitivities including reactions to almonds, soy, brewers yeast, eggs, bakers yeast, cows milk, cheese and a number of others. Some of these foods I was eating on an almost daily basis. I did have an inkling about some of my sensitivities and already had been avoiding half of what I showed to be reactive to. Some of the most common sources of delayed food reactions in people are

    Dairy
    Eggs
    Fish
    Peanuts
    Tree nuts
    Sesame
    Shellfish and other seafood
    Soy
    Wheat
    Gluten

I had 7 out of 10! It was time to eliminate these offenders from my diet.

About the product:

Immuno Laboratories is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is widely recognized as the leading toxic food testing facility in the world. They offer a variety of different food toxicity tests such as candida albicans, anti- gliadin ( to test for celiac) but I just did the Immuno 1 bloodprint which  tests for delayed reactions and sensitivities to food. The company has a helpful website http://www.betterhealthusa.com/public/main.cfm where you can find out more information. Basically your doctor writes an order for the blood test and gives you  a testing kit. You take this to lab corp or your local blood testing facility, get your blood drawn and they then send the blood draw to Immuno labs. A week or so later the results come back to your doctor  along with some useful information from Immuno labs.

I received a binder with my test results, foods to avoid, family groups of foods that might be related to my food sensitives, suggested daily menu plan, and 3 DVDs to help me get with the program. The DVDs show a tour of the lab and you can see how state of the art it is for yourself. One of the DVDs also shows a busy mom with a family who all have food intolerances and she shows the viewer how she manages and what kinds of food she cooks. The binder also has a symptom checker to track how you are doing over the course of 3 months as well as a food diary. There is also a toll free number where you can speak with a nutritionist as well as a forum on the website where you can get your questions answered.

Depending on the severity of your food intolerances , you can start to introduce them back into your diet one at a time over the course of the next few months and see if your reactions have healed. Sometimes you can reintroduce a troublesome food but other times you will have to avoid that particular food, perhaps for ever. The literature that you receive will show you how to go about reintroducing foods.

How I tested the product:

I immediately eliminated the offending foods that were in my test results. I have been on the allergy free diet for 5 months without too many slip ups. Sometimes you have to be very careful as hidden ingredients may be in your food. For example I now avoid foods that have 'NATURAL FLAVORS" or " SPICES" on the label. This generic description does not tell me what makes up these mystery items and it could well include yeast or black pepper for example which I am sensitive to according to my test results. It was a challenge at first because I had to really think through what I was going to eat that day. In addition it is advised to rotate foods so that the same food is not being eaten two days running.

There is no more store bought stock for me, I have to make it all from scratch and so this does take some thought and preparation. I can't grab a hunk of bread and cheese when I want a quick snack like I used to do and when everyone else is tucking into pizza, well I can't indulge. Neither can I have a glass of wine, beer or any other alcohol that contains brewers yeast. In fact the only alcohol I can have is triple distilled gin, vodka or tequila. I have now quit alcohol entirely as it doesn't seem worth it.

Initially I felt deprived of my favorite tidbits, and also my foods became very simple and seemed boring. However now that I have been forced to eat and cook in a different way I have discovered new foods and new ways of cooking. For example I make my own milk from soaked cashews and sunflower seeds. I eat a wider range of vegetables and have started using coconut oil. I try and rotate everything, even spices so in actual fact my diet has become varied , if still simple.

I am happy to report that within two months my acne rosacea cleared up. Amazing, I have clear skin!  For the most part my asthma got a lot better and my gut problems have almost completely resolved. This is all due to the fact that I am not eating the irritating foods. I am less congested and I look better. I still have sinus problems but that can be one of the last things to heal and is related to issues besides food which I am working on.

Pros:

The program worked for me on many of my health issues.
Affordable - $300 to test 115 foods.
Excellent customer support.
Very informative and educational resources given to support you.
Straight forward process of sending blood draw.

Cons:

This is not for the faint of heart. You will need to revise the way you shop, cook and eat. It is not a short cut and requires commitment.
For some it may be costly, especially if your whole family gets tested. I just had myself tested so I felt it was reasonable considering all the information that is given.
Have to be referred by a doctor, you can't go direct and get your blood tested or results given to you.

Conclusion:

This is one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Within a few short months my skin has cleared up, my asthma is markedly better and my gastrointestinal problems are almost healed. Personally I did not mind too much the overhaul I needed to do regarding the kinds of foods I can eat. Yes it takes a bit longer to plan the meals and snacks, but after a while you get the hang of it. I now try and cook double portions and freeze half for another day.

Where to buy :

In the first instance call 1.888.446.6866 or go the website to be put in touch with a referring doctor. Good luck and happy eating because food is life.

Review of the David Delight Pro from Mind Alive Inc

I like to meditate regularly as I find it helps keep my mind calm and boosts my physical energy. I came across an interesting device called a David Delight Pro that is really helpful in gently guiding the brainwaves towards a more relaxed state. I have been using the unit since December 2011and I feel it has become a useful part of my daily routine that I set aside for my personal well being. The device is one of many helpful products that are made by Mind Alive Inc, based in Canada.

About the product:

The David Delight Pro is a high quality cranial electrical stimulation device and audio visual entrainment unit that helps to induce a  relaxing and heightened state of consciousness. The device includes headphones, the David Delight Pro console, CES stimulus cable, Tru-Vu Omniescent Eyeset, power adapter, battery, detailed manual.

The unit uses pulses of light and tones and depending on the setting selected can help move the brain into a more relaxed state ,as well as helping the brain maintain focus and sharpen the mind.

The David Delight pro helps stimulate areas of the brain to work together in a healthful and harmonious way. The blood flow increases to the brain and the manual details scientific studies to back this up. It also highlights studies that show how the neurotransmitters are affected in a positive way as well as EEG patterns. The AVE component allows the mind to disassociate and become clear of thoughts, emotions and body awareness. This is akin to what experienced meditators might experience.

Some of the conditions helped by this innovative technology are anxiety, ADD,depression, SAD, fatigue. Some of the benefits reported to have been experienced are cheerfulness, deep relaxation, mental sharpness and clarity, groundedness and calmness.

How I tested the product:
I have been using it for 4 months now, usually on a daily basis. I particularly enjoy the sounds of the heartbeat throughout the session as it slows my breathing down and as a result my mind becomes quieter. Having a busy mind can be quite a hindrance when meditating and so the David Delight Pro has significantly helped with this. I have had my share of physical health issues too, but overall my meditation sessions have helped me stay calmer and more resourceful with getting to the bottom of what goes on in my body. There are different programs that you can use depending on what your need is. I have used the brain booster setting, the sleep setting and the feeling better setting. I feel the sleep setting did help my mind quieten down so that I could more easily relax into sleep. I am actually using the brain booster as I write this review so you can see how portable it is!

I shall keep on using the device as part of my healthy living endeavor as so far I have had quite positive experiences. I have asthma and so the deeper breathing is very welcome. It is amazing how often we don't breath properly, and take shallow breaths. I feel that this gadget is helping retrain the way I habitually breath.

Pros :

The meditations work- I am able to relax deeper and calm my mind.
The reading booster works - I am able to concentrate more readily and absorb more of what I am studying.
Mind Alive has excellent customer service.
The unit is portable. You can connect it to an ipod or a SanDisk mp3 player ( I bought a SanDisk mp3 player which was much cheaper than the ipod and works very well).
Can use just the headphones and the CES if you are wanting to do other things, like watch tv, read , write etc.
Goes great with meditating with soul therapy meditation music and a Metatron's magnetic mat.


Cons:
Lots of wires which can be fiddly and cumbersome.  One solution is to use a twist tie to keep the wires from tangling.
The controls share one screen.
There is a learning curve to using the device, as there are several settings and modes that can be used. Some of the buttons do different things depending on what mode you have the unit in so you really do need to read the entire manual to best understand this. 



Conclusion:

Overall this unit is great and does what it claims to do. It is well worth the effort of reading the manual and experimenting with the different settings. Once you get the hang of using the David Delight Pro you will reap the benefits of tapping into the quantum realm of your mind.

Incidentally I found a good battery for the unit, a 9v tenergy centura that is cheap and rechargeable.

Where to buy :

You can buy it online. I got it from here.

A Review of Variable Speed fan controller

I bought this in order to be able to control the speed of the Fantech Whole House Hepa Filter. You plug it into the wall and then the fan you want to control, into the unit. You turn the dial up and down to get the speed you want - very simple.

It has a nice plug so no need to wire anything yourself. User friendly. Cheap and does the job it's supposed to do. I got mine very inexpensively from Amazon.

A Review of Fantech Whole House Hepa Filter

 As an allergy sufferer I was looking for a way to bring in fresh air into my house without bringing in pollen and other pollutants from outside. There are many air filters on the market that would do a good job and I had looked at other units costing up to $1000 but the Fantech Whole House Hepa Filter unit seemed to be as good as those but the cost was much more attractive.
My intent was to create positive pressure when it was running so the clean air from the unit would push put through any cracks and windows in my home and keep dirty air from outside creeping in. 

About the product:

It is a high quality air filter and is designed to go in your heating or cooling system in a crawl space or loft but in my case I placed the unit inside my home and connected it to an air vent leading outside.
It has three filters- a pre filter which is designed to be changed often,  a  carbon filter that removes odours and VOC's such as auto fumes etc. The third filter is the HEPA filter which needs changing once a year and removes larger particles out of the air. This is the main reason I purchased the unit. Instead of opening a window for fresh air I just the switch on my machine. As an allergy sufferer I can't really have pollen in the house so this unit has been a god send in maintaining a fresh home without the dangers of contaminants.

I did buy a variable speed controller to use with it so that I could adjust the speed of the fan. Read my review of the variable speed controller here.

How I tested the product:

I have been running it for the last eight months now so I feel like I have tested it adequately to post a review. I have it set up in my living room, rigged up to a vent. I have it on those days when it isn't too hot or cold outside, since the outside temperature does affect the temperature of the air coming in.

Pros :

Cheaper than other comparable units- half the price in fact.
Affordable filters- easy to change.
Customer service was very helpful in locating a distributor for me to purchase a unit.
Unit came with two collars and flexible duct tubing which made installation easy.

Cons :

It is a little noisy in the home, but that isn't the fault of the unit since most people would have it in a loft or crawl space where the noise wouldn't be a bother.

Conclusion:

A good deal and has helped keep the dust down in the house as well as allergens. I get fresh air without all the pollen. Really is a good deal compared with other models on the market. I paid less than $500.

Rating :

5 stars out of 5

Where to buy:

I recommend contacting Fantech direct and they can put you in contact with a distributor. Click here for company website.