You might ask the question “If everything around me was made by Him, then why am I and everyone around me struggling physically, spiritually and emotionally?  Well that is where our exploration begins.  If as I said earlier:

In the beginning was the Word,

And the Word was with God, and

The Word was God

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him:

And without Him was not anything made that was made.

(John 1)

And if God is perfect then how did we become so imperfect?

Imagine this, a beautiful perfect energy created the universe. In that energetic space all is balanced, whole and at one with itself, much like the heavens are described in various religions. But then something happened. The creator gave us a mind and then let the mind have choice…choice to create.  Some call it free will.

Coming from the Creator’s energy it is only logical to assume that we are also creators. Much like a drop of the ocean is still the ocean;  with all of its inherent qualities…it’s just much smaller. And as a drop, in contrast to the whole, we feel separate so we become a drop named Kathy, or Bill or Michele…we become an ego identity. In the space of this ego identity and this concept of separation we begin to judge; is this better or that better…am I better or are they better…do I like this or do I like that…These thoughts create what we desire and what we do not desire. And these desires leave us either moving toward something or moving away by resisting something. This creates the constant ebb and flow of desire and movement, which we experience in our body’s everyday. However, if we are always leaning toward a desire or away from a desire then we are never ‘In the Moment’ and this is where our difficulties begin.

© 2012 by Health Pyramid Productions, Inc.  All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Health Pyramid Productions, Inc.

Medical technology and services have exploded in the last 40 years. In 1970, total health care spending was about $75 billion, or $356/person. In less than 40 years these costs have grown to $2 trillion, or $6,697/person. As a result, the share of economic activity devoted to healthcare has grown from 7.2% in 1970 to 16.0% in 2005. By the year 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that health spending will be nearly 1/5 of GDP (19.6%).

Yet, according to the New England Journal of Medicine 2010, our healthcare system is ranked 37th out of 191 countries, with more Americans suffering from chronic illnesses than ever before. In fact, it’s common for Americans to be burdened by more than three chronic illnesses simultaneously, and there is a syndrome that explains why. Metabolic Syndrome is an underlying cause of obesity, heart disease, (including high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure) arthritis, and type2 diabetes. It is a syndrome caused by poor lifestyle choices and a syndrome about which you seldom hear.

The truth is our cells are aging faster than our years and our bodies are creating diseases of aging at much higher levels and much lower ages. Diseases that used to be equated with age now occur even in our children – especially obesity, type2 diabetes (formerly known as adult onset), heart disease, and osteopenia. Our approach to health in America thus far has been to wait until there is a disease and then treat it, in fact that is the job of medicine, to diagnose and treat disease. Unfortunately that approach leads to a nation of obese and unhealthy people that we can no longer afford to treat, nor with Obama Care will have the medical manpower to address.

The importance of applying an understanding of how to reverse these diseases and most importantly prevent these diseases (over 90% are preventable) through simple healthy lifestyle choices cannot be overstated. The GOP must get on the wellness wagon promoting personal responsibility, honesty in our food information and healthy foods in our schools. Special interest groups have manipulated our food choices, sold poison to our children, lied to us about the risks and now we, as a nation, are paying the price. The diseases of aging are preventable and most are even reversible, let the GOP lead the way to making both happen for our health and the health of future generations.

Dr. Kathleen A Hartford
Doctor Of Chiropractic
CEO Health Pyramid Productions Inc.
Author Of Fit, Fun & Fabulous At Any Age
www.drhartford.com
1-800-893-5000

I have been treating patients that are striving to create physical, spiritual, and emotional ease in their lives for more than twenty-five years.  They pray for these things with the hope that their prayers will be answered.  But what if that isn’t really God’s role, what if God is neutral and simply present as the loving, supportive, energetic structure that is holding this entire creation together purely for our growth and pleasure?

I came face to face with my own limited beliefs and the darkness they created, during the tragedy of my husband’s plane crash. It was then that I realized that what I thought to be real was not real. Gordon’s accident and injuries defined my approach to healing and grew many of the concepts in Ramblings. My purpose is to collapse old ways of thinking about the Creator, others, and us and provide a new message of compassion, acceptance, and allowing. I loved writing Ramblings of a Madwoman, as it brought me compassion for my own ‘perfectly imperfect’ walk on the planet, and I believe it will do this for others.

Ramblings of a Madwoman: Losing Your Mind and Finding Yourself (currently in the final editing stages) is a Self-help/Personal transformation book committed to freeing readers from their limited mind patterns, belief systems, and perceptions.

My hope is that Ramblings of a Mad Woman will provide continuous wonder-filled opportunities for the readers as they embrace and “get the bigness” of what they are truly up to on their physical/spiritual walk as they remember;  “Love is all there is, there’s only Love.”

Following is an excerpt from Ramblings:

…There is a second choice: you can embrace that it’s ‘all about you’ and realize that your power lies in your free will to define for yourself what your perception of life will be.  Your perceptions cannot change what has happened up to this point, but they can begin the healing process to wholeness.  I refer to these as Power Perceptions because this truly is the only authentic power you have over your life.  Your choices will determine how your life goes because your life will always go the way you say it goes.  In other words, your speaking of your perceptions of your experience literally defines your experience.  And strange as it may sound, your life is simply your perception of your experiences of your time here on the planet.  Also, your life IS the sum of your choices, so when you become disconnected from this space of authenticity and self-responsibility, you will feel powerless, victimized, and depressed…

I’d love to hear your feedback – info@healthpyramid.com.

Paying it Forward in Health,

Dr. Kath

As stated by Lloyd, moderation is the key to any diet.  We must view food as the necessary fuel for our bodies.  As I always say, the food choices we make today become our new cells tomorrow.  However, we must also realize that we are human and that it is ok to indulge once in a while.  Allow yourself to have a dessert or sweet and don’t feel guilty.  It really is ok.  So, when you are at that birthday party, eat a piece of chocolate cake and enjoy a scoop of ice cream.  Or when you are out to dinner on the weekend, have those hot wings and french fries that you enjoy so much.  But always remember that unhealthy food choices lead to inflammation in the body, and inflammation has been proven to be the underlying cause of type2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke, and certain lifestyle cancers.  So, to reiterate, moderation is the key to any diet and junk in means junk out.  The bottom line is by regularly eating a lot of fresh fruit, salads, and whole grains paired with proper levels of protein and carbs, you will be able to consistently perform at peak levels and maintain optimal health.  And the occasional snack won’t hold you back from performing at peak levels.

You need to be aware that you are ultimately in control of the foods you bring into your home.  Poor eating habits and poor food choices will have detrimental effects on your health and most importantly the health of your family.  One in every three of our nation’s children are overweight or obese and this is directly due to the foods we carry daily into our homes.  It is imperative for your health, and the health of your family, that you avoid bringing food laden with sugar or fat into your home, and have lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts on hand.  Take care of those athletes (desk jockeys, road warriors, armchair quarterbacks, student athletes, or high school superstars, etc.) in your life by making wise food choices and indulging only in moderation.  And if you are reaching for the Gold or whatever your goal may be at the end of the day, proper nutrition is necessary.   To get you started, this is what your typical menu should consist of:

Morning:  Start your day with whole grain cereal, an organic egg or two, oatmeal, or perhaps a cup of yogurt topped with berries and a drizzle of honey.  Did you know that the most common breakfast of most Olympic athletes is oatmeal?

Snack:  Follow-up later in the morning with a snack of dried or fresh fruit, a cup of applesauce with cinnamon and raisins, or a handful of nutrient-rich almonds.  Did you know that almonds are a great source of magnesium?

Lunch:  A delicious chicken salad or wrap, roasted vegetables, and fresh cantaloupe.

Snack:  A banana with peanut butter and raisins or a crispy, juicy apple.

Dinner:  Fish or chicken, a salad, and asparagus and some sautéed zucchini.  And always remember that 70% of your plate should be filled with vegetables and 30% of your plate should be a lean protein such as chicken or fish.  Did you know that with 95% water by weight, zucchini is one of the most hydrating vegetables you can eat and it is an excellent source of vitamins and nutrients?

Express Dinner:  For those of you who are really on the go, revamp your grilled cheese sandwich by using whole grain bread and adding spinach, swiss or other aged cheese, and mushrooms or tomatoes if you like.  Then, pair that sandwich with a warm bowl of tomato bisque soup and some fresh fruit and you will have dinner ready in world record time.

Some other snack ideas chosen by Olympic athletes include:

• Celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter
• Vegetable sticks dipped in salsa
• A fruit plate
• Fruit salad
• Rice cake covered with peanut butter and topped with raisins or nuts
• Frozen grapes
• Nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Whole grain bread or pita bread with peanut butter
• Dried fruits
• Whole grain crackers or brown rice chips with hummus or bean dip
• Fruit smoothies
• Tortilla with melted cheese and salsa or rolled with refried beans and cheese
• A whole grain muffin
• Be creative with your food.  Search online for new healthy recipes and make sure that the food you serve is visually appealing. 

The event is Health.  You are the athlete.   Set the world record in your event – make wise food choices and go for the Gold.

On February 10, 2011 The New York Times revealed the newly discovered importance of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP).

July 16, 2012 the Wall Street Journal also reported on the health risks of inflammation.

We’ve already shared with you the Wall Street Journal article about how inflammation is at the root of America’s deadliest diseases such as heart disease, type2 diabetes, stroke, etc.  Now we’d like to share an easy test indicator with you that can let you know if you are at risk of inflammation. It is called C-Reactive Protein.  If you have attended one of my Healthy Aging presentations, you will know I always say that I believe that C-Reactive Protein (CRP) will be the 13^th Biomarker of Aging and apparently a drug company-sponsored study is bearing out its importance.

This medical study showed that people who had high CRP levels had fewer heart attacks and strokes when taking statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs).  So now that there is a drug treatment, the whole medical community is buzzing about the importance of CRP.  Your natural/preventative community has been discussing this for years. In fact, even Dr. Oz jumped on the bandwagon and has discussed CRP on his show.

Of course, I’ve been talking about High Sensitivity CRP as an indicator of accelerated aging, which leads to heart attacks, type2 diabetes and strokes for years now. And as usual, the drug companies are only talking about CRP in order to sell more statin drugs even if they already have low cholesterol. Unfortunately, statin drugs increase your risk of heart disease and weaken your entire musculo-skeletal system by robbing you of the critical muscle and heart nutrient CoQ10. (If you are currently on statins, call my office at 1-800-893-5000 and we will send you the most bioavailable form of CoQ10 on the market today. This formula is only available to licensed healthcare providers.)

Your high sensitivity CRP level is important. CRP measures inflammation in your body, and at the risk of repeating myself, inflammation is the real cause of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and accelerated aging.  Inflammation comes from stress or damage to your blood vessels. When they don’t get the nutrients they need they can get pitted/cracked and weaken. The body responds by having the liver release cholesterol/plaque to repair the damage. Continuous lack of nutrients can cause this plaque to build up leading to heart attack or stroke.

Blood tests can measure CRP to detect your risks of heart disease, and you should ask your primary care physician for this test annually. Healthy people have less than one unit.  Anything above 1 unit is an indicator that you are heading down the inflammatory path of accelerated aging. Four units or above can indicate heart disease.  (When getting tested, be sure to ask for the high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and not CRP Quantitative)

You don’t need dangerous statin drugs to protect you from high CRP levels. If you want to lower the CRP levels in your blood, lower the inflammation in your body.  The best way to lower inflammation in your body is to follow the Fit, Fun and Fabulous Lifestyle program created by Dr. Kathleen Hartford www.drkathleenhartford.com.  The program is designed to stop the inflammatory process which is created by our lifestyle choices. This inflammatory lifestyle accelerates the rate at which your cells age and is affecting our children as much as ourselves.

Do you remember when Type2 diabetes was called Adult Onset Diabetes and when high blood pressure only occurred as we aged? Well, now these debilitating diseases are being found in our children at an alarming rate. The good news is these diseases of aging are preventable and most often reversible. That’s right!  Even if you are currently suffering from type2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood fats or osteoporosis, the Fit Fun & Fabulous program can have a profound effect on reversing these indicators. If you follow the guidelines of the program and utilize the medical food which includes Inflammation 911, you will see changes in your blood tests in 90 days.

But why wait until you get sick?  Start today and ensure that you and your children live healthy lives and maintain a biological youthfulness at the cellular level that only this program can provide. Call 1-800-893-5000 to find a Fit, Fun & Fabulous coach to help you begin your Fit, Fun & Fabulous at Any Age Lifestyle approach.

If you are passionate about spreading the word about inflammation and accelerated aging then consider becoming a Fit, Fun & Fabulous Coach. The program is completely laid out for you with the book, cookbook, journal, relaxation CD, physician only supplement line and Power Point presentation to make it easy for you to understand and implement the program in your family, friend’s or client’s lives.

Begin having Fit Fun & Fabulous parties in your home or hold information sharing sessions at local businesses, churches and community centers. Through this Grass Roots effort we can change the face of health in the world!

Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age is a biological rejuvenation and weight loss program that anyone can follow and incorporates an anti-inflammatory medical food.  Research has shown that when utilizing this medical food, you are able to obtain blood changes in blood sugar, blood fats, etc. in 3 months that would usually take 2 years to obtain by following a strict Mediterranean diet alone, AND the inflammatory fat just melts away.  It’s pretty powerful.

Dr. Hartford’s vision is to stop the suffering caused by preventable diseases which are lifestyle based by creating a coast-to coast network of Fit, Fun & Fabulous Coaches.  By the way these lifestyle diseases include type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and over 80% of the cancers.

The Fit, Fun and Fabulous Certification is not as intensive (or as expensive) as the IIN Coaching Program and would been appropriate for any current Health Coach to incorporate into their approach.  Fit, Fun and Fabulous is laid out as a scientifically based lifestyle coaching program which includes a meditation CD, a cookbook and a journal.  Your clients will get amazing result when following its outline.

The program and our coaching vision have also been chosen by the Pay It Forward Experience Movement http://www.pifexperience.org/pif-partners/pif-health/.  If you are interested in paying it forward in health for ourselves and our future generations then you should check us out.  Please call Michele at 1-800-893-5000 and she can give you the details.

So, how large is your sweet tooth?

Are you addicted to sugar?

We live in a time of accelerated aging. Our cells are aging faster than our years and our bodies are creating diseases of aging at much higher levels and much lower ages. Diseases that used to be equated with aging, are now occurring even our children especially obesity, type2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and osteopenia. Most often, these diseases are directly related to lifestyle choices including diet and nutrition or lack thereof.

As you’ve seen by the info-graphic above, Americans consume a staggering amount of sugar. We all enjoy an occasional sweet treat, but we certainly don’t need the negative effects caused by refined sugar such as diabetes and obesity. To avoid the dangers of refined sugar, there are several natural sugar substitutes that will surely cure your sweet tooth such as:

• Honey is natures perfect sugar substitute.
• Maple syrup which is another perfect natural sweetener that is readily available in supermarkets and health food stores. It is loaded with minerals and contains fewer calories than sugar.
• Stevia makes an excellent sugar substitute for anyone who faces challenges with their blood sugar levels. Stevia has no calories or carbohydrates and is sold in health food stores and also in supermarkets.
• Agave Nectar which is produced in the core of the desert plant agave. It is made by squeezing the juice from the agave core and then heating it to turn the sweet juice into sugar.
• Date Sugar is a sugar substitute that is made from the date fruit where the date is dried and then finely grated into a sugar-like consistency.

If you would like to learn how to make better nutritional choices, improve your health, and lose weight, please call our office now at 800-893-5000 and speak with one of our certified Fit, Fun and Fabulous Health Coaches.  We look forward to helping you achieve your health and wellness goals.

Yours in health,

Dr. Kath

Graphic Created by: www.OnlineNursingPrograms.com

According to the Wall Street Journal in their article titled The New Science Behind America’s Deadliest Diseases, Laura Landro, columnist, asked, “What do heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, stroke and cancer have in common?”  She reported that “Scientists have linked each of these to a condition known as chronic inflammation, and they are studying how high-fat foods and excess body weight may increase the risk for fatal disorders.”

This is something that our patients have been hearing for nearly 3 decades!

Science has found that a Mediterranean-style diet, combined with exercise and the non-use of tobacco, can prevent over 70% of cancer.  We know that lifestyle plays a major role in the prevention of cancer, which is why information like this is so important.

Studies have confirmed that as overweight people lose weight through lifestyle changes, those inflammation-producing cytokines are reduced and numerous health measures improve. These improvements are clinically proven through, not just weight loss, but actual changes in blood pressure, blood fats, blood sugar and other parameters.  Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age, teaches you how to achieve these changes in 12 weeks, which normally take two years, through diet alone.

Laura Landro of the WSJ further reports, “While much focus has been on fighting inflammation with drugs, researchers are getting a better understanding of the links connecting diet, inflammation and illness and discovering ways that foods can help keep inflammation in check.

One significant discovery concerns obesity and the ways it promotes inflammation. Fat cells, particularly those in the visceral fat that settles in the belly and around organs, were long thought merely to store excess weight. Instead, fat cells act like small factories to churn out molecules known as cytokines, which set inflammation in motion, says Peter Libby, chief of the division of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

“We’ve learned that abdominal fat tissue is a hotbed of inflammation that pours out all kinds of inflammatory molecules,” Dr. Libby says. The most important step patients can take is to lose excess weight, which can reduce inflammation in a matter of weeks or months, he says.”

Banish the Belly Bulge!

If you would like to learn how to reduce/eliminate inflammation, banish the belly bulge, and become Fit, Fun and Fabulous at Any Age click here or contact our office at 800-893-5000.

CREDENTIALS:  Dr. Kathleen Hartford, a licensed Integrated Wellness Practitioner, Healthy Aging Expert, and NET licensed specialist, has dedicated herself to improving her patients’ physical, emotional and spiritual health and wellness. The author of FIT, FUN & FABULOUS AT ANY AGE, Dr. Hartford speaks all over the world to promote understanding among the healing disciplines and to help people reclaim their health and vitality.

To read the Wall Street Journal article, The New Science Behind America’s Deadliest Diseases, in its entirety, click here.

As I was pruning and realizing how much I had to cut away simply because I did not keep up with the task on a regular basis, I thought of the pruning we need to do in our lives.  Maintaining the beauty of a flower, a job, a relationship, a marriage etc. requires pruning –  a letting go of the old growth, old arguments, old ways of being and allowing for the newness to come through.  Rather than holding onto statements like ‘when we were first married’, ‘when I started this job’, ‘when we first met,’ allow for the fact that, like the rose, if you are willing to let go of the old bloom you can make space for a new blossom – a new way of being and a new beauty that is fresh and exciting, similar but different.

Simply because we often times want things to remain the same, letting go is a challenge for most .  Sameness can be comfortable, but holding on stops the normal progressive growth and maturation in life.  When we hold on, we prevent newness from being a continuous presence in our lives.  So, just like the rose, allow for the space between blossoms to be empty, perhaps even a bit barren.  But know that within a short period of time nature will provide a new blossom, a new beginning and a new beauty to bless your life!

God bless and go well,

Dr. Kathleen

Start Your Day or End Your Workout the Healthy Whey

Fit, Fun and Fabulous Healthy Whey Weight Loss and Workout Smoothies

Great Whey to Start Your Day
12 ounces fresh orange juice

2 scoops Healthy Whey
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 banana
2 tablespoons almond butter or natural peanut butter
6 ice cubes

*Shake, stir, or blend.

Whey-T Burner
12 ounces water or unsweetened almond milk
2 scoops Healthy Whey
8 strawberries
1 tablespoon raw almond butter
6 ice cubes

*Mix in a blender for 30 seconds.

Whey to Start Your Engines
6 ounces water, juice, or almond milk
1 scoop Healthy Whey protein
6 ice cubes

*Shake, stir, or blend.

Whey to Shake it Up – Pre-Workout
8 to 12 ounces water
2 scoops Healthy Whey
1 banana
6 ice cubes

*Mix in a blender for 30 seconds.

Whey to go Team! — Post-Game/Practice/Workout
12 ounces water
2 scoops Healthy Whey

*Before your workout, fill an empty water bottle with protein powder. After your workout, add water and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

Whey up on Blueberry Hill
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 frozen banana (peel before freezing)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 scoop Healthy Whey

*Mix in a blender for 30 seconds.

Tropical Whey-ves
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 teaspoon shredded coconut or coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 scoop Healthy Whey

*Mix in a blender for 30 seconds.

Dreamy Creamsicle Smoothie

2 scoops Healthy Whey
2 scoops low-fat frozen yogurt
2⁄3 cup orange juice
2–4 orange slices

Ice cubes

*Add all ingredients in blender; blend on high until smooth.

Funky Monkey Smoothie
1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
1 tablespoon natural almond or peanut butter
1 frozen banana (peel before freezing)
1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 scoop Healthy Whey

*Mix in a blender for 30 seconds.

Summer Bowl of Fruit Smoothie

2 scoops Healthy Whey
1 banana
1 apple, sliced
4 peaches organic, rinsed
2 splashes almond or rice milk, low-fat or non-fat
1 splash orange juice

Ice

*Add all ingredients in blender with ice; blend until smooth.

Apple Pie Pre-Workout Smoothie

1 cup cold, cooked oatmeal
1 apple, cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1–2 packets stevia, depending on sweetness desired
2⁄3 cup cold water

*Add all the ingredients into the blender in this order: apple chunks, oatmeal, protein powder, cinnamon and stevia.  Pour water in last. Blend until smooth.