Many people live with symptoms of poor health without getting them checked with doctors for various reasons. Over the counter pain pills mask continual pain and headache while extra coffee, soda and sugar mask fatigue. Other over the counter medications give some relief or people just suffer in silence.

Those following natural health ways often have either a fear of doctors or a belief that seeing doctors is unnecessary.  In the general public men and many women depending on their beliefs or cultural background, may ignore symptoms until they get worse. At this point, there may be a more serious health issue. Ignorance of the symptoms of poor health is not bliss.

People following restrictive natural diets such as: vegan, raw foods, low or high carbohydrates, excessively low calorie, very high protein and or fat are often told by the diet gurus that the symptoms they are experiencing are caused by them not doing correctly whatever diet is being promoted. Thorough diagnosis of the persons condition is often what is really lacking. In some of these cases doctors who are often not trained in nutrition, may or may not know that someones diet is causing symptoms of poor health.

In my personal experience and my experience with thousands of clients, any diet that overly restricts carbohydrates, animal products, fats or sugars excessively for a long time - except for special health conditions and diseases  -  usually causes symptoms of poor health that are directly related to the diet.

Many people refrain from seeing a doctor because they have a fear of doctors pushing medicines and drugs excessively. This is not unfounded. It is important to question what the doctor is recommending and do your own research about natural approaches that might complement, make balance or even replace the drugs that are being recommended. One has to be their own advocate and choose a medical professional that will respect and accept your partnership and your own thinking of what you want to do with your body.

With alternative counselors, practitioners and doctors, I think one has to do the same thing. When I give consultations with diet, herbal, exercise and supplement recommendations, I encourage people to learn why I am giving these through my online courses, in person lectures and suggested reading materials. Many people come to see me with a long list of supplements and diet recommendations that alternative doctors give them. I often ask these clients why they are taking these supplements or being recommended certain diets. In many cases, they don't know why.

I realize during a crisis, it may be difficult or in some cases impossible to ask questions. Sometimes medical or natural interventions have to be followed in emergencies. After the emergency, I recommend an intelligent partnership with medical professionals and doctors, natural health counselors and alternative doctors including myself. It is important to understand your condition and options, and in cases of medicine which can be complex and have side effects, to make good decisions about what to do for healing.

Ignoring symptoms will not work. In many cases it leads to worsening health. In my opinion the best modern medicine has to offer is in emergency treatments and diagnosis. Even simple blood tests and other testing when symptoms are present or blood markers are off can be addressed by diet, lifestyle and natural remedies and in some cases small amounts of medicine.

Your diagnosis should be interpreted by your own research, with the help of practitioners like myself or others who know how to offer natural approaches to many of the medicines that have side effects. In emergencies, medicines may be needed, Intelligent and well educated choices can be made.

Symptoms that are not going away either by doing nothing or if natural remedies are not alleviating them, they need to be further investigated. When using a natural remedy such as special foods, a diet, herbs or supplements, it may be that something else may also be needed. If a symptom goes on without relief too long, a pharmaceutical medicine may be needed at least on a temporary basis depending on one's condition.

Let’s use the best practices of alternative and modern medicine to stay healthy and avoid unnecessary suffering. Be well!

The study and research regarding prebiotics is pretty recent. Prebiotics and probiotics are related to each other and also different from each other.
 
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that have been linked with a wide range of health benefits including a stronger immune system, a healthier gut, symptomatic relief from depression and anxiety, a lower body weight, improved heart health and cancer prevention.

The best way to get probiotics is from foods. The best probiotic foods are unpasteurized miso, whole milk kefir, fermented drinks, whole milk yogurt, and raw pickles. Probiotic foods aid digestion and can heal or improve digestive problems. Homemade beer and wine can be probiotic if not pasteurized. All commercially available beer and wine is pasteurized.

Here are a few of the top types of “friendly” probiotic gut bacteria that your body needs:

• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Lactobacillus bulgarius
• Lactobacillus reuteri
• Streptococcus thermophilus
• Saccharomyces boulardii
• Bifidobacterium bifidum
• Bacillus subtilis

Prebiotics are foods that have fiber that feed the beneficial probiotic bacteria in the large intestines. When people grew their own food, the healthy bacteria in the soil that got on foods were prebiotic. Because of environmental factors and food having to travel longer distances that require better sanitation, the prebiotic soil bacteria is no longer present on our foods.

For decades, I've recommended a healthy prebiotic soil based bacteria supplement that has remarkable effects on health because of its nourishing effects on our beneficial bacteria. Other supplements are available that have prebiotic fiber and/or prebiotic bacteria. I recommend that people get most of their prebiotics from food unless more prebiotics are needed for certain health issues.

Prebiotics are beneficial to help regulate the blood sugar, for inflammatory bowel disease, to lift one's moods, for blood pressure, to lower cholesterol and for many other health issues.

The most common prebiotic fibers include:

• Beta-Glucan
• Fructooligosaccharides
• Inulin
• Galactooligosaccharides
• Isomaltooligosaccharides
• Guar gum
• Lactulose
• Resistant Starch, including maltodextrin
• Xylooligosaccharides

Foods that are prebiotic include root vegetables that tend to be high in inulin, fructooligosaccharides and resistant starch. This group includes true roots as well as bulbs. Examples include onions, leeks, garlic, jicama (photo above), Jerusalem artichokes and chicory root. Many fruits have prebiotic fibers including apples, berries and pears.
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Spring vegetables are rich in prebiotic fibers, particularly inulin, fructooligosaccharides and xylooligosaccharides. Examples include greens (especially dandelion greens), peas, leeks and asparagus. Legumes such as lentils, whole grains and nuts are high in prebiotic fibers. Oats, buckwheat and wheat have high amounts of prebiotic fiber although all grains include some. Honey, ginger root, sweet potatoes, cabbage, beets and many other vegetables are prebiotic.

Be sure to include plenty of probiotic and prebiotic foods in order to support your colon health, digestion and overall wellbeing.

Keep your metabolism high by managing or avoiding stress and eating a diet that has enough calories and abundant macro and micro nutrients such as adequate carbohydrates, concentrated proteins from animal sources or supplements, beneficial fats and a range of beneficial vitamins and minerals. If the metabolism is to slow circulation through the digestive tract slows leading to the growth of poor bacteria in the colon.
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Notes:

• All miso from Japan is flash pasteurized in order to survive the long journey of transport. American miso such as South River and Miso Master is unpasteurized retaining the beneficial bacteria.
• Some yogurts are higher in beneficial bacteria. You can learn about this by reading the label. If you incorporate yogurt, buy whole milk versus low fat yogurt for more beneficial nutrients from grass fed animals. Dairy products from naturally raised grass fed animals have been eaten by healthy cultures around the globe and often as raw dairy products retaining the beneficial bacteria.
• Buy pickles from the refrigerator at natural foods stores that have no sugar, chemicals or vinegar. When vinegar is added, the pickles are not probiotic.
• To learn about making your own fermented foods, buy Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.

To practice this exercise:
 
1. Stand with your knees slightly bent with your feet waist width apart.
2. Have your hands facing palms up just under the navel just an inch or two from the body.
3. Breathe in and raise your arms with your palms up to the center of the chest.
4. Breathe out and lower your hands to below the navel.
 
Repeat this exercise for 20-40 repetitions. You can build up to doing it for 10 minutes. Make your breath as comfortably long and slow as possible. The Harmonizing Fire and Water exercise is either calming or energizing depending on your needs.
 
Qigong (pronounced chee gung) has many different exercises and sets that balance the body by opening tissues and tendons to increase the flow of energy, blood, and nourishment to your organs.
 
Harmonizing Fire and Water is a special practice with variations that is common to many of styles of Qigong. The term refers to two major energy centers in the body in Chinese thought. The Water center is the area around the abdomen. The image of water refers to quality that is imparted to the body and mind when this area is stimulated: quietude, peacefulness and conservation of energy. In modern biology, these are the functions of the parasympathetic nervous system.
 
The Fire center in Chinese medicine and Qigong teachings is located in the chest. The image of fire relates to how stimulating this center activates the body to become more energized, using up energy and nutrients to fuel the functions of the body and mind. In modern biology, this refers to the sympathetic nervous system.
 
If one of these areas or parts of the nervous system is overactive we don't feel well. The sympathetic nervous system is over active when we are in the stress mode. If the Water or parasympathetic nervous system is too strong, we feel sluggish.