By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, MS, DC, CCN, DACBN

A woman I met on a recent airplane flight told me that her gynecologist mentioned to her that all of her patients over 40 complained of lack of sex drive. The doctor said loss of sex drive was the most common complaint she heard a daily basis and she had no solutions to offer.

Causes of diminished sex drive include anemia, depression, alcohol, certain medications, hormone imbalances, in particular low testosterone, thyroid and estrogen, stress and adrenal exhaustion and relationship problems.

Fortunately, there are natural ways to improve your sex drive.

1. Learn to manage stress. Cortisol, the hormone produced by your adrenal glands when you’re under stress interferes with libido. Cortisol has the same precursors as do estrogen and testosterone, and when you’re under stress and in the fight-flight mode, most of the precursors are used to make Cortisol. Over time, the excess Cortisol production will lead to deficiencies of testosterone and estrogen. Low testosterone decreases your sex drive. Low estrogen inhibits your sexual pleasure.

My favorite stress management tool is from the Institute of HeartMath ®. Using a combination of breath and appreciation, you can transform your stress to positive emotions within minutes.

2. Eat a diet high in green leafy vegetables. This will correct anemia, improve neurotransmitter function and provide the nutrients needed for your body to rebuild your adrenal glands. Add sea vegetables to support your thyroid gland, since it’s an important player in overall hormone health.

3. Avoid processed foods, caffeine and alcohol since these stress the system further and contribute to hormone imbalances. Use licorice and ginseng instead of caffeinated beverages to start your day, because they support your adrenal glands. (Regular use of Licorice may increase your blood pressure, so be careful if you have a tendency towards hypertension).

4. Take time every day for nurturing and supporting yourself, even if it’s only 10 minutes. By getting enough sleep, exercising, engaging in artistic pursuits, and having fun on a daily basis, you are resetting your body to a calm state that’s conducive to hormone balance and increased sex drive.

5. Discover the wonderful world of herbs. There are herbs that balance hormone levels and below are a list of a few herbs that can help with libido

Maca Root: Improves both male and female hormone balance, supports the adrenals, increases stamina, helps with erectile dysfunction and increases sex-drive and fertility! Start with a teaspoon a day in a smoothie and increase up to 4 teaspoons a day.

Cardamom: It is viewed by some cultures as a powerful aphrodisiac and as a treatment for impotence. It works well with Maca. It tastes great in smoothies, sauces and nut milk.

Basil: increases circulation, stimulates the sex drive and boosts fertility! Basil oil was once used by Mediterranean prostitutes as a perfume to attract customers!

Saw Palmetto. This herb can be used to treat both male and female low libido conditions. It works by triggering the body to produce the right hormones to aid in sexual drive.

Pumpkin Seeds are also good for boosting sex drive because they’re high in zinc, which is important in testosterone production. They’re also a good source of omega 3 fats, which aid in balancing hormones.

If you’re one of the millions of women whose relationship has lost its sizzle due to diminished sex drive, now’s the time to take charge of your health. By reducing stress, eating a balanced diet of whole natural plant based foods, taking time for self care, and including a few herbs, you are on the road to regaining the sizzle!

We’ll be putting on a full three night Telecourse with Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo starting on Sept 8th, 2009. During this revealing course, she’ll reveal how to boost your libido, balance your hormones naturally and look and feel younger!

Click here to sign up now… slots are limited! www.RenegadeHealth.com/womanshealth

By Kevin Gianni

At times it may seem more likely that you’ll win a multi-million dollar lottery jackpot, than get your child to eat anything that is green.

As a parent, you must know that this is not any new phenomenon. Leafy vegetables and monsters under the bed have been the adversaries of parents all over the globe spanning many decades. Over this time, some techniques and ingenuities have failed, though some have worked making mom and dad happy and helping veggie-phobic kids get healthy while hardly knowing any better.

Here are 5 of the best possible tricks in the book, to get those essential vitamins, minerals and phytonutients into your child’s diet.

1. Smooth ‘Em Over with Smoothies

Most kids, and adults too, can’t resist the sweet, cool taste of a fruit smoothie. It reminds us of summer and pool parties and tropical islands.

By making smoothies in the morning you can get 2-3 servings of fruit past the gatekeeper – complaint free. What’s even better is that with a good high speed blender (Vitamix, Total Blender) you can make a good smoothie in 2-3 minutes, with the majority of that time used cutting the fruit.

To sneak in the greens, use a small handful of spinach or bok choy. Both have an unassuming taste and when mixed with sweet fruits like pineapple, mango or banana shouldn’t set of any alarms. Cilantro or mint have a lot of taste and can be a great addition as well.

Another way to get more nutrition is to add powders fruits and vegetables into the smoothie. This can double or triple the amount of nutrients in the same size serving putting 5-10 servings of vegetables and fruits into their tummies in no time. Make sure your powders (and for that matter your produce) is organic!

You can check out Kev’s Super-Delicious SuperSmoothie Powder which is made with organic ingredients and over 20 fruits, berries and cereal grasses. Click here: www.RenegadeHealth.com/smoothiepowder

Some Great Smoothie Recipes for you…

Pineapple Shake

½ of a ripe pineapple
Cilantro (amount to taste)
1 cup water

Optional:
1 Tablespoon of Kev’s Super-Delicious SuperSmoothie Powder

Slice down the entire pineapple and throw half of it into the blender. (If it’s organic, then use the skin too!) Be sure to include the core of the pineapple, as this part is especially rich in enzymes, such as bromelain, which helps dissolve old protein deposits in the body. Add as much cilantro as you’d like and blend with water. Enjoy!

Cream of Cantaloupe Creation

½ ripe cantaloupe melon
2-3 sprigs of Mint

Optional:
Handful ice cubes
Dash lemon or lime juice
Fresh ginger (amount to taste)
1 Tablespoon of Kev’s Super-Delicious SuperSmoothie Powder

Blend until smooth. If desired, add water to thin the mixture. Enjoy!

From “Smoothie Recipes for Optimum Health” – www.UltimateSmoothieRecipes.com

2. Juice It Up with Fresh Juices

Fruit juices and vegetable juices can give a serious boost of vitamins and nutrients per cup. Just one 8oz cup of fresh squeezed orange juice has 207% of the RDI of vitamin C. The trick is getting them to want them and even better getting them to help you make them.

The secret is getting them involved. You’d be surprised at how often your kids want fresh juices once you show them how to help make them.

Great juices that most kids will want are fresh orange juice or lemonade – made with a citrus juicer. Once they become pros, you can introduce a centrifugal juicer and juice carrots or apples for a sweet, fresh treat. And if you’re feeling like they need some greens, adding a little kale, romaine lettuce or spinach won’t change the flavor to much as long as the base it sweet.

Nutrient Value of Juices (1 Cup / 8 oz.)

Orange Juice – 10% Vitamin A, 207% Vitamin C, 19% Folate (B9), 14% Potassium

Carrot Juice – 520% Vitamin A, 35% Vitamin C, 25% Vitamin B6, 10% Phosphorus, 8% Magnesium

Apple Juice with 1 Cup Spinach (Approx 3 leaves) – 181% Vitamin K, 56% Vitamin A, 22% Manganese, 18% Vitamin C

3. Chop, Chop

Here’s a lesson for kids and adults alike. The best kept secret to getting more vegetables in your child’s diet (and yours) is to dice them up as small as you can.

Making a chopped salad will disperse the taste of the vegetables combined and is much easier for their little mouths to chew. Use lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes or cabbage as the base and add corn, carrots, raisins or red pepper to make it sweet to the taste.

If you’re not an expert with the knife, then a vegetable dicer by Tribest or Oxo will do it for you.

Here’s a great chopped recipe…

Raw Summer Corn Salad

5 Ears of Corn
1 1/2 cup Snap Peas
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 of a Red Onion
1 small Jalapeno Pepper
1 1/2 Lime, squeezed
Small handful Cilantro
Small handful Basil
About 1/4 cup olive oil
Pinch of sea salt or to taste

Instructions: Just chop, toss and serve!

4. Pick Your Own

Search online for a local farm or co-op that allows you and your children to go out and get involved with your food. Local berry farms are a great way to get everyone outside for a few hours and help get some fresh berries into their bellies.

Contact a local cooperative farm and see if they’re let the family come down and see the vegetables as they grow. This will give them the opportunity to explore the garden and touch and feel their food. Snap peas and cherry tomatoes are always winners, so be sure to point them out if the farm has them.

5. Start Your (Their) Own

Finally, if you really want them to be involved and asking you if they can have more vegetables, you can help them grow their own garden. This is simple when you make it a small project to start. So begin with a little herb garden from AeroGarden and move up from there.

They’ll love watching the plants grow from seed and once they get the bug will be asking about what else they can grow. Lettuces, cucumbers and tomatoes are the next step from here.

As you know, each child has a different set of taste buds, so not all of these will work all the time. Though it’s nice to know that you have a bag of tricks up your sleeve to help your growing child get the nutrients he or she needs.

About the Author: Kevin Gianni is an internationally known health advocate, author, speaker and uncle. He spends most holidays and special occasions sneaking vegetables in to his niece and nephew’s meals.

Nutrition Facts from Nutritiondata.com and NutrientFacts.com

by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo MS, DC, CCN, DACBN
September 3, 2009

If you think that the symptoms of hormone imbalance are limited to the discomforts of PMS, hot flashes, and other common menopausal discomforts, and that the solution is medication or “white knuckling it”, you’re not alone.

Hormone imbalances contribute to a myriad of common complaints that most people don’t consider hormone related, including inability to shed excess body fat, fatigue, hair loss, palpitations, skin problems, and a host of others. Chronic and debilitating diseases like fibromyalgia, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease are hormone related as well.

There are 7 essential, yet often overlooked strategies for balancing your hormones that are crucial keys to living a vibrant, healthy and balanced life.

1) Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude. Stress is one of the key contributors to hormone imbalance. When you’re in a stressful situation, your body produces a cascade of chemicals—hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters –– that mobilize your body to escape or fight. This is what’s often known as fight flight mode, and most Americans live there 24/7. When this is chronic, the excessive demands of on your adrenal glands, the “stress soldiers”, causes less nutrients and hormone precursors to be available to make other hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA. Studies show that you can transform a stressful state through the power of deep breathing and appreciation. Take frequent deep breathing and appreciation breaks throughout the day to support your hormones.

2) Get Enough Sleep. While there is not a one size fits all prescription concerning the amount of sleep you need, you do need to figure out what your body really requires, and get it on a consistent basis. During sleep, your body takes out the broom and mop and goes to work cleaning up from the “mess” of the day. Insufficient sleep will leave you tired from the metabolic debris that doesn’t get cleaned up and will throw your hormones into a tailspin. One particular hormone, called leptin, is particularly sensitive to variations in sleep cycle. Leptin controls your appetite and metabolic rate. Insufficient sleep will result in lower leptin levels leading to slower metabolism and weight gain.

3) Optimize your Digestion. Eating on the run, eating processed foods, trans fat containing foods and hard to digest, heavy meals will lead to undigested food particles, damage to your digestive track and physical stress. This can affect the adrenal glands just as significantly as physiological stress, leading to the same hormone imbalances as being “stressed-out”. Stick to unprocessed, whole fresh foods, eaten slowly and with gratitude. You can also take enzymes and probiotics to help your digestion purr.

4) Avoid plastic drinking and food containers. These contain what’s known as xenoestrogens, which are estrogen look alikes that bind to estrogen receptors. Xenoestrogens can cause endometriosis, ovarian cysts, breast cancer and fetal abnormalities. Other sources of xenoestrogens are detergents, some skin lotions and soaps, commercially raised meat and dairy, spermicides, and herbicides. The xenoestrogens leach from the plastic food containers into the food or water. Heat increases the amount of xenoestrogen that gets into the food or water. Use ceramic or glass as much as possible, NEVER heat anything in a plastic container,and use only pure, chemical free body and home care products.

5) Do periodic cleansing. Your liver works hard to keep your blood clean, but the overwhelming number of toxins from both external and internal sources can overwhelm its capacity. As a result, toxins are stored in fat, leading to resistant weight loss. In addition, when the liver is overburdened by toxins it can’t adequately convert “used” hormones, to water soluble forms for excretion. As a result, these”used” hormones recirculate and bind to hormone receptors, thus displacing the active hormones. This is particularly problematic for estrogen, and can lead to such symptoms as PMS, hot flashes, mood swings and uncomfortable menses. Periodic breaks in the action with a green juice or green smoothie cleanse can restore balance.

6) Eat plenty of sea greens. In addition to containing all the minerals known to be important in human health, and most likely many that have yet to be discovered, sea vegetables are powerful detoxifiers. They have the ability to bind heavy metals and carry them out of the body. Heavy metals can disrupt hormone balance. A study in 1998 in the Journal of Human Reproduction linked heavy metals with recurrent miscarriage. Their conclusion was that heavy metals negatively impacted both ovarian and pituitary function. Sea vegetables are especially important for thyroid hormone hormone production, as they contain iodine, a mineral that’s deficient in land vegetables due to mineral depletion of our soils. Studies have shown that a particular species of the sea vegetable kombu, called laminaria digitata actually contains T3 and T4, the thyroid hormones.

7) Run away from heated fats. When heated above about 118 degrees, unsaturated fats oxidize, producing free radicals that damage your glands, organs and cells. Free radical damage is one of the key underlying causes of hormone imbalance and most other health challenges. The heated oils disrupt your natural production of prostaglandins, small messengers that regulate everything from hormone production to smooth muscle contraction. Eat fats in their raw and unprocessed state and be sure to get enough omega 3 fatty acids daily, in the form of chia seed, flax seed, hemp seed, pumpkin seed and blue green algae.

Hormone balance is a complicated process. When the conditions are right, your glands will function normally and you’ll notice a difference in how you feel. It takes a bit of time and diligence to make the lifestyle and diet changes needed to have healthy hormone balance, and it’s worth it. Give yourself time to incorporate the changes. Seek the support of a natural health practitioner who can personalize your program, and add specific herbs and foods that support your uniqueness. Remember to stay focused on the solution rather than the problem, and appreciate the choices in front of you. While this is not a comprehensive list,it’s a great place for you to start to balance your hormones and live a happy, healthy life.

Join Dr. Ritamarie and I starting September 8th for an “Ageless Woman’s Health” 3 night telecourse…

For almost two decades, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo has been supporting women in restoring their energy and balancing their hormones so that can become the vibrant healthy and happy women they were born to be. She’s a certified clinical nutritionist and chiropractor with certifications in acupuncture, Heart Math(TM) stress transformation technologies and herbal medicine. She transformed her own life through the power of whole living foods, cleansing and nutrition and she’s passionate about empowering others to do the same. She resides in Austin, Texas with her husband and 2 sons.