Boosting Children’s Immune Systems During The School Year #127

August 2, 2018 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Do you really want to run to the doctor every time your child has chest congestion? Sniffles? A cough? Sometimes an antibiotic is necessary; sometimes it isn’t since antibiotics do nothing to stop viruses that are the cause of many school year ailments. On this episode of Carson Natural Radio, Dr. Phil & Anna Kat talk about natural ways to boost yours and your child’s immune systems for this school year.

“Fact Or Fiction” Segment [3:33]: “Giving your child probiotics doesn’t reduce the chances of my child getting a cold or the flu … Fact or Fiction?”

Remember D.P.T for a natural immune booster:

Vitamin D
Probiotics
Thymus Extract

Resources mentioned in this episode of Carson Natural Radio:

Carson Natural

Subscribe to Carson Natural Health Minute Daily Briefing on Alexa

Email your questions: [email protected]

Or click on the Ask Dr. Phil Microphone at the podcast page (on the far right)

Episode 100: What Can I Take For The Flu?

January 17, 2018 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Are you ready to live? Really live that feeling good life you desire to live? Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Feeling Good Podcast, it’s great to be alive. On this feel good day Dr. Phil will share tried-and-true natural flu remedies that have worked well for him over the years, as well as three ways to prevent the flu.

Key Takeaways from This Podcast:

[1:05] Go to carsonnatural.com/resources for a variety of free resources to help you live a healthier life.

[1:26] Over the years, Dr. Phil has learned some beneficial natural flu remedies and will share those on the podcast today.

[2:10] If you missed the webinar on “The Secrets to Turning Your Body Into a Fat-Burning Machine in 2018,” keep listening each week to learn when the webinar will be available again.

[2:48] This is one of the worst flu seasons we’ve had in a long time. What can you do about the flu once you have it?

[4:23] One of Dr. Phil’s favorite products is called Sambucol, or Elderberry.

[5:44] Several studies have proven that the Sambucol helped people to recover in two to three days versus six days without it.

[7:31] Sambucol has also been proven to help activite and boost the immunity in the body to fight off disease.

[8:09] Dr. Phil’s favorite product to help treat the flu is called Oscillococcinum, also known as Oscillo.

[9:00] Oscillo is best taken at the first sign of symptoms for faster, better relief. It does not work as a preventive, however.

[10:58] One of the best ways to prevent the flu is to maintain a strong, healthy immune system; eat well, avoid sugar, take probiotics, etc.

[11:39] Wash your hands well.

[11:51] Avoid places where there may be outbreaks of the flu.

[12:40] Natural Creations has a product called Influenzinum which can be a preventive for the flu if you can’t, (or don’t want to), get the flu vaccine.

[14:49] Please check out the free resources at carsonnatural.com/resources and check out Carson Natural Health on Facebook, and join Dr. Phil every Friday, during the noonday hour, Central Time, for his weekly Facebook Live broadcast called Feeling Good Fridays—broadcast from a different location every week.

[15:16] Have health questions or are you interested in free resources? Visit carsonnatural.com for free resources or for a question, click on the ‘Ask Dr. Phil’ microphone to record your questions or email them to [email protected].

Mentioned in This Episode of The Feeling Good Podcast:

Carson Natural

Carson Natural Health & Wellness Consulting – Facebook page

Life Transformation Medical Center

Dr. Laura Washington

Email your questions to: [email protected]

Ask Dr. Phil Microphone

Seven Keys for Healthy Living Guide

Feeling Good Fridays on Facebook Live

Episode 97: Why Not Make 2018 Your Dirtiest Year Ever?

January 3, 2018 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Are you ready to live? Really live that feeling good life you desire to live? Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Feeling Good Podcast, it’s great to be alive. On this feel good day we’ll talk about why our culture has become too sanitary and share three great tips to help you in your fight against colds, flu, and viruses that show up this time of year.

Key Takeaways from This Podcast:

[:56] Go to carsonnatural.com/resources for a variety of free resources to help you live a healthier life.

[1:31] Dr. Phil is optimistic about 2018 and is looking forward to good things ahead.

[3:11] Why would someone put bacteria in skin care products?

[3:33] Dr. Phil suggests that we have become too sanitary for our own good. Natural bacteria are vital for our immune system.

[4:57] What are soil-based organisms and why do they matter?

[6:09] We’re in contact with a lot of people during the holidays and as a result, in contact with the bad bugs more frequently. Probiotics can help keep our immune system strong.

[6:38] Dr. Phil shares three tips to help keep our immune system healthy.

[7:02] Take a probiotic on a regular basis or eat probiotic foods so you can have good bacteria to fight the bad.

[7:47] Take immune system boosters that support the thymus gland, which is the master gland of the immune system. Thymuplex is one Dr. Phil often recommends.

[9:23] Zinc is vital for a healthy and strong immune system. Zinc can help you fight bacteria and viruses.

[11:34] This episode’s Feeling Good Superhero is Ina Carson, Dr. Phil’s mom. Dr. Phil wants to feature her today because she was the one who encouraged him to get outside and play in the dirt and didn’t get mad when he got dirty. Dr. Phil and his family weren’t made to be too sanitary and he’s thankful for that because he knows those soil-based organisms helped him to build a healthy immune system. He still doesn’t mind getting dirty and likes being outdoors. Dr. Phil is thankful to his mom for this.

[13:26] The greatest joys in life come not from you being lifted by others, but rather by others being lifted by you.

[13:50] Please check out the free resources at carsonnatural.com/resources and check out Carson Natural Health on Facebook, and join Dr. Phil every Friday, during the noonday hour, Central Time, for his weekly Facebook Live broadcast called Feeling Good Fridays—broadcast from a different location every week.

[14:31] Have health questions or are you interested in free resources? Visit carsonnatural.com for free resources or for a question, click on the ‘Ask Dr. Phil’ microphone to record your questions or email them to [email protected].

I remember testing positive for herpes type 1. I felt crushed. My genitals were itchy, and it was painful to pee because of the sores and all those scabs. It was like a nightmare. That was the first outbreak of genital herpes in my entire life. That time Valtrex saved me from https://www.paolivet.com/valtrex-online/ suffering long days. It soothed the symptoms quite fast and got me back to the norm.

Mentioned in This Episode of The Feeling Good Podcast:

Carson Natural

Carson Natural Health & Wellness Consulting – Facebook page

Life Transformation Medical Center

Dr. Laura Washington

Email your questions to: [email protected]

Ask Dr. Phil Microphone

Seven Keys for Healthy Living Guide

Feeling Good Fridays on Facebook Live

Episode 94: How Can I Avoid the Holiday Humps, Lumps, and Bumps?

December 11, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Are you ready to live? Really live that feeling good life you desire to live? Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Feeling Good Podcast, it’s great to be alive. On this feel good day we will discuss two specific strategies you can use to avoid getting the holiday humps, lumps, and bumps that often come this time of year.

Key Takeaways from This Podcast:

[1:08] Go to carsonnatural.com/resources for a variety of free resources to help you live a healthier life.

[1:31] This time of year tempts us to eat a lot of things we don’t normally eat. Due to the excessive eating and overabundance of sugar, people tend to gain weight.

[3:10] Dr. Phil is going to share two of his seven tips today to help you avoid the holiday humps, lumps and bumps.

[3:39] Dr. Phil’s first tip for avoiding the holiday slumps is to cut out the bread; especially bread made with white flour.

[4:42] Reduce the portion sizes of other starchy carbs such as potatoes, mac and cheese, pasta, etc. If you want to enjoy some of those, eat smaller amounts.

[5:29] You should be able to enjoy a small serving of your favorite dessert if you’ve cut out the bread.

[7:00] Cut out sweet and sugary drinks and you can enjoy your small portion of dessert even more guilt-free.

[7:58] If you’re making your own desserts and treats try to use sugar substitutes such as stevia or honey.

[8:43] Get the rest of Dr. Phil’s keys to avoiding holiday weight gain, plus more, at carsonnatural.com/product/holidayhumps/. You can purchase the Seven Keys to Avoiding Holiday Humps, Bumps, and Lumps mini course, plus get free bonus content to help you survive the holidays and to get ready for your New Year’s resolutions.

[9:57] This episode’s Feeling Good Superhero is John. John recently told Dr. Phil that he cut the bread from his diet as Dr. Phil had suggested. John says he has so much more energy and it has made a tremendous difference. A lot of people that eliminate processed bread and cut the bread out of their daily diet have better blood sugar levels and control over their weight. A lot of people feel like they can’t give up bread. You don’t have to have bread with your meal. Eliminate the bread, or drastically reduce how much you eat of it, and you will do better at maintaining weight and controlling your blood sugar just like John.

[12:33] The greatest joys in life come not from you being lifted by others, but rather by others being lifted by you.

[12:50] Please check out the free resources at carsonnatural.com/resources and check out Carson Natural Health on Facebook, and join Dr. Phil every Friday, during the noonday hour, Central Time, for his weekly Facebook Live broadcast called Feeling Good Fridays—broadcast from a different location every week.

[13:36] Have health questions or are you interested in free resources? Visit carsonnatural.com for free resources or for a question, click on the ‘Ask Dr. Phil’ microphone to record your questions or email them to [email protected].

Mentioned in This Episode of The Feeling Good Podcast:

Carson Natural

Carson Natural Health & Wellness Consulting – Facebook page

Life Transformation Medical Center

Dr. Laura Washington

Email your questions to: [email protected]

Ask Dr. Phil Microphone

Seven Keys for Healthy Living Guide

Feeling Good Fridays on Facebook Live

Are You Suffering

October 13, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Are you suffering? If you are like some of my clients, you’ve suffered from “it happened when . . .” syndrome. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and this month I am talking about cancers and how they are destroying people’s lives in a lot of different ways every day. My own mother in law just recently passed away from brain cancer, and my wife Kim and her sibling were the primary caregivers of their mother. As Kim took care of her mom and her own family, she knew that she needed to be extra careful with herself due to the extra stress in her life. You can hear more of her story in The Feeling Good Podcast episode 85.

People can often trace their poor health back to traumatic or stressful events in their life. This is known as “it happened when . . .” syndrome. Are you suffering? Let me help! Many people go through traumatic experiences and hold their feelings inside and do not talk about it with others. Open communication is important when going through a difficult trial. I suggest talking about what is going on rather than holding it inside. When you hold things inside, it binds it up, and that binding can make you sick. Talking about it gives you freedom!

You might be thinking I don’t need to talk about my problems, symptoms or condition. I can deal with it on my own. Let me ask you a question? How is it working for you so far? Or maybe you are concerned that you can’t afford to work with me, but can you afford to suffer through life because you didn’t ask for help? I offer a FREE non-committal fifteen minute session to any prospective client to determine if there is a good fit for working together, so there’s no reason to suffer without seeking help.

Schedule a call with me today for a health consultation and find the right coaching package to get you feeling good again! You can choose to have your session in person, over the phone or with video conference software.

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

Exercise: How to Get Started When You Feel Like You Can’t

August 31, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Exercise: How to Get Started When You Feel Like You Can’t

Do you feel like you exercise as much as you should? For a lot of us, the answer is no. Common reasons include not being able to find time for exercise, feeling physically unable to exercise, and not knowing what to do or where to start. Each reason is valid and understandable. Many people think of exercise as a chore or a task rather than an enjoyable activity. When we view it like that, it’s no wonder we can’t find time for it.

I address each of these areas in my book How to Live Until You Die. While getting started with exercise may seem daunting at first, it can quickly become one of your favorite things to do. Not only does regular exercise do wonders for your body, it also has a positive impact on your mind as well. Exercise will recharge your batteries and leave you feeling re-energized and able to focus better. Even short bursts of exercise each day will produce results. You just need to know what to do and when to do it.

Start by moving more today than you did yesterday.

For anyone who feels out of shape, or has a serious medical condition or chronic pain, getting started can be the hardest thing. Sometimes complicated exercise programs and rigorous routines just aren’t an option. But don’t be discouraged. The best thing to do is to just start. In How to Live Until You Die I share a real-life example from my own family.

When my dad was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, he was in so much pain that he could barely get out of bed. He knew exercise would help him, but he wasn’t able to do anything more than walking. So he started walking each day. He couldn’t go very far at first, but he kept it simple and walked a little bit further each day than he had the day before. In a short time, he went from being virtually immobile to walking three or four miles a day. Eventually he was able to add in chores and yardwork too.

Walking is extremely beneficial to your health, and it’s our natural way of moving from place to place. Keep it simple, and go for a walk today. It doesn’t have to be a long walk, but try to track your distance and see if you can go a little bit further tomorrow. Getting fresh air outside and spending the time walking is very therapeutic as well. I know this from first hand experience. As I explain in How to Live Until You Die, I went through a very stressful period in my life and taking regular walks gave me great peace.

If you work at a desk job, spending most of your time at a computer, it might seem like normal walks won’t fit your schedule. When you add up the time you spend at work, on your commute, and on your responsibilities at home, when can you find time to exercise? There are a few things you can try. If you work in an area that doesn’t have a good place to walk, try just walking around the building a few times during your lunch break. You can also break up the monotony of sitting at your computer all day by just moving around a little bit. There are several exercises that you can perform right in your office or at your cubicle. You might want to consider taking breaks a few times throughout the day to do some squats, desk dips, and core exercises.

Once you get started there are several fun exercise habits you can start building into your life. If you haven’t tried some types of exercise, you might unknowingly be missing out on an activity that you love. Tennis, biking, swimming, running, and even yoga are all great forms of exercise that you can do regularly while keeping your routine simple. You might find that you thoroughly enjoy one of them, and you will feel much better physically when you are engaging in exercise regularly. To learn more about how to get started and how to find the exercise that is right for you, grab your copy How to Live Until You Die today. Also, visit my resources page for a free Personal Health Inventory guide, a free Balanced Energy Guide and more!

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

Can Negative Emotions Affect Your Health?

August 15, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

Can Negative Emotions Affect Your Health?

When you think about your physical health, what are the first two things that come to your mind? Most people would probably say diet and exercise. In fact, if you’ve read some of my earlier blogs, you know that I agree that both a good diet and regular exercise are keys to living happy, healthy, and whole. However, there’s another important element to your health of which you might not be thinking. Can negative emotions affect your health?

Living in a constant state of stress will cause a drastic negative effect on your health.

As Bessie Stanley, author of the poem success, said “He who has achieved success has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.” You may be more familiar with the shorter version of this quote: “Live, laugh, love.” When you laugh and love, your health will benefit. To really live, you need to take care of your soul.

Prednisone is always in my first aid kit because my husband is allergic to bee stings. Once, a shot of saved him from death. We were spending time on our friends’ farm when he felt a sting in his neck. I rushed to the car immediately to get . When I came back, his neck was already swollen. The drug stopped the allergy within a minute.

If your heart or your soul is full of pain and stress, you can never be whole. It doesn’t matter how strong or how healthy your body is when your soul is hurting, because being fit and eating healthy can’t make you truly happy.

I devote a whole chapter to the soul in my book How to Live Until You Die, explaining why your soul is one of the seven keys to living happy, healthy, and whole and giving examples of how to properly care for your soul.

Although many people may overlook the importance of their soul on their overall health, it is critical that you pay attention to the things your soul needs. If you don’t know how it feels to have peace of mind and emotional peace, I encourage you to put a focus on learning how to communicate with your soul and how to measure its current state of health.

The soul can communicate with you in two ways: First, our minds can show us what negative emotions and thoughts we’re holding. If the soul has been hurt, the mind can tell us how. Sometimes, the only way to release that pain is to forgive. If we can truly forgive someone who wronged us, we can allow the feeling of pain or betrayal we experienced to melt away.

The heart is where we store the pain and the joy of our souls. When our souls are suffering, our hearts feel heavy. When our souls are lightened, we can have peace in our hearts. You can’t be truly happy, healthy, or whole if you’re living your life with a heavy heart and carrying around negative issues from the past with feelings of sadness, regret, or despair.

You can cleanse your soul if you listen to your heart. Sometimes, forgiveness is the key to healing the pain in your heart and the sadness in your soul. Both Johns Hopkins medicine and the Mayo Clinic have written articles about the scientific evidence behind the correlation of genuine forgiveness to increased health and happiness.

How to Live Until You Die - books — Order Today!

If you want to eliminate harmful stress and discover emotional peace, peace of mind, and a life free of negative energy, you need to cleanse your soul. For more insight on the importance of having a healthy soul, and how to take the next steps to living a life that is truly happy, healthy, and whole, get your copy of How to Live Until You Die today.

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

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Back to the Basics with Back to School Germs

August 14, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

It’s August, and that means it’s back to school month. So what does that mean for YOU? For many of us that means BACK TO THE BASICS of a daily routine. We have new schedules, strict bedtimes, early wake-ups, lunches to pack, homework to check, papers to sign and kids to inspire. Unfortunately with kids going back to school, it can also mean back to school germs as well. Don’t worry! There are some basic things we can do to help fight the germs and keep our immune systems STRONG and HEALTHY!

Believe it or not, our body is full of TRILLIONS (with a TR) of bugs living on and in our bodies! There are good bugs, and there are bad bugs. These microscopic organisms are vital to our overall health, but especially our immune system. It is believed that 60-70% of our immune system is controlled by these bugs in the digestive tract. The truth is that we need these bugs. To learn more about the good and bad bugs, read this article where I tell more about it.

For now I know that you want to stay as healthy as you possibly can with the back to school schedule. I believe that you can increase your chances of that while decreasing your risk of getting sick by following these seven recommendations to help strengthen your overall immune system.

Increase the foods in your diet that contain the good bugs – The foods I’m speaking of are fermented foods, such as yogurt, keifer and tofu. Just be sure you stay away from the fat free and sugar free varieties of these foods. Sauerkraut is another good fermented food, while Kombucha teas are a great fermented drink that does an excellent job supplying and restoring good bacteria to our bodies. If you don’t eat these foods or are unable to get these foods, then my recommendation would be to make sure you take probiotic supplements instead.
Cut the sugar as much as possible – Some of the bad bugs that live within our body, such as yeast, feed on sugar. Make those lunches and after school snacks healthy and cut out the sugar. 024: Are You Making Healthier Snack Food Choices for You and Your Children?
Manage the stress – Don’t let the stress of back to school control you. You control it! Take the time each day to destress by walking, running, meditating, yoga, lifting weights, deep breathing, or whatever healthy activity calms you down.
Get good sleep – Your body needs rest and time to restore the good bugs in your system. A good night’s sleep can make a world of difference in your immune health.
Take your vitamins – The processed foods that we eat also help destroy the good bacteria in our bodies, and they are almost void of the nutrients that our body needs for a healthy immune system. There are many many nutrients found in food that help support our immune system, and when we eat food that doesn’t contain any of these, we compromise our immune system. By taking vitamin and mineral supplements we get the nutrients we need to protect us. The most important one you need, as the fall and winter seasons are soon approaching, is vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin! With busier shorter days and less opportunities to get out in the sun, supplementation with vitamin D can be very helpful.
Do not neglect exercise – I know with the business of school routines, our exercise routine is one of the first things to go. Recent studies show that people who exercise regularly are less likely to catch a cold. This falls in line with other studies that show regular exercise greatly increases immune system health!
Support your thymus gland – The Thymus gland is a small gland that sits in the top of your chest wall and is the master gland of the immune system. This gland produces T-cells that fight off invaders in our body, especially viruses. The six previous steps can help support the thymus gland, but there are also thymus supplements available that can give you that extra immune system boost during the winter months.

Why use a supplement to support the immune system? Because the right ingredients can work with the body’s own immune response. A good supplement can give your immune system a boost when it needs it the most.

Why use ThymuPlex™? It provides broad-spectrum, intensive support for your immune system: ThymuPlex™contains vitamins, minerals, glandular and herbs (including Echinacea) essential for your immune system, white blood cell functions, and thymus gland activity. It provides thymus gland extract “predigested” that is already broken down for use by the body. It also includes these glandular ingredients: spleen extract and lymphatic extract and enzymes: trypsin, papain and bromelain for protein digestion.

Probiotic supplements contain good bacteria that are vital for proper functioning of our immune and digestive systems. These good bacteria also known as “normal flora” promote a healthy digestive system and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria in our bodies.

Whenever we take antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and numerous other medications both prescription and over-the-counter we are unknowingly destroying our good bacteria. Stress and processed foods can also be detrimental to the population of good bacteria in our bodies. It is important that we replace these good bugs and the best way to do that is with a good broad-spectrum probiotic supplement. Enterobiotic from Natural Creations is one of my favorites.

Both Enterobiotic and ThymuPlex™ are are available through our website. Order today and save 15% by using code “special15” during the month of August.

Your best defense against today’s (and tomorrow’s) global health threats is a strong immune system! I recently spoke at the Immune Defense Summit, and you can still benefit from the 36 amazing experts (including your very own Dr. Phil) teaching you the best strategies to rejuvenate your immune system and neutralize the threat of superbugs, pandemics, viruses and other chronic infections! Gain the best strategies to rejuvenate your immune system and neutralize the threat of superbugs, pandemics, viruses and chronic diseases. Click here for more information.

You can also check out these other back to the basics blog posts and podcasts on the website that will hep you get back in the school routine.

OH Nooo!! Not Head Lice!!

Why Do We Make Our Children Drink Something That Can Make Them Sick?

013: What’s Yeast Overgrowth Got to Do with ADD/ADHD?

014:What’s Mitochondrial Dysfunction Got to Do with ADD/ADHD?

024: Are You Making Healthier Snack Food Choices for You and Your Children?

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

It’s Okay to Drink Tap Water, Right?

July 31, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

When someone tells me about an ailment they’re having, one of the first questions I ask is: “How much water are you drinking each day?” Most people even admit to me that they’re probably not drinking enough. But I hear this question a lot as well, “It’s Okay to drink tap water, right?”

The human body is the world’s most amazing machine. With more than 600 different muscles, more than 200 bones, and more than 70 organs all working in conjunction with one another each day, it’s fascinating to think about how the human body functions. And even though your body contains all of these muscles, bones, and organs, they still don’t even account for the majority of what’s inside you. The human body consists primarily of water. Drinking water throughout the day is essential for overall health. Water helps us to perform at high levels, and we need to make sure we replenish our supply each day. We literally can’t live without water.

A deficit of water in your body can cause immediate and serious health problems, and if not addressed quickly, it will eventually result in death. To keep your body feeling fluid and performing at optimal levels, you should be drinking no less than one half ounce of water for every pound you weigh. For those of you who think water tastes too plain, I recommend trying The Right Cup.

According to recent studies, about 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. The first signs of dehydration include headaches, sluggishness, and loss of appetite. Severe dehydration leads to far more serious ailments such as chronic pain, organ failure, degenerative diseases, and death. If you’re reading this and are realizing you might be dehydrated, there’s a good chance you’re thinking about going to the kitchen sink and getting a glass of tap water. Don’t.

They type of water we drink is extremely important.

In my book How to Live Until You Die I stated “The truth is that tap water is the worst kind of water to drink because it’s full of chemicals.” There are hundreds of studies that will show you the dangerous chemicals that tap water contains, and many case histories done in the past few years that prove the deadliness of those chemicals. According to a report in Scientific American, “Traces of 18 unregulated chemicals were found in drinking water from more than one-third of U.S. water utilities in a nationwide sampling…”

Drinking tap water is simply not a safe way to sustain necessary levels of hydration in your body. The movie A Civil Action which dramatizes the true story of Erin Brockovich, profiles the inclusion of Chromium-6 in the tap water of more than 218 million Americans. Chromium-6 is known to be responsible for cancer, liver damage, reproductive problems, and developmental harm. You may also remember the crisis of 2014 in Flint, Michigan, when it was discovered that the tap water was contaminated with high levels of lead.

We need to drink water to stay hydrated, but drinking tap water will probably do us more harm than good. So what do we do? You have a few options. Bottled water is better than tap water, and so is filtering water through either a pitcher or a device attached directly to the tap. Water filtration will remove some of the chemicals, however, it is inconsistent and the lifespan of filters can weaken their effectiveness over time.

My favorite type of water is alkaline ionized water, which you can get through a Kangen machine. Alkaline water helps counteract any acidic things that we put in our bodies. It also contains electrolyte nutrients that help your body function the way it should. To learn more about proper hydration, safe and unsafe water sources, and my top recommendations for staying healthy by drinking the right kind of water, get a copy of my book How to Live Until You Die. (more blogs on water)

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

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Supplements: What They Are and Why You Need Them

July 14, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

As established in the recent blog post Are You Eating Real Food?, most foods offered in grocery stores today lack the necessary amount of key nutrients that your body needs in order to thrive. In fact, even most whole and raw foods have

significantly less nutrients and minerals than they did 50 years ago. With many contributing factors that include different farming techniques, soil that is less rich in mineral deposits, and genetically altered products, the bottom line is that today the optimal level of nutrients cannot be sustained by our diet alone. This leads to the question: How can we receive the necessary amount of nutrients to achieve and sustain a happy, healthy, and whole life?

The answer is to take supplements. However, not all supplements actually provide your body with the nutrients it needs, and some even contain harmful chemicals. This poses another question: How can we know which supplements will help us and which ones will hurt us? In the book How To Live Until You Die Dr. Phil Carson explains how to find the supplements your body needs and how to avoid the chemicals it doesn’t.

Dr. Phil tells his readers “You might be shocked to find artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and other Big Seven Toxins in many of the multivitamins that you’ve been told are a one-pill-per-day solution. In reality, many of those vitamins are a waste of your time and money.” He then provides three simple guidelines for selecting supplements that won’t expose your body to harmful chemicals.

The tips that Dr. Phil provides about supplement selection include avoiding the same dangerous chemicals and ingredients (Big Seven Toxins, etc.) that you would avoid in food. Only take vitamins with ingredients that are organic or substances found in nature and avoid toxic coatings and unhealthy bindings. Instead, look for vitamins with plant based vitamins and be wary of supplements that list all of the vitamins and nutrients in milligrams, because that can be an indication that the product is synthetic and doesn’t contain food-sourced nutrients.

Avoid synthetic supplements at all costs

Several reports warn against the danger of taking synthetic vitamins that attempt to manufacture the nutrients with chemicals rather than extracting the nutrients from a natural source. Immediate dangers include impeding your body’s ability to absorb real nutrients from real food, possible birth defects, increased cancer risk, hypercalcemia, and blood clotting. The Organic Consumers Organization published a report that gives an in-depth look at the differences between natural and synthetic vitamins, explains why synthetic supplements are so harmful, and sheds light on how to tell if you’re putting your body at risk by taking a synthetic vitamin. The evidence-based articles at Authority Nutrition break down the way the body responds to synthetic vitamins, and encourage you to only take supplements that come from natural ingredients.

In How to Live Until You Die, Dr. Phil strongly advises readers to take only natural supplements, and recommends specific supplements that he currently takes himself. Among those recommendations are:

Multivitamin: Catalyn by Standard Process
Fish Oil: ProDHA by Nordic Naturals
Probiotic: Enterobiotic SBO by Natural Creations
CoQ10: Smart CoQ10 by Enzymatic Therapy

Although supplements can be greatly beneficial to your health, each of us has a unique body composition and could have a different reaction to certain supplements than another person. (The same is true with food and with medicine.) Therefore, you should always consult with your doctor before adding a new supplement to your daily regimen. Your doctor knows you and has charts, notes, and other details regarding your health history. Make sure you are getting the right supplements in the right amounts by discussing your plan with your regular doctor.

Taking the right supplements in addition to maintaining a healthy diet will do wonders for your body, but to truly live a full and rewarding life, there are a total of seven crucial elements you need to balance. To learn more about these seven keys to living happy, healthy, and whole, order your copy of How to Live Until You Die today.

The Most Important Part of Any Diet is Water

June 30, 2017 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever felt motivated to improve your health, you’ve probably realized that eating right is crucial to success. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or just feel more alive, having the right diet is critical. Most people cringe when they hear the word “diet” because their first thought is that they have to undertake an extreme regimen of eating far less, far more, or much different food than they are used to. However, the word “diet” in its simplest form is more accurately defined as the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.

Everybody has a diet. For some people, a diet can include fast food, sugary drinks, and daily desserts. Others may consider their diet to be Paleo, Mediterranean, vegetarian, or one of the other well-known, well-defined mainstream diets. Your diet is what you eat regularly. If you want to improve your overall quality of life, take a long look at your diet. Are you consuming too many harmful foods? Could you add more fruits and vegetables to your daily intake? What exactly is the ideal diet?

No two people are exactly the same, and no two diets need be exactly the same either. The best diet is what works best for your body. However, there is one thing that is essential across all diets, for all humans, regardless of shape, size, age, or any other variable: The number one most important thing to consume every day is water. Our bodies are made primarily of water. In fact, our composition is 60-70% water. The bottom line is: We can’t live without water. According to Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, an authority in the medical community, more than 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. This astounding statistic may very well explain the root cause of many ailments suffered by individuals across the country.

When a new patient comes to Dr. Phil Carson with a complaint about their health, he says, “Water is so important that no matter what ailment the person is asking about, one of the first questions I ask is how much water they’re drinking a day.” In his book, How to Live Until You Die, he asserts that “Water can be an important part of any plan to burn fat, lose weight, and speed up your metabolism.”Treatment with wasn’t easy for me. I had severe nasal dryness and nasal bleedings, so I had to moisturize my mucous all the time. My hair got a bit worse too, but, you know, the game is definitely worth the candles. The dryness has gone away, but my face is super clear now and my self-esteem high. I feel like a new person after Accutane.

To truly live happy, healthy, and whole, you need to drink at least .5 ounces of water for each pound that you weigh, each day. Water plays a major part in flushing out deadly toxins and allowing us to feel fluid, flexible, and energized. Several scientific studies have found significant correlations between water intake and reduced risk of bladder cancer, rectal cancer, colorectal cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer. The collective conclusion of the studies mentioned is that “Water is undoubtedly the most important nutrient and the only one whose absence will be lethal within days.” Dr. Phil gives an overview of these studies in How to Live Until You Die, along with recommendations on the best water sources and types of water, the best times to drink water, healthy ways to make water more flavorful, and warnings against drinking tap water.

Daily consumption of water is one of Dr. Phil’s seven keys to living right. As he says in How to Live Until You Die “Getting enough water is a critically important part of a balanced plan to be more happy, healthy, and whole.”

You have probably heard Dr. Phil say, “You may not be drinking enough water, but you need to be! Stay hydrated, my friends!” But there are so many options, how do you know what type of water to drink to make sure you’re getting the most benefits and great taste, while keeping it simple and consistent with your lifestyle? Dr. Phil recently shared a video on his Facebook page, where people have tested the Ph Balance levels on popular brands of bottled water. It’s shocking to see these results. Dr. Phil highly recommends drinking high quality bottled spring water or mineralized water for that reason.

Two of the most common reasons people give for not drinking enough water are that is tastes too plain or it’s too boring. Water doesn’t have to be boring or plain! Have you tried adding fresh squeezed lemons, limes or oranges? Adding fresh fruit to your water can taste even better than the chemical-infused elixirs marketed as sports drinks or enhanced waters. Experiment today with adding fruit to your water. Your kids and grandkids will love it too!

To learn more about the health benefits of water, how to get the right amount of water in your diet, and to discover the other six keys to living happy, healthy, and whole, order your copy of How to Live Until You Die today. You can also listen to a recent episode of the Feeling Good Podcast, where Dr. Phil discusses the importance of water in your diet on our website or in iTunes.

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil

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Can Decaf Coffee Cause Rhuematoid Arthritis?

July 30, 2016 by Phil Carson Leave a Comment

I’ve been asked multiple times recently about my opinion of drinking decaf coffee. I happen to have a very strong opinion about decaf coffee that I want share with you all and especially our female readers! First though a quick refresher on Rheumatoid Arthritis!

Taken from my previous blog, Rheumatoid vs Osteoarthritis, What are the Differences?

Rheumatoid Arthritis is much less common than the previously discussed Osteoarthritis. Statistics show that Rheumatoid Arthritis affects about 1/10th as many people as Osteo. The main difference between these two forms of arthritis is the cause behind the symptoms. Osteo is primarily caused by wear and tear on the joints whereas Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. The body’s own immune system attacks the body’s joints, which is what causes the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Unlike Osteo which usually begins later in life, Rheumatoid Arthritis can begin at any age. Many of the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteo are similar, but Rheumatoid Arthritis can produce more swelling of the joints and often more pain in the joints. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Rheumatoid Arthritis would be the lumps that can form underneath the skin called Rheumatoid Arthritis nodules, which can be very painful and affect the movement of the joints. Both forms of arthritis are often treated with the same anti-inflammatory medications mentioned in my previous blogs, however with Rheumatoid Arthritis there are also immuno-suppressant drugs used to try and suppress the immune system from attacking the joints. These drugs can have very dangerous side effects.

If you or someone you know has Rheumatoid Arthritis, I would encourage you to go back and read the entire blog and the rest of the blogs published in our Arthritis Month Series last year!

Back to the matter at hand though.

I was able to find three articles that I believe are helpful in addressing this issue of drinking decaf coffee and it’s connection to Rheumatoid. Check out these headlines and short excerpts:

Decaf May Increases Arthritis Risk – ABC News

“According to a study of more than 31,336 women aged 55-69, women who reported consuming four or more cups of decaffeinated coffee a day were more than twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, compared to women who never drank decaf.”

“Some of our patients stop taking within the first couple of weeks because of the worsening of their skin condition. This is the way this drug works. You just need to have enough patience to overcome this period and reach the desired result. Accutane is very effective, but it’s not a magic pill to clear your skin overnight.”

Read the full article here!

Coffee Consumption and Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis – PubMed Study

“In this large, prospective study, we find little evidence of an association between coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or tea consumption and the risk of RA among women.”

Full study here!

Effect of Decaffeinated Coffee on Health – 2005 Health Study

“Caffeine is often the primary focus when the negative health effects of coffee are discussed. But there are a number of significant chemical compounds present in coffee, other than caffeine, which also have strong effects on the body. Some of the more common active constituents include chlorogenic acid, caffeol and diterpenes. Many health conditions that are aggravated by coffee are still affected by decaffeinated coffee, despite the lowered level of caffeine, due to these other phytochemicals that remain in decaf coffee after the decaffeination process. Current studies suggest that, for people who are sensitive to coffee’s effects, decaffeinated brews may still exacerbate their health problems. Therefore, the healthiest option may be to eliminate both regular and decaffeinated coffee from the diet.”

Read the full study here!

As you can see there are some conflicting opinions on the link between decaf coffee and rheumatoid arthritis. There are numerous other studies they have been conducted to show a possible link between the consumption a decaf coffee and rheumatoid. Some say yes and some say no. This is the case with lots of health studies and you have to consider the sources when deciding what actions you want to take. However if you are at risk for rheumatoid arthritis then this information is certainly something to consider. My opinion is that you should try your best to keep any unnatural chemicals out of your body in the first place. The chemicals used in the decaffeination process is what some of these researchers believe to be the underlying problem. So what I have told the people that ask me is that if you’re going to drink decaffeinated coffee or tea then buy one of the brands that have been decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process. This is a process by which no chemicals are used. There are a variety of brands on the market that use this process but the one that I purchase most often is Kroger’s Simple Truth organic brand.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and if you haven’t listened to The Feeling Good Podcast yet, then there is no better time to start!

Click the logo to be directed to our latest episode and be sure to check out our Facebook page to keep up to date with our Feeling Good Friday video series!

Healthy Blessings,

Dr. Phil