Shelley Pagitt

I have been thinking about Community Cleansing for years, and this spring I made it happen. It was risky and potentially uncomfortable to share my passion and work, with my Solomon’s Porch Church Community, all at one time. It took a lot of effort, and I’m so very glad I did it!

In the past I have lead many clients on 30-Day Cleanses, but that is really detailed and challenging for even the most motivated cleansers. So, I wrote a 2-week cleanse that would be a shift for even the most healthful in our community, and included a ‘Bonus Liver Flush’ for those with an extra dose of adventure. I made a couple of announcements at church and low and behold, 25 people showed up to Cleanse Class! I shared information, personal experiences and tips in hopes that all would have a positive cleanse experience.

We shared our insights, frustrations, recipes, successes and bowel movement stories with the whole group. Transparency and vulnerability were important in order to learn from one another, and afford me the ability to communicate cleanse information to the whole group. This was the richest part for me, and I believe we all learned from each other through this experience. It deepened our relationships with our bodies, our minds and spirit. Our collective experience wove a thread through us that will always be present. I am not trying to romanticize our community cleanse but I do think it was fairly profound, at least for me.

I’m looking forward to more Community health endeavors.

There is a nasty bug going around this spring! Symptoms vary but include sore throat, tired, coughing, low-grade fever, sinus and lung discomfort. I don’t get sick too often but man, this one laid me down for 3 days.

Here are my suggestions for when your first symptom tells you that you need to support your immune system-
1. RAW GARLIC- swallow whole, slice and swallow, or chop and add to butter and eat it with a couple of crackers. Garlic is a great, cheap and well-researched immune booster.
2. VITAMIN C- Eat citrus, take capsules or EmergenC packets every hour until you have loose stools. This is your body indicating that it is saturated for the day. Start again the next day, and continue while symptoms persist.
3. HERBAL TEA- like Breathe-Easy, Immune-Support, Ginger-Echinacea, or hot water with fresh grated ginger, cayenne and honey soothe your throat and provide herbs to support your immune system.
4. GOLDEN ECHINACEA TINCTURE- is a combination of Golden Seal (a natural antibiotic) extract and Echinacea (an immune booster) extract. I have used this tincture for years and it really does help to shorten the duration of an illness or stop it before the virus settles into your body. Take 2 droppers full in a little water/3 times per day/3-5 days.
5. UMCKA or SAMBUCOL- these are natural remedies for colds and flu. Sambucol is a liquid, and primarily Elderberry Syrup which supports the immune system. Umcka is a homeopathic remedy that varies in its delivery- chewable tablets, pills and liquid. Choose the one that fits your symptoms the best and take a few times each day for a few days.

Purchasing these items and stocking your Natural Medicine Cabinet is a good idea before the symptoms creep in. Natural remedies are so much better for your body as they ARE NATURAL (no dyes, chemicals, side effects), and they actually support your body rather than just covering up the symptoms, like pain relievers, which trick your body into doing more than it actually should be doing.

Also, letting your fever ‘burn’ is a great immune boosting practice, unless your fever is above 104*. A fever is your body’s natural defense against ‘bugs’ and viruses that want to settle in. If you take a fever reducer, your body feels better but it never actually has to work to kill the ‘bug’, therefore allowing the bug to impact your immune system in the future. So, take a hot bath, then curl up under the covers, drink some hot tea, eat ginger, garlic and cayenne, and get some rest!!

I am more of a believer in making good daily food choices to sustain our bodies than in popping multiple supplements to alleviate negative health symptoms. It comes down to choosing traditional foods that have been eaten for generations (prior to the mid 1900′s), that are grown and raised without chemical or pharmaceutical additives in the most natural ways possible.
That being said, I also realize that most of us were born and raised after this time and the ways that we have learned or chosen to eat have not always kept within this framework. So, I do think there is a place for supplements. The advertisers would make you think that you need to take a handful of supplements every day. I disagree. I think that each of us has a unique biological make-up and (constitution is another word for this) and that we do not ALL need EVERY supplement even if it claims to be the next ‘magic pill’ for all your health woes.
I do however, think that we are all nutritional, biologically deficient in a few nutrients and that these five suggestions will help to sustain your body, mind and emotional health.

#1-A food-based, MULTI-VITAMIN/MINERAL is important for children, teens and adults to take every day for health maintenance. Food based supplements are easier to digest and the nutrients are more bio-available. (Sorry Centrum, you don’t count). A multi-vitamin will contain optimum amounts of all the major vitamins including B-Complex which many people need more of. Including the major or essential minerals of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, sodium, chloride and potassium as well as some trace minerals (zinc, selenium, iodine, copper, manganese, molybdenum, etc) is a good idea in that minerals are the building block to vitamins.
I like taking a multi once per day and it is a good idea to take it with food as the b-complex may upset your stomach a little bit. This can be in tablet or capsule form or liquid. Rainbow Light is a good brand but my favorite is Trace Laboratories Multi Vitamin Mineral Liquid. When my teenagers got mono I insisted that they take the liquid multi twice per day. I was also making them super-food smoothies, miso broth, herbal tea, and other good-for-you potions but, they were back to school in a few days which is really rare with a mono/strep throat combination. I credit much of this to the liquid multi.

I am working on a prototype for my Portion Plate and have high hopes for selling it to be used as a teaching tool for children and families nation wide.
Wow! It’s a big deal to actually say this publicly. This has been a dream in the back of my mind for years and I believe the time is right to buckle down and enter a world of patents, copyright, design and marketing that I am not very comfortable jumping into. Here goes!

There are a few plates on the market but none are as beautiful or comprehensive as mine. Carole Bersin, my friend and talented artist, is painting the plate. When she finishes, I’ll post some photos.

It has been a busy summer in the garden and I have to admit, I am reluctant to head back indoors for the long Minnesota winter. I do assume I will get back to more regular blogging so I guess there’s at least that. For anyone who is a regular reader, I should share that my Natural Health Tips from Doug Pagitt Radio are posted on his site at dougpagittradio.com.

I know. This is obvious, right? Well, I have delayed sharing this ‘health tip’ for a long time because it does seem so obvious. I mean, it has been decades since the FDA put a warning on cigarette packaging in an attempt to deter smoking. But, a situation the other day shoved this tip to the top of my list.

I was leaving work and saw a young, co-worker unlocking her bicycle with a long cig hanging off of her lips. I was taken by surprise and asked her why/when she started smoking. She replied. “Oh, it’s my new thing.” :O!! She is not the only intelligent, informed 20 something person I know who has recently taken up this nasty, life-and-health-altering habit. What is going on?
They are beyond the age of peer pressure. They have heard the compelling research against smoking. They don’t need to rebel against their parents. I don’t get it.

Smoking is a proven CAUSAL factor in many health issues including cancer, and has devastating ramifications personally and collectively in every area of our society; financial, economical, environmental, biological, psychological, emotional, relational, etc. I understand the issues of free will and personal choice especially when a decision solely affects the decision maker. On the surface smoking looks like it falls into the personal choice category. But, peel one thin layer away and the nicotine and dozens of other harmful chemicals included in a single cigarette are blown in the face of each family member, friend and tax payer as we all pay the hidden costs associated with smoking.

For your body. For your health. For the struggling health care system. For your loved ones. For Pete’s sake. Please stop smoking!
P.S. If you decide to smoke, please keep your windows closed and take care of your butts and don’t throw out a burning cigarette for the rest of us to breathe in.

This information was in my email box this afternoon. Please read it and make the requested call or send an email to those who can actually initiate government changes. And, at the very least, replace your antibacterial soaps with natural ones.

“How many times a day do you wash your hands? What about doing dishes or brushing your teeth? Most of us do these things throughout the day. Unfortunately, many products like hand soap, toothpaste and dish soap contain a toxic chemical called triclosan. This chemical is being widely used in the U.S. despite evidence that it is a real and imminent threat to public and environmental health. Can you take action today to help ban this unnecessary chemical?

Many of us buy products containing triclosan, perhaps unknowingly, simply because chemical companies have marketed it in such a way to make us believe the product is more protective against illness. Triclosan products like soap, toothpaste, deodorant and makeup are often labeled as “antibacterial,” “antimicrobial,” “Microban” or “Biofresh.” Despite FDA expert advice that antibacterial soaps are no more effective than regular soap and water in fighting illness, the dangerous substance is still allowed in too many consumer products.

One of the worst things about triclosan is it persists in the environment and is recognized, like BPA, as an endocrine disruptor — a substance that interferes with the body’s hormones. There have been massive recalls and new legislation to ban BPA in products like baby bottles and food containers, but there’s been very little done about triclosan, which could be just as damaging. We need Congress to take strong action to ban all non-medical uses of triclosan. Help protect your family by signing the petition to ban triclosan for non-medical uses today.”

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Whether we want to acknowledge them or not, toxins are everywhere. We interact with tens to hundreds of them on a daily basis and they are wreaking havoc on our bodies. Particularly our hormones, but since the hormones regulate the majority of our other body systems, our entire bodies are affected. These toxins are called ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS.

Pesticides like DDT were introduced in 1936 and have grown in use and strength since then. There have been many studies confirming abnormal development in animal life and even some connections are being made in human growth, development and and fertility as it relates to toxin exposure. Remember the defected frog that was found years ago? I do. It triggered my first thoughts that “all is not well” on our planet. Clearly the frogs are not the only victims of toxic overload.

THIS IS SERIOUS!!

Take a personal inventory of your environment and eliminate as many chemicals as possible including plastics, unnatural fibers (like polyester, micro-fiber, fleece, lycra, vinyl, rayon, etc.), chemical cleaners, faux leather/suede, perfumes, dyes, pesticides/herbicides, etc. If your list is long, start with your kids and know that their immune system is even more overloaded than yours. Keep going……

When you need to replace an item, look for a natural alternative. There are so many choices and as retailers catch on, there will be more! Enjoy the process and know that you are helping yourself and all those who live in your house.

I am passionate about Natural Homes and would love to coach you through the process and share tips and information I have learned on my journey.
If you want natural cleaning products try Shaklee. I have been using these products for years and I love the economic value as well as the quality. You can contact me and I will give you my number and tell you my favorites.

The tradition of making homemade stock and broth has been creeping back into mainstream kitchens after being lost to Swanson’s boxes for decades. This, is a great thing.

Stock, or bone broth, is rich in flavor and minerals and other micro nutrients. Most of us (read-everyone) are mineral deficient. Our diets lack minerals because the foods we eat grow in soil depleted of microorganisms with chemicals that force growth rather than nutrient rich soil that produces life giving food.
Other high mineral foods we no longer consume include; sea vegetables, bone marrow, unprocessed sea salt and mineral rich mountain water.

We can increase our minerals, the building blocks to all vitamins, by making bone broth or vegetable broth. Bones are a storehouse of minerals and by boiling them for 12-24 hours the minerals disperse into the broth and we reap the tasty benefits.

There are a few options for making bone broth. My favorite, and most thrifty, is to roast a chicken for one meal. Use the left over meat for a second meal and the bones for a third meal. Here’s how I do it.
I save the bones in a ziploc bag and freeze them if I’m not making broth right away. I also save the ends of my veggies, as I cook throughout the week in a separate freezer bag. When I’m ready to make broth I fill a heavy pot with water, add the bones and a handful of frozen veggie ends with a Tablespoon of sea salt, a few cracks of fresh pepper and a piece of sea vegetable (I like the mild flavor of kombu). Make sure the bones are covered with water and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 12-24 hours. Check your pot halfway through (for sure before you go to bed) and make sure there is enough water to make it through the remaining time).

When it is complete, remove from the heat. Strain broth and let it cool. The gelatinous top layer is just that, collagen rich gelatin. Great for hair, skin, nails and bones. Use the broth within a few days or freeze it for later use.