HealthTalk Series May Update 05/10/2011
In March I presented an eye-opening HealthTalk at the Medford Library on Balancing Female Hormones. If you missed it, I am attaching the March HealthTalk Newsletter. April's HealthTalk was on a subject that is near and dear to me - Living Gluten Free. I am gluten free due to having Hashimoto's Disease, an auto-immune disease. Many, if not most auto-immune diseases are negatively affected by consuming gluten! According to recent studies, approx 1/3 of the American population is gluten intolerant, and about 1 in 133 people having being diagnosed with Celiac Disease (and auto-immune disease). Again it you missed this important seminar, I am attaching the April HealthTalk Newsletter. Come join me and bring a friend to the HealthTalk on May 21st. This mini-seminar will cover Insulin Resistance. I will present information on what causes insulin resistance, how devasting it is to your health and what can be done to correct it. We will meet at the Medford Library at 1:00 to 2:30 on Saturday the 21st. Plan to be there for another FREE HealthTalk presentation, some hot tea and healthy gluten-free snacks. You will also have the chance to win a drawing for a free book. And you will have a folder of additional information to take home with you. All Free! Rhonda Nolan, NTP 
Add Comment HealthTalk Series March Updates 03/14/2011
On February 19th I presented the 2nd of the free HealthTalk monthly educational series at the Medford library. There was a good turnout and lots of information given to everyone who attended. The Topic was Adrenal Fatigue, a subject I personally am all too familiar with having struggled with it at various times in my life. Coming up on March 19th from 1:00 to 2:30 at the Medford Library, I will present yet another hot Topic subject in the Endocrine System HealthTalk series. This time the focus will be on Balancing Female Hormones from PMS to Menopause. Many women suffer from the effects caused by hormone imbalances. No one has all the answers and each woman is different. Even so, there are many natural approaches that are effective to correct the cause of many hormone related symptoms. Come join me, grab a free cup of hot tea, some healthy (gluten-free) snacks, a drawing for a copy of “The Estrogen Alternative” book by Raquel Martin and Judi Gerstung, D.C. and learn more about Balancing Female Hormones. And If you missed the Adrenal HealthTalk, below is a copy of the HealhTalk newsletter. Here’s to your optimal health! Rhonda Nolan, NTP
Introducing HealthTalk 01/23/2011
The New Year brings the opportunity to make positive changes in our lives and the lives of those around us. On January 22nd I presented the first of a free monthly health educational series at the Medford Library called "HealthTalk". Having recently attended several seminars in Portland Oregon, I got really excited about sharing what I have learned about the Endocrine system. You see, the Endocrine system is a tightly woven system with intricacies and complexities that affect every part of the body! Topics over the next few months will include Hypothyroid and Hashimoto’s Disease (far more common than you might think!), Adrenal Health, Menopause, Andropause (male menopause), Insulin Resistance, and other health topics such as Living Gluten-Free, and more. Because of my own health issues (and victories!) with Hypothyroid and Hashimoto’s auto-immune disease, this was the topic for the first of the 2011 monthly HealthTalks. I covered thyroid function, interactions within the body, and natural ways to improve symptoms and modulate the disease. According to Dr. Datis Kharrazian, up to 90% of hypothyroid actually begins as Hashimoto’s! His book, “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal” totally changed my life! So much so, that I gave away a copy of his book in a door prize drawing! Attendees also were given a folder with additional information to take home with them. As a Nutritional Therapist, having interviewed dozens and dozens of clients this year, it has brought to light just how widespread unaddressed endocrine issues really are. Typically many endocrine weaknesses are not being taken care of by conventional healthcare. This is in part because standard lab tests have broad ranges and only indicate when the numbers are high enough (or low enough) for a medical “diagnosis” and by law, without a diagnosis, Doctors cannot prescribe drugs. As a result, far too many people are slipping between the cracks; not “sick” enough for a "named" diagnosis, but have multiple symptoms that drag them down. This is why I am presenting a free monthly HealthTalk. My desire is to educate our community to learn how to take charge of their own health. And for those who seek further help, I will be offering my services at a special introductory price. Contact me by phone or email to learn more. Please join me February 19th, 1:00-2:30 at the Medford Library for the 2nd in the HealthTalk series - Adrenal Fatigue. We will explore what adrenal fatigue is, lab testing and ways to improve our adrenals. And as with the first HealthTalk on Hypothyroid & Hashimoto's disease, I will provide FREE hot tea, some healthy snacks and a folder with information to take home with you. This is going to be an exciting year with lots of new information on how you can pursue your own optimal health!
HCG Diet Excitement Grows 06/06/2010
It's time for an update on the HCG Diet. In April and May I gave two presentations at the Medford Library. Those in attendance were encouraged by folks who had already lost weight on the diet. Clients who have signed up have been reporting back to me about their weight losses. Although total weight loss results have been varied, the general mood is one of excitement as everyone is losing excess weight and/or inches. And their success is producing word-of-mouth referral clients. Most of my clients hope to improve their health as a result of their weight loss. I am glad to hear that so many people have the ultimate goal of eventually getting off their meds and lowering their risk of serious diseases. As a Nutritional Therapist I have been trained to help my clients identify and correct nutrient deficiencies or imbalances that can have positive results toward doing just that! I encourage my clients to be sure to return for their 2nd office visit so we can fine tune their nutrient needs and work on optimal health. The 2nd office visit is included with the sign-up fee! On a personal side note, I am on my 2nd round of the HCG Diet and doing quite well. I enjoyed my maintenance phase and eating "normally". But now it's time to buckle down again and work at whittling away more pounds and inches. I gathered smaller size clothes out of storage and laundered them. Some were long ago favorites. And some are new and unused clothes that I bought long ago. I will hang them in a prominent place in my closet and look forward to wearing them. For those of you in the Southern Oregon area, I will be giving another HCG Diet Presentation at the Medford Library this coming Saturday, June 12th at 2:00. I plan on giving 2 presentations a month for the summer months. Hope to see you there! Rhonda Nolan, NTP Post 40 Day HCG Update 05/09/2010
My extreme apologies to those who visited my blog, only to find that I hadn't posted anything new since Day 9 on the hCG Diet. You see life sort of got a bit crazy - thanks to the hCG Diet. I decided to add the hCG Diet to my Nutritional Therapy practice. I gave a presentation at the Medford Library in mid April. This required a lot of preparation; typing documents, compiling packets of information for my new clients, close to a week of not getting to bed until about midnight. But what really threw me was not just the clients who signed up on April 17th, but all the referrals that came in! You see this diet is so popular that clients on the diet are so excited that they are talking to everyone they know. Well I have decided to give another hCG Diet presentation at the Medford Library. So once again I am in a flurry of activity to get everything ready for a large turnout. For those of you in the Southern Oregon area, my presentation will be held on May 15th from 2:00 to 3:30. And now for an update on how the hCG Diet has worked for me. I did a complete round of 40 days and dropped off 26.2 pounds! I am now 1 week into Phase 3, which consuming a low carb diet, with plenty of high quality protein, vegetables, a small amount of fruit and lots of healthy fats. In this 1st week of Phase 3, I have stayed within 2 pounds of my lowest VLCD weight! And I'm telling you, I have eaten quite well! Coffee with heavy cream (more than once a day!) bacon and eggs for breakfast, raw cheese and soaked, dehydrated walnuts, a large salad with meat and homemade mayo, more raw cheese and walnuts, approx 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil daily, veggies with plenty of butter, meat complete with fat, raw milk. This has been roughly my diet over the last week. And still I've managed to stay within the 2 pound "boundary". I have stayed away from all starchy carbs and the only "sugars" I've consumed are in organic ketchup and the delicious carrier I use for my coconut oil - Endangered Species 88% cocoa chocolate squares (a true weakness of mine!). So what about emotions? Well, for the most part I did fine. But I have to tell you, there were times the last couple of weeks during the 40 hCG Drop days, when I was discouraged. You see, my body seemed to think that it required several days to misbehave each time I reached a new low. So I would drop say 1 1/2 pounds only to gain back 1 pound the next day. If that wasn't bad enough, it would stay up for 2 or even 3 days! About the time I was sure I would never lose weight again, my body would admit it was time and magically drop off 2 1/2 lbs overnight! Then went the rollercoaster again. Up the next day, maintain that higher weight for 3 or 4 days and the bam!!! drop to another low. Once I realized this was a pattern, I was able to relax. On average over a week's time, the last few weeks I dropped 1/2 pound a day, or 3 1/2 pounds a week! Hunger - I may as well hit this subject too while I'm at it. The true hunger left me at about 4 days into the VLCD. I would go for many hours without feeling hunger, and then about 30 minutes before a meal, I would get hungry (just like your body is supposed to do!). However, at about 2 1/2 weeks I ran into some hunger and decided to up my drops. In the end I went from 10 drops 3 times a day to 12 drops 3 times a day and finally upped it to 15 drops 3 times a day. From that point on, I NEVER had any hunger!!! Of even bigger interest was that not one time in the 40 days did I feel ANY hypoglycemia! That was totally surprising, as I have had reactive hypoglycemia for years. Ok, well what about the food. Well, I can tell you that 40 days is a long time to repeat the same foods over and over again. It was boring, boring, boring! But I didn't mind since I knew it was short term and that I'd be many pounds lighter and would get to eat foods again. I really only craved one thing - fats. Cream in my coffee that 1st day off the VLCD was like a rich decadent dessert! And my breakfast of Beeler's bacon (no nitrates!) and farm fresh eggs never tasted so good in my entire life. In fact it was so good, I had a repeat of breakfast for dinner that night! I am now biding my time until I can start Round 2. I still have 49 pounds to lose to reach my goal weight that I recall 15 years ago as when I looked and felt the best. So I will need to do at least 2 more rounds, and maybe 3. I did not cheat on the VLCD. I weighed my meat, trimmed of as much visible fats as I could. I did however, eat chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. I also allowed myself broccoli (not on Dr Simeons' original diet). I didn't do the Grissini bread sticks (I haven't eaten gluten/wheat in 8 months). I used homemade bone broth to cook my meat and veggies in. And I used coconut oil, never more than 2 teaspoons, and usually more like 1 teaspoon, to lightly brown my meat - and only about 3 times a week. I used make up (a girl's gotta' look good!) The only side effects I had was a couple of dry skin patches on my face and back of my hands and some "near" diarrhea. I had a couple of migraine-type headaches. But other than that, I had plenty of energy, slept well, was mentally alert, and my adrenal function seemed to improve, which caused my thyroid to function better too. Would I recommend 40 days to others? Yes and no. Yes if they are diciplined to stick with it. No if they are under stress or don't have the time to plan in advance, properly weigh and prepare their food. It is not a hard diet - but you do have to be thinking ahead to your next meal. Wrapping up, I am thrilled with the diet! I am thrilled to have lost 26 pounds! And I am thrilled that in the 1st week of Phase 3, consuming a fat rich, satifyingly delicious low carb diet, I have kept my weight in the proper range - no more than 2 pounds above my low - thus re-setting my metabolic set point via the pituitary and hypothalamus control centers. I urge you to give it a chance. If you have started on it and need to take a short break from it, go ahead. I have one friend who needed to do that and she has managed to keep off all but about 2 pounds from her last VLCD day. As much as I've read about the hCG Diet, I still don't fully understand how this diet works. But I do know that it works! And that's all I really need to know. Whether the resetting of the Hypothalamus and Pituitary are a theory or fact, really doesn't matter, since the clinical evidence is that it really works! Rhonda Nolan, NTP Delicious hCG Recipe 03/29/2010
Rhonda's South of the Border Chili Servings - 2 7 oz Grassfed ground beef (7% fat) 1 large organic tomato 3/4 t. Fiesta Chili powder (Frontier) 1/4 t. cumin Sea Salt, Pepper and Granulated Garlic - to taste Crumble beef into skillet. While beef is browning, peel and dice tomato. Add tomato to skillet and turn down the heat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes. Rhonda's comments - Grassfed ground beef can be purchased locally at Ashland Food Coop. Frontier Fiesta Chili powder can be purchased at Fred Meyer in the natural food section. It is in jars in bulk and you can purchase small amounts. Tomato doesn't have to be peeled, but it makes for a smoother sauce if it is. You can also use two tomatoes for more volumn. Rhonda's hCG Progress - Day 9 03/27/2010
Woo-Hoo! Yeah, now that's what I'm talking about! I stepped on the scales this morning and had dropped off 2.6 lbs since yesterday! 10 lbs in the 1st 8 days - I'm a happy camper. You just to have to hang in there and wait it out. Every body is different. So it's best not to get into comparing your weight loss with someone else's. Just pat yourself on the back and hang in there. Rhonda's 1st Full Week on the hCG Diet 03/26/2010
Well, yesterday I was right about losing weight one day and stabilizing the next. Only didn't mention that I was a little constipated yesterday. And sure enough it was just enough to cause the scales to actually go up .4 of a pound. Now that was disappointing I have to say. But I'm certainly not throwing in the towel! I'm in this for the long haul. Besides, this is what they say can happen if: 1. you get constipated 2. you cheat 3. you don't drink enough water I'll be upping my magnesium today and things will even out over then next day or so. I'll keep you informed. Rhonda\'s hCG Progress - End of Day 7 03/25/2010
Well, I've made it through my 1st week. Total weight loss for the 1st 6 days is . . . drum roll please . . . 7.8 lbs! This is more than I've ever lost in one week on any diet I've ever been on - including a 7 day detox diet (5 lbs on that one). So how do I feel? I feel good. I have plenty of energy. I am excited to have the 1st week over and am looking forward to a steady weight loss in the weeks to come. I have to admit that I had a slight disappointment that I didn't lose weight every day. But then from past experience this seems to be what my body does. I lost weight on Sunday, stabilized on Monday, lost weight on Tuesday, stabilized on Wednesday, lost weight today. How much you want to bet I'll stabilize tomorrow? On the plus side, I have had great progress with something that I didn't expect. For several years I have had some adrenal issues. As a Nutritional Therapist I know where to palpate for adrenal weaknesses. Ok, if you really want to know . . . There are several adrenal indicators that can be palpated to check on adrenal health. The one that I use on myself is two anatomical inches (the distance between the tip of your thumb and the 1st knuckle is your anatomical inch) lateral and two anatomical inches superior to your umbilicus (belly button) are the adrenal points. On a typical day for me with moderate everyday stress, they are tender. During high stress, they are very, very tender. This morning, while waiting for the morning coffee to finish, I actually couldn't find my adrenal points! And the corresponding low back pain was nearly completely gone! I have to wonder if my improving adrenal health will ultimately help my sluggish thyroid. I'll keep you posted on that as time goes by. Well, I must go drink some more water before it gets much later or I won't get much sleep tonight. Until later, Rhonda Rhonda hCG Diet Progress - End of 3rd Day 03/21/2010
I am very pleased to let you know that I have dropped 5.4 lbs as of this morning! I have not had any unusual hunger, any more than I normally would have prior to a meal. I did have a migraine-type headache that started at 2:30 AM this morning and continued until late this afternoon. I'm not sure why the headache as I have them now and then. It may have just been a fluke. Or it could have been some toxic die off, which can occur with any "cleansing" type diet. I did take some ibuprofen and feel fine now. Speaking of hunger, my dinner is on the stove and I'm having a late dinner. Come back often as I will be updating my progress. | |||||||||
