Aloha Beautiful Souls,

One of the best parts about being a certified health coach is staying informed and up-to-date with food and health trends. If I'm not walking my talk, that makes me full of BS rather than brains. One of the tasks I have assigned myself is to summarize essential health issues from trusted, knowledgeable sources so you can expand upon your curiosity and learn more yourself. *See helpful links at the end.

Sharing my findings is part of what keeps me energized, and I am thrilled that you have joined me on this health journey. Together, we can get healthier and stay that way.

“Unity in Community Builds our Immunity”

If you want to be truly healthy, and as free as possible from the conditions that perpetuate disease, take matters into your own hands. Understand that your oral health directly affects your overall well-being.

The shortcut of taking pills and doing unnecessary procedures often shortens and reduces the quality of your life. Changing our lifestyle to foster vibrant health, not disease, is the most effective and cost-effective way to be and stay healthy.

Yes, your DNA has something to do with your overall health, but you have more control than you think. Lifestyle, diet, habits, emotions, and physical environments determine, on average, 80% of our health outcomes. Getting the input and guidance from multiple practitioners is beneficial, but the most important provider is YOU. The more educated and proactive you are about your health, the healthier you live.

Did you know that your oral health offers clues about your overall health? Yes, it's true; problems in your mouth can affect the rest of your body. Understand this and you can improve your overall health! It's amazing how many diseases originate in our mouths and are caused by what we put in them. Only you have control of what you put in your body.

Now for the reality check

Last week, I had another tooth extracted, two ceramic implants put in, sinus lifts, and a bone graft in preparation for two more implants. After nearly 2 hours of drilling and inhaling Nitrous oxide, I was pretty well wiped out. It took me three days to write this post. 😇 Pain is a drain‼️

Considering I am a dentist's daughter, you would think I had healthy oral hygiene ingrained in my brain. Like most defiant kids, I ignored my dad's warning about sugar and believed more in the powerful words of Tony the Tiger and all the other criminal advertisements enticing innocent children to compromise their health for corporate profits.

As a child, no one told me that a diet of Kool-Aid, Milk Duds, and Juicy Fruit gum was addicting and would set me up for a lifetime of battling sugar addiction, tooth decay, and other physical problems. Instead, I remember that "Sugar Frosted Flakes are Grrrrrr-reat!” Any food containing thing sugar was great. I loved it so much I went into the sugar-pushing business when I was 25 years old. Even though my sweet confections at our natural foods bakery and cafe were organic, I ate more sugar in three decades than most people eat in two lifetimes. Not such a Grrrrrr-reat idea!

There are all kinds of eating disorders, but the most common is our addiction to convenient fast food and nutrient-deficient grocery items that are loaded with sugar. This food rots our teeth and burns out our bodies - eventually bankrupting us with astronomical medical costs. 80 percent of all grocery items have added sugar in them! No wonder diabetes and obesity have ramped up and so many underlying health issues show sugar as the culprit.

Preparedness ~ Getting ready for oral surgery, I realized it was up to me to know how to care for myself and learn everything I could about my diagnoses and procedures. I spent a lot of time in Nature, just chilling. I forgave myself for all the sugar I had consumed and accepted my faith.

I watched nearly every YouTube video I could find on implants, bone grafts, and the do's and don'ts for pre and post oral surgery. I am glad I did because, like most doctors, the oral surgeon's office was so busy the staff did not have time to inform me of what to expect. Going into surgery, I wasn’t even informed I was having a sinus lift! A sheet of paper with general do’s and don't given to me weeks before surgery was not enough to prepare me for the assault on my mouth and body.

Besides geeking out on YouTube the weeks before surgery, I had blood work done and consulted my naturopath doctor and acupuncturist. I even got some CBD/THC gummies. Preparing and receiving support from multiple health practitioners put me at ease. Having a loving, caregiving, and supportive spouse was the berries on the top.

Speaking of berries, our immune system-boosting food for the week is berries. You can read more about the benefits of voluptuous berries below.

A week before surgery, fully armed with knowledge and questions, I called and got answers. The staff and doctor then knew that I knew what I was talking about.

The day before surgery, I spent hours in my kitchen. Preparing healthy food is my sweet spot. I did a batch cook of all my favorite foods. I roasted, sauteed, and seasoned ten pounds of assorted vegetables, from sweet potatoes to mushrooms, green beans to garlic. My pre-prepared vegetables will make a variety of nutrient-dense pureed soups. Also, I made bone broth with medicinal plants and herbs, which I simmered for 24 hours. I will add this potent anti-inflammatory broth loaded with minerals, collagen, and amino acids to my soups to assist the healing process.

Medical News Today states that bones themselves are rich in vitamins and nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous. Also, brewing connective tissue into bone broth provides the body with natural compounds from the cartilage. Tissues and bones also contain collagen. Cooking collagen turns it to gelatin, which provides the body with amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.

The evening before surgery, I had a therapeutic trigger point massage that relaxed my nerves and temporarily relieved my nagging toothache. Before going in for oral surgery, I thought I was prepared.

Post-surgery, I left with gauze, a round of painkillers, and a sheet of paper with a few more dos and don'ts. This general information would help, but it wasn’t enough for the physical and mental pain I endured.

With all this preparation, you would think I'm all set for a speedy recovery, and I hope that’s the case. I’m taking my supplements, pain killers, eating like a saint, staying calm, rinsing with salt water, not talking, and keeping a positive mindset through the pain. I’m being an ideal patient.😇 Maybe it's my age or my constitution, or it's just a painful procedure, but unexpected swelling and lingering pain suck….

I’m having sugary nightmares and salty sweats, (just kidding. 😇)

Why am I sharing this story about my oral ordeal?

Because if my story helps you avoid pain, expense, and a drawn out bummer experience, 🍎then that's really Grrrrrr-reat! My oral health has unveiled many of the root causes of other chronic health concerns I’ve experienced.

What I have learned and wish to make super clear is we must get a better grip on those harmful bacteria lurking in our mouths. Your body, including your mouth, is teeming with primarily harmless bacteria. The keyword here is primarily.

Some bacteria are harmful and often end up in our mouths, affecting our teeth and overall health. Our mouth is the entry point to our digestive and respiratory tracts, where unhealthy bacteria are always present. Poor dental hygiene, certain medications, lack of saliva, and genetics all play a role in dental health.

Your oral health can also contribute to various diseases and conditions, including endocarditis, cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy and birth complications. Studies suggest that oral bacteria and the inflammation associated with a severe form of gum disease (periodontitis) play a role in these conditions. Certain bacteria in your mouth can settle into your lungs, causing pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. To sum it up, those nasty bugs travel deep within, settling in your precious organs and other bodily operating systems. If not addressed, they multiply, and that is bad-bad-bad for you, leading to unnecessary suffering and other health complications.

In addition, certain diseases, such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's, can lower the body's resistance to infection, making oral health problems more severe. It becomes a vicious cycle. If you have been diagnosed or suspect you have any of these symptoms leading to these diseases, please read this article, consult with your doctors and holistic health practitioners, and learn as much as you can about the effects of your oral health on your overall well-being.

Mentally and emotionally, I am already preparing for my next dentist visit in three months. I anticipate being healed and ready for crowns and then for the next phase of getting two more implants where my bone was grafted and sinus lifted. I am trusting that the long-term benefits of being able to chew solid food again will make a difference in my digestion. After another round of surgery and three more months of mushy food, I will be more than ready for a gigantic salad.

Upfront and Personal: ‌The cost of eating a sugary diet most of my life has been an expensive, time-consuming, painful experience that I do not recommend. My amped-up healthy oral routine started a couple of years ago when toothaches became chronic. I have already seen significant improvements in my remaining healthy teeth and overall health with better oral hygiene. My water pick has become one of my best friends and I use some natural oral products which I will share in another article. If you are not convinced of how important your diet is, watch the film, That Sugar Movement

To help with my recovery, I’m grateful for the stunning Hawaiian landscapes, fresh air, and beautiful fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

In Summary: Take charge of your own health, which includes oral health. The connection between oral health and our overall health is inseparable.

Do not be at the mercy of pills and procedures that can negatively impact your overall health. Don’t procrastinate. Seek multiple professional options and holistic health practitioners' advice. By educating yourself, you’ll learn it’s fun, easy, and it proves that now is the perfect time to tune into YOU and learn how to be your best health advocate. That said, I'm excited to learn more, and for the next six months, I’ll get creative with my Vita-mix, pressure cooker, and stockpot. I will ‌share with you some of my favorite easy-to-chew, sweet and savory recipes in a future newsletter. Here is my number one favorite medicinal recipe.

Mama Donna’s Medicinal Bone Broth Recipe

Try my immune-boosting bone broth. Add it to smoothies, soups, stews, or just sip this nutrient-dense superfood.

Makes 3-4 quarts of broth

Ingredients

2-3 lbs Grass Fed Bones (beef, lamb, poultry, or game, or a combination)To get the best gel in your bone broth, you must use a significant quantity of bones.
4 quarts water
2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar
2 large thumb-size pieces of ginger root
2 large thumb-size pieces of turmeric root
1 whole garlic bulb, with skin on
2 cinnamon sticks

Optional -

Dried mushrooms - Reishi mushrooms stimulate the immune system, inhibit tumor growth, lower blood pressure and help stabilize blood sugar.
Bay or kefir lime leaves -
1-2 cups of vegetable scraps from onions, celery, and whatever would end up in the compost or trash. (Adjust the water amount if you use a lot of vegetable scraps by covering to the top of the veggies.)

How to:

Blanching Bones: some recipes recommend blanching the bones for 20 minutes to remove dirt and bacteria from the surface. The bones we get are clean and fresh so I skip this step.

Roast bones for 1 hour at 400 degrees (Be energy efficient, use the time roasting the bones by baking or roasting anything else you might ‌be making.)

Add all ingredients to a large crockpot or pressure cooker.

Pressure Cooking directions

Use your pressure cooker as directed as there are different manufacturers of pressure cookers and their products come with unique features and directions. It is important that you read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the pressure cooker before using it. Our pressure cooker makes bone broth in 4 hours compared to 24 hours in a crockpot.

Place the bones in the cooker and add enough water to cover the bones. Add apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes. *Apple cider vinegar helps to draw out nutrients from the bone.
Add the other ingredients and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Set the timer to 4 hours and let it cook at high pressure. The longer you cook the broth, the more nutritious it is. 3 hours is the minimum recommended. Your kitchen will smell like bone broth.
Let the cooker depressurize and cool before pouring the broth through a strainer to separate the solids from the liquid, or use a slotted spoon.
Pour your golden broth into a mason jar or glass container. A fat cap will appear once cooled. Use the fat cap like cooking oil. It has a strong but delicious beefy flavor.
Store in the fridge for 5-7 days, or 3 months in the freezer.

Slow Cooker/ Crockpot/ Stockpot directions or dutch oven- Bring to a boil and simmer for 24-36 hours.

Place the bones in a crockpot or dutch oven and add enough water to cover the bones. Add apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes. *Apple cider vinegar helps to draw out nutrients from the bone. The longer you cook the broth, the more nutritious it is. 12 hours is the minimum recommended. Your kitchen will smell like bone broth. Let broth cool and then put through a strainer to separate the solids from the liquid, or use a slotted spoon.
Pour your golden broth into a mason jar or glass container. A fat cap will appear once cooled. Use the fat cap like cooking oil. It has a strong but delicious beefy flavor.
Store in the fridge and use within 5-7 days, or store for 3 months in the freezer.

The longer you simmer the broth, the thicker and darker it becomes, so according to the taste, you can manage the time.

Resources

Collagen https://www.nbihealth.com/collagen-for-healthy-bones-and-joints/

Oral Health https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475

That Sugar Film https://thatsugarmovement.com/film/

Bone Broth https://draxe.com/nutrition/bone-broth-benefits/

TODAY’S A-Z Immune Booster SUPERFOOD is Berries

Eating a variety of mixed berries or varying which berries you choose rather than eating just one type is best for an optimal immune-boosting effect. All berries are rich in bioflavonoids, vitamin C, and phytochemicals, which work as antioxidants protecting our cells. Dark berries, such as blueberries, are super high in bioflavonoids. Anthocyanin, a flavonoid found in blueberries, has antioxidant characteristics. Flavonoids are essential to the immune defense mechanism in the respiratory tract. Besides blueberries being a super-food, a cup of strawberries has as much vitamin C as a cup of orange juice and fewer calories.

🥰 A Dose of Positivity

The healthier we are, the healthier the world can become. Next week, March 24th, Dr. Hana Roberts, our special guest on A Dose of Positivity, will shine a light on taking our health care into our own hands. Get inspired to ride the wave of personal responsibility and the health of all lifekind.

Join us for a weekly uplifting discussion every Thursday at 4 pm PST, 7 pm PST.

We'll talk about how to be our best health advocate. The value of having a Naturopath and several opinions
concerning our health.

Dr. Hana Roberts is a licensed Naturopathic Physician who strives to address the underlying causes of disease and achieves this through individualized integrative therapies.

Hana specializes in chronic conditions, allergies, asthma, autoimmune disorders, naturopathic adjunctive oncology, GI disorders, and mental health conditions.

She holds a Bachelor's of Science from the Univ. of California, Berkeley in Neurobiology and a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Hana is a community educator and regularly conducts lectures and workshops on Natural Medicine.

Born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii, Hana enjoys growing local food, singing and playing her ukulele, and spending time with her family and friends on her homestead in North Kohala.

She's an amazing human being!

Here's the Zoom link: https://bit.ly/3HlyUfj

I'll remind you again on Thursday morning 😉

Are you a change maker, thought leader, or health and wellness professional? I would love to interview you in one of our episodes! 🌈