Herbal Legacy Articles

by Yvonne Lunt Salcido MH, Holistic Iridologist

Are you feeling the after holiday guilt from overeating, lack of exercise, and maybe eating things not as healthy as you should? How would you like to guarantee a good night sleep every night, be your perfect weight, and have more energy? Our bodies are designed to work best when we are physically active. Now is a great time to evaluate your exercise and nutrition habits. Only about 12% of Americans report exercising vigorously for more than 20 minutes, three times per week and the actual number is reported closer to 3%.

A few benefits of exercise include: cancer prevention, improves cognitive function, helps to overcome the negative effects of a poor diet, promotes the creation of new nerve cells (neurons) in the brain, enhances the entire nervous system’s plasticity (helping to prevent injuries to the body), has a protective effect on the brain as people age, has positive effect on mental health especially with fighting depression and anxiety.

There are three types of exercise the body needs; Cardiorespiratory, Strength Training (Muscular Strength & Endurance), and Flexibility Training.

Cardio-respiratory Exercise, involves continuous, rhythmic movements of large-muscle groups, such as rebounding (cellersizer), walking, jogging, biking, aerobics, dancing and hiking. Benefits include: the heart pumps more blood per beat, slower resting heart rate, volume of blood increases, tissues receive more blood, the bodies temperature regulates better, blood pressure decreases, improvement in the body’s chemical systems (mainly in the liver and in the muscles). A healthy heart endures stress, emergencies and the wear and tear of life. This needs to be done 3-5 days a week.

Strength Training, sometimes called weight training or resistance training decreases the risk of osteoporosis and maintains muscle mass and function. This greatly improves the quality of life and prevents injuries. Muscular Strength uses the amount of force a muscle can produce in a single effort. Strong muscles are critical for everyday life, such as climbing stairs. Strong muscles help to keep the spine in proper alignment, preventing leg and back pain, and maintaining support for good posture. Muscular Endurance is teaching a muscle to hold a contraction and resist fatigue. This is critical for good posture and injury prevention especially to the back. Sign up for a class or check with your local gym to teach you the basics to avoid injury first. After you learn the basics you can do it at home. This needs to be done 2-3 nonconsecutive days per week using all the major muscle groups. Examples are bicep curls, abdominal curls, push-ups, and bench presses.

Flexibility Training, is teaching the body to have the ability to move the joints through their full range of motion. Pain free, flexible joints are important to good health and lifestyle. Inactivity causes us to become stiff and inflexible as we age. Stiffness leads to improper posture that can stress muscles and joints. An example of a great flexibility program is yoga. Flexibility exercises can be done daily and should be done at least 2-3 days per week exercising all the major joints.

Most importantly, find something to move your body that is fun and that you enjoy. Think of it as play time! Be creative, change things around, maybe invite a friend, but be consistent and maintain a healthy habit!

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by Doreen Spackman M.H., M.G.

We want you to know of our wonderful website that many of our readers are unaware of - Herballegacy.com. This site has a list of Dr. Christopher’s formulas, a list of ailments and programs to help with those ailments, single herbs, recipes, herbal education information and more. I’m going to walk you through the site to help you find the information you’re looking for

Some easy ways of accessing the site:

1. At the bottom of your newsletter there is a section of Herbal Resource Links. Click on the second link that says “Herbal Legacy.”
2. Go to www.schoolofnaturalhealing.com On the left hand side in blue click on “Herbal Reference Links”, and then click on the “Herbal Legacy” link.
3. Type www.herballegacy.com into your browser bar.

Home page
We get many calls where readers want to give information from the newsletter to their family and friends. This is where you can direct them to sign up for the newsletter. They only need to type in their first name and email address, then click the submit button.

Tabs on the site:

1. Articles - Here is a list of previous newsletters with their name and the date the article came out. There are articles for everything from “Natural Protocol for systemic Yeast overgrowth & leaky gut syndrome” on May 5, 2010 to “Preparing a fomentation for injuries” on March 30, 2011 and everything in between.
2. Dr. Christopher formulas - Click here for a list of Dr. Christopher’s original formulas and the herbs in them.  Some let you know what each herb in that product does, and some will tell how many parts of the herb is contained in the product. It also tells different ways to use the products and testimonials of people who have used them and their results.
3. Ailment & Programs - Here you can learn about the difference between the 3 day juice cleanse,  the extended cleanse program, the incurables program, as well as a list of ailments from A-Z and the way Dr. Christopher taught how to take care of that problem.
4. Single Herbs - We have place School of Natural Healing graduates Thesis papers here so you can have more information on single herbs. Each thesis will tell the history, location, chemical constituent, medicinal qualities, contra-indications, some herbal formulas using that herb, dosages and applications, and personal experiences with those herbs.
5. Recipes -Everyone loves recipes and here is a great resource from breakfast and main dishes to snack, soups and of course desserts. Yummy!!
6. About Us - gives you some information about Dr. John R. Christopher and David Christopher.
7. Herbal Education -This gives you information about the School of Natural Healing and the times the general public can call and talk to a Master Herbalist for answers to health questions.

I love Herballegacy.com it has so much information on one site and so convenient to use. Have fun on the site and let us know what helped you most or send us some of your testimonials.

Have a Happy and Healthy Day!!!

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By Mishelle Knuteson M.H., R.E.T.

Growing up, I often heard on the play ground, in elementary school, the saying:

“Sticks and stones may break my bones
but words will never hurt me.”

The funny thing was that whenever I would sing that out, I would still feel the hurt inside. I tried to not let the other kids know how much their words really had hurt me.

Words are powerful. We can change our lives in moments by changing our thoughts and words. Thoughts are the seeds that we plant and words often carry forth the actions of our thoughts. God created the universe first through a thought and then with the spoken word, “Let there be Light.”

Our internal dialogue has enormous effect on every aspect of our lives; physically, emotionally mentally and spiritually. Dr. David Pesek, teacher of the School of Natural Healing’s Iridology course, had this to say about thoughts and our health, “There is always a physical reason (for poor health) but thought and emotion always come first. No one has a physical condition without a thought and emotional relationship to it. It just doesn’t happen any other way.”
Has this ever happened to you? You have a friend come up to you and ask if you are doing OK; they say that you look tired. Then you find yourself really feeling tired when you hadn’t noticed it before. Or maybe you are talking to someone and you say something like, “I always wake up at 3:00 in the morning and can’t get back to sleep.”  Sure enough, it always happens night after night.
Words to be most especially aware of follow the statement “I am”. You are making a decree and your body, either on a emotional or physical level, will do it’s best to create that declaration. Just listen to the difference in the wording, “I am a diabetic” opposed to “I am experiencing a diabetic condition.”

“Life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy.”  Florence Shinn

We are constantly creating with our thoughts and words. To help us become more aware of our creation and live in better health, balance, and happiness here are a few tips:

• Keep a journal and write down any negative thoughts and complaints so you can become more aware of them and re-frame them.
• Write down what you say to people when you describe your health. Are you perpetuating what you don’t want? Come up with a more positive way to express your thoughts.
• When you have a negative thought immediately say to yourself, “Cancel that” and restate what you want.

Decide now to break yourself from the bondage that negative thoughts and words create. What we focus our attention on is what we create; self fulfilling prophecy. Be a conscious creator and choose the thoughts and speak the words that are only focused on what you really want in life!

Mishelle Knuteson is certified in Rapid Eye Technology (RET) an emotional release therapy, teaches classes in The Art of Feminine Presence and a Master Herbalist ~ graduate of The School of Natural Healing. Mishelle currently works as an Educative Master Herbalist (MH) for The School of Natural Healing and as Office Manager of Christopher Publications.

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By Jerem Eyre

The running season is upon us, which means if you wanted to you could probably run a race every single weekend from now through November. With a marathon runner’s increase in mileage/training here is a great soreness and injury prevention method I learned on accident during my last marathon that resulted in the best marathon recovery ever.

My last marathon was number 8 for me, so I’ve been through the recovery period a few times before.  However, this was by far the easiest and fastest recovery I have ever had.  After each of the previous 7 marathons I was very, very sore the day after and could barely walk up or down (especially down) stairs at all.  The stiffness and soreness usually lasted about a week (or more) before it tapered off enough that I could begin running again regularly. However, I was surprised to find with my last marathon that I was hardly sore at all the day after.  My legs definitely felt it, but I could walk up and down stairs easily and I was even running while playing with my kids the very next day; something totally unthinkable on all previous marathons.  I went for a 4 mile run on Wednesday just 4 days after the marathon and ran another 4 miler on Friday. To my shock, both runs felt totally normal, with no soreness, or stiffness at all.  I could hardly believe I actually felt great on those runs.

So what was different from this marathon and the previous marathons?  I had been taking a lot more of Dr. Christopher’s Complete Tissue and Bone formula in the build up to this marathon than I ever have in the past.  A couple months before the marathon, I severely cut my thumb with a saw while trimming a tree in my yard.  To try to heal it up I was taking A LOT of Complete Tissue and Bone every single day.  I was taking 8 capsules in the morning at breakfast, another 8 at lunch and another 8 capsules at dinner.  I did this for about 3 weeks then tapered off to 8 capsules in the morning with another 4 to 6 in the evening. (It healed up very nicely, by the way.)

I continued taking the Complete Tissue and Bone Formula right up to the marathon, and on the morning of the marathon I also took 8 capsules about an hour and a half before running.  That was the first time I’ve  taken the capsules right before the race.  I really wasn’t thinking about running while I was taking all those capsules, I was just trying to heal my thumb.  But the effect on my running and marathon recovery was simply amazing. The training I did was the same.  The way I actually ran the race was the same as I have done before.  I have used Complete Tissue and Bone while training before, but never even close to the amounts I used for this most recent marathon.  Also I’ve always used it after the fact to try to reduce soreness, but never had I used it as a preventative measure before the race.

That’s the only real difference - using Complete Tissue and Bone formula in the weeks leading up to the marathon and again the morning of the race.  The results - no soreness, no stiffness, running with my kids the very next day, and running out on the roads again the very next week as if nothing had happened… Incredible! The stuff works!  I can’t believe how great my legs felt so quickly afterwards.  I will definitely be repeating this with all future marathons.

Jerem Eyre is an avid runner, completing at least one marathon and a handful of shorter races every year.  He is also budding herbalist who actively uses herbal remedies with his family and for his running.

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By Jo Franks M.H.

One of the best ways to energize your body and get nutrition in quickly is to juice your fruits and vegetables.  The juice of the plant is the blood of the plant.  So by juicing you are also building your own blood.  Freshly made juice from your own juicer is definitely the best.  When you drink fresh juice, the nutrients are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and utilized by the body.  The rest of the plant is the fiber.  There are no nutrients or enzymes in the fiber.  Any pesticides or sprays are also left behind in the fiber*.  Nutrients from fresh juices get to cells within a few minutes. When we eat the fruits and vegetables we only absorb 30% of the nutrition from them and we use up a lot of energy digesting the food. When we juice the same fruits and vegetables we absorb 90% of the nutrients and it is absorbed into the bloodstream within minutes*.  The fresh juice contains the important enzymes that help digestion and build the body. Enzymes are the life force of produce. (*from the writings of Dr. Norman Walker)

Dr. Christopher’s Incurables Program is based around juicing to treat incurable diseases.  Each week on the incurables program one rotates between carrot juice the first week, apple juice the second week and grape juice the third week.  The full incurables routine is contained in the book Herbal Home Health Care, or Curing the Incurables, both by Dr. John R. Christopher.

Dr. Christopher has always had his patients do the Three Day Cleansing program followed by the Mucusless Diet.  The Three Day Cleanse gives the body the opportunity to rest and get rid of toxins that have been building up in the system over time. It is done by drinking 16 ounces of prune juice first thing in the morning and alternating 8oz of either apple, carrot or grape juice (make sure to use the same juice for the 3 days) and distilled water for the rest of the day. During this program you will also take 1 tablespoon of olive oil three times during the day.  Alternate the juice and water every half hour until about 8:00 p.m. repeat for two more days and begin the Mucusless Diet.  Complete instructions are contained in Herbal Home Health Care or the booklet The Three Day Cleansing Program.

If you don’t want to go as far as the Incurables program or the Three Day Cleanse, just add more fresh juices to your diet each day.  Fruit juices are very cleansing to the human body whereas vegetable juices are nourishing and building to the body. Fresh juices provide vital nutrition that is easily absorbed into the system.  Go ahead, try it!

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By David Christopher M.H.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) at first was not recognized as a real medical condition.  Patients were told that the constant fatigue they were feeling was all in their head and were often prescribed anti-depressants. Today CFS is recognized as a medical condition and in most cases the cause is still unknown. Even though there is no evidence of pain, pain medication can/is prescribed and of course anti-depressants are also prescribed.

CFS has these main symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Extreme exhaustion - lasting more than 24 hours after physical/mental exercise
• Pain - without swelling that changes locations
• Foggy brain, loss of memory and or concentration
• Non-productive sleep
• Flu like symptoms

If these symptoms persist and if you are taking medications, first check the side panels or information inserts of the medication taken to see if the symptoms you are experiencing are known side effects of the drug.  Obviously if the drug is causing your symptoms find a way to get off the culprit.

Other possible causes:

• Anemia: can be relieved by taking Dr. Christopher’s Jurassic Green formula and eating apricots.
• Low blood sugar: can be helped with Dr. Christopher’s Pancreas formula and mucusless diet.
• Viral infection: can be handled with Dr. Christopher’s Super Garlic Immune syrup.
• Endocrine glands disorder: see Dr. Christopher’s  Master Gland Formula, Thyroid formulas, Adrenal formula and Hormonal Changease formula.
• Low blood pressure: can be resolved using the Dr.  Christopher’s Circulation formula and Adrenal formula with extra Licorice root. Possibly 90% of people suffering from CFS have low blood pressure.  If you cannot get oxygen and nutrients to the cells you will be fatigued.

I know a lot of people will be upset that I am proposing such a simple routine for a condition that is described as being incurable, but life is simple and the cure to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is simple and is as follows: Cleanse with the Dr. Christopher four basic cleansing formulas, adhere to the recommended mucusless diet, take Dr. Christopher’s Adrenal formula as directed on the bottle with two extra licorice root capsules per dose, and include the Dr. Christopher’s Circulation formula.

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by Mishelle Knuteson M.H., RET

Dr. Christopher taught that there is one cause of disease ~ Constipation. This doesn’t mean only constipation of the bowels, it is a more general constipation (blockage) in any of the systems of the body. One system of the body that is often overlooked is your energy system which runs through the body’s meridians - the pathways that carry energy into, through and out of your body.

The  primary meridians travel through the internal organs of the body. These meridian pathways begin and end in acupuncture or reflex points on the body, many of which are found in the hands and feet. These points, sometimes called “hot spots” when they are tender, can be stimulated with a needle (acupuncture) or physical pressure (reflexology) to release or redistribute the energy.  Good health is facilitated by energy (Qi or Chi)  flowing freely through the meridians in the body; blockages in this system create pain, illness and disease.

Blockages to energy flow can occur in 4 ways:
1. Physical - When you injure yourself in some way.
2. Emotional - When you experience a high amount of stress, fear, anxiety or worry over a sustained period of time, emotional blockages are created.
3. Mental - This is caused by thinking too much. Too much thinking is when your mind never shuts down. There is always mental chatter going on in your head.
4. Spiritual - This is when your human spirit is crushed. Depression is often the symptom. You are found devoid of faith and hope.

Events can happen in our lives that will effect us in many different ways and effect more than one aspect listed above. To facilitate good health on all levels the energy system must not be ignored.

To keep energy (Chi) flowing, remember your self-care. Getting a regular massage will help to keep meridians open. Knowing how the meridians run through the body and where the ending reflex points are, allows you the opportunity to hold or tap the point to release blockages. You can also learn how to do self massage and stimulate these points on a daily basis, as well as how to trace and flush the congested meridians. Exercises that are good for energy flow are QiGong/Ti Chi and Yoga because you twist and stretch at specific places associated with each meridian.

For more information about meridians, where the reflex points are located on the body, and how to stimulate the “hot spots” and release blockages, you may want to enroll in the Reflexology course from the School of Natural Healing.

I often hear people say that they are doing everything “right” when treating an illness and are still not getting better. Part of the reason may be that they are not seeing the whole picture and neglecting to care for their energy system. “As the body’s ‘energy bloodstream’, the meridians bring vitality and balance, remove blockages, adjust metabolism, even determine the speed and form of cellular change. Their flow is as critical as the flow of blood; your life and health depend on both. If a meridian’s energy is obstructed or unregulated, the system it feeds is jeopardized” Donna Eden, Energy Medicine.

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