One of the beauties of Gemmotherapy is that it provides support literally for everyone under your roof. It is a therapy for the entire family and the more you learn the more confident you will be in handling acute situations when they arise and know when to ask for further support. Whether you are just hearing the word Gemmotherapy for the first time or you are the proud owner of your own growing collection of extracts, it is important to realize just how all encompassing this therapy can be.

Because Gemmotherapy extracts, unlike traditional herbal extracts, have the potential to clean, nourish, and restore organs, they are helpful for humans of all ages as well as our pets! Recently, I presented a webinar on Gemmotherapy For Pets to introduce a set of basic extracts all pet owners can use at home. The webinar is available now for immediate download on the Vital Extract store.  (Please note that the link to the video will be included in your confirmation email.)

Incorporating Gemmotherapy into your pet care will protect your pet(s) from the toxic load of medications and directly address the root of their symptoms. Just like humans, our pets have symptoms that present well before any dis-ease diagnosis and if we can support their bodies with a simple Gemmotherapy protocol, then we can be proactive rather than reactive in their health care.

In my practice, I have used Gemmotherapy for a wide variety of pet symptoms with remarkable results. The kidneys of our pets are usually the first organ to deteriorate with age and there are specific Gemmotherapy extracts that offer tremendous support for the kidneys due to their ability to clean, nourish, and restore organ tissues.

Acting early can prolong your pet’s life by years. Puppies and kittens can benefit greatly from Gemmotherapy protocols that resolve and offer protection from parasites. Rescue dogs who have been on the run will settle into a new home easier with support for their adrenals and nervous system. Pets with strong immune systems and healthy gut flora repeal pests and are less susceptible to fleas and ticks. Did you know that pets who have sleep disturbances often suffer from digestive symptoms that can be resolved with Gemmotherapy? Surprisingly, even chickens can benefit from Gemmotherapy! If you have a home flock, there are protocols that can be given for immune support and increase the longevity of your hens.

Beyond watching the webinar, if you are interested in learning more about how you can resolve specific symptoms and support your pets using Gemmotherapy I recommend booking a 30 minute appointment as an intake and then 15 minute remote consultations thereafter. As a resource my recently published Gemmotherapy For Everyone: An Introduction to Acute Care has a wide variety of protocols which can also be applied to pets.

When it comes to caring for your family, it is important to know you have options and, because of it’s unique abilities, Gemmotherapy is certainly one that should be on your radar.

I’ve raised three creative children who are, each in their own right, gifted in the kitchen. While the oldest two girls are fully launched with kitchens of their own, I still share mine with my youngest, Sebastian. To say he is an obsessive maker is hardly an exaggeration. And though much of his work is done with a forge or torch, my kitchen often serves as a laboratory for his latest experiments. It’s not a bad thing (most of the time) as we often benefit from his successes.

Late last fall Sebastian began trying his hand at a variety of ethnic flat breads, testing out different gluten free flour combinations. The results were definitely tasty, but I personally had a problem with the additions of rice flours, tapioca starch, or arrowroot. I desired a clean and basic recipe as close to whole grain as possible so I joined in with his efforts. Thus began an all out quest for recipes which used whole gluten-free ingredients without fillers.

Wanting to encourage his work and knowing his love for tools, I gifted him with an electric flat bread baker. I settled on this model by Gourmio as the reviews were good and the price was moderate. I am not by any means an appliance collector and manage our small bungalow kitchen with the “use or donate” rule. However, this item caught my eye. The thought of a small oven that would keep Sebastian entertained and would not heat our house during the peak of our Texas summers was quite appealing.

It wasn’t long before we hit success so today I’ll share the first round of three recipes that passed our test with flying colors. The fact that they are very basic makes them the perfect platform for endless variations! You will find below breads using whole sprouted quinoa, soaked millet, and chana besan. Let your imagination run wild as you discover herbs and spices to compliment the meal your bread will accompany.

Sprouted Quinoa Flatbread

I borrowed this bread from a pizza crust recipe, letting the quinoa soak long enough to sprout.  The results are tangy and lightly fermented.

Ingredients
1.5 cup quinoa (covered by 1″ of water and soaked overnight or longer until sprouts form)
½ cup water
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 tbls olive oil
1 tsp Herbs de Provence (optional)

Directions
Drain and rinse quinoa, place in container or high powered blender with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Pour directly onto heated surface of a Gourmio bread baker or into a heated and lightly oiled oven proof skillet or round cake pan.
Bake approx 4-6 mins on each side in bread baker and 10-15 mins on each side in oven.

Millet Flatbread

Realizing the quinoa recipe could be easily translated to a variety of gluten free grains, I put millet to the test. This produced a much denser bread than the quinoa with a mild pleasant taste. Simply follow the recipe above, replacing quinoa with millet.

Excellent with a teaspoon of Za’atar.

Socca

Socca, a traditional bread from Nice, France is another flatbread made with simple ingredients having multiple variations. It is equal parts chickpea flour and water, mixed with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a pinch of salt. I prefer the chickpea flour from Vedica organics. They use the smaller Indian chickpeas that produce a flour lighter in weight than what you might find from Bob’s Red Mill. Take a look around their website while you are there for a wonderful selection of Indian products.

Ingredients
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) chickpea flour
1 cup (8 ounces) water
1 1/2 tbls extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Enjoy!

Your amazing body is completely equipped to clean and self-heal. But it doesn’t always heal itself right? So why is that? It simply can’t when the system that handles the cleaning task (the lymphatic system) slacks on its duty. The garbage doesn’t get carried out, and the body shifts into an inflammatory state.

In today’s post I am going to share the components of the lymphatic system, how they work, what might cause your lymphatic system to fall behind on the job and then share 3 things you can do to jumpstart that all important system back into action.

So what makes up the lymphatic system?
The lymphatic system is a complex network comprised of the following components:

• Lymphatic Fluid: the clear fluid around the cells that carries away waste product.
• Lymphatic Vessels: collect this fluid and send it towards the center of the body. There are 2x as many lymph vessels as there are blood vessels!
• Lymphatic Nodes & Organs: are the filtering stations and include Bone Marrow, Thymus, Spleen, Tonsils-Adenoids, Appendix, and Nodes. We are home to 400-700 lymph nodes, half which reside in our abdomen.

How does it work?
Unlike blood, which flows throughout the body in a continuous loop, lymph flows in only one direction—upward toward the neck. Lymphatic vessels connect to two subclavian veins, which are located on either sides of the neck near the collarbones, where the fluid re-enters the circulatory system.

While the circulatory system can count on the powerhouse of the heart to move blood, lymph fluid is propelled through the lymph vessels by just the rhythmic contractions of teeny muscular units called lymphangions.

The reality is that you have twice as much lymph fluid in your body as blood. The lymph continuously bathes each cell and drains away the detritus in a circulatory system powered only by your breathing and movement. If the movement of the lymph stopped entirely you would die in a matter of hours.

Because lymph fluid literally has contact with every cell in the body, the effects of lymphatic stagnation are incredibly diverse.

How does it get stuck?
When the lymph system is compromised, chronic inflammation occurs. This stagnation is the result of the cumulative effect of diet, poor eliminating, and acidic pH levels. A diet that leads to digestive imbalances causes slowed elimination that then leads to an acidic environment of backed up waste. This waste is inflammation.

Stress is a multiplier on top of everything else and forces the body to manufacture and secrete excess stress-fighting hormones to boost energy. The waste products of these hormones are highly acidic adding further to the pH imbalance of the body. Chronic stress shifts the chemistry of the body to a steady acidic state contributing further to lymph congestion.

3 things you can do to reset your lymphatic system:

• Begin eating a whole food plant-based diet to alkalize the body’s pH and encourage lymphatic drainage.
• Take a Gemmotherapy protocol that cleans the residue of metabolic waste in your body and supports optimal elimination.
• Move. Every day. Find a movement you can commit to—yoga, walking, swimming, pilates, cycling, rebounding—and then do it.

As adults there will be some cleanup work to do in order to get your lymphatic system back in full gear, but considering the alternative results of chronic inflammation— autoimmune disease, arthritis, diabetes and cancer just to name a few—it’s a small price to pay.

Children on the otherhand can do it differently from the start. Parents can make choices early on that support their baby and child’s natural healing capabilities.

Now that we’ve reviewed the lymphatic system and its role in cleaning your body, next week I’d like to revisit the topic of optimal daily elimination.

When embracing a natural approach to healthcare one of the most important elements is how to handle acute symptoms. Acute symptoms are those that come on suddenly such as the congestion, sore throat, or body aches associated with a flu or virus. Acute symptoms can also include a frozen shoulder, the lower back going out, or a skin rash. Learn more from this a blog post where I discuss how to distinguish between acute and chronic symptoms.

Choosing to resolve these symptoms by supporting the immune system and the organs affected is the very key in avoiding the development of chronic conditions. It is exactly the repetitive suppression of symptoms that takes its toll on our bodies, weakening organ performance, and forcing the body to compensate long term for those weaknesses. The build up of inflammation from symptom suppression that can begin with baby’s first ear infection is exactly why chronic conditions arise as early as adolescence and teen years. Learn even more about that here.

Self Care For Acute Symptoms

Step One is to recognize symptoms early and respond quickly. I encourage the use of Gemmotherapy extracts for acute symptoms because they are simple and effective in supporting the body during the early stages of inflammation.

Guiding yourself is easy with my book, Gemmotherapy For Everyone: Introduction To Acute Care. Families that have this can find quick solutions for over 30 acute symptoms. It is available through Amazon and in my practice.

Step Two is to slow down so that the body’s limited energy supply can be directed toward healing. When we continue at the same pace as always, there is no reserve for healing and symptoms last longer, often even exacerbating.

Step Three is to know when further support is needed. For my clients and readers who see a Homeopath, this would be a Homeopathic remedy to support their vital force. The vital force can also be supported with acupuncture.

If any of the following develop after 24-36 hours from the first symptom and having begun an acute Gemmotherapy protocol, it is time to reach out to your practitioner:

• Decreasing energy; children become lethargic and not interested in play
• Symptoms disrupting sleep; extreme cough or body aches
• Appetite does not return; a low appetite is normal but an apathy toward any nourishment is of concern
• Irritability or a state of despair; children become weepy, clingy, or more prone to meltdowns

Missing this final step is critical for both children and adults. However, because adults are often geared to power through and not take care from the first sign of a symptom, they are more at risk for a secondary infection. While this too can be cared for with Homeopathy and Gemmotherapy, the recovery time is slower and more attention will be required.

Knowing what to do and when to do it before acute symptoms appear will put you in a proactive state, rather than a reactive one, and give you the space to respond with confidence.

Here is a great article itemizing what to keep on hand to best be prepared to care for acute symptoms.

Always remember: Pay attention to your symptoms, respond to them early, and ask for help when needed!