Are Your Treats Getting the Best of You?

Just a few short years ago, I was really trying to figure out how I had gained so much weight, and why so suddenly, it felt I couldn’t control what I put in my mouth, nor could I control how much I ate. With much thought and inner reflection, I realized my behaviors around the holidays was one large piece of the puzzle.

         Halloween was always the kick-off, it seemed, to the mass of sugar binges that I engulfed myself in through out the winter months. Kit Kat bars, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Hershey Chocolates would find their way missing from my daughter’s deep trick or treat bag. Sometimes, I would find myself sitting with a pile of candy in front of me, practically dazed, peeling one wrapper after another, and barely tasting the poison inside. I was finding myself landing in January with five or six more pounds than I was the January before. Soon, it added up to over 30 pounds!

         Since then, I have gotten rid of that weight and connected with many of my destructive self – sabotaging habits and found my way to where I am today – 30 pounds lighter, much happier and healthier! Today, I take comfort in knowing that my new perspectives on food allow me to have the occasional York peppermint patty, or a few Rolos. I have learned to slow down, chew slowly and relish my moments, making sure I not only taste them, but feel the creamy chocolate and blends of flavors in a sensual moment just for me. Then, I’m completely satisfied and I move on.

Reconnecting to Your Authentic Self

A few days ago at Rocky Mountain Healing center, after a client came out of her session the receptionist asked me “what do you do in there”?  Her question was in part due to the positive shift in the woman, (the before and after) so to speak, partly due to the fact that I am new to the center and partly because there is so much myth and misinformation about hypnosis.

Hypnosis leads subjects to their forgotten authentic selves. By quieting the critical conscious mind through relaxation, the journey of transformation begins. Awareness in this altered state opens stored memories. Because trance is a naturally occurring and self-controlled state, it is possible to find out where someone else’s program, limiting old programs or unconscious programs are overriding personal desires.  Learning how to creatively craft new ways of utilizing “self-talk” along with the releasing and resolving of previous limited experiences, results in the elimination of negative habitual behaviors, self-sabotaging thoughts and unexplained blocks.

Self-hypnosis moves you rapidly into a healthier, clearer way of living through self-empowerment.  Repetition is one of the main ingredients for success.  You become the writer, director and star in your life.  Hypnosis works at the subconscious level where beliefs, memories and creative abilities are developed and stored.  Hypnosis is a safe, time tested, researched and proven techniques for deep, long lasting, profound changes to occur.

Please contact me for a complimentary ½ hour session.

Create a fabulous day.  You are here to do just that and nothing less!

Cathy Cain, CHT, Reiki Master/Teacher

Rocky Mountain Healing Center

Prevention is the Best Medicine

If you knew that you could reduce your chances of chronic disease by simply shifting decisions you make multiple times a day, would you make the choices that would possibly save and shape your life?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “A few, largely preventable, risk factors account for most of the world’s disease burden. Chronic diseases are the major cause of death and disability worldwide, and increasingly affect people from developing as well as developed countries. This reflects a significant change in diet habits, physical activity levels and tobacco use worldwide as a result of industrialization, urbanization, economic development and increasing food market globalization…”

What is going on? “People worldwide are consuming more foods that are energy-dense- high in sugar and /or saturated fats – or excessively salty” Not only are these food substances bad for your body, but most are highly addictive and create ravaging cravings for more.

Depression and Physical Pain

While some may argue to the lack of empirical evidence on the direct association between depression and pain, researchers believe there is a known connection between depression and physical symptoms through shared neurological pathways. The brain’s chemicals that regulate moods, thoughts, and feelings, also moderate and reduce pain signals. In the case of depression, where there is an imbalance in the neurotransmitters, the filtering mechanism of pain is negatively impacted, thus increasing the body’s sensitivity to pain.

Several studies have found an association among negative thought patterns, stressful life events, and incidence of major depressive disorder. There also appears to be a strong connection between severe depression and a preexisting personality pattern that includes dependence, anxiety, need for approval, dysfunctional thinking, and a weak self-image. Traumatic events, particularly those occurring early in life, have also been found to contribute to a vulnerability to depression. Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; an unstable family life; and insecure attachment can leave us vulnerable to depression.

How Much of What and Why?

I am asked frequently how much we need to stay healthy. How many fats? How many carbs? How much protein? These three nutrients are called macro-nutrients. They are called this because these are the nutrients we need the most of.

I’ve gathered a little information to help you to understand these topics a little better, helping you to make better choices for yourself and your family.

Protein supports the maintenance and growth of body tissues. Protein is also the second-largest energy store, (carbohydrate is the primary source of energy). The recommended intake of Protein for healthy adults is ... (get out your calculator) .66 grams per kg of weight a day. For children 1 - 3, the recommended amount is 1.5 grams per kg per day. This is because children are growing and need a considerable amount more than adults. The average American eating the Standard American Diet eats way more than this recommended intake. Excessive intakes may contribute to risk for certain chronic diseases such as increased urea production, hypertonic dehydration, acidosis, azotemia, greater risk for type 2 diabetes, diarrhea, gout, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. 

Anxiety....or Fear??

In today’s climate of uncertainty, it is normal to feel unstable about our jobs, kids, the education system, credit scores, global warming, the economic recession,... the list continues. I believe that as our lives get busier, our tendency to “worry” increases.  Excessive worry can lead to an inability to function in daily life. Similar to terms like depression and bipolar, anxiety has become a part of our daily language to communicate a feeling state. 

But how do we discriminate between anxiety, which can be debilitating, and fear, which is something we share with animals? DSM-IV-TR, today’s bible of psychiatry, lists the diagnostic features of General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) as the following:

“Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for a period of at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities. The anxiety and worry are accompanied by at least three additional symptoms from a list that includes restlessness, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and disturbed sleep”.

Finding Balance on the Road to Recovery

There is a deep rooted connection between mind and body and when we find an unhealthy connection like an addiction to drugs or alcohol, recovery can be a painful process. Approximately 1 out of every 8 Americans is living with some form of addiction. The addiction can take over and rule the mind, which is why most people with strong addictions rarely believe they are indeed sick. It is this dysfunctional, addictive behavior that keeps life feeling unmanageable and off balance. To get to the root of these addictions we must look at traumatic experiences, various patterns, while looking for new forms of emotional healing within the body and mind.

People in early recovery can typically suffer from tremendous physical, psychological, and emotional issues based on their harmful repetitive behaviors. They must find a way of achieving self-confidence, getting rid of daily compulsive behaviors, and negative triggers while learning how to regain self-control, and physical / mental well-being. This can be a lot to ask of someone who feels unbalanced and unstable, but what better way to teach these skills then through a dedicated yoga practice. By taking on a daily yoga practice, negative repetitive actions can turn into an hour of reconnecting with their body without feeling shame or anxiety. Learning how to stay calm, how to quiet the mind, and focus can bring intense relief they can access at any time or place. Learning to use utilize these simple techniques can bring relief from terrorizing thoughts of drugs and alcohol use along with reminding them how to connect with themselves and others. 

Eating in the Know

Everyday we are surrounded by assaults from media messages that lead to confusion when it comes to choosing foods that are healthy for ourselves and for our family. Everywhere we look the media and agribusiness are pulling on our strings. From highway billboards, to product packages, misleading and often flat out false health claims are being made. Who do you trust? How can you tell who is honest? How do you tell the good stuff from the bad stuff?

Truthfully, if you want to simplify your life, the best way is to never eat packaged food. (Wow, that feels drastic, doesn’t it?!) It is possible to eliminate prepackaged, prepared foods from our shopping carts, but it feels uncomfortable, and can incorporate a whole lot of priority jumbling when you are trying to do this on your own. What do you cook? What goes best with what? Further, HOW do you cook it!?

Reflexology: Healing the Body from the Ground Up

“Reflexology is a holistic energy-based modality, working through the energies of the nervous, electrical, chemical and magnetic systems of the body" 

- The American Reflexology Certification Board, 2001

The approach known as Reflexology is an ancient form of healing that is still widely practiced across the globe. The first signs of humans practicing Reflexology dates back all the way from 2323 to 2150 BCE during the Egyptian Sixth Dynasty in which pictographs were found of people working diligently on the hands and feet. Soon foot therapy was practiced throughout the Roman Empire and within traditional Chinese Medicine, as the feet hold special symbolism within these cultures. Eventually the Chinese incorporated the concept of meridians and pathways through the body transforming the pressure point theory into another healing form, Acupuncture.