Are you using protein powder supplements?  Does your protein powder supplement contain all nine essential amino acids? Is your protein powder supplement in harmony with your body?

Let’s keep it simple.  You can describe proteins as essential and non-essential proteins or amino acids. 

Non-Essential Amino Acids: 

Your body needs approximately 20 amino acids for the formation of the required proteins.  Your body can make only 13 of the non-essential amino acids.  They are referred to as non-essential because your body can make them so you don’t need to get them from your diet. 

Essential Amino Acids: 

There are 9 essential amino acids that your body must obtain from food.

If the food you are eating supplies enough of the essential amino acids then it is called a complete protein.  If the protein in a food does not supply your body with the essential amino acids then it is called an incomplete protein.

Sources of complete protein include beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk and milk products.  A low or incomplete protein will lack one of the essential amino acids.  Incomplete proteins are found in grains, fruits and vegetables.  You may combine plant proteins to include all of the essential amino acids to form a complete protein for you body.  This can be a complex task in our fast paced world and combined with our desire to keep our weight down and our cholesterol in check we may be eating less animal proteins.  This is why many of us are turning to protein powder supplements.

A protein powder supplement that you may not have heard of is Goatein ™.  This is a high quality protein powder with goat’s milk colostrum.  This protein supplement contains all of the valuable essential amino acids.   Goatein ™ protein is produced from goat’s milk that contains no chemicals, antibiotics or female growth hormones.  With respect to allergies, goat’s milk is generally tolerated far better than cow’s milk, so it triggers less reaction, even if you have allergy sensitivities.  The smaller molecules in goat’s milk are closer in size and composition to human milk and substantially less allergenic than cow’s milk protein.   Even those people who cannot digest cow’s milk find they can easily digest goat’s milk. 

There are several types of protein powder supplements available to you.  Perhaps you have allergies to cow’s milk so you avoid whey protein supplements.   Maybe you are not concerned about bodybuilding and muscle mass so you do not shop at sport fitness stores for egg or casein powder proteins.  Perhaps you are concerned about what you’ve heard regarding soy protein and thyroid disease or the highly processed procedure used to make Soy Protein Isolate.  Take a serious look to Goatein ™, a pure goat’s milk protein, as an alternative.

Many spices and herbs, commonly found around the house, can be used for herbal healing to fight infection, sanitize and heal wounds, improve brain power and detoxify the body.  Be warned that many of these herbs have essential oils in them which are toxic in high doses so should especially be avoided during pregnancy.  Consider the following:

• Rosemary is my favorite for herbal healing. It is called the herb of remembrance (or the herb of chicken) because it increases blood flow to the brain increasing memory, focus, concentration and mental endurance. Take the dried or fresh leaves and steep them like you would tea.  Rosemary is also one of nature’s best antioxidants as it helps prevent cell damage and helps the liver function to detoxify the body.
• Tumeric is another easy way to help detoxify the body.  Also, to decrease inflammation in your joints or muscles or anywhere in the body, put 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in a couple ounces of warm water and drink it quickly.  If you don’t like the taste, add some cinnamon or chase it with your favorite fruit juice.  This bright yellow powder is used as a clothing dye, so be careful, it will stain your clothes!
• Cayenne is a strong, topical pain neutralizer.  Use this spicy, red powder for pain and inflammation of any kind: joint pain, muscle pain or nerve pain.  Combine 1 part cayenne powder with 5 parts flour, add some water until it becomes a thick paste and spread it on to a piece of fabric.  Fold the fabric so the cayenne paste is in the middle.  Apply this to the sore area for 15 minutes maximum, watching for redness or burning. Also, sprinkle some cayenne in your socks to keep your feet cozy on cold days.
• When you’ve got that sensation in the back of your throat as if you’re about to get sick, chew on some sage leaves.  The essential oils in the leaves are antimicrobial and should prevent the infection.  A pure form of the essential oil can be put in some water and gargled.  Also, crush the leaves with a mortar and pestle then wrap them in sterile gauze and apply to scrapes and cuts to clean the wound.
• Parsley can be used for speedy herbal healing of wounds, bruises, stings and bites.  Crush the leaves of this breath freshening garnish then wrap them in some sterile gauze and apply directly to the skin.

As you can see, herbal healing is possible from your own home – it’s effective and inexpensive!

Naturopathic medicine is a safe, effective and natural approach to you and your family’s health.  Naturopathic doctors can and will empower you to live a healthy lifestyle while treating and preventing disease.  Find more information on the services I offer at Arbour Wellness Centre at Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor.