Author Archives: admin

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Cholagogues and choleretics, for gallbladder, bile, liver, cholesterol and digestive support.

Category : Uncategorized

What are cholagogues and choleretics?
🍃 A cholagogue is a substance (herb or other) that promotes the flow of bile from the gall bladder into the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) and the liver.
🍃 A choleretic is a substance (herb or other) that stimulates the increased production of bile by the liver. Not the gallbladder but the liver… So if you’re having issues with your gallbladder, you can still promote bile production from the liver. 👍🏻

We know bile is ESSENTIAL for digestion, having healthy bowel movements, emulsifying fats in the diet, detoxifying estrogen, killing bad bacteria, and other pathogens that cause infection. And for clearing out cholesterol and fatty liver.

So here are some examples of cholagogues;
1) Gentian
2) Yellow dock
3) Oregon grape
4) Burdock
5) Aloe Vera
6) Wild yam
7) Black root
8) Globe artichoke

And some examples of choleretics;
1) Barberry
2) Dandelion
3) Yerba mate
4) Mulberry leaf
5) Shizsandra
6) Goldenseal
7) Turmeric
8) Milk thistle


But honestly all off these above herbs will have both cholagogue and choleretic activity. Choleretics and cholagogues are best taken before meals (about 30 minutes prior, but can be taken just before eating). I generally like these in tea or tincture form but they can be take in tablet form too. 

 

Please speak with your health practitioner for continued use of these substances. 🙂


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Alcohol and your health – The HETA guide add on

Category : Health , Nutrition , Sugar , Uncategorized

Alcohol is allowed on most health protocols, including The HETA guide, and should be enjoyed as part of the social aspect of your health. But which ones? Because not all wine, beer and spirits are created equal.

But it is important for you to understand that — when you consume alcohol your body will NOT burn any other fuel source while alcohol is in the body. Therefore carbs/sugar and fat get stored as body fat or muscle glycogen while your body detoxifies the alcohol!
Also apart from directly affecting the kidneys and liver, alcohol effects the body in other ways too. To name a few;

  • Consuming alcohol can drastically affect how your thyroid functions — such as blocking its activity, or lowering levels of hormones T3 and T4. Alcohol is also known to destroy thyroid cells, which are sometimes used in treatment of a condition called thyroid nodules. Over time consuming alcohol can reduce the size of the thyroid, thought it initially enlarges it. This means the thyroid gland is left with fewer cells to produce T4 and T3. Continuous use of alcohol can result in Euthyroid Sick Syndrome (ESS), in which rT3 is elevated and T3 is reduced.
  • Alcohol breaks down and destroys muscles. Also known as “Alcoholic myopathy”, which causes swelling, pain and weakness in the muscles as it degrades muscle integrity. This also prevents the growth of new muscle tissue.
  • Alcohol can damage the fatty insulation or the white matter that surrounds the axion of the neurons which impairs neuronal functioning. You get a “myelin” deficit – so if your drinking and you have an issue with myelin production or mitochondrial health, or concerns about MS (multiple sclerosis).
  • Alcohol damages gut health and the gut lining, which directly impairs good bacteria, encourages the growth of bad bacteria and yeasts, reduces serotonin production ( impacting mental health) and digestion.

 

Moving on – Wine is, as many of us know, touted as good for you. Red wine specifically, but let’s be realistic – wine contains sugar, alcohol and sulphites. It does contain Resveratrol which is a polyphenol sirtuin nutrient and other antioxidants but these are irrelevant if the wine you are consuming is laden with chemicals. So wine is good for you in moderation if it is a good quality clean wine. This is where we look at organic and biodynamic wines. Wines also contain sugar/carbs… generally Rose and  white wine have higher sugar and are unhealthier then red. You can read up more on sugar content of wine here .

Finding out how much sugar you’re consuming is hard to tell, since most countries don’t indicate sugar content on the label, but here’s a basic breakdown of wine types and how much sugar they contain:

  • Bone-Dry <1 sugar calories per glass
  • Dry 0-6 sugar calories per glass
  • Off-Dry 6–21 sugar calories per glass
  • Sweet 21–72 sugar calories per glass
  • Very Sweet 72–130 sugar calories per glass

 

Wine is actually only “heart healthy” if combined with physical activity. In a study called In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth), researchers introduced wine into people’s lives and tracked the effects on their bodies. By itself, drinking wine did not significantly affect cholesterol, blood glucose, triglycerides, or levels of inflammatory markers. But among those who worked out twice per week and also drank wine, there was significant improvement in health variables after a year of wine consumption, no matter whether it was red or white.

 

 

So the type of wine you choose is important. I try to stick to Organic, Biodynamic and Natural wines. We are lucky enough in Airdrie to have a wonderful liquor store Sierra Springs which has a nice stock of Organic and Biodynamic wines.

What’s the difference in these though? Let’s look —>

Biodynamic wine; This is a holistic manner of farming. It is the oldest, anti-chemical agricultural movement that predates the creation of organic farming by about twenty years.

Basically its grapes where the farmers are taking longer times for filtering, double-filtering, and extended fermentation. These are chemical, pesticide-free grapes and there are no additives. Farmers making the wines have been able to make a nice, full-body, clean wine with minimal sulfites added, which sit at about 35 parts per million which is very low.

 

Biodynamic wine is a wine made,

  • grapes are grown at a high elevation, specifically at 2000 feet or higher elevation
  • extended fermentation of 10-15 days, versus the standard 1-2 days fermentation that most wine companies use, which further concentrates antioxidants
  • pH levels that are at optimal levels
  • been cold stabilized and chilled to drop out impurities prior to filtration, then filtered with extremely tight filters like diatomaceous earth and micron pads, sulfites can be cut significantly, down to as low as 35ppm. With lower sugar and lower sulfites, the risk of blood sugar swings and headaches goes way down when this kind of filtration process is used
  • avoided the addition of residual sugars to the completed wine, then using a Brix scale, the sugar content of the wine can be significantly decreased.
  • The final biohack is to reduce both calorie and carbohydrate levels without lowering alcohol content.

 

Natural wine; These wines are a movement, not a label. The idea is to stop considering that a person is making the wine: the vintner is rather accompanying the winemaking. A natural wine is one with; organically-grown grapes, harvested by hand, rushed to the winery, fermented on wild yeasts and low levels of sulfites (or none at all). A natural wine essentially is fermented grape juice. Natural wines themselves, however, have existed for hundreds of years. When wine was first made 8,000 years ago, it was not made using packets of yeasts, vitamins, enzymes, Mega Purple, reverse osmosis, cryoextraction or powdered tannins – some of the many additives and processes used in winemaking worldwide.

 

A natural wine is a wine made,

 

Most natural wines are neither filtered nor fined. The few that are will either be filtered extremely lightly or fined with organic egg-white. If sulphur dioxide is added, it will be only at bottling and only in the tiniest quantities. Many natural wines are made without the addition of sulphur dioxide or sulphates at any point.

 

Organic wine; This is the growing of grapes conformed to organic farming. Organic farming is defined by regulation (country-specific) or stand-alone certification. It avoids chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Many wines labeled ‘organic’ are actually made with conventional methods: only the grapes are organic. By the way, organic doesn’t imply that the wine doesn’t have additives. There is, in fact, a list of additives, including things like yeast, egg whites, and animal enzymes (like rennet in cheese) that are allowed in organic wines. Being organic doesn’t necessarily mean a wine is vegan.

PS organic wine farmers can still add sulphites and GMO’s too.

The rules differ –

  • USA: “a wine made from organically grown grapes without added sulfites”
  • EUROPE & CANADA: “a wine made from organically grown grapes that may contain added sulfites”

The area of wine can get quiet confusing – like seriously. Some of the articles I went through contradict each other. I literally had to weed through them to find consistencies and references.

Prossecco, Cava and champange are low carb and are also a great choice if you want a refreshing drink… that can be found ‘organic’ too!

For amounts – I generally advise between 1-3 glasses of wine a week is acceptable, especially if you are on a fat loss journey and ideally on refeed day. 

 

When choosing wine, remember – the lower the alcohol, the lower the sugar. The lower the sulphites, the less the hangover!

 

Then as for other alcohols, because unfortunately, not everyone likes wine. The best beer I have found studies or backing research on are  — Craft beer . Of course we remember to check if the beer we are consuming is made from WHEAT or other grains as we know what this does to our gut and inflammation. Beer is basically just a alcohol and carbs.  Also beer is very ‘estrogenic’, which means it will add to the estrogen load and problems already in your body.

 

Spirits… while all spirits are carb, sugar, and fat-free, some shots are still more calorically dense than are others. A single gram of alcohol contains seven calories, so the higher the alcohol content, the more calories it contains.

It’s also worth noting that whiskey does have a higher level of antioxidants than clear liquors, especially if it has been barrel aged. Therefore making whiskey a modbiotic and it is rich in ellagic acid, which the American Cancer Society claims may slow the growth of tumors. It may also erase wrinkles, per research published in Experimental Dermatology. The darker the whiskey, the higher the polyphenols.

Be aware of what mixers you are using with your spirits though. Tequila is naturally sweet to taste for instance, so it can be enjoyed by simply adding soda water and a splash of lime. Tequila is also gluten-free, making it a good option for celiacs.

If drinking spirits, try stick with Vodka or Tequila! Gin is OK too (even though it makes me want to vomit!). And sweeten with Zevia or soda water and fruits, or even a splash of concentrated juice.

Avoid alcopops, they are a bad idea and if ordering cocktails, just make sure to weigh up the pro’s and con’s of the ingredients…choosing lower sugar where possible. If you would like to make some home made cocktails that are on the healthier side, I have some ideas here.

For amounts – I generally advise between 1-3 servings a week is acceptable for spirits, especially if you are on a fat loss journey and ideally on refeed day. For beer, 1-2 to a week is OK and ideally on refeed day… but generally this is something I advise against for pre-menopausal women, especially if on a fat loss journey (so please consider this). 

 

When having alcohol it is wise to load up on vitamin C before and after, this will help with glutathione production and take some activated charcoal… together they will bind to toxins and support detoxification pathways!

 

I’m far from trying to promote the drinking of alcohol! But I understand alcohol is a part of society and many of our lives. I am trying to teach you how alcohol effects the body and, help you make healthier choices for you and the life events that you may attend that have alcohol present. Check out this interesting article that highlights some of the health benefits of alcohol.

 

**REMEMBER to always drink smartly and safely (and PS don’t talk to strangers, drive or operate heavy machinery while intoxicated).

 

 

 

 

 


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What your nails can tell you.

Category : Uncategorized

I am always saying to my clients that if they stop and listen to their body, it will tell them what it likes and wants. I try to do this myself a lot too, but sometimes life gets so noisy that its hard you know. But recently I saw a white patch under the nail on my index finger and thought “oh I should do something teaching about “what our nails can tell us”… So here we are.

 

When we pay attention to all this little signals and signs our body gives us, they can direct us towards nutritional deficiencies, underlying health issues and things like that. This is especially important in our current time/environment, where many of us are learning to be our own doctor and are taking more responsibility for our own health.

So today I wanted to give you an over view about nail signs and what they can be telling you about your body, and what may be going on. It’s really very interesting the way the body wants to tell us what’s going on through signs on our nails, tongue, hair, skin and even through our eyes (which is one of the reasons I got certified as an Iridologist or as someone who studies the Iris). Our body wants to survive – it wants to be strong and healthy, that’s why we continually build new cells and get rid of old damaged ones. And as always I am here to show you, and teach you, and encourage you on how to listen and support your amazing body. Don’t give up, don’t lose hope – there is always a way and your body is stronger than you think.

 

So there are many different natural practices you can us to support you on your healing journey. For some people one works better than another, and that’s ok because we are so bio-individual that its natural to take time, do some trial and error, and see what works for your body. So that all can take some time, but if we actually listen and pay attention to our body, we can move things on a bit faster and narrow things down a lot better.

 

One of the ways we can do this is by paying attention to our nails. Every chipped, brittle, indented and blackened nail has something to tell us. So healthy nails grow on average of 1 mm per week. This can be useful for seeing where a sign is on our nail and determining how long ago our body was having the issue that caused it. So if we were to calculate how many millimetres say a white spot is from the base of our nail, it will give us an idea of how many weeks ago that spot was relevant or when the issue started.

 

For the general population, nail health is most often an indicator of poor nutritional intake or poor digestion. Most nail issues usually don’t indicate a serious underlying illness. So lets look at some of those signs or symptoms that we can see in our nails.

 

The most common I think, and what spurred this conversation is the white spot or white patch we can see on our nails. These usually indicate a zinc deficiency or calcium excess, or you could have hurt your finger. So zinc is a very solid or defined white spot, you can also see a scattering of spots or several spots that relate back to zinc. And then if its more of a vague shape or blotch of a spot, we generally see that’s connected to calcium. If its a calcium excess or you hurt your finger, you will see the white spot grow out with your nail. Whereas, a zinc spot can appear and disappear. Mine was calcium excess for anyone who’s curious.

Now if we see the white spot was say 3 mm away from the base we can think back a see – well 3 weeks ago social isolation and home schooling started so my nutrition was terrible, and mostly just sugar and void of real nutrition. Then we can correlate and connect the dots. You can see how this can be helpful.

 

Next would be furrowing, ridges or groves in the nail that run horizontally. These lines are also know as “Beaus line” and can be just a natural occurrence with age, but in rare instances can signify something serious, so if you are concerned, be sure to speak to your doctor. So these  ridges indicate where the nail stopped growing due to something that has stressed the nail out. This could be illness, major stress (physical or emotional), a big lifestyle change or a big immune hit. Something like this that has thrown the body through a loop and stopped the nail from growing. Again you can do the calculations and figure out a time frame where your body was under this stress and what happened.

 

Next is also quiet common and that is brittle nails. This we can connect back to digestion and also the thyroid…a sluggish thyroid can contribute to brittle weak nails due to poor circulation and the inability to utilize nutrients properly. So what’s happening in your digestion that’s causing your body to not get enough nutrients and minerals to make strong healthy nails. So this might be an issue with low stomach acid, poor digestive enzymes, poor vagal nerve activity, gallbladder issues,  IBD (irritable bowel disease) or some sort of other gut issue. All of these will impact the break down and absorption of nutrients. Two nutrients that can be helpful here are calcium and silica. So some examples for calcium, we are looking at almonds, sesame seeds, bone broth, buckwheat and green veg. And for silica we look to oats, melons, cucumbers, artichokes, asparagus, dandelion, and again our green veg. But also constantly wetting and drying your nails/hands can attribute to brittle nails too. Something to be aware of. 🙂

 

Now when we see ridges that run from the base (where the nail comes out under the skin or cuticle) to the top, so vertical ridges…we are looking at low digestive enzymes. So again something that’s stopping the nail from getting nutrients properly from the gut. Vertical ridges generally appear later in life and as long as they aren’t accompanied by other symptoms such as changes in color, they are usually nothing to be concerned about. We would just go back and look at the gut and nutrition again. These can also be connected to poor circulation and oxygenation into the nail bed – so anemia here and carpel tunnel could be present.

 

If your nail ‘spoons’ or becomes concave, we can usually connect this to an iron deficiency. You can also compare this to your energy levels, how well wound heel and also your menstruation. Looking to food first to address the issue before supplements is wise, and then remember that iron is best absorbed in the presence of vitamin C.

 

Then the clubbing or the raised nail, something that looks like a Geckos foot. Where the nail is elevated, round and popping out, this can again show us poor circulation and oxygen to the nail cells. So this could be respiratory conditions, how well oxygen is being carried in the blood and being used in the cells. Here we can use magnesium to support cellular health, mineral water is great and also make sure we are moving a lot daily, especially outdoors and in the sunshine.

 

And other sign will be beaking or curving of the nail. This is where the fingernail curls over the top like a birds beak. This can show us a potassium deficiency. Also Hyperparathyroidism, Renal failure,  Psoriasis and Systemic sclerosis should be considered.

 

 

Next when we look at the color of the nail… A yellow nail may tell us that there is an infection present, or reaction to a product you are using on the hands and nails, or also that the nail has received some sort of trauma. This can go for blacked nails or black spots or ‘splinters’ under the nail too. If you have ever caught your finger in a door and got a blacked or bruised nail, then you know what I am talking about. This black appearance is a result of blood vessel inflammation under your nail and will disappear as the nail and finger heals. The splinter appearance can signify poor circulation and weaker blood vessels or blood vessel damage.

 

If we see opaque or frosted or ‘pale’ yellow color nails, we may see liver dysfunction or the liver is having issues. Here we would bring in liver support like dandelion, milk thistle and even burdock root. For the kidneys we might see a red tip at the cuticle. This is where the capillaries in the body might be struggling, and you might see a pale ring under the nail/on the skin at the top of the nail.

 

Lots of pinholes or small indentations in the nail can be connected back to psoriasis and inflammation. Again we look back to the gut first here and of course if you have skin issues you will see an improvement in the nails if you take care of said skin issues. Ridges and lines can also be connected to psoriasis too.

 

When we look for those half moons or crescents by the cuticle of the nail and there is none visible, this is generally connected to B12 deficiency. This can also be connected to poor circulation and blood flow. We can also check capillary return by pushing down on the nail. The nail bed should be nice and pink and then when you push down on the nail you push the blood away, this makes the nail bed go white and when you take your finger away the nail bed should instantly return pink. If it takes a while to come back, you will have poor capillary return, which means you may have low blood volume, poor circulation and poor blood flow out to the appendages.

 

If we see regular infections around the nail, like fungal infections, we look towards the gut and the immune system. In this case where there are reoccurring infections… as we look at the gut and immune system, we can also use some topical applications like colloidal silver, coconut oil, essential oils and where the issue is severe, you can use a topical anti fungal or antibiotic.

 

You can see a lot of these nail signs can be intertwined and be a symbol of many of the same issues or underlying concerns, but this just further reinforces the fact that the body is one system and should be treated and cared for as a ‘whole’.

 

As always, I hope you found this information helpful and please share with anyone you feel may benefit. Sharing is caring but it also helps this information reach the masses and empower people to be responsible for their own health.

 

Chemaine xo


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Molecular hydrogen and why I am its biggest fan!

Category : Molecular hydrogen , Water

Lets look at ‘Molecular hydrogen’ or as I like to call it “the angel molecule”… because this little molecule is so powerful, yet gentle at the same time… it must have been created by angels or some higher power. 😉

I started using molecular hydrogen in early January 2020 after I got an abnormal PAP diagnoses, where my doctor and gynecologist expressed concerns that my cells were high risk pre-cancerous cells and there was a high chance I would need a biopsy and LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure). Of course being a mom of two and a young woman with my whole life ahead of me, I panicked and quickly delved into all the science and studies I could find relating to abnormal cells.

I am the first to admit that I am obsessed with my health, my family say “over the top” and I agree I can be a bit anal. But in my defense it is very important to me to be my best and strongest, so I can live my best life and be my best for my loved ones and people around me. Anyways, my doctor and gynecologist both said things that stood out to me and I grasped onto them as my lifeline, and as the driving force for me to reverse my diagnosis. My doctor said “your cells are very inflamed” and the gynecologist said “in rare cases we have seen a women’s immune system to be strong enough to flush out cancerous cells”… that was all I needed! I heard inflammation and that there was a chance! 

I was like, “hold on, I am a biohacker and I know lots about inflammatory cells and how to hack them, and… I know how to boost my immune system and induce autophagy to help flush out damages cells!” So off I went, I had a mission and I was damned if I was going to let something like this beat me!

I have spoken about inflammation lots with my clients and followers. And I am well aware that I train very hard, and that combined with my strong work ethic, supporting hundreds of clients and trying to raise two growing boys has effected me on a cellular level and caused me to feel extreme inflammation (and exhaustion at times). For months I had not been sleeping well, my hands and face would get very warm and swollen, my blood pressure increased, my throat would swell up so much that I could feel my esophagus  and chest getting tight, I constantly had headaches, irritability and just wasn’t myself. I was so inflamed that some evenings I couldn’t even look at my phone or think straight… So I guess that’s those inflamed cells the doctor was talking about eh?!

 

Roll in molecular hydrogen;

Among the many things I implemented, molecular hydrogen is the one thing I believe had the biggest impact! I had heard of molecular hydrogen many times over the past 2 years and came across it again when doing my research on deuterium water.

So I started looking more at studies coming out of Japan and from Dr. Ohta and Tyler Lebaron. I also looked at work by Robert Slovak and Alex Tarnava. Who are all well renowned for their work around water and hydrogen. Needless to say, what I uncovered blew my mind!

So what is molecular hydrogen?

Well Hydrogen as we see it on the periodic table of elements is expressed as ‘H1’ and is the smallest lightest atom in the universe, as well as the most abundant. The Molecular Hydrogen, commonly written as  ‘H2′, is a molecule formed by two hydrogen atoms that share their electrons. It is also incredibly small which is where it’s magic comes from! Because it is so small it can penetrate into every tissue and cell in the body with ease. Hydrogen is inert (meaning it is stable and unreactive), very safe and is able to penetrate right through the membranes of our cells, which most other substances can not do. Molecular hydrogen is hydrogen it its gaseous form. 

There is an abundance of studies on hydrogen and its benefits on mitochondrial health, cellular health and overall health. Hydrogen functions on the regulation of gene expression. Its most potent effects can be seen on inflammation and energy production.

One area of study is hydrogen’s effect on ‘oxidative stress’, this is where stress damages cells and DNA due to an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body (caused by acute and chronic stress, toxins, excess sugar and trans fats). An abundance of oxidative stress is where we see chronic inflammation, poor blood flow and disease occur. When we look at hydrogen we see it is a very strong anti oxidant that when consumed, immediately starts to work on supporting the mitochondria and bringing down inflammation by distributing throughout the body withing 10 minutes and staying there for up to 24 hours.

Hydrogen has a direct connection to the regulation of autophagy too. Which is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier, stronger cells. Which is one of the ways hydrogen has been shown to help with Alzheimer disease and dementia. 

Hydrogen rich water or HRW has been shown to improve mitochondria function and energize the cells/body, improve blood flow and circulation, and improve skin tone, moisture and health, so much so that hydrogen beauty bathing and hydrogen beauty spas are very popular in Japan.  Molecular hydrogen has also been shown to improve hormonal function and psychological stress in mice and in humans!

This study out of Europe published in April 2019 shows how hydrogen rich water was effective at reducing NAFD or non alcoholic fatty liver disease. And this one out of Harvard Medical school and Bostons Vhildrens Hospital in 2019 showed “Inhaled hydrogen could protect the brain during heart-lung bypass” in newborns! 

 

This conclusion from a study published in 2016 “Molecular Hydrogen Therapy Ameliorates Organ Damage Induced by Sepsis” , I hope, would be the convincing factor on if one should try molecular hydrogen or now….

Molecular hydrogen therapy has a protective effect on sepsis, which has been proved by pathological biopsy, level of inflammatory factors/anti-inflammatory factors, oxidative stress reaction, behavioral experiment, and other related indicators of organ function. Although there is a dispute of affections of molecular hydrogen therapy in liver and kidney, the mainstream view shows molecular hydrogen therapy is benefit to organs, such as brain, lung, liver, kidney, and small intestine.

 

It is believed that hydrogen will be the next area of Nobel Prize winning in the future.

I could go on and on with the study references for the efficacy and benefits of molecular hydrogen or hydrogen rich water (HRW) but back to my own story… On February 11th 2020 I attended a Calgary women’s clinic to have a ‘colposcopy’ and ‘biopsy’ performed, this was 3-4 weeks after I started HRW and other health supporting protocols on hopes to rid my body of these so called “pre-cancerous cells”. I did a meet and greet with a clinic nurse for about 40 minutes who, just like my doctor and gynecologist, told me to expect the worst and that from my PAP my cells looked very high risk and I was likely going to need a LEEP.

So I go in to the doctor, she proceeds with the colposcopy and a takes a cell sample from higher in my cervix… pushes her chair back and says “that’s it, I am not doing any more, there is nothing here, your cervix looks perfect”. I asked her twice “so your saying my cervical cells had zero reaction to the acid mix?”… she said yes and that I was good to go, nothing to worry about. And that she would let me know when the cell sample came back … she said the reason she took a cell sample from higher in my cervix was to see where these abnormal cells came from on my PAP.

Now… I’m not saying molecular hydrogen ‘cured’ me but I am saying I haven’t felt this good since before I started drinking HRW and my inflammation is non existent, literally no symptoms or energy crashes since my first glass of HRW! I do feel it played a part in my healing protocol and I will continue with it for the foreseeable future. I really hope if you decide to try molecular hydrogen that you reap the benefits I do!

I currently also have some clients taking molecular hydrogen for Cancer support, fatty liver, inflammation, gut health and overall cellular health…the feedback has been v3ery positive so far. We have even seen massive increases in energy and fat loss.

If you watch the science and medical health space, you will see hydrogen as a medical tool is getting more popular by the day, again that’s because of its safety and effectiveness.

There are two types of molecular hydrogen I use and have had my results with… one is made by  Robert Slovak with Water and Wellness which I get here, I have ordered off their website but unfortunately the exchange rate and import fees for Canada are very high! And the other is made by Alex Tarnava and Dr. Richard Holland at Drink HRW and I get it here. Both are very effective and I advise you try both brands and monitor which you feel the benefits from most, then stick with that one.

For optimal results, you would  drink hydrogen rich water 2 – 3 times a day, and you do this by adding 1 tablet to 250 ml of clean room temperature water. As soon as the tablet is dissolved, you want to drink the whole glass as quick as possible, so as to not lose too much hydrogen into the atmosphere. Check out this video for exact instructions!

*Side note; it is advisable to ‘cycle’ molecular hydrogen and the healthier you are, the less you will feel a difference but that doesn’t mean it is not working or benefiting you!

 


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Cravings and Emotional eating

Category : Cravings , Nutrition , Sugar

I wanted to compile a few of the posts I did on cravings and emotional eating on my Facebook page, in one place so I could direct my clients and followers to one place of reading, I really hope you all find this somewhat helpful and put some of the tools herein into practice!

 

 

There’s an aspect of health and fat loss that gets missed most of the time… ‘emotions’.

Most women experience emotional eating, men not so much, it’s a female thing unfortunately. Women are emotional beings, we are nurtures, we are care givers, we are feeders. We feed babies when they are born, when they cry it’s usually because of hunger so it’s natural to us to associate food with emotions right?!

So then when a woman is particularly unhappy, depressed and not satisfied in her life – she is more likely to turn towards food to make herself feel better or as a way to avoid negative emotions, than a man would.

 

Lets first look at the biochemical reactions that take place when we experience cravings… it usually goes a little like this 🧐

Eat sugar -> spike insulin -> insulin and blood sugar drops -> sugar cravings increase in aims to bring insulin back up.

 

When we are stressed it looks a little like this;
Stress -> spikes cortisol and adrenaline -> causes the body to look for serotonin and dopamine to feel good and safe again -> sugar increases dopamine production making us feel good for a while. When the hormones drop, the cycle begins all over again, starting with increased cravings.

What about sleep?

Poor sleep -> reduces available energy causing the brain to stress and malfunction -> the brain send out a signal to look for the fastest most easily absorbed form of fuel… sugar.

Seems pretty obvious but most people when they have uncontrollable eating or cravings don’t stop to reflect on what’s going on inside them or what’s driving this. So let’s look again… what are some more things that drive up cravings and emotional eating 🍽

– poor sleep
– late night eating
– eating sugar
– eating junk food
– dehydration
– nutrient deficiencies
– stress
– overwhelm/multitasking (having too much to do)
– feelings of sadness or upset
– alcohol
– loneliness
– relationships
– work
– kids
– low self esteem
– health concerns
– food (being unprepared with food or feeling guilty) ☹️

 

 

That leads us to the ’emotional level’.

It has been recognized that there are certain feelings or emotions that connect to cravings of certain foods, being aware of this can help you understand your cravings better and better deal with your emotions.

They are as follows;

  • crunchy snacks like crisps and crackers can connect to chronic underlying anger issues
  • cravings for high-fat food stemmed from chronic fear, tension, anxiety and depression
  • ice cream ‘soothes’ depression with its creamy texture
  • the number one food craving, chocolate, contains the same chemical the brain creates when we feel romantic love, meaning women in particular may crave chocolate because it creates the feeling of being loved. Chocoholism may be a cry for love, intimacy and romance. It’s the perfect antidepressant for the lovesick.
  • burnout or fatigue from pushing yourself too hard might cause you to crave the stimulating effect of red meat or sharp cheese
  • loneliness, stress and emotional distress drive cravings or the want for alcohol
  • chewy or crunchy foods like cookies, M&M’S and crackers can also signify stress or frustration
  • feelings of loneliness, emptiness or sadness can cause cravings of pasta and pizza 🍕 

 

Studies suggest every food corresponds to a certain mood or emotion. In 1982 the American university professor Bernard Lyman asked 200 people to imagine themselves experiencing various emotions, including anger, loneliness and joy, and at the same time asked them what food they’d like to eat.
They indicated strong preferences for desserts when feeling happy and loving, but when anxious they wanted snack foods, both of the healthy and junk variety.

Each food is craved because it has amino acids, neurochemical catalysts, or vasoconstriction catalysts, which will energize your body or soothe your brain chemicals, making you feel better ‘for a short time’.

 

How to assess your sugar or junk food cravings.

We crave sugar for three reasons:

1️⃣ When we need more motivation/dopamine/self-worth
2️⃣ When we have depleted our energy sources
3️⃣ When we feel stressed or unsafe.


So next time you reach for a cookie or chips – check in and ask yourself:

  • How have I managed my food/energy levels today?
  • Am I craving sugar because I’m hungry?
  • How stressed have I been this week?
  • Have I done anything to help myself mange my stress?
  • Am I using sugar to help me cope?
  • Has my self-esteem been affected by something today?
  • What can I do that would leave me feeling rewarded/accomplished/motivated?
  • Is sugar replacing the reward of achieving something?
  • Am I happy?
  • What is making my heart ache? When you feel a binge or craving or bout of emotional eating come on – stop and take a moment to focus on these questions. Focus on deep breathing, quiet your thoughts and become present in what’s going on. Then figure out what else you could do to distract yourself and make yourself feel better;
    Go for a walk
    Massage essential oils on your temple and neck
    Foam roll
    Practice some yoga poses
    Call a friend
    Or whatever it is that doesn’t involve food. 🙂
    Changing this pattern in your brain allows you to connect new brain neurons and create new habits and skills for times of struggle that benefit you rather than making you feel worse.

 

There is a neurological, biological, and emotional basis under our cravings.

 

There are also some nutrient and mineral deficiencies that have been connected to emotional eating….

They are;
– Magnesium
– Zinc
– Iron
– Calcium
– Sodium
– B12 and B6

These vitamins have also been associated with feelings of sadness, anxiety and shaking or tremors.

So staying on top of our bodies nutrient needs is going to benefit us on many levels but also help us manage cravings and emotions a bit better.

 

This post was compiled to help you reflect on what might be driving your cravings and emotional eating. I hope you find it somewhat helpful. One book that I highly recommend if you want to delve more into the world of emotional eating is “Constant cravings” by Doreen Virtue. Its a good read that gives lots of insight into why we may be craving a certain food. 🙂


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What is deuterium depleted or ‘light’ water?

Category : Deuterium , Nutrition , Water

 

It is unlikely you have heard of ‘deuterium depleted water’ unless you are submerged in the world of biohacking and science (or have heard me discuss it), but its a topic that has been getting a lot of attention over the last few years and seems to be picking up momentum in the world of health. There are hundred of studies on the benefits of deuterium depleted water! But lets first take a look at what it is.

What is deuterium depleted water?

So most of us in school learned that water is made of the molecular formula H2O right? So, this means each molecule of water contains two hydrogen’s attached to one oxygen. Hydrogen is essential for energy production in humans. The most common form of hydrogen in the body is water. Our bodies are 60-70% water so it’s easy to see why hydrogen is important for human life right?!

At the cellular level hydrogen plays a vital role in mitochondria function. Mitochondria are the little energy powerhouses or batteries in the cells of our body. They ultimately facilitate energy production. Within the mitochondria there is a spinning head that rotates very fast, the rotation speed of this spinning head determines how well you create energy. The spinning head also creates a magnetic field which is important for drawing oxygen into the mitochondria (I don’t need to explain why oxygen is important do I?). The faster the spinning head rotates the more energy you make and the healthier you will be. But the slower the spinning head rotates the less energy you will make and this leaves you more susceptible to chronic mismatch diseases and faster aging… and this is where deuterium comes in.

Many people don’t know but hydrogen comes in two different forms or ‘flavors’ – regular hydrogen, which is actually called ‘protium’, and ‘deuterium’ (there is a third but we won’t get into that now). Deuterium has all the same properties as regular hydrogen except its twice as big and twice as heavy (it has a extra neutron). Because of this, deuterium is often referred to as “heavy hydrogen” and it behaves quiet differently in our bodies than regular hydrogen does. Think of deuterium as normal hydrogen’s overweight dysfunctional cousin who likes to come in and mess s**t up.

 

Firstly, deuterium is not all bad… In nature, deuterium helps things grow. It is found in Earth’s oceans and other water sources. Water containing deuterium is called “heavy water” because of that extra neutron.  It is widely used in prototype fusion reactors and has application in military, industrial and scientific fields. In nuclear fusion reactors, it is used as a tracer and it is responsible to slow down neutrons in heavy water moderated fission reactors. D2O as some call it, is also found in high amounts in vaccines, carbohydrates and processed food (its added as a preservative).

Deuterium is great and necessary for growing babies, kids, teenagers, and developing plants and animals but… once you stop growing though, deuterium is no longer your friend. Having too much deuterium in your body can result in mitochondrial dysfunction, and lead to accelerated aging, metabolic problems and disease.

How is deuterium a problem for health?

When our cells and mitochondria come into contact with deuterium, this is where we start to see problems arise. And because of how modern life is now a days with constant exposure to pollution, toxins, processed foods, unclean water, stress and sleep issues… many people have way too much deuterium in their cells. This results in an inability to effectively deplete and displace deuterium from our bodies and the degradation of our mitochondria.

So deuterium enters the body and passes into the mitochondria. From there it shuttles to the top of that spinning head mentioned above, ready to assist in energy production and create a magnetic field.

The spinning head is specifically designed by nature to accept hydrogen in its standard form. That is one proton and one electron. But deuterium contains a neutron and the spinning head is not equipped to deal with this neutron or wide enough for it to pass through the spinning head easily. When we have deuterium in the body it cannot pass through the spinning head and gums up the system. Which in turn slows down the rotation thus reduces energy production and magnetic field strength (less oxygen getting into the cells now).

So we get less oxygen is pulled in from the blood, energy levels drop and your redox potential decreases. A lowering of your redox potential (electron transfer ability) means a huge increase in your risks of chronic diseases.

As you can see, a cascade of mitochondrial and cellular damage starts, as deuterium builds up more and more. The more our mitochondria and cells are malfunctioning, the less energy we have and the more fatigue, inflammation, illness and disease we have.

In summary, too much deuterium;

 

So what do we do about this?

“How do I lower deuterium in my body?” … this question has been driving an obsession within me for the last two weeks, causing me to delve into as much research as I can about deuterium (and molecular hydrogen, but that’s for another blog post). And this is what I have found;

To lower deuterium in the body;

  • Drink deuterium depleted water…except it can be very expensive from brands like Qlarivia, Mito Water and Preventa which have D levels of  between 19 and 25ppm, and are the lowest available on the planet right now. Ordinary or tap water has about 156ppm or more. But because this water is so expensive at about $27 CAD per liter, this is not viable for most of the general population. So we look then towards more affordable clean waters that have been tested to have lower levels of deuterium like – Evian, San Pelligrino, Acqua Panna, Voss, Gerolsteiner, Icelandic, or if you can get your water from the ‘Rocky mountains’ (like the taps in Banff) you are onto gold! And of course glass bottles are always preferred! These waters have between 145 and 149ppm.
  • Eat foods that have been shown to be lower in deuterium like – organic green plants, organic nuts, grass fed animal meats, wild caught fish and sea food, fats from organic plants and animals, organic cacao and cacao butter, and chilies.
  • Replace cane sugar with stevia and other natural artificial sweeteners. These come
    from the green leaf of the stevia plant and is not only sweet, but it is also
    deuterium depleted!
  • Sleep! The body naturally depletes deuterium during sleep so making sure you are getting good quality sleep is essential (as if you didn’t know already).
  • Get lots of sun and red light exposure because the frequency from these resonates or communicates with normal hydrogen, helping it flow into the cells and mitochondria more easily by reducing viscosity (thickness, stickiness). Deuterium in water increases viscosity of water, so its critical we decrease this viscosity level to improve mitochondrial function.
  • Have low carb or fasting days — this allows your body to tap into its own fat stores and create its own metabolic water. * The body makes 1.1 kg of deuterium
    depleted, metabolic water for every 1 kg of fat consumed – our early ancestors likely derived most of their water from fat. Many, if not most, animals still do that today – like Camels who get water from the fat in their humps. 
  • Avoid; Consuming grain-fed animals, older animals, farm raised fish, carbohydrate heavy meals or processed foods, as they all contain high levels of deuterium. 
  • Don’t; drink excessive amounts of tap water, since most sources of the water you drink today from rivers, reservoirs, and streams is likely to be high in deuterium – this includes the great majority of commercially bottled drinking waters aside from the ones listed above.

 

To wrap this up –  if you are interested in lowering deuterium levels in your body, like I am, then be aware of your water consumption and its sources, the types of food you are eating and how much time you are getting out in nature and in sleep. By being conscious of your choices you should be able to get D levels down and support your health even further than you were already doing.

Chemaine 🙂


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Why we want to avoid fat and carb combos

Category : Cravings , Nutrition , Sugar

Aw man I really feel like the bad guy when I tell people to avoid doing this if health and fat loss is their goal but in my defense, I say it to help people. 🙂

I have spoken about this before but it’s time to help you really understand WHY, a bit more in depth.

So for us to first look at this topic we must first understand what ‘lipopolysaccharides’ are.
Lipopolysaccharides or LPS are bacterial toxins that can cause inflammation and a host of other health issues, and they’re normally housed in the gut, but they can become toxic if they enter the blood through infection or through a leaky gut. LPS’s are also found on the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, including things like E. coli and Salmonella. We all have some amount of LPS in us but how healthy you are can depend on the amounts you have.

So, you can get a ton of LPS’s if you are infected with a bacteria or parasite or have a terrible diet. And these LPS’s can really induce a host of inflammation, damage cells and drive dis-ease in the body. Studies have found is that a high saturated fat diet can significantly increase LPS levels. And in addition to that, if the saturated fats are consumed in the presence of a high amount of carbohydrates, particularly starchy or sugary carbohydrates, a so-called high-fat, high-carb meal, LPS levels can skyrocket.

Studies have also compared high-fat, high-carbohydrate meals that are derived more of plant origins, like monounsaturated fats from extra virgin olive oil. And we don’t see that elevation in LPS’s anywhere near to the extent that we would see them after a meal rich in saturated fats and carbs. There is still an elevation but not as much. 🧐

So now we know what lipopolysaccarhides are and how their levels increase with the combination of fat and carbs…why else should we avoid this combination of foods?

 

Well, don’t hate me now, it’s just science and how biochemical reactions can happen in the body.

 

Foods that carry a 1:2 ratio of fat to carbs have a synergistic effect on the brain that results in a very noticeable dopamine release in the same neural pathways that respond to addictive drugs. So these are literally extremely hedonistic (in a junk food binging sense)!
Foods like; ice caps, mochas, lattes, milkshakes, ice cream, pizza, macaroni and cheese, avocado on toast, grilled cheese, donuts, cinnamon rolls and milk chocolate….are all what could be called ‘adult breast milk’ or ‘sweet fat’.

 

Adult breast milk has that 1:2 ration of fat to carbs and what do we use it for? Yep to make babies grow fat and fast. Well these sweet fat foods do the same.

 

What else do these food combinations do? We know that the pleasure centers in the brain are highly, highly triggered by these foods and that’s why they make us feel good and cause us to crave them. We know this combination contributes to poor health. But what else, what about their effects on fat loss?

 

Well…. the insulin response we get from the carbohydrates, turns off fat burning and enhances your ability to be able to store fat from BOTH the fat and the carbohydrates. So, unless you’re in a calorically deprived glycogen depleted state, most of that is going to get stored as fat. True story. We get an insulin spike from the carb and we also get an indirect insulin spike from the fat and store even more fat. So that’s a double whammy of insulin and its damaging effects.

 

Also when you process carbohydrates in your gut in the presence of fats —> the fat creates a coating around the carbs and they both travel around the body delivering inflammation, oxidation and glycation (which causes aging and tissue damage). So the fat gets used as a delivery system for the carbs which become inflammatory in your bloodstream 🤓

 

Another thing to note is that fats and carbs can be fine to be eaten in isolation but what happens is; when you process carbohydrates in your gut in the presence of fats —> the fat creates a coating around the carbs and they both travel around the body delivering inflammation, oxidation and glycation (which causes aging and tissue damage). So the fat gets used as a delivery system for the carbs which become inflammatory in your bloodstream.

 

So, based on the research, we can categorize which high-fat, high-sugar meals would probably be most deleterious to you. Just from a pure inflammatory and lipopolysaccharide standpoint — we know that any high-fat, high-sugar/carb meal is bad news if you’re trying to lose weight, specifically body fat. It induces storage of most of those calories as fat. And these LPS’s damage the gut and drive up illness and disease.

 

All is not lost though… let’s say you’re at your normal stabilized weight, your lean or have a nice amount of muscle and you’re not concerned about weight loss, you’re relatively insulin sensitive, you exercise on a frequent basis, you have moderate to low-level physical activity during the day, your health biomarkers are excellent…well if you’re were going to have fat and carbohydrates at the same meal (which makes that meal very enjoyable because we know you get the dopamine production from that)…you would choose a monounsaturated fat source like extra virgin olive oil or olives, in a small amount, paired with more of a healthy kind of Mediterranean or Paleo type carb source.

 

With all this taken into consideration — we now understand why we keep things like cream cakes, pizza, ice cream and ice caps etc to once a week or less. 👍

 

I hope that makes sense and aids you on your health journey xo

 


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What is “disordered eating” and how might it be effecting you? – Th HETA guide add on

Category : Cravings , Nutrition , Sugar

Ever heard of disordered eating? Well the concept has been around quiet a while but has only recently got more attention as intermittent fasting grew in popularity. “Disordered eating” is not the same as “eating disorder” in that disordered eating is a term used for unhealthy eating habits and their correlation to body image, that are not as “extreme” as having an eating disorder would be.

I see this in several of my clients and what i see, to help you understand more, is — they will have a lot of irregular timed eating or an erratic eating schedule and this can throw their whole sense of routine and circadian rhythm off. It is this type of disordered eating that we will look at in this post… This irregular eating pattern can decrease metabolism because their bodies expect food at specific times, and the result can be dysregulated appetite and messed up metabolism.

I find that in a lot of my clients, they do very well with structure and routine, especially women, as I feel women have a lot more demands on them (no sexism implied, just stating what I see) and having structure helps reduce stress and keep all our ducks in a row, as they say. And my most successful clients DO have structured eating…they have set times when they eat and stick to those times as much as possible. *They also eat very simply but that’s another post.

Some people can do fine on an irregular eating schedule but many will not.

Research suggests that having a regular eating schedule can improve your metabolic response to meals, particularly in women. So, if you’re struggling to lose body fat… rather than having sporadic meal times like; skipping your first meal some days and eating it on others, having dinner late some nights and early the other nights, or hopping from restaurant to restaurant for your lunch choices, you might benefit more by simply establishing structured meal patterns and stick to them as much as possible.

Women and irregular meal timing — A study done on  healthy normal weight women found that an irregular meal pattern resulted in lower postprandial energy expenditure or thermic effect of food, than a regular meal pattern….so they had a lower metabolic increase after eating and had a higher glucose response.

Lower hunger and higher fullness ratings were seen pre-meal and post-meal during the regular period

 

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/104/1/21/4633920

 

Another study where lean women who ate meals on a regular schedule had much better insulin sensitivity and improved blood triglycerides.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15220950

 

If your struggling with health and fat loss, this could be something to think about, right?!


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‘Self care’ – The HETA guide add on

Category : Uncategorized

Because my only program The HETA guide is so large already, I have decided to do some ‘add ons’ that will add to its purpose, support my clients further but also make them accessible to the public for free. There won’t be many as I only like to focus on what I feel will absolutely benefit people and the below is one aspect of health that, doesn’t get overlooked by media per say but, gets forgotten by the individual. Enjoy xo

Self care – so clichĂŠ nowadays but such an important aspect of health and well being. There are articles everywhere on self care so I didn’t really need to do this but I wanted to, because my followers know my language, know I will only teach what I feel will support them and I have noticed many still not put DAILY self care into practice.

 

Making time for yourself……… Most of us are busier than ever and that means less time to take care of ourselves and our needs. The vast majority of moms don’t take time for self care — we wake up early to get kids up and ready for school, or feed and keep small children both alive and entertained. We try to keep our partners, parents and in laws happy. We say yes to the requests and demands from clients, bosses and co workers. We also attend kids activities and birthday parties even when we are exhausted and running on empty. Then free time is spent on house cleaning, meal preparation and if we are lucky – showering and grooming ourselves so that we are presentable for others before collapsing into bed exhausted, just so we can catch some sleep and do it all again tomorrow.

But here’s the thing – weather you are married or single, have kids or not – healing and being your best can not happen if your constantly running on empty. Running on empty will not only effect your health both physically and mentally, but also your ability to care for others!

Subtle signs like feeling overwhelmed, irritable or annoyed when your spouse, children or boss want something are an indication that you are not fully taking care of you. Cravings, fatigue, anxiety, memory loss, weight gain are unfortunately also side effects of neglecting yourself too. These are hormones going out of wack! Insulin taking over and causing inflammation, cortisol increases – driving estrogen up and thyroid down.

 

REMEMBER that an empty cup can not fill another. You must fill your own cup first!

 

I encourage you — that when you fill your own cup, you fill it so much that when you do care for others, you will give from your overflow and it will feel effortless. This is is why I encourage my clients to allocate at least 1 hour to themselves each day – they make that hour all about them and something they enjoy doing. It can be a walk, hot bath, listen to a podcast, chat with a friend, take time for their morning and evening routines, whatever they want. But it must be consistent for you to reap the rewards.

Set up routines, avoid doing needless tasks that are just time sucking. Ask for help with the household chores from your partner and kids. Instead of going to the grocery store every day because you forgot something – create one big list and stick to it with one big grocery run. You get the point. Treat yourself as you would your best friend or youngest child — someone you would drop everything for, to take care of them or spend time with them. Prioritize yourself xo


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Eating outside your plan ‘hacks’

Category : Uncategorized

The perfect diet for each of us is one that considers our goals, current health status, genetics, hormonal blueprint, abilities, preferences, age and gender.

Your diet exists to serve your lifestyle, not the other way around.

Nothing will directly affect how you feel, how you think, how you look and your overall quality of life more than your nutrition.

And for most people, I believe that if you are dialing in your nutrition five days a week, you can have a little more flexibility 1-2 days a week. But if you do plan to eat outside your normal ‘healthy’ eating style or diet (this is just a word), then I recommend;

  1. you avoid carbs if you have a meal planned for later in the day or even the following day that may be more carb heavy
  2. you add in an extended fast or two if you feel you will be or have been particularly bad
  3. you practice awareness and maybe postpone your eating for later in the day —- as overeating is much more likely to take place when we consume ‘bad foods’ earlier in the day. Why? Because it initiates a roller coaster effect, driven by spikes and dips in blood sugar levels that make us even hungrier and crave even more. Here is how it generally works;
  • you eat some processed carbohydrates
  • blood sugar spikes
  • insulin gets released to push sugar into cells to get used or stored
  • satiety hormones get silenced so you feel hungrier
  • so you eat more
  • and its probably not vegetables, its more processed sugar laden foods because they give our brain a quick hit and warm fuzzy shot of feel good neurotransmitters as soon as they hit your tongue
  • then the cycle continues until you either eat until you feel nauseous or go to bed for the night

So essentially when you postpone those refeed or cheat meals to later in the day, it shortens the window available to you to make bad decisions in. And thus allows you to start the next day with a clean slate 😉

 

Always make smart choices where you can!