NHA Conference June 25-27:  Live or Virtual

Join me and a cadre of world class speakers for the 73rd National Health Association Conference (NHA).  The NHA was cofounded by my grandfather Dr William Esser in 1948.  Can you believe it?  A lot of people think plant based living, exercise prescription writing and a focus on prevention of disease is new stuff.  The truth is that my family and the NHA have been sharing the message of health for decades.  This summer is the perfect time to learn more, be inspired by awesome presenters, connect with the roots of the plant based movement and catapult your health to the next level.

Get virtual access to the conference here: https://hopin.com/events/2021nhaconference?ref=dd7bb6ac48e4

Every day I see patient’s struggling with joint pain.  Knee arthritis, hip arthritis, back pain, shoulder pain and the list goes on.  When their joints hurt, few people look to their diet for answers but that is exactly what the science says we should be doing.  As it turns out, what you eat radically influences blood flow to your joints, the level of inflammation in your blood stream, your total body weight, the amount of inflammatory arachidonic acid in your body and so much more which in turn affects joint and muscle health.

Today’s focus article was published in 2015 titled,” Whole-Foods, Plant-Based Diet Alleviates the Symptoms of Osteoarthritis.” (Arthritis Journal).  In this 6 week trial, 40 individuals with joint osteoarthritis and pain were randomized to either a plant based program of nutrition or a control group.  They were followed for 6 weeks and the group on the plant based program had significant improvements in energy/vitality, physical functioning and pain.

So what is the take home message?  Plants are powerful medicine for your body, have amazing potential to improve joint pain and function and in as little as a 6 week intervention you can expect some life changing results.

If you are ready to reduce inflammation and pain in your body and improve function and fun but don’t know where to start, then download my 6 week anti-inflammation program here:  https://esserhealth.com/detox/   You can do it…I can help!

Do you struggle with unhealthy habits and patterns?  Part of your problem could be you are stuck in the “victim” mindset.  That place where you feel hopeless, helpless and hate who you are while blaming people, society and fate for everything.  Now the truth is we all have struggles and challenges.  No one has a “perfect” life.  However the saying “attitude is everything” really is true.  As the poet Milton said our mind can make a “heaven of hell or a hell of heaven.”

Start evaluating your thoughts.  Do you self sabotage?  Do you tell yourself you are too tired, old, injured, sick, lazy or the wrong gender, race, religion or you live in the wrong zip code?  If you tell yourself you can’t then the truth is you probably are right.

This summer I want to challenge you to change your thoughts and to change your life.  Abandon the “can’t,” the “not good enough”, the too old, poor, injured, lazy or the like.  Instead embrace the can, capable enough, motivated enough and embrace the victor mentality.  Start saying you CAN do it and rewrite your neural chemistry.  If you struggle with the same false fixed beliefs every day despite your best efforts then grab the book “Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 weeks” by Seth Gillihan PhD.  If you need more professional health then schedule a visit with a Psychologist to tackle the psychology which is holding you back from achieving your fullest health potential.  Believing you CAN and WILL is the first step to true health success.

Simple Summer Pancakes:

Who doesn’t love a good pancake?  The problem is you either get lots of gluten in the flour or all kinds of random ingredients in gluten free mixes.  Not too long ago my sister shared this simple recipe for gluten free, super tasty pancakes and they have been a hit in our household ever since.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do:

Oatmeal, Flax and Banana Pancakes:

Ingredients:

-3 cups of organic quick oats              -3 ripe bananas

-3 tablespoons of ground flax            -6 pitted dates

-Water

Preparation:

-Combine oats, ground flax, dates and peeled bananas in a high power blender and blend with enough water to create a pancake mix consistency

-Spoon onto a non-stick griddle

-Cook till golden brown on bottom and flip and repeat for opposite side

Tip:  After removal from griddle, setting pancakes on a tray in the oven for 10 minutes at 170 degrees helps create a perfect consistency