Download Your Drug Free Guide to Healthy Weight Loss

Excerpts from
Your Drug Free Guide to Healthy Weight Loss;
Removing Barriers that Cause Weight Gain Using Diet, Homeopathic
and Other Natural Treatments
by Heather Caruso B.Sc., DHMS, HD
Read Your Drug Free Guide to Healthy Weight Loss and finally shed those unwanted
pounds by discovering your obstacles to losing weight. Find out how to eat, feel satisfied
and lose excess pounds. Learn how to wrap your mind around your weight and stay
focused on reaching your goal. Read about the common barriers to weight loss – such as
blood sugar instability, thyroid dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, stress, emotional
disturbances, food allergies and candida – and learn their natural solutions.
In praise of Your Drug Free Guide to Healthy Weight Loss
Author and Homeopathic Doctor Heather Caruso guides you through the potential
underlying causes to inappropriate weight gain while helping you to discover a deeper
motivation to succeed. Your Drug Free Guide to Healthy Weight Loss educates and
inspires and is perfect for those who have experienced an unsuccessful battle of weight
loss through fad diets and who are ready to dedicate themselves to excellent health and
optimal body composition while using the power of natural medicine.
~Bryce Wylde HD, TV host - Wylde On Health, Author of The Antioxidant Prescription
The most effective weight loss efforts do not simply seek to reduce caloric intake and
increase exercise but also seek to improve the overall health functioning so that the
person’s body operates in the most efficient and effective way possible. Ultimately, THIS
book will teach the reader to achieve this higher level of health…and one of the “sideeffects” of these efforts will be most sustained weight loss and improved quality of life.
If THIS is your goal, get and read this book.
~Dana Ullman, MPH, www.homeopathic.com, author of The Homeopathic Revolution:
Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy and Everybody’s Guide
to Homeopathic Medicines.
Losing weight is high on many people's "to do" list – and with good reason. Obesity is a
leading cause of disease as well as a host of other mental, emotional and physical
problems. Heather Caruso's Your Drug Free Guide to Natural Weight Loss comes to the
rescue for the alternative-minded individual who wishes to find answers and help using
homeopathy, supplements and other holistic approaches to the problem of weight loss. It
also provides a comprehensive examination of this deep and multi-factorial problem, all
through the lens of alternative medicine. Caruso provides some nice recipes too! This
book will be devoured by anyone who wants to tackle the issue of weight loss from a
holistic perspective.
~Amy L. Lansky, PhD, author of Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy
www.impossiblecure.com
Your Drug Free Guide to Healthy Weight Loss by Heather Caruso is a work that fills in
the gaps left by most weight loss programs... The book is immensely practical, providing
information on why people gain weight, steps to follow when designing an individual
weight loss program, nutrient suggestions to help the body utilize fat stores, nutrition
guidelines, menus, exercise suggestions, and advice on the use of homeopathic
medicines… Even if you are undergoing one of the current weight loss programs, Your
Drug Free Guide to Healthy Weight Loss will be a useful companion. I highly
recommend this book to anyone wishing to lose weight and keep it off.
~Thomas A. Kruzel, N.D., author of The Homeopathic Emergency Guide, Rockwood
Natural Medicine Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona www.rockwoodnaturalmedicine.com
As with her previous book, Heather Caruso has hit the nail on the head with a superb
balance of helpful self care tips and homeopathic medicinal advice. This is an excellent
resource for anyone seeking thoughtful and reliable solutions for weight loss and its
associated conditions.
~David Brulé, HD, Riverdale Homeopathic Resources www.rhronline.ca
This book is a fabulous gift. It brings all the aspects of weight loss issues together in
one package. If you want to take the 'short course' on everything to do with weight loss, I
highly recommend Caruso's new book. It covers all the bases, a compilation of safe,
effective approaches to weight loss that will do more than take the pounds off. You will
start to look, feel, act and even think better if you utilize these techniques. The
information is there for you to absorb and learn. This book reminds you to take your time,
be patient and forgiving with yourself.
~Debby Bruck, Homeopath, founder of Homeopathy World Community
www.homeopathyworldcommunity.com
Dr. Caruso's book, "Your Drug Free Guide to Natural Weight Loss" is a big Winner.
Her creative style explores the details of "weight loss" in both a medical and alternative
manner but she writes with the ease that any layperson can understand. This is the most
comprehensive Weight Loss book I've ever read. Bravo Heather!
~Caron DeVita, President Biotics Research Canada www.bioticscan.com
Wisdom + Wit = Wonderful! Heather Caruso's latest book, "Your Drug Free Guide to
Healthy Weight Loss" is a book packed with information and hilarity and is a guaranteed
path to a slimmer, healthier you. From how to psyche yourself up to begin the process, to
finding delicious foods to eat, providing recipes and appropriate homeopathic remedies to
take, this book is an easy-to-read guide with fun anecdotes and friendly motivation to
take you to that level of health and fitness you dream of but never quite get to! Everyone
needs a good friend like Heather - with this book, you have that friend - and before you
know it, you'll also have that weight loss goal sheet marked "Completed"!
~Sandra Lewis, Life Coach, Advanced EFT Practitioner, Homeopath and author of
“Getting It Right: Cutting to the Chase and Creating the Life Your Want”.
www.lewislifecoach.com
Table of Contents
Introduction
2
Chapter 1: You Have to Wrap Your Mind Around It
7
Chapter 2: Getting Started: How Much Weight Do You Want
to Lose and How Will You Lose It?
15
Chapter 3: What Should I Eat? How to Eat for Health and Longevity
25
Chapter 4: Get Up and Get Moving
32
Chapter 5: Enhance Your Weight Loss with Natural Remedies
37
Treating the Underlying Causes
Chapter 6: How to Beat Food Cravings
54
Chapter 7: Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Hypoglycemia,
The Leading Cause of Many Diseases
60
Chapter 8: How Sleep Disorders Undermine Weight Loss
71
Chapter 9: Hormonal Imbalances such as Menopause and Polycystic
Ovarian Syndrome
82
Chapter 10: Manage Your Thyroid, Manage Your Weight
91
Chapter 11: Emotional Issues and Your Weight
101
Chapter 12: Candida Albicans, the Yeasty Beasty
118
Chapter 13: Food Sensitivities
124
Chapter 14: Recipes: How to Prepare Meals that Keep You Healthy and Lean
136
Bibliography
147
Index
151
CHAPTER FIVE:
Enhance Your Weight Loss
with Natural Remedies
Each of us has our own set of unique circumstances. Some of us may only need to lose
a few pounds and some of us may need to lose more. Natural remedies can be your
answer. However, if you have a serious health concern, seek the help of a professional
such as a medical doctor and/or a complimentary health practitioner like a homeopath or
naturopath. If you are taking prescription medications, you should be aware that
sometimes there are contraindications with taking natural remedies and prescription
drugs. For example, some people who have hypertension should avoid certain types of
supplements like ginseng and liquorice because it can exacerbate the problem. If you are
taking sleeping pills or anti-depressants some herbs such as St. John’s Wort may add to
the drugs’ effects. You want to be careful in using supplements. However, for the most
part they are safe to take if you are in good health. Don’t hesitate to seek the help of your
doctor or health practitioner to help you with your concerns.
If you need a little bit of support in your weight loss goal, here are some effective
solutions. There are a number of conditions that can hinder your weight loss goals
however, the solutions are here. Some conditions that may affect weight gain are:
• Diabetes, insulin resistance and hypoglycemia
• Hormonal imbalances such as menopause, polycystic ovarian disease, estrogen
dominance
• Sleep disorders
• Physical disabilities and injuries
• High cortisol, adrenal fatigue
• Fat digestion and bile insufficiency
• Inflammation and an acid pH
• Infections such as candida and parasites
• Hypothyroidism
• Emotional disorders depression and anxiety
• Use of medication, marijuana and alcoholism
• Food cravings
Most of these conditions will be discussed here, with their symptoms, potential causes
and solutions. There are many natural remedies that help to support you during your
weight loss. As mentioned earlier, do not hesitate to get professional help if you have a
serious health condition or are taking other prescriptions. Some of the natural remedies
mentioned will be homeopathic, vitamins, minerals or herbs. Homeopathic remedies are
prepared differently from regular supplements. I prefer homeopathic remedies because
they have no side effects and are safe and gentle for everyone, despite a person’s age, size
and health condition.
What are Homeopathic Remedies?
Homeopathy has been a healing art for over 200 years. It
was founded by a German named Samuel Hahnemann a maverick
who challenged the medical system of his day. Today, homeopathy
is used worldwide by lay people and professional homeopaths. It is
practiced in hospitals in many countries such as England, India and
Germany. It is an inexpensive form of medicine that offers people
a chance to heal deeply. Homeopathy has no side effects and is
safe and gentle for any age or ailment. It can safely be used in
conjunction with traditional medical treatment. Often times a
person will fare better when they use a complementary approach to
their health care.Homeopathy is built on a foundation of a few
basic principles. Here are some of these principles.
1. Like Cures Like
The first most popular principle is the theory that like cures like. If you give a dose of
a crude substance to someone, it can produce certain symptoms. When you give the same
thing to a sick person who suffers from these same symptoms, it can heal them. It works
because a person cannot suffer from two similar diseases at the same time. For example,
one cannot have cowpox and smallpox at the same time. This is why people were
vaccinated with cow pox to successfully prevent small pox. A common remedy in
homeopathic medicine, Allium Cepa, made from red onion, illustrates this principle.
When we cut an onion, our nose and eyes water and burn. If you have a cold with these
same symptoms, it will be cured with homeopathic doses of Allium Cepa. In healthy
people the substance produces the same symptoms one wants to cure in the sick.
Many people are amazed that this principle is effective. However, many times in the
news I have heard reports of so-called “medical breakthroughs.” One was that low doses
of Arsenic cure some cancers. We all know Arsenic is a poison in crude doses and
actually causes symptoms like cancer. Diluted doses cure the symptoms it causes.
Homeopaths have been preaching this for years!
2. The Minimum Dose
Another principle of homeopathic medicine is to use the smallest dose required to elicit
a cure. This is called the minimum dose. Homeopathic remedies are very diluted and
carry an energetic quality to them, due to their preparation. Between each dilution
remedies are succussed, which means shaken, 10 times. This gives the remedy potency
yet it is still diluted. Despite being very dilute, homeopathic medicine still remains
effective.
The minimum dose affects the greatest cure. Less is more with homeopathic
prescribing. When potencies are diluted, after a 12CH or 24X there are no molecules left
of the original substance. This is called Avogadro’s number, which is named after
Amadeo Avogadro (1776-1856), a physicist who first recorded this principle in his own
scientific studies unrelated to homeopathy.
Typical dosage for homeopathic remedies are a 12 or 30CH potency taken four pellets
two times a day for five to tens days. Dosage would be more frequent in acute conditions
or less frequent in chronic diseases. Remedies are usually in pellet form and taken under
the tongue, away from food by at least a half an hour.
3. The Symptoms, Not the Disease
Remedies must match the person’s symptoms not the disease name. This differs
greatly from traditional Western medicine. Homeopathy is more time consuming.
However, if used correctly, it heals people at a very deep level. Such symptoms as a
person’s emotional state and physical symptoms are considered important in
homeopathy. This stimulates one’s unique healing mechanism. Symptoms that are
important are often those that are considered strange, rare and peculiar. A person who has
a sore foot, cannot walk on it and is exceedingly irritable may receive a dose of Bryonia
Alba. Another person who claims they are well but are lame with an injured foot may
receive Arnica Montana.
4. Our Vital Force Acts, Yet it is Intangible
Physical and emotional symptoms may be an expression of ill health through our vital
force. Our vital force is an energy that maintains life and is an expression of health or
disease. Everyone has a unique vital force that invisibly animates our existence.
Scientists have found by attaching electrodes on the head that thoughts actually carry
an energy that can be physically measured and documented. We cannot see thoughts. It is
said that what we put out, we attract. We seek things that confirm our way of being. We
choose certain friends, our clothes, our jobs and even our diseases to match our
“vibration”. People look for certain events in their life, no matter how trivial, to validate
certain parts of their belief systems. Homeopathic medicine is congruently matched to
one’s symptoms, which deeply resonate on an energetic level to the person’s healing
core. After the correct homeopathic remedy, your body will be asking, “Where have you
been all my life?”
I believe homeopathy works in the following manner: when we take a homeopathic
substance that matches the totality of our symptoms or our vibration, it awakens our
healing mechanism. Since we cannot accept two diseases of the same kind at the same
time, our vital force is stimulated to rid itself of this foreign vibration that has been
introduced. Along with the ridding of the foreign vibration comes healing, as the vital
force’s dormant healing powers have been awakened. The homeopathic medicine causes
a medley of healing events.
5. From Within Outward and Top Down
Homeopathy cures from inside out and up to down. This means that the remedies act
first on the areas that are most crucial to survival. For example, with a constitutional
remedy, (meaning a remedy suited to one’s emotional, mental and physical symptoms),
the medicine will act on the inner organs before clearing up a skin disorder. This is
because the body’s natural healing mechanism will protect the heart or liver before the
skin, because they are more crucial for life. Symptoms heal from the mind or brain area
first and then the lower extremities depending on the condition. This is the body’s
method of self-preservation.
6. Order of Appearance
Remedies may act to cure the latest symptom first, in the reverse order of their
appearance. This is called Hering’s Law. This essentially means that if someone had
asthma after they had eczema their asthma would be cured first and then their eczema.
This is usually the case if someone has used suppressive treatments that did not cure.
These treatments drive the symptoms deeper into the organism. With complicated cases,
layers of disease like those of an onion present physically in reverse order of their
appearance. One of my teachers used to say, “You do not outgrow your allergies, only
your pants.” Diseases that are suppressed can turn into other disorders. An example of
suppression would be eczema which is a superficial ailment of the skin that when treated
with steroids, often later manifests in asthma. The lungs are a deeper organ and are more
pertinent for survival. The vital force is always looking for ways to express its
disharmony. A non-suppressive treatment with a gentle constitutional remedy guides our
unique vital force to heal deeply.
7. Types of Prescribing
i) Constitutional Prescribing
Homeopathic prescribing can be constitutional which means that the prescription is
suited to all of a person’s symptoms, physical and emotional. A prescriber would look at
someone’s history, heredity and susceptibility to disease as well as their current
condition. Personality plays a role in homeopathic prescribing. Traits such as whether a
person desires company or solitude, has irrational fears and how they express anger are
taken into account. Diet, digestion, sleep, weather preferences, body temperature and
sexual function are all considered important. This method empowers a healing
mechanism (i.e. the vital force) and can prevent the expression of disease.
Even things that seem unrelated to a disease are important. Here is a good example to
highlight this point. A woman with premenstrual syndrome had seen me for years. She
would improve a bit and then relapse, but never experienced a complete cure. During her
last appointment she told me she was separating from her husband. He had been living
with another woman on weekends. This was a shock to me, because she had not let any
emotional distress, heartbreak or anger come to the surface. I gave her the remedy,
Natrum Muriaticum, for suppressed emotions. Her premenstrual discomfort swiftly went
away. Homeopaths usually prescribe on the unusual symptoms if it is a chronic condition.
If it had just happened and she was rightfully upset, an acute remedy like Ignatia for grief
could be used.
"Homeopathy .... cures a larger percentage of cases than any other method of
treatment and is beyond doubt safer and more economical."
~Mahatama Gandhi
ii) Acute Prescribing
Acute prescribing is a type of homeopathic prescribing suited to ailments of rapid
onset that last only a few days or weeks. The superficial symptoms of the acute ailment
are considered. These complaints can be things such as viruses, parasites or bacterial
infections. Acute injuries, sprains, strains, shocks and traumas are successfully treated
with homeopathic medicine. One of the most common acute injury remedies is Arnica
Montana. It is an excellent remedy to keep on hand. Arnica speeds up the healing process
and relieves pain. Keep a 6 or 30CH potency on hand and take four pellets every few
hours as needed.
iii) Combination Remedies
Combination remedies can be quite useful for healing. They are diluted and safe;
however, they are not suited to a person’s unique symptoms. These remedies are made by
combining a few key homeopathic remedies in one bottle to target a particular ailment.
For example, for liver trouble a combination of Lycopodium, Nux Vomica, Chelidonium
and Taraxicum may help to effectively drain toxins from the liver. It will not however,
offer deep healing so as to prevent the liver from soon becoming congested again.
8. Homeopathic Potency; what does “X”, “D” and “CH” mean?
Homeopathic potency and frequency may vary. If you are a homeopathic novice, it is
best to use the lower potencies, such as those ranging from a six CH to 30 CH. The CH
refers to the Centesimal Hahnemann potency scale. This potency is diluted in the ratio of
one part original substance to 99 parts carrier liquid. An X or D potency is the decimal
potency, which is diluted one part original substance to nine parts carrier liquid. X
potencies are used often and typically in a six or 30 X dilution.
Did you know...
In days gone by physicians who practiced at homeopathic hospitals had an acronym
they used in patient files when they were not responding to conventional treatments. This
acronym “T.E.E.T.H.” was found written in patient charts and it stood for “tried
everything else try homeopathy”. Homeopathy is much safer than pharmaceutical drugs.
You don’t have to exhaust your medical options before choosing this safe and gentle type
of medicine.
Homeopathic Remedies for Weight Loss
As mentioned earlier, homeopathic remedies are suited to a person’s physical as well
as emotional symptoms. There are many remedies that are used in cases where a person is
overweight. Here are just a few commonly prescribed ones. Keep in mind that remedies
are suited to people’s unique nature. If you have a serious health concern or are not sure
which remedy suits you, seek the help of a professional homeopath for guidance. For tips
on how to prescribe a homeopathic remedy, read the beginning of this chapter.