Celebrate 100 Consecuctive Depke Wellness Newsletters!

by Glen Depke

Today is actually number 100! Yes, this is 100 consecutive weeks of research, articles, blogging, and releasing health information to you.

I have to say that it is a pleasure for Depke Wellness to provide this for you and we trust that you can feel our joy and excitement through our articles, blogs and videos. This is all a labor of love, except of course for the occasional technical difficulties. LOL!

With all the excitement behind us we want to share that there is so much more building. Coming up as we speak, our website, newsletter and blog is undergoing quite a facelift. We are going to be providing additional online assessments to...

• Assess your Nutritional ID
• Assess your Adrenal Fatigue
• Assess your Gluten Intolerance
• Video introduction into the healing protocols used by Depke Wellness
• And so much more

We are also changing the Depke Wellness Store...

• Adding a Kids Supplement area
• Adding the line of homemade soaps, candles and so much more from Dawn's line of sacred scents
• Increasing the video availability of every aspect of Depke Wellness Protocols
• Adding more easily absorbed and assimilated liquid based supplements

We also wanted to share that we are going to be offering a variety of games, giveaways and fun in building our newsletter list this year. We have been sending our newsletter to approximately 1100 individuals over the past 2 years and we are making the commitment to reach out to 10,000 total by the end of 2012.

For every new person that views our newsletter, blog and website, that is simply one more person that will be provided with a deeper level of understanding in regard to natural health, natural healing protocols, and the underlying core values of our health and happiness.

Remember, Depke Wellness is not only about wellness for yourself, but Wellness for the World!

Beat Holiday Stress

by Glen Depke

Seeing as Christmas is only 5 days away, I am sure you are already engulfed in holiday spirit right?

Maybe if it's the spirit of the holiday Grinch I suppose.

Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones that shopped early, had everything wrapped by December 1st and all there is left to do is attend some exciting gatherings.

So what are the rest of us doing?

Running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Still looking for those last minute gifts, fighting the crowds, stressed about the cash we've already spent, stressed about family members visiting, worried about getting every nook and cranny cleaned in the house...you get the picture. I am sure many of you could add to this list many times over.

So here's some tips to turn these last 5 days into something joyous rather the stressous. Do you like my new word, stressous? Anyway here you go...

1.  Breathe, yes breathe! When you are under stress your breath will become shallow and your fight or flee end of your nervous systems takes over. Yikes! This is no way to spend the holiday season. When you notice that you are feeling stressous, take 3-5 really deep belly breaths to shift you into the calming nervous system reaction. This plays such a huge roll in your whole body's function.
2. Drink lots of water. We all know that there are many parties at this time of the year and often this leads to an over consumption of alcohol. ALWAYS have a large glass of water between every alcoholic indulgence and be sure to show up at the parties properly hydrated. 
3. Consume a healthy snack or small meal prior to going out. This will ensure that you have proper nutrition already working on your side, keep you from indulging in too many sweet holiday treats and ensure that you will not be drinking on an empty stomach. That is a definite no, no.
4. Be prepared that things often don't work out as planned but trust that they truly always work out. Due to the increase in people, places and things to do, this will puts us into the dependency of others much more significantly during this time of the year. If you are expecting the stores at the mall, Uncle Charlie, Aunt Harriet, or that perfect parking spot at the mall to work out as plannned...good luck with that. Remember that you have very little control of the things around you but have complete control of your reaction. If you do not set your expectations of everything working out perfectly, it typically makes it easier to take the challenges in stride. If you're one of my perfectionists out there, you know who you are, be sure to roll with the changes. BTW...that would also be a good time to breathe.
5. Get yourself organized. Often with so few days left we simply begin to wing it and what typically happens when we wing it. We forget. Whatever it is that you have left to do over the next 5 days, write it down. When you are stressous rather than joyous, your memory often does not work as well. If you have a list, you can simply cross things off the list and release the stress. Unless you lose the list of course. LOL!
6. Make your gatherings a pot luck. I remember my Mom on the holidays would do everything. All the cleaning, cooking and running around. Ladies, don't do this! Have others in the house help with the cleaning, somebody can make grocery store runs for you and for heaven's sake, have your guests bring a dish. I'll even give you a little secret, come closer so nobody else hears this, most people love to bring a dish and feel as if they're a bigger part of the gathering and feel included, loved, appreciated. You get the picture.
7. Do chores in the party atmosphere of a group. Still working on the last minute holiday cookies, wrapping or one of the other hundred things to finish. Well, invite some friends or family over to help and create a party atmosphere. You will not only make your chores enjoyable but likely you will be assisting other family/friends by getting them out and having fun also.
8. Take a time out. I know this used to be your punishment when you were a kid but as an adult a time out can be completely rejuvenating. Just 20 minutes in a warm epson salt bath can shift your day in such a positive way. This will assist with your mental/emotional state and leave you with some positive physical results also.
9. Be sure to get enough sleep. So often we become sleep deprived during the holidays. Look at it this way. If you are rested and enjoying high physical energy and mental clarity, you will accomplish all your goals with much more ease and life will occur faster for you. Miss your sleep and everything slows down and takes forever. I'm sure you already get this, but how easily we forget.
10. Lastly, when it seems like you have stuck in a stressous rather than joyous state, stop yourself. Take a few minutes to write a list of everything you are thankful for in your life and watch the joyous energy build. This simple tip can shift your entire holiday season. I know you have so many things in your life to be thankful for but it only matters if you know.

Instead of questions or comments to me for today's article, please share what it is you do to relieve holiday stress. The tip you leave may be the exact shift that somebody else needs during this holiday season. Remember the goal is joyous, not stressous!

Should YOU Eat Meat?

by Glen Depke

This is a significant question these days for many of my clients. I will share that for most, this is a definite yes. I also have to share that the answer to the question often is not that simple though. Let's look at this from a few different vantage points today.

First of all, there are many people that do not digest meat that well. I would first suggest that the meat itself is not the issue. Poor digestion is typically the issue here. This could be due to a lack of proper enzyme activity, poor bacteria balance, lack of stomach acid production or GI distress such as some type of pathogenic challenge. This could also be an issue due to eating while under stress or from simply not chewing your food thoroughly. Once these areas are addressed, it is amazing to see the improvement in the breakdown of meat overall. It is of utmost importance to address these areas though, due to the fact that meat that sits in your GI tract for too long will tend to putrefy and lead to added toxicity, which is never a positive for you. Follow these simple steps below to reach optimal digestive function.

• Take a quality probiotic, digestive enzyme and HCL supplement if meat breakdown is a challenge
• Always chew your meat sources very well
• Deep breath before and during meals to allow for proper digestive function
• Assess possible pathogens with your holistic health practitioner

The other area to understand within this question is the reality that we are all bio-chemically different. While one person my excel eating red meat or higher fat, heavier seafood such as shrimp or salmon, another may actually be challenged with this. Some are best to keep their meat consumption to light chicken or turkey or lower fat, lighter seafood such as tilapia or orange roughy. Some individuals actually require meat with regularity while others may actually do fine with very little meat with additional plant based proteins. Remember, we are all bio-chemically different!

Understanding your Nutritional ID is so important to make this distinction. This goes back to the same saying made by Hippocrates some 2600 years ago, "One man's food, is another man's poison." This is just as true today as it was so many years ago.

Thankfully by the beginning of the year, DepkeWellness.com will be providing the Nutrition ID evaluation on-line at no cost to you. This will provide you with the basic understandings and guidelines for making proper nutritional choices that are best for you as an individual. As we get closer to the launch date of the Nutritional ID assessment, we will address this on a much deeper level for your understanding.

Lastly today, I would like to focus on quality of your meats. I am never one to recommend meat that is grain fed, farm raised seafood, or any meat source this is in an unhealthy environment, eating poor quality food and pumped with hormones and anti-biotics. This would not be considered healthy in my opinion. Using smaller quantities of healthier meat choices goes a long way in providing your protein needs. Companies such as Vital Choice and Blackwing Meats are some of the sources that I use and enjoy personally.

I would like to close by sharing once again that meat itself is typically not the issue. The issues with meat are generally tied into poor digestion, the consumption of poor quality meat or eating the types of meats that are challenging to your own personal Nutritional ID.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave this below and I will address these personally.

Why Can't I Sleep? Part II

by Glen Depke

Last week we addressed the multiple areas of sleep challenges in regard to melatonin production. Hopefully you have already begun to address the areas in your life that hinder this production. Remember also that it was mentioned that adding melatonin in a supplement form is not necessarily the answer.

So why not?

Well, melatonin is what I refer to as an end result hormone. When you look at the sleep cycle pattern it looks like this.

1. Proper consumption of necessary proteins
2. Proper breakdown of these proteins to supply the essential amino acid L-tryptophan
3. Conversion of L-tryptophan into 5-HTP
4. Conversion of 5-HTP into the neurotransmitter serotonin
5. Conversion of serotonin to melatonin

With this you can see that adding melatonin does not fix the issue. It may be a quick fix, but that will be it.

So you can see that a disruption is sleep patterns can easily be created by poor diet or poor digestion. If you are not eating nutritional sources that contain tryptophan or if your digestive integrity is challenged, the cycle never really begins for you. With this in mind, be sure to add food sources that contain typtophan such as milk, tuna fish, soybeans, turkey, eggs, almonds, cabbage, kidney or lima beans, oats, pistachios, poppy seed, pumpkin seed, and spinach.

The next step is to be sure you can break down these foods properly by eating in a relaxed state (a few deep belly breaths go a long way), chew your food well and take a quality probiotic and digestive enzyme.

If you still find yourself struggling, you could add a L-tryptophan supplement 30 minutes prior to bedtime. It often helps to take this with a half/half mixture of grape fruit juice and water. This will not only assist with sleep but will also assist with B vitamin production.

Now, not every poor sleep pattern is tied into a poor sleep cycle. Very often it is tied into hormone imbalances, especially in regard to your adrenal glands. The cortisol produced in your adrenals for normal body function as well as a reactionary production due to physical or mental/emotional stress is often a significant issue. To understand, for proper hormone balance your cortisol and melatonin would typically be exact opposites of each other. When cortisol is up, melatonin would be down and likewise. Often when individuals have poor adrenal function, the cortisol levels are too high or too low, thus affecting the melatonin levels. To assess adrenal function and follow an adrenal balancing protocol I would recommend testing adrenal function with a comprehensive adrenal saliva test.

End results...poor sleep cycles.

If your sleep cycles are not providing you with the rest needed and energy desired, look at both the sleep cycle patterns mentioned above and/or your adrenal function. 9 out of 10 times, I see one of these two areas being the most significant challenge for my clients and often both are an issue.

Remember that within a healthy sleep pattern, you easily fall asleep, sleep soundly through the night and wake up rocked and ready to go. If you are not finding this to be the norm for you, find the imbalances and fix them before it becomes a significant issue for you.

If you have any comments or questions feel free to post this below.