More than two thousand years ago, The Father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, stated that all disease begins in the gut. Today, ever mounting research is proving just how right Hippocrates was!

Science has discovered that about 90% of all cells and all genetic material of the human body belongs to our gut flora–a mixture of various microbes that live inside our digestive tract. This means that our own body’s cells account for just 10% of all the cells of the body. Basically, we’re just a shell that provides a home for a massive population of tiny microscopic creatures living inside us!

The creatures that make up our gut flora are tiny yet mighty! Research is revealing that they play a critical role in our psychological and physiological health and well-being. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle exposes us to many things that can destroy our beneficial gut flora, including:

• Antibiotics and other prescription drugs, including birth control pills and hormonal drugs
• Chlorine and fluorine (found in most tap water)
• Coffee
• Processed foods
• Sugar
• Stress
• Pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and antibiotics used in farming

Once our beneficial gut flora are damaged, the health of the whole body enters a downward slide towards disease. This is where GAPS™ comes in.

GAPS™ stands for Gut & Psychology/Physiology Syndrome, and was developed by Dr. Natasha-Campbell McBride, a medical doctor with postgraduate degrees in both Neurology and Human Nutrition. GAPS™ is a highly successful, self-help programme, based on a very specific nutritional protocol that has helped thousands of people of all ages improve their overall health by restoring gut health.

On the front of her book: GAPS™: Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha states that GAPS™ is a natural treatment for autism, dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, depression, and schizophrenia. In addition to these conditions, the GAPS™ nutritional protocol may also be beneficial for digestive disorders (e.g. Irritable Bowel Syndrome/IBS, colitis) and autoimmune disorders (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s, thyroid issues).

In September 2013, I attended an intensive Certified GAPS™ Practitioner training program offered by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, so that I can support individuals wishing to adopt the GAPS™ protocol. In honour of April being Autism Awareness Month as well as IBS Awareness Month, I will be holding a one-hour FREE presentation that will provide a basic introduction to GAPS™. While there is officially no cost for this presentation, I would like to suggest that attendees place $10 in a donation box that will be on site. All money collected will be donated to the Ottawa-based non-profit organization, QuickStart. QuickStart’s mission is to see that all children on the autism spectrum have equal opportunity to develop to their full potential through early intervention.

Details regarding the presentation are as follows:

Date: Tuesday April 28 2015
Time: 7:30pm to 8:30pm
Location: International Academy Health Education Centre
380 Forest Avenue (near Carling and Richmond, 2 blocks west of Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre)
Classroom 7

Space is limited to 35 people, so please email me at info@perfectresonance.com to reserve your spot. Please put GAPS in the subject line.

Hope to see you there.

Anna

Pop quiz!

Take a few seconds and answer the following three True or False questions:

1. Fats should be avoided.
2. Unsaturated fats, like canola and olive oil, are healthier than saturated fats like butter.
3. Eating fat makes you fat.

While these questions may seem pretty straight forward, they’re not! My answer to each one is: “it depends!’

Unfortunately, many of the common recommendations regarding fats are surrounded by confusion and contradiction, so they don’t really give the full story. For example:

• Avoid fats, especially saturated fats found in foods like butter, eggs, and other animal products.
• Buy low-fat versions of foods, such as low-fat yogurt, skim milk, and packaged goods, whenever possible.
• Use margarine instead of butter.
• When cooking, use canola oil and other vegetable oils instead of butter or animal fats.
• Avoid fats to lose weight.

How many of these common recommendations do you, or someone you know, strictly follow? I hope you said “none” because they are pretty much all BIG FAT LIES!

Separating fact from fiction when it comes to fats is potentially one of THE most important things you can do for your health and the health of your family, and I’m writing to you today to let you know of a health-changing, ‘myth-busting’ on-line pre-recorded webinar presentation available to you right now,  called “The Skinny on Fats: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”, that I bet will change the way you think about fats.

It’s very concerning to me that one of the most misunderstood topics in nutrition is fats given the many critical roles fats play in our overall health, including weight management, cognitive/mental health, immune function, and modulating numerous inflammatory conditions. I want to reach as many people as I can with this important information, and this easy-to-access on-line pre-recorded webinar will allow me to do just that.

“The Skinny on Fats” is one of the first workshops I offered in a live setting and it quickly became one of my most popular ones. I’ve had numerous requests to turn it into a webinar so that it would be available to more people, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to offer this to you!

Curious as to what you’ll learn? Here’s just a sample:

• the importance of eating different fats in terms of your overall health and why your body needs fat
• information that will separate fact from fiction and debunk the commonly held beliefs many people have about fats
• practical tips and tools that will help you to limit or avoid unhealthy fats and include more healthy fats in your meals and snacks whether eating at home or eating out
• the health risks of eating trans-fats and why ‘trans-fat free’ claims on packaged foods aren’t all they’re cracked up to be
• which fats are good, not-so-good, bad, and downright ugly when it comes to your health
• the importance of omega-3s (e.g. fish oil, flax, chia seeds), why most people are seriously deficient, and why this deficiency causes pain and problems in the body
• how eating fat can help you to lose fat

This on-line educational event will be approximately 1.5 hours in length. The pre-recorded webinar format means you can watch the presentation at a time and place that is convenient and comfortable for you! You can watch it all in one sitting, or watch it a bit at a time as you digest (no pun intended) the information – whatever suits your schedule.

In addition to the convenience factor, I’m  also really excited about this format as it gives you access to loads of health-changing information at a fraction of what it would cost you to do get it through a one-on-one, person-to-person appointment with me, where 1.5 hours of my time would typically cost approximately $150. Compare that with the $20 + HST special introductory cost of this webinar. Did I just say $20 + HST? Yup, I did! Anna’s finally gone bananas!

Since this is a first for me, the webinar will only be available to 50 people as I want to make sure that the administrative part is manageable – it will be a bit of a trial run for me.

To purchase the webinar, click here. One you’ve completed your purchase, you’ll receive an email with a link to download the webinar.

I’m really excited about you being a part of my first ever pre-recorded webinar that will educate, empower, and energize you to become a healthier, more vibrant you!

Enjoy, and remember to take control of what you can.

Anna