The Mouth-Body Connection

"Inflammation is the final common pathway in a host of diseases, often starting in the mouth with gum disease. Untreated, major diseases in all organ systems can and do result. Dr. Curatola delivers an excellent, easy-to-follow program to combat inflammation while maintaining the critical balance of our oral microbiome, the unique ecosystem of the mouth. Solidly scientific, informative and engaging."

Who would have ever thought that simply by looking in to the mouth, gums and tongue of someone would you be able to tell the state of their health? I remember distinctively visiting a Chinese herbalist in Los Angeles, who asked to look at both my tongue and mouth and new what what going on with my body. Did you know that your mouth can be an indicator for things like cancer, diabetes, anemia, liver disease, Hepatitis C, Crohn's disease, stress, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, HIV, Leukemia and others? Your mouth, gums and tongue can give up oral symptoms of these diseases often times before other signs begin to show up in your body.

Dr. Curatola provides the details in how we can ensure that we live a more healthier and happy life simply by what we take into our mouth and how our bodies react to it. He instructs readers on how to restore the microbiome balance in our mouths and reduce health-destroying inflammation by means of diet, supplements, exercise and stress reduction. This book even includes 4 weeks of meal plans and recipes that will convince you that eating for balance can be a treat!

I received The Mouth-Body Connection by Dr. Gerry Curatola compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups.In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. I absolutely believe that everything that is plaguing our bodies is based on what we are eating and drinking. We are seeing more evidence of diabetes, obesity and disease on the rise with nothing to stop it. Our lifestyles are too busy to allow us the time to educate ourselves that we are virtually eating our way to early death and disease when we don't have to. I absolutely LOVE this book and the insights it offers on how to get healthy and even more importantly how to have more energy and vitality to live our lives better than we thought possible and eliminate drugs to get us back on a healthy way of living. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Mouth-Body Connection, Dr. Gerry Curatola or where to pick up your copy of this book today, please click on the links today.

The Mouth-Body Connection by Dr. Gerry Curatola

You can find Dr. Gerry Curatola on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest information about health and wellness.

You can read more reviews on The Mouth-Body Connection by visiting Hachette Book Groups website. 

Seize The Day - Study Guide

Yesterday, I share with you a review on Seize the Day, Joyce Meyer's latest novel to encourage and motivate readers on how to learn to live your life with purpose and in making every single day count. What is so wonderful today, is that I am sharing with you a Study Guide that goes hand in hand with the book Seize the Day. You can either read through the entire book, Seize the Day and then follow up with the Study Guide or like I chose to do, after each chapter, I picked up the Study Guide and completed the corresponding chapter to help drive the points made from the book home for me.

There are 22 chapters in the book and thus, there are 22 individual studies you can complete on your own or in a small group Bible study. These books are designed to help you make the most of the days you have left on earth, and to help you life on purpose. Have you ever felt like life was ordering you around instead of you ordering your life? If so, like me, you know something is wrong in how we are choosing to manage our lives and even doing the important things we know need to be done. Most people live their lives day in and day out without accomplishing much of what they truly intended to. They are busy, but not sure what they are busy with. Do you ever feel that way?

I'm busy has become the standard excuse for all the things we should have done but didn't do. I truly wonder how many people at the end of their life feel they lived the life they were meant to love? How many have only regrets about the things they did or did not do during their life? You only have one life, and if it is not going in the direction that you want it to, now is the time to make changes. This Study Guide includes several parts to help you stay on track towards making those changes and to digest all the material in Seize the Day.

Get Ready prepares you for the subject matter in the chapter and reviews what was learned in the previous chapter.

Get Set digs into the heart of the chapter and gives you questions and activities to help you think more deeply about the subjects presented.

Go! Is designed to help you implement the new ideas and strategies learned in the chapter.

Remember captures the main points of the chapter as well as a scripture to remember.

I received Seize the Day: Study Guide by Joyce Meyer compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Group for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this study guide in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of the product. This is such a great resource to help readers understand the way we are using our time, how to make the necessary changes to have a more productive and joy-filled life knowing you are using time wisely and how to ensure we are living our lives up to the potential God gave each one of us. I love that I am able to look back and analyze my own life at 52 and decide to take charge now on how I choose to live each day, and ensuring myself that I am stepping out in God's will and not my own for what I choose to do each day. I hope that when I get to the end of my life, I have a life of few regrets and know I lived my life up to the potential God created me to live. I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Seize the Day's Study Guide, Joyce Meyer or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Seize the Day Study Guide by Joyce Meyer

You can find Joyce Meyer on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books and resources.

To read more reviews on Seize the Day Study Guide, please visit Faith Word's website.

Seize the Day

"I'm sorry I would have called or visited sooner, but I've been so busy!"

Face it, we have either heard this statement or used it ourselves. Yet when you really think about it can you honestly remember what you were doing that occupied so much of your time and kept you busy? We all start off each day with that proverbial "To Do List" and then deviate off of it at some point because we get to busy. But busy doing what? Tackling things that really don't add much to our day? Perhaps its sitting down for a moment to watch TV while you grab a quick bite to eat, and then sit back and before you know it a few hours have passed. Or you were going to clean and organize your house today, and then something popped up and we never get to it. Then that phrase about being busy once again passes our lips.

We know that our time is a priceless and precious commodity and one we are only given so much of, so where are we wasting it? For believers, our life here is to be used in large part to prepare for our heavenly eternal home. We can use our time wisely by putting it into the will of God. We should never behave as if time is a commodity that continues to multiply in our lives. It is, in fact, just the opposite. Every moment we use is one that we never get back again, so using it wisely is important. Many people put off being in right relationship with God until another time. Usually it is because they want to do thing they know God wouldn't approve of. so they think they will choose their own time. But what if they run out of time? How much of our time are we wasting living selfishly instead of loving and serving others and trusting God to take care of us?

"In his book, Making Today Count for Eternity, author Kent Crockett asks the reader to imagine a World War II soldier, wounded while selflessly rescuing his fellow servicemen. When he returned to the States, he was given the Medal of honor for his patriotic service. What was it that motivated him to put his life in jeopardy? When his life was at stake in battle, he wasn't thinking, I'm going to risk my life so I can receive a shiny medal. The reward was simply the nation's way of showing appreciation for his heroic actions. He risked his life to rescue his friends and defend his country. In much the same way, we don't serve God for a reward. We serve Him because we love Him and we love those around us." (pg 30).

When talking about seizing the day and living life ' on purpose,' it is important to live with an eternal mind-set. If our actions, our attitudes, and our ambitions are carried out with an eternal mind-set rather than a temporal one, we are certain to accomplish bigger and better things for God and the growth of His Kingdom. "Using the time you have left on this earth, then it begins with a decision to seize the day every day and be an individual who lives life "on purpose" for a purpose. Every moment of our lives does not have to be regimented and fit into a plan, but, on the hand, if a good portion of our time isn't put into something with purpose and meaning, it will be wasted." (pg 38).

I received Seize the Day by Joyce Meyer compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside for a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased and fair opinion. This latest book by Joyce Meyers helps readers understand how to prioritize their days in order to accomplish all they can not only for themselves but in giving God glory and honor. Too often it comes at the end of our lives where we look back with regrets on all the things we didn't accomplish in our life and wish we had more time, or that we had done it differently. Joyce encourages readers to "Seize the Day" and begin to make those changes today so when we get to the end, we don't have the regrets so many others do and we can enter into the heavenly gates hearing the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I would easily give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Seize the Day, Joyce Meyer or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Seize the Day by Joyce Meyer

You can find Joyce Meyer on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books and projects.

To read more reviews on Seize the Day, please visit Faith Word's website. 

Ditching the Drive Thru

Today it seems like we never have enough time and certainly not enough time to make a dinner from scratch like our grandmother's make unless it's a holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving. Most of us are families in which both parents work and we barely have enough time to get it all done, along with taking our kids to school, picking them up, homework, sporting events and finding time for dinner is usually something we grab on the go or head to the nearest drive thru. While we know it is not healthy, what else can the average home do to ensure we are feeding our families healthy food and just how can you be sure what you are buying is truly healthy anyway.

J. Natalie Winch wrote a book just for people like us called Ditching the Drive-Thru, how to pass up processed goods, buy farm fresh, and transform your family's eating habits on a modern mom's schedule. Just hearing that was enough to make me want to check out this book. She teaches you the difference between grass-fed versus grain-fed, pastured versus free-range, or organic versus sustainable. Readers will gain a much needed lesson not only in knowing why but in how to do it, along with a 30-day plan to convert your family from junk food to real food without a revolt, something that I absolutely needed because my kids are hard to get them to try something new, especially if it sounds healthy. This book even includes recipes and advice on planning and preparing meals to you can make home cooked a habit for your family besides those special holiday times. Tips are included from locating local farms, seeing through marketing buzzwords and shopping with CSA's.

"The diet industry present us with a simple equation: fat=unhealthy. Of course, it tends to ignore the possibility that increased body fat is related to the chemicals and additives in processed foods manufactured by the industrialized food system. Fat in itself is not inherently unhealthy, although fat-laden refined food generally is. As our food becomes more and more processed in order to make food easier and faster to consume, our people are rowing less and less healthy. Food quality declines, overall healthy declines, people start gaining weight, and then the diet industry gets a major boost. " (pg 8).

I received Ditching the Drive-Thru by J. Natalie Winch compliments of Spikehorn Press and iRead Book Tours for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. After watching my husband at 46 have a major heart attack, this was a huge wake up call for both of us. After meeting with our cardiologists, he agrees that the ages of people having heart related issues is getting much younger than ever before and it is based on what we are eating. This is why this book is so critical to gain the knowledge we need to make the right decisions to start feeding our families the right way and in doing so, give them a quality of life that they can pass on to a future generation. It is interesting to note that there has also been a rise in cancer deaths and when you look at the facts, it is hard not to put it all together and discover it has to do with our food we are eating. This book helps put all of that into perspective and well worth all 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Ditching the Drive-Thru, J. Natalie Winch or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Ditching the Drive-Thru by J. Natalie Winch 

You can find J. Natalie Winch on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest tips on healthy eating.

To read more reviews on Ditching the Drive-Thru, please visit iRead Book Tour page. 

Grain Brain

Are you experiencing any of the following signs:

Being overweight?

Being unable to change how your body looks, no matter how much you exercise?

Being unable to lose weight or keep weight off?

Constantly craving "comfort foods"?

Fatigue after meals?

Feeling consistently anxious or stressed-out?

Feeling hungry all the time or at odd hours of the night?

Having a tendency to snack after meals?

Having high fasting triglycerides, over 100 mg/dL - particularly when equal to or exceeding cholesterol levels?

Having osteoporosis?

Having problems falling or staying asleep?

High Blood Pressure?

Regularly craving sugar or stimulants like caffeine?

The presence of "love handles"?

If you're like me, you probably answered yes to almost all of these. But there is a common answer that can alleviate these symptoms simply without medication and by what we eat and what is in what we eat. Funny how the food pyramid is where most of us gain our information on what's good for us, but you'd be surprised at how wrong the information has been that has enabled our society not only to gain larger waistlines, but also smaller brains.

Did you know that the larger your waistline is, the smaller your brain really is? Not to mention that the risks of diabetes, obesity, dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, auto immune disorders and even brain disease is all being elevated now but what is in our food and what we are consuming? Evidence now points to those with risks of diabetes and are also overweight, studies have shown that degenerative brain cognition is now being proven that link the two together? If that doesn't shock you into awareness, I don't know what will.

In the latest book, Grain Brain, Dr. David Perlmutter takes readers into the heart of what our diets and eating habits are doing to our health. Now science is proving that gluten is linked to increasing the risks of common neurological ailments such as ADHD, anxiety disorder, Tourette's syndrome, mental illness, migraines and even autism. He discusses gluten's role in behavioral and movement disorders and shows you how simple dietary changes may make significant improvements in our overall neurological health.

He teaches you what's been happening and what we are doing that is literally killing us slowly. But there is hope, he shows you how to begin turning back the clock on some of these old habits and bring us closer to a healthier lifestyle without the need for medication or crazy fad diets. Learn the real secret behind high fructose corn syrup and even why eating fruit may be bad for you. He'll show you what supplements are worth taking, when and why, along with a great beginning exercise and healthy eating plan. He shows you what to eliminate from your kitchen and how to avoid those seemingly innocent food labels that fool you into thinking what you're buying is really healthy when its not.

There is simply so much great information that even Dr. Mehmet Oz has commented that this is"An innovative approach to our most fragile organ." This book is packed with easy-to-follow strategies, delicious recipes, and weekly goals to help you put the plan into action, along with real life stories of transformation to gain control of your life, regain wellness and enjoy lifelong health and vitality. 

I received Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter compliments of Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. I've been working on my own healthier eating plan for three weeks and found the information in this book instrumental to aid me in my way to a stronger more well balance lifestyle. I already knew that grains were something most farmers feed their stock to fatten them up so it made sense that it would work on us as well. It's great to know that some of the things I was doing was great, but also the reduction of how much fruit I was eating didn't make sense until I read through the chapter on sugar, Chapter 4, Not a Fruitful Union -This is Your Brain on Sugar (Natural or Not). What I read literally shocked me and made complete sense. I would rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and plan on changing what I buy and what my family eats to ensure a healthier lifestyle for all of us.

For more information about Grain Brain, Dr. David Perlmutter or where you can pick up a copy of this amazing book today, please click on the links below:

Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter

You can even find out more information on Facebook by Dr. David Perlmutter's page.

To read an excerpt from Grain Brain, visit Hachette Book Groups site. 

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (September 17, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031623480X
• ISBN-13: 978-0316234801
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.3 x 9.5 inches