Let food be your medicine- the hippocratic oath

In cleaning and in health the sames rules seem to apply for good

Prevent as much as possible

Use the mildes and safest means possible

and leave nothing behind and do no harm!!

Below is the modern version of the hippocratic oath

I thought spring is a good time to revisit this oath

A widely used modern version of the traditional oath was penned in 1964 by Dr. Louis Lasagna, former Principal of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University:[8]

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of over treatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.


I will not be ashamed to say "I know not", nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patients recovery.


I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, be respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter.

May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

As Always, wishing you a happy and healthy home!
Denise Frakes
Co-owner of Blue Sky Services
Certified Healthy Home Specialist- NCHH

The grain of the month is Quinoa

Tonight somewhere after putting the groceries away and making dinner, I made a fabulous little discovery. There is a grain of the month calendar!!! I ask you, how incredibly cool is that?

The whole grains council has created a calendar celebrating one or two grains per month. From my blog title, you probably figured out Quinoa is March's grain of the month.

Here is a teaser about this super little pseudo grain:

"It's not surprising that quinoa supports good health, as it's one of the only plant foods that is a complete protein, offering all the essential amino acids in a healthy balance. Not only is the protein complete, but quinoa grains have an unusually high ratio of protein to carbohydrate, since the germ makes up about 60% of the grain. ( For comparison, wheat germ comprises less than 3% of a wheat kernel.) Quinoa is also highest of all the whole grains in potassium, which helps control blood pressure."

The site is a gold mine of grain info.
http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/

Each month the council lists a new grain. Since we are already into March I will catch you up.
January is Oats
February is Barley
March is Quinoa

Tonight we had sprouted brown rice for dinner...apparently, I was out of season:)

As always, wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise Frakes

Cocunut Sugar - keeps the sugar blues away

Coconut Sugar, it looks like dull brown sugar sugar. I first heard about it last year at a sprouting class. Shortly after that my sister told me about coconut sugar. She had heard about it from one of her student's moms.

I tried it, my sister tried it. We liked it. This week I dug a bit deeper into this new ingredient. It turns out, coconut sugar has some powerful friends. Here is a video by Dr. Oz. He likes it. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/coconut-palm-sugar-best-new-sugar-alternative

Specifically this is what I like about coconut sugar:
It is natural
It has a glycemic index of 35
It doesn't make my blood sugar jump and dive after eating
It tastes good
It can be substituted for regular sugar 1:1 ratio

Have I ever mentioned diabetes runs in my family? Did you know I have troubles with hypoglycemia ( low blood sugar)? And although this is rare.... sometimes I get blood sugar spikes and drops causing me to be less than charming.

To find an ingredient where I can enjoy foods that are not only yummy but safe is a good find.

Last night I made homemade whipped cream:
Whipping cream
Coconut sugar
Real Vanilla extract

This morning I mixed plain yogurt, frozen blueberries, a bit of coconut sugar and a splash of lemon extract for my breakfast- way good.

My sister and I have been playing around with coconut sugar for about 6 months. So far we give it a thumbs up. Anything that keeps me healthy and smiling is a good thing!

As always, wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise Frakes
Co-Owner of Blue Sky Services
Certified Healthy Home Specialist