JaNae after completing her written exam.

“From the first time I was zoned, I knew I wanted to become a foot zoner.  My first zone left me feeling euphoric and ready to learn how to help others feel as good as I did.  After a couple years, I was finally able to embark on my new adventure called foot zoning classes.  I went believing that I was going to learn how to help others and my family feel better and become more healthy but what actually happened was I found myself.  I found that by learning to zone, I grew closer to my Savior, I started believing in myself and that I could truly help others.  What a great gift it has become for me, my family and clients.  It has been one of the best decisions in my life.”   ~JaNae Briggs

Natalie zoning Jenni Runolfson, an instructor, during her practical exam.

“Taking the foot zone classes from We Do Feet Seminars was spot on for me.  I had desired to become a foot zoner for at least five years.  I never felt I could justify the time or the money.  One day I took the dive and it has been a beautiful experience for me.  My family assisted me to  make the time and I was able to pay for some of my schooling from the money I started making from zoning sessions.  It has been invigorating to learn about the body and its functions and how that applies to the feet.  in class, students also learn about how to grow in their abilities as a zoner.  They are encouraged to take their dreams and own them.  There is a wealth of knowledge given that encourages self growth.  The class is fun, peaceful, challenging, and good for anyone interested in healing self, family, extended family, friends, or new acquaintances and potential clients.  I highly recommend these instructors.  They each have unique abilities that add to the experience and education you receive.”  ~ Natalie Cook

Vicki during her practical exam.

“Foot Zoning has brought incredible miracles both physically and emotionally into my life and the lives of those I have had the opportunity to serve.  Life is brighter, more hopeful, and serene after a zone.  Foot Zoning is an incredible way to start the healing process on the body and the spirit.  WE CAN change our lives and become whole through healing our bodies and spirits and have been given many tools to do so.  CREATE A GOOD LIFE!”  ~ Vicki Fox

Megan during her practical exam.

“Most of us are on a quest for personal wellness for ourselves and our families.  Foot zoning was introduced to me several years ago.  I was so intrigued by our bodies ability to communicate to us that I had to take the classes!  Our instructors quickly became our friends as we shared knowledge and life experiences together.  The growth of each class member was amazing, and I really feel empowered now to help my family and others achieve the wellness they desire and deserve.”  ~ Megan Richards

In addition to being a chapter leader for the WAPF, Kirsty is blessed to be the mother of three, and another six that call her ‘motha’!  Her ministry is teaching people about real food and how important real food is for real health.  This is her story of what they believed to be her husband’s brown recluse spider bite in May of 2008.

Brown recluse spiders (BRS) are generally found in the central Midwestern states, especially in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.  We have been told by several ‘authority’ figures that BRS are not found in California.  We beg to differ.  This is our story of what we believe was a BRS bite.

Day 3 - The night we went to Urgent Care. The orange mark in the center is due to an application of topical iodine.

Initially he thought he had a mosquito bite – it was red, itchy and bothersome.  After a couple of days he brought the bite to my attention and we decided to visit Urgent Care at our HMO.  By then, there was a distinctive bump, surrounded by dark edges and a large ‘bulls eye’ circle moving out on his leg.  The skin was extremely hot to touch and the area around the bite was very hard and dry.

Our visit to Urgent Care did not go well.  This was the first part of what led us to home treatment – we were assured that a) there were absolutely NO BRS in California and b) he was not suffering from any respiratory or skin distress (fever, shaking, rash, etc.), so clearly it was not a spider bite.  For all intents and purposes we were sent home.  We left and took treatment into our own hands.

I began by making a poultice of ground activated charcoal, tea tree oil, sage oil, and MSM powder.  By bedtime that night the bite scene was beginning to swell and look very red. Colloidal silver was added as the mixing liquid for the poultice.  Our  main concern was to pull out the venom as fast as possible.  The longer it was present the more necrosis (death of tissue) would occur.  We also added bentonite clay into the poultice mix.

By this time I had done significant research on the Internet about BRS and their subsequent damaging bites.  I knew we had to literally  ‘throw everything we had and more’ at this to enable full healing for my husband.  I found the “Brown Recluse First Aid Kit” from www.brown-recluse.com.  I ordered the kit.  It then became the basis of every poultice that we made.  We stocked up on bandages (the soft stretchy gauze kind), non-stick sterile pads (imperative that non-stick is used due to the amount of weeping and oozing that the wound was doing) and bandage tape.  When everything is changed at least three times a day you go through a LOT of supplies.

Day 6 - PM

Much of the treatment was trial and error:  soaking bandages with noni juice to lay on wound for 15 minutes after changing a poultice, using tamanu oil on the edges of the would (stopped due to irritation of the raw skin), stopping the colloidal silver and adding more lavender oil (it was reported to have prevented gangrene in WWI battlefield injuries).  The wound was weeping copiously by day 6, and the poultice needed to be changed often (5 hours seemed to be the magic time frame).  We followed this faithfully around the clock.  The skin on the wound site was now extremely fragile and touching it seemed to just shred or dissolve the skin.

We started immune system building around this time as well – lots of Vitamin C, MSM and probiotics.  The venom was clearly spreading and we wanted to build and strengthen the internal system as much as possible to fight any connection with the venom.

Day 7 - AM

By day 7 we decided to remove the essential oils.  The skin was so fragile and it was beginning to hurt…a lot.  We used a marker and outlined the wound in order to track the changes. On day 8 we added approximately 1 teaspoon of coconut oil into the poultice mix.  We also added zinc oxide to the very outer edges of the wound because the edges were getting very dry and tight.  The zinc oxide seemed to relieve some of this tightness.  By day 9 it was determined that not having it lower than the heart greatly reduced pain levels.

Day 9 - marker to outline wound to see if size changes

Our BRS first aid kit arrived on Day 10 and we added it immediately into the poultice mix.  By now the wound was open, bubbly and clearly layers of skin were missing.  Within 24 hours we started to see an improvement in the wound, although there was clearly some issues with edema (swelling) in his foot if he was standing too long.

Day 11

We did have a couple of set backs along the way.  For instance, if the poultice was left on too long it would dry out and have to be peeled / pulled from the wound.  This removed more skin and was very painful.  The other hiccup we had was around day 12 or 13.  My husband started to itch…everywhere.    Soon after the itching started a rash followed.  This was a head to toe rash that was unrelenting.  We tried benedryl and prednisone but all to no avail.  By day 14 it was clear we couldn’t control the rash / itching and had to return to Urgent Care.  The doctor said it was a ‘histamine rash’ and prescribed several medications, and believe it or not he didn’t even look at the bite wound!  The doctor said there was no connection between the two events.  New medications were hydroxyzine (25mg shot), 25 mg hydroxyzine 3x day, 40 mg pamotidine, 10 mg cetirizine and bethamethasone valerate cream.  Within 2-3 days of this protocol the rash and itchiness were under control.

Day 18

By Day 21 the wound had reached a point where new skin was now growing and we stopped the daytime poultices.  During the day we now added tamanu oil, coconut oil, almond oil, cherry kernel oil and mango oil (in varying mixes) to soften the wound due to the fact the entire area was extremely dry, flaky and tight.  Within a few more days we stopped the poultices all together.  The oils we kept up for many more weeks until the skin had completely healed.  A year later the wound area got very red and tender again (this is common with BRS bites) but thankfully it did no more than that.

In hindsight there are very few things I would have changed, one of which is not wasting my time and money at Urgent Care!  I would have also incorporated raw honey into the treatment, along with liposomal Vitamin C soaked bandages in conjunction with comfrey being included in the poultices.  Its there a guarantee that this was indeed a brown recluse spider bite?  No.  Without the spider there is no way of truly identifying what caused this.  But I’m glad we treated it as we did.  I wouldn’t have liked to see this ‘run it’s course’.  If you live in the U.S. it’s probably a good thing to have a brown recluse spider first aid kit on hand – you never know when you might need it!

NOTE:  How to make a poultice

Poultices can draw infection, treat boils and abscesses, relieve inflammation and draw toxins.  A homemade poultice is made by mixing powdered ingredients (herbs, plant material, clay) with water or natural oils to make a paste.  The paste is then applied directly to the skin and covered with a clean covering (cloth, bandage, gauze).  If you use herbs that are potent (onion, garlic, ginger, mustard) you may want to layer the thin cloth between the skin and poultice.  the poultice can be changed every 3-4 hours or whenever it dries out.

Technology has come a long way since flower petals were first floated in a bowl of water and called Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has become an integral part of any healthy home.  Today we have many types of Essential Oil Diffusers to choose from.  It is important to understand the therapeutic and technological differences between them because the term “Diffuser” covers a wide range of products.

Aromatherapy Diffusers generally fall into one of three categories (dangerous burners excluded).  These are Pad Diffusers, Vaporizing Diffusers, and Nebulizing Diffusers.

The simplest form of Diffuser is the Pad Diffuser.  Because the Essential Oil is simply evaporated and sometimes heated, the therapeutic benefit is minimal.  These are available with replaceable pads and very quiet fans.  Pad Diffusers are nice for scenting areas for a short period of time and are very inexpensive.  The most popular form of a pad diffuser is used in our cars.

The next type of Diffuser is the Ultrasonic Vaporizer.  This is a very interesting type of Diffuser therapeutically because while it scents the air with Essential Oils it also creates Negative Ions.  The Negative Ions have many benefits both in the air and in the body.  Ultra Sonic Diffusers are very popular because of their silent operation and most come with added features like lights and even speakers for your MP3.  Ultrasonic Diffusers are great if you really want to stretch your oils.

The most powerful and therapeutic type of Essential Oil Diffuser is the Nebulizing Diffuser.  This type of diffuser uses a cold air pump and a jet style Atomizer to nebulize pure Essential Oil into a micro-fine vapor.  The vapor that moves through the air is actual micro droplets of pure Essential Oil.  This pure oil vapor is extremely powerful and therapeutic.  Nebulizing Diffusers are the ultimate way to experience Essential Oils and a quality Nebulizing Diffuser can provide a lifetime of dependable service.

Investing in an Essential Oil diffuser can add therapeutic benefit to any home.  When used to replace a chemical based fragrance product such as those found in the grocery store, the benefit is twofold.  Not only are you ridding your home of chemicals that may be doing your family harm, you are replacing it with the most powerful naturally therapeutic substances known to mankind.  Essential Oils are the purest and most beneficial compounds offered by the plant kingdom and it is no coincidence that they work so perfectly with our bodies.

The Ultrasonic Diffuser is offered as part of our Quarterly Group Buy.  However, if you are interested in a different type, you can receive 5% off the price at DiffuserWorld.com by using this code:  A631SAVE5.

Excerpt from A Campaign for Real Milk a complimentary pamphlet offered by The Weston A. Price Foundation.  Weston A. Price Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt nutrition education foundation.  Read our mission statement. . . Become a member and receive our lively and informative quarterly journal.  Click here for a message from Sally Fallon Morell.  Read our Dietary Guidelines here.

Real Milk comes from real cows.

The source of most commercial milk is the modern (rather than the traditional) Holstein, bred to produce huge quantities of milk – three times as much as the old-fashioned cow – and to survive on a grain-based diet rather than on grass.  Her average lifespan is forty-two months, compared to about twelve years for the grass-fed cow.  She must be milked three times per day, and she is very susceptible to mastitis.  her milk contains high levels of growth hormone from her pituitary gland, even when she is spared the indignities of genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone to push her to the udder limits of milk production.

Real Milk comes from real cows that eat real feed.

Real feed for cows is green grass in spring, summer and fall, with only small amounts of grain; stored dry hay, silage and root vegetables in winter.  It is not soy meal, cottonseed meal or other commercial feeds, nor is it bakery waste, chicken manure, swill from ethanol production or citrus peel cake laced with pesticides.  Vital nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, and K2 are greatest in milk from cows eating green grass, especially rapidly growing green grass in the spring and fall.  Vitamins A and D are greatly diminished, and vitamin K2 disappears when milk cows are fed commercial feed.  Soy meal has the wrong protein profile for the dairy cow, resulting in a short burst of high milk production followed by premature death.  Most milk (even most milk labeled “organic”) comes from dairy cows that are kept in confinement their entire lives and never see green grass!

Real Milk is not pasteurized.

Pasteurization destroys enzymes, denatures anti-microbial and immune-stimulating components, diminishes nutrient availability, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B6 and B12, kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth and behavior problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis and heart disease.  Calves fed pasteurized milk do poorly and often die before maturity.  Raw milk sours naturally but pasteurized milk turns putrid.  Pasteurization was instituted in the 1920s to combat TB, infant diarrhea, undulant fever and other diseases caused by poor animal nutrition, dirty production methods and infected water supplies.  But times have changed and effective water treatment, stainless steel tanks, milking machines, refrigerated trucks and improved testing methods make pasteurization absolutely unnecessary for public protection.  And pasteurization does not always kill pathogens.  The bacteria for Johne’s disease, with which a large portion of confinement cows are infected, survive pasteurization; Johne’s has been linked to Crohn’s disease in humans.  Much commercial milk is now ultra-pasteurized to get rid of heat-resistant pathogens and give it a longer shelf life.  Ultra-pasteurization is a violent process that takes milk from a cool temperature to above the boiling point in just a few seconds.  Clean raw milk from tested healthy cows is available in stores in several states and may be bought directly from the farm or obtained through cow share or herd share programs in many more.  (Sources are listed at www.realmilk.com.)

Real Milk is not homogenized.

Homogenization is a process that breaks down butterfat globules so they do not rise to the top. Homogenized milk has been linked to heart disease.

Real Milk contains butterfat, and lots of it!

Average butterfat content from old-fashioned cows at the turn of the century was over 4 percent (or more than 50 percent of calories).  Today butterfat comprises less than 3 percent (or less than 35 percent of calories).  Worse, consumers have been duped into believing that low-fat and skim milk products are good for them. Only by marketing low-fat and skim milk as health foods can the modern dairy industry get rid of its excess poor-quality, reduced-fat milk from modern high-production herds.  Butterfat contains vitamins A and D needed for assimilation of calcium and protein in the water fraction of the milk.  Without them protein and calcium are more difficult to utilize and possible toxic.  Butterfat is rich in short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which protect against disease and stimulate the immune system.  It contains glycospingolipds, which prevent intestinal distress, and conjugated linoleic acid, which as strong anticancer properties.

Real Milk products contain no additives.

Powdered skim milk, a source of dangerous oxidized cholesterol and neurotoxic amino acids, is added to 1% and 2% milk.  Low-fat yogurts and sour creams contain mucopolysaccharide slime to give them body.  Pale butter from hay-fed cows contains colorings to imitate vitamin-rich butter from grass-fed cows.  Bio-engineered enzymes are used in large-scale cheese production.  Mass-produced cheeses contain additives and colorings, and imitation cheese products contain vegetable oils.

Real Milk can save family farms.

Pasteurization laws favor large, industrialized dairy operations and squeeze out small farmers.  When farmers have the right to sell unprocessed milk directly to consumers, they can make a decent living, even with small herds.

Real Milk Nature’s Perfect Food

Galen, Hippocrates, Pliny, Varro, Marcellus Empiricus, Bacchis and Anthimus, leading physicians of their day, all used raw milk in the treatment of disease.  During the early 1900s, Dr. J. E. Crewe of the Mayo Foundation used an exclusive raw milk diet to cure TB, edema, heart failure, high blood pressure, prostate disease, urinary tract infections, diabetes, kidney disease, chronic fatigue and obesity.  Today, in Germany, successful raw milk therapy is provided in many hospitals.

Studies show that children fed raw milk have more resistance to TB than children fed pasteurized milk (Lancet, p 1142, 5/8/37); that raw milk is very effective in preventing scurvy and protecting against flu, diphtheria and pneumonia (AM J Dis Child, Nov 1917); that raw milk prevents tooth decay, even in children who eat a lot of sugar (Lancet, p 1142, 5/8/37); that raw milk is better than pasteurized milk in promoting growth and calcium absorption (Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 518, p 8, 1/33); that a substance present in raw cream (but not in pasteurized cream) prevents join stiffness and the pain of arthritis (Annual Review of Biochemistry, 18:435, 1944); and that children who drink raw milk have fewer allergic skin problems and far less asthma than children who drink pasteurized milk (Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2007 May; 35(5) 627-630).  Man parents report an improvement in their children’s behavior when they switch from pasteurized to raw milk.

Raw milk contains numerous components that kill pathogenic bacteria in the milk, strengthen the immune system, protect the intestinal tract, prevent the absorption of toxins and ensure full assimilation of all the nutrients in the milk.  These components are largely destroyed by pasteurization.

Learn about real nutrition:  join The Weston A. Price Foundation.  Click here for ‘just the facts’.