Author Archives: Maria Atwood, CNHP

Having spent many years as a former insomniac, I thought it might be helpful to tackle the subject of sleepless nights at the start of a hopeful and more peaceful new year. After all, even those of us who are relatively healthy and not experiencing any chronic pain or emotional upheaval will occasionally meet up […]

Of all the spices in the world, I believe salt may be the most maligned of them all. And yet, most of us consume it on a daily basis! Salt not only plays an intricate role in satisfying our taste buds, but it’s also highly medicinal. So why am I talking about salt and salad […]

I was recently obliged to stay at home all day Sunday with only myself and a snoozing cat! All my nicely organized church plans were necessarily canceled due to it being one of the most cold, snowy, icy days to date. Driving anywhere was simply not an option. I was simply paralyzed as I took […]

Looking back over the years since I became a Chapter Leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation, and then while I worked full-time on my nutritional practice, the most common complaint I heard from people was that eating healthy is just too darn expensive! Even now that I’m semi-retired, I still hear the same thing. […]

In my ongoing quest to cook nutrient dense meals, I’ve been on the hunt for that ever-wonderful dish called a casserole. As a household of one, casseroles are a real timesaver for me. They use several types of foods (even leftovers), and I can combine my favorite flavors. Best of all, I can bake casseroles […]

In a recent blog post about the eye-brain connection, I detailed my own difficult battle with an eye disorder called episcleritis. Although I dealt with it successfully enough to stop using steroids, some troubling issues nevertheless remained. My continued search for a magic potion that would bring my eyes back to their original sharp focus […]

Like many of us, you may wait till the last minute before you start scrambling to find an easy way to banish the first sign of the winter woes. Yes, that’s the case for many of us with too busy a lifestyle. We find ourselves unprepared to prevent the onset of a bad cold, sore […]

Ah yes, nothing like a friend who calls you up at 6:00 A.M. in the morning with alarm and fear in her voice as she says, “I just got out of the shower and realized my body is really, really getting flabby!” In a half dream-state I say, “Fran, what in the world are you […]

It seems that every time I put pork on the grocery list, a little voice somewhere deep inside me says, “Parasites! Parasites!” I promptly dispel the thought and remind myself to simply cook the pork to the point of being dry—and unsavory! In an effort to understand the why of this precaution and learn to […]

Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and your taste buds simply don’t crave eggs, bacon, and toast? I’m sure you know what I mean, but if not, I’m talking about those normal foods we’ve been educated to think are the only true breakfast foods, and everything else is either […]

Fourteen years after my mom passed away, I finally got around to cleaning out the boxes containing her belongings. There was lots of memorabilia, and seeing old photos of my mom spawned what I hope is a timely subject. I noticed in her photos that as she went from childhood to young womanhood to motherhood, […]

A while back, I was reminiscing about many things. I recalled a conversation my late sister-in-law told us about her grandfather who, in the late 1940s and early ’50s, was consumed with the dire predictions of the times. When the family cleaned out his home after his death, they discovered a hidden opening inside one […]

If you or any of your family members are trapped in the obsessive cycle of alcoholism, rest assured that there are ways out of this depressive and destructive lifestyle. Alcoholism is a devastating disorder, and it’s rarely discussed in polite company or groups that cater to those seeking good health in general. As such, it […]

Do you recall a time when you could spring out of bed, and your body moved and swayed with no effort, no pain and more importantly no stiffness? Yes, this wondrous condition is known simply as being supple! Now you may ask about where and when did it go away, and how do you get […]

It’s often the case that once you watch a movie or read a book the second time around, you notice new things that you simply didn’t catch the first time around! It’s a crazy phenomenon, but that’s just what happened to me recently when I reread Nourishing Broth by Sally Fallon Morell and Kaayla T. […]

I’d venture to say that fats, good and bad, have been one of the most talked about, written about, and discussed subjects in the last few years. Many people are still absolutely sure that saturated fat causes heart disease, cancer, and numerous other damaging problems related to plaque. From the studies of Dr. Royal Lee […]

I’ve needed to wear glasses since my very early childhood, but I’ve never done anything for my eyes except obediently get my yearly exam and leave with a stronger prescription than the one before. That habit abruptly stopped last year when I was visited with a serious inflammation in my left eye. The sudden redness […]

Herbal remedies are possibly the most sought-after natural alternatives to harmful drugs and antibiotics. And guess what? They work. Yes, herbs really do help us heal and maintain our well-being. If you’re interested in growing a medicinal herb garden, this article is for you. Even if you don’t garden, you can still get the benefits […]

Are you like the many people who have the “Yuck Factor” when it comes to eating organ meats? Is your reaction, “Oh no—don’t even show me that stuff! I will not eat it or even look at it! Yuck!” Yes, organ meats, also called offal, are foreign to many of us, but learning to love […]

If you have a consistently low body temperature below 98.6°, you may need the warming miracle of RNA (ribonucleic acid). Many of us aren’t aware that paying attention to our body temperature is one of the most important things we can do to help resolve numerous health issues. A person with a consistent low body […]