Cal Orey's Blog, page 50

Herbs and Spices Gift Book -- Perfect for the Holiday Season!

Key To Vibrant Health For All Generations Is In Your Kitchen . . .

Anise, bay leaf, garlic, parsley, turmeric, and more — for thousands of years, herbs and spices have been praised for preserving and flavoring food, as well as preventing and curing illnesses.

The latest research reveals that the seasonings already in your pantry — or easily found fresh in your supermarket or garden — can lower your risk for cancer, heart disease, and obesity.

This A-to-Z guide catalogs the most popular and versatile herbs and spices, drawn from the Mediterranean Diet but suitable for any diet plan. You will learn how to harness herbalism to heal your body and mind.

In the pages of The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices you will discover how you can naturally:

Bring abundant zest to your table while lowering your cholesterol, balancing your blood sugar, and revving up your metabolism — at any age!Ward off colds and flu, banish a hacking cough, and even ease PMS or menopause woes, by adding tasty plant therapy to your favorite food or drink.Lessen your anxiety and boost your mood with aromatic natural ingredients found in dried and fresh flavorings.Soothe aches and pains without harmful side effects — and trigger feel-good endorphins — using sweet and savory garnishes, including edible flowers.Create in-home spa treatments using the same herbal potions featured at luxury spa resorts.

With over 50 taste-tempting recipes, along with personal stories and fascinating historical anecdotes on medicinal uses dating back to biblical times, The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices is your go-to guide for embracing limitless energy and healthy longevity while feasting on memorable meals full of mouthwatering aroma and deliciousness!

Here are just a few of the herb-a-licious recipes:

Cinnamon Rolls with Allspice Glaze

These easy-to-make rolls are guaranteed to please anyone with a sweet tooth. This version is sweet and spicy, Serve warm with tea. It’s a gift from nature’s herbal garden.

 Couscous with Apricots and Toasted Cumin

This recipe is worth dishing up — it brings you the exotic tastes of the East. The mixture of herbs and spices, plus a dash of honey and lemon, are sure to please even the most discerning palate.

 Shrimp with Wild Rice Cakes and Roasted Pepper-Dill Aioli

Bright and fresh, this recipe is the perfect complement to a summer night. A mix of dill, mustard, and garlic creates a complex but light flavor profile that pairs great with a crisp white wine.

 Herby Tostadas with Cilantro Sauce

Packed with crunch and zesty cilantro sauce with a spicy flavor and healthful kick, this quick and satisfying dish is ready in a snap and is perfect for an outdoor meal.

 And so much more! (Click to order Gift Book)

Get all of these revitalizing recipes and improve your health the delicious way when you take advantage of our special offer.

Normally this NEW book retails for $16.95, and it’s a steal at that price, BUT . . .

Through this exclusive direct-from-the-publisher offer, you won’t pay a dime for the book. All we ask is that you cover $4.95 shipping and handling.

ESSENTIAL OILS GIFT BOOK--ESSENTIAL FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

 Secret for Staying Healthy

For 5,000 years plants have been nature’s amazing healers. When the Egyptians were sick they used the oils from plant resins, bark, and spices to repair their bodies.

Ancient Romans soaked their tired, ravaged bodies in healing oils to reduce fatigue and ease painful, aching joints.

Cleopatra’s secret to soft, flawless, nearly ageless skin was said to come from bathing in these essential oils. King Tut was buried with alabaster jars full of them because it was believed these oils would help him through to the afterlife.

Perhaps the most stunning revelation of the miraculous-like
healing abilities of essential oils came during the Middle Ages.

As the deadly bubonic plague spread like wildfire, devastating entire towns and cities, wiping out the lives of millions of men, women, and children . . .

One small group of vigilantes appeared strangely immune to the plague. Known as the four French thieves, they plundered and pillaged among the deathly ill day in and day out, robbing people of their bacteria-ridden possessions. Strangely enough, they never got sick.

It was as if the four thieves had an impenetrable invisible shield that made this lethal predator recoil. Their secret? Legend says the thieves stayed healthy and immune using a special blend of oils they applied during their crime sprees.

In just a moment, you’ll discover how you can get your hands on the coveted blend the four thieves used. (It could come in handy right now for added protection from flu and viruses!) But before we go any further, you should know that while these stories are anecdotal and handed down through history . . .

Today’s scientific research supports the
incredible healing potential of these amazing oils.

Not only has science shown their aroma alone can stimulate the pleasure center of your brain, but the wondrous healing properties of essential oils like lemon, chamomile, lavender, and many others can:

Bolster the immune systemRelieve the pain and discomfort of arthritisEase your body into a sound sleepBanish blue moods and feelings of depressionLower the risk of heart diseaseBoost energy and staminaPotentially slow tumor growthLull your body into Zen-like relaxation

Researchers have even discovered an essential oil that can act like ibuprofen! These scientists have found sandalwood can suppress cytokine cell production. You may have heard about cytokine cells in the news recently.

They’re the cells which can create a “cytokine storm” in the body when powerful novel viruses hit, causing the immune system to go into overload and attack itself.

That’s just a fraction of what essential oils can do.

Healing oils from Mother Nature’s medicine cabinet can also help you:

Defy cravings and lose weight — imagine never caving to cravings for chocolate or chips again!Power up your brain and banish brain fog — would you believe rosemary oil does the trick?Ease the pain of a mild sprain — speed recovery with eucalyptus. This essential oil penetrates deep to numb pain and ease soreness, swelling, and bruising.Heal burns, relieve heartburn, settle a queasy tummy, soothe hemorrhoids, ease constipation, and more.There’s just one problem . . .

Essential oils can be so darn confusing.

Which ones do you use for a sore throat . . . aching back . . . colds and flu . . . allergies . . . fever . . . upset stomach . . . insomnia . . . fibromyalgia . . . or to keep your arteries and cells healthy?

Which ones do you use to make your carpet smell fresh . . . clean your windows, oven, or stainless-steel pots and pans . . . or get rid of pesky ants?

How much should you use? Can you blend them together?

Great news! You don’t have to figure out
a thing — it’s already been done for you.

There’s no need to spend hours researching healing oils. And you don’t have to spend your hard-earned money joining an essential oils club, shelling out money for a monthly membership or meeting a quota.

Cal Orey, author of the bestselling book The Healing Powers of Honey, has done all the legwork for you!

In her blockbuster NEW book, The Healing Powers of Essential Oils,  you get everything you need to unleash the incredible potential of nature’s medicine inside one easy-to-read-and-follow book. Here’s a quick sneak peek:

Trouble sleeping? That calls for 2 drops of the oil that comes from this beloved bright red flower mixed with 1 drop each of chamomile and lavender. Gently rub it on and get some rest! Page 193Open your lungs and breathe easier! Need a little extra breathing support with asthma? Apply 2 drops of eucalyptus oil to one cup of this steaming beverage. Inhale and breathe freely. Page 178Protect against contagious and potentially lethal bouts of the flu or nasty viruses with the herb you use on your Thanksgiving turkey! You can add it to your diet or mix up a spray or lotion you can rub into your skin. Page 122When indigestion and gut discomfort strike, reach for the essential oil used to calm delicate digestive tracts — it contains more than 100 powerful healing compounds. Page 65Mosquitoes biting? Try this natural insect repellent — it’s also great for releasing congestion and promoting heart health. Pages 40-41

The Healing Powers of Essential Oils shows you:

Which of the top 20 essential oils to use for every health concern or condition (there’s a complete chapter on each one and loads of recipes, too!)Correct dosages for everything from relieving anxiety and headaches to cleaning arteries and clearing your bowelsHow often to take or reapply healing oilsSecret to combining 2, 3, 4, or more oils for more powerful healingCreative ways to use the oils — massage, sprays, diffusers, cooking, and more

Everything you need to know is in one information-packed book that helps you take control of your health and the health of your loved ones naturally.

The Healing Powers of Essential Oils reveals the hidden medicinal and therapeutic powers of the top 20 essential oils that’ll help you feel better than you have in years.

Think about it: Would you rather rub on a safer, natural pain remedy or pop a pill loaded with side effects? Clean your house with chemicals or put nature’s finest botanicals to work disinfecting and cleaning?

Heck, The Healing Powers of Essential Oils even shows you how to easily cook with these oils. They’re naturally full of robust flavor and healing properties.

Sniff them, eat them, rub them in . . .
No matter how you use essential oils, they work.

There are so many easy ways to apply essential oils anywhere, any time — whether you’re at home or at work, in the car, at the grocery store, on the tennis court, or having lunch with your friends.

Make Your Own
Antibacterial Soap

All you need are 4 germ-blasting essential oils and the recipe on page 86 of your FREE BOOK, The Healing Powers of Essential Oils.

Claim your FREE BOOK here.

Staying at a hotel and concerned about whether the room was properly sanitized? Simply bring a spray bottle full of this natural antiseptic and astringent. Page 122Hemorrhoids causing you trouble? Soothe inflammation and irritation with a homemade compress of chamomile and the oil on page 190.Pollen count making sinus pain flare? Put eucalyptus oil to work on your sinus headaches and dental pain. Get the fast sinus-clearing recipe on page 199.Kid or grandkid fighting acne? Use an undiluted drop of this oil — a natural antibacterial — on blemishes once or twice a day to zap them. Page 183

Even just a good, strong sniff of lavender can boost the serotonin in your brain, putting you in a good mood for hours — and it may help you live longer, too. There are so many ways you can use essential oils . . .

Put them in a spray bottle . . . add them to your skin lotion . . . diffuse them . . . fold them into your favorite recipes . . . massage them into your skin . . . roll them on . . . make a compress to apply them . . . bathe in your favorite oils . . . the possibilities go on and on.

Why do nature’s essential oils work so well?

For starters, they’re chock-full of disease-fighting antioxidants. As you’ll discover in your FREE COPY of The Healing Powers of Essential Oils,  these antioxidants protect the body’s cells from damaging free radicals that can make you sick. Claim your FREE BOOK now to learn more.

The Healing Powers of Essential Oils is a treasure trove of practical information you can start using immediately:

French Scientist Sees Healing Miracle Right Before His Eyes

Rene-Maurice Gattefosse was a French chemist. One day while working in his lab, he scalded his hand. In desperate need of fast relief, he grabbed the nearest liquid — a jar of lavender oil — and applied it. Amazingly, the pain subsided fast and his burned hand healed quickly. Read his story on page 19.

Steaming-hot soup scald your tongue? Heal it fast with the oil that soothes — it’s been called “an easy natural remedy!” Page 201Health worries have you stressed? Massage these 3 essential oils into your skin. It’ll help stimulate the lymphatic system, calm your nerves, and ease muscle tension. Page 202Take the itch out of mosquito bites! Sascha Beck, an Australian naturopath and aromatherapist, swears these 2 oils mixed together are the best remedy she’s ever found. Great for sunburn, too! Page 192Got a cut? Turn to nature’s antiseptic: tea tree oil diluted with apple cider vinegar. Get the exact mixture on page 184. What to expect: less burning and redness, and faster healing.Discover the BEST essential oil for heart health — it has a natural anti-inflammatory effect. Page 153Sweeten your chances of preventing a devasting diagnosis. A study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry reports this essential oil contains many of the same antioxidants that may inhibit the growth of breast and lung cancer cells. Page 142The #1 precaution you should always take before using essential oils that no one ever tells you about. Page 23“Toothpick tip” for getting the best results when cooking with essential oils. Use it for perfect results every time. Never swallow essential oils UNLESS you first check if they’re this quality. Page 23Make your own antibacterial spray! All you need are these 2 oils and some water. Page 138Fight off infection and flu with the famous Four Thieves formula — great for use during superbug outbreaks and when antibiotics don’t work. Page 26Kick sugar cravings to the curb with a quick sniff of this — it works great! Page 161Calm a cough with WHAT? Surprise! Popular pesto ingredient is a natural cough suppressant. Page 35Wait! Before you use eucalyptus oil for relieving sinus issues, you need to know which of the two varieties is best — one is a lot stronger than the other. Page 56Lose up to 7 pounds in 2 days! Try this easy jumpstart and detox your body. Page 168Help protect your body against heart troubles and even breast and lung cancer with vanilla oil — studies show great promise! Page 142

LOADED with recipes, insights, advice, and more, The Healing Powers of Essential Oils is the most comprehensive, easy-to-follow book on essential oils — how to use them and which to use — we’ve ever seen.

Your FREE BOOK includes
50+ recipes!

Sweet Immunity Booster

Orange Chocolate Bark

Sinfully delicious recipe on page 93.

Claim your FREE BOOK now. Click Here

Your FREE BOOK includes:

Dozens of home remedies to help ease anxiety and stress, improve sleep, visibly smooth wrinkles, stop a scratchy throat, soothe aches and pains, and much more!Over 50 delicious recipes — breakfast, lunch, dinner, soups, salads, and delicious desserts — all with naturally enhanced flavors from nature which heap on the health benefits. There’s even a weight-loss recipe for helping you control cravings on page 163.Decade-by-decade guide to the best essential oils in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond.Handy chart for how much essential oil to use with a carrier oil to dilute the strength.Storage tips for keeping your essential oils fresh.Quick, at-a-glance list of each essential oil and the health concerns that each one may help alleviate for easy referenceAnd more 
The Healing Powers of Essential Oils — Yours Absolutely FREE!

Stay healthy naturally by tapping into the power of nature’s pharmacy quickly and easily. Everything you need is in one big, fascinating, and easy-to-read book. Plus, you get hundreds of tips and tricks, recipes, and kitchen “cures” — all for FREE through this exclusive offer.

Essential oils are so concentrated they’re 4X more potent than a food extract?You can apply essential oils to your skin and ingest them?Vanilla helps you sleep because it contains melatonin?You can use essential oils to make your own deodorant?Peppermint can relieve aching feet and swollen bunions — and help you sleep?Jojoba oil mixed with lime and pine essential oils is great for polishing your stainless-steel refrigerator?

GIFT BOOK--The Healing Powers of Superfoods -- Surprising Favorites for the Holidays 2022

 Promotion for Cal Orey GIFT BOOK -- THE HEALING POWERS OF SUPERFOODS

The 20 Most Surprising

Superfoods for Amazing Health!

Eggs, fish oil, butter, coconut oil . . . one minute they’re good for you and the next they’re not. Food fads make it tough to know what’s truly healthy. Eat it, don’t eat it. It helps, no wait, it doesn’t help.

Medical doctors and researchers are constantly making new discoveries about food that change conventional thinking.

With so much conflicting science, how do you know which foods really have incredible healing powers?

End the confusion once and for all
with  The Healing Powers of Superfoods .

Written by Cal Orey, author of the bestselling Healing Powers of Honey, this blockbuster new book is based on the latest scientific studies showing dozens of surprising superfoods and juices you never knew could help you get healthy and stay healthy — even cheese, chocolate, and ice cream!

The Healing Powers of Superfoods reveals the NEW top 20 superfoods which are loaded with antioxidants, polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids, and minerals and vitamins with powerful immune-boosting and disease-preventing properties.

If you want to outsmart heart disease, cognitive
decline, or even lung troubles without giving up
your favorite foods . . . this is the book for you.

Contrary to popular belief, superfoods aren’t just for health nuts. They’re for everyone who wants to enjoy a healthier heart, a stronger brain, clear lungs and sinuses, lower cholesterol, and reduced pain — as well as give the boot to colds and flu, soothe dry skin, feel more energized, and live longer.

One of the most important things you can do with the NEW Top 20 superfoods: Boost your immunity. A balanced immune system is essential to living a healthy life.

Inside this 316-page bible of superfoods you’ll discover the top 20 nutrient-dense foods that are delicious to eat and easy to find at your favorite supermarket. These new superfoods are many of the classic foods you love and they deliver big health benefits that can help you:

Boost your immune systemSupport a healthy heartBuild strong bonesStrengthen your cognitive healthMaintain healthy blood sugarPower up your energyFight fatLower blood pressureLower the risk of heart diseaseSlow the aging processPromote healthy visionEase anxiety and stress

If foods like acai, maca, or garlic come to mind when you hear the word “superfood,” you’re in for a surprise! While these superfoods are nutritionally dense and good for your health . . .

The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life
Is Sitting on Your Grocery Shelf

There are loads of other, lesser-known taste-tempting, belly-filling foods with the power to restore health, wellness, and energy to the body. There are even foods that have been on your plate all along — you just didn’t know they were nutrient-dense.

Take gelato and shellfish — once considered too fatty or too high in cholesterol and sodium, they’ve been determined to be good for you and they taste great. They’re today’s “new” superfoods! Shrimp alone have 17 grams of protein and almost one-third the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D — an important vitamin millions of people are lacking. You need all the “D” you can get for strong bones and teeth.

You know those potatoes you serve up as a side with a juicy steak or your favorite chicken dish? Surprise — they’re immunity-boosting powerhouses!

Not just fat-free and a great source of potassium for your heart health, these super spuds are also packed with vitamin A, a powerful immune booster. Medical researchers also believe this potato can boost white blood cell activity, which is key to warding off certain cancers.

All of the details you need about super taters — including some great ways to use them in recipes — are on page 104 of your FREE BOOK.

Guess what? A food doesn’t have to be
perfectly “clean” to be a superfood.

Think about how you enjoy that big bowl of decadent gelato. So creamy and smooth, yet this sweet treat has less fat and more natural ingredients than ice cream.

Add some of this yummy chocolate or any of the great mix-in suggestions on page 63 and it’s like you went to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard swirled with your favorite mix-ins — only better because it’s healthier!

Best of all when you start adding other nutrient-dense foods to superfoods, you instantly increase the health benefits. The Healing Powers of Superfoods gives you all kinds of ideas for blending and stacking superfoods for the healthiest options.

Now don’t give ice cream the boot, because
America’s favorite frozen delight not only builds
strong bones — it supercharges your brain.

Ice cream contains calcium for bone-building and protein for strong muscles and teeth. Know what else? Vanilla ice cream is good for the brain! When you get your FREE COPY of The Healing Powers of Superfoods, turn to page 63 to see the secret super mineral in vanilla ice cream that enhances brain function. Belgian researchers using MRI testing found ice cream even diminishes the brain’s response to sadness.

Do you like apples or peanut butter? They’re super delicious superfoods, too. Apples aren’t just great for weight loss, they lower your bad cholesterol (LDL), protecting against heart attack and stroke.

See page 28 of your FREE BOOK to see which apples pack the most powerful punch. Be sure to try the Super Heart Healthy Cinna-Apple Smoothie on page 29.

Do these look like SUPERFOODS to you?
Take a closer look.

When University of Scranton researcher Joe Vinson, Ph.D., was asked what foods he’d pick if he were stranded on a desert island for two weeks, he chose nuts, peanut butter, orange juice, and wine. Since wine is rich in resveratrol, it could help prevent blood clots from years of eating French fries and bacon.

Rather skip the wine? There’s a great juice alternative on page 141. This superjuice not only helps lower cholesterol but may reduce the risk of cancer, too. It’s all in The Healing Powers of Superfoods.

Eggs can keep you out of the cardiologist’s office, too.

Two studies of 40,000 men and women published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed eating eggs in moderation may be good for your heart. Scientists found absolutely NO LINK to heart disease in healthy test subjects who ate an egg every day. But . . .

You must know which part of the egg to eat for the biggest health benefit — and it’s not what you think or what you’ve been told. An “eggstrordinary” secret on page 55 will show you how to get the biggest bang for your heart health from eggs.

Surprising superfood of the year:
Lobster Mac and Cheese for weight loss!

You’re going to think, “This is too decadent to be good for me, right?” Nope! This amazing recipe uses a secret type of pasta studies show fills you up and slims you down. Parmesan swirled with a bit of butter, pasta, tomatoes, creamy half-and-half, fresh basil. Mmm, mouthwatering! Get the recipe on page 286 of your FREE BOOK! Hurry, get your FREE COPY while supplies last.

These superfoods could help halt everything
from heart disease, cancer, and
flu to obesity, anxiety, and depression. Power up your immune system with this surprising breakfast food!

Turn to page 71 of your FREE BOOK to find out!

 Eat pizza, beat heart disease.

See how on page 91.

 Lower bad cholesterol with super chicken!

Turkey works, too. Try the moist and meaty Super Vitalizing Turkey Salad on page 100.

 Breathe easier — eat tomatoes.

Got asthma? Tomatoes open up airways and detox the body. Page 213

 Crunchy French Toast and Berries

Healthy never looked or tasted so good! Recipe on page 151 of your FREE BOOK.

During flu season or a major health crisis, it’s more critical than ever you feed your body superfoods to shield against invaders. The more superfoods you pile on your plate over the course of a day, the better.

And learning about which superfoods to eat doesn’t have to be difficult. Everything you need to know is inside The Healing Powers of Superfoods. Through this special offer, you can get a copy of this blockbuster book absolutely FREE! Click here to claim your FREE BOOK.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s waiting for you inside of The Healing Powers of Superfoods:

Lower your risk of cancer and heart disease with pizza! Italian researchers found the secret in the sauce. Page 92See cholesterol levels you can love at your next checkup. Eat more of this family favorite which also helps you stay trim and feel calm. Page 97Lower your blood pressure, stave off colds and flu, AND lose weight with . . . potatoes? That’s right! Discover which 2 “super spuds” are best on page 104.Reduce the risk of heart disease and power up your brain health with sweet, creamy, and crunchy Peanut Butter Fudge. Recipes on page 248Flatten your belly and banish bloat fast with watermelon — a natural diuretic! Try the quick Melon Salad on page 135.Tired, fatigued, and need energy? Eat this once-forbidden sweet treat turned superfood — it gives you the added benefit of boosting brain power. Page 63Need a sweetener? Forget honey or brown sugar — reach for antioxidant-rich maple syrup! Studies show maple can enhance the immune system for fewer colds and flu. WAIT! You must use THIS maple syrup to reap the health benefits. Page 73Avoid dental bills — keep your teeth and gums healthy with this vitamin C-packed fruit. Hint: it’s NOT oranges! Page 159Calm anxiety and frayed nerves with this Thanksgiving favorite. It helps your body make mood-boosting serotonin. Page 97Bounce back from jet lag! Drink a glass of water infused with this citrus and eat a handful of this superfood. You get a big energy boost from the carbs combined with magnesium and selenium. Page 198.

The Healing Powers of Superfoods is packed cover-to-cover with hundreds of ways to incorporate superfoods into your life to help you address whatever health issues you face: depression, dizziness, insomnia, kidney stones, blisters, UTIs, asthma, anemia, allergies, pain, and many others.

You get 50+ delicious, nutritious recipes for everything from Pesto Pizza, Dark Chocolate Gelato, and Cheesy Quiche to ricotta-rich Cannelloni steeped in garlic and herbs and Super Immunity Enhancing Chilled Sweet Potato Soup with Maple-Smoked Chili Sauce on page 105.

There are even thirst-quenching recipes for drinks and smoothies. Be sure to try the new twist on green drinks which tastes great! You can’t go wrong with sweet Honeycrisp apples blended with cinnamon, honey, and a touch of kale. Page 188.

PLUS, this treasure trove of healing
superfoods book also contains:Lower your blood pressure — say CHEESE, please!

All this time you thought cheese was a no-no. Cheese is loaded with heart healthy calcium to help lower your blood pressure — and your risk of heart disease and stroke. Page 41

Wait until you try the gooey Cheese and Cranberry Dip on page 35.

A sensational blend of melted Brie, wine, garlic, and cranberries tempts your taste buds.

50 home remedies you can zip together in your kitchen for everything from building strong immunity to dealing with gingivitis, heartburn, depression, constipation, kidney stones, infection, and other health concerns.Top 10 “skinny superfoods” scientifically shown to fill you up, not out!5 simple rules for losing weight like a champ.Perfectly pampering beautifying recipes for shiny, healthy hair, glowing skin, soft elbows and feet, and more. Super Beautifying Cantaloupe Smoothie, anyone? See page 224Household helpers for cleaning stubborn rust, removing gum from carpets, and making your house smell fresh and clean.

Whether you want to up your health game, have committed to start eating healthier, already eat healthy and are seeking out the latest and greatest superfoods, or you want to go from bland and boring to tasty and delicious with all NEW recipes . . . The Healing Powers of Superfoods is for you!

This groundbreaking new book is also perfect for anyone who wants to benefit from healthier options in their life, whether cooking, cleaning, dieting, or beautifying. There’s something for everyone!

Claim your FREE COPY today. All we ask is that you pick up the small shipping and handling fee of $4.95. Wait, there are more things you’re going to love . . .

Chill! with Chamomile Tea for the Hectic Holidays

 Chamomile Secrets That’ll Surprise You

By Cal Orey

‘Tis the season of family gatherings, holiday shopping, cooking, and baking… It is the time to chill and reap the perks of chamomile tea!

CHAMOMILE (Matricaria chamomilla). Sweet Chamomile is my number one favorite brew year-round and has been for years—despite the wide array of non-teas and sitting in my tea cupboard. Let me count the several ways why I love chamomile, for my mind, body, and spirit, with fervor I have reading one of Emily Dickenson’s love poems in the springtime outdoors amid blossoming trees in the Santa Cruz mountains, a place I recall drinking chamomile tea… 

     Chamomile tea (a mainstay in my diet regime, both bags and loose leaf) goes back more than 2,000 years. A daisy-like plant, found in both the United States and Europe, has been considered a medicinal miracle, known as “ground apple” by the Greeks because of its fragrant scent. The Egyptians believed it to be sacred to the sun god Ra. In ancient Europe, chamomile petals were crushed to make soothing teas.  

     It is the herbal tea of choice to relax and sleep like a baby—or bunny. Remember the Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter? After Peter’s big adventure, his mother put him to bed with a cup of chamomile for sweet dreams.  

     Researchers also believe that drinking chamomile tea can boost urine levels of glycine, a compound that relaxes muscles spasms or even menstrual cramps.  Chamomile contains anti-inflammatory ingredients, so it’s no wonder it can shrink hemorrhoids—and putting a wet chamomile tea bag on each eye can reduce puffiness, too.  Not only does calming chamomile contain glycine, but it also has other vitamins and minerals that provide the wow factor.

     And it’s not surprise that drinking several cups of chamomile tea weekly may add years to your lifespan, according to researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Findings show chamomile tea may lower the risk about 30 percent of death from all causes in older women. The scientists of the published study in The Gerontologist point to the anti-immunity boosting effects which may be one reason why it may stall Father Time. But more research is needed. Meanwhile, I will save my chamomile tea because I love its calming effects. 

Chamomile Tea, Brewed

237 grams (8 fluid ounces) 1 cup

236 grams water

2.4 calories

47.4 IU vitamin A

2.4 micromilligrams folate

47.4 milligrams calcium

21.3 milligrams potassium

2.4 milligrams sodium

30.8 micromilligrams fluoride

(Source: USDA SR-21 National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.)

       While it isn’t an intensely flavorful tea (unless you add honey and citrus or it’s in a tea blend), it’s an acquired taste with healing powers I’ve grown accustomed to drink almost every day, in the afternoon and at night. What’s more, chamomile tea blends are available. That means, vanilla chamomile, green tea and chamomile, and fruit flavored chamomile herbal teas provide more taste and more health perks. 

     I’m hardly alone in my love for chamomile tea. Tea Master Daniel Johnson’s favorite herbal tea is a blend of peppermint and chamomile. “I find the energetics of the floral, sweet, vanilla chamomile and the acrid dispersing peppermint to be very balanced,” he explains. “It is relaxing and clearing,” he says, adding, chamomile also “serves as a great foundational tea blend for modification.”  He further points out that chamomile and mint work together to help soothe the throat and calm the mind. “It is my favorite tea to drink in the evening as an herbal ‘night cap’, which is complimented by a sweet drizzle of local honey.”    So, the chamomile tea blend Daniel favors relaxes him after a long day, while I turn to it mid-afternoon and a few hours before bedtime or before being a late-night guest on a radio show because the tea and honey help keep me balanced.

     In the memorable film “You’ve Got Mail,” the tea prepared by actor Tom Hanks for Meg Ryan’s character may likely be chamomile (it makes sense because her favorite flower is the daisy) since it’s comforting and can be helpful fighting a cold (no doubt due to the stressful event linked to losing her bookstore). In the tea scene it was a tea bag sitting in a cup served—not strained loose leaves--that caught my eye.  I have enjoyed chamomile bag dunking days and strained loose leaves—both do the trick. But it doesn’t end there…

     One summer after the hectic Fourth of July holiday that wreaked havoc on my nerves, I tried Evening in Missoula, an herbal blend of chamomile, including raspberry, red clover, rosehips, lemon grass, peppermint, star anise, lavender, and other herbal favorites. At first, I thought: “A basic tea bag of chamomile will do.” But after I brewed a cup of the loose leaves of this herbal blend (from The Cozy Tea Cart) I felt transcended to a calm place and was glad I to a risk and traveled outside my chamomile comfort zone.  And don’t forget, I got more of a variety of herbs so that translates to more healing benefits, too.

Tisane Time: Pour 1 cup of hot water over 1 teaspoon of dried leaves or 1 tea bag. Steep for 4-5 minutes, strain and add sweet and citrusy orange blossom honey.  Health Check:  Some chamomile brands contain licorice root which can raise blood pressure. Also, if you are allergic to ragweed, caution is advised. 

So, during the hectic holidays while eggnog, hot chocolate, and wine may be on your list of favorites, don’t forget to take a tea break and brew a cup of chamomile tea. It will be a perfect gift for your body and mind. And remember, January is National Hot Tea Month.

Superfoods for Immune Health

'Tis the seasons for boosting immune health...Check out the super Gift Book at newsmax.com/superfoods and discover all what superfoods can do for you and yours!

 Fall

It’s the Season: When the air gets colder and the leaves turn color, it’s time to change some of your favorite superfoods. Apples, citrus, and first-time cooking feels right before the first fire is made and thermostat is turned up. Warm food is beginning to replace the colder superfoods of summer.

Healing Fall Recipes: Apple pie, lemon drizzled dishes, savory smoothies, hot oatmeal to whole grain pancakes with warm maple syrup all can help enhance the immune system. Also, pasta dishes, baked turkey and chicken, hot tea, fresh squeezed juices to hot apple cider can help you fill up, not out.

Fall Superfoods: Apples (Harvest season August-November), berries, crucifers, Greek yogurt, oats, turkey, seafood, sweet potatoes (Harvest season September-December), water, and wine. Winter

It’s the Season: Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, winter wasn’t a chilly place instead we were blessed with a Mediterranean-type climate. I recall playing hooky on school days as a kid and watching a TV show “Candid Camera” and viewing the East Coast snow which was foreign to me. Nowadays, many winters living in the Sierra Nevada, I know what white powder is, whether it be shoveling it, making a fire to keep toasty, and baking comfort wintertime foods, including wholesome superfoods.

Healing Winter Recipes: Homemade bread, casseroles, hearty soups and stews, are part of a superfoods wintry diet.  Including a variety of food groups—not just one or a few--can help you slim down, healthy up.

Winter Superfoods: Apples, berries (frozen, dried), cheese, maple syrup, pasta, pizza, whole grain cereals.

The Healing Powers of Tea Graced with Bestseller Banner and Gift Book Offer

   Cal Orey

Did you know wellness in a cup is in your kitchen cupboards? Tea, much like a best friend, is the versatile superfood that can be enjoyed as an amazing constant home cure, an age-fighting treatment, relaxing beauty remedy, household cleaner, and even infused in your favorite dishes--from Strawberry Banana Tea Muffins to Scallops in Black Tea Marinade!

As noted on the back cover of The Healing Powers of Tea: A Complete Guide To Nature's Special Remedy (Citadel Press, Kensington)--

It picks you up and calms you down, warms you and refreshes you. With black, white, green, and herbal varieties, there's a tea for every taste, and now this time-honored superfood is trending as the drink of choice for health-conscious people of all ages and cultures.

Welcome to Tea Land!
This fascinating book boils down the rich history of tea--as well as the ever-expanding list of health and weight loss benefits found in its leaves.  

But this special one-of-a-kind tea book does so much more. It's sweetened with lively up close and very personal home and family to on-the-road stories with twists, turns, and real feelings (bonding with people and pets of all ages with tea as a vehicle) paired with inspiring legends about tea from yesteryear.
Discover how tea is a drink that goes back in history as well as the center for tea parties--stirs the imagination for the young at home and serves up exciting teas and treats in beautiful tea rooms for older people young at heart. (page 19)

Find out exactly how far people, perhaps like you, too, will go to get a cup of tea (a variety of types) no matter where you are or who you're with--man, woman, a group of people or dog--for survival's sake! (page 136)

Get the latest information from tea experts on how the superfood can tackle anxiety and depression during life's ups and downs--and big family losses linked to pain, grief, anger, acceptance, and a comeback to move on. (pages 145) 

Feel thrills  and novelty vicariously experiencing adventures in traveling through wilderness up and down the West Coast, Midwest, Deep South, Northeast and Canada and cultural shock in new places but always tea soothing and part of the memory.   Alone with a canine companion, a new love, or in the company of wise elderly women and men--tea is a drink to cherish, a drink that bonds people.  (page 77-78)

Stir up over 50 home cures to give yourself more energy, less stress--and feel younger, more happiness, vim and vigor while traveling or at home! (pages 155-156)

After a 3000 mile flight plan, imagine your fantasy-come-true final destination and you can relax with a cuppa tea and sense of adventure in a foreign country after the trials and tribulations in the process of getting there (plane, train, bus, cab, shuttle bus) and feeling homesick but tea helped calm the pain. (pages 191-192)

Enjoy super comforting and tea-licious recipes like Warm Scones with Jam and Assorted Finger Sandwiches. (pages 225-226; Tea Menu, pages 238-272)


And so much more! Enjoy the intriguing and unforgettable tales that reveal feelings of joy, loneliness, love, longing, security and comfort--all tea-inspired in The Healing Powers of Tea--#6 in the Healing Powers series.  
This very special, intimate book is full of new research, new recipes, and new home cures, penned from the tea-loving author's heart and soul  pairs well with the upcoming gift size mass market The Healing Powers of Honey, Feb. 27!  Also, The Healing Powers of Tea is the perfect companion with The Healing Powers of Coffee and The Healing Powers of Chocolate. The collection is a vailable at fine bookstores (on and offline). Or grab the Gift Book at newsmax.com/tea  for a special excerpt and more!  

October 3, 2022 on Amazon

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XZQKD4FPublisher ‏ : ‎ Citadel Press (December 26, 2017)Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 26, 2017Language ‏ : ‎ EnglishFile size ‏ : ‎ 2839 KBText-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ EnabledScreen Reader ‏ : ‎ SupportedEnhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ EnabledX-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not EnabledWord Wise ‏ : ‎ EnabledPrint length ‏ : ‎ 322 pagesLending ‏ : ‎ EnabledBest Sellers Rank: #1,329 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)#1 in Alternative Therapies#1 in Healthy Living#1 in Health Reference

Turkeyless Thanksgiving (Again) -- Hello Superfoods!

 By Cal Orey,

The Writing Gourmet

"What we're really talking about is a wonderful day
 set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. 
I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? " -- Erma Bombeck


Tea, Veggie Pizza, Snow is on the Menu Back in the fifities, I experienced an unforgettable Thanksgiving dinner to cherish... I was a fifth grader living in a Dennis the Menace-type perfect suburbialand. My mom, a bakeress with talents, cooked the day before and the day of the big event. In the late afternoon our fun-loving relatives joined us. We all sat by the fireplace(s), watching movies on TV, talking and playing with the dog. Then, dinner was served in the dining room. On a glass table (which I now have in my dining room) was a beautiful display of rolls, vegetables, cranberries, mashed potatoes, dressing, turkey on a platter, pumpkin and pecan pies. My father carved the turkey. We ate. We laughed. We enjoyed our huge turkey feast like pilgrims. It was a picture-perfect day--a true Food Network-Hallmark Channel movie...
These days, I know that on the big screen and in real life sometimes Thanksgiving days and dinners aren't always picture-perfect. In the film "The Accidental Tourist" the sister character undercooks the bird. But there are other accidents I remember mega and now I have tagged these "turkey day fowl ups"...

* At 17, at the dinner table complete with a traditional stuffed turkey I rebelled and announced "I'm a vegetarian." My mother cried. My father yelled. My brother made funny faces.* At 21, I (a Californian hippie chick) was stranded on the road with my dog. We were stuck in a Wyoming blizzard. Cold, wet and hungry we watched strangers pass us by. * At 28, I was struck by a nasty flu bug. I couldn't eat anything--not even turkey soup.* At 35, my boyfriend made the turkey dinner. We got into a silly guy-gal argument. He wrapped up the cooked bird in foil and drove it home in his BMW. I was turkey-less.* At 46, I cooked a big turkey but I was afraid of getting food poisoning for not cooking it long enough. The end result: the tough, dry bird was dumped into the garbage.* At 50-something I didn't want to do the Turkey Day thing so I rebelled (again). I ordered a veggie pizza and tipped the pizza guy. 
Ditto for November 22, 2018. Thin crust, whole wheat organic and in the freezer. Two slices with hot tea...cuddle up with the dog, cat and watch disaster-thriller movies.November 2022? Likely I will be working on the finishing edits for one book at press; and developing another book. So it looks like spinach, feta cheese, tomatoes, olives, and garlic  pizza and chamomile tea. But this time around I'll be surrounded by new rustic furniture, a fire in its place, and cuddled up where I'm supposed to be. *While I did rebook the Alaska trip until January there is artwork on the walls -- northern lights -- and a LED light (northern lights). We have bears and snow. No moose. 

PACIFIC BOOK REVIEW--NEW AUDIOBOOK--THE HEALING POWERS OF HONEY

 

It is impossible to listen to this narration of The Healing Powers of Honey by author Cal Orey on audiobook without going to the cupboard and pouring a cup of hot tea, and of course, adding a heaping teaspoon of honey into it.  The soothing taste and coating of honey is talked about in so many ways, thus while listening and sipping the tea, it makes for an amazing multi-dimensional learning scenario, having both your brain and body absorbing the true nectar of the gods.  What’s more than revealing the facts is the way Cal Orey interleaves her own life’s adventures into describing her quest of gaining the background information to compile the facts about honey into this highly specialized enlightening guide.

The story begins with the author taking on the project of doing a book about honey by the request of her publisher.  Listeners are brought to the planning stage of how Cal Orey organized her research to achieve what she is known for; as being a down-to-Earth presenter of health benefits of various food substances.  Honey follows her repertoire as she has demonstrated with vinegar, olive oil, chocolate, and other healing books.  Nobody is born with honey knowledge, so she first acquired every book she could find on the subject, then arranged for meetings with bee keepers in Fresno, Reno, and other places.  So as a listener, I found the tome of the narration as having a quality of discovery, as new factoids are learned and shared, making this story a journey of discovery.

“A Hippie Chick,” as she often referrers to herself as being, due to her expert knowledge of organic health foods, understanding their therapeutic effects having antioxidants, allowing for stress relieving, blood pressure control, diabetes cure, heart fortitude, and even helping lower the risk of cancer, honey fits right in at the top of God’s gifts to humanity – or should I say the Bee’s gift.  Her ‘textbook’ parts of the book when she is educating listeners (readers) on the many types of honey, their relative histories and specialized qualities, and somewhat magical powers are explained with describing each varieties’ color, taste, and even how best to pair it up with other food items.  Then, of course, she adds her own commentary to each of the about 30 variations of honey – that’s when I began to google the online stores to buy my own bouquet of flavors.

Some diversion to the author’s factual narration on the honey subject was most sentimentally touched upon with the stories of her dog(s).  At one point she talks about traveling all around the USA from California to Key West with her K-9 companion, and even smuggling the dog into Canada because she didn’t have the correct documents at the border – now that’s “chutzpah!”  She then talks about having a 6th sense when someone commented, “Nice dog” to her, only to find the dog missing after she tied it up outside a building for only a few minutes.  The sadness, crying, and sensation of loss was contagious.  A few months later she was “rescued” by a lab with sympathetic eyes in San Diego, and life with a dog partner took a happier path.

Honey is amazing.  The antibacterial properties makes it ideal for fighting off any bacterial infection, both inside and outside the body, as it is known for enhancing and protecting the skin and healing wounds.  Forget Pepto-Bismol, eat honey to cure suffering from diarrhea.  Heart healthy, even helping diabetics (which seems odd due to honey’s sweetness) as well as hypertension, lowering cholesterol and even aiding longevity, plus weight loss and libido enhancement are all benefits of this golden nectar.  Thank you, bees.

I must admit I did not know the vast variety of types of honey; yes, Clover is popular, and Van Morrison introduced me to Tupelo Honey, but Cal talks about Alfalfa Honey being native to Northern Nevada, and Buckwheat Honey being very powerful with antioxidants.  She thought Fireweed Honey might have been bitter yet was pleasantly surprised by its flavor.  I never would have thought Avocado Honey existed, and Dandelion, nor Eucalyptus – I guess I need to walk down the health-food isles in Whole Foods a bit more slowly next time.

It may seem as if I am making light of the subject, but that is how I perceived Cal Orey takes the sting out of being a dry educational presentation, and embellishes her work with her humble wisdom and incredible stories which she has gained on so many other subjects.  Just like blending honey into bakery items, combined it with cinnamon for holistic healing, or dissolving it in a tea, smoothie or drink, honey’s versatility and benefits are un-bee-livable.

Reviewer’s footnote:  Having the audiobook version of this bestselling book, the narration by Tara Marie Kirk was very clear and fluid, not missing a beat with those 5-syllable Latin names of the specific varieties, however as a personal preference I played it back at 1.25 speed, slightly picking up the pace for my listening pleasure, and cutting the play-time from just over 8 hours to about 6 hours.

 

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TEA is the Super Gift Book for Autumn-Winter...

 Disease-Fighting Antioxidants —

Tea’s Healing Powers Are Remarkable

Dear Reader,

What if I told you just by sipping the delicious “medieval miracle” you could . . . 

Relieve throbbing back pain . . . Drop 7 pounds of fat and flab in 3 days . . . Lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer . . . Stave off viruses, colds, and superbugs . . . Curb insatiable sweet cravings . . . Shrink painful hemorrhoids . . . Relieve aching joint discomfort . . . And much more . . . 

With this powerful healing elixir — backed by 3,000 modern-day studies — you could . . . 

Finally end the frenzy of buying a mountain of assorted pills, needless ointments, serums, and syrups.

Odds are you already have it in your kitchen cupboard.

I’m talking about tea. YES, TEA — grandma’s favorite beverage is today’s red-hot superfood!

Right now, you can get dozens of tea remedies that really work in Cal Orey’s book, The Healing Powers of Tea. And you don’t have to buy it . . . 

Newsmax is giving you The Healing Powers of Tea — a 292-page book — absolutely FREE!

Inside this blockbuster book you’ll discover 50 tea “cures” for everything from anxiety and constipation to dermatitis, coughs, depression, warts, insect bites, sinusitis, memory lapses, cavities, digestive troubles, diarrhea, and so much more.

There are also do-it-yourself beauty recipes . . .  household remedies to detox, clean, polish, even “destink” your home of dog . . .  and dozens of delicious tea-infused recipes from breakfast to dessert!

But not just any tea will do . . . 

While it’s packed with powerful disease-fighting antioxidants, flavonoids, and polyphenols, you can’t just pour a cup, sip it down and expect it to work.

It all boils down to this . . . 

There’s a special secret to making the “medieval miracle” work to transform your health and your home . . . 

To bring out its magical healing powers, you need to know which variety of tea to drink and which special ingredients you need to mix with your tea.

And it’s not just the wildly popular black, green, and herbal teas as you’ll discover here.

The good news is you don’t have to guess or work your way through a sea of endless tea boxes and canisters!

Everything you need to know for finding the right tea and the right combination, steeped at the right time, is inside The Healing Powers of Tea.

Your FREE BOOK is waiting. Click here.

When you get your FREE BOOK, be sure to open it and discover which tea banishes belly bloat, heartburn, and gas . . .  helps you empty your bowels easily again . . .  staves off hunger pangs . . .  boosts energy . . .  keeps skin looking younger and more beautiful . . .  lowers artery-clogging cholesterol . . .  helps you get a good night’s, sleep and more.

One more thing . . . 

Be sure to look for the simple tea plan to help you lose up to 7 pounds in 3 days! Click here to claim your FREE BOOK now.

To your best health,

Nancy Reynolds
Newsmax Health

P.S. Normally you’d pay $15.95 full retail for this book, but Newsmax is giving it to you FREE just for being a loyal Newsmax reader. Claim your  FREE book now.

Can Pets Sense Danger and Give You a Warning?

 By Cal Orey

Northern Exposure Trip Unravels: I am booked to go to Anchorage, Alaska. The date is November 6. But my feline Zen recently began to act out. After an exam/test my vet holds his ground. It's stress and anxiety--not physical. I sense he is picking up my vibes of an upcoming trip. He either doesn't want me to go and/or is warning me of upcoming danger. 

Today the booked trip  began to change: A 6.0 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean following a 5.1 a week ago in the SF Bay Area. And I awoke to a snowstorm (another one on its way) at Tahoe. Then a Flood Watch in Seattle.  In one day according to Accuweather -- colds to flu in all my layover places have soared from low to very high! And the world is edgy because of potential effects of war and its unknown escalation...

The final destination.  This afternoon I heard a loud noise. I rushed out to see Zen looking down at a framed glass photo of mine: It is a picture  I took of Anchorage on my 2019 December trip. That time I flew in hurricane-force winds, and the town was closed because of extreme icy roads. No northern lights due to cloud cover.

After careful thought about this planned trip to see the northern lights, I'm likely going to rebook for pre-spring. Also, since the nature trip was booked on the night of the Full Moon. Translation: The odds of seeing any fireworks in the sky are slim. The cat won. The timing is off, something doesn't feel right about me leaving. I wonder what kitty's warning could be but I am sensing I will find out in upcoming days.

Whether it’s ESP, superior senses, animal intuition or a change in routine, your cat  or dog may sense severe weather, solar storms to wildfires or hurricanes and twisters -- and you should know about it.
At noon on a stormy spring day in Austin, Texas, several household cats started acting strangely. “I was in bed watching the weather channel on TV,” recalls cat owner Janet Shon. “My cats wanted to hide underneath the covers.” The heavy rains and howling winds continued, causing panic in her house full of pets. Eventually, she put them into carriers to calm them, and took cover under the stairwell. “Usually, my cats don’t mind being in the crates during bad weather,” she says, “but this time, they were chatting nonstop and wanted to be next to me.”            Several hours later, on May 27, 1997, an extremely rare and dangerous tornado (classified as an F-5), with winds measuring over 260 mph, touched down 40 miles to the North of Shon in Jarrell, Texas. Twenty-seven people died in Jarrell. Multiple tornadoes also ripped through the Austin area, killing two people. “It took the roof off the Albertsons’ store,” says Shon with awe. She and her cats survived without a scratch.

            What made Shon’s cats react in such a way? Some say it’s ESP (extra sensory perception), or a sixth sense. Others claim cats aren’t gifted, just blessed with well-developed or heightened senses—scent, sound and sight, that are far superior to our own.

            However you see it, cats have earned their supernatural reputation throughout history. In ancient Egypt, felines were worshipped as gods, and killing a cat was a crime punishable by death. Even modern society gives credence to the idea that cats “know” things. During World War 11, “British families found that their cats were the best warning system for impending danger,” notes Dale Koppel, author of Amazing But True Cat Facts. “They showed unmistakable signs that something was about to happen even before the air sirens were sounded. Their hair would stand on end, or they’d spit or wail. Some would head straight for the nearest shelter.”

            Many people who live through terrible disasters—hurricanes, tornadoes, fires or earthquakes—believe their cats knew something before these disasters struck. But whether or not cats really predict danger is still an open debate. So, what will you do the next time Felix starts acting strange? Will you roll your eyes, or head for high ground? Read on and decide for yourself.

SO IS A STORM COMING?

            Are pets really four-legged weather forecasters? So, what about hurricane warnings?  While scientists use wind patterns, barometric pressure, sea surface temperatures and other climate factors to predict hurricanes, fishermen watch their cats. In fact, cats have long been considered good luck on ships for their ability to ward off storms, sea monsters and ghosts. Europeans of the past centuries believed cats “knew” the way home and would reveal the direction by sleeping on the side of the ship that was closest to port.

            Gail Beecher, a veteran cat breeder from Needville, Texas, got a special warning before Tropical Storm Frances hit the Texas coast on September 9, 1998. Some of Beecher’s pregnant cats began to go into early labor. “When the barometer shifts during bad weather my cats always go into labor early,” she says. “I knew the storm was coming this way.” Wind speeds reached a maximum of 65 mph, and one person died due to the intense flooding of the Gulf Coast.

            “All cats are extraordinary sensitive to even the smallest changes in the weather,” writes Koppel who claims, “you can throw away your thermometers and stop watching weather forecasts on TV.” A resident of Kansas City, Missouri agrees, “I have noticed before a tornado (during thunder, wind, hail and lightning) animals do lie close to the ground and pant. The bigger and fatter the dog and cat, the more it seems to affect them. Also, they sometimes put their head on the floor.”

            According to Koppel, French fishermen watch their cats’ body language to get a weather report. “They watch their cats closely to predict weather changes,” he says. “Rain? Watch for your cat to pass her paw behind the ear during grooming. Windy? Your cat will clean her nose. Low tide? Wide pupils, of course. When will the bad weather end? When your cat twists and turns.”

            Sound silly? Perhaps not, says John C. Wright, PhD, certified animal behaviorist from Macon, Georgia, and author of Is Your Cat Crazy: Solutions from the Casebook of a Cat Therapist, who’s fascinated by it all. However, to be certain that this is a reliable weather source, Wright says, a group of cats and their body positions should be examined carefully in a weather study for conclusive scientific evidence. In other words, scientific studies are needed.

A PET'S GOOD SENSE

Neil Tenzer, DVM, of Miami, Florida recalls that his five cats felt Hurricane Andrew’s fury before it arrived on August 25, 1992, with winds of up to 150 mph. Amid the chaos of his family putting shutters on the windows and gathering canned food and candles, explains Tenzer, his cats grew curious and upset about the change in their environment. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this category 4 hurricane caused 58 deaths and approximately $27 billion in damage. “It’s not that they predicted the hurricane—but they certainly sensed it was on its way,” Tenzer says.

            A former North Carolina resident agrees. She was in the path of Hugo as the hurricane headed toward Charlotte in 1989. Hurricane Hugo passed directly over Charleston, South Carolina, on September 21, as a category 5 storm with wind speeds in excess of 135 mph and a storm surge of nearly 20 feet. Hugo caused 57 deaths on the U.S. mainland (mostly in North and South Carolina) and 29 deaths in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to NOAA records. Total damage: $9 billion. “I had indoor cats and barn cats there,” she recalls. Apparently, her cats share the same reaction to all severe storms. “Barn cats always seem to find shelter well ahead of a storm.” 

            Some argue that extrasensory perception is really just super senses. In the case of earthquakes, for example, cats may be sensitive to the earth’s vibrations and sound waves right before an earthquake hits, says geophysicist Bruce Presgrave, from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Golden, Colorado. Other people suggest that cats are able to detect minute shifts in the earth’s magnetic field or in the earth’s magnetic field or in the earth’s static electricity, which occur before a jolt.

           

                                                  REACTING TO CHANGE 

            Most people recognize that cats don’t like change too much. Perhaps felines don’t “sense” danger, but are instead reacting to change in routine or environment. “It may be novelty of those particular cues, rather than the cat knows that this is danger,” says Wright. And often, it’s fear of the unknown. “Fear motivates cats to act out,” he adds. “When they can’t cope with the stimulus they go emotional on us. Sometimes these emotional responses lead cats to run over and over their escape routes or make some noise to get out.”

            Deputy Director Gary Grice of the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, relies on complex scientific theories and computers to forecast powerful twisters. However, “there is a possibility that animals react to the significant pressure changes of the atmosphere before a tornado hits,” he concedes.          The question remains, can feline barometers detect the difference between an impending hurricane or tornado? “Since there are similar weather phenomena associate with tornadoes and hurricanes, you’re likely to get the same reaction out of cats because they are reacting to the same kinds of things,” explains Wright.

            “Although there’s research that’s ongoing in different areas, when your life is on the line and you have to depend on something so you get out of harm’s way, the clear answer now is to heed the warnings that are issued by the National Weather Service and do what they say,” says Grice. He goes on to say that “scientists do not have a 100 percent track record for predicting disasters.” As for cats, Grice believes that are not perfect predictors either since it’s not known if they are responding to disaster precursors or if they are behaving strangely for other reasons. “Our success rate is much, much higher than what you’re getting from animals,” he says.

            Meanwhile, Shon wonders about her cats’ behavior before the deadly Texas tornado. Did they sense the nearby funnel clouds on the day of destruction? Was there a change in smell or pressure, or did Shon’s own behavior affect the cats? We’ll never really know. But at least some disaster experts are now realizing that some cats can sense impending gloom and doom. The question of whether cats can predict a cataclysm hours or days in advance requires more research.

            But since scientists admit they aren’t able to reliably predict earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and tornadoes, is it really so far-fetched to monitor cats and dogs?

            Pet experts advise cat owners to do just that. “The cat’s first instinct is survival, and cats are the best survival machines Mother Nature has ever developed,” concludes Eric Swanson, author of Hero Cats: True Stories of Daring Feline Deeds. Whether cats are gifted with some kind of sight, or not—felines continue to inspire a spiritual nature that cat-lovers respond to. What they actually see, and what we see in their eyes is impossible to say.

            Consider what the late Jeane Dixon wrote in her book Do Cats Have ESP? “In the dark, [cats’ mysterious eyes] seem to hover alone, disembodied and shining brightly on the darkest of nights. Ancient people believed the cat had captured a piece of the sun which it called up at will to see in the dark.”