Quirks

A little over two years ago I received a call from one of my sisters asking if I could help with our Mom. Her recent health issue wasn't critical, however, my sister couldn't shake a funny feeling she had about Mom.

While Mom had received good medical care, it was obvious she was different. One thing quickly flowed into another, and in September of this year she passed away.

Mom was intelligent, witty, artistic, loved nature, pickin' rocks, and had a great sense of humor. She was passionate about her flowers and birds and her yard overflowed with them. She had a 'travel bug' and had been all over the U.S., taken numerous trips to Canada, as well as toured Europe and Australia.

Her other "quirks", included being anxious; obsessive/compulsive; open, yet secretive, controlling, judgmental, co-dependant; and very fearful about her own death. Mom also had what she referred to as 'Scarlett O'Hara Syndrome' (I'll do it tomorrow) and great difficulty in letting go of things.

For whatever reasons, we've had members in every generation with mild to severe symptoms of these other denser quirks. Regardless of backgrounds or experiences, it's common during/after the passing of a close family member, to have a whole host of family and/or individual quirks show up. And it was common knowledge Mom had witnessed some doozies, as she used to say, especially those of her siblings when her parents passed.

Even though the doctors and Hospice had good information and were appropriately compassionate, my brother decided to Google certain things. He would then call with the highlights. This simple, yet liberating, act allowed us to openly talk about what was occurring with Mom, rather than repeat old family patterns.

Mom never wanted to "end up in the hospital or nursing home, have strangers taking care of her, or be alone at the end". As I sat next to her bed as she left her body, I was glad she was finally able to let go. I was also grateful she'd known she was in her own home and not alone. (She 'didn't want a houseful', so everyone else was nearby at my sisters.)

Afterward she was dressed in her late summer travel clothes. Her purse contained a replica passport and favorite sunglasses so she had all she needed for her final trip. And I know she would've laughed over the adventure that ensued in getting her to her destination in Oregon.

So, bless you Mom, and all your quirks. They made you the interesting person you were. Without your quirks we wouldn't have all these stories to tell...or the things in us that we can change or improve. So see, you do live forever.

Photo in this blog: one of my Mom's favorite Giant Red Amaryllis

Gratitude to:
my brother & sisters - for your unique variations of Mom's sense of humor
my sister-in-law - for all you did for Mom, plus your make up artistry
my daughter, other family & friends - for your love, support, prayers, cards, & etc.
Hospice of North Idaho - for your quick response and valuable support
Merv - for being Mom's best male friend
Anne - Mom's step Mom, for being her best female friend, defender, and confidant
Ewam - the garden of 1000 Buddhas, Arlee, Montana - for graciously accepting the numerous boxes of plants donated from Mom's personal garden, thereby allowing all the animals, birds, and visitors to enjoy her beloved flowers for years to come

Note: next blogs will be: IN YOUR CUPBOARD - GOOD FOR YOU

Maintaining Lymphatic Health

This photo is one I took of my good friend, Scott Carlson*, this past summer near Burlington, Iowa.



Scott is a phenomenal therapist, so we've had many health related conversations, including the Lymphatic System. And since it's close to spring detoxification time, I thought it would be good to write about this important subject.

While most people know about their Lymphatic System, here's a quick run through for those who don't, or want to know a bit more. Plus there's also some easy self help suggestions.

Glands, organs, and tissues involved: spleen, liver, bladder, kidneys, bone marrow, appendix, Peyers Patches in the large intestine, cysterna chyli, thymus, adenoids, tonsils, skin, and lots of lymphatic vessels, ducts, nodes & valves.

Associated meridians: Spleen, Liver, Large Intestine, Triple Warmers, Urinary Bladder, Kidney, Central, Governing, and Belt. (The Belt meridian is an "extraordinary one" that encircles the waist, from right to left, and works to facilitate the flow of energy from the lower to upper body.)

Little known item: the Lymphatic System is said to relate to allowing Divine Will (or whatever name you call the life force that animates matter on any level) to process things for us. The associated emotions are listed as joy and sorrow/grief.

Factoids: the Lymphatic System is connective tissue, drains towards mid abdomen, needs muscle movement to move properly through the body, filters as much blood as the liver, is slightly alkaline (ph 7.5), and plays a major role in immunity.

Many of the smaller, almost paper thin vessels, ducts, nodes, & valves cluster near, or around joints. Inactivity, continuous restriction/pressure, and/or chemistry imbalances can cause a whole host of symptoms. These can range from edema or lymphedema, to congestion, local or full body infections, and so on.

The Lymphatic System also plays a huge role in whether cancer metastasizes or not. If it isn't trapped & destroyed in lymph nodes ( especially under the arms), it can and does spread.

Things to help support the Lymphatic System: water (lymph fluid is mostly H2O), moderate exercise, proper rest, massage (especially Lymphatic Massage), Reiki** or other good energy work, a balanced diet, properly fitting clothing, skin brushing, and lymphatic pumping.

Supporting foods and herbs are: alkaline fruits, veggies, and grains (especially cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc., and millet, amaranth, & quinoa), pectin (found in apples & helps remove heavy toxins), fenugreek, sage, dandelion, marshmallow, and hibiscus.

Skin brushing is done with a natural bristle brush designed to exfoliate the skin & help remove toxins.*** It's done on dry skin, starting at the extremities (front, back & sides of the body) beginning with the feet & brush up the leg/s & towards the center of the torso, and ending at the mid abdomen. Then start with the hand/s, brush up the arm/s to shoulders. The chest is brushed from the breast bone towards the arm pits. The stomach and back are usually brushed in circles, from right to left.

Lymphatic pumping is a basically an armpit squeeze. One hand is placed with the thumb (tip towards top of shoulder) on the crease between the chest and arm. Place the fingertips (especially the middle fingertip) on the side of the chest, where a side seam would be. Simply squeeze the thumb & fingers towards each other several times.

This Lymphatic Pump can be done on one, or both armpits. However, it may be a ticklish or tender area, so remember to only use moderate pressure and not overdo. (Therapists can also do this on clients by using the fingertip pads of both hands & pumping towards the center of the armpit/axilla.)

* Scott Carlson can be found at: www.facebook.com (his profile pix is the awesome black knight & war horse)

** For a simple/anyone can do, yet effective REIKI treatment for the Lymphatic System, go to: www.ubereiki.com

*** skin brushes can be found in health food stores, online, spas & occasionally at discount stores & have an ergonomic handle for ease of use

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.emedicine.com, www.webmd.com, www.nih/nhl.gov, and www.howthingswork.com

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any known or unknown disease.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

Chemistry - Made easy for health & well being!

Oh no, not chemistry!! Didn't we learn in school how difficult and confusing this could be? Well, yes, however chemistry is so important to us, - especially for our health and well being. So with that in mind, here's some basics, plus suggestions on how to balance and harmonize our "chemistry".

Like all other things, I find an uncomplicated definition always helps, so here's what chemistry is basically defined as.

Chemistry - the study of not only the composition, properties, and structure of matter, but also the behavior of energy and matter on both the physical and unseen levels. (my italics)

Interesting factoids - chemistry, as a science, grew out of alchemy (Arabic meaning "value"). There's more types of chemistry than you can shake the proverbial stick at, including the chemistry of our body and energy. And most of us know about chemistry related to our blood, saliva, ph, and so on, as well as energy related to things like the sun, stars, or nuclear energy.

However, how many of us can say we know much about the behavior part of chemistry? Answer is, we all do. All chemicals (molecules/atoms) behave in certain ways - attract/repel, have electrical charges, & etc. This is one of the main reasons there is constant change in our body and/or subtle energy fields.

In my field (body/energy work, nutrition, etc.) many of my colleagues and I endeavor to balance the body and energy fields to help our clients feel better. However, there is little, if any, focus on specifically balancing and harmonizing the chemistry of the body or it's energetic systems.

I feel this is unfortunate, as even doctors know the importance of, and provide various treatments/medicines to balance our chemistry, especially when we're ill. However, I'm the kind of person who likes preventative and supportive things, so there is less of an opportunity for an imbalance to occur in the first place.

So this past year (and especially recently) I've been including various chemistry balancing techniques in my practice. This has included everything from certain massage techniques to Reiki.

We also hear and talk about our "chemistry" with another person, but how many can say the same about chemistry with money, job/work, or community? Again, I feel/think if we included balancing/harmonizing our chemistry with all aspects - physical, non physical, goals, and so on, our lives could be even that much more richer and fulfilling.

Much of our chemistry can be balanced simply by drinking enough water, eating a balanced diet, exercising moderately, proper rest, and doing focused affirmations*. And if you want to go further in depth with balancing your chemistry, try some of the Reiki self help suggestions.** (see below)

There's also the option of visiting a therapist or energy worker who knows how to work with the specific areas of the body/energy fields or assist with affirmations.

Just remember - good (balanced) chemistry equals good health and well being!

* focused affirmations are like those used in The Law of Attraction or The One Command. When done correctly, these types of affirmations work specifically with the subconscious and/or deeper states of brain waves, rather than the surface/hit or miss effects of regular affirmations.

** On my Reiki web site, www.uberreiki.com, I just posted a blog with 8 simple Reiki hand positions for harmonizing the blood chemistry, that anyone can do.

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.emedicine.com, www.webmd.com, www.nih/nhl.gov, and www.howthingswork.com

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any known or unknown disease.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

Colon Polyps - Colon Health, part 3

Colon polyps are, a most people know, small growths in the lining inside the large intestine. They've gained a lot of attention the last decade or so, due to their relation to colon cancer.

So exactly what is a polyp? As mentioned above, it's a small growth of tissue that can be smooth/flat, saw tooth, or even look like cauliflower. The most common types are hyperplastic (saw tooth) or adenomas (cauliflower looking). The third kind is referred to as polyosis syndrome (osis meaning condition of), or having certain other hereditory conditions that cause raised or flat polyps to occur, and/or become cancerous.

Any type of polyp can become cancerous, especially if the diet is high in certain types of fat (the so called bad fats) and low in fiber. Dehydration, alcoholism, eating disorders, prolonged bouts of constipation or diarrhea, diverticulitis, Chron's, or Celiac's also stress and/or interfer with the colon's ability to function properly. Chronic stress and inflammation are influences as well.

Currently age is considered the biggest factor regarding why polyps become cancerous, mainly due to dietary and life style influences. Research has shown that the risk increases after the age of 40, which is why it's recommended for middle aged adults and seniors to have regular colonoscopies.

Inherited factors do increase the liklihood of a polyp becoming cancerous, especially if you have a "first family member" (immediate relative like parents, siblings, aunt/uncle, etc.) that has had colon cancer. Race/nationality isn't really considered important, however African Americans are slightly more at risk than other groups.

Certain medications can both increase or slow the growth of polyps. (Check with your doctor or go online to find these). Research does indicate aspirin can slow the process of a pre-cancerous polyp from turning into cancer; however, it's not a recommended therapy/treatment, due to the side effects.

Unfortunately any signs or symptoms of having colon polyps usually are so insignificant that most people don't realize they have them until it's too late. Abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, narrowing of stool, bowel obstructions, etc., can be attributed to many other things, and doesn't always mean a polyp has become cancerous.

However, if any of these signs or symptoms occur for over a week, or there is blood in the stool, anemia, or unusual abdominal pain, it's highly recommended to be examined. When the colonoscopy (light tube used to examine the inside of the colon) is performed, polyps can not only be looked at, they can also be removed. This can prove to not only be an overall healthy preventative measure, it can also save lives.

Self help things are, of course, being hydrated and eating a well balanced diet that includes plenty of fiber and cruciferous vegetables. (These are cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, etc. They support the immune system, and are natural anti-inflammatories.) Other natural immune boosters and anti- inflammatories are supplements like vitamins C and E, and bioflavinoids like Quercetin or Pycnogenol. Decompressing frequently also helps, as stress increases inflammation even in polyps.

Colon cancer is preventable, and very treatable. Proper medical check ups, a healthy balanced diet, and polyp removal are all very viable ways to protect our colon, and overal health and well being.

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.mayoclinic.com, www.emedicine.com, www.emedicine.medscape.com, www.gihealth.com and www.uptodate.com

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any known or unknown disease.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

Auto Intoxication - Colon Health, part 2

As the name implies, Auto (self) intoxication (state of toxcicity) means the body is so full of toxins that one can, and does, feel very ill.

AI can be caused by numerous things. The most common of these are: dehydration, being overly acidic, constant emotional upsets, eating too fast/much, certain medications, harsh cleanses, and Ileocecal Valve Syndrome. (Ileocecal pronounced ill e o seekal.)

Ileocecal Valve Syndrome is considered one of the biggest culprits of AI. It occurs when the valve between the end of the small intestine and beginning of the large intestine is open. This allows undigested matter and toxins to escape back into the small intestine, which is very harmful not only to the small intestine, but the whole body as well.

Symptoms of AI include: headaches, bad breath, gas, constipation and/or diarrhea, chest, arm and low back pain, allergies, ringing in the ears, itching, blood pressure changes, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and dementia, plus a whole host of other imbalances. People with AI can also be as high as 80% acidic, making it very difficult to restore the ph balance of the body's fluids, especially the lymph and blood.

Treatments for AI vary from standard medical ones such as antibiotics, diuretics, anti-inflammatories,etc., to natural remedies such as homeopathy, supplements, massage, or energy work. A change in diet is also recommended to one that is well balanced and consumed in 4 - 6 smaller meals a day, with plenty of water, tea, or fresh vegetable juices. And of course, decompressing frequently can be of benefit, too.

Concerning body and energy work for AI. Chiropractic is the most recommended, then Swedish, Lymphatic, and/or Visceral massage. (Deep Tissue is not recommended to begin with, as this may cause a healing crisis by moving the toxins through the body faster than it can handle.) Visceral (abdominal) massage requires specific training, so always make sure to ask your therapist before considering this type of massage.

Almost any type of good energy work, such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Quantum Healing, Reflexology, and Cranial Sacral are very good for AI. And this is especially true for children or anyone who is overly sensitive or very toxic, as these modalities allow the body to gently come back to balance.

It's estimated that over 90% of the world's population has some form of AI, however it's both very preventable and treatable. Making sure your digestive tract is in good working order also ensures the rest of your body does as well.


Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.webmd,com, www.psychcentral.com, www.healing.about.com, and www.adam.com

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any known or unknown disease.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

Leaky Gut Syndrome - Colon Health, part 1

This 3 part blog series is dedicated to my Uncle Bill, who had both pre-cancerous and cancerous polyps. The cancer has affected his liver, bladder, and now his pancreas. Thank you for your humor and determination to let everyone know your story before the cancer takes you away. (Colon Health, part 3 will be on polyps.)

Leaky Gut Syndrome (also known as Increased Intestinal Permeability) affect millions of people, many of whom don't recognize it, or realize how it affects their health.

LGS is defined as a disorder where the large intestine/colon wall doesn't have the integrity to keep undigested particles and toxins inside and proccessed/released normally. Instead they escape out into the body, affecting the surrounding tissues and organs, and quickly compromise our overall well being.

Babies have more permabeability (leakage) than older children or adults. This is generally due to the small physical size of babies and how their bodies receive and process nutrients before and after birth.

Contributing factors are inherited tendencies, health of both parents when the child was conceived, health/diet of the mother, and any prescription or over the counter medications taken during the pregnancy. Also, after the baby is born, they may not get the nutrients (even if nursed) needed for continued building/growth and functioning of the digestive tract.

After babies, almost twice as many women as men have LGS. Reasons for this are women tend to naturally have a slightly weaker immune system than men, take more medicines for health related issues (so we don't pass them to our children), and so on. Men, however are now realizing many of their health problems are related to LGS, so much so that even "Men's Health" and "Men 4 Health" have mentioned it in their articles.

The most common causes of LGS are: antibiotics, NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), excess wheat or dairy products, cytotoxic drugs (chemo/cancer treatments), alcohol, over growth of Candida (yeast infections), parasites, infections (including fungal), stress, and lack of water and proper nutrients in the diet. And in some people their Ilocecal Valve (ICV) is also stuck open, producing more LGS and auto-intoxication symptoms. (Auto-intoxication is the next blog in this series on Colon Health.)

Hallmark symptoms of LGS are: inflammation, irritability, tenderness/swelling in the lower right abdomen*, gas, indigestion, constipation, diarrehea, allergies, headaches, and so on. It's also a known fact that the liver of people with LGS works almost twice as hard to filter the toxins that escape out into to the blood stream.

When the liver is overworked, our immune system also goes into overdrive, causing it to attack our body in every place the toxins have lodged, producing inflammation.** This has led many to believe that LGS has a direct bearing on autism, MS, fibromylagia, lupus, chronic fatigue, and even cancer. And many researchers and doctors also feel LGS, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chron's Disease, and Celiac Disease are all interrelated.

While some doctors may prescribe anti-inflammatories and other meds for LGS, the most common way to treat it is naturally. This includes being properly hydrated, eating foods high in fiber, and substituting or avoiding foods that contain wheat, dairy, or have a high sugar or alcohol content.

Supplements used to support the colon so the walls can rebuild are: Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's), probiotics (acidophilus), B12, Gamma Oryzanol, Magnesium, Glutathione, and Glutamine. Note: anyone sensative to MSG, maltodextrin or other glutamate deravitives may not want to use Glutamine.

* not to be confused with the appendix (also located in the same area as the ICV), when appendicitis occurs there is also an elevated white blood count & slight fever
** it's now said that inflammation is either the root cause or biggest contributing factor to almost every disorder and/or disease known

Note: many people with LGS are also sensitive to artificial sweetners, such as Nutrasweet (aspartame) and Splendid (sucralose), so be cautious with these, or use a natural plant non sugar sweetner such as Stevia or the new one made from chicory. (Stevia can even be found everywhere from health food stores to Wal-Mart. Both Stevia and chicory sugar is very sweet so start with small amounts, and increase to desired taste.)

Sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.seniormag.com, www.holistichealth.com, www.hmedicine.com, www.webmd.com, www.womentowomen.com, and "Textbook of Natural Medicine", Joe Pizzorno, ND, 2005.

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any known or unknown disease.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

You're So Sweet!! (D-Ribose)

Sugar - something we'all like - even when it's gotten a bad rap. However, there's a very valid, innate reason our bodies like sugar, and why we have a "sweet tooth". This is because we're wired to use sugar for ATP (energy production) and make/use oxygen, among other things. However, there's a whole lot more to the story, especially about D- Ribose.

One is, D- Ribose is star stuff. That's right. It's precursor (ancestor) is a sugar called glycolaldehyde, found in the center of our Milky Way. This startling discovery verified what former famous astronomer, Carl Sagan, meant when he said "We're all star stuff."

Finding a "sugar" in the center of the Milky Way had profound implications. These ranged from how it was involved with making stars, the galaxy, light, oxygen, proteins, energy, and etc., right on down to human RNA. (DNA might contain all the proteins/info on how to replicate things, but RNA tells DNA how to do the job.)

We now know D-Ribose does all these things, and maybe even more. And while Ribose isn't considered "essential" (because our body can make it from glucose), many people do have an imbalance with it. This is evident by those who have: metabolic sugar errors (diabetes, hypoglycemia); don't eat a balanced diet that contains enough fruits and vegetables; are in starvation mode; fasting; have an illness; or taking meds that interfere with glucose metabolism.

So what to do? One, make sure you eat a balanced diet that contains several servings of fruit/veggies per day. The second option is (after consulting your primary care provider, local nutrition consultant, or doing a bit of research), take a D-Ribose supplement. (Caution: D-Ribose also occurs naturally in "nutritional yeast", plus Ribose supplements are from fermented corn syrup. If you are sensitive to either of these, you may want avoid them & eat a bigger variety of fruit/veggies instead.)

Athletes take D-Ribose to help with recovery time after hard training sessions, or major events. In the past, it's been questioned if, or how much Ribose helps athletes, but since we now know it's involved with energy production, oxygen utilization, and protein synthesis, it's obvious to see why they do. (Plus it's not a steroid.) More importantly, though, research has shown D-Ribose to help with other, more serious health challenges/imbalances.

These are: congestive heart failure, fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, allergies and asthma (and other breathing/oxygen related disorders), and DNA/RNA disorders. Interestingly enough, most of these involve either oxygen, protein, or endurance problems. Research is also looking into other health imbalances/dis-eases to see how much D-Ribose can play a part in treating them.

These range from treating bacterial infections to cancer, or other viruses. And it would stand to reason that D-Ribose can be a part of the treatment, based on what is already know about it. (Even though D-Ribose is considered natural, it's very important that anyone with any health imbalance/dis-ease consult their primary care provider before taking it.)

So this is why we're all so sweet, and like sweet things. It's because all of us have this natural cosmic sugar in each and every cell in our body, and it's in our nature to replenish it to live. This isn't to encourage over indulging in sugar, but instead to see that we get the good healthy sugar/s we need, and let our "Cosmic star light" shine.

References: www.wikipedia.org, www.wikianswers.com, www.webmd.com, www.howstuffworks, www.nasa.gov, www.healthinfo.com, and www.nih.gov


This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any known or unknown disease.

All rights reserved. All blogs and photos on this site are copyrighted, and may not be stored, retrieved, copied, or sold in any form without express permission.


The information contained on this site is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure. Nor is it intended to replace the advice of your primary care provider. No liability is assumed by the owner of this site, the author, or editor for the use or misuse of the information contained herein.