Subscribe To
This Site
|
Finding Balance, Naturally
"...Have you been looking
for information on
Depression...
but really searching
for more
Happiness?"
Nov 18, 2008, Recommended BooksRecommended books and other products Permalink -- click for full blog postNov 2, 2008, Natural SoapsNatural soaps from artisan soapmakers. Permalink -- click for full blog postOct 27, 2008, Natural Parenting as Spiritual PracticeMy French grandmother Justine was a fabulous cook. She spent hours each day preparing meals for her family, and her house had a wonderful fragrance, a combination of the herbs that she hung to dry and a seemingly ever-present roast. She often shared with me the stories of growing up on the family farm in Toulouse -- the fresh milk and butter, the bread that my great-grandmother baked daily, and the large stews that cooked slowly all day and fed her eight brothers and two sisters. The care with which she took to preparing her meals spilled over into all domestic aspects – she was an amazing gardener, and kept a beautiful, although quite simple, home. Somehow, though, my grandmother never seemed rushed, even though she also ran a business with my grandfather. She had an amazing ability to take her time with everything, and to me as a child it seemed to me to be the very expression of love. She was French, and she had a French way of doing things. And though I sadly haven’t inherited her domestic talents, she has been a role model for me in terms of living a simple, natural, and green lifestyle. Permalink -- click for full blog postOct 16, 2008, The Economy and Authentic LivingThere’s something comforting about Suze Ormon. I don’t know if it’s her insistence that we all live within our means, or if it’s ability to call people out who are making wildly bad financial decisions, or if it’s simply because she never wavers in her belief that all of us can have good financial health if we simply follow a set of basic rules, but I do enjoy her show. She makes it seem like we'll all come through this alright. Recently she spoke about how by reigning in our spending, we can secure a better financial future for ourselves and our families. I think her words were wise, and it reminded me about why I got started with Young Living nearly ten years ago. Well, the real reason I started using Young Living is that the products were helping my depression, naturally and effectively, but I found that by referring a quality product to people, I was both helping them, and helping myself. I was helping people create better health and creating financial stability at the same time. At the time I didn’t realize it, but the income I made from Young Living ended up helping my family through some tough financial times last year when my husband closed his business. Young Living is helping us build a future that is more secure, has more freedom, and is more aligned with our beliefs and values. Whether you are like my husband and me -- looking to create more freedom, time, and less stress in your life, -- or whether you are completely happy with your life, few of us couldn't use a bit of financial security. It’s relatively easy to make an additional $300 a month referring Young Living to others, and $300 a month can act as an addition to savings, or can help out with the bills without having to work outside the home. I’ve refused other MLM companies in the past because there was a hard sell and mediocre products – but Young Living offers essential oils that are of the highest quality available to help people on the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional levels. On the physical level, there are blends and supplements that help with liver cleansing, colon cleansing, and improve digestion; blends that support the thyroid and endocrine systems, hormonal balancing, and more. On the emotional level they have products that help with depression and anxiety and moving past stuck emotions, meditation, spirituality, and that will simply help you to focus and relax. Everything is of the utmost purity and created with the intent of bringing your health to the highest level possible. So, as I listened to Suze Orman talk about living within our means I thought how the additional income I receive from Young Living helps us do that; I also thought about how referring Young Living helps us to achieve our greatest wealth possible – health – and by helping others achieve health, one can gain greater financial security. Permalink -- click for full blog postOct 8, 2008, MP3 MeditationMP3 meditation download Permalink -- click for full blog postOct 1, 2008, Coconut-Tomatillio/Cilantro SauceI had some leftover tomatillio salsa from the other day and I added a can of organic whole coconut milk to it, and served it with sliced avocadoes and chicken breast. A Thai-flavored, delicious, nutritious meal, with adequate fats, lauric acid from coconut, and glutathione-boosting avocado. Click below for tomatillo salsa recipe. Enjoy! Permalink -- click for full blog postSep 29, 2008, Yummy Mexican Dinner -- Kids Will Love This!This delicious and easy recipe makes enough for a big family and your kids will never know that they're eating nutritious liver. Serve with grated raw cheese, salsa verde (recipe included) and more red enchilada sauce (recipe included). Permalink -- click for full blog postSep 29, 2008, How Do You Deal With Difficult People?
From time to time, when I’m having a really good week, or a really good month, I become spoiled by the ease that life takes on and I mistakenly think that life will continue without issues all the time. Ha! Even if by some freak of nature I live life relatively problem-free for a while, before long someone enters my life to remind me, it seems, that there’s no way to escape difficult people.
I don’t mean to sound like life would be a bed of roses if it weren’t for others. I’d still have my own issues to struggle with. But, it’s only through our relationships with others that we are put face-to-face with the pieces of our egos that still need work, and boy do these people love to rub our faces in it at every moment they can. Now, I’m not going to mention specifics here. We all have family members who point out the five pounds we’ve gained over the holidays, or the neighbor who stops you in the supermarket to gossip, or the acquaintance who grills you in the school parking lot about your personal life. I always wonder who the difficult people are for them? Is it someone like me, whose obviously trying to get away from them as quickly as possible? Or, maybe difficult people have a really difficult husband or wife, someone who makes them feel inadequate all the time so that they feel compelled to make others feel that way, too. It seems that they must have grown up with a difficult mother or father, someone who made them feel bad all the time, which is sort of sad. Sort of, except for the fact that they’re taking it out on the rest of us.
Today’s headlines of the giant dairy recall in China make me feel sad for the people who have been affected by another mass food poisoning, angry about the obviously lax food regulations in China and throughout the world, and so, so grateful that I have access to clean sources of raw milk and locally raised meats from organic farmers.
While it’s inconvenient at times to have to order food a week in advance, pick up our food at a delivery location five miles away on Saturday morning, and a bit more expensive than organic food sold in grocery stores, I think it is well worth it to eat food that is not mass produced. When people sometimes ask me if I’m afraid to drink raw milk because of contamination concerns, I think to myself that I don’t think I could bring myself to drink milk that sits on refrigerated shelves in supermarkets, and has a shelf life of two weeks or longer. The milk I’m giving my kids came from the cow yesterday.
I hope I don’t sound arrogant – I think that food contamination is a risk for any food, not simply raw milk or other milk products. The mainstream media would have us believe that raw milk contaminations of listeria are happening all around us, when in actuality, they make up an almost infinitesimal portion of the food poisoning cases in all of history.
I’m especially concerned about seafood – much of it is imported from China and is processed with antibiotics and other unmentioned fillers. It’s getting harder and harder to track where our food comes from, which makes me feel really uncomfortable.
And makes me extremely grateful to the farmers who deliver quality, healthful, and organic food for affordable prices to our area, week after week.
Thieves -- use it for a sore throat.
Rosacea skin care with diet and essential oils.
Buy the Essential Oils Desk Reference
A study done in February 2008 revealed that antidepressant drugs have virtually no affect on most forms of depression, and that for even the most severely depressed patients, the effects were minimal.
What I find most interesting about this study is that it reveals that depression is more than a biochemical mishap, but a spiritual disease. I’m the first to say that increasing your intake of foods rich in the b-complex vitamins, probiotic-rich foods, and adequate vitamins A and D can offer your body the nutrients that it needs to function optimally, loosening the hold that depression may have on our brains, which may very well be depleted of valuable fats. However, I experienced relief from depression before I changed my diet, through using essential oils. And while I can pretty much explain why it has helped me and lots of others, the reality is that it’s a bit mysterious why they work so well. I know it has something to do with a spiritual response that I feel when I use the oils. It’s a little like Reiki, which I practice. I can’t explain exactly what Reiki does or how it works, but I feel it when I’m giving it, and I know it’s good...
I recently read about Betty Lowe, the woman who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, and remains active and happy. It caused me to wonder about living to a great age like 100 and what exactly that requires.
When considering longevity before, I’ve made the mistake of thinking is that I simply a matter of health. However, reading about Betty and her volunteer work and her active, connected life, I realized that attitude has probably just as much to do with longevity as does luck and good health. Living to 100 requires a finesse and not a small amount of courage, and an ability to remain positive, find joy in connections with others and to always see the beauty in life.
I had a grandmother who lived to be 97. She might have actually been older, as there is some dispute over her real age, as we know that she lied about her age for many years. She did this probably because she was a bit unusual for her time...
Click on "Spiritual Living" to the left for the rest of this article.
Click on the link below to sign up for my free weekly ezine, containing articles like this one as well as tips on aromatherapy and nutrition.
One of the many areas that I've found aromatherapy to be enormously helpful has been during pregnancy and delivery. I used essential oils throughout my pregnancy, after the first trimester, to support emotional, physical, and mental health. While I used particular oils for specific conditions such as sinus congestion, I really found essential oils to be supportive during labor and deliver, and diffused in the hospital after the baby was born.
I had a natural delivery, and prepared emotionally for months doing affirmations and visualizing that I would be able to endure the pain. As it turned out, I was blessed with an amazing midwife and doula who supported me tremendously, and I found my second unmedicated birth to be less painful than my first, in which I received an epidural.
Once labor had begun I used a blend that I had prepared beforehand to rub on my inner ankles. It contained helichrysum, fennel, clary sage, peppermint, and Ylang Ylang. I used Young Living oils only, as they are the purest available and wouldn't dream of using anything else. This helped to move my labor fairly quickly (3 hours from start to finish) and kept it strong and steady.
I used a blend called Valor and clary sage for courage during hard labor. My doula rubbed frankincense on my back throughout transition and during very painful contractions. I found the frankincense to be extremely soothing and supportive. Between contractions, even right at the end, I was relaxed and really focused. I attribute this to the frankincense, which supports the higher self and strengthens spiritual connection.
After the birth, I diffused frankincense and Thieves in my room, which was protective against MRSA and other dangerous bacteria that might be present in a hospital. My son was peaceful and easily soothed, which was a beautiful side benefit.
After delivery, while I had no tears or stitches, I used a blend called ClaraDerm on my perineum, which helped the tissue return to normal very quickly.
I felt incredibly blessed to have experienced natural birth, which was so empowering. The recovery from a natural birth was enormously easier than a medicated birth, in my experience, even considering that I was an "old lady" of almost-40.
Click below to read more benefits of aromatherapy.
Do you feel guilty when you do something for yourself?
Recently, my really good friend invited me to a weekend away from the kids (she’s also a mother to two small children) a few hours from here, at a small farm/B&B-type place. The food is organic, there’s a natural spa nearby, and it wouldn’t cost us a lot of money because her friend would give us a discount. There’ll be walks in the mountains, meditations by the lake, and even some pampering, if I like. This sounds like a dream weekend to me, so, why do I feel guilty saying yes? Is it because I’ll miss my kids? They get to spend the whole weekend with their father, nothing terrible there. Is it because I’m too busy? Well, I can certainly get things done before I leave. Is it because I don’t believe I deserve it? No, it’s not that… Could it be that?!
Isn’t it funny that we can do things for others very easily, and in fact may do so all the time, but when it comes to doing something for ourselves – even if it’s something that will really benefit us – we may feel resistance? Now, I’m going to take this trip, despite the fact that I feel guilty about it, and I’ll tell you why: my entire journey of recovering from depression has involved doing things that made me feel guilty initially, because depression affects our thought patterns . Our thought patterns are affected by our beliefs (in fact they are an extension of our beliefs). I’ve found two really powerful ways to change my beliefs, and one is through action and the other is through affirmations...
According to today's New York Times, medical researchers from the New England Journal of Medicine are questioning whether continued use of the Gardasil vaccine is worth the cost given the limited evidence that the vaccine is effective.
The vaccine was widely promoted on television ads and was hailed as a "vaccine against cancer" in certain circles. The largest issue raised by the researchers is that the vaccine doesn't actually save any money, as there is no evidence that it's any more effective than regular pap smears, which have a great track record of detecting cervical cancer before it reaches a dangerous stage.
Recently, while watching Dr. Christianne Northrup speak about this issue, I wholeheartedly agreed with her opinion that there was evidence that supporting the immune system in other, more natural ways, combined with regular pap smears, would be a more reasonable approach if a woman wanted to avoid cervical cancer.
Representatives from Merck believed that the study only proved the need to vaccinate girls at a younger age, before they became sexually active and were exposed to HPV, but the researchers believed that this would only costs the health care system millions of dollars and offered no guarantees of the girls' future freedom from cervical cancer.
If you use contraceptives, click the link below to read important nutritional information and a list of foods that you might want to include in your diet.
What’s with all the drug ads that are shown during AMC’s Mad Men?
According to my husband, it’s not that there’s an inordinate amount of drug ads on that particular show, he says I’m just that I’m not used to watching a show in real time – normally I watch it taped on my DVR where I can fast forward through commercials. Maybe so, but as I watched last night’s episode, I counted at least two drug ads for each commercial break. Seems high to me.
Maybe because the entire cast is a walking billboard for bad health – chainsmoking, chaindrinking, heart attacks, and high blood pressure -- the drug reps are hoping that the audience might share in these proclivities, too. However, a few weeks back, Don experienced some negative sexual side effects of reserpine – an anti-hypertensive drug used in the 1960s – while in bed with his wife Betty. While it seems that Don has resolved this issue with other women since this time, it would seem that this is a bad advertisement for pharmaceuticals in general. Maybe the pharmaceutical companies don’t actually watch the show.
Another thought I had watching that particular episode was whether or not Draper’s doctor would have automatically prescribed blood pressure lowering medications at that point. 40 years ago, doctors had different views on blood pressure, and didn’t view it as the danger that we view it today. In fact, while it’s generally known that long-term effects of high blood pressure are not good for overall health, studies have shown that reducing blood pressure with medication doesn’t necessarily extend life. And, like Draper experienced in Mad Men, blood pressure medications still have important side effects. Diuretics carry the risk of depleting the body of important minerals, which can lead to complications like arrhythmia, and beta blockers can mess with lipid levels and are linked to type II diabetes, which has some pretty bad outcomes of its own.
While it may sound simplistic – especially to a man like Don Draper -- the best way to avoid high blood pressure is to reduce your stress. There are activities like meditation, walking, exercise, and even acupuncture, that create states of relaxation that help to balance the stress we experience in our daily lives. As these activities become more habitual, we can recreate the relaxation response more readily in our daily lives. For instance, from years of meditating, I can now calm myself down through slow breathing pretty quickly, even in a stressful situation. Rethinking priorities and living more simply can have a reduction on stress levels, and perhaps create the opportunity for reduced work schedules, and create more family time. Any other ideas? Contact me with your thoughts.
Click below the read about my favorite stress reducer, aromatherapy.
Why is failure important? J.K Rowling spoke about this issue as keynote speaker at Harvard University’s commencement this past June, an unlikely topic for a group of obvious over-achievers. Failure, says Rowling, is important because it opens us up to possibilities that we might not have otherwise considered. It strips away the unnecessary in life, puts us face-to-face with our worst fears, and can afford us with opportunity to pursue the dream from which “success” might have distracted us.
Rowling shared her own experience of poverty and the failure of her earlier years as a writer, and how her money-paying job at Amnesty International gave her continual perspective on just how lucky she was simply by virtue of living in a country with a democratically-elected government. Through years of hard work and focus, she arrived at the famous happy ending; though Rowling indicates her rise to success wasn’t as linear as the press has indicated, and perhaps there were moments when her success was nothing more than a distant hope.
I found Rowling’s speech eloquent and moving, not only because of her honest depiction of her struggles and coming face-to-face with real failure, but because she questions...
There are many benefits to a simple life -- they just might not apparent to everyone.
When I had children, I thought that life would become more simple – especially since I stopped working to remain home – but actually there’s a whole consumer demographic that one enters into on becoming a parent. Suddenly you’re aware of all the things your supposed to buy. You receive mailings on diapers, bottles, formula, baby furniture, clothes, toys of all sorts, and the list goes on and on. It can be easy – especially for a new mother – to get caught up in the hoopla and buy because it feels like the right thing to do.
I’ve made a huge effort at simplicity this past year or so. It’s been an interesting journey to stop making unnecessary purchases. It reminded me of the time I did the Master Cleanse, and during the fast I had the realization that all I normally do is eat. Once one stops shopping, it feels strange, sort of un-American, even.
Right now, as I type this at 9:35 p.m., I realize that this is the first time all day that I’ve been alone. These days I'm not even left alone in the shower, but not for the reason you might expect. I have a 17 month old.
Before children, and certainly before I was married, I spent about half of my time being alone. I didn’t like it, and did everything I could to reduce that time. I saw friends, stayed late at work, and any other activity that got me around people – anything to avoid coming home to a quiet, empty home.
Wow. What I would give to come home to a quiet, empty home, if only for a few hours.
For me, life is always a struggle of balance. It seems that at various times I have too much of something – solitude, or work, or chaos. It’s so hard to have balance with two small children, and never mind what happens when you're trying to develop a business or devote time to writing.
But what I miss most about solitude is one of its most valuable benefits...
Recently someone who was very depressed her whole life, with suicidal thoughts for many years, shared with me the story of how becoming very sick changed her perspective. It was ironic, she said, how she had wanted to end her life so many times, and when actually faced with the prospect of her own death that she suddenly gained the will to live. In fact, years after recovering from her illness, she feels she is blessed and enjoys life to the fullest.
Now it wasn’t as simple as it is described here, and in fact she has worked hard to create a life worth living and feels connected to many good friends. But the interesting point is that our perspective really does have a huge impact on how we feel. For me, I realized that I had fully recovered from depression when we endured a series of financial difficulties that arose simultaneously as we created a family. Throughout all the stress, struggles, and financial woes, it was somehow easy for me to see beauty of my children, and ironically, I felt blessed, despite our misfortunes. In fact, taking joy in my children while we were struggling felt to me like a beautiful metaphor for life, which is at once difficult and incredibly beautiful, always. None of us go without struggles, but the good news is that none of us get to escape the beauty, either. It is always there for us to see, if we choose.
The other day I was racing around like everyone else, and I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of a window and I wasn’t smiling. Now, I wasn’t exactly frowning, but I thought I looked more unhappy than I felt and that bothered me somewhat.
So, I decided to consciously smile for the rest of the day. Not a huge, crazy grin or anything, just a pleasant, half-smile, so that I might look friendly to anyone approaching.
What I discovered was interesting. I felt happier. It was also easier for me to give my place in line, and simply be kinder to strangers. I felt like a walking cliché, but smiling really did improve my day. For example:
~My daughter kept looking at me and smiling back, as if we were sharing a secret.
~I found that smiling consciously would stop a worry from building in my thoughts. I was short-circuiting the little anxieties that crop up throughout the day.
~I felt more relaxed driving and I sped less.
~My smile seemed to predispose conversations toward a positive outcome. When the air conditioning repairman came and fixed our unit, I smiled all the time he was discussing the potential price. I was wearing a crazy grin when he told me that we were covered under warranty! Did the smile have anything to do with our good luck? Who knows?
~Even by the end of the day, tired and cranky, I smiled at my husband when he asked me a question. He smiled back. Neither of us knew what we were smiling about, but we liked it.
Try this yourself and let me know. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Click to read more stories about creating a happy life.
"Olivia's story moved us, and a spark ignited between us - we both recognized that there was something that had to be done about this situation. We knew we couldn't be bystanders. We organized a letter-writing campaign and asked our friends to write letters of encouragement to Olivia. These messages of healing and hope were the least we could send to Olivia to let her know that she was not alone and that we were thinking about her and hoping she would get better."
These are the words of Emily and Sarah Buder, who felt moved to start a letter-writing campaign to lend support to a girl named Olivia who was the victim of severe bullying.
This story moved me because I was bullied in middle school -- and I know first-hand how the effects of being teased, picked on, or maligned by your peers can be devastating and linger for many years...
People often ask me exactly how essential oils help with depression. The answer is that they work on many levels, body, mind and spirit. One example of this is how they help us to change our belief systems.
What we believe has a huge impact on how we feel, as well as how we react to what happens to us in life. It shapes how we view the world, and is the main filter through which we shape our perspective. As a child, we start to adopt belief systems, usually from our parents. If we didn't feel safe and loved as a child, that will shape how we view the world as an adult. If our parents presented the world as an adventurous and exciting place, that has shaped our perspective, just as if they presented the world as a scary and dangerous forms our present views. This colors our interactions with others, for good or bad, and it also colors our interactions with ourself.
We have beliefs about nearly everything, and it's an interesting exercise to simply observe what our beliefs are as we go throughout the day. Try not to judge yourself for your belief systems, as they most likely came about from your childhood, when you didn't have a choice in how the world seemed to you. However, if you'd like to change your belief patterns, know that you have much control over how you view the world today, and how you react to the numerous events that occur on a daily basis. From these reactions, we create our lives.
There was a recent article in the New York Times about parents who send their children to a $10,000 sleep-away camp. If that weren’t enough, they call camp counselors round the clock to make sure their child’s every need is tended to; as an example of the lengths they go to make sure their children are never lest without the upper hand, some parents supply their child with an extra cell phone in the event that the camp confiscates the illegal item.
Judith Warner, the writer who was commenting on the piece, made the point that children who are indulged excessively will not only grow up to have a sense of entitlement, but it seems that people will bend over backwards to make sure that they are entitled. Her evidence to prove this point was the eagerness with which the counselors indulged the parents who called about the most insignificant concern. Her fear, and mine upon reading this, was that the children of parents who are trying to raise them with courtesy and concern for others will end up becoming food for these future sharks.
According to John Gerard, the herbalist who wrote about sage in 1597, sage "is singularly good for the head and brain and quickeneth the nerves and memory." Also referencing sage, the famous herbalist Nicholas Culpeper states that, "it heals the memory, warming and quickening the senses."
Apparently, it's also good for memory, a study shows...
I never feel so relaxed as when I'm receiving an acupuncture treatment.
It's counterintuitive. I mean someone is placing needles into your skin and you're feeling relaxed as a result. But when I'm getting acupuncture, the relaxation response almost feels narcotic. Within fifteen minutes I'm in a state that is sort of hard to explain -- I'm awake, but I'm not really present. I could fall asleep, but I enjoy this state of deep relaxation while awake.
I've used acupuncture recently for some skin problems and found that it helps with my sleep and general energy levels. It is often covered under insurance, so I would recommend that if you are struggling with anxiety or depression, find a qualified acupuncturist in your area.
To read about another natural modality that's helpful to depression, click the link below.
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. Annie Dillard
Don't we all want to, one day, look back on our lives and feel glad about the way we lived?
For me, it's not just about the big picture -- the big successes, the once-in-a-lifetime-trips. I want the small stuff to matter, too. Like how I spent my day-to-day existence. What I did each morning. Did I plug away at a job I hated for 30 years or did I find a way to stay home with my kids and still make it work. Perhaps even live well?
Some questions I've been asking myself lately are, How do I define living well? Is it simply by the money I make, or is it about the freedom I have to make the choices I want? Are my kids afraid to be themselves or do they feel free to express their authenticity so that they can grow and develop?
Of course, this all relates to being happy, because the more authentic our lives become, the happier we become. The freer we are to express ourselves in our daily lives, the more we grow. So, the question becomes...
I was just reading about how more and more women are having elective c-sections, partly due to fear of the pain of childbirth, and partly due to concerns about, ahem, changing things for the worse, shall we say.
Now, I've given birth twice, so I'm not unsympathetic to concerns about pain and recovery. I do take issue with the second concern, because one, it's not necessarily true and two, having a c-section does have health implications for both mother and child.
This guy is great. He delivers powerful information in a straight-forward, no-nonsense style. Click the link below for additional information on whole foods nutrition.
Youngliving how to order.
David Kirby of Evidence of Harm fame, writes in the Huffington Post today that autism rates of Somalian children living in Minnesota are significantly higher than both their native country’s average, and of the U.S. average. Minnesota’s rate of autism is high – 100 per 10,0000 children – compared to the national average, which is 69 per 10,000 children.
Because Somalian children are often revaccinated upon entry to the U.S., there is speculation that the children are exposed to double the levels of trace mercury in vaccinations – and if they were born before 2002, they might have been exposed to thimerosal.
This is interesting because it reflects a general trend in the U.S. and Canada. In California, where 1 in 4 children are foreign-born, the autism rate increased 50% during the years of 2003-2007.
A possibility not discussed in the article is the fact that Somalian children would experience a drastic dietary change living in the U.S. which could cause a reduction in their gut flora. Adequate gut flora is necessary for the body to remove toxins from the body, including heavy metals like mercury. This is an idea discussed extensively in The Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell McBride and why she recommends Bio-Kult, a therapeutic-grade probiotic, for all children suffering from autism.
A potential reason for this increase discussed in the article is sunlight. Somalian children receive much less sunlight, than they would have in Somalia, and as a result, much less vitamin D. There is a connection between vitamin D and autism, and this is why doctors like Mary Megson, M.D. almost always includes cod liver oil in her protocol for children on the spectrum of autism.
Click below to read about the importance of these two vitamins for brain health.
Do you ever have days where it’s really hard to get going?
I’ve been mostly able to work this out these days, but I remember days, especially when I lived in Denmark, where this was a real problem. For example, if there was really no REAL reason to leave the house, I wouldn't. This always led to thoughts like, “Well, why do I need to even get dressed, I’m comfy in these pajamas.”
Now, I’m a big believer in full-day pajama wearing -- occasionally. It’s a great way to stay comfortable, catch up on writing, phone calls, cleaning out closets, or anything else that requires comfy clothes. Heck, even Oprah does it sometimes, and God knows she gets things done. However, if I do this too often, I risk feeling out of balance. Sitting around the house in my pajamas is simply TOO much alone time, too much inactivity, not enough seeing other people. It starts to feel, well, depressing.
Marlon Brando was an amazing movie actor, but his work as a father? Not so good.
The other evening I was watching Ovation’s biographical depiction of this icon. The reason that I was particularly interested was because my husband and I watched Apocalypse Now that past weekend for the umpteenth time, and, as usual, marveled at his performance.
But as I watched the documentary on his life, and later read that his oldest son, Christian, died at 49 of pneumonia after a particularly tragic life, I wondered about the choices we make in life, and if tremendous talent doesn’t carry a heavy price.
How about a list that simplifies the reality of caring for a family and helps make it easier for you to put delicious, nutritious meals on your table? Here goes:
1. Buy your food in bulk – if you’re like me, and you like to have organic vegetables, join a CSA and pay for your food up front. Or grow your own garden. You’ll save a ton of money over buying organic in a supermarket, and you’ll be supporting local farming, to boot. I’ve also found a good source of local raw dairy and grass fed meats from a farmer who delivers to my area. You can contact me if you live in the NY area, or search
This past weekend I was reading about how restaurants in my area are varying their menus so that they can serve foods like pasta to people with Celiac's disease, or wheat allergy. The restaurants are using a gluten-free flour as it is the gluten which is nearly impossible for the person with Celiac's disease to digest.
Click below to read more about this condition and also for some dietary recommendations.
Is there anything better than the smell of fresh coffee brewing and butter melting in the pan for pancakes? Or the fragrant first slice of a brand new onion, juicy and summer fresh? Nothing says summer to me like the sublime beauty of ripe, sliced tomatoes on white china drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, mingled with the crisp, grassy fragrance of freshly sliced basil. A perfect winter’s day to me is a bubbling stew that’s been slow cooking for hours, thick and glossy with stock and starchy potatoes and eaten around a roaring fire.
I believe that food has tremendous healing power. It’s transformed my life in some not-so-subtle ways, and I’ve seen it transform the lives of others...
One of my worst fears is that my kids will grow up to hate each other.
I guess coming from a family with 3 siblings, with none of whom I’m particularly close, this is a natural concern. Now, it wasn’t that my family was particularly evil – we were as happy and dysfunctional as any family, I guess – it’s just that somehow we didn’t get the message that it was important for us to respect and nurture each other, and now that we’re all grown and have lives of our own, we’ve just lost touch.
Now that I’m a mother myself, I clearly see the inherent disadvantage to the sibling relationship: jealousy. Sibling rivalry is a theme throughout many works of literature and is well known reality. I purposely chose to space my children out three years from each other in hopes of minimizing this emotion, but it is still a factor. In fact, there are parents who swear that closer spacing creates closer ties. So, what is the secret, if there is one?
What is RSS and how does it work?
Is anyone else really annoyed that the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending a low-fat diet for babies as young as 12 months? (Reuters Health News, June 18)
I know there's a tremendous obesity epidemic, but what about educating parents about white flour products, processed foods, and juices -- all of which will either turn into sugar in the body or actually contain lots of sugar?
I guess what really frustrates me is the fact that lots of the nutrients found in whole milk, like vitamin A, and cholesterol -- are severely reduced in low-fat milk, and extremely important for brain and physical development of children.
I'm all for reducing the obesity epidemic, I just think the American Academy of Pediatrics have it all wrong.
Click below to read about the BENEFITS of whole food, whole fat products like raw milk.
Let's hear it for Men's Health for standing up to the PC Fat Police and writing about how saturated fats are good for you! This isn't the first time that they've challenged the widely-held notion that a low-fat diet is best. Jeff Volek, their nutritional writer, is one cool guy who understands his readership -- men -- and gives them nutritional permission to eat grass-fed meats and whole foods like cream.
I know my husband and son (and daughter, too) love their beef jerky, and the fact that it comes from grass-fed beef makes me really happy.
According to yesterday's Psychology Today, there is a connection between serotonin and the ability to experience spiritual happiness, specifically, the experience of transcendence.
As might be expected, it was the brains with the most serotonin receptor activity that showed the greatest capacity for spiritual experience.
Here's one more reason to do everything we can to strengthen the neurotransmitters activity in our brains -- creating a stronger sense of spirituality. Of course, feeling happier is a pretty good reason, as well.
Happiness is one of those conditions that may not be easy to define, but certainly, you know it when you have it. In 1989, Carolyn D. Riff wrote a study with the intent of quantifying happiness, and discovered that people who described themselves as happy shared certain characteristics. (“Happiness is Everything, Or Is It? Explorations on the Meaning of Psychological Well-Being” Copyright 1989 by the American Psychological Association, Inc.)
1. Self-acceptance –a positive view of self and has realistic view of self, including shortcomings and strengths
2. Positive relations with others – is able to develop intimacy, empathy for others; has genuine concern for the well-being of others;
3. autonomy – independent and able to “march to the beat of his/her own drum:”
Watch this video of the power of the human mind and spirit.
Typtophan is a precursor to serotonin, a "feel-good" chemical that works to balance our mood. Here are some foods to include if you suffer from anxiety.
|
