Whoppyjawed

Whoppyjawed, out-of-kilter, off-balance; that’s what I’ve been. My desk chair is to blame.

About 2 weeks ago, my right hip started hurting, so much so that I couldn’t sleep comfortably. I couldn’t understand what was happening. It restricted my exercise and was altogether troublesome.

Then a week ago, Builderman sat down in my desk chair and said, “this chair is the cause of your pain! Get rid of it!” Huh? Well, it’s whoppyjawed. A couple of months ago, it made a funny noise, some metal fell out of the bottom of it and it took a funny tilt. Honestly, I didn’t even notice it, but obviously my hip did. After just a week of working in a chair that’s straight, my hip is almost completely better.

The moral of this story: The little things can make a big difference, especially over time. Lesson learned, apply as needed.

Health Is Still Wealth!

The state of the economy can't touch our most valuable assets.

I've been considered a bit of a health nut for all of my adult life. Like so many of my habits, I tend to experience ebbs and flows along the way. For instance, when the children were really small and I could control their diets, we did really well. Then sometimes, I would get exhausted with the effort to buy natural and prepare whole foods and would concede to convenience.

We've never been vegetarians.... Builderman is too much of a meat and potatoes guy for that. It's been really terrific to watch the movement towards health food sections within the grocery store. It delights me that eating natural foods has become so much more convenient.

A couple of changes we've made in the past year that I'm very happy about are:

1) Organic milk. We buy 2 kinds of milk (fat-free and whole) and I found that I was throwing slightly soured milk away a little too often. It's really gross! Organic milk has expiration dates that are about a month away (can't say I understand why) and the fact that I use every drop compensates for the higher price. I have a theory about hormones in our foods influencing our health which I won't get into right now, but I really like buying organic.

2) Organic beef. At my grocery store, Publix, they have a line called "Green Wise" that is delicious & affordable.

3) Cage-free eggs. Most of you know that we now have our own fresh eggs. Yum. Here are some stats that we are promoting as we are actually selling eggs. (!!?!)

Mother Earth News conducted an egg testing project and found that, compared to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs, eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
• 4 to 6 times more vitamin D

4) Kosher salt. I know if you're on a low sodium diet, this is not a good choice, but we are enjoying it! It's said you use less salt when seasoning with this form. I'm not sure about that as I really love salt. Thankfully, I have low blood pressure rather than high and it's not an issue at our house.

Lest you think that eating healthy is not fun, I love the stastics that support eating chocolate! A 2006 John Hopkin's study showed that chocolate can be beneficial to your health. It's rich in flavonoids and packed with antioxidants. In addition, it increases serotonin levels and may help lower blood pressure. : ) You're welcome!

I don't take the gift of health for granted. I believe in natural remedies as a first step when symtpoms creep in. I think we should have wellness cabinets rather than medicine cabinets. A recent ad for a local "Health Fair" boasted 12 workshops and every single topic was a disease. Something is wrong with that picture!!!

All that man needs for health and healing has been provided by God in nature, the challenge of science is to find it." ~Philippus Theophrastrus Bombast That (1493-1541)

Never, no never does Nature say one thing and wisdom another. ~Johann Frederick von Schuller

My prayer for you today is that you will prosper and be in good health!

Attention Shoppers: God is at Cash Register #10

I saw the video below last week and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It stirs so much in me... memories of when I first awakened to the fact that God is still in the miracle business but more important, it stirs my faith.

I found out yesterday that a dear friend, who happens to be my age, was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. She fell on Tuesday and hit her head – a severe enough injury to send her to the emergency room. That started the round of tests that revealed the mass in her brain. Reminiscent of precious Andrew who is waiting for his miracle. Last week, I heard of another cancer diagnosis in a beautiful 26-year-old young lady.

Last night, as I prayed for these needs, two things came to mind. Almost 25 years ago, I was on a prayer chain at our small Methodist church and got a call to pray for a teen who had been critically injured when she was thrown head-first through the windshield in a terrible car accident. I awakened all through the night after that call with a severe headache and would pray for her (her name was Kelly), the headache would go away and I would go back to sleep for awhile. Then the cycle would repeat.

The next morning, I felt absolutely compelled to go to the hospital and tell the parents Kelly was going to be okay. I had no clue what I was doing – this was a totally unfamiliar experience to me. But I couldn’t shake the feeling, so off I went. I found her parents in the waiting room for neurological intensive care and delivered the message. Two days later, when I got the call that Kelly had awakened from her coma with no brain damage, my life was forever changed.

I’ll tell you more about that journey later. For now, I am full of faith for these three friends in particular, to be wholly restored. I declare a cancer-free zone. It can happen anywhere and anytime….even on cash register #10.

Cheerios: America’s Drug of Choice

I haven’t posted a Squall Line in quite some time but when the FDA starts telling Cheerios that they’re making claims only approved for prescription drugs, I’ve got to say something.

I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t shaken their heads at the numerous ridiculous ways our government has spent our tax dollars in the last year.

Health is a subject that is near and dear to my heart and you can believe that I've observed the direction of the FDA in the last number of years with alarm that has grown to horror. If the direction doesn't change, your right to buy vitamins and choose complimemtary health could vanish. I won’t belabor the point today, but here are excerpts from an article at eFitness.com. You can read the brief article HERE.
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The FDA has issued an official warning letter to General Mills Inc. last week ordering it to modify how it markets the health benefits of Cheerios.

The particulars of the Food and Drug Administration findings are in a letter dated May 5th. The Cheerios ads claim in six weeks “Cheerios could help lower your cholesterol 4%,” but in making that claim, the FDA says Cheerios becomes a drug, which can’t be commercialized for its benefits without approval.

That claim, along with similar assertions about Cheerios’ cancer-fighting and heart-healthy qualities, amount to “unauthorized health claims” and violate the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the agency said.

The FDA letter told General Mills that it was “your responsibility to ensure that all of your products are in compliance with the Act and its implementing regulations.” And if the company failed to “promptly correct the violations” then the government may have to take “enforcement action without further notice.”

General Mills argues that the Cheerios health claims have been approved for 12 years, and the FDA’s complaints deal with the language on the box.

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"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from the government."
--Thomas Paine 'The Rights of Man' c.1792.

As one of America’s Founding Fathers, Paine also penned a widely popular booklet called “Common Sense”. Seems to me that our government could use a strong dose of common sense. Oooops – I said “dose”. Does that mean I’m prescribing?

Swine and Scorpions and Pit Bulls, OH MY!

It’s not Lions and Tigers and Bears that cause alarm for urban-dwelling Americans. Our modern-day enemies are scarier than anything Dorothy encountered on the road to Oz.

First, let’s talk about swine. My mom has been calling my sister and daughters this week requesting they wear masks for their upcoming plane travel this weekend because of the swine flu scare. (Two are headed to Texas.) Not surprising that none of them plan to do so and I agree that it’s unnecessary. I’ve simply requested they slather themselves head to toe in sanitizer. : )

I know that eating pork isn’t how swine flu is contracted, but while we’re on the subject of pigs, I just have to say that this reminds me why I’ve made it a habit to avoid eating pork for the past 25 years or so. I don’t think you want to hear my harangue on swine flesh so instead I'll give you a definition.

Harangue (v.) [hê-'ræng]
Verbal harassment, a tirade; a ranting uncontrolled preachment or piece of writing focused on a subject of interest only to the speaker or author

If you want to know more about the subject, I recommend a book called Maximum Energy by Ted Broer. Your hair will stand on end when you read his chapter about 10 foods you should never eat.

Second item on my creepy list today is scorpions. I know that warm weather is here to stay since the scorpions are in residence in my mailbox again. ARGHHH! It’s awful to pull out a scorpion with the mail. I haven’t wanted to spray poison in my mailbox because that seems as harmful as scorpions. I killed a big one yesterday and need any eradication tips you may know of.

Pit Bulls are on my scary scallywags list today. The dog and the people who are referred to as pit bulls are defined as behaving in a markedly aggressive or ruthless manner. You don’t have to look farther than today’s headlines to know who they are.

By the way, this year marks the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. If Dorothy could make it, so can we. Let me go find my pair of Ruby Slippers.

Can You Believe It?

I oversee customer service and marketing for a nutrition company as one of the many hats I wear. Dealing with people is always fascinating. One of this week’s chuckles came when I read an email from a guy that said, “I have not been angry for the last 52 years.” What?! Are you kidding? I am incredulous. (Okay - the truth is, I simply don't believe him. He would have to be in a coma to accomplish that!) He goes on to state a truth I do agree with …“I have come to the conclusion that there are no medicines and supplements or doctors available to cure any diseases like old age, death and fear.”

That's an interesting thought. It’s true that modern medicine has not come up with a cure for death. But I think of the message that resounds in me this Easter week. Jesus overcame death and the grave. So indeed there is a cure for death in Christ! He also revealed the cure for fear and old age and anger and…. He covered it all for us. I am incredulous, but in this case my fascination is punctuated with, “I BELIEVE!”