The Day I Met An Angel

You may, if you've read my writing for any time, recall I was diagnosed in 1987 with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease which eventually morphed into mostly Lupus. Though today I am now in remission nearly ten years, back in the late 80's early 90's I wasn't doing so well. My pulmonary physician referred to me in his notes as "unfortunate" and "steroid dependent." He had sent me to pulmonary rehab which in the end really didn't do much for me. Well, it did depress me. I was at a low-point emotionally and physically.

Not having a washer or dryer I would take my clothes two blocks away to the local "Duds N Suds". One day during my low-point I was doing my laundry and a poorly dressed lady came in. She walked straight up to me and asked if I knew God loved me. I replied "yes I do" I confess more to get rid of her than in belief. I didn't see her leave. She just disappeared. I never did see her again. Interestingly she didn't have any laundry with her. I believe to this day and always will believe; she was an angel sent from God to remind me, to pick me up and remind me and give me hope. Because hmmm, I really hadn't been living as though I knew God loved me. On some level I knew it. I just needed a kick in the pants. The love in that lady's eyes and her question was more than a kick in the pants. Those few moments changed my life.

Those few moments contributed as much or more to the remission I would finally achieve, as did the nutrition and nutritional supplements I added to my food-plan. Do you know someone who is chronically ill? You can be their angel.

When you feel like there's nothing more for you but dying; when because of illness you feel you don't have much left to contribute or there is no hope of wellness and then someone cares enough to reach out to you and tell you God loves you; that they care about you; it changes your life. It creates hope. An action of caring puts a fire under the will to live and gives renewed worth to a life. This month is Lupus awareness month. I've always had mixed feelings about the focus on "awareness." Nobody can really understand the difficulties of coping with a life with Lupus unless they've experienced it.

You can, however, change a life by a simple gesture. Offer to take them shopping,to do their shopping for them, to take them to their doctor appointment or to bring them a meal. It's hard to ask for help. Don't wait for them to ask. If you know someone who is battling a chronic illness go let them know you care. Be someone's angel. Tell them God loves them. He does.

It's Later Than You Think

Those who know me outside of "bloglife" know how much it meant to me to earn my Masters in Holistic Nutrition in 2008. Nutrition gave me back my life from Lupus. So at the age of 50 I went back to school to earn my Masters in Holistic Nutrition. The mission and yes, the passion, of the rest of my life is to help others the way I was helped. Because you see, western medicine isn't. It's shameful not once in the sixteen years I was battling active Lupus not one of my physicians (and I had a regiment of them) ever asked about my diet.

You know even a mechanic would check to see if you had gas in the car.

But I digress. After I earned my Masters I turned to the next step of my journey. How do I help people understand the standard american diet is killing them? How do I help them understand there is an urgency to them understanding this? That nutrition CAN make a difference in chronic illness. That nutrition can even prevent chronic illness. New research is even showing that proper nutrition can STOP bad genes from turning on. Do you get the immensity of that information? This is HUGE. It's so huge it makes me feel, well, it makes me feel, inadequate.

You know though I've been in remission for eight years, Lupus stole quite a lot of time from me. There were years (yes, years) when if I wasn't at work I was in bed resting so I could go to work when it was time again. There were times I couldn't get out of bed. Literally. But in all that downtime Lupus taught me something too. It gave me an appreciation for the time of my life which I don't think I would have had to such a degree had I not gotten sick. And in a very unmistakable way, it taught me time is elusive.

I have a friend who puts it this way, "it's later than you think."

A few years ago while working a nightshift I had the privilege of watching the sunrise with a cancer patient. She was a delightful, perky lady; a truly amazing person. To this moment I am in awe of her attitude. It's one sunrise I will never forget. Yeah the sunrise was beautiful but that isn't why I will remember it. I will remember it because that lady had such an awesome spirit. I felt so privileged to be able to share that sunrise with this person. It almost brought me to tears only I didn't want to cry in front of her. She was special. And perhaps, just perhaps, cancer happening to her didn't have to happen. Perhaps the standard american diet is what killed her. Processed foods are greatly lacking in the nutrients your body needs. According to the W.H.O. 70% of cancer can be prevented thru proper nutrition. So you might give some thought to changing your diet for the better to one brimming with whole foods . The human body can repair itself if given the nutrients it needs. In fact a properly working immune system kills cancer cells everyday. Yes, I said everyday. Eating nutritiously is vitally important. And please consider this today, not tomorrow because...

I have a friend who puts it this way, "it's later than you think".

As I sat down to write this blog post I thought of various clients and friends who only sporadically eat well and supplement with vitamins. Then they complain and blame the vitamin or supplement when really it's their inconsistency which fuels their health problems. Worse yet I thought of clients who sporadically purchase childrens vitamins. Because what they are teaching their children is it's ok to put health second. They are unintentionally setting-up their children for an unhealthy life. Meanwhile time flies by.

I have a friend who puts it this way, "it's later than you think".

Do you get what I'm trying to say? Time goes by quickly. It's elusive. And sometimes you run out of it. Life is such a priceless, wondrous gift. Wellness is the foundation of the quality of your life. Without wellness you lose choice. I've been there and done that. It's not fun. Unfortunately, it's really easy to let time fly by and to take wellness for granted. And it's a mistake to do so. Wellness must be taken care of and nurtured. Treasured. How many times have you thought "gee I should eat better" or "I'll quit smoking next week" or "gee I should exercise more" or "I'll do better tomorrow".

Tomorrow you may be sick. It may be later than you think.

Uncommon Courage: A Life of Significance

This is an old blogpost from 2006:

There came a time during my long journey with Lupus when my mother asked me how to cope with illness. She was well into her journey with Shy-Drager, a very debilitating version of Parkinsons. To say it's difficult when the roles in life turn is an understatement. I wish I had been full of wisdom at that moment. Maybe in a small way there was some wisdom in what I said.

I told her my philosophy was to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep going and that's what she had to do too. We agreed we would do that together for as long as we each could. Then we had a discussion about what we each wanted and didn't want in regards to medical treatment. We made each other promises to safeguard each others dignity in the event we couldn't do it for ourselves. There were no tears during our conversation, but in the years since her passing I have often wilted into tears when remembering it. I kept my promise to her, there was no medical intervention with feeding tubes, IV's or medical machinery at the end of her journey.

Thinking back on the difficult times of my lupus journey I can say it's really not a simple thing to do to "keep going" when in the grip of 24/7 pain, shortness of breath and overwhelming fatigue. In fact, when faced with an incurable illness it takes an uncommon courage to even want to keep going. There were many times when I begged God to take me home.

But at the time when my mother and I had our conversation, I simply thought that to put one foot in front of the other and keep going was all I knew to do and certainly didn't think of it as courageous. To me it was just survival. In fact, everything I did; changing my diet to one without processed foods, being a guinea pig for an investigational drug, reframing my thoughts, exercising when I was physically able and my physician would let me, incorporating daily meditation, trying glyconutrient supplementation, was all, I thought, just a matter of survival. Not just to stay alive, but to keep my lifestyle and my independence.

But I've been told by four different people in the last few months that they view me as courageous. As I sit here pondering my journey to remission I have a hard time thinking of myself as courageous. It blows my mind anyone thinks of me as courageous. My journey to remission wasn't about courage, and though I thought it was about survival, it really wasn't even about survival; it was about having a significant life. Everyone wants their life to mean something. I have always thought one of the worst things about chronic illness is the loss of human potential. Illness illustrated to me very clearly the insignificance of monetary success and about personal growth and living a life of significance. Financial freedom means nothing if you're not also making a difference.

It takes real courage to live a life of significance. It takes insight, (some would say wisdom), to understand you can live a significant life even if you are coping with a seemingly incurable illness. Sometimes that is hard to see when you're living with 24/7 pain and little hope for respite. When illness strikes and your dreams suddenly seem unreachable; you must understand your illness, no matter what you no longer can do, does not make you any less important to the world. You must understand every existence is significant. By putting one foot in front of the other and keeping going you are, in fact, living a life of significance. You are giving value to life. There is nothing more noble.

So whatever hardships you are coping with in your life; change the things in your life which are negative or don't promote wellness and keep on keeping on. You are precious and your existence is significant.

Gratitude

It's spring again and if you have followed this blog for any time you know where to find me when spring shows her sunny, flowery face. Sitting by the lake on my favorite bench on the boardwalk watching for baby ducks and pondering. I think everyone should have such a pondering spot. Been pondering how to go about accomplishing the goals I had set for 2012. I'm behind on my time-table.

A lot has happened in recent months both happy and sad. Life sometimes takes left turns and it surely took a hard left this time. My sister lost her battle with cancer in January. I lost my best friend. To say losing her has rocked my life (and the lives of many others) is an understatement. There are no words.

Not long after the funeral I was asked if I wanted to contribute an essay to a book about gratitude. God does have a sense of humor doesn't He? I wasn't in a place of gratitude. Far from it. To be honest I was pretty mad God took my Sis. I was still mad about how things were handled. I thought my brother and I had been treated with great disrespect (albeit unintentionally) at the wake. I was just mad. Period. So the thought of me writing about gratitude was somewhat laughable. But a little voice inside of me encouraged me to say yes I would write an essay about gratitude. So I did.

Mired in grief and anger I didn't know what I was going to write and wondered if I was nuts to have agreed to write the essay. But then words came to me as I reflected on the conversation I had with my younger nieces ex-boyfriend at the wake. He told me how my sister had impacted his life and so many others for the better.

Sitting here by the lake reflecting on the last few months I realize God put the opportunity before me to write the essay. I realize God sat my nieces ex-boyfriend next to me at the wake and I'm sure God calmed my anger and helped me find a place of forgiveness.

And I know for sure I didn't write the essay by myself.

Gratitude is an essential part of life. But what is it? I ask you to consider it is a major part of the art of paying attention. When we lose focus; when we allow the negative to overtake our thoughts; we take our attention off the positive. Gratitude is as necessary to our lives as blood is to our body; as air is to our lungs. It is from a daily practice of gratitude that happiness springs.

The book of which my essay is part along with a lot of others will be out in December. I hope it blesses you as much reading it as writing the essay blessed me.

You can still get the previous edition of the book! Gratitude Book Project

Scared Healthy: Don't Let This Be You!

What gorgeous weather God gave us today! It's sunny and warm. Flowers are in bloom. It's my favorite time of year. Yet, I'm in a reflective, pensive mood this morning. In fact, my mood took me out to sit by the lake for a while and ponder over things this morning. You see I am facing a pretty big colon surgery soon. Yes, your health coach is mighty sick.

So Petey (the furkid) and I headed out to our favorite spot on the boardwalk

this morning. I sat and pondered how much genetics might have played a role in my current situation. Both my siblings have had recent colon problems. I pondered how much the standard american diet and lifestyle had played a part in the colon problems of all three of us.

Well, yes, since my battle with Lupus I have greatly improved my nutrition and lifestyle. Nutrition played a huge part in my remission from Lupus. But the previous 40 or so years I was the average unsuspecting American where nutrition was concerned. All THOSE years I ate mindlessly as do millions of Americans; not understanding three meals on the table do not make a person automatically healthy. The nutritional quality of those meals is of vital importance. I remember when my mother discovered "TV" dinners. She thought they were a godsend and my dad and I thought they were a "treat" from the usual. We didn't realize they were nutrient-poor death in a box.

So I sat by the lake with Petey today and pondered all this.

I'm sure my mother didn't question whether tv dinners were nutritious or not. She, like millions of other mothers, never dreamed the food industry would present anything other than nutritious products. After all they said so in their TV commercials. Pondering this got me to thinking how many mothers TODAY are sending their children to school with the pre-made processed food box lunches which are specifically marketed to children. Have those mothers read the INGREDIENTS of those box lunches? MSG, High Fructose Corn syrup, other things which sound like a science experiment .... need I go on? If our great-grandmothers wouldn't recognize the ingredients as food we shouldn't be giving it to our kids.




What one eats today doesn't just nourish you for today; it also plays a part in your future health. Dr Dean Ornish (and others) have recently shown in their research it is possible to turn off bad DNA and/or keep bad DNA from turning on by maintaining good nutrition and a lifestyle which includes routine exercise. I've worked in a hospital for 30+ years and I can tell you sadly people don't understand that food really is medicine. It MATTERS what you eat! Our hospitals are filled with people with lifestyle disorders. So much of the misery I see at the hospital is nearly totally unnecessary.

I routinely see people who have done nothing to reverse their risk factors for illness and now expect their physician(s) to make them healthy again. Unfortunately, our health system, food industry advertising and the pharmaceutical industry create this self-uninvolved reactive mindset toward health. We, each one of us, MUST be proactive regarding our health. It is MUCH easier to stay healthy than to get healthy and health is home-made! It is NOT pharmaceuticals which create health. It is a properly functioning immune system which is supported by good nutrition which creates health.

As you can tell I did a lot of thinking sitting out there by the lake today. I know there are a lot of people who don't know what to do to reverse their risk factors and don't want a situation of being "scared healthy" in their life. Most importantly they don't understand that drugs do not create health.




I clearly don't have all the answers. Neither does your doctor. But I know a few things for sure. I know awareness of nutrition is of paramount importance. Nutrition matters! Food IS medicine. I know moving your muscles routinely is of paramount importance. I know there are too many people mindlessly driving thru fast food windows. I know we MUST get back to eating WHOLE FOODS.

Where do you start to support your health better? Very simply don't try to make to many changes at once. Make healthy changes one at a time. One of the easiest and healthiest changes you can make is to have a "green" smoothie every day. It sounds trite. But green veggies are chock full of nutrients. It only takes five minutes to make a smoothie and clean up afterwards.

You might try this recipe:

Avocado Surprise

1 avocado
1.5 cups almond milk
2 tsp honey or agave nectar
ice cubes
Blend in blender.

Here's another one:

Papaya Delight

papaya
banana
baby spinach
ice cubes
Blend in blender.

The pharmaceutical industry likes to discuss risk factors as though they are diseases. The word "disease" psychologically triggers people to think of themselves as ill and needing drugs. But risk factors are NOT diseases and in many instances can be reversed thru awareness of nutrition and attention to exercise and good sleep.

That was some pondering session huh? I would just like to conclude with this. Don't buy the B.S. the food industry feeds you in their commercials. Think nutrition first. Eat mindfully. Be Smart. Eat to live. I care about you. I don't want you to be "scared healthy" I want you to be healthy.

I hope you'll subscribe to this blog and allow me to help you make healthful changes.

Smoothies: Home-made Health

Are you one of the multitudes who swing thru McDonalds for a quick breakfast? Did you know you could throw together a nutritious smoothie in less time than it takes to go thru McDonalds? You can make a smoothie and clean up in 5 minutes.




Many folks want to improve their health but don't know where to start. Incorporating a smoothie for breakfast is a great and healthful first step to improving your nutrition and healthstyle. It's an easy way to get a portion of your "5 a day".

You might try this smoothie:

Pear Smoothie

8 oz almond milk
1 Pear
8 oz fresh apple juice
1 tsp plain greek yogurt
cinnamon (to taste)
ice cubes

Blend in blender.

Or you might try this one:

Chocolate PB Smoothie

8 oz almond milk
2 tsp plain greek yogurt
2 tsp organic peanut butter
1 scoop (chocolate) whey protein powder
ice cubes

Blend in blender.




Too many people treat physicians like mechanics. They don't take good care of their health and then expect their physician to fix it. It's much easier to stay well than to get well. Health must be nurtured with good nutrition and a consistent regimen of exercise. Health is home-made.

If you are a "drive-up" breakfast eater or even worse; don't take time to eat breakfast I would urge you to give having a smoothie for breakfast a try!

Next post we'll talk about GREEN smoothies. They are especially nutritious. Subscribe to this blog so you don't miss it!

Why I Grow Food

It's my favorite time of the year. I'm anxiously planning my patio container garden. For the last several years I've grown veggies in containers on my patio. Despite all my years of observing my parents grow their garden there has been a learning curve. Last summer though, I grew an amazing amount of veggies in containers on my patio. It was delightfully fun!

Why do I grow food? There are so many reasons. First, the sheer joy of watching plants grow, blossom and bring forth fresh food. There is nothing like the succulent goodness of a fresh tomato. Growing your own food you have security in knowing how healthfully it was grown. There is great satisfaction and stress relief in planting and tending a container garden.  It's very exciting when the first veggies appear! I use organic soil and growing in containers have no need of weed poisons. I also have not needed any poisons to get rid of pesky bugs but will use organic methods if bugs become a problem.  Thus far I have successfully grown tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, squash and zucchini. Here's a picture of part of last summers patio container garden:

Having only a small space in which to grow your container garden is not limiting. You are only limited by your imagination!  It's fun to design your container garden. There are so many colorful containers from which to  choose. What will you grow?  What are your favorite vegetables? Is there a vegetable you've never eaten but would like to try? Do you want to grow tomatoes? There are many, many varieties of tomatoes from which to pick!                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                            

I hope you will consider planting a garden this growing season!   It's a great project to get your kids involved in!  It doesn't take a lot of space or even a lot of time and the benefits are many!  Fresh veggies are terrific for your health!  There is great joy in growing, harvesting and eating food which you grew. There's nothing more wonderful than the taste of freshly harvested vegetables!   

You can do it! Start planning! Get out there and ENJOY!