Honoring Menopause

When Periods Cease - Part Six: The Challenge of Getting a Restful Night Sleep!

2011-08-10T08:28:00.000-05:00

Sleep has been something I've struggled with for years so I have a lot of experience with what helps and what doesn't. As periods cease, I am even more sensitive than ever to the subtleties in life that tend to keep me awake at night. Mike Adams from Natural News recently posted this article on his website. It is the best insomnia advice I've ever read. I do ALL of these things and it helps tremendously. I also want to add that I've started taking 500 mg of GABA along with 3 mg of melatonin and a little bit of tryptophan as I crawl into bed with my calming book. You might not see results all at once. These tools have an "accumulative" effect. Be patient. The pay-off is worth it.

(NaturalNews) Good sleep is a gift from god. How beautiful it is to wake up refreshed after a sound eight hours of sleep. The day can be tackled full of energy, with an awake and ready mind. Quite the opposite occurs after a sleepless night. How awful to crawl out of bed with a body and mind reeling from no or just a few hours of sleep. The performance of a sleep-deprived mind and body are far inferior to the rested state. 30% of the US population experience sleep deprivation regularly. Imagine the impact, the stress, the worry created by insomnia in this taxing, demanding, instant world? The demanding world feeds more insomnia. More insomnia makes the busy world less bearable. How can we get out of this vicious cycle? What solutions are there to improve sleep?

Step One:
30 min to one hour before bed take any of the following:

Tryptophan
Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, which induces sleep and tranquility in the brain. Serotonin deficiencies, which are related to tryptophan deficiencies, may be one of the causes for insomnia. Supplementing with tryptophan is safe and cost-effective. Tryptophan is best taken with a B-complex for better absorption.

Melatonin
Melatonin is not a sleep hormone, as mistakenly believed. Instead, it regulates nighttime and daytime, the circadian rhythm. With dark surroundings, the body starts producing melatonin. Without an increase of melatonin production at night, sleep may be evasive. When exposed to bright lights in the evening, jetlag, shift work or poor vision, the melatonin production may suffer.

Valerian and Co.
Numerous compounds containing valerian, hops, chamomile, passionflower or even kava kava can be located on shelves in health food stores. Which one to pick? For many, valerian has shown to be extremely effective as a sleep aid. For others, it does nothing, or worse, creates anxiety. This is due to our unique biochemistry. Trial and error can help to determine an effective herb combination.

Step Two
Reading & Writing
Once in bed, write down thoughts, worries to get the energy out of the system. Then, read a good book in bed in a dimly lit bedroom to calm the mind further. Get cozy, put yourself in "sleep position" and get "inside" a book. A book shifts focus from the day's worries to a new reality. The deeper you get into the book, the more daily worries and frets are forgotten. It is the racing mind that restricts shut-eye time. Reducing thoughts by refocusing can be very effective. When you feel your eyes closing, slowly turn off the light and doze off. Perhaps, you have to repeat the process a few times. But in time, you may even fall asleep on the book.

Step Three
Long-term relief - Sivananda Yoga, Meditation
Sivananda yoga, unlike other forms of yoga, incorporates the proper breathing, proper exercise, proper relaxation, proper diet and positive thinking. Yoga, as originally practiced in India, merely consisted of a few stretching exercises before meditation. Its main intent was to relax the body and prevent stiffness while in cross-legged meditation pose. The West turned yoga into a workout. Vinyasa flow resembles an aerobic gym class these days. With Sivananda yoga, the mind becomes still (breathing, meditation) and the body relaxes with specific, slow exercises - a great solution for long-term restful nights of sleep.

http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health...
http://www.melatoninfaq.com/
http://www.raysahelian.com/valerian...
http://www.cocoonnutrition.org/cata...

About the author

Suzanne Meier, BA, CN, Author.
Born in Switzerland, Suzanne has since lived in the US (most of her life), Canada, Sri Lanka, England and Peru. She truly acts and writes from a 'four corners of the world' perspective. Her locally derived knowledge contributes to a unique cultural insight on how each solitary individual affects the collective whole. After having been caught in an act of war, which triggered a transforming spiritual experience, Suzanne's in-depth search for truth, healing and spiritual awakening accelerated greatly.
Her book "Becoming Human Again - From Sheeple To People", discusses the global manipulation of human kind at every level and how to use consciousness to break free.
www.becoming-human-again.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033268_sleep_remedies.html#ixzz1Ud7UWdSF

When Periods Cease - Part Five: Oh, Those Poor Adrenals!!!!

2011-05-30T14:34:00.003-05:00

Soooooo..... About three months ago I was offered a position as an Office Administrator and I accepted. The job is good and I enjoy it but the stress of adapting has been less than easy. Not to complain or anything... I'm grateful to be employed!! I just knew something was definitely "not right" after a very long time of feeling like my energy tank was on empty and I started having chest pains! My first step was to go to a doctor that I trusted and confirm that my heart was ok, do some blood tests and a 12-hour saliva test to see what my DHEA and Cortisol were doing. The results showed that my DHEA was fine but my Cortisol levels were extremely low and they stay low all day long. Typically they should start out high and gradually decline during the day. This particular doctor suggested we try to stimulate the adrenals in order to raise the cortisol. However, all attempts so far have been less than favorable because even a micro-dose of any kind of adrenal support supplement caused insomnia rendering me pretty much useless!! Not good when you're trying to look like you know what you're doing at a new job!!!!

So at this point we are shifting to adaptogens. Some of them still sound like they could have some stimulating (causing insomnia) affects but are generally milder. I did some research and found that many adaptogens can have other side effects as well like blood pressure raising or blood sugar lowering or increasing thyroid symptoms (all of which are red flags for me) so another doctor of mine suggested "Solomon Seal". It's a mild adaptogen that doesn't seem to have any reported side effects. It's not easy to find but I did manage to get Solomon Seal root at a local health food store. I followed instructions and placed 1/2 teaspoon of the chopped root in a cup, added my hot water and then covered and steeped for about 10 minutes. I did this without a tea ball or strainer and it worked fine since most of the root sinks to the bottom. According to instructions you should drink one cup a day and never more than 3 cups in a day. It tastes very mild so no need to hold your nose when drinking! In the future if I want to order it in drop form I can do that online.

Since this is my first day I will need to come back with my results. But if you're in a similar situation, other things that may help are:

Exercises that raise chi (like chi gong, tai chi, and some yoga stretches)
Acupuncture
Meditation
Going to bed by 10:00
A really good multi-vitamin with lots of B Complex.... way more than the daily requirements
An excellent vitamin C supplement (2,000 - 4,000 mg per day)
Pantothenic Acid (1200-1500 mg per day)
Magnesium (400-1200 mg per day)
Stay away from sugar and gluten
Check your vitamin D levels. Chances are they are low.
Eat lots of good sources of protein
Increase fiber

Some adaptogens that may help (but make sure you research for side effects) are Ashwaganda, Asian Ginseng, Bacopa, Cordyceps, Holy Basil, Licorce, Rhodiola, Maca, and Dong Quai.

More to come in a while!

When Periods Cease - Part Four: Breast Lumps

2011-01-17T15:03:00.003-06:00

Yes, well.... along with all the raging hormone fluctuations come the possibility of changes in the breasts. Some can be a little alarming.... like a few months ago, during a self exam, I found a lump in my right breast. It stopped me in my tracks and I felt a wave of fear pass over me as I felt how different it was from the usual spongy kind of breast lumpiness I used to get right before a period. This was more like a small kidney bean shaped pebble. Hard as a rock. I decided not to do anything about it for awhile to see what would happen. However, it did not change. In fact it seemed to maybe get bigger. When my acupuncturist said "You really should have that lump checked out", I decided it was time to do something.

I'm not comfortable at all with mammograms. I had one about 20 years ago and I never had another one. Also I refused to get sucked up in the fear-driven consciousness of Western medicine and possibly face repeated needle biopsies. I did some research and found a chiropractic office nearby that does thermography so I made an appointment. Thermography is completely non-invasive, radiation-free, and I trusted the procedure far more than mammography. I even mapped out a rough idea of what my plan would be should I be diagnosed with cancer that would include guidance from an MD that practices naturpathic medicine only if that is what the client prefers.

In short, thermography measures the radiation of infrared heat from our body and translates this information into anatomical images. Cancer cells will stand out clearly on the thermographic image as a "hot spot."

Eveything went very smoothly with my appointment. I was able to get results from my thermography immediately from the doctor who did the procedure. He showed me the images and explained that the way it looked, there was nothing that he was concerned about. To be really sure, he said I could come back in 3 months and have the procedure repeated. At this time it is 3 months later and the lump has disappeared.

If you would like to know more about thermography, click here to see a previous entry.

When Periods Cease - Part 3: Hot Flashes!

2010-12-24T09:55:00.001-06:00

I've had hot flashes before. They were tolerable. No big deal. For some reason, I think again I'll blame it on the rollar coaster hormone fluctuations, a hot flash is a whole different thing lately. My body is definitely in conflict these last few months.... "Let's see... should we have a period this month? Yeah, sure.... no, maybe not for a few months.... well, how about we skip 4 months and then have 2 of 'em back to back???" hmmmmm..... it doesn't surprise me that I'm having a hot flash or two and they are of the serious, never before experienced, variety. Kinda like "Oh my gosh!! I'm about to burst into flames!!!" Not only that but I also get waves of nausea and my heart races and I feel weak and lightheaded. Are we having fun yet?????

Now, I have noticed the usual things they tell you to stay away from does make a difference. So, things like caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, sugar - all on my "Do not touch" list. BUT one thing that I didn't expect would make a big difference is carbs. I guess it makes sense because it's sugar but here's how I found out. I normally eat whole grains and I eat gluten free but I got into a habit of buying these really yummy rice crackers (made from white rice) and tuna salad. Well, it's not so bad if I just eat a few crackers and a lot of tuna salad because the protein in the tuna is good for blood sugar but I was eating the whole box of crackers at one time! One day, when I suspected there might be some connection between my hot flashes and the crackers, I looked at the amount of carbs and it said there were 26 grams in only 3 crackers!! Cripes!! No wonder!! So I began to stick to only brown rice (and other whole grain) products and I'm more vigilant about counting carbs and eating more protein to keep my blood sugar at a good level which has also kept my hot flashes down to (knock on wood) much fewer.

When Periods Cease – Part 2: Birth Control

2010-11-13T10:07:00.002-06:00

One of the most challenging issues at this time has been birth control. The rule of thumb is to wait an entire year without a period before it's considered safe to have sex without birth control. After 4 months of no period, a couple of days ago I got a period. Now seriously, I really wonder what my chances are of becoming pregnant at 54 but I understand that although it's not very likely that I will get pregnant - it happens!! The reason for this is that I am still ovulating on and off and if there is sperm present when I happen to ovulate it could turn into a viable fetus. During this time the likelihood of pregnancy is hit or miss, so there is a need to continue to use protection until a doctor can confirm completed menopause. Ok, so that's enough to make me nervous and considering my partner and I went to a holistic physician for some guidelines and she looked at me and said "You're not done yet!!" meaning "Don't get excited, you still need to use birth control!" I decided I'd rather be safe than sorry. (exhale....)

So on to what to use! (Here is where I'm hoping that if anyone else who reads this is having a similar struggle they will take heart in knowing that they aren't they only one). I had been using spermicide but lately it is a no-go because I have too many side effects. Hormone altering stuff like the pill or anything related to the pill was simply out of the question. So that eliminates spermicide film, suppositories, creams, the diaphragm or the cap. I tried the IUD and my body pushed it out like it was some foreign invader. Male condoms were not working any longer either. We heard about Neem oil which is something they use in India but we would need to experiment with how to use it and how much to use. That felt like a guessing game that I was not comfortable with. So far, we've settled on female condoms. Once I got past how strange they look, it turned out to be very successful.

When Periods Cease - Part 1: An Unexpected Grieving

2010-11-06T15:14:00.009-05:00

"When Periods Cease..." doesn't that sound like a soap opera??? Like, "As the World Turns..."

I've been waiting a long time for this but I'm officially in menopause. It's been about 4 months since I've had a period. All of this other stuff I've been writing about has been associated with "peri-menopause" which could (and did) go on for a number of years. I can tell that my body is going through some major change in these last few months. Some very unexpected changes - even with as much preparation as I've had!

Here's something very unexpected. I am 100% SERIOUSLY CERTAIN that there isn't a bone in my body that would want to have a child at this age. However, during these last few months as my hormones shift and my body ceases to have a monthly period, in my dreams I hold a baby in my arms. I see my daughter when she was very little, I rock her, I am stroking her hair, I see her as a young child again and I awaken with a feeling of mourning. Something/someone inside of me is grieving the loss of the ability to create a child from my womb. I'm quite surprised. I have heard other women say that they experience this but my thoughts previous to my own experience were always something like "Oh come on, you've got to be kidding!!" But now I understand.

It's autumn. I recently posted a picture of myself on Facebook with my significant other enjoying a walk in the woods. My daughter called me and we talked for a while. This morning I awoke after another one of my dreams and I recalled her words over the phone. "Mom, we look so much alike in that picture!" ... and the tears started to flow. Like autumn leaves, my tears fell. And without judgement I let myself just be with this part of my body that is so wise. I can only honor the someone/something inside me that recognizes that my body is closing a door and opening a new one. I honor her process, I give her my support, I listen and I allow her to grieve. She is very real. I assure her that there will be other babies to hold and rock but they will be my daughter's babies. And that's a good thing!

Vipassana Meditation Group

2010-08-26T19:38:00.004-05:00

I belong to a meditation group that practices in the form of Vipassana and meets every Monday at 7:30pm - 9:00pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church in University Park. The address is 70 Sycamore Drive, Park Forest, IL. 60466

I have been attending this group now for 6 years and have found it to be extremely helpful for my sense of general wellbeing. Vipassana means "To see things as they really are" which gives you an idea of the value of the practice. We sit in silence for a total of 40 minutes, most often I focus on my breath, and allow whatever is, to be. When thoughts arise (not IF but WHEN)... the idea is to be aware. Not to manipulate or do anything with them (like try to get rid of them) but to just be aware. Although this sounds fairly simple, it's not easy. What's easy is to keep doing what we have always done: worrying, harboring grudges, making judgments, thinking about the past, thinking about the future, wondering if we're doing this correctly...etc. With that "space" of witnessing my thoughts and feelings comes the freedom to create some distance from either grasping or aversion. Suffering comes from holding on to something or pushing away something.

The first night I came to this group I wasn't convinced that I was doing ANYTHING! It was quite interesting because I was so used to "guided" meditations, which are quite nice and very helpful in their own way as well. But my "thoughts" were something like "why am I doing this? why am I here? this is silly! what am I accomplishing? I have no clue, just sitting here, shouldn't I be concentrating on opening my chakras?, bringing in light? praying? doing SOMETHING???" I kept coming anyway. And I started to watch these thoughts. And little by little my practice grew. At times when I feel physical pain I sit in silence and listen. At times of emotional pain, I sit in silence and listen. With practice, Vipassana has filtered into my everyday life and has made it possible for me to watch my thoughts more often. It is a priceless gift to witness my "monkey mind" when I have the consciousness to do so. The results have been freedom from much of the suffering that I experienced without practicing conscious awareness of my thoughts.

There is no fee involved in Vipassana. The "structure" of the gathering I attend currently looks like this:

7:30 - Arrive and settle in
7:40 - 5 minute group chant
7:45 - 20 minute silent meditation
8:05 - 1 minute stretch
8:06 - 20 minute silent meditation (you may choose to do a walking meditation)
8:26 - Stretch and prepare for dharma talk
8:30 - 15 minute dharma talk
8:45 - Sharing time with group

While we do not have a "leader" we have been allowing one volunteer per week who would like to share a CD or tape to do so during the 15 minute dharma talk. The chosen material has been appropriate to the group focus. For example, Pema Chodron, Michael McAllister, Sharon Salzburg, Jack Cornfield, etc.

All are welcome!
To learn more about Vipassana Meditation, CLICK HERE

My Continued Results with Community Acupuncture!

2010-06-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

So far I've had 3 community acupuncture sessions and I am quite happy with the results. At the second session I noticed that someone sitting near me was focusing on shoulder pain and I have had shoulder pain in my right shoulder for 15 years. I asked our practitioner if I could also work with shoulder pain as well as digestion. She said that would not be a problem. So we added that and I felt like a real pin cushion but did fine! Now the results have been really interesting. After some emotional releasing that evening here's what I've noticed. My digestions issues are improving though more slowly and subtly than other issues. The results I am more astonished with have to do with the fact that I have been sleeping better than I have in a very very long time! I also have noticed that I am more relaxed - less stressed than usual. But what astonishes me the most is that there seems to be a possibility that my thyroid is starting to work better. The reason I'm saying this is because I have always been underweight. My understanding has been that my thryoid is hyperactive which has something to do with my metabolism being super crazy fast even if I'm a couch potato. While you might think this is something you would die for, consider this. It's been a constant battle just to keep enough weight on me to not look sickly or anorexic (which I think I sort of do). But lately my clothes are getting tighter! This would be a miracle for me if this continues!

Be sure to check and see if you have community acupuncture in your area if this sounds like something you would be interested in. At first I didn't think I would like sharing a room with other people but it has turned out to be a really good thing.

Go to: http://www.communityacupuncturenetwork.org/clinics

My First Experience with Acupuncture

2010-06-12T07:59:00.006-05:00

Last Wednesday evening I accepted an invitation to something called "Community Acupuncture" at a local salon. I had never tried acupuncture and I was very curious since I had heard so many positive things about it. I understand the theory because I practice acupressure and EFT so it all makes sense to me. Still, there's something about needles that is a little scary. And I was aware that "Community Acupuncture" meant that I would not be in a room by myself. What if I'm the only one who is Freaking Out!! How embarrassing would THAT be??? Still, I'm happy to say that my curiosity won out.

I first checked that the person who was doing the acupuncture session was qualified to practice Chinese Medicine and I felt comfortable with what I learned about her. I arrived on time and the salon was beautiful. There were a couple of people peacefully enjoying their session, reclined, with their eyes closed. Chinese music played in the background. Ellie, the practitioner, introduced herself and led me to a room where she asked me about myself and what I would like to focus on. I rambled on about some digestive issues which started when I turned 50. We also talked about me being in the process of menopause and some of the symptoms associated with that including symptoms of insomnia that look like waking up at 4AM every morning in the spring and summer (??) and not going back to sleep (which incidentally leaves me quite wiped out). She took my pulse, checked my tongue and said that I have a liver and spleen chi difficiency. And then proceeded to invite me to make myself comfortable in the room with the other two patients. She placed a needle in my third eye (forehead), one on each earlobe, one in each wrist, one below each knee, two down each leg, and one in each foot. Going in, I only felt a slight "zing" but once the needles were in I felt practically nothing except for an immediate relaxation response which was very pleasant. After about 30-45 minutes of being very still and relaxed she removed the needles and encouraged me to pay attention to how I felt in the next week. Whew! I did not freak out!!

Interestingly enough my symptoms have improved with just one session and I have returned for another session last night. Again it went well so I will be continuing to go for at least 6 weeks. This week I haven't been doing my usual "wake up at 4AM for no known reason and then can't get back to sleep" ritual! That in itself is a blessing!!

I will continue to keep posting about my results.

Menopause Brain...

2010-02-20T10:19:00.008-06:00

I know this is a little late, ... but HAPPY 2010! After 2 lay offs in 2009, I have officially joined the ranks of the many who are self employed! At 53, I am beginning the adventure of working as an independent freelance marketer. When I wasn't self employed I had work, I survived, I paid my bills, BUT... I didn't grow much. Now with the rug pulled out from under me, I need to reach out, talk to people, take some risks, learn a WHOLE lot of new stuff (and believe me, this is a challenge because my menopause brain just doesn't work the way it use to!) Change is scary and uncomfortable and some days I just want to crawl under a rock but it's also exciting and I mean to give it my all... on all levels. Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Being employed with Baird & Warner Real Estate for 10 years as a marketer, I didn't do very much online marketing. I mostly designed some flyers, brochures, managed databases, etc. After many months of searching online for work (and I looked everyday) I had the luck of connecting with a real estate agent who advertised on Craigs list. It turned out she lives about 2 blocks from me and needed an assistant! It has been part time but it's helped me keep afloat. I managed to attract a few more clients. I learned how to do e-newsletters (which are lots of fun by the way) and had the extreme good fortune of recently meeting a young man who I started working with. He is a social media marketing expert and he has placed me in charge of designing and implementing the newsletters as well as helping him set up accounts.

My first 3 attempts at setting up accounts were less than brilliant! But now I have a much better handle on it. One thing I noticed is that I sometimes miss the lack of daily feedback from co-workers. There are not too many people in my condo patting me on the back saying, "you are so good"... "how do you do that?"... "you are worth your weight in gold!" At Baird & Warner many of the real estate agents knew very little about marketing and computers so what I did looked fairly close to walking on water. Comparatively speaking, only knew a little more than what the position required for me to know! So, now I have to be brave and ask my clients "Am I doing well?' "Do I need to change anything?' The answer isn't always a glowing report on my amazing skills...but that's ok! It's all information I need to know so that I can keep learning.

My Daughter is Married!!!

2009-10-19T13:27:00.013-05:00

Oh my gosh,.... I've never experienced ANYTHING like this before...... i know it's been awhile since I've been here. Lots of change. After being laid off 2 jobs I started working from home and doing freelance marketing. Little by little things are coming together.

The most exciting thing lately is that my daughter and her boyfriend, Danny Bruggeman (whom she met in college) announced their engagement around Valentines Day. Since then we have been enjoying a flurry of activity in preparation for the "Big Day." It was October 17th - just two days ago. Both my daughter and Danny have graduated from college. Meghan is now a Youth Minister. Danny is also going to be doing ministry work. They are two of the most amazing people with the most generous and sweetest hearts I know (and I would say that even if Meghan wasn't my daughter !!)

Anyway, my parents and I made it through the weekend ok, with just a few "glitches" (like me locking myself out of my hotel room not once, but TWICE!!! and trying to iron the jacket to my dress and it ended up "puckering" on one side! and getting by on 30 minutes of sleep and noticing as I'm getting ready for the ceremony that "OH BOY!!! I have my period!!!" "Why am I still menstruating?? And why today?? )

The wedding was incredibly beautiful. SHE was amazingly beautiful. Her and Danny were both so fully present during the ceremony. You could see that they were so engaged with each other and with everyone! They were on the alter the whole time facing us and the pastors (they had 5 pastors!) were below them, in front of the alter with their backs to us so that we could see Danny and Meg throughout the entire ceremony. (as opposed to weddings I've been to where you see the pastor but the bride and groom have their backs to you until it comes to the part where they exchange rings and kiss and then are introduced). Such a huge difference. The musicians were friends from college and they were awesome. I heard the female musician singing "Here Am I" and it sounded to me like she was singing "Here I am, God.... willing to submit myself totally and completely to Your will through this union with this man."

When I walked in the door of my condo after everything was over it hit me, ... "My daughter is married." I started to cry and I cried and cried. I didn't expect to feel what I was feeling!! I think I was "holding up" thru the weekend and then allowed myself to relax when it was over. I called her dad and thankfully he could relate quite compassionately. It's wonderful to have a good relationship with her dad because no matter who I would have talked to, it wouldn't have been the same. No one else would have known what it's like to parent Meghan except him. And I am really grateful for our conversation.

Looking back on it, I was there with the "details and concerns." I allowed myself some room to "feel" it, but not fully. If I could do it all over again, I would be there conscious of the details but hopefully less consumed by them and able to take it in with my whole heart instead of it hitting me now. Somehow I feel like I kindof cheated myself a little. On the other hand I wouldn't have wanted to look like I needed the help of a rescue team and a resuscitator!!

So, I don't think I'm alone. I have "let her go" when she graduated, when she became a minister, when she lived in Mexico for 3 months, etc. But for some reason, this feels different. Anyway, if anyone has similar experiences they would like to share with me I would love to hear them. My heart is filled with compassion for moms (and dads) who have witnessed these beautiful ceremonies of their precious sons and daughters and can't figure out why they feel what they feel afterwards!

Six Ways to Stop Bone Lose During Menopause

2009-03-18T13:56:00.005-05:00

This is a FABULOUS article on six ways to stop bone loss during the menopause transition by "Women to Women." Here's a short excerpt to give you an idea of one of the ways (which is stress reduction). Anybody stressed lately?????

Six Ways to Stop Bone Loss During the Menopause Transition

Because our bodies are particularly stressed during the menopausal transition, it’s really important to incorporate stress reduction into our lives. At the clinic, we commonly find a connection between poor bone health and level of emotional support — when a patient has osteoporosis or osteopenia, it’s often the case that her low bone density mirrors a similar lack of solid support in her home life. So techniques to improve your emotional well-being are crucial in countering bone loss. My patients find meditation, yoga, t’ai chi, qi gong and other mind-body practices helpful in countering stress. T’ai chi, yoga, and qi gong are especially helpful because they facilitate stress reduction, build bone, strengthen muscles, and improve balance. Stress can also stem from unresolved emotional issues that require more than the common forms of stress relief. You might also explore the possibility that stress may stem from a poor diet, food allergies, or prescription medication. The point is stress reduction is an important factor women often forego in the midst of their busy lives, and for the sake of their bones (as well as overall health) it shouldn’t be ignored.

Let Your Life Speak

2009-03-15T17:00:00.014-05:00

Last week I joined the ranks of the unemployed. Not exactly by choice.... I received word Wednesday afternoon that my position as the marketer at Baird & Warner Real Estate was terminated due to the need to cut costs in their budget. Thursday was my last day. I've watched, for several months, the administrative staff dwindle and wondered each time I was called into the office if this would indeed be my time to pack my bags and hit the road. So by the time my boss told me the news it was by no means a surprise.

What IS a surprise is that I am noticing this little interesting feeling of ....relief. I almost feel ashamed. Maybe because after so many months of waiting for the ax to fall and dreading it, the relief might be from knowing that it has actually fallen and so far nobody died.

Or maybe it's because there have been times since my divorce that I have begun something different in terms of making money but I always had to question whether or not it would fit in with my schedule at Baird & Warner. My job wasn't a great paying job but it was creative, and I loved it, it was safe, I could physically do it, until recently it paid the bills. I got by! But now, I'm not tethered by any schedule. I'm not burdened with the energy of concern that I'm going to loose a safety net. The worst has already happened.... That energy is freed up and I am playing with ideas. I'm hearing a voice that says "now I have a chance."

I recently went to visit my daughter for a couple of hours. We were talking about this and she lent me a book called "Let Your Life Speak. Listening for the Voice of Vocation" by Parker J. Palmer. I knew that I would love this book as soon as I read "(In) moments it is clear - if I have eyes to see - that the life I am living is not the same as the life that wants to live in me. In those moments I sometimes catch a glimpse of my true life, ... and I wonder: What am I meant to do? Who am I meant to be? .... Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you." Oooooooo..... shivers!!!

So, I am trying to make sure that I "listen." Maybe I will ultimately end up doing something all together different. I don't know. I've never been a 9-5 kinda person. The companies I've worked for have been one way or another "flexible." It will be interesting to see what happens. I've always been wonderful at marketing other people. Maybe now I will be marketing ME.

What a scary thought!

I'm not sure what I will find

"But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit quietly for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek."

What is a 100-Day Gong?

2009-03-10T10:32:00.014-05:00

I'm hooked on Chi-lel Qigong!! Doing a bit of research I've discovered that this particular Qigong method is practiced by more than 10 million people world-wide. The benefits seen are improved health, greater creativity and increased mind/body awareness. Its original name, Zhineng Qigong, was founded by Dr. Pang Ming, a highly respected Grand Master trained in both western and eastern medicine. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different styles of qigong. However, Zhineng Qigong was named the most effective health-enhancing qigong by the Chinese Sports Bureau. Taught specifically at the Huaxia Zhineng Qigong Centre over a period of ten years, this centre became known as the "Medicine-less Hospital". Many of those at the centre were deemed incurable, yet recovered from diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Zhineng Qigong was brought to the USA by Master Luke Chan under the trade mark name of Chi-Lel. Luke and his brother Frank have ensured the popularity of Chi-Lel in the United States.

My 100 - day Gong:
'Gong' means 'work', 'Qi Gong' means 'Energy work'. To do a 'gong' means to do a sustained period of work or practice. In the context of qigong, this means to do a daily practice for a considerable time without missing a day. So, for example, I've decided to do a 20 minute practice of the 'Lift Chi Up Pour Chi Down' form ( see my last post ), and I will have to do it every day for 100 days. If I miss a day - I have to start all over again! I understand it's quite a challenge but a great way of building up willpower and discipline and to ensure that my qigong efforts will begin to bear fruit. To formalise doing a 'gong' and get people to practice regularly, Master Luke Chan devised this cute little '100 day gong sheet'. Anyone can print this out from the Chi-lel website here. You mark off each day with a smiley face as you do the practice. However, if you want to do a gong and record it on a website, you can join the Gong Community and even record and share your progress with others.

So far, into day 5, I am really happy to say that I've made it this far!!! The first day I was PUMPED, the second day... still pumped.... the third day, I was ....I think the word is ..... SORE!! I couldn't believe how much my arms hurt. But I'm not used to holding my arms up for that long. It is even more of a challenge for me than lifting the small weights that I lift. On my third night of practice, after speaking with my boyfriend who is currently teaching English in China, I settled into bed after a hot bath with epsom salts and felt my heart chakra releasing energy throughout the entire night. Since then I have not been so sore. Something else I noticed, ... I'm normally not one of those "jump out of bed, embrace the day with energy and vitality" kind of people. It takes me awhile to "ease" my body into the day! But today I woke up with the awareness of some energy!

It will be fun to see what else occurs for me. I have no doubt that it will bring benefits to my transition into menopause as well as other things I have no awareness of yet.

Chi-Lel Qigong: My First Class

2009-03-07T22:05:00.007-06:00

It's been about a week since my little trip to St James emergency ward and I seem to be doing pretty well. I'm noticing a big difference from taking the enzymes. My diet is as healthy as it's ever been. Though, all of the fruits and vegetables I eat or juice are not organic, I'm hoping to be able to change that. I eat much less meat now with the exception of some fish and a little bit of antibiotic free chicken now and then. With my diet going in this direction I feel a draw to complimenting my disciplined lifestyle with some new exercises. I have done yoga in the past as well as rebounding, walking, and dancing and I currently do some gentle weight lifting and stationery bicycling but I've been yearning for something different. I wasn't sure what ... but yesterday my girlfriend invited me to a Qigong class. I thought "oh cool, sure I'll go" As it turned out.... I LOVED it!!!

Our teacher was a gentle, earthy, soft spoken type man with a way of speaking that sounded as if he were Chinese. He talked to us about stress and how Qigong helps promote healing not just on the physical level but all levels. While sitting, we practiced gathering chi and in a very short time everyone was getting very warm. This was the result of 20 people moving chi together in one room. After he talked for an hour and a half we were invited to stand and follow a 20 minute exercise that he led us through called "Lift Qi Up and Pour Qi Down." It was so beautiful and I could definately feel energy moving. I purchased the CD and committed to more classes. When I got home, I was incredibly energized!

Today, following my CD, I did the 20 minute exercise and was pleasantly surprised that (even on my own) I became very warm and needed to remove some outer clothing and also felt the familiar feeling of energy flowing effortlessly.

The video you see above is our teacher, David Cowan. He is performing "Lift Qi Up and Pour Qi Down" in 3 minutes. Of course, we are doing it considerably slower hence the reason that it takes 20 minutes. Fast or slow, it is really beautiful.

As a teacher, David's ongoing qigong classes have helped hundreds of chronic pain sufferers find relief through dedicated daily self-care exercises. My personal goal is to continue to practice every day for 20 minutes a day. You can visit David's website at qiforlife.org

A Trip to the Emergency Ward!

2009-03-05T10:42:00.005-06:00

A few nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night with what felt like a gall bladder attack! I was experiencing pain on the right side below the rib cage, nausea, sweating, and no ability to move without being doubled over. I was definately confused considering I had been doing a gall bladder cleanse for 4 months and feeling noticeably better with the exception of some constipation and bloating in the last 3 or 4 days. Anyway, reasoning with my body didn't seem to make much of a difference so I called 911 and had the experience of an ambulance ride at about 4:30 AM. (I think my neighbors slept through it cuz I never heard a word from anybody!)

After a bunch of tests, (they even checked to see if I was having a heart attack) nothing showed up. At this point it was about 7 or 8 hours later and the pain had pretty much gone away! I left with a plan to follow up with my doctor and see if we could figure out what happened.

So, I went to see my doctor and her opinion was that I might have possibly been passing stones as a result of doing the gall bladder cleanse. As you might know, I wasn't doing the Hulda Clark 3 day cleanse, I was doing a much gentler approach. Fortunately, the end results showed no gall stones. Nevertheless, we have added an enzyme supplement called "Ortho Digestzyme" and a fiber aid to my regimen and I am looking into something called "Bile Salts." She added that there wasn't any indication that my gall bladder needed to be taken out.

In the meantime, I have discovered a GREAT website. "Gallbladderattack.com" In this website there is information, recipes, products, and help that I haven't see available on any other. From studying the information on this website I learned that it is possible to have attacks without stones and I think it's possible my problem came from having a back up of bile. I have been using the beet recipe every day which is great for assisting bile flow. (with or without stones)

I have been making up enough to last about 3 days and I just eat a spoonful every couple of hours throughout the day.

Beet Recipe

Treatment for Gallbladder Pain

1 large organic beet or beetroot (raw) washed (not peeled unless not organic) and finely grated

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbsps flax oil (Flax oil is by far the superior choice here as it is an omega 3 essential fatty acid, but if you only have extra-virgin cold-pressed olive oil in the house, you can subsitute it temporarily.)

Take one teaspoon of mixture every hour throughout the day.

On day two and three make a fresh batch using ¼ of a large beet.

Take one teaspoon of mixture 3 to 4 times a day or more.

Make this mixture to add to your salads frequently or eat alone as above 2 or 3 times a week. This will keep the bile thin and moving.

Note: If you cannot get organic beets, be sure to peel them. Otherwise, use the peel as well.

Beets in any form are an excellent food for both the liver and the gallbladder.

Eat your regular meals throughout this period, striving to eat lots of fresh vegetables, good fats and to avoid refined sugars and processed foods.

Super Healing Foods

2009-02-26T19:52:00.008-06:00

From one of my favorite websites (Natural News).... Here's some interesting information on Superfoods. Why are they important in menopause? I think the better we eat, the more we support our bodies and the more we tend to all of the aspects of who we are, the easier our menopausal transition will be. Most women assume that hot flashes, mood swings, and vaginal dryness are a necessary part of menopause -- and that all they can do is take estrogen and hope for the best. But according to nutritionist Ann Gittleman, (who wrote Super Nutrition for Menopause) poor eating habits, not hormone levels, are the underlying cause of menopause's unpleasant symptoms.

Everyone these days is looking for the magic pill that will help with weight loss, improve immunity, increase memory, help the heart, or fight off cancer. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. But wouldn't it be exciting to know that these benefits can be achieved through eating superfoods that might be in your kitchen right now? Including these superfoods (foods that have a high nutrient content that have a positive effect on health) in your diet can affect your health today and for years to come.

Beans: inexpensive, full of fiber, high in protein, low in calories, sodium, and fat.

Blueberries: more antioxidants than almost every other fruit and vegetable.

Omega 3: (Fish, specifically coldwater fish) lowers the risk of heart disease, helps memory, immune function, and mood. Look for wild fish versus farmed which have lower levels of mercury. Krill oil and green lipped mussel supplements are good alternatives to eating fish.

Garlic: an antioxidant, antifungal, and antibiotic. Scientists have recently discovered that a compound in garlic acts as the world`s most powerful antioxidant, should be eaten raw.

Walnuts: excellent sources of protein, good fat, and plant sterols. High in fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Other Superfoods to include in your diet:

Spinach, Green Tea, Maca, Bee Pollen, Broccoli Sprouts, and Kale.

Angewandte Chemie January 2009

http://www.whfoods.com/

A Valentine's Day Entry

2009-02-15T19:41:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I was able to spend Valentine's Day with my boyfriend, Buzz, and this Tuesday he will be leaving for China to teach English for 5 months. He taught English last year in China for 5 months but he had to leave a few days before Valentine's Day so this was really nice! We didn't go to dinner, we didn't go to a play, there weren't any flowers, or chocolates, there was just us. We talked, we touched, we made sure our skype cameras were operating sufficiently, we laughed, my hormones kicked in and I cried a little.... he patiently reminded me that he hadn't even left yet..... anyway......I loved it!!! It couldn't have been a better Valentine's Day. Thank you- Dearest!

Menopause and Dairy Free Calcium

2009-02-09T10:09:00.010-06:00

So many woman, including myself, cannot tolerate dairy. Whether it's an allergy problem or lactose intolerance, the question "How DOES a woman (especially a woman who is post menopause) get enough calcium if she can't eat dairy foods?" The best answer may not be to take a supplement (though, it may not be a bad idea as long as they don't contain dolomite, bone meal or oyster shells since they may contain lead or other toxic metals), the best way always seems to be through food because the body will absorb calcium through food easier than supplements.

I found this to be a very interesting article written by Jo Hartley - Wife, Mother of 8, and Grandmother of 2. She is a 41 year old home educator who has always gravitated toward a natural approach to life. She enjoys learning as much as possible about just about anything. She talks about an approach to avoiding osteoporosis with fruits and vegetables, including the practice of .... juicing!! I have been concerned about this issue and this is good news to me and hopefully will shed some light for you too.

A diet rich in vegetables and herbs will improve bone metabolism. There is evidence that fruits and vegetables increase bone density much more effectively than dairy products. Juicing is a very effective way of getting fresh fruits and vegetables into the diet. Minerals within bones help to protect against acids in foods consumed. After years of this buffering, people will suffer a gradual loss of minerals in bones and this corresponds with bone loss.The best course of action against Osteoporosis is prevention. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and protein will accomplish this. Magnesium and potassium are also recommended to enhance the buffering effect of the bones. Magnesium and potassium both are easily found in many whole, unrefined foods and are rich in many fruits and vegetables.
Calcium and Protein Can Also Help Prevent Osteoporosis.
If one's diet is deficient in protein then bone rebuilding will not be a high priority for the body. If one's diet is deficient in calcium and protein then new bone formation will be decreased. Studies have shown that bone density will be improved by increasing one's protein consumption as long as the intake of calcium and vitamin D are at recommended levels.The more protein is eaten, the more calcium is urinated away. It would seem logical, then, that excess protein would be detrimental for bones. It seems that this is not the case, however. Both protein and calcium are necessary for strong bones. As long as one's diet is rich in both, then bone density should be high. If one's diet is deficient in either one or both of these nutrients then bone density will suffer.
What's Wrong with Osteoporosis Medications
There are risks and complications associated with Osteoporosis drugs. Fosamax is in the same chemical class as the chemicals that are contained in soap scum cleaners. It is a proven metabolic toxin that kills the cells that remove bone and thus enable the rebuilding of bone. Obviously, if these cells are destroyed the bones will become denser. What is not shared about this occurrence is that within a few years the bone will actually end up weaker even though it appears to be denser. This is because bones are dynamic and need this removal and replacement process to stay strong. If Fosamax prevents the building of any new bone then the bone will not be stronger.

To truly strength one's bones, the best course of action is to eat a healthy, whole diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Also consider a natural progesterone supplement if
desired.
Some non-dairy calcium sources:
click here for a great chart showing some non-dairy calcium sources

Menopause 101

2009-02-04T21:12:00.012-06:00

Here's a helpful article on plain and simple things to know about the time period of menopause. Included is some information on:

Eating well to support your body's changes

A brief synopsis of changes and the timing of them

The importance of calcium

Riding the waves of hot flashes

Achieving optimal health

Menopause Basics

I found it helpful and very well written. I'm 52 and still having regular periods! I was thinking they should be coming further apart but they are coming closer together. According to this article they could go either way... a sign that my body is coming close to my periods ending.

Juicing and Menopause

2009-01-30T10:47:00.009-06:00

At 39 I was a single mom, stressed to the max, diagnosed with asthma, entering back into the work world, already starting to have hot flashes and adrenal problems and my immune system was shot. One of my girlfriends was learning something called "Live Blood Cell Analysis" and she took a drop of my blood and put it under a microscope. She said I had "rouleau" and my blood cells were clumped together (a sign of lack of oxygen and a run down feeling). No argument there. My blood cells looked a lot like this:

We talked about juicing and she highly recommended it. After about 3 months I came back and we did the test again. This time the results looked much different. There was alot more movement. My blood cells were not clumped together. They looked .... alive...more indicative to how I was feeling which was much better:

So, I decided I would continue juicing and I've been juicing almost daily since then.

Just some cool facts about juicing:

What we put into our systems determines the health of every cell and organ in our bodies. Fresh extracted juice is totally different from store bought juice. Made fresh and consumed on the spot, juices instantly release nourishment to the body through the bloodstream.

Juicing allows you to consume the daily required amount of fruits and veggies in a very easy and delicious way.

Juicing helps you to raise your pH especially if you juice dark leafy greens and add things like chlorella and spirulina to it. Raising your pH can be extremely helpful if you tend to have candida, yeast infections, or bladder infections.

You will see improvement in a very short time. You will also become very conscious of what you put into your body.

Some things to be aware of:

Be careful with juicing fruits, beets and carrots. The extracted juice has a high sugar content. If you have blood sugar or yeast issues than use mostly celery and some leafy greens and add a little apple, carrot or beet for sweetening because you never want to drink juice that is bitter. Apple is very compatible with vegetables. A simple recipe would look something like this:

3 celery ribs, 1 carrot, handful of spinach, half of an apple

Our fruits and vegetables these days are not what they use to be because they are so laden with pesticides and chemicals. Organic is always best. An alternative is to soak your produce in a mixture of baking soda and apple cider vinegar. When I'm ready to juice my produce I put everything in a little plastic tub in my kitchen sink and I sprinkle baking soda over it and then pour some apple cider vinegar on top. The combination "fizzes" and helps to pull out some of the pesticides and chemicals. I add some water and let it sit for a little while and then rinse thoroughly with warm water and proceed to put it through my juicer. I don't like cold fluid in my stomach and rinsing them in warm water helps to make my juice a perfect temperature.

Basically, if you start juicing, just let the creative part of you come out and "play" and you will know as you go along what works for you and what doesn't.

Start slowly

Be careful not to use too many carrots, beets, fruits if you have yeast or blood sugar issues

Try adding a little bit of bok choy, kale, romaine, green leaf, swiss chard. (Use sparingly if it tastes bitter)

Then later on you can experiment by adding a little parsley or cilantro

If you like a "kick" try adding garlic or ginger

Don't forget to add things like green powders (chlorella & spirulina)

There's no comparison to having a glass of fresh liquid POWER to start your day!

More info on juicing specifically for menopause symptoms

Candida and the power of Green Superfoods

2009-01-18T21:07:00.002-06:00

When I was having my 3 year stint with candida (and the beginnings of interstitial cystitis) it was not a fun time but I learned alot. At one point I was invited to go to a workshop where a woman who had healed her own breast cancer was speaking about the importance of PH balance. I didn’t know much about it and I hadn’t made the connection yet but it intrigued me and I went. Turned out it was really fascinating and made sense to me. Ph balance is more important than I thought. I guess you can think about it this way. Swimming pools, if we are not diligent about keeping track of the PH readings, will start to grow ugly nasty bacteria. So will our bodies. If we feed our bodies nothing but acidic foods and thoughts we will create an acidic environment. Yeast, candida, and even cancer cells change in relationship to their environment.

Since I was struggling with candida for so long I decided it would be a good idea to test my PH. I got some PH testing strips and tested my urine and to my horror I couldn’t even see a reading! The lowest reading was 5.0 (a healthy body should show a reading around 6.5 - ultimately 7.3). I couldn’t see a reading at all. I took it over and over. The saliva reading was somewhat better but I compared mine to others and it was significantly lower and more acidic. This blew me away because I juice everyday so I thought I had it covered. Obviously I didn’t have it covered or else I would not have been struggling with candida for so long. I had already changed my diet, I was taking a good probiotic everyday and even using anti-fungals. I didn’t think there was anything else I could do.

Well, I had heard and read about green superfoods like chlorella, spirulina, barley grass, wheat grass, oat grass and how they raise PH levels so I decided to experiment. I began by using chlorella and spirulina and then added others and kept track of my PH. It wasn’t long (a few days) before I started to notice my interstitial cystitis symptoms fading away. I also noticed my candida symptoms becoming less and less noticable!

This was about a year ago and I have continued to do well. So I maintain a regimen of watching my food, taking a probiotic everyday (though occasionally I forget but it doesn’t seem to matter) and I hardly ever seem to need the anti-fungal anymore. I put the green powder in my vegetable juice in the morning and I feel like I’m drinking a glass of “green vitality.” It’s awesome.

It seems, for me, that this has been the missing link to getting control of candida and interstitial cystitis.

Healing a Bladder Infection & IC without an Antibiotic!

2009-01-11T11:31:00.011-06:00

This is interesting to me. Approaching menopause means loss of estrogen which also means a women's health can undergo some major changes, for example, urinary tract changes can mean more frequent bladder infections. Well, about 4 or 5 years ago I got a bladder infection. On the emotional side, I was in a relationship that was not spiritually fulfilling and I was giving away too much, losing my power and feeling very angry. Anyway, I did what most women do... went to the clinic and got an antibiotic! When I was finished with the antibiotic I still didn't feel like the infection had totally cleared up so I went back to the clinic and they gave me another round. Not understanding enough about the risk to my body I ended up with a yeast infection that lasted for several years and reoccurring interstitial cystitis. With IC, an infection isn't detected but you FEEL like you have one which makes it very insidious. This was devastating and it started a period of intense investigation for me (as well as the break up of that relationship). As a result I attracted a happier, healthy relationship and learned the importance of some practical things like keeping track of good PH balance with green superfoods and about a product I had never heard of called D'Mannose. If I had known about D'Mannose I would have done things differently. It's an absolutely fabulous alternative! (No... cranberry juice didn't work for me and it only intensified the yeast problem because of the sugar. Even straight unsweetened 100% cranberry juice-as bitter as it tastes-is still alot of sugar).

D-Mannose is a naturally occurring healthy sugar, closely related to glucose -- and you even produce it in your own body. D'Mannose doesn't kill bacteria like an antibiotic does, and leave you without any good bacteria so your system is all messed up. It acts like a sponge and attracts e-coli and other bacteria and then flushes it out when you go to the bathroom! Nowadays, if I feel any symptoms coming on, I take a scoop of D-Mannose a couple of times a day with some water (usually one day will clear it up) and I'm fine. (It's a huge savings on time, money and stress. I don't have to stress over whether or not I can find a doctor, or come up with the money for the appointment, or worry about side effects of an antibiotic). I always keep some in my pantry. I also try to watch what may be connected to my symptoms in terms of food. For some reason, tofu, tomatoes and sugar will trigger symptoms. I also try to keep my PH high by taking green foods everyday like Chlorella and Spirulina. For someone who has reoccurring bladder infections or IC, I would definately suggest taking super green foods and a good probiotic daily and taking a scoop or two of D'Mannose as soon as you feel symptoms coming on.

STUDY:
Study subjects were Dr. Michael Blue’s long-term patients, who had a history of reoccurring UTI’s. Subjects included 42 females (12-83 years old) and 18 males (25-71 years old). After urine culture to determine specific bacterial cause, if any, subjects were started on a D-Mannose daily regimen.

RESULTS:
Of the 42 female subjects, 24 were confirmed by culture to have a UTI. In 19 cases (~80%), E. coli was the diagnosed cause, in four, Klebsiella, and in one, mixed bacteria. In the confirmed culture group, two scoops of D-Mannose daily were given for one week. Of the 12 (50%) who returned for follow-up cultures, eight were negative. Patients indicated that the symptoms had disappeared. Statistically, 17 of the 24 (71%) females in the confirmed-culture, D-mannose-treated group reported symptom improvement. Although three of the 24 (12.5%) were unable to be contacted, they did not return for additional treatment. Only four of 24 (17%) reported no symptom improvement after D-Mannose treatment. Those females who were not confirmed by culture to have bacterial UTI but had UTI-associated symptoms were classified into a painful-bladder-syndrome (PBS) group. Of the 18 PBS females who were treated daily with two scoops of D-Mannose, 17 (94%) reported symptom improvement, the lone exception being a subject unable to be contacted, but also not returning for treatment. Eighty percent became totally symptom free. Of the 18 male subjects, 10 were confirmed by culture to have a UTI. Seven had neurogenic bladders from spinal cord injuries, three of whom were on intermittent catheterization and four had indwelling supra-pubic tubes. Two men had been incapacitated with recurrent sepsis, retention, and obstructive uropathy. Both men underwent insertion of supra pubic tubes. Once released from the hospital, both were placed on a D-Mannose daily regimen. Improvement was suggested by their ability to avoid additional hospitalization.
In the group diagnosed with E. coli-related UTI and treated with D-Mannose, significant improvement was reported. Due to the composition of the male group, few responded as dramatically as females.
FINDINGS:
Consistent with existing literature, about 50% of those reporting UTI symptoms were actually confirmed by culture to possess bacterial infection. The therapeutic use of D-Mannose on acute UTI’s in this study was effective in eliminating or ameliorating symptoms. In addition, 80% of the painful-bladder-syndrome group became symptom free using D-Mannose. Over the six-month study, three females with different issues showed especially noteworthy responses to D-Mannose. The first was a 50-year old female with neurogenic bladder and incontinence suffering from a monthly UTI. Endoscopically, her bladder revealed numerous areas compatible with recurrent UTI’s. After three months of D-Mannose, her urine was sterile, and her bladder mucosa returned to normal. The second woman complained about bladder pain for which she had received numerous, unsuccessful therapies. After one week of D-Mannose, her pain ceased. The third woman presented an E. coli infection and pronounced structural findings in her bladder called Cystitis Cystica, all of which disappeared after three months on D-Mannose. In conclusion, D-Mannose appears to effectively treat simple, uncomplicated UTI's.

A GENTLE Gall Bladder Cleanse

2009-01-06T21:44:00.011-06:00

One of my favorite foods use to be butter!! (Is that really a food? Probably not) My favorite meal used to be chili with crackers and half a stick of butter to put on the crackers. Well, all that fat caught up with me through the years and even after cutting butter out of my diet long ago, I need to address a gall bladder issue. I have also noticed a pattern with a lot of my friends and other women who are around my age. I have thought seriously about trying the gall bladder flushes I see on the web. The Hulda Clark flush (as well as others) takes you through about 2 days of eating apples and drinking apple juice and then on the evening of the second day you drink between 1/2 cup to a cup of olive oil with fresh lemon juice and throw some epson salts in there..... Oh, God!!! I know my body and the thought of putting that much olive oil in me at one time is enough to trigger a gall bladder attack that would have me calling 911!!! Some very brave souls seem to have no problem and do very well with it. On the other hand, I watched a lovely woman on Youtube slug down a cup of olive oil and lemon and the next morning (looking like death) say "I will NEVER do that again!"

Also I have hypoglycemia so lots of apples and apple juice is too much sugar at one time. OK.... I'm a whimp! I'll go for long term gentle approaches. In fact that's what I've been doing for the past 2 months after visiting my Naturpathic physician and doing some research on my own.

I'd like to think that God gave us all of our parts for good reasons and if I can make a sick part of me well instead of cutting it out, than I'm all over that! I'll do what I need to do.... within reason..... Anyway, this has been a doable, INEXPENSIVE and very gentle cleanse meant to slowly dissolve sludge and gall stones. I am feeling a difference. I feel like I'm not carrying a bowling ball around in my gut anymore and I've lost weight (though not intentionally). It seems to make sense that one could easily lose weight from being on this cleanse even though I eat all day. I also have noticed my sleep improve and my skin clearing up.

Here's what to do:

1) Start the day (make sure you have an empty stomach) by blending one Tblspn of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of a lemon into a blender. Add enough water to make about 8 ounces of liquid. Adding a clove of garlic makes it even more effective but not necessary. Add Stevia for sweetening and drink it up. It actually tastes kinda like lemonaid. Not bad at all. The olive oil softly stimulates the gall bladder and lemon is super for detoxing.
Note: after I do that, I also juice some vegetables. It helps with the cleansing/detoxing process.

2) (This is not necessary but also makes it more effective). Drink a cup of Wellements Daily Detox tea. Alternate each month between "Daily Detox 1" and "Daily Detox 2". This tea has a great combo of Chinese herbs that are very good for the liver.

3) Go about your day but keep your food intake revolving around fruits, vegetables (lots of greens, radishes are good too), whole grains (i.e. brown rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat groats), legumes, some fish and some chicken breast. Nothing fried. Eliminate all fats except for extra virgin olive oil and/or conola oil. That's it!

4) This is VERY important. Drink LOTS of water. Chamomile tea is good too.

5) Eat apples and pears as snacks.

6) Take 3 grams of chlorella everyday. I put mine in the vegetables I juice after step one.

7) If you can, do an Edgar Cayce castor oil pack for an hour 3 times a week. Very effective!

8) Take an apple pectin supplement at bedtime for a gentle fiber. Try and make sure you are eliminating everyday.

The recommendation is to be on the cleanse for 6 weeks or as long as it takes to feel better. There is absolutely no problem with staying on it for the rest of your life if you'd like. As I mentioned, I've done this for 2 months and I may continue indefinately. I'm really happy with how much better I'm feeling.

Sweetening without sugar or chemicals! Stevia!

2009-01-05T09:52:00.018-06:00

Let's face it. Sugar is not a good thing. I know... it tastes so good and all that.... but if you are anything like me you'll find that it can make life really miserable. Not only can it contribute to blood sugar issues like hypoglycemia and diabetes but it also contributes to yeast issues like the dreaded CANDIDA!!! Ugh! Which in turn can also create bladder problems like interstitial cystitis!!

Interstitial cystitis feels like the beginnings of a bladder infection. You get the urgency to go.... almost all the time. Even after you've gone! I had it and didn't know why I was having it until I figured out it was related to yeast which came whenever I had too much sugar.

Even menopause issues can be increased with sugar! Heart palpatations, hypoglycemia, adrenal problems, insomnia, ... the list goes on. For me, slowly after age 40 I had every one of these issues, yet I also love sweets. Giving up sugar has been one of the things I needed to do to get back on my feet and functioning again but in doing so, I also discovered Stevia and now I can't imagine what I would do without it!

Stevia Rebaudiana is an herb so it contains no chemicals

It's been used safely as a sweetener in South America for hundreds of years

It tastes great. The liquid forms to me have a somewhat bitter after taste so I just use the powder.

It's EXTREMELY SWEET! In other words, you can use as much as you'd like but all you'll need is a tiny amount to be equal to what a teaspoon of sugar would taste like. A "pinch" can sweeten a cup of tea.

It's economical. Because it's so concentrated, a pound of stevia will last for months. And it's also economical because it will save you money on doctor bills. You will notice a big difference in how you feel by giving up sugar.

You can bake with it, but because so little will go such a long way it doesn't have the consistancy of sugar so you would not be able to make things like frosting or homemade ice cream. I have made carrot muffins, banana muffins, tapioca pudding, rice pudding, sweet potatoe pie, pumpkin pie, carob cookies.... etc. Basically just by replacing the sugar in the recipe with a little bit of stevia and cutting down on the milk (I use rice or soy milk) you can have a sugar free, dairy free (and even wheat free if you use brown rice or quinoa flour) dessert!

It has the medicinal quality of balancing blood sugar. Yes, it even helps balance blood sugar.
Great for weight watching because it has 0 calories

Now, here's a bit of interesting news.

Stevia is a much better substitute than the chemical processed sweetners (asparatame and sucralose) on the market today. And the politics behind this sugar-substitute is very interesting. In the 1980’s numerous companies in the U.S were interested in using stevia in their products. In 1991, the FDA banned the importation of stevia for use in foods. This was at the request of NutraSweet (owned by Monsanto who brought us Agent Orange, PCBs, genetically engineered seeds, sacchrin, aspartame, nuclear weapons, and human growth hormones in dairy cows). The power of Monsanto kept stevia out of the country banning it for almost 20 years. By the way, the FDA ignored published studies on the dangers of aspartame prior to its approval by the agency.

My Mother, My Daughter, My Self and Other Musings

2007-11-25T10:54:00.001-06:00

Me at 16, Mom at 17 and my daughter, Meghan, at 15.

"When I grow up, I won't be anything like my mother!" is the oath of many of us especially in our adolescence. And yet 20 or 30 years later comes the startling recognition of "Oh, My Gosh... I'm just like my Mother!" Whether that seems like a blessing or a curse is only for you to decide. I personally am much more ok with it than I use to be. Like it or not, the older I become the less that seems so different between me and my mom. I have grown to appreciate her little quirks and physical issues with the awareness that she wasn't making this all up just for fun!! This is real! I have come to see her in a new light of respect and understanding. I have witnessed the wisdom that has accumulated for her throughout time. She is strong in the sense that she will not do what she knows will harm her body. She has a deep intuition and a growing inner peace that I see more of every year.

I have been moving along the path that my mother has already been traveling although I have fortunately managed to avoid some pitfalls like gall bladder surgery and a partial hysterectomy to name a few. I know that we are not the same person and her body is not my body but we share common ground... more so now than ever. Common experiences (as the ones we have shared through menopause) have bonded us in our solitary yet connected journeys. Along with my daughter, she is my best friend.

My daughter is a grown woman, too. I can hardly believe it. And though I imagine she is still in the "God, please, don't let me be like my mother when I get older" phase, I think she is also blessed with a huge amount of insight and compassion. We are connected in a slightly different way than my mother and I. It's a wonderful giggly kind of connection. Although I can't hold her like I use to and bury my face into her hair when she was small and fit into my lap, I can still get away with squeezing her and planting kisses on her gorgeous grown up woman face. My heart is full.

And so this has been an entry dedicated to the gratefulness I have for the circle of womanhood we share in our family. However, I must include one more person (even though he isn't a woman) I am nonetheless grateful for my Dad! He is receiving a 3 hour IV-drip chelation therapy session twice a week for a total of 25 sessions for a calcificated heart valve. He has changed his diet, cut out all red meat, caffeine, alcohol, salt and processed foods. He exercises every day, eats a vegetarian meal twice a week and the benefits have definately been showing. His dedication is astounding. When he talks about how much he has changed his lifestyle he says, "I want to be here for your Mom." My dad has become my hero.

So, I know it's a little late but ... Happy Thanksgiving and I hope your blessings are many!
Love,
Diane

A Safer Alternative to Mammograms

2007-11-11T08:53:00.001-06:00

You may be someone who is not comfortable with mammograms and if that is true, you are not alone! I have just recently heard of a technology called "Thermography." Here is a bit of information on thermography along with a few more facts about the risks of mammograms from one of my favorite people, Dr. Mercola.

"In September, a large-sample, long-term Canadian study proved that an annual mammogram was no more effective in preventing deaths from breast cancer than periodic physical examinations for women in their 50s. The study was co-authored by Cornelia Baines, a professor of public health sciences at the University of Toronto and appeared in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In the study of almost 40,000 women ages 50 to 59, half received periodic breast examinations alone and half received breast examinations plus mammograms. All learned to examine their own breasts as well. By 1993, 13 years after the study began, there were 610 cases of invasive breast cancer and 105 deaths in the women who received only breast examinations, compared with 622 invasive breast cancers and 107 deaths in those who received breast examinations and mammograms. "They found smaller cancers, but ultimately the mortality rate was the same,¹¹ said Suzanne Fletcher, a professor of preventive medicine at Harvard Medical School. She added that cancer screening programs are built on the assumption that "finding it earlier is finding it better. . . . This study questions that assumption." In fact, truly early detection would be better, but by the time a tumor has grown to a sufficient size to be detectable by either a mammogram or a physical examination, it has been growing for several years, and achieved more than 25 doublings of the malignant cell colony.

As Alternative Medicine has maintained for years, mammograms do far more harm than good. Their ionizing radiation mutates cells, and the mechanical pressure can spread cells that are already malignant (as can biopsies). In 1995 the British medical journal The Lancet reported that, since mammographic screening was introduced in 1983, the incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which represents 12% of all breast cancer cases, has increased by 328%, and 200% of this increase is due to the use of mammography. This increase is for all women: Since the inception of widespread mammographic screening, the increase for women under the age of 40 has gone up over 3000%.

Also, according to the 1998 edition of the Merck Manual, for every case of breast cancer diagnosed each year, from 5 to 10 women will needlessly undergo a painful breast biopsy. Statistically, this means that any woman who has annual mammograms for 10 years has at least a 50% chance of having at least one biopsy -- even if she never develops breast cancer.

Why, then, does mainstream medicine keep recommending mammograms? Do the math: a $100 mammogram for all 62 million U.S. women over 40, and a $1,000+ biopsy for 1-to 2-million women, is an $8 billion per year industry.

There is a superior alternative: advanced thermography, which does not use mechanical pressure or ionizing radiation, and which can detect signs of breast cancer years earlier than either mammography or a physical exam. Mammography cannot detect a tumor until after it has been growing for years and reaches a certain size. Thermography is able to detect the possibility of breast cancer much earlier, because it can image the early stages of angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the formation of a direct supply of blood to cancer cells, which is a necessary step before they can grow into tumors of size. Thermographic breast screening is brilliantly simple. Thermography measures the radiation of infrared heat from our body and translates this information into anatomical images. Our normal blood circulation is under the control of our autonomic nervous system, which governs our body functions without our conscious will. To screen for breast cancer, a thermographer blows cool air over a woman's breasts. In response, our autonomic nervous system reduces the amount of blood going to the breast, as a temperature-regulating measure. However, the pool of blood and primitive blood vessels that cancer cells create is not under autonomic control and is unaffected by the cool air. It will therefore stand out clearly on the thermographic image as a "hot spot."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
Earlier this month I reviewed a study from the National Cancer Institute, which showed that mammograms don't work to reduce the risk of death from breast cancer. Their analysis confirms what we have suspected for some time: that mammograms are not a good idea. Most physicians recommend them for fear of being sued by a woman who develops breast cancer after which he did not advise her to get one. Now natural medicine physicians can rest comfortably and encourage women to get a thorough breast examination for abnormalities, as well as perform frequent self-examinations.

Thermography, along with regular breast self-exams, does seem to be a reasonable alternative to screen for this prevalent form of cancer among women.

About Mammograms

2007-10-25T19:25:00.001-05:00

October is winding up and I am drawn to share something about breast cancer not just because this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but also because I have struggled in the past about whether or not to do mammograms and it may also be something you have struggled with too. The first mammogram I received was 15 years ago and I haven't received another one since. Not because it was particularly painful... I just wasn't comfortable. Something deep inside of me just wasn't ok with it.

If you are a woman that wouldn't even dream of NOT getting a mammogram, this is not meant to change anything about your decision. It works for you, and that is wonderful! I respect your decision. I would never try to tell a woman to not get one. However, if you struggle with this decision or find yourself (like me) not feeling -in your gut- comfortable with mammograms, this may be something you would be interested in reading. It's lengthy but oh.... so informative. (Taken from NewsTarget.com)

"Researchers at the Nordic Cochrane Center in Denmark studied 500,000 women to determine the results of breast cancer screening programs. They found that for every one woman helped by breast cancer screening, ten were harmed through false diagnosis or unnecessary treatments that devastated their health."What seems like good and obvious advice in everyday life is not always scientifically or medically sound", said Peter Gotzsche, MD, director of the center. "So we might say there is a benefit of one but a harm of 10 from screening for breast cancer." In other words, breast cancer screening is surprisingly harmful to women. That's partly because the procedure itself irradiates the breast tissue and actually causes cancer, but also because practically any screening result producing a questionable blur on the final image may result in a woman being manipulated through fear into undergoing aggressive, toxic cancer treatments even when they never had breast cancer in the first place. (False positives are extremely common in breast cancer screening, and in some cases, the machinery is incorrectly calibrated and doesn't even meet radiology standards.)

And yet breast cancer screening is the only form of "prevention" offered by the cancer industry. But it isn't prevention, it's detection. Breast cancer screening does nothing to educate women how to really prevent breast cancer, nor does it teach women how to change their diets and lifestyles so that breast cancer never develops in the first place. In fact, the strategy of the cancer industry today can be best described as waiting for women to get cancer, then treating it with toxic drugs that just happen to generate huge profits for pharmaceutical companies. While tens of millions of women are developing undetectable, early-stage breast cancer right now, the cancer industry does nothing. They will not tell these women how to halt the growth of cancer tumors; they will only wait until the cancer becomes large enough to see on a screening test, and then they will scare the women to death with harmful, authoritative medical demands and toss them into chemotherapy -- a treatment that causes permanent, irreversible harm to the brain, heart, liver, kidneys and other organs.Yet even the World Health Organization admits that 70 percent of all cancers can be prevented through simple changes in food and lifestyle. That number is probably conservative, though. No one in the cancer industry seems interested in teaching any of these strategies to women. In the cancer industry, there is no incentive to teach women how to avoid breast cancer, because to do so would eliminate a future customer!

Here, for the benefit of women everywhere, is a partial list of the things that cause cancer and things that don't. You're not going to find full descriptions and citations here, as that would require an entire book all by itself, but this is a very useful reference list that tells the truth about what causes or prevents cancer in the human body."

Smoking cigarettes
Mammography radiation - see articles on mammograms
Chemotherapy and radiation
Perfumes and fragrance products
Cosmetics and personal care products - see articles on personal care products
Home cleaning products, including laundry detergent, dryer sheets, etc.
Drinking non-organic milk or eating non-organic dairy products
Hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids - See Poison In the Food or articles on hydrogenated oils
Plastic food containers - includes plastic lining inside food cans
Sodium nitrite - found in most processed meats, see articles on sodium nitrite
Pesticides, PCBs, chlorine and other chemicals
Acrylamides (formed during high-heat food processing such as frying)
Watching television / lack of exercise
Severe emotional distress or relationship stress
Refined sugars / refined grains
Dry cleaning chemicals
Hair color chemicals
Nail polish remover

22 things that PREVENT cancer:
Vitamin D and sunshine - see the Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D
Anti-cancer foods - see articles about anti-cancer foods
Medicinal mushrooms - reishi, shiitake, agaricus blazei, etc. See www.MushroomScience.com or www.DragonHerbs.com
Green tea - see articles about green tea
Broccoli and cruciferous vegetables - see articles about broccoli
Lycopene and tomatoes
Infra-red saunas and sweat lodges - because sweating expels toxins
Chlorella - see articles on chlorella, or check out a recommended chlorella product: Rejuvenate! From IntegratedHealth.com (product to be launched soon)
Pomegranate seeds - see artiles on pomegranate or http://www.ats.org/news.php?id=32
Omega-3 oils / chia seeds - available from GoodCauseWellness.com
Rainforest herbs - There are many anti-cancer rainforest herbs, including graviola and Cat's Claw (Una de Gato). Recommended sources is Terry Pezzi of the high-integrity Amazon Herb Company (also helping to preserve the Amazon rainforest) - Another great source of rainforest herbs is Rain Tree with Leslie Taylor
Juice detoxification - Read books by Dr. Gabriel Cousens or visit his retreat in Southern Arizona
Acupuncture - helps move blood and chi (body's energy)
Sprouts - ALL sprouts are anti-cancer. Best sprouting machine is the EasyGreen Automatic Sprouter (use any search engine to find resellers)
Red clover - Helps cleanse the blood. Find from any supplement maker.
Deep breathing / oxygenation / stress reduction - Best product is called Stress Eraser (highly recommended)
Yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates - These all boost lymph circulation
Cacao - (real chocolate) - Good sources are NavitasNaturals.com or Superfoods.com
Therapeutic massage - helps move lymph, boost circulation
Mint - grow your own (the easiest plant to grow)
Apricot pits / laetrile / vitamin B17 - View this World Without Cancer video featuring G. Edward Griffin
Blackberries - Most berries contain some form of anti-cancer medicine

Dr. Northrup on Oprah

2007-10-19T20:17:00.000-05:00

Dr. Christiane Northrup was one of the guests on Oprah this week. You may know she wrote the book "The Wisdom of Menopause" which has become very popular. I managed to take some notes:

1) Make a list of 5 things that make you feel joy and take time to do them. Joy decreases inflammation in the body.

2) Keep blood sugar levels good. Many symptoms are related to roller coaster blood sugar levels. Stay away from simple carbs.

3) No computer/TV before bed (too stimulating). Give yourself an hour of calm before going to bed.

4) Watch your caffeine. One cup of coffee is all it takes for some women to be up all night that night. (Women don't process caffeine the same way men do)

5) Exercise is the "anti-bitch" activity! (Instead of pills, try exercise)

6) Decreased libido may mean something is being shoved under the carpet.

7) Get hormones tested with a saliva test.

8) Give to yourself first. Make yourself a priority.

9) Chest pain = giving to depletion.

10) Menopause is a time when you are in labor with yourself. You are giving birth to yourself. The real you.

11) If there is anything that you have been running away from or hiding from, it will show up in menopause.

12) The body desires pleasure. If we don't look for pleasure in exercise, meditation, or healthy intimacy, we will try to find it in drugs, alcohol, or sugar.

and finally,

13) Smile into your heart. Talk to yourself. Say kind words to yourself. Tell yourself you are enough. Value yourself as much as if you were a two year old child.

A Personal Training Session

2007-09-19T08:36:00.000-05:00

Sunday I had a whole lot of fun in a private session with Holly, a weight trainer who was recommended by my holistic MD. She was very good with me. We played with exercise balls and spri tubes and dumbbells. I learned about something I've never seen before called exercise resistance bands. They are good for people who need something softer on the joints. I got some great information in one hour for only $35! I found out there were several things I needed to correct about my work out.

For example, I wasn't starting out with some stretching and that's important. I was also doing too much too soon (which I hear is a common theme - we want results NOW!) I was doing too many repititions. My goal is to prevent osteoporosis and gain weight. So, instead of increasing repetitions, I was told to slowly increase the weight. Or if using bands and tubes, increase the resistance. Resistance seems to be the key word.

I decided to see how well I do for the next 3 months or so and call her again if I need to.

Meditation

2007-09-15T10:11:00.001-05:00

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really are." Rumi

Ellie Finlay has a lovely blog called "Meditation Matters - St. John's Center." It has wonderful little insights and beautiful photos. I'm obviously very big on meditating and have been for twenty years.

But it wasn't so in the beginning! My first experience with meditating scared the pee out of me! About 2 years after my daughter, Meghan, was born I became so stressed out I couldn't be "still" without losing my mind! I signed up for a stress management course and one of the requirements was to listen to a 20 minute meditation tape twice a day. I was determined NOT to do it!!! However, my teacher, being determined to get me to see how much I needed to do it, was very patient and understanding even though I was terrified. Imagine that! Terrified to be still and meditate twice a day. But I tried it and I followed her instructions word for word. Meditating with a two year old was a little strange. Fortunately, my daughter was consistently enthralled with a VHS tape that lasted .... 20 minutes!... called "Clifford the Big Red Dog." I would play her tape on tv and simultaneously plug in my headsets to my cassette player, I'd close my eyes, and off we would go into our own little worlds with me lifting an eye lid every now and then to make sure she was still alive! Eventually I began to be more and more comfortable with it and even started to look forward to it. At some point meditation became something I couldn't function without.

During menopause it's a blessing!

Wherever she is, I give thanks to my first meditation teacher, Mariana Jenkins. It was worth the initial struggle by far. And speaking of teachers.... I have made an appointment with a personal weight trainer who will be coming to my home tomorrow afternoon. She sounds great. I'm really looking forward to that and writing an entry about it!

Stand back!

2007-09-09T17:03:00.000-05:00

Yes, that's my scrawny little arm, lifting an incredible THREE POUNDS of solid weight! (laughing). As of a couple entries ago I have taken my doctor's advice and started a weight lifting routine. I have never really gotten very far in the past but I'm more determined this time. All the talk about menopause and osteoporosis can be pretty motivating! And the fact that my skin is starting to do this drooping thing is really not cool. I just can't figure out when exactly it started but... I don't like it!!! Health clubs are great but knowing me, I would be much more likely to follow through if I have some tools at home. So I'm starting out slowly, doing some research, and one of the things I happened to find that was intriguing to me was "Body-for-life training demonstrations" (very helpful little animated demonstrations). So far my routine looks something like this:

Sunday-stationery bike
Monday-upper body
Tuesday-stationery bike
Wednesday-lower body
Thursday-stationary bike
Friday-upper body
(alternating upper and lower body every other day)
Saturday-rest

I'm happy to say I survived the first half a week but was pretty useless on Saturday! I'm hoping that will change!!

Resting and Withdrawing

2007-09-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

If you have any qualms about taking time for yourself to rest, check out Jennifer Boire's latest entry "Women's Mysteries and PMS" from her blog "Musemother."

Just a few words...

"Often, the physical illness or dis-ease associated with our periods and even menopause stem from a psychological need that women have to be separate for a time, to rest and withdraw. Esther Harding, in her book "Woman's Mysteries" suggests that this is not a sign of neurosis, but a clue from the unconscious about a reality: that mental, emotional and physical disturbances of which a woman is unaware creep into our conscious life as 'menstrual disabilities', or PMS, and that these are related to the loss of rest time and alone time. She suggests that we need this rest time, the same way we need sleep to nourish us and dreams to put us in touch with our unconscious, and that we would gain greater understanding about our own psyches if we had time to slow down and listen to our intuition."

I say "Amen to that!"

Hormone Saliva Tests

2007-09-05T08:26:00.001-05:00

A visit to my holistic MD yesterday gave me an opportunity to see results of a test I had done recently. About a month ago I wanted to check my hormone levels so my doctor gave me this little kit to take home. The task was to collect some saliva (spit into a little tube!), send off the specimen to the lab and wait for the results to be sent back to my doctor. I had the same test done a year ago when I was considerably more stressed out and sleep deprived and the results showed it! So this year, with following instructions for a whole year, I was hoping there would be some significant results. I know I feel better but it's good to see it on paper! Well, lo and behold I did significantly improve. The test measures Dhea, testosterone, estrone, estradiol, estriol, and progesterone. My understanding is that if any one of these is out of balance it can be a noticable difference in how you feel. Last year, my Dhea was down to "1" and it should be between 3 and 10. Supplementing with Pharmaceutical grade Dhea brought it up to a "6." Way cool! My progesterone, last year, was off the charts at over 1000 and it's only supposed to be between 100-300. I followed instructions to drastically cut down on soy and now it's at "136." Yea! The shaded area in the middle of the chart in the photo of my test results is called the "optimal zone." It's where you want to be. The little black box sitting in the optimal zone is me... grinning happily!

Now, she also wants me to get a bone density scan and some blood work to check my thyroid for hyperthyroidism. She also suggested I start a progressive weight lifting program. I'm 5'4" and weigh all of about 100 pounds so this will be fun! (smiling).

So, that's my progress report. My lab work cost about $80 and it was done through

Diagnos-Techs, Inc.

PO Box 389662

Tukwila, WA 98138

Telephone: 425-251-0596

Love and Gratitude

2007-09-01T19:12:00.002-05:00

For quite a few years my body has been a mystery to me. I'm not sure what it is but, it seems like I have to be very disciplined to stay healthy while other women seem to just mindlessly float through their 40's and 50's with radiant health and more than enough energy to burn. What really intrigues me are the people I've met who smoke, drink and eat weird food stuffs and yet they can still dance me under the table! It just boggles my mind!... I don't get it!! Conventional medicine, while life saving in emergencies, has not been the answer long term for me and so I've always had this sort of underlying voice somewhere inside that says something is wrong with me. I know now that not "fitting in" is a blessing and so I'm ok with it and I know I'm certainly not alone. Still, there is much that remains a mystery.

A common theme I've heard throughout the years is that the most healing tool is Love. To love all of our parts whether they work well or not.

A short time ago I began doing a Taoist meditation every morning. It's called The Inner Smile Meditation. It's lovely and it seems to be a way to bask all of the parts of me with love. Mantak Chia, in his book "Transform stress into vitality", suggests also adding a silent "thank-you" to each organ. What I experience is that the parts of me that don't work so well, soak up this meditation like a sponge! That seems important.

I also found myself remembering a book called "Messages from Water" by Dr. Emoto. He placed tap water in several containers, labeled them with words like "love", gratitude", "you fool" etc, froze the samples until they formed crystals and then photographed them. The results were amazing. They were very convincing that our messages to ourselves make a difference.

And according to Dr Emoto, the most beautiful crystals were formed from water labeled "love and gratitude." The photo at the top of this blog shows the results.

"These two words together create the most important vibration. We know that water is described as H2O. If we were to look at love and gratitude as a pair, gratitude is the H and love is the O. Water is the basis that not only supports but also allows the existence of life. In my understanding of the concept of yin and yang, in the same way that there is one O and two Hs, we also need one part yang/love to two parts yin/gratitude, in order to come to a place of balance in the equation. Love is an active word and gratitude is passive. When you think of gratitude -- a combination of appreciation and thankfulness -- there is an apologetic quality. The Japanese word for gratitude is kan-sha, consisting of two Chinese characters: kan, which means feeling, and sha, apology. It's coming from a reverential space, taking a step or two back. I believe that love coming from this space is optimal love, and may even lead to an end to the wars and conflicts in the world. Kan-sha is inherent in the substance H2O -- an essential element for life. "

It occured to me that my smile meditation (smile and thankyou) equals love and gratitude. No wonder it feels so good!

Mayan Women and Menopause

2007-08-27T16:35:00.000-05:00

This is something from Women to Women that I thought was pretty fascinating about Mayan women and how they experience menopause.

"Several pockets of Mayans in the rural regions of Guatemala and Chichimilá have been interviewed regarding women’s health and, in particular, menopause. Scientists have been fascinated by these rural Mayan women and how they experience — or rather do not experience — what we could call traditional menopausal symptoms: hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia. What’s more is that the women in Chichimilá, like the Japanese, seem to avoid osteoporosis. Though their estrogen levels drop at menopause, just like ours, and they experience a reduction in bone mineral density, as we do, there is no clinical evidence of an increase in bone fractures or osteoporosis.

The Mayans have an all-natural, herb-based diet, and a slow, relatively easy pace of life (sounds good to me!!), both elements which contribute heavily to fewer menopause symptoms. Mayan women also acquire new status when they enter menopause: they can become spiritual leaders of their communities.

A common belief among traditional shamanic cultures — for example, Mayan women and the Cree women of Canada — is that women must enter menopause to access their shamanic and healing powers. Menstrual blood has the power to create life in the womb, so when women reach the age of retaining their “wise blood,” they cross the threshold into “wise womanhood” by keeping their wise blood within. At this point they become priestesses and healers — the spiritual leaders of their communities.

The Japanese, like the Mayans, hold a great deal of respect for older people. For them, experience is fundamental to learning, and becoming an elder in many cultures means moving into a place of honor.

A menopausal woman’s wisdom is essential for survival, and the more we recognize this truth, the more menopause will be celebrated in our culture."

If we looked at menopause this way in the US, how differently might we experience it?

The Art of Being Silly!

2007-08-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

"There is a fountain of youth: It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."

-Sophia Loren

Last Sunday I enjoyed an afternoon with some friends at my place. We watched Wayne Dyer's program together and ate lots of healthy food and had a lovely time. Before leaving, a group pic was in the making. The usual serious one and then something goofy, of course!

There is absolutely nothing like being silly! It cleanses my soul and uplifts my spirit. My worries just float away in a sea of laughter and become dust! I am transformed by my friends and I am reminded that I am not alone and never will be. My body feels lighter, younger and more alive. It is clear to me that getting together whenever we can is not only fun, but healing! What a blessing to have friends. And how good for us to keep in mind that inspite of all of the heat flashing, insomnia, mood swinging, etc ... a little silliness can make a huge difference!

Chinese Medicine and Insomnia

2007-08-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

Yea!! I did some research on Traditional Chinese Medicine and found something from Active Herb for insomnia called "Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan." I thought this sounded like the formula best suited for me so I decided to order some and give it a try.

The formula that may fit for you could be different. Here is some info I found by way of the internet that could be helpful. If you 'd like to see the full article click here.

"In TCM, a primary concept is the idea of "root and branch." Symptoms like insomnia are considered to be the branches of a disease. The root of a disease is a dysfunction or imbalance of the fundamental substances (Chi, blood, Yin, Yang, Jing, Shen), or of the major organ systems (Lungs, Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidneys). When a person suffers from insomnia, the two organs most often out of balance are the Heart and the Liver. Each of these two organs houses a specific aspect of the spirit. If these organs are out of balance, they will not be able to house the spirit properly, and the spirit will wander. (TCM, although a very complex medical system, had its origins in Taoism, and before that in shamanism. Therefore, there is a spiritual consciousness built into TCM theory.) A wandering spirit, or Shen disturbance, can manifest in a number of ways, including mood disorders and heart palpitations, but insomnia is one of the commonest symptoms.

There is a lot of space devoted to insomnia in classical Chinese medicine textbooks. Several different types of insomnia are noted, and the differences point to different origins of the problem. The commonest types of insomnia are as follows:

Dream-disturbed sleep: Nightmares normally indicate a disorder of the Gall Bladder meridian. Dreams in which we go over and over the same ground, walking in a maze, reliving aspects of our jobs or our relationships generally are due to a Spleen/Heart imbalance. People with this problem say, "I can't shut my mind off."

Difficulty falling asleep: This is usually related to an excess condition of the Liver or Liver and Gall Bladder. People will lie awake, tossing and turning for hours.

Waking up easily: Many people can fall asleep easily, but then they wake up later and find it difficult to go back to sleep again. They may be awake for an hour or so, or may not go back to sleep at all. These people have a deficiency pattern, often a Heart/Spleen deficiency.

Waking up at a specific time every night: For example, some people regularly wake up at three o'clock in the morning. In Chinese medicine theory, the body's energy (Chi) circulates through the twelve principal meridians over a 24-hour period. Each meridian relates to an internal organ. If a person wakes or has some unusual symptoms at the same time every day, it is probable that there is an imbalance in the organ system that is "highlighted" at that time of day. Energy peaks in the Liver meridian at 3:00 a.m., which is why people often wake up then. Liver problems can result from unexpressed anger, stress triggering Liver Chi stagnation, and Liver Fire.

Other symptoms: When a Chinese medicine practitioner is analyzing a patient's sleeping problems, he narrows down the possibilities by looking for other symptoms that are characteristic of a particular disorder. For example, people with the Liver Fire pattern get angry easily, and have Heat signs such as a red face, dark yellow urine, and dry bowel movements. People with Spleen/Heart deficiency tend to be forgetful, have poor concentration, feel very fatigued, and are always worrying about something. People with a Kidney/Heart disharmony can have tinitus, palpitations, weakness in the low back, feel light-headed, and get flushed easily. Chinese medicine practitioners also examine their patients' tongues and feel the pulse for further indications of which particular pattern is predominant.

Everyone wants to sleep well and have sweet dreams every night. Nobody wants insomnia, but some people have been suffering with it for a long time. In my practice, patients come in with these complaints every day: "I've only slept a couple of hours a night for seven years." "I have not slept well for 15 years since my divorce." "I have been taking sleeping pills for years. It all started when our company went down." "I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and my doctor said my aches and pains are related to my sleeping disorder. Can you do anything?

In the first part of this section, I mentioned that Chinese medicine sees insomnia as a symptom of an imbalance in either the fundamental substances of the body (Chi, Blood, Yin, Yang, Shen), or of the major organ systems (Lungs, Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidneys). Insomnia most often results from imbalances of the Heart or Liver. I also outlined the principal types of insomnia, as described in Chinese medicine textbooks: dream-disturbed sleep; difficulty falling asleep; waking early; and waking at a specific time every night. This article will discuss the Chinese medicine approach to treating insomnia.

In this country, people say "acupuncture" as a shorthand term for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Most TCM practitioners also include Chinese herbal formulas and dietary modifications in their treatments. When treating insomnia, acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas are combined for the quickest and most effective results. Not every insomnia patient will be treated with the same herbs or acupuncture points, however. A particular combination of signs and symptoms is called a pattern, and different patterns are treated differently. For example, students who are burned out on studying and can't shut their minds off usually fall into a Spleen/Heart imbalance pattern; whereas elderly people who have trouble sleeping are generally manifesting a Heart/Kidney imbalance.

One of the most popular herbs in China for treating insomnia is Suan Zao Ren. This is the kernel of a small red date that grows wild in the mountainous areas of northern China. The branches of this shrubby plant are so thorny that farmers use it as fencing to keep their animals contained. I remember the scratches I got as a little girl when I visited the mountains and picked the dates for their sweet/sour flavor. Suan Zao Ren has the effect of nourishing Heart Shen and Liver Blood, as well as regulating Liver Chi. This makes it very effective at "calming the spirit" and dealing with stress. I often prescribe a formula which has Suan Zao Ren as a principal component when my patients have insomnia due to a Liver/Heart imbalance. For people with a Spleen/Heart disorder, such as the overworked students mentioned above, Gui Pi Wan is a useful herbal formula.

The Kidney/Heart disharmony pattern is also very common in this country, especially in peri-menopausal women and the elderly. Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan is an old and well-studied Chinese herbal formula that is often used for Kidney/Heart imbalances. Several studies have proven that it can help people to sleep deeply and stay asleep longer. People who take this formula tend to feel more refreshed and energetic in the morning. It can also be used to treat the nervous exhaustion that comes with depression".

Ode to Sleep.....zzzzzz

2007-08-16T09:48:00.000-05:00

"Dreams to sell, fine dreams to sell,
Angus is coming with dreams to sell.
Hush now wee bairnie and sleep without fear,
For Angus will bring you a dream, my dear."

aaaahhh...... that sleep thing. Isn't it wonderful??? ..... Or are you saying, "Sleep? What's that!?"

Yes, well for some reason since my early forties I often slip into a pattern where I'm up at around 4:00 AM wide awake. So, what possibly could be going on at 4AM that my body wants to so consistently make sure it doesn't miss out on??? Around 10:00 I gulp down my Melatonin, LTheanine, Magnesium, Valerian, Hops, Passion flower and Dogwood. I take some Chinese calmative compound and a homeopathic remedy. I relax with some gentle yoga. Sometimes I take a warm bath with some lavender oil. You'd think with all that goin' on I'd be out for 3 days!!!

Now I know for some of you it's a whole lot worse so I certainly can't complain. EFT has been very helpful because I often get back to sleep if I'm consistent. But I'd like to see if I can get to the cause of my early waking and I'm using you as a sounding board! So thank you. Aren't you lucky!!

I've made an appointment with my holistic doctor to go over some results from a saliva hormone test. Also, I hear that in Chinese medicine each of the organs are connected to a different hour of the day and night. I think 3 to 5 AM has something to do with the lung meridian. I'm wondering if there is some energy blockage in the lung meridian. Anybody who might know more about this is welcomed to help me out and clue me in as to whether or not they think I'm on the right track. Until then, .... sweet dreams, my dears!

The Tao vs. The Secret

2007-08-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

My sweetie recorded Dr. Wayne Dyer's new program and we watched it together last night. "Change your thoughts, change your life" is the title of his new book. Wayne spent one entire year reading, researching, and meditating on Lao-tzu’s messages, practicing them each day and ultimately writing down these essays. He took each message and spent 4 days per message. He claims that writing this book changed him forever and he feels the greatest sense of peace he has ever experienced.

Without having read the book, yet... I can say just from watching the program that I was very drawn to it particularly when he talked about a time close to his 65th birthday where he gave his belongings to a trusted friend and told him to give everything away. He talked about how powerful it was to release his attachments to his "stuff."

On a smaller scale, a year and a half ago I moved from a 3 bedroom house to a small one bedroom condo and either threw out or gave most of my stuff away. It felt GREAT!

I noticed how precious simplicity has become to me. This is another area where I sometimes question if there's something wrong with me!!!!! Now, at the same time, I love the idea of making as much money as Wayne Dayer makes! Which brings me to the question of "How does this work with the concepts of "The Secret"?

For example, one of the messages in the Tao is to "Think small." In other words nothing big happens from thinking big but from thinking one small step and then another step and big things happen but only from being in the moment of that one small step. Wayne gave the example of having been alcohol free for 20 years but if he knew at the time that he was going to stop drinking alcohol for 20 years, the first thing he would have done was grab a drink!

The Secret says "Think Big." That everything you desire comes from imagining it is already created on some level and it's just a matter of knowing that we are spirit and it is so.

The Tao is about being humble and flexible and letting go of our attachments. "The Secret" is about being powerful co-creators and having everything we want!

I have read "The Secret" but I haven't read the Tao. It would be interesting to spend some time with each message and see what happens. I am really curious to hear what any of you think about these two different philosophies. The common denominator seems to be that they have life changing capabilities for profound inner peace. Could there somehow be a balance between the two?

Paperback Swap

2007-08-10T19:56:00.000-05:00

I LOVE information!!! It makes me feel .... well.... so......INFORMED! And if you're anything like me, you love to read but you don't want to pay full price for books! It may come from having been a single mom, but I cut corners whenever I can. Maybe you can relate. If you haven't heard of paperbackswap.com it might be something you'll find helpful. For free you can sign up as a member and put 9 books that you do not want any longer on your "bookshelf." They need to be in good shape. You automatically get 3 credits. Each credit allows you to order a book of your choice so you can start ordering right away! When someone requests a book that's on your bookshelf you agree to send it to them. You print up the return address, wrap the book, pay for the postage, (the postage amount is on the page with the return address), and you slip it in the mail. When that person receives his or her book, you get another credit! With each credit you can order another book. It doesn't matter if the book's value is $3.99 or $39.99, it still counts as one credit. Books on tape, however, count as 2 credits. If there's a book I don't want to keep, I put it back in the swap. This way there's a constant flow of exchange of information! I just really think it's a cool idea. Currently, I'm waiting for my newest order to come in. A book on .... of course... blogging!

The Spiritual Purpose of Menopause

2007-08-10T19:52:00.000-05:00

As I do some research I'm seeing an interesting theme for many of us around this time of life. We want to do things that we want to do and we want to do them our way. Maybe because we have been in patterns of doing things the way we thought we "should" do them, or because we didn't want to hurt other people's feelings, or because we compared ourselves to others, but now .... ahhhhh.....now our bodies seem to be telling us to take a breath and softly ask within.... "what do YOU want?"

What do I want? (You're kidding, right???)

Now, my friends will probably tell you that I'm fairly good at taking care of myself and yet they might not know that I still occasionally have to remind myself that it's ok to ask that question! My lust for alone time has been something I've often had mixed feelings about and didn't really understand. What's wrong with me? Why do I need so much time to myself? Am I that unsociable? I love people!! I love community!! I love my boyfriend! .... But I seem to love my solitude time, too. That quiet time to check inside and ask myself "what would you like to do at this very moment and how do you want to do it?" Ohhhh.... how decadent!! I could meditate, or go for a walk in the rain, or journal with my non-dominant hand, or take a bath for an hour. It's a time where I don't HAVE to do anything except what I want!

I happened to come upon a website I love from a healer named Susun Weed. She talks about menopause as a spiritual journey requiring, at times, solitude! Since our bodies are going through so many different changes, we require time to just go within and BE!! Be still with ourselves. Just breathe. Just allow. It's a healing time as well as a transformational time where we draw inward, move away from outside responsibilities and into ourselves.

So....Wow! Thankyou Susun Weed! Perhaps I'm not as strange as I feared... or maybe I am... and it's ok!!

EFT and Insomnia

2007-08-10T19:51:00.001-05:00

I'm really getting into this blogging thing. It turns out that if I think I might write about something, I put more effort into what I'm doing. Such was the case this morning around 3:00 when I woke up (even before the birdies!). It's not like I have hot flashes or anything, I just wake up! HELLO!

Well, I don't always remember to do EFT (which is really bizarre) but this morning I remembered and stayed persistent and fell back to sleep. Woke up again later still a bit tired and did EFT again, and fell back to sleep again! Yea!! So, I figured this is a great time to do a blog about it considering how many of us have sleep issues (though EFT can be used for anything). Anyway, EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique. The founder of EFT, Gary Craig, believes that the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system. And because our physical pains are so obviously connected with our emotions, our unresolved negative emotions are major contributors to most physical pains and diseases. EFT is an emotional version of accupuncture - without needles. Merely by tapping on certain meridian points on your body with your fingertips the disruption in the energy system is somehow released. Sometimes immediately. Sometimes with persistance. The nice thing about it is that the sequence of tapping takes only a few seconds, it's painless, and it's always available to me! And I have the tapping routine "in my system" by now, so I only need to do it in my head and get the same results. Yeah! In my HEAD. I only have to imagine doing it. That just blows my mind.

Check it out. You can download a free manual. I learned EFT through the free manual but it really came together for me after I got my first DVD. I'd love to hear from you if this interests you!

Emotional Freedom Technique

The Messages My Body Gives Me

2007-08-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

It isn't too late... to start listening... I mean really listening.... to what my body is trying to say. I have to understand, I think, that everything is happening for a reason. There are a TON of websites on menopause. And most of them talk about things we can do (conventional and/or natural) to make the symptoms tolerable or better yet GO AWAY!! And not that I certainly wouldn't embrace a lovely uninterrupted 7-8 hour night's sleep for more than once every blue moon.... but what if ... .just ... what if ... I could also look at this phase of my life as a journey to embrace. I'm not wanting to sound too "Pollyanna-ish" but it does occur to me at this age that resistance is futile! And to go with the flow of actually honoring menopause may be an approach that I can use as well as taking my supplements, etc. This is definately a time of change. Some of it, not so fun, but some of it has been good. I've learned about EFT, and D'Mannose, (an amazing product I'll talk about later) and Superfoods, and Green Drinks, and DHEA, and Probiotics and Anti-fungals. (I'm one of those people who chooses natural over conventional). But probably at least as importantly I've been challenged to go deeper. To use my time wisely. To use my energy wisely. To be more conscious. To accept what is. To heal my hurts instead of carrying them around. To be more vulnerable and not hide so much. I think those are good things.

I'm 50 years old and though I've been in perimenopause now for 10 years I still menstruate so I am not "finished" yet! If this blog is something that speaks to you in some way, I'd love to bring you with me... whoever you are. Maybe just an imagined audience, maybe not. In any event, ... we'll see what happens!