Isn't Advertising Great?

Well, as I say,”Follow the money.” It didn’t take very long for the TV advertising to start on the “new” natural sweetener. Truvia is now on TV. It can be purchased at the local Fred Meyer and Safeway stores. They have a website that’s fairly informative and there are recipes listed, also. Not bad for something that was prohibited only a few months ago. Cargill makes it and I think it will be a better sweetener than other manufactured artificial, sweeteners. Side effects should be minimal and it shouldn’t bother anyone with diabetes.

On another note, my Sister gave me a book for Christmas named “Nourishing Traditions”. It is most informative and interesting. It has introductions to the basic skills needed for mastering the making of traditional foods. I’ve already started making some of the food and am noticing some differences. I will report more as I use more recipes and notice more changes. Talk about a “learning curve”. Hope all of you have had a wonderful Christmas!

As Always, Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

Christmas and Sweeteners

It’s been awhile since I posted. Lot’s of Christmas things to do. Well they are finally done. All presents are purchased and wrapped, I’m listening to Christmas Music, and there is snow on the ground. Very "Currier and Ives". It’s been very “wintry” here in the NW. Nice for a change. I think we (local North Westerners) are ready for all of the snow to be gone, even if that means Christmas won’t be white. I don’t think that I’m really ready for the soggy though. That’s sure to come. But…we just passed the shortest day of the year!!! Hip, Hip, Hooray!! The days are going to get longer. Could spring be just around the corner?

I found time to read, even with all the extra things to do. Just didn’t have time to put my thoughts into a post. Today a newsletter came in that was interesting. The FDA has approved Stevia as a GRAS (generally regarded as safe) natural sweetener. They have not “technically approved” of it, they just won’t object to it. Stevia is an herb that grows in south America whose leaf produces a sweetener that is very good because it does not cause any adverse side effects when consumed. We readers of Natural Health blogs, newsletters, and books have been expecting this. We have been told, by the Government agencies that “protect” us from all things harmful, that Stevia sweetener needed "more study" to make sure that "we" wouldn't be hurt. The fact that the people of S.America have been using it for untold years and Japan has used it for a sweetener since around the 1970's, with no adverse effects was of no consequence. Why you ask? Well, some feel that politics and $$ is the real driving force behind FDA decisions. Seems as though an all natural sweetener would compete with artificial sweeteners and the sugar industry of this country.

Well, to make a long story short, there have been Natural Health advocates that have waged a war against Coke and Pepsi about their use of artificial sugar and regular sugars. So, apparently the “Big Boys” got the FDA to approve Stevia as a sweetener to be used in the U.S. However, when you read the label on the cans, Stevia will not be listed, Truvia will. Somewhere in here, I understand, is Cargill. A natural product cannot be patented, therefore no $$ can be made off of it. So, at least one molecule has had to be changed. So, the new product is not completely natural. They (those in the natural food industry) think this will be an improvement over Aspartame. I’m guessing this is so.

Hopefully, we will start to see products appear on grocery shelves with Stevia. It does not promote tooth decay, diabetes, headaches, or any of the other adverse things that have been associated with sugars, natural or artificial. I have been using it for awhile. Cooking with it is a "learning curve" because so little of it is used. Taste is good, slightly different than we are used to, but tasty when the right amount is used. As I said, a learning curve. In my opinion, a step in the right direction.

Healthy Days to you and Remember the "reason for the season"...Your Smiling Maven

Could this be Genes?

The ones in your body, I mean. My son told me something very interesting yesterday. His little 5 year old has started to ask, at the end of the day, “What are we doing tomorrow?” What ?? That’s what he used to do! We always thought that this little character trait was just something that was peculiar to him. Now his daughter is doing it. Amazing!!

So, I’ve been thinking. What is my M.O. As a child of the late `40’s and `50’s, I didn’t have the option of choice for tomorrow. There were chores to do and one day was pretty much like the last one. Getting in the car and having choices of where we were going or what we were going to do was unthinkable. Milk was delivered and grocery shopping was usually limited to 1 day a week. Going to the “Big” town was a bi-monthly or monthly thing. So, asking about tomorrow never crossed my mind, I don’t think. When something special was going to happen, I know my mother either kept it from me or braced herself for non-stop questions and excitement. Yep, Yep, Yep. A pest needing much feedback.
Even today, I need to have, in my mind, before retiring for the day, what I’m going to fix for dinner the next day. So, I suppose that’s kind of like “what am I doing, tomorrow?”

It appears now, as I have thought about it, quite possibly my son got this trait from me and of course he has passed it on to his daughter. Lucky him. Oh well. It’s not so bad, once you get used to the child’s concerns. It just gets so repetitive. But that’s raising children; it is a constant thing, day in and day out. At least she is a healthy, inquisitive child and full of life. I’ll take that any day.

Healthy Days to You...Your Smiling Maven

It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This!!

Today was a wonderful day. Sunshine for the most part, a good sermon by one of my favorite pastors, a delicious dinner with family, and most important of all, celebrating one of our Granddaughter’s Birthdays!!! Wow!!! such a full day. We’re tired, but very happy and contented. The kids are doing so well. All the girls are healthy and happy and Growing!!

The weather forecast for the next week, here in the N.W., is for rain and clouds with some clearing. Hope it’s more clearing than not. Last week, when we had a beautiful day, I was able to get outside and actually get some fresh air and a bit of exercise. I swept the deck and worked a bit in the greenhouse, and lifted a pot that was too heavy for me. I just can’t believe that there are some things that I am not able to or shouldn’t do any longer. So I did it anyway and paid for it by barely getting back into the house and being very stiff and sore the next day. I drank 2 bottles of “perfect water” and felt much better by noon and MDH didn’t notice my stiffness and frailty. He's always telling me to stay out of trouble when he's gone. Can't imagine why he should worry. Good stuff, that water.

After this very wet and cloudy fall weather that we’ve had here, I’ve come to the conclusion that I would never make it in Alaska. I would be stuck in front of one of those S.A.D. lights 24/7. This darkness didn’t use to bother me, but this year it has. But the good news is, we’re getting closer to the shortest day of the year, then it’s a steady march to longer and longer days!! Yippee!! Spring is just around the corner!!!

I’m doing some reading, but I need to get my cards done, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to think clearly enough to post a health related topic. Thinking is not near as much fun as birthday parties, don’t you know.

Healthy Days to You...Your Maven

What are we thinking???

Maybe we don’t anymore. We (people in this country) are very big on being “green”. That means everything natural and non-polluting, i.e. no chemicals. But what do we do to our children? The very first day of their lives, we shoot them full of a pharmaceutical vaccine. This vaccine, I understand, is not effective after 12 years. Seriously, are most American children going to be exposed to dirty needles and drugs before age 12? Mine weren’t. But this is a mandated thing. (Follow the money!!) Then we fill them up with more vaccines on a periodic basis that many other countries will not give as often or as soon. Again, follow the money. Then we feed them food that is full of chemicals and/or is nutritionally void. Then we put them on more drugs because they are “out of control”. And we wonder why!!! We also wonder why they are obese, have asthma, have diabetes, have a tendency to be depressed and want to commit suicide. What have we allowed into that precious little body?? Now I read that children as young as 8 years old are being considered for a cholesterol lowering drug. The side effects are not discussed. But that’s a whole lot of $$$ if a child gets on a pharmaceutical for life.

However, we’re “Going Green!” Good for us.

This doesn't make me smile...You're Maven

Eclectic Post

That’s been my day, which is nice. No boredom at any rate! A little of this, a little of that. That has been RAIN!!! There’s been a lot of that, lately, in my wonderful northwest. It’s been so dark and cloudy that my Christmas cactus if blooming now instead of starting around Dec. 10th. Hopefully it won’t be all bloomed out by then.

But enough of that--today was beautiful with sunshine all day long. I was able to spend some time in my greenhouse. It was so wonderful. There was some rosemary that had rooted and needed to be potted. Got that done and then I just puttered around. Picked leaves and faded blooms and moved plants around and watered as needed. Just so nice to work with the plants again. I don’t realize how much I miss working with my plants. Wish my body would allow me to spend more time out there, maybe tomorrow. I picked some lovely pink geranium blooms and brought them in for a nice fresh flower arrangement. Not very fall looking, but they are fresh!

Also, I had some time for reading. Always so much that is interesting. I didn’t know that November is Diabetes Awareness Month and that it is a global problem. There doesn’t seem to be any consensus as to why type 2 diabetes is on the rise, nationally or worldwide. There will probably need to be more education on risks, signs and symptoms. One of the natural treatments that can be used, is cinnamon. It doesn’t take too many mg a day to make a difference. We have a relative who has used this and he is amazed at the difference it made in how his body reacted…very favorably for him. There is info on the web. Goggle diabetes and cinnamon.

Then I read an article about the “expensive urine” myth. We’ve probably all heard that before. I’ve been told that is what I am doing. Well, there is more and more nutritional research being done all the time. Tests have been done showing that the more vitamins consumed, the more that is absorbed or utilized by our bodies. Think of it like a sponge. If there are a few drops of liquid on a counter and you use a dry sponge to wipe up the liquid, the sponge is still mostly dry. But if you put a lot of liquid on the counter and use the same sponge, chances are it will be soaked and possibly dripping. It has absorbed a lot more liquid because it was there. Good health is not about the vitamins you excrete, it’s about the vitamins you retain.

And still more!! Orthomolecular Medicine News Service released this article, “Rigged Trials: Drug Studies Favor The Manufacturer”. I’ve read articles like this one before. Numbers can be presented in many different ways, it just depends on what outcome is desired. (That last sentence is my understanding of the article.) Also, our institutions of higher learning do not complain because they are getting money from the pharmaceutical companies to do the research. It is clearly not in their best interest to report that something else is better when the gravy train is elsewhere. “The result? Bias is now rampant in drug trials.” And do we really think that our government will do anything about this? It’s called “Follow the Money” and follow the men's careers. There seems to be a merry-go-round from Congress, the FDA, the Pharmaceutical Companies, the CDC, and I don’t know where else. All of these “businesses” have very generous salaries. So, I’ll just keep taking my vitamins and try to stay away from high priced drugs with side effects.

And then I needed to do some house work and tomorrow is garbage day, so it’s time to round up some things that need to be gone. We are trying to get rid of some of this extra “stuff”. I am finally able to throw out things that previously I just couldn’t toss. My daughter told me that she didn’t want to do it after I’m gone. I’ve got news for her, I’ll always have junk. It’s the nature of the beast!!!

I had a great day…as always,

Your Smiling Maven

Illness or Ageing..Seems like I care about both!!

In my reading this week, the vitamin emphasis seems to be on Vitamin C. It's not just for keeping colds and the flu at bay. Research is showing that cancer is slowed or removed with high doses of Vitamin C, also osteoporosis, or bone loss, can be reduced with Vitamin C. And we know that Vitamin C is utilized by the body better with the addition of Vitamin D. Some of the C needs to be in high doses of injectable ascorbate, some of it needs to come in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables, some in the form of supplements. One thing is for certain; our bodies work better and longer, with lots of vitamins and minerals from many different sources. Also, we’ll all be happier this winter with fewer viruses, as we keep our Vitamin intake at the “maximum” level. It’s very nice to know also, that even if I do start to get a virus, I can take an extra amount of Vitamin C and that will reduce the severity of the “bug.”

Also as a personal observation…MDH and I were out this weekend and from a distance he saw an old acquaintance and his wife. He barely recognized the husband and only recognized the wife because of the husband’s presence. It’s been over thirty years since we’ve even seen these people. I didn’t see the husband and only saw the woman briefly, in passing. She looked tired and unhealthy and much older than me. Since I didn’t recognize her, we kept walking. My thought as we passed this woman was, “I’m sorry that you don’t feel well. You look so unhappy.” Then my husband told me who we had just passed. Wow!! This woman is quite a bit younger than I and even with my disabilities, I look a whole lot better than that!!! As I age, it is becoming more and more apparent, that optimal cellular nutrition has been a good strategy, both internally and externally. On my “bad” days, I feel like she looked…miserable! Apparently, they didn’t recognize us either. Maybe we looked too young! Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!!!

Keep taking your Vitamins, especially for the winter!

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

Since the Beginning of August

Wow!! It’s been a journey! Finally, new prescription glasses. Since I don’t shop very well, I finally decided to put my new eyeglass prescription into my old glass fames. I’m a little disappointed, but this is probably better than getting all new glasses and risking falling. The little bit of shopping that I accomplished did not turn up any frames that were anywhere near the size of my old glasses, not even men’s glasses. All of the store personnel said that this was probably what I would find all over town, with the exception of a new small place downtown. So, I knew that the placement of the bifocal line in my old glasses didn’t cause me to trip, why not just re-use them. Besides, the quality of my old frames was so much better than that of the new ones that I was handling.

Another case of “new is not always better.” When I put the new, old glasses on, I thought someone turned up the lights! Things seemed so much brighter. Everything that I do seems so much easier now. No more squinting or reaching for the magnifying glass for the least little thing. I’ll just keep watching and if I happen to see some frames that have big lenses maybe then I’ll get “new” glasses. Meanwhile, it’s nice to have clear eyesight again!

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

Which Vitamin this Time???

Well, I’m back to B Vitamins, again. One of the e-letters that I subscribe to is Orthomolecular Medicine News. I just received a copy that states Vitamin B6 reduces colon cancer. It also quotes a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that most of us do not get nearly enough natural B6 from our diets. Most populations across the U.S. were only getting 2 milligrams or less, even those who were supplementing. Our modern diets of processed foods are very lacking. Deficiencies can also be caused by using oral contraceptives, smoking, or being elderly. For joy, for joy!!! There has been an upper limit on the consumption of Vitamin B6 of 10 mg. That has been proven erroneous and the new upper limit is 100 mg and even that is being questioned by some researchers as too little and 200 mg is their new benchmark. So, I added all of the Vitamin B6 from all of my supplements and XS Energy drinks, and I am taking in about 25 mg a day.

So, I started thinking about the Gensona Genetics test that I took. Could they give me any information or insight? The test results indicate that I have a genetic variation that gives me a less effective utilization of B Vitamins.

I wasn’t sure what to ask or what they could tell me. So how does a person find out? Well, this person got on the phone. A very nice lady gave me as much info as she could. The constraints were really due to the fact that genetic testing still has a long way to go and at this time all my questions couldn’t be answered. However, she did tell me that utilization of Vitamin B6 is increased with the presence of folic acid. That is another of the things about B Vitamins, they work in our bodies best when all are present. An aside to all IBO’s, this lady was very helpful and not rushed in our conversation. I took it that they are very happy to be of any help and callers are welcomed.

So, at this time, I will just continue as I am and keep asking questions and keep reading. I’ll also ask questions about Vitamin therapy, to anyone who seems knowledgeable. It’s fun to learn new things or to have old things re-affirmed.

Healthy Days to You...Your Smiling Maven

Flopping Aces

I just put this link on the site. This is for the conservatives among you. If you're not, you won't enjoy. I am and I do. There is a video from Fred Thompson posted on the 24th on there that is terrific. You'll love it, if you enjoy Fred. Happy watching. Your Maven

TUCK IN

For the winter, that is. It's that time of year again. Time to cut things back in the yard and put the tender plants in the greenhouse. We've had terrific weather to do this. Lots of sunshine and only short bursts of rain. It's cool and crisp and beautiful. The geraniums are so pretty, it's a shame to cut them back. This is the time of year that I pick geranium blooms from the greenhouse for fresh flowers in the house. The "burning bush" euonymus is a gogeous bright red and the clematis paniculata is in full, billowing, white bloom, next to it. That is our offering of fall color on our street. Quite the display, if I do say so myself!! But by next weekend, depending on the weather, we will have to finish cutting everything back and finish our yard waste pickup for the year.

Today, I finished picking and drying the basil. It's so sad that the fresh basil will be done on our deck. I know it can be purchased, but it's just not the same as picking what's needed off of my own plants. Oh well, something to look forward to next spring.

I also potted the last of the geranium cuttings that I took this fall. So fun to see new little plants!! I also was finally able to get a couple of Peegee Hydranges started. I've been trying for several years, with no success. They are such a beautiful, late summer, blooming plant. They also get more beautiful and larger blooms, as they age. At least the one in my yard has done that. Now to just keep everything alive through the winter. It would be nice if we had a mild winter.

MDH was very good about helping me this year. It has to be done and I drag my feet every year. He did the lifting and hanging of the plants that have to be hung up in the greenhouse and of course the cutting back of plants in the yard. He will cut back the clematis because it is so big and quite the job. And then I will need to find something to do inside. Maybe we will get some painting done. We'll see.

Change of seasons. Change of focus. Always something to look forward to.

Your Smiling Maven

Same Thing...Again!!!

Have you ever purchased a new car and suddenly the same kind of car was everywhere? Well, that’s how I feel about Vitamin D. Every time I turn on the TV or read something on-line or in a book, Vitamin D is being discussed again. It’s been like this since my Dr. asked to have my Vitamin D levels checked last summer.

So, to reiterate, research has shown that most people, in the US, have very low levels of Vitamin D. It is felt that our lifestyle is a contributing factor, ie., we work indoors and wear sunscreen when we are outdoors, and a great many of us live too far north to even get any help from the sun for the majority of the year. Low levels of Vitamin D are associated with more cancer, heart disease, pain, osteoporosis, viral infections, and diabetes, to name just a few maladies. The research suggests, that with optimal levels of Vitamin D, our bodies utilize our nutrients more effectively, and our immune system operates at a higher level.

There is a move afoot to raise the RDA of supplemental Vitamin D. Canada has already done this. The new suggestion is 400 IU for children daily and 1,000 IU daily for adults, Minimum! When a person is shirtless out in the sun during the summer months, their bodies produce 10,000 to 20,000 IU a day, with no adverse affect. I purchase my supplemental Vitamin D on-line at www.iherb.com or at www.swansonvitamins.com. It is very inexpensive and well worth the effort, which is minimal. My suggestion, for children, would be to make sure that they are getting 400 IU in their multivitamin. Also, serve cold water fish, like salmon, and make sure that their grains and dairy have Vitamin D. Even if you, as a parent don’t give your children a daily vitamin, you might want to rethink this, if only to get Vitamin D. The suggestion is one should have fewer colds when getting optimal levels of vitamin D, due to it's anti-viral properties. Then again, you might not notice any difference. However, when your child is 40 and hasn’t contracted any life threatening diseases, they may thank you for giving them a little extra Vitamin D.

A few years back I read an article that was talking about skin cancer and what might be the reasons that it is so prevalent now and wasn’t in years past. Why now and not then? What has changed? They discussed diet as a possibility, specifically the amount of sugar and toxins that the average person ingests now as compared to then. Hmmm? Just a thought.

Anyway, you know I’m all about natural and supplements and personal responsibility, when it comes to health. These suggestions for Vitamin D supplementation make sense to me and we (I and MDH) have upped our Vitamin D intake.

As always, these are just my thoughts and musings. I'm just presenting my interpretation of things that I read.

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

I Just Love This

"There is a growing body of evidence that wellness programs that promote lifestyle changes can diminish the incidence and severity of chronic disease, provide a substantial return on investment, and reduce reliance on the conventional medical care system." This is a quote from the resolution that congressman Jim Langevin of R.I. has introduced into congress. This man also wants universal healthcare, but at least he’s on the right track with this.

I’ve seen two more TV programs this week that talked about taking responsibility for our health thru diet, exercise and supplements. One was on a PBS station and the speaker was Brenda Watson, ND, CNC. She was saying a lot of the things that I have been saying here. Fiber, digestive enzymes, omega 3 oils, and probiotics, are all included in her program. You can google her and get some of her materials, ie, books cd’s , etc.

The other program was on Canadian TV and they talked about functional foods. Remember I wrote about them a few weeks back This nutritional expert, Sherry Torkos, B.Sc.Phm., talked about certain foods that actually help a person lose weight. I’ll go thru the list briefly.
1. Green Tea – contains antioxidants and caffeine, which interact together to increase calorie-burning and boost metabolism. 5 – 10 cups a day is a recommended amount to show beneficial results.
2. Apples – They might just keep the fat away, along with the Dr. The soluble fiber makes a person feel full and that can lead to eating less often and therefore fewer calories. They can also stabilize blood sugar and this will keep the body in a fat-burning mode instead of a fat-storing mode.
3. Chia – Yep! The same seeds that grow on “the pet.” The seeds, as a functional food, can support weight loss, balance blood sugar levels and provide high-octane energy. Chia is also high in fiber, protein, essential fatty acids, and many nutrients.
4. Soybeans – Research from the University of Illinois found that soymilk and tofu raise metabolism, helping to lower body fat percentage. It also stabilizes blood sugar and insulin levels, which means fewer hunger cravings and fewer calories being stored as fat.
5. White kidney bean – works as a starch neutralizer; reduces amount of starch absorbed from a meal, lowers GI, and promotes weight loss. This supplement allows you to enjoy starchy carbs without guilt.!
6. Cayenne – a great spice to give your food some kick and help burn calories by triggering a thermodynamic response that lasts hours after eating.
7. Cinnamon – works synergistically with insulin to improve blood sugar control. As little as 1/4 teaspoon added to food helps the body metabolize sugar faster and lowers the body's blood-sugar levels.


I had not heard of the Chia seeds before, everything else I am familiar with. The only one that I do not use is Soy. I just don’t like it. I’ve tried it in many different forms, but it doesn’t really like me and the feeling is mutual. So, I get my protein from other sources.

I’m just happy that achieving and maintaining good health is being talked about, more and more, in terms of “It’s your responsibility”. Brenda Watson said “Education is key to good health.” My sentiments exactly!!

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

Discrimination...Really?

If you’re like me and you probably are, discrimination is just a word. It doesn’t affect our daily lives and we don’t do it or so we think. It’s just a word and we remember the old saying that we all grew up on…”Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” So, get over it! Right?

I have thought for a while now, that people look at me and think because of my cane and my gray hair, and apparent lack of vigor, that I am “less than”. Then I tell myself that I’m just being overly sensitive or paranoid or something. I tell myself that it doesn’t matter, ignore it, “get over it” and so forth.

And then I was personally confronted by discrimination. My reality changed all of a sudden. I realize now why we had to have a law to protect disabled people. The ADA Law has become a living document for me. Discrimination is an ugly thing. I had no idea. I realize that I owe many apologies, over my lifetime, because of my indifference and lack of compassion.

It took a while for me to realize how hurt I was. At first I was mad, then as time passed, I realized that I was so very hurt. I am a living, breathing, human being and I didn’t deserve to be treated like that. Yes…I will get over it, but I will not forget it. I will keep it in my mind so as not to repeat the same behavior toward someone else.

Personal experience is definitely a very good teacher!! Why does that have to be? However…I’m still smiling!!

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

Digestive Enzymes Galore

Wow! Love those enzymes!!! I had another setback and by last Friday I was totally out of commission. Pain, fatigue, spasms, and the rest. You who go thru this know the drill. MDH said "OK, what have you changed?" So the sluthing was on. All supplements were the same, lifestyle was the same, hadn't had any sugar, what was different? We finally realized that I had had 10 meals in 6 days that were made with tomatoes. That's way, way more than I would normally eat. Well, recovery mode went into high gear. I'm so glad that I started listening to my body a few years ago. Now I know what to do when this happens. I started taking extra digestive enzymes and drinking more water and I haven't had any tomatoes of any kind since! By Sunday, I was much better, and today I'm even better. Yippee!! Those enzymes act like little "Pac Mans" in my body. I tell them to "gobble up" all the bad stuff my body doesn't like and they do!!!

So, the moral of this story is, "moderation in all things", even food that is normally considered healthy. I'm being very creative in my menu selection this week. MDH likes the variety!

Love the Fall colors and weather.

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

Busy, Busy Day...

At least for me. Lately, I’ve been so tired . No particular reason, just this body. Today however, there were a few things that just called out to be done. I know that for most of you, this list would be just a light afternoon . For me, it’s almost overwhelming.

This morning, MDH (My Dear Husband) said “What are you going to do with these tomatoes?” They are “His”, why doesn’t he figure out what to do with them. So, He’s eating the cherry tomatoes and the larger ones, apparently, are my responsibility. I decided to make soup out of them. He doesn’t like tomato soup. Why do we have to grow them? So, I got the skins off before lunch and cut them up, too.

Then lunch and I started to boil the tomatoes and cut up the other veggies that I was going to put in the soup. By 1:30 I had the soup almost done. Then it was time for the granddaughters to arrive. I had promised my daughter that I would baby sit this afternoon. Always love to do that, just should have taken more time to rest before they arrived. As usual, they were in fine form! I had saved most of the fall decorations just for them to put out. They were both very happy to have a project. I just let them “have at it.” They did a pretty good job. The younger one may be little, but her determination is mighty. She knew where she wanted her flowers and there was no changing her mind!! Almost 3 years old and 5 years old are such delightful ages! Their mom came back and off they went. Time for my first nap.

Then I had put the last of the cookies out for my husband, so more had to be made. I make sugar free cookies, sweetened with stevia. I try to put all sorts of healthy ingredients in them, yet give him something sweet to eat. He hasn’t complained so I guess they are OK.

Time for another nap after they were baked. Then dinner and another nap. That’s what this body has been doing lately, zonk!, as soon as I sit down. Well, I’ve napped another time since then and talked on the phone and decided that I would post something, just so I could stay awake! Somewhere in there I cleaned the kitchen and washed the cookie sheets.

Tomorrow is another day and more projects to be done. That is a good thing!

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

More MS Story

This is a sort of an “edit” to the previous post. Did I say “brain drain”? Must have been foggy and drained and whatever lack of brain function you can think of. I forgot one of the most important things that I have done for my overall health, recently.

In my readings, the topic of candida overgrowth was always being talked about. The claim was that a great percentage of MS patients have this going on. I just couldn’t see it for myself. Didn’t want to see it, is the real reason. I couldn’t consistently flunk the “spit” test (Type in candida spit test in google ) and my symptoms didn’t consistently fit the list. Then I read a report that if you awake in the middle of the night with a blast furnace in your solar plexus, this is an indication that you have a candida overgrowth. This “furnace” happens in both men and women, so it is not hormonal. Also, if a person has chronic sinusitis, needing a tissue at the ready all day long, this could be another indication. Those two things made me take a closer look. So yes, I started reading some more. I read that the “nasties” need to be killed and the colon needs to be repopulated with good bacteria. And no I didn’t go to a Dr. This is my choice. Most people would go to a Dr, but I didn’t. I am, however, fairly pleased with my results. I started by taking probiotics for a month, then, along with the probiotics, I started taking some oil of oregano. (Herbal bug killer) To say that my sinusitis got worse would be a great understatement. I persisted and in 3 months time my sinusitis was greatly improved. The “furnace” was gone around 4 month’s time and I am no longer awakened by it. I continue to take probiotics and probably will for the rest of my life. You can refer to my “ Probiotics blog” written in August of this year. This too is not a cure, but it has greatly enhanced my quality of life.

I also did not write about the extra vitamins and herbs that I take and the B vitamin gene glitch that I have. Too much effort for me to think about all of them and how they have acted in this body or not acted. Just know that I strongly believe in optimal cellular nutrition as a way of staying healthy and supporting all of my body’s functions and immune system. Remember, your immune system is your personal, 24-7, on call physician.

There is more that I could do, but for right now, I don’t have the will to disrupt my family’s life anymore than it has been. This disease didn’t happen to just me. My husband and my family have been so very supportive and loving. I feel very blessed. I wish the same for you.

As Always, Healthy Days to You, Your Maven

My Multiple Sclerosis Story

Recently, I’ve had five people ask me ”What have you done? You seem so healthy. What’s the story? Will you tell my friend?” OK, so I would be happy to share, with the understanding that what I have done has worked for me and may not do anything for others. Everybody is different. I am not a doctor and I am not telling you what to do. This is what I have done and still do.

First a little background. As a child I had a “good” diet. It was full of home grown food. It was after WWII, so we had all the new, modern, and convenient foods, also. New was good, right? It was also full of sugar, hydrogenated oils, and refined grains. I don’t think that I had a whole grain until I was in my 20’s. I thought soup and spaghetti came from a can and I don’t think a person could even buy a whole grain pasta or brown rice in our corner of the world at that time. The Doctor still made house calls and TV was at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Penicillin was given as the standard care and mustard plasters were still slapped on a chest for a cold. I got both quite often. All my vegetables were boiled, unless I pulled a carrot out of the garden. Every meal had sugar, a lot of it. However, at the time this was a good diet. We ate three meals a day, plus snacks, and my Mom and Dad thought that they were giving their children the best that the world had to offer. Looking back there was a distinct lack of fiber, vitamins, omega 3’s, and enzymes, but that’s the way it was.

So, fast forward to my 20’s. I had my 1st child at 26 years. Within 4 weeks of his birth I had an extreme headache and I was losing my vision. Off to the ophthalmologist I went. I was almost totally blind in one eye by then. “Oh, this is very common after the birth of a child” he says. Hmmm, I had never heard of such a thing, but Dr. says, so we believe him. After a shot in the eye, we went home. I remember dragging myself through the days, but I’m a fairly cheerful person, so I assumed “that’s the way it is.”

Another child and more headaches, but no vision problems that I detected. Still dragging but “Oh Well”, that’s life. After some other medical issues, I was finally diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 38. I was told just go home and live your life, there is nothing that can be done for you. This was before the internet, I had almost no resources, so I continued to live as always.

Enter a good friend who said “You need to be taking these vitamins.” I thought I might as well get some good nutrition, so I did as told. I had started to read a little bit by then and there was some talk of diet and vitamins. I felt a little better. I had relapsing-remitting MS and life went along with not too much difficulty until about age 45. Wow!! Life as I had known it came to an abrupt end!!! This time all the “nasties” didn’t go away. Still no internet, so I was still in the dark. I could still work and I did change my diet, a bit. Lessened the sugar, except for Holidays, and trying to eat more vegetables. I continued to take my vitamin, which is Double X, by Nutrilite. Then Bang!!, I was hit again at age 52. This time it was serious. I still haven’t totally recovered but I can pass for healthy, if I’m sitting. In fact I am the picture of health.

So, OK, this time there is the internet and I started reading. I was learning for the 1st time in my life that the way my body worked was not normal, but it had been all that I had known, so it was normal to me. Looking back, this body has had some form of MS since I was a teenager. I finally figured out that the nausea and pain that I was feeling after a meal was my body was not digesting meat properly. So, I became a vegetarian. Also, milk products started to give me digestive problems, so I cut them out too. I have had a much calmer digestive existence since then.

I went to a naturopath for some hormone counseling. As we were talking she told me to just add some Magnesium to my diet and it should help with elimination. I had asked one Dr. after another and they had all just shrugged and said “Eat more fiber and drink more water”. I was doing more than the recommended amount, so I knew that wasn’t the answer.

More reading, I knew that I could do better. Just reading about other MSers’ challenges and discoveries and victories was very helpful. I have to read and think about something for a long time. After about a year and a half, I took the plunge to try digestive enzymes. They were everything that I had hoped. At the time that I started taking them I was having new symptoms show up every 2 to 3 months. My symptoms slowed immediately and when I started taking them on an empty stomach (like the message boards suggested) the slow slide to more disability stopped. I was finally stable. No new symptoms! Wahoo!! Life wasn’t great but at least it wasn’t frightening anymore. I still have all the fatigue, neuropathy, pain and numbness, and all the fun stuff that goes along with this condition. I really don’t want to think of all the stuff that is wrong with this body and I certainly don’t feel like typing it either. I have to “walk a type rope” to stay this way, but compared to the way I was, it is worth it.

You have probably heard the expression “Listen to your Body”. It took a long time for me to really be able to do this. It’s an important tool for all of us to be able to do, IMHO, but especially for someone with a chronic medical condition. Now I know when I have done something that my body doesn’t like or eaten something that I shouldn’t. One thing that I have discovered is that sugar is a poison to me. Looking back, I have discovered that most of my major exacerbations have been brought on by too much sugar. Holidays and stress and a diet that is out of control, not a good combination.

The upshot is that I have nourished my body for over twenty years with Double X and all that nutrition is now showing results. If you’ve read any of my previous posts you know that I boarder on fanatic about nutrition. This is a whole body and I decided that I should keep the rest of me as healthy as I can. It’s not a cure, but I feel (if I don’t move) and look healthy. We have several diabetics on Double X also. They tell us “Don’t let me run out of this stuff”. Don’t know all the science behind it, but apparently, this all natural nutritional supplements contain what a body needs.

OK Brain drain has set in. Those of you who know who I am are welcome to call. Others can get in touch with me thru www.simplybetter.mychoices.biz. At least now we have a starting point.

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

The Glasses Saga Continues

I recieved my glasses a few weeks ago. Wearing them was a misery right from the start. I thought to myself,"Come on, you can get used to these." So I continued to try to wear them everyday for a little while. Didn't work. I would be dizzy and nauseated and would have to hold onto the counters and furniture within just a few minutes. I had no depth perception and I felt like I was going to fall down all the time. I also noticed that the bifocal part was fuzzier than the old glasses. I assumed that I was stuck with them. You know, they're custom so now thery're yours! I was thinking of throwing them away and just consider it money wasted, but thankfully I talked to my daughter-in-law and she told me to take them back. Thank God for her. So I did. They retested my eyes and said yes the perscription was incorrect. Nice to know that it wasn't just me.

So, one thing I learned, I need a fairly large lense for my bifocals. OK. I've always liked the Sophia Loren look anyway, now called the Sarah Palin look. I just thought that I would go smaller this time. Well, don't you know that this place didn't have any frames even as large as my current frames. So, I'm waiting for them to get in a new shipment or they said go find some frames and they would set them for me. But since I'm not a shopper, I'll probably just wait. It's been this long, a little longer won't hurt.

I've learned something new. That is good!

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

New Link

I've added a new link today. I've been reading this for a few days and find it very interesting. The post that got me was about an "Army of Sarah's" and Down's Syndrome and then one about 9-11 from a survivor's point of view. All excellently written and very moving. I thought you might like this site, too. Of course, there's quite a bit of politics. I'm assuming other topics will be discussed after November. Enjoy!

YMCA...More than swimming pool

Wow!!! Ask and you’ll receive. I wanted more education about health and fitness for this country and now one of the most highly regarded institutions (YMCA) in this country is getting into the act. I had heard a little bit about some kind of partnership between Amway Global and the YMCA, well it’s about to start and I got an e-mail today outlining the program which will start this Monday, the 15th. It’s called the “Inspire Wellness” initiative. “This marks the beginning of a major media relations campaign to increase awareness and understanding of the state of wellness in America and how Amway Global and the YMCA have joined forces to help American’s improve their health and well-being.” I understand that Nutrilite spokesperson, Gabrielle Reece, will help spread the word thru various media outlets. There will be 100 YMCA’s that will have a free wellness event on Sept. 20. To find a participating YMCA and to learn more, visit www.inspirewellness.com. I have already and I took the Stanford Health and Lifestyle Assessment that is there. Very interesting site with lots of info. I’m unclear about what the other Y’s will have who are not one of the 100. Considering my high regard of the Nutrilite brand, I’m sure there will be some very good information relayed to all who take part.
I think this is a year long partnership, and I hope that it will be ongoing. When I know more, I’ll keep you updated.

As always, Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

Where's the Fog?

I don’t have much to say today. Partly because of the day, 9-11, and partly because my brain has “fuzzed up” on me recently. It has an annoying habit of doing this. I’ve read that brain fog is one of the symptoms of this disorder. Yippee! It’s so much fun. NOT!! I’m also disgusted that it seems that no matter who gets elected this fall, I will soon be living in the USSA (United Socialist States of America). Doesn’t anyone want to take responsibility for themselves anymore? I should not have to pay for your healthcare. But I may be soon. One candidate said providing health insurance was my morale obligation. Really? First, it’s not health insurance, it’s sick insurance. Having it doesn’t keep you healthy. Getting the proper nutrition keeps you healthy. I just read a startling statistic, at least to me it was, that less than 10% of cancer survivors consumed the RDA of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Good grief! However, it’s probably not the patient’s fault. Our medical community, as a whole, is more into pharmaceuticals. Good nutrition is going to have to be taught to this country, from many sources. Government, educational institutions, industry and private foundations all need to start emphasizing healthy eating habits and lifestyle.

Just this week a flyer came in the mail from a local grocery chain. They were advertising that any pregnant lady with a prescription for prenatal vitamins could bring in the prescription and the store would fill it, free of charge. That’s a step in the right directions. The proper nutrition during pregnancy is very important, especially for neural tube defects. It helps alleviate problems later in life for the mother, also. Think, if grocery chains, with pharmacies, did this all over the country. The amount of birth defects (many of which the government ends up paying for), would go down drastically. I think this must be a win-win for the grocery store. Free prescriptions bring them in, while they are there, they might as well buy groceries, right?

I could probably go on, but I really do have a fuzzy brain. It makes me tired.

As always, Your Smiling Maven…Yes, I’m still smiling.

The Current Beverage of Choice?

If you’re between the ages of 15 and 35 years old, you probably consume energy drinks. My husband and I are way past 35 and we drink them, but not just any bad tasting, full of sugar, can of jazz! So what are you (the average consumer) putting in your body?
Before we discuss that, I would like to make some observations. What I’m seeing in our young people is a new drug, disguised as an energy drink. This drug is not illegal and a person can’t get a DUI, but abusing energy drinks can be every bit as dangerous now and in the future. Dangerous now when two or three are “downed” in a short period of time, in order to get a “buzz”. Many young people tell me that they drink them until they are shaking. Do you suppose driving is a good idea at this time? Do you know that you could have a diabetic seizure? That’s the now danger, the future danger is diabetes, diabetic coma, or any number of long term endocrine system problems. Whatever you get, it will probably be chronic and long term. Trust me you don’t want that. Your life will never be “normal” again and you’ll look back and think about what you “could have, should have done.”
So, what should a person do? Well, we drink an energy drink that has no sugar, no carbs, loaded with B vitamins, has key amino acids and adaptogenic herbs. It comes in many different flavors, all tasty, and it gives 4 to 6 hours of energy and “no crash”. It is called X/S Energy Drink and it is available on the “Simply Better” website. This is what I drink and I love it. I love the extra B vitamins and I love the adaptogenic herbs. They (the herbs) are worthy of a blog of their own.
When a person ingests a lot of sugar, their adrenal glands are “over clocked” and they try to get your body back to “normal”, not to mention what your pancreas is doing. The insulin problems and too much sugar is another topic. I really want to stress the B vitamins and the adrenal glands today. The adrenal glands are two little organs that sit on top of our bodyies' kidneys and they are directly responsible for our blood sugar and metabolism, also our immune system and mood…our outlook on life. The typical energy drink is designed to give our bodies “High’s and Low’s” and when we’re “over clocked”, as the bio-chemists say it, our adrenals start producing cortisol trying to “right” the “wrong”. Do this too many times and a person is headed to adult onset diabetes or worse. One of the ways to avoid this is to have Vitamin B5 ingested at the same time. B5 or pantothenic acid is a natural support for the adrenals so that they do not become “over clocked”. Hence, no buzz, no crash, just nice sustained energy and heightened alertness. B vitamins, in general, have so many functions in our bodies. I guess if I had to come up with a positive for the other energy drinks, it would be that at least young people are getting some B vitamins. However, most energy drinks do not have vitamin B5. Yes, X/S Energy drinks have a lot of B5 and no sugar.
So, OK, what if you really feel like you have to have a lot more to get you thru the day? Well, there is an herb called Rhodiola 110 that works synergistically with the herbs in X/S and taking it at the same time, I am told, really gives a person an extra boost and mental clarity. This is one of the herbs that Soviet athletes have taken for years. It’s very safe and is a traditional herbal product that goes back centuries. Rhodola 110 can also be purchased on the “Simply Better” site, also. Both can be found under edibles>XS and edibles>vitamins and supplements>supplements.
I know you can go to a warehouse store and buy energy drinks for very little money. Those drinks, IMHO, are not a healthy choice for you. Going cheap on energy drinks is not the best place to save money. I know that I have pushed some products here today, but unless I tell you about your alternatives, some of you will never know that you have a choice. If you or a loved one are drinking or just starting to drink energy drinks, do some research on your own, Please!!! Your health should be your 1st consideration, in my opinion!

As always,
Healthy Days To, Your Smiling Maven

PRO What?

Probiotics!!! Lots of talk about them lately. Just what are they and why do we care? Let’s have a little talk of our own.
Probiotics literally mean “for life”. They are the bacteria in the lower intestine and colon that help keep us alive. Most of us in this country know about the bad bacteria like salmonella or E. coli that make us sick. Probiotics are the good bacteria. Some of the things that they are reported to alleviate are constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, gas, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, and inflammatory bowel disease, excema, just to name a few. There’s much more but it would take more typing than I am willing to do, and too much space also. I’ll leave some references at the bottom.

Back in the early 1900’s, a man by the name of Weston Price, who was a dentist, decided that he wanted to examine people from around the world. He wanted to examine their health, their diet, their living conditions, etc. His focus was more on the quality of their teeth and their health. But what he discovered, and has since been confirmed by others, is that every traditional culture had some kind of fermented food in their diet. Most European cultures had some kind of fermented dairy. Asian cultures had some kind of fermented vegetable. You no doubt have heard of kimchi and yogurt and kefir, to name a few. Someone, way back, realized that eating a fermented food on a regular basis, helped a person’s body function and feel better. These people were extremely healthy with very good bone structure, teeth and longevity.
Somewhere after the Second World War or later, the scientists figured out what those bacteria were in these fermented foods and that they were exactly the same bacteria that reside in our intestines and we needed to have them in sufficient quantities to keep us healthy. However, also around that time, we (Americans) decided to homogenize, pasteurize, and sterilize our American diet. No fermented foods…unless you were of the “old school” and made your own sauerkraut or yogurt, hence no probiotics. We just did not know how important they really are.
Now, fast forward to the 21st century. I’m not sure how it started, could have been the baby boomers not wanting to grow old ungracefully or not wanting to die like their parent’s generation…that would be on pharmaceuticals and having one surgery after another. However the emphasis on probiotics got started, the driving force is now MONEY! The yogurt companies have found a cash cow and other companies want to get in on it. This is good for us because we now have so many options. It is also bad for us because this is not a well regulated industry and for now “let the buyer beware.”
In my readings, what we are seeing on the label of the container may have been correct at the time of manufacture, however, it may not be true at the time of purchase. If I understood it correctly, the bacteria may not be as active or alive as time goes on, so the count may be lower, a lot lower, or the manufacturing process may have killed some of them. Apparently, the labels can be very confusing and misleading. Also, the type of bacteria in the container may not be the type or in the ratio that a particular body needs. This means individual research will be the order of the day.
So now what does this all mean for us. I have read several times, and no I do not have documentation, but I’ve read it enough to think that this is generally accepted as true, that our colon is 50% to 70% of our immune system. Our immune system is one of our body’s main defenses against disease. It’s been said to be our internal physician, on call 24 hours a day! Keeping it healthy should be one of our main priorities. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet of processed food, fully cooked food, fast food, food with additives and so forth, is not really health promoting. Our diets need a makeover!!!.
In the European and Japanese cultures, apparently prevention is still the first step in fighting disease. Here, in the United States, we tend to fight disease after we get one. I understand that the grocery shelves in Europe and Japan are loaded with all sorts of foods (functional foods) that are loaded with probiotics. Here in the US, we tend to get our probiotics from a capsule. That is beginning to change. There are many foods being offered now besides yogurt with probiotics included. I understand that even Kashi has a cereal with probiotics. There is also some food bars and cheese being offered now with probiotics. The beverage, kefir, is now showing up on store shelves. I think in the next year or so we will have more options, which is good, because I don’t think most of us are going to start making our own homemade sauerkraut, or pickled vegetables, or homemade yogurt with just the right bacteria in it. For now, however, I think I'll just keep taking my probiotics in supplement form.
As a side story, most of you know that I’ve had a genetic test and it came back that I have a gene malfunction that does not allow me to metabolize B vitamins very well. I have suspected this for quite some time as many of my symptoms mimic B vitamin deficiency. So I have taken extra B vitamins in the past in the hope that I would be doing something good for my body. Nothing happened. However, I was not taking any probiotics at that time. Well, I have been taking probiotics for about 3 years now and I started taking extra B vitamins again about 4 months ago. Last night I was filing my nails and I realized that the fingernail that always split and peeled off (for the last 10 years or so) was now just as long and healthy as the other ones. Could it be that the probiotics have improved my “gut flora” enough to help metabolize some B vitamins? Just a thought.
This has been interesting research, if you can call it that, so much information and so pertinent to our health. I hope you’ll do some reading on your own. There is a lot to learn and I think I’ve only scratched the surface!!

Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven


Readings:
Askew, Gloria, RRN and Paquette, Jerre, PHD, “Secrets of Supplements”, 2008 , Phyte Media Inc., Canada
What is Probiotic Food?, written by Stephanie Zonis, read both 2007 and 2008, www.thenibble.com/reviews/nutri/probioticfood.asp
Traditional Diets of thee World, written by Sally Fallon, www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/ancient_dietary_wisdom.html

Do I Have To? Yes, You Have To!

Eat your vegetables, that is. OK, as promised, some writing on Alzheimer’s disease. There is so much research that I could have read and read and still not have any definitive article. But as you might guess, I was extremely interested in nutritional approaches. In fact I found an article that was just published today (8-21-08) that was about overall diet, more on that later.

The general consensus is that this is an inherited disease. At least a person's chances of getting the disease seems to be related to ancestors with the disease. Something that has this kind of gene transfer, seems to be ameliorated by earlier lifestyle and habits. So… eat healthy, get your rest, and avoid stress, yada, yada, yada. You know the drill. But it really is important and not just for Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, I can explain it clearly and make sense of it all.

So far there is no cure, but scientists are finding ways to lower risk and the progression of the disease. So, let’s break this down into 3 areas and then I’ll talk about the article that I referred to above.

First it’s the “Use it or lose it” approach. Scientists found after a 4 1/2 year study on 800 elderly participants that those who kept their brains active with mind stimulating activities were half as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who did not. Doing crossword puzzles, reading, and playing cards are more than activities to pass the time. They keep the signals firing in your brain and improve the odds that your brain will work for you all the days of your life.(1)

Second there seems to be a connection between one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s. It is suspected that homocysteine levels are culprits in both. The Framingham Heart Study found that as homocysteine levels increased, the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease almost doubled. So, we’re back to targeted nutrients and functional foods. Research has found that supplementation with folic acid can keep homocysteine levels in the blood from rising. Eating foods with folic acid or taking a food supplement with folic acid along with B6 and B12 may help to reduce the risk of developing either of these two diseases.(2)

Third…Nurtition. While nutrition alone will not prevent or cure Alzheimer’s it has been shown to delay onset and slow progression. Antioxidants and B vitamins, as discussed above, have shown some promise, especially vitamins C, B6, E, D, folic acid and minerals such as iron, zinc, and selenium. Also omega 3 fatty acids (especially DHA from fish oil) flaxseed oil and the herb ginkgo biloba. The research suggests that food supplements can improve mental functioning and therefore the quality of life of older people.(3)

Now for that article I referred to. It’s titled “Einstein Researchers Get Rid of Damaged Proteins.” These researchers found that as a person ages their cells become less efficient at removing waste proteins from a person’s cells. In other words, our wastes become a logjam within our cells preventing optimal cellular functioning, hence ageing and disease. If they can find a way to prevent this decline in protein clearance, they may be able to keep people free of symptoms and healthy for a longer time. But meanwhile, they say, evidence is mounting that two dietary interventions---low-fat and calorie-restricted diets--help cells to maintain efficient protein clearance.(4)

There were other things that were stressed in my readings. A person should eat a diet high in vegetables and fruits and low in saturated fats. An anti–inflammatory diet is highly recommended. That means no sugar, no refined foods, and all allergy producing foods eliminated from one’s diet. There’s more but you’ll need to look it up for yourself. Also, have regular exercise which keeps the blood flowing to the brain and all areas of the body. There was also a very strong recommendation to stay away from smoking and other tobacco products.

And of course, my favorite, take a quality multivitamin-multimineral supplement. The RDI for folic acid is 400mcgs per day. My assumption is that this is the amount to just barely prevent disease as are the other RDI’s. (My opinion) Optimal cellular nutrition needs more. Nutrilite’s Double X supplies 800mcgs. This, of course, is well researched as a safe and viable amount of folic acid for daily consumption. It is also documented that alcohol is an enemy of folic acid absorption.

Bottom line…To lessen chances of getting an inherited disease or lessen it’s severity or prolong onset of a disease… diet, supplements, and lifestyle will make a difference(STILL MY OPINION) I’m living proof. I am the picture of health. I just have a little Multiple Sclerosis. Diet and supplements have made a huge difference in my progression or lack of progression.

As Always, Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven

References:
1. Wilson, RS, et al. Participation in Cognitively Stimulating Activities and Risk of incident Alzheimer Disease. JAMA 2002;287:742-748
2. Seshadri S, et al. Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. N Engl J Med 2002. 346(7);476-83
3. Chandra, R K, Dr. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Wellness Letter, UC B
Berkley
4. Asa Andrew, “Empowering Your Health,” (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson,
2007)

FUN and more to come!

Today I had FUN!! Putting a piece of a plant in soil and having it sprout roots for me is just so marvelous! I just love starting new plants. I didn’t take any cuttings last fall. Must have been hot or something, because I didn’t start any cuttings. No motivation. Normally, I don’t need any motivation to take cuttings. But today it was nice and cloudy and the weather report is calling for rain and clouds for a week or so. Yippee! Just the right conditions for cuttings. The greenhouse won’t get too hot while they are trying to sprout roots. So here's the story, two years ago a geranium sprouted under the greenhouse bench. I just left it there. I was curious to see what color it would be and I had never had one sprout from seed before. Well, it didn’t bloom last summer, so I left it to grow some more. Well, it really grew this spring and it started blooming in June. It is a beautiful, large, coral bloom. I have never had one anything like it. I can only assume that this is a cross between two or more other geraniums that have been in my greenhouse, always reds and pinks. Wow! A whole new geranium!! I can hardly wait for these little gems to root. I left the plant in the soil so that if these guys don’t root, I’ll have another chance another time.

Everyone’s happiness can come in many different packages. This simple act of taking cuttings and watching them grow, for me is FUN!!!

I’ll keep you posted on their progress.
Healthy Days To You, Your Smiling Maven

What's That Noise?

Living with me is not easy. It wasn’t when I was not disabled and it is even more of a challenge now, just the nature of the beast. This personality has to be worked on daily. I’m sorry to say it is something that I haven’t conquered, yet. However, I did manage to marry a very nice man who has been willing to take on the project of “rounding off the corners”. Plus, he has never considered “bailing” on me since, or before, I was diagnosed with MS. The statistics are something like 80% of husbands are gone when the spouse is diagnosed with a chronic disease. So, even though I get irritated at my disabilities, like crushing fatigue, constant pain, brain fog, lack of balance, etc., it can’t be any fun for him either.

Like when I fall. For most of my major falls he has been there. He gets so scared. The first thing he wants to do is get me up. It’s almost like if he gets me up immediately, then he can wipe out what just happened. But, I have to just stay down and get all of the molecules lined up again. The first thing I say is “I’m OK.” When I’ve had a chance to breathe a few deep breaths and start to feel like I can move, then I’m happy to have his help. Today he was gone when I fell. The first thing that I thought of was “I’m glad he’s not here.” I knew that I was alright, even though I hurt like crazy! I sat for awhile, and then very gingerly got up on the chair. OK…so far, so good. Thank God for all that Vitamin D I’ve been taking, no broken bones?.

When he got home, he could tell something was amiss with me. “What happened?” I told him and showed him my latest scrapes and bruising. He said that he was glad that he wasn’t here as he probably would have broken his neck running in from the garage when he heard the noise of me falling. We laughed and laughed…what else is a person to do? Laughter really is the best medicine. So sitting, which I do most of the time, is now very uncomfortable. Nertz!! I had just gotten rid of the last bruise that bothered my sitting. Oh Well…life will go on and I will keep smiling!

Time to watch the Olympics.
Healthy Days To You, Your Smiling Maven

Simple Pleasures

I was reminded again today of one of life’s simple pleasures. I’m sure we all have things that we consider a simple pleasure. It might be listening to music, eating a favorite food, reading a good book in your favorite chair, having time to enjoy a sunset, etc. You get my drift. Life is full of them when we allow ourselves time for reflection. Today it was hearing my daughter’s laughter. My guess is her joy is not genetic, but more environment. For this I thank her husband. He is such a terrific guy, great father, great husband, wonderful son. What’s that commercial? Several things are named and priced and then one thing is Priceless! Well, my daughter’s laughter is “Priceless” to me. Simple pleasures feed our souls. Mine had a feast today.

Healthy Days to You, Your Maven

New Glasses and MORE!

All I wanted was a new pair of glasses. New prescription…New glasses. Modern little rectangle ones. Cute and up to date! Simple, HUH? Well, that’s what I had planned. That’s not what happened!

Husband and I both needed new glasses, so Sat. morn off we went. I was examined first. Optometrist started saying, “Hmmm, well, we’ll come back to that one.” “Hmmm, having any headaches? Any flashing lights? Any eye pain?” No, No, and No. “Hmmm, let me take a look at this one again. Hmmm.” Well, the upshot of it all is that I have been diagnosed with corneal endothelial dystrophy. Apparently, it is an inherited chronic condition. Yippee! Don’t we just love those less than perfect genes?!! The articles, that I can find online, confirm what the Dr. said. Watch it closely and come back immediately if there are any changes. Then we’ll go from there. It could go from minor blurring to severe pain and blindness. From what I can read, there are new surgeries involving lasers and corneal transplants and contact lenses, etc. Hopefully, by the time I need something done, there will be a lot of new options available.

Where are those nutrigenomics when you need them? Only found one article about nutrition. Thankfully, I changed my diet a few years back, so all I need to do is “tweak” it a bit. An anti-inflamatory diet is good for both of us. We’ll continue with all natural supplements and striving toward optimal cellular nutrition. And I’ll keep looking for any bio-active foods or supplements that could target corneal cells. This gene mutation occurs in chromosome #5. Is it too late to give it back?

The hereditary part is fairly interesting. The mutant gene is called autosomal dominant. When it is passed, the offspring has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation. There’s quite a lot of info on how the different genes are passed on and the statistics of it all. I don’t need to understand all of it. The bit that I did understand was interesting.

So, then it was time to order my new glasses. I had picked out some new cute ones. I sat down with the technician and he started in with the hemming and hawing and making faces. Is tisk, tisking at me all these guys do? It seems as though there is not enough space for bifocals in this new narrow shape. Well, there is, but for people with balance and depth perception problems, it would probably be too dangerous. He really didn’t want that situation on his shoulders and I didn’t want any assistance in the falling department. So he spent some time finding some frames for me that are sort of rectangular. They just aren’t as cute. Oh Well….They will be just fine.

So, apparently I have new challenges in my life. With my faith, family and friends, all will be well. Mom taught me to smile. I can do that!!

Healthy Days to you, Your Smiling Maven

P.S. Even this Dr. asked if I'd had my Vitamin D level checked. He had been deficient on his test and his Dr. had put him on 10,000 IU per day. Now that he is within theraputic range, he's on 5,000 IU per day maintenance. Hmmm? Maybe I will have to re-evaluate my dosage.

Nutri What?

Nutrigenomics – That’s what. It is the science of learning how nutrients in the foods we eat interact with our genes. It is an immerging science and to me it is so exciting! It hasn’t been that long ago that our human genome was mapped. Now we can start to understand how all those little bits make us who we are. And then research what nutrients, in supplements or bioactive foods, will modulate those genes for optimal health.

We all watched TV and saw the coverage of the passing of Tony Snow. He knew that he was at risk of colon cancer because of family history. Even though he was vigilant in watching for signs of the disease, it overwhelmed him anyway. Nutrigenomics is learning which bioactive foods can assist our immune system or modulate our particular DNA to prevent disease. The system we have been following is waiting until we have a disease and then fighting it with pharmaceuticals. I don’t know if there is a genetic test developed yet for Tony’s type of cancer, but if there is, I certainly hope his children will be directed to it.

Knowing a person’s family history has been one of the ways our physicians have had to know what things to look for and what treatment they might suggest for us. With nutrigenomics, the medical practitioners, of the future, will have genetic codes to tell them what foods and supplements a patient should take for optimal health. These foods and supplements can be used for overall good health or they can target specific areas of a person's DNA, in order to modulate the genes and possibly avoid a certain illness.
Two tests, that my husband and I have become familiar, are one for heart health and one for antioxidants and B vitamins. They are from Interleukin Genetics and are called Gensona Heart Health Genetic Test and Gensona General Nutrition Test. They are both available through www.simplybetter.mychoices.com. They are easy, painless, and fairly inexpensive, considering the information could be so valuable to a person’s future health.

We decided to have my husband take the heart health test since there are gaps in his family history. It came back negative, which means that he did not inherit the genetic pattern to his IL 1 gene that causes a predisposition to over-expression of inflammation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have to monitor his blood pressure, eat healthy foods, take supplements, that have positive effects on heart health, and get plenty of exercise. It just means that his risk of an acute cardiac event is statistically less, due to inflammation caused by a malfunctioning IL 1 gene.

Then I took the General Nutrition Test. I felt that my heart was fine and I wanted to know how my body handles vitamins and minerals. It came back that I do have a gentic "glich" and do not metabolize B vitamins well. This did not surprise me. Many of my symptoms mimic the symptoms listed for a deficiency of B vitamins. There has been some research on Multiple Sclerosis and B vitamins. While I think that there might be a link here, I’m not entirely sure that a lack of B vitamins could be the entire problem. So for now, I’m taking a lot of B vitamin supplements. I am feeling a little more energy and alertness. Yippee!! Every little bit helps!

Nutrigenomics…It’s just getting started!
Healthy Days to You!....Your Maven

Let The Sunshine In

I'm so excited! Finally, the medical community is pushing health, not pills!! Have you been to the Dr. lately? They are now routinely monitoring vitamin D levels. In my opinion, if the "health community" would start talking to their patients about "food as medicine", Dr. visits would start declining and so would our insurance bills! I had two Dr. appointments last week. Yearly stuff. The only thing they have ever asked me is, "Do you take a calcium supplement?" To have them interested in my vitamin levels, to me, is so encouraging .

I'm not sure where all the chatter is coming from, but everywhere I look lately, I have run into another article about Vitamin D. More research is coming to light and the importance of this vitamin is being taken more seriously. Why is this? I believe one of the reasons is our culture has changed. And as new research has come to light relating illnesses to our diet, people (our health community) are starting to pay attention. Baby Boomers perhaps? We have moved inside as a society. Our businesses, our homes, our work, all activities are more predominately indoors than they were 50 years ago. Also, our use of sunscreen has blocked our skin's natural abilty to produce Vit D. Plus, if a person lives north of a line between San Francisco and Philadelphia, they do not get enough natural sunlight, most of the year, to produce the vitamin. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 57% of patients admitted to a Boston hospital were shown to be deficient in Vitamin D (2006). So between our lifestlyle, geography, and our excessive use of sunscreen, supplementation, for most of us, is probably going to be the answer. Let's look at some of Vit D's health properties.

Vitamin D is not really a vitamin because our bodies naturally produce it. However, the name vitamin has stuck to it even if it acts more like a hormone. Prolonged deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets. A disease of long ago, or so the thinking goes. This disease is actually being diagnosed again. Our bodies ability to absorb calcium and phosphorous is reduced when Vit D levels are low for long periods of time. Hence, soft, deformed, weak bones and teeth. Good bone health is important from infancy thru senior years.

Some of the studies have shown that optimal levels of vitamin D may help prevent breast, prostate, and colon cancer, also diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis. (Whoa! That horse has left the barn!) When I read about the diabetes, I thought Hmmm? Might there be some connection between our nationally low levels of vitamin D and our diabetic epedemic? Hmmm? Just a thought. Researchers have found that calcium is absorbed better with vitamin D and magnesium. Hip fractures are less in the elderly who have supplemented with the vitamin. Researchers are finding that vitamin D is as important as calcium supplements in preventing osteoporosis, in the elderly.
Low levels of vitamin D are showing a correlation to a higher risk of the cancers mentioned above. Test tube and in-vivo studies have shown Vitamin D kills cancer cells and can help cells differentiate between normal cells and cancer cells. And I could go on, but this is not a diffinitive paper on the subject.

OK. Where do we get vitamin D, if not from the sun? The foods that contain it are...
liver, egg yolks from chickens that are fed Vit D, shrimp, and fish. Dairy that is fortified. However, the dairy does not give amounts per serving. They give percentage of daily RDI, which isn't much, in my opinion. Best thing for your kids is to look at the food labels. I understand that more and more foods are being fortified.

Now, the question of "How Much"? Many in the "health community", ie. researchers and Drs. are now suggesting that the old FDA requirements are far too low. Old guidelines have been 200 IU daily for those under 50, 400 IU for those 51-70, and 600 IU for those over 70. And no, I do not know how to explain IU(international units) to you. Most are now recomending 400, 1000 and 1200IU respectively. That would mean 400IU of vitamin D per day for children, instead of 200IU. From what I understand about the vitamin, that amount would not produce any toxicty in children. Remember, when the label says 25% of RDI, that means 25% of 200IU.

I have been taking, between my various other supplements, per day, 8oo IU of Vit D. Then I added 1,000 IU of Vit D3. So, now after learning so much more, I have just added another 1,000IU per day. So that will be a total of 2,800IU per day. I know many in the MS community suggest more than that. Think I'll stay here for awhile and re-evaluate as time goes by.

As Always, Best of Health to You, Your Happy Maven

"Secrets of Supplements, The Good, the Bad, and the Totally Terrific" by Gloria Askew, R.R.N. and Jerre Parquette, PH.D.

Article published on Goodshape.net from nj.com 2008 The Star-Ledger (14/07/08)

"Perscription for Nutritional Healing" by James F. Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
You got it, I don't know how to post references or bibliographies, anymore.

Any inaccuracies in my writing above are not intentional and no medical advice is
given or intended to replace your personal health care provider.

Remember, I'm "verbally challenged" when it comes to the written word.

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE

There's alot of talk about water lately. Maybe it's the time of year. Maybe it's the plastic bottles. Maybe it's the state mandated consumer confidence report. Don't know. But here it is.

There are many different directions this topic could take, but I think we'll stick to how much per day and type.

When I was a little girl my family's water came from an artesian well. I can still remember going down the road to Aunt Emilie's and seeing the water gushing out of the ground. It was very noisy and very powerful and it never "turned off". The adults were very happy about this water. It was the best and the cleanest and my guess is that what they were really happy about was that it didn't take electricity to pump it out of the ground! So chlorinated water is very foreign to me. Yes, I know the positive side of chlorination and that's great, but I still don't like the taste, smell, and the by products that are produced.

As an adult, with a family of my own, we have used a solid carbon block filter for our water for at least 20 years. We wanted our water to promote health with purity, clarity, and taste. Before the filter those 3 qualities were lacking and still are. We (my husband and I) had the occasion to fill a clear plastic bottle with plain tap water a few days ago. We were going to water some outdoor plants. Wow! It is still murky and brownish. We were happy all over again that we have filtered our water all of these years. So, we fill water bottles with our own clean, pure water and take them with us when we are on the go. We also drink Perfect Empowered Drinking Water. It is highly purified and filtered, also reminerlized, ionized, microstructured and ozygen rich. Yes, it is a premium water. We have found it to be helpful with my balance and energy. We have heard, anecdotally, that it is good for people with a compromised immune system or those who are taking chemo. This product needs more explination than is feasible here. The Simply Better Choices link has more info.

Then the other question is "How much"? I read an article recently that addressed this topic beautifully. It was written by Dr. Chet Zelasko of http://www.betterlifeunlimited.com/. I have a great deal of respect for this man. He has researched all his writings and is very thorough and concise. I consider him to be a voice of reason. He cited a basic physiology textbook that talked about the bodily fluid that we lose daily without any exercise.

* Skin ( not from sweat)--12 ounces
* Lungs--12 ounces
* Feces--4 ounces
* Urine--48 ounces
* Total: 80 ounces per day.

This is all without exercise, high heat, or humidity. So, you're 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water falls just short of the replenishment mark. You'll need more liquid and/or moisture laden fruits and vegetables. One of the recomendations that I've seen lately has been 1/2 you're body weight in ounces of water per day. For me that would still fall below the replacement amount.
Bottom line...Drink your water or eat a whole lot of watermelon!!

Healthy Days To You!!