I don’t know how to express myself tonight. I’m sad, I’m angry, and I’m disgusted at the shape of our health care system.
Last night we had a lovely evening with old friends. We had meant to get together sooner, but with the weather and other obligations, it had just been put off. Finally, an evening of laughter and solving all of the problems of the world, if you know what I mean! Nothing like getting a bunch of red-necked Christians together, we can take care of everything! However, toward the end of the evening, our friend, a woman in her late 60’s, told us that she had just been diagnosed with kidney failure. She supposedly was not in any eminent danger of dying, but that was going to be the outcome. Meanwhile, she was to continue on her Statin drug.
Well, I guess you know alarm bells went off in my head!!! I didn’t say anything at the time because I had nothing in front of me to quote. As we were driving home I said to MDH that I thought I had read recently about statins giving people some of the symptoms of which she had shared. I guess you know that first thing this morning I was on the computer and immediately I had read all sorts of side effects from statins that matched our friend perfectly. They do not have a computer so had not done any research themselves. Just going along to get along with the allopathic medical community. “They know what they’re doing. Don’t they?” NOT!!!
I called our friend, not knowing how my meddling might be received. She nearly burst into tears. Bless her heart, she had been praying that something or someone would help her. I told her I didn’t know if I could help her but that I had found some information that she and her husband could read and maybe they and their family could go forward with more confidence.
As I told her what I had found, she wanted to know where I had found this information. I told her and then…This just astounded me… she told me that she had talked to three friends, all of whom were pharmacists and one nurse friend and they had all told her that the Statin drug that she was on did not cause any of these symptoms. "What???" The information is right there on the pharmacy sight, in plain view. It lists the side effects and contraindications. Are these people bound by an archaic code or something and are not allowed to say what the negatives are for a pharmaceutical? According to one site, the particular Statin that she is on had the FDA, in 2004, issue a Public Health Advisory notifying professionals of a revised package insert. The changes were in response to adverse event reports related to muscle toxicity which can cause rhabdomyoliysis and kidney failure. “No, no negative side effects.” Yes, sarcasm of the highest order!!!
I will give her this information and then they will have to decide what to do. In the MS community, firing a doctor is something that is done on a regular basis. That would be my suggestion. But since she is not my mother or sister, the suggestion will remain unsaid. I wish her health and peace and will continue to pray for her.
A lesson here is a person has to be their own health advocate. “Take two aspirins and call me in the morning”, is long gone. Being computer literate in today’s world is a must!
Healthy Days to You...Your Smiling Maven
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Turkey Noodle Soup...With Love
Just want to share about the meal that we had last night. It was pretty much from “the ground up”. Last Thanksgiving, at the end of the meal, I told my son-in-law to put the turkey carcass in a bag and I would take it home and make turkey noodle soup, sometime. He did and the next day I made turkey broth and then picked the bones clean. Then I put everything in the freezer. I was a little concerned, when I was making the broth, what it would taste like, because this was a deep-fried turkey and in places it was pretty crisp.
So, this last weekend we decided that enough time had passed since the holidays and turkey soup sounded pretty good. I pulled all of the broth and turkey meat out of the freezer and started them defrosting the night before. Then I chopped all the vegetables in the morning and set the table around noon. In other words, I paced myself. Then it was time to sauté the veggies and add the herbs. As I am a vegetarian, I had MDH taste the broth as I was putting it all together and he pronounced it just fine. I was still concerned that it might be too salty. It had originally been a fresh turkey, but I don’t think it was organic, so hard telling what was put in it before it reached the store. Anyway…The family arrived and it was time to add the noodles. Soon we were sitting down to turkey noodle soup, garlic bread, and crudités. Will wonders never cease? I made a good meal. The children ate the soup and SIL and MDH had two big bowls of it. When I asked if they would like to take what was left, there was no argument. Packed it up we did. “Thanks for lunch tomorrow!” says SIL. So nice to have a successful meal for everyone, instead of a disaster as sometimes happens.
As I said, don’t know what chemicals had been put into the turkey before I got a hold of it, but everything I did was all natural. Such a satisfying feeling to know that I served my family a healthy, natural meal, better yet, they liked it!!
All of the table linens are washed, ironed, and put away. It’s fun to serve my family when I have the time, energy, and good ingredients! So glad I still can.
Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven
So, this last weekend we decided that enough time had passed since the holidays and turkey soup sounded pretty good. I pulled all of the broth and turkey meat out of the freezer and started them defrosting the night before. Then I chopped all the vegetables in the morning and set the table around noon. In other words, I paced myself. Then it was time to sauté the veggies and add the herbs. As I am a vegetarian, I had MDH taste the broth as I was putting it all together and he pronounced it just fine. I was still concerned that it might be too salty. It had originally been a fresh turkey, but I don’t think it was organic, so hard telling what was put in it before it reached the store. Anyway…The family arrived and it was time to add the noodles. Soon we were sitting down to turkey noodle soup, garlic bread, and crudités. Will wonders never cease? I made a good meal. The children ate the soup and SIL and MDH had two big bowls of it. When I asked if they would like to take what was left, there was no argument. Packed it up we did. “Thanks for lunch tomorrow!” says SIL. So nice to have a successful meal for everyone, instead of a disaster as sometimes happens.
As I said, don’t know what chemicals had been put into the turkey before I got a hold of it, but everything I did was all natural. Such a satisfying feeling to know that I served my family a healthy, natural meal, better yet, they liked it!!
All of the table linens are washed, ironed, and put away. It’s fun to serve my family when I have the time, energy, and good ingredients! So glad I still can.
Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Weird or What?
It seems to me, we humans are a weird bunch. I was talking with a lady the other day, who has been taking 7 prescriptions and feeling miserable. You know…one for the problem, one for the side effect, and one for the side effect’s side effect. Well, a friend got her started on some Nutralite Vitamins. I asked her what affect they were having. She was all smiles and said that she was feeling so much better and was so thankful. Then she said that she had a hard time remembering to take them. WHAT??!! I didn’t want to embarrass her and point out the obvious that she had no trouble remembering to take a prescription that made her feel awful.
This is not the 1st time that I have heard this. Is it because the Dr., the perceived authoritarian, has ordered us? Is it because we think that the prescription is free? (Silly us, we pay for that health insurance one way or the other.) Are we brain washed by the pharmaceutical industry and their ads on TV? (Have you listened to the side effect precautions at the end of the ads?) Do we not really want to be rid of our illnesses? Whatever it is, it seems to me that reason is very easily thrown out the window when we need to personally take charge of our own health.
Tomorrow I am attending the funeral services of my dear 90 year old aunt. She had a lot of illnesses, but always recovered, except this time! One of the things that she did for herself was to eat well. I remember her eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, always. She also liked to share them, too. Very seldom did I leave her home without a new kind of vegetable or fruit, in season, that she was trying. She also remembered old home health remedies and lovingly shared them. Of course, when we were younger we didn’t want our Mom to give us anything natural. It might taste bad!!! She will be so very much missed. Heaven is the more fortunate for her presence.
Meanwhile, I’ll just keep smiling and trying to help where I can.
Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven
This is not the 1st time that I have heard this. Is it because the Dr., the perceived authoritarian, has ordered us? Is it because we think that the prescription is free? (Silly us, we pay for that health insurance one way or the other.) Are we brain washed by the pharmaceutical industry and their ads on TV? (Have you listened to the side effect precautions at the end of the ads?) Do we not really want to be rid of our illnesses? Whatever it is, it seems to me that reason is very easily thrown out the window when we need to personally take charge of our own health.
Tomorrow I am attending the funeral services of my dear 90 year old aunt. She had a lot of illnesses, but always recovered, except this time! One of the things that she did for herself was to eat well. I remember her eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, always. She also liked to share them, too. Very seldom did I leave her home without a new kind of vegetable or fruit, in season, that she was trying. She also remembered old home health remedies and lovingly shared them. Of course, when we were younger we didn’t want our Mom to give us anything natural. It might taste bad!!! She will be so very much missed. Heaven is the more fortunate for her presence.
Meanwhile, I’ll just keep smiling and trying to help where I can.
Healthy Days to You, Your Smiling Maven
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Glutathione...just the bit on the topic!
I said I’d do a post on glutathione and here it is. It is said “Time flies when you’re having fun.” I must be having fun, because if someone had asked me when I last posted, I would have said “just a few days ago”. NOT... It’s been eleven days. WOW! I have been reading, however.
Almost everything that I have read, whether it is from a retail site or a research site,says glutathione is a very important and crucial antioxidant in our bodies. It is said to be our “Master antioxidant”. Sufficient amounts, in our cells, seems to be very critical to our well being. The same diseases kept being repeated. Our health and longevity depends on glutathione!
As I understand it, genetics is only a portion of the reason that humans get diseases. Polymorphisms, in a gene, and environmental effects, i.e., toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other free radical onslaughts, all contribute to a lack of health. In other words, nature and life, all have a hand in our diseases. I’m going to put a few quotes on here. The researchers and Drs. can all say it better than I.
"Without glutathione, other important antioxidants such as vitamins C and E cannot do their job adequately to protect your body against disease." Allan Somersall, Ph.D., M.D., and Gustavo Bounous, M.D. FRCS(C) in Breakthrough in Cell Defense
"No other antioxidant is as important to overall health as glutathione. It is the regulator and regenerator of immune cells and the most valuable detoxifying agent in the human body. Low levels are associated with hepatic dysfunction, immune dysfunction, cardiac disease, premature aging, and death." Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe & Patrick J.D. Bouic, Ph.D. in The Immune System Cure
"Raising glutathione levels is a good thing, no matter how you do it. There are several theories about how to do this and all are slightly different. Some believe that NAC will do it, it certainly has the right chemical structure. Others think that only bioavailable glutathione is the way to go.... However you elevate your glutathione levels, it is a good thing to do!" - Douglas T. Dieterich, M.D. in a response to a patient query at a forum on TheBody.com, an AIDS and HIV Information Resource.
"One reason why it is so important to maintain high levels of glutathione is that it is crucial for the detoxification of carcinogens. Packer states that most people do not inherit "cancer genes"; rather, they have a genetic weakness in their detoxification system. Glutathione is an extremely important part of the detoxification system, and thus of our defenses against cancer. Interestingly, whey protein has also been found to raise glutathione levels. Glutathione may also be one of the most important keys to longevity. Centenarians have been found to have higher levels of glutathione than would be expected for their age. Boosting one's glutathione levels ...should be one of the first items on anyone's anti-aging agenda." - Ivy Greenwell in The Antioxidant Network, A brief review of "The Antioxidant Miracle," by Lester Packer, PhD and Carol Colman
"As Dr. Lombard points out in his book, "The Brain Wellness Plan"...the brain’s high fat content renders it especially vulnerable to free radicals, so that the body has defined specific ways to protect brain cell fatty acids through special antioxidants.... Glutathione is one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body. Depressed glutathione levels are associated with the increased generation of free radicals found in Parkinson’s patients, for example, and contributes to further brain cell death." - Excerpts from the Willner Window Radio Show aired in May 98
These quotes are just a part of the information. I think glutathione is such an important nutrient, it would be worth a person’s time to do some research on their own. Just google glutathione and off you go!
A few topics jumped out at me often. These included, Parkinson’s, MS, diabetes, thyroid problems, premature ageing, and skin care or skin whitening, also, the ability of the body to utilize Vitamins A, C, and E and B complex vitamins. There definitely is some disagreement on supplements of glutathione. Some say supplements are worthless, others say only bio-available glutathione is absorbed by the body, still others say “My product is the only one that works.” All I know, the whey that I have been taking (from yogurt) has produced wonders in my skin, in less than a month. If the outside is getting healthier, I have to believe that the inside is doing the same. What I've seen so far is marvelous!
I'll take results, any day.
Your Smiling Maven
Almost everything that I have read, whether it is from a retail site or a research site,says glutathione is a very important and crucial antioxidant in our bodies. It is said to be our “Master antioxidant”. Sufficient amounts, in our cells, seems to be very critical to our well being. The same diseases kept being repeated. Our health and longevity depends on glutathione!
As I understand it, genetics is only a portion of the reason that humans get diseases. Polymorphisms, in a gene, and environmental effects, i.e., toxins, bacteria, viruses, and other free radical onslaughts, all contribute to a lack of health. In other words, nature and life, all have a hand in our diseases. I’m going to put a few quotes on here. The researchers and Drs. can all say it better than I.
"Without glutathione, other important antioxidants such as vitamins C and E cannot do their job adequately to protect your body against disease." Allan Somersall, Ph.D., M.D., and Gustavo Bounous, M.D. FRCS(C) in Breakthrough in Cell Defense
"No other antioxidant is as important to overall health as glutathione. It is the regulator and regenerator of immune cells and the most valuable detoxifying agent in the human body. Low levels are associated with hepatic dysfunction, immune dysfunction, cardiac disease, premature aging, and death." Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe & Patrick J.D. Bouic, Ph.D. in The Immune System Cure
"Raising glutathione levels is a good thing, no matter how you do it. There are several theories about how to do this and all are slightly different. Some believe that NAC will do it, it certainly has the right chemical structure. Others think that only bioavailable glutathione is the way to go.... However you elevate your glutathione levels, it is a good thing to do!" - Douglas T. Dieterich, M.D. in a response to a patient query at a forum on TheBody.com, an AIDS and HIV Information Resource.
"One reason why it is so important to maintain high levels of glutathione is that it is crucial for the detoxification of carcinogens. Packer states that most people do not inherit "cancer genes"; rather, they have a genetic weakness in their detoxification system. Glutathione is an extremely important part of the detoxification system, and thus of our defenses against cancer. Interestingly, whey protein has also been found to raise glutathione levels. Glutathione may also be one of the most important keys to longevity. Centenarians have been found to have higher levels of glutathione than would be expected for their age. Boosting one's glutathione levels ...should be one of the first items on anyone's anti-aging agenda." - Ivy Greenwell in The Antioxidant Network, A brief review of "The Antioxidant Miracle," by Lester Packer, PhD and Carol Colman
"As Dr. Lombard points out in his book, "The Brain Wellness Plan"...the brain’s high fat content renders it especially vulnerable to free radicals, so that the body has defined specific ways to protect brain cell fatty acids through special antioxidants.... Glutathione is one of the most powerful antioxidants in the body. Depressed glutathione levels are associated with the increased generation of free radicals found in Parkinson’s patients, for example, and contributes to further brain cell death." - Excerpts from the Willner Window Radio Show aired in May 98
These quotes are just a part of the information. I think glutathione is such an important nutrient, it would be worth a person’s time to do some research on their own. Just google glutathione and off you go!
A few topics jumped out at me often. These included, Parkinson’s, MS, diabetes, thyroid problems, premature ageing, and skin care or skin whitening, also, the ability of the body to utilize Vitamins A, C, and E and B complex vitamins. There definitely is some disagreement on supplements of glutathione. Some say supplements are worthless, others say only bio-available glutathione is absorbed by the body, still others say “My product is the only one that works.” All I know, the whey that I have been taking (from yogurt) has produced wonders in my skin, in less than a month. If the outside is getting healthier, I have to believe that the inside is doing the same. What I've seen so far is marvelous!
I'll take results, any day.
Your Smiling Maven
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Mysteries are being Solved!!!
Hi! And Happy New Year to everyone!! We’ve started the year with snow again today. So pretty, and I’m so glad that I didn’t have to go anywhere! However, our snow is nothing compared to Spokane and area! Wow!! I think I wouldn’t want to be there. Remember, spring is just around the corner!!
Well, I received the neatest Christmas gift from MD Sister! And I’ve been reading it ever since it entered the house. It’s a book called “Nourishing Traditions”. I think that I mentioned it in a previous post. It has spurred me on to more reading and more research and more Hmmm, “Could that be why…?” So very interesting and thought provoking. You know when you’re on the internet and you’re reading an article and it has a link or a word or something and you just keep clicking and reading. That’s what I have been doing. The book started the search and I learned so much that I just couldn’t stop.
I was reading some reviews of a particular supplement and up popped the letters “MTHFR”. Probably doesn’t mean too much to most of you, but those letters refer to a gene that has to do with B vitamins. As you know, if you’ve read this blog, I had gene testing for oxidative stress and how my body metabolizes B vitamins. My oxidative stress levels came back OK. I metabolize anti-oxidants just fine. However, my body does not metabolize B vitamins, efficiently. So...what does that mean. Genetic testing is so new that most Dr.s are not current in the field. So, it’s been up to me to do the research and figure it out, for now.
So, this review was from Australia. I find that they and European countries seem to be “less owned” by the pharmaceutical companies, so they are more open to natural or alternative health solutions. This study claims that most people who test positive for the MTHFR polymorphism cannot absorb folic acid very well. So then, off to folic acid deficiencies. This leads to methylation pathways. The next is what I found.
“Defects in methylation lay the appropriate groundwork for the further assault of environmental and infectious agents resulting in a wide range of conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, thyroid dysfunction, neurological inflammation, diabetes, chronic viral infection, neurotransmitter imbalances, atherosclerosis, cancer, aging, schizophrenia, decreased repair of tissue damage, improper immune function, neural tube defects, Down’s syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, as well as autism.” Wow!! Several of these diseases are prevalent in my extended family. Thyroid, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and Multiple Sclerosis, are some that stick out.
And then I started looking into early and on-going symptom, such as dry, brittle hair, cracked and peeling lips, eczema, and digestive problems. All of these symptoms I have and more and most of my relatives have some, if not all. My granddaughters are starting to present with some of them, also. So, we need to be able to absorb more vital nutrients, especially B vitamins. Back to the book!!!
“Nourishing Traditions” tells of old and “ancient” ways to prepare food to make vitamins and minerals more available to our body’s metabolism. 1st and easiest is draining the whey from yogurt and incorporating that into one’s diet. I have, and am noticing a difference, already. My skin is in pretty good shape, but without changing anything in my skin care regime or my supplements, it is sooo much smoother and softer. Not just my face….my arms and legs, too. My lips are smoother, also. It’s been 2 weeks, plus, and my hair is beginning to feel like hair, for the first time in my life. Turns out that whey has glutathione in it, which is considered the master antioxidant. Glutathione is going to have to be a post of its own. And my brain has glazed over, so goodnight, for now!!!
Stay tuned…
Your Smiling Maven....
We're going to get healthier!!!
Well, I received the neatest Christmas gift from MD Sister! And I’ve been reading it ever since it entered the house. It’s a book called “Nourishing Traditions”. I think that I mentioned it in a previous post. It has spurred me on to more reading and more research and more Hmmm, “Could that be why…?” So very interesting and thought provoking. You know when you’re on the internet and you’re reading an article and it has a link or a word or something and you just keep clicking and reading. That’s what I have been doing. The book started the search and I learned so much that I just couldn’t stop.
I was reading some reviews of a particular supplement and up popped the letters “MTHFR”. Probably doesn’t mean too much to most of you, but those letters refer to a gene that has to do with B vitamins. As you know, if you’ve read this blog, I had gene testing for oxidative stress and how my body metabolizes B vitamins. My oxidative stress levels came back OK. I metabolize anti-oxidants just fine. However, my body does not metabolize B vitamins, efficiently. So...what does that mean. Genetic testing is so new that most Dr.s are not current in the field. So, it’s been up to me to do the research and figure it out, for now.
So, this review was from Australia. I find that they and European countries seem to be “less owned” by the pharmaceutical companies, so they are more open to natural or alternative health solutions. This study claims that most people who test positive for the MTHFR polymorphism cannot absorb folic acid very well. So then, off to folic acid deficiencies. This leads to methylation pathways. The next is what I found.
“Defects in methylation lay the appropriate groundwork for the further assault of environmental and infectious agents resulting in a wide range of conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, thyroid dysfunction, neurological inflammation, diabetes, chronic viral infection, neurotransmitter imbalances, atherosclerosis, cancer, aging, schizophrenia, decreased repair of tissue damage, improper immune function, neural tube defects, Down’s syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, as well as autism.” Wow!! Several of these diseases are prevalent in my extended family. Thyroid, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and Multiple Sclerosis, are some that stick out.
And then I started looking into early and on-going symptom, such as dry, brittle hair, cracked and peeling lips, eczema, and digestive problems. All of these symptoms I have and more and most of my relatives have some, if not all. My granddaughters are starting to present with some of them, also. So, we need to be able to absorb more vital nutrients, especially B vitamins. Back to the book!!!
“Nourishing Traditions” tells of old and “ancient” ways to prepare food to make vitamins and minerals more available to our body’s metabolism. 1st and easiest is draining the whey from yogurt and incorporating that into one’s diet. I have, and am noticing a difference, already. My skin is in pretty good shape, but without changing anything in my skin care regime or my supplements, it is sooo much smoother and softer. Not just my face….my arms and legs, too. My lips are smoother, also. It’s been 2 weeks, plus, and my hair is beginning to feel like hair, for the first time in my life. Turns out that whey has glutathione in it, which is considered the master antioxidant. Glutathione is going to have to be a post of its own. And my brain has glazed over, so goodnight, for now!!!
Stay tuned…
Your Smiling Maven....
We're going to get healthier!!!
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