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