Organic...Means What?

Well, I only thought that I was back, last time. I had a virus, at the time, but was so relieved to be in an air-conditioned home, I didn’t realize how bad it really was making me feel. It’s been 5 weeks tomorrow that MDH and I came down with this. I think I can safely say…It’s GONE!!! Dr’s office said that they feel that it turned into something like a food allergy. Whatever it was, it wasn’t fun. I finally started to feel almost normal last Friday. Still get really tired…what else is new? Just couldn’t get motivated until this mornings newsletters came thru. So before I talk about that, I’ve been wanting to post about the “organic” nonsense. So, I will…quickly.

As usual, the news media jumped on the negative news. Ground breaking NEWS!!, organic foods do not have more nutrients than non-organic foods. Really?...That just doesn’t sound right, I said to myself. Besides, the word organic does not refer to the nutrient content of the food, it refers to the content of what’s not in the food, such as pesticides and herbicides. So, I waited for the “push back”. Along it came, in several different articles, not the MSM, however. Sure enough, the research that was used for the “organics not better” article was debunked and yes, the nutrition content of organic fruits and vegetables is better than non-organic. I won’t go into all the reasons or references, but most people already know this. So I mused to myself, "Who would profit from a report like this?" Remember…follow the money. Then I read an article that wasn’t even referring to organic foods that the UK and the European Union are limiting certain seeds and farming practices. Hmmmm? Could this be true? Along comes another article that our dear House of Representatives has managed to pass a bill that would in essence do away with organic farms, hormone and antibiotic free meats, and organic and raw dairy products. It hasn’t been passed by the Senate yet, but who knows? The bill is called the “Food Safety Enhancement Act 2009. It would wipe out the small organic farmer and it is feared the large one, too. Yes…follow the money. Can you say Monsanto? Just to name one big agribusiness conglomerate. If organic can be passed off as "not better", it is easier to shut them down. And so it goes. Not just in this country, but around the globe. A person could get depressed by all the nonsense that is going on.

However, this morning I was reading a newsletter from the Vitamin D Council. They were talking about the studies that have been done on the flu and autism. The reports are showing that the people who had a negative reaction to the flu vaccine were deficient in Vit D! Also, that children with autism aren’t necessarily the ones who are Vit D deficient, it’s their mothers! The mothers were deficient when they were pregnant and the children with the genetic predisposition to autism, got it! It makes sense. This correlates to the rising incidence of autism of recent years. The mothers who started wearing sunscreen, several years ago, were trying to follow Drs. orders, but it had an unintended consequence. We fooled with Mother Nature…Not good! Wow!!! So, young mothers and young mother wannabes, take your vitamin D and maybe back off on the sunscreen. It would probably be good to keep babies and very young children sun screened, but older ones, maybe just the face. Don’t want your girls mad at you when they turn 40 and the wrinkles start showing up! Boys, not so much problem in that department. Vitamin D, so vital to our well being for our whole lives,in areas, of our lives, where we didn’t even realize such a vitamin, that we have taken for granted, is so essential. Bottoms up on the D3!!!

Also, got the quilt done in time for my granddaughter’s birthday. Just made it. Her Mom tells me that she started sleeping with it right away and watches her morning show on TV all snuggled up with it and she even shares it with the little sister! There’s a picture on tickle monsters. So glad that she is enjoying it.

I've started a new project. I seem to have to have a project in my hands when I sit down. I am so over the summer. One of these days I'll have to take an interest in my flowers, but not right now! As Always...

Healthy Days to You...Your Smiling Maven

I'm Back!!!

Wow! All I can say is WOW!!! The last week or so has been very eventful, to say the least!! The weather here in the cool North West has been very warm, unusually warm. We are going on 70 days with no appreciable rain, so the weatherman says. So, it’s been hot and dry. Most people love it. Me…not so much. Well, I was doing sort of OK, MS wise, but somehow I guess my body just said, “That’s it!” After about the 5th day of temps in the house above 75 degrees, my symptoms started to flare. I started to have the old “ice picks” jabbing thru my ear and my walking was becoming very difficult, and various other pains that come on when I have a flare-up. I thought that I was handling it. Apparently NOT!! I didn’t up my fluid intake enough and I wasn’t using ice-packs to cool down. MDH came home one evening to find me “cooked.” I don’t know how he got me upstairs and into the shower, because I couldn’t walk. Somehow I showered and washed my hair and then lay on the bed with ice packs on my chest and neck. The house was about 80 degrees and I had been drifting in and out of consciousness for a couple of hours, with an afghan over me. I had been chilly. Hint, Hint. It’s 80 degrees in the house, (hotter outside), your face is hot and dry and your extremities are cold. Something is not right! I suppose the prudent thing to do would have been to go to the hospital, but we didn’t realize how really bad I was. We got some fluid into me and some juicy fruit and kept the ice-packs on all night. The next day I was better, but still couldn’t take care of myself. The things MDH has to do to live with me in this body. He decided “That’s it!” We now have air conditioning! The air-conditioning man “flipped” the switch yesterday!! Oh Happy Day!!! For those who can dance, there is dancing and singing and smiling!!! This wasn’t on our list of things to get done this summer nor someplace to sink some money, but one hospital visit, even w/ insurance, could just about pay for this “coolness.” MDH says, “Don’t worry about it.” After all these years, he just doesn’t understand that “worrying”, is my job!

I apparently had hyperthermia, not a heat stroke, but close. Whatever it was, not fun for all involved. Needless to say, I lived with ice packs and drank 2 quarts of water and sugar free sports drink and ate lots of watermelon, until yesterday. Today, diet and H2O consumption is back to normal.

So I have talked to my sister and told her the story. She says “we don’t sweat”, meaning our family. It’s taken all these years to learn this? I know that I have never liked the heat, even as a child. As an adult, I thought that the reason that I couldn’t take the heat was because of the Multiple Sclerosis. Maybe that and a body that does not work properly, in more ways than one!

At any rate, life is back to normal, or new normal…it doesn’t have to stop anymore when it gets too hot. I have just over a week to get the quilt done. I think 'll just make it!

As Always, Healthy Days to You....Your Smiling Maven

A Little of This and A Little of That!!

That’s what one of my granddaughters said to me this weekend and that will be the way this post is tonight. My granddaughters never cease to amaze and delight me. This one is almost 6 and she made this comment with a head tilt, hand gestures, and a giggle and a smile. How do these children learn to mimic so well? One of the serendipities of life is being a grandparent. Our son brought two of his daughters to our house for fireworks. They had already been to a local parade, but he felt it was time for them to enjoy the fireworks of his childhood. The weather was beautiful…unlike many of the fourths in the Pacific Northwest! They stayed until after dark…way past their bedtime! Some of the neighbors had fireworks and grandchildren, also. We had quite a show. It was magical for me. The weather was wonderful, the moon was rising between the fir trees, the fireworks were close enough overhead so that we could appreciate all the beautiful colors, and I had a very happy granddaughter on my lap! The other granddaughter was next to her Poppa and Daddy and the whole neighborhood clapped in appreciation for everyone’s efforts when it was over! One of those times that will always be remembered.

Then we also had a family reunion on the 5th. All the grandchildren were together and my niece’s son also. Still lovely weather, although a bit warm for me. My daughter and her husband hosted the event. What sweethearts! Never enough time to visit...or rather I remember what I would have liked to ask after the event! Great time anyway!

Then Monday morning, after a miserable night, I thought I had “weathered” the hot temperatures of the previous week and all the extra activity. By noon I knew that I hadn’t “skated”. The random pain and tourniquets had started and I spent the next day and a half sleeping a few minutes at a time….day and night. Much better now. We’ll have to get a couple more fans for the next round of warm weather. And of course, my diet has been extremely good since Sunday! At least I have learned how to reverse these symptoms and put the brakes on this unwelcome “monster” without running to the Dr.

Update on the quilt. I did get all of the squares finished before the 1st of July. I’ve got the 1st border on half of the squares and I think the rest should go on fairly smoothly. I’ve got just a month!

Have only read a little…However, one of the blogs that I read was talking about the President of France making a comment about outlawing the wearing of “burkas.” The blogger was talking about the attire being so demeaning and stifling. And then, out of the blue, he mentioned that also wearing this attire opened up these women to osteoporosis because of lack of Vitamin D! Even in the political world!

As Always...Healthy Days to You...Your Smiling Maven

Almost Back to Normal

The healing continues! HOORAY! Still have some bruising and the "tourniquet" around my hip. The main thing for me is to regain my "normal" balance. Patience is a virtue. Right? It's not that I haven't been reading, it's just that I have a deadline to have this quilt finished for my granddaughter. Time is going by way too fast! The reading that I have done is about...Wait for It...Vitamin D. Didn't mean to but it is still the Vitamin du Jour! It was even in one of my newsletter's that very seldom talks about vitamins and supplements. But there it was. Couldn't avoid it once I had opened the link. However, in my e-letter from the Vitamin D Research Council, there was a very interesting article about dark skinned people who live north of 35 degrees latitude. Seems that there is a serious condition of childhood rickets in their children. The problem is that it can present itself as bruising and tiny fractures and the parents can be charged with child abuse. The real problem is that the "experts" who read the x-rays haven't seen "normal" bones of these children for decades and so they cannot give an accurate diagnosis. Upon giving Vit D supplementation, the problem clears up. Those that have done research, have also found, that when children, who are normal, present with autism symptoms (around 15 to 18 months of age), can revert to normal with high doses of Vit D. Very interesting indeed!!

I still have two squares to finish for this quilt and then the lattice work and putting it all together. The squares should be done in about 4 days, if I concentrate. It is really starting to look terrific! The granddaughter has seen the pieces and she is excited for it to be done, too. Then it will be off to the next project!!! Always need a project! As Always...

Healthy Day to You...Your Smiling Maven

Healing an Obstinate Body

Well…Hello!...I am healing, despite this body’s performance today. I will return to yesterday’s level, but today so far is a bit touchy. The drop-foot that I developed after my fall has mostly gone away. That is good, because it makes getting around very difficult, even in my home and especially outside the home. It’s one of the reason’s that I’ve hardly been out, besides my very attractive black eyes. Today, it’s all about balance…you know…zigging when I should be zagging. This too will pass.

Today I received a call from the Medicare people. They were conducting a poll about Medicare’s performance. I didn’t want to take the time but agreed anyway. First question was “How do you rate your health?” 1st option was “Excellent” and they titrated down from there. I, of course, answered excellent, since I do consider myself in excellent health, generally. I can pass a basic physical exam with “flying colors.” Then the questions turned to physical activity. My answers, of course, were completely opposite from the first question. After four questions, I had to interrupt the lady and tell her that while I considered myself in excellent health, I did have a physical disability which curtailed my activities severally and this questionnaire was not designed for someone like me. I’m guessing this was a waste of taxpayer dollars, in general, and certainly in my case. We discontinued to survey. And the government thinks they can run our healthcare. They haven’t run, successfully, any financial entity, yet! I have no hopes that things will change

I subscribe to 5 e-newsletters pertaining to health and read other papers and books. They all keep talking about Vit D. More and more research keeps being published about this vitamin. It is becoming "main stream" how vital adequate levels of VitD is to our health. Low levels or below adequate levels leave us open to all sorts of illnesses, not the least of these is multiple sclerosis. More research needs to be done. I’ll just keep reading and keeping myself as healthy as possible. We can only hope that this government will not follow Finland. They have just outlawed alternative health treatments, unless administered by a Dr. That is effectively…no more alternative treatments, since allopathic Drs. do not know or do alternative treatments.

I’ve seen it quoted recently that “We live in interesting times.” Sometimes I think that a little less interesting would be just fine...As always...

Healthy Days to You...Your Smiling Maven

Not Vitamin D

New vitamin! Yahoo!!! Not really new, just new for me to talk about. It’s B12, something that many elderly people and vegetarians are deficient in because the human body cannot produce this vitamin and it is also a vitamin that can only be found in certain foods. That food has been traditionally thought to be beef as the best form of B12. However, new research from the University of Oxford, in England and the University of Bergen in Norway has found that a diet of fish and dairy products elevated blood levels more significantly than other traditional foods. The human body can metabolize vitamins from these sources better, apparently. Good news for me, since I eat fish and I have recently added yogurt to my diet. In fact the person writing the report specifically recommended yogurt for the dairy product. I’m guessing that is because there has been other research that claims the human digestive track has shown signs of producing b vitamins with the right gut flora. That falls under the category of maybe yes, maybe no. All I know is I have been feeling terrific lately, which as is turns out is not a “good thing”.

I was feeling so good that I did too much and now I have paid for it. No stitches but lots of blood and a very frightened husband. So today I’m sitting inside doing almost nothing. Not fun. Someday I may learn that I am not capable of the things that I used to do…someday…maybe!

So, was my feeling terrific because of the B vitamins, the enhanced Vitamin D, getting rid of more fungus, or adding coconut oil to my diet. Don’t know but I think I’ll keep up the diet and supplements. More care will have to be exercised when venturing outside of the home! Poor husband! He has to watch me all the time….maybe I should be more careful, if for no other reason than to be more considerate of him. Yep, I think that’s it!

As Always, Healthy Days to You....Your Smiling Maven

Sunshine and Probiotics

Wow!! A person would think that I was really busy and had a life! Not! Just busy doing “stuff”, especially since it has been very rainy in the great northwest and being outside has been kind of “not fun”.

So, I’m off to the races again on Vitamin D and Probiotics. You can groan now, but the evidence keeps mounting that these two “supplements” are vitally important to our health. A new study just published in the journal “Postgraduate Medicine” states that probiotics help boost the immune response to the flu virus. Seems like a good thing to have during flu season, maybe the rest of the year, too. Also, the “New England Journal of Medicine” has published an article stating that almost ½ of critically ill patients in hospitals are deficient in Vitamin D. The article goes on to say that Vitamin D is crucial to overall good health and that low levels leave us vulnerable to many illness. It says that most flu and cold viruses are more prevalent in the winter months when Vit D levels tend to be lower. Makes sense.

Also, just read an article that says that this country used to have 50 applicants to medical school for every opening available. Now it is estimated that we are short 200,000 doctors. It is suggested that giving away national healthcare is impossible for this reason alone. We can cover all US citizens, but we cannot provide care for all citizens. Forget the financial aspects, it simply cannot be done logistically.

I’m glad that I am generally healthy and don’t need a Dr. very often. MDH and I are going to work at staying that way. We’re not too thrilled with the state of “doctor care” now. What’s it going to be like in the future? We’ll stick to our vitamins, enzymes, probiotics, and natural foods. It’s working pretty good, so far!

Healthy Days to You...You're Smileing Maven