151120 What Helps With Winter Illness?

Jewish penicillin helps, and I force it onto my children. Another thing that really works are Young Living (R) essential oils. In 1976, I caught my first case of bronchitis in my first year of college. It was horrible and I received penicillin for it. Every year thereafter, I caught a case of bronchitis, and doctors treated it with antibiotics. Antibiotics give me the runs. By 2005, I was getting bronchitis twice a year. Sometimes, it escalated into walking pneumonia. Antibiotics were no longer eliminating the disease after the normal course of ten days to two weeks. The side effects became worse. I also developed a continual case of asthma. I suffered from the side effects of the drugs, but ignoring the disease made it last for months instead of weeks, and it still took a two week dose of ever stronger antibiotics with their side effects to stop the horrible chest infection.

In 2009, I became involved with essential oils. I was at work, but had accidentally left my inhaler at home. A friend shoved a bottle of peppermint essential oil at me, so I used it like an inhaler. It worked as well. I could breathe again. I used it once more that day. She told me to keep the bottle. Six months later, I threw away my inhaler, because I no longer needed it. I've had all of one attack since 2009; peppermint quickly took care of it.

The next time bronchitis hit, I used a variety of oils on my feet, covered them with socks, and went to bed with socks in place. I did this every night for two weeks as if it were the old prescription of antibiotics. Bronchitis came only once that year. The following year, bronchitis hit again, but instead of two weeks, it lasted only one. For the winter of 2014, it didn't come at all. I have not had so much as a cold since then. Respiratory allergies do not plague me anymore. I confirm this by regularly checking my vitals. It's wonderful to be well.

When I broke my foot last month, pain stopped with the application of essential oils. I use a "Bone Blend" to speed healing. My diabetes has been under control without chemical medication. I pursue a low carbohydrate diet, perform regular exercise, and apply essential oils. Learn more at www.youngliving.org/mynesdojomom and oil-testimonials.com/1217697.

150628 Feet and Frostbite

My feet and ankles feel a little better. Did I mention that I injured them a week or so ago? That makes it hard to exercise, but wheelchair exercises can burn a few calories. I have to continue wearing my pair of SAS in this heat because my Birkinstocks do not have enough stability to keep my feet from twisting as I walk.

Swimming could be a good exercise option, but that involves driving to the pool. In six months, I plan to live where a pool is.

Why is it so hard to wear shoes? I grew up barefoot, then in my 20s, I started hiking and camping in CO. One weekend, we were surprised by a sudden snow storm. The truck wouldn't start and my feet froze. The frostbite messed up the nerves in my toes, so when they get a little warm, it feels like my feet are on fire. When they get chilled, they ache like day they froze. They feel best when free, enjoying soft grass and a warm breeze, or while swimming in warm water.

Shoes are jail for my feet.

So, I posted this story on Fat Secret, and someone targeted my diabetes and suggested a series of expensive pharmaceuticals. Well, the frostbite came thirty years before the pancreatitis attack in 2010. The pancreatitis attack caused the diabetes. The problems with my feet have nothing to do with diabetes. She just wanted to help, but sometimes help is not helpful.

I suppose I should make this into a site for stories of healing only, and start another site for personal stuff. This will entail actual study on how to make good links and how to get actual traffic. Here are some oils I use. Between limiting protein and carbohydrates, and using these oils daily, my fasting glucose levels have been steady and under 100. This is very good news.

150104 Tomorrow, Today

Today, I put on my Planet fitness shirt. It says, "Plant Fitness." I got it when I joined. It's almost too small, now. I joined the gym because it was convenient to home, and they promised me no pressure. I went regularly, until the knee happened.

Yes, a noun 'happened'. Step into the Wayback machine and go to Colorado in 1980. I went skiing with my boyfriend, an expert, and decided that I could tackle the trip all the way up the Maryjane lift and ski down the Winter Park side. For those who don't know, the Maryjane side of the mountain catered to veteran skiers while the Winterpark side catered to beginners. At least that was true in 1980. The trail I chose was listed for beginners, and I was handling it reasonably well. Until...

Behind me, someone yelled, "Look out below!"

Skiing etiquette says that the person who is downhill has the right of way. I became an example of why. I tried to turn my head to see whatever it was. I don't know how fast I was going, but it was fast enough. As my head turned, my skis twisted oh so slightly out of alignment. I never did regain my memory of what happened after my startle reflex demanded that I look.

Time jumped, and I was sitting in the snow with my skis detached. Someone handed me what was left of my glasses. I kept them for years. They had edge marks on them. I never did find one of my poles. People surrounded me. I tried to stand, and couldn't. Someone put her hand on my shoulder and said, "You're not going anywhere. I called Ski Patrol." I felt no pain, but my legs didn't work. Then, my body started the great shattering quakes of stage two hypothermia.

 

Ski Patrol arrived with a person-sized basket and warm blankets, but the blankets didn't help. There may have been another basket for another person, but this detail is fuzzy. During the incredibly long trip down the mountain, the guy pulling the basket kept encouraging me to talk. All I remember saying was how cold I was. After what seemed like hours, (ten minutes?) we made it to the lodge. Pain started as warmth came. Other victims were treated as well. I spent the rest of the day waiting in the first aid station while my boyfriend finished his fun and came looking for me. Ah, the wonders of that age before cell phones.

Young adults are invincible, so did I see a doctor? Hah! I had wraps and crutches! Who needed a doctor!?

After dealing with the pain for decades, I finally went to see someone about the "arthritis". X-rays proved that no arthritis affects my bones. Further study showed that I had sustained ligament damage that never properly healed. Standard weight loss exercises led to excruciating pain and weakness. In the 1990s, my knees gave out and I collapsed during step aerobics. Pain and weakness encouraged me to quit Planet Fitness two years ago, and all I used was the treadmill.

Now that I know, I can concentrate on those exercises that don't use the knees. Planet Fitness is running a special right now. Abdominals, anyone?   :)

123014 New Year

There really is nothing magic about changing the calendar. Tradition makes a fuss over it with celebrations that emphasize their pagan origins, such as trees and presents to Woden, elves in chimneys, socks on mantles, holly boughs, special lights, special colors, etc. Yeah, I’m no fun at this time of year, because I know too much about how all our happy little traditions have their origins in paganism. (Christ was born on Tishri 1, or Rosh Hashana, and not on the Winter Solstice like so many pagan gods were.)

The drunken revelry known as New Year’s Eve is simply part of that pagan festival over the return of the Sun God. These stories can be traced all the way back to the times before Babylon when Noah’s great-grandson rejected the True God. Enough of that. This bit of archaeological knowledge simply fuels the depression I feel year after year for the battle-cry of the “reason for the season”, which has absolutely nothing to do with the Son of God and everything to do with frenzy.

So, despite my feelings for the change in calendar, I plan to re-start some resolutions on January 4th. I pick this day, because it allows me to consume the rest of the non-compliant foods in my refrigerator, such as those sweet potatoes a friend gave me or the sugar-free cranberry sauce I made. This is not a “New Year’s” resolution. This is this week’s resolution. I also have to make daily resolutions. I live too much in the present to control my eating habits for a whole year. It has to be a day by day decision. Days become weeks and so on.

I also plan to exercise. Ugh.

140412 Diabetic Athletes on a Low Carb Diet

From an athlete's discussion of low-carb diets:

What if someone’s afraid of fat, but they understand they need to cut back on carbs.  So they eat a 14 ounce steak at night to get energy from the protein in the steak.  Are they doing what you recommend.The Inuit were not a literate culture, meaning they didn’t write down what they ate.  But people who lived among the Inuit and, I think, accurately recorded it, pointed out that the Inuit avoided actually eating lots of lean meat.  They had a name for an illness that happened if they ate too much protein and not enough fat.  The English translated the name of that sickness as “rabbit illness,” because, if the Inuit had run short of their winter supply of food, the spring rabbits they could hunt were extremely lean, and eating too many made the Inuit feel sick.  If the Inuit killed a caribou that was not yet fattened up in the Spring yet, they would preferentially eat the tongue and the bone marrow and the liver, which are the fattiest parts of the animal.  They would save the roasts and steaks, which we consider the delicacies, those were saved for the dogs, because that was more lean, and a dog’s metabolism is more suited to handling a high protein meal.  The Inuit instinctively understood that.  They saved the fat for themselves, and they gave the lean to the dogs.  That way they saved themselves from gastrointestinal upset, swelling, malaise and in the most severe cases, kidney disease. -- Steve Phinney

Primitive cultures don't have a lot of time for philosophy; they usually stick with what works. Our modern diet is based as much on philosophy as evidence. The latest dietary recommendations put out by the US government cite global warming as a reason to eat or to avoid certain foods. "Nutrition be d*****!" they seem to say. I am not liking this. I used to joke that people of the future would look back at these times, point, and laugh. Now I am sure of it.

The body's storehouse of carbohydrates is limited to about 1500 calories. Fat stores are limited to the amount of fat a person has, which for the average person at his recommended weight is 40,000 or more. This man was talking about how low-carb diets take two weeks to transition the body from burning sugar to burning fat. Once that point is passed, however, one never again 'hits the wall' during extreme exercise. Good to know. That means I have another seven days before I can assume that my blood sugar won't crash during exercise. Yesterday, I ran out of steam after an hour of low impact aerobics. This is still much better than I was a couple of weeks ago.

Two weeks ago, I had another low-blood sugar incident. I was shopping and almost collapsed. I had to be helped to the car. Agent Em said I smelled sickly sweet. It took me three days to recover. After talking with some of my diabetic friends, I learned that all my symptoms were similar to theirs. My last blood glucose analysis some years ago had me borderline. I am proceeding as if I were indeed Type II diabetic like my mom and grandmother were. I've also slipped into Stage III of obesity. More on that later. Time to swim.

120929 Never Shop While Hungry

Yesterday, I went to Planet Fitness and hit the treadmill faster and further than I have since I joined. Today, I have no pain. In fact, I am moving much, much better than I was this time last year. It's not translating into weight loss, but I will definitely take the renewed health!

After Planet Fitness, I needed to stop by HEB to buy a new filter for my Pur filtration system. It was possible, I thought, to get a bite of food there for the trip home. After a workout, one is supposed to eat a few calories of protein within thirty minutes to promote the development of muscle mass. The trip home would take more than that.

Immediately inside of the entrance was a huge display of Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. One had to make a detour to get around it. The display was easily eight feet long and seven feet high. A small TV played in the middle of it and a big sign proclaimed "Combo Loco!" in large, friendly letters. I stood transfixed for a few minutes considering the implications for my family. This changed everything!

Combo Loco coupons at HEB are free and usually posted by the item. This one had four coupons attached to it. Buy the movie, get $5 off. Get a four pack of Jollytime popcorn for free. Get an eight pack of Popsicles for free. Get your choice of a child's decorative plate, child's decorative bowl, or decorative tumbler for free. (I chose a tumbler for Agent.)

Did I mention that I was hungry? It took me fifteen minutes to get past that display. The movie and the popcorn were on the display, but I had to go to the freezer section to get the Popsicles. I forgot all about the filters and the protein snack and headed for the checkout. I got all that stuff for $14.95 + tax. It's a good price, but did I need it? Agent thinks so.

I didn't get the filters I needed.

I blame it on being hungry...