Category Archives: Health and Food

Penny Spa

11 Saturday Feb 2017

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Earlier this week my wife and I celebrated our thirteenth wedding anniversary – with a stay vacation all week! Yep, a whole week off work with no wasted time traveling, crowds or traffic, seedy motel rooms, or bad food. Our town is already like a vacation destination and has tons of great food establishments. Plus, our house is very cozy and just right for hanging out. We are close by to parks, trails, and a short walk to downtown.

A definite highlight of our week was our “penny spa” on Saturday, thanks to our nine year old daughter. I don’t know how or why she came up with this idea, but she warned us a few days beforehand that she was going to do a spa on Saturday for us. Then, the night before as we were tucking her into bed she said, “just twelve more hours until your spa!”

img_0312Saturday morning she had everything ready to go; soothing “rain forest” music from the internet, a gooey rub-on mask for facials (smelled like glue!), cucumbers for our eyes, treats (from a paper menu), foot massages, back massages with karate chops, neck massages, hair brushing, and our favorite magazines. My wife got forty-five minutes worth and me, a half hour. I told our daughter that I would tip her and she asked, “why?” She only wanted a penny. Pretty sweet, huh! We’re living the good life for sure.

At lunch time it only seemed fitting that we take her to our favorite gourmet pizza place. Then we went to our favorite French pastry shop. We topped it off with some impromptu shopping and found some bargain deals on a few of her favorite toys.

It was one of those “smelling the roses” kind of days that don’t come around often enough and, when they do, go by all too quickly. Come to think of it, the entire week went by way too fast! That seems to be life these days – weeks, months, and even years slipping by faster and faster. But so glad we got this sweet moment!  In fact, a mystery is this: If we were immortal with nothing but endless time, we might long for it to be limited for a while so that we might better savor the moment. Penny spa is that wish come true.

The majority of the world’s best thinkers, leaders, servers, fighters, and artists throughout history are mostly forgotten. Yes there are ruins, writings, and now the internet as if to reach eternity. But there is no vast remembrance of innumerous real greats from ages gone by. Still, the effect of so many of them continues, showing that our magnificent efforts in life are not just about our one short blip in time. Let’s make it count beyond us.

Eighty Year Old Hiker Explores Mile High Caverns

11 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by in Health and Food, Travel

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Recently my wife and I drove to Butte, Montana, to see my eighty year old mother. It was July 2, and we planned to stay for the 4th of July weekend to see, among other notorious attractions, Butte’s infamous fireworks (http://youtu.be/-biRZv9AmhI, https://youtu.be/xXLUuBZchAs). On July 3, we drove over to an area along the Jefferson River between Whitehall and Three Forks to take a tour through the Lewis and Clark Caverns. It had been twelve years since my wife and I had gone through the caverns and we looked forward to taking our eight year old daughter along with us this time.

We asked my mom to come along too. She said it had possibly been decades since she’d done the caverns. Even though mom is eighty years old she is in good shape. She plays tennis every week and is active doing all sorts of other things, taking care of her house, going to community events, traveling. Mom has always been one to try new adventures, no matter what age.

What I’d forgotten about, though, was that the caverns tour is a two mile, two hour walk. “Level and shady,” I used to joke when trying to convince people to take hikes in the mountains with me. But level and shady is rarely the case, especially at these caverns! And it had been record breaking hot in Montana that week.

80 year old hikerWe left the parking lot and entered the trail head with about twenty other people and our tour guide. The walk to the entrance of the caverns, about one half to three quarters of a mile, is a steady incline of several hundred feet as well.  The caverns are about a mile above sea level, too, so most “low landers” would find they have to huff and puff a bit more at this elevation. And even though we started out on the trail about 10 a.m., it was already getting hot and the sun was beating down intensely. Of course, no one else on the tour was anywhere near eighty years old.

Mom kept a steady pace but was soon at the rear of the pack. She was a trooper and kept plugging along though. She was breathing fairly hard, yet only stopped briefly a few times. I’d ask how she was doing and she’d say fine. But I began to think that maybe I shouldn’t have brought her to the caverns, fearing it was too strenuous for her. She kept going and made it to the entrance without much trouble. As we entered the cave it felt good to be out of the sun. But the challenges were not over yet.

I’d also forgotten how the tour inside the caves takes about an hour and a half, and the route takes you down, down, deep inside the mountain through a series of very steep concrete and carved stone steps and paths through dimly lit natural corridors and rooms. As we made our way down the first very steep, long, dark stairway, again I thought that maybe it was a mistake to bring an eighty year old to all this. But to turn back at any point would mean trudging all the way up the steep incline to the entrance. The easier route, it seemed, was to continue on down through the caves and out the bottom exit.

Even though there were railings in the most dangerous places, there were plenty of spots where you could trip, slip, and fall far enough to get seriously hurt. Many passages were narrow and required you to duck, crawl, or slide. But mom was careful and steady footed throughout the entire cave. I was impressed. I tried to stay in front of her in case she should trip or stumble. But she never did. For over an hour we grand cavern roomslowly trekked along, stopping occasionally while our tour guide explained the sights and history of the caves. It was so worth enduring all the hazards for this very reason: The place is full of fascinating natural monuments and sculptures. It is a rare glimpse into a hidden world.

When we finally reached the bottom of the caverns to one of the biggest and most spectacularly decorated rooms, we were impressed with the scale of the formations. Off to the side there was a long, man-made, mine shaft looking passage way, with heavy closed doors at both ends, leading straight out to the side of the mountain. From the outside, the path was a flat, though sunny and hot, half mile walk back to the parking lot. The views were spectacular, overlooking the grand mountains across the valley to the south, and the Jefferson River between them and us. What a beautiful place. Did I mention fossils in the rocks? At a mile high elevation? Cool stuff, man. I took lots of pictures inside those halls and rooms of the incredible formations and natural art, and made this video of our trek (https://youtu.be/2w86_TdNdEM).

So in all, two and a half hours on our feet, sun, hot, cool, damp, sun, hot, spectacular, no sitting the whole time, finally made it back to the car. Mom did great, but said that this was probably the last time, ever, that she would see the caverns. Great journey, Mom. I’m proud of you for doing that! I hope I’m in good enough shape to do this when I’m eighty years old.

Are You In Control of Your Brain?

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by in Health and Food, Help is out there, Not Just About Money

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The power of the mind to heal the body and achieve great things, for eons known by man to be fact, has in recent times been ignorantly overlooked or, worse, intentionally swept under the rug. Why?

“Everything we do and say is first a thought.”  And that’s where many of the problems begin.

How Much Is Genetic?

Many diseases are caused or brought on by our negative thinking and resulting poor choices.  “Genes may create an environment within us in which a problem may grow, a predisposition, but they do not produce the problem; we produce it through our choices.”  Consider these findings:

  • “Research shows that DNA actually changes shape in response to our thoughts.”
  • “Research shows that 75 to 98 percent of mental, physical, and behavioral illness comes from one’s thought life.”
  • “Our genetic makeup fluctuates by the minute based on what we are thinking and choosing.”
  • “Research shows that 40 to 60 percent of heart disease patients suffer clinical depression and 30 to 50 percent of patients who suffer clinical depression are at risk for heart disease.”
  • “Our thinking and subsequent choices become the signal switches for our genes.”
  • “Other research shows that women who have suffered abuse were 60 percent more likely to have a child with autism.”
  • Our negative thinking and poor choices can genetically affect our children, predisposing them with similar tendencies.

social media starThere are other not-so-pleasant side effects from our thinking (or lack thereof).  “Greater social media use is associated with a higher body mass index, increased binge eating, a lower credit score, and higher levels of credit card debt for consumers with many close friends in their social network – all caused by a lack of self-control.”

We are as we think.  “What we say and do is based on what we have already built into our minds.”  If undealt with garbage from the past and present is built into our minds, then we are not likely healthy or happy.

The Brain’s Constant Dance

The brain is not static, but always changing as a result of input from our five senses, as well as the rehashing of good and bad “baggage” in our sub-consciences.  Our thoughts continuously rewire and physically change our brain.  “Neuroplasticity by definition means the brain is malleable and adaptable, changing moment by moment of every day.”

“Our thoughts, imagination, and choices can change the structure and function of our brains on every level: molecular, genetic, epigenetic, cellular, structural, neurochemical, and electromagnetic, and even subatomic.”

“It is very interesting that every cell in the body is connected to the heart, and the brain controls the heart and the mind controls the brain.  So whatever we are thinking about affects [or can affect] every cell in our body.”

The Flip Side

“The design of the brain allows us to capture and discipline chaotic thoughts.”  It is possible to “take every thought captive” and retrain our thinking to starve the negative thoughts and feed good ones.

“Our brain does not control us; we control our brain through our thinking and choosing.”Kitty Brain

“We can change the physical nature of our brain through our thinking and choosing.”

“As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts.”

Put Rubber To The Road

“We need to wire in positive thought networks that can fill us with the power to get us back on track.”  The process of changing our thinking is a conscious, disciplined one, and to be practiced daily.  “Through our thoughts, we can be our own brain surgeons as we make choices that change the circuits in our brains.  We are designed to do our own brain surgery.”

“Research has shown that mental practice – imagination, visualization, deep thought, and reflection – produces the same physical changes in the brain as would physically carrying out the same imagined processes.”  The same parts of the brain are activated by thinking about an act, as by the act itself.

“It’s your thinking that will actually change your brain.”

Daily practice of the five steps below will simultaneously break down toxic thoughts and build up healthy replacement memories.  Perform this process seven to ten minutes per day, for a least a 21 day cycle (this is considered to be the brain detox cycle).  Most times one cycle is enough to rewire toxic thought, but repeat the 21 day cycle as needed (the book referenced below recommends at least three total cycles in order for the change to become automatized).

  1. “Gather” – Be aware of incoming thoughts through the five senses, and from nonconscious memories and their attitudes, and associated feelings. This step brings thought into consciousness.
  2. “Focused Reflection” – Evaluate one of the harmful thoughts and its interconnections. The process includes body awareness, emotion regulation, and sense of self.  Think about solutions too, not just the problem.
  3. “Write” – Writing helps consolidate thoughts/memory, adds clarity to thinking, and helps you see areas needing work. Keep a thought journal.  Or try drawing a graphical representation or diagram of the central thought, with off-chutes and branches for each facet of that thought.  Aside from defining issues, identify ideas for solutions.
  4. “Revisit” – Work out solutions and ways to overcome. Evaluate where you have come from and where you are going.
  5. “Active Reach” – Take action. Teach yourself to get rid of the thought in some creative, active manner.  For example, every time you have that particular harmful thought, you could remind yourself of your solution, dwell on your chosen replacement thought, or repeat some other positive message to yourself.  Eventually your response to this toxic thought will become automatic.  Important: Repeat/practice this action step at least seven times throughout the day.

place to thinkFinal Thoughts

Seek these good things for your brain:  Introspection and thinking things through, letting your mind wander (but stay out of the gutter), sleeping, deep thinking, self-reflection, prayer, catching your thoughts and weeding out toxic ones, developing your mind intellectually, and trying to see the positive in things.

All quotes and the five step process paraphrased above are from the book, Switch On Your Brain, The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health, by Dr. Caroline Leaf.

What Affects Our Health and Wealth the Most?

02 Friday Nov 2012

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The healthiest, longest living peoples in the world eat primarily a fresh whole plant based diet, very little meat/dairy/eggs (a little fish), almost no processed foods, and consume only 1900 calories per day!  Could this be the fountain of youth?

Are We Being Duped?

There is something that affects our health and wealth more than anything else.  And it’s literally right under our noses!  Our food.  But we’re being fooled into thinking it’s everything but food.  Don’t think so?  Then ponder these questions:

Why doesn’t the government emphasize to the public the results of decades of research showing that a rich animal protein (meat/dairy/eggs) and processed junk food diet (i.e., “Western” food, or the “food of the affluent”) is linked with increased levels of all kinds of disease?

On the contrary, why haven’t the results of decades of research, showing that a whole plant based food diet is linked with disease prevention and cure, been emphasized to the public?

Why are medications and procedures to address disease symptoms given priority over dietary prevention and cure treatments, especially when these medications and procedures cost far more and have been shown to be far less effective at treating or curing disease over dietary treatments?

Why is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (after heart disease and cancer) attributed to “medical care” yet we spend the most on health care and have incredible medical technologies?

Who’s Pulling the Wool Over Our Eyes?

The answers to the above questions involve one or more (or all!) of the following:

  • Flawed nutrition research and/or misinformation that causes confusion as to the real cause-effect of diet on health
  • Flawed disease research and/or misinformation that causes confusion as to the real cause-effect of diet on disease
  • “Big money” food companies that push meat, dairy and highly processed “garbage” food products
  • “Big money” drug companies that push pills for every symptom, yet provide no cures
  • “Big money” hospitals that push technology based treatments, yet provide no cures

Mad Yet?

This should make everyone more than a little angry.  Is corporate greed really sacrificing the health and welfare of “the people?”  Many experts think “yes.”

T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, states that “Having been a member of several diet and health policy-making expert panels over a twenty-year period I harbored the view that these panels were dedicated to the promotion of consumer health.  I no longer believe this to be true…I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to health, government is not for the people; it is for the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of the people.”

Some Straight Talk – Backed Up By Research

The healthiest, longest living peoples in the world eat primarily a fresh whole plant based diet, very little meat/dairy/eggs (a little fish), almost no processed foods, and consume only 1900 calories per day!  Kind of turns our “modern society” food ideas upside down, huh?

Do you want to learn more about this health phenomenon of modern “civilized” and “affluent” society?  Read the very provocative The China Study, considered to be “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted.”  And don’t miss out on a real eye opener, Healthy At 100, by John Robbins.  Find both at your local library.  These two books may very well contain the secrets of the fountain of youth – or at least the closest thing we’re going to find here!

Cell Phone Radiation Sores?

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Health and Food, Not Just About Money

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Think it doesn’t happen? It does. Just keep carrying that cell phone around in your pocket week after week, month after month.

Now, this is not to be confused cell phone rash, caused by a suspected allergic reaction to the nickel on the surfaces of some cell phones.

No, we’re talking about a radiation-induced ugly sore (or multiple sores) on the skin near where the cell phone is kept (like in the front pocket of jeans), or worse. There could be other issues, even cancer. Research has indicated a multitude of potential physical problems associated with cell phone usage.  So just how much is your precious cell phone going to cost you?

This is a picture of one patient’s cell phone sore (on his right leg), taken May 2012. The sore developed in December 2010. Doctors tried treating it, unsuccessfully – not surprising since most doctors only attempt to treat symptoms with ointments and drugs “designed” for symptoms (or in reality, discovered to accidentally have side effects capable of treating certain symptoms, with many other harmful side effects that are glossed over).

The patient soon observed that this sore was in the exact location on the right leg where he keeps the cell phone in the front right pocket of his jeans – usually for about 16 hours a day, seven days a week. The patient also developed a few similar but smaller sores on his left leg (one high up, and the other near the knee).

Imagine this sore on the surface of your brain from constant yakking. It could happen…

As of May 2012 the patient reported stopping carrying the phone (or keeping it off if he does carry it). We’ll keep you posted as to when/if the sores go away.

Oh yea, and you’re being tracked by your cell phone too.

Oil and Water

12 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Growing Wealth, Health and Food

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We seem at times to be more loyal to things that harm us than the things that are really good for us.

For example, what is it about greasy food that we can’t seem to get enough of? While driving past a fast food restaurant recently, the familiar, compelling smell of french fry grease suddenly filled the car. And it smelled SO good! But I also thought about how often after stuffing myself with an order of those greasy potato strips, the sensation turns to an unsettling clump in my gut and slight nausea and a vow to stay away the next time.

Why do we keep doing this? We crave the fatty, salty goodness of fries and other deep fried goodies but after eating them we feel like we’ve just stepped onto another planet with a much higher gravitational pull. Yet we keep returning for more.

Hmmm. And that reminded me of another type of lure – the alcohol buzz. Same sort of thing. It can taste and feel so good at the start. But if you’ve ever overdone it and ended up later praising the porcelain god on your hands and knees and dealt with the worst headache the next day then you know how awful this seemingly fun activity can become. And you probably vowed to not do that again. Yet quite often we go back for more again and again.

And then there’s money and all the stupid things we do with it. We buy things we can’t afford to impress people we don’t like. We could write a book (and have) about all the mistakes we’ve made with money.

It seems our lives are at odds with many things, just like oil and water. You have to admit one thing, though. To keep going back to something that almost always ends up disappointing – that is loyalty. That is devotion. Why then, if we can tough it out for these and other inferior things, is it so hard for us to apply that same level of dedication to other more important things? Figuring this out is the key to winning.

Our Great Modern Food Supply

06 Tuesday Mar 2012

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Just how much is food and health tied to money? They’re inseparable. But don’t miss this one. It’s a big hitter. If we don’t understand these concepts and do something about it, then the effects are national, even global, and catastrophic. It all started with a well-meaning idea to figure out how to increase food production for a starving world. But it quickly began to get out of control.

What do you think happens when the large pesticide and herbicide companies buy out the seed companies, genetically alter and patent features of plant cells that are herbicide/pesticide resistant, and ensure that those plant’s seeds (such as genetically engineered corn, soybean, canola) are the most widely used for food production (thanks to government subsidies)? What if these mega giants go even further and sue farmers who unintentionally end up with the company’s patented product growing in his fields (also forcing the farmer to destroy his own stored seed base because it is now contaminated with the patented product)?

Here’s what happens (and has happened): You now have a cleverly devised, giant scale food monopoly consisting of a few mega companies that control the majority of food production from seed to market. A great disaster is awaiting us. The immense diversification of plant seeds and genetic varieties for farming is being lost. And as a result of relying on relatively few varieties of genetically engineered seeds, unknown genetic side effects in the plants may render crops a failure in certain geographic regions, due to disease, weather or soil conditions. When this happens, there may be few other sources of natural seeds to use and certain crops may not be able to be grown on a wide scale for years until sufficient quantities of other seed varieties can be reestablished. In other words, unpredictable food shortages and high prices.

It seems like the so called solution to world hunger (by the food production giants) could actually be the very cause of future food shortages. And it doesn’t help when countries can import subsidized food products cheaper than they can grow them – it puts the local farmers out of business and makes more and more people reliant on the food giants. This actually has the effect of increasing world hunger should there be a glitch in the mega food production. For a fascinating documentary on this subject, watch The Future of Food (for free) on Hulu.

But supposing everything goes according to plan and there is plenty of highly processed and/or genetically engineered foods to go around. What then? Is our modern food production system safe and healthy? On the whole, no. For the most part, food was much more healthy for us when everyone had their own garden. But because most of us don’t know the first thing about gardening anymore, and because the majority of our diet consists of highly processed “food” products, we have brought on the cause of much of the health problems that affect the “civilized” nations. Malnutrition and obesity together! We are what we eat!

Genetically altered corn based products are killing us, among others.  And we are not eating enough vitamins, minerals and fiber. As a result of our ever poor diets, we turn to the drug companies for the answers to our symptoms (and they’re more than ready and willing to “help” supply us with a pill for every ailment). We don’t even think to look at our nutrition as the possible cause of our health issues. Doctors don’t really go there anymore. Most simply write out another prescription.  Wisdom in food therapy like the Gerson diet is frowned upon.

For a real eye opener on these topics, watch the movies Foodmatters, Killer at Large and Fat Head.

So what can we do? We should grow our own foods and/or buy from the local farmers markets, buy organic, eat raw fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible, eat superfoods regularly, and avoid over-processed foods (if there are a bunch of ingredients with names you can’t pronounce then chances are it’s over processed).

Let’s re-learn basic nutrition. Try juicing (for a great story on juicing, see Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead)! The food producers and grocery stores will cater to our likes and dislikes. We have all the power – if together we start eating smart again.

This takes practice, and I’m as guilty as anyone in not eating right.  In fact, after recently adding the reference to Killer at Large and stating how corn products are killing us – just that same afternoon I happily ate fried corn chips and corn flour tacos!  Some habits are hard to break.  🙂

Money is tied to your body in more ways than one

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Debt, Health and Food

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When you think of “health” and how to improve yours, do you ever think that how you treat money has anything to do with it? Health and how you deal with your finances are very much related, maybe as much as health is affected by sleep habits, nutrition and exercise. Read this article, Get Out of Debt For Your Health to find out how to eliminate one of the most common health problems.

Of course the reverse is true too – you can’t work hard, make money or get out of debt as easily if you’re not healthy. Sounds too simple but quite often we don’t take advantage of all the free information that is available to help us. Find out more about taking care of yourself at Dr Gily’s health promotion and weight loss site.

Platinum-Chromium Stent is Quite a Stunt

03 Saturday Dec 2011

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Just found this cool online article by R&D Magazine about some amazing metal used to improve a life saving heart procedure.

When inserting coronary artery stents, those made of 316L stainless steel are difficult to see by X-ray. To aid doctors during this life saving procedure, a dream team developed a unquie platinum/chromium alloy that is now used for the manufacture of improved coronary stents with enhanced X-ray visibility and other features.  See the full article at  http://www.rdmag.com/Awards/Rd-100-Awards/2011/08/Platinum-adds-X-ray-visibility/.  This product was a 2011 R&D 100 winner!

I’m proud to say I once worked with the highlighted metallurgist Heilmann back in the day at Sandia Labs before he was famous…

Developers:
National Energy Technology Laboratory
Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Carpenter Specialty Alloys
Minitubes, ZAC Technisud
Accellent Inc.

The dream team that developed this platinum/chromium alloy for the manufacture of these unique coronary stents:
Paul Jablonski, Principal Developer, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Paul Turner, Principal Developer, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Edward Argetsinger, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Dennis Boismier, Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Mark Broadley, Accellent
Matthew Cambronne, Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Charles Craig, Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Roger Dickenson, Accellent
Richard Gleixner, Carpenter Specialty Alloys
James Heilmann, Carpenter Specialty Alloys
Ed Pannek, Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Philippe Poncin, Minitubes ZAC
Herb Radisch, Former Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Jon Stinson, Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.
Louis Toth, Boston Scientific Corportion Inc.
Thomas Trocero, Former Boston Scientific Corporation Inc.

Recipe for Gravy & “Cream of” Style Soups

20 Sunday Nov 2011

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Don’t buy “cream of” type soups from the store. Make your own – it’s a lot cheaper and far, far superior in taste and nutritional value. And it’s easy. The same goes for gravy mixes – don’t buy them from the store. They’re awful tasting and awful for you. Instead, make your own with this simple, easy white sauce recipe.

This white sauce is used as the base for gravies, cream of vegetable soups, salmon chowder, etc. Once you master this recipe, you’ll find that the sky is the limit as to what all tasty meals you can dream up.

Makes about 6 to 8 cups.

1. Place a 4 quart pan on medium heat.
2. Add 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of butter (not margarine) or coconut oil.
3. When the butter is melted, use a wire whisk to stir in about 1/3 to 1/2 cup flour. Make sure all the flour is well mixed with the butter to form a paste.
4. Immediately pour about 2 cups of milk into the pan and stir continuously with a wire whisk to dissolve the flour paste into the milk.
5. Stir continuously with the wire whisk, on medium heat, until the mixture starts to thicken.
6. Add another cup of milk and continue heating while stirring continuously until it rethickens.
7. Turn down to medium-low heat.
8. Add previously sautéed vegetables or fresh vegetables, pre-cooked diced potatoes, cooked or smoked salmon, etc (or if making gravy, just add chicken or other broth).
9. Add salt (a least one teaspoon) and pepper to your preference.
10. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring often. If making gravy, do not cover – just simmer about 5 minutes, stirring often.
11. While simmering, add milk or water as needed to thin as desired.