An Afternoon Away

Yesterday was my birthday so I took off today and tomorrow from work.  I was tired and wanted some ME time.  I hardly get any of that....just to lay on the sofa and do nothing..resting is good for the tired body.  Sometimes it is not even rest I want.  I just want to be able to do something I consider fun or rewarding...like posting on my blogs.  They have been sadly neglected but I am catching up.  Today I woke up before the alarm went off.  That is an everyday occurrence.  I did manage to go back to sleep.  Now that never happens.  I woke up again at 9 and that is a rare occurrence for me when it if normally 5AM everyday!

After coffee with my daughter at Starbucks, I headed to the DMV to do the one thing I had to do today....get the car tags renewed.  It was painless and unbelievably fast!  I was in and out I 10 minutes.  After that a quick stop at the grocery store to get a few things. I did get some tart cherry juice and chili ingredients.  I read about the tart cherry juice and I tried it just on a whim because I had been having leg pain.  I first went to the doctor and after checking my blood she said I was very vitamin deficient in potassium and D.  So she added those supplements to my pill regime. This was a few months ago.  I saw little change with the added supplements.....just a little better.  I felt tremendously better with drinking tart cherry juice twice daily.  It really makes a difference.



The benefits of tart cherry juice are many but for me it reduces the leg pain caused by my statin drugs.  It may even be reducing the cause of many illnesses...inflammation. Whatever it is doing, it works and it has made me almost pain free.  It is hell to feel achy and sore with every step.

After getting home I watched  a movie, ate lunch and just took it easy. I feel a nap coming in my very near future.  Lazy days! They do a body good!

You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder. ~~Unknown~~

Reducing Silent Inflammation

Silent inflammation is a killer.  I was watching Dr. Oz last week and he was talking amount many things and he mentioned inflammation and how it is the start of all disease....how it is not good to have it in our bodies.  He always scares me when I watch his show.  It is just TOO informative and makes me so AWARE of what I might be doing wrong and what I need to change.  In particular he was talking about gargling...how if we do not gargle, mucus and inflammation literally builds up in the back of our throats and esophagus-es and blocks oxygen.  Gargling reduces it.  I have always been an intermittent gargler.  My bottle of Listerine lasts me a long time.  Since last week, I have been using it each day!

After doing some more reading on the new, I learned about silent inflammation.  How aches and pains, back pain, coughs and headaches are due to that.  Well, I have had this awful cough since Christmas.  Now I have the feeling of inflammation.  I know that it borders on paranoia but I feel filled up and overrun by it.  And I feel the pressing desire to be rid of it. Silent inflammation is manifested by the coughs, aches and pains.   Food is the answer. Food is the solution.

Good fats are one thing that can reduce inflammation.  I grew up taking cod liver oil everyday. My mother was a firm believer in  wheat germ, worm medicine and cod liver oil.   I actually liked it.  I have some in the refrigerator right now that I will be taking when I get home.  I have yet to convince my child it is a good thing.   Ginger  is also something that will reduce inflammation...the fresh kind.  Eating the right kind of sugars can also reduce inflammation.  Starches are wrong and the fruit sugars are the better choice.  So, more fresh fruits like: apples, apsaragus, beans, broccoli, blackberries, blueberries, cabbage, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, green beans, honeydew melon, kiwi, leafy greens, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, spinach and strawberries.

The best thing we can do is get rid of the free radicals that are everywhere. Antioxidants are what we all need.  These are the things that will keep cancers away.  The key foods we need here are berries, kale and other leafy green vegetables, grains like quinoa , seaweeds or sea vegetables and cacoa or chocolate. The  darker the better.  I feel like I am ready to make a change.  Really.  Less meat and more fruits and vegetables.  I am already a seaweed fan so that will not be an issue.  Seaweed and its benefits are something I have been able to teach my child.  She will eat that with no problem.

I am planning a radical change within this next two weeks.  I am so anxious to have this horrible lingering, inflammation filled cough go away.  We all need to begin to see food as medicine, pay attention to our bodies in regards to inflammation and eat lots of antioxidant filled foods.  Here is to a lifestyle change. And...a big thanks to Dr. Oz for making me so aware of what I need to do!

You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder. ~~Unknown~~

Ginger and Inflammation

Recently I have been noticing that I have been having a little swelling of my left knee and sometimes the ankle. It almost gives me a cankle! Who wants that?? I have been keeping it raised and that helps but I have been wondering the cause.

As a result I have been exploring natural anti-inflammatory foods. Foods that will naturally reduce inflammation in the body. From reading that is one of the most common ailments we all have and it leads to many bad things. There are many common things that will help. Some are garlic, beets, ginger, green tea, ginger, sweet potatoes, berries, curry„ cinnamon..just to name a few.

About a week ago I did buy some ginger root and it has been sitting in the fridge. Well last night I broke it out and cut off about a dime size piece and ate it. I like the taste of ginger. Pungent and strong when eating it fresh. I was unable to swallow the piece, so I just chewed and chewed till all the flavor was gone. I followed that with a hot cup of green tea and this morning, the swelling in my left foot and ankle is MUCH reduced.

Reduces Inflammation

Ginger inhibits the metabolism of arachidonic acid, a fatty acid that produces inflammation in the body. Health-care practitioners often prescribe ginger for inflammatory joint diseases such as arthritis. In a study reported in the “Indian Journal of Rheumatology,” scientists compared the effectiveness of indomethacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, to ginger in 52 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee. The study concluded that ginger is as effective as indomethacin, and may be an option for patients who currently take anti-inflammatory drugs to control their pain.

I do believe I will be taking a closer look at what I eat and the benefits of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods. Ginger has many benefits. I have known that it has been used in the middle east and Asia for centuries. I have know that it was a digestive aid and have used it as such before. I was not really aware of the benefits for reducing inflammation.

I feel enlightened! Knowledge IS power!

You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it. But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder.~~Unknown~~