Chiggers, not for the squeamish

     I was gardening last week, cutting down some tall mounds of flowers that were overgrown, and I must have wandered into an area of chiggers.  Usually we don't have chiggers here, but it has been an odd and wetter than normal year.  So, one week later, I am still miserable with these darn bites all over my feet, ankles, and waist area.  I must be especially sensitive because I have hives and blisters, and they itch like the dickens!  I am taking benadryl and also using antibiotic cream.  I hope they get better soon.

Good-bye Walter Reed

     Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Army's flagship hospital, is closing after 102 years.  The closure ceremony is today, although most of the move will take place in August.  It is combining with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md and a new community hospital in Fort Belvoir, Va.  The Bethesda facility is to be named the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.  On September 15, the new tenants take over at the current Walter Reed:  the State Department and the District of Columbia.
     You may have read in a previous post of mine that I am a WRAIN drop...I got my BSN education at Walter Reed and then worked there 3 more years in renal transplant and also on the gastrointestinal ward.  Two of our three children, Ben and Kate, were born there. Ben was baptized at the Walter Reed Memorial Chapel.  Dean had a couple of minor surgeries at Walter Reed, plus remembers tearing frantically around the hospital at 4 in the morning to get me admitted when Ben was insistent on being born NOW!  Walter Reed is an important part of our family's memories. We lived in the D.C. area for 7 years.
     A small NICU unit was located on the second floor just above the main entry shown in the photo.  I remember, as a nursing student, standing at those windows and watching King Hussein of Jordan entering the hospital just below me. 
     There was a beautiful rose garden located just south of the hospital where Jason saw clowns and bravely fought off  "snakes" early one dewy Easter morning.
     President Dwight Eisenhower died at Walter Reed.  Also John J. Pershing and Douglas Macarthur.  Foreign leaders were treated as well, such as King Hussein of Jordan and the Shah of Iran.
     Another important place in history is now consigned to memory; at least to mine.

Rescuing dogs, Rescuing people

     Saturday was Freedom Service Dogs Summer Class of 2011 graduation program.  18 client/dog teams graduated.  As always, it was a heart-warming and tear-filled event.  As a volunteer, I have worked with and know 10 of the 18 dogs.  One was Jonas, who we fostered for 6 weeks.  His photo was in a previous post.  He has a wonderful new family and home.  They are all fantastic dogs, and they had all been given to shelters by their previous owners, were rescued and trained to become service dogs and/or therapy dogs.  It is a glorious feeling to know that we have helped out, even in a small way.

      To learn more of one of the client/dog teams, here is an article from the Denver Post:
                                 http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18538614?source=email

     To learn more about Freedom Service Dogs, go to their website or to you-tube to see some of their videos.
                                 http://www.freedomservicedogs.org/

   
     Have you found a way to give of yourself lately? 

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive.  And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who are alive."    Howard Thurman
    

    

    

    

Nutrition Facts and Fun

     I discovered a new website I would like to share with you.  It has a library of short, easy to understand, video segments on various published nutritional research topics.  Dr. Michael Greger, M.D.,  "scours the world of nutrition-related research, as published in scientific journals."  He is licensed as a general practitioner M.D. specializing in clinical nutrition.  The site is still in beta-testing mode, but will soon be adding a new video each day. 

                                      http://www.nutritionfacts.org/
  
     Here are a couple of interesting facts I picked up just this morning:

     Anti-Cancer vegetables:  One study pitted 34 types of vegetables against 8 types of cancer cells measuring tumor proliferation.  The take home data was to eat a variety of vegetables as each targets different cancers.  Eat a portfolio of vegetables.
     Some vegetables, however, do target multiple types of cancers.  Of the salad greens, spinach came in number one and radicchio second.  Beets, also, slow cancer cell proliferation by 50%. 
     But the two families of vegetables absolutely essential for cancer prevention are the cruciferous and allium vegetables.  The one clear winner was garlic which stopped cancer proliferation completely in 7 of 8 types of cancers.

     Aspirin levels in plant foods:  Aspirin is widely distributed in the plant kingdom.  Vegetarians naturally have low levels of aspirin in their blood, sometimes as much as those who take aspirin as a drug.  However the drug aspirin increases the risks of bleeding, as with stroke.  The vegetables with aspirin do not.

     Thousands of vegans studied:  The average BMI (body mass index, a measurement based on weight and height) in this country is 28.8, which falls into the overweight category.  Flexitarians, those eating animal products just occasionally, were also in the overweight BMI group.  Vegetarians, those eating no meat, were also overweight, but healthier than the flexitarians.  Vegans, those eating no animal products of any kind, were the only group falling into the normal BMI group with healthy weights. 
     The researchers thought that possibly the vegans exercised more than the other groups, and did study for that.  In actuality, the vegans in this group exercised less than the other groups.  The vegan group individuals weighed, on average, 40 pounds less than those in the flexitarian group.

     Gut flora and obesity:   Only one in ten cells in your body is actually human.  90% are bacterial.  The human colon is one of the most biodense in the world.  It has effects on hormonal balance, the immune system, and the energy systems of the body.  Researchers compared the colon bacteria of vegans versus that of omnivores.  The vegan colon bacteria had a small capacity for energy gain, maybe a 2% difference. 2% less calories were returned to the body, i.e. 2% more calories were excreted.  Over the course of a year this could mean 5 pounds less of weight gain for a vegan versus an omnivore. This 5 pounds is about the same amount as the average annual weight gain due to aging and changes in set point, and can counteract that gain.

     Interesting research.  My 10% human cells and I are signing out for today.

Fun is good. (Dr. Seuss)

     We, and hopefully you, have planted the seeds of exercise and nutrition but now need to nourish them.  What could be better to keep them growing than a dose of fun.  How to best incorporate fun into our fitness is a question I have been pondering this week.  Here are my thoughts.
     1.  Find a partner.  Dean and I are fortunate to have each other to exercise with on weekends and to encourage one another when needed.
     2.  Join a group.  Social support is key.  Surround yourself with supportive people.  We have joined a Saturday morning running group sponsored by our local running store and a neighborhood market.  All ages and levels of ability are welcomed.  Everyone is friendly, plus afterwards breakfast and coffee are available there at the market.
     3.  Set short and long term goals (kedges).  We have signed up for a 10K run for the end of September which winds through the 3 major sports venues in town.  It sounds really fun and not at all competitive.
     4.  Reward yourself.  After attending 10 sessions of our running group, we get a free running group tee-shirt.  Who could ever have enough free tee-shirts?  Am I right?  It gets me there.  Find a reward that inspires you.
     5.  Enjoy cooking.  I do...on occasion.  It is an inventive activity that can really get those creative juices flowing.  I love to try new and seasonal foods.  Last weekend after the group run, the sponsoring neighborhood market had great produce so we combined some of them ....we had arugula salad topped with quinoa with fresh ginger, steamed asparagus, broccolini, 3 colors of bell peppers, tofu, a little soy sauce, topped with pumpkin seeds.  It was fantastic.  I felt like a real foodie eating such a gourmet meal.
     6.  Learn to love a good left-over.  Always cook extra servings so you have something healthy and fast in the fridge for when you are in a hurry or cooking seems to be a drag or for next day lunch at work.  I still cook as if we had a houseful of teenagers at home, but teenagers who love vegetables.
     7.  Find a sport you love.  One that is purely play for you.  This is the one I haven't solved yet.  I do need a cross-training sport.  My husband loves basketball and bike-riding...they are play for him.  I like walking and hiking, but those aren't really cross-training for jogging.  So I am still looking for the exercise that is play in my life.  Maybe dance?   Maybe another dog in our family someday...dogs are all play.

     In summary, try new things, meet new people, shake it up, and get out of your rut.  Just play.

"I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things.  I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind."     Leo F. Buscaglia

I just flew in from Metropolis and boy are my arms tired! (Superman)

     How is it going being the Superman of health in your own life?  It does require a little extra work and planning at first until new habits are established, but it gets easier.
     Start this healthy lifestyle change with you.  According to Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., in her blog "Food Politics", nothing is more intimate than food, more personal than food choices.  Unless what people are eating is causing them serious harm, don't dream of commenting.  Deal with them the same way porcupines make love--Very Carefully!
     I, too, have noticed defensiveness regarding diet.  Mention being vegan in an offhand way and others feel the need to defend what they eat.  I follow the Runners World On-line Forums as I have always been a runner wannabe.  There are frequent pitched battles between "Vegi's" and "Omni's".  There are never any winners in these battles.  People believe what they believe, let the facts be damned.
     Just start with you.  Just start.

"What if eating healthfully were considered normal?"     Marion Nestle

Waiting for Superman

     Up in the sky, look:  It's a bird.  It's a plane.  It's Superman.
     Faster than a speeding bullet,
     more powerful than a locomotive,
     able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

     When I was a kid, Superman was one of my heroes.  Have you watched the excellent documentary:  "Waiting for Superman"?  It is about our failing school system and a small group of educators who are taking it on themselves to successfully create change.  They quit waiting for superman because he never came.  The current system defends the status quo over educational excellence.  America, once a world leader in education, is lagging far behind.  This documentary is well worth your time.
     I feel that the health of America is failing as rapidly as its education.  Western Medicine focuses on disease management, not wellness.  It has a vested interest in the status quo.
     Superman is not coming to rescue our health, either, folks.  We can wait no longer.  As a nation we must take back personal responsibility for our health rather than turning it over to others.  Wellness is a revolution whose time has come.
     This will have to be a grass-roots revolution.  Start with yourself.  Do your due diligence.  Read the research available. Then get angry and do something....anything.  Determine the kryptonite in your own life (mine is exercise) and start there.  Make informed changes. 
     Gradually, this will spread person-by-person to your family, friends, co-workers.  The status quo is not set in stone.  It is malleable.  Our health is malleable.  It is never too late to start.
     As you can tell, I have been thinking about this a lot lately, so I have started with me.  My husband agrees, so now we are starting with us.  How about you?  Who, or what, are you still waiting for?  Superman isn't coming.  You must become the hero of your own life and take responsibility for your own health.  Do one small thing today.
     Let's get this wellness revolution rolling.


"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that, then I realized I was somebody."     Lily Tomlin

"Status quo, you know, that is Latin for "the mess we're in.""     Ronald Reagan



    

A Day Without Sunshine....

     Have you been having really weird weather this year, too?  It has rained daily for 10 days now.  That never happens in Colorado.  We are thankful, and our plants and lawn are thankful, but what is going on?

"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night."     Steve Martin


     You have probably seen this you-tube video called Ben Does Life, by Ben Davis.  When lacking motivation I re-watch it.  It is great.  It gives me hope for me.
                      http://vodpod.com/watch/4477902-youtube-my-120-pound-journey-?u=fishbowlamerica&c=fishbowlamerica

Vote with your fork.

     Did you read the June 7 AP article about obesity in America?  Two Public Health groups released state-by-state statistics on the increase in obesity from 1995 to 2010.  In 1995 no state had an obesity rate (defined as a Body Mass Index of 30 or more) greater than 20%.  Now obesity is greater than 20% in all states but Colorado, which is at 19.8%.  Colorado's current rate of 19.8 % would have been the highest rate back in 1995.  One dozen states, mostly in the South, have obesity rates greater than 30%.  Mississippi is the worst, because much of the state is poor and rural. 
     Could it be because in the last 100 years Americans have increased their meat intake from 124#/year per person to more than 200#/year?  Or because they increased cheese intake from less than 4#/year to more than 33#/year per person?  Americans eat 20# more ice cream per year, each.  Soda sizes have gone from 6oz. to humongous big gulps, and there is much controversy about the addition of  High Fructose Corn Syrup to sodas and most processed foods.
     Our government subsidizes the worst dietary foods, as well.  I am tired of paying taxes so others only have to pay $5 for what should be a $30 hamburger.  I would love for the government to subsidize the prices of fruits and vegetables. 
     Grocery stores track your buying patterns with your club card usage.  Restaurants note what their customers buy.  Vote with your fork. 

"The correlation between poverty and obesity can be traced to agricultural policies and subsidies."     Michael Pollan

"Obesity now contributes to the deaths of more than 360,000 Americans a year.  The incidence of childhood obesity is now at epidemic levels.  Alarm bells are going off all over the place.  But our government has done virtually nothing."     Tom Harkin

"My health journey began as a desperate attempt to win my own battle against obesity, and to avoid, for myself and my siblings, the degenerative diseases that prematurely claimed the lives of our parents."     Marilu Henner

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." Lao-Tzu

     I have been absent, I know.  I have a pinched nerve in my neck, and sitting at the computer and typing are not comfortable.  I am icing, using heat packs, and taking anti-inflammatories so am slowly getting better.
     I have done some skimming of more health related books.  First up:  "Disease-Proof Your Child" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.  I really wish this book had been available to me 40 years ago, and we would have raised our kids on a totally plant-based diet.  He explains how eating right in childhood is the most powerful weapon against developing cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders later in life.  He does state that it is never too late to change your diet and start eating right, but that during childhood with its rapid growth is the optimum time.
     The next book I read is "21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart" by Neal D. Barnard, M.D.  It guides the reader to change to a plant-based vegan diet in 21 days.  Weight loss will follow without calorie counting.  It  includes recipes for several menu items that sound wonderful and I can't wait to try.  I am always adding to my non-meat recipe repertoire.
     Dr. Barnard is the president of the non-profit Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine.  That group offers a 21 day kickstart to a plant-based diet.  It is an on-line program, the next one starting on Sept. 5th.  Go to http://www.21daykickstart.org/ for more information.
     I had previously read "Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn, which offers a 4 week program to immerse yourself in a plant-strong diet.  Rip Esselstyn is the son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who, as chief of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Hospital, researched and proved that a plant-based low fat diet could reverse heart disease and diabetes.  Rip was an All-American swimmer in college and was a professional triathlete for 10+ years all while eating plant-strong.  While employed as a firefighter and EMT in Austin, TX  he converted his Engine 2 firehouse to this diet helping all the Engine 2 firefighters to lose weight, and lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. He then developed this 4 week program to help the Austin community.  His book is an easy starting point to change to a plant-strong diet. It includes recipes and a suggested exercise program. 
     If you are considering changing your diet, or have children and desire optimum health for all of your family, you might consider trying one of the above books. They are all by reputable authors.
     Did you notice that the authors use the phrase plant-based or plant-strong diet?  The term "vegan" must be outmoded, confusing, or alienating to people.  I like the new terminology, though.  "Plant-strong" is such a positive phrase.  After all, it is all about all the wonderful plant-based things available to us all.

Veg-Fest Colorado

     Yesterday we attended Veg-Fest Colorado, a vegetarian festival put on by the Vegetarian Society of Colorado.  It was interesting and very well attended.  There were booths, free food samples, music performances, cooking demos, Tai Chi and Kung Fu demos, and many remarkable speakers.  We learned a lot. 
    We only listened to 3 of the speakers as 3 hours was about as long as we could sit, but really wish we could have heard more.  The speaker most of you may have heard of was Howard Lyman...the "Mad Cowboy".  He is a former rancher turned vegan, the man unsuccessfully sued along with Oprah Winfrey by the Texas Cattlemen's Association.  Also speaking was Dr. Michael Greger, an internationally recognized general practice physician specializing in clinical nutrition. "He reads every nutrition study published in every journal every year so you won't have to."
     A few key points we took away from our day include that 100 million animals are raised and slaughtered in violence in this country every year.  80% of the crops raised in this country are fed to animals---easily enough food to feed all the starving people in the world.   We are living beyond the sustainability of our planet, and need to look to history to remind ourselves what happened to the Anasazi in the American Southwest or the residents of Easter Island to see what our future may hold.
     For over 30 years there has been a medically-proven method to heal and reverse heart disease, yet many thousands of people continue to die of this disease annually without knowing there was a cure available to them in the form of diet.
     Dead cows are no longer fed to cows, or dead sheep to sheep, but they continue to be fed to other animal species and to each other. Did you ever wonder where the 3-4 million euthanized dogs and cats in this country go?  Animal food.  This isn't done in other countries, only in the USA.  Mad cow disease is only one of 100 spongiform disorders in animals, and no one is checking for them in this country, although the tests are available.  Every animal is checked in Europe and Japan!  There may be a relationship between all of these spongiform diseases and the rapid rise in Alzheimer's Disease in the USA.
     The most common cause of adult-onset epilepsy is now due to pork tapeworms which settle in the brains of humans. 
     Calcium is a mineral....it comes from the earth, as do all minerals.  Where do cows get calcium for their milk?  Traditionally, from eating grass which grows in the earth.  But cows today don't get to eat grass...they live in feedlots and are fed corn and soy and dead animals, so they must be given calcium supplements to have calcium for their milk.  Why are humans choosing to take calcium supplements in the form of cow's milk?  If you don't get your calcium directly from eating greens (in which form it is absorbed much more efficiently than from cow's milk) then why not at least take a calcium supplement directly instead of relying on the calcium supplements fed to cows.
     There is one hopeful fact for our future.  Aramark did a national survey and found that 1 of 4 college students desires access to vegan foods.  1 in 4.
     We must all determine our own values, and live lives of compassion.
     
       

Gel Fuel Recall

     My brother's sister-in-law was badly burned last weekend.  A gel candle exploded while being refilled.  She caught on fire after being splattered with the gel.  She is currently in a burn unit with 2nd and 3rd degree burns of her lower legs and one arm.  She was fortunate that her torso and head were spared as her clothes were completely burned.  She will be okay but has a long road to recovery ahead. That particular hospital has already treated 7 burn victims as a result of this product.
     The refills have since been recalled.   www.napahomeandgarden.com/GelFuelRecall/
If you know of anyone who uses this or if you use it yourself, please stop and return it, and pass this information on.
     Get well soon, Mary.


     Today was run/walk day 3; treadmill again.  It seems to be going okay, but too soon to judge any results.

     I skimmed the book "Biomarkers, the 10 Determinants of Aging You Can Control" by William Evans, PH.D. and Irwin H. Rosenberg, M.D.  The goal is to increase your biological age to match your chronological age, to increase your health span to match your life span.  The 10 biomarkers of vitality that you can alter are:
          1:  Your Muscle Mass
          2:  Your Strength
          3:  Your Basal Metabolic Rate
          4:  Your Body Fat Percentage
          5:  Your Aerobic Capacity
          6:  Your Body's Blood-Sugar Tolerance
          7:  Your Cholesterol/HDL Ratio
          8:  Your Blood Pressure
          9:  Your Bone Density
         10:  Your Body's Ability to Regulate Its Internal Temperature
The book encourages regular aerobics, flexibility, and strength-building for everyone to accomplish the above and offers basic instructions for doing so.  

"If you rest, you rust."     Helen Hayes