Ahhh... Its that time of year, birds are singing, flowers are blooming... oh, wait, No. NO ITS NOT! Its cold and wet and snowy and icy and cloudy all the time!
For many years, I suffered chronically from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short. Yeah, SAD alright... talk about the definition of my mood and atitude. I once heard one of my kids ask, "Mommy, why can't Daddy just go to sleep for the winter like the bears do?". Boy, out of the mouth of babes!
After trying a number of ways to combat the syndrome (I don't take any prescription or OTC drugs), I realized I had a very good friend that always seemed happier in the winter than he did in the summer, so I asked him what his secret was. He said, quite simply, "Hey, just embrace the season for all its worth!" What the ??% did that mean?? Basically, most of us put up our outside gear and toys shortly after Labor Day, right? Well, afterwards, get out a whole different set of toys and, you got it, EMBRACE THE SEASON! So, I took up a number of winter-time activities that are associated with the season. Since then, I can't wait until Autumn's brisk days give way Winter's frigid mornings! You don't have to "go big". Just a moderate walk on a routine basis, or a little snowshoeing, skiing or ice-skating can do the trick! Of course, taking Vitamin D3 sure helps, too! I take around 6000 IUs daily in the winter, slightly less as the daylight hours become longer and I can be truly "in the sun" more often. Since I take Vitamin D, I use it in the form of D3 (cholecalciferol)... they say it is the form of Vitamin D that most closely resembles "the real thing" that we get from sunlight.
Not only does Vitamin D help to combat S.A.D, many studies show that it is also important in helping the body to absorb and use CALCIUM from food and supplements, it aids in bone and tooth formation and supports muscle and nerve function and that it helps to prevent osteoporosis. Oh, if you're taking a calcium supplement, seriously consider taking one with Vitamin D as part of it's complex... or take Vitamin D3 with your calcium supplement. Remember that calcium can also deplete magnesium and magnesium is crucial to many key biological functions within the body.
Many health care specialists recommend that a calcium supplement should also include at least 1/2 the amount of magnesium as it does calcium. In other words, if you are taking 1000 milligrams (MG) of calcium, you should be getting at least 500 milligrams (MG) of magnesium. There are also several types of calcium and some are more readily absorbed and utilized by the body than others. Sometimes, it seems that which types work the best has more to do with whose selling what type. If the price you're paying for your calcium supplements seems "too good to be true", it probably is! Cheap calcium supplements of low-grade are in abundance.
Check out the type you are using with someone knowledgeable about such things.
One more thing bears mentioning... the form a supplement is taken in: tablet, capsule, powder or liquid. Look for more on this later!
Welcome... and Namaste' To All!
I've started this Blog, believe it or not, as the result of a near-death experience. In 2000, I was diagnosed with a particularly nasty form of cancer which was staged as terminal". I was advised to make all the necessary arrangements for my ultimate (and very untimely) demise. Well, to coin a phrase, rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated, albeit the fact I am here at all is just short of miraculous! I survived, but along the way, I was blessed with a life-changing "near death" experience. Part of this very interesting experience was being told I must return to my cancer-ridden body and get well as I "had much work to do..." Of course, you're left on your own to figure out the nature of that "work".
My journey back to health and happiness has been long and difficult, but I believe I have at least figured out, in part, the "work" I have left to do... sharing my story and experiences with others. To that end, I have started this Blog. It is simply one more way to reach out to others. Make no mistake, though, this is a place for BOTH students AND teachers!
As the General Manager of Almond Street Natural Foods in Paradise, CA. , I am blessed with the opportunity to share much of what I have learned with others making the same journey. I'm not just talking about those battling or having battled the big "C", but those genuinely seeking to overcome other obstacles affecting the quality of their lives. So, jump in... together, maybe we can find our way back to that Garden we all sprang from originally!
My journey back to health and happiness has been long and difficult, but I believe I have at least figured out, in part, the "work" I have left to do... sharing my story and experiences with others. To that end, I have started this Blog. It is simply one more way to reach out to others. Make no mistake, though, this is a place for BOTH students AND teachers!
As the General Manager of Almond Street Natural Foods in Paradise, CA. , I am blessed with the opportunity to share much of what I have learned with others making the same journey. I'm not just talking about those battling or having battled the big "C", but those genuinely seeking to overcome other obstacles affecting the quality of their lives. So, jump in... together, maybe we can find our way back to that Garden we all sprang from originally!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
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