Freedom Calls...

Woo hoo, it worked this time!!!!  Going to a tax day tea party today!  Don't have much time to spend here right now, just wanted to stop by and say "hi".  Lots going on---from attending Priya David's wedding on Saturday to participating in a 5K to help the Dalits of India on Sunday afternoon...  Maybe after that I'll get more time to put something together for a blog...  Gotta run--have a good day...

Just a Thought....

Sometimes it gets lonely in here looking to see if anyone has left a comment, and it still says "0"... Thank you, all who have taken a few minutes to say something; it really makes my day, even the simplest remark... I am encouraged to know that there have been 620 visits since I started after Thanksgiving last year... Thanks for stopping by--;)

Problems That Concern Women (Part 3)

MENOPAUSAL DIFFICULTIES

Now that I am 52 1/2, the subject of menopause has become increasingly important to me. Even though there are more and more books out on the subject, it seems like it is still a mystery to a lot of women how to deal with it. I'm glad I read this; it makes a lot of sense and explains a lot I didn't know. Here's Adele again this time on menopause difficulties...

At the end of the reproductive period, the ovaries gradually become inactive. This process is the reverse of changes that occurred at puberty, and a healthy woman on an adequate diet is as unaware of any disturbances as she was at adolescence. Furthermore, normal adrenal glands produce a number of sex hormones which take over when menstruation ceases.

Problems at menopause are often much more severe than at puberty, largely because the diet has been deficient in many nutrients,--protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamins D, E, and B5--for years prior to its onset. For instance, persons who spend much of their time indoors may have no vitamin D whatsoever in their blood. Moreover, women who have a particularly difficult time during this period are usually those whose adrenals are exhausted.

Because calcium is less well absorbed and the urinary losses are greater when the output of estrogen decreases, such calcium-deficiency symptoms as anxiety, irritability, insomnia, headaches, and depression are common. These problems can be easily overcome if the intakes of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D are all generously increased and are well absorbed. Any woman having difficulty at this time should probably supplement her daily diet with 5,000 units of vitamin D, and 500 mg of magnesium, and obtain 2,000 mg of calcium daily. She suggests 500 mg of calcium with magnesium with all meals and before bed.

During this time the need for vitamin E soars 10 to 50 times over that previously required. Hot flashes and night sweats often disappear when 50 to 500 units of vitamin E are taken daily, but they quickly recur should the vitamin be stopped.

I also thought this was important to know about calcium absorption. She says, "Normally the hydrochloric acid in the stomach dissolves the calcium supplied by foods and holds it in solution until it can be absorbed the the intestinal walls. Sugar and other sweets, however, stimulate the production of alkaline digestive juices so rapidly that calcium becomes insoluble before it can reach the blood." In other words, sugar keeps you from absorbing the calcium...

I also read in this book somewhere that after menopause, women have a week that seems to still need a little more calcium just like before. So she was saying we still go through a monthly cycle, but not the same way, that produces a slight dip in the calcium levels and just to be aware if you feel more edgy than normal to get out the cal/mag.

I've found that it doesn't do much good to analyze it too much, but to just keep it in mind when I'm making my choices and understand that if I'm feeling edgy, I can reach for the cal/mag bottle and not have to medicate myself with any number of other things that people commonly use. As they say, the body cries out for something it's lacking, not a drug to silence the cries...

I want to say here that even with vitamins, the answer isn't only a pill. Ideally, our diets should be close to covering what we need, and the vitamins supplement. You can't live on vitamins; they just pick up the slack and if you are caught short, it's okay to use them to get rid of a deficiency while you are trying to eat a healthier diet. I know most of us know this, but I remember back in my teens and 20's sometimes I thought I could get away with just taking the vitamins and not eating much--wrong--just like you shouldn't eat protein bars or shakes three meals a day...

Anyway, that's all for today!

Problems That Concern Women (Part 2)

PMS AND CRAMPS

Today we will talk about the fascinating topic of PMS and cramps! Here's what Adele has to say about it...

When I was an undergraduate at the University of California, each girl in our department gave blood daily for a study being made by Dr. Ruth Okey of the blood calcium levels in relation to the menstrual cycle. Often we looked at calcium levels before and during menstruation and looked at blood samples from girls complaining of menstrual cramps. Dr. Okey's work showed that starting 10 days prior to the cycle, when the ovaries were the least active, the blood calcium level drops steadily and progressively. Such a calcium decrease results in PMS, nervousness, headaches, insomnia, and depression. As one woman put it, "That's the time I spank the kid's, yell at my husband, live on tranquilizers, drink too much, and can't stand myself."

Because of the decreased blood calcium acts as a stressor, the production of cortisone and aldosterone are stimulated and salt and water are retained in the body, often causing the breasts, hands, face, and feet to swell, weight to increase 5-10 pounds, headaches to occur, and resistance to allergies and infections to decrease markedly. Crimes of violence committed by women take place mostly during this period also.

The first day of menstruation the blood calcium takes a still greater nose dive, causing cramps in the uterus and sometimes elsewhere in the body. Should the blood calcium drop dangerously low, convulsions result. Yet if adequate calcium is obtained and efficiently absorbed, both PMS and cramps can be prevented!

When cramps occur, 1 to 2 calcium tablets every hour generally bring quick relief. Some calcium supplementation is needed for the 2nd and 3rd days... As menstruation proceeds, however, the blood calcium level in the blood remains normal two weeks, but after that daily calcium supplementation should be started. Since more calcium is retained when magnesium and vitamin D are adequate, my 15-year-old daughter takes daily and prior to her menses 5,000 units of vitamin D, 250 of calcium, and 125 of magnesium at each meal; she claims to never experience the slightest menstrual discomfort.

If the blood calcium has been allowed to drop so low that it has induced stress, causing puffiness and a weight increase, generous amounts of protein, vitamin C, and B5 are needed in addition to the vitamin D, calcium and magnesium.

Vitamin D increases calcium absorption, retention, and utilization; and because of the demands of growth, the vitamin D and calcium requirements are both unusually high throughout adolescence. Teenage girls given 1,250 mgs of calcium daily--the amount supplied by 5 glasses of milk, and 650 units of vitamin D excreted far more calcium than they retained; when the vitamin D was increased to 3,900 units daily, ten times more calcium was held in the body.

The ovarian hormone, estrogen, and the pituitary hormone that stimulates the ovaries play vitally important roles throughout the reproductive period. They can be synthesized, however, only when protein, linoleic acid, the B vitamins, and particularly vitamin E are generously supplied. Estrogen increases the intestinal absorption of calcium, causes it to be held longer in the body, and allows it to be used over and over; hence it helps to prevent menstrual discomfort when calcium is under supplied. If the diet is adequate, these hormones are produced in normal amounts and menstrual difficulties are avoided.

I just wish I would have had this information during my youth and even paid attention to doing it more recently during my peri-menopause years, that at times I have to admit were pretty rocky... Doing this and eating a more balanced diet would go a long way toward smoothing out our journeys...

Enough for today; tomorrow we'll look at menopause difficulties, a subject close to my heart...

Problems That Concern Women (Part 1)

I have been reading and studying Nutrition books since I was 11; I guess I have always been searching for the key to having more control over the ups and downs of the roller coaster of a woman's monthly cycle... It's sort of been a mystery to me even though I know a good diet, exercise, and enough sleep are a big part of it.

For some reason, I got out my old copy of Adele Davis' "Let's Get Well". There's a chapter in it called, "Problems That Concern Women". She's such a good writer that my summarizing it for you probably wouldn't tell you all the information, so I want to share it with you since it is so helpful for women young and old to know these things...

Faulty nutrition can at times cause women to envy men and mothers to wish they had sons only. Nervous tension, flightiness, irritability, emotional upsets, and much of the erratic behavior of girls at puberty make it difficult for them to live with themselves or anyone else. The output of hormones from the still immature ovaries, needed for the efficient utilization of calcium, is so small that for about 18 months prior to the onset of their menstrual cycles their blood calcium usually remains below normal; and even a slight calcium deficiency allows it to drop still lower. Thus starts a problem that frequently recurs intermittently throughout the reproductive years, becomes worse at menopause, and results in a stooped, brittle-boned old lady nursing an aching back.

Such abnormalities can be prevented at any time in life by increasing the calcium intake and by obtaining adequate vitamin D and the various nutrients needed by the pituitary, sex, and adrenal glands to produce their hormones.

It turns out--I didn't know this--that estrogen has a lot to do with how well our calcium is utilized by our bodies. Since our estrogen levels fluctuate through each monthly cycle and through different times in our lives, sometimes that calcium isn't there to keep us calm and rational...

So above she is talking about a young girl in puberty whose calcium needs are rising as she is growing and as her body is preparing to "switch gears", but her estrogen level hasn't gotten high enough to help utilize the little she does have--unless she is given healthy foods that supply enough calcium and vitamin D, and magnesium, along with some other things that come in a healthy, well-balanced diet. This is just one stage in a "girl's" life that has the potential to be difficult if she is not aware of what's going on.

One of the big problems of not being aware that you can control this problem is that a girl can always feel like she's "broken" and feels helpless know how to fix it. It's hard to have a stable image of yourself when you don't know what's next...

That's enough for this post; I don't want to overwhelm you all at once... This 1 of 3, so I'll see you tomorrow for another fascinating post about helping women with their so called "problems"... I'm sharing this because I want to be an advocate for many good women who struggle sometimes with not knowing what's going on with their emotions and feel defeated; I do it for the love of God, so we can focus more on Him and His will love and to give of ourselves to others...

Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jig 2!!!!

So good to be home. My dear sister and brother-in-law are visiting this week, but I won't hardly see them for a couple of days since they are attending a Four Square conference for a few days before they can spend some time visiting us. That's okay since I need some time to unwind and get organized after returning from three days in (of all places) Las Vegas... Talk about toxic places--for body and soul!

It's just my luck my husband has a good friend who's wife and family just love to have special occasion celebrations there. Since they came down from Washington state to attend Bill's 50th bash a couple years ago, the least we could do is drive 4 hours to his 50th get-together... So we went. Here we all are at the birthday dinner where we presented him with an "old fogey" sippee cup and an "old is better" 50th birthday necklace. He wouldn't wear it around the casino and he wouldn't use his new sippee cup--what a party pooper! O well, we love him anyway...

They did have a nice tribute for Memorial Day on the overhead movie screen complete with patriotic country music--that was one of the best parts about the trip.

It was so nice to see the people on the street handing out tracts and witnessing and talking to people about God. This was on Fremont street. I wished I could have joined them, but we were doing the tourist thing too. The spirit there was so chaotic. I'm so glad to be back to my wholesome, peaceful home.

I feel so overstimulated and need to veg a little to restore my normalcy or something. I went for a nice, long bike ride this morning and I get to "putter around" today as my friend, Cindy says. Laundry is getting done as I write. (Sorry, can't stand that smoke smell around, even in the laundry basket; just an unhealthy, unwholesome smell to me.) I'm carless today, so I am home catching up on my chores, blogging, and look forward to a nice quiet time with the Lord and his Word today since I have all this free time...

Did You Know?

Did you know these facts about the Dalit people of India?

• The Dalits are considered less valuable than animals and less than human.
  
• The Dalits, although considered Hindu by the upper castes, are not allowed to enter a temple or read the Vedas (Hindu scriptures).


• There are 250 to 300 million Dalits in India (estimated population of the U.S. is 298 million).


• Only 2% of rural Dalit women can read and write.


• More than 50% of the Dalit population earns less than $1.00 per day.


• Children begin working as young as 5 years old, contributing to the family's income.


• The Dalit leadership has rejected Hinduism. The caste system has enslaved them for over 3,000 years.


• The Dalits will be helped with the profits that will fund and support women's empowerment causes in India that include tailoring schools (VTC), micro-finance (self-help) groups and women's empowerment conferences.


• So far there have been 27 graduates of a Vocational Training Center tailoring school funded by the 1st Annual "Women Empowering Women" Walk/Run.
  

The Women Empowering Women Walk/Run challenges the local women through fitness training and sponsorships to empower the Dalit women of India in their quest for social, economic and spiritual freedom.

Home again, home again, Jiggity Jig!!!!

I'm back!!! We've been in Arizona for awhile visiting relatives and watching some Spring training baseball. Not really a fan, but my honey is, so I tag along--zzzzzzzz. So good to be in my wholesome sea cottage sleeping in my own bed. It was so hot there too, so it feels nice to be back to Spring-like weather again--Summer comes soon enough.

On our 6-hour drive to Arizona, I was reading the first book of "The Zone" series called "Enter the Zone". I became acutely aware of how many unnessary carbs, fats and proteins I was eating and a light bulb went on--oh duh--that's why my stomach is having so much trouble handling all that. Since I've had stomach pain for awhile now, I was pleased to have been blessed with that "ah ha" moment that was like a big clue to what I think was the cause of the pain I was experiencing--too many carbs and calories in general equals inflammation and ill-health in general...

After a few days of following the rules of the Zone, I could feel a difference; less pain, less fatigue, better sleep, and a clearer head. It's been over a week now and it's a great feeling to know how much is enough and why we need what we need and nothing more. It's like having boundaries and how good it feels to know what they are.

I remember thinking when I was younger that when I leave home I could eat candy bars all day if I wanted to... I'm glad at home we had reasonable rules and guidelines and even warnings to "save room for supper". It makes sense to me that it is more healthy and logical to have boundaries in most areas in life. I'm so thankful to have found "the zone" books and really understand what I need to do to feel good.. Thank you, God...

Keeping the Balls in the Air...

It seems I have gotten behind on everything since I was away for a week in N. California... Trying to play catch-up and all the while keeping the balls in the air is my challenge right now.

I got mad at my computer yesterday after spending 30-40 minutes commenting on a friend's blog and somehow losing it--I wanted to cry, and I couldn't bring myself back after that. Note to self: Copy long comments before pressing button just in case...

Have to get a bone density test today and I can't bring you with me, so I have to get going...

Maybe later.

Baby Obama

I had to post this blog I hope it works. Baby Obama on You Tube

Back to Reality

Now that the blessed and dreaded day has passed, it's back to life as usual... It seems trying on the persona name "Blessed Barb" felt like a "jinx" for lack of a better word... I'm just going back to plain, ol' Barbara...

I have to admit I expected my birthday to be all about me, but instead it turned out to be a day all about humility... Bill has always said, "Don't have such high expectations, and you'll never be disappointed." Those are wise words; I always do that on such occasions, and it ends up not living up to what I envisioned... When will I ever learn?

From this day forth, I will be more aware that high expectations are ripe for opportunities for disappointment, and I will avoid getting into that trap again...

Well, I better get back to my real life cleaning toilets, mopping floors, and doing laundry...