01 October 2010
Recalling Health Blog is Moving to a New Home...
10 March 2009
18 Tips for Successful Fasting
18 Tips for Successful Fasting
Here are a few tips I gleamed from approximately 418 days of sunrise to sunset Fasting (over the past 22 years). Now, mind you, that does not include the current Fast-- 9 days into it, but who’s counting.
As a Bahá'í by Faith, every year I log another 19 days of Fasting in keeping with this commandment of God.
I do it because, according to the Bahá'í Writings,
““As regards fasting, it constitutes, together with the obligatory prayers, the two pillars that sustain the revealed Law of God. They act as stimulants to the soul, strengthen, revive and purify it, and thus insure its steady development.”
– Shoghi Effendi
I thought it would be good to share some basic tips that I have learned over the years in order to assist any newbie Fasters in their quest to fulfill this spiritual obligation.
So here are my 18 fasting tips, in no particular order:
1. When you break the fast, especially in the evening, always start your meal with a cup of hot or warm liquid. My favorite is herbal tea with honey, sometimes with a little lemon squeezed in for good measure. The hot liquid is said to expand your stomach and get it ready for food after so many hours respite. Drinking something warm before your meal should also prevent any kind of cramping that you could get when you rush right into a meal with nothing to coat and soothe the stomach.
2. Do not go to the grocery store during the active period of the Fast. You will be more prone to buying things that you do not need.
3. Do not buy large quantities of raw fruits and veggies while fasting. Since you are effectively eliminating one meal with your sun up to sundown fasting routine, you will not be able to consume your regular amount of these perishables, and they will end up being wasted if there is not someone else around to eat them.
4. Eat some protein with each meal. I remember when I first started fasting; I used to try to do the vegetarian thing during the fast, thinking it would assist me with the cleansing process. What I found was that it was much harder to sustain my blood sugar when I did not eat protein with my meal. Coming from a family of diabetics, it was important to have that protein if I was to have any chance of being successful with my fast.
5. For weigh lost during the fast, try drinking and combining fresh vegetable and fruit juices with your meal. This aids the detoxification process greatly, and when you include a variety of juices, it helps ensure you are getting all of your daily recommended nutrients, in a period of reduced food intake.
6. When that headache comes after so many days on the fast, or for some, the very first day, try to ignore it. Many people think they can not be successful with a fast because they get a really bad headache when they do not eat for a certain number of hours. The headache is normal, unless you have some underlying medical condition. Of course you should be checking with your doctor before fasting if you are not sure if you should be participating in it. As the body cleanses and detoxifies itself, the poisons that are released as a byproduct can sometimes cause a headache. I think eating protein with your meal is also a buffer to this kind of detox reaction.
7. Do not fast if you are sick or taking medication that requires you take it with food. Some OTC meds as well as Rx meds should be taken with food. So read the label, and if you must take the meds and it requires food, then eat a little something and take the medication.
8. Do not fast if you are pregnant, nursing. This goes without saying, but do remember you are not just feeding yourself; you are feeding the fetus or your baby too. Also women in there menses are not bound by the fast.
9. During the hours after sunset when you are able to eat and drink, always keep water with you and sip or drink it constantly to prevent dehydration. Your lips will naturally be dry when you do not have enough water, and you will have a harder time getting through the sunlight hours if your throat is so dry that it feels like it could cut open a watermelon. (Guess who would like something to drink right now.)
10. Always keep a natural lip moisturizer like shea butter with you while fasting as your lips will be dry throughout the day, especially if you are semi dehydrated.
11. When speaking to others while fasting, do not get directly, all up in their faces. Your breath may smell awful as the day goes on, especially if your body is using this time to get rid of some accumulated poisons. If necessary, carry a little travel size mouthwash to keep the odor at bay. Also, if you brush your teeth after eating breakfast, you do not have to worry about getting them dirty again for the whole day. Now isn’t that exciting :)-
12. If you should awaken after sunrise and think you absolutely must consume something, then consume water or something liquid first. When fasting, remember food is secondary to drink. You can live without a lot of food, but you absolutely must have water to survive.
13. Try not to participate in any strenuous activity like exercising during the active period of the fast, i.e. while the sun is up. When you exercise you lose fluids and if you can not eat or drink there is no way to replenish what you lose. However, you may exercise near the end of the fasting day, just before you are allowed to resume drinking and eating. Since exercise should be done on an empty stomach, this is actually an ideal time to exercise.
14. Try not to respond aggressively to people who ask you why you are not eating, and you tell them that you are fasting from sunrise to sunset. Invariably, they will say something like, “Oh, that’s all. I thought it was a real 19-day fast. Anyone can fast from sunrise to sunset.” Your response should be merely to invite them to join you for the next day or two. Then wait for the excuses or the silence.
15. For those participating in a religious fast, try not to be too obsessive about the “how” of the fast. Don’t ask questions like, “So does that mean I can not brush my teeth in the middle of the day if I am Fasting?” These questions drive long time fasters crazy. If you have such questions, one of the additional requirements that you should do during the extra prayer time that you free up during the fast is to pray for some common sense.
16. A spiritual or religious Fast holds the requirement of combining it with prayers at certain periods of the day. There will be days when you want to take your physical food before you take or offer your spiritual food in the form of prayer to your Maker. Again, do not stress over this. The order is not so important, especially if you remember that God alone will determine if the Fast that you offer is acceptable in His sight. We fast for the love of God as well as to preserve ourselves from harsh test in the upcoming year.
17. It can be fun to break the fast with friends and others who are fasting just as you are, so you may want to plan meals with others who are fasting, i.e. meeting at a restaurant to break the fast at sundown, or having others over before sunrise to share a break-fast.
18. Read about the benefits of fasting during the time of your fasting to help you stay motivated. An excellent compilation on this is titled “The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting”, which you can pick up at Amazon or at the Bahá'í Distribution Service.
Remember that the right way to Fast is the way that you know how to do right now. As the years go by, you will learn more and more about how to get it right and balance everything out. These tips were written while I’m fasting because when you do not have to concern yourself with food, you have more time to do other things.
Happy Fasting to Everyone!
03 March 2009
Health Benefits of Fasting...
What Fasting Does to Recall Health to the Body ** :
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- Fasting initiates rapid weight loss with little or no hunger. Once the "ketosis" of fasting sets in, it becomes quite easy to go without food. Most people are surprised at how little desire for food they have while fasting.
- Fasting promotes detoxification. As the body breaks down its fat reserves, it mobilizes and eliminates stored toxins.
- Fasting gives the digestive system a much-needed rest. After fasting, both digestion and elimination are invigorated.
- Fasting promotes the resolving of inflammatory processes, including painful inflammatory syndromes such as rheumatoid arthritis.
- Fasting quiets allergic reactions, including asthma and hay fever.
- Fasting promotes the drying up of abnormal fluid accumulations, such as edema in the ankles and legs and swelling in the abdomen.
- Fasting corrects high blood pressure without drugs. Fasting will reduce blood pressure to a safe range within two weeks or less in the vast majority of cases. And the blood pressure will remain low after the fast if the person eats correctly and lives healthily.
- Fasting makes it easy to overcome bad habits and addictions. Many people have overcome tobacco and alcohol addictions by fasting, and even drug addictions. Fasting rapidly dissipates the craving for nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs.
- Fasting clears the skin and whitens the eyes. It is common to see skin eruptions clear while fasting, and the whites of the eyes never look so clear and bright as they do after a fast.
- Fasting restores taste appreciation for wholesome natural foods. People say that their taste buds come alive after fasting and that food never tasted so good.
- Fasting is the perfect gateway to a healthful diet and lifestyle. Going on a fast gives you the motivation and enthusiasm to make a fresh start and commit yourself to a new and better way of life.
- Fasting actually shrinks the stomach- not in a harmful way, but restoring it to its normal size. People tend to be satisfied with less food after fasting.
What Fasting Does for the Spirit:
"Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one's spiritual station."
27 July 2008
Can A Weight Loss Shake Really Taste Good?
Well,
It has been a semi stressful week. But I made it through. Thank God.
In addition to trying a new “weight loss” drink mix, I started something else that was equally as new.
I say that because I have never been on a weight loss kick in my life. Just not my style. But I messed around and signed up for a weight loss challenge at my 9 to 5 j.o.b. and the results had been disasterous. I think the problem came from focusing on the weigh-ins each Friday. So what did I do to cure that: I stopped weighing in. I was getting heavier and heavier with each weigh in.
Ok, so the new weight loss shake supplement actually does taste darn good. I added some sliced peaches to it--out of the can--and would have added some fresh blueberries and frozen strawberries and bananas if I had had them. Along with the drink, the company sent me a 40-page little soft cover booklet that had some great simple recipes for making the shakes. It probably had a lot of additional info in it, but I still haven't taken the time to review it.
I have to tell you that I only discovered the recipe, instruction booklet after asking my sister how to use a regular blender to make a shake. Since I do not do alcoholic drinks, I really didn't have a clue. So the little booklet was a lifesaver for me because I got some great ideas as to what to add to make the drink really delicious. As I tried the drink, and shared it with my sister and her male friend, we all agreed that this was a shake that someone wanting to loss weight could drink with no hesitation.
You can say what you want, but if something doesn't taste good, it will eventually be tossed aside. Of course I do not plan to substitute the drink for two meals a day as recommended because that would be too much like a real diet. So I will see what happens. I did take a packet of the mixture to work two days later, together with the plastic shaker container with lid that was included in the package, so that I could have the dietary supplement for lunch.
Then, too, I took a thinly spread peanut butter sandwich, no jelly, with me for that lunch, just in case I felt I needed it. This was my backup because I find that if I don't get a full filling when eating, I will end up snacking at break time and that is never good unless you've got something really nutritious to snack on. Otherwise you are right back to square one with the calories.
All in all, the lunch turned out ok. In fact, it was 9 p.m. that night when my mom asked me what I had had for dinner and I had to tell her “nothing”, and yet I did not feel hungry. (See what peanut butter will do for ya -- or was it the weight loss shake? :) -
Ok...next we talk about this other new thing I started this week.
Till then,
I'm LoTheNightingale
Recalling Health with a Delicious Weight Loss Shake,
Life is ... because it is.
05 October 2007
"Chemicals, Cancer and You" Gives Us Something to Think About
Hi there friends,
Just have to share with you this link on “Chemicals, Cancer and You” as aired on NPR's Fresh Air. (Thanks to Mary Ann for forwarding it to our group).
Good information I think, especially if you are concerned about your health.
Hey,
This is Lo, and I gotta go ... 'cause I'm running for my life.
27 January 2007
Three Magic Words / Meditations by US Andersen Worth the Read
Ah…this year is beginning very nicely. I have already found a little gem that I feel really has the potential to add value to and transform my thought process. Of course when you transform your thoughts, you transform your life.
It’s in the form of a 319-page book entitled Three Magic Words
Of course books come into our lives at specific times for a reason, and this one is no exception. It’s the old adage that I first heard Wayne Dyer say, “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.” Although many of the self empowerment concepts in the book were familiar to me, this author presents the material in such a way that you can actually get you mind around it.
I am only halfway through the book, so I don’t yet know the three magic words, but I have my suspicions as to what they might be.
I am going to post the first of the very powerful meditations contained in this little book to give you a sample of what’s inside. It reads:
I know that I am pure spirit, that I always have been, and that I always will be.
There is inside me a place of confidence and quietness and security where all things are known and understood. This is the Universal Mind, God, of which I am a part and which responds to me as I ask of it.
This universal mind knows the answer to all of my problems, and even now the answers are speeding their way to me. I needn’t struggle for them; I needn’t worry or strive for them. When the time comes, the answers will be there. I give my problems to the great mind of God; I let go of them, confident that the correct answers will return to me when they are needed.
Through the great law of attraction, everything in life that I need for my work and fulfillment will come to me. It is not necessary that I strain about this, only believe. For in the strength of my belief, my faith will make it so.
I see the hand of divine intelligence all about me, in the flower, the tree, the brook, the meadow. I know that the intelligence that created all these things is in me and around me and that I can call upon it for my slightest need.
I know that my body is a manifestation of pure spirit and that spirit is perfect; therefore my body is perfect also. I enjoy life, for each day brings a constant demonstration of the power and wonder of the universe and myself.
I am confident. I am serene. I am sure. No matter what obstacle or undesirable circumstance crosses my path, I refuse to accept it, for it is nothing but illusion. There can be no obstacle or undesirable circumstance to the mind of God, which is in me, and around me, and serves me now.
If you get a chance to read this guy, don’t hesitate. Like I said, its not that the central concepts of the book were unknown to me, but this author has a power of description that allows you to actually see how we are all intimately connected to the One Source.
Enuf said. Check him out for yourself, or if you already know his work, leave a comment.
14 January 2007
Artificial Sweetners Crash the Party: The Potent Toxins Strikes Many
The Party Crasher
Last December, the eight
So we all arrived early to decorate the local Center where the event was to be held later that afternoon, early evening. Soon after my arrival, my six-year old nephew (maybe he’s 7 by now) started complaining that he had a headache. And it had to be a very bad headache. So bad that he did not wish to run around or play with or interact with any of his young cousins who were all scattered about the place. This was unusual scene. One I had never witnessed before. And being an auntie to more than 20 + nieces and nephews, I had seen a lot throughout the years.
We eventually told him to lie down and rest on one of the sofas in the place. But before he did, I questioned him about what he had eaten. Nothing unusual there. Then I asked him what he had drank, and he said a diet Coke.
Artificial Sweeteners, the Culprit
Ah, I said. That’s the problem. It was the diet drink. I told him he must never drink diet soft drinks. No, not ever I told him. I told him that if any one offered him one ever again, he was to tell them “No, I do not want it!”
You see, I had no doubt in my mind that it was the artificial sweetener in the diet soft drink that was the culprit and the reason he had this severe headache.
Because, in the past I too would develop severe headache after drinking a diet-anything and had subsequently given up buying diet drinks or purchasing any product that was sweetened with artificial sweeteners. No matter what the product, if it contained nutrasweet or other, the results would be the same, I would get an instant and severe headache and feel jittery, shaky and nervous.
Instant Headaches, Nervousness, the Shakes from a Potent SystemWide Toxin
This incident with my young nephew came back to mind recently after hearing my sister-in-law make a comment that diet sodas gave her headaches too.
Now, what always perplexed me about this artificial sweetener’s health threat was the fact that with diet soft drinks, when I drank them I would get headaches instantly. Not 15 minutes later but almost instantly. To me that indicated that whatever substance is in the sweetener that causes this health problem has to be a very potent one, one that accesses the bloodstream very very quickly and has a direct route to the brain and central nervous system.
In my estimation, such a potent chemical with the ability to cause such immediate detrimental effects to the health of susceptible individuals has to have some residual detrimental effects even to those who do not experience such immediate symptoms.
So why are these products still on the market and flourishing? I could guess but that is a blog for another time.
Informal Investigation from a Certifiable Sugar Addict
Being a sugar addict, I currently read a lot about sugar and its detrimental effects on health. I keep hoping that this knowledge will help me finally realize that sugar is not my friend and do something to break this addiction. Sugar Blues is an excellent read and gives a history of how sugar became such a dominant part of our diet and culture.
But here’s a page I found on a chiropractor’s site that talks a little about the dangers of the artificial sweetener aspartame. The article enlightens us about how the FDA in 1991 banned the importation of Stevia, an alternative sweetener that has been used for 100s of years in
Here’s the link to the article located at http://www.americanchiropractic.net/Sweeteners/sweeteners.htm
10 January 2007
Use An Upper Cervical Chiropractor to Heal a Problem Quickly!
Chiropractic to the Rescue: Getting to the Root of the Problem
Recently I started seeing a chiropractor because I was having pain in my shoulder area. The pain had been there for a couple of weeks and was getting progressively worst. And not only that, my L arm was getting weaker and weaker, making it painful to get dressed and pull things over my head.
I knew I needed a chiro. Now ordinarily getting a chiro is an easy thing to do. Start by getting a recommendation from a friend who had one, and then go see him/her.
Well, being relatively new to the area, I thought this would be hard to do. But, one of my friends had told me, “Dennis Young is My Chiropractor”. Said he was located one street off
Okay, well if he’s the best, I have to go see him. So I did. I had just begun working a seasonal part time job preparing taxes and just sitting for four hours in the training class was causing me tremendous pain. I had two choices: either start on the 800mg of ibruprofen every 12 hours every day or get at the root of the problem and fix it. A chiro would be the best bet for fixing the problem.
Well to make a long story short, after two visits I no longer had any problems with my L shoulder area while sitting to do my tax preparation work.
And that was three weeks ago. It is only today as I drove for a return visit to see Dr Young that I realized my initial problem had been eradicated.
And isn’t that just the way it is. When something is not broken we tend not to notice it.
Dr Young is still treating me to correct some other "upper cervical" structural problems with my neck alignment so I still get to see him. And that's a good thing because I find his office environment to be warm and friendly, almost like an extended family. I understand from talking with the massage therapist there that Dr Young comes from a long line of chiropractors in his family, including his mother.
I have now graduated from going three times a week to two times a week. Yea! My posture is improving, the range of motion in my neck is improving, and I’m improving too.
So if you are looking for a chiro in the
Dr. Young specializes in Upper Cervical Chiropractic work, and that puts him among a select group of folks that are known to do some pretty amazing things with people, including folks with MS, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Depression and other chronic and degenerative ailments. View a list of more dis-eases they work on here.
If you’re not from the
To your health,
09 January 2007
Walk. Eat Better. Live Longer
Walk.
Eat Better.
Live Longer.
Hey, that’s the message of the American Heart Association, according to this morning’s Fox News.
It’s a simple (sound bite) message, but what I like about it is that they tell you to eat better but in the brief message make no mention of what it is one should eat. I like that because that’s the part they never get quite right.
They note that walking 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week is beneficial to heart health.
By telling us to eat better, they acknowledge that nutrition and diet play a significant role in our overall health and well being.
Since 60% of Americans are overweight, obese or suffer from morbid obesity, establishing good eating habits is essential.
Live longer: It’s interesting that it is reported that for every hour of exercise, we add two hours to our life span. (Wonder what kind of double-blind study they use to get to those figures?):
All of this is good news from AmericanHeart.org. Go there to get your fresh start in the new year. And if you need nutritional supplements to help you get enough energy to start a heart healthy walking program, I suggest you try the Daily Complete and the Harmony products put out by Awareness Life Corp.. Those products may do wonders to kick start your success in 2007.
If you have cholesterol issues, try Xtend-Life supplements.
I have used both these company’s products with success.
Of course one thing my big brother swears by for controlling his cholesterol is the boot-leg “joggin in a jug” formula. He says he mixes…
1 part apple cider vinegar (note: see if you can find the organic apple cider vinegar)
2 parts grape juice
3 parts apple juice.
That means twice as much grape juice as apple cider vinegar and three times as much apple juice as the apple cider vinegar.
He makes about half a gallon at a time using a perused juice container, and drinks 2 ozs of the mixture every day. (Shake before pouring).
He says his doctor was amazed at how much his cholesterol level came down, but says he decided not to reveal to her any information about his involvement with the formula, because, well, “You know how doctors are…”
Yeah, tell me about it.
To Your Health--
01 January 2007
Attaining the Utmost Joy in the New Year!
"O ye, God's loved ones! Experience hath shown how greatly the renouncing of smoking, of intoxicating drink, and of opium, conduceth to health and vigour, to the expansion and keenness of the mind and to bodily strength. There is today a people who strictly avoid tobacco, intoxicating liquor and opium. This people is far and away superior to the others, for strength and physical courage, for health, beauty and comeliness. A single one of their men can stand up to ten men of another tribe. This hath proved true of the entire people: that is, member for member, each individual of this community is in every respect superior to the individuals of other communities." -- Abdu'l-Baha
Here's a link to something I posted on my Nine Lamps One Light spiritual enlightenment blog this morning. It's called How to Attain the Utmost Joy in the New Year.
Thought it might give you some food for thought as well.
I'm wishing you a blessed and joyful New Year!
Well I could say more, but gotta hit the pavement and get my walk on---some resolutions can be so strenuous...
27 October 2006
Walmart Cuts Prices On Prescription Drugs...
Rare to have such good news in the health area, but it appears Walmart has taken the lead to reduce drug costs.
Read their press release here.
13 October 2006
Study Finds Your Everyday Black Tea Aids in Stress Reduction
"We should all visit the sick. When they are in sorrow and suffering, it is a real help and benefit to have a friend come. Happiness is a great healer to those who are ill. In the East it is the custom to call upon the patient often and meet him individually. The people in the East show the utmost kindness and compassion to the sick and suffering. This has greater effect than the remedy itself. You must always have this thought of love and affection when you visit the ailing and afflicted.." -- Abdu'l-Baha
Who Knew Black Tea Reduces Stress Levels?
As the weather has been turning colder, I recently started drinking regular black tea. Having lived in Ghana for about 15 months, I had learned how to drink the stuff hot. Of course being a South Carolina native, what we usually do with black tea is drink it ice cold. And if I couldn't have the stuff ice cold, then I would rather have hot herbal tea.
But since Ghana, drinking hot black tea was not unthinkable. And like the Brits, I add a little milk to mine. I also add a little honey--ok, a lot of honey, and ah...I'm in heaven. The stuff tastes good.
So imagine my delight to find out that this old fashioned black tea has medicinal properties as well.
Move over Green Tea....I'm coming through. Actually I still drink Green Tea, especially when I feel a little cold coming on or when my immune system doesn't seem to be doing its job at peak performance. The antioxidants are really real in that green tea mixture and if the truth be known, I can actually detect the sense of well-being this little herb gives you.
But just thought you'd like to know about that black tea study. Also, if you are addicted to sugar--like I am sure I am--you may want to try to cut back on the amount that you use in your tea. After all, there is no need experiencing reduced stress at the risk of increased diabetes and all the other opportunistic diseases that results from an overworked and under-appreciated pancreas.
Here's to your continued good health...
04 October 2006
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is here...
'Abdu'l-Baha
If it's October, then Breast Cancer Awareness Month is upon us.
Here's a link to a diagram showing you how to do a five step breast self examination.
And, remember, it is important that when you do your monthly self examination that you tell yourself that you are "checking for healthy breast tissue", not for cancer.
Thoughts are things, and the thought you have about what you are checking for could influence the outcome.
October is also a good month to schedule a mammogram if you haven't had one in a year and you are a middle aged woman or older.
25 September 2006
Help for Cat Lovers with Allergies
So you’ve wanted to own a cat, but you are allergic to them.
Well, finally there is relief. Go ahead and put your name on the waiting list for this one.
Read: Allergy-free Cats For Sale at $3,950 Each, an article posted on the Medical News Today website.
I’m really not a cat person myself, although I have “cat” sat for a friend for about a week or two while she and her husband journeyed off to Japan for a vacation and to visit with relatives. They had one cat and one big dog. It was a long week for me since I am not really a dog person either. The first night in their home, I ended up having to call the couple’s in-town son to come over to reassure me that the big dog's bark was a friendly one.
My fear of dogs began when I was a youngster walking home from grade school on the streets of Brooklyn, New York. My friend and I were just walking along, when all of a sudden a little dog jumped up and took a bite out of my leg. We had not been taunting the dog, and to this day I don’t know where he came from. But ever since then I have never gone out of my way to cultivate relationships with these “unpredictable” creatures.
Still, I know that statically people with animals for pets tend to be happier and to live longer, and maybe I will even consider getting a small dog once I have an enclosed outdoors attached to my living area so s/he can run, play, roam and be free. No, an apartment is no place to raise a dog.
I’ve fought so long and hard for my own freedom that it would be inhumane to subject a defenseless animal to that same faith, i.e. having to stay cooped up in an apartment forever. You know, to children, 10 minutes can be a very long time, so imagine how long 8 hours would be to a dog confined to an apartment dwelling. It would be like forever. It would be an eternity of hell.
Ok…gotta get back to writing this disability ebook. Was just taking an email break. Will yell at you next time."Unless ye must,Bruise not the serpent in the dust,How much less wound a man,And if ye can,No ant should ye alarm,Much less a brother harm." --Abdu'l-Baha--
13 September 2006
Had your green tea today?
Green tea has been a part of my nutritional regimen for many years now, but recently I started drinking it unmasked--that is without either sugar or honey. It's actually not that bad a taste, once you get used to it. (Though I have to admit that I still occasionally drink it with honey just because some morning I feel I "need" to.)
I knew green tea had medicinal properties and this article lends more weight to that. It's from ABC News, entitled:
Are you still struggling with a health issue or suffer from a chronic degenerative dis-ease? Then you owe it to yourself to check out RecallingHealth.com's newest resource where I share with you a link to the top three nutritional supplements companys online. These are the ones that have given me the best results.
That a look here at Recalling Health with Nutritional Supplements.
My friend, here's to your good health,
Lo
23 May 2006
USDA Food and Nutrition Research Brief Focuses on Healthy Weight Loss
Healing Quotation:
-- Abdu'l-Baha in Some Answered Questions
Hi friends,
It's been awhile since we last talked. Why haven't you called?
I was just reviewing this Food and Nutrition Research page which contains a lot of useful short articles on dieting and healthy weight loss, including the use of copper, grains and other natural substances to help you reach any weight loss goals.
The page is here:
It's been awhile since we last talked. Why haven't you called?
I was just reviewing this Food and Nutrition Research page which contains a lot of useful short articles on dieting and healthy weight loss, including the use of copper, grains and other natural substances to help you reach any weight loss goals.
The page is here:
Since one never knows how often pages changes, you may wish to go there now to take a brief look.
Seems I'm noticing more and more articles on weight loss with the introduction of my new healthy weight loss site . Have you visited yet? I'm building a free collection of weight loss guides that give you good information on how to naturally loss weight without pills, potions and snake oils.
Visit the new site here at: http://healthy-weight-loss.recallinghealth.com/
Friends, my website building program is currently sick and has the "asiatic flu" so I have not attempted to do any updating to my Recalling Health to Mind Body and Spirit site since it only messes up the pages already on the site. Until this problem is rectified I'll just plan to send you updates through the email. Hope that is ok with everyone.
A lot has happened since March and the Fast, so I'll plan to update you in the next edition of Healthy Servings, the newsletter.
Visit the new site here at: http://healthy-weight-loss.recallinghealth.com/
Friends, my website building program is currently sick and has the "asiatic flu" so I have not attempted to do any updating to my Recalling Health to Mind Body and Spirit site since it only messes up the pages already on the site. Until this problem is rectified I'll just plan to send you updates through the email. Hope that is ok with everyone.
A lot has happened since March and the Fast, so I'll plan to update you in the next edition of Healthy Servings, the newsletter.
Hope you're happy and well.
To your health,
To your health,
27 March 2006
Mind, Body and Spirit Health and Healing: Some Quotes from the Holy Writings
Now that the fasting period is over and spring is officially in the air, here are a few quotes to ponder regarding mind, body and spirit health and healing through material and physical means, and through spiritual and heavenly means. Unless otherwise indicated, all quotes are from the Master, 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Body:
Connection between material and spiritual things
"Between material things and spiritual things there is a connection. The more healthful his body the greater will be the power of the spirit of man, the power of the intellect, the power of the memory, the power of reflection will be greater."
"I hope thou wilt become as a rising light and obtain spiritual health,
as spiritual health is conducive to physical health."
Mind:
Meditation
"The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation... Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives heavenly food."
Spirit:
Spiritual Causes of Disease
"If humankind ... lived according to a natural, inborn equilibrium, without following wherever their passions led, it is undeniable that diseases would no longer take the ascendant, nor diversify with such intensity. But man hath perversely continued to follow his lustful appetites, and he would not content himself with simple foods. Rather, he prepared for himself food that was composed of many ingredients, of substances differing one from the other. The result was the engendering of diseases both violent and diverse."
General:
God's Healing Power
"There is but one power which heals -- that is God. The state or condition through which healing takes place is the condition of the heart. By some this state is reached through pills, powders and physicians. By others through hygiene, fasting and prayer. By others through direct perception. All that we see around us is the work of mind. It is mind in the herb and in the mineral that acts on the human body, and changes its conditions."
If you missed my last Healthy-Servings newsletter, visit the article archives here:
http://healthy-servings.recallinghealth.net/Ezine-Articles.html
04 March 2006
Fasting and Prayer…What a Combination
“Verily I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing for the disease of self and passion.” -- Bahá’u’lláh
Of course the focus of many Bahá’ís during this season is the Fast, and I am no exception.
I was just browsing through Dr. Elson M Hass’ book entitled “The Detox Diet: The How-To & When-To Guide for Cleansing the Body of Sugar, Nicotine, Alcohol, Caffeine, Chemicals and more…” He has a section on Fasting and Juice Cleansing and I was wondering if anyone out there in cyberland had used his material during the fasting period?
This evening I tried his Spring Master Cleanser formula to break the Fast after the sun went down. I must admit that the cayenne pepper which is part of the mix did have some kick to it, but the taste was not unpleasant and I managed to drink it all down, slip by slip.
Here’s his recipe for the master cleanser. You probably already have all the items in your home to make the formula if you are so inclined to give it a shot.
I was just browsing through Dr. Elson M Hass’ book entitled “The Detox Diet: The How-To & When-To Guide for Cleansing the Body of Sugar, Nicotine, Alcohol, Caffeine, Chemicals and more…” He has a section on Fasting and Juice Cleansing and I was wondering if anyone out there in cyberland had used his material during the fasting period?
This evening I tried his Spring Master Cleanser formula to break the Fast after the sun went down. I must admit that the cayenne pepper which is part of the mix did have some kick to it, but the taste was not unpleasant and I managed to drink it all down, slip by slip.
Here’s his recipe for the master cleanser. You probably already have all the items in your home to make the formula if you are so inclined to give it a shot.
Spring Master Cleanser 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice | |
| From The Detox Diet by Elson M. Hass, M.D..... |
Of course Dr Hass has an Autumn Rejuvenation Ration which includes other wholesome goodies to partake of during a 3 to 5 day Fast during that time of year.
I don’t know if I will try the entire program he advocates in his 128 page book packed with a stop-smoking brew, under his nicotine detoxification section but I will certainly read his sugar detox section since I have been trying to slide that monster out from under my bed since time immemorial.
Hass' book is worth a read
-----------------------------
Well, I had thought I would take this Fasting time to write an e-book on Social Security Disability and how to get an accurate decision in the least amount of time but it just was not materializing. So instead I have decided to do some more work on a prayer book that I have in the works.
Today has been fruitful as I finished the introduction and the personal commentary in the “Why we pray” section of the book.
Yes, this project will be much more suitable to the calmness of the Fast than the Social Security project.
Earlier when I mentioned to a friend that I was writing a book on prayer which would include prayers for the family, husbands, women, protection, aid and assistance, etc., the first word that came out of her mouth was “Stormie OMartian.” She noted this author’s name was synonymous with the Book of Prayer. Said I should check her out next time I was at the bookstore.
So that’s what I did later in the day. The format of this author, from what I gathered from thumbing through the pages of her Book of Prayer was that she begins with a full paragraph of commentary and ends each page with a very small bit of scripture. My plan would be to give full prayers as revealed by the Prophets, Manifestations and Mouthpieces of God as the meat and potatoes of the page, with perhaps a small bit of commentary at the end if needed.
Do you have a better idea? Your comments are welcomed.
We’ll see what the final product looks like.
Til next time…
27 February 2006
A Period for Fasting and Prayer
"These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst enjoin Thy servants to observe the Fast...Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special virtue..."
Baha'u'llah
Every year, right before the beginning of the Spring (21 March), Baha'is throughout the world observe a 19-day religiously ordained Fast which requires abstinence from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. These 19 days (2-20 March), for me are a period of reflection and renewal of my commitment to serving my Lord and putting my affairs back in order.
Yeah, every year it seems things get out of hand. Thanksgiving and excess eating during the traditional holidays are sometimes the culprit. New pounds are put on and need to be shed. In comes the Fast to help out.
As the season change, it is a good time to detoxify the body, to cleanse it, to give the digestive tract a much needed rest. And in comes the Fast to help out.
And maybe I've gotten so busy in the previous year that I have inadvertently squeezed daily prayer right out of the equation, and my life is no longer balanced in the way that it ought to be. In comes the Fast to get me back on track and provide the spiritual revival that will take me though another year.
Yes the Fast is a requirement in my Faith. And so it has become a yearly ritual with me for the past 19 years -- a ritual that keeps me in harmony, balanced and focused on the things that might otherwise be neglected.
Some fasts are difficult to endure, but I find that when I perform the Fast during the time period right before Spring, there appears to be extra divine assistance to help me through. Perhaps that is because I start to focus on the divine and the countless blessings the Creator bestows. Whether this is a placebo effect or not, I don't know...but the blessings do seem to flow.
The Holy Writings state:
"As regards fasting, it constitutes, together with... prayers, the twin pillars that sustain the revealed law of God. They act as stimulants to the soul, revive and purify it, and thus ensure its steady development."
And what else does it do for the individual?
"Fasting is the cause of the elevation of one's spiritual station."--'Abdu'l-Bahá
There are many writings about the purpose of the Fast. One of my favorites is that it preserves one from severe test in the upcoming year. And I don't know about you, but this is something I can sink my teeth into ... cause my life is test-y enough as it is.
Have you ever thought about Fasting as a yearly ritual before Spring? There are so many things that it does to balance your life, your spirit and your being, and that is in addition to the purely physical benefits your body derives from it.
When you focus on the things of the spirit which is what I generally do while Fasting, you find that the absence of food and water from sunrise to sunset is nothing when compared with all the blessings and bounties that come from being obedient to this religious commandment issued forth from the realm on High.
"We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have de-signated for you Naw-Ruz (Baha'i New Year) as a feast. . . . The traveler, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; ... Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the Book."
This year I plan to reread Gleaning from the Writings of Baha'u'llah during the Fasting period; this was one of the first books I read prior to joing the Baha'i Faith almost two decades ago.
If you do decide to participate in the Fast and are new to it, I offer this one small gem of advice that may be helpful for the purely physical part of fasting.
That is: always break the fast each night with a cup of something hot. My preference is herbal tea, but it could be a cup of hot water or hot water with freshly squeezed lemon juice added to it. The hot water actually causes the stomach to expand after it has shrunk from going without food for long hours. It kind of readies the body to accept the food and not suffer the shock that it might otherwise alert you to.
Here are a few resources to help get you in the spirit of fasting:
- 12 Health Benefits of Fasting
- The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting (Extracts from the compilation)
- Fast Call for Bread and Tea (a poem on fasting written by a friend)
Whether you decide to try fasting for one day or many days anytime during the period from 2-20 March, know that millions of people from around the globe are doing the same thing. You are not alone.
Of course if you are sick or nursing or are a female in her menses, you are not bound by the Fast, and probably should not be fasting. While this is a spiritual law, part of the law offers exemptions for certain categories of people. And it goes without saying that you should consult with your health care provider prior to beginning any new regimen with your diet.
I love fasting because fasting "loves" me back! Get your healthy serving of this benefit in the upcoming days.
Note: Due to formatting difficulties, you can take a look at the complete resource list for this post here:
http://healthy-servings.recallinghealth.net/A-Period-of-Fasting-and-Prayer.html
Health Humor...The History of Medication
"My home is the home of peace. My home is the home of joy and delight. My home is the home of laughter and exultation. Whosoever enters through the portals of this home, must go out with gladsome heart. This is the home of light; whosoever enters here must become illumined...."
Pilgrims Note attributed to Abdu'l-Baha
Hey,
Found this little snippet of health humor in the HEALING THROUGH UNITY NEWSLETTER for September/October 2005.
---------------------------------------------------The History of Medication:
2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root.
1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1980 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2005 A.D. - That antibiotic is unhealthy. Here, eat this root.
(From Suzanne in Malawi)
Here's the link to the site:
http://www.healingthroughunity.org/newsletter__september_2005.htm
While you're there you should check out the "Proof that Ice Cream Therapy Really Works!"
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