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Out of Control: Finding Peace for the Physically Exhausted and Spiritually Strung Out

By: Sam Adams

 

 

 

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Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

By: Max Lucado

By: Carolyn Dean MD ND
The Doctor of the Future

Aloha,

In August 2010, I wrote an article for the Huffington Post called Coffee Addiction: How to Naturally Kick the Habit.

Recently another Huff Post article came out with the opposite view. 7 Health Benefits Of Coffee

It’s a review of the “so-called” scientific research that says coffee can lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, diabetes, depression…and make you a millionaire…

OK, that last benefit is not true…but, let’s look at what the studies really say.

One study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that drinking 8 cups of coffee a day can raise your HDL cholesterol allowing every coffee lover to feel vindicated. Even thought HDL was raised by a measly 7%. You can probably shift your HDL that much by holding your breath when having your blood taken. I’m kidding, but you get the point.

Some of these studies look at a few dozen people who are told to drink a certain amount of coffee and one or two types of blood tests are measured. In the above case they measure cholesterol and inflammatory markers.

But they are not looking at the underlying negative effects of too much coffee, such as magnesium deficiency caused by the diuretic effect of coffee. As your body loses magnesium, then your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar are going to rise. Any short term gains created by coffee are soon lost…but that’s after the study is closed and the erroneous findings are blasted through the media by the coffee industry.

When clients wrote and wanted to know how much coffee they could safely drink. Here’s what I told them.

It’s all about moderation. I’d say that 200 mg a day of caffeine is “safe.” Here is a website with a rough gauge of caffeine content.

And remember this–heavy daily caffeine use–more than 500 to 600 mg a day–may cause: Insomnia, Nervousness, Restlessness, Irritability, Stomach upset, Fast heartbeat and Muscle tremors.

Muscle tremors are a sure fire indication that magnesium is being depleted from the body…which then leads to many other magnesium deficiency side effects.So, these short-term studies just measuring one or two outcomes miss the whole picture.

So, be sensible in your caffeine intake and don’t use it to boost your flagging energy. Engage in Lying Down Therapy instead!

Carolyn Dean MD ND
The Doctor of the Future

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The Doctor of the Future Dr. Carolyn Dean is both a medical and a naturopathic doctor. Known as The Doctor of the Future she’s authored 19 health books. You can get a free email subscription to her Wellness Tips from the Future newsletter plus the first 4 modules of her Future Health Now! program by clicking on the following link…

Every day I hear another magnesium success story…

My editor for the UK edition of The Miracle of Magnesium told me that as soon as she read my manuscript she gave magnesium to a friend who had severe muscle cramps. Her friend had visited several doctors and nobody could diagnosis her condition or offer her relief. Magnesium helped her immediately.

My book agent’s brother can’t believe how much his energy has improved on magnesium and his wife’s menopausal symptoms are lifting since she began taking supplements.

And every day I also hear distressing stories about magnesium deficiency. Just today walking along the beach near my home I met an 80-year old gentleman who asked me to sit and talk. Julius said he used to walk up and down the beach like me but now his arthritis prevented him. But he said he only began having symptoms of arthritis after taking medication for slightly elevated cholesterol.

Instead of a diet and magnesium, his doctor immediately put him on a cholesterol-lowering drug. When he began developing pain, which was obviously from the drug, instead of stopping the drug and giving magnesium to lower cholesterol, to help detoxify the drug, and also lessen muscle cramps, his doctor gave him a strong pain medication. And then his ankles began to swell and Julius said his doctor gave him a diuretic!

And so the story goes, one drug causing symptoms that demand another drug. That’s what doctors learn about in medical school: drugs. They don’t learn about diet and nutrients, so it seems that all they know how to do is prescribe drugs. Julius said he was going to tell his doctor to change his cholesterol medication, which, by the way, in several years had only dropped his cholesterol of 205 to 185. I told him to go on a cholesterol-lowering diet and take magnesium. Even though Julius said he was mad about having to take the drugs and he wished he had been given a diet in the first place, Julius said he would have to ask his doctor before taking the magnesium. And my heart sank, because his doctor probably didn’t learn about magnesium supplementation in medical school and would probably say it’s unnecessary.

Doctors know potassium deficiency is a danger for people on diuretics but they don’t acknowledge that magnesium is also flushed out in equal measure. Magnesium deficiency goes undiagnosed and unrecognized because until recently there was no accurate blood test for magnesium. Patients are warned to take potassium supplements or eat oranges and bananas, but no advice is given about magnesium. Magnesium is not as readily available as potassium; it’s deficient in the soil and most fertilizers don’t contain magnesium, so most foods are lacking. Also cooking and processing foods depletes magnesium. It’s found in whole grains, greens, nuts and seeds, but most people don’t eat much, if any, of those foods.

And yet, for some reason doctors think that we get all our nutrients in our very SAD, Standard American Diet and they don’t recognize the need for nutrient supplementation. It all stems back to a medical education that is funded by drug companies that have no vested interest in promoting nutrients. Vitamins and minerals can’t be patented and are relatively inexpensive. My research for The Miracle of Magnesium reminded me that all the metabolic processes in the body, ALL OF THEM, depend on vitamins and minerals, which act as necessary co-factors. Magnesium itself is a co-factor and responsible for the function of 325 enzymes; is an absolute requirement for calcium to be incorporated into bone; keeps toxic chemicals out of the brain; dances with calcium to create nerve impulses and muscle impulses; keeps muscles relaxed, including the heart and blood vessels, and triggers dozens of health conditions if it is deficient.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for magnesium is between 350 and 400 milligrams per day, which is just enough to ward off outright deficiency. But for optimal health and for the twenty-two conditions that are triggered by magnesium deficiency, perhaps twice as much magnesium is needed. One of the highest sources of magnesium is kelp, but one tsp. only has about 30 milligrams. One tablespoon of almonds has 33 milligrams. Because we probably don’t get nearly enough magnesium from out diet we have to investigate magnesium supplements.

I use several types of magnesium. However, I stopped using magnesium oxide in 2005 when I read a study that showed only 4 percent of the oxide form of magnesium is absorbed. That’s why magnesium oxide is a great laxative but if you want to stock up on magnesium you need to use other forms. I use magnesium citrate and magnesium taurate and also spray on magnesium oil after a shower. Magnesium oil is supersaturated magnesium chloride and because it’s used topically it doesn’t cause a laxative effect. And I find it really does work. I seem to have a very high requirement for magnesium and to get enough by mouth I can have a laxative reaction—but if I use magnesium oil, I only need to take half the amount of magnesium by mouth and therefore avoid loose stools.

You also have read labels when you buy magnesium products. For example a label may say magnesium taurate, or magnesium citrate, or magnesium glycinate, 500 milligrams, but when you look at the fine print on the back of the bottle you will notice the actual amount of magnesium is much less. The actual amount of magnesium in 500 mg of magnesium glycinate is 50 mg. Companies that make chelated minerals like magnesium glycinate and magnesium taurate claim that chelates are more readily absorbed. That may be the case, but how you tell is if they have less of a laxative effect.

The best way to tell if you are getting enough magnesium is the “bowel test”. You know when you have too much magnesium when your stools become loose. This, in fact, may be a blessing for people with constipation and is one of the many ways magnesium deficiency manifests. But, if you are like me and still get a Charlie horse or a heart palpitation when you don’t have enough magnesium, then reach for the magnesium oil.
The only contraindications to magnesium are caused in people with outright kidney failure, bowel obstruction, Myasthenia gravis, or heart block. Also, if you have a heart condition you may find that taking magnesium can lessen the need for heart medication and you should be under doctor’s supervision to guide this process.

The following 22 medical areas that magnesium deficiency triggers or causes have all been scientifically proven. However, since the publication of The Miracle of Magnesium people have sent me magnesium success stories that go beyond the following list. I’ve been told that magnesium has caused skin to become smooth, gums to heal, and improvements in sexual response. In the next edition of my book I’ll present updated research on the ability of magnesium to lower cholesterol in the same way as statin drugs but without the side effects. There is also evidence that magnesium is important for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy. As I say in the book, if there you are able to only take one supplement—make sure it’s magnesium!

Magnesium Deficiency Triggers or Causes
The Following Conditions:

Anxiety and Panic attacks- Magnesium (Mg) normally keeps adrenal stress hormones under control.

Asthma- Both histamine production and bronchial spasms increase with Mg deficiency.

Blood clots- Mg has an important role to play in preventing blood clots and keeping the blood thin-much like aspirin but without the side effects.

Bowel disease- Mg deficiency slows down the bowel causing constipation, which could lead to toxicity and malabsorption of nutrients, as well as colitis.

Cystitis- Bladder spasms are worsened by Mg deficiency.

Depression-Serotonin, which elevates moods, is dependent on Mg. A Mg-deficient brain is also more susceptible to allergens, foreign substances that can cause symptoms similar to mental illness.

Detoxification- Mg is crucial for the removal of toxic substances and heavy metals such as aluminum and lead.

Diabetes- Mg enhances insulin secretion, facilitating sugar metabolism. Without Mg insulin is not able to transfer glucose into cells. Glucose and insulin build up in the blood causing various types of tissue damage.

Fatigue- Mg-deficient patients commonly experience fatigue because dozens of enzyme systems are under-functioning. An early symptom of Mg deficiency is frequently fatigue.

Heart disease- Mg deficiency is common in people with heart disease. Mg is administered in hospitals for acute myocardial infarction and cardiac arrhythmia. Like any other muscle, the heart muscle requires Mg. Mg is also used to treat angina, or chest pain.

Hypertension- With insufficient Mg, spasm of blood vessels and high cholesterol occur, both of which lead to blood pressure problems.

Hypoglycemia- Mg keeps insulin under control; without Mg episodes of low blood sugar can result.

Insomnia- Sleep-regulating melatonin production is disturbed without sufficient Mg.

Kidney Disease- Mg deficiency contributes to atherosclerotic kidney failure. Mg deficiency creates abnormal lipid levels and worsening blood sugar control in kidney transplant patients.

Liver Disease leading to liver failure- Mg deficiency commonly occurs during liver transplantation.

Migraine- Serotonin balance is Mg-dependent. Deficiency of serotonin can result in migraine headaches and depression.

Musculoskeletal conditions- Fibrositis, fibromyalgia, muscle spasms, eye twitches, cramps and chronic neck and back pain may be caused by Mg deficiency and can be relieved with Mg supplements.

Nerve problems- Mg alleviates peripheral nerve disturbances throughout the whole body, such as migraines, muscle contractions, gastrointestinal spasms, and calf, foot and toe cramps. It is also used in treating central nervous symptoms of vertigo and confusion.

Obstetrics and Gynecology- Mg prevents Premenstrual Syndrome; prevents dysmenorrhea (cramping pain during menses); is important in the treatment of infertility; and alleviates premature contractions, preeclampsia, and eclampsia in pregnancy. Intravenous Mg is given in obstetrical wards for pregnancy-induced hypertension and to lessen the risk of cerebral palsy and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Mg should be a required supplement for pregnant mothers.

Osteoporosis- Use of calcium with Vitamin D to enhance calcium absorption without a balancing amount of Mg causes further Mg deficiency, which triggers a cascade of events leading to bone loss.

Raynaud’s Syndrome- Mg helps relax the spastic blood vessels that cause pain and numbness of the fingers.

Tooth decay- Mg deficiency causes an unhealthy balance of phosphorus and calcium in saliva, which damages teeth.

Material excerpted from Dean, Carolyn. The Miracle of Magnesium (2003 Ballantine Books: New York, NY), 2003. pp. 5-7.

The one thing that we often forget to do is take care of ourselves.  We often worry about how everyone else is before we consider what we need.  So your assignment this month is to take care of you – everyday!  That’s right everyday!  Find a little something you can do that’s just for you.  Guys this means you too.

I get asked all the time for ways to make dinner faster. I get that; we’re a microwave society. We want it quick, dirty and hassle-free. This is why convenience foods are so popular (and expensive and 99% of the time, full of chemicals and lacking nutrients).

Here are a couple of things that I do that helps me get dinner done quickly and efficiently:

1) Shear Strength. I use my kitchen shears as much as I use my knives. From snipping fresh herbs, to opening bags of frozen berries, to cutting up chicken, I have two pairs and one in always in the dishwasher!

2) Foiled Again. To prevent my celery from going limp and nasty (and listen, having to run out to the store to buy fresh celery in the middle of cooking is total buzz kill) I wrap it foil. It stays fresh for weeks this way!

3) Garlic Getaway. I use these little garlic ice cubes (Dorot is the brand) that I buy from Trader Joe’s to shortcut the fresh garlic pressing stuff. The garlic is better (in my opinion) than that of the jarred variety and it’s so easy and convenient, love them!

4) Spin on Spinach. I buy triple washed tubs of organic spinach at the warehouse store. I saute it for a side dish, add it to salads, make it the salad, stir it into soups, eggs and quiches. It’s amazing and versatile and cuts my prep work way down.

5) More Spin. I use a salad spinner for my lettuce to get it nice and dry. Wash it, throw it in the spinner, take it for a quick spin and voila, lettuce that’s washed, dried and ready to go for your salad!

These are just a few of my shortcuts. What about you? Do you have some tried and true ones you’d like to share? www.savingdinner.com

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You can find more from the Dinner Diva in The Coop.

Leanne Ely is a New York Times bestselling author of Body Clutter and the Saving Dinner series. The Dinner Diva syndicated newspaper column appears in 250 newspapers nationwide. Learn how to cook great and save significant money with the Dinner Diva’s menus, recipes and shopping lists at www.savingdinner.com

Have you added exercise to your daily plan? It is so important! I wasn’t very active before I decided to change my life, but it made a huge difference in my healing.

People used to laugh at me when I told them I was working out for my mind, not to squeeze into smaller pants. Truth is that along the way I lost 40 lbs. in 8 months – great bonus! And it really changed the way I felt.

Here are some interesting facts about exercise benefits for mental health:

* Exercise will increase Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphins.

* Research has shown that as little as eight minutes of exercise can reduce anxious feelings & reduce sadness.

*  Will increase energy & stimulate the relaxation response in the body.

*  Exercise can regulate sleeping patterns and reduce insomnia.

*  Researchers at Duke University studied people suffering from depression for 4 months and found that 60% of the participants who exercised for 30 minutes three times a week overcame their depression without using antidepressant medication. Same percentage as those who only used medication.

It’s amazing how proud of yourself you will feel as you start to realize you are a lot stronger than you ever thought you were. Getting active will also help relieve muscle tension & help burn away those stressful, anxious feelings. The affects will last for hours after.

Make sure you commit to at least 4 days a week. Really stir up a sweat. We want to get those chemicals flowing in the right direction.

 

If you need a plan, Nutritional & Fitness Guru JJ Virgin is in our Coop to help. She has a great plan that gets me motivated.  I love the What to Eat & Get Fit With JJ. You can find her tools here.

Dust off those sneakers and make a plan. Can you commit to 4 days a week? Fitness time is a great place to practice your focus & living in the moment. It will quiet those loud voices in your head. I have created a workout schedule called “My Workout Log” to help you make a plan. If we have it written on our schedule in pen – we will get it done. Make your health your hobby! Make exercise a must in your daily routine. Find fun & different ways to exercise. Mix it up!

Have you printed out the sheets for the daily healing journal? Find a great binder, one from the garage is fine. Dust it off & let’s get started. I am right here with you! Don’t worry.

1st pages of your Binder should be The Contract for Freedom & the Workout Log. Have you signed one yet?

Then keep track of all your progress with The Daily Healing Journal.  Great way to see what is making you feel better or worse.  Finding the triggers is the first step.

All our printables are available free right here!

* Don’t want to waste ink & paper? We have them bundled up for you in the Egg Shop & they are ready to ship to you today. Each book contains 31 sheets for the month.

Keep me posted on how you are feeling or if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

Wishing you a peaceful day,

Dear Friends,

Setting and keeping goals is what babysteps are all about. Just one babystep helps make a routine. And when you string those babysteps altogether into one beautiful necklace and tie up the end, you have a circle. This is the cool part—the circle doesn’t end but keeps going. It shows a perpetuation of unending beauty. There is no stopping place, although you can see it where the starting and ending places are because you have tied the ends up. That’s just like our daily routines—starting and stopping places, but one continuum.

One of the most valuable babysteps in your routines is feeding your family. Once you’re ready and taken care of (showered and dressed to shoes) you can take care of your family. Notice the order this is done: taking care of you first is essential to being able to take care of your family. No one likes a martyr in a bathrobe with an ugly attitude!

You’ve heard me talk about the incredible value of the family dinner table for years now. You know this is my passion and mission, to see families back at the dinner table enjoying one another and reconnecting on a daily basis as much as possible. But I want to add some more “beads” to this necklace to help you grasp how much is riding on this simple piece of family furniture:

·CASA’s 1998 Teen Survey found that teens that eat dinner with their parents twice a week or less were four times more likely to smoke cigarettes, three times more likely to smoke marijuana and nearly twice as likely to drink as those who ate dinner with their parents six or seven times a week.

·CASA’s 1999 Teen Survey found that teens from families that almost never eat dinner together were 72 percent likelier than the average teen to use illegal drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, while those from families that almost always eat dinner together were 31 percent less likely than the average teen to engage in these activities.

·Research by other organizations has shown that teens who frequently eat family dinners with their parents are less likely than other teens to have sex at young ages, get into fights or be suspended from school, and are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide. Frequent family dining is also correlated with doing well in school and developing healthy eating habits. This pattern holds true regardless of a teen’s sex, family structure, and family socioeconomic level.

CASA is the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. CASA is primarily a think tank dedicated to finding out how to prevent drug and alcohol abuse among children. Their findings prompted family day and the above mentioned statistics. They offer way more information on their website than I have given. Google CASA to get their current information.

In tables all across America, people traditionally gather together to give thanks on Thanksgiving. This is the quintessential picture of the dinner table. I would like to remind you however, that the dinner table is not just a gathering place for holidays.

I invite you to take this information to heart. Not to make you feel guilty. Not to promote my book or website. But to give you some important food for thought to help you understand that underneath everything that you do, someone is watching you, emulating you and wanting more than ever, to connect with you. Your family dinner table is the starting place for making this happen. Don’t underestimate the power of dinner.

Love,
Leanne Ely, Your Dinner Diva helping you make dinner since 2001

www.savingdinner.com

Share with us some memorable times you’ve experienced around your dinner table. www.Facebook.com/SavingDinner

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You can find more from the Dinner Diva in The Coop.

Leanne Ely is a New York Times bestselling author of Body Clutter and the Saving Dinner series. The Dinner Diva syndicated newspaper column appears in 250 newspapers nationwide. Learn how to cook great and save significant money with the Dinner Diva’s menus, recipes and shopping lists at www.savingdinner.com

If you find that you can’t find anything on your desktop, or that your towers of papers are about to topple over, these tips are for you. Using these simple ideas can help cut down on office clutter, making you more organized and productive.

1. Clean out and organize your office files. File cabinets have a tendency to become overstuffed, making finding your documents a challenge. Purge your file drawers of old, unused files and of documents that no longer need to be kept.

2. Clear your desk of unused items. Knick-knacks, old letterhead, extra coffee cups, and any other items you don’t need for the day-to-day work you do should be removed or placed into a supply cabinet.

3. Throw away outdated reading material. It is easy to hold onto magazines, trade journals, newspapers, and sales material, hoping that you will one day have time to read them. However, most of the time, they just end up taking up precious space on your desk. Either toss them altogether, or organize them in storage boxes on a shelf.

4. If your desk is consumed by your computer monitor, try moving it. Place it on a computer stand to give you space underneath for storage. Even better, consider upgrading your monitor to a slimmer flat LCD screen, which takes up a third of the space of a traditional monitor.

5. Mount shelving near your desk to allow you to place items from your desk out of the way but still within reach. Space under your desk can be utilized with a file cabinet or other storage unit.

6. If you have multiple pieces of office equipment, such as a fax machine, printer, and scanner, consider investing in a multifunction unit that can handle all of these tasks with much less space needed.