One more spin around the sun.....

The ancient Chinese started counting spins around the sun 4700 plus years ago and according to that way of counting the year is not over yet. Modern Chinese adopted the Gregorian calendar about 80 years ago. They call it the Yang calendar. Mr. Arguelles who has researched Mayan Calendar, says our lack of balance is probably related to the way we count the years. The yin part is missing.

If you think about it, Mr. Arguelles makes a lot of sense. We still have 49 (dog) days from the first day of the Yang Calendar (Gregorian) to the first day of the Yin Calendar (actually solilunar) to prepare for the new cycle (a change from Dog-Metal to Pig-Water). More about Chinese year counting and regaining balance here.

Bringing about balance into our lives is a matter of knowing our strengths and weakness across the five elements. Wellness is the result of energetic balance of the five elements within the organism as it is expressed through the body organs.

To learn more about Chinese Five Element Theory you can visit: http://www.tcmbasics.com/basics_5elements.htm

More information on wellness available at the Relaxation Zone and Liquid Multivitamins and Nutrition Information Ctr.

As we leave the Red Dog Year (4703/2006) and go into the Red Pig Year (4704/2007) I wish all my readers continuous balance in all aspects of living.

Pilates can aid some with Parkinson's

Just received from a friend this interesting news for Parkinson sufferers. Although unrelated to my central topic here I think it is an important finding that is worthwhile sharing.

Parkinson's, a degenerative disorder, inhibits a person's ability to
control movement. Its most common symptoms include tremors, slowness of
movement, rigidity and poor balance.

The Parkinson Center of the Oregon Health and Science University in
Portland held a Pilates pilot program earlier this year,
and after it found improvement in the participants' rigidity and
balance it launched a twice-weekly class open to the public.

Instructors say the basic principal of Pilates — increasing core
strength and improving flexibility and balance — is extremely helpful
in countering the effects of Parkinson's in some people.

"A lot of times exercise is as much for the head as it is for the
body," said John White of Corvallis, Ore. "To feel like you can help
yourself in some way is really important."

More information on wellness at Relaxation Zone, the Liquid Multivitamins and Nutrition Information Center and Healthy Habits.


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The Benefits of Fasting

Rhio lists short articles by Dr. Alan Goldhamer, a chiropractor in California and others to introduce you to the concept of fasting as a way "maximizing the body’s self-healing capacities."

You can find more information on nutrition and wellness at: Relaxation Zone and "Liquid Multivitamins and Nutrients Information Center".

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Fast Food Nation

One of Amazon.com's Best Book of 2001 by Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation opened as a movie today. Check out the trailers at IMBD. Read author Eric Schlosser`s interview by Susan Gerhard at Greencine.

An excerpt from this interview follows:

"The book is a work of investigative journalism by me. The film is a Richard Linklater film. Two totally different people are having their say on the same subject. They're just really different. I think the only way the film could be good was if it's totally different, if it obeys its own rules."

More on nutritional wellness here.

Healthy Living News - C2NN

Health news from people that care at C2NN



You can also find stories on environment, society, science, animals, world and politics.



More information on wellness at: Relaxation Zone and Liquid Nutrition Information Center.

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Care2

I just joined Care 2, a portal that allows you to network with people who care and want to influence the world positively.  They provide you with a free email account that generates donations to worthy causes.  You can also share news that can help other people find out how they can help and get involved with a particular cause.

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Maca and its Uses

This hardy plant from the Peruvian Highlands provides one of the most nutritious meals available on the planet.  Used by the indigenous peoples of Peru for 2000 years, it was discovered by western man in the mid 1800`s.  The root powder is reputed to increase energy and libido so it is very popular as a natural libido enhancer.  The nutritional profile shows it rich in amino acids (about 10%) and this may explain its reputation as amino-acids play an important role in sexual and fertility functions.

Rain-tree `s site provides very complete information (including excellent photographs) on maca  and many others herbs.


More wellness articles and products at Relaxation Zone, Liquid Nutrition Information Center and Healthy Habits.

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Flavonoids in Green Algae

One of the truly amazing things about algae is its versatility.  Its use can be adapted to any self-care program, weather you want to loose weight or just supplement your vegan diet. 

This site offers several strategies for use and has many interesting links.  This is one of the most complete sites on spirulina and algae, where you can find recipes like the morning smoothie recipe on this page.

More wellness articles and products at Relaxation Zone, Liquid Nutrition Information Center and Healthy Habits.

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Soy Protein Shakes or Smoothies

I mentioned this site last month.  It is one of the most complete soy sites I have come across.  This page highlights smoothie recipes.  Most recipes are based on soy milk.  However you can add isolated soy powder  or even plain tofu to any of the recipes to increase protein content for a more nutritious drink.

More wellness articles at Relaxation Zone and Liquid Nutrition Information Center.

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Nutrition Facts and Calorie Counter

NutritionData is a very helpful site that will help you determine the nutrients and calories in the food you eat.  It has very powerful tools that help asses your nutritional deficiencies.

More wellness articles at Relaxation Zone and Liquid Nutrition Information Center.

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Susan`s Vegetarian Bookmarks

This bookmark site offers a very organized database that must have taken a while to compile.  It is one of the most complete I have found so far and certainly a good digg and del.icio.us candidates.  Thank you Susan for your work.


More Wellness articles at Relaxation Zone and Liquid Nutrition Information Center.

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Free Original Vegan (Vegetarian) Cookbooks/Recipes offered by the Vitalita Culinary Group (VCG)

My search for vegetarian cookbooks has led to this site from the Vitalita Culinary Group, that offers free vegan online cookbooks. I have not had time to check them all, but they do offer a sampling that looks yummie. Recepies are mostly for the true vegan with time in his hands. However they offer a personal catering service for the San Francisco Bay area. They also have a page with photographs that can help you make a decision.

I will continue searching for more simple recipies.Free Original Vegan (Vegetarian) Cookbooks/Recipes offered by the Vitalita Culinary Group (VCG)

WHFoods: Everything I Need to Know About Organic Foods

This site has extensive information on organic foods and how to prepare them. It is created by George Mateljan, a passionate chef that is concerned with the quality of food. WHFoods: Everything I Need to Know About Organic Foods

Enjoy!

Cancer Project / Nutrients That Help Prevent Cancer

Protective foods can help you prevent or at least diminish the risks of eating red meat. This site has lots of information.
Cancer Project / Nutrients That Help Prevent Cancer

Consider also the use of liquid nutrients to increase the firepower against unhealthy nutritional habits.

ACS :: Eating Lots of Red Meat Linked to Colon Cancer

This article from the American Cancer Society tells you how much is too much red meat. They also give out the stats: "Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer cases and deaths in both men and women in the US, striking more than 145,000 people and killing more than 56,000 each year."

ACS :: Eating Lots of Red Meat Linked to Colon Cancer

The Mad Cowboy

My soil quality search has led me to Howard Lyman, the Mad Cowboy. The following quote is from his about page:

"The question we must ask ourselves as a culture is whether we want to embrace the change that must come, or resist it. Are we so attached to the dietary fallacies with which we were raised, so afraid to counter the arbitrary laws of eating taught to us in childhood by our misinformed parents, that we cannot alter the course they set us on, even if it leads to our own ruin? Does the prospect of standing apart or encounttering ridicule scare us even from saving ourselves?

As it is outside it is inside...

We can all help in the fight against global warming. It is important to recognize that what we do to our environment we do to ourselves. So it is not just about eating on the healthy side. We take care of ourselves when we go on a gasoline use diet.

As I was researching for information on soil quality and produce I came across this interesting site on how to fight global warming.

Interesting pictures at the National Geographics site like the one above tell the story.

Blog Day Celebration

Celebrating Blog day I visited blog day site and these interesting blogs:

1. Mundo Marino
2. The Greenbelt
3. Cuteoverload
4. A Bit of everything at: Pixel and Dixel
5. Kahunka

Technorati tag: http://technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2006

Trust you will enjoy these blogs.

Fascia, collagen and amino acids

Fascia is the web that binds and shapes the body. Fascia is everywhere in the body as it wraps muscle fibers, bones, tendons, joints, organs. So through the fascia everything in the body is interconnected.

Fascia is made up mostly of collagen. Collagen is derived from the Greek word kolla, which means glue. And the term arose from the early process of boiling skin and sinews of horses and animals to make glue. The oldest glue was found to be collagen, carbon dated to about 8,000 years ago.

Skin is made up in large part of collagen. This collagen is connected to the rest of collagen fibers in the body, that is the fascia in tendons, muscles, joints, bones and organs. Bodyworkers can feel inner tensions just by placing their hands on a person’s body. In a sense they are picking up that tension as it travels through the fascia. If you quiet down and lie still after a while you will start registering your inner body tensions as they inform your nervous system that there is something held up or stuck.

So to change the structure of your body you need to change the shape of your fascia. And this is possible because the fascia is made up of collagen. Collagen has be capacity to change from liquid to solid. With chronic tension in the body the collagen will harden and shorten. Bodywork can help you change the form of the fascia to reduce inner tensions and stress.

To remain flexible and supple you need collagen. Collagen is what gives the body its plasticity. Collagen is made up of amino acids (building blocks of protein) and as we age because we loose our ability to assimilate nutrients less amino acids are available to create new collagen. And so we start shrinking. The skin shrinks up, the muscles get smaller, and the joints become less supple.

One way we can reduce that process at least partially is to consume amino acids (proteins) in forms that are easy to assimilate. One of the ways to do that is to consume liquid arginine (an important amino acid in collagen formation). Another way is to do exercise like Tai Chi, Chikung or yoga that stimulates blood circulation around joints. That helps the joints maintain adequate levels of amino acids. Another way is to consume protein that fosters good blood circulation like textured soy protein, that is also easy to digest.

Textured Soy Protein

You can find all about textured soy protein, tempeh, tofu and soy milk at this great site on soya. Soy is cancer prevention food par excellance and at this site you will find facts and recipes that will boost your self-care.

You will find answers to questions like... What is isolated soy protein?, What is textured soy protein?

There is also a great section on smoothies and desserts.

In China soy has been revered as a holy crop and you will be surprised how many things can be done with this little bean.

Healing thoughts, healing words, healing sounds

Healing starts in the mind. Words are a way of expression for the mind. Words carry energy in the form of sound. Therefore we can initiate healing with a thought, which can manifest as a word with positive healing energy.

Water is our first and most important nutrient. We are 70% percent water so the quality of the water we drink is of outmost importance for our health and survival. Water should not only be free of pollutants, it should be alive. It must carry dissolved micronutrients in the form of minerals and salts rich in ions. Scientists call water with these characteristics pi water.

Dr. Masaru Emoto has found a way of linking thoughts, words and sounds and shows it at his site hado.net. He shows how frozen water crystals reflect the energy and intention of thought. His research is very interesting and points the way of the future.

How The Body Heals Itself

A homeopathic physician in the 1850´s stated a very simple law that explains the process of how the body heals itself. This law known as Herring’s Law states that (1) the body heals itself from the head down, (2) from the inside out and (3) in reverse order of symptoms that has been suppressed for any reason.

These three simple principles if applied will help you prevent dis-ease and promote your healing process.

Healing starts with a thought, a desire that fuels you to act to regain your health or sustain it. I often repeat to others and myself that I do not like hospitals and putting myself in the hands of a physician. I really enjoy my health and I want to stay healthy, therefore I take action that helps me to sustain my well-being. The number one thing you can do is to stay healthy is to eat well. Do not only think about it, do research. Look for simple activities that sustain your health. You have heard it: “One apple a day keeps the doctor away”. The power of positive thinking, backed by positive actions.

The body is built as a series of layers of tissues all interconnected through special tissue known as fascia. For your skin to look healthy you have to start from the inside out. In other words if your colon lining is plastered with toxic waste, your skin will reflect that. The best way to apply this principle is to avoid junk food and to favor organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, clean sources of protein and natural supplements that support healthy tissue growth.

In other words, do not let toxins accumulate in the inner lining of your intestinal tract and you will promote the health of all the layers of tissue in your body. Periodically it is good idea to give yourself a good colon cleanse. It also makes sense to supplement your diet with natural anti-oxidants.

When something bad is inside you, your body will do its best to get it out. If you eat spoiled food, you will get diarrhea. It is a natural protection and it is better not to stop it, unless it continues for too long. When cold symptoms appear most people will start taking medicine that suppresses the coughing and the expulsion of phlegm. These medicines dry up the mucus and keep it inside the body, buried in layers of tissue. If this process is repeated a number of times after a while a serious condition will establish itself, like bronquitis or asthma that is even worse.

When you take herbs and natural nutrients (health foods or supplements) that support the natural healing process we have outlined here, the symptoms that you initially suppressed will start coming out in reverse order. This process is referred to as a healing crisis. To feel better we first have to feel worse.

These three principles if applied judiciously will help you keep the doctor away. If you loose your health, these principles will help you understand what you need to do to regain balance. Be smart. Choose a health practitioner that will help you follow principles to root out dis-ease from your body.

DeTox

We all come into this world without the operation manual for our bodies. If you are lucky you get parents that have figured a few things out. That was not my case. I had to look it up.

One of my first books on natural healing methods came from a Chilean priest named Manuel Lazaeta. It was out of print 35 years ago, so I can understand that Goggle only shows 21 distant references to the guy. He wrote a book that is like a bible (“Medicina natural al alcance de todos” de Manuel Lezaeta Acheran, edit. Kier) on natural healing. Probably very difficult to get a copy.

I do not have a copy of his book, but what I do remember is that he emphasized detoxification as a first step to regain health. His methods were radical, however very effective.

If you are really interested in improving your health this first step is mandatory. Do not invest in vitamins, herbal supplements and the latest nutraceutical product before you do a major clean up. Find out how psyllium husks (a bulking agent) and milk thistle (an herb that supports liver function) can help you and get started on a program.

One of the easiest ways to cleanse from the inside out is with this cocktail: Blend one apple (red or green) with 12 ounces of water. Add two ounces of concentrated aloe vera juice and two tablespoons of quality psyllium husks. Quickly stir the psyllim husks and do not delay. Drink this stuff fast, otherwise you will be in trouble. Believe me you do not want to spoon this stuff down. You want to drink it fast. Let it bulk up in your tummy. Drink a glass of water after you drink the mix.

If you have to get away before you can drink it all, you can always add more water.
Do this at least once a day for fifteen days. Very important, if you cannot do this do not try this formula: You must drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. After a couple of days, add some organic quality yogurt to your diet or get an intestinal flora supplement.

This is not as good as a colonic, but it gets pretty close, especially if you do it twice a day. Be careful, especially if you have a history of abdominal problems. Disclaimer: You do this at your own risk. It is better to consult a naturopath if you have doubts. Psyllium or aloe vera may not be good for certain conditions. Do a little research yourself before you start, that way you will be able to ask questions.

Once you do this clean-up, the best way to maintain your body free of toxins is to include lots of raw veggies into your diet. More on that later. A good general health guide (look under alternative) can be found here.

Junk Food versus Whole Food

As a teenager I had poisoned my body with junk food to the point that my tonsils had swelled so much it was difficult to swallow. When I realized my mistake it was easy to change to wholesome foods because I had a powerful why. It was raw food and whole grains or an operation to extirpate my tonsils. So that settled it. I decided I wanted to keep my tonsils.

And I am glad I did. A year and half ago I meet a young woman that was having problems with chronic low abdominal swelling and constipation. She suffered from nasal allergies, had stopped menstruating and was in constant pain. Her doctor was suggesting an operation to remove some apparently benign tumors growing around her reproductive organs. When she told me that a few years before she had her tonsils removed I realized how she had created her condition.

For this young woman it probably all started with creating a waste dump in her body by eating the wrong way. If the ratio of junk to whole is unbalanced any person will get into trouble and it does not take to long for that to happen. Morgan Spurluck has proved that it only takes a couple of weeks for a healthy individual to loose his health by eating only junk.

What is unbalanced for one person may still be ok for another. So each one of us has to find his junk to whole food ratio. For many reasons it may not be possible to follow a 100% whole food regime. To this day I still indulge in a greasy pizza and white bread every now and then. I still love coffee, so I have it every now and then, not everyday.

Fortunately there are ways of cleaning up and supplementing our system. In this way we can cancel out some of the mistakes we make. A lot of research is going on to develop high absorption nutritional supplements that will balance even the most un-natural lifestyles.

Wellness 101

Strange things are happening all around us. Glaciers are melting down as worldwide temperatures rise. Sea lions are disappearing from their habitats. Alergies among children are on the rise. Cows are going crazy.

Scientists are working overtime to figure out what is happening but it is not easy to figure these things out. In the meantime what can we do while apocalypse unfolds?

A couple of years ago Morgan Spurlock proved what happens to a person that eats breakfast, lunch and dinner at Ronalds for 30 days. You can see the results in a short clip here. Do a search on Super Size Me. They show the scene on day 21 when he confesses how he feels. This man is a hero.

It cannot get any more graphic than this. If you want proof, there it is.

The solution is easy if you start thinking that it is easy. So the first thing we need to do if we want to feel better is to cut down on the poisons. The main poisons are white food: white bread, sugar, salt, milk, white rice, anything made with refined sugars, flours, etc. You do not have to become a vegetarian, however try to stay away from factory farm produce.

Next you need to do a good clean up. There are many alternatives and a good naturopath or herbalist can guide you to the best alternatives for you. One of the best ways to maintain your organism clean is to eat wholesome brown food, with fiber. Raw veggies also help and there are herbs too. I will get to those later on.

The third step is closely related to the second one. If you choose good quality organic produce you will be eating a very colorful diet. Green, red and yellow vegetables and brown grains with natural anti-oxidants and micronutrients will boost your inmune system. Remember: Stay out of white dead food.

Finally you need to add some high absorption supplements. The best these days are liquid supplements. If you can afford it, go see a good naturopath that can test you and ascertain your needs. You can find a good guide for liquid supplements here.

So that is it, in a nutshell. I will be getting to each of these four steps one at a time.

One more thing I forgot: eliminate soda pop or anything carbonated. Leave that stuff for grand ocassions. Switch to pure water and juices on a daily basis.

Do not despair, it does not have be a boring diet. I will be posting some interesting blogs later on.

Should Cows be Mad?

Steve Poltz from way down under, thinks cows are mad at him. Go listen why. If you watched “The Meatrix” I think you will understand why.

From food gathering to factory farming in 2 million years. That is quite a trip. It seems like humanity is in a quest to degrade the nutritional value of the planet. However regarding Mad Cow Disease, I thought it was a thing of the past. It seems that officials at the USDA think along the same line. A few days ago the USDA reported plans to reduce testing by 90 percent. Why? It’s a mystery.

I keep thinking, if they do not test for a 100% how can anybody be sure he or she will not end up like Steve Poltz? It is just a thought. Maybe I am wrong and should not be concerned at all, because I do not crave burgers anymore. However there are people I am concerned about.

The philosophy that led to Mad Cows, started with improving the yield of the land with all kinds of harmful chemicals. So in countries like mine, where there is very little organic produce at the stores and very little control of how chemicals are used, consumers should be concerned.

A farmer I met in Panama´s highlands, years ago told me to stay away from these products: tomatoes, cabbage and parsley. Why? I asked. His answer: To make it to the supermarket they needed to be loaded with pesticides while they are growing.

So it is not only the cows, chickens, pigs, the veggies too are getting a dose of "more is better" philosophy.

Although it is more important what comes out of our mouths, we should still be concerned about what goes into them. The quality of our lives depends on it.

Yellow Cheese, Salami, Chef Boyardee and Rice Crispies

One of the first things I learned I could do to take care of myself was to watch what I ate. As a teenager, I was eating the worst types of foods you can find at a supermarket: cold meats loaded with nitrates, like salami, jam and bologna, canned food loaded with all kinds of preservatives, sugar coated cereals with no fiber and to top it all, processed dairy.

Now I can understand what my tonsils where saying. They were saying stop or we will choke you to death. They were giving me good advice which I disregarded until I saw the knife coming.

I was lucky I found a good guide when I decided to save myself. The advice I received from Surfer Magazine was simple. Drop all the canned stuff, stop the processed dairy, and avoid any type of cold meats like salami. If you are going to eat meat, eat real meat, however it is better to drop it too. If you cannot live without it, wean yourself out of it, one week at a time. Decide what is your favorite meat dish and eat it only once a week Follow this regime for a month and then start spacing the “meat day” to every two weeks.

In a month I felt so good that I was able to drop my favorite meat dish: meatballs with tomato sauce. After my tonsils bounced back to normal I realized the connection between food and my health: I am what I eat. So I started buying vegetarian food cookbooks and exploring the world of nutrition.

Eating meat thirty-five years ago probably was not as bad as it is these days. The meat industry was probably not so hormone oriented those days. Maybe they were just starting to experiment. At least no one heard of crazy cows back then. To get the scoop on how bad it is presently, visit “The Meatrix”. Moopheous and his friends will tell you all about the problems with animal factory farming.

Before I get into what is good for you, I want to tell you more about animal and vegetable factory farming. So watch for my next post. If you can’t wait to start taking better care of yourself go to my Wellness Guide at: http://www.omni.cashhosters.com/omni/links.html

Trusting the healer within

Looking back on that decision I now realize that probably my doctor did the best he could with the information he had at hand. Even if he knew that I could be helped by a change of diet, he probably lacked the experience to guide me through the road I took. I am not trying to excuse him, because one thing he could have done was to say he just plain did not know what else to do. However I must add that I probably did not ask what else could be done.

He could have emphasized that cutting my tonsils was just one solution, not “the solution”. He could have added that maybe there were other solutions and that I should explore them before taking a final decision. I see this situation around me many times. The tendency is to make an important decision based on the opinion of just one expert. We forget that an important expert we can consult is our own body. The body knows..... we just are not in the habit of trusting its signals.

So my tonsils were saved from the cutting knife just for two things. By a little voice inside that said, “I do not like this situation” and the fact that I like to read. I read all the time, when I am eating, when I am waiting and while travelling I take a book with me. So I now see that I was consulting other experts at the time my tonsils flared up, namely the guy who wrote that article on healing diets. That prompted me to look for more information.

So all I am saying is - do not trust just one doctor. And also do not put yourself in the hands of just one approach to healing. There are many healing alternatives and there is a reason for that. Above all consult your inner healer, let him have a voice. Get involved in the decision and pit the experts one against the other. Remember that listening to an expert does not mean following his advice, just be open to new information and then take a decision.

To start taking better care of yourself, visit this site: http://www.omni.cashhosters.com/omni/links.html

We have the power to decide

Recently I came across an excellent article by Gail R. Mitchell on self care. She finishes the article with the following lines:

“Our lives are so dear and precious. We can get stuck and distracted all over the place if we get caught in self-inflicted victim hood, putting the power in everyone and everything else but ourselves.”

The thing is, it is so easy to think we are ok that we do not even realize how we play the role of victims. I form part of self-support group that meets every Wednesday. Everyone has an opportunity to express his or her feelings after our group meditation. It is hilarious how almost everyone starts with the phrase- “Oh, I am ok”…. And continues talking and as he goes on everyone realizes that well, maybe our friend is not so ok.

Our levels of denial can be so high that many times it takes a tragic incident to waken us up. Many moons ago, when I was in my late teens, I came up with a case of allergic rhinitis. After going through a battery of standard medical treatments, I just kept getting worse, to the point that the specialist declared that my tonsils where the source of my problems. His recommendation: Lets get rid of them.

So I was scheduled for surgery. Because I had to wait two weeks for the operation room to be available I had time to come across an article in Surfer Magazine that recommended semi-vegetarian diets to heal. As I was not too happy about going into an operation room I decided I would try that. So after reading one article and without consulting anyone else (teenage bravado) I decided I would become a vegetarian.

Of course my mother protested immediately: “Where are you going to get your protein?” I can’t remember what I told her exactly but the bottom line is that I changed my diet completely. Lots of vegetables, no sugar, no salt, no salami or cold cuts, no hotdogs, hamburgers, white bread, no processed cheese, no Chef Boyardee and no SPAM. Oh! and I loved Spam. I still do! However my tonsils were more important and I became a radical in a couple of weeks. I started reading about vegetarian diets and became the family’s rabbit.

In one month my tonsils went back to normal and I was able to tell my mother: “See, I told you, do you believe now? I became so self-righteous about my success that I must have been very difficult to live with. However I saved myself from future years of self-inflicted agony. Now I can give thanks to my “bad” tonsils for the early warning signals that they gave me.

But I also want to thank the M.D. whose name I cannot remember, for his uninformed decision about my tonsils. Had he read something else besides the medical journals he could have suggested something else. I say thank him, because he gave me the opportunity to challenge his decision and exert my power. At an early age I realized that I had to get involved with my own healing.