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Today was Day 1 of the hCG diet. My friend Vi showed us how to draw an injection and then there we were with our needles. Walt was braver than I was, and went first which gave me the courage to inject myself for the first time. I felt a little queasy, but I was able to do it. I did an intramuscular injection in my quadriceps, and honestly it did not hurt a bit. The needles we got are so fine and sharp it really was easy once I got over the whole idea of it. Today was also a loading day - which means a 3500 calorie day. So far I've managed to get in an everything bagel with cream cheese, a couple of cups of coffee liberally laced with half-and-half, a generous serving of egg, spinach, sausage and cheese casserole, some gratuitous strawberries, grapes and half a banana, an angus steakburger (on the way home from Michigan), and an open faced peanut butter and cheese sandwich with a side of salt & pepper potato chips. On to the New Year's buffet! I can do this! (at least I can do this part of it!) Happy New Year!

Miracle Noodles

We've decided to postpone the diet by one day and start the "loading" process on Friday, which will also be our first injection day. We'll be in Michigan with some seasoned hCG dieters, and after the over-the-phone mixing debacle, I think I'll feel more confident if Vi shows us how to prepare our first dosages, although I am determined not to be a chicken and shoot myself up. We'll be able to enjoy all of the food at the New Year's Eve party we're planning to attend (with our church community group - pass the sparkly grape juice, please), and have the big juicy steaks that Walt has selected as the last loading blast on New Year's Day. Our first VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet) day will be Sunday. Which will be interesting, since we're invited to a (surprise - hope you're not reading this, because you'll know who you are) birthday party that day and won't be partaking in the food.
Meantime, check out these Miracle Noodles - a staple of the hCG diet. No calorie, gluten free noodles, - can they be any good?  Right now there's a huge bag of them in my fridge, because they come packaged in liquid, a noodle first for me. I haven't tried them yet, but I will let you know what I think. Our friend Karl says that combined with a can of organic stewed tomatoes, they are guilt-free noodle heaven.

Santa Brought Presents

Santa came on Christmas eve - with a delivery to the post office, our box of hCG. It was a little bit exciting, wondering if our box would clear customs in time (if at all) for us to start our program on the 30th like we had planned. I had a short-term freak out when I saw that the hCG was in liquid form, as everything I had read up till now, including all of the mixing instructions, spoke of a powdered form. After I stressed about it for a while I visited one of several on-line forums devoted to this diet, and discovered that it does indeed come in a liquid, a newer formulation. Today I was able to get hold of Vi, who gave me mixing instructions - well, actually she tried to walk me through the mixing process over the phone. It's actually easy once you know what you are doing, but I had a very steep learning curve which included a puncture wound from a large bore needle, some cursing, and a bottle of mixed solution that looks like champagne, it has so many bubbles in it. Air embolism, anyone? I think it's going to be OK, but if I have to I will toss this bottle and get another mixing kit before we run out of supplies. We are one day away from our proposed start on Thursday, and I have been loading up on things like hormone free chicken breasts, stevia, and Tom's of Maine toothpaste. I also bought some goodies for the first two days of the diet - which are "loading" days, in which you must consume a minimum of 3500 calories per day. I bought braunschweiger, swiss cheese, provolone, olive oil mayonnaise, and all natural crunchy peanut butter. Oh, heavenly high-fat joy! I can't even remember when I last ate those things - and all in the same day no less. Maybe when we were on the Atkins diet? I lost six pounds the first month and then never an ounce after that - but interestingly, didn't gain either despite eating lots of meat, eggs, cheese, cream and coconut oil. Well, I digress, but I am so looking forward to two days of unbridled feasting before the diet proper begins.

More on Na-PCA

Back to Na-PCA - just found this on Amazon. This is a terrific price. I've continued to use this stuff and it continues to amaze me. We had a heat wave today - I think we got up to 28 degrees (F), but the past few days we've had temperatures in the single digits. Normally this would mean it's time to really slather on the goo in order to keep my skin from getting flaky - but I've just been spraying this stuff on my face, and adding a little eye cream around my eyes and I have been good to go.
How can something so light keep my skin so soft and supple? Amazon also has this in the non- aloe formula and in multi-packs for even bigger savings.
 Now if I can just get used to the idea of those needles...

Needles and Syringes and Swabs, Oh My!

There's a lot of prepping for this hCG diet. I've bought grissini (Italian breadsticks - all I can figure is that the doctor who created this diet was located in Rome) and liquid stevia to sweeten the tea and black coffee that I'll be having instead of breakfast. Today I received all of the stuff to manage the injections - a scary box full of needles and bottles, syringes and alcohol swabs. The needles are 2 1/2 inches long. At the moment I just can't see myself having the courage to puncture myself with one of those things. Having doubts and second thoughts. Yet ...I've seen the results, and they are really impressive. The hCG hasn't arrived yet, and I have no plans to start until just before the new year so I guess I can put off thinking about those needles a little while longer.

Na-PCA

I'm starting to collect the stuff I'm going to need on the hCG diet. One of the really interesting things is that in addition to eating (and not eating) very specific foods, it seems to matter quite a bit what you put on your skin. Anything with oil (fat) in it interferes with the loss of body fat. My friend and business mentor Vi recommended something called Na-PCA, which is made by Twinlab. Vi likes it so much, she has continued to use it even though she no longer needs to restrict her skin care products. I found a bottle in the health food store, and have been using it for a few days. I'm sold - this stuff is really wonderful. Here's what Twinlab has to say about their product:

Twinlab Na-PCA Description

non-oily

The Natural Moisturizing Factor In Human Skin Twinlab Na-PCA is a Ph-balanced, concentrated solution of the sodium salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, the natural moisturizing factor found in human skin. Na-PCA is synthesized from glutamic acid, a nonessential amino acid. The skin contains natural moisturizers, the most important being Na-PCA.

Old skin contains only about half the amount of Na-PCA as that found in young skin. The ability of skin to hold moisture is directly related to its Na-PCA content. It is water, and not oil, that keeps skin soft and supple. Na-PCA pulls water out of the air, moisturizing the skin, improving its appearance, and giving it a moist and youthful glow. This is not a cosmetic cover up; it is a physiological correction of an age-related deficiency state.

Ingredients: Purified water, Na-PCA (the sodium salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid), eucalyptus, ethanol, monolaurin (the principal antimicrobial factor in mother's milk).

Twinlab Na-PCA Directions 

After bath or shower, spray Na-PCA liberally on the hands and apply to the face and other skin areas. Na-PCA may also be used to condition dry or damaged hair. To condition hair...wet hair before using. Apply Na-PCA and leave on hair for 5 minutes. Then rinse.

Disclaimer

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

I haven't tried it on my hair yet, but my skin seems to love it. It doesn't feel like I have anything on my skin at all, but my skin isn't dry - it just feels ...healthy. I have really sensitive skin, so getting something that doesn't irritate it or cause me to break out is challenging. I bought the version with Aloe Vera in it because that's all they had at the store. Since then I've found a plain version (and the Aloe one too) at about half the price I paid, on-line at Vitacost. There are a number of on-line stores that carry it as well. Finding this stuff is an added bonus for me - and I haven't even started the diet yet.

The New Year's Diet Adventure

I've been studying the hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) diet. When I first heard about this diet, it sounded insane to me. Like so many other things in life, I formed an opinion about it without doing any research, based on very limited knowledge. I mean seriously, a 500 calorie a day diet based on shooting yourself up with a pregnancy hormone? Sounds crazy doesn't it? I saw friend after friend lose an amazing amount of weight, while reporting that they felt great, and weren't hungry despite the tiny caloric intake. They looked good too, none of that haggard, saggy look that dieters sometimes get. It seemed too good to be true, and so I watched, thinking that they would quickly regain the weight they had lost. They didn't. It still wasn't enough to get me to open my mind. Yes they had lost weight, and they looked and felt good, but I just couldn't believe that something that sounded on the surface, so odd, could be GOOD for you. Then my friend Jenn, who has been a competitive bodybuilder and has more than a rudimentary understanding of health and fitness did it. Now honestly, I didn't think she could look any better than she already did, but... you guessed it, she lost those few naggy little pounds she could never seem to take off before. That started to make me think, but only a little, if I'm being honest. It wasn't until Lynn, who is a wellness professional, and one of the smartest and best educated people I know when it comes to nutrition, did the diet and lost seven inches around her middle-aged waist that I had enough belief to do my own research.
I thought this was a new diet, but it's been around since the fifties. The creator of the diet was a British physician, A.T.W. Simeons, who treated countless thousands of (mostly wealthy) fat folks in his clinic in the Salvator Mundi International Hospital in Rome using this method. He wrote a book, "Pounds and Inches", which explains the rationale behind the diet, as well as how to administer the diet itself.
It's fascinating reading - at least it was for me - and makes an amazing amount of sense. Rather than try to explain it here, I'll just point you in the direction of the original manuscript and the very bright Dr. Simeons. Bottom line - obesity is a symptom, and this diet is purported to be the cure. My anecdotal evidence says there is some truth here - I've seen over a dozen friends attempt this diet over the past year with stunning results. They range in age from early twenties to mid-fifties, and include men and women, PX90 freaks and couch potatoes.

Photo by James Farmer

As is true with anything that is not a part of "conventional wisdom" and many things that are, there is a lot of controversy, opinion, and misinformation all over the internet regarding the diet. My belief is that if you want unconventional results, you have to do unconventional things, in the realm of health or anywhere else in life.
So I'm going to try it, and I'll be blogging about how it's working, how I feel and anything else that seems relevant. The planned start date is January 1st, enough time to run through a 23 day cycle (the minimum time to change your biochemistry according to Dr. Simeons) before our TEAM Major Convention at the end of January.  It's a rigorous protocol that requires very specific foods. along with a daily dose of hCG. I think I've got about 25-30 lbs to lose, although the diet is self-limiting; that is, you lose till you don't have anymore extra fat to lose and then you don't. If it works the way it's supposed to I should be able to get it all off within two 23 day regemines. More to come soon on the hGC adventure.

Still Recovering

Yeah, it's been a long time since I posted. The auto accident took more out of me than I first realized. Walt and I have both been seeing the chiropractor three times a week, plus having a weekly hour long session of Muscle Activation Technique (MAT). Recovery has been weird. I would string two or three or maybe even four days together when I felt good, and then wake up the next morning feeling like I was back at square one, the day after the accident, the proverbial "hit by a Mac truck" feeling. For my husband it was even worse, with almost constant pain and fatigue. I didn't want to even go there, but we finally had to consider the possibility of Fibromyalgia, which is often triggered by auto accidents and other body trauma. The good news is, we are both feeling quite a bit better, and have "graduated" to a once weekly chiropractic visit, plus the ongoing MAT. A friend gave us a packet of diclofenac epolamine topical patches, and I was researching those (it turns out this is an NSAID) and I came across this little slide show, which I thought was kind of cool: Fibromyalgia Slideshow: Fibro-friendly Exercises on RxList.com

For us, exercise lately has consisted of a group of gentle stretches prescribed by the Dr. John Gentner at Gentner Chiropractic. What I really like is that Walt & I did not get the same stretches. We each got an individual treatment plan, tailored for how we were injured, and we're recovering with the treatment that we are getting. Even though the stretches are super-gentle, I hurt afterward, which was a total surprise and more evidence that the accident was more severe than I thought.

And the knucklehead that hit us? Seems he's pleading innocent to the criminal charges so a court appearance may be in my future. Watch out Judge Judy.

Crash

We had a little too much excitement over the weekend. In keeping with our "Let's be healthy" theme, Walt and I went for a walk in the park, which is absolutely gorgeous with fall color. On the way home, we were hit head on by a drunk driver, who promptly shook it off, threw it into reverse, and ran. A chase ensued, in which I am informed that I was spewing a string of curse words that rivaled the dad in "Christmas Story" when he tangled with the furnace. We were able to get his license number and the make and model of the car which I called in to the Lakewood PD. While we sat in a parking lot and tried to metabolize all of the adrenaline we had generated, they went to his house (he went home) and arrested him for DUI and fleeing the scene of an accident.

It's funny, the car has minimal damage. My bumper did exactly what it is designed to do - absorb the brunt of the impact. It really falls into the "fender bender" category, if not for the added excitement of the Dirty Harry car chase that followed. When the adrenaline wore off, we both discovered how sore we were, and we were even more sore, stiff and achy the next day. I think it would have been even worse if not for icing and massive doses of MonaVie active...antioxidants and plant based glucosamine. We're always looking for an excuse to drink more of it because it tastes so good, and this seemed like a good reason to polish off a bottle in a couple of days.

Still, Walt is really feeling it in his neck and shoulders, so it's off to the chiropractor today for an evaluation and treatment. It made me think about what I know about soft tissue injuries, and how important it is to treat them. If we are this tender from such a small bump - no air bags deployed - then how much trauma occurs in a really big crash? In my years in practice as a massage therapist, I've seen a number of people who did not treat their injuries following an accident only to have them return later, sometimes, years later.

The body does all kinds of things to adjust. Trigger points -small areas of muscular dysfunction - form, and can be active or latent. The active ones will cause pain, often referring it to some place other than the actual location of the trigger point. Those are the ones that are likely to make you seek treatment now. It's the latent ones, the sleepers, that can be activated at some future date due to additional stress on the body. Trigger Point Therapy is very effective in treating post-accident muscle pain, whether it's done immediately after the accident or later on.



The other thing that often happens is that the neuro-muscular connections of one or more muscles become compromised. Those muscles don't function as well as they should, and other muscles have to pick up the slack... this causes a sort of chain reaction of dysfunction that can continue to grow over time, involving more and more muscles as the body keeps on trying to compensate and keep on truckin'. The only way I know to fix this is be treated by someone like my friend Kim, who is a Muscle Activation Specialist. She practices Muscle Activation Technique which was developed by Greg Roskopf to treat athletes. Fortunately it works equally well on the athletically challenged.

What's best is to get treated right away and avoid needless suffering, and all of the additional compensations that the body creates when muscles are not able to function the way they are supposed to. The good news is that it's never too late to seek treatment. Even if it's been years since the damage occurred, you can get better and feel better.

The Neti Pot

Ah, wellness. Sometimes it's not pretty, as in using the neti pot to irrigate your nasal cavity. But before you say "eeeww", consider this: moist, clean mucus membranes are much more resistant to invasion, plus you can actually wash out pathogens before they have a chance to get in there and do their dirty work. I have friends who use the neti pot daily, as part of their personal hygiene routine, along with brushing and flossing their teeth. I don't use mine that frequently, but when my nose feels dry, or I start to feel congested or sniffly, out it comes. If you haven't ever used one, this might be hard to believe, but it really does feel very soothing. It used to be difficult to find a neti pot but now that we're all into prevention, and so many folks need low tech (read low cost) solutions to stay well, they are everywhere. I got mine at Walgreen's (there were three models to pick from) and it even has the Walgreen's logo on it. How much more mainstream can you get? The downside is that the first time you use it, deciphering the directions can be a bit challenging. That's why I have included this neti pot demonstration. It's got a bit of a commercial in it but it's really clear. Even if the girl does look like a robot.

Echinacea - it's not all the same stuff

In my last post I talked briefly about enhancing wellness during the changing and changeable autumn. One of my personal faves for preventing colds and flu is echinacea. It's funny but there are a lot of misconceptions about echinacea, the most common one being that it loses its efficacy after you take it for a few days. I used to believe that too, until Dr. Michael Dobbins, an extremely bright and funny guy from the San Francisco Bay area (Oakland, I think) set me straight.
That fallacy is based on a mistranslation of a German study. The subjects in the study took echinacea for five days and it proved to be helpful, but when it got translated, it was interpreted that it was only effective for five days. Not so! You can take it for as long as you like, and you can take it prophylactically, that is, as a preventative, before you ever even feel sick. (If you want more details, or want to check out the studies that have been done on echinacea, an herbalist named Robyn Klein has written an excellent, easily understood article  that you can find on echinacea myths.)

I've taken echinacea for years at the first sign of a sniffle, or even without a sniffle if I've been exposed to someone with a cold, and had great results. But there is trick to getting good results, and that is by buying echinacea that has been processed in a country that has pharmaceutical standards for herbs. In the US, you can pretty much put anything in a bottle, label it echinacea (this goes for any herb) and sell it. The European Economic Community has established standardized guidelines for herbs, and herbal products from Germany are typically high quality, but mine come from Medi-Herb in Australia. I like the stuff that is in liquid form, in an alcohol base, because it goes right to work. Well, I don't actually like it, as it's about the nastiest tasting stuff you can imagine, but it works. It's worth the extra effort and slightly higher cost to hunt down herbs that have been produced with pharmaceutical standards - and really easy to do on line.

Seasons change and so do I...

Just spent a couple of hours working on my business Facebook page. I can't quite figure out how to  add a like box to this blog, so if anyone knows, I'd appreciate the input. I keep getting this big honking thing that does not fit in the column. I'll go back and try again when I feel fresh. Right now I am stiff and achy from sitting at the computer and watching the cold gray rain come down. I love the change of seasons but my body is not so sure. Time to get up and move around! I'm going to exercise as soon as I finish this entry and I know that will help.

Did you know that spring and fall, with all of their temperature fluctuations are challenging times for the body? I learned that when I was studying shiatsu (acupressure). It's especially important to do the basics, like getting enough rest and exercise, eating healthfully, and washing your hands frequently. It's also a good time to do a bit more, to practice prevention aka Wellness practices. Massage, using a neti pot, certain herbs like Echinacea and Astragalus, and MonaVie (m)Mun, which contains Wellmune, are all beneficial right now. I will be exploring some of these in more detail in the days ahead.

Check out my new space!

I saw a few clients this week in my new space in Westshore Skin & Health Center, which is amazing. I never even imagined a setting so lovely. Check it out.

These first two photos are from the garden. After you park your car, you enter this magical, quiet place under a long green awning. On most days, you will find dappled sunlight, wind chimes and chipmunks (who apparently are very busy this time of year).

There are even a couple of small benches in case you decide to stay for a while, which is very tempting in such a beautiful peaceful place. The thing that is so amazing is that this building fronts on a very busy street. Just across the road are Robeck's, Starbucks and Five Guys. Burgers in the front, chipmunks in the back.

The waiting room looks out into the garden and has a glass ceiling as well. If you get tired of watching the birds, there are lots of magazines, and a selection of teas to relax with. It's a space I enjoy just hanging out in for a while.

This is the reception area, more interesting shapes, soothing colors, sparkly glass, and friendly people to welcome you. That's Rob answering the phone. 

This is my room - still needs a bit of decorating but it's a peaceful retreat and a wonderful to place to get or give a massage. That glass block wall lets in just enough soft light to make it easy to rest. I have my soft cushy foam topper and fuzzy blanket for CranioSacral therapy. I've seen a few loyal clients this week, and they are in unanimous agreement that this is an exceptionally nice environment; spacious, inviting, and serene. It feels like home.

Road Trip

Two of my favorite words in the English language: "Road Trip!" We will soon be gobbling up the miles in Dave's seven series Beamer. It is fabulous when running properly, which isn't often. Prayers for an uneventful trip that does not involve finding a mechanic are most appreciated.

I'm packing for our TEAM MonaVie National Convention in Milwaukee. Having been there before, I know we are in for three days of Stadium Food - or in this case, Cellular Arena Food. Six dollar bottles of water, five dollar hot dogs, nachos and cheese... you get the picture. So, what's a girl to do when she wants to eat as healthfully as possible? This is the solution I've come up with: Organic Gala apples, hard boiled eggs, home made cherry oatmeal muffins, dry roasted unsalted almonds, and those little packages of tuna and chicken salad that come prepackaged with a few crackers. If they have little boxes of granola at hotel's complimentary continental breakfast, then some of those too. And of course, MonaVie back at the hotel, and as much Emv as I can smuggle into the arena. I think my menu is a reasonable compromise - nutritious and no refrigeration required during the day. What do you pack when you're going to an event like this?

Fair Food Facts

It's Labor Day weekend, and at our house that means one thing - a trip to the Geauga County Fair to look at horses, pet goats and eat stuff we probably shouldn't. The weird thing is that as I become more health conscious, and hopefully healthier, some of the things I used to want to eat have lost their appeal. I'm not sure there are any really good choices at the fair but I'm sure that some are better than others. I recently saw a segment on Rachel Ray (yes I am still easing into my new life and occasionally catching some daytime TV) about Amusement Park & Fair Food that was surprising. For instance, did you know that a giant soft pretzel, with mustard rather than cheese sauce it between 500 and 800 calories? It's like eating half a loaf of  white bread - no nutritional value there. Another shocker is a snow cone - 540 calories! Now I don't think anyone would suggest that a snow cone is anything but sugar syrup and ice - again no food there - but who knew the calorie count was so high?

 We were there for several hours, and settled on (in this order) a giant meatball in tomato sauce (courtesy of a caterer from Little Italy), a grilled chicken pita, eating mostly the filling and ditching some of the pita, a baked potato with butter and sour cream, a Superboli (a Stromboli filled with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms and cheese, coffee with cream and a chocolate dipped cannoli of the chocolate chip variety (back to the Little Italy caterer).

 I see a trend here - my food inhibitions diminished and then dissappeared the longer I stayed and wandered around looking at Fair Food. Well, at least it wasn't giant pretzels or snow cones. Walt partook of most of this nutritional disaster too, eschewing only the cannoli - but making up for it by eating most of the butter laden baked potato.

You can buy good things at the fair - there was a lot of gorgeous produce - but it just doesn't seem right to walk around the Fair munching on a cucumber. We did our best to make up for our nutritional debauchery by walking around a lot, drinking a triple shot of MonaVie when we got home, and by going right back on our healthy eating plan the next day. According to my bathroom scale, which granted is notoriously inaccurate,  I still managed to drop a pound last week (sushi!) God is good.

Inspirational Fair Food

Food Pyramid

Monday

Today was a great Monday, and I feel so blessed to be able to say that! I met with my friend Shari, a gifted personal trainer, who is also in transition from a stressful situation. We commiserated, compared notes and talked about the future over iced tea. After that, I met with Lynn, who runs an absolutely lovely, elegant skin care clinic with a huge emphasis on nutrition and total wellness, and it looks like I am going to be able to set up my bodywork practice there. I have never been in a negotiation that went so well - actually it was less like a negotiation and more like a meeting of two like minds. Lynn is all about serving her clients and helping them live happy healthy lives, and has built a very successful business doing just that. I think this is going to be a great fit for me and I'm excited about moving my practice into her place. We have a few details to work out - but all of the major deal breaker stuff has been agreed upon! More to come as things develop.

I got another huge clue about my health this morning. It's oppressively hot and humid again, and when we went for a walk, I started to get that breathless squeezing feeling in my chest, for the first time since I left my J-O-B. It was minor, really a ghost of what I experienced before, but I used the asthma inhaler Dr. # 2 prescribed and got complete relief, so, as he suspected, my breathlessness is about asthma. Asthma, exacerbated by work related stress and medicine that just doesn't agree with me, if you ask me.

Today is the most uplifting positive day since I made the decision to return to the wellness business, and I am so grateful to be "blessed and highly favored".

Obama Wellness Initiatives

I've been walking - and yesterday I worked out for the first time since the big health debacle. It really does not take long to lose muscle tone, as I learned again yesterday. Even though it was a short workout with baby weights (5 lbs) it felt great! Still no breathlessness...which lends credence to my "stress and meds" theory. What has left me breathless are the doctor's bills that have started rolling in. Oh my...

I've been reading about the Obama wellness initiatives for the workplace. No one really seems to know much about it yet - but I plan to keep on top of this as it develops. It's hopeful that we are maybe actually going to start paying attention to prevention. There is some controversy too. Some believe that giving reduced health insurance costs to employees who don't smoke or have a healthy body mass index is unfair to poor, uneducated and or fat people. Seriously? I just don't buy it that most folks can't figure out a way to add a little healthy movement into their lives without having to join a gym, and it does not cost any more to buy decent food, actually probably less, than cheetos and twinkies... so let's educate people about exercise and good nutrition, offer smoking cessation programs, and then let them decide for themselves whether the economic incentives make it worth changing their habits. Let's treat people like grownups, and perhaps they will live up to our belief in them rather than discouraging them by insisting that the poor things need special treatment because they have been disadvantaged in the past.

Back in the Saddle (so to speak)

At the end of a very long and very satisfying day. I saw my first bodywork client yesterday, and two more today. It is really wonderful to have a few clients who remain faithful to me after exactly a year long hiatus away from this business. Weird, too that it was exactly a year - I didn't plan it that way. My body is complaining just a teeny bit, but my spirit is satisfied. I love this part of what I do. I was truly burned out, mentally and physically when I stopped doing it and went to work for the telecomm company last year. Now I am burned out on selling phones and thrilled to be back. Funny.

I was not sure how it was going to be doing energy work again. Before, no matter how much I tried to keep my ego out of it, I was still pretty wrapped up with how well I was doing, and even though I would say it was up to God whether people got better, I don't think I really believed it. I thought I had to work at it, because that is how I was trained. Since I am not yet in great health, having just gone through the whole "holy crap you might be having a heart attack but it's really 'only' stress" scenario, I know I can't possibly be a powerful conduit on my own - which means God has got to do it or it ain't happenin'. And God was faithful today - and I got to be there. Studying the passages in the Bible that have to do with healing has had a huge impact on how I am working now. Today is a day when it is easy to be grateful.

More Medical Mayhem

So I went to both the cardiologist and the internist. The cardiologist gave me a prescription for antacids because he thinks that I'm having some weird acid reflux thing and it's causing the breathing problems. The internist thinks the cardiologist is making a stab in the dark and told me not to take the antacids and gave me a prescription for an asthma inhaler. Neither one thinks the drug I was on could possibly have anything to do with my symptoms, despite the fact that they started after I started taking it, and have markedly improved since I stopped. Go figure. Is it that hard to admit that the patient might be right?

Here's the great thing - those stairs that were the start of this whole episode of medical mayhem? I went up all four flights on Monday and again today and I was able to carry on a conversation after I did. I'm telling you this stuff not because I think my medical history is that interesting but as a cautionary tale, maybe aimed more at myself than at anyone else. Once the sickness industry train gets rolling it's hard to get off. I don't want to be an anti-medicine fanatic; I think fanaticism in any form is a bad. I know doctors are well-meaning and doing the best that they can. But, it's a scary thing when no one is willing to listen to the patient, when the medical history they take (I got a copy) is full of errors, and the procedure they do sets up a chain of events that result in a visit to the emergency room with a condition that is potentially much more threatening than the original reason for seeking treatment. Moral of the story (again, for my own benefit) is to do whatever it takes to stay well.

I started the diet on Monday and have done really well (though not perfectly) so far, and I have started walking again. I will need to condition slowly - I have lost muscle tone and my cardiovascular endurance is nil. But I can start! The docs have given me the OK to resume my life, including workouts - which is a good thing, because who ever heard of a wellness coach who is in such bad shape?

Hallelujah, free at last!

Well it's official. I am no longer anyone's employee. Exhilarating and scary! It's up to us now to make life work without the safety net of the bi-weekly paycheck. The upside of course, it that the work-stress is gone. The work phone is gone. No more fires to put out. Whew... I am just beginning to decompress. As my first official act, I have painted my toenails. This falls into the category of wellness, well, because...it makes me feel happy to look down at me feet and see them painted. It's such a simple thing really, but one I did not have time for in the past several weeks - and now I do.
We're going to our TEAM/MonaVie monthly seminar this afternoon, and we're bringing a new friend with us. I've been religiously drinking the juices and they are helping me to feel better and to recover from this crazy episode in my life and get back on track. I can't wait to see what happens next now that I am in the new part of my life! I know God has great things in store for us.

Getting Ready to Launch

Wow, I only have three more hot pink and chartreuse squares on the countdown calendar on my refrigerator and then I start the next chapter of my life. I have been busy learning how to populate my blog with all of the fun peripheral stuff that might make me a few bucks to spend at Amazon or just look pretty and lend visual interest. I remember trying to blog a few years ago and how clunky and impossible the templates and software were. Google has come a long way since then - it's almost plug and play - even a non-techy person like me can do it. Then there's the update to my LinkedIn profile, and trying to figure out what kind of photo to post on my professional page on Facebook.
I'm thinking about the food plan I want to start on Monday, when I actually will be able to eat every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to rev up my metabolism, instead of ignoring my body for eight hours at a stretch like I sometimes do now. There are things I have to do, like getting on a scale, and taking an initial set of body measurements, to get a baseline so that I can gauge how well I am doing with losing weight and getting back my muscle tone. In the crock-pot is a batch of low-sodium marinara sauce, simmering and sending out heavenly smells. Tomato-ey, as Homer Simpson would say. I'll be putting that in canning jars and into the freezer tonight; no more store bought, high sodium, high fructose (albeit yummy) spaghetti sauce for me. I've also been thinking about how I want to reward myself each week that I show progress on the scale. I'm thinking sushi.  It won't blow my food plan, yet it feels like a  decadently extravagant treat. Especially if the only time I have it is when I've had a victory. Sushi it is, and maybe a new article of clothing when I hit a milestone (like ten pounds?) How do you reward yourself when you are trying to implement a healthy new habit?

Counting down the days

I made it through day two of my return to work at the phone store. Only four more to go, and then my new life as a Wellness Coach officially begins. It's funny how now that I know that I am leaving everything looks different there. It's still an insane environment and yet it does not bother me all that much now that my days are numbered (four).
I'm looking forward to being able to eat small frequent meals again. Some days at the store (like yesterday) are so non-stop busy that I have tea and a home-made muffin and then nothing or nearly nothing for the rest of the day. Which is so bad on so many levels ...but looking at just one - it's metabolically stupid. My body thinks I'm in danger of starving and my metabolism slows down and weight loss, even weight maintenance, becomes darn near impossible. A life saver for me has been a can of MonaVie Emv (a healthy - no kidding - energy drink) and a small handful of toasted almonds or walnuts. It's something simple that I can eat & drink while I keep moving and it's really healthy and filling. Almonds and walnuts are both high in calcium, trace minerals, B vitamins and essential fatty acids, not to mention they are filling and taste really good. I learned from Sally Fallon's amazing cookbook "Nourishing Traditions" how to slow-toast nuts so that they retain the maximum amount of nutrition and taste wonderful. It's really easy, too. I soak them overnight in filtered water with a handful of sea salt added. Then in the morning I spread them on cookie sheets or jelly pans and slide them into a low (150 F) oven. By evening they are crunchy and delicious. They store well in airtight containers, in or out of the fridge. Mmmm - making myself hungry.

Sick Girl Writing Wellness Blog - Ha!

So here I am, re-inventing myself for, oh, I don't know, maybe the 10th time, as a Wellness Coach. And I'm writing this from the couch in my living room, where I am on strict bed-rest with a sand bag on my groin to keep my right femoral artery from leaking following a cardiac catheterization. The irony in this is not lost on me.
I had been thinking about leaving my insanely hectic and crazy job with a major player in the telecommunications field, in large part because the stress was becoming pretty overwhelming. I don't plan to badmouth them, and I pray I can stick to my plan, because the company itself does a great job servicing it's customers, it just has a - shall we say, interesting disconnect about how it treats its employees. Enough said. The handwriting was on the wall, time to make plans to go.
I went to work for them about a year ago, in large part because it was a way to get decent, affordable health insurance. More irony. Before that I had been working in the wellness field for twenty years, mostly doing therapeutic massage and CranioSacral therapy. A failing economy and rising health care costs pushed me to make a pragmatic but joyless change, and I know I am not alone.
I suffer from migraines, and my this January, my employer's new health insurance provider announced to me that they were not willing to pay for the amount of expensive migraine medication I require unless I looked into (cheaper) migraine prevention medicines. My doctor suggested and prescribed a drug and we were off and running, right into the brick wall I hit two weeks ago when I walked up four flights of stairs and couldn't breathe. I won't bore you with all of the details, but 2 visits to the ER, one over night stay at the hospital, and many expensive medical tests later, here I am. I believe that my shortness of breath is a side effect of my medication...and seems to be getting better now that I am no longer taking it. So far, I can't get any of my medical consultants (doctors) to believe me, though they can't explain why I failed a cardiac stress test, but my coronary arteries are textbook pretty.
So I've been through a series of medical misadventures at the hands of a bunch of highly trained and well meaning doctors, and it has me more convinced than ever that wellness is the only thing that makes sense. Good nutrition, stress reduction, exercise, adequate rest, meaningful work, a sense of purpose, prayer, good relationships with others and a right relationship with God are the things I will be exploring and incorporating in my life to the extent of my imperfect human ability.  I've learned a lot of stuff over the years in the business and it didn't save me from becoming unwell... I've got my own wellness journey to take, and you're welcome to come along for the ride.

Update: Just returned from Dr. M who is subbing for Dr. B who is in Europe for another couple of weeks. I am officially off the couch! Walking, yes, work, yes, sex, YES, lifting anything over 2 pounds, no. Woohoo, I feel like I pulled the get out of jail free card. Thank you, Jesus.