Life Lessons From A Tea Pot

This tea set gets a lot of love at my office.  It’s decor in the receptionist’s room.  You can see it from the checkin and checkout desks.  I bought it several years ago to be an office decoration but I loved it so much that I kept it at home for two years before I brought it to the office.  It’s an actual useable tea set that I’ve used many times.

Take a good look at it.  First of all, the tree design just speaks to my heart.  (Note: my practice logo is a stylized tree of life design.)  It’s whimsical.  It’s dainty.  It has a bell in the teapot that gently tinkles as the tea is poured.  It has multiple shades of green, teal, and yellow blended and running together.  It’s a bit wonky: the saucers don’t match perfectly, the cups lean a bit, the pot is a bit tipped back. 

The artist sold this as a second.  It wasn’t perfect.  She told me it warped in the kiln and she was so disappointed in it.  She sold it cheap, because she just wanted it out of her studio, because she didn’t want to look at it anymore.

What the artist saw as failure and disappointment and a mistake, is what I love about it.  It’s unique.  It’s one-of-a-kind.  The artist will never be able to replicate it.  The imperfections are what caught my attention (plus the tree design, obviously).  The imperfections are what make it special.

It’s the same way with life.  We want our mistakes, our failures, our disappointments to go away.  We don’t want to see them anymore.  We don’t want to think about them anymore.  Yet, those are the things that make us.  We become the people we are because of them.  They make us grow, stretch, realize what we really believe is true, and hopefully become better people.

So let’s celebrate who we are, because our mistakes, our failures, our disappointments are part of who we are.  And they help make us unique, one-of-a-kind, impossible to replicate, and special.  It’s how we live well and live abundantly.

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And here I am, fourteen years later.  Has it been easy? No.   Am I glad I took the accountant’s advice and pursued my dream? Yes.

Happy 14th Birthday to Abundant Life Health Care.  It is worth all the work to be the Nurse Practitioner that I want to be, providing health care the way I think it should be done.  One on one, individualized, based on science, integrating natural medicine, and incorporating 14 years of clinical experience (and counting).

The majority of research suggest health benefits, though some studies offer conflicting results, which has led to research into each biologically active compound. Coffee contains hundreds of biologically active compounds (acids, carbohydrates, lignins, minerals, nitrogenous compounds, caramelized products, lipids, and volatile compounds), which all have different effects on health. 

Did you know that coffee is known to have estrogenic activity? This was documented over 80 years ago! Although estrogen’s action on the reproductive tract, mammary glands, and ovaries is well acknowledged, it should also be noted that estrogen effects other areas of the body such as the bone, nervous system, heart, and brain.  

Last week, my husband was injured at work.  I was coordinating between him, the ER, and our kids and had to take personal phone calls and return text messages during patient appointments.  Every patient that afternoon offered to reschedule their appointments.  Every. Single. One.  Often they told me, “No, really. It’s not a problem for me to reschedule, if you need to be with your husband.”

I am grateful for that.  My patients are some of the nicest people I know.  To offer to reschedule an appointment because my personal life was interfering with my professional life meant a lot to me.  I felt the love, understanding, and respect they gave me.  (I didn’t reschedule anyone, but did have to interrupt every appointment to take brief phone calls or return texts.)

So thank you to those patients, who were so willing to let me take care of my personal minor crisis in the midst of my professional business.  I hope if any of you are ever in this position, that you’ll be offered the flexibility I was given.

For those who are wondering, my husband’s injury is serious, but it could have been much worse than it is.  I am very thankful for that.  With time and healing, he will be okay.

I love being a Nurse Practitioner. Even working in a fast paced family practice clinic, I made a difference.  For the last 13+ years, I’ve been able to practice how I think is best for my patients.  I spend more time with them than I could in a typical medical practice.  I get to know them.  I get to know their stressors, their highs and lows.  I can help them in meaningful ways, not just writing a prescription.  Some of my patients have been with me since I opened my doors in 2006.  This is the best part of my job.  These patients are more like friends.  I don’t need to look at their charts to know what medications they take, what surgeries they’ve had, what foods they’re allergic to.  I know what they do for a living, how old their kids are.  I get to celebrate marriages, graduations, births, job promotions, beginning new careers, marriages that have made it through hard times.

But the opposite side of that coin is that I also play a small part in their sorrows.  Divorces, aging parents, lay-offs, cancer diagnoses, and deaths.  I can’t always separate my professional objectivity from my personal emotions, because these patients are my friends.  Today, I’m particularly affected by the death of a child of one of my patients.  I don’t just know the mom.  I know the aunts and grandparents of this precious child.  The mom and I were pregnant at the same time, and we compared belly sizes and pregnancy symptoms.  The grandma made a special baby blanket to welcome her first grandchild, and she made one for my baby too.  See? They’re friends.  And this is the worst part of my job.

As I sat at the funeral just 10 days before Christmas, I grieved with everyone else who was there.  My professional objectivity was no where to be found.  And in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Christmas season, I’ve been forced to pause.  Look around me.  Look at my children.  Look at my husband, my extended family.  Remember that I’d rather make memories than wrap presents. Errands can wait till later if I can bake cookies with my youngest child.  Even dishes can wait if it means watching a TV show with my family. That unpredictable tragedies can happen to anyone.  My kids don’t want hugs anymore, but fist bumps and back scratches are still okay.  I made sure they all got those at bedtime last night.

We always talk about taking a step back and evaluating our priorities.  But when was the last time we really did?  I’ve been doing that in the last week.

Read the article here: https://tinyurl.com/y3l8esnw

The Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study followed over 81,000 women for almost 12 years.  They have found some interesting trends as the numbers have been crunched.  This latest study was published on February 14, 2019 in the medical journal, Stroke.

Postmenopausal women who consumed two or more artificially sweetened beverages per day had a statistically significant increased risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality.  In obese women who had a BMI of 30 or higher, that risk went up even more.

“Artificially sweetened beverages may not be harmless and high consumption is associated with a higher risk of stroke and heart disease,” one of the authors said in a statement.

Here’s my conclusion: Get rid of artificial sweeteners!  This is just one piece of evidence pointing to what natural medicine practitioners have been saying for years.  These chemicals are not meant for our bodies.  They do more harm than good.  Let’s all say “so long” to sucralose!  Adios, aspartame!

But I know how beneficial curcumin is (it’s the primary active ingredient in turmeric) as an anti-inflammatory and the research is plentiful in its use as pain control.  The anti-inflammatory effect is not limited to the joints.  It’s been shown to be effective for gut inflammation as well.

Traditionally, golden milk has been used for liver health, heart and brain health, immune system support (supposedly treats colds, flu, and sore throats), inflammation, skin health and healing, and is full of anti-oxidants.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Then I started reading about how to make golden milk.  Chopping, slicing, mashing fresh roots.  Simmer it in milk for 15 minutes, watching closely so it doesn’t scorch.  Then remove from heat and allow it to sit to continue infusing the milk with all that herbal goodness.  Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth.  Add honey to taste.  Then finally, you can drink it.

WHO’S GOT TIME FOR ALL THAT?  Not me.

So I was very excited when Metagenics released Golden Fusion, a powder version of golden milk that is added to warm water, coconut or almond milk.  It’s been so easy that I’ve been drinking my Golden Fusion every day for three weeks now.  Can I see any difference in how I feel?  Yes, I can.  (If you want details on what I have been noticing, please ask me in person!)  Is it doing everything that golden milk claims it does?  I don’t know yet.  But I’m going to keep drinking it and see.

The big question is, how does it taste?  It was quite good in sweetened coconut milk (I accidentally bought sweetened coconut milk. Oops!), and it was oh, so soothing when I had a cold with a very sore throat.  In unsweetened coconut milk and warm water, it’s okay.  By no means does it taste bad or bitter, but it’s not something that tastes like dessert either.

If you want to read more about golden milk, and Golden Fusion, in particular, click this link:

https://tinyurl.com/ybsh3qjp

Golden Fusion is available in our online supplement store.  Click the tab above for “Supplement Store.”  If you haven’t yet, you’ll need to create an account using your email address and password of your choice, then click “Shop Dispensary” and you’re ready to place an order. 

A recent study suggests that another mechanism may have a direct impact on testosterone levels: sugar consumption. A study with 74 men between the ages of 19-34 looked at the impact of 75g of glucose on serum (blood) total and free testosterone levels in men with varying glucose tolerance. Glucose ingestion was associated with a 25% decrease in mean testosterone levels regardless of glucose tolerance or BMI, and remained suppressed for 120 minutes. What is 75g of glucose equivalent to in real food terms? A can of Coca Cola has 75g, a McDonald’s M&M McFlurry has 84.8g, a cup of low-fat fruit yogurt has 46.7g, a Clif Z bar has 30g and a pumpkin spice latte (grande) has 50g of sugar. It’s easy to see how regular sugar consumption alone can add up to perpetually suppressed testosterone levels in men.

So what does this mean?  If you are concerned about your testosterone level, decrease or eliminate your sugar consumption.  Everyone knows we should eat less sugar, and here is one more reason we should do so.

Then have your testosterone levels measured with a saliva test, and be treated accordingly with physiologic dosing of bio-identical hormones, along with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise.

Deep belly breathing can drastically improve your health.  In fact, recently a patient told me, “Belly breathing has changed my life.”  That is exactly what he said to me, word for word.  No paraphrasing needed.  I even asked him if I could quote him, which I have done to many of my patients and now to all of you reading this.

If you’re wondering what belly breathing is, click HERE to my blog post about how to perform belly breathing.  But today we’re looking at WHY we should belly breathe.

Here are nine ways you can benefit from belly breathing…

1. Increased oxygen.  When you breathe deeply, you deliver more oxygen to every cell of your body.
2. Physical relaxation.  It’s hard to keep your muscles tense when you’re taking deep belly breaths.
3. Increased endorphins.  With belly breathing, you produce more endorphins, which help feelings of well-being and decrease pain.
4. Decreased blood pressure.  As physical tension decreases, the blood vessels also relax, which can lower blood pressure.
5. Decreased mental stress and anxiety.  Belly breathing can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the sympathetic nervous system.  This is medical speak for telling your body that there are no tigers hunting you and your family, and that everything is okay, resulting in lessening anxiety and stress levels.
6. Improved detoxification.  Your lymph system and liver work better under less stressful conditions, improving your body’s ability to eliminate toxins.
7. Improved digestion. With better oxygenation, your digestive organs work better.  This means more regular elimination and you absorb nutrients better too.
8. Improved adrenal function.  In my clinical experience, belly breathing is the best thing you can do to heal your adrenal glands.
9. Better sleep.  By turning down your stress signals, relaxing your body and your mind, increasing the oxygen in your body, it helps you sleep, too, especially by doing some deep belly breathing before bed.

And if you need more reasons, here are two more: 

1. It’s free.
2. You don’t need any special equipment.

So start today, right now would be even better.

I had a chance to explore the town a bit, try some interesting foods, have adventures getting around on the Max light rail, and wander through an amazing five-story bookstore.

FindWhy™ Genetic Testing for Weight Control looks at five genes that are known to have a significant impact on the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates and responsiveness to exercise. The genes in the FindWhy™ Genetic Testing were chosen by a very thorough review of research literature related to genes, exercise, obesity and nutrition. The genes tested are:

    •    FTO—Regulation of metabolism and satiety

    •    MC4R—Regulation of satiety and meal frequency

    •    ADRB2-E27Q—Sensitivity to carbohydrates and stress impact

    •    FABP2-T55A—Fat absorption and insulin regulation of sugar

    •    SH2B1—Regulation of insulin and leptin systems

Testing is performed on the DNA collected from cheek cells which are collected by brushing the three swabs on the inside of the mouth.

Testing your genes can give you specific dietary and exercise recommendations, such as eat five small meals a day or perform high intensity cardio exercise.  When you know that your body converts sugar straight into fat, it makes you think a bit harder about eating that piece of cake…

For more information about FindWhy™ Genetic Testing or to schedule your testing, call us at 208-433-9188.

Today, we learned about the newest theories of root causes of high blood pressure.  It was not a “you’ve got high blood pressure, take this medicine to lower it” kind of webinar.  It was about studies that show the three types of cellular dysfunction in blood vessels that cause high blood pressure.  In fact, a study that was discussed resulted in 62% of participants getting off their blood pressure medicine when these root causes were treated and cellular function was normalized!  Amazing!

Now, Karole is NOT telling you to dump your blood pressure medicine.  But it means there is hope in treating high blood pressure that may not include prescription drugs and corrects the underlying cellular dysfunction that is causing the high blood pressure to begin with.  Stay tuned as more research continues…