I typically will spend a few days learning about random things that I think will be profitable either to myself or to others. These past couple of days I've been learning more about the lymphatic system and it is quite fascinating!
The lymphatic system doesn't pump the lymph throughout your body on it's own, it needs you to make some effort. Can you say exercise? A really great exercise that helps keep the lymphatic system moving along smoothly (as opposed to getting clogged up in the nodes) is rebounding. A rebounder is basically a mini trampoline, though there are varying degrees of quality. A gentle bounce, called the "health bounce" for five minutes a day is all that is needed to capitalize on rebounding's benefits for lymphatic health. In fact, it's encouraged that you start out gently in your routine rather than starting a rigorous workout.
The gentle action is enough to move the fluids so they can promote healing throughout your body. After all, you wouldn't want to counter the healing benefit by injuring yourself! Also, drink plenty of fluids, water being the ideal, to keep the lymph fluids moving along nicely.
One other notable tidbit is gentle massage to your lymph node areas, especially where there may be excessive build up. This is what was happening to me with my right under arm shoulder area. For years I thought I was having carpal tunnel issues as the pain was affecting the rest of my right arm, even down to my hands. Who knew? I simply started to massage the area to try and isolate where the pain was sourced from. Ultimately, I ended up at the swollen lymph node under my right armpit. (I just had a mammogram about two months ago with a clean bill of health, so was able to rule that out right away). Every opportunity I get, I try and massage this area to work the node. It's amazing to me the relief I have experienced. Though not 100%, there is a very noticeable improvement. It must be that the swollen node was not allowing room for nerve activity to happen fully.
About 3-4 years ago I was encouraged to have carpal tunnel surgery. I didn't feel conforatble with that; it just didn't seem like getting cut up was the solution, but rather seemed quite rash and extreme! I am SO GLAD that I didn't go that route, as clearly, the source of the problem would still exist and I'd have had a needless surgery. I am one of those folks who likes to explore the least invasive, most natural/gentle form of remedy first. I just don't understand how medical professionals can honestly go there as the first mode of solution, that, or drugs! But, then again, I DO KNOW that they have to work with health insurance policies, and sadly, homeopathic/ natural cures are not covered!
I have nothing against medical professionals, rather, I know they're of great value when you really need them. Same with meds and surgical procedures. It's just that these days, there's way too much relinquishing of our own will to the will of our caregivers. There's also not enough information being provided to the patient as a natural alternative to all these drastic measures. We have to take charge of our own health and learn what is available, especially what's going to have the least consequences and be the least invasive.
It's okay to ask your healthcare provider about alternative options to things they suggest. Ask them what is the least invasive option. And also, don't feel compelled to have something done that you're not at peace about. Sometimes the doctors are right, but sometimes they have been know to misdiagnose things. Not because they're stupid, but because they may not have all the facts about your situation.
Good health to you!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Inspirational Blog - Roy Lessin's Meet Me in the Meadow
I found this inspirational blog from the co-founder of daysprings. On many occasions it has enriched my life. You may enjoy it too, so I have posted it here. Please feel free to bookmark it to your favorites if you so desire. I did!
http://roy.dayspring.com/
Recent excerpts from Roy Lessin's blog:
Fret Busters #23, #24
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3
Great Quotes
You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:16
God chooses the weak things and the despised. Paul seems almost at a loss to know how to define the things, so weak and despicable in men’s eyes, that God elects to use. In a telling phrase he sums them up as the “the things which are not.” I Corinthians 1:28.
http://roy.dayspring.com/
Recent excerpts from Roy Lessin's blog:
Fret Busters #23, #24
There is one thing that God says to every believer, regardless of his circumstances — “Trust Me.”
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3
Confidence is not based on you having all the resources needed to take care of yourself; confidence is based upon the truth that God is faithful.
Great Quotes
You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:16
It is much that He should satisfy the need, the want; but He goes far beyond that. Pity is moved to meet our need; duty may sometimes look after our wants; but to satisfy the desire implies a tender watchfulness, a sweet and gracious knowledge of us, an eagerness of blessing. God is never satisfied until He has satisfied our desires. –Mark Guy Pearse
God chooses the weak things and the despised. Paul seems almost at a loss to know how to define the things, so weak and despicable in men’s eyes, that God elects to use. In a telling phrase he sums them up as the “the things which are not.” I Corinthians 1:28.
Do you fall in that category? Do not despair. Far from being at a disadvantage as compared with others, you may in fact have the edge over them. For at least you are already at zero, and have not a long way still to go to reach God’s starting point!
–Watchman Nee
Humility
Those who walk before God in humility are:
Weak enough to lean upon His strength;
Small enough to look upon His greatness;
Patient enough to wait upon His timing;
Empty enough to draw upon His fullness;
Poor enough to depend upon His riches;
Needy enough to count upon His grace.
“I love being nothing so He can be my all.” -Don Lessin
Emerson - A Heart Reignited
Reading an Introduction into The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, I was stirred by the words of Mary Oliver. As she described Emerson I was reminded of how “like-souled” we are and how in many ways I desire to be like him in his simplicity in observing life, his contentment, and yet his deep thinking, active mind to find beauty in the most common observances of everyday life.
I have felt for some days, perhaps even weeks, as though I were half dead in my soul, trying to figure out why I should still draw breath daily when my life felt purposeless and empty of aim. Mind you, I was not suicidal, but rather, just sort of living on "empty". Life lacked something.
Last night, my soul’s embers, once thought smoldered and cold, were suddenly stirred while reading. Reignited was this small spark, a flicker, that turned into a slow and steady flame. I know now that much of what was lost was my own observation of life, life with its daily common happenings. Instead, I had been filling my day with the clutter of duty, chores, deadlines, etc… the mundane…all these calling me to attend to them, but all the while neglecting what has been a passion in life, the keen observation of life all around, and drawing upon the hidden lessons that life wants to teach me if I will stop and observe.
How seldom I had opened the doors so that I might step outside and see the happenings in my community. Here, I have been granted this unique privilege to live in this particular time, and in this unique area of the world. But sadly, my only portals to see outside this vessel had been the media…the news, magazines, articles, television, the internet, etc. To my own detriment I had ignored the most obvious portal of all – my own eyes, my own heart, my own understanding. How about those things I look upon, learn about, apply my heart to understand about what I am seeing. What about my perspective? Why should everyone else's perspective about life be more esteemed than my own? After all, they cannot see what only I can see. If perchance I understand what I am observing, I might in turn also elevate those who are involved.
Emerson in his introduction to his first published essay entitled Nature wrote, “The sun shines to-day also.” (This is our day to live, much like others who lived so fully before us! They had their time; we now have ours!)
Harriet Martineau wrote of Emerson, “His influence is of the curious sort. There is a vague nobleness and thorough sweetness about him, which move people to their very depths, without their being able to explain why… He conquers minds, as well as hearts, wherever he goes; and without convincing anybody’s reason of any one thing, exalts their reason, and makes their minds worth more than they ever were before.” 9th June, 1848
I want this to be the theme of my life, that others were better for having been in my presence, that they were edified, elevated, improved, for having known me. People should be left better than we find them! As a young girl I can recall my mother's teachings: "People cannot be replaced," she would say, "things can be replaced, but not people!" She helped me realize the worth of a man.
Emerson would daily jot notes in his journal – simple observances versed profoundly, and vice versa, profound observances versed simply. He wrote with eloquence. He was inspirational, yet modest. Some favorites of the thoughts he preserved in his journals:
And perhaps my favorite (taken from Ms. Oliver's introduction):
This last quote noted here gives wings to my petitions, reminding me that yes, I see the situation…indeed, it is right here; I am not denying it. I simply choose to change my perception, viewing it instead with God beside me. He is in the picture. Viewing it from God’s vantage point, suddenly, all appears possible!
I have felt for some days, perhaps even weeks, as though I were half dead in my soul, trying to figure out why I should still draw breath daily when my life felt purposeless and empty of aim. Mind you, I was not suicidal, but rather, just sort of living on "empty". Life lacked something.
Last night, my soul’s embers, once thought smoldered and cold, were suddenly stirred while reading. Reignited was this small spark, a flicker, that turned into a slow and steady flame. I know now that much of what was lost was my own observation of life, life with its daily common happenings. Instead, I had been filling my day with the clutter of duty, chores, deadlines, etc… the mundane…all these calling me to attend to them, but all the while neglecting what has been a passion in life, the keen observation of life all around, and drawing upon the hidden lessons that life wants to teach me if I will stop and observe.
How seldom I had opened the doors so that I might step outside and see the happenings in my community. Here, I have been granted this unique privilege to live in this particular time, and in this unique area of the world. But sadly, my only portals to see outside this vessel had been the media…the news, magazines, articles, television, the internet, etc. To my own detriment I had ignored the most obvious portal of all – my own eyes, my own heart, my own understanding. How about those things I look upon, learn about, apply my heart to understand about what I am seeing. What about my perspective? Why should everyone else's perspective about life be more esteemed than my own? After all, they cannot see what only I can see. If perchance I understand what I am observing, I might in turn also elevate those who are involved.
Emerson in his introduction to his first published essay entitled Nature wrote, “The sun shines to-day also.” (This is our day to live, much like others who lived so fully before us! They had their time; we now have ours!)
Harriet Martineau wrote of Emerson, “His influence is of the curious sort. There is a vague nobleness and thorough sweetness about him, which move people to their very depths, without their being able to explain why… He conquers minds, as well as hearts, wherever he goes; and without convincing anybody’s reason of any one thing, exalts their reason, and makes their minds worth more than they ever were before.” 9th June, 1848
I want this to be the theme of my life, that others were better for having been in my presence, that they were edified, elevated, improved, for having known me. People should be left better than we find them! As a young girl I can recall my mother's teachings: "People cannot be replaced," she would say, "things can be replaced, but not people!" She helped me realize the worth of a man.
Emerson would daily jot notes in his journal – simple observances versed profoundly, and vice versa, profound observances versed simply. He wrote with eloquence. He was inspirational, yet modest. Some favorites of the thoughts he preserved in his journals:
“We live amid surfaces, and the true art of life is to skate well on them.”
And perhaps my favorite (taken from Ms. Oliver's introduction):
Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view."
This last quote noted here gives wings to my petitions, reminding me that yes, I see the situation…indeed, it is right here; I am not denying it. I simply choose to change my perception, viewing it instead with God beside me. He is in the picture. Viewing it from God’s vantage point, suddenly, all appears possible!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Consumer Reports Picks the Best Cup o' Brew (Article)
Consumer Reports Picks the Best Cup o' Brew
Our top-rated Colombian coffee is also a CR Best Buy
By ConsumerReports.org
Folgers, Maxwell House, and Starbucks are America's best-selling ground coffees. But all three were iced by Eight O'Clock Colombian coffee in our taste tests. As for Starbucks, it didn't even place among the top regular coffees and trailed among decafs.
Our tests of 19 coffees also show that some of the best cost the least. At about $6 per pound, Eight O'Clock costs less than half the price of Gloria Jean's, Peet's, and other more expensive brands.
Like your joe without all the caffeine? Dunkin' Donuts and Millstone were the front runners among the decafs. But Folgers Gourmet Selection Lively Colombian came in close behind and costs up to $3 less per pound. But even the best decaffeinated coffees couldn't match the best regular brews in our taste tests.
What we tasted
Our coffee experts focused on 100 percent Colombian — a best-selling bean — for regular coffee. Most of our decaffeinated coffees are a blend of different beans.
What makes a great cup of Colombian? Lots of aroma and flavor, some floral notes and fruitiness, a touch of bitterness, and enough body to provide a feeling of fullness in the mouth. Woody, papery, or burnt tastes are off-notes.
Weeks of sipping and swirling confirmed that even 100 percent Colombian coffee and its Juan Valdez logo don't guarantee quality. Our trained testers unearthed other surprises:
Still so-so after all these years
Chock full o'Nuts and Maxwell House have pushed coffee that's "heavenly" and "good to the last drop" since 1932 and 1907, respectively. But off-notes, little complexity, and, for Chock full o' Nuts, variable quality put both behind Eight O'Clock.
When boutique isn't better
Midwest-based Caribou and Kickapoo beat an array of larger players among regular coffees. But Bucks County Coffee, from Langhorne, Penn., tasted only OK, and Peet's, from Berkeley, Calif., was burnt and bitter, despite costing $14 per pound. Peet's, Archer Farms, and Kickapoo also varied from batch to batch.
Caffeine differences
None of our decaffeinated coffees had more than 5 milligrams of caffeine per 6-ounce serving. But among regular coffees, Caribou and Bucks County had roughly four times the caffeine (195 milligrams) of some of the lowest-level brews. Medical experts say up to 600 milligrams per day is probably safe for most and can help keep you alert. But heart patients and women who are pregnant or nursing should stay below 200 milligrams, which might mean sidestepping those brands among the caffeinated coffees we tested.
How to choose
Several of our top coffees could save you $25 to $70 per year over pricier brands even if you drank just one 6-ounce cup per day. Here's what else to think about:
Consider how you take it
Coffees judged very good taste fine black. Milk and sugar can improve a mediocre coffee, but not even cream is likely to help the lowest-scoring decafs.
Choose a good coffeemaker
The best coffeemakers from our January report reached the 195º to 205º F required to get the best from the beans and avoid a weak or bitter brew. A top Michael Graves model costs just $40.
Consider grinding for fresher flavor
Even the best pre-ground coffee can't beat the best fresh-ground when it comes to taste. One top grinder from our January report, the Mr. Coffee IDS77, costs only $20.
Our top-rated Colombian coffee is also a CR Best Buy
By ConsumerReports.org
Folgers, Maxwell House, and Starbucks are America's best-selling ground coffees. But all three were iced by Eight O'Clock Colombian coffee in our taste tests. As for Starbucks, it didn't even place among the top regular coffees and trailed among decafs.
Our tests of 19 coffees also show that some of the best cost the least. At about $6 per pound, Eight O'Clock costs less than half the price of Gloria Jean's, Peet's, and other more expensive brands.
Like your joe without all the caffeine? Dunkin' Donuts and Millstone were the front runners among the decafs. But Folgers Gourmet Selection Lively Colombian came in close behind and costs up to $3 less per pound. But even the best decaffeinated coffees couldn't match the best regular brews in our taste tests.
What we tasted
Our coffee experts focused on 100 percent Colombian — a best-selling bean — for regular coffee. Most of our decaffeinated coffees are a blend of different beans.
What makes a great cup of Colombian? Lots of aroma and flavor, some floral notes and fruitiness, a touch of bitterness, and enough body to provide a feeling of fullness in the mouth. Woody, papery, or burnt tastes are off-notes.
Weeks of sipping and swirling confirmed that even 100 percent Colombian coffee and its Juan Valdez logo don't guarantee quality. Our trained testers unearthed other surprises:
Still so-so after all these years
Chock full o'Nuts and Maxwell House have pushed coffee that's "heavenly" and "good to the last drop" since 1932 and 1907, respectively. But off-notes, little complexity, and, for Chock full o' Nuts, variable quality put both behind Eight O'Clock.
When boutique isn't better
Midwest-based Caribou and Kickapoo beat an array of larger players among regular coffees. But Bucks County Coffee, from Langhorne, Penn., tasted only OK, and Peet's, from Berkeley, Calif., was burnt and bitter, despite costing $14 per pound. Peet's, Archer Farms, and Kickapoo also varied from batch to batch.
Caffeine differences
None of our decaffeinated coffees had more than 5 milligrams of caffeine per 6-ounce serving. But among regular coffees, Caribou and Bucks County had roughly four times the caffeine (195 milligrams) of some of the lowest-level brews. Medical experts say up to 600 milligrams per day is probably safe for most and can help keep you alert. But heart patients and women who are pregnant or nursing should stay below 200 milligrams, which might mean sidestepping those brands among the caffeinated coffees we tested.
How to choose
Several of our top coffees could save you $25 to $70 per year over pricier brands even if you drank just one 6-ounce cup per day. Here's what else to think about:
Consider how you take it
Coffees judged very good taste fine black. Milk and sugar can improve a mediocre coffee, but not even cream is likely to help the lowest-scoring decafs.
Choose a good coffeemaker
The best coffeemakers from our January report reached the 195º to 205º F required to get the best from the beans and avoid a weak or bitter brew. A top Michael Graves model costs just $40.
Consider grinding for fresher flavor
Even the best pre-ground coffee can't beat the best fresh-ground when it comes to taste. One top grinder from our January report, the Mr. Coffee IDS77, costs only $20.
A Great Article About Judging a Good Cup of Coffee
10 Ways to Judge Good and Bad Coffee
Posted Fri, Dec 12, 2008, 4:34 pm PST
What kind of coffee drinker are you? Is Folgers fine or do you shudder to think of a day without your Italian roast? Can there be a universal right or wrong when it comes to determining personal taste? Aficionados who make tasting brews their business would like to think there is. Want to know how your cup of coffee measures up? Check out coffee expert Michaele Weissman's tips to see how to judge your java.
Michaele Weissman's 10 Ways to Judge a Cup of Coffee:
1. The Scent
Our sense of smell is much more sensitive than our sense of taste. Anyone who has been captivated by the smell of coffee won't be surprised to learn that coffee releases more aromatic compounds than any other food. These should be pleasing aromas, but bad coffee may include onion-y and vegetable-y elements in its scent.
2. The First Sip
Try tasting each new coffee black. Nothing is wrong with milk and sugar, but they alter the taste and texture of the coffee. So, when learning about coffee, it's a good idea to take a few pure sips. Also, let it cool slightly to make the range of flavors in the cup more accessible.
3. Sweetness and Saltiness
Look for an underlying natural sweetness. That taste comes from the ripeness of the coffee cherry. Professional tasters rank sweetness as the most important taste characteristic of high-grade coffee. Coffee should never taste salty. Saltiness is caused by processing defects.
4. Acidity
Taste for a bright, light acidity that is pleasing. This is not to be confused with the stomach-churning acidity that you get, say, from coffee that has been sitting on an office hotplate for four hours.
5. Texture
A nice texture for coffee has a little thickness. It's not thin and watery. The last taste you experience with good coffee should be smooth, and there should be a pleasing, sweet aftertaste.
6. Fruits and Vegetables
Finding words to describe the interplay of what our taste buds detect (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory) isn't easy. Many of the world's most prized coffees, such as those from Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia, abound in flavors that are described as bright, lemony, orangey, berry-like, and floral. When the fruity flavors go bad, however, they can degenerate into vegetable tastes. Not so good. Who wants sautéed onions or steamed cauliflower in their coffee cup?
7. Spices
Exotic flavors that are spicy (think cinnamon and cloves), smoky, and woodsy can be desirable. Such tastes often appear in Indonesian coffees. In excess, they can be unpleasant.
8. Natural Sugar
Chocolaty, caramel-like, nutty, and toasty flavors come from the sugar browning that occurs during roasting. Latin American coffees at their best have lots of these yummy, warm, sweet notes. In lower quality coffees from Latin America (like some of the national brands you buy at the supermarket), this sugar browning can produce the sense of swallowing a mouthful of dry, bitter grain.
9. The Roast
Roasting can be light, medium, dark, or very dark. If you detect a burnt quality in a coffee, it may be a bad roast. In the U.S. there are regional differences in roasting. Companies from the Pacific Northwest tend toward darker roasts.
10. Espresso Notes
Espresso is made from a blend of coffees brewed under great pressure, using a large amount of coffee and a small amount of water. Espresso is dense and intense and can stand up to other flavorings. High quality espresso has just as complex a flavor range as brewed coffee. If you order an espresso in a café, the layer of reddish brown foam on the top, called the crema, should be thick and creamy, and you should be able to push it away from you with the back of a spoon. If you order a cappuccino, the milk foam should be thick, creamy, and sweet.
Tip: Knowing where your coffee comes from can help you pick one that will taste great to you. Latin American coffees tend to be chocolaty and mild. Coffees from east Africa tend to have a wake-up-your-mouth kind of perkiness that coffee pros call brightness. Coffees from Indonesia tend to be earthy, dark, and more intense.
Posted Fri, Dec 12, 2008, 4:34 pm PST
What kind of coffee drinker are you? Is Folgers fine or do you shudder to think of a day without your Italian roast? Can there be a universal right or wrong when it comes to determining personal taste? Aficionados who make tasting brews their business would like to think there is. Want to know how your cup of coffee measures up? Check out coffee expert Michaele Weissman's tips to see how to judge your java.
Michaele Weissman's 10 Ways to Judge a Cup of Coffee:
1. The Scent
Our sense of smell is much more sensitive than our sense of taste. Anyone who has been captivated by the smell of coffee won't be surprised to learn that coffee releases more aromatic compounds than any other food. These should be pleasing aromas, but bad coffee may include onion-y and vegetable-y elements in its scent.
2. The First Sip
Try tasting each new coffee black. Nothing is wrong with milk and sugar, but they alter the taste and texture of the coffee. So, when learning about coffee, it's a good idea to take a few pure sips. Also, let it cool slightly to make the range of flavors in the cup more accessible.
3. Sweetness and Saltiness
Look for an underlying natural sweetness. That taste comes from the ripeness of the coffee cherry. Professional tasters rank sweetness as the most important taste characteristic of high-grade coffee. Coffee should never taste salty. Saltiness is caused by processing defects.
4. Acidity
Taste for a bright, light acidity that is pleasing. This is not to be confused with the stomach-churning acidity that you get, say, from coffee that has been sitting on an office hotplate for four hours.
5. Texture
A nice texture for coffee has a little thickness. It's not thin and watery. The last taste you experience with good coffee should be smooth, and there should be a pleasing, sweet aftertaste.
6. Fruits and Vegetables
Finding words to describe the interplay of what our taste buds detect (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory) isn't easy. Many of the world's most prized coffees, such as those from Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia, abound in flavors that are described as bright, lemony, orangey, berry-like, and floral. When the fruity flavors go bad, however, they can degenerate into vegetable tastes. Not so good. Who wants sautéed onions or steamed cauliflower in their coffee cup?
7. Spices
Exotic flavors that are spicy (think cinnamon and cloves), smoky, and woodsy can be desirable. Such tastes often appear in Indonesian coffees. In excess, they can be unpleasant.
8. Natural Sugar
Chocolaty, caramel-like, nutty, and toasty flavors come from the sugar browning that occurs during roasting. Latin American coffees at their best have lots of these yummy, warm, sweet notes. In lower quality coffees from Latin America (like some of the national brands you buy at the supermarket), this sugar browning can produce the sense of swallowing a mouthful of dry, bitter grain.
9. The Roast
Roasting can be light, medium, dark, or very dark. If you detect a burnt quality in a coffee, it may be a bad roast. In the U.S. there are regional differences in roasting. Companies from the Pacific Northwest tend toward darker roasts.
10. Espresso Notes
Espresso is made from a blend of coffees brewed under great pressure, using a large amount of coffee and a small amount of water. Espresso is dense and intense and can stand up to other flavorings. High quality espresso has just as complex a flavor range as brewed coffee. If you order an espresso in a café, the layer of reddish brown foam on the top, called the crema, should be thick and creamy, and you should be able to push it away from you with the back of a spoon. If you order a cappuccino, the milk foam should be thick, creamy, and sweet.
Tip: Knowing where your coffee comes from can help you pick one that will taste great to you. Latin American coffees tend to be chocolaty and mild. Coffees from east Africa tend to have a wake-up-your-mouth kind of perkiness that coffee pros call brightness. Coffees from Indonesia tend to be earthy, dark, and more intense.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
