Eating Green

 Everyone is going green these days, from Chevron to Johnson & Johnson. After a talk with my nutritionist, I decided to bring a little more green into life in the form of Greens. Now don’t get me wrong, I like some greens like broccoli and cauliflower which isn’t technically green but you can get it in cool colors like orange and purple as well as green. You can even make the Irish flag on your plate with cauliflower (green, white & gold). Sometimes I even enjoy the leafy variety, as in my husbands delicious warm spinach & bacon salad, a dish he gets many pot-luck requests. But Marianne thought I could benefit from regular leafy’s and I couldn’t fault her logic. Energetically they grow up and out so they give you light airy energy. Research shows they can combat depression and lung cancer. From a Chinese medicine point of view, they nourish blood which every woman needs.

Yes, I couldn’t find any reason not to eat them except for one.

 I don’t like them. 

They tend to taste “earthy” as in, like dirt, to me. Smidgen of an obstacle there, but that didn’t deter Marianne. She gave me a couple of oh so simple recipes and suggested I give them a try. If I still didn’t like then I could write off greens forever. No she didn’t say that, but that’s how I was thinking. To my surprise, I liked them, and after a couple of days I actually craved them. How’s that for giving your body what it wants. And she was right, such a simple recipe….steam kale for a few minutes then sautee garlic (and rasins if you want some sweet) throw in the kale and try not to burn the garlic. Top with toasted pine nuts if you have some, but salt and pepper are delicious too. Yummy. I’ve even branched out to mustard greens, chard and turnip greens. Things we’d normally feed the pigs. Hmmm….let me review that statement, it could still be true.

If you know you want to make changes in your eating habits but haven’t got the willpower to do it on your own then I suggest you give Marianne Bridgeman of Healthy Inner Beauty a call. She can guide you through the process of finding the exact right non-diet food plan that fits your life as well as your goals. She can even get you to want to eat greens.

Afraid of needles

I'm afraid of needles. This is the most common reason people tell me they don't try acupuncture. Think about that for a minute.
It's not that they don't think it works, or that it wont help them. They choose to live with their current problem than risk an acupuncture needle.

And do you know what I say?
You are absolutely right! Of course you are afraid, what sane person isn't afraid of sharp pointy objects. From when you were a baby when doctors where stabbing you with injections, to your mother warning you about the risks of running with scissors. We are well indoctrinated to be fearful of sharp objects and the people who wield them.

They look a little confused when I say this. I can imagine the wheels turning, maybe one brave soul will ask the question out loud. So if you agree with me, why do you want to poke me?

Ah Ha, I am glad you asked.
You see, acupuncture is not like those other things. Yes it uses sharp pointy things, but in a good way.
For starters, it doesn't hurt. I know you may find that hard to believe, but the needles are designed to minimize any discomfort.
We have many different types of nerves and the majority of them live in the outer layer of the skin. This is so you can pick up a pen (pressure sensor) and know it is different from an icicle (temperature sensor) or a knife (pain sensor). The acupuncture needle is very thin, so thin it needs a guide tube to penetrate the  skin. When done correctly it activates the pressure sensor but not the pain sensor. So yes, it really doesn't hurt, at least not when I do it because I am a trained professional. This is what I do all day, and I am very very good at it.
Secondly, acupuncture releases endorphins. You know, those happy molecules associated with running (I knew there was a reason people liked to run) and sex and chocolate (ah yes, much more my speed).
Not only does it not hurt, acupuncture makes you feel good. I've had people giggle uncontrollably on the table but most fall asleep. Or as one client put it "I know I slept because I heard myself snoring"

If you are someone who is considering acupuncture but are afraid of needles I urge you to talk to me. I will help you through it. Let me be your support person through this fear. Who knows maybe afterwards you will be so renewed you will take a parachute jump despite your acrophobia.

Using a Neit Pot or Following my own advice

Have you heard the phrase "do as I say not as I do" ?

For years I have been telling my clients with allergies to use a neti pot on a regular basis. What I didn't tell them was that it terrified me! Something about deliberately pouring something up my nose gives me the willies.

Yes, I would tell them, it will calm your inflamed sinus tissues, literally wash away irritating allergens. Oh no it doesn't hurt and you may even find it soothing.

Well, you know what? I was right. It reminded me of swimming in the sea when I was child. Like inhaled saltwater dripping out of my nose as I dove under the waves.

For those of you uninitiated in the ways of nostril hygiene, the neti pot is an ancient yogi practice designed to enhance prana (according to neti-pot.com). Or it was developed in 1997 by an MD, according to my SinuCleanse packaging.

Either way, it involves pouring (not snorting nor inhaling) a warm comfortable saline solution through the nose with the aid of a special jug (neti pot) which looks rather like Aladdin's lamp. It seems odd now that I am writing about it, and was odder still while doing it. But odd isnt always bad and in this case was almost pleasant. Afterwards I felt invigorated, maybe like I had just taken a dip in the sea.