I have lately been enamored with www.peopleofwalmart.com

It just feels good.  Check it out and laugh hardily!

Ich habe eine kleine Frage zum Keyshia Cole-Album A different me. Laut Wikipedia sind folgende Singles daraus ausgekoppelt worden:

• Playa Cardz right
• You complete me
• Trust
• This is us

Mein Problem dabei: Wieso wurden eigentlich nicht die guten Songs ausgekoppelt? Der folgende zum Beispiel. Den finde ich einfach nur schnieke und ich würde das auch so unterschreiben.

I have had an extremely anxiety filled week.  I met my potentially future supervisor for my counseling internship (it was kind of like an interview), saw my first client (I’m pretty sure she wanted to hug me), set up my first couples therapy session, had a wretched group therapy session via my group dynamics class, and anticipate counseling and supervision today and tomorrow.

Anxiety creeps up into your stomach, and it sits there, hot and knotty.  I’m convinced it controls my heart beat and boosts my metabolism.  What I’m thinking about it what it communicates to me.  Clearly it says that I don’t feel at ease, but I also think it makes me question myself.  Am I good enough, likable enough, courageous enough, competent enough?  It makes me aware that I listen to the voice of pride telling me that I must be in control, that I can’t trust God.  It highlights my brokenness and the areas of my life in need of sanctification.

I hate how it feels, but I think I just may be thankful for it.

Okay, I’m back for now.  Summer has arrived, so I feel like I have some down time.  I’ve got two classes for the summer.  One’s over and done with and the other just started–Group Dynamics.  My counseling internship is just underway. I’m slightly intimidated, but at the same time not.  After just one short year of classes, they are planning to set me loose to meddle in the lives of others. I will meet with my first client on Monday.

In other news I just got back from a visit to Atlanta.  I feel a bit sheepish saying it was to see my dog, so I’ll instead say I got  to see my dear friend Patty, my brother, sister-in-law, and the dogs.

Bianca is getting a little older, showing a bit of white around the eyes.  She’s mellowing, but very much still stubborn and verbal.  She has vastly improved her skills of catching waffles off of her nose.

So I’m sure that you are tired of talking about this and in a way, I am too. But I have something to say by golly. I’m not sure if you have noticed, but the music industry is in need of a makeover. Radical statement, I know, but I’m sorry, Beyonce is boring, I’m over Hannah Montana, even Eminem’s comeback consisted of slamming other celebrities. I don’t think those are songs you can hum along to.

Enter American Idol. You think that American Idol is just another talent show, but you are wrong. Yes, that just happened. I said you were wrong about American Idol. Don’t dismiss it because after this last season, I saw something more than Simon Cowell’s chest hair; I saw new life for the ailing music industry. There was so much good talent at the end, but the last two finalists were really the ones to watch. Adam Lambert, the cool Rocker who mastered the art of guyliner and the good old boy Kris Allen who turned his tide with his passionate rendition of “Falling Slowly” during Idols Sing Movie Songs week.

In the end Kris Allen won the title of “the Next American Idol,” but the top five were all worthy of a record contract and if any of them put out a new CD I would buy it. They are what the music industry needs right now. Some innovation, some passion, songs that consist of more than T&A. And they are good kids. They want to create good music.

The controversy has come from the fact that runner-up Adam Lambert may or may not be gay. I read a disturbing blog where people were actually sounding off saying that Adam lost because “no one wants a gay role model for their kids.” “He lost because he chooses to be gay.” “God doesn’t like people like Adam, so he lost.” No, I did not make that one up. Another really neat man actually posted that “all gays should be killed.”  The Gay and Lesbian’s meanwhile are using Adam as their “we’re coming out so everyone has to roll the way we do” poster child. STOP!!!!!!!!!! Just stop it all of you!

Excuse me, this is about his singing ability. I could care less that he “Kissed a Guy.” So it’s okay for Katy Perry, but not for Adam? The point is that Adam has remained silent about his personal life and good for him. I don’t care. Thank you Adam for realizing that you started your journey because you want to perform and entertain us.

What can we learn from this? We can learn that something has gotten lost here people. Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, for me, are two wide-eyed guys with a dream. Isn’t that how is should start? Aren’t we supposed to be the country that supports those with dreams or just those whose dreams match our own? Think about it.

Maybe  this is what American Idol can teach us. Honestly, can’t we just enjoy the music? Why do we have to push these other issues? Don’t we get enough of that every time we turn on the news? 

You decide.

I don’t stretch. I don’t run with four water bottles attached to tool belt around my waste. I don’t have a GPS tracker for myself that also monitors my heart rate and saves the information on a satellite. Who am I? I am the non-runner. You have seen me, running along the road or in city parks, sort of jogging, only stopping to stretch my calf-wink-and often times not wearing the most comfortable of clothes.

This is my diary. I wanted to do this because I have many friends who, upon me saying “I’m going for a run,” they reply, “oh, I could never do that.”  I am writing this to you to tell you that if I can run so can you.

Now, let me give you some background on me. I do have a history of running. I ran with Manitou Springs High School’s Track and Field team for many years and went to state with them three times as a sprinter. I loved those times because I have what is known as a “competitive personality”  and as much as I try to surpress it, it emerges here and there. When I ran track, I loved the big track meets and the little ones. I loved the crowds, the announcers, the sound of the gun…

I started relays and excelled at them more than the individual events because your body works harder when it know three other people are counting on it. I remember the last relay I ever ran was my senior year and it was a year Manitou went to state not as a team, but only a small band of people. The years of the entire team going ended when many of our star players graduated. When it came time for our 4×4 relay, my girls and I knew we faced great odds. We weren’t expected to win, but we weren’t going to let that get us. I did my usual shake my muscles and jump before I got into the starting blocks and I felt as though my heart would explode. This was the adrenaline thrill of every race start. The gun went off and I flew out of the blocks. I held my position and handed off the baton seamlessly. I could not believe that with every other pass, my team inched ahead. We were winning! We were winning the race everyone forgot we were running. I ran down the track screaming after the last girl because she blew the others away as she burned up the finish line. It was one of the most incredible moments of my life. It was the last time I would stand on the “1st” podium and it was the last track medal I would every receive. Sure it was only high school, but those are the moments that are tattooed on your brain forever. And it was a part of my running history I will always carry with me and after all, no matter what distance of race I run today, I still sprint as fast as I can to the finish line.

 Now when I run, there is no one cheering me on, except for the imaginary bandstand of fans I keep in my head. The transition from short to long distances has been challenging for me because I just came with a fast twitch. But slowly I am training my body to take it easy and pace. And really, as a life long sprinter, I never thought I could go from running a 12 second 100 meter dash-pretty good for a tall, white girl-to 10 miles. But for my spirit, I had to find something else to compete in because there are no track meets for overworked, 32 year old girls who sometimes eat cookies for breakfast. So, I started to enter small 5k races. I started to run a little longer and stay out a little later. I got an iPod filled it with every song that I can imagine to help me stay focused on the road.

But I have not found my tribe because some of the runners around here are “egomanics” and some aren’t really that good, but they have running coaches and shoes that electronically massage their ankles when they run. These are the people who forgot why they began running in the first place. Whether they started just to get in shape or for the fun of it, that they had to “start” is what eludes their memory. These are the people who yell at the non-runners to get out of their way as the finish nears. These select few, do not smile or wave when they run in your direction. They want their races to be more about best times and money than for the shear art of running which is why they don’t always let the non-runners into their races.

But I am still here, the non-runner, proud and refusing to become part of the snobbery of the elitist runners out there. A few days ago, I ran past a group of these people stretching and grunting in a parking lot. They don’t smile or nod or wave because they are in a tribal meeting, they cannot be disturbed. I was running up to a nearby high school track and I felt a little inferior because I didn’t have any gear, just my shoes, ipod and me. But then I stepped on the track…

Suddenly, the stadium was full, I could hear the announcer, calling in the winners of the last race. I heard the start gun and I could even detect a faint residue of powder in the air. And I remembered. Hey, I am a runner, I always was. Sure because I wasn’t great at Volleyball or Basketball, I did track, but who cares. It came easy to me. The coach said run from point A to B as fast as you can. I could do that and did it well. I knew that I should never again feel intimidated by the running snobs like the ones in the parking lot. I have logged many miles on the road, on the trails, in the mountains, in the city, up and down hills and steps. I’ve run in the unforgiving sun and the rain and sleet and snow and wind. 

So this is for you and everyone out there who thinks they can’t run. Here’s the memo: you can. You can run. You can enter races and get a group of friends together and jog after work. You can. You can simply start. No one is judging you. No one is watching. Everyone takes that first step, everyone “starts”.  It is up to you to determine when and how you will finish.

Niacin is referred to as Vitamin B3 because it was the third of the B vitamins to be discovered. Niacin is suspected to decrease the possibility of introduction of certain types of cancer such like leukemia, as a result of increase levels of DNA-repairing coenzymes (NAD). Niacin is a water-soluble vitamin that’s an important component of the Vitamin B complex.

Do you want to be able to do something to decrease the chance that you or a loved one will ever die of cardiovascular disease?

Consider a B vitamin called niacin.

According to a University of Washington study, when niacin is taken with a statin, the combination reduces heart attack risk by up to 90%. Medical research supports this treatment, yet few people know about it and many primary care providers don’t prescribe it. I am strongly against “statins.” (For more on why, you can read Dr. Cohen’s revealing article HERE)

There is a better way to get the benefit naturally though. Take niacin with red yeast rice. The drug companies actually put red yeast rice in their statins for greater efficacy.

The benefits are as follows:

*It raises “good” HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides.

*It enlarges the smallest, densest, most dangerous particles so they are less likely to damage arteries, although it doesn’t lower “bad” cholesterol quite as much as statins do.

*It brings down levels of another harmful component of blood called lipoprotein (a), which is resistant to the benefits of statins, diet, and exercise.

We can’t get enough of this vitamin naturally in our diet to achieve these results. The RDA for niacin is 14 mg for women and 16 mg for men, (that’s almost like telling you that you should probably eat at least every two weeks) but to gain a cardiovascular benefit, you need 500 to 2,000 mg. At this dosage, flushing (skin reddens, warms, and sometimes slight itches) occurs. Although these side effects subside within an hour, it’s mildly unpleasant and because it is, doctors hesitate to prescribe it. (It’s strange at first, but it’s not that big a deal to me… I take it and endure the minor “flushing” experience.)

Flushing is a sign that the blood vessels are dilating in response to the niacin. Patients who flush ultimately raise their HDLs and lower their triglycerides more than those who don’t flush.

You can minimize those symptoms if the niacin is taken with aspirin, antihistamines, or a meal. (I recommend the meal if you’re afraid of flushing)

Before taking niacin, consider the following:

Make sure you need it. You’re a good candidate for niacin therapy if you’re already taking a statin but your triglycerides are above 150 mg/dl and your HDLs are below 45 for men and 50 for women.

Niacin alone really has little benefit. It’s effective only when paired with a statin or (red yeast rice.) It generally isn’t prescribed on its own.

Be careful if you have prediabetes or diabetes. Niacin can raise levels of blood glucose. This effect is generally mild and doesn’t outweigh its heart-protecting benefits.

Consult with your health care professional if you have a question about niacin for you. Happy Flushing…

Colloidal silver is a liquid suspension of microscopic particles of silver.  Colloidal silver is composed of pure silver element combined evenly with a second substance like water.

Colloidal silver is one of the most useful elements found to treat a variety of diseases and physical conditions.  It’s manufactured by a non-chemical process where the microscopic particles of silver are held in suspension by an electrical charge placed on each particle.

Colloidal silver is tasteless, non-toxic to living tissue and can be taken orally or applied externally.  It’s also used for allergies, appendicitis, arthritis, blood parasites, bubonic plague, cancer, cholera, colitis, cystitis, conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis (cradle cap), diabetes, dysentery, eczema, gastritis, and gonorrhea.

Colloidal silver is used during pregnancy to aid the baby’s growth and health as well as the mother’s delivery and recovery.  It is generally eliminated out of the body in fecal matter.

Colloidal Silver is known to kill 650 pathogens.  It’s believed to work by essentially “choking” harmful bacterial cells.  It’s believed to fight yeast infections symptoms in a few major ways.  It’s designed to help boost the immune system, which is vital for effectively fighting any fungal infection.

In active AIDS, the suppressed immune system of the body is open to all kinds of diseases. Colloidal silver is the perfect non-toxic drug to use for its wide spectrum antibiotic effect.  It’s non-addicting, the body does not build up a tolerance to it, and studies show that colloidal silver is not deposited under the skin like other silver compounds that may cause gray or bluish skin.  Unlike antibiotic drugs, colloidal silver is not toxic, and will not suppress the immune system.  Topically, colloidal silver is used for acne, burns, eye infections, fungal infections, throat infections, skin infections, and Staphylococcus infections.

Colloidal silver is natural, effective, proven, and a safe antiseptic. For emergency essentials, it may be the best antibiotic in todays world.

Do you think I like Colloidal Silver? Yep, I do!

For more info on Health Products, Join Me Here

Due to feeling pressure to update, and not wanting to, I’m shutting the blog down for awhile.  If you keep the blog on some sort of feed you’ll notice if I start up again.  But, don’t hold your breath.

If you want to boost your testosterone level naturally without having to use prescription replacement therapies that cause bad side effects, here are 3 general areas that you should focus on: diet; herbs; and exercise.

Diet…

There are certain foods to focus on if you want to boost your levels of testosterone.

* Oysters — Oysters should top your list because they’re packed with the mineral zinc. Zinc does many important things in the body, but one of them is to help create more mucle and thereby boost testosterone levels.
* Beef
* Chicken
* Eggs — The egg yolks especially contain some important building blocks for testosterone. For example, egg yolks contain cholesterol and testosterone is produced from cholesterol. Now, before you think you’re going to clog up your arteries, don’t be too concerned. Most people don’t realize that actually 85% to 95% of your cholesterol is made by your liver, and not from the foods you eat. Egg yolks are also jammed packed with other crucial nutrients and vitamins.
* Garlic is one of the the best natural ways to raise testosterone levels because it contains a strong compound called “allicin” that can increase the levels of testosterone. Allicin breaks down easily, so make sure you eat real garlic — supplements often don’t have any active allicin.
* Broccoli and Cabbage — these can be great natural testosterone boosters because they contain Indole-3-carbinol. Indole-3-carbinol can lessen estrogen in your body. Estrogen is a female hormone but men also produce it too — and women also naturally produce testosterone. Too much estrogen can lead to more fat and reduce muscle — and since muscle is so important for healthy levels of testosterone, having elevated estrogen is not good.

In addition, make sure you don’t smoke, and drink alcohol to excess, which both can hurt you in your quest to boost your testosterone levels.

Natural Testosterone Boosters

Herbs…

No herb can directly boost your testosterone, but some can indirectly help your body make more of this hormone.

The best one is called “tribulus terrestris.” Clinical studies have shown tribulus to boost strength and stamina. Athletes and bodybuilders use it, and it’s available without prescription in supplement form.

How does it help to increase testosterone? In simple terms, our bodies have something called luteninizing hormone (LH).

LH has a role in telling the body to make more testosterone.

LH gradually slows down and diminishes as we age. The older we get the less luteninizing hormone.
Tribulus terrestris can naturally boost levels of LH — the increased LH then leads to more healthy testosterone production once again.

Natural Testosterone Boosters

Exercise…

Among the best natural ways to raise testosterone levels is exercise. But not just any kind of exercise. Strolling around the park isn’t going to do the trick.

It should be short duration, high intensity exercise which helps to boost human growth hormone production and keeps testosterone levels peaked. Obviously not everyone can exercise this vigorously, so talk to your doctor before you do.

But if you can, focus on doing high intensity exercises like sprinting for short durations. If you work out with weights, focus on exercises that require large muscles in your body to execute such as leg squats and bench presses.

If you follow the tips above, you’ll have the best natural testosterone boosters available.

Get your FREE copy of “Fire Your Doctor and Get Well” at Natural Cures Remedies home page.

Today in class I learned one of those little jewels of information.

Jesus was born in 6 B.C.  

How could he do that, I wondered?  My friend Hayden said it’s because he is God.  

My professor said that the theologians did the math wrong.  King Herod at the time only ruled until 4 B.C., so if Jesus was born in 0 B.C., then Herod would have already been dead and the order to kill all of the boys would never have happened, Joseph and the fam never would have had to flee to Egypt, etc.  I didn’t really want to know all of that.  Jesus being born in 6 B.C. is funny all on it’s own.

I saw this movie with Karen yesterday, and it was wonderful.  It showed a desire for companionship and relationship.  It portrays the risk and fear that is involved with starting a new relationship or with trying to reconcile a past one.  There’s wit, charm, and redemption, all things I like in a good movie.

My favorite line is said by Emma Thompson’s character and is something to the effect of I think I’m more comfortable feeling disappointed, and I guess I’m mad at you for taking that away.

The movie is well written and Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman do their usual best.  Go see it!

A 45 minute report on German National television exposed Prozac and Zoloft. These antidepressants were shown in the original studies by the pharmaceutical companies to increase the probability of a suicide FIVE fold. The clinical data on Prozac by Eli Lilly was all but terrible — but the book by John Virapen, former manager at Eli Lilly (Sweden) shows how such a terrible failure of a medication can still be pushed through the administration expert panels, for example by hiding critical information and pressurizing professionals who were against the approval of the drugs, and bribing officials.

This is the typical, rather than the unusual. I have said it, and continue to say it… There is “natural way” to take care of your health. The side effects and negatives of pharmaceuticals is just too high a price to pay if you care about your body and health.

When will people wake up? After a loved one dies from the “side effects” of this poison? Or YOU die?

We got a little festive in the apartment yesterday.  

This last weekend Karen and I managed to do not one, but two spontaneous activities, both involving food.  First, on Saturday we went to Chick-fil-A.  Then, on Sunday night, after bringing the partridge (grilled steak, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots with brown sugar and butter, and a bottle of $6 wine)  we went to The Cheese Cake Factory.  It was 8:30 p.m. and very dark when we left, so we were rather impressed with ourselves.  Who says J’s are spontaneous?!

On Sunday night, Suzy, Nathaniel and I went and saw the movie The Secret Life of Bees.  This was a most anticipated movie for me after getting completely sucked into the book, written by Sue Monk Kidd.  This movie is about relationship, healing, and redemption.  It’s a crier, people.  Don’t get thrown off by the odd spirituality portrayed in it, be discerning, because this one is worth seeing!

The books on the left I’ve managed to read.  The one’s on the right, however . . . I’m workin’ on it.

My professors have tried to make me feel better about the reading load by telling me they could have assigned more.  Seriously?  Seriously.

My classmate, Craig, told me that his students had really been enjoying this blog.  Check it out, it’s definitely good for a few laughs.

failblog.org

So, for my Old Testament History and Theology class, I get to read the entire OT in a semester.  That means I have had to read 10-20 chapters per day.  Today I am in Leviticus.  I got to chapter 13, about leprosy and other skin diseases.  I had to skim.  I had to skim 2 chapters of the Word of God.  It was making me sick.  What if the Levitical priests of the time had weak stomachs?  If they threw up from looking at the lepers, didn’t that make them unclean, too?  I could never be a dermatologist.

Tomorrow I will read about bodily discharge.  Now there’s something I can handle!

I have a friend whose been on two drugs (Neurontin and Methylphenidate) for many years for a neurotransmitter problem. I’m very concerned for him and the many side effects of using these drugs.

The side effects of these drugs:

• nervousness
• difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• dizziness
• nausea
• vomiting
• loss of appetite
• stomach pain
• diarrhea
• headache
• painful menstruation
• fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
• chest pain
• shortness of breath
• excessive tiredness
• slow or difficult speech
• dizziness or faintness
• weakness or numbness of an arm or leg
• seizures
• changes in vision or blurred vision
• agitation
• abnormal thoughts
• hallucinating (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
• motor tics or verbal tics
• depression
• mood changes
• fever
• sore throat
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• muscle or joint pain
• hives
• rash
• itching
• difficulty breathing or swallowing

Imagine having your brain removed…(lobotomy)…A saw cutting
through your skull, followed by a surgical knife cutting into the
portion responsible for helping you cope with all the “meaness” in
the world. (You know, things like excessive income tax which makes
you work four months out of every year just to pay Uncle Sam. Or
inflation that ensures a lifetime of economic slavery for you and
your children. Or, the millions of helpless infants who are forced
to receive vaccines and subsequently suffer from autism.

Without the ability to cope, all kinds of craziness from the nastiness
in the world….depression, suicide, and murder would become a reality…And
this is exactly what an “SSRI” (antidepressant) can potentially
do at the molecular level – remove that portion of your brain that
helps you cope…

Maybe that’s what happened to 81 year old Jordan Stone.

Thirteen days after taking Prozac, on April 28, 2003, Jordan’s
wife of 56 years, Kathy, found his lifeless body hanging from a
beam in a back room of their shop. Not depressed at the time of
his appointment, Jordan was given a free sample of Prozac for “chest
pains!” Apparently, a pretty drug rep convinced Jordan’s doctor
that Prozac could be used for these types of “off-label”
purposes. This is totally illegal, by FDA standards. But those standards
are never enforced by the consumer watch dog. Regardless of what
they are prescribed for, a “chemical lobotomy” is a real
and present danger to antidepressant users.

Antidepressant’s strive to increase the levels of a “coping”
molecule known as serotonin in the brain. It helps us find happiness
when it’s covered in an avalanche of negative. Antidepressant’s
attempt to boost serotonin by “selectively” stopping the
“re-uptake” of it among brain cells. This is where the
whole SSRI acronym came from – “selective serotonin re-uptake
inhibitor.” It’s a clever name that seems to “blind”
medical doctors into prescribing submission, but it’s a really stupid
idea.

Not much is selective in the body. While trying to block the re-uptake
of serotonin, antidepressant’s can also prevent its release. The
areas of the brain responsible for release and re-uptake are so
incredibly similar (after all, they work on the same molecule) that
an antidepressant isn’t smart enough to understand which one it’s
supposed to work on. So it does what any drug would do, it blocks
both. The end result is no coping molecules in the brain. Depression,
fear or anger can set in. This was observed in the early studies
performed on antidepressant’s, but test subjects were allowed to
drop out or mask the pain that comes with a chemical lobotomy using
pain killers and/or muscle relaxants. This served as an easy way
for Big Pharmaceuticals to hide the detrimental effects of antidepressant’s
- FDA approval followed, and so has the ripple effect of suicide.

Truth doesn’t stay hidden forever. FDA is proposing a “black
box” warning to outline the risk of suicide among all antidepressant’s
such as Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. If it was a nutritional
supplement, they’d throw the manufacturers in prison…But not for
the big drug companies, they just get a “black box” warning
on their products…

Antidepressant’s block another coping molecule in the brain, “dopamine.”
It’s the molecule that lets you FEEL happiness. Dopamine yields
the feelings of love, accomplishment and victory. It’s also the
molecule that keeps you protected from Parkinson’s disease.

Aside from being a zombie, the Harvard School of Public Health
recently warned that due to lack of dopamine, people taking antidepressants
are nearly twice as likely to suffer from Parkinson’s compared to
those not taking them.

By removing serotonin and dopamine from the brain, users can’t
FIND or FEEL happiness. (A lobotomy – minus the saw and surgical
knife.) Instead, they become buried in the avalanche of negative…And
if you can’t find or feel happiness in life, what’s the point? What’s
going to keep a person in this position from suicide or lashing
out at someone else?

Watch the breaking news from Fox news. The ripple effect of these
drugs is staggering!

Watch the video

The ESSENTIAL amino acid L-tryptophan (not 5-HTP) is a much safer
alternative than antidepressant’s. (Your body requires it, but can’t
make it) It can be purchased at Go Here- and it won’t accidentally remove your coping
skills and throw you into suicide or rage.

Supplements that aid in a chemical process known as “methylation”
help coping too: Folic acid,
trimethylglycine and methylsulfonyl methane. They need to be used
properly to work properly.

“You don’t know what the triggers are until you can identify them.”  

A doctor on Good Morning America talking about migraines.

perspicuity

The definition given to me this morning by Dr. Williams is, “an unclear word for clarity”.  Cracks me up!