Food equals medicine Kimchi

Food equals medicine

Kimchi

This one of the foods my acupuncture  doc turned me onto.
I’m very lucky to be able to pick up home made at my local Chinese grocery store. You can also buy in Publix.

Effective in preventing cancer and  detoxifying heavy metals in the liver, kidney and small intestine. Slows down the aging process ,contains way more lactobacillus than yogurt, lowers cholesterol.

When I looked at it I thought it was gross but it grows on you. Reminds me of that jewish sauerkraut i grew up with and I look forward to going home and having my little bowl. I thought i was going get heartburn and I didn’t and boy my belly feels good.

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Integrative recovery and being your own advocate

Integrative recovery and being your own advocate

A few weeks ago I had a headache. Actually it was more like a head pain. Like my brain was on fire.  There are thousands of reasons for a headache. I’m not a headachy type of person. I just thought I had some kind of virus took some advil and carried on.

Five days later a red blotch appeared in the inner canthus of my right eye. “This can’t be good.” I called my sister who is a PA and she thought I may have shingles and I needed to see a MD ASAP.

It takes an act of congress to get me to the doctors office. When I lived in Boca I had a wonderful network of MDs that were always happy to see me if need be.  I knew these folks and they knew me so it was an easy interaction. Most of them were integrative docs so not only would I get what I needed – I would get extra advice on “alternative” therapies that could be helpful.

Off I went to urgent care. The person at the front desk told me to type my name into her program. No eye contact. Very gruff. My heart was sinking. This is everything I hear about on a daily basis but can’t talk about. Front office people. They have heard it all. “Take a breath.” I told myself ” You have to be here. Just get though it. This is what it is these days.

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and in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make (paul mccartney)

I feel I need to tackle this any maybe someone somewhere will read it and be able to help someone. The only goodness that comes out of a  suicide death of a friend or a family is perhaps one can gain a little  knowledge and understanding.
As a spiritual counselor and as psych rn sometimes my views run into each other and I have to figure out how to reconcile things. If you do not agree thats fine but even better if this gives you something to think about and one day it will save a life.

1. When someone kills themselves they are not in their right minds. period end of story. and I differentiate this from someone who is at the end of their life and chooses hospice -that is different. When I come across someone who is in this situation a referral to hospice is appropriate. When I come across someone who I feel is depressed and they want to die then all bets are off. Go get assessed and treated then tell me how you feel.

2. If someone you may think is depressed and they have taken all sorts of antidepressants  and non of them work its pretty reasonable to think maybe they are not clinically depressed.

3. Depression is chemical pure and simple. I’m not a proponent of drugs but when people need them they need them.

4. People who are bipolar usually don’t want to be treated because they really enjoy the upswing ( and really who wouldn’t) (and we enjoy the upswing too if your honest about it -its a relief from the other behavor) and many people who are very creative will not  seek treatment because they feel they will destroy they’re creativity.

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Intention is everything

I hate looking back – it doesn’t do you any good to rehash the past – and I know ,yes , sometimes things just get stuck in your head and remain there. There is a way to get rid of all that stuff and no its not drowning your sorrow in alcohol. Its mediation. try it. But first state your case. Write it down and call a friend and say “I’m going to read you this and afterwards I’m never going to mention it again (maybe) but in order to get these ghosts out of my brain I really need you to listen. The first step in moving forward is understanding where you came from, own those feelings, honor them and then get rid of them —adios!
I’m looking back to share my journey because its been an amazing journey. Maybe I didn’t understand at the time what I understand now but I did understand that I needed to move forward. My aha moment didn’t come from any great philosopher or spiritual leader. It came from a dog named Enzo a character in a book that I now call my most favorite book ever. I found it in a Starbucks in Bourne, Mass.

I started to read it at the airport and by the time we were ready to land in West Palm Beach I was finished and I knew everything I needed to move forward.
“your car goes where your eyes go” Denny from the Art of racing in the rain.

“intention is everything” Enzo

Gettin here

If someone told me in 2007 that I would be living in Jensen Beach, working again as a home health nurse, practicing reiki, studying to be a spiritual counselor and a meditation instructor I would have told them they were nuts. Life takes you on the journey you were meant to be on. You just have to let go and enjoy the ride.  “Flow” as my friend Victor says. My very best advice is if you are  at a fork on the road take the high road. Believe in yourself and believe that this is happening for a reason. You may not know the reason but trust there is a force bigger than you and that if you hang there one day you’ll wake up and say “Oh YA now I get it.” and if your just not ready  to do that believe in Yoda.