Anti-Cancer Lifestyle
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VIBRANT HEALTH
ON A TIGHTWAD BUDGET
(part one) by Carol Tashel
VIBRANT HEALTH ON A TIGHTWAD BUDGET (part one)
by Carol Tashel
Vibrant health is not something you achieve, once and
for all; it's a lively, personal dance with a constantly
changing external environment. Making smart daily choices
can result in feeling great, so here are some commonsense,
practical options that cost little, as well as some wise
choices that are well worth the price.
OPTIONS THAT COST ALMOST NOTHING
MIND/EMOTIONS: In Perfect Health, Deepak Chopra tells
us, "The mind exerts the deepest influence on the
body... [A] state of balanced awareness, more than any
kind of physical immunity, creates a higher state of health."
Good attitudes are indeed powerful medicine, and they're
free, so cultivate gratitude and love. Make sure you're
not harboring a boatload of emotional baggage. (Twelve-step
programs might be an appropriate no-cost way to heal.)
Please do find an excuse to laugh, connect to the beautiful
earth, and contact the peaceful, deep space within your
self.
NOURISH YOUR COMMUNITY ROOTS: In Native American tradition,
an individual's first responsibility is to her community,
then her family, and finally herself. Gee, I guess most
Americans have that one backward! I recall a study about
a small Italian neighborhood in Chicago, which sought
to discover why the residents lived so long and so well;
it was partly because they were sewn so securely into
their community.
SELF-MASSAGE: Your body is in constant communication
with itself through nerve/hormone reflexes. Touch yourself,
and you can hook into this circuitry and trigger beneficial
effects at distant points. Occasionally, before getting
out of bed in the morning, I slowly massage every single
place I can reach. I use a deep pressure, shiatsu-like
touch (without oil). It takes about an hour and feels
wonderful.
Don't have an hour? A satisfying foot massage sets you
back only 10 minutes. Just find the sore points and go
after them. Look up "reflexology" on the Internet,
and you'll find charts of points on your feet (and hands)
that correspond to areas on or in your body. I've purchased
a small, illustrated card of the reflexology points for
a couple of dollars from a local bodywork supply store.
Sure enough, when my neck hurts, the corresponding spot
on my foot is sore; if I massage that point, my neck pain
is reduced.
REST/SLEEP: Give yourself the gift of a short rest or
nap each day. Try to get to sleep before midnight, because
beginning at 11:00 pm, your adrenal glands (and other
systems) begin to rebuild and restore themselves. Your
adrenals help you adapt well to stress, an important sign
of robust health.
EXUBERANT MOVEMENT: Vigorous exercise (even just 20 minutes
a day) revs up your metabolism, reverses the harmful effects
of stress, evokes a yummy relaxation response, reduces
levels of inflammatory compounds, and strengthens the
bones and heart. (It can also have overtly medical effects,
like reducing menstrual cramps and constipation as well
as increasing "good" cholesterol levels.) Sunshine
is truly a required nutrient, so exercise outside. I still
think walking is the easiest and the best. When the weather
is horrible, I put on my favorite music and dance in the
living room. Don't forget about yoga, either.
Humans are made mostly of water, and that water must
flow! Movement is the only thing that can milk your lymphatic
vessels. The lymphatic system functions like your personal
wetland, bathing and cleansing your tissues. If exercise
is a daunting concept for you, try only one activity for
just five minutes; increase at your own pace.
WATER: Internally and externally, pure water is a healer.
Investing in a filter is sensible, but if that's not affordable,
refill your own jug at one of the health food stores.
(Liquid minerals may be added to reverse osmosis water
to make it more complete.) If you drink tap water, let
it sit overnight to evaporate chlorine, which is particularly
harmful. Cultivate a keen awareness of thirst, and always
satisfy that need. Creative use of your bathtub is another
free health tool. There are refreshing salt and soda baths
and relaxing herbal baths. A bath doesn't just feel good,
it influences red and white blood cell activity, increases
circulation and tonifies the nerves.
GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES: This can amount to significant
savings, what with organic spinach and other greens costing
up to $2.50 a bunch. You can do it in the winter, too.
On December 31 last year, I harvested kale, collards,
spinach and Swiss chard--they set the standard for cold-hardy
vegetables, having survived a five degree night last winter.
I grow winter greens in inexpensive "cold frames"
covered in special cloth (and I use shade cloth for summer
gardening). You can save your own seeds, score free manure
at many stables, and receive free compost ingredients
from the market.
GET TOP VALUE FROM YOUR FOOD DOLLAR
Usually, "top value" means saving money. But
sometimes when you make wise choices that may cost more,
the value comes later because you didn’t need to
pay the doctor. Here are some suggestions.
* In America, meal portions are much larger
than in Europe (kind of like comparing an SUV to a VW
bug). Aside from saving you money, undereating (within
reason) contributes to longevity. Rather than serving
a hefty slab of expensive meat or fish, incorporate smaller
portions of organic meats and poultry and wild fish into
soups, stews, casseroles, stir-fries or fish cakes. Don't
forget about liver... it's a low-cost nutrient bonanza,
but you must buy organic. Chicken liver pâté,
anyone?
* Skip the dry cereals--you’re paying for air, sugar,
and not much nourishment. Much better: Soak oatmeal (along
with a chopped dried fig or date) overnight. Cook in the
morning with a pinch of salt. After it's cooked, add two
tablespoons fresh or frozen blueberries, nuts and/or seeds,
one to two tablespoons ground flax seed, a little chopped
apple, and a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt. I
guarantee you won't need a sugary snack at 10:30 a.m.
* Store-bought salad dressings are pricey, and most contain
questionable oils (safflower, canola, soy). Make your
own with olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar (balsamic or
apple cider), soy sauce or a pinch of sea salt and finely
chopped herbs. For variety, add Dijon mustard, a couple
of anchovies or a dollop of yogurt.
* Don't waste money on "empty foods"--chips,
soft drinks, sugars and refined carbohydrates--they fill
your stomach and cut hunger for other more wholesome foods.
They can also cause great harm.
* Eating a small amount of an organic animal product (yogurt,
meat, fish, poultry, cheese or butter) with each meal
ensures better absorption of minerals. Fats slow down
absorption, so you feel full longer, plus they provide
a concentrated energy source. More expensive proteins
seem to go a lot further with adequate, good quality dietary
fat. (More about fats later.)
* To contribute to your health, the food you buy must
actually make it into your tissues. This brings up topics
that are beyond the scope of this article, like eating
right for your metabolic type, and so on.
WHAT ABOUT ORGANIC?
Recently, I was behind a man in the checkout line who
held up a packaged chicken and declared, "Look at
this! two bucks a pound! This is the best buy in the market.
This is what America is all about." Unfortunately,
he was mistaken. That hapless, commercially-raised chicken
had a miserable life. Its meat contained cancer-causing
hormones and pesticides (which act like counterfeit hormones),
antibiotics (which create problems with drug-resistant
bacteria in chickens and people), and high levels of inflammatory
Omega-6 fatty acids because of its diet. It's the same
story with feedlot beef and the dairy products from these
animals. It is very important to buy organic meat, poultry
and dairy.
Organic produce has advantages as well. It can contain
up to 80% more nutrients than commercially-grown. Organically-grown
food is not always more expensive, and requesting it at
your regular supermarket helps stimulate this fast-growing
sector. If organic vegetable prices are simply out of
reach for you, remove pesticide residues with one of the
vegetable wash products. And if you can't afford organic
meat, ask the butcher for more naturally-raised bison.
Please don't eat non-organic chicken skin--it’s
where the hormones and antibiotics end up. Farmers' markets
are good places to connect directly with organic ranchers
and dairy farmers and take advantage of this better choice.
CAROLE TASHEL, CLINICAL HERBALIST * http://www.caroletashel.com
Bio: Carole Tashel, an avid student of the school of
nature for over 25 years, is still moved by the beauty,
effectiveness and revolutionary aspects of natural healing.
She works with wild and cultivated plants as a clinical
herbalist, teacher and gardener, and is co-founder of
the “Pay What You Can” Wellness Clinic. Carole
trained with Michael Moore at the Institute of Traditional
Medicine and was a consultant for eight years in Santa
Fe’s outstanding retail store, Herbs, Etc.
She wrote Gardening the Southwest: How to care for
your land while growing food, beauty and medicine (1999).
Moon Days
Moon
days: http://www.herbalmedicinehealing.com/
a great collection of women's writings on menstruation, edited by
Cassie Preemo Steele, twenty-six writers explore the "silent"
parts of women's lives; reawakening menstruation memories of embarrassment
and shame and transforming them to wonder, excitement, and laughter.
176 pages, illustrations.
read a review... http://www.susunweed.com/Book-Moon Days.htm
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