The Path Ahead

Sometimes life's circumstances
force us to take a journey
we never planned to take
were totally unprepared for
and had no choice
but to slowly, painfully
move off into unknown regions.

Yet I do believe
each one of us has
a higher power or inner guide
who knows the way
and when we feel most alone
and abandoned
is there to offer comfort
provide for our needs
and journey with us.

In the beginning
the glare of the lights
from the past
blind us to the signs along the way.

As we let go of what was
our hands are free
to reach ahead to others
who will guide us for awhile
until we too can begin to see
the path ahead.

Jim Reagan

15 Creative Kick Starts

We all get stuck in our normal routines and ruts concerning doing things the same way we have been always doing them.  We can get unstuck by changing our usual routine and trying something new.  This will help get our creative juices flowing and expand our horizons.  Here are 15 ways in which to enhance our imagination.

1.        Deprive ourselves of media. Try this for a day or two.  Make the determination about how much television we do watch, or how many newspapers or magazines do we read.  Are we glued in front of our computers visiting facebook and reading emails?  Are we busy paying attention to our cellphones and texting.  Instead work on a crossword puzzle, bake cookies, take our dog for a walk or just spend time with friends shooting the breeze.

2.       Explore something new every day for a week.  We can try a new recipe, start reading a book from a different genre, or listening to a new style of music. 

3.       Experiment with a new art form or try something different with a type of creating we have been doing.  Instead of writing prose, try writing poetry.  Use colored pencils instead of paints. 

4.       Enjoy the great outdoors.  Take a walk outside and take in the sights, sounds, textures and  variety of colors.

5.       Make mistakes.  Knowing that failures are part of the creative process.  Create freely and allow errors to reveal themselves as insights for later projects.  When writing in free form some mistakes may end up happy accidents.  Don’t fear mistakes, welcome them, they serve as a bridge to learning.

6.       Try brainstorming.  When you are making a decision think of different solutions.  Work with others to come up with different ideas.  Don’t quash innovative ideas with quick judgments.  By trying a new approach you may learn something new and may actually like the results.

7.       Be a kid for a few hours.  Jump in a pile of leaves, build a fort, or get out the crayons and color. Explore your childhood sense of play and adventure.

8.       Notice the details.  Attention to detail is important concerning creative work no matter what type including poetry, painting, cooking, photography or decorating.  Paying attention to little things can foster a multitude of creative ideas.

9.       Take a risk.  Getting over a fear and trying something new can be quite exhilarating.

10.   Talk to others about creativity.  Share ideas, discuss motivational tips, talk about overcoming blocks and bond with other creative types.  Look for artist and writers’ groups.

11.   Carry a small notebook or journal at all times.  While waiting at a doctor’s office, try writing a poem.  Takes notes for your next story.  Write down things you noticed.  Write down ideas as they pop into your head. 

12.   Establish a creative climate in our office, study, corner of the family room, or another area in which you can spend a lot of time being creative.  Decorate with our favorite things:  pictures, a cozy chair, colorful things, and music. 

13.   Give ourselves a break.  Take long walks or breaks.  Make sure we take a time out each day instead of always having to do something.  Our minds need quiet time to restore and develop new ideas. 

14.   Loosen up, laugh and have fun.  Do something wild and crazy.  Life can be rather challenging.  Add a little humor to our lives.  Think out of the box.  Read something funny.  Wear a crazy shirt or go see a funny movie.

15.   Take a vacation.  Even if it has to be close to our home, visit a park, a spa, a museum or a small café.  Pack a little bag and include our journal and a bottle of water.  Vacations, even mini ones, can rejuvenate us. 

Beth Derringer-Keith.   June 2005 Issue.   15 Creative Kick Starts: How to feel inspired in a  world where you still have to take out the trash. Writers’ Digest. 

The Man Watching

I can see that the storms are coming
by the trees, which out of stale lukewarm days
beat against my anxious windows,
and I can hear the distances say things
can't love without a sister.

Then the storm swirls, a rearranger,
swirls through the woods and through time,
and everything is as if without age:
the landscape, like verses in the psalter,
is weight and ardor and eternity.

How small that is, with which we wrestle,
what wrestles with us, how immense;
were we to let ourselves, the way things do,
be conquered thus by the great storm,
we would become far-reaching and nameless.

What we triumph over is the Samll,
and the success itself makes us petty.
The Eternal and Unexampled
will not be bent by us.
This is the Angel, who appeared
to the wrestlers of the Old Testament:
when his opponent's sinews
in that contest stretch like metal,
he feels them under his fingers
like strings making deep melodies.

Whomever this Angel overcame
who so often declined the fight,
he walks erect and justified
and great out of that hard hand
which, as if sculpting, nestled round him.
His growth is: to be the deeply defeated
by ever greater things.

Ranier Marie Rilke, 1906

Metabolic X

                Metabolic X  also referred to as Metabolic Syndrome is a collection of symptoms that can result in increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.  A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is concluded if an individual has any three of the following risk factors:

·         Waist circumference of at least 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.

·         Fasting blood glucose of at least 100 mg/dL

·         Blood pressure of at least 135/85 mmlHg

·         HDL (“good”) cholesterol lower than 40 mg/dL for men or 50 mg/dL for women.

                Metabolic X is believed to be affecting 25 to 30 percent of the population in the U.S. according to various national health surveys.  The number of people suffering from metabolic syndrome appears to be increasing as people get older, affecting four in then Americans s they reach their 60s and 70s. 

                People with metabolic syndrome do have a tendency to be overweight, especially around the abdomen - having an "apple shape." Moreover, since this condition is associated with insulin resistance, individuals with metabolic syndrome may display some of the clinical features associated with an increase in the production of insulin. For instance, women may experience cysts on their ovaries (metabolic syndrome is associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome) and irregular periods. Individuals can have an increased incidence of skin tags, benign raised growths of skin that usually appear increases on the neck and back. In addition, they can exhibit acanthosis nigricans - a pigmentation of the skin, which appears discolored or dirty over the back of the neck and underarms.

Consistently high levels of insulin are associated with many harmful changes in the body prior to its manifesting as disease including chronic inflammation and damage to arterial walls, decreased excretion of salt by the kidneys, and thickening of the blood. People with metabolic syndrome also exhibit elevations in blood pressure and changes in their blood lipids, primarily with triglycerides (elevated) and good cholesterol or high density lipoprotein (HDL) (reduced). Problems associated with metabolic syndrome develop over time and usually worsen if left untreated.

What are the causes?
The exact cause of metabolic syndrome is unknown. It is frequently influenced by diet and lifestyle, but also seems to be genetically driven. As stated, many features of metabolic syndrome are associated with "insulin resistance," which causes cells to lose their sensitivity to insulin, the hormone needed to allow blood sugar to enter cells for use as fuel. As glucose levels in the blood increase, the pancreas tries to overcompensate and produce even more insulin, which ultimately leads to the characteristic symptoms of metabolic syndrome. When insulin levels spike, a stress response occurs that leads to elevations in cortisol, the body's long-acting stress hormone. This in turn creates an inflammatory reaction that if left unchecked begins to damage healthy tissue.

Interestingly enough, some data suggests that consumption of sodas (diet or regular) and other products containing high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) like salad dressings and ketchup, jams, jellies, ice cream and many more foods may be linked to obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome in both adults and children. Interrupted sleep patterns (such as sleep apnea) may also be a factor in increasing the incidence of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in the adult population.

What is the conventional treatment?
The primary goal of clinical management is to reduce cardiovascular risk factors and prevent type 2 diabetes. The major risk factors for cardiac disease include cigarette smoking, blood lipid abnormalities, elevated blood pressure and glucose, all of which should be reduced to recommended levels. Aggressive lifestyle changes, and in some cases medication, can improve most if not all components of metabolic syndrome.

Moderate weight loss, in the range of 5 to ten percent of body weight, can help restore the body's ability to recognize insulin and greatly reduce the chance of developing diabetes. It will also lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Aerobic exercise such as a brisk 30-minute daily walk can be highly effective in improving insulin levels, facilitating weight loss, and improving related symptoms. Most practitioners recommend 30-60 minutes daily of moderate intensity exercise on at least five days a week either divided throughout the day or all at once; the same benefit is achieved either way.

Most conventional practitioners recommend that patients follow a healthy eating plan like the American Dietary Association (ADA) diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet or the Mediterranean Diet. All of these emphasize fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, while limiting unhealthy fats and promoting leaner protein foods like low-fat dairy and lean meats like chicken and fish.

A primary intervention for metabolic syndrome is to initiate smoking cessation programs. Smoking cigarettes increases insulin resistance and worsens the health consequences of metabolic syndrome.

Doctors may also prescribe medications to lower blood pressure, control cholesterol or help you lose weight. Insulin sensitizers like Glucophage (Metformin) may be prescribed to help your body use insulin more effectively. It lowers blood sugar, which also seems to help lower cholesterol and triglycerides as well as decreasing appetite. The side effects of Metformin (often temporary) include nausea, stomach pain, bloating and diarrhea. A more serious side effect, lactic acidosis, can affect those with kidney or liver disease, severe heart failure or a history of alcohol abuse and is potentially, though rarely, fatal. Aspirin therapy is often given to help reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.

What therapies does Dr. Weil recommend for metabolic syndrome?

Dietary changes: The conventional medical recommendation of a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to lower triglycerides and bring down cholesterol is dead wrong in his opinion. Eating a diet high in the wrong kinds of carbohydrate and fat may actually elevate triglycerides and cholesterol. Instead, Dr. Weil recommends following an anti-inflammatory diet. This is a not a diet in the popular sense - it is not intended as a weight-loss program (although people can and do lose weight on it), nor is it an eating plan to stay on for a limited period of time. Rather, it is way of selecting and preparing foods based on scientific knowledge of how they can help your body remain optimally healthy. Along with influencing inflammation, this diet will provide steady energy and ample vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and dietary fiber. The following suggestions incorporate the principles of this way of eating:

• Eat small, frequent meals to keep blood sugar in a healthy range. Eating large meals can flood the bloodstream with glucose and insulin. Experiment until you find that you feel your best.
• Keep refined starches and sugars to a minimum, instead choosing those with a low glycemic index. (Sweet potatoes, winter squash and beans are examples of better carbohydrates.) You should also be aware of glycemic load in assessing dietary choices.
• Keep saturated fats and trans-fats to a minimum, but consume moderate amounts of monounsaturated oils, such as olive oil and some nut oils.
• Eat fish several times a week, emphasizing wild, cold-water fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and sardines. Or take omega-3 supplements.
• Eat generous amounts of non-starchy vegetables, like cucumbers, bell peppers, dark leafy greens, zucchini, eggplant, squash, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beans, radishes and spinach.
• Eat foods high in magnesium, which research has linked to lowering the incidence of metabolic syndrome. One gets magnesium by eating plenty of whole grains, leafy green vegetables (spinach is a great source) as well as almonds, cashews and other nuts, avocados, beans, soybeans, and halibut.
• Cut back on alcohol, avoiding beer especially. (Even small amounts of alcohol can elevate triglyceride levels.)
• For more information on the anti-inflammatory diet, check out Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid.
• Exercise: Getting regular exercise is vital but too many people quit, become injured, or simply find the process less enjoyable than they should. Follow Dr. Weil's advice for making aerobic exercise an ongoing, safe and rewarding part of your life.

• Mind/Body: It is important to attend to stress in positive ways. Rather than using alcohol, tobacco, or television, try breathing exercises. They are simple, free, and right under your nose. Dr. Weil has compiled ten ways to reduce stress and promote relaxation, calm and peace within yourself. Some techniques take practice, and most require some commitment on your part to achieve results. However, the results are well worth the effort.

• Supplements:
  
  
• An antioxidant supplement and multivitamin-mineral supplement.
• You can take additional magnesium if you do not think you're getting enough in the diet. Dr. Weil recommends magnesium citrate, chelate, or glycinate. Avoid magnesium oxide, which can be irritating, and take half the amount of magnesium as the calcium you take in supplemental form. If you do not take any supplemental calcium, watch out for taking large amounts of magnesium, which can cause diarrhea.
• If you are not eating oily fish at least twice a week, take supplemental fish oil, in capsule or liquid form, 1-2 grams a day. Look for molecularly distilled products certified to be free of heavy metals and other contaminants.
• Take alpha-lipoic acid, 100 to 400 milligrams a day. Note that this could potentially lower glucose levels too much if the person taking medication such as metformin - patients should work with their physicians so safe and proper dosages are employed.

Source:  http://www.drweil.com/drw/w/ARTO3193/Metabolic

Personal Note:  I am being treated for Adrenal Fatigue and a side effect of this is metabolic syndrome.  I was taking blood pressure medication and a pill to lower my cholesterol.  However, I have managed to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol by changes in diet and exercise.   What happens often are things like high blood pressure are treated separately and individuals end up taking medications that have a long list of harmful side effects when these symptoms can be treated without causing further harm.  I hope you find this article helpful.