We Are Made of Star Stuff

For a while now I have been reading international forums, out of curiosity. I wanted to know what people are saying, feeling, knowing about their placement in this world, in this Universe. My search has been provocative, bringing me to heights of interest and wonder. Across the world people are thinking as I do, asking the same questions and then we share and each of us picks up a piece of the atomic energy that floats ineluctably across the miles of space that has our collective signature upon it. I ask a man in Uruguay or a women in Sweden, or a young man in the backwoods of Canada what thrills them about this knowing and what is the catalyst for their quests. We debate, we justify, we link up our resources, we try not to generalize. So the search is not disengenuious. There is a clear cut motive why people want to know why it is that they keep searching for higher answers as to their existence.

Some cite their belief in God, a force, a consciousness that pervades the Soul Matrix. Some want to know why we have been thrust into a world that is comprised of so much evil and dark energy. Some use science or metascience or cycles of the ancient past to qualify their hints of understanding. A book, some research, a notion, a crop circle, a newly discovered document that may give a clue.

A woman in New Zealand fights for the rights of health and argues justifiably against the constraints of covert corporate chains. We all want to know why. After all, we were endowed with enough DNA to ask these questions that plague us throughout the histories of this planet. The common thread is why haven't we advanced technologically and intellectually and spiritually? What is holding us back that steeps us in the mire of depression and poverty consciousness? Are we not children of God filled with the Primal Light of the heavens?

My experiences in cyberspace are selective. I might find a forum that accepts all ways of thinking so I have to dig through the garbage dump to find the gold. But its there. There are questioning and answering minds that hover and wait for the connection. An hour or two to explore. To share what miniscule wisdom I can impart as I dodge the snarky prickly ones who lie in wait to use their unconvincing arguments as their intoxicant for the hour. It has taught me to be bold but also to be nonjudgmental and considerate. We all are feeling our way with blindfolds on.

Home Repairs

How many of us have had to DIY when something in the house broke down? Uh, none of you? Some of you? Is it easier to call the maintenance guy? But all those bucks!

No one is going to believe this but its true. In the last 30 days we experienced an electrical break down of things we never would dream would disappoint. Let me detail. The two weeks before Christmas our 2007 Refrigerator still on warranty just started whining this wail that kept us up at night. Then the temperature wouldn't hold and we knew -- some part was not doing its job. We called the place that we had purchased it, waited half a week until the maintenance guy came out to check. "Yep, it needs a part I don't have and need to order. It may take weeks." This wasn't happening. Christmas was upon us. I needed to shop and store food. I sent my husband to the appliance dept in that store and said, "buy a new frig. We'll store this one or sell it but we have no choice." So he went and found a deal, same frig only better lighting. It arrived a week later. I had to hold off buying food until the eleventh hour. Ask me if I was in a mood. Three weeks later they found the part needed and fixed the old frig which now takes up room in the garage along with my old washer and dryer, "just in case my son moves out."

Next on the long list was the disc player in our just paid off SUV. Worse yet, I could not un-jam it or pull out the old discs. Everything is electrical and computerized and I was told not to play with it. It was a goner and until we could get it fixed, it would sit. We do not get much in the way of AM/FM up here in the canyons and high desert so I sing in the car now.

Following the disc player was the nine year old garbage disposal. For years I had been so careful not to plug it with celery, onion skins, egg shells or coffee grounds but that wasn't good enough. We went to Sears and knew there would be a cost for the item which was pleasantly on sale plus another hundred to call a maintenance guy. The nice man in Sears said, "why call him? I put in my own garbage disposal and I just followed the instructions. Save your money." So that is exactly what we did. But while my husband was under the sink, he found another problem. A leaking water filter, also nine years old. As they say, the number nine represents completion of a cycle. So, that will be the next step while I step over the wet rugs that lie over the laundry baskets to air out and the crates of cleaning junk.

Moving right along I should mention another nine year old problem. Replacing the stove grates that cleaning does not do it justice anymore. Just thought I would add that to the list while we are at it.

The flusher on the toilet was not doing well. To push it down sounded like a plane landing on the tarmac so we lifted the hood on the darn thing and rearranged a few things. You can always gizmo a rod or a spring. It works now but no, plumbing is not on our DIY list.

Two nights ago, we had settled comfortably into our living room after a knarly day at work, to watch some of our TIVO'd programs. We heard a crash and a loud grating sound that knocked our eardrums crazy. The picture faded on our five year old 52 inch wide screen and then a sound likened to a lawnmover that was chewing up a piece of wood followed. My husband started pushing buttons but the sound persisted until we unplugged the TV. My spouse is very devoted to a cause and that cause carried him into the middle of the night exploring and surfing the internet on parts. But what he did find was a company that gives free advice and then offers parts shipped. The diagnosis was made over the phone and parts ordered much cheaper than if another, you guessed it, maintenance guy came out to check and repair. We watched a few back episodes on the computer but reading took the place of TV-itis.

I didn't mention the dryer. It had backed up with soot and what not and we spent an hour vacuuming THAT out. And during the escapades of repair, we were visited by communities of ants during the rainy season.

I think we are beginning to accept the fact we are not cursed and life can be easy and smooth again. The stressload of one thing after another was over. We think. What we learned was hand wringing is unnecessary and that DIY is the way to go if you have the bravado to do so.

Don't Watch or Read The News!

We stopped the paper two years ago after I couldn't stop sneezing from the newspaper ink. But that wasn't the reason. I found myself starting the day with doom and gloom. Our breakfast time, a holy beginning should not be poisoned with that preposterous hoopdedoodle. As expected I got the daily phone calls from the Times and humble offerings I should not be able to refuse just to start up again. Two years later I found a letter from them in my mailbox that knocked down my prior $44.00 monthly payment to $6.00 a month. I think that is the bottom line desperado ploy of a dying institution.

Yesterday a true blue 79 year old patient I've known for almost 30 years came into the office and told me that over the holiday season he especially had to battle against negativity in the news and all around, as he put it. This is a man who prefers a good inspirational book.

The complexity of how we are mind controlled into thinking that news is good, after all, we need to know what is happening in the world just stinks to the highest heaven. To be bombarded by what we are not, what does not serve us and what creates havoc in our purest hour is the challenge we face and must combat. If we do not, our ungrateful bodies mental, emotional and physical will tell us the consequences of that unforgivable sin.

If the rhetoric on the news makes us nod so hard our neck snaps we get into the compliancy of yeah! If the news forces its hand and makes us sick of hearing the same gawdawful broken record we get irritable. What is the percentage of good news being broadcasted? We hold in reverence the loud boisterous commentary reporters funny or not because they are well, loud and forcing their point. Who wouldn't listen to that? Like the guy who screams about the stocks. At the top of his lungs with the arm gestures. Our insecure hand is being forced to hold onto the fear.

This is not entertainment. This is a living hell of banter and disinformation and contrived and blown so far out of proportion events that make every channel on the television choke with it. Even if we hit the mute button on the remote we still get the banner across the screen. How would a caged animal react to being inundated with this kind of noise hour after hour, day after day?

But thank God for the mute button and the fast forward arrow. The few good shows I watch does not need the distraction at commercial time to learn about a new drug that has 1400 side effects including death.

So here is your test of courage this New Year. Don't watch the news. Stop your paper subscription. Pass on the Internet news pages. Don't engage in "the world is going to hell in a hand basket" conversation. We are mortals who have come to serve each other in grace and goodness. We need not be tainted or plummeted with information we can live without.

Great Wheat Free Gluten Free Websites

I am asked by so many people, what blog is the greatest? What website for managing my Wheat Free Gluten free diet? What recipes are tried and true and won't make me gag?

This is the ultimate quest for myself as well, so I have paid attention to this in a big way. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do and I would embrace it as a professional if I didn't have to stand for hours over a stove or countertop. My goal is to make something truly gourmet and tasty and unique in quick time. I don't mind the stages to go through as long as it doesn't steal from my day. Below are listed the sites I am enchanted with.

http://heatherstrang.com/blog/wheat-free/ She deals with sugar free, dairy free in a good way.

http://nuchiafoods.com/recipes/Videos are great. Very informative.

http://www.elanaspantry.com/ A favorite of my San Francisco friend.

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

http://www.ifood.tv/network/wheat_free_cooking/recipes Videos!

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/diet/gluten-free.asp Great Index of Gourmet recipes.



For you enthusiasts on measuring carefully:


1 Cup Wheat Flour Equals:
•Amaranth - 1 cup
•Bean Flour - 1 cup
•Corn Flour- 1 cup
•Cornmeal - ¾ cup
•Millet Flour - 1 cup
•Nuts (finely ground- almond, hazel nut)- ½ cup
•Oat Flour - 1 1/3 cup
•Potato Flour - 5/8 cup
•Potato Starch - ¾ cup
•Quinoa Flour - 1 cup
•Rice Flour (White/Brown)- 7/8 cup
•Sorghum Flour - 1 cup
•Soy Flour - ¾ cup
•Sweet Rice Flour - 7/8 cup
•Tapioca Flour/Starch - 1 cup
•Teff Flour - 7/8 cup


Read more: http://bakingdesserts.suite101.com/article.cfm/wheatfree_glutenfree_baking#ixzz0Y6iuxT6L


“Corn starch has the same “thickening power” as arrowroot, potato starch and tapioca, and you should substitute the same amount. Corn starch has twice the “thickening power” of flour, so it’s necessary to use only half as much. Example: If recipe calls for 1/4 cup of flour, use just 2 tablespoons corn starch. (Retrieved from the Argo website).”

NOODLES WITH PEANUT SAUCEServes 2

Look for gluten-free tamari soy sauce as stores such as Whole Foods. This recipe can be halved or doubled easily,

6 ounces gluten-free spaghetti
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
2 teaspoons Asian toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari sauce, such as San-J Organic Tamari
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons finely sliced green onions, dark green leaves discarded

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 7 minutes. Taste test often as brands differ.

Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet (or a microwave), combine the peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Heat very gently without boiling, and mix well — the peanut butter will melt into the sauce. Turn off the heat. Add the pasta, and toss together. Divide between 2 heated bowls, and top with the green onions.
This is from Jacqueline Mallorca, the gluten free expert. ( wrote two books )



Okay, to adopt a wheat free gluten free lifestyle, changes must be made. But change is good if the exchange is equitable in taste. It may not look like a four star bakery or eating establishment but if the taste is equal to what you close to expect of a food, then half the battle is won. Personally, the image must appeal to me. So I strive to accomplish a recipe that is worthy of a picture.

My choice of pie crust is Authentic Foods because it is made with almond flour, so delicate and tasty and great to handle and bake with. My choice of flour is Pamela's which never fails. Occasionally I will use 2/3 of the Pamela's and then some of the Authentic Foods Sweet Rice Flour ( not much ) and some sorghum flour, all added for sweetness and richness. My choice of sugar is brown rice syrup, organic agave, sometimes organic maple syrup and my new find, Z-sweet erthyritol ( Stevia ).

I have adhered to a wheat free gluten free diet for over two years now and I am conscious of how this has contributed to my overall health. I put together a mish mash of WFGF recipes in a cookbook for our patients in the office and since, have been able to take any recipe and modify it to my liking. This is the gold. To be able to create something worthy and safe for eating from the usual gourmet delicious basically sinful recipe.

My advice? To be patient with yourself. Strive to create taste you can live with and explore all the blogs and recipes that are tried and true. You may be surprised and stop feeling deprived.

Metals Creating Auto Immune

As a nutritional practice, we target one of the greatest killers of health on this planet. Most patients hold onto Metals in their body organs, metals that were absorbed from a myriad of places. I will touch on a few.

Mercury, the big elephant in the living room, has been ranted about via vaccine discussions. But did you know that Mercury resides in pesticides ( in soil, in products, especially your regular spraying professional outside the house ), in hemmorrhoid relieving products, water based paint, soft contact lens solutions, broken thermometers, the NEW squirrley looking lightbulbs, fungicides and in the olden days, merthiolate. Mercury is toxic to all cell membranes and suppresses the immune system. In the brain it creates a firewall between neurons thus shutting down the needed synapse. Areas of the body found: brain, nervous system, kidney, appetite and pain centers as well. Mercury can be handed down through generations; the only feasible account of why babies are tested positive even if not given a vaccine.

Aluminum is found naturally in the Earth's crust, atmospheric dust and even in drinking water. We find it in pickles, baking powder ( always buy the aluminum free), pastries, maraschino cherries, non-dairy creamers, table salt ( not sea salt ), processed cheeses, all antacids, aluminum cookware, aluminum treated white flour, aluminum foil, tobacco smoke, artificial colorings and pesticides.

It interferes with normal body functions and contributes to Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, Lou Gehrigs diseases and dialysis dementia. Areas of the body found: bones, stomach and brain.

Lead is a toxic environmental pollutant. There is airborne lead ( gasoline additives and industrial pollution), lead based paint, newsprint ( now I know why I sneezed and coughed when I read the paper and have since stopped the delivery ), colored ads, hair dyes and rinses, bone meal supplements, dolomite, soft coal, leaded glass, pewter, improperly glazed pottery or dinnerware, batteries, cigarette smoke, pesticides, fertilizers, certain cosmetics, rubber toys, dirt near garages,parks or empty lots of old factories. ( watch out for kids putting dirt and dust in their mouths!) Lead attacks the bones, liver, kidneys, heart, pancreas, brain and nervous system.

Nickel mines have been closed down in many cities because of its ill effects. It can be found in jewelry, dental prosthetic devices ( the newer ones carry 60-80% nickel), tobacco smoke, orthodontic appliances, auto/truck exhaust, superphosphate fertilizers, nickel cadmium batteries, hydrogenated fats and oils, acid foods like tomatoes cooked in stainless steel cookware.

Nickel can target the point of exposure,( i.e. contact dermatitis and gingivitis) skin and lungs.

Cadmium has always been a concern and you can find many items containing the metal with warning signs. I remember my watercolor instructor who was President of the Valley Watercolor Society, telling me that she had to stop painting with oils because she was routinely hospitalized, as it affected her lungs. She switched to watercolor. You find Cadmium in the air, in food and water. It is in industrial waste, rubber tires, welding, paint, auto exhaust, cigarette smoke, white flour, white rice, seafood, rubber carpet backings,sewage sludge.

Just for one minute think about the Earth homes created in the Southwest. The walls were made of clay, water, rubber tires and aluminum cans. Dennis Weaver built such a home in Ouray, Colorado on the side of a mountain. He died an early death. Just saying . . .

Cadmium inhibits many enzymes, nutrients and metabolic reactions. It increases blood pressure, creates kidney and liver damage, anemia, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and osteoporosis. Found in lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, blood vessels, brain, in people with loss of smells and appetite.

Much of what I listed affects memory, hemoglobin, learning ( creating disabilities ), contributes to headaches, anxiety, depression, loose teeth, abdominal problems, and tremors.

Is this not enough to investigate what you are exposed to? If you conduct your life with the cavalier ideology of oh well, its in everything, so I have to die of something then your wishes will be fulfilled. If you become pro-active and go green and carefully choose what you use as a product, what you allow your body to absorb, then you can fulfill more of an optimally healthy lifestyle. We are all masters of our ship ( the body ).

All of this information is very real. We have had the ability to test heavy metals and actually trace to where in the organ it is most prominent.

Getting wise to what surrounds us, what we ingest and inhale may make you look like a obsessive compulsive over-protective person, but why not? Aren't you worth it? Isn't this the prelude to perfect health?

Some ideas:

Roll up your windows on the road and freeways, especially around trucks.
Choose watercolor over oil paints for your creative art.
Choose cosmetics that are found safe.
Be careful choosing vintage jewelry and pewter items just because they look cool.
Buy safe toys for your children.
If you must hair dye, get samples from your stylist and be checked for how it affects your liver. Look at the ingredients.
Don't smoke or be around it.
Don't have your house sprayed for insects. We never have. If we see red ants, we use cayenne pepper on the ant hills. There are plenty of safe natural organic fertilizers that you can use. Go out of your way to look for it.
Use parchment paper instead of aluminum foil when baking.
Go green in using cleaning supplies and laundry cleaners. We do!

Take special interest in the health of you and your family now. Don't wait until it is cool to do so. It may be too late then.

Update on our Winter Garden

It was only a month or so ago when we planted for the winter. At that time, the heat wave was still lingering. Now that it is November,a cold front has hit us and the vegies are growing beautifully. We planted six beets, two red romaine ( one didn't make it with the winds), two buttercrunch lettuce, six spinach which are growing nicely, a whole box of sugar peas growing in leaps and bounds up the trellis already, four arugula which is prolific, four red onions, six heirloom deer tongue lettuce which are my personal favorite and four red leaf ( red sail lettuce ). No pests, no insects and not much water needed.

I step out there in the garden and pull the lower leaves of lettuce for salad almost every night we are home. Its buttery, peppery, fresh.

I have one empty earth box left that we may either plant carrots and radishes and scallion seeds or kale or swiss chard. The nights get down to 37 degrees now mid November and I worry about freeze. Maybe I need to cover the kids with shade cloth.

A Celestial Child

She almost didn't come halfway through the gestation. A growth almost her size that resided in her mother's uterus crowded her space. The Doctors at Cedars Sinai would hover around the Intensive care bed while the beeps and whistles of machines and the hysterical cries of her mother filled the silence. Her amniotic fluid was diminishing. How could she survive? But she did through an act of God.

Nika Annabella came into our world on October 16, 1996. Her spikey hair and her wide open smile enchanted every one she gazed upon. From that moment, she touched us in immeasurable ways. Her mother, my baby sister, carried her alone, a treasured backpack during the course of her struggling years as an actress and dance instructor. She took up residence with my parents. The first two years of her life, Nika created a warm glow in the hearts of her grandparents and her grandmama. Nika became the center core of their daily illuminations. Her laughter, her antics, her beaming love became the glue for the senior members of our family; the soft place they would fall into.

As Nika grew, her personality flowered but never strayed from the core elements of compassion, sweetness, ( never disingenuous), smartness beyond her years, and a teasing humor that satisfies. She built her nest of strength around her family, her love of music ( piano and vocals ), her agility in dance, performance and theater at such a young age. Early on, gymnastics called to her. The advent of inner discipline came into her being. She devoted herself, solidly practicing as would an Olympic enthusiast, without parental urging, to reach a level of expertise. During this trial of honing the craft of sport agility, she engaged in the love of academics. A string of A's followed her many courses of advanced study. Science and math were not her only forte'. She balanced it all with the arts and languages. I remember one day around the family table she spoke Russian to me.

I think the finest hour ( and there are many ) was her drive to be the angel to those either less fortunate in mind, body or spirit, or to show a kinder way to those who tried to harm her with insults. I am talking about a child from age four or five when she consciously seemed aware of her imprint on society, to her present age of 13 years. In all my 62 years of life, in all my travels, I have not found one person who has measured up to her inner peace that exudes like a Tibetan monk, her consistent demonstration of love in all adverse moments, her sage philosophy compressed in her small child mind that chooses to see the better, the wiser, the more reasonable, the more logically sane approach to any situation. Does it boggle my mind? Oh yeah.

I am most honored to be this sweet person's godmother, who held her cuddly body over a baptismal font ( which I poured water from the River Jordan into )and prayed over her spiritual life which had already taken hold visibly.

Each day she pours her love into all of us, tightly wrapping her arms around us with a vastness of deep love perhaps none of us can know the depth of, and with that uncondtional love she helps us regrow a new heart.

This is the celestial child of the Universe who has yet to show us of what she is made of but the preface of this story has us all hooked. The Chapters of her life have yet to be realized. Nika will continue to perform, as a grand dame, an old soul, a messenger of God with angelic wings ( of which metaphorically says, rise up over your troubled life and see the brightness of tomorrow!)

It does not surprise that Nika has wanted to follow the path of healing since she was young enough to say the words." I want to be a Doctor, maybe a children's Doctor". The future is a promise land for this beautiful one. Happy 13th Birthday Nikster you have made our world so complete!