Journey to Wellness                                                         
       February 2011                                
   THE GOOD NE WS,  NATURALLY HEALTHY NEWSLETTER
   _______________________________________________________

Hello to everyone from Davis, California, U.S.A.  I am pleased to have you on board for this issue of Journey to Wellness.

January was an extremely busy month at my house, and my guess is that February will be very much the same.  I'll be sharing some of that in this issue. 

I hope you have established a plan for achieving your goals for this year that we talked about last month.  A goal is only as good as your game plan, so if you haven't done that yet, why not get started today.

Each month I have this unique opportunity to share my MS story.  Years ago I chose to be "enabled" by MS rather than "disabled," and I believe that each one of us has the opportunity to make that same choice.  My task is to help you believe that also.  I believe my body is designed to be self-healing, and that my challenge is to learn how to "listen" to my body and to help it turn on that innate self-healing process.  Everything I have learned and recommend is to help all of us do exactly that.

February always reminds me of Valentine's Day, the day for expressing love to those we care about.  And since I care about you,

Will you be my Valentine?

Isn't it fun to remember when we were in elementary school, and how we wanted to get a valentine from that certain boy or girl we really liked?  For me it is fun remembering those long-ago days. Those activities were important in our development.  And they are important today - it is just that the circumstances have changed as we have aged.  I'm having a Valentine's Dinner for a couple of friends.  Won't you join me, whether you are single like me, or you have a mate.  The sentiment applies universally.  Showing love is so important.  I tend to believe that it is not so much about the other person, but rather what it does for you.  I hope you have a lovely Valentine's day with those you care about.

CCSVI is again spotlighted in Journey to Wellness this month.  That topic has consumed much of my time this past few months, and increasingly the last month.  I continue to learn more and more about the role it apparently plays in the development of what doctors call multiple sclerosis.  The more I learn the more questions it raises, but at the same time I get more excited about the hope it holds for those hundreds of thousands of people who must live with the day-to-day challenges MS brings.  In the sixteen years since I was diagnosed for the first time I see some light at the end of the tunnel.  I hope some of it will be helpful to you in navigating this very important issue.

You will also find much of our usual topics.  Please remember that Journey to Wellness is meant to be interactive.  Send me your story and I'll include it in a future issue.  Please also include a photo. 

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Do you enjoy reading this free on-line newsletter? Do you appreciate the fact that there are no sponsoring commercial ads cluttering the pages of the newsletter and website? Then please consider making a contribution to help sustain them.  I have always wanted Betty's house to be commercial free, and that is still my intention.  And I never wanted the newsletter to be paid subscription only.  But be that as it may, everything connected with the website and newsletter costs money, and over time I learned that I could not do it alone.  I cannot say strongly enough how appreciative I am for those of you who help make the newsletter and Betty's House possible.  Thank you just doesn't seem adequate to express how grateful I am.

A few months ago when I learned to make a short motivation video for my personal use I showed it to friends and everyone wanted it.  Out of that came the idea of offering them as a premium when someone made a donation of $25.00.  I then spent many, many hours for three months developing five of them.

I call them LifeDesign Videos, and since I introduced them a few months ago the response has been very gratifying.  Each video is from 3-1/2 to 5 minutes in length and incorporates affirmations and appropriate images, backed up with motivation music. The five videos available are:
                            
                Health and Weight Loss
                Spirituality
                Designing My Abundant Life
                Daily Lifestyle - Lady
                Daily Lifestyle - Man       

You may mail your contribution to Iams House, 139 Inner Circle, Davis, CA  95618, or use credit card or Pay Pal at my on-line shopping cart here.  When making your contribution through the shopping cart, please indicate under "shipping instructions" which video you would like to receive. The on-line shopping cart makes it very easy.  If you send a contribution by mail, please be sure to include your e-mail address.  YOU make the website and this newsletter possible.

THANKS FOR SHOPPING AT MY AMAZON STORE:  Just click on this Amazon link, then when it opens bookmark it in your "favorites" and it will be easy to always use it.  Each order you place using this Betty's House Amazon link means a few cents is returned to Betty's House to help pay the monthly expenses for the website.  It doesn't amount to very much, but every little bit helps. Thanks so much.

PLEASE NOTE: 

1. Archives of recent issues of Journey to Wellness are always available here. If you are a new subscriber I suggest you take one archived issue each week and really study the material covered.  Over a period of a year Journey to Wellness covers just about every aspect of the healthy natural lifestyle that I recommend for MS. 

2. If you wish to send an e-mail to me, please be sure to use the following as the subject: From a Newsletter Subscriber and your e-mail won't be lost in the never-never land of spam.  

    

   Bon Appétit - Healthy Food Tips and Recipes

I love to cook and "putter" in the kitchen, so it was nice that some of you missed the recipe section last month.   Here are three that I hope you will enjoy.  I have had zero time to create anything new in recent weeks, so here are some I have copied from here and there.

Here's a really good and healthy Oven Fried Chicken from the Hungry Girl (Lisa Lillien).  It is oh so good.  She call's it . . .

KICKIN' BUTTERMILK FAUX-FRIED CHICKEN

        1/3 c. reduced-fat buttermilk
        1/8 T paprika
        8 to 10 (about 10 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
        1/3 c. twig-shaped bran cereal
        1/3 c. panko bread crumbs
        1 T dry onion soup mix
        salt to taste

1)  Combine buttermilk and paprika in a large zip lock plastic bag.  Mix well.  Add chicken tenders, seal bag, and toss to coat completely.
2)  Refrigerate for a minimum of one hour.
3)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4)  Process cereal in a food processor (or blender) until it reaches a fine-crumb consistency.  Combine crumbs and remaining ingredients in shallow bowl.
5)  Drain chicken tenders and discard buttermilk.  Coat each tender with crumb mixture and arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6)  Bake 20 minutes or until crisp and done, turning once after about 10 minutes.

I spray lightly with oil before placing them in the oven.

Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

6 servings – 160 calories/serving

 

Only a small bit of oil and maple syrup are needed to coat these thick wedges of potatoes. Roasting them at a high temperature browns them well and deepens the flavors. A fresh sprinkle of lemon zest adds flavor without fat.  I love these with roasted chicken.  Sometimes I just pickup one of the hot roasted chickens at my local supermarket.  For me I get one really large sweet potato and it makes two or three servings.  Leftovers keep well.

        2 pounds small sweet potatoes (about 5), peeled and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges
        1 T vegetable oil
        kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
        1 T pure maple syrup
        1/2 t. finely grated lemon zest
        sea salt and freshly grated nutmeg, to taste, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the sweet potatoes on a large, foil-lined rimmed baking sheet with the oil; season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes.

2. Remove the pan from the oven, cool enough to handle, and toss the potatoes with the syrup.

 

3. Back in the oven, roast, tossing twice, until the potatoes are beginning to brown and are tender, about 15 minutes more. To serve, sprinkle warm potatoes with freshly grated lemon zest, sea salt, and nutmeg to taste.

 

This recipe is Copyrighted by the Food Network.  Calories per serving are about 160-175,  I've discovered that it is just as good made with butternut squash, prepared the exact same way, but it has only a little bit over half the calories.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 

        http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03948/Watch-Dr-Weil-Make-Roasted-Root-Vegetables.html

New Classic Lightened-up Meatloaf

from The Food Network’s nutritionist Ellie Krieger

        1 T olive oil
        1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
        8 ounces white button mushrooms, finely diced
        1 small carrot, finely grated
        2 T tomato paste
        1/2 t. dried thyme
        1 clove of garlic, minced
        3/4 t. salt
        1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
        1 1/2 pounds extra-lean ground beef (90% lean or higher)
        3/4 c. quick-cooking oats
        2 large eggs, beaten
        2 t. Worcestershire sauce
        1 8-ounce can no-salt added tomato sauce
        1 T prepared mustard
        1 T molasses

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown about 8 minutes. Stir in the carrots, tomato paste, thyme and garlic and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more. Allow to cool completely.

In a large bowl combine the beef, oats, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, mushroom mixture, salt and pepper. Mix until just well combined. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 inches high.

In a small bowl whisk the tomato sauce, molasses and mustard and pour over the meatloaf. Cook until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees, about 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Serving Size: one 1-inch thick slice. Per Serving: Calories 250

Note from Betty: I grew up in a household where we had meatloaf about once a week, and it is probably my favorite comfort food. When I saw Ellie prepare this on TV a couple of years ago, I tried it and was blown away at how tasty it is, and how much healthier it is than my mother’s version. 

Serve it with a lovely steamed vegetable, perhaps some smashed red potatoes with the skins on, and a light salad, for an awesome dinner.  For myself I make two loaves and freeze one for cooking another day.  I hope you will all try it. Note that it is gluten and dairy free.

   Follow-up re LifeDesign Videos

Thank you to all of you who have written about the LifeDesign motivational videos.  I listen to and watch a couple of them every day, right along with you.  Remember that I originally learned to make them just for my own use.  A few things I need to share with you about them:

1)   They may now be downloaded directly to your computer's desktop from my website.  If you have the YouTube version and would like the new one so that you can place it on your desktop for ease of playing, just send me a note and I'll send it to you right away.

2)    Increase the size of the YouTube image:  I have also learned that if you double click on any YouTube video image it will fill your entire monitor screen.

3)    I am in the last stages of completing a new video called Creating Health which is all about creating health and healing.

If you have been putting off ordering the Yoga for MS DVD program, now is a give yourself that special gift.  Throughout the month of February I will include a LifeDesign Video of your choice with each Yoga for MS DVD.    

 FROM MY E-MAIL BOX
   Hello Betty. 

Greetings from the frozen North East.  I must echo what others have said and thank you for the lovely Health and Weight Loss video.  I have had it for about a month, and it is really working.  Bless you for all that you do.  You are truly inspirational.  And thanks for all the information on CCSVI.  I am anxious for the day when we will have the total picture.  Thanks for sharing Thomas K's note last month.  I agree that something must change inside in order for change to take place outside.  I have fallen off the wagon so many times in the past, but now I'm back on track, thanks to your coaching, and determined to stay there.  /s/ Cindy S.   

What a lovely note, Cindy.  It certainly speaks for itself.  You and Tom are so right - change must first take place on the inside before it demonstrates on the outside.  Blessings to you in 2011.

The following note is from a subscriber who has been with me almost from the first issue of Journey to Wellness, about 14 years ago.  We have had a few e-mail exchanges over the years, as we have both weathered the storms of life.  I just thought I'd share her note with all of you.

HAPPY NEW  YEAR, BETTY!  I hope your holidays were good ones! I've been receiving your "Journey to Wellness" newsletter since the very first issue!  It's been  tremendously helpful for me, not only through the many, many great articles in each issue, but also it was so good to be in "contact", through you, with all your subscribers, and to know that I wasn't alone in my battle with MS.  Many, many thanks!

I've had this disease for at least 25 years, and have gone through the many ups and downs of MS.  My husband suddenly passed away last March.  As you know, afterwards  I went through the most stressful point in my life!   But, like you, I made it through!  I am now in a senior residential facility and have not been this happy in a long while!  It's full of "normal" (non-MSers) seniors, who are happy, healthy, and very active!  They accept me,  just as I am (wheelchair and all)!   I'm in an exercise program which meets every other day for an hour.  Please emphasize to all your readers, again, the importance of exercise!  I really and truly feel that the exercise I am taking is the major reason for my happy outlook on life now! 

I hope 2011 will be a good year for you.  Sincerely, /s/ Liz S.

Thank you Liz for your note. I’m glad to hear that you are finding your way back after losing your husband. I know that must have been very difficult. The most stressful and dark experience of my life was the grief of losing my only son four years ago. But I promise you, the sun does shine again. It is good to know that you have found a new “family” in the new community where you live. I am so glad that you are participating in a continuing exercise program. I absolutely know that the best thing one can do for MS is a committed exercise program!

I too have benefited greatly by being in contact with my world-wide MS family through my website and newsletter. If I have been helpful to you, please know that all of you have also been helpful to me. I don’t know how I would have ever gotten through losing my son without my MS family. Just as I have learned that I am never alone, hopefully I have been able to help many of you know that you are not alone either.

Thanks again for your lovely note.

   Betty,

As always your newsletter is full of great information.  I am following the CCSVI and have read all that you posted.  I'm pleased to see that Direct-MS.org is matching fundraising efforts.   After reading the story of the Hubbard family and understanding more about how a scientist's son was helped by the procedure and the test that they could perform to see "normal and abnormal," plus the clear changes from their son after the angioplasty I can see how valid and important this can be.  Now this brings me to wonder what is the long term prognosis.  Is there is a process going on within the body causing this venous insufficiency could that be similar to what occurs in heart disease and will it come back if  changes in diet are not made?  Clearly with such dramatic results having the procedure is a starting point for those who demonstrate having this condition.  

I also think I understand, though I'm not totally clear, the posts about how fundraising dollars are being spent, in particular by the NMSS.   I would like to share that I am not impressed by the work of this organization.  I was asked to leave two support groups sponsored by them because I was "doing well and demoralizing those critically ill".   I simply shared my experiences with dietary and other changes, never criticizing others who came every week to tell the same "poor old me" story.   No one at the MS society local chapter would consider the merits of what I was doing.  After several years of doing the MS Walk I asked to do the bike ride and was told if I could raise the $500 participation fee, ok.  I explained that due to having MS I had not been employed full time and would have others on my team raise funds.   The response was "no one with MS could do the ride anyway."   I really don't want this kind of disempowering leadership at the head of such an organization with so much power.   They seem to be "tools of the pharmaceutical industry, too".  /s/Mary C.  Cary, NC

Thanks Mary for your positive comments about the newsletter.  CCSVI has really intrigued me ever since I first became aware of Dr. Zamboni and his work.  If you are a long-time reader of Journey to Wellness, you know that I have for many years not accepted the prevailing allopathic medicine "wisdom" that MS is auto-immune, with a probable viral cause.  I have always believed that there was something else involved in the development of MS neurological symptoms, which can vary widely from one person to another.

A few things I have come to believe for sure, based on not only my own experience but that of a lot of others who have come along on my own journey to overcome my PP MS.

I KNOW FOR SURE that exercise works.  Why?  It improves circulation!

I KNOW FOR SURE that our body’s immune response is our innate first line of defense against bacteria and viruses, and it makes no logical sense that it would “attack” any part of our body. 

I KNOW FOR SURE that fats play some role in the development of MS.  (Dr. Swank proved that many years ago.)

I KNOW FOR SURE that there is a high percentage of familial predisposition to develop MS in some families such as mine, although this does not apply to over half of people who develop MS.

I KNOW FOR SURE that developing a meditation ritual has a very positive effect on MS symptoms (relaxation plays a positive role in all self-healing.)

From the above I have concluded that the commonly accepted etiology of MS had it all wrong.  I developed my belief about the immune response after an extensive conversation with a Ph.D. medical researcher about what the immune response is and how it works.  She rather quickly convinced me that there is no such thing as an auto-immune disorder (where the so-called immune system attacks some part of the body).   

When I added all the above to my strong belief that our human bodies are designed to be self-healing, I zeroed in on how to support that natural, innate self-healing ability.  That is what lead me to the program I developed for myself, and that has made me symptom-free today.  It will take more research and the accumulation of more positive results from the angioplasty before we can answer conclusively the what, how and why questions regarding CCSVI.  It appears that there is a genetic component.  There may also be a dietary component, such as in heart disease.  My guess is that by the end of this year when some of the early studies will be concluded we will have more definitive answers to those questions.

Regarding the use of NMSS research dollars, the post I quoted from Denise Manley related to her disdain for how and whose research is being funded.  You can learn a lot by following her posts on Facebook (“Gabbycats”).  She was one of the first people to have the corrective procedure successfully done in the United States, and is devoting much of her time to getting the word out.

It is interesting to read your experience with support groups.  I have never believed in them for most people.  Neither do I believe in the MS Walks, etc.  Most of the money is donated by people who have MS and who are struggling just to pay for the basic needs of life.  That is true of not only the NMSS but also the Cancer and Diabetes associations, as well as many others.  I fear that they primarily exist to perpetuate themselves and to support the pharmaceutical industry.  And when I read about many of the studies they fund, I am often appalled.  They seem to have very little if anything to do with what causes MS.

As you can see Mary, you and I certainly agree on the merits – or lack thereof – of the NMSS.  But many people continue to believe that NMSS-funded research will find a “cure” for MS.  My feeling about that is how can they find a cure for something that they can’t even define nor find a cause for after many, many millions of research dollars spent over at least a century.

I certainly don’t have the answers, but I for sure know that the NMSS and the pharmaceutical industry DO NOT!  At the least I can say that I have personally reversed PPMS, and they have not!!  Thank you again for writing Mary.  Hopefully we are going to have more answers than questions on what causes the potentially devastating symptoms doctors call multiple sclerosis.

In a follow-up note Mary wrote: 

   I agree with your certainties and have done them myself.   One implied point is the unwavering belief in wellness and willingness to commit to it.  So many people who may not have symptoms lead lives that are not disciplined in terms of what they want and their own responsibility in making that happen from within.   It is like people who decide to be doomed based on genetics, we know of many people who alter this course by taking a different position.   Circulation, air and breathe are so key!  It is a joy to have a like minded and very articulate spokesperson in you.   The surgery may correct something significant and I have to believe that alone it is not the "answer" entirely, but it is promising.  /s/ Mary

All I can say, Mary, is AMEN!

 Betty,

Please define exactly what you mean by "ritual."  /s/ Charles R.

I simply mean a regular routine of practices that one does every day, usually at the same time.  Once we make that routine a habit (or ritual), then we no longer have to think about whether or not we are going to do it.  For instance, every evening just before I go to bed I do half an hour of Qi Gong.  My morning ritual includes half an hour of meditation, just as regularly as washing my face and brushing my teeth.  I never have to ask myself if I am going to do either my morning or evening routines.  They are just automatic. That is what I mean by committing to a ritual.  I hope that helps.  Thanks for writing Charles.

PLEASE NOTE:  I was inundated with CCSVI mail this month . . . many dozens more than I can quote here.  If you didn't get a personal response from me, please remind me.  Thanks to all of you who wrote.

   Spotlight on CCSVI

CCSVI ALLIANCE  

Thanks to a Journey to Wellness reader I was able to connect with Michelle Brown, Vice President of the CCSVI Alliance, a non-profit organization whose Mission Statement is:

"CCSVI Alliance promotes education and research about CCSVI and its relationship to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) by providing objective information to the MS community, supporting medical investigations of CCSVI, and fostering collaboration among patients, advocates, and professionals.  Michelle and I had a long and far reaching talk about everything from her and my  MS stories to the present state of what we know about CCSVI." 

The CCSVI Alliance website, www.CCSVI.org, has a great deal of very interesting and helpful information. Be sure to check out the rather extensive information under the Helping Myself main menu. It is divided into three areas, “Discussing CCSVI with Doctors,” “Endothelial Health,” and “Finding Treatment Providers.”

I was especially intrigued by the long article on the role endothelium health plays in this whole picture. Since this is a new area of information to me, I learned a lot from this article. Rather than quote bits and pieces, please take the time to study all this information. The thing that intrigues me the most is how it relates the interconnectedness of many different health issues, not just MS.

I was intrigued by a quote from Dr. Michael Dake of Stanford University Medical School, one of the pioneering physicians working to develop a successful corrective procedure for CCSVI.  He said:

"In my view venous obstruction is a promoter for MS,
like many other things are promoters for ms . . .
but what has people excited (about CCSVI )
is that it is reversible."

I have written and rewritten condensations of the information from the Alliance website, as well as other CCSVI information, but I cannot do justice to these materials.  You must take the time to read through the information.  the Alliance website is very well done, and I’m sure you will find it as interesting and informative as I did. It is a very professional, beautifully done and well organized, and you will have no trouble maneuvering through the site.

I salute those courageous people who are working to disseminate vital information about CCSVI and to help people who need to evaluate corrective procedures and service providers.  I really believe that people who live with the daily challenges MS brings have literally risen up and forced the medical community to study this issue.  Many have been guinea pigs in the early procedures.  Some physicians have been so caring that they have in some cases risked their medical careers in order to do experimental surgeries.  I do think we are now beyond that stage at this point.

It seems that soon all the various pieces of the CCSVI puzzle will come together and we will have definite proof of how it fits into the larger MS picture, as well as the best approach to a corrective procedure.

Many, many thanks to reader Karen for making the contact for me, and to Michelle of the CCSVI Alliance for so generously granting me our interview. 

If you have dollars to donate, I encourage you to consider donating to the CCSVI Alliance at the CCSVI website, as well as Dr. Embry's Direct-MS website.  Dr. Embry today believes that CCSVI plays a major role in the development of MS.

~~~~~~~ 

CCSVI ALLIANCE FUNDRAISER:

Join in the first CCSVI Alliance Fundraising Event

THE FOLLOWING WAS POSTED BY DENISE MANLEY ON HER FACEBOOK PAGE 1/12/11: 

"I know this note is long, but if you are just looking into CCSVI and MS it's a must that you get through it to really understand the nature of the beast! If you have questions, please ask. If you need help, please ask!"  Just click on this link:   Medical Research Papers and Articles in one place.

Denise uses Facebook almost exclusively.  Just go to www.Facebook.com, enter a search in her name, and you will see her site come up.  Denise has practically given up her life to do this work, following her own early successful corrective procedure, and we all owe her a debt of gratitude.  Thank you Denise.

She also sends along this link regarding a study to begin that will look at CCSVI as the cause of MS: 

                                         http://www.niagaraadvance.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2910512   

As I said last month, this is a great deal of CCSVI information and a lot to wade through, I know.  But judging from your e-mails that is what you wish to receive.  I hope all of this helps you move ahead to decisions about pursuing CCSVI treatment. 

   Our Breath – the key to natural health and wellness

The more I learn about and use the powerful healing available to us just by learning to breathe in a healthy way, the more excited I get about learning more.

A few years ago I developed a “knowing” about what I call our body’s Internal Guidance System (IGS), and the fact that our body is always “talking” or communicating with us in various ways. I have now come to recognize that the driving source behind that communication is our breath. It is through the breath that we are all capable of connecting with our source, the very essence of who we are. Incidentally, just think of your IGS as your body’s own, personal Global Positioning System (GPS) to the Universe.

I first discovered the healing power of practicing breathing patterns when I learned to practice Qi Gong. I did the measured, abdominal breathing because it was part of my Qi Gong practice. I knew that Qi Gong worked for me, but I didn’t at that time understand the significance of the breath work. I understood that Qi Gong works because it involves moving or manipulating the body’s own energy but I had no point of reference for the role the breath work played, nor what the chi really is.

CONNECT, LISTEN AND FEEL

Then I became increasingly aware that I could initiate dialog with my body, and that it was always communicating with me. My task was to simply develop the ability to connect, listen and feel its presence and what it was communicating, and I learned that the breathe is key to that communication.

Over the years I learned that breathing patterns could put me in a relaxed alpha state, almost instantly, for meditation. Gradually I began to put it all together as I developed an inner knowing about the role of the breath in healing.

Today I see the body’s innate energy, commonly called chi or prana, as what religionists call the soul, and of course the breath is the outward physical evidence of life. It is the ultimate and innate physical demonstration of life itself, and of our connection to our ultimate source.

Doesn’t the simple act of breathing sustain life?  Well yes . . . to a degree. Science tells us today that almost all dis-ease relates to various stresses (or stressors as I like to call them).  In our increasingly complex lives modern society has developed a plethora of what we call diseases due to our stressful lives. And it doesn’t matter what “name” we attach to these so-called diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, ALS, hypertension, heart disease, or multiple sclerosis, etc., because they all relate to this same stressful lifestyle. These stresses alter our body’s intricate biochemical balance, which leads to disease.

Enter a natural and easy-to-learn way to overcome these stresses in our lives and keep our bodies functioning at a high level without pharmaceutical drugs.

You guessed it . . . THE BREATH!

I encourage all of you to maintain a daily breath work practice. If you have not ever done that, then now is the time to get started. If you have started in the past but didn’t stay with it, perhaps it was because you didn’t have a good understanding of its importance. Nothing I have ever recommended to you is more important to natural health than this.

Here’s a simple getting-started exercise:

1. Sit quietly with your eyes closed (to help prevent distractions).
2. Take a deep, slow, abdominal breath, with a long, slow exhale.
3. Then practice an easy inhale to a slow count of three.
4. Then a long, slow exhale to a slow count of five.
5. Keep your breaths slow and easy, in a continuous flow from inhale to exhale.

That’s all there is to it. When you first try this it may seem awkward. If that is the case then you are trying too hard. As the kids say, don’t sweat it!  Just let your body find its own natural breath rhythm. Everything in the Universe pulses with a rhythm [such as the tides, the seasons of the year, etc.] and we are no different.  Make it a goal in the beginning to practice this simple technique for three to five minutes at a time. When your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath pattern.

Incidentally, one of the greatest benefits of learning this breathing technique is that you may use it anytime, anywhere to relax and reduce stress. It is also a great sleeping aid.

Such a deal – an easy to learn and easy to use healing tool that also induces relaxation, stress reduction, and even sleep!  Please do not let its simplicity deter you from accepting how powerful it can be as a healing tool.

Next month I’ll give you step two to using this healing technique.

 

Spend a few minutes watching this incredibly beautiful video and I think you will have a new appreciation for Chinese culture.

          http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=6HfDeTVpinU&vq=medium

A FASCINATING INTERNET EXPERIENCE.  Please take a few minutes and experience Hans Rosling's fascinating look at 200 years of "health and wealth" on our planet earth.  It is one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.

200 Years of Statistics

 
DID YOU KNOW THAT. . .  plastic containers contain cancer-causing chemicals that can be leached into food and drink.

If you are like me, you know that some food-containing plastic containers are safe, and some are not.  From what I had read I thought that the numbers appearing in a triangle on the bottom (this is a recycle number) of these containers are increasingly safe as the numbers get higher.  NOT SO!

Here's the skinny on what the numbers mean:

Containers with a 1 or 2 on the bottom are the safest.  These are used for clear water or cloudy containers such as those used for milk.

Containers with a 4 or 5 on the bottom are generally considered safe, but you should use them sparingly and NEVER use them in a microwave.

Containers with a 3, 6 or 7 on the bottom are the most dangerous of all.  They contain a dangerous and volatile chemical called BPA and should be avoided.

 To learn more about what the recycling codes are for and exactly what each number means, then check out www.TheDailyGreen.com.  I learned a lot by spending a little time there.

   Featured Books, DVD Exercise Programs and Videos

→ For Everyone who orders a Yoga for MS video this month ←
I will include a LifeDesign video of your choice.
Just include the name of the video you wish to receive
under "shipping instructions."

Please remember that the very best medicines in the Universe are love, hugs, smiles, and laughter.  And the really cool thing about them is that they can be liberally administered by family and friends with absolutely no negative side effects.  So, get a funny movie and hunker down with someone you care about for a few belly laughs.  It'll improve not only your mental outlook but also your physical health.  Besides, it just plain feels good!

If you have a favorite personal story or recipe you'd like to share, or a question or something you'd like me to address in the newsletter, please send them along.  And if you have a photo, remember to send that along also and I'll include your photo with whatever you are sharing.  

Happy Valentine's Day

Betty

TO BETTY'S HOUSE