tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99430722024-03-13T11:56:35.170-05:00Surviving Medicine!!Have you really listened to pharmaceutical commercials on tv? Pay attention to the list of side effects and then ask yourself: Isn't there a better way? This blog is about a better way!
Copyright (c) 2005-2008 by Pam Murphy,M.S.,RRT All Rights ReservedPam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-88174910964187087872009-07-23T15:50:00.004-05:002009-07-23T15:52:24.586-05:00Hello Friends......I have started a new blog at http://empoweringwellness.blogspot.com Please visit me there!!! or at http://optimizetoheal.com <br /><br />To Your Health,<br /><br />Pam Murphy,M.S.H.N.,RRT<br />http://pamsnutritionstore.comPam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-46384482490507287812008-12-21T19:37:00.001-06:002009-05-11T16:32:02.685-05:00Visualizing A New YearWhy is it many of us get all introspective at the end of year? I've been pondering if it's a loss of time we are feeling or the giddy expectations of good things to come in the next year. Like children waiting on Santa, the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. <script type="text/javascript" src="http://forms.aweber.com/form/46/1818167546.js"></script> <br /><br /><br />So we get all excited about the New Year. THIS year is going to be different! So we go about setting New Years resolutions. And what's up with THAT? There isn't a written (or unwritten) rule we must set a resolution. Nobody makes us do it. It's our own idea...... and often we approach it without a lot of thought or a plan to achieve them and thus ultimately fail.<br /><br />Pondered that a lot lately and reached a few conclusions.<br /><br />Resolutions are born out of our discontent.<br /><br />We WANT to change. We truly do.<br /><br />We want to lose weight, be healthier, more successful, more organized, etc.<br /><br />The problem with New Years resolutions is that we want a CHANGE, whether it be weight loss, a new job, a house, a new car, someone to share our life with, to quit smoking, etc etc. but we don't follow thru on the actions needed to bring about the change we desire. You know what they say.... I'll paraphrase.... if you keep doing the same things you'll keep getting the same results. And it's true.<br /><br /><p>I'll be honest. I don't like the term "new years resolution". Does it turn you off also? But still it's important to stop once in a while and ponder where you are in life. Is this where you want to be? Are you who you want to be? Are you happy? At the end of every year I take time to plan for next year. I don't call it "making a new years resolution". I like to think of it as what I'm going to do different or better to bring my dreams a little closer to reality or taking stock of what I need to do to enhance my life. Life is so busy these days. It's important to step off the merry-go-round once in a while and refocus. Don't you think? </p><p>But so often we profess a desire for change and then continue to do the same things over and over as if the result will be different. We are married to our habits, to convenience...... to our comfortable life. Change requires ACTION which is sometimes uncomfortable, at least, at first.<br />It's so much easier to stay mired in our customary everyday habitual routine which is safe and comfortable.<br /><br />Let me say this about "habit". Habit may be comfortable but it takes away our power of choice. One can't both, stay mired in habit, and CHOOSE to CHANGE. Give that one some thought.<br /><br />Have you thought about making a healthful resolution this next year? May I suggest you look at it this way....<br /><br />if you love your life, you will want to take care of your body. If you were diagnosed with a life threatening disease you would change your diet.... you might even exercise more (if you could) ... but you wouldn't be doing those things because of what the scale said or how you feel about how you look. You'd be doing those things cos you love your life and you didn't want it cut short.<br /><br />So my question to you is: Why wait till you get sick?<br /><br />Your wellness is the foundation of everything good in your life. Every good thing you do to support your wellness will pay you back in the enhancement of some aspect of your life. If you think about it I think you'd agree wellness is integral to every part of your life.<br /><br />In setting your healthful New Years resolution(s) may I recommend:<br /><br />1. Keep your resolution(s) realistic<br />2. Surround yourself with positive people.<br />3. Believe in your ability to change<br />4. Keep a journal of your progress<br />5. Focus on <strong>one </strong>resolution at a time<br />6. Be accountable to someone other than yourself: do you have a trusted friend who is also making a resolution?<br /><br />New Years resolutions (or any change) can be boiled down to four steps:<br /></p><ul><li>Choose to change</li><li>Give thought to planning the change</li><li>Take action to effect the change</li><li>Visualize your success as you work toward success<br /></li></ul><p>But you need a plan to put those steps into motion. So consider the finer points in your resolution by thinking it through as follows:</p><p>Why is your resolution important to you? What will change about your life when you achieve your resolution? (Be realistic!) What changes do you need to make in your life to achieve your resolution? How will you implement those changes? </p><p>Thinking it thru is a crucial step. In fact, not thinking it thru is the foremost reason for failure. </p><p><span style="color:#3333ff;">“<em>The reason most people never reach their resolutions is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” - Denis Waitley</em></span></p><p><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span></em>Not only is thinking it thru a crucial step; but what you are <strong>saying to yourself</strong> in your thoughts is also crucial. Are you visualizing success? Or is there a nagging doubt? A nagging thought this year won't be any different than any other? Are you defeating yourself before you even really get started? Keep those thoughts positive! and I might add hang out with positive people! </p><p>What are YOU going to do this year to achieve YOUR New Years resolution(s)? </p><p>What are YOU going to do this year to make your dreams closer to reality? </p><p>What are YOU going to do this year to make this year better than last year? </p><p>I should add ..... </p><p><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong><em>you may find <span style="color:#330099;">the person you become</span> as a result of thinking, planning, taking action, visualizing and achieving the change you desire will be every bit as priceless as the resolution itself. </em></strong></span><br /><br /></p><p></p><center><a href="http://www.quantum-self.com/shopping/affiliate.php?id=8&redirect=http://www.quantum-self.com/visualize.htm"><img alt="Quantum-Self -Visualize Success" src="http://www.quantum-self.com/shopping/banners/visualizebanner.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></center><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>********************</p><p>To be one of the first to read my blog subscribe to have it delivered to your email inbox! Send a blank email (or write me a note to say Hi if you like) to <a href="mailto:quantumwellness@charter.net">quantumwellness@charter.net</a> with "join email list" in the subject line. </p>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-80756855008741904112008-12-14T13:24:00.000-06:002008-12-14T14:07:55.964-06:00Change - You Can!Remember when you were 20. You thought you'd live forever. Have you ever said to yourself "gee it seems like yesterday I was dying to be 21" and now here I am in my 40's (50's etc)". Wow. How does that happen? Time flies. It's a blink of an eye from "gee I need to lose 10 lbs" to "gee I need to lose 50, 80 or 100 lbs".<br /><br />And then there is the familiar "gee I didn't lose weight this year either".<br /><br />Is that you?<br /><br />Have you looked in the mirror and not recognized who you saw? Not been happy with what you see in the mirror? There's a beautiful person inside that person you see in the mirror. I hope you know that. But I can tell you being overweight is costing you.<br /><br />It's a lot easier to be unhealthy than healthy. It's alwasy easier to keep doing what you're doing. But when the problem is overweight at some point it really becomes a problem if you've developed the habits of an unhealthy lifestyle.<br /><br />Are you tired of being tired, fat and depressed? Tired of having to pass up the cute clothes and head to the Plus Sizes. Are you worried about your health? Diabetes, heart disease, etc.<br /><br />I have a tip for you: Success at a healthy lifestyle starts in your head. Change starts in what you tell yourself.<br /><br />Change. It was the election year buzzword. Change. We expect our elected officials to bring about change but when we are the ones needing to make change it suddenly becomes different. We don't have time. We hate to drink water but we guzzle six packs of soda and imbibe daily Starbucks. In fact, many of us drink coffee throughout the day "to keep going". We consume loads of preservatives, dyes and neurotoxins in processed foods and reach for tobacco products to calm our stress. We worry about herbs which have been used for thousands of years, but reach for the next best pharmaceutical without giving it a thought.<br /><br />Here's some facts for you:<br /><br />1. Each year prescription drugs cause 1 million injuries so severe they require hospitalization<br />2. Each year 2 million drug-related injuries occur during hospital care<br />3. Approximately 100,000 Americans die annually from taking prescription drugs CORRECTLY as prescribed.<br /><br />Yet we never question taking a drug and most of us never look for an alternative. There is an alternative. You can live a healthy life with much less or no need at all for pharmaceuticals.<br /><br />And the good news is some of us are starting to realize this and take charge of our health. Take for instance this question from one of my clients:<br /><br /><em>"ok, i already drink over 64 oz water a day, I work 10 hours a day doing p hysical stuff, not sitting at a desk, and have quit eating fried foods. I eat more fruit and veggies.. what else can I do?"<br /></em><br />I read that and was in heaven... wow! a client who wanted to do more! I was thrilled with the question. It made my day! This person is working hard at gaining a better quality of life. She has a family and a job outside the home, has made changes and wants to know what else she can do!<br /><br />Here's the suggestions I gave her:<br /><br />1. You say you work 10 hours a day doing physical stuff, not sitting at a desk. Is it the kind of physical that builds muscle or the kind of physical which builds cardio? Cardio exercise is important but you also need physical exercise which builds muscle. Not only does muscle burn more calories but muscle is important for joint health. Physical exercise (ie strength training) which builds muscle is also important in building bone mass and has been shown to improve psychological health. So think about the kind of exercise you get at work. You might get the book called 8 Minutes in the Morning by Jorge Cruise <a title="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=" href="mhtml:%7BF5E561C4-EC97-4CBD-93E1-CD546E7DC21E%7Dmid://00000345/!x-usc:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=jorge+cruise" keywords="jorge+cruise" url="search-alias=">http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=jorge+cruise</a> take a look at either the original 8 minutes in the Morning or the one for Real Shapes Real Sizes. Either book would be a good way to get into a daily routine of strength building exercise. Everyone has eight minutes!<br /><br />2. You're eating more veggies and fruits. That's terrific! I don't know what "more" is though! A serving is 1/2 cup. Are you eating 7 servings a day (men should eat 9)? What percentage of your veggies are eaten raw? A % should be eaten raw because your body needs the enzymes from whole foods in their natural state. Enzymes are destroyed when you cook food. Thats one of the reasons we see so much chronic disease these days.... many health issues are tied in with enzyme deficiency.<br /><br />3. I would heartily recommend you get a juicer and make yourself a good green drink everyday. A tip on that: I've found adding an apple makes homemade juices taste better. I have a Jack Lalanne juicer but am about to move up to a Breville juicer. If you don't want to spend that kind of money go to walmart and get a Juiceman juicer. Folks who are avid juicers will cringe at that suggestion. However, that's what I started with and its plenty good to get a start at juicing. You have to start somewhere and everyone doesn't have $400+ for a super juice machine. (Not me, yet!) My prediction is you will soon want to step up to a better juicer though! Your kids will get into it tooo!! My great nephew Brayden loves to come over and make carrot juice !!!<br /><br />4. Green drinks are loaded with nutrition! Here's a green drink recipe: Juice together: papaya, banana and baby spinach. Or you might try: celery, carrots, kale, parsley and apple. Only make enough juice for you to drink right then. (Though if you add a chunk of ginger when you are juicing you can keep the juice for 24 -48 hrs)<br /><br />5. If you are up for a super- super healthy green drink I would recommend you add some Boku. <a href="mhtml:%7BF5E561C4-EC97-4CBD-93E1-CD546E7DC21E%7Dmid://00000345/!x-usc:http://www.bokusuperfood.com/">http://www.bokusuperfood.com/</a> I do not get any remuneration from the Boku folks. I simply think it's a terrific nutritious product. No, it's not inexpensive. But there is not any junk in it. It's every bit nutritious. You get what you pay for! If you are used to drinking sodas and eating sugary foods you will need to adjust to the taste of Boku. You can mix Boku with water by itself or add it to your green drink. I would suggest you add just a little Boku to your green drink and work up to label directions.<br /><br />This client is making changes and seeing results. By changing her diet to one with more fruits and vegetables she is eating a more alkaline diet. This will help decrease inflammation in her body. There's a common thread between cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and autoimmune disorders. That common thread is INFLAMMATION. You can directly affect the level of inflammation in your body thru what you commonly eat.<br /><br />Because she has changed her diet to one more plentiful with vegies and fruits she will naturally lose weight. She doesn't have to be tied to her scale. No one should be.<br /><br />You, like this client, can make healthful changes, feel better, have more energy, and perhaps, decrease the amount of medication you take (with your physicians assistance). There's no time like the present to get started......<br /><br />Check out my two articles for a blueprint to get started on your new healthy life:<br /><br />article #1 <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/024405.html">http://www.naturalnews.com/024405.html</a><br /><br />followup article <a href="mhtml:%7BF5E561C4-EC97-4CBD-93E1-CD546E7DC21E%7Dmid://00000334/!x-usc:http://www.naturalnews.com/025075.html">http://www.naturalnews.com/025075.html</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-91579682193965314862008-11-05T02:18:00.000-06:002008-12-02T13:46:09.334-06:00Do You Have Time?You know sometimes I just get so serious... rabidly serious about nutrition and health. Sometimes I get so serious I know I irritate the heck out of the people around me. I am quite conscious of needing to tell myself to lighten up or I will push people away instead of drawing them in where maybe I can help them. But there are moments when I reflect on what I've been thru in my own journey to conquering illness and on what I see in the hospital as a respiratory therapist and at those moments I know deep in my heart it is serious.<br /><br />There's nothing light about losing the quality of your life thru illness; especially illness that you could have prevented. Preventable illnesses are incredibly tragic. Illness takes away a lot of the choices in life. In fact, it occurs to me one of the worst things about illness is the loss of human potential and the implications that has on the quality of an individuals life, as well as, the loss to society. I'd say at least 90% of the misery I see in the hospital is preventable. And if you check out the World Health Organizations website or read a number of books "The China Study" by T Colin Campbell, "Eat To Live" by Joel Fuhrman,M.D., "The AntiOxidant Miracle" by Lester Packer, PhD to name just a few; you will find I am exactly correct.<br /><br />One morning earlier this year I was having breakfast with my sister. We were talking about what I'd just learned in one of the courses I was taking for my Masters degree. I was very excited about it. I said it was a crime everyone didn't know what I had just learned. My sister said no-one cared. I replied but if folks knew how much real control they have over their health and thus their quality of life they WOULD care. It's cos they don't know that they seem to not care. Am I being naive ? I hope not. Your life depends on it.<br /><br />Just the other day a casual friend remarked she just HAD to lose weight. She's right. She's headed for a really bad life if she doesn't. She asked me how to lose weight. I gave her a few suggestions. She replied she couldn't do that to each suggestion. She doesn't have time and it's to expensive to buy healthy food. Ok so let's get this: she wants to lose weight but she won't change anything that she's doing. If she sticks with the decision she doesn't have time she will join the ranks of thousands of other people with chronic illness. What she's missing is that time is running out on her not having time to take care of herself.<br /><br />Another friend stated she's losing weight by eating a high protein diet and generally eating less. But can't find time to exercise. Hopefully, she's eating just enough protein and not overdoing it. Excess protein is not a good thing. Eating less could be a good thing. But it's not really about eating less; it's about being aware of what you are eating, eating mindfully, eating a varied diet of vegetables and fruits and being sure to get all the nutrients her body needs. I hope she is. And she'll have to come to the realization exercise is a part of the deal. Good health isn't just about eating right and it's not just about normalizing your weight. The body needs to move as much as it needs for you to give it the right nutrients. What she's missing is that time is running out on her not having time to exercise.<br /><br />These two folks are representative of the folks I keep bumping into in my quest to help others live a healthier life. I'm not picking on these two folks, really I'm not... it's just that they are both on my mind cos not only do I care about both of them greatly; they really are representative of the folks I keep bumping into.... folks with a time problem. Hey I know about time. There was a time when illness put me flat on my back. I know how time escapes you and how illness steals it from you. Illness stole quite enough of my time. It's not a fun way to learn about priorities. I'm NOT going back there. I hope they don't land themselves there. And I hope you don't either.<br /><br />The other night after a futile effort to save him I saw a middle-aged man die. No-one middle-aged should be in the condition he was in. No-one of any age should be in the condition he was in. I will spare you the gory details which I can't expel from my mind. Time ran out on this guy. Time does that.<br /><br />I see it all the time. The results of the standard american diet and a sedentary life. Overweight people. Massively overweight people. Gaping ulcers on their body. Diabetes. Leg amputations. Dementia. Heart disease. Re-do re-do cardiac bypasses. COPD patients who can't breathe but still manage to suck on cigarettes.<br /><br />I see results that were preventable.<br />And folks who don't have time to eat nutritiously or exercise.<br /><br />The clock is ticking folks....<br /><br />How many times have you said to yourself I should eat better? or I should exercise more? or I wish I had more energy? How many times have you actually attempted to lose weight, get stronger, live healthier..... and failed? Don't kick yourself. Most of us have grown up living the typical american lifestyle; eating the typical standard american diet. It's not easy to change a lifetime habit and it's to your credit you have tried even if you failed. You just need a little support and guidance.<br /><br />In early 2009 I'm going to give you an opportunity for support to change your life for the better; to put yourself on a healthy, positive path. Stay tuned.....<br /><br /><em>Join my email list and have my blog posts (and upcoming program announcements) emailed directly to you in a timely manner..... so you don't miss anything! Send your email addy to </em><a href="mailto:quantumwellness@charter.net">quantumwellness@charter.net</a> put <em><strong>join email list</strong></em> in the subject line please!<br /><br /><br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy!<br />Pam Murphy,M.S.,RRT<br />Holistic Health Coach<br />314-397-0686 CSTPam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-2179808939025001442008-10-07T16:08:00.000-05:002008-11-02T11:55:41.084-06:00Pam's Rant: What Shall We Do?I'm angry. I'm disgusted. I'm depressed. I'm sick to death of the state of things. And I imagine you are feeling those emotions too. The worst side of human nature is being exibited in the financial woes of Wall Street, the banks and real estate industries. I haven't looked at my 401K. I'm scared to see how much I've lost. How about you? It angers me beyond belief when I hear of the millions of dollars bank CEO's carried away with them. Where's my parachute?<br /><br />My anger doesn't stop with the financial sector. I got an email today from Citizens for Health regarding the rrBGH in Yoplait yogurt <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/750/t/1086/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26047">http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/750/t/1086/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26047</a> . It's a crime rBGH isn't labeled on the ingredients of the products it is in. Not only is it cruel to cows given it, it is a human health hazard. <a href="mhtml:%7BF5E561C4-EC97-4CBD-93E1-CD546E7DC21E%7Dmid://00009194/!x-usc:http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/rbgh2.cfm">http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/rbgh2.cfm</a> . I think all the "Pink" campaigns mostly just make money for the industries promoting "pink" products. We have put billions of dollars into cancer research while cancer has become an industry with hospitals popping up exclusively for treating cancer. We have nearly totally overlooked the fact that the World Health Organization (W.H.O) has stated 70% of all cancers can be prevented thru good nutrition. Where's the nutrition education? Why haven't we seen this on the newspaper front page? I'll tell you why. It doesn't make anyone any money. So here ironically, we have Yoplait pushing their rBGH tainted yogurt and donating to breast cancer when there is a connection between rBGH and breast cancer. Read more: <a href="http://www.garynull.com/Documents/erf/breast_cancer_rbgh_and_milk.htm">http://www.garynull.com/Documents/erf/breast_cancer_rbgh_and_milk.htm</a> I think we ought tell Yoplait where they can shove their lids ladies! Don't you?<br /><br />I'm pretty ticked off the health system I work for has decided to make a flu shot mandatory. I have a medical exemption from the flu shot. However, it still ticks me off. Why? Because if a corporation can decide it owns your body and force you to inject toxic poison into your body then <strong>we are on the path to lose every freedom this country was founded on.</strong> Your body is your most precious asset. No-one should be allowed to tell you what you have to inject into it. Indeed in Seattle a judge in 2006 ruled in favor of a group of nurses who fought a mandatory flu shot rule. They had a union fighting for them. Maybe unions are good things.<br /><br />And I get ticked when I see pharmaceutical commercials on tv. Drugs do not create health. A healthy immune system creates health and good nutrition creates a healthy immune system. The heart of the problems with the health of the citizens of the United States lies in the reactive nature of our "health system". Diets of primarily processed foods and sedentary lifestyles do not create health. Reaching for the next best drug does not create health. We MUST be proactive and take responsibility for our health. Eating nutritiously and adding regular exercise to our daily routine is a MUST. Illness and old-age infirmities are NOT givens unless you choose a lifestyle of irresponsibility regarding your health.<br /><br />The pharmaceutical industry with it's commercials and lobbying of our legislators has us like lemmings traipsing to our doctors for the next best script. Wise up folks. Take responsibility for your wellness.<br /><br />While I'm bitching let's talk about GM (genetically modified) foods. Genetically engineered foods have never been proven safe for human consumption. The media does not report that. In fact, it seems there has been pretty much of a media blackout effort regarding GM foods and the risk that comes with them. It was said they would help feed the world, help the environment. These good things have not happened. In fact, more pesticides/fertilizers are being used. Folks in third world countries are still starving. Food prices haven't decreased and there is scientific evidence there is serious human health risks with it. GM foods are not labeled in the United States but they are either labeled or outright banned in 40 other countries. Certainly we have a right to know what is in our food and/or if it is genetically modified. Why aren't our legislators protecting us?<br /><br />Educate yourself regarding GM foods:<br /><a href="http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/pusztai.html">http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/pusztai.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/gm-food/dn9921">http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/gm-food/dn9921</a><br /><br /><a href="mhtml:%7BF5E561C4-EC97-4CBD-93E1-CD546E7DC21E%7Dmid://00009194/!x-usc:http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/charles-targets-gm-crop-giants-in-fiercest-attack-yet-951808.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/charles-targets-gm-crop-giants-in-fiercest-attack-yet-951808.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/no-genetically-modified-foods/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/no-genetically-modified-foods/</a><br /><br />I look at all the things I am mad about and I see one common thing. I see greed. I see the financial, pharmaceutical and biotech/food industries putting greed above human life. And I see an awful lot of us falling for their nonsense to the detriment of our health.<br /><br />What Shall We Do?<br /><br />First, we must each of us take responsibility for our wellness. How do you do that? Start with what you eat. Eat more whole foods. Gradually change your diet till you are eating ONLY whole foods. Your body was not meant to work with the chemicals in processed foods. Support the organic farmers in your area. It is healthiest to eat locally grown foods. You might even, as I did, decide to grow some of your own food. I only have a patio but growing plants in pots I was able to harvest a substantial amount of tomatoes, green beans, peppers and squash this last summer.<br /><br />Second, add exercise to your daily routine. Find a form of exercise you enjoy. It could be walking, swimming, working out at a gym, working out at home; there's many forms of exercise. Check with your doctor first if you've primarily been sedentary or have any chronic health issues.<br /><br />Third, get hold of your finances. Stop using credit cards. Get advice from a qualified financial advisor; work out a budget and stick with it. Much of the stress in life today comes from the financial area of our lives. Responsible management of your finances will do much to alleviate stress in your life. Stress is linked to many physical ailments. Need help whittling down your bills? Talk to Leo <a href="http://www.leoquinn.com/">http://www.leoquinn.com/</a><br /><br />In this election year vote wisely. I'm not going to share with you who I'm going to vote for or who you should vote for. But I will tell you you need to vote. Our country is on a precipice. Never in our lifetime has a vote been so important. Here's a comparison of the candidates: <a href="http://www.healthcareunited.org/candidates/">http://www.healthcareunited.org/candidates/</a><br /><br />I know with recent events you may feel you and I don't have any control. But we do. We have our vote and our voice. We have the ability to take responsibility for our health and our finances. We really are in control if we choose to be.<br /><br /><br />Give this post a<script src="http://d.yimg.com/ds/badge2.js" type="text/javascript" showbranding="1" badgetype="medium"><br /> ARTICLEURL <br /></script>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-31516682064292700222008-07-27T19:44:00.000-05:002008-10-25T04:35:18.359-05:00Change Your Diet, Change Your LifeSo you want to be healthier!!!! Changing your diet will literally change your life. You'll have more energy, less aches and pains and a healthier mentality. My clients tell me they know they need to overhaul their eating but they don't know where to start. Is that YOU?<br /><br />Well, here is a strategy to help you get started on your new healthy lifestyle!<br /><br />Start with eating approximately every 3 hrs. (i.e. 4 - 6 times a day, three meals and 2 or 3 snacks) ..... spreading the calories out benefits you a couple ways:<br /><br />You maintain your energy all day.<br />You balance your sugar and prevent cravings.<br /><br />And remember never ever skip breakfast. It sets you up for the rest of the day!<br /><br />But what to eat and how much??<br /><br />Let's look at your plate: divide it into thirds. One section will be for protein, one for a complex carb and the last for a fruit or vegetable.<br /><br />So when you sit down to eat you will have one serving of a protein, a complex carb, and a fruit/vegetable. For example, have a 4 ounce piece of salmon with 1/2 cup of brown rice, and a salad.<br /><br />The next meal substitute the salmon for turkey, the rice for quinoa, and the salad for asparagus.<br /><br />Or substitute the salmon for chicken, the rice for a slice of whole grain bread, and the salad for broccoli. (Hint: I like to use flaxseed oil on my toast instead of butter! I even sprinkle it on my vegies!)<br /><br />How do you do this for breakfast? Have a hard boiled egg with a few strawberries or a slice of melon and 1/2 whole grain bagel or english muffin. Or have a smoothie (soy milk, strawberries and banana).<br /><br />Eating like this you will have approximately 300 - 400 calories per meal.<br /><br />So what about snacks? Well, here are some ideas for 100 calorie healthy snacks:<br /><br />1. 2 domino-sized slices low-fat Colby or cheddar cheese<br />2. 1 cup sliced apples with 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter (I recommend organic peanut butter not the commercial peanut butter with added sugar).<br />3. 10 dry roasted cashews or 12-15 natural almonds.<br />4. One hard boiled egg.<br />5. 1 cup squash (baked acorn or butternut)<br />6. 5 oz. Turkey breast (roasted, no skin)<br />7. 25 pistachios<br />8. 10 cashew nuts<br />9. Half a small avocado<br />10. 3 ounces cooked whole-grain noodles with 1 fresh tomato and 1/2 ounce hard cheese<br />11. 3 handfuls of unbuttered popcorn, seasoned with herbs<br />12. 2 ounces of lean roast beef<br />13. 2 TB hummus and 10 baby carrots<br />14. as many cucumber and celery sticks as you'd like<br />15. Scramble 5 egg whites and cook in a non-stick skillet. Top with 1Tbsp of salsa.<br /><br />And eating well is only one facet of your new healthy lifestyle! Do NOT forget exercise! Exercise is important to a healthy body. However, be sure to check with your physician before starting an exercise program; especially if you have been sedentary for a long time.<br /><br />Did you know loss of muscle mass is a huge reason for a lagging metabolism? Being sedentary, as many of us are these days, is a great detriment to maintaining a normal weight. Muscle burns a lot more calories than fat. So get off that couch!!!<br /><br />Find yourself a form of exercise you will enjoy and then DO IT! Hire a personal trainer to work with you to develop an exercise routine you can live with if you must. Do what you must do to get yourself off the couch and moving!<br /><br />To your health!<br /><br />Pam<br /><br />Give this post a<script src="http://d.yimg.com/ds/badge2.js" type="text/javascript" badgetype="medium" showbranding="1"><br /> ARTICLEURL <br /></script>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-29122801173559065752008-07-17T18:00:00.001-05:002008-07-18T09:17:50.123-05:00It's Later Than You ThinkYou would think reaching a long sought-after goal would make one jumping-up-and-down happy. I reached a goal a little over a week ago when I completed my Masters in Holistic Nutrition. Those that truly know me know how much this meant to me. Nutrition gave me back my life from Lupus. So at the age of 50 I went back to school to earn my Masters in Holistic Nutrition. The mission and yes, the passion, of the rest of my life is to help others the way I was helped. Because you see, western medicine isn't. It's shameful not once in the sixteen years I was battling active Lupus not one of my physicians (and I had a regiment of them) ever asked about my diet. You know even a mechanic would check to see if you had gas in the car.<br /><br />But I digress. To my great surprise though I'm very pleased and proud about earning my Masters in Holistic Nutrition; I'm not jumping up and down happy. Instead my mind has turned to the next step of my journey. How do I help people understand the standard american diet is killing them? How do I help them understand there is an <strong>urgency</strong> to them understanding this? That nutrition CAN make a difference in chronic illness. That nutrition can even prevent chronic illness. New research is even showing that proper nutrition can STOP bad genes from turning on. Do you get the immensity of that information? This is HUGE. It's so huge it makes me feel, well, it makes me feel, inadequate.<br /><br />You know though I've been in remission for five years, Lupus stole quite a lot of time from me. There were years (yes, years) when if I wasn't at work I was in bed so I could go to work when it was time again. Literally. But in all that downtime Lupus taught me something too. It gave me an appreciation for the time of my life which I don't think I would have had to such a degree had I not gotten sick. And in a very unmistakable way, it taught me time is elusive.<br /><br />I have a friend who puts it this way, "it's later than you think."<br /><br />A few weeks ago while working a nightshift I had the privilege of watching the sunrise with a cancer patient. She was a delightful, perky lady; a truly amazing person. I remember wondering as we watched an absolutely awesome sunrise how many more she would have to enjoy. And to this moment I am in awe of her attitude. It's one sunrise I will never forget. Yeah the sunrise was beautiful but that isn't why I will remember it. I will remember it because that lady had such an awesome spirit. I felt so privileged to be able to share that sunrise with this person. It almost brought me to tears only I didn't want to cry in front of her. She was special. And perhaps, just perhaps, cancer happening to her didn't have to happen. Perhaps the standard american diet is what killed her. Processed foods are greatly lacking in the nutrients your body needs. According to the W.H.O. 70% of cancer can be prevented thru proper nutrition. So you might give some thought to changing your diet for the better to one brimming with whole foods . The human body can repair itself if given the nutrients it needs. And please consider this today, not tomorrow because......<br /><br />I have a friend who puts it this way, "it's later than you think".<br /><br />As I sat down to write this blog post I thought of various clients and friends who only sporadically take vitamins or various supplements. Then they complain and blame the vitamin or supplement when really it's their inconsistency which fuels their health problems. Worse yet I thought of clients who sporadically purchase children's vitamins. Because what they are teaching their children is it's ok to put health second. They are unintentionally setting-up their children for an unhealthy life. Meanwhile time flies by.<br /><br />I have a friend who puts it this way, "it's later than you think".<br /><br />Do you get what I'm trying to say? Time goes by quickly. It's elusive. And sometimes you run out of it. Life is such a priceless, wondrous gift. Wellness is the foundation of the quality of your life. Without wellness you lose choice. I've been there and done that. It's not fun. Unfortunately, it's really easy to let time fly by and to take wellness for granted. And it's a mistake to do so. Wellness must be taken care of and nurtured. Treasured. How many times have you thought "gee I should eat better" or "I'll quit smoking next week" or "gee I should exercise more" or "I'll do better tomorrow".<br /><br />Tomorrow you may be sick.<br />It may be later than you think.Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-61957291905826656822008-04-24T16:58:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:20:44.711-05:00How Will You Feel In 90 Days?<p>I'm sure you've heard the old adage if you keep doing the same thing you'll keep getting the same results. Unfortunately, most of us aren't listening when it comes to our health.<br /><br />How many times have you thought to yourself you need to eat better or exercise more? If you don't change anything in your lifestyle 90 days from now you will feel the same as you do right now ...... or maybe worse.<br /><br />Do you realize five of the leading ten causes of illness and death (coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and atherosclerosis) are associated with diet ? Not to mention high blood pressure, obesity, dental diseases, osteoporosis, and gastrointestinal diseases are also related to dietary causes.<br /><br />YOU have control over your diet. And what you eat MATTERS! </p><p>Everything you eat eventually makes up every cell in your body.<br /><br />I'll say it again. <strong>What you eat matters.<br /></strong><br />Consider this:</p><ol><li>Researchers with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Shanghai Cancer Institute in China have discovered a possible link between a diet rich in certain vegetables and a decreased risk for breast cancer. The study appears in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. </li><li>The World Health Organisation feels 70% of ALL cancer could be prevented with nutrition.</li><li>The Lewin Group <a href="http://www.lewin.com/">http://www.lewin.com/</a> has done a study showing sickness and chronic disease can be dramatically reduced by supplementing with nutritional supplements. </li><li>In 2002 the AMA in their Journal of the American Medical Association recommended everyone supplement their diet with a multi-nutrition product. </li><li>A Harvard study of more than 87,000 female nurses ages 34 to 59 found a 41% reduction in heart disease risk among those who took vitamin E supplements for at least two years. </li><li>A study of almost 40,000 male health professionals ages 40 to 75 found a 37% lower risk of heart disease among those who took daily vitamin E supplements of at least 100 IU for more than two years. </li><li>A National Institute of Aging study of 11,000 elderly people found those who used vitamins C and E supplements had a 53% reduction in mortality from heart disease and a 42% reduction in death from all causes, compared with non-users.</li></ol><p><br />And most of all consider this:<br />An important video lecture by Dr Dean Ornish --- very short but very important! Unfortunately they elected to attach a short trailer about pangea day on this video ..... if it plays first its very short ..... hit play again and you'll get Dr Ornish's video.... it's well worth the few minutes. <a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/252">http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/252</a> This was life-changing research!<br /><br />Surely what Dr Ornish had to say made you do a double take! Poor lifestyle choices can<strong> turn on</strong> bad genes. By proactively choosing a healthy lifestyle you may keep bad genes from turning on. </p><p><br />Are you aware the Journal of the American Medical Association and the United States Department of Agriculture have admitted that today's produce no longer has enough nutrients to keep us healthy? They've even recommended everyone supplement their diet with a multi-nutrition product. </p><p>So what are you going to do? How are you going to feel 90 days from now? </p><p>I'm hoping you're going to choose to live your BEST life!</p><p>Don't forget I'm here ready to help you.<br /></p>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-35502940256732727262007-10-07T15:26:00.000-05:002007-10-07T16:07:15.053-05:00Prevention or Convenience: It's Your ChoiceWhy should you be mindfully aware of the nutritive quality of your food? The answer to that is found in a study by IBM entitled, "Healthcare 2015: Win-win or lose-lose?" This study should be an eye-opening wake-up call for everyone.<br /><br />This study found: "<em>Approximately 80 percent of coronary heart disease, up to 90 percent of type 2 diabetes, and more than half of cancers could be prevented through lifestyle changes, such as proper diet and exercise."<br /></em><br />You are quite literally what you eat.<br />Very simply the quality of your life is up to you.<br /><br />After counseling a great many people regarding their nutrition I am convinced there is a large majority of folks who simply don't know how to "eat right". They have grown up with convenience foods, microwavable dinners, fast food, processed foods and food company advertising. They never give a second thought to the lack of nutrition in these foods. The mother of three school age children even commented to me "with all the processed foods out there how can you eat any other way." The answer is simple. You choose to eat nutriously. You choose to not buy junk cereal and snacks. You choose to take the time to cook whole foods. You choose wellness over convenience.<br /><br />Convenience is a hard habit to break. But folks you have to do it. The quality of your life and that of your children depends on it. Ahhhh what a concept. Taking charge of our wellness. Whole foods in our grocery carts. Thinking before we eat. Personal accountability. If that's not the lifestyle you grew up with it's the one you need to adopt. Remember <em>80 percent of coronary heart disease, up to 90 percent of type 2 diabetes, and more than half of cancers could be prevented through lifestyle changes, such as proper diet and exercise.</em> Illness takes a lot of choices out of your life. It can prevent you from enjoying sports activities and travel. It can force you to be bed-ridden and prevent you from working to support yourself and your family. Illness takes choice out of your life. To know that much illness can be prevented by simply what you eat and how you exercise is a powerful reason to get serious about good nutrition and exercise.<br /><br />But how do you change a lifetime of improper diet and lack of exercise? To start with get yourself a journal or a notebook or make a file on your computer. Then for your first posting write about why you want to make positive changes in your diet and exercise. Then educate yourself about nutrition. (I can help you with that.) Write down your goals. Then proceed to change your life one healthful change at a time. Maybe this week you will consistently eat two fruits per day. Next week maybe you'll do that and also eat a salad every day. Then the next week maybe you'll add drinking 8 - 8 oz glasses of water per day and so on. Make one change per week and rest assured you will be on a much healthier path.<br /><br />Here's a nutritional guideline:<br />Aim to have 7 - 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Note that 1 medium sized fruit or 1/2 cup of cooked or raw vegetables is considered 1 portion. Don't forget to drink plenty of water; at least 8 - 8oz glasses per day. That's NOT tap water. Invest in a good water filtration system or quality bottled water. Also invest in a quality multi-nutrition supplement. (See the last blog article). We'll talk about protein in a future blog.<br /><br />So what are you going to do this week? What healthful change will you add? Write and tell me! Do you not know where to start? Need some guidance? Don't hesitate to contact me. I want to help you! Contact me at <a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com/</a><br /><br />And if you'd like to read that IBM study it can be found at: <a href="http://www.ibm.com/healthcare/hc2015">www.ibm.com/healthcare/hc2015</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-64712429897938168622007-08-20T18:38:00.000-05:002007-08-21T10:59:39.767-05:00How Malnourished Are You?Why do you need to get serious about nutrition? Let's look at what has happened in the last 50 years with just two of the most popular vegetables:<br /><br />Nutrients in POTATOES have decreased;<br />Vitamin A 100% ---Calcium 28% ---Vitamin C and Iron 57% ----Thiamine 18% ---- and Riboflavin 50%<br /><br />Nutrients in BROCCOLI have decreased:<br />Calcium 62% --- Iron 33%---Vitamin A 55% ---Thiamin 40% ---Riboflavin 42%<br /><br />This decrease in nutrients has happened in all of our fruits and vegetables. There-in lies the problem! USDA reports detail the nutrient poorness of our soil. Our produce which is lacking in nutrients to begin with is green harvested! Already nutrient-poor food is harvested BEFORE the few nutrients in the soil are able to enrich it. We may have plenty of food but the nutrient quality is sorely lacking. This is why servings on the food pyramid were increased and why it was recommended in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2002) everyone supplement with a quality multi-vitamin.<br /><br />Combine the loss of nutrients in our whole foods with the nutrient poorness of processed foods and you come up with a whopping nutrient deficit!! And very, very few people eat in a truly healthy way to begin with. What did you eat yesterday?<br /><br />Every cell in your body is made from the food you eat. The human body can take an amazing amount of abuse. But sooner or later a shortage of nutrition will catch up to you. The quality of your wellness is directly tied to the quality of the nutrition you give your body.<br /><br />That is why you need to get serious about your nutrition. As recommended by the Journal of the American Medical Association combine a well-balanced diet with a quality multi-nutrition supplement.<br /><br />And yes, I have a multi-nutrition supplement suggestion for you!<br />Click here <a href="http://tinyurl.com/37plfv">Super Nutrition Made Easy</a><br /><br />**************************************<br />if you wish to use this article in your blog, newsletter, etc you must use this resource box:<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT has been a healthcare professional for 27 yrs. She enjoys helping others support their wellness. Contact her thru <a href="http://optimizetoheal.com/">http://optimizetoheal.com/</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-22328482459540227382007-06-22T12:48:00.000-05:002008-04-24T21:38:07.484-05:00A Letter to Michael MooreAs a healthcare professional for 27 yrs. who is in remission from Lupus; I have experienced our healthcare system from both sides. To say I'm not impressed is an understatement. But you've given me reason to be hopeful. I am anxiously awaiting your movie Sicko. Sicko will be, I hope, a grassroots wake up call.<br /><br />It is a travesty that conventional health care is now the number one killer. We have to stop thinking the next best drug is a route to wellness. There are plenty of studies to validate it isn't. Illness is a cry from your body for nutrients it isn't getting. Our bodies are not deficient in antidepressants, antacids, anticholesterol drugs, steroids or the myriad of other pharmaceuticals available to us. Nor does treating symptoms create wellness. Pharmaceuticals may stifle symptoms but they do not create wellness. In treatment of chronic illness pharmaceuticals many times create a need for more pharmaceuticals. The body needs and utilizes nutrients not synthetic drugs. It's an oversimplified way to say it but basically, nutrients support the body whereas drugs deplete the body of nutrients and cause the body to work harder to perform the biological actions it needs to make in order to survive.<br /><br />I was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease back in 1987 which then gradually morphed into mostly Lupus. Conventional drug-oriented medicine does not have good answers for auto-immune illnesses. I found my salvation and regained my life thru nutrition and glyconutritional supplementation. Remission is a wonderful thing!<br /><br />There came a time in my journey when my rheumatologist threw his hands up and said "I don't know". The sad thing is he was a good doctor. They simply really "don't know" when it comes to auto-immune disorders and other chronic diseases. Our medical system is as poor in treating chronic illness, as it is good for treatment of trauma and acute care. There are no good treatments for lupus and other auto-immune illnesses.<br /><br />The moment my rheumatologist said "he didn't know" was a turning point for me. I realized if I was to have any quality of life at all I would have to take responsibility for my wellness and seek what answers I could find. My search led me to nutrition and glyconutritionals. If I had continued only conventional treatment ...... well, let me put it this way ..... my pulmonary physician referred to me as "unfortunate" and "steroid dependent" in his notes when he sent me to pulmonary rehab. All my docs concurred I would be on steroids the rest of my life and disability was looming in my near future.<br /><br /><br />Hippocrates said, "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food."<br /><br />The glyconutrient supplementation I take is basically food; nutrients we should get in our food supply but don't for various reasons. It is important to note every cell in your body is made up of the nutrients you put in. Frankly, if you put in junk you're going to get junk. The body is a miracle and it can compensate for lack of good nutrition for a time, but sooner or later poor nutrition will result in illness.<br /><br />The average person thinks because they have a full plate of food three meals a day they are well-nourished. We aren't. In fact, because of the amount of processed food we eat, the nutrient-depleted soil we grow our food in and green-harvesting; we are grossly under-nourished and this is one of the reasons we are seeing such a rise in autoimmune illnesses, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It is also a big part of the reason we are seeing typically adult-onset diseases striking our children.<br /><br />Do you know how nutrient-poor our produce is? Today, it takes 2 lbs of spinach to get the amount of Vitamin A we used to get in 1 lb of spinach. All of our produce is this vitamin deficient and because of this we can't eat enough to get the nutrients we need for health. That is why the food pyramid was re-formulated to include more servings. And that is why in 2002 the AMA in it's Journal recommended everyone supplement their diet. Sadly that recommendation came and went pretty much unnoticed.<br /><br />Mr Moore, it's startling to realize that in the fifteen years my lupus was active no physician ever inquired about or made any suggestions as to my nutritional intake. Unfortunately, the lack of doctor/patient discussion regarding nutrition is not unusual. Some folks give doctors a pass on that; saying they aren't trained in nutrition. But I don't give them a pass. FOOD is what makes the body work. Would we give a pass to a mechanic who didn't know the importance of gas or oil to a car?<br /><br />For a number of reasons it is unconscionable nutrition is not the first line of (prevention and) defense put in action by conventional medicine. First, a body fighting an illness requires more nutrients. Second, it is known pharmaceuticals deplete your body of crucial nutrients. Why then, is nutrition not the first thing discussed with patients? Surely nutrition (and/or the lack of) impacts the course of disease and at the cellular level the ability to combat the disease. Why is the medical community not giving sick folks every opportunity to heal? And seemingly healthy folks the chance to prevent illness?<br /><br />Do you know cancer is the #1 killer of children? Think about it, Mr Moore, the only species on the face of the earth which goes out of it's way to feed it's children crap is the human species. It's deplorable. Look in folks grocery carts next time you go to the grocery store. What kind of society allows their children to be killed with cartoon characters?<br /><br />It is unconscionable, Mr Moore, that we dump so many billions into cancer research and barely (if at all) discuss PREVENTION. Do you know according to the World Health Organization 70% of ALL cancer can be PREVENTED by proper diet? Why then are we dumping billions into research and barely discussing prevention when so many lives could be saved by nutrition education? What does that say for the multibillion dollar cancer industry? Powerful conglomerates and even goverment agencies block access to alternative cancer treatments which have been proven to be efficacious. No, Mr Moore, the war is not being fought on cancer. Not seriously. Someone is making too much money from it.<br /><br />We must learn to take personal responsibility for our wellness instead of relying on the next best drug, enact a strong national nutrition education program to make proactive wellness a cultural norm (just as the pharmaceutical industry uses tv commercials to make drug taking a normal action) and we desperately must reform the FDA. It's sad to say but no wonder the number one killer today is conventional medicine.<br /><br />That's why I'm excited about your movie Sicko Mr Moore. Only a person of your stature could of made this movie. Thank you for putting yourself on the line in making it. The truth needs to be told. Desperately. In addition to hopefully spurring reform of the FDA, perhaps, it will wake folks up to the personal responsibility they MUST take for their wellness. Reaching for the next best drug is a prescription for just more illness.<br /><br />And Mr Moore...... about your weight...... email me!<br /><br /><br /><br />***************<br /><br />If you wish to use this article in your blog, newsletter, any print medium, website, etc you must include the following resource box:<br /><br /><br /><br />Pam Murphy, B.S.,RRT has been a healthcare professional for 27 yrs and has a thriving wellness business. She is completing a Masters in Holistic Nutrition and enjoys helping others support/regain their health. Contact her at: <a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><br /><br /></p>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-42818079453918607142007-03-23T15:25:00.002-05:002009-04-30T00:02:54.976-05:00Top of the Food Chain?It's amazing we are egotistical enough to regard ourselves as top of the food chain...... cos we do the dumbest things.<br /><br />You know it's true. Just think about it. The only species on this planet who goes out of its way to feed their children nutrient poor junk food is the human species. That is exceedingly dumb. The human body to work in the way it was designed needs nutrients. Children especially need a nutritious diet.<br /><br />Take a walk down the cereal aisle of any grocery store and you will see brightly colored super heroes and animal mascots jumping out at you from cereal boxes. The cereal aisle is a wonderland for children. Read the fine print of the ingredients on those boxes and you will wish<br />you’d paid attention in chemistry class.<br /><br />In the meat section you will see a big name brand of boxed lunches made for and advertised to children by the use of cute names and colorful characters on the boxes. Read the ingredient list fine print of these and you will find some have MSG in them, as much as 46g of sugar and high sodium counts. Let’s not talk about the preservatives found in these meals. It gives me a headache thinking about children eating this. Read the ingredients list and again you’ll wish you’d paid attention in chemistry class. Let’s not forget the rows of candy at the checkout most usually placed at the right height for children to peruse.<br /><br />Nor does the marketing of unhealthy foods stop with the grocery store and television. Fast food restaurants feature play areas, clowns and toys. But nutrition? Not much.<br /><br />Though there is a growing revolt against this, unhealthy foods are even marketed to our children in our schools! Children who aren't allowed soda at home can buy it at school. Nobody needs soda. Why do we allow it in our schools?<br /><br /><div align="left">And we wonder why we have an epidemic of childhood obesity, diabetes, and ADHD. Do you know what the #1 killer of children is? It's cancer.<br /></div><div align="left">Do you think the reason might be found in what we are feeding them? </div><div align="left"><br />The overwhelming marketing of poor food choices to our children has resulted in a childhood obesity epidemic. Some children are even exhibiting formerly adult health problems; diabetes, high blood pressure, hormone disorders and skeletal diseases. What are we to do? How can we protect our children? How can we encourage a healthy lifestyle?<br /></div>Very simply we must model the behavior ourselves in our choices both for our health and theirs.<br /><br />Would love to support your transition to a healthier healthstyle! Subscribe to the <strong>Empowering Wellness Newsletter</strong> at <a href="http://optimizetoheal.com/">http://optimizetoheal.com</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-29665433205938520272007-02-11T21:41:00.000-06:002008-04-24T20:00:39.720-05:00God Bless Anna NicoleMy heart sank when I heard the news about Anna Nicole's passing on the radio as I was driving to work. No I didn't agree with her lifestyle. I wasn't a fan. Only watched her reality series once. I found it too painful to watch. Anyone could see she was a person in trouble. Her death saddened me because no-one's life should be over at 39. What a tragic beginning to her little baby girls life. No matter what her mothers lifestyle was it is a tragedy she will never know her mother.<br /><br />Anna Nicole was a brand; famous for being famous. I don't believe it will be an enduring fame such as Elvis's. Unlike Elvis she will be forgotten. 99% of us don't live like she did. But we can take a lesson from her life. I believe a high percentage of us take so much about life for granted. The problem with that is life can be so much more when you are mindful of it's beauty and gifts.<br /><br />How often do you think about purpose, passion and play in your life?<br />How often do you mindfully consider the nutrition content of your food?<br />How often do you take time to slow down, relax and take stock of your life direction? How much daily exercise do you get?<br />How often do you take a walk in the park or in the woods?<br />How often do you get in touch with the beauty of nature?<br />What values do you consider important in your life?<br /><br />Do you just "go thru the motions" of life? To busy to "think"? How often do you tell yourself you are too busy? Does life consist of work, home, sleep...paycheck on friday? Is your work meaningful to you?<br /><br />I have a friend who is a professional Life Coach specializing in relationship coaching. She speaks about knowing your "requirements" for a potential spouse. Those qualities in another person you must have for a successful relationship. I believe we also need to formulate "requirements" for life in general. Those things we value which we feel enhance and give meaning to our lives. Some potential requirements could be: gratefulness, forgiveness, playtime, wellness, meditation time, exercise time, meaningful work, volunteer work, etc. I think far too many times we don't stick with our requirements in life. What are your "requirements" for a joyful life?<br /><br />I believe...well no....I am SURE... we are intended to have a life of purpose, passion, wellness and joy! You have an opportunity to live every day of your life to the fullest extent. If you're spending more time being stressed than joyful, choose to take time to examine why. If you are not connected with your purpose in life, choose to take time to discover it! Set goals which set you on fire with a passion for life! Surround yourself with people who are supportive and positive.<br /><br />Be mindful of what you put into your body. If it isn't going to honor your wellness don't eat, drink or smoke it. Your body is precious. You are precious. The human body can take a lot of punishment but there is a time when Mother Nature is unforgiving. Change the things in your life which don't promote wellness and joy. Your life can be everything you desire and more. You don't have to fall thru the cracks. Anna Nicole, I believe, for whatever reason, fell thru the cracks. God bless Anna Nicole. May she rest in the peace she didn't have on earth.<br /><br />----------<br />This post may be reprinted in your newsletter or blog only with the following resource box included.<br /><br />Pam Murphy, B.S.,RRT has a thriving wellness business. She is completing a Masters in Holistic Nutrition. She enjoys helping others support their health and/or helping others create residual income. Visit her at: http://selfgrowth.com/experts/pam_murphy.htmlPam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1168907477223890132007-01-15T18:21:00.000-06:002008-04-24T20:01:46.178-05:00The Day I Met An AngelYou may, if you've read my writing for any time, recall I was diagnosed in 1987 with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease which eventually morphed into mostly Lupus. Though today I am in remission almost three years, back in the late 80's early 90's I wasn't doing so well. My pulmonary physician referred to me in his notes as "unfortunate" and "steroid dependent". He had sent me to pulmonary rehab which in the end really didn't do much for me. Well, it did depress me. I was at a lowpoint emotionally and physically.<br /><br />Not having a washer or dryer I would take my clothes two blocks away to the local "Duds N Suds". One day during my lowpoint I was there and a lady who was dressed as though she were really poor came up to me and asked me if I knew that God loved me. I said "yes i do". That lady turned and walked out then and I never did see her again. Interestingly she didn't have any laundry with her. I believe to this day and always will believe that she was an angel sent from God to remind me......to pick me up and remind me and give me hope. Because hmmm I really hadn't been living as though I knew God loved me. On some level I knew it. I just needed a kick in the pants. The love in that lady's eyes and her question was more than a kick in the pants. Those few moments changed my life.<br /><br />Those few moments contributed as much or more to the remission I would finally achieve as did the nutrition and nutritional supplements I added to my foodplan. Do you know someone who is chronically ill? You can be their angel. When you feel like there's nothing more for you but dying, that because of illness you don't have much left in you to contribute, that there is no hope of wellness and then someone cares enough to reach out to you and tell you God loves you, and that they care about you; that changes your life. It creates hope. Puts a fire under the will to live and gives renewed worth to a life. You can change someones life. Go hug somebody and make sure they know God loves them. He does.<br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy!<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT enjoys helping others improve and support their health thru nutrition and supplements. Visit her at: <a href="http://discover.vitamarkpower.com/">http://discover.vitamarkpower.com</a> if you're interesting in helping others too.Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1166309302607063402006-12-16T16:32:00.000-06:002008-04-24T20:02:21.315-05:00Wishing You.....A Death-Defying ChristmasHere we are in the midst of another end-of-the-year holiday season. Like a lot of people do during this season, I've been reflecting on this past year and am looking forward with gleeful anticipation to this next year. Have you been reflecting on your life? Are you where you want to be and are you doing what you are meant to do? Are you busting-at-the buttons happy?<br /><br />It is my belief a great deal of the angst in life stems from people not understanding their purpose in life and not having a passion for what they currently do and/or the life they currently lead. To me that is monumentally tragic. Life is to wondrous and to great an adventure to not be passionate about it.<br /><br />At least in part of my life I can honestly say I am doing exactly what God means for me to do (i.e. sharing wellness) and I can see a not-to-distant future when I will be able to do so without any of the current distractions in my life. My life truly began the moment I understood my life's purpose. You know what? There is a tremendous joy in knowing your life's purpose. With all my heart I hope you know that kind of joy!<br /><br />As you reflect on the past year I want you to know something. I want you to know that miracles are within your reach and within your own mind. Do not scoff at that statement. Rather give it your most serious consideration. The quality of your life depends on your understanding the truth of it.<br /><br />Do You know how special you are?<br />Do you know your life's purpose?<br />Are you living your life's purpose?<br /><br />Do you know you have all you need to create a miracle in your life?<br /><br />Do you understand the impact of words and thoughts on the quality of your life?<br /><br />Consider the words of Maya Angelou:<br /><br /><strong>"</strong><strong><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Words go into the body. So they cause us to be well and hopeful<br />and happy and high-energy and wondrous and funny and cheerful.<br />Or they can cause us to be depressed. They get into the body and<br />cause us to be sullen and sour and depressed and, finally, sick."</span></em><br /><br /></strong>Words are important. Thoughts are important. What kind of words or thoughts are you holding inside of you. You have a choice as to what kind of words and thoughts you hold near you. Positive or negative. Words and thoughts can be death .......or death-defying.<br /><br />What are you choosing to hold within you?<br /><br />My gift to you this holiday season is a short movie. I hope you will<br />take 3 minutes to watch it and an hour to consider it.<br />Click here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/tcyrv">http://tinyurl.com/tcyrv</a><br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy,<br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br /><br /><br /><br />This post may be reprinted in your newsletter or blog only with the following resource box:<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT has a thriving network marketing wellness business, is completing a Masters in Holistic Nutrition and enjoys mentoring others in both improving their health and financial freedom. <a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1164221869439002142006-11-22T12:52:00.000-06:002008-04-24T20:02:42.164-05:00Cancer and Nutrition: Revisited FairlyIn a recent post I was hard on doctors who tell cancer patients not to take nutritional supplements. I spoke in anger and disappointment and did not evenly cover the topic. I am deleting that post. In fairness I need to address this issue again.......<br /><br />You see there is a controversy regarding certain nutrition supplements and cancer. Consider the information in the following links:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-153.shtml#humanresearch">http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-153.shtml#humanresearch</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-153.shtml#animalresearch">http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-153.shtml#animalresearch</a><br /><br />Recent studies have been positive on the use of antioxidants:<br /><a href="http://www.newstarget.com/021070.html">http://www.newstarget.com/021070.html</a><br /><br /><br />None of these above articles discuss the use of glyconutritional supplements. Glyconutrients are not vitamins, antioxidants, minerals or amino acids. They are in a class of their own. There are so far eight known necessary glyconutrients (ie monosaccharides). These are discussed in Harpers Biochemistry, a medical textbook. Though there are four Nobel prizes which discuss cell to cell communication and the integral part these monosaccharides play in cell to cell communication, glycobiology is a young field and not well understood yet by the vast majority of physicians. There is however, a Glycomics Conference every October in which increasingly more physicians are learning this information. <a href="http://www.endowmentmed.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=40">http://www.endowmentmed.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=40</a><br /><br />Case studies and research point to a positive benefit with dietary supplementation of glyconutrients:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fisherinstitute.org/bestcancer.htm">http://www.fisherinstitute.org/bestcancer.htm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.fisherinstitute.org/cancer.htm">http://www.fisherinstitute.org/cancer.htm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://glycoscience.org/">http://glycoscience.org/</a> (search "cancer")<br /><br />What I most wanted to get across is that folks need to educate themselves and not rely solely on physician input. Doctors are not gods; nor should we expect them to be. They are not trained in nutrition. They are largely educated by pharmaceutical companies. I learned this the hard way in my battle with Lupus. Had I not taken responsibility for my life and wellness; had I solely relied on my physicians input I would either be dead or in a wheelchair and in a nursing home today; instead of celebrating over two years in remission. My physicians did not value nutrition and didn't know about glyconutrition. Thru all the years I battled Lupus, not once did any of my physicians ask me about my diet. Has yours?Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1156005951487319992006-08-19T11:36:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:03:18.310-05:00Uncommon Courage: A Life of SignificanceThere came a time during my long journey with Lupus when my mother asked me how to cope with illness. She was well into her journey with Shy-Drager, a very debilitating version of Parkinsons. To say it's difficult when the roles in life turn is an understatement. I wish I had been full of wisdom at that moment. Maybe in a small way there was some wisdom in what I said.<br /><br />I told her my philosophy was to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep going and that's what she had to do too. We agreed we would do that together for as long as we each could. Then we had a discussion about what we each wanted and didn't want in regards to medical treatment. We made each other promises to safeguard each others dignity in the event we couldn't do it for ourselves. There were no tears during our conversation, but in the years since her passing I have often wilted into tears when remembering it. I kept my promise to her, there was no medical intervention with feeding tubes, IV's or medical machinery at the end of her journey.<br /><br />Thinking back on the difficult times of my lupus journey I can say it's really not a simple thing to do to "keep going" when in the grip of 24/7 pain, shortness of breath and overwhelming fatigue. In fact, when faced with an incurable illness it takes an uncommon courage to even want to keep going. There were many times when I begged God to take me home.<br /><br />But at the time when my mother and I had our conversation, I simply thought that to put one foot in front of the other and keep going was all I knew to do and certainly didn't think of it as courageous. To me it was just survival. In fact, everything I did; changing my diet to one without processed foods, being a guinea pig for an investigational drug, reframing my thoughts, exercising when I was physically able and my physician would let me, incorporating daily<br />meditation, trying glyconutrient supplementation, was all, I thought, just a matter of survival. Not just to stay alive, but to keep my lifestyle and my independence.<br /><br />But I've been told by four different people in the last few months that they view me as courageous. As I sit here pondering my journey to remission I have a hard time thinking of myself as courageous. It blows my mind that anyone thinks of me as courageous. My journey to remission wasn't about courage, and though I thought it was about survival, it really wasn't even<br />about survival; it was about having a significant life. Everyone wants their life to mean something. I have always thought one of the worst things about chronic illness is the loss of human potential. Illness illustrated to me very clearly the insignificance of monetary success and about personal growth and living a life of significance. Financial freedom means nothing if you're not also making a difference.<br /><br />It takes real courage to live a life of significance. It takes insight, (some would say wisdom), to understand you can live a significant life even if you are coping with a seemingly incurable illness. Sometimes that is hard to see when you're living with 24/7 pain and little hope for respite. When illness strikes and your dreams suddenly seem unreachable; you must understand your illness, no matter what you no longer can do, does not make you any<br />less important to the world. You must understand every existence is significant. By putting one foot in front of the other and keeping going you are, in fact, living a life of significance. You are giving value to life. There is nothing more noble.<br /><br />So whatever hardships you are coping with in your life; change the things in your life which are negative or don't promote wellness and keep on keeping on. You are precious and your existence is significant.<br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br /><a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1154289983342731852006-07-30T15:05:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:03:52.742-05:00Wellness: The Power of Change<table id="HB_Mail_Container" height="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0" unselectable="on"><tbody><tr height="100%" width="100%" unselectable="on"><td id="HB_Focus_Element" valign="top" width="100%" background="" height="250" unselectable="off">I've talked a lot about taking charge of your wellness and changing the things in your life which aren't promoting wellness. Have you decided to make wellness your top priority? Does changing things in your life to promote wellness seem a bit overwhelming?<br /><br />The answer to overwhelm is to choose and change one thing at a time. Every week or two weeks (whatever feels right to you) incorporate a new wellness habit.<br /><br />Here's a suggested (but not all inclusive) list to get you started:<br /><br />Week One: Drink water instead of soda. If your doctor does NOT have you on any water restrictions divide your weight by two - this will give you the ounces of water you should drink per day. Drink SPRING water ( which you will find in any grocery store) or Wellness Enhanced water <a href="http://tinyurl.com/s8b6o">http://tinyurl.com/s8b6o</a> .<br /><br />Week Two: Eat one salad every day. Do NOT use a high calorie salad dressing. I would also not recommend the low calorie "chemical ridden" salad dressings. Try Annies Green Garlic Dressing (found in the health food section of your grocery store or in a health food grocery store). Check out the salads/dressings in the "Healthy Kitchen" section of <a href="http://www.drweil.com/">http://www.drweil.com/</a> . Go to your bookstore and peruse the vegetarian recipe books for healthy salad dressings.<br /><br />Week Three: Resolve to eat Five vegetables a day. This isn't hard when you stop to realize a serving is 1/2 cup. Make your plate colorful! Eat veggies of different colors!<br /><br />Week Four: Resolve to not eat fast food. Fast food is normally high calorie, high fat.<br /><br />Week Five: Cut down on coffee! Resolve to have only one cup in the morning. IF you are a bigtime coffee drinker you may consider having one cup of caffeinated coffee and remaining cups 50/50. Gradually change over to just 50/50 and then slowly decrease how many cups you have in the morning till it's only one cup. You might even consider booting coffee out of your life.....You might substitute Green Tea for it's antioxidant qualities!<br /><br />Week Six: Eat four fruits a day. If you haven't been wild about eating fruits up till now then go easy eat two a day and work up to four.<br /><br />Week Seven: Do you smoke? With the issuance of the recent Surgeon Generals report don't you agree it's clear how bad smoking is for your health. <a href="http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/">http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/</a> If you are a heavy "nervous" type smoker I recommend you talking with your doctor about how to quit. You can also find a smoking cessation group in your area. Most hospitals have smoking cessation groups. Call the Respiratory Care department of your local hospital. The American Lung Association offers smoking cessation <a href="http://www.lungusa.org/">http://www.lungusa.org/</a> and also the American Cancer Society <a href="http://tinyurl.com/z4vju">http://tinyurl.com/z4vju</a> .<br /><br />Especially if you are quitting smoking you should consider incorporating an excellent antioxidant supplement into your wellness regimen. Even if smoking is not an issue and you just want to be proactive about your wellness an antioxidant supplement is important.<br />I recommend: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/gt7ur">http://tinyurl.com/gt7ur</a><br /><br />Week Eight: Incorporate some form of exercise into your daily regimen. Check with physician before starting an exercise regimen especially if you've been mostly sedentary for some time. Your exercise regimen could be as simple as walking. Get a pedometer and work up to 10,000 steps per day. But find some form of exercise you enjoy and DO IT!<br /><br />These changes will get you started. You might also read the books:<br /><br />"Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman,MD <a href="http://tinyurl.com/po88c">http://tinyurl.com/po88c</a><br /><br />"Ultraprevention" by Mark Hyman,MD <a href="http://tinyurl.com/r7y28">http://tinyurl.com/r7y28</a><br /><br />So have you decided to change the things in your life which don't promote wellness?<br />Write to me! Let me know how things go! I care about you........<br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy!<br /></td></tr><tr unselectable="on" hb_tag="1"><td style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height="1" unselectable="on"><div id="hotbar_promo"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT</p>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1151948629026753872006-07-03T12:31:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:04:46.817-05:00ARE YOU READY TO GET WELL?At first reading it seems like a stupid question.<br />Are you ready to get well?<br />Who wouldn’t rather be well?<br /><br />In my business I spend countless hours talking to chronically<br />ill people. Some folks have convinced me they aren’t ready<br />to be well. There's actually lots of reasons some folks aren't ready<br />to be well. There's the folks who don't want to make a commitment<br />to change; the folks who get an inordinate amount of secondary gain<br />from being ill (this article isn't about them); and the folks who believe<br />there is no hope for a better life.<br /><br />Will they increase the servings of salads and veggies in their diet,<br />cut back on red meat,<br />eat four fruits a day? No.<br />Stop eating processed foods? No.<br />Will they stop drinking soft drinks? No.<br />Will they stop using fake sweeteners? No.<br />Will they increase the amount of water they drink? No.<br />Will they stop smoking? No<br /><br />Will they reach for another drug? Sadly, yes. Even when they are<br />on ten different drugs none of which have improved how they feel<br />or their quality of life; they will return to their physician for yet<br />another drug. Is this you? Hey don't feel bad. One can only do what<br />one knows to do. We have been trained to look to our doctors for<br />answers and doctors have been trained to give us drugs.<br />Now you're going to learn a better way.<br /><br />If you keep doing what you’re doing you’re going to keep<br />getting what you’ve always got. Yes, if you have a chronic<br />illness you should be under a physicians care. But you<br />also need to<strong> change the things in <em>YOUR life</em> that</strong><br /><strong>aren’t promoting wellness. </strong>By the way has your<br />doctor ever suggested that? Does your doctor ever talk to<br />you about eating fresh produce? Have you and your<br />doctor ever talked about what you eat? (did i hear a "no"?)<br /><br />When it comes down to committing to the actions necessary to regain<br />their life they find a million reasons why they can’t. Some have<br />actually told me change is too inconvenient. Some have told<br />me that enjoying a soda is their one joy in life and they aren’t going to<br />give it up for anything.<br /><br />OK. I understand that feeling. I was there once. But what if……<br />What if the chemicals in that soda are contributing to your<br />illness? Wouldn’t it be worth stopping to find out?<br /><br />Is healthful change more inconvenient than illness? Is anything more<br />inconvenient than illness? I don’t think so. Why would anyone want<br />to be ill rather than make healthful changes that could give them their<br />life back? Sometimes it’s so easy to see why these folks are ill. But<br />there’s nothing I can do to help them until they are ready to help<br />themselves. It frustrates and saddens me.<br /><br />I’m sure everyone wants to be well. Nobody likes the inconvenience<br />or physical and emotional pain illness causes. I think we all need to<br />understand there is not a good pharmaceutical answer for chronic<br />illnesses. Drugs treat symptoms not causes.<br /><br />Nutrition on the other hand works at the level of the cause.<br /><br />You would not think of putting gas in your car, but ignoring the oil or<br />transmission fluid. Your car would not run for long. Your body is the<br />same way. Put in the right nutrients and it works optimally.<br /><br />Yes! It really is that simple. Your body is capable of healing itself if you<br />give it the nutrients it needs to do the job. You've seen the body heal<br />itself when you've had a paper cut or a broken bone. Think about it.<br />Your immune system can do <strong>even more</strong> when it's not starved for<br />nutrients.<br /><br />Nutrition! That is the key! Unfortunately, we are killing ourselves with<br />processed foods, green harvesting and fake sweeteners. Do you know<br />why the government increased the serving amount of veggies on the<br />food pyramid? Because they KNOW we aren’t getting the nutrients we<br />need in our food supply. They also have supported the use of supplements,<br />as has the AMA.<br /><br />For instance, to get the same amount of Vitamin A that was in one peach in 1953, you would have to eat 50 peaches today. It's that way with all our produce. We can't possibly eat enough to get all the nutrients our body needs.<br /><br /><strong>That's why we MUST supplement. </strong><br /><p>You know I know what it’s like to be sick 24/7 for years. I know what it’s like to have a doc refer to me as "unfortunate" and "steroid dependent". I know what it’s like to have a disorder docs have no answers for and no real treatment which restores quality of life. I know what it’s like to not have hope for a better future.<br /><br />Yes I know why it might be hard for you to believe ANYTHING will help. I really understand that. Western medicine tells you there are no answers. But put your disbelief aside and understand what I am telling you is logical and backed by science.<br /><br />I am talking to you today as I celebrate two years in remission<br />because I made changes in my life. I took charge and kicked lupus’s<br />butt for a change. (It feels GOOD.)<br /><br />YOU are no different than me. YOU CAN TOO!<br />So are YOU ready?<br /><br />Will <strong>you</strong> increase the servings of salads and veggies in your diet,<br />cut back on red meat,<br />eat four fruits a day?<br />Stop eating processed foods?<br />Will <strong>you</strong> stop drinking soft drinks?<br />Will <strong>you</strong> stop using fake sweeteners?<br />Will <strong>you</strong> increase the amount of water you drink?<br />Will <strong>you</strong> stop smoking?<br />Will <strong>you</strong> commit to a supplement regimen?<br /><br />If you are ready to get well I am here and more than<br />ready to help you make the healthful changes you need<br />to make.<br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy,<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br /><a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com</a><br /><br />PS: You need to read these books. These three books will change your life.<br /><br />"Eat To Live" by Joel Fuhrman, MD<br />"The Healing Power of 8 Sugars" by Allen Somersall, PhD<br />"The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell, PhD</p>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1150859270539051502006-06-20T22:01:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:06:01.796-05:00AND THEN.....I DIEDI get goosebumps when I stop to think about it.<br /><br />Oct., 1987 - I was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease. Somewhere in time it morphed into mostly Lupus.<br /><br />I could rattle off many different symptoms, annoyances, frustrations, obstacles, physical and emotional pain it caused me, but if you are healthy my litany would mean nothing to you and if you are dealing with lupus (or any chronic potentially life-threatening disorder) you already understand. Anyway the dark side of my journey is not what I want to talk about. Not exactly.<br /><br />The me I was died in October of 1987. You know what, despite all that happened on my journey from then to now; it's not bad that the me I was passed away. Oh that me was a good person. I worked hard in my job. I was truthful; a good friend to my friends and tried to do the right things in my life. I worshiped my Father God on Sundays and even talked to Him a lot in prayer in my everyday life. But I really didn't "get it".<br /><br />I didn't "get" life. So many people don't.<br /><br />When I died I didn't see a path to a bright light. I didn't feel warm and fuzzy. I didn't even know I died. I was like millions of other people going thru the motions of everyday life; who don't know they are alive. I really died before my diagnosis.<br /><br />After my diagnosis I just kept putting one foot in front of the other doing my best to keep going; despite the physical and emotional limitations lupus set forth for me. Slowly after my diagnosis; I realized how much I had taken for granted and how appreciation enriches one's life. Lupus taught me so much. (And yes, even in remission I'm still learning.)<br /><br />I've learned that most everyone is living "too fast". By our choices we can choose to live "fast" and miss the beauty and treasures of life, or choose to live slower, appreciatively, in a way which enriches our experience of the gift of life.<br /><br />Are you "taking time" to live? Or are you "giving" time away?<br />Letting it slip thru the cracks of your life.<br /><br />I learned as I sat on a park bench one day, how to have peace, by watching ants on the ground below scurry about their duties to their community. Ants really aren't unlike us. Except they work better together. The preciousness of time I learned to appreciate taught me that politics at work or game-playing in relationships of any kind is a tragic waste of precious time, energy and this gift called life. In feelings of anger, resentment, jealousy, hatred, envy or fear; there is only destruction, a tearing down of all that is good. Time is to fleeting, to precious to waste even one second in negativity.<br /><br />WHAT IF....we all just learned to get along with respect for each other? How different would corporate life and the relationships in our lives be? How different would each person's life be? And how would that impact the world? Why I think it would be awesome! Don't you? I choose to envision that world.<br /><br />I learned.....by taking time to experience peace....by taking time to really study the color and beauty of roses and other flowers in the park...and on my kitchen windowsill the value of taking time to appreciate beauty.... I see a richness of color in a red rose or lacy -ridged dianthus that before my journey with lupus I didn't used to see. It wows, thrills and amazes me!<br /><br />Do you take time to foster your inner peace? Do you have flowers in your living space? You should. It's a good thing to do for you. Have you taken time to study their beauty? The appreciation of beauty creates inner peace. God is a wondrous artist. Our eyesight and the incredible beauty in nature are gifts of unexplainable pricelessness. Do you take time to<br />feel gratitude for these gifts?<br /><br />I learned, as I observed people at work, at the mall, yes, even at church; folks don't smile anymore. They frown, they hold their shoulders in a tense, stressed manner and they hurry about their errands. But they don't smile, they don't say hello, their eyes don't meet yours. A mall full of people can still be a very impersonal place! Hmmmm.....<br /><br />Isn't that a sad observation? I wish it weren't true. A smile given to another person is an immense gift. It lifts both people up. It carries on through-out the day. There's no reason we can't all give the gift of a smile to one another everyday. Please think about it.<br /><br />WHAT IF......everyone took the time to compliment someone else everyday?<br />Even a stranger!<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Hey, I really like that shirt you are wearing and it really looks good on you.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Hey you have really pretty eyes.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Gee you did a great job! </span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">I know you worked really hard.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">You're really good at_________.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Wow you sure keep your car looking spick and span.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm glad you're my friend you add so much to my life.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Those shoes really look sharp with that outfit. </span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">You always look so nice!</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">You have a pretty smile you know!</span></em><br /><br />How much would a few positive words change the world? It would change YOUR world and it would change THEIR world. And it would change it positively. Immensely.That which changes your world; ultimately changes THE world.<br /><br />We can all change the world in a positive way with even tiny actions. We just have to INTEND to and then take action.<br /><br />WHAT IF......you took the time everyday to just-for-you "slow down"?<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Eat lunch in a park.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Read a personal development or self-help book each week or month.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Meditate for 30 minutes daily.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Set aside time to keep a journal.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Set aside time to take a walk for thinking, observing and appreciating beauty.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Take a bubble bath, sit in a sauna, get a massage. </span></em><br /><br />Your life does not NEED to be hurried or frenzied or overwhelming. Have the intention to have control over your life. Intentionally stop the frenzied hurriedness. And think of the example you are giving to the children and young people in your life. Do you want their life to be frenzied? Life does not need to be that way. It's a choice. Let's teach our children better choices for a rich, full life.<br /><br />So take time for you. It will impact your health in a positive way. It will enrich your life. You are not taking away from your family or friends by taking time for you. There will be more of you to give to others and a healthier, happier you. If you're happier, others around you will be happier. And healthier!<br /><br />I learned, in my illness; illness is a teacher and we MUST be good students. Illness teaches us how little time we have and what is important for our survival. Illness is your body crying out for help; for nutrients it isn't getting and love it isn't feeling. When we give our body the nutrients it needs our immune system can overcome nearly every disorder. The exploding<br />incidence of auto-immune, cancer, heart disease, etc points to the necessity of taking charge of our health and responsibly giving our body the nutrients required to sustain life.<br /><strong>Processed foods, fake sugars and fast food are killing us. </strong><br /><br />I went to a health lecture the other night. The speaker said something life-altering .....it's not that we are living longer......<strong>it's that we are taking longer to die</strong>. Statistics are showing the average persons health is failing the last ten years of life. Is this the quality of life you want at the end of your life?<br /><br />I learned.....we must be deliberate, thoughtful, serious and responsible about giving our bodies the nutrition it requires. I am in remission from Lupus because I cleaned up my act..... took responsibility for my wellness.... gave my psyche a gratitude mindset and my body the nutrition it needs.<br /><br />What choices will you make?<br />Will you stop smoking?<br />Will you stop eating junk food ?<br />Will you take time for you ?<br />Will you smile at someone today?<br /><br />In good choices, in being aware and attentive to your wellness, both physical and emotional, your whole life will be richer. You'll live everyday of your life, instead of dying before your diagnosis.<br /><br />I wish you wellness and joy!<br /><br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br /><a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1148662772173172072006-05-26T11:46:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:06:33.290-05:00Simply Take Care of YouFriends,<br />I get a newsletter "Simple Living" that is sooooo cool...below is an article from the latest issue.......just had to share......there is so much truth in it.....<br /><br />Tomorrow I celebrate two years in remission from Lupus...two yrs of having my life back... Lupus took a lot away from me.....but it also gave me a lot...it gave me a perspective on life i wish i could bottle and gift to people. For a long time I've been searching for the right words to express what Lupus taught me. Some of the words for which I've been searching are in the article below, <strong>"Life is not a race. It’s an experience. It’s a miracle." </strong>Just as the lady who wrote the article below says....we all need to exhale and slow down at least 10%. Don't wait till an illness comes along and forces you to slow down......the anxiety in modern life is not necessary....it's something we do to ourselves by the choices we make.<br /><br />Consider this. For a time I ran a pulmonary patient education program at the hospital. Every morning the computer system would generate a list for me of folks who were admitted the previous day. Not long after I began receiving the admissions list I noticed something. <strong>Most days most of the admissions were due to health problems that were preventable!<br /></strong><br />In wellness coaching with folks (especially folks coping with chronic illnesses) I always tell them two things:<br />1. Don't let western medicine tell you wellness is not an option. There was a time when my life consisted of either being at work or being in bed resting so I could go to work. That was my life. Most days were, quite frankly, miserable. My docs referred to me as "unfortunate" and "steroid dependent". I am neither of those things today. <strong>You don't have to be a statistic either.<br /></strong>2. Take responsibility for your health ...."Change the things in your life you can change".<br /><br />I can guarantee you this if you don't get serious about your wellness (and specifically about your nutrition) you will at some time be forced to get serious about your illness. Cos that is what you will be: ill.<br /><br />All good things take effort. If you are serious about wellness you will change the things in your life you can change to positively affect your wellness. Nope, it's not easy to change your habits. It's not easy to change your diet. It's not easy to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. All good things take effort and discipline. And yes you need to spend some money on supplements. Even physicians are realizing the need for supplementation. There has even been an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) regarding the need for supplementation. I will say this; taking care of yourself does reduce the anxiety in your life. When you are truly taking care of yourself; you make better choices and your priorities change. Where are your priorities? It's so easy to be sucked up into the whirlwind of busy-ness....but what is really important. You are.<br /><br />If you want to talk about what you can change in your life to enhance your wellness email me <a href="mailto:quantumwellness@charter.net">quantumwellness@charter.net</a> to set up a free 30 minute coaching session via telephone.<br /><br />Someone helped me and I want to help you.<br /><br />Wishing you Wellness and Joy!<br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br />314-397-0686 CST<br /><a href="http://glyco.com/prohealthlife">http://glyco.com/prohealthlife</a><br /><br />PS: ohhhhh and guess what I decided to do to celebrate my two yr remission anniversary tomorrow......I thought and thought about it. I wanted to do something special. Finally it came to me.... as you probably know I live on a lake....I'm going to take a pitcher of iced tea, my camera, a good book and a loaf of bread and go sit in my favorite parkbench on the boardwalk by the lake and feed the ducks and enjoy my book. That is special cos when my Lupus was active I couldn't be in the sun. It is priceless to me to have the freedom to sit in the sun. That's what wellness means to me......freedom.<br /><br />I hope you enjoy the article below from the Simple Living newsletter...........<br /><br />She Did It!<br />Eat, Pray, Love<br /><br />I love seeking out people who live life on their own terms, and Elizabeth Gilbert just might take the cake. She shares her amazing journey in her book, Eat, Pray, Love. What a story! What a life!<br /><br />Elizabeth’s story begins on her bathroom floor where, for the 47th consecutive night, she sobbed so hard “that a great lake of tears and snot was spreading before me on the bathroom tiles, a veritable Lake Inferior (if you will) of all my shame and fear and confusion and grief.” Elizabeth was heading for a divorce, and, ultimately, to a deeply personal journey to recapture her soul.<br />After reading Elizabeth’s book and engaging in a long, wonderful conversation with her, I now understand her raw emotions during that difficult time in her life.<br /><br />I also understand how much influence society has on us to behave in certain ways, and how easy it is to fall prey to these forces. I know how meaningless life can seem when you live without reflection and don’t take time to know yourself deeply. And I understand just how gut wrenching it is to untangle yourself from all of these expectations when you finally take the time to know yourself.<br /><br />This is exactly what happened to Elizabeth.<br /><br />Her Story Is Everybody’s Story<br /><br />In some ways, Elizabeth’s story is yours, mine, and everybody’s. She had done what many of us do—she started out following her heart and soul, but then began paying more attention to society and the media. I did the same thing years ago, and it wasn’t until I discovered simplicity that I was able to find my way back. So, I can definitely relate.<br /><br />For Elizabeth, it was simply expected that in her late 20s, she would get married and live the traditional American dream—so she did. It’s hard to march to a different tune when societal messages are so strong and coming at you from all directions. That was just one of the reasons her marriage came to an end.<br /><br />She explains, “My marriage had many reasons for ending, but what was so suffocating to me was the relentless accumulation and acquisition that seemed to come inevitably with American marriage.<br /><br />“There is sort of an autopilot response—you get married and you have very little and then you start to accumulate automatically. Mortgages, cars, furniture, appliances, and designer hammers. There was really nothing we didn’t have and so I found it very suffocating and very shocking that we were making money but not having any. The only commodity we didn’t have and couldn’t buy was time and space. We had gotten sucked into that whole cycle of acquisition, work, and stress.”<br /><br />Before marriage, Elizabeth had been a traveler. She used to work as a waitress and bartender for six months at a time, living a “very small life” while saving money. Once she saved enough money, she would travel around the world for another six months, then repeat the process over again.<br /><br />After marriage, she ultimately worked her way into a better paying position in magazine publishing, but she didn’t feel much satisfaction.<br />She says, “There I was, 30 years old, making a lot of money and I didn’t have a dime or a free week to do anything like what I used to do at 23. I was appalled and deeply offended by that. I remember thinking, ‘Wait a minute, what’s happening? Why are we working so hard? For what?’”<br /><br />Yearning for a Bigger, Smaller Life<br /><br />Elizabeth began her incredible journey after her divorce. Having gone through a tough, depressing time, she knew she needed to rejuvenate her soul.<br />At that point a published author, she was able to convince her book publisher to let her use her author’s advance to fund a 12-month soul searching trip—four months in Italy immersing herself in pleasure, four months in India at an ashram praying and meditating, and four months in Bali learning love, balance, and harmony.<br /><br />Elizabeth left America mired in self-hatred and taking antidepressants to get through the day. But she came back a year later with true love for herself and no need for medication. She also returned with a deep, heartfelt devotion to simplicity. I applaud Elizabeth for the intensely hard work she did to clear out her emotional demons.<br /><br />On the last leg of her journey in Bali, Elizabeth met her partner, a Brazilian named Felipe. They live now in a small rental house in Elizabeth’s hometown of Philadelphia.<br />“I don’t own a house now, purposely,” she says. “I’m a renter, and I’m really happy with that. It’s a sense of freedom. I know it flies in the face of convention because we’ve really wrapped into our lives the idea that security equals home ownership. I think for a lot of people, home ownership does equal security. If you have a family and you’re attached to a certain place and have deep roots, I think that can be a very nice way to live. But it’s not me. As I’ve gone around the country, I’ve found that there are a lot of people who have all of those things, but have the same questions I did—they are not sure they want all of this.<br /><br />“Security to me is freedom. The most light my life can be is the most secure I feel.”<br />Elizabeth also makes it a habit to practice the same kind of simplicity she did while traveling. She knows that it is her salvation and her ticket to the life that she loves. “I live by the same rule that I have for my backpack, which is if anything new comes in, you have to get rid of something of equal weight. That’s how I keep my life very simple.<br /><br />“I don’t live a Spartan life—it’s a really sweet little house. It has just what we need. We have a bed, a couch, and a nice rug. There’s a lot of pretty artwork on the walls, but not a lot of clutter elsewhere. It’s also very easy to leave. If we want to go to another country, we just lock up the door and go. It affords us enormous liberty. We have a small house and a big world. It’s exactly what I was longing for in the last days of my marriage—I longed for a bigger, smaller life.”<br /><br />Elizabeth acknowledges that it’s an effort to live the way she does now. “It means constantly pushing against the full frontal assault of what the entire American culture is based on, which is this massive consumer economy and all the advertising dollars that are put behind that,” she explains.<br />“I think what happens in people’s lives is that they go on autopilot. It’s not just about the stuff we’re told to buy, but there’s also a very powerful, not even very hidden agenda about the person you need to be and what you need to have accomplished and acquired by each age. For instance, I did a book reading in Texas and a girl in the audience raised her hand and said ‘There’s something wrong with me that I’m 24 and not married yet.’<br /><br />“To not buy into these types of ideas means constant vigilance. The constant vigilance is weighing what they are selling against what you really want. Do you really want this season’s perfect raincoat in three colors?<br /><br />“I have to say that when I tell people what I’m doing with my life, they seem to want it. So I think there’s a real yearning for bigger, smaller lives.”<br /><br />Life-Saving Lessons in India<br /><br />Elizabeth had been meditating and following a spiritual path before she left on her year-long journey, but gained light years of insight when she spent four months living in an ashram in India, meditating silently for hours and hours every day.<br /><br />She says, “I had some very transcendent experiences there that anyone would have if they sat down for four months and went deep inside. But the most lasting things were all of those hours I spent by myself in silence and the new contract that I drew up with myself. The contract is of nonviolence toward me. It’s not easy. As everybody who has sat in meditation knows, all of those hours come to self-hatred pretty quickly because you see the workings of your mind, and it is so disappointing. You see all of your memories and all of your failures, and all of your disappointments. You see all of your grievances, grudges, and petty desires. It’s a pretty ugly scene.<br /><br />“But when I stayed with meditation, the most important piece for me was not those couple of seconds of divine transcendence that I felt. It was the months of work that made me break down and get to this deeper part of my heart that was finally able to say ‘I will not harm you. I’m here to look after you and I love you, and I will treat you with compassion and respect.’ That is what I took home from India. That’s the most important thing from my journey—my holy grail that I won’t let me hurt me.<br /><br />“From that place of nonviolence toward myself, it’s a lot easier to be compassionate toward everybody else. The hardest person to forgive and embrace is yourself, because you know what a jerk you are! It’s easier to forgive other people because you don’t see their horrors the way you see your own when you are in silence for four months.”<br /><br />Living an Artist’s Life<br /><br />Elizabeth adores her simple life because it enables her to live more of an artist’s life.<br />She and Felipe never go out to dinner because they enjoy cooking so much. Their only argument is in the kitchen, over who gets to cook. They have one inexpensive car, a Toyota, and love staying home and walking in the woods. It’s the perfect environment for her regular meditation.<br />“Meditation is still a big part of my life,” she says, “but I don’t try to live like I’m in an Indian ashram. I’ve freed myself from the tyranny of discipline of hard-core expectations. There’s such heavy expectations on Americans…how rigidly that perfection, accomplishment, competition, and achievement is demanded of us. It’s endless. Everyone seems to be stuck in its jaws.<br />Along with these types of unrealistic expectations, Elizabeth is also concerned about the huge amount of stress most Americans endure. “There’s an enormous amount of stress that people are asked to consider normal—it’s really an intense culture. Before I left, when I was living in New York City, I couldn’t really see it. But now, living with a South American, he’s always asking, ‘what’s with these people?’<br /><br />“It’s funny that whenever I’m in New York City now, I can see it as the pulsing center of world stress. I’m sure it leaks through every strata of society wherever people are trying to be successful. Felipe was watching the hectic pace the other day and said you can see it in their faces when they’re walking. In the suburbs, you see it in their driving patterns.<br />“He said, ‘I just can’t help believing that if everyone made an agreement to bring the frenetic level down 10 percent, it wouldn’t change productivity...if everyone could just exhale and slow down by 10 percent. How much of that anxiety is really necessary?’”<br /><br />Do You Have to Add Anxiety to the Shopping List?<br /><br />“That’s a question I ask myself when I’m getting sucked in—when I’m in a rush and I feel my chest grip,” Elizabeth explains. “How much of this stress and adrenalin is necessary? Is there a way to bring it down a little? Do you have to add anxiety to the shopping list? Will it get the shopping done any faster? Do you really need to be buying what you’re buying?<br />“I think this is more what I noticed people in other countries don’t do. But granted, it would be difficult to find a culture more different from the U.S. than Bali. It’s something they understand as a culture, very deeply, that life is simply not a race. It’s an experience. It’s a miracle. It’s a tradition. It’s a lot of things, but it’s not a race or a competition.<br /><br />“When I see people walking down the streets of cities listening to their iPods, with everyone rushing, trying to beat the next light, I see this human animal that’s turned into an adrenalin-pumping machine. Of course everybody is stressed and medicated—you need to be to come down from that.<br /><br />“Instead of people unthreading their lives to figure out why they are so unhappy, exhausted, depleted, they go out and get a prescription. I’m not at all against antidepressants because I think they are miraculous drugs. But our brain chemistry is very influenced by our external and internal environment.<br /><br />“I like the idea of people increasingly trying to create safe, clean, healthy environments for themselves. That’s harder than taking a pill. It means doing a lot of work. I did a lot of work on myself. It was a huge renovation project, but it’s possible.”<br /><br />Stillness Is a Necessity<br /><br />So how can you follow in Elizabeth’s amazing path? It’s all about finding space in your life for what’s important.<br />She says, “I ask people to see if they can carve out of the grid of their lives a small space of stillness. Whether that’s a physical space like a room, or a temporal space like 20 minutes, allow yourself the necessity (in America we call it luxury, but it’s really a necessity) to ask yourself in as much quietness as you can find, what you really want.<br /><br />“It’s hard to find the answer when you’re being bombarded with images telling you what you should want. Then slowly, piece by piece, see if you can permit yourself to build, as closely as possible, what you want.”<br /><br />Elizabeth sums up her year, “I got what I was looking for on my journey. It was to find a way to take total custodial responsibility for my own life.<br />“I feel free.”<br />You can read about Elizabeth and her work by visiting her Web site, <a href="http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/">http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/</a>.<br /><br />You can subscribe to Simple Living at <a href="http://doctorspreferred.com/Apps/DCS/mcp?r=70046RRK44mrM01200042hKs046RRK0moSTnoSPC">http://doctorspreferred.com/Apps/DCS/mcp?r=70046RRK44mrM01200042hKs046RRK0moSTnoSPC</a> and I highly recommend it! And nope I'm not affiliated in any way. I'm simply a fan.Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1146095588433446602006-04-26T18:30:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:07:06.051-05:00Death By ConvenienceWhy is it we humans keep trying to out-do Mother Nature? It never works. For instance, let's talk about microwave cooking. Do you still microwave? If you do get ready to say goodbye to this convenient health sabotager. Yes, you read that right. Despite the fact a microwave oven can probably be found in at least 90% of homes, no-one should be using one. I bet you haven't heard the Soviet Union banned the use of microwave ovens in 1976. Would you like to know why? And oh by the way do you know who invented the microwave; the Nazis. That should tell you something.<br /><br />In a paper titled "Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking", natural health physician Dr. Joseph Mercola has stated:<br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>"Recent research shows that microwave oven cooked food suffers severe molecular damage. When eaten, it causes abnormal changes in human blood and immune systems. Not surprisingly the public has been denied details on these significant health dangers "</strong></span></em> (<a href="http://www.mercola.com/">http://www.mercola.com/</a>)<br />Dr Mercola is basing his comments on a ton of research which is available to all of us. I will present just a few tidbits of research in this article.<br /><br />The first scientist to conceive and carry out a quality clinical study on the effects microwaved nutrients have on the blood and physiology of the human body was a Swiss scientist by the name of Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel. His study stated, <strong><em><span style="font-size:85%;">“Food cooked or defrosted in a microwave oven causes changes in the blood indicative of a developing pathological process as is also found in a carcinoma [cancer].” </span></em></strong>In a swift answer to his study an industry trade organization went to court and had Dr Hertel gagged! The gag order was reversed in 1998.<br /><br />In the December 1989 issue of the medical journal, Lancet, Dr Lita Lee noted microwaved milk or baby formula not only depletes the vitamin content but converts certain amino acids (the constituents of protein) into relatedsubstances that are biologically inactive.<br /><br />Researchers at the Stanford University Medical Center stated in the April 1992 Journal of Pediatrics the changes in human breast milk which was microwaved just enough to warm it, included the destruction of 98% of its immunogloban-A antibodies and 96% of its liposome activity (which inhibits bacterial infections).<br /><br />The problem with microwaving is two-fold, health is impacted by the changes in the food caused by microwaving and also by how the body deals with these altered foods. Microwaved foods are not only deficient in vitamins and essential minerals; cancer causing agents are created when food is microwaved.<br /><br />The nutrients in our foods already gets decreased by our use of green harvesting and the lack of nutrients in our soil. It's sheer insanity to further deplete the nutrients in our food by microwaving it. With all the hits our bodies take from environmental toxins it is imperative we safeguard our nutrition in every way we can.<br /><br />Convenience doesn't look so good now does it? As always natural whole unprocessed foods and non-irradiating cooking methods are the healthiest! Bon Appetit!<br /><br /><br /><br />Kopp, William. "Microwave Madness: The Effects ofMicrowave Apparatus on Food and Humans" in Perceptions, May/June 1996<br /><a href="http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Irradiate-Microwave-Effects-FoodMay96.htm">http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Irradiate-Microwave-Effects-FoodMay96.htm</a><br /><br />Alexander, Gary. "Throw It In The Microwave" inChronogram, February 2001, p. 9<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rense.com/general70/microwaved.htm">http://www.rense.com/general70/microwaved.htm</a><br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy,<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br /><a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com/</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1145395950692137512006-04-18T16:26:00.000-05:002008-04-24T20:07:45.723-05:00Metamorphosis: First Steps to Optimal WellnessToday I would like to give you practical advice on taking responsibility for your wellness. It's not an easy thing to change your lifestyle. So many of us are caught up in habit and in convenience. You'll have to trust me when I tell you that actually cooking real food instead of opening a box or can, can be a spiritual action. It can be a destressor element to your day. Preparing your meals can actually be meditative!<br /><br />It also forces you to think about what you are planning to eat, therefore lessening the chance of a quick drive-thru high fat, high sodium, junk meal. Dare I ask you to commit to NOT eating at fast food places for the next month? Dare I ask you to cook real food for a month? You know you just may not want to go back to those drive-thru places after a month. Hey, I'm not kidding.<br /><br />For the next month before you eat anything I want you to ask yourself: Is it nutritious? I want you to think about what you eat. Keep a food journal, but expand it a little. Write not just about what you eat, but how you feel about your level of wellness and how you feel about the changes you are making to improve your state of wellness.<br /><br />I would like you to write me about your progress if you'd like to. You can write to me at <a href="mailto:quantumwellness@charter.net">quantumwellness@charter.net</a> I'll be your cheerleader, your listener......your partner in wellness.<br /><br />There have been a few books which have made a lasting change in how I take care of myself. I'd like to share these books with you. I hope you find them as enlightening and helpful as I did!<br /><br />Let's get started!<br /><br />First, let's look at some books about nutrition.<br /><br />Dr Joel Fuhrman has written an excellent book regarding nutrition.<br />"Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss"<br />This book is especially good for folks with auto-immune disorders!<br />You can buy it here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/h4lxo">http://tinyurl.com/h4lxo</a><br /><br />Stephen Nugent, PhD has written an excellent book, "The Missing Nutrients". Do you think you eat well? Do you think you are getting all the nutrients your body needs to function optimally? Read this easily understood book to discover what your diet is missing. This is a not-to-be missed book. Get it today for the health of both you and your family.<br />You can buy it here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ogw9h">http://tinyurl.com/ogw9h</a><br /><br />Mark Hyman and Mark Liponis, both doctors, have written an excellent book I think everyone should read!<br />"Ultraprevention: The 6 Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy For Life"<br />Lots of good info in this book! This is a life-changing awesome book with an emphasis on prevention of health problems.<br />You can buy it here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ecfxp">http://tinyurl.com/ecfxp</a><br /><br />Next post we'll talk about exercise! But you don't have to wait till then. If it's ok with your physician, why not start today to incorporate more exercise into your life. You can do it in small increments. Park farther away from the store when you go shopping, don't use the automatic doors at the store, (use the door which requires you to expend a little energy), take a walk at lunch-time or before you go to work, take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you give it some thought, I am sure you can come up with more small opportunities for exercise in your daily life.<br /><br />OK, these books will get you started! Read them and go get some REAL food!<br />Think how GOOD you will feel knowing how much better you are taking care of yourself!<br /><br />Until next post.......Happy Reading!!!!<br />and don't forget to let me know how you're doing!<br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy,<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br /><a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com</a>Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1142198604624959922006-03-12T15:17:00.000-06:002008-04-24T20:08:30.643-05:00Wellness and the Magic of Harry PotterWhy has Harry Potter and his magical world grabbed the attention of so many people, young and old alike? Because in Harry's world, for a few moments, we can immerse ourselves in and touch magic in another world. Harry Potter is a mythical character but there really is a magic in life, just as Harry Potter has shown us. The magic in and of our lives is a package deal, mind, body and spirit. Ignore or deny one part of the package of who you are and your magic, the wellness of your life, diminishes.<br /><br />You must have a balance between mind, body and spirit. They are interconnected. If negative, your thoughts and attitudes can play havoc with your body and spirit . If positive your thoughts and attitudes will strengthen your body and spirit. Your physical self wants to be well. In fact, the immune system is "geared" to healing your body. You have seen your body repair itself when you have had a paper cut or a broken bone or the sniffles. Illness is your physical self screaming that it isn't getting what it needs to work optimally. It is your self out of balance. Your physical body doesn't just need vitamins, minerals and glyconutrients. Illness begs the questions; How am I NOT taking care of myself? What do I need to change in my life? Does my life make me happy or am I stressed? One should ask oneself those questions periodically even if not experiencing illness.<br /><br />In my life, the darkness in my journey with Lupus gave way to a light, to the magic of life, which I may have never seen so well without my lupus journey. Through my journey with Lupus (from which I am about to celebrate 2 yrs in remission), I found magic in THIS world. And you can too! It is our birthright. We are meant to live an abundant and enriched life! Indeed a life with no limits.<br /><br />My journey back to wellness taught me how we limit ourselves.<br />We limit ourselves when we:<br />1. eat unconsciously - without thinking about what's best for our physical self<br />2. allow negative thoughts and attitudes to dominate<br />3. live unauthentically<br />4. settle for less in our relationships<br />5. fail to exercise regularly<br />6. fail to take time to be awed, to be grateful, to give back<br /><br />How many of those can you relate too? Undoubtedly (and unfortunately) this is not an exhaustive list of how we limit ourselves. With a little thought I'm sure you can add to this list. Perhaps, you might give some thought to how you limit yourself and how you can "unlimit" yourself! It is in "unlimiting" yourself; by being willing to change and grow, by taking responsibility for your total wellness, that you will experience life's magic at it's best.<br /><br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy,<br /><br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRT<br /><a href="http://pamsnutritionstore.com/">http://pamsnutritionstore.com</a><br />This article may be reprinted in it's entirety including title, authors name and website.Pam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9943072.post-1133274028446150842005-11-29T08:16:00.000-06:002007-04-07T11:35:22.990-05:00Tell Congress To Protect Your Health Freedom<div align="center"><br />Very Important!</div><div align="center"><br />A few honorable gentlemen of the House Mr. PAUL ,Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. MILLER of Florida, and Mr. BISHOP of Utah<br />have introduced a bill to end, at long last, the gag rule with which the nutrient-hostile FDA has used to suppress both free speech and important health information!<br /><br />HR 4292 not only allows brief, 3 sentence health claims supported by science, it also shifts the burden of proof that a health claim is false to the Government, the accuser, in other words, where it actually belongs.</div><br />Now it is OUR JOB to give it support! GO HERE and make your voice heard so that the TRUTH about the supplements YOU take can be told: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/b5br3">http://tinyurl.com/b5br3</a><br /><br />Wishing you wellness and joy,<br />Pam Murphy,B.S.,RRTPam Murphy, M.S., RRThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16141354614304359306noreply@blogger.com0