Alternative Medicine
Sometimes things that prey on our
emotions cause physical problems. Here is something to help you sort out your
emotions.
A 'carrot'
an 'egg'
and a cup of 'coffee'...
A young woman went to her mother and told her about
her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going
to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It
seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed
each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.
In the first she placed
carrots,
in the second she placed
eggs,
and in the last she placed ground
coffee
beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the
carrots
out and placed them in a bowl.
She pulled the
eggs
out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the
coffee
out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots,
eggs,
and
coffee,"
she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the
carrots.
She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to take an
egg
and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the
coffee.
The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What
does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity:
boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The
carrot
went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the
boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The
egg
had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but
after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground
coffee
beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had
changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door,
how do you respond? Are you a
carrot,
an
egg
or a
coffee
bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the
carrot
that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and
lose my strength?
Am I the
egg
that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a
fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other
trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the
inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the
coffee
bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings
the pain.
When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like
the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the
situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate
yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a
carrot,
an
egg
or a
coffee
bean?
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just
make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go
forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
Help for Chronic Pain:
Many people suffer from chronic pain. There's an organization called The
National Pain Foundation. On their site you can research traditional and
alternative methods to treat pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia and many other
conditions.
Check it out at:
http://www.painconnection.org/
Are Nuts
a Healthy Nibble?
Provided by
DrWeil.com
Q:
My husband
loves nuts. What are some healthy choices for him? -- Barb
A:
I'm with your husband. I love nuts, too, and I'm happy to assure you that most
of them are good for you. Nuts are high in calories, mostly from fat, but
usually that fat is the monounsaturated kind that is good for us. In fact, eaten
in moderation, nuts can lower your risk of heart disease and heart attack. If
you buy packaged walnuts, you'll soon see a new label claim stating that eating
1.5 ounces daily, as part of a low saturated fat and low-cholesterol diet, and
not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart
disease. (The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on March 31, 2004,
that it would permit use of this qualified health claim for walnuts.)
There's powerful evidence behind the FDA move. A few years ago, the ongoing Nurses Health Study at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the Harvard School of Public Health, which is monitoring the health of 86,000 nurses, found that those who ate more than five ounces of nuts per week (about the total you would get by eating a single airline packet daily) had one-third fewer heart attacks than those who rarely or never ate nuts.
Walnuts are an especially good choice because they provide vital omega-3 fatty acids in addition to the vitamin E, trace minerals, and fiber that other nuts contain. (By the way, peanuts are legumes, not nuts, and have a less desirable fatty-acid profile.)
In general, I prefer raw, unsalted nuts, and my personal favorites are raw cashews, although I also like roasted, unsalted almonds. (Some people find roasted nuts easier to digest than raw ones.) I also like Brazil nuts, which I eat occasionally for the selenium they contain, and pistachios. One ounce of pistachios contains more fiber than a half-cup of spinach and the same amount as an orange or apple. These nuts also are good sources of vitamin B-6, thiamin, copper, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Unsaturated nut oils oxidize quickly on exposure to heat, light and air, creating rancidity that makes them smell and taste bad (like oil paint). Rancid oils are also carcinogenic. Roasted, chopped, and ground nuts go rancid much more quickly than whole raw ones. Always smell nuts before you eat them or add them to recipes to be sure they are fresh. I store nuts in the refrigerator until I need them. You can toast nuts yourself by stirring them about in a dry skillet over medium-high heat or spreading them on a baking sheet placed in a 350-degree oven; toss them occasionally until they are done to your liking, and try to use them up quickly.
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