Life, Interrupted

Macrobiotic = Long Life.

From the Greek “macro” (large, long) and “bios” (life)

“Doing something over and over the same way and expecting a different result is considered a sign of insanity.”

I’ve never had what you might call the average American diet. Junk food has been minimal in my life. My father was a dentist. I never tasted candy until I was 5 years old. We were part of a breakfast study. I remember the white boxes, and thought it was weird, because shouldn’t singing raisins be on this box? I had a brief affair with Twinkies, back in the day, and I love baking unusual cookies. Chocolate, good chocolate was my friend.

But I wasn’t more than 10 when my mother started cooking Weight Watchers’ style. Back then there were no points, just sound principles of eating. The family lost some weight, and did not gain more. I decided I hated diet drinks and switched to water. But as I grew to adulthood, food and I had an uneasy existence -- something was not quite right.
( The story deepens )
Does your food leave you with more energy than it took to break down the food? What do you take away from the transaction? Is it time for you to nourish body and soul?

Do you have comfort foods that you are convinced help your energy, your digestion, your spirit? What are they? (Yes, chocolate counts, but that is also another post!)

[I should state that none of you have ever said this (And you thought I was exaggerating....) to me personally.] I'm thinking of doctors who will remain unnamed.

http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8493

The best condensation of the politics of Lyme Disease that I've yet seen. Here's just from the comments:

Simple explanation: why short course antibiotics don't work (0.00 / 0)

"The division time of Borrelia burgdorferi is very long. Most other pathogens such as Streptococcus, or Staphylococcus, only take 20 minutes to double, the doubling time of Borrelia burgdorferi is usually estimated to be 12-24 hours. Since most antibiotics are cell wall agent inhibitors, they can only kill bacteria when the bacteria begins to divide and form new cell wall.(35,59-62)

This means: Since most antibiotics can only kill bacteria when they are dividing, a slow doubling time means less lethal exposure to antibiotics. Most bacteria are killed in 10-14 days of antibiotic. To get the same amount of lethal exposure during new cell wall formation of a Lyme spirochete, the antibiotic would have to be present 24 hours a day for 1 year and six months!"

Help Open Eye Pictures finish
their future award-winning documentary about Lyme disease!

Lyme specialist Ginger Savely, FNP-C will be the featured guest speaker, along with the showing of the 35 minute trailer for the movie. Net proceeds will go directly to Open Eye to finish production.

Support this ground-breaking film by bringing your family and friends:

WHEN: May 12, 2007
WHERE: Alamo Drafthouse (Downtown Location), 409 Colorado Street, Austin, TX
PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE: www.originalalamo.com
TICKET PRICE: $10
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME!

The organizers of this event want to fill the seats, so if you will not be able to attend but want to contribute to the making of the movie, please do not buy a ticket, but, rather, go to their web site to make a tax-deductible donation:

http://www.openeyepictures.com/underourskin/uos_donate.html Be sure to enter "Austin Fundraiser" in the comments section.

For more information about the movie: http://www.openeyepictures.com/underourskin

For more information about this event, please contact Alexia Haywood at alexiahaywood AT hotmail DOT com

For general info about Lyme education in Texas, visit:

Stand Up For Lyme (Texas) http://www.standupforlyme.org
Texas Lyme Disease Association http://www.txlda.org
*********
Permission to Cross-Post or Forward in its entirety

-- but the mock-ups are done, and out the door. Now to finish a writer's web site I've made excellent progress with -- will probably put up a beta of 80% of the site this long weekend for her to poke around in.

And now, for a timely Public Service Announcement. Your attention, please...

Just a reminder that the mild winters of the past several years have caused an explosion of deer, mice and chipmunks -- the favorite meals of deer ticks. Depending on where you live, a certain percentage of those ticks carry Lyme disease. This is a simple condition to treat early on, and if missed or misdiagnosed becomes a horrifying, disabling condition requiring long-term antibiotics just to approach feeling normal.

Trust me -- you do NOT want this disease. For prevention, look behind the cut. To terrify yourself, read this stuff before the cut. And remember -- dogs and cats can be bitten and carry both ticks and the disease. Check yourself, your children, your spouse, your pets!

'"Outrage is growing because the incidence of tick-borne diseases is rising at an alarming rate, while the medical community is not keeping pace," stated rally committee member Maggie Shaw. Adding, "Thirty years have passed since Lyme disease was identified and we still have no accurate testing, no comprehensive physician training and no adequate research on chronic Lyme disease - patients who contact us at the Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force often describe enduring months of misdiagnosis and suffering before finding relief from one of the few Lyme literate physicians practicing."

One of the key concerns affecting the Lyme disease community is that doctors disagree about appropriate treatment while patients are caught in the crossfire. These deeply divided opinions, primarily where persistent Lyme disease is involved, have left many individuals suffering. Expanded physician training in tick-borne diseases, protection of Lyme physicians and increased research funding are just a few of the many issues that will be addressed by rally speakers, along with patient testimonials from both adults and children.

Children are in the highest risk category for contracting the disease, since people are commonly infected in their own backyard. The effects on students can be staggering: a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study reported median school absences of 140 days in New Jersey, and a Columbia University Medical Center study reported a 22-point drop in IQ.'***

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060525/20060525005103.html?.v=1

***Those reported IQ drops are not only real -- they can cycle, causing you to have a couple of "can't connect the dots" days followed by your usual brilliance. Lyme in the mother can cause congenital Lyme in the baby, stunting brain and body growth.

( How to protect yourself )