How to go with the Flow using Biorythms

Life isn't like a box of chocolates,

              it's like a rollercoaster!

 In every life, there are ups and downs. But what if you could plan for them? Calculating your biorhythms could help you do just that. According to biorhythm theory, our lives are affected by three primary cycles: Physical, emotional and intellectual. The cycles start at birth, and then go up and down at different rates throughout our life. By knowing if our cycles are at a high or low point we can try and schedule things accordingly so that we are able to be at our best when needed and know to set aside time for rest when that is indicated.

Generally, the more high or positive a given cycle is at any given time, the better one can interact in the related arena. The reverse is true during low or negative points of a cycle. If you are at a negative point, you can still perform well in the affected area,it will just be more difficult. But with a biorhythms reading you will know this and can plan accordingly.

Biorhythms were first discovered by Doctor Wilhelm Fliess (in Berlin) in the early 1900's. As a physician he noted good/bad days and discovered that they occur in rhythmic cycles (as Emotional and Physical cycles), but definitely in predictable patterns. Several years laster an Austrian professor Alfred Telscher identified the third cycle: the Intellectual cycle.

PHYSICAL: The physical rhythm cycle is the shortest with a duration of 23 days, it is responsible for strength, stamina, drive, confidence, energy, aggressiveness and courage.

EMOTIONAL: The emotional rhythm cycle lasts for 28 days and determine your moods, optimisms, cheerfulness, creativity, well-being and your emotional sensitivity.

INTELLECTUAL: The intellectual is the longest rhythm cycle, lasting 33 days and it influence your powers of reason, perception, acuity, judgement, decision-making and common sense.

Each rhythm has two stages (or phases), positive or high on the chart, and negative or low on the chart. The day of transition from one phase to the other is called a critical day, and they are very important, for it is then that we are most prone to accident, instability and error. During the days of transition (critical days) we become vulnerable, off-balance and our normal reactions are slowed down. This period may last for up to 48 hours, so it is important to be aware of when these critical days are going to occur so that you can plan ahead and effectively make an adjustment.

Here is my biorythm reading for today. As far as I'm concerned it is bang-on. I don't have alot of energy today, I am more interested in staying in and working on my blog posts than doing anything very physical. Emotionally , I am in a good mood, I feel upbeat, just don't want to have to go anywhere.


When I click on the highlighted date, I get a pop up box with a written description of what that day will be like.
You can see any day you want just by adjusting the day on the calender that you want the reading for.

To download your own biorythm calculator click here 

Now instead of worrying that your losing your mind when you can't find the car keys, or that your coming down with something because you have no energy, go check your biorythms and see if there is a correlation.

Just remember that just like a rollercoaster, no matter how down you are, you will be going up eventually and no matter how high, you will fall again. Its ok, it's life, go with the flow, stop bucking nature and enjoy the ride...

Is Milk Killing You?

Even as a child, I always wondered why we drank milk. There is not one other animal on the planet that continues to drink milk past infancy. Milk is for babies. It is a product genetically engineered to feed infants life sustaining nutrition, antibodies from the Mother and growth hormones. Adults don't need growth hormones. Once we are fully grown the only thing left for growth hormones to affect is cancer cells.

 Everyone has cancer cells but they start off small, one cell which takes a whole year to replicate into two cells and so on. It would take a lifetime for this small clump of cells to be visable. However, add milk to the equation with its growth hormones and these cells start replicating at warp speed. The milk from cows is the only milk from animals which has a growth hormone so similar to humans that our bodies recognize it and use it.

Thyroid cancer was unheard of years ago. Then farming practices changed and they started to use iodine to wash the cows udders before milking with machines. The iodine mixed in with the milk and is thought to have negative effects on the thyroid gland.

People with coloured skin ( and that includes the vast majority of people on the planet- asian,african,indian,aboriginal) as well as 20 percent of caucasians are usually found to be lactose intolerant. This means they cannot break down the sugar that is found in milk. This leads to digestive problems and mucus formation. The mucus clogs all the internal organs making them sluggish and weak, setting the host up for a litney of health problem such as chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, chronic sinusitis and allergies.

Milk is pasturized. Pasteurization is the process of heating a liquid to a high enough temperature to kill certain bacteria and disable certain enzymes. It destroys enzymes, vitamins, denatures fragile milk proteins, kills beneficial bacteria and promotes pathogens. Even calves fed pasteurized milk do poorly and many die before maturity. These days with milking machines and refrigerated trucks it is unnecessary.

Milk is homogenized. Homogenization is a process that breaks down butterfat globules so they do not rise to the top. Homogenized milk is harder to digest, so proteins that would normally be digested in the stomach are not broken down and instead are absorbed into the bloodstream. Often the body reacts to these “foreign proteins” by triggering the immune system, causing inflammation. It can even trigger auto-immune problems. Homogenized milk has also been linked to heart disease probably because of the fat globules that are dispersed by the process.

To learn more about milk and it's harmful effects check out the site  NotMilk.com. They have thousands of articles on the subject. Here is one of their articles as an example, which gives an overview of some of the problems caused by milk and cheese.
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Copyright: The Dairy Education Board
BEHOLD! The power of cheese!
The American Dairy Association has a new marketing campaign that may one day replace their successful milk mustache campaign. The Dairy Education Board welcomes the opportunity to reveal the secret powers of concentrated milk.

HOW MUCH CHEESE DO AMERICAN'S EAT?

In 1970, the dairy industry produced 2.2 billion pounds of cheese. The population of the United States was 203 million, which translates to 10.8 pounds of cheese per person. By 1990, America's population had grown to 248 million, but Americans were eating more cheese, 6 billion pounds worth! That's an average of 24 pounds per person. In 1994, according to the USDA, the average American consumed 27.7 pounds of cheese. America's rate of cheese consumption is skyrocketing. As we approach the new millennium, America's per-capita cheese consumption will break the 30-pound per person level.

OUR NEW CAMPAIGN
BEHOLD THE POWER OF PUS
Constipated by Camembert? Sickened by Swiss? Phlegmed by port wine cheddar?
You do not have to consult Inspector Gadget or Lieutenant Columbo to solve the mystery of cheese. By the time you add up the clues in this column, you'll solve a major crime and be knighted and made an honorary member of Scotland Yard.

GOT PUS?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows 750 million pus cells in every liter of milk (about two pounds). In Europe, regulators allow 400 million pus cells per liter. France and Italy are known for their magnificent cheeses. Perhaps that's their secret: Less pus!

Since it takes 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese, a pound of cheese can contain up to 7.5 billion pus cells. If your American cheese is sliced so that there are 16 slices to a pound, that single slice of American or Swiss can contain over 468 million pus cells.

Got Provolone? Got pus!

BEHOLD THE POWER OF GLUE

Eighty percent of milk protein consists of casein, a tenacious glue. Casein is the glue that is used to hold a label to a bottle of beer. Try to scrape off one of those labels, then consider the effects of casein in your body. Casein is the glue that holds together wood in furniture. Behold the power of glue and behold the power of horrible bowel movements.

Casein is a foreign protein and your body reacts to its presence by creating an antibody. That antibody-antigen reaction creates histamines. Anti-histamines (like Benadryl) are used to counter the effects of histamines. Mucus and phlegm are produced as a result of cheese consumption.

Mucus congests internal body organs. Mucus creates phlegm. The average American lives his or her life with a gallon of mucus clogging the kidney, spleen, pancreas, tracheal-bronchial tree, lungs, thymus, etc.

Imagine not eating cheese or any other dairy product for just six days. An internal fog will lift from your body as the mucus leaves. Eat just one slice of pizza on day seven, and twelve to fifteen hours later, the mucus will return.

Got Gorgonzola? Got glue!

BEHOLD THE POWER OF PHONY STUDIES

In the name of science, the dairy industry sponsors studies in which people drink milk. These laboratory subjects then answer surveys about what the insides of their mouths feel like. Biased dairy scientists then conclude that milk and dairy products cause no mucus.

BEHOLD THE POWER OF AUTOPSY

Florence Griffith Joyner (FLO-JO) had undigested cheese in her stomach fifteen hours after eating pizza. Her internal organs were acutely congested with mucus and her neck revealed finger marks from where she tried to claw herself, gasping for breath. Behold the power of a killer.

Got Mozzarella? Got mucus! Got mortuaries?

BEHOLD THE POWER OF HORMONES

Every sip of milk has 59 different powerful hormones. Which ones do you want your little girls to take? Estrogen, progesterone or prolactin?

In her lifetime, as a little girl becomes a big girl, then a mature woman, she will produce the total equivalent of one tablespoon of estrogen. Hormones work on a nanomolecular lever, which means that it takes a billionth of a gram to produce a powerful biological effect.

The average American now consumes nearly thirty pounds of cheese each year. That product contains concentrated hormones. One pound of cheese can contain ten times the amount of hormones as one pound of milk. Nursing cows were never supposed to pass on cheese to their calves. They were, however, designed to pass on hormones, lactoferrins, and immunoglobulins in liquid milk to their infants.

Got Romano? Got raging hormones!

See http://www.notmilk.com/deb/072698.html on hormones.

BEHOLD THE POWER OF ANTIBIOTICS
Got American cheese? Got antibiotics. Consumers Union and the Wall Street Journal tested milk samples in the New York metropolitan area and found the presence of 52 different antibiotics. Eat ice cream, yogurt, and cheese toppings, and you're also consuming antibiotics. Cows are fed chicken feces as supplemental protein. The droppings are baked and sanitized but the heat process does not destroy the hormones in chicken feed.
Got Parmesan? Got penicillin!



BEHOLD THE POWER OF BACTERIA

In February of 1999, the Land of Lakes Company recalled nearly four hundred thousand cases of cheese products from supermarkets in every one of America's 50 states. Cheese makes a remarkable culture medium for bacteria, which stay alive for up to six months. This year's recall was due to listeria. Eat listeria and it can take up to 45 days for you to get sick. Would you make the connection?

Cheeses can also contain mycobacterium paratuberculosis which causes diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome. Forty million Americans are so affected.

Got Colby? Got colds!

Got Danish cheese? Got diarrhea!

Got Brie? Got bad bowels!

BEHOLD! The power of cheese!


Robert Cohen author of: MILK - The Deadly Poison

(201-871-5871)

Executive Director

Dairy Education Board

http://www.notmilk.com
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Do you know of someone who should get a copy of this newsletter?

Have them send their Email address to notmilkman@notmilk.com and it will be done!


So we have learned that milk is full of pus, iodine, steroids, hormones, growth hormone and antibiotics. You might want to reconsider that milk mustache. There are better sources of calcium and protein than milk. Leave milk to the babies and grow up be healthy!
PS. Cheese is just very concentrated milk for all those vegetarians that use cheese to fulfill their protein requirements. Just a thought.

How to Live Zero Impact

A few weeks ago, I was directed to a website about a woman who had vowed to give up all plastic products for a year. I was moved by her story and determination which motivated me to take a better look at my own plastic consumption and what I could do to change it. To learn more about my thoughts on this subject please read my post The Plastic Diet.

One of my clients who read the post suggested I check out the documentary and blog of a man in New York who had vowed to make no environmental impact at all for a whole year. I was very intrigued as I have already found it quite hard to avoid plastic completely, so the thought of someone being able to live in a huge city like New York and not make any impact at all sounded very impressive indeed.
 This is Colin Beavan's blog  No Impact Man which has all kinds of interesting and insightful ideas on how to live more sustainably.

He is putting out a challenge to people to live "no impact" for one week.  This video explains how to get involved with the challenge and shows links to information on how to make the neccesary lifestyle changes to accomplish this.



The simple math is that there are too many people for this planet to support. The massive use of raw materials, and the toxic way we farm to feed such vast amounts of people, is killing Mother Earth. We only have a few years left to turn things around or the planet as we know it will be gone. It is up to us to make a difference, get the laws changed, and become accountable for our footprint. Your small action DOES make a difference. Like many raindrops form a puddle, each single action added to another adds up to make a change. Please take a few minutes to check out Colins site or documentary and think of ways you can make small changes in your lifestyle, so that our grandchildren will have clean air,  clean water, and healthy minds, bodies and souls. Lets leave nature the way we found it, take only memories, leave only footprints.

 Thank you for recycling, Mother's life is in our hands

Stuffed Mushrooms

One of my favorite decandant appetizers is Stuffed Mushrooms. I bought some premade ones at my local grocery store the other day and they were so good I went back for more. Then I became obsessed by them and had to have the recipe. I went back to the store several times until I got a lead on the woman that made them and the hours she worked. I finally tracked her down and like she was giving me a secret code that could cost her her life, she quickly barked out a short list of ingrediants with no instructions. When I asked her specifically which sauce was she using, she furtively looked over her shoulder and  scurried over to  the stack of seafood sauces to point out the one she used. She beelined it back behind her counter and I could tell the conversation was over. Oh well, I have the secret ingredients, I will just have to wing it from here.

Her recipe is one container of
 - Herb and Garlic cream cheese
 - 2 cans of crab meat ( drained I presume)
 - Seafood Sauce which she called hot sauce but she pointed to the regular variety so who knows?

She didn't tell me how much sauce, so I made half a container of sundried tomatoe and basil cream cheese, ''cause that's what I had in the house and one can of crab meat (drained) mixed with one tablespoon of seafood sauce, regular variety and not the same brand because again, it was what I had around the house. I added pepper to mine and sprinkled lemon pepper on a few to see what that would taste like.

The ingrediants

Just before popping them in the oven

Cooked and ready to eat. The ones that look more yellow have the lemon pepper on them

MMMM, yummy!

I wiped down 4 large mushrooms(to clean mushrooms, gently wipe them with a damp cloth or soft brush. Rinsing them in water tends to make them soggy and reduce their flavour.) and cut out the stems with a knife , then went back with a spoon to clean out the holes some more. I stuffed each mushroom with the crab and cheese mixture and put them in a 375 oven for 10 minutes. Then I put the broiler on for a few more minutes until they were slightly browned. I could have done 2 more mushrooms with that amount if I had any more at the time. They turned out ok, I liked the ones with the lemon pepper, it gave them a little zing. I think next time, I might try canned baby shrimp instead of crab. I would also recommend using smaller mushrooms. These were very large and quite rich, something you could eat in a mouthful might have been tastier. I got two different pieces of advice when I asked how to cook them. The one with the recipe said 5 minutes under the broiler while someone else at the store said 10 minutes in the oven. I tried the oven method with these ones and prefer the broiler only method.

Here are a few more recipes I found online while trying to figure out what was in them.

A recipe for stuffed mushrooms with crab and mayonnaise.


Ingredients:

•3 dozen large whole mushrooms

•1 can (7 1/2 ounces) crabmeat, drained, cartilage removed, flaked

•1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

•1 tablespoon chopped pimiento

•1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

•1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preparation:

Wash mushrooms well; dry and remove stems with a sharp knife. Combine crab, parsley, and pimiento. Stir together mayonnaise and dry mustard; gently stir into crab mixture. Fill each mushroom cap with about 2 tablespoons of crab mixture. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes, or until hot. Makes 36 crab stuffed mushrooms.
 
 
These stuffed mushrooms are low carb and delicious.


Ingredients:

•2 pounds medium mushrooms

•6 tablespoons butter

•1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

•1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

•2 Tablespoons chopped green onion

Preparation:

Remove stems from mushrooms; chop enough stems to equal 1/2 cup. Cook 1 pound of the mushroom caps in 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat for 5 minutes; drain off fat. Repeat with remaining 1 pound of mushroom caps and 3 tablespoons butter. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and blue cheese, mixing until well blended. Stir in chopped stems and green onions; fill mushroom caps. Place on cookie sheet and broil until tops are golden brown. Makes about 40 stuffed mushrooms.

Grams per serving (2 mushrooms) carbs 2, dietary fiber 1

Calories per serving 91

Fat grams total 8



Another Crab Stuffed Mushroom Recipe
http://www.metro.ca/on/recipe/4684/crab-stuffed-mushroom-caps.en.html
Recipe ingredients
8 large white mushroom caps
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) lemon butter *
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Delicato olive oil *
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) white wine
5 ml (1 tsp.) fresh thyme
1 can crab meat,* well drained
1 lime and half of its juice
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) fresh chives, chopped
4 oz. (120 g) Camembert cheese *
Preparation
Remove stems from mushroom caps by breaking them free as deep as possible.
Place mushroom caps, garlic, butter, olive oil, white wine and thyme into saucepan on high heat for 5 – 8 minutes.
Mushrooms should be tender when cooked but still a little firm.
Remove mushrooms from pan and place on baking sheet.
Reduce liquid in pan to a near glaze and add well-drained crabmeat, lime juice and chives.
Stuff mushroom caps with crabmeat and place a generous piece of Camembert on top.
Broil the caps for approximately 1 minute or until cheese slightly melts.
Garnish with fresh chive spears and lime wedges.


Pesto filled Portabello Caps

http://www.metro.ca/on/recipe/5189/pesto-filled-portobello-caps.en.html


Recipe ingredients

4 portobello caps (3-4 in./7-10 cm)

1/4 cup (60 mL) basil pesto

3 1/2 oz. (100 g) mozzarella cheese, grated

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and position top grill 5 in. (12 cm)from the upper element.

Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet.

Divide pesto among mushroom caps.

Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 10 minutes.


Enjoy and if you have a favorite stuffed mushroom recipe, send it over and I will add it to the list,


This post is linked to Cindy's Show and Tell  Friday

How to Live in a Small Space

I live comfortably in 150 square feet. All my needs are met, the only reason I would want more space is to entertain and horde stuff. I realize that Vancouver as a city has space limitations for housing but just because the wealthy of the world wish to live here doesn't mean we can't make space for the average or disenfranchised citizens. There is no excuse for the amount of homelessness that exists here. They are spending millions everyday on the downtown east side and that is just to maintain it as it is. What if that money was spent building mini apartments with social services on the ground floor. What if people had their dignity, some privacy and safety in their lives? What if the cost of a roof over your head didn't cost you more than half of your wages? What kind of quaility of life would you/could you have then?

 Today I am going to take you on a personal and close-up tour of my living quarters to show you how one person can exist in comfort and style in a 15x10 foot space.

This picture pretty much sums up the main room. There is a single bed with a collapsable TV tray holding my laptop beside it. In front of that is the sink and counter that comprises my kitchen space. At the end of the bed I have an old kitchen cupboard that holds dishes,pots and pans and the TV on top. The exit is just to the right of the cupboard.

This is the view from the door looking into the room. The door beside the bed leads to a hallway which goes upstairs. I use the washroom upstairs but have included its dimensions in my 150 square foot space. I have a 5x5 foot closet beside the head of the bed. Ideally I would have the 5x5 foot bathroom just off the foot of the bed. That is enough room for a corner shower, toilet and sink. if I didn't have the doorway to get upstairs to deal with, I would have turned my bed sideways and made it a bunkbed with a couch underneath. This would have given me more floor space.

The chair beside the bed can be used to sit in front of the tv tray for meals or as a bedside table. I have it there as I have a bad neck and use a traction device over the doorway while sitting in the chair. I usually hang a plastic bag off the doorknob to use as a garbadge bag.

This is the wall to the left of the bed. It holds a small dresser with my favorite lamp and a large fountain. The curtain beside it is the door to my closet.

Here are some closeups of the kitchen setup. I have a 2 burner stovetop with a spice shelf in the windowsill

Beside that to the right is my water cooler which produces cold and hot water which saves me from storing water in the fridge and using the stove to boil water for tea.

Stuffed in the corner beside the water cooler is a number of things. My blender,a pot with cooking utensils, the silver container is a water alkalinizer, the pink container is my hot liquid take out cup. There is a small flask in case I want a nip of Grand Marnier, a glass water jug, and a red candle holder.

The cutting board and my porceline two dish server stay on top of the stove when it is not in use. This gives me a bit of counter space to play with.

I also have a microwave and a convection toaster oven. That oven has cooked roast dinners, cakes and cookies and all manner of appetizers.

The microwave doubles as a bread box

Under the countertop is my mini fridge with my shopping list

Beside the fridge is a set of wire shelves that hold my food. The bottom row has pasta,rice,potatoes,canned soup. The middle row is mostly canned goods, glass jars with hot cereal,raisens,pancake mix.oils.The top shelf is smaller jars of stuff, crackers,cookies.

Beside the shelves is my heater which keeps the room toasty on a very low setting. My cats food dishes also live down here along with the internet router.

The fridge and shelving. I keep a hot water bottle handy on top of the fridge and an ice pack in the freezer. These two items are an important part of my life as I use them frequently to control pain.

This is what's under my kitchen sink. The left side is extra paper towel, dish soap,candles and cleaning supplies.

The right side is extra kitchen appliances that don't get used everyday. My George Foreman grill, a microwave popcorn maker, my blender, a small rice cooker and usually a toaster which I removed for the picture.

A small mirror that sticks to the toaster oven with magnets allows me to give my appearance a quick check on my way out and gives me some elbow space if I want to fuss with straightning my hair

At the end of the counter I have a small stereo

The kitchen cupboard has two small drawers on top, one holds silver ware and small cooking utensils , the other is the "junk drawer" holding odds and sods, things like scotch tape,extra keys.

Below the cutlery drawer is a shelf for the dishes and tupperware

The middle shelves hold oven mitts,bags of chips, cups and glasses and a basket at the bottom to hold receipts.

The shelves under the junk drawer hold the pots and pans

At the bottom there is a long drawer which holds all the wax paper,tinfoil etc and more odds and ends

In front of the TV I have a few small sculptures which remind to stop and slow down and find the beauty in life

Behind the TV, I have used the windowsill as a bookshelf

A few personal decorations

Beside the dresser is a cat scratch stand, my umbrella and a bag with my gear for my scooter and bicycle

Now we move into the closet.

The small cabinet on top holds essential oils, the larger shelves hold all my beauty products, vitamins,first aid stuff

Just as you walk in on the right is a wire shelf with my wireless printer/scanner with shoes stored underneath. Beside that to the left is a plastic box I store the cat food in with a small garbadge can on top. A large mirror stands beside them.

On the opposite wall is a wicker shelf for clothing. At the present I have a freestanding clothes rack in the hallway but if I did not have that space, I would put a rod above the printer to hang clothes. There is enough space to put a stacking washer/dryer beside the wicker shelf if I had the hookups in place. Right now that space holds my dirty laundy bag which sits on top of a container full of craft supplies. I could have got a box that goes under the bed for them if I needed that space.

So there you have it. It's not a huge space but I can sleep, relax, work on my computer, charge up my cell phone, watch TV, cook healthy meals, get washed and dressed, read a book, have a pet and work on small crafts. Anything more is just excess baggage. In a perfect world, I would have a full size fridge, a small deep freeze and a workshop with all my tools and craft supplies at hand, but those are bonus items not impossible to live without. I'm lucky to have a beautiful garden just outside my door so I spend quite a bit of time outside weather permitting. I could entertain people out there quite comfortably if I so desired. It doesn't take me too long to do my housework, I can reach everything from my bed and best of all the rent is cheap. In a town where rents range from 1-5,000 thousand dollars a month, that is a huge thing. I would rather spend my money on a lifestyle than on rent. I hope someday to have my dream home, the perfect little cottage. Until then, I am quite comfortable in my small space.

This post is linked to Cindy's Show and Tell Friday

and A Silly Little Sparrows, Toot Your Horn Tuesday

I'm also visiting:

 Tip Junkies, Tip Me Tueday