First I have to get something out of the way, Brrrrrrrrr . . . . . .! Snow is especially beautiful as it sparkles and shines in the sunlight, but I am going to be so happy to have the warm weather back again!
This blog is going to cover some "newsy" things, and I'm going to talk about some health-related things which I've personally had much success with so far! To start, we had our first Interstitial Cystitis (IC) awareness event this past weekend, a health fair at one of the local malls. Despite the fact that the media was warning everyone to stay home because of the weather, which included heavy snowfall, there were still many who braved the weather. So, here's our stats: For those who came to our booth, we found that 83% had never heard of IC. Of the 17% who had heard of IC, a third of those were already diagnosed, and the others were either in the nursing profession or had friends with IC. Of all the people who took the PUF questionnaire, 50% had scores (and accompanying symptoms) which suggested that they get further testing for IC, with 67% of those being very symptomatic. WOW! Although our sampling size was small, it did show a correlation with the medical research which suggests that a higher number of individuals have IC than previously thought.
It's SO important to have even mild symptoms checked out, as early diagnosis and treatment leads to a much more favorable prognosis! Historically it took years and several doctors for IC to finally be diagnosed. By then the IC may have been more advanced and more difficult to treat. So PLEASE, even though no one wants to hear they might have this chronic condition, it may save you years of suffering by learning early that you might have a bladder that is susceptible to becoming problematic over time.
We are all VERY excited as this week our local CBS affiliate will be interviewing a member of our support group as she tells her personal story of living with IC. We are hoping this brings much needed awareness to our community. It is our hope that as this awareness continues, we can raise more money for research and ultimately find an answer that will bring relief to this (at times) very painful condition.
Okay, some personal news. As I mentioned in my last blog, I've committed to a program of study in holistic nutrition. It's been fascinating so far to learn about the biology of food and how it works once we put it into our bodies (really!). So much of what we eat and how we eat in our "normal" American diets is really not in the best interest of our bodies (but I'll save that for another blog). I started on an alkaline diet about a month ago, after reading about the unhealthy high acidic diets that we eat. And guess what? Acidic foods are what IC'ers are told to avoid eating! Hmmmm, coincidence? I doubt it. So I thought, food is an easy way to try to improve the health of my bladder without putting any harsh chemicals, or unknown herbs into my body. What can it hurt to try as long as I'm make sure that I'm getting ALL the nutrition my body needs? Well, a month later, I'm here to report that I'm feeling GREAT! I have had NO symptoms related to my bladder in relation to what I eat, and the occasional twinge of pain that I get is correlated with physical activity. Exercising or lack of rest does continue to bring on some mild pain which lasts for a few hours, but I have noticed that even that pain is less intense. I'm hopeful that after a few months, this will also improve. I'll keep you posted!
Thanks for staying with me -- this has been a long post. I hope you too can experience wellness. Continue to pursue it, learn what works for others, research healthy living and be open to new (and valid) ways of living healthy!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Happy New Year to all! Well I must admit, I am relieved that the holidays are over. Although there are many things about the season that I love, the FOOD that I can't enjoy is EVERYWHERE! Well meaning and kind people have offered some of my favorite foods in the form of chocolate, coffee, and gift cards to places where I can no longer eat. Learning to celebrate the holidays avoiding the traditional holiday foods, and the resulting explanations as to the avoidance, will be a new challenge for me.
So, traditionally the new year often makes us think of new year's resolutions. Of course we know (or perhaps some of us stay in denial about this fact) that very soon most of those resolutions will go out the window and we are back to living our lives, business as usual!! But we try, and we are well-intentioned. This year I do have some thoughts on how to make some improvements to my life. I'm excited to share that I am now enrolled in a Ph.D program studying Holistic Nutrition and Healing (holistic meaning viewing the whole person). In my quest for health and wellness answers, I continue to find that the foundation for disease and the breakdown of our health is directly linked to diet, nutrition, and lifestyle. Did you know that the top three killers in America (this is a 2003 statistic) are: heart disease, cancer, or diabetes? And did you know that all three of these are linked to DIET?? But even if we don't die from any of these, chronic illness is also on the rise, and many of us will live with poor quality of life instead! Again, much of the research shows that MOST (and I would bet this is true for all) chronic illnesses are also linked to diet. What an important consideration that is usually overlooked by the majority of Americans today! Fortunately, med schools are starting to include diet and nutrition as part of their programs, and physicians are starting to emphasize this more in their care of patients.
As part of the new year, I encourage you to set some goals (realistic ones!) for 2008. I would definitely include some health related goals, such as: exercising on a regular basis (I know, I know, a typical new year's "resolution") and be realistic about it (such as walking 15-30 mins a day 4-5 days a week -- you can do this!); eating more healthy foods (I'm going to talk about this a lot over the next few months); relaxation and meditation (start a yoga class, get some meditation CD's), research health and wholeness topics on a regular basis; do some volunteer work, take a class to learn new skills or start a hobby; build new healthy relationships or strengthen old ones, and there's so much more.
I wish you new year filled with health and wellness! I'll leave you with a quote that really gives food for thought (no pun intended): "If the doctors of today don't become the dieticians of tomorrow, then the dieticians of today will become the doctors of tomorrow."
So, traditionally the new year often makes us think of new year's resolutions. Of course we know (or perhaps some of us stay in denial about this fact) that very soon most of those resolutions will go out the window and we are back to living our lives, business as usual!! But we try, and we are well-intentioned. This year I do have some thoughts on how to make some improvements to my life. I'm excited to share that I am now enrolled in a Ph.D program studying Holistic Nutrition and Healing (holistic meaning viewing the whole person). In my quest for health and wellness answers, I continue to find that the foundation for disease and the breakdown of our health is directly linked to diet, nutrition, and lifestyle. Did you know that the top three killers in America (this is a 2003 statistic) are: heart disease, cancer, or diabetes? And did you know that all three of these are linked to DIET?? But even if we don't die from any of these, chronic illness is also on the rise, and many of us will live with poor quality of life instead! Again, much of the research shows that MOST (and I would bet this is true for all) chronic illnesses are also linked to diet. What an important consideration that is usually overlooked by the majority of Americans today! Fortunately, med schools are starting to include diet and nutrition as part of their programs, and physicians are starting to emphasize this more in their care of patients.
As part of the new year, I encourage you to set some goals (realistic ones!) for 2008. I would definitely include some health related goals, such as: exercising on a regular basis (I know, I know, a typical new year's "resolution") and be realistic about it (such as walking 15-30 mins a day 4-5 days a week -- you can do this!); eating more healthy foods (I'm going to talk about this a lot over the next few months); relaxation and meditation (start a yoga class, get some meditation CD's), research health and wholeness topics on a regular basis; do some volunteer work, take a class to learn new skills or start a hobby; build new healthy relationships or strengthen old ones, and there's so much more.
I wish you new year filled with health and wellness! I'll leave you with a quote that really gives food for thought (no pun intended): "If the doctors of today don't become the dieticians of tomorrow, then the dieticians of today will become the doctors of tomorrow."
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