Constipation, Eric's Tips for Exercise with Bad Knees, A Weekend to Remember, Faith and Parenting Daughters and Sons

Happy Mother's Day and May and Indy 500 Month!

I was so very blessed last Sunday to have 4 of my children (missed you Easton and your 2 Frenchies!) and Bruce and I in a park with a terrific photographer Liz Kaye. I love enjoying God's beauty, family, and taking pictures, so it was a perfect Mother's Day for me - thank your family and Liz! Liz has such great talent and specializes in dog and puppy photography, and families along with them! She is always looking for dogs and puppies to photograph (and with the owners permission submits them to calendar, magazine, and greeting card companies) and owners/families if desired. If you, too, are interested in having your special pet photographed, contact Liz at 317-357-5785, http://www.lizkaye.com/. We all had a wonderful afternoon in the park together!

I want to thank all my so very special patients for giving me the honor of caring for you and learning and sharing from you! I will summarize the frequent problem of constipation and "A Weekend to Remember" for marriage, and begin to share insights from 2 good books on parenting boys and girls. I love to learn and read, and await my patient Shelly's tips on a gluten free diet to share with you soon (she feels so much better and has lost 15# in not quite 2 months). My thumb is still bothering me with swelling and pain and a splint, so I am sorry my blogs are a little late (I know it will heal in time, and now I know what a broken bone is like)!

Lab tip from my patient Andrea (for people with a large deductible or no insurance)- LabCorp at 75th and Shadeland has many less expensive/cheap lab tests available even without an order, like a 14 panel test including blood sugar, cholesterol, liver enzymes for $27 plus a $10 draw fee (needs to be paid at the time of draw). The website is http://www.labcorp.com/, and phone # is 317-577-5820.

Constipation

Constipation refers to a change in bowel habits - stools may be too hard or too small, difficult to pass or infrequent (less than 3 times/week), and people may notice a frequent need to strain and a sense bowels are not completely empty. The prevalence of constipation in the U.S. varies between 2 – 27%, and is more common in women, people with less physical activity, and those over 60 (with 26% of men and 34% of women reporting constipation). I will first discuss constipation in adults and then in children.

Adults
Many factors can contribute to constipation, although in most people no single cause can be found. The most common contributing cause is poor dietary fiber and water and magnesium intake and lack of physical activity. Other causes can be systemic disorders (such as hypothyroidism and diabetes), neurologic or obstructive intestinal disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or commonly as a side effect of medicines (especially pain medicines). You can usually treat constipation at home, but come to see me if the problem is new and lasts longer than 2-3 weeks, is severe, or is associated with concerning things such as blood on the toilet paper, weight loss, fevers, or weakness.

Treatment includes changing some behaviors, eating foods high in fiber (lots of healthy vegetables, fruits, and beans), taking magnesium, drinking plenty of water, and natural supplements or laxatives/enemas if needed.

Behavior changes – The bowels are most active following meals. This is the time when stools pass more readily, so pay close attention and go to the bathroom when you get the signal (and a small amount like a cup of coffee can be helpful). Ignoring your body’s signals to have a bowel movement can make the signals weaker over time.

Increase fiber (at least 25-30 grams/day) and water (at least ½ of your body weight in ounces/day) – Eating at least 5-10 servings of healthy fruits and vegetables/day and legumes/beans is very helpful for constipation and required for the best health. Often grains, especially wheat, are not the best because gluten intolerance is an alarmingly increasing problem and grains can interfere with your body’s magnesium absorption.

Magnesium as a nutrient not a laxative (anyone with kidney disease should not take magnesium supplements without consulting your kidney specialist) – Adequate magnesium levels in the body cause water to be drawn into the colon, where it softens the stool for easy passage, and magnesium acts as a natural stimulant on bowel muscles (magnesium is beneficial to the body in many other ways for energy production, proper insulin use, heart rhythm and blood pressure, and overall feeling of calm). Magnesium is in high concentration in green plants, and are best eaten properly cooked (not overcooked!) or raw. Also, if we were eating our meats from animals grazing on open pastures of grasses and herbage, these meats would have substantial amounts of magnesium.

For adults to determine your effective magnesium dose, start with 150-200mg after dinner, and can increase it by 150-200mg every 2-3 days until your stools are regular (most people find their effective dose between 400-1200mg/day). If you start having loose stools, then gradually decrease your dose. Remember that during stress your body uses up more magnesium, so you may require more during those times. Also, you may need more magnesium when eating dairy foods from cow milk (contains the sticky protein casein).

Magnesium aspirate (the one we carry at our office) or citrate in capsular forms are the most absorbable forms of magnesium, and very good when in combination with vitamin B6 in a well absorbed multivitamin in capsular form (like our Orthomolecular Alpha Base) or B complex vitamin. The best most well absorbed vitamins are almost always in capsular forms, and you need also to check the contents (see “How to Pick Out Vitamins and Supplements” on the 2nd page of my “For Your Health” article accessed under “Resources” on our home page). Be very wary of drugstore or discount store vitamins and supplements which are often very poorly absorbed and poor quality, and get your vitamins and supplements from a trusted informed place like our office or quality health food store (and still check the contents or bring in at your next visit with me to check).

Aloe Lite (supplement at our office) – take one daily (and can take up to two) containing 150mg/capsule aloe vera (anti-inflammatory for the digestive tract helping constipation and even diarrhea/irritable bowel), slippery elm (soothes digestive tract mucosa), and stone root (can help shrink and decrease inflammation of hemorrhoids)

Laxatives – You usually will not need any of these by following the above, but if you do, here are the categories.

Bulk forming Laxatives – Psyllium (Metamucil, Perdiem), Methycellulose (Citrucel), Calcium Polycarbophil (FibeCon, Fiber-Lax), Wheat Dextrin (Benefiber) – Increase these slowly to prevent gas and bloating, and always take with at least 16 ounces of water.

Hyperosmolar Laxatives – Polyethylene Glycol(MiriLax, GlycoLax), Lactulose prescription generic medicine and Sorbitol (these produce more gas and bloating than polyethylene glycol).
Saline Laxatives – these act similar to the hyperosmolar laxatives and include Milk of Magnesia and Evac-Q-Mag.

Stimulant Laxatives – include senna (Ex-Lax, Senokot, Flether’s Castoria) and bisacodyl (Correctol, Dulcolax) – overuse can cause side effects such as low potassium

Stool softeners – less side effects but less effective than laxatives – docusate (Colace)

Enemas – sodium phoasphate/biphosphate (Fleet) can be used and work quickly but are not recommended for people with kidney or heart problems, and hydrogen peroxide enemas should be avoided due to extreme colon lining irritation

Others – mineral oil (prolonged use can decrease absorption of nutrients or hurt the lungs if vomited), a prescription medicine Amitiza, or other natural products

Children
Complaints of constipation from children should not be ignored. If the opportunity for early intervention is missed, complications can quickly occur such as worsening constipation, stool withholding and fecal soiling, anal fissures, and even fecal impaction. The times when constipation are most likely to occur include: introduction of solid foods or cow’s milk/dairy, toilet training, and school entry.

Transition to solid diet – Ensure adequate fiber in fruits and vegetables (about 20grams/day in toddlers and young children) and adequate water (about 1 ounce per pound body weight in toddlers and children). Limit cow’s milk to less than 24 ounces/day.

Toilet training – Ensure the potty seat provides appropriate foot support and leverage for elimination, and that your child’s diet has adequate fiber and water and not too much cow’s milk/dairy. Once stool withholding behavior has begun, it can only be reversed by making the stools soft and passage pain-free. If your child just does not like having a bowel movement on a potty after your best encouragement and instruction, you may need to use a glycerin small child suppository to encourage them. (I had to do this with one of my children, and it only took one suppository to then encourage that child to regularly use the potty!)

School entry – Some children do not want to have a stool at school or do not have enough time, so they withhold their stools. Make sure to occasionally ask about their bowel movements, especially in young school age children. The best time to have a bowel movement as discussed above is usually following meals and paying attention to your body signals.

Treatment
In infants less than 1 year – Addition of indigestible osmotically active carbohydrates to the formula – increasing the dose as needed to induce a daily bowel movement. This includes sorbitol-containing juices or purees (for babies who have started solids) – apple, prune or pear. Barley cereal may e substituted for rice cereal, and soy formulas may be tried. Glycerin suppositories or rectal stimulation with a lubricated rectal thermometer can be used occasionally if there is very hard stool in the rectum (but not used frequently).

Older children – Ensure adequate fiber and water and you may need to eliminate cow’s milk/dairy. Children unwilling to consume adequate dietary fiber may need daily fiber supplement (as described under adults, but 20 grams/day for early childhood and 30 grams/day for adolescent girls and 40 for boys). An occasional does of laxative may be needed, or an enema if a child has not had a bowel movement for several days and cannot pass a stool.

Eric's Fitness Tips

By:Eric Walden

Older Adults Continued - pictures to come soon

In February we started a series for older adults and I want to continue that series for a little while longer. I want to go over a couple of exercise routines for bad or achy knees. I can’t tell you how many people I talk to with bad knees. It doesn’t matter the age or gender. It seems that everyone has achy joints. So I want give you some solid solutions to working around and strengthening the knee joints.

When addressing a client with knee problems I always ask if they have had any surgeries. Most people tell me no, but they follow it up with my doctor tells me it is going to be replaced. I say okay what have you done since then to strengthen the muscles around the knee. The answer is almost always nothing. Sometimes the answer is I have tried different stuff but my knees just ache so I quit. I honestly love both of these answers, because this opens the door for me to be able to try a variety of different exercise routines with them. When a client has tried but given up on exercises I usually find that they only tried it once or twice. Now there are always exceptions. Another reason I love working with clients with “problems” is because I enjoy figuring out how to help with work around the pain. By “working around” the pain I mean working different ranges of motion (ROM). Most leg machines have a ROM adjustment. Typically this adjustment isn’t shown in an orientation; mainly it gets very confusing to the new member. But look for one. I’ll give some examples here and hopefully paint a good picture for you. Plus I will post a couple of pictures as well to help. Not all machines are the same, so there will be some varying adjustments depending on the type of machine that is being used.

Leg Extension Machine:

Toning Strengthening

Sets: 3 3

Reps: 12-15 6-8 add more weight

Adjustments:

The pad should be just above the tongue of your shoe. A ROM adjustment would be that you feet are starting out underneath you. This can usually be adjusted to start out farther so your feet don’t go behind you so much in the down position. Typically the user straightens their legs straight out raising the pad up. The top part can sometimes be adjusted as well to stop the user from going all the way up.

I will start a client off with the full ROM and adjust it to a shorter ROM depending on how they are feeling (ie. Pain level). I let the client tell me how they are feeling then I adjust the ROM to keep them out of a ROM of pain. For example say the client bends their legs and their feet are underneath them, but that position hurts. I will adjust the ROM so the legs don’t bend so far back in the down position. Then I will have them do a few more reps to see if this ROM hurts. I will do this until I find a pain free ROM. The same holds true for the top position. If pain is present at the top I adjust so they client doesn’t raise

the pad to the top position.

Leg Curl Machine: seated or lying

Toning Strengthening

Sets: 3 3

Reps: 12-15 6-8 add more weight

Adjustments:

The same holds true here as well as the leg extension. It doesn’t matter if it the seated or lying machine. If at any point of a full ROM there is pain adjust the machine so there is none. On this machine it is usually the start position that hurts most people. This machine tends to “hyperextend” the knee when starting. I personally love the stretch it gives my tendons when I start this machine. I don’t leave my legs there more than 10 seconds though. Typically you can adjust this so you start with your knees slightly bent. I personally prefer the lying leg curl machine. I feel like my hamstrings getting a workout. Plus I can do single leg sets easier from this position as well.

Leg Press:

Toning Strengthening

Sets: 3 3

Reps: 12-15 6-8 add more weight

Adjustments:

This one is the easiest to adjust. The ideal starting point for a leg press is the knees bent to 90 degrees. Now some people can’t get down to 90 degrees because of how big their bellies are or because of bad knees. Go down as far as possible to start. Use a full ROM for a few reps and see how your knees feel. If there is pain stop above or below where the pain is located.

Lunge:

Toning Strengthening

Sets: 3 3

Reps: 12-15 6-8 add more weight- ie. dumbbells

Adjustments:

You don’t have to go all the way down for this exercise to be effective. I like to put first timers or my “knee” pain clients in a squat rack with the bar set at waist level. The bar is to hold onto while performing the lunge. This is an aide to the lunge. As you go down hold onto the bar and if the movement becomes difficult use your arms to help pull you up. I have a current client that needs a ton of help doing this exercise but it is so effective in strengthening the quadriceps muscles. It has helped improve her stair climbing ability and walking distance.

Adductor/Abductor:

Toning Strengthening

Sets: 3 3

Reps: 12-15 6-8 add more weight

Adjustments:

There aren’t any adjustments that will help the knees are these two exercises. They are however two great exercises for strengthening the out and inner legs. Any exercise that helps with strengthening of the upper leg is going to be key in keeping the knees from aching.

This routine is a very simple straight forward leg routine. If you get anything out of this article I hope it is that you can still do a variety of exercises and work around the pain.

As summer gets closer I know a lot of people will be hitting the walking trails and getting out more. Remember to keep lifting weights even through the summer. You don’t want to lose what you have gained in the winter months (muscle that is). I currently have some openings for anyone who would want to do some personal training as well. This is a good time as any to use a trainer to help get you going on the right foot. Check out my website for more information and my email. http://www.waldospersonaltraining.com/

Family and Faith

"A Weekend to Remember", from Family Life - this June 4-6th downtown at the Indianapolis Marriott-sign up at www.familylife.com to spend needed time and continuing education for your marriage! Below is my summary from the seminar last June 2009...

Family and Faith “A Weekend to Remember” Marriage Retreat (http://www.familylife.com/) This is a marriage, life, and family changing terrific Christian marriage retreat. My husband Bruce and I so learned, discovered, enjoyed, and were renewed by attending this conference! It is tremendous and life/marriage changing to take the time to focus on each other and learn to love your spouse better the way they want to be loved.
I strongly encourage you to spend the time and effort on each your marriage and family legacy to attend this or a similar marriage enrichment conference. Your spouse is your gift from God!

The topics covered were:

Why Marriages Fail - due to difficult adjustments (differing backgrounds, motivations, expectations), culture's pattern of 50/50 (vs God's encouraging oneness, giving 100%, looking at self), inevitable difficulties (need plan so will not drive apart), extramarital "affairs" (work, kids, activities/business, materialism, fantasy/porn, infidelity, isolation), and selfishness
Can We Talk – helping communication w a project - how can we understand our spouse (and NOT how we can get them to do what we want), LISTEN/repeat back/ask more questions
Unlocking the Mystery of Marriage - Our spouse is our gift from God
God's purpose for oneness -- to mirror God's image, mutually complete one another, multiply a Godly legacy with your children, keep away Satan (no secrets, work on yourself /struggles and be willing to hear feedback about yourself, be more dependent upon God)
From How to Wow - God's plan for oneness and a project (writing each other a love letter) -- Leave (establish independence from parents), Cleave (establish commitment to one another), Become one flesh (establish intimacy with one another) - this can be very difficult due to our differences, weaknesses, and self-centeredness
-we need to celebrate differences and help in each other's weaknesses
What Every Marriage Needs - God's power for oneness -- establish a relationship with God, experience an ongoing relationship with God together (read bible, pray together and individually, church home, time w other Christians/small group)
We Fight Too – with a project -- Conflict (and opportunity to know each other better) and to avoid conflict is to avoid reality
--resolving conflict requires loving confrontation (slow down and check your role, motives and heart, and choose your words carefully)
--resolving conflict requires choosing forgiveness (admit you are wrong, humbly seek forgiveness, release your spouse free from seeking revenge, build trust by consistent behavior over time)
--we minimize conflict when we choose to actively bless one another in marriage - refrain your tongue from speaking evil, turn away fro evil, do good, bee a peacemaker (anger shows that I care more about how we look than God) - I love you and your are not my enemy!
Marriage After Dark (with a project) - sex was created by God and designed for our good (the freedom to enjoy each other's body), sex is a thermometer that can measure your individual well-being, sex can be enhanced by understanding the differences between man and woman, and a great sex life is built on - Companionship (communication, tenderness, spending time together), Commitment (faithfulness, respect, forgiveness), Passion (planning and creativity), and Spiritual Intimacy (prayer and the Bible)

Woman to Woman - Priorities (#1 grow in her relationship w God, #2 respect and support her husband, #3 teach/train her children w wisdom from the Bible, #4 everything else ordered after the 1st 3!), God's design (equals w different roles/responsibilities/purposes - husband as leader and each other complete through marriage and mutual submission/selflessness), Respect and support her husband (unconditional respect which empowers her husband, thankfulness, praise, listening, sexuality, encouraging words/attitude/actions, never criticize husband in public or in front of children), Depend on God
Man to Man - Follow and obey Christ and his leader, Role as leader in marriage - sacrificially loving his wife (cherishes, trustworthy, listening, helping, praying, putting her needs ahead of his own, nourishes her gifts/dreams/love/romance), courageously leading his wife (finances, 1st taking care if wife and children, protecting his family emotionally/spiritually/physically), Responsibility as father (each child a unique gift from God, loves and cares willingly/eagerly/consistently/not domineering, spends time listening/hugging/things they enjoy/praying, leads by example and with God/loves their mother/teaches biblical wisdom)
How Marriages Thrive for Oneness in Marriage and a revolutionary relationship
-the habit of extravagant love is a choice and leads to genuine intimacy (Exclusive- one person having your heart for a lifetime, Expressed by repeating often through words and actions, Extraordinary-placing spouse's needs above your own)
-the habit of generous forgiveness leads to true security (with humility and without bitterness)
-the habit of enthusiastic encouragement leads to unity and team together for life (believe in and motivate your spouse, openly affirm/praise, maintain positive attitude, avoid critical words)
Leaving a Legacy - for our the next generations
-by doing the constant work of strengthening our marriage and family and relationship with God, and always looking to serve God and others
Lisa's things to remember from the conference
-work hard to love God and Bruce - to mirror God and complete each other
-work hard to avoid "extramarital affairs" such as work or business or selfishness
-celebrate each other's differences and help each other in our weaknesses
-take the time to raise Godly children - teach, train, talk
Lisa's top 3 priorities from the conference experience
-be my husband Bruce's cheerleader
-listen, repeat back, ask more questions
-work together to avoid "extramarital affairs" for each other and our

Parenting

I read 4 great parenting books while on my spring break vacation. Over the next several blogs, I will summarize parts of "MOM'S Everything Book for Daughter's" by Becky Freeman, and "Bringing up Boys" by James Dobson.

Daughters: Build your mother-daughter connections by making her feel loved by,

1. Give her the gift of your presence - listen with focused attention, sit and slow down, look her in the eyes, touch her in motherly ways (stroke her hair, rub her arm, hug her).

2. Speak to her with respect and kindness

3. Encourage her efforts with enthusiast.

4. Seek first to understand your daughter's point of view.

5 Answer her honest questions with your honest answers.

6. Say yes whenever you possibly can (reserve no for when necessary).

7. Ask her opinion.

8. Allow your daughter to feel any feelings she may have.

9. Let her cry, and don't be afraid to cry with her (you could have or make a family teddy bear that is passed to the person most in need of some extra love and cuddling on a particularly trying day).

Ideas to do together - plan a time to look over baby or girlhood pictures, watch a great mom-daughter movie (like Princess Diaries, Mary Poppins, Father of the Bride, Singing in the Rain, etc.-get the book for a long great list and many great ideas), read Proverbs 31:10-31 together (about the virtuous woman)

Sons

The hormone testosterone in largely responsible for maleness. It shows up in the 6-7 week embryo and begins transforming them into boys (it is a hormonal bath that changes the make-up and even color of the brain).

Boys are men in training, and often value change, risk, speculation, and adventure, and need to be shaped, molded, and "civilized". Watch out for wounded spirits in your boys from other children being mean/taunting, schools, and society (closely monitor any TV watched and computers). Be available and listen without judging or belittling.

A good summary of raising healthy boys in our shock-wave wounded world is from columnist Kathleen Parker... "We need to be reasonable, smart, and fully awake. Reduce boys' exposure to violence, be there when they return from school, help them with homework, ask them about their day, let them cry if need be, support them when they're down, help them to see options, teach them to handle guns safely if you have them, reward good behavior, provide meaningful consequences for unacceptable behavior, make reasonable demands, express moral expectations, talk to their teachers, and hug those boys every chance you get. Don't ask them to be men when they're just little boys, but show them how to be real men by demonstrating the thing we as a society seem to have lost: self-control. It's the greatest gift, and it isn't even rocket science. It's just good parenting."

Next blog I will write Dr. Dobson's comments about Father and sons and Mother and son's relationships. He starts out with the statement that we as parents need to have our sons (and daughters) see a sermon, NOT hear a sermon... see us doing what is right even though it is inconvenient or difficult!

Faith

I my Bible study the past two weeks, a couple things really stood out to me:

1. As the 5th pledge of believing God from Beth Moore covers, I need to remember and believe that God's word is alive and active in me (and in YOU!) and when I speak it out loud it is even more alive and powerful! Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." For reasons ultimately known to God alone, He has ordained that spoken words carry a power, authority, and effectiveness that exceed words we simply think. Therefore, I (and you) need to speak out loud more and daily of God's words, promises, our prayers, and for satan to stay away. When reading the Bible, make sure to read out loud at least some of what you read.

2. Do not let life's disappointments hinder our pursuit of God and reaching out to others in love. Remember that the Holy Spirit is always in us with God's all surpassing power, and putting our favorite Bible verses on 3x5 cards and memorizing them is great to do (I often memorize while jogging or exercising). Then we have God's words set in our hearts and ready to be remembered, utilized, and spoken - having our shield of faith and armor of God, and remember the power of praying God's words and promises in your prayers...

Psalm 91:14-15 "Because I have set my love upon You, You will deliver me. You will set me on high, because I have known Your name. I will call upon You, and You will answer me. You will be with me in trouble; You will deliver me and honor me."

Psalm 37:5 "Delight yourself also in Me, your Lord, and I will give you the desires of your heart."

Prayer - God forgive me that I so often allow disappointments in life deter me from moving toward You. Help me put everything I am and have in your hands - with nothing held back!

Hugs and prayers for you to be filled to overflowing with the fruit of His Spirit! Gal.5:22

Dr. Lisa

Plastic Hazzards/Safe Water Bottles, Lisa in Eric's Body Weight Cardio Workout, Veggie Steam Guide

Greetings and blessings to you all! My thanks to so many of you for your prayers, cards, offers to help with my broken thumb (and loved Les' card with the chicken noodle soup!)! I am starting to heal after 3 weeks in a splint and hope I do not need a pin. I see my orthopedist Dr. Frank Wilson (who gave me the idea of the Pass It On cards in our office) again in 3 weeks. I certainly have a MUCH deeper appreciation of the many needs of my thumbs now!


Our family so appreciated my Mom staying with us last weekend - I certainly look nothing like her?...! If you want to know where I am very often when not at my practice site, think of me sitting here in my sunny computer room, with the puppies, my great husband Bruce and my children around.


I wanted to share a picture of one of God's creations that I had never seen before - the Luna Moth. It flew in front of us on our deck last week and we were able to get a picture of it. They are about 4-5 inches in wingspan, found only in Eastern North America, are on the endangered species list, and only live for one week as an adult.




Plastics Hazards and Safe Water Bottles - Please do not drink out of warm plastic bottles, especially with the warm weather here!

Many scientific reports over the past several years are starting to show the potential hazards and danger of toxic chemicals from the plastics we use. Biphenal-A (BPA) is one such toxin that is still in some plastic bottles and mimics estrogen in the body. BPA and other toxins in plastics are linked to reproductive problems, breast cancer and other cancers, and even behavioral problems. Check the recycle number on your plastics. The recycle numbers 3, 6, and 7 are being associated with increased toxin risk.

When you cannot drink out of your real glass at home, stainless steel bottles are the best for cold beverages and water. They are guaranteed not to leach any chemicals, are durable, and water tastes great in them. (Aluminum is not as safe, because aluminum has been associated development of Alzheimer's.) If you do drink out of a thin plastic bottle, please only do so once (and then recycle), and never drink from a plastic bottle that is warm.


Eric's Tips - Lisa and Eric demonstrate his body weight cardio workout




Proper Steaming Guide for Vegetables - from my great over age 80 patient David!

The following vegetables steam perfectly in 8 minutes: asparagus, beet greens, broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, kale, mushrooms, spinach, red Swiss chard, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts

• Carrots (sliced 1/4 in. or 7mm thick)-12 minutes
• String beans (green, yellow, or mottled)-12 minutes
• Corn on the cob-5 minutes (when cooked perfectly like this it does not require butter and salt-it'll be tasty plain)
• Potato (sliced 1/4 in. or 7mm thick)-10 minutes
• Sweet potato, Yams (sliced 1/4 in. or 7mm thick)-12 minutes
• Onion (sweet Vidalia type)-no need to peel; cut in half through stem; cut half into 4 servings; steam 7 minutes, peel slips off easily
• Green peppers slices, cherry tomatoes-3minutes
• Red pepper slices-12 minutes (for best digestibility)
• Buttercup, butternut, and acorn squash-24 minutes
• Parsnips-6minutes
• Beets (sliced 1/4 in. or 7mm thick)-12 minutes
• Turnip-30 minutes (may be a bit firm after cooking, but this retains flavor)
• Eggplant (sliced 1/4 in. or 7mm thick)-10 minutes

Family and Faith

Parenting Tip
One of my so many wonderful patients, Kendel, gave me a quick help with parenting boys at a well child visit last week. She said that boys do not respond to "don't"s very well. Rather than saying "don't hit your baby sister," tell them instead "that hurts so let's give kisses or tickle her feet." Kendall says she has learned a lot of good parenting tips for parenting each gender specifically by the book "Gender Matters" by Leonard Sax.

Marriage Tip
Last week my minister Aaron asked how much training and continuing we had for our jobs. Then he asked how much training and education we are doing for our marriages? I am really proud of you because by reading this you are furthering your marriage education :) To continue working on you marriage education and enrichment here are some more things you can do:

1. Sign up for a great marriage seminar in downtown Indianapolis June 4-6 weekend called "A Weekend to Remember." They are offering a buy one person get your spouse free right now online at www.familylife.com. My husband Bruce and I attended last year and loved it. It continued to deepen our love and relationship. We are going to the same conference in St. Louis this fall because I will be celebrating my Mom's 80th birthday when the conference is in Indianapolis. We also wanted to experience a different city as something fun and new to do as a couple. You can read my review and summary of last year's summary in my June 2009 blog (click on June 2009 on the left side of this page).

2. You can also do your own marriage seminar at home by listening to the 5 part marriage sermon series "The Knot" online from my church website at www.tpcc.org. I gave a quick summary of it in my last blog.

From "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby

"One of the most exciting things you can do is to look to see where god is working in your spouse's life and join Him! You can do this in several ways:"

1. Regularly pray for and with your spouse
2. Regularly ask your spouse spiritual questions-such as what has God been showing you in your quiet times lately? or Where have you seen God's activity?
3. Review your spiritual markers as a couple-key moments when God clearly has spoken and you have seen God's activity in your lives.
4. Minister together as a couple-there are many ways God wants to work uniquely through you.
5. Give together-jointly determine where God leads you to invest the money He has given you, storing up treasures in heaven.

With my prayers for you and healing of my thumb!

Dr. Lisa

Water & How to Start Eating Healthy/Organic, Eric's Tips to Cut 500 Cal/day, Strengthening Marriage Knot, Parenting Tips

I thank and praise God for each one of you reading this and for our gorgeous Spring weather! I pray for Him to fill all of you and your family and friends to overflowing with His love and power and blessings!

Please forgive me for not writing! I have so much to share that I recently learned while reading 6 books on vacation, from my experience with my patients, and foremost God's leading. I am so excited about it all, but sadly I broke my thumb last weekend in a fall on water on a slick floor! I am healing over a 4-8 week period and being a good "patient". I am starting my blog tonight, and I will finish Tuesday (and then write another before the end of the month - I am committed to writing 2 a month to educate and motivate!). See the above pic of my 4 gifts from God after their Easter basket hunt and our puppies.

This blog I will write about our need for more and healthy water intake, suggestions to start eating healthier and more organic (taken from my current attempts after learning so much), Eric's tips for cutting calories, and excellent marriage tips (my church, Trader's Point Christian Church is in the middle of a series on "Tying the Knot") and parenting tips.
After a continually wonderful church experience, I want to encourage you all to find a great church AND small group in that church for you to attend (and I also suggest finding a good men's or woman's Bible study to attend and read your Bible daily - God's book of love to us). They make SUCH a difference in your knowledge and experience of God and life. They are our true family, along with our biological family. Just today Jay sent me an email of how he is praying for my thumb to heal, Larry and Beth brought over a macaroni casserole for me and my family (cooking is not easy for me right now-my beloved husband is so awesome to be cooking all the time right now and more importantly happily and wanting to do anything I need anytime!), and Larry asked how my patient Tammy is doing with her new diagnosis of breast cancer (I asked for prayer for her in all our groups 2 weeks ago). You can know I often ask for prayers for specific patients of mine from my husband, our small group, and my woman's Bible study group (but of course only by first name), and I daily pray for all of you! The more you read God's word and are around good people, the more active and powerful God is in your life and the more you are filled with His fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

WATER & Tips to Start Eating Healthier and Organic

Water (excerpts taken from "Overcoming Arthritis" by David Brownstein)
Water is an essential nutrient for everyone. Our body is composed of 70-80% water, with the brain being 85%, blood 83%, and muscles 75%. Adequate water intake (and salt along with it) is essential to promote good health and functioning of all our cells and to flush out the many toxins we ingest or make in our bodies.
My experience is that most people are at least mildly dehydrated and most chronically ill patients are very dehydrated. You cannot rely on your thirst to make you drink enough water, and your urine should always be almost clear when you are drinking enough water. One of the first signs of dehydration can be pain anywhere in the body, including the joint pain of arthritis, joint stiffness and early morning stiffness, and back spasms or other muscle spasms. If your body is dehydrated your joints and muscles will be also, and they will be more painful. Fatigue, dry tongue, coated tongue, vertical ridges on nails, dry skin, and poor skin elasticity are common signs of dehydration. Water loss can be accelerated by many things, including inadequate water intake, excess caffeine intake (caffeine is a potent diuretic), excess soda consumption (a government study in the 1990s showed the average person consumed 49 gallons per year!), alcoholic beverages, and diuretic medicine.

Many people assume that by drinking beverages other than water, they are supplying the body with an adequate amount of water. This is absolutely not the case, and these other liquids actually cause water loss in the body to accelerate. Chronic caffeine use can over-stimulate the adrenal glands and ultimately result in a depletion of the adrenal hormones. This can exacerbate other hormonal irregularities and weaken the immune system. When a person is in a dehydrated state, histamine levels are elevated throughout the body and this can worsen allergies, asthma, and the immune system.

Since water is such a nourishing agent for the body, it is important to drink water in its purest form and without additives and chemicals. Bottled water contains toxins leached from the plastic and tap water often contains chemicals harmful to your hormonal system and health (including fluoride and chlorine). Therefore it is important to drink filtered or distilled water, preferably from glass or stainless steel. Since a filter system removes many minerals and toxic agents from tap water, it is important that you take a well absorbed daily multiple vitamin-mineral supplement.

Doctor Brownstein's recommendation is that you ensure adequate water intake every day. It is impossible to achieve optimum health or recover from a chronic illness without adequate water intake. He recommends that you take your weight in pounds, divide it in two and use this figure as the amount of water in ounces to ingest on a daily basis. People who are more active will need to further increase their daily intake of water. (Since I weigh 130 pounds I need to intake at least 65 ounces a day.) I have found it helpful to intentionally drink at least 20 ounces of water at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I then drink at least 20 more ounces after exercise or exertion.

THE BENEFITS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SALT

We have been taught that salt is bad. Well too much salt can be bad when we do not drink enough water (in a dehydrated state) and if kidney problems/failure. Salt dose have good properties of helping in healing, attracting water for lubrication, can improve allergies by acting as a natural antihistamine, clears excess acidity from the body, produces energy in the body, and thins out mucous secretions.

Unfortunately, the most common salt is refined salt, and it has the healthy minerals removed and has a high content of aluminum. Unrefined sea salt (Celtic may be the best) contains trace amounts of over 80 minerals and is the best salt to eat. Dr. Brownstein recommends a pinch of sea salt each day followed by a large glass of water, and doing this in addition before strenous exercise.

Tips to Star Eating Healthier and Organic

There is a lot of information about excessive toxic exposures in our foods - especially hormones and antibiotics in milk and dairy and meat products (and animals horribly treated to produce more and cheaper product as my patient Karen told me about recently published video), pesticides on foods, toxins released from plastics, and GMO's (genetically modified organisms which change the chemical make-up of the plants we eat). We do have to live, and cannot eliminate all exposures. What are we to do 1st? My husband and I are working on this, and I will continue to inform you of our progress. Below are my initial tips.

1. Drink organic milk, or soy or almond or rice milk. Let your children know why.

2. Drink water and beverages out of stainless steel or glass containers, and work to avoid plastic. Especially with the warm weather, do not drink any beverages out of plastic containers that have been out in the sun and heat (especially in your car, and I will write more about plastic in a later article). DRINK 1/2 OF YOUR BODY WEIGHT IN OUNCES PER DAY AT LEAST TO CLEAR TOXINS!

3. Eat organic range-free non-cloned meats as much as possible, and add some protein sources like tofu.

4. If you do not eat fish, work to make yourself and children eat fish at least once a week (and best grown in the U.S. which has more controls on toxin exposure).

5. Try to buy certified organic vegetables and fruits, and avoid the ones I wrote about in my recent blog on pesticides in foods. We just started ordering from www.farmfreshdelivery.com, so I will let you know how this goes (many of my patients love this).

ERIC'S TIPS

Fitness Tips
By
Eric Walden

Cut 500 Calories a Day
By Health Magazine Dec 2009

Dance- 2 hours of dancing burns 500 calories
Get Enough Sleep- lack of sleep can make you snack
Don’t eat in front of the TV. Trade TV time for a walk
Get in tune with your stomach- listen when it tells you it’s full
Limit Dinner Guest- More people = more food = more snacking
Fill up on less- cup of soup before dinner
Limit salad toppings- ie. Cheese, croutons, bacon bits
Don’t clean your plate- leave some on your plate
Use smaller plates
Serve and Sit- serve food in the kitchen and leave the food there
Make a swap- 1 cup plain fat free yogurt for heavy cream
Make mine a mini
Ditch that buttered movie popcorn
Count your chips and crackers- don’t eat from the bag
Step away from the nuts-
Skip the whip- or at least size it down
Kick the soda habit
Drink Sugar Free
Skinny up Cocktails
Eat less pasta or switch to a whole grain pasta
Knitting- at a rate of 100 an hour
Cleaning the house- up to 2 ½ hours
Check the number of servings in a dish
Beware the healthy-food trap
Build a lean burrito- order a naked one- no cheese, beef, black beans, and salsa
Think small at the ice cream shop
Think thin when it comes to pizza
Beware of hidden oils
Order spaghetti with meat sauce-instead of with Italian sausage
Nix that Smoothie a day
Help a friend move
Shovel snow
Ice skate
Tap your foot
Be the hostess with the mostest- grocery shop, cooking and setting the table
Go Window Shopping
Hit the pool
Stroll you way slim- push the stroller with the kids
Head to a county fair or amusement park
Play a game
Head for the nearest hill- sledding or just walking up and down it
Do an hour of Circuit Training
Tackle the garage- clear out that junk
Rake the leaves- minimum 1 hour 45 minutes
Kick-box
Go cross-country skiing
Exercise at home- 1 dvd with 20 minutes of yoga
Walk or run a 10K
Go hiking
Cut down your own Christmas Tree- hike out, cut it, and haul it back

Family & Faith

Marriage - "The Knot"

My church has just started a 5 sermon series on marriage called "The Knot". You can access the sermons free at www.tpcc.org through an itunes link there. I strongly encourage you (and your spouse if you are married) to do this. You could make a marriage seminar/enhancement or date night out of this. I also recommend memorizing a few verses of the Song of Solomon for yourself and your spouse - to intentionally remind you how desirable your spouse is and you are!

Jake, our high school minister, stared the series April 11, talking about our marriage "knot", and how we need to continually work to strengthen it. God created us as His most importnt creations - for and to compliment each other. This last thing God created, Satan went right after. Sin separates us from God, and Man from Woman.

Last Sunday, our lead minister Aaron talked about the primary purpose of marriage - to make us more holy (not to always make us happy!). He talked about the initial hormone and chemical "falling" in love phase, but that staying and growing in love requires intentional work, but then is SO much better than the hormone/chemical start! Many people feel that actions follow feelings, but this is wrong. FEELING FOLLOW DELIBERATE AND INTENTIONAL ACTIONS. Aaron started to interpret God's wonderful and sensual blueprint of a healthy marriage in the Song of Solomon. Solomon and his beloved were intentional in their actions with each other. She knew how very powerful the words "I respect you!" are to a man. He knew how needed and powerful repeating to her how beautiful and special she is. We must continually pursue our spouses like we did when we first dated. We put a lot of time into our degrees/schooling and work. We need to put even more time in to our marriages - strengthening our "knots"!

Parenting Tips - from my womans's Bible study book, "Experiencing God", by Blackaby

Learn to ask your children God-centered questions. Instead of asking what they want to be when they grow up, ask "What do you sense God wants you to do?". When your children come to you with a question, ask them "What do you think God wants you to do?". If you just give them your opinion, you do not teach them to put their trust in God. As your children get older, regularly ask them "What has God taught you lately?". This provides many opportunities to discuss important issues with them... These are also great questions for you and your spouse to ask each other!

Hugs and prayers,

Dr. Lisa

Happy Spring & Easter! Halitosis (Bad Breath), Eric's Tips-Mindset, Communication for Couples, Proverbs for Parenting

Happy Spring and Easter to all of you very very special and loved people! We were decorating eggs today, and have enjoyed the recent beautiful weather - hope you all have too (and hope you are exercising your very special bodies really daily)!

I am writing about bad breath because Julia asked me about it last week, and I often have patients with this complaint. Please fax me at my office if you have a topic you would like me to cover in an upcoming blog article (621-1680, fax).

Halitosis = Bad Breath!

Bad breath is any offensive odor on the breath, and is present in 15-30% of people (can be as young as age 2, but usually is a problem more of adults, and increases with age). 80-90% of bad breath originates in the mouth - largely the result of bacterial breakdown releasing gasses from stagnant saliva, food debris, mouth cells coming off in normal cell turnover, blood, and postnasal drip in the oral cavity. The odor can be much worse with oral pathology such as gingivitis, periodontitis, cavities, imperfect dental restorations, and unclean dentures. 5-8% of bad breath is from the nasal passages - due to infections, thick mucous or polyps, oral or nasal cancers, and foreign bodies in children. 3% of bad breath originates from tonsils - due to recurrent infection or tonsillolliths (stones). 1-2% can arise from other sources - such as lung infections, kidney or liver failure, cancers, and biochemical disorders. Bad breath almost never arises from the esophagus, stomach, or intestines, and there is no higher incidence in people with dry mouth.

Approximately 25% of people seeking professional help for bad breath are halitophobics = exaggerated concern of bad breath when they actually have little or none.

Treatment (part from "Bad Breath" by Mel Rosenberg, PhD)

People with an identifiable cause of bad breath need to treat those conditions - such as dental problems, postnasal drip, infections. Many cases of bad breath can be alleviated by

*Proper dental care and oral hygiene (thoroughly brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice a day)

*Gentle cleansing of the posterior tongue with a tongue cleaner or toothbrush (often need to get very far back-can hold tongue out with a washcloth and make sure to be gentle)

*Rinsing and deep gargling with an effective mouthwash after brushing and flossing - this is most effective when done at bedtime, since bacterial activity leading to bad breath is greatest during the nighttime

----the most effective mouthwashes contain chlorhexidine gluconate, like Peridex, at 0.12-0.2 percent (only 0.12percent is readily available in the US)

*Eating fibrous foods

*Chewing sugar free gum briefly if the mouth is dry or after meals, especially with high protein intake

*Sufficient daily water intake - 1/2-1 gallon/day

*Decreasing alcohol and coffee intake

*Gargling with saline and or saline nasal irrigations in people with allergy or mucous problems

Information is available at http://www.smellwell.com/, or http://www.youtube.com/ "Bad breath - a human condition". Consulting a good dentist is advisable for most people with bad breath, but be very careful of some "bad breath experts/dentists" who are involved in pyramid marketing operations selling particular and overpriced products.

Factors which can exacerbate bad breath - accumulation of postnasal drip on the back of the tongue, poor oral hygiene (esp. failure to floss), improper dental care (faulty bridgework, crowns, abscesses), mouth breathing, unclean dentures and those left in mouth unnecessarily at night, alcohol consumption, being overweight, menstrual cycle, proteinaceous foods stuck between the teeth, onions and garlic.

Eric's Fitness Tips

By
Eric Walden

Hard Work or Exercise?
IDEA Fitness Journal- Jan 2010

In one of our Harvard studies, we looked at exercise and the mind. We started by asking chambermaids how much exercise they got in the course of a week. Our subjects were women who were exercising all day long at work, but because exercise is generally thought of a s something we do outside of work, they actually saw themselves as not getting any exercise. Despite their beliefs, since exercise is so good for one’s health, we expected them to be healthy. Actually, at the start of the study, they weren’t.
We divided the women into two groups and explained to one group that their work was exercise. We told them, “You’re getting more exercise than the surgeon general recommends.” They were shown how various tasks they did were equivalent to working on different machines at the gym, when we returned a month later, we asked as many questions as we could think of regarding exercise. Were they exercising outside of work now? Were they working harder? And so on. We asked if they were eating more, or differently. There were no changes, they only difference was that now they saw their work as exercise.
In that month, this group had lost weight and reduced their body mass, waist –to-hip ratios, and blood pressure levels. All of this happened because of the change in mindset.

I loved this article when I read it. It reminded me of so many people that I have talked to over the past few years. Those of you who do more of a manual labor type job can count that as exercise. The key to a weight loss is to possibly change the way you eat or maybe add in a couple of bouts of moderate cardio sessions. Or on the flip side if you want to add some strength your work is more like your cardio so going to a gym and lifting some weights may be needed to achieve your goal.

Changing your mindset is sometime what is needed to get your body going in the right direction. It can also be the hardest thing to accomplish. The mind is a powerful tool, but sometimes it is hard to tap into. Self talk is great way to help get the mind on the right path. Telling yourself what you are going achieve each day is a great way to get your mind going.

Hopefully this helps you to be able to change they way you think about exercise and help motivate you.

Family and Faith

"A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others."

Proverbs 12:15

Communication (from "Simple Secrets Couples Should Know", by Bob and Emilie Barnes)

Communication is sharing information with another person so he understands what you are saying, and it involves talking, listening, and understanding. Honor your mate by selecting the best times to talk, listen, and understand, and it is best to avoid difficult topics right after coming home and at mealtimes (want pleasant, edifying, uplifting conversation).

Talking Tips

* maintain a calm relational voice

* be mindful of proper timing to bring up certain topics

Listening Tips

* Realize everyone has a basic need to be listened to and heard - TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN

* Listen intently when your partner is talking with you - turn off the TV or stop other things and look in your partner's eyes - even better to touch or hold hands!

* Listen objectively - don't just think about your answers or politely wait or presume or judge while listening

* Reach out and care about what's being said - active participation with our heart and soul and not just ears (and not passive)

* Move past the surface message and get to the heart of what is being said

* Discipline yourself to listen - it doesn't come naturally or easily to any of us, since most are more comfortable being in control and speaking

* Receive and process and understand the message sent - even though the message may be painful, continue to listen

Understanding Tips

* Lack of understanding can occur when there is a difference between what we mean to say and what we really say, and when there is a difference between what we hear and what we think we hear

* Ask clarifying questions to keep the channels of understanding wide open and flowing - repeat to your mate what you heard and then ask, "Is that what you said?"

* Don't get caught up on minor details (like if something happened at 5 or 6 pm) - major on the majors, not the minors

Be sensitive of your mate's general needs.

Men - generally want #1 Sincerity (to know the topic is important to you) #2 Simplicity (hear the simple facts and get to the point) #3 Sensitivity (open up better at the right time and place) #4 Stability (keep their composure during conversation)

Women - generally want #1 Attention (want their mate's full attention when they speak) #2 Agreement (no arguments to break down the communication with their mates) #3 Appreciation (want their mates to value them and their role) #4 Appointments (want their mates to honor the time and place for communication)

General Tips

* Be willing to grow and change - learn from your mistakes and tomorrow is a new day!

* It's ok to disagree but NOT to disrespect or dishonor - never belittle, slander, or attack your partner even in a heated exchange

* It takes effort to communicate well - deciding to communicate better is a matter of will and work

* Don't second guess your partner - keep your mouth shut and hear out your partner

* When you have a communication breakdown, have an prior agreed upon method to ask to stop for right now and restart at a later time

--you must identify problem areas and plan a program to overcome them (at a good nonheated time), and you may need a trained counselor to help

* Remember that the closer you get to God, the closer you will get to each other (the triangle with God at the top and each partner at the bases that I discussed last blog) - perhaps you are not communicating well as a couple because you have not been communicating well yourself with God - through prayer, Bible reading, Church, Christian friend/groups/Bible studies

Secrets to Romancing Your Marriage (great tips at the end of each of the 22 chapters in this very good book)

* Never vacuum during the 4th quarter of a football game

* Laugh at his jokes

* Listen to her stories of the past

* Allow her to grieve over her losses

* Be accountable to each other

* Choose to love your spouse today

* Don't expect to understand each other completely

"Proverbs for Parenting" by Barbara Decker

This is a very good resource for Proverbs useful in parenting. The book "Shepherding A Child's Heart" suggests reading a Proverb every AM with your children, because it is the book of wisdom and teaching. Bruce and I have worked to put this in our routine most days, and we also have Annika memorize verses. When she had problems last week with obeying, I had her memorize Proverbs 4:3 "Hold onto (and obey) instruction, do not let it go, guard it well for it is your life.", and Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life."

Proverbs for Obedience - 1:5, 1:8-9, 2:1-9, 3:1-4, 3:21-24, 4:1-5, 4:10, 4:13, 4:20-22, 5:1-2, 6:20-23, 7:1-3, 8:32-36, 9:9, 10:8, 10:17, 12:1, 12:15, 13:1, 13:18, 15:5, 15:32, 19:16, 19:20, 21:11, 22:17-18, 23:19, 23:22, 28:7, 29:18, 30:17

We need to always remember, that before we can teach our children something (especially about values), we must be modeling it ourselves and living it in our lives. To teach our children obedience, we must first be obedient ourselves - with God and each other... We all are on a constant journey to grow and become better more valued, faithful, and trustworthy people!

With my hugs and prayers for God to fill you and your family to overflowing with the fruit of His Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control!

Gal 5:22

Dr. Lisa

Pesticides in Foods, Eric's Tips-Exercise Routine for Older Adults, Obeying the 1st Time, Keep Listening and Talking

Welcome springlike weather! My son Brendan is enjoying the sunshine to take a nap by our Cavelier puppies, and Annika thinks it is Summer with her shorts and popsicle (on top of the snow pile)!.. With the change in temperature, allergy symptoms will begin to cause major symptoms for many children and adults. If you or a family member or friend are having problems, you can review my May 26th article on "Allergy Treatments and Medicine" (also can access it under "Resources" tab on our main website), and see us in our office to review your individual symptoms and needs. Remember the Neil Med saline irrigation by nettipot or my favorite squeeze bottle is a great natural treatment for allergies in adults and children (my 9 year old and 21 year old often request and use it!).

To follow along with my current healthy diet theme, I decided to research pesticides in foods because the amount ingested in our and our children's lifetimes can dramatically affect our health and cancer risks. Eric's tips will return with his emphasis over his past several articles to help older adults with their exercise and fitness. I then discuss in my "Family and Faith" section suggestions and God's direction for our children to obey without challenge without excuse and without delay, and relationship tips.

Pesticides/Chemicals in Foods

We all need to focus on foods with the least burden of pesticides, additives, and hormones. Generally we can avoid pesticide exposure by 80% when we avoid the most contaminated vegetables and fruits, and even less exposure when we use a natural cleansing spray. A government study showed that if you have 5 servings (the least amount recommended/day in a healthy diet) from the most contaminated foods, you will consume 10 pesticides/day. If you consume 5 servings from the least contaminated foods, you will consume 2 pesticides/day. Below are the current worst and cleanest foods.

Current Worst Foods (should buy organic if at all possible)
peach
apple
bell peppers
celery
nectarine
strawberries
cherries
kale
lettuce (can have some of the most potent pesticides)
grapes (imported are much worse)
carrots (better if you scrub and peel)
pears
white potatoes (have pesticides and fungicides)

15 Cleanest (currently) - still best to wash well and with veggie spray
onion
avacado
sweet corn
pineapple
mango
asparagus
sweet peas
kiwi
cabbage
eggplant
papaya
watermelon
broccoli
tomatoes (used to be on the worst list)
sweet potatoes

Milk-contains pesticides and hormones, best to buy organic or almond, soy, or rice milk

Meat- buy organic to avoid hormones (not much pesticides)

Coffee (often grown in countries without pesticide regulation) - look for USDA Organic label and a step further with Fair Trade Certified label (supports farmers being paid and treated fairly)

http://www.farmfreshdelivery.com/ is a great source of excellent well priced organic local vegetables and fruits which are delivered to you door

"Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" is an iphone application

Tips to Prevent Bacterial Illness from Food
We and our children can get serious and life-threatening bacterial infections from infected or improperly handled food. The Indianapolis Star in their Healthy Living section last Thursday had a very informative article about this, "Focusing on Food Safety" by Shari Rudavsky. Below are their tips to prevent illness.
1. Make sure cold food stays cold and hot food stays hot - refrigerators should be 40 degrees or below (if not it will be a breeding ground for bacteria and illness), and when your refrigerator is full the temperature goes up!
2. Use different cutting boards and different knives to cut raw meat and produce.
3. Wipe down counter tops thoroughly.
4. In the grocery buy a whole head of lettuce or spinach and remove the outer leaves and wash well - a ready to eat product does carry a slightly higher risk.
5. Wash your hands with soapy water before and after handling food.
6. Avoid unpasteurized milk and food made from it, raw eggs, an draw meat.
7. You can sign up for alerts about food safety recalls at the website of Safe Tables Our Priority - http://www.safetables.org/.

Eric's Tips
By
Eric Walden

Physical Activity Guidelines for Older Adults:

Today I want to go over some actual exercises and put together a routine. I want to focus on some problems that may occur for an older population. Some key problem areas for some older adults are their feet and knees. Hopefully if you do have some problems with either of theses area’s you have had them looked at by your doctor. I am a strong proponent of body symmetry. I see so many people that have imbalances that cause so many problems. I feel that a lot of people can reduce some of the knee problems or even feet problems through exercise.
First I want to deal with the feet. Many problems can be caused by the wrong type of shoes. It even can be caused by a lack of flexibility. Flexibility is so important in any walk of life. Make sure to stretch the calf muscles out before you go for a run or walk. The easiest way to do this is by using a step and standing with the balls of your feet on the on the step and let your heels drop down. This will stretch the calf muscle. It will also stretch the Achilles tendon. Having a very tight Achilles can cause pain the heel of your foot and even in the arch of your foot. Sometimes these symptoms may feel like a bruise. Also chances are if your Achilles and calf muscle are tight then so are your hamstrings. This is a first indication that you need to be stretching more than what you are now. Even using no shoes or a flat sole shoe may help stretch out the arch of your foot as well and relieve some pain.

Using different types of machines will help get around some initial pain. Get off your feet by using a recumbent bike or even a rower. Most lifting can be done sitting, so long periods of standing can be avoided. Most people that I have talked to complain of foot pain during long periods of cardio sessions and not weight lifting. It is okay to take a break during cardio sessions. Evening just walking to the water fountain will help relieve some pain.

Knee pain is a totally different problem. Pain in the knee can be caused by a variety of different ailments and imbalances. Most in the older population complain of knee pain from arthritis or lack of cushioning in the knee joint. Again like foot pain getting off your knees can help. Most exercises can be done without standing. There are a few key exercises that can be done to help strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee. Two key ones that come to mind are leg extension and leg press. The bad thing about these two exercises they also may cause some of the most pain as well. But there are ways around the pain. I have any of my clients that are experiences pain to work above or below the pain. Meaning if they are experiencing pain during a leg press movement, I ask them to tell me where the pain begins. Once we are able to figure that out I instruct them to not go down as far. The same goes with the leg extension machine. Working above or below the pain will still help strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee and can help reduce pain to that joint. Another way to strengthen the quadriceps muscles is by static strengthening. An example of this is lying on your back and flexing your leg muscles. Hold this flexion for 10 seconds then relax. Do this 10 times. This will help strengthen those muscles just above the knee. For some more serious cases this may be the best place to start. Do these exercises 2-3 times a day.

Exercise Routine:
Get a good warm up in. This is key for warming up the knees. Here are a few different exercises to strengthen the upper legs.

Leg Press- if any knee pain- work above or below it.
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Body weight squat
Chair Stand- sit down and stand up out of a chair without using your hands
Step up- stepping up on to a step or small stool.
Adductor- inner thighs
Abductor- outer thighs
Calf raises

Family and Faith

Parenting Tip
I have been having more trouble lately with my nine year old listening well and obeying - are any of you having this same trouble?.. I remembered the book I read last summer "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tripp saying you need to parent your child to obey "without challenge, without excuse, and without delay", and NOT after something like counting to three! Does this sound like a dream? Mr. Tripp encourages that it is not a dream and is something we need to teach and often reteach our children. He gives very good God centered instruction for us to achieve this in our children.

After Thursday night when Annika again did not listen and obey (she ignored her dad Bruce's instruction to go to bed after we got home from our small group, while I was on an important patient call), Bruce and I decided we needed to review Mr. Tripp's teaching from his book. Last summer after reading the book, Bruce and I taken the time to discuss some of the teaching from the book with Annika and even her older teenage siblings, especially the main Biblical concept that she and we need to obey God to be in His circle of blessing and protection, and we need to constantly work on and "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life", Proverbs 4:23. I also several times had to give her a spanking in the Biblical instructional manner Mr. Tripp outlines. This teaching and instruction grew much fruit in her heart and helped her in obeying God and us. But of course she (and we!) often slip back into our own selfish old patterns, and need refresher instructions.

Since it was late last Thursday night, I told her to get back into God's circle of protection and blessing and work on her heart she would either have a spanking in the AM or memorize 2 Bible passages from Proverbs based on instruction. Memorizing verses really helps our children and us hold God's love and teaching in our hearts and minds (I often memorize verses during my almost daily exercise). Annika chose to learn the Bible verses and even enlisted the aid of her best friend Kristen to help her on the bus ride to and from school (you can see the Holy Spirit working all the time for God's kingdom- helping Kristen too!). When she walked in our front door she perfectly knew both verses - the above Proverbs 4:23, and Proverbs 4:3 "Hold on to (and obey) instruction, do not let it go, guard it well for it is your life"... Thank you God and Holy Spirit!

You can read my chapter by chapter review of Mr. Tripp's book in my July 19th blog or under the "Resources" tab on our main website. I will retype here the review of the chapter "Infancy to Childhood: Training Objectives".

A child must learn that he is an individual under authority. He has been made by and for God and has responsibility to honor and obey God in all things. Ephesians 6:1 "Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth." Children must be taught that they can stay within God's circle of blessing and safety by honoring and obeying and submitting to their parents, and the function of communication and the rod is to rescue them from their disobedience back into God's blessing. Obedience is willing submission of one person to the authority of another (and often means doing something that we do not want to do). A child must be taught to do what he is told--without challenge, without excuse, and without delay. You can teach them to make an appeal, but only when they--begin to obey immediately (not after an appeal), be prepared to obey either way, appeal in a respectful manner, and accept the result of the appeal with a gracious spirit. Knowing our native resistance to authority (selfishness) and inablility to always do what God has commanded, we are confronted with our need for the grace and power of Jesus Christ. Training our children to do what they ought, regardless of how they fee, prepares them to be a person who lives by principle rather than mood or impulse. Genuine submission to Godly authority bears good fruit.

Marriage Tip

Keep Listening and Talking - taken from the book "Simple Secrets Couples Should Know" by Bob and Emilie Barnes
"Dear brothers, don't ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry." James 1:19

There are 3 partners in a Christian marriage - husband, wife, and Jesus Christ. For healthy communication to exist, there must be communication between all 3 partners. If there is a breakdown in dialog between any 2 members, the breakdown will automatically affect the third member of the partnership. Dwight Small says, "Lines open to God invariable open to one another, for a person cannot be genuinely open to God and closed to his mate... God fulfills His design for Christian marriage when lines of communication are first open to Him." If you and your mate are having difficulty communicating, the first are to check is your individual devotional life with God.

The Barnes' state that whenever they suffer a breakdown in relating with each other, it is because one of them has failed to talk with God on a regular basis. When both are communicating with God regularly, they generally enjoy excellent communication with each other. They show the diagram of a triangle with God at the top and each mate at the other corners. As the diagram suggests, the closer they both are to God, the closer they are together. The inverse is also true - the farther we move away from God by not communicating with Him, the farther apart we will be from our mates.

My next blog I will outline suggestions on how to communicate better.

Suggestions for Romance
*Take complete charge of the children for an AM or PM and tell your mate to do what they would like.
*Learn to delegate at work more, so you can come home at a good hour to be with your mate and family.
*Both husband and wife try being totally positive, accepting, supportive, and nonjudgmental for one entire week. no complaining, nagging, or preaching.
*Take a risk--be romantic.
*Rent a convertible on a sunny day and cruise around just the two of you.
*Serve your spouse breakfast on Saturday morning.
*While on the road, send your spouse a postcard every day you're away.
*Write your spouse a love letter and mail it to your home.
*Record your favorite love songs from the time you were dating and play them in the car as you travel.

My Bible study class this week - still doing "Experiencing God" by Blackaby
My memory verse for the week (and I usually learn during my exercise time), Hebrews 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him.", and next week is Luke 14:33, "Any of you who does not give up everything cannot be my disciple."
Mr. Blackaby writes that adjusting your life to God is the second critical turning point in your knowing and doing the will of God. The first turning point was the crises of belief: you must believe that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. Without faith in God, you will make the wrong decision at this first turning point. Adjusting your life to what God wants to do through you is another turning point. If you choose to make the adjustment, you can move on to obedience. If you refuse to make the adjustment, you will miss what God has in store for you. The Spirit's job is to guide you according to the Father's will. Then He enables you to do God's will. Mr. Blackaby notes three statements about adjustments and obedience:
1. I cannot stay where I am and go with God at the same time.
2. Obedience is costly to me and those around me (and I can trust God to care for me and my family).
3. Obedience requires total dependence on God to work through me.
A method is never the key to accomplishing God's work. The key is our relationship with a Person - God wants you to know Him, not a method or formula. If we follow someone else's plan, use a method, or emphasize a program, we tend to forget about our dependence on God. We leave the relationship with God and go after a method or program, which Mr. Blackaby calls spiritual adultery. He notes that only God has the right to tell you what to do. Wait before God until He tells you what His will and plans are for you, and then trust Him to enable you. We need to die harder to self and not try harder, and lean into the Holy Spirit's guidance and power.

With hugs and all my praise to our Lord for his word, sacrifice, and guidance and inspiration!
Dr. Lisa

Our New Office!, More on Elimination Diet, Faith

Greetings from our new office right next door! We just moved into more space right next door in building 6B - remember at your next office visit, stop by anytime, and we always welcome your suggestions on how to continually better serve you! We are accepting new patients, and our best compliment is for you to recommend us to your friends and family! We want to always continue to work our hardest for your physical, emotional, and nutritional health, and care for all ages from newborn starting in the hospital to our wonderful grandparents and greatgrandparents!!!

Nutritional Update

During a small break from our office move last week, us doctors had a nutritional update from Dr. Ed Zimmer - our expert chiropractor and nutritionist - in Suite 8E of our office complex, 317-813-1998, www.zimmerchiropractic.com. He and his partner Dr. Abby Eaton and their office are available for chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage, and nutritional consults (and many insurances pay for chiropractic care and physical and massage therapy through his office). I will discuss more in later blogs, but below are some highlights.

Weight loss - Many people with problems losing weight after good efforts (lower calorie diet and exercise) have gluten sensitivity or other food allergies and will lose significant weight with a gluten free diet and elimination diet.

ADD (attention defict disorder) - Many children and adults show significant improvement in their ADD with a gluten free diet and elimination diet (to determine food sensitivities).

Acne problems and Allergy problems - Many children and adults benefit from the anti-inflammatory benefits from an elimination diet which discovers food sensitivities that fuel inflammation. Dr. Zimmer recommends all people with significant acne eliminate dairy products and often corn and gluten - need to do the elimination diet.

Many chronic diseases including fibromyalgia, immune disorders and others significantly benefit from the anti-inflammatory elimination diet.

Foods with greatest pesticide risks - dairy products, peanuts and peanut butter, and soft skinned fruits and veggies which are difficult to wash (like strawberries). The fruit/veggie wash sprays work well with most fruits and veggies, but not strawberries. Dr. Zimmer recommends organic milk or rice/soy/or almond milk, and organic peanuts and peanutbutter.

Elimination Diet (and Dr. Zimmer has detailed booklets for this and his treatment and detox protocols)

Basics - NO wheat/gluten, dairy, corn, red meat, excessive sugar, or foods with preservatives, food colorings, or added chemicals for 3 weeks

-learn to eat for hunger not pleasure and eat only until full

-need to carefully read labels to fully avoid gluten/wheat, corn, dairy

-good idea to have food allergy blood test before starting

Fruits - all fresh or frozen fruits (NOT large quantities of high sugar fruiits like dried fruits, pineapple, grapes, bananas and at most 4-6 oz of 100% fruit juice/day)

Vegetables - all Fresh raw, steamed, sauteed, juiced or roasted (NOT corn)

Starch rarely - rice, oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, tapioca, buckwheat, potatoes (NOT wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut, rye, anything with gluten)

Bread/cereal rarely - anything made from the grains listed above (not the ones in the NOT)

Legumes (beans) - all including peas and lentils (no restrictions unless allergic to any)

Nuts/seeds - almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, peanuts, hazel nuts (no restrictions unless allergic to some)

Meat/fish - all fresh organic fish, lamb, chicken, turkey, wild game, eggs, shellfish (if not allergic) - NOT beef/pork/cold cuts/hot dogs/sausage

Milk products - rice/soy/almond/coconut milks, goat milk (NOT any cow products like milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, butter, ice cream)

Fats - oils like extra virgin olive, flaxseed, canola, safflower, sunflower, sesame (NOT margarine, butter, shortening, mayonnaise, spreads, trans fats)

Beverages - filtered/distilled water-best to drink at least 1/2-1 gallon/day (Dr. Miller drinks at least a 13oz bottle of water before each meal and mid afternoon), herbal teas, mineral water (NOT soda pop, alcohol, coffee, tea, caffeinated beverages - but can drink a small amount of coffee or tea each day - 1 cup)

Spices/condiments - vinegar, all spices including salt, pepper, cinnamon, dill, cumin, garlic, ginger, turmeric, oregano, parsely, thyrme, mustard, etc. (NOT chocolate, ketsup, relish, BBQ sauce)

Sweeteners - brown rice syrup, stevia, blackstrao molasses, xylitol, honey, real maple syrup, rapadura sugar (NOT corn syrup, processed maple syrup, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners)

Gluten-free diet helpful resources

-http://gfkitchen.server101.com and http://www.csaceliacs.org/

Glycemic foods - want an index number below 50 for a low glycemic food - http://www.glycemicindex.com/

I will write more about this later!!!

Faith

In my woman's Bible study group we are doing a great life and faith bulding study "Experiencing God" by Blackaby. Mr. Blackaby teaches from the Bible and scripture that...

1. God is always at work around you (and we need to open our eyes and hearts to God).

2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal (and EVERYTHING in your life depends upon the quality of your love relationship with God).

3. God invites you to become involved with Him and His work.

4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways (and these are actual encounters with our living God!).

5. God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crises of belief that requires faith and action (the way I live my life is a testimony of what I believe about God and has eternal dimensions for God's kingdom and my descendants).

6. You must make major adjustmen ts in your life to join God in what He is doing (God does not adjust to me, and I must make sure as I pray and live that I really want "Thy will be done" and NOT MY will be done).

7. You come to know God by experience as you trust and obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you (and "He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" and fills us with the fruit of His Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control, and gives us total victory!).

Hebrews 11:6

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

With my hugs, prayers, and thanks!

Dr. Lisa

Mediterranean Diet, Erics Tips for Older Adult Exercise, Are You Spent?

Happy Valentine’s Day! It is a good reminder of the greatest commandment – to LOVE! We are called not only to love the “joys” in our life (those easy to love), but also our “testys” (those that are irritating to us), “foes” (those we do not like), and “fars” (those we do not know – like the Haitiens). Phillip Yancy in his terrific book “What’s so Amazing About Grace” states, “You only love God as much as you love the person you like the least.”…

I hope and pray you all have stayed safe and warm and healthy with all our snow and cold weather! Please remember to take your vitamins (most important daily fish oil 1 gram and daily vitamin D), get at least 7 hours sleep, eat healthy (5-10 servings veggies and fruits/day), and drink plenty of water (1/2-1 gallon/day).

Mediterranean Diet – Basics of the World’s Healthiest Diet

A Mediterranean Diet is the eating habits traditionally followed by people living in the 16 counties surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The common thread is a diet that is plant-based and low in meat and moderate in fat – with most of the fat coming from olive oil. This diet is a healthy way to reduce weight and maintain excellent health and body weight throughout a longer life (and decreased risks of diabetes, inflammatory conditions, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, macular eye degeneration, and digestive ailments).

Key components of the Mediterranean diet include:

Near daily exercise and eating your meals with your family and friends

Eating a generous amount of vegetables and fruits (about 3 cups of veggies and 2 cups of fruit per day)

Consuming healthy fats like olive oil and canola oil (or sesame, peanut, walnut or grapeseed) – 1-2 tablespoons daily (sprinkle over salads or veggies or pasta sparingly because 1 tablespoon has 120 calories)

Flavoring foods with herbs and spices instead of salt – like oregano, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, anise, garlic and pepper (1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano has as many antioxidants as 3 cups of spinach)

Eating small portions of nuts (high in antioxidants and heart healthy fats, 1 – 1 ½ ounces daily, especially walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, peanuts, and natural peanut butter)

Drinking wine in moderation (for women one glass of red wine with meals, more than that raises you risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and breast cancer) or if you do not drink then a small amount of grape juice may be beneficial

Consuming whole grains (2 - 4 ½ cup servings per day – 1 slice of bread is one serving) and beans (1/2-2/3cup cooked beans at least 3 times per week) – any type of bean is an excellent source of low fat protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber – including kidney, black, red, fava, garbanzo, cannellini, edaname, lima, lentils, soy nuts, split peas

Eat fish and poultry as your main sources of protein – eat fish at least twice a week, and chicken, turkey, or eggs every other day (less than 4 eggs/week)

Limit red meat (and only lean red meat at most one serving per week) and sweets (just a few times a week, and eat fruit as your sweet instead, such as apple slices sprinkled sparingly with sugar and cinnamon) and avoid highly processed foods, and whenever possible eat seasonally fresh and locally grown foods

Eat only a low to moderate amount of low fat cheese and yogert (2-3 servings per day) and limit butter

Know the percentages – 50% carbohydrates (from vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains), 35% fat (from healthy oils, nuts, seeds, and fish), and 15% protein (from beans, fish, nuts, dairy, poultry, and eggs)

When eating out – choose items with plenty of veggies but not much cream sauces or cheese, such as vegetarian pasta tossed in olive oil and sprinkled lightly with Parmesan cheese, or baked chicken with a salad (only dip your fork in the dressing on the side) or steamed vegetables

Count Calories – to lose weight, a 150 lb. woman should eat 1200-1400 calories a day to lose about 1 lb. per week, and for the same woman to maintain her weight about 1800 calories per day

Sample Mediterranean Diet
Breakfast:
-1/3 cantaloupe
-1 slice whole grain toast
-2 tsp natural peanut butter
-1/2-1 apple

Lunch:
-2c. fresh spinach salad
-2 oz grilled chicken
-1 tbs. olive oil
-1 tbs. vinaigrette
-1 small whole wheat pita
-1/2-1 apple

Dinner:
-5 oz. fish
-1 small sweet potatoe
-2-3 c. broccoli, carrots, peppers, onions sautéed in garlic and olive oil
-1 c. fresh fruit

Snack:
-1 small handful of nuts to be eaten midmorning or mid-afternoon

Fitness Tips
By
Eric Walden
Published by IDEA Fitness Journal: Feb 2010

Exercise and Physical Activity Guidelines for Older Adults:

Exercise for Health
- Do a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity per week
- For greater health benefits, increase the duration, frequency and intensity of exercise

Endurance Exercise

Frequency and Duration
With moderate-intensity activities, accumulate a total of 150-300 minutes a week in bouts of 10 minutes or more (up to 60 for greater benefits) per day. With vigorous-intensity activities, complete total of 75-150 minutes per week in 20-30 minutes work bouts.

Intensity
Using a subjective assessment range of 0-10, let 506 represent moderate-intensity exertion and 7-8 signify vigorous-intensity effort.

Type
Use any exercise mode that does not trigger orthopedic stress to the body, for clients with lower-extremity limitations, water exercise, walking elliptical training and stationary cycling may be more advantageous, owing to the minimal-impact stresses.

Resistance Training

Frequency and Intensity
Complete resistance training at least twice per week at a moderate (5-6 intensity on a 10- point scale) or vigorous (7-8) intensity.

Type
Do 8-10 progressive weight training exercises involving the major muscles of the body. Weight-bearing calisthenics and stair climbing are also beneficial.

Flexibility Exercise

Frequency and Intensity
Do stretching exercises at least 2 days per week at moderate (5-6) intensity on the 0-10 scale.

Type
Perform static stretches that maintain and/or increase the desired range of motion for the selected joint or group of joints.

Balance Exercise for Frequent Fallers and Older Adults with Mobility Problems

At this time, the research does not specify an optimal dose (frequency, intensity, time, duration) for balance exercises. That said, the ACSM guidelines for balance include gradually more challenging exercises that reduce the base of balance support (e.g., two-legged stationary stand with legs different widths apart, weight shifting from one leg to the other, one-legged stand); dynamic movements that challenge the center of gravity (e.g., walking in the circle or figure eight and changing direction and speed); exercise that challenged the posture muscles (e.g., heal stands and toe stands); and movements that challenge sensory input (e.g., standing movements with eyes closed).

Family and Faith

Sermon Series on the theme “Spent” from my church, TPCC with minister Aaron Brockett and based on 1Kings 17:12-14
The Bible talks most about money because where our treasure goes there our heart goes also. Aaron reminded us that we come into the world with nothing and go out with nothing. What we fill our hands with can rob us of life. Our money is a temporary gift from God that just passes through our hands and needs to be spent wisely. Actually, everything we have is on rent from God. In Proverbs chapter 3, God states we need to give our FIRST fruits (first 10 percent to tithe to God for His kingdom and heaven work) and then the Lord will bless us. Aaron says that one of the most frequent questions he gets asked is “do I tithe on gross or net?” – his answer is which do you want God to bless – your gross or net? In Matthew 6:19, “Store your treasures in heaven, where they will not be destroyed.” God does not need our money (He is all powerful!), but He wants our heart and love and knows that where our treasure goes so our heart goes also. Tithing is our training and proof that we are trusting and believing God. Aaron talked about the trust needed in the trapeze artists – the flier needs to keep his arms outstretched to be caught by the catcher and trust that the strong arms of the catcher will catch him. If the flier tries to grab the catcher, really bad things happen. We are the fliers with our arms outstretched to God, and with our faith we trust Him to always catch us as He promises in the Bible. “Fear not” is the most common command from God to us in the Bible.
Last Sunday Aaron talked about when we are “spent up”. When we are stressed and feeling spent up at so many different times and in so many different ways, there is almost always too much of ME (and trying to do things on our own power) and not enough of God. The only remedy for being “spent” is to trust and allow God to fill you up in the face of difficult circumstances. Contentment and happiness is something that we learn if we are willing and something we can have and choose with God’s Spirit in us regardless of our circumstances and even in our worst trials. To be fulfilled and get full, we need less of me and more of God.

Parenting Tip: We as parents need to first learn and model and practice, and then teach and explain these truths from God about money and possessions to our children!

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Thank you for reading and considering - you all are so very special!.. My prayers for you and your family and our country and world, that there is so much more of God and His power and Spirit, and less of me (and my self centered will). May we actively trust and believe, and then all will be so powerfully magnified in His will!
Hugs,
Dr. Lisa