Grab Bag Wisdom Resource:
You may have seen her on Oprah, but PBS has been airing a 2 hour lecture by Dr. Christiane Northrup, called “The Wisdom of Menopause”. I have seen bits and pieces of it. To limit this information by labeling it with menopause is a shame, as her insight into what years of poor nutrition can do should be widely disseminated. What it should be called is just “The Wisdom of Living”, and there’s plenty of great info for all, included. And of course I think she’s brilliant, as much of what she shares has appeared in the posts here at “The Bag”.
What I have seen has really impressed me. She speaks about nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, supplements, hormone replacement and more, all with a practical and individualized approach that can help you discover the health regimen that is optimum for YOU, not necessarily what is best for the masses (and who are THEY, anyway?).
Check PBS.org for the PBS schedule in your area, and set your DVR to record this special. Her book is also available here.
Grab Bag Sleepytime Tips:
About 1/3 of the world’s population has some issues with insomnia. Dr. Andrew Weil has the following tips for optimizing your chances to get into a long-term relationship with Wynken, Blynken AND Nod:
- Establish a consistent bedtime routine, and try to go to bed at the same time every night. Get plenty of exercise during the day. The more energy you expend during the day, the sleepier you will feel at bedtime.
- Reduce or eliminate your intake of caffeine, stimulants and alcohol. Even when consumed early in the day, these can affect sleep.
- Avoid large meals late in the evening.
- Learn and practice a relaxation technique regularly. Breathing exercises, meditation and yoga are good examples.
- If you can’t fall asleep within half an hour of going to bed, get up and read or do something calming until you feel sleepy.
- Use “white noise” devices to block out surrounding environmental noise.
- Take a hot bath before bedtime. Add a few drops of a relaxing bedtime bath oil that contains lavender to the water. But keep the temperature in the bedroom cool.
- Spend some time outdoors during the day to get exposure to bright, natural light.
- Try to give yourself some time – up to an hour – in dim light before you go to sleep at night.
- The two best natural sleep aids are valerian and melatonin:
- Valerian, a sedative herb, has been used for centuries. Take one to two capsules of an extract standardized to 0.8% valerenic acid a half hour before bedtime.
- Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the wake/sleep cycle and other daily biorhythms. Try sublingual tablets (to be placed under the tongue and allowed to dissolve); take 2.5 mg at bedtime as an occasional dose, making sure that your bedroom is completely dark. A much lower dose, 0.25 to 0.3 mg, may be more effective for regular use.
Grab Bag “You Like Me” Moment:
Speaking of Dr. Weil, if alert readers remember all the way back to last week, I covered the release of a study on vitamin C, showing an increase in occurrence of cataracts in 25,000 Swedish women who took ~ 1000mg. of supplemental Vitamin C. I mentioned that I had posed the issue to Dr. Weil’s website, as I feel it to be an informed resource, especially when addressing vitamin supplementation. I simply went to their website, filled out their question form with my email address for a possible reply and off it went.
Lo and behold, what to my wondering eyes does appear, but an answer, directly on the Grab Bag comment section (I had not referred to this blog when asking the question)! Read their response about appropriate amounts of vitamin C here – scroll down to the bottom of the page to read the comments.
So SOMEBODY has their cyber antennae dialed in on our little discussion here 🙂 Cool. The more the merrier.
AND… speaking of merrier… please feel free to direct anyone you feel might enjoy and benefit from what is offered here. Please note that the new web address is now easier to remember and share; it’s LKsGrabBag.com. I am happy to add anyone to the email notification list, or encourage readers to use RSS (Click on “How to RSS” in the right column of this page) to be notified automatically of new blog posts.
Grab Bag Timing Tips:
These health timing tips come from the folks at RealAge. Thanks to Judy M. for alerting me on this one:
Let’s start with aspirin. It can reduce your heart attack risk by inhibiting inflammation and blood clotting. But the same nuance of chemistry that makes aspirin offer this benefit also causes stomach irritation and even bleeding. Lower your risk by simply drinking half a glass of warm water both before and after swallowing the pill and by taking the pill 1 to 2 hours after eating.
Calcium has a different issue. The higher the amount of calcium in your supplement, the lower percentage your body can absorb. So taking the 1,200 milligrams you need in a day, plus 1,000 international units of vitamin D (1,200 if you’re over age 60), all at once isn’t optimal for you — or your bones, or your mind, or your colon. That’s why you need to down half in the morning and half in the evening (make sure you also get 400 milligrams of magnesium when taking this calcium+D combo, to avoid constipation). Your body naturally knows what newbie comedians have to find out the hard way: Timing is everything. Respect it and get healthier.
Grab Bag Perspective Moment:
Young Patrick Hughes came into the world with more problems than most of us will experience in a lifetime. What he has done with those challenges is inspirational. Thanks to Tally D. for this…
Grab Bag Cute Stuff:
Speaking of sleep…. thanks to mi madre for sending this in…
Cuteness factor:10
Grab Bag Brain Game:
Grab Bag Holiday Funny Stuff:
Thanks to sis Tally for sending this… I have seen it before, but every holiday season it’s worth a review:
HOLIDAY EATING TIPS
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It’s rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:
“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”
Have a great holiday season 🙂
LK's Grab Bag 
Happy New Year LK
I’ve really enjoyed your blog, looking forward to 52 Sundays in 2010!