Down with Dew, Up with Supplements

Once again, I have kicked my caffeine addiction. We have stopped buying Mountain Dew completely, opting for Jones root beer made with pure cane sugar. It's also a small start to eliminating high fructose corn syrup from our diets. Now that the weather has warmed up, lemonade and iced tea will again be our drinks of choice. Two weeks ago, I also started taking more daily supplements. Now every morning I take 2 OneSource multivitamins for women and one each of 5-HTP, Triple Magnesium complex, Ubiquinol, and DL-Phenylalanine, all washed down with a chocolate Ensure. The last 3 supplements are new, along with the fact that I realized I was supposed to take 2 multivitamins daily instead of just 1. ALWAYS read the label! Swanson Vitamins website (where I ordered mine) says this about the new supplements: Triple Magnesium complex - Features magnesium oxide, citrate, and aspartate for maximum bioavailability. The best supplemental source of magnesium for a strong, healthy body. One of the most important minerals in the diet, magnesium is essential for strong muscles and bones, cardiovascular health, and nervous system function. Our Triple Magnesium Complex provides a full day's supply of this vital mineral from three distinct sources to promote optimum bioavailability. Ubiquinol - CoQ10 finally comes of age--with new Ubiquinol! You know all about the heart-healthy benefits of the vitamin-like nutrient CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone, but did you know that our body has to break this nutrient down to create a useable molecule called ubiquinol? In fact, over 90% of the CoQ10 stored in the body is in the form of ubiquinol. Kaneka Nutrients, the world's leading manufacturer of pharmaceutical-quality, bio-identical CoQ10, recognized this, and after a decade of research and development, they created the first stabilized, bio-identical supplemental form of Ubiquinol. Produced from 100% natural CoQ10 through a biological fermentation process, Kaneka's Ubiquinol achieves higher elevations of circulating CoQ10 in the bloodstream with just a fraction of the dose required when using a regular CoQ10 supplement. This is especially beneficial for individuals over 50 years of age and those who have substantially lower CoQ10 levels. We proudly welcome Kaneka's 100% Pure & Natural Ubiquinol to our family of Swanson CoQ10 supplements. DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA) - Get a nutritional boost for mobility and mental health with DL-Phenylalanine (DLPA)! A great source of amino acid precursors for neurotransmitters that help regulate mood and other mental functions, DL-Phenylalanine also provides valuable support for joint flexibility. All of these supplements are recommended for fibromyalgia patients in the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing. I decided to take the DLPA because this book recommends it for pain control. Since I've been taking these new supplements, I've felt better overall. My daily pain level has decreased, while my energy level has increased. I've had only 1 rough night so far, but I also got a bottle of L-Tryptophan to take in those cases. I took some melatonin the next night and managed to get back to a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I'm going to start the Ultimate Probiotic Formula, also from Swanson. I imagine that there may be a purge, so I wanted to wait until I felt better to start taking this on a weekend. I'll update in a couple of weeks. Here's to health!

Racism Officially Dead!

Racism is officially dead. It must be, when the candidate who could be America's first African-American President is being accused of elitism. How could he be elite if racism is still alive? The irony is so delicious! I agree with Jon Stewart. I WANT my president to be superior. I want a President who is multicultural and can speak several languages. I want a President who is familiar with the teachings of many religions. I want a President who is confident enough to lead this country with a vision, one that doesn't just prop up less than 1% of the country. Heck, it ought to be a good thing when someone says "no thanks" to a cup of coffee because he prefers healthy orange juice instead. As regards the "bitter" statement, I think Barack Obama is more in touch with the majority of people in the Heartland than he's being given credit for. He was trying to explain some pretty major differences between the people living on the coasts and those who live in the center of this enormously diverse country. They don't understand us any more than we understand them, but he gets it. As someone who has been accused of having a "superiority complex" much of my life, I heartily support standing up for oneself when attacked in this manner. Statements taken out of context and repeated over and over should be corrected and put into context properly. Is this the best anyone has to suggest that Barack Obama should not be our next president???

The Rivers Are A-Risin'

As of 3/22/08

As predicted

The first time I saw an EarthChanges map, something inside me clicked. A recognition of truth, if you will. Over the years, I've held steady in the conviction that the U.S. will physically change dramatically in my lifetime. When I saw the first image above in a news story a couple of weeks ago (days before my 40th birthday), I was struck by how obvious it is that these changes are already visibly happening.

The second image above comes from the I Am America map, which predicts less drastic changes than some Maps of the Future. Whether or not any of the predictions are completely correct, the fact that large parts of the U.S. have been flooding and continue to flood is inescapable. Those who do not heed the warnings that sounded loudly when Hurricane Katrina struck can only plead stupidity, in my opinion. MOVE AWAY!

When my husband and I first started discussing buying a home, and again when we considered moving out West, these maps gave proof that we are currently living in one of the more stable areas of the country. We've already seen an increase in the flooding in our area, but our home is situated in a high area topologically. There are no large bodies of water nearby, and we have been working diligently on redirecting runoff to work to our advantage.

In an area where manufacturing jobs have been dwindling, business is booming at my husband's workplace. His company produces pumps and basins for municipal and residential use worldwide. Rumors that they are going out of business are met with a hearty laugh in our household. Only engineers working to hurriedly build levees are busier right now.

If I seem a bit smug, it's only because I believe that knowledge is an important tool, one that we have been putting to good use in making decisions that affect our very survival. With some knowledge and preparation, many "disasters" need not ever happen. Human beings need to quit arguing about whether things like global warming are real and start reacting to the events around them as though their survival depended on it. The rivers are a-rising!