Received this e-mail newsletter from The Pantry Lady. She manages the organic foods co-op that I belong to. Here information is good stuff. Just passing it along to our readers. Cheers ~ Roberta
Building Blocks of Health - Vitamin B9
What is it and How Does it Work?
Vitamin B9 also known ad Folic Acid or Folate plays an important role in the body by making new cells. It helps form the genetic material DNA and RNA which act as a blueprint for cell production.
During pregnancy when cell production is at it’s most rapid, Folic acid is essential for protecting the fetus from neural tube defects which can lead to disorders such as Spinal Bifida, brain tumors, cardiovascular problems, poor nerve development and limb defromities. In severe cases, lack of Folic acid can lead to anencephaly (mal-formation or lack of a brain). This is why it is very important for women who are or could become pregnant to take in at least 400 to 600 mcg of Folic Acid per day since cell growth starts at the moment of conception.
Some people use Folic Acid to prevent colon or cervical cancer. A deficiency of the vitamin makes the cells of the cervix more susceptible to viral attack which can lead to cancer.
Folic acid can also help prevent stroke or heart disease by clearing the body of excess homocysteine. By doing this, it helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In a recent study, people who consumed at least 300 mcg of folic acid per day had a 20% lower risk of stroke and a 13% lower risk of heart disease.
Can I get too little?
Oh yes you can. Symptoms for a folic acid deficiency include diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and a red sore swollen tongue. low amounts during pregnancy include the symptoms discussed earlier.
Some medications can interfere with the body’s ability to use this vitamin so check with your doctor. Also B9 supplements should always be taken along with B12 and B6 as these vitamins work together. B12 helps free the the folate for absorption.
Can I take too much?
In most cases no. B9 is a water-soluble nutrient so what your body does not use, it flushes away. However, folic acid will interfere with the action of anti seizure and anticancer medications. People with epilepsy should not take high doses of folic acid because it might cause seizures. Cancer patients should also avoid folic acid because the cancer drug blocks folic acid to starve cancer cells.
Where can I find it?
Folate is derived from the word foliage. Folate can be found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach. It is also found in broccoli, asparagus, seeds, liver and dried peas and beans. Folate is damaged by heat so don’t cook with too much water or heat. For best results, eat the vegetables raw or juiced for maximum benefit.
How much do I need?
Infants
1-6 months - 65mcg per day
7-12 months - 80mcg per day
Children
1-3 years - 150 mcg per day
4-8 years - 200 mcg per day
9-13 years - 300 mcg per day
Adults 13-up
Men - 400 mcg
Women - 400-600 mcg per day
Pregnant women 600-800 mcg per day
Nursing women 500 mcg per day
Spinach from our garden that Popeye would be proud of!
Jeanne Kelly is a professional singer, conductor, and pianist who has worked for many years with major opera companies and symphonies in the Washington-Baltimore area, where she lives. In 2001, she was directing the Levine School of Music’s Arlington, Virginia, program when Dr. Gene Cohen approached her with an idea.
Dr. Cohen, who died in 2009, was one of the nation’s leading researchers on the effects that creativity can have on older adults and the aging process. He directed the Center on Aging, Health, and Humanities at George Washington University, where he was a professor of health-care sciences, psychiatry, and behavioral sciences.
Cohen helped to create a national movement around positive aging and argued against the old stereotype that aging leads inevitably to a decline in physical and mental capacit. His pioneering research demonstrated that life after 65 can be an important period of creativity and intellectual growth.
Encore chorales are made up of singers 55-plus. Some read music; some don’t. The goal of the groups is to sing, rehearse, perform, and have fun.
Cohen wanted to talk with Kelly about a new research project that would attempt to measure the impact on older adults of participation in a professionally run arts organization. He asked Kelly to help get the project started by forming several chorales for older adult singers that he could study. She’d need to start two new singing groups to join with a seniors’ chorale she already was directing at a local senior living facility.
Kelly formed the groups, which embarked on an ambitious and professionally oriented program of rehearsal and performance. Cohen’s research—conducted over a three-year period—focused on comparing the singing seniors with control groups that didn’t participate in similar activities.
The key finding: Sustained involvement in Kelly’s program resulted in a measurable, positive impact on overall health and longevity, doctor visits, medication use, falls, loneliness, and morale.
Meanwhile, Kelly—who was 51 herself when she first got involved in Cohen’s work—got hooked on arts programs for older adults. In 2007, she founded a not-for-profit organization called Encore Creativity for Older Adults to manage and develop the senior chorales. “I decided that I wanted to simply do art for older adults. We’ve expanded enormously since then, which tells me that people are retiring and they want sophistication, and that they want to carry on what they were doing in their careers or find something wonderful they have never done before.”
Jeanne Kelly
When Kelly first formed the chorales, the average singer’s age was 80, and many of them are still singing with Kelly 10 years later. Chorales have been formed in 10 locations around the Washington-Baltimore area, with singers ranging in age from 55 to 97. Encore Chorales are “no-cut”—anyone can join—but they’re dead serious about performance and professionalism. “Some have a background in singing, and some have never sung in their lives—someone at some point told them, ‘You shouldn’t sing.’ But if you teach someone to sing they will get it. We just seat them next to someone who is strong.” The chorales rehearse for two 15-week sessions each year; they give eight concerts in May and another eight each December. Their performing venues include the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Encore Creativity for Older Adults also runs 206 camps for singers at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York and at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a dance-and-movement program in Arlington, Virginia. Most recently, Kelly launched a singing program designed for residents of assisted-living facilities. “I hated the idea of assisted living being a real dead end, especially artistically,” she says. “Many people are there because of mobility problems, and the program has had excellent results.”
“This post is republished with permission from Music After 50 (http://www.musicafter50.com), where it first appeared.”
Over a week now I’ve had a strong desire to make dandelion wine again. I sat down & drafted my little Dandelion Wine Incident memoir piece & will post it once it is revised and typed up. Today I read about dandelion flower essence. Wow! That is just what I need to come back to balance.
I made flower essences several years ago. It’s very easy and they have been used medicinally for centuries. Here is an excerpt about dandelions from the Fower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz.
“Dandelion - Positive qualities: Dynamic, effortless energy; lively activity balanced with inner ease. Patterns of imbalance: Overly tense, especially in the musculature of the body, overstriving and hard-driving
Cross-references: Body Grief Hardness Heart Masculine Consciousness Massage Mid-Life Crisis Perfectionism Relaxation Release Repression Resistance Study Tension Time Relationship Work and Career Goals
The soul needing Dandelion essence feels a natural intensity and love for life. Such individuals are compulsive “doers” who enter with great zeal and zest into many activities. Unfortunately, they can over-plan and over-form their lives beyond the natural capacity of the body to sustain such intensity. Furthermore, such persons may become unable to experience more contained moments of reflective activity. The unexpressed inner life of the soul and the harsh demands on the body collide to create extreme tension, especially in the musculature. The Dandelion flower teaches these individuals how to listen more closely to emotional messages and bodily needs. As tension is released the soul feels more inner ease and balance, allowing spiritual forces to flow through the body in a dynamic, effortless way.
Think your genes have sealed your fate? Not so fast: While heredity holds some sway over how long you live, there is plenty you can do to improve your chances, says Walter M. Bortz II, M.D., co-author of “The Roadmap to 100: the Breakthrough Science of Living a Long and Healthy Life.” Here are 10 questions to ask your doctor about how to live longer.
1. Do I have any control over my longevity? Absolutely. Most of what people think of as aging is really inactivity. The important differentiation is that you can do something about disuse, but you can’t do anything about aging.
Aging is not a disease. You can’t cure it, so you need a whole different way of thinking about it. I don’t think doctors have much to do with it. They want to fix things. Aging is not something to be fixed. It’s an energy issue, not a fix-it issue.
2. What are the proven strategies for a longer life? Long-living populations certainly do not have high-tech medicine. The recent Blue Zones series by National Geographic found commonalities between populations with high numbers of people over 90: exercising, relaxing, having spirituality or a belief system, having a purpose in life, prioritizing family, belonging to a community, drinking red wine in moderation, eating plant-based foods and stopping eating when 80 percent full.
It’s much more of a lifestyle issue. A recent study by Harvard University doctors found that smoking,diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure were all associated with men dying before the age of 90, while exercising regularly — enough to break a sweat — was linked to living to 90 or older. Diabetes and obesity are largely linked to eating habits. And those men were in better physical and emotional shape than the ones who lived fewer years.
3. How big a role does genetics play in my lifespan? A number of us have done studies with twins. If genes were the master determinant, twins would die on the same day of the same disease. Genetics determine about 15 percent of the difference in longevity between people. So genes matter a little bit but not very much. It ain’t the cards you’re dealt; it’s how you play the hand.
4. What eating habits are associated with long life? It’s the standard high plant food, low animal fat emphasis. Mediterranean diets that are high in fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil have been shown to be better for lifespan than, say, meat-heavy diets. The National Cancer Institute found that people who eat lots of red and processed meat have a higher risk of death, especially from heart disease and cancer, than those who eat little meat.
5. Are there drugs or supplements I can take to live longer? There’s no way you can go down to Walgreens and buy a “don’t get old” miracle pill. Nobody has yet shown that antioxidants and vitamins do any good at all.
6. How can exercise help me live longer? Exercising turns on the good genes and turns off the bad ones. Research at the University of South Carolina found that men could reduce their risk of dying by an estimated 37 percent and women by 50 percent over an eight-year period just by becoming physically active.
The President’s Council of Physical Fitness recommends at least two and a half hours a week of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking or gardening. The most important step is the first step. Every successive step after that further helps.
7. Does too much stress shave years off my lifespan? Of course. The Greeks taught, “Everything in moderation.” When you’re stressed, you’re overexpressing your anxiety. Not only has research linked stress to worse immunity, but studies have found that people who experience prolonged stress die sooner than those who aren’t chronically anxious.
8. Will having sex help me live longer? Sex is good for longevity, too. A study in Wales showed that people who had good sex lived longer. Middle-aged men who had two or more orgasms a week were less than half as likely to die over the 10 years they were followed than other men. And a study at Duke University showed that more sex for men and better sex for women were associated with longer lives. Why would that be? It’s part of the quality of life.
9. What do relationships have to do with longevity? Obviously, people live longer if they’re in a social environment. A study that followed people 65 and up for 13 years found that those who volunteered, got together with friends and even ran errands saw just as much benefit to their lifespan as those who exercised. Other research has found that people who are socially isolated are less able to fight infection. When you stop being engaged, you withdraw from work, you withdraw from sex, you withdraw from reading magazines, and when you do that, your body goes into an inactive, boredom mode and you don’t do well.
10. Even if I manage to live a long time, am I doomed to lose my memory as I get older? There have been studies on supercentenarians, people over 110. Madame Jeanne Calment — the oldest living woman on record, who lived to 122 — didn’t have dementia. So if people over 110 don’t have dementia, does that mean it’s not an inevitable consequence? Certainly the incidence goes up: More than 5 million Americans 65 and older have Alzheimer’s, and by 2050, anywhere from 11 to 16 million Americans will, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. However, it’s not necessarily inevitable.
Your brain is a muscle, and it behaves just like one when used appropriately. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, and a study published last year by Columbia University doctors who followed around 2,000 elderly people for 14 years found that those who were physically active had a 29 to 50 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those who didn’t move around, depending on how active they were. Some scientists believe having more education lowers your risk, and reading the newspaper regularly has been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. Writing letters to the editor, running for public office, having a pet and reading good magazines all are ways of exercising your brain.
The saying “The teacher appears when the student is ready…” is oh so true. The other month I ordered this book titled A Practical Guide To Vibrational Medicine EnergyHealing and Spiritual Transformation by Richard Gerber, M.D.. It has a great chapter on light and colored light therapy which has interested me for years. I am a practioner of tonations or colored light therapy.
The other day we had a lunch guest and she started talking about energy healing, which she is now doing for a living. She’s just recently added that to her other modalities. We were talking about how all foods and drinks have vibrational properties that are transferred to the human body at consumption of these foods and drinks.
She said “coffee” brings down a person’s vibration substantially. You want your vibration to be as high as possible. She went on to say every food has an effect on our vibrational auras and some foods increase our vibration. When she left, I got into my book here looking for food information. It does not contain that so I’ll ask her what title she’s reading and order that book. I did find this great excerpt from the above mentioned book to share with you:
“…But our cells are fed also by a continuous stream of life-force energy. We posses a variety of specialized energy-distributing systems that also support the cells and organs of our bodies. These energy systems are affected by different factors that can enhance or inhibit the flow of life-force energy to the cells and organs of our bodies. Among those critical factors are such things as our emotions, our relationships to others, our ability to give and to receive love, and even our relationship with God….”
If you are on a quest for good health, great energy and the will to accomplish much, this is a great book. ~ R
While cleaning through some paper mountains, I came across a paper that has the name of about 5 book titles. So I checked out amazon.com for the one below. Found this at some website and thought it is good information. I’ve made flower essences in the past and believe that plants can heal, even the flowers of plants. I also use color healing and have given my children tonations as well as myself. Shining colored light on the body also makes changes at the cellular level. So here’s what Partricia has to say about flowers.
Affirmations: The Messages of the Flowers in Transformative Words for the Soul
What are Affirmations?The word affirmationcontains the core meaning of “firm,” suggesting that which is strong and secure. Significantly, this word connotes two simultaneous directions - downward to the terra firmaof the earth on which we stand, and upwards to the vault of heaven, the enveloping firmamentof the universe. Affirmations bridge heaven and earth by engaging the soul in a creative process through which the archetypal “Word becomes flesh.”
Affirmations are a specialized activity within the larger field of soul processes such as meditation, contemplation and prayer. They are elegant and evocative words which enable the soul to initiate positive goals of inner development. It is a tenet of all spiritual teachings, as well as business and professional training programs, that the ordering of thought and the harmonizing of feeling has powerful impact on our ability to manifest change, both within ourselves and within the world.
The unique value of the affirmations written for this project of the Flower Essence Society, is that they are correlated to specific flowers. Throughout human culture, many poets and mystics have attempted to express a language of flowers. Even the most hardened among us can recognize that the flowers embody an exquisite language of the soul. This is why we use flowers to express our inmost feelings in all forms of human celebration and commemoration - from birth, to marriage, to death.
Flowers are Spiritual Messengers
If flowers are capable of rousing refined feelings within the soul life, perhaps it is because the soul itself is akin to a blossom. Many spiritual teachers have likened the chakras or energy centers of the spiritual human being to “lotus blossoms” or “petals” which unfold and become activated through earnest moral development.
Flowers are spiritual messengers, or living archetypes of divine creation able to reveal themselves within human consciousness. The pathway toward understanding a flower is much more than the accumulation of “information.” To appreciate the spiritual dimension of Nature, one must be prepared to change one’s heart, one’s method of perception.
Human souls who sojourn in the spiritual world cannot behold a flower as we do here on earth; rather the soul must be able to inwardly realize the virtuewhich a flower radiates. Here on earth we take the living beauty of Nature for granted through our innate physical perception. But the spiritual dimensions of Nature can only be revealed if we are committed to a path of moral development through inner seeing, hearing, and knowing.
Working with Affirmations in a Living Way
In our age, we are inundated with many “positive thought” programs which may appear to be similar but can have markedly different results. The affirmations written in this series are of spiritual intent. They are not materialistic means for health, wealth, or fame. To wish for a specific thing or condition in the physical world is ultimately fruitless if it is not in harmony with the valid needs of the soul. True fortune is that which brings wealth to the spiritual life, enabling the soul to acquire the priceless jewels of virtue and moral strength. Therefore the right use of an affirmation is to precipitate inner changes that are in harmony with soul destiny. In this manner, the soul will attract what it needs in the material world for its welfare.
Furthermore, affirmations must work in such a way that they reflect our conscious choice and inner willingness to change. Many forms of hypnosis and subliminal programming bypass awake willing and comprehension. These programs may achieve limited success in modifying outer behavior, but only mindful inner work which strengthens and deepens soul consciousness can bring enduring transformation. There is an old proverb which states:
Sow a thought, reap an action; Sow an action, reap a habit; Sow a habit, reap a character; Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Viewed from this vantage point, affirmations are an important beginning step along the pathway of genuine character development and life manifestation.
Working consciously with affirmations can be a challenging process. Taking self responsibility for inner change quickly brings the recognition that there are no panaceas which can instantly cure. True healing is an organic step-by-step process which gradually leads to inner mastery. At the first stage of engaging an affirmation, we typically need to open to the pain of our predicament. For example, an affirmation may champion courage and clarity, yet inside we may feel confused and afraid. Rather than avoid the affirmation or suppress one’s conflicted feelings, the opportunity is there to live with the sting and tension of the contradiction.
The “interval” between one’s spiritual potential and the present situation is an enormously fruitful area for healing. As the soul registers and acknowledges this dissonance, it strives to find a harmonic concordance. Through this creative process, the words of the affirmation work incrementally to become true and firm. As the plant grows and blossoms in its dance between light and dark, so also do the creative forces of the human soul emerge.
Therefore, the affirmations are intended to lead the individual from an honest recognition of a state of mind or feeling, toward a process of soul alchemy. They suggest past, present and future potentials of consciousness. The soul is called to acknowledge the present pain or conflict and work toward resolution and integration. Ultimately, the soul radiates the awakened virtue.
The affirmations call upon the “I AM” awareness of the Self. This is not the lower personality or the ego, but the voice of the Higher Self which has divine awareness of the spiritual world. Regardless of one’s religious or spiritual affiliation, this awareness of the I AM is a sacred and eternal truth.
Practical Techniques for Anchoring the AffirmationAffirmations are best utilized in a gradual, incremental way. It is ideal to select a single affirmation which is central to one’s developmental journey. If several affirmations are used, they should be applied in rhythmic intervals—such as consecutive days, with every third or fourth day beginning a new sequence. Rather than cluttering or overwhelming the mind, it is best use the affirmations in a spacious and graceful manner, so that the words move from the surface intellect to the deep space of the heart-mind.
It is not necessary to repeat the affirmations constantly, in fact this can deplete their inherent strength. Choose a time in daily life when there is a space for dedicated inner work and meditation. In this tranquil atmosphere, you need say the affirmation so that you breathe your entire being and focus of attention into the words until they ignite as a living fire within the soul.
It can be helpful to write the affirmations and keep them in a sacred place in your bedroom or office. You may also want to carry the affirmations with you, and call upon their power at a point in the day when you most need to be reminded or fortified. Most importantly, make a steadfast intention to return to the affirmations on a regular basis, much as you would plant a seed and water it conscientiously.
The length of time during which you use an affirmation can vary. Be mindful of building a rhythm—weekly or monthly intervals are excellent ones to consider. You may want to come back to a core affirmation again and again over a series of months or years so that its inner reality anchors into deeper strata of the soul.
It can be very beneficial to explore and expand the meaning of an affirmation through artistic means. Mandalas can help to integrate the various aspects of an affirmation or the tensions and polarities which emerge while working with it. Simple washes of color which evoke the mood and feeling of the affirmation can help the soul to imagine its activity in the aura. Journal writing can be an especially illumining way to explore the nuances of feeling and the inner dialogue which may accompany the transformative process. As one encounters the affirmation, additional words naturally emerge, and the core affirmation can be re-crafted with personal emphasis. However, keep in mind that the entire structure should be as direct and clear as possible.
Integrating Affirmations with Flower Essence Therapy
Many practitioners report on the profound impact which the affirmations have in their therapeutic programs with clients. For example, just holding the flower essence and saying the indicated affirmation during a healing session can initiate remarkable insight and emotional awakening.
Using flower essences and saying affirmations are two synergistic modalities with complementary points of origin. The affirmations begin in the conscious thought life, and gradually penetrate many levels of body-soul reality. The liquid “nature words” of the flower essences are directly absorbed into the body-soul and then work to illumine the thoughts and feelings.
Most choose to work with the affirmations in tandem with the flower essences, while others may prefer to continue with the affirmations even after the essences have been discontinued. Some clients may feel that the affirmations require too much conscious focus and prefer instead to experience the direct action of the flower essences. In some instance, practitioners may need to modify the affirmation to make it accessible to the particular needs of a client. In cases with children or where there is mental impairment, the affirmations will need special adaptation.
Even when the affirmations are not used by the client, they can generate a great deal of insight for the practitioner regarding the subtle properties and transformational capacities of a given remedy.
Concluding Thoughts: Affirmations as Seed Words
However they are used, the affirmations are offered as a way of experiencing a deeper communion with the subtle realm of flowers.
It is with real joy, but also angst, that one attempts to script living archetypes of Nature within the frail and fragile limits of human language. Therefore, please consider the affirmations as only a starting point for your inner process. Let them be approached as seed-words and place them in the soul-soil of your own heart. Your garden will bloom with its own unique blossoms.
Think your genes have sealed your fate? Not so fast: While heredity holds some sway over how long you live, there is plenty you can do to improve your chances, says Walter M. Bortz II, M.D., co-author of 
