Gentle Reader, Traveling again, and wanted so much to have a healthy retreat. I flew to Santa Fe for a long weekend to sit, walk and write with Natalie Goldberg at the Upaya Zen Center. November in Santa Fe worried me. I packed long johns, silk undershirts, leg warmers and turtle necks and vests. It …
Category Archives: Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis
Knee pain
Gentle Reader, My knee complains. Knee pain from the old injury is caused by arthritis. In the forest searching for chanterelles, my companions and I climb steeply to the plateau, second growth northwest forest of red cedar, western hemlock, Douglas fir, alder and vine maple. The understory is mossy in places, the green blanket providing …
Keep Moving
Hello, Gentle Reader, In end every post with “be well, do well and Keep Moving.” But I spend most of my day at the computer, sitting for hours. What’s to be done? You probably don’t move all day at your work, either. I was talking with my hair stylist, suggesting a trip for her family …
low back pain
Gentle Reader, Yicks! Low back pain. Leg numbness. JR, my twenty something trainer, moved me up to a new set of exercises last week. I’m not the only ancient mariner at the Xgym by a long shot, but the way they schedule us in half hour slots for a 25 minute hands-on workout, I don’t …
Eggplant bad for arthritis?
Gentle Reader, Is eggplant bad for arthritis? Those of us who suffer the pain of arthritis, especially osteoarthritis, have the uneasy belief that night shade plants including eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers make the pain worse. This article came across my desk thanks to Kate McCoy, LMT and friend. I was delighted to see how many …
avoid mosquito bites
Gentle Reader, Since this is the season when mosquitoes terrorize our back yard suppers, I want to offer some suggestions for how to avoid mosquito bites without resorting to DEET and other highly toxic preventative applications. For people who suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis, even a mosquito bite can produce a flare-up. Luckily, I have not …
OTC pain meds
Gentle Reader, The aftermath of my bike crash calls into question two of my closely held beliefs: OTC pain meds are bad for you; keep moving, no matter what. I was on the dunes path at Long Beach, WA with twelve Finneys of all ages. Nothing like a little crowd around the beginning of the …
bike crash
Gentle Reader, I did not write last week. I had to let the effects of a bike crash at the beach take hold before I let you in on it. I was off at the beach with the Finneys, my stepfamily, who turned out in big numbers to enjoy Long Beach, WA’s wave action, drift …
control arthritis pain
Gentle Reader, I am back from a glorious trip to the East Coast for a college reunion, then to England to visit friends and do a long walk through Yorkshire and Westmorland. You can read about these meanderings at www.EmpoweredGrandma.net. More and more people my age (I’ll turn 77 in three weeks), give up adventures …
Anti-aging
Gentle Reader, So much determines well-being: good friends, love and happiness, nourishing food, a sense of spiritual fulfillment, a personal sense of purpose and meaning, deep restorative rest are at the top of the list. When these ingredients are present over a person’s life, they seem to have an anti-aging effect. Scientists and explorers have …