Turning 80 and FitBit

Posted on December 28, 2017

Turning 80 and FitBit

Turning 80 gives me a new take on aging. Eighty is Old Age. Make no mistake. Eighty is old. Arriving here has been a contest against genetics and the hurdles life tossed in my path. I decided to get some assistance with the contest: a FitBit. The idea was to measure steps and sleep. The hospice nurse in my family suggested sleep quality is a key to better aging. Lots of people measure their steps trying for 10,000 a day. I have blogged about the value of this step-counting for your health.

Wearing a FitBit through one night made each of three trips to the bathroom a crisis of failure. Normally I slip right back into bed and sleep again. The FitBit made this nightly parade a gauntlet with a row of judges pondering their score cards, lifting a 5, one after the other. After forty-eight hours, I decided not to keep score.

As for making sure I walk at least 8000 steps daily, I discovered in the two days I wore the FitBit that my ordinary day with no specific exercise period produces 2000 steps or a mile. And just one walk in my neighborhood to the bank, the grocery store, the UPS or post office or bus stop and home again is another two miles plus, plus. I’m happy with three plus miles a day. I don’t need a FitBit to remind me. I’m like the family dog. I need to walk everyday.

The FitBit goes back to the store. The contest against Old Age is over. Did I win? By what measures shall we judge the conclusion of this race?

Physical ability? OK there. But greatly changed. Smaller goals. Getting up and going to bed. Walking. Taking care of my personal needs like bathing, shopping, cooking, feeding the chickens and the cat and myself. I don’t move as fast. Slipping on the ice has moved from possible to probable. Bending over to brush teeth or tie my shoes is accompanied by creaks and occasionally sharp catching of the breath. Six miles is my max and fewer than 2000ft. elevation gain. About four hours is plenty on the trail. I will cross country ski, but not drive to the summit if road conditions could require chains. I’m perfectly able to put on chains, but think better of such an effort.

Considering the falling probability, I decided to try an ADT Health monitor. When the bulky pendant arrived in the mail (with a dresser top base that glows in the night), I knew I would never wear the thing or tolerate another LED eye surveillance in my bedroom. The thing is Ugly. I have no heavy boobs for it to hang between. Un-hideable. The two men who rent space in my house took one look at the gizmo and at me and said, “Premature.” When ADT called to activate the system, I was in Mexico swimming in the ocean and walking the beach and couldn’t be reached. Even though I’d signed a three year contract, ADT took it back. Not ready yet. Maybe in five more years.

Eye sight? Still driving at night. I doubled my carotenoids and the little halos of light around each beam of the oncoming motorists disappeared. Click to see what I’m using for carotenoids, those fat soluable anti-oxidants that help with eye health.

Hearing? Not so good. Costco hearing aides work marvels, but I have had mine adjusted three times in three years. And the quality of musical sound is tinny which is a great disappointment to me. To sing in the choir, I have to adjust them so my own voice mixes well with the other singers and then crank the volume up for the readings and the sermon. (I suppose there are those hearing aide wearers in the pews who turn theirs down during the sermon.) I understand there is an effort to calibrate the algorithms for music to help the partially deaf’s enjoyment of same. All the work in the past has been with speech. May I live long enough to experience this more inclusive approach to amplifying sound.

Forgetfulness? Not too bad. Names elude me as much as ever. In fact I may be a bit better at names because I am paying more attention, or more of me is paying attention to you. MindWorks has made a difference. When I head for the basement to get something, I usually remember what I went there to get. That’s a change for the better. MindWorks is a new-ish supplement.

Incontinence? Sometimes but not enough to wear protection.

Flatulence? Frequently, which causes much hilarity in my family: “barking spiders” “Squeaky floors,” “Jet propelled.” Accepting one’s Creatureliness is surely a sign of accepting aging.

Skin, hair and nails? Now here is a measure of aging that I watched in my mother and made a big effort to delay by taking anti-aging tonic called Vivix and plenty of supplements that support healthy skin, hair and nails. About a year ago as if a switch were thrown, my finger nails started splitting and tearing. I have resorted to organic false nails done at great expense once a month at Nail Time in West Seattle. At least they have come up with something that is not acrylic and therefore not cancer causing. At the same time, I lost nearly all my pubic hair and, as my granddaughter observed while giving me a head rub on Christmas day, “Grandma, your hair is not as thick as it used to be.” I’d always had a thick bush and was distressed to see it gather at the shower drain. Oh, well. Who besides me will notice? As far as skin goes, my cat punctures it regularly with his nails and teeth. The slightest brush against the chicken coop fence or tossing my back pack over my shoulder produces a sub-cutaneous bleed, little reddish brown patches on my hands and lower arms. Less emotionally thin-skinned and far more physically thin-skinned is not a tragedy. Which brings me to

Quality of personal relations? Is this a qualifying bench mark in the aging process? It is by my bench marks. I have pursued authentic honest relations with boundaries all my adult life. “Can I be in relation with you without hurting you or losing myself?” I still make mistakes, am rude, insensitive and critical at times, but I recognize these deviations from the course more quickly. I can meet you from my heart more often.

Eighty just means I am old. My condition is whatever it is on a given morning. I’ve thrown out the markers and given up the contest, content to observe and embrace however it is, rejoicing in the new day.

Love, Betsy

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving.

www.HiHoHealth.com for shopping

www.OpenBorderswithLove.com to read about my new book

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Awareness Through Movement

Posted on October 30, 2017

Dear one,

What appeared in today’s New York Times in Jean Brody’s Health post is a must share with you and all your friends. She talks about Feldenkrais, a technique and practice I discovered many, many years ago when what I needed most was Awareness Through Movement. Becci Parsons in my local Feldenkrais guru. She has saved me from debilitating arthritic pain in the past. In the present, she guided my mind and body through the process of a spine fusion by Dr. Peter Nora and the subsequent repatterning of my nerve damaged legs. Jean Brody wasn’t and isn’t about to require surgery for her pain. She just wanted a better quality “every day”. Please read on for her remarks. When you have read her post, go to Becci Parson’s website and find a class. She teaches all the time in convenient locations north of the ship canal in Seattle. Living somewhere else? Do a search and find a practitioner.

Be well and Keep Moving, Betsy

(To read about supplements that help with pain, go to this post.)

Trying the Feldenkrais Method for Chronic Pain
Personal Health
By JANE E. BRODY OCT. 30, 2017

After two hourlong sessions focused first on body awareness and then on movement retraining at the Feldenkrais Institute of New York, I understood what it meant to experience an incredible lightness of being. Having, temporarily at least, released the muscle tension that aggravates my back and hip pain, I felt like I was walking on air.

Thanks to Paul Rogers for this cartoon from the NYTimes.

I had long refrained from writing about this method of countering pain because I thought it was some sort of New Age gobbledygook with no scientific basis. Boy, was I wrong!
The Feldenkrais method is one of several increasingly popular movement techniques, similar to the Alexander technique, that attempt to better integrate the connections between mind and body. By becoming aware of how one’s body interacts with its surroundings and learning how to behave in less stressful ways, it becomes possible to relinquish habitual movement patterns that cause or contribute to chronic pain.

The method was developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, an Israeli physicist, mechanical engineer and expert in martial arts, after a knee injury threatened to leave him unable to walk. Relying on his expert knowledge of gravity and the mechanics of motion, he developed exercises to help teach the body easier, more efficient ways to move.

I went to the institute at the urging of Cathryn Jakobson Ramin, author of the recently published book “Crooked” that details the nature and results of virtually every current approach to treating back pain, a problem that has plagued me on and off (now mostly on) for decades. Having benefited from Feldenkrais lessons herself, Ms. Ramin had good reason to believe they would help me.

In her book, she recounts the experience of Courtney King, who first experienced crippling back spasms in her late 20s. Ms. King was taking several dance classes a week and practicing yoga, and she thought the stress of these activities might be causing the pain in her tight, inflexible back. But after a number of Feldenkrais sessions, she told Ms. Ramin, “I realized that the pain had more to do with the way I carried myself every day.”

Even after just one session, I understood what she meant. When I make a point of walking upright and fluid, sitting straight, even cooking relaxed and unhurried, I have no pain. The slow, gentle, repetitive movements I practiced in a Feldenkrais group class helped foster an awareness of how I use my body in relation to my environment, and awareness is the first step to changing one’s behavior.

One common problem of which I’m often guilty is using small muscles to accomplish tasks meant for large, heavy-duty ones, resulting in undue fatigue and pain.

The group class, called Awareness Through Movement, was followed by an individual session called Functional Integration with a therapist that helped to free tight muscles and joints that were limiting my motion and increasing my discomfort. Using gentle manipulation and passive movements, the therapist individualized his approach to my particular needs.

The ultimate goal of both sessions is, in effect, to retrain the brain – to establish new neural pathways that result in easy, simple movements that are physiologically effective and comfortable. Although the Feldenkrais method was developed in the mid-20th century, neurophysiologists have since demonstrated the plasticity of the brain, its ability to form new cells, reorganize itself and, in effect, learn new ways to do things.

The beauty of Feldenkrais lessons is that they are both relatively low-cost (group classes average $15 to $25, individual sessions $100 to $200) and potentially accessible to nearly everyone. There are more than 7,000 teachers and practitioners working in 18 countries, including large numbers in the United States. You can be any age, strength, fitness level and state of well-being to participate. The exercises are slow, gentle and adjustable to whatever might ail you. Their calming effect counters the stress that results in contracted muscles, tightness and pain.
Feldenkrais practitioners like Marek Wyszynski, director of the New York center, typically start professional life as physical therapists. They then undergo three years of training to become certified in the Feldenkrais method.

Mr. Wyszynski explained that he starts by observing how patients are using their skeletons – how they sit, stand and walk in ways that may cause or contribute to their pathology, be it spinal disc disease, arthritis, shoulder pain or damaged knee joints. In accordance with Dr. Feldenkrais’s astute observation, “If you don’t know what you are doing, you can’t do what you want,” patients are then given a clear sensory experience of how their posture and behavior contribute to their pain and physical limitations.

For example, some people may use excessive force, clench their teeth, hold their breath or rush, causing undue muscle tension and skeletal stress. Years ago, I realized that my frequent headaches resulted from an unconscious habit of clenching my jaw when I concentrated intently on a task like sewing or cooking. Feldenkrais teachers do not give formulas for a proper way of behaving; rather, they rely on their patients’ ability to self-discover and self-correct.
Once aware of their counterproductive habits, students are given the opportunity to experience alternative movements, postures and behaviors and, through practice, create new habits that are less likely to cause pain.

Mr. Wyszynski told me that there are more than 1,000 distinct Feldenkrais lessons currently available, most of which involve everyday actions like reaching, getting up from a chair, turning, bending and walking.

As a mechanical engineer and physicist, Dr. Feldenkrais understood that the job of the human skeleton was to accommodate the effects of gravity in order to remain upright. And he wanted people to achieve this in the most efficient way possible.

Using two tall foam cylinders, one perched on top of the other, Mr. Wyszynski demonstrated a guiding principle of the Feldenkrais method. When the top cylinder was centered on the bottom one, it stood in place without assistance. But when it was off center, perched near the edge of the bottom cylinder, it tipped over. If instead of cylinders these were someone’s skeletal parts that were askew, tightened muscles would have to keep the patient from falling over.
As Mr. Wyszynski explained, “Good posture allows the skeleton to hold up and support the body without expending unnecessary energy despite the pull of gravity. However, with poor posture, the muscles are doing part of the job of the bones, and with poor skeletal support, the muscles have to remain contracted to prevent the body from falling.”

I wish you the best of health. Betsy

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Weight Loss

Resisting your fitness goals?

Posted on September 21, 2017

Gentle Reader,

How often I hear the gloomy discouragement “I want to exercise, but I just don’t do it as often as I need to. I can’t get results. I’m not losing weight.” Gyms make nearly all their money by signing people up who never show up after the first visit. Even at my Xgym where the monthly cost is just under $400 for a twice a week session with a personal training, people let their credit card run month and month and don’t come to their sessions. How lame is that? What a waste of money.

If this is even a little bit you, read on.

Do you think a couple supplements might help? If they could help, would you like to hear about them?

Shaklee has a line of Sports Nutrition developed for elete athletes at the request of several different agencies over the last 30+ years. First there was the Daedalus Project where Leonardo DaVinci’s human powered airplane was built by some students at MIT. To power the bicycle with wings, they needed a fuel that would keep a cyclist peddling non-stop from the Island of Crete to mainland Greece. The idea was to put that ancient Greek myth about Daedalus to the test. Look it up if you’re curious. Shaklee created Performance, a rehydrating drink with sugars and electrolytes that provided the only fuel for the guy on the bike for 119 km or three times the distance across the English channel.

Take a listen to Les Wong, long time Shaklee scientist and heavy duty sports guy, tell about what the company was thinking when they developed these new products. The history of Shaklee’s involvment with gold medal-seeking athletes is impressive.

Here’s the new no/low-calorie line: Performance Fitness Pack

Buy on or before Sept 30 and the water bottle is free.

I’ve been using the Shaklee performance drink ever since they brought it to market for regular folks. It does have a pretty high calorie count due to the requirements of that extreme effort. Women who are counting calories have stayed away from such a rehydrating drink even though there are excellent nutritional reasons for the sugars to help power an extreme athlete. Most of us don’t fit that catagory of athlete. Right? Right.

We are not going for the Gold. For the regular person like me who is out walking, doing Zumba and other group exercise classes, often in conjunction with a weight loss program, we now have three new sport supplements with fewer calories. Yeah! Shaklee.

Low Calorie Electrolyte Drink powder sticks

You’ve got your water bottle. Now break open a stick of rehydrating drink mix with zero calories and keep on moving. This box of powder/power sticks( item # 21307) in Lemon/Lime is only $20 for 20 sticks. Talk about convenience and help for the person who is exercising to help lose weight.

Shaklee’s Performance Advantage Physique
whey protein now comes with only 110 calories per serving and 3 grams of sugar. The same bio-build that is in the body building Physique with extra leucine to repair muscle while letting the fat go. The same amino acids that athletes look for in a recovery drink. Now in chocolate and vanilla flavors.
#21314 vanilla, lower calorie Performance Advantage drink mix is $50 member price for 20 servings, 2 scoops per serving.

Energy Chews are now called Performance Energy Chews. Same product, new packaging.
I use these daily for those days when Pomegranate tea sends me running to the bathroom. If I’m hiking or going to fitness class, I’d rather get my energy boost from a solid. Two Energy chews due the trick. They are also excellent for keeping you alert driving home after a meeting or a party and you are feeling drowsy. Safety first.

New! New! New!
Sleep better!Wake up pain free!

Performance PM Recovery Complex
Who knew science had a way to help the sports-tired body recover while we sleep?

Ultra pure Tart Cherry extract clinically shown to optimize recovery and reduce exercise-induced muscle soreness which helps improve sleep quality
Relieves pain cause by overexertion

I take one of these plus Pain Relief Complex before bed on days when I have pushed myself and am worried I’ll get out of bed creaking and groaning. It helps! Maybe if I were still 60 instead of 80, it would help even more. Try some and let me know how it works for you.
Keep moving. Don’t give up. Drop the weight with lower calories and recover from your workouts, whether it is gardening, aerobics class, cycling, hiking, swimming or dancing (my favorite).

See you at the gym/YMCA/trail head. Love, Betsy

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving.

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Nutrition for eye health

Posted on July 22, 2017

Dear Ones,

Since I have had good luck with reducing night blindness and have avoided Glaucoma, I thought you might be interested in the wellness wisdom in the world of alternative nutrition based prevention. I don’t expect to have to stop driving any time soon. I believe it is the nutritional regimen I’ve been on for so many years. Supplements provide nutrition for eye health.

Here are a few testimonials from people whose eyes were giving them trouble.
Accumulated from Team 21 and the Wellness Center by Shirley Koritnik

GLAUCOMA:
1. VITAMIN E + SELENIUM: increases circulation to the eye; powerful free radical
scavenger
2. CAROTOMAX: necessary to heal & remove pressure from behind the eye
3. GLA: involved in the regulation of circulation to the eye; anti-inflammatory
4. VITAMIN C: prevents tearing of capillaries; detoxifies free radicals;
anti-inflammatory
5. OPTIFLORA: reduce toxin load
6. ALFALFA: mineral content relaxes arterial muscles; anti-inflammatory
7. HERBAL LAXATIVE: detoxifies body tissues
8. DTX: reduce toxin load
9. CoEnzymeQ10: powerful antioxidant

10. GINKGO BILOBA (Shaklee MENTAL ACUITY): increase blood flow to the eyes

From: Joanne K Skipper

I thought this might interest many of you.

We brag about out Life Strip or Vitalizer and see great things happen for people who spend $80 – $180 a month and go on it.

We had a customer diagnosed with glaucoma. It was after Vitalizer
the diagnosis she started on The Basics [now the Vitalizer].

The next time she went to the doctor — no glaucoma! So she
decided to give it the test.

She quit taking The Basics. The next doctor’s appointment she learned the glaucoma was back. So, she ordered more Basics and took them until her next appointment. What did she find?

Thats right – no glaucoma!
Joanne

==================================
Date: Wed Feb 14, 2001 8:00 pm
Subject: Re: [Team 21] Glaucoma

Carotomax..my mom has had great results reversing the high risk numbers
..she was taking 3 each day (with each meal)..now that her numbers are more
normal she takes 2 daily. GREAT !

Carolyn Moss

From: HealthierChoices@…
Date: Sat Aug 24, 2002 8:03 pm

OCCULAR HISTOPLASMOSIS TESTIMONY:

Do Shaklee supplements work? I believe you can SEE the difference!

I can vouch for that. The last two eye check-ups I’ve had, have resulted
in my vision getting better, which means new glasses – but with a weaker
prescription both times. (My wife’s optometrist says that is unheard
of!!!!)

Many of you know that I have occular histoplasmosis in both eyes and have a
great possibility of going blind because of the condition. Since there
isn’t anything medically that can be done to prevent or treat the
disease, I decided to use a nutritional approach to hopefully curb the
disease.

I’ve steadfastly stayed on a regime of Shaklee Protein, Vita-Lea,
Alfalfa, B-Complex, Vita-C 500, Vita E and Formula I. I have also taken
CartoMax and Mental Acuity sporadically but not on a consistent basis.

Bottom line is YOU CAN SEE the difference with Shaklee Nutritional
Supplements. There is an old axiom in Shaklee…”The only way Shaklee
Nutrition won’t work for you is – If you don’t take them at all or if
you don’t take enough.”

To Your Health
Eugene Danner
LE14083
Augusta, GA

PS. Macular Degeneration and Cataracts, even Glaucoma can be stopped and
sometimes even reversed with the proper nutritional program:

Heavy on CarotoMax (6-8 per day), and Zinc (6 per day–seems like alot, but
people with eye problems need more), CoQ Heart, Vita E, and SR C.
Vita Lea, B-Complex and Energizing Soy Protein round of the program.

Subject: Glaucoma
Date: 5/21/2001 5:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: HealthMatters4U
Message-id: (AOL Shaklee Board)

Q. HI, I am looking for any testimonies on glaucoma. My father in law is currently taking the Basics, EPA (8/day) & carotomax (2/day).

All input appreciated.
Thanks,

HealthMatters
Lisa Sugrue
HealthMatters4U@shaklee.net
http://www.shaklee.net/healthmatters4u

Subject: Re: Glaucoma
Date: 5/22/2001 1:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Truhealth5
Message-id:

Large doses of Vita C, along with the other supplements already taken is suggested.

Medical science regards severe eye-strain and prolonged working under bad lighting conditions as the chief cause of glaucoma. But, in reality, the root cause of glaucoma is a highly toxic condition of the system due to dietetic errors, a faulty life style and the prolonged use of suppressive drugs for the treatment of other diseases. Eye-strain is only a contributory factor.

Glaucoma is also caused by prolonged stress and is usually a reaction of adrenal exhaustion. The inability of the adrenal glands of produl treatment for glaucoma is through surgery which relieves the internal pressure in the eye due to excess fluid. This, however, does not remove the cause of the presence of the excess fluid. Consequently, even after the operation, there is no guarantee whatsoever that the trouble will not recur, or that it will not affect the other eye. The natural treatment for glaucoma is the same as that for any other condition associated with high toxicity and is directed towards preserving whatever sight remains. If treated in the early stages, the results are encouraging. Though cases of advanced glaucoma may be beyond cure, even so, certain nutritional and other biological approaches can prove effective in controlling the condition and preserving the remaining sight.

Certain foods should be scrupulously avoided by patients suffering from glaucoma. Coffee in particular, should be completely avoided because of its high caffeine content. Caffeine causes stimulation of vasoconstrictors, elevating blood pressure and increasing blood flow to the eye. Beer and tobacco, which can cause constriction of blood vessels, should also be avoided. Tea should be taken only in moderation. The patient should not take excessive fluids, whether it is juice, milk or water at any time. He may drink small amounts, several times a day with a minimum of one hour intervals.

The diet of the patient suffering from glaucoma should be based on three basic food groups, namely seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, with emphasis on raw vitamin C-rich foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. Valuable sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grape-fruits and limes ; green leafy vegetables like cabbages, beets and turnips.

Certain nutrients have been found helpful in the treatment of glaucoma. It has been found that the glaucoma patients are usually deficient in vitamins A, B, C , protein, calcium and other minerals. Nutrients such as calcium and B-complex have proved beneficial in relieving the introcular condition. Many practitioners believe that introcular pressure in glaucoma can be lowered by vitamin C therapy . Dr. Michele Virno and his colleagues demonstrated recently in Rome, Italy that the average person weighing 150 pounds given 7000 mg. of ascorbic acid, five times daily , acquired acceptable introcular pressure within 45 days. Symptoms such as mild stomach discomfort and diarrhoea, resulting from the intake of large doses of vitamin C, were temporary and soon disappeared. It has been suggested that some calcium should always be taken with each dose of ascorbic acid to minimize any side-effects of the large dose.

The patient should avoid emotional stress and cultivate a tranquil and restful life style as glaucoma is considered to be a ‘stress disease’. He should also avoid excessive watching of television and movies as also excessive reading as such habits can lead to prolonged straining of the eyes.

Sharon O’Donnell
Shaklee.net – Truhealth5

P.S. Documentation states 7000 mg Vitamin C a day split between 5 servings. Start out slow and work up to that amount, such as 1 Vita C 500 mg, 5 times a day.

Sharon O’Donnell

Shaklee.net – Truhealth5

From: <mklurk@…>
Date: Mon Aug 22, 2005 1:15 pm
Subject: Ocuvite Versus Carotomax for Help with Glaucoma…Need Help!

Can you help me with this?

My father currently takes Ocuvite on the advice of his physician. He has
glaucoma. Lutein is the main ingredient that his doctor wants him to have. Our
only product that contains Lutein (that I’m aware of) is CarotoMax. I would
like to explain to my father why our product is better than his Ocuvite but I
can’t explain why ours costs so much more than his. Also to get all the
ingredients in his Ocuvite, he would have to take Vita-Lea Gold and the
CarotoMax which would cost 52.00. He currently pays only 12.00 for Ocuvite.

Thank you for any and all advice pertaining to this matter.

Sincerely,
Mary Lurk

mklurk@…

Hi Mark,

… I know though that the Shaklee difference is more important
than the cost. It is the bio-availability of the products that
makes the difference. Secondly I would say if you look at the big
picture, the cost of any one product becomes less significant.

Let say you just want to get your products free. If you Shakleeize
your home and make a bonus check every month and teach six people to
do the same thing, your products are going to be free. The chances
are that the people you thought to do that are going to want to get
their products free also and it is not long until you stop worrying
about the cost of any one product…. Hope this helps.
Ken Wolff

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

New study: soy good for breast cancer

Posted on March 20, 2017

Gentle Reader,

Breast Cancer and Soy – Surprising New Findings!

New evidence suggests that eating soy could be protective against breast cancer – even estrogen-negative breast cancers, an effect that no one expected.

Breast Surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk explains that the possible effects of soy on breast cancers have long been confusing. In some parts of the body the isoflavones in soy act like estrogen, while in other body parts the isoflavones suppress estrogen.

75 percent of American women’s breast cancers are linked to estrogen, so isoflavones might theoretically lower risks — or make they might make the risks even higher.

But now a new study published in the journal “Cancer” found that women who were high soy consumers had a 21 percent drop in breast cancer incidence and recurrence. And weirdly, the study found an even bigger effect, a 50 percent drop, in estrogen-negative cancers.

Apparently, soy also has a protective effect completely aside from its effects on estrogen. Dr. Funk speculates that it might be due to antioxidant or anti-inflammatory properties in soy that we don’t yet understand.

Soy foods widely are available, whether it’s tofu, edamame, or soy milk. “These were not truly high soy consumers,” says Dr. Funk of the women who saw the benefits. They were getting an average of 1.8 milligrams a day, while just one cup of soy milk provides 27 milligrams.

Her conclusion is, “Everything in moderation.” You don’t need to eat five pounds of tofu for lunch!

“Every study that comes out seems to support the boring mantra of ‘everything in moderation,’” ER Physician Dr. Travis Stork observes. Here’s the link to a video at The Doctors. The study was published in the journal Cancer.

I’m delighted by these new findings. I’ve been urging soy for breast cancer prevention since my own diagnosis and mastectomy in 1971. Little was understood about any of this back then. However, soon after diagnosis, I came across an article about the low rate of breast cancer in Japanese women whose diet consisted of soy and olive oil whereas mine consisted of red meat and butter. I dropped the red meat and butter and went for tofu and olive oil as best I could.

Then in 1985, I met Jayme Curley who introduced me to the most non-GMO, scientifically processed for the maximum delivery of genistin soy powder on the market, a wonderful soy powder. After making shakes every morning for a month or so instead of the usual eggs, bacon and toast and jelly, my health changed in many ways. There has been a heated argument over the advantages and disadvantages of soy in the cancer prevention diet. There are major differences in soy powders, tofu and other soy products. It all depends on the source and the processing to know you have a health-giving product.

Worried about breast cancer? Why not begin your day with a soy shake? Worried about the return of breast cancer? A soy shake could help present it.

Look for a vegan soy formula with no sugar or sweeteners,

Unflavored and lower calorie, it is perfect for customizing with your favorite flavors.

I use one scoop of the soy mix, one scoop of my favorite flavored shake mix to get the full serving of soy with fewer calories. Then I add soy milk and vegetables and fruit to make a filling breakfast which lasts until way past normal lunchtime. I’ve got a Ninja 900 to blend it all in. The cup has a tight-fitting lid, great for a meal on the run.

Be well, Do well and Keep moving,

Betsy

209 933 1889 www.HiHoHealth.com shopping website

travel stories www.EmpoweredGrandma.com

Writing blog: www.MyLifeasFiction.com

Be Well health tips

Stop that cold from coming

Posted on January 10, 2017

What do you do to avoid catching that cold that is going around? Over the Counter remedies? Homeopathics? Antihistamines?
How are these remedies working for you? You’ve just got to stop that cold from coming or you will miss working/skiing/visiting your friends/seeing your family. Help!

I recently drove over to Mazama in the Methow valley of Eastern Washington to cross country ski. My friend called early the day of our departure to say she was coming down with a cold and didn’t want to infect any of the rest of us. We were sharing a house with three others. She had taken a homeopathic in the middle of the night when the symptoms woke her. She’d taken an antihistamine.

I, too, had been fighting the early symptoms of a cold and wondered to myself if I should be going. I used a Netty Pot with warm salt water to try to clear a sinus blockage. I swallowed four Vita C every 3 hours, took extra lecithin to keep the gathering gunk running so the cold didn’t settle in my chest. I drank buckets of Breathe Easy and Throat Coat tea. By the time of our departure, the sinus pain had gone; the cough was easing up and the drippy nose lessened.
I urged my friend to go. And to stop the antihistamines, but instead, I’d bring a bottle of Sustained Release Vita C and she could take a couple every few hours. She agreed. She continued with her homeopathics and the lemon tea, plus some Throat coat and Breathe Easy as we drove the many hours. Of course, we had to stop often at restrooms along the way with that much tea going in. And within twenty-four hours, her cold turned around.

A customer got in touch while I was gone, desperate for Defend and Resist, a throat lozenge Shaklee makes that helps to ward off the early symptoms of a cold. He was afraid he’d run out before he got the upper hand. When I got home, we talked and the supply of D&R he had, took care of it. No cold.

All around me, people are dropping like flies. We all have our favorite remedies and strategies for avoiding a full-blown cold that keeps us from work or play. If your methods haven’t worked as well as you like, or if you are in the middle of a horrible cold, or a lingering cough, please go here to read about these cold avoiding and relieving products you might want to try. Or click here to go straight to my Shaklee website and make a purchase.
Good health to you. Betsy

And by all means, Keep Moving.

Be Well health tips

Increasing conversions

Posted on January 2, 2017

To my customers who would like to get their friends to try Shaklee products,

What am I talking about when I mention “increasing conversions?” You have loved the results you get from Shaklee products and wish your friends and family would fall in love with them, too. Maybe you are a Get Clean user and you wish everyone knew “clean” doesn’t mean a lemon or a Pine Sol smell. Maybe you find your thinking is clearer and your memory is better since you began taking MindWorks and you wish your friends would try MindWorks, too, so they could carry on a complete conversation with you. Maybe your hair is thicker and more luxuriant since you started using Pro Sante shampoo, conditioner and scalp treatment. You have a good friend whose hair in thinning. You’d like to help.

What I mean by increasing conversions is the action your listener takes after you wax poetic about a particular Shaklee product. How do you share your enthusiasm in such a way as to produce curiosity and subsequent purchase?

Recently I wrote about the challenge of staying awake. Staying awake while driving. Falling asleep over a good book or in a concert. Dosing off in a business or other meeting.

I used questions. Are you having trouble staying awake for your favorite program? Is it getting dangerous for you behind the wheel late at night?

I mentioned well-known remedies and asked if the person tried them or if they were helping. Are you reluctant to drink more and more coffee so close to bed time? Do you hate those sugary hi-energy drinks everyone uses for this problem?

Next comes a story about someone else. Mike was unhappy with his daily habit of a sugary latte midafternoon. He decided to try Shaklee’s Energy Chews and they worked better to lift his energy and had few calories. A year later, he is still using Energy Chews instead of lattes to get his afternoon boost.

Finally comes the question: Would you like to try some? I could get them for you with my next order. Or, better yet, you can go online and buy them for yourself.

Increasing conversions online instead of in a person to person conversation is similar. I use Google analytics with my blog posts so I can see when a reader follows a hot link to the Shaklee product page. If you are not a blogger, but you do share on Facebook or twitter your happy solution to a health problem you’ve been having, remember asking questions about the Facebook friend’s experience is the best approach. Tweet the problem and the commercial solutions that aren’t that great, then share a story. Finally, and at the end, online or offline, ask the buying question. May I send you my Shaklee member page? You can place your order right there. We can compare notes about if it works for you like it does for me.

After the conversion (buying the product), don’t forget to check in on the friend to see how it’s going for them. A quick email or text a week or two after they have their product. It takes time to develop a new usage habit. Remember how it was for you when you first began adding Shaklee protein powder to your coffee or smoothie each morning? Ask your friend if they got the package. If they opened and tried it yet. If they have remembered to use it every day. And then ask, it will probably take a while to notice the difference, so watch for it.

I like to end with a question: is it OK if I check in again in a couple weeks? I’m excited to see if you like it as much as I do.

As a blogger, if you are one, you may already use google analytics. If not, the shift you make in the way your phrase your postings could make a big difference in your conversions. My recent post about Energy Chews resulted in 3 new customers. Out of 201 send, I had a 30% open rate and 10% clicks and 3 new customers for the chews! This is my first posting with these changes in process.

You, dear Customer, may not understand any of that clicks/open rate business. You’d just like to share the things you love with the people you love. Increasing conversions for you will be the result of better questions and story telling and not being afraid, in love, to offer the buying opportunity.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

PS to re-read that post on Energy Chews, go here.

The page on my site that describes the benefits of Energy Chews is here.

Be Well health tips

Consider the banana

Posted on October 30, 2016

Consider the banana. Many people eat one nearly every day. It is considered one of the essential fruits in our North American diet. When I checked the facts, it comes right up there with blackberries and apples for antioxidants and fiber. A lot of us sporty people eat bananas because of the potassium, but it ranks 10th in a list of items we could almost as easily eat to get that desired potassium. People who want to save money pick and choose which organic fruits and vegetables to buy. Bananas appear to be a bargain because they come with their own peel, a protection against all those bad things farmers do to plants to make them last longer and grow bigger, the GMO and pesticide business.

The Politics of the Banana

I used be eat a banana every day until I gave it up as a protest against the military-industrial complex that undergirds capitalism. Here’s why. Before going to Nicaragua a few years ago, I read the history of the United Fruit Company. An innocent enough beginning: in 1870 a sea captain bought several bunches of bananas in Jamaica for a shilling and sold them for $2 each in Jersey City. What a profit!

Over the next 100 years, the all pervasive import, distribution and marketing of bananas to a fruit-hungry northern population created a military-industrial joint enterprise that exploited Central American countries. Railroads were built in Central America and when they failed to make a profit from ridership, recovery of investment stimulated banana production and sales. An advertising campaign to promote eating bananas set the standard for creating want through ads that fuel the consumerism of Americans today.

During the 100 years from 1870 to 1970, the US government fought Spain for Cuba and Puerto Rico; took over the postal service of Honduras; ran the Nicaraguan government for a period of time. The US military engaged in operations against Panama, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador. The banana figured large in all these military activities.

Bananas were an exotic fruit highly susceptible to a root disease causing vast plantations to be abandoned. The workers lost their livelihood.This prompted deals with local Latin American government officials to buy tracks of new land for new plantings. Every attempt by the Central American workers to get better working conditions and higher wages were met with resistance and sometimes, military intervention. Resistance increased. Che Quevara and other leaders took to the streets. Dictators and US government policy and action suppressed protests and drove workers and their families toward what the US called Communism, though probably unrelated to what was going on in Russia.

All this over the banana. I over-simplify. If you google banana, you have to search to find this United Fruit Company history. Today we buy a strain of banana that is less perishable. The price is kept low. For a time there was no import tax at all even though countries fought for that lost revenue.

What struck me in reading the book was the power of advertising developed by the men desperate to market their crop. Over and over the owners of United Fruit had to recover terrible losses from the disease and from labor unrest. One step ahead of bankruptcy, they developed packets describing the value of the banana with maps of Central America and banana-laced recipes for elementary and junior high class room teachers. They discovered a way to dry over-ripe and damaged bananas and sell them to us as healthy snack food (dried banana chips are delicious!) We were hooked. We consumers learned to listen to “facts” about the value of a product to influence our buying habits and our taste buds. Just think about the effort chocolate makers have made to convince us that bitter dark chocolate is good for us as society began to reject milk chocolate as fattening and even addictive. Just notice how many ads on TV recommend foods and medicines.

Global marketing of fruit on a mass scale may have started with the banana. The Slow food and Eat local movements will probably not change the consumption of tropical fruit in North America. We’ve grown accustomed to it.

Glycemic Index
Another reason to question the banana is its place on the Glycemic Index scale. If you are trying to control your weight, lose a few pounds or combat candida, you’ll want to eat foods with the lowest glycemic rating.

To review: The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. The banana is an OK choice, but there are better fruits and vegetables. The next time you go for a big workout, a hike or long run, throw an avocado and a spoon in your pack, split it open and eat it for potassium and fiber and good fat. A nice alternative.

I myself am a marketing person and offer a workout drink with banana in it: Physique. Anyone who makes their living by selling something learns to find the sweet spot where the prospect and the product meet. As a society, we probably won’t go back to an earlier time when exotic fruit cost a whole lot of money, like the day I asked my husband to buy me a peach and bring it to the hospital after our daughter was born. It was a cold January day in 1961. The peach came from Israel and cost, if I remember more or less, about $5 which for two students with no income was exorbitant. We do rare things in rare moments.

Enjoy your delicious banana sliced on your bowl of cereal! I’ll pass.

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you on the subject of banana.

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving!
Betsy

www.EmpoweredGrandma.com for posts about travel including a 4 part series on Israel and Jordan, January 2016
Shop for Shaklee at www.HiHohealth.com

Shop here. If you are a member, don’t forget to put in your ID number or email. Don’t know your membership ID? Call me 206 933 1889 or Shaklee 1-800-742-5533

Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Protein. Why you need it.

Posted on October 14, 2016

Protein: why do you need it? What is it?

Gentle Reader,

A good friend has a wound that isn’t healing. My guess without doing clinic analysis is that she isn’t getting enough protein. The first thing I learned when studying nutrition’s role in our health is that we need three things: vitamins, minerals and protein. We need to eat foods that provide these nutrients.

My friend agreed to eat some protein. “I’ll boil an egg right now,” she promised. “Do you know that an egg has 6 grams of protein?” I asked. You need a gram of protein for every 2 pounds of weight. So if you weigh 140, you need 70 grams of protein every day.

Many foods contain protein but the best sources are beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy
products, nuts, seeds, and legumes – black beans and lentils. Protein builds, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body, the stuff your body’s made up of. Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system are made up mostly of protein. Your body uses the protein you eat to make lots of specialized protein molecules that have specific jobs. For instance, your body uses protein to make hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to every part of your body. Other proteins are used to build your heart. Protein is doing constant work like moving your legs, carrying oxygen to your body, and protecting you from disease.

All about Amino Acids

When you eat foods that contain protein, the digestive juices in your stomach and intestine go to work. They break down the protein in food into amino acids. The amino acids then can be reused to make the proteins your body needs to maintain muscles, bones, blood, and body organs.

Proteins are sometimes described as long necklaces with differently shaped beads. Each bead is a small amino acid. These amino acids can join together to make thousands of different proteins. Scientists have found many different amino acids in protein, but 22 of them are very important to human health.

Of those 22 amino acids, your body can make 13 of them without you ever thinking about it. Your body can’t make the other nine amino acids, but you can get them by eating protein-rich foods. They are called essential amino acids because it’s essential that you get them from the foods you eat.

Different Kinds of Protein

Protein from animal sources, such as meat and milk, is called complete, because it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. Most vegetable protein is considered incomplete because it lacks one or more of the essential amino acids. This can be a concern for someone who doesn’t eat meat or milk products. Combining foods gives the body the essentials.

For instance, you can’t get all the amino acids you need from peanuts alone, but if you have peanut butter on whole-grain bread, you’re set. Likewise, red beans won’t give you everything you need, but red beans and rice will do the trick. As long as you have a variety of protein sources throughout the day, your body will grab what it needs from each meal.

How Much Is Enough?

A 140-pound adult should have about 70 grams of protein every day. Here’s an example of how:
*   2 tablespoons peanut butter (7 grams protein)
*   1 ounce or two domino-size pieces of cheddar cheese (7 grams protein)
*   5 ounces chicken breast (52.5 grams protein)
*   ½ cup broccoli (2 grams protein)

Avoiding protein that comes with fat.

If you are trying to eat more meat-free meals, it’s easy to get enough protein without eating animals, but the doubters worry: Are these meat-free proteins complete?
We have to eat the essential amino acids (because we can’t make them ourselves) in roughly equal amounts. It takes serious work to figure out protein source combinations to get the right completeness. I tried a non-meat diet after cancer and became dangerously anemic. A diet of eggs, cheese and pasta won’t do it.

Quinoa Protein: 8 grams per 1 cup. Full of fiber, iron, magnesium, and manganese, quinoa is a terrific substitute for rice and it’s versatile enough to make muffins, fritters, cookies, and breakfast casseroles.

Buckwheat Protein: 6 grams per 1 cup serving, cooked. Japanese have turned the plant into soba noodles. Other cultures eat the seeds by either grinding them into flour (making a great base for gluten-free pancakes!) or cooking the hulled kernels, or groats. Buckwheat may improve circulation, lower blood cholesterol and control blood glucose levels.

Soy Protein: 10 grams per ½ cup serving (firm tofu), 15 grams per ½ cup serving (tempeh), 15 grams per ½ cup serving (natto) 16 grams per serving in Shaklee’s Instant Protein Drink Mix.

While beans are normally low in the amino acid methionine, soy is a complete protein and thoroughly deserves its status as the go-to substitute for the meat-free. Controversy surrounds the soy bean mostly because it is one of the most genetically modified foods and processing reduces its protein content. Personally I rely on soy protein for most of my protein source, but only Shaklee’s soy protein. I know Shaklee controls the soy it uses from the seed, through the growing and harvesting process and the processing into powder without high heat and without alcohol. The amino acids are intact and active in the final product. Shaklee Instant Soy Protein Drink Mix (Non GMO) has no carbohydrates and can be used in baking, salad dressings, to mix in water to make Soy Milk and to add to smoothies.

Click on this image, shop and receive a $10 rebate on any protein product.

Quorn Protein: 13 grams per ½ cup serving. Originally developed to combat global food shortages, mycoprotein is sold under the name “Quorn” and is made by growing a certain kind of fungus in vats and turning it into meat substitutes that are packed with complete protein. Quorn is not technically vegan-friendly.

Rice and Bean Protein: 7 grams per 1 cup serving. One of the simplest, cheapest, and vegan-est meals in existence is also one of the best sources of protein around. Most beans are low in methionine and high in lysine, while rice is low in lysine and high in methionine. Put ’em together, and whaddaya got? Protein content on par with that of meat. Our friends south of the border have been eating healthily for generations on rice and beans.

Ezekiel Bread Protein: 8 grams per 2 slice serving. An extraordinarily nutritious loaf that contains all of the essential amino acids and is highly digestible.

Hummus and Pita Protein: 7 grams per 1 whole-wheat pita and 2 tablespoons of hummus. The protein in wheat is pretty similar to that of rice, in that it’s only deficient in lysine. But chickpeas have plenty of lysine, giving us all the more reason to tuck into that Middle Eastern staple: hummus and pita.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Protein: 15 grams per 2-slice sandwich with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. See how easy this is? Every time legumes like beans, lentils, and peanuts are combined with grains like wheat, rice, and corn, a complete protein is born. Peanut butter on whole wheat is an easy snack that, while pretty high in calories, provides a heaping dose of all the essential amino acids and plenty of healthy fats to boot.

Here’s the link to the article about these plant based protein sources plus recipes.

I haven’t experimented with many of the suggestions I have offered for non-meat protein because I have relied on Shaklee’s soy protein products for the past 35 years. Their snack bars, meal bars, chips, powders for meal replacement drinks have served me well, helping me heal from injury, recover from exercise, stabilize my blood sugar and increase my energy. I trust the source of Shaklee’s soy and the processing established by Dr. Shaklee so that no high heat or degrading alcohol would alter the value of soy protein. Babies have thrived on Shaklee’s soy products, people on liquid diets have been healthily nourished for nearly 60 years. I highly recommend Shaklee’s plant based protein.

Plant based proteins stabilize blood sugar and give you a satiated feeling. Remember: manufactured foods often contain added sugars to make them tasty while reducing fat. Shaklee products are the only prepared foods I consume (occasional canned chili, beans, soups-always from providers of organic products.) You spend more, but your health is worth it. The fall back, rice and beans, is one of the most low cost proteins you can eat. Buy organic and flourish.

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear from you on the subject of protein.

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving!
Betsy

www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com/be-well/ for posts about health and arthritis management
www.EmpoweredGrandma.com for posts about travel including a 4 part series on Israel and Jordan, January 2016

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness

Recovery from Surgery

Posted on September 21, 2016

Gentle Reader,

Facebook comments and face to face remarks about my happy and speedy recovery from surgery prompt me to share the whole story. I am no superwoman. I am a Shaklee woman. I do have the attitude of “be well, do well and keep moving,” but attitude alone cannot knit together tissue that has been sliced apart and held there while a surgical team cleaned out bad discs and inserted titanium to take their place. I don’t want to suggest by the report I am about to share with you that the only way to get robust healing from surgery is to follow the program I have followed. Not everyone’s body needs the level of supplementation that mine seems to need. However, I am not alone. There are hundreds of other people in the US, Canada and Mexico, Thailand, Japan and China who use supplementation by Shaklee to get the kind of results I attribute to this company’s products.

Things the help

(Because you won’t want to rely on my word alone, follow the links to read about these products as I mention them in order to know their ingredients and understand how they differ from other products on the market.)

In the hospital: 180 Protein shake mix the minute I could eat. Herb lax to stimulate peristalsis and get the bowels moving. Anesthesia and pain medicine shuts this part of the digestive system down. I know there are heads nodding from personal experience as you are reading this. I took my usual supplements as I could, given low appetite, groggy-ness and discomfort. I did not take any pain medicine. In 48 hours, I was home with ice packs on the incision points (both sides) and on the lower back where the work was done. I had pillows mounded high so I could lie in the bed with my knees and hips at 90 degrees putting as little pressure on the psoas as possible.

A steady stream of wonderful people came to help with meals and showering, etc. I discovered a TV series (on Amazon Prime) called Mozart in the Jungle that took my mind off everything. I listened to books on tape (Audible) and managed to progress to the point of walking outdoors longer and longer distances with increased incline. Anyone healing from an operation needs the help of others and distractions.

What I want to share with you is my daily routine of supplementation. You may react negatively thinking “that’s way too many pills.” You may think that’s too much money. Or you may find it informative, learning about vitamins and minerals that help healing.

I take my supplements three times a day and add a couple system-cleansing things at night before bed. I routinely take a couple servings of 180 Protein shake mix and the Instant Protein Soy Drink Mix, especially using Physique, the muscle builder designed to help heal stressed muscles after a workout. It is a sports nutrition non-soy drink. I have used it after working out and it was especially helpful after surgery. Delicious, too, if you like banana flavor.

Daily divided into three meals:

Vita Lea Gold for people over 50
Vita C sustained release, 3000 daily with another 2000 mg daily during the first 4 weeks. C is essential to healing.
B Complex 6 daily of Shaklee’s well balanced B including all 8 B vitamins in the right ratio avoiding hot flashes or headaches people sometimes get from Super B.
Vita D3 6000 mg daily
Garlic 6 tablets daily (immune support)
Omega broad spectrum fish oil, 6 capsules daily
Lecithin 6 capsules daily plus another 4 during recovery. Lecithin emulsifies sticky material (inflammation around the incision points so that it can flush out of the body thus reducing inflammation)
Carotomax and Flavomax, both fat and water soluable antioxidants from green, red and yellow fruits and vegetables.
Alfalfa, an original Dr. Shaklee product full of minerals that acts as an anti-inflammatory, 45 daily at least.
GLA made from Borage Oil (Evening Primrose oil is common on the shelves of heath food and vitamin stores) an omega 6 supplement that regulates prostaglandins (and hormones) and also acts as an antiflammatory. 6 capsules daily.
Vita E, one capsule daily.
Osteomatrix (bone health product) 4 daily.

Three products for heart health: Blood Pressure to keep my blood pressure normal, Cholesterol Reducing Complex (I have lowered my cholesterol which normally runs about 220 to the upper 190s) and CoQ Heart, an antioxidant that supports the heart muscle

The herbal complexes that I take daily are MindWorks (proven to help memory and concentration), Mental Acuity (increases blood flow to the brain), Nutriferon (natural immune response booster), Glucose Regulation and Metabolic Boost to help balance blood sugar, Joint Health Complex 3 daily to reduce joint pain, Pain Relief Complex 3 daily to keep arthritis pain in my hands, neck and knees at bay.

To aid digestion I take EzGest before each meal and Probiotic Optiflora every morning with a glass of warm water and the juice of half a lemon. At night I take 2 Liver DTX and 2 Herb-lax to cleanse the liver and colon.

You may be shaking your head in dismay or rolling your eyes. Rest assured, I am not alone. For four generations people in the Shaklee family, hundreds of them, have been eating “the shelf” everyday. Ten years ago, our CEO and owner, Roger Barnett risked the company’s reputation by asking the University of California School of Public Health to analyze the blood drawn from 400 long term Shaklee users (20 years or more) and compare the results with people who have taken a multivitamin and with people who have taken no vitamins over 20 years, matching for many individual variables including age. The results astonished Dr. Bloch, the head researcher at the School of Public Health. The Shaklee users enjoyed a significantly higher sense of well-being and demonstrated statistically significant lower levels of diseases such as heart and diabetes. I am happy to one of these beneficiaries. It’s called the Landmark Study. You can read about it here .

If you are already taking some of the above mentioned supplements, what might be your results if you switched to the Shaklee brand? Check your health status by filling out the HealthPrint, a tool designed to help anyone assess their current health against a standard of optimal health.

I just returned from my post-op visit with Dr. Nora’s office. “Go and enjoy your usual activities and we hope to never see you again,” they said to me as I left. I’ll resume hiking in the nearby Cascade mountains in October. I can’t wait.

If you have questions about any of the supplements above or want to read more about the strategies I used to avoid this surgery for so many years, please browse the various posts at www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

Be well, Do Well and keep moving.

Betsy

206 933 1889

shopping for Shaklee www.HiHOHealth.com

travel adventures www.EmpoweredGrandma.com