A Fork In The Road

Posted on by
Reply

Had a Health Yourself meetup last night in North Framingham, with six others.

We agreed that some people choose technology, convenience, and sickness,
and others are willing to forego some technology and convenience, for the sake of nature, and that they enjoy far better health.

But importantly, the former group has great difficulty opening up to changes that can make their lives better, when the doctor runs out of ideas.

My dream is to nurture the 1% openness in the people who are sick or headed towards sickness, so when they are ready,
they can walk towards the door of health.

How open are you?

Take my poll…

http://polls.linkedin.com/p/78756/hsvyj

Travel Photography Show – Framingham, MA

Posted on by
Reply

FYI…

David


Santorini, Greece Storefront


My work will be on display from Thursday February 18th through Monday May 10th at Big Fresh Cafe at 341Cochituate Road (route 30), Framingham MA.

Hours 11am-9pm everyday

About Big Fresh:

“Big Fresh Cafe in Framingham, MA is the meeting place of business savvy and activist passion – it’s where environmental concerns and social justice sit at the table with business pragmatism. It’s about finding a balance between paying local growers what they deserve and keeping the cost to you reasonable. At Big Fresh Cafe, we make conscious decisions at every turn; what we buy and who we buy from matters to us, and we hope to share this with our customers. And while some of our goals will take time and a lot of hard work, we plan on eating well and having a great time getting there – and we’d love you to join us!”

Do stop by and enjoy the photos as well as the wonderful, fresh healthy food at this unique eatery in Metro-West.

Howie

Greetings from Sunny (but chilly) Orlando

Posted on by
Reply

Things are not right with the weather in our country. It may not be from our total disregard of the environment, but that isn’t helping either.

If I was the President, here are the changes I would make to help Americans have better lives. [I realize our party system, as well as greedy and corrupt people would try to prevent my changes, and change them right back after my term, but…]

1. Eliminate subsidies for dairy and meat producers

2. Give grants to private and public educators spreading the word about organics, plant-based diets, stress reduction programs, the dangers of legal drugs and chemicals, and promoting exercising for health.

3. Mandate that all correctional facilities serve food that is at least 85% plant-based, to save money and improve health and promote peace.

4. Create stricter guidelines for school lunch, pollution and PACs.

5. Take flouride out of the water.

6. Cut the budget by 50% to pay off the national debt within eight years.

7. Immediately leave Afghanistan. Avoid such conflicts, and support true freedom instead of dictatators that are our friends.

8. Create a watchdog for chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries to avoid problems for future generations.

9. Mandate physical education at least :30 in every school day.

10. Institute a flat tax and retrain the accountants to be chefs, massage therapists and yogis.

Save Martin Grossman

Posted on by
Reply

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-martin-grossman

Today I heard about the upcoming excecution of Martin Grossman, who 20+ years ago was a low-IQ, druggie, out thrill-seeking with a friend, and who panicked when confronted by a police officer, and unfortunately she lost her life.

I cannot be certain of the facts of this case, but there are so many reasons the death penalty does not work. I hope you will check out this web site, and consider calling, emailing and signing this petition.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/save-martin-grossman

Seasons of Wither

Posted on by
Reply

Do you have a lot of ups and downs in your life? Do you get sick a lot?

Perhaps you have noticed that difficulties tend to bunch up around the same season.

The seasons are a big factor in our moods, health and productivity. We obviously cannot control them,
but we can become more aware of our tendancies.

For instance, I generally have a difficult time from Dec. 15-Feb. 15 (next week my fog lifts!).
I have noticed that I left three jobs in this period, and I attribute it at least partly to my birthday in mid December.

Since I was born then, it means that my first few tumultuous months occured then, and those were also the
months that I had no experience with (not even in the womb). Of course, it’s also winter, which affects a lot of people.

This year, I have worked hard to eat a lot of root veggies, not as much sugar (mixed success there), and I
have done well with my going outside and exercising regularly. As as result, my life has gone much better this winter.

Macrobiotics spends a lot of time talking about seasons. That is one reason I have gravitated towards it. I believe
all of us could benefit from some learning in that area.

Here are a few sources of learning about Macrobiotics:

1. My two upcoming Framingham Adult Education courses on Macrobiotics…
http://www.ktconed.org/nutrition.htm#Macrobiotic_Cooking_-_NEW!

2. Health Yourself iPhone App..
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/feel-better-have-fun-learn/id353549374?mt=8

3. Some books on the subject…
http://www.macrobiotics.tv/booklist.htm

Why are we so depressed?

Posted on by
Reply

Today’s On Point (NPR) discussed the current assertion that we are more depressed here in the US than ever before. As always, Tom Ashbrook ran a great show.

Certainly, we are on more anti-depressants than ever before, but there are more questions than answers.

My first question is: “Are you much better off taking your medication than you were without it?”

Even if the answer is yes, if it’s been several years, and the apparent cause of your depression (loss, stress, trauma, etc.) is no longer
causing you harm, perhaps getting off the meds is a good idea. If that’s the case, and you choose to try going off these meds, please
be aware there may be significant (if temporary) side effects as you come off them.

Another question I have: “What about the fact that our water supply contains more than trace amounts of a multitude of drugs such
as lipitor, paxil and viagra?” Doesn’t that mean we are all on drugs and we might not need to take any more?

The experts did not agree that we are more depressed than in the past, and there was no great reason given for this potential problem,
but once again, I will go out on a limb: “We are more depressed, and we have good reasons to be depressed.”

These are:

1. Our health is poor and we are feeling it intuitively (this is also causing more illness, domestic violence etc.).
2. Our sleep is suffering because we overeat and we are overmedicated, and overstimulated.
3. We are filled with fear of terrorism, crime, economic upheaval, illness and death. 4. Our leaders in government and industry are robbing us blind.
5. We live so unnaturally we don’t even know what makes us happy anymore. Facebook and American Idol and snack foods have replaced the family meal and twister games of yesteryear.

If you are with me this far, here is the cure…

A. Start cooking organic, local, plant-based dinners six nights per week (I can show you how, or there are great cookbooks and community courses all over)
B. Get outside for at least one hour every day, with your body literally touching the ground where there are trees. Yoga, martial arts, meditation and massage also help.
C. Be together with the people you love, and talk about important things in a loving and supportive way. Also get into gardening, poetry, hiking or dance.
D. Aim to get off all medications, and heal what ails you through taking better care of your body with food and lifestyle changes, and alternative medicine.
E. Get off violent media such as movies, video games and the evening news and create a life that adds value and makes you feel good.

Reduce Your Suffering

Posted on by
Reply

I took a week off from this labor of love, as I attended the Landmark Forum. This course is a dramatic way to jump-start your life, particularly if your relationships and/or results are not what you want. The course is a long weekend and an evening, given in Quincy (one of hundreds of locations throughout the world), for about $400, but free to fire, police and clergy people. More information at http://www.landmarkeducation.com

Today I want to talk about your feet. How are they looking and feeling? Mine get a bit rough and sometimes I feel pain around the heels in winter. Other people have athlete’s foot, bunions, or callouses in one place or another. Either way, it’s a result of our eating, exercise, and how we take care of our feet.

I like to look at a reflexology chart to know which organs are affected. You can do the same at http://www.healthgoods.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/foot_reflexlology.gif

Easy Ways to Reduce Suffering With Foods
Do you cook? If so, you are very lucky indeed. And if you use a lot of plant-based foods, and not too much salt, sugar or chemicals, you are creating health!

Many people know a lot of delicious recipes, but they have some ingredients which can be damaging to our health, and cause our environment and our animal friends to suffer, such as milk, sugar, eggs, butter, etc.

Fortunately, these are easy to make with healthier ingredients, once we have adjusted the recipe.

I use “Egg Replacer” a dry product which can be bought at Whole Foods, Ocean State Job lot and elsewhere. If you don’t have it, you can also use a mixture of tapioca flour and soy milk or soy oil. Speaking of oil, if you want to replace oil or butter in a recipe, you can use apple sauce if a sweet food, or eden blend (rice/soy milk) instead.

For milk, I use Eden blend, and for sugar, I use maple sugar, rice syrup, agave nectar or stevia (small amounts only–very strong!!).

Try these, you may find that you don’t need to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg from your neighbor after all. But be sure to bring over some cake for your neighbor, because that’s what love is!!