Category Archives: Health

More than just drugs and/or surgery. There are supplements, therapies, and a whole lot of healing going on – here are some of Aunty’s choices.

What to do for a cold

Posted on by
9

Aunty rarely gets sick.  It could be because she reaches for Congaplex by Standard Process Labs at the first hint of a sore throat, sniffles, or being around others who are sick.

However, this time, with no Congaplex in sight, this cold that started as a slight sore throat became a cough with a fatigued body.  Yuck!

*Update alert!  Ever hear of the hydrogen peroxide trick?  3 drops in your ear, for 10 minutes.  It cackles and crunches in the ear.  Then, remove with a qtip.  Supposedly works 80% of the time to kick out beginning colds and flu!

So Aunty is staying home (couldn’t testify about Monster Houses today, boohoo) and away from air conditioning and drinking lots of warm liquids.  Here is what Aunty is doing, and feeling better.

Oil of Oregano

Oil of Oregano was recommended by Jini of ListentoYourGut.com.  This stuff can burn the lips, so it is important to do as instructed – load up dropperful, tilt back head, insert into open mouth and squirt in.  Close mouth and swallow.  Let this sit in the throat.  It WILL be hot but manageable.  Then, drink water.  Oil of Oregano absolutely kills any bacterial infection and works very well for flu/strep throat and sinus issues.

Stop Eating

There was a saying, “Feed a cold, starve a fever” but Aunty believes in not eating when sick.  Perhaps a little bit of rice and chicken noodle soup.  A bit of crackers.  Nothing greasy or sugary.  By doing this, the digestive system of your body gets a break and you also stay out of the kitchen and stop spreading germs.

Drinking liquids

Years ago, Dr. Bernard Jensen (renown iridologist) taught us about a drink for fasting or while sick.

Maple syrup, 1-2 TSP

Fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

Hot water

This is actually very delicious and has enough calories to give you energy.   Aunty made a big bottle of it and took it to class yesterday.

Vicks Vapor Rub and Air Detox

Peppermint and eucalyptus oils have such wonderful smell, and Aunty rubbed Vicks Vapor Rub on her chest and sprayed a paper towel with Dr. Schulze’s Air Detox.  This paper towel is very handy to breathe through as well as use to wipe off common areas of exposure such as door knobs and handles.

Tapping

Something new that Aunty tried, with skepticism is “tapping“.  Here is a video explaining the process of boosting your immune system (so you get well).  It was quite revealing to Aunty – and by golly, it works!  Take a number reading, from 1-10 of how bad you are feeling before, then after.

Load up on vitamins and good stuff

We all know that vitamin C is good for colds, so drink a lot of orange juice or take supplements.  B12 patches also help to give you energy and help you heal faster.  Green tea, clothing that keeps you warm but not hot, socks, and

REST!

Take it easy.  Allow your body to heal itself by not doing what you don’t have to do.  Pamper yourself and you will soon be well.

SLEEP….

This is probably one of the most important tips when sick.  When we sleep at night, the body’s immune system kicks in and the healing begins.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to sleep when battling a cold that keeps us up at night and makes us so terribly uncomfortable.  Aunty would toss and turn and watch the clock.  Finally after a couple of nights of poor sleep, she went out and picked lemon balm leaves that grows like a weed, poured hot water over the leaves, and drank the tea before bedtime.  It really helped to calm and aid in a good night’s sleep, and then the real healing began.

Not sure about taking sleep aids such as sleeping pills or cough syrup with codeine.  To each their own and now Aunty will take better care of her lemon balm bush that she would whack at to get rid of.

Aunty’s Quite Wonderful Broken Bones

Posted on by
10

ToshiSee this cute little doggie?  His name is Toshi.  He is our daughter’s 7 year old Sheltie, and he is dangerous for old ladies who try to keep up with his running while walking on uneven Kaimuki streets.  That is how Aunty tripped, flew forward, and broke 2 bones in her left forearm recently.

As Aunty struggled up, holding her dirty misshaped wrist and battling shock, Toshi was not concerned and of no help.  This dog is far removed from the hero dog that he looks like – Lassie – the problem solving smart dog we all grew up admiring on our black and white TV screens in the “old days.”

Since no one was home, Aunty drove, one handedly to Kahala Urgent Care just before they closed for the night.  The entire staff was sooo nice and efficient, washing and wrapping Aunty’s many wounds, taking an Xray, being seen by a real doctor, putting the entire elbow, forearm and wrist in a splint, and sending Aunty home with discharge info and instructions to see an orthopedic doctor asap the next day.

Not choosing the emergency room

Why didn’t Aunty go to Queen’s emergency instead and have it possibly taken care of in one visit?  Aunty heard that after 6:00 pm, the ER staff is made up of the rookie doctors, because Queen’s is a training hospital.  No rookie (deceivingly known as “resident doctors”) for Aunty.  Also, their triage admission process is agonizingly long and requires sitting, waiting, moving, sitting, waiting, on and on.

Kahala Urgent Care was close by, uncrowded, and they did a great job of stabilizing Aunty’s arm.  It was also SO reasonable in price, HOW do they make money?

Dr. Atkinson and Thelma

thelmaAunty called the first name on the list that Kahala Urgent Care recommended, Dr. Robert Atkinson at Hale Pawa’a Building on Beretania Street, (808) 536-2261.  Thelma answered the phone.  Thelma!  A really nice young woman with an old fashioned name.  We hit it off and Aunty went in that day to see Dr. Atkinson.  Surgery was scheduled for the next day in the same building, on the 6th floor.

The 6th floor was top notch, clean, excellent nursing and operating staff, bright and modern, with a state-of-the-art operating room.  Aunty’s surgery went well, and a good friend took Aunty home to recover with a partial splint and a bandaged arm.  A follow up appointment for a hard cast was scheduled in a week.

Tammy and the Beautiful Cast

tammyAunty’s hand was still swollen and her wounds were still raw and open at her followup appointment so with a gentle suggestion from Aunty’s newest pal Thelma, Dr. Atkinson directed Aunty to see Tammy of the Hawaii Hand & Rehabilitation Services located in an adjacent office on the same floor (so convenient that the Xray room, rehab, casting, and doctor are all on the 7th floor!)

Tammy is a pretty Okinawan looking young woman who really knows her stuff.  See her picture with Aunty?  She followed Aunty’s coaching about angling her body, bending her elbow, and pulling back her face from her ears the way that Jalna shared in her photo shoot tips.  She looks good, yeah?

What impressed Aunty the most was how she “made” Aunty’s HOT pink gorgeous cast out of a flat sheet of plastic, expertly fitting, shaping, cutting, forming and adjusting – into a work of art that Aunty is SO happy to wear!  It is hard, super light weight, easily removable (Aunty was worried that she would get itchy in a regular hard cast), and comfortable.

Tammy went through a worksheet of hand exercises to speed along recovery and mobility.

Aunty is ready to hit the town

Aunty is going stir crazy at home as well as watching the weeds in her garden laugh and grow. Aunty’s wounds are almost healed with the application of Anti-Infection that kills ALL bacteria on contact but can cause screeching pain at first.  Aunty has also been on her BEMER machine (a future post) and using its infrared light attachment directly over the largest wound.

These therapies and the excellent care that the above fine professionals have provided, along with the help and food from friends and family have made this latest journey of a broken arm quite wonderful.

Aunty has cancelled some of her previously scheduled commitments, is taking it easy, and has a really good reason for not working at projects that have been put off anyway.

Life is good, even with a broken arm.

 

 

 

4-7-8 Breathing exercise for life, and magnets

Posted on by
12

breathingAunty first heard about this 4-7-8 breathing exercise from Kay of Musings.  This supposedly helps you fall asleep, and so Aunty, on the few occasions when it was hard to fall asleep at night, would breathe in, hold, and exhale continuously, and find herself becoming light headed – but still wide awake.

Then, a link in one of Dr. Mercola‘s articles was to Dr. Andrew Weil’s instructional video on only doing 4 breath cycles at a time, once or twice a day, and NOT as many as one is able to do.  This cycle of 4 originated in India and has health benefits of anxiety relief, lowering blood pressure (one of Aunty’s new health concerns), and can give one a refreshing boost as well as ease of falling asleep.

Here’s Dr. Andrew Weil explaining how to do this exercise:

Actually, Aunty did put her digital blood pressure cuff on while doing this breathing exercise and it DID result in a nicer lower blood pressure reading!

Aunty will be starting this practice daily. Sometimes while sitting on the toilet in the morning since nothing else is going on at that time.  *It seems like Kay of Musings and Aunty are on the same info plane because just yesterday, Kay posted about blowing while constipated.  What a coincidence, and SO worth a try!

Another practice (unrelated to toilet habits) that Aunty believes in is magnet therapy.  Kay has trigger finger and Aunty suggested she use magnets to help heal the area around her joints.  Sometimes Aunty grabs a business card magnet – those freebie things that come in the mail or are attached to phone books when they are first delivered – and lays it on the area of pain.  For Aunty, this is usually her neck and/or shoulders.  Perhaps it is her imagination, but it almost feels like the pain is lifted away.

In any case, these are 2 free methods of wellness that Aunty wanted to share with you today.  If anyone wants Aunty’s 4-7-8 breathing magnet as well as 3 other of her magnets, please email Aunty (aunty@hawaii.rr.com) with your U.S mailing address and Aunty will gladly mail out a set of her 4 magnets.  You can use these magnets as reminders on your refrigerator or file cabinet, or for temporary magnet therapy.

Wishing you peace, happiness, and wellness!

magnets

5 morning stretches – so easy, and they work!

Posted on by
9

exercisesOne of the better health newsletters that Aunty subscribes to is Live in the Now.  The articles that arrive in my inbox are daily, and quite interesting.  The sales copy of its Stop Aging Now product line which correspond to health issues are compelling.  The “deals” are enticing.  More times than not, Aunty takes the bait and orders from them.

The latest is a topical skin treatment with vitamin C that sounds very promising for Aunty’s aging skin.  Another is a product called Synergy7 – a detox formula that helps the liver function at optimal levels, which Aunty figures she needs since she is still a poor eater – choosing food for its taste rather than benefits.  So, most likely, Aunty’s liver is in need of a detox and boost.  Perhaps her “liver spots” that are in her genetic blueprint (great grandmother’s face was like a map of liver spots) will be conquered.  [Note:  the Cambodian BeBe cream is still keeping Aunty’s dark spots at bay, with occasional Nerium night cream treatments.  Mai’s Beauty Salon will be bringing the cream in for sale now!]

The latest email had a link to “5 Stretches Everyone Should Do Every Morning.”   3 of them can be done while lying on the bed, and very easy to do – lower trunk rotation, hamstring stretch, and bridging.  One of them is done while sitting, and also very easy to do – upper trapezius stretch that feels GREAT for the neck and shoulders.  The last one is done while sitting or standing – an upward reach up and to the side, holding for a few seconds while breathing in slowly, and exhaling slowly, then moving to the other side.

Aunty printed these out to follow until they can be done as an automatic thing to do in the morning upon waking up or at other times during the day while sitting at the computer.

Being a senior citizen has so many benefits, except for the loss of a youthful body and health.  As we age, we need more help and awareness of doing what is good for us, and not doing what is bad.

My wish is that we can all be well, wealthy, and happy.  Be well, dear friends and family.  Wealth and happiness to you, too.

Looking forward to 2017

Posted on by
2

snoopy-happy-new-yearLani Kwon, a life coach that Aunty had the pleasure of listening to, sent Aunty an email with a link to an insightful article, entitled “Let go or be dragged into 2017”.

Based on numerology, the numbers 2, 0, 1, 6 add up to 9 – which is a very fiery, emotional, intense number that also signifies the end of cycles with sudden shocks, dramatic endings, and tying up loose ends. Which will lead us into 2017.

These numbers 2, 0, 1, 7 add up to 1 – which is beginning again. Time to re-energize, clean up, move forwards. The article mentioned the Mari Kondo way of tidying (post coming, for sure in 2017!) which Aunty has been in the process of doing, and it has been transforming the living spaces in our home.

Aunty really is looking forward to 2017. It will be a good time for us all, and so, HAPPY NEW YEAR my friends, family and readers!

Whatcha doing?

Posted on by
6

2013-04-03_20-26-12Nick Polizzi is the Director at The Sacred Science team.  Aunty forgets how she found them, but it began with watching a documentary that they did in the jungles of Peru, taking 8 very ill people to a healing camp.  No running water, no electricity, bugs and critters, strange rituals, and primitive smashed root and bark meals prepared by people that did not speak their language, at all.  One of the rituals was the smoking of ayahuasca, that Aunty’s numba one, ichiban shiatsu masseuse Dick, of Hikari Shiatsu used to talk about.

Aunty was blown away after watching the hour long documentary.  It was honest, human, and what modern medicine would call miraculous, but in Peru, in the depths of the jungle, was commonplace.

Aunty now has a copy of The Sacred Science (you like borrow?) and also subscribed to Nick’s emails.  He is kinda intense, but in a good way.  Most of the time, Aunty skims through and then files away, but today’s email was special, and worth a shout-out.

He shared advice that a shaman friend gave him, “Don’t let the illusions of your past or future rob you of the infiniteness of your present.”  He also shared a Sanskrit poem by Kalidasa, an Indian poet and playwright from 16 centuries ago:

Look to this day,
for it is life, the very breath of life.
In its brief course lie
all the realities of your existence;
the bliss of growth,
the glory of action,
the splendor of beauty.
For yesterday is only a dream,
and tomorrow is but a vision.
But today, well lived,
makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow
a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.

Isn’t that pretty awesome?  What will you do with your today?

 

Eat to starve cancer and obesity

Posted on by
Reply

foodlistWhen Aunty was young, which seems eons ago, hardly anyone had cancer.  Now, it seems commonplace, heart breakingly commonplace, and too often – harsh and fatal.  We live in a different time, with different environmental factors as well as different lifestyles, and we need to take charge of our choices before it is too late.

This TED Ed talk by Dr. William Li of the Angiogenesis Foundation explains why and how we can eat common foods to beat cancer and obesity before it becomes symptomatic or a problem.  Please take 20 minutes to view and absorb this valuable lesson.  Meanwhile, please drink green tea, eat broccoli sprouts, tomatoes, garlic, red grapes, strawberries, and other yummy great foods.

 

Aunty’s computer posture – fix!

Posted on by
6

Aunty’s posture has been deteriorating – maybe because of entering the older lady phase of life, but maybe not.

TaiChi is helping with balance.  Still, poor posture from sitting hours at the computer watching Korean dramas, blogging, inputting into Quickbooks, google searching, checking emails, etc. etc. etc. was taking its toll.  Playing Kuku-Kube (thanks or No thanks to Jalna, lol) has really made Aunty sit transfixed for hours staring at computer screens.

Along comes a good AND EASY way to reverse and overcome poor posture with 3 simple to do exercises.

1.  Maintain a tight core while walking or standing.  Suck in that gut and keep your ears above your shoulders.  (This makes clothing look great on us – especially that lumpy looking part under the boobs and above the waist.)

2.  Backwards arm rolls with palms facing up.  This one will really feel foreign – we don’t ever use this motion or direction, but it works!

3.  Elbow pushing on a wall.  Something like isometrics (remember those?) but easier.  It is hard for Aunty to relax her neck, but Aunty will learn.

Thanks to the folks at Easy Health Options for this link to Dr. Brett Cardonick’s video demonstrating the exercises:

Look good, feel good!  Or is it the other way around?

Sharing

Posted on by
4

kokeshiAunty is the type of person that holds everything in.  It was how I was raised, and it has served me well thus far.  Maintaining pride, avoiding shame, putting on a smiling face that says that everything is alright.  Very Japanese.  My ancestors would be proud of me.

This tradition and upbringing has been Aunty’s cloak of invisibility and comfort.  This has been possible because of the undeniable Universal Truth:  All things shall pass.  This is true for the best things in our lives as well as the worst things in our lives.

Crap, the worst of them, comes and goes in our lives.  It surely does come, and then it passes.  Sometimes, though, it stays for a long long time.  Sometimes it stays because we hold on to it (see post on what are you holding on to?)  Sometimes it is almost too heavy to bear and it consumes us.

A post by one of Aunty’s favorite bloggers, James Altchuler, talked about letting it go, letting it out, and not caring about what others think or say about who he is or what he did or didn’t do.  It gives him release, and a sense of peace.

Right now, there is a huge pile of crap on Aunty’s shoulders.  In fact, it is crap on top of crap.

Will my traditional upbringing silence the turmoil inside, or will Aunty share by spilling the beans to relieve the burden?

Time will tell.  Time will tell.

Update:  This post was written 2 years ago during a time when there was so much drama, trauma, and turmoil in Aunty’s life from many different directions and sources.  It was like standing on a spot with a storm raging all around.  Pal Margaret also felt that analogy – when a huge mountain of debt/secrets/commitments almost consumed her and then she received advice that settled her down.  Margaret shared her dilemma which led to a very happy solution. 

Aunty did spill some beans to some people, though not all the beans and not to everyone. It was good to share and have friends and family to talk to.  She slipped from her Japanese pedestal, but it was an ancestral tradition that was too lofty and cumbersome.

One important point that Aunty would like to stress is to realize that you are standing on a grounded spot at all times.  The storm that may be swirling all about is not you.  It is a storm, and storms pass.  The spot that you are standing on is who you are.  It is a good place to be.

What are you holding on to?

Posted on by
2

frazzledThis was originally written 2 years ago and not posted until today, in concurrence with Aunty’s “Sharing” post.

During the 8th session with Dr. Hana Yin at Brain Fitness Hawaii (no longer in business), something popped into Aunty’s consciousness.

It started with a question:  What are you holding on to?

For Aunty, it was anger and resentment, holding on to bad memories, recalling of upsetting words spoken, and ill feelings.  This led to continuous anger and resentment, without end.

We have been told to count our blessings.  To tell you the truth, that doesn’t work for Aunty, not when she is pissed off.  Recalling good stuff was overcome with the recollection of the bad incidences – along with its bitter bile.  Unwanted, but THERE.  Like having your worst acquaintance strapped onto your back all day long.  Yuck.

Aunty was holding on to some pretty junk stuff, and it was time to just let it go.

How do you do that?  Aunty posted one on “Sharing” (but being Japanese makes that kinda hard to do).  Another post was “No get huhu”, and another on “Make like a tree and…”

Some people take drugs, go to therapy, meditate, find a life coach.  Doesn’t matter what you do, but the first step is to realize what you are holding on to.  If it is crap, get rid of it.

Aunty is working on it.  It is good to let it go.