He is the Healer

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3)

Aren’t you glad that God is a healer! It doesn’t matter what is “broken” in your life today, God’s nature is to bring you complete healing. Do you need healing in your body? Your mind? Heart? Finances? Relationships? God is your healer. Notice what the Psalmist says in this verse: He binds up their wounds. In the natural, if you have a broken arm, it doesn’t just heal over night. The doctor makes a cast to hold it in place and protect it. He binds up your wound. In the spiritual realm, God does the same thing. He wraps Himself around your brokenness and protects the wounded area until it is strong enough to function properly again. The Bible also says that He is a restorer. That means that when He does a work of healing in our lives, He makes us better than we were before. If you’re going through the healing process today, know this: it may take longer than you planned, but God is binding up your wound. He is protecting you and healing you. He will bring you out better and stronger than you were before. He will take you to a place of complete healing so that you can live the life of victory He has in store for you.

Father in heaven, thank You for being my healer. Thank You for restoring every area of my life. I give You everything that I am today. Use me for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Criteria

A main "Criteria of Consciousness" for the human experience, is never having all you want. For as one dream comes true, another swiftly takes its place. Not having all you want is one of life's constants. And learning to be happy while not yet having all you want (which, as you can see, is constant), is the first "Criteria of Joy." Nail it, and for the rest of your life people will be asking what it is about you.
Desire is a beautiful thing.

The Universe

Food Log - 11/7/07

weight 159 lbs

1: Jay Robb Shake
2: Boars Head Oven Gold Chicken breast
3: Laughing Cow Cheese Triangle
4: Homemade meatballs
5: Jay Robb Shake

What Is A Feeling Anyway?

From Why Can't I Lose Weight? blog by Brooke Castillo

You have heard me say it often: "The only reason you eat is a feeling." Your thoughts cause your feelings which cause your actions. So you have a negative thought that causes you to feel a negative feeling which causes you to fog eat.

My advice is to feel the feeling instead of eating. But what is a feeling? What does it really mean to feel instead of eat?

Here is my simplified answer. "A feeling is an experience in the body, caused by a thought in the mind." Here are some examples of what I mean by an experience in the body:

Fear is felt as a heightened heartbeat, increased “flinch” response, and increased muscle tension.

Anger, based on sensation, seems indistinguishable from fear except for heat.

Happiness is often felt as an expansive or swelling feeling in the chest and the sensation of lightness or buoyancy, as if standing underwater.

Sadness is often experienced as a feeling of tightness in the throat and eyes, and relaxation in the arms and legs.

Shame can be felt as heat in the upper chest and face.

Desire can be accompanied by a dry throat, heavy breathing, and increased heart rate.

Ultimately the reason we fog eat is to distract ourselves from the current physical sensations, caused by our thoughts, to instead focus on the physical sensations caused by eating.

If we can learn how to experience the physical sensations caused by our thoughts long enough to change the thoughts- we will no longer have the need for the distraction of eating when we aren't hungry.

So next time you want to fog eat- sit down and document the physical sensations in your body; see if you can identify the feeling and name it; then try to access the thought and change it.

If you repeat this process enough, you will never be fat again.

Food Log - 11/6/07

weight: 160 lbs

1: 2 eggs plus cheese omlette
2: Tilapia pan fried in butter
3: Tilapia pan fried in butter
4: Chicken breast & cheese triangl
5: Jay Robb Chocolate Shake

You Set the Limits

“What if they don’t believe? Will their lack of faith make the faith of God no effect?” (Romans 3:3)

There will always be critics and naysayers in life. It’s not what’s said about you that affects your life, but what you say and believe about yourself. Has the opinions of other people caused you to water down your dreams? One of the most important things you can learn is that other people don’t have to believe in you in order for your dreams to come to pass. Other people don’t set the limits for your life—you do. In Romans 3:3, the Apostle Paul is saying, “It doesn’t matter if other people don’t believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me from believing in my dreams.” When God puts a promise in your heart, it’s not up to other people to bring it to pass, it’s up to you! You don’t need everyone to validate you. You have to follow the voice of God for yourself and allow Him to order your steps. God sees the hidden treasures that you’ve had buried on the inside of you. He wants to bring those treasures out and make your dreams reality! As you get rid of old, defeated thoughts and replace them with what God says about you, you will remove the limits and live the abundant life God has in store for you!

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to see Your goodness in my life. Help me to see myself the way You see me. Help me to see the plans You have for me so that I can be empowered by You to fulfill my destiny. I love You and bless Your name today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Food Log - 11/5/07

weight 162 lbs

1: 2 egg omlette with cheese (butter) with 2 pieces bacon
2: Pan fried Tilapia (butter)
3: Pan fried Tilapia (butter)
4: Pan fried Tilapia (butter)
5: 2 Light Laughing Cow cheese triangles

NHE

First 7 days: <20g carb per day. Eat meat, eggs, fish, chicken, cheese - as much fat as wanted plus at least 1 serving per day fresh veg eg broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, mushroom, radicchio, radish, and spinach - top with butter or cheese if desired. Lots of water.

NEXT cycle 3/4 ie 3 days then 4 days last meal on 3rd and 7th day = carb load

NON CARB LOAD MEALS:
min 4 meals per day.
Eat 15-50g protein each meal.
<30-60g daily total carb.
Omega 3 & olive oil moderate.
White Fish 4x weekly plus salmon 2x weekly.
Nuts good snack.
Flaxseed oil 1T daily

CARB LOAD MEAL:
unlimited carb last meal on 3rd and 7th day.
BUT very low fat and protein.
Good choices oatmeal, sweet potato.
HIFWAC fruits like berries, apples, apricots, peaches, pears.

Plan meals in advance
Snacks on hand
Eat every 2-4 hours
Eat more if hungry

Honor the Lord with Your Body

“Honor the Lord with your body” (I Corinthians 6:20).

The Scripture says that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to honor the Lord with our bodies. How do you do that? You take care of it. You respect it. You treat it as valuable. You use your body to bring Him glory. When you stand strong against temptation, you are honoring the Lord with your body. When you take care of yourself by eating properly and getting enough sleep, you are honoring the Lord with your body. You are saying, “Lord, thank You for this gift of life. I am choosing to take care of myself so that I can serve You with my whole heart, mind, and strength.” As we enter into this holiday season, remember to honor the Lord by taking care of your body. Enjoy the treasures of the season, but don’t allow the hustle and bustle of the season to rob you from simply enjoying the blessing of your friends, family, and loved ones. As you honor the Lord with your body, you will be strengthened and empowered by His peace. You’ll be able to stand against temptation and walk in love this holiday season and all the days of your life!

Dear Father in Heaven, today I choose to honor You with my body. Thank You for the gift of life. Thank You for empowering me against temptation. Show me Your plan for me today so that I can honor You in everything I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Magnesium: The most powerful relaxation mineral available...

A deficiency in this critical nutrient makes you are twice as likely to die as other people, according to a study published in the journal "Critical Care."

It also accounts for a long list of symptoms and diseases -- which are easily helped and often cured by adding this nutrient.

In fact, in my practice, this nutrient is one of my secret weapons against illness.

Yet up to half of Americans are deficient in this nutrient and don't know it.

What is it?

I'm talking about magnesium.

It is an antidote to stress and the most powerful relaxation mineral.

I find it very funny that more doctors aren't clued in to the benefits of magnesium, because we use it all the time in conventional medicine.

But we never stop to think about why or how important it is to our general health or why it helps our bodies function better.

I remember using magnesium when I worked in the emergency room. It was a critical "medication" on the crash cart. If someone was dying of a life-threatening arrhythmia (or irregular heart beat), we used intravenous magnesium.

If someone was constipated or needed to prepare for colonoscopy, we gave them milk of magnesia or a green bottle of liquid magnesium citrate, which emptied their bowels.

If pregnant women came in with pre-term labor, or high blood pressure of pregnancy (pre-eclampsia) or seizures, we gave them continuous high doses of intravenous magnesium.

But you don't have to be in the hospital to benefit from getting more magnesium.

Think of magnesium as the relaxation mineral.

Anything that is tight, irritable, crampy, and stiff -- whether it is a body part or an even a mood -- is a sign of magnesium deficiency.

Why?

Well, this critical mineral is responsible for over 300 enzyme reactions and is found in all of your tissues -- but mainly, bone, muscle, and brain.

It is necessary for your cells to make energy, for many different chemical pumps to work, to stabilize membranes, and to help muscles relax.

The list of conditions that are found related to magnesium deficiency is very long.

In fact, there are over 3,500 medical references on magnesium deficiency!

But this mineral is mostly ignored because it is not a drug, even though it is MORE powerful than drugs in many cases. That's why we use it in the hospital for life-threatening and emergency situations like seizures and heart failure.

You might be magnesium deficient if you have any of the following symptoms:

* muscle cramps or twitches
* insomnia
* irritability
* sensitivity to loud noises
* anxiety
* autism
* ADD
* palpitations
* angina
* constipation
* anal spasms
* headaches
* migraines
* fibromyalgia
* chronic fatigue
* asthma
* kidney stones
* diabetes
* obesity
* osteoporosis
* high blood pressure
* PMS
* menstrual cramps
* irritable bladder
* irritable bowel syndrome
* reflux
* trouble swallowing

Magnesium deficiency has even has been linked to inflammation in the body and higher CRP levels.

So how bad is this problem?

In our society, it's huge.

By conservative standards of measurement (blood, or serum, magnesium levels), 65 percent of people admitted to the intensive care unit -- and about 15 percent of the general population -- have magnesium deficiency.

But this seriously underestimates the problem, because a serum magnesium level is the LEAST sensitive way to detect a drop in your total body magnesium level.

So rates of magnesium deficiency could be even higher!

Why are we so deficient?

The answer is simple: Many of us eat a diet that contains practically no magnesium -- a highly processed, refined diet that is based mostly on white flour, meat, and dairy (all of which have no magnesium).

When was the last time you had a good dose of sea vegetables (seaweed), nuts, greens, and beans? If you are like most Americans, your nut consumption mostly comes from peanut butter, and mostly in chocolate peanut butter cups.

Our processed diet contains almost no magnesium.

It is also often poorly absorbed and easily lost from our bodies.

A recent scientific review of magnesium concluded, "It is highly regrettable that the deficiency of such an inexpensive, low-toxicity nutrient results in diseases that cause incalculable suffering and expense throughout the world." (Med Hypotheses 2001 Feb; 56(2): 163-70)

To absorb magnesium we need a lot of it in our diet, plus enough vitamins B6 and D and selenium to get the job done.

Moreover, much of modern life conspires to help us lose whatever magnesium we get in our diet.

Magnesium levels are decreased by excess alcohol, salt, coffee, phosphoric acid in colas, profuse sweating, prolonged or intense stress, chronic diarrhea, excessive menstruation, diuretics (water pills), antibiotics and other drugs, and some intestinal parasites.

In fact, in one study in Kosovo, people under chronic war stress lost large amounts of magnesium in their urine.

It is difficult to measure and hard to study, but magnesium deficiency accounts for untold suffering -- and is simple to correct.

So if you suffer from any of the symptoms I mentioned or have any of the diseases I noted, don't worry -- it is an easy fix!!

Here's how.

==> Stop draining your body of magnesium.

* Limit coffee, colas, salt, sugar and alcohol

* Learn how to practice active relaxation

* Check with your doctor if your medication is causing magnesium loss (many high blood pressure drugs or diuretics cause loss of magnesium)

==> Eat foods high in magnesium.

* These include kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, cashews, buckwheat, brazil nuts, dulse, filberts, millet, pecans, walnuts, rye, tofu, soy beans, brown rice, figs, dates, collard greens, shrimp, avocado, parsley, beans, barley, dandelion greens, and garlic

==> Take magnesium supplements.

* The RDA (the minimum amount needed) for magnesium is about 300 mg a day. Most of us get far less than 200 mg

* Some may need much more depending on their condition

* Most people benefit from 400 to 1,000 mg a day

* The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates (malate, succinate, fumarate) are also good

* Avoid magnesium carbonate, sulfate, gluconate, and oxide. They are poorly absorbed (and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements)

* Side effects from too much magnesium include diarrhea, which can be avoided if you switch to magnesium glycinate

* Most minerals are best taken as a team with other minerals in a multi-mineral formula

* Taking a hot bath with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is a good way to absorb and get much needed magnesium

* People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor's supervision

So if you're coping with the symptoms here, relax! Magnesium is truly a miracle mineral.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

PS - For more information on this and other blogs, please go to:

==> http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog