We get asked where to go for recipes all the time. The Spunky Coconut has great recipes that are gluten-free, casein free, sugar free, and sometimes raw. The site has photos too, so you know what the final product will look like. And they are on FB and Twitter too. I’m gonna try the Almond Milk first - here’s the link:

The Spunky Coconut

The news magazine program “Here and Now” just did an interview with Ethan Watters who wrote a book titled “Crazy Like Us”. The link to the program is here:

Here and Now News Magazine

This is an excerpt from the beginning of the interview:

“Are American ideas of mental health and treating mental illness being exported along with Starbucks and McDonalds? Author Ethan Watters looks at post-tsunami work in Sri Lanka, anorexia in China and the marketing of anti-depressants in Japan and says yes. We speak to Ethan about his new book, “Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche.”

Here’s a link to Jon Stewart’s interview with Watters where he discusses the cultural aspects of mental illness. Definitely worth watching!

Jon Stewart interview with Ethan Watters

This is a link to a 1979 Harvard Study that looked at the power of thought and how it plays into the physiological aging process. The results are astounding!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8498233.stm

Last January, I sent out a newsletter with links to dispel common myths about the aging process. Here’s the link to that as well:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs058/1101014417558/archive/1102405228518.html

So, next time you start thinking that your aches and pains are due to “aging” - ask yourself what that means. Our genetics only determine about 1/3 of our destiny one we reach adulthood. The other 2/3’s of our destiny - baring accidents - is completely determined by our lifestyle, choices and attitudes.

If you want to read more about this topic, Bruce Lipton’s book “The Biology of Belief” is a good place to start. Bruce lectures about epigenetics - which is the science of determining which genes are turned on and why. Read more about him at his website:

http://www.brucelipton.com/

Here are two books that I’ve found to be immensely helpful in dealing with the questions we all need to ask if we have aging parents or family members recently diagnosed with any kind of dementia and/or Alzheimer’s.

1. “The Parent Care Conversation: Six Strategies for Dealing with the Emotional and Financial Challenges of Aging Parents”

http://www.amazon.com/Parent-Care-Conversation-Strategies-AgingParents/dp/0143037641/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265418270&sr=8-1

2. “The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People with Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss in Later Life”

http://www.amazon.com/36-Hour-Day-Alzheimer-Disease-Dementias/dp/0801885094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265418317&sr=1-1

If you would like to read some personal accounts about dealing with an aging parent with Alzheimer’s Disease, my sister, Gillian Wilk, has been writing articles for Associated Content about her experiences dealing with our mom.   Here are some links to her recent articles:

Coping with a Parent Who Has Been Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1273223/coping_with_a_parent_who_has_alzheimers.html?cat=12

Continuing Care for the Alzheimer’s Patient - Moving to a Memory Care Unit:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1744126/continuing_care_for_the_alzheimers.html?cat=5

The Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease - The 7 Stages of Alzheimer’s:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1762376/the_progression_of_alzheimers_disease.html?cat=5

This is Not my Life - Dealing with a parent with Alzheimer’s Disease:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1925672/this_is_not_my_life_dealing_with_a.html?cat=5

Ways to help a family member Suffering with Alzheimer’s Disease:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2022328/ways_to_help_a_family_member_suffering.html?cat=5

How to Choose the Best Caregiver for an Alzheimer’s Patient:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2085067/how_to_choose_a_caregiver_for_an_alzheimers.html?cat=5

Tips for Dealing with the Alzheimer’s Diagnosis of a Loved One:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2135363/tips_for_dealing_with_the_alzheimers.html?cat=5

Personal Story of Dealing with a Loved One’s Dementia:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2335266/personal_story_of_dealing_with_a_loved.html?cat=5

Hospital Stays and the Alzheimer’s Patient:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2666543/hospital_stays_and_the_alzheimers_patient.html?cat=5

Gluten is not the only reason to avoid wheat - the other culprit is Lectin. Lectin is a type of ‘wheat germ agglutinin’ (WGA) and glycoprotein. Through thousands of years of selectively breeding wheat for increasingly larger quantities of protein, the concentration of WGA lectin has increased proportionately.

WGA is largely responsible for many of wheat’s pervasive ill effects. Read the article from Mercola.com below to learn more:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/16/The-Critical-Role-of-Wheat-in-Human-Disease.aspx

Spring is the best time of year to mobilize change and foster new growth in your life. This is true in terms of your health goals as well as your overall life situation. Springtime offers a fresh opportunity to set new goals, make long term plans and define the steps necessary to successfully accomplish your greatest potential. It’s also time to do some “spring cleaning” –a great time to get rid of all the accumulated baggage that is weighing you down!

A useful spring exercise is to take stock of everything you own, identify what you haven’t used in the past year and won’t likely use in the future and then get rid of it! Sell it, take it to the dump or find someone who needs it more than you. For most people this amounts to about 25% of their possessions. With less stuff from the past weighing you down, you’ll feel lighter, freer and you will have more energy and enthusiasm to make positive changes in your life. In our clinical experience this simple exercise creates profoundly positive physical, emotional, and mental benefits for those who follow through with it. Read the rest of this entry »