Healthy Living For Forgetful Seniors

2006-11-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

HOORAY MY HUSBAND HAS CELIAC DISEASE!!!

No I'm not be sarcastic (not this time anyway). For the past 4 years our family has been struggling to figure out what has been causing my husband's life-threatening elevated 24 hour urine protein test results (6,625 mg. instead of the 0-120 mg. range); painful red-raised 'welts' on his forearms, agitated behavior, foam in his urine, and dark circles under his eyes (to name just a few of his symptoms). He has been through a ton of tests from the "doctors" and all they came up with was "your kidneys are failing and must be replaced; there is no hope."

In an effort to delve just a tiny bit deeper (duh) into what was going on, our journey has led us through a maze. Along the way we have discovered and successfully treated impending Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, on-set Alheizmers...just to name a few. Never did our journey seem to point to Celiac Disease! However, I really shouldn't have been so surprised. Our granddaughter has had Celiac Disease since she was one; our grandson has asthma; 2 of our granddaughters have dairy intolerance and another grandson is a recovering autistic child! All fall within the ASD family. What were we thinking! I don't know why we didn't figure this out sooner. We did a simple 'test' to figure this out - we put him on a VERY STRICT GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) diet for one month. After a little less than one month he casually said to me one day..."Oh by the way, I don't have any foam when I go to the bathroom." I literally spun around and said to him, "Are you kidding me- NO FOAM?" I must have asked him 10 times. He eventually got so tired of answering me with.."I said 'N-O' foam woman, are you deaf!" that I started crying. (You have to understand that foam in the urine is a huge red-flag that your kidneys are leaking protein and basically shutting down!!) He looked at me like I had lost my mind. The red welts on his arms are almost gone; the dark circles and agitated behavior (thank you GOD) are a thing of the past! My husband is the most trusting person in the world. He told me when this 'journey' began that he trusted Ali, Jen and I completely and would do whatever we decided - so to him, he had all the confidence in the world in us (more so than we did I think) - so to him this amazing outcome was a foregone conclusion!

I keep telling our daughters that life is a 'marathon' not a sprint and if nothing else my husband's health issues are a true test of that philosophy. I know I keep saying the same thing in my blog over and over - but it bears repeating - never give up; trust your instincts; keep learning; keep asking questions; never settle and always, always, always believe you CAN figure it (whatever your 'it' is) out!

I can't say enough about our daughters. Their strength, intelligence, stubborness (can't figure out where they get that), beauty (inside and out), determination and love sustains us, forces us to keep going, holds us up in times of troubles, amazes us...but most of all makes us realize you can do ANYTHING, accomplish ANYTHING, overcome ANYTHING as along as you have people who love you and believe in you.

With love and deepest respect to our amazing daughters, Allison and Jennier. Thank you.

2006-08-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2006 -- Happy Birthday To Me!

Well today is my 60th birthday and I can hardly believe it. Not because turning 60 is some traumatic milestone, but primarily because I'm very proud of how I've lived my life. Turning 60 is something that should be celebrated and enjoyed, not dreaded. What I am most proud of (besides being married for almost 40 years to my best friend, 2 amazing daughters and 6 of the best grandchildren anyone could possibly imagine) is what I have learned over the past several years with regard to my health.

When I turned 50 I thought I was in the best health possible - no issues, no problems. And I think that was true "as far as my knowledge went." And therein lies the REAL issue - "as far as my knowledge went."

For the past several years I have learned so much about what "real health" should be and more importantly how to accomplish it. It's not a matter of taking a pill, or merely going for my yearly medical checkup, or even exercising.....it's learning how to really listen to what your body is desperately trying to tell you. Over my 60 years my health issues have been pretty "average". But what I am learning is I can be so much healthier, stronger and confident in my ability to control MY HEALTH DESTINY.

The foundation of my good health is directly related to 3 things:
(1) USANA Supplements....hands down the best
(2) XANGO (sustained good health in a fruit juice)
(3) and most importantly my daughter's unwavering vision for the health of all generations by creating NEDLife

For all of you out there who are approaching the dreaded "60th" birthday, you don't need to panic. When I look back at pictures of my grandmother at 60 I see a woman who was truly old beyond her years. She didn't have the advantages we have today. Good health is not only a matter of taking a few vitamins or exercising - you must learn to listen to what your body is telling YOU. Let's face it - at 60 you should still be ready to rock n' roll! 60 is not over anybody's hill - except maybe in the eye's of young(er) people! They don't realize how amazing the "golden years" are - they rock! I wouldn't go back to being 30ish again for all the money in the world. I have life experience behind me and I've worked hard for it - Plus I know how to use these experiences. I've done my research about staying healthy and I've decided my goal for the rest of my life is two-fold:

1. To NEVER take any prescription medicines and .....
2. Keep learning - never be satisfied with the way things are

.....I think I'm half-way there.

Until next time.........

2006-07-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Fighting The Healthcare System

While reading the latest Blog from the founder and President of NEDLife.com I was sadden to see that we, as a Nation, are not growing and changing with regard to our healthcare. We are stuck in the 1950's....or perhaps even farther back.

She writes about a family whose child is ill with a cancerous tumor. The "powers-that-be" have decided that because the parents have tried to treat their child with non-traditional methods (not chemotherapy), they are unfit parents! Are you kidding me? The child has seen a 30% reduction in the size of the tumor while on non-traditional treatment....but "they" are not fit parents.

What is wrong with this country? Are we so timid (spineless) that we are allowing the drug companies, AMA, and special interest groups to tell us what we can and can not do with regard to our healthcare? I'm not saying there is not a time and a place for pharmaceuticals and doctors....absolutely yes there is. But also the time has come to allow the "non-traditional" methods to be tried and considered. When did we get so short-sighted that we immediately "throw-out-the-baby-with-the-bathwater" if it doesn't fit into someone's perception of "normal." I just saw that Andrea Yates was declared not-guilty by reason of insanity for the murders of her 5 children. Why is that understandable, but trying a "non-traditional" approach to curing your child a crime? Like Andrea Yates, not everything fits into a someone's perception of "normal."

As someone who is approaching her 60th birthday I have seen alot of wonderous things. From manual (no power) typewriters to p.c.'s to the internet, to being able to send a picture over your cell phone! Amazing! But I find it so sad that we keep deferring to some preconceived idea of how we should take care of ourselves. Get sick...go to the doctor...take a pill...take another pill...go to the hospital...let them do whatever they want to us...maybe get better...maybe not - but through it all we don't question anything! We just say "OK" - think about it...do you just say "OK" in your work life, or your relationship life? I don't think so - you ask QUESTIONS!! And if you don't like the answer or you're not getting anywhere, what do you do? YOU TRY SOMETHING ELSE!!!!!

I respectfully suggest that you look beyond the end of your "nose" and realize that like Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Galileo, and many others...what is "perceived" as weird will eventually be recognized as genius.

Until next time.......

2006-05-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

NEDLife has been encouraging everyone to do the USANA "RESET" Program. As a Head Coach I thought I need to practice what I preach. With my husband away for 6 days I thought this would be a great time to do the program - I can concentrate on how I was feeling and record my results. I thought I knew everything about the program because my husband had just finished doing it several months ago, but as is the case when I get too confident, I am proven wrong.

I am a healthy 59 year old who has been on a GFCF diet with my family for years, plus we all take USANA supplements and faithfully drink Xango. So when it came time to "RESET" my body I thought I'm so healthy I won't feel any different when I'm done. To be perfectly honest I didn't feel any HUGE difference - but what I did feel was "lighter". I don't mean weight-wise; although I probably lost several pounds - it was more of an internal lightness. My energy level is always good, but I found after finishing the program I had even MORE sustainable energy. I noticed more clarity in my memory and comprehension of events, and my sleep at night was wonderful.

But to be extremely honest here is the absolute best thing about the program....I had so much free time to do whatever "I" wanted, I actually found myself walking around thinking.....OK now what do I want to do?? The reason for all this free time? I wasn't constantly thinking about..what should I make for dinner? Do I have the ingredients to make my husband's favorite garlic chicken? I have to run to the store and get more fresh veggies....etc. How cool is it to rip open a package, run cold water in the shaker, drink it and you're done!! At the end of the five days I had 5 coffee cups in my dishwasher and that's it!

I did learn some great tips if you are thinking about doing this program. Obviously everyone's tastes are different. My husband loved the chocolate shake, one of our daughters loved the strawberry, and our other daughter I think is more like me, whatever! I found the vanilla shake to be my least favorite until I tried putting a heaping teaspoon (or more) of....Pumpkin Pie Spice! I know! How bizzare! I also tried a teaspoon of gluten-free vanilla -- both were awesome. The strawberry shake also benefited (I thought) from the same treatment. I didn't use as much water as they called for - I only put in about 7-8oz of very cold water. It made the shakes so thick. If you also put some ice in a blender, dump in the packet, add the water and whirlaway - you will have the best slushy imaginable! And the last tip, I put the lemon bars in the microwave for 16 seconds and for some weird reason they tasted much better! Go figure........

A final thought - I was convinced I wouldn't get any benefits from doing this. I thought I'll do this program to show support of my husband's efforts and to be a good role model for NEDLife. What I got out of this was what I have been preaching about on this Blog and to our daughters their whole lives - never settle, always respectfully question authority, and most important of all...you DON'T know everything. If you are just willing to open yourself up to other possibilities, the "rewards" you reap might just surprise you.

Until next time.......

2006-05-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

I've always been very proud of the fact that I am a card-carrying member of the "Baby Boomer Generation." I always thought my generation was special because we were the first, and possibly the last generation, that went from remembering our grandparent's refrigerators that required ice, to the wonder of the Internet! I always thought we were like pioneers. We had to learn and keep learning newer, better, faster, more complex things because the world was running at warp speed and if you didn't learn new things, you would get trampled and definitely left behind. We are a hard working, faith-based, family-oriented, no nonsense generation who were taught to question EVERYTHING. My parents raised my brother and I to keep asking questions, never settle for "that's the way it is". So how is it that a large percentage of my generation who are so sick with everything from Diabetes, Arthritis, M.S., Parkinson's, Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer, High Blood Pressure and everything in-between.."settling"? Why aren't we willing to learn/try something different? Why aren't we (excuse me) getting pissed?

My husband was diagnosed with Lupus of the Kidneys 4 years ago. "Here's a $650.00 monthly prescription and when your kidneys fail, we'll do a transplant." Because we are fortunate enough to have a daughter who is as stubborn as I am, (OK maybe even more so) we embarked on an awe inspiring journey that has led us to the best health of our entire lives. She started us on a USANA supplement program that not only restored my husband's good health, but has set him up to avoid the "inevitable" old age diseases of Alzheimer's and Heart Disease. At the beginning of this year she started him on something called Xango. For those of you who don't know what Xango is, it's a fruit juice! Honestly. It has something in it naturally called "Xanthones" which are the most powerful antioxidant known to man, prescriptions included. PLEASE go to www.nedlife.com and read all about it. When Bob started Xango in January 2006 his blood pressure (on blood pressure prescription medication) was 150+/100...today after stopping the blood pressure meds and drinking Xango his BP is consistently 125/75!

I have several friends who are sick with many of the diseases listed above, but when I try and talk to them about taking USANA supplements or Xango, they just either shake their head and say no thanks, or they politely say I'll think about it..or I'll talk to my doctor about it. I am struggling with understanding why the most inquisitive, educated, strong-willed, inventive and "willing to take risks" generation is stumbling now. Why are you not, at the very least, doing your research on these two things? Why aren't you fighting? Why are you sitting in some doctor's office and saying, "OK, whatever you say." WHY AREN'T YOU FLIPPIN' FURIOUS?

If you are not a member of the Baby Boomer Generation and reading this, please print it off and give it to your parents or grandparents. You will be giving them the best present ever -- the road to a strong and healthy life. Also you might want to check it out yourself because one day you'll be "them"! A last thought--between USANA and Xango my husband and I enjoy awesome health! We never get colds, flu, hay fever or anything else - truly. My husband is 62 and I will be 60 this summer. He plays golf 3 times a week, umpires 3-4 baseball games a week, has a Handyman business and drives to NoVA and CT as often as his schedule allows to play with his 6 grandchildren! I run just to keep up with him! We take NO prescription meds...can YOU say the same thing?

Until next time........

2006-04-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

April 18, 1906 - April 18, 2006
A love letter to my Dad

If you watched the news today, you would have seen references to "The Big One". The great earthquake to end all earthquakes....that of April 18, 1906. Today would have been my Dad's 100th birthday. He died December 20, 1993. This date isn't important to anyone but my brother and myself. We are all that is left (his children) of the Rose Family. I wanted, however to share a bit of my father's wit, wisdom and healthy living with you.

I didn't fully appreciate my Dad's way of life until I was "all grown up." My Dad was a 'moderate'...in everything he did. He never did anything full-bore, all-out, or loud. He did everything quietly (and I mean EVERYTHING)
S-L-O-W-L-Y. It used to drive me crazy. I laugh when I read that because, in retrospect, he was way ahead of his time.

Dad appreciated life -- he loved his family, his work and his God, but he never imposed his way-of-life on anyone..he led by example. He was born on the day of "The Great San Francisco Earthquake of April 18, 1906", in Springfield, IL. It took over 3 days before the news reached the rest of the U.S.! He was a young man during the Great Depression and lived through WWI, WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam. He was married to my Mother for over 50 years and was a father to my brother and myself, grandfather to 4, and a great-grandfather! He led an amazing life. One that I now realize was so healthy. He always stressed moderation (and what I am now realizing was portion control)...and that translates to throw-out the 'super-size' mentality! You don't need to eat large portions at every meal! Don't get stuck in the "let's call for a pizza" comfortable rut. Simple ingredients are better. He was always saying "Is that necessary?"...or "Just because so-and-so says it's OK, does that make it right?"

I realize the way I live today is because of his example. Before it was fashionable, his lifestyle was simple...probably because we couldn't afford anything more grande, but mostly because he didn't believe in a lot of "frills" as he called it. He didn't "exercise" in the way we do today....but he lifted heavy tools (he was an electrician and plumber), walked miles and miles each day, he didn't believe in excess, or large portions of food! He always said..."treat your body well and it will take care of you." He believed in moderation. If it (food or lifestyle) is complicated -- it probably isn't good for you. He always, always told us at dinner..."just take a little bit..and when you are finished, if you want more, then take a little bit more...but ALWAYS leave a little bit on your plate."

What legacy are we going to leave our children, grandchildren...and possibly great-grandchildren? I would hope that I will leave my children Jennifer and Allison, my sons-in-law Marc and Paul, grandchildren Katelyn, Michael, Jackson, Ali Rose, Caroline Rose and Matthew a legacy to live a healthy life, a quest to always ask questions, but most of all remember...leave a little bit on your plate.

Until next time.....

2006-03-22T06:32:00.000-08:00

Like many people over 55 people I know all about the benefits of "exercise". I'm not disputing that...but I am here to tell you I absolutely hate going to the gym. It's not fun - I don't feel exhilarated after I'm done and it never gets any better. I think my daughter said it best...you guys (her Dad and I) are from a generation who didn't grow up "exercising" - you grew up playing outside all the time. And that's the difference. We "played"...we ran, jumped, rolled down hills on our sides, swam in ponds, rode our bicycles everywhere (because only Dad's had cars and they were at work)..because if you wanted to get anywhere you had to ride your bike or you walked. Our "exercise" was all about daily life. I remember asking my parents for my first grown-up bike..yes a Schwinn - but blue not red! It cost $36.00 and yes I still remember because my parents said if I earned half the money, they would kick in the other half. Hey $18.00 was a HUGE amount in 1956! Anyway I finally earned enough money and we "walked" down to the bike shop (probably 6 or 8 blocks) and I rode my prized possession home! I was a star! Of course I then dared my older brother to a race down 2 very steep hills and subsequently crashed it into a hedge because I was about to go right out into the street.....but hey, that's another story. We didn't need "exercise equipment" -- that's what legs were for. We didn't need "personal trainers", that's what big brothers were for. And we certainly didn't need fancy work-out clothes...you were lucky if you had two sets of clothes...one for school/church AND the other for play. Our worlds back then were full of physical activities...my husband had a paying job when he was 8! He rode his bike to a neighbor's farm and picked tomatoes. He then would go home and help his Dad plant hundred(s) of Japanese Yews (that's a bush) because by the time these bushes had reached their maturity, they were sold to help pay my husband's tuition to Kansas State University! Everything we did was physical...but we didn't think anything about it. My mom didn't get her driver's license until she was OVER 60 because she walked everywhere she needed to go. I remember walking to the local grocery store every Saturday with my brother because if we wanted to eat, we had to walk -- Dad had the car! I know times are different. The safe world I grew up in is unfortunately gone. My daughters would no more allow their children to ride their bikes "to town" then they would let them play with matches. Yes it is a very different world. Are we any better? I honestly can't answer that...but what I would say to you is....when your kids start nagging you about going to the "gym" to work out, you can smile and say with all honestly....."Been there...and done that...when it REALLY was fun!"

Until next time.......

2006-03-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

What in the world is "Healthy Living For Forgetful Seniors?" It's a place where "forgetful seniors" (or anyone else for that matter) can come and hopefully laugh a little, maybe learn something new....or just express your thoughts on a variety of subjects.

Since this is my first 'post' I thought I would give you the "reader's digest" version of why I am calling this blog "Healthy Living For Forgetful Seniors". Now while that may make some of you smile, if you are approaching your "Golden Years" that sometimes isn't all that funny. About 5 years ago my husband starting "zoning out" as our daughters use to say and he was very tried. Nothing too serious we thought. When he went for his yearly physical, his test results raised eyebrows. I won't bore you with the gory details, but after many tests the doctors decided he had Lupus of the kidney. What they recommended (and the ONLY thing they recommended) was for him to go on a tremendously powerful immune suppressent drug called Cellcept (at a cost of $640.42/month) and Prevacid ($121.44/month) (the antiacid drug because the Cellcept would make him very nauseous) and just wait until his kidneys failed wherein they would then do a kidney transplant....thank you and goodbye. We immediately had a family meeting and decided there just had to be another way - as Bob Dylan said in his poem..."Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night" -- and we didn't. After alot (and I mean A-L-O-T) of research we found a healthy living company called NEDLife. This company was founded by a woman whose son had autism. Like us, she decided not to just give in -- but to fight. Her son was been "downgraded" from the label of "autistic" to "PDD" - he is 'recovering.' That was the kind of company we wanted. So we went full throttle, dropped the $800.00 medicines in the trash and have not looked back. Today, with the help of NEDLife, my husband is also "recovering". We both take USANA vitamins and just recently started on Xango, a fruit juice...yeah, yeah I know...that has effectively lowered his blood pressure from 158/100+ to 125/75...consistently. All of his test results continue to improve -- but more importantly he is HAPPY -- we both are. That may not sound like an accomplishment -- but believe me, it is.

So back to "Why Healthy Living For Forgetful Seniors" -- because unfortunately as you age you WILL become forgetful. Some for funny reasons (tuning out your spouse) and some not so funny (illness). I honestly thought I was the ONLY 50-something who was forgetting things. I had always had an outstanding memory. But then I thought my family was "Gaslighting" me (Gaslight is this great OLD movie about a husband trying to make his wife think she was crazy by playing around with the gaslights in their home...I guess you had to be there to appreciate it). But when I started talking to my peers and admitting to them I couldn't remember things - they were astonished and relieved because they were having the same difficulties. It was then that I thought - why not just put it out there and maybe help others.

Thus the beginning of this blog. Hopefully this will become an exchange of information, a place to 'vent' your frustrations, or more importantly a place to go to learn about living healthy -- not just eating 'better', or taking vitamins, but understanding why using Splenda is as stupid as jumping in front of a moving train, or why buying those 'cute' pjs for your grandchilden can be deadly. I've learned so much in these last five years -- but I have miles and miles to go and so much more to learn. It would be fun to have some company. We can learn together.

Until next time...........