Prevention

I've been reading statements from a few of my friends on Facebook about a nasty flu-like virus flailing around the Western Pennsylvania area, desperately seeking relief from their symptoms. While I don't have advice for the current state there in, I do have a tip to ward off those pesky viruses floating around in the future.



A few years ago a coworker told me about the benefit of apple cider vinegar (ACV) to prevent a cold. She told me, at the first sign of cold symptoms take a swig or two (a "swig" in equivalent to a tablespoon), before bed with some water if needed to help get it down. At the time I was feeling these symptoms come about, so I followed her advice. The next morning, I felt no ill affect and asked her more about it the next day. She explained to me about the acid/base balance our body needs, and that apple cider vinegar actually makes your PH balance more alkaline, and viruses cannot live in an alkalinic state.



I practiced this regimen every time I felt a negative symptom come on ,and in 2 years I never had a cold, or flu for that matter. So I started to research this a bit more & found many resources to back it up. I also found so many other benefits for apple cider vinegar, way to many to list so I'll give you the links.



Now there is something to consider if you decide to implement this in your routine. The ACV must be organic! The kind you see in a grocery store is not worth its place on the shelf. That stuff is made from coal tar, to help its appearance. We "consumers", like to purchase things that "look good". So suppliers have refined what you see in the grocery stores, filtering all of the elements that make ACV worthwhile out to make it clear, so that it is more appealing to buyers. You can find the organic ACV in health food stores or more often now in larger grocery stores that have an organic section. You can also buy it online. I only drink Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, and after mixing 1-2 teaspoons of ACV with 1-2 teaspoons of organic honey in 8oz of water (I add ice after mixing and it makes it taste more refreshing), I've never felt so good! I usually drink mine around lunchtime and when I miss day, I can feel the difference! My 11 year old daughter will even request it once in a while because she says it "kinda tastes like lemonade".



Now to be fair, I have gotten sick but it is few & far between the times my entire family will go through there bouts of sickness. Unfortunately the medical community will not do the research to back up these claims, but if you read the hundreds of individuals that testify its benefits, it's hard to deny.



There have been studies with Diabetics and the results were effective in reducing blood glucose levels. During that study, researchers noticed these individuals were loosing weight, so they preformed another study on healthy individuals who consumed the ACV beverage during or an hour before each meal, and found within a year, with NO change in diet or exercise, theses individuals lost an average of 15 lbs.



I know I sound like an advertisement, and really that's not my intention. I'm just sharing what works for me, and over the years of digging into this topic, I've found hundreds of others it helps.



So why keep it to myself?



If you want to learn more, check out these links:

Apple Cider Vinegar


ACV for weight loss ( gotta check out the experiences people have shared about it on that page)

I own this book and refer to it often! You can order it by clicking on the link:






Sadly, I can't help my Facebook friends feel any better as they're already in "sick-mode", but hopefully this will help ward off any funky gunk in the future.

Take care all,.....and have an intimate day!

Jennifer

Karma

I receive many emails like most of you do. Funny stories, pictures of babies with puppies, breast cancer awareness, political and personal accounts that somewhere along the line most of us can relate to. There is one email that has disturbed my foundation more than any sent to me. So much so, that it convicts me almost on a daily basis.


A man sat quietly on the subway, emotionless and uninvolved with his two children that ran about the train disrupting the other passengers mid afternoon nap, iTunes time, or contemplation of day’s events. All were becoming quite irritated with the children running wildly about the train, when one courageous man leaned in toward the father and said, “excuse me, do you realize how your children are disrupting the other passengers on this ride? Could you please control your kids”? The father snapped out of his gaze and said to the man, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t notice their behavior. I guess they are just in shock. You see, we have just come from the hospital. My son’s have just watched their mother die. I watched my wife, loose her battle. I guess I’m not thinking too clearly. Please forgive me.”


How many times have we had a vehicle behind us drive erratically and we attempt to delay their urgency. Do we know why they’re diving erratically? How many times have we been impatient when the elderly lady in front of us pulls out her check book to pay for her groceries instead of using the efficient debit card our generation is so accustom to using, just because that’s all she has left to control in her elderly years?

How many times do we judge others for their bad attitude, without knowing that behind their closed doors, they’re going through a divorce? Their child has just been diagnosed with a terminal disease. The man of the house has lost his job, his home, his wife and his children to someone else who can do a better job. The teen who was just beaten in the schoolyard forced to join a gang,....... or die.


When I think of how I lose my temper and start cursing the elderly man driving in front of me under the speed limit, I am reminded of that email message. Convicted knowing that one day, I will be that elderly person, just trying to get through the changes in life I just can’t keep up with. I am convicted in knowing that one day, I will be returning from the funeral of a loved one, dazed & incompetent in the simplest tasks of day to day living, having a teen or a mature individual cursing me from behind. One day I will be in the grocery line, paying with a debit card, slowing down those who precede me with a microchip imbedded in their hand rushing them through the line that much faster.


I know that what I display toward others today will eventually come back to haunt me or embrace me in the days ahead.

What about you dear friends?

How will your actions toward others today, affect how you are treated by others in the future? Do you believe in Karma? Even if you don’t at this stage of your life, do you really want to tempt the inevitable?

I challenge everyone reading this post, to do one thing. Just one thing. Once a day, once a week, once a month. One act of kindness towards another.

Whether a smile, a helpful hand, a sacrifice of personal desires. The simple grace of having no reaction in it of itself is an act of kindness.

If just for 5 minutes, make a difference in the life situation of someone else. Because no matter how wonderful your life may be at the moment, there will come a time where devastation sets in. How will it feel for you to be cursed at, humiliated, degraded, gossiped about, all for the sake of someone else’s ego or desire to seek precedence?


Understand that there is no finger pointing here from me. I have done all of the above. I have also been the recipient in darker hours, and yet I still fail daily in this challenge I’ve posted. But there is strength in numbers. What will be the beautiful result from one act of kindness on a routine basis?


“Karma-phala”. Fruits of actions......

What will you do today?



Have an intimate day everyone!

Jennifer