Blog About Health & Medicine

I wake up sad and sick feeling as though I had an ulcer on my soul.

Ethan, in The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

I believe that the most important part of our total well-being is the harmony of body and soul, our spirit, higher self, inner child, God spark or however you see it. The Divine that is in every human being, the part of us that is with us before we incarnate and the part of us that we return to after death. Keeping in touch with our essence while we go through our lessons on this earth is often very difficult. This is not about religion or how many times we go to church. It is much wider than that. It’s about our personal relationship with the Divine, and with ourselves, no matter how we see the Infinite – as God, Allah, Universal Energy or Unconditional Love.

I believe that life is only the ‘nursery slopes’ for a life greater than we can imagine after death. If you are sceptical about this, perhaps it would help to read the wealth of scientific information or even popular books on near-death experiences. Overwhelmingly people who have had this experience say that they saw a quality of light and felt loved in a way that was totally new to them. Some skeptical scientists say this is just some chemical reaction in the brain causing euphoria. I’m afraid this does not really ‘hold water’. It does not explain how people who have been ‘out of body’ can give a detailed account of what has happened while they were in this state. For example the man in hospital who said the missing false teeth of the man in the end bed were behind the heating pipes and that when nurse J was in the kitchen making tea she left the fridge door open after taking out the milk. Both these statements were correct. One hospital in the south has symbols on top of the lights in the operating theatre. Patients who have been ‘brought back’ can describe these symbols. It has also to be said that most people who have this experience are very unwilling to ‘come back’ because of the joy they are experiencing. Many talk of a total acceptance and lack of fear, and how normal it feels to be with loved ones who are already there.

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Although goat milk is rich in fat, it must be used with caution in infant feeding as it lacks folic acid and is low in vitamin B12, both of which are essential to the growth and development of the infant. Inclusion of nutritional yeast to provide folic acid is essential. To compensate for low levels of vitamin B12, add 2 teaspoons frozen organic raw chicken liver, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg-yolk feeding at four months.

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon acerola powder

Simmer liver gently in broth until the meat is cooked through. Liquefy using a hand held blender or in a food processor. When the liver broth has cooled, stir in remaining ingredients. Store in a very clean glass or stainless steel container. To serve, stir formula well and pour 6 to 8 ounces in a very clean glass bottle. Attach a clean nipple and set in a pan of simmering water until formula is warm but not hot to the touch, shake well and feed to baby. (Never heat formula in a microwave oven!)

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Scientists have developed clever little instruments that are able to determine, precisely, how much glucose is present in a drop of blood. These instruments are called blood glucose meters, and they can show you just how many millimoles of glucose are present in a liter of blood.

The reading is presented on the meters display panel in numbers ranging from 0.5 to 27.7 millomoles per liter (mmol/1).

Many blood glucose meters now available include a memory that records your blood glucose reading and then plays them back when you or your doctor want to see how well you were doing last week or last night.

These palm-sized units are relatively inexpensive and are both accurate and reliable. Some of the more expensive models have voice synthesizers that call out the measurements.

Along with the meter, monitoring requires a drop of blood for analysis. You stick your finger with a sharp needle called a lancet to get this drop of blood and then place the drop on a pad that has been infused with chemicals. The blood triggers a chemical reaction in the pad, which indicates the concentration of glucose, and the meter can read this reaction and convert it into numerical values you see on the display panel.

All this complication reaction, reading and conversion into numbers takes place in seconds -usually about sixty seconds. To make things easier, manufacturers have developed finger sticking devices that reduce pain and discomfort some people feel when they stick their own fingers.

Many of the newer meters are practically foolproof. But none is fully automatic; you must learn to prick your finger and apply the drop of blood to a pad and then follow the meter manufacturer’s instructions on how to use the instrument.

Your diabetes educator or doctor can advise you about meter choices – there are many on the market – and teach you how to use the proper procedures to ensure accurate measurements.

Many health insurance companies will reimburse subscribers for meters and blood glucose measuring strips – with written orders from a doctor. This reimbursement, of course, is subject to the deductible and co-insurance restrictions of your health plan.

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