Spicing up Your Life

Dear Linda:

       I keep hearing about the health benefits of cooking spices. It seems they cure everything from the deadliest cancers to an ailing sex life. Should I be spicing it up?

Dull in the Kitchen

Dear Dull:

       For centuries, our ancestors considered spices and herbs to be the answer to many medical problems. Over time, spices became more respected for their culinary enhancements than for their medicinal value, but researchers are promoting them again for their healing properties.

       Experts don’t suggest substituting spices (plant bark, root, bud or berry) or herbs (herbaceous plant leaves) for a healthy, well-balanced diet, and warn that consuming too much of any food additive can be risky, but advocate the use of spices for diet diversification and boosting the health value of a meal.

       Use fresh instead of processed spices and herbs. They contain higher levels of antioxidants. Buy spices whole and grind them just before use, crush dried leaves or herbs, and use whole sprigs in long-cooking dishes for maximum benefit. Add sprigs of oregano or rosemary to vegetable, rice and pasta cooking water. Herbal teas (sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, peppermint, spearmint) retain antioxidant properties even after a 30-minute boiling time.

       For many, peppermint treats gastric and digestive disorders, tension and insomnia. Mustard relieves respiratory problems. Cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce can increase metabolism and fat-burning ability up to 25%. Ginger inhibits nausea and vomiting often caused by morning or motion sickness. Allspice relieves indigestion and gas, and cinnamon combats diarrhea, boosts glucose metabolism, and kills bacteria and other micro-organisms. Turmeric neutralizes free radicals, protects against cancer, and is a natural anti-inflammatory. Cumin is a protective agent against carcinogenesis. Garlic can decrease blood pressure, is a natural antibiotic and beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. Oregano has 3-20 times higher antioxidant activity than other herbs.

       Consult your physician before making any dietary changes and don’t substitute spices or herbal supplements for prescribed medication. Read Spices of Life by Nina Simonds (Alfred A. Knopf) to learn recipes for a healthy lifestyle.

Emergency Calling

Dear Linda:
      
      My mom’s an ailing widow. Until now, I’ve been able to call everyday to make sure she’s okay, but I’m being deployed and won’t be able to for the next year. She wants to remain in her home and is well enough for that, but she needs to be checked on. The problem is that all her other relatives and friends have passed on. What can I do?

A Concerned Son

Dear Concerned Son:

       Your mother must be very proud. To have a son care so much about his mother and his country speaks volumes about the job she’s done raising you.

       Before you leave, be sure all her legal (i.e. Last Will and Powers of Attorney), medical (i.e. Insurance and Living Will and Directives), and financial (i.e. Trusts and Bank Accounts) documents are in order. Put all her important papers in a fireproof box. Make duplicate copies for yourself in case you need to confer about them long distance.

       Develop a Care Plan to accomplish her Activities of Daily Living (like trips to doctors, pharmacy, grocery store and hairdresser), and identify any special needs she has. Then ask for help from people in the community—her neighbors, members of civic, religious and social organizations. Contact the National Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116) for help in identifying local service and aging agencies.

       Her level of independence should determine the amount of support she needs. There are in-home agencies that handle housekeeping and meal preparation chores, personal care and grooming needs, and therapy and nursing requirements.

       If all she needs are phone calls, there are agencies that provide only that service. No special equipment is necessary. Any touch-tone phone can receive agency calls, and you should be able to choose call times—generally made twice a day. Follow-up calls should be made if Mom doesn’t answer, and the agency will need a contact list for emergencies.

       Senior Care Call Companions is another alternative. It is not an automated call center that has a computer dial your loved ones number, instructing them to hit a button to signal they are ok. They are a unique company that gives clients a personal phone call each day, visiting perhaps about the weather, grand kids, or any number of topics. Their most popular plan is  $45.00 per month, and there are no long term contracts to sign.Their number to call is 971-209-0936.

      Another option is to purchase a Touch 'N Talk. A 2-way speaker phone, it is the first product to allow instant communication. The mini wearable pendant (which is water resistant and pacemaker safe) can contact family, friends, or neighbors, at any time from ANYWHERE in or around the home or yard within a 600 foot range. If  programmed contacts are unreachable at  the moment – the system can optionally default to contact a 911 emergency operator.

     Touch 'N Talk is a one time purchase and does not have a monthly, activation or set-up fee, and it runs on batteries, "so whether you are just checking in with a friend, need some quick help from a neighbor, or are in an emergency, the Touch 'N Talk pendant will allow you to communicate your message instantly and efficiently from anywhere in and around your home, and all with one button activation."

      

  

      

.

 

 

A Fragile Faith

Finding faith is not a quest for the faint of heart. It takes making a grand decision to do so, great perseverance, deliberate dedication, and a focus on God above all things. Hurt and pain is a very real experience in this world, and we can spend a lot of time focusing on that and the events and people who cause it, or we can learn that flawed human beings can never be the source of peace or contentment. We need to look above for that. I have learned that the hard way. I kept betting on the human being and found them lacking.

I call my process to faith a fragile one because it has been wrought with questions and doubt along the way, mostly fostered by my life experience and the people in it who should have been loving and grateful but weren't. Even now, I continue to be shocked at how cruel people can be and how easy it is for them to rationalize away their behavior. But I have learned that when I focus on God instead of man, I experience a peace that transcends the trouble they cause, a great gift I now think only God can bestow.

As I was thinking today about my journey to that truth, I felt compelled to write and the poem below was the product. I thought I would share my process with you. Perhaps you can identify.


A fragile faith built on shifting sands
shouts out at God and looks to man.
A blinded soul, a hardened heart
Belies the truth, ignores their part

A fragile faith cries tears of grief
Controlled by sadness and evil's thief;
Maddened by questions, marred by doubt
Unable to believe, accusations to shout

A fragile faith
Only changed by grace
A gift from God
So strong in place

A fragile faith, now built on rock
A member of God's grateful flock;
Hope and faith ease worldly pain
Strength and truth are what remain

Glorious God
How great you are
To transform my fragile faith;
Taking a tortured soul like me
And by your mercy set me free

Senior Corp

Dear Ageless:

       I’m 63, divorced and recently retired. I have three children but all are grown and live far away. I miss being productive but don’t want the same time commitment or pressure of employment. I also miss the companionship I found at work. What can I do to fill the emptiness?

Twiddling Thumbs

Dear Twiddling:

       Kudos to you for wanting to remain active. It’s a critical component to maintaining good mental and physical health. Seniors are a precious resource. They offer time, talent and tenacity—the will to make each stage of their life valuable and fulfilling.  Sharing work and life experience is a great gift.

       Consider volunteer work—rocking newborns, reading aloud at the library, visiting the forgotten ones in nursing homes. Giving to others adds value to life, redirects self-preoccupation and pity, and creates a true sense of satisfaction.

       Senior Corps is a national organization that offers three main programs: Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions and RSVP. According to Senior Corp, "The Foster Grandparent Program connects volunteers, age 60 and over, with troubled or abused children and young people. Volunteers also mentor and help children with exceptional needs including illnesses and disabilities.

       The Senior Companion Program connects volunteers, age 60 and over, with adults in their community who have difficulty with the daily tasks of living. Companions make friendly visits, help out with shopping and light household chores, and interact with doctors and pharmacies.

       RSVP connects volunteers, age 55 and over, with service opportunities in their communities that match their skills and availability. From building houses to immunizing children, from enhancing the capacity of non-profit organizations to improving and protecting the environment, RSVP volunteers put their unique talents to work to make a difference."

       In addition to the impact of making an extraordinary contribution to your community, benefits can include transportation reimbursement, an annual physical, insurance, and, if income-eligible, a modest, tax-free earning. For more information, contact Senior Corps at www.seniorcorps.org, www.joinseniorservice.org, or call 202-606-5000.