The Womanly Art of Listening to Our Bodies

First of all, I need to make a disclaimer. A portion of this post heading is taken from a wonderful and well-respected book by La Leche League I read over 38 years ago, “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.” I read it during a time when I was preparing for my first child and preparing for childbirth and beyond. This was my first lesson in learning to listen to my body.

This morning, some 38 years later and a lifetime of listening, I was awakened by this thought, “The Womanly Art of Listening to Our Bodies” and how even though the time may not be the best to write this, because I have scholarships to apply for and work to do to prepare for the next semester of grad school, I cannot help but listen to this message and put it out there.

The message is: Our thoughts and feelings (or emotions) are inextricably linked to our bodies! Once we recognize this, the knowledge is immensely powerful. I have been so fortunate to attract mentors and educational opportunities in my life from the days I was a pregnant teen at 15 to my life today, a mother of 3 and grandmother of 8; now the age of 54.

I learned from natural childbirth that “attitude IS everything!” If you think it is pain, it is painful! If you think of it as the process that brings you your angel, then it is manageable.

I learned from 7 years in La Leche League that if you always remember in the back of your mind that breastfeeding is a normal, natural process that mammals have been doing successfully for millenia and trusting this natural process, your milk will come and challenges are only bumps in the road, not roadblocks.

I learned from reading Adelle Davis’ “Let’s Have Healthy Children” that our foods are full of everything we need if we learn to trust the foods that have been provided by nature. We do not have to buy expensive food to nourish our bodies properly. By being more efficient with our food choices, we can bring health to our families within any budget.

I learned from my 10 years working in the field of biofeedback, that the mind and our inner emotions are incredibly powerful and that our body speaks to us continually. Whether we listen or not is the real challenge! When we listen, we reduce suffering and illness and increase our quality of life. When we ignore the signs, we suffer from a variety of ills, including accidents and injuries.

So much more to share and no time to do it right now, but I want to leave you with this thought, please take the time to just be quiet without any outside electronic or other interference at least once every day. Listen and acknowledge and make the little adjustments you know deep down that you will benefit from. Little by little, you will find that the simple adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” will improve your daily quality of life, your health and your future!

Until next time,
Granny Pants
(Oh yeah, this photo was taken of me in 2002. I just found it and had to use it to brighten my day. The Yuba River is in the background. Love that place!)

Lime- It’s Not Just for Margaritas!

 

 

 

The Healing Lime

Limes & Lemons have a long history of healing properties that make them inexpensive “must-haves” for every home. Limes seem to be stronger if you have the choice, but lemons are a close second not to be underestimated. (When using the peel too, it is best to stick with organic or pesticide free homegrown.)

Below are properties that are tried and true. I will be posting more information about these qualities in the future:

1.  Anti-bacterial-for cutting boards and other surfaces where citrus is safe to use. (Also for use on foods like fish and meat.)

2. Antacid- The PH neutralizing effect of lemons and limes is one of their most powerful qualities. For heartburn, squeeze the juice of a whole lemon in a 1/2 glass of water and drink. You will have instant relief w/o side effects. This is also good upon waking before drinking anything else if you have an ulcer you want to heal. (Of course, other dietary regimens are necessary as well.)

3. Deoderant– Cut a lime in half and use under arms to prevent body odor and/or to neutralize bacteria under arms. This is VERY effective, but will stain light colored clothing if used too much.  Much better and cheaper than chemical deoderants. (Lime does NOT prevent wetness).

4. Mosquito Repellent- Squeeze the juice of a lime onto your exposed skin and spread it. (However, do NOT rub the skin of the lime onto the skin as it will darken it temporarily, especially on the areas of a mosquito bite. It is the oil of the lime skin that causes pigmentation.) This is very effective  to repel mosquitos (as well as avoiding sweet beverages, sweet foods and heavy carbohydrate consumption).

5. Cold Prevention & Remedy– See this previous post (Mother-in-Law Remedy)   

The Powerful Mother-In-Law Remedy

6. Female Friend- For women who are prone to yeast infections & vaginal odor, balancing PH with lemon water and the reduction of sugars & carbos will help prevent a yeast infection if you can attack it with early symptoms (which includes alcohol). Again, this is an extremely effective and inexpensive preventive compared to expensive doctor appointments, medication, and over the counter products. Odor & infection indicate the presence of bacteria. Lemon & lime balance PH so bacteria can’t thrive. Bacteria love sugar & carbs which turn into sugar.

 Please contribute your ideas and experiences on the healing properties of lime and lemon so other readers can benefit!