Recent Lessons

I've been very fortunate. Since starting chemo in April most of my side-effects have been primarily fatigue, anemia and some changes to my taste buds. Until recently.

About 5 weeks ago I experienced what it's like to experience a serious hemoglobin drop and it wasn't much fun but that's history and I'm doing fine now.

By far, the most challenging episode was two weeks ago. One week after chemo I experienced the normal fatigue but unlike in the past, it was accompanied by some heavy-duty leg pain in both legs, stomach cramps, a serious loss of appetite, light-headedness and as a result, all I wanted to do was sleep; and this lasted a week.

What's worse is that during that time nothing sounded good and emotionally I felt like I was staging a mini revolt against the diet I've been on and I found myself craving al kinds of things I know are not good for me to eat. It was psychologically, the most I've been challenged in months. During that week my poor wife had to do double-duty trying to find something I wouldn't gripe about eating and I know it was hard for her to see me eating half of my normal intake and in such discomfort. To complicate matters I think my gall blader was either inflammed or I was passing gallstones and this pain lasted well over a week during that time.

I lost over 5 pounds and I lost all desire to do anything other than lay around.

Now, I feel better than I've felt in months, I've gained back the 5 I lost plus a couple more and my energy, strength and appetite are all back big time.

I ask myself what that was all about and a couple things stand out to me.

I have never had issues with my appetite. Having gone through this gives me a new apreciation and understanding for what it's like to have this issue on a regular basis as I know is the case with some who are going trouhcancer treatment. Combine loss of appetite with taste bud malfunction and a boredom with the menu and you have a recipe for disaster.

Falling back into old eating habits or simly not being able to restore the desire to eat means nutritional starvation at the worst possible time. Eating right is not a sprint; it is a marathon. A continuous journey.

I also learned the importance of balance. When you're exhausted, it's important to rest but at the same time, some minimal leve of activity and focus is important for a sense of accomplishment and recovery.

I've tucked away the memory of these challenges in the hope that at the right time I'll be able to relate to someone struggling with these issues and as a result, have the compassion and the understanding to just listen, provide some reassurance and offer hope that it won't last forever.

I'm grateful to God for His healing and I appreciate it even more as a result of these kinds of experiences.

GREAT COOKBOOK

As promised on my Coop's Crossing fanpage on Facebook, I have an awesome cookbook to share with you.

This particular cookbook contains a wide range of healthy dishes made with foods that have plenty of healing properties. That in itself is fabulous as some cookbooks billed as "healthy" promote the use of too many products that are not counter to good health. But this book goes well beyond that.

What makes this cookbook unique is that it also shows for each recipe what the foods involved help to treat or prevent, whether it's cancer, memory problems, diabetes, high cholesterol or depression to name a few.

In addition each recipe shows the vitamins and minerals each recipe contains ranked from high to low. This is very helpful to me in that I can quickly see which recipes contribute to increasing my iron reserves to help offset anemia or low hemoglobin.

In the back of the book there is a lengthy section that alphabetically shows recipes specific to helping to treat or prevent certain conditions such a anemia, asthma, cancer, constipation, dental problems, diverticulosis, gallstones, heart disease and insomnia to name just a few.

The name of this cookbook is Meals That Heal and is written by Anne Egan and Regina Ragone, M.S., R.D.

I highly recommend this cookbook! If you are attempting to transition to healthy recipes or need to make serious changes to your eating habits this is a great way to help yourself to get it done!

Embracing Change

Awareness; Acceptance; Application.

When I was doing sales management training in years past, I use to use the three A's as a way to help managers understand what needs to happen before they could expect their employees to embrace change.

Change is uncomfortable for most people unless they are the ones authoring the change.

My progression along this journey causes me to reflect on these three words now, and apply them in my own life.

Awareness; what is it I am dealing with? What do I need to do next? What can I do to affect the outcome? What do I need to address to receive true healing that extends beyond the physical?

Acceptance; Do I accept that I have a say in the outcome? Am I willing to take what I am learning and put it into action? Do I embrace the role that I play in doing things differently? Am I willing to make dietary changes? Am I willing to change my daily routine to work with my healing rather than against it? Do I embrace that God desires healing for me despite whatever might be going on at the moment inside me, around me and in spite of me?

Aplication; Am I making strides, day-by-day in changing my behaviors and lifestyle? In what ways have I affeected change inside of me and what more needs to change? Am I daily, inplementing and holding fast to those things that I believe lead to health and healing? Am I being open and letting those that love me and that I love, know my needs, challenges and desires? Am I exercising discipline to avoid behaviors and foods that are harmful and that I have turned away from?

It is a daily exercise; it is a daily journey. There are times that I feel incapable of doing what I must. There are days I feel overwhelmed and discouraged. My lovely wife helps me during those times and I know I have many who are willing and ready at any moment to help me. I am blessed beyond belief and I am encouraged because I know in my heart that God does not send illness or allow illness to destroy us; He allows it to strengthen us, to build our character and to enable us to rise victorious and sing His praises and to spread the news that He loves us.

Awareness, Acceptance and Application. Little did I know in years past that I would be the one needing to remember these three simple words and apply them in my own life in ways I would never have dreamed of.

I hope that this inspires you and helps you to think about change in a way that motivates and encourages you!

God bless and keep you!

Symptoms of low hemoglobin

The last 5 days have been interesting to say the least!

Every Monday I go for a blood draw and the results get sent to CTCA (my cancer treatment center.) After my blood draw this past Monday I got a call on Tuesday that my blood analysis showed my hemoglobin (red blood cells) were dangerously low (6.8) and to get to the ER to get a blood transfusion, which I did. It's been a wild ride since but the good news is I am doing fine and I'll go over that shortly but here's what I want to share with you:

The symptoms of low hemoglobin include dizziness, nosebleeds, shortness of breath and low energy, easy bruising, pale skin, heart palpitations, fever and a feeling where it feels as though your heart is pounding in your head.

My symptoms were limited to feeling light-headed every time I stood up, a jaundice pallor to my skin and severe pounding in my head with every heartbeat. I had that for a few days and since they were new side-affects I attributed it to chemo and didn't do anything about it. If you have a combination of these symptoms do something about it!

Low hemoglobin means insufficient red blood cell production and results in a lack of oxygen getting to your organs and your brain which means an increased workload on your heart and lungs to compensate.

What ended up happening was that I received 5 units of blood via transfusion and was in the hospital for two days because it is a process that takes time. There can be many causes for low hemoglobin but in my case, it appears to be a combination of low platelets, anemia due to chemotherapy and internal bleeding that showed up in a stool sample.

If you suddenly have very dark stools, almost black, immediately follow-up with your doctor. In my case, I thought my dark stools were simply due to the iron supplements I began taking at the recommendation of my Dr of Naturopathy at CTCA, which is partly true, but dark stools can also be, among other things,  "old blood" coming from someplace in the upper GI or the stomach.

In my case, I had to have an upper GI and colonoscopy this past Saturday morning to determine where the blood was coming from. The good news is my colon is in great shape however I do have a few superficial gastric ulcers and a vein in the fundus (near the esophagus and stomach) is oozing some blood or showed evidence of having done that.

I was given some guidance to cut back on anything with caffeine, acidic foods and to eat meals early to reduce the chance of acid-reflux during the night. These were all relevant suggestions since we often eat late, like many dishes with cooked tomatoes and spicy dishes and I drink a lot of green tea.

When I go get my blood drawn this Monday (tomorrow) it will be revealing to see where my blood counts are right now and I do feel much better and my facial color looks much better. Despite all of this, I continue to gain weight, overall, feel very good and I am grateful to God that the test results were much better than they could have been.

Finally, the perception that I had that a colonoscopy was a "big deal" and probably painful was completely incorrect! It was very easy, painless and ultimately, has given me some real peace of mind. The procedure was done at an upper GI/colonoscopy medical center near me and they used a gas to knock me out and the drug they gave me to revive me woke me up to normal in literally less than 15 minutes. It was a breeze! The day before I did have to take some tablets, refrain from eating and I had to drink 64 oz of Gatorade with some over the counter medicine to clean me out but even that process was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

So, if you are over 50 or you are having "issues" that concern you, please get a colonoscopy or upper GI because it is not at all a big deal. Now, if you choose to take different drugs in order to stay awake the experience can be different but why do that?? By comparison, this was such a breeze, We got there at 7 AM Saturday morning and we were home by 9:15 AM and immediately went out to breakfast. No side affects, no pain and now, no worries as I know exactly what's going on!

Peace to you and yours!

Good book and good chocolate!

If you or someone you love encounters a cancer diagnosis I hope you'll let me know so that I can reach out to them to offer them help and encouragement. It is s important for them to get off to a fast start. I understand, I've been there and I am grateful to God for my progress and improvement since my diagnosis in March.

One resource I came across due to my follow-up with a non-profit in Pennsylvania was a book written by Greg Anderson called Cancer- 50 Essential Things To Do, and it was invaluable. He himself  is a cancer survivor of over 20 years; from lung cancer AFTER his doctor told him he had less than a month to live. What did he do? For the first week he went home, laid in his bed and waited to die. Something happened to snap him out of that defeated mindset and went on a mission interviewing survivors from all over the Country.

The result is this book and it is great!

So, while reading a good book what could be better than snacking on some awesome chocolate!? There is good and bad chocolate.Examine the ingredients; often first or second on the list is sugar - even dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate is much better than milk chocolate and has antioxidant properties as well as other health-promoting benefits. The trick is to find it without refined sugars.

Since cancer feeds off of excess and refined sugars because of how quickly it is passed through the liver and enters the bloodstream, it is very important to find healthy dark chocolate sources.

The purest chocolate with great flavor that I've found is through an online source: http://www.gnosischocolate.com/

Be prepared great chocolate is not cheap. They have all kinds of bars and goodies and by far, it is made in such a way that does not play havoc with insulin levels or work counter to healing due to the presence of refined sugars.

Next, Whole Foods has dark chocolate covered almonds. They do contain cane sugar and some ingredients that aren't perfect but in moderation they are much better than traditional options that are just loaded with sugar. They are sold in their bulk food section.

A point of interest - do not drink milk while eating them! Research is showing that milk interferes with the anti-oxidant action of chocolate defeating one of the best reasons for eating it; other than the fact that it taste so good!!! And, to slow down the rate at which any sugars are introduced into your system, eat additional nuts that are not chocolate covered in conjunction with the chocolate.

Have a fabulous day and thank God for His goodness! :)

ACID vs ALKALINE

One conclusion I have come to, and one that is widely held by cancer survivors is that there is a definitive link between the growth of cancer cells and the acid vs alkaline balance in one's body. The PH Miracle book that I referenced in an earlier post, is focused on explaining this relationship and it's impact on our body.

I know that overall, my body is most often in an alkaline state because I choose to eat foods that promote that balance and I am convinced it has had a positive impact on my body's ability to reverse the cancer cells in my body.

I'm not going to go into exhaustive detail here, but vegetables, certain grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, as well as almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, legumes and whole-grain rice promote an alkaline state. Dairy products, red meat, pork, chicken, wheat and some other grains, some nuts and seeds, some fruits and refined foods promote an acid state.

By eliminating dairy (except yogurt and organic eggs which we choose to eat on occasion) red meat, pork, all types of deli meats, refined foods and by reducing our intake of wheat-based products we have promoted an alkaline-based environment in our bodies.

Ask yourself these questions; how often after a meal do you find yourself clearing your throat? How often do you feel bloated or tired after a meal? How often do you experience energy peaks and valleys throughout the day?

These are all symptomatic of body imbalance. Mucus is formed as a result of our bodies attempt to "throw-off" the acid imbalance and it is important to note that acid imbalance is a cumulative condition and your body's way of saying, feed me different foods!! Dairy and animal protein in particular, leave heavy acid residues as does refined foods that I've touched on before.

If you say, I'm healthy; no worries and you experience the symptoms I've outlined; beware. You are playing Russian roulette with your system and trust me; it's not a game you want to continue to play. As Kenny Rogers says in a popular song of his, "ya gotta know when to fold em.'"

So, fold those old eating habits and deal yourself a new deck of health and healing!

Slow the Game Down

In sports, we often hear announcers and analysts talk about how the best players have the ability to mentally, slow the game down so that they exercise patience, control and sound decision-making in the "heat of the moment." Rookies and other players who lack the ability to take control by mentally executing a pace and a calm when the emotion of the game and the speed of the game accelerates often make mistakes and poor decision-making that is costly.

Think for a moment about how this applies to our own lives. Does the speed of our lives sometimes interfere with our personal decision-making? Do we in the "heat of living our lives" make decisions that impact us in negative ways?

Let's exercise the  decision-making of winners by slowing down the pace of our lives so that we make better decisions for our sake and the sake of those we love or who depend on us.

Let's make a conscious decision to take a 30-minute walk at least 5 days a week. Let's make a choice to consume at least 6 glasses a water a day; preferably bottled water instead of tap water. Let's make a conscious choice to make a healthy dinner as often as possible and be willing to experiment with foods we haven't tried and have fun while doing it. Let's make the decision to read something inspirational daily or as many days as possible.

Slowing down the pace of our life produces other benefits. As we make better conscious choices we feel better about ourselves which DOES cause positive chemical reactions in our brain that impact our bodies. Taking a walk helps us to breathe deeply; another important practice for expelling harmful free radicals! All of these practices help us to achieve a healthy life-work-play balance which is crucial to health and well-being.

Work, if it causes stress and time constraints that squeeze balance from our lives is not work; it is the slow train to nowhere and a ticket to disaster.

Let's breathe deep and appreciate moments of peace and quiet and in those moments, carve out ideas and action steps that create balance and meaningful positive outcomes. Let's slow down the speed of the game and remember why we are playing it in the first place.

Here's to you and your success!

Food Combinations to AVOID

For months before I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer I frequently suffered from stomach pain right after eating meals. When I was diagnosed in March the emotional turmoil of that diagnosis and the length of time I was in the hospital intensified these stomach pains to something the equivalent of a softball. It made eating very painful and it was weeks before that initial stomach pain began to subside.

In mid-April I was fortunate enough to come across a book written by Robert O. Young, PhD., called The PH Miracle that was life-changing for me. It is still hugely responsible for most of the dietary changes I've made and it became a constant reference point for me.

I was set free of my stomach pain and remain free of it as a result of learning in this book about the digestion dynamics that occur when we mix certain types of foods.

For those who have sensitive stomachs and frequent pain and especially for those who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this is information that could mean the difference between being pain-free or not. Pancreatic cancer disrupts the ability of the pancreas to secrete enzymes necessary for digestion which adds additional pain if these food-combining principles are not adhered to.

1. DO NOT eat animal protein with starches!
2. DO NOT eat fruits with anything else EXCEPT nuts and seeds

What is a starch?
Legumes, rice and potatoes. Legumes are all types of beans (excludes green beans, lima beans and peas)such as black beans, navy beans, pinto beans and kidney beans to name a few.

What do I mean by animal protein? Any type of fish, crustacean (like shrimp and crab) chicken, turkey, beef, lamb and pork.

WHY??

Digestion of some foods begins in our mouth, others in our stomach and others still in our intestines. Each type of digestion and when it begins is a matter of whether we are eating animal protein, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes or fruit. As a result combining certain types of foods releases different digestive enzymes that conflict with others and more importantly, animal protein is a dead organism that contributes NOTHING to the digestive process unlike a vegetable that is still "alive" and releases its own enzymes while being digested, .

Ever wonder why we feel so tired or "full" after eating most animal protein? It's in part because our body must work so hard to digest it!

The bottom line is that mixing animal protein with starches or mixing fruit with most other foods will create digestive "issues" and as a result, pain!!!

Worse, mixing the wrong foods diminishes the digestive process of each one which means less nutritional value and a slush of undigested foods our colon must now deal with.

Once I learned and began to apply these principles my energy increased, my pain after meals disappeared and the regularity of my system improved. The FEW times after where I "forgot" and mixed the wrong things the pain was so intense it cured me of those kinds of mistakes. Asks Trish, my wife, as she had to stand by and watch as I was doubled-over in agony.

God bless you and may you combine the RIGHT things!

Addition and Subtraction

My journey has opened my eyes to a few realities. One reality is that most of us will not change our eating habits short of a life-threatening illness that demands that we do. Another reality is that if we choose to change our eating habits, its not only what we stop eating but it's what we begin to eat that makes a profound difference in our health.

Life is an ebb and flow of giving and receiving and our very own cells flow in concert with this very concept.

It is profound to me that life at all levels reflects this principle of giving and receiving. Just as our lives are enriched when we give freely of ourselves, so to some of our own cells freely give of themselves to preserve our health. And the volume of cells that are capable of giving of themselves are increased when we give our bodies the right nutrients by consuming the right foods. This choice of giving to ourselves reflect God's selfless love for us in a very personal way. When we eat the right foods and sacrifice our desire for sugar-laden deserts or harmful refined foods like regular pasta or white rice, we multiply within ourselves cells that seek out dangerous cells described as free-radicals.

Free radicals are a by-product of our bodies constant generation of heat and our environment, which includes indulging in eating the wrong things or harmful habits like smoking. Free radicals are basically damaged cells that are missing an electron. These free radicals rage through our system seeking to destroy other cells, tissue and organs in order to steal from them the electron they are missing. Selfishness at the molecular level. Isn't that interesting?

Even more so, what I find interesting is the role of anti-oxidants which are cells that our bodies produce, in part as a result of our sharing with our bodies healthy foods from diverse fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts. You see, anti-oxidants have an extra electron. Their role is to seek out free radicals and to stabilize them by freely giving up their extra electron. So the more we share with our bodies true life-giving foods we empower our bodies to produce cells that exist to stabilize and heal damaged cells.

Is this not an amazing example. at a most minute and intrinsic level, what we learn about the importance of giving and receiving? It is something that I find worth some deep contemplation and I don't know about you but it is something that draws me closer to God.

So it's not just what we add to our diet that matters; it's also what we subtract from it. The more we give our bodies the right foods and the more we subtract unhealthy foods, the more we create life-giving cells who accept as their mission in life to seek out and heal cells gone astray that otherwise steal and cripple us from within.

May your life be filled with treasures both from giving to yourself and others, and receiving blessings in return!

Coop

Go soak Your...Beans

Okay, so I said my next post would be a bean soaking and cooking reference so here you go:

Soak beans by generously covering them with cool water and refrigerate while soaking.

Soak:

Adzuki beans for 4 hours and cook for 1 hour; 1 cup of adzuki beans yields 2 1/2 cups when cooked.
Black beans for 4 hours and cook for 1 1/2 hours; 1 cup of black beans yields 3 cups when cooked.
Chickpeas for 4 hours and cook for up to 2 1/2 hours; 1 cup yields 3 cups when cooked.
Fava beans for 12 hours and cook for 3 hours; 1 cup yields 3 cups when cooked.
Great Northern Beans for 4 hours and cook for 1 hour; 1 cup yields 2 3/4 cups when cooked.
Kidney Beans for 4 hours and cook for 1 hour; 1 cup yields 2 3/4 cups when cooked.
Lima Beans for 4 hours and cook for up to 1 1/2 hours; 1 cup yields 3 cups when cooked.
Mung Beans for 4 hours and cook for 1 hour; 1 cup yields 3 cups when cooked.
Navy Beans for 4 hours and cook for 2 hours; 1 cup yields 2 3/4 cups when cooked.
Pinto Beans for 4 hours and cook for up to 1 1/2 hours; 1 cup yields 3 1/4 when cooked.
Soybeans for 12 hours and cook for up to 3 1/2 hours; 1 cup yields 2 3/4 when cooked.
Lentils do not need to be soaked but soaking helps to reduce flatulence so soak for an hour or two if you are so inclined. Cook Lentils for 1 hour; 1 cup yields 3 cups when cooked.

To cook any type of bean add a sufficient amount of water, vegetable stock or beef or chicken stock and simmer once the beans are boiling. Keep covered for the duration of the cooking time.

We have purchased many beans raw and soaked and cooked them, including adzuki, black beans, lentils, mung, kidney and pinto beans. The process is easy and the beans taste great. It is a very economical way to go and you can control the quantity very easy by following this guide so that you have the quantity you want once they are cooked. The best part is you are consuming whole, unprocessed beans without any additional additives other than the sea salt or flavorings you choose to add. Once soaked, all of these beans can be cooked and added to dishes or cooked as part of the dish.

Plan ahead. Think about your dinner menu and soak your beans a day or two before you actually need to cook them. Since the soaking time for most is only a handful of hours it is easy to do in the morning or evening. It's easy, wholesome and fun. So, go ahead - soak your beans. You'll be glad you did!!

Super Foods!

I read a very good book recently that outlined certain foods that are super-good for us based on their overall nutritional impact and health benefits. Here are a few I thought worth pointing out:

BLUEBERRIES
RED RASPBERRIES
PUMPKIN
SWEET POTATOES
TURKEY
WILD ALASKAN SALMON
BROCCOLI
SPINACH, KALE, SWISS CHARD and TURNIP GREENS
BEANS SUCH AS BLACK, PINTO, KIDNEY and LENTILS

The health benefits are just too numerous to recount ranging from invaluable phytonutrients, trace minerals, amino acids and antioxidants. It is worth noting that many of these foods have been shown in numerous studies to have many anti-cancer properties as well as protecting against many common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

When purchasing these items the best choice is to purchase them fresh and organic. For canned items like pumpkin puree which is great for many tasty dishes, it is important to seek out organically canned goods and to read the label and avoid those that contain regular salt (sea salt is good) citric acid or other unnecessary additives.

Beans are extremely economical if you purchase them raw and in bulk and simply soak them and cook them fresh. I will provide further details on how long to soak and cook various beans in tomorrow's post.

A couple of points regarding turkey and salmon.

Like all meats seek out grain-fed turkey that is free of pesticides and growth hormones. Turkey is the leanest of all meats and has numerous health benefits. If you're vegetarian it is advisable to make sure you are getting enough vitamin B12 because it is NOT readily available or absorbed from plant or soy protein sources and it is a crucial nutrient.

Salmon provides a specific vital omega 3 oil not readily available from other sources. Flax seed and other nuts and seeds do contain omega 3 oils but not the same kind as that found in salmon. Buy salmon that is not previously frozen and that is not farm raised to be sure it is free of pesticides and growth hormones. Alaskan salmon that is wild-caught is the best because it is a migratory fish which minimizes the mercury-infestation versus other types of fish and is very high in omega 3 oils. A side note is that by comparison, king salmon has much higher mercury concentrations and the jury is out on whether or not the Atlantic farm-raised salmon you can buy is truly free of pesticides and other harmful substances unless it is very clearly stated and factual.

As always, FRESH IS BEST!

White rice substitutes

Greetings!

White rice is stripped of nutrients and hardly good for you. So what do you do if you like white rice and want some good substitutes?

Her are options we have tried and really like:

Jasmine Whole Grain White Rice
Basmati Brown Rice
Organic Harvest Medley -  a blend of 4 Wild Rices (sold by Costco)
Lundberg Long-Grain Brown Rice

Also try Red Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) and regular which is a really tasty, easy to prepare grain.

Where to buy them:

Costco sells very large and economical bags of Jasmine and other rices as well as the 4-rice blend and Quinoa. You an also find them at stores that sell products from India.

In smaller quantities you can find these at Whole Foods pre-packaged and check out their bulk food bins for some of these items too.

Try these tasty options and let me know what you think!

Coop

Healthy habits means Healthy Cells

Did you know that our red blood cells completely regenerate every 120 days? In order to accomplish this feat nearly 100 million new cells are created every MINUTE and the same quantity dies....

Can we see why what we eat and what we drink and in what quantity becomes incredibly important? If our cells replenish and die at this amazing rate the question is what continuous message are we sending to our cells about how they are to replenish themselves? Think about it; in every way, our energy, our very self, is comprised of our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical being and this energy is either moving in a direction that is positive and life-giving or negative and life-threatening. And this totality of our energy is imprinting itself on our cell structure and giving direction for how our cells are to re-create themselves CONTINUOUSLY.

I know this is rather deep and perhaps a little mind-bending but this is what I am learning and what is contributing to my healing and positive life-change.

The message we send to our newly formed red blood cells is CONSTANT and imprints on our newly formed cells either a new direction; towards health and healing, or in a negative direction that feeds disease and malfunction. Our red blood cells literally, take their direction for their very make-up from our nutrition, our emotional energy, our habit-patterns, healthy or otherwise, and our spiritual makeup. If we send the wrong messages to these cells they form incorrectly and as a result promote disease. And they pass this malfunction on to the next generation of cells, and so on and so on.

The miracle is our bodies still attempt to ward off this disease and produce symptoms and warnings to tell us something is wrong; there is something we need to address and fix. Let's not look to the medicine cabinet to gloss over the symptoms without looking into ourselves first to address the root causes. If we listen to the messages our bodies send us they are crystal clear; CHANGE our habits, address the negative energy that poisons our cells and let's focus on healing from within. Do not ignore the symptoms; they are not the problem, they are the early warning signals; they are the internal voices of our cell structure saying, please take heed. Do not treat the symptoms; address the causes!

For months prior to my diagnosis I had continuous minor but very real stomach pains and cramps; I would sit rocking back and forth after meals while sitting at the kitchen table waiting for them to subside which they would. I attributed it to stress; job issues, money issues, relationship issues, worry, worry, worry and to some extent I was right but that was just part of the picture. It did not move me to take action to deal with these concerns and it did not move me to see a doctor out of fear of what he might say. At the time, not smart but God is good and His mercy endures forever. He leads me now along a different path and a new understanding and He has given me a voice to share with you and to help you learn from my experience.

I hope you find these messages helpful and encouraging. Today could be the first day you change one habit, one component of your nutrition, one relationship or one thing standing in the way of  a closer walk with God. Every day represents an opportunity to change your very cells for the better! I pray that you do!

God bless and sleep well!

Coop

Healthy Alternatives

The good news is SPICES are basically all good! Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, garlic, nutmeg, black pepper and rosemary are just a few that have healing or nutritional benefits specific to fighting certain diseases or aiding our bodies by providing nutrients, antioxidants or anti-inflammatory agents. That's a good thing!

Here are a few healthy alternatives to commonly used condiments or flavor enhancers:

1.  Sea Salt instead of salt. Sea Salt that is unrefined possesses nutrients and health benefits vs table salt.
2.  Braggs Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce or tamari. Braggs contains 16 essential amino acids, tastes fabulous and is so like regular soy sauce or tamari you won't notice the difference.
3.  Organic Blue Agave or Stevia in place of any other type of sugar, including brown sugar. Blue agave is extracted from the agave plant and is a low glycemic index sweetener which means it is slowly absorbed by our body which prevents blood sugar spikes. Stevia is extracted from the stevia plant and has no impact on blood sugar at all.

All three can be purchased at Costco in bulk sizes for less than most other stores. High quality Sea Salt is also available at Whole Foods in their bulk food section and is also cost-effective.

If you take the time to label-read you will be shocked and amazed at how much sodium you ingest on a daily basis if you do not watch what you eat. What you'll find is that a ridiculous number of canned, packaged and frozen foods contain sodium; no to mention prepared foods such as pastas, fried chicken and various types of potato,chicken and tuna salads. As a result we far exceed the "recommended daily allowance" which is in itself a misleading indicator because how can their be a recommended allowance for something that is harmfull for us to ingest? Do we need "salt" added to our foods to reach some kind of recommended allowance? Hardly; if we're simply eating right.

I hope you try these healthy alternatives and if you have or you do, let me know what you think!

Coop

How refined are you?

Yes; refinement is such a nice thing isn't it? Clean, dignified, polite, politically correct and so much more... or is it? Do you by chance remember a song by Supertramp... I always liked this song; such a catchy tune and lyrics.

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
oh joyfully, oh playfully watching me.
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, oh responsible, practical.
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
oh clinical, oh intellectual, cynical.

There are times when all the world's asleep,
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am
Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical,
a liberal, oh fanatical, criminal.
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're
acceptable, respectable, oh presentable, a vegetable!

I ask you, are we perhaps becoming vegetables instead of eating them? What exactly does it mean to be refined these days? Is it believing and following the marketers of our Country who would have us play Russian Roulette every time we sit down to eat a meal by feeding us food with NO nutritional value? Why have we given up our common sense and sacrificed quality of nutrition for food that may taste great but is killing us with every bite?

Disease is progressive and patient; it is a silent killer with the stealth that surpasses our greatest machinery's of war and it is happy to take its time in killing us before revealing itself in a Country where medical practice is more geared towards trying to solve problems rather than preventing them.

Think about this the next time you lift a fork or spoon to eat foods made with refined sugars, most man-made sugar substitutes, refined white flour, refined white rice, refined salt, refined pasta, fast-food and most store-bought beef, chicken and pork that is laced with pesticides and man-made chemicals that wreak havoc with our health.

It is a CHOICE to eat such things and we do pay for it around our waistlines, in our pocketbooks when illness surfaces, in loss of life and most certainly, it is reflected in the lives of our children who are becoming obese at an alarming rate. Friends and loved ones, it is time for us to wake up from the nightmare and stop rewarding food companies, marketing firms that bombard the airwaves with food that kills, and eateries for feeding us things most animals wouldn't consume. It's time for us to reclaim the practices and habits of our parents and begin eating to live rather than living to eat!!

What are our options? That's my next focus over the next several days and believe me, the options are healthy, tasty and plentiful.

God speed

Coop

ORGANIC WHEN?

Organic foods are a great choice because organic foods in the process of growing must develop their own resistances to the effects of parasites, bugs, wind sun and other environmental factors. In the process, the same nutrients that protect organically grown fruits and vgetables end up having increased value to us upon consumption; ata rate that is three to four times greater than non-organcally grown fruits and vegetables!

So is it worth it to eat organic? You tell me. Having said that, there is additional expense and what if the pocketbook says "no-way?" The following list will help to ease the pain. This list tells you which fruits and vegetables should or should not be purchased organically grown based on each fruit and vegetables absorption rate of pesticides. The dirty dozen absrob pesicides moreso than others and the clean 15 have the best likelihood of not absorbing pesticides and therefore are less dangerous when purchased non-organically grown.
                                                 
                                                       CLEAN 15

1.  ASPARAGUS                                                           8.  ONION

2.  AVOCADOS                                                             9.  PAPAYA

3.  BROCCOLI                                                               10. PINEAPPLE

4.  CABBAGE                                                                11. SWEET CORN

5.  EGGPLANT                                                              12.  SWEET PEAS

6.  KIWI                                                                        13.  SWEET POTATO

7.  MANGO                                                                    14.  TOMATO

                                                                                     15.  WATERMELON

                                                DIRTY DOZEN

1.   APPLES                                                                   7.  GRAPES

2.  BELL PEPPERS                                                         8.  LETTUCE

3.  CARROTS                                                                  9.  NECTARINES

4.  CELERY                                                                    10. PEACHES

5.  CHERRIES                                                                11. PEARS

6.  KALE                                                                        12.  STRAWBERRIES

The birds of the air....

Sunday service was unlike any other. We watched a video, taped earlier that week, by a sister church in Utah. The couple it in are one of the founding couples of the church, Mike and Paula. Paula this past week was diagnosed with colon cancer which has spread to her liver. They shared deeply personal aspects of the emotional journey they have already been on the short time since learning of her illness. It was deeply moving and I could have been the one sitting there mouthing the words she spoke.

She spoke of how over the past couple years she has suffered from an intense loneliness and feelings of isloation even in the midst of being a follower of Jesus. I have been there; we can be surrounded by hundreds and still feel alone. Her sharing brought to the surface and put a name on it for me and a clarity of how lonliness, like other negative feelings is borne of false perceptions and too much time spent thinking about the wrong things. How much of our day do we spend reflecting on what could have been or what we've done wrong? How much of our time do we focus on things instead of relationships? How much of our day do we spend believing lies and worries that limit our personal effectivenss and our freedom to give ourselves to others? I know the answer for myself and it is awakening in me a new focus and an important reality.

If we truly understand and embrace God's love for us their can be no lonliness regardless of what others say or do or what we say and do to ourselves for His love surpasses and covers it all. The minister asked us to read Matthew Chapter 6 which I immediately did and I would encourage you to read it too. This excerpt from it means so much to me now: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

I have many worries. I have spent too much time absorbed in them and I am doing my best to take this Scripture to heart and to meditate upon it so that it becomes a reality in my life in a profound way and to lay these worries down, completely and walk away from them. I hope this intensely personal sharing and this Scripture is of value to you as well.

Tomorrow, I am going to begin sharing in bite-size pieces real things about my journey and as I continue to share, day-by-day, it is my goal to help you understand the changes I've made, that I continue to make and the impact they are having on my life; whether it's related to food, exercise, my spiritual journey or the ellimination of stress-triggers and other negative influences.

Thanks for stopping by and I would love to hear your comments! Thanks to those who have already!!

July 13, 2010 - INTRODUCTION

I’m on the train with my wife Trish, returning home from an enjoyable trip to Zion, IL., via Chicago. It’s appropriate that while on the train the name for my new venture should come together for me; Coop’s Crossing.

While this trip was a mini-vacation for us, it was also something else. It was my 5th trip here (albeit the first time via Amtrak and a fun one at that.) to receive treatment for pancreatic cancer which I was diagnosed with on March 18th of this year.

As we sachet down the tracks, listening to the soothing sound of the train’s whistle I am reminded that we are heading down tracks in our life previously untaken. As the train takes us past cities and streams and farmlands and backyards that we have never seen, so too our lives are traveling new tracks, leading us to destinations and places we have only just begun to understand. We are active participants as well passengers and observers; woven into a thread that I am coming to learn binds us all together.

The track called life has many turns, intersections, crossings and detours; some we love we but others we did not ask for and we do not want. It doesn’t ask for our permission and it does not respect our position in life or the futures we see for ourselves. It is indiscriminate and a cold reminder of our frailty and vulnerability.

What I am learning is that when our life track seems to change and roll out of control, if we summon the courage and allow ourselves to embrace the challenge, if we remember that the only day any of us can call our own is the present day and re-focus our energy on trusting that there is a source that loves us more than we love ourselves, we will find there is a way, there is a way through.

This blog is not for me; it is for those who have felt their life track change direction and for those who want to change the life track they are on. It is for those who embrace hope for today and tomorrow and who are looking for a place where they feel welcomed and loved. Come here to relax, to learn, to renew, to grow and to be encouraged. Here you’ll find resources, information and insights; guides to help you as you design your own roadmap and new routes along your journey.

And it is here where our paths have crossed; our life’s and yours. We wish to share insights, ideas and moments that are genuine, helpful and uplifting. We welcome you and we are here for you.

This is Coop’s Crossing; where Hope and Healing intersect.