Suffering With Joy

Phytoestrogens and Estrogen Dominance

July 14, 2010

In yesterday’s article Estrogen Dominance: Causes and Cures I discussed some of the causes of estrogen dominance.  Today I want to briefly cover another way of being overexposed to estrogens.  If you are estrogen dominant, in addition to avoiding things I mentioned in the above article, you need to be careful of overexposure to phytoestrogens.

Phytoestrogens (phyto = plant) are naturally occurring estrogenic compounds.  They are in herbs, spices, and some plant foods, among which is soy, which I will discuss lower down in this article. These compounds are weaker than the xenoestrogens or natural estrogen produced by the body, but if you are already experiencing estrogen dominance, it is best not to consume even these.  As the site Energetic Nutrition says:

Some of the strongest phytoestrogen containing substances are soy, the lignans found in flax seed products, red clover, black cohosh, chasteberry, and dong quai. Soy includes soybeans, soy milk, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, roasted soybeans, soy granules, soy protein powders, miso, and edamames.

Over consumption of phytoestrogenic foods or herbs on a long term basis may actually increase the risk of estrogen dominance significantly. Furthermore, phytoestrogens have been shown to inhibit the conversion of T4 to the active T3 thyroid hormone, and can trigger hypothyroidism. It is suggested that those with a history of thyroid imbalance, or suffering from estrogen dominance, should consume a minimum amount of phytoestrogens.

The very serious soy problem

Dr. Mercola has numerous articles on soy and the health problems its consumption causes.  In addition to its role in causing or exacerbating estrogen dominance, in certain forms it is one of the most harmful foods we can consume and it is ubiquitous on grocery store shelves. He writes:

Dow Chemical and DuPont, the same corporations that brought misery and death to millions around the world through Agent Orange, are now the driving forces behind the promotion of soy as a food for humans. They are financing anti-meat and anti-milk campaigns aimed largely at those concerned about animal welfare and the environment, trying to convince them that imitations such as “soymilk” are not only healthier than the real thing, but better for the earth too…

Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of whole soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities–protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about these products.

Says Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of The Whole Soy Story,

“Today’s high-tech processing methods not only fail to remove the anti-nutrients and toxins that are naturally present in soybeans but leave toxic and carcinogenic residues created by the high temperatures, high pressure, alkali and acid baths and petroleum solvents.” [Yesterday I wrote about xenoestrogens in solvents and plastics which are derived from petroleum.  Exposure to these stresses the body and processed soy products can pack a double whammy of not only intake of phytoestrogens but xenoestrogens - two for the price of one.]

Dr. Daniel also points out the findings of numerous studies reviewed by her and other colleagues — that soy does not reliably lower cholesterol, and in fact raises homocysteine levels in many people, which has been found to increase your risk of stroke, birth defects, and yes: heart disease.

Other common health problems linked to a high-soy diet include:

• Thyroid problems, including weight gain, lethargy, malaise, fatigue, hair loss, and loss of libido
• Premature puberty and other developmental problems in babies, children and adolescents
• Cancer
• Brain damage
• Reproductive disorders
• Kidney stones
• Weakened immune system
• Severe, potentially fatal food allergies

The danger of genetically modified soy

Most soy, perhaps about 80 percent or more, is also genetically modified, which adds its own batch of health concerns.

The last thing a person suffering from fibromyalgia, estrogen dominance, insulin resistance, chronic fatigue and other related systemic health issues is exposure to genetically modified food.  This added burden on the body to process chemical structures it does not recognize can lead to allergic reactions and other side effects. A sick person is made even sicker. Dr. Mercola writes in his article Genetically Modified Foods – What to Know Before You Eat Them:

Sections of the protein produced in GM soy are identical to known allergens, but the soybean was introduced before the WHO criteria were established, and the recommended additional tests were not conducted.

If this protein in GM soybeans is causing allergies, then the situation may be made much worse by something called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). That‘s when genes spontaneously transfer from one species‘ DNA to another. While this happens often among bacteria, it is rare in plants and mammals.

But the method used to construct and insert foreign genes into GM crops eliminates many of the natural barriers that stop HGT from occurring. The only published human feeding study on GM foods ever conducted on GM foods showed that

parts of the gene inserted into GM soy ended up transferring into the DNA of human gut bacteria.

Furthermore, the gene was stably integrated and it appeared to be producing its potentially allergenic protein. So, years after people stop eating GM soy, they may still be exposed to its risky protein, which is being continuously produced within their own intestines.

None of this is good for anybody, let alone people suffering autoimmune conditions and hormonal imbalances.  Our bodies are complex chemical factories and temples of the Holy Spirit.  To care for them as God intends us to do we cannot simply go to the store and take what we want off the shelf. In today’s age with government corruption at such deep levels the FDA approves many things it should not, and does it without enough testing for bad effects.  It is up to us as individuals to take charge of our health and do the best we can to feel good as we go about our daily business.  Moreover, we need to stop eating ourselves sick and start eating ourselves well.

I encourage readers to sign up for Dr. Mercola’s newsletters ( they are free).  I have learned a great deal from them and hope you will benefit, too.

Tags: wellness

The Pope of Hope

June 8, 2010

Many Catholics were happy to see the great attraction so many young people had to Pope John Paul II – an encouraging sign for the future of the Church.  I will never forget the large, grieving crowds spilling out of St. Peter’s Square when he died, and the joy of so many young seminarians and other young people when Cardinal Ratzinger was elected a couple of days later. Now Papa Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI draws larger crowds of young people than Pope John Paul II.  What is it about this Pope that is so attractive to the young?

Perhaps it is his ability to connect with people in simplicity and humility, or it is that he so capably and strongly becomes not only the alter Christus but also the bridge (pontiff) to the Wholly Other our hearts yearn for when he celebrates the sacred liturgy. Then again, it may be that he speaks the hard truths of the Faith with such gentleness, like the loving father he is to all of humanity.

On his recent visit to Malta Pope Benedict addressed a crowd of 10,000 young people at the Port of Valletta speaking of the moral law, not ordinarily a popular subject.  He calls them to conversion, to make the hard choices in this world:

Maybe some of you will say to me, St. Paul is often severe in his writings.  How can I say that he was spreading a message of love?  My answer is this.  God loves every one of us with a depth and intensity that we can hardly begin to imagine. And He knows us intimately, He knows all our strengths and all our faults.  Because He loves us so much, He wants to purify us of our faults and build up our virtues so that we can have life in abundance. When He challenges us because something in our lives is displeasing to Him, He is not rejecting us, but He is asking us to change and become more perfect. That is what He asked of St. Paul on the road to Damascus.  God rejects no one.  Yet in His great love, God challenges all of us to change and to become more perfect…

Here in Malta, you live in a society that is steeped in Christian faith and values.  You should be proud that your country both defends the unborn and promotes stable family life by saying no to abortion and divorce.  I urge you to maintain this courageous witness to the sanctity of life and the centrality of marriage and family life for a healthy society. In Malta and Gozo, families know how to value and care for their elderly and infirm members, and they welcome children as gifts from God.  Other nations can learn from your Christian example.

The country of Malta is now under siege by the European Union which wants this island nation to allow divorce, abortion, and homosexual “marriage”. Thus the Pope’s words to the young are especially important.  Western materialism is slowly chipping away at the Christian foundations of Malta, which can be viewed as one of the few nations left maintaining a viable Catholic culture.

So much of Pope Benedict’s talks address the issues of life vs. death, of living open to God’s will, of accepting the purification God chooses for each of us to build on what He has given us in our talents and personalities.  One cannot hear him without becoming completely conscious of the value of every human being, no matter their circumstances.  He is the Pope of Hope.

Tags: conversion

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 20

May 29, 2010

Jenny at Just a Minute hosts a meme called “Praying the Psalms” on Saturdays.  Since Colleen is taking a break from hosting “Sabbath Moments” today, and since this is Memorial Day weekend when we remember our fallen soldiers, I joined Jenny to consider Psalm 20.

1.  The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!  The name of the God of Jacob protect you!

7.  Some boast of chariots, and some of horses; but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.

8.  They will collapse and fall; but we shall rise and stand upright.

9.  Give victory to the king, O Lord;  answer us when we call.

Adoration of the Name of Jesus, 1578-79, El Greco (b. 1541, Candia, d. 1614, Toledo), Oil on canvas, Chapter House, Monasterio de San Lorenzo, El Escorial

This psalm was sung as part of the Israelite ritual before battle, vocalizing the spiritual unity of king and people bonded to God in the Old Covenant.  It is a prayer of worship and warfare all in one.

The enemies of Israel had more modern weapons than she, but Israel had the greatest weapon of all, the Name of the Lord. How many times Israel was miraculously victorious over much stronger forces as God prepared His people for the coming of the Messiah!

Today earthly war in all its  forms is still the age-old war for our souls. We battle in the public place both literally and figuratively – the battle of the Church Militant – and our most powerful weapon is the holy name of Jesus, before Whom every knee shall bend.  We will always triumph over temptation and fulfill our earthly duties well with the name of Jesus on our lips, and if we ask God for the grace to always remember to call upon His name when we are afflicted, He will grant it.

This psalm is eschatological, too.  By asking God for victory for the King, Who first obtained victory by rising from the dead, we are also asking for the victory of His Second Coming. The great Adversary will “collapse and fall” while those who in humility know that victory is impossible without God will “rise and stand upright” on the last day.

This weekend is a good time to ask God to protect our living troops, grant them victory amidst the evil they combat, and gather the fallen who are in purgatory to His heart… In the Name of Jesus.  Amen.

Tags: trust in God

A Soup for Summer

May 27, 2010

Going gluten-free is an opportunity to experiment with interesting ways to eat in a healthy way.  In other words, don’t think about what you can’t have, think about how to make tasty what you can have.

When I visited my aunt this past week, she gave me her old copies of  Vegetarian Times and Living Without magazines where I found a gluten-free soup recipe that sounded good, but I wanted to make changes to suit us. I made so many changes that it’s actually a new recipe. The great thing about this soup is that you can eat it hot or cold. As regular readers already know, I just throw ingredients together according to what I think will taste good.  This recipe serves about 8 and is a delicious leftover.  It passed the husband test, too.

Barb’s Spicy Vegetable and Garbanzo Bean Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves of garlic – or get a small jar of minced garlic and decide how much you want to put in the soup

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 ribs of bok choy, chopped

1/2 bag of fresh spinach or clip it from the plants in your garden

1 zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 cups of low sodium beef broth (you can use vegetable or chicken broth if you want – just make sure it’s gluten-free and be aware that changing the broth type changes the taste of the soup)

1 large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)

1 can of garbanzo beans (if you don’t want to use these, go for another kind your family will like)

1 or 2 dollops of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 cup torn fresh basil

1.  Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Throw in the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until the garlic is fragrant.

2.  Add broth, crushed tomatoes, garbanzos and vinegar.

3.  Add rosemary, thyme, and basil

4.  Add all the veggies you chopped and sliced  and stir.

5.  If you want to thicken the mix, scoop 1 cup of the mixture into a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.  Stir it into the soup and season with salt and pepper if you like.

6.  Add the spinach leaves and stir.  Then simmer covered for about 40 minutes until the veggies are tender.

If you don’t like the spiciness of red pepper, skip it.  The soup tastes good anyway.  And if you are too tired after chopping all the veggies, skip the blender step.  It will still taste good. The bok choy gives a nice crunchiness to the soup and the garbanzos add protein.  You can also add 1 medium onion, chopped, to the sauté mix at the beginning if you like.

One thing that makes this soup particularly good are the 3 spices.  I keep fresh thyme, oregano, basil and rosemary growing in pots so I can snip what I want when necessary.  The puny dill plant I had in a pot and put in the garden last year sowed itself into the ground so this year I have volunteer dill and plenty of it!  Fresh herbs add a lot to dishes.

Tags: gluten-free, wellness

Requesting Prayers for My Mom

March 25, 2010

Cross of Life, c. 1118, mosaic artist, Italian, San Clemente, Rome

This morning my brother called and said Mom had passed away last night.  She was 87 and had been married to my Dad, who passed away last September, for 67 years.  She was a great mother and was devoted to Our Lady.  In recent years her memory was fading but she was always cheerful.  Please pray for the repose of her soul.

Stations of the Cross

March 8, 2010

Crucifixion c. 1648, Giulio Carpioni, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

One of my favorite Stations of the Cross, the old 1957 copyright by the Order of St. Benedict in Collegeville, MN, has a much more elegant English translation than their current version. I mourn the fact that today’s young Catholics have been deprived of something so very beautiful and meaningful to me as a child and so I am going to type them into the blog between now and the end of Lent.  If you like them, take them from this blog at your pleasure.   All the liturgy references are from the Traditional Latin Mass.

Entrance Song – Stabat Mater

At the cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart His sorrow sharing, all His bitter anguish bearing, now at length the sword had passed.

Prepatory Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

In a spirit of humility and with a contrite heart, we offer unto Thee, eternal Father, this tribute of our worship, that it may redound to Thy honor and glory, and may avail us and all faithful Christians, both living and dead, unto the forgiveness of sins and the attainment of life everlasting.¹

V.  It behooves us to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

R.  In whom is our salvation, life and resurrection.²

Let Us Pray

O God, who in the passion of Thy Son/ didst show us the path to eternal glory by the way of the cross: / graciously grant that as by our prayers we now follow Him to the place of Calvary,/ so we may also share His triumph with Him for all eternity. / Who liveth and reigneth with Thee forever and ever. Amen.³

Oh how sad and sore distressed was that mother highly blessed, of the sole-begotten one.

Christ above in torment hangs, she beneath beholds the pangs of her dying glorious Son.

¹ Compiled from offertory prayers of the Traditional Latin Mass. ² Introit of Holy Thursday. ³ Rite of the erection of the Stations of the Cross.

Tags: liturgy

St. Jane of Valois

February 4, 2010

St. Jane of Valois

Today we honor St. Jane of Valois, surely an example of humility, persistence in prayer and also great charity. She was born in 1464 and died in 1505. A daughter of King Louis XI and Charlotte of Savoy, she was hated by her father from birth because he wanted a boy. Not only did he not get a boy, Jane was sickly and had some physical handicap. The king banished her to a country place where she was raised in a condition of grave neglect. But God had plans for His spurned and despised creature.  She developed a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother, especially in the mystery of the Incarnation.  The Angelus was her favorite prayer.  One day Our Lady revealed to her that she would found a religious community dedicated to her.

St. Jane could not escape being a pawn in the hands of her father.  Although he despised her, in a political scheme he betrothed her to his second cousin, Louis, Duke of Orleans, at the age of two months. They were married when Jane was nine.  She remained his loyal and devoted wife for twenty-two years.  Unfortunately, the Duke did not return her devotion.  He had not wanted the marriage and hated her even though she was instrumental in obtaining his release from prison for treason. Upon taking the throne as Louis XII, he publicly humiliated her by treating her ill in front of the court, repudiating her and seeking an annulment of his marriage from Rome. He got the annulment on the grounds that the marriage had not been consummated and that he had not consented to it. St. Jane saw this as a great blessing and used her situation to found the Order of the Annunciation.

The charism of her order is to practice the ten virtues of Our Lady as found in the Gospels.  They are:

• Most Pure (Mt 1:18, 20, 23; Lk 1:27,34)
• Most Prudent (Lk 2:19, 51)
• Most Humble (Lk 1:48)
• Most Faithful (Lk 1:45; Jn 2:5)
• Most Devout (Lk 1:46-7; Acts 1:14)
• Most Obedient (Lk 1:38; 2:21-2, 27)
• Most Poor (Lk 2:7)
• Most Patient (Jn 19:25)
• Most Merciful (Lk 1:39, 56)
• Most Sorrowful (Lk 2:35)

St. Jane also charged her community to pray for her husband, her father, and her brother as her legacy.  Such forgiveness after the cruel treatment she received is awe-inspiring.  St. Jane would be a great patron to ask for help in mastering the virtue of forgiveness. When she died, she was buried with the royal purple and a crown under her habit.

The Angelus, 1857, oil on canvas, Jean-Francois Millet

During St. Jane’s lifetime the Angelus prayer spread throughout France, helped by Pope Sixtus IV who was the first to attach an indulgence to it in 1475.  Devotion to this prayer continues today, and is enshrined in the great Impressionist painting of  Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875) of the Barbizon school of landscape painting. 

It is interesting that almost  two-hundred years after Pope Sixtus encouraged the praying of the Angelus a painter named Jean-Francois created a work expressing the devotion to Our Lady that St. Jane (Jeanne) of Valois, whose spiritual directors were Franciscans, practiced.

We cannot escape suffering in this world so we might as well profit from it spiritually as did St. Jane, who though queen, was humiliated repeatedly by the very people who should have loved and cherished her.  She is a great example of suffering with joy.

If you would like to know how to pray the chaplet of the Ten Virtues of the Blessed Mother, go here.

Tags: Blessed Virgin, joy, suffering

Frost and Cold Bless the Lord

February 3, 2010

Hoar frost on viburnam

This morning when I woke up, what did my wondering eyes behold but spectacular hoar frost on everything.  This phenomena occurs every now and then in the Ozarks and thanks to my very nice husband, I have some photos to share with you.

On clear, frosty nights, God works His wonders, readying winter beauty to greet the dawn.  If vegetation or objects have been chilled below freezing by radiation cooling, ice crystals form and the fragile pointy thorns create a fantasy world we glimpse only until the sun melts them with its warmth.  Radiation cooling is the process by which a body loses its heat by radiation and that’s enough science for today.

Gods gift this morning reminded me of the canticle of Daniel in the Divine Office hour of Sunday Lauds (praise).  The third chapter, verse 69 calls out:

Frost and cold, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever.

Through Daniel we find ourselves realizing that our poor efforts at praise need the help of all creation. Beginning with verse 57 through verse 90 we call upon the heavens, the earth, the angels, spirits of the just and men to praise and bless the Lord, ending with joyful thanks for deliverance from the powers of hell and death through the salvation Jesus brings.

The fence post is cropped from a larger photo and colored sepia.  the hoary tentacles reminded me of the head of Medusa, hence the title of the picture.

Hoar frost on fence with honeysuckle behind.

This image makes a brilliant graphic statement.  Roger has a real eye for this kind of thing.

Greenbridge

Frosty trees  set off a country bridge near home.  Locals call it “Greenbridge”.  You can see the river underneath on the right.

Forming a perfect background for the hoary branches, still water mirrors the trees on the river bank at the city park.  Cropped from a larger image.

Branch over the river

Lastly, a view from the bridge upriver.  The trees appear to be embracing all the sky.  Cropped image from a larger composition.

On the river bank

These images are copyrighted, but if you want to use them  you may as long as you credit Barb Schoeneberger and Roger Prai and if you would, please donate a little to this site.

Tags: Divine Office, joy

Friday Lauds and God’s Snowy Blessing

January 29, 2010

Snow-covered honeysuckle in our back yard

Friday’s hour of Lauds, meaning “praise”, in the Divine Office celebrates deliverance from the Babylonian captivity in Psalm 147 (147 B) and Jerusalem’s God-given privilege.  In a short verse from Romans following the psalms we receive an instruction about how to live in this deliverance.

As I looked out the window watching the snow falling, I thought that although it is cold and gray outside, how perfect is this time to praise with the psalmist the power and glory of God.  So after I finished morning prayers I stumbled out into the gently falling snow and took a few pictures to share along with this  psalm.

Psalm 147

Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Sion.

For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.

He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat He fills you.  He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs His word!

He spreads snow like wool; frost He strews like ashes.

He scatters His hail like crumbs; before His cold the waters freeze.

He sends His word and melts them; He lets His breeze blow and the waters run.  He has proclaimed His word to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.

He has not done thus for any other nation; His ordinances He has not made known to them.  Alleluia.

"He spreads snow like wool..."

Looking at the allegorical meaning of these scriptures, after the winter of sin comes the springtime of salvation.  Beneath the snow lies the promise of new life – Redemption.  The all-powerful Father sends His Word to melt the cold of our hearts, bringing us the warmth of spiritual peace, joy and prosperity. He fills us with the best of wheat – the Holy Eucharist and the graces It brings.

With His commandments and His blessings (the Beatitudes), He strengthens the bars of the gates of our hearts against Satan and the world. He shows us how to live as people redeemed, laying aside the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light, walking becomingly as in the day (Rom. 13:12-13).  We are a privileged people (“praise your God, O Sion…He has not done thus for any other nation”) with an obligation of lighting the way for those still in winter who do not yet know him or who have fallen away.

Tags: Catholic Church, conversion, psalms

Guaifenesin vs. Iodine in Treating Fibromyalgia

January 20, 2010

Many people suffering from fibromyalgia have stumbled upon the guifenesin protocol pioneered by Dr. Paul St. Amand explained in his book What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Fibromyalgia.* It apparently works well for some people although the restriction of avoiding all salicylates can be difficult for some to follow as salicylates are hidden in many items commonly used in the home and for personal hygiene such as toothpaste and lotions.

The use of iodine in treatment of fibromyalgia shows consistent success and is much easier to accomplish, but some people may need both to get well enough to live anything close to a normal life.  Karen Frandsen’s website has a lot of really useful information about treating fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, the accompanying brain fog and depression, hypoglycemia and other bad symptoms.  The holistic approach shows the greatest promise because it gets to the root of the problem and “fixes” it rather than the application of pharmaceuticals which may relieve symptoms but don’t cure.

Karen has a good list of the similarities and differences in the guaifenesin and iodine protocols here.  Be sure to read this because if you need to increase your knowledge, this will be a good reference.

If you don’t have a doctor willing to work with you on a holistic approach (mine moved away), you might be able to find a good family practice doctor who will be open-minded enough to help you as I have.  It’s not a good idea to have to do everything by yourself, but you, the patient are still the only one who can say whether a particular combination of supplements, hormones, exercise, and drugs, if necessary, make you feel better.

*Clicking on the book title above will take you to Amazon.

Tags: chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, guaifenesin, iodine

A Fairly Cheap Way to Feel Better – Iodine

January 20, 2010

Since the 1990s considerable research on the use and benefits of iodine has been going on among clinical practitioners who treat fibromyalgia, fibrocystic breast disease and thyroid deficiencies. Doctors Abraham, Brownstein, Flechas and Mercola (See my bloglist) are all M.D.s who are really on to something here.  They have all published books and papers on their research and have helped many patients correct thyroid deficiencies which has been fundamental in reducing pain levels, ending depression and anxiety, managing blood sugar levels and a host of other symptoms that afflict many Americans today.

The following presentation was a major eye-opener for me when I saw it last spring. Thanks to Karen Frandsen at the Fibromyalgia Recovery Group, everyone can see what the conference attendees saw.  She added some additional slides regarding her condition.

Since the Iodine Medical Conference in 2007, research has brought even more information to the fore which we should all know about.  First, the PDF presentation.  You will learn a lot and probably need to look at it more than once if you are not a medical professional (I’m not).  I have seen it more than 10 times and still learn from it.

The use of iodine in the treatment of my fibromyalgia has been a major factor in managing the disease.  I took the iodine loading test through my doctor in November of 2008 and reached my current dosage in March of 2009.  Iodoral is a little more expensive than other supplements I’ve talked about in this blog (vitamin D and niacinimide), but it is not out of reach and for what it does, worth the sacrifice, especially if it gets you off prescription drugs as it did me. Investigating iodine deficiency is to me one of the first places to start in a wellness program.

Lugol’s solution is less expensive but is in liquid form and not as convenient to take.  However, it can be very useful diluted as a swab for a sore throat.  Swanson’s Health Products catalogue labels Lugol’s as a “folk remedy.”  It’s been around and used effectively since some time in the 1800s and was used by medics treating veterans during and after World War II.

I will go into iodine in more depth in future posts.

Tags: fibromyalgia, iodine, wellness

“God’s sign is that he makes himself small, he becomes a child”

January 1, 2010

After Mass today I visited Chiesa to do my monthly catch-up on Sandro Magister’s news reports which are always interesting and informative concerning the Catholic Church. There I found Pope Benedict’s Christmas sermon which made a good follow-on to yesterday’s post concerning childlike simplicity in our relationship with God. This spirituality seems increasingly inviting the more helpless and dependent we become as our bodies fail us.

The Holy Father also pointed out something I have been pondering for some time – the intrusion of the world through so many means that God comes last in our lives, not first.

Can we build a habit of seeing God, referencing God in the small things of life? When I read the quotes from the poor in brochures and solicitations from Food For the Poor, I am ashamed that I am not more grateful for the smallest sign of God’s love as they are because they recognize what I do not: I am not seeing Him in what is present before my very eyes.

Here are a couple of paragraphs from Pope Benedict’s sermon which seemed a perfect answer to my musings:

To awake, then, means to develop a receptivity for God: for the silent promptings with which he chooses to guide us; for the many indications of his presence. There are people who describe themselves as “religiously tone deaf“. The gift of a capacity to perceive God seems as if it is withheld from some. And indeed – our way of thinking and acting, the mentality of today’s world, the whole range of our experience is inclined to deaden our receptivity for God, to make us “tone deaf” towards him. And yet in every soul, the desire for God, the capacity to encounter him, is present, whether in a hidden way or overtly. In order to arrive at this vigilance, this awakening to what is essential, we should pray for ourselves and for others, for those who appear “tone deaf” and yet in whom there is a keen desire for God to manifest himself. The great theologian Origen said this: if I had the grace to see as Paul saw, I could even now (during the Liturgy) contemplate a great host of angels (cf. in Lk 23:9). And indeed, in the sacred liturgy, we are surrounded by the angels of God and the saints. The Lord himself is present in our midst. Lord, open the eyes of our hearts, so that we may become vigilant and clear-sighted, in this way bringing you close to others as well!

The last sentence above is the fundamental purpose of this web site and blog.  We who are hidden away through illness or adversity of whatever kind can form the habit of responding to the music of God’s call, and by offering our lives teach others to hear Him as well, helping cure the “tone deafness” of the world.  All we have to do is ask Jesus for this grace.

Adoration of the Shepherds, c. 1707, Antonio Balestra, oil on canvas, San Zaccaria, Venice

Today too there are simple and lowly souls who live very close to the Lord. They are, so to speak, his neighbors and they can easily go to see him. But most of us in the world today live far from Jesus Christ, the incarnate God who came to dwell amongst us. We live our lives by philosophies, amid worldly affairs and occupations that totally absorb us and are a great distance from the manger. In all kinds of ways, God has to prod us and reach out to us again and again, so that we can manage to escape from the muddle of our thoughts and activities and discover the way that leads to him. But a path exists for all of us. The Lord provides everyone with tailor-made signals. He calls each one of us, so that we too can say: “Come on, ‘let us go over’ to Bethlehem – to the God who has come to meet us.

The Holy Father’s words remind me that every day is a “Come to Bethlehem” day when we have learned to see and hear God’s manifestations of Himself to us.  We cannot help inviting others to go with us in joy.

P.S. Friends, I love this Pope!  He is the Pope of Hope.

Tags: Christmas, joy, Pope Benedict XVI, The Nativity

Prayer to Our Lady for Souls in Trouble

 Efficacious Consecration of Persons to the Pierced and Immaculate Heart of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary

– thou whom the Precious Blood of JESUS didst render immaculate and all-beautiful, even before that same Blood was formed in thy virginal womb and poured out upon the altar of the Cross,

– thou whom the HOLY SPIRIT didst fill full with every grace in view of the glorious motherhood of the Son of God for which thou wast created,

– thou art she who crusheth the head of the ancient serpent, thou art she who alone overcometh the evil that is in us and around us.To thee, O Mary, thy Son hath entrusted the liberation of souls enchained by sin, the healing of wounded souls, and the sanctification of souls who have suffered evil’s worst ravages.

Thou hast only to open thy immaculate hands over them, and they are shot through with the rays of thy purity.  Through thee, entereth the light to shine in the darkest places. Through thee, souls are washed in a downpour of graces. Through thee, the Holy Spirit succoureth the weakest souls and giveth to the sterile a wonderful fecundity.

Thou, O Mary, art the only hope of thy children scarred by sin and poisoned by its venom. To those whom the enemy hath made to go astray in bitterness and in fear, thou openest the path of life and of beatitude.

This is why, impelled today by the boldness that cometh of the Holy Spirit, and by a confidence that is altogether that of a son, [and when the consecration is made by a priest: and in virtue of my priesthood,] I entrust to thee N. and N., in consecrating them to thy pierced and immaculate Heart.

Show thyself the Mother of mercy. Show thyself our all-powerful Queen, for there is nothing that resisteth thy supplication in the presence of Jesus, the King of Love.

Mediatrix of all graces, save these souls from the tentacles of evil. Heal them, even in those secret and painful wounds, that only thy most gentle motherly hand can touch without adding to their pain. From this moment on, these souls are consecrated entirely to thee. Do thou for them whatsoever thy maternal Heart will suggest to thee. Purify them in the Precious Blood of thy Jesus, the Lamb without stain, so that now, and even unto the ages of ages, they may live for the praise of the glory of the Father + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tags: Blessed Virgin, Catholic Church, Christ

Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Paul Meier, M.D. and David L. Henderson, M.D.

This book helps people understand and act on the potential for growth through seven common sources of pain in life.  Biblically based but with practical approaches to dealing with injustice, rejection, loneliness, loss, discipline, failure, and death, the authors challenge us to discover the lessons a loving God is teaching. 

Readers can grow in appreciation of how God works in their lives, drawing closer to Him through the unpleasant and sometimes devastating circumstances we all suffer because of our fallen nature.  Think: building virtue, avoiding despair.

Smoothly written and logically composed, it offers the flexibility of going directly to sections of interest, losing nothing when bypassing previous sections.  Moreover, the “Finding Purpose Beyond…” suggestions and challenges at the end of each section help to focus on moving toward real happiness through the suffering we cannot escape. I found the content of this feature very thought-provoking and helpful.

Engaging stories of individuals the authors have treated in their practices illustrate their points and enliven the subject along with appropriate Biblical quotes.  I highly recommend this book to people looking for answers to circumstances troubling them, wondering where God is in all of it, and how life can be better. 

I am a member of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program: http://brb.thomasnelson.com/.  In exchange for posting reviews I received this book free.

Tags: joy, pain, suffering, virtue, wellness