Well, on many fronts it's been an interesting two weeks since I wrote my last blog. I reached my main destination, Tempe, and then the journey back was just as exciting. The most important announcement that I need to make to the BTD community was: I am a SECRETOR!

Whoa, how did this happen? Well, the intuitive voice inside me has said for the last two years that perhaps that saliva test in 2002 yielded a false result. Perhaps the day I put it in the mailbox it was too hot or took too long to get to the lab...who knows? All I know is that it's time to say goodbye to tomatoes, capsicums, duck, lamb, and all the other goodies I've taken advantage of eating when I thought I was a nonnie. Oh well......thiis is probably better in the long run for me! I always did seem to feel a little better with more tofu and less meat even though my gut doesn't always agree with soy. Well, needless to say, I am enjoying wheat again with less guilt now (though trying not to make this bread binge a habit, haha).

It's very humbling to see my name posted on the Master list. I feel like I still have so much to learn and master, but right now I'm going to follow the advice of my favorite bumper sticker: Think globally, act locally. Starting with family, friends, co-workers, and pharmacy patients I'll be able to use this knowledge to make people more aware of their health and how to get them to work with the genes they've got and be the best O or A or B that they can be. More on this later...there is something I have to get off my chest that I've been dying to blog about for days!

Probably the craziest thing happened to me was in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on the evening of Monday the 18th. You see, I should have just stopped in Santa Fe that night to sleep, but I chose not to get off on that pinnacle exit on I-25, determined to make it to Denver in a timely manner the next day. I found a Days Inn at about 1:30 am and checked into room 107 to get some zzzzs. I was so tired that I bascially just dove into bed with the clothes I had been wearing earlier. I was lying on my back and within fifteen minutes of falling asleep I opened my eyes and saw a man coming at me. I SCREAMED a horror movie scream and poof! in an instant the lifelike image was gone. Suddenly I felt very stupid for screaming, hoping I didn't wake up any neighbor patrons of the hotel that night. This is not the first time I've seen these dreamlike hallucinations within the first hour of falling asleep. Since age 18, I have seen all sorts of images fly over my head, toward me; some of these occurred when I took melatonin, especially in my earlier years. There is a German word for this phenomenon but I cannot remember what it is. All I know is that this time, I was not on melatonin, and this time I didn't see aliens or spiders or any other blob figures, but instead a man, most likely white, normal weight, past middle age, and he was adamant on haunting me out of my sleep.

After lying there alone in the hotel room for a few minutes, I noticed that in my peripheral vision there were all sorts of undulating shadows. Was it my brain or were there spirits in the room? I rolled over to my right side, almost in the fetal position and said a short little meditation to this ghost: "I acknowledge you and don't know what you want, but I'm just here for one night to get some sleep. Please let me sleep."

The next morning I woke up and started to walk out of the hotel room to check out. I noticed the whole place looked like a nursing home. The sinks were outside the bathroom, the walls were cold and concrete and the hallways were wide. As I went down the hall, I noticed three Hispanic girls in the housekeeping room. I asked them if this place used to be a nursing home. They said they weren't sure, but simply replied, "But this hotel is haunted."

I ran into their room, "I SAW A GHOST LAST NIGHT!" I described what he looked like and they in turn had analogies about different times they have been cleaning and doors shut behind them or locks get activated or what not. They were all in unison to confirm that there is some entity lurking the halls.

I then went to the front desk to check out. I said to the man (who was the same man who checked me in 10 hours ago), "I saw a ghost last night!"

He non-chalantly replied, "Oh yeah, I've seen him, too." And went on to explain how he'll see him on the security cameras in his peripheral vision and other personal analogies that validate the hypothesis that a spirit inhabits the building. I asked him if this was a nursing home before it was a hotel. He said he didn't know, but seven or eight years ago, in the pool next door to the lobby, a guy died in the hot tub!!!!

Another Oh...My...God... moment for Erika Klus.

Immediately, I was on the phone with friends and family with "Holy S>>> I saw a ghost last night!" When I finally got to my mom within the next two days she said, "Are you sure there wasn't someone in the room with you?" (She watches WAY too much CSI and it's rotting her already paranoid brain.)

Aaron wants to go back there with me someday and see if the ghost likes Boo-Berry cereal (made by the same folks who supply Count Chocula). Do they even make that stuff anymore? I haven't been into a regular supermarket (vs. HFS/co-ops) unless against my health nut will in years.

Well, when I got to a working computer in Omaha a few days later, I could not find anything specific about this hotel (probably not the best PR for a hotel to have anyway). But my mom went on google and found all sorts of ghost sightings in this town of Las Vegas, New Mexico after my first attempt failed. Now my family thinks I'm a little less crazy. Not that I care, because, hey, would I be drivng to Tempe, AZ, for a conference with course material that allopathic medicine has not YET embraced with open arms if I cared about being seen as normal? Hmmm...probably not.

Since I've been looking into real estate lately, this is a whole new consideration to take into account when buying my first home. It's too bad the inspectors won't be able to report ghost sightings though, haha. This will probably not be the last time I see a ghost. But I do believe that the experiences I encountered at the conference (synchronized brains, rhythms, spirits, etc.) had something to do with my ability to experience this strange paranormal phenomenon. No, I promise you, peyote was not a part of this mind-opening weekend, despite being in the desert (sorry to disappoint you).

OK, that's enough for now. Stay tuned for new entries, more details of befores, durings, and afters of the conference are sure to come. Tori Amos and U2 concerts as well as visiting my alma mater in Omaha are blogs in the pipeline of my mind's eye.

What a great conference, I really can't add much to what the other bloggers have written, however, because my background is business and my area of interest is business cycles and business culture, I thought quite a bit about the "business stage" of the Blood Type Diet during the weekend. I have been quite mystified why this way of life has not caught on like Ipods or Atkins have during the past few years.

Since the information in this WOL is cutting edge and light years beyond the other commercial diet plans, I knew many of the early adopters would be N's or intuitives. As I have learned the MBTI (myers briggs) types of many of the contributors here, it really has stunned me that many of the people on the board are IN's!!!! I seem to be one of the lone EN's!!!

This is extremely unusual from a business perspective. I thought the majority of the people would be intuitive but not necessarily heavy on the Introverted side. This is probably why this type of living is the best kept secret in the world right now. The largest groups in North America are ISTJ's at 11.6%, ISFJ's at 13.8%, ESTJ's 8.7% and ESFJ's at 12.3%.

Since I happen to be a very extroverted, extrovert, I have always made it a point to tell people about ER4YT and I have had quite a few converts, but mostly with other EN types. I have had little or no luck converting ES's and IS's (the largest population of types in North America).

After doing a bit of reading on change and ESTJ's, I think the theory must be presented in a logical, cause and effect manner with goals and outcomes clearly outlined for them. Perhaps the books are too long and technical and the process is too nebulous. ESTJ's for instance just want to get started. The Nike tagline, Just Do It, is for ESTJ's, they also want to be informed and updated constantly on their progress.

ESFJ's require support during a change process, perhaps NAP should look at support groups like Weight Watchers or Curves. ESFJ's can become very negative quickly especially if they have not received enough support or feedback during the change process.

ISFJ's will generally be the last people to change as they value the past and will often slip into old ways and ask, "why change?" Again they need to see lots of pieces before the big picture falls into place and need to be nurtured during a change process.

ISTJ's need a complete plan before starting and will need structure in a plan to keep going. Once they start a plan and see results, they will keep going, but they will need lots of specific goals and accurate data to support the reasons for change.

If ER4YT is going to become mainstream, some of the marketing for the program will need to change to appeal to various groups of personalities. Think support groups, cooking classes, presentations to health groups at corporations, churches, schools, universities.

N's will always be the first to buy and read cutting edge books, S's like to have their information presented to them!!!

Today was an extremely nice and warm day. The temperature got up to 63 degrees F! I saw my first butterfly of the year! We’ve heard robins singing and my husband saw a swallow. All good signs that spring has truly arrived. AND…My brand new granddaughter and mom came home from the hospital!

Grandchild number 14 and granddaughter number 10 arrived less than two hours after my daughter finished work for the day! Baby and momma are doing well. She came about three weeks early, weighing in at 5 pounds 14 ½ ounces and 17 inches long. Tiny and cute. She joins two older sisters and a slightly older brother.

Thoughts and talk of gardens are becoming commonplace. The greenhouses are gearing up and we’ll start planting outdoors in just over a month. It isn’t expected to freeze tonight or for the next week!

My husband has cleaned all the swallow nest boxes and added a new one this year. In another couple days he’ll be preparing the yard for summer, raking and unwrapping the trees (hungry moose deterrence). The hustle and bustle of our short season has begun in earnest.

By the middle of July the Farmers’ Market will have a good selection of lettuce and radishes. Broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, zucchini, fresh herbs, and root vegetables won’t be available until August and September. Some of the Russian tomatoes will be grown outdoors but most will come from the greenhouses. And we will feast on the bounty.

And then, about the time the tourists leave in early August, the red salmon run will begin. This year we are planning on canning about 20-25 salmon, smoking up about that many, and freezing the rest. Of course, we will eat a few freshly caught ones along the way.

Oh well, we have thoughts of spring and anticipation of all the good that is to come! We are ready. It’s been another long and dark winter. We’re now at almost 16 hours of daylight and within the next few weeks the trees will bud and leaf out. The grass will no longer be brown and dead. Green is just around the corner! Yeah!!!

Music: Original Score to Final Fantasy VII ~ Nobuo Uematsu

Mood: Anticipation and Prana



How do, everybody? Sorry it's been almost 2 weeks since my last blog! Even the great (haha) Jim Garland can get caught under the weather (despite it's being beautiful...). Somehow, someway, I got sick as all get out... Was it the fact that I ate crap preserved toppings (artichoke hearts, onions, carrots, onions) off of an undercooked pizza at a little hole in the wall eatery intown? Was it the horrible surprise of downing a good 6 oz. of completlet spoiled rotten Noni Juice. (rating unknown as far as the BTD universe... I just wanted to try it!) I think it was fermentd... Tasted like spoiled milk. Or is it something else? I dunno... Feeling better now though. Hmmm...

So... I've been pretty hard core about following the diet as of late. Except for three things... The aforementioned Noni... Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar... And... Black pepper! I've been on a crazy spice bender these past weeks, traveling the entirety of india on the breeze of beatiful and exotic masalas and what have you. Garam Masala, different curry powders, turmeric, black onion seed, and the list goes on.. Lots of insence too... Am I wishing for an Indian Summer? Wait a minute... Gettin' confused here....

Anywayz... Some of the spice blends have a wee bit 'o' black pepper in them. And I just let it slide by! Not even begrudgingly! Alas, there are a FEW avoids that I will let by now and then. I suppose we all have them. Mine are as follows (for different reasons, of course): Safflower oil, extra virgin coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, red clover (herb), corn silk (herb), occasionaly a vegetable gum (guar, arabic/acacia, locust bean, xantham, agar, etc.) and... That's about all I can think of for now... I'm sure there are others though. Perhaps I'll get into WHY I allow these 'lil demons in next blog...

I'm sittin' here enjoying a delicious and energized cup of Republic of Tea Loose Leaf Green Tea w/ Jasmine. I LOVE this stuff... It's even more expensive than there white teas though! The rarest green tea, with the most perfect Jasmine... Whaddya expect? I drink a LOT of tea, gang... I add all kinds of weird business to keep it healthy and interesting. Cut and sifted Pau'dArco, peppermint leaves, asst. sea weeds, dried sage powder or leaf (excellent! Try it!), oregano flakes, gunpowder green tea, fresh or ground ginger, etc. Good stuff! I used to primarily imbibe premade teas from Yogi, Traditional Medicinals, etc.. Now I prefer to hit the bulk bins at a health food store for some choice herbs, and loose leaf teas if they have it... And invent my own specialty teas when I get home! Several cups a day. And be sure you're using filtered water! I can't stress enough the dangers of chlorine and flouride! And all the other toxins that are present aren't any better either!

And now! Without further ado! Let's hear it for the IRON TYPE A COMMANDOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be there, or be square folks! Tempe, AZ! 2007! A shout out to my fellow Commando BHop. Peace out!



Oh yeah... I ain't gon be spell cherckin this one neether...

It’s been several days since I’ve written. I’ve been very busy buying gemstones and making more jewelry for the upcoming months. In addition, several grandkids are involved in soccer and wrestling, so some attendance to view those activities is almost a requirement.

Two of the four kids involved in soccer are very busy on the fields and never seem to become winded. I’ll almost bet they are O’s, whereas the other two would just as soon have longer timeouts during the games. Think they might be A’s. Someday I might find out if my hunches are correct.

Our weather has been rainy for a couple days. That still beats the snowfall we received a few days ago. I just knew that winter had to get in at least one more day of snow. Next week the studded tires come of and summer tires come on. We’ll get a bit better gas mileage, too.

I saw a lot of pussy willows today and a robin last week. Those are very optimistic signs of spring and warmer weather. Almost all the snow has melted. The grizzlies are out and hungry. One of our area residents was mauled while jogging with his dog a couple days ago. He is expected to recover. Beluga whales were seen in the mouth of the river and we’ve seen seals and sea otters so the hooligan (smelt) must be starting the come into the river. Won’t be long and the salmon runs will begin.

We had a lovely dinner with rotisserie chicken, rice cooked in chicken broth, and green beans! My favorite appliance is my rotisserie. It gets quite a workout.

Till next time…

Well, what can I say that has not already been said by my fellow bloggers, Erika and Melissa, re: the IfHI 2005 conference; everything about the conference was exceptional. The people were truly genuine and I talked with many from all walks of life; lay people, fitness instructors, clinicians, nutritionists, dentists, chiropractors and naturopaths. The food served during the breaks and for lunch and dinner were all excellent…it was all laid out according to blood type and took all the guesswork out re: avoids. We sampled the new Sip Right for your type teas and they were delicious. The accommodations were first class (I particularly liked the water slide and if it wasn’t for Dr D daring me to go down it, I would have missed out on a lot of fun).

As for the speakers, these are the messages that really stuck with me.

Dr Jeffrey Bland (who at 60 years of age can talk faster and clearer than any person I have ever heard speak) started his lecture by saying our nation’s children will most likely lead shorter lives if we keep feeding them the way we do. “Genes in and of themselves do not create disease. Only when they are plunged into a harmful environment unique to the individual do they create the outcome of disease’`. Nutritional genetics will be the central theme of wellness programs. ‘Motivated individuals will adhere to diets and consume particular nutraceuticals based on capability with their genetic profile and history’. Folates are good ie; Folic acid along with B12, B6 and Betaine are good for the brain and prevent neurological disorders like Alzheimer and Parkinson’s disease. Chronic Inflammation begins in the gut due to an imbalance of Th1 and Th2 components of the immune system. Message from this is eat right and take probiotics. Lastly, eat beneficial cruciferous organic vegetables (like broccoli)…they are great detoxifiers.

Dr Joseph Pizzorno gave a wonderful talk on the complexity of diagnosing a patient. For example, there are close to 27 different causes of migraine headache. How could any physician possible rule out all 27 different causes? …Answer…Artificial Intelligence. He demonstrated how a Bayesian inference system (the same system that is used to calculate odds at a casino and also used by the Mars lander) could efficiently and more accurately diagnose ailing patients. The AI software would ultimately help the health care provider prescribe a therapy more in line with the individual’s health history and genetics. The health practitioners in the room were practically salivating when he demonstrated it.

Dr Walter Crinnion was by far the most animated speaker with his undulating voice and passionate outcries about the toxic environment we live in. His message was that both you and I are basically walking toxic dumps of pesticides, metals, PCB’s and prescription drugs. We all need to incorporate ways to rid our bodies of these substances in a safe matter (most toxins are fat soluble so we need ways to get them out of the fat and into a water-soluble form so we can excrete them out of our bodies)… Glutathione, Selenium, NAC, Alpha Lopaic Acid and Vitamin C are great for this as well as the B vitamins and maganese. Low carb, low fat, high (organic and toxin free) protein diets according to blood type works best when incorporating a personal (gene specific) detoxification program in clearing toxic substances from our blood and organs like the kidneys and liver. Chelation and Colonics are also worth trying (I booked an appointment for one of these today…more on this later)

Dr Peter D’adamo, unlike the other speakers who hid behind a podium, liked to move around the audience as he was speaking. He gave a very thorough overview of blood antigens and lectins and made use of some very good metaphors to describe the action of lectins and agglutination…’think of a hairy tennis ball as a blood cell and think of a blood specific lectin as Velcro’. Also talked extensively of many disease expressions amongst different blood groups. His talk then moved into the scientific study of fingerprints called dermatoglyphics (skin carving). Like the rings of a tree, dermatoglyphics gives insight into a crucial period of a fetus development (4 weeks to 5 months) and the resulting ridge configurations are genetically determined and influenced by environmental forces. There are assorted associations between the types of patterns on your fingerprints and conditions like ovarian cancer, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, Dyslexia and allergies to name a few.

There you have my short synopsis. I honestly don’t know how they are going to top this conference come 2007!

I’ll end this blog though on a sour note. There was one doctor that did not belong within the four walls of the lecture hall. I spotted him soon after we all broke for lunch the first day. He was sitting still on one of the tables in a dark suit with red highlights and he was wearing a red cap. He was motionless and he stood there as a grim reminder of what was still lingering outside this microcosm of good health we were all part of. You might recognize the name…it was Dr Pepper. He didn’t say anything profound but he had a very strong message nonetheless. Hopefully he doesn’t show himself come 2007.

NOTE: This blog has been retitled and edited to remove a word which I had used and have since been informed is offensive to some cultures. To anyone who read this blog previously and was insulted, no offensive was ever intended.

Our weather has been reasonably nice the past few days. One of the things that I like to do with my son is longbow target shooting. We like the traditional ones. By traditional I mean it is not a recurve style and it has no sight. Since we don’t generally do much shooting during the winter when the weather is nasty it is interesting to see just how bad things have gotten from lack of use (read how much our aim has deteriorated).

On the good side, for the past two winters that I have followed the BTD I have noticed that my strength does not degenerate as much even when I’ve been a slacker with doing my weight training. To put it another way, I can still easily pull and control a fifty pound draw rather than have to wait until I’ve done enough strength training to just pull it let alone hold it for any length of time. Bad news - BTD hasn’t done anything to preserve my aim.

With the BTD, I have also noticed that as I shed the extra fat I am being re-shaped. In the past whenever I lost weight I lost it from the top down...bust got smaller, then the middle, then the thighs and rear...a pyramid. With the BTD it seems to melt off evenly from all over and occasionally seems to change my shape somewhat. I mentioned this to my ND, wondering if I was imagining it. He said that I am just assuming the normal shape of an AB - the hourglass.

The hourglass is a nice traditional feminine shape, but not very easy to buy off the rack for. Since most of the population is either A or O that means most of the clothing is cut for the A and O shapes. This explains why I always have so hard of a time finding clothing that fits and on the few times that I have reverted to the handmade it is always with alterations to the pattern. I wonder if B’s have this same issue since they are also a minority population, at least in my part of the globe.

Completely new topic now: I ran into some folks that said they absolutely couldn’t stand salmon. Period. Now, I realize we don’t all like the same thing, but since a nicely done salmon is one of, if not, my most favorite animal protein I couldn’t help but wonder if I could get them to give salmon one more chance.

After talking to them a little bit, I found out that whenever they cooked it fresh that they had cooked it with a few herbs and ate it. When they had tried it from a can, they had just dumped out the contents and used it as is. They weren't doing anything wrong, but I suggested they try the following to improve the flavor.

For the fresh salmon, as soon as it is done cooking remove the skin and then carefully, using a dull knife or a pancake turner, gently scrape off all of the gray colored meat and discard it. To me, this greatly improves the taste. I don’t like that gray colored meat either.

For the canned version, I suggested they remove the skin, bones, and dark meat. I know, some people like this. Some people, like my paternal grandfather, prefer it that way and my mother-in-law doesn’t mind it...but for others, it really makes the difference between it tasting good and tasting like “cat food”.

If you have already tried both of these and you still don’t care for salmon, then, well maybe you really don’t like it. Please send me your portion though, eh?

As far as any canned fish is concerned, many times the problem is you just simply do not like the way some brands are done. Myself, I absolutely hate sardines and mackerel from cans for the most part...but I have found a few brands that I can truly say I enjoy. Enjoy is even better than like.

Meow.

I find it interesting that I often hear things about the influence of the mind on the body, but I rarely, if ever, hear about the affect of the body on the mind. I regularly hear things about the importance of a good attitude, a good outlook, and a positive mindset influencing our immune system, ability to recover from injury and such. But, what about the other side to that?

To be clear, let me go into what I am not talking about. I am not talking about the effect or affect that the foods we eat, medicines, drugs, or other chemicals we ingest through one form or another has on our minds. I am specifically talking about the body itself interacting with the mind and emotions.

If you have been reading my more recent blogs you may recall that I have mentioned stress a number of times and even recommended NAP’s Tranquility Base. It will probably not come as a big surprise when I tell you that I have been experiencing a larger than usual amount of it lately. So, what has that to do with the body influencing the mind and emotions?

When I recently went to my chiropractor, he had to unlock some of the vertebrae near my shoulders. What happens is this: whenever I feel threatened (read stressed) I unconsciously and instinctively arch my back somewhat (it may help you to imagine a cat when it arches its back, flares out its fur and hisses). Well, when that response doesn’t work (read the stess continues to continue) then I duck for cover. I unconsciously and instinctively pull my shoulders up around by ears (for this one, imagine a turtle pulling its head in and closing up its shell).

According to my chiropractor, many people respond to stress like this. It just depends on the person, the stress, and how long it lasts as to whether or not it actually makes the body influence how the person feels emotionally. I was all upset and jittery and couldn’t relax. What had happened was my body had held those animal-like responses for so long that they had literally locked themselves into those positions. That had caused a neural type of feedback for lack of a better way to put it that then would not allow me to relax no matter how much I tried. It is amazing how much better I feel now that I can relax.

I have read that one of the benefits of yoga and other related type stretching is that it mimics chiropractics because it helps to keep the body in alignment or helps to realign it if it’s out of whack. That explains why it is so important for A’s and AB’s to do their stretching - it helps to keep us relaxed mentally by making us pay attention to what we are doing and therefore takes us away from whatever is bugging us and it helps our bodies to help us relax as well. Two for the price of one if you will.

In case you’re wondering - my foot's fine now and so it’s back to the NordicTrak, BodyRow, walking, et al now for me. Now, I get to exercise...not I have to exercise. That one little word change is a completely different mindset all on its own.

Lunch idea to stretch canned salmon: grilled cheddar cheese sandwich with some smoked salmon mixed into the canned for better flavor, and mayo...mmmm. Keep the sandwich “open faced” when it’s cooking. Then, add tomato, onion, lettuce, and cucumber slices and put the sandwich together. Mmmmmm.

Yesterday, I was lamenting the salmon season being late and the fact that I can’t really afford to buy any of it. After I wrote that blog, I realized that the wild salmon I can currently get my hands on and consequently, teeth into, is about the same price as dry aged beef. That led me to thinking about my mother who is type B and my husband who is O type (no, he’s not a typo). So, although I’m an AB, today’s blog will be more for the B’s and O’s or someone who cooks for a B or an O. I hope that everyone though will be interested in it.

Last week, I got my husband his very first ever dry aged steak. It was one pound, 2” thick, and marbled just enough not to dry out while it was being cooked and to have a good flavor (I think that is one of the reasons we like fat and oils so much - they are flavor carriers, literally). When he saw the price per pound, he almost had a fit of some sort. He hadn’t had any beef in awhile at all except for hamburger, so I got it for him anyway and told him to just trust me. It would be worth it.

After we got home I cut it into two pieces 1” thick because he still prefers to eat his meat more on the well done side than medium, but he’s getting there. Anyway, I rubbed it with olive oil, seasoned it with some kosher salt, and let it grill. When it was done, I lightly dabbed it with some butter and seasoned it with some freshly ground pepper.

He said it was indeed worth the price as I had said it would be. Why? What was so special about dry aged meat that made it taste so much better and cost so darn much?

After an animal is slaughtered, rigor mortis sets in. It is a chemical change in the muscles that makes them stiff. Veal, sheep, and pork also do it, but these smaller animals don’t require as much time to soften back up. When a cut of meat is so fresh that it is at this stage, it is inedible. Over time, enzymes naturally present in the meat soften it back up. These enzymes develop the flavor of the meat as well. This is why all beef is aged and the highest quality lamb can be.

So that you don’t get the wrong idea here, aging is NOT old meat. Aging is purposely holding the meat to give it time to develop it’s flavor and to become more tender. Old meat is just old meat - past its prime.

In the modern age in which we live there are two ways to age meat rather than just the traditional one. The cheapest, and therefore most commonly used, method is called wet aging. In this method the meat is fabricated (cut down to small sizes from the big primal cuts) and then sealed in plastic vacuum packs (think Cryovac). The packaging protects the meat from bacteria and mold. More importantly, it preserves the weight of the meat because it does not allow any evaporation to take place. This means the meat weighs more when it’s sold. That makes the price per pound cheaper, but it also means that it will most likely lose more weight when it’s cooked.

The second method of aging is the dry aged type that my husband enjoyed. This is the traditional method. It is usually done with large pieces of meat (I’ve even seen it done with entire hindquarters). The meat is never packaged in anything. Instead the opposite is done. It is surrounded by air as much as possible. Now days, the temperature and humidity are controlled to help prevent spoilage and fans are often used to keep the air circulating around the meat. Ultraviolet lights can be used to kill off any bacteria. All this air exposure means evaporation - up to 20%. This makes it more expensive, but it also makes it better flavored and textured. It also must be trimmed more because the outer part does get too dry (think inedible jerky). It can also discolor. I don’t eat dry aged beef any more because beef’s an avoid for us AB’s...but I can still serve it as a special treat now and then to my O’s and B.

One more thing about my B mom. When she first started this way of life, she couldn’t eat beef - it made her sick. She kept trying to eat small amounts of it though from time to time. Now, she really likes her shiitake mushroom burgers with cheese. She also always wanted something to drink with her meals. Now, she genuinely doesn’t even have the desire to drink something when she eats. We all need time to make the changes (both in our mind set and physically) that go with this way of life. They are really worth the effort.

First off, I would like to explain briefly my extended hiatus from blogging. We are fine, but there has been an unusually large amount of family “stuff” going on. My grandfather, mostly. Also, there has been changes to the staff in my department which has resulted in my having more work to do.

I didn’t write my proposed “mini” blogs because the comments I received to the idea was in favor of the longer version.

So, what have I been doing, family matters aside? Waiting for the salmon season to return so I can afford it again. Right now, I only purchase it once in a great while when I can find it and only then if I can pseudo justify the cost to myself. From what I have read on the boards, some areas of the country have been having problems with farmed fish being sold as wild. I am very fortunate that I can find it at all at any price.

Sadly, due to last years accidental over fishing by an estimated 10,000 fishes combined with bad conditions and hungry local wild sea lions, the season won’t open in many areas until very late...we are talking a delay of several months. In addition, much of the fishing is or will be very restricted. It is best to wait. Further messing with the already poor situation could only make things worse.

The kids (baby goats) are now old enough that I can get my unpasturized milk now which I have been enjoying with my green chai. I have missed it since I use the green chai instead of coffee and it just doesn’t taste the same without the milk.

I made a spice cake over the weekend substituting goat milk, spelt flour, and clarified butter for the cow milk, cake flour, butter and omitting the allspice entirely. It was somewhat dense, but very tasty and definitely worth doing again. It had a cream cheese frosting. The O’s and A shouldn’t have had the frosting, but they wanted it on theirs anyway which was their choice. I tried it without the frosting first.

To me, the cake would have looked a bit odd without the frosting, but the sugars caramelized on the outside very well so it had a sort of crisp crust that was similar to a light candy coating. I would have liked it just as well without the frosting, but I had already made it since I didn’t know the cake was going to form the sugar crust. Next time, I’m not sure I’ll make the frosting since no one but me in my family should have it.

While at the grocery the other day I found a line of juices done by Columbia Gorge called Super Ciders. I tried the ginger one. It is a mixture of apple, pear, and ginger juice and was nice. I also remember seeing a cherry one, perhaps I’ll try that one next.

On the experimental side, I’ve been playing with cheese, bread, and veggies trying to come up with some good sandwiches for my paninis. This was for two reasons. I found nice extra aged gouda from Holland and shortly thereafter, a book called Great Grilled Cheese by Laura Werlin. So far, I like the “Dutch Grill” on page 30 the best. However, that’s not surprising since it uses gouda, which I was looking for ideas for anyway.

Speaking of using bread reminds me that I want to remind everyone, again, please read your labels very thoroughly. I found what appeared to be a loaf of dark rye bread. The bag it was in was even labeled very clearly in large bold letters “dark rye”. I picked it up to see what else it contained. To my horror, I found that it didn’t even contain any rye at all! I figured I was just missing it somehow and had my husband look at it. He couldn’t find any rye listed anywhere on the ingredients list either!

I had finally gotten back into the routine of regular exercise, but that has gone by the wayside for the moment again. This time I am not making excuses to get out of doing it, I have hurt the bottom of my right foot...which makes doing aerobics kinda hard. I'm going back to the doctor later this week. It’s nothing serious, more of an aggravation than anything else.

One more thing I would like to mention before I close this blog. Stress and habits. Whenever I am under stress, I still tend to return to old habits. I don’t return to eating avoids...but I had been hitting the white potatoes, pistachios, and wheat. This was not a good idea. I had been of the opinion that letting myself eat these neutral items was better than feeling deprived and stressed out because they made up part of my repertoire of treats for myself.

Well, now I’ve gained weight back from eating lots more neutrals than beneficials and giving in to eating out (I always chose foods that should have been fine, but we all know I was just deceiving myself there. Should be and actually are fine to eat are not the same thing. It’s so easy to miss avoids when you have the labels on all of the ingredients and you make it yourself...how could I have been stupid enough to trust a menu?).

I have come to the conclusion that the way I feel about having to re-shed the extra weight is more of an issue for me than refraining from the neutrals and the stress release of eating out would have been. At least I know what caused the weight to creep back. Before the BTD, it would have been a complete mystery to me. An annoying/frustrating lesson to learn, but better late than never. With this knowledge, I have gotten the scale to start it’s way back down again. : )

I hope your week is off to a good start!

The title of this blog must be imitated in the character Janice's voice from "Friends" to fully internalize the experience this conference has given me. Repeat after me:

OH.......MY..........GOD!

This has been one of the most positive life-changing quantum leap encounters I've ever shared with such powerful fellow pioneers and revolutionaries in my life. While we're on the topic of Hollywood characters, allow me to also imitate DiCaprio's dramatic interpretation of Howard Hughes and also emphasize the take home positive mantra of this conference:

It's the way of the future.

It's the way of the future.

It's the way of the future.

(Repeat indefinitely.....)

Don't laugh too hard though. It's the truth.

Every key speaker was brilliant. Every attendee beautiful and unique. Every drumbeat resonating in the drumming circle rich and full of life. Every lunch and snack break coordinated by the great and talented Laura Mittman delicious, nutritious, and blood-type friendly! This entire weekend has been a dream come true!

I have to give a special shout out to a brilliant, humble, and humorous person who is also my roommate at the conference, Tom Greenfield (British columnist and soon-to-be Master Fellow IfHI). Getting to know Tom has been an enriching event for me. If you ever get a chance to meet him, consider yourself in amazing company.

Gosh, I don't even know where to begin really. If I had the time to blog about each day, I would have already recorded every beautiful detail of this experience in more depth than I can do now....but as the weeks go on, I will no doubt reflect on the details of the enhanced life and renewed spirit for learning and re-learning basic biomedical science (biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, pathology, to name a few) and quest for truth that brings us as a global community one step closer to discovering the delicacy of our individuality with these scientific processes.

The most important take home message Dr. D reiterated to us was that we should not allow ourselves to be limited by belief systems. This includes the diet as a belief system. It's not perfect and there is so much more to learn, but we as a group can continue to discover more of these truths using the studies and theories that Dr. D's research (among the thousands of other researchers that have contributed to this subject) has provided as our guide in this maze of information being discovered day by day.

Here's my take home message for anyone reading this blog who has experienced increased health and happiness since they have discovered this new way of life and thinking about healing that D'Adamo's book library or website has brought to you:

+++++Do whatever it takes to get here for the next conference, Wyndham Buttes Resort in Tempe, AZ, on April 20, 2007. Do it for yourself and for all the great individuals around you whether you like them or not, whether they religiously follow BTD recommendations or not, whether they think this is a bunch of crap or not. This is real. There is a sense of peace once you've encapsulated it. Now the only person standing in your way from changing the world is you.+++++

And as a side note to Jim, fellow MN blogger....start saving right now for 2007; you better be here next time around or I'm going to come to Moorehead myself and drag you down here by your earlobes.

Well,.....as I've said before, I can't wait until summer. As you can see from my almost not blogging for a month...(ooopps!) I've been busy. Graduation is fastly approaching for the little ones & there's lots of corny songs & poems to memorize so the parents can "oohhh" & "ahhh" at graduation.

I think it's all a load of crap if you ask me.

I mean it's Pre-K. There just going on to KINDERGARDEN!!! (Except one special kid whose Kindergarden this supposedly was & is going into 1st grade......Lord, help him!!!!) Yes, it's good to have practice with public speaking at an early age but; 3 songs & 3 poems for 4/5 year olds to learn & memorize in 2 months? It's a bit much. Not only that but of course, the things they really need to concentrate on to give them a "head start" for Kindergarden like sight words, spelling & mastering their numbers are left behind in the time it takes to drill these insipid songs into their heads. The one I would choose above all others that has some redeeming value? Lift Every Voice & Sing, the black national anthem. Now that's something that should stick with them & is very important to the culture & community I teach in. I wish that's all we were singing & there wasn't this lame hub-bub. Sure it's super cute in the end but it's not super cute that I have a Kindergarden that I have to pass into 1st grade next year (Trust me I WANT to fail him, the administration doesn't) That hasn't mastered how to count to 20, let alone 50, still gets confused with the alphabet, let alone sight words & certainly can not read the "Run Bill run" books Kindergardeners should be reading. Yeah.....I have to get out of this business.....it's just really not about the children anymore.....

IN FOOD NEWS..... The whole reason I'm here, right? Not much going on in the cooking department. There's just not enough time. Trader Joe's has been helpful with tofu pad thai frozen dishes, frozen organic broccoli & spinach & I cooked an awesome veal dish for my husband few weeks ago. Very simple. Cut the fat off the veal shoulder, dipped in in some spiced rye flour, then egg & fried. He loved it & it was easy to make. For myself? Lots of Tuna & Turkey. Easy to make sandwhich's out of. Rye Vita crakers & some blueberry hero jam are great. And goat cheese on a cucumber & carrot salad or yogurt cheese or swiss in a sandwhich. Sometimes I just eat the cheese straight up. I LOVE dairy & am very happy that there's some I can consume.

Oh! I turned 25 on April 13th!!! I was a little depressed before it. Just the whole idea that I'm not a kid anymore, can't qualify myself as a "college kid" either. I'm officially an adult. Grandma doesn't put 2 dollars in my birthday card anymore. I can't blame my age for my mistakes anymore, just me. & I feel this need to be more responsble b/c of it. Sigh....growing up sucks sometimes. However, I can rent a car now w/out extra charges :-) Now if I could just learn how to drive.....:-o Another project for the summer that I WILL master!!! I can not possibly let myself get any older & not know how to drive!

A delicious turkish restaurant opened up literally 2 blocks from my house. If you live in Elmont, NY please check it out. Lots of lamb & veggie dishes. We went for my B-day & the ambiance was lush! Lots of pillows, artwork & chess tables. I felt like I was definately in another land!

Well, as soon as it's July, I'll be free from school & have lots more time for informative, food filled entries, I swear. Please, keep up the diet! Keep reading, keep to your goals & drink your warm lemon water EVERY MORNING!!! Nothing is more important for an A or AB in my mind than that.

Today is another in a fairly long string of beautiful, spring days! What a blessing we have had with this breakup. “Breakup” – the time of year in Alaska when the ice and snow melts leaving us up to our knees in water run-off, mud and potholes. This year has been an almost perfect breakup. Most daytime temperatures have been sunny and in the 40’s and then at night we get a hard freeze. The snow has melted gradually which means we’ve not had problems with puddles, mud bogs, and car-swallowing potholes! Yeah!!!

Several days ago a pair of swans flew overhead. Since then I’ve seen a few geese and ducks. Soon the flats will be filled with them. Some will continue north but many will stay to nest. Many eagles stay in our area year round, those that over-winter at the Homer Spit (lots of fish available there) have returned. Our skies are filled with the eagles once again.

Another sure sign of spring are the returning caribou. My daughter saw a small herd of caribou in a field a couple days ago. They, too, are migrating to their birthing grounds which happen to be right in this area. All adult caribou produce antlers. Non-pregnant cows lose theirs in the fall. Pregnant cows keep theirs. She saw lots of antlered cows. We’re going to have a nice batch of new babies soon. Hopefully, the grizzlies won’t feast too much.

We are still gaining over 5 minutes a day of daylight. At Christmas we had only about 5 ½ hours of daylight. Now we have over 14 ½ hours. Around the end of May, we’ll have light almost twenty hours with a dusk/dawn for the other four. With the benefit from all that light, I am hoping to have a small vegetable patch again this year. It’ll be another six weeks before planting can be done safely. We often get freezing nights until mid to late May. We can grow broccoli, cabbage, summer squash, peas, and salad greens fairly well in our area.

We’ve had several good, simple meals this week. I’ve also been out and about with no really good food available. I didn’t plan well and ate foods (?) that really didn’t agree with me. Once I finish doing up our taxes (yuck), I should be able to focus more on what good foods we do have to eat.

Well, yesterday I saw the presidents (Mt. Rushmore) and got a glimpse of Crazy Horse's head from the highway. I'm not sure if it's done yet. I didn't have time to stop by and see the whole thing. Bummer. The Black Hills are so gorgeous. I was listening to the Omega tapes by D'Adamo to prep myself for this conference but had to just turn off the sound on my car stereo and began to sing,

"The hills are alive!

With the sound of music!

With songs they have sung!

For a thousand years!

The hills fill my heart!

With the sound of music!

My heart wants to sing

Every song it hears

(Every song that it hears!)"

You get the picture. My inner muse showed herself at the site of these beautiful hills as if I were Julie Andrews twirling round and round with my guitar case and suitcase in the mountains. Oh man, I never knew my lifelong good next door neighbor South Dakota was such a hot babe!

Well, after eating a very unhealthful deep fried appetizer special near the monuments, I decided to stop thru Boulder, CO, for some good veg. I was looking for a hippie veg restaurant but decided after all to just stop at Wild Oats and buy deli food to get me through the next two days until I reach Tempe. I really wish we had a Wild Oats in Minneapolis. I think I like it better than Whole Foods. The juice bar is a true juice bar vs. the Whole Foods that just has a Jamba Juice (gag). I'm a bit picky about my juices...

So I had some tofu and some turkey loaf last night. Here's a great reason why I like Wild Oats better. They use oats instead of breadcrumbs in their turkey loaf recipe! In general I don't think they are as wheat-happy as the other places I usually visit.

Well, stopped in Vail last night to sleep. I didn't have a clue where to stay. I saw a Best Western on the frontage road. It was like a scene out of a combination of Nat'l Lampoon's "Vail" vacation and Psycho. I went up to the lobby and the front desk was all gated off. There was an electronic buzzer so I pushed it. It made some funny noises and then no one came to the desk. I pressed it again. Still nothing. Creepy.

I then found the Evergreen Lodge via my handy dandy Treo phone's PCS Vision system using hotels.com or yellowpages.com or something like that. Used mapquest to find the exact location. Wow, I never thought a toy would come in so much handy so much!

Well, I better hit the road again. I have yet to really see all the mountains here in the middle of the rockies b/c I was driving in the dark. In 2001 I went to Keystone so I've pretty much seen the mountians up until now. This is going to blow my mind today.

Everyone thinks I'm such a weirdo for driving all the way to AZ. This is the best decision I've ever made. This is such a freaking beautiful country!!! The older I get the more I realize how "pretty she is" (that's a Tori Amos quote).

My Sister In Law had her operation last Thursday to remore her tumour. Pathology said it is Schwanonoa. A schwannoma (sh-won-oma) is a tumour of the tissue covering nerves, called the nerve sheath. These tumours develop from a type of cell called a Schwann cell, which gives them their name. Schwannomas are often not cancerous (benign).

Post-operatively things did not go well. Her head drooped forward and her bowel and bladder function weren't working properly. My brother called me late last night after the neurosurgeon called him. Apparently the head drop has been caused by the tumour damage. The surgeons were hoping they didn't need to stabilize the neck and thoracic spine but it looks like the tumour grew into the vertebra and they now need to implant rods so she can keep her head up and stop any more structural damage. There is a 1 in 500 chance she will end up as a quad.

They were going to try to get her in for her second surgery this am. I am praying things go well for them....

Well, I finally left for Arizona. Here I am taking advantage of the wi-fi connection in this hotel room in Rapid City, SD. By the way, this is a SWEET hotel. It's 76 years old, nine floors, and is called Alex Johnson Hotel. Seriously, folks, forego the usual Best Western or other chain and check this place out! It's super cool! The lobby alone is worth the trip, heehee!

Since the weather was total crap had I wanted to go south, then west, I decided to finally visit the Black Hills and the Badlands. Wow. Beautiful. Stunning. The whole drive was phenomenal. The weather went from 50s/60s and cloudy to freezing cold with sprinkles and snow on the ground from earlier before I got there, and then finally into the Badlands, it was windy and cold at first, then as I moved west the clouds opened up to a beautiful quiet sunset. My car and about three others were the only ones on the entire scenic drive through the Badlands. So many lookout points throughout the drive and it all reminded me of that later scene in the movie Garden State when...well, I won't ruin it for you if you haven't seen the movie yet....

Anyhoo, I'll be uploading the photos as soon as possible. Until then, I'll be checking in periodically to give you the report. T minus 4 days till conference!

Oh, yes, food. I just got done eating a trout dinner at a diner in Wall, SD. Boy, I was really bummed with my trip to Wall because Wall Drug was closed. All these darn billboards only to not be able to experience THE Wall Drug and the 5 cent coffee (could this be for real?). Oh well.

Earlier I had a garden omelette at a Country Kitchen. It is so weird being out in the middle of nowhere. It's such a different world from the city. But it's a welcome change. Now if only I could get myself off the damn internet and take a real vacation.....

On a not-so-hot note. I think I'm getting carpal tunnel or tendonitis in the joints between my middle and index finger on my left hand. Ouch. When I get home, I think this means it's time to quit typing with my laptop and instead whip out the ergonomic keyboard from my old PC. Obviously I'm doing something wrong here. Any suggestions?

Music: Tori Amos - Under the Pink

Mood: Nag Champa

Hey girls and boys. Getting ready to put away laundry and go to bed... Pretty exciting stuff!

Had dinner tonight with my brother, sister, and a friend of my sisters. They had broiled chicken, onions, yellow squash, and zuchinni. I had a steamed yellow squash, a steames zuchinni, steamed broccoli, curried lentils, and some of their veg mix. Ate too much, and I think my curry powder may have a bit 'o' black pepper in it, but, what the hay, right? The curry wasn't really satisfying the taste buds somehow... I added Herbamare, and granulated garlic. That got 'er done.

Lunch today was steamed carrots, celerey, and some fresh ginger. Alas I wasn't really full after that... Went for a spoonfull of macadamia nut butter dipped in carob powder. Yum! Also did 2 Tbsp. of ground golden flax seeds, soaked in water for 10 minutes with about a 1/4 tzp. of cinnamon powder in it. A healthy dose of EFA's, and the blood sugar balancing benefits of cinnamon, made for a satisfying meal topper.

Looks like I won't be going to the conference as I had so hoped, but, these things happen. Money, work, and time played a role. Some trickery on the part of a third party had my hopes up pretty high. But, those were most expertly dashed... The trick is, evidently, not to get your hopes up, and to just let whatever happens be OK. I think Nick Hexum of 311 said it well: "You can't be let down if you don't expect the world... Expect to lay awake there by your sleeping girl." Such is the way of things...

On the note of music... It's really good to "re"listen to Tori Amos' Under The Pink. A FANTASTIC album, that only seems to mean more to me as my collective life experiences build... If you've never heard, I really reccoemnd it! Beautiful. Trent Reznor of my old favorite band, Nine Inch Nails, even makes a guest vocal appearance on one of the tracks. Weird, eh'?

Nothing too interesting today. Just wanted to check in, share a few thoughts,a nd wish you all the best. So, here's too you all ~James

P.S...Are you s'posed to indent a post scrips? He he... Oh, yeah... Speall chectk itt yourslef! Hahaha

There was a time many years ago where my general demeanor would be described as follows: very negative about things, impulsive, very impatient and quick to anger (These extreme type A behavior traits I believe contributed somewhat to the break up of my marriage). These foibles happen less often and in less severity since being on the BTD. I, being type O, have very low dopamine levels in my brain due to the fact that I posses low levels of platelet MAO (this enzyme is very important in production of dopamine).

We I feel stressed (happens most often in-between meals), I strongly crave wheat, red meat, almonds and pumpkinseeds. I’ve about overcome my craving for wheat. Red meat, although excellent for me, is hard to get quickly unless prepared beforehand. The almonds and pumpkinseeds, before the BTD, were not a staple, but I love them now as snacks. I usually have a hand full with dried figs or prunes as a mid morning/day smack. I read somewhere that it is recommended that you eat these rich L-tyrosine foods with a carbohydrate so it does not interfere with the absorption of other amino acids. It was not till I found out that these nuts and seeds were a good source of L-Tyrosine (mood elevator and precursor to Dopamine) that I realized how much I miss them when I run out of them. They are my quick fix mood/stress modulators. I’ve talked to several O’s on the diet who say they crave almonds (the butter as well) and Tahini (Sesame seeds being another good source of L-tyrosine). I'm sure there are more of you out there

By combining these foods with an exercise program and an anger management strategy (time out’s, expressing anger through writing, focusing on how you feel and engaging in a supportive conversation with someone) type O’s will help bring out the best in themselves. Your loved ones, coworkers and complete strangers will see more of your shining light rather than a dark cloud looming over your head.

Well, it seems as though I should be relaxing right now. That's just not happening. I have two weeks off, to drive to AZ for the conference and see friends along the way and perhaps even make it to a few shows. As of today, I have yet to plan these things specifically.

In the meantime, I've decided to use the evening to catch up on some continuing education that I've paid for via pharmacist subscription. After completing two hours worth of CE, I decided to check into the PDA and web-based references available to pharmacists for drugs and natural medicines. There is a phenomenal database that was created called the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (www.naturaldatabase.com) that I've already begun going gaga over throughout the evening. The coolest thing about this database is that it contains all the bibliographical references to primary sources. I looked up larch and found a reference listed from a natural medicine guide authored by Dr. D:

D'Adamo P. Larch arabinogalactan. J Naturopath Med 1996;6:33-7.

Yes this is a good sign. Integration. Using technology to further promote the fruits of the earth. I'm so stoked!

Exploring the database gives me mental goosebumps of all the possibilities. And wow, am I enjoying my new toy (the treo phone)! It's just such a smart device. Eventually, I'd say 3 to 5 years from now, it will also serve as an MP3 player like an iPod. It has MP3 capabilities but not enough memory to fit thousands of songs. Everything is done via expandable memory cards; this is about to include my drug programs that I will be placing on here as soon as they are downloaded.

Oh I am so excited to bring these newly subscribed references to work! And I don't even have to work for another two weeks! The staff pharmacist at my store just purchased the book version of the database but has not received it yet. If for some reason I don't have access to my toy, I'll be nosing thru his book. Oh, this is so awesome! I can actually start helping people directly more often versus constantly sending folks over to Caleb the herb guru at the Wedge when I'm feeling scattered and clueless! Yippie!

Wow, this is taking a long time to download all this stuff....hmmm. Better late than never! I figure that being a pharmacist, people might be coming up to me at the conference to ask me drug questions. And well, as any good pharmacist knows, it's not what you know, it's knowing where to look for the answer! Thus, third brain will be traveling with me to the conference. We hope to see you there!

April 6th…A Type A friend of mine was experiencing severe exhaustion. She described to me how she did not have the energy to work out anymore. After asking her a few questions about her work out, I found out that she jogged for 20 minutes and did the stair climber for another 20 minutes and she does this 5 days straight every week at lunch time. She went on this exercise regiment to loose some weight (2 weeks into it and no weight lose). She also complained about not sleeping very well. A typical type A with too much cortisol. Her job at work is stressful enough for her. I suggested she should relax more and cut back on the strenuous exercise and take up yoga or Tai Chi. All I got was a chuckle and an ‘are you serious?’

April 7th (her horoscope reads)…There is going to be so much to get done today that you might feel a little daunted in getting started. By mid-day, you could even find yourself downright overwhelmed. Take a break, xxxx. Take a long lunch on an outside terrace, weather permitting. Breathe deeply until the stress subsides. You may need to concentrate on finishing only one or two minor tasks today, and put the rest off until tomorrow. Remember, too much stress can take its toll on your health!

April 8th…. My friend took the day off and went to a spa for a long 1.5-hr massage with a facial, manicure and pedicure.

It’s incredible how a trivial horoscope can give credibility to sound blood type health advice.

Wow! The past week has been delightful in weather. Yesterday’s high was 47 degrees F and it is currently registering 45 degrees! The sun has been shining brightly most days, so it feels much warmer. The clouds have come back, so although it is still pleasant, it doesn’t feel as warm as it did earlier.

The snow geese, our true harbinger of spring, should arrive between the twelfth and fifteenth of this month on their way to Siberia and their nesting grounds. Arriving at about the same time will be the Canada geese, trumpeter swans, and many species of ducks. A lot of those nest here, although most of the swans go a bit further north. Coming shortly will be the gangly sandhill cranes. I always enjoy watching them come in for a landing.

The snow geese have not been so plentiful the past several years. I think they fairly well depleted the marsh grasses on this side of the inlet and are now feeding on the other side. If my theory is correct, they will return to this area in abundance once the marsh grasses have been fully reestablished.

The eagle population has increased much this past month as they get ready to go to nest again. It is fun to watch them reunite after a winter apart. They soar high and dive, they sometimes grab feet and spiral downward together. There are some fights, but much more frolicking and play.

The road crews have been busy removing all the sand from the major traffic areas and city sidewalks. Everyone is optimistic and thinks spring is really here, again, and fairly early. We may still see a snow flurry or two and possibly freezing rain, but overall, spring is in the air.

Fortunately, we managed to miss the 11 inches of snow that Anchorage received last week, so most of our snow is off the roads and roadsides. Our driveway is a muddy mess and some dead grass is seen in our yard where snow had been shoveled. Most of our acre has only three or four inches of snow depth yet to melt.

We’ve had some really good meals this week, too. Most of the entrees have been buffalo, lamb (not for those skittish guys), chicken, turkey, and halibut. We’ve also had an abundance of fresh grapes and apples.

My twins went shopping on their own the other night and came home with $20.00+ in grapes (about 10 pounds) to go with the three bags already in the refrigerator. I guess that if they are going to over-indulge, at least it is a good food choice instead of candy, chips, pop, etc.

I used to get my hair cut by a man who told a joke about the difference between a good haircut and a bad one – the answer is one week (the time it normally takes for hair to grow a little and cover the sins of the bad haircut).

Today I am thinking about the difference between feeling ill and starting to be a person with energy once again is really two weeks or so of taking the recommended protocols from the ER4YT Encyclopaedia! I feel wonderful! And you know, we are always being looked after! The day last week that I had a terrible headache and felt so much pressure in my head and neck was the day that Dr. D. posted his little item about using bromelain instead of aspirin and similar products to help relieve pressures in the body because of bromelain’s anti-inflammatory properties. I can’t believe what a difference it has made to add this to my little collection of supplements.

My amazing recovery is directly due, I am sure, to following the BTD as closely as possible and to the fact that I’ve been doing this for quite a few years now. I think even the acupuncture doctor was amazed when I really didn’t need to go back for the third and last treatment following the angina situation (but I did go back, because we didn’t know that). He told me I had really scared him when he first saw me when I went back for my second visit, and I think he expected to see me very regularly for the rest of my life following the whole thing.

So today I’d like to focus on a few thoughts about health and well-being related to the BTD, and dedicate this, of course, with much love and gratitude, to this wonderful man who is following his heart, our own Dr. Peter D’Adamo.

Not long ago, when I was looking through the Encyclopaedia for information about my cardiovascular problems, I somehow flipped the page open to the section on vitiligo, and saw the part where it talks about premature greying of the hair. My housemate moans about the fact that at age 29, his hair is greying very, very quickly on a regular basis. I remembered that he had a few patches of whiter skin on his neck area, and asked him to show them to me, but he said that after following the BTD (at my urging, of course) for a few years, they have simply disappeared. I think there is a slightly lighter skin tone there (he is olive in complexion), but it is nowhere near as pronounced as it was when I first met him, and the “patch” effect has disappeared. He acknowledged that his mother has the same condition of premature greying of her hair and white patches of skin, so this validates the hereditary nature of vitiligo.

Speaking of hair colour, my hair, which was becoming VERY grey, has coloured up considerably since starting to take the supps for the cardiovascular protocol. My hair has been a good barometer over the years of how healthy my body is on the inside. I have watched it turn quite white overnight when I have fallen ill in years past, and then slowly return to some hint of colour as health returned. I keep looking in the mirror at this soft brownish colour that is appearing around my face and marvelling at this sudden change, which I never expected to see again.

My time is becoming quite busy in the next short while. I will be making the trip of my lifetime to Turkey in two weeks, and it’s getting exciting, as well as making me worry about getting everything done that I think needs to be done before I go. I will stay with my friend’s family (and my friend) in Istanbul most of the time, leaving to make a trip to Ephesus, Konya and Cappadocia. I have another friend with whom I will visit while in Istanbul, who lives near the Black Sea. Since Turkish cuisine leans heavily on lamb and sheep products, I should be able to eat reasonably well while I’m away. Just in case, though, I’m intending to learn the most important phrase of my life in Turkish: “Thank you very much, it looks delicious, but if I eat this, I will be very sick.” Does it sound good?

I’ll try to post one more time before I leave, but if I don’t manage it, know that it simply got to be too much, and that I’ll be in touch towards the end of May, when I return.

In the meantime, as Tiny Tim said, “God bless us, every one!” And special blessings to Dr. D. and the wonderful folks who will be attending the conference in Arizona in the next short while. I’m sure the dissemination of information will improve the quality of the lives of every one of us and our friends and relatives.

Music: A Perfect Circle

Mood: SUN

'Ello, Team Bloody! I don'y have a whole lot to say other than bless you all, and, "holy crap! A

reason for me to be excited about the IfHI conference has just popped out of thin air!" That said... I hope that everyone that can attend, does so. I't's going to wonderful! And Geez... Have you checked out Dr. D's blog on how cool SWAMI is!!?? The potential there is pretty fascinating. He realli is one of those multifaceted geniuses... What's the plural there... Genies?? Ha ha. I say we all start goading him to hand out a CD of some of his synth compositions! I would LOVE to hear them!! You raedin' this Doc? lol

Anyways. Here's to your health (sips a hot cup of Yogi Green Chai out of an Essential Air & Water E-Mug, I sound like a commercial, eh? With an added dash of peppermint leaves and oregano before steeping for 15 min.)... And on that note Check out this article. I don't agree with the canned and frozen part, as I believe that the life force/vibration is a factor as well. canning, freezing, shipping, etc. all cause the plant stress, and lower it's vibration. That's not good in my opinion. Eat is as buzzing as you can, fresh from the farmer if possible. Wash it, bless it, thank it, whatever. Just make sure you're eating your fruits and veggies! As my 'ol pal Paul B. says, "Vegetables are like sex. If you can't remember the last time you had any... You're not having enough!"

So... Here's to eating the fruit of the Earth... As high as possible!... Wait... That didn't sound right... hehe... I meant the vibration...

Keep it groovy, Team Bloody. Peace~





Waiting to eat fresh vegetables means loss of nutrients

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

29 Mar 2005

Mar. 27--CHEYENNE -- That bag of spinach that has been sitting in the fridge for a week looks OK. Not too many wilted pieces. Tastes fine too.

But guess what? It's missing a lot of the nutrients it had when picked.

According to research from Pennsylvania State University, a bag of spinach that has been stored at 39 degrees Fahrenheit for eight days has lost half of its folate and carotenoids, compounds known for their importance in preventing birth defects, fighting heart disease and preventing blindness and cancer.

And at higher temperatures, the breakdown was even faster. At 50 degrees it took only six days to reach about half of initial levels; at 68 degrees it took four.

What's a consumer to do?

"People should just eat (spinach) fast and not let it sit in their drawers," said Luke LaBorde, associate professor of food science at Pennsylvania State. "You have to accept the reality that it's a living plant, and you should eat it while it's fresh."

The research also underscores the importance of keeping fresh vegetables cold -- experts recommend a refrigerator temperature between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit -- and eating them as soon as possible.

Eight days. And that count started from within 12 hours of the time the spinach was packaged. Commercial spinach must be transported from the field -- somewhere in the Southwest at this time of year -- to the processing plant and to the store.

Then it must sit on store shelves until it is purchased. This takes a few days at least, and the clock is ticking.

LaBorde said while fresh fruits and vegetables are becoming popular, not a lot is known about their nutrient loss because much of the early research was done on canned and frozen vegetables.

"We've got the fresh vegetables that are so popular right now," he said.

"When you have a fresh vegetable, it slowly dies. And as it dies, the enzymes take over and slowly degrade it."

He said the fruits and vegetables most at risk of nutrient loss are those that are crushed or cut. Apples, he said, are not going to change much because they are designed to fall off the tree.

Spinach and most greens are a different story, though.

"In this case you're ripping it off the plant," LaBorde said. "(Loss) would be even higher with chopped spinach."

Broccoli, another cut vegetable, loses about half its total carotenoids after six days at 41 degrees, previous research shows.

The culprits are degrading enzymes that are normally contained inside intact cells but are released and free to cause damage when veggies are wounded.

Chopped or peeled versions of fruits or vegetables also are vulnerable to nutrient loss during refrigerator storage.

LaBorde and Suzy Pelican of the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension agree that fresh veggies are part of a good diet, but a combination of fresh, canned and frozen is the best way to go.

"Don't assume fresh is best and frozen or canned are not," Pelican added.

Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables are relatively stable and impervious to nutrient loss. Frozen vegetables are made that way very soon after harvest, preserving almost all of the nutrients. And in canning, the enzymes that break down vitamins in fresh vegetables are inactivated.

"If eating fresh vegetables soon is a problem, buy canned or frozen," LaBorde added.

Canned vegetables are cheaper too.

"Those bagged spinach things are pretty expensive -- you're paying for that cold temperature chain and all that," LaBorde said.

He also said to avoid buying greens on sale and not to buy them if they're in the middle of an aisle and not refrigerated.

"Take them from the coldest part of the refrigerated section," he said.

But since spinach is such a rich source of folate, losing some isn't the end of the world, Pelican said. Not all nutrients are prone to degradation either, she added.

Vitamins and minerals are two different animals, she said.

Vitamins like folate and carotenoids are large molecules that are easily degraded. Minerals, on the other hand, are elements like iron that aren't prone to break down. Fiber and minerals remain in spinach at their initial levels long after vitamins have degraded, she said.

Planning also can be a good way to avoid nutrient losses. That way, vegetables get used quickly.

It can be something as simple as "We're going to buy the bag of spinach and use it the next night and not next Sunday," she said.

Farmer's markets have sprung up in the state, Pelican said, and they are another alternative.

"In the months they're open, that's going to be a good way to get fresh vegetables that haven't been transported far," she said.

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is a great hedge too, Pelican said.

"Variety is important because then you're not putting all your eggs in one basket," she added.

HOLDING ON TO VITAMINS

Tips for avoiding nutrient loss in vegetables from Suzy Pelican, a nutritionist at the University of Wyoming:

--Include frozen and canned vegetables as part of your meal options, but when buying canned, select no-salt varieties.

--Plan meals in advance so fresh veggies are used quickly.

--Make sure your refrigerator is as cold as you think it is. It should be below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and above freezing. Keep an inexpensive thermometer inside to keep tabs.

--For food safety as well as nutrients, make sure food gets from grocery store to fridge as soon as possible.

--Shop at farmers' markets when available.

--Steam vegetables in the smallest amount of water possible for as short a time as possible unless using a steamer -- or microwave them.

--Follow the purchase and "use by" dates on bagged greens

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Copyright (c) 2005, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

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