Meditation ~ Easier Than You Think

My daughter was just home over Christmas. What a perfect and wonderful Christmas it was. With one exception. My daughter was battling gall bladder issues that left her feeling less than 100% to fully enjoy her Christmas. As she is only 22 and not at all overweight it wasn't hard to conclude that the enourmous amounts of stress in her life had begun to take its toll on her young body. When I brought up the subject of meditation, you can imagine it was met with a great deal of resistance. Such is why we are where we are.

I spent time with her head on a pillow in my lap. I encouraged her to breathe deeply through her abdomen, making sure to relax her belly, shoulders and jaw. I felt tension melt off of her. I asked her to open her palms to be receptive the gifts and guidence the universe had to provide for her. All the while I placed emphasis on the pressure points in her back and neck.

Breathe in the good .... good health...good feelings....peace....

Breathe out the bad....bosses....stress...too much to do.....money...

Breathe in the good...love....balance...harmony....security....

Breathe out the bad... school...pressure...fatigue...bills...

It wasn't long before we had a wave of tears. Release. Letting all that had built up just slide away and to be glad for it's departure.

Manifesting. The envisioning of health and wellness in her body and what that would feel like. What substantial rest and cognitive thought could feel like. Feeling freedom and air in her lungs. Feeling her body without pain. And visualizing what that looked like on her and how it felt. Maintaining that vision for over a minute and another release. Another wave of tears. Good girl. Very good. Progress.

Then a yawn came. Then another. Smiles through tears from her mother. Peace was coming and release of the bad had occured.

Gratitude. Visualize at least three things that you are greatful for. Thank the universe for these gifts in your life. Keep breathing.

Five minutes. One minute. Half and hour. Breathe. Visualize. Gratitude. There doesn't have to be fanfare. There doesn't have to be incense or candles or chants. *In my best Seinfeld* Though there is nothing wrong with that, the overstressed can often feel intimidated by it. Feeling like they have to create an atmosphere to be worthy of meditation before they can do it. Not so.

In fact, in that realm of thought, you do yourself more harm than good by denying yourself the breath and benefits a simple five minutes in a chair with limited distraction can do for you. Identifying blocked chakras and releasing them is possible in the most stubborn host bodies in humble surroundings. My own daughter even realized her throat felt lumpy. Well we released that blocked chakra right now. But in being still she was able to identify that.

My daughter said meditation was never her thing for the very reason that she just didn't have the time. People she knew who practiced this lifestyle would go to weekend retreats and meditate for days and hours and fast. This was not for her. But three days of a few minutes of breathing, manifesting and gratitude made a huge difference in how she felt and looked.

Myself, I notice a huge difference in my day if I can spend a few moments at this in the morning before I begin my day. Stress happens. Can't always change that. But if I take this time for myself, it significantly changes how I deal with what comes my way during the day.

Grande Ronde Med Spa Now Offers Medical Weight Loss Program

Grande Ronde Med Spa is pleased to bring Medical Weight Management to you!

Dr. Michael H. McQueen has researched various weight loss programs and has developed this particular hybrid that is low carbohydrate, high fiber and high protein that keeps you satisfied and able to stay on course. Emphasized in this program is the importance of excercise and getting your 10,000 steps in a day for success! Dr. McQueen stresses the importance of not making a change just for a better look, but a lifestyle change to adopt for a healthy you for life.

This 16 week program provides you with all the materials you will need to make this final attempt at weight loss successful. Follow up appointments are included to ensure you have the support that you need. Here's how it works.

On your first visit, you will join others in a seminar to thoroughly explain this program. You will receive a jounal, food book, pedometer and your personal booklet to help you stay on course. Your labs will be drawn if you haven't had blood work done within the last 90 days.

You will receive 3 follow up appointments with Dr. McQueen and 5 follow up appointments with Jacqui Kleeman, R.N.. Weekly weigh in appointments are available at no additional fee.

The cost of this program is currently at an introductory price of $399 for 16 weeks. The only items not included in this price are prescriptives you may need, food and supplements which are available at a great price at Grande Ronde Med Spa.

Aren't you ready for a new you? Call us today at 541.963.3772 or visit www.grmedspa.com for more information. Grande Ronde Med Spa gladly accepts Care Credit, MasterCard, Visa and Discover.

Want Preventative Medicine? Worth Watching!

Unhealthy Life

Has anyone noticed how unhealthy life has become? Lets think about it.

We as a whole society are working more and making less. We work in toxic environments under florescent lighting and stale air. Our homes may be the same. We wake up each day not as rested as we would like to be and often times we try to stretch the kinks out of our backs. Even the foods we eat are not as healthy for us. I noticed grocery shopping yesterday that my cart was full of freezer ready dinners. I felt sad for how little I have time to cook these days. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not as good for us as they once were due to pollutants in the air and ground. Depressed yet? How about this...

I had a conversation with a friend the other night who said she has learned through a cancer work shop that to prevent the disease you have eat 1 lb. of fresh fruits and vegetables a day. One whole pound! Every try to do that? It's not easy. In fact, we joked wondering if ketchup with our french fries and the pickle in the tarter sauce we used to dip our fried fish and chips in counted. And lets not even get in the weight of society. That is discussed to death. Literally.

So now what. After Grey's Anatomy last week the phrase stuck in my head..."Be the change you want to see in the world"..... Ghandi I believe? But it's so true. Life is unhealthy. Stress, life, work, kids...the list goes on and on. So how do we be the change? Look around and tell me what you see.

Is there balance in your life? Are you healthy? Financially stable? Do you get enough rest? Do you have enough leisure time? Do you feel as good as you would like to? After years of promoting USANA to you, I now have something that delivers the full spectrum of health and wellness. If you haven't yet heard of NIKKEN, I suggest you look into it.

NIKKEN offers not only strong nutritional supplements but completley utilizes magnets in treating various ailments and discomforts of the body with amazing results. NIKKEN also promotes healthy living in your environment from top of the line air filters, water and shower filtration systems.

NIKKEN thinks of our four legged friends as well with joint supplements and bedding for you pets. Also, and htis was huge for me, there is a whole philosophy behind NIKKEN products and our equine friends. I have only begun to study that one and I'll keep you posted.

What I am loving is that as I talk about this, I have received tremendous positive response. And when I find someone who knows the products, even if they are not a distributor, the have continued to use the products for years and swear by them. I have even met a woman who feels her use of NIKKEN environmental and health products may have cured her cancer. I have another friend who wraps magnets on her horses and it aleviates any discomfort her horse may be experiencing.

I've only just begun folks but I will be sharing more of this wonderful product with you from time to time. If you want to know more or if I can assist you beginning a healthy life, please call me. 541.786.1613.

Weight Loss Options

Everywhere you turn today you see all the options you have to lose weight. Anything from weight loss programs to drugs. Many of you will try them. And then many of you will try again this time next year. Now is the time to make the commitment to change you life. I can help. If you are interested to learn more about USANA's RESET program or USANA products, email me the address where you would like it sent and I'll be glad to send you a free Health and Freedom catalog. No obligation. I simply want the information in your hands. I look forward to hearing from you. ChristyBarber@usana.com.

How Healthy Have You Been?

I've noticed on my searches that several of you are curious about USANA's Proflavanol. I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you all a little more information about what Proflavanol and what it has done for me.

I used to get my first cold around the first of October. I used to hope that I could hold it off long enough to get my flu shot. Sometimes I did, most of the time I didn't. Then I'd go through that big panic of how long could I hold off my flu shot before that big epidemic hit my community. If you have ever had the flu...the real deal...the 5 days of high fever, coughing and the sensation that you might have to die to feel better....then you know that you DON'T want it again! Once I endured that first cold, by the end of October it would go into a full blown sinus infection. This would be followed by a trip to the doctor two weeks into because I'd get tired of coughing my brains out all night and all day battling the thing. Once I got my perscription filled, I'd immediatley ask for an additional perscription for Dulflican to go with it because I knew that course of antiboitics would soon be followed by the mother of all yeast infections. Once it all cleared up I'd feel pretty good until say about Thanksgiving. Turkey shopping when you want to shoot your own head off does not make for a festive mood. I'd get rid of that cold and feel great through Christmas just in time to get a whopper of a stomach virus some time during the vacation. Then when my flu shot ran out....well...you get the picture. Does this sound familiar to any of you?

I became a steady USANA user about a year ago. I suffered with a couple of colds when my director suggested I start on proflavanol. I did. And I am here to tell you that I have not had one single cold. Not one hint of a sinus infection and not one sign of the flu. Need I say the yeast infections have stayed away too? I take two proflavs at morning and two at night. If I start to feel a tickle or a cough come on I up it to 3 morning and night. I would recommend adding come Poly C to that as well. And gone. All gone. Does not come on. I don't miss work and I don't miss any of the fun things in my life as well. I could go on and tell you about all the ingredients in it but you can read that for yourself. Other than grape seed extract I couldn't tell you. And frankly, I don't care. It works. I'm not sick and I feel great. If you are reaching for that tissue for the umpteenth time today, what are you waiting for? Call me. I'll get it sent out to you today. 541.786.1613. Operators are standing by.

How Does Your Child's Vitamin Stack Up?

Do you want the best for your children? Call me! 541.786.1613

Diabetes - Treatable and Preventable

I am currently representing an Family Nurse Practitioner in my area. I had a wonderful and enlightening conversation with her in preparing to present her to local media interests. I'm glad to say that the media has taken to this information like ducks to water and I was so engrossed in my conversation with her, that I thought this information was worth passing on. I hope you find it as insightful as I did.

FNP Believes Preventative Care is Key

La Grande, Oregon: A Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) takes on several roles as a health care provider. In many instances they need to discern what is beneath the surface even if the patient doesn’t volunteer the information.

Renee Edwards, FNP, owner and founder of Village Health Care located at 1215 Washington Avenue in La Grande has found a passion in early detection and preventive health care, with a specialty in pre-diabetic diagnosis. “Often I can tell before any testing, that that person is in a pre-diabetic state,” says Edwards. She correlates the current diabetes epidemic with the rise in obesity.

Not a condition to be taken lightly, Edwards stresses that the results once a patient goes into a full-blown diabetic state are not desirable. “Diabetes damages nerves and vessels, harming the eyes and organs. It is a major cause of heart disease and stroke, blindness, amputation, candida and other skin infections, and kidney disease.” Edwards believes that preventive health care before the onset of disease is essential in warding off suffering down the road.

Edwards begins a diagnosis by collecting patient history and risk factors, observation, and testing, to determine a patient’s current health status. She feels that it’s important to assess the situation and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of employing various types of treatment. Helping patients understand their care is also an important factor. “For example, I want to help them see that taking preventive medication does not necessarily mean that they are sick,” she adds. “Many of us already take vitamins and minerals for preventive health. Some of us need a bit more.”

Along with endocrinology issues, Edwards also likes to focus her practice on other chronic health conditions, mental health and skin problems. “My favorite thing is to figure it out,” says Edwards. “Many illnesses aren’t easily diagnosed and I like that challenge.”

Ray's New Car

Poll Results

Thank you to the four of your *L* who participated in my blog poll. All four had the same answer. They NEVER take nutritional supplements. Now what I want to know is why. As a Usana representative, the big reason I hear is that they just can't remember. I get that . It takes some time to get into the habit of taking a supplement. It's the same as implementing a new work out or a skin care regimen. It takes time for it to become your habit. My advice to those of you who are in this category is to be sure to put your supplements somewhere where you won't forget them. In a drawer or in a cupboard is out of sight, out of mind. When I first started implementing nutritional supplements, I kept them by my coffee pot. When I got my coffee in the morning, I took them. When I set the pot at night, I took them. If you are trying to get your children in a routine, the toothbrush holder is a great idea. Same for non-coffee drinking adults. Also, USANA provides your with a Health Pak. This contains your AM and PM vitamins in a handy package. No bottle to mess with and it's easy to travel with. If you have special health supplements that you take like Procosa II for joint and muscle pain or other Optimizers, USANA just introduced My Health Pak. I (or your representative) will work with you to design a Health Pak that suits your particular needs. Again in a easy to use pouch formulated just for you. If it matters, try these and see if it doesn't help. If you would like a Health Pak sample, please let me know and I will see to it you get one.

Now for those of you who do not believe, (and I cannot stress this enough) the majority of degenerative health conditions are preventable. If you say you get what you need from your food you are wrong. Proper nutrition in your diet is one very important step but it's not the whole picture. You don't brush and not floss or see the dentist. You have to complete the whole nutritional picture. Start now. Before you have a health issue. You know what they say about hind sight and 20/20. Why wait that long? Take care of your health now. Improve your overall energy level and do all you can to ensure your health lasts a very long time. Let me know how I can help you do this.

Dr. Northrup on Oprah

Nationally renowned physician Dr. Christiane Northrup is to appear on Oprah on Tuesday, October 16th. Long respected for her information on women's health issues, what you may not know about her is that she is a strong proponent of USANA products. In a recent letter, she lays claims to the health benefits you can receive from using USANA Nutritionals. If you would like a copy of this letter, email me and I'll forward a copy of it to you.

In the mean time, here is a copy of the information that I received today.

Dr. Christiane Northrup returns to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for
not one but two incredible OPRAH shows this fall! The first show is
scheduled to air on Tuesday, October 16th and features Dr. Northrup
one-on-one with Oprah--who confesses (among other things!) that she keeps
her copy of THE WISDOM OF MENOPAUSE next to her bed! Tune in for the fun,
fears and the facts of being 35- plus, as Dr. Northrup debunks the myths of
menopause and offers hope and health to the millions of women who are
entering (or in!) what can be the most confusing, but also what she calls
the most dynamic and exciting part of their lives.

The second show, scheduled to air later in the fall (date to come, we'll
keep you posted), is another must -see show where Oprah and Dr. Northrup go
one-on-one (as only they can) to answer a full hour of audience
questions-including the ones you were sure they'd be afraid to ask! It's a
fun, frolicking and informative hour about your body that you won't want to
miss!

For the exact time when the show will air in your area on October 16th,
please visit: <http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml>
http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml?

I've Said It Before...

And I'll say it again. Know what you are getting when you purchase nutritional supplements. Bottom line. The easiest way to do that? Look at the Comprehensive Guide to Nutritional Supplements. Buy it at your local bookstore or check it out at your library. There is a lot of information and misinformation floating around out there about vitamins. What is good, what is bad, etc. Don't take anyone's word for it until you do your own homework. The Comprehensive Guide is an INDEPENDANT study ranking the top vitamins in the world. Know what your doing. Be responsible for your own health and do your homework. And then when you are ready for #1, call me.