Prioritize Your Health

Homemade Slippery Elm Lozenges  These lozenges are my lifesavers.  This past year, I had a serious respiratory infection that went on too long.  It damaged my vocal chords to the point that I wasn't sure if I'd ever sing the same again, let alone talk.  These saved my voice.  This recipe is a adaptation of what Dr. Christopher, Master Herbalist, recommends for healing vocal chords, combined with recommendations for healing mucous membranes.  If you decide to add the Glutamine Powder, it will assist the Slippery Elm in not only healing the throat, but the intestinal lining, and stomach lining all the way down the digestive tract.  Marshmallow Root has many of the same benefits as Licorice Root, but tastes a little better in the recipe.  

1/2 Cup Slippery Elm Powder
2 Tbs. Marshmallow Root Powder (or Licorice Root Powder)
1 tsp L-Glutamine Powder (optional)
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Cup + 2Tbs. Carob Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup + 3 Tbs. Raw Honey
A Little Water to Moisten

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together with a fork to lose any lumps.  When Adding the Cayenne, you can use more if desired, but if you want your kids to eat these, go easy on it.  Gradually mix in the Raw Honey, and then begin to knead together to form a dough.  It will be very sticky.  Once you have a ball of dough, wet your hands lightly with some fresh water to keep the dough from sticking to your palms.  Pull small lozenge-size pieces away from the dough and roll between your hands to form small balls.  Place these balls on a large plate and then cover with a towel.  Keep them at room temperature, or store them in the fridge.  Suck on one lozenge every hour when healing a sore throat or vocal chords. 

Priorities~
Sometimes, it can get discouraging thinking of all the time I've spent trying to be physically well.  The process of making these homemade lozenges for example, is time consuming.  Meal planning, cooking from scratch, doing the dishes, making medicines, exercising, resting, and so forth are just scratching the surface.  Researching, finding answers, and applying these answers to my personal health takes a lot of time!  I often joke that the Lord must know that I learn best through experience.  Wouldn't my time be better spent elsewhere?  Yes, but no.

Over the years, when I begin to feel like this, I have to admit that if I didn't have my health, I wouldn't be doing half the things I am capable of today.  Also, I wouldn't be so grateful for the times that I am healthy.  Maybe I would take good health for granted, and be more idle.  Maybe I wouldn't recognize the difference in feeling well, vs. feeling ill.  Finding answers to solve these types of problems is thrilling.  Our bodies and minds are astounding in their capacity to heal if given the right tools.  We are mortal though.  We'll never be healthy all the time, no matter what the magazines say--yet we can do so much to improve the quality of life we have.

My point is, that health really is a high priority.  Every day, there are so many choices we have to make.  Some seem so insignificant in the moment.  Only in retrospect can we see how it might have been better to take those small decisions more seriously.  For me, it might be, "Oh, I'll let the kids watch just one more television show," or for my hubby it might be, "I  just love having soda with my lunch, I'll give it up later."  For you it might be, "I'll take the elevator today," or for me again, "What's one more hour of social networking at midnight?"  Okay, point taken.  No more guilt trip. We all do it.

The kinds of choices that effect our families and relationships, our financial security, our spirituality, our mental stability, and our posterity are all so important.  Among those things should be our health.  My time is indeed better spent creatively, or in giving service.  It's just less likely to happen if we're slumped over in pain, or too depressed to get on with life.  Even those amazing beings who have the determination to thrive within limiting circumstances, probably are doing all that they can to improve upon what they have been given.  No matter where your health is at, you can still find ways to reach out to others, and to keep trying to feel your best. 

"Baseline Health"~
I work in the health food and supplement industry.  The term of "Baseline Health" is one I came up with to introduce to people the importance of the basics.  Within supplements, that would decidedly include:

Probiotics
Essential Fatty Acids
Whole Food Multivitamin or Greens Powder

These are the top supplements that people buy, because we usually are not getting enough from our diet.  These are your priorities.  You can get them from food, or from a supplemental source.  Also, Baseline Health equals "gut health."  A large percentage of disease is traced back to poor digestive health.  It's an oh so common thing to see digestive troubles in people who have other types of serious illness.  If we address good health in the digestive tract as a priority, an improvement will be seen elsewhere as well.  This is a topic that could become lengthy, so for today, I'll just say, "I learned this by experience."