Pilgrimage Studio

Tag: Alternative Health

  • The Cook’s Cryptogram Winner!

    The Cook’s Cryptogram Winner!

    The winner of The Cook’s Cryptogram is Alysiafun!

    The original cryptogram:

    XPR JEZ BOVMM EMHPQS EZX LNBNSEFMN VZ SAN PLNZ, EZC VS HEGNQ E CNMVJVPRQ EZC NEQX QVCN. QMVJN SANH, QDONEC SANH PRS PZ E JPPGVN QANNS, EZC COVTTMN E MVSSMN PMVLN PVM, E KELPOVSN JAPDDNC ANOF, EZC QPHN QEMS EZC DNDDNO PLNO SAN SPDQ. DMEJN VZSP E APS PLNZ (400 CNBONNQ). NYDNOVHNZS WVSA CVKKNONZS QNEQPZVZBQ EZC AELN KRZ NESVZB WNMM!

    The answer:

    You can grill almost any vegetable in the oven, and it makes a delicious and easy side. Slice them, spread them out on a cookie sheet, and drizzle a little olive oil, a favorite chopped herb, and some salt and pepper over the tops. Place into a hot oven (400 degrees). Experiment with different seasonings and have fun eating well!

    The Cook’s Cryptogram

    Calling Code Breakers

    Code Breaker Winner

  • Reading Labels

    Reading Labels

    by Beth Haley

    This week, one assignment for school is to become more aware of the micronutrient content of certain foods. So the challenge is to pick a packaged food that you eat often, and read the nutrition facts label.

    Are there any micronutrients that surprise you?

    I picked Blackstrap Molasses.

    Just as we usually change clothes every day, it is a good idea to swap supplements out every so often so that you’re not taking the same things every single day. This gives your body a variety of nutrients, or the same nutrients in different ways. I do the same thing with herbs, by changing them out with the seasons.

    I take Blackstrap a few times a week because of the micronutrient iron, which is at 20%. Potassium is also 20%.

    Note: Blackstrap is an acquired taste. I usually mix it into drinks. This can ruin the drink if you really don’t like it, so it might take some experimenting to find a way in which you like to eat it. When I’m in a hurry, I just eat it by the spoon-full. This can be a cringe-worthy endeavor!

  • Greatest Risk Factor to our Health

    Greatest Risk Factor to our Health

    What is the greatest risk factor to our health?

    From 1955-1961 there was a research study done in Roseto, Pennsylvania. The study was to determine why the population didn’t have the same rate of heart disease that was seen in the rest of the states.

    “There was no suicide, no alcoholism, no drug addiction, and very little crime. They didn’t have anyone on welfare. They looked at peptic ulcers. They didn’t have any of those either. These people were dying of old age. That’s it.”

    -John Bruhn, Oklahoma sociologist

    Was it diet?

    They found that the people had a high fat diet, such as meatballs fried in lard. They were obese, didn’t exercise, and smoked.

    So what was the difference? Lissa Rankin discusses this study on TEDx.

    The #1 Public Health Issue Doctors Aren’t Talking About | Lissa Rankin, MD | TEDxFargo

    A Lesson on the True Cause of Heart Disease

    The Roseto Effect

    About Lissa Rankin

    Whole Health Medicine Institute

    LisaRankin.com

    Photo@Unsplash

  • Value

    Value

    “If you find yourself trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already forgotten your value.” -Unknown

    Worth Vlog

  • Worth

    Worth

    by Beth Haley

    How do we determine worth? Why do we relate our worth as a person, many times, to our net-worth? Since our worth as an individual never changes, why do we so often base our personal worth on temporary things?

    Self-Worth

    Self-worth, as defined in the dictionary, is a sense of your value or worth as a person. It is your opinion of yourself. There are many ways to value yourself and define your worth.

    • Can you take credit for your work?
    • What do you value?
    • Would you associate your success with luck, or your talents and hard work?
    • What is your response when someone gives you a compliment?
    • Do you assume that others know more and can do more than you?
    • Do you believe that you deserve good things?

    Net-worth

    Net-worth is associated with assets and what we own compared to what we owe. Assets could include such things as property and money.

    To determine your net-worth, you would list your assets (what you own, savings and income) and subtract your liabilities (what you owe) from your assets.

    • How do you feel about your income, finances, and net-worth?
    • What are your values regarding money?
    • How do your spending habits support your values?
    • What amount of income feels comfortable?
    • Is there such a thing as, “too much” money?
    • How much money is too little?
    • Do you save without allowing for spending?
    • Do you spend without saving?
    • Growing up, what were some family attitudes surrounding money and happiness?
    • What emotions surround your view of money? (Stress, Joy)
    • On a scale of 0-10, where 0=scarcity and 10=abundance, what do you feel is your mindset regarding money?
    • Why do you have this view?
    • How can you link your spending habits with things that bring you joy?

    Is your self-worth dependent upon your net-worth?

    Our mindset surrounding money can create barriers to abundance in the same way as our mindset surrounding our self-worth can create barriers to confidence and success.

    For example, if you have struggled with self-worth or with finances in the past, despite a change in circumstances, sometimes those fears and the mindsets of lack can still hang on. Sometimes our minds don’t make the shift.

    At whatever stage we are at, we can begin to re-train the mind toward an abundance mindset. Both, in how we perceive our self-worth and in how we look at net-worth.

    What if our self-worth was bankable: non-ending funds and resources. Because that’s what our personal value is. It is intrinsically branded within each of us. It is beyond measure and never-ending.

    How much is in your self-worth bank account?

    And, what if our assets, or net-worth, were possessions such as kindness, love, and respect. Respect for all life. Respect for our planet.

    How would this change the world?

    Intrinsic Worth:

    Inborn

    Natural

    Built-in

    Deep-rooted

    Permanent

    Ingrained

    Photo@Unsplash

  • Micronutrients

    Micronutrients

    by Beth Haley

    We need a variety of nutrients for our bodies to function properly. Micronutrients help our bodies in many ways, from hormone regulation to immune response and so much more. By eating a balanced diet from a variety of whole foods, we can obtain the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.

    So what are Micronutrients

    Micronutrients are nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. We need these in small amounts. Although they are small, they are mighty in the many roles that they play within our body to maintain healthy functioning.

    Minerals are chemical elements found in foods which support areas such as bone structure and heart health. Examples of two miners are: Chromium (found in broccoli) and Magnesium (found in spinach).

    Vitamins are organic chemical compounds and there are 13 different kinds. Some dissolve in fat such as vitamins: A (one source is egg yolks), D (liver), E (almonds), and K (spinach). While others, like B and C vitamins, dissolve in water. We store vitamins which dissolve in fat, and so we can be less likely to become deficient in these. We need to replenish water soluble vitamins more often, because these pass through the urinary tract system.

    Phytochemicals: the word “phyto” means plant, and they are organic chemical compounds which we either don’t make enough of in our bodies or we don’t make at all, which is why we need to get them from food.

    Supplements

    A deficiency is when we have inadequate amounts of certain vitamins or minerals. This can be balanced through dietary changes or by adding a supplement.

    However, some supplements and elements can work against each other. Supplementing with one could be counterproductive to another. For example: supplementing with calcium can reduce your level of magnesium. Supplementing with zinc can reduce your copper.

    On the other hand, there is a synergy within nature and we can obtain a much better balance of nutrients by getting them through whole foods.

    Toxicity

    You would have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables to see a toxicity of an element, but with supplements, toxicity can happen easily.

    Having a varied diet and eating from all the colors of the rainbow, provides us with a multitude of mixed and diverse sources of micronutrients.

    Note: extreme deficiencies may need to be handled in a clinical setting.

    I made my first Moussaka!

    Photo@Unsplash

  • Pause

    Pause

    Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.

    -Cecilia Tran

  • Self-Care Practice

    Self-Care Practice

    In our busy lives, many times self-care can end up last on our list of things to do. And yet it is one of the most important elements for living life at our full potential and performing at our highest level.

    What comes to mind for you when you think of “self-care?” What nourishes and refuels your mind, body, and spirit on a deep level? Make a list of things you would like to make more time for.

    Self-care is what we make of it and it’s different for everyone.

    We could rush through a meal, not really taking time to enjoy it. Or, we could be mindful in the moment, present and aware, and really enjoy the act of nurture and nourishment.

    The same activity can either be a form of stress or an act of self-care, depending on how we see it.

    One assignment for school this week is to add some new ways to add more self-care to our routine.

    • What things speak to you on a deep level?
    • How can you make some space in your life to add one new self-care practice to your routine?
    • Add it into your calendar and share it with someone who will hold you accountable!

    Journal how keeping this new addition to your routine made you feel.

    Keep your list handy as a reminder to take time for yourself and continue trying out new things.

    Photo@Unsplash

  • Pet Therapy

    Pet Therapy

    Hi, my name is Peanut and I am a registered emotional support animal, or ESA. There were no vests in my size for an ESA, and so I have a service dog vest with an ID card in the pocket which shows that I am an ESA. With the proper documentation, such as a letter from your person’s doctor, we are able to go to many places!

    There are many kinds of animals that can be ESA’s, and there are many jobs that we do! Our main job is to provide comfort, companionship, and support to our special person.

    One of my gifts is knowing when help is needed and how to give it. This is unique to each therapy animal and person. This is why emotional support animals are owner-trained. Each situation is different, and many times, specialized training isn’t needed as we innately know how to give the support needed, by just being there.

    Emotional support animals truly assist those who need it. They can help their person have a much higher quality of life just through their unconditional love and companionship.

    One example of a therapy we offer is: a person with social anxiety can take us into social settings so that they are able to participate and interact socially instead of having to stay at home. We give courage.

    Today my job was to travel to North Carolina with my special person, Beth, so that we could pick up a blind patient to transport to a blind rehab clinic. In this way, I also do some therapy work with patients.

    I am a great co-pilot, but it is a lot of work!

    At the end of the day, I have earned every second of my next nap!

    ESA’s and Therapy dogs are not considered pets, and as such, are protected from housing discrimination by two federal statutes:

    • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
    • Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988

    Pet Therapy Prompt @ BeckiesMentalMess!

    https://beckiesmentalmess.blog/2019/08/14/august-14-2019-working-on-us-this-weeks-mental-health-prompts-for-blogging-community-week-11-topic-therapy-emotional-support-animals-pets/

  • Step Away

    Step Away

    If you need a break today, I found an enchanting bench in a beautiful space filled with Nature’s music.

    Step away with me

    A little haven and retreat

    From the pace of life

    Nature’s medicine

    Mind, body and spirit

    Time slows