"Remaining present to your life will make it easier to see that there is really only serenity in your life today."
It is about staying in the NOW. It is all about staying in the NOW. Not the past, nor the future. To stay in the now might require Perseverance. Thomas Edison said this of perseverance--"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up". The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time.' I never gave up on letting go of the past, nor thinking of the future and trying to live in the NOW and remaining present. Today, I do not know any other way. Reiterating this to you reiterates this to me time and time again. Even at the lowest point in my life, I never gave up. I now believe that God was looking over my shoulder at every turn. Otherwise I would not be here telling you this story. I am not in a hurry to move on so quickly. I savor the moment.
I encourage you to relax. Breathe deeply. Practice your 4-7-8 breathing. There is always beauty around you if you take the time to open your eyes. A flower blossoms, the sun shines, the 3 year old smiles as you walk out of your lobby door. Every day has a purpose. Living in the NOW lets TODAY happen. Don't you want life to just happen? By living in the now, you will feel today's feelings. I mean really feel them. You must trust yourself that everything will be alright. There is no hurry. My Nanny used to call me her 'jackrabbit'. I was always hurrying around as a child. I was always trying to do as much as I could in a given day. Why was I like that as a child? I do not know and at this point in life (at age 50) it doesn't really matter. I look back at those times with a smile, and a tear. I miss my Nanny. I miss the stories. I used to sit for hours and listen to her stories. Whenever my brother cannot remember an old story--he calls me. I can tell those stories with her inflection as if it were yesterday. I was a very fortunate boy to have his grandparents living in the same household. Some of us never get that chance. I look back with a glance, and a wonder, but never for too long. I do not dwell on the past.
I was pondering on what topic would allow me to discuss the heart, an herb and enjoyment. Yes, there is a topic--the cacao bean, Theobroma cacao, also known as the cacao tree and cocoa tree. It is a small (4–8 m or 15–26 ft tall) evergreen tree in the family Sterculiaceae (alternatively Malvaceae ), native to the deep tropical region of the Americas. Its seeds are used to make cocoa powder and chocolate.
Would you have thought that chocolate comes from an evergreen tree?
Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavinoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radical damage that can lead to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide and balance certain hormones in the body.
An evidence based review published in 2009 studied the effect of chocolate on hypertension (blood pressure). The study revealed that consumption of dark chocolate and other foods derived from the cacao bean has been shown to decrease blood pressure. This research from a meta analysis of five controlled studies found significant blood pressure reduction in those using dark chocolate. There is even a 15 year prospective cohort study with 470 men who used chocolate consumption. Those using chocolate had reduced blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. The flavinoids found in cacao relax blood pressure by producing nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator meaning it dilates arteries allowing more blood flow, thus decreasing blood pressure.
Should I encourage my patients to eat dark chocolate (greater than 75% dark)? I sometimes do, but very carefully. I must ask about their other food habits. Are you a carbohydrate or sugar addict? If you are, I might consider only using one small square of dark chocolate. Can you just eat one small square and be satisfied? If you remember the seven lifestyle changes --addictions is the third lifestyle change. As a doctor who listens--I must evaluate for myself if there are some addictions already present before I advocate dark chocolate.
I became interested in chocolate long before it was popular. I helped develop a dark chocolate called Chocolate Passion. I also became infatuated with chocolate. I read everything and anything on Theobroma. I do encourage you to read The History of Chocolate. Studies have shown that chocolate can lower the bad cholesterol (LDL). Some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:
Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.
In April 2010 at the 62nd American College of Neurology conference a paper was presented on 44,000 individuals who consumed chocolate. The study results showed a 22% lower risk of stroke in those who consumed chocolate. Another study showed no association between stroke and chocolate consumption. A more recent study published this month (August 2010) stated that high quality chocolate may be good for your heart if it's eaten in moderation. This study does involve another cardiovascular disease, heart failure. Researchers in Boston examined data from a nine-year study of 31,823 women in Sweden to determine the effect of eating chocolate on heart disease and found that eating some of the sweet stuff may reduce the risk of heart failure. The key points were that women who ate an average of one to two servings of high-quality chocolate per week had a 32% lower risk of developing heart failure. In addition, women who had one to three servings per month had a 26% reduced risk. As with all herbs, more studies need to be done.
The benefits of chocolate extend beyond the cardiovascular system.
How many films can you think of about chocolate ? Sure, there is Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, both new and old version, but there is an even better one.
Chocolat tells the story of a young mother, played by Juliette Binoche, who arrives at the fictional, repressed French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter and opens La Chocolaterie Maya, a small chocolaterie. Her chocolate quickly begins to change the lives of the townspeople. The film was shot in the village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in Burgundy, France and was nominated for 5 Academy Awards. The cast is superb. This story imbues both wonder and angst within the classical villagers as it opens during the forty days of Lent.
Soon, Vianne's allure and confections enliven a married couple's aphrodisia, encourage an elderly man's secret love, bring rapport with a willful diabetic, and comfort an awkward woman who longs to leave her drunk and abusive husband.
This is a great chance to see Leslie Caron as Madame Audel. Remember Ms. Caron from Gigi with Louis Jordan and American in Paris with Gene Kelly. You will not see her dance in Chocolat, but she is magical herself. Let's not forget Dame Judi Dench
Don't rent this film, buy this film...
One day I will see a theobroma cacao in its purest form--as a plant. This is another dream I will add to my list. I will say this ---I am grateful for the life I have been given,--Beyond my wildest dreams...
For you, you will never view dark chocolate in the same way--
Until tomorrow...
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