JULY 21, 2010 Mom's Birthday

JULY 21, 2010



"Do not let the grass grow too high before you speak your mind."
--Vincenza (Vincetta,Vinnie) Calamis Fratellone


Letting go of the past. This has always been a very difficult task for me. It has taken many prayers and a great deal of meditation time to understand how to do this. I do believe that God has a birth date and a death date for each of us. It is not a religious belief. I also believe that some people know when there time is near.

On June 1, 1982 my mother had all of her bank/security boxes changed. On June 3rd and June 4, 1982 she went to the St John's emergency room with a severe headache. Both times she was told it was a migraine and given medication. On the night of June 5, she was to attend an event with my father for the Knights of Columbus. She changed her mind at the last minute and asked me to go in her place. Minutes later she wanted me to stay home and give her a cup of tea.

Simultaneously as my father was heading out the door and I was bringing her the tea, she screamed , grabbed her head and her eyes rolled back. Father and son start CPR. Embarrassment from a son's point of view yet he was a medical student. 911 is called. It seems like hours before they arrive, although I am sure is was sooner. I cannot recall. My mother is in ICU on a ventilator with no brain function. It was not heart related, but a bleed in the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage). Prognosis grim. My father is asked to consider disconnecting respirator which is done on June 10, 1982. My mother is gone.

It seems that this could not be real. But it was. As some of you read this you might have similar stories. Similar circumstances happened to her brother only four years earlier.

How do I let the events go? For years those events haunted me. Did I do something wrong? Were my compressions not enough? Did my father do the correct breaths? It was a nightmare for years. I felt 'less than'. I drank my sorrows for years.

Today I believe all happens for a reason. My mother participated in the planning of her life- the events, her family, the raising of her children et al. She did all this to work through issues. It was a lesson for me to learn. My past has not been an accident nor a mistake. It has been many life lessons. I embrace my past history (moments of perfection and imperfection) with love, anger, tears, and joy. I can also do the same for past love relationships. I can also do the same for my mistakes and for my tragedies. We all have been through this.

Do you think there is a coincidence that my 'new mom', Rick's mother Nancy was born on the same day as my birth mother? It is not a coincidence. It is God's way of telling me - all is alright.
I have always celebrated my mom's birthday since 1982. It used to be painful, but today I celebrate it with love. I also have Nancy's birthday to celebrate. Although born in different years, their astrological sign is the same, Cancer. Although a crab, both are not crabs. They are loving, compassionate, steadfast, creative individuals.

I know as I pray for mom, she is thanking me for being the man I have become. She smiles down with tears in her eyes. She sees the boy she raised. She is happy and I am happy for having known her for twenty years. Nancy is her physical replacement eyes. Nancy gets to see what mom cannot see physically.

God gave me other replacement moms until he put Nancy in my path. They too, are physically still here: Aunt Mary, Aunt MaryAnne, Aunt Susie and Barbara B. Each have played a vital role in getting me to where I am now.

For today, I will let go of guilt and fear of my past and present circumstances. I can now trust where I have been, where I am going and where I am at this moment.
Happy Birthday MOMS!

This is only the second time in this blog that traditional medicine is not discussed. Today's blog does relate to an aspect of healing, however: spirituality.

Until tomorrow...

A Metabolic Day- Aztecian Day

March 22, 2010 Monday

"Spirituality is growing in the knowledge that WE do not have all the answers"

Who has the answers? Certainly not all the doctors and scientists. I hope all doctors are the funnels of knowledge to the patients. If optimum energy is available to your body on all levels, including a cellular level, then all your organs and systems will be balanced and efficient.

Take our a piece of paper and draw the five Olympic Rings. Think of the first ring to the left as representing carbohydrates and allergies. It is important to decrease your simple carbohydrates as we talked about previously. Also you MUST have your food allergies tested. Most Americans have dairy and wheat allergies and do not even know it. The allergy testing I am advocating is IgG RAST testing. This is by blood, not a skin test to reveal delayed hypersensitivity. This is the gut reaction to certain foods. Both dairy and wheat are acidic foods. Other foods that drive the pH down are the night shade vegetables (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers), meats, eggs and high glycemic fruits. Some of these high glycemic fruits are mangos, pineapples and watermelon.

If you eat simple carbohydrates and have allergies, then your pH, which is the middle Olympic Ring, will be low. We need your body pH to be between 6.5 - 8.0. If it is less than 6.5, the body is acidic. Acidic pH propagates disease and can cause disease. Alkaline pH makes the body heal faster and decreases progression of disease.

There is no one single diet that can accommodate everyone's needs. There needs to be a balance. I was discussing this today with someone who has not had animal protein in his diet in a while yet he feels he needs some. He could follow the Blood Typing Diet, be Type O blood and crave meat. He is not Type O blood but meat does make him feel more energetic. I think we as individuals should feel and know what is right for our body. No one can say a double-layered chocolate cake is right for their body. It might fill an emotional need. Perhaps you are ending a relationship, trying to restart a friendship, or even reconnect and get rejected--does this give you the right to make the wrong dietary choice when you know it is not good for you?

The book, The Metabolic Typing Diet, by William Wolcott attempts to do this for you. It is not complicated but can be for the non-scientific individual. You need to customize your own diet by getting some testing done by your health care provider. I believe one of the most important lifestyle changes to be dietary. A dietary lifestyle change can prevent and reverse degenerative disease, strengthen your immune system, achieve and maintain ideal body weight, optimize your physical energy, increase mental clarity, overcome mood swings and enhance athletic performance. This is one of the seven lifestyle changes you need to try the best to your ability. No one is perfect.

Remember: It is progress not perfection.

The needlepoint above was given to me as a gift. I had to add a side to the canvas because it was not symmetrical. The finished canvas was framed. Photo Credit: Rick Byrd. Looking back, did I really need to make it symmetrical? Probably not because life is not symmetrical.

Until tomorrow...