Holiday Survival Guide

I love my family. I get a lot of joy from being with them and I look forward to Christmas because of it. But not everybody gets renewed and supported by their family, and holidays can be a bit of a torturous event because of it (I've heard). So here are some ideas to keep your holidays merry and bright.

• Bring a good book that inspires you and helps create a feeling of peace and balance. Try Spiritual Liberation, by Michael Beckwith. Read a bit in the morning before facing the day to keep you focused on your inner joy so the potential outer chaos has less of an effect on you. Buy Spiritual Liberation on Amazon here.

• Decide what reactions you have that are causing the most stress. At night, track your "Wins" for the day - the times you managed to resist reacting the way you typically do. You will be amazed how often your failing to react the way you typically do changes other people's behavior. There is actual brain research that people can become addicted to negative attention they get from your reactions and subconsciously seek it out. Don't give in, and they will often stop the seeking behavior. Crazy, eh?

• Eat protein with each meal and avoid carb overload, and spend time in the fresh air. You need energy to deal with some people!

• If all else fails, here is a great "special" Christmas hot chocolate recipe from whattodrink.com to help you get through the rough patches (no, I am not advocating drinking as a coping mechanism, but c'mon - it's Christmas!) :


• 2 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
• 0.5 oz Ameretto
• 5 oz. Hot Chocolate
• Add all ingredients into a coffee mug, stir well, top with whip cream, enjoy!

• Enjoy your holidays, however you manage to do that!
  

H1N1 Hysteria

There is so much hype and hysteria around H1N1 that I wanted to post some comments. No, things I say do not comprise the absolute truth on H1N1 - they are my thoughts and feedback on a topic that is fraught with confusion and, lets be honest, amazing "scarcity" marketing (the "we're running out, get it before it's gone, everybody wants it!" sales pitch). It is based on information that I tried very hard to attain from official sources, but it does rely on the accuracy of those sources.

As of today, the European Center for Disease Control (an independent organization) posts worldwide deaths from H1N1 at 6508 deaths (the World Health Organization has the reported deaths under 5000). The world population as of July 2008 was 6,706,993,152. 

Just to put that into perspective, in 2004 (in one YEAR) the World Health Organization reports that 2.04 MILLION people die of AIDS and 2.16 MILLION die from diseases of diarrhea. To further put the number of H1N1 deaths into perspective, the "regular" flu kills about 30,000 people in an average year in the United States alone (yes, American statistics - Statistics Canada is a terrible website to use!). Again, in ONE YEAR! That is almost four times as many deaths! In Canada, 135 people have died from H1N1. More people are killed by hippopotamuses each and every year!



So the chances of dying of H1N1 are very low (almost ANYTHING else has a better chance of killing you), but you still think - "if I CAN protect myself against it, I WILL". Reasonable argument, yes? Well, depends on what you know about what is IN the vaccines.




Check out SOME (just some) of the ingredients in the H1N1 vaccine:

• formalehyde - ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to ecosystems and human health (Environmental Defense Fund).

• Sodium Deoxycholate - has been shown to weaken the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and subsequently activate seizures.  

• Thimerosal - a form of organic mercury, long known to be very damaging to humans. After only 2 hour exposures, Thimerosal at micromolar concentrations causes neuronal membrane damage and alterations leading to cell death in immune T-cells. It alters DNA and brain function and studies out of the University of Calgary demonstrate the IMMEDIATE damage it does to brain cells(check outthis amazing video on the effects of mercury on brain neurons - you can actually watch the cells of the brain deteriorate - weeee! See Mercury Cause Brain Damage Video here!)

• Please note that there is a reported 10 Times More Thimerosal in Canadian Non-Adjuvanted H1N1 Vaccine (which they are recommending for children and pregnant women) according to the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

I don't intend to put down anyone who makes the decision to get the vaccine. Decisions about your health and the health of your family are decisions I whole-heartedly entrust to you. And I certainly don't mean to belittle the lives lost from H1N1. However, the intense focus on this one virus that is causing, statistically speaking, minor problems, is absurd. We need more perspective and less fear. There are safer ways to protect yourself against ALL illnesses (check out this article if you want more information on how to prevent H1N1 naturally!

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