Still Healing...

Hello, Everyone, It's Sunday Again... 

I know, I might have titled last week’s post with the same, or very similar, words. It’s not that I think of nothing else these days. I do.

The Building Where I was born!

It’s just that I always think of my health, my healing, my future.

Everything I read about these days is health-related, stroke survival.

Other—often times, anyway, I think of how to increase my followers. Not on FB, but on my own blog. I am very, very eager to increase these tiny, little two-digit numbers into big ones, that grow and grow from week to week.

I have just a bit of a challenge with focus, concentration and maintenance. That is, maintenance of my goals, once they are set. This is said to be a left-over from my Stroke. I have done what appears to me to be a great deal of reading on this topic. I am really read to find something much more direct and aimed at my present ‘problems’. Short-term memory loss, intermittent headaches and dizziness and, god forbid—hallucinations.

I know I have mentioned them previously, but I haven’t come upon anything directed to them. My questions are all quite simple. I.e., why are hallucinations always so danged scary? Why do they all take over the present vision of an item I have seen daily, all my life [trees, plants, flower pots]. None of these things are scary to me, but when my brain presents me with an alternative view, it is scary, for sure.

At this point, I must make better efforts in these directions, and dig deeper to learn more about hallucinations, how they start, from which part of my brain and memory they come and why, for heaven’s sake, are they all so danged scary? At least, mine are anyhow.

Now, for a bit about something else...

I had just begun to re-plan my future. Before the Stroke happened, I was even thinking of places I would like to live, what professions interested me. I even gave some thought to how I would get to those places.

Then, about a year ago today, my Stroke occurred.

Life is always changing, have you noticed?

Be encouraged, however.

Don’t be afraid of anything at any time.

Back To Health...

I am always concerned about my health, and yours. I am always reading about thigns I can do to take better control of my health, and gain a better understanding.

I have finally come to the conclusion that eating well is superior to any other diet or approach to weight-loss that I have encountered so far.

Beginning next Sunday, I will have an entry on health, citing various books and articles that I have read since I’ve been on the road to Recovery. I will be entirely delighted to hear your views and opinions and share information with you, on any of my posts.

Be sure to DrinkTeaToday/LiveWellAlways!

Enjoy!

Sandra d – www.thehealthreverend.com  

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African-American History: Love, Kindness and Heart Health

I am an African-American, Southern born-and-bred, Seminary-educated, ordained minister, raised and indoctrinated in the Southern Baptist Tradition. I believed for many years that sickness is somehow related to sin and punishment. I have independent study, experience and research into the various interpretations of sickness. I have extensive study and practice in the field of alternative health and wellness, including nutrition as disease prevention. Finally, I have studied extensively the relationship between belief and behavior. This post is my Valentine’s Day gift to you. I trust you will find this information enlightening, if not liberating. Liberation, as you know, is the ultimate goal of all learning.

NOTE: According to John Mbiti, in the African tradition of time, as long as the name of a departed is called, the departed remains with us. I, therefore, dedicate today’s post to the life and memory of my Fourth Sister, Tanya Renita Davenport. She departed this plane so very long ago, entirely too soon. Today is her birthday, Valentine’s Day!

Tea Party for My Sister!

Jane Roberts, in The Way Toward Health, discusses “The Broken-Hearted, the Heartless and Medical Technology,” making the following quote regarding heart disease:

“With many people having such difficulties, the addition of love in the environment may work far better than any heart operation. In other words, ‘a love transplant’ in the environment may work far better overall than a heart-transplant operation, or a bypass, or whatever; in such ways the heart is allowed to heal itself.” (p. 154).

Discussing the effect of beliefs upon behavior, Roberts states that people who are exercising strenuously and vigorously do so not because they seek good health; but because they fear illness and because they dislike their own bodies. (emphasis added). She speaks of the various levels of beliefs with which a person lives. For example, a person’s reasons for exercising are more important than the exercises that are performed (p. 157). Roberts also states that one’s ideas about one’s health are more important than steps that one might take to improve it.

Roberts states that there are some very basic religious beliefs which teach that illness and disease are God’s punishment (p. 163); however, she does suggest that many times illness and disease can be catalysts to life-style changes which a person otherwise might not have made, without the illness. She says that feelings of being ...

“ ... coldhearted, or heartless, ... will have a significant effect upon that physical organ; ... “She states that many people who have heart trouble have no ‘heart’ for life (p. 164).

Roberts talks not only of physical health, but it also provides sheds some light on the wholeness of the entire entity, “(W)e are not speaking of physical health alone, but of mental, spiritual, and emotional health as well. You are not healthy, for example, no matter how robust your physical condition, if your relationships are unhealthy, unsatisfying, frustrating, or hard to achieve (p. 233).”

An American Health Dilemma Volume One - A Medical History of African- Americans and the Problem of Race: Beginnings to 1900 (2000), by W. Michael Byrd and Linda A. Clayton discusses the historical medical/health experience of the African-American from pre-historic to present times. This source lays out the interactions not only between Africans and Europeans but also Africans and Arabs. The writers use data of various sorts to simply outline the ‘dilemma’ of African-American health and disease. One chart outlines the social causes of disease among the colonial slaves, citing among the reasons, the grief of enslavement. In a discussion of black health in the period 1731 through 1812, Byrd and Clayton report that, “In the south, blacks were sometimes permitted to practice folk and herbal medicine on fellow slaves ... (p. 241).” This source moves forward through the nuances of history, education and culture, with the notion of ‘scientific racism’ being the common thread. While discussing the education of Martin Delaney and Dr. John Sweat Rock, the first African-American dentist, they point out that at every hand, one after another obstacle to advancement was constructed (p. 308-310). The sum of these discussions is to point out that today’s health crisis among African Americans has its genesis in the three-way slave trade, hit its stride in the pre-Civil War through Emancipation Periods and today, continues unabated, even to the extent that present-day white physicians expect from and in some cases, unconsciously assign, poor health to African Americans (emphasis added) (p. 216).

My calling to ministry was to ‘teach and preach’. I have learned entirely too much to keep it to myself. If you find this information ‘off-putting’ in any way, I have done my job. The least that a teacher can do is cause the student to think differently. Please consider these things—think on these things—as you move forward through the year. You may be called upon to aid someone who has an ailing heart. The ailing heart may be healed just through love and kindness.
While we speak of heart health, I have added in the video below, just to give some extra edge, in case you need something to think about while you're resting. 

God is with us! Ashe!

SandraTeresa Davenport

The Health Reverend

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Good News: Great People, Small Deed, True Love = My Home Town!

 Great News!

Well, yawl know me, anything past a loud yawn is great news for me. I just love to have something to get happy about, so I don’t mind looking.

On my way down to Atlanta Saturday morning, my car ran outta water and I had to stop. Of course. It just happened that I pulled into the driveway of Bethlehem Baptist Church. A kind woman and her friend came immediately to my aid. The gentlemen put water in the car, got more [hot] water. The boiling stopped and I was on my way.

I am not giving their names because they might not want to be on my blog. But they did help me and I am so grateful. Things like this make me feel like somehow or other, everything is surely going to be all right.

Then, just today, I went to my volunteer duty at Habersham Habit and boy, did I hit the jackpot. I don’t have many rules but one of my strongest ‘don’t nevers’ is: don’t never buy anything anywhere until you go to Habitat to look for it. And then go again, before you purchase.  I brought home a terrific HP 6500 OfficeJet Printer, all for the low, low price of $6.50. That’s right: a mere six dollars and a half! Now, you tell me, ain’t that good news!? It is!

Next, I learned some very valuable information since I last posted: Low-Carb/High-Fat eating is an absolute winning combination. That’s right. In my case, however, need high-er fat. It seems that in the absence of carbs, the body naturally burns fat for energy, thereby, causing said body to lose weight. I’ll be coming back to this item in future posts.

Along with the above, I bought myself a set of weights AND a Weider Bench! That’s right. I haven’t brought the bench home yet but I have had a good workout. It was all just a great time. I did what I remember doing years ago in Cali when I started weight training and also what I did at Lee Haney’s World Class Gym! It’s gonna happen, you’ll see.

And finally, tonight I will resume my blogtalkradio show. Please join in. if not tonite, then Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Until we meet again, live well, and always, drink tea!

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