The Water of Life

How to Grow Old the Right Way Up

Saturday 26th April 2014

 

The Water of Life

 

Although most people know the benefits of it, I still come across many who phone the Doctor or reach for a pill or the expensive cream before looking into the most natural healer and beauty aid: Water.

As we all know, water cleanses, nurtures, and is essential to the survival of all known forms of life on this planet, not to mention it makes up between 50% and 70% of our own bodies.

Water and Beauty

Drinking cold water:

• Aids your digestive and urinary systems to get rid of toxins.
• Fight cellulite.
• Freshens and revives skin and hair.

Sprinkling it over your face and body:

• Hydrates and keeps for longer a youthful, fresh complexion.
• Over tired legs or after a hot bath or shower helps prevent and seriously lessen varicose veins.
• It also helps to keep your skin and muscles toned all over your body.

Silver Tea/Hot Water

Sounds elegant, refined, and I dare-say, slim! And it is: A very effective way to loose weight as it dissolves excessive fat in your body. If the water is filtered it can be very pleasant and it can be drunk with fatty meals.

Water and Health

Headache:      I wonder how often you have found yourself in a situation, such as either of these:

 

– It is the middle of the summer. You’ve been out gardening in the afternoon or playing sports with your children or doing some other strenuous activity, or:

– It is the beginning of the winter and the heating has been on for hours, full blast!

In both instances you wake up in the middle of the night with a massive headache: you reach out for the Paracetamol and you swallow it with a glass of water. You feel better.

I suggest you try the water on its own first. You are probably dehydrated!

Stomach pain or colic: You wake up in the middle of the night with a vicious stomach cramp often deep in your right side. You fear appendicitis or even worse, some colon obstruction.

You go to the Doctor. Not appendicitis, but you might have an obstruction in the colon or in the intestine if you haven’t been drinking enough water.

Next time, before panicking, calling the Doctor or taking a pill for the cramp, try water first. Your body might be trying to squeeze out dry food!

Dry, wrenching, painful cough: Don’t reach out straight away for the expectorant, the codeine sense numbing substance and the consequent side effects. (Read the label and know your remedies!) Before calling the Doctor, just try simple, plain, cold water. Add honey if that makes you happy.

Blocked nose: Guess what! Try water first. It might not be the first symptom of a bad flu, or your sinuses or hay fever. It might be once dehydration. It seems to inflame the mucous membranes and it can also cause sore throat. All because of lack of water!!

Cloudy mind: It might not be old age or depression: your brain might just need water!

Hangover: Most drinkers know that there is nothing better for that dreadful “morning after” than drinking more… water!

And the Foe! Yes! Even water is not good in excess and you can become dehydrated if you drink too much. At least a couple of people have been known to have died from drinking too much water!

Don‘t make of it another addiction. Just drink as much as it feels good for you. Remember, the nomads in the Australian forest live with only a few drops every day.

Finally a couple of recipes for beauty and health of body and mind:

–          Add to your water, hot or cold, lemon and a bit of honey. Excellent for colds, and just for taste.

–          Add 1/3 unsweetened apple juice, cinnamon and a bit of honey. Great for warming up if you use hot water. You can swap the apple juice for ginger beer for a bit of spice.

Happy drinking!

Patrissia Cuberos

 

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS

1. I am not a health practitioner of any description. The tips I will be giving are directly related to my personal experience and my experiences with family and friends who seem to have benefited from those tips. Please if in doubt, always consult a qualified practitioner.
2. With their permission I will be mentioning in these pages the names and expertise of many people who have contributed to my current state of health. See also the Links page. Whenever possible  and relevant, I will be leading you to their websites or giving you a direct contact if you ask me. Nobody is or will be paying me or rewarding me in any way for doing so. I will be doing it because they are wonderful practitioners, to whom I owe much and to whom I am very happy to direct people to, for the benefit of all. I don’t and won’t recommend anyone whose help and expertise I haven’t experienced and benefited from directly.

Advertisement

Since I didn’t make time to write a blog this week, here are a couple of links that might interest you

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-02-28/horizons-three-minute-exercise-plan

and http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2014/04/11/intermittent-movement.aspx?e_cid=20140411Z2_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium

Just going to do mine!

15. And the Killer was…

How to Grow Old the Right Way Up

Saturday 12th April 2014

15. And the Killer was…

All of them looked innocent. Further more, they honestly believed they were.

I interviewed them several times after the tragic events surrounding Sarah’s demise. Each of them had a perfect alibi: they were at home; she was in Hospital.

According to them, they had just been performing their functions as they were meant to, without any ulterior motive or dubious intention.

First I interviewed Sofa. These were his exact words: “I’ve always been here; still, soft and comfy… even though Sarah got me in a charity shop and I was already quite battered. I imagine I might not have been good enough for her; I know I have a weakness. I could never be firm with anyone… I am a softy.”

“But, didn’t you notice that something wasn’t quite right?”

“Sorry, I am very ignorant. I am not like TV or Computer who know all the answers. I just made sure that Sarah as comfortable as possible. I did notice that she spent more and more time on me and I felt really cherished. Not as much as Computer or TV though: they were her favourites.”

“Are you sure you didn’t notice anything?”

“Well… I noticed she became more comfortable herself: bigger and softer. I loved it. I could tell, week by week that her behind was getting better for me. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.”

I had no choice but to declare Sofa, free of all evil intentions.

Then I interviewed TV, who I knew was all excited and ready to be turned on…

“I’m always innocent!” She declared enthusiastically before I managed to ask any questions. “My jobs are to entertain and instruct. Mind you, Sarah liked to be entertained, best. I did my best; therefore Sarah spent many hours sitting on THE SOFA…” TV ended, looking accusatorily to whom she believed to be the culprit.

I ignored her and decided to interview Chair. Same as the others he denied all responsibility.

“Look,” he said quite indignantly: “I was the only one doing any serious job in this house! Sarah only used me when she was doing some proper work, and besides, at least I am firm!” Then, he signalled me to come closer and murmured in my ear: “If you are looking for the assassins, look no further: I know Computer and TV did it! Sofa also… and you haven’t asked bed!”

Bed? I thought. It hadn’t occurred to me that she might have anything to do with it, but I decided to interview her also;

“I did nothing!” she swore. “All I did was to provide her with a place to sleep and rest.”

“What about the hours she spent doing crosswords in the morning? You knew she was getting pain in her neck. You know you did much damage!” Chair shouted from his place.

I realized that Chair definitely knew something, even though I didn’t like his self-righteous attitude. “So…” I addressed him again: “Can you tell me how the symptoms started?”

“I am innocent! I am innocent!” cried Sofa, TV, Computer and Bed in unison. I suspected neither of them was innocent; not even Chair, but at least he was ‘firm’ as he had said, and he might be able to provide some answers and make the other’s chip in.

“I’ll tell you what:” I said trying to pacify them. “Let’s say that all of you are innocent until proven otherwise. I just need to know what happened, and the order in which it happened.”

“It was while working with me that Sarah first complained about her right shoulder…” said Computer Sheepishly, “I think you should ask Mouse… He was never good for her.” He ended.

“Sorry… Sorry!” Mouse squeaked, sniffing loudly. “I didn’t know. I’m just made this way. I’m so sorry!”

“Actually, she was also complaining about her sitting bones… particularly the left side…”

Chair confessed, losing his initial arrogance.

“And I know she always got a neck ache when the cross words took her too long.” Bed admitted, avoiding my gaze.

At this stage Sofa begun to cry: “I knew I wasn’t firm enough! I never was! Her poor lower back was aching awful when she sat on me for too long!”

“But, what did she do, when she had all those aches? Did she stop doing whatever she was doing?”

“No!” they answered mournfully.

“She took painkillers.” Said bed.

“Did she change position? Did she do some exercise?”

“No.! The mournful choir burst again.

“But, Computer and TV: you could have told her to do more exercise… to move more.”

“We tried.” They answered “But she was too busy to pay any attention.” Computer ended.

“She just got worse and worse, ended in a wheel chair, then in hospital with liver dysfunction. She was taking lots of remedies: painkillers, anti-depressants, laxatives, remedies for her liver and digestion, vitamins and minerals…We couldn’t do anything to stop it!” Bed sobbed, hugging Bedside table who had opened her mouth to show a drawer full of medicines, pills and bottles of all ages, colours and sizes.

“Don’t worry guys…” I reassured them writing my final statement: –Slow suicide. – on my notebook. “I can see it was not your fault. You are all exonerated of all blame. Try to take care of your next owner, but I know that we humans are able to use, even the best of our inventions against ourselves.”

 

For the last few weeks I have been suffering the consequences of my favourite activities. Two weeks ago, my shoulder seized up due to too much writing (and here I am again!) and too much sewing (proud about my accomplishments, but in pain!) A body like mine doesn’t take kindly to any excesses. I’d love to write, play the piano, and sew, in excess. For good or for bad, my body gives me the pain signal, so I have to change to an activity that doesn’t involve sitting down or using my right hand and arm. I have let it go too far this time and going for long walks, stretches and yoga, writing standing up, watching TV squatting or doing stretches, won’t do the trick. I will have to take myself to my osteopath on Monday, and for today, I will have to resort to a (one!) painkiller with anti-inflammatory properties. I can’t remember the last time I took one. At least three years ago. By the way, my wonderful Osteopath is Clive Lindley-Jones from Helix House. A real magician. I’ll tell you how I do, next week, although I will try first to intensify the yoga and back exercises.

14. Alternative Way for an Alternative Life

How to Grow Old the Right Way Up

 

Saturday 5th April 2014

 

14. Alternative Way for an Alternative Life

 

Surely my mother had no alternative when I turned up as a relatively unwelcome present on her forty-sixth birthday. After sixteen pregnancies, she had had her Fallopian Tubes tied three years before. She went on a diet for six months of the pregnancy, nursing what she thought was the onset of menopause and not a new baby!

As a consequence, I was born with a murmur in the heart, an undeveloped liver and a weak constitution. Throughout my childhood, I had to endure an unfair amount of pain and discomfort, followed by the same unfair amount of injections, antibiotics, bullying, operations, and the customary string of side-effects, in spite of having being brought up in a home, where herbs and homeopathy were included in our first-aid kit. My Gran mother had been the first woman practising homeopath in Colombia.

I arrived into adulthood with chronic anaemia, a lifetime of pain and digestive problems, and a hypochondriac’s label, kindly assigned to me by my siblings. But I had kept the same resilience I had shown when I overcame the gigantic obstacles surrounding my birth. However, I was sure I wasn’t meant to reach middle age.

When I was twenty-six, aware of my deplorable state, a kind friend gave me a present that, in her own words, I would “never forget”. She paid for my first visit to a prestigious Bogotá’s homeopath. Within weeks of starting treatment, my health gave a real turn for the better.

Ever since, I have encountered and used many types of alternative approaches to healing myself and my four children. We have used antibiotics, painkillers or conventional medicines only a handful of times over the last 30 years. We have overcome my chronic anaemia, my liver and digestive problems, my son’s asthma, my daughter’s whopping cough, urinary infections, etc with homeopathy. My arthritis is kept at bay and my levels of energy are excellent for my age.

I have used most alternative therapies, particularly Homeopathy, Yoga, Mindfulness and Meditation, Osteopathy, Shiatsu, Massage; also, conventional Physiotherapy. In my view, if the practitioner is good and I do my homework, the therapy works.

Instead of going around on four wheels as I used to fear, I go around the lovely Banbury paths on my two wheeled friend which makes me feel as if I was twenty.

 

(First published in the Banbury Magazine December 2007)

 

I respect medical opinions and diagnoses and I wouldn’t like to offend any good intentioned, honest and dedicated practitioner, but the reality is that much of the medical profession stands on the stilts of the Pharmaceutical industry, and the Pharmaceutical industry stands on the stilts of pain killers and repeated prescriptions. It is not convenient for them that patients get better.

I am sure the biggest majority of Medical practitioners are as innocent as you or me, when they prescribe remedies that simply suppress the symptoms for a limited period of time. Often, we don’t find a cure because we are busy keeping our illness happy by attending to the relief of symptoms rather to the treatment of the causes of the disease.

Sadly all this is supported by our laziness: it is so much easier to take a pain killer than to do a 10 minutes exercise routine…

 

Are you keeping your illness happy?

 

Or are you making sure you can continue living a useful happy life without being pushed around before your time?

 

A bit achy now, so off to do my first 15 minutes Yoga routine of the day.

 

Patrissia Cuberos

 

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS

1. I am not a health practitioner of any description. The tips I will be giving are directly related to my personal experience and my experiences with family and friends who seem to have benefited from those tips. Please if in doubt, always consult a qualified practitioner.
2. With their permission I will be mentioning in these pages the names and expertise of many people who have contributed to my current state of health. See also the Links page. Whenever possible  and relevant, I will be leading you to their websites or giving you a direct contact if you ask me. Nobody is or will be paying me or rewarding me in any way for doing so. I will be doing it because they are wonderful practitioners, to whom I owe much and to whom I am very happy to direct people to, for the benefit of all. I don’t and won’t recommend anyone whose help and expertise I haven’t experienced and benefited from directly.