Thursday October 28, 2021

Thursday October 28, 2021

– Third Quarter Moon Phase – realign, revise, reorient, surrender, complete

– Moon in Cancer Void of Course 2:02 AM – 5:07 AM moving to Leo

– Planting Calendar (from the Farmer’s Almanac) –  October 28th – 31st –A most barren period, best for killing plant pests or doing chores around the farm.
– Aspect of the Aeon Sophia: (Wisdom): Bhairavi (The Goddess who fortifies the heart)

– Aspect of the Aeon Thelete: (Will/Desire): Elias – God of the West

– Sabian Symbol for the Solar-Lunar Month – New Moon in Libra: “In the heat of noon a man takes a siesta” (& “A serpent coiling near a man and a woman”)

– Sabian Symbol for the Solar-Lunar Year: –“A Woman in pastel colors carrying a heavy and valuable but veiled load”

SUN – 06 SCORPIO: a gold rush tears men away from their native soil

EARTH– 06 TAURUS: a bridge being built across a gorge

Sometimes I like to share different things I am doing to work on my body. That would be diets and supplements and the like. Today I want to focus on the Liver.

Over the past year and a half, a lot has happened to make us think about health. The lockdowns did nothing good for my health. I did not get sick. But being stuck inside meant that we ate a lot more and exercised a lot less. While I shot up about 25 lbs., I have since lost it back – after a couple 1-month diets. And in that regard am feeling better.

However, other issues have come up. I am now 54 and get a regular checkup. While last year I got a clean bill of health, this year was not so good.

1) Arthritis has built up in my knees. I went through a month of PT and they feel better. but I am too young for replacement. I must follow a workout regiment pretty much every day now or else pain comes back. And god knows I am quite the barometer now. The East Coast Storm has me not moving too fast.

2) Hernia – This is not an age related thing. Most likely caused in the past 2 months carrying our 6yo son, who just had hip surgery. I finally found out exactly why we have the annual “turn-your-head-and-cough” test. Since I am not in pain, they can wait for a while. But that could change at any time and we will be screwed for a few weeks rehabbing.

3) Cologard – You know those cute commercials about a test that Doctors can give you to detect colon cancer. Well I took the test and got a “positive” result. Which means . . .  the medical establishment says I need to get a colonoscopy. This is more of a formality, but we will see.

So Why the Liver?

Getting old sucks. My own father passed away when he was 55. And the reason was liver failure. It caused a heart attack. But it sprang from the liver.

I do not often compare myself to my father healthwise. He was overweight, had high blood pressure and did not eat healthfully. He drank. But I cannot think that was the problem. It was more the combination of blood pressure medicine . . . and drinking. Ended up being a toxic combination.

I have always remembered my father’s health and aligned my lifestyle to not repeat it. When it happened, I was an athlete. I was training every day and controlling my diet and weight. 30 years later I am not in anywhere close to the shape I was in. But I pay attention and have intentionally tried to stay healthier through diet, lifestyle and exercise.

But my fether is not the only person in my life who has needed to watch their liver. Both my oldest son and one of my sons in law have been advised by their doctors to do something about having “Fatty Liver” in the past year.

So I really started looking into what to do about fatty liver. And of course, mainstream medicine says next to nothing. They recommend cutting back on drinking alcohol. And maybe eat healthier and lose weight. Add some exercise. But that’s about the extent of it. No explanation about what’s going on. What can help. Why it will help.

What I am Doing

I am putting together a list of things that I am personally trying to improve the functioning of my liver. Why? Your liver does a lot of things that keep you healthy. It turns nutrients into chemicals your body needs. It filters out poisons. It helps turn food into energy.

I do not believe there are any issues with my own liver. Of all the things my doctor has looked at, he has not seen a problem with my liver. But I see it as a pretty important part of my system and it makes sense to keep good care if it. So here are a few of the things I am doing. I invite you to consider some of them.

1 – Water

One of the best things you can do on a regular basis is to drink water. It is suggested that we drink 8 glasses of water a day. Does that mean it has to be just plain water? I do not know. But I will offer you my thoughts. Remember that whatever is in the water will also go into your body.

a- Drink pure water – You must decide whether the water that comes out of your tap is something that you should be putting into your body. We refer to our tapwater as Schuylkill Punch – after the river that washes down from coal country north of here. And frankly it is probably as gross as that. There are multiple sewage treatment plants along the river And at least 2 more down steam of here before it gets to Philadelphia. As we often say here over a dry summer, “flush a second time. Phili needs the water.”

From there you must choose whether you want to filter the tap water or buy clean water. It is your choice. And I will be talking about it more in future posts. But call it food for thought. Personally, I drink bottled Spring water from the store. We also have a Brita water filter that we keep in the fridge. But I will also admit that my coffee and iced tea are unfiltered.

b – I do not add calories to my drinks. For me that means no sugar. I do not use artificial sweeteners ever. Consider this meme picture about the sugar in different drinks. A 12 oz Coke is about 150 calories. That makes a big Gulp or a Super sized McDonalds drink pushing 500. If you fill your 8 glasses a day with Sugared Drinks, you may as well call it an extra meal.

c. My Coffee and Iced Tea are without sugar. That’s just me. Some people cannot drink these beverages without sweeteners. That’s up to you. But consider what those sweeteners might be doing to your liver, your kidneys, your gall bladder, your waistline. That being said, I have read that Coffee and Tea are good for your liver. I do not know if that is true, but for now I am running with it.

2 – Herbal Teas

There are a few herbal teas that they say are good for your liver. The two herbs I have head of are Dandelion Root and Witch Hazel. I usually have the Dandelion Root tea in my pantry and drink it a few times per week.  Traditional Medicinals is the brand I have used. And I will let you know, it tastes like tree bark. I do not sweeten. And frankly the stuff is not that great tasting.

I have not found a witch hazel tea. But I am open to suggestions.

3 – Supplements

I have found that supplements (ie vitamin pills) are an absolute no no with the mainstream medical establishment. Their reasons? In the end, I have no idea other than, well, there are no prescriptions for them. They are never going to go for a supplement.

Back in August, I started using a liver detox supplement made by Ascent Nutrition. I like it so far because it is natural and made with specific herbs for cleansing the liver. Specifically: Dandelion Leaf Extract,  Solarplast® Chloroplast Complex, Milk Thistle Seed, Artichoke and Enzymes.

I will be going into this in a lot more detail in the future, because I think it get’s to the “doot” of what I want to get to with this liver health thing.

What to Do

These are things that I am doing to improve the functioning of my liver. And I am interested to see where it gets me. There is a lot more to learn about it. Most of which I am sure will be buried deep in places that big people in power do not want little people to know. And have spent countless amounts of money trying to keep out of the public view.

Pay Attention!