Health Archives - Living Above the Noise

Lessons Learned From God’s Gift of Twins

In case you’re wondering where I’ve been…..I’m just catching up after a crazy-busy month!

Life sure has a way of getting away from us, doesn’t it? Just when we think we have things under control, something comes up and we’re off…..again!

Twins

A few months ago, my nephew and his wife shared the news. They were expecting. Then they discovered it wasn’t one little bundle of joy – but two! In our family, twins aren’t common, so this was really exciting!

But God has a way of teaching us lessons we don’t realize we need to learn!

Only a month after the news of twins, an ultrasound revealed that “twin B” had developed hydrocephalus. And so began the whirlwind ride in the last few months. Along with much discussion and research, there were doctor visits and consultations with specialists. There was prayer given for wisdom and for the baby’s health and healing. Plus, there were plans for the help needed along the way in caring for the other seven children who would wait out this time of uncertainty while their parents were dealing with the unknown.

I have been greatly blessed to share in this challenging time. My nephew and niece called on me to offer perspective and support during the birth and surgeries. A time when they might be too tired or afraid to think, and need medical perspective from my midwifery experience.

My daughter and I spent two weeks with them through the critical days of this trial. I am home now, but she stayed on to help with the adjustment to having both babies (finally) at home. And yesterday, we brought another of my daughters to the airport to help out for a few more weeks. This is the true blessing of service!

Our children become competent and mature in order to bless those in need. And God is glorified.

The NICU - Our 'home-away-from-home' for two weeks. — The NICU – Our ‘home-away-from-home’ for two weeks.

Trial To Trust

The realities of this trial presented some of the most tiring and frustrating experiences we have ever dealt with. There were many factors:

a mom and the healthy twin recovering from a cesarean section in one hospital
a hydrocephalus baby, it’s surgery, and recovery in another hospital
a tired dad who stayed nearly 24/7 by the bedside of his sick baby
a medical group who communicated poorly and had constantly changing standards of care
a dog who kept wetting the carpet because it missed it’s ‘mommy’ (yes, really! – the realities of home and family)
and many more…..

But through good and bad, this experience has been a huge blessing for us all! We have learned. We have prayed. We have gotten little sleep. We have seen friends and family offer help from all around, coming together to support one tired and fearful couple. We have cried. We have shared. But most of all, we have loved.

And finally, we have rejoiced in the constant presence of God in our midst. He provided healing and well-being to a baby that could have suffered great handicap. This “little guy” has recovered wonderfully from his surgery and continues to drink better each day from his bottle. His little misshapen head is slowly remolding from his battle with hydrocephalus. His valve continues to work wonderfully….and….there is Hope.

We are in awe at how God can use such a tiny baby to bring us together –

to teach us His ways – to show us His love!

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him……Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:12, 17

Prepare Now For A Healthy Future – A Healthy Season Of Menopause

By livingabovethenoise

If you’re only in your twenties or thirties, please don’t click off this post! There is something for you, I promise.

I’m sure that as wives and mothers, you’ve all thought about health and nutrition. You think about it for your family and understand that it’s your job to help them achieve health. But do you find it easy, and sometimes necessary, out of time constraints and energy level, to put yourself last on the list when it comes to achieving good health?

I’m not writing earth shattering information here. But there is one thing you might not have given much thought to, and that relates to a season of life, the season of menopause. And preparing for that season, by being in good physical condition, can help ease your transition into it.

So much of your changing needs before and during menopause has to do with getting used to your body having a much slower metabolism. Just when I thought I knew enough about healthy eating and exercise, and felt I was in pretty good shape, so began a new phase of life!

Be grateful and praise God every day for this body you’ve been given! It’s too easy to take it for granted. You’ll find it’s easier to care for yourself when you know it’s His body, not yours!

The Process of Change

As we age it’s even more important to look out for our health. Our bodies just don’t get the natural, day-to-day exercise we once had. Those little people who constantly needed to be picked up and cared for just aren’t in our daily lives! All the mess and laundry and cleaning that comes with lots of little people ends soon enough, and the clean and orderly home we once dreamed of is at our feet. That home can can be a bit sterile, in my honest opinion! But that’s another topic….

A slower season of life comes upon us before we know it, and believe me, those pear shaped bodies you hear about – well – they happen seemingly overnight!

Steps To A Healthy Transition

So what can you do?

1) Plan ahead, before your ‘change’ of life. I started this season of menopause many years ago, and really, I didn’t see a big difference in my weight gain. I figured I wasn’t going to be one of ‘those’ women who struggled with weight and staying in shape. So I didn’t have a health routine in place.

I was simply cruising, running on the ease I had before, back when my children were all little. But then it happened. In the last few years, both my activity level went down and so did my metabolism. Life changes as do our bodies. There’s nothing you can do about it.

2) Exercise. Start now. Don’t wait – pun intended! Begin an exercise routine: walk (get out that stroller and give everyone some fresh air), run (if you can!), do Pilates or get an elliptical (I am this month!) Just do something. Begin the habit of thinking – thinking about giving your heart and lungs and muscles a work out. Something more than lifting babies and laundry. It’s a habit that will reward you in years to come.

3) Start watching what you eat!

– Read good books or websites on healthy eating. There are so many out there. Just avoid the fads; the “you’ll lose twenty pounds in twenty days” methods. Look for books or sites that recommend whole foods in their original ‘skin’ so to speak – not from a box! Check out Trim Healthy Mama. I tell about it here.

– Checking the calorie content in what you eat makes a huge difference in whether you let that little dessert slip onto your plate – or those chips or M&M’s (yep, you know who I’m talking about!) But when you look at the calories those little offenders contain – oh my! You will begin to re-think what you put in your mouth! Even that occasional soda became the nemesis to me! I had no idea that a simple cola could add 160 calories to my day. I don’t drink them very often, but now knowing the truth, I can hardly enjoy one! I’ll stick to my home-soda machine, thank you!

4) Begin taking vitamins and supplements. The nutritional value of our food is at an all-time low. Depleted soil, food processing, and added chemicals are causing diminished nutritional levels in the foods we eat. Aging creates different nutritional requirements that stem from our body’s slower processing needs and the simple aging of cells and organs. We have used up many of our body’s reserves, added to the fact that we simply need different nutrition than we required when we were running at full force in our younger years.

All of this means that you need to understand your new needs. And for you who are in your forties, it’s even more important to know what your physical needs are, because many of you are still running at full capacity, but have less reserves to see you through. Many middle-aged moms are dealing with adrenal fatigue – the result of doing too much and running on empty. This won’t help you at all as you enter the menopausal years. Take care!

5) Decide what works for you. Ask yourself questions:

What will remind you to think about your health?
What will encourage you to think more healthy?
What will have to happen to get you to take your health seriously? Will it be a diabetes? Or stroke? Or maybe a heart attack? We think of heart disease as a man’s disease, but the studies are in – women actually account for just over half the total heart disease deaths in the U.S. (theheartfoundation.org). Believe it or not, heart disease kills more women than breast cancer! Learn the risks women face and don’t rely upon the media to teach you.

When we’re young we think we’re invincible. We need to pray for wisdom as to how to care for this body God gave us. Be smart. Learn what you can. Time goes by quickly and we’re suddenly in our 50’s realizing that it isn’t going to get any easier. Our bodies do wear out.

The Scriptures encourage us to remember our frame and Whom we serve:

You are aging every day.

“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” James 4:14

Your family depends on you to be in good health.

“She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her…” Proverbs 31:27-28

God calls you to be a wise steward of your body.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

He’s given your body to be used for His glory.

“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20

Our days are numbered. Your body – your life – and it’s seasons are given by God for all He wants you to be. Yes, even the season of menopause! Don’t take His precious gift for granted. Use these days wisely. Being healthy gives you the energy to do God’s work here on earth, for His glory and His purpose.

Here’s to a healthy season, no matter where you are!

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

Geranium Oil for Fever Blisters

By livingabovethenoise

I’m not one to tout the benefits of alternative medicine, mainly because I’ve seen one thing work for one person and then not work for another. Plus I’ve heard the sales tactics of many herbal and essential oil companies as they try to convince me that their product will cure many of my ills. But that doesn’t stop me from believing that many of them are safe and effective options and have been used for thousands of years.

Herpes Simplex – Cold Sores

I’m writing to share a tip that really worked for me!** I have that dreaded malady called ‘herpes simplex’. Yes, it sounds like something you don’t talk about, but it’s just the Latin name for cold sores or fever blisters. And if you get them, you know they are no fun at all. They are quite embarrassing when they take over your lip with a crusty sore and you feel so helpless just waiting it out.

Well, an over-the-counter medication that really works for these nasty blisters is Abreva. It’s a man-made chemical, docosanol, and it’s expensive, but it does shorten the duration and severity of the blister. Our family has used it for years.

But last week, after hearing that the essential oil, Geranium, works for cold sores, I decided to give it a try. With all the stress of our upcoming move, I had come down with a head cold, was extremely tired, and to top it off, I got that tingly sensation in my lower lip! Always the sign of an impending cold sore.

Geranium Oil – A Great Alternative!

So now was my time to experiment. It was a bit difficult to persevere, knowing that it might not work and I’d still be left with the remnants of a large sore on my lip for over a week. But, alas – on day two of putting a drop of Geranium oil on my sore every few hours, I realized that instead of getting larger and more sore, it was already drying up! What a pleasant surprise! And instead of lasting the usual, uncomfortable 7-10 days, it never even got crusty and was almost gone at day 5.

So, I can heartily recommend** the essential oil, Geranium, to treat herpes simplex (cold sores or fever blisters). One 15 ml. bottle of Geranium oil only costs 1-2x more than a tube of Abreve’ but will last at least ten times longer. I used the ——- brand (see note below), which is made with the purest distillation processes. I would recommend using only a highly reputable manufacturer of essential oils.

Update – Feb. 2013 – Another supplement that many people say works is L-Lysine. You can buy it in capsule form and 500-1,000 mg. a day should help the cold sores to lessen in severity. I again tried Geranium and L-Lysine for a new type of cold sore I’ve been getting lately – a sore in my nose! Oh, joy! But this one was gone in only three days using L-Lysine 3X/day for three days and putting Geranium oil on the sore, several times each day. I’m a believer!

Not a world-changing revelation, but one that offers relief to those of us who struggle with cold sores! If you have any suggestions for what has worked for you, please send in your comments.

And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. Exodus 30:25

**Please understand – this information is based on my experience and opinion. How you use essential oils is completely your responsibility. **The FDA is banning all “Brand” posts claiming that illnesses which can be diagnosed by a doctor cannot be described as treatable by alternative medicine, such as essential oils. Oh, well. I have removed my specific brand name and pictures, but I will be leaving the information relating to essential oils. I firmly believe in our right and need to educate ourselves about alternative medicine. Thanks for wanting to be smart about your health.