Relationships: How to Improve

As a sequel to the blog on how to make your brain smarter I wanted to add a video that would read aloud a listing of uncommon words to improve vocabulary and activate new neural connections and synapses’. I didn’t quite find what I had been looking for one,, but I came across a result that peaked my interest, Improving Your Self-Image with Your Words.


Now, I have not ever been a fan of televangelists. In my limited experience I’ve seen them as money-motivated and hypocritical, but the title of the video I came across was so promising I kept listening even past the religious chant.


As I listened it became clear that this evangelist was different, he seemed to actually care that what he was saying would be helping people; and he gave examples of how he used the advice in his own life including his failings. Not only that, but it's as if he's read my blog and started using parts of it in his speaches! I know it's typically called a sermon and not a speach, but I think sermon connotes preaching, which I associate with my sterotypical definition of televangelist and therefore it does not seem an approriate description of the below videos.

I went on to listen to the entire three part series and was hooked. Then, I listened to another called Bringing out the Best in People and another on Relationships and Marriage.


On hearing this last one it occurred to me that a blog I had written earlier on relationships was not complete. I had told about my experiences in an unhealthy relationship and how to move on from a destructive union, but I had neglected to address how to work at it first.


Marriage is a commitment made when you believe the other person is worth giving over the rest of your life to and just giving up on that at the first difficulty is not good for our soul. I thought of how I should explain the points of how to go about bringing back that belief through our own actions and words and that by doing so the other person will also begin to grow towards a supportive, healthy and respectful partnership with you. However, I do not have the personal experience of carrying out these tools so I think it is best if I just add the videos for you to watch below. Fair warning, it begins very typical of televangelists, but trust me bear through it, it will totally be worth it.




Bringing Out the Best in People & Yourself


Part 1 People are brought into our lives for a reason.



Part 2 When you believe the best is people you bring out the best in people.





Part 3 Compliments are the Glue of Relationships.






Relationships Marriage and the example you set as Parents
(warning these next two have a louder audio so you may want to adjust your volume first)











Improving your relationships : Keeping Strife Out Of Your Life 










Improving your relationships: When the flame fizzles









Improving your relationships: Minor Adjustments for Major Improvements




I hope you find this inspiring and that it gives you a new perspective and some tools to use. Wishing you the best in all realationships and a life you can Enjoy!

Groundhogs! Argh!!!

One of the things that I looked forward to with having my very own house was that I would have space for a garden. A garden that I would not have to worry about other people grocery shopping in. So, one of the first things I did after moving in was--you guessed it-- planted a garden of vegetables.

I have...
Big boy tomatoes

Yellow pear tomaotes

Sweet lady tomatoes

Purple Cherokee Tomatoes

Chocolate tomatoes

Orange Tomatoes

Purple Hill Peas

Peurple peaock beans

Lima Beans

Brocollini

Yellow squash

Gooseneck squash

Caspar pumpkins

Yellow watermellons

Sweet giant Watermellons

Goliath pumpkins

Sleeping Beauty eggplants

Purple Peppers

Orange Peppers

Two banana trees

Two Cherry bushes

Sweet Crisp Apple tree

Another variety of apple tree and

Lavender

I began this garden back in May. I used plant specific soil and fertilizer and religiously watered daily as wells as fertilized. I purchased marigolds for the perimeter because it deters pests and placed moth balls to keep out the rest. I sprayed with a solution of water and fish oil and watched them thrive in appreciation.

Now, knowing all this guess how many bushels of fruits and vegetables I've gotten out of this wonderfully stocked, meticulously cared for garden?

Two tomatoes and four squash! Why so few you ask?  Well, I only have one thing to blame.....

The Ground hog!

Yes, you evil prize-winning-eggplant-eating little fluffer! You and I are at WAR! I've seen you skulking around the fruits of my labor pillaging, destroying and molesting the the juicy goodness I've worked to hard to rear. Stealing the life from them just as they are coming into the prime of their lives!  Devouring my dreams and aspirations of becoming a gourmet who lovingly cultivates the ingredients in a magical garden out back. I know they are tempting and quite possibly may seem to be flaunting their delicious ripeness at you, but have some willpower for heavens sake! You know their not yours. Its not like you planted your own near by and accidentally mistaken mine for yours! But.... I can see your point. Why make them so appetizing if I don't want you to eat them...?

So, today I've got a fun surprise for you. I seasoned every inch of fruit, vegetable, leaf and soil with liberal amounts of Epsom salts and coffee grounds. Now lets see how deliciously sweet a nice large bite of burnt caffeine and salt flavored fruit is. I bet that'll learn ya! If not then perhaps some caddy-shack-dynamite will!

You CAN become Smarter AND Regain Your Memory!

Tuesday, September 19, 2011, 11:07pm

Our brain is malleable. It is continually changing throughout our lifetime.Whenever we are stimulated by something new our brain files it and creates neural connections between what we've just learned and associations of what we've learned in the past. Each time we access that file the path to it becomes stronger and more defined allowing us to remember it easily.

When we fail to use a path it becomes weaker. In a sense it is like a dirt path, the more we travel down it the more pronounced the swath, but stop using the path and eventually it becomes overgrown with grass and you find yourself saying, "Now I know that used to be around here somewhere."

Its the same with your brain if you don't continually use it you lose it and that's when you begin to forget things- like where you put your keys or the name of the person you were just introduced to five seconds ago.

The other thing is that the brain is kept sharp by taking in complicated sounds. When an auditory stimuli enters through the ears the brain has to work to differentiate and categorize each sound. If you feed it noise, as in sounds that are impossible to make out it becomes foggy and less capable because you are teaching it to specialize in fuzz instead of clarity. Which means your brain will look for sounds that are closely related to that fuzz. The problem is that most of the sounds on our planet are clear and sharp so it takes it longer to process clear sounds and you end up again not being able to focus and having lag time in recognition.

This is why listening to a complex musical piece by Mozart can make you smarter.

Through training your brain to work better and faster, you can reverse memory loss, dementia, alzheimers, dyslexia improve eyesight, regain hearing, improve brain function in those with disabilities and studies have shown improvement in brain damage, phobias, obsessions, autism, Parkinson's and schizophrenia.

There are 3 stages for the brains growth. They are measured in epochs.

Epoch 1-The brain is continuously taking in everything that happens around you. The more varied the sounds and sights the more complex and specialized the brain becomes at processing. 

Epoch 2 -Gains primary skill repertoire. Masters skills based on experience. The brain-body connections learn through trial and error until it becomes a sophisticated user of information between the body and the brain. Also, at this stage the brain makes an evaluation and controls what it wants to learn based on what it believes is important and good for it. It evaluates the success of an attempt and will choose to save the information used to accomplish the success. The success is based on the model it has seen done by other people. Once it has achieved the model it has aspired to and gained the positive goal it records it as a success.

Epoch 3- Uses what you've learned so far. The brain begins to predict what is going to happen based on what it has learned. It associates past experiences, sounds, sights, smells, emotions.

You can mess up a brain with a bad childhood or bad genetic history. However, it can almost always be corrected by guiding it in the right direction.

Children with difficulty learning have a noisy brain and therefore it sets longer time constants because it needs a longer time to process what it has heard or seen.

Richness in the environment greatly effects the way a child's brain learns. It has been found that in professional households children have developed a more complex brain than those reared in lower income homes.
Why?

Because in a professional household there is not the financial stress and anxiety that is found in low income homes. Studies have shown there to be a 30 million word difference between high income and low income homes. Also, the complexity, elegance of the language and the nature of interactions of the child with language varied drastically.

In a low income home children often were spoken to in short sentences and with approbations--that is negative reinforcement. In higher income homes children experienced a positive communication and affirmations.

The low income children, therefore, acquire a negative attitude about language. They learn that language is about getting into trouble and have a limited view of learning language whether speaking or reading or writing. These are the children that will do anything not to be called on in class and tend to fail in language geared studies.Typically, these children are 5 years behind a child who sees language as a positive tool.

Exercises that excite the brain can correct degenerated intelligence in children, adults and even subjects in their eighties have shown a significant increase in brain power. Re-stimulating the brains power and efficiency by as much as twenty years younger and science predicts that they can triple that number.

So, how do you do this? 

1. Challenge your mind. Do something different, the more difficult the better. As the Education Lady suggests:  Start by brushing your teeth with  the hand opposite of what you normally do. Once you've mastered that add balancing on one leg. Here is her video.

You can take common everyday things and do them differently. The key is to be active and present in your daily tasks. When you have done something so many times that it becomes automatic you are just using old information. You are not exciting the brain and challenging it to create more neural synapses and paths.

Little moments of correlated activity is what our brain remembers, so pay attention to the details.

2. Take a Brain training course. There is actually software that has been created to do exactly what we've been talking about. Relative to software it seems expensive, but compared to the alternative it is extremely cheap.

For children and teachers go to http://www.scilearn.com/
For adults go to http://www.positscience.com/

3. If you can't afford the software then learn another language or pick up a musical instrument. Anything that engages multiple aspects of complex body-brain controls are ideal. Such as playing the piano, you use fine motor movements to play the keys, you have to listen to hear complex notes and you have to read at the same time.


4 Some video games can be helpful, but you have to be careful. Spending too much time in a game or day-dreaming can hinder your brain power. When your in reality be present in the world around you and  actively pay attention to details.


5. Another way is to practice Brain Gym. I won't go into depth on this right now, but I've included examples below.




6. You can also listen to music that has complex sounds, like Mozart. The internet is full of brain training music. I've included a couple below. This works best with headphones.






Dr. Michael Merzenich's speech is the major source for this blog.

Wishing you the best and healthiest brain, Enjoy!

Sunday: Relationships: What to look for.

Sunday, September 18, 2011 11:19 pm 


Today, I read a newsletter on beginning a relationship with someone who is spiritually minded or at least emotionally compatible. Often when we begin a relationship the chemistry of pheromones and the excitement of something new create a formula for blindness. This blindness prevents us from seeing the signs and listening to our spirit, intuition or gut. The author of the newsletter is currently working on her second book on the subject of relationships. In the article posted below she lists some of the characteristics and signs you should pay attention to and prompts you to listen and act when your gut it speaking.  I've highlighted the major points in her article and added my own story below. I hope that my experience will persuade you to listen to your intuition.

From the Desk of Sister Jennifer James    Sept 10, 2011   To the SA Newsletter in the Kansas City Region

      One of the most challenging life-lessons I've had to learn while being single has to do with being careful.  We all have this template of the Gospel that encourages forgiveness, charity, grace, and mercy, along with the principle of Atonement that says we all can make changes and have second-chances to overcome our "natural" man/woman" issues, move forward and grow.  In new dating situations, however, we've been counseled by Brothern to "keep our eyes wide open in courtship and then half-shut in marriage."  In dating, that transulates into paying closer attention.

      It's imperative that we are keenly aware, mindful and open to the Spirit's promptings, along with our instinctive (gut) reactions when we're dating individuals of the opposite sex.  To disregard our own internal compass often means trouble.  Personally, I've sometimes ignored my instinctive feeling after meeting and spending time with men whom I've dated.  Within the first three meetings you can get a sense for who these people are, and must remain neutral to evaluate the potential in a truthful way.  If your instincts tell you you're safe, secure, respected, then continue.  If they tell you to "RUN!" then pay attention.  Those times when I was told internally that "things are not quite right," and I didn't listen, caused me wasted time and  painful experiences that were unneccessary for me.  This lesson is so significant in dating-to-mate.  If I had followed the  prompting, I would not have spent many months dating a life-long porn addict (I had no idea), or 6 months with a passive-aggressive bipolar monster, both who treated me  poorl but tried to confince me that it was "my fault."

      What should we be seeking in a mate?  Most of us tend to desire physical appearance at first, followed by a gregarious personality.  Sadly, those features in a person have nothing to do with the qualities needed in sustaining a healthy relationship.  The qualities we should be looking for in a mate include (and should be qualities WE offer as well:

      * Abject honesty.  Do you know what is going on?  Is it accurate with what they tell you (or don't tell

          you)?

      * Character:  What they say is what they DO!  They're responsible, not lazy.

      * Loyalty:  Do you have priority in their lives?  Do they stray?  Are they "busy" and have little time for

          you?

      *  Emotionally available:  Will they dialogue, discuss and negotiate during conflict?  Will they share 

          their feelings in situations rather than avoid, hold back, or ignore them, or you?

      *  Attentive:  What/who has their heart and attention?  Do they do the little things that build relation-

          ships between you both?

      *  Communication:  Are they effective problem-solvers or do they use defensiveness, criticism, false

          accusations, or shame/blame to grab power/control and seek only to "win" in a disagreement?

      *  Self-Worth:  Do they like themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin?  Do they have active,

          meaningful lives that impact others positively? 

      *  Chemistry/attraction:  Can your heart truely love and accept this person for who they are, without 

          trying to dramatically change them?

      President Spencer W Kimball wrote (Miracle of Forgiveness) about successful relationships.  He said, "the sussessful marriage depends in large measure upon the preparation made in approaching it...One can-

not pick the ripe, rich, luscious fruit from a tree that was never planted, nurtured, nor pruned" (pg 242).  We

need to be not only preparing ourselves, invoking, Ether 12:27, with humility, to overcome our own weaknesses, but also seeking a companion that has also prepared and made significant sacrifices throughout his/her life that has positively shaped their own character.

      Many times, it's chemistry/attraction that creates a fantasy expectation where we assume that because we enjoy their company or are phsically compatible, that they automatically have all the other qualities necessary for healthy partnership.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It takes time and experience to see a person's character and choices, and see whether they reflect a prepared person and someone who has not done the work of relationship.  In dating relationship I experienced, I assumed he was wonderful, because we had so much in common, including a shared sense of humor, and great attraction.  Yet, when I asked him to help us move my daughter out of her apartment, he refused.  When I was busy in the kitchen preparing a meal for us, after my long day at work, he sat down at the table expecting to be fed and didn't offer to help.  When my sick cat ralphed in the living room, he sat sown on the couch and watched me clean it up, while he demanded I supply him with medicine for his allergies, which I'd given him earlier and he had misplaced.  Do you see the pattern?  Yeah, so did I.  This was a man, who, for all the fun we had, did not have a compassionate, serving heart.  It was no wonder.  Those red-flags incidents reflected a man who sought a life of pornography and Church inactivity (he did not admit to this until I caught him).  The signs are there, if we pay attention.

      So what should we avoid in a dating partner?  Here are some signs to look for:

      *  Addiction:  If someone does not have at least three years of sobriety on his own, before you meet him,

          RUN.  Do not suffer the addict who has not committed to the work of recovery with individualized,

          active, devoted work of study, attending 12 step, individual counseling, and has overcome the struggle

          ON HIS/HER OWN. 
          When involved with a current addict, you will find that it's all about him...his addiction...his recovery....his maintenance...his relapsing.  This is an unequal relationship that creates severe hardship.  Addictions take many forms: Anything excessive can be classified as an addiction whether it's over/under eating, over exercising, pain medication, porn, drugs, alcohol, hoarding, etc.

      *  Selfishness, Entitlement:  Does he/she ask you what you want? Do they control the raltionship by wanting things "their way" and dominate?

      *  Playing "victim or Being Needy - is this person an individual or do they need "taking care of?"  If someone is immature emotionally, appears inept or helpless, or if you have to rescue, act as a parent to them much of the time, police their actions, this is a toxic situation.

      *  Rage/Anger:  This is an abusive gesture.  Do you feel intimidated or do you fear this person?  Do they react in anger when there's conflict or difference of opinion?  Do they call you names, criticize excessively, guilt you or even falsely accuse you to divert attention from their rage?  It's a defense mechanism to intimidate you to back down so they "win."  No good.  If anyone in a relationship "wins," that means their sweetheart "looses."

      *  Power/control:  Speaking of winning/losing, do most things feel like power struggles if you have conflict?  If there is no negotiation or compromise, there is no real relationship.  
          I have a dear friend whom I've known for 40 years.  She married a man who, when there's a conflict, he insists that he's    "received revelation" and "doing God's will" so he gets his way.  This poor sister has not been allowed her voice or help-meet role her entire marriage.  Be careful and heed what is counseled in Doctrine and Covenants 121:39.  Power is no respecter of persons.  Women also choose such a tactic.  This tactic has no place in healthy relationships.  Differences should be effectively communicated, not bullied through temporal or spiritual means.

      *  The Bum's RUSH - Does this  person get serious far too soon in the relationship?  Do they push you to commitment or manipulate you with a quickie courtship that either promises marriage or proposes too soon?  Do they want you to commit before you know them or they know you?  This simply practicing for divorce.  Disconnect from the person who preys on the fantasy without the substance of real relationship.  Relationship is long-term hard work and sacrifice.  Is that the goal AND the effort?  Or are they just a "whited sepulcher?"

      Hopefully, Brothers and Sisters, this gives you a vew ideas to help you in your preparation and seeking of a future companion.   How I wish you a mindful experience that invokes the Spirit's guidance and attention to your gut instincts in this pursuit.  Blessings too you all! 


This article hit home for me when I read the points that we should avoid. I was in a relationship that encompassed every point on the above list. The astonishing part is that not only did I consciously see the signs, but I stayed in that relationship for years. 


Why?

1. Because I was in love. 
2. Because I thought I could heal them. 
3. Because I thought knowing the issues and staying was equivalent of being a savior and the epitome of showing love. 
4. Because there were so many other worse things that I could think of that I should thank my lucky stars he wasn't doing.
5. Because I didn't think I could love anyone as much.
6. Because I thought no one would be able to love me.
7. Because this person was so wonderful to everyone else that I would be an idiot if I didn't think he was good enough for me to stay. 

You see, no one knew, not even the closet people to me or him, that he was so abusive. In fact, he wasn't even aware of how abusive he was because he saw me as being one with him. So, he didn't do anything to me that he hadn't done to himself.


In the few instances that he took it too far to the point where his abuse could not be denied he was so agonized with remorse  and self-loathing that I just could not leave him. I thought if I could leave him in such a miserable state then I was no better than anyone else who had mistreated him and I would be proving that my ability to forgive and love was less-compassionate and strong than I had staked the years I'd spent trying to prove the opposite. 


When my family noticed the descent on my spirit and recognized the signs of abuse I stayed because I needed to prove to them that they were wrong, but more importantly that I had not been wrong. 


There were a thousand more excuses I used to not leave, but it all came down to this: I was afraid that there was one more thing I hadn't yet tried that would make him love me as much as I loved him and then we would be happy forever. I told myself that fantasy every morning, afternoon and evening. Sure there were times that I would separate from him, but it was too painful to bear and never lasted... 


I can't tell you what finally clicked in me to change this pattern. I do recall the accounts of the week though. 


My grandmother had come to visit and while she was there she said to me, "You know I see you do everything for him and he can't seem to do anything for you." I was speechless, not a single retort came to mind. 


Later that day I spoke with a mutual friend and recounted what my grandmother had said. I asked, 
"What could I say to that?"
 He replied, "You should have said, 'well, that may be true but there are plenty of other things that he does for me that make up for that."


And I thought, "Huh, I should have been able to say that." but the truth was I could think of nothing that he did for me that made up for what he didn't do. 


I didn't have his support in anything, there was no stability or safety, he would pretend to leave me just so I'd become a slobbering mess and he could see that I really did love him,  communication was reduced to  anger and destroying a piece of furniture, I wasn't allowed to go anywhere, I was constantly told how strange and dumb I was and that none of his friends liked me and that any dream I'd ever come up with was unrealistic for someone as inept as myself. On our anniversary/ my birthday he had promised that we would spend the entire day together. We started it by sleeping in, then we went to dinner. He kept rushing me through it saying that he had to go to meet his friends for a game. I reminded him that it was our anniversary and he said we had the day together at which he replied, "I said the day. It's not my fault you decided to spend it in bed. I made a promise to the guys and I'm going to keep it."  That was the first epiphany.


The second came later that week. He as usual had left for a friends house that afternoon and a friend of mine had come to visit. She was dating one of his friends and she said, 


"How do you deal with it? I mean how can you stand for him to be away all the time?" I said , "Well, I wake up and see how he feels and then I know how my day is going to be and then I just wait for him to come home." 


Now that made absolutely no sense to me later that evening. I realized that I wasn't living. I was just existing. At 4:00 am he came into our room and I felt something strange click inside me. It was as if a hollow numbness had blanketed every sensation, sound, emotion and thought within me, except one. I sat up and I said, "I think I'm done. I can't take it anymore. I'm moving out."

I expected to feel a lurching in my chest and a ache in my throat as I usually did when I thought I was "done', but there was nothing. He was heart-torn and begged me not to leave. Watching him made some of the feeling return-- a wrenching in the pit of my stomach-- but not enough to break the surface of my mind and change it. I said, "I'd rather be miserable knowing that you don't have a choice to be with me, than be miserable knowing that you do and you choose not to be." I moved out within a couple weeks. It was one of the scariest thing I've ever done. I hadn't been on my own for over seven years, I was starting college that month and I didn't have a job or a place to live.


Just because I left didn't mean that it had ended. There was guilt and accusations and threats and cruel ambivalence. I'd see him on the street and he would be as cold as ice. Then he'd come over and try to get me to come back with him. Followed by accusations of me of being with someone else while we were together-- that lie extended to be told to several people I knew, so then there was embarrassment and outrage. There were other things that came after this that I won't discuss out of respect, but,  after that he consistently worked to push me toward another relationship. Consequentially, he gave me something in common with another person. As it turned out all I needed to help me out of my anguish was to have someone else sympathize with what I was going through. 


Unfortunately, I ignored the signs yet again and dove into the proverbial rebound. During which he would show up and try to get me back with him. This went on for years. I kept waiting for him to say that he was ready settle down and have a family--out of all the things he did say-- thankfully, for bot of us, he never did say that. 


Though it caused me more pain than I had expected I never went back. I kept remembering what one of his friends had said, "You both deserve to be happy, even if its not with each other."


Now he is happily married and from what I am told is an amazing and devoted husband and father. 


Part of my problem was that I thought he would change and I didn't acknowledge my own issues, including co-dependence and low-self-worth. 


The reality is that people come into your life for a brief moment and a purpose. When that purpose is fulfilled it is natural for them to exit. Just because our relationship was toxic did not mean that it was useless. It helped me to be the person I am today and I'd like to think it helped him to become the father and husband he is today. If had not ended it and stayed true to that then not only would I have robbed myself the opportunity of gaining self-worth and enlightenment, but I would have cheated him of the happy life he is enjoying today. 


So, my advice to you, if you want it, is pay attention to the signs! Do NOT ignore them and think that you can change them. If you are in a relationship, if the person is unwilling to actively work towards mutal respect, love and honesty then this is your cue to move on and let them go. You HAVE done everything that you can to make it work. Now is the time to focus on learning who you are and what you want out of life and allow them to do the same. Of course don't take my word for it. Only you, God  and your guiding spirit know what is best for your life, just make sure you are LISTENING to your spirit, your intuition, your gut when they tell you what it is. Wishing you the best possibilities to come to fruition, LA.

Chili Pie!

It's that time of year when the chili cook offs begin! I have listed a recipe that I hope you will enjoy.
I'm not quite sure why they call adding chili over potatoes or corn a pie, but it is pretty popular here in Kansas.

Chili Pie Serves 8
2 lbs Ground beef
1 packet Chili Seasoning packet
3 tsp. Cinnamon
4 Tbsp. Worcestershire
2 tsp. Salt
3 tsp Pepper
20 oz Chili beans
20 oz Kidney beans
1 8 oz can Tomato Paste
3 Tomatoes quartered
3 medium Onions diced
2 8 oz cans of diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/4 cup diced yellow or orange pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Tater tots
Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese
More salt and pepper to taste

Brown beef till fully cooked.Strain out grease and rinse under water. Set aside.

Cook Quartered Tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Saute onions, peppers and mushrooms in 2 Tbsp butter until onions are clear. Add juice from diced tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside.

Add all ingredients in large pot and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Let set for another 30 minutes to allow spices time to saturate the chili.

Bake tots according to package directions.
Place tots in a soup bowl.

Pour Chili over tots.

Add cheese and Enjoy!

Coconut Oil! Why you should be taking it!

A fun fact is that coconut oil was what the theaters used to make popcorn, that is until the oil industry put out a false campaign saying that tropical oils were dangerous. 

Research conducted by Dr. Jon J. Kabara showed that Lauric Acid can convert into a mono- glyceride called Monolaurin--a powerful anti-microbial.
Monolaurin works to liquefy the memebranes of the virus'  fatty acids and effectively destroys it.

Lauric acid  is used for its anti-viral properties to treat the following: 
         Herpes Simplex virus (HSV 1 and 2)
         Measles virus
         Herpes Simplex virus (HSV 1 and 2)
         HIV
         Hepatitis C
         Cytomegalovirus (CMV) 


For its Anti-bacterial properties its used to treat:
          Listeria Monocytogenes commonly known as Listeria, a bacteria that can be ingested from contaminated ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs, deli meat.  Back when I was taking a course in Food safety and Management there was an incident of a young girl who was pregnant for the first time with twins, she ate a Sara Lee turkey sandwich, got Listeria and it killed the fetus'. Not a happy story, but I wonder what the result would have been if she would have been taking Coconut oil.
         Staphylococcus Aureus - Causes Toxic Shock Syndrome, cellulitis, boils, scalded skin syndrome, impetigo, and other infections.
      
Also used to kill fungus' such as :
         Ringworms
         Yeast infections
         Candida

Here are some other ailments that coconut oil has been found effective in treating:
Chemotherapy-induced memory loss
Gastritis 
Stomach ulcers
Dissolves kidney stones
Lowers Cholesterol
Lowers Blood Pressure
Prevents Heart Disease
Increases Energy
Speeds up metabolism for faster weight loss
Helps Regulate Blood Sugar
Healthy fat for the brain. Has been shown to reverse Alzheimers!
Heals eczema and acne
Bruises
Burns
Has been known to heal and reactivate damaged nerves


This by no means is a comprehensive list of the benefit of coconut oil. I just want to get you thinking about adding it to your daily diet.


For coconut oil to be effective you need 300-900ml daily.


So, 2 Tbsp a day. You can add it to your oatmeal, to your morning shake, spread it on some toast, mix it with some chocolate, make some macaroons or just eat it by itself. It tastes like coconut.


At room temperature it is a solid. Add any heat to it and it will become an oil. It does not go bad. If it is hot in your house and it liquefies and you see something floating in the bottom of it- don't throw it away- that's just part of the coconut fibers.
I use it to cook chicken, not like fried, just sauteed and I also use it on my skin and hair like a lotion.

You can get it from Whole Foods  365 line or any of their other brands, but I find the best deal is at Foxfire Herbals, plus I like the packaging better.  Enjoy!

The Best from Scratch Brownies Ever!

I love brownies, especially when they are warm from the oven and paired with a glass of milk. 

1 1/4 stick Unsalted Butter

1/1/4 cup Agave necatar or Sugar

3/4 cup Cocao ( I use Navitas Raw Cacao)

1/4 tsp Salt ( Himalayan)

1/2 tsp Vanilla ( preferably genuine, not imitation)

1/2 cup Sweet Sorghum Flour and 1Tbsp Xanthum Gum Powder or Regualr All-purpose will do

2 Large Eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. In a small sauce pan add butter, sugar and cocao. Whisk until thouroughly mixed.
3. Separate yolks from whites. Add the eolk one at a time into the cocao mixture, whisking continually. This should thicken.
4. Remove pan from heat.
5. Whip whites until peaked.
6. Add. Vanilla and salt to Cocao mixture and fold in whipped whites. 
7. Pour into a greased 8 in pan.
8. Bake fro 20 minutes
9. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
10. Then Enjoy!