Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Women's Confidential Health History




Women's Confidential Health History


Please write or print clearly

Name:



Address:



Email address: How often do you check email?

Telephone – Work:
Home:
Cell:


Age:
Height:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Current weight:
Weight six months ago:
One year ago:

Would you like your weight to be different? If so, what?

Relationship status:
Children?

Occupation:
Hours of work per week:

Please list your main health concerns:






Other concerns?




Any serious illness/hospitalizations/injuries?





How is the health of your mother?



How is the health of your father?



What is your ancestry? What blood type are you?



Do you sleep well?
How many hours?
Do you wake up at night?
Why?



Any pain, stiffness or swelling?



Are your periods regular?
How many days is your flow?
How frequent?



Painful or symptomatic? Please explain:





Birth control history:





Vaginal infections, reproductive concerns?





Constipation/Diarrhea/Gas? Explain:



Do you take any supplements or medications? Please list:





Any healers, helpers, pets or therapies with which you are involved? Please list:





What role do sports and exercise play in your life?




What foods did you eat often as a child?

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

Liquids


What’s your food like these days?


Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

Liquids


What percentage of your food is home cooked?
What percentage is not?

Where do you get the rest from?



Do you crave sugar, coffee, cigarettes, or have any major addictions?





Anything else you would like to share?

Friday, August 27, 2010

Sticks and Stones..........

Someone I care very deeply for said something so hurtful to me the other night.  It completely ruined an otherwise perfect evening.  I cried and received no sympathy.  I tried to put it out of my mind but I just couldn't forget and tossed and turned the entire night.  The next morning, my waking thoughts were the memories of the unkind words spoken to me several hours before.  He had forgotten all about it but I didn't.  My heart was broken.

Some people need a lesson in tactfulness.  They do not choose their words wisely.  They do not think before they act and do not realize how damaging words can be.  I always try to be conscious of how my words and my actions can affect the hearts and lives of others.  I existed in an abusive relationship for years and barely survived.  It took years to heal from all the damage.  I never want to inflict that kind of pain on anyone so every morning my prayer is the same, "Please, God, do not let me hurt anyone today with the words I say or the deeds I do."  There are two type of people in this world; those who have been abused and choose to inflict their pain on others and those who feel it so deeply they never ever want to be the cause of such pain in another living thing.  I happen to be the latter. 

This blog is not about chosing our words wisely so we do not hurt others.  That is for another time. This is going to be about how we react to what others say to us.  Yes, words hurt. They can reveal truths about us that we don't want to face, or they can be outright lies.  Unkind words are like the sting from a good slap in the face--painful and usually unexpected.  The sting from a face-slapping, however, usually goes away in a few minutes.  It's the shock from the slap that lingers. The shock is what causes us to retaliate or to slip away and feel sorry for ourselves. 

I felt sorry for myself.  I felt hurt, anger, and unforgiveness creep in and take hold.  I would never consider saying something just as unkind or worse, but I could punish him with my silence and cold shoulder.  I could sulk for days and make him feel really bad about it.  The truth is, he doesn't feel bad.  He doesn't even remember.  It's as if it never happened.  He said something stupid in the heat of the moment and never gave it another thought.  I am the one not willing to let it go.  Should I let him off the hook, completely? No!  We must never allow ourselves to be doormats or let others abuse us.  We need to let people know we refuse to be mistreated in any way, shape or form.

The unkind words that were said to me affected my whole night and the entire day that followed.  I was cranky, tired and sad.  His words kept repeating over and over in my head.  I ignored his calls and his texts and when I eventually did respond it was with short, curt, less than heart-felt answers.  I wasn't cruel but I was distant.  It takes a lot of energy for me to be that way.  Usually I am happy, loving and kind.  By the end of the day, I was exhausted.  I came home, ate dinner, and was asleep on the couch by 9PM.  I never even said goodnight to him.

I had allowed his words to completely ruin my day.  Yesterday the sun was finally shining and it was warm.  It has been cold, dreary and rainy here for the past week.  I barely noticed the change in the weather because of my mood.  I was cold and dreary inside and spent my day wiping tears from my eyes.  How utterly ridiculous to waste time licking my wounds and feeling sorry for myself. I could have been outside enjoying myself! I could have laughed heartily at the jokes that went around the office yesterday rather than working so hard to barely crack a smile.  Everything that could go wrong did so yesterday, from train delays, spilled morning coffee, a mixed-up lunch order, frustrating games of telephone tag with lenders, to computer issues.  When I woke up this morning I realized that those are things that happen all the time and usually I am able to just laugh it all off and joke about it.  It was the underlying bad mood that I CHOSE to be in because of something someone said to me that compounded it all!

No one can drive your car unless you hand them the keys.  So it is with your moods. No one can actually put you in a bad mood. It is your decision.  You can allow things like words to roll right off you like water or you can take them to heart and let them spoil your day, your week, your year, or even your entire life.  I came to the conclusion today that my guy is sometimes a jerk who opens his mouth before he thinks.  He needs to work on that but I need to work on being less sensitive.  I need to decide that I will not allow his moods ,his thoughts or his words influence my actions.   I think I am punishing him by withdrawing, but I am actually punishing myself.  Nothing and no one is worth punishing yourself over.  EVER!

Different kinds of people are put in our paths because we have lessons to learn.  Some people uplift us and encourage us and others will constantly grate against us and try to hold us back. We need both types of people in our lives to shape us into who we are supposed to be.  I know who I am.  I know what is true and good about me and what is not.  Any unkind or hurtful words that are said to me are the result of someone else's insecurities and misgivings about their own lives.  From now on, rather than allowing those words to hurt me, I will  forgive and say a silent prayer for the one who chooses to deliver unkindness.  How sad and dark they must be inside.  I am thankful that my heart is full of joy, love, and light.  I want to share it with everyone I know.  I cannot allow someone else to steal those things from me for even a moment!  

And this is my Daily Cyn............

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Stop Being Stupid......


Being in a relationship is the most wonderful yet toughest, most difficult thing at times.  A relationship is two different people with different ideas, opinions, likes and dislikes, attitudes and dispositions trying to function together as one......

My guy and I have spent the last several weeks arguing, accusing, hurting, and sending angry text messages back and forth in the wee hours of the morning.  It got to the point where I refused to see him even though he begged me constantly to come over or meet him somewhere so we can just talk. I stopped answering his calls.  I wouldn't talk to him. I wasn't able to exist in the same room with him for more than five minutes without yelling at him or crying.  It was awful.  I couldn't even tell him I loved him (even though I do, desperately).  This man who aggravates the life out of me most of the time, is my best friend and soul mate and I really don't want to be with out him.  But I wasn't about to tell him that....I can be so stubborn sometimes!

As much of pain-in-the-neck as he is sometimes, he knows me well and knows how stubborn I can be.  He knows I love him and I know he loves me.......we just let the cares of the world get in the way and the things that we don't like about each other become mountains when they are really just little mole-hills.  He is as stubborn as I am (we are both Aries- a dangerous combination) but he has a little more experience with relationships than I do.  I haven't had a real relationship with a guy since I walked out on my abusive husband 10 years ago. Do I have some baggage? Yes, I do....... I am trying to leave it all behind, but that can be tough sometimes. Unfortunately, my guy sometimes has to pay for the pain my ex inflicted on me so many years ago.  It's a process to love and trust someone with your heart after it's been smashed to pieces.  I worked so hard over the past several years putting it back together again. What I didn't realize, however, is that when I put it back together again, I also encased it in a tough unbreakable shell that is difficult to penetrate.  I didn't know this until I tried to actually love again. 

My guy and I are so different.  I am a book worm, spend countless hours educating myself on the internet, and express myself best in writing.  He works with his hands, hates computers and can watch sports on TV all day and night, and as a full-blooded Italian, expresses himself best by talking....LOUDLY! I have college degrees and certificates in frames on my office walls, he earned his degrees from the School of Hard Knocks.  This man refused to take no for answer, came and found me this morning and simply said, "Don't you think it's time we just stop being stupid?"

That's all it took....I held him in my arms for the first time in a few weeks and we had a lovely day.  We went to church, we went out to lunch, and then he went home.  We are both exhausted.....exhausted from yelling and fighting and trying so hard to stay angry at each other. Now we need to rest, and will be able to do so for the first time in such a long time. 

"Stop being stupid!"  The greatest words of wisdom I have ever heard.  Words of healing and love from a tough guy from Brookyn with tired, rough, calloused hands. 

Some times the answers are really so simple.  We just need to stop being stupid and stubborn and wasting precious time that we know we would rather be spending loving, playing and enjoying the company of the ones who are close to us.

And this is my Daily Cyn.........

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass with Peach Salsa

This month we are celebrating the peach......summer's most delicious, lucious and sensual fruit.  Here is a wonderful recipe using Chilean Sea Bass topped with fresh peach salsa. This is so impressive and easy to make.....you will want to serve it to guests. Enjoy!!


Pan-seared Chilean Sea Bass with Peach Salsa


Makes 4 servings.



2 cups (1 lb) fresh, ripe peaches, pitted and sliced


¼ cup minced scallions

½ cup cilantro, chopped

jalapeno chilis, seeded, deveined and minced (to taste)

superfine sugar (to taste)

salt and pepper (to taste)

¼ cup fresh lime juice

½ t five-spice powder

2 Tbsp. safflower oil

4 (1½ lbs) Chilean sea bass steaks, 6 oz each, skinned and boned

cilantro sprigs (for garnish)

lime wedges (for garnish)


Salsa:
Combine diced peaches, scallions, cilantro, chilis, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well. Set aside for at least one hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Mix in lime juice before serving.


Fish:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix five-spice powder with oil and brush onto both sides of steaks. Heat large sautè pan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Sear sea bass until golden brown on both sides. Finish cooking to desired doneness in the oven.

To serve, place one steak on each of the four plates. Divide salsa evenly and spoon over and along side. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges.


Nutrition analysis per serving: Calories 330 (35% from fat); Fat 14g (sat 2g); Protein 42g; Carbohydrates 15g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 136mg; Sodium 129mg.

Eating Mindfully For Weigntloss

Recent Blog I wrote for Diet to Go



http://diettogo.com/blog/eating-mindfully-weight-loss-you-can-do-it

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Do You Need an Attitude Adjustment?

I spent my afternoon out on the boat with my family yesterday! It's not very often that we can all arrange our schedules to enjoy a day out on the bay together. We arrived at the dock with our coolers packed with food and drinks, our clam rakes, fishing poles, sunglasses and sunblock. We had been planning this for a whole week and were excited about having a gorgeous, relaxing day on the water.  Life has been a bit stressful for me lately, so I was ready to chill and have a few good laughs with the people I love.  The original plan was to bring my sweetie along. He has been talking about fishing all summer long but was called into work at the last minute.  I was disappointed for him because a easy day of fishing would have been so nice for him.   Despite the fact that I was once again the "third-wheel" in a sea of couples, I wasn't about to let anything steal my joy!

As we loaded the boat with all our paraphernalia for the day, a breeze began to blow across the water.  I turned my face into the wind, grateful for it.  It would keep us cool on such a hot, humid day. My mom, a real land-lubber and always pessimistic, was concerned.

 "Honey," she said nervously to my father. "Do you think it's going to be a little too choppy to go out there today?"

My dad sighed heavily and rolled his eyes at her.  "Just get on the boat!" he growled.  He had spent the whole morning preparing for this excursion and wasn't about to let a little wind or less than glassy waters stop him from enjoying the day.  The boat is his baby and he loves the water.  I am a water rat, just like him.

 "Don't worry, Mama," I reassured her. "It's just a little breeze.  It will be nice." She wasn't convinced, but obediently climbed aboard. 

I love my mother dearly, but I have never known a more negative, fearful person in my life.  She has been married to my dad over 50 years and she SHOULD know by now he has never been one to take foolish chances.  He would never entertain the idea of taking his family boating or anyplace else for that matter if there was even the slightest hint of real danger. Of course the sea is unpredictable and a storm can appear out of nowhere.  We were caught in a storm once out on the bay when I was a kid.  My brother and I thought it was an adventure; something to tell all our friends about.  I remember my dad being in complete control, despite the circumstances.  We were stranded in a fog as thick as pea soup and couldn't even see our own hands in front of our faces.  The wind blew and the waves were high. The navigational lights at the bow of the boat could not cut through the darkness or the fog and we had no idea where we were or what was around us.  My mother was terrified and I recall my dad insisting she keep quiet.  Fear is contagious and the last thing he needed was a boat full of crying, screaming women and children.  We safely arrived to shore the next morning and my mother swore to God that she and her children would never again step foot on that boat. My dad sold his pride and joy shortly after and that was the end of our care-free summers out on the water.  He never owned another boat again until I was an adult and convincing my mom to go out on it now is more difficult than pulling teeth.

Our afternoon out on the boat yesterday wasn't exactly what we had anticipated.  It wasn't really the perfect day for boating but it was still good enough. The water was not as smooth as glass and the sun was hidden behind the clouds.  The temperature was a bit cooler than on the shore but it was still warm.  My mom complained it was too chilly.  I was thankful for a break from the scorching hot humid weather we have had all summer.  Only a few other boats were out on the bay.  Mom insisted we must have missed the weather report calling for a hurricane. Why else would no one be out today?  I was thankful there were very few speed boats or jet skis disturbing the peace.  We dropped anchor a few miles from shore. The water was too deep (according to my mom). It was about chest level.  She refused to go in because she was afraid the water would be too cold and she might not be able see or touch the bottom.  I dove right in and swam for awhile.  It felt like like bath water and I was grateful for the opportunity to exercise.  My dad wanted to dig and rake for clams.  My mom tried to discourage him. Pushing a clam rake back and forth in choppy water wasn't good for his heart. He probably wouldn't get any clams anyway because the wind was too strong.  He ignored her and emerged from the water half-an-hour later with a few dozen clams.   After my swim, I asked for a cup of coffee to warm me up.  My mom suggested we go back to shore. It was too chilly out today.   I put a sweatshirt on and stretched out on the bow to soak up some sun. I closed my eyes, sipped my coffee, and thanked God for the day off  to spend with family.  We ate, we drank, we laughed, we played with my little one-year old niece who came along for the ride.   It wasn't until my sister began dry-heaving repeatedly over the side of the boat that my dad decided to call it day.  My mom kept shaking her head saying, " I knew it was too rough to come out today! We are all going to be sea-sick now!" My sister assured her it was something she had for dinner the night before because she hadn't been feeling well since she woke up that morning. No one else in our group got sick, not even the baby.

When we arrived back at the house, all showered and gathered at the table enjoying raw clams on the half-shell, my mom announced,  "Eat up because those are probably the last clams of the season.  It's August and the summer is over!"

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I checked my calendar, summer is not over until September 21st! Labor Day might be the "official end" of summer fun for most, but not for me.  We still have quite a few weekends left of great weather and opportunities to go out on the boat and enjoy our days. The evenings might get a little cool but the days are still gorgeous and warm.  I plan on enjoying every single day with trips to the beach, boating excursions, and mornings and evenings out on the deck.

This might sound like a blatent attack on my mother and her negative attitudes.  It's not. I am thankful, however, that I did not inherit her outlook on life.  I get my optimistic, go-with-the-flow, anything is possible attitude from my dad.  He is one of the most fearless, positive people I know.  He is also a great man of faith and believes with all his heart that although things might appear to be less-than-perfect, it's all a matter of attitude. 

I had a great day yesterday. I feel refreshed and renewed and had the opportunity to spend quality time with my sister that I don't often get to have.  Despite the negative attitudes around me and the seemingly "less than perfect" conditions, it was all pretty perfect for me!


How do you choose to look at things? If your situation looks bleak, do you just pull the covers over your head, hope for a better day tomorrow,  or just toss in the towel altogether?  News Flash! There will never be a perfect day, a perfect time, a perfect mate, a perfect opportunity.  It's up to you to make the best of what you have.  The way you look at things and your attitudes will determine your experiences and everything you have or don't have in  life.  Your attitude brings good or bad things your way. It draws people of like-mindedness to you.  If you have a good attitude, people cannot help but be naturally attracted to you because you make them feel good!

 Are you caught it a trap of negativity? Does it seem that only bad things happen to you? Yes, sometimes bad things do happen to good people. That is something completely different and beyond our control. I am talking about the every day, little things that occur.  They might not appear so bad if you change your way of looking at them.  A bad or negative attitude will rob you of the simple pleasures and enjoyments in life.  We are not born with attitudes.  They are a learned behavior and you can choose TODAY to start thinking differently! Adjust your attitude and enjoy all the good things that come into your life!

And this is my Daily Cyn............

Monday, August 2, 2010

Eat a Peach......

When I was a young girl, Uncle Sholar, Aunt Margaret, and cousin Sherry took an eight hour drive from Virginia to New York to visit.  My cousin was coming to spend the last few weeks of summer with us and my brother and I were so excited!  We only got to see our cousin on Thanksgiving and a week or two during the summer.  We always went down to visit her and Sherry had never been to New York.  We were going to show her all the sites and sounds of the big city, show her how to dig for clams with her feet during the day and catch crabs with a net and flashlight at night, spend the hot August afternoons poolside, and introduce her to all our friends.  It was one of the best summers my brother and I ever had.

En Route to NY,  my uncle made a "pit-stop" (pun intended) at a New Jersey peach farm. He walked into our home with a huge brown bag overflowing with peaches.  The bag was almost as big as we were! My brother and I were as excited about that bag of peaches as we were at the arrival of our favorite cousin!

For the next month or so we ate peaches--sliced in half, pit removed and sprinked with sugar, cut up into our morning Corn Flakes, mixed into our oatmeal, and baked into pies and cobblers. We froze peaches with milk and sugar which miraculously tranformed to delicious homemade ice cream! We ate them whole; letting the juice drip down our chins and onto our clothes.  We didn't care. The kids from the neighborhood came over to help themselves.  Our huge peach bag was like a well that never ran dry.  Every bee in the neighborhood camped out in our backyard, hoping to gather some of the precious nectar. We buried dozens of pits in our father's garden, hoping our very own peach trees would grow.  They never did. 

I have had some good peaches since but none ever tasted as good as the ones my uncle brought that summer.  Perhaps it was the memory of the fun times we had with my cousin that made them taste so much better.  I do recall it was the last season of true carefree youth.  It was the last summer until we were adults that we ever spent together. Our lives changed. My father became very involved in church and his days and nights were consumed with service to others.  There was no time left for annual Thanksgiving and summer-time trips to spend with family in Virginia .  It was a struggle for my aunt and uncle to bring my cousin to New York and neither family had enough money to put us on a plane so we could all spend time together.  We grew apart and there is a certain sadness I feel when I recall the precious times we had and then neglected or took for granted as we got older.  It was a mistake of misplaced priorities.  I cannot help but wonder if my brother and I would have grown up to be different people if that close bond of family had not been broken.

Every time I bite into a peach, I am transported back to those times in my childhood where I have the happiest memories.  The good part of all this is that as long as we draw breathe, we can redeem lost time. We just need to decide what is important and make it our priority to spend time with the ones we love regardless of our jobs, our commitments and the possible inconvience of an eight hour drive to spend holidays or long summer days and nights with family. 

This month we are celebrating the peach.  We will discover how and why eating peaches are good for us and try different recipes featuring this delectable fruit.  Nothing says summertime like a ripe, juicy peach.  Go to the store or your local farmstand and buy a few pounds.  They are in season now.  Pick some ripe organic peaches if you can.  They taste so much better than the conventional kinds that are sprayed with pesticides and plucked from the trees before their time.  Take a bite and savor it for a moment.  How does it feel? How does it taste? Does the taste, the feel, the essence of it inspire any good memories?

Never let life get so hectic that you neglect the beautiful gift of family and friends.  Bake a fresh peach pie and invite guests over to share it with you. Good food is meant to be shared!  I will be posting some good, healthy, guilt-free recipes with peaches and other delicious summer foods all month long so you celebrate the last weeks of summer with the ones you love.

And this is my Daily Cyn............