My Bald Chia Pet

The beautiful flower of Chia

My dream was to have my own chia pet. I got one when I bought a television from a local appliance store. They are known for supporting the local baseball team, the Angels, and I got a Rally Monkey Chia Pet.

A chia pet is a red ceramic 'animal' that grows 'hair' like this

I couldn't find chia seeds at the local 'conventional' grocery store. I asked the checker and she got confused. She directed me to the flax seeds.

I found Ultimate Chialife , one pound, for about twenty bucks. I figured I could have some for me and some for the chia pet. It is 'organic'. Remember, chia isn't 'accessible nutrient wise' for the fatty acids in it until it is ground up. Whole chia doesn't release as much 'good stuff', according to Chef Cherie Soria.

It made a nice paste and stuck to the head of the Rally Monkey.

But only a little of it 'sprouted'.

The rest lifted up like a bad toupee. I watched it and tended to it for two weeks.

Yesterday, it fell off!

There was moldy fuzz all under it.

How can I ever put dead chia like that in me? There is no life-force in it!

Watch your food and supplements. Be sure to only take that which is 'full of life'...

chia blossoms and California poppies in bloom

Here are some other famous 'chias':

Michelle Chia

Chia, Sardinia

Beautiful beach in Chia, Sardinia

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

Reiki And The Conventional Grocery Store Employees

This is how my ancestors shopped.

Last night I needed to pick up a few things at the store. For months now, the bulk of our purchases are made at Mother's market, a place where you never have to worry about GMO. When time is tight, we go to Sprout's or Trader Joe, places that have a decent but somewhat more limited selection in the organic department. 

Last night I went to Ralph's. Spirit insisted. So we went.

In the car my kid was like, 'Mom? Why not Pavilions?'

I said, 'We are going to Ralphs'. 

We found everything, but in the produce department, there is an Indian gentleman who is always there. Seven days a week, for all shifts, this man is always THERE.

Lately he has  been pushing the produce. About two months ago, the last time I was there, he was pushing the 'Cuties' tangerines that are conventionally grown. I bought a small box just to humor him.

This time, he came over to me in the Organic produce department, which is less than one tenth the layout of the produce 'space'. He put his face really close to mine, and asked about something else he was trying to sell. He was like, 'You are buying Organic strawberries?! We have them CHEAPER over here!'

I'm sorry, but three dollars a double-size basket on Organic is a pretty good deal too. I thought to myself.

And then I looked in his eyes. Dark, deep, and empty. There was no light. He had suffered the 'sleep' over his love for money. 

I smiled, relaxed on purpose, and said in the nicest voice I could, 'We eat ONLY organic. Why don't you have any organic onions?'

'They never come like that.' he said, simply.

We both knew that the onions were giant mutants, with all of the brown ones in various stages of decay and rot.  They were inedible.

'People who eat Organic get used to it and their bodies start to crave it, huh?' he asked. 

I looked him straight in the eye and said, 'I just don't want to give all that pesticide to my liver.'

Then he changed his tune, 'I always recommend it.'

The energy was unpleasant because I had dared to challenge a 'sacred cow' to him: cheaper is better.

I had brought up the Trump Card of Health. 

I had won.

______________________________________

At the checkout stand, a kind woman invited me to come to her aisle. This store has been having less and less people in it for some time. There were only two registers open on Cinco de Mayo, a busy day for last-minute items.

I remembered my 'joy' for the day when she asked, 'Did you find everything you were looking for?'--I had been soaking for one hour my first Chia Pet, and I needed seeds. It is a Rally Monkey from the Anaheim Angels. I have always wanted a Chia Pet.

'Where are the Chia seeds?' I asked, politely.

'The WHAT?' the checker asked?

'You know--the little seeds that are good for you, well, you have to grind them for you first--they give essential fatty acids.'

'We--we don't HAVE any of THOSE seeds!' she said, looking to her manager, who looked flustered too.

'Well, they are like flax seeds. Tell me, where do you have the flax seeds? Not the oil. Just the flax?'

Then she remembered, 'They are on the top by the vitamin aisle'.

The vitamin aisle?!

I found them. A great big jar for twenty-one dollars. Medicinal grade. 

It was actually a good deal because the last ones I had bought was a tiny packet for six dollars, this was more.

I don't think they have rang up purchases like mine for a long time! ; )

____________________________________

Cinco de Vitamix

Breakfast:

green smoothie that was too green for the kid (I drank it)

green smoothie with extra banana and ginger to cover up taste of kale (in a bottle in the fridge, kid refused it--it needs salt mom)

Pineapple and banana and orange juice smoothie (this is GOOD mom! and I lost all patience whatsoever.)

Lunch:

just cleaned the Vitamix with the drop of soap and the cleaning mode

Dinner:

'soup' a la Karen Ranzi (carrot, 1/2 zucchini, 1/2 avocado, shallot, 1/2 red bell pepper, slice jalapeno)

 It was too spicy to serve--I ate it and put his serving into the refried beans I had on the stove.

Vitamixed boiled beans (cooled) and then re'fried' to a thicker consistency.

guacamole in the vitamix (mom, this is too spicy too.)

organic taco meat (for my son who eats meat)

taco shells (not organic. would like them to be made though.)

Coke (my boy)

powdered horchata mix that was terrible in filtered water (I need to throw that out. I wonder if Vitamix makes Horchata? I can try!)

Once of the clearest 'signs' of having Ascended is a reluctance to 'participate' in all non-wiccan 'holidays'. They just don't make 'sense' and further seem like a 'hand in my pocket trying to take money out'. I cut way back on all 'celebrations', just to the minimum. For example, only chocolates for Easter, not decorating the whole house and the eggs. Although this is pleasant, it is the 'sensation' of being 'marketed to celebrate' I resist with my entire Vibration.

Furthermore, and you are going to hate me for saying it: why on earth celebrate the weekend? Why should we have only TWO days to do what we wish and relax? God made us SEVEN. 

There are no other animals on the planet who are harnessed so tight. They let us 'in the pasture' on Friday night just so we can go out and spend more money.

To me, every day is an equally wonderful gift from God; some days have more 'time at work' scheduled into it, but every day I start in joy and hope for more lessons and a chance to get to know myself better.

Namaste,

Reiki Doc

Fat Doctor. Fat Nurse. On Hospital Food--part 2

I recently began to follow a nutritionist on Twitter. I had just posted about hospital food trying to kill me when I was in the hospital. And I asked this expert if they had any ideas on how to make the food service in a hospital better from a nutrition perspective.

The response was shocking--'Hospital food is poison, just go look at the fat doctors and nurses eating Mc Donald's in the hospital'.

It was arrogant, dismissive, and completely without understanding for the situation most of our patients, doctors, nurses, technicians and other hospital employees are in. Coming from a teaching background, where I was a University professor for eight years, trained in the notion that 'there is no such thing as a dumb question', I felt extremely dumb after seeing help from this individual.

Like Nora Ephron's parents once said, "take your misfortunes and turn them into a story", I am sharing my story now with you.

First and foremost, anyone new to the working side of medicine needs to understand this: most of your caregivers are overworked, sleep-deprived, and hungry. Yes, we are in the business of health care, and in caring for our patients we are not exactly practicing what we preach.

When I was a medical student, I ate with the team. Surgeons tend to eat their meals in the gaps between cases. But while caring for patients on the floor, the interns sometimes go without. A colleague who was in internal medicine used to have soup for lunch because 'It was faster' (he could eat it while walking around taking care of patients). When I was in charge of the ICU and Burn Unit, the nurses would look the other way while I helped myself to ensure, because they knew that I was not able to eat due to my workload while taking care of patients. I did this so often, they showed me a way to make it more palatable: mix it with equal parts milk and pour it over ice. While I was on that service I lost twenty pounds.

After I changed specialties to anesthesiology, I was given a fifteen minute break in the morning, thirty minutes for lunch, and fifteen minutes in the afternoon to attend to my personal needs. This time was watched closely. I would get in trouble if I did not return promptly from my break. If the patient was unstable, or it no one was available to give me a break, it was understood that I would go without and not ask for a make up time since I was salary, not hourly, worker. Can you imagine the lines in the cafeteria? They are long. As a consequence, I learned to eat my meals as fast as possible. At a restaurant, I eat so much faster than friends and family, that it is embarrassing to me when they point it out.

These breaks went away once I graduated from the training program. Now I eat in the gaps between surgery cases in the O.R. But when work is busy, or I have a pushy surgeon who will not begrudge me the ten minutes it takes to buy and eat a sandwich, I do not get to eat.

Everyone knows that hungry people tend to make unhealthy food choices, and overeat.  I find in the hospital, the thought about mealtimes is eat while you have the chance because you do not know when the next chance will be. I actually pack my lunch of organic, wholesome food even though I do not have to. Doctors at my hospital have access to hospital food at discounted rate. But I find my own food is faster. I don't have to run to the cafeteria. It saves time. And I feel better, too.

I think hospital workers are Innocent bystanders in the Hospital Food Conspiracy. We are a captive audience. Where else to go?  When there is time, we escape to Fast Food. One of the staff will make a food run and usually the doctor on call will treat. Many times, the food that is served at dinner in the cafeteria has been on the steam trays since lunch and is unappetizing. (I also do not eat any of the chicken dishes, because the chicken is of low quality and I suspect full of hormones and antibiotics. The same is true for beef and pork, and most of the fish that is served.)

Work hours start at seven in the morning, and often last until seven at night, or longer, for many of the workers in the medical center. Consequently, there is very little time to exercise (I take stairs whenever possible to compensate.) The hours and the workload can be stressful.  But there are always little treats around the hospital, like donuts or a candy jar. It is difficult sometimes to pass these up. The stress is even worse when we are stuck at work on holiday. Because we miss spending time with our families, we often have a pot luck to make ourselves feel better. You can imagine what kind of goodies everybody brings in.

In the hospital the work is demanding physically, mentally and emotionally. There is not much aerobic activity although we are on our feet most of the day. (I wear compression stockings to keep my feet from swelling up after my shift.). We also see misery and conditions that are disturbing, such as death, suffering, and fear. If anyone is in need of excellent fuel and optimization to do their work, it is the workers in the health care field. Many are forced to make the choice between time spent with their family and taking care of themselves with exercise during the short hours they are awake when they are away from the hospital.

What has our workplace done for this? Sneaky changes that are touted as healthy but are only stop gap measures in the big picture:

* the ice cream freezer 'broke' and was never replaced three years ago
* January 1st we learned of NEW HEALTHY FRIES! Baked, not fried. The deep fat fryer was taken away. The sweet potato and regular fries are tasteless and not edible.
* Doritos, Lays', and Fritos got the boot January 1, too.  Healthy Chip options are pita chips and whole grain baked. Not even Sun Chips. Again, Kale chips would taste better than these.
* Unfortunately they still have Coke, Snapple, Minute Maid Juice, fountain drinks, and energy drinks. But Honest Tea, sweetened with honey in glass bottles,  is gone.  Wouldn't this have been one of the first places to have made a change for health like the others?
*Although a salad bar is always open, a food worker once told me, 'you don't want to see what we have to do to the food so you can eat it--regulations'

The changes are inconsistent, without buy-in from the staff, and promote the American Heart Association recommendations for low-fat, low-cholesterol diet that is now being found to increase rates of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.

My favorite vegan surgeon actually met with the CEO to discuss the possibility of having hospital food meet more current demand, such as organic, vegetarian, and locally grown foods. His ideas got shot down with laughter by the head of the organization, then and there in the administration's highest office.

And that, dear friends, is the opportunity that lies in front of us: to bring health back into the health care industry, one hospital, one patient, one worker at a time. Your knowledge and input is crucial to making this a reality. Ask for it. Don't accept the situation as it is. 


Namaste,

Reiki Doc

All is Well

All is well!

I keep telling myself that over and over. And you know what? It is working! Getting up early to get my son off to daycare by 6:30 a.m. when it opens, and to work by 7:00 a.m. start had us sleepy and hungry in the car outside the closed facility. "You know mom, it is kind of nice eating breakfast together in the back seat of the car!" he said. And I gave thanks.

At work, I was just sitting down to a two hour break. Unfolding the paper and just got a call from the main O.R. 'someone is sick, and someone else is tired from being up late at work last night. A crani is coming. Trade assignments.' Okay. Hepatitis C, intubated, lined up. Okay. It took an hour, but oh well. 'All is well'. And I ended up having the nicest conversation with the neurosurgeon. He was impressed I had surgery by someone famous. We talked about the place and what it is like to be a patient. He shared that the part that really makes people break down isn't being told they have cancer. It is when they shave their hair. Then they really know they are sick. For me, I got traumatized just listening to the clippers in the curtain next to me in neurosurgery pre-op holding...

Again, not sure what to do. The ride for my son to go to baseball practice may have a perforated ulcer. CT scan. But his father and I scrambled. As it ended up, I was in surgery with an Indian Englebert Humperdink, a VERY negative individual who is not the most skilled at what he does. Anyway, before I could even chart or give Reiki, relief was in the room. I was most grateful.

I accidentally left my celtic crystal pendulum from Renaissance Faire in my pocket in my scrubs. I had to call. Guess what? They FOUND IT! I am so thankful I called. I said,'it was from an old boyfriend at Renaissance faire'. They said, 'it was some crystal thing on a chain'. A pendulum. A very useful device when you know how to use it! ; )

So, I went birthday shopping. Class mom has to bring goodies. They were almost out of blueberry mini-muffins. I got mini lemon-blueberry scones for the teachers. And then on second look, what jumped out at me? Heart cookies. Natural ones. I bought two boxes. A nice party after all for my son, who is turning seven.

There was a vibrancy, a joy to the marketplace today! Everyone was happy. I asked the manager, is it always this crowded? He said, 'no, this is unusual'. I laughed and said, 'well, the recession must be ending. Right now. Here. At your store.' He said, 'yes, at 4:20, right here' and I said, '4:20 is a good time!' And we laughed.

Organic food is EVERYWHERE. And the sample was ;chickenless mandarin chunks with brown rice.

I think the tipping point is picking up speed! I am SO excited for ascension to take place! I saw this quote today by Byron Katie: the end of duality is the end of evil. Sign me up! Woot! Woot! 

Namaste,

Reiki Doc