Time to Get to Business

Christmas was merry at our home. I hope it was at yours also. We celebrated the birth of Jesus and enjoyed our family. Jason worked all night Christmas eve and made it home around 8 am to open gifts with the kids. He napped as much as work would allow him. He had to take phone calls all day. We managed to sneak out late afternoon and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakel. It was cute and better than the first movie in my opinion. This morning he was called back to work and the kids and I are lounging at home. I started HCG yesterday. HCG is a homeopathic weight loss remedy. I know several people who have used it with great success! We offer it at Ozark Herb and Spice to our clients. Yesterday and today are my load days. This means that I eat what I like and tomorrow I start a low calorie diet. I will post my measurements and weight for you all to see how I progres over the next 4 weeks. If you would like more info go to my website www.michelleedwardsjoy.com and click on the link HCG. Have a great weekend!

New Book

I am reading a fascinating book called The Book of Herbal Wisdom by Matthew Wood. It is a wonderful book full of great herbs found in North America and Europe. I love the stories he adds that explain what the Native Americans believed about these herbs. Remarkably, the Europeans and Native Americans used the same herbs for the same ailments long before they were acquainted with each other. I think that God is gracious and showed these people through plant signatures what was needed to keep them healthy. I also enjoy the "magical" uses of herbs through the years. Why not stretch our thinking to consider that herbs may influence our mind and spirit along with our bodies. Did God not create us mind, body and spirit? This book has been enlightening and educational. I look forward to spring when I can look for these herbs in my backyard and make a few tinctures. I know that they will be a great addition to my remedy cabinet at home.

Christmas Sickness

For many people Christmas bring sadness. There is more suicide this time of year than any other. Heart attacks are also up on Christmas and New Year's Day. I think this shows that we are indeed mind, body and spirit. What effects our minds (stress, worry, grief) also effects our bodies. One of the best things we can do for our bodies this season is to slow down. Take 5 minutes a day and write 10 things you are thankful for. I have made this a practice for several years and I admit some days the best I could come up with was the electric hair dryer. Surprisingly, the more I wrote the more thankful I became and I now find lots of things to be thankful for. Feed your mind positive thoughts. If you have no positive thoughts on your own listen to positive music. Read positive thoughts from other people. Dale Carnegie, Og Mandino and Zig Zigler books can be found in every library. Some of the most wonderful positive words are in the Bible. Feed your spirit. Be quiet and let your spirit rest. Meditate on the bible, positive quotes, or whatever you are comfortable with just make sure it is uplifting. Don't be afraid to reach out to others. I am sure you have more people that love you than you know. Ask a friend or relative to coffee. Tell someone you are down this Christmas. Go to your local church or synogague. The people you will find there would love to encourage you and pray for or with you. Feed your body good foods. Stay away from excessive sugar, alcohol or fast food. Eat plenty of fruit, veggies and raw food. Treat your body, mind and spirit well and it will serve you well. Have a blessed Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year.

Freedom

The holiday are a great time to celebrate Jesus birth. He came to give us freedom. I am so blessed to have freedom as an American. For the time being I can choose the right path for myself concerning my health. I choose to be in control of my health and weigh my options carefully. So far my options have taken me to Natural Health. I choose to feed my body good foods and inhance my healing with herbs. I hope that I will always have this choice.

Why I Choose Herbs

Blogging is very new to me. I hope you all enjoy the ride. I thought I would start with why I choose herbs. Herbs are a packed nutrition source. For example alfalfa is a great source of all the B vitamins, Vitamin C and much more. Many people used to eat herbs in their diet such as Shepherd's Purse and Burdock on a regular basis. In fact people used to eat what we consider weeds in our yards. The beauty of herbs is that they are food. The body recognizes them as food and processes them like food. Therefore there are no ugly side effects that we may receive from chemical medicines. I truly believe that God, the Creator of the Universe gave us herbs for healing. They are as Philip Fritchey likes to say "His good herbs".