Get Out ... Wise Up

No price tag can be placed on the value of mingling with and speaking to people.  So much wisdom is relayed through actions and words.  We learn how we would like to be, how we should be, how we do not want to be, and how we should not be.  We also learn how much we are like other people which can be crucial in finding out a lot about ourselves – sometimes to the point of that knowledge being mentally, emotionally, or spiritually stabilizing. 

In my second year of being a Realtor®, my office broker emphasized the importance of getting out and talking to the everyday person.  No classroom, books, or in-office chit chat could educate us to the level that communicating with and experiencing the home buying, selling or renting process with potential clients could.  Oh, was he right!  And what peace of mind and self-assurance that added insight provided.

Although retired, most days of the week I am volunteering in areas that keep me in contact with people from various backgrounds and experiences.  In college I majored in psychology just out of my curiosity of how the mind, body and soul connect – not to go into the field on a professional level.  Not surprising, then, my ultimate entertainment is watching how people interact with their own selves as well as how they interact with each other. 

So often, through my volunteer segments, I am around people suffering in some way emotionally, spiritually or psychologically.  And frequently I see people in counseling capacities doing more dis-service to these people than serving them well.  Do I think the “professionals” do this intentionally?  To be honest, for the most part – no.  But I am pretty sure some do.  After all, if it’s of monetary benefit, greed and even a need to feel important can become powerful culprits.

I cannot begin to fathom how many tens of thousands of dollars I have probably saved over the years thanks to the education on a variety of topics I have gained by chatting with people at work but also getting myself into groups in my spare time – bible studies, book clubs, being a member of the League of Women Voters, attending Al-Anon meetings, helping out at community yard sales, being in an exercise class, going on or attending community hikes/bike rides/events, volunteering at the jail and VA Medical Center.  A few lessons I’ve learned, for example, are:

- Warding off depression, anxiety, victimization, boredom and procrastination.

- Learning how to deal with the effects of drug or alcohol use.

- Learning about available resources, contractors and experts for just about everything.

- Learning that behaviors a counselor was convinced needed massive group therapy sessions turned out to simply be a female mid-life shift “cured” with less than a year’s worth of hormone replacements.

- Escalating back pain over 10 yrs. was helped immensely in a yoga class which sparked my curiosity about acupuncture.  Three acupuncture sessions and I’ve had no problem since that I could not quickly remedy myself.  Whew!  No more chiropractor appointments or potential surgery.

- Reducing chronic arthritis in hands and wrists, the pain of which was greatly reduced by not consuming night-shade plants (in my case, particularly tomatoes & white potatoes).

- Totaling eliminating residual pain in hands and wrists with one platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) treatment.

- Applying mentholated chest rub to toenails to get rid of fungus (no prescription needed).

- Learning amazingly cheap and short-cut cleaning tips.

- Finding simple and inexpensive ways to provide pet care:  distemper shots/drops, nail clipping, dental care, ear care.

Yes – get out and continue life’s never-ending education.  You will be impressed with the number and variety of benefits you will gain in doing so!

Copyright © February 2016 by Maeke Ermarth

                   Cheyenne, WY

Bring on the Heat!

Bring on the Heat!

Sometimes the simplest things are right before our very eyes, and still we do not see them.  I love and respect the power of heat.  In my teen years, I was told by both my mother and my modeling instructor that the key to a healthy, non-oily looking face was to wash my face with hot water to open and clean out the pores, and then rinse with cold water to close up the pores.  In later years, the physics logic did not add up in my mind.  When something is pressed hard against a barrier, it rushes out with intensity when the barrier is removed.  After experimenting, I found that by only exposing my face to warm to hot water, oiliness lessened significantly.  Twice I developed chalazions on my lower eye lid but have not had any since I began using only hot or warm water on my face.  My pores and ducts are now free to remain "open" and breathing instead of closed and becoming clogged and possibly infected.

So often with injuries, ice packs are recommended for the first few hours to curtail swelling, but then heat is recommended for healing.  It is a wonderful muscle and tension relaxer.  Devices that create currents and/or heat which in turn stimulate cellular and molecular activity have proven very effective in a variety of ailments and therapies.  Combine warm water with Epsom, sea or table salt, and even more benefit can be had because of the salt's ability to draw out contaminates.  One summer day a friend of mine, who was a nurse suffering with a horrible cold, and I sat outside in the sun for the old home remedy of letting its warmth open the nasal passages and allow the sinuses to drain.  Most people are aware of the benefit of gargling with warm (not hot) salt water for a sore throat.  I have found that gargling with a handful of warm water in the morning does wonders for my voice to start out the day.  I do the same at night believing it is a soothing technique after a full day of use.  Look at how many massaging devices have a heat option included in them.  Most of us can attest that the not-so-attractive heating pad and hot water bottle can provide much-needed relief.

In high enough degrees, it cooks our food to a safe level for consumption and sterilizes utensils and fabrics used in medical facilities and elsewhere.  When a person's body is exposed to the cold, blood vessels in the extremities (hands, feet, the arms and legs) constrict to provide more blood and warmth closer to our trunk where the essential life-giving organs are placed.  We shiver as a way for the body to stimulate activity and friction to provide needed heat.

When attention is given to the value heat provides, it becomes more and more automatic to use it and reap the benefits!  When going through the day, keep in mind the abilities of heat, and determine if adding a little heat to your projects or routines might make them even more effective -- and bring it on!

Maeke Ermarth ©September 17, 2012

            Ocean City, MD

Line Up

Common pains occur in knees, hips, neck, shoulders, and back.  There is a variety of causes for the pain, and one might just be poor body alignment.  Taking yoga, aquatics and tai chi, combined with having a medical professional assess my pain, has proven to be priceless for me.  Having an instructor view how I am performing provides someone seeing what I cannot see -- leaning forward too much, not relaxing shoulders completely, bending my knees too far in front of my toes, not holding my head up as straight as it should be.

Take advantage of free or inexpensive evaluations commonly offered at local fairs or clinics.  A couple years ago, a nearby exercise establishment allowed back specialists to give preliminary, visual evaluations.  The lady I saw asked if I sometimes had neck/shoulder pain or discomfort on the right side.  Actually, I did and had thought it was from sitting too long at the computer.  Wrong.  She pointed out that I have a tendency to lean my head to the left!  Now conscious of that habit, I keep my head and neck more aligned with my spine, and there is no more neck or shoulder pain!  Simple.

Yoga and tai chi instructors point out my tendency to draw my left knee inward when bending down and sitting.  My general practitioner referred me to a physical therapist who gave me several exercises specific to me -- that take a total of less than 5 minutes -- to do daily to also get and stay aligned.  My old habits are the culprit time of hip pain, and it returns every time I get sloppy and resort to them.  But when I pay attention, I am pain free.  These avenues give me relief from knee and back pain, and recently a bout of "tennis elbow."  About 10 years ago, I suffered with back pain.  A chiropractor realigned my back and taught me easy, fast exercises to stregthen my back.  That pain has been under control and not a problem since practicing their guidelines.  Again, exercise instructors tell me when I am learning too far forward or backward, etc., and instigating unwanted strain/pain.

Combining the knowledge of medical practitioners and exercise instructors of how to treat specific complaints (Do I use heat or cold?  Do I massage or not?  How much and how frequently should I exercise the injured spot?) has helped me attain and retain a much better qualify of life, thanks to reduced or elimination of pain.