Book review: A Time to Celebrate: A Celebration of a Girl's First Menstrual Period

Author Joan Morias introduces her slim, teen friendly, 106 page menstrual primer and journal beautifully;

Menstruation is a beautiful function of the female body and has been a taboo subject for too long. It is time to look at it in a new, healthier light. I encourage every girl and woman to learn about their menstrual cycle and treat their body wth respect, embracing menstruation and living in harmony with the natural rhythm of life.

I first heard about this book from a Dr. Christiane Northrup video. Then I was reminded of through a health newletter I received which featured an article by the author. Joan has given me permission to republish that article entitled "Creating Menstrual Health with Your Daughter" here:
http://www.amazinghealing.com/daughter.htm

I wish I had this book as young woman. Instead, I read "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret" by Judy Blume over and over until the spine of the book came unbound. I could not wait for my period to arrive, I would finally, offically be a grown woman (or so I thought! LOL).

But I was nervous, because as Joan says in her intro, menstruation has a bad rap. My mother told me stories of her childhood and how everyone called it "The Curse". I heard stories of girls who made the terrible decision to wear white pants to school or church they day thier first periods arrived and were terribly embarrassed. Some girls I knew were even beaten by thier mom or dad the day they began mensturating. When I began ovulatating and having that creamy, white discharge I was so scared that I had finally gotten my period but it was the wrong color and there must be something wrong with me. I didn't know that ovulatory fluid was natural, healthy fertility signal that my red flow would arrive a few months later. Embarrased, I never asked any adults what the fluid was and went on for a few months thinking something was wrong with me until my actual menarche came down. Wow what a differnt fluid that was! LOL

Joan's book puts a new twist on menstural education. She teaches us to use the information our body gives for personal strength and encourages young women not to fear this beautiful, natural change. She teaches about ovulation, fluids, and how to chart the cycle. She makes suggestions about how to deal with emotions, food cravings, cramps, and fatigue. There is journal space in the book for the young woman to keep notes or draw. This book is meant as creative educational tool for the young woman and keepsake for her adult years. I hope that parents of pre-teen and teen-aged girls will give this book to thier daughters in an effort to create a healthy atmosphere of love, respect and wisdom.

To Buy This Book Visit: www.JoanMorais.com

Posted by: Juliette Aiyana

Young Man's Forced Chemo Treatment is Stayed By Judge!

Phew! That was close.

(Not sure what is up? Check out my post from yesterday.)

But it is not over.
Abraham and is family are due back in court on August 16th- just 3 weeks away.

We can all help Abraham and his family. Check out this article from healthfreedom.net to find out the lastest details and how to help.

Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 2:54 PM
Subject: Breaking News: Ruling for Cherrix family

Dear Concerned Citizen,
Abraham Cherrix DOES NOT have to report to a Norfolk hospital for forced chemotherapy. That's the ruling Tuesday afternoon by an Accomack County Circuit Court judge, after lawyers for 16-year-old Starchild Abraham Cherrix appealed a ruling by a juvenile court judge. Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell filed a brief to the Circuit Court Tuesday supporting a stay, arguing that Abraham deserves the right to appeal the order to the Circuit Court before undergoing medical treatment.

Judge Glen Tyler said Abraham and his parents will get a new trial in Circuit Court as soon as possible. The judge also returned full custody of Abraham to his parents. That ruling suspends an order by the juvenile court judge that required Abraham's parents to share custody with the Accomack County Department of Social Services. This is a new terrority for the American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF) and Health Freedom Foundation (HFF). We were contacted last week by Sharon Smith (the Cherrix family representative) and since then we have been hearing about other cases where the parents and authorities clashed over a minor's treatment.

This is not about choosing an "alternative" treatment but about what is the legal (and constitutional) rights of parents and the state system in regards to children's health. We are gathering information and will be developing a national solution to this critical and heartbreaking issue. We are assisting the family as best as we can with legislative, legal, and PR efforts. Please share your stories and ideas (send to healthfreedom2000@yahoo.com).

You might also be interested in reading a recent article by our Vice-President, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, titled WHO OWNS YOUR CHILD? Your financial support is greatly needed and here are two ways you can help.
1) If you would like to support the Health Freedom Foundation efforts> in addressing this issue, please make a tax-deductible donation today.
2) If you would like to support the family directly with a financial contribution, please send your check to: Abraham Cherrix Fund c/o RBC Centura Bank 2422 Princess Anne Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23456

If you have any questions about the Cherrix fund you can email: abrahamsfund@abrahamsjourney.com Thanks to all of you who have written in so far to offer encouragement and ideas to the Cherrix family. We'll continue to keep you informed of their situation.

Brenna Hill
Executive Director Health Freedom Foundation and American Association for Health Freedom 4620 Lee Highway, Suite 210 Arlington, VA 22207
1.800.230.2762 www.healthfreedom.net

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for> Healthfreedom.net.
Copyright©2006. Health Freedom Foundation. All rights reserved. 462 Lee Highway . Arlington, Virginia, 22207

Cinnamon Girl

My first experience with the medicinal use of cinnamon occurred when I was about twenty-one years old, living and working in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The small, family owned Evelyn’s Middle Eastern restaurant was one of my favorite spots for lunch. One wintry afternoon I visited the restaurant in search of some hot soup to help ease the flu symptoms that overcame me that cold, blustery morning. The oldest brother of the Iranian family greeted me with his usual warm smile and asked, “How are you today Juliette?”

“Oh I amb nod feeling so well,” I answered thru my congested nose and scratchy throat, tissue held in my gesturing hand. “I breally need sumb ub your dad’s famous chicken soup to help my cold go away.”

He promptly sat me at a warm table far from the door. Within minutes a steaming bowl of chicken rice soup, which my stuffy head could only imagine smelled delicious, appeared before my watery eyes. As I gazed into the wide bowl I noticed an ingredient I had never seen before in Dad’s famous chicken rice soup, a cinnamon stick.

I asked the waitress/owner Evelyn, why there was a cinnamon stick in the soup. She told me, “It will help cure your cold.”
“Oh.” I replied with a smile. As I sipped the soup its cinnamon brought warmth and relaxation to my deeply aching muscles. The added spice opened my sinuses, my senses and my curious mind about other cultural herb remedies.

Fast forward about five years, I am twenty-six years old and suffering from another bought of the flu while living in the cold, damp winter climate of Seattle. On my regular weekly visit to the local acupuncture school’s clinic, the student intern, Julie, told me she could give me an herb tea to cure my cold. Having taken many of her Chinese herbal decoctions for other complaints, many of which tasted gross but helped me tremendously, I said, “I’ll take it!”

I was delighted to taste this tea because it tasted like cinnamon, and I felt significantly better after the first couple of doses. Within two days I felt 90% better and cured by the third day. When I went back the next week I asked the intern, “What herbs were in that tea? It tasted so good.” She said, “Oh, I only know the names in Chinese but one of them was cinnamon”. I nodded, “I thought so, I really liked it and it worked so quickly!” Soon thereafter, I was suffering from menstrual cramps which had been medicated with the birth control pill for about eight years. But recently, The Pill stopped alleviating my cramps and my previous relationship ended so I wanted to stop the medicine.

Nervous that I would go back to suffering the debilitating cramps I had before starting The Pill, I asked Julie if she could help. She gave me another decoction, also containing cinnamon. Much to my amazement, the tea was effective enough for me to bear the cramps. I began a regimen of taking the tea one week before my expected period and by about the sixth month cramps rarely afflicted me. Eventually, I didn’t even have to take the tea anymore. By this point I loved cinnamon, I had become a Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young, where are you?).

To read the rest of Juliette's article click here:
http://www.amazinghealing.com/cinammon

Let He Who Is Without Cancer Cast The 1st Forced Chemotherapy Judgement

16 year-old Abraham Cherrix has been ordered by a judge to receive a second round of chemotherapy treatment starting today, in spite of his and his families carefully thought out decision to avoid another bought of this invasive treatment. The young man and his family have opted to try an organic diet and herbal therapy at a Mexican treatment center. Abraham, his father and lawyer were interviewed on Hannity & Colms T.V. show last night.

In the interview Abraham said that the chemo treatment was “torture” and was “the most horrible thing I think I have ever gone through in my life. I would gladly have welcomed dying right there and then.”

If his parents do not bring him for chemo treatment today they risk going to jail on contempt of court charges. Mr. Cherrix, Abrahamn’s father said “It would be worth it.”

They were due back in court for one last hearing at noon today. So far I have not heard any news report if the two previous orders were stayed.

You can view or read the interview here: http://www.foxnews.com/hannityandcolmes/

The use of natural treatments for cancer patients is very common in the USA. Sloan-Kettering, one of the top cancer treatment center in the world located in NYC, promotes in-house acupuncturists, massage therapists, nutritionists and energy healers for use by all it’s patients. Abraham’s case was referred to court by a social services worker filed as neglect case. It amazes me that with so many real child abuse/neglect/murder/torture cases such as the Nix Marie Brown case (may she rest in peace) that a social worker is expending energy on a case such as this. Rather then work on cases to stop torture of children this social worker decided to place a child in the position of undergoing, as he called it “torture”.

This is a right to quality of life case. There is not guarantee that either treatment protocol will save or prolong his life. But he knows that one of them causes him miserable pain, constant vomiting, loss of appetite and hair, severe weakness and fatigue. How can we play God and tell him how to live out his last days- regardless of how many he has left. Let he who has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy treatment sentence this young man to more chemo. I would bet that neither the social worker nor judge on this case has even gone through one round of chemo.

Personally, I would prefer to spend my last days in the Mexican sun, eating organic foods, taking herbs and receiving massages then to spend them in white walled hospital eating hospital food which I will eventually violently vomit out of my bald head- if I can even get it down to begin with- while being poked and prodded as though I were kidnapped by alien beings for scientific experimentation.

This young man should have the right to choose his quality of life.

This post is dedicated to the Cherrix family and all families for whom this may be or become an issue. If there is anyway I can help this family with natural therapies or advice please call me 212-894-0767 Be Well-Juliette Aiyana, L.Ac.

The Whole World is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings

"Consider one more possibility: that the people who seem to slow us down and hold us back are actually preventing things from happening too fast.

Imagine that the evolution of your life or our culture is like a pregnancy: It needs to reach its full term. Just as a child isn't ready to be born after five months of gestation, the new world we're creating has to ripen in its own time. The recalcitrant reactionaries who resist the inevitable birth are simply making sure that the far-seeing revolutionaries don't conjure the future too suddenly. They serve the greater good."

-Rob Brezny from his book "PRONOIA IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA:How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings" (available at East West Books NYC or http://snipurl.krjj )

The idea that spoke to me the most in Rob's quote is the one about allowing things in our world to ripen in due time. Fortentely for me, I don't usually feel like other people are holding me back, but I do sometimes feel like I want things to change sooner then later and wonder why they take so long inspite of work in manifesting them into reality.

Rob encourages us to shift our conciousness, by changing our thought processes about these matters because it helps us to release negativity towards others, ourselves and the circumstance. During a pregnancy, the mother must constantly nourish, protect and tend to herself and the growing life inside her. She creates the safe and sacred space for life to "ripen". She has no control of when that baby will be ready to be born, but she knows it will be born.

When we actively nurture transformation, it occurs. A great spiritual teacher of mine, Eric Butterworth simply states, "Trust the process".

Posted By: Juliette Aiyana

Quick Meal: Saucy Baby Bella's, Turkey Sausage & Polenta

You have got to try this meal I threw together this Sunday. It was soooo good! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I made it with stuff I had around the kitchen and paired it with a fresh mixed organic green salad. And it only took about 25 minutes with prep time.

These measurement are approximate because I usually eye what I need. After cooking for 20 years I am good at this. So I'll do my best to translate into measurements for you. It is enough for 2 people.

What I used:
1 cup of baby bella mushrooms- sliced thick, stalks removed. You can also use regular portobella 'shrooms and if you have any shiitake or crimini to blend with it that would taste great too!
Tip: a great way to clean mushrooms is to moisten a paper towel and use it to gently wipe off the mushrooms. This way you get all the dirt off the mushrooms with out the risk of water pressure breaking the underside of the mushroom where all the flavor comes from.

2 Applegate Farms spinach & feta turkey sausages (organic pre-cooked or whatever other flavor you want to try or have around the house) cut into 1/2 inch slices - or substitute vegetarian sausage or do without protein at all at use this as a side dish instead of a meal. If you use uncooked sausage, start in in separate pan then slice and add or throw it on an indoor (like George Forman) or outdoor grill, then slice. I like the Applegate Farms because it is precooked, organic and lower in saturated fats (only 3 grams per link) then most sausage.

1/3 can of Walnut Acres brand creamy Portobella soup (organic). Or try Imagine brand portobella soup which is vegan in which case measure out about 1/3 cup.

6 thick slices (3/4 inch) of pre-cooked polenta

I had left over wild rice salad from Whole Foods so when the turkey sausage was sauteeing I added about 1/4 cup of it into the saute. Although this is not an essential element for the meal it was a creative and tasty touch adding just a hint of nutty flavor.

How I made it:
In a large non-stick frying pan melt 1.5 tablespoons of butter on a medium-low flame (or substitute extra virgin olive oil but I think mushroom flavor is best drawn out with butter and it such a small amount it is hardly unhealthy). Then add the mushrooms. Saute covered and stir a few times until darkened and soft for about 5 minutes.

Tip: Do not walk away from the pan while melting the butter so that it does not burn. If it burns, turn of the flame let the pan cool, wash it and start over. Burned butter will always ruin the flavor of anything you cook.

Add the sliced sausage. Saute until browned on both sides.

Move the sauteed 'shrooms 'n sausage around the edges of the pan, spray olive oil into the middle of the pan (or add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil - I prefer extra virgin)

Place slices of polenta into the pan. Cover. In about 3 minutes or so they become soft and the bottom side begins to turn a deeper yellow, then flip and warm for another few minutes. Remove the softened, warmed polenta slices and plate them.

Now add the soup to the saute mixture until warm. The mixture should become saucy not soupy so don't add too much soup. Serve over the polenta.

What you get is light creamy mushroom sausage saute which matches up well with softened polenta. You could also serve this over creamy polenta if you like to cook it fresh yourself. That kind of polenta serves mushy and looks like grits but is not gritty - it is very smooth and creamy.

I paired this meal with an organic mixed green salad with red onion, sliced avocado, artichoke hearts and diced tomato lightly dressed with Marie's red wine vinaigrette dressing and sprinkled with feta cheese. This light airy side dish complimented the saucy, full, nutty flavors of the meal.

Enjoy!

Posted by: Juliette Aiyana

Making Sense of the Nutrition Facts Label: a users guide

Most of us have no clue what all that stuff on the Nutrition Facts label means to our health and diet. Follow this link to the US FDA website's easy to navigate explaination. This website helps the consumer understand how to read the DV (daily value), serving size, nutrient and caloric content and the footnotes on the label.

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/foodlab.html

For example, on the Nutrition Facts label "serving size" is relative to the product and has nothing to do with RDA nutritional recommendations. The serving size is assigned to the label based upon the manufacturer's discrection. It simply exhibits serving size in relationship to the DV, nutrient and caloric content within the "serving size" indicated on the label. This can easily confuse and even mislead an unaware consumer. For example many ice cream products serving size is only two tablespoons. What a joke! Who only eats two tablespoons of ice cream? Not me that is for sure!

So what the saavy consumer must do is consider the amount they would really eat before accepting that the ice cream has only, say, 100 calories or only, say, five grams of saturated fat. By the time you eat a bowl full you have increased the "serving size" exponentially and therefore all the other information listed on the Nutrition Facts label.

Eat well, eat smart!

Posted by: Juliette Aiyana

Acupuncture & Sexual Health

Hey check it out!

SexHerald.com's Sex & Health columnist Danielle Briscoe interviewed me about Chinese medicine and sexual health.

Warning:
Before you read the interview please know that the much of the content on that site is for adults only. So don't go viewing this from work or in front of children or if your are easily offended by sexual content.

Here's the link:
http://sexherald.com/sex-and-health/index.php?section=21&item=2

Posted by: Juliette Aiyana