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May 2012

Recipe Corner
Greek Quinoa Salad
The best part about cooking with quinoa is that it is not only good but also good for you. It is very high in protein, vitamins and minerals, and takes only minutes to make. It’s one of the highest protein plant foods you can eat. I LOVE this recipe! It makes 8-10 hearty servings, and is even better the next day. It will keep well for about 3 days. I hope you’ll give it a try. - Vicky

Reprinted from vegetarian.about.com.

3-4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (you may use any flavor you prefer)
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice from one lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced if desired
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts (optional) salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
In a medium-large saucepan, cook the quinoa in vegetable broth for 15-20 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.

Gently toss the quinoa together with the remaining ingredients, except feta.
Pour the olive oil mixture over the quinoa.

Add more salt and pepper to taste and gently stir in the feta cheese.

You may also add any additional vegetables that you like, such as lightly steamed broccoli, snap peas or diced bell pepper.

Enjoying the Summer During Cancer Treatment
By Debra Robbins, Ingalls Memorial Hospital

The summer months bring sun, heat and outdoor activities that, while enjoyable, may present challenging health and lifestyle issues for people living with cancer. To enjoy a fun, safe summer, consider the following precautions from your friends at Ingalls Cancer Care:

Dehydration. Some side effects of cancer treatment, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea, may lead to dehydration or heat exhaustion during the hottest days of summer. Signs of dehydration include dry mouth or thirst; fatigue and weakness; weak or cramped muscles; dizziness, headaches or confusion; fever; very dark urine or less frequent urination; swollen, cracked or dried tongue; and sunken eyes that don’t tear naturally.
To avoid becoming dehydrated:

1. Drink before becoming thirsty, consuming at least six to 10 glasses of water every day. Drink even more outside in the heat.
2. Drink iced fluids like water, or low-sugar juices, sports drinks, or frozen ice pops, to quench your thirst and keep you cool.
3. Use ice chips for dry mouth.
4. Eat vegetables and fruits with a high fluid content with meals and as snacks. Watermelon is a great example.
5. Avoid beverages with alcohol or caffeine.

Exposure to the Sun. Skin that has received radiation therapy is very sensitive to the sun's rays and should be protected from direct sunlight during treatment. After radiation therapy is done, avoid strong sunlight or limit it to very small doses. In addition, sun exposure while undergoing chemotherapy with fluorouracil (5-FU, Adrucil) may lead to more intense skin reactions and possible sunburns. When outdoors, remember to:

1. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a solar protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher and reapply it often. Ask your doctor to recommend a sunscreen for sensitive skin, since sunscreen may irritate skin that has received radiation therapy.
2. Limit sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Schedule outdoor activities for early or late in the day.
3. Protect the area being treated. Dark, tightly woven fabrics offer better sun protection than light, thin, and loosely woven materials.
4. Protect your head and ears with a broad-brimmed hat. Exposed skin will burn easily.
5. Cover surgical scars. If they’re exposed to the sun, especially newer scars, the sun will eventually darken the scars.

Wigs. Wigs can feel hot and itchy in the summer. One option is a cotton scarf or turban. If you decide to wear a wig, consider a synthetic wig for the hot summer months. Since their open-cap construction allows the head to breathe, they’re lighter and cooler. Synthetic wigs don’t get flat or frizzy with humidity like human-hair wigs. Synthetic wigs also hold their style if they get wet and don’t fade or turn color with sun exposure.

Physical activity. Physical activity is a wonderful way to regain your strength, and swimming is one of the safest and most comfortable ways to begin moderate exercise. For women who have had a breast removed, several bathing suit brands are designed with higher necklines and armholes to conceal scars, and built-in bra pockets for securing breast forms. In addition to custom swimsuits, there are special swim caps designed for people undergoing chemotherapy that provide additional protection for sensitive skin. (For help finding these items, check with your oncologist’s office or Google “mastectomy swimwear” to find online and area vendors.)
Whatever activity you choose, talk with your doctor about an appropriate exercise plan before beginning.

Have a happy, healthy summer from your friends at Ingalls Cancer Care!

Sweet Serenity
By Patricia Fares-O'Malley, Ph.D

Have you noticed how life cycles up and down like a roller coaster, sometimes? Where we experience good times and then, well, not so good times? Times when there is a flow to our life, and all things go well for us. We feel strong, healthy, connected, happy and just plain "good" - everything is great!  It's like every day is filled with warmth and sunshine!

Then there are times in our life that really drag us down. The "down" cycles are when things aren't looking so great; maybe even dark, cold, and gloomy. They tend to be more difficult for us. I'm certain we've all experienced something like this more than once in our lives, haven't we?

Recently, I've asked myself the question " How do I find the gloriousness of life when I'm in a down cycle?" After all, it’s easy to be uplifted and forgiving and happy when things are going well! We tend to notice the gloriousness of life and the "goodness" that surrounds us during those uplifting times. 

But those "down" times - they feel different. It takes a lot of work to try to stay positive when things look and even feel gloomy around us, isn't it true?

One day last week, I was driving past a little country church that had a "billboard" set up in front. You know, the signs that generally display the time the services are held, and so on.  Oftentimes, these signs offer bible quotes or words of wisdom to those who pass by. I'm certain the intention for these words and quotes is to inspire, uplift, support us - especially during a "down" cycle; as this particular sign did for me that day. The sign read: "God, grant me the persistence of a weed." Of course, having just been outside weeding the gardens around my home, this quote made me chuckle, before its deeper meaning began to sink in!

Think about it! Not just weeds, but all of the beauty of nature thrums with life, flowering peacefully, growing, reaching for the light - always expanding! Accepting whatever fate it meets, it has an uncompromising passion for being!  Quietly, slowly and persistently it continues to grow. It is not thwarted by chemicals or concrete or black paper or mulch; not afraid of my spade or shovel. Turned over, blasted, ripped away from the soil that surrounds it - it continues to thrive!

As I was digging in the garden, uprooting all the life that I thought to be bothersome to my view of things, I was amazed by the strength and tenacity of a single root. There it was birthing itself deep in the dark earth. It was worming its way underneath the very black landscape paper that was laid there with the specific purpose of stifling its growth. Had I never lifted the landscape material, I never would have known its secret. I would have awakened one morning, sometime in the future and growled at it, asking, " How did you get here?"   Yet, there it was, a small, white shoot of life that was undaunted by the cold darkness. It kept growing.  It kept itself moving ever forward - towards the bright sunlight, absorbing all the sustenance that that light offers. That little tiny shoot was tenaciously moving forward with only one thought - one intention - to "Be" and to enjoy the "being" of itself!

How do we learn then to stand in times of cold darkness? Do we take lessons from a tiny weed? I believe we do. I believe that the goodness, the Godness of nature speaks to us about life and the living of it! We learn from the slow, daily wanderings of a tiny weed. We learn to persist with one intention - to live in the Light of Being and enjoy the journey!  We learn that with our focused intention we will find our way through the darkness into the sunlight once again!

May God grant you the persistence of a weed! And may the Light shine upon you!
Pat

Patricia Fares-O'Malley, Ph.D. received her doctoral degree in MindBody Psychology in 1998 and since then has written and published several articles and books on the subject of healing the body through the power of the mind, including, "Healing The Love Wound."

Journaling to Better Health!
By Jessie Jury

Writing with Friends

You may think of writing as a solitary act, and, for the most part, it is. Nobody knows your heart and mind like you do, and the words and emotions that you conjure up and spill onto the page are uniquely your own. While it can be satisfying to keep a journal for yourself - even if nobody else ever sees your words - writing with others can also be a cathartic experience. You can choose to write about a specific topic or select a prompt, which can be a word, an idea or a question, and share your entries.

While in college, at a time in my life when I was writing more term papers than anyone should ever be required to write in a single semester, I longed to write something more creative, without academic constraints. I wanted the feedback of people I could trust to tell me what they really thought of my characters, or to analyze the dreams I transcribed.

My friend Amanda and I would sit on my back patio, chosing prompt after prompt - often by closing our eyes and pointing to a random word in a book - set a timer and write. Once the pen hit the page we didn't stop to edit ourselves. I still look back at those old journals and feel that they contain some of the most raw, truthful entries I've ever written. Writing together also created a lasting friendship and deep bond that I will forever cherish.

Give it a try. You might find that having a writing partner offers you new insight and makes you a more prolific writer.

If you'd like to revisit older Journaling entries and prompts, find them here. Also, please share your thoughts on what journaling means to you, as well as ideas for future articles on our Facebook page!


Our Partnership with Shaklee

Is Your Home a Healthy Home?

It’s alarming but true – scientists and doctors have discovered that there is a connection between our health and the use of common everyday household chemicals. If yours is the typical home, you probably use dozens of cleaning and personal care products, purchased at the local grocery store, which contain chemical ingredients that could be harmful to your health and the health of your loved ones. 

Since World War II, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of man-made chemicals we use in our homes. The typical home now contains more than 63 hazardous products that together contain hundreds of different chemicals. At the same time there has been an equally dramatic rise in the incidence of certain chronic health problems. Research indicates that it is more than coincidence that the dramatic rise in these various diseases has coincided with the increased use of hazardous, man-made chemicals in the home.

Have We Always Been this Sick?

Around the turn of the century the cancer incidence rate was about 1 in 50.  Today in the US, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will suffer with cancer some time during their lives. Cancer is the number 2 killer of adults and the leading cause of death from disease in children.

The incidence of central nervous system disorders like Alzheimer’s and MS are increasing annually. Birth defects are on the rise.  Infertility is increasing, with over 2 million couples who want children and are unable to conceive.

Asthma was also once a very rare disease. Now the condition is extremely common. The asthma rate has tripled in the last 20 years with over 30 million American afflicted.

Attention Deficit Disorder in adults and children is rising. In 1993, 2 million children took the drug Ritalin.  In 2000, 17 million prescriptions were written in the US for Ritalin and other drugs to treat ADD.

What could be causing these, and other health problems, to rise and afflict so many? Although other factors are involved, more and more scientist are linking these ailments to long-term chemical exposure.  And, for most of us, our greatest exposure to chemicals is right in our own home. We breathe chemical vapors from household products in the air; we absorb chemicals into our skin while using household products to clean our homes or make our bodies clean and smell good; and we swallow small amounts of chemicals when we gargle, or when we eat food from dishes that have been cleaned with chemicals and still contain a thin residue. The home is also where over 1.5 million young children are poisoned each year, and most of the time they are poisoned by a cleaning or personal care product!

So What Can We Do?

By changing to the Shaklee non-toxic cleaners you will not only be protecting your health but you will also be saving money.  Shaklee products are ALWAYS SAFE, ALWAYS WORK, and are ALWAYS GREEN.  Visit www.fayeslight.myshaklee.com to find out more about all of the Shaklee products or call Linda Merisko 708-672-3152 for further information.  You can purchase products directly thru this special web site and products are delivered directly to your home.  And, everyone who purchases Shaklee products via this link will be supporting Faye’s Light with 100% of profits go directly to Faye’s Light.


About Faye's Light

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