Pardonne-moi!

Please excuse my absence! I know I promised that I would update you all on my fast progress, but I got SO BUSY last week that I wasn't able to. So I made it through the juice fasting portion remarkably well. I did however cut it short, because I just really wanted to eat food again:-/ Instead of juice fasting for 8 days, I only made it about 5 1/2. Now I can eat fruits, veggies, oats, and beans for the next two weeks. This is MUCH better! I feel great! My energy is up, my mind is clear, and I just feel overall healthier. I highly recommend fasting for improved health!

Anyhow, as I am sure you have heard the President released his own health care reform plan just yesterday. Just when we thought all hope on health care reform was lost with the election of Republican Scott Brown to the late Ted Kennedy's senate seat and the dismantling of the Democratic filibuster-proof supermajority, the President wants to make sure he keeps health reform on the public agenda. Thursday, there will be a Health Reform Summit, and I will definitely post a blog on my views on it. Until then...

Love. Peace. and Health Care Reform.

Mrs. O takes on the big O...

Hello all!

So two days ago, as I opened my web browser, CNN.com (my homepage) pops up. I then see a picture of the most fabulous woman in America, First Lady Michelle Obama, and an article about her campaign to end childhood obesity. I think to myself, not only is she amazing, she is smart enough to stand behind an issue of great importance to the health status of future adults. Ok, enough with my idolizing.....

In the video seen here, the First Lady makes some really wonderful comments about how vulnerable children, and oftentimes their parents are to food and drink that cause obesity. Many of the key points she made suggested the use of policy to influence a downward trend in childhood obesity.

1. Our kids didn't do this to themselves- federal policy promotes nutritionally lacking school lunches, lack of recess, and tons of foods filled with sodium, corn syrup that are marketed marketed towards our children

2. We must offer parents the information and tools needed to make healthier food decisions for their children. Passing laws that require the dissemination of nutritional information is often a powerful policy instrument. For instance, requiring vending machines to clearly display nutritional information on the products it sells.

3. Encouraging the FDA to pass legislation to improve health literacy by improving nutrition labeling to make them easier to understand

4. Updating and strengthening the Child Nutrition Act which sets the standard for what our children eat in our schools by adding an additional $10 million over the next 10 years

5. These laws will change the norms of society so that healthy living and eating become generational and socially normal and acceptable and these traits are passed on to our future children

These are just a few of the ways we can use policy to influence not only childhood obesity, but other behavioral issues that pose a threat to the health of Americans.

Hopefully, Americans can look at the fabulous Mrs. O and her beautiful children and see that they in fact hold the power to their and their children's healths.

Peace.

Whitney.

Holistic Healing and Alternative Medicine: Does It Have a Place in Healthcare Reform?

Hey everybody. So I have been contemplating undertaking a 21-day spiritual and prayer fast. No, I have NOT lost my mind! And I know what you're thinking: "She is just trying to get her body right for the Bahamas!" Well this fast will definitely help me in my bikini body goal, but this fast means more to me than that. My pastor has been educating my church on the power of fasting not only for an increased spiritual connectedness with God, but also, its power to heal the body from certain ailments. During this fast, for the first 8 days, I will be undertaking a "juice fast". During this time I will only drink water and 100% vegetable and fruit juices, and doing saltwater flushes at night to aid in digestion. This is going to be a challenge, because I LOVE to eat. The next 3 days I will be reintroducing solid foods to my body with soft fruits and simple carbohydrates. The remaining 10 days I will be eating baked fish, oatmeal, nuts, and 75% of my diet will be uncooked fruits and vegetables. NO DAIRY products during this time, as it can disrupt the detox! The theory behind this is that my body will detox from all the toxins we consume on a daily basis, and because my body will not have to contribute energy towards digestion, it can put more energy into restoring and healing the body. Additionally, to help deal with the hinger pains I will surely feel, I will increase my prayer regimen during this time to feed my "spiritual stomach", if you will. It is my hope that my spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional health will benefit as a result of this 21-day fast.

I mention this because this type of holistic or alternative medicine is many times discounted by many physicians and people who only believe in evidence-based medicine. There are many centers in this country that deliver these types of services, but are expensive, and many insurance plans do not cover them. I do agree that in a time where we are struggling to cover the basic health needs of Americans, maybe we should not pay for holistic medicine. However, we cannot forget to emphasize the importance of taking the time to not only focus on the absence of disease in our society, but to promote the mental, social and emotional health of Americans as well. The power of fasting can put people who fast in a better emotional and spiritual place, which can do wonders for mental health issues, such as depression, but also manifest itself by causing us to take better care of ourselves, because we feel better about ourselves. So much research has been done proving that good social, mental, and emotional health can have incredible benefits on physical health.

I will be sure to keep you posted on my progress. I plan to begin the fast February 15 and end March 7.

--Whitney