Over the years, readers of foodtalk4you have been encouraged to embrace healthy choices, if made on a regular basis, would result in a better inner balance; a health status more naturally obtained; and nourishment from foods that are anti-inflammatory.

All well and good.

Oh, and health checks. We’ve covered those, too.

Have you been seeing the dentist every six months for a cleaning and checkup? Yes.

How about that yearly mammogram for women? Done.

Update with your primary care physician every year? You bet.

Annual prostate screening exam, PSA, screening for men? Good.

Eye-exam every year? Absolutely. I need my sight.

I still see the optometrist from my old town every year; he has known me for thirty years, and I would never skip a yearly appointment with him because that’s where I get my contacts. I count the days for that annual visit so my lenses can get updated.

Have you ever been to a dermatologist for a full body check of your skin? Yes?

How long has it been since your last exam? Well…

That’s where I came up short.

Regular as clockwork, I had went to see my dermatologist.

That is, until I moved.

Then I discovered getting established with new care providers was such a chore, I made plans to keep my dermatologist as well – just schedule my yearly checkups on the same day as my eye doctor.

Two important checkups on one day trip. Easy peesy.

Until one of them had to reschedule, and I could no longer piggyback appointments.

Eyes demanded attention. Skin … not so much. Skin needs an advocate, and I fell down on that job.

Several friends in my new community were already sporting small bandages here and there after they got established with their new dermatologists. Small, being the operant word here.

Then, a friend came back from having a couple skin biopsies done – only to learn a few days later – they were both melanomas.

Good grief.

That did it. Getting established with a new dermatologist suddenly moved to the top of my list. I called the office nearest me to schedule an appointment as a new patient. Well, the next available appointment was two months out and I had no choice but to wait.

Finally, at my appointment, the tiniest biopsy I’ve ever had was taken from my forehead. It came back as basal cell carcinoma.

It would be my fourth basal cell, and I wasn’t overly concerned, especially because of the biopsy’s size.

While I might have developed a basal cell growth on my forehead anyway, the adage is now ringing very loudly in my head: “A stitch in time, saves nine.”

If I had not delayed, then maybe that tiny basal cell would not have developed so stealthily along a nerve, enabling it to grow and travel more easily.

Long story short, there’s a 6.5 cm long incision, still covered up by Steri-strips and brown tape, running vertically up and down the middle of my forehead.

Geez.

Thank heavens for Mohs surgical technique, developed in 1938 by a surgeon, Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, which allowed the doctor to microscopically remove as little as possible; create slides of the tissue taken; analyze for clear boarders and call me back to take another small slice – which he did four additional times, before closing the wound up.

Seven hours later, my body image more than slightly shaken, and a giant pressure bandage on my forehead, I am driven home.

Sometimes we need reminders. I had never been one to skip regular checkups, but I allowed myself to become that person.

Yes, I use sunscreen and hats. Yes, I make countless decisions each day to enhance my total body health; but none of that takes away the need for regular checkups.

No skipping!

Stop what you are doing and make calls right now for your annual medical checks.

Just do it!!

In health –

Deidre

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Like a skilled acrobatics artist walking a tightrope over the heights, we are called to maintain balance in every aspect of our lives.

Work, play, learning, doing, time outdoors, time indoors, family, friends, cooking, cleaning, gardening, focus on goals, focus on being free from any agendas, concentrating on self, doing things for others, etc.

I could type examples forever.

How do you maintain a sense of balance?

With the continual evolving nature of our lives I mentioned last week, the balance we achieve one day may not fit the next one.

The season of festivals and holidays is upon us, and I noticed I had been spending more time this year writing; and I had become transfixed on getting Toolkit for Caregivers freshened up and relaunched to the exclusion of nurturing my other passions, pastimes, and time devoted to friendships.

Imbalance seldom works over the long haul.

Sure, we can, figuratively, stand on our heads briefly, but for an extended period? Not so much.

My sense of imbalance was causing an inner pinch that became uncomfortable and demanded adjusting.

So, here I am, covered in glittery holiday ornament fallout, and having a ball. I am doing advanced prep-work for our neighborhood’s Second Annual Holiday Home Tour, and my house is on the tour!

Will I meet my self-imposed publishing deadline? Not sure.

Am I going to punctuate my days with more time doing the crafty things that provide creative release and joy? You bet.

Will there be more time each week with friends? Absolutely.

Is writing and making final edits being abandoned? Not at all. I am just allowing myself to move through my days on a longer leash – and it feels good.

May I encourage everyone to go ahead and rebalance your inner-self, which could be uncomfortable with the status quo?

That rebalance will work for as long as it’s meant to work.

May we all mindfully listen to what our spirits are telling us and respond accordingly.

In health and holiday glitter –

Deidre

There are letters to the editor. Kids write letters to Santa. We sometimes write letters to our elected officials. We anticipate letters of acceptance. We would like to forget those dreaded Dear John letters.

Much of this correspondence has been translated to texts, tweets, and emails — so much so, when we see a real written note or letter in our mailbox, we are thrilled.

Unless your name is John.

What if we were to pull out a piece of paper, and pen a letter to our younger selves?

Surely, we have gained wisdom, perspective, and experience enough to counsel our younger selves at a time when a comforting word of encouragement would have done us a world of good.

What would our advice look like?

You are enough.

Be easier on yourself.

Look up and breathe.

Relax.

You are strong enough, smart enough, and kind enough to make a difference.

This world needs you.

You are discovering wonderful things about yourself, and that will never stop.

For as long as you live, you will build upon your strengths and abilities.

When things get rough, remember who you are.

Do good.

Search for the easiest, small task you can do to move closer to your goals, and then keep doing that every single day.

Always fill your mind with gratitude for the blessings in your life, both great and small.

Of course, our younger selves cannot read that note just written, full of encouragement and hope. Would we have benefitted from such a note?

I think so.

Therefore, what could we write about to our present selves? We still have cares and concerns; projects can overwhelm; relationships hit snags; and we can still lose our way sometimes.

The same way we might have regarded that unsure little child in our first letter, let’s regard ourselves today, with an equal measure of love, patience, and understanding.

Like that child, we are breaking new ground every day. We’ve never been this old before. Everything is new.

The world is constantly changing, our bodies are changing, there are new ways of doing things, and we still need words of encouragement.

As we figuratively write that letter to ourselves, or as we visualize sitting on a park bench with ourselves, may our counsel be helpful.

May we realize that those around us need our uplifting words of hope and inspiration as well.

In practicing kindness to ourselves first, we can more easily be kind to others.

In peace and health –

Deidre

Are people fickle?

We claim to not like change. Yet, when it comes to the changing seasons – well, we just can’t wait. As soon as we are entrenched in one season, we seem to be mentally inching toward the next one.

Spring. Who does not love to see the new life springing forth at every turn? Sneeze. And we really want to wear shorts and go to the pool – so summer temperatures would be nice.

Summer. Ahhh. School’s out. Vacations. Beach. Grilling. Darn – it’s too hot! A little drop in the temperature would be great.

Fall. Bingo! I feel new!

Amid the kaleidoscope of changing fall colors, I feel reborn.

Clean slate.

New beginnings.

Do these primordial feelings hail from years as a student and teacher – starting the new school year each fall? Or were my ancestors Jewish, celebrating Rosh Hashanah? Happy Jewish New Year, folks!

Whatever the origins – I’m cleaning house and starting afresh each fall.

Literally – cleaning the house. Deep cleaning. It’s so clean that spring cleaning won’t even be needed! Ha! I could wish.

My muscles alternate between singing and screaming from all the squats, jumps, lifts, stretches, and everything else they have been required to do this week. Ugh. But I feel SO GOOD!

And I need your help. To make foodtalk4you as relevant as possible, I’d like to ask for your input.

What are your areas of need or interest?

1. Are you seeking inspiration for healthier options in fall recipes?

Breakfast choices?

Desserts?

Soups?

Thanksgiving?

2. Need some help with stress reduction or relaxation techniques?

Five minute reset?

Mental escapes?

How to get better sleep?

3. Looking for ways to ramp up the fiber in your diet?

4. Do you have questions about incorporating more variety, nutrition, or anti-inflammatory foods into your diet?

Please drop a line in the comment section so I can tailor the posts this fall to your needs. I greatly appreciate your response – we want each post in foodtalk4you meet you where you are.

In health –

Deidre

Just rub the sides of this container and a genie will emerge in a vapor, ready to grant me three wishes. Oh, boy!

All I really want right now is to 1) breathe better, 2) avoid the stage of this sinus infection where I wish there were microscopic sticks of dynamite I could use to break up the congestion and pressure behind my forehead, nose, and eyes, and 3) get along with life.

My daughter, long the naturopath in her approach to maintaining health, led the parade on this one, and my son was next – much to my surprise – because of his selectively squeamish nature. Now, I have finally joined the band wagon.

Doing what?

Using a neti pot to rinse my nasal passages.

I mean, pouring salt water into one nostril, in anticipation of it draining out the other, just goes against my instincts to avoid drowning, you know?

Let’s start from the beginning. Quoting Alfred Iloreta, MD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Mount Saini Hospital.

“The practice of irrigating the nasal passages with water has been around for approximately 5,000 years with its origins South Asian culture, within the practice of Ayurveda, an ancient practice of yoga. These Yoga Masters called the sinus cleansing technique, “Jala Neti,” and it exists as one of the six main practices in cleansing the body to prepare for the higher practices of yoga.”

While the idea of nasal rinsing was first introduced to Western medicine in the early 1900’s, mass marketing of devices did not happen until the early 1970’s.

An uptick in the interest of using neti pots started in the 1990’s, when there was an increased awareness that overusing antibiotics resulted in antibiotic resistance, and people became more proactive in seeking alternative therapies for sinus issues.

I sure didn’t want to start a round of gut-microbiome-stripping antibiotics if I could help it, so with my daughter’s tutelage, I leaned over the sink, tilted my head just so, and experienced the wonders of neti pot nasal cleansing.

There are a few things to keep in mind:

Always use either distilled water or water that has previously been boiled for a few minutes. Why not use tap water? Tap – and even filtered water – can harbor traces of bacteria and microbes that, while safe to drink thanks to the action of the acidic environment of our stomachs, are not killed when poured into our nasal passages.

There have been rare cases of wicked infections being caused by using unboiled tap water. Yikes!

Thoroughly clean the neti pot after each use, and especially sanitize if sharing one – or even better, get them one for their own use.

Use water warm enough to dissolve the salt, but make sure it has cooled enough after mixing to be comfortable inside your nose.

You can read more about these sensible precautions at Medical News Today.

This was so easy for me to use. The learning curve is quite low, and I can happily report that I am recovering from my sinus condition without having had to use antibiotics!

Twice-a-day use was sufficient during the acute phase. Many people recommend continuing with regular weekly use. I’m not sure if I will be doing that or not; but certainly, my darling neti pot will be put to good use – especially in allergy season.

In health, breathing free and clear –

Deidre