TYPE 2 DIABETES AVOIDING ITS’ CAUSES & USING HEALING SUPPORT SYSTEMS

INTRO

Each of us probably know someone who is struggling with Type 2 diabetes. So often we wish or pray there is something we can do to support them but end up being at a loss to help them. How do we help those we love incorporate healthy practices that will support or even alleviate this very dangerous health challenge that is generated from Type 2 diabetes?

WHAT IS TYPE 2 DIABETES?

Diabetes develops when the body is unable to make or use insulin to convert the sugar to energy. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that develops due to the lack of insulin absorption into the body. The disease develops when the pancreas is not functioning fully. Rather than being removed from the bloods, sugar (glucose) accumulates in the bloodstream blocking the absorption of insulin. It is known as a silent killer because there are generally are not any predetermined indications that one actually has the dis-ease. The dis-ease is prevalent in some ethnic groups and older adults. Type 1 diabetes may affect all people, whereas Type 2 diabetes is higher in ethnic groups such as Asians, Native Americans, Hispanic and Latinos, African Americans and other people of color.

WHAT IS TYPE1 DIABETES

Type1 diabetes differs from Type 2 diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes the body does not make any insulin. It is considered as an autoimmune disease, which may develop through environmental or genetic factors. Type 2 diabetics cannot use the insulin that the body produces. Type 2 diabetes is generally caused by lifestyle factors such as family history, excess weight gain, genetically influenced or living a sedentary lifestyle.

CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS

See the list below to determine whether you are diabetic. Always check with your health practitioner for diagnosis if you have two or more of these symptoms.  

Here are a few symptoms: 

1)    A cut that heals very slowly

2)    Lack of energy or feeling tired

3)    Frequent thirst

4)    Blurry vision

5)    Frequent urination

6)    Constant heaving and/or nausea

7)     Feeling weak and tired

8)    Itchy, dry skin

9)    Losing weight

TYPE 2 DIABETES–PREVENTION AND TREATMENT USING HEALING SUPPORT SYSTEMS

THE DANGERS OF DIABETES

Diabetes is dangerous because there are no warning signs that indicate your blood sugar is high, or that the levels actually stays consistently high over the required glycemic levels. The American Diabetes Association suggests following this guide line – A1C: 7% or eAG: 154 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter); levels before eating 70 – 130 mg/dl known as (preprandial plasma glucose); approximately 1-2 hours after eating meals readings should be less than 180 mg/dl (Postprandial plasma glucose).

PREVENTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES

WEIGHT LOSS

Losing excess weight and fat may support lowering your blood sugar levels, reducing high blood pressure, increasing your energy, preventing the development of other health threatening complications.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention published an article encouraging weight loss for those struggling with Type 2 Diabetes. The article titled Prevent Diabetes: “Research studies have found that moderate weight loss and exercise can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes among adults at high-risk of diabetes.” The article continued to report “a study of 3,234 people at high risk for diabetes showed that people can delay and possibly prevent the disease by losing a small amount of  weight (5 to 7 percent of total body weight) through 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week and healthier eating.”

EXERCISE: Type 2 diabetes can be prevented by monitoring food intake, taking daily exercises and drinking adequate amounts of water daily.   Exercising will support weight, boost metabolism, control blood sugar, increase and enhance overall fitness levels.     

GETTING ENOUGH REST: Enjoying a good night’s sleep will support your immune system, control appetite, increase weight loss and boost concentration. 

CONCLUSION

Consistently high blood sugar or diabetes may lead to complications such as: high blood pressure, blindness, heart attacks, kidney disease, stroke and or amputation of the limbs. Children who are in an unhealthy environment or have family members who are diabetics are likely to develop this disease during puberty.

Getting checked and early detection by your health care practitioner could prevent many complications such as blindness.

If you are overweight or displaying any of the symptoms listed above, become proactive and learn the dos and don’ts of your health and wellness. Making a lifestyle change could change the outcome of becoming permanently afflicted with this disease.  

A regular Program exercise and diet is instrumental in preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes. Including a healthy diet of greens, vegetables, fish and chicken protein along with whole grain such as brown rice, quinoa, breads such as Ezekiel Sprouted Live breads, see complete list at http://festivepalate.com/welcome-to-festive-palate/healthy-food-choices-for-diabetes/  that will make for an extended, healthy life.

SUPPORT RESOURCES:

American Diabetes Association  http://www.diabetes.org/

http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/checking-your-blood-glucose.html

MAYO CLINIC  

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-and-exercise/art-20045697

Jazz Fenton is a Health and Wellness Coach at http://www.jazzupyourlifenow.com/     - e-mail: jazz@jazzupyourlifenow.com

IT'S YOUR TIME

IT’S YOUR TIME

Did you know you have a health and wellness crew? Well you certainly do. How do I know this about you? Because each and every one of us has a health and wellness crew. We may not always be in touch with our team, we may not always hear our team but your team is always there waiting for you to engage them in your life to achieve your ultimate goal of obtaining strong health and wellness.

Why do you need to engage your health and wellness crew? Here are just a few questions that may support you to know what your next step on health and wellness should be.  

·         1). Do you know your body and how it works? Your body is equipped with five major components –

·         (a) your physical touch;

·          (b)  your sight to see the beauty of the world;

·         (c) to hear the sounds that permeate the world;

·         (d) to smell the essence of the roses;

·          (e) to taste the nourishment you eat and drink.

·         2). Do you acknowledge your emotions? There are four emotions that each of us share and often times these emotions dictate how we act and react and interact with others.

·          (a) have you ever felt afraid?

·         (b) are there times when you feel anger?

·          (c) are there occurrences in your life when you feel the exhilaration of joy?

·         (d) have you ever felt the bliss of being loved?

·         3). What are your thoughts toward yourself and others? Our emotions play a significant part to our mental wellbeing. 

·         (a) what do you know, how do you assess your knowledge?

·         (b) what is your attitude towards others as a whole?

·          (c) what are the thoughts that controls your beliefs?

·         (d) do you find yourself analyzing everyone and everything around you?

·         4). We are spirits living in a human body.

·         (a) what is your relationship with yourself?

·         (b) do you show your creativity?

·         (c) what is your life determination, your single mindedness?

·         (d) do you believe in a Higher Power?

·         (e) have you determined a relationship with that higher power?

It is important to place all of these aspects of harmony with each other for you to experience the euphoria of a whole life. If there is discord in one area this can affect other areas of life. For example being angry at someone can manifest a headache. In this your emotional beingness manifest in your physical beingness. If you become physically ill with perhaps a leg injury that renders you home bound this could lead you to depression as you become emotional about your physical state of being. For this reason all areas of your life must be in harmony with each other to be connected with the mind and body realm. Your body is connected to your feelings which are connected to your thoughts and certainly all are connected to your spirit. For this reason it is important to take the appropriate steps to insure your entire being-ness is in harmony.

You must take control of how you feel, how you look, how you view yourself, and trusting in the divinity within you to take you on this journey called life. Your body will not be able to maintain its wellness  without your input, as well as you will more than like not become ill without your input or your lack of participation. Whatever occurs or not occur is up to you. Everything you think, do, feel will decide what happens next in your well-being.

·         Your spirit needs quiet time to absorb the grace that is poured upon you and to clear your imaginative energies.

·         Your body needs well balanced nutrition to function optimally and physical exercises to strengthen your muscles, joints and bones, and absolutely enough rest to support complete rejuvenation.

 

·         A positive image of yourself, as well as an optimistic outlook, with vibrant prepared thinking and viewpoints will benefit your mental wellness.

·         Being open to say I’m sorry, or forgiving someone for the harm they caused you; to love and to show compassion; to become jovial and to experience happiness; and also to enjoy camaraderie relationships will definitely support your mental wellbeing.

So your challenge for this weekend is to take on these exercises, without judgment, simply allow yourself to experience the feelings. See what shows up. Take notes of your responses. See how far you are willing to go to get the answers that are buried deep inside. Take a few hours on Saturday. Get it done; your complete wellness is waiting for you to do what is beneficial for you. Then take a 40 minutes hot bath with Joy essential oil adding a few drops to Epsom salts and dilute in the bath water and listen to quiet relaxing music while enjoying your bath. Take a couple glasses of water with you to hydrate, rinse with cold water to close your pores and then allow your body to air dry. 

Then enhance your bath with a refreshing salad of fresh vegetables and a light dressing such as lemon with extra virgin olive oil, and then treat yourself by spending time with a loved one or a trusted friend doing something fun, like dancing in the park, taking a long scenic walk, getting on a swing and allowing yourself to fly high, or something you have been thinking of doing but haven’t taken the time yet. Let Saturday be your day, this is your time. Discover what it feels like to laugh freely, or to allow yourself to become vulnerable. Find out what makes you tick. What makes you who you are?  

Here’s to your discoveries. Enjoy!

Jazz Up Your Life Now Health and Wellness – www.jazzupyourlifenow.com

 

email: jazz@jazzupyourlifenow.com                                  http://www.youngliving.org/jazzupyourlife

FROM WINTER HIBERNATION TO SPRING REJUVENATION

by Jazz Fenton, HHC - Health and Wellness Coach

This winter was especially challenging for most of us, and even now when we should be looking forward to warmer times we find ourselves bracing for more of winter’s harsh cold days and nights; and as if that wasn’t enough we have experienced more snow during this season than any other time since 2010 when we had 75 inches of snow.  So we continue to seek ways to combat any lasting adverse effects of the cold weather on the body. The cold weather can cause depression and increases the day to day stresses of daily functions in some people. Staying positive for the average person, takes a monumental effort, and some people use family oriented indoor activities to keep their spirits up, while some use food to alleviate their feelings of depression.

Winter and the Skin

Winter can have an adverse effect on the skin, the mind and the internal organs, and can change one’s outlook on everyday living. During the winter, the dry heat from radiators and other heating elements causes the cells to close and the skin to dry out, leaving the outer areas of the body flaky, dry, cracked, chapped and even broken.  

It is not enough to apply or rub lotion on the skin, the side effects from prolonged indoor heating to keep the body warm unfortunately dries out the skin and dehydrates the body. The body craves additional care and the best time to add more moisture to the skin is when it is still wet after the shower or by adding oils to one’s bath water and also allowing the skin to air dry. This way the skin gets maximum moisture.

Winter Blues and Overeating

Excessive eating sometimes is caused through depression. Having less sunlight could be a contributing factor, since the sun rises late in the morning and sets early in the afternoon. The lack of sunshine on our skin is then combined with inconsistent or no exercise; or a lack of interactions with others socially can exacerbate one’s depressive state of mind.

Overtime an accumulation of overeating and a lack of exercising cause the body to store fat. The body’s excess fat helps to elevate the amount of toxins deposited and stored in the tissues. Toxins can accumulate in the body from many different sources, such as the environment, the foods you eat, the clothes you wear, the television you watch, the water you drink are just a few. The body is continuously absorbing toxins which causes illnesses and discomforts and prevents one from functioning optimally.  These toxins could be manifested as insomnia, bloating and gas, constipation, headaches, diarrhea, skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, acne and rashes. Others may experience premenstrual difficulties and bad breath and the list goes on. There are many avenues for toxicity to express itself through the body. What appears as a simple heart burn, or a foul smelling stool are signs of toxicity. Constantly feeling over tired, pains and aches in the joints, a constant runny nose and bloating can be evidence of an accumulation of toxins in the body.

Detoxing for Better Health

Detoxifying has been used over the centuries to cleanse the body of unwanted toxins that creates health challenges and threatens the day to day effects of living healthfully. There are many different modalities of detoxifying such as juicing, fasting,  raw food diet, macrobiotic nutrition, water fasting, chelation therapy, colon cleanse, saunas, and hydrotherapy are tools used to remove toxicity from the body. During the seasonal change Detoxing is a way of life for many who wish to boost themselves, and shift from sluggish to energetic from one season to the next. Some are done for one to three days with juices; some are even done for seven to twenty one days or more. Still others use coconut water, soups, herbs, fruits or even raw foods.  

So now that Spring is upon us, and after the deluge of freezing, snowy winter days it is time to turn up your energy, rejuvenate your body, shed the accumulated excess winter fat, lift your spirits and welcome in the new season with a tailor made detox program. 

Visit us at - http://www.jazzupyourlifenow.com/courses---workshops.html

WARM FOODS FOR WINTER CHILLS

WARMING FOODS FOR WINTER CHILLS

In traditional Chinese medicine it is said there are foods for every body type. If you are always feeling cold then you should eat warming foods. But for those who constantly feel hot or warm they should eat cooling foods. Eating the right type of foods for your body brings balance and continuous wellness.

These extremely cold January days have been challenging for most, so I have decided to share these lists to support you in being surrounded by the warmth of the foods you eat.

Use these suggestions to plan your complete meals. Begin with hot cereal for breakfast, made from oatmeal or even perhaps quinoa, which is very high in protein. Prepare a hot soup for lunch, perhaps a fish broth with vegetables and spices, or a bean and vegetable soup with glutinous rice added for a heavier meal. There are a wide variety of ingredients that you will be able to choose from. Balance your protein with vegetables and drink hot teas throughout your day.  

by Jazz Fenton, HHC

COCONUT WATER GOOD FOR YOU, DAUGHTER

When I was a little girl we had three coconut trees in our yard. One was very short, one was medium tall and the last seemed super tall to my eight year old eyes.

The shortest of the coconut trees bore coconuts with a slightly pinkish hue on the top of its exterior shell and on the inside. Of all the coconuts we had these were my favorites. There are many strains of coconut trees and for my taste the ones with the pinkish hue which are very rare are the most delicious. I love the cool sweetness and just slightly salty flavor of the coconut water, especially as it always made me feel cool on hot sunny island days. But it was those that held that edible, delicious soft jelly that were my favorite kind of coconuts.

One very hot day, when I was a child, I remembered being very thirsty and wanting to have a long drink of coconut water. There wasn’t anyone to climb the tree to pick one for me, so I decided I would climb the tree myself. I was scared of falling and breaking my long neck, or my bony arms and legs. I knew if I did get hurt my dad would be super angry with me for doing such a foolish thing. But, I wanted coconut water to drink; and no amount of yelling from daddy was going to stop me now. Also he wasn’t at home to stop me from climbing the tree. The tom-boy inside me said “ah, you can do it.” Of course even at that age I thought I could do anything a boy could do. I wanted coconut water and I was going to have it.

I wrapped my legs and arms as much as I could around the tree, pulled my legs up as if I was sitting so that my bottom stuck out and started climbing up the tree. I wanted to lock my legs and my hands tight together so that I wouldn’t fall, but they were too short to meet each other, and so I kept slipping back down to the ground. I was determined however; and somehow I stopped thinking about falling and began focusing on the cool water of the coconut. I moved onto the tree, scooted down to the bottom of the tree, bent my knees and sat on the trunk, I wrapped my arms around it as much as I could, lay my face on the side of the trunk and began pushing myself up with my legs, stretching them out as far and out as long as they would go. When my legs couldn’t stretch any more, I would hold on tight with my arms, pull my legs up again, squeezing my legs and knees tight to the tree trunk and push myself up some more. I kept doing this until I came to the top with the wiry branches and the green coconut shells.  As I got to the coconuts, I held on tight with my legs and with my right hand; I pulled really hard on the coconut with my left hand until it broke away from the bunch and fell to the ground. Feeling really proud of myself, happy and excited, I decided I needed three coconuts, two for me and one for my little sister.

As soon as the coconuts fell to the ground, and feeling quite confident, I scampered down the tree twice as fast as I climbed up. I was so excited about drinking the delicious coconut water and eating the soft jelly that I ran into the kitchen and took one of father’s sharp kitchen knives, and two spoons out to the tree. I set the knife and spoons on the ground and held the coconut tight between my legs. I pushed the point of the knife slowly and carefully into the coconut, and when it pierced through the tough shell, I began sawing a circle around the top. I called my baby sister over who was watching me intently. I sat her down and put the coconut to her mouth for her to drink the water. When she had had enough, I put the coconut between her legs, gave her a spoon so that she could scoop out the jelly from inside the coconut and eat it, and then I began to cut one open for myself. This time I cut it quickly, not too concerned about cutting myself; since I just did it and nothing bad happened. As soon as the coconut was cut through, I pulled the top off, and quickly lifted it up to my head and tilted it to my mouth and began to drink. I guess I lifted it just a bit too quickly because the coconut water streamed not only into my mouth but down my neck, chest, onto my belly and the waist of my shorts. But I wasn’t concerned about that I just wanted to drink until all the water was gone.

I felt so good as I sat under the coconut tree, feeling cool and well pleased with myself as my sister still sitting with her coconut watching me.  After a while I took my sister and her coconut up to the house, and then I returned, picked up the third coconut and the knife and put them in the kitchen. I knew my dad would be happy to have a coconut too, and since I didn't hurt myself, there would be no scolding for me today, so I put the coconut and the knife on the kitchen table for him and put the spoons in the dish pan to be washed.

That memory was part of my reality growing up on my beautiful Montserrat, the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean islands.  I was surrounded by coconut trees reaching tall to the blue skies, the blazing sun, made tolerable by the trade winds with their cooling breezes, and ever present turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea on one side of the island and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.  

Take a listen to Harry Belafonte as he sings about the pleasures and benefits of the coconut, island style. 

CARIBBEAN HEALING

 

A few weeks ago I began this story by weaving a web of my escapades in moving to the Caribbean. I wanted to find the right place to live by the ocean to get the support I needed to help heal my hypothyroidism. I shared about moving to the sister islands Antigua and Barbuda, and my adventures of finding the perfect home by the sea.

My story of dealing with a slow functioning thyroid changed when I got to the island of Antigua. I wanted to live my life barefoot and carefree. I didn’t want to be slowed down, tired, depressed, over weight and unhappy. These were some of the symptoms I experienced while I was living in New York; before my thyroid slowed down, I lived a fairly vibrant fast paced excited, healthy life and I so desperately wanted to get back to feeling excited about life again, that I would have done anything to live in a place that gave me the opportunity to heal my condition naturally. I knew that the ocean would be the key to my rapid recovery and so living as close to it as possible was the answer was the plan I had in my head. I was determined to settle for nothing less than the perfect place. So you will understand why I became so excited about living in this remote, wilderness by the sea.

Firstly, this island was the exact opposite of my beloved New York, my other favorite place to live outside of the Caribbean. In New York, I find the energy is almost palpable. It is infectious, exciting, and definitely busy, fun and noisy. But in Antigua it is completely different; it is slow and quiet with not a worry in the world, everything is “easy man”, which is how the majority of the natives live; but this hideaway that I found is beyond slow, sometimes I felt as if my thyroids and the slow atmosphere went hand I hand. They both moved slowly, the only difference was the ocean, even though it was slow moving, it was very busy, teeming with all the sea creatures darting about, to and fro going about their lives. This rustic beach front property was ideal for me; it was exactly contrary to my work environment. After interacting with thousands of visiting cruise passengers daily, I needed a sanctuary to relax, release and rejuvenate, and I was blessed in finding this island gem to lay my head, basking in the moonlit sky on the jetty or reveling in the early morning sun light in the calm waters after my dawn meditation, before going off to work on the ocean front on the western side of the island where the many cruise passengers disembarked the ships for a day or two.

Usually when vacationing in the Caribbean I am even more enthusiastic about starting my day, I have people to see who I haven’t seen for a long time, things to do and places to go that are new to me. There are always new undiscovered places on the islands that are waiting to be explored. However this time it was different, taking an early morning walk on the beach or up a hill to stand at the top and watch the gorgeous rejuvenating, spectacular view of where I was now living took much of my will to muster the effort. These are some of the side effects of a slow functioning thyroid.

Sometimes, I felt as though my thyroid was not functioning at all, but my sanctuary suited me in many ways; at night I slept deeply and peacefully to the sound of the waves; in the mornings I meditated on the jetty with the fishes absorbing the minerals from the ocean into my body. And overtime living on the beautiful water front, right on the beach on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, I began to feel a bit more enthusiastic, a bit more optimistic, a bit more energetic, and a lot happier now that my body was responding to my new life, my new location, living in the middle of nature, surrounded by the tall trees and the sea salt that was absorbed into everything around me. My body just needed me to care for it a differently, and as I increased the length of my morning walks, my daily prayers and meditation on the beach, and swam in the refreshing, rejuvenating Atlantic waters, my energy increased and then I began to pay more attention to my foods. I was eating the foods that were grown around me; these were delicious, fresh picked and helped to boost my thyroids and therefore my metabolism. 

My thyroids began to respond beautifully to my new environment, and being encouraged by the good feeling I was having I began adding sea vegetables and local fruits to my diet. The ocean has many edible treasures to share and minerals are one of its strengths; iron, potassium, manganese, iodine, magnesium, sulfur, sodium, zinc, copper, chromium, are a few of the many minerals produced by the sea. In my quest to change the ways my body was functioning I had found out that my best food friend is is iodine, and figuring out and finding which foods had the highest source of iodine was at the top of the list. So, I began increasing my iodine intake by adding dulse a sea vegetable is that is a potent source that is chock full of iodine. I had been using dulse in New York but here I increased the amounts I was eating and sprinkled the flakes on almost everything I ate. My slow thyroid was iodine deficient and I was determined to give it all the Iodine it needed to help my thyroid glands to produce the levels of hormones to boost my metabolism.

Then I found that the fishermen where harvesting sea moss from the ocean (another sea vegetable that is very high in iodine) and so I began adding the sea moss to my delicious sour sop (a fruit), which I watched everyday as it grew larger and ripened soft and sweet on the tree to make my smoothie. There papaya tree laden with fresh ripe fruits and so I would add them to make my papaya mango smoothie. There was avocado, tomato, papaya, mango salad with a sea moss cilantro dressing. I knew that I ate these fruits and vegetables that had absorbed these mineral from the sea and the earth, then my body was absorbing these minerals on a daily basis, and so I as I continued to add the foods that I love from the garden along with those from the sea, my body began to shift even more, the depression that was clouding my attitude, began to dissipate and I became enthusiastic about my life again. I began to participate more with my family and friends and found myself contributing more to my environment, creating wellness workshops and seminars and I became more innovative in my thinking and more creative in my actions.

  Pick up your free iodine rich recipe at http://festivepalate.com/2013/06/05/mango-papaya-avocado-salad-with-cilantro-sea-moss-dressing/

FOODS AND THE THYROIDS THE JOURNEY

For a long time I had wanted to return to live in Antigua another one of the islands I grew up in as a young teenage girl. Been young and impressionable the people always seemed so progressive and there always seemed to me there was a party going on all the time. So when I got a phone call asking me to come to come to evaluate a high profile sports bar I gave a resounding yes I will. At the time I hadn’t even thought of my desires to live and work in both America and the Caribbean. I just knew that an opportunity had presented itself and even though I had not been a practicing restaurant consultant for  a while it occurred to me that I could continue my holistic practice in New York and at the same time honor my commitment as a restaurant consultant in Antigua.  I had not even given my thyroid challenge any consideration,  but as I settled into my job I decided to make the most I could out of been in Antigua and one of those things that I wanted to accomplish was to shift my hypothyroidism to a normal function. So I got to putting things in place to achieve my goal and so on this journey I recognized that I first needed to find the perfect place to live.

My search took several months; and it was a definite adventure. My home needed to be unique, visiting the nooks and crannies of Antigua I didn’t have a specific look or place in mind I only knew that when I saw it I would know it and so for three months, whenever I got a lead ,my buddy and I would quickly go to check it out. One day my friend called to say she is reading something in the paper that she thought I would like, but it would be far away; to which I replied this is Antigua, nothing is far away from anything, let’s go look at it, I said to her.

This place was difficult to find, Antigua is a small country; but this is one of those places where you would get perfect direction and, drive by or walk by several times and still pass it by. We called the gentleman we were meeting  to show us the house,  and he guided us to the right turn on the dirt road into the bushes; (and  into the bushes was exactly where we were) ; there wasn’t even a passable road. It was so bad that you needed a four wheel drive just to get through the deep ditches filled with the water from the recent rainfall that later I found out occurred between 5 and 6 am every morning. I later though that an early morning rainfall was a glorious way to wake up the world, water for  the plants, keeping the vegetation green and lush, softening the soil so the crabs can claw their way up to scamper about.

 But anyway, back to getting to and seeing the house that was evidently waiting for me. We passed sour-sop trees, sugar apple trees, cassie (Acacia) with their thorns sticking out just wanting to stick their needle into your skin; a deterrent from travelling through this place for sure; but we were undeterred. We came to an intersection in the road and made a right turn up a slippery hill, passed a coal pit at the top of the hill,  (Antiguans produced their own coal by burning logs under a cover of dried green bush and dirt) slowly and gently chugging along, all the way up. When we got to the top of the hill, I caught my breath; this was this most magnificent scenery I had ever seen. The Caribbean Sea was flowing gently between to islands rolling quietly to the secluded shores of this magnificent hideaway in Seaton’s village.

We stopped because the view held us captive; we didn’t want to move from that spot. We sat in absolute stillness with the windows open, inhaling the ocean as the breeze whiffed by and feeling the cooling air float in through the open car windows. We reluctantly and gently pulled ourselves away from this mesmerizing scene and made a left turn, which brought us to two large concrete pillars. We drove through and pulled up in the front of the house where a tall rugged man waited patiently for us.

We introduced ourselves, and he opened a wire gate and took us up a set of grey concrete stairs to the yellow and white door of the house.  It was a lovely house, open spaces, lots of windows, tall ceilings, well furnished; but hidden behind a few large trees, which also hid the beautiful view we had just spent minutes gawking at. I’m sure my disappointment registered on my transparent face; we took a few minutes to chat about the particulars of the property, said our thank you. As we started down the stairs about to leave the premises, he said, “I have a smaller house, but it is right on the water” he said. My heart lit up, my mouth dropped open and I said I’ll take it. I had not seen the house but I had seen the waters, and even if it was a little shack I would have had the same reaction. I knew it wasn’t about the house, for me it was about the ocean. It was about my body beginning to heal itself by absorbing the minerals from the deeply turquoise Caribbean Sea each and every day.

With him leading the way, we walked down two very long sets of stairs, through the bushes, passing papaya trees laden with small green and yellow fruits, one large lemon tree filled with green citrus fruits giving off an essence which was a combination of oranges and grapefruit, sour-sop trees and a mongoose and ground lizards and tree lizards scampering away. As we came to the top of the second set of stairs, the ocean and its islands spread out largely in front of us. My heart leapt, GLORIOUSLY; as we continued on our way down to my house (I had taken ownership of it in my heart, my mind, my body and my soul). There, close up the waters gently rolling in pass the jetty between the manchineel trees onto the shore just less than a hundred feet away from my house; which as it turned out was actually the perfect home for me. 

Join me next time to find out which tropical fruits and vegetables, addressed my hypothyroidism.