What meaning might I derive from this old piece of wood that drifted into my life? Is there some intrinsic value here? Driftwood is defined as: “Wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is a form of marine debris or tidewrack. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance.” Water is essential for all plant and animal life.

The symbolism of water has a universal undertone of purity and fertility. In some cultures, water is considered an aspect of wisdom, more specifically a higher wisdom that we may all aspire to mimic. The idea here is that water takes on the form in which it is held and moves in the path of least resistance. The wood might be a metaphor for creation, or the Universe, life or death, a tree, or maybe the Earth.

But what caused them to unite and why? Where was it going or drifting to? I believe it represents the eternal relationship between wood and water, forest and sea, water nourishing wood and wood releasing the power of water. It indicates the ever-present moment, which was once the past, now the present, future-wonderment and mystery all infused in the human psyche from the far-outer reaches of infinite life, that we call “the Universe.”

All this from a piece of driftwood? I am just now discovering what it means to be me. My thoughts during meditating sometimes don’t make sense until I let go of the physicality of the images and take a deeper gaze into its meaning. I remember why I kept this particular piece of driftwood for so many years. It came from a picture window that had individual panes, that housed many different pieces of driftwood. It was in a cottage, you arrived at from a dirt laced country road that held the most treasured memories. It was our home away from home. Every weekend, we all piled into the 1965 Chevrolet station wagon and headed to the Rivah. Translation: I’m from Virginia which sounds more elegant and we have a lot of Rivers; we love’em, live on ‘em and talk about ‘em with pride! Ok, it reminds me of my mom! She picked up most of the driftwood and placed them all in this picture window outlooking the Rappahannock River. She had a deep reverence for nature and saw such beauty in everything.

Maybe the take away here, is unconditional love. After all that is said and done, we learn from our parents. We hope our children will remember the little things that made our lives so special. I’m finding that when revisiting the past, I’m learning how to live in the present. The less and less I’m able to see my mom’s face, the less it hurts not having her here. Who would think something so insignificant as a piece of driftwood would bring such revelation to me about understanding the true meaning of how to achieve a higher consciousness.

As I continue my spiritual journey, the more I gravitate to be near water. Each time I listen to the ocean waves, it seems to be a representation of metamorphosis for me. The highpoint is finding the esoteric symbolism of water’s meaning, which has given me a new appreciation for emotion, intuition and the interconnected flow of energy between all things.

While meditating this morning, I was reminded of a parable about the pearl. “The pearl is the only “jewel” that is the result of a living organism growing as a response to irritation and it is removed from its place of growth to become an item of adornment!”

The pearl alone is beautifully formed through suffering in the heart of the oyster unlike a precious stone which must be cut and polished to reveal its clarity and beauty. The pearl is perfect as it comes from the oyster without having to refine it.

Understanding how to love the imperfect me was a powerful message I received recently after experiencing sound therapy. Embracing surrender and letting go of fear and control, which is a delusion that I’m in control in the first place. Jesus take the wheel is my new-found release and solution to unrealistic limitations I create and place on myself!

What exactly does this all mean? Interpretation is in the eye of the beholder. As for me, I believe that the meaning is about gaining wisdom. Learning to polish and refine my silver so that others might see God’s image reflected in me. The interesting fact that the pearl comes from irritation was my eureka moment. It is my defining moment of my own human experience in reflecting on my journey.

Self-awareness of my pain, injustices and suffering are all being used as an irritation which will show me how I’m doing so far in the grand scheme of things. The intensity of my own pain had made me unable to see beyond the wounds. Feeling a deeper compassion for someone else’s pain, only then could I be truly healed.

Meditation and prayer isn’t so I can handle the darkness, I do it, so I can handle the light. In response to humanity’s prayers, the force of light that is flowing in reply is overwhelming to our system. Are we emotionally ready to receive the miracles we deserve? Here is a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “We need a quantitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

This poses the question, am I living my life at 100 percent? If I’m only at 70 percent, where is the other 30% going? Is that potential stored away until I’m ready to manifest it? How can I reclaim the possibilities I failed to utilize? Somewhere I lost the ability to grow in certain areas and this seems to have caused me to flat line. My intuitiveness or empathic-ness has been a blessing and a curse. Carrying the weight of the collective consciousness is suppressing my better self.

It’s no wonder I feel so emotionally drained! These are critical times and I sense I’m not the only one feeling this way. Now is the time to get sober! We need to awaken from the stupor of our past and regain our potential that hasn’t yet been applied. In the realm of consciousness every miracle we work, we do so to better us all. By demonstrating grace in every tragedy, we are lifted-up and create an authentic life worth living.

I was reading an article today that talked about kids and suicide and that there has been a 50% increase in clinical level depression between 2011-2015. I’m going out on a limb here, and tell you about my own experience, and what I have concluded about this horrible statistic. First, I have personal experience with depression. It started when I was a child. It was something we didn’t really talk about then. It was often suggested that I just learn to smile more. Was there a tendency towards depression? Probably! My brother was clinically depressed, and I had heard that an uncle was depressed but they just said he drank a lot. I had another person in my family who was diagnosed but I will not mention his name as I don’t have his permission. What did I find out was the common factor for the depression? We didn’t sleep well. I say that but, what I really mean is we slept very little.

You may be asking yourself, what does sleep loss have to do with depression? Everything! I began to research sleep. I wanted to find out what happened to the body when we don’t sleep. I was blown away with what I was reading. What if my depression, ADD, and allergies could all be attributed to sleep deprivation? So, I began to look at every aspect of my life. I started eating better, getting outside each day and took the TV out of my bedroom. Well, my husband didn’t like that! I stopped buying sodas and processed foods and both my husband and children were not happy! What happened? I started to finally sleep. I slept so well my health improved. Then I began to teach sleep at the University of Richmond. Yes, you read that right. I teach a sleep class. My brother asked me this question. “Don’t people know how to sleep?” Let me ask you, do you know how to sleep? The answer may be yes but a better question might be, do you sleep? Is the answer yes but you don’t feel rested when you wake up? Then guess what, you aren’t really sleeping! Your body isn’t repairing, replenishing and rejuvenating because if it was, you would feel energized and ready to start your day.

Let’s say you feel great in the morning but run out of energy during the day. Again, you need to look at your sleeping habits and see if you are truly getting into a deep sleep each night. Let’s get back to children and what is happening to their sleep. Scientists are concerned that we are putting ourselves in a perilous situation due to lack of sleep. I met Russell G. Foster, a Head Professor of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience and Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology at Oxford University at a convention in 2015. Part of his studies are on alternative methods to investigate the adolescent circadian delay, as well as the impacts on health and mental health in the future. They are finding that asking an adolescent to get up at 7 am to start school at 9 am leads to a significant amount of sleep deprivation. This in combination with 24/7 access to social media, and abnormal light exposure from various electrical devices which emit a low-level light in the blue wavelength has been shown to have a direct, alerting effect on the biological clock which may interfere with the process of going to sleep.

What about the mental health aspects of sleep deprivation? Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist (1856 -1926) noted in his 1883 textbook that abnormal sleep patterns and mental health are linked. Since the 1970’s the Sleep/Clock disruption in schizophrenia has been viewed merely as the by-product of antipsychotic medication. Abnormal sleep in schizophrenia is often dismissed on the basis of lack of work. Do the networks in the brain that generate normal sleep and mental health overlap? Dr. Foster and his team predict that genes linked to mental illness will also affect sleep/clocks. Genes linked to the sleep/clock will also affect mental illness. Sleep disruption may precede a clinical diagnosis of mental illness. Reduction of sleep disruption should improve the level of mental illness. I understand that more research is going into sleep deprivation’s relationship to mental illness which is raising questions on which condition to address first.

While many studies have examined the association between insomnia and depression, no studies have been evaluated utilizing these associations (1) within a narrow time frame, (2) with specific reference to acute and chronic insomnia, and (3) using polysomnography. In a present study by Nuffield Department of Neurosciences at Oxford, the association between insomnia and first-onset depression was evaluated taking into account these considerations: The design used a model integrating mixed variables. It was in an Academic research laboratory. The participants were: Fifty-four individuals (acute insomnia & normal sleepers) with no reported history of a sleep disorder, chronic medical condition, or psychiatric illness. The transition from acute to chronic insomnia is indicated by baseline differences in sleep architecture that have, in the past, been ascribed to Major Depression, either as heritable traits or as acquired traits from prior episodes of depression. The present findings suggest that the “sleep architecture stigmata” of depression may actually develop over the course transitioning from acute to chronic insomnia.

I need to only ask my students how they feel after they have pulled an All-Nighter. I have heard that some feel angry or have trouble concentrating and yes, they can even be depressed. My hope is that other organizations or departments like the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences will take a closer look into sleep deprivation and how we can help our children learn to sleep. The best advice I can think of is to have a conversation with them. Show them the studies. Talk about your own experiences with sleep loss and how it has impacted your life. My heart goes out to all the moms. They are so sleep deprived themselves and our children see that. Don’t take the adage that you can make it up on the weekend. It is not possible to make up for lost sleep but your sleep drive will be greater than staying awake so get your rest. For all those working the night shift, I hope that it is something that will change for you in the future. Just remember “The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.”

When I think about nutrition I typically think of food. Not just any food but super nutrients, minerals and antioxidants that will nourish and repair my body. Fourteen years ago, my obsession was with energy. Where did my energy go and how do I get it back? Changing my diet was my first order of business but I still didn’t seem to have the vitality required to sustain daily living.

In my search for energy I began to look at sleep. It was something that eluded me or wasn’t fulfilling enough. Eventually prescriptions were implemented but I became zombielike and couldn’t function as a human being. Was there something else that was interfering with my entering the land of nod each night?

Increasing my knowledge of man-made electromagnetic fields seemed to be a crucial part of answering that question. What if we have disrupted the foundation of life and lowered our vibrational field. I believe we have forgotten the basic laws of our universe and divorced ourselves from nature.

Could there be a remedy to help reconnect and bolster our natural energy system? To restore our energy field back to its vibrancy we must get energy nourishment from a magnetic field. The Earth is a big magnet but it’s geomagnetic field has diminished. The Kenko Sleep System by a company called Nikken is like a magnetic atmospheric chamber. It helps you to restore back to a natural energetic frequency. You are reconnecting back to the world itself.

My family and I were on a trip to Chincoteague Island to watch the wild ponies and all I could think about was I lost my Barbie doll’s dress!  Of course, I was a child but how many of us hold onto memories unknowingly and unwillingly? This was not the defining moment for me but instead it is a reminder of the events in my life that have left an invisible scar that created my sadness.

As a child, I was very skinny and had buck teeth. I loved that my mom always emphasized that beauty began on the inside and I was beautiful in her eyes. However, it did not help when I was being teased at school. Don’t hide behind the pole because we can’t see you or eat wonder bread it helps build strong bodies 12 different ways (if you didn’t grow up in the 60’s you may not get this reference).

What on Earth is your problem? Why can’t you smile? You would think this would all change as I got older. I was lucky enough to get through high school. I remember crying a lot and thinking there must be something wrong with me. College on the other hand was easier but I still felt as though I was a small fish in a big pond. How do people muster up a smile when they feel like they don’t belong?

Having my children has been the greatest accomplishment in my life. That surely would cause me to smile, right? It did and I was living the dream or so I thought. I enjoyed watching them grow up and I loved attending all their sports games, dance recitals, parties and seeing them reach all those milestones but something was still missing. It was in my late thirties when I started to feel my life slipping away. Then I lost my mother and that was the final straw. Life began to spiral out of control.

Don’t you just love friends who tell you to snap out of it. Maybe they tell you to go out with them and they can make you feel happy. Funny how they were the ones that didn’t stick around long enough to support me in the tough times. What about medication? I did that and 10 pills later I had gained over 75 pounds and felt worse. What else could I do? I must find a solution to help me crawl back out of the depths of despair and get my smile back. I was so consumed with my unhappiness that I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. I understand now that I had to go through these experiences to live a purposeful life, to be useful, to be honorable and to be compassionate.

Today I have my smile and it will never leave me again. I have found out how to cope when life gets too heavy to bear. I have made it my mission to help others that have lost their smile and think that no one can help them. I have created a system and provide the tools and resources to help those who are suffering with the same feeling of being lost. This journey has given me a bird’s eye view of what others might be experiencing. I have the confidence that comes from living a life with purpose and I now offer hope to those who feel hopeless.

True healing has many different facets. We might picture spiritual answers taking place in some revered temple or church-like structures, something mystical, or some far-away place. But these kinds of profound interventions can happen much closer to home. My mission statement is to empower others to implement self-care for themselves and their families. My wish is to give others hope so they can rise above their daily challenges and manifest a life that will promote balance and restoration to their daily living. Where does healing take place?

Could sleep somehow be the one place we forget to look? As you lie down at night are their certain demons that revisit you? Maybe it’s a childhood memory that keeps you from entering a good night’s slumber. We feel stuck as if we are in a revolving door of emotional pain. A dark night of continual self-loathing of past mistakes or not facing the discomfort of bad experiences can keep us from our rest. We are being held back because of an unwillingness to forgive and release negative energy. Letting go of anger and allowing love to enter our heart helps us to find peace.

How can I understand myself better and heal the wounds of decades of pain? I had what I thought was a good childhood. My memories began to focus on the times that I felt ridiculed and alone. It is not always fun to face our past. The actual events were probably not any worse compared to others but I didn’t live up to my personal best. The shame remains in my mind like a toxin and I live with regrets that seem to stay at bay until nightfall. When it is quiet or still is the time my mind starts to replay my cowardly efforts to handle the monsters that would often emerge at night.

Might the answer be in how I view myself? I understand that my future doesn’t depend on what I did or didn’t do in my 20’s, 30’s or even 40 years ago. Who I am now, is what I think at this very moment. I can be what I wasn’t before. It’s not only what was in the past is now gone but more importantly the lessons of my past, some of which are very painful. I know that I may need to relive some of those lessons where I failed to learn from them. How I respond emotionally is how I will grow as a person but also how I respond to others negativity will help me to let go of emotions that keep me from entering the land of nod at night.

In my search for solutions I knew how important it was to address the real issue keeping me awake which was anxiety. Being able to calm down was the single most important aspect of how I could facilitate healing.  After several months of getting the quality sleep my body needed the depression was almost nonexistent. Everything else was so much easier to address now. Decisions became less complicated and I was my old self again. I hope this blog will give you insight about the next time your thoughts decide to delay sleep or your robbed of a tranquil night’s sleep. Maybe you just needed to hear that you are not the only one that has these thoughts as you start to go to sleep. The good news is there are people like me waiting to hear from you so we can help you on your journey to heal.

                                                         From the desk of Lisa Healthy

Having Energy and Abundantly Living the Healthy You!

Inflammation happens when our immune system fights against something that may turn out to be harmful. There are many different immune cells that can take part in inflammation. These cells release different substances, called inflammatory mediators. These include the tissue hormones bradykinin and histamine and cause the narrow blood vessels in the tissue to expand which allows more blood to reach the injured tissue. What are some natural ways to help our body fight inflammation? One way to help the body heal faster is by increasing blood flow. Can magnets help us do that?

Thomas Skalak a professor and chair of biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia did a study demonstrating the healing value of magnets[1]. Skalak has been astutely studying magnets for a number of years in order to develop real scientific evidence about the effectiveness of magnetic therapy. His lab leads the field in the area of microcirculation research which studies blood flow through the body’s tiniest blood vessels. The researchers found evidence to support the claim that magnets increase blood flow through research with laboratory rats. They took measurements of blood vessel diameter that were taken both before and after exposure to the static magnetic fields. There was a significant finding that the magnetic field could induce vessel relaxation in tissues with restricted blood supply, eventually increasing blood flow.

Our bodies are amazing and can compensate in times of “Fight or Flight” but because of our lifestyles we are in a chronic state of stress due to long-term consumption of too many nutrient-deficient foods loaded with inflammatory chemicals and sleep loss that stress the body’s defenses and over a long period of time homeostasis breaks down. Chronic inflammation increases the viscosity of our blood. Is there a way to thin the blood and improve the viscidity of the blood?

In a paper accepted for publication in the Physical Review E, the researchers describe how applying a 1.3 Tesla magnetic pulse to a small sample of blood can significantly reduce its viscosity[2]. This effect is probably caused by the response of red blood cells. These iron-rich cells are the most common type of blood cell and they play the leading role in transporting oxygen around the body. In the presence of a strong magnetic field, the red blood cells form chains that align themselves with the field lines where convoys of red blood cells line up behind a leading cell. This process could enable the cells to pass through the blood in a more streamlined fashion, thus reducing the blood’s viscosity.

We know that water is essential for our health. The information bellow explores the benefits of drinking water that has been exposed to a magnetic field. Can magnetized water help with blood glucose, DNA damage, antioxidant status, and lipid profiles?

In the 2013 a preliminary study by conducted by Hye-Jin Lee and Myung-Hee Kang, corresponding author, on the effect of the magnetized water supplementation on blood glucose, lymphocyte DNA damage, antioxidant status, and lipid profiles in STZ-induced rats[3]. After 8 weeks they measured the fasting blood glucose, insulin concentration, glycated hemoglobin level, degree of DNA damage, antioxidant status, and lipid profiles.

The administration of magnetized water for at least 6 weeks suppressed the lymphocyte DNA damages in animals with DEN (diethyl nitrosamine)-induced cancer.

The finding from this study from using the supplementation of magnetized water not only decreased the blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels but also reduced blood and liver DNA damages in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

In closing this article is meant to give pause on how we can help the body get in balance by using magnets. I do not make any medical claims as to how the magnets will work on our body’s inflammation. This is only a review of the information I have found on magnets and how they are facilitating a natural approach to fighting the Secret Killer within.

[1] Biomedical Engineering Study Demonstrates the Healing Value of Magnets, January 02, 2008, UVA Today, Thomas Skalak, professor and chair of biomedical engineering at U.Va.

[2] Magnetic fields reduce blood viscosity, Physics World, Jun 8, 2011, Author

James Dacey

[3] Lee HJ, Jo HR, Jeon EJ, Kang MH. Effect of the magnetized water supplementation on lymphocyte DNA damage in mice treated with diethylnitrosamine. Korean J Nutr. 2010;43:570–577. [Ref list]

When did I decide that my life was not going the way I had dreamed it would? I guess you could say that it all boiled down to a question that I had 13 years ago, was my life worth living?

It all started over 50 years ago. A shy little girl was just trying to figure out how to fit in. My parents were very supportive and always encouraged me to do my best and enjoy life. But underneath the surface there was an undercurrent that made me feel anxious all the time. It was something I hid from my family because I was the cheerleader. You might say, the women in my family were the glue that held us together. We were the caregivers, the ones that would always find the positive in every situation. I remember one time when my brother was feeling down, my mom told him that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. My brother’s response was; with his luck it was an oncoming train.

When my mom passed away 17 years ago the baton was passed to me to take care of everyone. She had asked me to keep an eye on dad, as she thought he was showing early signs of dementia. Since my mom’s council was no longer available my brothers began to lean on me and would call me to help them. The straw that broke this camel’s back was when they would call me and tell me they weren’t sure they wanted to live anymore.  I had a family of my own that needed me. When did it become my responsibility to take care of the adults in my family? I was having difficulty managing my own sorrow in losing her, I sure as heck did not need the added pressure of managing their grief too.

I am getting to the shift in my journey, so be patient with me. The day my kids asked me when I was going to smile again, was the day I realized I needed help. I knew what this was because my brother suffered from depression and it became clear to me that I was in a deep hole. I began to pray vigilantly knowing the urgency of this situation. I was on 10 prescribed drugs a day before the year ended. I now was a zombie that couldn’t function as a mom, daughter, wife or human being. The answer finally came to me through a friend who said she worked with magnets. Magnets? I really didn’t care what she had but was willing to commit to trying this modality. At this point in my journey I was feeling hopeless and a company called Nikken was offering me a solution.

Fast-forward to today. I no longer feel sad, anxious or suffer from sleep deprivation. I have found a new mission to help others who are feeling defeated, depressed and have lost hope. I am so grateful that my eyes, ears and mind were open to an alternative way to treat my depression. It has empowered me to create a quality of life for myself, my family and my dad. Being there for my dad when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was something I could not have done if not for my new found health. My mission in sharing this story is that I will empower others to implement self-care for themselves and their families. If anything I wish to give them hope so they can rise above their despair and manifest a life that will promote balance and restoration to their daily living.    

Lisa Hazelgrove
Lisa Healthy LLC
(804)539-3251
“Having Energy & Abundantly Living The Healthy You”
www.facebook.com/lisahhealthy
www.nikken.com/lisahealthy
www.lisahealthy.com

1. Keep a normal sleep routine even during the holidays. Stay consistent to reinforce your sleep-wake cycle which encourages a relaxing slumber. If you have a holiday party and stay up late, try to wake up at the same time you normally would, even if you feel tired the next day.
2. Avoid eating within two hours of bedtime. If you’re hungry, have a glass of milk and a light snack. Milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan and research shows that it helps people go to sleep.
3. Make your bedroom your sanctuary. Close the blinds and eliminate any ambient light. Holidays are exciting but don’t allow your kids to sleep in your bed with you. This will disrupt a good night’s sleep for all of you.
4. Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Avoid caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime. It will keep you awake. Alcohol is a depressant that you may think is helpful because it might help you fall asleep more easily at first. But when your body metabolizes it during the sleep cycle, it often disrupts sleep and wakes you up.
5. Keep your mind calm and anxiety-free at bedtime. Use Cognitive Refocusing Therapy to change your thoughts to a place you love to visit on vacation, like the beach.
6. Get plenty of exercise. Exercising during the day reduces the levels of stress hormones in your body which allows you to fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night.
7. Learn the 4-7-8 technique. If you have trouble winding down before bedtime. Learn a breathing technique can help you to nod off. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3067526/Can-t-sleep-4-7-8-breathing-technique-claims-help-nod-60-SECONDS.html#v-4215373287001

From the desk of Lisa Healthy, Holistic Educator “Having energy & abundantly living the healthy you.”                   www.nikken.com/lisahealthy

I went for my morning walk on  this  beautiful fall day. While communing with nature, I started to contemplate my purpose in life now that my granddaughter is about to be born. I wondered where I would be if I had not changed my course of destruction regarding my health. “We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails”

What holds us back from adjusting our sails? Do you believe it is possible? Is what you are doing working for you? Are you getting the results you really want and need?

What if there was a way for you to create balance in the five major aspects of living; emotions, environment, energy, nutrition, and sleep? 12 years ago I made the decision to invest in my health and wellness using Nikken as my vehicle to achieve homeostasis.

It is hard to understand how we can change our life or even believe that it is possible. I am here to tell you that you can reach your objective and there is hope. My recent lab report has given me a new desire to help others achieve their healthy lifestyle dream.

I received a call from my brother the other day. I could hear the sadness in his voice on how his health has drastically declined. He  sounded so despondent about his future. It made me realize how we suffer the consequences of our actions. This is not what I anticipate for myself or my family. I want to enjoy life and appreciate the success of my efforts.

I love empowering people to take total control of their wellness by sharing my vision of providing solutions using Mother Natures principles. Would you like to take control over every aspect of your Life?

Lisa Hazelgrove

LISA HEALTHY

804-539-3251

lisa@lisahealthy.com  

www.nikken.com/lisahealthy