INFORMATION BULLETIN Lyme Disease

I received this Bulletin from the Suffolk County Alert Network here in New York but I know that this issue effects the Northeast as well as the Mid-Atlantic States and many other parts of the world.

With tick season upon us, it's important to put Lyme disease into perspective. It's not a disease to be taken lightly, but it is preventable and highly treatable. Ticks feed on blood; they are second only to mosquitoes as carriers of human disease, both infectious and toxic. A tiny tick, about the size of a poppy seed, called the black-legged deer tick or Ixodes scapularis, is a primary carrier of the bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi) that causes Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection often accompanied by flu-like symptoms, typically accompanied by a round, bull's-eye-shaped rash around the tick bite area. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 20,000 people a year get Lyme disease and the vast majority are easily treated and cured with common antibiotic therapies. Nearly all cases of Lyme disease are found in the Mid-Atlantic and northeast states.

The best method for managing Lyme disease is to avoid tick-infested areas. If exposure to ticks is unavoidable, measures should be taken to decrease the risk that ticks will attach to the skin. Some simple steps to avoid the tick bites that cause Lyme disease include:
· Wear protective, light-colored clothing that minimizes exposed skin and provides a contrast to ticks, making them more visible.
· If you are outdoors and may have been exposed to ticks, check your entire body every day to locate and remove ticks.
· Use tick and insect repellents and apply them to your exposed skin and clothing, following directions on product labels.

A tick must be attached to a person for at least 24 – 72 hours before Lyme disease can be contracted. Most people who are bitten by ticks do not get Lyme disease but, of those who do, seven in 10 people will develop a telltale rash, known as erythema migrans that is a clinical sign of Lyme disease. In addition to a circular, red rash surrounding the site of a tick bite, people may also have swelling in their joints and, sometimes, facial paralysis. Some may experience a variety of non-specific symptoms such as muscle pain, joint pain or fatigue. The symptoms can be alarming, but with proper diagnosis and treatment most will disappear in a few weeks.

Persons who remove attached ticks should be monitored closely for signs and symptoms of tick-borne diseases for up to 30 days. Most patients who develop Lyme disease are cured with a single course (10-28 days) of antibiotics, depending on the stage of their illness. Occasionally a second course of treatment is necessary. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm

Source: Centers for Disease Control, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Disease; Source: WRTAC

This is a message from the Suffolk County SCAN office.

Grace and Peace,

Ed

www.urinternational.com/realfoodforlife

Starting Over

Between the gas and mortgage crisis many people today are having to start over. "Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall." ~ Confucius

Rarely does a person coast through life without having to start over after a major setback. Consider the following situations in which people must start anew. Factory workers in America have had no choice but to start over as their manufacturing jobs have been outsourced internationally. Hurricane Katrina victims have been forced to start over after their homes, businesses, and schools were destroyed by the storm. Thousands of households have been forced to start over after losing their homes in the mortgage crisis.

In the Winter 2008 edition of Leader to Leader Journal, Robert L. Dilenschneider writes a revealing article about being forced to start over professionally. After losing a position of far-reaching influence, Dilenschneider journeyed through a season of joblessness before regaining his footing. His experience yields healthy insights for leaders going through the painful trial of getting back up after being knocked down.

Let Go of Humiliation
The difficulty of starting over professionally (polishing the resume, learning new job skills, etc.) pales in comparison to the personal humiliation of hitting rock bottom. Dilenschneider warns against two unhealthy responses to the hurt that accompanies a serious setback: (1) self-pity and (2) desire for revenge.

Self-pity focuses pain inwardly. By succumbing to self-pity, people heap blame upon themselves in both real and imagined ways. They interpret negative circumstances as evidence of their worthlessness. At worst, such behavior may cause the person to spiral into depression. At the very least, it takes a toll on their self-esteem and undercuts their confidence.

The desire for revenge focuses pain externally. When finger-pointing or assigning blame, you're more likely to amplify your hurt than to heal it. Don't play the victim. As long as you cede responsibility for your setback to someone else, then you've surrendered your joy and wellness to their control.

Hold tightly to hope
Don't let yourself become accustomed to the darkness. As surely as the sun will set tonight, it will rise again tomorrow. Life has a rhythm. Sometimes failure presses down on us, but just as often we triumph against the odds. As you start over, concentrate on your talents and replay successes in your mind. Surround yourself with encouragement and the support of family and loved ones.

As Dilenschneider recommends, learn from the ordeal of starting over. Find purpose in failure, and mine it for invaluable insights. View adversity as a test of your strength rather than proof of your weakness. Remember: people with hope are elastic rather than fragile. When they fall, they don't break; they rebound.

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Grace and Peace,

Ed

Health, Wholeness and Spirituality

In the nation of Israel, the priests ministered not only to the spiritual needs of the people but to their physical needs as well. This is also true of the elders in the New Testament Church. When a believer is sick, he is not only to seek medical remedies; he is also to “… call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up …” (James 5:14–15).

The need to address both physical and spiritual problems simultaneously is because many sicknesses are the result of violating God’s laws and principles. Therefore, the instruction in James continues: “… And if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much [makes much power available]” (James 5:15–16).

Not all sicknesses are the result of spiritual problems. They can also result from a lack of proper care for our bodies. A wise shepherd will find the still water and green pastures for his sheep. (See Psalm 23:2.) Doctors have observed that an effective way to achieve better health is by increasing the intake of pure water. This reduces strain on the kidneys and cleanses the body of harmful toxins. Another important factor in maintaining good health is eating the right amount nutritious food. Many of our diseases result from eating unhealthy foods or eating too much food.

Proper rest is also vital for good health. A wise shepherd will protect his sheep from too much work, exhaustion, and continual tension. “He maketh me to lie down …” (Psalm 23:2). However, in spite of following practical steps for good health, there still will be needs for deeper remedies and spiritual counseling.

Grace and Peace,

Ed

http://www.lifemywalkwithgod.blogspot.com/

Do we Really Need Nutrition Supplements?

My mom was really with it when it came to health and nutrition. She watched the Jack Lalanne show (the first TV exercise show) every day and had us all take vitamins from 5 years old. I am 52 now and thankful for her wisdom in this area. You see even back then they saw the writing on the wall concerning our food supply and the deterioration of the American Diet. We were being consumed instead of being smart consumers. Over processed, over cooked, over pasteurized, over preserved, artificially grown, genetically modified food was taking the place of simple organic foods.

I still supplement today and juice at the same time. That's right, I do both at the same time by drinking "THE FEAST". The feast is 21st century natural, organic, whole food nutrition in a convenient insta-fresh powder that cost's about $1 per serving. Nothing unnatural just the real nutrition of about a pound of live, organic produce in a convenient powder with 22 living probiotics and over 75 enzymes and fulvic minerals.

There is a real need to supplement a good diet today more than ever! And the body was designed to use food not pills for nutrition. Take a look at this magazine article to better understand this conversation it's very clear and concise. http://www.urilife.com/realfoodforlife/realnutrition/index.html

Try a sample of "THE FEAST" today and experience the difference real whole food nutrition makes! http://www.uriinternational.com/realfoodforlife

Grace and Peace,

Ed

Live a Life of Quality, not Quantity...a guest post

I received this e-mail from Sarah Scrafford the other day so here goes.



Hi Ed,

I prepared an article entitled "Live a Life of Quality, not Quantity" for your site for you to consider posting, as well as included my by-line (with a link to our site) underneath it. I tried to come up with something that seemed like it would fit your audience as well as was something I knew enough about to write fairly confidently on. I hope you'll consider posting the article, but in no way should you feel obligated to, as I know you've worked to develop a good audience and tone.

Live a Life of Quality, not Quantity

If only life were a science laboratory, if only we had graduated pipettes and burettes measure how much we’ve lived – the measure of every emotion the human psyche has ever been through – we would all be happier people. If we could take stock of all the positive and negative feelings that we’ve had, and prepare a balance sheet with the profits and losses neatly separated and listed, we would be able to understand our net worth.

Unfortunately, there are some things in life that just cannot be measured – the quality of life is one of them. We cannot put numbers on the happiness that makes us want to jump up and dance, on the sadness that makes us cry, the fear that makes us cringe, the embarrassment that makes us want to disappear in a puff of smoke, the guilt that makes us shifty-eyed, the pride that makes our hearts swell up like balloons, the disappointment that pricks those balloons and deflates them, and on every other emotion we have ever felt.

Sometimes, there’s no black or white – the shades of grey creep in when we experience a mix of emotions that by their very nature seem to contradict each other. But in the context of the situation, it all makes perfect sense. Happy tears, guilty pleasures – they’re just two examples of the kinds of grey shades.

If you’ve ever felt that your life could be much better, you have to work at improving its quality, because the quantities of all the whites and blacks you experience add up and contribute to making you either satisfied or miserable at the end of each day. Each morning, don’t wonder about the number of days left in your life; instead, think of how much life you can put into each day. And here’s a list to get you started:

· Set aside some time for yourself, no matter how busy you are taking care of your children, your work or other people. Do something that you enjoy – read a book, do a little gardening, take a walk, go shopping, call a friend, or just do nothing at all if that’s your pleasure.
· Don’t feel guilty about time spent on yourself.
· Spend only what you can afford – splurging on extravagances using your credit card may give you that momentary high, but once the bills come in, depression creeps in through the crack in the door.
· Set a work-related target for yourself, and achieve it.
· Get in at least a half hour of exercise and fresh air. If you’re overweight, map out a strategy using a sensible mixture of diet and exercise to get back in shape.
· Do not hold on to grudges. It’s not worth your time and effort to plot someone else’s downfall.
· Spend time with a child – instead of yelling and screaming every time he/she breaks one of your rules, enjoy the moment, relish the fact that you can slip on the cloak of childhood again for just a few minutes, and wonder in the ability of a child to see things for what they really are.
· No matter what happens during the day, don’t let it affect the days that follow. Sleep on it and wake up to a new day instead of worrying and feeling stressed. Problems do not go away just because you worry, so use the time you spend worrying to try and put a positive spin on things.
· Set aside days where you have no schedule at all – simply do what you feel like that very minute.
· Take a vacation once a year
· Don’t judge other people for what they do and who they are; eliminate gossip sessions and focus on what you need to do to make yourself a better person
· Try doing something nice for someone else

The quality of life is a subjective issue – what’s good for the goose does not have to be good for the gander as well. It’s up to you to assess the factors that make you feel good and incorporate some or all of them into your everyday routine.

This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of Care Plans. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Thanks for the good advice Sarah!

Grace and Peace,

Ed

www.lifemywalkwithgod.blogspot.com