This week, Donn and I have enjoyed our time share in Hawaii again. We were here six months ago for Optometry continuing ed and now we returned for our son Phillip Gritton and Amy Nunamaker’s wedding. Rituals of connecting and reconnecting are integral to happiness.

We thought Adytum would be a Spa and Health Retreat- and so it may be. But first and foremost, it is a place of love, strengthening connections with ourselves, our partner, God, and nature, and Adytum is a place for reconnecting again and again. Since opening officially in August 2010, we’ve had some couples return three times already. Adytum belongs to us all now, woven into the fabric of our memories of our lives. Like summers at the cottage on the lake as children, we’ve grown into the 5-star luxury of the ‘little castle’ overlooking Lake Mayfield as adults…

One thing we’ve noticed is that there are different styles of travel among our guests. Some arrive, camera in hand, and simply absorb every nuance Adytum has to offer from the European architecture, iron and stonework, taking pictures from brunch all the way to the often spectacular sunset. Some arrive with a well-planned agenda; some guests are more spontaneous announcing at the table, “We’re just taking it moment by moment.” Other guests plan to stay put until check-out two or three days later.

It’s this last group of guests that really made us realize we need to have enough food to hold them from the large brunch all the way to dinner, using in-suite snacks tucked into the fridge and the pantry between times because they stay on-site. Lately we’ve planted more herbs for guest use and salad greens to share. 

Two sisters with small children at home with dad, one from Portland and one from Seattle, met at the mid-point— Adytum Sanctuary to reconnect in The Orion Suite. They found Adytum doing a geographical search the same way recent guests from Australia found us with little advertising. The sisters didn’t have time for a long drive. After getting a tour of the Castle Adytum (not my words…but of every European and local) the shared spaces with chess, games, and the library, salt water hot tub and the overview of the grounds with 16acres of hiking trails, one of the sisters turned to the other saying with a sly smile, “And we wondered what we were going to do once we got here…”

When they left at noon the next day, they hadn’t experienced but a small part of all they could have and said they’d return to create an annual ritual of reconnecting with one another here. That was inspiring to me, having so nearly lost my own sister to cancer in December of 2011. I will make a point to create space in our busy lives to reconnect with Jackie and make new memories and enjoy our shared ones. Having common history with another person is a priceless gift. It is worth treating like the Ming Vase treasure that it is, making sure that deep fissures don’t form, and if they do, that they are mended with time, love, thoughtfulness, and energy invested into the relationship.

The sister’s surprise that Adytum had more to offer aside from a place to meet affirmed the fact that we have become a destination location in this resort area. We are still the only 5-star retreat in our locale. I shared with these two lovely ladies that we have others in the Adytum ‘guest’ family that come to reconnect with each other, using the Sanctuary as the mid-point for their rendezvous too.  Some don’t leave for the entire weekend…the car stays unmoved and they bring their own dinner, the huge brunch around the Tower dining room table in the morning holding them all day.

Some read, curled by the fire in chilly weather, or in the chairs on the private deck each suite comes with. We see blankets on the lawn, picnic style, overlooking the Lake with barefoot guests getting some sun in the process and grounding or ‘earthing’ as they did as children. Earthing helps us sleep better and even thins the blood. It lowers cortisol. It makes us happy…any barefoot child will tell you without words…Try it and see if you don’t sleep better tonight. Kick off your shoes as you walk the trails. Stretch out on the lawn…Be the child again…

Other guests play games; we have many tucked all over the house including a new scrabble game yet uninitiated, and even a nice poker set, bocce ball, Frisbee golf, a football and croquet…cards and chess. Always, there are indoor and outdoor options. Adytum attracts readers, writers, computer software programmers, photographers, musicians, and birders for sure. And more….

Linda Cole, 2nd Violinist, Seattle Symphony Practicing in the Tower Room

Many guests surrender to the spa aspects of the Sanctuary. They wake and enjoy hot tea or coffee in the salt water hot tub surrounded by birdsong. Then to the Turkish Steam Sauna for some aromatherapy with the Eucalyptus oil and perhaps a little hot yoga in the large, tiled space. If there’s still time to explore Adytum lands before brunch they’re off with dogs and Gizmo the new cat leading the way, their camera and binoculars slung over their shoulder.

Gizmo…definitely sleeps around (: Do you want to book with an in-suite cat?

We have some of the highest recorded numbers of Evening Grosbeaks at Adytum. This parrot-like, large beaked, colorful flock is followed by the Black Headed Grosbeaks that look a bit like Orioles. We have a nesting pair of Osprey on the back acreage that hunt over the hot tub area, and four bald eagles that maintain their territory over the front of the land, endless hawks, ravens, and other large birds.  We are on the migration path for the eagles as well and since we fill feeders daily we encourage maintenance of nesting sites for many varieties of song birds, robins, hummingbirds, and others. The varied plumage of many varieties of birds mixing happily side by side at the feeders is a lesson for us all. Old nests carried back from walks on the land serve as reminders of love and nurturing in The Star of the North.

Exercise enthusiasts take advantage of the free weights and yoga mats in each suite. Arriving with kayaks or bikes on their car they discover nearby Ike Kinswa State Park by bike or kayak. Many who come are interested in hikes and there are so many within 30 minutes- stunning ones too.

Those in The Orion Suite enjoy the Far Infrared Sauna for detoxing;

We wouldn’t be without this: Far Infrared Sauna

The Star of the North guests experience the healing and energizing effect of the magnetic sleep pad developed by Dr. Bonlie. I listened to his lecture on these amazing pads recently in Chicago at the Health Freedom Expo and am so grateful we have them here. There are so many profound benefits. In fact, Adytum is the only B&B/Retreat that offers these magnetic sleep pads. We are distinct in providing a proven enhancement to sleep and healing in the form of magnetic supplementation, and that’s in combination with a Tempurpedic bed as well.

The advice that seasoned, repeat guests at Adytum will tell you- and they have in their many Yelp, Trip Advisor and Bed and Breakfast.com reviews, is not to do too much when you come to Adytum Sanctuary. There is enough here to keep you stimulated and happy while allowing you to reconnect with yourself, with your lover, with Nature and God and get relaxed and rejuvenated in the process. There is a special energy here. When we began construction each time we entered the land, coming up the long driveway, we felt we were entering a party in progress.

There is so much life here. We are but a small part of the community of plants, trees, forest creatures, and birds on Birley Mountain that Adytum rests upon. Since we don’t use chemicals, the land is living too – verified by the huge flocks of Robins pulling worm after worm from the lovely Cinebar Soil. If we couldn’t see sparkling Lake Mayfield and the emerald Rivers Cowlitz and Tilton that flow into it, the land would still replenish our spirit and reignite our creativity. The water just adds to the ambiance but it isn’t the view or the surroundings that bring so many such transformational adventures when they come to Adytum. It is Adytum Sanctuary herself. Some castles are haunted…ours is blessed (and yes- blessed to have the woman’s ghost I’ve written about as well…)

When we were clearing the land, setting the foundation and framing three stories up, my prayers breathed with every step was that this place would be full of restorative peace, a place where deep conversations occurred, where people could reconnect with all that really matters in life, where nature would speak and we would live in harmony on this mountain. And so it came to pass. The beauty simply flowed out of those well-intentioned purposes.

Recently my guest told me as she was preparing to leave, “Kat you ARE Adytum…this, she says waving her hand to take in the surroundings, is all YOU!” Love and devotion has a way of making Oneness…Adytum has a way of getting into everyone’s soul and spirit too just as the animals Gabe, Dash, Gizmo, and Kitty Boy do…In fact, we’ve been told more than once that the love from the animals ‘made it’ for them…

One rainy day, I sat down and wrote these plans for a perfect day at Adytum Sanctuary as a destination resort…for a day where the weather wouldn’t set the tone…a day that would leave us feeling pampered, well-rested and thoroughly satisfied without ever leaving:

6:00 a.m.          Coffee or tea ensuite from the bar taken out to watch the sun climb in the sky in the salt-water hot tub

7:00 a.m.          Meditation walk with Dash, Gabriel, cat Gizmo and your lover on Adytum trails, barefoot for earthing in season

8:00 a.m.         Yoga DVD and/or free weights, ensuite

9:00 a.m.          Community bike and/or Turkish Steam Sauna with Eucalyptus oil and Sircuit Skin peel or    mask, ending with a Hydrotherapy 7-Cycle shower

10:00 a.m.        Healthy, beautiful gourmet breakfast with guests in the Tower Dining room or in the privacy of your own suite, on the patio, or breakfast in bed….

11:00 a.m.         Feed your creative spirit: paint, write,, draw, read…Watch a DVD on art, health or travel…Play guitar, cello, Indian flute or piano in the Tower Room where the acoustics are unbeatable, according to 2^nd Chair Violinist from the Seattle Symphony

12:00 p.m.        Snack ensuite or discover authentic Mexican food at El Amigo inside the Mexican Market in Mossyrock

1:00 p.m.          Dirt therapy, puttering in one of the many gardens or play chess at the pub table in the 3^rd floor library, bocce ball, a game of tag football for two, Frisbee golf or croquet…

3:00 p.m.          Snuggle with your lover or enjoy a relaxing nap listening to the water music that surrounds Adytum

4:00 p.m.          Far Infrared Sauna in the Orion Suite with music from your iPhone ending in the double-tiled shower or a Jacuzzi bath with Essential Oil Scented Bath Salts in The Star of the North while watching the birds soar in the tops of the Fir…

5:00 p.m.         Short walk before dinner at Ike Kinswa or biking along the Cowlitz River or kayaking the Tilton River across the rocky bar and into the mouth of the river with the rapids…2’ long rainbow trout invite you to catch dinner for the BBQ outside your suite

6:00 p.m.         Dinner- in or out.

7:00 p.m.         Couples massage ensuite and champagne by the fire…

8:00 p.m.         The night is young…moonlight walk or salt water hot tub under the stars, unfettered by light pollution, watching a DVD, talking over a glass of wine and fondue til the wee hours…reconnecting with each other

              

    My guests at Adytum Sanctuary know that this past summer, August 2011, my ‘inner activist’ light came on over learning about Ractopamine, a vet steroid in turkey, beef, and pork. Even though I’m a vegetarian, it enraged me to think that our US Delegate was not only allowing but supporting this poison in our food supply. I have five grandchildren and six children from a blended marriage. Many of them eat this tainted meat many times a day as do my elderly parents (last photo…) So many of our guests have had their inner activist lights illuminated with interesting discussions at Adytum as they learn of this new passion which flows so effortlessly with my Nutritional Therapy work and love of health….Here is my very first experience at a Codex meeting. It might not sound too exciting, but you’ll see that it is VITAL that we are representing YOU. We were the ONLY health freedom organization that attended….Lots of talk and no action from the rest. Lots of money collecting and no follow-through from what I could tell from my ‘newbie’ stance….I feel better than ever that we have stood behind, and joined active ranks, with NHF to protect my family- and yours….

Jordan Gritton, Kat (Mother) and Phillip Gritton (www.grittonbuildingco.com)

  I’ve written about the power of NHF – the fulcrum that tips the World in so many Codex meetings,(http://www.thenhf.com/blog/2012/04/the-national-health-federation-is-the-fulcrum-that-tips-the-world-by-katherine-a-carroll/) but never was it more obvious then when I attended my first Codex meeting in May 2012. No other health-freedom organization was present! All those appeals for money I’d seen on FaceBook, in my e-mail inbox, and on the internet from some of the ‘big names’ in health freedom … where were they when it counts? All those promises made in numerous e-mails with hands held out for support –  like something was really on the verge of happening that their groups were initiating … I’m sorry, but  NOT ONE was anywhere to be seen besides the National Health Federation, which has a seat, a permanent name card at the seat, and a Voice.  And your Voice for health freedom did make something happen; more than once at this event!

               

Ottawa, Ontario’s totally modern, one-year-old Convention Center was the site for the meeting, set in the midst of beautiful architecture from the late 1800s, stunning and evocative of medieval castles. The City is well organized and of course, there was no time to truly explore it as meetings lasted from early morning to late afternoon, with ‘meet and greet’ soirees at night and a US delegate’s dinner another night. There was one day off while the Report was being prepared for adoption the following and final day.

               We had a reporter, Mark Anderson, with the NHF team who was from the American Free Press, along with his assistant and wife Angie. 

Mark is such a quick study and after intense questioning really had Codex figured out for the most part. We helped another investigative reporter from Reuter’s in New York City, Duff Wilson, to understand the inner workings of this powerful standard-setting body and he is planning to do a story using much of Scott Tips’ information.

               It was such an incredible feeling watching this seasoned reporter, Duff, open his mind to absorb the implications of Codex. Later he appeared at the ‘meet and greet,’ effectively crashing the event as our reporter, Mark Anderson, was strictly barred. Duff never drank a drop of anything and no food touched his lips – maybe this is how he justified talking to as many of us illicitly as he could. Duff is hungry for a good story and we appreciated it so much and invested a lot of time talking with him, filling him in.

             

  Codex was, by day, quite tedious actually. I was advised that this particular topic, while advertised as GMO labeling and turning out to be on food labeling, was not an explosive topic like some of the prior meetings’ agendas had been. Being a mover, I found it very hard to sit still through the slow pace. (“This must be my version of hell…a bunch of Pharisees arguing about every jot and tittle….”)   Scott, however, was energized and fully present, taking notes and documenting each delegate nation’s remarks and recommendations. No yawns or head nods from his quarter despite adjusting to a major time difference from France to Canada.

           

    I later learned these painstaking notes would be used against the final Report to ensure accuracy, and indeed there were many changes to this final Report, which necessitated someone keeping track – and it was Scott and a few other diligent souls who not only took the notes but showed up on the final day (when most had already boarded planes for home) and sat through the tedious final reading, making their corrections known line by line, pressing the mike button, and waiting patiently to be recognized by the Chairman, Mr. Paul Mayers of Canada.

            

   The proceedings became vastly more meaningful, as they literally went sentence by sentence, line upon line, dissecting each word and I mean literally – when I realized that MSG could actually be tucked right into the description of ‘salt’ and not demand label identification! Were some diligence not applied, we’d be consuming MSG completely unaware. The same concepts will hold true of aspartame and other things that can be hidden under the broad labeling umbrella of salt or sweetener.

           

    I heard much from the U.S. delegate in her strident intelligence, from the host of Canadian delegates, as well as those from Kenya, Malaysia, Brazil, Africa, New Guinea, Argentina, and Mexico. I liked the spirit from most of the women who spoke there, pressing the button on their mike, and waiting to be recognized. They were intelligent but soft spoken and relentless in getting their points across in a sweet, respectful way to the Chairman and the room. We had headsets that the tireless translators spoke into, in our language. The Chairman was actually quite impressive, well-spoken, and amazingly kept his head into the details of protocol and verbology to the bitter end without flinching.

              

  I’ve never seen such dedication … well, there were a few heads on the table – St. Kitts, Japan, and some prolonged sophomoric giggling from London’s INGO Food and Drink Europe over something on someone’s IPhone … but, all in all, the room was full of dedicated delegates going to bat for their country. It really was intense and LONG, so it was easy to forgive the occasional departure from 100% attention. However, it was disturbing to later meet “London” at the sweet-roll table and it was indicated they didn’t care about what they ate … Hmmm “Food and Drink INGO London” and they don’t care what they eat … go figure.

              

  Disconnects always disturb me. On a national level, even more. There was also a distinct ‘disconnect’ from Barbara Schneeman, the U.S. Delegate whose e-mail has the initials FDA in it…when I asked her about Ractopamine, “Oh, I don’t attend that meeting because it is ‘Veterinary’.”  My kids and grandkids are ingesting this as FOOD, and yes, it IS veterinary and not for human use, as it reads on the label – and our U.S. delegate has divorced herself from this issue in a disconnect that is incomprehensible to me. Where do ‘job descriptions’ end and common sense take over? Oh, I see, it’s about the money, isn’t it? U.S.-based Elanco, the vet arm of Eli Lilly, created this and the U.S. stands to gain. I get it … Follow the money and disregard the health.

              

  The night of the ‘meet and greet’ we weren’t expecting such a lavish display of wonderful food, and I wasn’t expecting the colorful, beautiful costumes and headdresses of the individual nations or speeches by the Chairman Paul Mayers and others that were actually quite gracious and showed the desire for cooperation. We met interesting people literally from all over the World, taking pictures, talking about issues, exchanging e-mails…

             

  The Codex World is truly a small place; a place where they strive to join by consensus – which means avoiding any hint of a vote – by all agreeing, or mostly all agreeing, in the end. It is cooperation at its core and fun meeting the delegates- most of whom spoke French to my dismay, not being bi-lingual. So I took pictures – lots of pictures. Most I met were lovely, friendly, and open. Besides the stimulation of meeting so many new people, the friendships forged by respect and admiration will serve NHF when a volatile issue is up for review.

               We need to form these powerful alliances with like-minded nations that will take our opinions and statements under careful consideration. Having the ability to potentially change their thought processes on issues is a major goal of NHF. The sinister undercurrent of the reality of Codex is mostly hidden; and I was glad to know the truth of the origins, the latter appointments of FDA employees and the like, so as not to be lulled into a false sense of security.

              

  One of the highlights of my evening was meeting the head of the INGO interested in baby-food safety. I was absolutely APPALLED when I heard the word “trans-fats” being applied to baby food. Who in their right mind would put that in a formula or baby food with brain and heart development at such a tender juncture? The woman representing that INGO, Elizabeth Sterken, had traveled under a grueling schedule to appear at this meeting. Later, she gave Scott Tips full credit for having alerted her and her organization to the dangers of melamine in baby formula. Since I have grandchildren on formula at present, I felt extreme gratitude to Elizabeth for helping us safeguard the products our babies consume. Believe me, it’s easier to write the check for people to come to represent you and your family than it is to travel all night long and not have the chance to sleep before meetings start, as she had just done.

              

  Again, I realize the power of One. Like NHF, her voice and her representation was so vital – and so is each one of ours – and believe me, she and we traveled far and long to speak for your children and grandchildren. If some of you feel defeated before you cast your vote at the polls, you have to realize that in a room where the proceedings are very much like a committee meeting and agreement needs to be attained, you see that each Voice counts and never have I been more proud to be aligned with the ONLY health-freedom organization that can be in that room speaking – period.  NHF.

            

   There were several seats set aside for delegates who never showed up – Russia comes to mind. You have to understand the tremendous expense required to appear at these sometimes inconsequential meetings. We ask and ask for support and I have a feeling many of you think someone else has it covered and has sent the check in. Not so. This was one expensive week, but your Voice was present, on time, at every meeting and sat until the final curtain call when others were already in the sky headed back home. NHF has power, dedication, and the drive to go to bat for you; but, seriously, the funding for this trip was disappointing at best. Thank you, however, to those who DID make sure we were there. We couldn’t have done it without you, and I covered many of my own expenses to be there.

              

  Another person we interacted with at some length was Jerome Lepeintre, Head of Delegation for the European Union. Jerome is a Veterinarian by trade and now works representing the EU. He will take his beautiful new bride to Beijing soon in that capacity – both are learning Mandarin, which is a daunting task! Jerome is not only passionate about the issue that brought me into NHF, Ractopamine, but told me to research Zilpaterol, which is yet another poison tainting the meats my family will consume. He is quite passionate in his zeal to protect the food supply and spoke often as well.

              

  I’ve already shared with you that Scott will attend the meeting where Ractopamine will again be up for discussion in Rome this July. Please realize NHF runs so lean to the bone organizationally that funding for that trip is not in yet. If you don’t want your family eating this poison – at breakfast, lunch, and dinner (bacon, turkey, and beef….), then please help defray airfare, lodging, and meal costs for the week so that Scott can speak on your behalf at this crucial meeting. (www.thenhf.com) See my blog on Ractopamine there…and donate if you will, please.

   I do hope to attend future meetings as part of the NHF team. Now that I have the game plan figured out – like Mark and Duff, the reporters – it makes it easier to endure because so much is truly at stake. Our way of life is determined in these chilly conference rooms …. It really does take much dedication, love, and commitment to choose this as one’s path of service. I’ve had so many people thank me for being willing to go for them, on behalf of them and their family. I have a whole new appreciation of what has been done for my family and me, while we, like so many in the World, were asleep to Codex, didn’t know what it was, what went on there, and the incredible power the Chairman Mayers holds … 

    If I can step out of my roles at NHF just for a moment, and as a private citizen just say, “Hats off to you, NHF, for speaking for me and mine…for making sure our World remains with a sense of integrity, our bodies having a fighting chance to remain pure, our choices inviolate by commercial interests and greed.” We will all express our gratitude with our time, our presence, our financial support, and our good thoughts and prayers because you, NHF, are worth joining forces with!

     

     As we returned to the hotel this bunny was stunned and in the middle of the busy street. President Scott Tips urges it to safety and we go on our way….Kind of sums of the work of NHF, working for so many of us that don’t know we are in danger and need a watchful, caring Body to protect it.

Donn’s been playing with raw food creations again. Every time he encounters an unsolvable health problem, out come the raw un-cookbooks and the Excalibur Dehydrator and walla! Health returns to normal….This time it was a nasty psoriasis event with no resolution in sight. In the past, a PSA so high Dr. Wright was talking cancer…Both times 100% raw, GF, organic was the healer. No drugs, no medical bills…

Woody Harrelson’s Adult Brownies
Infused with a subtle, earthy flavor, these transcendent brownies will have you mumbling indecent proposals and coming back for more. And more. And more.

3/4 cup cacao powder (or substitute 3/4 cup bazooka, for not-fully raw version)
3 tablespoons ground chia seeds
1/2 cup hemp oil, infused with “Haymitch’s Herb” (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
1 cup quinoa flour
Goji berries, as many as you like
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

This is for those of you who have expressed interest in improving your health. Recently I was made Associate Editor of the Health Freedom News, the National Health Federation’s excellent magazine. What a dream come true for me- to be able to write more and to work on bringing a high quality magazine to our members as well as sharing it with our Adytum guests. If you’re not a member yet of NHF (www.thenhf.com) it’s only $36 and you will be getting all the high-powered authors’ work- completely cutting-edge material every quarter. We have a very sophisticated international readership -20,000 strong all over the World. What a great privilege for me to work on this global project!! 

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of lining up several of  the Winter issue’s writers. I’m fascinated by electronic medicine – electronic acupuncture, frequency specific microcurrent, the Rife machine, as well as exploring our need for magnetic supplementation since the Earth’s field is at .5 Gauss and we used to be at 10!

The Star of the North Suite has one of Dr. Bonlie’s special magnetic pads under the Tempurpedic mattress, and those of you that have enjoyed supplementing your magnetic field  with his invention never fail to comment on how well you slept and that you needed less sleep. Dr. Bonlie will be one of the contributors to the Winter issue of HFN- meantime you can read more at www.magneticosleep.com. We wouldn’t be without this form of supplementation. Let me know if you’re interested in getting one for your bed as we have special deals for Adytum guests.

The Star of the North Has a Magnetico Sleeping Pad Under the Tempurpedic Mattress

Look for some amazing articles to appear in HFN. Meantime, my article on ‘Solving Dry Eye Naturally’ appears in the Spring issue along with a book review on a fantastic book on Vitamin D. I’ll share the latter with you after it appears in HFN. The same article will run in Whole Foods Magazine’s Winter issue, so I will post it on the Adytum blog once it runs there.

Dr. Carroll, Macular Degeneration Reseearcher

Donn and I will soon co-author an article on the results of his clinical trial in Morton, Washington sponsored by www.longevinex.com using a proprietary blend of red wine extract to positively impact the potentially blinding disease, Macular Degeneration. This is the first study of its kind ever- and you will read about it in Health Freedom News before the general population is even aware the study took place.

I’d love to hear what you’d most like to see in print! There are so many fascinating topics to explore as we seek to raise the level of health, increase our vibration and bring more to our experience in this World. I’ve recently had the great pleasure of meeting a woman who has noticed the same experience we have noticed: eating mostly raw food has raised our spiritual vibration dramatically. She e-mails me a podcast this morning that I’ll share with you here on this topic

.http://www.oneradionetwork.com/diet-and-nutrition/dr-robert-cassar-secrets-for-longevity-pyramid-of-energy-vibration-consciousness-12-10-09/ 

Silica is a conductor and its conjectured that this may be one of the mechanisms by which we are experiencing a heightened connection with our Creator. I love that she has taken time to share more as we explore raw food, and I know some of you will really enjoy sharing it with us! There are some good videos on Kirilian/Aura Photography about the energy field around raw food: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suBjc9rIFNY

I hope you enjoy reading about this amazing structured water, Ionized Alkaline Water that has so many benefits over ‘regular’ spring or pure water. Adytum has one of the best sources for these units, so let me know if you want one for your home or business. You can email me at katacarroll@gmail.com.  Using this water is just another way of raising your vibration, improving your health and creating safe and healthy alternatives in your environment. Combined with eating more raw, organic food you will be creating an entirely different experience for yourself and what you bring to others during your time on this Earth.

By Katherine A. Carroll, NTP

Healing Waters: The Powerful Health Benefits of Ionized Water By Ben Johnson, M.D., D.O., N.M.D. (ISBN 978-0-7570-0328-8; Square One Publishers, 2011; www.squareonepublishers.com; paperback, 124 pages; $15.95)

 “All water is not created equal and it is the structure of water within our bodies that ultimately determines health or sickness.” Dr. Mushik Jhon, Korean scientist and expert on ionized water.

               Healing Waters is an inspiring book on strategies to achieve optimum health using alkaline, ionized water. Packed with scientific studies from around the World, it claims that ionized, alkaline water will restore the basic foundations of health.  Many of us have read Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj’s book on the healing power of water for common ailments, diseases, obesity – even cancer was influenced. Batmanghelidj researched while in an Iranian prison on political prisoner charges, overstaying his sentence because his research was so compelling.

               Dr. Johnson shows how simple chronic dehydration combined with acidosis, having a system that is acidic versus alkaline, is the source of numerous health problems. Dr. Kancho Kinanaka, pioneer in ionized water treatment asserts, “People with high blood pressure also suffer from acidosis “virtually without exception.”

               We are approximately 65% water in composition. Many of our bodily processes are pH dependent so it proves a wise strategy to meet these basic needs for proper hydration and a proper acid-alkaline pH balance.

               Structurally alkalinized, ionized water is the same as the water from mineral-rich glaciers; the same water reputed to keep the Hunzas free of disease and extending longevity. It is known as “living water” because it is compatible with our bodily fluids. Its smaller cluster size and hexagonal structure enable it to travel quickly through our bodies to reach cells and tissues for rapid assimilation. It not only hydrates, but it alkalizes and oxygenates the body fostering optimum health.

               In addition to water, oxygenation is a crucial foundation of health. Since cancer- and disease-causing microorganisms thrive in low-oxygen, acidic environments, focusing upon the body’s two most abundant substances- water and oxygen, is indeed intelligent strategizing to create true health. The beauty of this living water is that it can be made at home with a specific ionizing unit for which Dr. Johnson provides numerous resource references.

               Combined with a healthy, alkaline-based diet, we have a strong framework to create vibrant health and increase energy. The author delves briefly into proper food combining, thus reducing the fermentation that adds to the body’s acidic load.

               A fascinating aspect of this book reveals that ionized, alkaline water has an oxidation reduction potential, also known as redox potential or ORP, which is better than many common antioxidants. First he compares it with tap water that is oxidizing with an ORP reading of +400mV to +500mV and mineral water which is slightly better with a +200mV reading, yet is also oxidizing. However, alkaline, ionized water reads -250mV to -350mV so it’s plentiful in the extra electrons it needs to donate to stop free radical activity. Understanding living water’s ORP readings creates an exciting strategic approach to elevate immune function. Alkaline, ionized water has better antioxidant capacity than Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta-carotene, which are nearly nine times heavier than alkaline ionized water.

               By keeping the body more alkaline, the blood pH supports increased oxygenation and even prevents Alzheimer’s disease by insuring that the brain’s required need for 20% of the body’s daily supply of oxygen is met. The heart requires more than all other muscles, so heart disease is prevented too.

               The acid water that is dispensed out of the water-ionizing unit mentioned in the book has had its use in homes as well as hospitals for disinfecting and killing bacteria associated with ten of the most-common hospital infections – even MRSA. “Most of these infectious agents were completely deactivated within 30 seconds of being inoculated with the (acid) water; the others were killed in 5 minutes.” This was from a 2004 Russian study.

Acid water maintains beautiful skin and hair, is anti-aging, and combats eczema, psoriasis, shingles and other skin problems. It improves the body’s ability to grow healthy skin in diabetics with ulcers, heals bedsores and aids in wound healing. Additionally, it is antibacterial for teeth and gums.

Even houseplants love it and it’s great to clean fresh produce and rinse sprouts with.

By coalescing foundational tactics using alkaline, ionized water combined with a balanced diet and proper food combining, Dr. Johnson writes a compelling case for investing in health through the inclusion of living water in our daily life.

The unplanned purchase of Rembrandt’s Descent From the Cross was accompanied by one of the best glasses of Pinot Noir I’ve ever had…by Presidio Winery in Santa Barbara:   http://www.presidiowinery.com/ . 

Anniversary Bouquet at LaHaina Galleries (http://www.lahainagalleries.com/) We had just bought Yankel Ginzburg’s Anniversary Bouquet  for my birthday and wandered into the gallery next door as we made our way to a restaurant ( http://higginshartegalleries.com/) Most of Rembrandt’s works are very small, and as soon as I saw this larger work on an easel I knew we weren’t leaving anytime soon. Donn had been collecting “Three Crosses” reproductions and several were framed in his day-trading office.

Rembrandt’s “The Three Crosses”

To find a large original…well, I knew that we were about to acquire our first original Rembrandt regardless that we just spent our art budget for the next year….


Some things are worth going out on a limb for (Why not go out on a limb, that’s where all the fruit is…Will Rogers) 

(Giclée ( /ʒiːˈkleɪ/ zhee-klay or /dʒiːˈkleɪ/), is a neologism coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne for fine art digital prints made on ink-jet printers. The name originally applied to fine art prints created on IRIS printers in a process invented in the late 1980s but has since come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is often used by artists, galleries, and print shops to denote such prints)

Referencing Wikipedia I quote, “Pascal’s Wager (also known as Pascal’s Gambit) is a suggestion posed by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist Blaise Pascal that, since the existence of God cannot be proved or disproved through reason, and there is much to be gained from wagering that God exists and little to be gained from wagering that God doesn’t exist, a rational person should simply wager that God exists and live accordingly.

Following his argument establishing the Wager, Pascal addressed the fact that many rational people (in spite of being able to reason advantages) will have difficulty genuinely believing in God. He thus prescribed one to live “as though he had faith” and postulated that (like Tolstoy in his autobiographical “A Confession”) this might help to subvert their contrary passions and lead to more genuine belief.

Historically, Pascal’s Wager was groundbreaking because it charted new territory in probability theory, marked the first formal use of decision theory, and anticipated future philosophies such as existentialism, pragmatism, and voluntarism.

Pascal formulated his suggestion within a Christian framework, and set it out in ‘note 233’ of his Pensées, a posthumously published collection of notes made in his last years forming a treatise on Christian apologetics.”

 It was, after living here five years, a first for us and to be honest, it really ‘made’ Easter like no sermon ever did. Simple and pure. Just the facts and no hidden agendas.