http://jenniferfulwiler.com/2011/04/7-habits-trust-god/

The 7 Habits of People Who Place Radical Trust in God

April 26, 2011 

I read a lot of biographies and memoirs about inspiring people who place radical trust in God. (By “radical” I don’t mean reckless or imprudent, but am referring to the difficult, very counter-cultural act of recognizing God’s sovereignty over every area of our lives. More on that here.) From He Leadeth Me to God’s Smuggler, Mother Angelica to The Heavenly Man to The Shadow of His Wings, these true stories are about people from all walks of the Christian life: Catholic and Protestant, consecrated religious and lay people, men and women. And yet they all have distinct similarities in their approaches to life and the Lord.

I found it fascinating to see what common threads could be found in the lives of these incredible people who place so much trust in the Lord, and thought I’d share in case others find it inspiring as well.

1. They accept suffering

One of the most powerful things I’ve read in recent memory is Brother Yun’s story of being a persecuted pastor in China, as recounted in the book The Heavenly Man. After facing weeks of torture, including electrocution, starvation, beatings, and having needles shoved under his fingernails, he was thrown in a box that was four feet long, three feet wide, and four feet high, where he would stay indefinitely. The day after he was put in this mini cell, he felt prompted to pray for a Bible — a ridiculous idea, considering that many people were in prison at that very moment for being in possession of such contraband. Yet he prayed anyway. And, inexplicably, the guards threw a Bible into his cell the next morning. He writes:

I knelt down and wept, thanking the Lord for this great gift. I could scarcely believe my dream had come true! No prisoner was ever allowed to have a Bible or any Christian literature, yet, strangely, God provided a Bible for me! Through this incident the Lord showed me that regardless of men’s evil plans for me, he had not forgotten me and was in control of my life.

Now, the less saintly among us (cough-cough) might have reacted to that a little differently. Had I been tortured and thrown in a coffin-like cell, my reaction to receiving a Bible would have likely been more along the lines of, “Thanks for the Bible, Lord, but could we SEE ABOUT GETTING ME OUT OF THIS METAL BOX FIRST?!?!” I wouldn’t have even “counted” the Bible as an answered prayer since my main prayer — reducing my physical suffering — had gone unanswered.

Yet what I see over and over again in people like Brother Yun is that they have crystal clarity on the fact that suffering is not the worst evil — sin is. Yes, they would prefer not to suffer, and do sometimes pray for the relief of suffering. But they prioritize it lower than the rest of us do — they focus far more on not sinning than on not suffering. They have a laser focus on getting themselves and others to heaven. In Brother Yun’s case, he saw through that answered prayer that God was allowing him to grow spiritually and minister to his captors, so his circumstances of suffering in an uncomfortable cell became almost irrelevant to him.

2. They accept the inevitability of death

Similar to the above, people who place great trust in God can only do so with a heaven-centered worldview. They think in terms of eternity, not in terms of calendar years. Their goal is not to maximize their time on earth, but rather to get themselves and as many other people as possible to heaven. And if God can best do that by shortening their lifespans, they accept that.

The Shadow of His Wings is filled with jaw-dropping stories of Fr. Goldmann’s miraculous escapes from death during World War II, which begs the question, “What about all the people who didn’t escape death?” Fr. Goldmann would probably respond by saying that God saving him from death was not the blessing in and of itself — after all, every single one of us will die eventually. The blessing was saving him from death so that he could continue his ministry bringing the Gospel to the Nazis. He eventually died while building a ministry in Japan, and presumably accepted that God would bring good from his passing, even though there was undoubtedly more work he wanted to do.

3. They have daily appointments with God

I have never heard of a person who had a deep, calm trust in the Lord who did not set aside time for focused prayer every day. Both in the books I’ve read and in real life, I’ve noticed that people like this always spend at least a few moments — and up to an hour or two if circumstances permit — focused on nothing but prayer, every day. Also, they tend to do it first thing in the morning, centering themselves in Christ before tackling anything else the day may bring.

4. In prayer, they listen more than they talk

I’ve written before about my amazement that really holy people seem to get their prayers answered more often than the rest of us. I’d heard enough stories of people praying for something very specific, then receiving it, that I started to wonder if they were psychic or God just liked them more than the rest of us or something. What I eventually realized is that their ideas about what to pray for came from the Holy Spirit in the first place, because they spent so much time seeking God’s will for them, day in and day out.

So, to use the example of a famous story from Mother Angelica’s biography, she had a satellite dish delivery man at the door who needed $600,000 or he was going to return the dish, thus killing all the plans for the new station. She ran to the chapel and prayed, and a guy she’d never met randomly called and wanted to donate $600,000. Her prayer wasn’t answered because she had a personal interest in television and just really, really wanted it, but because she had correctly discerned God’s plan that she was to start a television station on this particular day.

5. They limit distractions

Of all the amazing stories in God’s Smuggler, one of the lines that jumped out to me the most in the book was in the epilogue, when the authors talk about how Brother Andrew’s work has continued in 21st century:

“I won’t even consider installing one of those call waiting monstrosities,” he exclaimed, “that interrupt one phone conversation to announce another.” Technology, Andrew says, makes us far too accessible to the demands and pressures of the moment. “Our first priority should be listening in patience and silence for the voice of God.”

Far too accessible to the demands and pressures of the moment. That line has haunted me ever since I read it. I love technology, but it does come with a huge temptation to feel a general increase in urgency in our lives: I have to reply to that email! Respond to that comment on my wall on Facebook! Ret-tweet that tweet! Read that direct message! Listen to that voicemail! Here in the connected age, we are constantly bombarded with demands on our attention. Periods of silence, where we can cultivate inner stillness and wait for the promptings of the Holy Spirit, are increasingly rare.

One thing that all the people in these books have in common is that they had very little of this pressure of false urgency. It’s hard to imagine Fr. Ciszek coming up with the breathtaking insights about God’s will that he shared in He Leadeth Me with his iPhone buzzing alerts every few minutes, or Brother Yun seeing the subtle beauty of God’s plan in the midst of persecution while keeping his Twitter status updated on a minute-by-minute basis.

6. They submit their discernment to others

People who have a long history of watching the way the Lord works in their lives notice that he often speaks through holy friends, family members and clergy. If they discern that God is calling them to something, especially if it’s something big, they ask trusted Christian confidantes to pray about the matter and see if they discern the same thing. And when others warn them not to follow a certain path — especially if it’s a spouse, confessor or spiritual director — they take those indicators very seriously.

7. They offer the Lord their complete, unhesitating obedience

One of my favorite parts of God’s Smuggler is when Brother Andrew got a visit from a man named Karl de Graaf who was part of a prayer group in which people often spent hours of time in prayer, most of it listening in silence:

I went out to the front stoop, and there was Karl de Graaf. “Hello!” I said, surprised.

“Hello, Andy. Do you know how to drive?”

“Drive?”

“An automobile.”

“No,” I said, bewildered. “No, I don’t.”

“Because last night in our prayers we had a word from the Lord about you. It’s important for you to be able to drive.”

“Whatever on earth for?” I said. “I’ll never own a car, that’s for sure.”

“Andrew,” Mr. de Graaf spoke patiently, as to a slow-witted student, “I’m not arguing for the logic of the case. I’m just passing on the message.” And with that, he was striding across the bridge.

Despite his initial hesitation, Brother Andrew discerned that this was something that God was calling him to do, so he learned to drive. It seemed like a complete waste of time, an utterly illogical use of his resources, but he was obedient to the Lord’s call. I won’t spoil what happened next for those of you who plan to read the book, but let’s just say that shortly after he received his license, it turned out to be critical to the future of his ministry (which eventually brought the Gospel to thousands of people behind the Iron Curtain) that he know how to drive.

I often think of how Mr. de Graaf responded when Brother Andrew was scratching his head about this odd message: “That’s the excitement in obedience,” he said. “Finding out later what God had in mind.”

—

Obviously we can’t grow closer to God by aping the actions of others, but I find lists like this helpful as a starting point for reflection on my own spiritual progress. I hope you found it helpful as well!

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http://juicing-for-health.com/kill-sinus-infection-20-seconds.html

Kill Sinus Infection Within Minutes, With What You Have In Your Kitchen!

November 3, 2016

A sinus infection is an inflammation of the lining of the sinuses that in many cases lead to persistent headaches, fevers and even facial pains. Fortunately, there are many natural remedies that are effective at cleaning the sinuses and killing the bacteria and viruses responsible for these health problems.

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An acute sinusitis is a sinus infection that can last up to four weeks. While a chronic sinusitis can last 12 weeks or longer if left untreated.

Infections of the sinuses—the hollow air spaces within the bones in the cheek bones, forehead and between the eyes—are usually caused by either viruses or bacteria. They cause thick mucus blockage and painful or extreme discomfort in these cavities.

Prescribed antibiotics are not the best remedy for sinusitis as they can cause a lot of dangerous side effects. Your body should be given the right healing food to enable it to cure itself. In any case, antibiotics are not helpful if your sinusitis is caused by a virus.

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How It Works

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has many practical uses. It is probably one of the top natural remedies for many ailments.

It contains vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and malic acids that are beneficial for killing bacteria. It works by binding to pathogens and help the body get rid of them more effectively. It is also effective for fighting viral, fungal and Candida infections.

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Look for raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized, organic apple cider vinegar to get the medicinal benefits. How to tell the genuine and “real” apple cider vinegar? The liquid is usually “murky”, not clear, and you can see sediment pieces at the bottom of the bottle—that is the “mother”. If unsure, always buy only Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.

When taken orally, ACV breaks up mucus and clear airways, while its antibacterial properties kill the infection-causing bacteria.

When mucus and nasal congestion is broken down, ACV delivers its rich nutrients to the body to support and strengthen the immune system, preventing the infection from getting worse.

Although acidic, ACV has all the necessary electrolytes to balance the body’s pH levels and effectively reduces body acidity. Harmful microbes (bacteria or viruses) love an acidic environment and by alkalizing the body it will stop the disease-causing microbes from multiplying. This is why consuming 1-2 tablespoons of ACV every day keeps the viruses away!

Cayenne Pepper

The active component of cayenne pepper is a compound in its fruit called capsaicin that gives the pepper its hot fiery taste. Capsaicin has long been used as a painkiller and for reducing nasal congestion.

There are a few ways you can take pepper to help clear a sinus infection. You can …

• Use a capsaicin nasal spray
• Add ½ teaspoon in a cup of hot water and drink for several days till you recover
• Sniffing a small amount on a spoon to clear airways

Cayenne pepper works because when ingested, it helps to dilate vessels and help to break down mucus for draining. At the same time, this substance lessens your facial pain, reduces inflammation, stimulates circulation and acts as an antibacterial agent. All of these—and many more benefits of cayenne pepper—are helpful in preventing and relieving the symptoms of sinusitis.

Apple Cider Vinegar Brew For Sinuses

Ingredients

• ½ cup warm water (not hot)
• ¼ cup Bragg apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon raw honey (or manuka honey)
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon wedge

Directions

• Mix all these ingredients in a glass.
• Stir well and sip the mixture warm until the condition subsides.
• You may also use this mixture (without honey) to gargle to speed up your recovery.

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http://www.crisismagazine.com/2017/epiphany-feast-light

Epiphany: A Feast of Light

Michael J. Ortiz

Several years ago, I had a student in my English class who was blind from birth—Charlie had lost his eyesight due to oxygenation at his premature delivery, weighing less than two pounds when he came into the world. We were reading Shakespeare’s King Lear that day. Not an easy thing to do with a class of twenty high school juniors, but there I was, looking for meaning, for some insight that would pull the Elizabethan syntax and vocabulary into focus for my students.

We discussed Gloucester’s vicious blinding by one of Lear’s unfaithful daughters, and his later puzzling statement upon finding out that he had mistaken his innocent son for a betrayer, that it was his son Edmund, previously thought innocent, who had delivered him into the hands of the harpy-like daughters of the king. Gloucester says, with rueful intensity, a bloodied rag covering his wounds, “I stumbled when I saw.”

After asking a few questions, I could see my students were having trouble with the text, and we only had a few minutes of class left. I said, “Well, I think Gloucester is telling us that there are worse types of blindness than lack of physical eyesight.” Suddenly, Charlie’s face lit up, he smiled, and gently rocking his head back and forth, said in a soft voice, “Yes, that’s right, that’s very right.”

For a moment—a precious one, dear to every teacher and parent who cares—the room become silent, and in this stillness, was a pondering, a focus, courtesy of Shakespeare, and Charlie. I told everyone to read act four for tomorrow, and dismissed the class. I grasped Charlie’s hand before he went out, thanking him for his remark, telling him that it had made my class, made my day, in fact.

What does this have to do with the Feast of the Epiphany, which traditionally always falls on January 6th? Well, quite a lot. For in this politically fractured culture, coming off a divisive election year, it surely can’t hurt to reflect a moment on the way religious faith in general, and Christianity in particular, can give insight into how we should do politics.

These insights won’t be policy solutions. They won’t be derived from meta-data’s linear mathematics. They won’t be tactically precise or useful in the pitched battle that local or national politics can sometimes be. But they are, nevertheless, essential. And like most essential things, they are simple.

Here’s one: the Feast of the Epiphany is a feast of light because it reminds us that God is not an inert philosophical argument, but the truth. And the truth is light to see God and the world as they truly are, unclouded by delusion or desire. Reality, in short, cannot be seen or fully understood without God.

To live, to campaign, to plot policy, to fundraise, to canvas, to do anything of these things without regard for the truth is to embark on a fool’s errand. Like Gloucester, we stumble when we see with out eyes, perhaps because, tragically, we don’t want to see the truth with our mind and heart. The whirlwind we reap, however, is division, cynicism, debased public discourse, a feeling that the whole game is mendacious, even rigged. Maybe it’s time, when our own world dims with loss of hope, to look to a brighter light, from something other than ourselves. An Epiphany, in fact.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in 2013, commented on this feast with this singular insight:

The wise men followed the star. Through the language of creation, they discovered the God of history. To be sure—the language of creation alone is not enough. Only God’s word, which we encounter in sacred Scripture, was able to mark out their path definitively.

Thus the light of faith should not lead believers to dismiss unbelievers as “blind,” for they have the language of creation to read with their own eyes, even as that very creation gives silent witness to its metaphysical dependency, its radical rootedness in something beyond itself. Likewise, those without faith should be unafraid of listening to the witness of faith, especially when that witness has given rise to many of the humane institutions of our time, such as universities, hospitals, and a compassionate hand for the poor, never mind most of the world’s great art.

Even as some voices in our Church are attempting to overthrow core moral teachings of the Faith, we must remember that truth is not the enemy of our happiness. Quite the contrary. As well, given the Christian roots of the West, attempts to form a humanism without God and in direct contradiction to the moral teachings of Christianity will not succeed. T.S. Eliot, in an often-quoted passage, puts it bluntly: “The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail…” Which is precisely why the luminous teaching of St. John Paul II in Veritatis Splendor on the nature of the moral act is such a gift to the Church and to the world, as much as the Sistine Chapel, or Mozart’s Requiem. Efforts, pastoral or political, that treat the truth as a burden are destined for catastrophe, personal and cultural.

This is why I remember, on this Christian feast of the Three Kings, that day in class with Charlie who reminded us all of the worst darkness that can befall any of us. Charlie, I’m told, came home to his family, after numerous surgeries, on Mother’s Day. Any home that welcomes such a little one must be a place of light, a sturdy harbor where the least among us is respected and protected. Let’s wish no less for our country this coming year. For as this feast reminds us, the world will only be remade in the light of truth.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/04/liberal-churches-are-dying-but-conservative-churches-are-thriving/?postshare=7411483573478445&tid=ss_fb-bottom&utm_term=.d3e4a202b1d3

Liberal churches are dying. But conservative churches are thriving.

Presbyterian churches like this one in New Jersey shouldn’t vest their hopes in liberal theology. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Mainline Protestant churches are in trouble: A 2015 report by the Pew Research Center found that these congregations, once a mainstay of American religion, are now shrinking by about 1 million members annually. Fewer members not only means fewer souls saved, a frightening thought for some clergy members, but also less income for churches, further ensuring their decline.

Faced with this troubling development, clergy members have made various efforts to revive church attendance. It was almost 20 years ago that John Shelby Spong, a U.S. bishop in the Episcopalian Church, published his book “Why Christianity Must Change or Die.” It was presented as an antidote to the crisis of decline in mainline churches. Spong, a theological liberal, said congregations would grow if they abandoned their literal interpretation of the Bible and transformed along with changing times.

[Conservative Evangelicals see Trump’s win as their own] 

Spong’s general thesis is popular with many mainline Protestants, including those in the United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran, Presbyterian (U.S.A.) and Episcopal churches. Spong’s work has won favor with academics, too. Praising Spong’s work specifically, Karen L. King of Harvard Divinity School said in a review of Spong’s book that it “should be required reading for everyone concerned with facing head-on the intellectual and spiritual challenges of late-twentieth-century religious life.” Harvard Divinity professor and liberal theologian Harvey Cox said “Bishop Spong’s work is a significant accomplishment,” and indeed, Cox himself has long been at the task of shifting Christianity to meet the needs of the modern world. Thus, liberal theology has been taught for decades in mainline seminaries and preached from many mainline pulpits. Its enduring appeal to embattled clergy members is that it gives intellectual respectability to religious ideas that, on the surface, might appear far-fetched to modern audiences.

But the liberal turn in mainline churches doesn’t appear to have solved their problem of decline.

Over the last five years, my colleagues and I conducted a study of 22 mainline congregations in the province of Ontario. We compared those in the sample that were growing mainline congregations to those that were declining. After statistically analyzing the survey responses of over 2,200 congregants and the clergy members who serve them, we came to a counterintuitive discovery: Conservative Protestant theology, with its more literal view of the Bible, is a significant predictor of church growth while liberal theology leads to decline. The results were published this month in the peer-reviewed journal, Review of Religious Research.

We also found that for all measures, growing church clergy members were most conservative theologically, followed by their congregants, who were themselves followed by the congregants of the declining churches and then the declining church clergy members. In other words, growing church clergy members are the most theologically conservative, while declining church clergy members are the least. Their congregations meet more in the middle.

[Why white, Christian America is dying] 

Pilgrims flock to Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve

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Pilgrims flock to Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve(Reuters)

For example, we found 93 percent of clergy members and 83 percent of worshipers from growing churches agreed with the statement “Jesus rose from the dead with a real flesh-and-blood body leaving behind an empty tomb.” This compared with 67 percent of worshipers and 56 percent of clergy members from declining churches. Furthermore, all growing church clergy members and 90 percent of their worshipers agreed that “God performs miracles in answer to prayers,” compared with 80 percent of worshipers and a mere 44 percent of clergy members from declining churches.

Outside our research, when growing churches have been identified by other studies — nationally and internationally — they have been almost exclusively conservative in doctrine. As we explain in our academic work, because of methodological limitations, these other studies did not link growth to theology. But our work suggests this is a fruitful avenue of research to pursue.

What explains the growth gap between liberal and conservative congregations? In defense of liberal churches, one might venture that it is the strength of belief, not the specifics of belief, that is the real cause of growth. In this case, pastors embracing liberal theology are just as likely as conservative pastors to experience church growth, provided they are firm and clear in their religious convictions. Yet different beliefs, though equally strong, produce different outcomes.

For example, because of their conservative outlook, the growing church clergy members in our study took Jesus’ command to “Go make disciples” literally. Thus, they all held the conviction it’s “very important to encourage non-Christians to become Christians,” and thus likely put effort into converting non-Christians. Conversely, because of their liberal leanings, half the clergy members at the declining churches held the opposite conviction, believing it is not desirable to convert non-Christians. Some of them felt, for instance, that peddling their religion outside of their immediate faith community is culturally insensitive.

[The theological dispute over sexuality that may split the United Methodist Church] 

It should be obvious which of these two convictions is more likely to generate church growth.

While our research helps explains the dwindling ranks of liberal mainline congregations, it isn’t likely to bring much “joy to the world” of mainliners, especially those on the theological left. But, if it’s any consolation, when it comes to growth in mainline churches, Spong and other liberals are right to claim that Christianity must change or die. They just get the direction of the change wrong.

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http://www.fox13memphis.com/news/physician-to-parents-youre-doing-it-wrong/27429538

Physician tells parents, 'You're doing it wrong'

Jan 3, 2017 - 9:56 AM

by: Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman Updated: 

EXTON, Pa. - Family physician, psychologist and author Leondard Sax wants parents to know that they are “raising kids wrong.” The author of “Boys Adrift” and “Girls on the Edge” has written a new book, “The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt our Kids when We Treat them Like Grown-Ups.” 

“Most American parents are completely confused and going utterly in the wrong direction,” Sax said. “There’s a collapse of understanding what parenting involves.” 

In his book, Sax offers a scenario in which parents and a 6-year-old child, who had a sore throat, came into his office. When he said, “Next I’m going to take a look at your throat,” the mother asked for the child's permission, saying, “Do you mind if the doctor looks in your throat for just a second, honey? Afterward we can go and get some ice cream.”

That led to the child refusing to have the doctor look in her throat to do the strep test and the child having to be restrained to get the test accomplished. 

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“It’s not a question,” Sax said. “It’s a sentence: ‘Open up and say, 'Ahh.'' Parents are incapable of speaking to their children in a sentence that ends in a period,” he said. “Every sentence ends in a question mark.”

Some parenting experts told adults that they should offer their children choices instead of telling them what to do and parents believed them, he said.

The hierarchy of parent over child no longer exists, he said. Instead of parents exercising their authority because they know what’s best, they are focusing on making children happy and boosting their self-esteem.

“They now see their job as facilitating whatever a kid wants to do,” he said.

Instead, Sax said, a parent's job is to teach children right from wrong, teach them the meaning of life and keep their children safe.

“In doing that job, you’re going to do a lot of things a child won’t approve of and not understand,” he said. Sometimes, you have to be the bad guy.

According to Sax, parents should focus on helping children develop skills such as self-control, humility and conscientiousness, meaning they think of people other than themselves.

Those things are the biggest predictors of future success in adulthood, he said, not education or affluence.

Sax said this is a generation of parents who are spending more time with children than any previous generation. But instead of spending time at family meals, this generation is spending time shuttling children from one extracurricular activity to the next or spending time doing their work for them.

“It doesn’t help to spend more time with kids if they are spending it in the wrong ways,” Sax said.

In his book, Sax cites numerous research studies that found that a lack of parental authority is why obesity is on the rise, why more kids are on anti-anxiety and attention deficit disorder medication, why children are have a culture of disrespect, seem fragile, and why American children no longer lead the world in education.

He offered some solutions:

Have family meals at home and make that a top priority. “You have to communicate that our time together as a parent and child is more important than anything else,” he said. One study found that for each additional meal a family had together, the children were less likely to internalize problems such as anxiety or externalize problems such as skipping school. It also helped children develop good nutrition habits, lessening the obesity problem.

Take screens out of the bedroom. This includes cell phones, computers, TVs and video games. Kids are chronically sleep deprived, which leads to poor behavior and can even be the reason why kids are getting mental health diagnosis.

Put screens in public places and limit how they are used. This generation lives life in a virtual world. Online friends can quickly become more important than the friends children see in person. They don’t know how to communicate with someone face to face or have outside interests and hobbies. Video games also rewire the way their brains work. And what they post online never goes away. Install software like My Mobile Watchdog, which will share every photo that they take or post with you.

Teach humility. Give lessons that show children that they are not the most important people in the world. They need to be able to see the world through another lens and be able to handle rejection or failure. It really cannot be “everybody gets a trophy.”

Have an alliance between the school and you. If your child did something, don’t approach  teachers or administrators with suspicion and distrust. “Parents swoop in like attorneys demanding evidence,” Sax said. Instead lessons of honesty and integrity should be enforced. That means that a brilliant kid who cheated takes the 0.

Parent what they do. No, your 14-year-old cannot go to a party with college students or to the beach for spring break. No, they will not be at parties where alcohol is served, and you will not be the one serving it. You have to think of worst-case scenarios like drinking and driving, alcohol poisoning and sexual assault, and know that these are not decisions that they are ready to make because they are not adults. They need an adult, and that’s you. And even if their peers’ parents are fine with something, you don’t have to be. “Other parents don’t have a clue at what they are doing,” Sax said. “That’s why what they are doing doesn’t have good outcomes.”

Some of those things, especially if they are new for your family, can be difficult and might be hard to enforce. Sax recommends persistence and commitment.

"Your kids will thank you, not today or maybe not tomorrow, but some day, perhaps."

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© 2017 Cox Media Group.

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http://www.curejoy.com/content/common-habits-that-damage-kidneys/

10 Habits That Can Damage Your Kidneys

CureJoy Editorial

An estimated 20 million Americans are believed to have kidney disease, with thousands more potentially at risk for developing kidney problems.¹ Kidney damage doesn’t usually happen overnight. It is a steady process that occurs over several years as a result of some poor lifestyle choices and improper management of other conditions like diabetes.

As one study observed, the more bad habits you have, the worse it gets. Researchers found that test subjects with 3 to 4 bad habits dubbed “unhealthy lifestyle behaviors,” grew their risk of developing chronic kidney disease by 337 percent compared to people who had no bad habits.²

1. Smoking

Smoking adversely impacts your blood pressure. You also increase cardiovascular risk since smoking increases your heart rate, narrows the blood vessels in your kidneys, damages arterial branches, and causes arteriosclerosis in the renal arteries. These, in turn, stack the odds against you for kidney damage.³

Smoking is deadly for those with diabetes because it increases the chances of kidney problems. Smokers run the risk of losing kidney function faster than non-smokers. But quitting smoking will significantly decrease any future risks.

2. Constantly Holding It In

Not urinating often enough can be bad for your kidneys. Nature’s call is meant to be answered in a regular, timely manner and if you don’t, your body and kidneys in particular retain all the toxins meant to be expelled. Over time, this can actually lead to incontinence as well as kidney stones and other forms of kidney damage.

3. Indulging Your Sweet Tooth Too Often

Having excess sweet foods like desserts, candy, and packaged snacks and sodas can be bad for your kidneys. A study confirmed that consuming too much fructose could bring a rise in uric acid levels and ultimately lead to cardiorenal disease.⁴

Those with diabetes are already at high risk of developing renal problems; too much sugar in your diet can worsen this situation. Be sure to read food labels and pick foods that are low in sugar and high in fiber.

4. Not Monitoring Your Blood Pressure

It is important to keep track of your blood pressure since hypertension is a leading cause of kidney damage. Keep to the recommended levels set by your doctor and take measures to control any high blood pressure. The level is usually set at under 140/90 mm Hg.⁵

5. Winging It With Medication

Sticking to the prescribed medicines is important. Certain medication can cause kidney damage if taken incorrectly or not closely monitored. If your doctor has suggested a specific dosage for a fixed duration, take it only for that long and no more.

OTC pain medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen are all bad for your kidneys if taken regularly or on a daily basis. Certain antibiotics (aminoglycosides, amphotericin B, cephalosporins, bacitracin, and vancomycin) can also be harmful if you have delicate kidneys.⁶

6. Skipping Exercise

Exercise is good for the body’s circulation and can help you manage conditions like blood pressure and diabetes. Overweight or obese people can cut the load on their body by exercising.

As one study showed, weight loss can positively impact renal function in severely obese individuals. For everyone else, exercise helps keep the body and cardiovascular system in good working order.⁷

7. Not Eating Right

Eating healthy may not always mean you’re eating right when you have kidney trouble. If your kidneys are already strained, things change a little. Your doctor may suggest a diet that has less potassium and phosphorus. This means traditionally “bad” foods like white rice, white bread, and pasta suddenly become good for you.

What shouldn’t you eat?

• Whole-grain versions that are high on phosphorus
• Phosphorus-rich oatmeal, nuts, lentils, bran cereals, fish, meat, and poultry
• Colas
• Vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, and oranges

What can you eat?

• Plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits (especially apples, peaches, green beans, and carrots)
• Rice milk instead of dairy
• Corn and rice-based cereals⁸
• Protein in moderate quantities

Also, plant protein sources and certain animal protein sources like chicken and fish are easier on your kidneys. Heart-healthy foods are a good idea in general because they also help manage your weight, diabetes, and blood pressure. Certain nutrients like magnesium and vitamin B6 are good for preventing kidney stones.

8. Binge Drinking Or Heavy Alcohol Consumption

Kidneys help your body filter out harmful substances, including alcohol. So when you drink heavily, your kidneys are under tremendous pressure. Doing this on a regular basis can cause damage to the renal system.

Alcohol is extremely dehydrating, and an excess level in your body can cause your organs to be inadequately hydrated and hamper their performance. Alcohol is also a cause of liver disease, which in turn interferes with the regulation of blood flow to the kidneys.⁹

9. Going Heavy On The Salt

High levels of sodium in your diet, whether in the form of salt in your cooking or more commonly through hidden sources, are potentially problematic, especially if you have a tendency for hypertension.

Many snacks, junk, canned, and packaged foods contain high amounts of sodium, so cut down on these. Opt for fresh cut fruit, vegetables, nuts, or homemade snacks instead. Limit sodium intake to under 2,300 mg a day.¹⁰

10. Not Drinking Enough Water

Kidneys depend on adequate flow of fluids to work properly. Staying hydrated is important to help the kidneys properly flush out the toxins from your body. The National Kidney Foundation recommends staying hydrated as one of the “9 Things That Everyone Should Do” for good kidney health. The National Health Service in the UK also mentions dehydration as a cause for kidney damage and kidney stones.¹¹

View Article References (+)

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1.	↑	Kidney Disease Basics, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
2.	↑	Chang, Alex, Linda Van Horn, David R. Jacobs, Kiang Liu, Paul Muntner, Britt Newsome, David A. Shoham et al. “Lifestyle-related factors, obesity, and incident microalbuminuria: the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study.” American Journal of Kidney Diseases 62, no. 2 (2013): 267-275.
3.	↑	Orth, Stephan R., and Stein I. Hallan. “Smoking: a risk factor for progression of chronic kidney disease and for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in renal patients—absence of evidence or evidence of absence?.” Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 3, no. 1 (2008): 226-236.
4.	↑	Johnson, Richard J., Mark S. Segal, Yuri Sautin, Takahiko Nakagawa, Daniel I. Feig, Duk-Hee Kang, Michael S. Gersch, Steven Benner, and Laura G. Sánchez-Lozada. “Potential role of sugar (fructose) in the epidemic of hypertension, obesity and the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 86, no. 4 (2007): 899-906.
5, 8, 10.	↑	Diet and Lifestyle Changes, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
6.	↑	Which Drugs Are Harmful To Your Kidneys? National Kidney Foundation.
7.	↑	Chagnac, Avry, Tali Weinstein, Michal Herman, Judith Hirsh, Uzi Gafter, and Yaacov Ori. “The effects of weight loss on renal function in patients with severe obesity.” Journal of the American Society of Nephrology 14, no. 6 (2003): 1480-1486.
9.	↑	Alcohol And Your Kidneys, National Kidney Foundation.
11.	↑	Symptoms of Dehydration, NHS UK.

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Stop buying garlic. Here’s how to grow an endless supply of garlic right at home

Garlic is arguably one of the world’s most versatile and healthiest foods.

While you can use garlic to add some serious flavor to any dish, garlic also has quite the long list of health benefits as well. That’s why we’re here to break down how you can benefit from these major remedies and how you can grow your own supply of this amazing super-food in your very own backyard!

Source: davidwolfe.com

Up Your Nutritional Game

Like we mentioned, garlic has some potent medicinal properties, such as being packed with vitamins while also being very low in calories. Garlic is rich in manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and substantial amount of selenium, calcium, potassium, just to name a few – all while only having 42 calories per serving!

Strengthen Your Immune System 

Garlic is also known to boost the immune system and can help combat sickness like the common cold. Research has also shown that incorporating garlic into your daily diet can reduce your risk of getting sick by up to 63%! This can be especially useful if you’re someone prone to getting colds.

Keeping Your Heart Healthy

Add cardiovascular health to this list while you’re at it. If ingested regularly, garlic can also help reduce your risk for heart disease and help your body process cholesterol more efficiently.

Also, garlic can be really beneficial if you’re someone who struggles with high blood pressure!

Source: harvesttotable.com

In additional to being a super-food, garlic is also super easy to grow.

All you need to do is follow these simply 5 steps:

1. Break up the garlic bulb into cloves and bury them a couple inches deep in loose, damp soil.
2. Make sure you keep the pointed side of the clove facing upwards.
3. When your garlic sprouts, make sure to give them water when the topsoil feels dry but be sure to not overwater – garlic tends to not need too much water.
4. Cut off any flowers that bloom to preserve the flavor of your garlic.
5. Once your garlic plant has 5 or 6 leaves, it’s ready to be pulled up!

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Source: kcet.org

Let us know in the comments how your garlic garden is growing!

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