Nubella News  It may be hard to believe that something as delicious as chocolate could actually be good for you. But according to a growing body of research, America’s favorite sweet treat comes with a host of surprising health benefits—from lowering cholesterol levels to boosting your brainpower. Read on for five guilt-free reasons to indulge in this decadent dessert (as if you needed any more convincing). 1. Healthier Cholesterol Levels. A recent study conducted at Penn State University found that people who ate a diet rich in cocoa powder and dark chocolate had lower oxidation levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol and higher levels of HDL “good” cholesterol.   2. Better Blood Pressure. According to a German study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a bite of dark chocolate a day may help regulate high blood pressure. The study’s authors suspect that the cocoa increases levels of nitric oxide, a compound that helps to relax and open the blood vessels. 3. Muscle Magic. It might seem like a strange choice for a sports drink, but chocolate milk may help boost athletic performance. In a recent Indiana University study, cyclists who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who consumed standard sports beverages. 4. Brain Gains. According to the National Alzheimer’s Association, consuming dark chocolate can help reduce your chances of developing dementia later in life. In fact, a local chapter of the organization recently included dark chocolate in all the gift baskets it gave to attendees at the Maintain Your Brain program. 5. Disease-Fighting Power. Cornell University researchers recently found that cocoa contains nearly twice the disease-fighting antioxidants of red wine and up to three times more than green tea. http://www.nubella.com Related Links: The 20 Best Weight-Loss Foods 10 Nutritious Red Foods  The 5 Best Junk Foods  Nubella News, a division of Marketing Technology Solutions, Inc., offers content intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We encourage our readers to seek prompt medical care for health issues and consult their physicians before starting a new diet, fitness regimen, or medical treatment.

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You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, (his wife now has cancer and he has “wealth” from the book sales). This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren,“Purpose Driven Life” author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, ‘What is the purpose of life?’ And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body– but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one.  The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.  God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, being diagnosed with cancer.I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you got through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore.  Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, “which is my problem, my issues, my pain.” But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.  It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. 

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don’t think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.  So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24-years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?  Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God’s purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, “God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better.” God didn’t put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He’s more interested in what I am than what I do. That’s why we’re called human beings, and not human doings.

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Friday, April 18, 2008

(from: National Fibromyalgia Association)

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), is a debilitating illness that has long been misunderstood by the public and by health care professionals. The illness has proven to be both complex and mysterious, and there is still no known cause or cure.

Although many questions remain, there has been tremendous progress in our understanding of this disease over the past 20 years. For instance, researchers have uncovered biologic abnormalities in CFS patients, producing a “critical mass” of scientific evidence that CFS is a real biologic illness, not a psychiatric condition. Abnormalities have been found in the immune system, the brain, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the cardiovascular system, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system of CFS patients. Although the cause of CFS isn’t yet understood, there is a growing body of research showing that physiologic, environmental and behavioral events experienced over the lifespan—combined with a genetic predisposition—may lead to CFS. 

Who Gets CFS?
New research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that more than 4 million people in the United States have CFS. The illness is more common than multiple sclerosis, lupus, lung cancer and many other well-known disorders.

The most at-risk group for CFS appears to be women. Research has shown that CFS is about four times as common in women as men, a rate similar to that of many autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lupus. However, CFS doesn’t discriminate. It strikes people from every age, racial, ethnic and socioeconomic group.

What Are the Symptoms of CFS?
As the name chronic fatigue syndrome suggests, this illness is accompanied by fatigue. However, it’s not the kind of fatigue we experience after a particularly busy day or week, a sleepless night, or stressful events. It’s a severe, incapacitating fatigue that isn’t improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity.

Although its name trivializes the illness as little more than tiredness, CFS brings with it a constellation of debilitating symptoms. The fatigue of CFS is accompanied by characteristic symptoms lasting at least six months. These symptoms include sleep difficulties, problems with concentration and short-term memory, flu-like symptoms, pain in the joints and muscles, tender lymph nodes, sore throat, and headache. A hallmark of the illness is postexertional malaise, a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion that can require an extended recovery time.

The severity of CFS varies greatly from patient to patient, with some people able to maintain fairly active lives. For others, CFS has a profound impact on work, school and family life. About 25 percent of CFS patients are disabled by the illness. There’s often a pattern of relapse and remission, and patients may cycle between different levels of function. Most symptoms are invisible to others, which makes it difficult for friends, family members, and the public to understand the challenges a person with CFS faces.

http://www.fmaware.org

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 It is well to remember the nine-elevens of our lives. As we encounter crises over which we have no control, we are not alone. This anonymous author addresses the heart of God in moments of our most dire need.

         You say you will never forget where you were when
          you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither  will I.
 
          I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
          with a man who called his wife to say “Good-Bye.” I
          held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
          peace to say, “Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
          is OK…I am ready to go.”
 
          I was with his wife when he called as she fed
          breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
          tried to understand his words and as she realized
          he wasn’t coming home that night.
 
          I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
          woman cried out to Me for help. “I have been
          knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!” I said.
          “Of course I will show you the way home - only
          believe in Me now.”
 
          I was at the base of the building with the Priest
          ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
          I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
          heard my voice and answered.
 
          I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
          with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
          were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
          believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
          faith has saved them.
 
          I was in Texas, Virginia, California, Michigan, Afganistan. 
          I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
          Did you sense Me?
 
          I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
          every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
          for the first time on the 86th floor.
 
          Some sought Me with their last breath.
          Some couldn’t hear Me calling to them through the
          smoke and flames; “Come to Me… this way… take
          my hand.” Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
  But, I was there.
 
          I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
          may not know why, but I do. However, if you were
          there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me? 

       
          Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
          for you. But someday your journey will end.
         And I will be there for you as well.
         Seek Me now while I may be found
         Then, at any moment, you know you are
          “ready to go.”
 
          I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.
 

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Study Shows It’s Possible to Manage Arthritis Pain by Moving MoreATLANTA, April 8, 2008

– It may seem counterintuitive to exercise when suffering with joint pain, but physical activity is actually a natural pain reliever for most people suffering from arthritis. A recent study published in Arthritis Care and Research journal concluded that regular exercise, specifically the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, is an effective course in significantly improving and managing arthritis pain. This is good news for the aging population of U.S. baby boomers who want to get back to basics with a natural remedy for pain. In fact, arthritis is projected to increase by 40 percent, affecting 67 million Americans, in the next two decades.

“Even minor lifestyle changes like taking a 10-minute walk three times a day can reduce the impact of arthritis on a person’s daily activities and help to prevent developing more painful arthritis,” explains Patience White, M.D., chief public health officer of the Arthritis Foundation. “Physical activity can actually reduce pain naturally and decrease dependence on pain medications.”

Information is available 24 hours a day:

Contact: Donia Crime Carol Galbreath

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“I’m too blessed to be stressed and too anointed to be disappointed.
I refuse to be discouraged, to be sad or to cry.
I refuse to be down hearted and here’s the reason why:
I have a God who is almighty; who is sovereign and supreme.
I have a God who loves me — and I am on His team.
He is all wise and powerful; Jesus is His name.
Though everything else is changeable, My God remains the same.
I refuse to be beaten or defeated.
My eyes are on my God.
He has promised to be with me, as through this life I trod.
I am looking past my circumstances, to heaven’s throne above.
My prayers have reached the heart of God and I am resting in His love.
I give thanks to Him in everything.
My eyes are on His face.
The battle is His; the victory is mine; He will help me win the race.
I repeat!
I’m too blessed to be stressed!”
(Author unknown)

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