Relationship with God and Others

Will this matter ten years from now?

When you live in light of eternity your values change. Your priorities are reordered. You use your time and energy more wisely. There’s a higher premium placed on relationships and character rather than fame, wealth, or achievements.

Think about your relationships, circumstances, and even your to-do list for today. Are they rooted with an eternal perspective?

Are you living in light of eternity?

Gary Smalley
Editor, Smalley Relationship Center

• Leave a comment... (0)

IC and Possible Related Conditions: Have You Considered These?

While it has become fairly common knowledge that IC has an as yet unknown connection to several other chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, allergies, and vulvodynia, have you considered the following conditions when assessing your symptoms? The ICA is frequently contacted by healthcare providers, researchers, and patients to inform us of their “take” on other possible connections to IC. Here are some of the inquiries that we received recently.

Adhesions: Adhesions are a type of scar that forms an abnormal connection between two parts of the body. They are usually caused by surgery. When they affect the female reproductive organs they can cause debilitating pain. Dr. David M. Wiseman, an expert in pelvic pain caused by surgical adhesions, explores this topic in A Patient’s Guide to Adhesions & Related Pain.

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity: Celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue or gluten sensitive enteropathy, is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is found in foods and beverages containing wheat, barley, or rye. If you have celiac disease and consume items containing gluten, an immune reaction occurs in your small intestine, causing damage to the surface of your small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients. Wendy L. Cohan, RN, has written extensively about her experiences with IC and food intolerances, including celiac disease, in her article Are Bladder Problems Keeping You Away from the Action?

Autoimmune Related Conditions: Lauren E. Boyle, MS, CHES, of Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, is conducting the following study and asks those of you who are in college and have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease to participate in the Needs Assessment of College Students Diagnosed with Autoimmune Related Diseases study. It’s an anonymous on-line questionnaire asking about your health related academic problems, needs, perceptions, and experiences of living with an autoimmune related disease while attending college.

You must be 18 or older and currently enrolled full time or part time in a 4-year institute of higher education and diagnosed with one or more autoimmune related diseases by your healthcare provider. Optional entry to win one of ten $25 gift cards (5 from Target and 5 from Wal-Mart).

Click here to participate in the study.

• Leave a comment... (1)

25 Ways to Find Joy and Balance During the Holidays

Feeling down during the holidays can be tough.

By R. Morgan Griffin
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Feeling down during the holidays can be tough, especially since you seem so out of step with the world. Everyone else seems to be beaming, ruddy-cheeked, bursting with holiday spirit. You’re feeling wretched and exhausted.

But here’s something to cheer you up the next time you’re stuck in a room of revelers at a holiday party: Plenty of them are probably unhappy, too.

“I think a lot of people would say that the holidays are the worst time of the year,” says Ken Duckworth, MD, medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “They’re just straight up miserable, and that’s not only for people with clinical depression.”

So if the family gatherings, the endless parties, and the shopping get you down, you’re hardly alone. But people with depression — or who have had depression in the past — need to be especially careful when coping with holiday stress. While it might take some conscious effort on your part, you can reduce stress — and maybe even find some holiday joy, too. Here are some tips.

read more…

• Leave a comment... (0)

For over forty years, I have worn something that is a constant reminder of my greatest human joy in life. It’s a simple gold wedding ring, shaped, of course, as a circle—a symbol of our never ending love for each other. Some call your wedding ring a sign of commitment or covenant.

This ring does two things for me.

First, it’s a visual aid for when I committed myself to Norma. I tell others that my wedding ring proclaims that I belong to Norma for life. And it also holds another meaning for me.

Jesus stated He endured the pain of the cross for the joy set before Him. My commitment to Norma includes every good and bad experience we have been through together. We are both very opposite in personality and we are both very human. Speaking for myself, I make a lot of errors in judgment and it impacts Norma most of the time. But because of the joy of our relationship we are committed for life! The greater joy comes when we both operate in forgiveness and grace. Our joy builds daily because we are both committed and we love each other. Joy is that inner gladness that God is in control and He is using you to love someone else. For me, God provides tremendous joy as I keep loving Norma and she keeps loving me!

Have you recognized lately how much joy comes from your spouse? Do you let them know that? Your words of encouragement could make huge deposits in your marriage today.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
3 John 4

© Copyright 2005 Smalley Relationship Center

• Leave a comment... (0)

How do I find happiness?

Smiles and laughter begin in the heart and soul. People can be overwhelmed with trouble, but according to Solomon, a truly cheerful face comes from a merry heart.

Blessings,
Gary Smalley
Editor, Smalley Relationship Center

• Leave a comment... (0)

Calm Down–Listen Up

By: Rayn Cumiskey
Friday, December 19, 2008

• Leave a comment... (0)

Stop and Smell the Roses
By: Rinie Geenen and Bart Thoolen  

Friday, December 19, 2008
This article was originally published in FMOnline. This free online newsletter is only available to registered members. Click here to register!

• Leave a comment... (0)

Too little sleep affects our work, our activities, even our sex lives. These tips from WebMD can help you sleep like a baby at night. Check back for more tips next month!

It’s Sleep Week!

Don’t build up a sleep debt. Ongoing sleep deprivation can impair you as much as a six-pack of beer.

Power Your Day

Take a nap. A 40-minute snooze in the middle of a work day can pump up your energy.

Pregnant Pause

Sleep safe during pregnancy. Lying on your left side gives you and your baby the best blood flow.

The Better Sleep Diet

Don’t gorge before bed. Good shut-eye foods: milk, tuna, eggs, and peaches.

Sleep Rituals

Cue your body that it’s time for sleep with a relaxing ritual. Try a hot bath, aromatherapy, or meditation.

Room for Sleep

Make your bedroom a sleep haven. Keep temperatures moderate, use blinds or shades for blocking light, and remove the laptop or TV.

Tired People Eat More

Cut 6% of your daily calorie intake by sleeping eight hours a night instead of seven.

Smoke Out

Restrict smoking before bedtime. Cigarettes wake you up just like caffeine. Better yet, quit.

Heartburn Help

A wedge pillow can keep your head elevated and bring sweet relief from nighttime heartburn.

Take a Bed Break

Get out of bed if you can’t sleep -don’t stare at the clock. Read or watch TV until you feel tired.

Nightcap No-No

A bottle of wine may conk you out, but your sleep won’t be restful. Finish imbibing three hours before bed for a satisfying snooze.

Guard Your Heart

Get a full 8 hours of sleep. Catching only 6 hours of sleep ups your risk of high blood pressure by 70%.

Plan Early

And sleep better at night. Make your next day’s to-do list in the afternoon so worries don’t creep into bed.

Talk Yourself to Sleep

Try talk therapy to fight insomnia. It gets better results than sleeping pills.

Boost Your Sex Drive

Take a nap. Tired people have lower libido. Want more sex? Get more sleep.

Dream Diet

Sleep controls appetite hormones. Get to bed and start your diet.

Do Not Disturb

Put traveler’s insomnia to rest. Pack a tiny battery-operated fan — to create white noise.

Out Like a Light?

You may be overtired. Most people need 5 minutes or more to fall asleep.

Give Dad the Gift of Rest

Let Dad sleep in on Father’s Day. On average, men get fewer than 7 hours a night.

Bedtime Medicine

Getting a good night’s rest may reduce your long-term risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Find a Midnight Oasis

Bring romance and good sleep back to your bedroom. Clear out laundry, TV, and kids’ toys.

Give Teens Some ZZZs

The sun’s up but your teens aren’t? Teens need nearly 10 hours of sleep every day.

Sleepy & Stuffy

No sleeping beauty wants a stuffy nose at bedtime. A saline nasal spray is an easy fix.

Nix Late Naps

No matter how tired, don’t nap after 3 p.m. Late naps make it harder to fall asleep at night.

Avocados & Sleep

Can’t sleep? Reach for an avocado. They contain tryptophan, a sleep-promoting substance.

Jump on It

Exercise early in the day, and you’ll sleep better. Nix workouts too close to bedtime.

Soothing Menopause Sleep Symptoms

Menopause can mean sleep problems. Exercise and stress reduction can help you rest easy.

Pregnant and Wide Awake?

Need help sleeping during pregnancy? High-carb foods like bread or crackers can promote sleep.

Nix the Nightcap

Alcohol at bedtime makes getting to sleep (and staying asleep) harder. Stop drinking three hours before bed.

Sleeping on a Cloud

A good mattress firmly supports the back, neck, and legs, and also offers cushion and recoil for comfort.

read more…

• Leave a comment... (0)

Top 11 Reasons for Fast Food’s Popularity

Frequent Fast-Food Eaters Dish on Why They Dig In

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 2, 2008 — Fast food lives up to its name in a new study of people who frequently eat at fast-food restaurants.

Nearly 600 adults and teens in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area were interviewed for the study in 2005-2006. Most reported eating fast food at least three times per week.

After tucking into a meal at a fast-food restaurant, participants rated how strongly they agreed or disagreed with 11 statements about why they like fast food.

Here are their top reasons for eating fast-food meals, according to the percentages of people who agreed with each statement:

1. They’re quick: 92.3%
2. They’re easy to get to: 80.1%
3. I like the taste of fast food: 69.2%
4. They’re inexpensive: 63.6%
5. I’m too busy to cook: 53.2%
6. It’s a “treat” for myself: 50.1%
7. I don’t like to prepare foods myself: 44.3%
8. My friends/family like them: 41.8%
9. It is a way of socializing with friends and family: 33.1%
10. They have many nutritious foods to offer: 20.6%
11. They’re fun and entertaining: 11.7%

The “I’m too busy to cook” line was more popular among people with college degrees than people with less education. And young adults were less likely than older adults to say they ate fast food because it offered many nutritious choices.

Still, the results boil down to speed and convenience at one end of the spectrum, and nutrition and fun at the other end. Bridging that gap means coming up with speedy, nutritious alternatives, suggest the researchers, who included Sarah Rydell, MPH, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Their findings appear in December’s edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

• Leave a comment... (0)

It has become quite clear to me that we Christians who hurt need spiritual power to overcome the dailyness of pain. These Holidays–Holy Days–can increase our pain when we allow stress to trump Jesus. Choices: Managing Chronic Pain is an ideal Bible study with which to start your day or a gift for a loved one with a chronic illness. Short lessons do not take a lot of time, are geared to those of us who hurt, and are encouragement for us to face the day the Lord has made.What a wonderful gift for a hurting loved one; or for that new Bible study starting in the new year. Peace of mind and spirit are what these Holy days are about, even if our bodies hurt. You are invited to read the Introduction below and visit www.jonniewright.com for further information. 

INTRODUCTION

Change is as inevitable as death and taxes. Our choices reflect the inescapability of what change asks of us. Chronic illness threatens our life-style, adds to our financial burdens, stresses our relationships, and interrupts our life. Often our choices alter our physical and emotional state so much that, in time, we become strangers to our former selves. Yet, we must live as victors not victims.

Thankfully, the Bible is more than just a first aid book for spiritual boo-boos. Through Scripture, we learn of the promised, unfathomable riches of God’s love, mercy and justice. We are inspired by the stories of men and women who failed as often as they succeeded, but whose faithfulness was rewarded. Because the Bible is the inerrant word of God, Scripture can help us through our struggles and difficult choices. But, do we allot enough time in Scripture study to realign our perspective with God’s will?

The good news is that we do not need to be Biblical scholars to discover the truths found in Scripture. Choices: Managing Chronic Pain offers short studies, minimum writing, and maximum application. The simplicity of the Choices format encourages we who are in chronic pain to consider whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—[to] think about such things. (Phil. 4:8)

• Leave a comment... (0)