Month: February 2010

try this: write serenely

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no need for a caption, really....

My philosophy right now: small, nice, gentle changes to the way you do things can drag you from the biggest of ruts and bored sludges. Little creaky movements to the left or right. Do-able shifts.  Like, sometimes I part my hair on the other side. Or write in a different location (yesterday I hung out at the Surry Hills library). Small, gentle shifts make life feel fresh. But keep it small, otherwise they don’t happen.

If you feel the same way,  you might want to give this little app a crack. Omm Writer is a beautiful, FREE!! download

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guest post: how to heal auto-immune disease (the soy debate) #3

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Confused about soy?

A number of you have asked about soy products, and how they affect thyroid issues, especially in the wake of the whole Bonsoy debacle. And especially because everyone seems to have an opinion on it these days.126164015 60bc33de8b guest post: how to heal auto-immune disease (the soy debate) #3

Naturopath Angela Hywood from Tonic (you can read her first contribution here) posted the below as a comment, but I thought I’d drag it out for everyone to read.

PS. These are her thoughts. Me, I’m still working through what my body feels about it. I love soy chai. It warms cockles.

Angela says:

I’m not anti-soy for most people. However, I do suggest soy be eaten in moderation in a wholefood diet and in traditionally fermented forms (which include miso, tempah, soy sauce and tofu).

However here are a few issues about soy from a reliable, credible whole foods research associated in USA, The Weston A Price Foundation.

•High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.

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declutterer: a vexing perve into lindsay lohan’s wardrobe

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Have you seen this? Somehow a reporter from Insider got to go into LL’s house and rummage through a wardrobe that’s taken over the apartment. There are not enough days left in that girl’s life to wear all those clothes. It’s actually gross. Not the clutter, but the mindless consumption of so much stuff. It … Read more

Sunday life: in which I try a new technique for making good decisions (in love)

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This week I try out “satisfycing” for size.

valentines day

The inspiration for this week’s reflection is the release of Lori Gottlieb’s Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr Good Enough, the latest tome to tell women how to score a bloke. Gosh, and there we all were living life according to the 2004 self-help gospel He’s Just Not Into You (the premise: don’t settle for Mr Not Sure Enough).  How wrong can a girl be!

(As a bracketed aside, I wonder if the Mr Not Sure Enoughs can be lured back from the dating scrapheap to become Mr Good Enoughs? They might need to be!)

If you missed Gottlieb’s controversial 2008 article in Atlantic magazine, on which the book is based, her throw-in-the-towel theory is this: women who get to 30 and haven’t found Mr Right should choose a guy who’ll simply “do the job”. Single and now in her 40s, Gottlieb says she wished she’d settled for a “perfectly acceptable but uninspiring” man herself.  How, um, inspiring. Apparently Tobey Maguire thought so; he’s bought the film rights.

Now, I’ll say no more on the topic (if you can’t say something nice and all that jazz). Except to say that this week it inspired me to revisit decision-making.

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be inspired: the “special problem” of strong women looking for love

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Strong Women contribute to the world in many ways, not all of which are fully appreciated
Strong Women contribute to the world in many ways, not all of which are fully appreciated

The scene: green tea this morning with my hung-over friend Sally

The topic: a quote from a review of Antonia Fraser’s biography in which she outlines her life as the wife of writer Harold Pinter. It neatly sums up what Women of Strong Character know to be true:

The Special Problem

Early on, just after their affair had got under way in 1975, Antonia was warned by her brother, Thomas: “You have a special problem. You are a woman and a strong character­ yet you want your husband to be stronger. Women with strong characters who want to dominate are always fine because there are plenty of weak men around. Also plenty of strong men for weak women. But yours is a special problem.” Actually, Antonia concludes, “He’s quite right in a maddening way.”

Strong women wanting stronger men? How do strong women feel about this? In many case, fine, I reckon.

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just let it go (an anthem for you this morning!)

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This is my anthem right now: Let it Go, This Too Shall Pass. Watch and listen and start your day kindly! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKythlXAIY[/youtube] OK Go! (the kids who brought us that crazy  Youtube dancing treadmill dance) are back with this new clip. Filmed in a grim-looking swamp with little swamp men playing xylophones. Very perfect. Let … Read more

start your day with sun on your face (say doctors)

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There’s an Italian proverb: “Where the sun does not go, the doctor does”. Doctors are now scrambling to get out studies that say pretty much the same. But with more words. Basically because they’re finding that we all need more Vitamin D. It plays a humongous role in preventing cancer, osteoporosis and a bunch of … Read more

learn how to live longer: 5 eye-opening ideas from (yet another) rad TED talk

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I’m a big proponent of the idea that “everything we think we know about health is wrong”. It’s a big call. But I stand by it.

2282254370 7f2d8265a1 learn how to live longer: 5 eye-opening ideas from (yet another) rad TED talkI got more proof when I came across this TED presentation from Dan Buettner. Dan was commissioned by the US Government to work out what factors contribute to longevity in Blue Zones (communities around the world where a stack of people live to 100).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxZluIilLo[/youtube]

Here’s 5 points I liked. They’re not really what we’re used to hearing, are they!

1. No exercise plans.
In lieu of ‘exercise’ these communities were all active and avoided stagnant conveniences and shortcuts in life that promoted laziness.

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guest post: healing auto-immune disease, by someone who’s been there #2

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So, a few days ago I gave my account of coping with thyroid disease . Now I’ve asked some experts who I’ve encountered along the way to share their experience. And some advice. It’s certainly helped me…

I've used this pic purely because she's wearing the same kinda glasses as me!
I've used this pic purely because she's wearing the same kinda glasses as me!

But before I do – just quickly – a random thyroid factoid someone once presented to me:

Most people with Hashimoto’s (and perhaps other auto immune diseases, too) suffered some sort of trauma about 18 months prior to the onset of symptoms. I’m not sure how backed-with-facts this is. But whenever I ask sufferers they totally agree. It fits my story. How about you?

But now, to the lovely Angela Hywood…

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