Page 50 My Heart Story

This claustrophobic-like feeling lasted for two weeks. It was so foreign, but I was a busy mom with two young boys at the time, and a very demanding job, so I just shrugged it off as normal holiday stress.

After our family returned from a trip to Florida a few weeks later, I started experiencing heavy heart-racing episodes three to four times a week. They would start and stop suddenly for no apparent reason—and it felt like I was running a marathon even at rest. I was also having more headaches than usual, aches and pains in my upper body, shortness of breath going up and down the stairs, and was tired all the time. This was not like me.

One morning at work, I had a panic attack standing in line at the cafeteria. The next night, as I was putting the kids to bed, I had the most excruciating pain in my right shoulder that shot all the way down my arm. It felt as though someone had hit me really hard with a baseball bat. It stopped me in my tracks. The pain then migrated around my back.

My arm started to go limp.

I’ve since learned that women can experience different heart attack symptoms than men; such as pain in their right arm or shoulder, a feeling of indigestion, lower back aches, jaw pain, exhaustion etc. This is what was happening to me. I couldn’t believe it.

I had no control over my body.

Turns out, the problem was that I didn’t listen to my body a month earlier. I should have known that the tightness in my chest was not normal. I should have gone to my doctor then, but instead, I thought (like so many others) that I was a healthy person and there’s absolutely no way I could have a heart attack at such a young age.

My second mistake was not going to the hospital that dreadful night. I was in denial and am sincerely lucky that I was able to make it through on my own and get to my doctor and then cardiologist the next week.

The way I haphazardly reacted to my body literally “showing me the signs” is quite typical of busy moms, and in fact, women in general. We seldom put ourselves first or make our health a priority. My kids had to go to bed, right?! And who wants to go to the hospital on Christmas? Note sarcastic tone.

This is why I share my heart health story today. To warn others that if it can happen to me, it can happen to you at any age. I sincerely hope my message resonates with you in some way or perhaps you can pass it along to someone you know who is overdoing it and not stopping to evaluate their daily stressors. I encourage you to always listen to your body and seek medical help if necessary.

“Thoughtful,Relevant and Real-Life!”

MY HEART, MY SELF

KNOWING WHEN TO SLOW DOWN IS HALF THE BATTLE

A Heartfelt Guide For Women Who Do Too Much – From A Woman Whose Wake-Up Call Changed It All

Kerrie Lee Brown

While I am certainly no doctor, I know now that listening to my body when I first experienced the signs and symptoms could have saved me from heart surgery. I look forward to sharing more of my journey and what happened next in upcoming issues.

*Contact me if you’d like to learn more about my book “My Heart, My Self” which is available on Amazon.

To buy Kerrie’s book visit: www.amazon.com/redlily Follow on social media @KerrieLeeBrown

www.KerrieLeeBrown.com

Top 10 Summer Skin Protectors: Aloe Vera, Veggies & Fruits

By Karen A. Masterson Koch

Skin takes a beating year round, yet summer comes with extra abuses that truly require the A -Team. A is for Aloe and Vitamin A rich foods, both critical if you want to have the best skin protection.

At the top of the list of summer skin protectors is a quality Aloe Vera. Topically it, gives an advantage for fast skin support, increasing Type I Collagen, UV protection, First Aid relief for sunburns and injury, and also support for chronic troubled skin. Acne, Rosacea, Eczema, Psoriasis, rashes and scarring all respond well to a quality Aloe Vera topical.

Internally, Aloe Vera taken before meals as a supplement supports the inside for improved digestion and absorption of valuable skin nutrients. The extra bioavailability of nutrients is significant for skin and ignites energy and immunity, too. Remember, it’s not just what you put on the skin, but what you put in the body and absorb into the cells that truly counts!

Actions of Aloe Vera & Vitamin A Rich Foods

• Healthy Skin & Anti-Aging • First Aid & Type I Collagen • Body Immunity & UV Protection

Improving dietary choices and good water intake can sometimes take a little time. By taking small steps you can develop better habits. Just add one new food each week or kick up the quantity of veggies and fruits with every opportunity for big results. A great new habit may be reaching first for the apple, orange or Kiwi with some raw nuts and seeds or peanut butter, and keeping the dry snacks lower.

Targeting the dark yellow, orange and green-colored foods will kick up your Vitamin A levels which the skin and body both thrive on. These same foods come with other important skin nutrients as well like Vitamin C, Bioflavonoids, E, B-Complex and essential fats and oils that slow aging of all cells. Focus on healthy skin and it will set the stage for a healthy body.

Also, remember protein! Protein is essential for building cells in the first place. Get a variety, half your body weight in grams per day, approximately 50 – 100 grams for adults. Proteins rely on the other nutrients

from foods, as a team, to build hormones, immunity and digestive enzymes, as well as skin cells. The entire human body is made of cells, just specialized by individual DNA according to each cell’s function. Mind you, these days many people, both children and adults, do not receive adequate quality protein & other nutrients and, therefore, do not digest foods well.

Why is Aloe Vera Both a Skin & Body Supplement?

The ancient herbalists wrote about the Aloe Vera plant as an Elixir — safe for any ailment and often referring to it as the Skin Plant. Internally, they used the bitter yellow sap from the whole leaf for improved digestion, constipation, infection, water retention, ulcers and pain. Topically, they made poultices for any injury, burn, ulcers, rashes, infections and pain as well. Hundreds of research papers now confirm the pathways of action of a quality Aloe Vera product, or using the plant itself. The bitters and sulfur compounds support improved digestion.

Astringents, disinfectants, natural antiinflammatory, anti-bacterial and antiviral agents assist in wound healing. The glyconutrients and growth factors stimulate new cells and collagen in record time for stronger connective tissues and even reverse scarring, plus evening out skin tones.

Note: Any caution to use is due to its cathartic action of the bowels. If diarrhea occurs, reduce the daily amount.

Focusing on skin with more vitamin A brings additional benefits. Highly-researched Vitamin A supports any skin condition and gives a super charge to immune response. Most skin cancers are associated with a low level of Vitamin A in the skin. Vitamin A also supports bones, soft tissue, mucus membranes, mouth, eye/vison, heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs.

Vitamin A is found in fruits, vegetables, livers of fish and animals, egg yolk and fish oils. It is required in very large amounts to keep the skin healthy and immunity functioning. It also provides anti-aging benefits. Foods containing Vitamin A will have an abundance of other essential skin nutrients.

Top 10 Skin Protectors

Water:

Dermatologist and nutritionist agree that dehydration is the most harmful omission to health of the modern man, woman or child of today. Healthy skin and body require half your body weight in ounces or at least 6 – 8 glasses of water per day. Diuretics and heavy perspiration will increase the requirements.

Aloe Vera

The question with a good Aloe is; “what doesn’t it do?” Besides being a catalyst for improved digestion, drinking Aloe helps maintain healthier cellular water levels due to its content of macro and micro trace minerals. The entire plant, called Whole Leaf, contains over 100 actives that support digestion, detoxification and bio-availability of food nutrients, vitamins

and minerals. Actives include infection fighter saponins, pain relievers’ salicylic acid, bradikinase and lupeol, immune balancers polysaccharides, sterols and sterolins, plus the growth factor gibberellin and more. These actives are responsible for this unique herb’s broad applications of repair and renewal of skin and more. Look for the ActivAloe trademark showing quality and Concentrated Whole Leaf juice products for fast action and effectiveness.

All peppers, all colors, contain high Vitamin A and C (highest food source), plus a variety of other skin nutrients known as anti-oxidants. The dark red color shows more phytonutrients supporting immunity and a sweeter taste.

Carrots, Yams & Squash

Root vegetables and squash are available year round and are great choices for Vitamin A. Carrots are one of the best sources. Steamed, raw, or juiced carrots contain important antioxidants shown to slow aging and protect the skin from pollutants, even cancer.

Dark Orange & Colored Fruits

Skin replication and immune function are both heightened greatly. The vegetarian source of Vitamin A is Beta-carotene, named from the carrot. Its downside is it requires a healthy liver to process it to help build skin cells. Fish Oil Vitamin A, on the other hand, gets absorbed directly into the blood stream. Chew all raw veggies carefully to help make the nutrients more available for absorption.

Papayas, oranges, Kiwis and berries are packed with the anti-oxidants Vitamin A, C, E and phytonutrients. They support every function of the body and healthy cells, especially remarkable for support to allergies and immunity. Peel fruits and avoid berries with advanced mold allergies. Leafy Greens

All greens including Kale, Chard, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Green Lettuces, Cilantro, Watercress and Parsley are best eaten raw or lightly steamed and are packed with skin and body nutrients including minerals. Minerals are very important to build healthy skin including wound healing. They are great for detoxification and immunity as well and are often found in supplemental greens formulas.