What Your Doctor Doesn't Know...

What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You.... That's the name of the awesome book by Ray D. Strand, M.D. that I am currently reading. After years of suffering from a debilitating chronic degenerative disease from which doctors could provide no relief, Dr. Strand's wife Liz turned to nutritional supplements in hopes of finding some help. Dr. Strand, admittedly knowing next to nothing about nutrition or nutritional supplementation, in spite of his doctor-like bias against nutritional supplements, consented, "Honey, you can try anything you want. We doctors certainly are not doing you any good."

Dr. Strand explains in the first chapter of his book that "only approximately six percent of the graduating physicians in the United States have any training in nutrition.... The education of most physicians is disease-oriented with a heavy emphasis on pharmaceuticals--we learn about drugs and why and when to use them" (pg. 5). But after witnessing the dramatic transformation nutritional supplements brought to his wife's life, Dr. Strand embarked on what would become a seven-year quest to research the facts behind nutritional medicine. His findings have completely transformed his practice, and he now prescribes nutritional supplements as a way to truly prevent the chronic degenerative diseases which are the top killers in our nation today as well as to improve the health of those already suffering from these diseases.

After explaining what free radicals are, where they come from, and the oxidative stress they cause, Dr. Strand outlines the importance of antioxidants and supporting nutrients in "winning the war within." And unlike what many medical doctors tell their patients, we truly are not able to achieve optimal levels of these nutrients which are needed to win the war within simply through the foods we eat. Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) when first started in the early 1920s were given as "minimal requirements of ten essential nutrients that could help us avoid acute deficiency diseases" such as scurvy, rickets, and pellagra (pg. 179). "In the early 1950s the definition of RDAs expanded to include the amounts of nutrients needed for normal growth and development" (pg. 180). RDAs are not the guideline for optimal health, and as Dr. Strand says, "have absolutely nothing to do with chronic degenerative diseases" (pg. 180). Dr. Strand says that if you desire to decrease your risk of developing a chronic degenerative disease, you must supplement your diet. That is, "you must take significant amounts of high-quality antioxidants and minerals (not multivitamins, which are primarily based on RDAs!) if you have any desire to prevent or slow down the chronic degenerative diseases described in this book" (pg. 182).

I highly recommend Dr. Strand's book to anyone even slightly interested in doing just that. And as for nutritional supplements, I recommend those by USANA which Dr. Strand endorses and which I personally have been taking for over four years.

You Will Know the Truth

Several different faith-based conversations that I've had recently with both family and friends as well as a realization of the numerous false teachings currently abounding in "Christianity" have spurred me on to re-evaluate why I believe some of the things I believe. Tough questions have been raised, and sometimes unable to articulate the basis for my answers to these questions, I have realized that maybe I've never allowed myself to really discover the truth from my own study of Scripture but have rather taken what I've heard from other believers and counted that as truth. I have therefore begun a quest to discover for myself the correct Scriptural answers to the tough questions that many believers often face.

In a day where so many false doctrines are popping up and leading astray unbelievers and believers alike, I am realizing even more the importance of really knowing what Scripture says. I remember a time in my walk with God that I became distressed about this, wondering how I was to recognize untruth. But then God revealed to me that if I know what is true, I will also know what isn't.

And God has not left us incapable of knowing the truth; for He has given us His very Word! John 8:31-32 says, "...If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth...."

God knows how important it is that believers abide in His Word. He has told us to always be ready to make a defense for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15); to let the word of Christ richly dwell within us (Colossians 3:16); to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). And He has also warned us in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world"; and again in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "...examine everything carefully." And how else can we test and examine spiritual things but to weigh them against the Word of God which is from God and in fact is God (John 1:1)?

Beware, Christian, of the theologies that present half-truths or doctrines that are just a little bit off. Know the Word of God, abide in the Word of God, and test everything against the Word of God. That is my quest, that I might stand firmly on the Truth and not be led astray even in the smallest of points.

Keep Seeking the Things Above

This morning a friend emailed me the blog address of a family he knows thinking that, being into blogging myself, I might be interested in checking it out. I did visit this blog and, upon doing so, was quite encouraged by what I found. In the bloggers' own words, this blog is designed "to give analogies of everyday life and relate them to Christ." Essentially, they are relating stories of everyday events and seeing Christ even in these "mundane things."

I got to thinking about this concept of seeing Christ in all things, and concluded that our ability to do that should result in praise and glory to our King. Praise God that He has made Himself evident in that which He has created! "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:18-20). God has made a way through His creation for all to come to the knowledge of Him. What a blessing that the work of God's hands calls out to the saved and unsaved alike, beckoning us all unto Him.

As I said earlier, I was encouraged by this fellow blogger's words. Instead of allowing the mundane things of everyday life to blind him to the majestic things of our great God, he is actively looking for God even in the most "un-religious" of situations. May this be a reminder to me to "keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1).

I Signed Up For PayPerPost!

Last month during a casual conversation with a friend, I learned that people can make money blogging! Being a stay-at-home-mom with no income and lingering student loan debt, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to learn how I, too, could make money by doing what I love to do--writing! An experienced blogger friend whose average blogging income is $500 a month advised me to sign up for PayPerPost to get started making money. Having just met the 10 posts and 30 days requirement yesterday, I signed up on PayPerPost.com this morning, received notification that my blog had been approved shortly thereafter, and here I am tonight taking my first PayPerPost opportunity! I am so excited to have finally found a way to make a little money while still fulfilling my most important role of raising up the children whom the Lord has given me. I certainly hope this pans out for me, as I would love to start chipping away a little faster at my student loan debt. The Lord has always been faithful to meet all of our needs, and my husband has a wonderful job that provides well for our family; but since starting our Total Money Makeover at the end of last year, we have seen that a little extra income would go a long ways in helping us to become debt free. So thank you, PayPerPost, for this wonderful opportunity!

If you like to write and wouldn't mind making a little extra income, maybe you, too, should join the blog network!

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 26 June 2008.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Angela Squires at travisangela.squires@gmail.com.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for her posts or advertisements, she always gives her honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blogger's own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.


To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Thank God for Good Friends

I have been so blessed by the phone calls of caring friends since the news of my ultrasound results went out. The love I am being shown has caused me to reflect on my own expression of love towards friends, and I'm afraid it doesn't always measure up. I have some friends who have had miscarriages in the past, and not knowing what I should say to them during their trialsome times, I have chosen to not say anything at all. But now that I find myself likely facing the same situation, I am so thankful for the words of love and care and concern and encouragement given me by my friends. It means so much to hear the words, "I'm praying for you.... If you need someone to talk to.... We love you...." So thank you, my dear friends, for showing me love and compassion during this time. It means more than you know.

All Things Work Together...

As I continue to reflect on the situation we face with this pregnancy, the Lord has brought to my mind Romans 8:28--"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." This promise can be a tough one to wrap the finite human mind around because we humans see only the snapshot of our current situation, whatever it may be. But God--the infinite, all-knowing God, the God who is not bound by time or space--He sees the big picture. He knew the beginning, and He knows the end, and His grace is sufficient for whatever falls in between. I think it's interesting that just a few verses before this astounding promise, Paul says, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (vs. 18). The promise is not that only good will happen to those who love God. Indeed, we know that "all things" includes the good and the bad, for Scripture tells us that we will encounter trials. "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). So not only can we know that even our trials play into the best God has for us, but we can also rejoice in these trials, knowing that through them we are being perfected. Perhaps the best way to understand this mystery that all things work together for the good of those who love God is to remember that God is continually sanctifying and perfecting His children and using all things as the means to this end.