Sandy's Good News

Can depression be caused by nutritional deficiencies?

 

My neighbor Steve and I are nutrition buffs. He more so than I. He's a doctor and has studied the subject for about thirty years. One day while we were enjoying our grass fed burgers at one of our back yard barbecues, he let me in on some shocking nutritional data. 

You might be aware of newer studies that have shown that depression can be caused by an incorrect ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats in our diets. You may be aware that grass fed beef has a better balance towards Omega 3's than commercial beef (you want more Omega 3 than Omega 6 in your diet for a good balance). And you may know that processed foods are loaded with Omega 6's and mess with your ratios. However, this next bit was a surprise to me. Studies have shown that the ratios of*"skitzophrenics"  are wildly askew. A normal ratio would be something like 1:1 or 1: 4, but the average "skitzophrenic" has a ratio more like 1:71. I don't know about you, but I'm going to be watching my Omega balance from now on! I'm not going to get mine tested. I'm just going to try and stay on the right path. 

Where do you get the good stuff and where are you getting the bad stuff? Crunchy food (all those good tasting chips and crackers) and commercially grown meats are high in Omega 6. Fish oil is high in Omega 3. I figure that in helping those who are depressed, its going to be difficult for most people to lay off the chips, particularly my chip loving older relatives.  But Steve tells me that supplementation with a good fish oil has helped many elderly patients feel less inflammation, and to feel less depressed. 

*Steve and I are Scientologists, and as such, we don't really use the term "skitzophrenia", as that is a psychiatric diagnosis that could misdefine the problem or leave out vital data to help the severely mentally distressed. There is an abundance of information on the nature of what psychiatrists call "skitzoprenia" in the book Dianetics the Modern Science of Mental Health, by L. Ron Hubbard. There is a facinating section of the book in which Mr. Hubbard defines the problem more broadly, and by doing so, leads the way for effective mental techniques to help in its resolution.

Clearwater Academy Knights take state championship!

I promised a post with more tips on lifting depression. A break from that to announce: Saturday night, The Clearwater Academy Knights were the undefeated winners of the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) state championship!  The purpose of the league is "to use football as a means to glorify God", and to give coaches a chance to use football to teach leadership, sportsmanship, and mutual respect for one another. That purpose is alive and succeeding!

Thank you Chuck Howard, the commissioner and man behind the whole activity. You've created lessons and experiences that our boys and families will remember for a life time. 

 

Moments after the victory- jubilation!!
  

A celebration is not complete without fake champagne flying EVERYWHERE!

Some simple tips to lift depression

    Depression. Who hasn't suffered from it from time to time? Is it a disease? Is it genetic? Is it a disability? Is it a mental illness? Is it contagious? The T.V. commercials that shout out at me when I'm in the kitchen getting my snack warn me that its a sophisticated ailment only to be understood by chemists and doctors, and only to be resolved with heavy duty drugs: Paxil, Prozac, Cymbalta, etc. What if the answer is something not found in any pill, but found within yourself? 

      In the next few posts, I'm going to write about depression from a different point of view: I'm not a psychiatrist, not a doctor, nor am I a PHD. I'm just a Scientologist, a successful mom, wife, daughter, and counselor. I have used these techniques on myself and hundreds of others for the last thirty six years with excellent results. You can try them too. But beware: some of them may seem so simple that they could not possibly work. The simple ones can be the most powerful. So if you have a vested interest in staying depressed, watch out! 

    There are many, many solutions to this complex problem, but for today, I'm going to advise you to read the following from L. Ron Hubbard. Be open minded. Write down 5 ways that you can put this into use today on yourself or others. Try it! 

THE JOY OF CREATING

orce yourself to smile and you’ll soon stop frowning.

Force yourself to laugh and you’ll soon find 
something to laugh about.

Wax enthusiastic and you’ll very soon feel so.

A being causes his own feelings.

The greatest joy there is in life is creating.

Splurge on it!

    

    

What are Scientologists really like? 50 new videos released.

Have you ever wondered what Scientologists are really like?  The Church of ScientologyYouTube Channel has just released 50 new "Meet a Scientologist" videos. Hear straight from the source how using Scientology has impacted the lives and careers of every day and not such every day people: actors, a construction worker,  a dancer, a woman's basketball coach, artists, a horseback rider, moms, a dentist, a race car driver, law student, hair dressers, etc. Click here to see them.

Scientology increases reaction time and intelligence, says winning quarterback

Jesse Chinchar, #18, captain of the Clearwater Knights 6 Man Tackle team, is not the biggest dog in town, but clearly one with an abundance of "fight". Standing 5 foot 8 in his junior year of high school, he managed to lead his team to victory in 10 out of 12 games played, and had a whole lot of fun in the processs. For several weeks running, he was listed as the number one top scoring high school quarterback in the NATION, on the popular web site, Max Preps. 

Jesse says that Scientology and L.Ron Hubbard technology have given him an "unfair" advantage in life. When he was 13, he had an opportunity to take some basic Scientology courses that are designed to increase one's perceptions in present time. He says that the exercises he completed on his course have resulted in increased reaction time and ability to make decisions on a dime. Fast thinking and intelligence, he feels are key to being a successful quarterback. He can see the whole field at once: the guy who is trying to tackle him, the next guy after that, the receivers, the guys who are about to tackle them, and the guys that are coming in after that. All in a flash. Pressure is his friend. When he's being rushed at, he says, he has all the time in the world. 

"Its not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog..." 

- Archie Griffin

My thyroid cure- part 2

A few months ago, I wrote about my thyroid cure (well, not a complete cure, but vastly better). My doctor and I keep a close watch on my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, which was completely out of range a year and a half ago. I test it two to three times a year. 

I'm happy to say, that my last test was even better than the previous one. Its now in what the lab considers a normal range. I know that their "normal" really isn't the optimum range, and that I need to get it even lower, however, this was another big improvement. I am really impressed with the body's ability to heal with the correct medical treatment and Scientology auditing (therapy). In my case, the medical treatment was a homeopathic treatment. 

I'm not suggesting to anyone with this ailment to drop their medical treatment or quit taking their hormones. For me personally, homeopathy worked. 

What are Scientologists really like?

If you want to know what Scientologists are really like, no better way than to meet lots of Scientologists. Scientologist blogger, Grahame, has created a "Scientology Blogoshere" blog...a collection of Scientology blogs from around the world. Visit it here.

How do you know if your child has a chemical imbalance?

How do you know if your child has a chemical imbalance? What do you do if he does? Do you put him on a psychiatric drug? Psychiatric drug side effects include increased violence, suicidal tendencies, physical complications, and even death. But what if you reject psychiatric drugs? Then what do you do? You do have options. The Citizens Commision on Human Rights has produced a helpful  booklet that clarifies them for you. It is called Psychiatric Drugs and Your Child's Future.

After that, I highly recommend reading a book by L. Ron Hubbard called Child Dianetics. Dianetics is the hidden story of how the mind works, with every day practical solutions you can apply to help your kids, no matter what they are manifesting. At my son's school, where nearly every parent has read this book and applied it, there is a 0% rate of ADHD, OCD, and learning disabilities. It is possible to bypass all of that when you have the correct tools at your disposal. 

My hypothyroid cure- alright, not a cure but a vast improvement

Recently I've made major progress in my battle with hypothyroidism. I have an unusual bad reaction to taking thyroid hormones so I was forced to look elsewhere. I had been to more than five doctors and had consulted with specialists to no avail. In December I visited a Classic Homeopath. I was given a remedy and told to take it one time, and call back in a week or two. I ended up having a painful reaction, but that was followed by a period of slowly feeling better. The hypothyroid symptoms decreased. This was followed by a period of not much happening. I was told to take the remedy a second time. This time, as soon as I took it, I had the intuition that something positive was occurring. I had the idea that if I took my blood work again, that it would be better, but I was afraid to take it for fear of being wrong!

The homeopathy pushed things along far enough that I was able to proceed with my Scientology auditing (counseling) because I was now sleeping better. The auditing seemed to really help diminish my symptoms as well. Three weeks ago, I confronted the blood work. Thankfully, it came out closer to normal than it has in years. For those reading this who have an understanding of the thyroid blood work, my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), which should ideally be under 2.0, went from 40, down to 19, down to 12.9, and then down to 4.99! Needless to say, I'm continuing with the homeopathy and the Scientology auditing.

Homeopathy was developed 200 years ago by a German named Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. It is based on the theory that "likes cure likes". To read more about it, click here.

Call your mom more often!

Its my birthday. I just got home and heard my mom's voice singing on my answering machine- "Happy Birthday" from "Your ever lovin' mom." I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge my mom, without whom I would not be writing happily here today.

We did not always get along as well as we do today. Do we get along 100% of the time and agree on everything? No. We have found that the answer to that is more communication. Not less. About a year ago, we decided to talk to each other at least once every day. Suddenly, we had so much more to say, and more genuine interest in each other. I find that on many days, I pick up the phone to call mom more than once a day, because there are topics that I enjoy discussing. They are not long calls, but pretty frequent.

We should have done this a long time ago. There is a very basic Scientology principle along these lines: Understanding is composed of Affinity, Reality, and Communication. L. Ron Hubbard suggests in his basic texts, that if you want to improve one or more of these points, all you have to do is work on ONE of these aspects, and the others will improve. I never realized how much improvement we would get by just increasing the frequency of our communication. It worked on an immediate basis. Learn more about this by clicking here.

Call your Mom! Particularly if she is older, think about calling her every day. She will appreciate it. After all, you wouldn't be where you are without her!