Mardi Storm's Artful Living

Goodbye Western Diet

2009-06-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

I have been researching and learning all about diet these past five months in the interest of finding my optimum health. I have shared bits and pieces here of my initial experience doing the candida cleanse - something about 90% of Americans should do. Our standard American diet (as in, you shop in a grocery store) enables canidida to thrive in your body. We need to completely relearn how to eat!!! What is on most of our tables for dinner is a product of food industrialization of the 50's. I'll be disclosing more here on my blog shortly. Be sure to sign up as a follower of my blog so you will receive notice on my new postings coming soon!

I have been happily sharing this knowledge to my friends and clients who ask - seeing how I've dropped 15 lbs not by dieting at all - but by choosing how and what I eat. I would like to fuel a food revolution of how we feed our bodies, and our souls in this country.

More soon!

Only Happy When it Rains

2009-03-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

Lately, the lyrics to that popular song has never rang truer. I am so grateful each day the sky opens up and just pours. Its led me to thinking about the power of thought. Our thoughts are so powerful, we manifest and attract what we energize with our thoughts. What if the 6 million people living in the San Francisco Bay Area all thought about wanting rain? What if they all desired rain - strongly - and thought about it each day? The magnitude of the energy emitting from every man, woman, and child would be tremendous. How could the rain clouds refuse such honor? I bet we would no longer be having a drought.

The only catch would be that people would truly have to want the rain. Lip-service doesn't count. Being sad when looking out the window at rain clouds doesn't work. Complaining about the rain negates the positive thinking. People would actually have to be able to find joy and appreciation in the wonderful rain pouring down on our earth to make this social experiment work.

Rain is life, as is the sun. Without rain, our water reserves run dry, and the wild animals die, the trees die. I remember being a little girl in the 70's during the 7-year drought. The deer were dropping dead with disease, the rivers dried up so giant 8-foot long fish like I'd never seen in my life languished in puddles 40 feet long. Farmers lost their orchards. It was sad times. Many people living in California today were not back then. The severity of a California drought can be devastating. Consider changing your attitude, and show some gratitude. On the next rainy day, slow down - make some art, play some music, read a good book, or enjoy just being inside. There's a lot of good that can come from a rainy day.

Week 3 of the Candida Cleanse

2009-02-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, have I had my eyes opened these past few weeks. The years of ignorant snacking away on food items and the long-term affect on my innards (I love that word) has been surfaced in a new light. While I've been a health- enthusiast for many years, I did not fully understand the importance of our inner flora and fauna, and how critical their balance is to our optimum health, immune function, and longevity.

I've recently come to the discovery that sugar (which is in just about everything) and alcohol (which turns into sugar) are two items in my diet which are culprits for major imbalances of the not-good kind of microscopic friends. These little guys are the moochers hanging out in my basement starting fires and stealing food from the kitchen at night. They are making a mess and keep multiplying. Unlike the homeless Japanese woman who lived in a wealthy executive's apartment for a year unnoticed. (now THAT takes courage) She was neat and clean. (If she hadn't started taking his food while he was away, she may have gone unnoticed for many years.)

Well same here. At some point the signs become hard to ignore. Are you feeling lethargic? fatigued? break out in rashes? more allergic than you used to be? digestion issues? depressed? Maybe its linked to your diet, and all those little friends you have on the inside. The unfriendly ones don't contribute to feelings of well being. And, like cordyceps, yeasts out of hand can control your cravings, and your brain, in order to get their needs met.

Do yourself a favor. Think about it. Check out this book, Body Ecology Diet. (Although you can get it used for a lot less at Alibris.com.) Learn about what your food does to your body.

And incidently, this book works well with one of my other favorite dietary guides, Blood Type Diets (Book is Eat Right for your Type)

Week 3: I've developed a fond love for dehydrated kale chips, and Hu-raws. They are not Barbara's cheese puffs but at least they are crunchy. I now get Lydia's organics, and gravitate to that section in Whole Foods for my treats.

It's a whole new world out there for me now.

EMFs - for real? And what about my computer?

2009-02-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Think EMF isn't that serious? Extracted from: http://www.lessemf.com/emf-news.html

USA Today conducted a survey of 4567 readers and reported that EMF pollution is the #1 environmental concern in America today.
the Wall Street Journal reported in 1993 that the real estate resale value of homes decreased by as much as 30%, if exposed to EMFs!

This is awesome: a personal EMF alert alarm:
http://www.lessemf.com/gauss.html

As for computers...
I came across a video explaining what parts of a laptop are high in emf - with a demonstration with a meter:
http://www.truveo.com/emf-laptop-pc-test-cellsensor-emf-meter/id/3807011055

Bottom line is, use an external mouse and keyboard!!!

Turns out the safe distance from a computer screen is 30". I know I sit about 24" away from mine - although I'll attempt to move it back.
Does anyone have experience with blocking EMFs from a computer screen with one of these shields? http://www.lessemf.com/computer.html

Here's some more great information for people who are EMF sensitive. They recommend getting a video cord extension and putting the computer in another room. The CPU emits a lot of radiation is what I'm gathering, more so than the screen.
I am EMF sensitive but not to the extreme of sickness, just fatigue and drained energy. I can feel the pulse of electromagnetic fields - my computer feels like a living entity with quite a presence in my office!

Great visual of the electromagnetic and radiation fields from http://www.emfblues.com/ComputerRadiation.html

I do not know about these neutralizing crystals though, I'd have to get a EMF meter before I totally believed it.

I hope this has inspired you to clean up your space to keep yourself healthy.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go rearrange my office and put my computer far away!

Discovering EMF in Lamps

2009-02-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

I have been finding out even more about EMF recently. I have been concerned about the field radiated by my computer, and I'm looking into how strong that is. What I didn't know, was that Halogen lamps create "dirty energy" by adding significant noise to the line - increasing EMF's in the home! Throw out your halogen lamps if they are dirty!! Its not worth it, people. I am going to test mine, see following test. (They said most but not all create excessive line noise - throw out the ones that do.)

I also just discovered that most compact fluorescents emit a high EMF for several feet!!

A cheap way to test for Electromagnetic Interference is with a portable radio on AM, taken from http://www.emfsolutions.ca/compact_flourescent_bulbs_are_dangerous.htm

"I would encourage anyone who has recently purchased energy efficient bulbs and has since developed any of the symptoms mentioned above [website] to test the bulb for radiation with a portable radio and if the radio buzzes to return the bulb to the retail store for a full refund. Even if our government hasn't done its homework, individual consumers can still make a difference."

Don't trust the government to do its homework, people. The government is... well... not that functional.

Are you increasing your chances of cancer by 140%?

2009-02-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

While there is a lot of awareness about cell phone radiation being dangerous and having the potential to cause a variety of cancers and brain dysfunction, there is really very little information regarding the safety of cordless phones.

The base stations of cordless phones in your home are continuously emitting pulses of radiation, even while the handset is not in use. The level of the radiation is comparable to the intensity of radiation found in a home that is near a cell phone base station or in the area of a broadcast tower.

This level of radiation can be measured at this high intensity in a radius of approximately 9 feet from the base of the cordless phone.

This is particularly dangerous to people that have a cordless phone on their nightstand next to their head at night.

Though Cordless Phones emit less radiation than cell phones and are generally safer, conversations on a cordless phone generally are of a longer duration. Given that they are constantly emitting radiation, the low level could prove to be an even larger, cumulative danger.

The safest method of communication remains a corded telephone. Telephones with a cord do not emit radiation and are the most healthy for you and your home environment. I also recommend one that does NOT plug in to the wall - as that emits EMF's. I recommend the simple Panasonic, with speed dial and no power cord, you can get one on Amazon.com.

Bee Colony Collapse linked to DECT and cordless phone technology?
http://inthesenewtimes.com/2008/08/13/is-colony-collapse-the-price-of-emf-progress/

7 ways to maximize cell phone protection:
http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Simple-Ways-to-Maximize-Cell-Phone-EMF-Protection&id=1454281

Save your brain:
http://prismwebcastnews.com/2007/09/13/serious-public-health-concerns-raised-over-exposure-to-electromagnetic-fields-emf-from-power-lines-and-cell-phones/

Keep your cell phone away from your head.
Do NOT use a bluetooth headset.
Do NOT use a corded headset.
DO purchase a blue-tube headset, which has an 8" tube like a stethescope going up to your ear, so the radiation doesn't go straight to your brain.
Turn off your cell phone when not in use.

I purchased my blue-tube headset at:
http://emfreview.com/sem/index.html?gclid=CO3kssqjgpYCFQRfagodgWLRFA
I'm pretty happy with it - not as crystal clear as other headsets I've had, but my health is extremely important. I only wish the blue tube was 5 feet long!

Another Blue Tube Headset:
http://www.blockemf.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4857

My cordless phone, loved for 8 years, got recently axed when I learned all this. Even though its only 900 mHz, because its an old one - any high EMF device is too much for me because a little here and there adds up to a whole lot of EMF. Yes its been a lifestyle adjustment. I got a cool 1890's replica off Amazon though and am much happier with the aesthetic! And its light enough to carry around and talk.

Not having brain cancer is worth the inconvenience! And I have to say, my energy returned when I moved to a house far away from apartment living where my neighbors all had cordless... and diminished my own use of EMF producing equipment in the home. I have not felt this good in years!

Craving the Sweet Stuff

2009-01-16T20:34:00.000-08:00

I've recently become keenly aware of sugar in my diet. I have been noticing how much my body feels different when I eat sugar. It clouds my mind, and sinks my energy after an initial rush, and my body feels weaker. I once heard from a health practitioner that sugar weakens my tendons. I thought this sounded pretty strange at the time, but I am beginning to think its true.

Humans have not been evolving with sugar at the doses our modern western society ingests daily. Eating daily sugar - especially quick-release sucrose and fructose, has repercussions on our body's health. It impacts the balance of flora and fauna in the body, tiny micro-organisms we live with that help with our digestion.

Recently, I've been feeling sugar cravings really intensely. About once a day I've broken down to feed the craving by eating a cookie or some other sweet item. The craving subsides. I have been questioning since when I've become such a sugar addict - when I remembered that dear little friend we all have on and inside our bodies, the yeast. The yeast and I have a history that goes way back - and it is once again prevalent in my mind, the way this fungus can literally control my body to crave until fed what IT desires as food - Quite a bit unnerving!

I feel a bit like the ant infected with cordyceps fungus - the fungus infects its brain, taking over the controls, forcing the ant to climb to the highest twig and clamp down with its jaws. Only then does the cordyceps launch a tall spindly fruiting body from its head, high above the jungle so its spores can land on all the other little ants below and begin the parasitic cycle anew.

It is disturbing to think that my cravings are not my own. A creature I live in mostly-harmony with is telling me what to eat. In general, I don't even have sweets around the house - but lately I become compulsively driven from the home in search of something sweet. I realized today that as I had eliminated any sort of alcohol from my diet after New Years Day, as an energetic and physical cleansing, that I've also eliminated that occasional feast for my little friends. I did not realize there was a lot of sugar in a glass of wine or beer until now. There must be, to explain the sudden shift of attention onto craving peanut butter cookies and chocolate while on my healthy detox diet.

As I tune in to what is over-feeding the yeast in my body, I begin to taste the sugar in all my daily food - from Thai food, Sushi rice, Soups, many more things than I ever imagined, seem to have sugar. I have been unwittingly feeding a system wide colony of somewhat benign creatures and when I starve them completely, take over my brain and body until I bend to their will.

Hmm... maybe they're responsible for what I say sometimes too!!

I must... regain... control...

The Deer returned the very next day!

2008-10-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

I kid you not - the day after my blog post. My boyfriend's theory is that the deer have laptops, saw my blog, and decided it was safe to come back. Perhaps I have very psychic deer, which suits Occidental. They simply felt my energy shift and reappeared??

However, they are acting a little strange. They're eying me funny. Some are ignoring me altogether, like they didn't see me. One of them was sitting ten feet from my house, all comfy, and didn't want to get up when she saw me. This is strange behavior.

Then it dawned on me the time of year - the Fall. I once seem to recall a hunter saying it was easier to hunt deer in the fall because they get careless and goofy with hormones - its breeding season. I haven't seen any velvet-horned bucks around in awhile, I imagine their horns have finished growing. They've probably found some remote meadow to try out their new horns on each other. Maybe the five Lady Deer living at my place went to spy on them. Perhaps they are getting cagey and restless with hormones and needed to cruise to check out the local buck scene. The big difference in the deer world, is the ladies just take their children with them.

Have you seen my deer?

2008-09-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

My deer are missing! *My* family of deer, which seem to mainly inhabit the two acres of forest and field that I live on. I am very concerned, and would love to know their whereabouts. I had no idea I was so attached! I was watching two sets of twins grow up and now *poof!* they're gone overnight. Mind you, just a couple weeks ago, I said to my landlady "yes, they are cute, but I really rather like venison" - loudly, outside, in response to a commiseration on the destruction of our gardens. I don't think I've seen them since. Every morning when I get up to meditate outside I eagerly scan the surrounding land for my deer, but I have not seen them for over a week. Every day I wonder about them. Did my neighbors eat them?? Did they perish of thirst?? I'd been tempted to put water out for them but knew that wouldn't fly with powers that be during this drought and limited well water. Is it possible they overheard me and ran away in fright?

I moved to Occidental last June, after deliberating for about four years. One day, it was time, and the first place I saw I fell in love with and that was that. Everything is super groovy - exactly what I needed - calm, peace and beauty. There was just one small price to pay, and that involved my much loved garden. I brought many plants with me, being a big lover of flowers and rosebushes, especially. My new neighbors, the deer, have been so happy I moved in.

Now, this is not just an occasional deer who happens to sneak into my semi-enclosed front patio to take a few nibbles off my rosebushes once in a while. Oh no. I am well aware I have an entire herd of NINE deer who live on this two acre plot I share with only one other house (which now, in hindsight, I notice is mostly planted with succulents). Nine deer- that's five adults, and two sets of twins. I have been watching these cute little babies grow up and lose their spots. As the summer progressed, I began fantasizing about my deep down hunter instincts, and taking out the deer who waits two weeks for all the rosebuds form, then sneaks in and deftly nips them off. This deer - or deers- have it timed perfectly, when to sneak into my front patio and eliminate anything tasty. It takes two to three weeks for the roses to recover, and the companula, impatiens, cyclamen, lantana, daphne... under my dutiful watering and care, and they know exactly how long to wait before risking it again.

What's especially perturbing is that they are eating things they are not SUPPOSED to eat, but I figured this one out. Once I discovered how many deer there really were, via my morning meditations outside in which the deer leap up from their napping places and scurry away, that there were nine deer, I realized what was happening to my formerly deer-resistant plants. All the deer had to sample my bougainvillea, xmas cactus, wild rose, penstemon and more- every few nights, just to make sure they weren't tasty and that they still didn't like them. They'd forget in a couple weeks and try them again, just a bite. Five adult deer doing this. Can't wait for the babies to grow up.

So, right before the comment to my landlady about venison, the deer - bless their hearts- just started getting used to me. Five days a week, when I am home, I go outside to meditate, and sit very close to where the deer nap (I can smell them!). The last day I saw them, they didn't run. They got up, looked at me, seemed to think it over, and stayed. I was honored.

Then they all just disappeared. I haven't seen them in over a week. Have you seen them? A family of nine deer, missing, overnight. I am worried for them, please let me know if you know where they are. Hopefully they'll come back.