From the Archives: "To Be Healed"

In the May 1994 Ensign there is a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott entitled "To Be Healed". I think that all of us could stand some healing in one way or the other--whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or social. We all have issues and problems and trials of various kinds. Sometimes we cause our own problems and sometimes they come from outside sources over which we have no control.

I was interested to see that Elder Scott made a point of saying that we have to do our part to be healed. At the very least, we need to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and humbly ask to be healed. Something else he pointed out is that the healing may or may not mean a cure of what ails us--it may mean the strength to carry on and to learn whatever lessons we can from our trials.

You may need to seek help from a trusted friend, associate, or professional, or you may just need to seek to draw closer to the Lord and ask Him to help you learn what you need to learn. You may need to put more effort into serving others, reaching out to others who need help. You may need to spend more time in the scriptures, learning to know the Lord better and to better understand His dealings with His children. Forgiving others may also be something for you to work on.

There are a number of things we can do to seek help and healing. I felt that Elder Scott's talk gave a good overview of those things and also gave hope for us that we will not seek healing in vain, even though the healing may not be what we would expect or prefer.

I linked to the talk rather than quoting from it because I think it will be most helpful to read all of it and to refer to the scriptures linked in the talk.

To me, this is an example of how the Lord works through the leaders in His church to give us useful, practical counsel that will help us live our lives better and to make our way back to Him.

Reflections on a New Year

With all the concerns we have in our lives, a new year is a good time to regroup and make plans. Everyone is worried about the economy, energy, health, politics, and numerous other issues. Instead of worrying yourself sick, think of things that you can control and make changes that will improve your life. This is, of course, easier said than done, but it is worth the effort. I'm certainly not perfect at making needed changes, but at least I keep trying! And instead of thinking of this post as the same old, same old, think of it as a reminder of your possibilities.

Regarding the economy, this is a good time to make needed personal changes. We all have places we can cut back on our spending and start saving a little more. Opt for free or low cost entertainments. Spend more time at home with the family. Cook at home instead of eating out. See if you can store a little extra food (rotating it so it doesn't get too old) and other household items. Try to drive a little less to cut gas expense. If you have debts, work a little harder at paying them off. Discuss these changes and enlist your family's support. You can let the kids have some input, but remember that you're the parents and can set the limits and guidelines. If it's just you, well, your inner parent will just have to be firm with your inner child!

As for health, if we can make changes that will improve our health, we'll have fewer medical expenses down the road. Many types of exercise are free--walking, riding bikes you already have, using exercise equipment you already have, working out with videos/DVDs you already have, etc. For nutrition, we can cook more of our meals to cut back on salt, fat, and calories. Buy fewer processed foods and cook more "from scratch". Again, enlist the family in your efforts. Teach the kids to cook. Teach them about nutrition. You can still eat your favorite foods, just make little changes to make them a bit healthier.

Spend time improving your spiritual life, too. This can go along way in supporting your efforts in other areas. Keep an eternal perspective and remember that this life isn't all there is and material items aren't all that important in the grand scheme of things. Pray and read the scriptures daily to keep close to God and to remember what life is really all about. You'll also get a lot of inspiration for handling your problems.

You'll be able to think of many more areas of life that you can improve. Make it fun and interesting. Look on changes as opportunities and adventures, rather than punishments or deprivations. Set priorities so that your time, effort, and money is going for things that are important to you and your family. Don't neglect service and charity. Even if you have to cut back on those things that cost money, do what you can to help others. This will help your own perspective and will help you look outward as well as inward.

You don't necessarily have to make a list of new year's resolutions, or start things on January 1 (good thing, too, since today is the 2nd!). You also don't have to overwhelm yourself by trying to work on everything at once. You could choose one thing to work on in January, then add another in February, and so on, through the year and beyond.

I'm writing this post as much for myself as for others, so I have my work cut out for me. I hope we can all look at each day as a fresh start. President Hinckley always encouraged us to be a bit better each day. That is very much within the grasp of each of us, no matter what our circumstances are. Happy New Year!

Let's Talk About Food Today

Apparently I am hungry, so I am writing a post about food! It's always interesting to find websites or books with new recipes and new types of food to try. I have a website to share with you today called The World's Healthiest Foods. There's all sorts of information about food and cooking here. Do some exploring!

A page of the above site that I really like is the food list page. It has a list of common foods divided into categories such as Vegetables. Click on a food and you will get a page with nutrition information, health benefits, history, how to select and store, etc. Here's the onion page for an example. I really like that nutrient chart near the top. Very useful for finding foods to meet specific nutrition requirements. The history of the food is very interesting, too.

The site also has a recipe page that may give you some new ideas of foods to fix for you and your family. There are vegetarian and meatless dishes, as well as traditional types of recipes. And here's a page on healthy cooking. And another on essential nutrients. There is a lot of documentation at the bottom of the articles, too.

The site has a cooking demonstration page. There is a long list of food preparation items that you might want some help with, so just click on an item and it opens a box with photos and a written description. Very interesting.

There are lots more pages on this site. I've just listed a few to give you a sample of what you can find there.

Since we all have to prepare food for ourselves and our families, it's always fun to find new information to help with that task.

A Few Health-Related Websites

In connection with my previous post ("Same Song, Different Verse"), I thought I'd put up a few websites to get you started and let you see some of what's out there. You can also find lots of material at the library, so you can do quite a bit of research without having to spend a lot of money.

www.nih.gov National Institutes of Health

www.quackwatch.org A site debunking myths

www.webmd.com A medical site that lets you look up various symptoms, conditions, etc.

www.prevention.com Website of the health magazine

Do a search on any particular condition you want to learn more about. They may have a national organization providing information. Also, look for sites with forums--you can then discuss the condition with others who have it or who have a loved one with it. This can help with information and support, both.

There are all sorts of websites, books, magazines, etc. You can figure out which ones seem sensible and reliable. I am just starting this myself and would advise you what I advise myself--use more than one source! This will help you confirm what's true or false and help you decide which sources are best.

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. All I want to do is encourage you to learn what you can about your health and take an active role in getting healthy and staying healthy. After all, managing our bodies is a stewardship.

Same Song, Different Verse

Yesterday I commented on all the personal study we need to do in order to become informed, intelligent voters. That got me to thinking about how we need to do the same thing with our health. There is so much information out there, in newspapers and magazines and on the internet, not to mention television and books. Some is true, some is false, and some is a mix of the two.

It is easy to think that we can just let our doctors take care of us and tell us what we need to do. The truth is that our doctors, however good they may be, have a number of patients and a lot of medical information to keep up with. They do not have time to study each one of us and each of our conditions in depth. They do the best they can, but it is up to us to be in charge of our own health care.

The scriptures call our bodies temples. They are a gift from God and we need to learn to care for them and to master them. Our bodies can be like children--they want the ice cream, the chocolate, the sitting around doing nothing. Our spirits need to be the adults and learn what we should do and then guide our bodies to doing those right things. And our bodies are capable of learning to prefer those good things.

Thanks to the internet and other media sources, we have access to everything from general information to technical studies. We should take the responsibility to study nutrition and exercise (and I am preaching to myself here!) and find out what would be best for us. I don't for a moment suggest that we chuck our doctors and our prescriptions, but we can discuss options with the doctor and make gradual changes that can improve our health. One example would be arthritis. It hurts to move, but exercise is one of the best treatments for arthritis pain and stiffness. So we can talk to the doctor about what exercise would be good for our particular needs and how to get started with it.

Another thing we need to deal with is our desire for instant gratification. We want to lose 100 pounds overnight. We want to be able to run a marathon the first day we start jogging. Those things aren't going to happen and wouldn't be healthy if they did. One thing that helps me is to think in terms of nutrition rather than diet, which has a negative connotation of strict regimen and deprivation. Also, good nutrition isn't just about losing weight. It is about getting the nutrients we need so that all our bodily systems are functioning right. Think in terms of lifestyle changes, rather than brief forays into fad diets and other strict, but temporary, changes. Learn what nutrients you need for proper functioning of the brain, the heart, the lungs, the circulatory system. Learn what kinds of exercise give the benefits you need and how they affect the entire body. Learn what sleep, or the lack thereof, can do to those systems.

There can be just as much hyperbole about natural treatments and cures as there is about prescription drugs and surgery. Spend some time here and there learning. Use common sense. Make gradual changes, not abrupt ones. Consult with your doctor. Just as with politics and any other topic we are confronted with, it is up to us.

Why be concerned about our health? So we can live effective lives and do those things that God would have us do. How can we give and serve if we don't have the strength or energy to do so? How can we live the gospel if we are too depressed to function? How can we enjoy our families and friends if we are too heavy to move? How can we learn if our brains are not working right? I could go on and on, but you can see what I mean. Health is just as important as gospel study and education and political savvy. It is just as important as our social development and character growth. It is basically what allows us to do all those other things.

See? I told you I would be commenting on a lot of different subjects! But do think about this. D & C 59 and 89, not to mention other scriptures and statements by various prophets, tell us that God places importance on caring for ourselves properly. It isn't selfish to take care of one of the gifts that our Heavenly Father has given us. We shouldn't obsess about it, but neither should we obsess about anything else. Think moderation. Think balance. Think common sense. Pray about it. Our Heavenly Father really does want us to come to Him with all our cares and concerns. I am not a health nut and I need to do all the things I have been talking about here, but I think it is an important topic and I do not believe that we have to wait until we are perfect in some area before we can share our thoughts and knowledge about that area. One of the purposes of my blog is to help others with insights that might prove to be just the thing someone needed to hear. And so I share, imperfect though I am.

A toast (juice or water!): Here's to our good health and our common sense!