My Plant-based Life: Part Three (So long Cheese!)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome reared its’ ugly head again in December of 2009 when I was exposed to mold after moving into an apartment on the top floor of a building, that was about 20 years overdue for a new roof. I got really sick for the first time since going veg. After the acute stage passed, I was left with a chronic cough that I couldn’t shake.

I got out of there before the end of 2010 but my move coincided with a colossal bunch of events including my business being in its death throes, starting a new full-time job with long hours and a long commute, as well as, a professional project I had begun working on that went sour and took down several friendships with it. I was dog tired and sad for several months. I began getting random pains in my joints. I was also suffering from severe insomnia at times. (As I mentioned in a previous post Yoga Nidra was very helpful in treating my insomnia.)

I got some temporary relief in the summer of 2011 by taking SAM-e. S-adenosylmethionine is a dietary supplement that has been shown to be effective in treating arthritis, depression, fibromyalgia, MS and chronic pain. My other big helper was adopting a four-year-old, hairy Havanese named Chauncy. Chauncy is the kind of dog twho makes every day, a good day.

I was still tired and my little cough persisted though. I was hacking up great big gobs of phlegm several times a day. I was also bloated again. I looked like I had a bowling ball in my belly which was hard to hide with clothes. Things got to a pivotal point in February of 2012 after I put on a seminar at work, I went home and slept for almost 15 hours straight.

I decided to take stock of my lifestyle. I noticed my diet had gone down the crapper for several reasons: 1) I got caught up in couponing to save money and was only buying things that were on sale. My diet mostly consisted of the only dairy I was still eating: cheap yogurt and hunks of sale-priced cheddar. I had stopped cooking. My dinners, after getting home late at night, were usually a hunk of cheddar, a glass of wine and bag tortilla chips with salsa. 2) My yoga practice was non-existent. If it wasn’t for walking Chauncy twice a day, I would have gotten no exercise at all. I knew I needed to make big changes again.

I hit Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and bought every beautiful whole food that called out to me, regardless of price. I felt better just looking at all that colorful fresh produce in the cart. (I also went to the Farmer’s Market every week to get local, fresh produce all summer long.) I began studying nutrition again too. I wanted to see if there was a natural way to deal with how I was feeling. The library was calling every day with books and DVDs, I had reserved on the topic. One thing that kept coming up over and over was adding in more raw food. Raw food, especially greens, cleanse the body and provide micronutrients. I now try to eat over 65% raw fruits and veggies in my diet. (A particularly moving documentary on the power of raw food is Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days.)

The most profound change I made was giving up dairy completely. I had long suspected that it was contributing to my upper respiratory issues but I LOVED cheese. I used to joke that I was a cheese addict. Then I saw Dr. Neal Barnard’s lecture on the addictive properties of chocolate, cheese, meat and sugar… turns out I actually was. Cheese, according to Barnard, contains concentrated amounts of casein, “a protein that breaks apart during digestion to release a whole host of opiates called casomorphins.”

Giving up cheese was no joke. I was a hardcore, daily user. Brie, cheddar, Havarti, Fontina, raw, goat cheese…oh, it didn’t matter what kind, I dug all of it. I am embarrassed to admit this, but I actually got weepy at the thought of never having it again. I even went through withdrawal-type symptoms. I was cranky, jittery and got headaches. Then this amazing thing happened a few weeks after I stopped eating it; I started to feel great. My sinuses cleared up. I also stopped hacking up phlegm all the time and I was no longer bloated. The mental haze and fatigue lifted.

So, there you have it. I have been completely plant-based since March of 2012. Am I vegan though? Read my blog next week and find out.

Love and blessings to all,

Cynthia

Please follow me on Twitter. My handle is @cynthialenz. Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy

My Plant-based Life: Part Deux (Getting healthier)

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I decided to try yoga because my body was way too run down to start jogging. I had always been pretty flexible; so, it seemed like it might be a good fit. Also, yoga seemed to be a series of slower movements. So, I didn’t have to worry about being a spaz… the way I always felt in dance and aerobics classes. Turns out, I LOVED it! At first, I did it on my own with tapes and DVDs; then when I was brave enough, I began taking classes. I highly recommend going to an experienced yoga instructor. It’s always a good to have someone checking your form and giving you tips to grow your practice.

As I began learning about yoga, I found a lot of information on being a vegetarian. Not all people who practice yoga are veg, but there seemed to be a lot of vegetarian info. in yoga magazines and books (Teaser: more on why this is this next week!). And from what I was reading, many people found relief from the digestive orders like I had, by eliminating meat and dairy from their diet. So, I began to experiment.

First, the red meat went. Instantly, I started to feel better. The bouts of diarrhea stopped. I also stopped drinking milk. I never liked milk. When I was a little girl, I struggled to finish my glass of milk with dinner. Often, I would be the last one at the dinner with Mom wiping the table down around me because it was so hard to get down. Milk and ice cream would leave my belly so distended but I never made the connection because I thought milk was so good for you. Eventually, I stopped eating all animals, seafood, eggs and most dairy. I felt better and better with each elimination. (No pun intended but FYI that improved too!)

As I was getting rid of these items, I had to learn to new ways of eating. Given what some friends have referred to as my Virgo nature, I had to find out how to be a healthy vegetarian, as well as, the answers to any questions detractors might throw at me. (Virgos don’t like to argue but, apparently, we like losing arguments even less.) So, I officially became a nutrtion nerd, devouring books, magazines and websites on vegetarian nutrition.

Protein was something I had always heard was lacking in vegetarian diets. Indeed, to this day, “how do you get your protein?” is the top question I am asked. I quickly learned that protein deficiency is rarely an issue. (And if you think about it, many of the animals, omnivores eat for protein, are actually vegetarian.) I’ve also learned that too much animal protein is a likely contributor to chronic diseases. I could write a whole post just on this topic alone but a few sources of veggie protein include nuts, seeds, legumes, tofu, fermented soy products and certain grains like buckwheat.

The next biggest question I get is: What do you eat?/Don’t you feel deprived? The great irony is that I eat MORE and more varied food now that I am veg than I did when I was an omnivore. I also still eat a lot of the same food I ate before like pasta, pizza, burritos, burgers, fries, salads etc. but of course now they are made without animal products. I became a better cook and got more adventurous in trying new things like kale, different types of mushrooms and dandelion greens. I finally learned how to cook beans. I found that the more colorful my diet became, the better I felt. A lot of my food before had been beige: chicken breast, potato, pasta, bread and margarine. In fact, my doctors had told me to eat plain foods to keep my digestive issues at bay. After I went veg, my meals became a dazzling display of healthy lush greens with red, yellow, purple and orange veggies. The more colorful my diet got, the better my digestion was.

My health bounced back rather rapidly after I started a yoga practice and adopted a vegetarian diet. I lost 15 of the 20 pounds I had gained. My energy increased significantly. I also experienced a greater sense of emotional well-being and I felt more like myself but more on that in next week’s post… Going all the way Veg.

Love and many blessings,

Cynthia

Please follow me on Twitter. My handle is @cynthialenz. Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy

My Plant-based Life: Part One

Scars: What can ya do about ‘em naturally?

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It’s been five and a half weeks since the accident. While Doc fixes the inside of my mouth, I’ve decided to focus on the outside, namely my upper lip. You can see in the photo below, I still have quite a fat lip and that jaggedy scar is what remains of the deepest cut you can get. Basically, I ripped my lip all the way through in two places. So, the scar continues on the inside of my mouth and loops around in a U shape back out again…Ugh!

Unretouched photo of my lip 5 weeks and 3 days after the Fall

So, how do I fix it naturally? Well, since I got home from the hospital I have been rubbing aloe and organic lavender oil on it at least twice a day. Most people know about using aloe vera to soothe burns but may not realize that aloe has swelling reduction and skin rebuilding properties. Lavender oil, according to herbalist Brigitte Mars, “is an essential oil that is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It can be applied topically to wounds, burns, bruises, insect bites and blisters. Lavender reduces the risk of infection, reduces pain and stimulates skin regeneration. When inhaled it has a calming effect on the nervous system and gives comfort during times of trauma.”

My mom has offered several times to buy Mederma for me. An offer I appreciated but being a nature gal, I wanted to find out what was in Mederma before I tried it. It turns out that the active ingredient is an onion extract. There is much debate about whether Mederma is effective or not. However, I did learn that rubbing onion on a scar may well work on its’ own. Onion is believed to inhibit the over-production of collagen thus suppressing the formation of scar tissue and is an also an anti-inflammatory. So, I have added rubbing raw onion on my scar to my routine. (Smelly? Perhaps… but after being on a liquid diet for 5 and a half weeks, I kind of like it.)

Doc suggested I massage my fat lip to keep scar tissue from forming and because he thought felt a salivary gland dropping down. (Weird, right? I had no idea we have secondary salivary glands in our lips either! ) Anyway, I had already been using coconut oil to keep my lips soft and chap-free. So, now it is massage oil as well. Coconut oil is also good to use on scars because it may prevent and reverse free radical damage.

I ordered Vitamin E oil and Shea Butter too. Vitamin E is good for skin because it increases circulation and is also a very effective anti-oxidant against free radicals. Shea Butter is a good source of Vitamin E and Vitamin A. Shea Butter is also an incredible emollient that will moisturize your skin and make it silky soft. Keeping the skin soft is important because the last thing you want is for damaged skin; is for it to get dry, leaving it even more vulnerable to further damage. To that end, I have also been wearing a hat outside to protect my face from the sun, to avoid it getting dried out or burned.

So, what are your tips for treating scars and damaged skin? I would love to read them. Please share!

Love and Many Blessings,

Cynthia

Please LIKE my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy and follow me on Twitter. My handle is @cynthialenz.

Know Your Rights in the Hospital: Urgent vs. Emergent Care

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There are basically two types of scenarios when you have to go to the emergency room for trauma: 1) Emergent- where you are in some kind of danger and need an immediate procedure to be stabilized or 2) Urgent-you are going to need to do something relatively soon but you are not in immediate danger.

This is what I want you to always remember: If it is urgent, not emergent, you can leave and get another opinion if you don’t feel comfortable.

When I was taken to the emergency room a month ago, I went in as a trauma patient. I was admitted because they thought there might be something wrong with my spine and couldn’t get an MRI until the following Monday (the fall happened on a Saturday.) Still serious, but not emergent, were the injuries to my mouth. My jaw was fractured, a tooth was lost and several others were chipped or had moved, my nose was fractured. (My wrist was also in a lot of pain but nobody was paying much attention to that at the time.)

From the second the oral maxillofacial surgery resident started talking to me, I got a bad vibe. He wasn’t talking to me, so much as talking at me. He was much more interested in explaining my injuries to a pretty intern than helping me figure out what needed to be done. From the second he looked at the scan before he even looked in my mouth, he was talking about surgery. He also refused to put my tooth back in that had been saved at the scene and stated coldly that he doubted that three of my other upper front teeth could be saved. He started talking about incisions and plates but he had to send the photos to his chief who was off for the night and who would see me the next day.

Thankfully for me, the plastics team came to see me first the next morning. They explained that they had looked at my scan and that while my jaw was fractured, it was still in position and could very well heal on its’ own without surgery. This was very good news for an all-natural chick who would only have surgery if it was ABSOLUTLEY NECESSARY. Then the oral surgery team came in headed by the chief (a four year resident) and the “charming” two-year resident I met the night before. He painted a much different picture than the plastics team had just given me including dire predictions of future problems if he did not cut the insides of mouth open and install several plates and screws. These scary warnings were directed mostly to my exhausted parents.

I asked who would perform the surgery, he said he would. I asked if the attending surgeon (a seasoned and well-respected oral maxillofacial surgeon) could perform it. He said, “No” and explained that the attending would only be in the room since this was a teaching hospital. I asked if I could meet the attending. He said not until after I consented to the surgery. BIG Red Flag!

When I explained what Plastics had told me, he got pissed off and went to find them. They all returned together and encircled my bed in the Trauma Unit taking turns pulling on my upper jaw. The Oral Surgery Chief Resident would say he felt it moving. Then the Plastics resident would say he didn’t. Finally, I said I had enough and only one more doctor would get a pull on my jaw. That’s when the Oral Surgery Chief Resident snapped at me, “Stop being demanding. We are trying to help you. You shouldn’t make any demands!” I looked at him and said through my mangled teeth, “it’s my face. I will make any demands I want.” I had remembered something Dr. Christiane Northrup said on her radio show. I am paraphrasing but it was something like, doctors work for you. You are their boss and to remind them of that if necessary.

It’s hard to remember that when you have been through a trauma. You are tired, scared, in pain and in my case mourning a lost tooth. I was fortunate in my situation because shortly after the doctors left, my best friend, a medical malpractice attorney, came to visit me. Once I told her what they said; she said we’ve got to get you out of here. She said it was absolute bullshit that they told me that I couldn’t talk to the attending until after I gave consent. Furthermore, a resident was not the optimal choice to operate on me if surgery was even necessary. She explained the hospital I was in was good for trauma but that was about it and if the situation was no longer emergent then I needed to get out of there.

I was sure after I talked to her that I wanted to be released without the surgery but I was stuck until my spine was cleared. Would you believe they made six different attempts in one day to get me to consent to surgery? Even the anesthesiologist came in to get consent after I said no to three different people (twice to the guy who would have performed the surgery!) It got to the point where I was afraid to sleep or take any pain medication because I feared they were trying to break me down. I finally complained to the Nurse Manager and Hospital Administrator to get them to stop harassing me.

Thankfully, the next day the MRI was done. My spine was fine and I was cleared to check out. I was able to go home to finally sleep (and see my dog!) Then a couple of days later, I met my current, excellent oral maxillofacial surgeon (vetted by my friend’s boss.) He was shocked that they had done nothing in the hospital to stabilize my teeth. He explained all the different ways to approach the situation. Since my bones were in alignment despite the fracture, I opted to have my jaw braced and wired shut. While he was doing that, he managed to save the three other teeth that were in question because “the blood flow was still good.”

I am so grateful to have had enough knowledge to realize that I didn’t need to stay in a situation that felt wrong. I am also thankful to have a friend who backed me up and translated my suspicions into facts and helped me get to a better place. Please know that you have options when it comes to your health. Avoid making rash decisions. Quiet down and listen to your heart if something doesn’t feel right and it is not emergent, move on!!

Love and blessings to all,

Cynthia

Please LIKE my Facebook Page www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy and follow me on twitter. My handle is @cynthialenz.

Happiness: What else do you need?

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Happiness is something I find endlessly fascinating. I have spent a lot of time thinking about it; trying to get it; chasing after it and most recently trying to master it.

When it comes right down to it, once the basic necessities of life: food, water shelter, good health and sleep are all met; what else do we really want except to be happy? Why does it seem so complicated sometimes?

Happiness is the subject of endless pontification. Books, articles and poems have been written about it. Documentaries have been made about it. Studies have been done on it to determine who the happiest people on earth are, where and how do they live. We are surrounded by so many platitudes on happiness that they become almost like wallpaper, no matter how wise they are:

Happiness can’t be bought
Follow your bliss
Count your blessings
Accentuate the positive

We know how important happiness is; so why does it seem so fleeting for so many people? Why do we get so distracted by the circumstances of life that pull us down?

I came across a new happiness quote on Facebook (new to me anyway) that may shed some light on the situation:

“Be happy for no reason, like a child. If you are happy for a reason, you’re in trouble because that reason can be taken from you.”

Deepak Chopra

Hmmmm… interesting, right? That Deepak Chopra is a pretty smart guy. He makes a lot of sense. Usually, we get happy because we have gotten something we’ve wanted: a car, a relationship, a job but then something happens and that initial elation begins to diminish and we begin looking for something new to regain that wonderful euphoric feeling. The funny part is that as nice as it is to have the thing, what we really want is the feeling.

So, then the question is how do you get happy if you don’t feel happy right now and how do you stay happy? That’s the rub isn’t it? If happiness isn’t about getting what you want then how do you go about getting the feeling? I’m hardly an expert on this but I have learned a few things that I will share with you now:

Be mindful: When I get into my worst funks, it’s usually because something unpleasant has happened and I get caught up in it. Before I know it, I let it sweep me into a place of self-pity where I convince myself I am a loser and things will never get better. Sounds pretty grave; doesn’t it? The easiest way to get out of a spiral like this is to realize that you are in it. Check in with yourself: How are you feeling? If you feel good, be grateful. If you feel bad, identify it and then do something to nourish yourself and take the power away from your negative feelings and then refocus that energy into something positive.

Be Grateful: Being grateful feels good and attracts more things to be grateful about. Just try it.

Breathe: Most of us in the west really don’t breathe very deeply at all. Taking a few deep breaths is like an act of personal power for me. It is something you can do anytime, anywhere. You don’t need anyone else’s permission. In my experience, it always makes me feel better. One of the reasons for this is that breathing deeply encourages the parasympathetic nervous system to trigger a relaxation response rather than the “fight or flight” response which may be induced by a stressful situation.

Invite a better feeling: Sometimes, we just feel crappy and overwhelmed. Shit happens. We get sick, hurt or heart-broken. Forgive yourself if you are having trouble keeping a stiff upper lip through the pain but always stay open to feeling better. One way to do that is through affirmations. Acknowledge that things may be crappy right now but invite something better. One of my favorite affirmations is from Louise Hay, “All is well. Everything I need comes to me at the perfect moment.” And it usually does. That doesn’t mean I get everything when I want it always but by and large things always work out.

Last one! This one may seem like being happy for a reason but it is one you have control over.

Do something you enjoy: One of the best ways to get your mind off your troubles and get happy is to do something you love. Since my accident, I am very grateful to have this blog to write every week. It gives me a continued sense of purpose while I am healing. (Not to mention, it is also a way to communicate while my jaw is wired shut.)

What makes you happy for no reason? I would love to hear your suggestions for boosting your mood.

Love and blessings to all,

Cynthia

Please follow me on Twitter. My handle is @cynthialenz. Also, please LIKE my Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy

Chauncy Boo Boo Puppy Pants Lenz

“All animals except man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it”

-Samuel Butler

Get Some Rest: Yoga Nidra and 5-HTP

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I wanted to write on a different topic this week but it was going to require a good deal of extra work and quite frankly I was too tired… This lack of energy got me thinking though about the importance of rest.

Since I fell, I have been trying to pay attention to my body and what it is telling me it needs. Lately, I want to rest, maybe read a little, watch a movie or just sleep. It seems so, well… lazy. It occurs to me though, that is my mind talking and when I listen to that chatter and try to push through, I end up feeling worse. And the last thing I want right now is to needlessly prolong my recovery.

It may seem obvious for me to rest more right now because of my injuries but you probably need some more too. Our bodies need periods of rest to rejuvenate, repair and restore proper function. So what do you do if you have trouble resting because you feel guilty or have trouble quieting down and being peaceful during the times that are available for resting?

Peter Ferko, a wonderful yoga instructor, introduced me to a practice called Yoga Nidra while I was having a bad bout with insomnia a few years ago. Yoga Nidra has been defined as yogic sleep or sleep with awareness. It is essentially a deeply relaxing meditation practice where you lie down instead of sitting upright.

Yogiraj Rod Stryker describes Yoga Nidra quite well on his website as follows:

Yoga Nidra, Stryker says, relaxes not just the body and mind but also the subconscious–the storehouse of all our psycho-emotional tension, the stuff that keeps us up at night. “At the height of it, you hover in the effortlessness of deep sleep while retaining only a subtle trace of awareness,” he says.

I used Stryker’s cd Relax into Greatness to guide me through the Yoga Nidra process and found it very effective. The first few times I did it; I actually just fell asleep which was what I needed. There are many other guided Yoga Nidra cds and mp3s available. You may even find some free one online. One of the many benefits of Stryker’s cd is that he offers 2 different length programs: a short and long. The short program is just long enough to rejuvenate yourself during a lunch hour if you find you are running out of gas during the day.

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) was my other saving grace when I was having trouble sleeping. 5-HTP is an essential amino acid that helps convert tryptophan into serotonin. In addition to helping with sleep, studies have also linked it to be effective in alleviating mild depression and even suppressing appetite, thus aiding in weight loss. I found that when I took it a half hour before bed with a little bread and peanut butter (which also contains tryptophan- a natural sleep aid) that I was able to fall asleep and most importantly stay asleep.

I hope you guys found this week’s post interesting and or helpful. Please share with me what you do to get enough Zs. I look forward to hearing from you. In the meanwhile, go get some rest!

Love and Blessings to all,

Cynthia

Follow me on Twitter. My handle is @cynthialenz.

Please LIKE my FB page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy

Healing: Turning Why into What on the Road to Wellness

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Almost always, after a personal trauma or crisis, the big question is, “Why did this happen to me?” … Why now… why me? I experienced a double whammy of this after I fell on March 2nd.

Falling down a flight of stairs and being injured like I was seemed so unfair; I had just begun to feel like I was getting my act together after Hurricane Sandy and now this… why? I realized though I already knew why. It’s pretty simple. It happened because I was careless and there are no mulligans in situations like this one. What I really wanted to know was how to turn back time and get to do it again but hold the handrail this time. Not gonna happen, Cynthia.

The better question is “What can I learn from this?” Another is “how do I become better for having had this experience?”

One of the best ways I have discovered since Hurricane Sandy to stop feeling sorry for myself is to start counting blessings. What are my blessings? 1. I am alive. Several people have shared stories with me of people who had an accident similar to mine but didn’t fare nearly as well. 2. I am grateful for what is working well: my brain, internal organs and spine are fine. I can walk and breathe. 3. I am thankful for the support that I have: My parents have been helping me in so many different ways since this happened: food, shelter, care, making phone calls, talking me for me, scheduling and driving me to doctor appointments. My friends and relatives have been texting me to check in because they know my jaw is wired shut and I can’t talk. My dog Chauncy has only really left my side to eat (and to tussle with my folks’ bichon Lucy) since I have been home from the hospital. 4. I found a good doctor who has begun putting my mouth back together. 5. Percocet (I normally avoid pharmaceuticals but this situation has proven exceptional.) 6. The bruises are fading. 7. The swelling is going down. I am fortunate in that I can go on and on.

Since I have begun this shift from self-pity to gratitude, I have noticed that I feel better. I have a road ahead of me to recover from this accident but starting out on the right foot seems to make a really big difference. If whatever, you focus on tends to expand then I choose to focus on being positive and believing in my body’s innate ability to heal.

Another opportunity I have here is to learn how to help my body heal itself. Did you know that sea veggies and foods containing pectin are effective at helping the body rid itself of radiation? Apples do extra duty in my case because they are also rich in malic acid, a natural pain reliever. I know I will learn even more about how proper nutrition will aid my recovery.

Lastly, I don’t have the chance for a do-over or un-fall but I can recognize that I need to be more mindful and be present in each moment. Before this happened, I remember feeling like I never quite had enough time to do everything I needed or wanted to do. When Hurricane Sandy hit, I realized that present moment is all we have. This fall has reminded me of that in a way I can never forget.

Love and Blessings to all,

Cynthia

Follow me on Twitter. My handle is @cynthialenz.

Please LIKE my FB page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy

Take a Little Time to be Grateful for Your Smile

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I had originally planned a completely different blog post for this week but circumstances have taken me in a very different direction…

I was out Saturday to dinner with some new and wonderful friends. We bid each other good night and I turned and bounded down the stairs at Penn Station. I still don’t know exactly what happened. I do know I should have been holding the handrail but instead I went down the middle of the staircase at too fast a pace. Maybe the stairs were wet from the bit of snow that fell but somehow I lost my balance and couldn’t regain it. I hurtled down to the bottom and fell face first on the cement floor.

Fortunately for me, I managed to do this in front of a few paramedics, who out for the evening as well and on their way to catch their own train. I tried to pull myself up as the worst pain I have ever felt in my life shot through my face. Immediately, strong hands held me down and a voice said, “Don’t move. Stay down hun.” A white t-shirt was put in front of my face to staunch the blood that seemed to be everywhere.

They asked me a series of questions: What is your name? How old are you? … I was conscious the whole time and answered their questions. I saw one tooth shoot out of my mouth on impact. I ran my tongue over the others. My nice straight teeth were suddenly like a jack o’ lantern’s. I started to cry. A hand stroked my hair and a woman said “it will be okay”. Someone else bagged up my tooth and shoved it in my coat pocket. An ambulance came a while later and I was rushed to a teaching hospital where for 2 days I was probed, pricked, tested, mri-ed and scanned in front of large groups of gaping interns. Thankfully, I got out of there late Monday.

The current consensus is that my upper jaw is fractured but intact. So, it may heal on its’ own. My nose is also fractured but that may heal on its’ own as well. My teeth met the floor through my lips. They are currently stitched up inside and out. I managed to joke this morning that it looked like I had a scorpion in my mouth with the end of its tail sticking out.

Oh but my teeth… The Resident at the hospital refused to try to put my tooth back in after he heard it was on the floor at Penn Station. I have several that are chipped, in the wrong position and there a few more that may not be saved.

I know it sounds a little vain to be focused on my teeth at a time like this. After all, I was lucky indeed that I did not have any spinal damage or crack my head open. Thankfully, my internal organs are fine. I am also really fortunate to have support from wonderful family and friends. To be honest though, I have cried every day over my teeth.

My smile wasn’t perfect. I had an overbite (now an under bite); it was a little gummy on the left side. The thing is though, it was mine. Now, it will never be the same. Months from now, I will have a new one and that is a really weird concept to have to wrap your head around.

This is what I have learned so far from this experience: 1. Smile at yourself and everyone else every chance you get and be grateful that you can. 2. hold on to the fucking handrail when you are using the stairs! I wish I had. A moment of carelessness has changed me forever.

Love and Blessings to all,

Cynthia

Follow me on twitter! My handle is @cynthialenz and LIKE my FB Page www.facebook.com\naturallyhealthyhappy

My First Blog Post: A New Beginning …

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May I just say, starting a new blog is a little intimidating! My mind is swirling with so many thoughts: 1. Will anyone read it? 2. If they do…will they like it? 3. And the most frightening thought of all: What should my first post be about? Hmmmm…

Then I came across this quote:

And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings…

Meister Eckhart

So, that’s what my first blog post is about: A new beginning! What could be more appropriate?

Cynthia Lenz’s Naturally Healthy and Happy Blog is a new beginning for me in so many ways. Starting this blog today begins a new life purpose for me… but please allow me to back up for a moment and tell you about some recent endings.

Like so many people who lived along the waterfront in the Northeastern U.S, my home was flooded by Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully, I had a warm, safe place to go and stay with family; where I currently still reside. Then in December, after six plus years, I decided to close my business, Chickyrhumba. It was an emotional decision but selling my handmade jewelry has been a struggle in the current economy. So, suffice it to say, selling it, wasn’t nearly as joyous as making it. Although I still really love making jewelry, I feel called to a higher purpose which is helping people get fit, happy and healthy in a natural way. And this blog is where I shall begin. Thank you for joining me!

So, what can you expect to see here on weekly basis? Essentially, all things in regard to health, happiness and living more closely aligned with nature (have I mentioned I can be very literal sometimes?) If you are a girly girl or a metro-sexual male, don’t worry! I won’t be writing odes to living on a hippie commune or coming up with little ditties on and when not to flush the toilet to save water.

Life is about growth, not perfection. I will be sharing information I have found over the years on how to feel great, look great, be kind, eat well and take better care of Mama Earth while you take care of yourself. We’ll be getting into all the different facets of wellness in the weeks, months and hopefully years to come. From time to time, I’ll include some of my own struggles with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as, the solutions I have found to alleviate it over the last twenty plus years. And, of course, there will be much MUCH more but let’s keep a little mystery for now, shall we?

Thank you for reading my first blog post. I appreciate your time and would love to hear from you as this journey continues. What would you like to get started? Let me know what you plan to begin and about the magic comes from it.

Love and Blessings to all,

Cynthia

Follow me on twitter! My handle is @cynthialenz. Please LIKE my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/naturallyhealthyhappy

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Cynthia Lenz's Naturally Healthy and Happy Blog

Be healthy and happy…naturally!

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