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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2012)
in other words Natural Path to Health: Nourishment By Dr. Carol McIntyre Happy New Year Everyone! I hope that you have all enjoyed the holiday season and have a renewed spirit and outlook on life. Of course, we are all making New Years’ resolutions… Aren’t we? Well, mine is to remember one simple word on a daily basis, Nourishment. We all must nourish ourselves and it is more difficult to do than you may like to admit. Most everyone would agree that they enjoy feeling nourished, whether it be from a good home cooked meal or a warm embrace when you need emotional support. There are many ways to nourish ones’ self. Today, I will talk about how to nourish your liver. The liver is considered the body’s first line of defense when it comes to detoxification. Over the holidays we often indulge ourselves in food and drink. Sometimes, we don’t even need a holiday! Never the less, it is important that we take time to understand how important the health of our liver is for our overall health. Because the liver is our first line of detoxification, it basically filters everything that is put into our body. This includes environmental toxins, drugs (prescription, over the counter and recreational), foods and vitamins/ minerals. When the liver is taxed, every other system in the body is affected. With saying that, the liver is also the only organ in the body that can literally regenerate itself! In Chinese medicine the liver is known as “the General”. Any of you who have been in the military or have had family members or friends in the military know that the General is the one person who gets the job done and is in charge of keeping everyone else in line. From a Chinese perspective, if the liver is not flowing properly, it will not be able to “keep everyone in line” and there will be pathologies that arise including everything from hypertension to delirium. Most of us are lucky because our liver is SO diligent that we hardly notice when it starts to slow down or become dysfunctional. Often, it will take years for liver disease to develop. However, there have been more cases of acute liver failure occurring due to the increased use of NSAIDS (Non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs) than ever before. These are drugs like Ibuprofen, Tylenol and so on that people use every day. This shows us that the liver is not invincible and we should be mindful to take care of it. There are many supportive herbs and nutrients that aid proper liver function. Milk Thistle (Silybum) actually has the ability to regenerate, or produce new liver cells! It has been used for thousands of years as a therapeutic agent to treat disorders of the liver, gallbladder and kidney. Silybum can be taken for long periods of time with no adverse side effects and is wonderfully supportive for those with any type of liver disease, both chronic and acute. Dandelion root is also very supportive for liver function. You are welcome to dig them from your yard but please be advised that you never want to eat them from a yard that has been treated with pesticides. Again, we are trying to support the liver for proper function, not burden it with more toxins! Other supportive foods include artichoke, beets (the meat and the greens) and burdock root. Any of these can be used in form of a stir-fry or stew/soup as a nourishing liver supportive meal. Green tea is also very supportive for january10 2012 9 proper liver function, as well as having a multitude of other health benefits. Please be aware that if you actively begin to support your liver with foods or therapeutics, you should consult with your doctor before doing so. Much of the time, when you begin to address liver support therapeutically, other drugs will process differently in your system. This means that if you are on prescription medications, your dosage may need to be altered. Don’t be afraid of this fact! I would rather see drug levels being reduced in the body than people avoiding artichokes because they are afraid it will alter their medications. I plan on nourishing myself more this year. For you this may mean that you remember to drink more water. Maybe you take a relaxing hot bath once a week. Perhaps you begin a realistic exercise program for yourself that you actually like and will stick with! Whatever it may be, remember your body, Internally. It’s not often we have to stop and think about how our body functions from moment to moment, but we should try from time to time. Everything enjoys Nourishment. Thank you ~ Be Well. The Gun Doctor: Firearm Maintenance – Part 1 By Wolfgang Rotbart One of the most common tasks I perform is to Clean, Lube & Inspect (CLI) firearms of all types. Most quality firearms using quality, factory-loaded ammunition do not require a great deal of maintenance. Unfortunately, this often lapses into “none.” Some maintenance should be performed by a qualified gunsmith, especially an occasional inspection for safety issues, unusual wear, etc. However, routine maintenance can be generally accomplished by anyone who has a bit of mechanical skill and a few simple, readily available tools. Unfortunately, it is well beyond the scope of this article to give specifics as to cleaning and lubing all the myriad firearms available. However, in Part 2, I’ll go into some of the specifics of firearm cleaning & maintenance. Firearms become fouled mainly by powder residue (especially with .22 cartridges), dried oil that essentially turns into thick grease and foreign materials, such as pine needles & dirt, that work their way into the action. This fouling can cause the firearm to: Fire erratically or not at all. Jam, fail to feed, extract, or eject. And most importantly, can interfere with the safety mechanism(s). This last one is generally the most dangerous as the owner often does not even realize the safety mechanism(s) have been comprised. I’ve had several firearms in my shop that had discharged when the owner put the Safety in the “On” position! This was unnerving to say the least and underscores the need to always follow the Four Basic Rules and always keep a firearm pointed in a safe direction. In each of these instances of unintentional discharge, no one was injured because the owner had the firearm pointed in a relatively safe direction when it occurred. A word of caution: most gun cleaning products on the market today contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that are quite toxic. If you use them, be sure to follow all the prescribed protection protocols such as wearing chemical-proof gloves & safety glasses, have plenty of ventilation and even wearing a VOC-rated breathing mask. Be sure to keep children out of the area during use and safely store the cleaning agents when done. Chronic exposure to VOC’s can adversely affect the central nervous system, kidneys, liver, etc. Since I clean firearms on a regular basis, I use a plant-based product that is relatively safe. As you can see, proper maintenance is a vital part of firearm safety. If you have access to the Internet, it is generally possible to download a copy of the owner’s manual or at least some instructions on how to disassemble, clean, lube and reassemble most firearms. If you can’t find this information or would like more information on performing these tasks, please contact me and I will be glad to be of service. Master Gunsmith and a NRA-certified Basic Pistol Course Instructor. He works as a gunsmith and as an Oregon Concealed Handgun Safety Course Instructor. You may visit The Gun Doctor website for more information at: http://www.wolfgangthegundoctor.com/ I welcome ideas for topics for these articles. Please email them to:Wolfgang@WolfgangTheGunDoctor. com, or call me at 503-429-7342 10:00 – 5:00 M – F Generators Kerosene Insulation Ice Melt/De-Icer Propane Heat Tape Wolfgang Rotbart is an AGI-certified Vernonia Coffee Roasters Your LOCAL property management company Family owned & operated for over 40 years Winter is here! “QUALITP COFFEE ROASTED TO PERFECTION” Joni Jackson Owner/Principal Broker Real Estate Sales • Residential • Commercial • Vacant Land Property Management • Residential • Commercial • Vacation Rentals See classified section for current rental listings Real Estate Service with a plan of ACTION! 503-956-0445 Joni@RelianceRES.com 859 Bridge Street • Vernonia, OR 97064 www.RelianceRES.com Silkscreen printing Printing while you wait for small orders Vinyl lettering and heat transfers Teams, groups, special events Hoodies, dress shirts, aprons & more No order too large or too small No set-up fees 711 Bridge Street, Vernonia (503) 433-4278 kavila@kaptanskraft.com Now available at vernonia sentry market WWW.VERNONIACOFFEEROASTERS.COM (503) 429-6364 834 Bridge Street Vernonia
