I thought I would do this meme this week because 1) I am waiting for an audio lecture to upload (Blackboard conversion is not as bad as expected, although working directly on the web is slow); 2) I am procrastinating on yard clean up (see here if you must know what that means) since the snow melted (I am not going to wait until it snows again and be forced to delay until spring); 3) I really wanted to answer question 3; and 4) since it is winter break, I am home on Thursdays.

Thursday Threesome: Kidney stone and herbal remedies:

Onesome: Kidney--beans? Lima Beans? Pinto beans? Which legumes do you like to cook with? Hmmm... A hot pot of chili sounds good this week!

I love all legumes. In fact, there is a pot of bean soup in the fridge right now. My favorites are chick peas (hummus! yum!) and white beans (greens and beans! yum!) but in the soup I made there are chick peas, red beans, white beans, and black beans.

Twosome: Stones?-- Monoliths? Pebbles? Do you use any of these in decorating? Heck, we'll even count marbles in vases!

Not really. I do have some great rocks out in the yard, though.

Threesome: and herbal remedies-- Hey, there's a good one: do you have any herbal remedies for us to try? Anything? I'm betting this bunch will have a trick or two to work with!

Yes, I am a great believer in alternative treatments, including herbs and supplements. Holistic veterinary care is how my animals get treatment, including Rudy, when he was dying from cancer. I take magnesium - and it works like a charm for the unmentionable problem that has plagued me for life. Bob has severe rheumatoid arthritis. He tried the medical model but it failed him miserably, but his regimen of sam-e, glucosamine, fish oil, etc. (too many others to mention, but they include non-herbal things such as not drinking coffee or eating beef) has put him in remission. He was told by the rheumatologist when he was diagnosed in 2000 that he'd probably be in a wheelchair in two years. He was in very bad shape at the time. Conventional treatment did not help - and in fact, the side effects were hurting him in a big way. So he did his own research in journals to develop a course of treatment. He has two physician's desk references for alternative therapies as well. Six years after he was supposed to be using one - there is no wheelchair in sight, and he can even do the stairs with no problem. The only negative is that there are a lot of people who refuse to acknowledge his approach, consider alternative approaches to be quackery followed only by nutjobs, and constantly suggest to him that he should try whatever miracle drug is being advertised on television. They can't accept that he doesn't even have to take Advil any longer and he feels great. There isn't anything all that radical about eating less or no refined carbohydrates, trying to exercise and pursue a lifestyle with less stress - but I guess to those people the presupposition that there is only one approved way is easier. To them it makes more sense to pop a Remicade.