"At age 55, I knew deep down that I felt lousy."

The Dwelling Place

                      by Beth Acanfora 

      “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,

which you have from God?  You are not your own; you were bought with a price. 

So glorify God in your body.”                                      1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

    It’s actually rather funny that I became an RN when you consider the family upbringing that I originated from.  I happen to come from a long family line of people who did not go to the doctor unless they were half dead.  You may laugh, but I am not kidding.  My brother Chris says our family saves a bundle on long term health care insurance because nobody lives long enough to need it!  And yes, if you must know, I am a doctor avoider.  I only go for yearly preventative checkups and make those as short and painless as possible, and if truth be told, I would much rather take care of other people’s health issues than my own. Avoidance is often times the most convenient option.  Couple that with the idea that I believe I am already a very healthy person who never needs a doctor and you’re looking straight at that great big river in Egypt called d’Nile.

     Yes, denial can tell us a lot of things we want to believe.  But at age 55, I knew deep down that I felt lousy.  Peri-menopause had been beating my door down for five years and I was experiencing all manner of discomfort; the worst being breast tenderness.  Now I am not talking about a little soreness each month, I am telling you I didn’t even want to breathe on my breasts, let alone let my husband come anywhere near them!  One time he inadvertently brushed up against my chest and I actually winced and recoiled from him with the shock of it.  That was the one issue I had brought up repeatedly at my once a year 15 minute session with my GYN.  What can I do about this blasted breast tenderness?  I tried cutting out caffeine, progesterone cream from the health food store that was ridiculously expensive, and numerous other fix-it-and-be-done-with-it measures.  I asked every woman I knew if they had ever experienced this kind of issue, but it seemed as though I was the only one.  Now, I know for absolute sure that I am not the only female on the planet that has experienced this discomfort, so I am writing to any poor, lonely soul who is shielding her breasts for more than three out of four weeks per month from society. I know you are out there needing this information.

      As an aside, I also need to tell you that my sweet Mother, who is long deceased, made homemade dessert every single day of our lives while we were growing up.  Now I am talking serious desserts here.  I must tell you, we lived in upstate NY, right in the heart of dairy country and we had our own huge garden.  Mom  made berry pies from our home grown raspberries and blueberries, apple dumplings with maple syrup drizzled on them, hand churned ice cream with heavy cream she got from our local creamery and fresh strawberries...this, just to name a few.  Every year on our birthdays my Mom would make our favorite cake.  Mine was Red Velvet- with the four layers and that wonderful thick, creamy white icing that was so smooth.  To this day, I will not eat anyone else’s Red Velvet Cake.  Nobody can make it like she did. 

    So you can see where I am coming from when I tell you I love sweets.  It’s not just the actual taste of the sweets, but the comfort derived from them.  There is nothing like a homemade chocolate chip cookie to make your day worthwhile.  It’s just a good thing I never worked in a bakery because I would weigh 500 lbs!

      Needless to say, as I grew older, my waistline began to expand.  Now I am not obese, and many people would say I looked good, but at the end of the day, when the clothing came off, I was witness to the bulges that were appearing in odd places.  Like my armpits, for instance.  I never knew you could store fat in your armpits!  Really??  And let’s not even talk about beachwear.  It was not a pretty site and you know something is not right when you never take off your cover up.  Gone were the days that I could eat anything I wanted and stay slim. 

     Which brings me, finally to Shaklee 180.  I noticed a friend of mine had lost a whole bunch of weight, and asked her how she did it.  Simple as that, she referred me to Becky O’Brien who is a Shaklee consultant and nutritional coach.  After giving Becky my laundry list of health concerns, she simply said, “Beth, I am sure Shaklee can help you with your weight issues and hormonal imbalances as you go through menopause.  You will also benefit as your body receives the nutrition it is screaming for and cut out your cravings for high sugar foods. You will lose the fat while keeping your muscle mass.”  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  Literally. nothing had worked for me to take weight off while retaining what little sanity I still had left. Until Shaklee 180.

     As a nurse, you would think I would have understood our bodies’ need for a healthy, balanced diet.  I would say I knew it in theory and could teach it to my pregnant patients, but I did not know it in practice.  I had gotten into some very bad habits from years of working 12 hour nights; including round the clock coffee and Coke intake, taking benadryl to fall asleep, and eating lot’s and lot’s of pasta with my wonderful Italian husband who is a fabulous chef!

     In the past five weeks, Shaklee has taken me from a victim mentality with regard to food, to understanding how our food choices affect our entire being.  I thought I was eating pretty well. Really, we always have fresh veggies and fruit and organic meats, but I was blinded to the entire picture that God wanted me to see.  Food, of course is there for our bodies’ nutritional needs and for our enjoyment, but we must be good stewards when it comes to food choices and the amount we consume.  When we don’t make good choices, our bodies certainly tell us loud and clear.  I have experienced ZERO breast tenderness since starting the Shaklee 180 program 5 weeks ago.  I went out the other day and bought new dress pants a whole size smaller and I am feeling wonderful!  I am simply not hungry and I had a molasses sugar cookie sitting in a snack bag on my counter for a solid week!  I kid you not...I gave it away.  I am learning to eat raw veggies with hummus instead of candy and pretzels and my body is loving it! 

    Now the other thing I had an issue with is water.  Believe it or not I NEVER drank water.  I didn’t like water because it wasn’t sweet!  But as I have flushed my system out with oodles and oodles of water, I find I have way more energy and acuteness of the mind than when I was consuming Coke and lemonade.  I just don’t have it in the house anymore.  Not even diet soda. I am learning to cope with finding the bathroom in every store I shop in upon my arrival because I know I am going to need it!  I asked Becky the first week on Shaklee if there is a diuretic in it!  She just laughed and said “No!” as I described my199 trips to the ladies room per day! 

    As a priest’s wife, I will tell you I am much more able to cope with the daily stresses my husband and I face together because I simply feel so much healthier on Shaklee.  And as Paul in 1 Corinthians questions us so aptly, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?”  I can honestly say, Paul, I do now!!!  I get it!!  I have to steward my body because it is a place of God's dwelling.  It is holy to Him, so by obedience it must be for me as well.  It’s the only way to live.  The only way that makes any sense.  I was bought with a price and that means everything to me.      

       Please schedule your complimentary wellness consult with Becky O’Brien at her office: 703-367-7109 or cell number 703-217-5393 or contact her at optimal-wellness@comcast.net.    It will be the best call you’ve ever made!