Recently I heard that a family member in her early 50s was being seen by a doctor for DVT and that she was hoping that there was a more natural way of dealing with it than the medications her doctor was prescribing. When I had digested this scrap of family ''information,'' I thought about my own lax position (denial, really) and how it would make sense for me to make some changes in my life while I still have some shreds of health and potential fitness. And, of course, I have inherited my mother's compulsive pop reading habit (in my case, the Internet mostly). So, I decided to research and write an article that would incorporate some preventative and alternative health principles into my life that might make DVT somewhat less likely to catch up with me than is likely the case now. I would also like to see our family member above and others benefit from these principles if they decide that they want to. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a critical health concern that af
When I was a young married woman, eons ago, the making of the Christmas cake (or "fruit cake," the recipes also interchangeable with "wedding cake") was still a big tradition in many families. The recipe ingredients included a lot of dried fruits-- some that looked and tasted not anything like the original fresh fruits-- and the usual feasting culprits: sugar, dairy, eggs and alcohol. The preparation that went into the cakes generally involved a lot of soaking (in alcohol) that could extend to many days. With all the ingredients in, your typical fruit cake was dense and heavy enough to be used as a door-stop, if need be. There were "light" and "dark" fruit cakes in my family. The light cakes probably used less soaked fruits and were baked for a shorter period of time? The dark cakes had a slightly bitter, burnt taste. I preferred the light cakes that my Auntie Geneva baked every year and sent out. They were sweeter and tended to h