Light Bearers Author

Growing up in earthquake territory, I was keenly aware that while no one knew when, everyone anticipated “the big one.” Earthquake drills in school, tremors, and even actual midnight earthquakes kept the apprehension alive. I always drove a little faster over the freeway bypass that dropped right over the San Andreas

An antagonist is typically someone who is against us. Defined as an opposing, limiting, nullifying force, the antagonist does not carry a positive connotation. In the world of physiology though, a healthy balance of life could not be maintained without the antagonist and the agonist working together.

Various studies show that somewhere between about 25-35 percent of adults in America and 50 percent of those 60 years of age or older are estimated to have metabolic syndrome. These are staggering statistics. Potentially 3 out of 10 adults in America are living with a dangerous syndrome, possibly unknowingly.

For a while now we’ve been in the throes of the coronavirus. Most of us have never experienced empty grocery store shelves, social distancing, and unemployment due to a virus. Because COVID-19 is novel, one we’ve never seen before, we don’t have a vaccine or other solution. What we do have though is something that

During the telegraph era, humans started to formulate abbreviations to communicate. Today, abbreviated texting lingo abounds. It is referred to as SMS language or textspeak. I am admittedly slow with cultural change, but I do know how to interpret l8r, lol, omg, lmao, omw, wth, ttyl, smh, irl and the like. Ok, tbh idk what

Black-eyed peas are not pizza or hamburgers. That’s for sure. Black-eyed peas are associated with soul comfort food. However, I don't think the amount of black-eyed peas consumed in the United States can even be compared to the amount of pizza or hamburgers we eat. I mean, be honest. Which of the three food items would

Zingy, zesty, and bright. That's how some describe the taste of gooseberries. Others say they're like sour grapes. Scientific circles refer to them as Phyllanthus emblica or Emblica officinal. In Sanskrit its name is "Amalaki," which means ‘the sustainer.’ In Hindi, however, Indian gooseberries are

Diabetes for Dummies I spend time with a woman every other month who uses words such as "dummy," "stupid," and "idiot" when describing herself. As she acknowledges what hinders her from making healthy choices and positive changes for improved diabetes management, the

Shortly after finishing her master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University, Ana Montes was hired at the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). What the DIA didn’t know was that she already had been hired by the Cuban government. For 16 years she was a double agent and, in that time, did a considerable amount of damage for

Growth doesn't occur without resistance of some kind. Sometimes the strongest resistance we face when pursuing change is from ourselves. How do you feel when you think of going back to school, joining the gym, losing weight, or apologizing for a wrong? That’s resistance. How do we surmount the thoughts and feelings, the

These articles on insulin resistance are an attempt to provide reasons for resisting the typical approach to managing diabetes. I find that when the focus is primarily on blood sugar readings, we tend to forget the larger picture and ignore factors that, if addressed, have the potential to improve the underlying insulin

Removing the reason for resistance is the most effective remedy for the need to resist that I can think of. If you remove injustice, overcome hate, restore harmonious existence, you eliminate the need for war and resistance is no longer needed. Could this be true for insulin resistance as well?

As a freshman college student, Martin Luther King Jr., became “fascinated by the idea of refusing to cooperate with an evil system” and fighting against it while holding to his Christian value of love.1 Jesus and Gandhi became his mentors and he utilized their methods and weapons in his resistance against

Resistance comes in many varieties and forms. Nancy Wake was a New Zealand born Australian who married a wealthy Frenchman and settled in Marseille in 1939, a year before Germany invaded France. Upon their invasion, she and her husband joined the French Resistance Movement. The couple saved thousands of Jews enabling them

Don’t mess with my sleep. That’s just a fair warning. In truth though, when you hear about the increased airplane accidents associated with exhausted pilots or medical errors from sleep-deprived physicians, a warning sign could be helpful. Unfortunately, there are a lot more people who are attempting to live on not

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1).  I love that! He set you at liberty for the sake of freedom, no strings attached. It is God’s design that all of His creation thrive in the context of absolute freedom. God demonstrated His zeal for liberty when He set the children of Israel free.

What does it mean to be comfortable in your own skin? What does that look like? I recently asked these questions to my youth Sabbath school class. We briefly remembered awkward adolescent stages of our lives in which we weren’t so comfortable and then pondered its

During a time of upheaval in our nation, Lou Gherig, America’s baseball iron horse, received a diagnosis that completely changed his life. In the face of his own uncertain future Lou Gherig stood before over 60,000 people and delivered a speech in which he shared the “bad break” of his recent diagnosis with ALS. Yet,

The early 1930s was a time of great uncertainty. Prior to President Roosevelt, our nation was uncertain of its leadership. Investment uncertainty existed after economic collapse. Among the working class there was uncertain employment and therefore financial insecurity and doubt about whether daily necessities would be met.

Did you know that without the special protein albumin, your body would swell up with water like a balloon? Without the protein rhodopsin our eyes wouldn’t be able to see light. Without hemoglobin in our red blood cells, oxygen couldn’t be transported throughout the body and carbon dioxide wouldn’t be excreted,

Medical residents regularly exposed to chronic stress were found to have elevated white blood cell counts. White blood cells are a crucial part of the body’s defense against invasion, sickness, and disease. They search out and destroy invading pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. Too many, however, can be a sign of disease. Dr. Matthias

I was 19, ignorant, and trusting. A woman who lived near the college I was attending convinced me that I needed to go on a "seawater cleanse." It lasted about 10 days. I don’t remember the particulars of the program, except that I fasted for many of those days and drank “seawater.” This created an internal tsunami that “cleansed” the

In 1984, Michael Jordan received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and an Olympic gold medal. It was a good year. He wore a pair of pinkish Converse tennis shoes at some point that year, supposedly even in the Los Angeles Olympic games. Decades later, when the shoes went up for auction, they were expected to sell for $100,000. Amazingly, someone

Air and water purifiers operate off the concept that invisible contaminants are lurking in the atmosphere around us, in our aquifers and watersheds. Transforming and removing these contaminants is how we purify indoor air and drinking water. Last month we identified several contaminants and realized we live in a country that allows thousands of

The dictionary definition to purify is: 1. to make pure; free from anything that debases, pollutes, adulterates, or contaminates. 2. to free from foreign, extraneous, or objectionable elements. Detoxification is a modern word that represents this physiological process. Why would someone living today need to or seek to purify or detox themselves?

As I turn 50 this month, I have to admit, the concept of being ageless is rather appealing. I would love to know how to age less. One way of minimizing the impact of aging is by decreasing AGEs. Rather than referring to the lapse of time, AGEs are molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). They are also referred to as

In the year following her CHIP attendance, Angie lost over 100 pounds. Recently, Angie shared her story with the current CHIP class. Gasps were heard around the room as she told of her weight loss journey. She was flooded with questions like, “What do you eat?” Do you ever eat…?” Was she able to include greatly beloved foods in her

Carl had the typical cardio metabolic syndrome profile: diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. He approached me after a week into the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) that I was leading at the Adventist Health Medical Center. "I am not going to change the way I eat," he said. "I have eaten beef and

A 24-year-old male teacher began to have deviant thoughts of doing harm to his students. He sought professional help and complained of depression, insomnia, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and anxiety along with the thoughts of inflicting harm. The counselor referred him to a psychologist. Thinking that perhaps he was possessed, he also sought

Found within all human cells (with the exception of red blood cells) is the ability to produce energy—energy that enables action, maintenance, movement—and life in general. Microscopic structures called mitochondria are the key players in these processes and produce 95 percent of the cell’s energy. They dwell, sometimes in the hundreds and

Holidays are over. The time to excuse our excess is behind us. Now, with a few extra pounds and a sense of guilt, we are on to making enthusiastic compensatory resolutions. It's reported that the majority of resolutions pertain to weight and health. The sad part is only 8 percent of these resolutions succeed, while 80 percent fail in a couple

Grasping in the dark for my phone, my terrified mind sought to force my trembling fingers to dial 911. It took hours to calm my nerves even after the police arrived. Fear is not a foreign emotion. I have often felt fear in the form of butterflies and a pounding heart just before public speaking. I felt fear when my husband was diagnosed with

Pretty ugly, deafeningly quiet, make haste slowly, and vegetarian meatballs are great examples of oxymorons that make you smile when you think about what the words by themselves mean in contrast to what is conveyed by the phrase. There is one oxymoron however that is pretty serious in nature and that is skinny fat. Skinny fat describes fat

From dead seas to living ones, embedded in white veins in the depths of the earth to its surface, salt is one of the world’s most precious commodities. At one time, salt was traded ounce for ounce with gold. Salt coins were used as money. Salt was even used as part of a soldier’s salary. Caravans traversed salt routes that extended from

Throughout much of the 20th century, atherosclerosis was thought of as a disease of the inside space of arteries, the lumen. Most of us considered this hardening and thickening of the arteries to be the result of excess lipids in the bloodstream. Fat build up resulted in clogged arteries and clogged arteries don’t make for

Suffering from pain, debility, loss of quality of life, destruction and/or malfunction of bodily processes and tissue characterizes disease. Medical science has devoted itself to the study of disease and in so doing has specialized in categorizing the human body so that we can see the correct specialist for the defined problem. It seems neat and

Time is central to planet Earth. Every facet of this globe is regulated to some degree or other with time. Creation was based on time segments. Separate and unique accomplishments were designed in each sequential day. Heavenly bodies were assigned to direct seasons and periods. Time is valued as it relates to the possibilities it contains and

Reportedly there are 195,000 species of plants which produce edible parts that could be consumed by humans. How many of those 195,000 species do we consume? Approximately 17 plant species provide 90 percent of our food supply. Grains constitute the largest percentage among that group. Wheat, maize, rice, and barley are the first four on a list of

The term migration, in the animal kingdom, refers to a phenomenon that portrays rhythmic cadence, routine, and structure. Whether of butterfly, bird, or fish, the intent of migration is typically to ansure healthy survival in response to changing climates, shifting environments, or threats. For much of the animal kingdom, migration is

Spinach is an extremely nutrient-packed vegetable. Its tender leaves and mild flavor have made it a versatile food. Interestingly, the cooler the temperatures and the more stress the spinach experiences while growing, the denser the vitamins and minerals it contains. Unfortunately, even though spinach is probably one of the most commonly consumed

If we readily saw the microscopic organisms swimming in lake water the way Antonie van Leeuwenhoek did, we would probably never venture in again. If we could see what lives on our teeth as Leeuwenhoek observed, we might not be able to stomach a kiss in the light. Referred to as “the Improbable Father of Microbiology,” Leeuwenhoek was a

“Who of you respect authority?” questioned the professor to those of us sitting in her classroom. I immediately raised my hand. Awkwardly, I realized that mine was the only hand raised. I was surprised but unshaken in my response. I respect authority. It’s how my mama raised me. A good 20 plus years older than my peers, I attributed the

Did you know that an estimated 80% of the world’s inhabitants rely on traditional therapies that have been used for thousands of years? Anciently, turmeric was used in places like China and India to aid digestion, improve liver function, treat arthritis pain, heartburn, stomach ulcers, inflammation, and cancer. Turmeric has been applied directly

You will not find this word in Webster’s dictionary, in a telephone book, or a listing of careers. The word plantrician was created to identify health care practitioners, such as physicians or clinicians, who are empowered with knowledge of the benefits of whole-food, plant-based nutrition.1 I recently had the privilege of

Crosstalk is a term that can pertain to telecommunications, when distinguishable signals leak from one connection to another. In electronics, crosstalk is a phenomenon by which a signal on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an effect on another circuit or channel. The term has been borrowed and used in reference to the human

Last month we began understanding one of the ways the community of microbes residing within impacts the health of its host organ, the colon, as well as other facets of human health. This community is composed of many members in various concentrations or percentages. There are thousands of varieties/species, some of which science is still

Modern man has a problem with his colon, the large intestine, one’s bowels, the gut, the last processing plant in the digestive tract. Yep, whether it's diverticulosis, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, diarrhea, constipation, pain upon defecation, abdominal

Skeletal muscle has this amazing ability to adapt to being overloaded. When weight bearing loads are repeatedly placed upon them, muscle responds by increasing in size and strength. Exercise is the most powerful stimuli for inducing reorganization of muscle cells. Genetics play a large role in muscle mass potential, as does diet and growth

It’s nighttime. You are driving a country road when a deer leaps onto the pavement in front of you, stops in the middle of the road, seemingly looks straight at you and freezes. If the deer kept his eyes focused on the direction he was originally headed he would have had a good chance of bounding away to safety, but it’s as if looking into the

We are a society that admires independence. The methodology of our educational system is established on this premise Parenting is conducted in such a way as to develop independence in our children.  We even construct our theology around ‘me, myself, & I’. There is some validity to our approach, however, evidence is mounting that we

Nearly 35% of adults in America and 50% of those 60 years of age or older are estimated to have metabolic syndrome, also called syndrome X and insulin resistance syndrome. These are staggering statistics. Potentially 3 of 10 adults in America are living with a syndrome that they may not even realize they have. Metabolic syndrome is not a

One of my favorite flowers possesses delicate blue petals that drop off before evening, only to open a new bouquet every morning. The flower is delicate, yet tenacious, resilient, and beautiful. Science has found that of even greater significance in this plant are its seeds, which have powerful therapeutic properties. Studies conducted with

Do you remember what goals and aspirations you had for yourself when you were a senior in high school? Do you remember how challenging it was to answer the question on everyone’s lips, “So, what are you going to do with your life?” Ascertaining and picturing the future, knowing what steps to take to get there is not easy. Each high school

It is estimated that the average American woman is exposed to some 200 chemicals before she even leaves her home in the morning. While men do not use the lotions and potions that women do, they are still exposed to potentially thousands of other chemicals in our environment, as are unborn babies, infants, and children. The food we eat, water we

Breaking news from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization (WHO), reports that processed meats are carcinogenic to humans. Processed meats such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, beef jerky, canned meat (like SPAM), and ham were classified as Group 1 carcinogens. Other Group 1

In Toronto, Canada, 1922, Leonard, a 14-year-old young man, weighing a mere 65 pounds, lay dying of type 1 diabetes in a hospital ward. At that time hospitals had dedicated wards where 50 children could be congregated, suffering the trauma and ultimate death of insulin insufficiency. For hundreds of years, up to that time, the diagnosis of

Before the age of GPS or iPhone Maps, London taxi drivers relied on their memories. They developed what was coined “the knowledge.” Developed over centuries, the winding, crooked streets of London resemble a maze more than neat perpendicular blocks. Some are paved. Some are cobblestone. There are the major thoroughfares and then the seemingly

Dr. Denis Burkitt, a well-known Irish missionary surgeon made an interesting observation of America. His comment was this: “America is a constipated nation…. If you pass small stools, you have to have large hospitals.”1 Burkitt’s fascination with man’s evacuation habits began when he traveled to Uganda in the 1960s. The

Splenda is the most popular sugar substitute on the market. It is easily identifiable in the large yellow box or little yellow packets filled with sweet white crystals. The key ingredient in Splenda is sucralose, a non-nutritive artificial sweetener. For volume sake it is combined with fillers including dextrose and maltodextrin. Sucralose is

In the hospital it is not uncommon to see doctor’s orders for C. diff testing in patient charts. C. diff is an abbreviation for Clostridium difficile. If C. diff + is charted it means the patient has Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).  C. diff is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change,” said Albert Einstein. Others of comparable IQ have defined intelligence similarly, as the ability to adapt to change. I find this an interesting way of looking at something we try so hard to measure, whether by exams, IQ tests, or career. How does one adapt to a math problem? To a physics

Mary Hunt worked for the Department of Agriculture’s Northern Regional Research Laboratory (NRRL) in Peoria, Illinois in the early 1940s. She had been assigned the task of grocery shopping for the lab with a shopping list that probably surprised the businesses she frequented. She scoured markets and shops looking for moldy fruits, vegetables,

It takes all kinds, or so the saying goes. While the it in this statement has the potential of referring to options too numerous to count, according to Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, the all kinds is limited to 16. Katharine and Isabel organized specific traits into four basic personality categories, holding

If you are like me, you like to get the most bang for your buck, the best results from your effort, the greatest number of items on the to-do list accomplished for the time invested. When it comes to supplying the body with nutrition, we often hear health advisors encouraging nutritionally dense foods. This is referring to food items that pack a

Baby Sara was born into the Glick family in the summer of 1999. Having seven older brothers, she was the cherished little girl the family had hoped for. Samuel and Elizabeth Glick were Amish dairy farmers in rural Pennsylvania. Four months later however, baby Sara became very ill. When Elizabeth found her unconscious in her crib she was rushed to

Foie gras is French for fatty liver. Though considered a delicacy of French cuisine, its production dates back to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians discovered that migratory geese overfed themselves in preparation for their long flights, which produced desirable meat and livers. Foie gras has been described as having the world's most decadent and

When symptoms of disease and sickness are said to be all in one’s head, there is an implication made that questions the legitimacy of physical ailment. When we hear this description we understand that something is thought of as reality, but is only imaginary. In the absence of underlying pathology, symptoms can be attributed to psychosomatic

Linguistically, the term bowel has been used to express the inner workings, the depths of man emotionally as well as physically. It is where input is broken down, digested, absorbed, sorted, reacted to, and transformed into us. Interestingly enough, while seeking to better understand the connection between the bowels of our gut and the bowels

Physiologically, the bowel is synonymous with the gut, the gastrointestinal tract, including stomach and the intestines. In this context, the association made between the bowel and the brain in the following statements is quite intriguing. “The brain and nerves are in sympathy with the stomach.”1 “The diseased stomach affects the

At the age of 45, the lifetime risk of heart disease is 60.3 percent for men and 55.6 percent for women. In other words, three out of five men without heart disease at age 45 will develop the condition at some point in their lives. Being a woman, and 45 years old, the probability of my future tango with heart disease is, at best, 50-50. On what

It would be overly simplistic to say that one food or food component is capable of causing, preventing, or curing cancer. However, it would be completely ignorant to intimate that food and food components are not factors in the development of many forms of cancer. According to Andrew Woodward, MS, RD, CSO, a medical oncology dietitian, diet may

When I think of hunger, I picture an emaciated man with defined ribs, and perhaps a slightly protruding, enlarged abdomen, signaling malnutrition. Associating the enlarged abdomen of an overweight person with hunger has never seriously entered my frame of reference until I recently watched the documentary film, A Place at the Table. Hunger,

Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician who lived in the mid-1800s before the germ theory was born. Years after his death he was referred to as the “savior of mothers.” His new-fangled notion of washing hands between touching cadavers and examining pregnant women would eventually save thousands of lives. He was not the first to introduce

The heart has always been thought to be responsible for pumping some eight thousand liters of blood per day at rest and much more during activity. This has been compared to the lifting of approximately 100 pounds one mile high! Blood is five times more viscous than water, meaning it is thicker and heavier. The strength of the heart is evidenced by

It was March 1, 1945, during his fourth term, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt [FDR] delivered a speech to inform Congress and the American people via national radio of the decisions made at the recent Yalta Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. His words had rallied the nation during the Great

The dental student examined her inflamed, bleeding gums and loose teeth. From all appearances it looked as though her teeth would have to be pulled. A supervising dentist with an experienced eye asked the woman what she ate. Her diet consisted largely of beans, rice, and meat, no vegetables or fruit to speak of. He diagnosed the woman with scurvy

One of the most exciting fields in nutrition is nutritional neuroscience. It is the study of how components of the diet impact the central nervous system, specifically cognitive function and mental health. The idea that food impacts brain function was considered ridiculous not too long ago. Today, however, it is a proven fact. Richard Wurtman,

Cinnamon is one of those flavors and smells that can’t be substituted, especially around the holidays. I have cooked with coriander and cardamom and they can be quite good—but they are not cinnamon. I find it very interesting though (because I am such a foodie), that what Americans typically purchase and use as cinnamon is in reality, by some

There is evidence that, as far back as 5000 BC, the Egyptians were making tooth powder of ashes of ox hooves, myrrh, burnt eggshells, and pumice. The chewing sticks of 3500 BC Babylonia could be the origin of our modern toothbrush. Toothpicks were written about in ancient Greek and Roman literature. They were used to keep the mouth clean. The

Duncan Ryan was only 42 and weighed 508 pounds. At five feet eleven inches, he was considered morbidly obese. At that weight it doesn’t matter how tall one is, more fat than anything else is being carried around. Duncan is not alone. One out of three Americans is in a similar boat. On a cruise ship with his wife, Duncan “could barely wedge

Have you ever noticed the invisible sentimental tags we have attached to certain foods? These tags do not read with typical scientific style: “high in vitamin C,” “beneficial to the heart,” “180 calories,” etc. We do not merely receive a full stomach, vitamins, or energy for the next physical demand from food. Beyond survival, food has

When building our home, I told the carpenter that I wanted a large walk-in pantry. He showed it to me sometime later and I commented that it seemed small. He assured me that I did not understand how things look before they are sheet rocked and that the pantry was quite large.  I assured him that he had no idea how much food I like to keep in a

Who would have watched food television programs 50 years ago? Would Americans have gravitated to Iron Chef America, watching Bobby Flay and Cat Cora hurriedly trounce around kitchens in an effort to out-impress gustatory judging? Would we have enjoyed watching Takeru “the Tsunami” Kobayashi eat 110 hot dogs without the buns in only 10 minutes

As a young college student I became quite attracted to the concept of health. Something clicked internally and I was into it. In class, I learned that the vast majority of what an individual might encounter in the hospital was lifestyle related. My healthy mindset centered on freedom from sickness and disease. If others had a cold or the flu was

In politics, are you Republican or Democrat? In terms of religion, are you liberal or conservative? When it comes to your personality, are you sanguine or melancholy? In diet, are you vegan or vegetarian? Are you for or against…, in or out, yes or no, right or wrong? I mean really! Take a stand! Isn’t that how we think at times? It is for

I despise sloths. The continuous ritardando of their existence is not to my liking. They sleep for 20 hours a day. When they are awake they barely move. They are so slow and sluggish that algae will actually grow on their fur! Can you imagine if sloths could talk? A short sentence would probably take five minutes! Wwwwwhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaat

Benjamin Franklin said, “Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” The implication is that habits control much of what life is made up of. We’ve heard the saying, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow

For Michael Phelps, the morning was like many others. Though a race-day, he fell into a routine that had become automatic. He ate the same breakfast he always ate, did the same stretching routine he always did. He swam his typical sequence of warm-up laps. He had already won three gold medals that week at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Today, however,

You would think that a company who: came up with saccharin to produce diet Coca Cola; contributed to research on uranium which led to the atomic bomb; has been a leading manufacturer of plastics, PCBs and DDTs; sold Agent Orange to the US government during the Vietnam War; has discharged 37 million pounds of toxic

It was a strange turn of events that left researchers wondering. Proponents of the therapeutic value of food were sure that this study would be an arrow in their quiver. But it wasn’t. Instead the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study indicated that lung cancer actually increased in those who took

James Cook was one of the greatest sea navigators in history. In the late 1700s, he sailed from England around South Africa, to Tahiti, Australia and beyond. His eyes saw what very few had in his time. He and his men were aware of the risks of their adventure. He wrote, “every man

An antagonist is typically someone who is against us. Defined as an opposing, limiting, nullifying force, the antagonist does not carry a positive connotation. In the world of physiology though, a healthy balance of life could not be maintained without the antagonist and the agonist working together.