The Body

I've been seeing a new doctor. She's an N.D. or Naturopathic Doctor and specializes in the area of hormones. I've never seen an ND before and I was really nervous at first. But she's been treating me for hormone imbalance and as she explained to me the connections between stress, cortisol, progesterone and women's issues (for lack of a better term), I was simply amazed. How did I not know all this before? How are there complete gaps in my knowledge of basic human body function? And more importantly, why do my doctors not know anything about this either? It's almost twilight zone-esque sometimes.

So here's the run down as I understand it. Feel free to add or correct if I'm not completely getting it right. I'm not a doctor and like I already admitted I am learning most of this for the first time!

Stress uses a hormone called cortisol. You may already know that Adrenaline is a stress hormone, but it only deals in the short term, giving you an "adrenaline rush." But cortisol is responsible for long-term stress management. Too much or too little cortisol can lead to side effects. (ie: too little can lead to fatigue, too much can lead to anxiety and panic attacks) Ok. are we good so far? Cortisol is actually made from progesterone. So when your body is under stress for long periods of time, it will eventually run out of cortisol and have to make more-- taking from the progesterone supply in your body. Well each person's body needs a certain amount of progesterone to function smoothly. For women especially, a lot of "issues" come from imbalance between progesterone and estrogen, as these two increase/decrease in various parts of your cycle. (As a side note, many people are already high on estrogens because of the environmental estrogen and phytoestrogens... compounds in plastics, refined sugars, processed foods, and even petroleum-based lotions and soaps!) And progesterone... did you know that it is manufactured in the body from cholesterol stores?? Goodness! I didn't catch whether it came from HDL or LDL cholesterol, so sorry about that. Maybe someone can leave a comment and fill me in.

Isn't all that fascinating? Ok, so maybe it's more interesting to me right now because it's actually HELPFUL to me as I get all this worked out. But to see the indirect correlation between stress and hormones was really pivotal in my understanding of how things are (or aren't) working in my body.

And to think that God worked these systems out in our human bodies... can you believe it? What complexities! Scripture tells us "do not fear," "don't be anxious," etc, and with good reason! If we harbor those things long-term we can really get out of balance! It's also a good reminder to be getting Sabbath Rest and to guard that time/energy. It's so easy to work, work, work in North American culture without taking the time to recharge. It's good to think about which activities are restful (as in not requiring much energy-- ie: watching a movie) and which activities are actually life-giving (as in adding more energy--ie: taking a nap or reading Scripture).

I wonder if this topic will be as much of an encouragement to anyone else as it has been to me...

-JLR

On Second Thought...

Joy is not working out for me today. The aftermath of all that's happened in the past week has been more than I can bear emotionally and I'm completely broken. I'm struggling with panic, fear, and stress that doesn't seem to go away no matter how hard I pray, breathe, or talk things through! I suppose it's normal to have good days and bad days, but sheesh.

Yesterday we heard a really good sermon on undeserved grace. I know the point was probably for us to realize how much we need God's grace, but instead God drove home the point that I need to forgive the person or people who broke into our home. I've been shown so much grace and God has loved me since before I did anything good... shouldn't I be an agent of that grace to others? Even if they aren't deserving? (who is deserving, anyway?)
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. --Ephesians 2:4
I made a first step toward forgiveness, but I know that it's probably not as simple as saying "I forgive them" once. I expect that it will come up over and over as I realize just how much I'm actually forgiving them for.

Am I alone? Has anyone out there had to forgive someone for something that seemed unforgivable or for something that was still producing negative effects? I'd love to hear some other thoughts on this.

-JLR

The New Year

2011 has not gotten off to a very good start for us. We were traveling over the holidays and got to see our families in Missouri. The trip was good-- much better than we were expecting, to be honest. But like any trip, we were exhausted and anxious to get back to our home here in BC.

When we arrived at our house here in BC on Jan 5, we soon realized that there had been a break-in over the holidays. So while we were looking forward to unwinding, unpacking, and sleeping, our first afternoon/evening back in Canada took a very unexpected turn. We dealt with police reports, visits from our landlord and locksmith, and the start of the very long process of changing personal information that was stolen. We were discouraged to say the least.

We were finally making some headway with getting our house back in order yesterday when we noticed a foul odor in the house. We couldn't pinpoint it, but it seemed to be near the vents. We called the gas company and were advised to leave the house until it could be checked. After more than an hour of waiting in our car (parked on the street) after Micaiah should have been in bed, we were finally cleared to return to the house. While there was no major leak, they said the fan on our furnace had burnt out, causing the smell to be distributed through the vents when the furnace would try to heat the house. They turned our furnace off. They also noticed a small leak on our gas line to our fireplace, so the gas had to be shut off. We were so tired but managed to borrow some electric space heaters and did a family camp out in the living room. Funny, but that's been one of my highlights from this past week-- Micaiah loved the idea of moving the mattresses into the living room and all snuggling in together!

It is so amazing to see what a positive attitude can do in a situation like this. Here I am all discouraged, tired, and in tears and my 5 year old is praising God and just giggly over the fun she gets to have! Tim, too, has been reminding me that complaining does nothing to actually change the situation. Well, nothing but discourage others! So as we've been reading Scriptures on complaining, worries, anxiety, fear, etc., we've decided as a family that we're going to choose joy. Especially when it isn't easy! Because that's when it truly does transform you.

So maybe my past week hasn't been what I would have chosen, but I still have a Good God who loves us and takes care of us. But maybe it's easier to say that when my daughter is screaming "O happy day!" at the top of her lungs. :) Thanks, God, for the many blessings you give me each and every day. And thank you that your grace is enough to get me through the trials we face each day as well.

-JLR