Sept 2022 “Fall Into Community”

The Billion Dollar Quest for Hydration and Detoxification

My grandfather always said not to plant until after Easter. He was born in 1913 and was a farmer. He said there would always be a “cold snap” at Easter, and in the Panhandle where I am from, we had a potential last freeze every time. As Easter comes and goes and winter finally gives into spring, I also think of my father, who said time would go by faster and faster as we get older.

Have you ever wondered how love works, such as love at first sight or the law of attraction? Science can explain the pull of nature that causes one to swipe left or right. Science does not understand the attraction, but we have a few theories. There are a lot of hormones that race around in our bodies with stress and with different psychological experiences. The law of attraction breaks down into three essential experiences. The first experience is lust or initial attraction, which, in evolutionary terms, is to propagate the species. The second experience is falling in love. Love is felt in many ways, such as a parent for a child or a friend, but especially for someone with unique dating and mating interests. The last is the long haul, where we experience lifelong endurance and connection. All of these feelings are due to hormonal cycles in the brain. If you think about lust and an initial attraction, dopamine, and endorphins, play a massive role in the excitement and get us into strong sexual attraction. In the next stage, where we develop an attachment and more profound love, hormones like oxytocin take over. Oxytocin is the cuddle hormone. In the latter setting, when we are in the depths of marriage, where the newness wears off in the attraction seems to disappear, we must create experiences to increase dopamine and oxytocin again. As we age and lose our testosterone and estrogen, we also lose sexual drive in attachment, and this is why I love doing natural hormone replacement with my patients. There are other biochemical and neurological theories, such as pheromones. Pheromones are hormones that don't have a noticeable scent like perfume but are different from person to person and subjectively signal people certain attractions. Maybe the explanation for why we are attracted to some people and not others is due to these scents. We also tend to re-create our relationships with our parents psychologically, like a parent we identified with, or maybe we re-create certain features of our personality that we like and identify in other people. We can see things in others, even when we are not in the same space and have never met or spoken to that new someone. That's why we can look at certain people on dating apps and feel an attraction or not. The law of attraction and love is still a mystery, even in our technologically advanced age and time. I hope you have an excellent Valentine's Day and have someone special to spend it with, and if you don't, remember, there is a special someone out there for everyone. Just turn your Spidey senses on and wait for the right moment. Your pheromones are on!

I was at the light, and a homeless man was on the corner with a sign. The wind was blowing so hard and cold that it shook my car. The temperature had dropped this day before Christmas Eve Day, 30 degrees in 2 hours. It was 28 now and winds 30-40mph. My mind says, “they can find work,” and “They don’t have to be out here every day begging, etc.” We have all said it or thought these thoughts. I could tell he was genuinely homeless and mentally ill. He was blowing on his hands and making the sign of the cross over and over. I couldn’t stand watching it and reaching in my wallet all I had to give. I gave him a $20 bill. I wanted to go home and get some old blankets for him. My eyes watered. It really can happen to anyone. Adding insult to injury, one of my office staff, too ashamed to ask me point blank … had my office manager ask if she could take one of the office space heaters home with her as she does not have heating in her house. It is the 21st-century folks. It broke my heart too. I pray for those in need that there exists one person that is not without for everyone in need. We could solve so many issues if each one of us helps one person. Even if you are not Christian, remember Christmas is not just a religious holiday, it’s a chance to make the world right, and anyone Jewish, Muslim, or anyone can do one nice thing for anyone daily. This season is meant as a reminder. The two children in the photo with the Christmas tree went through hell this summer for reasons I can’t explain, but here they are, posing in front of my Christmas tree and all our packages. They have never had trees and bundles of wrapped gifts, and Santa Claus or anything like we have all had before. They saw our tree and gifts, and their eyes lit up with wonder and amazement that people get to do this kind of celebration. They had no idea the world could be this way. They were invited this year because my children and I are extending ourselves beyond our means. I want my children to watch and see what it’s like for someone with so little to be blessed with something they can only dream. These kids will never forget this Christmas. I feel so blessed and honored to have this opportunity to give back. You never know who is in need as they are not always on a street corner in rags, or they are not outward with their story and hide their suffering behind where others view prejudice and pretension so not to be judged. Keep your eyes and hearts open, and if you assist at least one person I promise they will pay it forward. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and mental illness are at an all-time high. Inflation and the cost of living are overwhelming, and families and friends turn their backs daily on loved ones. The political environment is so hostile, and people are blocking people on phones and social media for lack of patience and understanding that we all come from different roads and backgrounds and even various traumas and experiences. Stop, listen, think, and reason before you make a rash judgment. Everyone has a story, and everyone has pain and suffering from experiences in their heart. Everyone has their good points and their needs, primarily unmet. All of this to say… be patient and gracious and look at life through different eyes before you rush to judgment. Blessings to all, and reach out to those in need when people exhibit anger in line and traffic, the lines long, the stress high… be kind and remember you are more lucky than many. Spread the wealth of love. Leave judgment at the door when you step outside to the stress of the day or read someone’s post with which you disagree, or anytime you hear someone saying their opinion, remember you are not in their shoes. Happy New Year. Make 2023 the change we need. It starts with YOU!

November is on our doorstep and we are 1/2 way through football season and entering the cold and cuddle zone of the year. My favorite time actually.

October is here and as the joys of the fall season arrives with the beginning of the holiday season, parties, and praying for cooler temperatures to finally arrive… October also brings some topics nationally and internationally for health awareness.

One of the things I love about September is the onset of the coming fall season. I cannot wait for football and “Friday Night Lights”, hearing the marching bands practice in the morning, buying school supplies and the start of a new year. Something I love as fall progresses is the smell the burning leaves and brush in the Hill Country.

This has been the summer from Hades if you ask me. Many of my patients ask me about hydration and many don’t understand it’s not just about water. Have you ever asked yourself these questions: 1- what’s the best water bottle or container 2- what’s the best type of water 3- how much is enough? Although hydration is a subject much larger than this one blog, I’ll answer those 3 most common questions above.

It’s party time for most Americans! Birthday parties, swimming parties and events, beach trips and more are the rule of the summer time fun while the kids are out of school. Soaking up the rays can be good for your vitamin D and even for your brain in that sunlight helps depression and your bones and more. It’s not all fun and games though.