Hi {!firstname_fix}

So my puppies have teeth and Pepper is wanting me to give them M-E-A-T. She keeps telling me to go hunt or something, LOL. They are now steady on their feet and are starting to pounce on one another. This is the fun part.

My kitchen renovation is progressing. The room is naked now, we painted it a lovely soft light brown color.. The cabinet installers come on Wednesday, so I have just a few days without a kitchen. It will be lovely and I am quite excited.

These classes will begin the week of July 23, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Step 5: Browning Your Family is one of our favorites. Learn the art of whole grains. Get lots of information that you won't find anywhere else. I picked the brains of one of the world's leading *brown* experts for this class. You may think browning is a snap, but do come and learn tricks that you have not considered.

Back to Basics 1 is the class for those who have been on Step 7 and got lost. If you are wobbling around, have relapsed or need a tune up, come connect. We are kind, funny and have a great get back on track process. If you are not on step 7 and got wobbly, this is not the class for you. Check into the step class where you lost your way.

Using the Resources of the Community is for those of you who are brand new and would like to find your way around town. Come sit on the top of our double decker bus for a guided tour. And even if you are not brand new, this is a really fun class to reconnect with all the treats of the community.

These classes will begin the week of July 30 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Dopamine is one of the famous brain chemistry classes. This material is not in the books. So, if you want to learn another part of the story, this is the class for you. And if you are a diet coke fiend, this class will tell you why.

IBD is the second round of the very interesting class on the biochemistry of gut issues. Come learn how IBD/IBS are connected to sugar sensitivity and what you can do to heal. This is a two week class.

Step 1: The Art of Breakfast is our foundation class to get you started. Learn all four parts of step 1 in a structured way. Learn how to progress through them with enjoyment. Let us support getting your program off to a fabulous start.

The class schedule is on line. Click here to see what is planned. Please do not sign up for classes that are not yet scheduled.

A number of you have asked me how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this. The classes are done online and you do not have to be at your computer at any set time. It does not matter whether you are in the US, Europe, the Far East or Australia, you simply respond on your own time. And although I advertise that the classes are one or two weeks, sometimes we are a little flexible and they may run longer.

And please go read the questions and answers before you write to me. If you have trouble getting through the process, write the tech forum.

Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover.

Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

**********************************************************************

July 23, 2007
** Quote From Kathleen **


If you don't have a journal, you have no record of your process. If you don't keep a journal, your body has no way to talk with you. Your body yearns for dialogue!

*********************************************************************

** Testimonial for the Week**


Good Morning,

Up at 7:00 (Saturday allows for sleepin' in), had 3 mini sausages, 1 egg with WW toast with butter by 7:30. I love that breakfast.

I just want to share...yesterday, I had to wake my daughter earlier than usual. Usually, when I have to wake them I go in and call their names with a little tug on the foot or something. This time I went to her face, and stroked her cheek and gently said her name and she woke up. She looked at me and smiled and said, "I love to be treated gently". I started tearing up and said, "me too."

That just hit a button for me so deep. I'm telling you that breakfast has made me 1)more aware of my irritability throughout the day and 2)has physiologically changed my attitude throughout the morning! I did not believe this would be possible 2 months ago.

I was reminded to treat myself, and my body, gently...it has a ripple effect on the rest of my family. I have not felt this hopeful in a very, very long time.

I have gained weight since starting and I still have to choose not to allow that to be my focus. This incident with my daughter yesterday really hit home that the focus on weight is such a waste of my mental energy and I am able to redirect that energy towards being gentle with my body...what a simple, yet wonderful ability I have found for myself...I never thought I could do that. But I really can.

Feels like Christmas.

Thanks for listening,

Maria

********************************************************************

**Radiant Kitchen**

By Naomi Muller, Step 7, author of Nutritious and Delicious Cookbook.


This recipe is from my cookbook. I love all the different flavors together and that it is refreshing on hot summer days!

Cabbage, Apple & Cheddar Slaw

Dressing Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons light sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt, preferably sea or kosher, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad Ingredients:
  • 1 medium cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
  • 3 apples (any variety),unpeeled,cored and cut into matchsticks
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (about 2-1/2 cups)
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar
  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
In a blender, combine vinegar, sesame oil, mustard, soy sauce and cinnamon; blend until smooth. While blender is running, slowly add olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Add enough dressing to coat salad well and toss together until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

********************************************************************

**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**

YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself.


We finished up the clothing and feelings class. My was that an unexpected delight. We thought we were going to look at redesigning your wardrobe as you are losing weight. Instead we explored all sorts of feelings about self esteem and not having a *markdown* life.

I am never bored with the fun of YLD. The chats are the highlight of my week. I love meeting with our members from Europe, I love how informative the Monday night newcomers chat is and of course Wednesday nights are just plain fun!

If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun.
 


********************************************************* ***********

**Radiant Recovery Store **

David manages the Radiant Recovery Store. He is also Kathleen’s oldest son.



Since Kathleen is giving the IBD class again, I thought it might be helpful to highlight the things that seem to really help folks with gut trouble.

Wild rice seems to be a wonderful brown for troubled guts.
Gammazyme helps with digestion and bloating. And this formulation is especially good for people dealing with inflammation.
ProEpa is the center of reducing inflammation. It is such a positive addition to your tool kit for quieting that gut. And no fish odor, no burping. It is free of heavy metals and mercury. We love it.
Pycnogenol is a great thing to take if you are having ProEpa. Fish oil thins your blood and you can be vulnerable to bruisng when you take it. Pycnogenol strengthens your capillaries and prevents this.


Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.

 
********************************************************* ***********

**Our Online Groups**


A lot of new people have come over to radiantparents and are talking about how to do new behaviors with their kids. We are talking not just about food, but about new patterns of recovery in your family. If you are looking for great support for toddlers to teens, come join us. The problem solving is such a comfort and I love seeing the more experienced parents give so much help to new people.

Or come to the group page to see all our groups. http://www.radiantrecovery.com/list_serves.htm


********************************************************************

**On Confronting The Specter of Cancer **
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


As those of you who have been reading the newsletter for a while know, I sometimes write more personal sharing. This past ten days was a time of pretty intense reflection for me, so I thought I would share some of it with you.

About a month ago, I noticed a tiny mole on my face. I looked at it with a magnifying mirror and I knew that it was not a regular getting older skin thing. I watched it for a bit and noted that it was growing bigger, so I made an appointment with the dermatologist. That was scheduled two weeks out for Friday the 13th. Comforting, LOL, but I figured it was better to get in there.

This was a new doc. I had been seeing his colleague, but she had moved her practice to Santa Fe. I noticed a magazine article posted in the waiting room that he had been voted one of the 100 best doctors in the country so that was comforting. When I got into his office, I noticed that he had done his residency in the hospital that I had had my babies in, so that was more comfort.

The nurse gave me a paper shirt which immediately tore in half. So I am sitting there with my heart pounding trying not to be naked and trying to maintain some sense of calm. The doctor comes in. He is Scottish and a man of few words. He picks up a HUGE magnifying glass, maybe 6 inches across and an inch thick and moves over to my face. 'Hmmm', he says, 'that was really masterful of you to pick on this. But I don’t think there is anything to worry about on this one.' I start to breathe again. Then he rightly decides to do the body check.

He gets down to my arm, and zooms in on an old mole I have had for 20 years at least. But it has a dark edge and a spiky part. He says, 'Hmm, I don’t like the looks of this at all. So let’s take them both off.' Now, I know perfectly well that 'spiky' can mean melanoma, so time stops at this point. He and the nurse do the procedures, I pay the bill and leave in an altered state. They tell me that it will take a week for results and if I hear nothing, it means everything is fine. Yah, yah, I think. Somewhere in the back of my brain that registers. My entire body wants to go into a panic attack, but I override that. Quiet, I say, be still. I have a little prayer I use in meditation. I have said it so many times, it floats into autopilot. 'Heavenly father, divine mother, friend, beloved god…..' It overrides panic. Over and over means that other thoughts cannot get in. I make some phone calls, my kids, my close friends.

I don’t remember the rest of the day. I do remember that I went to bed and woke up every hour in a cold sweat with another layer of fear surfacing. I am not afraid of dying, but I sure was surprised at the fear that came up of the journey along the way. Being sick and living alone, money, not being 'finished' with my books, the medical system, people I love, what I want to say to my grandchildren, wave after wave after wave. And I think because not so long ago I went through death by cancer with my dear friend’s daughter, the reality of what can happen was very present in my mind. So I woke up Saturday morning with damp sheets, not a lot of rest and a brain working hard to quiet the rest of me.

I was trained in California in the 70s. We did a lot of those silly 'what if you had six months to live' exercises. Those exercises are bogus. The real thing is not. Time ticks louder, your energy field shifts. I did not want to tell anyone because I did not want their fear to add to mine. But TL was arriving from Denver in a few hours to see her puppy. She had scheduled a quick trip down half through the waiting period. I figured I had better say something since I knew my energy was a little weird. I did, we talked some and then did puppies and regular life. We ended up driving north to the Hyatt resort to check it out as a possible option for ranch. Had lunch there to test it, then scheduled pedicures in the spa. Pedicure is a good antidote to panic. But my feet looked strange with bronze toenails. We came back, did puppies, did more regular life. I am working at breathing. I am not hungry, feel nauseous and wish not to eat. Having a program person around was good. No drama and we need dinner on time.

By Monday, I have put my panic into quiet mode. And we have talked enough about the fears that I have come to realize that all the things I fear are actually manageable. On a practical level. I can manage. I decide that I hate the color on my toes. Yes, priorities do emerge in a funny way. So we decide to go to the local Vietnamese nail place for a redo. TL decides on a manicure. I decide I will get a manicure instead of a color change. This is actually a big deal for me. I have bitten my nails since I was four. My mother tried everything, the bitter stuff, bribes, you name it. But it was pretty entrenched. About a month ago, I had a conversation with my daughter about doing the food. I told her I wanted to bribe her but knew they didn’t work. She had reminded me that I had bribed her to stop biting her nails when she was eight and it had worked. So I said, OK, you write me a letter a week, and I will stop biting my nails. So she did and I did. By the time I got to the Vietnamese place, my nails were gorgeous.

So I got a French manicure. My nails were beautiful. I got in the car and I had this wave of sadness. I happened to speak it out loud. 'Oh, how sad, now that I have gorgeous nails, I have to die.' TL’s response was, 'Well, the undertaker will be thrilled. You will make such a gorgeous corpse with your hands resting in repose.' So I said, 'we can weave the rosary through my hands.' Humor in scary situations is good. Laughter helps. You have to breathe to laugh.

TL goes home on Monday. My brain goes into 'be safe' mode that means cleaning. Suddenly, my priorities have changed. I want to get rid of anything that does not matter to me. I do the bookshelves. I do my closets. I figure if I am going to face my mortality, I do not want to be encumbered with something that is not important. I want to write, passionately. I want to do the photographs stored in the closet. I get dirty, sweat runs down my face, but I am engaged in being clear. And I do the food.

Tuesday afternoon, I decide that I can call for results. They put me on hold and I wait for a long time. My brain says they have to find the right person to give me the news. Finally the nurse. She says, 'I can’t find your file, let me call you back.' More cleaning. She calls and says, 'Oh you are set. Both were benign.' I feel as if I am falling into a hole, sort of a free fall. I can’t even talk. I make some more phone calls. Do life. I sleep that night.

The next day, I start crawling back into my body. A layer at a time. And I realize that my life is totally changed. This was not a self-help exercise. This was a life-changing experience. Nothing is the same. And now, I will simply do the things that got clear for me. I woke up Thursday morning and the sky was blue and almost unbearably sweet. My son called to say he was getting ready for a trip to Chile and my molecules drank his life from a different place. I went with David to have sushi and I remember every moment. My daughter sent the letter and I read it each morning after I meditate. I think about all of you in the community and the blessing, the gift of what we share. Life is good.



©Kathleen DesMaisons 2007.

Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster, puts it all together
Naomi gathers the recipes.
David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have.

You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter.htm.

©2007 by Kathleen DesMaisons . All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered and use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®. Please visit Kathleen's website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction." Please notify me at kathleen@radiantrecovery.com to let me know where the material will appear.

Banner Photograph by Patti Holden, Step 7