Pouring rain
Oct 22 2023,
 
Hi {!firstname_fix}, 
    This is a uniquely New Mexico picture of "sugar skulls" that are painted to honor ancestors on the Day of the Dead. It is actually a very lovely celebration and not at all strange, They believe that on this day the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest of any night of the year, and so a special party is held to communicate with one's ancestors.  It takes away the sting of death and allows a tenderness for the connection. And to be honest, a time of honoring the dead seems like a very healing tradition these days, Whew.
 
We have been doing the Step One class on the list. It has been fun to catch up with the ideas and regroup with the basics. A lot of new people arrived over the summer so it is nice remembering the basics.
 
We have George's® Restore back in stock, yea!!!  And the transition from non biodegradable jars to sustainable bags seems to  be working so everyone one is pleased.
 
Going through the last few weeks has been incredibly difficult. I say to myself, "Just do the food, Kathleen. Focus on what you can control, and release what you cannot."  I have votive candles from last year's reflections, I light one each morning. It last for 24 hours and reminds that some other energy is holding the world and I can surrender to that.
 
This week's article is way longer than what I usually write. But it is VERY important to read. I think I have stumbled onto something that can really help all of us. So read it slowly, reflect on it bit by bit. And if you are in YLD, come to chat on Wed because I am going to talk about it there.
 
Support for Your Program
Journals
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
                                                                                   

 ReD THIS, LOL. IT DOES HAVE SOMETHING NEW IN IT. REQWe have a master community email list. It is a nice place to get started if you are new to the community or are coming back and are wondering what to do.  Introduce yourself and ask for help. Or just listen. We won't mind.

The list has been quiet recently but that is quiet resting. The community is made up of a huge number of introverts which means LISTENING is held in high esteem. We will direct you to the right spot for your questions. It's fine if you know nothing, just stop in and you will be welcomed.

 

GROUPS
The groups list is up on the web site. Click on the top bar where it says GROUPS Just sign up for the group you would like to join. Read about the group before you ask to join. If you are starting or returning, join the Step One list. Don't join Step One and Step Two and Step Three all at the same time. If you have any trouble joining, send me an email at  and we will get you all set.     Join the Step One List now.
 
Let me give you a little overview of how things fit together.Think 3 phases of recovery, pre-steps, steps, and life on Step 7.  Now, all of this kinda slowed down during covid.  It may seem like a lot of "new" stuff but it really isn't. We will talk about it in the chats over the next couple of weeks so you can ask questions and get clear.
 
Step lists: doing the food and getting skills for each step. They support getting off of sugar and healing sugar addiction. There is no fee for being on the step lists.
 
And then comes support for the things you want to do after you are steady.
 
YLD was designed for  healing fat terror, losing weight, healing your body image and learning to exercise in a healthy way. But in reality, the primary focus is about healing the addiction that lurks beneath the weight. We do zoom chats  every week as part of YLD. And there are a lot of people in YLD who are not at all concerned about weight but just love the information and connection.
The chats are sometimes causal and simply personal connection. And sometimes they are scramble your brain with new information that you will hear nowhere else. Zoom has heightened both,
 
You can email me if you have any questions. If you have questions about intermittent fasting, ask on a list :)
 

WORKING ONE ON ONE WITH KATHLEEN

 

People wonder if it would be beneficial to work with me directly. I can help you step out of the craziness of sugar addiction, return to steadiness and clarity after slipping away, slow down and focus on your recovery, or deepen a steady rhythm of recovery. This particular option is especially helpful if you did the steps a while ago and then kinda meandered away. Or if you are facing some intense times and would like skillful support. 
 
The most useful time to think about this is after you have started Step 3. Even if you do just one session, I can help you "see" the places that might be the hardest for you. Basically it shortens the groping around by a year or so. 
 
Go here to learn more about it.  we can do a no fee"discovery" session to see if committing to one on one work would be a good fit for both of us. Email me if you would like more information. I am happy to talk to you about options. 

 
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
If you prefer talking on Facebook, come over to our group there. Radiant Recovery®, While our Facebook presence is primarily intended to be "social" there is step work support.

Testimonial for the Week


 

Sunday I had the house to myself because the daughters went to the beach. When Cathy (the older one) came by to pick up Margie, she found us in the middle of a hilarious discussion. Margie was doing her comic routine and mimicing again.

 

This time she was mimicing what happens when her friends come over after school and look in the fridge for something to eat. Inside are either whole-foods ingredients like kale and unflavored yogurt, or strange-looking leftovers (my spinach-and-pumpkin quiche). She says they say, "oh I'm not that hungry" and then close the door. So then they roam to the pantry and what is there are things like canned salmon, turmeric, and two-year-old coconut milk from some experiment I planned. So the friend gets this sad look on her face and leaves the kitchen.

 

So then Cathy comes in and said she dropped by the other day to raid the fridge and hm, that pumpkin pie looks good - but why does it have green in it!!! eyew!!

 

They laughed their heads off. But then we talked about how different it is to do homemade whole foods as opposed to having convenience food around all the time.

 

And then we did some problem-solving so Margie could feel like a better hostess. We came up with nuts, fruit, HFS chips and salsa, good PB&J, good sandwiches. Margie asked how she could recognize "healthy" alternatives of things to have so we talked just a little about labels. This is a big deal because she hates with a passion when I read labels too much while shopping.

 

Too funny.

 

Connie

 

 

Radiant Recovery Store
David Smiling
David, my oldest son, runs our store. He makes sure your orders go out quickly and works with you to find the best things suited to where you are in your process. Many people think of him as their personal concierge.
     We Have Restore! Everyone is so happy. 
No strange things in it. No Water, Corn Syrup, Sugar,  Short-chain Fructooligosaccharides.,Corn Oil, Soluble Corn Fiber, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Cellulose Gel, Monoglycerides, Salt, Cellulose Gum, Acesulfame Potassium, Gellan Gum, or artificial sweeteners such as  Sucralose or eurythrytol. 
     It does have a tiny bit of soy lethicin which is misted on the powder to keep it from clumping.
     This means that you get the taste of milk products from cows who have eaten grass in New Mexico and Idaho where the air is clear and the bovine have space. What people tell us over and over, once you have this, no protein powder will be the same.
     The exciting thing for us is that it is being blended right here in Albuquerque by a local woman- owned company with people we like, know. and trust. It was a complex journey and we are VERY happy.

 

 

Come visit our STORE. Or call 505-345-3737.
Your Product Name

Here is the BAG not a jar !!!!!!
George's® Restore

WHERE THE CONVERSATION IS

After all this time YLD continues to be a favorite place for people in the community. If you struggle with your body image, if you have chased diets for years, here is a wonderful alternative to all the things you have tried. Or, if weight has never been an issue, but your brain craves cutting edge information that you won't hear anywhere else.The Zoom chats are really fun and people learn a lot. They are a time for connection and learning. We are looking at all sorts of intriguing ideas like "Why we crave chocolate and why some people don't" [it's genetic.] 

 

Or if you want to understand why you feel so tired now and sleep doesn't help. Or why you want to shop, or why you are procrastinating. I know you thought this was about diets, but it is really about sugar sensitivity and being in the world.  If you want to heal what really is going on for you, we have the answer.

 

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. And remember it is a lifetime membership so if you joined in 2000, you can still come back.
Image

 

 

REBUILDING RECOVERY

 


 I have been struggling with this article for days, It is information that will really really help you. And....I know that your brains are mush. The short version is

  • We need to eat. Enough, on time.
  • We need to rest and do nothing.
  • We need to increase serotonin, Have a potato before bed.

The longer version follows. Take it in bites.

 

     In my last newsletter, I wrote about "long COVID" and I referenced the idea of our experiencing cultural PTSD. I think the neurochemical impact is much like recovery from stimulant addiction. Too much, too fast, more than can be processed. No rest, no down time, no recuperation.  I want to swing around to this again because I think it is even more important now.

      Stimulant substance addiction includes things like cocaine, methamphetamine, diet pills, ephedrine drinks, psuedopepipephrine drinks, Sudafed, caffeine, prescribed ADHD drugs, or NutraSweet products.

     All of these substances activate or cause to be activated a brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine makes you feel bright, clear, focused and functional and creates a state of hyper alertness. When you first start using these substances, you feel like you can take on the world. After a while, your brain adjusts and you simply feel “normal” after use and very discombobulated when the effect wears off. Addiction sets in when you start needing your substance in order to stave off the withdrawal.

     But if the stimulation comes from DANGER, it really wouldn't occur to you that you would have "withdrawal." But think about this: withdrawal from stimulants makes you feel dull, foggy, sludgy, torpid, teary, scattered and incapable of functioning. If we feel this coming down from the hyper-alert state of COVID, and all the other DANGER things that have been happening in the world. It makes sense that we would be drawn to something to take care of it.

   Shift gears for a minute, We are not just bombarded by "substances"...Life is a nightmare of dopamine hits. We are psychically TIRED. We are exhausted, the well is empty. We have no energy so doing the food is really, really hard.

     Doing the steps helped to get you to this place. You have been reasonably steady with your food and you were ready to get out from under this addiction. For the sake of this discussion, I am going to assume you  feel pretty crappy. This is a how to intervention to hold you up and restore your brain so that your willingness to heal can stick over time.

      I just read about a new study that suggests the use of antidepressants to treat or even prevent long-Covid. When scientists gave Prozac to mice who symptoms mimicked long COVID, it restored memory loss. There is research in progress about the link to serotonin and COVID impact. I am reading it, and will bring it to you. But think about serotonin and POTATOES. This is really quite a mind boggling idea I am dropping in here,  YOU have information that can really, really help you and those around you, Pay attention. We are going to talk about this at chat,

 

     There are 3 very specific changes you are going to make over a 3-month period to get your old brain back. [and yes, you can get back to normal!]

  1. Increase your protein intake to .6 grams per pound of your body weight.  But play with it to see what has the best effect.  Or, since many of you have been cutting your protein because you are concerned about gaining weight or because it just seemed like the right thing to do, maybe just slide it back up to .5.
  2. You are working to increase the level of large neutral amino acids, particularly one called tyrosine. Tyrosine is the precursor to dopamine just like tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin. Do not just go get some tyrosine [you see I know the addict’s mind, LOL]. You want the “package” that comes with protein meals. 1
  3. In the early weeks of your recovery plan, you may want to add a protein snack mid morning and mid afternoon. .
  4. Increase the size of your potato at night. Or actually have the potato LOL. Serotonin reduces the craving for stimulants. If you start having wild or hallucinogenic dreams, simply cut back on the size of the potato.. Find the edge so you are getting restorative and restful dreaming and not getting uncomfortable dreams.2
  5. Take omega 3 fatty acids. Do not take mega doses. More is not better. These fatty acids are abundant in the membranes that are associated with synaptic function – the place where the neurotransmitters talk with one another. Increasing the omega 3s helps restore this function. 3 

     Make a concerted effort to stay away from foods that are high in omega 6 fatty acids – things like margarine and saturated fats [butter, cream, and meat fat] Eat foods high in omega 3 like cold water fishes such as salmon.

     I am including some citations here if you would like to read more about this. They are linked so you can read the actual abstract on line. If you click on the link that says related articles, you can follow the topic and gather more information. The cites are older, but you can read what people are writing now about each topic.  I posted these in June. I want you to read them so I am posting again.

     And of course, you may always email me at radiantkd@mindspring.com. But if you want to argue with me about IF - do it on a list LOL so everyone hears my answers over and over.

 

Kathleen


 These are the old cites...I am building a new set. These will start it off.

 

1Fernstrom, JD, Can nutrient supplements modify brain function? Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jun;71(6 Suppl):1669S-75S. Review.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10837313&dopt=Abstract

2Yu DS, Smith FL, Smith DG, Lyness WH. Fluoxetine-induced attenuation of amphetamine self-administration in rats. Life Sci. 1986 Oct 13;39(15):1383-8.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3489876&dopt=Abstract

3Zimmer L, Vancassel S, Cantagrel S, Breton P, Delamanche S, Guilloteau D, Durand G, Chalon S. The dopamine mesocorticolimbic pathway is affected by deficiency in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Apr;75(4):662-7.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11916751&dopt=Abstract

 

This is Grace unfolding. You are not alone.
©2023 Kathleen DesMaisons. All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your blog or website as long as you leave the content unaltered, use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®, and notify kathleen@radiantrecovery.com of the location. Please visit the Radiant Recovery® website at for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction. 

You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter will also be found posted on the web.