Jun 21, 2010

Less is More


Been dealing with a bout o’ gout, lately. I’m susceptible to all kinds of inflammatory illness (especially inflammatory statements!?) and gout is just one more. It’s excruciating pain in one digit... for me, my big toe. Sort of turns me into a “lame god”. Anyway, been trying to find that place of comfort in the midst of discomfort, as Aeolus fortuitously reminds me today:
It means being in an uncomfortable situation and, instead of trying to get out of it or change it to make ourselves more comfortable, just being in it as-it-is, and seeing what is actually on offer. What happens then is that we find a place within ourselves that is comfortable in the midst of our discomfort, and then we realize that we don't need all those surface elements to be comfortable, or turned on, or happy, or whatever, because we have all that within ourselves. We have the capacity to find a signal of truth in any amount of noise, of lies or ugliness or pollution or discomfort, or whatever we are surrounded by.

In simple terms, it is settling for less. And the less we settle for, the more we find.
Speaking of less is more, the Patron Saint of ‘making do’ has a shrine in Barcelona - the pavilion for the 1929 World’s Fair, by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. I once met a Spaniard in Barcelona who took me on a most amazing tour of his city by scooter, one of my best European memories. One of the stops was this pavilion. We eventually wound up back at his apartment, where he revealed that all he really wanted was to worship my feet. I’d never really met a foot fetishist before, but what the hell. It was pleasurable in a way, and certainly small enough payment for the wonderful day he gave me.

I wonder if travelers are particularly attractive to those with a yen for feet? Being temporarily lame makes you appreciate your feet, and where they have taken you.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Great article on living in uncomfortable situation. I needed that thanks.
I heard that eating 5 black cherries cures gout. The darker cherries work best.

Anadæ Quenyan Effro said...

Yes, your namesake foreign correspondent's recommendation is good; the darker the cherries, the higher in iron content, iron being an excellent blood-builder & helping to get the shit out of your bloodstream that bunches up & causes the gout in the 1st place. Another link for naturopathic protocols in addressing the gout is here. And I hope that this stained glass helps you heal readily as well. Interesting contemplation of yours over traveling & travelers. Sequoia & I are just about to take flight to the 10th Annual Human & Fairy Relations Congress in Twisp, WA. I still can't understand how my guy swung it, what with his job constraints & all. RJ Stewart is jump-starting my already innate Second Sight. I'm so psyched, Michael. Tell ya all about it ~ (•8-D

PS ~ WV for this? taberm … Tabernacle with Michael. Thanks, man. You rock.

Michael said...

Hi MD (ha!) I've been reading up on uric acid, inflammation, gout, etc. and yes, cherries keep coming up. I'm sending Var to the farmer's market to get some ASAP!

Anadae - wow, Twisp! One of the nicest areas in WA. I assume you will be sitting on the elf side. I'll be checking out the weather to see if there are any sudden thunderstorms or tornados in that area, you never know what you fairies may get up to!

BTW, thanks for the cool erotic stained glass. I made a stained glass Thunderbird once in Junior High.

GreggerMan said...

I find that accepting discomfort is a rapid means toward appreciating many other aspects of life and how settling for less always leave space for more good.

I had a young friend who developed gout after a Norwegian cruise. Fish was the primary food on the cruise ship. Avoiding all the proteins that increase uric acid is essential. But, believe it or not, too much fructose also increases uric acid and gout can be a precursor warning to diabetes. Avoid all red meats, fish, and alcohol. Also make sure you aren't eating high fructose corn syrup. The healing process ought to be fun if you ingest those things regularly.

My philosophy is that if your gut is healthy the rest of you will be, too. As long as your gut is highly acidic you will have problems. Eating raw green vegetables will make your system more balanced. Celery and cabbage are recommended for gout. Parsley and cilantro are very effective blood cleansers and recommended for removing heavy metals from the organs. Make a brown rice and celery or cabbage congee and eat it daily.

I cured a case of extremely painful diverticulosis by drinking fermented cabbage juice daily for about a month. It was like drinking diluted sauerkraut juice, but the healing properties were amazing. Sauerkraut is super high in probiotics and won't screw up your gut like dairy does.

The one thing that may ease the symptoms could also worsen your problem without healing it. That is pharmaceuticals. I'd search for alternate cures before seeing any allopath.

You can purchase black cherry concentrate at any good health food store. Just in case you need more than 5 cherries to move the problem out of your system.

I hope this helps,
Greg

Unknown said...

Michael,

One of the areas I reserach extensively, is on health and nutrition...been for many years now.

I can help you with this.

What is your diet?

Read this section on JediTheOne...

http://jeditheone.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-popular-drink-may-be-almost-as.html

Uric Acid as a Marker for Fructose Toxicity!

One of the surprising facts was how detrimental the impact of fructose is on your uric acid levels. It appears as though that process is essential to the damage that fructose causes, and it’s actually an excellent marker for toxicity from fructose.

According to the latest research in this area, the safest range of uric acid is between 3 and 5.5 milligrams per deciliter, and there appears to be a steady relationship between uric acid levels and blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, even down to the range of 3 to 4 mg/dl.

Dr. Johnson suggests that the ideal uric acid level is probably around 4 mg/dl for men and 3.5 mg/dl for women.

This is actually the only major biochemical marker that I need to optimize at this point in my life, which most likely suggests that I am particularly sensitive to fructose intake and that it’s best for me to keep my levels as low as possible.

This is most likely due to genetics and would explain why most of my paternal relatives have, or have died from, diabetes. That side of the family is most likely particularly sensitive to fructose.

So I would STRONGLY encourage everyone to have their uric acid level checked to find out how sensitive you are to fructose.

See complete article & vids on the blog above.

D*

Unknown said...

Also, I will personal recommend using H2O2, hydrogen Peroxide. Have you read anything about this little beauty? If not, let me know and I can direct you to that too. This puppy can cure HIV, hepatitis, cancer, flu, etc...actually H2O2 kills just about any virus, bateria and human pathogens in the blood.

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