Two separate stories beautifully woven that converge in the most unexpected circumstance.  Good one to get lost in.  

Nicholas Sparks clearly knows how to tug at heartstrings and so he proves again with this tale of two love stories ... The fortunes of both romances are described with a noticeably old-fashioned tenderness which prizes love and devotion and which, especially in Ira's story, provides a proper, old-fashioned weepie Daily Mail (Sparks) has a canny knack of tapping into what makes us human, and before you know it, you are rooting for Ira and engrossed in his life story Irish Independent A fiercely romantic and touching tale, with the added bonus of a sexy cowboy. When it comes to tales about love, Nicholas Sparks is one of the undisputed kings Heat Will suck you in and leave you a sobbing mess. - Amazon

Feeling a bit off when you sip that refreshing bottled water you just opened?  

You need to beware of what's lurking in your bottled water.

First of all, BEWARE of bottled water left in your car.  Bottled water in your car is a health hazard! Never leave bottled water in 
a car to overheat, because an overheated bottle will release dioxins into your water and dioxins are unhealthy to drink. The highly toxic compound of dioxins released into your water may cause cancer and chronic health issues.  

Second, be aware that not all bottled waters were created equal. When you buy bottled water you may be buying water with chemicals added. Do you need or want pharmaceuticals in your water? And purified drinking water bottled by manufacturers is not as "pure" as you may think. While it may start as purified water, manufactures add chemical agents to "enhance" the flavor. You may be drinking Epsom salt, baking soda, sodium, or a host of other ingredients and not even know it. From now on, check your labels!

Brands of Waters with Added Chemicals

• Dasani: (Coca Cola) The Dasani label reads "purified water enhanced with 
  minerals for a pure, fresh taste." Dasani starts off in the right direction by 
  bottling water from the Coca Cola Company plant. Then they add magnesium 
  sulfate, potassium chloride, and salt. Let's break that down:
• magnesium sulfate is an inorganic salt made up of magnesium, sulfur 
  and oxygen. The common name for magnesium sulfate is Epsom salt. 
  Always talk with a physician before using Epsom salt, as this drug may 
  interact with other medications.
• potassium chloride is a chemical compound of potassium and chlorine, 
  which is used as a fertilizer, and even as a fire extinguishing agent!
• Salt: Dasani claims they add a negligible amount of sodium minerals 
  added. Yes, that's unnecessary sodium in your bottled water!

• Nestle PureLife Water. Nestle PureLife water begins as filtered water 
  (reverse osmosis or distillation), then they add minerals and call it "purified 
  water."  The minerals Nestle adds includes calcium chloride, sodium 
  bicarbonate and magnesium sulfate. 
• calcium chloride: is compound of salt of calcium and chlorine. It's a 
  food additive commonly used in sports drinks as an electrolyte. It is well-known                                       that calcium chloride actually has several harmful effects on humans and pets. It                                    was once used to melt ice on driveways.
• sodium bicarbonate: is a chemical compound of the common name for 
  sodium bicarbonate (also called sodium hydrogen) is baking soda.
• magnesium sulfate: Magnesium sulfate is an inorganic salt. In other 
  words, it's a man-made chemical compound. It is Epsom Salt! talk with 
  a physician before using, as Epsom salt may interact with other 
  medications

• Smartwater (Glaceau, a Coca Cola company). Maybe SmartWater isn't so                                            smart after all. It's water with electrolytes. Here's what you'll find in your                                             SmartWater: "Vapor Distilled Water, Calcium Chloride and Magnesium                                     Chloride and Potassium Bicarbonate (electrolyte sources*) *electrolytes added                                          for taste." According to Wikipedia, "Magnesium chloride is a type of pharmaceutical                     preparation of magnesium." The word "harm" is in pharmaceutical. It is a                                                 drug. You are being medicated. Is that so smart? 

Do you seem to be aching a bit more lately in several of your joint areas? 
 
If so, avoid nightshade foods.

These include tobacco, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, and white potatoes. Nightshade (family: Solanaceae) foods have been linked to an increase in arthritis symptoms. In one study, 70% of those with arthritis reported relief from chronic pain over a period of seven years after eliminating all nightshade foods. Between 20% and 30% of my patients on this regimen experience moderate to dramatic pain relief. They typically report less pain overall but especially in their hands, feet, knees, and ankles.

Nightshade vegetables are not the only foods that are thought to be inflammatory. Foods that are high in omega-6 fatty acids from animal products such as red meat may increase inflammation, along with fatty and fried foods that contain trans-fats. Refined sugars and white flour as well as foods such as high-sugar sodas, snack foods and baked goods, may cause inflammatory problems for some people. Still others may be intolerant of dairy or grain products, which may increase mucus production and gastrointestinal problems as well as contributing to inflammation within the body. As with the nightshade vegetables, a dietitian may assist you with an elimination diet that does not compromise nutrition.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are present in cold-water fish such as tuna, halibut and salmon, are thought to be anti-inflammatory. Other healthy fats such as olive oil may also help to reduce inflammation and replace unhealthy fats in the diet. A diet that is higher in vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, along with fruits such as citrus and berries, may provide high levels of antioxidants, which are thought to be protective for age- and inflammation-related damage of the joints and may help reduce the symptoms of arthritis.

If you love historical fiction this one is going to be one that you'll keep in your heart.  

Set in Normandy, France, this is the classic story of Emma Bovary, a young beauty who impulsively marries small-town doctor, Charles Bovary, to leave her father's pig farm far behind. But after being introduced to the glamorous world of high society, she soon becomes bored with her stodgy husband and mundane life, and seeks prestige and excitement outside the bonds of marriage. - Rotten Tomatoes

Living with fibromyalgia is not easy.  The key is to listen to your body and be flexible with your plans. You may find that you need to schedule in a day of rest after certain activities. Or sometimes you’ll need to rearrange your day to put yourself first. With fibromyalgia, slowing down and doing less can ultimately allow you to do more.

This is a difficult mindset. When was the last time you put yourself first?  If you are a parent and working person the answer may be never.  Like many, your worth may be all wrapped up in productivity and how much you can accomplish.

Fibromyalgia causes you to realize that if you are to have a full life and be what you desire to be for others, you have to put yourself first at times. If you aren’t feeling well, everyone you love suffers and life is more lived in “existence” mode rather than “enjoyment” mode. Self-care will get you back in the swing of things.

Below are some steps towards that self-care that will benefit you and everyone in your life…

• Keep your options open. When you get an invitation or request to do something, tell the person that you’re very interested, but you’d like to think about it and get back to them in 24 or 48 hours. This way, if you decide you can’t do it, you won’t feel so put on the spot.
• It’s OK to cancel.If you’ve scheduled something and you aren’t feeling well enough to do it, reschedule. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do something. Try to remember that there will be other times you can do it.
• Keep a fibromyalgia journal. Recording your activities, meal times, sleeping schedule, and how you feel each day can help you identify what causes your symptoms to flare.
• Delegate. Negotiate with your spouse or family members to take over certain tasks, such as cooking or cleaning, when you can’t do them. Try to work with your family to come up with solutions together.
• Take a break. If you’ve been active on organizations or committees, consider taking a break for a period of time while you focus on taking care of yourself.
• Eat out or order in. Rather than having family or friends over for dinner or holidays, make reservations at a restaurant or order in.
• Plan activity during the hours you feel the best. For many people with fibromyalgia, this is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., but it may be different for you. 
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.   People will usually go out of their way to help if you ask for it.   They need to know what you’d like them to do.

Once you learn how to better care for yourself and put yourself first, you begin to regain control of your life again and are more able to do the things you enjoy and even the things you don’t, but must on your “to do” list.     

Once again, remember that you are walking the “new normal” path so the way you learn to enjoy things you love again may be different. Also the key is acceptance of the new you, and new way of life.

Being a patient of a chronic illness, we have a tendency to put our health in the hands of others.  This film taps at paternal heartstrings and expectations.

An overbearing mother (Helen Hunt) travels cross-country to be with her son (Brenton Thwaites) after he drops out of college to become a surfer. She meets a surf instructor (Luke Wilson) who convinces her to try to accept her son's wishes and to allow him to follow his dreams. This coming-of-age story was written and directed by Hunt. - Fandango

I know many of you are purchasers of online streaming.  Each week I personally view movies available on the circuit and give you great flicks so you don't have to weed out the dull shots.  

When a recently widowed doctor (Patricia Clarkson) returns home to her remote island cottage, she finds a stranger (Scott Speedman) who has been shot. He tells her there are two men (Tim Roth, Callum Keith Rennie) who are intent on killing him.

A storm is brewing and it cuts the pair off from the mainland, so they join forces to get through the night and keep the killers at bay. - Tribute

If you suffer from fibromyalgia you may find yourself more concerned with your memory and thinking problems than with the physical pain. After all, living in pain every day builds up a sense of tolerance. It's all the other symptoms that get in the way.  Many fibro patients experience memory problems (both short-term and long-term) as well as difficulty with attention, trouble finding the right words (when your mouth lags with a thought), or other forms of cognitive impairment. Some refer to this as “Fibro Fog.”

Did you know fibromyalgia patients, in general, perform worse in cognitive testing against those with little education or age-related mental impairment. In one example, fibro patients were able to recall fewer words from a list. Other testing was done on vocabulary and verbal fluency, including one that monitored the groups ability to recall words beginning with a specific letter. The conclusion from the test results was that fibro patients do possess cognitive dysfunction. In fact, the cognitive abilities of the fibromyalgia patients studied were equivalent to the cognitive abilities of non-fibro patients 20 years older. 

The only symptom of fibromyalgia that was found to relate to an individual’s cognitive ability was pain and how that pain influenced patients. More research needs to done before we know if pain management influences cognitive function or if a diminished cognitive ability makes it more difficult to manage pain.

The study also analyzed how much cognitive decline the participants were aware of, their awareness of cognitive ability. Patients with fibromyalgia generally felt as if they had experienced more cognitive decline than others in the study. Having to perform these memory tests also made those with fibro more anxious. Interestingly, those with fibromyalgia more accurately assessed their own level of decline.

It seems the cognitive complaints given by fibromyalgia patients are not due to a psychiatric disorder or to most of the other fibromyalgia symptoms. The study shows that when doctors are able to determine the exact relationship between pain and cognitive function, it will change the way we treat these two fibro symptoms.

By following this blog you've already made a health-conscious decision.  Try as many natural therapies as you can to keep your body well-tuned and prohibit these nasty side effects of fibromyalgia.  

Burning mouth syndrome is the medical term for ongoing (chronic) or recurrent burning in the mouth without an obvious cause. The discomfort may affect your tongue, gums, lips, inside of your cheeks, roof of your mouth or widespread areas of your whole mouth. Burning mouth syndrome appears suddenly and can be severe, as if you scalded your mouth.

Unfortunately, the cause of burning mouth syndrome often can't be determined. Although that makes treatment more difficult, don't despair. By working closely with your health care team, you can often get burning mouth syndrome under better control.

Symptoms of burning mouth syndrome may include:

• A burning sensation that most commonly affects your tongue, but may also affect your lips, gums, palate, throat or whole mouth
• A sensation of dry mouth with increased thirst
• Taste changes, such as a bitter or metallic taste
• Loss of taste

The discomfort from burning mouth syndrome typically has several different patterns. It may occur every day, with little discomfort when you wake, but become worse as the day progresses. Or it may start as soon as you wake up and last all day. Or discomfort may come and go.

In addition to medical treatment and prescription medications, self-help measures may improve your symptoms. You may find these beneficial for reducing chronic mouth discomfort:

• Drink more fluids, to help ease the feeling of dry mouth, but avoid carbonated beverages.
• Don't use tobacco products.
• Avoid alcohol and products with alcohol, as they may irritate the lining of your mouth.
• Avoid products with cinnamon or mint.
• Avoid spicy-hot foods.
• Avoid acidic foods and liquids, such as tomatoes, orange juice, soft drinks and coffee.
• Try different mild or flavor-free brands of toothpaste, such as one for sensitive teeth or one without mint or cinnamon.
• Take steps to reduce excessive stress.

Often burning mouth syndrome can be directly attributed to the nervous system going haywire.  

Today I give recognition of the lowly coconut.  Open my refrigerator at any time and you will see a glass container full of bits of coconut meat.  Here, at least once a day, I grab one of these medicinal beauties and savor.

Coconut is considered one of the best fuels for healthy brain function. Outside of mother’s milk, coconut is nature’s richest source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) are not processed by your body in the same manner as long chain triglycerides. Normal fat metabolism depends on bile salts that have been released from your gallbladder before it can be broken down in your digestive system.

The average sized adult should consume 3-4 tablespoons of coconut and/or oil daily. This could be taken orally, added to food, or applied onto skin. It can be taken in the form of coconut oil, milk, meat, or flakes. Coconut milk provides approximately 1 Tbsp of coconut oil for every 3 ounces. People with diabetes (type I & II) or neurological disease would benefit from up to 8-10 tablespoons of coconut oil daily.

The following article prompted a serious interest in coconut oil.

Chris D. of Cloverdale, IN who, based on his lab numbers, thought the end was near in September, 1996. His HIV viral load was over 600,000, CD4 count was 10 and CD8 at 300. He prepaid his funeral and decided to take his last vacation in the jungles of South America with an Indian tribe in the Republic of Surinam. Around October 14, 1996, he began eating daily a dish of cooked coconut which was prepared by the local Indians. By Dec. 27th, 1996, a mere 2 and 1/2 months later, his viral load was at non-detectable levels and he had gained 32 lbs and was feeling great. Since he continued the cooked coconut for breakfast every day after he returned, both he and I agreed that something in the coconut must have inactivated the AIDS virus(s) (HIV and HHV-6A). In last my phone conversation with him in January, 1997, Chris indicated that he planned to return soon to Surinam and would be there for a few months. I did not hear from him again until April 28th, 1997. - See more at: http://coconutoil.com/dafoe/#sthash.bYIQrTgG.dpuf