May 3, 2010

Hi {!firstname_fix}

Thank you all for your very supportive response to last week's article on addiction or passion. I have to admit, I have been thinking a lot about the article as well. I think the story is not finished yet... I will keep you posted as I work on it.

This morning I went to the Farmer's market early. The sun was sparkling on the jellies.They are like jewels. I got basil and some unique goat cheese and spinach and tiny turnips and shiny new onions, and even some astounding mushrooms which I came home and ate with the scrambled eggs I made from the eggs I got from the girls. The egg shells were slightly blue, and one was a pale peach color. The taste was wonderful. I also got two new tomato plants that I will plant in the morning.

We are doing a Radiant Recovery one-day seminar in the heart of beautiful Boulder, Colorado on Saturday, July 10. This will give Colorado and nearby residents an unparalleled opportunity to meet with others doing the program and to hear directly from me. I will be presenting the latest information on the dynamic evolution of the steps, the addiction amoeba and Emotional Healing. So, please come join us, it will be fun!

Now, let's touch base on the two classes scheduled for this week. I am doing the Wheat/Gluten Free class again because I think wheat sensitivity is way more important than I ever realized. I am wheat free and working into gluten free and it has made a huge difference in how I feel. I think I have done a thoughtful job in putting the information together, so if you are curious about this, it is a great class to take.

The Thyroid class is for any of you who have wondered if you have a problem with your thyroid. This ole bugaboo about subclinical hypothyroid is hard to understand. I wanted to give you the benefit of all the thinking I have done on the topic over the last few years. Once again, I have tried to filter all the very complex story down in to easy-to-understand concepts that can be helpful in working with your doctor. I will be adding some material that I have recently learned as well.

These classes will begin Wednesday, June 16, 2010. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Wheat/Gluten Free (2 weeks) is a special class to explore how to go wheat free while doing the program of Radiant Recovery.

Thyroid (2 weeks) is new look at thyroid questions. This class will teach you the questions to ask, what thyroid testing shows and some of the dilemmas in interpreting results. Learn how to ask better questions from your doctor and how to make informed decisions in planning for treatment.

These classes will begin Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page:

Using the Resources in the Community(4 weeks) is a free orientation 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.

Brain Chemistry: Beta Endorphin (2 weeks) is one of our most popular classes. It will teach you the core of the science behind the program. This is the outline for a critical part of sugar sensitivity, why you act the way you do and what you can do to change it. I love this class and so do all the people who have taken it. Somehow BE rocks!

Radiant Remembering (2 weeks) is a very special class for people who have worked their way to step 6/7 and then have forgotten the steps and reverted to old ways, perhaps even falling off the cliff. This is a tender and caring process to help you remember how to get back on track. If you have not yet detoxed, this is not your class. But if you have and then forgotten, please come join us.

The class schedule is online. Click here to see what is planned.

Please wait to sign up for classes until a week or two before, and 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. 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.

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

Warmly,
Kathleen

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** Quote From Kathleen **


As you keep your journal you can discover that there is a direct correlation between what you are eating and how you are feeling.

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** Testimonial of the Week **


Last night I didn't do any extra movement - I sat and wrote in my journal I AM TIRED and it came out in capital letters, so I thought I had better listen to myself! I had a rest.

This afternoon I was still slightly weary, but took a decision to get on with it, and sure enough, within 5 minutes I got into the swing of it. The sky was black clouds, so I went off with raincoat tied 'round my waist.

And today my entertainment was provided by another school, different from the other day. They were out doing their Cycling Proficiency lessons. A selection of sizes of kids and bikes from the very small to the quite tall! All year 6's, and all looking Very Alert and Concentrating Hard. Very cute. The teachers, all with their yellow overcoats like the kids, said Good Afternoon. That was cycling in a straight line. On my way back they were doing Round a Corner. It was fun to watch a while. Think how dedicated they are at 10 years old and how soon they'll be off to senior school, next September. Some will be biking there as long as they have their certificate.

As I walked today I was thoughtful about the newsletter. Obsession vs. Passion. I might have had a little inkling of that one slip my way I was thinking. Pre steps, if I had a book ( which was most of the time) I'd tear off on a quest to read everything by that author. You could say that was quite handy when I got hold of PnP, LOL. Guess what happened next!

So lately I have been enjoying Jamie Oliver's new TV series, travelling 'round bits of Europe. At one time I would have been off on one of my quests to the exclusion of all else.But I watched them last week.... happened upon his books in the library, chose one ( not 6!), and tonight we have Greek kebabs and Greek salad (Potato wedges oven cooked in olive oil). Not now this minute, but wait and do it leisurely. Actually got the patience to mix the marinade the night before and the pork is in the fridge in olive oil, lemon, mint ,oregano and garlic. Very enjoyable and not 'driven', just nice and satisfying.

mosaic

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** Radiant Ambassadors **


Well, it looks like Potatoes not Prozac is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Last week it climbed to the heady heights of NUMBER ONE in the depression section at Amazon. Number one, I tell you!! How fantastic is that! It shows that people are not only buying Kathleen’s book, but buying it in large enough numbers to make an impact on Amazon - yay!!

Just thought I'd share :)

Selena

Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news.

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** How I Found Radiant Recovery **


I had come across the RR website about two months before we moved to London from Kansas in the Fall of 2007 after I'd googled "burn off my taste buds" (which eventually led me to a few other terms, including "addicted to sugar") thinking that would be a possible way to solve the 15-cookie-at-a-time problem I had. I saw Potatoes Not Prozac listed there, but had seen a couple of other books that talked about getting off sugar in an immediate way and decided to do the one with "Skinny" in the title instead. That diet was short lived, of course!

A few months after we moved, I was in a deep, deep depression and my doctor told me I'd need to quit taking one of the antidepressants I had been on for eight years as it wasn't approved for use in the UK. I knew what it felt like to try to go cold turkey and didn't want to do that so I went back to find that Potato book website. I got the getting started info off the website and ordered the newest version of the book.

Whaddya know...it worked! :D

Heidi

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** Radiant Kitchen **


Gail found this great recipe in the Moosewood Cookbook for gazpacho. It's a GREAT summer soup.

  • 4 cups tomato juice - I used knudsen organic
  • 1 small minced onion
  • 3 cups freshly diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup minced green pepper - I used yellow
  • 1-2 diced cucumbers
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 lime
  • 2 Tbsp wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp each dill , basil
  • dash of cumin
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
  • dash of tabasco or hot sauce - I skipped it
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt/pepper to taste
Combine and chill.

You can put whatever you like or don't like in this recipe. I was out of onions so I skipped them, have a ton of cilantro in my garden so subbed that for parsley, skipped the hot sauce tho I have used it from time to time.

Yummmmy!

For more great program-friendly recipes, check out these great cookbooks in the store.


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


Last week in chat, we kinda stumbled on some interesting ideas. One key thing was the amount of pain people carry about being fat. It really touched me. I have been thinking about it all week. I am thinking about offering a special class on this topic. Will love to hear your feedback in chat. This week we will spend some more time on this concept. Make sure to come to chat.

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

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** Radiant Recovery® Store **


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

As I am sure you all know, Kathleen tries to stay up on some key issues as they evolve. One of the more interesting topics she is looking at is Vit D and its impact on health. It appears that a huge number of us are suffering from Vit D deficiency and that this can have very large impact on how we stay well. There is an incredible conversation going on with an organization called Grassroots Health. This is a group of very respected scientists at places places like the University of California, Harvard, Mass General, etc. who are asking questions.

She went to their website, got tested, and then began reading.

Here is their website: http://www.grassrootshealth.net/

And then here is the website from UC San Diego that lists all the things they are looking at - cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia....go take a look:

http://www.ucsd.tv/series/index.aspx?show=show&seriesnumber=520

She learned that Nordic Naturals offers a nice product, so we are including that now in our store.




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

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** Our Online Groups **


On the Radiant Step 5 list we talk about the importance of browns, about the different grains available - how to choose, how to cook, how to serve. We explore why for some of us wheat may not be the best alternative or not a good one. Step 5 can be exciting and you can learn how to introduce new things to resistant family members. We also call it the 'coming out' step since it's at this step that when we 'eat out' we may seem different to those not familiar with our program.

Or come to the group page to find the one that will best support your program: http://www.radiantrecovery.com/list_serves.htm


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**The Calm **
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.



"Am I right in identifying it this way: the hit--as horrible as it is--is the meltdown and the immediate afterglow in which I can actually get my work done; as the hit wears off I'm left flat--that would be withdrawal; my anxiety levels begin to build and that increases the chaos in my life--the hunt is on for the next big storm....

Oh, lord, it's good to know what's going on but I'm horrified that my actions are the actions of an addict my entire life...because I was labeled "drama queen" right from the getgo and teased mercilessly for it, which only fed it...."

Katrina

I know that many of you can relate to the idea of being a drama queen (or king). The quote above came from a class member of the beta-endorphin group. I think that perfectly describes the pattern.

You create a big thing - using whatever stuff is at hand. It could be leaving bills 'til they are overdue, not paying taxes, forgetting a key appointment, having a fight with husbands, wives or partners or children, blowing up at work, having a temper tantrum, whatever......you get a rush. You get a rush from the STORM. It is such a great image.

The rush is a flood of beta-endorphin, and a subsequent dash of dopamine. You feel clear, mobilized, able to cope and in charge. This is drug-induced euphoria. The skilled and effective drama queen. And then the flat rolls in. And you have no tolerance for it. Something, you need something. Sweets, fights, sex, drama.

They are all activated beta-endorphin and then pushing through to trigger dopamine. This is euphoria and then rush. And then withdrawal, the flat. The problem comes over time. You build tolerance, so you need a bigger drama. Life starts to unravel and the drama becomes unmanageable. You pull it together; the pulling together is done in a flurry, another rush, more drama. Now the drama of getting fixed, organized, settled. So the pattern is veiled. Now the drama comes with the fixing. And the sugar use builds.

When you step into the program, and work the steps, the steps themselves are designed to minimize drama. You want to teach you to cope with thoughtful planning rather than reaction and mobilization. You are creating behavioral change. Learning to "wait" for meals on step three teaches you to learn to wait...and tolerate discomfort.

Step six rolls in. Now you have biochemical flat since the charge from sugar is out. This is the hardest part of the program. You are learning to do life without spike. You are learning to tolerate some flatness rather than creating drama, drama....

Then something funny happens. Flat starts taking on color. Flat becomes The Calm. And something in you starts to like it. And something in you starts to really like it. Eighteen months in and drama no longer holds the charge. You find yourself wanting to deescalate rather than amp up. Now the drama seems like an unnecessary wasting of energy far more suited to fun things.

Another change slips in. Rather than drama queen, your funny, creative, innovative self starts growing. You are flexible and resourceful. You deal well with crisis, you no longer cope but are proactive in problem solving. Who is this person anyway? There is nothing in the world so wonderful as a healed drama queen.


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

Gretel, our webmaster, puts it all together.
David runs the Radiant Recovery® Store.
Selena provides the weekly Ambassadors column.


©2010 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, 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 http://www.radiantrecovery.com 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 may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/