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June 4, 2012 Hi {!firstname_fix} Warm days and cool mornings are the standard of the time here in NM. The peacock babies are big enough to scoot around behind mom. The birds are out in full force in the morning. Things feel settled and calm here. I am thinking about ideas for my yard. I visited a neighbor who has done an extraordinary job in creating a permaculture yard out behind her house. It is simply breathtaking and has inspired me. These classes will begin Wednesday, June 6, 2012. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:
This class will begin Wednesday, June 13, 2012. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:
The class schedule is online. Click here to see what is planned. 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 **********************************************************************
** Quote From Kathleen ** Your molecules will yearn for balance, care, healing. Instead of craving for sugar, there will come a longing for wholeness. **********************************************************************
** Testimonial of the Week ** I'm so glad that you're getting a lot out of the joys. I've tinkered with my journal to put my joys in there first and then the food/emotions etc. I'm still gobsmacked that the more I notice, the more there are to notice LOL! Selena **********************************************************************
** Radiant Ambassadors **  How many of you use Facebook? Thought so! A friend posted a video about sugar and its effects on her Facebook page the other day. She also added a mini-testimonial about how doing the food had really helped her. The response was incredible! Sure, there were some folks doing the program who commented, but there were also several people who hadn't heard of Radiant Recovery and now have! Yet another way to talk about Radiant Recovery that works! Selena selenas@blueyonder.co.uk Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
** How I Found Radiant Recovery ** Hi! My name is Marci and I live in the beautiful Pacific NW outside of Seattle. I am just beginning the program, trying to get my breakfast under control. I'm hoping this class will help me get involved with the RR community and possibly make some new friends in the process. I read part of the Sugar Addict's book last summer but wasn't ready to accept my "fate" as a sugar addict. Then, I came across a suggestion by a blogger I follow to look into Potatoes not Prozac and I immediately knew this program was meant for me!! I am definitely a sugar sensitive/addict & have faith that I can make positive changes in my life doing the steps. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. 
OK, next I want to share some about our Joint Response products. Kathleen was first introduced to these a number of years ago at the national Golden Retriever Dog show when it was held in Albuquerque. At that point in time, I had recently moved to Albuquerque. My 8-year-old rottie, Pippin, had severe arthritis. We gave him Joint Response and in 3 weeks he was acting like a puppy. So we started carrying the dog stuff in the store. We kept getting great reports. I asked the company if they were going to carry a human product. They said yes. So now we carry that. And they recently added a cream. Here are the links for the products http://www.radiantrecoverystore.com/stpets.html http://www.radiantrecoverystore.com/stsupps.html As most of you know, Kathleen likes to learn about the things we carry. She started doing a fair amount of research about cetyl. Here is a pretty balanced discussion. http://www.glucosamine-arthritis.org/arthritis/cetyl-myristoleate-arthritis.html The article is pretty interesting...here is a clip: The first double blind study followed two years later. Dr. H. Siemandi conducted a double blind study under the auspices of the Joint European Hospital Studies Program. There were 431 patients in the study, 106 who received cetyl myristoleate, 99 who received cetyl myristoleate, and glucosamine, sea cucumber, and hydrolyzed cartilage and 226 who received a placebo. Clinical assessment included radiological test and other studies. Results were 63% improvement for the cetyl myristoleate group, 87% for the cetyl myristoleate plus glucosamine group and 15% for the placebo group. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Kitchen ** 
Ok, I have to say, these turned out pretty well, but not before like an hour
of trying to figure out the maths. Thank goodness I had help from a smart
math person. :)So, Emily tried a tortilla recipe earlier and made some notes about it: (Tortilla recipe) 1 C flour mix ¾ tsp xanthan gum ½ tsp salt ½ C warm water and mentioned somewhere that she was thinking of using the same proportions as were in the pizza crust recipe she posted before that: (Pizza combo) 1 C brown rice flour 2/3 C oat flour 1/3 C sorghum flour 1/3 C almond meal I spent some serious time trying to work out how I was going to get a 1:1:2:3 ratio come to the 1 C. called for in the tortilla recipe. Luckily I had Math Support. Eventually we decided that thirds were too hard and decided to make something up using fourths. So, for the Tortillas, I used:
I was really careful with the water because Emily said hers were too wet and I didn't want to use a whole bunch of flour to roll them out. At first I poured in enough to just get it sticking together and forming clumps. I used all but about 1/8th cup of it (I checked to see) and then I made a few to see what would happen. They were ok, but not quite sticking together well enough, so I added the rest of the proportion of water for the dough that was left. When I did that, it was just getting to the sticky point. Perfect so that it stuck together as one big ball, and I was getting a little stuck to my fingers, but not a ton. I made a few more, cooked them, and kept them under a damp paper towel. Took them out one at a time to fill with chicken and cheese, microwaved to melt the cheese, and they were absolutely floppy like they should have been. So, I was really pleased with the way these turned out! Then again, I haven't had a flour tortilla in six months, so I could be mistaken. I think the key to my success was not using flour to roll them out. The dough was pretty dry, only barely sticky, like I said, so plucked chunks about the size of a golf ball, rolled them with oiled hands, spread about 1/4 t. (ish - I'm not afraid of olive oil) of oil on the silpat, rolled it in that, spread some oil from my hands on the rolling pin and flattened it out as thing as I could get it. I was limited by my coarsely ground pecans and oat flour to a certain thickness, but it worked for me. Then I picked up the silpat, put my palm on the tortilla, turned the whole thing upside down, and slowly rolled back the silpat from the tortilla and plopped it in the pan. I cooked them on medium heat for a minute or so on each side. Once I did a few I could see that I didn't want them too brown, just cooked, so they'd still be pliable. Kept them in under that damp towel and they got more pliable as they sat. Did the same microwave move and ate shredded chicken tacos with salsa - and it ALL stayed in the shell! It was amazing. I did a fold, not a roll, so I'm not sure how the roll would work. I'm scheduled to make them again this week, so I'll see if I can roll them without cracking. My next thing will be to see if I can freeze them so that I have them handy instead of making them every time. Both of my kids ate them and there were no complaints. I love that the shells are floppy like they should be, with a nice flavor, but nothing overpowering - just a good vessel to get the innards to my mouth intact! :) Interested to hear your thoughts.... Heidi For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site. **********************************************************************
** Radiant YLD ** In Euro chat we were talking about the role of Serotonin in being able to *hold* the process of doing the steps and getting ready for weight loss. It was a pretty amazing discussion. I hope you will take the time to read it. If you would like to join, come find us here **********************************************************************
** Radiant Conversations ** We have a new portal for the Conversations program. Come check it out here. In the Euro chat, we talked about emotional maturity and what it means for all of us. What an incredible sharing. And then in the evening we talked about integrating a sense of the divine in our lives, how doing the food brings us into contact. It all was really lovely. If you would like to join us, you can do that below. Join YLD Weight Loss Now: click here - $99 Join Conversations 2011 Now: click here - $99 Join Both YLD and Conversations Now: click here - $149 Current YLD members wish to Upgrade to Both, click here - $49 Current YLD members who wish to Transfer to Conversations 2011 Only can do so for a $14.99 admin fee: click here If you are not a member, come and join us if you want to be a part of the latest and greatest or just have some plain ol' fun! **********************************************************************
** Our Online Groups ** The Radiant Step Two list is a source of helpful information and support with journaling. On this list we talk about how to get started with the journal, how to start listening to our body and why giving it a voice is so important. We also discuss how to use the journal for detective work in our program and, of course, how to make journaling fun! Right now the list is rockin' with people supporting each other and making big discoveries with their journal. We get set doing all four parts of Breakfast and then comes 'The Journal.' Many people have kept journals of food intake before to track points or calories. Others have written great long accounts of their feelings, poetry, their making sense of life, the universe. This journal is very different. Here we record what and when we eat, and how the body feels. We are able to discover what our body likes, doesn't like. What makes 'our' body function and feel best. We get to know the dear body who has faithfully carried and served us our life long. And we get to make the best food choices to nurture our body and allow the body to heal. The journal is a tricky step for a lot of people! (smile) Learning the language that the body uses can be harder than learning Russian without a phrasebook. But if we persevere, the rewards are wonderful. Getting to know 'you,' getting to know 'all' about you is the best, and most lasting, love affair you will ever have. On the journal list, we talk about how to have the journal work for you and your body. How to manage carrying a journal, being kind to yourself when it seems too hard, and how to understand what it tells you. So whether you are just starting out or are looking for a recharge in your journaling, come on over and join in the fun! **********************************************************************
**Some Reflections on Autism ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
A number of you have asked me about autism and Asperger’s Syndrome and what you might do nutritionally? While I am not an expert in autism, I can outline some of the research that is being done and share my reflections on how it might fit together. You have the lived experience. Perhaps we can explore our way to some working solutions. I have often wondered about autism. A couple of years ago I got a gorgeous rescue golden retriever. Her people gave her up because she was a “behavioral problem”. I took her and then observed. She would not connect, made no eye contact, and spent her days immobile with her head under the bed. She collected all the dog toys and hoarded them with her there under the bed. She could not cope with new experiences. She was stubborn, willful and terrified of rain and thunder. I worked with her behaviorally for 6 months with no change made. Eventually, I took her to a homeopathic vet to see if he might offer some perspective. We met for an hour. He said, “I think she is autistic.” He had a remedy for her, but had to order it and said it would take 2 weeks. I figured while I was waiting, I would play with her food and see what happened. I did and in 3 days, this dog was transformed. She connected, she started wagging her tail, she started to play with the other dogs. Six months more and she was in a loving home being funny and loving. She is at times a little quirky, but they adore her and see her as a normal dog. The transformation got my attention. Science does not know what autism is or how to treat it. Basically, researchers admit that they are trying stuff to see if it makes any difference. But as I started reading the literature, I found some intriguing connections. Autistic children generally have high levels of serotonin in their blood platelets, but the level of “free” serotonin was low. This means that somehow the serotonin that is in the blood gets bound to the platelets but extra does not float around. This may mean high serotonin in blood cells, but low serotonin in brain. One study suggests that this early high level could have an impact on the infant brain. Small babies do not have a formed blood-brain barrier; so high levels of serotonin could cross over ad “knock out” or overload the brain. This would mean a dysfunction in the serotonin receptor system. Fewer receptor sites, or impaired receptor binding, could account for the strange combination of no impulse control and obsessive brain lock we see in autistic children. At any rate, think of impaired serotonin function in your children. It is complex and not really clear, but there is no question that serotonin in some form is implicated. Research also comments on the fact that autistic children have high beta-endorphin levels. The literature does not reference baseline beta-endorphin but talks about an exaggerated stress response. Measuring beta-endorphin evokes stress, so the high levels they see may be a function of the exaggerated stress reaction. Stress evokes BE, and generally serotonin modulates the spike. If the serotonin system is impaired, there could be nothing to tone the beta-endorphin spike down so there would be a constant spiking and crashing. Higher BE levels are associated with difficulty in bonding. BE is designed to kill pain, it creates “numb”. This can be life saving in a crisis, but it does not bode well for bonding. Children treated with a BE blocker actually had fewer autistic symptoms. Researchers used a drug called Naltrexone that sits in beta-endorphin receptor sites and does not allow the heightened BE reaction to charge the system. But it does nothing to heal it. I began thinking, what about food? What do we know and how might we design a food program for your kids. The variables we are working with:
Increase the protein to make sure that the brain has the amino acids it needs to make serotonin in the brain factory. This means regular and consistent protein. And yes, I know that most of your children only want to eat carbs. Think whey protein power. Identify what proteins your kids are willing to try and use those creatively. Give your children a children’s formula of fish oil. Check the DHA formulation we have in the store. I love Nordic Naturals Products and think they are safe and very appropriate for your children. Ultimately, you will want to move your kids to a food plan that has no wheat, no hard-core dairy (whey protein powder is ok because it does not have casein), and no sugar. Get a subscription to the magazine Living Without (www.livingwithout.com). They are great about the no wheat, no dairy part. They do not understand about the no sugar part. Wheat and dairy contain opioid peptides and raise BE levels more. Sugar does the same. Obviously you will not do all of this at once. But you can take out things like soda and move incrementally towards the goal. Now, at this point, you are probably either laughing or recoiling in horror. You may be thinking, “Kathleen, that is a joke, my child only eats 2 things.” I realize we have some major logistics to get through. I am very pragmatic. But, if you knew that putting your child on a protein/veggies/oil food plan with a timed evening carb would create a profound improvement, wouldn’t you wan to at least try? I know you have spent thousands of dollars and have tried 100 other things. We have nothing to lose. Let’s share and do problem solving together. And, of course, it is critical that YOU do the steps. You cannot even think of making these changes with your child unless you are totally steady. Let’s do it together. I am thinking of setting a group for you to share about these issues. Let me know what you think. And here are the citations. All of the abstracts are on Pub Med if you want to read them. Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi? if you want to read them Akbari,
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