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April 29, 2013 Hi {!firstname_fix} Yesterday, I took the dogs to the dog wash. We think of it as *bonding*...they LOVE the let's shake and get mom wet. Apple oatmeal shampoo and then some nice smelling conditioner and then those industrial-volume blow dryers make a nice end. And the young guy with the purple shirt gets to clean up all the dog hair now blown all over the shop. The dogs are fluffy and sweet smelling, prancing around like they have on new Easter clothes, LOL. Dustin (aka Curley) is waiting out his seclusion time in a kennel outside. Whenever I take him out he wants to leap and prance and run, all things that are off limits for his recovery plan. Enthusiasm outrunning logic, LOL. Sounds like some of our newbies. We are full in the getting ready for Radiant Ranch in Santa Fe. I have been working on the slides for the presentations. Before I started that, I spent a fair amount of time updating my brain on new research material. I found an article about novelty-raising Beta Endorphin...my tank is very full these days. As I am completing the ranch audio for 2010, I have been learning all about how tone and sequence can enhance learning. It is great timing, of course, since I am in the *getting ready* stage for 2013. I actually drew out the sequence of the material so I could *see* how the flow went. Sitting in a recording studio watching sounds waves certainly is a process! This week I am going up to the hotel to finalize our food choices. And I will do a mini tour to give people a preview of Santa Fe highlights. Usually I just go up and have fun. Now I will spend a morning thinking about our attendees and what they might like to visit. Even the thought makes me smile.  I will be talking about body image and weight loss at ranch. I came across this ad on Yahoo. Now, if that doesn't represent the sum total of what I wish to antidote with what I am going to share. I literally felt nauseous when I was looking at this ad. Here is our cultural message. This is what we are bathed in every day a 1000 times. It is not all right. Man, does it get me motivated to share the antidote. This class will begin Wednesday, May 1, 2013. Please click on the name of the class and it will take you to the registration page:
This class will begin Wednesday, May 8, 2013. 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 ** What you thought would kill you can heal you. All the tenacity of your addiction can be in service to your recovery. And life will never be the same. **********************************************************************
**Testimonial of the Week ** It took me a while to use my journal as a data-gathering exercise, and not to treat it as a testament to failure. I laugh when I see my first journal now, it is so neat and impeccable, a million miles from the reality at the time, and not helpful at all. Now I am able to make connections using my less perfect output. It was important to get the judgment out so I could get to that point. It sounds like you have understood already. Mel **********************************************************************
**Radiant Ambassadors **  On the Ambassadors list, Wendy let us know what she has been doing to share her experiences of Radiant Recovery. I loved her post so thought I would share it here for you to enjoy too: Hi Everyone, I love the program. I had tried to detox from sugar unsuccessfully before finding SARP. I have been sugar free for eight months and I love how I feel. So far I have given a copy of SARP to my family doctor and I have shared a couple RR business cards with people. I want everyone to have the freedom, confidence and health that I have gained from doing this program so I am here to find ways to do that. At Christmas I gave the book and a letter explaining my experience to my doctor in the town where we used to live. We were there visiting during the holidays. Since I didn't have an appointment I had to leave the gift with the receptionist. I have been very healthy and haven't needed to visit my new doctor since my check up last year. When I go this year I will be sure to take a copy for her! Wendy I think this is wonderful! Spreading the news one person at a time! Selena selenas@blueyonder.co.uk Come join us if you are excited about spreading the news. **********************************************************************
**How I Found Radiant Recovery ** My name is Sarah and I am from Texas. I first read Potatoes not Prozac in 2000 and it completely changed my life (someone told me about the book after seeing it on Oprah). Although I had ups and downs, I followed my own version of the plan until 2007 when I started having kids, and I have just not been able to pull things together since then. I am not the best with online social networking, but I need help getting inspired to get back on track (my many attempts at trying to get family and friends to read the book and help me have failed), which is why I have been getting the newsletters and I am interested in finding out more about the other online tools and classes. I have read the book so many times, I pretty much have it memorized, but I just can't get myself motivated to do what I know I need to do. **********************************************************************
** Radiant Recovery® Store ** David manages the Radiant Recovery® Store. He is also Kathleen's oldest son. 
Think about getting Pycnogenol. It is an amazing little supplement that has an impact on lots of different things. I went over to PubMed and looked to see what had been studied. The studies include inflammation, skin problems, ADD, diabetes, asthma, DVT, cancer, arthritis, endometriosis, erectile dysfunction, sperm motility and a number of other things. You can go look as well. The suggested dosage is 1 mg. per pound and the caps come in 50 mg.You might want to consider adding it to your healing protocol. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. **********************************************************************
**Radiant Kitchen ** 
Last Monday's chat drifted to food, for some strange reason, LOL. We talked about beans..and got to Diane's famous Saturday night bean dinner. Here it is:New England Style Baked Beans 2 cans of pinto beans, with the juice A few slices of bacon, cut into small pieces 1/4 cup apple butter 1 TBS grainy brown mustard or to taste 1/2 of a Vidalia onion Put 2 cans of pinto beans with the juice in the crock pot. Mix the apple butter and the mustard into the beans. Saute the bacon and the onion. Add into the beans. Cook for about 4 hours. Traditionally eaten with hot dogs however you like them, or - try blueberry sausages! :) Alison G.'s Boston Brown Bread Ok... drum roll please (smile). I think I have perfected my version of Boston Brown Bread to be eaten with New England style baked beans and hotdogs. We had a traditional Maine, Saturday night bean supper tonight. I used Diane's recipes for the baked beans and coleslaw and adapted the brown bread recipe from the New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook. Here is the recipe: 1/2 c. brown rice flour 1/2 c. buckwheat flour 2 tsp. Rumford baking powder (make sure it's fresh) 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 c. apple butter (no sugar added) 1 egg 1/4 c. vegetable oil 1 c. buttermilk Mix dry ingredients together in bowl. In separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Grease and flour two small (14.5 oz.) aluminum cans. Use cans that do not have a seam because they can leach lead. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Divide batter into the two cans, filling them about 3/4 full. Cover each can with greased aluminum foil and tie with twine. Place the cans in a deep pan on top of a layer of old jar lids. (I used my crock pot.) Add boiling water until about half way up the cans. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 1/4 hours. Remove cans and check to see if the bread is done cooking. Allow to cool in the cans on a wire rack for at least an hour. Use a knife to loosen the bread and remove from cans. I made the brown bread earlier in the day, so it had cooled by the time we were ready to eat. I sliced the brown bread about 1/2 inch thick and toasted it in the toaster, then spread it with butter. It was moist and delicious. The flavor and texture was very close to the original that I remember. Radiant Coleslaw This is the coleslaw that Mel and I made for everyone at the Maine Meditation Seminar, and it was amazing! We made a gigantic batch of it in a freezing cold garage wearing winter coats, during a snowstorm. But no, it was not uphill both ways. LOLOL. Honestly, we were having a wonderful time. The elements are of no concern for Step 7'ers playing together! 1 cup mayonnaise 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar 1 Teaspoon celery salt, or to taste 6 cups shredded cabbage 1 cup grated carrots 1 medium granny smith apple, grated with skin Combine mayo, vinegar and celery salt together then add to cabbage, carrots and apple. Mix well and refrigerate several hours to let flavor develop. For more great program-friendly recipes, check out our cookbook in the store and visit our online Radiant Recipes site. **********************************************************************
**Radiant YLD ** We love to share our joys in YLD :). Here are just a few inspirational ones from Linda: ***looking at my busy day and finding just the right time to fit in an hour of exercising in the pool. It just felt like a normal, natural thing to do. ***spontaneously blessing each part of my body. I've never done that before! It also just felt like a normal, natural thing to do! ***DD reminding me that only 4 months ago I said I could not imagine ever "wanting" to go to the gym. ***menus planned through the weekend. ***warm, crackling fire in the fireplace. Who would have thought that for late April? Steph 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. I love the spontaneity that happens in our Monday chats. We *plan* to use the article from this newsletter, and then sometimes we just start talking about other things. It is like having a favorite book club meeting where you love the people and hearing their views is just a joy. 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 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 radiantrecovery list was set up as a support for people who are in recovery for alcohol and/or drugs and would like to add the Radiant Recovery nutritional piece to their healing. Our approach to recovery encourages the use of 12-step programs and Radiant Recovery. I have heard from a lot of people who have many years of sobriety in AA but have just recently come across Radiant Recovery. Won't you come and join us over on the recovery list to learn how to integrate sobriety and doing the food steps? If you want the promises to come in a way you have not imagined, it is a great time to come over. And if you aren't sure, but think alcohol might be a problem for you, we are here to support that exploration as well. The folks on the list are warm, compassionate, caring and straightforward. So we would love to have you come join us. **********************************************************************
**The Secret of Self-Esteem ** Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.
Optimism and self-confidence result from our body chemistry, not our mental attitude. Sometimes we are ready to take on the world. Other times the bag lady sits at our feet clucking her disapproval of our lives. Enduring and consistent confidence is a thousand times better than those few moments stolen on the back of a sugar high. I have been fascinated with the beta-endorphin story for years. As you may recall from Potatoes Not Prozac, beta-endorphin is the brain chemical that enables us to tolerate pain. So when I first learned that sugar evokes beta-endorphin, it made perfect sense to me. Sugar as a pain-killer seemed to resonate with what my body already knew. But I hadn’t thought of sugar as an emotional pain-killer. Reading that first scientific article about sugar reducing 'isolation distress' knocked my socks off. When baby mice were given sugar, they didn’t cry as much when they were taken away from their mothers. This wasn’t about physical pain, this was a whole different story. I wanted to piece it together. We know that children of alcoholics have naturally lower levels of beta-endorphin. What does this mean in real life? Beta-endorphin cuts pain. Therefore, lower levels of beta-endorphin mean we feel pain more deeply. We may be more distressed by going to the dentist. We may hurt more if we get banged up in a backyard game of football. We may cry more at the movies. Because we naturally have less of the brain chemical that protects us from pain, we are naturally more 'sensitive.' Because we are more sensitive, we feel more deeply. I suspect that lower levels of beta-endorphin make us more aware, more tuned in to the subtlety of what we are experiencing, and perhaps more vulnerable emotionally. Beta-endorphin also affects self-esteem. Confidence, optimism, a sense of connection, and a sense of elation all come with high levels of beta-endorphin. The euphoria of the 'runner’s high' is very real. That sense of being on top of the world is a byproduct of the beta-endorphin flood. By the same token, low beta-endorphin can have a profoundly negative effect on our feelings. Self-esteem eludes us — even though it seems we should feel terrific, we don’t. We are successful, we have enough money, we have love and support in our lives — but inside we are convinced it all will soon disappear and we will end up as a bag lady. We feel disconnected from those around us. Even though our mind tells us that we have a loving partner, an attentive husband, devoted children, caring parents, or loving friends, we still feel isolated and alone. Sometimes we shake our heads in disbelief. 'How can this be?' we ask. It makes no sense. What is even stranger is that we don’t feel this way all of the time. Sometimes we are ready to take on the world. Other times the bag lady sits at our feet clucking her disapproval of our lives. Having our confidence and self-esteem be so elusive, so unpredictable can be crazy-making. It makes no sense until we begin to see our life through the filter of beta-endorphin. When we have naturally low levels of beta-endorphin, our brains try to compensate by increasing the number of beta-endorphin receptors in order to catch as much beta-endorphin as possible. If something (like drugs, alcohol, or a large helping of sugary food) causes a big hit of beta-endorphin (also called a spike), the extra receptor sites will grab it and cause us to have a 'WOW!' reaction, a 'rush.' Let’s focus on the sugar effect. We start out with low beta-endorphin, we eat sugar, our beta-endorphin spikes, and we feel really good. We are confident, hopeful, and excited about our lives. We banish the bag lady with a flash of the hand and pronounce our enthusiasm for life and its demands. We feel great! For a little while. But then, in the middle of a conversation, at a board meeting, or on a date, our sense of possibility slips away. Doom descends and we are back to square one. The flood of beta-endorphin has receded and we are left with all those extra receptors sitting empty, forlorn — and craving for more. So how do we handle this situation? Can we raise our beta-endorphin levels by doing healthy things instead of using sugar and drugs? And what’s wrong with that 'rush?' If our beta-endorphin is low, don’t we want to do things that get us more? Here’s the key: We don’t want the rush because when it recedes, we end up feeling terrible. Instead we want a steady stream of beta-endorphin, which keeps us in a steady state of optimism, higher self-esteem, confidence, and connectedness. We want to enhance the natural production of beta-endorphin without the dramatic up and downs that have been a big part of our lives. In some ways, this may be hard to get used to. We may not want to give up the rush that sugar evokes. To use my own words from early recovery, life without the rush may seem 'boring.' It was almost as if I was willing to endure the pain of the down side in order to have the thrill of the up side. This, in a nutshell, is the seduction of addiction. We forget the down side and only remember those few moments of glory. We will seek forever and endure anything to return to the state of WOW! Trust me on this one, though. Many years later, my body, my mind, and my heart all know that a steady state of clarity and self-esteem is so much better than the illusion I carried around so long. Enduring and consistent confidence is a thousand times better than those few moments stolen on the back of a sugar high. I didn’t know this until I did the food plan — and kept doing it over time. But I do now, and there is nothing better in the world than living from this place. Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them. Not a subscriber yet? Like what you have read? Sign up to get future issues delivered straight to you: http://www.radiantrecovery.com Until next time!
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. Steph provides the Your Last Diet column. ©2013 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/weeklynewsletter |
