Hi {!firstname_fix}

Well, I am happy to report I am almost to Maine when I write this. The dogs have survived being in the car for five days although yesterday at my daughter's in Vermont, they literally were leaping for the joy of running in the tall grass. I had a chance to visit Gretel in New Jersey who has one of Pepper's puppies, so little Ronan got to see his sister. They romped and ran and chased and played. The trip took me through tornado warnings in Indiana and rain, rain and more rain. Vermont is grey and green in contrast to the New Mexico blue and brown that I am used to. But it has been a wonderful adventure. I will be in Maine enjoying the sea and maybe even a lobster by the time you get this.

I will start the classes up again this week of June 20 from Vinalhaven, ME.

Using Community Resources is for those of you just starting out. Learn about how the community works and all the resources we have here for your benefit.

Doing The Steps: An Overview is for when you are starting step one and want to see how the rest fits together. This class is particularly useful for those of you coming in from other programs. Sometimes, it is easy to assume that you have it all down pat. This class helps you make connections and see why one step at a time, in order and slowly makes so much sense.

Brain Chemistry: Serotonin is a great introduction to the heart of the program. Why do we eat that potato anyway? Why do we have such a hard time saying no? Come learn what makes the sugar sensitive person tick.

We have posted a schedule of the classes for the rest of the month. So you can go ahead and sign up for what you want to join.

A number of you have asked me about how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this.

Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover.

A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of the page. Do not email me, do not get mad at me, just click on the link and you will be forever removed.

And be sure to visit our Radiant RecoveryŽ website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

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June 20, 2005
** 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 for the Week**


I've been detoxed now for a little over a month, and I noticed something extraordinary this past week. In working with my clients, I am always VERY focused but never relaxed (due to a general anxiety I feel around people). This week I experienced being focused AND RELAXED, which actually allowed me to be present to them in a whole new way. It was a totally new experience for me and I've spent the week just savouring it and being amazed. It seems like such a GIFT and I don't know where it could have come from unless it's related to doing the food. Anyway, I thought I would share it here to let people know what happened. Maybe someone else has had a similar experience?

Love,
Kathy (in London)

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**Recipe of the Week**


TOMATO SALAD

Thinly slice tomatoes and red onions. Wash scallions and then dice. Mix all ingredients together and let marinate for 24 hours before serving.

Correction: Last week's blintz recipe's directions were a bit lacking. Here are the updated directions for the blintz: Mix eggs and milk together in a blender. Add flour and salt and blend well until there are no lumps. Use a 8 inch non-stick pan. Spray the pan with non-stick spray before frying the first blintz and before each subsequent blintz. Pour a small amount of blintz dough into the hot pan and twirl pan around so the dough fills the pan all around. This is the way to make a really thin blintz! Fry until it pulls away from the sides or until it solidifies on the edges. Then flip over and fry for only 3-4 seconds. Set aside. Makes approximately 12 blintzes.

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


Things have been quiet this week on YLD. Our class is waiting while I drive cross country and I think the class members are taking wonderful care of the newer folks on the main YLD list. This is an unexpected joy of the program - you get this amazing support cadre of people who are diet experts and KNOW what YLD means,

For those of you who are not yet YLD members, Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun.
 


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**David's Corner **



Well, I went and did a literature search on my beloved bud, pycnogenol. I was stunned at the research that has been done and plan to do a whole article for you about it. This week I am including it because drinking alcohol reduces immune function and pycnogenol reverses that effect. Pycnogenol also helps keep extra fat out of the fat stores. I like this idea. Wait til you read about what else it does. I decided to carry it in our store because I had heard about its great anti-oxidant effects. I had NO idea of the range of what it can do. Good stuff!


Life Sci. 1996;58(5):PL 87-96.
Related Articles, Links

Immunomodulation by pycnogenol in retrovirus-infected or ethanol-fed mice.

Cheshier JE, Ardestani-Kaboudanian S, Liang B, Araghiniknam M, Chung S, Lane L, Castro A, Watson RR.

Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724, USA.

Pycnogenol is a commercial mixture of bioflavonoids that exhibits antioxidative activity. The effects of dietary pycnogenol on immune dysfunction in normal mice as well as those fed ethanol or infected with the LP-BM5 murine retrovirus were determined. The ethanol consumption and retrovirus infection caused abnormalities in the function and/or structure of a broad array of cells involved in humoral and cellular immunity. Pycnogenol enhanced in vitro IL-2 production by mitogen-stimulated splenocytes if its production was suppressed in ethanol-fed or retrovirus-infected mice. Mitogenesis of splenocytes did not show a significant change in mice treated with pycnogenol. It reduced the elevated levels of interleukin-6 produced in vitro by cells from retrovirus infected mice and IL-10 secreted by spleen cells from mice consuming ethanol. Natural killer cell cytotoxicity was increased with pycnogenol treatment.

Phytother Res. 2000 Sep;14(6):472-3.
Related Articles, Links

Inhibition of lipogenesis by pycnogenol.
B
Hasegawa N.

Department of Food and Nutrition, Nagoya Bunri College, Nagoya, Japan. hsgwn@nagoya-bunri.ac.jp

The influence of pycnogenol on the adipose conversion of 3T3-L1 cells by insulin was studied. In week 3 of culture with insulin, pycnogenol was found to inhibit significantly the expression of glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (p 0.01). This finding suggests that pycnogenol inhibits the accumulation of lipid droplets in adipose tissue. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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

Thanks
David

And of course, we have something for everybody in our store


 
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**Our Online Groups**


Hi, I'm Gretel, and I'm the volunteer liaison for the radiantrecovery group. I had been sober with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous for 13 years when I found Radiant Recovery 6 years ago. At that time I was suffering severe sugar hangovers that rivaled any I'd ever had from alcohol and was sliding into a depression. I commented one night at a meeting that I might as well go back to my drug of choice, alcohol, if I was going to feel that bad. A wise lady came up to me and suggested I might be interested in Kathleen's book, Potatoes Not Prozac. I read it in one day, felt Kathleen was speaking directly to me, and embraced the program because I intuitively knew it would add a whole new dimension to my recovery.

The radiantrecovery list was set up as a support for people who have already given up alcohol and/or drugs or who would like to in connection with the Radiant Recovery program. We are a very warm, compassionate and caring group who have known the depths of despair that addiction brings. We are grateful for the understanding Kathleen has provided us, that our addiction is biochemically based, and for the nutritional solution she offers to help us in our recovery. We would love to have you join us.

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** Featured Topic**
Do You Have a Problem With Alcohol?
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.


I am posting this again because I have heard from so many folks about this issue this past week.

Be tender with yourself when you look at this. If you have a problem with alcohol, you probably have had all sorts of people who have been far from tender with you. No doubt you have been criticized, shamed, fought with, talked to, cajoled, bargained with or argued with. In fact, if someone around you criticizes your drinking, it is one of the most reliable indicators that you have a problem with alcohol. People who do not have a problem with alcohol do not evoke pain, frustration or concern about drinking in the people around them.

Take a quiet look at your alcohol use. You don't have to admit you have a problem, you don't have to surrender anything. Your own commitment and experience will guide you in this process. Honesty about your relationship to alcohol is hard because the very nature of the disease of alcoholism is denial. Do this review in the privacy of your own home or office and give yourself absolute discretion over whether you share your findings with anyone at this time. If privacy supports your honesty, embrace it. If sharing serves you better, find a trusted friend to help you ask these questions. The very best alternative is a friend in recovery.

What is very surprising is that people who do not have a problem with drinking don't feel bad about it. They don't feel guilty. We talk a lot about the 'denial' of alcoholism. I believe denial is the response that emerges when the person is made to feel defensive about their behaviors. When there is no reason to be defensive, people are remarkably on target about what is going on for them. Take away the shame or the judgment and you can assess your problems pretty clearly.

'Oh, come on,' you say. 'Everyone does that!' Everyone doesn't do this.

People who don't have a problem with alcohol are not inclined to want more when they feel bad. Having a problem with alcohol or alcoholism is defined as 'continued use of alcohol despite adverse consequences.' When a non-problem drinker has an adverse consequence from drinking, she stops. She will make the connection between feeling bad and alcohol. A problem drinker doesn't see this connection.

Not making the connection is not about being stubborn or stupid or even about willful 'denial.' Not making the connection between drinking and feeling bad is about chemical changes in the brain that alter the parts of the brain that form judgment by making a connection between cause and effect. The parts of the brain that are responsible for saying, 'Hey, this made me feel bad, I don't think I want more,' don't work properly.

Not making the connection creates a vicious cycle. In the problem drinker's mind, the alcohol actually makes her feel better, so she drinks more. Her opinion is confirmed when the alcohol triggers a beta endorphin release of euphoric feelings. This reaction is why everyone drinks - the effect is nice. The sugar-sensitive person feels especially good because alcohol causes a even greater beta endorphin response in her brain. She feels far better than other people do when they drink. But the next morning, she is hung over, a feeling that comes from withdrawal. All the beta endorphin receptors that were stimulated, or primed, by yesterday's alcohol use are screaming for more.

That morning-after feeling of wanting to do anything to feel better is so easily taken care of by having a drink. So she does. Relief comes. Blessed, sweet relief. And with her "adverse consequences" switch turned off, the problem drinker's natural response is to feel that having a quick one is a reasonable and logical way to take care of bad feelings.

So CAGE stands for:

C - CRITICIZED
A - ANNOYED
G - GUILTY
E - EYE-OPENER

Now, let's go back to each question individually.

Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking? Not a hard one. People usually know the answer to this right away. Yes or no. No cheating, or fudging. If cutting down is even a passing thought, answer this one 'Yes.'

Have people ever annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? Okay, be honest now. Ever? Think about those times when you have held your tongue, or wanted to smack someone for making a comment about your drinking. Think of the fights you have had with your spouse about it. Answer honestly.

Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking? This question is pretty straight forward.

Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning (an "eye-opener") to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?

A score of ONE is a warning sign.

Remember the meaning of CAGE. Let yourself think about this for a while. One of two things will happen. You might begin working very hard to say, 'Naw, I don't really feel guilty about my drinking.' This is an example of denial creeping in and wrapping its deadly little body around your neck. Just pay attention. Consider whether you are getting farther away from relationship to your body and your own inner wisdom.

The other thing that might happen is you may be jostled into realizing that you do have a problem with alcohol. If you decide that you would like to stop drinking, there are a number of factors to take into consideration before you do. First, you will need to estimate how severe a withdrawal you will have based on the frequency and volume of your drinking. You will need to honestly and accurately figure out how much alcohol you consume in a week. You can do this by recording your alcohol consumption right in your food journal. Do this for a week and then take an honest look at the frequency and amount of your drinking. Calculate the number of drinks you have in a day or a week. A drink is 4 oz. of wine, one beer or 1 oz. of hard liquor. So if you have three 6 oz. glasses of wine (18 oz.), this would be the equivalent of 4.5 drinks.

After you know where you now stand, you can start to plan your detox process. Just as in your detox from sugars, you will want to determine your style for making change. You can either taper down and then stop or you can stop all at once. Most people find it much easier to go for sobriety all at once. You don't have to be making decisions about how much, when, where, with whom all of the time. You can focus on one decision only - the decision not to drink.

It will be important for you to have some sort of support as you make the change. Do not stop drinking without telling anyone what you are doing. Work with us on the recovery list. And find someone locally who has been through alcohol detox. Talk to that person. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can be a wonderful support because everyone in AA has been through this process. The only requirement for going to AA is a desire to stop drinking. You don't have to be an alcoholic. You don't have to sign up, you don't have to agree with the program, you don't have to do it any particular way. You don't even have to talk in the meeting. You can sit quietly in the back and slip out quickly any time you want.

AA can give you a lifeline to others who know about recovery. They can provide you with a road map and concrete suggestions about how to handle what you are feeling. If you go to a meeting and don't like it, don't assume that you won't like a different meeting. Some meetings are boring, some are abusive and most are profoundly supportive and life-giving.

If you are not comfortable in meetings, find at least one person to support you in your alcohol detox. Do not expect your spouse or partner, your daughter or your son to be your primary support. They are too closely involved. Find at least one person who has been there. Talk about what you are doing. Tell your story. Get books about recovery. Go to a treatment professional.

If you plan to stop drinking all at once, you must have medical supervision for your detox if any of the following are true for you:

  1. If you have a history of blood pressure that is higher than 140/90.
  2. If you have used more than a six pack of beer daily, more than six 4 oz. glasses of wine or more than eight ounces (half a pint) of liquor per day for over a year.
  3. If you have had prior withdrawal symptoms, such as depression or agitation.
  4. If you have ever had seizures for any reason, and in particular if you have had alcohol DT's.
  5. If you are using any other (either illegal or prescription) drugs in combination with the alcohol. This particularly includes benzodiazipines such as Valium, Librium or Xanex.
Withdrawal from significant or long standing alcohol use can be a serious process. Keep yourself safe as you make this change. You are taking a very important and brave step. Withdrawal symptoms can include depression, insomnia, sweating, tremulousness, agitation, irritability, and brain "fog." In fact, go to the sidebar which lists the withdrawal symptoms for nicotine. You may experience may of these same things since alcohol and nicotine do share some neurochemical pathways.

Withdrawal usually starts 4-6 hours after the time you usually have your alcohol. If you drink every day at 6:00 PM, you will begin to experience discomfort that evening. If you have been a heavy drinker, your doctor may prescribe short term medication which will minimize the possibility of having seizures during detox.

Making the food changes in preparation for going off of alcohol will greatly enhance the likelihood that you can achieve and maintain long term sobriety.

When you actually start your detox, increase your vitamins and increase your fruit intake the first week you stop drinking. If you feel edgy during the day, have an additional 1/2 teaspoon of the B-complex liquid. (Don't have it in the evening, though, it will keep you up.) We encourage our clients to have 2-3 bananas a day for that first week. You can add one to your power shake and then use them as a snack later in the day. Make sure you have a baked potato before you go to bed. It will help your serotonin function and will support the normalization of your sleep patterns.

The people in our community cannot believe what a difference it makes to have done the food plan first. They have fewer withdrawal symptoms, very little craving and feel better than they have in years. This food plan can support the power of your commitment.

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., Addictive Nutrition

ŠKathleen DesMaisons 2005.

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

Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster puts it all together
Naomi gathers the recipes
JoAnna, the liaison for Rolling Hills gathers the testimonials
Terri, the liaison for Ambassadors sends over the ambassadors quote
Marie, the liaison for diabetes gathers the info on the online lists
David, who runs the Radiant RecoveryŽ Store talks about what new products we have.