Destination: Major Fun at the Packwood Flea Market! By Katherine A. Carroll, NTP, Associate Editor, Health Freedom News

Okay. I admit it…Adytum Sanctuary www.adytumsanctuary.com  has been up and running 6 ½ years now and I've never been to the infamous Packwood Flea Market http://packwoodfleamarkets.com/events.asp in the great Pacific Northwest held every Memorial and Labor Day weekend. Plenty of our guests have been and we’ve always been busy working. 

Off We Go!

We had a couple celebrating their 5^th anniversary in the Star of the North http://www.adytumsanctuary.com/readmorestar.html

and 3 fun-loving women in the Orion Suite http://www.adytumsanctuary.com/readmoreorion.html who were attending Mark Bolender’s horse event which entailed going through a challenging obstacle course. http://www.bolenderhorsepark.com/  Despite  Adytum Sanctuary  being booked,  we pursued our own fun and found out some of our guests had beat us there! 

People come from all over the States to experience this particular flea market. Massachusetts, West Texas, Eastern Washington… they were there, hundreds of them, so many that the internet and phone services were overwhelmed and shut down.  We drove 40 minutes in steady rain, past the logging town of Morton http://www.visitmorton.com/ where our optometry clinic, Medical Vision Center www.medicalvisioncenter.com  is located.

Medical Vision Center and Nutritional Visions Natural Health Center in Morton, Washington

You have to realize, Packwood is the end of the line. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packwood,_Washington  

If you want to be buried the country, move to Packwood. I have a friend, an ex-General in the army who spoke daily with a past President. He resides in Packwood bordering Gifford Pinchot forest land on a compound that is impregnable. So this tells us something about the kinds of people who locate here… On one end of the spectrum, think rugged individualist with a high-powered gun and you have capsulized Packwood in a nutshell and on the other end of the same spectrum, those live there who crave deep peace and an escape from the World. For many, Packwood is a second vacation home site.  

 

Into the heart of the Ancients....

Passing Packwood you can catch the Grove of the Patriarchs, a must-see as you sense your frail humanity being dwarfed by these Ancients. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g143044-d145868-Reviews-Grove_of_the_Patriarchs-Mount_Rainier_National_Park_Washington.html  As you head left at the Y in the road and run into  Ohanapecosh http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/ohanapecosh.htm  where we followed a herd of elk and a lone bear last Spring, past neglected hot springs and an old resort from the 1920s where people came to take the waters.

Heading farther on the right of the Y you encounter White Pass Ski Resort http://www.skiwhitepass.com/ in 30 minutes. Here I learned to cross country ski, foregoing skiing in their million dollar chairlift and lodge expansion at the top of the mountain. Yakima http://visityakima.com/ is about an hour and a half still and has wineries you’ve surely read about along with Walla Walla http://www.wallawalla.org/ farther still up the highway. But back to Packwood for some fun!

 

Something Old....

There are new things for sale and old things for sale at the Packwood Flea Market with every walk of life coalesced to buy them and nearly everyone with something to eat in their hand -simply hundreds of people invading Packwood, the colorful little town at the foot of the mountains. It’s a beautiful day here at least unlike 'winter hanging on' which we drove through . 

Quintessential Late Spring Day in Packwood, Washington

The pure white clouds are big and puffy matching fresh snow topping the mountains. The air is about 65 degrees. The hills are verdant with new spring growth. It is truly the quintessential late Spring day as I step into the Child-zone.

"I spent the first half of life learning to become a man. I will spend the second half learning to become a child." Picasso.

It could have been a dog parade instead of a flea market that we've come to see with every variety of mut and purebred represented, leashed and getting along perfectly!

We Fell In Love With the Great Dane

We stopped by Betty’s art gallery and checked out her fresh inventory then dipped into several  antique stores which immediately met our noses with the musty smell of ancient possessions and long-since forgotten tools and ways of being. Later, we climbed the steps to the historic Packwood motel; tiny, quaint and with an amazing bear skin on the wall which took us back to the early 1900’s.

 

Let the Fantasy Begin!

I've always loved this town because it has character and a distinct flavor all its own.  Packwood takes you away from the City and all of your cares, into the present moment life of a Child, to be sure, and the mountains of rough black stone which line the highway, the giant Fir, the lush meadows, and wide open sky which rival anything Montana boasts is seriously breathtaking. No wonder we always see hundreds of elk here http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=48249.0

Packwood is found after passing ‘Big Bottom’ country along the way, so named because the Cowlitz River,  which we view from Adytum Sanctuary as frigid emerald green water, accelerates its initial flow through a lush, flat valley full of horses and cattle.

Through the Rain...Lush Meadows of Big Bottom Country

Yes, too, there is a correlation among some of the inhabitants, I confess, to this unfortunate ‘big bottom’ name and the 'party' food at the Flea Market didn’t help things.

Party Food!

We crawl through town bumper to bumper 5 miles an hour. While we’ve seen vast herds of elk in the past, now we see a carnival atmosphere and they have escaped to the high country. $5 for parking and we’re walking under an unexpectedly blue sky with Cottonwood tree fluff blowing like snow on a late Spring breeze. The air is scented with my favorite Caramel corn sweetness which seems to typify fairs and carnivals.


 I’m continually struck by the amount of dogs of all sizes on leashes in various tutus and polka dotted sweaters as I am seeming miles of stands and concessions in this sleepy little forest gem.

Doggie Fashion Extravaganza in Packwood, Washington

God was smiling on Packwood today because the coat I brought was left in Donn’s Raptor and we walked in sunshine and 65 degrees. When we left a few hours later, following a solid caravan of cars and motorcycles down the road west to eat dinner at Plaza Jalisco for our favorite Spanish omelette with rancho beans http://www.eastlewiscountychamber.com/PlazaJalisco.htm , the rain was still pouring earnestly…

Heading Back to Adytum Sanctuary in Showers

we were in a magical pocket of sun and fun- and it was! Donn said, “I love the way you always get so excited…” as I took picture after picture and spoke my impressions for later writing into the Evernote on the iPhone.

Packwood’s transformation into a fantasy of fun was marked with the painted faces of starry-eyed children, wispy cotton candy, snow cones with bright blue syrup, corn dogs, elephant ears, fried apple slices on a skewer dripping with a sugary syrup, beer gardens, Cowboy BBQs, pulled pork, and every imaginable variation- even Thai food at the base of a Pacific Northwest Mountain.

Guess He Doesn't Have Kids...We Were The Recruits in the 60's

We passed an ice cream stand with a John Deere motor powering two large “hand-cranked” homemade ice cream machines. We walked forever before we found ONE single healthy option…savory nuts. (Note: there is a wide-open market for healthy foods at these things…where are the entrepreneurs who will create some healthy options in a carnival setting? Find a need and fill it….the secret to success!!! How about coconut water, iced green tea, kombucha, coconut ice cream made with stevia, RAW savory nuts, dehydrated kale chips, dried fruit from Yakima, wine from Walla Walla, and raw chocolate (Donn’s original creation- and to die for- is at the end of this blog…)

Donn Speaking with Ed English and Grandsons, Wife Sue in the Background

The creativity at this market was truly amazing. Some of our favorites were Ed English’s bonsai and a company in Yakima making wine barrel chairs, wine racks, and dog beds. There was a chair made with old skis and so much more you will see in the slideshow. https://picasaweb.google.com/katacarroll/PackwoodFleaMarket

The sweet scent of kettle corn, BBQ, hot dogs and fries mix with wood smoke, Fir, and fresh mountain air reminding me of every fair and camping trip I ever went on as a child. Every dog that has ever been left at home is here today and dogs for sale too.  Dogs with purple and rose colored pom poms and dogs in polka dotted sweaters; dogs who were dog- tired and sleeping on the sidewalk with their tongues hanging out

Dog Tired, To Be Sure...

and large puppies who were clearly in need of a nap. Dogs so big a child might mistake them for the Christmas pony. And strangely, no dog poop! I dodged spit in Beijing and in Packwood, there was some restraint among our animal friends in effect evidently.

I haven’t been inside anything like this in ages…a little like walking through the distortion fun-houses at the annual County Fair. To see a carnival in the pristine wilderness was disconcerting but somehow magically fun at the same time, enough to make me want to go again in September….

Remember These?

The flea market is a contrast between reminisces from childhood: old games  you played like Chinese Checkers, hardcover detective books secretly read in bed after lights out,  cherry tobacco in a pipe stand like the one Grandfather had near his favorite chair juxtaposed between possibilities of the future like meeting a Great Dane and learning what a wonderful family dog they are and falling in love…

Oh Baby!

unexpectedly opening your heart up to possibly having one and a greenhouse too…all more work, yes I know…but kind of irresistible at the same time in this enchanted setting.

We talked to Wayne,  in his 60’s, about buying a greenhouse http://www.solargemgreenhouses.com/ and got an unexpected lesson in medical marijuana laws and  growers in Oregon who buy from him keeping their operations top secret not letting the greenhouse delivery trucks go up the road all the way to their clandestine sites. He told a sweetly corny joke as we said goodbye...What I thought was all about the past, going to this flea market, turned out to be about the future too because we’ve been talking about having a greenhouse at Adytum for years and will accept delivery shortly on ours. Year-round kale (and kale chips) now…

Adytum Sanctuary Garden Will Have The Biggest One In Hopes Of Increased Self-Sufficiency

Donn was looking for one vendor’s site in particular…a friend of his who does bonsai, Ed English https://www.facebook.com/ed.english1. We walked down every alley way- and there were many as this market which goes on and on and on…and finally at the end of one side of the very long street we found  him! His was the best site by far, even though we had passed antique horse-drawn buggies, ancient tractor toys for kids to ride on, an accordion, a unicycle, crossbows, Samurai swords, and knives, and so much more outrageous and interesting stuff.

2013 Raptor vs. Buggy- Take Your Pick

Ed had been to China in the 60’s and told a story of dating a woman when he was 17. She wore a traditional kimono. During their walk into town on their first date, she said in polite Chinese, “Excuse me…” and stepped off a few paces, hiked up her kimono, and peed on the side of the road to his astonishment. Wish I’d have thought to ask how that date ended… I was sharing with Ed and his wife, Sue, about my recent trip to attend Codex Alimentarius’ meeting on food additives in Beijing, China and seeing glamorous, exquisitely beautiful women raising their white surgical masks to spit on the sidewalk (which I spent much of my time dodging…) Things are different here in America but admittedly I didn’t see the obesity in China either so take your pick of things you’d like to dodge.

The Dragon King with the World In His Grasp...

I had passed all the food stands and all the vendor stalls with my wallet intact but succumbed to Ed’s red soapstone Foo Dogs, Chinese Dragon, and a gong; estate items left when a Chinese national’s parents died. I will treasure them as I treasure learning to love Beijing despite its roughness.

I Loved Watching This Little Emperor Getting Photographed at the Silk Market In China, 2013 

China carved a big place in my heart to be sure and I anticipate going back in March for the next Codex  meeting where Scott Tips, President of the National Health Federation, myself, and the rest of the NHF team will protect your health and health freedoms. Scott Tips, also FDA specialist attorney, spoke no fewer than a half a dozen times to reduce aluminum in our food and beverage supplies by 50% and completely eliminate it in others. (Aluminum is in sauces, hot cocoa, biscuits, pancake, bread, and muffin mixes, frozen pizza, etc. http://www.thenhf.com/article.php?id=3649

NHF President Scott Tips Speaks for YOU at Codex Alimentarius Where Standards Are Set For What YOU Eat and Drink

 Note to past guests: if you see large blocks of time removed from availability from Adytum’s booking calendar, please call me at 360.790.2011 (cell) and most likely you can still enjoy Adytum in my absence; Donn will be there to let you in!

300 Year Old Bonsai, Front Right Lower Corner

Ed had a 300 year old Bonsai I’d have loved to have purchased. It was taken from the 6000 feet level of a nearby mountain and was buried in a rock. He was able to secure it with the tap root intact and it’s remarkably beautiful today evoking strength and longevity. He had bonsai in maple burl bowls that looked like stone. You won't see anything like this anywhere else, I guarantee you. The creativity of this man is admirable and he reads and researches bonsai and Chinese history and dates questionable women (:  (sorry Ed, couldn’t resist!! Sue, you escaped that comment!!)

Puff The Magic Dragon....

A flea market becomes a metaphor for the passage of your life in eras held in the shape of the possessions you no longer possess but which are now woven into the fiber of your being to shape and mold you and live forever in memory. Katherine A. Carroll

The Labor Day Packwood Flea Market is even bigger than this one! I can’t imagine. Adytum Sanctuary is filled with the treasures of travels but now it holds local fun and a memory I will never forget- the first of many Packwood Flea Markets.

An Adytum Original created by sometimes Chef, Donn Carroll, OD

Mix in food processor the following:

12 TBS raw cacao nibs made coarse or fine in a coffee grinder (http://www.longevitywarehouse.com)

3 TBS Almond butter

2 TBS Sesame butter (Tahini)

2 TBS Hemp seed powder or (https://healthforce.com/warrior-force/warrior-food-extreme-vanilla-plus)

2 TBS mesquite (http://www.longevitywarehouse.com)

2 TBS Yacon (http://www.longevitywarehouse.com)

2 TBS Pure Synergy Superfood (http://www.thesynergycompany.com/v/pure_synergy.html) optional

2 TBS Maca (https://healthforce.com/superfoods-rejuvenation/macaforce-vanilla-spice-maca)

1 TBS Tocotrienols (http://www.longevitywarehouse.com)

1 TBS Carob powder

3 TBS xylitol http://www.longevitywarehouse.com

3 Squirts of Omica Stevia toffee flavored (http://www.longevitywarehouse.com)

1 TBS honey

Pinch of sea salt

Heat 1 cup of coconut oil into liquid oil on low, then pour into food processor and mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Pour into soft molds then refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

Optional:  Add raspberry jam as topping when serving.  Sprinkle raw unsweetened coconut in mold before adding the cacao/coconut oil mixture.

You can make the basic recipe with just the cacao, coconut oil, and a sweetener like stevia then experiment with any of the other ingredients to your taste.  My favorite is with Tahini.

Catching Up with YOU!

Kat on Break From Codex Alimentarius at Forbidden City in Bejing, China 3-13

Many of you have expressed interest in staying abreast of nutritional solutions for ocular issues. There is a new post up at http://medicalvisioncenter.blogspot.com/ which will publish in our magazine, Health Freedom News (HFN) this month. HFN is the quarterly publication of the National Health Federation of which I am an Associate Editor, and this article will appear on a few other news sites as well.

If you know of someone with macular degeneration, if you have it as part of your family health history, or if you have had your gallbladder surgically removed, or if you just have trouble digesting fats then this article will give you practical, logical suggestions to impact each of these in a positive, healthful way.

We Need To Start At Birth Protecting Our Priceless, Magical Eyesight!

I invite you to sign up for email alerts when we put new material on the Medical Vision Center blog. Next in line is an article on one of the main complaints patients present with to either Medical Vision Center in Morton, WA or Martin Way Vision Center in Lacey, WA; ocular allergies. Research indicates studies which show how this problem can be helped in an unexpected way.

Our Main Practice In Morton, WA. We Were The First To Include a Nutritional Therapist - two actually- & a Dispensary On-site & the Health of our Patients Has Improved Along With Their Eyesight, Which is an "Early-Warning" Signal 

I continue my private nutritional therapy consulting practice and dispensaries at both clinics and of course, publishing in magazines to share this knowledge that you will be hard-pressed to get at any other optometry office anywhere.One day, hopefully every eye clinic will have a nutritional therapist on staff but for now, you have the blog and a personal consultation if you need it. If you know of someone who needs help to impact their ocular issues with diet, supplements, and logical strategies I can be reached at katacarroll@gmail.com or 1.360.790.2011.

NHF Scored HUGE Victories for YOU by  Attending The PWG Session Prior To Our Attendance at the General Session

I recently accepted a full-time position at the National Health Federation after being a volunteer for 19 months. In addition to the extremely FUN job of working on Health Freedom News, I was made Editor of our e-newsletter among other responsibilities. This is another incredibly FUN project and a way to share health, protect health freedom, and change the World for the better with your help! There will be firsthand reports on Codex meetings and what NHF accomplished there, there will be studies and health articles, the top shared links on our National Health Federation Facebook page (have you joined us there yet? I post news every morning and again, your health stands to improve vastly from these articles from many respected sources), and much more. Please sign up for the e-newsletter at www.thenhf.com so we can stay connected in yet another life-changing way!

We All Need To Claim Our Right To Inherent Health With Wisdom & Discipline

Have you noticed the common thread here? I want to invest in your health and in the betterment of the World because we are capable, strong, and well when we are functioning most effectively in our gifts for the good of all! Health is a treasure to be jealously guarded and nurtured and it is my passion. Stress reduction is such a key part of that...having time to nurture our creativity and deepen our love. Adytum Sanctuary remains the strong tower I run to, away from the pressures of the World, to renew my body, mind, and spirit and reconnect with all that really matters in life. Adytum grounds me and it is our pleasure to share this magnificent sacred space with you and yours....

The Orion Courtyard, The Vineyard, Lake Mayfield, and the two Rivers...Peace is Back

Adytum Sanctuary remains a true sanctuary to us all- us included! As you know, with the extra demands on my time, we have a new website reflecting the changes: www.adytumsanctuary.com but you will  find Adytum welcomes you as she always has: with love, grace, serenity, and an invitation to reconnect with all that really matters in life...here in this rugged Pacific Northwest beauty. We've had several guests lately using the Star of the North to meet family 'in the middle' with some coming from Portland, OR and some from Seattle, WA.

Need More of Adytum?

The Spring migration is accomplished and Evening Grosbeaks are back, every bird we see is busy nest building, and the eagles are here again as well gracing the blue, clear skies with their stunning majesty. The flowers are up, leaves and blossoms on the trees and the DeGoede's Bulb Farm is bringing its tulip magic to the Northwest. The trails are clear as some kind souls came to collect maple and fir that we had offered. Still more where that came from if you need firewood. Some have even brought their portable sawmills and made lovely lumber to make dining room tables and furniture from.

Tulip Time at the DeGoede Bulb Farm

Fishing season is about to open. Our kayaks are available- just bring life-jackets please and enjoy a spot on the Tilton River that is quite secret where you take your pick of 2' long rainbow trout swirling about the kayak, where there are waterfalls, water oozels, eagles, steep canyon walls covered with ferns and rainbow-tinged rivulets of water coursing down to land in the emerald waters of the Tilton. There will be no one here in this sacred space most likely. It is extravagant privacy at its ultimate best. We are anxious to get back to our favorite waterfalls and catch them at their volume. And the mountain bikes have been out multiple times already! Don't let this season pass you by!!

It Won't Be Long Now...Pure "Other-Worldly" Peace...I Know How They Feel

So...we are excited to see you again this season. Because of many travels planned for my work with NHF please reserve early as inevitably some weeks will have to be blocked off in my absence. Here are the links I mentioned above and I hope to enjoy your presence at each one!

Be well,

Kat
katacarroll@gmail.com or 1.360.790.2011
www.adytumsantuary.com
https://www.facebook.com/AdytumRetreat?ref=hl
www.medicalvisioncenter.blogspot.com
www.thenhf.com       to join e-list or join with me in my work at NHF for the World
https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Health-Federation/121416927890343?ref=tn_tnmn
www.tnsradio.ning.com   to listen to the radio program I help with on Wednedsays noon PST or archived pods/Scott Tips
www.medicalvisioncenter.com  if you are in Morton, WA and need an appointment: 1.360.496.5140 or if in Lacey, WA please call 1.360.456.2020 where Dr. Carroll and I are in office Wed. and Fri. at that location.

Dreams Coming True!

This is for those of you who have expressed interest in improving your health. Recently I was made Associate Editor of the Health Freedom News, the National Health Federation's excellent magazine. What a dream come true for me- to be able to write more and to work on bringing a high quality magazine to our members as well as sharing it with our Adytum guests. If you're not a member yet of NHF (www.thenhf.com) it's only $36 and you will be getting all the high-powered authors' work- completely cutting-edge material every quarter. We have a very sophisticated international readership -20,000 strong all over the World. What a great privilege for me to work on this global project!! 

Board Member Dan Kenner & President Scott Tips, National Health Federation

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of lining up several of  the Winter issue's writers. I'm fascinated by electronic medicine - electronic acupuncture, frequency specific microcurrent, the Rife machine, as well as exploring our need for magnetic supplementation since the Earth's field is at .5 Gauss and we used to be at 10!

The Star of the North Suite has one of Dr. Bonlie's special magnetic pads under the Tempurpedic mattress, and those of you that have enjoyed supplementing your magnetic field  with his invention never fail to comment on how well you slept and that you needed less sleep. Dr. Bonlie will be one of the contributors to the Winter issue of HFN- meantime you can read more at www.magneticosleep.com. We wouldn't be without this form of supplementation. Let me know if you're interested in getting one for your bed as we have special deals for Adytum guests.

The Star of the North Has a Magnetico Sleeping Pad Under the Tempurpedic Mattress

Look for some amazing articles to appear in HFN. Meantime, my article on 'Solving Dry Eye Naturally' appears in the Spring issue along with a book review on a fantastic book on Vitamin D. I'll share the latter with you after it appears in HFN. The same article will run in Whole Foods Magazine's Winter issue, so I will post it on the Adytum blog once it runs there.

Dr. Carroll, Macular Degeneration Reseearcher

Donn and I will soon co-author an article on the results of his clinical trial in Morton, Washington sponsored by www.longevinex.com using a proprietary blend of red wine extract to positively impact the potentially blinding disease, Macular Degeneration. This is the first study of its kind ever- and you will read about it in Health Freedom News before the general population is even aware the study took place.

I'd love to hear what you'd most like to see in print! There are so many fascinating topics to explore as we seek to raise the level of health, increase our vibration and bring more to our experience in this World. I've recently had the great pleasure of meeting a woman who has noticed the same experience we have noticed: eating mostly raw food has raised our spiritual vibration dramatically. She e-mails me a podcast this morning that I'll share with you here on this topic

.http://www.oneradionetwork.com/diet-and-nutrition/dr-robert-cassar-secrets-for-longevity-pyramid-of-energy-vibration-consciousness-12-10-09/ 

Silica is a conductor and its conjectured that this may be one of the mechanisms by which we are experiencing a heightened connection with our Creator. I love that she has taken time to share more as we explore raw food, and I know some of you will really enjoy sharing it with us! There are some good videos on Kirilian/Aura Photography about the energy field around raw food: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suBjc9rIFNY

I hope you enjoy reading about this amazing structured water, Ionized Alkaline Water that has so many benefits over 'regular' spring or pure water. Adytum has one of the best sources for these units, so let me know if you want one for your home or business. You can email me at katacarroll@gmail.com.  Using this water is just another way of raising your vibration, improving your health and creating safe and healthy alternatives in your environment. Combined with eating more raw, organic food you will be creating an entirely different experience for yourself and what you bring to others during your time on this Earth.

BOOK REVIEW

By Katherine A. Carroll, NTP

Healing Waters: The Powerful Health Benefits of Ionized Water By Ben Johnson, M.D., D.O., N.M.D. (ISBN 978-0-7570-0328-8; Square One Publishers, 2011; www.squareonepublishers.com; paperback, 124 pages; $15.95)

 “All water is not created equal and it is the structure of water within our bodies that ultimately determines health or sickness.” Dr. Mushik Jhon, Korean scientist and expert on ionized water.

               Healing Waters is an inspiring book on strategies to achieve optimum health using alkaline, ionized water. Packed with scientific studies from around the World, it claims that ionized, alkaline water will restore the basic foundations of health.  Many of us have read Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj’s book on the healing power of water for common ailments, diseases, obesity – even cancer was influenced. Batmanghelidj researched while in an Iranian prison on political prisoner charges, overstaying his sentence because his research was so compelling.

               Dr. Johnson shows how simple chronic dehydration combined with acidosis, having a system that is acidic versus alkaline, is the source of numerous health problems. Dr. Kancho Kinanaka, pioneer in ionized water treatment asserts, “People with high blood pressure also suffer from acidosis “virtually without exception.”

               We are approximately 65% water in composition. Many of our bodily processes are pH dependent so it proves a wise strategy to meet these basic needs for proper hydration and a proper acid-alkaline pH balance.

               Structurally alkalinized, ionized water is the same as the water from mineral-rich glaciers; the same water reputed to keep the Hunzas free of disease and extending longevity. It is known as “living water” because it is compatible with our bodily fluids. Its smaller cluster size and hexagonal structure enable it to travel quickly through our bodies to reach cells and tissues for rapid assimilation. It not only hydrates, but it alkalizes and oxygenates the body fostering optimum health.

               In addition to water, oxygenation is a crucial foundation of health. Since cancer- and disease-causing microorganisms thrive in low-oxygen, acidic environments, focusing upon the body’s two most abundant substances- water and oxygen, is indeed intelligent strategizing to create true health. The beauty of this living water is that it can be made at home with a specific ionizing unit for which Dr. Johnson provides numerous resource references.

               Combined with a healthy, alkaline-based diet, we have a strong framework to create vibrant health and increase energy. The author delves briefly into proper food combining, thus reducing the fermentation that adds to the body’s acidic load.

               A fascinating aspect of this book reveals that ionized, alkaline water has an oxidation reduction potential, also known as redox potential or ORP, which is better than many common antioxidants. First he compares it with tap water that is oxidizing with an ORP reading of +400mV to +500mV and mineral water which is slightly better with a +200mV reading, yet is also oxidizing. However, alkaline, ionized water reads -250mV to -350mV so it’s plentiful in the extra electrons it needs to donate to stop free radical activity. Understanding living water’s ORP readings creates an exciting strategic approach to elevate immune function. Alkaline, ionized water has better antioxidant capacity than Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta-carotene, which are nearly nine times heavier than alkaline ionized water.

               By keeping the body more alkaline, the blood pH supports increased oxygenation and even prevents Alzheimer’s disease by insuring that the brain’s required need for 20% of the body’s daily supply of oxygen is met. The heart requires more than all other muscles, so heart disease is prevented too.

               The acid water that is dispensed out of the water-ionizing unit mentioned in the book has had its use in homes as well as hospitals for disinfecting and killing bacteria associated with ten of the most-common hospital infections – even MRSA. “Most of these infectious agents were completely deactivated within 30 seconds of being inoculated with the (acid) water; the others were killed in 5 minutes.” This was from a 2004 Russian study.

Acid water maintains beautiful skin and hair, is anti-aging, and combats eczema, psoriasis, shingles and other skin problems. It improves the body’s ability to grow healthy skin in diabetics with ulcers, heals bedsores and aids in wound healing. Additionally, it is antibacterial for teeth and gums.

Even houseplants love it and it’s great to clean fresh produce and rinse sprouts with.

By coalescing foundational tactics using alkaline, ionized water combined with a balanced diet and proper food combining, Dr. Johnson writes a compelling case for investing in health through the inclusion of living water in our daily life.

Happy Breakfast Guests, Housemade Grand Marnier Vanilla Extract and the MeDi....

Eye Doc Turned Prep-Chef

Sometimes we find ourselves with a dietary mixed table ~ a couple who are trying the Vegan lifestyle for a month and a couple who aren’t. Donn and I get into the kitchen at 8 a.m. for 10 o’clock breakfast service hoping to make everybody happy at breakfast. 

Donn has discovered his inner chef and has progressed from being a prep chef to dressing the oven roasted potatoes, seasoning them perfectly, himself. He has brought the majority of the new gadgets lately and loves his de Buyer mandolin that creates the thinly sliced onions to top this morning’s paleo pizza - recipe to follow for both vegan and regular variations.

His prep-chef routine doesn’t work for part of the week when he leaves for our Olympia Optometry office- Martin Way Vision Center, but for most of his local eye doctor week at Medical Vision Center (www.medicalvisioncenter.com) in Morton, he starts the day in the kitchen with me and ends it at the clinic. While guests often sleep on, we’re creating fantastic memories playing in the kitchen together…

We all wear lots of hats these days! I was appointed Associate Editor of the National Health Federation’s (www.thenhf.com) magazine, Health Freedom News, so I will often be writing for NHF or lining up authors while the pizza crust is on its first bake. Check out my article on Dry Eye in the Spring issue of HFN and learn to solve it naturally, once and for all. Magazines are free with your membership of $36 for the year and some of you will also wish to publish in this international, sophisticated magazine.  Call me if you have an article to share...

This morning, we make one gluten free Vegan paleo pizza crust using ground flax seeds mixed with water as the egg substitute and one crust with eggs. Each will receive the topping suited best for the desires of the guests, and we end up making everyone happy. We start with the Sweet Breakfast Quinoa that I shared with you before- only now, since we went to the Hawaiian Vanilla Company on the big island bringing home beans with us and I learned to make our own Vanilla Extract- this time we finish the quinoa with a healthy splash – okay, splashes…of Grand Marnier Vanilla. Yes! This is the ‘elevator’ that takes it to the next level. Everyone loves it!

 We have a large bottle ‘brewing’ of Vanilla Rum and Vanilla Vodka and also the Queen of all Vanillas: Grand Marnier. They each add their own special signature to the dishes we prepare. Do you know the Vanilla Orchid only blooms once a year? It is hand pollinated on that singular day and is one of the most expensive spices in the World…Fascinating!




You can keep a bottle of vanilla extract going for years. Just keep adding the same liquor. Back in the Prohibition Era, because people started drinking Vanilla Extract as liquor, they diluted it with water by 40%

The Owner's Son Teaching Us The Art of Vanilla Bean Production...Another Plan for Adytum

. So if you want the real thing…get some beans, open and scape the seeds down into the liquor of your choosing and drop the beans in- three to a large bottle. Six months later you have The Real Deal! And seriously, what a difference. You can buy directly if you’re ready to try your own and you will not regret it: http://www.hawaiianvanilla.com/

Today, with half Vegan guests, the traditional ‘Egg on the Half-shell’ is transformed into a base of roasted Portobello mushroom with slivers of garlic, garlic powder, sea salt, olive oil and Italian Seasoning. Each option is topped with the same sauté of mushrooms, red bell pepper and garlic highly seasoned. We only use sea salt at Adytum…one is topped with Vegan Cheese and the other with Asiago. Again, all guests are happy. You can sauté all this off with Pesto too, but it has a bit of Parmesan in it.

Sweet Breakfast Quinoa in the Making in My French Apron!

I’ve done all the diets…raw, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian 

which includes fish in a vegetarian diet, traditional SAD (Standard American Diet)….In my perfect, idealistic World no one has to pass up a dish at the table because, “I can’t eat that…” and in my ultimate perfect World, we can actually eat out at restaurants and have amazing meals anywhere, anytime because GF and vegetarian are mainstream. My chef son, Phillip advised me that to order vegetarian at the average restaurant was to get options that have, shall we say, been around in the freezer for awhile? 

Beautiful  Dinner for Donn and Me: Kale, Chestnuts, Cranberries, Raw Cashews and Cardamom

That isn’t appealing…why can’t they realize there isn’t “one size fits dietary ALL” out there?? Get real, this is 2012 not 1960. I remember when basil hit mainstream and I thought, “Where have you been all my life, baby??” We know how to make sure everyone leaves not only full, but nurtured, nourished and pleasantly surprised at how good ‘healthy, (modified to GF) Mediterranean based foods can be!”

 The Hale Project is something I have discussed frequently- Google it if you haven’t heard it yet or check out this link: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/292/12/1433.full.pdf    . The study took people aged 70-90 years of age with active diseases in progress. After ten years’ adherence on the MeDi, with no smoking and moderate red wine/moderate exercise there was an amazing 50% reduction in ALL causes of death and disease. This isn’t a vegetarian or dairy free diet, but realize that lamb and sheep/goat cheese and fish are different (i.e. healthier…) from our choices in America. The molecular size of the milk from sheep and goats is different from cattle,  and European standards are often so much higher and the food cleaner…You never heard this on this diet promoted as being both healing and preventive for major diseases on the nightly news, did you? If Big Pharma produced a drug that promised these same results, you would have heard about that though. We need to invest in our own health. No one is going to do it for us.

Health begins in the kitchen - really in your bowels with good bacteria...and in the mind and our will- our freedom to choose living, health promoting foods. We’re currently immersing in fermented foods to restore the proper terrain/terroire of the gut and I’ll share in future blogs our smelly kitchen concoctions…or you can share with us as so many of you already know how to make many fermented things we are just exploring. “Wild Fermentation” is now downloaded on our Kindle…Donn is also playing with the dehydrator again- this time making Kale Chips with a Cashew Cream Chili Sauce that is fantastic! Friends popped by this afternoon and finished them off not realizing they were full of active enzymes and full of health.  They are better than any chips we’ve had. Olympia Vegan shared that link on You Tube and this is how we all grow in health…By caring with love for the health of every one of us…iron sharpens iron!

Donn's Dehydrator Kale Chips With a Cashew Creme and Chili Finish- Excellent!

It’s amazing how many people really love the paleo pizza crust. With Cross-Fit pushing paleo in the form of meat (read the latest studies on red meat…Hmmm. Someone is after looks before health there… the main cause probably being iron overload) it’s nice to find this morning’s table devoted to Paleo with the protein in the crust and in the quinoa- a complete protein there much the same as eggs or meat. We love introducing people to things they haven’t tried yet- or tried in that form. We all help each other and so many of our guests are introducing us to recipes that we turn out loving. Adytum is a magnet for this healthy exchange. 

Despite some early predictions that we would fail unless we offered “a complete English breakfast” (Google that one…) we are holding our own as a vegetarian, gluten free kitchen. Even dedicated meat eaters don’t miss it because the food is savory, prolific and satisfying. We are open to growth and change and would love to hear YOUR favorite recipes. One guest left me with a Pumpkin Paleo Muffin that actually did come from the Cross-Fit people that I’ll try tomorrow with guests here. We appreciate these ‘gifts’ so much, so please do share!! We need you and we appreciate each and every one of you so very, very much…We are a growing community of like-minded individuals here growing in grace and health every day of our lives. Blessings to you all.

Paleo Pizza Crust - From a Telluride Chef - a Friend of a Friend...

2 cups almond meal
2 eggs - or 2 T ground flax seeds mixed with 6 T water and let it sit a few minutes
3 T olive oil
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 T freshly chopped rosemary (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Using a spoon mix all crust ingredients together until it becomes very thick. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. Press it onto a lightly greased pizza pan all the way to the edges making it as thin as possible,  and remember to make the hole in the center that Mike taught us was essential to allow the steam to escape. We bake on a pizza stone for 20 minutes, then remove and put the toppings on and put it back in for 20 minutes watching for burning around the crust edges. We brush olive oil on to make the edges more crispy before baking the first time but it is not necessary. Everyone loves this...use oil on your hands if you're having trouble pressing it out. Without the seasonings it could be used as a tart base for fruits...you may want to add a little sea salt to the dough recipe before baking too.