Allergy Relief and So Much More

Photo Credits: Google Images

I woke up with puffy allergy eyes to complement my swollen face today and decided to write this story – after a cup of coffee – of course. If you also suffer from seasonal allergies you will want to keep reading. In fact, if you are plagued with fatigue, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or have any immunity issues, you will find this article very helpful to you too.

Facebook is a wonderful thing. I’ve met some of the coolest people via this social network. One such person is Davida (Veda) McKnight. Even though we’ve never met face to face, I would not hesitate to call her my friend and sister.

That’s because a few months ago I posted a couple of statuses about my allergy woes and she in-boxed me a suggestion that I will never forget. After a couple of messages back and forth, she asked for my address because she wanted to share something with me. She called it a ‘blessing in a cup.’

A week later, I got a package from her that included samples of the product about which she spoke along with some informative reading material. Boy was I glad that she reached out to me! After multiple days of stuffiness, I could breathe again after drinking only two cups of latte. That’s right! Latte!

The product is called Organo Gold. It’s main ingredient is Ganoderma, which has been used in Ancient China to help people with all kinds of health issues. It has been used as a medicinal mushroom in Chinese medicine for over 4,000 years. Google it!

Allergy sufferers, this stuff really works. Ganoderma helps relieve inflammation – which means soon after ingesting it…you can breathe! If latte is not your thing, they also have regular coffee, mocha and green tea.

Not only did I feel better quickly, I really enjoyed the taste. The active ingredient in the coffee is known to be bitter, but I couldn’t find the bitterness in either product.

If you would like to experience what I did, you may contact Gabriel and Davida (Veda) McKnight by writing them at: gabenveda@gmail.com.  To order and learn more about the products, please visit their website at: www.yourhealthandwealth.organogold.com.

You could say that this awesome couple “grew up to serve.” Gabriel is a US Marine and Veda is a nurse. They would be more than happy to serve you, too.

The world becomes much smaller because of the accessibility of the internet. 

Here’s their contact information once more...

Name:        Gabriel and Davida McKnight

Email:         gabenveda@gmail.com

US Phone:          760-583-7998

In closing, I found these top 10 benefits for using Ganoderma, also known as Reishi: 

  1.    Restores the body's natural state, and helping all organs to function properly.

  2.    Maintains a healthy immune system.

  3.    Lowers blood pressure.

  4.    Provides calcium and phosphorus, as well as other essential vitamins and minerals 

  5.    Used to treat asthma.

  6.    Used to treat anxiety disorders.

  7.    Used to treat sleeping disorders.

  8.    Promotes liver health and can even regenerate the liver.

  9.    Reishi mushrooms have antibacterial effects.

10.   Supports healthy nerve function.

 Source: http://www.birkmeds.com/categories/Medicinal-Mushrooms/Reishi-Ganoderma-lucidum/

Since the mushroom itself it bitter, I would highly recommend the ‘blessing in a cup’ called OrganoGold. Thanks so much for reading. Please share this article generously with your networks.

No matter where in the world you live, you do deserve to be in the best of health. Let them help you and make sure you tell them that you read this story on the blog.

A Sense of Awareness by Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa

TheChortle.com

Robert K. Greenleaf (1970) described awareness as a disturber and awakener.  In order to lead more effectively, one must have a keen sense of awareness.  A general awareness, as well as a self- awareness, is necessary for a leader to ensure that the correct actions are taken. 

Photo Credits: Google Images

Many times we all know of things that are just not right, but we hesitate to acknowledge them because then by the sheer fact of awareness we are responsible for doing something.  It is much easier to stick our heads in the sand and not allow ourselves to be aware of things around us that may need changing. 

Kouzes and Posner (2007) listed Self- Awareness as one of the domains of Emotional Intelligence.  The authors explain that if a leader is not aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses, then there is no path for improvement.  Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2002) also describe Self-Awareness as a key characteristic of Resonant Leadership.  The authors state, “simply put, self-awareness means having a deep understanding of one’s values and motives” (p. 40). 

Leaders who are self-aware know exactly where they are going because they understand their values, goals, and dreams.   According to Kouzes and Posner (2007), “learning to be a better leader requires great self-awareness, and it requires making ourselves vulnerable.  Modeling that for others makes it easier for them to do the same when it becomes their turn” (p. 87). These leaders typically engage in self reflection and time of thought. 

In order to be able to address weaknesses that were discovered through the process of becoming self-aware, the following should be considered.

·         Step back and gain perspective

·         Ask yourself what new skills and knowledge you need

·         Set goals and make a plan

·         Get help and support from others

Barbara Baggerly-Hinojosa is a mother, educator, and wife living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas.  She is a PhD student with Our Lady of the Lake University in Leadership Studies.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the President of the Leadership Empowerment Group, LLC and is currently researching the relationship between the leadership of the high school principal and the high school drop out rate.  Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa is the author of Are You A Ten?  The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader.   

For ordering information, please contact Mrs. Baggerly-Hinojosa at Barbara@leadershipempowermentgroup.com or visit Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.

Spotlight: Dr. Sharon J. Gilbert - Hallelujah and Hooray for these Helpful and Healing Hands of Houston

Nothing gives me greater pleasure at this moment in time than to introduce to you in this Spotlight Section…Dr. Sharon J. Gilbert of North Houston.

Dr. Gilbert is a graduate of Prairie View A& M University and obtained her doctorate from Texas Chiropractic College. As an undergraduate student, she had planned to become a pediatrician and took the MCAT to prepare for medical school. At some point in her journey, however, she was introduced to the holistic approach of chiropractic care. This interest led her to pursue the natural, drug less and non surgical treatment offered by her field.

In Psalm 139:14 of The Word of God, David reminds us that "we are fearfully and wonderfully made" and it seems chiropractors know this. They rely on the body’s ability to heal itself as our Creator designed it to do. Of course things happen to our bodies that cause illness and pain, however, none of that diminishes the fact that the majority of us are born with inherent recuperative abilities.

A few months ago I was blessed to visit “Dr. G,” as her staff affectionately calls her, on a trip to Houston with my Godmother, LaRue Gilbert Dorsey, to visit her brother (Dr. S.J. Gilbert, Sr.) and family.

In the introduction to this story, “What a Blue will do” I mentioned how I came to need and appreciate her chosen field from the ‘adventures’ listed. At the conclusion of this particular trip, I had been suffering from a three day old headache and believed that an adjustment was in order. Uncle Jack and Aunt Alyce graciously drove ahead, leading us over to her building - which is located at in Suite 180 of 1919 North Loop West, Houston, Texas.

She graciously fit me into the schedule that very morning and I was ever so grateful. Shortly after lying down on her table, she adjusted my neck and as she finished said to me with a big smile on her face, “That’s the reason you’ve been having those headaches.” The relief I felt was worth far more to me than what the visit itself actually cost.

I felt like singing. In fact, I felt so good that I offered to write a story that very day. That’s also how I ended up with all of these nice pictures of Dr. Gilbert and her staff. Speaking of her staff, the young ladies that work with her both told me that they love working for her. One told me that she was not ever leaving because “Dr. G” is just so sweet.

I can’t remember her name, but I do remember that she told me that by the next time I was in town, she would be able to offer a massage after my next adjustment. I am looking forward to that.

Quoted from Who’s Who in Black Houston, Dr. Gilbert said after working for a chronic pain specialist in industrial medicine, “All along I wanted my own business, so I worked with them to get the experience and give myself time to save money to open my own practice.”

Dr. Sharon Gilbert is married to John Gilbert. John is another Houston entrepreneur that assists her with bookkeeping for the practice in addition to his the duties of his own firm. They are both active members of the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church. Her hobbies include traveling, shopping and going to the movies.

A good chiropractor is like a good mechanic. A good mechanic will make the necessary adjustments to your vehicle and then give you tips on how to maintain it. Dr. G. generously does the same thing.

"Chiropractic care is more than just making the pain disappear. It is about learning, understanding and taking care of your body to improve your quality of life," says Dr. Gilbert.

On her website you will find: information on nutrition, preventative health and  spinal degeneration, 3-D spine visuals, educational videos and exercise videos to help maintain a healthy body. You will also find wellness tips on basic –yet very important- things we do everyday like standing, sitting, sleeping and the best way to use the phone over long periods of time. In her office and on her website (http://www.inlinechirocare.com/) you will find vitamin and weight loss information as well.

Her services include: adjustments and manipulation, cold laser therapy, therapeutic exercise, ultra sound, electrical muscle stimulation, massage therapy and cryotherapy (extreme cold) to name a few.

If you or someone you love has a sports or personal injury or even been in a car accident, I would highly recommend that you begin your road to healing by visiting the healing hands of Dr. Sharon J. Gilbert.

Her practice is located in North Houston. The address is 1919 North Loop West, Suite 180, Houston, TX 77008. To make an appointment or for additional information, you may call 713-699-3200. Be sure to visit her website, too, by clicking:  http://www.inlinechirocare.com/

Her office accepts Worker’s Compensation and other insurance plans. I paid in cash and found her office visit fees to be extremely reasonable.

Office hours are:

Monday:	9am-6pm
Tuesday:	9am-6pm
Wednesday:	9am-6pm
Thursday:	2pm-6pm
Friday:	9am-6pm
Saturday:	Closed
Sunday:	Closed

While there are those who question chiropractic care, I am not one of them. That’s because it has worked well for me. Now that massage therapy is one of her services, I have declared that I will make a point to make an office visit whenever we go back to Houston. There is something very appealing to me about getting relief and maintaining it without drugs and/or surgery.

Thanks so much for reading. Please feel free to share the story generously with anyone in the Houston area.

What a Blue will do...Spotlight Intro to Dr. Sharon Gilbert

On Ocoee River in Tennesee

It’s been a minute since I had the opportunity to compose a new story for my Spotlight Section but today is the day! 

In order for you to fully grasp why this article has significance to my life now, I must give you a bit of background and a brief glimpse into ‘the adventures’ that led up to this point. 

First of all, I am –according to the personality color chart- a true blue. I love promoting people, causes and things that I believe in and do so naturally. I love an adventure and most things that I do have to have some fun attached or I will lose interest in them. That’s real! I’m a textbook BLUE. Case in point, for my 40th birthday, I went white water rafting for the first time in the Ocoee River in Tennessee with dear friends from Atlanta. That was a real blast and of course that's me in the front of the craft holding on!

Photo Credits: Google Images

As for other adventures…well, let’s just say that I have had plenty (some I chose and some chose me) that took a toll on this small framed body of mine. For instance, I didn’t choose for that teenager to rear end me. She was speeding down a hill in Austin in her mom’s van - speeding mind you, because she was late to volleyball practice.

Nor did I choose to get hit again in Austin by a woman leaving the parking lot of the HEB grocery store. However I will say that when she didn’t stop after hitting us (I had my then 88 year old Granddaddy in the car) I did choose to follow her to her house and call the police. It is funny now but at the time I was hotter than a firecracker. As I was in pursuit of her I kept thinking, "I know she didn't!" It tickled Granddaddy. He even asked me what I was gonna do. I told him that I'd figure it out when we both stopped. That seemed to tickle him even more.

I remember the shock of the dispatcher who said, “She hit you and you did whaaat?”  When I said that I followed her to her house, I remember her asking me to remain in my car until an officer arrived. I complied without hesitation but I wasn’t moving until someone came and handled the matter, which they promptly did.

As a child who loved going to camp, I remember learning to dive off of the diving board one summer. At one point during my time on the board I became frightened, broke my form & un-tucked my chin to chest to look up. Quite frankly, I was wondering when I was gonna hit the water and ended up doing a backwards belly flop instead. The camp nurse recommended my sleeping on boards for the next few days because of it.

Over several summers at this same camp, I would have two more back jarring events. One included a runaway horse I was riding. I lost the reins when he surprised me by breaking into a full gallop, stripping them from my hands and over his head out of my reach. I held on as long as I could but eventually fell off. 


Then, when I was older, no longer a camper but instead a counselor - there was the angry horse that I fought because he got wild on me, purposely running me into low branches trying to rid me as his rider. When that didn't work, he tried to crush my legs by slamming me into the walls of his stall. I think I was madder than he was because I hung with him. I remembered what my cowboy cousins taught me about breaking horses and we fought until he calmed down. That incident left me sore but feeling somewhat accomplished and did not diminish my love for the sport.

Then there was the zip cord incident. I had gotten on the high elements of the ropes course to show my campers that ‘it was no big deal---nothing to it.’ The truth is though once I got up 45 feet, I had to pray before I could actually jump off of the last element. But I did it and really loved the moments of ‘flying like Tinkerbell’ on the final apparatus. 

All of that was good until some smart aleck counselor thought it would be funny to leave me hanging there, pretend he was walking back to main camp for lunch and not put the ladder where I could get down like he was supposed to do. That little antic left me flopping around and hanging upside down (unlike the picture to the right) and caused a severe strain/slight tear in a back muscle. It also led me straight to the emergency room. Mission accomplished in a sense, as I heard that some of my campers did follow my lead because I calmly excused myself and was careful not to share my truly agonizing pain until I was out of  their presence. My tongue lashing to the jokester and hospital bill ensured that he would never be so stupid again. No worries, however, I still ride horseback and swim as much as I can and still love it.

After college and working at the Texas Capitol, I got a job doing research for a lobby organization for private colleges. That was well before the proliferation of laptops –in fact we were still using ‘the real floppy’ ( 5 ¼” floppy discs) on personal computers. After college and working at the Texas Capitol, I got a job doing research for a lobby organization for private colleges. That was well before the proliferation of laptops –in fact we were still using ‘the real floppy’ ( 5 ¼” floppy discs) on personal computers. 


 Every day I would go to the Texas Ethics Commission and literally hand write information for my research which meant my head was down for 8 hours five days a week for several months. The result was three subluxated (out of line) vertebrae in my neck. It was bad. So bad, in fact, if you stood next to me and looked at my profile, my head looked like it was sitting in front of and not on top of my body.

Photo: Google Images

That was when I first was introduced to a chiropractor. As long as I lived in Austin and had insurance – the company eventually fired me once I finished the research- I saw this great female chiropractor who helped my spine get back in line. That was over sixteen years ago. Periodically, since then I would get headaches that were bad enough to keep me in bed, which is not fun –especially for a blue!

After reaching 40, I sometimes feel terrible cramps in the same muscle in my back that I injured in my early 20’s and get headaches from the research project of my mid 20’s. 

Today, however, I have a new story to tell about the wonders of chiropractic care. It’s the basis of the follow up story to come soon as I feature Dr. Sharon Gilbert in “Hallelujah and Hooray for these Helpful and Healing Hands of Houston.”  

Now that you have the background, be sure to stay tuned for the rest of the story!