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The History and Celebrations of Easter Around the World

Beyond Easter bunnies, jellybeans, hot cross buns, colorful eggs, Peeps and egg hunting events for kids… why exactly do we celebrate Easter? Here in the United States children and adults are seen dressed in their Sunday best with new spring dresses and some with beautiful hats going as a family to church, followed by a special Easter Meal. Easter baskets are presented as gifts to each other.

There are many versions of its origin and everyone in the world celebrates this special day differently.

Celebrations Around the World

In the Philippines, the young and old are seen solemnly remembering their sins and some taking up the challenge of putting barbed wires as crowns on their heads and carrying a heavy cross, walking the streets suffering like Jesus. Some even attempt to be nailed on the cross on Good Friday, known as Penitensya to recreate what Jesus did over 2000 years ago. Easter is celebrated for a week long from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

In the streets of Antigua, Guatemala, Good Friday is the peak of the celebration where andas or floats with statues of Jesus suffering and holding a cross or hung on the cross. Some statues are carried by hundreds of men clothed in purple robes. This celebration is called Semana Santa or Holy Week. Carpet of fresh flowers, fruits, pines and sawdust are put together by residents and adorned in front of their homes and street for the procession.

Here is a video from Pilot Guides on Easter Celebrations Around the World, particularly Antigua:

History of Easter

Easter is also called the moveable feast because it doesn’t fall on the same date every year. It is observed in Spring on the first Sunday following full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. So it is celebrated anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year.

The word Easter is derived from Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. The exact derivation of the word Easter is unknown. According to History.com, the Latin term hebdomada alba or white week, is an ancient reference to Easter week where people wear white clothing and get baptized during this time. There was a translation error and which appeared as esostarum in Old High German and eventually translated to Easter in English.

Is it a pagan or Christian celebration?

In the festival of Eostre, rabbit are a symbol of the goddess. I learned somewhere that Christians combined elements of the festival of Eostre to help convert and baptize pagans to Christianity. I don’t know if that is true or not. To the Spanish, Easter is Pascua and the French, Paques, derived from the Greek and Latin word Pascha or Pasch, which is Passover.

Church bells throughout France are silenced on Holy Thursday also known as Maundy Thursday, the night before Good Friday, since the 12th century to recognize Jesus’ death. The Easter bells, les cloches de Paques, flew to Rome to bring back Easter eggs. The bells ring all year the few days before Easter Sunday.

When the church bells ring, the celebration starts with Easter eggs, treats and chocolates of all sorts. Imagine, there is at least one church bell in each town or village that chimes all year. What joy it brings on Easter Sunday, when it chimes again with goodies after a few days of silence. The bells bring back goodies to France from Rome. Children go egg hunting and celebrate Easter with Grandma with a traditional Easter lunch of dishes made out of eggs and lamb.

Most countries celebrate Easter from Lent to Easter Sunday, which is about 40 days. Christians around the world take this time for reflection, fasting, praying and observing it like the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness.

Places like New Orleans, United States and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil celebrate Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday where sinful activities, fireworks, parades, food, parties and masked and beautiful costumes are worn in celebration of the day before solemnness and fasting begins the next day.

To many Christians in the Western World, Easter is a time of celebration where Jesus resurrected from the dead. It is an important day to remember there is hope after pain; there is life after death…a time to usher in the new and let go of the old.

Here are some Easter quotes to ponder as you celebrate with your loved ones:

Alice Freeman Palmer: For I remember it is Easter morn, And life and love and peace are all new born.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: 'Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy. 

Robert Flatt: The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances.

Let’s celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The One and Only Son of God that conquers death and bring hope to all who believes and have faith to move forward with His plan for you and I.

The Total Wellness Doc and Mom and Team would like to wish you a Happy Easter and a time for new beginnings and healthier living. Please join our growing community of moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas on our Facebook Page… making a difference in our own life in Total Wellness of Body, Mind and Soul.

Happy Easter.

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Protected: Maintain a Healthy Brain with 10 Essential Oils

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The Clothes We Wear

by Claudi 4 Comments

Being pregnant three times these past few years has caused me to expand and contract several sizes. I have been blessed to have an assortment of friends donate jeans and clothes to fit my various sizes.

I have tubs of clothes ranging in sizes from size 16 down to size 8. I have organized them in the approximate weight I am at those sizes. Right now I have about 5 pounds to fit into all the 11 to 12 sizes, 15 pounds to release to get to the size 10’s and I am thinking 25 pounds to see size 8.

I started to use more recycled clothes when I learned the following facts:

The textile industry is the third most polluting industry of our globe.

More than 2000 chemicals are used in the textile industry.

90 percent of clothes are imported…. And many of those imports come from China.

Textile mills, specifically in China, are releasing wastewater (water used to bleach, rinse chemicals and dyes) back into the rivers, lakes and streams. Proven pollution has or is happening locally and globally.

Huge amounts of water and pesticides are needed to grow cotton.

Making new clothing is not only polluting our globe it is polluting us. When I go into a department store to shop for clothes I notice something every time… my cheeks get red, my throat gets dry and I get a slight headache after about 30 minutes of trying on clothes. Why?

Residues of chemicals even toxic chemicals can be found in new clothing. These chemicals can cause rashes and other reactions in adults but can be especially harmful to babies.

A Green Peace sponsored research called “Dirty Laundry”, found hormone disrupting chemical residues in new clothing of over 6 different major brand name clothing and shoe companies.

The mark up of most department store clothing is 100%.

We throw away about 68 pounds of clothing and cloth products a year.

Are you shocked too? I know and we all love those Macy’s coupons. I am not saying never buy anything new but maybe try a few tips to help you get a new wardrobe with less of an impact on our environment and less toxic effects to your health.

When you are done with your clothes, donate them to Goodwill or a community donation box that sends the clothes to poor communities overseas.
Use your used clothing to make something new. My friends make SMITTENS. They are old sweaters turned into mittens. You can search online for other ideas like sweaters into winter hats, etc.

Have a Frock Swap. This is a fun party to have with all your friends. Each person invited brings decent clothing that no longer fits them or they are ready to let go of. Maybe up to 10 items. The hostess lays it all out with areas for trying on clothes. The guests get as many tickets as outfits they brought to swap and you can take home that many “new used” clothes.

Sell your clothes on Craig’s List or other online spaces.

Shop consignment and second hand stores. More and more classy nice second hand stores are becoming available everywhere. If you are looking for something specific talk to the store’s buyers and have them on the look out for you.

Purchase your young children’s clothes used at garage sales, Craig’s List or from a friend whose kids are older. (At one garage sale I spent $125 and had clothes for my 3 month old until he was 3 years old.)

Buy organic cotton fabrics or textiles made from sustainable cotton, bamboo, or hemp.

When you do buy new, buy just what you need or really want. And always wash your clothes thoroughly before wearing them. You may even want to air them out first and then wash them.

Remember, every little thing counts. Using your socks with holes in them for dust rags or even getting out and exercising so you can get back into your pre-winter weight clothes and not having to buy new ones impacts our world for the better!

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Protected: Food and Drink are your Medicine: Eat, Drink and Think Right

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Do You Give Yourself Grace?

by Claudi 9 Comments

Grace can be defined as a virtue coming from God, a merciful or compassionate nature, an act of kindness, courtesy or clemency, and an exemption. Let’s really think about these definitions…

The other day my girlfriend Chasity called me to share her disappointments in herself. She is a mom of 2 children less than 3 years old and a very big dog. She has a loving and supportive husband with a demanding job that allows him to be at home on the weekends. Chasity has a seasonal job too that currently has her working from 3pm to 11pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

She called to say she was disappointed in herself because she wasn’t losing more weight, she was late to exercise classes and that she wasn’t contributing more money to the family.

As I listened to her I just heard a woman beating herself up and not giving herself grace.

GRACE in the seasons of life

There are definitely seasons in our lives that we may need to give ourselves grace. Seasons when our family will require more attention than when they are older. Seasons after surgery or during an illness when we have to slow down and require less of ourselves. Seasons when we are attempting new things like going back to school after a long time that we will need more GRACE.

Because Chasity was born with some amazing gifts to get done in one day what most of us get done in a week, she still feels that she can accomplish those same things with 2 kids. Maybe she can…but it is important to give ourselves GRACE when we don’t meet our expectations.

GRACE to our bodies

Chasity doesn’t understand why she isn’t losing more weight but she is still nursing her baby. The body needs extra stored body fat when nursing. Although initially the “baby” weight will come off more quick for nursing moms, they will maintain about 10-15 pounds extra naturally.

When I work with obese women, many times they are very discouraged that they have not released any significant weight or that they have gained weight. We must give our bodies GRACE. The keys to releasing weight if you are obese can be found in our Total Wellness Slique Experience Virtual Coaching program. But in a nutshell, we address that women with a high percentage of body fat have a very low metabolism. They will need to spend 1 to 6 months re-training the body’s metabolism through healthy eating and exercise. This is also why many women plateau at 30 pounds or even 50 pounds.

We must give our bodies’ GRACE. This also includes when we start to exercise after a long break in real exercise. Give your body small steps towards physical fitness. This isn’t the Biggest Loser so let’s make sure we slowly build up. 5 minutes the first day, 10 minutes the next, and so on until we can maintain 40 minutes of continuous aerobic activity. The same thing applies when we start to strength train from no weights then light weights then heavier weights. I always recommend working with a professional to get you started exercising the right way.

Be kind with your words

Have you ever been with a friend who is always referring to himself or herself as large, overweight, or stupid? Think about it. Maybe you say those things. It’s true we can, without even thinking, be meaner to ourselves than we would ever think about saying to anyone else. We lack compassion and kindness towards ourselves. And ultimately, self love.

Start today even if you are not happy with yourself. Don’t speak it. Say positive words over yourself. Tell your body it is beautiful even if you don’t think it yet. The “Power of your Tongue” to actually bring things into being is amazing. You have the power to build yourself up or tear yourself down.

Grace to others

My husband is an expert gunsman (if that is a word). He received awards when in the Navy for his pistol and rifle shooting. As you can guess, he really likes gun shows. So the other night he was watching this show called Top Shot and I sat down to watch it with him.

It was the season finale and his favorite Southerner contestant Chris Reed was still in the running. We were on our seat with suspense when the arrogant young man, George, does something no one ever expected. He throws the competition so his now friend Chris Reed can compete for the final prize of 100,000 dollars. George gave up his chances at winning because his friend Chris needed the money. Chris had been in an awful motor vehicle accident that nearly took his life. Today with kids at home, he wanted to earn that money for his kids’ education as well as the recognition and achievement of being Top Shot. Chris went on to winning the Top Shot and the $100,000 and the tears rolled down my face. I didn’t expect to see such an example of GRACE on a reality TV show.

Everyday we have the opportunity to be a George and step down so someone else can step up. That is, to be kind and merciful towards others. To forgive someone, ourselves and just let go of the past.

How about you? Will you show yourself and someone else GRACE today?

If you want to share your story of Grace, comment below.

Bra… Friend or Foe

by Claudi 7 Comments

Bra… Friend or Foe
By: Pamela Howard, DC, CCT

Every morning, women get up and put on their bra; it’s part of our daily routine. Since breasts have become “fashion accessories”, we must make sure they take their rightful place. But what if your bra was harming your health, would you forsake it?

Syndy Ross Singer & Soma Grismaijer are two researchers bold enough to study the effects of bras on women’s health and wrote a book on it, Dressed to Kill; The link Between Breast Cancer and Bras and their follow up book, Get it Off! Understanding The Cause of … Breast Pain, Cysts and Cancer, despite threats with a lawsuit by the Intimate Apparel Council (trade association in the US for the multi-billion dollar bra industry). Singer & Grismaijer found it interesting that the cancer industry has never looked at bras and breast constriction as a possible cause of breast cancer. They concluded that with a medical industry that earns $10,000,000,000 annually on treatments for breast cancer, getting rid of bras would cost the medical industry billions.

Surrounding our breasts is the greatest number of lymph vessels and nodes. When the breast region is constricted by a bra, the lymph system cannot flow freely. This causes a buildup of fluid, less effective feeding and cleansing of the tissue, an increase in accumulated toxins and restriction of lymphocytes which destroy abnormal cells. In addition, the petrochemicals in bra materials can leach out of the fabric and into the skin, causing loss of breast skin color and dermatitis. Dr. Irmgard Keeler-Howard of Houghton College states that chemicals that comprise elastic may be cancer causing.

Consider Singer & Grismaijer’s findings:

o Women wearing bras 24 hours per day were 125 times more likely (3 out of 4 chance) to developing breast cancer
o Women wearing bras more than 12 hours per day, but not to bed, had a 1 out of 7 risk
o Women wearing bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 152 risk
o Women who rarely or never wore bras had a 1 out of 168 change of breast cancer
o Wearing a bra at least 14 hours a day tends to increase the hormone prolactin, which decreases circulation to the breast tissue.
o Professional women have higher than average BC incidence rates than rural women who wear their bras less often
o 80% of bra wearers who experience lumps, cysts, and tenderness saw their symptoms vanish, within a month of getting rid of their bra
o In 1997 Singer compared a group of women in Fiji – half of the women wore bras and the other half went without. The diet, environment and lifestyle of both groups were the same. Those who wore bras had the same rate of breast cancer as women in the US. Those who went braless experienced practically no breast cancer.

Bras are not the first item of clothing to be called on the carpet for potential health issues. Over the centuries, various items of clothing which chronically constricted a region of the body have come under fire.

Asian cultures bound women’s feet in the name of fashion, creating irreversible deformed and dysfunctional feet. Tightly laced corsets from the 1700-1900’s contributed to an enlarged left heart ventricle as well as congestion of the brain, liver and kidneys. Neckties have been linked with reduced blood circulation to the brain, shoes causing corns; Tight Pants Syndrome may be the cause of unexplained stomach cramps, and chest pain and heartburn.

In addition, tight belts restricting lymphatic flow to the groin region may be linked with increases in colon cancer. This, incidentally, occurs most frequently below the belt region in the sigmoid colon and rectum. Also, men’s tight briefs reducing sperm count, and repeated trauma from eye glasses have been linked with skin cancer on the bridge of the nose. I think you are getting the idea, constrictive clothing may not be the direct cause of our health issues but it certainly creates an environment conducive to ill health.

It’s time we consider health over fashion and demand new fashion trends featuring healthy breasts… au natural! Enhance lymph flow with gentle lymph massage, moving them from the nipple outwards, mostly toward the armpit. Stimulate lymph flow by dry brushing, rebounding on a mini trampoline or bouncing on a gym ball while moving the arms. If you must wear a bra, consider bras made from natural fabrics and avoid padded, push-up, sports, strapless, underwire and tight/ill fitting bras which contribute to breast compression as well as bras resembling body armor which may heat up breasts to unnatural temperatures.

Dr. Pamela Howard, DC, Certified Clinical Thermographer; founded Advanced Thermal Imaging in 2005 to provide a safe, non-invasive means of detecting health concerns utilizing Thermography throughout Central PA & Upstate NY. Visit her website to learn more at www.athermalimage.com

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