Coffee drinkers - Stress

I just came across the following article from a herbalist collector who wrote on the consequences on drinking more coffee to help to reduce stress but can our body take it especially the adrenal gland. Let us read together then.






How Your Stressed Adrenal Glands are Making you Sick

By Marilyn Zink on 04/08/2010

Many people in our society are stressed out. (You may be one of them.) They will often label themselves as such and unwittingly drink large amounts of coffee to get themselves through the day. What they don’t realize is that chronic caffeine use, especially if too much caffeine is consumed, will stress the adrenal glands.

It’s a condition known as caffeinism – which is characterized by symptoms of depression, nervousness, irritability, recurrent headache, heart palpitations, and insomnia. (Any of this starting to sound familiar?) That puts extra stress on the adrenal glands.

The adrenal glands are important as they control many bodily functions and play a critical role in the body’s resistance to stress.

If an individual has experienced a great deal of stress, the adrenal glands will shrink and not perform properly.

The adrenal glands then become exhausted from the constant demands that are placed on them. A person with adrenal exhaustion will complain of feeling stressed out or anxious, and will have a reduced resistance to allergies or infections. They might catch every virus that is circulating, will have a harder time recovering from disease and are more prone to getting sick again.

That’s bad news, especially when we enter into cold and flu season again. Someone who is ‘running on empty’ and continually reaching for another cup of coffee will only make their health worse and may be more susceptible to getting sick.

A recent news article says sleep deprived doctors in Australia have been ordered to drink up to six cups of coffee a day to stay awake during extended shifts.

The average North American consumes 150 to 225 mg of caffeine daily, which is about the amount of 1-2 cups of coffee. Multiply that by six times (as some people do simply by ordering a few ‘Venti’s) and you’re consuming a lot of caffeine - caffeine that is stressing your adrenal glands.

How to Support the Adrenal Glands

Obviously, getting enough sleep is part of the equation. Though in our fast paced society, adequate sleep is often shoved aside in favour of getting more done. But even taking a cat nap can help the body with the rest it needs.

- Eating a healthy diet with fresh fruit and vegetables along with whole grains and essential fatty acids (EFA) can help too.

- Supporting the adrenal glands with herbal botanicals like ginseng and astragalus are key to helping the body to function properly.

- Keeping inflammation down in the body is also a good idea, as inflammation is more likely to lead to disease. Taking EFAs like flax seed or hemp seed oil can help with that goal.

With proper support for the adrenal glands, along with dietary and lifestyle changes, you will have enough natural energy so you won’t need caffeine.

Miso & wakame

Korea food Miyeok guk


Wakame and fish


Boiled wakame

Most of us get very depressed just thinking about the suffering, starvation and the sacrifice it take to lose weight. The plain truth is diets alone won't work. Many of us even spent a lot on weight loss diet program to get to the desired physical shape. Below is my own research on the irrefutable evidence to get the right kind of food we need to consume. I was always very amazed by the size of the ladies when I visited Japan and Korea few years back. I found out that their main food they eat are Miso and wakame or brown seaweed. And even many of the biscuits or titbits are added with brown seaweed.



Brown seaweed has an excellent source of dietary fiber. In clinical tests, fiber has been shown to pass through the digestive tract, gently carrying away unwanted fat and calories.


Wakame (ワカメ, wakame?), Undaria pinnatifida, is a sea vegetable, or edible seaweed, that has been nominated as among 100 of the world's worst invasive species according to the Global Invasive Species Database. [1] In Japan it is most widely used in miso soup.

New studies conducted at Hokkaido University have found that a compound in wakame known as fucoxanthin can help burn fatty tissue[2]. Wakame is a rich source of Eicosapentaenoic acid, an Omega-3 fatty acid. It also has high levels of calcium, iodine, thiamine and niacin.


In Oriental medicine it has been used for blood purification, intestinal strength, skin, hair, reproductive organs and menstrual regularity [3].

Miso soup



Miso soup (味噌汁, miso shiru?) is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste. Although the suspension of miso paste into dashi is the only characteristic that actually defines miso soup, many other ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference.

miso paste is an excellent source of dietary fiber (59%) and protein (64% DV), as well as a good source of minerals . Miso paste is also high in amino acids, the basic building blocks of protein. An excellent source of vitamin K and a decent source of riboflavin (38% DV), miso also provides small amounts of other vitamins. One major benefit of miso is its extremely high omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid content.

Dried Cattlefish

I have been very busy those few days running for errands here and there. Till then my friend from China emailed me about the effect of taking the dried cattlefish but the research was done in Malaysia instead of China reminded me of the biggest dried cattlefish I ever saw in Wen Zhou, in China 2 years back during the time I followed my hubby there for his official duty. That cattlefish and the unique of its kind caught the attention of our friend and he bought it back. Was it contaminated too?

I cannot resist to delay but to put it here for all my readers to read.
Below is cut & paste from my inbox:


Subject: Stop eating dried squid..~!!
Dried Cuttlefish By MANJIT KAUR
GEORGE TOWN:
Consumers must refrain from eating dried cuttlefish as tests by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) revealed that it is contaminated with a highly toxic metal known as cadmium. And we've been using this to boil soup ...CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris said random tests conducted on cuttlefish samples found that the level of cadmium exceeded the safety standard.

"The amount of cadmium detected in the samples tested ranged from 0.33 to 4.33 parts per million (ppm) when the Food Regulations 1985 states that it should not exceed 1.00 ppm.




Poisonous product: Mohamed Idris showing some of the contaminated dried cuttlefish during a press conference in Penang Tuesday. With him is research officer Hatijah Hashim who is holding a poster showing the effects of eating cuttlefish with high cadmium levels. "This is not the first time high levels of cadmium is detected in dried seafood. In 2004 and 2006, out of nine dried cuttlefish and seafood samples, six were found to contain cadmium above the safety standard.
"Cadmium is used in galvanising and electroplating batteries, the manufacture of alloys, pigments and plastics, and in the stabilisation of phosphate fertilisers.
"It is also a prevalent environmental contaminant due to its release from metal smelters," he told a press conference at the CAP's office here yesterday.
Mohamed Idris added that it had been suggested that exposure to cadmium could result in an increased rate of breast and prostate cancers.
"CAP calls upon the Health Ministry to test all types of dried cuttlefish for cadmium content and ensure that those which contravened regulations are not sold."

I Will Build My Church

Let read together how "I will build my church" . Thank to Rev. Raymond Woodward who sent this to me.

I Will Build My Church - Part 1
Rev. Raymond Woodward

Matthew 16:18-19 (KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

This is the first distinct mention of the church in the New Testament, given by Jesus who is the Builder of the Church. We do not build the church on our own; we simply cooperate with the Master Builder!
THE CHURCH IS NOT A MATERIAL BUILDING
The word is never used in Scripture to refer to a material building (140 times in NT). The language used of the Church could not be applied to a building. ("The Lord added to the church. Herod vexed the church. The church was persecuted. Paul saluted the church. The churches had rest.") Only in the traditions of men can people "go to church."
THE CHURCH IS NOT A DENOMINATION
Denominationalism is contrary to Scripture, evidence of carnality and divisions. Denominations are usually formed around a form of church government, a doctrinal emphasis or truth, a personality that God used in some revival, or an experience. The tragedy is that each revival of truth finds its bitterest enemies in the previous group that had light from heaven, but stopped somewhere along the way! History repeats itself in each generation. The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history! We must constantly guard against the degenerating cycle of Message - Man - Movement - Monument. Notice that Jesus does not say He will build His CHURCHES, but His CHURCH. There is only one church - and its message has never changed!
THE CHURCH IS NOT "PLAN B" IN THE MIND OF GOD
The church was not merely instituted after the Jewish rejection of Christ, but rather was prophesied through the entire Old Testament.


All nations were to be blessed by the seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18)

All the families of the earth were to be blessed by Abraham's seed (Genesis 26:4)

All kindreds of the nations would worship the Lord (Psalms 22:27-28)

In the last days all nations would flow to the house of God (Isaiah 2:2-3)

The Gentiles would seek the Root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:10)

Many nations would be sprinkled with the blood of the Messiah (Isaiah 52:15)

Many nations would be joined to the Lord in that day (Zechariah 2:11)

The Name of the Lord would be great among the Gentiles (Malachi 1:11)

In His Name the Gentiles would trust (Matthew 12:21)



THE CHURCH IS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The kingdom of God is much larger than the church, because it includes more than the church - the whole universe, all the angelic hosts, and all the Old Testament saints. However, the New Testament church is the CENTERPIECE of God's Kingdom and its most important part. If you live between the Day of Pentecost and the Rapture, YOU MUST BE IN THE CHURCH TO BE SAVED! Jesus said the prophets who gave these prophecies - and even the angels - would love to participate in the things happening in our age.
Matthew 13:16-17 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.



Moses would love to have seen the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5-9)

Isaiah would love to have seen Pentecost (Isaiah 28:10-12)

Joel would love to have been in the Upper Room (Acts 1-2)


THE CHURCH IS THE ONLY THING GOD EVER HAD TO BUY
God created everything else, but the church cost Him dearly! We are privileged beyond measure to be part of the Church of the Living God!
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood

THE CHURCH IS THE ONLY THING THAT CANNOT BE SHAKEN
Individual saints and local assemblies may have problems, but the church is as solid as the rock of revelation it is built upon.


The earth is to be shaken (Isaiah 2:19-21)

The nation of Israel is to be shaken (Ezekiel 38:19-20)

The heavens and the nations are to be shaken (Haggai 2:6-7)

Everything that can be shaken will be shaken (Hebrews 12:26-29


But the church cannot be shaken! The gates of hell cannot prevail against it, because JESUS IS BUILDING HIS CHURCH!
Matthew 16:18-19 (AMP) And I tell you, you are Peter [Petros, masculine, a large piece of rock], and on this rock [petra, feminine, a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it - or be strong to its detriment, or hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind - that is, declare to be improper and unlawful - on earth must be already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth - declare lawful - must be what is already loosed in heaven.

Notice two principles in this passage

First, the church is built on a MESSAGE, not a MAN. Men come and go, succeed and fail, but the true revelation of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church ("thou art the Christ" - Matthew 16:16).
Second, we must build the church according to God's BLUEPRINT if we want to have His BLESSING. The words "bind" and "loose" are perfect passive participles in the Greek language, indicating things that have already been forbidden or permitted. We can't just do whatever we want and expect God to bless it; we must do what He wants, and the blessing will come automatically.
If a contractor builds a house for someone, he sticks to the blueprint, which is the will of the purchaser. If we want to build a church, we need to stick to the blueprint (Bible), which is the will of the purchaser (God). Otherwise, we are not really building a church!
THAT IS THE REASON FOR THIS SERIES. We need to discover God's blueprint for building His church!


PRINCIPLE #1: DO AND TEACH (Acts 1:1)

Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Jesus' ministry was all about DOING and TEACHING. The one refers to His miracle-working power, while the other refers to His doctrine. Jesus did not work miracles just for miracles' sake, but He used them to teach doctrine (i.e. healed blind man and taught "I am the light of the world," fed 5000 and taught "I am the bread of life"). He also did not teach just for teaching's sake, but "he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Matthew 7:29)
DOING without TEACHING is wrong! It is wrong to have "spirit" without "truth" because that leads to APOSTASY. It is obedience to doctrine that saves us, not just a "move of the Spirit." It is not your FEELING but your OBEDIENCE that makes you a Christian.
1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
But TEACHING without DOING is also wrong! It is wrong to have "truth" without "spirit" because that leads to APATHY. God holds us responsible for what we DO with what we KNOW. Talking about revival doesn't bring revival - revival is spelled W-O-R-K!
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
OUR CHURCH MUST BOTH DO AND TEACH IF WE WANT TO BE BLESSED BY GOD!
John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.


PRINCIPLE #2: WITNESS AND WAIT (Acts 1:7-8)

Acts 1:7-8 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
God has two words for time: CHRONOS, which means "time governed by the clock" (QUANTITY time) and KAIROS, which means "time measured by special moments" (QUALITY TIME).
The key is that you have to take advantage of KAIROS time at the moment it happens, or you lose it forever.
Luke 19:44 (NKJV) 41Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."
Acts 24:25 (NKJV) Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."
Ephesians 5:15-16 (NKJV) 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Galatians 6:9 (NKJV) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
When the disciples asked when Jesus was going to "restore the kingdom" (send revival), He told them that it was not for them to distinguish between the "times" (CHRONOS) and the "seasons" (KAIROS), because only God controls times of supernatural visitation!
Only God has power (EXOUSIA = AUTHORITY) over the results of our prayer, our worship, and our work. But He has given us power (DUNAMIS = ABILITY) to be witnesses.
The key to revival is for the church to exercise its ABILITY until God exercises His AUTHORITY.
We must WITNESS and WAIT!


PRINCIPLE #3: RISE ABOVE AND GO BEYOND (Acts 1:25)

Acts 1:25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
Sometimes we mistakenly think that the early church was somehow more "spiritual" than we are today. But the book of Acts tells us plainly that they had problems and setbacks too.
Outside of the crucifixion of Jesus, probably no other situation was harder for the disciples to deal with than the fall of Judas. He had been ordained to be an Apostle, ordained to preach the Gospel, and given power over devils and disease. And yet he backslid and betrayed the Lord into the hands of the Sanhedrin. What a setback for the church!
But we do not see the disciples giving up or getting discouraged! Instead, they resolutely rise above their heartache and move beyond a terrible trial to embrace their future in God.
With God, FAILURE IS NEVER FATAL! God never wastes a hurt!
Micah 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Let's rise above our past, our problems and our perplexities, and go beyond to a place that we have never been before!

Qing Ming Jie

Qing Ming Jie , the Chinese Old Soul Day or the Grave sweeping day known to the Chinese, tending to the grave of the departed ones. For the Chinese, it is a day to remember and honor one's ancestors. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food and libation to the ancestors. The rites are very important to most Chinese and especially farmers and the businessmen. The more they pray or the more they burned mean that the departed souls will help them for accumulating the earthly wealth.

Burning of the spirit money or paper money and now more commercialized using the spirit gifts like paper cars, toys, servants, clothings, shoes or whatever the business of this segment could offer to the market.

Here is a poem for the Qing Ming.

It’s raining hard at the time of the Qing Ming Festival,
The mourner’s heart is overwhelmed on the road upland.
May I ask where there’s a tavern to drown my sorrows?
The shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village in the distance.



3 Years back when I following my hubby to Wen Zhao in China while on his official duty,coincidentally it was on the Qing Ming time, I was very surprised to see that younger generation do not burn such paper money to pay respect to their ancestors but they used flowers. Wreaths were sold every where in super markets or florist stores. The Chinese Engineer who took us around to "Yien Tao Shan" passed through a long stretch of hills and mountain explained to us that Chinese Government now limited the space for the death and to eradicate or a measure to control pollution. Thus, many of the death bodies were cremated and the arches put in the urns were placed in the new grave sites of which we encountered quite a few on the way. I witnessed very little burning or the smoke of the burning of the paper money or paper gifts.

The ridiculous irony is that all those spiritual thingy (libation) make from China are only used in Malaysia or Singapore for the death but very little used in China. Is this not commercial business only?

To me according to my Christian faith, there is no such teaching of burning paper money or paper gifts to the death from the biblical point of view. Rather, I should quote : Luke 16:19 - 31 See, the death are separated from us and a boundary in between us. I can only come to conclude that love the ones that are still alive. Qing Ming is only a day of the year that we remember our loved ones of how we come into existence through them by God Grace and they ,who departed us temporary and we shall met in heaven.


The Rich Man and Lazarus
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[c] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "