Archive for the ‘Stories’ Category
NOT A SPIRIT OF FEAR, BUT OF A SOUND MIND
1May 2009
G ez Agolli, ND, PhD, is a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and the Managing Director of Progressive Medical Centers of America. In the past several issues of Christian Living Magazine, he has discussed detoxification (the removal heavy metal deposits through chelatin treatments and the use of the FIR sauna), hormone therapy for women, pain management, and weight loss. He and his staff specialize in non-invasive practices that include supervised exercises, hyperbaric chambers to increase oxygen levels, electrotherapy, massage, nutritional guidance and pharmaceutical naturopathic medicines. Progressive’s caregivers often ask if they may pray for a patient’s healing and recovery. Faith is an important part of the Center’s healing process. What other ailments are of concern to the Center and to Dr. Gez Agolli? CLM: You recently mentioned wanting to address the problem of ADD/HD. Would you first define that? Gez Agolli: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has become an all-too-familiar medical condition affecting mostly children and adolescents. Brain cells communicate with each other using chemical neurotransmitters with messages relating to emotion, behavior, thinking, and attention. Although research is still ongoing, scientists believe that the ADHD problem lies with an unbalance or impairment of two of those transmitters. CLM: 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (emphasis added.)” That being the case, then ADD/HD is certainly not a natural state. So, what then are the probable causes of the condition? Gez Agolli: As one of our doctors noted in a recent article that an important factor to consider is food. Sensitivities to certain foods can cause symptoms of ADHD, and when that item is removed from the diet many kids show improvement. There’s also the much reported ill effects of fatty acids, but the brain and nervous system is primarily composed of fats. There must be a balance for a fatty acid deficiency in order to function properly. CLM: How would a parent know about such a deficiency?
Gez Agolli: A quick way to check is to consider a few symptoms. Is the child thirsty often or does he or she urinate often? Do they have dry skin, brittle nails, dandruff or dry hair? If you answered yes to any of these, your child may need some additional fats in their diet. Fats found in meat and chicken is not the answer. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and cod liver oil is needed. Make sure the fish you select has been monitored for mercury levels, a heavy metal that can cause ADHD symptoms as well. CLM: How about the suggestion that TV and video games can be a factor? Gez Agolli: Studies have shown that playing video games for more than one hour per day can have detrimental effects on your child’s health, including ADHD, especially in adolescents. The moral appears to be: moderation. The problem may lie more in lack of exercise than what is happening on the screen. The bottom line is that if a parent suspects that their child may have ADHD then they should bring them to Progressive for blood tests and possible treatment. CLM: How about the use of Ritalin, Dexedrine and similar drug therapy?
Gez Agolli: Many of those drugs fall into the Schedule II category that includes cocaine, methadone and opium. My recommendation is to use natural remedies, including pharmaceutical herbal medicines as a first line solution to ADHD. CLM: You are also concerned with depression? Gez Agolli: Absolutely. Twenty-one million American adults, mostly women, suffer from a depressive illness in any given year. That’s a disorder that can impact a person’s physical body, their mood and even their thoughts. Eating, sleeping, personal relationships, work—living in general can be affected by depression. What most people don’t realize is that it’s a treatable illness. CLM: What are some of the causes of depression? Gez Agolli: Excess stress, nutritional deficiencies, too much caffeine or sugar or additives, allergies, alcohol, nicotine, environmental toxins, and even endocrine disorders in the brain and thyroid. CLM: Adjusting one’s lifestyle may help, but it sounds like professional treatment is essential to achieve a normal balance.
Gez Agolli: That’s true. When you feel that you or a loved one are showing signs of depression: loss of appetite, mood swings, anxiety, despair, headaches, or even entertaining thoughts of suicide, then professional help should be sought immediately. It could save literally save a life. CLM: Depression and ADHD are two huge and complex subjects. Where can our readers learn more? Gez Agolli: They can contact us by phone at (770) 676-6000 or go to our website at: www.progressivemedicalcenter.com. We will provide them with specific information to help them recognize the symptoms of those and other illnesses. Appointments may also be made for testing and treatment if needed. Progressive Medical Centers of America work alongside of traditional medical practices to provide a complete solution to whatever stands between them and God’s promise of health and a sound mind.
Bike Fright
9January 2009
“OK, you can do this,” I said, trying to sound cheerful.
My mom sat straddling her brand-new bike, her new helmet falling forward over her eyes. She gripped the handlebars the way I had seen her grip the steering wheel in heavy traffic, and she looked kind of pale.
“I don’t know, Jake. There are too many people around. I don’t think I want to. . . .”
I didn’t understand why my mom seemed so scared. Riding a bike was no big deal. I had learned to ride four years ago, when I was only seven. Besides, I’d never known my mom to be afraid of anything before. The night I heard noises in the attic and thought that there were monsters up there, Mom just grabbed a flashlight and marched right in. She scared those squirrels half to death. And the day I hit my head falling out of a tree and was covered in blood, Mom just sat me down, washed me off, and told me not to climb so high. So what was all this about?
“Mom,” I said as patiently as I could, “you have to learn to ride a bike if you want to ride with me in the Bike-a-Thon, and it’s only two weeks away.”
“OK,” she said finally. “OK, I can do this—I think.”
“Of course you can,” I replied, and I reached up to adjust the chin strap on her helmet. “That’s better. Now you can see where you’re going.”
“I think I liked it better when I couldn’t.” She stared down the little hill I had decided to start her on.
“It’s not that steep, Mom. It’s easier to get your balance if you start off coasting. Just remember to keep your feet on the pedals, and start pedaling as soon as you get to the bottom of the hill.”
I took a couple of steps away from the bike. My mom took a deep breath and pushed down on the top pedal just the way I’d shown her. Slowly the bicycle rolled forward, picking up speed as it coasted down the hill. The front wheel began to wobble.
“Steer, Mom! Straighten it out!” I yelled. Mom didn’t seem to hear me. She and the bike turned left, went off the sidewalk, and rolled into a little green bush. Then slowly Mom and the bike fell over.
“Mom!” I shouted, running down the hill. “Are you all right?”
Several people came running toward us. I guess they had heard me yelling. My mom hadn’t made a sound.
“Mom! Are you OK?” I asked. I knelt down beside her.
“No.” Her face was hidden under her arm, so her voice was kind of muffled.
“What’s the matter? Is something broken?” I was so scared.
“No,” was her only reply.
“Get up and let me see,” I said.
“No.” Mom didn’t move.
By now there were lots of people standing around me, my mom, and the little broken bush.
A concerned-looking man in a jogging suit stepped forward. “Son, would you like me to call an ambulance?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, and looked at my mom.
“No,” my mom yelled. “I’m fine. Please go away!”
“She’s learning to ride,” I tried to explain to all those people. “She wasn’t going very fast.”
“Come on, lady! You gotta get back up on the horse that threw ya!” some man shouted.
“It was a bike!” I shouted back.
A small gray-haired lady standing close by said softly, “Remember The Little Engine That Could. ’I think I can, I think I can. . . .’”
“They’re not going to go away, are they?” my mom whispered.
“I think they want to see that you’re OK,” I whispered back.
“Oh, all right!” My mom sat up and brushed the grass and leaves and little berries off her sweater. Finally she stood up. Everyone began to clap, and my mom’s face turned bright pink.
“Thank you for your concern, but as you can see, I’m just fine.” Mom took a few steps around to show them that she wasn’t hiding a broken leg or a sprained ankle. Everyone clapped again and then went on their way.
“Enough for today?” I asked hopefully. I didn’t want to go through that again anytime soon.
“No, Jake,” she said in a way that surprised me. “No. I almost had it, and then I let myself get scared. I know I can do it this time!”
Now this sounded more like my mom. I helped her pull the bike out of the bush and push it up the hill.
Mom adjusted her helmet again and got on the bike. She didn’t look quite so pale this time.
“Ready?” I asked. She nodded, and I backed away.
There went Mom down the hill, and just as the bike reached the bottom where the sidewalk became flat and smooth, she started pedaling. I ran down the hill after her. She had pedaled quite a way ahead of me when she looked back over her shoulder. I could see that she was smiling. She let go of one of the handlebars to give me a thumbs-up sign.
“No, no!” I yelled. “Use both hands!”
But it was too late. Mom and the bicycle went off the sidewalk and fell over together in the grass. Again.
“Mom! Mom! Are you hurt?” I ran up to her.
This time she was already on her feet, and she was laughing.
“Did you see me? I did it! I did it! I really did it!”
Then she stopped and looked at me. “I mean,” she said, rumpling my hair, “we did it.”
Original link: http://www.highlightskids.com/Stories/Fiction/F0398_bikefright.asp