Gut check

Since it would appear that my insurance won't pay for a colonoscopy, I decided to try a different tack and see if a slight change in diet would fix the problems that I have been experiencing. Sometimes, that's all it takes to fix that kind of problem, so I bought some Activia yogurt and started eating that every day, and also, since I got some really tasty organic flax seed and honey granola bars for Christmas as a part of a package of delicious organic foods, I started eating one of those each day because it's high in fiber, protein and Omega 3. I've also cut down on sodium consumption because that can cause you to retain a lot of water, which can cause intestinal problems. That seems to be the magic combination, because I haven't had a problem since I began doing this. My testy gut seems to have responded well to this slight dietary change. Needless to say, it comes as a huge relief that this slight tweaking of my diet has seemingly eliminated what was becoming an uncomfortable problem.

It's amazing what a slight adjustment in one's diet can do for one's health! I can't eat like I'm 20 anymore and suffer no consequences. And anyway, eating better means feeling better all around, so it's probably a good thing that I have been more or less forced into these changes by my changing body. Of course, I also can't forget the mind-body connection as well. A healthy mind means a healthy body, and if I stay in a good place emotionally, that's bound to do a lot to help my body to stay in better shape overall as well. Thank goodness that the first thing that my primary care doctor asks me anytime he sees me is how my emotional state is, and then we go from there. I think he's one of the ones who realizes the mind-body connection and how it affects our health. Too bad there aren't more doctors who take this approach, and too bad that most of our medical system doesn't realize the whole mind-body approach to wellness. I guess I got lucky to have a doctor that does recognize the connection to how I've been feeling emotionally and what's going on with me physically. That's why I absolutely adore my doctor and why I feel lucky to have him as my primary care physician.

BROKEBACK HEARTBREAK:

At the urging of my sister, I saw the movie "Brokeback Mountain" last night and found it to be completely heartbreaking, especially knowing that one of its stars, Heath Ledger, died this week at the far too young age of 28. His portrayal of his character, Ennis Delmar, was just so incredible and gave us a glimpse of what might have been had Ledger lived long enough to realize his full potential as an actor. It deeply saddens me to think that we will never know what this talented young actor might have been able to accomplish had fate allowed him to live a long and full life. What is particularly upsetting is knowing that he probably died of an accidental overdosing of several prescription medications taken together in a fatal combination. From what I understand, he received these from several doctors in London, which, from the movie "SiCKO", seems to be one of those better health care systems in Europe, but what was obviously missing was communication between his doctors about what was being prescribed and in what amount. Had there been this kind of communication, I suspect that Ledger wouldn't have had so many medications that, when taken together, can have serious consequences. Doubtless, Ledger was ill while filming in London, probably arrived home in New York sick and jet lagged and probably accidentally took a bunch of these medications without thinking because he may have just been overtired and mentally too foggy to realize what he was doing. I know how easy it is to feel that way and how easy it is to forget what you took, when and how much when you are not well. This is doubtless what happened and what led to his untimely death.

As for my impressions of the movie, it was terribly sad, but very beautifully made. The scenery, of course, was just breathtaking, but the story was so heartbreaking. I've long believed that love should know no bounds, but we are living in an increasingly homophobic society, sadly, forcing many more people to live their lives out in a lie so as not to reveal their true sexual orientation. For some folks, this is a matter of keeping their careers, and we've already seen how at least one transgender guy in Florida lost his job due to his desire to live out his life in the body of the opposite gender from which he was born. But anyway, getting back to the movie, the fate of the character Jack (co-star Jake Gyllenhaal's character) was so terribly sad, and the final scene where Ennis (Ledger) is looking at the picture of Brokeback Mountain and the two shirts that each wore in a crucial scene will just tear your heart out. The whole movie is just so sad and so wonderful, but made the more sad for the fact that Ledger didn't get the Academy Award that he was nominated for, for his role in this movie, and now he will never have a chance to win an Oscar that he doubtless would have richly deserved, given his vast talents. Whenever an artist dies prematurely, it breaks my heart to think of what they might have done had they lived long enough. Sadly, now we will never know what Ledger might have given us in the future, but we at least have the legacy of what he left us in the way of his films to see the promise of what might have been, and how very much he did accomplish at such a tender age. What a monumental tragedy.