Short and Sweet: Email Notifications of Comments Posted on the Endometriosis Blog

Would you like to get emails notifying you when this endo blog gets comments posted on it?? I have a few spots left if you'd like to sign up for notifications.

If you would like to receive emails updating you when new comments are posted here on http://www.endendoat.blogspot.com/, all I need is for you to notify me at the following email address: mailto:endendo@frontiernet.net?subject=Email%20Notifications%20for%20Endo%20Blog (If the email address you want to use for the notifications differs from the one you are emailing me from, please just let me know which one you want used for your endo blog comment updates).

This is a good option if you want to stay in the loop by seeing the comments posted (when they’re posted) in response to endo blog articles... without having to pull up the endo blog to check for updates all the time. The comment updates will come to you instead of the other way around! (You'll still need to pull up the blog to see new posts... but when you receive the email notifications of comments you'll most likely then visit the blog and take a peek around to see what's new anyway). You will know when comments are posted to this endo blog because your email notification will tell you when it happens.

There are a limited number of spots open to add email addresses for this feature. So it’s first come, first serve.

THIS POST WAS UPDATED on 6/21/08: I have been contacted offline about the signup for email notifications but have not yet filled up all of the spots. If you are interested in having your email address added to the list which will enable you to get notifications by email when new comments are added to this blog, simply send me an email at mailto:endendo@frontiernet.net?subject=Email%20Notifications%20for%20Endo%20Blog (Please remember that if the email address you want to use for the notifications DIFFERS from the one you are emailing me from, just let me know which one you want used for your endo blog comment updates). Also, please mention "email notifications" in the subject line so I will know it's a notification request. (This will assist me in differentiating valid requests from spam). Thanks!!!

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

The Beauty of Nature: Healing Illness

I thought this photo was beautiful enough to justify a post!!! Sometimes in our busy daily lives, we don't stop to fully appreciate the wonder and beauty of nature. For just about everyone nowadays, our daily lives are simply too rushed and complicated.

The beauty of the plants and flowers of nature isn't just the aesthetic appeal that is so clearly demonstrated by the remarkable tulip photo above.

As many of us know, nature is also beautiful in a very practical sense. We have many natural remedies on our list of choices for treating many illnesses... including endometriosis. Many natural supplements are made from a wide variety of plants.

How else can a beautiful flower help act as a healing agent besides by being pretty to look at? Think about how common it is to send flowers to someone who is sick or in the hospital. Yes, they are pretty. The thing is that maybe, just maybe, flowers are helping us more than we think. They can lift our spirits... for example.

When given to others, flowers can let someone know we're thinking of them at a difficult time. Flowers are customarily given at happy times too. In fact, they are used in celebration of many of the milestones of our lives. If you think about it, flowers are important throughout our lifetimes.

I realize this picture is of a tulip and not a rose. (This photo was simply too pretty for me to pass up and tulips are my favorite flowers besides). Plus, bees like tulips, right? :)

Anyway, the expression to "take time to stop and smell the roses" makes lots of sense... though most of us struggle to do so as often as we'd like. Obviously, "stopping to smell the roses (or tulips, as the case may be)!" is a great metaphor for slowing down, taking time for self-care, and simply relaxing. For some of us listening to calming music (perhaps even music with nature sounds incorporated) is very helpful, for some of us mindfulness meditation does wonders to quiet the mind, and for others a simple picnic outdoors on a sunny day can calm the body and mind down.

I have no doubt (layperson that I am) that appreciating nature on a regular basis and (frankly) experiencing something other than a car, work cubicle/office, or "on call" duty is truly HEALING! Maybe our immune systems get a boost from allowing those stress hormones to settle down. Maybe our breathing is less shallow and we are getting more oxygen with each breath. I'm sure the list goes on. The key is that nature is a healing force.

Many years ago... long before the white man crossed over to America, the Native Americans knew a great deal about the value of plants for medicinal purposes. (There obviously were no pharmaceuticals back then)! Unfortunately, the Native Americans' lives were never the same after the white man settled what is now the United States.

Fortunately, some Native American traditions have been passed along successfully generation after generation. I once had the privilege of attending a Native American Dance and Music Festival. I was amazed at the rich history of the Native Americans for using plants medicinally. These lessons weren't taught in my history books. However, we could all stand to learn from the Native Americans and their respect for nature.

Have a wonderful week and don't forget to appreciate the nature all around you.

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

By the way, this elegant tulip photo is used with permission from "mimbrava" and was found on the Flickr website. If you click on the title of this post or the photo itself, it will route you to the Flickr website. Thank you "mimbrava" for a gorgeous, uplifting photo of my favorite flower.