Care and Healing: Sharing the love of God in Christ Jesus!

Health Notes

 

July

Herbs and Health

With summer here and the growing season in full swing, it is a good time to explore herbal remedies and our health. God has given us many plants, fruits and grains to keep our bodies strong and many plants also have medicinal and healing qualities. The Bible reminds us that God lovingly gave”… every green plant for food.” (Gen. 1:30).

Today, many people seek assistance to feel better and live fuller lives with chronic illnesses. Pharmacies have many herbal products which can be taken without a Doctor’s order. Many of these products are available as teas, tinctures or tablets. It is important to make sure that the product is the pure form of the herb and to be aware that the active ingredient is, in fact, a drug.

It is essential to visit with your Doctor and inform him of all the over- the-counter herbs and supplements that you are taking, in order to avoid drug interactions. For instance, grapefruit can increase the potency of drugs such as estrogen and some heart and BP medications. Ginkgo can increase the risk of bleeding for persons taking coumadin. St John’s Wort may increase the strength of any anti-depressants that are taken.

Some uses for common herbs are:

• Ginger tea for nausea and upset stomach
• Garlic to lower BP and cholesterol levels
• Echinacea for colds and coughs
• Valerian root for insomnia

Resources: The Herb Society of America- www.herbsociety.org Duke, J. (1997). The Green Pharmacy. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press.

May the Lord of Life richly bless your physical, emotional/relational and spiritual life!

If you have questions, call Lydia Volz @ 651-644-7241

June

SKIN CANCER

Summer begins in June and brings many opportunities to spend in the sun such as fishing, ball games, gardening, hiking and swimming. We need sun for Vitamin D, but less than 15 minutes is needed a day. A greater problem is too much exposure to ultra violet rays, which are the primary cause of Skin Cancer. In recent years there has been over an 80% increase of melanoma, the more serious skin cancer.(ACS, 1994)

Because skin cancers are mostly related to excessive sun exposure, they are the easiest cancers to prevent.

• Stay out of the sun between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, when the rays are the strongest.
• Cover exposed skin with clothing or sunscreen of at least 15 SPF. Re apply every two hours or when removed with water
• Avoid sun lamps and tanning beds
• Keep infants and small children out of the sun.

The most important factor in treatment is early detection. Regularly examine your skin for any changes. The warning signs of melanoma can be remembered by ABCD.

• A=Asymmetry: a suspicious growth where one side does not match the other
• B =Border irregularity: the edges are blurred or ragged
• C=Color: a growth with unusual coloring
• D=Diameter: a suspicious growth with a diameter over 6 millimeters (approx. ¼ inch)
.

“The Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from discomfort.”

If you have questions, call Lydia Volz @ 651-644-7241

Lyngblomsten Care Team Partnership

Jehovah’s Care Team offers the gifts of friendship and faith to homebound and others needing a visit, help shopping, a bit of cheer or a caring touch. Sometimes members bring communion to the shut-ins. The Care Team meets quarterly under the direction of Lydia Volz, and meetings include topics helpful in care ministry, often presented by the partnering Lyngblomsten representative. In 2008 nine Jehovah Care Team members visited 21 homebound members and served a total of 545 hours. Learn more about Care Teams at www.lyngblomsten.org. Jehovah Lutheran Church is a corporate congregation of Lyngblomsten with three delegates to the board.

To learn more about receiving services from Jehovah Lutheran's Care Team Ministry or about becoming a Care Team Ministry volunteer, please contact:  (651-644-7241)

PRAYER TEAM MINISTRY

The Telephone prayer chain is a group of intercessors(praying for others) with prayer requests that have been phoned to the prayer chain coordinator who then passes the prayer request along the chain. If you have a prayer request or would like to be a pray-er, contact Iris Raths at 651-645-1057.

Human Care Committee: Love in Action

The Human Care Committee facilitates events throughout the year which help people in need in the church, the neighborhood and the world.

During the past two years two projects were ongoing every month of the year – namely the gathering of food shelf gifts and the taking of a meal every third Monday of the month to Rezek House, center for homeless youth. Starting in summer of 2010 the ongoing yearly project will be only FOOD SHELVES. Donations of both food and money are given alternately to Keystone Community food shelf on University Avenue and to Concordia University food shelf on Marshall Avenue (See Neighborhood page for details and links). Rezek House support will continue with a more concentrated project of furnishing apartment kitchens for youth in transition.

Other Human Care projects are seasonal and have included a February “Caring Hearts for Homeless People” ingathering of toiletry items for homeless as well as Oct/Nov offerings to alleviate world hunger. Recent world hunger projects were “Greenhouses in North Korea at Tuberculosis Hospitals” in 2008, a “Joy to the World” gaggle of animals sent to families overseas through Heifer, International 2009, and most recently in the spring of 2010 the congregation responded generously to a “Helping Haiti” offering, sending funds to Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and preparing Health Kits for LWR’s distribution to the homeless in Haiti and elsewhere.

Each Christmas the congregation sponsors families or homeless youth through Lutheran Social Services by buying requested gifts and food cards for their joy at Christmas. The congregation also takes part in the Spirit of Giving Christmas program at Lyngblomsten Care Center, helping to provide small gifts for residents there.

In May the Human Care Committee plans the “Celebrating Jehovah Seniors” event on the first Sunday of May to honor those in our fellowship who are 80 years or older. The seniors are remembered during worship in prayer and song followed by a noon luncheon.