How Can LDN Help in Chronic Conditions and Pain?
Nearly half of all Americans have at least one chronic disease. Once you have one chronic disease, you have a higher risk of developing others. Inflammation seems to be at the root of all disease. What if there were a cost effective agent that could help fight inflammation, that could regulate your immune system so it doesn’t get out of hand, and that could be useful in treating major health issues like chronic pain, mental health conditions, autoimmune conditions, and even cancers? It does seem too good to be true, so let’s look at the science, and then you can decide whether this may be right for you. What is […]
Love and Lemon Pound Cake
I was walking through the market area in Charleston in May of 2019. As I was noticing the sweetgrass baskets, kitschy T-shirts, spice mixes, and beach treasures, I spied some bottles of extract. This was a brand that I had not often seen since childhood. There, among the many items of the market, were bottles of lemon extract. Seeing them took me back to the kitchen of my childhood home in Greensboro, North Carolina, some 45 years earlier, where that extract could be found on the spice rack. “Hi Mom! Hi Nano! I’m home from school!” I yelled to my mother and grandmother as I opened the back door that […]
Childhood Obesity: Who is to blame?
A society must be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members: its children. It seems that America is falling shamefully short. We know that to succeed, children need stable homes, quality health care, ample nutritious food, good schools, safe neighborhoods, and access to resources and opportunities that enable them to reach their potential. For too many of our children, especially children of color, these basic building blocks are out of reach. And yet, in the wealthiest nation on Earth, the proportion of federal dollars invested in children has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. The shameful state of your child’s health is not an inevitability — […]
The Mindset for Financial Clarity
There is nothing more frustrating than spending your time, energy, and money searching for a destination that does not exist. Have you ever been lost? If so, the most important thing is to know where you are. You cannot get to your destination until you know your starting point. Imagine being in a large airport. Your ticket tells you which gate to go to, but you are not sure where to find it. The first thing you look for is a map, and when you find it, it shows you where you are. Only then can you figure out how you need to proceed. That’s a snapshot of life. We […]
Humility
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, humility is freedom from pride or arrogance, or the quality or state of being humble. I believe humility is the ability to be thankful and to understand that life is more than what we think. It takes more than me to make more than me. In order for a person to progress, he or she must be exposed to different people and experience different environments. Humility is a mentality. It is essential to becoming a better person. Humility takes understanding and recognition. When realized, humility is the key to peace. Be humble — get help; be hostile — get hurt. Humility is love, and without […]
Are Successful People Lucky?
Success is defined as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. When it comes to your career, what factors lead to success? Is it education? Hard work? Or could it be luck? There are too many factors to talk about, so here are my top six. 1. Keep your word. If you say you are going to do something, do it. People will remember your integrity no matter how big or small the commitment. Make your deadlines, keep your promises. Under-promise and over-deliver. This is number one for a reason. 2. Dress for success. While dress codes have changed over the years, and are now less predictable than the traditional […]
My Mask
You say you recognize my mask, made by a mutual friend from fabric your Mother left behind. And smiling, I recall the neat piles of fabric always surrounding my own Mother. So many years of sunlight streaming down on her bent head As she trundled the machine, deft hands guiding the needle, Gentle tugs to keep things right. Seersucker bedspreads, poodle skirts, crinoline slips, gently made for two young sisters. Curtains for every window in every house. My own first effort — a nursery draped in yellow baby ducks. So, in your prayers tonight, thank your Mother for the mask that’s keeping me safe today, the mask that has held […]
Animal Conservation, a Million Dollar Business
Aiken Artists support the rescue efforts of endangered animals through art Paul Swart, from Rhino Conservation Botswana, was the featured speaker at the Aiken Center for the Arts on Friday, February 18. He explained that poverty in Botswana is a motivating factor for poaching rhinos. “The horn is believed to have medicinal value and can produce enough powder to earn $65,000 on the black market in Asia,” he said. There are fewer than 30,000 black and white rhinos left in the world. Through efforts to transport, guard, and breed these animals, conservationists strive to keep the species from extinction, but it is a million dollar business. The government provides some […]
Brooks Brown | Photo Of The Month
A note from Brooks Brown: My goal in retiring here was to spend my full time dedicated to creating art in and around Aiken, to be with horses either with the Great Oak Theraputic Riding Center or on the sides of the road, and to put my artographs in the Aiken Center for the Arts exhibits. I like being surrounded by horses, equestrian eventing, and polo riders that afford me the opportunity to use my iPhone to capture their beauty wherever I see them. I love being in the moment where it’s me, my iPhone in hand, with a horse, or nature, gardens or flowers or rolling hills on country […]
Once Upon a Time Book Club
Editor’s Note: The answers to the questions below were written by 11-year-old Liyla without any help from an adult. What is the book this month? The book The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige took me on an adventure like no other. This Book Club is outstanding. It sends you a box with a book and 4 gifts. The gifts go along with the book. The Ravens is a story about sorority girls who are actually witches. Not the green and old warty kind. The girls are divided into 4 groups: water, earth, air, and fire. Vivian and Scarlett are the main characters and are trying to find out […]
