“I Got A New Car “ Chapter 63

It feels great when you buy a new car, but when you drive it off the lot it has already started to depreciate. Then we drive the car home and park it in front of the house for all to see. The next week, you are outside washing and cleaning the inside. Over the years you change the fluids, filters, rotate the tires, add the right fuel and park away from others to avoid damage.

Parents are proud when they have a new baby too, wondering what their child will grow up to be. They go home and put their babies in front of the house for all to see. As the kids grow up, they wash, feed and protect them hoping they will stay safe and grow old.

So why do we wreck ourselves throughout our lives and take care of our things better than our bodies?

Like the body of a car, our skin is the largest organ on our body. Unlike our car, we neglect our skin. We don’t hydrate, lotion or protect it from the sun or other damaging toxins. As a PALS I have to be vigilant about my skin care because if it starts to break down, I will have serious issues. This happens because I am in a seated position all day.

We pay lots of money getting the good fluids changed in the car, yet we drink soda, energy drinks and alcohol and not the good water or electrolytes our bodies need. Drinks like coke can literally clean off corrosion from metal and are filled with sugar which can be equally addictive as drugs. Our bodies need water not only for hydration, but for body functions too. If you replace the water with other drinks your body will begin to fail.  Proper Hydration is a big part of maintaining my health and pushing toxins out of my body through urine and the pooper as well as the function of my organs and skin.

If you fail to replace the filters in your car you will know it. The air filter for the ventilation will smell. A dirty engine filter will slowly lose power and gas mileage. Does this sound familiar? We start smoking at a young age, slowly killing our lungs which slows us down and we can’t run as far. With ALS, we slowly lose our ability to filter out the CO2, which will eventually cause CO2 poisoning. By getting a tracheotomy and using the ventilator with clean filters changed monthly, I cleaned up my lungs from the CO2 and breathe much better.

We drive that new car to the best gas station because we know bad gas will tear down the engine. Just like a car, our bodies need the right fuel. Our bodies are made to absorb nutrients and minerals from the foods we eat, not dyes and things we can’t pronounce. Did you ever read what is in your favorite snack or sausage McGriddle? Now look at the ingredients of your favorite fruit. Even if you eat clean and organic, the fruits and vegetables don’t have the same vitamins and minerals they had 50 years ago. So what should we do? ALS patients need additional supplements and calories to help fight weight loss and vitamin deficiency. I only use organic food with my PEG, and add a variety of supplements. Because of that I'm proud to say that I've stopped losing weight and gained 25 pounds back.

When you have a car, you have to take it out for a drive. If you don’t drive, it the battery will die and the joints will need to be lubed. Our bodies need the same. Without some form of exercise, our bodies will shut down and our joints will get stiff. Over the past year, as I lost the ability to exercise, my body started to get stiff and I have to have others help me exercise. Because of the daily exercise, I am not as sore and stiff as I used to be.

Lastly if you drive the car too hard, the stress will cause damage. You have to turn on some good music and enjoy the ride. Our bodies can only take so much stress.  Work, family, friends and many other things cause stress and we need a way to release it. Meditation, calming music and stress relief apps are great. You know what they say, save a horse ride a cowboy I'm told it's a great stress reliever.

If you get a chance I recommend you watch “Secrets of the Blue Zone“ on Netflix. The series discusses the things that people do in the geographic areas where people are routinely living past 100 years old. There has to be something about how they take care of their bodies to live so long. One of these blue zones is even in California.

I pray for everyone to live a happy and healthy life.  Take care of your body because unlike a car, it’s the only one you have. We have only one chance to do it right.

Love and blessings