Colours

When I grew up you were always asked about your favorite colour. Was it blue, green, red, yellow, pink or purple? Not many options to chose from from.

I didn't know what to reply when I was asked, but when I was a kid I wanted a green cousin. When I was 10, my first cousin was born and he wasn't green, but very much loved anyway.

As an adult I was introduced to the world of shades and there are so many. I love emerald and lime green, royal blue and hot pink, but most of all I love the green shades in nature.

If I have a super power, it's telling shades apart and it hurts my brain to see some colour combinations together.

Colours are energy wavelengths interpreted by our brain, so surround yourself with colours that make you feel good.

I can't imagine not seeing the world in colours and a dream of mine is to raise money to buy those special glasses for colour blind people here in Nepal.

Click here see an explanation about how the glasses actually work.

Click here to see some life changing moments when people see different colours for the first time. I always get teary-eyed when I watch clips like these.

Rain

Rain is something most places on the earth experiences from time to time and it's well needed. The nature thrives from the water and so do you. 

If you have a day outdoors ahead of you, a rainy day will require some extra planning, but try to look at it from the bright side. 

"After rain comes sunshine"

Chew the Food

Unless you don't have functional teeth, chewing the food thoroughly is really good for your overall-health.

Many processes start already in the mouth, something you maybe haven't thought about.

When I grew up it had loosen up a bit, but previous generations heard "Låt maten tysta mun!", a saying equal to "Don't talk with your mouth full", but even harsher since it was meant for the kids to be silent throughout the whole meal.

Yesterday I had a salad with chunks of chewy vegetables, so I started to practice slow eating in a more conscious way. I finished chewing one bite before I pinned the next on the fork.

Eating a bit too fast is something we do automatically from a young age, so the muscle memory has to be retrained.

Enjoy each meal and each bite and if you have company, talk a lot. Just because it's an old saying it doesn't mean it's right.

Lettuce, beet root, tomatoes, purple cabbage and carrots. Yummy!

Click here to watch a short video summarizing the health benefits of chewing your food properly. 

Vacation

Sometimes you need to get away to recharge your battery, to get perspective and give yourself a chance to breath.

Some people like active vacations, others like to relax. Find the best way for you and if you travel with family or friends there might be some compromises to be made, but stand your ground. A vacation is meant to bring energy to your everyday life and not drain you.

I love going to Lakeside, Pokhara and just soak in the energy from Phewa lake.

Watch a beautifully made video over Phewa lake here.

Purpose of Life

Frankly! I have momentarily lost my life purpose. I few weeks ago Leya, my daughter, left to go to Sweden to study and even though I knew that day would come, it was heartbreaking.

When a child moves away from home, you loose a partner or a parent or a job, you have to reevaluate your whole existence and focus on something else that gives you meaning in life.

I've done some real soul searching the last couple of days and I just have to lift myself out of this hole of emptiness she left behind.

I decided to leave Kathmandu and go to Pokhara, a city about 200 km from Kathmandu, to change the scenery and give myself a change to do some proper thinking away from home.

On the bus it hit me. It was so simple. My new life purpose will be to spread joy or glädje, as we say in Swedish. The word glädje is so beautiful and just repeating the word to myself gives me joy.

If there is something we need more of in life it's joy and a smile takes you far, so now I'm giving myself a few days to practice true joy, from the bottom of my heart. Because I think we can exercise our thoughts, just like we exercise our muscles.

So, now I'm filling my empty hole with glädje and I hope it will spread to everyone who crosses my path.

My Herbs and Spices

My interest in how to boost the immune system became my passion in the spring of 2020, for obvious reasons.

Living in Nepal gives me an almost unlimited resource of new paths to follow, thanks to the Ayurvedic tradition. We even have a road full of small stalls with people who has been handed down the knowledge from generation to generation.

Over the years I have gathered a lot of different herbs, spices, roots and barks and I try to use them all, in one way or another.

Morning Walk

After a few days of heavy clouds and rain, there is nothing better than greeting the sun during a refreshing morning walk.

The morning sunlight doesn't just energize you for the moment. You will feel energized throughout the day and have a better sleep the coming night.

Remember that you don't need dogs to go for a morning walk. So, no excuses!

Watch Dr. Andrew Huberman explain about the benefits of the morning sunlight here.

Body, Mind and Spirit

This morning I came across a very interesting video on Youtube.

Among other things the Canadian teacher Margot McKinnon explains how she helps students, who are more spiritual than mental set in their inner core, find a purpose in this earthly life.

Our society is depended on citizens going about their lives in a functional, hands-on way, but not all of us fit in that mold.

My whole life I've felt like an outsider. I spent my childhood till I was a young adult, being angry and frustrated, since I felt no one understood me and my needs.

I went on to work with practical jobs and I was very efficient and good at it, but it eventually led me in to a deep depression. 

Maybe you recognize yourself partly in my story or maybe you have someone close to you struggling. Maybe it's even your own child who has a hard time adapting to this harsh reality.  

There is a place for everyone in this world. We just have to give everyone a chance to find themselves and find a way to fit in. 

Watch the video here.

Deodorant

I make my own deodorant since I don't believe it's good for my health to daily apply unnatural deodorants under my arms.

Baking soda is amazingly divers and can be used for many purposes, which I will get back to in future posts.

How to make it:

1. Pour baking soda in to a jar.

2. Simmer down plants, herbs or spices like litchi skin, citrus peel, turmeric/black pepper or ginger. Be creative, but make sure it's organic or washed thoroughly in baking soda and water. 

3. Add enough simmered liquid to the baking soda to make it easy to apply.

Dr. Sten Ekberg

In the spring of 2020 my mother told me that my father had insulin resistance. I had never heard that term for the Diabetes 2 diagnosis he'd received 20 years earlier.

I started investigating about insulin resistance and the first source I came across was Dr. Sten Ekberg, a fellow Swede living and working in USA.

This is the description of his Youtube channel:

"Health Channel that focuses on all aspects of Natural Health & Wellness featuring Olympic decathlete & holistic doctor, Dr. Sten Ekberg with Wellness For Life. You'll learn to master holistic health, stay healthy naturally, live longer and have quality of life by learning how the body really works. Dr. Ekberg covers health tips like healthy foods to eat, nutrition, weight loss, healthy keto diet, low carb foods, intermittent fasting, holistic health tips, lower blood pressure, reverse insulin resistance, reduce stress, how to exercise, thyroid issues, brain health, stretches & more"

My passion for health was awaken and Dr. Ekberg has taught me so much over the years.

Click here to visit his website and here to see his Youtube channel.

Save a Snail

Most of us feel good when we do good things. I guess most of us would like to stop all wars and end inequality, but why not start moving our focus from the larger things, that only make us feel inadequate, to what is in our vicinity.  

The other day I almost stumbled over a snail that was crossing the street. Everyone knows the speed of a snail and I knew it would be run over before it reached the other side.

So without much effort I gently picked it up and put it on the grass on the other side. For me it wasn't a big thing, but for the snail it was literally a matter of life and death.

Take the time and look around you. Maybe you also can save a snail.

Make Your Bed!

Make your bed! or Bädda!, in Swedish, must be the most common phrase said by moms to their kids every morning in Swedish households.

If you don't make your bed as soon as you get up you are considered lazy and sloppy in our society and from a health perspective it's not the right thing to do when it comes to asthma and allergies.

We've all heard about, but don't want to think about, house dust mites and they love the warm, damp conditions we create with our warm body.

Researcher Dr Stephen Pretlove said: 

"We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body. Something as simple as leaving a bed unmade during the day can remove moisture from the sheets and mattress so the mites will dehydrate and eventually die."

So let your beddings air out before you make it. 

Read about the Kingston University study here.

My Morning Drink

Every morning I drink a special drink with a base of water, fresh lime, a teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt and isabgol, psyllium husk.

Then I add whatever I have available, like spirulina, milk thistle, triphala, ashwagandha and brahmi powder and a few drops of black seed and flax seed oil.

Triphala is the ancient queen blend in Ayurvedic medicine. Read more about it here.

Or watch a quick summery about triphala here.

Black Salt

Black salt or kalo nun/kala namak is not a black salt per se, but salts, minerals and herbs gone through a complicated, heated process to make this ancient form of healthy salt.

In ayurvedic traditions it's said to aid in digestion, acidity and weight loss. It has antioxidant effects and promotes hair growth.

The black salt has a very distinct taste and it took me more than 12 years living in Asia, before I started to appreciate having a pinch of it in my fresh lemon soda.  

Read more about black salt here. 

Watch a video on how they make it here. The narration is in Hindi, but the video footage shows how it's made in an understandable, fascinating way.

Chocolate

Chocolate is really yummy and something most people just need to have in their lives. I've actually worked with a woman who didn't like chocolate, but she is a rare exception.

Chocolate comes in a million varieties and we all have our favorite. But, just picking a chocolate bar from the store shelf isn't the best alternative for your health.

Cacao/Cocoa itself is packed with health benefits like reducing inflammation, aiding in brain and vascular health etc. The problem is what they add to make the chocolate bar that finally ends up in our stomach.

Do some research and find the chocolate that suits you best, both regarding health and taste. Because chocolate is something you should enjoy! In moderation, that is...

Get some real cacao powder and add it to your drinks and desserts.

The dark chocolate market in Nepal is tiny, but I found this on a trip to India. There are some added sugar and emulsifiers, but I only have to eat less than a square per day and my chocolate desire is met, so it's totally acceptable,

Read more about cocoa powder and its health benefits here.  

Click here to see the guys at ZOE get nerdy about dark chocolate, 

Friends

Be a good friend. A good friend should be there in both good and bad times. The same goes for your friends.

It should be an equal exchange from both parties and if the friendship is out of balance you have to rethink the relationship.

Maybe you have grown in separate ways and keep in touch out of habit. Reevaluate your close friendships once in a while. When the friendship doesn’t give you what you need anymore, it’s time to cut ties and find other friends.  

Yesterday I met with my friend Jenny.

Visit her new restaurant and bar, Lazy monk bar, in Kathmandu and support this whirlwind of a business woman.

Lions Clubs

Yesterday I met with Karishma, the president of the Lions Club, Budhanilkantha and I have decided to join.

I've come to the point in life where I have a flexible work and have the opportunity to do some occasional volunteer work, so instead of wasting my life on nonsense I will visit orphanages and hand out food.

I will be of service to others in a moderate way, that will not compromise my health, but will add to my and others wellbeing. Balance, is the keyword here.

If you are interested in checking out Lions Clubs, click here.

Alopecia

In Sweden I worked as an Ombudman for the workers' union. My days were overwhelmed by angry and sad people and in 2003 I started loosing my hair.

I was depressed, had stomach and headaches every day. I didn't sleep and had a constant nagging feeling of inner stress in my stomach.

It started with bald patches and in 2005 all my hair, including the facial and body hair was gone. The name of this autoimmune disease is Alopecia Universalis.

In Sweden people don't ask questions, so I guess they think I have cancer, but here, in Nepal, they ask why I don't have any hair and I prefer explaining to people instead of being analyzed behind my back.

Here they think I'm either a Buddhist nun or that I belong to the Hare Krishna movement. I even get the hilarious comment "Nice hairstyle!" thrown at me with a smile.

This photo was taken when I was 27 and at the beginning of my career as an Ombudsman.

Loosing my lion mane was of course traumatic, but when I got used to it I blessed it, since it forced me to surrender and change my life completely. I quit my job and eventually moved to Nepal

I wouldn't be here, doing what I do, if I hadn't lost my hair and that's how I tackle all difficult situations nowadays. 

Everything happens for a reason and most of the time it's impossible to see the long term reason when you are in the middle of the situation, but be patient and let it run its course. 

Click here to learn more about Alopecia.

Curiosity

I've always been curious and since internet entered the scene, my curiosity has amplified. 

Being curious, learning new things every day, will keep your brain in shape.

I dive deep in to human stories, philosophy, history, architecture, space, science, mysteries, religions, culture, geography and, of course, health.

Tips of some Youtube channels I follow:

JeffMara Podcast

Peter Osborne

BeerBiceps

The Diary Of A CEO

The Why Files

ZOE

Danica Patrick

Dr. Sten Ekberg

Cosmic Agency

Jesse Chappus

 

Wrinkles

A few weeks ago I started noticing lots of wrinkles in my face and since I don't believe my body suddenly decided to switch on some "old lady" genes, I started to investigate.

Since I'm feeling great both mentally and physically, I don't stress, I sleep well, I exercise and eat healthy, it had to be a deficiency.

I love smiling and I really don't want to scare off people I meet. I want my face to correspond with the rest of my body and Vitamin K2 seems to be the answer.

Even though I don't like the wrinkles, what they suggest is going on in my body is more concerning. It seems as I have problems with bone loss, porous bones. Vitamin K2 is the traffic controller, regulating Calcium deposits and something most doctors neglect to address when prescribing Calcium. 

I've started to supplement with Vitamin K2 in combination with D3. I'm eating my homemade sauerkraut, organic free-range eggs and today I'm going to buy hard cheese and include that in my diet.

Healthline has an excellent article about Vitamin K2. Click here to read it. 

Watch Dr Mandell here when he talks about the role Vitamin K2 plays regarding wrinkles.

I'll keep you updated!