Freeze Frame: Remembrance

Photo by Nic Jackson
(Little Visuals / Hand on Heart)

During the holiday break, I was looking for New Years Eve images for social media posts. A search for copyright free images led me to the work of a young twentysomething named Nic Jackson, who released a loosely topical mix of interesting images each week. His work was clean, spare, striking...and as I wondered for the 100th time if my love of minimalism is embedded in my Nordic DNA, I wondered if some of his landscapes had been taken in Norway or Denmark, and so I followed a link to his full site and found this shocker:

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Announcement

Those of you who look at Little Visuals and any new visitors will be aware there have been no further uploads for over a year now. Sadly the young man who created this site died suddenly in Nov 2013. His name is Nic he is 26 and we are his family. Nic is one of far too many young adults who’s death comes under the heading of S.A.D.S ( Sudden Adult Death Syndrome ). We are now fundraising in the hope to provide a number of schools or sports areas with portable defibrillators in Nic’s memory. With this in mind we would like to ask if any of you that view his site and download the images would consider a small donation towards the Hand on Heart Charity. We hope to update this site in the near future with previously unpublished photos. 

With thanks, Nic’s family

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Nic was bright, passionate and generous with his talent for photography....how could such a visionary young person be gone? I stared at the screen and the term S.A.D.S.  Sad memories flooded over me and tears welled as I remembered Jamie Hall, my beautiful friend who had also died of S.A.D.S in his sleep during his junior year of high school. Jamie seemed a man among boys back then...handsome, extraordinarily kind and very talented in sports. I've thought about him often over the years, and it is his example that I think of when teaching my son that it's so much cooler to be kind.  I lost touch with his family after moving away, but I was glad to see that his memory is still honored annually at our high school: 

The Jamie Hall Memorial Awards are presented to a junior boy and girl athlete at the (Governor Mifflin Senior High School) All-Sports Banquet. The awards are presented by Jamie’s parents in memory of their son. The awards are given to a junior boy and girl who have earned the highest number of varsity letters in their sophomore and junior years.

S.A.D.S is well named. Both of these young men were beloved by their families and had a zest for life. We are still bewildered by the mysterious killer S.A.D.S...as teens, it really wasn't a diagnosis that helped us to understand why our friend had been taken from us, and as the parent of a teen now, it is terrifying that it remains a possibility today. 

In answer to their loss, Nic's family has established a U.K.-based charity called Hand on Heart, which supplies portable defibrillators to schools and sports establishments in the event that they are needed to save another young person from S.A.D.S (donations welcome).  

Here in the U.S., there is a slightly different acronym for S.A.D.S, which can be found at https://www.sads.org/, a supportive site for families and friends who have lost loved ones, and for the many who have survived thanks to growing awareness and advocacy. 

As we ring in a new year, I'm realizing that while time moves on for all of us, it freezeframes the memories of our beautiful young friends and family who left us too soon. Thank you Nic and Jamie, for making a difference in our lives....and know that I am #grateful for your time among us, and for your gifts, which continue to give. 

I will be showing more of Nic's photography (and his story) in my Twitter, Instagram and Facebook throughout 2019. Whenever you recognize his work, I hope you will leave a 💗 & ✋ in tribute.

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WELLNESS

The Right Mix

 When Holistic Health Remedies Get the Cold Shoulder

 from Traditional Medical Practitioners

Has your M.D. ever made you feel like you're "cheating" on him or her when you reveal that you've taken herbal supplements? I never expected that to happen, but I found out just how narrow-minded my very traditional endocrinologist can be today at my annual Thyroid checkup and blood test. 

Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with Postpartum Thyroiditis, which set in after pregnancy. There is also a small cyst on my ever diminishing Thyroid, and I'm on about the highest dose of Levothyroxin Thyroid hormone medicine possible.  Despite healthy eating and exercise, I've never been able to return to my pre-pregnancy weight of 130 pounds, and I've struggled with chronic fatigue at times. Then, I met a terrific holistic dermatologist who listened to my whole story, and made a few simple suggestions that changed my life. 

What was the advice? She recommended that I take two Thyroid Support capsules by Gaia Herbs in the morning, and another at 2 pm, plus one dosage of Holy Basil at both times. I found the herbs at Whole Foods and on Amazon, and began to immediately feel more alert and energized without any shaky side effects. In fact, I didn't even feel the need for an afternoon coffee or tea boost, and began choosing an afternoon water instead. Over the next month, I noticed a sense of calmness, increased coping ability, and I seemed to be losing inches around my midriff, which seemed nothing short of a miracle.  Of course, the midriff is where our body stores "stress fat", so it follows that if we feel less stressed, then our "caveman brain" will begin to let go of the fat it is storing there to "protect" us from some perceived yet unrealistic threat.

Heading into my endocrinology appointment today, I was really excited that after 10 years I finally had something effective to share with my doctor at my annual visit!  I imagined that he would thank me, and begin to share this wonderful holistic approach with all of his thyroid patients.  Fat chance.

Instead, he listened, made notes, asked the dermatologist's name, and proceeded to tell me that he'll be checking my blood test very closely. In fact, he said, if my thyroid reading came back higher, he would be decreasing my dosage of Levothyroxin.  I know it's important to keep my T3 and T4 levels within a safe window, still, it felt like I was being punished for seeking "outside" help. 

On the upside, if the vitamin supplements will allow me to take less of a synthetic drug, that is something to celebrate! However, it'll cost me $30 a month more since the supplements are not covered by insurance (a topic for another day!)  Still, I'm really liking this more natural path, it just feels right. And, I'm not alone: according to the Nutrition Business Journal, sales of natural products are more than $117 billion annually.

One of the most interesting things that I discovered about Gaia Herbs is their transparent "meet your herbs" program, in which you enter the vitamin bottle's ID# to track the life of your herbs, to see the quality control tests it has passed, and to see who signed off on it. Here, I'll even allow you a peek at my very own "plant intelligence" report.

What is really smart about Gaia Herbs as a company is not only the care that they put into their products, but the time and effort they put into informing their customers and sharing their farming processes. For instance, after watching their gorgeous video (below), I feel even better about taking their herbs...and I have fewer reservations about paying a bit more for them.  It's not only smart marketing and good business, it is a positive service for people interested in practicing holistic health and wellness.

I encourage everyone to seek a balance of traditional and holistic medicines, because sometimes one or the other is simply not enough.  Keep an open mind -- it can be an incredible healer -- and have the courage to be your own best advocate in any health-related appointment.  

To learn more about natural products of all kinds, visit the Natural Products Association, founded in 1935, and look for their round green seal on approved natural products.

HOLISTIC HEALTH: Punky's Picks

We couldn't agree more with our fellow blogger over at Punky's Picks, who has "nailed it" with her short, sweet list of the key, basic holistic health products every household should keep in stock and use daily.  I've tried everything on the list and swear by them as well, especially the Sovereign Silver.  I'd also throw Airborne and Cold Calm by Boiron into the mix for the wintertime, specifically to fight the onset of colds and flu!

See Punky's full list HERE!