The LILI Letter — October 2025

October,

Autumn is in full swing, and Mother Nature is rocking her new colors! Such a vibrant month with the leaves turning. I cannot think of another month I like more than possibly April or May. It is cooler, the air is crisp, we can pull out the sweaters and jeans again, and turn off the AC. A good time to change it up with exercise routines and meal ideas. We observe Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day and Halloween. Boo!

In good health,

Jennifer James

Success story

Something we do in the support group is to recognize when someone loses weight or gets 100% on their goals. They get to choose a small sticker in the shape of a star or happy face. This is a very small thing, but when someone succeeds, they want that star! There is a reason we have graduation ceremonies and retirement parties. Our accomplishments need to be celebrated.

It is important to acknowledge when we do succeed, and reward ourselves in some way. Striving towards a goal can be tedious at times, and a lot of hard work. I recently visited Yosemite National Park. It was a bucket list-item, and well worth the trip. The driving was challenging with all the curvy roads, some rain and hail (and the other drivers, of course). I felt like I needed some kind of an award for all the driving I did! So, I went online to the Yosemite Conservancy site, and bought something for myself. We don’t necessarily need to buy something, it could just be, “hey, you did a great job, good for you, you are amazing!”, or whatever we want to say to ourselves. We should celebrate all that hard work.

If we don’t celebrate ourselves, who will? Maybe a very attentive spouse or friend would notice. For the littler things, like losing a few pounds, or driving hours across Nevada, it is up to us. It makes life sweeter, we feel happier and more confident, and our efforts were worthwhile (and noticed). Did we complete a difficult task lately? Celebrate it!

Do you really know...honey?

Bees have been around for millions of years. Human references to honey date back to ~7000 BCE from cave paintings in Spain.  Ancient Egyptians first developed beekeeping. Along with the Greeks and Romans, they used honey for cooking, gifts to the gods, medicine and embalming fluid. Archeologists found a jar of honey in an Egyptian tomb that was 3,000 years old…and still edible! Honey contains fructose, glucose and 200 other compounds that vary based on the plant source. It inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi and viruses, and can treat wounds and GI disorders. Try the recipe below.

My aching...!

Pain. If you are a human, or other creature on this planet, you are acquainted with pain. Physical and emotional pain can stop us in our tracks. If we go on a challenging hike, our knees and feet will surely be sore. Stub our toe, ouch! Burning our fingers on a hot pan is very painful. Giving birth is painful. Any intense pain, such as sudden chest pain, abdominal pain or a severe headache, warrant a trip to the ER. These are examples of temporary pain.

The pain I am waxing on about today is chronic physical pain. Chronic pain can be especially debilitating. Many don’t want to rely on opioids or other forms of pain killers too much, so they endure their suffering. Interestingly, when one weans themselves off some of the pain medication, they become very aware of how much everything hurts. This makes it especially difficult to stop taking them. Depression and anxiety often accompany chronic pain, understandably. It can definitely ruin one’s quality of life, and other family members’ as well.

What are some things one can do to lessen pain? Let’s start with diet. Inflammation can cause or exacerbate pain. The diet that lowers inflammation is based on whole foods, mostly plant-based, that we prepare ourselves. Generous amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains and limiting added sugars, saturated fat, hydrogenated oils and alcohol will help. My hands always ache around the holidays, likely from eating Christmas cookies and rich food, that I typically limit. Knocking off the added sugars always helps. With Halloween on the horizon, this can be a huge culprit behind pain. Drinking adequate fluids is also very important. We are at least 50% water, depending on our body fat. Fluid lubricates the joints, for one, lessening pain and muscle soreness.

Emotional distress worsens pain. A former coworker of mine always noticed her arthritis was worse any time she felt very stressed. Managing our stressors and incorporating a mindfulness practice, or regularly doing activities or hobbies we enjoy, spending time with loved ones, and leaving time to relax and unwind, can be helpful too. I have noticed that meditating when one is in pain does not remove the pain, it lessens the intensity of it. On a more esoteric level, resolving repressed anger and forgiving those who have hurt us help lower the fight/flight response and levels of stress hormones, which are inflammatory and contribute to pain. I listened to a podcast of a man who suffered from chronic pain. When he finally forgave his father for all the abuse he suffered as a child, his back pain disappeared. If we are holding onto negative emotions, let’s find a way to process and release them. It could be life-changing.

Obesity adds more wear and tear to our joints. A podiatrist told me once that the majority of foot pain he saw was due to obesity. Losing just 10 pounds will make life easier for all our parts, particularly our feet, ankles, knees and back. Our bodies were not designed to carry so much extra weight. It is like overloading a car which stresses the suspension, tires, seats, and so on.

Even if we have chronic pain, sitting on the couch all day does not help. Exercise in one form or another is beneficial, even if the only thing one can do is go for a short walk or ride a stationary bike for a few minutes. Research is finding all kinds of benefits when cancer patients include mild exercise regularly. Physical therapy and occupational therapy can be helpful. Pay attention to posture and stand up straight! This may lessen pain. Yoga, which fosters flexibility, balance and strength, can help. Activity moves things in and out of our cells better, keeping our bodies in better working order.

Alternative therapies, such as massage, acupuncture, biofeedback, and hypnosis are worth a shot if nothing else seems to work. Medical devices and procedures, such as steroid injections, can help. Lastly, opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants and others, can be effective. Pain clinics and pain specialists are trained in this, and are worth investigating.

If you or a loved one suffer from chronic pain, look over the above treatments and recommendations to see if there are any stones left unturned. I wish you well.

Vegetable reboot

My cousin was not fond of peas. Like most families in our generation, we were told to eat all of the food on our plates. When her mother (my aunt) took the cleaned plate off the table, she noticed a ring of peas under the plate. Genius! Which brings me to the topic for this section: eating vegetables.

I encounter countless patients who are not “vegetable eaters”. They are very adamant about this, and are ready to do battle with me if I try to change this. On further questioning, they were often raised with a limited variety of vegetables, such as peas, corn and canned green beans, which is all the vegetables they eat. Their parents may have cooked the vegetables to mush. Others were forced to eat vegetables to the point of gagging and nausea. No wonder they avoid vegetables! I even had one pediatric patient whose father would threaten that a monster would come to the house if he didn’t eat his vegetables. That truly fosters a lifetime love of vegetables! Some of their experiences border on trauma, since they have strong emotional responses to the thought of eating vegetables.

When they realize I am not judging them, they relax a little and mention that they do eat salads and baby carrots “now and then”. Many vegetables they have never tried, such as fresh beets or roasted cauliflower. Children have very sensitive palates, so foods may taste more acidic or bitter than they do to adults. We carry these aversions with us into adulthood.

It took me a long time to enjoy a tomato out of our Utah gardens. It was a texture thing. I also did not like lima beans. As an adult, I actually enjoy all vegetables. I avoided avocados for the longest time, but decided to make friends with them. I have eaten them a few times, and have actually lived to write about it.

If you have children, work with them to develop a love of vegetables. What helps children eat more vegetables?

• Parents need to be good role models and eat their vegetables!
• Grow a garden, and give a child some seeds to tend and grow.
• Offer vegetables multiple times. It may take up to 20 times for a child to be comfortable eating them.
• Include vegetables in mixed dishes such as soups, casseroles, sandwiches and burritos.
• Make a smoothie and throw in some spinach leaves.

If you are an adult who dislikes vegetables, I encourage you to be curious about why this is. We are not our child selves anymore, and using our adult brain, we know that eating vegetables can be a very good thing for our health. Try one new vegetable a week. Eat it raw or cooked. Invest in a basic cookbook. Only cook vegetables until “fork tender”, meaning a fork barely goes through the vegetable. Asian restaurants know how to cook vegetables, so order some vegetable dishes and take note of what and how they are prepared. Neglecting an entire food group based on decisions we made as a 6-year old is not in our best interest.

Watch your diet

We eat a diet of food to fuel our bodies. We consume another type of “diet” based on the books we read, television and movies we watch, news feeds and social media platforms we visit. We also feed ourselves with the attitudes we adopt, our internal narrative about ourselves and the world, our choice of friends, and our interpretation of events. A steady diet of negativity, “us versus them”, “doom scrolling”, outrage after outrage, and the “crisis du jour” all take a toll on our mental and emotional health.

The best way to gauge if the things we choose are good for us is this: How does it make us feel? Energized? Sad? Angry? Hopeless? Happy? Keep in mind all of these sources of information on the internet are after more traffic or clicks. Unfortunately, humans are drawn to the sensational and morbid stories, the more horrific or outrageous the better. “If it bleeds, it leads”. Things are slanted. I think we all know this. Depending on our internet clicks, we are fed information based on a specific algorithm. Purposefully read different and opposing sites and see what happens. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle.

The following is my personal opinion. Our human minds weren’t meant to be exposed to all the tragedies on the planet. We evolved in small groups of clans and villages. We possibly lived in a city. We would hear about the local news, and news from other places would reach us after the fact. We were exposed to just that news. With globalization and the internet, we are exposed to everything, everywhere. It is a bit much for our little brains and hearts to process.

I think it is good to be informed, but not to the point of it affecting our mental health. Most of the time there is not a darn thing we can do about most events anyway. Look at our own lives. Are things ok there? In our immediate circle of family, friends and community? Think of all the people who weren’t murdered, all the houses that weren’t destroyed in a fire, and all the car accidents that didn’t happen. See? Good things don’t draw the same amount of readership as the calamities. Life is not all bad, all the time. There are so many good things, always, but we lose sight of those.

As for what we choose to read, watch and listen to, and the people we associate with, that is on us. If we make ourselves anxious, scared and angry on a regular basis, it might be time to change our “diet”.

Honey tarragon vinaigrette

Jason Hales, our Executive Chef here at ORMC, shared this recipe with me. He often substitutes honey for sugar in dressings and marinades. This recipe uses ingredients most of us have on hand.

It is delicious. Thank you, Jason!

3 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. dried tarragon

Pinch of salt

6 Tbsp. olive oil

1. Whisk all ingredients but the oil in a small bowl.
2. Mix in the oil until thoroughly combined.
3. Serve immediately.

Calories per 1/2 tablespoon: 39

October support groups

Mondays, 2-3 pm

Heart Center Conference Room, Suite #200

ORMC Medical Plaza

Free to graduates of ORMC weight loss classes

What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

— Hugh Mulligan