Heart Attacks & Women

February is all about “the heart”! We have Valentines Day and Heart month with the Heart & Stroke Foundation, not to mention our ‘far out & fab fan contest’ for February!

As some of you know, I had a heart “attack” in September. My heart attack occurred after receiving a serious health diagnosis for my husband and after meditating on opening the heart and “walking right into the sharp point of the pain”. There could be numerous discussions about the timing of all of this, however, today, I want to tell you more about the type of heart attack I had, as many women I talk to have never heard about this kind.

A “heart attack” or myocardial infarction (MI) by definition, occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart muscle is cut off because of an “occlusion or obstruction”. Most of us know about coronary artery disease and about “fatty plaques” that can block or occlude blood vessels in the heart and lead to a heart attack. This is the only type of a heart attack I knew about, even after being in “health care” for over 20 years in a “previous life”.

The type of heart attack I had; occurs predominantly in women, is likely under-reported, is not very common (thankfully) and seems to be associated with hormone levels. I want to tell you about it so you will have personal awareness and be attentive to your body, even if you are healthy and do not have heart disease! I had what is called a “spontaneous coronary artery dissection” (SCAD) and what happens is that a few layers of the artery wall pull away or self dissect, creating a “flap” which then pulls away from the artery wall and stops the blood flow. Upon investigation, my arteries were completely clear of “plaques” and I do not have “heart disease” in the way most people think of it. The symptoms of both types of heart attack are the same though.

Here are the symptoms I experienced; for about 2 days prior, I felt a tightness in my chest, which felt like I was developing bronchitis; I felt abit light headed, during the “heart attack”, I felt like a 50- 200 lb dog was sitting on my chest and I had difficulty breathing, this sensation would ease for a while and then it would resume. I had the “heavy dog sitting on my chest” sensation, three times or so and it lasted about 20 minutes each time. I had very little pain! My reference for physical pain is childbirth and relatively speaking, I had virtually no pain, just a slight discomfort in the right (not left) side of my neck, shoulder and arm. I felt pretty calm and relaxed until I googled “symptoms of a heart attack for women” and found I had about 8 out of 10. At this point, I decided I should go to the hospital, still thinking I was being very silly and melodramatic. Very sensibly, I did not drive myself to emerg, I had my daughter drive me. When I arrived in emerg and told them I was having chest tightness & heaviness and difficulty breathing, I was whisked right in. My blood pressure was “sky high”.

My story has a very happy ending; I am healthy, happy and alive. I did not need a stent or bypass. I received incredible medical care and attention. In my recuperation, I was exhausted for about a month and then my energy started to return, although I could resume my walking program almost right away (with my Dr’s OK). I had “critical illness” insurance, so could relax and not worry about finances. I have since talked to another woman who had a very similar experience and apparently there is a North American research study going on about SCAD, let me know if you want more info.

Here is my big “surprise”; I really didn’t experience significant pain, it was more discomfort, heaviness and chest tightness!

Here is my learning: trust my body’s wisdom, listen to the messages of my heart, do not minimize intuitive concerns, know what a “healthy body” and organs feel like, understand the mind/body connection (I was feeling pretty stressed about my husband), know the symptoms of a heart attack, understand that a heart attack doesn’t always contain a lot of “pain” as I was used to thinking of pain, ask for help and don’t drive if I think I am having another heart attack! This experience also re-validated the importance of self-care, a healthy lifestyle, loving relationships and the importance of living each moment fully present and in the now.

Please share this information with your women friends!

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

Vintage & New Chenille Baby Jackets – How It All Began!

These are the jackets and this is the entrepreneur, who inspired me to create “Hippy Grandma”! For me, the 60’s are represented by my peach chenille bedspread and what a green & groovy way to pass on a legacy by gifting a hippy baby with a chenille jacket?

Joyce says…

“I began my business in 1978 in order to be able to stay at home and raise my daughter. I began making baby and children’s hair accessories and continued along that path for 25 years. This led to sewing Heirloom Baby Bonnets which also opened the door to Kozy Koats. I have always enjoyed creating beautiful treasures for babies and children. I enjoy searching for unique fabrics and especially searching for vintage material to give them new purpose. I love babies, can you tell”?

Joyce is an amazing seamstress. She creates her baby clothes from a home based studio and imbues her products with spirit grandma love.

peace, namaste & hippy love for generations,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

Children: The Heart of the Matter Conference, Feb 5-6th, Surrey, BC

Hosted by a variety of agencies, this conference is an excellent opportunity to network, learn, share and connect and we wanted to let you know about it!

From the conference brochure…

“Children the Heart of the Matter Conference”

Join us for our 13th Annual Early Learning Conference on February 5-6, 2010.
More info? Click here

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

ROAM the wilderness – in an electric bus

Canada’s National Parks exist to protect and present outstanding representative examples of natural landscapes and natural phenomena that occur in Canada’s 39 natural regions. Of the over 40 National Parks in Canada, possibly the most well-known is Banff National Park in Alberta.

In the summer of 2008 the municipality of Banff became the first in Canada to introduce an all-hybrid electric transit fleet. Not only are the busses in Banff environmentally friendly, they’re cute too!

James Marriott, a Canmore, AB based wildlife photographer, provided four images to decorate the ROAM busses; grizzlies, elk, goats and wolves, each representing a season of the year in the park.

“We live in a national park and Unesco World Heritage Site, so it is really important to us to always consider the environmental impacts of our decisions,” says Banff Town Councillor Stavros Karlos. “With these new hybrids, we’ll reduce emissions and lower our fuel and lifecycle costs. And the buses look amazing. I think people are going to want to leave their cars where they are, and Roam instead.”

The next time you’re lucky enough to be in Banff, hop on a bus to get around town and know that you’re contributing to preserving such a special place. And check out James Marriott’s photography anytime online – www.wildernessprints.com. A photograph of his was on the cover of Canadian Geographic in December 2009. (You can also read the heartbreaking story about the wolf who is on the cover, and featured on one of Banff’s busses, on the storybook on James’ web site.)

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

A new year – a new healthy resource

So…how are those new year’s resolutions holding up? This is not a time to judge yourself, but maybe to ask: what other support do you need to achieve your goals, or dreams, or visions this year?

Here’s a quick suggestion from the category of eating in a more healthy and even more local way (see our previous post on the 100-Mile Diet). We can recommend an amazing cookbook that we just found. The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, a personal chef and a nutritionist from Washington State. We made the Fragrant Lentil Soup and the Winter Quinoa Salad over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays and they were both fantastic. Flavourful, nutritious and, best of all, they didn’t take an unreasonable amount of time to prepare.

We really appreciate this cookbook because it begins with several chapters explaining why eating more whole foods matters to both our bodies and the planet, and also has a ton of information for people with various allergies (wheat, gluten etc.). The authors have had tremendous success with some of their clients who had previously undiagnosed food allergies, whose lives have been transformed simply by changing their diets.

The book was recommended to us by a naturopath and it’s easy to see why. This naturopath’s favorite quote is “Let food be your medicine and medicine your food”: Hippocrates.

You can find the book and order it online at wholelifenutrition.net.

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

The 100-Mile Diet

You may have heard of the 100-Mile Diet, made famous a couple of years ago by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon in their book of the same name. From their web site: Locally raised and produced food has been called “the new organic” — better tasting, better for the environment, better for local economies, and better for your health. From reviving the family farm to reconnecting with the seasons, the local foods movement is turning good eating into a revolution.

It has been a couple of years since James and Alisa’s book was released and we wondered what they’d been up to lately. A lot, it turns out!

First, in the town of Mission, BC 100 people took up the challenge of eating locally for 100 days. By all accounts the experience was rewarding and enlightening, providing a few surprises that James and Alisa hadn’t encountered when they spent a year on their 100-Mile Diet.

Second, they’ve got news about a ground-breaking (pun intended) urban farm that will be created in Richmond, BC. More details about that on their blog as well.

From getting individuals to think about the impact our food choices make to influencing larger grocery store chains to stock locally-produced food, the experiment of two people and a question about what was possible has created a lot of unexpected change in the past couple of years. Congratulations James and Alisa!

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

A Morning in “Hippy Heaven”, Yelapa, Mexico

Christmas Morning 2009 in Hippy Heaven, Yelapa, Mexico

Hotel Lagunita, Yelapa

By Zoey Ryan

The gentle waves muffle the Mexican “rancho polka music” which has started again after a brief respite. The music plays all night on Christmas Eve and for me is a strange blend of irritating and slightly hypnotizing. Earplugs simply take the edge off. Earplugs plus pillows, with my head sandwiched, seem the most effective method of muffling, which I successfully utilized at 4:17 am.

I sip my coffee, wishing it were organic Chiapas blend but enjoying what we brought from home. The roosters interject an occasional crow, although their additions are less frequent since sunrise.

I hear a water taxi leaving, a dog barking. The tiny hummingbird hovers at the brilliant red flower spindle. I hear the slap slap of flip flops on the stone stairs. I would have said ‘thongs’ a few years back but my daughters have trained me otherwise.

The temperature rises and a black and yellow striped butterfly glides in front of the tiled patio. The musky wet smell of the jungle intermingles with wood smoke, sea water smells, manure, diesel, fragrant flowers and a waft of laundry detergent. The air is wet and each breath seems to bath individual bronchioli.

I saw a furry little mouse this morning, hiding behind the dish soap (bright orange “Salvo- mi Salva Detergente Liquido Concentrado para Platos”). I startled it and so fast I wasn’t sure I had actually seen it, the tiny thing squeezed under the brown and gold Osterizer blender we use to make fresh fruit smoothies (our favorite is a papaya, banana, coconut, yogurt blend). Or, maybe, what I saw was a gecko.

The mama grey whale and her calf are quiet this morning. Perhaps they too are exhausted after the marathon night of music.

The ‘gang of teenagers’, my phrase to describe the flock of wild canaries who swoop and chatter in the morning, following the sun along the trees, scream by. They are quite unruly.

I notice a new flower has opened, yellow with saffron orange streaks and a fragrance that is mildly spicy. A lime plops to the ground. A velvety brown bird comes for a visit, perching on the iron railing at eye level. I hear chacalacas in the distance. Their sound is identical to their name. I am waiting for the pair of military macaws to cross high overhead in their daily fly by. It is said that there is a tree up river where many macaws roost and if you get there by 5 am you can see them. I’m not up that early here.

My mosquito bite itches, even with a thick pink coating of calamine lotion, glop, glop. The smell of the lotion transports me to my childhood on the Prairies and hot, lazy summer days playing in the fields and flushing out gopher holes. I wonder if I will get Dengue fever and am mildly concerned. Would it be gopher karma?

The church bells rang early this morning, calling the community to mass. I counted 16 bells, with a pause and then another bell. I may have miscounted.

The ants are busy this morning, scavenging the crumbs from the banana bread we ate out on the patio yesterday. A bright orange butterfly floats by and another magical Yelapa Christmas Day begins.

Our family in Yelapa (minus one)!

I hope you enjoyed my “Yelapa day” as much as we enjoyed our holiday. I’m back now, excited about 2010 and doing some great values based business planning.

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy & ceo at hippy grandma

Are you a heart centered and soul filled shopper? Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters.
www.hippygrandma.com

The Complete 13 Days of Green & Groovy Christmas Shopping 2009: Hippy Love For Generations – Gifts From the Heart!

The 13 Days of Green & Groovy Holiday Shopping: Hippy Love For Generations – Gifts From the Heart from our Hippy Grandma Eco-Boutique!

1. On the first day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Holiday, hippy grandma said to me:
*The Mystic Masala Botanical Oils, using Ayurvedic Aromatherapy makes a wonderful gift for a tired gram or mommy!
Learn more

2. On the second day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Holiday, hippy grandma reminded me:

* A natural cotton hippy grandma BYOB shopping bag needs to be next on your list to bring home all the organic and natural holiday yummies! Learn more

3. On the third day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* Surprise some little ones with the “Bobs & Lolo” DVD. Add in 2 CD’s for the car and make it a groovy gift of three!
Learn more

4. On the fourth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* The “Hippy Love Welcome to the World” Bundle, makes an adorable gift for a new addition to the family and her mommy!
Learn more

5. On the fifth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*Five sets of in-laws, mom & dad, hippy sister & baby! Bamboo towels from Shoo-Foo bundled into “spa combos” are wonderful gifts for the extended family! Learn more

6. On the sixth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*Ayurvedic aromatherapy assorted dosha tea lights from the Mystic Masala would make luscious and fragrant hostess gifts don’t you see? Learn more

7. On the seventh day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*handknit by a real hippy grandma, these bamboo hippy baby socks will keep baby’s toes warm, cozy and happy!
Learn more

8. On the eighth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:


*The “oh so soft and cuddly” bamboo baby blanket from shoo foo makes a wonderful gift for a little baby!
Learn more

9. Day 9

On the ninth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

*Do you have travelers on your gift list?  The delicious “spice bliss” ayurvedic aromatherapy travel candle from the Mystic Masala will add exotic fragrances to the travel adventure for your gypsy hippy. ”
Learn more

10. Day 10

*On the tenth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma absolutely fell in love with the amazing homecrafted vintage chenille baby jackets and sent these exquisite heirloom gifts to all the little darlings in her life and guess what, you can too! Groovy!
Learn more

11. On the eleventh day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* The “Mama Spice Love Bundle” with the Mystic Masala natural source massage oil and soap from a women’s fair trade co-op in Nepal and ayurvedic aromatherapy soy tea light candles would be a lovely gift for a hippy mama who wants to feel pampered and lively!

12. On the twelfth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* For an amazing personalized gift for your grandbaby or special angel, commission a piece of original, an angel heart art doll by cdgood and leave a legacy! Learn more

13. On the thirteenth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma reminded me:

* Wise women of all ages love a lunar based calendar and the 13 Moon Natural Time Calendar makes a groovy gift for any type of hippy!

This calendar is lunar based and like the farmer’s almanac incorporates celestial, biological, agricultural, mythological and chronological processes. Women, who are naturally cyclical beings tend to love re-calibrating to natural time. The new year in the 13 moon calendar starts at the end of July. Learn more

Enjoy your heart centered and soul filled shopping! Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters. www.hippygrandma.com

peace & namaste,

Zoey – CEO & founding hippy at hippy grandma

Zoey Ryan
life, business & leadership coach for women
inspiration * clarity * wisdom * enchantment
www.shaktisage.com
604-323-3700

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

Our prices are in Canadian dollars. We ship internationally. For orders placed after Dec 2nd, to ensure a before Christmas arrival, expedited shipping will be used. For your on-line security, we use 2checkout a secure e-commerce system. 2CheckOut.com Inc.(Ohio, USA) is an authorized retailer for goods and services provided by Hippy Grandma.

13 Days of Green & Groovy Holiday Shopping 09 – Day 13

The 13 Days of Green & Groovy Christmas Shopping From Hippy Grandma: A Fair Trade Earth Friendly Eco-Boutique. Hippy Love for generations- gifts from the heart!

Day 13

On the thirteenth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma reminded me:

* Wise women of all ages love a lunar based calendar, it taps into ancient wisdom and cycles and The 13 Moon Calendar makes a groovy gift for any type of hippy!

This calendar is lunar based and like the farmer’s almanac incorporates celestial, biological, agricultural, mythological and chronological processes. Women, who are naturally cyclical beings tend to love re-calibrating to natural time. The new year in the 13 moon calendar starts at the end of July. Regular price: $20

Blow out price for final 6 months (7 moons) : $10

Learn more

Enjoy your heart centered and soul filled shopping! Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters. www.hippygrandma.com

peace & namaste,

Zoey – CEO & founding hippy at hippy grandma

Zoey Ryan
life, business & leadership coach for women
inspiration * clarity * wisdom * enchantment
www.shaktisage.com
604-323-3700

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

Prices are in Canadian dollars. We ship internationally, order before Dec 4th to ensure a “before Christmas” arrival. For your on-line security, we use 2checkout a secure e-commerce system. 2CheckOut.com Inc.(Ohio, USA) is an authorized retailer for goods and services provided by Hippy Grandma.

13 Days of Green & Groovy Holiday Shopping 09 – Day 12

The 13 Days of Green & Groovy Holiday Shopping at our Hippy Grandma Eco-Boutique. Peace & Hippy Love for Generations!

On the Twelfth day of on-line shopping for a green & groovy Christmas, hippy grandma said to me:

* For an amazing personalized gift for your grandbaby or special angel, commission a piece of original art, an angel heart art doll by cdgood and leave a legacy!

Carolyn Dawn starts with a rose quartz rock for the heart. And then builds the Angel from there with pure intentions and respect, from natural objects, antique lace and embroidery, buttons, dove feathers. Beeswax then saturates the figure. Each knot, each stitch is a blessing of Purest Intent.

Each individual 8- 10″ angel come with a packet of sage and wrapped in cedar boughs. A numerology reading of the name and astrology readings are included as well as a short blessing of angel cards indicating what divine gifts are being brought to the child. These unique angel heart art dolls will last forever and be a family heirloom.

Learn More

Enjoy your heart centered and soul filled shopping! Through your purchases, you help local artisans, hand-crafting grandmas on a pension, women’s fair trade co-ops and programs designed to support vulnerable mamas & babies. Please share Hippy Grandma widely and wildly with your soul brothers & sisters. www.hippygrandma.com

peace & namaste,

Zoey – founding hippy at hippy grandma

Zoey Ryan
life, business & leadership coach for women
inspiration * clarity * wisdom * enchantment
www.shaktisage.com
604-323-3700

“Coaching for your heart & soul and the heart & soul of your business”

Prices are in Canadian dollars. We ship internationally, order before Dec 4th to ensure a “before Christmas” arrival. For your on-line security, we use 2checkout a secure e-commerce system. 2CheckOut.com Inc.(Ohio, USA) is an authorized retailer for goods and services provided by Hippy Grandma.