The mineral calcium is needed by every system of the body. It helps to keep bones and teeth strong, aids with relaxing the nerves and helps with proper nerve transmission.  Calcium also helps fight against cardiovascular disease.  It is needed for muscle contractions and preventing osteoporosis and also helps reduce PMS symptoms.

Foods high in calcium are: dark green leafy vegetables, asparagus, sesame seeds, yogurt, almonds, cheese, whey, dulse, figs, millet and brazil nuts.

Sesame seeds contain the highest amount of calcium, 1404 mg in one cup.

Herbs high in calcium: alfalfa, chamomile, nettles, oatstraw, kelp, yarrow, red raspberry, plantain, parsley, shepards purse, and dandelion.

It is best to get as much calcium from the diet as possible, but sometimes we need extra help with a supplement.

There are different kinds or sources of calcium to choose from, such as gluconate, phosphate, malate, carbonate, chelate ,and citrate. Citrate being the most popular and the easiest to digest. 

A good calcium supplement will derive calcium from more than one source, along with magnesium and VIT D.

Magnesium is needed when taking calcium, as it transports the calcium into the cells and is necessary for the calcium to function properly.  Milligrams of magnesium should be half of what the calcium is.
Vitamin D helps the blood to maintain sufficient levels of calcium.

Calcium is more effective taken in smaller doses throughout the day.

Calcium supplements are available in powder, liquid, soft gel, and tablet form.

The liquid and powder form is better absorbed, especially if the digestion is compromised. 

Often times taking calcium along with a probiotic about a half hour before bed, helps to calm the brain and the nervous system, helping one to sleep better.

Taking 2 Tbsp of crushed sesame seeds along with a probiotics has also been beneficial for sleeping.

Insufficient vit D, excessive amounts of phosphorus, (what is in soft drinks) or lack of magnesium will rob the body of calcium.

As I looked out the back window on a beautiful sunny day this past winter break, I told my kids that the groundhog must have been mistaken.  With another day of 40-plus-degree weather, I was sure that winter was nearly over.  Boy was I wrong!  BOOM!  We were hit with a nice weekend blizzard just to remind us what North Country winters are all about.  So here I was, once again, bundled up and shoveling.  When I came back in what did I find?  My two (less than motivated) kids plugged in and tuned out - completely oblivious to the world around them.  In fact, they were still in their pajamas and it was nearly 1pm.

I remember back in my day, when cartoons were only available before school and on Saturdays.  Saturday cartoons were a luxury to be enjoyed only after we did all our weekend chores.  I hated weekend chores.  I suppose that is why I never imposed that ritual on my own children.  But, having an all day pajama party completely glued to the television is not what I call a positive solution to a snowy day.

57k Race Team
Father  & Son Kevin Fetterly Sr. & Jr.

ATTENTION READER: Your Urgent Response is Requested!

I need to know if you want the Massena News to remain around in distribution. The lack of interest towards this newspaper from Massena businesses and civic leaders sends me a loud and clear message. That disparaging message notwithstanding, my dedication is to you the reader, not to anyone who doesn’t consider your attention worthy of captivating.

Read this Editorial first (if you already haven't), then return to read this article. Better that way...
Has someone who you haven’t thought of in a long time suddenly popped into your mind and then seconds later you get a phone call from that person? Has someone beside you ever started talking about the exact same thing you were already thinking?—and you were mesmerized because the subject was completely out of the blue, with nothing up to that point, external to your thoughts, that could possibly hint to it.

You probably can think of many similar examples exemplifying this phenomenal human connection. Perhaps you have noticed a connection being made myriad times in your life. Well, I think we’re all connected somehow. Perhaps you have lost a loved one, and a heartache so intense became a constant reminder that a deep connection has been severed. Obviously the connection between some is stronger than between others, such as with family. Perhaps the bond grows stronger with love, or maybe we just pay closer attention to those we love, not just on a conscious level but also on a subconscious level, than to those we don’t love or are not particularly in love with.

Ahhhhh yes…These fingers are made for writing.
Mmmnnn…Jessica Simpson all up in my head singing, “These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what…” kind of excites me.

But what I really want to say is that: These words are made for seeking, and that’s just what they’re gonna do. One of these days these words are gonna spell the truth right out of you. That’s right, my friend. Seeker Dude John Lucio here in your house. A Truth Seeker: Seeking truth and spelling it out through the inner beauty, or lack thereof, of one’s own inherent true nature. That’s how I write: dispelling myth, removing BS, and making manifest one’s true desire, intent, and resolve. Why? Because it is in that very manifestation where fundamental truth resides, awaiting discovery. No, not in the information placed before an individual to see with his/her eyes and/or to hear with his/her ears. Nor in the transformation of data from the instant it reaches one’s eyes and/or ears until it arrives at a location in one’s mind for final processing a second later.

We all have a heart and we want to keep it healthy the best we. Our heart is both physical and emotional.  We all have received bad news at one time or another and felt our hearts get heavy. We all have had stressful times that we have had to face which may make our hearts race or pound. Maybe we have experienced anxiety at some point in our life. All these things affect our emotional heart. There are things we can do for our emotional heart: