I'm continuing to make progress day by day. My digestion has gotten tons better since switching to a topical magnesium supplement and adding digestive enzymes to my regimen. I got the Ancient Minerals Magnesium Lotion and it seems to be working pretty well for me. Plus with all the coconut oil in it my skin is all silky smooth too. Two birds, one stone. Love it!
I've also been working my way through all my cosmetics. I got into some gluten containing foundation or moisturizer and my chin broke out pretty badly. It's healing up now thanks to a switch to some known gluten free products and the Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel. That little gel works wonders on zits. Like I've said before, I have never known of anything that works on cystic acne, and one did try to pop up, but it pulled a Barney Fife and nipped it in the bud.
I feel bad having throw out so much of my old stuff, but it's much better to be safe, since I know I'm reacting to this stuff now. My first priority was my lip glosses, since they run the risk of getting into my intestinal tract. Now I've moved on to verifying ingredients and manufacturing for everything.
On the up side since I'm a lip gloss-aholic, I've been able to buy a bunch of all new lip glosses. Yay!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Healing Tendons, Raw Cheese, and Digestive Enzymes
The one thing that amazes me on this journey is how much I continue to learn about what my body needs on a daily basis. Thanks to my great chiropractors and the double dose of turmeric I am taking daily, my hip is healing fast. It still stiffens a little bit when I've been sitting for a while, but there is no pain any more. But the stiffness is getting less and less, and quickly shakes off after walking around a few minutes.
I've also started eating raw cheese on a daily basis. It's truly interesting because I was having such a hard time with any dairy, but this doesn't make me nauseated at all. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a good source for raw milk. I've been getting organic kefir which is pasteurized, but the fermentation process seems to make it quite digestible for me. Plus it's giving me probiotics. So now I can eat raw cheese, kefir, and ghee without problems. Apparently this is pretty common for people recovering from either celiac or gluten intolerance from what I've been reading online. For some reason we just can't handle the lactose, but in the kefir and ghee there is no lactose. Interestingly, raw cheese still has the enzymes from the momma cow to help her baby digest the lactose. So I'm guessing lactose is my culprit there.
I'm still having problems when I eat anything outside of vegetables, meat, and nuts. Any kind of carbs do not go well, not that I eat many. But I have found some digestive enzymes that are really helping quite a bit. Initially I ignored the suggestion that I take digestive enzymes in the Body Ecology Diet book, but I started having some intestinal issues again. Apparently that was a combination of my oral magnesium supplement and needing some extra digestive help. I started the digestive enzymes with meals and it got a lot better but still not 100%, but then I realized that the magnesium can have a laxative effect, so I stopped it and now I'm back to normal.
Fortunately I don't have to take the enzymes with everything, but I do have to watch anything with any real carbs in it, like brown rice and some seeds. If I eat anything at all questionable, like something a restaurant or relative has prepared I take them to be safe.
As far as the magnesium goes, I have a magnesium lotion coming to try supplementing through the skin, as I know the magnesium is really good for me. But I guess my system can't handle it orally.
I've also started eating raw cheese on a daily basis. It's truly interesting because I was having such a hard time with any dairy, but this doesn't make me nauseated at all. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a good source for raw milk. I've been getting organic kefir which is pasteurized, but the fermentation process seems to make it quite digestible for me. Plus it's giving me probiotics. So now I can eat raw cheese, kefir, and ghee without problems. Apparently this is pretty common for people recovering from either celiac or gluten intolerance from what I've been reading online. For some reason we just can't handle the lactose, but in the kefir and ghee there is no lactose. Interestingly, raw cheese still has the enzymes from the momma cow to help her baby digest the lactose. So I'm guessing lactose is my culprit there.
I'm still having problems when I eat anything outside of vegetables, meat, and nuts. Any kind of carbs do not go well, not that I eat many. But I have found some digestive enzymes that are really helping quite a bit. Initially I ignored the suggestion that I take digestive enzymes in the Body Ecology Diet book, but I started having some intestinal issues again. Apparently that was a combination of my oral magnesium supplement and needing some extra digestive help. I started the digestive enzymes with meals and it got a lot better but still not 100%, but then I realized that the magnesium can have a laxative effect, so I stopped it and now I'm back to normal.
Fortunately I don't have to take the enzymes with everything, but I do have to watch anything with any real carbs in it, like brown rice and some seeds. If I eat anything at all questionable, like something a restaurant or relative has prepared I take them to be safe.
As far as the magnesium goes, I have a magnesium lotion coming to try supplementing through the skin, as I know the magnesium is really good for me. But I guess my system can't handle it orally.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Case of the Curious Eczema Recurrence and a Torn Tendon
It has been an eventful few weeks. I found out this week that a problem I have been having with my hip since I tripped and landed squarely on the pointy hip bit that sticks out beside the tummy are due to a partially torn tendon on the iliac crest. Fun fun! Fortunately it will heal with some help. I started seeing the chiropractor this week and it has helped. Last week the pain and stiffness was getting pretty bad, but I couldn't get in to see the chiropractor til this week, so I started taking New Chapter Turmeric Force twice a day. It really has helped manage the pain a lot. Even the chiropractor told me that staying on the turmeric would be huge in helping me heal up.
My biggest mystery of the past few weeks was the recurrence of some pretty bad patches of eczema on my scalp. Up til now it had been pretty well under control, save for a few flaky spots here and there, but definitely showing continuous improvement over the last few months. All of the sudden it flared up big time and was actually scabbing up again. This was definitely not good. I finally figured out that I had started using some remaining leave-in conditioner for my hair, that I had from a while back. My hair had been dried out from two beach trips over the past couple of months (who knew salt air could wreak havoc on hair?), so I had started using it a few weeks ago. Finally my brain made the connection and guess what I found on the ingredients list? Yep, hydrolized wheat gluten.
Geez. I sent Ojon (the product maker) a rather irate letter explaining that they needed to do a better job formulating their products, especially with the growing numbers of people with gluten sensitivity. I also checked out most of their products at Sephora and most contain wheat. Their response ... we have experts formulating our products ... will pass this along ... reading between the lines the response appeared to be basically "we don't give a crap." Nothing like "gee, we're sorry our product made your scalp self-destruct."
So I went to EarthFare and got some gluten free hair care stuff by Hugo Naturals. Hopefully that will calm my scalp back down in a bit. I also got this yummy gluten free brown sugar and kumquat sugar scrub from them too. With winter coming up, a good sugar scrub is a must!
I never imagined when all this started that I'd have to completely go through all my personal care products and start trashing anything with wheat or wheat derivatives in it. Fortunately I found a list online of stuff to look for in the ingredients lists. I remember about a month ago helping pack up cookies at a wake after a memorial service and noticed my hands got itchy, but thought it was just my imagination. Maybe not. I did have the good sense not to eat them, but I didn't think touching it would be a problem. Now I think I really do have a full blown allergy to wheat.
Oddly enough I was talking to my chiropractor about the whole gluten thing while he was adjusting me, and he said that he thinks that 90% or more of all humans are gluten intolerant to some degree, but just don't know it. Interestingly even my dog's allergies have improved since he has switched to a wheat free formula. So what the heck has happened to our wheat to make it so toxic?
My biggest mystery of the past few weeks was the recurrence of some pretty bad patches of eczema on my scalp. Up til now it had been pretty well under control, save for a few flaky spots here and there, but definitely showing continuous improvement over the last few months. All of the sudden it flared up big time and was actually scabbing up again. This was definitely not good. I finally figured out that I had started using some remaining leave-in conditioner for my hair, that I had from a while back. My hair had been dried out from two beach trips over the past couple of months (who knew salt air could wreak havoc on hair?), so I had started using it a few weeks ago. Finally my brain made the connection and guess what I found on the ingredients list? Yep, hydrolized wheat gluten.
Geez. I sent Ojon (the product maker) a rather irate letter explaining that they needed to do a better job formulating their products, especially with the growing numbers of people with gluten sensitivity. I also checked out most of their products at Sephora and most contain wheat. Their response ... we have experts formulating our products ... will pass this along ... reading between the lines the response appeared to be basically "we don't give a crap." Nothing like "gee, we're sorry our product made your scalp self-destruct."
So I went to EarthFare and got some gluten free hair care stuff by Hugo Naturals. Hopefully that will calm my scalp back down in a bit. I also got this yummy gluten free brown sugar and kumquat sugar scrub from them too. With winter coming up, a good sugar scrub is a must!
I never imagined when all this started that I'd have to completely go through all my personal care products and start trashing anything with wheat or wheat derivatives in it. Fortunately I found a list online of stuff to look for in the ingredients lists. I remember about a month ago helping pack up cookies at a wake after a memorial service and noticed my hands got itchy, but thought it was just my imagination. Maybe not. I did have the good sense not to eat them, but I didn't think touching it would be a problem. Now I think I really do have a full blown allergy to wheat.
Oddly enough I was talking to my chiropractor about the whole gluten thing while he was adjusting me, and he said that he thinks that 90% or more of all humans are gluten intolerant to some degree, but just don't know it. Interestingly even my dog's allergies have improved since he has switched to a wheat free formula. So what the heck has happened to our wheat to make it so toxic?
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Change of Seasons
The period came and went uneventfully, so I appear to be on the right track with the whole food iron supplementation and ferrum phos. All I needed was a little arnica for some minor cramplets one day and I was good.
Due to the changing seasons here in East Tennessee, my sinuses have been a bit more trouble than usual. Our weather changes from moment to moment between hot and cold, rainy and dry when the seasons are changing so it's not terribly surprising that my body is having trouble keeping up and it's manifesting in my sinuses. Still, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.
I'm having to keep up with the SinuOrega and Sovereign Silver nasal sprays multiple times a day and it is helping. They seem to be a lot less irritated, especially with the SinuOrega. I guess it irritates the crap out of them all at once and there's no irritated left by the time it's done. There was some blood coming out while blowing my nose and I could feel scabby-crusty stuff forming in the sinuses, but some hepar sulphur calcareum for a few days got that under control. I read somewhere that it's supposed to be good for that, and it worked like a charm. That's definitely going to stay on my go-to sinus drama list.
Doggie Drama
My Boxer recently had to have surgery to remove a small benign tumor in one of his lower eyelids that was really irritating him. The vet had to take a V shaped section out of his eyelid to get all of it, and he did great up until a few days after surgery. Then he pawed at his stitches and scratched his lid. There was blood everywhere. The dog, the carpet, me - EVERYWHERE. Honestly I thought he had gouged his eye out. So I put his cone collar on and took him back to the vet and it was just a little scratch, and he didn't do any damage to the stitches or incision (thank goodness!).
Anyhow, his eye got super irritated after we got him cleaned up and home from the vet. There was some blood tinged pus coming out of the eye almost constantly. I got an eye dropper and started flushing his eye out with Sovereign Silver a couple of times a day. Admittedly, the boy was not thrilled with it, but he tolerated it well and his eye cleared up and healed up beautifully. His stitches came out yesterday and he's my happy, handsome Boxer boy again!
Due to the changing seasons here in East Tennessee, my sinuses have been a bit more trouble than usual. Our weather changes from moment to moment between hot and cold, rainy and dry when the seasons are changing so it's not terribly surprising that my body is having trouble keeping up and it's manifesting in my sinuses. Still, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.
I'm having to keep up with the SinuOrega and Sovereign Silver nasal sprays multiple times a day and it is helping. They seem to be a lot less irritated, especially with the SinuOrega. I guess it irritates the crap out of them all at once and there's no irritated left by the time it's done. There was some blood coming out while blowing my nose and I could feel scabby-crusty stuff forming in the sinuses, but some hepar sulphur calcareum for a few days got that under control. I read somewhere that it's supposed to be good for that, and it worked like a charm. That's definitely going to stay on my go-to sinus drama list.
Doggie Drama
My Boxer recently had to have surgery to remove a small benign tumor in one of his lower eyelids that was really irritating him. The vet had to take a V shaped section out of his eyelid to get all of it, and he did great up until a few days after surgery. Then he pawed at his stitches and scratched his lid. There was blood everywhere. The dog, the carpet, me - EVERYWHERE. Honestly I thought he had gouged his eye out. So I put his cone collar on and took him back to the vet and it was just a little scratch, and he didn't do any damage to the stitches or incision (thank goodness!).
Anyhow, his eye got super irritated after we got him cleaned up and home from the vet. There was some blood tinged pus coming out of the eye almost constantly. I got an eye dropper and started flushing his eye out with Sovereign Silver a couple of times a day. Admittedly, the boy was not thrilled with it, but he tolerated it well and his eye cleared up and healed up beautifully. His stitches came out yesterday and he's my happy, handsome Boxer boy again!
Monday, October 10, 2011
So Far, So Good
According to my period tracker I am about 2 days out, give or take, from starting my period. So far I haven't had any advance symptoms of PMS. Considering last month's stellar performance after having been on the Blood Builder and ferrum phos for a month straight, I am expecting nothing major this month either.
Periods without PMS ... I would never have thought it possible.
I am starting to notice some definite effects of the Camu Gold now. It was subtle at first, so it was hard to pinpoint. Really I am just feeling more joyful and upbeat, even at work. Work is especially hard as I am in a very high stress field and around people who are pretty much in panic mode 24/7. I think the Camu is making a difference there.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Death and Demise of a Cystic Zit
Well, I had my first official zit since starting on the Silver/Aloe Protocol back in April. Before I was on birth control pills I would get horrible cystic acne, especially on my chin, that would get pretty big and painful. The mounds would get as big as half of a small marble on the surface of my skin and they would hurt so bad. Even worse, they would last for weeks at a time and no over the counter acne meds would touch them. Typically the end result is that I'd get so frustrated with there being no end in sight to the zit and break out the rubbing alcohol and a sewing needle and go digging in the zit for the infection. I'd open the thing up and get out all the infection and then alcohol it to death, leaving a huge scab and a lovely scar. Fun times!
I still get some clogged pores here and there on my chin, now that I'm off the birth control pills and on my new organic/homeopathic lifestyle, but those have never gotten infected and I've been able to easily extract them using an aethetician's tool. Clogged pores are pretty normal for us oily skinned girls anyway. But this one decided to go rogue on me. I felt it starting to swell with a tiny bit of pain, but not bad. It came up to a bit of a bump, more like the head of a pin. I started slathering my chin with Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel immediately.
The zit never got any bigger, and the pain stopped, and then the zit went down to being not visible within 5 days of twice daily application of the gel. I can still barely feel a bump under the surface of my skin, so I'm still applying the gel. But that was FAST.
Any doctor will tell you that cystic acne is the most difficult to treat, because the infection is deeper in the skin and it never comes to a head like normal zits. Instead they just look like giant cysts. I have tried EVERYTHING on the market to fight these. The Sovereign Silver must be able to penetrate way down into the skin to get to the infection somehow. Admittedly I was taking the oral Sovereign Silver as well, to help with the recovery from my cold, and a little bit of sinus crud from the sudden weather change from summer to much cooler weather. Still, I think it was the First Aid Gel that made the difference.
I still get some clogged pores here and there on my chin, now that I'm off the birth control pills and on my new organic/homeopathic lifestyle, but those have never gotten infected and I've been able to easily extract them using an aethetician's tool. Clogged pores are pretty normal for us oily skinned girls anyway. But this one decided to go rogue on me. I felt it starting to swell with a tiny bit of pain, but not bad. It came up to a bit of a bump, more like the head of a pin. I started slathering my chin with Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel immediately.
The zit never got any bigger, and the pain stopped, and then the zit went down to being not visible within 5 days of twice daily application of the gel. I can still barely feel a bump under the surface of my skin, so I'm still applying the gel. But that was FAST.
Any doctor will tell you that cystic acne is the most difficult to treat, because the infection is deeper in the skin and it never comes to a head like normal zits. Instead they just look like giant cysts. I have tried EVERYTHING on the market to fight these. The Sovereign Silver must be able to penetrate way down into the skin to get to the infection somehow. Admittedly I was taking the oral Sovereign Silver as well, to help with the recovery from my cold, and a little bit of sinus crud from the sudden weather change from summer to much cooler weather. Still, I think it was the First Aid Gel that made the difference.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Cold Update and Other News
I'm on day 6 of the cold. Other than an occasional gob of phlegm hitting my vocal cords and making me sound like I'm under water for a few seconds I'm doing really well. I'm not even really sniffling today. All the noticeable symptoms of a cold are gone. I'm still a good bit tired, but that's from pushing myself through 10 hour days at work in spite of the fever and other symptoms. Unfortunately I was just in a position where I couldn't be out sick. Honestly, I feel pretty normal today minus the tireds.
One of the ladies I spoke to at the office who had the cold well before me said that she still had a cough hanging on a couple of weeks later. My cold, on the other hand, never made it down into my lungs. That's a minor miracle considering I used to have major problems with asthma, and anything that got into my head or sinuses was usually destined to head straight for the lungs.
So this cold bug has been hanging on for weeks in other people, but I knocked it out in 5 days with NO drugs. Wow!
I really can't get over how much things have changed for me. It was a tough decision for me to let the fever run its course naturally when I had no choice but to keep working regardless of how sick I was. I could have caved and gone for pharmaceutical intervention. But now I see the results. Even with my work schedule, supporting the fever instead of suppressing it was worth it.
In other news...
... I have my first tan! I have always had porcelain white skin and have never in my life been able to get a tan. But when I was on vacation I was out in the sun all day and I didn't want to block all the good vitamin D, so I only put a teensy bit of sunscreen on my face. I did get a little bit of pink around my decollete, but never really burned. I put some Sovereign Silver first aid gel on the pinkishness and never had any problem with it, although I did cover it up the next day to be safe. Now I have an awesome tan on my face, arms and decollete, and even a little on my legs (so anti-tan stubborn it's not even funny - I could blind astronauts on the International Space Station with the glare off these babies).
The astaxanthin I have been taking must have made all this possible. I have never been able to hold sun, instead I'd just turn red as a lobster and then go back to pasty white as soon as the red went down. Now I have this nice sunny glow for a change. So fun for the girl who got called Snow White in school!!!
The Camu Explosion
I started taking my Camu Camu while I had a fever. My first bottle of Camu Gold I bought while I was on vacation had a defective dropper top and wouldn't release the drops. So when I pressed a little harder to try to get some out, the entire dropper top exploded out of the bottle and sent sticky camu-ness all over me, my hair, my face, my clothes, my desk, my computer, etc. Not fun.
But I do have to give props to the folks at Amazon Herb Company. I contacted them because I was rather ticked about the Camu explosion and subsequent cleanup ordeal. Even though I didn't buy the bottle directly from them, they replaced the bottle at no charge. Now that is a company that knows how to make things right!
So I got my replacement bottle and since I knew the Camu Gold had a ton of vitamin C in it, I started taking extra. I do think it helped to have the extra along with my regular daily dose of Vitamin C. I do feel like I'm getting a little pick up when I take it, but it's hard to really tell since I've been so sick. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll start getting a better picture of whether or not it's helping my depression. The few depression symptoms I have left seem to be getting better and better by the week just from the nutritional and homeopathic intervention, so I'm excited to see how this may play in to that.
One of the ladies I spoke to at the office who had the cold well before me said that she still had a cough hanging on a couple of weeks later. My cold, on the other hand, never made it down into my lungs. That's a minor miracle considering I used to have major problems with asthma, and anything that got into my head or sinuses was usually destined to head straight for the lungs.
So this cold bug has been hanging on for weeks in other people, but I knocked it out in 5 days with NO drugs. Wow!
I really can't get over how much things have changed for me. It was a tough decision for me to let the fever run its course naturally when I had no choice but to keep working regardless of how sick I was. I could have caved and gone for pharmaceutical intervention. But now I see the results. Even with my work schedule, supporting the fever instead of suppressing it was worth it.
In other news...
... I have my first tan! I have always had porcelain white skin and have never in my life been able to get a tan. But when I was on vacation I was out in the sun all day and I didn't want to block all the good vitamin D, so I only put a teensy bit of sunscreen on my face. I did get a little bit of pink around my decollete, but never really burned. I put some Sovereign Silver first aid gel on the pinkishness and never had any problem with it, although I did cover it up the next day to be safe. Now I have an awesome tan on my face, arms and decollete, and even a little on my legs (so anti-tan stubborn it's not even funny - I could blind astronauts on the International Space Station with the glare off these babies).
The astaxanthin I have been taking must have made all this possible. I have never been able to hold sun, instead I'd just turn red as a lobster and then go back to pasty white as soon as the red went down. Now I have this nice sunny glow for a change. So fun for the girl who got called Snow White in school!!!
The Camu Explosion
I started taking my Camu Camu while I had a fever. My first bottle of Camu Gold I bought while I was on vacation had a defective dropper top and wouldn't release the drops. So when I pressed a little harder to try to get some out, the entire dropper top exploded out of the bottle and sent sticky camu-ness all over me, my hair, my face, my clothes, my desk, my computer, etc. Not fun.
But I do have to give props to the folks at Amazon Herb Company. I contacted them because I was rather ticked about the Camu explosion and subsequent cleanup ordeal. Even though I didn't buy the bottle directly from them, they replaced the bottle at no charge. Now that is a company that knows how to make things right!
So I got my replacement bottle and since I knew the Camu Gold had a ton of vitamin C in it, I started taking extra. I do think it helped to have the extra along with my regular daily dose of Vitamin C. I do feel like I'm getting a little pick up when I take it, but it's hard to really tell since I've been so sick. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll start getting a better picture of whether or not it's helping my depression. The few depression symptoms I have left seem to be getting better and better by the week just from the nutritional and homeopathic intervention, so I'm excited to see how this may play in to that.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Battling a Cold
Well here it is. My first official battle with an illness sans big pharma. I had to go out of town and Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I woke up in the middle of the night with a horrible sore throat and sinuses feeling like they were on fire. I used some of my SinuOrega and Sovereign Silver nasal spray, thinking it was just sinus stuff, and took some kali bic and allium cepa. By the time I got up for work in the morning I felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck. I knew I was running a fever, even though I didn't have a thermometer. You know that weird tingly burning feeling you get on the skin of your face when you're sitting by the fire? That was what I had and my face was pretty flushed. I have no doubt it was running pretty high.
After listening to Robert Scott Bell's show when he's discussed fevers multiple times, I knew this was actually a good sign. I don't think I've had a fever when I've been sick since I was a kid. It is interesting to actually experience the whole "you're finally strong enough to have a fever" thing. Fortunately I keep homeopathic phosphorus in my purse for my occasional sinus headaches and popped some under my tongue once I realized I was running a fever. I also had some white willow bark tincture in my purse, and since my head was really hurting along with my throat, I mixed up some of that in a bit of water and drank it down. It really did help with the throat and headache. Then I took some Sovereign Silver orally, holding it under my tongue for 30 seconds, and gargling it back in my throat before swallowing.
Midday I ran to get some Zicam zinc lozenges, as I've had good luck with it before, and some Elderberry juice that had zinc, propolis and echinacea mixed in. I continued to take this along with the silver, phosphorus, kali bic and allium cepa several times a day. By day 2, the inflammation in my throat and sinuses had gone down and my voice was much better, minus the plegm flopping down on my vocal cords as it drained out of my sinuses.
I did have a little intestinal mischief with all the drainage, but I really think that the daily dose of chia seeds and Dr. Ohhira's probiotics saved me there. It never turned into diarrhea like it normally does when my sinuses go nuts. I am seriously in love with chia seeds now.
My fever finally went down on day 3 (Friday), but I was still tired from all my traveling for work this week. Today I'm spending the day resting and recovering. I've been blowing stuff out of my nose today like crazy, and I think that's a good sign.
It's been a rough few days being sick and exceptionally crazy days at work that I just couldn't miss, but I've done amazingly well with no pharmaceutical intervention whatsoever. My body seems determined to fight it. Before I would have been fighting my body with drugs to suppress the fever, suppress the sinuses working to clean themselves out, and all that. I can't say that it sucks any less being sick, but I seem to be a lot less sick and the symptoms seem to be resolving themselves faster than they would have in the past. Now all I need is sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
After listening to Robert Scott Bell's show when he's discussed fevers multiple times, I knew this was actually a good sign. I don't think I've had a fever when I've been sick since I was a kid. It is interesting to actually experience the whole "you're finally strong enough to have a fever" thing. Fortunately I keep homeopathic phosphorus in my purse for my occasional sinus headaches and popped some under my tongue once I realized I was running a fever. I also had some white willow bark tincture in my purse, and since my head was really hurting along with my throat, I mixed up some of that in a bit of water and drank it down. It really did help with the throat and headache. Then I took some Sovereign Silver orally, holding it under my tongue for 30 seconds, and gargling it back in my throat before swallowing.
Midday I ran to get some Zicam zinc lozenges, as I've had good luck with it before, and some Elderberry juice that had zinc, propolis and echinacea mixed in. I continued to take this along with the silver, phosphorus, kali bic and allium cepa several times a day. By day 2, the inflammation in my throat and sinuses had gone down and my voice was much better, minus the plegm flopping down on my vocal cords as it drained out of my sinuses.
I did have a little intestinal mischief with all the drainage, but I really think that the daily dose of chia seeds and Dr. Ohhira's probiotics saved me there. It never turned into diarrhea like it normally does when my sinuses go nuts. I am seriously in love with chia seeds now.
My fever finally went down on day 3 (Friday), but I was still tired from all my traveling for work this week. Today I'm spending the day resting and recovering. I've been blowing stuff out of my nose today like crazy, and I think that's a good sign.
It's been a rough few days being sick and exceptionally crazy days at work that I just couldn't miss, but I've done amazingly well with no pharmaceutical intervention whatsoever. My body seems determined to fight it. Before I would have been fighting my body with drugs to suppress the fever, suppress the sinuses working to clean themselves out, and all that. I can't say that it sucks any less being sick, but I seem to be a lot less sick and the symptoms seem to be resolving themselves faster than they would have in the past. Now all I need is sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Vacation Time!
I just got back from a great week-long vacation. It's amazing how much I learned about my body with the variance from my daily routine. I went to the coast and had a great time indulging in all sorts of new foods, but still I was very careful with what I ate and did not get one bit sick.
My morning smoothie routine stayed the same for breakfast. It is:
1 cup dairy kefir,
2 scoops chocolate Amazing Grass,
1 scoop One World Whey (chocolate),
1 cup coconut milk (I used to use almond milk but I decided I like coconut milk better),
8 drops of chocolate flavored stevia, and
2 tbsp. chia seeds.
It's amazing how much this helps me power through a long day. I spent a lot of time walking through several historical cities and on the beach in some pretty oppressive heat, typically I was on my feet from early in the morning until I went to sleep at night. I did get one minor heat headache, but I did not get dehydrated in the least or sick from it (thank you chia seeds!).
My friend who went with me did get dehydrated and heat exhausted, and I actually was having to slow myself down in the heat so she could keep up with me! My endurance and ability to cope with the climate was amazing, and so far beyond where I would have been just months ago. I am a little sore in my feet and ankles from walking on the beach, but some arnica montana really seems to be helping.
The interesting thing is that I started my period the day before I left, so I was in the heaviest part of my period while I was doing most of the walking in the heat. After being on the Mega Foods Blood Builder and ferrum phos. for an entire month I had no trouble whatsoever. No weakness, no energy loss, nothing. I really didn't even experience my usual PMS beforehand, although I did start taking my King Bio PMS Relief several days before I started. My blood loss was pretty par for the course as it has been for the past couple of months, but the difference in how I felt was substantial, especially with all the physical activity. Needless to say the Blood Builder and ferrum phos. are going to be a permanent part of my supplement regimen from here on out.
When it came to eating I made sure to get plenty of good lean protein and raw vegetables. I did indulge in dessert a couple of times, but was careful to stay gluten and grain free. My intestines stayed quite happy the whole trip. It's amazing how you can overindulge on a great salad and seafood and it totally doesn't mess with you or sit heavy on your stomach.
I picked up some Camu Gold from the Amazon Herb Company while I was on vacation, since I happened to run into some and have been meaning to try it to see how it helps with depression. Hopefully that will be a good report as well.
My morning smoothie routine stayed the same for breakfast. It is:
1 cup dairy kefir,
2 scoops chocolate Amazing Grass,
1 scoop One World Whey (chocolate),
1 cup coconut milk (I used to use almond milk but I decided I like coconut milk better),
8 drops of chocolate flavored stevia, and
2 tbsp. chia seeds.
It's amazing how much this helps me power through a long day. I spent a lot of time walking through several historical cities and on the beach in some pretty oppressive heat, typically I was on my feet from early in the morning until I went to sleep at night. I did get one minor heat headache, but I did not get dehydrated in the least or sick from it (thank you chia seeds!).
My friend who went with me did get dehydrated and heat exhausted, and I actually was having to slow myself down in the heat so she could keep up with me! My endurance and ability to cope with the climate was amazing, and so far beyond where I would have been just months ago. I am a little sore in my feet and ankles from walking on the beach, but some arnica montana really seems to be helping.
The interesting thing is that I started my period the day before I left, so I was in the heaviest part of my period while I was doing most of the walking in the heat. After being on the Mega Foods Blood Builder and ferrum phos. for an entire month I had no trouble whatsoever. No weakness, no energy loss, nothing. I really didn't even experience my usual PMS beforehand, although I did start taking my King Bio PMS Relief several days before I started. My blood loss was pretty par for the course as it has been for the past couple of months, but the difference in how I felt was substantial, especially with all the physical activity. Needless to say the Blood Builder and ferrum phos. are going to be a permanent part of my supplement regimen from here on out.
When it came to eating I made sure to get plenty of good lean protein and raw vegetables. I did indulge in dessert a couple of times, but was careful to stay gluten and grain free. My intestines stayed quite happy the whole trip. It's amazing how you can overindulge on a great salad and seafood and it totally doesn't mess with you or sit heavy on your stomach.
I picked up some Camu Gold from the Amazon Herb Company while I was on vacation, since I happened to run into some and have been meaning to try it to see how it helps with depression. Hopefully that will be a good report as well.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Why Didn't I Do This Sooner?
I've been a little frustrated with ear canal issues and discharge for several years now. While the silver-aloe protocol seemed to help some, because I had discharge from my ears while I was on it, it didn't completely clear it up. There's actually so much gunk in my ears every morning that if I don't clean it out it affects my hearing a bit (and it smells funny!). Yesterday it was itching something awful, just driving me crazy. I had tried coating a cotton swab with the Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel and swirling it around in there a while back, which helped, but never really cleared it up. The itching was always back in a few hours.
So, I was frustrated enough that I finally did what I should have done months ago. I dumped an eye dropper full of the liquid sovereign silver down each ear canal, while laying on my side. Then I left it in for about 8 minutes and then sat up and let it run out. Then I put a little of the first aid gel around the outer part of the ear where my skin is a bit flaky. The difference this morning is amazing. The outer part of the ear is still a little itchy where there's some eczema, but the inner part of the ear canal is totally happy and not itchy. It doesn't feel like there's gunk in it like usual.
I have had some clear fluid discharge coming out of my ears today, sort of like water.
I'm going to keep doing this every night for a few days to clear it up. Apparently candida can grow and do exactly this itchy, crusty, gunky stuff in the ear canal, so I'm betting my ears have been one of the last bastions of candida in my body. Bye ear candida monster, you are going down!
Also I am working on my scalp eczema too. It's back a little but not nearly as bad as it was before the silver-aloe protocol. I read online that you can put about 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract (the same stuff I use diluted in water to clean my veggies) in your shampoo and leave it on for about 3-5 minutes. Talk about cheap, and using stuff I already had. I tried it for the first time last night. That would be awesome if it works!
So, I was frustrated enough that I finally did what I should have done months ago. I dumped an eye dropper full of the liquid sovereign silver down each ear canal, while laying on my side. Then I left it in for about 8 minutes and then sat up and let it run out. Then I put a little of the first aid gel around the outer part of the ear where my skin is a bit flaky. The difference this morning is amazing. The outer part of the ear is still a little itchy where there's some eczema, but the inner part of the ear canal is totally happy and not itchy. It doesn't feel like there's gunk in it like usual.
I have had some clear fluid discharge coming out of my ears today, sort of like water.
I'm going to keep doing this every night for a few days to clear it up. Apparently candida can grow and do exactly this itchy, crusty, gunky stuff in the ear canal, so I'm betting my ears have been one of the last bastions of candida in my body. Bye ear candida monster, you are going down!
Also I am working on my scalp eczema too. It's back a little but not nearly as bad as it was before the silver-aloe protocol. I read online that you can put about 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract (the same stuff I use diluted in water to clean my veggies) in your shampoo and leave it on for about 3-5 minutes. Talk about cheap, and using stuff I already had. I tried it for the first time last night. That would be awesome if it works!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Ch-ch-ch-chia!
My intestines are getting back to normal now (the new healthy normal) after several days back on the silver aloe protocol. Another change I have made that seems to have really helped is the addition of chia seeds to my morning smoothies. I had been eating a lot of chia seeds early on in the form of chia seed pudding, but I have been so busy I haven't made any in a while.
Adding 2 tbsp. of chia to my 1 cup of organic kefir, 1 scoop of chocolate One World Whey, two scoops of Amazing Grass chocolate, and almond milk really seems to help. Sometimes I put a bit of extra raw cacao in it for some more chocolatey goodness. As a bonus it does keep me even more filled up than my smoothie alone. I have to put a little more almond milk in it to compensate for the liquid absorbing properties of the chia seeds, otherwise it would be too thick to drink. The chia is going to become a permanent addition to my morning smoothie.
I've also discovered flavored stevias which I am totally in love with. Sweet Leaf makes liquid flavored stevias in all sorts of flavors. So far I've tried the vanilla creme and chocolate and I love them both. The vanilla creme is especially awesome. I put a few drops of it in with my milk thistle and dandelion tincture (to help detox my liver) and it totally masks the nasty taste of the milk thistle and makes it yummy.
Adding 2 tbsp. of chia to my 1 cup of organic kefir, 1 scoop of chocolate One World Whey, two scoops of Amazing Grass chocolate, and almond milk really seems to help. Sometimes I put a bit of extra raw cacao in it for some more chocolatey goodness. As a bonus it does keep me even more filled up than my smoothie alone. I have to put a little more almond milk in it to compensate for the liquid absorbing properties of the chia seeds, otherwise it would be too thick to drink. The chia is going to become a permanent addition to my morning smoothie.
I've also discovered flavored stevias which I am totally in love with. Sweet Leaf makes liquid flavored stevias in all sorts of flavors. So far I've tried the vanilla creme and chocolate and I love them both. The vanilla creme is especially awesome. I put a few drops of it in with my milk thistle and dandelion tincture (to help detox my liver) and it totally masks the nasty taste of the milk thistle and makes it yummy.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Crazy Life and 25 Pounds!
Gee, it has been forever since I've updated. Life has gotten crazy lately. I am doing pretty well, especially on the depression side. I am holding at 20 mg of Prozac now, half of what I have been on for the last 5-7 years. It's pretty awesome! I am using homeopathic sepia as a single remedy and King Bio's Good Mood Enhancer to help support me in this.
My last period was a bit rough, as I appeared to be trying to detox some more and was losing a lot of blood again. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the period from hell, but still rough. I had a really bad headache on the worst day that I thought was a sinus headache, but even with all the usual sinus remedies I couldn't get a handle on it. I took some white willow bark tincture in water and that took the worst of the edge off of it. I was also feeling pretty weak and puny.
Realizing I was losing a lot of blood, I went to the local health food store to get some ferrum phosphoricum and Mega Foods Blood Builder supplement to help support me like the last time. I popped the ferrum phos. pellets into my mouth walking out of the store and about 15 minutes later the headache was gone and my energy level perked up within an hour. My best guess is that this wasn't a sinus headache at all, but more of an anemic headache, as I've heard of people getting really bad headaches from anemia. By the next morning I felt SO much better.
I kind of wonder if perhaps there is a bit of iron deficiency going on, so I think I'm going to stay on the Blood Builder and ferrum phos. indefinitely. It's amazing to look at the bleeding in a whole new light, knowing my body is using it to throw out toxins. Before I would have been running to the doctor for something to "fix" it. Now I know there's nothing to fix, my body is doing exactly what it should be doing.
My intestines have gotten a little squirrely again, and I can see some bloating in my tummy so I'm going back on the silver/aloe protocol for a week or two. Robert mentioned on his radio show that this might be something that would be needed periodically, so I think it's a good time to restart it after four months. I was planning on doing it again at 6 months just to refresh everything.
It's not like I'm sliding backwards, health-wise as I'm continuing to make strides. My sinus episodes are becoming less and less frequent and less and less severe. Even when they do hit they are responding very quickly to the homeopathic meds and snorting Sovereign Silver and SinuOrega. I am changing my bed clothes much more frequently, since I sleep with my dogs (an allergy no-no I know, but they're just so darn cute and pitiful), and putting my pillows in the dryer on high heat for an extended time to kill any dust mites.
The diet is going well, and I'm learning new ways to prepare good organic foods and eating lots of veggies. This usually involves garlic. You can never have too much garlic.
Oh, and I hit 25 pounds gone now. I am hovering at 190!
My last period was a bit rough, as I appeared to be trying to detox some more and was losing a lot of blood again. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the period from hell, but still rough. I had a really bad headache on the worst day that I thought was a sinus headache, but even with all the usual sinus remedies I couldn't get a handle on it. I took some white willow bark tincture in water and that took the worst of the edge off of it. I was also feeling pretty weak and puny.
Realizing I was losing a lot of blood, I went to the local health food store to get some ferrum phosphoricum and Mega Foods Blood Builder supplement to help support me like the last time. I popped the ferrum phos. pellets into my mouth walking out of the store and about 15 minutes later the headache was gone and my energy level perked up within an hour. My best guess is that this wasn't a sinus headache at all, but more of an anemic headache, as I've heard of people getting really bad headaches from anemia. By the next morning I felt SO much better.
I kind of wonder if perhaps there is a bit of iron deficiency going on, so I think I'm going to stay on the Blood Builder and ferrum phos. indefinitely. It's amazing to look at the bleeding in a whole new light, knowing my body is using it to throw out toxins. Before I would have been running to the doctor for something to "fix" it. Now I know there's nothing to fix, my body is doing exactly what it should be doing.
My intestines have gotten a little squirrely again, and I can see some bloating in my tummy so I'm going back on the silver/aloe protocol for a week or two. Robert mentioned on his radio show that this might be something that would be needed periodically, so I think it's a good time to restart it after four months. I was planning on doing it again at 6 months just to refresh everything.
It's not like I'm sliding backwards, health-wise as I'm continuing to make strides. My sinus episodes are becoming less and less frequent and less and less severe. Even when they do hit they are responding very quickly to the homeopathic meds and snorting Sovereign Silver and SinuOrega. I am changing my bed clothes much more frequently, since I sleep with my dogs (an allergy no-no I know, but they're just so darn cute and pitiful), and putting my pillows in the dryer on high heat for an extended time to kill any dust mites.
The diet is going well, and I'm learning new ways to prepare good organic foods and eating lots of veggies. This usually involves garlic. You can never have too much garlic.
Oh, and I hit 25 pounds gone now. I am hovering at 190!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Getting Stronger
We've dropped my prozac dosage down due to the twitchies and I'm doing well at the new dosage. My doctor wants to follow up with me next week to make sure all is well. The twitchies have stopped, so that was definitely the culprit.
I'm also seeing more and more signs that my digestive system is getting stronger. I can eat small amounts of goat cheese now on rare occasions and I can tolerate two meals with raw vegetables a day. Before now I would have to have one of those meals with cooked vegetables to help me digest the food. These are small steps, but it's encouraging to see more and more progress as I go along.
I still can't believe I've come this far in just three months, but I have a feeling there is a lot more to come.
I'm also seeing more and more signs that my digestive system is getting stronger. I can eat small amounts of goat cheese now on rare occasions and I can tolerate two meals with raw vegetables a day. Before now I would have to have one of those meals with cooked vegetables to help me digest the food. These are small steps, but it's encouraging to see more and more progress as I go along.
I still can't believe I've come this far in just three months, but I have a feeling there is a lot more to come.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Twitchies Twitchies Everywhere
Apparently I'm going to need to lower my antidepressant. I've been noticing more and more twitchies especially in other places besides my eyelids. These are the classic "too much prozac" twitchies where the muscle just goes into fast rapid spasms. A couple of days ago I had one in my side by my lower ribs that was driving me nuts. Today the muscle at the base of my thumb is going ape.
At this point I think we're going to have to go halfsies - back to the dose I was on in my twenties when I was first diagnosed. Wow. That is crazy. Cutting my prozac in half. I am calling the doc first thing tomorrow. Freaking awesome!
At this point I think we're going to have to go halfsies - back to the dose I was on in my twenties when I was first diagnosed. Wow. That is crazy. Cutting my prozac in half. I am calling the doc first thing tomorrow. Freaking awesome!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Three Years of Healing
I read an interesting thing on a homeopathic web site, but I can’t remember where. It said that for every year you have been sick, that it will require a month to get well using homeopathic and natural detoxification methods. Wow! Considering that I’ve been sick most of my 36 years, that is about 3 years to approach a full healing of my body. I knew in my mind that this would be a long term process, but to put an objective number on it is a bit sobering.
Three years to get better. I’ve been mulling it over in my head for a while now. On the one hand it’s amazing that the human body can recover from a year’s worth of abuse and FDA-approved poison in just a month, but it really made me think about how far I have to go. Obviously my health is going to continue to improve, but it suddenly seems like a long way off. I guess the key is to focus on the progress I’ve already made in the past three months and let the next three years take care of themselves.
I am getting better by leaps and bounds, but there are occasional setbacks, like Thursday. Even the setbacks though seem to press the fact that I am getting better. I was sick as a dog yesterday, and woke up early in the morning well before my alarm went off and I was choking on snot running down the back of my throat. Up til yesterday my sinuses really hadn’t been bugging me much, so much so that I had cut back on my homeopathic remedies for my sinuses and allergies to only twice a day. But yesterday they cut loose.
The sinuses didn’t feel so bad, but I was coughing and gagging from the stuff draining out, and as the stuff ran down into my stomach it got all upset and nauseated. It was about all I could do to gag down my morning smoothie (which is really good!) and make it to my early workout before work. We did a light workout since I felt so crummy. By mid morning the snot had made it into my intestines and even more fun began. Then by lunch time I had a sinus headache that was really hurting and making me dizzy. This is always how my sinus infections start.
I started taking my phosphorus for the headache and upped my dose of kali bichromicum and allium cepa to try to help, and took some of the King Bio Headache Relief, but it didn’t really phase the headache too much. Fortunately when I got home and started flushing my sinuses with as much Sovereign Silver as I could squirt up my nose the headache finally let up. I went to bed early to let my body rest and recover, and slept with my head elevated.
When I woke up Friday morning I was fine and dandy. The sinuses are a bit sore if I press on the pressure points, but otherwise I’m good. They still seem to be draining some more stuff off. Before, I would have been heading to the nurse practitioner at the Walgreen's for some antibiotics that would take days to work (if at all), and now I knock it out in a day with homeopathic medicines, snorting silver, and a little rest. I guess that’s just another sign of how far I’ve come.
Three years to get better. I’ve been mulling it over in my head for a while now. On the one hand it’s amazing that the human body can recover from a year’s worth of abuse and FDA-approved poison in just a month, but it really made me think about how far I have to go. Obviously my health is going to continue to improve, but it suddenly seems like a long way off. I guess the key is to focus on the progress I’ve already made in the past three months and let the next three years take care of themselves.
I am getting better by leaps and bounds, but there are occasional setbacks, like Thursday. Even the setbacks though seem to press the fact that I am getting better. I was sick as a dog yesterday, and woke up early in the morning well before my alarm went off and I was choking on snot running down the back of my throat. Up til yesterday my sinuses really hadn’t been bugging me much, so much so that I had cut back on my homeopathic remedies for my sinuses and allergies to only twice a day. But yesterday they cut loose.
The sinuses didn’t feel so bad, but I was coughing and gagging from the stuff draining out, and as the stuff ran down into my stomach it got all upset and nauseated. It was about all I could do to gag down my morning smoothie (which is really good!) and make it to my early workout before work. We did a light workout since I felt so crummy. By mid morning the snot had made it into my intestines and even more fun began. Then by lunch time I had a sinus headache that was really hurting and making me dizzy. This is always how my sinus infections start.
I started taking my phosphorus for the headache and upped my dose of kali bichromicum and allium cepa to try to help, and took some of the King Bio Headache Relief, but it didn’t really phase the headache too much. Fortunately when I got home and started flushing my sinuses with as much Sovereign Silver as I could squirt up my nose the headache finally let up. I went to bed early to let my body rest and recover, and slept with my head elevated.
When I woke up Friday morning I was fine and dandy. The sinuses are a bit sore if I press on the pressure points, but otherwise I’m good. They still seem to be draining some more stuff off. Before, I would have been heading to the nurse practitioner at the Walgreen's for some antibiotics that would take days to work (if at all), and now I knock it out in a day with homeopathic medicines, snorting silver, and a little rest. I guess that’s just another sign of how far I’ve come.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
24 Pounds Gone and Assorted Random Musings
I’ve officially lost 24 pounds as of Monday. Wow! That’s one pound short of a whole weight plate at the gym. It’s pretty crazy. People at work are really starting to notice and joke about how if I lose any more weight they won’t be able to see me going by, they’ll just feel a whoosh of air as I run by.
Obviously at 191 pounds I’m not quite to that stage, but still it’s nice to hear. One of my friends said the place she could see it most was my face. All the puffiness that used to be there is gone.
My period this month has been a whole lot of nothing, thank goodness. I think I had two mini cramplets but that’s about it. It’s definitely not been the drama that it was last month. I guess my body just got a little zealous about the whole detoxing thing.
I’m down 10 mg of my antidepressant, actually I am having to split the capsules because I’m in between the doses that are made by the manufacturer. It’s been a couple of weeks now and I still really haven’t noticed a difference. I have been taking some homeopathic sepia which seems to be working well for me. I’ve been trying to find some aurum metallicum, but there is none to be had around here, even in the vitamin and health food stores. I did get a complex remedy from King Bio that has some in it, so hopefully that should prove helpful. Everything I’ve heard about aurum metallicum is that it’s great for depression. I keep my depression managed pretty well, but I’m all about the “hey let’s throw everything and the kitchen sink at it” school of thought.
Interestingly I did some reading about aurum metallicum that really led me to a lot of questions. I have a materia medica app with Boericke and Kent on my phone (it’s a freebie if you have an Android device). The stuff seems a bit rambly to me but I’m starting to figure some of it out. One of the things they kept rambling on and on about in the stuff about aurum metallicum remedy was about syphilis and mercury. Of course, this is cracking me up for some reason, I guess because I have never had syphilis and thus have never had to medicate myself with mercury.
But then I stopped to think about the possible connection between mercury and the brain. From what I gathered (and I’m still a total newbie at reading this so I could be way off base), the mercury treatment was making people depressed, and then the docs were going back and using the aurum metallicum to help with it. Then a ding ding ding went off in my head.
I was a very well vaccinated child. The only vaccine I didn’t get a second time was the DPT, because I had a reaction to it when I was little. There was some sort of temporary leg paralysis thing, I’m a little fuzzy on the details that my parents told me about and I was too young to remember. I think it was something to the shot went in the rump and a few hours later I could no longer stand or move the leg attached to said rump cheek. It cleared up in a day or two I believe. Anyway Mom and Dad opted to not let me have any boosters of that one, and they told me when I was older to avoid it.
So I had lots of vaccines as a kid. Vaccines have mercury in them. Possible connection with the depression? I don’t know, but it does make for very interesting questions doesn’t it?
Obviously at 191 pounds I’m not quite to that stage, but still it’s nice to hear. One of my friends said the place she could see it most was my face. All the puffiness that used to be there is gone.
My period this month has been a whole lot of nothing, thank goodness. I think I had two mini cramplets but that’s about it. It’s definitely not been the drama that it was last month. I guess my body just got a little zealous about the whole detoxing thing.
I’m down 10 mg of my antidepressant, actually I am having to split the capsules because I’m in between the doses that are made by the manufacturer. It’s been a couple of weeks now and I still really haven’t noticed a difference. I have been taking some homeopathic sepia which seems to be working well for me. I’ve been trying to find some aurum metallicum, but there is none to be had around here, even in the vitamin and health food stores. I did get a complex remedy from King Bio that has some in it, so hopefully that should prove helpful. Everything I’ve heard about aurum metallicum is that it’s great for depression. I keep my depression managed pretty well, but I’m all about the “hey let’s throw everything and the kitchen sink at it” school of thought.
Interestingly I did some reading about aurum metallicum that really led me to a lot of questions. I have a materia medica app with Boericke and Kent on my phone (it’s a freebie if you have an Android device). The stuff seems a bit rambly to me but I’m starting to figure some of it out. One of the things they kept rambling on and on about in the stuff about aurum metallicum remedy was about syphilis and mercury. Of course, this is cracking me up for some reason, I guess because I have never had syphilis and thus have never had to medicate myself with mercury.
But then I stopped to think about the possible connection between mercury and the brain. From what I gathered (and I’m still a total newbie at reading this so I could be way off base), the mercury treatment was making people depressed, and then the docs were going back and using the aurum metallicum to help with it. Then a ding ding ding went off in my head.
I was a very well vaccinated child. The only vaccine I didn’t get a second time was the DPT, because I had a reaction to it when I was little. There was some sort of temporary leg paralysis thing, I’m a little fuzzy on the details that my parents told me about and I was too young to remember. I think it was something to the shot went in the rump and a few hours later I could no longer stand or move the leg attached to said rump cheek. It cleared up in a day or two I believe. Anyway Mom and Dad opted to not let me have any boosters of that one, and they told me when I was older to avoid it.
So I had lots of vaccines as a kid. Vaccines have mercury in them. Possible connection with the depression? I don’t know, but it does make for very interesting questions doesn’t it?
Friday, July 8, 2011
Sweet 16!
Over the long weekend I got into my first pair of size 16 jeans and a couple of pairs of size 16 pants. I can’t believe I am actually taking the first steps out of the plus size clothing department. I actually even tried some tops on, but since my biceps are pretty big from weight lifting I had some issues there. Then there were some that were very short sleeved, but the arm holes were cut WAY too low. Do fashion designers not realize that if women don’t want necklines cut down to our navels, we probably don’t want the arm holes cut down to the navel either?
Anyhow, I’m feeling much better now that the little intestinal upset has passed. It was nice to take some time off over the holiday. I’m heading up to my period in the next couple of days. The period from hell I had last month started with major PMS and brain fog several days beforehand and I haven’t seen any signs aside from a little gassiness. Hopefully that bodes well for me this month. I started taking my PMS Relief proactively yesterday just to be safe.
My melasmas are really starting to get noticeably lighter.
My poor boxer has a nasty yeast infection in one of his ears. I'm out of his normal ear meds (an antibiotic/steroid/anti-fungal combo), so I am putting a bit of Sovereign Silver in them. He's so miserable wanting me to rub the base of his ears, and when I was rubbing them he maneuvered his ear to try to stick one of my fingers in it. Gross, but my baby boy definitely knows how to give me a hint. So I suppose we'll see how Sovereign Silver does for the canine set. I've already been using the First Aid Gel on his eczema patches with success so hopefully the ears will do well too.
Anyhow, I’m feeling much better now that the little intestinal upset has passed. It was nice to take some time off over the holiday. I’m heading up to my period in the next couple of days. The period from hell I had last month started with major PMS and brain fog several days beforehand and I haven’t seen any signs aside from a little gassiness. Hopefully that bodes well for me this month. I started taking my PMS Relief proactively yesterday just to be safe.
My melasmas are really starting to get noticeably lighter.
My poor boxer has a nasty yeast infection in one of his ears. I'm out of his normal ear meds (an antibiotic/steroid/anti-fungal combo), so I am putting a bit of Sovereign Silver in them. He's so miserable wanting me to rub the base of his ears, and when I was rubbing them he maneuvered his ear to try to stick one of my fingers in it. Gross, but my baby boy definitely knows how to give me a hint. So I suppose we'll see how Sovereign Silver does for the canine set. I've already been using the First Aid Gel on his eczema patches with success so hopefully the ears will do well too.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Garlicky Kale Stir Fry from Heaven!
I conducted a culinary experiment tonight and I am basking in garlicky kale bliss and I had to share. This is one experiment that I am so going to repeat!
I had some prepared buckwheat in the fridge, along with some grape tomatoes that were just starting to get a little mushy. So as I was washing up my fresh lacinato kale (a sweeter Italian variety), I concocted a plan. Being a kale-aholic and a garlic-aholic, those were a given. Here is my little experiment.
1 1/2 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
8 grape tomatoes, halved
several big handfuls of coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup prepared buckwheat (approximately)
Himalayan sea salt (to taste)
In a wok, I melted the ghee and added the minced garlic. Then I dumped the kale, tomatoes, and buckwheat in and sauteed them on medium high heat. When the veggies get nice and wilty and the ghee starts turning the buckwheat brownish it's done. Dump on a plate, salt to taste and enjoy!
I had some prepared buckwheat in the fridge, along with some grape tomatoes that were just starting to get a little mushy. So as I was washing up my fresh lacinato kale (a sweeter Italian variety), I concocted a plan. Being a kale-aholic and a garlic-aholic, those were a given. Here is my little experiment.
1 1/2 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
8 grape tomatoes, halved
several big handfuls of coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup prepared buckwheat (approximately)
Himalayan sea salt (to taste)
In a wok, I melted the ghee and added the minced garlic. Then I dumped the kale, tomatoes, and buckwheat in and sauteed them on medium high heat. When the veggies get nice and wilty and the ghee starts turning the buckwheat brownish it's done. Dump on a plate, salt to taste and enjoy!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Go Big Orange!
Yes, I’m from Tennessee so orange is normally a good thing. Except when your poop turns orange. Then it’s just scary as heck. I’ve had some intestinal issues over the past few days, I think from not properly cleaning my sprouts like I should have, but at the same time it all turned orange! Seriously, I had no idea poop could be orange. It freaked me out, and I stopped at the local health food store on the way to work to pick up some aloe juice, King Bio Diarrhea Relief, and some hepar sulphuris calcareum. Admittedly the intestinal issues have been a little annoying, but not bad.
The orangeness was really freaking me out, but I was checking out an article on astaxanthin, because my endurance in my workouts has been through the roof since I started taking it about a week and a half ago. Sure enough, listed as one of the side effects of taking astaxanthin on several different sites is orange-ish poop. I’ve been taking two pills a day of the BioAstin, so that would definitely explain it. Freak out averted. All my spirulina turned it green, and now the astaxanthin is turning it orange. Maybe now I really will bleed orange. Go Vols!
Geez, I feel like an old lady always discussing the state of my bowels.
So is it weird to really like the taste of aloe juice? I kind of miss it anyway from when I was doing the silver-aloe protocol. It tastes so fresh and green. Is green really a taste? I don’t know but that’s the word that strikes me when I drink it. Plus my whole abdomen would sort of sigh happily and relax whenever I drank it with the silver. Since I got that feeling on the protocol, I figured it wouldn’t hurt now that my intestines are a bit crabby. Sure enough, I took a couple of gulps out of the bottle and my tummy went, “AHHHHHH.” Pepto Bismol sure doesn’t work that fast.
I’ve been sipping on the aloe juice all day and it’s amazing how much better everything is. The funniest part is that almost intuitively, I seemed to know that I needed the aloe juice. This whole “the body is smart” (and apparently very chatty) concept is new to me. I’m sure the homeopathic stuff is helping too, but it’s such a weird feeling to see these dormant instincts in my body are starting to awaken now that I’m not fighting it. Kind of like finding out everything you ever learned about your body is wrong. That’s probably why my brain is still spinning. Is there a homeopathic remedy for that?
The orangeness was really freaking me out, but I was checking out an article on astaxanthin, because my endurance in my workouts has been through the roof since I started taking it about a week and a half ago. Sure enough, listed as one of the side effects of taking astaxanthin on several different sites is orange-ish poop. I’ve been taking two pills a day of the BioAstin, so that would definitely explain it. Freak out averted. All my spirulina turned it green, and now the astaxanthin is turning it orange. Maybe now I really will bleed orange. Go Vols!
Geez, I feel like an old lady always discussing the state of my bowels.
So is it weird to really like the taste of aloe juice? I kind of miss it anyway from when I was doing the silver-aloe protocol. It tastes so fresh and green. Is green really a taste? I don’t know but that’s the word that strikes me when I drink it. Plus my whole abdomen would sort of sigh happily and relax whenever I drank it with the silver. Since I got that feeling on the protocol, I figured it wouldn’t hurt now that my intestines are a bit crabby. Sure enough, I took a couple of gulps out of the bottle and my tummy went, “AHHHHHH.” Pepto Bismol sure doesn’t work that fast.
I’ve been sipping on the aloe juice all day and it’s amazing how much better everything is. The funniest part is that almost intuitively, I seemed to know that I needed the aloe juice. This whole “the body is smart” (and apparently very chatty) concept is new to me. I’m sure the homeopathic stuff is helping too, but it’s such a weird feeling to see these dormant instincts in my body are starting to awaken now that I’m not fighting it. Kind of like finding out everything you ever learned about your body is wrong. That’s probably why my brain is still spinning. Is there a homeopathic remedy for that?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Fat and Being Not Fat
My mom commented the other day, seeming a bit bewildered by how much fat I am eating. It made me stop and think about how much my diet has changed and how much fat I am really eating. When I bought into the fat is bad mantra, I avoided fat like the plague, everything was low fat and low calorie, but I still wasn’t losing weight. Sure I managed to drop about 15 pounds on the Medifast powder and water diet of about 800-900 calories a day, but even that stalled out.
Since I started the silver-aloe protocol, my diet completely changed as I started researching and finding out more about candida and reading the Body Ecology Diet book. I started drinking kefir smoothies for breakfast and eating lots of fresh veggies and oily fish, including my favorite salmon. My favorite way to make it is to brush the filet with olive oil before seasoning and cooking it, as it helps keep the salmon nice and moist. Then there were the oily salad dressings, usually made with either olive oil or hemp oil and apple cider vinegar. If I’m not eating meat I usually put a good amount of hemp seeds in my salad which have a good bit of fat in them along with the protein. For snacks I often eat organic almonds or pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds).
Oftentimes I’ll saute kale or another leafy green in either coconut oil or ghee, especially as I can’t seem to handle two meals with raw vegetables in a single day very well. (Speaking of which, kale sauteed in ghee with a tablespoon or two of minced garlic and Himalayan sea salt - freaking awesome!) It’s not too bad when I eat two meals of raw veggies, but my intestines can get a little cranky about all the roughage. Plus there’s the tablespoon of coconut oil I take religiously every night, as it has anti-candida properties.
So, I’m eating all this fat, and my weight is coming off. Not at the super fast rate it was at first when I started on the silver and aloe, but a pound or two every week or two. According to all the conventional dietary and medical knowledge, all this fat should be making my butt swell up like a hot air balloon. But instead it’s deflating. Hee hee!
I really don’t understand the dynamics in play here, but in concert with the silver-aloe protocol and the anti-candida diet, eating healthy fat seems to be a major game changer. One thing is definitely clear. Fat is helping me be not fat, and that’s a good thing!
Since I started the silver-aloe protocol, my diet completely changed as I started researching and finding out more about candida and reading the Body Ecology Diet book. I started drinking kefir smoothies for breakfast and eating lots of fresh veggies and oily fish, including my favorite salmon. My favorite way to make it is to brush the filet with olive oil before seasoning and cooking it, as it helps keep the salmon nice and moist. Then there were the oily salad dressings, usually made with either olive oil or hemp oil and apple cider vinegar. If I’m not eating meat I usually put a good amount of hemp seeds in my salad which have a good bit of fat in them along with the protein. For snacks I often eat organic almonds or pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds).
Oftentimes I’ll saute kale or another leafy green in either coconut oil or ghee, especially as I can’t seem to handle two meals with raw vegetables in a single day very well. (Speaking of which, kale sauteed in ghee with a tablespoon or two of minced garlic and Himalayan sea salt - freaking awesome!) It’s not too bad when I eat two meals of raw veggies, but my intestines can get a little cranky about all the roughage. Plus there’s the tablespoon of coconut oil I take religiously every night, as it has anti-candida properties.
So, I’m eating all this fat, and my weight is coming off. Not at the super fast rate it was at first when I started on the silver and aloe, but a pound or two every week or two. According to all the conventional dietary and medical knowledge, all this fat should be making my butt swell up like a hot air balloon. But instead it’s deflating. Hee hee!
I really don’t understand the dynamics in play here, but in concert with the silver-aloe protocol and the anti-candida diet, eating healthy fat seems to be a major game changer. One thing is definitely clear. Fat is helping me be not fat, and that’s a good thing!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Workout Bliss!
I am kicking some serious booty working out! Maybe it's the One World Whey or the astaxanthin I started taking last week, but I am seriously on fire lately. I'm not even breaking a sweat on my cardio and really going at it. Either way my endurance and stamina is way up. As the fat is coming off I am starting to see some of the muscle trying to show itself in my biceps. It's always been there, just hidden by all the flab. Still, it's kind of nice to say, "hello there little muscle!" now that I can see it. It was so cool to kick my trainer's butt in cardio today. I beat him by 0.15 of a mile on the stationary bike during our circuit today!
I had a little setback with my digestion over the weekend, but I'm not 100% sure why. Perhaps I ate something wrong, or it could be that I forgot to soak my sprouts in water with grapefruit seed extract before eating them (bad, bad, bad me!). It wasn't that terrible, mostly just annoying, but I did get a little sick. Even still it's not nearly as bad as the day to day drama I used to live with before starting my journey slaying the evil candida monster.
I am still in awe that I've lost 22 whole pounds. It seems to be going at around a pound or so every week or two, kind of doing its own thing as it feels like it. Strange though, I'm really starting to trust the wisdom of my body and figuring that it's doing what it needs to do when it needs to do it. It's such a totally new concept for me, because everything I have done up until now has been about fighting my body. Fight it on the depression, fight it on the allergies, fight it on the eczema, fight it on the monster zits. But then look where that got me ... a one way ticket to Sickville.
The rash under one of my arms is trying to flare up a smidge, but I'm slathering the Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel on it and it is keeping it happy. My ears are acting goofy too, and the eczema and itching have gotten a bit worse. Fortunately the Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel is coming in handy there too. I get a Q-Tip and roll it in a huge squirt of the gel and then swirl it around all in the ear canal. It feels like I'm giving myself a Wet Willie, but it works. So far I've been doing it twice a day and it seems to help. The color of the discharge in my ears has changed from yellow to white over the past few days, so apparently it's doing something in there. I may try a couple of drops of the liquid in there to see if it improves the results if it continues with the itchiness.
I have to remember that these things aren't setbacks, just more layers of the toxic onion trying to peel off. Believe me with the crap I have put in my body over my lifetime, there are lots of toxic layers. But they'll come when my body is ready to release them, I am confident.
I had a little setback with my digestion over the weekend, but I'm not 100% sure why. Perhaps I ate something wrong, or it could be that I forgot to soak my sprouts in water with grapefruit seed extract before eating them (bad, bad, bad me!). It wasn't that terrible, mostly just annoying, but I did get a little sick. Even still it's not nearly as bad as the day to day drama I used to live with before starting my journey slaying the evil candida monster.
I am still in awe that I've lost 22 whole pounds. It seems to be going at around a pound or so every week or two, kind of doing its own thing as it feels like it. Strange though, I'm really starting to trust the wisdom of my body and figuring that it's doing what it needs to do when it needs to do it. It's such a totally new concept for me, because everything I have done up until now has been about fighting my body. Fight it on the depression, fight it on the allergies, fight it on the eczema, fight it on the monster zits. But then look where that got me ... a one way ticket to Sickville.
The rash under one of my arms is trying to flare up a smidge, but I'm slathering the Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel on it and it is keeping it happy. My ears are acting goofy too, and the eczema and itching have gotten a bit worse. Fortunately the Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel is coming in handy there too. I get a Q-Tip and roll it in a huge squirt of the gel and then swirl it around all in the ear canal. It feels like I'm giving myself a Wet Willie, but it works. So far I've been doing it twice a day and it seems to help. The color of the discharge in my ears has changed from yellow to white over the past few days, so apparently it's doing something in there. I may try a couple of drops of the liquid in there to see if it improves the results if it continues with the itchiness.
I have to remember that these things aren't setbacks, just more layers of the toxic onion trying to peel off. Believe me with the crap I have put in my body over my lifetime, there are lots of toxic layers. But they'll come when my body is ready to release them, I am confident.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
An Arnica Montana Kind of Day
I'm not sure if the One World Whey is contributing to this or not, but I am so sore from my killer workout yesterday. My abs hurt, my butt hurts, my legs and chest hurt, and my back hurts. I haven't been this sore in a long time. I don't know if it was because the workout was killer, or if the addition of the whey protein just gave more power to put into it. Either way, I've been popping arnica montana pellets and using arnica gel pretty much everywhere today.
I'm sure my trainer will be the usual sadist that he is tomorrow when he finds out I'm sore. He says "the best way to deal with soreness is to work it out." Which of course means that he's going to work everything that's sore even harder tomorrow. By Friday I may not be able to move!
I had to face a harsh reality of weight loss today - my boobs are shrinking. I suppose that's a good thing in the grand scheme of things, but it necessitated a trip to the mall to go bra shopping tonight. So, I've officially dropped a full bra size in the past two months. It would have been much nicer if those inches had come off my butt, but I'll take what I can get!
Everything else seems to be going well. I've been able to reduce my usage of the homeopathic allergy meds to twice a day now, so they seem to be clearing up a bit more. This new immune system is pretty powerful!
I'm sure my trainer will be the usual sadist that he is tomorrow when he finds out I'm sore. He says "the best way to deal with soreness is to work it out." Which of course means that he's going to work everything that's sore even harder tomorrow. By Friday I may not be able to move!
I had to face a harsh reality of weight loss today - my boobs are shrinking. I suppose that's a good thing in the grand scheme of things, but it necessitated a trip to the mall to go bra shopping tonight. So, I've officially dropped a full bra size in the past two months. It would have been much nicer if those inches had come off my butt, but I'll take what I can get!
Everything else seems to be going well. I've been able to reduce my usage of the homeopathic allergy meds to twice a day now, so they seem to be clearing up a bit more. This new immune system is pretty powerful!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
It's a Conspiracy...
What is it with people trying to make me eat the exact stuff I'm trying to avoid? Seriously, it's nuts. Everywhere I turned at work today, there were bagel platters and cookie platters all over the place. All filled with the wonderful things that will make my gut very, very cranky: sugar, lactose, gluten, and refined carbs. Sheesh!
My dad has taken to calling me "grass eater" because I am eating so many vegetables, mostly leafy greens. Dad's never met a vegetable he likes, with the exception of battered and deep-fried-til-it's-blackened okra. He eats something like two doughnuts a day, so I have started calling him "doughnut eater." It works!
Sometimes it is so hard dealing with everyone else around me shoveling all this toxic garbage into their faces as fast as they can, and it's so hard for me to find things that are safe for me to eat out in the wide world. I get bored with food easily so it's definitely going to be my next challenge to come up with more creative ways of putting together the foods I can eat, while still getting all the food combining rules from the Body Ecology Diet right. Mostly it's making sure that you don't even put protein fats, animal proteins, or protein starches together. Fortunately veggies pretty much combine with anything.
I just got almost two weeks worth of samples from One World Whey in that I started on Sunday. It's definitely pretty tasty, and I did have an AWESOME workout this morning. Maybe it's the whey, maybe not. Only time will tell. It's a little on the spendy side, so I'm glad they offered samples first. I really like mixing it in to my morning smoothies, and the offer it in chocolate too. The vanilla is pretty awesome too, and they have strawberry but I haven't tried that yet. One of my smoothies will last me a good 4-5 hours before I get hungry again with the whey in it, so that's definitely a plus!
My dad has taken to calling me "grass eater" because I am eating so many vegetables, mostly leafy greens. Dad's never met a vegetable he likes, with the exception of battered and deep-fried-til-it's-blackened okra. He eats something like two doughnuts a day, so I have started calling him "doughnut eater." It works!
Sometimes it is so hard dealing with everyone else around me shoveling all this toxic garbage into their faces as fast as they can, and it's so hard for me to find things that are safe for me to eat out in the wide world. I get bored with food easily so it's definitely going to be my next challenge to come up with more creative ways of putting together the foods I can eat, while still getting all the food combining rules from the Body Ecology Diet right. Mostly it's making sure that you don't even put protein fats, animal proteins, or protein starches together. Fortunately veggies pretty much combine with anything.
I just got almost two weeks worth of samples from One World Whey in that I started on Sunday. It's definitely pretty tasty, and I did have an AWESOME workout this morning. Maybe it's the whey, maybe not. Only time will tell. It's a little on the spendy side, so I'm glad they offered samples first. I really like mixing it in to my morning smoothies, and the offer it in chocolate too. The vanilla is pretty awesome too, and they have strawberry but I haven't tried that yet. One of my smoothies will last me a good 4-5 hours before I get hungry again with the whey in it, so that's definitely a plus!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Two Short Months - A Whole Freaking World of Difference!
Wow, tomorrow will be the two month anniversary of the day I started my journey with the silver-aloe protocol and Body Ecology Diet that Robert Scott Bell suggested to me. It's strange because it still seems like yesterday and almost a lifetime ago at the same time. Just this morning I hit 22 pounds lost. That's 22 pounds in two months! And not on the 800-900 calorie powder and water diet I was on. So I started this journey at 215 pounds and I'm now at 193. That's only 13 pounds away from my goal of 180. Once I'm there I'll re-evaluate and see how much more I want/need to lose.
My melasma (hyperpigmenation) spots on my face appear to be slowly fading on their own as well over the past week or so. Yay! Interestingly my complexion overall seems to be getting more and more radiant, so much so that I'm wearing less and less makeup. The girl I see when I look in the mirror is looking more and more like the girl I was 5-10 years ago.
On a funnier note, my boxer is now addicted to coconut oil. I read an article on Natural News from Dr. Carolyn Dean that suggested putting coconut oil onto rashes for pets, and I started putting it on him. He gets horrible rashes where his back legs join up to the rest of his body. He now points to the coconut oil jar with his nose when he wants some, and loves to lick it off my hands after I put it on his rashes. It's pretty funny, and his rashes do seem to be improving. So now when I take my daily dose of coconut oil, he has to have some too.
For another fun adventure, my sun lamp that I use to get up in the mornings died last week. With my delayed phase sleep disorder normally this would have been a big problem, but I'm not having trouble getting up in the mornings even without it. My sleep cycle seems to be completely normalized now, where it never has been before. Now I'm still going to get an electrician to try to fix it, because I'm used to using it, but it's nice to know I don't have to have it.
So let's review the progress I've made in two short months aside from the hugely fantastic freaking awesome 22 pounds I've lost. I was only expecting an improvement in my allergies, certainly not all of this. Eyelid eczema - gone. Bad rash under my armpits - gone. Weird occasional skin eruptions on my legs - gone. Monster zits from hell - gone, even after going off the birth control pills that were keeping them under control. Rosacea and redness - gone. Depression and mood - significantly improved. Allergies and sinuses - significantly improved and only taking homeopathic medicines now, with occasional sinus headaches still occurring. Energy level - way up. Stress level -way down and handling stress so much better. Intestines being a complete drama queen - so much better, still an occasional spell, mostly because I'm still discovering the foods that trigger it to act up. Delayed phase sleep disorder - normalized.
Gee, that's a whole lot of stuff for two months. I have known instinctively that something has been wrong with me for several years now and have gone to doctor after doctor looking for a diagnosis. And to think none of them were able to offer any help, or even acknowledge that anything was truly wrong. I think as far as they were concerned this was all in my head. There's a few I would like to go back and show them the "all in my head" 22 pounds that just fell off my rump.
My melasma (hyperpigmenation) spots on my face appear to be slowly fading on their own as well over the past week or so. Yay! Interestingly my complexion overall seems to be getting more and more radiant, so much so that I'm wearing less and less makeup. The girl I see when I look in the mirror is looking more and more like the girl I was 5-10 years ago.
On a funnier note, my boxer is now addicted to coconut oil. I read an article on Natural News from Dr. Carolyn Dean that suggested putting coconut oil onto rashes for pets, and I started putting it on him. He gets horrible rashes where his back legs join up to the rest of his body. He now points to the coconut oil jar with his nose when he wants some, and loves to lick it off my hands after I put it on his rashes. It's pretty funny, and his rashes do seem to be improving. So now when I take my daily dose of coconut oil, he has to have some too.
For another fun adventure, my sun lamp that I use to get up in the mornings died last week. With my delayed phase sleep disorder normally this would have been a big problem, but I'm not having trouble getting up in the mornings even without it. My sleep cycle seems to be completely normalized now, where it never has been before. Now I'm still going to get an electrician to try to fix it, because I'm used to using it, but it's nice to know I don't have to have it.
So let's review the progress I've made in two short months aside from the hugely fantastic freaking awesome 22 pounds I've lost. I was only expecting an improvement in my allergies, certainly not all of this. Eyelid eczema - gone. Bad rash under my armpits - gone. Weird occasional skin eruptions on my legs - gone. Monster zits from hell - gone, even after going off the birth control pills that were keeping them under control. Rosacea and redness - gone. Depression and mood - significantly improved. Allergies and sinuses - significantly improved and only taking homeopathic medicines now, with occasional sinus headaches still occurring. Energy level - way up. Stress level -way down and handling stress so much better. Intestines being a complete drama queen - so much better, still an occasional spell, mostly because I'm still discovering the foods that trigger it to act up. Delayed phase sleep disorder - normalized.
Gee, that's a whole lot of stuff for two months. I have known instinctively that something has been wrong with me for several years now and have gone to doctor after doctor looking for a diagnosis. And to think none of them were able to offer any help, or even acknowledge that anything was truly wrong. I think as far as they were concerned this was all in my head. There's a few I would like to go back and show them the "all in my head" 22 pounds that just fell off my rump.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Meat Goes On
I guess I am still in the process of rebuilding from period from hell. The meat cravings are still going on, just not quite as bad. I brought hemp seeds and leafy greens for lunch the past two days, but have still found myself running out at lunch for meat. Yesterday was salmon, today chicken.
Actually today I was really craving sushi but I talked myself out of it because of the white rice. I used to eat sushi all the time but with the white rice being higher glycemic and thus more likely to feed the candida monster I have relegated that to the status of very occasional treat. But a girl's gotta have sushi every now and then, candida or not.
With the period from hell I almost forgot to update on my toe. By Saturday it was COMPLETELY HEALED!!!! I mean, it looked like nothing ever happened, aside from one little spot where I had to trim off some dead skin. Is that crazy or what? Go Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel!
The kale cravings seem to be dying off a bit now that I've been on the King Bio Liver Detox formula for a while. I'm still eating it, but I think that the whole kale obsession was my liver. I cut down on my homeopathic sinus and allergy meds to twice a day from three times a day as an experiment. So far so good!
Actually today I was really craving sushi but I talked myself out of it because of the white rice. I used to eat sushi all the time but with the white rice being higher glycemic and thus more likely to feed the candida monster I have relegated that to the status of very occasional treat. But a girl's gotta have sushi every now and then, candida or not.
With the period from hell I almost forgot to update on my toe. By Saturday it was COMPLETELY HEALED!!!! I mean, it looked like nothing ever happened, aside from one little spot where I had to trim off some dead skin. Is that crazy or what? Go Sovereign Silver First Aid Gel!
The kale cravings seem to be dying off a bit now that I've been on the King Bio Liver Detox formula for a while. I'm still eating it, but I think that the whole kale obsession was my liver. I cut down on my homeopathic sinus and allergy meds to twice a day from three times a day as an experiment. So far so good!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Period from Hell
I haven't posted in a few days because I have been feeling under the weather thanks to the period from hell. This was the first "real" period after stopping my birth control pills in addition to the fact that my liver seems to be in epic detox mode. Between all the kale and green stuff in my morning smoothie, plus the addition of the Liver Detox formula from King Bio, I am sure my liver had something to do with all the craziness. I started the liver detox formula after I suspected that the kale cravings are liver related since kale is supposed to be very potent for liver detoxification. Robert Scott Bell suggested using the King Bio formula.
Now on to the not fun stuff. On Wednesday I could feel a little PMS coming on so I started taking the King Bio PMS Relief. Thursday was flat out nuts. I started having ravenous meat cravings and actually had to leave work at lunch to get some meat because my broccoli and hempseed was not cutting it. By the afternoon I could not remember any usernames and passwords at work, which was actually quite funny.
Friday I finally started and had a really heavy flow for a first day. I was pretty crampy and nauseated as well, moreso than usual. Still it wasn't too bad and the PMS Relief took care of most of it. By Saturday the flow was horrible and my sanitary protection was wholly inadequate to deal with it. It was bad enough that I was actually scared that something was wrong. I hated to bug him, but I contacted Robert and assured me that this was ok and likely just the result of detoxifying and gave me some remedy suggestions to help.
By Monday it had all but stopped, and I rarely finish that quickly. Oddly I feel strangely more balanced and almost lighter now today, so I really think my body was just trying to use the cycle to force some toxins and other stuff out as hard and fast as possible.
The switch to the whole food GTF Chromium still seems to be going well. I can't really tell any difference in how I feel on the new stuff versus the Chromax, but that's a good sign I think, considering I was on 500 mcg of the Chromax and I'm only on 300 mcg of the GTF Chromium. So far so good.
Getting used to my new body with a mid of its own is a whole new concept for me. It is a lot smarter than I ever gave it credit for. My whole system seems to be flushing itself out as hard as it can. Speaking of flushing out, I can't wait until payday tomorrow. I am in dire need of some new not plus size pants!
Now on to the not fun stuff. On Wednesday I could feel a little PMS coming on so I started taking the King Bio PMS Relief. Thursday was flat out nuts. I started having ravenous meat cravings and actually had to leave work at lunch to get some meat because my broccoli and hempseed was not cutting it. By the afternoon I could not remember any usernames and passwords at work, which was actually quite funny.
Friday I finally started and had a really heavy flow for a first day. I was pretty crampy and nauseated as well, moreso than usual. Still it wasn't too bad and the PMS Relief took care of most of it. By Saturday the flow was horrible and my sanitary protection was wholly inadequate to deal with it. It was bad enough that I was actually scared that something was wrong. I hated to bug him, but I contacted Robert and assured me that this was ok and likely just the result of detoxifying and gave me some remedy suggestions to help.
By Monday it had all but stopped, and I rarely finish that quickly. Oddly I feel strangely more balanced and almost lighter now today, so I really think my body was just trying to use the cycle to force some toxins and other stuff out as hard and fast as possible.
The switch to the whole food GTF Chromium still seems to be going well. I can't really tell any difference in how I feel on the new stuff versus the Chromax, but that's a good sign I think, considering I was on 500 mcg of the Chromax and I'm only on 300 mcg of the GTF Chromium. So far so good.
Getting used to my new body with a mid of its own is a whole new concept for me. It is a lot smarter than I ever gave it credit for. My whole system seems to be flushing itself out as hard as it can. Speaking of flushing out, I can't wait until payday tomorrow. I am in dire need of some new not plus size pants!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday, June 7 - The Discovery of Italian Kale
So far the GTF Chromium switch is going well this time. I haven't noticed any difference between taking the 300 mcg of the whole food stuff vs. the 500 mcg of the Chromax form. The only thing is remembering to take it, LOL!
I'm starting to feel a little PMS coming on - bloating, a little tiredness and some intestinal discomfort. It's not too bad though. I started up with my King Bio PMS Relief again and it seems to be helping. Today I stopped by the farmer's market and got some Italian kale. It's a little different than the curly kale I've been eating, perhaps a little sweeter. Since my tummy is a little goofy with the PMS I sauteed it in a little ghee and put some hemp seeds on it. I wasn't sure it was going to tolerate raw stuff tonight like I usually eat.
I guess it's all part of this whole process I'm in of learning to listen to and work with my body, instead of fighting it like I used to. Speaking of listening to my body, I checked with Robert Scott Bell about my kale cravings. I really think those are indicative of my liver needing help cleansing. My body is a lot smarter than I have ever given it credit for and those cravings have to be a sign of something my body needs. Kale is a pretty potent detoxifier for the liver. He suggested a few things to help support my liver as it continues through this process of detoxifying. There's no doubt I've got loads of garbage stored up in my body and the liver has got to out process it all from my body. It's somehow comforting that these lines of communication seem to be opening up so that my body is starting to tell me what it needs.
I'm starting to feel a little PMS coming on - bloating, a little tiredness and some intestinal discomfort. It's not too bad though. I started up with my King Bio PMS Relief again and it seems to be helping. Today I stopped by the farmer's market and got some Italian kale. It's a little different than the curly kale I've been eating, perhaps a little sweeter. Since my tummy is a little goofy with the PMS I sauteed it in a little ghee and put some hemp seeds on it. I wasn't sure it was going to tolerate raw stuff tonight like I usually eat.
I guess it's all part of this whole process I'm in of learning to listen to and work with my body, instead of fighting it like I used to. Speaking of listening to my body, I checked with Robert Scott Bell about my kale cravings. I really think those are indicative of my liver needing help cleansing. My body is a lot smarter than I have ever given it credit for and those cravings have to be a sign of something my body needs. Kale is a pretty potent detoxifier for the liver. He suggested a few things to help support my liver as it continues through this process of detoxifying. There's no doubt I've got loads of garbage stored up in my body and the liver has got to out process it all from my body. It's somehow comforting that these lines of communication seem to be opening up so that my body is starting to tell me what it needs.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Monday, June 6 and Kale Quinoa Salad with Hemp Garlic Dressing
Well Sovereign Silver does it again. My toe is solidly scabbed up and normal color is returning to the flap of skin that was cut loose. There is no pain now even when I press on the wound. So not only does it heal your gut, but also your toes!
Now for the big news of the day. I have officially lost 20 whole pounds! Pound number 20 just popped off last night apparently. That is 20 pounds in less than 2 months! I am now at 195. I never believed it could be possible, especially after struggling for so long on ultra low calorie diets and now finally eating normal quantities of food for the first time in ages. I am so excited!
I decided tonight to experiment tonight with my new bottle of Hemp Oil I got from NaturalNews.com. Unfortunately the bottle had an unfortunate mishap and the top of the cork was broken off during shipping. Seeing as how no one in our family drinks alcohol, we do not have a corkscrew. So, as you can see from the picture, when you don't have a corkscrew, a long screw and screwdriver works quite nicely!
Of course, being the kale-o-holic that I am, it had to involve kale. I just grew some lentil sprouts as well, so I threw a bunch of kale and lentil sprouts into a bowl together, then boiled up some quinoa for protein.
Now for the fun part! I decided to make my own dressing using the hemp oil. I used:
1/8 cup of hemp oil
3 tsp. of raw organic apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. of lemon juice
1 tsp. of minced garlic (from a jar, but hey, I'm tired after work - at least it's organic).
I mixed them all up in a cup and added salt and pepper to taste. Then I poured some of my new dressing over my salad. It's an interesting flavor. I'm definitely going to have to refine it and play with some spices.
Here is my result. It turned out pretty yummy for my first hemp oil experiment.
Now for the big news of the day. I have officially lost 20 whole pounds! Pound number 20 just popped off last night apparently. That is 20 pounds in less than 2 months! I am now at 195. I never believed it could be possible, especially after struggling for so long on ultra low calorie diets and now finally eating normal quantities of food for the first time in ages. I am so excited!
I decided tonight to experiment tonight with my new bottle of Hemp Oil I got from NaturalNews.com. Unfortunately the bottle had an unfortunate mishap and the top of the cork was broken off during shipping. Seeing as how no one in our family drinks alcohol, we do not have a corkscrew. So, as you can see from the picture, when you don't have a corkscrew, a long screw and screwdriver works quite nicely!
Of course, being the kale-o-holic that I am, it had to involve kale. I just grew some lentil sprouts as well, so I threw a bunch of kale and lentil sprouts into a bowl together, then boiled up some quinoa for protein.
Now for the fun part! I decided to make my own dressing using the hemp oil. I used:
1/8 cup of hemp oil
3 tsp. of raw organic apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. of lemon juice
1 tsp. of minced garlic (from a jar, but hey, I'm tired after work - at least it's organic).
I mixed them all up in a cup and added salt and pepper to taste. Then I poured some of my new dressing over my salad. It's an interesting flavor. I'm definitely going to have to refine it and play with some spices.
Here is my result. It turned out pretty yummy for my first hemp oil experiment.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Baby Broccoli with Hemp Seeds and Ghee
It's been tough finding new ways to prepare foods to keep things interesting, especially as I'm trying to keep my foods raw as much as possible. When I discover a new recipe I'm going to post it here.
Since I have discovered that even cultured butter makes me sick now, I decided to try ghee and have had no problems. Ghee is simply butter that has been heated to remove the water and milk solids, and has no lactose. I used Purity Farms Ghee because it is organic. Their website has a lot more information about the process of making ghee from butter.
Tonight I prepared some raw baby broccoli using ghee that was awesome. I imagine this would work well with steamed broccoli as well, but it's hot out and I didn't want to cook it! It's really simple and only takes a few minutes. With the addition of the hemp seeds for protein, this really makes for a complete meal.
Ingredients:
Bunch of raw baby broccoli
1-2 tbsp. ghee (also called clarified butter)
2 tbsp. hemp seeds
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Himalayan sea salt to taste
Melt the ghee to a liquid and pour over the raw broccoli. Then add the hemp seeds and toss everything up really well. The ghee will cause the hemp seeds to stick to the broccoli and give it a nice buttery taste. Then just put a little of the Himalayan sea salt and fresh ground pepper on it and enjoy!
Since I have discovered that even cultured butter makes me sick now, I decided to try ghee and have had no problems. Ghee is simply butter that has been heated to remove the water and milk solids, and has no lactose. I used Purity Farms Ghee because it is organic. Their website has a lot more information about the process of making ghee from butter.
Tonight I prepared some raw baby broccoli using ghee that was awesome. I imagine this would work well with steamed broccoli as well, but it's hot out and I didn't want to cook it! It's really simple and only takes a few minutes. With the addition of the hemp seeds for protein, this really makes for a complete meal.
Ingredients:
Bunch of raw baby broccoli
1-2 tbsp. ghee (also called clarified butter)
2 tbsp. hemp seeds
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Himalayan sea salt to taste
Melt the ghee to a liquid and pour over the raw broccoli. Then add the hemp seeds and toss everything up really well. The ghee will cause the hemp seeds to stick to the broccoli and give it a nice buttery taste. Then just put a little of the Himalayan sea salt and fresh ground pepper on it and enjoy!
Sunday, June 5
Toe is doing ok. It's a little tender if I press on the wound but otherwise not hurting and I'm able to walk normally. It looks really nasty, but there is no swelling or signs of any infection. The skin that was cut away has solidly knit back to the toe, but it's purple under the skin today. I can't tell if the flap of skin is dead/dying or not. I'm keeping the silver gel on it and making sure it's exposed to plenty of air. Getting the silver gel into the wound immediately after the cut must have made a huge difference, I've never seen a cut this bad heal this quickly.
I lost another pound, so I am now at 19 pounds lost, weighing in at 196 pounds. I actually weighed myself twice to be sure, because I have been hanging out at 197-199 for several weeks now. I'd like to get down to around 180, which is definitely do-able I think. My weight is going to be higher because of my weight lifting, but once I get to 180 I'll re-evaluate and see how much more I may need to lose. My size 18W pants are getting way too big now, so I'm going to have to get some non plus size pants. I hate that, LOL! Actually most likely I'll get Mom to help me take them in, because that's cheaper than buying new ones.
I have now been to two different Vitamin Shoppes over the past couple of weeks and the sales guys have actually flirted with me at each one. That has never happened before. Apparently I'm getting cute!
My friend and I went shopping the other day and we discovered Steaz!!!!! It's an organic sparkling green tea with all organic fruit flavors (including elderberry juice), no calories, and sweetened with Erythritol and Stevia - both are candida/Body Ecology Diet friendly natural sweeteners. They aren't cheap, but it's a nice treat when all I've had to drink for the last little bit is water, unsweetened iced tea with stevia, and almond milk for the last two months. I like the orange flavor, but my favorite is the blueberry pomegranate flavor. Yummy!!! I drink a lot of the Numi hot teas in the winter, but that just doesn't do it for me in the summer months. This is a perfect way for me to get some healthy antioxidant goodness.
I lost another pound, so I am now at 19 pounds lost, weighing in at 196 pounds. I actually weighed myself twice to be sure, because I have been hanging out at 197-199 for several weeks now. I'd like to get down to around 180, which is definitely do-able I think. My weight is going to be higher because of my weight lifting, but once I get to 180 I'll re-evaluate and see how much more I may need to lose. My size 18W pants are getting way too big now, so I'm going to have to get some non plus size pants. I hate that, LOL! Actually most likely I'll get Mom to help me take them in, because that's cheaper than buying new ones.
I have now been to two different Vitamin Shoppes over the past couple of weeks and the sales guys have actually flirted with me at each one. That has never happened before. Apparently I'm getting cute!
My friend and I went shopping the other day and we discovered Steaz!!!!! It's an organic sparkling green tea with all organic fruit flavors (including elderberry juice), no calories, and sweetened with Erythritol and Stevia - both are candida/Body Ecology Diet friendly natural sweeteners. They aren't cheap, but it's a nice treat when all I've had to drink for the last little bit is water, unsweetened iced tea with stevia, and almond milk for the last two months. I like the orange flavor, but my favorite is the blueberry pomegranate flavor. Yummy!!! I drink a lot of the Numi hot teas in the winter, but that just doesn't do it for me in the summer months. This is a perfect way for me to get some healthy antioxidant goodness.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Saturday, June 4
I am such a klutz. My ever-hungry boxer was howling this morning wanting his breakfast at 6 AM. So I stumbled to the back door without my glasses or contacts half asleep and let him out then got a can of dog food from the fridge. Lo and behold I dropped it right on my left big toe. Apparently the serrated metal rim must have hit it because I realized after squinting really good that I was bleeding like crazy all over the place.
I went and got my glasses so I could see and I had a huge gash right at the edge of my toenail that had cut into the tip of my toe. The gash was about 3/4 inch long across the toenail edge and cut straight down into the tip of the toe about a 1/4 inch. So I had this huge flap of skin that was cut loose on the tip of my toe. Gross! I rinsed the toe out with water and grabbed by Sovereign Silver gel and packed the gash with the gel, all the while it was still bleeding everywhere and the silver burned like %*$#@ (insert your favorite expletive here). As if it wasn't hurting bad enough already.
I found some non stick wound pads and some self adhesive ace bandage and made a compression bandage to try to stop the bleeding and then took a dose of silver hydrosol orally before propping up my foot and going back to bed. It took a little while to get back to sleep because it was hurting pretty bad.
When I got up I took the compression bandage off and it was only oozing a little. The flap of skin that had been cut loose looked good and I left the bandages off for a while to give the toe some air. It was pretty tender at that point but the pain has gone down to nothing and I was walking normally by mid afternoon.
I have a band-aid on it loosely now to give it some protection but still allow plenty of air circulation. The oddest thing is the flap of skin that is nearly cut away seems to still be alive and somehow knitting back up to the rest of the toe. I was figuring that it would die and I would need to cut it off in a day or two. The minimal pain and the knitting of the skin must be due to the silver. I haven't ever seen anything try to heal this fast, especially with a wound this bad. Now that the skin is knitted I can't get the silver into the wound itself when I reapply it. I am putting it all over the cut and the flap. Hopefully it will penetrate the skin to get in where it needs to be. What the gel doesn't get I am sure the Sovereign Silver hydrosol I'm taking orally will get.
My intestines are still a little squirrely with some mild bloating and gas. I am putting through a LOT of poop. These new probiotics are definitely doing something.
I went and got my glasses so I could see and I had a huge gash right at the edge of my toenail that had cut into the tip of my toe. The gash was about 3/4 inch long across the toenail edge and cut straight down into the tip of the toe about a 1/4 inch. So I had this huge flap of skin that was cut loose on the tip of my toe. Gross! I rinsed the toe out with water and grabbed by Sovereign Silver gel and packed the gash with the gel, all the while it was still bleeding everywhere and the silver burned like %*$#@ (insert your favorite expletive here). As if it wasn't hurting bad enough already.
I found some non stick wound pads and some self adhesive ace bandage and made a compression bandage to try to stop the bleeding and then took a dose of silver hydrosol orally before propping up my foot and going back to bed. It took a little while to get back to sleep because it was hurting pretty bad.
When I got up I took the compression bandage off and it was only oozing a little. The flap of skin that had been cut loose looked good and I left the bandages off for a while to give the toe some air. It was pretty tender at that point but the pain has gone down to nothing and I was walking normally by mid afternoon.
I have a band-aid on it loosely now to give it some protection but still allow plenty of air circulation. The oddest thing is the flap of skin that is nearly cut away seems to still be alive and somehow knitting back up to the rest of the toe. I was figuring that it would die and I would need to cut it off in a day or two. The minimal pain and the knitting of the skin must be due to the silver. I haven't ever seen anything try to heal this fast, especially with a wound this bad. Now that the skin is knitted I can't get the silver into the wound itself when I reapply it. I am putting it all over the cut and the flap. Hopefully it will penetrate the skin to get in where it needs to be. What the gel doesn't get I am sure the Sovereign Silver hydrosol I'm taking orally will get.
My intestines are still a little squirrely with some mild bloating and gas. I am putting through a LOT of poop. These new probiotics are definitely doing something.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, June 3
The GTF Chromium switch seems to be going well this time. I'm a little more tired than usual today, but that may be because I got up early and drove to one of our other offices 2 hours away for work. I also forgot a dose of my Sinus Relief and Regional Allergy stuff last night and I woke up with a little bit of a sinus headache, but that quickly cleared up. Either of those could explain the tired, not just the chromium switch. If it continues tomorrow I'll up the chromium dose by 100mcg a day to see if I just need more.
I had an epic blowout from the Dr. Ohhira probiotic switch yesterday morning that was pretty bad. When I say epic, I am not exaggerating. The smell was really ripe, not anything like what I'm used to. Today everything was nice and solid, but there was still the strange nasty smell to it. Before now I wasn't getting any smell. I seriously was not sure the toilet would ever be functional again after I was done with it, but God was merciful and the toilet soldiered through and flushed.
I'm still having the weird kale cravings. It literally is all I want, aside from the occasional broccoli sprouts. I have it with my salmon, I put hemp seeds on it, I put sprouted garlic sunflower seeds on it, I scramble it in my eggs. The thing is it really doesn't even taste that good just by itself. The vinaigrette I'm using is made with apple cider vinegar and olive oil, and the ACV gives it a nice kick though. Still I think it's funny that I'm craving it so badly. It must be the liver detoxing.
I had an epic blowout from the Dr. Ohhira probiotic switch yesterday morning that was pretty bad. When I say epic, I am not exaggerating. The smell was really ripe, not anything like what I'm used to. Today everything was nice and solid, but there was still the strange nasty smell to it. Before now I wasn't getting any smell. I seriously was not sure the toilet would ever be functional again after I was done with it, but God was merciful and the toilet soldiered through and flushed.
I'm still having the weird kale cravings. It literally is all I want, aside from the occasional broccoli sprouts. I have it with my salmon, I put hemp seeds on it, I put sprouted garlic sunflower seeds on it, I scramble it in my eggs. The thing is it really doesn't even taste that good just by itself. The vinaigrette I'm using is made with apple cider vinegar and olive oil, and the ACV gives it a nice kick though. Still I think it's funny that I'm craving it so badly. It must be the liver detoxing.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Wednesday, June 1
I have a little bit of a sinus headache today, but not too bad. I could feel it coming on last night. Taking some Headache Relief and extra Sinusalia along with plenty of SinuOrega spray. I guess there's more draining going on, and I can feel it coming down the back of my throat.
I'm retrying the switch to the GTF Chromium now that I'm out of PMSville and I've used up all my old stuff. We'll see how it goes, and if I need more than the 300mcg a day since I was taking 500mcg a day of picolinate/histidinate. I set alarms on my smartphone so I'll remember to take it and put a bunch of the pills in my purse so I will have them.
Today is payday, so I'm going to get some of the Dr. Ohhira's probiotics. I've heard lots of good things about them on the Robert Scott Bell show as well as elsewhere, so I think that may be a good switch from the New Chapter ones, especially since they don't require refrigeration.
I'm retrying the switch to the GTF Chromium now that I'm out of PMSville and I've used up all my old stuff. We'll see how it goes, and if I need more than the 300mcg a day since I was taking 500mcg a day of picolinate/histidinate. I set alarms on my smartphone so I'll remember to take it and put a bunch of the pills in my purse so I will have them.
Today is payday, so I'm going to get some of the Dr. Ohhira's probiotics. I've heard lots of good things about them on the Robert Scott Bell show as well as elsewhere, so I think that may be a good switch from the New Chapter ones, especially since they don't require refrigeration.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 31
I have discovered that I may not be able to tolerate even cultured butter (butter with friendly bacterial critters). I got SO gassy and uncomfortable yesterday when I put a little cultured butter on my steamed broccoli and it was so not pleasant. I may try to pick up some ghee and try that if I really need a butter fix, but for now I think I'm sticking with coconut oil and olive oil. I suppose it could have been the broccoli, so I'll have to test that hypothesis, but I'm leaning toward the butter. I'm still eating lots of kale, and some baby tomatoes occasionally. The Body Ecology Diet book says that you can have them occasionally if you tolerate them ok, and so far I haven't had a bit of trouble with them. But of course that's eating them with a ton of kale, dressing made with apple cider vinegar/olive oil, and hemp seeds.
I'm finding more and more ways to make my food interesting with spices and stuff. Dessert options are something I need to play with more, as I've been mostly focused on eating regular meals. So far the chia seed pudding and my morning smoothies are holding me for the sweet/chocolate fix.
My sinuses are still well under control with the new remedies. I've got a little bit of a sore throat today, but that's because a bunch of garbage is draining down the back of my throat.
I had a good workout today, especially now that my trainer is back from his vacation. Getting up early doesn't wipe me out like it used to. I'd be a walking zombie on workout days normally and feel like I was about to keel over and fall asleep. That never happens any more. I guess getting the candida under control has normalized my serotonin/melatonin cycle somehow. I'm still turning into a pumpkin at about 10 PM and HAVE to go to bed or I'll fall over, but that's a good thing I think.
I'm finding more and more ways to make my food interesting with spices and stuff. Dessert options are something I need to play with more, as I've been mostly focused on eating regular meals. So far the chia seed pudding and my morning smoothies are holding me for the sweet/chocolate fix.
My sinuses are still well under control with the new remedies. I've got a little bit of a sore throat today, but that's because a bunch of garbage is draining down the back of my throat.
I had a good workout today, especially now that my trainer is back from his vacation. Getting up early doesn't wipe me out like it used to. I'd be a walking zombie on workout days normally and feel like I was about to keel over and fall asleep. That never happens any more. I guess getting the candida under control has normalized my serotonin/melatonin cycle somehow. I'm still turning into a pumpkin at about 10 PM and HAVE to go to bed or I'll fall over, but that's a good thing I think.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Saturday, May 28
My sinuses cut loose last night. My contacts were acting squirrely all day yesterday because my eyes were dry, and I suppose that's why. I had stuff running out of my nose and down the back of my throat. I used some SinuOrega to flush out my sinuses and took a tub bath with a few drops of eucalyptus oil to help steam out my sinuses. It seemed to help. I went to bed early and got up with a bunch of dried crud to blow out of my nose, but otherwise not sick. The stuff coming out is all white or clear, not yellow or green that would indicate an infection. I'm moving stuff through today with accupressure.
I have also noticed over the last few days that my posture has changed. Normally I have been a bit swaybacked, but now my pelvis seems to be tilting backwards more, with the butt tucked under. I'm guessing that's a combination of the weight loss and the loss of stomach bloating from the candida. My lower back is staying much more relaxed now. The change has been so much that I've had to completely change the configuration of my car seat. My back has been popping a lot, so I guess that's just my spine adjusting itself.
I have also noticed over the last few days that my posture has changed. Normally I have been a bit swaybacked, but now my pelvis seems to be tilting backwards more, with the butt tucked under. I'm guessing that's a combination of the weight loss and the loss of stomach bloating from the candida. My lower back is staying much more relaxed now. The change has been so much that I've had to completely change the configuration of my car seat. My back has been popping a lot, so I guess that's just my spine adjusting itself.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday, May 27
My pants are falling down, falling down, falling down... Yep, it's time to get some new pants or take up the ones I've got. My weight seems to have stabilized for the time being at about 197ish, which is 18 pounds down. I guess my body is going to have to take some time to adjust to the new me and continue to detoxify. For the first time I feel like there's some real hope for me on the weight front without starving myself.
I have been WELL over 200 pounds for a long, long time now, so this is epic! Since I lift weights I know my weight is going to be naturally a little higher than your average chick, but I'd like to get to 180. Then I'll re-evaluate and see if I need to lose more. I'm not a fan of being scrawny. But I think my 900 calorie days are behind me. I may try to track my calories carefully and stick to around 1500 if my weight doesn't budge any more for a few weeks, that seems like a much healthier amount. The Livestrong calorie tracker is pretty good and has gobs of foods in the database.
I've added the Rejuvenate Plus stuff from the NaturalNews store to my morning smoothies and I've started pooping green. I'm guessing that's a good thing?
I'm really amazed at my eyelids, the texture of the skin is perfect (no more sandpaper) and now I'm not having to use the silver gel any more. As long as I keep it moisturized it seems happy. I've also been off the birth control pills for several weeks and haven't had a single zit. Considering I used to get the really painful cystic kind that looked like Mount Everest decided to grow on my face, that's pretty cool! Those suckers would take weeks to go away, and usually I'd get impatient and dig them out with a sterile needle until I could squeeze out the infection. I'm really not even getting clogged pores much.
I went to my very first farmer's market today! There is one down the road a bit from my work on Tuesday and Friday afternoon, so I went on my lunch break. The veggies looked like nothing I have ever seen! So pretty and fresh, the farmers had just cut them today! I got a huge mess of kale (yes, I am rapidly becoming a kaleaholic) and a bunch of broccoli that is just ginormous! I got some yellow squash and zucchini too.
All of the farmers grow their stuff organically and it's all non-GMO. So awesome! You definitely can't find veggies like this at the produce department at Wally World. I also got some fresh yogurt cheese too, made from goat milk and cultured with friendly bacterial critters. The guy who makes it even let me try a taste before I bought it. How cool is that! The cutest thing is that they have a photo album at the table of all their goats, and they are so adorable. The best part, I got everything for 11 bucks! Talk about a crazy good deal.
Speaking of crazy good deals, I got the big Hemp Seed/Oil deal at NaturalNews too. I just started putting hemp seeds on my salads and LOVE them, but I haven't tried hemp oil yet. I will have to find some recipes to play with it.
The sinuses are still doing much better. I woke up this morning without any headache at all. Yesterday, even though I was feeling a ton better, I still had a teensy bit of a headache when I woke up that resolved shortly after I got upright. There's still tons of crap draining out of them, especially when I work the accupressure points, but I guess they will detox at their own rate.
I had another brief bout of eyelid twitchies again yesterday. Definitely another good sign!
I have been WELL over 200 pounds for a long, long time now, so this is epic! Since I lift weights I know my weight is going to be naturally a little higher than your average chick, but I'd like to get to 180. Then I'll re-evaluate and see if I need to lose more. I'm not a fan of being scrawny. But I think my 900 calorie days are behind me. I may try to track my calories carefully and stick to around 1500 if my weight doesn't budge any more for a few weeks, that seems like a much healthier amount. The Livestrong calorie tracker is pretty good and has gobs of foods in the database.
I've added the Rejuvenate Plus stuff from the NaturalNews store to my morning smoothies and I've started pooping green. I'm guessing that's a good thing?
I'm really amazed at my eyelids, the texture of the skin is perfect (no more sandpaper) and now I'm not having to use the silver gel any more. As long as I keep it moisturized it seems happy. I've also been off the birth control pills for several weeks and haven't had a single zit. Considering I used to get the really painful cystic kind that looked like Mount Everest decided to grow on my face, that's pretty cool! Those suckers would take weeks to go away, and usually I'd get impatient and dig them out with a sterile needle until I could squeeze out the infection. I'm really not even getting clogged pores much.
I went to my very first farmer's market today! There is one down the road a bit from my work on Tuesday and Friday afternoon, so I went on my lunch break. The veggies looked like nothing I have ever seen! So pretty and fresh, the farmers had just cut them today! I got a huge mess of kale (yes, I am rapidly becoming a kaleaholic) and a bunch of broccoli that is just ginormous! I got some yellow squash and zucchini too.
All of the farmers grow their stuff organically and it's all non-GMO. So awesome! You definitely can't find veggies like this at the produce department at Wally World. I also got some fresh yogurt cheese too, made from goat milk and cultured with friendly bacterial critters. The guy who makes it even let me try a taste before I bought it. How cool is that! The cutest thing is that they have a photo album at the table of all their goats, and they are so adorable. The best part, I got everything for 11 bucks! Talk about a crazy good deal.
Speaking of crazy good deals, I got the big Hemp Seed/Oil deal at NaturalNews too. I just started putting hemp seeds on my salads and LOVE them, but I haven't tried hemp oil yet. I will have to find some recipes to play with it.
The sinuses are still doing much better. I woke up this morning without any headache at all. Yesterday, even though I was feeling a ton better, I still had a teensy bit of a headache when I woke up that resolved shortly after I got upright. There's still tons of crap draining out of them, especially when I work the accupressure points, but I guess they will detox at their own rate.
I had another brief bout of eyelid twitchies again yesterday. Definitely another good sign!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday, May 26
My sinuses have been pretty bad (still not as bad as before the silver/aloe protocol), so I contacted Robert Scott Bell to see if he had any suggestions. He suggested Kali bic, sticta, allium cepa, and phosphorus. I was able to find all but the sticta and it really has helped. The headache gone, and I'm draining stuff out pretty heavily today. I'm still a little tired, but I stayed up til 11 to watch In Plain Sight. Love that show, but my body really wants to be in bed at 10 PM. Very strange considering my former delayed phase sleep disorder. Ready for bed at 10 is a whole new concept for me. So at this point here is my regimen:
King Bio Sinus Relief - 3x/day
King Bio Regional Allergies Southern U.S. - 3x/day
Sinusalia - 5 pellets 3x/day
Kali bic - 5 pellets 3x/day
allium cepa - 5 pellets 3x/day
phosphorus - 5 pellets 3x/day
Sovereign Silver oral - 1 tsp. 3x/day
Sovereign Silver nasal spray - 2 squirts each nostril 3x/day
SinuOrega nasal spray - as needed
Oreganol - 3 drops 3x/day
1 tbsp coconut oil - 1x/day (plus what I cook with)
I'm having a little reflux today, not sure why. Maybe it's just all the drainage. I'm glad Robert thinks this is just more junk draining out of my system, that's what I was hoping this was.
I've been having major kale cravings since I had some in a salad I got at EarthFare. So I read up on it and apparently it is pretty potent for detoxification of the body. I bet that's why my body is wanting it so much. So are broccoli sprouts, which probably explains why I'm craving them too. I'm obsessed with kale now though, I think about it all the time. I had some last night cooked in scrambled eggs with sweet cherry tomatoes. I couldn't really call it an omelet, because I'm trying to stick to the Body Ecology 80/20 rule about non-starchy veggies and protein and you can't get enough eggs to make it an omelet and still have the 80% veggies in it. Added some garlic, himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper and it was pretty freaking awesome. I cooked it in coconut oil too (my first time cooking with it) and it definitely added to the taste. Most of the time I eat it raw.
My eyelid eczema is completely gone now. I still put some of the shea/argan salve on it for moisture, but I'm not putting the silver on it any more and it shows no signs of coming back.
Interestingly my body odor has changed too. It's not as strong, and the natural deodorant that I'm using (Tom's of Maine aluminum free), I had to reapply over and over to hold me through the day, and now just putting it on in the morning is good enough (unless I'm doing physical, sweaty labor or something). The aluminum stuff could keep it well under control but I stopped because of the toxic effects of the aluminum. So the silver/aloe protocol has solved yet another stinky problem. Armpits are still happy. There's a little redness at the front of them, but not like they used to be. I think it's just chafing, and a little silver and/or moisturizer seems to make them happy. It never bothers me though. The rash I had before had me scratching myself like a chimpanzee.
The poison ivy spots are finally dying down, and the swollen spots are flat against my skin and drying up. I'm keeping the arnica gel and some moisturizer on them, but they're not itching me to death any more.
King Bio Sinus Relief - 3x/day
King Bio Regional Allergies Southern U.S. - 3x/day
Sinusalia - 5 pellets 3x/day
Kali bic - 5 pellets 3x/day
allium cepa - 5 pellets 3x/day
phosphorus - 5 pellets 3x/day
Sovereign Silver oral - 1 tsp. 3x/day
Sovereign Silver nasal spray - 2 squirts each nostril 3x/day
SinuOrega nasal spray - as needed
Oreganol - 3 drops 3x/day
1 tbsp coconut oil - 1x/day (plus what I cook with)
I'm having a little reflux today, not sure why. Maybe it's just all the drainage. I'm glad Robert thinks this is just more junk draining out of my system, that's what I was hoping this was.
I've been having major kale cravings since I had some in a salad I got at EarthFare. So I read up on it and apparently it is pretty potent for detoxification of the body. I bet that's why my body is wanting it so much. So are broccoli sprouts, which probably explains why I'm craving them too. I'm obsessed with kale now though, I think about it all the time. I had some last night cooked in scrambled eggs with sweet cherry tomatoes. I couldn't really call it an omelet, because I'm trying to stick to the Body Ecology 80/20 rule about non-starchy veggies and protein and you can't get enough eggs to make it an omelet and still have the 80% veggies in it. Added some garlic, himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper and it was pretty freaking awesome. I cooked it in coconut oil too (my first time cooking with it) and it definitely added to the taste. Most of the time I eat it raw.
My eyelid eczema is completely gone now. I still put some of the shea/argan salve on it for moisture, but I'm not putting the silver on it any more and it shows no signs of coming back.
Interestingly my body odor has changed too. It's not as strong, and the natural deodorant that I'm using (Tom's of Maine aluminum free), I had to reapply over and over to hold me through the day, and now just putting it on in the morning is good enough (unless I'm doing physical, sweaty labor or something). The aluminum stuff could keep it well under control but I stopped because of the toxic effects of the aluminum. So the silver/aloe protocol has solved yet another stinky problem. Armpits are still happy. There's a little redness at the front of them, but not like they used to be. I think it's just chafing, and a little silver and/or moisturizer seems to make them happy. It never bothers me though. The rash I had before had me scratching myself like a chimpanzee.
The poison ivy spots are finally dying down, and the swollen spots are flat against my skin and drying up. I'm keeping the arnica gel and some moisturizer on them, but they're not itching me to death any more.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 23
I had a pretty bad sinus headache on Saturday, but it finally let up. The headaches are still not as painful as they used to be. I found a couple of new things to help me. The New Chapters Sinus Take Care seems to be helping manage the symptoms. I also found the Sinusalia by Boiron for acute sinus pain. It has Belladonna, Sanguinaria canadensis, and Spigelia anthelmia. It seemed to knock out the headache but it took two doses.
The scabby feel is gone from the sinuses. I'm still keeping the silver and stuff going in, and will keep it up as long as it takes. Considering I've probably had a long standing sinus infection since I was 4, it may take a while to kill this bad boy. Even then it's still not as bad now as it used to be, and that is with no drugs. Today I don't have a headache, but there's a little bit of congestion. Snorted some SinuOrega and it seemed to clear it out. Accupressure points are less sore. Still doing the Sinus Relief and Allergy stuff for the Southeast from King Bio too.
The scabby feel is gone from the sinuses. I'm still keeping the silver and stuff going in, and will keep it up as long as it takes. Considering I've probably had a long standing sinus infection since I was 4, it may take a while to kill this bad boy. Even then it's still not as bad now as it used to be, and that is with no drugs. Today I don't have a headache, but there's a little bit of congestion. Snorted some SinuOrega and it seemed to clear it out. Accupressure points are less sore. Still doing the Sinus Relief and Allergy stuff for the Southeast from King Bio too.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Friday, May 20
Doing well. My sinuses are drying up pretty heavily like they were a few days after I first started the silver/aloe protocol. I think getting off the Claritin has been good for them. A friend and I went to an outdoor concert last night where a ton of people were smoking. We did pick a less heavily smoky spot to stand, but even then I was having to breathe some of it (apparently the morons think it's ok to force others to breathe their crap). Normally that would give me a lung/sinus infection that would require a month or so of antibiotics. I flushed out my sinuses with the SinuOrega immediately afterwards.
Oddly enough I'm fine today. The sinuses are still a little sore when I'm doing accupressure, but not much more than usual. Obviously there is still some inflammation there, but considering I've likely been running a sinus infection for years straight, that's not terribly surprising. The head's not hurting though. The silver, grapefruit seed extract, Oreganol, and Sinus Relief seem to be holding it. No doubt there's a lot of healing of the membranes that's got to happen too as the infection dies. Fortunately it seems to be trying to do that. Oddly it feels like there are scabs forming in my sinuses?!?!?! I can really feel it when I wiggle my nose or am doing the accupressure. It was like that when I was on the silver/aloe protocol too. I think it must be a good sign.
I'm going to keep hitting it with all this stuff as long as it takes to get the infection out. Considering I've had this for years I'm realizing it could be months before the sinuses finally get cleared out. But that's ok, it takes what it takes. My regimen now is not toxic and not causing the gut bombs that the antibiotics did.
Well, my new poopaholicism is causing problems with my toilet. Apparently it having difficulty handling my new output volume. I guess I really understand Sen. Rand Paul's statements to the enviro-police lady about his toilets not working now. Good times!
I'm not as tired as yesterday after the massage, but I'm still pretty sore. Not quite as sore, but sore. Plus I worked out with my trainer yesterday morning, so I'm sure some of it is from that.
Oddly enough I'm fine today. The sinuses are still a little sore when I'm doing accupressure, but not much more than usual. Obviously there is still some inflammation there, but considering I've likely been running a sinus infection for years straight, that's not terribly surprising. The head's not hurting though. The silver, grapefruit seed extract, Oreganol, and Sinus Relief seem to be holding it. No doubt there's a lot of healing of the membranes that's got to happen too as the infection dies. Fortunately it seems to be trying to do that. Oddly it feels like there are scabs forming in my sinuses?!?!?! I can really feel it when I wiggle my nose or am doing the accupressure. It was like that when I was on the silver/aloe protocol too. I think it must be a good sign.
I'm going to keep hitting it with all this stuff as long as it takes to get the infection out. Considering I've had this for years I'm realizing it could be months before the sinuses finally get cleared out. But that's ok, it takes what it takes. My regimen now is not toxic and not causing the gut bombs that the antibiotics did.
Well, my new poopaholicism is causing problems with my toilet. Apparently it having difficulty handling my new output volume. I guess I really understand Sen. Rand Paul's statements to the enviro-police lady about his toilets not working now. Good times!
I'm not as tired as yesterday after the massage, but I'm still pretty sore. Not quite as sore, but sore. Plus I worked out with my trainer yesterday morning, so I'm sure some of it is from that.
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