Inconsistent Blogging

A beloved friend of mine is getting married and as the matron of honor I will be helping her prepare for her wedding.  My blogging will be inconsistent for a few days because of this.  I will resume blogging as normal next Tuesday.

Decreasing Toxicity: Media and Relationships

Comment from a reader:
"ALL THE BAD STUFF ONE HEARS ON THE NEWS CAN BRING ON TOXIC FEELINGS. I BELIEVE IF ONE IS AROUND PEOPLE WHO ARE ALWAYS NEGATIVE CAN BRING ON TOXIC FEELINGS. ONE WAY TO STAY POSITIVE IN MY OPINION IS TO BE AROUND POSITIVE PEOPLE. I'M SURE ALL AGREE WITH ME ON THIS."

 I sure do! Toxic relationships can hurt people just as much as any other toxin in their life. I've been burned enough to know that you're not doing anything wrong by letting go of such relationships.

As for the news, even Dr. Andrew Weil urges all to monitor the amount of news and other television you watch. Sometimes the info that is dispensed can be toxic.  People who constantly watch the news tend to be more fearful.  To them, the world is a far more dangerous place than it actually is.  I agree with Dr. Weil; monitor the amount of news that you watch to avoid toxic thoughts and feelings about people and the world around us.

 

Monsanto: Own the Food, Own the World! Part II

I absolutely can't understand why we are not learning from history.  What was that saying?  "Shame on you if you fool me once, but shame on me if you fool me twice" right?  Well then shame on us!  Grand shame on the USA because we were fooled several times by the same people. 

Weren't we told that DDT, Agent Orange, PCBs and dioxin were all safe?  Didn't we figure out later that this wasn't just a tragic error but a malicious lie?  What about the herbicide Roundup?  Wasn't it once biodegradable?  No, it wasn't.  Roundup was NEVER biodegradable.  Monsanto was sued by the US and France for false advertising and they had to take the "biodegradable" label off.  So we have been lied to over and over again and again by the same company about all of these things and more.  When are we going to wise up and STOP listening to Monsanto?  People have been killed by this company.  Again, these were NOT tragic accidents.  Ask anyone in Anniston, Alabama about the non-accidental deaths because of Monsanto's lies and the slap on the wrist that Monsanto received as punishment. 

What is Monsanto saying about GMOs now?  Aren't they trying to convince us that they are safe even though there were NO safety tests done to make sure they are safe?  Even if most of us aren't convinced, most of our foods have corn, soy, cotton seed oil, canola or sugar most of which are GMO unless they are certified organic.  Can anyone tell me WHAT in our history says that we should continue to listen to these people? 

Be Well My Children!

I want to urge parents to not be so quick to fill prescriptions for psychotropic drugs for their kids.  There could be a variety of things going wrong in their bodies and minds that are not being addressed; the drugs won't help these issues.  By giving them the drugs you are giving into an insanity that is being created and not fixed in the US. 

I left counseling for a number of reasons.  It has been very difficult to find work in the field of counseling, however, I may have left eventually anyway.  If I didn't, I would eventually be miserable only because I wouldn't feel as though I would be making any real contributions to education especially if I ever felt that I had to give into the politics behind producing unhealthy minds.  I would be helping my students sometimes, but not in a way that is powerful or permanent.  I'm currently working on making myself into a better leader, teacher and counselor for the sake of the students that I will be responsible for in the future.

I look forward to the day when I can apply everything that I know now about brain function, health and the insanity that the world of psychiatry is trying to impose on our children.  Drugs aren't the way to help our children.  There are healing modalities that are far, far more powerful and effective.  There are diets like the autism diet, the body ecology diet and detoxifying diets; and therapies like acupuncture, neurolink and neurofeedback training; and many more avenues that will lead our kids to become healthy, vibrant, learning machines!

I'm not urging anyone to be defiant, but proactive.  There are so many ways to help your child to heal.  Consider those avenues before you are advised or pushed into making your child more "manageable" by use of drugs.

"Big Pharma, Define Better"

I hope more people wake up and figure out that drugs aren't the way to treat the so-called psychological conditions.  No one is saying that depression or ADHD isn't real, I passionately disagree with anyone who DOES imply that.  These conditions are very real, I myself have experienced both ADD and depression.  I'm simply saying that drugs are NOT the way to deal with these conditions.  They only make things worse; FAR worse.

Someone posted this music video on facebook.  I had to post this both on the BWMFs site and facebook fan page.  It is such a FABULOUS expression of appall and disgust in the mockery that Big Pharma is making of healthcare especially when it comes to depression and ADHD.

Enjoy!

Thank You!!!

This post is just a "thank you" to all of those who are in the fight with me for a healthier world.  Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who wants good clean food.  When I go to parties and I'm the only one who is avoiding GMO foods for example, it makes me feel so alone.  Not even my husband will avoid it.  It's not that he doesn't want to be healthy, but it is just easier to submit to the ways of the world than it is to be healthy.  I know this is true because it is true for me as well.  It's never easy for me to make the best choices, but I don't give myself alternatives.  I MUST be healthy.  When I see the articles and videos explaining and expressing a demand for a healthier world, I feel so much better.  To all of the people behind those articles and videos, I want to say thank you!

In whatever way that you contribute, in fact, I thank you.  If you recycle, I thank you!  If you avoid GMOs, I thank you!  If you avoid petroleum based products, I thank you!  If you resist Big Pharma, I thank you!  If you are fighting the Monsanto or Codex Alimentarious monsters, I thank you!  If you compost, I thank you!  If you have an organic garden, I thank you!  To all who read my blog, I thank you!  To all who like my fan page on facebook, I thank you!  If you just do your best to live a healthy life everyday in any possible way, you are an example and an inspiration and I thank you! 

Response to a Comment

Anonymous said...
 "I have been eating more organic foods in the past few years than I ever been my whole life. I don't mind paying a little more for some organic foods because they taste much better and are usually better for me (this is because the human/animal body are made to tolerate, digest, and absorb organic foods). Having said that, some things I can't afford or is not easily found. And to be honest, some products I don't want to let go of (i.e. fast food burgers)."

Thanks for your comment my friend!

I agree with everything that you said and the one part I disagree with (not wanting to let go of fast food) I would be lying if I said didn't PERFECTLY understand. It took me a very, very, VERY long time (as in many, many years) to stop eating Pizza Hut for example! I was addicted; I mean literally physically addicted to Pizza Hut pan pizzas. When I think about how much I loved Pizza Hut, I can't believe my strong aversion to that stuff now!

My journey toward giving up Pizza Hut started when I ate pizza in Italy. From the first bite of an authentic Italian margarita; my taste for ALL American pizzas became a distant memory. It was horrible living here when the pizzas that I craved were a 16hr flight away. Then one wonderful day, I learned how to make pizza myself. I haven't touched Pizza Hut since because my pizza is so much better. My pizza isn't better because I'm this great chef, but because I make it the way I want it.

If you learn to make burgers at home, not only do you get it the way you want it (for example, I like burgers with more meat and more extras like onions, monster chunks of tomato and lost of watercress for example) but you know what is on it and you could use organic or home grown veggies as well! ;-)

My New Eating Habits

I started adding starches to my diet last week.  Nothing heavy, just natural starches like sweet potatoes, bananas, yam and breadfruit.  There were no adverse reactions to it, in fact, my body seems to like some of these foods very much. 

I ate some bread last night to see if I would still react to it and I did.  I guess I will be staying away from bread for good.  My body doesn't seem to dislike whole grain pasta though.  I don't have pasta very often anyway (even though it is whole grain).  I had some tonight and I'm fine, but I am not going to have any again for a long time.  My doctor said flour foods like bread and pasta aren't good choices and I agree with her. 

Fearing the Future of Health Part II Comment

Anonymous said:
"I also unknowingly ate a lot of GMOs while pregnant and I suspect it is the culprit behind my daughters allergies. She breaks out in hives drastically from a large variety of foods. I feel so angry that people are subjected to this with no warning of whats at stake. I fear so much for my daughter and can only pray that she will not deal with future or other unknown implications from GMOs. God bless everyone." 

Thank you so VERY much for your response.  I'm so sorry about not responding sooner my friend; I was taking a break when you commented.  I'm also sorry about your daughter's allergies.  I know how frustrating it is.  I'm very angry too and wishing that there was more to do to fight to get our food labeled.  Please be sure to see my other posts on GMOs and the presentation on Monsanto to get more perspective on what GMOs are.

You probably know the following information already, but I will offer it just in case you don't know.  To avoid GMOs completely may be near impossible (which is very sad and scary).  Even if ALL you eat is organic food all the time (which can get pricey) sometimes food can become GMO contaminated, but I believe that is rare and it is safer to go organic anyway.  If you avoid corn, canola, soy, cotton (some foods are cooked with cotton seed oil) and sugar (unless it is cane sugar) you can be mostly safe from eating GMOs.  You can still eat those foods and avoid GMO if you make sure that it is certified organic.  I love corn for example.  I buy organic corn whenever I see it, but I refuse corn otherwise.  The only exception to that is if it is a verified non-GMO product.  Find out which products are safe at the Non-GMO Project website.

Migraines II

I know of some people who get migraines constantly.  By constantly, I mean there are few days when they live without it.  I can't even imagine what that must be like. 

My migraines have become progressively worse over the years.  I started having occasional migraines from when I was very young (the earliest that I remember was third grade).  They became more frequent as I got older.  Over the past 6 or 7 years they have been consistently every month.  Last year before I got pregnant, my chiropractor was REALLY helping.  The last migraine that I had was about a month before I got pregnant but I barely felt it at all.  I just felt a little pressure over my left eye.  This is how my migraines always start, but that one time, the pressure is also where it ended; there was very little pain that didn't even last the morning.  After my miscarriage, the headaches came back at full intensity as though I've never worked on them at all.  With more chiropractic, they have been dying down again.  Recently, however, the migraines I've had (although the headache was very, very mild) have been accompanied by terrible nausea.  Throughout my life, nausea or a stiff necks would very rarely accompany a migraine; but it has happened for the past two months in a row.  If nausea is going to come with each migraine every month, I need to do something or at least figure out why.

Doctors have told me that migraines can sometimes be a sign of healing.  I have made a few adjustments to my diet over the past three months so the nausea could be a sign of something good, but I would rather have a professional tell me if it is rather than rely on my own understanding in this case.

Migraines

Migraines are mysterious to me.  I mean, there are many reasons why people get migraines and therefore many triggers that can set migraines off.  Migraines can also vary in intensity and symptoms  Although the main symptom is usually a bad headache, other symptoms such as nausea and light sensitivity can occur as well.  I ALWAYS get the headache and light sensitivity.  I've experienced a stiff neck and nausea from migraines, but those symptoms are rare for me.

Therapies also vary.  Most people that I know love cold on their heads when they have a migraine; but cold does nothing for me.  I need heat.  I would sometimes fall asleep with a hot washrag on my left temple with hot water bottle on top to keep it warm for as long as possible.  Neurofeedback therapy has helped many people get rid of migraines permanently.  I've actually tried neurofeedback therapy for migraines and although it helped teach me different ways to treat my migraines, I still get them.  Please don't misunderstand; neurofeedback therapy is a blessing for many reasons and it did help me get rid of depression.  The neurofeedback therapy didn't help the migraines that I get and I believe that it is because the problem may be a subluxation in my cervical spine.  When I have a migraine, pressing on certain parts of my cervical spine temporarily causes the pressure over my left eye to dissipate.  When my acupuncturist in San Diego worked on my spine my migraine (the pressure specifically) was gone within minutes and any headache that came with it would be gone within minutes or hours depending on what point in the progression of the migraine she worked on me.  When she worked on me close enough to the beginning of a migraine, I usually wouldn't even get a headache. 

Strictly speaking from personal experience, it is best to understand the cause of migraines when you can before looking for treatment; although, I can't say that will always be easy.  I'm hoping to figure out the cause of my migraines soon.  Several doctors had theories, suggestions and treatments but so far nothing has given me permanent relief; although chiropractic treatment came the closest to permanent relief.  I still dare to believe there is relief for me and I won't stop searching until I find it.

L. Acidophilus

I'm in the same boat as you. I have issues with my gut flora (I have lab results to prove it). I can't seem to get any population of L. Acidophilus built up though I've tried my darndest with probiotics. I'm considering doing the cow share thing - have you noticed any difference? 

I have seen a difference as a matter of fact; but I'm not sure that it is just the milk alone.  It could be a combination of the milk, the kombucha and the cultured veggies that I've been eating for the past two months.  I have been eating more and more cultured foods over the last few weeks and I've been feeling very good on them.  I find that I have more energy and I also have been experiencing a tremendous reduction in digestive issues.  I had little to no issues at all this week (not counting the nausea that I experienced on Thursday because that was from a migraine). 

I've only been drinking the milk for the past week.  I admit my favorite thing about it, besides having blueberry milkshake smoothies that don't make me ill, is the fact that I can make a quick and complete cultured meal with it!  I usually blend the blueberries and the pineapple juice together and then stir in the milk so that the cultures aren't whipped around in the blender.  I don't think that it would hurt them, but it is a personal preference.

I encourage you to do it.  Most people that I know who start drinking raw milk become raw milk fanatics very quickly.  It improves gut flora and the immune system and people can usually see or feel a difference.  If you do it, please post your success with it.  I am very interested in knowing what you think.

Migraines... The Last Straw

I had another migraine on Thursday which kept me from posting for the past few days.  The headache wasn't bad, but the nausea that I had was horrible.  I had the nausea last month as well, but this last episode was very bad.

I healed from so many chronic illnesses and conditions in my life.  I got over depression, horrible cramps and many other things as well.  I'm not going to just accept migraines nor am I going to just accept drugs as the only treatment.  In fact, there is a doctor in NY that I really want to see.  I hope that this is the one who will finally help me with this once and for all.  There are many who found healing thanks to him, hopefully I will be one of the many in the near future. 

This is the one last thing that I'm trying to gain control of.  Thanks to Healing Village Collective and Maximized Living, the intensity of the headaches went way down.  This new nausea component, however, makes the migraine far more unbearable.  I'll take this new nausea component as the last straw.  I am now more determined than EVER to heal. 

Got a Herd?

I finally bought my share of a herd of cows.  I was very careful about the farmer that I selected.  Most of the dairy farmers I've spoken to were always these animal loving individuals determined to raise a happy herd.  The one drawback was that not all of them were as well informed as the farmer that I chose in the end.

The farmer I chose not only knew how to produce happy cows, he understood how to produce healthy cows.  These cows are a very happy and healthy grass fed bunch that I got a chance to meet and greet.  Most of them were too busy feeding, but some approached my husband and me.  As the farmer said they each have names and personalities.  The milk that they produce is great!  I had a blueberry milk shake today that I enjoyed very much.


I'm looking forward to all the new things that I can do with this new food.  I haven't been a milk drinker in years, but I do enjoy the wonderful nutritious milk from these wonderful happy cows!

How the Videos Helped Me

The videos on the autism diet gave me so much more information on how to achieve a vibrant and healthy body than I thought it would.

For one thing, I've had digestive issues for most of my adult life and I didn't even think about the possibility of inflammation in the intestines.  I've had candida several times in my young adulthood.  I don't remember the last time I had an attack, but it had to be a few years ago.  It is now occurring to me that the many problems that I had with digestion could have all been due to inflammation.  I'll never know if this guess is correct, but the one thing that is obvious is that my digestive system needed to heal.  Just recently my doctor was giving me enzymes to help me digest food better for example.  The enzymes helped, but her goal was for me to take that supplement until my body could produce enough of the enzymes on its own.  Milk has enzymes that are destroyed during pasteurization which is perhaps the reason I couldn't drink pasteurized milk.  I've been able to drink raw milk without a problem though.

If the goal of the B.E.D. (body ecology diet) is to repair the digestive system, then this is what I've been waiting for.  I've started eating a variety of foods rich in probiotics and I already see a difference.  I'm looking forward to when my veggies are finished fermenting so that I can eat even more.  I'm also going to make another batch of kombucha too.  I'll be sure to share about how all of this goes!

Fermenting Foods

It is very simple to ferment vegetables as you've seen in the last video.  It's also convenient because you take the time to wash and chop vegetables just once and then you have jarred food that can last from 6 months to a year.

Last Saturday I spent several hours washing, chopping, mixing and preparing vegetables for fermentation.  I prepared a little more than a pint shy of three gallons.  I'm so excited because this will last me for a few weeks at least.  With my vegetables already prepared (and since starch is off the menu for a while), I just need to worry about preparing the protein aspect of our meals which doesn't usually take me very long.  Therefore making dinner will be very easy for the next few weeks and I'm happy about that too!

I'm looking forward to the meals and salads to be made by my fermented veggies.  I will share any new recipes that I create. 

How to Ferment Veggies

I've tried fermenting this way, I find it to be a very quick and easy way to do it.  If you add certain vegetables, then you don't even need the kefir starters.  After learning how to do this, I've tried several combinations of vegetables and they all came out wonderful!  Instead of having to clean and prepare vegetables for dinner you could just get your vegetables right out of a jar in the fridge! 

I encourage you to try this:
 



 

Intestinal Flora and Autism VI

In the last video, Dr. Campbell talked about how important it is to treat illnesses in children with food and NOT with drugs.  This is something a Russian friend told me once.  When it can be avoided (and most of the time it can) it is best NOT to treat illnesses with drugs especially in children.  I wish we practiced that in this country. 

In the following video, I found it interesting that it was mentioned how psychological conditions could just be how our brain responds to toxins.

Intestinal Flora and Autism V

Below is the book of the month Donna Gate's Body Ecology Diet as well as Dr. Campbell McBride's book and DVD Gut and Psychology Syndrome.  Enjoy video #5

Intestinal Flora and Autism IV

Intestinal Flora and Autism III

I was going to stop after the first video, but there is just so much WONDERFUL information.  So, change of plans; I will do more!  Enjoy!

Intestinal Flora and Autism II

Here is more info:

Intestinal Flora and Autism

There are few things that I know about autism.  I've known that at least some types of autism can be treated to cure via neurofeedback therapy; but the following video offers yet another approach to autism that I never knew about.  The video is presented by Donna Gates (the author of this month's book) and Dr. Campbell-Mc Bride.  If you have a child with autism, this is DEFINITELY a video worth seeing.

 Enjoy!

August's Book

Now that we understand the many benefits of bacteria, what are some ways that we could rebuild our bodily flora?  That is where this month's book comes in.  I am working on rebuilding my flora and I just purchased this book recently.  I've never had a chance to read the book, but I have heard what Donna Gates, the author, had to say about intestinal flora.  If I understand correctly, she was once very sick much like I was.  After much research she realized that she had poor flora; hence the beginning of her journey.  This book gives similar information to last month's book, but this one gives recipes as well.  I hope you enjoy the Body Ecology Diet as I know I will.  I'm going to be very focused this month on rebuilding my flora.  I'm very excited about the information this book will bestow and the changes that I will see in my health. 

GMOs Limitations, Risks and Alternatives

I can't even begin to express how excited I was to read the featured article.  It compares what biotech companies like Monsanto said about GMOs and compared that with the reality of what many observed.  MANY of the unanswered questions are answered beautifully in this article.  It shares findings from studies from studies on GMOs.  It even compares nutritional content.

I was never a proponent of GMO, anyone who has been reading my blog knows this.  Until I realized how it has been literally pushed on us, I wasn't so compelled to fight against it as I am now.  I must live in a world where I have access to clean food/real food.  As I see that access becoming more and more limited, I become increasingly disturbed and frightened.  The following article shared everything I know, divulged some things that I've suspected but did not know and even revealed things that I never imagined. 

http://www.nongmoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/GM-Crops-just-the-science.pdf

DIY Coconut Kefir

I take coconut kefir as a daily supplement.  Imagine how elated I was to learn that I can make it myself!  I've seen a few videos that gave step by step instructions on how to do it, but this was my favorite because it talks about how to do it both with and without the kefir starters.  There are some foods that can ferment without the starters like coconut, cucumbers and cabbage to name a few.

I've tried this and it is VERY easy, healthy and yummy!

Intestinal Flora

I’ve had many health problems due to poor flora.  I’ve posted about the different ways that I've tried to rebuild my flora.

I’m learning about other symptoms of unhealthy levels of intestinal flora.  I wasn’t surprised to hear about Candida, because that was my issue.  I was very surprised to hear that doctors attribute symptoms like fatigue, depression and even autism to unhealthy flora.  Unhealthy flora equals a poor immune system and a poor immune system can mean a number of different poor health conditions.

There are a few things that I've tried to rebalance my flora which I will share this week.  The only thing that I haven't yet tried is raw milk.  I'm still trying to find the best resource for that.



Any questions, comments and furthermores are welcome!