Confession time

First confession...it has been 2 years since we have had a family photo taken. My kids are bigger and a little bit more grown up than they are here.

From my posts, you probably picture that we live an organic kind of lifestyle. That my kids favorite foods are kale and quinoa. That my husband doesn't like to eat at Wendy's, Arby's or Chick-Fil-A.
Second confession. Ummm...no.
The truth is, my husband hates "healthy food," and my son, being my husband's mini-me echoes that sentiment. I have not up until recently been able to get my daughter to eat any vegetables. She has a special aversion to anything green, or any vegetable in general.
I have always tried to be healthy. A few years ago when I got the diagnosis of Hashimoto's, I really tried to clean things up for everyone. I have addictions too, and I didn't (and still don't) want the things I shouldn't eat hanging around my house. My family rebelled and refused to co-operate with me. It was a constant source of contention between me and everyone else. They just didn't get it.
So finally, I stopped trying to force the issue. I realized that my family is more important than forcing them to comply with the lifestyle I needed. So I did double duty. I still do sometimes. I bought all the healthy food, AND a lot of the typical-american-diet food. There are things I don't buy...like candy, processed cookies and snack food. It is still hard. The more I study, the harder it is to serve my family what I feel is poison. Yet they look at my food as poison as well. I have tried to clean up the choices I get for them.
Yet it's not all bad. Slowly over time, they are making better choices as well. They will drink green drinks as long as there is plenty of fruit. The kids prefer nut milk over dairy. Meat is not the main dish at every meal. They never will eat as healthy as I, but I am okay with that. After all, my relationship with them is very important to me...more important than what food we have hanging around the house.
It is still hard to eat what I know I should when food that I have addictive tendencies towards is there, or when I make it (did you know my cinnamon rolls are amazing?). Sometimes I am too tired to make 2 dinners and end up eating what everyone else is eating. Being sensitive to gluten can make this really hard.
So, the lesson I have learned: my relationship with my family is important. You (or I) can't change them. Change has to come from them. You can make subtle changes, and over time things will improve.
At the same time, don't give up. If you are in a similar situation, do what you can to take care of your needs. Learn and study and adjust your own personal lifestyle. Yes, you will have times where you give in and stop trying for a while. There will be times that you are extremely frustrated. But don't give up on your health. And don't let it ruin your relationships.

The gut: another faddish focus?

We live in a world where fads come and go. Trends become wildly popular, then for one reason or another fall by the wayside and become a distant memory. Sometimes they attempt to make a comeback--like Dr Atkins...and legwarmers!

This goes for all areas of life, but especially the health industry. It is possible to find data to support almost anything. It can be confusing and overwhelming to find what is really worth pursuing.

Currently, one of the subjects that is currently being talked about is the gut. Ever heard anyone talk about "the gut is the second brain", "the gut produces neurotransmitters," "healing the gut," "leaky gut," "inflammation in the gut," "gut feeling," "it's all in the gut"? In the areas of nutritional study that I tend to frequent, I hear it a lot. The thought has more than once crossed my mind, "Is this yet another fad that has come and will fall away?" If it is, the more I study, and the more I am aware of the state of our culture in a dietary sense, then I feel it is a fad worth becoming more permanent.

Just for fun, I Googled neurotransmitters and the gut. When I did this, I was shocked. What came up was not just the random "quacks" trying to sell their business. The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, a PubMed peer-reviewed journal article came up. Here's a quote (and picture) from the Wall Street Journal. The article is titled, A Gut Check For Many Ailments (January 7, 2012):

"Dr. Gershon, professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia, has been studying how the gut controls its behavior and that of other organs by investigating the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Low serotonin levels in the brain are known to affect mood and sleep. Several common antidepressants work by raising levels of serotonin in the brain.

Yet about 95% of the serotonin in the body is made in the gut, not in the brain, says Dr. Gershon. Serotonin and other neurotransmitters produced by gut neurons help the digestive track push food through the gut.

Work by Dr. Gershon and others has shown that serotonin is necessary for the repair of cells in the liver and lungs, and plays a role in normal heart development and bone-mass accumulation."

Hmmm, interesting. This is only a small piece of information. There is way more to the neuro-aspects of the gut than this.

Food vs Food-like

So if the things we are putting in our mouths harm our digestive tract (our Gut), do you think maybe that can affect the state of our mental health? If we eat food-like products, are we going to get the nutrients we need? Could this have a bigger impact on the state of our health than we are aware? 

So, with this knowledge, what do we do? 

I know I am going to think twice about what food I am going to fuel my body with. Nutrition is an area that I am going to study. I am going to work on rising above those addictions (yes, addictions is more than drug, alcohol and cigarette related). If I give in to the cravings, I am going to not give up or beat myself figuratively over it, I am going to pick myself back up and keep trying. I say this because I am the kind of perfectionist who tends to avoid or give up on something I have messed up on.

So, as I study this subject, I am sure I will have more to share on the subject! 

Support the real issue, don't treat the symptoms

So as I was looking at my health-based information on Facebook this morning, I found a post that had 27 natural alternatives for eczema. I reposted it because there were some of the ideas that possibly could have some merit, but it got me thinking (dangerous...I know!)
There are a lot of people who struggle with eczema. I remember laying in bed at night alternating between wincing at the sound of my sister scratching her arms until she bled and yelling at her to stop. I remember that my mom took her to doctors who tried creams and dietary suggestions (the most intense change she made was dairy free for a while). Nothing really worked.
As I thought of this, a recurring thought came to my mind. Stop treating the symptoms, find and address the root problem, that is if it is important enough to you.
So I got back down on the computer and started searching again. The skin is actually an organ of elimination. Things that are wrong with the skin are often related to a digestive problem, more specifically a liver problem. There is also an emotional connection to conditions related to the skin as well. It is well documented that stress can cause flair-ups with eczema as well.
So while the 27 natural alternatives are well meaning, and probably somewhat useful, I think we need to slow down, stop looking for a quick fix, whether it is natural or medical, and take a look at what is the underlying problem. This can take time and study and introspection. It also takes trying things out, improving lifestyle habits, cleaning out toxins. The changes necessary are simple,but hard. It can involve letting go of addictions and addressing emotional issues you'd rather not. The question is, is it truly important enough to you?

On my personal soapbox: We are not victims!!

I was skimming through the news today and the title of an article caught my interest,

"Choices, not genetics, to blame for heart attacks, researchers say."

It was an article talking about research that is showing that having a heart attack is not related to genetics. Coronary Heart Disease can be genetically linked (which can be the cause of a heart attack), but that doesn't mean that we can't prevent it from happening. There are things we can do. We are not victims of circumstance.
This subject is a an area of constant study for me...brought on by my own diagnosis of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which is autoimmune. I don't know about you, but until a few years ago, when I heard the word autoimmune, I immediately had the mindset that it is outside of the patient's control. As I have researched the information out there, including the not-so-mainstream information, I have learned otherwise.
As I learn about holistic medicine, I am awed by the strength and the abilities that our bodies have to self-heal--if they have what they need...rest, nutrients, a spiritual connection, and even inner-awareness. There is more to us than what meets the eye. We are a whole organism, and this includes a part of us that can't be seen or touched. Just because we don't understand it, doesn't make it any less real.
So we can throw out the victim mentality. What we can do is awaken to the truth, have the humility to admit that the choices we make have consequences, and then do everything we can to adapt our lifestyle to achieve optimal health.

Learning about emotions and essential oils

Oils affect our emotions. There is a beautiful book written called Emotions and Essential Oils. It lists the emotional and spiritual effects of certain essential oils. I remember the first time I looked at this book. My thought was how can an oil have effects like this? I never really verbalized this question. As I have tested out the emotional qualities of these oils, the effects are sometimes astounding in the abilities to support on an emotional level. However, as I am starting to share the oils, I am finding this is a question that I need to figure out how to explain.
I remember the first time I ever tried an oil. I was struggling with a time of depression. It was bad enough that I reached out to my friend, who became my mentor, asking her if she knew of anything I could try that could help me. She was fairly new to the world of essential oils and was constantly talking about the things she was learning about. She gave me a sample of a citrus blend (Citrus Bliss). The effects were instant. My fog lifted. Over time, I learned and realized what I needed to do to take care of the cause of the depression. But I was able to do that because there was something available to support me.
Recently, I was talking with a friend. Her sweet little 5 year old accidentally saw something some time ago in a short intense clip that was on the internet involving evil clowns. This child has since had periodic episodes of intense terror. These episodes of terror stay with the child for a long time after mom is able to get this child to calm down. There is nothing that can be said to calm the child, it is only Mom's comforting arms that is able to do that. Well, as we were visiting, her child went into a room alone to do something, and suddenly we heard terrified screams. This child was seeing in their mind's eye, that horrible clown.When Mom came out with her child after going in to the rescue, the child was shaking and clinging to Mom. I was flipping through my Emotions book and came across Juniper Berry which was said to have the effect to help people have courage to face their fears. I had the child smell the oil and asked if it smelt okay. When I got an affirmative answer, I asked if I could put some where it could be smelled and again got an affirmative answer. So I put a tiny amount behind each ear and on the forehead (less than a drop total).
What surprised my friend was within 10 minutes, this child was off playing and laughing and ran outside with the rest of the kids. She said that normally this child would be clinging to her for hours because of how terrifying the experience is.
We called my mentor for help explaining why the emotional effect. My mentor gave an excellent explanation. Here is in essence what she told us.
Sometimes we feel emotions that are primal. Fear and anger are key primal emotions. These deep primal feelings are so intense that words are not able to reach them. In fact someone trying to tell us something to make us feel better can even make things worse. They are not rational and can not be rationalized. The place that these feelings are processed are in the limbic system within the heart of the brain. Essential oils are composed of tiny molecules. When inhaled (smelled) they are able to cross the barriers and directly affect this limbic system.
While there is still much I have to study to understand this, and research I must find, this made sense. I remember learning several years back in my anatomy and physiology classes that it is the senses that directly affect the limbic system, whether to cause them, make them worse or make them better.
I found some great diagrams to help illustrate this:

An Essential Oil Experience

So if you read the last post, you know what I did yesterday. I went hiking. It was GREAT! However, there were a few aches and pains that were a result of my activities yesterday.
1. I was pretty dehydrated. I normally drink a lot, and on the days that I don't drink as much as I am used to, I feel it.
2. I wore a pair of lightweight running shoes on a trail that had a lot of boulders and rocks jutting out of the trail (I need to get me some hiking shoes for sure).
3. I also ended up eating a piece of pizza which is never good news for me.
By the end of the day:
        A. My knees and ankles were sore and achy
        B. My stomach was not feeling well
        C. My left flank (kidney area) was aching
I went to bed exhausted. About 1am, I woke up and was so uncomfortable, I knew I had to do something. So I got out my Modern Essentials book (it's my reference book for times like this) to see what I could use to help my body be able to rest.
A. I read that White Fir oil's Common Primary Uses are: Cartilage Inflammation, Muscle Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Overexercised Muscles and Sprains. I read that and figured it would be a great oil for my knees and ankles. I rubbed a drop in each area.
B. My go to-oil when my stomach is giving me problems is DigestZen.  Sometimes it works better when taken internally, but normally just rubbing a drop or two helps me. I put it right in the area my stomach was grumbling.
C. First thing I did was drink about a quart of water...yeah, in the middle of the night! In looking up kidney, there were some oils listed in order of most supportive. I took the top 4 oils and just layered them on. I put on lemongrass, thyme, Zendocrine (blend) and grapefruit. After that I put on a warm wet washrag. The lemongrass oil stung (it can be irritating to the skin) so I put some homemade lotion on the area to soothe the stinging.
So there I was, all oiled up! I laid down and within minutes I was comfortable enough to go to sleep. I woke up this morning feeling just fine!

Get outside!

This week, I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to go hiking in the mountains. On Wednesday, a friend called to see if I could go hiking. I did, and it was AMAZING! It was so beautiful, I wanted to try as hard as I could to take my family hiking on Saturday. Long boring story short, it turned out that my husband and son's scout group was camping out and going hiking in the area I wanted to. So the girls crashed the party.

I have decided that going hiking is one of the best things a person and a family can do. There is something about nature that is grounding, healing and elevating. Not to mention that going hiking is GREAT exercise,  and it connects people who are out in it. Memories are made that will last a life time.

So, make it a priority, drag the kids away from whatever it is they are entertaining themselves with, grab a snack and some water, and go find a trail of some kind.

Empowerment

One thing I learned as a child was how to learn. I developed a habit of studying things I take interest in. I love to take things I learn and share them with anyone who has any kind of interest.
Right now, my new interest is essential oils. Actually, I have been interested in them for a few years. I just haven't had the time to research and study them like I do now because I have been in school. I am fascinated by the potential that they carry. I can't get enough studying the research (and there is tons of it) that is being conducted on them. I am finding that they are so simple yet so complex.
I was watching a video training as I was cleaning the kitchen yesterday done by one of the top leaders in DoTERRA. She mentioned the goal of having a healer in every home. I find that goal to be so profound. Moms and Dads naturally take on that role. It's part of being a parent. They are the ones who have to soothe the fevers, stuffy noses, coughs,tummy aches, skinned knees. They are the ones that take on the broken hearts,anxiety, the frustrations brought on by peers, sadness. I love that I am finding a tool in oils that is helping me help my children and my friends with so many different issues, both physical and emotional. It has helped me so much that I want to turn around and share it with anyone who has any interest!
Yesterday, my 12 year old son who has been a little skeptical, came to me and told me he needs to have his own collection. We looked at my supply of oils and he picked out the oils he wanted and told me what he wants each one for. My daughter who struggles with peer related issues and anxiety at school has a collection of 4 roller bottles. The first time I gave her a little bottle with 5 drops of oil in it. I didn't expect her to do anything with it. Three days later, she came back and said she needs more. She used to come home so upset every day. That happens much less frequently now.

I love too that they help me. I struggle with anxiety and depression. It has never been bad enough that I felt I had to see a doctor, but it has definitely affected my life. As I use these oils, I realize just how much I have struggled with it. The struggles aren't gone, but life is a lot brighter, and I am finding freedom from my anxieties to do things and accomplish things I never thought I could.

Apples!

When I was a girl, I used to help my Mom can. I loved spending time with her, and I loved the taste of the food that we canned. As an adult, I have never done any canning,.. until this week. It has been many years since those days as a kid helping my Mom. Last week, I helped a friend with her canning process. It was a lot of work, but my confidence grew. When she told me I could have the rest of the apples on her tree I figured I could give it a try.
Tuesday was my day. I had no work and I was careful to make sure that I didn't schedule anything urgent in.
Monday evening for our family activity, the kids and I picked those apples. That was a little tricky. They were all pretty high up, and directly under the tree was a lilac bush. That meant we couldn't get directly under the tree with a ladder. We picked a whole bunch of apples. My son climbed the tree and did target practice (I was shocked the apples were in one piece afterwards!), and I scaled the Little Giant Ladder. I hate ladders, but I wanted the apples. Amazing what you can do when you really want it! My daughter was my wonderful helper. We gathered a whole lot of apples.
Tuesday I processed 69 quarts of applesauce. I was working on it from 7 am to 5:30 pm. It was hot, tiring work.I was exhausted at the end of the day. My sweet husband came home from his long day at work and kicked me out of the kitchen and cleaned up himself and then took us out to dinner. I could tell he was happy with what I accomplished!
There were a few times in the process that I asked myself if this was worth my time. It would be more cost efficient to go buy applesauce. At the same time I asked that question, I immediately threw out the thought. It is not just about cost. This is organic food at it's best. I know there is nothing else but apples and water in this applesauce. It tastes so good. My family loves it.
I have fought being a canner for years. I am afraid I can fight it no more. Time to start stocking up on jars and  the supplies I need for next year. I

A healing experience

It has been a few days since I have written a post. I have been having an experience that has blown my mind.
On Wednesday I did something to my arm...my right arm. I am thinking I strained it really good. When I got home from work, it was ok, but it gradually got worse until by 7pm I was unable to move it at all. All I wanted to do was cradle it. I could barely straighten it let alone hold it away from my body even a couple of inches. The center of the pain was where my arm met my shoulder. I knew it was not too serious because it took 4+ hours to develop. Yet I couldn't move it, which was scary. It's amazing what you can't do or struggle to do when your dominant hand is useless.
That night I was unable to sleep due to the pain caused by the weight of my arm. There was no comfortable position. Finally I Googled for an oil combination for pain relief. I found a suggestion for 6 drops of frankincense and 6 drops of marjoram or oregano. I put the frank/marj combination in a capsule and shortly after was able to fall asleep for a couple of hours (I would only do this with the doTERRA oils!).
Through out the rest of the day I rubbed a bunch of oils, mainly frankincense, marjoram, white fir, basil, and Deep Blue (blend designed to work with muscle pain). I also applied warm compresses which helped drive the oils in. I worked on not cradling my arm but holding proper posture. A massage therapist friend spent a few minutes working on it as well.
As I went through this day, I found myself being so grateful for the little things I was able to do, and the blessing of movement. After my friend worked on it, I was able to move it maybe 25% of normal range of motion.
As I spent the day working through the pain and trying to get movement, I was also trying to be mindful of which process I was trying to follow...linear or holistic. The goal was to be holistically minded. I made the correlation between my emotions going on during the time I injured my arm/shoulder. I felt extremely burdened and stressed. I have some struggles at work that are making it less than enjoyable to work there. I feel it is important to acknowledge what underlying emotions are contributing to a situation and to face them and to consciously let them go.
The next day, I had much better movement, and after getting my massage friend work on my upper body and help me get a lot of knots in my shoulders and arms out, I had full ROM and little pain. I was still tender at certain points, but I was fully functional. This was my first real massage EVER. It was amazing!!!
As a nurse, I have seen injuries like this take days and weeks and even months to work through with lots of NSAID use. After 4 days, I am all better. I am overwhelmed at how by taking a holistic approach, I was able to help my body work through it's challenge. I think by using oils, addressing the emotional component and getting a good massage, and lots of prayer (!) I was able to get what I needed to help my body heal. In looking back, it was nothing short of a miracle.

*I found this info-graphic poster. It was pretty cool, so I included it.

An experiment with oral hygiene

There is a lot of information out there about oil pulling. There is plenty of conflicting information as to whether or not it is effective in oral health. I have seen enough that is positive, that I am inclined to give it a try.

It is almost humorous to research the subject. There are countless of people who write about their experience and the positive benefits they experience. However, the American Dental Association and other traditional groups say that it is ineffective and pointless without taking a serious look into it. I was unable to find a peer-reviewed journal article researching the idea. It sounds like there needs to be an independent study researching the methods and benefits, one that is totally objective and unbiased (is that possible?). After all, if it truly is as beneficial as some people claim, wouldn't it be worth knowing?

The idea of it is gross though. Putting a spoonful of oil in my mouth and swishing it for 15-20 minutes. Ugh!

Today I saw yet another article talking about how well it works. I had enough...my curiosity got the best of me. I got out a spoon and my bottle of coconut oil. I put a spoonful in my mouth...and gagged at the texture! I was determined to see if I could make it work. As it melted, it became not so bad. There was no flavor, and I just swished away. I made it for the full 15 minutes. While I swished, I cleaned my room and took a shower. When I was done and spat out the vile stuff in the garbage, I was shocked at how clean my mouth felt. I followed up by brushing my teeth afterwards with baking soda (I don't use toothpaste), and my mouth felt REALLY clean. 

It wasn't so bad. 

I might just do it again. 

If you are curious as to what oil pulling is supposed to do, here are some websites to look at:

http://wellnessmama.com/7866/oil-pulling-for-oral-health/ 

http://www.realfarmacy.com/healing-cavities-a-true-weve-done-it-story/

Now, before I get comments from people about how stupid this is, I am not telling anyone this is how things should be. I am conducting my own experiment to see how well it works because I'm curious. Anything that has so much information that is so polar opposite automatically intrigues me.