Second Opinions are SO Important

I just wanted to post a little something about second opinions. I know we all live very busy lives and expect instant gratification in almost all circumstances but sometimes we have to SLOW DOWN, especially when it comes to getting advice about our health. I am such a fan of getting second opinions, and in some cases, even third ones! I implement this in almost all situations out of my realm of expertise (certain health issues, car problems, etc.). I can't even tell you how many times this has saved me. I think sometimes people in mainstream health related fields see so many people that they just don't have time to really sit and look at all the facts. They don't know you and what you are personally experiencing so they may dismiss or just not see something big. A few months ago my son hit his front tooth and it was bleeding and was wiggly so I called a pediatric dentist, whom I had never seen before, and came in right away. They were all super nice and treated my son with such care. However, the dentist recommended pulling his front tooth out right away! I was so upset and being that he was 3 at the time couldn't imagine him missing a front tooth for years never mind the trauma for him to go thru the procedure. So I called my dentist and he offered to evaluate the situation. After examination he said there was no need to pull it. You can imagine my relief, but then the feelings of “what if” came out. I sat there and wondered how many other children had their teeth needlessly yanked out. I would like to think he just made a mistake but who knows now-a-days. Just to be on the safe side, since both recommendations were so different I sent the X-ray to another dentist. He confirmed what my dentist said. Crazy huh? This is just a tooth, I have heard of some doctors amputating wrong limbs!! Sometimes I think we forget the doctors are human too and everyone gets it wrong every now and again. So next time someone gives you advice you are not sure about, trust your gut and get a second opinion!

Raw Almonds

So I just recently purchased some "raw" almonds from Whole Foods. Well at least I thought they were raw and why shouldn't I have, the bin said RAW ALMONDS. Well, after my purchase I was informed that the stores, or at least the majority of the stores, can sell almonds claiming them to be raw but they are in fact pasteurized. Hmmm, that's slightly annoying. Apparently after the salmonella scare a while back they started pasteurizing the nuts to be on the safe side. That's all fine and dandy, but why still the raw label? Obviously raw means just that, raw. Not cooked in anyway. I see they are not roasted, but still all or most enzymes are dead when pasteurized. So I guess unless you know your nut farmer or your direct supplier, you are pretty much guaranteed to be getting non raw almonds. What next right ;o)

Larabar Food Bars

If you haven't already tried them, Larabar food bars are really good. I think the most amazing part is that a commercial food company is selling a product with only the ingredients it needs, not the other "fillers" and preservatives. They have 18 different flavors, Tropical is my favorite. Here is a list of what's in the Tropical bar... Dates, Pineapple, Unsweetened Coconut, Almonds, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Cashews, Orange Juice Concentrate and Orange Peel. Sounds yummy doesn't it! When I was doing my detox a few months ago (post more about that later) it was my go to snack in the afternoon. Oh and another bonus, my kids LOVE them! They also have a Jocolat line but I've only had the mint one and it was a bit strong in the mint department for my taste. Check out their website, they have a pretty neat story on how it all began http://www.larabar.com/
 

Dates Pineapple Unsweetened Coconut Almonds Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Cashews Orange Juice Concentrate

Spelt Pineapple Pancakes

Pancakes are a staple in our breakfast routine. My kids just love them. They are so easy to make from scratch too. I love to experiment and put different ingredients in them like spices and fruits. I grind my own grains to make flour and my favorite to use here is Spelt. To me, it is almost interchangeable as far as flavor with white flour. It contains more protein, fat and crude fiber than wheat. It is also high in vitamin B potassium and iron. For those of you with wheat allergies (not gluten allergies) you may be able to experiment with this grain as it is not as hard to digest as wheat. The base of this recipe is always the same. Just add different things in at the end like cinnamon, blueberries, apples, banana, etc. This particular batch I made had chopped up pineapples in them. They were amazing! Butter and maple syrup need not come to this pancake party.

1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 cup spelt flour
1 1/2 Tbsp natural sugar (you could also use honey here or natural sugar alternative)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup small minced pineapple, fresh or frozen

Mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients and add dry to wet. Add in pineapple, give a quick stir and let rest for10 minutes. Spray pan with olive oil and cook till bubbly on one side then flip. I like to put mine on a baking rack so they cool but remain crunchy on the outsides. Hope your family enjoys them as much as mine does!

Homeopathic remedy for stomach aches

So my 4 year old son Payton had a bad stomach bug a while back. He wouldn't eat, or hardly drink, and was running a fever for a few days. It's a sad sight to see your child come down with a stomach bug. I started doing some research on natural stomach remedies and also talked with my natropath doctor and decided to try the homeopathic remedy Carbo Vegetabilis. I went to the local natural food store and saw that Hyland's (a homeopathic company) had a product called Upset Stomach. It provides natural relief for gas and digestive upset. It is a charcoal based formula. Charcoal is known to absorb toxins from your intestinal wall and dispose of them in your bowels. I used this along with a heavy dose of probiotics and Payton started feeling better pretty quick. My family has since used this product every time we have had an angry tummy. I would highly recommend adding this to your "medicine" cabinet.

When I was diagnosed with IBS in college the gastroenterologist told me never to use over the counter antacid remedies like Pepto and Mylanta, etc. She said that most people actually need those natural acids, that these products destroy, in your gut to help balance the upset. Before I knew this you could always look in my purse and see rolls of Tums or Rolaids. Since then, I have never touched one of those products. Sometimes I think we get caught up in all that fancy marketing by pharmaceutical companies and forget to realize that God made our bodies to work a certain way. Most things will pass on their own if you allow your body to do what it needs to do. Or, assist your body with natural remedies like the one I just mentioned. It is important to realize that everything you put in your body will cause a reaction, some good, and some bad. It is far less likely to have a bad reaction if you stick to something natural.

Month 1 Complete of the Candida Diet: From Beth

Hey Morgan and all, thank you for all your wonderful posts, Morg. I totally didn't know about the immune system vs. the stomach. Something that made me think!


I have successfully completed my first month of the candida diet cleanse!!!
and all is going as well as expected. Of course, I have experienced every symptom they say you are going to experience while going through it like

• Nausea
• Headache, fatigue, dizziness
• Swollen glands
• Bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea
• Increased joint or muscle pain
• Elevated heart rate
• Chills, cold feeling in your extremities
• Body itchiness, hives or rashes
• Sweating
• Fever
• Skin breakouts
• Recurring infections and inflammation
• Mental Detox and reliving depression or chronic stress
• Nightmares
• Skin crawling
• Food Cravings

But I am now through the worst of it, which is learning how to change everything! I'm not going to lie it was absolute hell. I really didn't think I was going to make it through this far, and I have to say I leaned a lot on Dr. Charles Stanley www.intouch.org (Its a must do part of your every day life. Prayer, and faith)...

.... my artwork, friends, and family. Wow, a support system is really important. I had an acupuncture treatment yesterday and my Naturopathic was very pleased with my progress and said my skin was softer then she could have ever imagined and I am now 2 full months without a blemish. UNBELIEVABLE. Its really the biggest miracle I could have ever hoped for. I did have many moments when I thought I was so hungry I just wouldn't make it, but then God sent me angels like this woman's story sent to me through a friend who just went through it. She experienced serious weight gain after her first born, night sweats, and most of the horrible things one has with candida overgrowth and hormone imbalance. She was loaded with antibiotics and was in and out of doctors trying to understand why she was so ill only to be getting worse. After a doctor diagnosed her with obesity she called it quits to doctors, and went in search for an answer. After almost a decade of living with Candida she finally realized what she had and is now SYMPTOM and extra overwhelming WEIGHT free. She also realized her blood type had alot to do with her eating as well. With the right diet, herbs, and probiotics she cured herself and is no longer diabetic,  or has any thyroid conditions, is off all steroids, medications and is now back to normal. This was my sign to keep going. Then I spoke to a Dr. who studied under Dr. William Crook, "The Father of Candida Therapy" who passed in 2002.


William G. Crook, MD, popularized the idea that multiple intestinal and systemic symptoms can arise from chronic intestinal yeast infection. The yeast connection to chronic disease was first described by C. Orion Truss, MD, in his journal articles in the 1970s and in his 1983 book The Missing Diagnosis. Dr. Crook always gave Dr. Truss credit for discovering this yeast-related disorder.

He said, "I'm doing everything right and all the candida die-off symptoms I'm having are normal." In light of all of this I am persevering. I wanted to write this update in case anyone might find us here, and give some additional tips I found here and there on the Internet, and some I didn't find. I know its a really hard, very trying time, and even with all the support online, docs, and health experts somehow you still need the reassurance that what your doing is working. It is, and it will, so persevere!!!!


Now I did take a different approach and for one month I gently took myself off certain things and started a gentle detox, like increase greens, eliminate most sugar but still ate some berries, etc. Then I went full detox. I didn't want to shock my body after years of abuse. I'm also 105 lbs. so I wanted to maintain my weight. Since the first month I have continued to get better. I haven't had night sweats, no breakouts, no cysts, my fatigue has dissipated unless I am in "die-off" state, I'm regular, and my depression has left me completely! I know I have many months ahead of me, but some notes to those who really want to do this. 


To prepare for the candida diet and on your way to wellness: 


Look at it like a vacation or a camping trip. Pack these essentials in your home!


15 MUST HAVES FOR MONTH 1 OF THE CANDIDA DIET

1. Time off and money: If you have any vacation days, savings, parents that are close by, an understanding husband, see if its at all possible to take some time off. Getting prepared will take some time. If you can't, understand that your going to need to spend all the time you have learning to cook or cooking differently, and its going to financially set you back a bit. Its very expensive for groceries as everything has to be organic, and cooked or raw. I know this sounds discouraging, but please understand if you don't take care of this now, its going to land you in the hospital with bills of unimaginable heights and some things you may never be able to overcome. 

2. Print pages from this site and stick it on your fridge
www.thecandidadiet.com

3. Pumpkin Muffins will save you through this diet and they aren't hard to make. They will curb the craving for bread if your A. Italian like me, and B. love bread and butter... he, he...

2/3 cup flax gel, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable glycerin, 1 cup pumpkin (peel and cube appx. 1/2 of a small pumpkin and toss it in a blender), 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/2 tsp vitamin c crystals, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 2 cups quinoa flour

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all your ingredients together except for the flour, then stir that in last after the rest is well blended. Grease muffin tin with coconut oil. Bake for approx 18 min. This will make 12 muffins. 

Pumpkin Muffins

4. Almond Butter will also save you! OMG. But get the almond butter from Whole Foods that's fresh, grind it yourself, its better then the almond butter in a jar. You can make a fresh batch of this and munch on it with celery, rice cakes (plain, gluten free, salt free, brown rice cakes..in moderation) YUM! Will curve your sweet cravings. 

Brown Rice Cakes with Almond Butter

5. SALADS! They are inexpensive and totally perfect for quick, on the go, need a meal fixes. You can do anything with a salad, but make sure you get a spray bottle and fill it with raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to spray down your veggies to kill bacteria. (I thought about this when this lady with long unmanicured nails started groping my vegetables while removing them from my bag to separate them for inventory sake, GROSS! Well, sometimes you can't afford Whole Foods, so you get what you pay for, he he...) Then I read that you should be doing this anyway! He, he..  Anyway, you can put your fish of choice in the salads, put some eggs to the side, experiment with different veggies. Take a fresh lemon and put it on top for your dressing. Just lemon!

Spinach Cucumber Red Pepper and Salmon Salad

with Fresh Squeezed Lemon

6. Naturopathic: They have healthy answers to everything. If you get an infection seek a naturopathic. NO OVER THE COUNTERS, NO ANTIBIOTICS, you don't need them. I know its hard. I always took the pill from the doctor and in 2 days it was gone, but really you don't need to hurt your body. Those pills are only going to hurt you in the long run and your infection will shortly return.  There are many natural things you can do, but if your a bit of a pre-madonna like me you won't like sticking things in places that don't belong. There is an amazing product called Quell-Fire from Kan Herb, get a prescription from your Naturopathic and order it online. If your also like me and have never experienced serious inflammation but have had many infections. The inflammation is normal. Its your bodies way of protecting your vital organs while the candida tries to fight to stay alive. This stuff works and will reduce the inflammation and infection is a couple of days. I'm meeting with a new doctor soon. I'm really excited. I will be getting a blood cell analysis and going further into the problem for resolution. 


7. Probiotics: I used these from day one. Make sure they have Acidophilus and Bifidobacteria and are non dairy if you have dairy allergies like me. I use the Intestinal Care DF and it comes in a Blue bottle. But be careful. I started with a very small dosage probiotic before going to this one. If your body is really unhealthy, like mine was, you will experience major symptoms in the bathroom. Start light with like 1 billion. If you want to go higher, take it in stages. You will know if its working when you start to get more regular. At first I was almost in shock at how it worked, but now I'm fine.


8. Get a heating pad: When you experience cramps, back ache, neck ache, face pain, you name it, your going to go through it, then it will be gone!!! This is your body ridding itself of the candida. You will need a heating pad. Try not to take over the counter medications like Advil. Try to teach yourself healthier better ways. Herbs, herbs, herbs. 


9. Cotton undergarments: Oh man this was a hard one for me. Everything I own is lace. I know this is getting a little personal, but you have to do it girls. You can still go sexy but make sure its 100% cotton and sexy. Victoria Secrets is a tough sell on this one, but they do have some items. Macy's is a good one, they have options. Watch out for the spandex and fibers, not good, even when they say the lining is cotton. Still no good. I will get back to you if I find any other options and brands. 

10. Peppermint Tea: You will need this for the nausea, its going to get intense and this will save you.

11. Vitamin C Crystals - 1000 mg a day: You will need this to keep up your immune system. There are also herbs from your naturopathic that can help you as well.

12. Lemons and Extra Virgin All Natural, Cold Pressed, Olive Oil: Use these things on as many things as you can in place of other toppings, or dressings!

13: Coconut Oil (organic, extra virgin, unrefined, cold pressed): You can use this as a mouthwash in the morning, the longer you swish it will become a liquid, but don't swallow it, its full of toxins... this will help with the tongue if your experiencing antibiotic tongue, and use it on your lips for dry mouth. I've heard its good as lotion but its too greasy for me. But definitely cook with it. It may speed up your die off so back off if your symptoms get too out of hand. Its a powerful anti fungal. 

14. Almond Milk: This is an excellent escape from Milk, but make sure its SUGAR FREE, and unsweetened. 

15. WATER! I saved the most important for last: you must drink alot of WATER WATER WATER! I like Qure and Smart Water. This helps rid the body of toxins. If you have a weak liver like I do, I also back that up with teas that help detoxify. But be careful and check with your naturopathic. Mixing things may not be good:)

Smoothie recipe

I wanted to share a smoothie recipe that I made today. I have found that smoothies are one of the easiest ways to get a variety of fruits and vegetables in my family's bodies. I try to change them every time I make them. Don't worry about measuring, just dump it is the blender and enjoy! All these ingredients are organic.
1 carrot
1 large leaf green chard
1 11.2 oz container of coconut water
BLEND for 2-3 minutes then ADD
handful of sliced frozen peaches
handful of frozen strawberries
handful of frozen pineapple
1 banana
1/2 cup of orange juice
Blend for 2-3 more minutes

They say to eat a rainbow everyday and with this smoothie you're more then half way there!

Life Changing Book

I was looking through my bookcase today and came across an old book and thought I would share it. Although my journey started before I read this book, much of what I read plays a HUGE role in my life to this day. I would definitely recommend it to everyone who has not read it. It's "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. Yes, some of you may have recognized it as a movie. To this day I am still trying to figure out how they got that movie from this book. Here are some key principals I took away from reading this book: Never, ever eat beef that was ground in a plant. Your chances of E Coli alone shoot up about 50% at least from this kind of beef. I'm not even going to get into the possibility of random body parts that get sucked through the chopper. Obviously, don't eat at fast food restaurants. I know, some they may think this is impossible, believe me I have drove past them wishing I would give in for pure convenience reasons, but trust me, it can be done. A piece of produce is a much faster food anyway ;o) Did you know, in some states it is illegal to call a milkshake a milkshake if it has no milk in it? Sound silly? Most fast food restaurants call them shakes for this very reason. They use the same ingredients to thicken paint as they do to get these "shakes" thick. Mmmm, yummy. I also learned about "artificial ingredients" from this book. The author has this amazing scene where he describes these very detailed food smells of grilled meat and such all while sitting blindfolded in a laboratory. As soon as he takes the blindfold off, there is the test strip with that wonderful smell. These very same companies are making fragrances for department brand perfume companies. Anyway, all and all it was a pretty big eye opener for me, reading this book. So next time you are looking for a new book, give this one a try, I promise it won't let you down.

"Food" Color?

So it's my sons 4th birthday and I need to make a cake. Normally I am pretty militant about not incorporating certain ingredients into my children’s diets, however, today I am going to use my 80/20 pass. For us, we try to live 80% natural and give ourselves a 20% not so natural rule. I've found if you want to maintain any sort of sanity give yourself some leeway. So I am making him a castle cake. For this I need some food coloring. Now I need to make ice cream cone toppers for my towers. While I was looking at all the baking items, I came across some food color spray. Ingenious!! Or so I thought. In all my excitement I did something I almost never do...forgot to read the label. When it came to using the spray I took my cones out and went at it. OMG it smelled like real spray paint! You know the kind you would spray some old furniture with. I almost died. Obviously this was NOT going to be incorporated into my son’s birthday cake. So I turned over the can and read it. Ethanol, Isobutane and Propane were the first ingredients. And someone decided these were appropriate food ingredients why? Oh let me guess, this must be an "acceptable level" of these known toxic ingredients based on serving size right? Another fantastic job by the FDA... amazing.

The benefits AND caveat of Probiotics

So I was recently asked about probiotics and what I thought about them. So, here is what I know... They are the good bacteria that create balance in your gut. I would like to add that 60% of your immune system is found in the gut, hence why it is so important for this balance! There are several different strains of probiotics out there. The fewer strains you take together the better (they are live organisms and you don't want them fighting amongst themselves in your belly). They are super important to take AFTER you are on antibiotics since antibiotics wipe out all bacteria from your system, good and bad. Probiotics are commonly found in yogurt, kefir and fermented foods. You can also buy them in capsule or chewable form. Here is where the caveat comes in. You should take probiotics that say "guaranteed potency upon consumption, NOT upon production". This is where the frustration kicks in for me. Almost all the brands out there say they guarantee potency upon production. That basically means by the time they get swallowed by you, they could very well be dead. Nice huh? Well, there is more. I was shopping at a pretty big chain vitamin store and was standing in front of what should have been a refrigerated probiotic section, except this one was broken. That's right, hotter then Haiti’s in that section. I said something to the clerk and he just shrugged it off. Nice to know the store cares so much about the product. Then I was at a health food store and the clerk there told me that the only refrigerated brand that gets shipped to them cold was the Natren’s brand. All the other brands that have that giant KEEP REFRIGERATED sticker on them don't even bother to send it to the stores properly. So, where do we go from here? Honestly, I'm not sure. I have heard very good things about Natren’s, but they can be pretty pricey. I have also been referred to Solaray who has a multidophilus (which is the brand I'm currently taking) but who knows if it's alive. I did just hear about testing your probiotics by soaking them in sugary water at a 90 degree temp for a few hours and if it smells yeasty, it's alive. I'm gonna give that a try on mine and report back to you.

One Small Step from you, One Giant Leap for Your Body

As I mentioned, my journey to a healthier life did not happen overnight. Perhaps if an outsider was to look in now, they would think "holly crap" that sounds like too much work. Don't worry I would have said the same thing back then too. Specifically with me, the first thing I did was eliminate partially hydrogenated oil or what I call PHO. Now, this was way back before the term trans fat was plastered all over every packaged good. I learned in college from a teacher that your body has absolutely no way of processing this. I like to give people examples because I think it was paint a pretty clear picture as to why you do not want to eat even one gram of this crap. Shortening is pure PHO. If you take a tub of shortening and place it outside guess what happens to it... NOTHING! No creature will eat it, it will not evaporate. It just sits there in all its clumpy glory. MMMM right? Oh and here is another interesting factoid about PHO. Our wonderful FDA has passed a law that states that packaged goods can put trans fat free on their labels if there is less then .05 grams per serving in the product. OK, so we have already established that NO amount of PHO should be consumed right? OK, now I want you to tell me in this western civilization of ours, who the hell eats one serving of ANYTHING. Oh yeah, no one. That's why I tell everyone, READ YOUR LABELS!