Well, after a few weeks of on and off UTI symptoms (my urine sample showed no infection) and some research and thoughts from my GYN, I have narrowed my issue down to interstitial cystitis. A brief explaination of this would be an inflammation of the bladder lining - there is no known cause and no "cure". But, there is a lot of alternative things one can do to treat this. Here is a great website if anyone out there is suffering from this or knows someone who is:
http://www.urologychannel.com/interstitialcystitis/index.shtml
This site goes over alternative treatments. I definately think that one of my big triggers is stress and diet. The Lord has really used this health issue to grab my attention regarding the issue of anxiety in my life. I am working on learning more about giving all my cares over to the Lord. I always feel much better physically when I am trusting God.
Some other things I am trying are my bladder and kidney supplements from Dr. Marshall, along with his castor oil packs, and they decided today to start me on something called allocidin in case this is also being triggered by an internal candida infection. I am also taking my trusty Threelac, which I have blogged about before, along with a supplement I got at Jimbo's today (like a Whole Foods), called Gotu Kola. The lady working at the supplement counter there also recommended boiling a chicken and drinking the broth. She said all the nutrients will come out of the bone and help to soothe the inflammation. So, tonight I start a chicken boiling in the crock pot for the next 24 hours.
I am learning with all my health issues the importance of first praying to the Lord for wisdom, then talking to others who are nutrient minded and then doing some of my own research. It's a slow process, but I hope to post an update soon of a much improved me.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Bad Effects of Sugar...
Try googling "bad side effects of sugar". You will come up with a massive amount of information. I am just starting to learn how bad sugar is for you and how much of it is in our foods. My diet is now going back to basics...vegies, fruits, meats, whole grains, and a little bit of honey or maple syrup. I am also starting to make my own bread and crackers. No more mixes or store bought "processed foods", even the organic ones. It's amazing how eating this way has cured my chocolate addiction. I really can't remember the last time I have had some, and I don't miss it. Not to say that I'll never eat it again! =)
Anyway, back to sugar. Here is an excerpt from a website called Organic Nutrition. I hope you find this helpful...
Is sugar bad for you?
The white crystalline substance we know of as sugar is an unnatural substance produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by refining it down to pure sucrose, after stripping away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients.
What is left is a concentrated unnatural substance which the human body is not able to handle, at least not in anywhere near the quantities that is now ingested in today's accepted lifestyle. Sugar is addictive. The average American now consumes approximately 115 lbs. of sugar per year. This is per man, woman and child.
The biggest reason sugar does more damage than any other poison, drug or narcotic is twofold:
(a) It is considered a "food" and ingested in such massive quantities, and
(b) The damaging effects begin early, from the day a baby is born and is fed sugar in its formula. Even mothers milk is contaminated with it if the mother eats sugar, and
(c) Practically 95% of people are addicted to it to some degree or other.
Sugar is eaten to excess
It has been said that the criteria as to whether a substance (any substance) is harmful or medically beneficial is the quantity in which it is used in the human body. To point to a dramatic illustration: we all know that the venom of a rattlesnake, a cobra, water moccasin, coral, and other venomous snakes is deadly to the human system. There are some snakes whose bite is so deadly it can cause death within a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, even snake venom, deadly as it is, has been used for therapeutic, medical purposes when used in minute quantities.
History of sugar
Whereas sugar had been around in minute quantities for several thousand years, it was practically unknown and formed an insignificant part of the average diet in the Classical civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Greeks (who had a word for nearly everything!) did not even have a word for it. Even in medieval Europe it was practically unknown and then only a rare delicacy in the royal courts.
During the last major Crusade that ended in 1204 some of the Christian Crusaders were introduced to sugar freely used by the Saracens. The Moors when invading and colonizing the southern part of Spain grew sugar cane on Spanish soil and refined sugar. When Spain drove out the Moors, it inherited some of the cane plantations. It was during this time that Christendom took its first big bite of the forbidden fruit and liked it.
Sugar is an unnatural chemical
Why is sugar so devastating to our health? One reason is it is pure chemical and (like heroin) through refining has been stripped of all the natural food nutrition that it originally had in the plant itself.
Heroin and sugar are arrived at by very similar processes of refinement. In producing heroin, the opium is first extracted from the poppy: The opium is then refined into morphine. The chemists then went to work on morphine and further refined it into heroin, proclaiming they had "discovered" a wonderful new pain-killer that was non-addictive. So they said.
Similarly, sugar is first pressed as a juice from the cane (or beet) and refined into molasses. Then it is refined into brown sugar, and finally into strange white crystals C12H22O, that are an alien chemical to the human system.
Sugar is addictive
A second reason that sugar is so harmful is that like heroin it is addictive, and being delectable and seductive to the taste, it is also habit forming. Starting with sugar in the baby's formula, people not only develop a strong taste for sugar but an insatiable craving for it so that they never seem to get enough of this poison.
Slow but insidious
A third reason is that the damage sugar does is slow and insidious. It takes years before it ruins your pancreas, your adrenal glands, throws your whole endocrine system out of kilter and produces a huge list of damage.
Foods are loaded with sugar
A fourth reason is the outrageous amounts of sugar civilized nations consume. Americans in particular are told how they are the best fed and best nourished people on the face of the earth. If we are talking about processed junk food - this is true.
If you examine the "foods" in any supermarket more closely and start reading labels, you will find just about everything contains sugar. Most of the foods are loaded with it - from cereals, to soups, to ketchup, to hotdogs. Even flue-cured tobacco can contain as much as 20% sugar by weight. Some cereals are as much as 50% sugar.
List of Damages
We have stated that sugar is deleterious to your health: that it is more damaging than all other narcotics combined; that it is a long term chemical poison. Just what damage does sugar do to the human body? The list is endless.
When we talk about sugar, we are including bad nutrition as a whole, since anyone who indulges in sugar has bad dietary habits per se.
Sugar is by far the leading cause of dental deterioration - cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, failure of bone structure, and loss of teeth.
Sugar is the main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.
It is either a significant or contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.
It has an extremely harmful effect in unbalancing the endocrine system and injuring its component glands such as the adrenal glands, pancreas and liver, causing the blood sugar level to fluctuate widely. It has a number of other extremely damaging effects on the human body.
Some of the other effects of sugar on the body are:
Increases overgrowth of candida yeast organism
Increases chronic fatigue
Can trigger binge eating in those with bulima
Increases PMS symptoms
Increases hyperactivity in about 50% of children
Increases tooth decay
Increases anxiety and irritability
Can increase or intensify symptoms of anxiety and panic in susceptible women
Can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels, which causes the body to store excess carbs as fat.
There are a number of books available on the subject, but perhaps one of the most interesting ones is "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. It is available in most Health Food stores.
Health Topics
Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma
Bruises
Circulation
Colds
Constipation
Diabetes
Diet
Energy
Eyes
Exercise
Flu
Heart
Immune system
Impotence
Intestines
Kidneys
Liver
Menopause
Obesity
Parasites
Prostate
Sleeping
Sugar
Water
Weight loss
Anyway, back to sugar. Here is an excerpt from a website called Organic Nutrition. I hope you find this helpful...
Is sugar bad for you?
The white crystalline substance we know of as sugar is an unnatural substance produced by industrial processes (mostly from sugar cane or sugar beets) by refining it down to pure sucrose, after stripping away all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes and other beneficial nutrients.
What is left is a concentrated unnatural substance which the human body is not able to handle, at least not in anywhere near the quantities that is now ingested in today's accepted lifestyle. Sugar is addictive. The average American now consumes approximately 115 lbs. of sugar per year. This is per man, woman and child.
The biggest reason sugar does more damage than any other poison, drug or narcotic is twofold:
(a) It is considered a "food" and ingested in such massive quantities, and
(b) The damaging effects begin early, from the day a baby is born and is fed sugar in its formula. Even mothers milk is contaminated with it if the mother eats sugar, and
(c) Practically 95% of people are addicted to it to some degree or other.
Sugar is eaten to excess
It has been said that the criteria as to whether a substance (any substance) is harmful or medically beneficial is the quantity in which it is used in the human body. To point to a dramatic illustration: we all know that the venom of a rattlesnake, a cobra, water moccasin, coral, and other venomous snakes is deadly to the human system. There are some snakes whose bite is so deadly it can cause death within a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, even snake venom, deadly as it is, has been used for therapeutic, medical purposes when used in minute quantities.
History of sugar
Whereas sugar had been around in minute quantities for several thousand years, it was practically unknown and formed an insignificant part of the average diet in the Classical civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Greeks (who had a word for nearly everything!) did not even have a word for it. Even in medieval Europe it was practically unknown and then only a rare delicacy in the royal courts.
During the last major Crusade that ended in 1204 some of the Christian Crusaders were introduced to sugar freely used by the Saracens. The Moors when invading and colonizing the southern part of Spain grew sugar cane on Spanish soil and refined sugar. When Spain drove out the Moors, it inherited some of the cane plantations. It was during this time that Christendom took its first big bite of the forbidden fruit and liked it.
Sugar is an unnatural chemical
Why is sugar so devastating to our health? One reason is it is pure chemical and (like heroin) through refining has been stripped of all the natural food nutrition that it originally had in the plant itself.
Heroin and sugar are arrived at by very similar processes of refinement. In producing heroin, the opium is first extracted from the poppy: The opium is then refined into morphine. The chemists then went to work on morphine and further refined it into heroin, proclaiming they had "discovered" a wonderful new pain-killer that was non-addictive. So they said.
Similarly, sugar is first pressed as a juice from the cane (or beet) and refined into molasses. Then it is refined into brown sugar, and finally into strange white crystals C12H22O, that are an alien chemical to the human system.
Sugar is addictive
A second reason that sugar is so harmful is that like heroin it is addictive, and being delectable and seductive to the taste, it is also habit forming. Starting with sugar in the baby's formula, people not only develop a strong taste for sugar but an insatiable craving for it so that they never seem to get enough of this poison.
Slow but insidious
A third reason is that the damage sugar does is slow and insidious. It takes years before it ruins your pancreas, your adrenal glands, throws your whole endocrine system out of kilter and produces a huge list of damage.
Foods are loaded with sugar
A fourth reason is the outrageous amounts of sugar civilized nations consume. Americans in particular are told how they are the best fed and best nourished people on the face of the earth. If we are talking about processed junk food - this is true.
If you examine the "foods" in any supermarket more closely and start reading labels, you will find just about everything contains sugar. Most of the foods are loaded with it - from cereals, to soups, to ketchup, to hotdogs. Even flue-cured tobacco can contain as much as 20% sugar by weight. Some cereals are as much as 50% sugar.
List of Damages
We have stated that sugar is deleterious to your health: that it is more damaging than all other narcotics combined; that it is a long term chemical poison. Just what damage does sugar do to the human body? The list is endless.
When we talk about sugar, we are including bad nutrition as a whole, since anyone who indulges in sugar has bad dietary habits per se.
Sugar is by far the leading cause of dental deterioration - cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, failure of bone structure, and loss of teeth.
Sugar is the main cause of diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.
It is either a significant or contributory cause of heart disease, arteriosclerosis, mental illness, depression, senility, hypertension, cancer.
It has an extremely harmful effect in unbalancing the endocrine system and injuring its component glands such as the adrenal glands, pancreas and liver, causing the blood sugar level to fluctuate widely. It has a number of other extremely damaging effects on the human body.
Some of the other effects of sugar on the body are:
Increases overgrowth of candida yeast organism
Increases chronic fatigue
Can trigger binge eating in those with bulima
Increases PMS symptoms
Increases hyperactivity in about 50% of children
Increases tooth decay
Increases anxiety and irritability
Can increase or intensify symptoms of anxiety and panic in susceptible women
Can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels, which causes the body to store excess carbs as fat.
There are a number of books available on the subject, but perhaps one of the most interesting ones is "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty. It is available in most Health Food stores.
Health Topics
Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma
Bruises
Circulation
Colds
Constipation
Diabetes
Diet
Energy
Eyes
Exercise
Flu
Heart
Immune system
Impotence
Intestines
Kidneys
Liver
Menopause
Obesity
Parasites
Prostate
Sleeping
Sugar
Water
Weight loss
Thursday, October 11, 2007
stainless steel
Judging from how many handprints I wipe off my stainless steel appliances each day, I would say my kids' hands are regularly picking up whatever I use to clean my appliances. I've been looking for a good non-toxic way to clean them. I was searching online and found that vinegar works. I just keep some in a spray bottle under the sink. I've found though that it can take a fair amount of vinegar and quite a bit of rubbing to remove some marks. A friend had told me to try mineral oil, but I did not find it to work well, and it left a film. So I'm still keeping my eye out for something else that works better. But in the meantime it works just fine.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Toxic Canola Oil...
I just learned that your should never use or eat canola oil. Here are a few reasons why...
http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/canola.htm
The link above fully explains the reasons. A brief sumarry would be that canola oil is genetically engineered rape seed oil, which is an industrial oil. It is linked to all kinds of diseases, including cancer. It's hard to know who to trust out there because I did find some sites that defended canola oil, but they were few, and I could not look past the "genetic engineering". Why take chances? Olive oil, coconut, and sesame oils are the best to use, though you never want to use any oil to fry with. The best thing is to use chicken broth or if you must, butter. When oils are cooked at high temps, they produce free radicals which are carcinogens. Once your food is done cooking, then you can add your oil to it. It's just as yummy! =)
http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/canola.htm
The link above fully explains the reasons. A brief sumarry would be that canola oil is genetically engineered rape seed oil, which is an industrial oil. It is linked to all kinds of diseases, including cancer. It's hard to know who to trust out there because I did find some sites that defended canola oil, but they were few, and I could not look past the "genetic engineering". Why take chances? Olive oil, coconut, and sesame oils are the best to use, though you never want to use any oil to fry with. The best thing is to use chicken broth or if you must, butter. When oils are cooked at high temps, they produce free radicals which are carcinogens. Once your food is done cooking, then you can add your oil to it. It's just as yummy! =)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Non-Toxic Paint...
I recently received this website from my mom regarding non-toxic paint called Mythic Paint. Here is the website. http://www.mythicpaint.com/ I have not tried it yet, as it is due to come out in a few weeks. Since we need to repaint the house, I will be trying it out and will post how I like it.
The EcoWater System and Why You Should Consider a Water System...
Where to start? For those of you interested in getting a water system and being informed about the water in your area, I suggest that you go to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) website (http://www.nrdc.org/) and see if they have a reveiw of the water in your area. That is what I did for San Diego and what I found out about our water was not good. There were levels of chemicals and radio active materials that often exceeded the EPA standards set by the government. There were also a number of bacteria found as well. A lot of these things are now being linked to increased cancer risk and damage to the repiratory system, liver, heart, and kidneys, as well as birth defects and increased risk of miscarriage.
You can also find out about your water by calling the EPA's hotline at 1-800-426-4791. Your state is required by law to provide a report on all contaminants and toxins found in your water.
So, with all these contaminants, what can you do? Is it better to buy bottled water? The answer is no. Not only does bottled water in plastic leach plastic chemicals into the water, but it is estimated that 25% or more of bottled water is just tap water. About 22% of bottles tested had contaminents above state health limits. For more information on bottled water, check the NRDC website for a full report on bottled water.
Another reason to filter your water is to filter out the cholrine that is used to disinfect water. Chlorine is a poison and long term exposure is not good for you. There is all kinds of evidence that long term exposure to chlorine is associated with all kinds of cancers. As you shower, the warm water vaporizes the cholrine, so not only is it being absorbed by your skin, but it is also now in a form that can be inhaled. According to the EPA, every home in America has elevated levels of choloform gas in their home due to the vaporization of chlorine and other chemicals from tap and shower water. If you just google "chlorine health hazards", you will find tons of information. Here is one websites information to give you a start... http://www.holistichealthtools.com/chlorine.html
But, there is definately hope! The best way to deal with all these health hazards is to have your water tested and have a whole home water system installed. Not only will it be beneficial to your health, but it also prolongs the life of your water pipes and your appliances, decreases your energy bills, and decreases dramatically the amount of soaps and dishwasher and laundry detergent you need to use, especially in water as hard as ours is. It is definately an up-front investment, but I am looking forward to showering in clean water. We chose EcoWater systems after a recommendation from a friend and a holistic doctor, both who have done extensive research on water systems. Many systems need expensive filters changed periodically, but this system has no filter that needs changing and has a lifetime warrenty. The only upkeep is adding a bag of potassium about every 2 months at a cost of $8 a bag. The other system I was looking into, Aquasana, has a filter that has to be changed about every 3 years, depending on water usage at a cost of $800 a change.
If you are interested in getting an ecowater system, they are a large American manufactured company, that will provide their system all over the US. You can find out more about them on their website: http://www.ecowater.com/ or call them at 1-888-928-3765.
I hope this post has been helpful and if anyone has any other questions, I would be happy to do my best to answer them.
You can also find out about your water by calling the EPA's hotline at 1-800-426-4791. Your state is required by law to provide a report on all contaminants and toxins found in your water.
So, with all these contaminants, what can you do? Is it better to buy bottled water? The answer is no. Not only does bottled water in plastic leach plastic chemicals into the water, but it is estimated that 25% or more of bottled water is just tap water. About 22% of bottles tested had contaminents above state health limits. For more information on bottled water, check the NRDC website for a full report on bottled water.
Another reason to filter your water is to filter out the cholrine that is used to disinfect water. Chlorine is a poison and long term exposure is not good for you. There is all kinds of evidence that long term exposure to chlorine is associated with all kinds of cancers. As you shower, the warm water vaporizes the cholrine, so not only is it being absorbed by your skin, but it is also now in a form that can be inhaled. According to the EPA, every home in America has elevated levels of choloform gas in their home due to the vaporization of chlorine and other chemicals from tap and shower water. If you just google "chlorine health hazards", you will find tons of information. Here is one websites information to give you a start... http://www.holistichealthtools.com/chlorine.html
But, there is definately hope! The best way to deal with all these health hazards is to have your water tested and have a whole home water system installed. Not only will it be beneficial to your health, but it also prolongs the life of your water pipes and your appliances, decreases your energy bills, and decreases dramatically the amount of soaps and dishwasher and laundry detergent you need to use, especially in water as hard as ours is. It is definately an up-front investment, but I am looking forward to showering in clean water. We chose EcoWater systems after a recommendation from a friend and a holistic doctor, both who have done extensive research on water systems. Many systems need expensive filters changed periodically, but this system has no filter that needs changing and has a lifetime warrenty. The only upkeep is adding a bag of potassium about every 2 months at a cost of $8 a bag. The other system I was looking into, Aquasana, has a filter that has to be changed about every 3 years, depending on water usage at a cost of $800 a change.
If you are interested in getting an ecowater system, they are a large American manufactured company, that will provide their system all over the US. You can find out more about them on their website: http://www.ecowater.com/ or call them at 1-888-928-3765.
I hope this post has been helpful and if anyone has any other questions, I would be happy to do my best to answer them.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Our healthy Living Blog...
My mom, sisters, and I are always swapping ideas for healthy living, whether it's medical related or just ways to keep our homes clean and chemical free. Christy and I were talking today and decided the best way to keep track of all these ideas is to start a blog dedicated to healthy living. We hope that the information we post will be helpful not only for each other, but for others who are looking for a more natural approach to health care and homemaking.
My first post is a treatment I have stumbled upon for treating urinary tract infections. It is called D-Mannose. D-Mannose can be used for a number of things, so make sure the brand you buy says on the bottle that it is specifically for urinary health. It will often also have a cranberry extract added to it. The research that I have done states that it will get rid of infections in about 75% of the cases. I started taking it yesterday for myself and today already feel remarkably better. The nurse in me must add that if your symptoms don't improve quickly once you start taking it (and you need to start taking it as soon as possible when you symptoms start), make sure you see your doctor. But, it's a great way to try treating one without resorting to anti-biotics. I found my D-Mannose at a local healthfood store out here similar to Whole Foods. If Whole Foods does not carry it, it can be ordered on-line.
My first post is a treatment I have stumbled upon for treating urinary tract infections. It is called D-Mannose. D-Mannose can be used for a number of things, so make sure the brand you buy says on the bottle that it is specifically for urinary health. It will often also have a cranberry extract added to it. The research that I have done states that it will get rid of infections in about 75% of the cases. I started taking it yesterday for myself and today already feel remarkably better. The nurse in me must add that if your symptoms don't improve quickly once you start taking it (and you need to start taking it as soon as possible when you symptoms start), make sure you see your doctor. But, it's a great way to try treating one without resorting to anti-biotics. I found my D-Mannose at a local healthfood store out here similar to Whole Foods. If Whole Foods does not carry it, it can be ordered on-line.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)