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The UPS man came by the other day. Here’s what he brought me:
From VitaminShoppe.com -
KAL Nutritional Yeast Tablets – a food source of vitamin B. Bs are beneficial for lots of reasons, but for me they reduce stress, keep me from being as irritable (my kids appreciate that), and keep me upbeat. You can read more about nutritional yeast here.
Concentrace Minerals – minerals are vital to health. I add a few drops of this to each glass of water I drink. It makes my water taste so good. Click here to read a primer on minerals.
Magnesium Capsules – I started taking these after researching adrenal fatigue. I’m still taking them to be proactive. The above mineral primer includes information on Magnesium.
Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra – fabulous probiotic! You really get what you pay for. I decided to save a little a while back and bought a cheaper brand. They did not do for me what these do. When I was still dealing with dermatitis, and after I used up all the cheap probiotics, I ordered these. After taking one pill I noticed a difference in my hand. I don’t even think we fully understand the role of probiotics in our body. They aid digestion and help with intestinal issues, but beyond that, many, many issues are rooted in intestinal health. When our gut is out of whack, the rest of our body is. Probiotics help heal your gut. Dr. McBride has discovered that autism and even dyslexia are rooted in gut health. Click here for a great article about probiotics.
Maca Capsules – I have heard great things about this herb. Click here to read more. I have heard that it is great for your adrenals and even though I have been healed, I want to be proactive and prevent future flare-ups. I have been extra tired lately and am hoping these will give me energy. I have been taking them four days now and am feeling pretty great. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence. I’ll have to see if it lasts. Click here to read one woman’s experience with maca and click here for more information.
Papaya Chewable Enzyme Tablets – I take an enzyme supplement because a few months ago I had a few episodes of intense intestinal discomfort. It happened three times and was horrible. They would last about an hour, but then I was still weak for a while afterwards. My husband discovered years ago that enzymes cured his IBS, so I figured they would help me for whatever this issue was. I bought these chewable ones for the kids. My son has had a few of those episodes like I had in his little life. So he is really the one I bought them for. (On a side note, as I write this I am thinking that I do not recall him having any stomach aches while I gave him coconut oil regularly. I haven’t been giving him any the last couple months and he has had two stomach aches. I am going to start giving it to him consistently again.) You can read about enzymes here.
From Green Pastures –
Blue Ice Cod Liver Oil – this is the best source of vitamins A and D you can get. Amazingly, this cod liver oil doesn’t taste bad and I’m not just saying that. :) Since I have been taking cod liver oil, I have noticed that I don’t ever really get sick and when I do, it’s incredibly mild and doesn’t even slow me down. Cod liver oil is a preventative measure and coconut oil is for fighting sickness when it hits (among other things). Read more about cod liver oil here.
Virgin Coconut Oil (for friends, I still have about a gallon) – You can read about my experience with coconut oil here.
Hippocrates (460BC – 377BC) said, “Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.” I really try to keep in line with this. However, our modern food supply is very, very deficient, supplements are sometimes needed. The best supplements to buy are those that are from food. Not just natural, but an actual food item, like the yeast tablets and cod liver oil. These are called superfoods. They are food items that are packed with nutrition. As always, remember My Motto. This holds true for vitamins. If it is a chemical version of a vitamin, our bodies won’t absorb it. If it is a compound taken from food, it still isn’t very good, it’s missing all the other parts. The best is in it’s whole food form, with all of its cofactors and such present. There are things that scientists still haven’t even discovered about vitamins, but God knows just what your body needs.
I have said it before and I will say it again–most of our health issues are rooted in our diets (and the diets of our mothers and grandmothers, certain things we were born with, were because of their diets, but most can be reversed).
I thought I had found the root of the dermatitis I was experiencing–stress, and I detailed that here. But I removed sources of stress in my life and slowed things down and saw a little recovery, but not full. Anytime something came up, EVEN just having to leave the house(!), I would experience a flare-up. On top of a patch of dermatitis on my hand, I was also experiencing eczema and hives on most of the rest of my body. Not fun!!!
Through all this, I have tried my best to put my trust in the Lord and NOT lean on my own understanding. Sometimes this is difficult for me, since I have studied up on health so much! I just had to get to the point where I turned it TOTALLY over to the Lord and didn’t worry or think about it anymore, including no more research.
I was constantly reminded of the verse that says, “God is not the author of confusion,” so anytime a solution came to my mind that brought anxiety, I knew it wasn’t from God. I only followed leadings that brought peace. (For instance, I had thoughts of trying the GAPS diet, where you eliminate all grains, all dairy, and all starchy vegetables and fruit, but that brought me great anxiety. I think GAPS is wonderful, but it wasn’t the answer for me at this time.)
One day, I felt the need to research hives and adrenals glands and low and behold (!), I found information that matched what I had been experiencing, PLUS other issues, like the dizzy spells I detailed here, and low blood sugar issues, mentioned here, hay fever, and quite possible the irregular cycles I’ve always experienced.
So, it seems I WAS correct in saying that our diet is the root of our problems. I was experiencing stress, but that was because my adrenal glands were fatigued and couldn’t handle the stress properly. (When your adrenal glands are tired, everything stresses you out.) I am now focusing on healing the adrenals and am seeing bigger recovery. My hand is almost 100% clear and the rest of the skin issues are greatly diminished as well.
Here are the articles that helped me so much:
Adrenal Fatigue & Your Diet by Dr. Marcelle Pick
This is part of the Real Food Wednesdays Blog Carnival hosted by Cheeseslave and Kelly the Kitchen Kop. This week’s topic is Real Food Testimonials, check out the link to read many more inspiring stories of how diet has changed people’s lives!
I have found a nifty little thing that saves me time. I am probably way behind the times here, but it’s a blog reader (?). There are many out there apparently. I am using Bloglines, but there is also Google Reader and Yahoo includes one on the My Yahoo page.
This is a free service where you can go to read all the blogs you are interested in. You add the various blog addresses and then you just go to one place to see if there are any new posts. You can sort them into different folders, too. I have 27 blogs that I am following, sorted into folders of friends, nutrition, frugal, savings (deal alerts), and school. I can even check the news and weather if I’m so inclined.
I used to waste a lot of time, checking the same blogs every day, only to find no posts, or get lost and end up someplace far away from where I had started. Now I can see quickly who has new posts and who doesn’t. I can skim through everyone’s posts and click on which ones I would like to read in full later.
So check it out–I’m sure that some of you could use more time in your day!
I have learned a lot this year.
This year brought me lessons in patience, perseverance, and humility. There were times this year when God’s Word was proven faithful and true in my life and times when my trust and faith in the Lord were tested. I have gained sympathy for people with skin disorders and uncontrollable itching (it’s NO fun!) and even compassion for a few people (that’s not a feeling I’ve really ever experienced–this is new to me).
However, daily, I am reminded of all the lessons I haven’t yet learned. Lessons in time management, organization, tact, hospitality, patience with children, general people skills, gratitude and graciousness, how to really listen, and how to ask questions (to name a few).
I did form a good habit this year. When the gas prices rose so high and didn’t appear that they would ever come down I really formed good gas conservation skills. I can now stay home for days at a time and be content and when I do have errands I combine them to be efficient.
But there are many, many habits that my mind keeps telling me I haven’t formed yet. The mind is a powerful thing and it has the ability to get you down over things. For example, my housekeeping habits–after almost 14 years of marriage, I still DON’T have good habits formed! There, my secret is out!
I can hear many of you saying, “Oh, you’re being too hard on yourself!” And you’re right, that is the truth, we are always hardest on ourselves. We are our own worst critics. I’m sure you all have things that you’re down on yourself for.
Why is it that we focus on the negative things in our lives? ”I can’t do it…I’m not good enough…I’m not smart enough…I’m not pretty…I don’t do enough”…and on and on and on.
Let’s go into 2009 with a proper outlook. Let’s focus on positives. There is a time and place for introspection and change, but make sure that you are doing plenty of reflecting on the growth and change that you have already made–the positive things in your life and give yourself some healthy affirmation! If this is an area you struggle in (seeing the good), perhaps a good idea would be to keep a journal so you can look back and see all the positive things in your life.
Last year at this time I wrote about focus–focusing on changing one thing at a time for best success. It’s ironic, I am still thinking about focus, but in a little different way. For myself, this year, rather than focus on one thing at a time to change, I am just going to focus–every day–on what ever is before me. I’m not making any resolutions this year. I am just going to focus on my normal routine, but with making a real effort to be mentally present in each activity that I do.
Let me explain, perhaps you can relate. In this multi-tasking world that we live in, we all have to juggle so many things. I’m not so sure this is healthy for us. If you have been reading for a few weeks, you know that I have to cut down on my stress levels for my physical health. I have relieved a lot of my stress by cutting down on the activities I have to juggle, but I am now seeing that I am juggling too many thoughts as well. I could be home all week, but my thoughts are running around like crazy! If I’m doing one thing, my mind is thinking of 3 other things! I don’t feel this is healthy for me, it can add to the stress. So I’m going to change.
I made changes in my physical health–my activity level and now I’m stepping into the realm of mental health–laying down rules for my thoughts. Yes, you can take control of your thoughts. You can read more here. My rule is (I’ve already started, no sense waiting for the new year) that whatever activity I’m involved in (cleaning, cooking, conversation, homeschooling, blogging, etc.), I determine to focus mentally and not be tuning out and thinking of all the other things I have to do. No more juggling!
So you see it’s the end of the year and once again I’m thinking about focus. What are you going to focus on? Whatever it is, be sure to focus on the positives! Maybe you need to focus on being positive and stop condemning yourself. I love what Joe McGee said in this month’s newsletter–you can’t love your neighbor as yourself if you don’t love yourself! So true. (Matt. 22:39)
And I will leave you with one final thought. In Psalm 139:17-18, the Bible tells us that God is thinking so many precious thoughts about us each day they cannot even be numbered! That’s got to make you feel good. :)
Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!
I have intended to write an article on the topic of stress for quite some time now. The purpose of this blog is to address ALL things health—
this includes spiritual health, mental health, and physical health. Stress falls into the category of mental health, but it affects our physical health.
This brings me to a key foundational point of my philosophy. I believe that in order for us to walk in physical health, we have to have our spiritual and mental health in order. And I believe this also means that we need to have our priorities in order concerning the three. If we exalt physical health above the other two, they will suffer. If we exalt our mental health above spiritual or physical health, they, too, will suffer. I believe that the proper order of importance is spiritual first, mental second, and physical last. Just because physical health comes in last place doesn’t mean we neglect it. On the contrary, there must be a balance between the three. I really want to emphasize this, because I know on this blog, most of the attention is on physical health. I think this is an area that people have neglected for too long, so I feel the need to spread truth about it. In the process I don’t want you to forget about your mental and spiritual health.
So back to the subject of stress…
Many things can create stress in our lives—relationship issues, finances, raising kids, work pressures, and the day-to-day duties we all have, like keeping on top of the bills, driving our kids around town for activities, etc. I remember reading somewhere that there are different types of stress—on type is from major things in our lives, the death of a loved one, for example, but the other type is from our busy, multi-tasking lives. In the article I read, the latter type was worse than the former, simply because it is there day in and day out and there isn’t a release. We need to be aware that children and teens can feel stress, as well. It is my hope, in the future, to address some of these issues in an effort to help you relieve some stress. We’ll see how that goes—
as much as I think about it, it seems I do get pulled in the direction of writing about physical health more often. J
With Thanksgiving right around the corner and Christmas next month, I felt it was a good time to at least touch on this topic. The holidays seem to bring so much stress for so many. If you are feeling stress over the holidays, it really is best for your overall health that you pull back and take it easy. Do some shopping online; avoid the crowds. Share the burden of preparing the holiday meals with others—
many hands make light work. I had good intentions of sending out Christmas cards this year and even thought of making goody plates for people, but I won’t be doing either of these. Right now, I am learning to say no more (read on). I’m not even making a turkey this year! I bought turkey legs instead and will make a very small version of the holiday meal. Thanksgiving is going to be a nice relaxing time with my family. To see what my menu was last year, click here. It will be pretty close to the same this year.
Stress is a sneaky, subtle thing. I think most of us feel stress and we don’t give it a second thought. We just think that’s life, we’re busy and we just trudge on. Many think that to ask for help is a sign of weakness. We don’t realize that this stress is having an effect on our physical bodies.
I have been dealing with a skin issue since June and I have just learned that it was caused by stress! I had this same issue pop up about 16 years ago when I was under a lot of stress. I just recently connected the dots and could see how that incident was stress related, as well. I always thought I was one that handled stress really well, though. I remember interviewing for a job and telling my future boss that things don’t bother me, things just roll off my back. I have always prided myself on being in control of my emotions. If I’m upset about something one day, I can just sleep it off, and I’
m fine the next day. I can wake up in the morning feeling resolved, without ever really resolving anything. I think the word for that is repression! J I have never been a very outward person; I don’t display a lot of emotion. But I am learning that it has to come out somehow. It was a big shock to find that I was manifesting a display of stress. I wasn’t even feeling stressed! But I do look back now and realize that when this skin issue started I was under a great deal of stress. The stress only lasted for a few weeks, but my skin set into a bad cycle that brought about its own stress. I am happy to say now that I am on the road to recovery, having finally got to the root.
Dr. Mercola has his EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and Dr. Cowan has his patients practice meditation. While neither of these is for me, I can see the effectiveness behind them. Take time to find out what relieves your stress. You may be surprised to find that recreation isn’
t necessarily the answer. I’ve started paying attention to myself, relaxing my shoulders throughout the day and stopping to take a good deep breath and, more importantly, turning down activities and obligations that I know will stress me out.
So take some time this holiday season to relieve your stress. If you are feeling stress in other areas, please address these issues. Get counseling, read books, do what you have to do to get your mental health in order, because your physical health will follow suit.
Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.
P.S. I have found a handy organizational tool. It is www.IwantSandy.com. It works through your email. (I am in my email all day long anyway, might as well make it work for me.) This tool will keep track of phone numbers, appointments, birthdays—all sorts of things. I am loving it! It emails me first thing every morning with my list of to-dos. If I think of something during the day that I need to do that evening or the next day, I just send a quick email to Sandy and the program will send me a reminder (when I designated) to do that item. If you have a calendar, but forget to check it, this program is for you. And, best of all, it’s free!
Update 11/26/08: I found out that this handy new organizer I Want Sandy is going offline on December 8th. You can read about it here. They recommend four other calendar programs, I’ll have to check them out. I am bummed about this. :(
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