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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!
Last time I gave you a healthy alternative to deodorant. Today, the topic will be natural soap.
This is an area that I splurge a little on. Natural soap will cost you more than the store-bought fare. This is because the soap you buy at the store is made with cheap ingredients and chemicals. (But you might save on lotion if you switch to natural soap, read on.)
The truth is that the soap you buy at the store isn’t really soap, it’s detergent–none of them, not Ivory, not Dove, none! Detergent is much harsher on your skin. It strips your skin of its natural oils. This is why I pay more for natural soap now. My skin would get so dry and itchy in the winter, but that changed when I switched to natural soap.
Detergent bars found in the local grocery store and drug stores are made from petroleum. In the process, the glycerin is removed. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it will pull moisture from the air into your skin. The detergent maker’s remove the glycerin to sell separately. Without glycerin in the bar, your skin is much drier.
Detergent bars also contain sodium laureth sulfate and/or sodium lauryl sulfate. They are added to make the bar lather well, but there is debate on whether they are safe.
Check out this article on chemical levels in our kids.
Natural soap will not lather as well as detergent bars, but they clean just as well. And your skin will thank you. Another benefit is that the ingredients are from renewable resources. We can grow more coconut and olive trees to produce their oil, but we can’t create more petroleum.
Soap made with coconut oil will produce the best lather, but it can be a bit more drying to the skin (not as much as detergent bars, though). Soap made with olive oil will moisturize the skin better, but it will hardly lather. You just have to find a bar that you like and you may have to get used to the idea of less lather.
There are a lot of great natural soaps available, at your local health food store and online. You can support your local economy by finding a soapmaker in your area. (Just ask them if they make their soap or if they melt and pour–meaning they bought a pre-made soap base and just added color and fragrance.) If you are in Oklahoma, you can buy a range of natural personal care items through the Oklahoma Food Coop.
I use Kiss My Face brand Olive and Aloe bar. (I use it as a body bar. I will detail what I use on my face in a later post.) It is primarily made with olive oil, so it moisturizes, and it was the most economically priced bar at my health food store. The price on this bar is almost the same at Whole Foods, here in Oklahoma, and on Vitamin Shoppe.com.
I have also used Dr. Bronner’s Lavender bar. This is a bar made primarily of coconut oil and so it does lather better, but it doesn’t moisturize as well as the Kiss My Face bar. And it is a little more expensive than the Kiss My Face bar.
I like to keep foam pump dispensers in my kitchen and bathrooms for hand washing. I really like to use Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds. Sal Suds is a super concentrated liquid soap. It is all-natural–no harmful ingredients, fragrances, or colors. It is gentle on your skin.
I switched to the foam pump dispensers when I had cracks on my hands and dermatitis. Turns out the dermatitis was caused by stress, but switching to foam soap also helped. Washing with full-strength soap was too harsh and was stressing my skin by drying it out. The foam pumps dilute the soap, saving you money in the long run.
When my kids were babies, I used Sal Suds to wash their laundry, instead of Dreft.
I would like to try my hand at making some soap this year. If I do, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Stay tuned for more personal care alternatives, coming soon!
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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