Destressing and avoiding the Distractions in life

When I was younger, I used to chuckle to myself at those who said they were "SO STRESSED!" or were "SO BUSY!"  I thought they were either over-reacting, wanted attention or weren't managing their lives very well. Little did I know that the older you get, the more that can pile on both time-wise and emotionally.  My dad used to tell me, "Renee, life will never be as easy for you as it is right now" and in many ways he was correct. There are ways to destress, though, and separate yourself from the distractions of life.

Recently, I've learned a few ways to identify my biggest sources of stress:

• Thoughts during Exercise  When I wake up in the morning to start my workout -- whether it's sweaty heart-pounding cardio or serene yoga postures, as I begin, my mind is flooded with what is worrying me or causing me stress.  I used to think this was interruptive to my workouts and now I see it as an indication of what I need to either cut out of my life or work on.  Often the workout will leave me less stressed, but the issue is still there and even though more relaxed, I need to work on it or it will resurface the next day (or when I lie down to sleep -- Oops!  I just gave away the second one). 
• Sleep Deprivation: If I'm overworked, sometimes my body responds by falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.  But other times, thoughts swirl around in my head for hours and I just CAN'T get to sleep (or I wake up in the middle of the night for hours tossing and turning).  Annoying to say the least!  When your body needs the sleep the most, it sometimes can't get it because of stress.  So what do you do?  Give your brain new messages.  Tell yourself all of the things that went well that day.  Think of all that you accomplished, even if it's as simple as laughing with a friend and bringing her joy.  Balance out the negative by recognizing all the positive that happens in your life.  Counting your blessings is another way to recognize the good.  
• Declining Mood:  Maybe this sounds oversimplified, but if you're no longer enjoying your days, then something needs to go.  Not all of life can be rainbows and prancing ponies (I stole this phrase from my niece who once complained about all of us "glass half-full" types☺), but we should be happy or content at least most of the time.  If not, you need to identify if you are indeed over-scheduled, if you have friends or relatives who are draining you instead of supporting you.  Cut out what you can that causes you stress and your mood will elevate.  Not everything is on our control, but do what you can and you will see a difference.
• Negative Media:  We all know it. The media isn't in the business to cheer us up or bring us joy. They may not even be there to entertain us.  Their bottom line is making money, which is often obtained by what will get our attention.  I'm sure there are plenty of artists and journalists out there fulfilling their life-long passions, but the decision-makers for news and information choose what will make them money or promote their ideas.  Often this leaves us overwhelmed with the imbalance of misery and contention paraded before our eyes.  Do what you can to avoid this cause of stress. Listen to your own music (may I suggest Sting?) instead of a radio, play your favorite DVD when you want to unwind instead of watching the news.  We play plenty of carefree sitcoms from the 60s in our home and absolutely love it.  
• Personal Media:  Our ever so portable computers (laptops, iPads and smart phones) can also be a major distraction to the simplicity and joy in life. I learned at the middle school Back-to-School Night last week that it takes 7 minutes for our brains to focus back on what we were doing before we stop to read a text.  Sometimes texts are happy interruptions.  Other times they are adding to our To-Do List or mental stress and need to be paced.  I could write a whole post about this (and likely will), but just be aware of the complications a handy dandy notebook can be and try to not make it quite so available to yourself so you can keep your focus on your family and friends right in front of you and what you need to get done throughout the day.

The older, wiser me now believes that stress is like pain -- it's a signal to our bodies that something is wrong.   Just as a painful burn tells your hand to stop touching the flame, the stress is trying to tell us that we need to make some changes so that we can be at ease once again.  Listen to your body and do what you need to do to help your body and mind enjoy life.

Top Photo by loop_oh 

Shakeology!

Guess which band wagon I just hopped on?  Yes, it's Shakeology!

I will admit to two things first though:

1. I thought the name "Shakeology" was kind of hoakie when I first heard it.  To an English Major, it doesn't exactly roll off your tongue or seem like a legitimate word.  Maybe it's just that silent "e" next to the "o."  Seems strange to me.
2. I didn't trust that Beachbody would actually use THE most nutritious ingredients to fill up their shakes.  I thought it would be some protein and a bunch of garbage like so many other fitness shakes.  But no! Beachbody delivered BIG time!  When I heard they had a Vegan option for Shakeology, I decided to give it a closer look.  After all, I do have a background with Beachbody and they treated me well.  (See previous posts on filming Slim Series Express with Beachbody if you want details -- 1, 2, 3 plus QVC and another infomercial).

So I read the Vegan Chocolate label and it's made from whole foods -- whole plant foods!  That's it!  And some pretty nutritionally powerful ones, too!  You may have to take out some reading glasses, but take a look at the nutrition label yourself:

(If you want to see this nutritional chart a little bigger and clearer click here).

I'm drinking Shakeology daily right now to hopefully get off these stubborn #% pounds (that's a symbol protecting myself from revealing how many I need to lose -- I wasn't swearing, I promise!), but I'm also excited about the fact that I can add it to my diet after I lose the weight to get all these nutrients that I'm not going to grow or travel around the world (or at best, around the aisles of the health food store) to get individually. Exciting times!

I have a website now (since I signed on with Beachbody as a coach -- to get a 25% discount on their products, mostly, and to help share it with others).  Check it out and if you want to order some retail price, do it through my Shakeology site.  Or if you're interested in getting a 10% discount by being a TeamBeachbody Member or a 25% discount (and later on, more) by being a Coach, go to my Beachbody Coaching site.  I'm still trying to find my way around there, but if you have any questions, let me know!

Shakeology has a 30 day guarantee, too.  You can drink it for the full 30 days and ask for a refund if it didn't live up to your expectations.  It's like the Costco of nutritional shakes!  (I love that I can return anything at Costco -- less risk in life that way).

Oh, and I guess I'm getting over the whole "e" next to the "o" thing.  If it helps me get through my afternoons without ravaging the kitchen, I'm fine with it!  And besides, it looks kind of cute with that leaf over the "o."

Inching Your Way to Waking Up Earlier

Do you wish you could wake up earlier without being tired?  Improving your diet will help.  So will going to sleep earlier.  But sometimes going to bed earlier doesn't help if you aren't tired and can't fall asleep.

Inching toward your new wake-up time can help your body to adjust gradually. If you are planning to travel somewhere with an earlier time zone or just want to wake up earlier so you can fit in your workout before your day takes off, try setting your alarm just 15 minutes earlier.  It's not hard to do the math, but within 4 days, you'll be getting up an hour earlier without your body rebelling.  You'll also be able to fall asleep earlier because the shift will be gradual.

Watching the Olympics until midnight this summer got my sleep schedule off a bit and I'm inching my way back before school starts again.  The thought of waking up 2 or even 3 hours earlier seems crazy, but with a gentle step-by-step approach, I'm sure I'll be fine.  It's worked well for me in the past and I'm happy to have this little trick up my sleeve!  TTFN!


Inchworm photo by Glen Edelson Photography.  Olympic photo by JustinTime.

My hypothesis about helping incontinence with raw eating

A few years ago, I wrote about The Healing Power of Raw Food.  I've been testing this method of dealing with my pelvic floor issues for over 8 years now, but whenever I mention it to a doctor, I usually get a puzzled response of "I don't know why that would be the case" or "Well, if it works, keep doing it."   I understand if they don't see any way that could be possible, but I would think that being in their specialty, they'd want to know more and see if there is a connection to help others.

Just last week, I went to yet another doctor for my problem.  My leakage (what I tend to call my incontinence) comes and it goes and gets horrible when I'm eating flour or sugar (even the more natural sugars unless from a whole food) and after about 3 days of raw eating, it gets pretty minimal and I am so grateful.  But I decided that since I live close to one of the best medical centers in the country (Stanford), I should go see someone from their Urogynecology Dept. to see what my options are after two surgeries and if there is any hope for lasting improvement beyond what I manage with nutrition.

First of all, I have to mention that the staff and doctors there are FABULOUS!  If you live nearby or have the means to go there, do!  After an initial exam and visit (I could tell right away that they understood so much more about my condition than my previous 4 specialists), I came back for urodynamic testing (no fun) and a cystoscopy (kind of cool, but scary to see that camera probe, which  may look small in the picture, but it's over a foot long!)  They learned several things about my condition and why my other surgeries failed from the testing, but I believe I learned how excellent nutrition has been able to make a difference for me.

During my office visit,  I did mention that my incontinence is MUCH lighter when I'm eating just fresh, whole foods.  The doctor (whom I believe to be one of the best there is) looked at the fellow (who was actually a female physician :)) and with a "Hmm, not sure why that would be" look, said that there is a connection between weight gain making incontinence worse (which anyone who has read about incontinence knows).  I could have said, "No, this has nothing to do with weight gain.  It can change from one meal to the next because of what I've ate and increase the problem by about 10x."  But I didn't say anything.  I just wondered once again myself besides believing that excellent nutrition will help the body heal and work much better than poor nutrition will.

Back to my testing results, they found a few things.  Besides the bladder prolapse that has been remedied with 2 different types of slings in the 2 different surgeries, they found that I have urethral hypermobility, which means that it moves or rotates too far.  If it rotates 30% or more, they diagnose it as hypermobility and it will cause incontinence.  Mine rotates 70%.   I didn't really see how that might change with better or worse nutrition.

They also found that I have very low pressure in my urethral sphincter, to which the tech kept saying "This is so uncommon in a woman as young as you are."  I think had she tested me a week earlier when I came in for my initial visit, it wouldn't have been as low.  At that time, I was eating raw and my leakage was minimal.  But once I knew I was coming in for the testing, I realized that I needed to stray from my raw eating and eat some foods that usually cause me more problems.  Some of these were completely against what I usually eat, but are on my every few months or a few times a year list (like pizza). Most were just regular things from the health food store that I like to eat (like Nature's Path Flax Raisin Bran with Almond Milk or Trader Joe's sprouted wheat cinnamon raisin bagels), but they're not raw foods and my body isn't at its optimum when I eat them.   So yes, it was a little fun to eat some of those processed foods, but I didn't enjoy being more tired in the morning and the inconvenience and craziness it caused with my incontinence.

However, I did test poorly in the urodynamics, which made me happy because that's what I have to deal with at times.  So now I'm back to my raw eating, am excited to see some improvements in a few days and am scheduled for another surgery to finally fix my specific problems (and not just the one size fits most approach).

My hypothesis is that although prolapse or positioning of the bladder or the urethral hypermobility may not alter with a change in diet, what is helped when I eat raw foods is my muscle control or pressure in the sphincter.  Yes, my medical background is minimal, but my experience with the ups and downs of my problems over the past 8 years tells me that my stress incontinence as well as a constant drip even without any coughing, sneezing, running, etc. happens when I'm eating foods that have a lower nutrient density than raw whole foods.  (If you missed my post on Nutrient Density, here it is).  I believe that when I'm eating raw foods, my body is able to maintain that pressure needed better at the urethral opening to minimize and even diminish the leaking............

..........Perhaps this isn't everyone's favorite topic.  In fact, I've even had a friend tell me (not that I go telling all of my friends about this issue) "Eww!  I don't want to look at you and know that you are dealing with this!"  I thought later I should have told him that probably 1/2 the women he knows have incontinence.  It's pretty common.  It's just not talked about much.

So if you have incontinence when you cough, sneeze, jump on the trampoline or even just walk around, it may not be as severe as mine, but I think it's worth a shot for you to see if you can manage it by eating raw foods.  You don't have to eat only raw foods forever (although you may want to -- many do!)  For me, if I eat all raw foods for at least 3 days, I can get my body cleansed enough to be able to add some cooked whole foods in the 10-20% range.  But once I start feeling invincible like it won't matter if I just eat this or that, it's never true.  The incontinence gets way worse right away.  Live and learn.  That's what I've done.  Hope it can help you!  TTFN!

Edited to add -- I just realized if I were truly testing my hypothesis, I would eat raw for a week, go back to Stanford and get another urodynamics test to see if my sphincter muscle control or low pressure as they called it improved greatly -- if that was the reason for less leakage.  But those tests cost over $2,000 and I doubt my insurance would cover it again PLUS you couldn't pay me $2,000 to do the testing again.  Not a pleasant experience!  It would be interesting to see though.  TTFN!

If you want to wake up refreshed!

I know I've said it before, but the link from food to famished is so clear in my body!  I first discovered that if I stop eating sugar (which I originally did just to get away from the obvious addiction and to lose some weight), I didn't wake up in the morning wishing I didn't have to.  In fact, I could get up for my workouts happy to do it.

Once I started eating a raw food diet though, the sleep connections were even more dramatic.  Not only did I get out of bed easily, but I found I required about 2 less hours of sleep each night AND woke up just minutes before my alarm was set (which is usually somewhere in the 5:00 zone).  I call it bouncing out of bed because I feel THAT alive!!

Just got myself eating all raw again and this was my first "welcome back," which is always fun.

Yogi Tea

If you haven't discovered Yogi Tea yet, I'll share a few of my favorites.  I used to think herb teas were all awful.  I'd try one every year or so, but would never make it past the first few sips.  I don't drink caffeinated drinks, so I've only used black tea to dye my linens and I haven't jumped on the green tea bandwagon.  But I do understand the healthfulness and healing powers of many herbs the earth has to offer, so I've continued to test and taste herb teas. 

I can't remember how I became acquainted with Yogi Tea.  Perhaps it was the yogi in me that drew me to this brand.  I think I was reading up on how to get rid of eczema a few years ago and read about detoxing.  I thought I'd try a detox tea and Yogi has Peach Detox.  What's not to like about Peach?

Peach Detox quickly became my favorite and I've since grown to love Echinacea, Cold Season, Breathe Easy,  and Berry Detox.  I bought Women's Energy and while it's not my favorite alone, I usually mix 2 bags anyway and just mix it in with a Berry or Peach if I'm feeling the need.  I just drank a mix of Echinacea and Breathe Easy and to me, it's as tasty as some yummy muffin in the morning.  Just wonderful. 

I just read that they have a Skin Detox too.  I'm not sure if I'd love it since it has a floral smell/taste, but I'll give it a try.   Oooh, they have a Mayan Cocoa Spice too.  I haven't seen that one yet.  I'll have to look for it.  Most health food stores sell a wide variety of flavors.  Grocery stores carry maybe 5 or 6 and Trader Joe's just carries a few.  

It's just nice to feel that warm mug with my cold hands on a cold wet day like today.  Off to boil some more water so I can use these bags at least one more time.  TTFN!

Disease Analogy -- Flies in the Trash

I recently attended a Holistic Conference in Utah and was struck by an analogy for disease.  The workshop presenter, Stephen Horne, was telling us that the reason disease takes hold in our bodies isn't because the germ was nearby, but because our bodies were in a weakened state that invited the germ in.

The analogy is that if there is no rotting food in the trash can, the flies won't attract.  They'll stay where they are and not wander over to the trash can.  If there is rotting food in the trash, the flies will find the smelly stuff, come hover and feed upon the trash.  Did the flies create the rotten food?  No.  Did the flies make the food go bad?  No.  The food was already rotten and attracted the flies, giving them them a place to nest and multiply.

Likewise, taught Stephen Horne, our bodies are like that trash can.  If our bodies are strong, healthy and uninviting to that bacteria or virus, the germs won't be able to come in and make themselves at home.  Our bodies will resist disease.  If we do get sick, did the germ make us sick?  No.  We were in a weakened state, whether by lack of sleep, too much mental stress, overworking physically, or poor nutrition.

Many may find this hard to believe, but I know when I've really taken care of my body (whole foods only, enough sleep, balance in my life), I've gone a whole year without getting sick.  My kids can pass a flu or cold from one to the other with me being their home care nurse and I wouldn't catch it.   If I ate poorly, it wouldn't take me long at all to end up in bed like they were.

I've heard people say, "Oh, she was run down" or "His immune system just got low" or in fitness circles, "She over-trained" to explain why someone got sick.   It's true.  When we don't care for our bodies properly, we can create an environment for illness.  When I went to a Raw Food Conference a few years ago, I met people who had been eating only whole or raw foods for many, many years and hadn't been sick at all.  One man hadn't been sick in over 25 years.  25 years!  Others had overcome asthma, allergies, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and arthritis.  These aren't even the diseases we attribute to germs.  Pretty amazing.

The only sure-fire allergy relief

I've written a few posts on allergy relief -- bee pollen, salt-water rinses with the neti-pot, herbs that help block those histamines, but I've got to tell you that if your allergies are KILLING you, that may not be enough.  (And I hope you know that "killing" doesn't actually mean killing, it just means that you FEEL like you're about to die -- you know that awful, miserable feeling.  Just had to state that for someone who might take me literally).

For the past few weeks, the pollen count has climbed to the levels of dusting our cars with that beautiful soft yellow.  The sunshine was no longer pleasant and nights were impossible to sleep through -- filled with misery and a determination to do whatever it took to stop the symptoms.  I tried everything that I'd done before, hoping that one or two or all 12 would work.  But none of them were enough.  Deep down in my brain, I knew I had to get back to eating all raw.  I was doing it last month as soon as my allergy symptoms hit and they went away.  But could it be that easy?  I knew it could.  I just didn't want to give up those rice chips or that homemade bread.

I hit a point last Sunday night where I was at the depths of my allergy suffering capacity and I knew that there wasn't a single morsel of food on this planet that was worth eating for the way I felt at that moment.  Nothing!  I could live without that homemade bread.  I could go without ever tasting another rice chip again.  Nothing was worth that suffering.  So the next morning, instead of cleansing for a few hours, feeling a bit better and thinking "Oh yeah, I can go back to eating that again," I remembered.  And I kept eating raw.

That night was completely different than all the nights the week before.  My eyes weren't begging to be clawed out.  My nose wasn't itching, burning or pulsating.  I wasn't sneezing so loudly that my husband wondered what kind of woman he'd married.  (When I sneeze, I s- nEEEEEZE!)  I slept in complete comfort and peace.  I have all week long.

If your allergies are killing you and you haven't tried eating all raw foods, give it a try.  Write me and ask for help if you need it.  Look online at all the recipes and ideas to get started.  Spring is a perfect time to start because there are so many yummy fruits and veggies available.  Don't worry about eating too many raw nuts either.  Just eat some when you want some and you'll be fine.  I've never gained weight eating nuts on a raw diet.  Most of the time I lose when I eat a lot.  I think it helps clean out my system.  (How's that for a scientifically validated statement?  :))

Here are some Raw Food websites if you want to check them out.  I started out learning from Alissa Cohen. She has a great book called Living on Life Food and a dvd set demonstrating many of her recipes, which is a lot of fun to watch.  Here's a quick sample.



Here are some other Raw Food websites if you want to check them out   The Best of Raw Food ,  Raw Food Life , Living Foods , and for great recipes Gone Raw .

Supplements for Allergies

I have to preface this post by saying that I don't need any supplements for my allergies if I'm eating just raw foods, but since that hasn't been the case for the past several months, I've had to rely on a few helpful supplements to keep the hayfever at bay. My ideal is to not have to take supplements -- to get whatever nutrients I can from the food that I eat. But whenever I find an herb that helps me that either I can't find in a food item or in the concentration I need from the amount of food that I eat, then I go for the supplement.

My last two babies were born in the fall, which meant that my early months of pregnancy were at the peak allergy season. I was relying on antihistamines and even steroids at times to manage my seasonal allergies and asthma. (Here's an earlier post with more details on that). My OBGYN told me I couldn't use antihistamines. I was beyond frightened by that news because I knew that I'd suffer all those awful allergy symptoms without some intervention. I wasn't really into any sort of healthy eating at the time, but I had heard of herbal supplements. I asked him if I could use other supplements and he said I could look into them and check back with him. He ended up approving the three that I later brought back.

I went to the herb store and asked what might work. The woman told me that Eyebright and Goldenseal were a good combination, but that Goldenseal was not good for expectant mothers. She did recommend Stinging Nettle, Bromelain, and Quercetin though. So I bought all three.

I still take these from time to time when my allergies flare up (which isn't as often or as harsh as it used to be now that I don't eat dairy and eat better). But on occasion, I need them and am grateful to have them in my cupboard.

Stinging Nettle -- You might be familiar with stinging nettle if you've lived on the north coast or in the west as I have all of my life. It's a little plant that has leaves similar to a mint leaf, but once touched imMEDiately stings like crazy and causes little red bumps that just hurt, hurt, hurt! I've only been stung by it twice (once on a field trip in the coastal redwoods in 6th grade and again when I was on a hike near Las Vegas up in Red Rock canyon when I was 25), but I can remember the pain like it was yesterday.

Apparently the fine hairs on the leaves and the stem from the stinging nettle plant causes an allergic reaction to the skin. If the leaves are gathered while wearing gloves, you can boil them into a tea or dry them as you would other herbs and use them for tea or a supplement. I haven't tried that. I'm a bit too aware of what the leaves have done to me ungloved. So I just buy the herbal supplements in the capsule form. Stinging nettle has been used for centuries to reduce inflammation in arthritis, eczema, joint & muscle pain, gout, anemia, and hayfever (voila!) People today also use it to treat urinary tract infections, tendonitis, insect bites, and enlarged prostate conditions. Some say it also is a natural diuretic. I just say that it does indeed help with my allergies. Love that! There are probably herbal teas with stinging nettle in them too, but I just take the supplement a few times a day when allergies strike.

Bromelain -- This flaveniod is a combination of enzymes found in the stems and juice of pineapples. Have you ever made jello, decided to add some pineapple slices, then waited and waited (and waited!) for the jello to set, but it never did? I have. (Back in my jello-making days, anyway). If I had just read the side of the Jello box, I would have seen that you don't add pineapple or kiwi (later made the mistake with kiwi -- I don't learn fast, do I? :)) because they contain enzymes that interfere with the jello setting. Well these same enzymes are great for getting rid of allergies! (If I were doing the write-up for the Jello boxes, I'd add that for all the allergy sufferers out there -- helpful information!)

Bromelain is a natural anti-inflammatory and is approved in Germany to treat inflammation and swelling of the nasal passage and sinuses. Bromelain is also helpful for digestion of protein. Have you ever seen someone put pineapple juice in with their beef marinade to tenderize the meat? This is why. The enzymes break down the protein.

Since Bromelain serves two different purposes, experts advise taking it with or without food depending on what you are using it for. If you need it as a digestive aid, then you take it with food or with a full stomach. If you need it as an anti-inflammatory, you take it on an empty stomach and don't eat for another 1/2 hour or so to help with absorption. Interesting, isn't it? I love learning stuff like this.

Quercetin - This supplement is a phytonutrient from the coloring in apple peels and the skin in red onions. It's also found in cabbage (possibly more so in red cabbage?), cauliflower, nuts and berries. Quercetin has become respected as a powerful anti-oxidant and a natural anti-inflammatory and antihistamine (joining the club with the other two above). It can be found to be very effective in combination with Bromelain (as pictured to the left -- this is the brand I use). It can also reduce fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Quercetin is a flavonoid known to reduce the risk of cancer and improve cardiovascular health. If you walk into your health food store and want to ask for it, but aren't sure how to say it, it's pronounced "kwair' suh ten." I've gone in asking for it a few different ways and this is how the sales clerk ends up saying it after I bumble through it. As for bromelain, it's pronounced "broh' meh lane." I think we're all fine with saying "stinging nettle" :).

Last but never least, I take bee pollen during peak allergy season too. Here's my earlier post about the wonders of local Bee Pollen. And if you're already smack dab in the middle of having allergies, take a hot shower to wash off any allergens you can on the outside and use the neti pot to rinse out your insides. (That last link was to an earlier post too). Wishing you the ability to enjoy this spring without any allergy symptoms!

Neti Pot Relief

I first learned about the neti pot while watching Dr. Mehmet Oz on Oprah one night. I've been told by a doctor maybe 12 years ago that surfers don't suffer from hay fever. They have so much salt water in their nasal cavities that their noses are clear and the inflammation is lessened. I'm not sure how true that is, but this doctor (before saline nose sprays or drops were commonly seen in stores) advised me to put a bit of salt into some water in a dropper, then use it like nose drops. I tried it many times and it didn't seem to do much for me. I later tried some saline spray (with some Ocean name). It didn't make a dent in my allergies either.

When I saw Dr. Oz talk about the neti pot, that intrigued me. It made more sense to have the salt water rinse through your nasal passage instead of just drip in and stay there. When it washes through, it's actually cleaning out the pollen and mucous that is causing problems or discomfort. I've never had sinus problems, but my husband has a lot of sinus infections. He's been using the neti pot whenever he gets congested to prevent sinus infections and has found great relief from it. I've loved what it does for my allergies.

Now for the video -- the whole process isn't the prettiest thing to watch. And it feels strange to do the first few times you do it (especially the first time). If the water is too cold, you will know it and you will hate it. Just dump it out and fill it with lukewarm water. If the water is too warm, it's no fun either. But if you fill it with lukewarm water and put just shy of 1/4 t. of salt in it (non-iodized if you're an iodized salt person -- I'm not.

I use sea salt, although I've read not to because it burns -- I'd rather use a more natural salt and just have to use a little less instead of the heaping 1/4. teaspoon that this video requests). If you're not used to the saltiness of the water, it may burn a bit or feel uncomfortable. But if you have enough water in your neti pot and don't have over 1/4 t. of salt, it should be fine. Sometimes it burns a bit for me at first, but feels fine later on. Anyway, watch it to get an idea of how it works. If your nose is clogged, the water won't go through at first, but just keep working at it and is usually will by the end.

One thing I do that the video doesn't show is brace my head to the side with the arm not holding the neti pot. So if I'm putting the salt water in my right nostril, I'll use my right hand to pour the water and will rest my left elbow on the left edge of the sink, bracing my head (at my ear) in my left hand. This helps me to keep my head stable and to not worry that I'm not tilting my head right or something.



The first time I did it, I thought "am I drowning?" for the first second, but could see really quickly that I was just fine. Sometimes a little drips into the throat, but usually afterward. What's really fun is when hours later you inhale and can taste or sense the salt water in your throat and even up near your ears (which allergy sufferers know become itchy, so that's a nice relief there too).

The video shows that she inhales the last of the water at the end. I do that too and it feels great. But I sometimes have to blow my nose at the end, sometimes even in the middle of it. Sometimes it makes me sneeze. I just go with whatever is happening and then continue on until the water is gone.

I even used the neti pot after my ear infection to help reduce the swelling of my ears from the inside. If I hadn't been so sick before that, I probably would have used it at the early signs of the ear infection too.

On our way home from our vacation this weekend, I started feeling allergy symptoms (not sure if it was from the smog or some dog hair I was exposed to). I knew I had to get a handle on it before it became out of control. One day of suffering was all I wanted. So when I got home Sunday night, I used the neti pot. By the time I went to bed, I felt a little less agitated. By the time I woke up, my nose was no longer running and my other allergy symptoms were gone too. I'm feeling great!

I recommend it to everyone who tells me of nasal related problems. Not everyone is eager to try it, but for under $15, it's a bargain and a lifesaver. You can buy them at any health food store, online, or I've heard even at Wal-Mart (we don't have a Wal-Mart, so I can't verify that one). They come in different sizes and shapes, but mine is just like the picture at the top, is ceramic, and sits on the window sill above my kitchen sink. I don't use mine every day like Dr. Oz suggests -- just when I'm having problems. That seems to work for me.

Breath freshness in the morning

Did you know that you breath is an indicator of good health or healthy eating? It's true! I have no studies to back this up other than through my own experience. I'm sure I could do a little research, but for now, I'm just going to share what I've found.

First of all, it's not only breath that tells the tale. The smell of our sweat and hair can reflect our health too. When I was younger, my mom would tell me that my hair smelled bad when I had a viral infection. When my 9 year old daughter gets sick, her hair smells awful too. With sweat, I've noticed that people who are more out of shape (less in shape?) smell worse when they sweat (and so do men over all, but I'm not sure that has anything to do with their health -- maybe it does though. It would be interesting to see if that has to do with meat consumption -- do a test between vegan men and those who often eat animal products).

But getting back to breath, I've always hated the taste of morning breath. When I'm sick or on medication, it's even worse. I attribute the medicative breath to toxicity. Once I was on a heavy duty antibiotic. I had a post-surgical infection and the first 2 antibiotics did nothing. The 3rd came in and saved the day, but I could taste it on my lips. Oooh, it was awful, especially in the morning. It reminded me of how I can taste chemicals on my lips after using fingernail polish remover. That stuff is bad, bad, bad for your body.

When I first noticed I could improve my breath through my eating, it was when I started eating raw foods (either all raw or pretty well near). I'd wake up each day not just with the absence of bad breath, but with an actual sweet taste in my mouth. It was amazing. When I'm eating more cooked foods more along the lines of Eat to Live, like now, the taste in my mouth is good in the morning, but not sweet like when I'm eating raw.

I see a big change in my breath every time I eat animal foods, mostly now that's when I eat eggs. Whenever I've slipped and have had some dairy, my breath gets really bad. Same with meat. I haven't had any meat in awhile though, so that memory isn't as fresh (sorry for the pun). It takes a few days of me eating whole plant foods to get my good breath back.

When I was sick a month or so ago, my breath was just awful. My grandma used to say "My mouth tastes like the bottom of a bird cage" and that memory came back loud and clear. When I was not getting better after a few weeks of misery and went on antibiotics (kicking and screaming -- I would have much rather my ear infections cleared up on their own, but they were painful and I couldn't hear a thing), I noticed a new bad taste took place of the old one. It was so nice to get better, off the medication and feel that good taste when I woke up again.

Try it for yourself. Observe your own morning breath, tweak your eating, and hopefully you can have some sweet breath to enjoy with each start to your day. I'd love to hear how it is for you -- if your results are similar to mine.

Coconut Oil -- makes your skin feel like satin

I know I've already written about Thai Baby Coconuts, but I just have to tell you about the coconut oil. I'm no expert as to all the benefits of unrefined coconut oil, but I've recently discovered how fabulous it is for my skin.

A few years ago, a friend of mine told me she'd read an article about the health benefits of coconut oil. I'm pretty sure she was talking about taking it internally. I bought a 14 oz. jar of it from the health food store for $6.19. It was on special (regular price $8.35 -- no my memory isn't that good, the sticker's still on the jar!) I'd read that it was a good substitue for butter or shortening in recipes. I think I used a teaspoon or so of it for something, then forgot about it.

When I was having problems with my eczema last month, I read somewhere online that coconut oil was good for skin problems. I decided to give it a try. Besides the extra virgin olive oil I'd been using, this was the only other thing I was able to put on my skin that didn't cause it to burn or be further irritated (and I tried many other natural remedies and simple solutions like aloe vera gel from a plant and tea tree oil).

To back up a little further, a few years ago, my mom gave me some Lancome samples. She likes to buy her cosmetics in department stores when they're having their free gift pack special. She often gives us some of the little samples. There was a moisturizer that made my skin feel like satin. It was amazing. And my make-up blended just perfectly with it. I loved using it, but it didn't last for long. When it was gone, I looked into how much it cost and it was something like $50 for 1 oz. or something crazy like that.

I figured someone else must sell a similar formula, so I went to Target and checked ingredients other brands. I bought a few things and finally found a moisturizer by Oil of Olay that was pretty much the same thing. I've been buying it ever since at Costco for about $25 for the 3.4 oz. size. They even offer a $5 off coupon a few times a year.

Well, the coconut oil feels exactly like this regenerist serum -- just as smooth, just as satin-y. And it's natural! So how great is that? And it's FAR less expensive. If I were to buy 14 oz. of the Lancome product, it would cost $700. If I were to buy 14 oz. of the Oil of Olay serum, it would cost $100. For the coconut oil, it is under $7. Maybe it's gone up in the past year, but even if it's $10, that's not much at all.

I've been noticing lately that many of my natural lip balms has coconut oil as a main ingredient. So I've been putting the plain coconut oil on my lips. Feels (and smells) great. I don't use it directly out of the jar. The jar is just too big for easy use. I put it in a Burt's Bees tin (that used to have another ointment in it) for traveling and in a little ceramic bowl that my daughter made at school for home use.

Try it and let me know if you like it too. (Start with a small area just in case you have an allergy to it, but in my highly allergic state, it felt soothing and wonderful on my skin - -hopefully it will for yours too!)

Bee Pollen Benefits

Ever heard the word "palynology?" It's the study of bee pollen. Truly. Bee Pollen has been valued for centuries for it's amazing nutritional and medicinal value. I'm not sure how or why I stumbled upon it. I know I'd been told that some received allergy relief by eating local honey. I tried that for awhile -- perhaps not long enough. Then I heard about bee pollen and thought that would make even more sense to ingest the very pollen of the air that gave me problems. There's much more to bee pollen than just scraping the pollen off the windshield of my car (I did consider that). Bees do their own magic to the pollen by adding their secretions to create this amazing food that has so many benefits for our bodies. Here's a little description of the process from this webpage:

Honeybees collect the pollen and during the collection process it is combined with secretions from the bee, as it is worked from the stamen of the plant. The bee uses it’s tongue and mandibles to collect the pollen, it then brushes the pollen from around it’s mouth area using it's forelegs and moves the now sticky substance towards it's second pair of legs. The worker bee assembles a mass of pollen, all of which has been mixed with the bee secretion and moved to storage on the bees body and legs. When the bee has collected sufficient pollen it returns to the beehive to deposit the load.

Some vegans or raw foodists consider bee pollen an animal product, so they won't eat it. But I heard Brigitte Mars (nationally known herbalist and author) speak at a raw food expo about the wonders of bee pollen and honey and in her mind, felt like she was helping the bees by partaking of it (can't remember the details there, but it was convincing as well as wonderful to hear how it ranked amidst the helpful herbs of the land).

David Wolfe, who is a raw foodist and author of "Eating for Beauty" (which is a vain sounding title, I'll admit and isn't why I bought it -- Beauty is just an indicator of excellent health in my opinion and probably in his too, but was a catchy title for a raw food book) rates bee pollen on his "Best Protein Foods" list as the best of all high-protein foods. That's a pretty high ranking! He also calls it "the most complete food found in nature" which is amazing if you see how thoroughly he's studied so many foods.

The bottom line for me, though is, how bee pollen helps me in allergy season. Yes, eating raw all the time helps too, but for those times that I'm not eating 100% (which is about half the time), I do need some outside help and bee pollen does the trick. I need to find a way to sneak it into something for my youngest son because he could use the help (and the nutrients) as well.

There was one summer (probably not last, but the one before) where I was doing well, allergy and asthma-wise and I was headed off on a family camping trip. I packed up my bee pollen in the cooler and should have used an airtight container. Instead I used the little bag it comes in with the twisty tie. By the last day, the melted ice had gotten into my bee pollen bag and had ruined it all. So I went about a day without taking it. I was fine at the campground, as its climate was much hotter and dryer and their allergy season was over. But as soon as I got home, my eyes itched and my breathing became tight. I was up most of the night coughing with my asthma. I can't remember if I took some bee pollen before I went to bed and in the morning or just in the morning, but by mid-morning, my asthma was gone. My eyes no longer burned either. I was glad to have my fresh stash of bee pollen nearby again.

I have read that if you have a bee sting allergy, you should not take bee pollen. That's important to state. I don't have a bee sting allergy (but think of "My Girl" with poor Thomas J and cutie pie Vada Sultenfuss -- I love that movie!), but did read before taking bee pollen that you need to ease into it gradually. Bee pollen comes in tiny little pellets. The very first time, I only ate one or two pellets. 12 hours later, I took 4 or 5. I continued to double them every 12 hours until I reached a Tablespoon a day. I found that it was far easier to eat a few pellets at a time. They taste sweet and are easy to chew. When I got up to a Tablespoon a day, it tasted extremely chalky to me and I'd get a little nauseated for the first hour or so. My husband told me maybe I should spread it out more. So now I take a heaping teaspoon in the morning and another at night. From what I've read, you should take it an hour before eating. I'm not sure why. I tend to chew it and it gets stuck in my molars, then I get grossed out because it is in my mouth for too long and feels too chalky. A friend of mine started taking bee pollen for her asthma and said she had no problems chewing it, even without water. I like to wash mine down with water (think ocean wave whisking the sand from the shore :)) and think I'm going to stop feeling like I have to chew it. It dissolves with saliva and digestive juices. So perhaps if I do that, I'll enjoy taking it more.

Apparently, bee pollen can go rancid quickly. It must be refrigerated to keep fresh. You can test it's freshness by putting a few pellets in a glass of water. If the pellets sink, they are fresh. If they float, they're old. I kept some leftover from the end of one spring until the next winter and it had started floating. So it may not keep for more than a few months, even in the fridge.

Where do you buy bee pollen? There are many online sources, but it makes the most sense to me to buy it locally so you can get the pollen from your area. If you go to your local health food store, they should have little plastic bags or jars with bee pollen in a refrigerator. In one of the stores here, they have a special refrigerator in the herb section, but in the others, it's just on the bottom shelf of the wall of refrigerators/freezers. On mine, there's a date of how new it is and a description. They sell two here -- one that states our County name to let us know it's local. The other says "High Desert" -- I'm not sure why someone would want that instead, unless they were going to travel to the high desert soon? I just did a Google Search and there's a brand called High Desert, but I doubt that's the case with the hand-packed variety sold in our stores.

Here are some web pages I've found with further information on bee pollen (or as they say on Reading Rainbow, "don't take my word for it":

shirleys-wellness-cafe.com

womens-health-fitness.com

alternativescentral.com

philoxia.com

Happy reading!

An Abundance of Allergies

I've had allergies about as far back as I can remember, well at least as far back as 2nd grade. I remember having the skin on my eye lids flake. I wasn't sure why this would happen. I went to the doctor and he told me it might help not to use finger nail polish or anything with perfume in it. That didn't last long, but it's still a distinct memory. I also remember having watery/itchy eyes and sneezing a lot. I have a class picture of everyone smiling happily into the sunlight. I'm smiling too, but my eyes are as red as can be and I look like it's painful for me to face the sun. I remember that paradox of loving the feeling of the sunshine, but rejecting the pain it was causing my eyes to feel that bright light.

So many of the allergy medications that are over the counter now were my prescriptions growing up - - Actifed, Dimetapp, Benedryl, Sudafed, Afrin nose drops. I can't remember the name of the eye drops I took, but they were in a dark bottle with a dropper and felt WONDERFUL to take.

I remember how groggy I felt when I was on antihistimines, but taking them was a way of life during the spring. When I was 28 years old, I recall listening to the radio and hearing about a new antihistimine that would be released that year called Loratadine, which did not cause drowsiness. That sounded like heaven to me (and was later known under it's brand name, Claritin). I was sad to find out that Claritin wasn't quite tough enough to really make an impact on my allergies, but it was a start.

Later a doctor told me I could take a nasal steroid inhaler much like an asthma inhaler to help my allergies. I took it for a few years and it was helpful. But since it was a steroid and took a few weeks to get into my system to be effective and had to be maintained, it was hard to determine if I still needed it a month or two later. If the allergens were gone and I was still taking it needlessly, I couldn't tell. If I stopped taking it to test it out, and found I still had allergies, it would take another 2 weeks for it to start working again. It wasn't until I heard a report that repeated use of this drug could cause holes in the nasal membrane that I decided to quit using it.

I took my share of asthma medications too. I never had asthma as a child, but developed it when I was in high school. It was mostly allergy induced and we lived amongst grassy fields. Sometimes my mom would drive me into town during the night when I wasn't breathing well and would have me spend the night at my grandma's house. The change in environment would make a difference. Oft times I'd drive home from high school and as soon as I'd get to the "valley" where it was more rural, my air paths would close up. So I took albuterol, steroids, Theodur pills, and drank a lot of ice water trying to sooth my air paths.

This went on throughout my life, except for my college years. I wasn't allergic to Utah. My body seemed to like the desert, even though my heart missed the ocean, the redwood trees and the green lush terrain. I did develop some eczema the last year there though that continued bothering me for another 20 years.

In 1994, we moved to our current spot on the earth where it's misty and green almost year round. It's beautiful and the air is clean and crisp, but we have an allergy season that's not just 3 months out of the year -- it's more like 9 months with a few minor breaks. This was incredibly taxing on my body for several years. There were times when I was pregnant that I wasn't advised to take antihistimines the first few months. I tried herbs, which offered limited relief. I suffered night after night . Nights are always the worst -- for allergies and asthma. I don't know how many times I've gone into the doctor to get help for my asthma and they listen to me breathe and tell me I sound pretty good. I think "You should have seen me last night!"

I could tell you story after story of the severity of it all -- of doctors saying I shouldn't let it get so bad, that it can be life threatening, where I've wondered how I could get my next breath - -or of doctors telling me that the levels of medication I was taking could be eating away at my bone marrow and causing other problems I didn't really want to face. I could tell you about the needle pokes in my arms to determine my allergies and allergy shots for over 3 years. That did nothing but give me swollen shoulder muscles as hard as a golf ball. I remember trying to play my piano lesson with ice on my arm it would burned so bad. Later in life, people told me that allergy shots had improved. Some said nothing had changed -- they worked for some, not for others.

I came to the point of questioning. Did I want to live the rest of my life this way? Did I want to move my family, who seem to love living here? -- (and if so, where? I did internet searches and conducted forum polls on where to live allergy free - - we looked into Utah again, but their air quality has gone downhill since I've lived there and I didn't know what that might do to my asthma since the smog gave me problems while living in L.A.) What if there was some national crisis or even local one and I wasn't able to get any medication for a month or more? Would I be able to function? Would I be able to care for my family? Why would God send us to live dependent upon man-made medication? It just didn't make sense to me.

I decided to see what I could do from the inside out. I decided to experiment with giving up Dairy. I loved milk, ice cream, and cheese, but was willing to give it up if it meant I could live without all the suffering throughout the year. It made a huge difference. Sometimes I'd question if just a little dairy (piece of pizza, just one ice cream cone) would bother me and within the hour, I'd be sneezing, itching, and having throbbing in my nasal cavities. Once I had these symptoms from driving home from Costco with a pizza in the car. Maybe it wasn't the case, but I was convinced that inhaling that fabulous smell for that 1/2 hour caused me problems.

As time passed, going without dairy was helpful, but didn't rid me of my allergies and asthma completely. So I looked into eating raw foods and taking bee pollen. Both were miraculous. I'm not always 100% with raw foods, so the bee pollen is a great supplement to keep me strong and defensive against the allergens. Once I went camping and the bee pollen (which needs to be refrigerated and was in the cooler) became wet and was ruined. So I didn't get to take it on the last day. I was okay because we were about 3 hours from home. But as soon as we drove back into our valley, my asthma acted up and my eyes started itching. I took some bee pollen that night and the next morning. By the next day, my asthma and allergies were gone again.

I'll have to write a whole post about bee pollen. (Edited to add -- I have -- here's the link for my bee pollen post). It's a wonder food and is interesting to learn about. I wondered if I could just go scrape it off of our car windows and eat that instead, but I'm sure there's dust and who knows what else on that - -I'll just go with what I find at the health food store.

One final story -- When I was expecting my last baby, I went through that first trimester w/o antihistimines, having a horrible time with allergies. We'd planned a month-long car trip to the midwest from the California coast. It took me 3 days of driving (or hitting the Wyoming desert) before I could breathe clearly and felt healthy and human again. I enjoyed the rest of our trip - - driving through 9 states and feeling wonderful. As we drove down the mountain towards our home, my ears, eyes, and nose started itching. My nose started to run. My eyes watered. And I realized, I've been all across the country and I'm allergic to where I live! But I've since learned that I can live anywhere I want and be allergy and asthma free. And I don't need to be on ANY medication -- preventative steroids that damage my body or rescue inhalers, antihistimines or herbs. Sure, it might seem like it's not as fun to not eat like I used to eat, but was it any fun to live with allergies my whole life? Not really. This is so much better. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I now have about nutrition and truly feeding my body to be strong. And I seek strength daily so I can bend my will to the truths that I now understand.