Pills~!

These are my boxes of night-time supplements. I have 2 boxes because we've gone on 2-week trips, so now I just have to organize my supplements once every two weeks. My doctor wants me to take cod liver oil everyday, so I take 4,000mg each night. I also take two calcium/magnesium tabs, a vit. e/selenium pill, vitamin D pill and a vitamin c tablet. I love that I don't have to think each night about what I need to take from all the bottles. And, it's easy when I travel to know that I have enough of everything for each day. I used to just lay my thyroid pill on the side table but it has it's own mini glass bowl. It looks like something an Aisan diner would use for condiments. I bought it at IKEA. It just makes it easier to find in the morning without opening my eyes, hehe, since taking my thyroid pill is the first thing I do every morning. Having to wait an hour before eating is a pain at times when I need to eat something before an early workout class, so if I awaken at all in the early morning hours before needing to get up. I go ahead and take my pill.

This is my box of daytime pills. I have to take a probiotic, enzymes x 3, an anti-fungal x 3, and an intestional rebuilder x 2, each day. I also take Better Body Basics alfalfa, 1000mg of vit C, a hair growth supplement, calcium/magnesium and a CQ10. The buttons represent the powdered intestional rebuilder which is a powder. Having them in each day allows me to keep track better of what I have taken for that day. I also don't have to go through all the bottles each day, but just once a week, which is the best no-brainer part of taking pills this way.

how to take thyroid meds

who knew??

6. Be careful about taking calcium and calcium-fortified orange juice at the same time as thyroid hormone. Allow at least 2-3 hours apart, so absorption is not affected.

I started taking a cal/mag pill in the morning about an hour after my thyroid pill. I take a whole passel of pills in the morning when I eat breakfast. I usually take my cal/mag at night, but decided to up the dosage to the recommended amount of 3 with one taken in the morning. I saw my energy dip, which could have been due to a number of other things too, but the last two days I have felt better throughout the day while taking my cal/mag pill at lunch. And, my alfalfa, I can't take that either with the iron levels of it being high. I should check the new hair growth supplement my doctor ok'ed as well. Maybe I'll just opt to take most of my passel at lunch. Lesson learned~!

Here's more insight from a fave newsletter on thyroid health: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/thyroiddrugs/ht/takemeds.htm

Flu the coop~!

Lots of people around here a sucumbing to the flu, strep or other nasty viruses. My son in fact had a virus about a month ago and I managed to skid past it. I had a headache for 2 days this week, but it did not turn into anything else by taking my arsenal of health supplements.

While healing my gut, I have been taking 1000mg of vitamin c every day. I have found a brand that is easy on my stomach. http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=1782 Emergen-c is another brand of vitamin c I love, but it has other vitamins and minerals in it. Personally, I do not take more than 4 a day when i am sick, 2 when I am well. http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=3407&at=0 I prefer the raspberry or lemon lime flavors. Emergen-C also makes an "Immune Defense" variety. http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=302134&id=prod2303786 And, one specifically for kids http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=3406&at=0.

When someone around me is sick, or I hear a virus is going around in our area....I take a couple capsules of elderberry a day. I prefer this brand: http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=1483 I heard about elderberry from Dr. David Williams at DrDavidWilliams.com years ago how it builds your immunity to bypass sickness being passed around. You can also use the elderberry syrup liquid, which I give to my pill-hating kiddos. Elderberry can also help curb sickness once you are already ill as well.

The other two things I line up for me or my kids are Oil of oregano and ASAP Silver. We have used oil of oregano for about 10 years. Our middle son had allergies and the Claritin the doctor prescribed was putting him to sleep at school. We started giving him the oil of oregano, and it cleared up the allergies without side effects. Oil of oregano is anti- viral, fungal, bacterial and parasitic. It's pretty effective against many illnesses. I like to take 5 drops twice a day in a bit of juice, with a juice chaser. Just don't sip it~! It will affect your lips. I give the kids 2-3 drops twice a day, depending on their age. We have tried a few different brands, but find the one by North American Spice Company tastes and works the best. http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=7704 Many health food stores sell it but it will cost more, about $30 instead of iherb's best price.

I decided to try the ASAP Solution around 2003. I remember I had a really bad case of food poisoning that year and continued to throw up until it dawned on me that I had this new thing in the cupboard I could try. Twenty minutes later, my gut was completely settled. It kills e. coli among many other bacteria, and it kills only the bad bacteria. It only takes 1/2 teaspoon at most as well. It is also the one thing I can put into my eye to take care of a stye or other eye infection. It works very quickly for me as well. I always make sure I take it when I travel. I took my travel bottle to a friend and put two droppers in each person's mouth who was throwing up from the flu. They didn't hurl again~! It's fabulous I tell ya~! I use this brand only because I'm assured that it's a safe level of silver. http://natrhealth.com/immune.html

This company above also sells a wonderful salve called PAV®. PAV® helps any skin condition including burns, acne, warts, skin tags, infections, athlete's foot, nail fungus, insect bites, stings, cuts, and rashes to name a few. PAV® is made only from the purest ingredients…pure natural Tree Resin, Olive Oil, and Petrolatum. (Petrolatum is a FOOD GRADE thickening agent.) It immediately takes the sting out of any cut or wound for me. I put it on a bee sting one summer, and it never swelled. I just kept reapplying the PAV® and the sting was healed within 24 hours. I love their new Super PAV® oil because it heals skin conditions even faster, being the strongest PAV® available. http://www.natrhealth.com/miraclesalve.html

My kids don't take vitamins but they do take Yummi Bears. http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=5809 They are made up of fruit and vegetable phytonutrients. I can't say how much they help against illness.....All I know is my kids are rarely sick, and they enjoy taking these gummies. I also like their fiber bears. My son got on a bout of constipation during the 12-day power outage of Hurricaine Ike last fall from not eating as well as we usually do. They worked great in no time, and it was easier on my mind to give him something "natural" vs. a medication like the doctor recommended. He has continued to take them a few times a week for maintenance. Even with serving vegetables and fruits, I doubt he gets enough fiber daily. http://www.iherb.com/productdetails.aspx?c=1&pid=5816&utm_source=gb&utm_medium=f2

In addition to my supplements I use for myself and my family....I know moving my body is very important to elimination of toxins as well. I exercise as often as I can manage in my schedule. My favorite exercise program is T-Tapp because it combines strength and cardio in one program. It also doesn't affect my knee because you never do more than 8 reps. It gets harder as you use your own body's isometric contraction to work smarter. http://www.ttapp.com/ I also like stretching classes when I need to get out of the house with other people. I do stretching type classes. I tried a ballet class, which was great for my core, but there were too many pliés for my knee. I just started a weight class using very lightweight weights so I don't bulk up. I want to focus on strengthening my upper body and this class seems to be working.

I also already posted an entry on my Far-Infrared saunas, which I whole heartedly believe helps boost your body's immune system by putting it into a fake sense of reality of a low grade fever. My body spits out white blood cells in response to the body's high temperature.

Of course my mightiest weapon is the power of prayer. I believe my Mighty Creator answers my prayers of healing and good health because His son took on the sins of the world to heal us all once we put our faith in Him. 1 Peter 2:24 (New International Version)
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Real Sweet?

How appropriate to be talking about sweetners on a day when LOTS of sweets are exchanged here in the United States for Valentine's Day. I felt compulsed to talk about sweetners as I was recently reading the February 16, 2009 issue of First Magazine. They gave their lowdown on several sweetners.

I've always been one to exclude artificial sweetners from my diet. First of all, I never liked the aftertaste, and secondly, I never trusted something chemically produced. It seems I've been right to trust my instincts. According to the First article, "Aspertame (brand names: NutraSweet, Equal and Spoonful) is an excitatory neurotoxin that some researchers claim can overstimulate nerve cells and damage their protective barriers". The article also claimed "that a university study linked daily consumption to a 41 percent increased risk to being overweight". Yikes~! That is enough proof for me to continue to avoid it. I have noticed in the last few months that you are hard pressed to find any gum at all that does not have aspartame in it. It's even in Juicy Fruit now. I guess gum companies could not pass up the cheap way to sweeten their gum. Or, I wonder if it has addictive tendencies to get people hooked on gum. I thought the "Ice Cubes" gum was good because Xylitol is the first sweetner listed, and it was a few weeks before I noticed that aspartame is indeed listed. My kids are bummed too because they know I won't allow them to injest this chemical sweetner until they choose to as adults on their own.

Splenda has been on the market for at least a decade now. I always feel bad when I see someone choosing to buy a huge bag of it at the market, much like seeing someone choose to smoke. Splenda (or listed as sucralose more often) is a man-made sweetner that is produced by adding cholorine to sugar. It takes one sugar molocule and replaces it with cholorine, which means it now contains something carginogentic. The First article states "that it can trigger fatigue, high blood pressure and chronic maigraines, according to some studies". I wonder if it doesn't affect arthritis as well, since arthritis is an inflammation of joints, or toxins stuck in your joints. The First article also stated that "despite the manufacturer' claims that sucralose spurs weight loss, research in the journal NeuroImage revealed that, unlike sugar, sucralose doesn't activate the braine regions that signal satiety. As a result poeple who favor the artificial sweetner can end up craving - and overeating - sugary foods." Sucralose has an intense sweetness to me. I can taste it immediately if I happen to take a bite of it with something made with sucralose, which makes it easier to avoid in a way.

I mentioned Xylitol earlier. It is a sweetner made from birch sugar and is used mostly in alternative chewing gum like Spry and some toothpastes. It's in my toothpaste: http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=6895 I found a great website for more information on Xylitol: http://www.xylitol.org/faqs.asp#4

Another sweetner affecting Americans at an alarming rates is high frutose corn syrup. HFCS has replaced sugar in the manufacturing of most processed foods. I have noticed there are more cereals you can buy that are HFCS-free, so manufacturers are starting to notice a market for some of us who will avoid buying HFCS products if possible. You wouldn't expect to find HFCS in most breads, but it's in there as well. We buy a "sugar-free" brand that doesn't have HFCS. We also have replaced our ketchup, relish and other condiments that don't have HFCS. HFCS is natural from corn, but the way your body processes it into fat very quickly is not. It may be linked to our country's surge in diabetes risk and systemic yeast.

Stevia is the only sweetner that's been legal on my anti-yeast diet. It's an extract of a tropical Stevia rebaudiana plant. So, it's a natural product, but the First article says "it is also great because it is a zero-calorie sweetner that keeps weight in check by regulating blood sugar so food is burned for energy rather than getting stored by the body as fat". The thing I have found with stevia is trying different brands. I have found I love the Trader Joe's brand (of course, one that I can't buy nearby). Also, you have to watch how much you use. I use very little stevia to sweeten something. But, I have found that usually I prefer nothing at all. Once you are off sugar, you don't really need it. You get use to things tasting au natural.

I love my Far Infrared Saunas~!

I started doing far infrared saunas a year ago now.

Here's where I was a year ago in January 2008: It's really challenging to lose inches for me so I'm pretty darn excited to be down at least 4lbs in a matter of weeks. I was really sick over Christmas with a nasty cold. My energy was so zapped that I could hardly exercise. I started doing infrared saunas the first week of January. For the first two weeks, those WERE my workouts, and I would come home and nap. Within 4 visits of the sauna, my congestion was GONE~! And, I slowly regained my strength. I started working out with a treadmill, doing a short 15-20 min. T-Tapp workout once or twice a week. By mid-January, I started doing an hour yoga class 2 times a week, and a short T-Tapp workout once or twice a week. I was still doing saunas 3-4 times a week. Some days I was ok, and other days, they'd wear me out. By the first week of February, I was getting stronger in yoga and more flexible in my T-Tapp workouts. I could do the full total T-Tapp workout again (about an hour cardio and strength combined). By the second week of February, I could do a more advanced T-Tapp workout that was an hour-plus long, like ladybug combo, or bw+ and hit the floor, along with the 2 classes of yoga. The 3-4 saunas no longer wear me out, and I feel wonderful~! The infrared saunas seem be have kicked my progress up a notch. I'm doing 2 full T-Tapp workouts, 2 yoga workouts and 3-4 saunas, which is a lot less muscle moving than I was doing this fall with a typical 4 days of 90 minutes of T-Tapp.

This January 2009: My health took a hit with about a month off and all the stress that comes with traveling over the holidays as well as mourning my father-in-law's passing. I climbed back on my exercise regime the first week of January however, and loved to be able to visit my far infrared saunas once again. I've been going about 4 times a week this month. My workouts have been abreviated as I work up to full workouts again by week 2. But, I haven't gotten sick at all this year, which is a hefty bonus. I have loved what far infrared saunas do for oncoming illness. It kicks it right out~! I've been close to getting sick, and the saunas don't allow the illness take root. The saunas put your body into a state of low fever so your body starts kicking out more white blood cells automatically. The lights they use in the sauna are the same type I'm told as those used in the NICU for babies.

I've been told by my gym's staff that you can burn about 300 calories for a half-hour sauna. That's pretty easy work for sitting and relaxing with a magazine for 30 minutes. I really loved them last winter when it was so cold out, but I found them equally refreshing this summer. I found I went just as often, allowing me some quiet time during the day without the boys who are quite noisy at home.

The saunas are also supposed to be very detoxing. It's something that is hard to measure because you don't see anything other than the sweat pouring out of your pores. I have chatted with other people at the gym who say them help them tremendously with managing their arthritis or fibromilagia, so it must be detoxing something. Both of these conditions are caused by toxins in the joints or otherwise, so the saunas must be helping.

The saunas have an added bonus of making my skin really soft and smooth~! I really battle the "chicken skin", or keratosis pilaris on my upper arms. I noticed that my skin was very smooth after going to Safety Harbor Spa, where I was in the steam room as much as possible, hehe.. So I'm attributing the saunas to helping with that, as well as cellulite reduction on my legs and bum.
Infrared saunas are much different than the standard sauna. The heat goes into your body quite deep, so you get pain relief from muscle soreness, as well as an immune boost. I find them very relaxing as well. I found a website with far more information on the saunas if your so interested:
http://www.wasauna.com/infrared-sauna-faq.html

I think they ROCK~!

Why use Magnesium Oil

I found a product a year and half ago from my T-Tapp friends that has absolutely made a HUGE difference in my ability to sleep like I did 20 years ago. So much so that I have to tell you about it. I don't get anything from it other than knowing I may have made a difference in someone's else's ability to get some good sleep~! I can sleep through the night and get a good nights rest all the time. It's called magnesium oil. I have gotten the gallon and soaked my feet a few times a week while watching tv for 15-30 minutes. If you put the oil in a 1-gallon rubbermaid take-a-long that has a lid, you can use the same oil for about 30 days. So even though a gallon is $45, it goes a long way. I'm still on my first gallon. I later learned you can also use the oil another way, which I prefer in the winter especially. You put one ounce of magnesium oil in warm water, which the gallon would last 64 times with this method. I like this way also because you can also stretch your oil farther, because you're not wasting when you aren't using the oil every day.

The few times I felt a surreal sense of calmness. Magnesium does calm your nerves. It will make the dead skin on your feel peel, but that only lasts a couple weeks too.

I have taken calcium magnesium tablets and even used a powdered form of magnesium for 4 years but this is so much better~! The magnesium absorbs into your body so much easier. I have also used the magnesium gel when I didn't have time for a foot soak and it works well too. You know you've got too much with the clinical symptom of diarrhea as a target marker, so not kidding, lol. It's pretty easy to know when to back off with less.

Here's where I buy mine at a really good price compared to others on the internet: http://www.health-and-wisdom.com/magnesium.htm You can call the owner Joan, and she will answer any questions too.

Most of the population is magnesium decifient because how many of us eat raw pumpkin seeds, spinach and swiss chard in large amounts? And deficiency causes such a wide variety of issues:

Musculo-Skeletal Symptoms: osteoporosis, chronic fatigue and weakness, muscle spasms, tics, tremors, and restlessness.

Cardiovascular Symptoms: atherosclerosis, cardiac arrhythmias, sudden death, and vasospasms.
Female Issues: PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) and eclampsia.

Psychiatric Symptoms: irritability, depression, and bipolar disorders.

Neurological Symptoms: migraine headaches, excessive noise and pain sensitivity.

Endocrine Symptoms: insulin resistance.

Here's a great article on deficiency: http://www.carolyndean.com/content/view/67/47/

mmmm, soup~!

I had a serving of roasted chicken left so I went to my pantry and found a can of soup I had bought: Pacific Natural Foods Organic Spicy Chicken Fajita Soup. http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Natural-Foods-Organic-14-5-Ounce/dp/B0012C0XAC It was perfect with the chicken added to it for lunch today. It's rather spicy, which delayed my workout a bit longer, lol. But, all in all, it's a great soup for my anti-yeast diet. There wasn't much chicken in the soup itself, so I think I'd always add the extra meat because I like to make sure I get enough protein each day.

I also had a cup of soup at Whole Foods last week. It was a tomato-based soup that had lots of vegetables including eggplant and cauliflower. It was absolutely delicious~! I wish they posted their soup recipes they make in the deli on their website. I adore their black bean soup as well.