I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I'm sorry I haven't written in awhile. I had some computer issues and couldn't get either one of them to work. I now have one back up and running.
I've decided trying to eat differently than everyone else is extremely difficult during the holidays. People think you're weird if you don't eat all the snacks and party food with them. Work holiday parties are the worst also. Instead of a potluck this year my work company decided to do a breakfast. They had pancakes, waffles, french toast, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs. I had to go to every station and say "no thanks" at most. It's really hard to explain that I don't want to eat anything with wheat when I'm not celiac. I just know without any doubt that I have a food intolerance to it. I know the next day without a doubt by my skin and I know almost right away if I ate anything with gluten/wheat by the way my stomach/digestive track reacts. Special diets can be really hard to do. When you decide to change your eating habits try not to be hard on yourself. You can not do it cold turkey very easily. I'm doing it a day at a time and will not get discouraged - just press forward.
We had 18 people at my mothers this year for Christmas dinner. Turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, home made rolls and bread, stuffing, butternut squash, homemade pies and apple crisp for desert. (Am I making you hungry?) (I almost wish I had thought to make my own desert and my own gravy to bring with me - that was a tough meal to watch everyone else eat what I really really wanted to eat. I think next get together I'll cook and invite everyone to our house. That way I know what's in the food.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Updated Pictures
I updated some pictures today. It's only been a couple of weeks since the last ones, but I was seeing some improvement on my chin area/ear area and chest area. The coloring has faded a lot on the chest area - before it was the color of a beet. My back doesn't seem to have much improvement yet.
I went for another colonics session this past week. It was similar to last time: very little comes out during the session - but TONS afterwards privately in the rest room. I didn't feel weak or wiped out after this time. Just so you are aware you wear a pair of mens boxers backwards the whole time. You never have to be fully undressed at all. I have another session scheduled for this coming week.
Trying to switch to healthy/organic/non-processed, etc foods has been a challenge. It's a learning curve everyday. I have really found I love a sprouted grain bread called Ezekial bread. You find it in Hanaford or the Whole food stores like Trader Joes. It's frozen. I really like the cinn/raisin.
I've been keeping a food journal for my nutritionist to try to improve on what I've been eating. I had a note on last weeks one day that I itched all night long. She looked back through what I ate that day. She noticed I ate trailmix as a snack. I made it myself with raisins, peanuts, almonds and cashews. She told me to watch out for peanuts/peanut butter/peanut oils. Apparently when they grow there's a mold that forms on them that's not visible to the eye. When they're processed this mold tends to be in the product still. That may have caused some of my itching. The night before I had soaked in epsom salts which is wonderful for you to do. It help draw out the toxins from your skin. It can however cause some itching due to this. It could have been one of these reasons or just plain psoriosis. It really was worse than normal that night though.
I went for another colonics session this past week. It was similar to last time: very little comes out during the session - but TONS afterwards privately in the rest room. I didn't feel weak or wiped out after this time. Just so you are aware you wear a pair of mens boxers backwards the whole time. You never have to be fully undressed at all. I have another session scheduled for this coming week.
Trying to switch to healthy/organic/non-processed, etc foods has been a challenge. It's a learning curve everyday. I have really found I love a sprouted grain bread called Ezekial bread. You find it in Hanaford or the Whole food stores like Trader Joes. It's frozen. I really like the cinn/raisin.
I've been keeping a food journal for my nutritionist to try to improve on what I've been eating. I had a note on last weeks one day that I itched all night long. She looked back through what I ate that day. She noticed I ate trailmix as a snack. I made it myself with raisins, peanuts, almonds and cashews. She told me to watch out for peanuts/peanut butter/peanut oils. Apparently when they grow there's a mold that forms on them that's not visible to the eye. When they're processed this mold tends to be in the product still. That may have caused some of my itching. The night before I had soaked in epsom salts which is wonderful for you to do. It help draw out the toxins from your skin. It can however cause some itching due to this. It could have been one of these reasons or just plain psoriosis. It really was worse than normal that night though.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Trying new foods
As you know when I went for my colon cleanse they let me know I was dehydrated. I've been trying so hard to drink 8 glasses of water a day plus tea and my smoothies. I realized it's actually harder than I thought it would be. I'm getting up every single night to pea because of all the water - but I know my body needs it.
The smoothies are getting better. Today's was romaine lettuce/spinach/parsley/1/2 frozen banana/1/2 cup frozen strawberries and 1/2 tblsp flax seed meal. Not to bad. The Frozen things help a ton! I've found I don't miss the coffee or soda at all!
The other tough thing with the liquids is you should not be drinking with your meals. Apparently it dilutes your stomach acid making your body have an even harder time digesting foods. Any if you have any digestive challenges this is a big issue. You should wait at least 20min to 1/2 hour after a meal to have a drink. I was told you shouldn't drink with your meals awhile back by a lady who had gastric bypass surgery but didn't understand the reasons - now it makes since. I just don't think the rest of the world has caught on because when you go out to eat the first thing they do it bring you a drink and then after ask if you want coffee.
My neutritionist wants me to start trying raw foods and fermented foods. They apparently are really good for you. We need the living enzymes! I went to the natural health food store yesterday and got some raw milk cheese to try. It's in a block just like normal sharp cheese. I ate some with a few nut thins (by blue diamond nuts). It was a little more sharp the the regular stuff I had been buying - but not bad at all. She told me it melts really well also for recipes. I also bought braggs raw apple cider vinegar to try. I want to experiment with homemade salad dressing recipes. If you have a homemade recipe feel free to comment and I'll give it a try. I also bought fermented pickles (be real pickles company). It was either fermented pickles/red cabbage or sour-kraught. I went with the pickles. I haven't tried them yet thought.
I'm told I also need to get in some exercise. When you sweat you are flushing toxins out through your pores. I need to eliminate all the toxins I can. I was going to go to the gym yesterday with a friend but it started snowing and I didn't want to go out in it. So today we've planned a gym afternoon date. I will try to sweat more than usual instead of just walking for a bit on the treadmill and then switching to other weight machines.
The smoothies are getting better. Today's was romaine lettuce/spinach/parsley/1/2 frozen banana/1/2 cup frozen strawberries and 1/2 tblsp flax seed meal. Not to bad. The Frozen things help a ton! I've found I don't miss the coffee or soda at all!
The other tough thing with the liquids is you should not be drinking with your meals. Apparently it dilutes your stomach acid making your body have an even harder time digesting foods. Any if you have any digestive challenges this is a big issue. You should wait at least 20min to 1/2 hour after a meal to have a drink. I was told you shouldn't drink with your meals awhile back by a lady who had gastric bypass surgery but didn't understand the reasons - now it makes since. I just don't think the rest of the world has caught on because when you go out to eat the first thing they do it bring you a drink and then after ask if you want coffee.
My neutritionist wants me to start trying raw foods and fermented foods. They apparently are really good for you. We need the living enzymes! I went to the natural health food store yesterday and got some raw milk cheese to try. It's in a block just like normal sharp cheese. I ate some with a few nut thins (by blue diamond nuts). It was a little more sharp the the regular stuff I had been buying - but not bad at all. She told me it melts really well also for recipes. I also bought braggs raw apple cider vinegar to try. I want to experiment with homemade salad dressing recipes. If you have a homemade recipe feel free to comment and I'll give it a try. I also bought fermented pickles (be real pickles company). It was either fermented pickles/red cabbage or sour-kraught. I went with the pickles. I haven't tried them yet thought.
I'm told I also need to get in some exercise. When you sweat you are flushing toxins out through your pores. I need to eliminate all the toxins I can. I was going to go to the gym yesterday with a friend but it started snowing and I didn't want to go out in it. So today we've planned a gym afternoon date. I will try to sweat more than usual instead of just walking for a bit on the treadmill and then switching to other weight machines.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!
I started the day with another "green smoothie". This time I added 1/2 a frozen banana, 1/2 an apple and romaine and spinach and 1 packet of stevia. I must say it was an improvement over yesterday's :-)
We're heading to my mothers for Thanksgiving dinner. There's usually about 30 of us and it gets a little crazy and tight - but fun anyhow. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Eat lots of the vegetables and limit yourself to only one piece of pie! (I believe I'm talking to myself as well).
I started the day with another "green smoothie". This time I added 1/2 a frozen banana, 1/2 an apple and romaine and spinach and 1 packet of stevia. I must say it was an improvement over yesterday's :-)
We're heading to my mothers for Thanksgiving dinner. There's usually about 30 of us and it gets a little crazy and tight - but fun anyhow. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Eat lots of the vegetables and limit yourself to only one piece of pie! (I believe I'm talking to myself as well).
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Hydrotherapy Colon Cleanse
I went for my first session of Colonics yesterday. (I explained the procedure earlier in a post.) First we sat down and discussed my issues and diet choices. I had filled out a health sheet ahead of time. She said based on my answers she could tell I was dehydrated. I thought I was getting enough liquid - but I was wrong. She also let me know coffee and black tea are dehydrating, so I'm glad I recently gave those up. I'm supposed to aim for a gallon total of all drinks (tea/water, etc).
We discussed that I should be eating 80% fruits/veggies. I'm working on this one :-) She also gave suggestions on where to find natural, organic foods, vinegar, oils, etc. She highly suggested coconut oil as well as organic apple cider vinegar.
The colonic session was not bad at all. She inserts a tube that has two separate tubes attached to it (one larger than the other for waste. The water they use is really warm, you almost don't feel it - just a little pressure during the 6 second fills. She fills for 6 seconds then waits to see what the pressure is. If the valve shows little pressure she adds more water, etc. When the pressure indicates she switches the valve over to release waste. The waste passes through this clear glass tube in the machine for viewing. She can see if you have a lot of mucus or yeast or if it's really dry, etc. I found not a lot came out during the 45 min. session - this is ok because after you go into the restroom and TONS comes out. (More than I thought would be in there :-)
She said some feel relaxed or energetic after - I found I felt drained and really tired. I went home cooked supper and fell asleep at 7:30. I later read the "take home notes" and discovered some do feel sick, weak and tired. These people fall into the 5% category though and are the real sick toxic people with chronic fatique, dehydration, candida issues (yeast), imbalance in good/bad flora, chemical sensitivities, etc. I pretty much knew I was in the really toxic zone anyhow based on my health issues. I have an appt. next week for another session.
My homework for the week : Green smoothies! My first thought is Ugh! But I am willing to try anything right now. Basically you take a blender and add whatever you have on hand : romaine lettuce/spinach/kale/parsley/banana/apple/fruits, etc. You mix with water and drink it. Today I mixed romaine with spinach and 1/2 a banana. My husband thinks I'm nuts. My daughter actually took a sip and my grandmother who eats anything turned up her nose and walked away. I managed to get almost all of it down. Tomm I'm going to try to add ice. I think it'll be better cold than luke-warm. She said I could add stevia, raw honey or agave nectar for sweetness if I need to. It might come to that :-)
In summary for me: drink more water and tea (herbal/green), eat more veggies, meat is hard on the liver to digest so lean towards chicken/fish, drink green smoothies, probiotics are a must! Keep up with the omega 3/6 fish oils and B complex and Vit D (D3), Antioxidents (I take opc-3 w/ pycnogenol already). Stay away from milk because it's very mucus forming. Stay away from gluten/white flour as much as possible.
We discussed that I should be eating 80% fruits/veggies. I'm working on this one :-) She also gave suggestions on where to find natural, organic foods, vinegar, oils, etc. She highly suggested coconut oil as well as organic apple cider vinegar.
The colonic session was not bad at all. She inserts a tube that has two separate tubes attached to it (one larger than the other for waste. The water they use is really warm, you almost don't feel it - just a little pressure during the 6 second fills. She fills for 6 seconds then waits to see what the pressure is. If the valve shows little pressure she adds more water, etc. When the pressure indicates she switches the valve over to release waste. The waste passes through this clear glass tube in the machine for viewing. She can see if you have a lot of mucus or yeast or if it's really dry, etc. I found not a lot came out during the 45 min. session - this is ok because after you go into the restroom and TONS comes out. (More than I thought would be in there :-)
She said some feel relaxed or energetic after - I found I felt drained and really tired. I went home cooked supper and fell asleep at 7:30. I later read the "take home notes" and discovered some do feel sick, weak and tired. These people fall into the 5% category though and are the real sick toxic people with chronic fatique, dehydration, candida issues (yeast), imbalance in good/bad flora, chemical sensitivities, etc. I pretty much knew I was in the really toxic zone anyhow based on my health issues. I have an appt. next week for another session.
My homework for the week : Green smoothies! My first thought is Ugh! But I am willing to try anything right now. Basically you take a blender and add whatever you have on hand : romaine lettuce/spinach/kale/parsley/banana/apple/fruits, etc. You mix with water and drink it. Today I mixed romaine with spinach and 1/2 a banana. My husband thinks I'm nuts. My daughter actually took a sip and my grandmother who eats anything turned up her nose and walked away. I managed to get almost all of it down. Tomm I'm going to try to add ice. I think it'll be better cold than luke-warm. She said I could add stevia, raw honey or agave nectar for sweetness if I need to. It might come to that :-)
In summary for me: drink more water and tea (herbal/green), eat more veggies, meat is hard on the liver to digest so lean towards chicken/fish, drink green smoothies, probiotics are a must! Keep up with the omega 3/6 fish oils and B complex and Vit D (D3), Antioxidents (I take opc-3 w/ pycnogenol already). Stay away from milk because it's very mucus forming. Stay away from gluten/white flour as much as possible.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Switching drinks
As you know I'm trying to switch over what I've been eating to things that are better for me. My goal is to stop putting so many toxins into my system. The first way is through food and then I have to tackle all the things that come in contact with my skin (lotions, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, etc). My other goal is to get my body to stay in an alkaline state instead of an acidic state. You do this through what you eat. If your body is in an alkaline state then diseases can not survive. If your body is in an acidic state all kinds of diseases bread like crazy - especially cancer. We should be eating 80% alkaline based foods and 20% acidic.
I decided coffee is out for me. Coffee is very acidic - on top of that I can't take it black. I had switched over the last few months to using no cream and only stevia as a sweetener. Stevia is a natural sugar substitute and I do recommend it. I eat to much acidic stuff already - so coffee is now out for me. I am now drinking hot tea. Black tea's are a lot more acidic than Green teas and Herbal - so I'm trying all kinds of new flavors. I really like Chamomile Mango and Green tea with orange. I also started making my own ice tea. I bought a glass jar with a lid at Walmart. I put two tea bags in it (I hang them from the top) and then pour hot water in. I let it sit for awhile to cool then put it in the fridge. I don't need any sweetener for me - but I've found I have to add a small amount of stevia for my kids to drink it. My favorite is Bigelow's Red Rasberry for iced tea. If I want a cold drink it's this or plain water. Plain water is the best thing to drink for flushing out toxins also. 8 Glasses a day is recommended. To be honest I did not do this before - but am now trying to get in my 8 glasses.
Yesterday I went to the winter farmers market. I really wanted to get a feel for what the prices were because I want to switch over to farm raised and organic foods. I don't want pestisides used on my fruits/veggies and I don't want hormones and antibiotics used in my meat.
I bought myself a huge bunch of lettuce for $3. It was twice the size of the romaine lettuce I was buying at the grocery store for $2. They also offered 3 different varieties of lettuce. I also bought some butternut squash for $1 a pound. Last night I stopped by the grocery store and found butternut squash was $1.79 a pound. I have to say I was pleased at most of the prices. I know some were a lot higher than what I'm used to - but your health is not something to fool around with. I've learned that the hard way.
I've very happy that my sister has her own mini farm. She raises ducks, chickens, quail, goats & bunnies. I get all my eggs from her because I can go play with the chickens myself, I know what they eat and she doesn't use any hormones or antibiotics. I also have a neighbor who raises his own cows. He started adding one or two extra cows for friends and family. My family buys one full cow from him when he butchers them off. I know they're well taken care of and they roam all day in the pastures. Start checking out your local farmers - see if there are any farm stands near you or farmers markets. This is where you can find some really good food (also some of the safest).
I decided coffee is out for me. Coffee is very acidic - on top of that I can't take it black. I had switched over the last few months to using no cream and only stevia as a sweetener. Stevia is a natural sugar substitute and I do recommend it. I eat to much acidic stuff already - so coffee is now out for me. I am now drinking hot tea. Black tea's are a lot more acidic than Green teas and Herbal - so I'm trying all kinds of new flavors. I really like Chamomile Mango and Green tea with orange. I also started making my own ice tea. I bought a glass jar with a lid at Walmart. I put two tea bags in it (I hang them from the top) and then pour hot water in. I let it sit for awhile to cool then put it in the fridge. I don't need any sweetener for me - but I've found I have to add a small amount of stevia for my kids to drink it. My favorite is Bigelow's Red Rasberry for iced tea. If I want a cold drink it's this or plain water. Plain water is the best thing to drink for flushing out toxins also. 8 Glasses a day is recommended. To be honest I did not do this before - but am now trying to get in my 8 glasses.
Yesterday I went to the winter farmers market. I really wanted to get a feel for what the prices were because I want to switch over to farm raised and organic foods. I don't want pestisides used on my fruits/veggies and I don't want hormones and antibiotics used in my meat.
I bought myself a huge bunch of lettuce for $3. It was twice the size of the romaine lettuce I was buying at the grocery store for $2. They also offered 3 different varieties of lettuce. I also bought some butternut squash for $1 a pound. Last night I stopped by the grocery store and found butternut squash was $1.79 a pound. I have to say I was pleased at most of the prices. I know some were a lot higher than what I'm used to - but your health is not something to fool around with. I've learned that the hard way.
I've very happy that my sister has her own mini farm. She raises ducks, chickens, quail, goats & bunnies. I get all my eggs from her because I can go play with the chickens myself, I know what they eat and she doesn't use any hormones or antibiotics. I also have a neighbor who raises his own cows. He started adding one or two extra cows for friends and family. My family buys one full cow from him when he butchers them off. I know they're well taken care of and they roam all day in the pastures. Start checking out your local farmers - see if there are any farm stands near you or farmers markets. This is where you can find some really good food (also some of the safest).
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Good Days/Bad Days
We all have good days and bad days. With Psoriosis it seems to be more bad days (at least healthwise). Yesterday was a rough one. I itched all day long - that's a tough one when you work with mostly men and your chest itches! Today I can laugh about it (even though it still itches). On top of that I have psoriosis on my lower stomach area. Even though I cover myself with aloe daily my skin decided to crack right at the line where my underwear hit. So I also spent the day pulling down my underwear in the front. Man if someone had a video camera going they would have thought I was really really weird trying to itch my chest and pull down my underwear without anyone noticing. Man I'm freaky :-)
I have to be honest though - today I'm laughing about it. Yesterday I cried instead. You know how when you have scalp psoriosis and you wear a black shirt the "dandruff" is horibble around your sholders. Well I had on a black bra yesterday. When I took it off the inside was literally covered just like dandruff from me itching all day long. I sat down on the bathroom floor and cried for awhile - begging God to make it go away.
Back in 2004 my second son passed away as a baby and my pastor said to me "Are you asking yourself why me?" I honestly answered no - why not me. It can happen to anyone. I feel the same way about my psoriosis.
Why not me - I'm no different than anyone else. (Although when people look at you like you're a freak they sure can make you feel different than everyone else.) Remember you are not alone. There are many many people out there with the same problems as us. Also - even though I might sit down and have a crying pitty part once in awhile I know without a dought there are others having a worse time. I've seen the pictures of the poor people with severe psoriosis covering their hands and feet. Trying to work or even walk could be very painful. I know men can and do get psoriosis on their "unmentionable" parts. I can't even imagine the pain they go through! Lots get arthritis from the psoriosis. I am lucky right now I only have the skin issues and not the joints.
I have to be honest though - today I'm laughing about it. Yesterday I cried instead. You know how when you have scalp psoriosis and you wear a black shirt the "dandruff" is horibble around your sholders. Well I had on a black bra yesterday. When I took it off the inside was literally covered just like dandruff from me itching all day long. I sat down on the bathroom floor and cried for awhile - begging God to make it go away.
Back in 2004 my second son passed away as a baby and my pastor said to me "Are you asking yourself why me?" I honestly answered no - why not me. It can happen to anyone. I feel the same way about my psoriosis.
Why not me - I'm no different than anyone else. (Although when people look at you like you're a freak they sure can make you feel different than everyone else.) Remember you are not alone. There are many many people out there with the same problems as us. Also - even though I might sit down and have a crying pitty part once in awhile I know without a dought there are others having a worse time. I've seen the pictures of the poor people with severe psoriosis covering their hands and feet. Trying to work or even walk could be very painful. I know men can and do get psoriosis on their "unmentionable" parts. I can't even imagine the pain they go through! Lots get arthritis from the psoriosis. I am lucky right now I only have the skin issues and not the joints.
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