Some more info on Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

I received the copy of my blood tests from my new doctor. They tested for Thyroid Peroxidase AB(anti-bodies) my test came back high at 56 should be below <35. The symptoms probably gradually started this past summer. It is very surprising when all your symptoms fit into the disease's little description...the symptoms I am most worried about are the heart palpitations, the constipation,( never had this problem before and I want to be able to get the toxins out!) and the higher cholesterol I had my cholesterol down at 167 this past June and now it is up to 212!  GRRRR!
Here is more information on lab tests and thyroid issues....

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroid_antibodies/test.html

Help to read your blood test results

I am still waiting on the copy of my blood test results from my new doctor. I came across this site and it tells how to interpret blood test results for the layperson. It tells what CRP measures and homocysteine etc, tests I have mentioned on earlier posts. Do get your results from your doctor and keep them in a binder so in case your doctor loses them or moves or becomes ill, or you need a second opinion, you have your own copies for the next doctor  Click on the link below.

http://amarillomed.squarespace.com/howto

New Allergies

I had an ALCAT allergy test done at the new doctor. I now have allergies to turkey, white potatoes, cauliflower, sunflower and olive(and their oils/products), avocado, apple, bayleaf, coconut, lemon, cucumber,pineapple, in additions to the other long list I already have....(many of these foods I am presently eating and they now have become an issue, my body has become allergic to them now too!)

I am to avoid completely haddock,malt,oat, spelt,  and gluten in general, all dairy, all eggs and egg products(chicken is included in that family), yeast, cauliflower,mustard,olive, sunflower, beet sugar.
Many of those things I don't eat already, but it seems I am creating allergies to foods I had been eating that were OK.

I was using olive oil to cook with, now I cannot have it...it is a high allergy. I have to revamp my whole menu AGAIN! AHHHH!

A Quick Note on my Life and my Doctor's Visit

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all are getting ready for the holidays! Count those blessings!

 I am a little down this year as I had lost my parents this past spring/summer. Even though I usually don't even get to visit them(they lived far from me)...there's just a hole in my heart that they're not here anymore...especially on Christmas! My family and my husband's family members all live far away also.

Also my husband's dad just passed away about a week and a half ago....it's not the usual happy go lucky holidays for us....then add to that that our marriage is hurting from all the stress and loss and we are going to see a marriage counsellor.

Add to this that I found out at my doctor's visit that I now have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis! For symptoms see the link below, turns out I am a classsic, I have just about all the symptoms....

Heart Palpitations - yes
Fatigue -yes
Depression -yes
Modest weight gain -no
Cold intolerance- yes
Excessive sleepiness- yes
Dry, coarse hair- yes
Constipation - yes
Dry skin - yes
Muscle cramps - yes
Increased cholesterol levels - yes
Decreased concentration - no
Vague aches and pains - yes
Swelling of the legs - no


http://www.medicinenet.com/hashimotos_thyroiditis/article.htm


 OK Come on now....I had been feeling run down, thought it was all the stress and sadness. I am feeling majorly let down, I can't believe I have gotten another disease, as I thought I had been taking such great care of myself and I thought I was getting better.

I forgot to get copies of my bloodwork, they said they will send them, so I will let you know more when I get the copies to go through.

They also mentioned that I may possibly have Lyme's disease but I will try to pin them down on that...they think I have it...I'll tell you more about that after I study up on Lyme's and on my blood test results when I receive them.

Healing Lupus and other autoimmune diseases

This is an interview with a Naturopath on their protocol to reverse/heal Lupus.
It is terrific information! Please get a cup of tea or a green smoothie, (print it out if you want) so you can sit in a comfy chair--or get under your covers and enjoy a GREAT read!

http://healing-lupus.com/Interview_with_Dr_Ratansi.pdf

Arthritis (joint pains) and Nightshades

In " Pain Free in 6 Weeks..." by Sherry Rogers MD. She says it is worth it to try avoiding all nightshades for 3-4 months and see if your pain lessens or goes away entirely. She says it was Dr. Norm Childers that did the research on nightshades. Both Sherry Rogers and Norm Childers swear that a diet without nightshades can rid you of pain you've suffered for years. I think it's worth a try!

http://www.noarthritis.com/nightshades.htm

A Celiac Disease "Quiz"

Here is a link to a Celiac Disease checklist of symptoms. Many of them over lap with Lupus symptoms!
Take a look!

http://www.celiaccentral.org/disease-symptoms-checklist/

Dr. Oz Anti-Cancer Foods

Or you could say foods to eat to be healthy! In all my research about Lupus, food allergies are a common issue in people affected by Lupus, you should be tested to see if you are allergic to any of the foods in the list. I personally am allergic to onions, garlic, and yogurt/dairy from this list (that I am presently aware of) Learn about nutrition and what your body needs and BE HEALTHY and WELL!

http://www.doctoroz.com/sites/default/files/images/AntiCancer%20Shopping%20List.pdf


http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-cancer-diet

Dr. Oz Show on Celiac Disease

This show will air on Thursday December 10th, 2009. This Thursday! Please watch if you have any questions on Celiac Disease. Dr. Oz has been doing a pretty good job of teaching people about many health issues!

This is a must see! You can go to the link below and see what Dr. Oz will  be covering this week.

http://www.doctoroz.com/

Fred Pescatore on Flu Prevention

I don't know about 50,000 IU of vitamin D,(seems like too much!) but a bigger dose than you usually take is a good idea. Just about everyone who lives above the equator needs to supplement vitamin D3! Get tested for vitamin D3 levels(ask your doctor if they don't test you at your yearly physical) and take supplements if needed.  Read the Woman's Day article.
Here's the link. The doctor that they asked about his flu prevention protocol is Fred Pescatore MD.

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Health/Conditions-Diseases/Flu-Fighting-Natural-Remedies.html

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from Doctor Oz Show

Some of the CFS symptoms really sound close to Lupus symptoms!

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-how-xmrv-related

Stress relief through "Tapping"

I said stress relief because that is what I need right now! You can also lessen or stop food cravings, lessen or get rid of anger, fear, or any other unwanted emotion that is holding you back!  See the links below! The holidays are a very stressful time for a lot of us. Also having Lupus or any other chronic illness can be very stressful.

 I had heard about this technique a long time ago, but thank you God for putting it "just where I could see it" to remind me that I can use it now because I am ready to use the tapping technique.

Acupuncture has helped me a great deal and tapping works with the acupuncture meridians also. Enjoy the links and give this a try!

The biggest issue for me lately is finding a doctor that believes what I believe... and still sees patients.

I have just tried a new doctor that looks promising...I will keep you updated on my progress.

http://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2009/12/03/learn-eft-tapping-for-busting-through-cravings/

Have a great day!

Healthy Gift Giving

From Andrew Weil MD (He posts on twitter and has a newsletter too)

Q Ideas For Healthy Gift-Giving?

What with all the food and drink of the holiday season, I would love to give healthy gifts this year, something my friends and relatives could enjoy, guilt free. Any suggestions?

A Answer (Published 12/13/2006)

I can think of several healthy gifts that should please almost everyone:
■A box of good quality dark chocolate: Good dark chocolate (with at least 70 percent cocoa) really is a healthy treat you could consider, especially for the women on your list (it is the number one craving among women). Chocolate is a source of polyphenols, the same kinds of antioxidants found in red wine and green tea. The fat it contains is mostly stearic acid, which doesn't raise cholesterol levels. And the flavonoids in dark chocolate are good for the heart - they reduce the stickiness of platelets, inhibiting blood clotting and reducing the danger of coronary artery blockages. For those on your holiday gift list who like chocolate, splurge on a box of the best, imported from Belgium, France or Venezuela.

■Flowers: A beautiful bouquet or a long lasting flowering plant is sure to please women, although I recommend that everyone (male and female) keep fresh flowers in the home for their beauty, fragrance, and the lift they give our spirits.

■A Massage: A gift certificate for a soothing massage. Some types of massage are more relaxing than others. One of the best is Trager work, a system that uses rocking and bouncing movements to lull you into a dreamy altered state.

■Music: We're all affected by music. It has the power to inspire, uplift us, change our moods, and even alter consciousness. Almost anyone would welcome a CD or two, and for special people on your list, tickets to a concert would be a memorable treat.

■A Session with a Personal Trainer: This would be a great gift for someone who wants to get more exercise in the new year.

■Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A bottle of high quality extra virgin olive oil is sure to please the health-conscious (and any of the cooks) on your list. A trip to a gourmet market should provide you with many possibilities. Depending on your budget, you could put together a sampling of two or three bottles.

■Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, pistachios and cashews contain healthy monounsaturated fats that can lower your risk of heart disease and heart attack. However, because they’re high in calories, nuts may not be the best gift for those who would find it difficult to eat them in moderation.

In addition to these suggestions, click here for more healthy pleasures. Happy holidays!

Andrew Weil, M.D.

What type of gifts do you give for the holidays? Click here to share your inspirations in our discussion groups.

Check out Louise Hay

Try a search of her books/DVDs at your local library. I just recently watched a DVD called "You can Heal Your Life" and looked at some of her book of that same title. It was very moving...made me see that as positive as I try to be there is always room for improvement! Here is a link to her site's affirmations check this one out. There's a new one every day!

http://www.louisehay.com/affirmations/index.php

She also has a book called "Heal your Body" I have requested that one from the library next.

The Causes of Disease

I have done a lot of research on what holistic doctors believe is the causes of disease, here are the major ones:

1) Nutrient Deficiency
2) Food Allergies/Leaky Gut
3) Toxins
4) Stress
5) Gut bugs (parasites/candida/etc.)

Now you can correct these if you:

1) Eat and drink nutritionally dense foods. Green smoothies, tons of veggies/salads and some fruits.
2) Get tested for food allergies/leaky gut ,or try an elimination diet, and avoid allergenic foods.
3) Detox -there are colon,kidney,liver cleanses, and drink clean water, and eat "clean" foods, no pesticides, sweat(sauna and /or exercise) use toiletries and other things you put on your skin that you would feel safe eating. do body/skin scrubs
4) Breathe, don't sweat the small stuff, let things go
5) Get tested for parasites/candida and treat them. Take out sugar and starches from your diet and starve those candida bugs. For parasites see your doctor, there are drugs or herbs to get rid of parasites.

Follow these tips and you could be feeling better in no time!

My "Regular " Smoothie

1/2-1cup Dino Kale or Baby Spinach
2 stalks Celery
1 Apple
1/2 Lemon
1 large or 2 small Carrot/s
1/4 -1/2 cup water
Ice (optional)

I blend this all up on the Whole Juice setting on my Blentec Blender and that's my morning drink! Drink your smoothies at room temperature for easier digestion!

For more recipes and smoothies see http://www.lupushopecookbook.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whether you plan to have turkey, tofurkey, or raw "meatloaf" (there's recipes for raw meatloaf/mashed potatoes and gravy and "noasted" a raw stuffing recipe in Alissa Cohen's book Living on Live Food)
for dinner today..... hug your loved ones and count those blessings, and don't complain about what's for dinner, find a recipe you love and "dig in"!

Also after a modest dinner, go out and play! (or just take a walk)

Happy Thanksgiving and see the link below for a card that you can send to your friends/family. Hope it gives you a giggle! (or a GOBBLE)

http://ecards.myfuncards.com/myfuncards/ComposeCard.jhtml?cardID=11316

How My Blood Work Improved

My last blood work was in June 2009. I hope to go for new blood work in December or January. I have to OK it with the doctor/s.

My thyroid test is fine. (I haven't had a doctor check yet for anti thyoid antibodies...I'll ask next time I go for blood work)

B12- low(am taking supplements)
D3-low(am taking supplements)
Ferritin(Iron) -slightly  low(eating more  dark green leafy veggies)

CBC levels are all on target except for hemoglobin/hematocrit (slightly low---due to iron defficiency)

Fasting glucose 80 ! (Dr. Oz said to shoot for 75, I'm close!)
Metabolic Panel is all on target

Cholesterol went from 205 in Jan 2008 to 167 in June 2009
LDL was 135 , HDL was 46  in 2008

June 2009
HDL 53
LDL 101(could come down a little)
Triglycerides 64

Cardio CRP is a 0.7 (low inflammation!)
Homocysteine is a 7.5 (low inflammation)
Hemoglobin A1C  5.7(no diabetes)
ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) 9

Bad News as of June 2008 (but still working on my health to get rid of these Lupus markers)
Still  have DS DNA double stranded DNA
Still have anti cardiolipin antibodies(AB IGG)
still have antiphospholipid antibodies
still have an ANA of 1:80 with a speckled pattern(went down from a 1:160)

Green Cleaning

Found a good video on green cleaning and natural products, get rid of those toxic cleanong products...one a a time or all at once, whichever fits your lifestyle.

In my township we have a "STOP" day that happens twice a year that you can bring toxins, paints, batteries and e-waste(electronics) to be disposed of properly.
You can do that, or just replace products with natural cleaning items, as the bottles are empty and used up!

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/how-to-use-green-cleaning-products/17wy3eklt

Thanksgiving!

What is your Thanksgiving about???  Do you REALLY think about what you're thankful for??? Or are you too busy planning the menu, cleaning the house, shopping.... 

Please take the time and take a deep breath, or better yet 5 slow, deep breaths in a row (stimulates deep relaxation), and really concentrate on what you are thankful for and the blessings in your life.

What am I thankful for???

1)My husband that supports me in every aspect of my healthy living/eating
2)My 2 healthy children (that drive me CRAZY sometimes they are 13 and 14 and a half TEENAGERS! AAAAHHH!!!)
3) My improved health
4) The internet and the lovely people that post help, education and encouragement through the computer!
5)Doctors that sincerely want to help people.
6)The people I've met that are on similar healing paths Karen, Lisa, Cami glad to meet all of you and thank you for sharing!
7) My husband's 1977 Classic RV, great to have "family fun days" in
8) My animals' health. (Yea! no vet visits needed)
9) My house, and food to eat, and heat.
10) My guitar and piano.
11) My cooking skills to deal with all these food allergies!
12) The public libraries (free books and DVDs for all1)
13) My Blendtec Blender, Food Processor, Dehydrator
14) My husbands car (20yrs old) and my van (11 yrs old) that still run.
15) There's probably more and I will add on as necessary! Thank you God!

Do count you blessings and say thanks!

My First You Tube Video!

Hi Everyone! I was having fun this weekend with my daughter, who has been begging me to make a raw food preparation video with her as the camera person. We don't have a camcorder so we used my daughter's digital camera...the camera made it sound like I have a terrible LISP! I don't! (Not that there's anything wrong with lisping...)Here's the link  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhHwEA3eAk

I hope to do more videos in the future. I started with this video and recipe because a group of moms of autistic children, that I speak to, haven't made raw food before and were asking many questions about the recipe...I decided to show how to make this recipe first...because it was one my family loved! Thanks Chef Amy for posting it!

PS If you or anyone you know has an autistic child or even just ADD/ADHD, or if your child/ren need to follow a GFCF diet for any other reason... please tell them to visit GFCFKids@yahoogroups.com  They have terrific advice on all things diet related and autism related and biomedical information. The moms there are amazing! Always willing to lend an ear and share advice and encouragement!

Link to Renegade Health Show Added

If you look in the upper left gadgets, on Lupus Hope, you will see that I added a link to the Renegade Health Show with Kevin and Ann Marie Gianni. I love their show and I reference it often. Now you can have a peek at what they are up to when you come and visit my site!

So pour a nice cup of herbal tea , or make up a green smoothie the next time you visit, and enjoy the information that is here for you to think about and to try, and be HEALTHIER everyday!

Herbs and Foods for Natural Pain Relief

I am a strong believer that you can get rid of many of your aches and pains by taking out the foods you are allergic to from your diet. I can't tell you how much of a difference this has made in my life, and in many people I speak to and read about too. As this article says though sometimes you have some aches and pains in life.

Case in point... I have been having dental issues lately...2 teeth giving me issues...also because of the teeth or possibly because something "snuck in" again that I was not supposed to have, I  have had some neck pain/shoulder pain (it is on the side with the tooth that is bothering me the most) I will get that tooth out this Wednesday, it may be infected though the dentist said he didn't see anything on the x-ray......Please enjoy the following link to this article! Have a great day!

http://renegadehealth.com/blog/8-herbs-and-foods-for-natural-pain-relief/

Heal Your Life???

My friend Karen mentioned there is more to healing than just food, I agree, though  the food you eat is the most important and biggest thing you can do to heal yourself, sometimes more is needed. I found this "healing house" and I need to find one like this closer to me. It just seemed the description of this house fits how to heal your life.
Here you go Miss Karen...thanks for the idea!
http://www.healyourlifecenter.com/

Fred Pescatore MD on Food Sensitivities

This is a very good interview, lots of great information! I can vouch that when I took out the foods that I was allergic/intolerant to I dropped weight really quickly! Eating mostly raw food and some macrobiotic cooking.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2118875/6685701

100% Raw Food?

My take on "you must eat 100% raw food or healing and great health won't happen" is that it can't be true.
If you want to know where I'm coming from with this idea....I have researched that both raw food diets can be healing as well as macrobiotic(cooked and raw foods). For my health I find mostly raw with some cooked foods works the best to make me feel at my optimum.

I watched Kevin Gianni interview George Malkmus of "Hallelujah Acres"...let me first say I am a big fan of both the men for their unending teachings about health and great nutrition!
Second I want to say that each person is different and you must choose what makes you feel great...oh and also don't forget to do a blood test now and then with your doctor to make sure you're getting all your nutrients!
Watch the interview here
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2009/11/17/reverend-george-malkmus-on-the-100-raw-diet-and-colon-cancer/


When I first decided to learn about feeding my dog's a homemade raw diet (the dogs get raw meat and supplements and a little grains and fruits and veggies) Wendy Volhard, said while doing her seminar and she also says in her book to get a baseline blood test and then test every 6 months- to every year to make sure the dog is doing well and to adjust the diet as needed.

Why should we as people be any different...I just heard about a 100% raw foodie getting cancer and another
in a terrible fight with lyme disease! I'm sure there are many other stories that are testimonies of health!

My message here is this... don't feel that if you are not eating 100% raw food you are "cheating" or that you'll never be healthy if you are eating cooked foods...watch the cooked foods you do eat though...you want to eat healthy foods like grains and beans and soups(not junk foods) and also do get food allergy tested because as they say "one man's artichoke is another man's poisin"

I am allergic/intolerant to many foods    beef,shellfish,dairy,eggs,peppers,tomatoes,cranberries,bananas,corn,onions,garlic, wheat, gluten,oats,barley,rye,asparagus.... and probably some others I've missed...if I would continue to eat those I would keep my inflammation levels up. Now that I've taken those foods out of my diet my inflammation levels are all very low on my blood tests. Now I am working on correcting the reasons I have the allergies, from my research you can repair your body to eliminate many of your food allergies.

Prostaglandin Imbalance causes inflammatory disease??

http://www.brighthub.com/health/diet-nutrition/articles/37177.aspx

Trouble with your health ? Check your gut!

Check out their website and sign up for their newsletter at:

http://www.womentowomen.com/digestionandgihealth/naturaldigestivehealth.aspx?


Your gut instincts: natural digestive health for overall wellness
by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

What do anxiety, bloating, joint pain, fuzzy thinking, and fatigue have in common? Surprisingly, they can all be traced back to a poorly functioning digestive tract. When your gut isn't working well, your body can't absorb nutrients, and that affects all of your body's functions -- especially your immune system. When problems arise in the digestive tract, it can lead to system-wide inflammation and food sensitivities. Even your emotional health is connected to your gut.

Learn more about how listening to your gut instincts can make you a happier and healthier person.
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The domino effect -- from your gut to hot flashes?

You know that bloating, gas, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea are signs of digestive upset. But did you know that these symptoms -- and many others -- may be deeply linked to hormonal imbalance? Digestive issues, along with hot flashes, mood swings, foggy thinking, fatigue, and reduced libido are indicators that your hormones may be out of whack. Our Personal Program helps restore hormonal balance naturally and effectively and works to relieve symptoms, including the digestive issues that can interfere with your wellbeing and your busy schedule.

Learn more now...
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Join us on Facebook and stay in touch with our unique perspective on current and breaking health topics that affect you, plus find news you can use as well as links to our newest articles.

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The Personal Program for Hormonal Imbalance

"I'm spreading the word about your vitamins"

Belinda had lived with chronic digestive problems for most of her life -- but her symptoms suddenly got worse after she went on HRT following a hysterectomy. Her healthcare provider had no answers for her and told her she'd have to "learn to live with" severe irritable bowel syndrome. That answer wasn't good enough for Belinda, and after hearing about the benefits of nutritional supplements on a television show, she went to the internet looking for answers. The Personal Program made an immediate difference in how she felt -- it improved her digestion for the first time in years, and even helped her to get off the HRT!

Learn more from Belinda

"After six months on the Program, I haven't been sick a single day!"

Following a difficult childbirth that took a toll on her strength, Georgia found herself weak and sick all the time. She suffered each winter with seasonal depression, recurrent bronchitis, sinus trouble, and poor digestion. Even though she was so tired she didn't want to get out of bed, Georgia had to force herself to work through her depression and fatigue so she could care for her children. Using antibiotics regularly for her recurrent respiratory infections only seemed to make matters worse -- but she felt she didn't have a choice. Then a friend recommended the Personal Program and Georgia decided to give it a try. Now, after six months on the Program, Georgia's energy, moods, and digestion have recovered, and she doesn't catch every infection her children bring home. -- Plus she no longer dreads the winter months!

Learn more from Georgia
Yours in good health,


© Copyright -- 2009 Women to Women. All rights reserved

Household Insecticides May Be Linked to Autoimmune Diseases

This is the second time this has come up for me lately...I  had an aura reading at a naturopath recently and she told me I had pesticide residues in my body. OK I know aura readings are "out there" but I worked as a veterinary assistant and in kennels when I was younger and gave a whole lot of the "old fashioned" NASTY "flea dips." Insecticides are TOXIC, use natural products as much as possible. NEEM oil is a good one..Read below....



Household Insecticides May Be Linked to Autoimmune Diseases

Study suggests a connection with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) -- New research suggests a link between women's exposure to household insecticides -- including roach and mosquito killers -- and the autoimmune disorders rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

The scientist did not find a direct cause-and-effect relationship between insecticide exposure and the illnesses, and it's possible that the women have something else in common that accounts for their higher risk. But epidemiologist Christine Parks, lead investigator of the study, said the findings do raise a red flag.

"It's hard to envision what other factors might explain this association," said Parks, an epidemiologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences who was to present the study over the weekend at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Previous research has linked agricultural pesticides to higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, two diseases in which the immune system goes haywire and begins to attack the body. Farmers, among others, appear to be vulnerable.

Parks and her colleagues wanted to find out whether smaller doses of insecticides, such as those people might encounter at home from either personal or commercial residential use, might have a similar effect.

The researchers examined data from a previous study of almost 77,000 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79. Their findings were to be released Monday at the American College of Rheumatology's annual scientific meeting in Philadelphia.

Women who reported applying insecticides or mixing them -- about half -- had a higher risk of developing the two autoimmune disorders than women who reported no insecticide use. This was the case whether or not they had lived on a farm. Those who used or mixed the insecticides the most -- judged by frequency or duration -- had double the risk.

Even so, the risk of developing the diseases remained very low. Overall, Parks said, about 2 percent of older adults develop the conditions.

Parks said the insecticides that the women used included insect killers, such as those designed to eradicate ants, wasps, termites, mosquitoes and roaches. They didn't include insect repellents.

There are some caveats to the research. For one, it's not clear exactly what products the women used or when. "Over time, there have been major changes in what products were available for home use," Parks said.

And while researchers tried to take into account the influence of factors like age that may boost a woman's risk of getting autoimmune diseases, it's possible they missed something that boosted the risk of illness.

Could gardening, which often entails insecticide use, be a contributing factor? That's possible. But Parks said a lot of insecticide use takes place inside the home, not outside in the garden.

For now, she said, the findings indicate the need for "more research on environmental risk factors and better understanding of what factors might explain these findings, what chemicals might be associated with these risks."

She declined to speculate on how insecticides might cause problems in the body.

"I would recommend that people read the labels and take precautions to minimize their personal exposure" to insecticides, she said. "This is the case regardless of whether these results are implicating a chemical that's on the market now or was before."

My daughter's IgG Blood Test

I was SHOCKED when I received my daughter's IgG blood test for food allergies, her allergies are worse then mine!!! She is doing fine in school, a very bright and healthy girl but still had all these allergies! My NAET practitioner said that with each generation the allergies get stronger. (Don't panic you can get rid of many of them or even all of them with the right medical/holistic treatment,and there is a good chance that you can break the next generations cycle of worse allergies)

My mind goes to.... what if I never had Lupus and never checked my allergies...what if I never checked her allergies...would she have continued eating these allergens and grown up with massive inflammation and gotten Lupus too...or some other disease.

The message that I want to send here is, before my daughter and I were tested for allergies, I would have thought we didn't have any!!! We didn't have runny noses and itchy eyes and hives. We had occassional headaches and sinus pressure and maybe an upset tummy(gurgling and extra gas) once a month to once every 2 months! That was all! We thought this was normal!

From kinesiology testing my daughter was already off gluten and dairy, now she has to go off eggs/sugar and GF oats and peanut butter those are just the ones that will be severely missed...there are many more also.

Allergy testing can be covered by insurance...but sometimes is not. The best thing to do is go to a doctor that you trust and get the testing done on yourselves and your family...I sound like a broken record but, whether it is Lupus or other diseases inflammation is BAD!!! If you continue eating foods you are allergic to your body responds to them as they are an invader and produces white blood cells(inflammation) to "kill the invaders" if you continue to eat these foods everyday you get massive inflammation...Hello Lupus and other autoimmune diseases!

After taking the foods that I was allergic to almost all my Lupus symptoms disappeared! I feel much better! I am still not perfect but I learn and try each day to get healthier and healthier and YOU CAN TOO!

Adaptogens

I am just trying to learn about adaptogens myself...tried to "google" and got a few places to learn. I requested this book from the library, I will let you know if I like it.
http://www.herbalist-alchemist.com/shop/?shop=1&itemid=1187

Also I heard Kevin Gianni mention "Holy Basil"also called "Tulsi" and many people also talk about "Maca",  these are adaptogens also and here are 2 articles about other adaptogens.
http://miracleadaptogens.com/health.html

http://www.chiro.org/nutrition/FULL/Adaptogenic_Herbs.shtml

To Be Considered A True Adaptogen, A Plant
Must Conform To The Following Criteria:

1. The plant must be nontoxic and totally harmless to the body. It must allow the continuing normal physiological activity of the individual.

2. The action it exerts must be nonspecific and should maintain normal body functions despite a wide range of onslaughts to the body (i.e. stress).

3. It should normalize body functions irrespective of existing pathological conditions. Unlike allopathic drugs which carry with them the possibility of side effects, adaptogen's must benefit the body without disturbing it or doing it harm. Not many plants possess adaptogenic properties. In fact it is estimated that only one in 4,000 plants is classified as an adaptogen

Oil Pulling (for dental health)

http://www.oilpulling.org/

Natural Salt Lamps

Mother Nature's natural ionizing lamp!

http://www.naturalsaltlamps.com/lamps.html

Food Combining Chart

Once you get good at making raw food dishes...then learn about food combining. This leads to optimum digestion!

http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/pdf_news/foodcombining.pdf

Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food 2 DVD Set

I bought the "Living on Live Food" book by Alissa Cohen and it still is my favorite Raw Food book...but I requested her 2 DVD set from my local library recently, for my raw food class, and I just watched myself, for a second time (I took it out of the library and watched it about 1 and 1/2 years ago when I was first getting serious with raw food)

I HIGHLY recommend it. It is long and does move a little slow in spots...but the recipes and step by step instruction and all the information you get from just listening to Alissa talk in between the recipes...it is GREAT! Most of the recipes are pretty simple too! Check it out!

Saliva Ph Testing

I keep hearing how important it is to keep your body alkaline. Many diseases thrive in an acid body. Eating a raw diet or a macrobiotic diet alkalinizes the body. Enjoy this article! I am going to try to see if my local health food store has the ph testing papers/strips or if I need to order them.

http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/saliva-ph-test.htm

Oprah article on Raw Food and Macrobiotics!

I received an email from the Hipchick Blog saying that Oprah mentioned her macrobiotic  book on Oprah.com and I looked up healing foods on oprah.com and I found this! Alright Oprah! Has she done any shows on this too? Did I miss them???


http://www.oprah.com/article/health/nutrition/20091020-orig-raw-food-probiotics-macrobiotics

This was a link she mentioned in the article
http://www.rawfu.com/

Here is the link to  Hip Chick's blog and more info on Oprah and Hip Chick's book!
http://www.hipchicksmacrobiotics.com/blog/

Healing a "Leaky Gut"

These steps are from Sherry Rogers book "Pain Free in 6 Weeks..." on PG 93 Please get this book and read it! It is STILL my FAVORITE book with absolutely the BEST information on Lupus and other autoimmune diseases and LOTS of other diseases too! You can get it to read, free, from your local library! She goes on to explain in detail how to repair your leaky gut! It is one of the few books that I own and I would buy extra copies to give to all my friends and family too! In her practice Sherry Rogers has reversed Lupus many times over!

1) Recognize or diagnose leaky gut is present. There is an Intestinal Permeability Test that your doctor can order.(or you can just start treatment)

2)Remove the cause of the leaky gut. Find out if unwanted bugs like Candida are lurking, or if you have poor digestive enzymes, abnormal bacteria etc. A "Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis"(CDSA) will tell you this.

3)Re-inoculate the gut by putting good bugs back by using probiotics.

4)Repace Enzymes with digestive enzymes.

5) Recall the total load and if you have chemical sensitivity. Decrease toxins in your life home and at work and toiletries.

6)Repair the damaged gut with nutrients like L-Glutamine.

7) Restore function increase fiber,chew thoroughly,replace digestive enzymes.

8) Repent and rectify the causes. Get rid of sugar, and refined and processed foods,get rid of junk foods, do not use NSAIDS and other damaging medications, alcohol, sweets, caffeine and soda!

Howard Lyman Ex Cattle rancher interview

From Renegade Health...WARNING! Describes slaughterhouse protocol .....that piece was very disturbing...please take the information and learn to ask where does my food come from....????


http://www.renegadehealth.com/howardlyman/access.php

The Anti Candida Diet

Candida Albicans is very common among Lupus sufferers....

The Anti Candida Diet

Foods to Eat
http://www.thecandidadiet.com/foodstoeat.htm

Foods to Avoid
http://www.thecandidadiet.com/foodstoavoid.htm

Lupus -A Food Factor?

Check out the article below pretty interesting....

http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=3057&xcntr=3

2 More Great Books

OK... I need to just get a job at the library I am there so often...the whole library staff knows me by name...and I know most of their names....

"7 Day Detox Miracle..." by Peter Bennet, ND and Stephen Barrie, ND

"The Sunfood Diet Success System" by David Wolfe 

Happy reading!

More Celiac Disease info

This information is a nice overview on "The Essentials of Celiac Disease" from "Dummies.com". You know the books "Celiac Disease for Dummies"," Dog Training for Dummies", etc As silly as these titles are the books are usually put together by experts in their field so the information is great.

Please go to the link below and while you are there check the part about "Celiac Disease and Other Autoimmune Conditions"(yes you are right on target with your comment Lupus Girl if you have one autoimmune check to see if you have any more) and please note that they wrote if you have Lupus check if you have Celiac Disease!(especially if you are still eating gluten!!!) The really happy thing is that if you do have Celiac Disease and you avoid gluten containing foods you can save yourself a lot of pain and inflammation! Also don't be afraid of finding out, I have found great recipes to help you go Gluten Free!

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-essentials-of-celiac-disease.html

Celiac Disease Statistics

This is from an email GF recipe list I belong to:

Hi Toni,

I've been doing research again and found some interesting statistic about celiac disease and gluten intolerance. I thought you'd be interested in learning some of them.

I usually stay away from numbers, but I realized that the numbers can be a great way to prove to you how NOT alone you are in dealing with a gluten free lifestyle.

Keep in mind these are not just numbers but each single digit represents a living breathing person like you and me. By the way, all numbers are for the USA.


•It's estimated 1 out of every 133 people have celiac disease

•Out of every 100 people, 97 remain undiagnosed (horrors!)

•Over 3 million people have celiac disease

•It takes an average of 8 to 11 years for a US celiac to be properly diagnosed (oh horrors again!)

•Up to 10% of people with celiac disease also have type 1 diabetes (another autoimmune disease)

•Women have a celiac disease at a ratio of 3 to 1 when compared to men

•There are over 250 possible symptoms related to gluten intolerance

Well, that's enough stats for me. I've got to start thinking about what's for dinner tonight!


If you're thinking the same thing here's an idea for tonight's dinner.

http://www.glutenfreeclub.com/go/?use=&pg=chickentropical


Enjoy,

Angie.

Complications of Celiac Disease

This is from a book called "Celiac Disease, a Guide to Living with Gluten Intolerance" by Sylvia Llewelyn Bower. Remember that you can find these books at your local library FOR FREE!

On page 38
Known Complications of Celiac Disease
Inflammation
Anemia
Cancer
Infertility and Pregnancy Issues
Menopause issues
Neurological Symptoms
Depression
Diabetes

Suspected Complications of CD

Liver Disorders
Fibromyalgia
Apthous ulcers(sores in soft mucous membranes of the mouth and tongue)
Joint pain
Down Syndrome
Dysrhythmia(abnormal heart rate)
Autoimmune Disease
Lupus
Insulin Dependent Diabetes
Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Sjogrens Syndrome

I believe that all the suspected complications are true too, I think in Dr. Peter Green's book he says some of Sylvia's suspected complications have been proven! I really can't say enough that.... if you have a autoimmune problem or just feel off...EVERYONE should be tested for Celiac Disease. It is THE MOST UNDER DIAGNOSED disease in America! You can do Gene Testing(tells whether you have the Celiac gene), Blood testing(if positive you go on to test by endoscopy) and then the endoscopy.

Metametrix Cardio ION Panel

This is the blood test that Dr. Sherry Rogers MD recommends. The results of this test give an incredible amount of information to the doctor. I heard that the test is expensive, around $1000, and I don't believe that insurance will cover it, but you can always try...

Here is the link :
http://www.metametrix.com/content/DirectoryOfServices/0290CardioIONProfile-BloodUrine

Here is a link to a sample report
http://www.metametrix.com/DirectoryOfServices/pdf/pdf_sample_0290CardioIONProfile-BloodUrine.pdf


The amount of information in this one test is OUTRAGEOUS! then the doctor can know exactly what you health issues are and go about correcting them to restore you back to health!

Lupus Hope Healing Plan NEW!!!

I realized that as my blog grows in size, it is not so easy for me to counsel people to print it out and read it like a book... Although if you have enough ink in your printer and a well working printer that is still an option.

For those who don't have the patience or time to read Lupus Hope in it's entirety, look at my new Lupus Hope Healing Plan blog. http://lupushopehealingplan.blogspot.com/  It gives just the basics of what I have done and what I will continue to do in the future to try to heal my Lupus. I am so much healthier than I was! I took charge of my life and my health and YOU CAN TOO!

Please visit my new blog to get the basic health plan and then for more detailed information check my Lupus Hope blog at http://lupushope.blogspot.com/

Satisfying Cravings with Healthier Versions

Hi Everyone!

I have had some requests to go over how to change your diet. I will first tell you what I did and then I will give you the advice I wish someone would have given me at the beginning.

I went for kinesiology testing with a chiropractor, she said Lupus and all autoimmune diseases were related to leaky gut and leaky gut over time created many food allergies. All of my food allergies were causing more inflammation in my body, and it's a no brainer that anything that causes inflammation...especially when you have Lupus, is a BAD THING!

So I came home that day and on a few future visits with a list a mile long of foods to avoid.

At first this is what I did for substitutions:
(Vegan means no eggs or dairy in this case)

Food Allergy

regular cupcakes and cookies
regular bread, biscuits, and pizza
chocolate pudding with milk/eggs
regular mayonaise
wheat tortillas
ice cream
gluten grains
regular crackers

Substitutions

GF Vegan cupcakes and cookies
GF Vegan Bread, biscuits, pizza
Tofu chocolate pudding
soy mayonaise
corn or rice tortillas
soy or rice ice cream
GF grains quinoa,millet, brown rice
GF Vegan crackers


I have many GREAT recipes for GF Vegan and GFCF on my blog at
http://myfamilysfavoritegfcfrecipes.blogspot.com/

There were lots more substitutions waffles, hot pretzels, GF breaded chicken cutlets, etc.

Then I realized that all those starches and sugars were probably not great for my body either and now my diet substitutions are more like this:

Food Allergies

bread
cupcakes and cookies
chocolate
gluten grains
chicken/ beef
crackers
pudding
ice cream
potato chips
hot chocolate

Substitutions

Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas
Raw food treats sweetened mostly with dry fruits
GFCF chocolate or raw chocolate
quinoa, millet, brown rice some times sprouted sometimes cooked
turkey/salmon/flounder
flax crackers
raw almond butter with 1/2 tsp of raspberry jelly or raw key lime pie or 1/2 avacado
nut milk smoothies with fruit or cacao nibs or both
kale chips in the dehydrator
almond milk hot cocoa



Of course on both plans there are TONS of veggies and some fruits added in both, I just avoid the veggies and fruits I am allergic/intolerant to. What I want to show here is that you CAN still have foods that satisfy you and they can be healthy and delicious. Please see my Lupus Hope Cookbook blog for delicious recipes that are good for you too! http://lupushopecookbook.blogspot.com/

If you would like to email me at lonedoggy@netzero.com with a specific food or foods that you love and don't want to give up, I will try to find or make a recipe that will be like your old favorite foods but much healthier!

Alissa Cohen in her book "Living on Live Food" has many "mock" raw foods such as pizza, enchiladas, calzones, chick-un patties, sausage, meat loaves, mashed potatoes and gravy!
She also has many desserts too. Also see my recoomendations on other raw food books as well at
http://lupushopecookbook.blogspot.com/2009/08/great-raw-food-books.html

This is "do-able" but at the beginning changing your diet is hard and challenging, but with each day it gets easier and you get more into a routine, and your new found better health is WORTH IT!
My advice is skip the gluten free and vegan goodies and go RIGHT TO the raw and/or macrobiotic foods they are much healthier in the long run! If you feel the need to go slower though, take the gluten free goodies and breads and ease in to the raw and /or macrobiotic foods
Good Luck to all of you and if you have any questions just ask...you can email me or post a comment below!

Nutritional Kinesiology and Vibrational Energies

This is a topic that has surfaced for me lately...Here are my thoughts on this topic.
I believe God made foods that we can all eat in moderation. On the other hand we, as a nation/world have "messed with" the environment/foods too much. There are so much toxic chemicals and pesticides in our world. I feel that these toxins, plus candida and other parasites, plus daily stress, and nutritional deficiencies from poor choices of foods and malabsorption from digestive issues create allergies to foods in our bodies.

This is what I am dealing with right now.... TONS of allergies to foods! Keep in mind that every time you ingest an allergic food your immune system has to kick in to rid your body of that allergen. Your immune system recognizes it, not as a healthy food, but, as a foreign invader and with white blood cells and inflammation takes care that the allergen is removed from your body. So if you have a hidden or unknown allergy and you continually eat that food you will have MASSIVE inflammation that never COOLS OFF! Hello Lupus!

I have heard many people mention the "vibrational energy" of foods. Especially when talking or reading about raw foods. When a food is uncooked in it's raw and natural state it has more ENERGY. Many times people call this more vibrational energy.

When I started my journey to health I tried Nutritional Kinesiology. This form of allergy testing not only can test for allergy/inolerance but also if your body can tolerate the food's vibrational energy.

With Nutritional Kinesiology the practicioner tests to see if your own bodies' energy gets weaker or stronger from the ingestion of a foods' energy. Each food is tested separately. For more on this see my post at http://lupushope.blogspot.com/2009/03/nutritional-kinesiology.html

Do check into you Nutritional Kinesiology practioner's success rate. Get recommendations from trusted patients/friends. A great Nutrtional Kinesiology Practicioner is worth their weight in gold!

I think many people who are Raw Foodists do not consider allergies/intolerances. You CAN be allergic/intolerant to HEALTHY foods! Take it from me I have "issues" with asparagus, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, cranberries, pomegranates, bananas, pecans, nutritional yeast(seemingly "healthy" foods) and not only through kinesiology testing but also many show up on my IgG blood tests too!

Obviously there are other ways you can tell the food energy just doesn't match yours the more you get in tune with your body. You may feel too sluggish or too hyper or too stressed. Read Theron Randolph's book "An Alternative Approach to Allergies" for some outrageous ideas into "hard to believe" food allergy symptoms from runny nose to schizophrenia! You will hear many raw foodists say that they are going to eliminate something from their diet because it just doesn't "feel right" to have it any more. I believe it is the energy in the food doesn't match with the person's energy anymore. Our cells are always dying and replenishing with new cells, our body is always in a changing state. So the foods you tolerate change too.

Have you ever listened to certain music and felt "recharged" or watched a sad movie and felt "depressed" or eaten a food and felt like "going to sleep" , or is there a person at work that you always feel upset or uneasy after speaking to? Everything and every person has an energy or a vibe and if their vibe isn't synergistic with your vibe you will not feel great and be at your optimum energy level.

Pay attention to your body and how it feels today as you eat and do the things you need to today! Please God give everyone reading this time to find moments of peace today so they can really listen to their bodies and change what they need to to feel better! Amen !

Have a GREAT DAY!

Is there a Dietary Change in Your Future? QUIZ!

This is from a previous post... but I meet people out and about and on-line everyday that have a VERY HARD time trying to commit to changing their eating habits. Just recently it was my dental health technician. She cleaned my teeth and noticed that my mouth looked healthier, and that I'd lost lots of weight...I told her of my incredible changes with my diet. She was very curious and very interested but was afraid to take the "leap" she has 2 children and a husband, this always makes things more difficult, but I have a husband and 2 children too, and although it was, and is a little harder to go to someone's house/ go out to eat, I feel it is worth it for my health.
I had originally made up this test because I was on 2 Lupus lists that were only medication based and no one wanted to change their diet at all, they would just take tons of toxic medications to mask the symptoms of their Lupus and never get to the ROOT CAUSE to try and heal their body!
I forgot to give this test to my students in my class, but I will give it to the students in my next class in January.

Enjoy the post/quiz!

A Dietary Change in your future???

I want to have healthy eating, nutrition and health classes, this is a test I thought of to give my students...if you want to take it...go ahead...it would shed light on your most difficult obstacles. Good Luck!

Also look up Wayne Dyer's book "Excuses be Gone" he has a TV program that is a seminar about the book on PBS lately. I watched it and it was great...we all have excuses not to make a change for the better and Wayne Dyer shows us how silly all of our "excuses" are....

1) If you could definitely be healthier (and even possibly leave diseases/health problems behind)how likely would you be to change to a healthier diet?

least likely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 most likely

2)If you answered least likely or undecided(middle of the road) what are your biggest obstacles:

a) You feel that you deserve your favorite unhealthy foods as a "reward" because you are sick or in pain.

b) Too costly to buy healthy food

c) Too time consuming to make healthy foods

d) You are "addicted" to your unhealthy foods and just can't do it!

e)Would be too difficult for your family because everyone would have to have different dinners/meals

f)Don't know where to shop for healthy foods

g) No support to stay on your eating plan

h) Don't have healthy recipes

i) Too hard to go out to eat, or, too hard to go to a friend's house/party to eat

3) Why wouldn't you try Alternative Medicine/Holistic Medicine

a)Had a bad personal experience with it

b) A friend told you of a bad experience

c) Just don't trust "those" kind of doctors

d) Trust my real medications more

e) Want immediate relief from real medications

My Anniversary was yesterday

Our anniversary was yesterday and my husband took off from work and we went on a little adventure. We felt a little like Kevin and Ann Marie Gianni(we have an RV too) here are some photos. We didn't prepare raw food in our RV but we took along a healthy feast, packed in a cooler.

Our 1977 GMC Motorhome(my husband's "toy") It's lots of fun to camp in!


Raw Green Bean Salad

A Green Smoothie to start the day!

GFCF Pecan Raisin Chocolates

Enjoying the fire on a chilly day

No it's not coffee or tea it's "Natural Calm" magnesium drink

The beach at the campground

We found another couple with a 1977 GMC Motorhome too!

Tim and I by the fire

Our food for the day packed in Pyrex(some raw food some not)

Our cooler all packed for our camping day trip

Lunch, a delicious stir fry in a brown rice tortilla(more like macrobiotics cooking , and yes that's meat in there, a little bit of organic ground turkey)

Live Blood Cell Analysis

Live Blood Cell Analysis

I want to find a practitioner in my area this is SO COOL! The difference between healthy and unhealthy is amazing. I have been told that because of my antiphospholipid antibodies that my blood tends to stick/clump together.... now I'd really like to see my blood and what it looks like!

http://purejeevan.com/blog/?p=1685

I just LOVE this saying...

From an Italian Grandmother "Better to pay the grocer, than the doctor." When describing the cost and love and work and nutrition she put into her cooking.... I just LOVE this saying! Grandmas know what is going on and how to be healthy. We all need to turn to our grandparents and/or our great grandparents and have gardens and exercise by doing chores/gardening as I forefathers did. This is the way things should be...not processed man made chemicals/pesticides in our food and clothes and houses...YUK!
Go NATURAL, if your grandma wouldn't have recognized it as food DON"T EAT IT!

Have a GREAT and HEALTHY day!

Organic Cotton Clothes at Walmart

Went to Walmart over the weekend to shop for sweats. It's been 40 degrees and windy and rainy lately here in NY...I need to keep WARM! Thank goodness the high is going up to 52 today and it is sunny and tomorrow and the next few days will be in the 60's again(60's are what the normal temperature should be here, now).

I have been trying to make better and more natural and healthy choices when it comes to things that will be touching my skin. I found that the sweats at Walmart are 50%cotton 50%polyester.
I am trying to stay away from synthetic(fake) materials, so I didn't buy the sweats.

As I was shopping my husband pointed out organic cotton PJ's I bought those instead. There are very nice and warm and comfy, the price wasn't bad either!

I also found pants at Marshall's recently that were bamboo/cotton and very small amount of spandex(OK spandex is synthetic but there was a very small amount) it looks like retail is trying to go organic... yeah!

Also my husband and I have found organic cotton sheets at Walmart and Target!

Everything that touches your skin affects your body, shop for organic clothes if you can find them and get natural made materials, not things created in the laboratory. Have a GREAT day!

Exercise... my Arch Enemy

Exercising is my one arch enemy...it's not that I don't walk, and do housework, and do yard work, but it is very hard for me to incorporate REAL exercise into my day. I know what you're thinking but you do lots with the regular chores around your house...

I feel I need more, todayI decided to try sitting on my large exercise ball while a posted on my blogs. It is nice and gave me a stretch/nice workout for my muscles and helped my posture!
I will do this everyday from now on also I found some back exercises on the internet that I have been doing. My chiropractor recommended stregthening my back and core muscles.
http://exercise.about.com/library/blbackexercises.htm

If anyone has ideas for fun exercising please do tell me! Comment below if you like... Thanks!

Sprouting

Hey Lupus Girl ask and ye shall receive.

I went to the local health food store this weekend and was talking to my husband about sprouts, I was sad that I didn't see sunflower seeds to sprout and a woman who was shopping said if I was looking for any seeds to sprout, there was a company she ordered from on line called Sprout People at http://www.sproutpeople.com/ I looked at the site this weekend and they have a whole lot of seeds and information and recipes etc.

Of course you can go to the store and get any regular raw grains/dried beans and you can sprout them. Never sprout nightshade veggies as the plants/ greens themselves are poisinous!
"Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen has a VERY extensive section on sprouting. You can usually find it at your local library.
In the winter in NY (winter's coming already the last 4 days we had 40 degree weather- not usual for this time of year..) you KNOW I'll be sprouting!

You do need a little counter space and after the sprouts germinate a little natural sunlight

I use a stainless steel sieve and a stainless steel bowl(Never Use Aluminum because of contamination) some people use plastic but it depends how you feel about that(I don't like plastic and try not to use it)
1)I soak the seeds for the recommended time
2) then drain and rinse them
3) rinse and drain 2-3 times each day(you must do this or the sprouts can grow mold)
4)when grown to desired length, rinse drain and refrigerate(they only have a short shelf life so eat them quickly)

In Living on Live Food Alissa Cohen tells the dry quanity, the yield, the soaking time, how many rinsings/day, sprouting time etc.

Try your hand as long as the seeds are alive it's easy to succeed at this!
You can also grow the sprouts in soil, much of wheat grass is grown this way.
Alissa says to use the hard wheat berries fr growing wheat grass.
Have fun managing your kitchen micro farm!

Ordered some raw cacao butter

My order of raw cacao butter came in! I also have raw cacao nibs that I will grind. I am going the "try my hand" at making raw chocolate!
I will post recipes on my Lupus Hope Cookbook blog as I find great ones to share.
http://lupushopecookbook.blogspot.com

If anyone has a good recipe for raw chocolate let me know... Thanks!

Lupus Walk

I had wanted to attend the local Lupus Walk yesterday and hand out nutrition information and my blog addresses, but the weather herre was horrendous! It was 40 degrees windy and very rainy.

I decided that for the protection of my health I should not be out in such weather and felt sorry for all those Lupus sufferers that made it a point to go to the walk and participate.

I also thought that my flyers weren't waterproof and wouldn't have made it.....

If anyone knows of a great idea on how to get my information to people with Lupus please comment below or email me at lonedoggy@netzero.com

Feeling sad that I didn't make it, I really want to get the word out!

Veggie "Cheat Sheet" from Veria Network

You probably have heard the expression, "One man's meat is another man's poisin", well you can replace "meat" with any other allergenic food. This is a good list but I urge you all to get tested for allergies because on this list of "healthy foods" I am allergic/intolerant to garlic, tomatoes, and onions. You can ask your doctor for an IgG and and IgE test for food allergies/intolerances.

THE ULTIMATE VEGGIE CHEAT SHEET

Think of these vegetables as part of your essential food kit. Keep this list on hand when you go shopping, and when you’re planning your meals.

Broccoli. High in vitamins C, K, and A. Has proven antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-cancer properties.

Cauliflower. In addition to having most of the benefits of broccoli, it has been shown in some studies to decrease the risk of breast and prostate cancer.

Carrots. Rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber and minerals. And most importantly, extremely high in Vitamin A, which is absolutely essential to healthy eyesight.

Green Peas. High in vitamins K and B6. A great source of folic acid. Have been shown to build strong bones.

Tomatoes. (Botanically, tomatoes are actually fruits, but they are classified nutritionally as vegetables.) A great source of vitamin C and A, they also contain high amounts of lycopene – one of the most potent natural antioxidants. Studies suggest they support the skin’s natural protection against ultraviolet rays.

Sweet Potatoes. Packed with protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamin A, and minerals. One of the best foods to get stuck with on a desert island.

Garlic. A powerful antibiotic and anti-inflammatory, used in many folk traditions as an immune-booster and expectorant. Plus it’s an essential flavor in every kitchen.

Onions. High in antioxidants and quercetin, they are often used as a home remedy to cure sore throats. Some studies indicate that they may help preven osteoporosis.

Leafy Green Vegetables. Think kale, chard, collard greens, spinach, parsley and dark green and red leaf lettuce. The specifics differ slightly among varieties, but most leafy green vegetables are rich in, well, everything, including Vitamins C, E, K, A, B2, B6 and B9 for starters. They are also significant sources of protein, magnesium, folate, iron, zinc, niacin, and selenium. Incorporate them into your meal plan every day if possible.

Related LinksDrugs From Vegetables May Target Melanoma TumorsKids and Veggies: Offer Them and They Will Eat

Rolling Pin Reflexology treatment at work???

Try this one at work or home! I saw something like it in Elaine Nussbaum's book, Recovery From Cancer. In her book she was taught to walk on a rolling pin???Is that even possible???
This looks much easier! Tried it and it feels great too!

http://www.bukisa.com/videos/81802_how-to-reduce-stress-at-the-workplace

Feeling Fine Again

Had to wait for my "turn" on the computer today, it's Saturday, everyone's home...
Wanted to let you know that I felt better last night and I am back to normal today.
It amazes me that I can identify(well almost) what has bothered me and be extra careful with my diet and feel fine 4-24 hours later. Used to be when a migraine or joint pains hit I'd be "down" for 4-7 days. Now, early identification of the offending food and going back to green smoothies, salad, fruit and lots of water and I can turn these episodes around in a SNAP!

It also annoys me that these foods are not adequately marked was there gluten in the almond extract? Gluten in the poultry seasoning? Both were older bottles/spices.

Hope you are all feeling well!

On another note(reactions)

Yesterday I ate something that didn't agree with me. I have tracked it down to almond extract or vanilla extract in my raw granola bars that I made or poultry seasoning that I put in my turkey burger.
I know this right away...I normally feel fine and then ...zing... a headache/joint pains. I know by tonight or tomorrow I'll be fine again, but for today I really feel awful.
It is very frustrating when things "sneak" in like that! Make sure your spices and your extracts are pure and gluten free! Going to go have a green smoothie and clear this out of my body!!!
Have a great weekend everyone!

My "transformation"

Just a note to say that I started this journey to wellness and taking charge of my life and health in January 2008. Now almost 2 years later I am 70 lbs lighter and my body still continues to shed the pounds. When I started I found out I had so many food allergies, avoided them and 10lbs off in 2 weeks was my reward. (Before that I couldn't lose an ounce I was very upset with my weight and the possible issues I would have with my health because of it.)

Also when I came home that first day from allergy testing, I looked around my kitchen, at all the foods that I was no longer supposed to have, yet my family (husband and 2 children) could eat whatever they wanted!! I came home that first day and said OK I can have corn and potatoes and some veggies and some fruits( at present I don't eat potatoes very often and I don't eat corn). Needless to say I had a LOT of temptation at the start. I got through the first week, then 2 weeks and realized I had less headaches. joint pain, sinus pressure, eye pain AND I lost weight!...this is what made me...willed me to continue.

Because of my vast cooking background, and love of research I went right to the library and the internet to find books on gluten free and vegan cooking ( I could not have gluten, dairy or eggs). There aren't many books on Gluten free vegan cooking so I had to "fudge it" at times and learn how to make a recipe GF and CF(casein/dairy free) or egg free by trail and error.

At the beginning I tried to replace real bread with GF bread and real cupcakes with GF cupcakes, it was a step in the right direction ..going GFCF ....but all that sugar, and starch(tapioca/potato starch) ended up being put out of my diet eventually also.

I learned about raw food diets and macrobiotic diets and how they can heal/reverse severe diseases like terminal end stage cancers and diabetes and heart disease and lots more, I saw this on "The Incurables" TV show on the Veria channel, I read books from the library, found articles on the internet.

Just recently when I spoke to Dr. Sherry Rogers receptionist she gave me the titles of 3 books to read, and I have found even more...
1) "A Time to Heal Triumph Over Cancer The therapy of the Future" by Beata Bishop
2)"Recovery from Cancer..." Elaine Nussbaum
3)Your Child Doesn't Have to Die..." Leanne Sorteberg
and I found
4) "The Cancer Battle Plan" by David J. Frahm
5) "My Beautiful Life... by Milenka "Mina" Dobic

The medical doctors now say that approximately 80% of diseases are caused by a poor diet and poor lifestyle choices! I hope I have convinced you to think about how you can eat a better diet.

If not read some of these books, watch "The Incurables" on Veria read articles on the internet.
What you do in your own life is up to each one of you, I just want to make you aware of the possiblilities(also know that if you don't have any terrible cancer or heart disease yet.. GREAT.. eating these diets will help prevent you from having any future problems also!) It is a WIN-WIN situation!

A also wanted to add that my blood tests are also much better, at last check I still had the Lupus markers but my cholesterol, homocysteine,CRP,CBC, etc. are all at GREAT levels!
All of you ..GO FOR IT! I am so happy I did!

Before and (Almost) After Pictures

The reason I say almost after is I am still losing weight. I used to be 140-145 lbs when I was in my 20's maybe that is where my body will stop. My highest weight was 225lbs, I am now 155 lbs. My weight really melted off after I stopped eating the foods I was allergic/intolerant to. If you want more proof on this...read Mark Hymen MD's books called "The UltraMetabolism Diet" and "The UltraSimple Diet". He has many other great books too!

I eat about 80% raw food and 20% cooked food, though some days it's more like 90% raw and 10% cooked food.

Old symptoms/problems of the past...- a repost

I have not mentioned this lately and thought I'd take a look at what's changed...most symptoms were already gone by May 2009 but I have felt better day after day.


Old symptoms/problems of the past...

I like to let people see how I have helped myself and also to let my doctors know my story)
Red Face(gone)
Acid Reflux (gone)
Numbness in my arms/hands (gone)
Double Vision/blurry vision (gone)
"unexplained" Grand Mal Seizure (2 years on Tegretol, then was weaned off) (gone)
Migraines(plus felt like a knife in my neck too with the migraine pain/eye aura too)(gone)
Sinus pain and pressure(but no dripping,discharge) (gone)
Dark spots in my field of vision(couldn't see there, like when someone takes a flash photo of you)(gone)
Dizziness( to the point I had to lay down and not move) (gone)
Bloody Noses with heavy clots at the end (gone)
Sores in my nose and mouth(occasionally still get them, sometimes usually before a cold)
Colds are VERY RARE one/two a year if that
Restless Leg Syndrome(gone)
"Panic attacks" may have been allergy related (read Theron Randolph book(s)) (gone)Sometimes feel like I'm off balance "lean to the right"(still can walk, don't fall) (gone)
Lose my balance a lot(I stumble, but don't fall) (still sometimes/but happened all my life)
When driving if I looked down,to change radio station, and back up at the road felt dizzy, disoriented like my eyes would not focus quickly (gone)
Cervical pre-cancer cells(had a cervical conization to remove them)(gone and hope it stays that way)
Mass in breast(after many health changes and stepped up (every 4-6 months) mammos the doctor said the mass "resolved itself". ie: it went away (gone)

A doctor scared me in TX and said that he thought I had MS(Multiple Sclerosis) I was tested and found not to have that.

I have had many EEG's to check for seizure activity all were normal since the one seizure that I had I had MRI's to check for weakened blood vessels all were normal (my mom had a blood vessel burst in her brain and she died from it, the doctor said it is worth checking me as it can be hereditary- GET YOUR B12 levels CHECKED!!! low B12 can cause your blood vessels to thin and eventually break- any doctor can check for B12 levels but you usually need to ask them to.)

Also had MRI's to check for MS, all normal

Discoid Lupus(sores on scalp and face from sun exposure)(during the summer I had an occasional pink skin on my nose that was sensitive but it would heal itself without becoming an open sore)

Joint pain all over my body(only if I eat something I am allergic to I don't do this on purpose sometimes companies have cross contamination or are labelled Gluten Free and they are not really...)

A new symptom is heart palpitations I had everything checked and can't find a reason for these but they are not very often.

As of June blood tests I still have Antiphospholipid Antibodies, Cardiolipin Antibodies, Double-stranded DNA, Positive ANA . I will get another blood test run in December to check and hopefully those Lupus markers will be gone...

Most of my symptoms are long gone and I attribute it to taking care of myself and finding out my allergies and avoiding those foods and lessening stress(as much as possible) and my"Power Eating"(eating almost everyday for nutrition...OK I still eat my chocolate, and an ocassional goody here or there)

Food Nutritional Facts

One of the reasons for my success in lessening my Lupus symptoms is learning to be my own nutritionist. I just found another website that looks good. I wanted to look up grapes as I heard that they are very cleansing to the body and I have some in my garden that I have been eating each day.
http://www.juicing-for-health.com/grapes-nutrition.html


Also a great book that I found in the library that I eventually bought is "The World's Healthiest Foods" by George Mateljan. I highly recommend it. http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php


Another website from my Friend Chef Amy is this one. It gives you a total nutritional break down of the food.
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1920/2

A talk with Dr. Sherry Rogers receptionist..

A few days ago I called Dr. Sherry Rogers to make an appointment to see her...sadly I found out she doesn't see patients anymore..... but she still does phone consultations.

Her receptionist was very helpful and gave me some more information to "chew on".

She recommended 3 authors to look into that had written about how they had overcome cancer with macrobiotics, the 3 authors are Elaine Nussbaum, Beata Bishop and Leanne Sorteberg.

I just about finished the Elaine Nussbaum book. It is very good(reading about her trying times during her cancer therapy is hard though, I definitely feel for her because if it is hard for me to read...I can't imagine how difficult it was to actually go through it! )

I also asked what Sherry Rogers believed caused so many allergies in a person. She said gut bugs, toxins, heavy metals, viruses and bacteria. I had wondered if the allergies were caused by toxins/heavy metals , among other things, and am glad that she confirmed that she thought what I thought.

She also told me that Sherry Rogers favorite test for Lupus/autoimmune and other diseases is the Cardio ION Panel from Metametrix, now I just have to find a doctor to order that test. It gives an incredible total picture here is the link for the cardio ion panel
http://www.metametrix.com/content/DirectoryOfServices/0290CardioIONProfile-BloodUrine

the link for the regular ion panel
http://www.metametrix.com/content/DirectoryOfServices/0090IONIndividualOptimalNutritionProfiles-BloodUrine

Sherry Rogers also has a Newletter that I have ordered from Prestige Publishing
PRESTIGE PUBLISHING. P.O. Box 3068. Syracuse, NY 13220. 1 (800) 846-6687 ...
http://www.prestigepublishing.com/..... it costs $54/year

"The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet"

"The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet" by Felicia Drury Kliment

I just started reading it last night it is VERY good , it has clear recommendations of different diseases/ailments and what to do for each. Supplements, foods, food allergy testing, and lots more are the recommendations.

Diet Saves their Lives

These are a conglomeration of peoples stories of how diet saved their lives. There are many to choose from on the right hand side, just scroll down slighlty to see Related Videos then you can scroll through, and pick on the one you'd like to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeuUNp4QmU8

Dr. Sherry Rogers you tube video

This is not directly about Lupus it is about Cancer, but if you have been studying holistic medcine along with me...all disease or almost all diseases have the same causes. You will hear Dr. Rogers list arthritis, heart disease, diabetes etc. She is such a GREAT doctor! Smart as a whip! If you want more read "Pain Free in 6 Weeks..." or any other of Dr. Rogers many incredible books!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bktT25HPnIw&feature=related

Books to read on Healing - a repost

If you are not sure how I've come to some of my conclusions and advice please read some of these books, the more you learn the better advocate you can be for yourself to get the treatment you need from your doctors, and also the more you learn the better able you will be at choosing a doctor that fits your needs.

Books to Read on Healing

You can request many of these books through your local library. Ask the librarian for the book/s you are interested in and if they don't have the book, many times they can do an interlibrary loan (get it from another library).

"The Lupus Recovery Diet" by Jill Harrington (title says it all)
"Pain Free in 6 weeks" by Sherry RogersMD (total toxic load on the body, ways to heal, holistic)
"The Gluten Connection" by Shari Leiberman (diseases that can be exacerbated by gluten)
"Living on Live Food" by Alissa Cohen (A raw food diet, tons of recipes and testimonies)
"The Great Life Diet" by Denny Waxman (A macrobiotic diet)
" The MS Recovery Diet" by Anne Sawyer (healing MS through diet)
"Living Well with Autoimmune Disease..." Mary J. Shomon (holistic)
"The Ageless Woman" by Serafina Corsello, MD (MD+alternative/holistic)
"Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program" by Dr Joseph Mercola (diet for your specific body type)
"Arthritis..." 2nd Edition by Ellen Kamhi PhD RN HNC and Eugene Zampieron ND MH(AHG)(Holistic and Alternative by the "Natural Nurse" and a Naturopathic Doctor)
"An Alternative Approach to Allergies" by Theron Randolph MD and Ralph W. Moss PhD(allergies can create symptoms you would never dream of even psychotic/schizophrenic behavior)
"Celiac Disease a Hidden Epidemic" Peter H.R. Green MD and Rory Jones (you won't believe the amount of diseases that are linked to celiac disease)
"Food That Helps Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia" by Deirdre Rawlings N.D., Ph.D.(you need to figure out you pain triggering foods and avoid them)
"Breakthrough, Eight Steps to Wellness.." by Suzanne Somers( interviews cutting edge doctors)
"The UltraMind Solution.." by Mark Hyman MD(healing your broken brain, through healing your body first)
" The Cure Heal Your Body, Save Your Life.." by Dr. Timothy Brantley(great advice and why you need to balance your body and eat raw foods)
"52 Ways to a Healthy You" by Laura Lewis (easy to read and straight to the point, follow the advice step by step and be healthier)

11 Ways to Healthier Lungs part 1

Dr. Weil has great advice for healthy lungs, pleurisy is a somewhat common symptom in Lupus patients. Try out Dr. Weil's plan!

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03467/11-Ways-to-Healthier-Lungs-Part-1.html

Raw Spirit Festivals

OK, I AM OFFICALLY a health food NUT! Raw Spirit Festivals have information on raw food and health and spirit and music and so much more. I want to go to one, they sound so cool! See AnnMarie and Kevin Gianni's post on Renegade Health for their review on the latest Raw Spirit Festival. If you can't find it, Lupus Girl has it at http://www.lupusgirlgoesraw.com/2009/10/raw-food-spirit-festival-2009.html

Click below for Raw Spirit Festival Info

http://www.rawspirit.com/

Dr. Mark Hyman on Maximizing Methylation

Methylation is the body's detoxing capability. Here is Dr. Mark Hyman's info on the subject, click the link below.

http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog/maximizing-methylation?utm_campaign=1801-10082009&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=default

Found some free raw food recipes

I haven't tried any yet , but they look good!

http://www.rawbc.org/raw_soups.html

"52 Ways to a Healthy You"

Laura Lewis wrote this book. I heard of her and her book from the Montel Willams info-mercial for his "Mix Master" blender. It is a very good book! It is broken down into little easy to read separate great ideas for health. I found it at my local library.

Also, I will say it one more time, that my ALL TIME FAVORITE book still is Dr. Sherry Rogers "Pain Free in 6 Weeks..." This is not a gimmick book as the title suggests it is tried and true great advice on detoxing, nutrition, supplements, water,raw food and macrobiotics, nutritional deficienies, celiac disease and MORE it covers it all!

I just found out that Sherry Rogers has a newsletter that is $54 a year, I "sprang" for it and I will let you all know how I like her newletters when they start arriving.

I recently called her to make an appt and I heard she is not seeing patients anymore but she does do phone consults and I will send my info in to do that.

I found a raw website

Not crazy about that this woman charges for her recipes...but we all need to make a living I guess...Listen to her video..she reversed her breast cancer with a raw food diet. If nothing else take that info away from this. I signed up for her newsletter I will let you all know if I like it.

http://www.rawfoodart.com/RawFoodArt.com/home.html

Type One Diabetes have wheat issues?

I my humble opinion, I think ALL people with Diabetes/Lupus/any autoimmune problem should get tested for Celiac Disease and also allergies! Especially to wheat, gluten, dairy and eggs! Also read this article below. Enjoy!

Toni



Sunday, October 4, 2009

Wheat Consumption May Contribute to Diabetes

Overreaction in gut noted in study of people with type 1 version of disease (HealthDay News) -- An abnormal immune response to wheat proteins may contribute to type 1 diabetes, Canadian researchers say. Their study of 42 people with type 1 diabetes found that nearly half had immune system T-cells that overreacted to wheat. The researchers also identified genes associated with this abnormal immune response. "The immune system has to find the perfect balance to defend the body against foreign invaders without hurting itself or overreacting to the environment, and this can be particularly challenging in the gut, where there is an abundance of food and bacteria," study author Dr. Fraser Scott, a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa, said in a hospital news release. "Our research suggests that people with certain genes may be more likely to develop an overreaction to wheat and possibly other foods in the gut, and this may tip the balance with the immune system and make the body more likely to develop other immune problems, such as type 1 diabetes," he explained. The study appears in the August issue of Diabetes. "These observations add to the accumulating evidence that the gut is an active player in the diabetes disease process," Dr. Mikael Knip of Finland wrote in an accompanying editorial. More information The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about diabetes.-- Robert Preidt