allgoodthings@charter.net

To Stress or Not to Stress, That is the Question

October 2, 2016

Exhausted Man With Headache

Let me share a familiar picture with you.

You are sitting at your desk, trying to get work done. It keeps piling up. You have pressure on you to get it done… and be perfect in every way. On top of this, you have thoughts swirling through your mind about bills you have to pay this week, papers due the next morning for a really important class, and you and your friend’s relationship has so many changes happening, not all good changes. There is this big weight on your shoulders that you can’t seem to escape. At times you feel like you can’t breathe. You slowly go about your tasks each day, feeling low on energy, and rubbing your aching head while you grab some carb-filled, sugary treat.

I bet you can relate to at least one of these scenarios at some point. And I bet we could all name several more… where the outcome is STRESS.

Stress or Relax?

Choosing between stress or relaxation doesn’t seem like a hard decision. After all, who would want to be stressed and feeling horrible all the time, emotionally and physically? But it isn’t easy to dump stress. Something goes wrong at work or you have a tight deadline at school and it returns, begging you to take it back. It can be very persuasive. So hard to resist and even harder to keep away.

It takes energy to resist stress and not let it consume you. It hides in many corners, taking on several forms. It’s easier most times to just give in and not fight it. But at what cost?

We all deal with stress in our every day lives. Stress over school or work, finances, relationships. If we are not careful, it can control our lives and make us and those around us miserable. It also can have serious health effects.

Some are obvious: struggling with sleep, headaches, maybe sometimes you even have a loss of appetite. But some are below the surface and not as noticeable. Stress can increase cortisol and blood sugar levels, upsetting the body’s normal digestion and throwing our thyroid glands and hormones off kilter.

Unfortunately, we can’t live stress free in this world. But before you pull your hair out over worry about all your problems try some of these simple ways to relieve your daily stress.

stress therapy and management helps in relaxation reduce tension

1. Exercise

Get your blood pumping! Exercise is one of the best stress relievers. It releases powerful chemicals in the brain that act as the body’s own painkillers and mood-lifter. Regular exercise regulates the body’s metabolic and psychological processes such as reinforcing moods, blood sugar levels and helping regulate sleep cycles.

2. Diet

If your body doesn’t feel good, neither will your mind. Having a nutrient-dense diet can help your body deal with stress. Consume good foods that contain vitamin B, magnesium, protein and healthy fats. And avoid processed foods and sugars and too much caffeine that can overload your body and suck it of all that it needs to stay healthy.

3. Write

Writing out your problems and thoughts (both positive and negative) and the events of the day on paper can help identify the cause of stress, even when we are unsure. It also helps us to look at it from a third person point of view and perhaps see our stress in ways we don’t normally.

4. Do Something You Enjoy

Distraction from the day’s problems can keep negative and burdening thoughts out of your mind. Give yourself (and your brain) a break, read a book or enjoy a game with some friends or family.

5. Essential Oils

There are certain oils that are capable of reducing inflammation, balancing hormones and improving immunity. They can also help to relax your body and clear your mind, making it easier to sleep (which is an essential in keeping stress under control).

6. Pay/ Read Scripture

I am a big believer in prayer, talking to the One who created the body. It is always best to turn to the Creator. God knows how our bodies work and He knows just how to help us fix the problems. He just wants us to ask. It is also truth that getting the focus off of yourself and your problems and turning our gaze to God, or others, can help with stress. Sometimes we dwell too much on our problems and let them control our minds. Sometimes the best thing for our stress levels is change our perspective.

Detoxing at the Foundation

September 28, 2016

There are many ways people can detox, but I wanted to explain to you how I like to work with my clients to safely detoxify their body.

I customize the detox according to their body’s needs, but there are some major foundational issues that have to be covered in order to do a safe detoxification.

The first stage of detox I want to discuss is the neuroendocrine support. I want to reset the hypothalamus to be able to communicate effectively with the cells. Sometimes we can get a hitch in our get-along and the cells and the hypothalamus are not communicating well. Another thing that is real important is that the cells need to be hydrated. Sometimes we can drink a ton of water and our cells are still extremely dehydrated. Things like splenda, or something in our diet or even a toxin or chemical that we have been exposed to might have an effect on that.

The next part (stage 2) is the digestive support. This is foundational. It needs to be functioning because we are what we digest. So if we are not able to digest food or assimilate, or eliminate it, we have some problems. The body’s ability to digest food is critical to your over all health and your immune system, all of it. So we work on that foundational part at the beginning, as well.

Then we move on to stage 3, filtration and drainage support. And that is like the beginning of the detox. It is gentle and it helps clear out the liver, lymph, kidney and spleen. It also helps clear out the bowels, because we need to be able to get that rain gutter cleared out and flowing. Otherwise the rain is just going to get blocked.

Think about it like this: if you do a detox and your body is not ready to detox, what happens? The toxins move from one organ to another and it gets blocked there. Then you have new symptoms on a new part of your body and none of us want that. We want to feel better, not worse or have new problems. The liver, lymph, kidney, spleen detox is gentle and gets things moving. It’s not something that is going to be deep in the cells, it’s going to be moving and clearing out things that will be in the extra cellular matrix, the fluid that goes around the cells. And we want to help clean those out. The bowels have to be moving, as well. If not, the body will be detoxing through the skin or the sex organs, and that can compromise our ovaries and uterus and can cause problems in that area. We want to make sure that our body is detoxing through the primary pathways of elimination, which are the lungs and large intestines.

I work on stage 1, 2 and 3 at the beginning and stage 4 comes when the body tells me that these are moving and doing the right things. They may not be perfect but they are moving in the right direction, and that is critical.

So stage 4 is eliminating causative factors. This is getting deep into the cells. I use energetic assessments to track and detect frequencies of certain toxins or pathogens and it’s all energetically assessed. There is no diagnosing because I don’t believe diseases are anything but symptoms, and your body’s cry for help is coming because something is in the way. So once we get that thing that is in the way out of the way, your body can take care of the rest. And that is what I want to facilitate and help you do… to get your body to do what God designed it to do. Then we can step out of the way with all our efforts and let the body do what it already knows how to do.

Detoxing. What is it? Why is it Important?

August 31, 2016

Hand Writing Detox Your Body

Most of us don’t connect what we eat to how we feel.

Do you experience constipation, bloating, fatigue, low energy? Have these symptoms become part of your daily life? These could all be signs that your body is loaded with toxins and it is telling you it is in desperate need of a detox.

Detoxing is a way of cleaning the blood of all the toxins that fill it up over time.

A detox can help in many ways. A few ways are by:

Stimulating the liver to drive toxins from the body
Improving circulation of the blood
Promoting elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin
Refueling the body with healthy nutrients

Detox is not a one size fits all kind of thing. I have several recommendations and how to discover what works best for YOUR body. Watch for more specific details about how I help my clients detox in my practice.

Cracked Pots

August 21, 2016

She called us “crackpots” and those who do not understand laughed with her.

Jacquelynn Floyd, a columnist for the Dallas Morning News, used “crackpots” to describe those parents (me included) who choose not to vaccinate or seek an alternative schedule. A State Representative from Dallas, Jason Villalba HD114, seems to be ok with calling us that name as well, and just a few months after saying he had respect for us. The moment he was called on it, he back peddled but the damage had been done.

Simply endorsing the article and tweeting it speaks volumes about the attitude in his heart. He was bragging on the fact that he tried to reduce our exemptions in Texas. He still does not see the vaccine injured community. Blinders must have been on sale at PolitiMart. Or, maybe his eyes were for sale. Either way, he does not see us.

I AM a cracked pot. I am flawed and broken. All day long I struggle to keep it together and at the end of the day, I feel used up and not enough. I don’t have a child with vaccine injury. I have 5 healthy children.
Every mom and dad that raises a child with vaccine injury, probably feels like a cracked pot as well.
Here is what most people think about cracked pots:

1. They leak a lot.

2. They are messy.

3. They are considered less valuable.

4. They are disposable.

At least, this is how Jacquelynn and Rep. Villalba think of those of us who don’t vaccinate or alter the current schedule. We are trash, waste, and spewing disease on others.

Here is how I view cracked pots

The following story is copied from a Christian website. It’s an old story with a message for you at the end. Keep reading!

The Cracked Pot

A Water Bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and one half pots of water in his master’s house.

The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the Water Bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.
The Water Bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologize to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father’s table. In God’s great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to tasks He has appointed for you, don’t be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to take advantage of them, and you, too, can be the cause of beauty in His pathway. Go out boldly, knowing that in our weakness we find His strength, and that “In Him every one of God’s promises is a Yes.”
I love all of the message above and I wanted to include the whole post. I COUNT on the message above. I do not live with a vaccine injured child. I can only imagine the cracks I would have under the stress of caring for lifelong pain, physical disabilities, verbal hurdles, daily seizures, violent mood swings, a child with diabetes… The list is huge.

For every 45 people in the USA, AT LEAST 1 is vaccine injured. According to Siri today, there are over 324,000,000 people in the USA. Doing the math, it comes to over 7,200,000 are injured by the vaccines they were given. Think about the size of that!! There are currently more vaccine injured than the current COMBINED POPULATIONS of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska!!!

But they want to call us crackpots because we don’t get shots like the kid next to us does. We KNOW what can happen. No, we do NOT ride on the coattails of those who are getting their shots. No, we do not ask anyone to keep getting their shots so we can be “safe.” No, we aren’t carrying those diseases. The vaccinating are!

At least for a few weeks after they get their shots, those that received injections of live viruses are contagious. MD Anderson Cancer Center (a hub for the immunocompromised) has this policy for visiting children:

“The Child Visitation Room provides a safe, supervised area for children when a family member is going to a restricted area. Children who do not pass the screening cannot be taken to the Child Visitation Room. All children in the visitation room must have a negative screen for recent illnesses, exposure to chickenpox or live vaccines.

If special permission is given for a child to visit a restricted area, they must be screened for recent polio vaccination. A child who has received oral polio vaccine within the past six weeks is prohibited from contact with immuno-suppressed patients.”

The Disneyland measles outbreak reminded us that it is not commonly deadly, and Harvard University reminded us that the vaccinated are likely sources of many of the “eradicated” diseases. Not one died and they all had been vaccinated for the mumps they contracted.

We see our vaccine injured community, as HUGE as it is, and wonder why this nation insists on blinders. Why does it insist on fear-motivated bullying when we are already broken?

I do not wish vaccine injury on my worst enemy, nor I will not put my children at risk for it. I WILL fight, alongside Texans For Vaccine Choice, to keep our right to choose and support anyone’s choice TO vaccinate their children or not. I am even able to weep with them if the unthinkable happens. I have many friends whose babies died shortly following a routine vaccination. Those babies aren’t in the 1:45 count. I don’t have a statistic for those who have died. I’m convinced it is FAR higher than those who died from an outbreak of measles. Those babies aren’t remembered by communities because they do not have daily struggles. They are only remembered by their families.

But we are called the “crackpots.”

No. We are CRACKED POTS. We are broken under pressure and still simply give.

4 Simple Steps to Help Clear and Maintain Healthy Skin

August 21, 2016

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We would all love to have clear, flawless skin, right? But we can never seem to get rid of those annoying wrinkles or those pesky red spots. Just when you get rid of one two more pop up somewhere else. Usually we rush for some treatment we see on a commercial (those people have perfect skin so it must work, right?). But the chemicals in those treatments make our problem worse.

Here are 4 natural tips to try and minimize acne and other other problems and help maintain clear and healthy skin.

1. Stress

Stress causes hormone imbalances which results in many skin problems, such as acne, eczema, hives and psoriasis. Stress hormones increase oil production, which can lead to clogged pores and whiteheads.

Take time each day to relax. Take a walk in nature, soak in a tub, listen to music or read a book. Whatever make you calm down and leave your cares behind you for a while.

2. Eat the Right Foods

A portion of the body’s toxic waste is eliminated through sweating. If the body has more toxins than the kidneys and liver can get rid of effectively, the skin takes over and the toxins escape through the skin. This can disrupt the skin’s health integrity and cause skin disorders.

It may be cliche to read “you are what you eat.” Actually, you are what you digest. What you put into your body that isn’t used well can come out through your skin in the forms of hives, acne and eczema and many other skin disorders. Avoid processed foods, artificial flavors and high amounts of sugar. Be sure and drink plenty of distilled water and consume foods rich in vitamin E, Biotin and antioxidants, such as berries, almonds and salmon.

3. Avoid Chemicals

Using harsh chemicals and dyes can irritate skin follicles and clog pores. This increases acne and many chemicals can also dry out the skin and cause redness. This includes conventional household cleaning products AND your skincare products. It may be time to clean out your skincare routine and check up on the ingredients in your makeups and beauty products.

4. Essential Oils

Essential Oils are a great way to clear and rejuvenate the skin. Most essential oils are gentle on the skin and they get to the root of the problem instead of just treating the symptom. Essential oils have the power to kill the bad bacteria in your skin. Lavender oil also is great for protecting the skin from irritation and soothing stress.

*Not every essential oil used by one person may be the one that is right for you. I recommend testing each one to see what works for you. Bring me your oils and let me teach you muscle testing to discover what oils work for you.

Are Our “Healthy” Foods Truly Healthy?

August 12, 2016

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It is essential to our body’s health that we eat good foods. This, I believe, is something on which we can all agree. But are our “healthy” foods also making us sick?

It is agreed in our nation that we should be getting lots of fruits and vegetables in our diet. That’s healthy, right? But have we actually given much thought to how our fruits and vegetables are grown? And to what goes on them?

For years, the way crops in the U.S. have been grown and harvested to produce more yield and to speed the process of harvesting, has been causing more harm to our bodies than good. Produce grown on conventional farms are sprayed with pesticides and chemicals to kill bugs and make the harvesting process easier. However, those chemicals are killing more than just insects that seek to eat our produce. Those pesticides and chemicals contain the deadly active ingredient: glyphosate. Scientific studies are showing that these chemicals are not only killing the bad bacteria in the soil, but it is also toxic to the good bacteria. Healthy soil repels bugs because it grows at a frequency that bugs cannot digest. When we grow our food in healthy soil with proper PH, we shouldn’t have such a pest problem. And that is what we are putting into our bodies when we eat the foods that have been treated with pesticides and other chemicals.

What To Do?

So how can we avoid all of this in our food? While we may not be able to completely rid ourselves of these chemicals, here are some steps we can take to lessen our exposure to them:

1. Buy Organic When Possible

Though it is more expensive, buying foods such as wheat, berries, apples, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach and peppers organically would be a better option.

2. Wash Fruits and Vegetables

When buying conventional fruits and vegetables, be sure and wash them under water, rubbing them with your fingers. This will help to get rid of the residue from the pesticides.

3. Grow Your Own Garden

There are many advantages to growing your own food. It can save you money, and you know where it comes from and can be in control over what is sprayed on it. Though it can be hard to keep bugs away from your garden, there are natural and harmless things you can try. Some farms use Basil oil on their plants to deter little pests.

Something else we can do is to check the sugar content of our produce to see if it is grown properly. Dr. Carey Reams reveals that food grown properly WILL NOT rot, but dehydrate.

References:

draxe.com

foodmatters.com

thehealthyhomeeconomist.com

healthytipsworld.com

5 Essential Oils to Help with Gut Defense

August 10, 2016

Bottles Of Essential Oil Essential oils are one great way to help support many areas your body. Here are five essential oils that you can use to help cleanse your gut and reduce digestive pain.

Not every oil that works for one person is right for your body. I recommend whole body testing to find what is right for you. Bring me your essential oils for me to muscle test, or I can teach you how to do it yourself.

1. Peppermint – Peppermint is an anti-inflammatory oil that calms and relaxes the muscles. It helps reduce bloating and gas.

2. Spearmint – This is another anti-inflammatory oil. Some people don’t react well to peppermint, since it is a strong oil. This is an alternative that you can try.

3. Fennel – For years, Fennel has been used by the Egyptians and Germans as a digestive aid. It can clear the bowels, relieve constipation and help to get rid of gas and bloating.

4. Grapefruit – Stress can cause pain in your gut. Grapefruit is an uplifting oil that can reduce stress and help to relieve some of that gut pain. It is also high in antioxidants that battle bad inflammation in the digestive system.

5. Ginger – It has been used to help relieve nausea, and it also is high in antioxidants to help reduce inflammation in the gut.

These are just a few oils to help in the digestive system. I recommend you talk with your doctor or health care professional before using these, if you are nursing or pregnant.

4 Simple Ways to Get Your Brain and Body in Gear for Each Day’s Adventures

August 2, 2016

Walking Or Running Legs In Forest, Adventure And Exercising

Each day and its events are gifts. New adventures to live and lessons to learn. Fun times to spend with family and friends, or maybe you are working today or going to school. Whatever the day holds for you, you want to be able to have energy to do what you need or want to do, and you want to be able to enjoy it as much as possible. But let’s admit it, there are those days when the alarm goes off in the morning and you just wish you could stay in bed. You can’t seem to get yourself going. You, half asleep, prepare for the day and slowly make it through the list of things to do (or most of them).

We all have many days like that. But how can we avoid them? Well, we can’t always avoid them. But here is the good news: We can help to lessen those days.

Here are some tips that can help you get your brain motivated and make you feel ready and alert for each new adventure.

1. Exercise

Keeping physically active is so important to your body’s health. Your brain included. Exercise increases the heart rate and gets more oxygen pumped to the brain. It also helps to release hormones that aid in the growth of brain cells. It helps us be more awake and alert and eager to get our day accomplished. So take just a few minutes a day to get that heart pumping. Do a few jumping jacks, take a short brisk walk around the block, and get ready for the day!

2. Food

While we know that eating food for fuel is a must, keeping our energy up, eating the right food is essential. The food we eat (and don’t eat) affect every part of our body, and God created foods to help each part. You probably grew up hearing certain foods referred to as “brain food”.

Green leafy vegetables
Salmon
Blueberries
Avocados
Walnuts

These brain foods, rich in antioxidants and good fats, vitamins and minerals can help improve overall brain function and memory and help your body to fight diseases.

3. Rest and Sleep

A well rested brain keeps the body functioning efficiently. We all know that when we are well rested we perform our duties much better and we are better equipped to tackle the day’s “To Do List”. Sleep has also been known to enhance memory and help improve performance of challenging skills. You are also better equipped to fight sickness. So let your brain relax at the end of the day. Clear your mind of stress and events from the day and get plenty of sleep.

4. Prayer and Bible Reading

What better way to get a healthy brain than to go to its Creator! Take all your stress and the things that clutter and slow her brain down and talk to God about them. Ask Him for help in clearing your mind and trusting Him with everything you worry about. He wants you to have a healthy brain, too.

That Awkward Moment When I Got Really Sick

October 10, 2015

Yep. It happened to me. I could have died. By God’s grace and some amazing bizarre things inside, I didn’t. So, I’ve mentioned in another post that I am overweight. Well, apparently, my fat saved my life. I just want to hug it now. I had a ruptured appendix for a week! How did I have it a week and did not get sick, you ask? My abdominal fat held it in one place and my body encapsulated it into a 5cm ball of an abscess. It caught all of the infection and did not let it pass into my tissues and blood stream.

I didn’t even realize it had ruptured. My family and I were out of town on vacation and I thought I just needed to have more bowel movements. I had pain for three days and then it went away. I went shopping with the pain. Cooked meals with the pain. Went swimming with the pain. Toured the Alamo with the pain. It just was not bad enough to stop me. The next week was the childrens’ first week of school and at the end of the first homeschool day, the pain came back. We shortly left for choir practice at church and I ignored it. During choir practice I started to get very cold. I even pulled my arms into my shirt to warm up like a 5 year old. I was really really cold. When we got home about 10:30, shivering started. My husband got the kids to bed and it was midnight before we realized, “Oh. Fever and pain? Go to the ER.” We grabbed my backpack and iPhone charger cables and left.

At the hospital, the tests began. My blood work was normal. Sonogram, normal, EKG, normal. It wasn’t until the CT scan that the doctors could see why I didn’t look terribly sick. An abscess had formed and caught the whole infected mess! I had to have an open appendectomy at 6pm that day. The surgeon said that when she got in there, the abscess was completely intact and nothing else had died, like tissue in the small or large intestine. The incision was on the c-section scar that had already been cut 5 times. (I know, right?!) So, in my mind, I knew that historically, I healed quickly and with minimal pain. I was off and going a few days after getting home. Stitches came out a week later. All seemed good. Until…

The day I finished my oral antibiotics, I got a high fever. The fevers kept coming. I felt bedridden sick. I was communicating with my doctor daily. On a Saturday night, I went back to the ER about the fevers and the pain that was developing in my lower abdomen. The CT scan found a small abscess, the doctors drained it and sent me home. This new wound had to be packed and dressed. I have a friend that came over to show my husband what to do. She came a few times. On Tuesday, after the dressing change, we were trying to get the wild children to bed. I got out of bed and felt a lot of pain but noticed nothing else until I made it to the far bedroom. I was soaked in blood. Panicking, we quickly undressed the site and found two new holes had ruptured through. This WAS time for me to panic.

Two days later, I was admitted back into the hospital and had surgery to open the stitches, clean the area, get IV antibiotics and have a wound vac put on. It was decided that the c-sections and scar tissue had decreased the circulation to effectively heal. So they put on the mechanical leach called a wound vac to create a negative pressure wet healing environment. This allows my body to heal from the inside out and draw new stem cells to the granulation tissue. I love the wound vac. It is a friend. I got a portable one and was sent home to recover in my own bed. The portable one… is an annoying friend. It makes pooting noises every few minutes and honestly, I don’t want to go to church when it makes those noises. “Let us pray…” silence… heads bowed… *POOOOOOT* I don’t think so. I also am limited to scrubs, pjs, or yoga pants.

I wish I could say this experience was humbling. It has been more humiliating to me than humbling. My ego wants to get pretty big. And then the wound vac farts again.

I’m supposed to be the one who this doesn’t happen to, right? I’m the healthcare pro. What will my clients think? Ego. What did I do wrong to not prevent this? I have no clue. Ego. Why did I get sick again? Age, previous surgeries, etc. Ego.

I sulked for days, popping hydrocodone for pain and complaining about how terrible the hospital’s meal plan was for my health and recovery. I talked with fellow practitioners. I tried to get all “science-y” about it and tackle my recovery with perfection. Ego. I didn’t have it in me and that made me angry. Ego. I don’t like my ego. Apparently I LOVE my ego. And that annoys me.

I don’t know if God is teaching me a lesson but here is what I am observing: I’m older. My body needs longer healing time than it used to. It has done such a good job of keeping me at rest that even thoughts of church, work, and politics have taken a rest too. Even my mind wants to be still. Honestly, that part has been refreshing. Because I have had a break for basically 2 months from my routine, I want to restructure my approach to what I give my time and thoughts to. I want to narrow focus to pin point the direct purpose and intention in that place I give my attention. I like the quiet I’ve had in my head. Rest.

I’m also observing new food aversions and cravings. I have a revived killer sense of smell and with a toddler, I don’t enjoy that. 😉 I currently want nothing to do with coffee. I crave green tea. I crave celery in soup. I crave many but small meals.

I miss people. I miss seeing my clients. I miss going to church and choir practice. I miss the seminars I was looking forward to. I miss the freedom to go where I wanted when I want in my minivan. Now I have to plan it around my narcotics wearing off.

Drugs… I’ve taken a LOT of IV antibiotics and oral antibiotics that cover tons of different bacteria. While they were saving my life, I now need to clean out, repair, rebuild, and nourish. I did not reject the meds given to me at the hospital. I became a Natural Health Professional specifically to avoid “healthcare” as much as possible but this time, it just wasn’t possible. But my doctors and nurses were all saying, “You were well prepared for this. You are obviously taking care to give your body what it needs or you would have had ______ happen.” I avoided worse. I can live with that.

I mentioned all that was happening to a woman once and she empathetically said, “You’re broken!” I didn’t agree at all! I replied back quickly, “I’m alive and healing! I’m doing amazing things!” While I lay in bed, I breathe in and out. Nourish and detox. I sleep a lot. Rest, relax and repair. I snuggle with my kids. I am still and available, and alive. I get to reflect. I saw THIS post about a conversation I had with my sister and find my heart thankful. And amazed at what things my body is doing while I lay in my bed.

I didn’t gain amazing insight to how to save a dead appendix or how to double my healing rate. I didn’t seek the answers to world peace while down. The week I let all those pressures quiet and release any obligation to learn something amazing from all this… my wound doubled it’s healing. I simply let me be exactly where I need to be… and rest.

My friend, our bodies are amazing. There is a true adventure as we ride this life in them. We may hit bumps in the road. We may get off track. We may lose parts of us along the way. Let us not be so angry with our circumstances that we become angry with our bodies. They are always serving, striving to keep us alive. Let us make sure to be thankful and rest when they need a little TLC.

Why Recess Is Important (And Why You Should Have Recess, Too)

August 19, 2015

For about 30 minutes each day, children all across the country are released from their fluorescent lit school buildings into pure freedom. Recess is more than an opportunity to give teachers a little break. It is a chance for students to socialize, relax, take their shoes off, and maybe spend some time digging up dirt or searching for ladybugs in a patch of grass.

When was the last time you took your shoes off and felt mud gush between your toes? When was the last time you forewent the slippers and chilled your feet in the dewy grass on the way to grab the morning paper? Do you remember a tingling in your feet or legs when you did these things? Did a sense of warmth or happiness rise up into your body?

That sensation is an exchange of electrical energy, a result of direct contact with the surface of the Earth. This process is called “grounding.” The Earth is an electrical planet and our bodies are meant to come into contact with it on a regular basis. During this time, the planet acts as a grounding force to settle all the free radicals within our bodies, kind of acting as a ‘reset’ button.

According to emerging research, Earthing can be beneficial in:

Reducing inflammation by defusing excess positive electrons
Reducing chronic pain
Improving Sleep
Increasing Energy
Lowering stress and promoting calmness by reducing stress hormones.
Normalizing biological rhythms including circadian rhythm
Improving blood pressure and blood flow
Relieving muscle tension and headache
Lessening menstrual and female hormone symptoms
Speeding healing
Protecting the body from EMFs
Shortening recovery time from injury or athletic activity
Helping support adrenal health

Maybe that is why your children always have so much energy!

A quick Google search of “grounding” or “earthing” will pull up web stores promising starter kits and earthing mats. I have a few of these. My personal favorite is the grounding fitted sheet. It is lined with silver thread and plugs into the ground of any outlet. We just need to unplug it during storms. I also have a grounding mat that I can put my feet on while sitting at my desk. It’s great for business trips–very portable!

All that gear I have is nice, but really, if you want to try grounding, all you need to do is set aside a little ‘recess’ for yourself. Go outside, play, rest, and get a little sunshine on your beautiful face. The Earth will take care of the rest.