Sunday, December 29, 2013

Why spicy food??

The last few days have not been good as far as my Lyme symptoms go, however I have had much worse days in the past. Over all I am feeling so much better than when I was on antibiotics but my body is still fighting. Those of you who know me well know that when I am not feeling well I crave spicy food. As I was polishing off a jar of jalapeños tonight I started to wonder why.. I always attributed it to the fact that my mom ate spicy food when she didn't feel well. I thought it was a family trait that was passed down. I came across this article tonight and found it to be very interesting and right on the money!! I personally "love order, dislike wasting time, and sweat the detail". I find the more worked up I get emotionally or the worse I feel physically the spicier the food should be.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/33589896/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/decode-your-food-cravings/

Please remember when reading anything on my website/blog that I am not a licensed physician and can’t diagnose or prescribe medications. The information that I am providing is meant for informational purposes only. This disclaimer acts as the explicit waiver of any liability of myself as an Independent Product Consultant or dōTERRA as a company. Information on this website/blog has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and products referred to are not intended to or guaranteed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

The cost

Recently I have had several people ask me what my treatment regime costs. So today I took time to figure it out. This first month I used Lifelong Vitality, Aroma Touch, Zendocrine, Melaleuca, Oregano, Thyme, Cassia, Melissa, Frankincense, Rosemary, and Onguard. With all these oils I spent a grand total of $213.78. I also took time to total the cost of my previous treatment which included: Zithromax, Hydroxychloroquine, Bolouke, and Glutathione. The grand total with insurance was $219.00 a month.

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Friday, December 27, 2013

Family Fun!!

I just saw this and I had to share!!

http://doterrablog.com/diy-aromatherapy-playdough

What You Need:

2 cups flour
2 cups colored water
1 cup salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
5 drops essential oils

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients, except for essential oils, in a large saucepan and stir until combined.

2. Once combined, put over medium heat. Using a spatula, continue to stir ingredients together until it forms a ball.

Note: Don’t overcook as it will lead to dry play dough.

3. Remove from heat and cool on parchment paper.

4. Once cool, add 5 drops of your favorite essential oil and knead until thoroughly combined.

5. You’re done! Just store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for months of fun.

- See more at: http://doterrablog.com/diy-aromatherapy-playdough#sthash.haTBGSx9.dpuf

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Diet

I waited until after Christmas to post this because, let's be honest, who wants to think about changing the way they eat around the holidays? In the past I have done the Candida diet which I have found helps decrease my symptoms and also helps to reduce the inflammation in my body. If you have already been on longterm antibiotics for Lymes I believe this diet is vital to maintaining health! Eliminating Sugar, Gluten, and Dairy helps keep the body's yeast population under control as well as decreases what the Lyme bacteria has to feed on. It's a win-win! I would highly recommended the book "The Candida Cure". When I read it I was amazed at the way Candida can affect your body. It also addresses leaky-gut syndrome which allows toxins, bacteria, and other waste to leak into the blood stream causing fatigue, food sensitivities, joint pain, skin rashes, and autoimmunity. This drew my attention because I have dealt with food allergies for years and after my first round on the Candida diet the side effects of eating the foods I was allergic to greatly diminished! There are many causes of this syndrome but from what is known about it, leaky-gut syndrome wreaks havoc on your body, and when I am already fighting Lymes my body doesn't need anything else to fight against. The Candida diet is very strict but after the first few days of detox it really isn't bad. With a little planning and determination it will make all the difference in the world!

The Candida Cure

Monday, December 23, 2013

Boost of energy :)

Due to the busy holiday season and the fact that my family has conveniently come down with the flu, I have not had time to get my Aromatouch Technique done this week. The Aromatouch Technique helps decrease the inflammation and stress on my body as well as boost my immune system. If I make sure and get it done three times a week my symptoms are almost non-existent! Since I have failed to do this, my joints have been hurting the past few days and my numbness has come back which is not fun! My energy level today is pretty low but as I laid down to take a nap I stumbled across this video from Doterra and I thought I might as well try it. Within 5 min of using the wild orange, frankincense, and peppermint I felt rejuvenated! It was wonderful!! I am still going to make sure my Aromatouch gets done tonight but it was a nice boost on a rough day!

Doterra Lemon Oil

Doterra Lemon oil is great! I drink it all of the time! It helps with energy, cleansing the lymphatic system, blood pressure, digestion,removing toxins and so much more!! I found this video this morning and thought it might be fun to do with the kids! It also illustrates how lemon oil removes petrochemicals from the body. This is why you use a glass bottle to drink out of when using Doterra Oils! My favorite is the Zulu bottle you can find them at Target for $ 15

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awy_zw-yzXM

Friday, December 20, 2013

Putting the pieces together

"Why Can't I Get Better?" This is a question I have asked myself many times! As I started to research chronic infections, including lymes, I came across a book written by Richard I. Horowitz, MD. I would highly recommend taking the time to sit down and read "Why Can't I Get Better?"! It helped me put all of the puzzle pieces together. My mysterious symptoms started to make sense. It also gave me insight into how my body was functioning or should I say not functioning.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1250019400?tag=poslivajoutoh-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1250019400&adid=04CPH7WDKASA5BKEH7NN

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The " nitty-gritty"

I suppose you would like to know what I am currently doing for treatment.

My treatment rotates in two week intervals. Below I have listed the first four weeks. I am trying a three month stint of using DoTerra essential oils to treat my lymes which will be followed by laboratory testing to see how effective it has been.

First two weeks

I started by using Doterra Lifelong Vitality and Zendocrine for the first two weeks

Zendocrine is used to support healthy cleansing of the liver,kidneys,colon,lungs and skin. The purpose of this was to get rid of the bad and prepare my body for the good.

Second two weeks
Doterra Lifelong Vitality

I can not say enough about this!! If I could only afford one thing this would be it. I have dealt with chronic fatigue for years and this has brought me back to the land of the living! It took about two weeks for me to notice a difference in my energy level but since then it is undeniable! There are times in life when I have felt like I just didn't have the energy to get better. This has done the trick! I take 6 xEO MEGA, 4 ALPHA CRS,and 4 MICOPLEX VMz daily.

Aromatouch Technique

This next item on my list I have only been doing for about two weeks but it has helped tremendously with my joint pain! I would say 80 % of my joint pain is gone when I use this technique consistently. My husband helps me with this three times a week. It takes between 30-45 minutes and helps with stress management, immune support, inflammatory response, and homeostasis. It was amazing the first time I had this done I could feel the stress on my body release and I felt immediate relief. The follow link will give you information on the aromatouch blend which is included in the kit below. http://www.oilsmentor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/AromaTouch-Information-Sheet.pdf

I put 3 drops of each of the following oils in a capsule daily and take in the evening: ( I included links to most of the following oils so you can view the benefits and protocols. Please note that they have multiple uses only a few are listed below)

OnGuard: Prevents viruses from multiplying

Thyme: Anti-bacterial

Rosemary: Breaks down biofilm

Melissa: Stops active infections

Frankincense: Anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory

Melaleuca: Breaks down biofilm

Cassia: Blocks communication between the bacteria cells

Oregano: Powerful antibiotic

Benefits of Lymes disease???? Yes!

Lymes has caused me to slow down my crazy life!

When you have four boys, home school, help with church activities and maintain a household your life is constantly busy. With only a limited amount of energy I had to prioritize things. I have had to say no to outings and events just because leaving the house seems like an insurmountable task. In fact, showering at times has even been difficult. So the question is what do I do when I don't have enough energy to do anything. I have found that I use that time for a little extra snuggle time with one of my babies or spend a little more time reading. To this day I do not regret a single moment of it.

Lymes has caused me to trust!

My personality tends to want to be in control and have a plan but when you never know if you are going to have a good or bad day having a full-time job or any job is almost unrealistic. I would stress about how we were going to pay for the multitude of tests that were needed. It took me a long time to come to terms with that fact that God is in control of my health as well as the finances it takes for treatment. God has never once left us lacking. In fact in His goodness He always provides more than we need!

Lymes has caused me to be thankful!

I am thankful for a husband who has fixed meals, watched the kids, gotten up at night with the baby because I couldn't walk up the stairs and numerous other tasks. I am thankful for family that at a moment's notice have taken my kids so I could run to the doctor or have just been willing to watch them so I could rest. I am thankful for friends who have become like family as they have walked this road with me. Many of them spending time each day praying for my health. I am thankful for Gods provision of finances, energy just when I needed it and providing me with peace throughout this ordeal. I am thankful for my physician and his willingness to be open minded! I am thankful for the staff at his office who have always greeted me with a warm smile! They feel like family (the kind you want to see).

These are just a few of the ways I have been blessed and I pray that through your journeys in life you will see the blessings that accompany the hardships.

Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," Hebrews 13:5.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Bacteria, Biofilm, and Essential Oils

Killing Bacteria with Essential Oils
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aue6Gs5eC04#t=26

Doterra and Lymes

Dr. Hill Presentation on Lyme Disease (2HOURS) www.doterraabundance.com

http://vimeo.com/24533235

My Journey with Lymes

I would like to take you back to early 2010. I was going about my day as usual. But as I knelt down on the floor to change my newborns diaper I thought, "boy am I getting old!". I felt like having two boys in less than two years had aged me considerably. At the ripe old age of 27 I felt like I was 50. The fatigue was constant but that was to be expected. My knees ached as they hit the floor. A vacation would be nice but I would just settle for eight full hours of sleep. Just then my toddler ran up and trying to get my attention placed his cool hand on me. It immediately sent searing pain shooting up my arm. Well this was new. As I grabbed a wipe, pain shot through my finger tips. It seemed that anything cool I touched increased the pain. I quickly took care of the present that my loving child had made for me in his diaper and attempted to snuggle in on the couch with my little men. It wasn't long before every part of my body hurt. I felt as if I had just had the living daylights beat out of me. I thought to myself, "man I wish my husband hadn't just finished a night shift!". I must be getting the flu and I just wanted to crawl into bed. Within the hour I was freezing and unable to get warm, this was the last thing I needed. I have too much to do to be sick. At this point I decided I needed to get my husband up to take care of the kids because I was miserable. This didn't end up being the flu. In fact, it was followed by a myriad of unexplainable symptoms.

The numbness started on the right side of my face and moved down my right arm, only occasionally crossing to the left side. After two MRIs to rule out MS, my Doctor said there was nothing wrong. He thought maybe it was my wisdom teeth putting pressure on my trigeminal nerve. I was referred to an oral surgeon to remove my wisdom teeth, but at the mention of the numbness he refused to do anything. I thought, "Well maybe I have a pinched something", so I called my chiropractor. During my appointment with him I explained my issues and he refused to adjust me. It turns out numbness scares the medical community. It took some searching but I finally found a dentist who would remove my teeth and a chiropractor who would adjust me. Neither of these were lasting solutions. My symptoms would improve temporarily but then would come back with gale force. I then started to get B12 injections and magnesium IV's on a regular basis. I was told that the magnesium would help decrease my inflammatory response and the B12 would increase my energy. It did help for a while but it's effectiveness has worn off. In 2012 I started having vision issues. I lost partial vision in my right eye. At this point I finally decided to manup and go see a neurologist. His initial impression was that I was suffering from seizures or migraines. I was pregnant at the time with my third child so we decided to wait until after the baby was delivered before we proceeded with more testing. Shortly before I delivered, my vision got worse and I was unable to see color. Everything was gray. At this point my Neurologist wanted to give me a high dose of steroids in order to keep my symptoms under control. After talking to my husband and another physician we decided to wait it out.

In February 2013 I delivered a healthy 6lb 9oz baby boy. We were extremely excited because after two stays in the hospital with pre-term labor and a tear in my placenta we weren't sure how things were going to turn out. Following the delivery I added hearing loss to my list of symptoms. At my six week checkup we started running tests to see if we could figure out what was going on. My CD57 was extremely low so it was suspected that I had a chronic infection. My physician ordered a Bartonella by PCR test from fry labs http://frylabs.com/. The results showed Substantial Biofilm. Now we knew there was something there. The questions left was what was it? We then tested for Protomyxzoa. That test came back negative. At this point we decided to take a shot in the dark and treat the infection. These tests are not cheap and we had to pay for most of it out of pocket. I was put on 400mg of Hydrochloroquine daily as well as 500 mg of Zithromax day. The Zithromax was eventually increased to 1000mg daily. After six months of treatment there was little to no improvement. My Physician decided it was time to run a few more tests. This time I had a positive Western Blot. The answer we had been searching for was lymes disease.

When I started to look at the possibility of a more long term antibiotic I decided to look into alternatives. I wanted to make sure that what I was putting into my body would not have negative long-term effects. This is where essential oils came into play. My family has been using them for a few years and there is new research coming out which indicates that they can be very effective when treating lymes. I spoke with my physician about my whishes to completely stop the antibiotic and try essential oils for three months and see what happens. He agreed to follow my progress and at the end of three months we are going run a blood culture and see what kind of progress we have made.

Now here is the disclaimer: I am not a Doctor nor am I trying to tell anyone else how to treat lymes disease. This is simply to share my story and what I have found to be helpful.