wellness – Everyday Ahimsa

Healing My Chronic Illness with Medical Medium Information

I’ve been waiting to write this post for a while. When I was at the peak of my symptoms, I promised myself that I would share my journey when I was on the other side of things. But healing is not linear, there are ups and downs, hills and valleys and while I’m mostly pain-free, there are definitely days when I have a flare and my symptoms return for a brief while. The difference is that I now have learned what I can do to heal my body and trust my intuition each and every time I go through it. Most people in real life aren’t even aware that I’ve been impacted by chronic illness, it’s one of those things I’ve felt like doesn’t really come up casually unless I’m really struggling to move and it’s super obvious. So, I’m excited to finally share my story.

It all began when I was recovering from a viral exposure in the Summer of 2021 and I found myself with a host of new and chronic symptoms. I had severe pain, stiffness and inflammation in my toes and foot and mysterious rashes all over my body. The stiffness and swelling began moving to other joints such as my ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, and jaw. The pain would stay in one spot for up to a few weeks, subside and then take up residence in another joint. There was a day when I couldn’t open my jaw, another when I couldn’t lift my left arm, and lots of days when I couldn’t bear any weight on my ankle or knee and had to remain on the couch. Finally in January the pain and symptoms peaked and I needed a cane for assistance to walk even short distances from the couch to the kitchen. All the while caring for a 3 year old full time making it even more imperative that I find a way to heal. It was hard. There were lots of times when I would well up with tears of despair as my 3 year old would ask me again and again to play with him when I couldn’t lift my body off the couch. I remember crying when he needed help with his socks, and I couldn’t find a way to bend down to help him. Then there was the brain fog, headaches, word retrieval issues and fatigue. I vowed to heal, for both myself and for my family. I knew I would do whatever it took to get some semblance of a normal life back- one that involved me playing cars on the floor and running around outside with my little guy. I knew I would someday hike again, I just didn’t yet know how I would get there.

I presented with symptoms consistent with what traditional doctors would call Psoriatic Arthritis-characterized as an incurable autoimmune disease. It is believed that auto immune diseases occur when the body attacks itself and there is not much one can do to recover. However, as a long time follower of Medical Medium information I’ve come to learn that the body can heal with the right support, lifestyle changes and time. I began reaching out to multiple practitioners, researching every bit of information I could find, and joining healing groups that could guide me along this path in community. According to MM information, auto immune diseases are caused by viruses and viral debris that we all carry in our bodies- our viral load. I have learned that my initial viral exposure triggered this underlying viral load, which for me was caused by both Epstein Barr and Shingles viruses. This is where I began focusing my healing.

My treatment protocol consisted of a few key things; elimating any foods that would feed the virus, adding in foods that would support my liver to help me clear viral debris, taking supportive herbs and vitamins to boost my immune system, calm my adrenals, and alleviate pain. It took a while, but gradually the healing began. The pain subsided, inflammation calmed and stopped spreading, and I could walk unassisted just in time to enjoy the coming of Spring. Then finally, after being in significant pain for 7 months, I was pain free by the end of March!

Here are some of the key things that helped me turn the corner:

Elimination Diet. I already don’t consume gluten, dairy, meat, corn, soy, or canola oil, but I also eliminated vinegar, citric acid, natural flavor, nutritional yeast, and refined sugar. I stopped all grains for a long time and gradually worked them back in little by little.
Raw until 4. One of the best healing tips for me has been eating raw food all day and steamed food at dinner.
No radical fat. I eliminated all fats-including healthy fats to allow my body to focus on cleansing.
Celery Juice. An all around crucial part to healing. Taken first thing in the morning after lemon water on an empty stomach to flush and heal the gut. I started with 16 ounces and worked up to 40 ounces when I could.
Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie. This was super important because of the psoriatic component to my symptoms. Dermatoxins release and react to the metals which caused the rashes. Clearing the metals helped clear up the rashes. Recipe is here
Supplements. In consultation with my practitioners, I added in additional supplements to my existing protocol at much higher dosages. These vitamins and herbal tinctures consisted of antivirals, adrenal support and pain management. (B12, Zinc, Ashwagandha, Cat’s Claw, Eyebright, Goldenseal, Mullein, Licorice Root, Lemon Balm, Nettle, Olive Leaf, Vitamin C, Lysine, Curcumin, 5MTHF, Magnesium Glycinate, Chaga, Glutathione, NAC, MSM, and Silica)
Slowing Down. One of the best things i could do for myself was to slow down and let my adrenals rest. I cleared the calendar, focused on simple living and just laid low for a while.

I’d like to say that life returned to “normal”, but there is now a new normal. I continue to eliminate the trouble maker foods from my diet, drink my CJ and HMDS every morning and take high dosages of herbs and supplements. Our meals are very intentionally created and I spend an enormous amount of time in the kitchen- which is not only the center of our home but is literally my pharmacy as well. But I can move! I can build train tracks on the floor and give airplane rides and run with my son as he peddles full speed down the block. I can go for walks and attend community festivals. I can bike to the farmers market and walk around the grocery store.

I will never take any of this for granted again.

Chronic illness has taught me to shift, to adapt and to listen. It has taught me to be humble, intuitive and to trust my body. It has taught me to make the most of the days when my energy feels good and I can move freely and easily- and to be patient on those days when I am in a flare and just don’t have the same physical capacity. It has taught me to appreciate every day.

It has been a long road, but my body is healing. We are all on our own healing journeys, and it is my sincere hope that this experience can help someone else with their journey too.

Peace to All. Life to All. Love to All. Sat Nam.

Choosing Non-Toxic Cookware

How much thought do you give to the food you eat? What about the type of water you drink? Skin products? Cookware? All of these things have an impact on our health and well-being. I’ve been carefully working on cleaning up my act these last few years. I switched out my skin and personal care products, became really conscious of my food and drink choices, but cookware? No, I didn’t really even think about it. As I discovered though, the type of pots and pans we are using can actually make us sick. It really got me thinking, with all the care I give to eating really healthy and detoxing my body, why would I cook my food in potentially harmful cookware? I began researching right away. I quickly became overwhelmed by all of the buzz words out there, “green”, “clean”, and “healthy” were used in a general sense to describe cookware that for me didn’t really seem that healthy at all. Below I outline some of the most popular types of cookware used and the potential health risks they pose.

Teflon (PTFE) Coated– PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) is a chemical used in the process of making Teflon and is toxic to our bodies and the environment. This chemical has been linked to some cancers. Teflon coatings can flake off and contaminate the food being cooked. Cooking in Teflon coated pans can also release toxins into the air that are particularly harmful to pets. A lot of cookware is now being advertised as “PFOA free”.

Stainless Steel- Stainless steel cookware contains other metals (such as nickel and chromium). If pans become pitted or scratched, these metals can leach into the food as it cooks. When choosing stainless steel, opt for high quality/pharmaceutical grade stainless steel to reduce your risk of exposure to heavy metals.

Cast Iron- While a common fixture in many kitchens (including mine until recently), cast iron pans leach iron into the food as it cooks. Iron encourages the formation of free radicals and has been associated with increase cancer risk. While we need small amounts of iron to produce red blood cells, we often have too much iron in our bodies which we have no way of ridding ourselves of. Excess iron in tissues and organs has also been linked to infertility.

Ceramic Coated- Ceramic cookware has gained popularity recently because it conducts heat well and metal does not come into direct contact with the food as it cooks. The ceramic coating is typically applied to an aluminum pan for better heat conduction. If the coating becomes scratched or chipped, aluminum from these pans can leach into the food. Aluminum has been found in the plaques on the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and is known to be associated with the disease. In addition, ceramic coated cookware is commonly glazed with a nonstick substance that may contain traces of lead or cadmium. It is best to do a thorough amount of research if you are considering ceramic coated cookware.

Solid Ceramic (no coating)- This cookware is less popular and contains no applied coatings. It is aluminum free and contains no chemicals. There is no coating to chip or peel off. While they are durable, food can stick to the surface.

Glass- Visionware is still on the market and a good option for those concerned about heavy metals and chemicals leaching into food. Some of the reviews caution about the cookware shattering, but with proper care, glass cookware can be a healthy alternative.

So how to decide? After weeks of researching I narrowed it down to 2 options. Saladmaster, a pharmaceutical grade titanium/stainless steel was at the top of my list. I had seen a cooking demonstration on the HHAS cruise this past February and was impressed with the product. In addition to the quality of the material, this cookware is meant to cook on low heat with no oil to optimize the flavor in vegetables. The downside? Saladmaster cookware is very pricey. For me, it was cost prohibitive.

My second option was Xtrema Ceramcor ceramic cookware. I love how transparent the company is- putting toxicity and health front and center. All of their cookware has been through leaching tests and results are posted on their website. The cookware is 100% ceramic, no polymers, metals or chemicals. In addition, the cookware is in adherence to the stringent California Prop 65 testing by the FDA. I was surprised to find that this product was in such close alignment with what I was looking for and have been extremely happy with it so far. Most importantly, I have the peace of mind knowing that the food I’m cooking is clean.

Cruising Into Health

How a Vegan Cruise opened my heart and nourished my soul!

It’s been a really long time since I’ve blogged, but I had to share my experience of The Holistic Holiday At Sea, Vegan Cruise aboard the MSC Divina. Living a plant based lifestyle, I’m always very careful about how I travel and it normally means a tremendous amount of preparation, packing and research. I had heard about this cruise for years, but this year just seemed right. For me, this cruise worked on so many levels. Gifting me with the most up to date and scientifically proven knowledge from speakers like Drs. T Colin Campbell, Neal Barnard, Michael Greger and more- these are the superstars of the plant based movement!!! Then there were the animal advocacy speakers and researchers like Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, James Aspey, Gene Bauer, and Ingrid Newkirk. I know I’m doing a lot of name dropping here, but being in their presence was an absolute inspiration! On top of all of this, we got fed the most delicious, clean and nourishing food (without any of the prep work)- oh and did I mention we were in the Caribbean with 2000 other vegans!!

I am now signed up to do this vegan cruise again next year (yippee). The support, love and encouragement of community was beyond what I ever expected. It was 10 days of self care and life giving expansion.

The 28 Day Healing Cleanse- Week 1

Healing infertility through nutrition and gentle detox

Vegetables and Fruits I’m so excited to write this blog today. One week ago I began the Medical Medium 28 day Healing Cleanse and felt called to share my experience. I’ve been following the Medical Medium (Anthony William) for some time now. I’ve worked closely with gifted teachers and practitioners who are skilled in his work and have guided me through supplements and herb selection and supported me through viral flares and symptoms of detoxing. For those of you unfamiliar with Anthony’s work, his books, The Medical Medium and Life Changing Foods, are game changers in every sense of the word. The overall message is that: 1. We are surrounded by environmental toxins which can build up over our lifetime. 2. We carry viral loads and heavy metals which along with environmental toxins, can make us sick. 3. Thebody can REVERSE disease and heal itself. That’s a really oversimplified version, but the basic premise.

I am very lucky in that I haven’t been diagnosed with any serious disease. That said, there is the issue of what hasn’t exactly been diagnosed. I am one of those women who falls into the category of having “unexplained infertility”. It’s a horribly befuddling term that left me full of questions and despair. Four years ago my husband and I began trying to have a baby. After an unsuccessful year and a half, we turned to the medical model for help. Nobody had answers. My husband was healthy, I was healthy. All the numbers looked really good, tests couldn’t find anything wrong. They suggested IUI (intrauterine insemination) and medication. Not knowing what else to do, we went for it. It failed- four times. I was devastated and vowed to focus on our health and find another path.

In April 2016, I started seeing an acupuncturist and began taking chinese herbs. In addition, we started working with a homeopathic doctor specializing in removing heavy metals from the body in a safe and systematic way. He explained that my husband was loaded with heavy metals and that I had them too, mainly in my ovaries. We detoxed and followed his protocols for 5 months. We were both mostly clear and ready to start trying again. I felt that I needed to go further though, and in October 2016 began working with a new healer who introduced me to Anthony’s work. This healing path has consisted of nutritional support and a lot of really good self care (ahimsa at its finest!). For months I’ve been clearing out viral debris, improving my immune and nervous system, detoxing my liver, and removing any residual heavy metals. I feel really, really great and probably the healthiest I’ve ever been.

Back to present day, I am doing the 28 day Healing Cleanse as described in the Medical Medium book 1 to do a final really deep detox before attempting to try to conceive again. This cleanse is really simple (one thing I love about it) and all natural (the other thing I really love). For 28 days, eat only raw fruit and vegetables. That’s it. I was reluctant to give up olive oil, potatoes, and seeds/nuts at first. Even though I knew I could get incredible amounts of macronutrients and dense amount of nutrition from these foods, it was still a big shift. After a week, I feel amazing. My energy is really great, I feel calm, grounded and radiant. I am practicing listening to my body for any signals that things are moving too fast, but so far, it’s been extremely positive.

Now…on to week 2!!!!

Below are some references for support in this work:

Medical Medium: Secrets behind chronic and mystery illness and how to finally heal

Medical Medium Life Changing Foods: Save yourself and the ones you love with the hidden healing power of fruits and vegetables

Food Matters (documentary 2008)

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

Spring is here- time to lighten the load!

Part 1- Simple holistic ways to reduce toxin exposure and improve overall health.

Welcome Spring! I’ve found that focusing my energy on strengthening my body and detoxing has been a beautiful spiritual practice and want to share with you what I’ve learned on this path (so far).

The new life energy coming forth from the earth creates an inspiring time of year to purge our bodies of its heavy toxic load. The toxic load we carry comes from both what we absorb from our environment every day and what has been passed down to us through our parents and those before them. These toxins can build up in our system and cause chronic health conditions such as anxiety, headaches, dizziness, weight gain etc.

If you are interested in improving your health and state of wellness, this is a great place to begin. Nothing harsh, just a few simple changes that when combined, can have a tremendous impact. It’s also a good practice in changing routines, nourishing your body and truly listening to what it is telling you. I found that in the beginning, some of the changes in diet and lifestyle brought up all kinds of emotions and resistance inside me. It felt challenging to follow this path when society was telling me to eat, drink and be merry because I “deserved” it. So this is a very different perspective, eat well, avoid things that can increase your toxic load, and be kind and gracious to yourself- because my dear ones, this is what we deserve.

Things to avoid or eliminate from your routines:

Plastics– We have been wrapping ourselves in plastic since the 70’s and it has leached into everything;our food, our water supply, and our bodies. Plastics are particularly harmful to our reproductive systems, they may contain the chemicals bisphenol A (BPA) and phythalates.
1. plastic wrap & baggies- avoid wrapping your food in plastic at all costs, use reusable containers when possible.
2. plastic containers- I find that glass containers such as pyrex work great! Never reheat food in plastic.
3. shower curtain liner ( these contain phythalates which can damage sperm)
EMF’s– Electromagnetic frequencies are everywhere. They are emitted from anything electronic ( computers, cell phones, cars, airplanes, appliances etc). The problem with EMFs is that they interfere with our body’s own electrical frequencies which can prevent our body from letting go off toxic heavy metals and can cause adverse health conditions, both neurological and otherwise (i.e. cancer, insomnia, anxiety, headaches). Since EMFs are everywhere, you may want to take precautions. One product I use is made by Memon. I wear a memonizerBody on my wrist and have a memorizerMobile on my cell phone. I also have organite throughout each room in my home and on my desk at work where I sit with my computer throughout the day. You can also remove electronics from your bedroom, run appliances such as the dishwasher or dryer when you are out of the room, and turn off your wifi at night. For all men out there, never carry your cell phone in your front pants pocket.
Chemicals– This is a fairly broad category. As a guideline, I only buy products that are cruelty free, plant based, environmentally friendly, and free of dyes, fragrances and preservatives. The fewer ingredients, the better.
1. Household- Think of your home environment as a sacred space. We need to take extra care not to pollute this space with toxins. Nothing works better than good old vinegar, lemons, baking soda and peroxide and there are many websites devoted to cleaning with these items. If you can’t part with the convenience of a bottled cleaner, I like Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, and my newest fave, Ecos.
2. Beauty products & nail polish- This is a tough one for a lot of people, but we really need to be looking at what we are putting on our body. Many products out there are laden with harsh ingredients, parabens, toxic fumes and dyes. If possible, opt for using food grade products on your body. Some that I love include Lux shea butter for my face, and coconut oil for my body. I am also loving this oil based facial cleanser.
Toxic/Heavy Metal Exposure– These metals include lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and aluminum. They can be found everywhere, but especially in fish and processed cheese, vaccines, nasal sprays, fertilizers, plastics and antiperspirants. A great first step to reduce toxic metal exposure is to ditch the antiperspirant! It took me quite a while to find a really good deodorant that I love, but you will not be disappointed in Primal Pit Paste.
Pesticides/ Herbicides– I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but eating organic dramatically reduces your exposure to toxins. If you can’t afford or find organic produce in your area, try to avid the dirty dozen as much as possible. When I first started out, I would keep a list on my phone and reference it whenever I went to the grocery store. The dirty dozen includes the following foods listed from most to least contaminated:
1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Nectarines
4. Apples
5. Peaches
6. Pears
7. Cherries
8. Grapes
9. Celery
10. Tomatoes
11. Sweet Bell Peppers
12. Potatoes
Meat and Dairy Products– This list could not be complete without mentioning meat and dairy products. From a toxicity standpoint, the fat and protein compounds in these products clog the liver causing it to be sluggish and reducing its ability to do it’s job of filtering the blood and removing toxins from the body. Simply said, if your liver is sluggish (or fatty), the toxins stay put! in addition, meat and dairy contain high amounts of growth hormones (there is no such thing as hormone free, all animals in the industry have been exposed), antibiotics and adrenal compounds (from the slaughtering process). Increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption will improve overall liver function and go a long way in detoxing your body.
Added Sugar– Yes, it’s really bad for us. It’s corrosive to our system and damaging to our organs (and dairy is liquid sugar meant to grow a baby calf/goat/lamb). If you feel a sweet craving coming on, grab a piece of fruit or use some maple syrup or dates in your baking- you won’t be disappointed. The glucose from fruit is extremely important for brain health and body functioning, so indulge as often as possible. For more information on the healing powers of fruit (and vegetables) check out Anthony William’s latest book, Life Changing Foods.