Author: joy

Sinus challenges! Part Two

Posted on by joy

In Sinus challenges! (Part One) – I left you without saying what really changed my runny nose.  The things I did mention (more antioxidant, enough sleep, no sugar and white flour), I think were instrumental in my not dealing with any pollen allergies this Spring, but there are two more really important additions I wanted to share.

Since I did not have a comment box at the time of part one, most people responded to my asking about what was helping them combat allergies over on my Facebook page.  Let me share those with you as I received them: Zyrtec and other pills each morning, Neti Pot and Zyrtec, Melaleuca Activate, Mucinex, Melaleuca Provex Plus (that is the antioxidant I added), Benadryl and a decongestant, Melaleuca Oil under the nose at bedtime and couple times the day, and Flonase.  I love having people share remedies – so if you read this and have others, please post below.

My helpful additions: There was some talk that because I was in Costa Rica, when the dreadful pollen onslaught happened, that my body did not have a chance to build up a immunity to the pollen.That makes sense to me – it’s the idea behind vaccinations, right?  That got me to thinking – sure I was in Costa Rica that month, however, due to foot surgery the August before and then cooler weather, I had not walked in Memphis Metro pollen for over nine months!  If your body does need to get gradual exposure, well mine had none!  So I began walking outside again last June.  I wonder how many allergy sufferers are not outside on a regular basis except to go to and from work and errands?  I had more foot surgery this March, but I sat outside for a bit each day – pollen exposure and vitamin D.  I just sense that this is important.

And the runny nostril – that the ENT and Dermatologist had no clue about?

Enter: nasal rinse. 

Doesn’t it make sense that washing that pollen, dust, dirt, fungus, etc. out of the nostrils each day would be a great step to mellowing sinus problems?  If you can picture me having to plug my right nostril with tissue (ear plug did not work – yes, grin) in order to cook, do laundry, etc. – you will know how desperate I was.  That runny nostril went from 95% distraction and stress to less than 25% the first few days of nasal rinsing.

Not being a drug person, I was looking for some more natural solutions, and it starts with building your immune system.  So right now, My Sinus Help List looks like this:

  • Eat healthier: more fresh foods, almost no white flour or sugar.
  • Get enough sleep.
  • Exercise and make part of that outside so your body can build its resistance to the yuk that aggravates your sinuses.
  • Take a quality multi-mineral/vitamin supplement (they are not easy to find, don’t even look on a store shelf)  Get your vitamin D from a little sun each day – can you take your work break outside?
  • Add an antioxidant – grapeseed/grapeskin extract (like Melaleuca’s Provex Plus mentioned above) is a powerful help for allergies and a bunch of other things we are trying to prevent
  • Water!  I put lemon essential oil in mine – more antioxidants and cleansing.
  • Daily nasal rinse, especially during the spring and fall seasons.  I have not used a Neti Pot, but this bottle works great – warm, clean water, gentle squeeze – no discomfort:

Sinus Rinse

I also add (this is self doctoring) a drop of Melaleuca Oil for its germ/bacteria/anti-fungal killing properties.This essential oil comment reminds me that their are more helpful options that I am confident people should consider:

  •  Many people testify that quality essential oils like Lavender are their solution for sinus trouble.  Here is a trustworthy site: www.oilygurus.com – look under Ailments.
  •  And read what these people have done in RmBarry’s Wellness Guide Tips Newsletter on the subject here.

 

Choices Matter!

 

 

Sinus challenges!

Posted on by joy

During a six week period the spring of 2013, if you would have asked me what was wrong with me, I would have told you that I had Strep Throat and Bronchitis. Three doctors disagreed and said it was pollen allergies. My GP said that he has had several northerners move to Memphis Metro and evenly have a serious allergy problem.  I still have no clue how pollen allergies can cause a severe sore throat and deep bronchial cough. It had been 13 years since I had had that same ordeal – after compromising my lungs in below zero weather one Chicago winter night. A few days before this all started in April 2013, I compromised my lungs again (burning sensation) on a mountain in already high San Jose, Costa Rica. So – I am still a little skeptical of the diagnosis. Whatever the reason, the sickness prompted hours and hours and hours of reading on the web. I have always felt that allergies were an poor immune system response, so I was determined to build my immune system to combat the people that were saying: Once you have had it, you will deal with it every spring and fall. I was not going to give in without trying. A higher dosage of a quality antioxidant that I had heard was great for allergies was my first my step. Enough sleep was easy to add because a new fatigue followed the attack. But by the end of the year – I felt like the bar had to be raised even higher, and I removed sugar and white flour  from my diet right after the holiday travel was over. It is almost the end of May – and the pollen has not been an issue (consider that success), however, I have a new issue. My right nostril was running 24/7 after a kind of traumatic basal cell surgery the end of December. More hours of reading – how to stop rhinitis!  Surgeon and ENT did their thing and said it was not related to the surgery that actually involved detaching that nostril.  My smart sister-in-law Sharon asked how can something be so traumatic on the outside and not affect the inside as well.  I think she has a point. The answers I have found, along with taking an anti-inflammatory antioxidant, getting enough sleep and eating a better diet, I believe kept me from having pollen trouble this year – in case they were right. I am convinced they would help a lot of people from having pollen trouble. But first – tell me what you have found to help your seasonal allergy attacks.  And, my sinuses are definitely different, more sensitive, burn a little, after that six week ordeal and all I have tried – the right one more so.  Can you relate to that?

Top Twelve Cancer Prevention Strategies

Posted on by joy

WWW.MERCOLA.COM is always included in my homework when researching a health issue on the web.  Even if I do not agree with everything I read there, I can depend on learning the latest thoughts about an issue and see other sides of it, as well. The website is fair and a wonderful resource for learning about healthy topics.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Mercola posted My Top 12 Cancer Prevention Strategies.

Believing this is really wise advice for everyone, I wanted to share his list:

    1. Food Preparation:
    2. Carbohydrates and Sugar:
    3. Protein and Fat:
    4. GMOs:
    5. Animal-Based Omega-3 fats:
    6. Natural Probiotics:
    7. Exercise:
    8. Vitamin D:
    9. Sleep:
    10. Exposure to Toxins:
    11. Exposure to Radiation:
    12. Stress Management:

See Dr. Mercola’s comments on each of these (plus the whole cancer fighting issue) here.

And remember that Choices do matter!

 

Mom! The piranhas are not biting me!

Posted on by joy

Huh? Those words came from one of my teenage sons – the one with the great imagination – in the bedroom down the hall one cold, winter night in January of 1992.

He quickly explained that when he got in bed at night, he could feel little pricks down his backside – probably as he curled up in bed – we didn’t really discussed the details that much.  What he had noticed was a direct result of changing the soap bar  in the shower. We learned in one short week that not all soap bars are created equal.

That was the week I began to find out that all products are not equal performers.  We were sort of cash poor in those days, and I tried to be as frugal as I could easily be with my household budget.  Already interested in healthier choices in eating and supplements, I was also aware that there were definitely healthier choices in household products – but I couldn’t afford them.  They could only be found from an MLM company which often had higher prices even considering they were more concentrated – or from the health food store which often had higher prices, and the poor performance didn’t justify consideration even if I felt I could afford them.  So 25 cent Ivory bars were in our shower. (Price seems to have doubled since then.*) As gentle as water on a baby’s skin, right? I believed that until my daughter later decided to shred several for a craft project; her little hands were red and raw before she finished.

That winter also found three of us in the family struggling with our chronic, Chicago winter related dry skin problems.  My daughter’s knuckles had cracked and bled each winter for three years, my middle son had split finger tips and my hands were like sand paper.  Money was spent on several lotions that made no difference, so we were not motivated to continue using them.

One Saturday morning, a friend called me to chat – once she found out that I could not find anything that helped our skin problems, it led to talking about where she shopped and how wonderful their hand lotion was . Open minded me wanted to test her information, so I set up an account with that company (kind of like joining Sam’s/Costco but for less money and no bulk buying), bought some things that were already on my “Wal-Mart list” – including that hand creme.

The rest is history.

Those three chronic skin problems were totally fixed in one week.  And I learned very quickly that not all affordable products are poor performers.  I also learned that healthier does not have to be more expensive. And I learned there is a better way to shop –  saving me time, money and easily contributing to environmental issues: less gas, less packaging, no fillers, no toxins, etc.

I just needed to change stores.

Twenty two years ago this month, I started doing almost all of my shopping from this manufacturer.  The products are better working, less expensive, safer for the family because the company figured out how to use natural ingredients and still sell for less than the name brand products on the store shelf. No brick and mortar building and depending on people to tell others, like I am telling you, saves billions of dollars.

So if you are somewhere in this crazy winter weather we are seeing – and the piranhas are biting you – please know that there are products that really, really do nourish the skin and solve that problem.

Choices matter!

* That soap bar that chased the piranhas away is still the same price it was in 1992.

 

Avoiding GMOs

Posted on by joy

Have you been hearing the buzz about avoiding GMOs in your foods? To quote the Non-GMO project site: “Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale.”

Sounds like the ideal setup for slanted testing right? Are you tired of being a modern day Guinea Pig for big corporation profits? Learn more about GMO’s and options for your home.

Berkey Water Filters

Posted on by joy

How many of us are concerned about the quality of water we drink? I think it’s safe to say most of us are. However, many do not have an accurate understanding of how to secure truly, healthy water.

We all know that tap water probably isn’t the best option. If you’d like to read more on that, the EPA lists out the contaminants and chemicals that be be found in tap water. For starters, chlorine dioxide and arsenic are both offenders – and that’s just the beginning. Other contaminants are being discovered like nitrogen fertilizer.

I’ve been sold on the quality of the Berkey Water Filters. You can purchase them from Amazon or directly from the company. Visit my healthy water page for more info!

 

How’s The Air Quality In Your Home?

Posted on by joy

dishwasher

Most people are aware of the dangers of outdoor air pollution, but did you know that indoor air quality can be even worse?

Indoor air pollution is typically two-to-five times worse than the air outdoors. And since 90% of our time is spent indoors, indoor air quality is one of the EPA’s top five environmental public health risks.

Health complications from air pollution include asthma, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, lung inflammation and susceptibility to infections. In fact, 75% of Americans live with someone who suffers from asthma, allergies or other respiratory illness.

The title, picture, introductory words are from a blog post I want to share: 

http://www.melaleucajournal.com/hows-the-air-quality-in-your-home/

Choices matter and there is a better choice!

Do we really need to take a multivitamin-mineral supplement?

Posted on by joy

New Research confirms: Everyone Should Take a Multivitamin-Mineral

Two-thirds of U.S. adults do not take a multivitamin-mineral.  Why not?  Many simply don’t think multivitamin minerals work well enough to make a difference.  But new research suggests that multivitamin-minerals are highly effective-and can have an impact on our ongoing health and well-being.

– What does the new research tell us about the effectiveness of multivitamin-minerals?
– Don’t I get enough nutrition from the food I eat?
 – Can getting optimal nutrition have an impact on my health care costs?
 

For the complete article that answers these questions in detail with documentation:

http://www.melaleucajournal.com/new-research-confirmstake-your-vitamins-minerals/

Choices matter!

Omega-3 Fats Raise Prostrate Cancer

Posted on by joy

This is appeared soon after I shared the benefits of supplementing your diet with    Omega-3 supplements.  As in many such scares, there are flaws in the study.

At Mercola.com you will find:

Absurd Study Claims Omega-3 Fats Raise Prostate Cancer Risk                   http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/31/omega-3-fats.aspx

At Monte Kline’s Pacific Health Center site you will find:

Bogus Fish Oil Prostate Cancer Study          http://www.pacifichealthcenter.com/blog/?p=767

It will be easy to find other sites showing the flaws in the study should you need to do more homework.  Do keep in mind – quality supplements are critical.  Steam distilled and purified Omega-3’s are not inexpensive, so that should help you pass up a bargain that is not going to do what you are hoping for it to do. Shop with a company you trust.

Choices matter!

Why Are Kids Such Picky Eaters?

Posted on by joy

Here is a summary I read of one school of thought:

  1. Kids have more taste buds than adults. That can make strong foods like broccoli less enjoyable for children.
  2. You’re not eating your veggies. And maybe a lot of other things, too – kids take their cues from parents.
  3. They are exercising their agency. Since they don’t have a lot of areas of control, this is an easy one to try.
  4. It was a survival tactic for our ancestors. ?? Really.  This is saying that our ancestors stayed away from unknown foods to protect them from being poisoned.
  5. Food equals punishment.  “Eat your greens or else,” doesn’t put healthy foods in a good light.  And what do we often use for rewards…it wouldn’t be broccoli.
  6. It’s in their genes.  There really is a gene – GeneTZS2R38 – that will make a child that has it less likely to enjoy robust flavors.  Hummm – want to make an appointment to check that one out?

Not being an expert, I would assume there is truth in those six ideas.  Being a mom that didn’t know about those serious factors, I learned from experts in “my day” that discipline is a huge factor. A regular schedule and not allowing pickiness will go a long way in getting children to eat.  At Pioneer Girls Camp – we had a one tablespoon rule: they had to eat one tablespoon of each dish and if they didn’t like it, they didn’t have to ask for more.  That teaches more than just broadening their food horizon.

Dr. Lendon Smith, author of Feed Your Kids Right – advocated not catering to their attempts of control in this area, not shoving foods they dislike down them – but not feeding them anything else until the next meal time.  He was controversial in “my day” – but his practical suggestions saved me stress.

And – I have three thirty-some-year-old non-picky eaters as a result.  Grandchildren, too.

Choices Matter!