Saturday, July 31, 2010

Rounds 34 and 9

This round has been challenging.  We get this every now and then for some reason.  I am not sure why the rounds are all SO different, but I have heard that this inconsistency is pretty common with chelation.  Oddly, for both kids, this round had resulted in a lot of hyperactivity, emotional outbursts and a new one for us, excessive loudness!  Couple this with my own die off from my own treatment and it's been one heck of a day.  One day at a time....

A day of exhaustion

I typically like to keep a level head when it comes to all of this craziness around us, but today is an exception.  Today I think I actually know what it feels like to be my kids during treatment.  I have decided to treat myself for pathogens like yeast, bacteria, viruses and parasites.  I started two days ago with grapefruit seed extract (GSE) and yesterday I added black walnut hull, I had already been doing olive leaf extract (OLE) periodically before all of this too.  So today I took all three twice and I have felt extreme exhaustion like I could sleep standing up, worse than when I was pregnant, I have severe brain fog, I'm highly irritable and I almost feel like I don't care about anything around me.  It's no fun I tell ya!  And I can't even imagine adding in chelation (moving metals) while trying to cope with all of this.  I won't even share the details of the physical symptoms I have had, lol, I will spare you those details.  Let me just say, something is brewing for sure. 

Sometimes I feel like the hermit family.  We don't go out as often as I would like, but that is because it's such a chore and we often don't feel well on weekends from chelation (us being tired from all night dosing and the kids just being effected to some degree by the chelation itself).  We have to pack all of their foods, snacks and meals, drinks, supplements (especially during chelation when they are SO important, which is on weekends when we would normally be on the go more), enzymes and chelation dosing.  It involves an insane amount of preparation and space, lol, our diaper bag is barely enough room for it all.  Then we have Gavin's nap right smack in the middle of the day so when we go through all of this preparation to go out, we are limited on free time.  Unfortunately, it's just easier to stay home.  We hope to use this time to enjoy their youth while we have them at home with us.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Hemp milk recipe

My cousin has actually sparked this post.  When she told me that she has decided to try gluten free for her son and that she is avoiding some dairy, I shared my hemp milk recipe with her.  I realized than that I never shared this on my blog!!  Shame on me!  It's such an easy recipe and by using this in place of commercial hemp milk or all other commercial substitute milks, you are bypassing the yuck factor...what is the yuck factor you ask?  Preservatives, thickeners, refined sugars and cross contamination!  You pay an arm and a leg for this junk and you are using something that has been created to have a shelf life in a box, unrefrigerated....can you say yuck?!  Not to mention, it tastes nasty compared to the good old QUICK home made recipe I am about to share with you.  But before I do that, let me just share some information about the benefits of hemp, versus those other high carb, sicky sweet milk subs like rice milk and soy milk....

For starters, hemp has the perfect blend of omegas 3 and 6, and aren't we all looking for healthier ways to add omegas to our diets??  I know I am! Hemp milk is bursting with varied range of amino acids, important nutrients and trace minerals that make it the complete protein package. Hence, the best option for growing children.  Hemp seed is one of the plant kingdom's most concentrated, complete and balanced sources of essential amino acids (EAA's) and essential fatty acids (EFA's). Hemp seeds are high in essential nutrients including chlorophyll, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, phytosterols, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, fiber, histidine, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin and thiamin.  It contains linoleic acid which is inflammation reducing, therefor it is great for those with arthritis, eczema and allergies.  Hemp also helps maintain an ideal blood sugar balance, reducing hypoglycemic symptoms.

Then there is the added benefit for those who are eco-minded, it uses less water in the growing process and NO pesticides, because hemp is naturally pest-free!  Hemp nut is the most nutritious and easily digestible food on the planet, the only complete source of all the following: protein, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids. Hemp is the only food which supplies all of our dietary needs in one source -- the only food which can sustain human life without any other source of nutrition.  Now, would I be willing to try living off of hemp alone, most definitely not, but it sure makes using it as our "milk" source an easier decision!  Check out this fabulous amino acid profile...

Hemp seed contains all 10 essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Hemp seeds contain 33% pure digestible protein, providing readily available amino acids for building and repairing tissue. Hemp seed protein is comprised of 65% high-quality edestin protein, the most potent protein of any plant source, 35% albumin protein and glutamic acid. The globulin edestin in hemp seed closely resembles the globulin in blood plasma, and is compatible with the human digestive system. It is vital to the maintance of a healthy immune system and is also used to manufacture antibodies. Albumin is a protein manufactured by the liver that is supportive of liver and kidney health.  

For those using soy as their alternative milk, check out these facts.  Soy protein contains high levels of enzyme inhibitors blocking the uptake of trypsin and other enzymes the body uses for protein digestion. Eating a diet high in enzyme inhibitors, such as those contained in soy, can result in chronic amino acid and protein deficiencies.

So with that said, here is my easy, no frills hemp milk recipe!  Tweak it to your particular taste buds.

- 1 tablespoon of organic shelled hemp seeds
- 8 ounces of filtered water
- I like to add about 1.5 teaspoons of xylitol to sweeten it up, this is entirely up to you

Blend, strain and enjoy!   Feel free to also add some variety with a teaspoon of vanilla, a sprinkle of cinnamon, some cocoa for chocolate milk, fresh strawberries for strawberry milk, go on....get creative!



Sunday, July 11, 2010

Writer's block

Every now and then, I just drop off the face of the earth for a few months.  I'm not sure, if it's just a build up of exhaustion (I have no shortage of that!) or if I just need a break from writing everything I experience once in a while.  Either way, I have some catching up to do now, lol.

Gavin is now on his 7th round of chelation and we have finally been able to add in ALA (alpha lipoic acid).  We tried twice before and had MAJOR meltdowns, probably adrenal fatigue.  Through some trial and error, we have settled on Ashwagandha to address adrenal fatigue and we reduced the ALA dose by half, so he is only on 1mg of ALA every 3 hours!  He is doing fairly well this time though, a little emotional, but overall, he is handling it well. 

Grayson is doing GREAT!  Since my last post, he has been started on his constitutional homeopathic remedy and we added lithium orotate to his supplements.  His moods are better regulated, he is sweet and consistent, just doing great!  That doesn't mean we don't still have yeast and bacteria flares, we do, but they are manageable.  I hope this means his chelation is showing real success and we are rounding THE corner!!  He is on round 33 and typically when kids reach between 40-50 rounds, they start showing signs of managing their own pathogenic balances!

Speaking of pathogenic balance, our newest experiment is water kefir.  We LOVE it!!  The stuff grows out of control, but it's oddly fun to take care of.  I find serenity in transferring the little live grains to their next home full of sweet broth to gobble up and grow.  They are a symbiotic relationship of yeast and bacteria that give off highly beneficial probiotics into the kefir water we drink daily.  Then comes the all natural flavorings I create like: green tea kefir, mojito kefir, lemonade kefir, cream soda kefir (one of my favorites).  We are hoping to add to our gut health by drinking our new home made brew daily! 

Sorry to be so brief about the past three months, but I feel like this post would be too long, if I went into too much detail about everything, so I thought I would ease into the big topics and then I can focus on each a bit more in the future.   We are going on vacation, so things are a bit crazy right now, not to mention some mold repair work we have been in the midst of for months....When things slow down a bit, I promise to get back on track with my blogging!