Candida and Hives

It seems that candida has been on it’s “last legs” for quite some time. The majority of the  symptoms have diminished; constipation and awakening earlier than my normal time. I’m usually awake between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. I will say that other symptoms (from candida die-off) have reared it’s annoying head.

Because some of the things I’m going to write about might be a bit TMI (too much information) for some, I’ll insert a “More” tag and pick up the discussion after the break, ok?

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You spent $150+ on what…

4 qt. Enema bucketI’m sure some folks would think I’m crazy for spending so much anything related to enemas, but I’ve always followed a different path than most when it comes to my health.

Although I’d been thinking about purchasing a stainless steel enema bucket for months, I held off and kept using my 4qt. enema bag. However, when I thought about it, I realized purchasing something like that will last me a lifetime.

Last week, I purchased the 4qt.stainless steel enema bucket from Optimal Health. I must say that I’m pleased with the purchase.

Why do I prefer my stainless steel enema bucket

  1. It’s not made out of rubber like the 4 qt. open ended enema bag
  2. I can see inside as I fill with whatever solution I’ve planned to use for the day
  3. It’s easier to clean
  4. I’m not worried about the rubber leaching into my enema solution

Although I consider myself to be “healthy” I am convinced of the wonderful benefits of cleansing your colon with enemas so yes I do use them.

Does a healthy person need to do additional cleansing?

One aspect of cleansing that some might not like is the garbage we can uncover when we eliminate. Rather than being turned off by this process, It fascinates me. I’m amazed at the changes we can witness when we really focus on cleansing.

I eat extremely healthy. Only whole foods, no fake foods/meats, processed sugars, etc.  My intake is high raw but I realize what I eat is only part of the equation. Equally important is keeping my body healthy through exercise, my mind healthy by being positive and my spiritual health vibrant by having a close relationship with Christ. I believe, all these are important for individuals.

Even with all that, I’ve found that I need to do additional cleanses. The reasoning behind this (for me at least) is simple. We’re bombarded with a variety of chemicals through our environment and though our bodies do cleanse, I’m skeptical that it can handle the amount of unhealthy toxins that we are exposed too. Seeing what has come out (and chatting with other like minded folks) is an indication that at times we do need to kick it up a few notches.

Besides following a whole/high raw foods eating lifestyle I also add juice fasts and enemas into the mix and as with anything else I’ve done countless research before deciding that they are right for myself.

Some might view this as extreme but I see it as the way we all should eat. Also, the impact it has had on my health is a powerful persuader. I’ve mentioned often before, that initially it was hard to imagine I could feel any better than I already do, but adding the ‘extra’s to help my body out has done just that.

Recently, I stumbled upon Dr. Emil K. Schandl on Youtube. I really enjoy watching him on YouTube. He talked about the importance of doing cleansing even if you’re in ‘pristine health.’ Interesting indeed…

Dr. Emil K. Schandl, is a clinical biochemist and oncobiologist based in Hollywood, Florida. Lot’s of great information about this man and I’m interested in learning more.

Since I’m always looking to increase my knowledge about natural remedies I purchased the book, The Oil That Heals: A Physician’s Successes With Castor Oil Treatments. While I’m familiar with castor oil and its health benefits, I know there’s still a lot to learn. This should be an interesting read.

The Oil That Heals

Castor oil… my does that bring back memories! As a child, my mother would give my brother and me a spoonful of it almost every single day. Blech! It wasn’t a punishment, she knew about the benefits of castor oil and she wanted to make sure we received them. Gee… thanks mom!

castor oil comic

My mother did (eventually) upgrade castor oil to cod liver oil, still vile tasting stuff but not nearly as disgusting as castor oil. I will say that my brother and I rarely had an issue with constipation. 😉

The benefits of coffee enemas

Not too long ago, I stumbled on this coffee enemas interview, that Chris Wark had with Dr. Patrick Vickers. For those who don’t know, Chris was able to beat cancer using natural remedies.

The power that can be found in treating various ailments using natural remedies is possible if only people are willing to open their minds, research and try them out for themselves. Of course it doesn’t help that the medical establishment, pharmaceutical companies and numerous other sources can be quick to label ‘alternative treatments’ as quackery.

Eliminating cancer naturally isn’t new to myself since I’ve personally met a few people who have treated cancer and other life threatening ailments with natural remedies.

Perhaps Dr. Patrick Vickers is on to something? That some of the components found within coffee beans are capable of helping the body release some of the every day toxic waste were are exposed to daily. From my readings it seems to help the liver. Interesting indeed…

Maxine - coffee enema

While some believe that our bodies are capable of filtering out all these poisonous waste I don’t agree. I call them poisonous because over time, what we consume or are exposed to can affect our health in a negative way. It’s my belief, that we unknowingly overload our systems with a variety of substances (pollution, things we might consume, products applied to our bodies)  it was never meant to be exposed too and one way we can counter that is through various methods of cleansing.

organic coffee beans
Organic coffee beans

Occasionally, I use coffee enemas, and have done so for quite some time. Without getting to graphic, I noticed that when taking coffee enemas what was released smelled fouler than some of my other enemas. However several months ago, I started doing more research about them and I must say that I’m impressed with what I’ve been learning.  I’m still reading, but all signs point to the fact that I will most likely start doing them more often.

Simple Fruit salad; Blueberries & Grapes

Keeping with my juice and raw foods only pledge during the lenten season, last week I made this simple salad with blueberries and grapes. You can’t get much simpler than that, right?

Blueberry grapes 1_03.19.14
Simple salad; Blueberries and grapes
Simple Fruit salad; Blueberries & Grapes
Recipe Type: Raw Food
Author: Opal
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Simple Fruit Salad: Blueberries and Grapes 1/2 White Grapes 1/2 cup Blueberries
Ingredients
  • Simple Fruit Salad: Blueberries and Grapes
  • 1/2 White Grapes
  • 1/2 cup Blueberries
Instructions
  1. Rinse off grapes and blueberries
  2. Combine in a bowl
  3. Enjoy!

Simple to make, but oh my goodness were they delicious. Like candy from heaven.

Health Benefits of my Blueberry and Grape Salad

And even though this salad was simple, it is loaded with nutrients that are good for you also.

Blueberries

    • Blueberries have more antioxidants than any other fresh produce
    • Blueberries contain anthocyanins, which are great for your heart
    • Blueberries contain chlorogenic acid which is helpful in lowering blood glucose levels
    • Blueberries are mineral rich; they contain minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, iron and zinc.

I make sure I have blueberries when I’m doing any intense physical activity. I work out daily; through exercise at home, various chores around the house or stepping into the gym. Blueberries high antioxidant capacity is so effective against muscle soreness is because it helps eliminate and neutralize free radicals formed as a result of strenuous activity, environmental pollutants, etc.  Despite the intense activity I do, I don’t experience muscle soreness anymore and that has a lot to do with consuming blueberries.

White Grapes

  • Grapes contain phytonutrients, phytonutrients are believed play a key role in our longevity.
  • Grapes help lower blood pressure.
  • Grape consumption might also help prevent platelet aggregation which can lead to clot formation.

I don’t eat processed (unless it has been processed by myself) or fake vegetarian/vegan foods.  So the foods you find on this page won’t be processed.

That puzzles some of my friends/acquaintances (veggie and non-veggie) since they view my whole food way of eating as extreme.  Really, eating nothing but whole foods is extreme? It sounds like how God planned it to me. The thing is, I don’t force my lifestyle onto anyone.

Why do I mainly consume whole foods? Because of the amount of pollutants that are prevalent in our society today. I believe one of the most effective ways for me to combat that is to nourish my body with produce. It’s how God originally designed it after all, why should I mess with perfection?

Also, when I made the switch to mainly whole foods (years ago) I noticed my taste buds changed. What used to appeal to me now didn’t taste so great. I realized, that most likely had everything to do with me swapping to mainly whole foods so when I’d try to enjoy something processed I could easily detect the lack of freshness and the ‘food like items’ included and my taste buds rejected them.

An added bonus was how great I felt. Since I’d eating healthy before, I didn’t think I’d see a noticeable difference in how I felt, but  that’s exactly what happened. Additionally, I don’t need additional supplementation (unless I’m focused on a certain cleanse) I still am receiving a lot of my nutrients from my whole foods lifestyle.

I will say even though I eat very clean, I have found that when I go onto a juice cleanse, when I only consume raw fruits and vegetables the taste of those produce is more profound. Wild, I know…

References:

  1. Medical Daily:  Blueberries Help Improve Muscle Recovery in Athletes
  2. The Blueberry Council: Blueberry Nutrition
  3. Medical News Today: What are the Health Benefits of Grapes?

 

Juicing and smoothies

In keeping with my lenten resolve, this morning I made an incredible juice blend with apples, carrots, grapes, kale, lemon and ginger. I prepared enough to keep at home and the rest was brought to work in the stainless steel thermos you see in the background. This delicious juice blend went over well with the ones I shared it with at work today.  They were surprised at how delicious freshly made juices can tastes.

Blueberry green smoothie 03.26.14

I still have some of that delightful juice left and so a few moments ago, I added a bit of kale, strawberries and blueberries to the juice made this morning and blended everything in my Vitamix and made myself a smoothie. My goodness is it delicious. I’m slowly sipping my smoothie through a straw, taking care to ‘chew’ each sip.

Simple Raw Salad; One of my favorite things…

My pledge to only drink  my freshly prepared juices and one raw meal per day for my  Lenten fast is going well. Actually it’s the first time I’ve ‘given up’ anything for Lent. Lent is something that I’m really not familiar with on a personal level. The Baptist churches (where I’ve been a member) did not celebrate many of the Christian holidays.

I must say that I’m enjoying the cleaner type of eating. My meals are high raw anyway, so the major change is just drinking juice. Well for years I’ve made an effort to juice daily, so that part has not changed and recently I came off my a 7 day juice cleanse, but even so… rotating between the two is not something I’ve done in a while, so my fast from everything that is cooked is still somewhat new since I have not done that in a while.

It used to be hard to grasp that I could feel better than I already do, but the healthier/cleaner you eat the better you are going to feel. Still… years ago that was hard for me to wrap my brain around since I only eat whole foods and processed foods is something that is not in my eating lifestyle.

Now that weather is slowly starting to get warm, although it does not feel like it today being in the low teens, I’m thinking about using my dehydrator to dry herbs  and some spices.

Spinach Salad 1 03.13.14
Simple Raw Salad

In keeping up with my simple raw meal, earlier this week, I decided to make the above raw salad; spinach, tomato, onion, yellow onion and some freshly ground spices. It was simple to make and I enjoyed slowly chewing every single bite.

Spinach Salad 2 03.13.14
Time to add the homemade salad dressing. I love green salad dressing!

The salad dressing is homemade. Have you ever checked at some of the ingredients in your store purchased salad dressing? Even your ‘healthy dressing’ doesn’t compare to the salad dressings you can make at home and and no it does not take a lot of time. I made this raw salad dressing in three minutes.