Will salt in small amounts still toxify our bodies the way it would in larger amounts? Does the amount even matter? Or is it simply the act of introducing the mineral to the body that proves toxic?

I recently came across a wonderful article written by a good friend of mine, Debbie Took. Wherein she asks and answers these very questions.

Salt Debate 1

Salt Debate 2

Another good site:

Sodium and Salt Eating

The basic arguement is that sodium is required by the human body… sodium which can be found in hundreds of natural plant foods around the world. However, it’s the sodium chloride from the oceans and rocks that is toxic to our systems. Causing ailments from dehydration and fluid retention/weight gain to osteoperosis and stomach cancer.

Sodium and Potassium are electrolytes which work hand-in-hand to keep the body’s fluid systems on an even kilter. If one mineral becomes unbalanced due to the overabundance of the other – the entire body can become askew. It’s just as delicate and crucial a balance as our PH levels.

Salt can, will, and HAS killed hundreds of thousands of people. Yes. Salt KILLS. Be it sea or table.. any source of sodium chloride proves toxic when introduced to the human body.

Baby Death

Baby Dies from Saline

Forced Salt

Salt Murder

Salt and Depresison

Salt Kills

Salt Kills More Than Vehicle Collisions

Salt Water

Don’t Drink The Water

It makes one wonder: If the ancient chinese ninjas used the consumption of salt water to commit suicide, why on EARTH would somebody purposefully dehydrate that very water in order to extract the salt in pure form… and consume it?

What would drive such a frivilous and dumbfounding act? Who instigated the blasphemous concept?

Who, what and why caused the introduction of a toxic substance into the human diet?

A quote:

Agriculture and salt
Archaeologists believe that salt eating developed as humans learned how to keep animals and grow crops in the years after 10,000 BC. As the proportion of meat in their diet fell, people had to find salt for themselves and for their domesticated animals.

Preserving food
Salt has another crucial property that made it important for the development of human society. By 2000 BC, people knew that adding salt to food stopped it going off. Salt was used to preserve meat, fish and vegetables, and to create delicacies such as salted olives, which added variety to the diet.

History of Salt

A Quote:

Salt’s ability to preserve food was a foundation of civilization. It eliminated the dependence on the seasonal availability of food and it allowed travel over long distances.

There we have it. The consumption of salt goes against every aspect of nature.

Why? Well, let’s make a list.. because we all know I love lists

1. Salt means one can consume a food long after the season has ended. – This is both unhealthy and unnatural. Nature provides food when food should be consumed. The way our body’s have been designed to consume them.
   
2. Salt preserves what would naturally never be preserved – Meat rots. It in no way was naturally designed to be preserved, aside from freezing.
   
3. Salt makes inedible foods, edible – Foods such as olives are bitter and disgusting to our taste buds, but once salted become a food we can very easily over-consume. If we were supposed to consume them, they would naturally have an appealing flavour.
   
4. Salt was introduced to our diets only 10,000 years ago – We functioned just fine without it for 90,000 years. Heck, even made it through an ice-age!
   

So, next time you sit down to a meal and go to grab that trusty salt shaker… ask yourself this one question:

“Is This Natural? Are We Designed For This?”

Remember:

Simply because you can eat it… doesn’t mean you should.

So painful, in fact, that many mistake it for, or simply attribute it to – “Fibromyalgia”

Fibromyalgia, along with Chronic Fatigue… are simply symptoms resulted from the body’s defense against an intruding toxin – WHEAT. Whether this is directly from the Gluten itself, or not.. is up for debate.

The human body was never designed to consume wheat. In fact, we were never designed to consume grains… altogether.

Some more information:

“Timeframe for cereal grain domestication. There are 8 major cereal grains which are consumed by modern man (wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, sorghum, and millet) [Harlan 1992]. Each of these grains were derived from wild precursors whose original ranges were quite localized [Harlan 1992]. Wheat and barley were domesticated only ~10,000 years ago in the Near East; rice was domesticated approximately 7,000 years ago in China, India, and southeast Asia; corn was domesticated 7,000 years ago in Central and South America; millets were domesticated in Africa 5,000- 6,000 years ago; sorghum was domesticated in East Africa 5,000-6,000 years ago; rye was domesticated ~5,000 years ago in southwest Asia; and oats were domesticated ~3,000 years ago in Europe.

Consequently, the present-day edible grass seeds simply would have been unavailable to most of mankind until after their domestication because of their limited geographic distribution. Also, the wild version of these grains were much smaller than the domesticated versions and extremely difficult to harvest [Zohary 1969].

How recent in the human evolutionary experience is grain consumption in terms of our total dietary experience? The first member of the human genus, Homo, was Homo habilis who has now been dated to ~2.33 million years ago (MYA) [Kimbel et al. 1996]. Homo erectus, who had post-cranial (the rest of the body below the skull) body proportions similar to modern humans, appeared in Africa by about 1.7 MYA and is thought to have left Africa and migrated to Asia by 1 MYA or perhaps even earlier [Larick and Ciochon 1996]. Archaic Homo sapiens (called by some, Homo heidelbergensis) has been dated to 600,000 years ago in Africa and to about 400,000 years ago in Europe or perhaps earlier [De Castro et al. 1997].

Anatomically modern Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record in Africa and the Mideast by about 90,000-110,000 years ago and behaviorally modern H. sapiens are known in the fossil record by ~50,000 years ago in Australia and by about ~40,000 yrs ago in Europe.

The so-called “Agricultural Revolution” (primarily the domestication of animals, cereal grains, and legumes) occurred first in the Near East about 10,000 years ago and spread to northern Europe by about 5,000 years ago [Cavalli-Sforza et al. 1993]. The industrial revolution occurred roughly 200 years ago, and the technological revolution which brought us packaged, processed foods is primarily a development that has occurred in the past 100 years and has seen enormous growth in the last 50 years.

To gauge how little geologic or evolutionary time humans have been exposed to foods wrought by the agricultural revolution, let’s do a little paper experiment. Take a stack of computer paper (the kind in which each page is connected to one another) and count out 212 eleven-inch (28-cm) pages. Then unravel the stack of paper and lay it out end to end–it will form a continuous 194-foot (59-meter) strip. Now, let’s assume that 1 inch (2.54 cm) equals 1,000 years in our 194-foot strip of computer paper; thus, the first part of the first page represents the emergence of our genus 2.33 MYA and the last part of the last page represents the present day.

Now, take a slow walk down all 194 feet of the computer paper, and carefully look at each of the individual eleven-inch sections. When you get to the very last eleven-inch section (the 212th section), this represents approximately the beginning of agriculture in the Mideast 10,000 years ago; therefore, during the preceding 211 sheets humanity’s foods were derived from wild plants and animals. This little experiment will allow you to fully grasp how recent in the human evolutionary experience are cereal grains (as well as dairy products, salt, and the fatty meats of domesticated animals).

Humans may have indeed eaten these foods for “millennia,” but millennia (even 10 millennia) in the overall timeframe of human existence represents 0.4%. Because the estimated amount of genetic change (0.005%) which has occurred in the human genome over this time period is negligible, the genetic makeup of modern man has remained essentially unchanged from that of pre-agricultural man [Eaton et al. 1985]. Consequently, the human genome is most ideally adapted to those foods which were available to pre-agricultural man, namely lean muscle meats, limited fatty organ meats, and wild fruits and vegetables–but, significantly, not grains, legumes, dairy products, or the very high-fat carcasses of modern domesticated animals.”

Quoted from BeyondVeg.com

———–

So. What do we know?

1. Homo sapiens first appeared in Africa 90,000 – 110,000 years ago and Europe 40,000 – 50, 000 yrs ago in Europe.
2. Agriculture occurred first in the Near East about 10,000 years ago… finally reaching Europe about 5,000 years ago.
3. Industrial revolution came to be only 200 years ago.
4. Packaged and processed foods have only developed in the last 100 years.

In laymen’s terms, Casandra!

1. Our species came forth 110,000 years ago.
2. The farming of animals and grains began, in Europe, only 5,000 years ago.
3. Industrial farming and food production was born 200 years ago.
4. Processed food (canned goods, pre-packaged meats, frozen food) appeared a mere 100 years ago.

What does this mean?

Well… let’s add up some  numbers to help determine what this means.

110,000 – our species first appeared.

– 5,000 – grains were introduced into our diets

= 105,000

This means that for approximately 105,000 years… our species was not consuming grains of any kind. But rather, fresh whole fruits, vegetables, insects and meats.

Let’s also take into consideration that the genetic makeup of modern man has remained essentially unchanged from that of pre-agricultural man.

The complete re-arrangement of gut morphology or evolution of new enzyme systems capable of handling novel food types is quite unlikely to have occurred in humans in the short time period since the advent of agriculture. Some populations have had 500 generations to adapt to the new staple foods of agriculture (cereals, legumes, and dairy) whereas others have had only 1-3 (i.e., Inuit, Amerindians, etc). Because anatomical and physiological studies among and between various racial groups indicate few differences in the basic structure and function of the gut, it is reasonable to assume that there has been insufficient evolutionary experience (500 generations) since the advent of agriculture to create large genetic differences among human populations in their ability to digest and assimilate various foods.

—————

What does this have to do with Chronic Fatigue?

Well. Everything! This means our bodies were not designed to digest and utilize such a substance.

This results in our Lymphatic Network (Immune System) kicking in to high gear to quickly detoxify the body of this substance, by way of the lymph fluids. In doing so, the lymphatic system can become swollen and inflamed… causing many symptoms such as:

• swollen lymph nodes/glands – especially around throat
• soreness/tenderness all over area that lymphatic network is laid
• fatigue/exhaustion – as the body is using all of it’s energy to cast the toxin out
• inability to wake refreshed, even after 10 hours of sleep – the body is still working to detoxify
• lack of muscle recovery after exertion
• sore throat/headache
• adrenal fatigue/malnourishment
• Hypoglycemia/low blood sugar levels/blood sugar drops quickly
  
• loss in appetite

I have to admit… that for many years as a “vegan” I suffered serious Chronic Fatigue. My naturopath and doctors both assumed it was simply Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. My naturopath went as far as diagnosing me with adrenal fatigue and pumped me full of Rhodiola to subside the symptoms. This helped… but only temporarily. As I continued to consume wheat on a daily/weekly basis.. the pain and problems persisted, incessantly.

Little did I know… I was consuming wheat and grains in excess. It was in EVERYTHING that was considered “vegan”. The pizza’s, the buns, the breads, the hot dogs, the fake turkey, the chik’n nuggets, the vegan condiments, the burritos, the rice dishes.. E V E R Y T H I N G.

It was only recently, while being fruitarian (only eating fruit, nothing else) for 3 months that the problems permanently VANISHED! However, to test the theory… I consumed wheat on 3 occasions.

All three times resulted in almost IMMEDIATE swollen nodes and physical pain all over my body. A few hours later, my hypoglycemia returned. The pain took 3 days to fully dissipate. The hypoglycemia, 1.

So.. a word of advice to those suffering with something that you know you shouldn’t be suffering with… DROP THE WHEAT! DROP THE GRAINS! And start eating the way your body was designed to.

Just what way is that, hmm?

1. Eat fresh, whole, unprocessed, organic, chemical-antibiotic free foods.
2. Eat what would have naturally been  found 90,000 – 110,000 years ago.
3. If you do not thrive on it – It is NOT food.
4. If it requires processing by any means, in order to be edible – It is NOT food.
5. If you can’t make a meal out of it with no ill affects – It is NOT food.
6. When something is not edible or palatable without the addition of other ingredients, and is not desirable in it’s natural state – It is NOT food.

Great, So what the hell DO I eat?!

1. Free-run Fowls and Eggs, Grass-Fed Beef, Wild Game, Wild Fish.
2. All local and fresh fruits and vegetables that were consumed 90,000 to 110,000 years ago. Nothing genetically modified, unripe, or bred as “seedless”.
3. A healthy balance of High – Med – Low Glycemic  fruits and vegetables.
4. Fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs/greens that require no processing to be consumed.
5. Any food in it’s natural state that can be consumed in large quantities with no ill effects.

… then what do I NOT eat?

1. Factory-farmed meats. Farmed Fish. Mass-farmed fowls and their eggs.
2. Deli/Cured meats (salami, roast ham, turkey, hot dogs, sausages, etc).
3. Anything raised on grains, antibiotics, hormones.
4. ALL grains and legumes (pasta, rice, chickpeas, bread, etc).
5. ALL tubers (potatoes, yams, etc).
6. ALL oils, salts, sugars, vinegars, dairy.
7. ALL fruits and vegetables from the Nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, etc).

*The key is to eat as close to the way we did 90,000 years ago. We didn’t whip up cheese casaroles in our ovens nor did we bake cakes. We didn’t “marinate” our meats nor did we fry them. We didn’t use oils or vinegars. We simply hunted and foraged. We ate what was in season and local.

~ Sickness is the vengeance of Mother Nature for the violation of her laws

]]> https://sassifer.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/wheat-and-chronic-fatigue/feed/ 7 sassifer https://sassifer.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/the-power-of-detox-acheive-your-dream-body/ https://sassifer.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/the-power-of-detox-acheive-your-dream-body/#respond Tue, 12 May 2009 07:51:52 +0000 http://sassifer.wordpress.com/?p=225 The Power of DETOX

How to Achieve Your Ideal Weight and Increase Your Energy With a Detox Diet

Unless you live in the middle of the jungle, you breathe only pure air, eat only organic foods when you’re hungry; and that those foods provide the exact nutritional needs of your body; that you never experience any stress, worry or anxiety and you exercise every single day… chances are that you need to detox.

Just like the dust and crud that accumulates in your house calls for a yearly house-cleaning – “toxins”, extra weight and God knows what accumulate in your body.

We all need to do a regular house-cleaning – and that means allowing your body a chance to heal itself, release the extra weight, release its toxins, and get a fresh new start.

Your body has an amazing self-healing mechanism built right in it, but in order to let it work, you have to give it the rest it needs.

That’s why fasting has been a tradition part of many world’s religions, and almost every alternative health practice recommends some kind of fasting or “detox diet“.

*What Is a Detox Diet?*

A “detox diet” has nothing to do with going to a rehab clinic for drug abuse. The word “detox” has been used in naturopathic circles in the sense of “removing toxins.” A detox diet allows your body to clean itself of accumulated toxins, stress, and helps it release extra fat and weight.

A detox diet is a restricted diet that you follow, often combined with an exercise program, for a few days or a few weeks (or even longer). It’s sort of like fasting, but it’s easier to do and you can do it at home when you need it.

*Signs You Need to Detox*

You should be able to know yourself when you need to go on a detox diet. If you’re looking at yourself in the mirror and don’t like what you see, you don’t like the extra weight you’ve been carrying around… then a detox diet can help you get back on track with a healthy diet and release the extra fat..

If you feel you don’t have the energy you once had, or you’re starting to feel a little depressed… a detox diet can help you regain that energy and bring a new level of joy to your life.

If you experience aches and pains, or headaches, and can’t keep up with the stress of modern life, then it’s very likely that a detox diet can help you feel young again, and give you the feeling that “nothing can stop you”.

From having helped thousands of people go through all sorts of detox diets, I know that the rejuvenation it brings and the sense of accomplishment, on top of all the health results, is well worth the discipline it requires to do it.

*Example of a Detox Diet*

There’s all sorts of detox diets you can choose from. One of my all-time favorites is the Apple Diet. This involves eating only apples for breakfast, lunch and dinner, for one or several days.

The good thing about apples is that they are easy to eat, they are low in sugar, and they contain a fiber that literally acts as a “broom” in your intestines.

When you go on an Apple Diet, all you have to do is purchase the best organic apples you can find, and eat as many as you’d like 3 or 4 times a day.

Here’s a few tips to make this work:

1. If you’ve never done this before, only plan to go for the Apple Diet for a maximum of 3-4 days.
2. Peel your apples beforehand. Even though the peel contains essential nutrients, it’s also impossible to digest in most cases. Since you’re going to be eating lots of apple, you don’t want to stress your digestion with too much fiber.
3. Don’t drink apple juice – even if it’s freshly-pressed. That would be too much sugar, even if it’s natural. You want the natural sugar along with all of the vitamins, minerals and fiber in the *whole* apple.
4. Also drink water, about one liter a day, to help eliminate the toxins.
5. Instead of eating apples all day long, have 3-4 meals a day with 1-2 pounds of apples.

I recommend the Apple Diet over any other type of “mono-cleanse”, because the apple is the King of Fruits!

Other popular cleanses that I don’t recommend include the Orange Juice Fast, the Lemon Cleanse, or the Grapefruit Diet. The problem with those detox diets is that the level of acidity from these citrus fruits is too high. It can cause many problems with your gums and overall health, and many unnecessary discomforts.

That’s why low-acidity apples are a good choice to do a raw food detox diet.

*Get Support and Motivation*

Although the concept of a detox diet is simple, most people have a hard time implementing it because of lack of motivation.

It’s not complicated to eat only apples for 3 days, but it’s not easy either. On the first day, you’ll be craving your normal fare. By the second day, you’ll be dreaming about food. But if you stick around, after a few days, you’ll be experiencing the incredible “high”, energy and lightness of beings that fasters experience – and the results will show.

You’ll start to release weight, your hunger for natural foods will come back, you’ll have energy to start an exercise program, you’ll feel better than ever… and when you’re ready to introduce other foods into your diet, you’ll be more likely to make the right choices.

But to get to that point, make sure you get enough support and motivation. Find someone who can help you do a detox diet with you, and get as much information and support as you can to succeed on your cleanse.

Learn to use the power of DETOX in your life… and you’ll start to regain the health and energy that is your birthright.

—

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time… I picked it up from my old Landlord who was very much Italian and, naturally, loved to cook. This is a very simple recipe

Italian Chickpea Soup

What You Need:

• 1/2 can Tomato Paste
• 2 14 oz Cans Chick Peas (Garbonza Beans)
• 1 Diced Sweet Onion
• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 large can Diced Tomatoes
• Finely ground black pepper

What To Do:

1. Saute Onions with Olive Oil until soft. Add Garlic and saute one more minute.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. On Med-High heat, with lid on, cook until liquid separates from Tomatoes.
3. Turn to low heat and slow cook for 50-60 minutes. Stir occasionally. Should turn into a thicker consistency the longer it slow cooks.
4. Serve with warm Bread and enjoy!

Nutritional Information:

Calories (per 1 serving of 299 g) – 221

• Calories from Fat – 39

Total Fat – 4.3 g

• Saturated Fat – 0.6

Cholesterol – 0 mg

Sodium – 605 mg

Total Carbohydrates – 37.8 g

• Sugars – 4.5 g

• Fiber – 7.5 g

Protein – 9.2 g

They took 3 out of my 4 wisdom teeth. They weren’t causing me any discomfort… so why remove them then, you ask? Well.. here goes:

1. This is the last year I’m covered under my parent’s insurance. The surgery cost $1,147.00… $1,000.00 of that was covered.
2. My jaw is far too thin and brittle to support long wisdom tooth roots… extractions later on in life could cause more harm than good.
3. There is absolutely no room in my mouth for the wisdom teeth. They were growing in sideways, leftways, rightways, and every-which-way you can imagine.
4. I couldn’t reach them to brush them properly… two of them already had cavities… even though they were only half way out of my gums. Rotting wisdom teeth are extremely bad, as the rot can travel into the jaw bone eventually and that, folks, is much worse than just having them removed.
5. Last but not least… I’m young. The younger you are, the faster and easier you heal. As the roots are more malleable… with age they lose elasticity and are a lot harder to work with, not to mention the pain is worse and healing is a bitch.

Now, they only took 3 out of the 4 for one reason and one reason only. The 4th tooth is so overly-developed, it should be in a 30 yr old’s mouth. The roots are fully grown and lucky for me… they’ve grown right next to a main nerve. If they remove the tooth, there’s a 50/50 chance I could end up with paralyzation. In my lips, eyes, cheeks… anywhere on the right side of my face. So, due to the fact that the tooth is causing me absolutely no discomfort or problems.. they decided to leave it. If, later on in my life… it causes problems… only then should the risk be considered for extraction.

I was lucky enough to have had a great Dental Surgeon work on me. The whole experience was pleasant… after the initial shitting of bricks, of course.

Here is a recap:

I couldn’t eat or drink anything after midnight on Sunday night, til after the surgery… so I popped a sleeping pill to calm down and try to catch some Zz’s… it worked well. I proceeded to wake up at 7:30am, showered… mentally prepared myself, piled into the car in my pjs and arrived at the office with my mother. After waiting a few terrorizing minutes and calling up my boyfriend for moral support, the clock struck 9:15am and in I went.

There was the Doctor and two assistants/nurses. They helped me into the chair and told me to relax. They reassured me about 4 times that everything would be just fine…. after the third time of hearing it, you actually start to believe it! Amazing.

They had me lay back as they placed the laughing gas mask on my face. This was our agreement: laughing gas or no needle was going into my hand. So they pumped that sweetness into me like there was no tomorrow. After a few minutes, I really started to calm down and relax, which in turn made it much easier for the Doc to put the needle into my hand.(which btw… didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.)

At this point, I’m hooked up to so many things I can’t even count. There’s things stuck on my chest and stomach, blood pressure things on my arm and fingertips… a mask on my face, and a needle stuck in my hand which is also taped down around my arm. I felt like I was going in for open heart surgery. Crazy!

Shortly after sliding the needle into my right hand, I started feeling tingly and woozy. If you’ve ever had a sleeping pill or two… it’s very much the same, but it gets a LOT stronger.. and comes on a LOT faster.

While this feeling was eminating throughout my body, the Doc and nurses were chatting with me. Asking me questions about schooling and such. I told them that I was going into bartending school in June… the one nurse laughed and thought it was the coolest thing… then the nurse and Doc joked around with each other about mixing drinks properly or something.. and this is where my memory gets fuzzy.

I black out.

All of the sudden, I’m sitting up from the chair and trying to walk… holding on to someone or something. I see a floor and blurry feet. I don’t feel like I’m walking but.. somehow… my legs are moving.

I black out again.

Then another flash of consciousness! I’m lying down on a bed that is half-way across the room where the operating chair is… and my mother is beside me, asking me how I feel. I try to speak but apparently all that comes out is, “muasohadf, aopseoiwhn, blahhawoihe.” This may have something to do with the huge gauze in my mouth, inhibiting my speech.

Black out.

I wake up again on my side, facing my mother. I apparently turn to her with dilated pupils and half open eyes and spit out, “I feel so gooood…. wow… I feel so hiiiighhh omg, this is great.” Then… back into a coma I go.

Finally, after about 20 minutes of this off and on, I come to and actually wake up. I have help sitting up and propping up against the wall behind me with a pillow… the nurse comes over and changes the gauze for me, which are very bloody. She tells me when to change them next, when I can eat… when I can brush, etc etc.. all of these important details. However, I don’t absorb any of it because my mind is loopy and I’m still half-dancing in fields of lollipops. Thank god my mother was there… she listened.

Five minutes of sitting up on the bed and I’m feeling almost normal again. Normal enough to walk, at least. My mother helps me up and we walk very slowly back to the car. I’ve still got gauze in my mouth… so speaking right now is out of the question. I resort to sign language and cave-man dialect to get my point across.

Somehow, I am able to text like a fiend in the car ride home to my boyfriend and everyone else who was worried about me… I barely remember doing this.

On the way home, we make a stop or two to pick up my scripts for Percocets, T3’s and Antibiotics… and then finally… I’m home.

After a few naps and a hell of a lot of vegging out in front of my brothers new Age of Conan game that he was playing… I attempt my first food of the day – Chocolate pudding! Mmm delicious.. but very hard to eat when it hurts to swallow, due to the tube that was down my throat.. and an entirely numb face. It’s hard to tell the difference between gauze, tongue or cheek still. So… what would take a normal person 5 minutes, if not less, to consume… took me about an hour and a half, as I managed to get chocolate pudding all over my lips… which, unbeknownst to me, appeared as “dried blood” to everyone who saw me. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror an hour later and quickly fixed it… lol.

 ————

Today is the third day after the surgery… and it’s true when they say it is the worst. I woke up today with the most pain and the most swelling out of the entire time since the surgery.

Due to the fact that I had two teeth taken from the left side and only one taken from the right side… the left is much more swollen than the other. So right now I look like some form of human-chipmunk hybrid species.

Thankfully my blood clots really nicely and I only required one set of stitches… but that doesn’t mean that the stitches that are in there aren’t annoying as hell.

Well, I think that about covers everything. This is the ordeal I’ve been going through the past few days.. and I’ve had great support from my family, friends, and wonderful boyfriend. Everyone has been taking care of me as best they can. And to be honest, as much as my face hurts, I’m loving every minute of it lol! Come on.. flying high on Percocets and having people give you ice cream and pudding whenever you ask? This is the life, my friends. This is the life.

Boys, if womanly problems disturb you, please stop reading right now. Women, read on! This is important..

Apparently I had so much built up yeast that the duration I was on it (6 weeks) was not long enough. It was only long enough to stir the yeast up and release it into my body, free to roam and wreak havoc on any unsuspecting weak cells.

I received my first ever… yeast infection. 20 some odd years on this earth, as a woman, never having one… that was quite the accomplishment. Believe me, I was content never having experienced one. I didn’t WANT to know what it was like… all the horror stories I was told, I believed everyone! But noooo… I had to get one at the very end of my yeast cleanse. *rolls eyes*

Oh well. It’s gone now. But let me tell you… OUCH. No other words.

 So apparently… my naturopath wants me to go onto another yeast cleanse to make sure I get rid of everything. This time I’m going to try Oregano Oil instead of Citricidal. It will be an adventure, no doubt.

However, I am holding off on embarking on this trip into fun-strict-food territory… until I have a month or so of a very healthy and varied diet. I’ve been lacking in fruit consumption since the beginning of the first yeast cleanse… and I can already feel the effects. Starting another yeast cleanse right now… would really hurt me. I know my body best.

To throw salt in the wound, my mononucleosis symptoms are returning. For those of you not “in the know”… last year I was diagnosed with Infectious Mononucleosis. No this doesn’t mean I’m a kissing-whore. In-fact, around 90% of people will acquire the virus even if they exhibit no symptoms. You can contract it simply from sharing a glass with someone… a cook coughing in your food at a restaurant… a passer-by sneezing on you. It only takes a tiny amount to get into your system, and once it’s in.. it’s IN. However, you can have mono for your entire life and never, not once, experience it. It lays dormant, but you can still pass it on to other people.

 So, where did I get it from? God knows. Actually, god probably doesn’t even know… and satan? I bet he’s lost in the dark, too.

So… the symptoms I get from this simply pleasant monster are the following:

• Supra-orbital Edema – Puffy Eyes. After sleeping, my eyes puff up to the point that I can barely open them. This lasts all day, no matter how many antihistamines you pop or ice cubes you freeze yourself with.
• Crust of the eyes – Yep. Upon waking I am amazed to find my eyes almost crusted shut. This makes a girl feel beautiful in the morning.
• Swollen Lymph Nodes –Around the throat. They become so swollen, in-fact, that they protrude out of the neck. Making the face appear to be 5lbs fatter. Oh, beauty.
• Swollen Throat/Tonsils – Ever had a really really sore throat? That’s nothing compared to this! This is the most pain I’ve ever been in… in my entire life. The amount of pain was so fierce… that simply BREATHING (through the nose or mouth) would wake me from a dead sleep and bring me to tears. I was in the hospital twice for fear of it closing up entirely. I barely ate.
• White Patches – On the back of the throat. Now, there is some confusion surrounding what this is exactly… Some suspect oral Thrush. Others.. small pockets of mucus and bacteria. Who knows. All I know is that it’s ugly, and you’re stuck with a terrible taste in the back of your throat.
• Extreme Fatigue – This was my very first symptom. I found myself falling asleep in the middle of movies.. at 8pm! (anyone who knows me, knows I’m an infamous nighthawk). I would sleep… and sleep….. and sleep, wake up.. and still not feel rested. In-fact, I could sleep for 12 hours and wake up feeling as though I haven’t slept in a week. You have absolutely no energy to do ANYTHING. Showering is even a chore.
• Fever – This one wasn’t terrible for me. But that may have something to do with the fact that I was flying high on percocets every 2 hours, to ease the pain of my throat so I could.. oh I don’t know.. EAT something!
• Enlarged/swollen Spleen or Liver – I wouldn’t know if this actually happened, as I slept through most of this, however I did feel puffy and bloated in my abdomen. No pain though.
• Muscle Aches – Yep. Every ounce of you aches in pain. But to be honest, it felt like nothing compared to my throat.
• Depression – I was too high to be depressed. C’mon… It’s percocets! No one can be depressed on opiates!

Yes, it was a lovely experience. One to remember… !

The past week I’ve had a strangely sore throat, off and on. I passed it off as a cold, because it IS that time of the year, after all. However, this morning I awoke to puffy eyes with crust. All through the day I’ve felt that trademark “tired” eyes feeling… it’s indescribable. Your eyes feel so dry, so heavy, so tired… and yet you had plenty of sleep. If the phone didn’t ring today, I could have slept the entire day away. The past week I’ve noticed I’ve been feeling very very tired… all the time. Well, now I know what it is.

So, as a means to prevent the sore-throat-from-hell episode… I’m starting right away on a Defense Plus, Lemon/Fruit, and E3Live regime. I started this with my last episode, and within two days my symptoms vanished. Whereas traditional medicine (percosets) was just keeping me doped up, covering up the pain. Nothing was being done to FIX the problem.

Yep. I’m falling apart these days! Not for long, though!

Here’s to taking control of our health and making every moment count.

Stay Sassy

Since I could hold my head up high… and it’s been a while… Since I first saw youuuuu

Don’t mind me, just singing! Now let’s get down to business..

 It’s true, it’s been a while… a long while since I’ve posted anything. And I apologize! Life has been crazy busy, more so than ever before. Yes, I suppose I am a party gal.. staying out until 8am for the past few weeks.. but I have the right to! I just got myself out of a horrible relationship and am now finally allowing myself to embrace my god-given human right of freedom and FUN!

But alas, the excitement must mitigate in order for the normalities of life to proceed. *sigh*

 I am in the midst of finding a temp job to help pay my way through schooling right now. This should be fun… everybody loves mundane jobs (that was sarcasm incase you didn’t notice)

Anywho, I must retire for the evening. I promise never to abandon you again! I WILL be back either tomorrow or the next to shock your mind with dumbfounding information about something completely wacko… because that’s how I do

Ciao!! Stay Sassy

January 28, 2008

Included below is the first issue of Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) new monthly email newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter will be to summarize the key developments that occur each month, and provide links for further information on the web.

For those readers who currently receive our more frequent “FAN Bulletins” and would prefer to only receive the monthly mailing, please email us at: monthly@fluoridealert.org and we will make a change to your subscription preference.

1) “Second Thoughts About Fluoride” Reports Scientific American

The January issue of Scientific American magazine contains an excellent review of the fluoride controversy. According to the article, “scientific attitudes toward fluoridation may be starting to shift.” According to an accompanying note from the editors: “Some recent studies suggest that over-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth, bones, the brain and the thyroid gland.”

Of particular interest in the Scientific American review are comments made by Dr. John Doull, the Chairman of the recent National Research Council review of fluoride in drinking water. According to Doull, he was surprised to see the amount of evidence linking fluoride to altered thyroid function. “The thyroid changes do worry me,” Doull told author Dan Fagin.

Doull added: “What the committee found is that we’ve gone with the status quo regarding fluoride for many years—for too long, really—and now we need to take a fresh look.”

To read more excerpts of the Scientific American article, click here. To read a press release discussing the article, click here.

2) Major Conference on Fluoride Toxicity Announced for August 2008

It’s official. Dr Hardy Limeback, from the University of Toronto, has recently announced that Toronto will be the site of the International Society for Fluoride Research’s (ISFR) upcoming conference on fluoride toxicity. Titled “Fluoride: Bone & Brain Effects”, the conference will feature presentations from research scientists around the world, and will take place in Toronto from August 7th-10th. On the last day of the conference, FAN will be organizing networking and organizing workshops, which should prove of great value to activists working in the trenches. To sign up, and read more about the conference, click here.

3) FAN Launches New Online Video Series of “Professional Perspectives”

On January 16th, FAN launched the first in a series of online video vignettes which will be produced throughout 2008. The series, titled “Professional Perspectives”, will feature some of the 1,350+ medical, scientific, and environmental experts who have signed FAN’s “Professionals’ Statement to End Water Fluoridation.”

The first installment of the series features Dr. Bill Osmunson, a practicing dentist who promoted fluoridation for the first 25 years of his professional career. In the short 5-minute video, Dr. Osmunson discusses some of the reasons that led him to reconsider, and ultimately oppose, fluoridation. To watch the video, click here.

So far, the video has already been watched by over 4,500 people, and Carole Clinch from Waterloo, Ontario reports that it was put to use with “great effect” at a recent meeting where a council voted against a proposed extension of water fluoridation in Ontario’s Niagara district. (To read more about the Niagara decision, click here.)

(To further increase the impact of this video, please consider forwarding it to your friends, add it to your blog, or send it to your dentist or doctor.)

4) FAN Releases Review of “Top 10 Scientific Developments of 2007”

To help members keep abreast of the latest scientific research, FAN recently posted a review of the “top 10 scientific developments” in 2007. The developments include: new evidence on the damage fluoride may cause to the brain; new evidence on the risk of fluoride poisoning from drinking too much tea; new evidence linking fluoridation chemicals to increased uptake of lead; and new evidence questioning fluoride’s purported benefits. To view FAN’s “Top 10”, click here.

5) FAN’s Campaign for Congressional Hearings Gets a Big Boost

January has proven to be a very busy month on the campaign for Congressional hearings! Last week, over 2,000 people — representing virtually every state in the nation — emailed their Congressional reps calling for an end to water fluoridation pending further hearings.

If you haven’t yet sent a letter, you can send (or modify) our form letter online at: http://www.fluoridealert.org/congress. It only takes a few seconds to send this letter, and it will help your Congressional reps know that their constituents care about the safety of their drinking water, and don’t want unnecessary toxins like fluoride added to it.

6) More Health Professionals Call for End to End Water Fluoridation

In January, over 150 health professionals — including the former Federal Health Minister of Belgium and many dentists, doctors, PhD scientists, nurses, naturopaths, and chiropractors — came forward and added their name to FAN’s Statement to End Water Fluoridation. If you know of other health professionals who may like to sign the statement, please refer them to our online sign-up form.

To read about other events from January, please check out FAN’s online newstracker for a chronological listing of news.

Here’s to a fluoride-free future! Together we can make it happen.

Sincerely,

Paul Connett, PhD
Executive Director
Fluoride Action Network
paul@fluoridealert.org

I would strongly advise everyone to sign this and pass it on to those you love. This is not something we should shrug off. The next victim could be your brother, your parents, or even yourself. Take a stand. We made these “protectors”, now it’s time to take their power away. It has gotten to their heads. We, the people, have complete control over what they can and can not do to protect us. So speak up, know your rights.

More sources:

The Petition Site

Canoe.ca

Sassifer.wordpress.com

Truth not Tasers.blogspot

The Globe and Mail

The Star

This is Canada, a once considered safe and free country. A diverse, cultural rich, multi-lingual society. “The land of the free”… they said. Land of the free? Why don’t I feel so “free”? We might as well be living in our neighbours yard… because right now, to define where our grass begins and theirs ends, is indistinguishable. The line that separated US from THEM has vanished, blended into the surroundings by fallacious arguments. Our lawn may as well be theirs.

You disappoint me, Canada. My beloved home, you are not what you once were. You have broken our hearts. You’ll never be the same…

For more details on the recent tragic events, go here: http://benelling.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/2nd-canadian-taser-death-in-one-week/

R.I.P Robert and Quilem, you’re deaths will not go unpunished.