Making Connections, Sharing Daily Life, and Loving Everyone along the Way

I am so excited to feel better!  Since needing to take the antiobiotics in June and July for my ear infection, then the upper respiratory infection, my whole system has felt "off".  

So, I've decided to add a few things to my monthly Wellness Box to help with the process.  You can look at Preparing for a Cleanse and Shopping to Get Ready for a Cleanse to see more about what I've done to prepare ahead of time for this.

This morning began with my usual coffee and Bible Study, so nothing has changed there.  I went out to feed and water the dogs, and began putting together my breakfast smoothie.  As of this writing, it's been almost 30 minutes after finishing it and I'm feeling quite satisfied, so the protein has helped with that!

Ok for the recipe, I didn't follow anything, but what I felt would be good to begin with.  You can find these items at your local grocery store, except for 2 that came in my wellness box.  I'll add links for them below. 

This seemed like it would work for me this morning and it did.  It was quite satisfying and not bitter at all, so it worked! 

Water is so very important when doing a cleanse!  Every day, I try to drink 4 quarts of water within a 24 hour timeframe.

Why only 1/4 cup?  The natural sugars in the berries, if using more than this, will make this smoothie carb heavy and I didn't want that. I wanted the cellulose and vitamins from the raspberries. 

This chopped kale worked very well in my smoothie.  I didn't have to chop anything, but just grabbed 2 handfulls and rinsed them.  Hardly any effort at all! 

This powder adds multiple types of protein in to my smoothie that I need:  Pure Protein Complete-Vanilla Spice

This is the highest antioxidant drink on the planet, so I added it to my smoothie this morning: NingXia Red Packets

The finished smoothie had some texture to it, so if you want more smooth, just blend longer.  

So far this morning I've taken Comfortone Supplement.  I have a plan for the other supplements throughout the day and my timer will be set to remind me to take those at the best time possible.  

Now, I'm sure there are questions you may be asking about this particular cleanse.  One may be:  Why the focus on protein?

I have been diagnosed as a diabetic and if I just included all things cellulose in these smoothies, my blood sugar would be affected.  I've done smoothies before with very little protein and my blood sugar bottomed out pretty much telling me the benefits of the smoothie are good, but need more protein for my own needs.

Love & God Bless,

Regina

Many times cleansing is touted as a way to just get attention...

Me?  This is my first official cleanse.  I've read quite a bit about cleanses and have determined this is the best way "for me" to tackle cleansing my body of the toxic yuck.  

What toxic yuck?

*Sugar--this particular item reaks havoc on your brain and your body.  Google the affects of sugar on your body.  

*Processed Food--This particular item is artificial ingredients, man made, machine made or otherwise that are unnatural.  These things cling to your colon and need a good scrubbing!  

*Anything that is synthetic medications--We'll discuss this more at length in the future, but suffice it to say that anti-biotics mess with your colon, disrupting the healthy bacteria that needs to live there to help you thrive.

So, what do I buy?

You're going to see some usual "I thought so" kinds of things, but bear with me.

*Kale--This nutrient dense food has been used on salad bars as a garnish for years.  It's truly one of those foods that are super high in fiber and wonderful vitamins.  But why kale of all things?  The wonderful stems in the kale contain cellulose that acts like a toothbrush in our colons to scrub the gunk!  

Like with kale...

*Spinach--specifically baby spinach.  The larger spinach is more bitter in my opinion and makes things taste not so good.  And, yes, because it's Popeye's favorite food!  LOL  It's got some wonderful iron and vitamins as well as cellulose.

*Carrots, celery, apples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries...all things to sweeten smoothies and add more cellulose and vitamins.

*Collagen because it contains protein and wonderful things to help your skin, hair and nails.

There will likely be more added, and I will update after a few days to let you know all that I feel and am going through.

Why am I doing this?

I'm clearing out the affects of 2 rounds of anti-biotics in June and July from my colon.  I've covered the items I'm using as supplements in Preparing for a Cleanse, so I'll encourage you to read that.

Also, all health for our bodies begins in the gut.  If our colons are not clean and balanced, then we're going to be sick more.  If you have some time, and are interested, look up on Youtube "Unhealthy Colonoscopy Videos" and see what you see.

I'm going to begin this on Wednesday of this week.  I don't expect to lose weight from this, but anything is possible.  I'll update and let everyone know  how things go next Monday. 

Until then, have a wonderful evening!

Love & God Bless,

Regina Graham

Is it just me, or do these things come along at 4AMish for everyone?

I put my kids in bed for the night and got into the tub to relax.  My left leg started cramping in waves from my hip to my knee and all the way around my thigh.  It was all I could do to get out of the tub and in to bed with some Ibuprofen.  Tthrough the tears I called my husband and asked him for help.  He brought me a heating pad which made it worse.  So, we didn't know what else to do, but go to the ER.  I had to drive myself because there was no one to come stay with the kids and it was snowing outside.  

Three days, 2 ER visits, 1 Chiropractor on a Sunday, and no releif in sight, I called my Dad who was in Florida at the time & he prayed with me.  Then I called the elders of our church. At 8:30PM on a Sunday they came with their wives and all 5 laid hands on me and prayed.  At 8:37, I stood up for the first time in 3 days without pain.  If I could I would have jumped and leaped and praised God! 

In the days following, I still had small charlie-horses at night, but with the help of Quinine, Valerian Root, Calcium-Magnesium-Potassium supplements, a sleeping pill, and Naproxen, my muscles settled down enough to allow me to sleep.

I had an MRI a few days later which revealed a disc had ruptured in my back.  The gelantinous material oozed out ever so slightly and touched the left side of my spinal cord.  I was referred to a neurologist and upon entering the building and checking in, everyone was in awe that I wasn't wheeled in to their office in a wheelchair.  I told them my story and they were all amazed.  The Dr asked me which church I went to!  LOL  

So, almost 20 years later, I still occasionally get charlie-horses in the middle of the night.  Last night it was my right leg.  And you can rest assured that the pleading with God was already happening.  I never get them in my right leg, so I thought this was new.  I asked my husband to grab me a couple Naproxen, then I knew I didn't have any of the other things I'd used 20 years ago because I'd weaned myself off them long ago.  

What else did I have that would help?

I reached for my Lavender.  I liberally applied it everywhere I felt the pain from the charlie-horse.  With the Naproxen and the Lavender, my pain was gone in minutes.  I could stand up and walk to the bathroom.  I laid back down in bed and fell back to sleep.  

Praise God!

Love & God Bless,

Regina

Everybody cleanses, right?

So, what is a cleanse?

A clease is when you take certain supplements and foods in liquid form to purge your body, specifically your colon, of unhealthy "gunk".

When we have been sick, or traveling, or even when we feel a bit sluggish, it's time for a cleanse.  When having taken an anti-biotic, or any medicine for a cold or flu, those medicines affect our colon.  Anti-biotics are not selective when they go through our gut, so they pretty much kill good and bad bacteria, making room for yeast to grow at any opportunity.  This is why taking a probiotic while taking an anti-biotic is good to help keep the good gut flora in check.

So how am *I* preparing for a cleanse?

I am planning to do a 3 day cleanse.  I know some people do cleanses longer than that, but I feel that 3 days is long enough for me.  I am going to begin with--YUP!  You guessed it!  Spinach and Kale smoothies!  But, I'm going to be adding some pretty awesome ingredients to not only help it to taste good, but to help my body have nutrient dense foods as my colon is cleansed.  

Why Spinach and Kale?  

With spinach and kale, especially organic, they help with the "scrubbing" factor in the colon.  They are rich in fiber and nutrient dense, so they make the perfect smoothie foods!  Another good one I'll be adding is celery for the scrubbing factor alone.  When we eat good nutrient dense veggies we get a wonderful benefit from the nutrients for our bodies, but also the fiber acts like a toothbrush, scrubbing the inside of our colon.  Cellulose which comprises the fiber in plants, is not digestible by humans, so the benefit of eating veggies is simply what I like to call the "toothbrush effect".  Does this have scientific back up?  Somewhere, probably.  Go ahead and look up the benefits of fiber on your colon--not the synthetic stuff you get at the big box store in a bottle...

What kind of nutrient dense foods?   

I'm glad you asked!  I'll be adding Young Living's Protein Complete powder to my smoothies for added protein.  I'm also adding chicken bone broth for the collagen to help my joints and skin, as well as a 2 ounce sachet of NingXia Red to my smoothies.

Is this all I'm doing for smoothies?  

No!  I'm planning to use my Trim Healthy Mama cookbook for some nutrient dense smoothies, too.

Additionally, I'm planning to take a few supplements to help with the cleanse itself.  

*ParaFree soft gels just in case while I was traveling I may have picked up an unwelcome guest in my digestive tract.  This will naturally help with the eviction process.

*Detoxzyme to help get rid of any toxin build up in my gut.

*Life 9 to help keep the gut flora in balance.

*Digize Vitality in a Vegetable Capsule just in case I get some tummy upset and need help wtih that.  I can also use 1-2 drops of this topically (right on the tummy) with 1 tsp of NingXia Red to help with tummy upset.

Now, there are other things I could use to help with my cleanse, but honestly, this is all I feel that I need right now.  

Will this be my last cleanse, like a "one-and-done" kind of situation?  

No!  It's important to listen to our bodies and cleanse when our bodies tell us it needs cleansing.  How can I tell I need to cleanse?  Are you feeling tired, sluggish, and how does your bowel movements look?  Google "unhealthy bowel movement pictures" and you'll get all you need to see for comparison! Trust me!

It goes without saying that this cleanse will include lots of water.  On a normal day I drink 4 quarts of water, plus 1 cup of coffee, and maybe tea of some sort.  So getting enough fluid in me, personally is not an issue.  I would highly recommend everyone look at your own water intake and adjust accordingly.  If you're not getting enough water, you probably need to increase that.  Our bodies are made of 80% water, so it's important to replentish that supply! 

Now, when am I going to start this cleanse?  

Super easy!  When my Loyalty Rewards order comes to my doorstep!  I like to call it my "Wellness Box".  I started out the first 3 months getting 10% back in points on everything I ordered with Loyalty Rewards.  At 4 months, I started getting 20% back in points on everything I ordered.  Then at 25 months, I started getting 25% back on everything I ordered in my Wellness Box.  I was able to change the processing dates as needed, I made changes to what came each month as needed and it works so well for me!  PLUS!  I get everything at a 24% discount for LIFE!  

If you'd like to do this too, just go to Young Living and "sign in".  When that page appears, scroll down to create an account.  You can save 24% immediately with an order over $100, AND free shipping!  You can also get 24% off by clicking "Subscribe" on any product!  You can adjust anything to receive it every 1, 2, or 3 months.  That's the Subscribe-to-Save Loyalty Rewards program!  It's awesome!  

I'd love to share a sample with you, so if there is anything you've been wanting to try, let me know!  

Are you thinking of doing a cleanse, too?  Let me know in the comment section!  I'd love to hear which Young Living products you're using to help with your cleanse!

I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love & God Bless,

Regina

Each one of us at some point in our lives need to take an anti-biotic for a variety of reasons.  I am not a medical Dr and I cannot diagnose or treat anyone, so this is simply based on my own personal experience.

 

I have had antibiotics throughout my life, at times twice a year, and one year at least 4 times for infections of varying types.

 

I’ll be sharing things here that have worked for me.  Please be sure you check with your Dr before following any advice.  

 

When I get the prescription for an antibiotic, that evening when I take my evening medication, I take 1 additional probiotic called Life 9.   This increases my body’s good gut flora without adding sugar. (Google "Good Gut Flora" if you need to understand a bit more.)  When an antibiotic is introduced to one’s body, it doesn’t pick and choose which things to wipe out in your gut, it just wipes everything out.   When I take an antibiotic, I stay away from carbohydrates at all cost because anything that my body can break down to the simplest form of sugar, that’s what will increase in my gut.  When you have excess sugar, yeast thrives and blooms in that environment.  I have to be super vigilant with this otherwise I’ll get thrush in my mouth, which is a form of yeast overgrowth.  Some people call it Candida.  

I call it “yucky!”

 

So, to ensure I don’t have a yeast overgrowth, I increase my probiotic and decrease my carbohydrate consumption.  This keeps my gut flora balanced better when I have to take an antibiotic.

 

So what else do I eat when on an antibiotic?  I normally have protein of various types like beef, chicken, pork, turkey, nuts and seeds.   I also increase my fiber with adding vegetables at every meal in various forms.  For example, in my scrambled eggs, I add pepper, spinach, and a little onion.  With lunch, I’ll have a salad, protein, and a warm vegetable like green beans.  Dinner will be much the same, but with vegetables swapped.  

 

Now, so far this year I have been on 2 different antibiotics.  The first was for an ear infection that I wanted to get under control before I went to my sister’s wedding.  Flying with an ear infection did not sound too thrilling to me, so I figured I’d better get it under control before I left.   And immediately I started my gut protocol, but it still caused me issues.   I figured that particular antibiotic wasn’t going to help much because while listening to my body, I was still experiencing diarrhea from it.  That’s a telltale sign while you’re on any medication that something isn’t right.  

 

Additionally, I went in to my mother’s apartment on numerous occasions {trying to help her clean, but in doing so caused my own health detriment}, drove her car and in doing so caused the infection to worsen and travel to my bronchial area.  Just a week after returning home, having visited my Dr, I have a 2^nd antibiotic in less than 2 months due to bronchitis.   I didn’t want it going to bronchial pneumonia, so I decided to get in to see my Dr sooner than later.

 

This was not in my plans!

 

Finally, many times we just keep going and going like the energizer bunny when this kind of thing happens.  I’ve found that I need to grant myself some grace, take an extra nap, and let go of expectations that I have of myself and others.   I do what I can and leave the rest for others to tend to.  It isn’t a bad thing to do that!  

 

Loving myself enough to take care of myself is a good thing.  Beating myself up for having needs is counterproductive to my body and to my own mind.  What is better is to admit to having needs, let someone know, “Hey, I need to go nap for a bit.” And go do it!

All this to say, staying healthy takes work. We must be careful when taking anti-biotics because they lose their potency. I choose not to take them for as long as possible, but when it is warranted, I take them. Working and working ourselves “to the bone” is counter-productive to our health and we get sick easier. Grant yourself some grace, take a nap, enjoy a salad or some good soup, and curl up with a cup of tea and a good book. Breathe deeply, add some Stress Away to your diffuser and relax! If the Lord of the universe can create the world in 6 days and rested on the 7^th, so can you!  

 

Have a lovely and wonderful day!

 

Love & God Bless, 

Sitting on my aunt and uncle's back porch in South Dakota one morning 
enjoying my coffee and talking with my uncle.
  

PS:  After my anti-biotic is done, I'm planning to do a detox.    It's going to be a 3 day detox, so stay tuned for that information on how I am beginning that journey!