At the beginning of September, I sent my fourth hair sample away to the lab, hair tissue mineral analysis that is.  I was really curious to see what kind of changes were happening inside my body since my re-test last November.  I actually had to double check that date; boy, that was a long time in between test dates!  Generally, with Nutritional Balancing, you will re-test every 3-4 months.  The problem was that I got my previous results back in mid December, smack dab during the Christmas rush, then I didn’t order my supplements until January.  Another problem occurred when I realized it was taking an unusually long amount of time to receive my supplements.  I found out that at the border, Health Canada had confiscated my order and sent them back to the lab in Arizona!  I was FURIOUS!  So, I had to re-order them (now having to pay shipping twice!).  Rather than order a 3-month supply like I had previously been doing without any problems, I now have to order one month supply only. This way Health Canada doesn’t get suspicious that you may be re-selling the supplements, and are using them for personal use only!  What a headache, but you gotta do what you gotta do!  So, I actually didn’t get started on the new batch of supplements until the start of March. So, essentially, I let 6 months go by on the new supplements before retesting.  When I wasn’t on the supplements though, I was still doing daily coffee enemas and saunas as often as I could.

DIFFICULT DETOX

I had mentioned previously that I dislike taking a large amount of pills and that to save money, I only took my prescribed supplements once per day, rather than three times.   One dose of the supplements is approximately 10-12 pills.  So, because I felt like I lost so much time between December and March, I decided to try taking my supplements twice a day, ya know, to speed things up!  My health coach, Pam Killeen, had advised me all along that this program will still work even if you only take the supplements once a day.  It will just work slower. However, there are some people (like me) who must slow this program down.  Some people can only take one dose every other day!  These supplements are extremely powerful!  Part of their job is to pull out heavy metals from deep within the bodies tissues.  You go through wild and crazy detoxification symptoms on this program which can be difficult for you (or the people in your life) to deal with.

It wasn’t until about three weeks into my new program, that both my husband and I began realizing that I needed to back my supplements down to once per day again.  What was happening to my body?  I was detoxing too fast.  The metals were coming out of the tissues too rapidly and affecting my emotions.  I couldn’t handle any stress.  The littlest things would set me off.  I had zero patience, especially with my children.  My memory was non-existant.  I got angry very easily, I felt mildly depressed and apathetic.  My brain felt like it was full of cob webs.  Having a coherant adult conversation wasn’t happening.  I cried over spilled milk.  The de-tox was too much to handle.  Once I backed off to one dose a day, I was feeling dramatically better.  I will say it again, these supplements are powerful!

TEST RESULTS

Fast forward 10 months later, and here were the results of my 4th re-test:

Lab Report of my fourth re-test.

If you are not working with a practitioner trained in HTMA, reading a report like this would be next to impossible to interpret on your own  Luckily, I work with the very talented Pam Killeen.  There were a couple very nice changes that showed up on this re-test, along with the indication that I still have lots of work to do.  For example, as you can see from my lab report, none of my mineral ratios are in the ideal range.

Here’s a summary of the results:

• I was still a super slow oxidizer, just like every test before, which is not ideal.  You can read about oxidation types here.
• My heavy metals really didn’t move much.  I am classified as a poor eliminator.  Why?  I was still doing too much.  The adrenals were not relaxing as they should in order for this to happen.
• I am now in a 3-High Pattern (which is close to a 4-High Pattern).  This essentially means that my nervous system is still irritated.  According to Dr. Wilson, “At times, a person will go into a four highs pattern on a retest.  This is usually a retracing process and is not much of a concern.  Sometimes it is called a kidney stress pattern.  This means that the body is eliminating toxic metals through the kidneys, and this places some strain on the kidneys temporarily.  As a result, the sodium and potassium levels increase when a person is in a slow oxidation state.  This is what usually produces the four highs pattern.  Indeed, there can be some kidney irritation affecting the levels of sodium and potassium.  Another cause for four highs pattern on a retest is an increase in adrenal and thyroid glandular activity in a person with slow oxidation.” (source)
• My sodium:potassium ratio is high (9.67).  The ideal ratio is 2.50.  This indicates acute stress, inflammation, zinc and/or magnesium deficiency and an aggressive personality. Hmmm, sounds mildly familiar.  However, my sodium level has increased from last time and this improved adrenal gland function, even though my adrenal glands are still low functioning.  Still a positive sign though!
• I was also in a Hill Pattern.  This is also called a Celebration Pattern!  This is a great example of how life circumstances really affect your internal biochemistry.  According to Dr. Wilson, “A hill pattern most often occurs on a retest mineral analysis when one has been following a nutritional balancing program, or perhaps another healing program if it is effective.  It indicates turning a corner, overcoming something or some positive change in one’s life.  It is a kind of celebration or rejoicing pattern.  It is also a pattern indicating openness to moving forward in one’s life.” (source) This was certainly occurring for me, I believe, because of our move!  I had been very unhappy where we were living for the past 8 years and was so happy to be moving where we were.
• My Ca:Mg ratio is very low.  This means that I am not handling carbohydrates well and I am having blood sugar issues.  Pam’s recommendation was to reduce my carb intake to 72 grams per day.  She explained that one of the jobs of the adrenal glands is to regulate blood sugar, if need be.  If you aren’t eating three square meals each day, with not enough fat and protein, and too much carbohydrate, the adrenals (which are already in burnout) will have to kick in and help regulate blood sugar.  If they are busy doing this all day, they wont be able to kick the toxic metals out of the body.  But the good news is that I am out of the Calcium Shell I was in on my previous test!  For me, that’s another reason to celebrate!  Previously, my calcium level was so high that I had a trend toward tissue calcification.  This is associated with conditions like osteo-arthritis, rheumatism, and tendinitis, etc.  Glad to be out of that calcium shell!  Read more about the calcium shell pattern here. Because of the reduction in my calcium level, my thyroid function improved!
• My zinc was really low, as well as my phosphorus.  What this meant for me was I need to eat more meat, especially red meat like beef and lamb.

Just the other day I made a realization, which I feel is another reason for celebration!  Over the summer months I was feeling a lot of nausea and had a real loss of appetite.  Even though it was so important to eat three square meals a day in order to start feeling better, I found it so difficult to do so.  Well, I hadn’t even realized until just the other day that my nausea was gone and my appetite was back!  It must have been such a gradual change that I didn’t even notice it.  I think a major contributing factor to the nausea was my very low zinc levels. Also, Pam just informed me that copper (which I am copper toxic) loves to lodge itself in the hypothalamus gland, which controls hunger and thirst. Now, that explains a lot!

Over the summer I also developed a rash on my chin.  I have determined that this must be a copper rash, and this is a good sign as the copper is coming out, which is what I want!

MOVING FORWARD

It will be another few months before I re-test again.  In the meantime, I am still faithfully doing my coffee enemas every day.  I switched from regular organic coffee to a brand of coffee that has been designed specifically for enema use called SA Wilsons.  Boy, what a difference!  I get a gall bladder release every time I use it, which of course makes me feel wonderful.  I am hoping that this new coffee will help to release more heavy metals.

Oh yes, reducing my carbs to 72 grams a day.  I am not really one for counting things, boo! But, it seems as though this is important.  So, what does 72 grams of carbs look like? Something like this (each serving represents about 12 grams):

1) 1 slice of sourdough bread
2) 2/3 cup of peas
3) 1/2 a medium potato
4) 1 cup of broccoli
5) 1 medium apple
6) 2 TBS dried beans

One more change I vow to make in 2013 is to do less and rest more, especially in my sauna. As I progress through this program, I am realizing the importance of slowing down, doing less, and saying no.  It’s a hard lesson to learn.  And believe me, I have slowed down from when I first started!  But the results of my latest test show that I need to slow down even more.  It’s not easy cutting things out of your life.  Truthfully though, I can think of a couple more things to cut out. We need to stop trying to act like super heros and accomplishing everything! Healing takes time.  You can’t heal when you are running the rat race.  There is always something that needs to get done, but I know that if I don’t take the time to heal myself now, there may not be a later, and this mama needs to be healthy and around a long time for her family!

What’s important to you?

This post is being shared at Fight Back Friday.

Top Photo Credit: nigelhowe’s photostream on Flickr

Its been a while since I’ve blogged.  It’s been a long hard summer.  Actually, the summer’s gone by pretty quickly, I can’t believe it’s September already.  Nevertheless, my summer has been full of anxiety, stress and excitement.  You see, we have lived in our little townhouse now for 8 years, and we decided it was time to move on.  With three kids and a few pets, we outgrew our home.  But, it needed a lot of work to get it ready for the market, and that took a lot longer than anticipated.  For somebody with adrenal burnout, this was particularly taxing.  So, we got the house ready, we listed it, we had showings, and after three weeks we sold it!  We also searched for a new house.  We saw 18 to be exact.  We put an offer in on a house we really liked, but ended up losing it to someone else.  That was heart wrenching.  But, we found another we liked even better in a nicer area!  Three weeks from today we move.  So, while the majority of the stress is over, we are still packing, have the big move, and all the un-packing to do still!  I will just be very happy to be in our new place!

I want to keep it real with you guys.  There are times in life where you may not be able to eat as healthy as you’d like.  This summer was one of those times for me.  With the stress of painting, renovating, showing our house and searching for a new one, cooking was the last thing on my to-do list.  I was not soaking brown rice, feeding my sourdough for morning waffles, leaving veggies on the counter to ferment, or any of those other things I normally do. What would potential buyers think if I had a big jar on kombucha brewing on my counter? So, all that stuff was put on temporary hold.  We ended up eating take-out much more than I’m happy to admit.  But, I knew it was just for a short time.

Luckily for me during this time, my wonderful husband was able to take the time off of work to help get the house ready.  He also took advantage of the time to help me on my Nutritional Balancing journey.  Because of the extra stress I was under this summer, this helped me tremendously.  He took over much of the house work and cooking, looking after the kids, and he enabled me to take afternoon naps when possible, and do my coffee enemas in peace! For the last couple of weeks I have been able to get into my sauna for an hour before bed as well. Previously, I was only getting in a few times a month!

So, how have I been feeling?  I was feeling very stressed in the beginning of the summer, especially in the midst of renovations, showings, and searching for a new house.  Now that all of that stuff is out of the way, I am feeling less stressed, but I now I am exhausted.  I have also been feeling nauseated a lot of the time (damn copper), which decreases my appetite. This is a constant struggle to eat enough.  The adrenals can’t heal when they are being starved.  In fact, when they aren’t being fed three square meals a day (and snacks when necessary), the adrenal glands become depleted even more.

Keeping it real even more, this past year on the program I have had bouts of mild depression, here and there.  I remember feeling this in the early spring, and just recently, the past few weeks.  Nothing serious, but a lot of melancholy.  I am not used to relaxing, laying down in the middle of the day reading novels, taking naps, not worrying about supper or the cleaning.  That all sounds nice, and something most people would love to be able to do!  But, in reality, you don’t feel very accomplished or useful.  I really feel like I am no good to anyone.  All the kids see is their mom tired, napping and not feeling well to do anything with them.  Those aren’t the memories I want them to have of me.  I used to wake each day with lots of energy to plow through everything on my to-do list, feeling a sense of accomplishment. These days I wake up each morning barely having the energy to make breakfast, let alone do anything else.  I yearn for the days when I will once again have the energy to do what I want in my day.  I know I’ll get there.  I just need to be patient.

When I am feeling frustrated and need a good reminder about why I am on this program, and why it takes so long, I go and read Dr. Wilson’s articles.  He is, after all, the leading expert in Nutritional Balancing, having been in this field healing people for close to 30 years.  He has so many great articles on his website that help me to understand that what I am going through and feeling on this healing journey is completely normal.

When I read his article (again) this week entitled, Adrenal Burnout, there were some great reminders that really hit home for me.  For one, it reminded me that I don’t just have adrenal fatigue, and explains why I am still tired after 9-10 hours of sleep.  I have adrenal burnout.  Essentially, this is a mild form of Addison’s Disease, the most severe of adrenal disfunctions.  Dr. Wilson writes, “Adrenal burnout syndrome differs from simple fatigue in that burnout  is not relieved by getting a few good nights sleep, as is the case with fatigue.  This is the case because adrenal exhaustion is not just a sleep deficit, although that may be an aspect of the syndrome.  Burnout is a deeper derangement of the body’s energy-producing system, of which fatigue is one symptom.”

And this here explains my mild depression (and other similar tendencies – please note – I am not suicidal): “Often, emotional and psychological symptoms are present or even predominant.  Depression is very common.  Apathy, despair and even suicidal tendencies are also quite common. Emotional instability, mood swings, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and irritability are also common symptoms associated with adrenal burnout syndrome.  The world can look evil, one loses faith in people, and a hopeless attitude is not uncommon.  Compulsiveness and obsessive-compulsive tendencies may be associated with adrenal burnout.”

This here is a good reminder why this journey is taking sooooo long: “Most people never recover from burnout, although they could if they followed a nutritional balancing program to the letter.  Recovery also requires a strong commitment to healing.  Recovery also takes at least several years.  If one recovers faster, one was not in adrenal burnout.”  Furthermore, Dr. Wilson states, “It can take over a year just to replenish one mineral.”  At this point in the journey, I have been on the nutritional balancing program for two years.  However, it is important to note that I have only been doing coffee enemas for the last year, saunas for the past 8 months, and been on the supplements consecutively for about 8 months at full dose.  I think I still have a little ways to go still.

In regards to recovery, Dr. Wilson explains further, “It takes at least two years and often longer. Layers of toxins, infections and other adaptations and compensations must be undone.  Each adaptation uses up energy so that when one begins correction, there is little energy to work with. This slows progress and is one reason correction takes several year.  Eliminating toxins that have become integral parts of the organs and glands also takes time, like rebuilding a house.  Also, most people must replenish twenty or thirty trace minerals.  This takes time, even if one does all the correct procedures to restore one’s health.   If one truly recovers in a few months, a person was not in severe burnout.   However, often, a small recovery can feel like a cure when it is not.  As an analogy, those in burnout need an overhaul, not a tune up.  One needs to commit to doing whatever it takes and devoting a few years to healing.  This needs to become one’s primary occupation or job for a while, allowing all other interests and activities to become secondary to the commitment to healing.”  This is one of the main reasons I have been absent from blogging the past few months.  Many people take a leave of absence from work just to heal and do this program full time!

Whenever I need it, I also call on my friend, mentor, and nutritional coach, Pam Killeen for a pep talk.  Since I have been using the sauna regularly, my face has started to break out, so I know that I’m stirring something up.  I sent Pam a couple pictures and she commented, “This is an image of beauty! Music to my ears…all that stuff! That’s exactly what I like to see! A sign of the copper coming out. Well done! Anything to do with the skin is usually a sign that the copper is on the move.  Well done with the saunas. They’re far more powerful than one would ever think! Three square meals. Lots of animal fat regularly throughout the day. The skin eruption is a sign of the copper moving, but the low appetite is too. Even though you haven’t got an appetite, you still need to eat…..!!!! You may also want to increase the GB3 (a powerful digestive enzyme and bile stimulant) and coffee enemas. The more you can do this, and stimulate bile production, that will help the copper come out (rather than linger around in your body).” Pam keeps reminding me that it is extremely important to:

• Eat three square meals a day.  This helps to stabilize blood sugar which tends to be a little wonky in any kind of adrenal problem.  These meals MUST include ample amounts of animal fat.
• Eat as soon as possible after rising in the morning.  Delaying eating, even when not hungry, weakens the adrenals and slows down healing.
• Do not go to bed hungry.  Try eating a protein and animal fat to help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night.  A little sea salt under the tongue can also help with sleep.

My husband has been great at making me a pre-breakfast snack and putting it on my nightstand for when I wake up in the morning.  Before I even go down for breakfast in the morning, I have at least eaten a little cheese, salami, almonds, and or a hard boiled egg.

Another change I made this summer was to quit heavy power lifting.  I had been working out once a week at an amazing private gym, called STG Strength & Power in Brant County.  I had a love-hate relationship with my workouts.  They were intense, not for the weak at heart.  I loved being able to lift the weight I did, but it just took too much out of me.  I had to be really honest with myself.  My adrenals just couldn’t handle that type of stress.  One day I’ll get back into it, but for now I’ll stick to walking and maybe some yoga after our move.

I just sent my fourth hair sample into the lab in Arizona for testing last week.  It will be a few weeks until I get the lab report. I am really hoping to see the metals moving along with some other changes.  As always, I’ll keep you updated with those results.  In the meantime, I’ll just keep trucking along, trying to be patient.  Thankful really.  Thankful that I have the opportunity to heal.  Thankful that I’ve got someone like Pam and my husband to support me on this journey.  Adrenal burnout is something that is difficult for other people to comprehend. Without them, I would have given up a long time ago.  If I didn’t have the chance to heal my body now, I shudder to think what would happen otherwise.  This is truly one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and I’m not giving up.

“But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight –
Got to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight”

~Bruce Cockburn

This post is part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist, Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly The Kitchen Kop, and Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health.

From the time I took my very first hair mineral analysis test and embarked on the Nutritional Balancing program, it has been about 18 months.  Approximately 7 months after my first hair test, I took a re-test to see what was going on in my body.  And then another 7 months later, another re-test was done.  What changes had occurred during this time period? I wanted to see proof that the supplements I was taking, and the other therapies I was doing were changing my biochemistry.  I knew this would be a long and not so easy road.  According to Analytical Research Labs, “The process of correcting body chemistry through hair mineral analysis is somewhat like peeling off old layers of wallpaper so that the walls can be repaired. In this analogy, your previous HMA corresponds to the top layer of wallpaper showing at the time of the test.  Your current retest, after following a nutritional rebalancing program for several months, represents a ‘peel away’ of the top layer and the exposure of another layer of mineral patterns beneath.  Your previous nutrition program was designed to remove the top layer of mineral patterns, and the purpose of the retest is to reveal and correct the underlying mineral patterns that are now coming into view.”  As you can well imagine, interpretation of these tests is complex.  You could NEVER do it on your own.  You need to rely on some one very experienced, like Dr. Larry Wilson or my gal Pam Killeen!

How often to re-test?  The lab recommends every 3-4 months, though I have been re-testing longer than that because that is how long my supplements last.  Re-testing is important because as your body chemistry changes, the diet and supplement program should be adjusted to meet your current needs.  Otherwise, the program will no longer properly balance your body chemistry and your progress will come to a halt.

Here are the results of my second test:
- The second test revealed my oxidation rate has slowed down even further!
- My calcium to magnesium ratio improved, indicating an improvement in glucose (sugar) metabolism and a reduction in the trend toward anxiety.
- Tissue calcium level increased indicating a reduction in metastatic tissue calcium.
- Improved insulin secretion and a trend toward normalization of blood sugar levels.
- Sodium level has increased reflecting on improved aldosterone secretion and improved adrenal gland function, improved hydrochloric acid secretion and improved protein digestion, and improvement in cellular nutrition and increased energy levels.
- Increase in sodium tissue level to reflect an improvement in cellular nutrition.
- My calcium to sodium ratio improved associated with a reduction in stress.
- My phosphorus level increased indicating a trend toward improved protein metabolism with resultant improvement in tissue repair.
- If you recall in my first test, my NA/MG (sodium to magnesium) ratio was very low: 9/100.  This second test it went up to 41/100.  My energy level was going up! Yay!
- My aluminum was higher, so it was starting to come out!
- I was still a slow oxidizer showing too much sympathetic dominance.  Still doing too much and not resting enough!  According to the lab report, the oxidation rate may temporarily slow down even further as copper, cadmium, mercury or other toxic metals are eliminated from the body.  Furthermore, the elimination of toxic metals may result in increased fatigue.  (I can personally attest to this!)

If you would like to compare the results of my re-tests to my very first test, check it out here. Even though the re-test results looked good with many improvements, unfortunately, I was not feeling the way the results said I should have.  Why was that?  According to the lab report “You may feel worse if, as a result of undoing certain mineral imbalances, your body begins to use its newly developed internal energy to re-establish more favorable coping and homeostatic mechanisms.  That energy will be temporarily unavailable for external use and, as a result, you will feel fatigued.  Oftentimes, mineral levels, while they appear to be improved, will be associated with increased discomfort due to elimination of excessive toxic metals.  For example, if cadmium (a toxic metal) is being eliminated, a temporary rise in sodium levels may occur in a slow oxidizer, causing the sodium level to appear more normal.  However, the individual may experience the detrimental effects of cadmium elimination more than the beneficial effect of the more balanced sodium level.

The supplements I was prescribed from my first test differed from the supplements prescribed for my second and third re-tests.  During the course of the program, the supplements are changed based on your labs and how your body is changing.  They are designed to push and pull, and they work together bringing your chemistry back into balance all the while kicking toxins and heavy metals out of your body.

Here are the results of my third test:
- The heavy metals are moving even more!  However, this causes more stress on my adrenal glands and they become even more irritated.
- My thyroid gland become more sluggish.  Remember that the adrenal glands and the thyroid work together hand-in-hand.
- Aluminum was even higher!
- Lead levels were higher along with Nickel and Cobalt.
- Sodium to Potassium ratio decreased indicating a reduction in pro-inflammatory hormones, reducing the trend toward inflammation.
- My NA/MG level went down again, to its lowest level: 9/100 or 9% of the ideal.  I told you this program was a roller coaster ride!
- Zinc to Copper ratio improved.
- Iron levels increased indicating improvement in the trend toward mental depression.
- Increased tissue chromium level has increased indicating improvement in chromium metabolism, glucose utilization and cholesterol metabolism.
- One of the most interesting changes on this test was that the revelation of a double calcium shell.  This was concerning to me, but apparently I had had it all along, and probably most of my life.  The fact that this pattern wasn’t revealed until the third re-test is again, another example of how this program works, like peeling back the layers like an onion.  Dr. Wilson says, “In all cases of a calcium shell, some of the body’s calcium, and usually magnesium as well, is biounavailable.  This means it is depositing pathologically in the soft tissues such as the hair, arteries, brain, kidneys and elsewhere.  This is not a healthy situation. The cause is usually that the levels of sodium and potassium are so low that the body cannot maintain enough calcium in an ionized or soluble form in the blood, so it begins to precipitate into the soft tissues. This creates a calcium deficiency, even if one eats enough bioavailable calcium, which is rare today. Eventually, it can lead to osteoporosis in most older people as the body robs the bones of some calcium to replenish the blood or serum calcium.”  To read more about the calcium shell pattern, click here.

People act shocked when I tell them that I have nutritional imbalances and heavy metals that I am trying to detox out of my body.  They also question the effectiveness of my traditional “real” foods diet if I have so many imbalances and deficiencies.  Guess what folks?  You’ve got heavy metals too!  You’ve got imbalances too!  We just all manifest them in different ways.  It is becoming less and less common to come in contact with a truly healthy person today.  I have yet to meet someone without allergies, diabetes, fertility issues, hormonal imbalances, thyroid/adrenal issues, auto-immune disorders, cancer, etc. and the list could go on forever! Perhaps you’ve figured out a way to manage your ailments. Perhaps, you just haven’t put two and two together yet.  Maybe your family was smart enough not to stray too far away from its traditional diet through the generations and you have a very strong foundation. Increasing numbers like myself are not so lucky.

If I had to tell you the truth, I believe Nutritional Balancing is a life saver, and I thank God I found this program.  The tools I have learned on this program I will use for the rest of my life. Unfortunately because of the time commitment it requires, people are just not willing to try it, or quit early on in the program.  There are also so many, like myself who seem to have tried many other things without success, and are coming to this as a last resort.  Oh, the time and money that could have been saved!  Many days I am in the throws of detox and melting down (yes, 18 months in to the program).  Let’s be frank — there are some days I feel like Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde!  It is like peeling an onion, removing the layers.  Most days I am frustrated that I have no energy to do a thing.  I get frustrated with my weight.  I get frustrated at my moods (so does my husband, and probably the kids!).  But, as Pam says, when the metals are coming out, they rear their ugly heads and there’s no telling how you’ll feel, or for how long.  But, they have to come out!  A necessary evil.

Today~

At this point I am still struggling to get more sleep.  Because of this severe adrenal fatigue, I am tired mostly all day long, and finally get a boost of energy in the early evening and I can’t turn my spinning brain off until around midnight.  I am working at training my body to start winding down earlier and earlier, in half hour increments.  Along with my supplements which I am taking twice per day, I have been instructed to get very serious and work very hard at getting these metals out!  This means getting extra sleep, taking hot baths with epsom salts, eating breakfast right away (not doing so can delay the healing process), relaxing and resting, doing one coffee enema per day, and getting into the sauna for at least 20 minutes before bed. Not always easy to do, but I try my best!

So, as I continue on this journey, I am hopeful.  I know that this is the best program out there.  What else could even compare? Patience is so key to this program.  Something that we are not accustomed to, especially in this instant gratification world we all tend to live.  But I do believe very strongly that this program has the ability to restore health, balance biochemistry, and safely detoxify heavy metals.  We all deserve the right to spectacular health.  Wouldn’t you agree?

This post is part of Monday Mania, Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday!

With all this talk about detoxification around here lately, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you all to a wonderful traditional beverage that my family loves!  It is called kombucha, and it also happens to be a great detoxifier!  I’m sure that many of you already know about this wonder drink, but for those that don’t, please allow me to share with you all the numerous benefits and a simple recipe to start making your own.

It wasn’t until I discovered traditional foods and picked up a copy of Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon that I had even heard of this strange drink.  Because it was so strange, by name and by looks, I wasn’t all that excited to try making it as I was to try everything else.  It is a fermented beverage, not unlike traditional wine or beer,  and uses a culture called a mushroom, or scoby, that looks like a thick pancake.  And, it has little floaty pieces of yeast in it!  Despite all that, kombucha is a beverage that is gaining in popularity.  Most traditional foodies have heard of it, and most of them probably make it too.  It is now popping up in health food stores for your convenience, but it is not cheap!  In Ontario, you can expect to pay over $3.00 per 500ml bottle!

Kombucha is essentially a sweetened and fermented tea.  Thought to have come from China, the recorded history of kombucha began in Russia during the late 19th century, according to Wikipedia.  Legend has it that the word Kombucha came from Japan around 400 AD, when a physician named Kombu served it to the emperor.  The doctor’s name was then combined with “cha,” meaning tea.  This drink reproduces itself, similar to kefir, and contains live friendly bacteria and yeast.  Ironically, it is made from black caffeinated tea, white sugar, and a bacteria/yeast starter culture.  Starting a batch is as easy as finding a starter culture. The starter is a called a mother, or SCOBY – symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria.  So, if you are asking yourself how there could be any benefit to consuming a beverage with these seemingly “unhealthy” ingredients, well, let me, or should I say, Sally Fallon explain!  ”The scoby acts on the sugar and tea to produce both acetic and lactic acid, but also a potent detoxifying substance called glucuronic acid. Normally this organic acid is produced by the liver in sufficient quantities to neutralize toxins in the body — whether these are naturally produced toxins or poisons ingested in food and water.  However, when liver function becomes overloaded, and when the body must deal with a superabundance of toxins from the environment — certainly the case with most of us today — additional glucuronic acid taken in the form of kombucha is said to be a powerful aid to the body’s natural cleansing process, a boost to the immune system and a proven prophylactic against cancer and other degenerative diseases.” (Source – Taken from pg. 596 of Nourishing Traditions)

Health Benefits and Reported Claims of Kombucha Tea:

• Immune system booster
• Body detoxifier
• Provides friendly and beneficial probiotic bacteria and yeast
• Prophylactic against cancer and other degenerative diseases
• Active enzymes and amino acids
• Contains B-vitamins
• Aids digestion
• Increases energy

But how does it taste you ask?  I tell people that it tastes like a slightly sweet and sour, fizzy apple cider.  It’s delicious, and refreshing.  The kids absolutely love it!  It is a great replacement for pop or sports drinks, and is a great thirst quencher, even better than plain water in many cases.

Here’s the basic recipe for Kombucha:

1 cup organic white sugar                                  
5-6 organic tea bags (black, green, or white tea – basically any type of camellia sinensis tea)
1 gallon filtered water
1 kombucha scoby/mother + 1/2-1 cup of starter liquid from a previous batch

1. In a small pot, boil a couple cups of water (out of your total 1 gallon).
2. When the water comes to a boil, add in sugar and stir to completely dissolve.  Remove from the heat.
3. Toss in the tea bags and allow to steep until the mixture has fully cooled. Remove and discard the tea bags.  This will be your concentrate.
4. I prefer to use a gallon size glass jar to ferment my kombucha in.  You can also use a very large glass bowl.  Be sure not to use plastic or metal as the tea may leach chemicals and or react negatively with the bacterial culture.
5. Put your scoby and starter liquid into the jar or bowl, and add the cooled sugar/tea mixture (concentrate).  Fill the rest of the jar almost to the top with your filtered water.  Stir all together with a big wooden spoon.  Cover the jar with a coffee filter or clean cloth and a rubber band.  You want the culture to be able to breath, but keep out the dust and bugs.
6. Place the jar in a warm spot in your kitchen, out of the way, and away from direct light.
7. Do not disturb for at least 7 days!  After this time you can test your kombucha by drawing up a sampling of liquid with a straw.  It should no longer taste like very sweet tea, but slightly sour with an apple cider flavor.  If it is not ready, allow to ferment longer, testing every few days.  In the summer, fermentation will be faster with the warm weather, and slower in the cool winter weather.  Also, multiple scobies in your brew will speed up the fermentation.
8. Once it is done brewing, you can now filter the kombucha into smaller jars.  If you are fine with tiny pieces of yeasty strings, don’t bother straining.  They are harmless to consume.  Be sure to leave at least 1/2-1 cup of fermented liquid in the original jar, along with the scoby to brew the next batch.
8. At this point you can do a second fermentation, after the kombucha has been filtered. Tightly cap your jars and allow to sit out at room temperature for another day or so.  This will build up the gases in the jar and create some fizz that most people enjoy.
9. If you are feeling extra creative, feel free to add some flavorings to your second ferment! Try some ginger or citrus slices, frozen fruit such as berries, pineapple, or mango, herbal tea bags, or even some concentrated fruit juice like grape!  The choices are endless.
10. Brew another batch right away in the original jar, or give it a rest for a short time, somewhere in a dark cupboard.  Just be sure to leave enough tea in the jar to feed the scoby. It will continue to ferment and grow off of the tea in the jar, eating up the liquid.  You will not be able to make another batch if there is no liquid left!

Side Notes~

You may be wondering why we are using white sugar in this recipe.  Interestingly, it is white sugar, rather than honey, maple syrup or any other unrefined sugar and black tea (rather than flavored or herbal teas) that give the highest amounts of glucuronic acid.  And, did you know, that kombucha that has been long-brewed, is legal on the full GAPS diet!

Each time you make a new batch of kombucha, a new baby scoby will form on the surface of the liquid, usually on top of the mother scoby.  You can keep the babies attached to the original mother, or peel them off and start giving them away.  Eventually, you will end up with more scobies than you can handle!  At that point, you can feed them to your dog, the chickens, or the compost pile!

*Warning:  Kombucha is so good, you might want to start drinking a lot of it right away! However, please go slow!  Start by drinking about 1/2 cup per day and slowly build up your tolerance from there.  It is powerful stuff and can have a detoxifying effect (I can attest to this from personal experience!).

For the locals:  If you are looking for a kombucha scoby and are wanting to begin your fermentation adventure, I can sell you a starter culture!  Please contact me for more details!

So, are you willing to try your hand at making kombucha?  Do you make and love it already? Let me know in the comments below!

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Monday Mania, and Simple Lives Thursday.

Photo Credit: Kombucha Tea- 1 by: zeevveez’s photostream on Flickr

I had been wanting a sauna for long time.  I was able to go down to my local health food store and use their sauna every now and then, but I didn’t get to go as often as I needed.  We also had plans of moving (and still do), so we weren’t all that interested in putting something in the house that we were going to have to remove again, a few months later.  Then, we also had to consider the cost.  If you have ever priced out a personal sauna, they aren’t cheap.  But, every time I spoke to Pam, she wanted to know if I had built my sauna yet.

Why would I want a sauna anyway?  Well, Pam has been on my tail to get a sauna ever since I began Nutritional Balancing.  Using a sauna on a regular basis is another big part of the detoxification protocol used in Nutritional Balancing. Not only that, I feel that it is another tool (along with the coffee enemas) that I will use for life because of all the health benefits.  But, you don’t need to be on this particular program to experience the benefits of a sauna!  Lets face it, we live in a toxic world, and we need all the help we can get!

Benefits of Sauna Therapy:

• Skin rejuvenation – The skin is the largest organ of the body and use of the sauna restores elimination through the skin.
• Enhanced sweating – The sweating process gently and safely eliminates heavy metals and toxic chemicals.  According to Dr. Wilson, “Sweating during exercise is not nearly as effective for detoxification because exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system.  Sympathetic nervous activity inhibits toxin elimination.”
• Exercise Benefits – Saunas can provide some of the same benefits as exercising while expending less energy, such as enhanced circulation, lowered blood pressure and improved elasticity of arteries.
• Decongestion of internal organs – By heating the body, the body powerfully shunts blood toward the skin to dissipate heat.  This decongests the internal organs and greatly stimulates circulation.  Sinuses, joints and many other tissues benefit greatly.
• Fever therapy (hyperthermia) for infections, tumors, radiation poisoning and mutated cells - Raising body temperature powerfully assists the body to kill bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, and mutated cells.
• Inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system -  It enables the body to relax, heal and regenerate itself much faster, causing recovery from many types of ailments.
• Improved circulation
• Oxygenating and hydrating the cells and organs (Source)

There are several different types of saunas, but not all saunas are created equal.  The traditional sauna that most people are familiar with is the sauna that uses hot rocks.  Next came along the far-infrared sauna.  And finally, there is the near-infrared sauna.  Though any sauna is better than no sauna at all, the best and most effective is the near-infrared.  All electrically-powered saunas emit a small amount of electromagnetic radiation, but the near infrared sauna emits less of this dangerous radiation.  The near infrared saunas are able to penetrate the body more deeply and can be concentrated on certain body parts.  The spectrum of visible radiation in the red, yellow and orange colour range, appears to stimulate the lower body organs, including the organs of elimination – the liver, kidneys and large intestines, which is an excellent added benefit.  Acting as an antioxidant nutrient, it has the ability to activate the cells and support metabolic processes.  The near infrared saunas also use less electricity, are less costly to purchase, and can be easily and very inexpensively built from scratch. (Source)

I was not planning on buying a fully built sauna, like the one pictured above.  As beautiful and lovely as they are, they can be pricey.  Luckily, Dr. Wilson (who oversees all the patients on the Nutritional Balancing program) has provided free do-it-yourself plans on his website here.  This cuts down tremendously on cost, and doesn’t look too hard to do, especially since all the parts needed are readily available at the hardware store.  But, instead of building me a sauna, my fabulous brother just bought me one instead!  It is similar to the model above.  It is a far infrared sauna, but who am I to complain?

So, I was on my way.  Starting my new year off right and accelerating my detox.  I was deep into Nutritional Balancing, taking my supplements, and doing my coffee enemas and now my saunas on a regular basis.  In a perfect world, I would be able to do one coffee enema and one or two saunas every day!  You must be laughing out loud, just like me right now at that suggestion!  However, some people are so ill, that do this they must.  And, often, most people have tried just about everything else before they finally come to Nutritional Balancing to get well again (because little else works!).  And, when it gets to that point, you will do whatever it takes to get your health back.  Ok, so lets get back to my reality!  I am lucky if I am able to rotate doing enemas and saunas, every other day.  Some weeks are pretty hairy though, and I might only manage to do one of each — but that’s better than nothing!

While I am letting the sauna warm up, I gently bounce on my rebounder (mini trampoline) for 5 minutes before I get in.  This is excellent for the lymphatic system, as the lymph is responsible for helping to move toxins out of the body.  I sit in my sauna for 1 hour, set at 145-150 degrees F.  If you are just starting out, you will want to lower the temperature, and start out with only 20 minutes or so, and slowly work your way up.  If at any time you feel nauseas, faint or dizzy, it is time to get out of the sauna and cool off!  It is also a good idea to bring a glass of water into the sauna with you to sip on during your session to help replace the water lost as you sweat.  After your session is over, allow your body to cool down and have a luke warm shower to remove the toxins from your skin that have been sweated out. The sauna can be safely used two times per day, preferably first thing in the morning or last thing at night.  Children as young as 5 years old can also go into the sauna, if supervised, though for a much shorter time.  Even my 10 year old son asks if he can go in the sauna, usually once a week he uses it!

Even though it takes time out of my day, I love getting into the sauna!  Again, just like the coffee enemas, I do it in the evening after my kids go to bed.  It gives me an hour to relax and unwind after a busy and stressful day, and who couldn’t use more relaxation?  I am able to listen to music, read, knit or just close my eyes and drift away!  We as moms do not take enough time to nourish ourselves, and I am afraid that this neglectful practice contributes to our increasing health problems.  So, throw the guilt away and begin healing your body.  De-stress and detoxify, at the same time with sauna therapy!

Do you have a sauna?  Do you love it as much as I do?  Let me know in the comments below!

This post is being shared at Real Food Wednesdays, Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Freaky Friday, Monday Mania and Real Food Forager’s Detox Challenge!

If you are a person with adrenal exhaustion, stimulants containing caffeine like coffee, tea, or chocolate are the last thing you need to add insult to injury!  Unfortunately though, adrenal fatigue is so commonplace that to start your day without a cup of coffee would be out of the ordinary.  We are so burned out, over worked and chronically fatigued that the use of stimulants to keep us going at our crazy pace is just, well, normal!  It is a vicious cycle though, because even though these common stimulants give us more energy, it is only temporary and does not solve the problem.  In fact, coffee wears down the adrenal glands even more making the adrenal fatigue worse!  Thank goodness I never became addicted to drinking coffee, or else I would be in much worse shape than I am now.

Of course there are all kinds of negative effects from drinking coffee.  We’ve heard them all before.  For example, coffee acidifies your body, dehydrates you, raises your blood pressure, reduces your appetite (thereby not allowing you to get in enough nutrition during the day), damages the nervous system, elevates cortisol, depletes certain nutrients, etc, etc.  I could go on and on.  Click here to read even more reasons to quit that addiction.  So, could anything good come out of the humble coffee bean?  I believe there is a really good use for coffee, and no, you don’t drink it!  How about using coffee for detoxification?  If you’ve been following my journey with Nutritional Balancing, you will know that I’ve got some heavy metals I’m trying to get rid of.  We are all exposed to toxins and heavy metals all the time, but if the body can’t effectively remove them, they get in the way causing nutritional and hormonal imbalances, and the body malfunctions.  These stored heavy metals are like blockages, not allowing the body to work the way it was designed.  Along with all of the supplements that you are prescribed to take on the Nutritional Balancing program, there are other parts to the program you must do to make it work more effectively.  These components include coffee enemas, sauna therapy and detoxification baths.  Meditation, extra sleep, a decrease in exercise, and relaxation are all essential components as well.

Using coffee to detoxify the body is not a new therapy.  The coffee bean has been used in herbal and folk medicine for thousands of years.  But, like I said, it doesn’t work by drinking it. Oh, no!  The coffee is used as an enema and inserted rectally!  Sorry to disappoint you, or gross you out even.  If you asked me to do an enema several years ago, I would have laughed at you and said, there is no way!  When I first started this program, I was averse to doing enemas.  I didn’t have the time for that!  But when Pam told me that I needed to do them because my progress would be slow without them, I became motivated.  I had only been doing the supplements for over a year, and my metals were barely moving.  The supplements will work on their own, just at a much slower pace, as I was experiencing.  And since the metals needed to come out, I was willing to try it.  I began reading and researching.  It turns out that there are many benefits to coffee enemas.  They have been used in holistic cancer treatment for some time now, including the famous Gerson Therapy and The Kelley Protocol. If I had cancer, I would certainly not hesitate.  So, why wait?

Here are the benefits to coffee enemas and why you should make them part of your weekly routine:

• Heals the colon
• Removes toxins from the liver and colon and rebuilds the liver
• Reduces headaches and other body pain
• Reduces symptoms of general toxicity
• Helps with depression, nervous tension, and allergies
• Increases mental clarity, improves energy levels, improves joy and happiness, improves digestion, reduces anger, and more
• Reduces difficult healing and purification reactions
• Relieves constipation and clears the bowels of old, impacted material
• Increases alkalinity of the intestinal tract, due to enhanced bile flow
• Coffee contains the mineral selenium, which many people are deficient in, and is well absorbed through the rectum
• Causes relaxation of the sympathetic nervous system
• Increases glutathione activity - This enzyme assists liver detoxification that neutralizes and helps remove a large variety of toxic compounds
• Eliminates yeast from the colon

I have been doing coffee enemas now for the past several months.  I’m addicted.  Not because the caffeine is causing an addiction, but because the results make you feel amazing!  If more than two days go by without doing one, I feel compelled to do one again.  When you have toxins to remove from your body, you can safely do a coffee enema once per day for the first month.  You can begin tapering down from there until you incorporate them into your routine at least once per week.  According to Dr. Wilson, “For therapeutic purposes, the procedure is repeated at least daily, and up to about three times each day, often for several years to detoxify the liver and help heal the entire body.  Dr. Gerson used the coffee enema 6 times daily or every four hours.”  In addition, “… on a more technical level, the procedure may be said to be a form of liver dialysis.  Dialysis is a method of enhancing detoxification of an organ by physical or manual means.  The coffee enema is very specific for the liver, and greatly enhances detoxification in the liver.  When a coffee enema is taken, the coffee goes directly to the liver through the colon wall.  Coffee has a special affinity for the liver, and moving it there from the colon is very different than sending it to the liver by drinking it.  When coffee is ingested by mouth, it is digested by the stomach acids, mainly, and most of its herbal medicine properties are destroyed.”  Think of coffee enemas as a tool for life.  If they are used as part of a cancer treatment program, why not use them as a preventative?

If you want to feel fantastic and begin reaping the benefits, here’s how to do a coffee enema:

• Boil 2-4 cups filtered water
• Add 1-3 TBS of dark roast, organic coffee (dark roast contains less caffeine)
• Make coffee with these ratios any way you prefer (coffee maker, pot on the stove, french press, etc.)
• Allow mixture to cool down, but remain warm

Lay a couple of towels on your bathroom floor.  Some people prefer to lay in the bath tub.  Fill an enema bag or bucket with plain warm water.  You will hang the bag on your towel rack or another place of similar height.  Use coconut or olive oil to lubricate the tip.  I like to clean myself out with a plain water enema before I do the coffee enema, so that I can be sure to hold it for the full 15 minutes.  Once you feel as though you are fairly cleaned out, proceed with the coffee enema.  Once all of the coffee has been inserted, lay on your left side for 5 minutes, then on your back for 5 minutes, and finally on your right side for 5 minutes.  The goal is to retain the coffee for 12-15 minutes.  If at any time you feel the need to expel, go ahead and expel into the toilet.  Over time, you will be able to work up to the full 15 minutes. You do not want to hold the coffee in longer than 15 minutes.  The goal is to trigger the gallbladder to release bile.  Retaining the coffee longer than 15 minutes may result in your body actually absorbing the caffeine, which is not what we want!  I finish by doing another plain water enema, but that is not necessary.  This routine takes me about an hour.  I do it once the kids are in bed and during this time I relax, read, listen to a podcast, surf the net on my ipad, whatever.  It is my time, and I feel great when I’m done!

If you are new to enemas, there are a couple of things to be aware of.  Stay relaxed, be calm and don’t be afraid!  This will only make your muscles tense up and make the insertion painful, when it should not be at all.  You may only be able to hold a small amount of liquid at a time before you feel the need to expel.  Furthermore, you will probably only be able to hold the liquid for a short period of time.  Most people have got years worth of compacted material in their colon.  As Pam tells me, it is like digging through a mine!  Be patient with yourself.  The more you do, the better you get at it.  You will want to experiment with the temperature of the liquid, or which position you prefer for insertion.  I prefer the liquid to be very warm. I find it very soothing and the liquid goes in easily and without cramping.  Massaging your abdomen to help loosen fecal matter is also a good idea.  If you find you are a little jittery from doing the coffee enema, reduce the amount of coffee used (start out with 1/2 or 1 TBS), and use less liquid.  Holding the coffee in for less time may also help.  It is also completely normal to feel a little nauseated during the coffee enema.  The coffee is very powerful in removing toxins and metals, and this is probably the reason for the nausea.  The release of bile may also cause this feeling.  If you are dehydrated, some of the liquid may be retained and not be expelled.

So, let me encourage you.  If you don’t think you can do this, you can!  If you think enemas are gross, well, get over it!  Get over your disgust, thoughts of messiness, and any other skepticism you may have about enemas.  They will make you feel fantastic and have so many wonderful benefits!  I am so thankful that I have found this therapy.  I will do it for life – it is that awesome!

There are many other things you can put in an enema beside coffee.  You can do just plain water, chamomile tea, or add some probiotics.  Enemas are even recommended by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride for GAPS patients.  For further reading on coffee enemas, please read Dr. Wilson’s article here.

So, have you ever done a coffee enema?  Would you?  What if you were diagnosed with cancer – would you incorporate them into your healing program?

This post is part of Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday and Real Food Forager’s Detox Challenge!

Photo Credit: coffee by Jennie Feber’s photostream on Flickr

I first learned about Nutritional Balancing almost two years ago when Pam Killeen came to one of my WAPF chapter meetings to give a talk.  It peaked my curiosity immediately.  I had been dealing with minor health issues my whole life (which only seemed to be getting worse) and when I discovered Dr. Price’s work through the Weston A. Price Foundation, I thought I had finally figured out the missing piece.  Going back to traditional foods would be all I would need to solve these problems and  experience radiant health.  Or was it?

It turns out that we may need more than properly prepared, nutrient dense traditional foods to solve the myriad of health problems we have accumulated in the 21st century.  It has taken us generations to lose this precious knowledge that food is medicine, but thanks to the WAPF, and other health educators, we can recover.  But, at this point in time, I don’t believe we can do it with food alone.  Our problems and deficiencies are far too great.

Enter Nutritional Balancing, or Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.  This program is so different than many others because your own hair is tested for nutritional deficiencies, imbalances, and heavy metals.  There is no guesswork, no internet surfing for hours trying to figure out your symptoms on your own and self diagnosing.  And even if you were able to figure it all out on your own, how do you know what your body needs to bring it all back into balance?

I began Nutritional Balancing in September of 2010.  I suspected I had adrenal fatigue, and some type of thyroid dysfunction.  I was also beginning to experience lots of aches and pains in my joints.  I felt like an old lady!  I have had ovulation pain for as long as I can remember, so I knew I had some hormones out of whack.  I’ve given birth to three children, and breastfed them for almost 6 years in total.  I was overweight, temperamental and moody.  I wear glasses and had to wear braces as a child.  I was exposed to A LOT of second hand smoke as a child from both parents, and have three amalgam fillings (mercury).  We did not grow up on a traditional foods diet. There was a lot of processed food in the house.  I had a very stressful and fearful childhood (there was alcoholism and violence involved) and as a young married couple with our first child, my husband and I ended up living with his parents for almost 2 years.  Talk about stress!  As you can see, I was dealing with a lot of deficiencies.

Here is what my first test revealed:
- My sodium to potassium (NA/K) level was at an ideal ratio, but the sodium and potassium levels were very low. This is the most important mineral ratio in the whole body.  This indicated ADRENAL BURNOUT.  The test emphasizes both the levels and ratios of minerals. In fact, this program is very unique in that it is fixing both the ratios and levels of the minerals. According to the report, weak adrenal gland activity may contribute greatly to the accumulation of heavy metals as normal detoxification mechanisms become impaired.  The body may compensate for adrenal weakness by retaining excessive amounts of copper, iron, manganese, aluminum, lead, cadmium, arsenic and other toxic metals.
- My iron was really low, BUT this did not mean I needed to supplement with iron!  It meant I really had a copper deficiency!  Not only that, but I had hidden copper that was bio-unavailable. This is what was likely causing my aches and pains.  Copper imbalance is so common. According to the report – “Many of the most prevalent metabolic dysfunctions of our time are related in some way to copper imbalance.  A copper imbalance is often associated with fatigue, emotional sensitivity, depression, mood swings, anxiety, insomnia, skin conditions, yeast infections and many other disorders.”
- I had a SLUGGISH THYROID.  This was evident in my calcium to potassium level (CA/K).  It was 838% of the ideal! Common causes include the presence of mercury, copper and chlorine toxicity, impaired adrenal activity, nutrient deficiencies and stress.  In fact, all of the halogens, bromine, chlorine and fluorine can all interfere with thyroid function (because they interfere with iodine).
- My calcium to magnesium ratio (CA/MG) needed to improve, it was low, only 77% of the ideal.  However, I had an elevated calcium level.  This doesn’t indicate the presence of too much calcium in my diet, but abnormal calcium deposition in the hair and other soft tissues of the body.
- My sodium to magnesium ratio (NA/MG) was extremely low at only 9% of the ideal!  To put this figure into perspective, it indicated that I had an energy level of a 9/100. YIKES!
- My zinc to copper ratio (ZN/CU) and my calcium to phosphorus ratio (CA/P) were also really high – Based on the numbers, the test revealed I was a SLOW OXIDIZER. This means that I metabolize food at a slower rate than is required for optimal energy levels to adequately perform basic body functions.  The activity of both the adrenal and the thyroid glands is less than optimal. According to the lab report, slow oxidizers often experience some degree of fatigue, lack of energy, sugar cravings, low blood sugar levels, weight gain and depression.  No wonder I was tired all the time!  18 months later, I am still a slow oxidizer and still experiencing all of these things, to varying degrees!  What else can I say, but healing takes a LOOOOONG time!
- I was also in a RESISTANCE STAGE of stress.  The first stage is Alarm stage, second is Resistance stage, and third is Exhaustion stage.  The Resistance stage is best described as an endless battle, with the body attempting to contain the stress as it is unable to eliminate it.
- The test revealed impaired dietary protein synthesis and impaired overall digestion.  It was at this time I chose to do the GAPS diet to improve upon this.
- My body was in a predominantly PARASYMPATHETIC STATE, which is often due to the exhaustion of the sympathetic nervous system.  In a constant state of stress, doing too much and not resting enough, I exhausted my sympathetic system from over use.  This was difficult for me to understand, so Pam explained it for me.  ”Essentially, sympathetic dominance means that one moves into a parasympathetic state. It sounds counter intuitive. So, what comes first — the chicken or the egg? With a low potassium level, one has pushed themselves so hard, their nervous system is exhausted. If we were healthy, and had a normal potassium level, we’d be in a parasympathetic state (resting and digesting — which is healthy). But when one isn’t healthy, and has a low potassium level, the body wants to shut down. In fact, it needs to shut down. But people don’t listen….so, we crash.” For optimal health, the body should maintain a proper balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic states.
- The test also suggested that I had an impaired immune system, and a mild trend for liver and kidney stress.
- There was ALUMINUM detected in my hair, along with arsenic, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, and lithium.  Surprisingly, no lead or mercury was present, even though I have had amalgam fillings in my mouth since childhood.  That doesn’t mean my body was free of them.  It meant my adrenals were just too weak to kick them out.  The presence of heavy metals in your hair means that your body is effectively detoxifying them out of your body, and mine wasn’t!

Where Do I Go From Here?

So, I had gotten my lab results back, and my list of recommended supplements.  The instructions were to take these supplements, 3x per day for next few months, and then do a retest.  Easy enough, right?  Well, I really dislike taking supplements.  It was about 8-10 pills, 3x per day.  That is a little too much for my liking, so Pam advised me that it would be ok to take them only once or twice per day.  But, there was a caveat!  My progress and detox would slow down.  However, that could be a good thing, because this program is so detoxifying, minimizing detox symptoms is usually very desirable!

In addition to the supplements, you must also follow a healing diet like a traditional real foods, WAPF diet, exercise less (like WAAAY less – no aerobic activity), rest more, get more sleep and go to bed earlier, do less, find time for relaxation and meditation, do detox baths, use a sauna and do coffee enemas all to help heal your body and help the metals and toxins come out.  For myself, I was instructed to put my adrenals on bed rest.  Not that I wouldn’t want to rest and relax more, but this is not always easy when you are a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling three children!  Never mind any outside responsibilities you may have.

What I really love about this program is that it focuses on high quality supplements for the short term only, and diet and lifestyle changes for the long term.  Because of the state health you may be in, supplements may be an absolute necessity for a short while to correct and heal. But, they aren’t designed for life.  That’s where diet and lifestyle management techniques come in.

Stay tuned as I reveal the importance of the other healing elements of this program including infrared saunas and enemas, as well as the results of my retests!

This post is being shared at Monday Mania, Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Fight Back Friday and Real Food Forager’s Detox Challenge!

Top Photo Credit: nom nom vitamins nom nom from aSIMULAtor’s photostream on Flickr

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Butter Belle kitchen!  Love is in the air around here as we are making Valentine’s Day cards and some sweet treats for our loved ones.

Nothing says love more than something you made out of your own kitchen with nourishing ingredients.  For Valentine’s Day breakfast, I spied these yummy looking chocolate crepes from Cooking TF.  I think they would be divine with some whipped cream and strawberry sauce.  I also thought we’d make these heart shaped chocolate graham crackers from The Nourishing Home.  Or how about some simple dark chocolate dipped strawberries that I’m sure everyone will love?  No recipe needed, just dip some organic strawberries into some good quality fair-trade dark, melted chocolate.

Another treat that is perfect for Valentine’s Day is ice cream (actually, come to think of it, ice cream is perfect for anytime!). Something pink and chocolatey of course!  I picked up some extra raw cream from the farm last week and thought now would be a great time to make another batch.  Did you know that ice cream can be good for you?  If you use nutrient dense ingredients like raw cream from grass-fed cows, pastured egg yolks chock full of vitamins A, D, E, and K, and mineral rich maple syrup — you could even serve this for breakfast!  Why does grass-fed make a difference in nutrition?  According to A Campaign For Real Milk, “Vital nutrients like vitamins A and D, and Price’s “Activator X” (a fat-soluble catalyst that promotes optimum mineral assimilation, now believed to be vitamin K₂) are greatest in milk from cows eating green grass, especially rapidly growing green grass in the spring and fall. Vitamins A and D are greatly diminished, and Activator X disappears, when milk cows are fed commercial feed.” It is the dead of winter around these parts, so why not plug your body with extra nutrients by eating ice cream!

Store your ice cream canister in the freezer and it will be ready for you to whip up some ice cream any time your heart desires!  This recipe has been adapted from Nourishing Traditions, by: Sally Fallon-Morell.

Raspberry-Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

• 3 organic or pastured egg yolks (save the whites for meringues or an omelette)
• 1/2 cup organic maple syrup or raw honey
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups raw grass-fed cream, or coconut milk
• 1 cup organic dark cherries, raspberries, or a combination
• 3/4 cup organic dark mini chocolate chips
• Optional: 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
• Optional: 1 tsp gelatin powder (I try to sneak this stuff into everything, especially after reading this)

1. Using a blender or food processor, blend the cherries and raspberries together until smooth. Pass through a wire sieve to remove seeds if desired.  Stir in the gelatin powder to begin dissolving, if using.  Set aside.

2. In a bowl, mix together egg yolks, maple syrup, vanilla, cream and optional arrowroot powder with a whisk.

3. Assemble ice cream machine and place frozen canister inside.  Pour ice cream mixture into canister and allow the machine to run until ice cream is desired consistency. You can add the purred fruit in at the beginning, or just towards the end of churning, depending on if you want your ice cream a pink colour throughout, or swirled.

4. Toss in the chocolate chips during the last few minutes of churning.

5. Once the ice cream is done churning, work quickly to place the ice cream into shallow containers and place in the freezer to harden for several hours to harden.

Ice cream for breakfast? Okay!

Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!   Please let me know in the comments below what you’ve got planned to treat your sweeties with!

This post is being shared at Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, and Fight Back Friday.

Top Photo Credit: Love by: Aunt Owwee’s photostream on Flickr

It has been a year since I started my journey with the GAPS diet (Gut & Psychology Syndrome).  But, I have a confession.  I only stuck with it for 3 months.  I was doing it to see if it would help with hormonal issues, mainly adrenal fatigue and sluggish thyroid, but to also support my daughter, who was doing it with me.  The main issue with her was related to speech, more specifically, disfluency and articulation.  In the three months we did the diet, I did not see one single change in her speech or my adrenal health.  However, my digestion was running very smooth.  See my 8 week GAPS update for more details.  I know what you are all going to tell me, we didn’t do the diet long enough, three months is too short!  I agree.  And, I would have stayed on the diet longer had I noticed *some* change with her speech, even small changes, but I didn’t.  Which, was really disappointing, because here we are, a year later and we are still having speech issues and now seeing a speech and language pathologist.  But, it did tell me that our gut dysbiosis was minor.  It also told me that her speech problems had nothing to do with her gut bacteria, and same with my adrenal/thyroid issues.

The Missing Link
So, what could it be then?  I wasn’t about to give up on trying to obtain better health for us. Prior to starting GAPS we were already eating a nourishing traditional diet.  But, for some (read=most) the food we put into our mouths is just not enough anymore.  With nutritional deficiencies and toxins passed down for several generations now, it is no wonder that food is just not enough to “fix” us. That is why if you are on the GAPS diet, it can take 2+ years to heal, and some may never fully heal.  I have mentioned before that both my daughter and I have been on another program called Nutritional Balancing or Biochemical Restoration.  I have been on this program since September 2010, and my daughter since February 2011.  It is a lengthy and very involved protocol, but ultimately one I have come to highly believe in because I can see the changes through my hair tests as time goes on.  I have now been on the program for about 18 months and I am anticipating being on it for another 18 months or so. Why does it take so long?  Well, most people don’t realize that in the grand scheme of life, 1 or 2 years is really not that long to correct several generations of nutritional deficiencies and other toxicities.  We are all conditioned to just take that magic pill and be healed.  Sorry folks, it just doesn’t work that way!  By the way, this program is hard work and full of frustration, amoungst many other emotions — but soooo worth it!

The beautiful thing about this program, unlike any other program out there, is that it is tailored specifically for you.  The lab analyzes your hair and prescribes you a specific supplement protocol based on your results.  There is no guessing what supplements you should be taking to bring you back into balance.  You don’t need to be a detective and self-medicate!  You are given specific nutrients designed to pull out heavy metals and work synergistically with each other.  Most people assume that if they are anaemic that they should just supplement with iron, or supplement with magnesium if they have insomnia.  But, do you really know what the consequences of doing that are?  What are you putting out of balance by guessing?  Are you creating other problems by trying to fix the original one?  Did you know that just because the test shows that you are low in magnesium, it doesn’t mean that you need to supplement with magnesium!  Make no mistake, I am a real foodie, as I’m sure many of your are, and I don’t like taking supplements.  Well, on this program, it is their goal to have you off the supplements once your imbalances are corrected.  Yes, supplements are necessary for a short while, but they should not be for life.  In a perfect world, we would have never needed them to begin with.

I have been fortunate enough to work with a practitioner specifically trained in how to read the analysis and coach us on this journey in terms of supplements, detoxification, and lifestyle modification.  Her name is Pam Killeen, from London, Ontario.  Some of you may have heard of her because she is an author, who co-wrote The Great Bird Flu Hoax, with Dr. Joseph Mercola, and her most recent book called Addiction: The Hidden Epidemic.  She is also an educator and nutrition consultant.  She teaches classes on the work of the WAPF, and is a regular guest on 1290 AM CJBK, London ON.  Pam will also be speaking at the WAPF Wise Traditions Conference in Santa Clara, California this coming November, 2012.  Her seminar is titled “How To Fix a Broken Brain”.  Please visit Pam’s website for consultation information.  She can work with you via telephone, email, or Skype.  I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Nutritional Balancing Explained, By: Pam Killeen

Have you been struggling with a long-standing health problem? Have you spent thousands of dollars on a variety of remedies and not made any progress? If these questions apply to you, don’t despair. One of the most overlooked aspects of health and healing involves repairing one’s biochemistry using a very new and cutting-edge science called, Nutritional Balancing. Nutritional balancing addresses the underlying biochemical reasons why we get sick – both physically and mentally.

Nutritional balancing draws from many branches of science, including biochemistry, physiology, nutrition, stress theory, pathology and psychology. It is based upon the work of a Dr. Paul Eck, a physician and biochemist who spent many years studying the work of several health pioneers including, Hans Selye, MD, Roger Williams, PhD, Carl Pfeiffer, MD, PhD, Abram Hoffer, MD, PhD, Linus Pauling, PhD, and George Watson, PhD. Nutritional balancing involves a precise means of assessing and monitoring the condition of your body’s chemistry. It also includes an innovative new way to interpret hair mineral test results. Finally, it encourages the application of following a traditional foods diet (based upon the work of Dr. Weston A. Price, author of Nutrition and Physical Degeneration), targeted supplements, detoxification protocols, mental and emotional suggestions and more to raise one’s energy level and restore a more balanced chemistry.

Nutritional Balancing honors the fact that we are all individuals with our own unique metabolic blueprint. It involves a paradigm that is much different than traditional, functional, orthomolecular or naturopathic medicine. Standard medical and natural treatments are based on an allopathic model — the naming of a disease or a condition for which a remedy or treatment is then prescribed or recommended. With Nutritional Balancing, the label of one’s condition is not the focus; rather, the starting point for healing is the understanding of your biochemical imbalances and then repairing your unique chemistry.

Program Benefits

* Renewed and Improved Health

* Improved Digestion

* Increased Vitality

* Attain a Better Quality of Life

* Improved Relaxation

* Healthy Weight Loss

* Correct Weakened Detoxification Patterns

* Heavy Metal Removal

* Learn improved lifestyle

* Restore Balance to your life

* Re-mineralize your body

* Reverse Aging Process

* Stronger Immune System

* Enriched Relationships

* Enhanced Athletic Performance

* Improved Concentration and Academic Achievement

What is Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis?

Universally, a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) is known as a screening test that measures the mineral content of your hair. It is a tissue mineral biopsy that is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive and extremely accurate. An HTMA is a screening test for the level of 20 minerals and toxic metals in a sample of hair. A small sample of hair tells me the level of 20 minerals and toxic metals. It also provides me with a blueprint of one’s biochemistry (metabolic rate, energy levels, sugar and carbohydrate tolerance, stage of stress, immune system and glandular activity).

Hair Analysis Can Identify

* Trace element deficiencies

* Trends for psychological and emotional conditions

* Heavy metal toxicity

* Cellular energy levels

* Glucose tolerance

* Kidney and liver stress

* Adrenal and thyroid activity

* Trends for over 30 health conditions

* Which nutritional supplements are right for you

Nutritional balancing involves a tremendous amount of work on behalf of the client. Patience is required as it can take several months for your biochemistry to restore itself. Depending upon their compliance, clients usually report significant improvements in their health within three months of starting the program. As you progress on the program, your biochemistry will gradually balance out even more; eventually, you’ll feel remarkable improvements in your overall physical and mental health.

Pam Killeen is a nutritional consultant, educator and public speaker. She is also the author of Addiction: The Hidden Epidemic and co-author of The Great Bird Flu Hoax. Her website is www.pamkilleen.com and email is pam@pamkilleen.com. You can find her on Facebook where she regularly posts health and nutrition updates.

In the next blog post, I am going to detail for you what my journey has been like thus far on this program, including examples of my hair analysis, supplements I am taking and the changes that are happening in my body!  To read more about nutritional balancing, please visit Dr. Lawrence Wilson’s website.  He is one of the leading experts in this field, having studied with Dr. Paul Eck.

Thoughts or questions about this?  I want to hear about them in the comments below!

This post is being shared over at Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesdays, Fight Back Friday and Real Food Forager’s Detox Challenge.

Photo Credit: Girl With Flying Hair by: dimodi’s photostream on Flickr

Who doesn’t love bacon?  Everything is better with butter, but the same is true with bacon, right?  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and even dessert (mmmm, chocolate covered bacon!). Bacon can be eaten at any meal, any time!  And of course there’s turkey bacon, chicken bacon, beef bacon and pork bacon — but will the real bacon please stand up?  Well, to me the real bacon comes from pigs of course.  When I first started learning more about nutrition, over ten years ago, I stopped eating pork products.  Pigs eat anything and everything, are supposedly full of parasites, biblically unclean, and oh, gasp! lets not even talk about the saturated fat content!  While this may be true of factory farmed pork, I have since discovered that pork that has been organically and humanely raised, on pasture by small local farms is quite different.

Vitamin D and Pork
According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, pork fat (lard) is the second richest source of vitamin D, with cod liver oil being the best source.  In fact, there are 500 IU of vitamin D per teaspoon of lard.  But, there is a catch.  Since we know that vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, the pigs have to be outside, or on pasture, being exposed to sunshine in order for them to manufacture vitamin D.  And because pigs are generally light skinned with little hair on their bodies, they have the ability to manufacture a lot more vitamin D from the sun than say, chickens, or cows.  Pigs in confinement will not be a good source of Vitamin D.  What is the big deal about vitamin D anyway?  Well, we know from the studies Weston Price conducted on traditional peoples, that on average, those healthy cultures got ten times more vitamin D (and other fat-soluble vitamins) than most people do now.  Vitamin D is important for fighting infections (one of the main reasons we catch more colds and flus in the winter), depression, bone health, cancer prevention, and so much more. It is estimated that 77% of Americans are deficient. (source)

Parasites and Pork
Pork meat is one we have been conditioned to make sure we cook thoroughly to kill parasites, specifically trichinosis.  This is one of the main reasons I avoided serving pork to my family for so long.  Even if you do thoroughly cook your pork and kill any potential parasites, the thought of eating dead parasites wasn’t exactly appetizing.  Well, I found it curious that Dr. Weston Price, during his travels in the 1930′s, found several traditional cultures that ate pork and were in superb health.  These cultures of course had no fear of the fat content of pork and ate of it freely.  But, their pigs were pastured, which I believe makes all the difference.  When an animal is living in a healthy environment and eating appropriate food for their species, they are unlikely to be infested with parasites. However, this may have still posed a problem from time to time, so traditional people also knew how to properly prepare pork to destroy any potential parasites.  In the Fall 2011 issue of the Wise Traditions journal, this method was investigated. By using salt and or vinegar to cure or marinate pork, it was found to be effective in killing parasites in pork meat and make pork easier to digest.  You can read the article here.

Saturated Fat and Pork
Pork has a bad rap for being high in cholesterol and saturated fat.  For years now we have been brain washed into believing that saturated fat is bad for us and to avoid it like the plague for fear of clogged arteries, heart attacks and stroke!  Thanks to the Weston A. Price Foundation, we now know that we have been lied to and that saturated fat is actually good for us.  In her book “Fat”, Jennifer McLagan states that lard and bacon fat only contain 39% saturated fats, 45% monounsaturated fats, and 11% polyunsaturated fats.  So, pork fat actually does not have a high saturated fat content, which I think is too bad!  I personally try to eat the majority of my fats as saturated as possible, while trying to minimize the mono and polyunsaturated fats. Why do I do this? Saturated fats are the most stable and highly resistant to oxidation. The less saturated a fat is, the less stable it is and is therefore more likely to go rancid and create free radicals.  And those nasty free radicals are what causes damage in our bodies.  Free radicals = cellular death.  Cancer anyone?  No thanks!

Today I am sharing with you an easy recipe for making your own bacon.  But why would you bother?  First, cost.  It is always cheaper to make things from scratch rather than pay someone to pre-make it for you.  Second, chemicals.  Since bacon is a preserved food, it almost always contains preservatives of some kind.  Here are the ingredients in a typical package of bacon found in a grocery store:  pork, water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, smoke.

Of particular concern, and what I personally try to avoid in all cured meats are:

Sodium Nitrites/Nitrates – Used as a preservative, antibacterial, antimicrobial and coloring agent in many processed meats, are converted to cancer-causing nitrosamines in the body. According to nutritionist Mike Adams, when consumers eat sodium nitrite in popular meat products, nitrosamines are formed in the body where they promote the growth of various cancers, including colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. “Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply,” he explains. (source)

Sodium Erythorbate – A chemical version of vitamin C, used as a food preservative with no nutritional value.  It has been found to cause general side effects such as headaches, body flushing, generalized fatigue and malaise, dizziness, lightheadedness and hemolysis. Has also been found to have gastrointestinal and renal side effects. (source)

By making your own bacon, you have the ability to procure the best quality pork available to you.  If it is pastured, it will have a high vitamin D content (which many of us are lacking) and you will be able to control the ingredients while still making delicious, easy bacon!  I am using both sea salt and apple cider vinegar in my recipe to cure, flavor and kill any potential parasites.

Easy, Homemade, Chemical-Free Bacon

• 1 lb pastured pork belly, fresh and uncured
• 1 TBS unrefined sea salt
• 1 TBS organic apple cider vinegar
• 1 TBS maple syrup, honey, sucanat or palm sugar
• 1 tsp organic molasses
• Optional: Spices of your choice, such as black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, etc.

Slab of pork belly in marinade.

1. Your pork belly may come as one whole piece, or for convenience, you can ask your butcher to slice it for you.  Slip the whole piece of belly into a large zip-lock bag, or a shallow glass container.
2. In a small bowl, combine all the the ingredients together.  It will have a paste-like consistency.
3. Smear the paste all over the pork belly or slices with your hands, or if using the bag, dump the paste into the bag, and use the bag to help smear the paste all over the meat.
4. Place the pork belly into the fridge and let sit overnight.  By morning, your bacon will be ready to enjoy for breakfast.  If your pork belly was not pre-sliced for you, use a sharp knife to slice pieces off as thick as you like.
5. Fry bacon slices slowly in a cast iron pan over low-medium heat.  Be careful not to use high heat because the sugar in the bacon may burn.

Frying up thick slices of homemade bacon.

Enjoy!  And be sure to save that delicious bacon fat for another yummy dish!

This post is being shared over at Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Friday.  Go over and check out the other real food posts!