Horriblemones!

Since I was 13 my hormones have been messed up. It wasn't until several years ago when I was told I probably wouldn't be able to have children without expensive medical interventions that I actually started doing real research about why my hormones were so messed up. What I found out surprised me. Sure, there are hormones in the meat and milk we eat, and there is BPA in plastic (which is an endocrine disruptor, among other things). I already knew this. I didn't know that it was just the tip of the iceberg. I also had no idea how much certain toxins, chemicals, and the way foods are processed/cooked influenced hormones. I began changing how I shopped at the grocery store immediately, and I started buying everything I could organic and pasture raised (especially meats, eggs and dairy). I learned quickly how true the phrase "you get what you pay for" truly is. I got rid of all my BPA plastic and purchased new "BPA Free" containers. Then after reading about estrogen dominance in America, I started using a progesterone cream to balance things out a bit. A couple months later I decided to do a month long detox diet eating nothing but organic fruit, veggies and beans/legumes (with some rice). In addition, I made sure I did a fresh juice of veggies and fruits every day to replenish lost vitamins, enzymes, minerals and phytonutrients. A month later I found out I was pregnant! I was beyond shocked because the month I conceived, I decided to give up the notion of ever having children because my husband and I decided not to go through the medical intervention process after months of weighing the options, and it was highly unlikely we would ever have a baby on our own.

The horriblemones didn't stop there. From severe (and long lasting) "morning sickness" (you can read about my experience here), to intense muscle and ligament pain and then followed by a premature birth, inability to produce my own milk, and losing 75% of my hair, I guess my hormones were still out of whack and not working like they should. This is where further research came in, and partly what made me decide to make all these recent changes. A large one having to do with water.

Getting a water filter that met my expectations has been a personal challenge of mine for quite some time. First, I went with Brita, then switched to the Zero water filter (after learning Brita doesn't actually remove much). I then found myself replacing the Zero water filter cartridge every month (especially because I used it to make formula every day), and realized quickly this was inconvenient and cost inefficient. I was getting really tired of filling the pitcher several times a day. I was on the fence about the whole reverse osmosis water system due to cost, and was about to get and install one (since I thought it was the only good option) until I read about what it removes (or doesn't remove) compared to different options. Basically, I wanted to leave minerals in my water, while removing the bad stuff like endocrine disruptors, including fluoride. I ended up deciding on a Berkey water filter. It uses carbon block and gravity to remove chlorine (and many other harmful things), and I added the additional fluoride and arsenic attachments to get the Fluoride out of my water. So far I like it. It is big enough to not have to fill 10 times a day, and doesn't use electricity to run. It removes everything I want removed, and I don't have to change the filters for YEARS! It does cost more up front than one of those fridge water filters, but ends up being much cheaper in the long run due to the longevity of the block filters. My only complaint is that it doesn't come with the spigot that tells you how full it is, so I have to purchase that separately or risk overfilling it (minor annoyance). Also, it takes up some counter space and took a bit of time to set up (compared to just popping a pitcher in the fridge). But other than that, I love it!

My "Big Berkey" (and home made giant mason jar mug)

I'm far from done making changes, but at this point have made a good start. Making further changes to my "dietary lifestyle" starts July 1st! It will be a trial and error learning experience due to the requirement of different methods of cooking, and it has also required changing my thinking about food which has been "ingrained" in me (pun intended) since childhood.

Getting Back to Nature!

With the past couple years being a whirlwind of health problems, I've been spending all of my "me" time researching natural solutions. Having already spent $6,500 out of pocket on doctor visits and testing since January of this year only to get absolutely nowhere, I needed a change... fast! Something that has always made complete sense to me is getting back to nature and basics. If there's one thing I've learned with my background and interest in nutrition, along with just observing what's going on around me, it's been that man will destroy whatever he gets his hands on and should just leave nature alone. He just shouldn't even try to improve on it or "fix what isn't broken". Margarine vs butter is a good example of this, but there's about a million to pick from. I already knew cows should eat grass for their benefit, so finding out how different (nutritionally) industrialized food is compared to the local organic farmer had a huge impact. So, a couple months ago I decided to "get back to nature" and use products and eat foods (whenever possible) that are in their most natural form. No chemicals, artificial ingredients, or products that claim to be "natural" but then the list of ingredients shows 10 things I can't even pronounce. I want to really know what I'm using and eating! However, this was a lot more involved than I thought. I had no idea how many chemicals I was exposed to each and every day, and I quickly got overwhelmed. To get this overwhelmed feeling in check, I decided to focus on external areas of my life first because those seemed the easiest to change. So here's a list of what I've done so far during the past couple of months:

• Purged my old toothpaste and mouthwash and started using a natural flouride free toothpaste with an occasional peroxide rinse. I've also done oil pulling to deep clean my teeth.
• Switched my deoderant to a natural, aluminum free kind. This was tough, but after a few days I noticed I started sweating less than I did when using aluminum.
• Quit washing my face with soap. I use a mix of Olive oil and castor oil now and it works just as good (even better) without leaving my face dry or oily.
• Switched my shampoo to soap nut, natural shampoo and my conditioner to a natural shea butter conditioner. You can also make your own shampoo out of soap nuts, but I'm not there yet.
• Switched my shower bar soap to a natural bar soap (I use a few different brands, Dr. Bronner's is one)
• Got rid of commercial hand soap and started making my own.
• Started using raw Shea butter instead of lotion, but I've found that I don't need lotion when using all natural products on my skin.
• Made my own all purpose cleaner to replace the chemical one in the cupboard.
• Use a vinegar and water mix instead of windex.
• Purchased an all natural sunscreen that uses zinc as sunblock instead of the cancer causing chemicals. This was mainly because I didn't want to put all those chemicals on my 10 month old baby, but I used it once on myself first and was happy with the results. I don't usually need sunscreen unless I visit the equator.
• Started cooking with cast iron (when I can) instead of using non-stick pans. I still have to research something different for this since cast iron is cumbersome to work with. I'm sure there's better options out there, but I don't have the money to purchase new cookware right now.
• Got some air cleaning candles made with beeswax (I'm not allergic to these!) instead of the smelly ones that would always make me sneeze.
• Finally, I just decided on a water filter last week and just ordered it. I decided on a Berkey water filtration system with flouride removing attachments. I was using a Zero water filter that you stick in the fridge and was through with filling that thing a couple times a day (due to still having to mix formula) and replacing the expensive filters every month or so. I was going to get a reverse osmosis system until I read this article and did further research on the best, most cost-effective option. It will ship on Thursday and I'm excited to finally have some clean water without losing the mineral content, and without having to change filters so frequently!

I'm just now starting to focus on the internal changes (food, supplements etc...). I saved that for last because that's the hardest part to change. With all the diets out there, I was very hesitant to start anything new until I knew it was the right way to go, and was a lifestyle change instead of a temporary "diet". I wanted to make sure whatever additional changes I made to my diet (aside from already being gluten free, mostly organic and pasture raised) met my new higher standards, were feasible and made financial sense. Also, since I'm the grocery shopper and "cook" (if you can call it that) of the family, so that means everyone (including the husband) has to be on board for the change. That has it's own set of challenges. Future post to come on that soon!

My new Himalayan salt candle holders and 100% beeswax air purifying candles.

NOTE: My spelling errors, misplacement of commas and other grammatical mistakes are probably common in this blog as I lack the time to triple check everything without the distraction of a maniac baby getting into everything, causing a distraction every few minutes. Please excuse them!