Overflowing with information

In the past 12 months I have really been getting interested in nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. To the point that I'm actually considering the possibility of going back to school for an undergraduate degree in nutrition (when the girls are older...maybe once they start school).

Thanks to our new Naturopath (if anyone in the South Puget Sound area wants a recommendation, I'm happy to give it), the books and documentaries she's recommended, articles, websites, blogs, etc...I'm getting a little obsessive with it. I have to refrain from overloading my husband with information when he comes home from a long day's work and just wants to rest. But it's so hard to keep it in when I learned something new that day and want to share it because I think it's so important!

So...this means I'm going to ramble for a minute on my blog about it. Sorry [wink].

First of all, did you know it is actually illegal in the United States to treat cancer with anything other than surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy? ILLEGAL. I just can't wrap my brain around that fact. Sure, it's the most common practice for cancer treatment, but the idea that alternative and holistic methods for treating cancer are actually illegal just blows my mind. Check out something called The Gerson Therapy. Or watch some documentaries about it. Or look at their website. Guess what people? There's a cure for cancer (and it's been around for nearly a decade), and it ain't coming from an IV or pill or surgeon's knife. Sadly, most people only know of the surgery, radiation  or chemo options because that's all their told (on account of the other stuff being illegal). It's too late for my grandma, and she tried everything she could, but if she had known about the Gerson Therapy, I truly think she would have tried it.

Second of all, I'm very thankful to be going to an ND (naturopath) rather than an MD. And let me tell you why. If I were seeing my old doctor, she'd have gotten my TSH test levels back and immediately put me on synthetic thyroid replacement meds. But you know what the problem with that is? SYNTHETIC. It's not the real stuff. Which means there are side effects. The fact that my ND believes whole-heartedly that I can resolve my issue through diet-change alone is fantastic news to me. Will it be an easy change? Nope. It'll be more work. But will it be worth it so I don't have to be on RX meds for the rest of my life and deal with constant side effects? Absolutely. My old doctor would've looked at me like I was nuts if I asked her about changing my diet to fix my thyroid issue. Just like doctors have looked at me when I tell them their predicted due date for my child is wrong...because I know my body and I know when I ovulated, thankyouverymuch. I'm not an idiot. It's not rocket science. I like to be educated about my body, the way it works, and what goes into it.

The fact that my daughter's pediatrician told me "some kids just get eczema...for no reason" when I suggested Charlotte's skin problems could be related to a food allergy or intolerance...really? Some people just get health problems for NO reason? I don't think so. We were not BORN with eczema or cancer or acid reflux. We develop it. Why? Because we eat a lot of crap and we exposed to so many environmental toxins. Or because I eat a lot of crap that goes through my breastmilk to Charlotte. I have not been eating the most nutritious foods, and I'm sad now because I know I've deprived her of some nutrients that she really needs. And I've KNOWN she has a food allergy/intolerance. I just have not been able to figure out what it is. The thing I didn't know is that I also have one! But hello, babies aren't colicky for no reason. I don't believe that for one second. Yes, sometimes a baby just needs to cry to blow off steam or whatever, but screaming for HOURS on end? No. There's a problem when that happens. And yes, the probiotics have GREATLY helped Charlotte and immensely improved her mood. But she's still one of the whiniest and fussiest babies I know. Not to mention, she never sleeps. And yes, part of that could be her personality, but I think part of it is something that's going in her body just doesn't sit right.

I'm not looking forward to how cranky Eden will be next week when we throw out all the foods we have containing refined sugar (including artificial sweeteners...which are even worse for you...don't even get me started on diet sodas), but I know that it will be SO much better for her in the long run. If I can help raise my children to eat right and be healthy and give them the best shot at preventing diseases and health problems, I'm going to do it! I would be a fool not to. And I'll have to hope that they continue on with it when they get older and leave the house. I plan to read Dr. Furhman's book...Disease-Proof Your Child:Feeding Kids Right. And I'm getting some whole foods nutrition cookbooks at the library (recommended by my ND also).

Something else...vitamins. Have you ever had a doctor tell you not to take vitamins? Or not to take too much of a vitamin? That's another problem. My ND is putting Corey and I each on 10,000 IU of Vitamin D...PER DAY for 4 weeks, and then we'll drop the dose to 5,000 IU. And no, it's not going to kill us or poison us. Over the last 23 years, there have been only 10 supposed cases of death due to vitamins...and not a single one of those could be completely verified as having been caused by vitamins. And over 100,000 people die per year from adverse drug reactions (so that's over 2.3 million people in 23 years) Crazy, right? My old MD told me not to take certain vitamins or not to take too much of them. If she knew I was taking 10,000 IU of vitamin D per day, she'd have a melt down. Vitamins are so important to your body! We need them to function properly! Especially when we feed our bodies a lot of crap and junk...at least take your vitamins to give yourself a decent shot!

 I promise not to make every post I write about nutrition or food or vitamins, etc. But it's something I really feel strongly about, and I think so many people are just uneducated on the matter...if they KNEW more, they'd think differently and make different choices. So I am merely trying to get the word out there in hopes that someone else will be intrigued enough to do their own research, see their own doctor, and come to their own conclusions about what we put into our bodies and how we treat them.


Ok, I'm done with my ramble for now. Eden just woke up from her nap, so it's back to mommy world for me.

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!