Smelling Like A Salad...

Health is Wealth, and goddamnit I'm feeling pretty broke!

I am so incredibly passionate about being healthy...being in harmony with nature, my surroundings, and my inner being. I am 8 months into a two year Candida cleanse. Yes, there have been times that I have struggled, times that I've wanted to kick and scream like a child, times that I have actually cried....but I've stuck with it. I have missed toasting champagne at my friends weddings, enjoying a slice of decadent pie to celebrate the holidays, and have only eaten out a handful of times because to order something that fits within my restrictions is near impossible. Overall I have felt pretty optimistic on this cleanse, and have (somewhat) enjoyed this simple, clean diet. Well, this morning, I woke up and it was just too much. Feeling crappy sucks....period. End of story. But feeling crappy while you have been actively working towards feeling good, while you have been forgoing your favorite foods, while you have been sober and all "shanti shanti" is a kick in the shins. In addition to this joint pain and fatigue that is nearly debilitating and an incredibly painful stomach ulcer, my brain has been foggy and I have developed an ear infection. Boom. Insult to injury. I'm not against medicine, but I would say that I am more inclined to go the homeopathic route. In all honesty (I'm sorry to all of my hippie readers out there) I have taken medicine, but truthfully- it doesn't work, and the result of the homeopathic goodies is nearly instant.

So this morning, once I wiped the sad tears of defeat from my face, I hopped online to find a cure for my latest ailment. It seems that all the naturopath remedies that I have been using lately leave me smelling like a salad....this one was no different.

Ear Infection:
Two tablespoons of olive oil (I brought back fresh, organic extra virgin olive oil from Italy) (helps clear wax build up), a few drops of Tea Tree Oil (antibacterial), two teaspoons of (Braggs) Apple cider Vinegar (kills fungus). Warm it up and add a few drops to your ear.

The relief was almost instant. The pain came back this afternoon though it was nothing like the pain that I had woken up with. And so, I reapplied. Again, instant relief.

Alas, there are three parts to the ear, and infections can occur in all three. And since I don't know where mine is, I'm treating them all. I also did a salt press, which felt great. I heated up sea salt, wrapped it up in cheesecloth, and placed it over my ear so it would pull out any moisture. I'm not sure if it helped in the long run, but it felt great.

To take care of the third part I applied a warmed water bottle against my ear. Again, it felt so nice.

The only thing that would have made this better would have been if I had gone to my moms house and she doctored me as I lay snuggled on the couch. And she would have if I had gotten my lazy, sad bum in the car and driven to her house. God bless her she listened to my sad mumbling self-pity-fest this morning and kept encouraging me that it was all going to be okay. Years ago she told me that you need to be your own advocate, and damn was she right. After I cleaned myself up I spent the morning talking to my array of doctors and healers, all with different advice (go figure). The only comfort that I took in all of the consultations was that an ear infection would be a result of my body purging toxins, so fingers crossed that this is part of the process. Being healthy has been quite a challenge for me, but I'm not giving up...because health is wealth....without it you have nothing. So if I smell like a salad, please don't mind....

Done with Deodorant.

I'm done with deodorant. And medicine. And face wash. And house cleaner. Why? Because Martha taught me so. 

Martha is an original. There's no other like her and she's not trying to copy anyone. 100% original. She was the first person that I ever met who had a "self practice" with yoga and did her "daily meditation"....DAILY. She is balanced and eloquent, and I respect all that she has to say- because all that she has to say is important and thoughtful. Anywho, I visited her today between teaching classes and taking classes, and she introduced me to ESSENTIAL OILS. I had basil on my forehead, wild orange in my water, a "balance" blend was blowing through the diffuser on the desk, and I had some other grounding mix behind my ears and dotted into my chest. Boom. Healing. Full power. She also gave me some GI tract supplements to support my cleanse and some really kick ass probiotics. Double boom. The brand is called Doterra, and I'm SOLD. As Martha put it, essential oils are addressing our body as a whole, whereas more often than not people aren't treating the root of our health issues. She said, It's like fixing a shingle on the roof when the foundation is severely cracked. It's like "what's the point?!". 

After we cracked out on essential oils, I asked to borrow their shower so I could clean up for my massage training. Of course it wasn't an ordinary shower- no, there was homemade face wash (baking soda, coconut oil and a few select essential oils) as well as some after shower facial oil. Better yet when I told Martha that I *cannot* find a deodorant to tame my stanky underarms (that's to this cleanse I'm detoxing and the toxins are leaving- but not 'politely'), she responded with "just smear some baking soda under there". Well, GODDAMN....4 hours of massage training and a yoga class later- absolutely no.smell.whatsoever. Amazing, cheap, and not going to give you breast cancer. Hooray! 

The highlight of the afternoon was when I asked for some tea and she responded, "Sure, I just made some Alkaline forming twig tea.."

Martha Martha Martha : thanks for healing me, yet again. 

supplements

face wash and oil

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

White Distilled Vinegar.

WHAT DO......

• dirty floors
• ear infections
• salads
• easter eggs
  
• jelly-fish-stings
  
• grimy hair, and
• cuts

HAVE IN COMMON?



WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR.
Yep, that's right.

Apple Cider Vinegar {Dr.Bragg's Organic Raw Unfiltered, of course!} is my go-to for most things. I use it to sass up a salad dressing, I add it to my ice water, and add a capful to a cup of hot green tea with honey. It helps to curb the appetite, clear up the skin, promote healthy digestion, so on and so forth. There are a few things though that I call in ACV's cousin, WDV {white distilled vinegar} for.

To begin, White Distilled Vinegar is made from sun-ripened grain and crystal clear water. It's cheap and eco-friendly - bada bing, bada bang - I love it. For $5 you walk away with a gallon of the good stuff, enough for every ailment and cleaning task at hand!

I used WDV for two things today. Cleaning my hair, and getting rid of this damn ear infection. Being a surfer, constantly in the water, I am plagued with ear infections. These ear infections occur rather frequently while I'm in Costa Rica, and this past year Shawn introduced {or should I say REintroduced me} to WDV. Pour about two capfuls into your ear while laying on one side. Let it sit in there for about 3 minutes, more time if you have it. I'm telling you, in a few days - usually 3 - the ear infection is gone. It works better than any prescription or over-the-counter drug I've used for ear infections, and it sure as hell is cheaper.

This evening when I got home from work, my hair was ultra scuzzy. Sweating like crazy, using crappy shampoo and saturating my hair in conditioner, spending extra time in salt water, and swimming in my parents pool has left a layer of gunk on my hair that just won't wash off. When I was a kid my blonde hair used to turn green from the chlorine - YES, green - and Whitney Hendee turned me onto WDV. All of those "pool" shampoos are too expensive, and they never work anyways. Sure enough, after soaking in the tub with WDV in my hair, the green was gone!! Voila! So now, about every month, I soak my hair with a cup or two of vinegar and let it work it's magic.

For more information about the wonders of White Distilled Vinegar, check out the following:




1001 Uses For White Distilled Vinegar:
http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/
Categories are Laundry, Garden, Cleaning, Health, Automotive, Pets, Cleaning.
*This site is super cool. They have some great recommendations that I've never thought of or heard of, and they reiterated some of the uses that I recommend. Check it out.

Earth Clinic : White Vinegar Cures:
http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/white_vinegar.html
Testimonials and Suggestions
*Earth Clinic is one of my FAVORITE sites, so no wonder that they have an abundance of information about this.

natural healing, from the inside - out

Doctors give drugs of which they know little, into bodies, of which they know less, for diseases of which they know nothing at all. - Voltaire


Vegetables: SUPERFOOD, The Best Things You Can Put In Your Body

Baking Soda: Facewash

Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar: The Fountain of Youth

I'm a firm believer in natural healing: changing your diet, changing your lifestyle, positive thinking and staying away from prescription medicines. Everyone wants a magic pill to heal them and make everything right again, but that's just not the case. IN FACT, in many cases the medicine we are prescribed to fix something is hurting something else in our body. "You are what you eat" --- something we hear all the time, and it's so true. I guess that you could say that it has become my mantra lately. My mother was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthretis, unable to get out of bed sometimes. For those of you who know my mother, you know that it is IMPOSSIBLE for her to sit still. For those of you who don't know her -- well, let's just say that she is "Type A" and high-strung. After a ton of frustration with visiting doctors, failed attempts with mediciation and a ton of pain, she altered her diet. More vegetables, less red meat and no dairy {both of which are inflammatory}. She also took up Tai chi. The results were almost instant. My mother is also capable of moving mountains with her mind, so with a positive attitude and the few adjustments she was a new woman.

I discovered www.earthclinic.com a few years ago {well, my mom introduced me to it}. Any and all ailments that I had, or my DOG had, I would go onto this site. It has saved me a ton of money, pain and frustration. I now drink a shot of apple cider vinegar every day which helps my skin stay clear, colds stay away, healthier hair and so much more. When I need an exfoliator, instead of spending a bunch of money at the store I bust out a $0.99 box of baking soda. I wash my face with it, scrub my body with it, and soak with it in the tub. Everyone's always complimenting my white teeth: well, once a week I brush with baking soda and peroxide...and about every other day I sprinkle some baking soda over my toothpaste. Who needs teeth whitening programs for hundreds of dollars when you have baking soda!?

Most over-the-counter and almost all prescribed drug treatments merely mask symptoms or control health problems or in some way alter the way organs or systems such as the circulatory system work. Drugs almost never deal with the reasons why these problems exist, while they frequently create new health problems as side effects of their activities. - John R. Lee, M.D.

I recently discovered that I have a big problem with a little too much Candida Albicans yeast in my body. It has caused me extreme discomfort for years: severe allergies, mood swings, joint pain, cramps, drowsiness, fatigue, extreme food cravings and some serious lady problems. All of these things, that doctors had me convinced I was bound to live with for life -- all because of too much yeast in my body, something easily treated. Once I made this discovery I didn't understand why a doctor hadn't addressed it sooner. It's extremely common {I found after countless hours on the internet and the zillion sites dedicated to this}. The reason it hadn't been diagnosed was because to cure it you don't need medicine -- there's nothing that the doctor can prescribe you, drain your wallet with tests....you have to change your diet. Have you EVER had a doctor tell you to change your diet? No. They may tell you that you have to loose some weight, but chances are the person telling YOU this is overweight. I decided to share this with everyone, because I will be making a serious lifestyle change for the next 6 months, and I'm sure that it will work it's way into my blog. To rid myself of this evil candida yeast I need to STARVE the yeast. This means ABSOLUTELY NO:

yeast, sugar {fructose, sucrose, gluclose, honey, molasses, all of it}, fruit {loaded with natural sugar}, dairy products {milk, cheese, etc}, white flour products, seeds + nuts, vinegar, mushrooms, juice, food additives, prepared sauces {soy sauce, worchestshire sauce, dressings, etc.}, any yeast-mold containing food {ketchup, olives, pickles, horseradish, certain spices, buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, ice cream, milk, certain vitamins, baked goods, biscuits, etc.}. And NO BOOZE. Nothing fermented: which include my 4 favorite things in the whole world, Beer, Wine, Cheese, and BREAD. I'm also not supposed to have coffee because it is prone by growing mold and I'm supposed to cut out caffeine - but I have to draw a line somewhere. So I'm limiting myself just to my morning cup.

The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.- Thomas A Edison

Nobody said that it was going to be easy. I did my research and ordered a bunch of books off of amazon. Reading through these books I was super depressed because of all that I couldn't have, but I was so excited to finally have some ANSWERS as to why I was feeling the way that I was, and SOLUTIONS. Once the yeast is starved it will leave my body. Over the next two weeks I will have a bunch of toxins leaving my body, which I am helping along by drinking the juice of one lemon, straight, every morning and by eating a clove of garlic every afternoon. Both are natural cleansers. Though this diet has only begun recently I have already discovered a new appreciation for food: preparing it, eating it, and enjoying it. Ha, and all of you thought that I already had a serious appreciation for food --- well that has quadrupled. I prepare every.single.meal. - the dressing, what I drink, the sauces I use and the seasonings. We are talking FRESH. At night time now I have a cup of decaf tea...which I savor every sip. It's no chocolate ice cream or cookies, but it sure as hell comes as close as possible, and I feel better than if I was to eat a sugar-filled dessert.

This strict diet is just temporary. Once the yeast has died off and I'm back at full health, I can resume a regular diet, though always being aware of yeast-baring foods and trying to limit my consumption. Waitressing all summer and not have a glass of wine every night seems impossible right now, but every day I become more and more excited about this new way of healing and new, delicious recipes.

Eat well,
drink in moderation,
and sleep sound,
in these three good health abound.
- Latin Proverb

If anyone has any questions about Candida Albicans check out this fabulous book:

Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook: Everything You Need To Know About Prevention, Treatment and Diet by Jeanne Marie Martin

Health is all that we have. It's important to love and nurture your body and your soul. Eating healthy, taking supplements, living a clean lifestyle and daily yoga has healed my body and my mind in ways that a doctor never could. In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Happy Healing!