May 4, 2015
So, I've never been a big "take the medicine" kind of gal. Of course, I take it when needed, but if I have a headache, I guzzle water first and most times it's dehydration, eye strain or stress that causes it, so why not try to hydrate, alleviate eye strain or reduce stress to take care of it rather than put chemicals in my body.
Well, lesson learned. My son, who I rarely give any pain medication too unless he's hurting (obviously, I give him medication if he is hurting or suffering and I cannot alleviate it otherwise) spiked a fever on Friday. Yesterday it got worse and he was tugging on his ear so we took him to urgent care. All was clear so they thought it was possibly a virus. Well, what did I do? Right away, we offered him Tylenol, because, that's what you do, right? Well, as I researched it more...no!
A temperature is alerting your immune system to fight the germs. So, if you shut that down, your body doesn't fight as hard. So, your fever lasts longer. Gulp. I just put him down for a nap with a bit of Tylenol. Lesson learned. Until it reaches 105 (my pedi actually confirmed this) there is really no cause for concern. Children run higher temps normally, so most times there is no need for alarm. I'm not quite sure I could let it get that high without turning into a panicky mess, but I'll try and refrain from now on with the meds until it hits closer to 103. It was 102.8 when I took him in yesterday.
A friend also suggested that I use essential oils so I delved into Dr. Google again and did some research. I have been using essential oils, that my friend gave me for my insomnia and I will admit it has worked miracles for me. I'm not sure if it's the towel trick my chiropractor suggested, the meditation and prayer, acupressure points I rub before bed, the herbs my TCM gives me or the essential oil, but my sleep has been FAR better. My guess...a little of all of those.
It did get me thinking though how much I've yet to explore the benefits of essential oils. I plan to pick up some peppermint to help with my son's fever, and I'm going to research more how fertility and essential oils can go hand in hand. I'll keep you posted.
I've been doing all I can to limit and eliminate chemical exposure. I spoke about it a little in my "Changes" blog post, but we've done more since. We have no cleaners with chemicals. I've been using Better Life What-Ever. It's ranked "C" on the EWG guide, but after some careful research, the C comes from it being possibly harmful to the environment. Don't get me wrong, I love the environment, and it's much better than most other everyday cleaners, but what I really liked about this one is there is extremely low risk for cancer or developmental or reproductive toxicity. That's an A in my book.
One thing I've learned researching on the EWG is to look at the overall rating, but also why things are rated that way. Some companies use "general" ingredients so they don't get bad reviews. Other companies that are fully transparent get worse reviews because one of the ingredients may be marked higher. Example, if one uses a specific essential oil, it could get a worse review because it could be an allergen for someone or disrupt hormone. You catch my drift. Use discretion and trust your gut.
To clean my carpets I only use vinegar and water. To get out stains hydrogen peroxide. My shower, vinegar and baking soda and then finishing up with Better-Life. You can find it cheaper in store. I know Sprouts and Whole Foods carry it.
I've also ditched my normal deodorant and toothpaste for Tom's because it's healthier. It took a bit to get use to a deodorant versus an antiperspirant, but I like it fine now. I think I'll give purelygreat deodorant a try. It only has four ingredients. I tread a fine line here because I want one that really works (aka, I don't want to smell) yet that is totally risk free. I feel optimistic about this one. Anyone give it a try??
Yesterday I spent a half hour researching sunscreens. We've been using Honest for my son and it works great and has a great ranking with EWG but it's a bit tacky. We'll use up the tubes we have but I'm giving Goddess Garden a whirl because of it's great ranking, reviews and recommendation from a friend. The sunscreen I had been using for my face, had a horrid revue and I was surprised because it is marketed and advertised as good for you...I won't mention it here, but their products are considered "healthy." Do yourself a favor (or don't if you don't want to turn into a panicky mess) and go to EWG.org to research the items you use around your house and on your body. Goddess Garden is available in most health food stores, but I found it cheap at VitaCost and Amazon.
My next project will be revamping my shampoos and body lotions. I quite using hair products years ago. If you have a great suggestion for all organic and chemical free, send them my way.
All my face stuff and make up is Origins. I was surprised it doesn't have great rankings on EWG across the board, but it's more natural and I trust it more than traditional over the counter.
There's been a lot of changes in my life, and I don't say everyone MUST do this. It's a personal preference, but I feel healthier and my body has started to respond to all the changes I've been making. The important thing is to limit what exposure you can and realize that you can't eliminate it all. Or you will go NUTS! And, we're trying to eliminate STRESS number one! Don't stress about every little thing.
Today I'm 5 DPO and my temps remain high. Always hoping for that positive, but if I can get through tomorrow without a period, I'll have made it another step in my healing. (My last luteal phase ended day 6.)
I just have to throw this in here because it was so darn cute. Every morning I do my back exercises as my chiropractor said to loosen my spine (helping my endocrine and nervous system shoot the right messages for hormones) and my husband said, "Babe, look!" I turned and my son was imitating my stretches. Never to young to learn proper spine health :)
As always, God Bless and keep on plugging away! Good luck, ladies!
So, I've never been a big "take the medicine" kind of gal. Of course, I take it when needed, but if I have a headache, I guzzle water first and most times it's dehydration, eye strain or stress that causes it, so why not try to hydrate, alleviate eye strain or reduce stress to take care of it rather than put chemicals in my body.
Well, lesson learned. My son, who I rarely give any pain medication too unless he's hurting (obviously, I give him medication if he is hurting or suffering and I cannot alleviate it otherwise) spiked a fever on Friday. Yesterday it got worse and he was tugging on his ear so we took him to urgent care. All was clear so they thought it was possibly a virus. Well, what did I do? Right away, we offered him Tylenol, because, that's what you do, right? Well, as I researched it more...no!
A temperature is alerting your immune system to fight the germs. So, if you shut that down, your body doesn't fight as hard. So, your fever lasts longer. Gulp. I just put him down for a nap with a bit of Tylenol. Lesson learned. Until it reaches 105 (my pedi actually confirmed this) there is really no cause for concern. Children run higher temps normally, so most times there is no need for alarm. I'm not quite sure I could let it get that high without turning into a panicky mess, but I'll try and refrain from now on with the meds until it hits closer to 103. It was 102.8 when I took him in yesterday.
A friend also suggested that I use essential oils so I delved into Dr. Google again and did some research. I have been using essential oils, that my friend gave me for my insomnia and I will admit it has worked miracles for me. I'm not sure if it's the towel trick my chiropractor suggested, the meditation and prayer, acupressure points I rub before bed, the herbs my TCM gives me or the essential oil, but my sleep has been FAR better. My guess...a little of all of those.
It did get me thinking though how much I've yet to explore the benefits of essential oils. I plan to pick up some peppermint to help with my son's fever, and I'm going to research more how fertility and essential oils can go hand in hand. I'll keep you posted.
I've been doing all I can to limit and eliminate chemical exposure. I spoke about it a little in my "Changes" blog post, but we've done more since. We have no cleaners with chemicals. I've been using Better Life What-Ever. It's ranked "C" on the EWG guide, but after some careful research, the C comes from it being possibly harmful to the environment. Don't get me wrong, I love the environment, and it's much better than most other everyday cleaners, but what I really liked about this one is there is extremely low risk for cancer or developmental or reproductive toxicity. That's an A in my book.
One thing I've learned researching on the EWG is to look at the overall rating, but also why things are rated that way. Some companies use "general" ingredients so they don't get bad reviews. Other companies that are fully transparent get worse reviews because one of the ingredients may be marked higher. Example, if one uses a specific essential oil, it could get a worse review because it could be an allergen for someone or disrupt hormone. You catch my drift. Use discretion and trust your gut.
To clean my carpets I only use vinegar and water. To get out stains hydrogen peroxide. My shower, vinegar and baking soda and then finishing up with Better-Life. You can find it cheaper in store. I know Sprouts and Whole Foods carry it.
I've also ditched my normal deodorant and toothpaste for Tom's because it's healthier. It took a bit to get use to a deodorant versus an antiperspirant, but I like it fine now. I think I'll give purelygreat deodorant a try. It only has four ingredients. I tread a fine line here because I want one that really works (aka, I don't want to smell) yet that is totally risk free. I feel optimistic about this one. Anyone give it a try??
Yesterday I spent a half hour researching sunscreens. We've been using Honest for my son and it works great and has a great ranking with EWG but it's a bit tacky. We'll use up the tubes we have but I'm giving Goddess Garden a whirl because of it's great ranking, reviews and recommendation from a friend. The sunscreen I had been using for my face, had a horrid revue and I was surprised because it is marketed and advertised as good for you...I won't mention it here, but their products are considered "healthy." Do yourself a favor (or don't if you don't want to turn into a panicky mess) and go to EWG.org to research the items you use around your house and on your body. Goddess Garden is available in most health food stores, but I found it cheap at VitaCost and Amazon.
My next project will be revamping my shampoos and body lotions. I quite using hair products years ago. If you have a great suggestion for all organic and chemical free, send them my way.
All my face stuff and make up is Origins. I was surprised it doesn't have great rankings on EWG across the board, but it's more natural and I trust it more than traditional over the counter.
There's been a lot of changes in my life, and I don't say everyone MUST do this. It's a personal preference, but I feel healthier and my body has started to respond to all the changes I've been making. The important thing is to limit what exposure you can and realize that you can't eliminate it all. Or you will go NUTS! And, we're trying to eliminate STRESS number one! Don't stress about every little thing.
Today I'm 5 DPO and my temps remain high. Always hoping for that positive, but if I can get through tomorrow without a period, I'll have made it another step in my healing. (My last luteal phase ended day 6.)
I just have to throw this in here because it was so darn cute. Every morning I do my back exercises as my chiropractor said to loosen my spine (helping my endocrine and nervous system shoot the right messages for hormones) and my husband said, "Babe, look!" I turned and my son was imitating my stretches. Never to young to learn proper spine health :)
As always, God Bless and keep on plugging away! Good luck, ladies!
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