Being proactive

Finally! I have the energy today to add to my blog!! Its been over a year since I have gotten any illness that either Mark or the kids have brought home but this time (and its summer vacation!!) strep throat got me bad!

I hardly ever take medicine. Over the counter or perscriptions. Why? Because so many medicines have a toxic effect on our bodies. We are living today with such a high load of unavoidable toxins that I try my best to avoid the ones I do have control over. (Sometime I'll do my best to explain the balancing act I think our body is always doing and what happened to me when my body got totally off balance and tipped into Chronic illness)

SIDE NOTE: This is why my passion in this blog is to help my dear friends and family become proactive and get your bodies healthier so you won't face chronic illness, cancer, diabeties and the CRAZY rise of cases we are facing today! From the CDC here is a statistic: In 2005, 133 million Americans – almost 1 out of every 2 adults – has at least one chronic illness. It's 2010 now..usually numbers increase..Here's the website: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm
You may think "I'm fine..I feel good, but if your not being proactive, and not taking care of you (diet, exercise, mentally, emotionally, spiritually)... let me remind you cancer patients often say they felt 'fine' just months before...chronic illness (like mine) develops slowly (with symptoms that are manageable and 'normal')but from one day to another, your body can tip into a full illness...AND at that point it is much harder, crazy expensive (much more than your monthly investment in better foods, vitamins, exercise and spiritual commitments) and incredibly difficult to get well...the dedication is bigger than anything you could imagine. It is NOT 'normal' to feel tired as you get older...or is it 'normal' to expect illness when your older...its a myth! You can feel so good, healthier and more energetic in your older ages than when your 30! Please don't think for a minute our world is currently on the 'side' of our health...we have some great awareness growing and some wonderful things happening that inspire me so much...but our FDA (IMO) isn't FOR our Wellbeing. Some may disagree, please know I understand how those can think they are. I've read and researched a bunch.
BUT from my heart...from my experience... There is no need to fear...but there is a GREAT feeling in knowing you are doing all you can...it seems to counter ALL fear.
Please do a few things to take Small Steps to becoming proactive. Help your family stay healthy (on all levels)..especially our amazing treasures, our kids. SMALL STEPS can do so much good!

LIFE HAPPENS: For any of you who have had strep throat though, the avoidance of pain relief medicine is impossible! So I've been taking my Tylenol and Motrin. This is where my 80/20 theory fits in again (as I shared in my previous posts with diet).

For fever though, I really tried to hold out and ride my fever the first day. FEVER is a GOOD thing and as long as you can deal with it and the effects of it (shivering etc) and its not too high (the opinion on what is too high varies) it is GREAT to let the fever do its thing. The heating of your body is actually your body fighting to kill the virus or bacteria that is causing the illness. (Hence the Sauna idea with creating a fake 'fever' to remove toxins and kill bacteria/viruses) The stronger your immune system the more of a chance you have that your body will fight it without meds...but sometimes...we need the help. Especially since most of our immune systems are so busy fighting all the toxins and burdens we put on it when we are well (unavoidable and avoidable)! Most of our immune systems are not as strong as they should be.
Today I'm so thankful I can take antibiotics to make this Strep disappear!
Antibiotics are a wonderful thing in our Western Medicine. Without them our society would be so sick. BUT it's so important to understand that even though they effectively fight away our infections, in the end most often create a weakend immune system!
They work by killing all bacteria---both good and bad---throughout the body, which can result in lowered immunity following treatment.
Antibiotics work by killing bacteria...ALL bacteria. We have good bacteria in our bodies which are vital for proper digestion, strong immune systems etc and when we take antibiotics, they are killing all the GOOD ones too!!
So we need to make sure and replenish our bodies with the good stuff otherwise we are left with a body that doesn't have it's shield of protection from illness and toxins. I got this from another website:

During antibiotic therapy, a good dose is between 6 and 25 billion total viable probiotic cells per day. They should be taken as far away from the antibiotics as possible (for instance, if the antibiotics are to be taken every eight hours, the probiotic supplements should be taken four hours after the antibiotics). Probiotic therapy should be continued a week to a month beyond the antibiotic treatment period to replenish any beneficial bacteria lost during antibiotic use. Probiotic use should not interfere with the effectiveness of antibiotics.

And in my opinion,things like Activa yogurt has WAY too small of an amount to have an effect. Some might not agree but from my experience, I could not tell a difference. (if you have a good one or enough, you WILL notice it)

I would suggest making Probiotics a part of you and your families daily routine. It helps with SO many things...building immunity being the biggest but helping with digestion, allergies (often from a week immune system in the first place), the intestinal tract is cleaned by probiotics, constipation is relieved, bowel movements become normalized and SO many more. It can help with food allergies, yeast problems, acne, fungal infections....

I find SWANSONS.com has GREAT products, their ultimate probiotics are wonderful!
Costco (also available at many other places) also carries another called CULTURELLE, I like this one too. They have it at a great price..

MY KIDS get a wonderful brand that comes in tasty cherry or orange chewables by Nature's Way: Primadophilus kids (Their like $5-$6 dollars for a month supply. In my opinion if you have kids with Dairy or other food sensitivities..this is essential! Even for babies (they have powders to put in the formula).

There are many brands that are good. Sprouts carries so many..ask a consultant there, they are very helpful. There are many strains of probiotics. My doctors have all told me to stick with the most Lactobactillus strains. I do...it works...but that is also just my opinion and that of my doctors.

Please remember, these are my opinions from my experience and lots of reading for the last few years...MY BLOG includes a HUGE ... (DOT DOT DOT)...as I will never stop learning and perhaps changing my opinions...I encourage you to do your own research. Our internet can be a major resource and blessing..but remember to be objective and don't believe everything your read...digest it...in some cases try it...and keep learning and being open...your journey will be guided from the creator of it all...the one who really..'gets it'..LOL. Ask for peace to settle in your soul when something should resinate with you.

What a long post! Thanks for reading! I hope that its length doesn't turn you away.
With love, Melanie