Make Healthier Choices

Helping people Make Healthier Choices about real-food choices for optimal heath.

Archives for January 2016

Homemade Toothpaste – Secret to the Right Consistency

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No More Plaque

Ralph Nadar exposed the Dirty Dozen in Cancer Prevention News, in the Fall 1995 issue. The toothpaste I used at the time, Crest Tartar Control, happened to be on that list. I quickly moved to better, more trusted toothpastes. I have only used homemade toothpaste for a few years. I’m glad I switched!

I’ll admit my surprise when my dental hygienist said, “you no longer have plaque on your teeth.” She also said, “you only have stain from drinking coffee or tea.” Then she asked, “Are you using baking soda?” I actually thought to myself, hmmm…it must be well-known at least in the dental community, that baking soda removes plaque, and Wow, if I gave up coffee, tea, and any stain-causing drinks, what would she do during my appointment?

 

Too Sloppy or Too Hard?

If you’ve ever made your own toothpaste, you know it’s usually too sloppy in the summer and too hard in the winter. I had to experiment to keep my toothpaste softer in the winter and more solid in the summer. Coconut oil is solid at 76° and stays liquid above that temperature.  Coconut oil and orange essential oil are both known teeth whiteners.

The Right Consistency

My secrets to keeping the right consistency:  In winter, I add fractionated coconut oil (FCO) or MOM (Milk of Magnesia) In the summer, I omit the FCO and add more baking soda. I keep adding baking soda until it’s the consistency I want. To make adjustments in temperatures under 76°, it needs to be heated until melted or added to a food processor (I use this mini-processor). I sometimes use a bigger processor to make more at once. Since we all keep our homes at different temperatures, we’ll all use different amounts of FCO and baking soda. Start with my basic recipe and go from there—adding either more FCO, MOM, or more baking soda.

Each Family Member Should Have Their Own Jar

You’ll need to dip your toothbrush into the jar. Please give each family member a jar of their own toothpaste. It’s not a good idea to spit this toothpaste out into your sink. CAUTION: Coconut oil is great at clogging drains. I always use organic coconut oil as my base, but for making do-it-yourself recipes like this one, I sometimes use the lesser expensive, organic refined coconut oil.

 

UPDATE

UPDATE: At my most recent cleaning appointment in March 2016, I again asked if I had any plaque. My hygienist said, “No, only stain from coffee.” She suggested I use a whitening mouth rinse and then added “they contain hydrogen peroxide.” Of course, I  won’t use chemical-laden mouth washes. I typically had a cavity every one to two years, but I’ve not had a cavity in the six years I’ve been drinking Zija International’s Supermix which is primarily moringa oleifera (a plant). Zija International was the company that brought moringa to the United States in an enzymatically alive, bioavailable, easy-to-re-hydrate packet. Zija has since been purchased by Isagenix. You can find it here: Isagenix Zija Supermix.

Please note: This is my experience; you might not have the same results.

 

 

It’s Worse Than Chronic Lyme Disease

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What Could Possibly Be Worse Than Chronic Lyme Disease?

Did you know there’s actually something worse than Chronic Lyme Disease? Becoming re-infected and having to recover from it again. And again. And yet again. Especially, when you were finally headed in the right direction and feeling better. If you don’t know anything about Lyme Disease (and you probably don’t unless you have Chronic Lyme Disease yourself) it’s a debilitating disease that steals our lives, our money and for many—our friends and family. There’s no cure and none in the foreseeable future. But that’s a story for another time.

canstockphoto30914317

It all started Sunday, when I woke with a sore throat. I thought, great, a second attempt at getting a cold this winter. I’ve not had a cold in at least four years. Mainly, since I learned the importance of good nutrition. It also helps I’m a fan of Andrew Saul who says about Vitamin C, “The reason one vitamin can CURE so many conditions is that a deficiency of one vitamin can CAUSE many conditions.” Whenever I’ve felt a sniffle that feels like a cold coming on, I promptly pay attention to his common sense: Respiratory Illness, (oh yeah, whatever did happen to that bird flu he mentions?) AND I increase my intake of Zija’s Supermix since it has 92 all-natural, from-a-plant nutrients.

Sunday, my symptoms started with a sore throat. I immediately started taking Vitamin C and it didn’t help. Absolutely no relief. Within a couple hours, my temperature soared and I had migrating body aches EVERYWHERE. My symptoms only continued to get worse.

Remembering what a warm winter we’ve had, it suddenly hit me—it’s the Lyme Flu. I remembered back to the other two times I had it. This felt exactly the same. Maybe I should back up.

What’s the Difference Between a Cold and a Flu?

I learned from my daughter’s pediatrician many years ago, the main difference between flus and colds are: with flus we have body aches and fevers, colds we have neither. Antibiotics do not work for either. I later learned we don’t have flus here, in the United States, in the summer.

The first time I realized I had the Lyme Flu was in the middle of summer. I’d been bitten by a tick a couple weeks earlier. I developed a sore throat that, within hours, graduated to a 103.5° temperature and horrible, migrating body aches. The worst sore throat I’ve ever had and body aches were almost intolerable. I couldn’t walk more than 5 feet without wanting to vomit. When the aches seemed to be more concentrated in my knees and neck, I suddenly realized, this is the Lyme Flu.

Blue Ice Vitamin D

Since I’d been on high-dose antibiotics for quite some time for Chronic Lyme Disease, I had some leftover antibiotics. I decided the worst that would happen, if it was a regular flu in July, the antibiotics would do nothing. I had nothing to lose by taking them.

I was shocked the next morning when I was actually able to function. I showered and drove a half hour to a scheduled appointment with my doctor. I told her what happened and she said it was probably the plaquenil, an anti-malaria drug, that worked so quickly. She agreed it had to be Lyme Flu because antibiotics don’t work on viruses. I learned antibiotics can be a good diagnostic tool.

You Do WHAT With Bees?

So this Tuesday morning it hit me—this was probably Lyme. Why hadn’t I thought about that possibility yesterday or even Sunday? This has been an unseasonably warm winter—Christmas was almost 70°. My dog had a tick on January 7th.

By now, I could barely swallow and the thought of  swallowing a handful of antibiotics was not pleasant. I’m sure glad I did. Within a couple hours my sore throat started to abate and by Tuesday night, I could swallow without horrible pain. Twenty-four hours later, I was much better and could actually function again.

The pain of knowing I’ll still have to fight this longer to avoid more symptoms will linger a long time. If you’re not familiar with Chronic Lyme Disease, many people try BVT (Bee Venom Therapy) in an attempt to recover. That should help you understand how evil Chronic Lyme is, when people resort to stinging themselves 30 stings a week.

My butler is making me some homemade chicken soup. He’ll add lots of garlic just before serving me. It won’t cure Lyme Disease nor cure Chronic Lyme Disease, but it sure will taste great since my appetite is finally back. Okay, so he’s really my husband, but for today, let’s just say he’s my butler.

 

Pumpkin Dog Bones (Biscuits)

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Rey-Rey’s Favorite Gluten-Free Dog Bones

Pumpkin Dog Bones Recipe Renegade

It would surprise me if your dog didn’t like these dog bones. My picky dog loves these nutritious treats. I feed nothing to my dog that I wouldn’t eat myself. Because I don’t eat propylene glycol, caramel color, or sodium nitrate—common ingredients found in many dog treats—I make my own. Weighing in at less than ten pounds, means I can afford to give her real food like: pumpkin; chicken; beef; carrots; green beans; sweet potatoes; valencia peanut butter; and Zija’s Supermix (moringa oleifera). I expect my veterinarian bills to be less, especially for her teeth. Dr. Weston Price traveled the world to learn what causes cavities; he found nutritional deficiencies to be the culprit (not bacteria).

All Real Food

These dog treats contain both nutritional yeast and brewer’s yeast. My father always gave our family dog brewer’s yeast to keep fleas away. I’ll assume it’s true, because I never saw one flea on that dog.

This recipe also contains garlic or onion powder. According to Dogs Naturally magazine, onions and garlic are okay in small amounts. In fact, a veterinarian told me the only real thing I need to worry about is Xylitol, which will quickly kill a dog. I’m also not so sure Xylitol is good for humans, either. Read more about Xylitol here: Xylitol.

Pumpkin Dog Bones
 
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Author:
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Add all dry ingredients to mixing bowl (stand mixer works great)
  2. Mix thoroughly.
  3. Add pumpkin and egg.
  4. Mix.
  5. Add only enough liquid to make into a ball.
  6. Roll out onto floured pastry board.
  7. Use cookie cutter to cut into dog bones or cut into squares.
  8. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
  9. Flip bones over and bake for 25 more minutes.
  10. Reduce oven to 175° and bake for 6 to 8 hours or dry in a dehydrator overnight at 155° or until completely dry.
  11. Bake/dehydrate longer if necessary making certain bones are completely dry. (Moisture left in bones will cause them to spoil quicker.)
  12. Store in airtight container.
Notes
If you don't feel comfortable with the garlic or onion powder, it's okay to omit.
QUICKER-An even quicker way to make these is to roll out onto parchment paper and cut into small pieces after transferring paper/dough to jelly pan. It's not necessary to cut all the way through; they'll break apart easily.

Please Be Sure To Properly Dehydrate

As with any dry dog treat, beware that they can be a choking hazard, especially if they are too large. Please give them small, bite-size pieces appropriate for your size dog.

Did you know you can get a dog bone cookie cutter with your dog’s name personalized on it? Personalized Dog Bone Cookie Cutter.

When I don’t have time to make these, I purchase made-in-New-Hampshire Casey Jones Bones. In my local area they sell for about $5.99/box.

Source: How To Detox Your Dog

 

Does the Chickenpox Vaccine Make Sense?

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I hesitated writing anything about vaccines, because it’s such a controversial subject. Although, I’m not so sure I understand why it’s considered controversial. Every parent has the right to question and should question what might be injected into themselves and especially their children. I felt compelled to share information after having a recent conversation about chickenpox and shingles, and particularly after watching the videos below.

Why are Children Getting Shingles

I hope you’ll find time to watch The Greater Good. I found time to watch it over a couple days while working in my kitchen. An internet search might turn up a chance to watch it for free.

Please note this information is posted for informational and news purposes and is NOT to be construed as medical advice nor intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, prevent or cure any disease, condition, illness, or injury. Please use common sense. If you watch these videos and have ANY questions, please discuss them with your doctor.

Good Parents Vaccinate, Right?

Like any good parent, I made sure my daughter was always up-to-date on her vaccinations. It was an era with no Internet, no World Wide Web, no information highway. We didn’t question anything; we simply trusted our doctors because they were smarter than we were, right? At least that’s how I was brought up. We go to a doctor, he figures out what’s wrong, he fixes us. By the way, I say, “he” because as a kid I never saw a female doctor.

The poster found HERE adequately shows what my daughter received in the 1980’s for vaccines: Polio, DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis), and MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) in 13 doses. Today children are vaccinated for, well, too many to count. Here’s the CDC’s vaccine list and schedule: Recommended Immunization Schedules for Persons Aged 0 Through 18 Years UNITED STATES, 2015.

How does Nature Protect Us from Shingles?

Much information is available, by credible sources, that the absence of being exposed to chickenpox is causing a rise in shingles. Information everyone should know. Since the chickenpox vaccine is a live vaccine, shingles can also be caught from someone recently vaccinated. It’s hard for me to understand why we would vaccinate for a mild disease that doesn’t even require a doctor visit, when it’s causing a disease that’s much more deadly. Shingles barely existed when I was a kid. Common sense tells us: Something has changed to cause a 39% increase in shingles.

I only began questioning vaccines a few years ago, after a vaccine discussion in my veterinarian’s office. My recent research taught me the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and chickenpox vaccines are live and it’s important to keep vaccinated people away from cancer patients, those who are immune compromised, etc. I sometimes wish I hadn’t looked into this subject – ignorance can be bliss, right? When I Googled, safety of vaccines, many more anti-vaccine sites were listed than pro-vaccine sites.

I think it’s important for parents to make informed decisions for both their children and themselves. No matter the decision we make it should be with information from both sides. I believe uneducated complacency and compliance can sometimes be frightfully dangerous. I’ve included a few videos here that made me look at the vaccine schedule differently.

I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be a young parent today deciding if my child should or should not be vaccinated. While I wouldn’t consider myself an anti-vaxxer, I will admit I’m personally against vaccines that:

  1. Simply don’t make sense
  2. Are meant to prevent a disease that would not even require medical attention (like chickenpox)
  3. Cause worst diseases than the disease it’s meant to prevent
  4. Contain numerous toxins and aborted fetal cells
  5. Vaccinate babies for sexually transmitted diseases (Call me crazy, but I don’t think babies are having sex.)

Another Interesting Video

I mentioned to someone I might not post this video, and they said, “What if it IS true? Shouldn’t you present it and let people make up their own minds?” I had to agree. It’s disconcerting to think the information revealed in this video might have something to do with why 13 US doctors (and 2 more recently in Canada) have died.  Erin Elizabeth at Health Nut News, has reported extensively about these doctors. (UPDATE: As of today, 6.25.2016 the count is up to over 40!!! UPDATE 7.13.2016 the count is over 50!!!)

Did Bill Gates Really Say That?

In this video, Sanjay Gupta interviews Bill Gates. Mr. Gates talks about vaccines “reducing the population growth.” It’s surely disturbing to hear “reducing the population growth” when it’s in reference to vaccines. What exactly did he mean???

I Didn’t Like Learning About These Ingredients

I was disgusted (and honestly creeped out), when I learned vaccine ingredients MRC-5 and WI-38 are from aborted human, female fetuses. I don’t understand why we took formaldehyde out of our science classrooms, yet it’s okay to be injected with it. We know MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a neurotoxin and we’re supposed to follow hazmat protocol when we break a mercury thermometer. MSG and mercury (Thimerosal) are still in some vaccines. You can see the CDC’s list of vaccine ingredients here: Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary

Aborted Fetal cells

Former Pharmaceutical Sales Rep Speaks Out

I’ll admit I agree with Brandy Vaughn, that we need to research BEFORE our children are injected with ANYTHING whether it’s a vaccine or something else. “Mexico pulled their entire vaccine schedule . . . yet we are mandating.”

Here’s what the Vatican had to say about vaccines containing aborted fetal cells: On Vaccines Made From Cells of Aborted Fetuses

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  – Vaccine Whistleblower

Ben Swann – The Race Coverup

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist, reported the CDC admitted SV40, a cancer-causing virus, was found in polio vaccines between 1955 to 1963.

UPDATE: 7.13.2016 I learned this important information from the documentary, VAXXED:

  • Taxpayer money funds the Vaccine Injury Court
  • Studies showed the MMR vaccine DOES, in fact, cause autism because the data was manipulated/omitted to give an impression that it did not cause autism (i.e NO this was NOT debunked!)

I hope you’ll consider signing this petition to ask congress to take action!


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The PRO-Vaccine Side

I think this side of the vaccine debate more or less says: Science proves they save lives.

How the CDC Monitors the Safety of Vaccines

Childhood Vaccines are Safe

 


How Safe are Vaccines?

Vaccine Information

There are videos available at this site including Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fear. From the Immunization Action Coalition – Vaccine Information for the public and health professionals. 

www.whyichoose.org

Like I said before, much more anti-vaccine than pro-vaccine info came up while researching. Please remember this information is posted for informational and news purposes and is NOT to be construed as medical advice nor intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, prevent or cure any disease, condition, illness, or injury. Please use common sense. If you watch these videos and have ANY questions, please discuss them with your doctor.