I love my garden. It’s a small, humble chunk of land that I call my own. My little oasis of 116 squares (square foot gardening) that sits behind the garage with a stone path and wooden bench to relax.
My garden has brought a whole new dimension to our family. Our children are involved in every stage, from planting the seeds, to weeding, to nurturing, harvesting, and the best part — eating. It gives us something to do together, a reason to be outside more, a reason to interact more, a reason to celebrate our successes and learn from our failures, a reason to get dirty. Did I mention that I love my garden? Because I do.
 
 If you know our family, we are huge Tex-Mex fans. Fresh tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and guac are a staple in the Cooper household so naturally, peppers are a must. Last spring, we planted 9 pepper plants. When it dropped below 100 degrees in north Texas, the peppers finally decided to thrive in a major way. Peppers, peppers everywhere! I’m much too lazy to CAN or pickle my peppers, so I’m dicing and putting them in freezer bags. That way, when it’s taco night, I can just take out a single serving of jalapenos for dinner. Perfect! I’ve also been able to save the seeds to use next spring (yay for not having to buy new seeds every year!). By the way, it’s super easy to save your own seeds and keep them in the freezer, to keep their germination rate high and in tact. It’s not only economical to save your own seeds, but a step in self sufficiency by not having to rely on a store or seed catalog every season. Check out some seed saving tips here.
We’ve got hot banana peppers, sweet banana peppers, bell peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, and a couple weird hybrids that were cross-pollinated with one another: bell-apenos and bell-aneros. There’s something so satisfying in seeing your hard work of nurturing, watering, weeding and tending turn into something delicious. Here’s to fresh, organic peppers all year long!
Two different weeks, two different health practitioner appointments. One, an herbalist and chiropractor. The other, a neurologist who specializes in multiple sclerosis. Both are necessary, in my opinion, because the first allows me to continue learning during my natural healing journey while the second is required for ordering certain blood work and MRI tests to chart my progress (or lack thereof). It was amazing to me how different these appointments were. Night and day.
The first was filled with hope, simple solutions, and tools to better myself and my family. The second? Fear. It was literally all fear-based. I was lectured for 30 minutes on WHY it was imperative to be on MS pharmaceuticals. My philosophies were met with rolled eyes and mocking smiles. And if I continued in my “kooky” ways of alternative treatment, well then, expect to be disabled in some way, shape or form in the next decade. It’s not a matter of IF, it’s a matter of WHEN. That’s what the numbers say. That’s what all the scientific research points to, after all. Scientific research, mind you, that was financially-backed by those with monetary interest in getting as many people possible on those drugs.
And the alternative treatments? Well, there IS NO scientific evidence that they do anything to help with MS, I was told. Translation: No evidence = no proof = you’re an idiot to do anything otherwise. Oh, all those people waving their victory flags, saying they were CURED from an otherwise incurable disease because of their healthy lifestyle changes. Those guys? Ya, just ignore them. They don’t have a PhD or MD attached to the backs of their names and therefore have no pull in the scientific community. Whatever they did to cure themselves must have been a fluke. Or they had the wrong diagnosis to begin with. Or they are a one in a million chance of that happening. Don’t listen to those people. Listen to those with money.
Perhaps there is no scientific evidence that alternative treatments cure disease because there is no money to be made on such ideologies. Who would make money when you stopped eating boxed, processed foods? Who would get wealthy if everyone rid themselves of disease and turned into self-sufficient, happy people, not dependent on drugs? How lucky I am to be born in a time when there are so many drug options available to MS patients, I am told over and over. No. I am blessed because of all those small guys who came before me, stood up for their convictions and chose to share their success stories, their inspiration, their victories! I am lucky because I’ve met so many wonderful people willing to impart their knowledge with me, of centuries-old herbal medicine and philosophies. These people aren’t looking to make a quick buck off of me, they are wanting to help me look deeper, to find that root cause of disease and shut off the switch.
 The neurologist asked the reasoning, the logic behind my choice in refusing the standard MS drugs. Prayer, I told her. I prayed about it and once I made my decision to follow a path of natural healing, I felt completely at peace. I was then met with a blank stare. I guess there is no scientific evidence that prayers are answered, and therefore I wasn’t speaking her language.
“What’s done is done,” the neurologist stated. There is NO going back. The lesions are there and will NEVER go away. There is NO CURE. These drugs are your insurance policy against the disease progressing further and faster.
See the language used here? No, Never. FEAR! If a person is told over and over they are stupid, they are stupid, they are stupid … they are likely to believe it and over time, even say it to themselves. If a patient is consistently told NO, NEVER, DO WHAT I SAY OR ELSE, what do you think they will believe?? What attitude gets implanted in their heads when it comes to their health?
Contrast that with my appointment with the herbalist:
“I have seen clients do ‘X’ treatment and recover completely from this disease. I’m not making any guarantees, because everyone is different, but THERE IS that POSSIBILITY.”
So you’re saying there’s a chance! I’ll take chance, possibility and hope over fear and ‘being doomed’ any day.
Hope vs. fear. Which one will you choose?
Now I have to insert my asterisk at this point. Both my son and daughter’s lives were saved because of modern medicine. I am so grateful for the role they played in our life-threatening scenarios. Forever grateful. Modern medicine, especially in America, is VERY good at emergency care. They are the best. But I am not talking about emergency care here, I am talking about an autoimmune disease (and most disease that our country is plagued with today). Modern medicine is not good at treating these types of diseases. I don’t doubt that doctors have the best of intentions for their patients. They are not “out to get us” with their fear-based language. It’s just all they know to do. I realize all of this generalizing with ruffle a few feathers. This is my personal experience and my personal opinion. I wanted to share these observations with you so that perhaps when there is another 29-year-old mother of 3 young children who suddenly loses her eye sight and receives a life-changing diagnosis, perhaps she will be able to see past the rhetoric and make an informed, prayerful decision about her treatment. Perhaps this post will help that person.
Don’t let anyone scare you into a treatment you do not feel comfortable with. There is hope! You just have to be willing to seek and learn and listen and work and change …. and pray.
(A respectful shout out to my father and grandfather, who are brilliant physicians and have dedicated their lives to helping others. They, most certainly, do not fall under the category of fear-based health that I have explained here today. They are rays of sunshine and a great blessing to my life. They also respect and support my decision to treat multiple sclerosis drug-free, of which I am very appreciative.)
Last week I had a very interesting appointment with Kal Sellers, otherwise known as The Mad Herbalist. Having listened to his radio podcast for the past many months, I was super excited to hear that he was traveling to Dallas for a quick visit, a class and consults. If you haven’t listened to Kal, he is a wealth of info on natural healing and his message really resonates with me. Take a listen on the Preparedness Radio Network and visit his website. Lots of great archived shows to check out and great free info on his website.
As many of you know, I’ve been treating multiple sclerosis drug-free since my diagnosis over three years ago. I was grateful to visit with Kal and garner more insight into my natural healing journey. I took pages of notes between his 2-hour class and my 1-hr personal consult. Some of the info I’ll share will be pertinent to everyone and some, just for me, but perhaps it could help others out there seeking answers to their health issues.
No. 1 Tip: DIET
For the first time in history, this generation of children are on pace to die of OLD AGE diseases before their parents. It is no secret that bad health is at epidemic proportions and no one can seem to figure out why. Perhaps it’s a combo of diet, electromagnetic waves all around us, environmental toxins, many generations of people eating “non-foods”, etc. But no matter what the source is, we have to do everything in OUR control to make sure we are the healthiest we can be. We cannot afford to eat badly when so much around us is causing stress on our bodies. The main health source in our control: Diet.
Kal recommends a dairy-free, wheat (gluten)-free, refined sugar-free diet with little-to-no animal proteins. That may sound extreme to many used to the Standard American Diet (SAD), but consider the alternative. Continue on our country’s path of diet, where obesity, depression, pharmaceutical drug-dependence and rampant disease is found all around us. OR — Make permanent lifestyle changes (notice I did not say “go on a diet”) that reverse the vicious cycle. For me, this lifestyle change is worth the opportunity to help my body heal from multiple sclerosis, hypothyroidism and eczema, while also helping my daughter continue healing from asthma and rampant allergies. How bad does your health have to get before it’s “worth it” to you? Don’t wait as long as I did. To prevent disease is significantly easier than climbing back up the cliff of health once you’ve fallen off.
What I’m doing:
• No wheat (gluten). Perhaps down the road when I’ve healed, I can go back to eating “sprouted” wheat. But for now, it’s on my banned list. I CAN have amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, which should all be sprouted before eating.
• No dairy. In Kal’s words, anything from a mammary gland.
• No refined sugar. You know, the white stuff. But listen to all that I CAN have: molasses, fruit, honey, stevia, agave, maple syrup, sucanat.
• Organic, grass-fed animal protein no more than 2 times per week. Less if I can.
• Never eat past 6:30pm.
• Herbal tea/smoothie/water/fruit only til 10am every day.
• 70-80% raw
• 100% whole food
• Nourishing plant-based diet
If you were to put a “label” on this way of eating. It is commonly known as GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free). This eliminates the gut load my digestive system has to deal with and allows for healing to take place. Inflammatory-causing foods are elminated. If you were to ask me three years ago if I’d be eating this way, I’d probably laugh at you. You see, I wasn’t ready for it. Why do something if you’re not committed to it? Why do it if you doubt it? If you do make a lifestyle change in the name of health, do it with a grateful heart, a good attitude and lots of faith. A sour attitude would make all of your efforts fruitless.
* Kal’s wife has an excellent website with many resources that speak to this particular diet, including tips and recipes. You can view that HERE.
My Personal Assessment:
Kal observed that my upper cervical spine (where the majority of my MS lesions are located) was one of the worst he’s seen in all his years as a practicing chiropractor. He said it would require intense therapy through a trained Nucca chiro for at least 2X/week for 6 months. Apparently my c-spine is so messed up, it’s fixated and will not respond to normal adjusting. He said he has seen MS patients with less severe c-spines go through Nucca therapy and completely recover from their MS indefinitely (as long as their spine remained in place and they always kept the inflammation response in check).
Apparently my adrenal glands are non-existent. My bile ducts are clogged and not producing bile at all. My liver was in good shape and healthy, but running HOT (because of the lack of bile going through), which is the cause of my eczema. He said every skin condition is generally the symptom of a liver that is not functioning normally. Once my bile glands start flowing normally, the skin conditions should clear up. Sidenote: Since performing ‘bile duct’ massages on myself as he showed me, my skin is indeed clearing up. Perhaps this could also be a result of the diet. My thyroid was healthy, but low (obviously since I’m hypo), but he thought that my thyroid condition was secondary, meaning that once we address the other issues, it could heal. My stomach was shoved up in my diaphragm and he “massaged” it into the spot where it should be (it hurt). He also massaged my bile ducts (ouch!).
He finished up with saying that the fact that my spine was so severely bad, and how clogged I was, it was amazing I was staving off major MS symptoms and doing as well as I am. He said that was a testament to the fact that I’ve been working hard at healing myself. Thank you for that affirmation!
The treatment he suggested was:
– Nucca chiro therapy 2X/week, for 6 months and then be readjusted twice per year. If I can’t find nucca, find someone certified to do Grostic method or KneeChest.
– Liver Power Formula (herbal tincture) that feeds liver and adrenal glands
– Drink Barberry LG tea 1 cup, 2X daily for bile flow
– Self stomach massage 1X/day
– Self bile duct massage 3X/day
– Take an anti-inflammatory herb every single day and rotate herbs every 6 weeks. Rotate between evening primrose oil, nettle, yucca
– Continue taking KNA tincture (kelp, nettles, alfalfa) for healthy thyroid. I’ve been taking this daily instead of my levothroid for the past 1-2 months
– Take “Infection Formula” herbal tincture to kill that gut infection
For my daughter:
The most interesting thing I learned in my daughter’s consult was this: Her many allergies are due to her bowels not moving often enough and a “toxic” liver. Once we address the bowels and remove stressors from the liver, her allergies should fade away. Such a simple answer for what I considered a considerably complicated issue. I’m grateful for learning the cause of issues and how to treat them rather than merely addressing symptoms as modern medicine often does.
So that’s it! What are your thoughts? Who wants to make this lifestyle change with me? I’d love to see what we can collectively “cure” through making these changes in our lives.
This was too amazing not to share. Inspired from The Spunky Coconut, who is my new favorite blog. She is on board with the way I’m eating now: gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free. This recipe definitely HIT THE SPOT!
Pumpkin “Milk” Shake
In a blender, stick in coconut milk, pumpkin puree, dates, vanilla cream stevia and ice cubes. Blend and serve. No exact measurements here as I just threw it all in. My approx measurements were 1 can coconut milk, 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, about a 10 dates, 15 drops of stevia and 2 cups ice cubes. That filled up my vitamix and served 6 eight-ounce glasses. But feel free to mess with those ratios and make it your own.
All the taste and sweetness of a fall treat without compromising health. This beats a sugar-laden, artificially-flavored pumpkin milkshake from (enter fast food restaurant) any day! Any my 5-year-old, who is a dessert connoisseur (i.e. only wants refined-white sugar if she can get her hands on it), gave a double thumbs up with this healthified recipe. Keeping this in my fall recipe repertoire indefinitely!
Time to add to our herbal medicine chest! Let’s talk about all-natural remedies to deal with stomach aches and indigestion. There are many causes for a stomach ache and each one has a different remedy.
STOMACH/DIGESTIVE FIRST AID
You ate something that didn’t agree with you. Stomach gurgle and poor digestion ensues
Tinctures: chamomile, dandelion. One dropperful in a small amount of water, drink it down.
Essential Oils: Inside Out, peppermint
You eat something that gives you gas and indigestion
Tinctures: catnip, fennel. Catnip is an antacid that helps with gas and bloating. Goodbye multicolored Tums!
Essential Oils: Inside Out, lavender, peppermint
Motion-sickness and motion-induced nausea
Homeopathics: Arsenicum album
Essential Oils: Inside Out, sweet orange
Other: Crystalized ginger. Store it in a little tin or air-tight mason jar and it will keep for a long time. Like a ginger candy! Ginger tea. Peppermint candies or altoids are good, too
Nausea
Tinctures: chamomile, ginger, lemon balm, licorice, peppermint, spearmint
Homeopathics: Ipecacuanha
Essential Oils: Inside Out, peppermint
Stomach flu or gastritis
Tinctures: lemon balm. Lemon balm does double duty because not only is it calming to the stomach, it is also antiviral and will fight whatever nasty bug you have. We’ll talk more about the flu in-depth later on.
Essential Oils: Deliverance, Endo Relief, Inside Out, lemon balm
Food poisoning, including e-coli
Tinctures: Equal parts of elder flower, thyme, and yarrow tinctures. One dropperful (or 25 drops) of each every hour until symptoms subside. 1 dropperful of each, 3 times per day afterward.
Homeopathics: Arsenicum album or Carbo vegetablis homeopathics. Follow up with probiotics during the recovery stage. I’m a fan of VSL #3 probiotic, found at Costco.
Essential Oils: Inside-Out
HERBAL MEDICINE CHEST (with links on where to find it)
Arsenicum album
elder, yarrow, thyme tinctures
Inside Out eo
lavender eo
peppermint eo
peppermint and ginger tea – grocery store
crystalized ginger – health food store (I found mine at Sprouts)
chamomile tincture
catnip/fennel tincture
deliverance eo
lemon balm tincture
lemon balm eo
CHILDREN: When kids have stomach issues, here are some ideas for non-irritating foods: raisins, bananas, ripe sweet fruits, plums, freshly-squeezed fruit juices, avocado, almond milk, cooked vegetables, soup, oatmeal, applesauce. No dairy, wheat or refined sweeteners when stomach is irritated. It is a myth that you should give kids SODA when their stomach is upset. Corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, sodium benzonate, and other chemicals found in commercial sodas are detrimental to their bodies and do more harm than good. And forget gatorade. Check out this easy to make rehydration solution.
SUMMARY: These remedies and suggestions are the very basics I would have in my herbal medicine chest. There is nothing worse than coming down with an illness and not having the right remedies on hand. That is when we feel backed in a corner and forced to take medications that we’re not comfortable with. (Hello midnight Walgreens runs!) Have the herbal remedies on hand, learn what they are and how to use them. That way, when something nasty comes your way, you will be prepared and confident in dealing with it in a nurturing and healing way.
Next post — Muscle pains, bruises, sprains, strains, breaks
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