Well Hello! It's been quite a long time, eh? I don't know what prompted me to reread my blogs tonight, but something did, and I'm glad.

I've been feeling a bit burned out lately... unmotivated maybe. I had started getting hyped up about my upcoming nutrition 2 course, then my favorite teacher was let go... so that sucked. Then... I reread my blogs! Not too shabby for a girl who cringes when people call her a "writer." I'm not a writer, nor am I a pro at punctuation or sentence structure (as I'm sure you can tell). I like to think that I'm just a thinker... plain and simple.

So it's been about 7 months since my last blog. Let's catch up. I am still in school until April, but just finished the core herbalism course!! WOOHOO!! I have added "herbalist" to my list!! (my favorite title so far!) Now, I have a lifetime more of learning more about the wonder of plant medicine. :)
I'm still doing hair, but have restructured my prices to fit the current economy. Check it out here!


The main point of this quick blog is to see if I can have the discipline to blog more often. I have a few more thoughts on what I want to do with this degree, and learning to write everyday might be appropriate.

Thank you to all of you that have been my support team over the last year, especially very recently. I appreciate each of you.

Be well!
Katy

I was having a really good day...

Then I decided to get on Facebook. I realized that I have been un-friended. (yeah, I'm aware that un-friended isn't a word.)

I know why... and I am so sad. I keep writing stuff and deleting it because I don't even know what to say. I just want people to know, man. I just want them to make educated decisions... especially for their children who don't have a say.

How can you know that almost a million people die every year from iatrogenic deaths, and still put your faith into a system that OBVIOUSLY isn't working?!? (wait, it's working to keep taking your hard earned money that would be way better spent of the right foods to PREVENT disease)

How can you know that pharmaceuticals, TAKEN AS PRESCRIBED, kill hundreds of thousands of people a year and still give them to your children as a first option?

How can you know that there are cases of fibromyalgia, lupis, ms, asthma, autism, digestive disease/ disorders, mental disorders, ETC, ETC that are discovered everyday that are not any of those diseases at all... just food allergies, and not have yourself and your children tested? (Healthwaves in AZ) (example: Lupis diagnosed by allopathic doctor when a naturopath found that the only disorder is a serious allergy to gluten. Once she removed gluten 100% from her diet, she became symptom free. There was never lupis.)

How can you not want to know what you are eating and feeding your children? How can you feed them things that are not really food that are hurting them?

Once again... I love my parents. I would not take a single day back or change a thing because I wouldn't be where I am now. But to get here, I had to get really sick. And that could have been prevented. I don't blame them... they didn't know. That's why I'm telling you...

Please... take care of your children. Don't set them up for disease by feeding them not-foods and filling them full of toxic, immune suppressing pharmaceuticals.

I'm not selling anything other than the idea that we should all empower ourselves with knowledge. I'm not even telling you to believe in what I believe in. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to be educated about your own health.

* on a personal note, there is a great possibility that we are going to be going gluten free. I don't have an allergy, but Johnnie has a slight one. He has severe asthma, and we have an appt with a naturopath that I saw lecture on asthma and weening people off of asthma meds. Johnnie has agreed at this point to do what the doctor says. My first guess is that we are going to have to finish cutting out sugar and all gluten. When this happens, we will blog about the process. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what changes take place, but I am pretty nervous. I'm not much different than those of you who think that changing is too big and difficult. It is hard... it is difficult... but it is also 100% necessary to get and stay healthy. So... wish us luck!

I thought I needed to add a little to the last post. I was tired, and don't know if I finished my point. I do not want to sound cold or uncaring. Actually, the opposite is true. I care a lot... about everyone. I am learning that I cannot just care enough to overcome other peoples obstacles, and that it is more in their hands than mine.

I am going to use a quick example...

A very dear friend of mine has always struggled with acne. She does everything she thinks is right, but has never had it under control. We talked yesterday, and she said things like "I have been using these chemicals on my face for so long that it must have built up a resistance, so I have to use more!" I understand. My flat out suggestion is for her to stop putting anything on her face, other than washing with an organic plant based cleanser. (which would be WAAAY less expensive than all of the other things that she continues to buy as to "hide" the acne.) As I said that to her, I realized what I was asking. I have been 40 lbs overweight for the last 6 years or so. I obsessed about it everyday, and I wanted it to change, but I didn't understand that I absolutely had the power and ability to do it. My asking her to stop putting things on her face would have been like someone telling me to walk around naked when I was 40 lbs overweight. That's terrifying.

Bottom line is that there is no magic bullet that will promote healing. Healing and health are a life long process (and how much you put in is how much you get out). I would love to try to help everyone, but I simply cannot recommend an herb to "mask" a symptom. Herbs don't work that way, pharmaceuticals do. There is a beautiful patience that comes with working with your body. I just started making a tincture that is an endocrine tonic. I was on birth control hormones for 16 years, and now my body is a mess. It will take an entire lunar cycle to make the tonic so I have to be patient. A tonic, by definition, works over time... so more patience while the herbs gently do their jobs . My choice is to take herbs that will support the healing of that particular system, which will then allow that system to fall into line with the others, creating homeostasis. That's our goal folks, homeostasis.

Be well,
Katy

late night rant.

So... I have something that I want to get off of my chest. I want my viewpoint on something to be understood. I want people to read this with an open mind, and without defensive walls up.

I am going to school for holistic health care and herbalism. I am learning so much, and I can't believe how uneducated I have been about the most important thing that I own... my body. I realize now that most of us know more about our cars or our computers or cell phones than we do our own bodies. Our bodies are all that we have to get us through an entire lifetime. That's huge! I never put much thought into taking care of myself. Well, I did spend every single day for the last 6 years thinking about my weight and how it had gotten out of control. I was physically sick, but I only worried about how it made me look on the outside.
I changed everything. It all started with a 6 week sugar detox. I literally only ate meats and green vegetables for 6 weeks. It sucked, but it saved my life. There is an earlier blog that will fill in the details if you don't know my story. Now, I am changing everything in my life one step at a time.
I am realizing that I am spending most of my time alone. A few people have expressed concern that I am not being social enough. Relax kids, I am in learning mode, and couldn't be happier. I am so excited about my new life and the path that we (my partner and I) are on.
That being said... I find myself getting excited to share my newly acquired knowledge. I don't ever aim anything that I say towards anyone in a negative way. I simply believe 100% that our entire country is so disillusioned with what health looks like, that we have all but given up. So many people are living in pain and sickness when they have the power to change it! I am walking, breathing, pain-free, living proof. I'm not trying to sell you anything. I didn't starve myself or even do any crazy exercise. I want people to embrace their bodies as the amazing healing machines that they are!
I am all about sharing my knowledge. However, I am having a hard time with people's excuses for poor health. I just read another study on how obesity is NOT hereditary! Did you ever stop to think that people with obese parents end up obese because of lifestyle? My parents are not obese, nor do I think I got obese (although they say 30 lbs overweight is obese and I was 40 lbs over). I don't remember my sugar ever being limited or even talked about. I don't blame my parents, they didn't know! (Hint: I am always blaming lack of education... not the general public, not doctors, etc.) My dad is insulin dependent with his diabetes. I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes about 5 years ago. Now, diabetes is nowhere in sight for me because I have control over not getting it because I choose to eat the right foods to avoid it! Genius!!

I'm really tired, and I am cutting this short so I can go crawl into bed before my partner has to get up in an hour.
My point is that there is absolutely no question that we have a lot, and I mean A LOT, of control over our health. We need to step up and own it. I like to say things to get people to think, not to offend. Do you want to grow old naturally and healthy with your partner? Do you want to still be healthy enough to enjoy your kids when they are adults, or are you just setting them up to have to care for their sick parents? Do you want to keep dumping hard earned money into unnecessary health care? (unnecessary because we create so many illnesses ourselves)

I am predisposed to diabetes, heart disease, being overweight, breast cancer, ms, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, digestive disease... etc etc etc etc...

here is what I say to that... BULL S&!?T!!! I took control, and I plan on living a very long, healthy, and happy life with the man that I love and our little animal family.

Choice is yours.... seriously, it's in your hands. The idea of a lifetime in pain and sickness was enough to convince me to figure it out.

Once again, I am very willing to share my information with anyone that wants to listen. However, I am not able to work with people who choose to complain about everything without trying to change anything. I am too empathetic, and it sucks all of my energy out. I want to save my energy for people who are serious about being well. If you continue to do the same actions, you will continue to get the same results. Period.

I will walk in your shoes with you... I have already worn them.
Katy

Herbal medicine trial

Saturday afternoon I started to get really congested. I could definitely tell that I was starting a cold. I wasn't surprised. I have been pretty stressed with school, and I haven't been sleeping well. Good combination for my immune system to shut down a little.

My colds always run the same course. The sore throat is by far the worst part for me, and I have never had a cold that I haven't gotten a very sore throat.

I was actually kind of excited to be getting sick! What an awesome opportunity to try some herbs!

I chose echinacea root and nettles as my healers. I have been making an infusion of the two herbs and drinking 3 to 4 cups a day. I haven't been eating much, just enough to stay satisfied. I don't have much of an appetite, but I crave the tea (kind of like kids wanting vegetables before sweets until sugar is introduced, they crave what their bodies want).

Almost always, the second day of my colds are the worst. Sometimes it isn't until the third day. Well, it is day 3. My throat never got sore. It is scratchy and a little raw feeling, but totally tolerable. I am still congested, and haven't been able to breathe out of my left nostril for the most part. This is by far the most tolerable that a cold has ever been for me.

I also avoided milk yesterday because I am still not sure that it doesn't create mucous. But I was really craving a glass of milk this morning so I decided to try it. Remember that I am drinking raw milk. After I drank the milk, my throat felt less scratchy, but not mucousy. :) Neat!

Oh yeah.. one more thing. I am going to try to keep this from turning into a rant.
I am getting a lot of people that are on my case about raw milk being $10 a gallon. I want to add how much it cost me to control this cold.

1. Water. I think we pay about 25 cents a gallon.
2. Echinacea root and nettles. I don't remember the exact price of the herbs that I bought, but they are usually about a dollar an ounce. So, a zip lock sandwich bag costs about a dollar.

How much are over the counter cold medicines? A LOT more than herbs. How effective are they? Well, the otc drugs are masking your symptoms while the cold runs its course. The herbs strengthen your immune system and shorten the duration and severity of the cold tremendously. That's a no brainer for me.

And as far as raw milk being $10 a gallon. Let's estimate what people spend of starbucks.
- I would easily say that the average price for a drink at starbucks is $5. We can stop there and say that 2 drinks from starbucks would buy a gallon of raw milk. We all know which one is healthier.
-If you get starbucks 2x a week, that's $10/week or $40/month. That is 4 gallons of raw milk.
-If you get starbucks 4x a week, that's $20/week or $80/month. That is 8 gallons of raw milk.

I'm merely responding to my biggest pet peeve when it comes to taking care of our bodies, and more importantly our kids bodies. People use the "it's too expensive to eat healthy" far too easily. It takes some effort, but most people spend more money than they know on things that add up fast: fast food (Johnnie and I can have a way more healthy dinner for a lot less than fast food if we plan ahead), coffee shops, candy bars, bottles of water, etc etc etc. I am all for people spending their money on what makes them happy, but let's knock off the "it's too expensive" thought process. It is a lot more about priorities than people care to admit.

I will post again and note the progress of my cold.

Have a great week!

Raw Milk

Good morning! Please note that I never thought that I would be writing a blog. Yesterday was my first attempt at a real blog intended to share things that I know. Thank all of you for the kind words. You are my inspiration to keep writing. :)


Okay, so let's define "raw milk". I realize that it might sound scary. Some people have an unsavory feeling when they hear the word "raw". A lot of people don't like raw food. Sushi, steak tartar, even meats not cooked well done. Raw milk is simply milk that is not processed. I have an excerpt from Organic Pastures that I think will encourage everyone to keep reading.

-After pasteurization, bacteria found naturally in milk are killed. During the high temperature heating process, cell bodies of these bacteria are ruptured and their contents are spilled, releasing intracellular proteins. This causes many milk drinkers to suffer histamine or allergic reactions. Almost all of these same consumers can drink raw milk and not have allergies. The high levels of bacteria permitted in milk intended for pasteurization are still found in pasteurized milk; they are just dead and not removed by the process.

Did you get that? Our commercial milk still has all of the dead bacteria, that the processing has destroyed, still in it. I'll let you reread that. This is why lactose intolerance is not an issue with raw milk.

Feel like you just got punched in the stomach? I do. I feel lied to. I'm angry at the lack of education, and I want to help change it.

Before we go on, I want to address the issue of cost. Raw milk is not cheap. It averages roughly $10 a gallon. GASP! (get it out folks...) Might I be so bold as to suggest that you read on. Knowledge is power. Power makes you want to do things like stop buying soft drinks and fruit juices (fruit juices, even 100% juice, are loaded with sugar! They should be diluted, or better yet, eat the whole fruit. Fruit intake should still be limited to a serving or 2 a day because of the spike in blood sugar) and buy something that has more health benefits than I will even be able to begin to share with you. The economy sucks is not a very good excuse. Here is my challenging thought today: Why are our priorities so screwed up? Why are we spending money on things that are literally setting ourselves and our kids up for disease? We are making ourselves and our children sick! Maybe it's time to prioritize differently. Take a month and keep all of your grocery receipts. Add up all of the money that you spent on unhealthy choices. Wouldn't that money be better spent on things to keep you and your family healthy? I'm trying to strike a nerve people! It is our responsibility to learn how to take care of ourselves and our families!

*I was searching for a link and found something that said that raw milk should not be consumed by babies. WHAT!?! Guess what breast milk is? RAW MILK! (note that raw milk should always come from a reputable source just like everything else we buy)* (sorry for the interruption, just thought I should touch on that).

I am giving links for resources on raw milk, but I want to spend a little more time on why commercial milk is not good for anyone. Note that organic milk is still always pasteurized and homogenized most of the time.

Commercial milk...
- has additives.
- is from cows treated with antibiotics.
- is from cows treated with hormones.
- is from cows that never see a pasture. (resulting in nutritionally void milk)
- is from cows that live in piles of manure. (this is just not good for your health)
- comes from cows that live in steel and concrete environments. Stressed cows aren't healthy.
- comes from cows fed genetically modified foods.
- is pasteurized. Pasteurization of milk causes lactose intolerance.
- is missing enzymes which make it difficult to digest.
- is missing good bacteria leading to a weakened immune system.
- the system has been designed for economy, compromising natural purity and wholesome qualities of milk.
- is only accountable to FDA inspectors during limited times

Some people are going to question the fat content in raw milk. Animal fats are what our bodies are designed to run on. I'll do a whole blog on it, but I am down 30 lbs, and maintaining it without a problem, and I eat more animal fats then ever. Want to lose weight? Worry about sugar and vegetable fats (quite unnatural since you can't squeeze a kernel of corn and get oil). I don't want to stray too far, so for now keep in mind that I promise to explain why animal fats are good fats. :)

I'm going to leave it at this for now... I have a paper to write on sugar, and I think I am aiming it towards how Big Sugar is the new Big Tobacco. I'll be sure to post it when it's done! I hope I have given enough food for thought. That's what I want... to get ya thinking. :)



- Where can you find raw milk? Start here.
- Solid raw milk facts
- Organic Pasturs
- for AZ raw milk, Save Your Dairy

VERY INFORMATIVE VIDEO! Part 1 of 8. The first few are full of facts. The rest are also on you tube.


*I would like to note that I do not share anything that I cannot give a reliable source for. I know that the majority of information out there is confusing and most of it false. My commitment is to do everything I can not to add to the confusion, but to start to educate people so that they can do right by their health and their children's health.

Enjoy the day!

146 Reasons why sugar is ruining your health

146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health

By Nancy Appleton, Ph.D.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.

2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.

3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.

4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.

5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).

6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.

7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.

8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.

9 Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.

10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.

11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.

12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.

13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.

14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.

16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.

17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.

18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.

19. Sugar can cause premature aging.

20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.

21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.

22. Sugar contributes to obesity

23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.

25. Sugar can cause arthritis.

26. Sugar can cause asthma.

27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).

28. Sugar can cause gallstones.

29. Sugar can cause heart disease.

30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.

31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.

32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.

33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.

34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.

35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.

36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.

37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.

38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.

39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol in the blood.

40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.

41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.

42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.

43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.

44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)

45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.

46. Sugar causes food allergies.

47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.

48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.

49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.

50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.

51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA

52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.

53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.

54. Sugar can cause cataracts.

55. Sugar can cause emphysema.

56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.

57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).

58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.

59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.

60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.

61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.

62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.

63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.

64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.

65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.

66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.

67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.

68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).

69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.

70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.

71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.

72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.

73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders..

74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.

75. Sugar can cause depression.

76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.

77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).

78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.

79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.

80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.

81 High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.

82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.

83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.

85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.

86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.

87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.

88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.

89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.

90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.

91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.

92. Sugar feeds cancer.

93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.

94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.

95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.

96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.

97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.

98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.

99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.

100. Sugar is an addictive substance.

101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.

102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.

103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.

104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.

105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.

106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.

107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.

109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.

110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.

111.. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.

112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.

113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.

114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.

115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.

116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.

117. Sugar may induce cell death.

118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.

119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.

120. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.

121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.

122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.

123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.

124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia

125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.

126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.

127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.

128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.

129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.

130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.

131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.

132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.

133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.

134. Sugar causes constipation.

135. Sugar causes varicous veins.

136. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.

137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.

138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.

139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.

140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.

141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.

142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.

143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.

144. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.

145. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.

146. Sugar can cause liver tumors.