It’s had me thinking, a lot. And you know, I only share a small amount of what I’m actually thinking about. Weekly, I mentally run through what is a burning passion of mine, burning enough that I have to get it out. This is important enough to post about. Teach yourself! What are you interested in? What is even just mildly amusing? What have you thought was the niftiest thing for a long time? You don’t have to wait to delve into the interest. You don’t have to take a class, there is a lot you can do thanks to the internet, friends, the library, and second hand shops.

A couple of my interests that I finally decided I could step forth and tackle: knitting and herbalism.

Knitting

Harvest Yarn Knitting Project

      A friend of mine taught me the basics of knitting a few months ago. I’ve made a small handful of things since then, a hat for a friend, two hats for me. I should really branch out and make something else. When we were on our vacation this summer we ran across an awesome yarn shop, Cr.eations – A yarn shop, where I bought some double pointed needles, yarn on sale, patterns and yarn for one pattern in particular. I just have to take that step and decode the pattern. It’s also important to me that I continue to practice my basic stitches so when it’s time to start that sweater it looks gorgeously uniform. So the current project is another hat, which I may or may not keep, I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. The amazing thing is that I followed a pattern and it didn’t look like the picture. I figured out why it was wrong! It was because I’m knitting my hat on round needles and I don’t turn around to do the next row. Knitting in the round involves going around and around for a long time. No switching needed. Only problem is that some patterns seem to be made for knitting something with sides. No worries though! I figured it out and made the needed changes to fix it. Now it looks like the pattern! The amazing thing is I didn’t have to take a class! Logic and a little bit of math(multiplication and division) were the only things I really needed to use. I am a friend and internet taught knitter!

Herbalism

Herbalism Books

      Learning about herbalism has been on my mind for at least a year, which for me is a long time. Last year I found a class I want to take when I have money and time. Cedar Mountain Herb School offers internships for all seasons. But as my post about debt should have lead you to believe, I don’t have a lot of money, and this year I have no extra time for another class. So instead of feeling sorry for myself over something I can’t change, I decided to check the required reading for that class out of the library. I’m only just through the introduction of Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. But that’s okay, I’m excited. They are both reference books and when I feel I can justify spending money on them, they will be joining my library. Also, I’ll be checking in on Good Natured Earthling’s(she runs Cedar Mountain Herb School) Facebook page for suggestions, and random useful information.

      See! No classroom needed. I’m not actually sure that the herbalism school has a typical classroom. Because of the nature of herbalism there is a lot of outside stuff, learning the whole process from harvesting to preserving in different forms and using them.
      My life now reminds me a lot of what I had wanted to do when I was in school. If you don’t already know, I was home-schooled all through grade and middle school. I was enrolled in a “real” private school, but it was only slightly different from homeschooling. In the end I got my diploma after four years of doing what I actually wanted.
      When in high-school, I had wanted soooo badly to pursue what I was interested in, drawing, writing, photography, books of all kinds. I wanted to be free of the boring requirements set by the school and the state. Meaning, less math and US history (note: there is nothing wrong with those subjects. I’m not greatly talented at math and I hated the fact that I had to take US history at least three different times. But if I remember correctly, that’s what the state required. *shakes fist*). Now the math I use is stuff to help me get done the fun things I want to do, knitting, crocheting, cooking, and taxes(bleh). Learning doesn’t have to happen in a classroom, at a public school that has old school books and over-worked teachers. It doesn’t have to be organized by an expert or come with a certification(unless it’s required by the state, i.e. massage therapy, but that makes sense). It’s just as legitimate to teach yourself to do something as it is to have a paid teacher instruct you. In fact, it can be a point of pride, of achievement if you answer a question with, “I taught myself”. It’s not shameful or embarrassing to teach yourself or to have a parent or friend teach you. Unfortunately, there are still people out there that still believe the best time of your life is spent in a boring classroom between the ages of 5 and 18. Prove them wrong, teach yourself, your children, your friends, your neighbors, or even the nay-sayers something fun and useful that you actually want to learn.

     A few months ago, there was yet another development in my cycle. It started getting longer, much, much longer. At first it was only a couple of days. No big deal for me. Pre-birth control, I had irregular periods in times of stress. Well, basically they got more irregular during times of stress. Complete predictability didn’t occur.
     Then they(the period gods or whatever) started adding more days. The funny thing is, it’s predictable, it starts almost like clock work. The middle of the month I start “spotting”. Barely anything, but I wear a small pad just in case. This goes on for a week. Some days there is no spotting on the pad, just a smig on the toilet paper. During this week I’m irritable, a tiny bit bloated, sleepy, foggy headed, and my “girls” (yes, I call my breasts “the girls”) get a little tender.
     Then right around the 23-26 I get crampy and Aunt Flow officially arrives. Then I swell up like I’m pregnant or something – only for a couple of days. For the remaining week, I progressively feel better until finally it’s all over. Then I have two weeks – yes, two weeks – until it starts all over again.

     What in the world is going on and what the hell am I supposed to do about it? The easy answer is to talk to a doctor, preferably a naturopathic doctor. However, I don’t have health insurance and don’t have enough cash to see a doctor. I am lucky enough to know someone going through nutritional counseling at the moment, and I’ve met an awesome Ayurvedic consultant and bought a couple of her ebooks. I’ll be writing about her in the near future. And then there is the internet. Of course not everything you read on the internet is true or tried. However, it is possible to weed through the crap and find lovely bits of truth.

     From my nutritional counselor I’ve been suggested to do a colon and liver cleanse. The idea is that if either are overloaded then your whole body is affected negatively, including hormones. I believe this is especially true for the liver. I don’t know all the details but I’m reading and learning. It is also a good idea to take bad things out and put good things in. So, at the moment, as boring as it might be, I don’t drink alcohol. I eat almost entirely organic foods and drink lots of filtered water. I’ve added probiotics, green powder(barley greens and sea veggies), and digestive enzymes. All in the hopes to support my body to find it’s natural balance as it cleans it’s self out.
It was also suggested that my girly hormones are not balanced. I had done a small amount of reading just before the wonderful Ayurveda woman mentioned that I might have too much estrogen and not enough progesterone. I’ll be adding extracts and herbs one at a time to see how I feel.

     I’m also planning to get off my bum a bit more. It’s well know that exercise helps to regulate your body. Since my poor sleep has been improving(thank goodness for acupuncture!) and because I was able to get away on vacation, I am feeling much better. I have a little more energy to be more active. My goal is to do 20 minutes of exercise daily. This week hasn’t been completely successful, but it’s a work in progress.

I’ll keep you updated! I’m excited to feel the positive changes in my body and life!

For other related posts, check out the list below.

Aunt Flow – Part 1
Aunt Flow Part 2 – Feminine Products
Raspberry Leaf Tea – A Woman’s Tonic
Moon Time meet Aunt Flow
Accessories for Aunt Flow

     So how the hell does one figure out if the company or product of interest is actually eco-friendly? Since the eco-friendly craze started, there has been the expected bastardization of said term. It’s called “greenwashing”. For a long winded description, please read it’s Wiki page. Basically, it’s a deceptive marketing technique to make a product appear eco-friendly, without actually taking the steps to achieve it.

     Unfortunately, a company’s eco-friendly status can change at any given time. For instance, Tom’s of Maine and Burt’s Bees were sold and are now owned by Colgate and Clorox respectively. Back in the day, Tom’s and Burt’s both had wonderful reputations, and still do, sort of. The owning companies do not however. Neither of these companies seems to care much for the environment or animal rights and welfare. So buying those brands that are “eco-friendly” or “hippy” is really making two huge conglomerate company that don’t benefit the environment, more rich. Plus, who is to say that the practices of the smaller companies remained the same after the ownership change?
     For more information check out this post on AlterNet. It’s shocking what companies we’ve believed are good small family owned businesses with ethical practices in mind are owned by huge companies that care more about making money that what they are doing to farmers, the environment, animals or consumers.

     I actually have a post about Tom’s of Maine, which I’m going to have to revise. I learned about the ownership after I wrote the post. Like I said, you never know, things can change whenever. Bleh.

     So, are these companies “greenwashed”. I’m not sure. I don’t know if their practices have been tainted by the parent company. Or even if being owned by a huge, non-eco-friendly company makes the first smaller company “greenwashed”. I’m too unsure of it to recommend either of them to anyone.
     Aside from that I want to address another company that has actually been making commercials about how they are becoming more eco-friendly. SC Johnson has been changing labeling on some products, so you know which ones are more “safe”. And they have been telling us through commercials etc, that they are using green power, the methane from landfills to power their plants or wind power. While I’m glad they are using it, I don’t think they are using it to be good. It’s cheap as far as I know. And it’s a great thing to do for advertising. Greenwashing anyone? Also, let’s remember that many of SC Johnson’s products for skin or baby contain mineral oil and/or parabens, all of which have no place in healthy, eco-friendly body products. Is the picture becoming more clear?

     This really makes my life difficult, not know whom to trust, whom not to trust. In the end all I can do is research or rely on journalists research.
     My suggestions to you would be make what you can, i.e. lotions, butters, soaps. Try to choose the lesser of the evils out there if you don’t have a huge selection from which to pick. Pay attention to see if anyone has bought out anyone else. Whatever you do, follow your ethics or principles.

     Since I feel like throwing in the towel at the moment(and using cliches left and right), I thought I’d have a chat about stress and stress management. I might end up talking typing my way into being more Zen.

     Stress does bad things to your body if you don’t know how to manage it. Long term stress, even if you do know how to manage it well, will do bad things also. Muscles tighten, digestion slows or speeds up, sleep gets longer, less, or interrupted in some way. (Hence why I’ve started this post at 6:30 a.m.) Depending on many different things, it can negatively impact relationships, or draw you and whomever closer together.

     So what the %@&*!!! does one do to better manage stress? Well, it doesn’t come easy and it takes some experimenting. Think about what you enjoy doing. This can be your starting point. I love reading, writing, art, gardening, nature, learning how to take better pictures with my gorgeous new camera, etc.

Managing stress part one

     One needs to be able to identify that there is a problem before a solution(or experiment) can be reached. What the hell is stressing you out? To use me as an example, I’ve always had trouble sleeping. So I’ve always been tired. The “older” I get, the worse, or more tired I get. The less ability I have to deal with bullshit. I had found a solution to the problem of my sleeping/nightmares in acupuncture. It works! It’s brilliant! Now I just have to build my energy back up by sleeping well for a longer period of time. Though I’ll never really be able to make up for all that poor sleeping for 25+ years, or so they say.
     Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to wear me out. After a day with a horrible migraine, two nights of not sleeping more than 4.5 hours each night, I was unable to fully deal with a business challenge, along with working a ton, getting up early and not being able to nap, two extra-whiny-needy pets, and not having a lot of down time to recover, among other things. The last straw was a speeding ticket on my way to work. Within a few minutes, I started bawling. There was no way I could do any sort of body work that day. Luckily, the people I work with are very understanding. They know that sometimes you just can’t work.
     See, I identified a bunch of problems. Part one completed.

What I could have done differently.
     Really, the migraine should have tipped me off. But I thought it was just a fluke, nothing horrible, just a crazy thing happening by chance. I also should have paid closer attention to the stresses I was feeling due to the business stuff I was having to deal with for the last week or so. It was more intense that I was used to. Something that would have possibly helped was remembering to pull out my aromatherapy, talking about it more, doing some deep diaphragmatic breathing, taking a walk, etc.
     I tend to be one of those people whom holds everything inside, which isn’t healthy because it has to come out eventually. So talking, for me is a good thing, if I can start. Even if I end up talking about something that is different, but still bothers me, it can help relieve the “exploding” feeling I get sometimes.

     Blogging can also help, which is why I started this post very early this morning.(It’s no longer in the a.m. at the moment.) Unfortunately, I didn’t let myself cry then, which may have helped prevent a bawling session that cost me some work hours.

Managing stress part two

     Pick something you enjoy doing, or that you know helps you to decompress, or that you just read about. Start somewhere! Try breathing techniques. If you need an idea as to how to do that, read here. Try drinking a cup of tea. Go for a walk. We have all heard that moderate exercise increases endorphins, which make us happy and helps us to de-stress. Try something. If you don’t feel better, try something else. Remember that it can’t last forever, there has to be an end eventually.

     Of course you can argue that looking back I can say anything. You are right about that. I can’t change what happened, all I can do it try to learn from it and do better next time. No one should expect you to be perfect and “on” all the time. Mistakes happen, life happens, shit happens. Sometimes the thing to do, is to just cry it out, pick yourself back up and try again.

Tea pot on a camp fire

     A couple of weekends ago, Rick and I and long time friends, went camping at Larrabee State Park. We all love the outdoors, fresh air, rain, sun, trees. Not mosquitoes. Since we aren’t rolling in the dough and friend Erin couldn’t get away from work, we decided to do a quickie camping trip.
You’d think it wasn’t relaxing if all we did was pack, sleep to nights, repack and unpack. Actually, it was amazingly recharging. And since it’s still spring, it’s a better idea to do a shorter trip in case the weather is less than perfect. Which was the case.
     Since we went camping and it’s the beginning of camping season, I thought I’d do a post about how to camp low impact or camping the hippy way(my version, as there could be many).
     First, before I begin my list of nifty cool things and ideas, I have to say, I’m not a hardcore camper. I love camping, but I prefer access to showers(though I will try camping without, near a river), and toilets(also, willing to try without). I have never camped at a place I had to hike. Not yet. I’m willing, and if Erin has her wish, we’ll probably go this year. Possible Nooksack trip? Who knows. But I love the outdoors, until they try to steal our food of course. Raccoons! Cute, but nasty. Camping is something I’ve only recently become excited about and interested in. I’ve always loved my time outdoors, but at the end of the day I could go back for a shower. Everything I say about camping, or that I’ve tried, has been used at a site, in a campground, with a bathroom or port-a-potty (not recently emptied, bleh) not at a far away place where you pack in everything in one trip. I think I’ll try that someday, but not right now. Anyway, onto the camping recommendations.

     The list could go on and on. The limit is only your imagination. If you have ideas let me know. I’ll add them to the list. For now, I’ll leave you with these basic ideas to ponder, and hopefully use on your next camping trip!

Tea in an enamel cup

     Here’s what I got in my custom order from Moon Pads!

Reusable Menstrual Pads

     I love opening her packages. They come with a short handwritten note, directions for the pads and a business card. Everything is just so neat and tidy. Oh and the directions are printed on recycled paper! What else can I say? They are so pretty and colorful. I had so much fun “posing” the pads. A little bit more experience with photoshop and these might look even more lovely!

Moon Pads

     And it was just so much fun that the sun was coming through the windows just right. Or fairly well anyway. These sat in their mailing envelope for a week or more, while I waited for just the right time, just the right day with enough light so I didn’t need a flash.

Pantyliner and mini-pad

I’ll let you know if these turned out to be enough to finish my supply! So far I’m loving it!

Moon Pads - Reusable Menstrual Pads

For other posts on this subject, feel free to check out the following links:

Moon Time meet Aunt Flow
Moon Time Again – Taking back control of your period and your life
Aunt Flow Part 2 – Feminine Products
Raspberry Leaf Tea – A Woman’s Tonic
Raspberry Leaf Tea Made in My New Tea Pot!
Aunt Flow Part 1

     Several months ago when I started to experiment with different, more natural feminine products, I had no idea where I would end up. I definitely had no idea I would end up using cloth. When I started doing research my thought was, “What did women use when there wasn’t disposable cotton/rayon/whatever feminine products?” The only clue I had was a fiction book I read, one of the Outlander Series books. The main character was having her period while they were at a Scottish gathering and mentioned tearing part of her petticoats and using that. Beyond that I had no idea.
     After doing a lot of research I discovered that you can find some nice, even dare I say – cute, cloth feminine pads. Besides being healthier for ones nether regions, it’s a much better idea for the environment. Way less waste. In fact, with proper care, your pads can last for years! Imagine all the pads you don’t have to throw away! And the money you will save!

     I bought a sample pack from epicerma, an etsy shop that makes what she calls Moon Pads. There are plenty of other shops on Etsy that have similar items. Being a thorough person, I did research, read through a million etsy shop profiles and policies. Annie Rose, the owner, had all the things I considered important, organic cotton grown in the US, milled by union workers, dyed by her with gentle dye, not horribly expensive, and cute! I hated the idea of having white or cream colored pads that might end up looking dingy after a few months.
     After a few months of using the sample pack I bought, I’m still singing her praises! I love them! In fact, I just ordered more, which should give me enough to last an entire period without worry about running out and using disposables – though I do still use organic cotton disposables. I’m excited. Though they won’t get here in time for my current period, I’m happy they’ll be there for the next one!

     So if you aren’t happy with your current type of feminine products consider cloth, either paired with tampons (which I do sometimes) or all alone. They are, in my humble opinion(haha), a better option than the Moon Cup (though I haven’t tried it, something about it bothers me. Aunt Flow shouldn’t be held back so severly), tampons(though for the heavy days when I work, I use them – organic of course), and anything non-organic.

     Before I go I want to say a little about non-organic tampons, pads, and toilet paper. Often times, especially if they are cheap, tampons and pads aren’t entirely cotton. They can contain rayon or nylon which are less safe for your lady parts. They are treated with bleach. If you read the label of a bleach bottle, it will warn you to not get on your skin, in any body opening such as eyes, mouth, or a cut, so why in the world is it being used on items that go where the sun don’t shine? Up against such delicate and permeable skin? How is that safe? Your body will absorb the toxin. Bleach, or specifically chlorine, is a poison, a disinfectant that kills just about everything. Your lady parts deserve something less toxic. They definitely don’t need to be disinfected. There are options that use organic cotton, not treated with chlorine. Just google it and you’ll see, or check out your local health food store. On that note, most toilet paper is treated with bleach to give it that nice fresh clean white color. This tissue paper, is used daily by almost everyone in the developed world – even men (unless they have chosen to use cloth there as well), on some of the most delicate skin in the human body. Seems like a bad idea to douse it with chlorine.
     Rick and I switched to recycled toilet paper that isn’t treated with chlorine. There are a few options out there for this as well. The most well known is Seventh Generation recycled toilet paper, which in our area runs about $10 for 12 or so roles. It is surprisingly soft. Nothing like the cheap-paper-towel-rough stuff you find in public bathrooms across the US. Rick and I use Trader Joes toilet paper, which is about $4 for 12 rolls, much less expensive, and just as soft.
     Really, is it too much to ask to be gentle to your bum and your lady parts? They are after all, supposed to last a life time. Make it easier for them to live healthy.

     For more of my research and humble opinions(haha right) about periods and the necessary accessories check out my other posts.
Accessories for Aunt Flow
Moon Time Again – Taking back control of your period and your life
Aunt Flow Part 2 – Feminine Products
Raspberry Leaf Tea – A Woman’s Tonic
Raspberry Leaf Tea Made in My New Tea Pot!
Aunt Flow Part 1

And….

For the other Neti Pot posts click here:

Neti Pot – The Modern Hippy’s First Experience

Neti Pot – The Modern Hippy’s Second Experiment & Directions

On a side note:
     While at work today, surrounded by other hippy massage therapists (Yes, at the moment I have a job, as a fill in contractor. So it’s okay, I’m still in control of my schedule and am working for a respectable clinic, not an assembly line. I’m still damn the man, but setting up one’s business takes time when you are lazy and recovering from a rough year.), I was asked how I was feeling. Meh, I said, but I bought a neti pot and that and essential oils, are helping me a lot. No antibiotics for me! Each person had their own thing to say about neti pots and how wonderful they are. I love this hippy town!

Neti Pot and Sea Salt

     I will be singing the neti pot’s praises for a long time! I used it again this morning in and out of the shower. Let me say, I was very nervous, being a bit of a chicken when it comes to nose/sinus stuff. Yeah, so I had done it once before, but I was still nervous. Maybe it was because I had been in so much pain last night. Not from the neti pot experiment, but just from feeling like poop, forgetting to take my fish oil pills, sitting in a chair all day, not being able to nap properly, having a monstrous sinus and tension headache AT THE SAME TIME! It was so pathetic and bad that I cried four times, over silly things like dropping the chicken sausages on the floor and not being able to see where one rolled. Yup, that’s how ridiculous I am when I’m sick. But that’s not the point. The point is, today I feel much better. And today, I was able to get the water to come out the OTHER nostril! And I got to see it happen!

     I tried it in the shower, still made the back of my eyes feel cool and tear. And I coughed a lot. Today though, I was brave and curious enough to try it in the sink – while watching myself in the mirror. Sorry, no photos, I still have some self respect, or is it self consciousness?

     Per request of a friend and occasional reader, Yosh (hope you don’t mind the mention), of the modern hippy, I will be giving instructions and other information about using the neti pot.

     First, what you’ll need is a neti pot. Funny I know. Can you tell I’m feeling better? Please wash your neti pot out and thoroughly rinse. You don’t want soap behind your delicate eyeballs – imagine that headache! Then decide where you are going to do it. Over the sink? In the shower? I suppose you could do it outside if you’d like. Where ever it won’t matter if you splatter. (Hahaha, rhyming too!) Measure out 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Unrefined is okay, I used it. I wouldn’t recommend any of the colored sea salt. No need to dye your sinuses, plus that might cause problems I don’t know about. I DO NOT recommend using iodized table salt, as brands like Morton’s actually contain dextrose, an artificial sweetener. Artificial sweeteners are not meant for sinuses! Let alone eating, but once again I digress.
Fill the neti pot with warm water. I used warm tap water, though when I get a filter I’ll probably use that. Mix until the salt is completely dissolved.

     Now comes the fun or scary part. Remember, you will be breathing through your mouth through this, your nose will be busy. Lean forward, tip your head to about a 45 degree angle. If you aren’t leaning forward enough the gunk will flow down the back of your throat and make you sputter and probably gross you out a little. Stick the spout of the neti pot in one nostril. Make sure there is a good seal and the water won’t sneak out. Steady your hand if you are shaking. Very slowly tip the pot. Can you feel the water enter the bottom of your nose? Good. Keep pouring slowly and wait unti for a funny feeling behind your eyes. It’s almost out! Try to remember to breathe, but breath holding is acceptable if you don’t hold it too long. It’s a very strange sensation to be breathing while water is running through part of your breathing apparatus.

     Something to remember is that you are in control of how much water flow there is. The more you tip the pot, the faster the water will flow. I’m a fan of slow flowing.
Also, the more you do it the better you will get, the easier everything will be.
Rinse through both nostrils. I didn’t use the whole saline solution that time. I was still getting used to it. I think I used about a third of it. Do what is comfortable for you, and what gets you the best results. I’ve read that some people use a whole pot for each side of the nose.
When you stop rinsing exhale gently through your nose to help the gunk out. Use a tissue or do this over the sink. I’ll say this again: Do blow gently to avoid hurting yourself. Also, don’t plug either side of your nostrils. Allow things to come out on their own, without the closing of one side.
Then wash your neti pot!

After you are done see how you feel. Can you breath better? I could. It felt strange, but good.

Some considerations:

     I read that if you can’t blow your nose (though I’m not sure if this means “don’t have the ability” or “it hurts too much”) consult a health care professional first. If you are sensitive like me, go slowly, don’t rush it. Children should be closely supervised! Don’t share!

Where to get a neti pot?

     I got mine from our local co-op. If you don’t have a natural food store, or supplement store, try a pharmacy. You can of course check online! Etsy has some cute stuff, if you’d like something handmade and unique! If I hadn’t been so desperate, and hadn’t put buying one off until the last minute I would have gotten one there.

One last note.
Why use a neti pot?

     It’s a great way to clean out your sinuses. If you are like me and have sinus trouble, use it. If you have allergies, use it. If you live in a polluted area, use it. If you live in a dusty area, use it. If you have a cold, use it. If you have pets, live in an old house, or live in a small place, or work in a poorly ventilated place, smoke, go camping, have kids, use it. “Have kids?”, you ask? Why not? You could win the gross out competition and show them that there are natural ways to deal with your sinuses. Just don’t let them play with it unsupervised. Maybe wait until they are older to show them, just in case.

     As frugally as possible I am switching our foods to mostly organic. Eventually we will be entirely organic. But as cost is a major factor in any life change, it’s going slowly. By eating organic foods I’m cutting out several toxins that would otherwise add to the crap already stored in my body. I decide what to choose to buy organically by referring to the list provided by The Environmental Working Group. Here they are by rank. Feel free to check out the full list here.

1. Nectarines
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes – Imported
11. Carrots
12. Pears
     Potatoes make the list at #15. I’ve read that anything that grows in the ground like potatoes or peanuts should be organic because they are sitting in a mire of chemicals and dead dirt – they end up absorbing quite a lot of disgusting bits. I want my potatoes to live in a dark chocolate loam of purity until they get picked up for the co-op or other natural food store.
     I have been following this for a couple of weeks. Lots of organic apples and lettuce can be found in our fridge at the moment. Honestly, what I’ve found in the last couple of years of buying more organic foods – they usually taste better. I’m all about taste. Food should taste yummy – not only a visual picture of yummy.

     Organic foods are important to help eliminate the ways toxins get into your body. Wonderful. How do I get rid of the toxins I already have? That’s a little more complicated. There are a million things out there claiming to help detox. What I do, when researching things is to view everything logically, then pick the things that seem to fit together like a puzzle. Synergy is the idea. The logical things I’ve found, that are helping me shape what I’ll be doing to detox my body, short and long term are:

Eliminate processed foods – There is no way around this!
Cut out ways toxins get in – i.e. in food and personal care products
Drink enough water – you have to pee these nasty things out!
Drink filtered water – same idea behind eating organic foods!
Rest – it’s hard work for your body to clean itself!
Cut out things that aren’t beneficial for detoxing or are harder for your body to process – red meat, dairy, coffee etc.
Get enough vitamins – supplements or fresh fruit and veggie juices, preferably organic
Give your digestive system a break – do a water or juice fast. I’ll be trying a juice fast in the near future.
Exercise – It increases all sorts of good hormones, increases circulation which helps to get the nasty stuff out!
Add a probiotic – Miso, kombucha, keffir or yogurt, though the latter two do break the dairy rule
Colon cleanse – I’ve read something that compared your colon to your sink – if you never cleaned your kitchen sink imagine to horrible possibilities!
Drink some teas that promote detoxing – you can find them boxed, or make some lovely loose leaf blend!
Use milk thistle – a friend of mine mentioned that her mother’s naturopath said if she wanted to do a little detoxing buy a bottle of milk thistle, take double or so of the dose until the bottle is empty. (I’ve tried it, it’s amazing how it can help!)

     I’m a firm believer in finding things that fit your life. It’s a westernized ideal to find the one magic treatment that will detox your body fully. My opinion is that detoxing will start to happen naturally after making certain life changes, i.e. cutting out processed foods or coffee. To further detox it seems that the idea of finding synergistic things to use will help you to cleanse your body the most effectively. It’s like clutter – clutter attracts clutter – the problem are habits and choices. I’ll use myself as an example.
     I’ve cut out processed foods. Almost no coffee – only twice or so monthly. I’m cutting down on sugar – I do make fabulous gluten free baked goods so it’s hard. Switching to organic stuff. Cutting down on dairy. I’m lactose intolerant so I don’t drink milk, but I loooooove cheese and yogurt. However, these still create phlegm in the body – the idea is to not create more phlegm. From what I’ve been reading it’s a better idea to use goats milk products like cheese and yogurt instead. I haven’t tried that yet. I’ve done the milk thistle thing. I drink a decent amount of tea that either supports my immune system or helps to boost detoxing. (There are things that detoxing herbs will do that you might not expect. I’ll explain later.) I’ve started exercising at least twice a week. In the grand scheme of things that isn’t much, but it’s way better than what I was doing. I’ve added some needed vitamins such as B12 (I don’t eat a lot of red meat at the moment), D3 (we live in Washington and I know the lack of sunshine affects me profoundly) and minerals such as calcium and magnesium (necessary for proper muscle and nerve health). I’m doing more research to help me figure out what else is important and may need supplementation. I’ve started drinking Kombucha, which I love. I choose only the stuff at the store that has herbs added, no artificial or “natural” flavors or other additives. (Soon I’ll be making my own!) I drink a ridiculous amount of water in a day. I’ve adopted a system of drinking water 30 minutes before or after a meal. I’ve read many times over that drinking water with a meal will dilute the digestive juices and subsequently not allow food to be broken down properly. Thus improper digestion. I’m also planning on doing a juice fast, either using organic juices from the store or ones I prepare myself. Problem, I don’t have a juicer at the moment so I might just have to buy stuff from the store. I figure that one day, doing a fast won’t hurt me – as long as I use juice and teas. Just water will probably make my blood sugar drop too far. Also, a plan for further future would be the colon cleanse. I’m also thinking about adding a more broad vitamin B complex supplement as well. And I’ll be learning how to make keffir from both milk (cow and goat) and coconut milk (crazy I know!).

     From what I’ve seen so far, each change is beneficial in a different way I didn’t know mattered. Not drinking anything 30 minutes before or after a meal has made a HUGE difference in my indigestion problem – I was getting uncomfortably farty.
I’m also trying to sweat out some of these nasty things through taking hot bathes at home and hopefully soon using the YMCA’s sauna.

     A note on using detoxing herbs. Some herbs are laxatives. Laxatives shouldn’t be used long term as your body can become addicted to them. Stop using them and your body may have the opposite problem – not going enough. However, there are some that have a laxative-like effect, but are not true laxatives. Milk thistle is one of the ones I think falls in the last category, but I can’t find definite literature on that. Just be cautious. Aside from laxatives, sometimes detoxifying herbs will make you sweat, which I have found out the hard way several times. Peppermint, lemon, and ginger induce sweating. Since I’m making my own teas and using fairly fresh items I got the crazy sweats a few times and didn’t know why. Also, please understand that the fresher the herb or whatever, often the stronger the effect. So if you have a box of peppermint tea in the cupboard that has been there for awhile, chances are it won’t have the same effect. My advice, experiment on an day that doesn’t matter or be prepared for some entertaining times.

     Also, remember that if you are taking any sort of prescription consult a trained professional. Though most herbs you’ll find are safe, many prescriptions drugs are not safe with herbs. On a little side note: many of the articles that are written by allopathically focused people tend to phrase their sentences to make it sound like the medicines are safe and the herbs are risky. (This makes me very angry.) Hands down, prescription medicines have more side effects and have a higher chance of having a negative reaction with another prescription, food, or herb. Herbs rarely have side effects. Almost all medications have side effects or things you must consider and/or change in order to “safely” take those medications.

Any suggestions on what to do to help clean myself out are always welcome!