So, apparently I have a parasite. I was thoroughly disgusted.
According to the CDC, 85% of Americans have live parasites in their bodies. 85 percent!!!! Some medical personnel believe that this number could be as high as 95 percent!
There are so many ways to pick up these parasites:
*undercooked meat
*contaminated food or water
*unclean fruits and vegetables
*through the bottoms of our feet
*not washing our hands
*pets
*international travel (I wish!)
*swimming in contaminated water
And the symptoms of parasites are far and wide:
*insomnia (me)
*grinding teeth at night (me)
*gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea
*painful/aching muscles or joints
*allergies (me)
*acne (me)
*poor immunity (me)
*nervousness (me)
*fatigue, exhaustion or depression (me)
*iron-deficient anemia (me)
*insatiable appetite (me)
*sudden and extreme weight fluctuation
*rashes, hives or eczema
*mood swings (me)
Well, since I don't go to the Doctor, except in the case of emergencies, how do I know this? How do I know I have a parasite? Enter the Zyto Scan!
What is a Zyto Scan, you ask? It is an incredible little machine that reads your biomarkers. It is commonly associated with essential oils. The Zyto Scan that I most recently had was at our Lemon Dropper Business meeting for essential oils.
How does it work? So you put your hand on this nifty little machine, it even looks like a hand, go figure! The scanner is linked to a computer with a software program. As the machine scans your hand, in essence, it reads your biomarkers. Things that are out of balance with your body. According to zyto.com, it "is deigned to energetically ask your body questions and then analyze your body's specific responses." The results are then generated into a report that list in order from most biological preference or need to least. The report tells you what Young Living oil or supplement would be most beneficial, how to use it and a vague reason as to what may be out of balance.
I know, I know. It sounds like some wonky, new age science gunk. But it works. It is accurate. I have had 2 Zyto scans. Both of them pinpointed issues that I had been experiencing. The oils that they recommended were extremely beneficial to overcoming this issues, as well.
For more information, or a more scientific breakdown of how a Zyto Scan works, you can visit http://zyto.com .
My Zyto scan last week showed that I was in need of a deep cleanse, a purge of toxins, a detox. Parasites was the top reason as to why. (I was also in need of some emotional release and grounding oils! Ha!)
As I started to research this parasite disgustingness, because I am a nerd at heart and I like research, I was blown away by the fact that such a high percentage of Americans live with live parasites everyday, and most people don't even know it!
In my research, I not only found several Young Living supplements related to cleansing and detoxifying, but I found several other means in which to do so:
*Detox Baths
*Bentonite Clay
*Baking Soda
*Diatomaceous Earth
*Epsom Salt
*Whole Foods Diet
*Water Flushing
*Clay Consumption
*Warm Salt Water Consumption
*Essential Oils
*Sweating
*Sleep!
*Life Style Choices Make Over
I had been feeling pretty crummy lately. I have not been sleeping well, feeling, overall, run down. I had just associated all of this with grieving, just not being up to par. So after the results of my Zyto scan, I realized that so many of my ailments could be related to having parasites. That's when I decided to start detoxing. Purging of the toxins running me down. So here is how it is working out! Let's start at the top and go over a few of them!
Detox Baths:
This is something that I do regularly. I draw a bath, as hot as I can stand it. Add half a cup of baking soda, half a cup to a cup of Epsom salt. Usually those two things, plus a few drops of essential oils, and I am well on my way to relaxing. I soak for about 30-40 minutes. I always drink lots of ice cold water during these baths, with lemon essential oils, of course! You sweat A LOT during these detox baths. As your body is purging toxins out of your system, they are flushed out through the skin, in the form of sweat. So to counter balance what your body is losing, you need to drink plenty of fluids! These baths, I try to take one at least once a week, are deeply relaxing to me. I always feel refreshed afterward.
Recently, I added about 1/3 a cup of bentonite clay and about 1/3 a cup of Diatomaceous Earth to my detox bath. I also added several drops of Frankincense oil. Each of these elements has a specific purpose for detoxing the body.
*Bentonite Clay:
This is a relatively new staple in my toolbox. This clay can be taken internally, used in baths or made into a paste with water and applied to the skin. Simply put, the clay bonds with heavy metals and toxins in your body. When the clay comes into contact with fluid, the clay electrons become negatively charged, then they attract the positively charged electrons of the heavy metals and toxins.
*Diatomaceous Earth:
D.E. is also relatively new to me. D.E. is a naturally occurring, soft rock that is easily crumbled into a fine powder. Like B.C., D.E. can be added to water and taken internally. It also rids the body of heavy metals, toxins, parasites, allergies, and sinus issues. D.E. also kills common pests like fleas. Always make sure that you are using food grade D.E.
As I added these new elements to my detox bath, I started to feel quite nauseous. In fact, I actually threw up when I was done. I thought, geeze, I must be getting sick! So I grabbed my DiGize oil and rubbed it all over my tummy. Nope, that didn't help. As I thought about when I started to feel sick, I Googled! Apparently, it is quite normal to feel nauseous and to even vomit when your body is purging lots of toxins. I had never gotten sick from a detox bath before, not until I added the Bentonite Clay and the D.E. As parasites die and toxins are purging from your cells, they flush into your bloodstream, trying to work their way out of your system, waiting to be eliminated from the body. Thus, detoxing can cause flu-like symptoms. Symptoms may sometimes last up to a few days. Luckily, mine only lasted about an hour. Whew!
Note: Both B.C. and D.E. can be made into a paste form with water. They may then be applied to the bottoms of the feet, under the arms, on cellulite, on hair or over the abdomen to pull toxins out of the skin. Similarly, they can be added to bath water for the same use.
*Baking Soda:
Baking soda naturally balances the pH of the body. It too, draws out toxins.
*Epsom Salt:
Again, the purpose is drawing out toxins through the skin. Expect lots of sweating!
*Frankincense Oil:
Frank, oh glorious Frank! My favorite of all essential oils! It is a cure all, stress melting, sweet and earthy smelling oil. I also like refer to it as Jesus Oil. If it was good enough for baby Jesus, it is more than good enough for me! It has been extensively studied for cancer treatment. It has also been found useful for skin conditions, anxiety, promoting spiritual enlightenment, oral and respiratory care, and pain relief. This oil is amazing. And in a bath, it is HEAVENLY!
***Remember, if you are going to use a detox bath, remember to drink plenty of fluids, before, during and after!***
You are probably thinking, why would I want to do this and get violently ill?!?! But, that night, I slept like a baby! The next day I had new found energy! I would take an hour of tummy trouble over toxic ick running through my body, ANY DAY!
This detox bath is just one of many steps to come in my detox journey. I am on a constant path, moving toward healthful living. Purging the body of toxins is an on-going task. The next post in this series will be on more detox ideas.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
The Walk of Grief
So, it has been a while since I started this blog. When I did start, my intention was to blog at least once a week. Best of intentions and all. Well, things didn't go as planned. After my initial post, my world fell apart.
If you know me at all, you know that for the last 2 years or so I have been a full time care taker for my grandmother, known to most as Weezie. But oh, she was so much more to me than just a grandmother. She really, truly was my best friend.
She passed away on August 28, 2015. When she passed, my dad and I were there with her. She had suffered many strokes over her last few months with us. But like an innocent child, I had hoped for the best, that the doctors were wrong, that she would just be too darn stubborn to leave us so soon.
I was wrong. In the words of my 5 year old daughter, "Weezie didn't make it."
It is so hard to adequately describe the feeling of such a loss. No, I am not the first person to lose their grandmother. No, I am not the first person to lose their best friend. No, I certainly will not be the last. However, this journey has taught me so much. It has taught me life lessons, on death and dying and the afterlife. It has taught me about compassion and complete surrender. It has taught me about selflessness and love. This list could go on and on. The road to healing is just as long.
I want to backtrack to last Christmas. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. December is always particularly crazy for our family. We have LOTS of December birthdays in our family, including my own. Plus the obvious, Christmas and New Years. Then we have church obligations, the Christmas dinner, the youth Christmas party, Christmas eve service. And all of these things are great and bring me amazing joy. But the things that matter most to me are the traditions. Some are traditions my parents and grandparents started years before. Some are new ones that we have started with our kids. Christmas cookie baking. Reindeer food on the lawn on Christmas eve. Reading the Christmas story from the bible just before bed. Milk and cookies for Santa. Christmas eve at my grandmothers. Christmas eve pajamas. All traditions. All loved.
Since last year was our first year homeschooling, we decided to take the entire month of December off from school. I wanted to focus on making these memories. Soaking it in. We had intentionally been slowing down our lives. We withdrew from all of the unnecessary extracurricular activities. Saying no to the things that didn't serve us as a family unit.
You see, God was moving in our lives. He was speaking to me. He was telling my heart to slow down. We were like any other average American family. We were getting so caught up in "Living" that we were, in fact, not really living at all. We were busy, not being filled. We were filling our time not our souls. We had an overwhelmed schedule and I had an underwhelmed soul.
You see, God was telling me to savor life. I don't think that I told anyone but my husband that year, or ever, actually, that God was preparing me. I knew, because God had put it on my heart, that my time with my grandmother was short. I told my husband that I felt like it was going to be my last Christmas with her. I didn't understand it, I didn't know why. But I knew. I knew that the Christmas I spent with her would be our last.
It seems odd to admit that out loud. But I believe it. I believe that God prepares us for these things. That on some level we know, sometimes, not always, what is to come.
I savored every last second of the Christmas season last year. I appreciated every little second, every detail of it. I handcrafted gifts. I baked extra cookies. Most importantly, I spent time. I soaked up every minute that I could, not just with her, but my kids. It was truly, a magical Christmas. The reason for the season was bright and alive in me. I was so thankful that God had given me the gift of that knowledge. I was so grateful for the coming of Jesus, not just to this earth, but to my heart. It was magic. Pure magic.
It has been about 10 weeks since she has passed. And Christmas is fast approaching. I find myself dreading my favorite time of the year a little bit. I know it will not be the same.
The last 10 weeks have wrecked havoc on my soul. The final moments of her life were spent with my dad and I. She had not eaten or drank or spoken in her last 2 days. But those last few moments, she knew we were there, she kissed us both. We poured out our love on her. We held her hands. And I prayed. Out loud. What happened next I have held close to my heart. Unwilling to share with the world. I think it sounds crazy. I think people will think I am crazy. But that's okay.
After I prayed out loud, it was just a matter of minutes before she passed. And just before she took her last breath, I had the oddest, most heart warming encounter. I was holding her hand. Just before she took her last breath, my hand that was holding hers started tingling. I have no other way to describe it other than I knew it was over. It was as if her last action on earth was to transfer her love, her life force energy, into me. I feel like I literally carry a piece of her with me, everywhere, now.
I was flooded with so many emotions at that moment. But greater than any, peace. Eternal peace. Her suffering was over. She knew who we were till the end. She knew she was not alone. She was in Heaven.
Days before she passed, I had been reading a book, "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. If you have never read it, go buy it now. If you are unsure that Heaven exists, go buy it now. If you are searching for comfort in a time of mourning, go buy it now. Basically, if you are breathing, go buy it now. ***Spoiler Alert*** In the book, a true story, the man, Don, is a preacher. He is in a horrific car accident. He is declared legally dead for 90 minutes, in which time he travels to Heaven. When he arrives in Heaven, instantaneously after he dies, he is greeted by all of the people he has known who have, previously to him, gone to Heaven, including his grandmother. In life she was a feeble little lady who walked with a hunch and had false teeth. When he arrives, she is new and perfect! She walks effortlessly, with ease, upright. And her teeth are her own and they too are perfect!
When I read this, I wept. I mean, I really wept. I knew that shortly, my grandmother would be in Heaven and she would be made new. She would be perfection. Far beyond the perfection that I saw everyday when I looked at her. True perfection. Perfection that only comes from the Lord when He washes us clean and makes us new again, in Heaven. This passage gave me great hope when she finally passed on. I imagine her with her husband and her son, her parents and siblings, walking upright, effortlessly, gleaming with a smile, wide, that is her own, on the streets of gold.
When I prayed over her in her final moments, this was part of my prayer for her. I prayed that the Lord would take her home, to make her new and whole and perfect. And He did.
There is a single verse in the bible that always restores me. It is my life verse. During mourning, the words have never rang more true.
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
These last 10 weeks have not all been full of peace, though. The days following her death, I did truly feel a peace that surpassed my understanding. My spirit was resting in the strength of the Lord. There is no other way I could have made it through those first few days on my own strength, it was complete divine strength. Human emotion overwhelms me now, though. I am fighting, trying to see the light, to find that strength, but grief is drowning me.
I have not been a peach, to say the least. I have been irritable and heartbroken. My kids have been getting on my nerves. My husband has been driving me crazy. The petty little things that people air on Facebook drive me mad. The cold weather has made me cold on the inside. Bed time stories have been few and far between. I spend so much time in fervent prayer, asking for that peace to fill me again. I spend far too much time consumed with my thoughts of her. I feel like everyone else has moved on and forgotten. I am left completely heartbroken.
My days these last few years have been filled with time spent with her. Morning coffee. Reading her horoscope to her. Taking photos of the sweetest of memories of her with my children. Tucking her in for naps. Bathing her. Asking her hard life questions. I am so grateful for each of those days that I spent with her. There were hard days, yes. But even for those I am grateful. I knew her, my kids knew her, and she knew them. And she knew me.
I told my dad the other day that I felt as though no one had time for me. Of course I was an emotion, irrational mess that day, because in reality, I have a loving family who supports me. But reality gets a bit distorted when grief is rushing through you. I told him, that no matter what, she always had time for me. Since her passing I have felt so alone. She was my life. When everyone else left the funeral, they all had lives to get back to. Jobs to resume. I was left lost. Stranded in my utter grief.
I know with time, I will find a new normal. I will find purpose and passion. I will feel true happiness again. But not yet. It is still too fresh. Too new. Too raw. But I will.
I am not alone though, not in my pain and suffering or in my search for understand and meaning. Kyler wants to visit her grave, almost everyday. Piper wants a photo of her tombstone to keep in her room. Just a few weeks ago, Kyler told me that he was so sad that he just can not focus. He told me that he was so angry at God for taking her and that he was mad at Weezie for leaving. It blew my mind that something so deep and wise could come from a guy who was so little.
How on earth can a child recognize and verbalize the fact that not only is he mad at God and at someone who has passed, but that it is okay to feel that way? I must be doing something right as a mom. He asks for alone time to pray when he is sad or angry about his loss.
Piper tells me that she misses Weezie and all of the things that they used to do together or that she used to do for Weezie. Brushing her hair, helping her walk, painting her nails. All of these things coming from little kids who are just as lost and broken as me. They are wise beyond their years. True old souls.
Trying to help kids understand something that even adults don't fully understand, that is the hardest part of being a parent by far. For this I will keep praying. None of us are alone. The butterflies tell me that. (That's a whole other post in and of itself.)
This post was way longer than I intended, but as I wrote, it just seemed to pour out, to write itself. No doubt, God has given me the words and the courage to share this part of me with the world. However, I can not wrap up the post without first acknowledging one last thing. My dad. My dad has been my rock these last few months. Sometimes I feel like he is the only one who understands. The only one as lost as I am. For him I am eternally grateful. Nothing could have ever made us closer than walking this journey together. For all that you do, thank you Dad. (Not to discredit you, either, Mama. You are amazing and strong. Love you!)
Thank you for hanging around to read this whole post. Please be in prayer for our family as we continue on this road, the walk of grief. Love and light.
In loving memory. Louise Lucile Shepperd. November 25, 1925- August 28, 2015.
If you know me at all, you know that for the last 2 years or so I have been a full time care taker for my grandmother, known to most as Weezie. But oh, she was so much more to me than just a grandmother. She really, truly was my best friend.
She passed away on August 28, 2015. When she passed, my dad and I were there with her. She had suffered many strokes over her last few months with us. But like an innocent child, I had hoped for the best, that the doctors were wrong, that she would just be too darn stubborn to leave us so soon.
I was wrong. In the words of my 5 year old daughter, "Weezie didn't make it."
It is so hard to adequately describe the feeling of such a loss. No, I am not the first person to lose their grandmother. No, I am not the first person to lose their best friend. No, I certainly will not be the last. However, this journey has taught me so much. It has taught me life lessons, on death and dying and the afterlife. It has taught me about compassion and complete surrender. It has taught me about selflessness and love. This list could go on and on. The road to healing is just as long.
I want to backtrack to last Christmas. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. December is always particularly crazy for our family. We have LOTS of December birthdays in our family, including my own. Plus the obvious, Christmas and New Years. Then we have church obligations, the Christmas dinner, the youth Christmas party, Christmas eve service. And all of these things are great and bring me amazing joy. But the things that matter most to me are the traditions. Some are traditions my parents and grandparents started years before. Some are new ones that we have started with our kids. Christmas cookie baking. Reindeer food on the lawn on Christmas eve. Reading the Christmas story from the bible just before bed. Milk and cookies for Santa. Christmas eve at my grandmothers. Christmas eve pajamas. All traditions. All loved.
Since last year was our first year homeschooling, we decided to take the entire month of December off from school. I wanted to focus on making these memories. Soaking it in. We had intentionally been slowing down our lives. We withdrew from all of the unnecessary extracurricular activities. Saying no to the things that didn't serve us as a family unit.
You see, God was moving in our lives. He was speaking to me. He was telling my heart to slow down. We were like any other average American family. We were getting so caught up in "Living" that we were, in fact, not really living at all. We were busy, not being filled. We were filling our time not our souls. We had an overwhelmed schedule and I had an underwhelmed soul.
You see, God was telling me to savor life. I don't think that I told anyone but my husband that year, or ever, actually, that God was preparing me. I knew, because God had put it on my heart, that my time with my grandmother was short. I told my husband that I felt like it was going to be my last Christmas with her. I didn't understand it, I didn't know why. But I knew. I knew that the Christmas I spent with her would be our last.
It seems odd to admit that out loud. But I believe it. I believe that God prepares us for these things. That on some level we know, sometimes, not always, what is to come.
I savored every last second of the Christmas season last year. I appreciated every little second, every detail of it. I handcrafted gifts. I baked extra cookies. Most importantly, I spent time. I soaked up every minute that I could, not just with her, but my kids. It was truly, a magical Christmas. The reason for the season was bright and alive in me. I was so thankful that God had given me the gift of that knowledge. I was so grateful for the coming of Jesus, not just to this earth, but to my heart. It was magic. Pure magic.
It has been about 10 weeks since she has passed. And Christmas is fast approaching. I find myself dreading my favorite time of the year a little bit. I know it will not be the same.
The last 10 weeks have wrecked havoc on my soul. The final moments of her life were spent with my dad and I. She had not eaten or drank or spoken in her last 2 days. But those last few moments, she knew we were there, she kissed us both. We poured out our love on her. We held her hands. And I prayed. Out loud. What happened next I have held close to my heart. Unwilling to share with the world. I think it sounds crazy. I think people will think I am crazy. But that's okay.
After I prayed out loud, it was just a matter of minutes before she passed. And just before she took her last breath, I had the oddest, most heart warming encounter. I was holding her hand. Just before she took her last breath, my hand that was holding hers started tingling. I have no other way to describe it other than I knew it was over. It was as if her last action on earth was to transfer her love, her life force energy, into me. I feel like I literally carry a piece of her with me, everywhere, now.
I was flooded with so many emotions at that moment. But greater than any, peace. Eternal peace. Her suffering was over. She knew who we were till the end. She knew she was not alone. She was in Heaven.
Days before she passed, I had been reading a book, "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. If you have never read it, go buy it now. If you are unsure that Heaven exists, go buy it now. If you are searching for comfort in a time of mourning, go buy it now. Basically, if you are breathing, go buy it now. ***Spoiler Alert*** In the book, a true story, the man, Don, is a preacher. He is in a horrific car accident. He is declared legally dead for 90 minutes, in which time he travels to Heaven. When he arrives in Heaven, instantaneously after he dies, he is greeted by all of the people he has known who have, previously to him, gone to Heaven, including his grandmother. In life she was a feeble little lady who walked with a hunch and had false teeth. When he arrives, she is new and perfect! She walks effortlessly, with ease, upright. And her teeth are her own and they too are perfect!
When I read this, I wept. I mean, I really wept. I knew that shortly, my grandmother would be in Heaven and she would be made new. She would be perfection. Far beyond the perfection that I saw everyday when I looked at her. True perfection. Perfection that only comes from the Lord when He washes us clean and makes us new again, in Heaven. This passage gave me great hope when she finally passed on. I imagine her with her husband and her son, her parents and siblings, walking upright, effortlessly, gleaming with a smile, wide, that is her own, on the streets of gold.
When I prayed over her in her final moments, this was part of my prayer for her. I prayed that the Lord would take her home, to make her new and whole and perfect. And He did.
There is a single verse in the bible that always restores me. It is my life verse. During mourning, the words have never rang more true.
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
These last 10 weeks have not all been full of peace, though. The days following her death, I did truly feel a peace that surpassed my understanding. My spirit was resting in the strength of the Lord. There is no other way I could have made it through those first few days on my own strength, it was complete divine strength. Human emotion overwhelms me now, though. I am fighting, trying to see the light, to find that strength, but grief is drowning me.
I have not been a peach, to say the least. I have been irritable and heartbroken. My kids have been getting on my nerves. My husband has been driving me crazy. The petty little things that people air on Facebook drive me mad. The cold weather has made me cold on the inside. Bed time stories have been few and far between. I spend so much time in fervent prayer, asking for that peace to fill me again. I spend far too much time consumed with my thoughts of her. I feel like everyone else has moved on and forgotten. I am left completely heartbroken.
My days these last few years have been filled with time spent with her. Morning coffee. Reading her horoscope to her. Taking photos of the sweetest of memories of her with my children. Tucking her in for naps. Bathing her. Asking her hard life questions. I am so grateful for each of those days that I spent with her. There were hard days, yes. But even for those I am grateful. I knew her, my kids knew her, and she knew them. And she knew me.
I told my dad the other day that I felt as though no one had time for me. Of course I was an emotion, irrational mess that day, because in reality, I have a loving family who supports me. But reality gets a bit distorted when grief is rushing through you. I told him, that no matter what, she always had time for me. Since her passing I have felt so alone. She was my life. When everyone else left the funeral, they all had lives to get back to. Jobs to resume. I was left lost. Stranded in my utter grief.
I know with time, I will find a new normal. I will find purpose and passion. I will feel true happiness again. But not yet. It is still too fresh. Too new. Too raw. But I will.
I am not alone though, not in my pain and suffering or in my search for understand and meaning. Kyler wants to visit her grave, almost everyday. Piper wants a photo of her tombstone to keep in her room. Just a few weeks ago, Kyler told me that he was so sad that he just can not focus. He told me that he was so angry at God for taking her and that he was mad at Weezie for leaving. It blew my mind that something so deep and wise could come from a guy who was so little.
How on earth can a child recognize and verbalize the fact that not only is he mad at God and at someone who has passed, but that it is okay to feel that way? I must be doing something right as a mom. He asks for alone time to pray when he is sad or angry about his loss.
Piper tells me that she misses Weezie and all of the things that they used to do together or that she used to do for Weezie. Brushing her hair, helping her walk, painting her nails. All of these things coming from little kids who are just as lost and broken as me. They are wise beyond their years. True old souls.
Trying to help kids understand something that even adults don't fully understand, that is the hardest part of being a parent by far. For this I will keep praying. None of us are alone. The butterflies tell me that. (That's a whole other post in and of itself.)
This post was way longer than I intended, but as I wrote, it just seemed to pour out, to write itself. No doubt, God has given me the words and the courage to share this part of me with the world. However, I can not wrap up the post without first acknowledging one last thing. My dad. My dad has been my rock these last few months. Sometimes I feel like he is the only one who understands. The only one as lost as I am. For him I am eternally grateful. Nothing could have ever made us closer than walking this journey together. For all that you do, thank you Dad. (Not to discredit you, either, Mama. You are amazing and strong. Love you!)
Thank you for hanging around to read this whole post. Please be in prayer for our family as we continue on this road, the walk of grief. Love and light.
In loving memory. Louise Lucile Shepperd. November 25, 1925- August 28, 2015.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)