I like it!

Yesterday, I did the first day in my new “Friday liquid fasts” plan. It wasn’t hard at all. Fung says in the video to stay under 500 calories, so I looked up the beverages I have and realized I could do that easily. I had kefir for breakfast, bone broth for lunch, and kombucha for dinner, with tea, water, and shot glasses sipped slowly of apple, carrot, or Mean Green juice in between. I never felt hungry, even though I didn’t come close to 500 calories. And I really liked how it made me feel. I even got out into the garden in the evening to do some weeding!

Funny! “Don’t eat that food!”

They’ve know this for a HUNDRED YEARS?!

Well, dayum! “Eat less, move more” DOESN’T WORK for weight loss! FASTING works, because that’s the way God designed our bodies. And, no, you aren’t going to burn protein. Nor will your body go into starvation mode.

One of the things he explains that really interests me is this … “Eat less, move more” causes your metabolism to DROP. IOW, the number of calories you burn just by existing goes DOWN. This is the reason people plateau and then start gaining weight again. However, FASTING has the opposite effect. Your metabolism actually INCREASES, so you burn more calories just by existing.

Honestly, this is the first time I’ve ever seriously considered fasting. This doctor not only speaks “lay person” really well, but also he’s quite funny about it. If you care at all about your excess blubber, this is very well worth watching.

Home Remedies for Depression and Anxiety

1. Follow a Mediterranean diet.
2. Eat naturally fermented foods daily.
3. Meditate.
4. Exercise.
5. Allow yourself to weep.
6. Share with a friend.
7. Contemplate truth.
8. Experience beauty.
9. Take a nap.
10. Give yourself a treat.
11. Relax in a hot bath.
12. Go to bed on time.

Sources:

• https://aleteia.org/2016/01/28/st-thomas-aquinas-6-remedies-against-sadness/
• http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801
• http://thefoodmd.com/fermented-foods-neuroticism-and-social-anxiety-an-interaction-model/

Health Update

I’ve been doing so well with my daily routine of half mile walks and 100 reps with my little barbell, that I have added 5 minutes of yoga stretches and however long I can manage out in the yard (or cleaning my fish tank if it’s raining).

Yesterday, I worked 20 minutes in the yard before I crashed. This is so amazing to me!

The apple tree is budding, which has reminded me that it has been literally YEARS since I felt well enough to step outside during apple blossom season to smell that most heavenly aroma.

YEARS! To go down a half dozen steps and ten feet out the front door. Forget the mail box across the street. I NEVER got there. In ten years.

But THIS YEAR, I’m going to be out under that tree every single day, just breathing.  Photo of our tree in bloom by Warrior Princess.

For April, I upped my Cordyceps to 3 per day and added Chaga back in. (I took each separately for a couple of months to make sure I tolerated them.)  I also switched my iron to a much more bio-available brand.  I think it’s all paying off.

“Many experts consider [chaga] to be one of the most potent natural foods for autoimmune diseases. … it is also considered an adaptogen. Adaptogens help keep your body in balance, by making sure all systems aren’t going into overdrive. By keeping a quiet balance in your body, you are better able to cope with stressful situations.”

https://healthyfocus.org/9-proven-benefits-of-chaga/

I had the most AWESOME check-up!

My thyroid levels (T3, T4, TSH) are all in the normal range again!

My red blood count is in the normal range again and my hemoglobin is just a smitch under normal!  My ferritin has dropped into the basement, so I am going to switch to a better brand of iron.  Ferritin is the body’s iron pantry.  I used mine up replacing the blood I lost last summer when I sprung a leak in my innards.  I hope the low ferritin is why my legs have been so very achy.  That’s on the list of symptoms for low ferritin.  If it is, the iron will fix it and my legs will feel better. This will be good for my Happy Dancing!

BEST NEWS OF ALL, my kidney function has IMPROVED!  If my doctor weren’t so laid back, I think he would’ve high fived me!  My creatinine has been stuck around 2.21-2.23 since last summer.  The latest test was 2.0.  !!! 

So NO more nephrologist and no more lab tests or office visits until JULY!!  WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am definitely going to keep on with my Cordyceps!!  It’s not only fixing my kidneys, but also boosting my energy level.  The other day, I took TWO walks.  In the same day!!

I really, REALLY wanted a walk today, but it has been COLD and raining buckets.  Plus, I realized that, after 10 years of never leaving the house, I do not own an umbrella!  So I treated myself to a new one to celebrate my creatinine!!

After consulting with the Queen of Shopping (aka, Mama Buzz), I chose a GustBuster, the brand preferred by the PGA.  My dad will enjoy that.  🙂  It’s vented for wind so it won’t turn inside out.  And it is nice and wide at 48″, with a traditional J-shaped, bamboo handle, a fiberglass shaft, and a warranty. Really top shelf.  Also, it’s PINK, so maybe Dearest will keep his mitts off it LOL.  Granted, it was pricey … but CREATININE!

My apologies for all the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It’s hard for me to be CALM RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

More about Cordyceps sinensis

Yesterday, I realized I have so much energy all of a sudden that the amount of caffeine I was using (4 cups of tea, 2 black, 2 green) was making really hyper.

I reread the article (linked below) and noted that Cordyceps sinensis “increases ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels in the body by almost 28 per cent. ATP is the body’s energy supply source—the body’s battery, so to speak—and is required for all enzyme processes.”

I’ve been taking one to two capsules a day for about six weeks now; the bottle says the dose should be 3, but I didn’t want to overwhelm my body.  Next month, I plan to try using 3 per day and see how that goes.

Anyway, a number of the studies mentioned noticeable improvement after 30 days, so maybe that’s why I suddenly seem to have so much more energy and really don’t need caffeine just to stay upright!  This is so cool!

Clinical research in controlled studies had elderly patients suffering from fatigue and senility-related symptoms report relief in these areas after using Cordyceps for 30 days. Their fatigue was reduced by 92 per cent, their feeling of cold by 89 per cent and their dizziness by 83 per cent. Patients with respiratory/breathing problems felt physically stronger and some individuals were able to jog up to 600 feet.

Wow!

Cordyceps sinensis is considered a “food” by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is classified as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS).  I get mine from Nature’s Sunshine; it’s also sold at my local health food store.

Keep in mind as you scan down this amazing list that these claims are not anecdotal, but based on scientific clinical trials.

• Cordyceps sinensis has been found to be effective against all sorts of bacteria that have developed, or are developing, resistance to other, more common antibiotics (such as penicillin, another fungus product!).
• It improves immune antibody responses.
• It protects against the damage caused by free radicals.
• It improves sexual function.
• It helps lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.
• It increases physical stamina so much that there has even been talk of banning it from sporting events.
• It is effective in treating heart rhythm disturbances such as cardiac arrhythmia and chronic heart failure.
• A Chinese study showed a 51 per cent improvement in chronic kidney disease after only one month of dietary supplementation.
• It improves respiratory function, alleviating the symptoms of various respiratory illnesses including chronic bronchitis and asthma.
• It improves the flow of blood in the body by relaxing the smooth muscles of the blood vessels and allowing them to expand, enhancing the functioning of the heart and lungs and relieving tired legs.
• It improves liver function and has proven helpful to patients with cirrhosis, sub-chronic and chronic hepatitis and related liver diseases.
• It proved effective in several clinical studies with various types of cancer, leading to a reduction of tumor size and prolonged life.
• Perhaps most amazing of all, a study in Ghana showed, after six months, that NONE of the 3,000 early-stage HIV patients in the study had ANY HIV in their blood!

Source:

• https://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/doc_view/103-the-cordyceps-sinensis-medicinal-mushroom

Cordyceps sinensis is an AMAZING fungus!

I started taking Cordyceps because I read about a clinical study that showed significant improvement in patients with chronic kidney failure.  But the article talks about WAY more than just kidneys!  You have to read it. Seriously!

https://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/doc_view/103-the-cordyceps-sinensis-medicinal-mushroom

I’ve been taking Cordyceps for about 6 weeks and, while I do not have recent blood work (that will come in early April), I did see a remarkable change in my urine that makes me think it’s really working!

One of the symptoms of chronic kidney disease is protein spillage that causes persistent bubbles in one’s urine.  This week, I discovered that I’m not making bubbles any more!

My kidneys were functioning at 14% in July, when I was hospitalized. 15% or less is officially kidney failure.  After I got out of the hospital, they improved, which was very exciting.  But then they got stuck at 23%, so my primary sent me to a nephrologist who explained that above 25%, the kidneys are so AMAZINGLY designed that they can do their work indefinitely!

But under 25%, the filtration cells get overworked and begin to fail, which leads to dialysis, transplant, death. :oP  So I just need to get my kidneys functioning ABOVE 25%. 

This lack of bubbles in my urine has me OVER THE MOON with excitement.  I can’t wait to see what my next blood test shows!

I’m taking Nature’s Sunshine Products’ Cordyceps.  I’ve used their products for about 30 years and really trust the purity and quality of them.

https://www.naturessunshine.com/us/product/cordyceps-chinese-90-caps/1240/