I've been getting a lot of "flak" lately from my family about not keeping up with my blog. I guess I didn't realize anyone was really reading! Just kidding!
Not to make excuses, but in my last post I talked about beginning this new journey of healthy eating. And that is exactly what has been taking up a big chunk of my time! I am a food and nutrition researching FOOL! Who knew how food heals our bodies could be so fascinating?! I am loving every minute of it! My family maybe not so much! There are times I think that they think I've gone into lupus psychosis. (that's yet another lupus thing I never want to face). Not only do I love learning about these things because I know God is going to continue healing me as I treat my body the way it should be treated, but also, because I know he is going to help use this experience of healing in my life to help others. Others who are stuck relying on medications, living with disease and sickness when things could quite possibly be reversed!
Don't get me wrong, I am all for medication when necessary! But WHY rely on medications that bring along more negative side effects than positive action? Especially, when you could so easily try putting the RIGHT things in your body to heal it first!
For example, my mom. She goes to the doctor for high blood pressure. What is the first thing they say? Cut out salt, exercise and lose some wight. That's not easy. So they get put on medication. Over the years my mom has been off and on her medication. Off when she eats the way God intended her to eat! BINGO! Her BP is normalizing so why need the meds? Continue with routine doctors visits of course to monitor. Simple as that.
But is it really that simple? No.
Pop a pill each morning OR try cutting out salt, processed foods, eat more fruit and veggies, whole wheat, cook more, etc.?
I may have said this once before, but I have been on Cellcept since April. Some pretty hefty doses. I need to point out though that sometimes medications are necessary for life. This medication is VERY important in transplant patients. It is also used to try and control lupus. My thought on this is that if I can control my lupus without the drug, why not try that first. Yes, I may realize down the road that I do need immunosupressive therapy again. But that is not going to be my fist line of treatment!
This is why I find popping a pill is NOT the easy way out:
And that is just the tip of the iceberg on the side effects of this drug. I'm not even going to list the other negative side effects found in my 4 other medications. I think you get the point...
This journey has already been amazing! I can't even begin to list the people who have been encouraging and supportive of me!
My beautiful friend Rachel and I decided to start this journey together! She does not have a chronic disease like I do, but is as fascinated as I am with whole foods and healing the body! It's been great to have someone as passionate as I am to join my journey. I will be continuing to post more about this new life plan and how the process is going. And, I promise to be better at keeping up with things! ;) (family!!)
This is NOT a diet. And I will never return to eating as I did. This is a new way of life for not just me, but my family. It is a lifestyle, but not one that I am boasting or bragging about. That is never my intent. It is not about what others think of me. Too green. Crazy. Tree huger. The is about saving my life. Period.
On January 2nd, I was on my way to the grocery store. My sweet baby girl in tote. We were listening to some new tunes I had downloaded from an artist that I love! Each and every song is heaping with truth! This particular song came on and cut straight to my heart. Nothing like driving with my babe in the back just chillin' out, and there I am, crying like a babe myself! ;)
January being the month of new beginnings, the words of this song seemed so fitting to the changes I am choosing to make in my life this year. I was so overwhelmed with His love for me and the choices I can make to change. I pray that this song blesses you as it has me.
"Take Back"
Will Reagan & United Pursuit
(these are just a few of the lyrics that I love)
With the wind at our backs
and in the strength of the Lord,
we will rise on the wings
of the dawn;
We're gonna take back
all the enemy has stolen
from us.
It's in the blood of the One
whose worthy.
I know God has not forgotten
all that's lost and broken.
So come and see the turning of
the tides and come and
see His sons and daughters rise.
For how could He
who did not spare His own son
not freely give us victory
against the darkest of nights!
I absolutely love that last part! I am claiming the victory because it is already mine!
I
am choosing to "take back" all the enemy has stolen from me. He has
stolen many things from me through this difficult season in my life and even before that. I'm done looking back and even looking forward had the hardships that may be ahead. It
is my choice to USE my experience for something MORE. Satan thought he
would use my disease to make me weak, but I refuse to let that happen! I'm not done and am not going to be anytime soon!
I must say this year has been a pretty healthy year for me. That is, if you take a little word called LUPUS out of the equation! In January 2012, my family began the Prism program that has been offered as a class through our church. I talked a bit about that program here and throughout the year my family and I have maintained this lifestyle at home. I say at home because it is very easy to control what we eat by what I bring into our home. It's a different story when we go to others homes for dinner.
Around July is when I really stopped counting calories, watching my carb intack, etc. To be quite honest, I was mad about what was happening to me and I let my emotions take control. Even though it was all water weight I was gaining, it was as if I had gained back all that fat I had lost. Frustrating.
When I stated the Prism program last year, I learned just how eating the way God intended us to can heal the body. My flare ended when I began putting healing foods into my body and riding it of the toxic foods I was putting in.
"Let thy food be thy medicine and they medicine be thy food"
-Hippocrates
I have been learning so many things this year about nutrition and diseases. It excites me and I get so passionate about healing myself through the things GOD has made and put on this earth! This past weekend I got hit with a cold and on top of that the stomach flu! I spend most of the weekend on the couch. Jared took Elin out Saturday morning (he is so great) and my mom picked her up Sunday morning and took her to church (she is the best).
I decided to make the most of my time, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to watch some food documentaries I have been wanting to watch on Netflix. I probably watched about 5 documentaries about our nations food system, farming, dieting, etc. The two that I found extraordinary were these two:
I HIGHLY recommend watching these! I promise, you will learn so much!
My friend Rachel and I have been preparing for a healthy eating plan this year and we are so excited to get started next week! I am so blessed by her and how she shares this passion for health with me!
I cannot wait to see the changes in me and the rest of my family as we begin this new way of life. I believe God is leading me to this form of "lupus management" and it excites me to think of how wonderful it is going to be! I am studying, praying, and asking God to give me the strength to continue even when things get tough. Because, it's not going to be easy. And yes, I'm going to be the odd girl who eats like a goat and refuses everything "good" at the party. But, I NEED to do this for me, my girl and the rest of my family. I want to live that lupus free life that I believe I can have!
