Health and Wellness

Thermography vs Mammogram

A couple weeks ago I went in for a Breast Thermogram. It’s a very simple test to check for breast cancer. My doctor recommends this type of breast cancer screening. It’s safe and easy. There’s no radiation and absolutely no pain.

Here’s an excert from Utah Thermography, LLC about how Thermography works:

‘…Thermology is a passive and functional type of study, unlike radiology (X-ray). This means thermology does NOT use any form of ionizing radiation (such as does X-ray) as it evaluates the features of activity and operations of distinct areas of the body. The equipment we use (an infrared thermograph camera) makes tens-of-thousands detailed measurements of skin temperature at a distance of five to eight feet. The images produced are really electronic data of absolute temperature measurements that can be viewed as an electronic image presenting a spectrum of colors that indicate increased or decreased levels of infrared radiation (heat) being emitted from the body’s surface.

Currently, the most utilized breast cancer screening imaging techniques are ultrasound and mammography. Because they detect the presence of a physical mass, they are classified as anatomical tests. They are interpreted by radiologists.

Breast thermography detects patterns of heat produced from the increased circulation produced by abnormal metabolic activity in cancer cells. Thus, thermography is a physiological test that detects changes in the breast tissue that have been shown to correlate with the presence of cancer or pre-cancerous states.

Advantages of Breast Thermography:

• Safe, easy, and pain free
• No radiation exposure
• Differentiates between fibrocystic breast disease and tumor • No compression of breast tissue
• Detects changes in breast tissue that accompany the smallest of tumors
• Entire breast can be imaged
• Useful for evaluating chest wall after surgery
• Effective for breasts of all sizes
• Effectively and safely screens breasts with implants
• Creates opportunities for early intervention…’

I’ve had a good experience with this testing and believe it is a very good option to the traditional mammograms.

If you live in Utah and are close to the Wasatch front, I recommend Kelly Wobrock at Utah Termography, LLC. For more information and to contact her visit www.utahthermography.com.

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You Are What You Eat ~ Food for Thought

When I was a young child, I remember learning about the food pyramid in elementary school. One thing that stuck out to me was the old saying, “You are what you eat”. Being so young, the thing I remember from that was if I eat pork, I’m a pig. I didn’t really grasp what it really meant, and I’m not sure people now really think about what they’re eating and how it affects your health. Overall, it comes down to eating clean whole foods with high vibrations and avoiding processed foods with low vibrations.

Old Pyramid: Eat lots of breads, cereal, rice and pasta. Throw in some fruits and vegetables, then some dairy and meat (protein). Use fats, oils and sweets, sparingly.

New Pyramid: (They tried to balance it out a little more.) Grains – eat whole grains. Vary your vegetables and fruit -go easy on fruit juice. Dairy – low fat or no fat. Meat – lean cuts and seafood. Avoid frying. Notes made on chart – Most fat should be from fish and nuts. Limit fats. Keep consumption of saturated fats, transfats and sodium to a low. Choose foods low in sugar. They added exercise – physically active for at least 30 minutes a day. A very good thing to do!

I’ve learned a lot about food the last few years dealing with Hypothyroidism (low thyroid), Hashimoto’s Disease (antibodies attacking the immune system) and Heavy Metal Poisoning (and trying to detox). Our food isn’t what it used to be. GMO’s -genetically modified foods, pesticides -especially RoundUp, chemicals, preservatives, additives, hormones, antibiotics, etc. are ruining our food and in turn are making us sick. We really are what we eat.

It’s so important to eat non-GMO foods. Choose organic whenever possible. Don’t eat processed food. They’re laden with chemicals and preservatives. Eat clean whole nutritious foods. Vegetables and fruits have a high vibration of nutrition. Processed foods have a very low vibration. If you want to have energy and feel good, then it’s important to eat high vibration foods.

Use fats that are good for you (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc). Never use vegetable oil. It’s highly processed, contains GMO’s and contains saturated and transfats (the bad fats).

Be careful about what dairy and meat you are consuming. Cows are fed GMO’s, given lots of hormones and antibiotics. Look for grass-fed animals. Eat fresh wild caught fish (never farmed).

Sugar – the most addictive food. It’s been chemically altered, and a very common ingredient in processed foods is corn syrup. Our bodies don’t know how to process it. Sugar feeds cancer cells. Try switching sugar intake to more natural sweetness like raw honey, stevia, and pure maple syrup.

Salt – use Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt. Never white salt that has been chemically altered.

Be grateful for the food you eat! Healthy nutritional food helps your entire body and gives you energy so you can be the best you can be.

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When Learning About Health and Wellness Really Began for me

In my health class in college, we learned that if you ate a well-balanced meal (the old food pyramid) that you didn’t need any supplements and should be healthy. So when I prepared meals for my family, I made sure we ate this way. We did eat processed foods, ate fast foods and just like everyone else, we loved treats. So we’d eat healthy balanced meals, but enjoyed our treats too.

Fast forward a few years later. Our little 2 1/2 month old son went into anaphylactic shock and we almost lost him. I was nursing him, but this was the second time I had given him formula because we were at a public pool and it was just easier at the time. As he was drinking the bottle, his lips started going purple, then his face. He started swelling and became lifeless. It was so scary and I panicked. We immediately took him to the small town hospital. The nurse in the emergency room casually said, “he must be having a reaction to something”. “Really, you think so!!!,” was our response. Duh! But unfortunately the doctor wouldn’t be there for several hours. So as she took him to lay him on a bed for observation, he violently began throwing up all over her. We picked him up and told her we were going somewhere else. Luckily, after throwing up, his color began returning and he became alert again. At our family doctors office, our pediatrician said our baby had an allergic reaction to the formula and had gone into anaphylactic shock. He said that it was a miracle that he threw up and got it out of his system. He said he’d never seen a baby come through anything like that without medical help. This little boy had a purpose for being here. After that, the doctor always called him ‘our miracle child’. We had him tested, and sure enough he was severely allergic to all milk proteins.

The road ahead looked and seemed overwhelming to me. He was so severe, that we could drink milk and kiss his forehead, and he would almost instantly have a hive that would welt up and spread across his face. The doctors didn’t have all the knowledge or time to tell me what to do for him for food nutrition. I went to the library and checked out every book I could find on allergies, anaphylactic shock and nutrition/recipes. At the time, anaphylactic shock and milk allergies were pretty new, so there wasn’t a lot of resources. Luckily, I was able to continue just strictly nurse him for several more months before we needed to start introducing foods to him. So that gave me a little time to research and learn more.

I learned about all the proteins in milk and made a long list of them. At the store, we’d spend hours shopping trying to find foods for him that didn’t have any type of milk in them. Even rootbeer has a caramel flavoring that is a milk derivative. The list became longer. Things you would never even think of would have a milk protein in them. It basically came down to eating whole foods; nothing processed. Our family started a new journey eating this way. It seemed like I lived in the kitchen, making everything from scratch. I also made bread every week and all of our treats.

My thoughts often went to how he was able to go to school, dates, pizza parties, birthday parties, etc. At the time, I would make up a batch of homemade cupcakes and put in the freezer to grab for birthday parties and other outings where I knew there’d be dessert. He was my buddy and went everywhere with me. He went on dates with my husband and I. Even our parents were nervous to watch him with all the foods we had to watch for, and make sure he was food safe. I had to be so careful with all the food he had or came in contact with. It was a matter of life or death.

Our pediatrician recommended a group called The Food Allergy Network. We joined them and they would send out monthly newsletters about food allergies. The network was all of us as parents of children with food allergies, and we would notify the network of new food additives, allergic reactions, etc. We also ordered a special medical alert bracelet for him to wear to notify every one of his allergies.

Interestingly, we had found that our son could have Bugles (little cornucopia shaped chips). He loved them and it was one of the few store bought things he could have. One day, when he was about 3 years old, he put a Bugle in his mouth and immediately spit it out, saying that it made his tongue feel weird. We called the manufacture to see if they knew if there was something different in the ingredients. Sure enough, they had added whey (a milk protein) to the Bugle ingredients, but hadn’t changed the information on the boxes yet, because they wanted to use the old boxes they had. So we told them of the problem with that, and they immediately changed. We called The Food Allergy Network and let them know so they could notify everyone else of the change. Now there is email, facebook, and other social media that gets the information out to everyone quicker. (Note: While writing this post, I looked up The Food Allergy Network online. It looks like they joined with another organization and are now found at www.FoodAllergy.org)

At the time, I would often say how I wish it was me going through this, not him. Now all these years later, it is me having to watch what kinds of foods I eat. Not necessarily for an allergic reaction like anaphylactic shock, but food sensitivities and foods that are toxic for autoimmune disease. Having to be so diligent with our son to keep him alive, started me on a journey of learning more about food and nutrition. Through the years, my husband has even mentioned that maybe I should become a nutritionist or find a way to help others. That is what got me thinking about starting this blog. I don’t know everything, and the things I share are only what I’m learning and trying myself. Please remember that you need to do research and do what you feel best about.

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Green Smoothie Girl Special Group Buy now thru November 30, 2016

Looking for an awesome deal on healthy foods? Green Smoothie Girl annual group buy is going on now!

We’ve been using Green Smoothie Girl products for a few years now. We use the protein powder every day. My husband likes to mix the chocolate flavor with water and fruit. I use a scoop of vanilla or chocolate in my smoothie that I make for lunch. We feel good about using this protein powder. There’s no dairy (whey), soy or fillers. It has organic pea protein, organic hemp seed protein, and organic maca. All super good for you! Right now through the end of November, if you use this link: http://greensmoothiegirl.com/shop/?affiliate=659 you’ll get the special Group Buy where the Protein Powder is ‘Buy 2 Get 1 Free!’ While you’re there, check out the other great deals!https://bd272.isrefer.com/go/gsg/a659/

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Three Quick and Easy Ways to Calm Anxiety and Stress

I don’t know about you, but Election Day brought on major anxiety for me! I really don’t like to get involved in political stuff, and kept telling myself that all my worrying wouldn’t change anything. But I could just feel it building…. anxiety, big time. So here’s a couple quick ideas I have found to take the edge off my anxiety and stress.

Take a deep breath through your nose counting to 10, then hold for 8-10 counts and then slowly release through your mouth (try for 10 counts). Repeat about 3 times. You can wait a couple minutes and do it again.

Next is lavender. Over the last couple years, I have found that lavender essential oil helps calm me. I put a drop on the bottom of each of my feet and put the bottle by my nose take a deep long breath. I also do this at night to help me sleep better.

Recently, my doctor recommended I take L-Theanine when I’m extremely stressed. L-Theanine may help relieve stress by inducing a relaxing effect without causing drowsiness. It helps to calm me down, and there are no known side effects.

After doing these three quick and easy things, I was feeling somewhat better and calmer. If you have more time, a nice long warm bath with some Epsom salts and lavender essential oil is heavenly. Oh, and of course a piece of healthy Xocai chocolate can never hurt.

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