Summer.....

I have let the dog days of summer slip by on here.... I just realized how long its been since I've posted!  Summer is my favorite time of year but the busyness of it makes it go by way too fast.  During the next three weeks I'll be hanging out with my family and friends and so I will get back into my weekly blogging after that.

While my children have gotten positive things from me:  my love of reading, nature, hiking, sports, swimming and camping they have, unfortunately, also received the gene that is responsible for autoimmune diseases.  My oldest son has an auto-inflammatory disease called CRMO (Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis - but is doing amazingly well) and my youngest son was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) a couple of months ago.  This is a condition in which the body thinks certain foods are the enemy and so sends an army of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) into the esophagus to fight.  This in turn creates inflammation and much pain and nausea.  

After recently getting some comprehensive allergy testing done it turns out he has multiple allergies... Not nice.  However, I have found a doctor who performs NAET allergy desensitization.  The body wants to be able to eat food and SHOULD be able to consume food without this type of reaction.  NAET works with the body to basically reset the brain so that it, once again, accepts what should be our human right to be able to eat.  My son was treated for one of his main allergies, eggs, and will be retested in a couple of weeks to see if the allergy is gone!!  He is my test and I hope and pray that all goes well.  If this works, I will be letting y'all know!!

Take care and enjoy this beautiful summer.... Take each day, each moment, each breath as it comes and be thankful for all you have.  Enjoy!!

Being Thankful for Fat

Today I am thankful... I am thankful that my son is able to run, play sports (especially basketball, his favorite one), and is currently pain-free. My oldest son has a rare auto-inflammatory condition called Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis or CRMO for short. This disease is so rare that it is estimated that only 1 in a million kids have it and it is even rarer for boys. As I watched him play basketball last night my mind went back to last year at this time when he was in so much pain that he limped and could barely walk up the stairs let alone run on the court. This is a child who has rarely been sick in his life and hardly ever missed school - he missed days and days of it during that time and basically missed out on the entire basketball season. He has been in remission since May and I pray that it stays that way. BUT... This is a disease of flare-ups and remissions... an auto-inflammatory disease that can strike again at any time without warning. And strike it can. Hard. Even things like falling on the court or getting shoved can exasperate this condition and it can flare up again. And so, as I watch him fall last night my stomach feels a bit sick and I pray that this won't be the start of it again. So far so good. But, I am THANKFUL. I thank God that He found us wonderful doctors and surgeons that diagnosed this rather quickly and that there is medicine that can help alleviate the pain and shrink the tumors. I thank God for giving me the wisdom to have studied natural health and nutrition so that I can use my knowledge to create a better life for my children and any other child that may have this disease.

While I was on a CRMO site on Facebook this morning I noticed a question posed by another mom of a child who has CRMO questioning the benefits of krill or fish oils. There is so much information out there and it can be hard for people to weed through what's really true and what's not. I cannot stress the benefits of fish oils enough - I have given them to my children ever since they were one year olds. I'm sure by now most people have heard of Omega 3 fatty acids.... Fish oils contain these but in the form of EPA/DHA. In simple terms, this means that this is the usable form of Omega 3's. As we consume Omega 3 fatty acids our bodies convert these to EPA/DHA - fish oils have the added benefit of already being coverted. I have seen benefits in both myself (I have had Rheumatoid Arthritis for 11+ years) and my son with his CRMO. Omega 3's work on the Prostaglandins in the body that DECREASE inflammation. Decreasing inflammation is a GOOD thing. On top of this, they are the preferred fatty acid for the brain, benefits the eyes, hair, skin and heart. By the way, I recommend a liquid, good-quality brand of fish oils such as Nordic Naturals or Carlson.

And so I am not only thankful for health I am also thankful for fat. GOOD fat like the Omega 3's. Have a blessed and thankful day!