Not Asthma: Misdiagnosis and Over Medicated

So... the diagnosis of Asthma was NOT correct.  How long do people suffer with illnesses and take medications they really don't need?

I have said it before and I will say it again... a doctor's knowledge is limited. They are human and they are trained a particular way. Western doctors are great for diagnosis and prescribing. They can be wrong.  They are working within a very limited system and we need to question their findings when we visit them.  Many times our ailments can be prevented by dietary changes.

I can count 5 people who had asthma, sinusitis, constant congestion and allergies that got 90% better when they stopped consuming dairy products.    One of those people is a medical doctor.  One of the others had asthma and allergies all his life and had a lot of related illnesses... he made some serious dietary changes and now is one of the healthiest people I know and he is rarely ill. And yet another is myself.  I had such congestion I thought my head would explode. I also sneezed a hundred times per day... on paper I was highly allergic to the caseins in dairy products.  I removed it and I am 90 percent cured. There are times of the year, in particular, the fall, that I still have the uncontrollable sneezes, bet they are far less than they used to be.

My son was diagnosed with asthma.  He was on three meds.  When he took them he had ferocious night terrors and the meds barely helped him.  I knew something was wrong and so did my husband.  We kept questioning and observing our son through different meds and different dietary changes.  Nothing seemed to be doing the trick.  My husband suggested reflux since he had been through it and also diagnosed with asthma.

Turns out my son has reflux and all the congestion and coughing comes from that.  After talking with a new acquaintance with her experience with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux, I thought...for sure this is what is happening to my son.  The scope today confirmed it. We luckily convinced our pediatrician a week ago that we should try a reflux treatment and she agreed.  I notice a change already even though it is supposed to take longer.  Medicine is a wonderful thing when it is used for the right ailment.

The ENT specialist also wanted us to continue no dairy for our son and so does the pediatrician.  There had been wheezing during the winter which lead them to the asthma diagnosis.  The cessation of the consumption of diary eliminated the wheezing.

I also would like to add that the meds for asthma are great for people with asthma.  Taking meds for no reason is very dangerous and that is why I am glad we figured this out.  Also  Reflux can permanently damage the esophagus and vocal cords and lead to cancer in extreme cases.  Good thing we are healing it now.

So if you are having problems and taking medication for something... look at what you are eating, question those medications, and do research.   Change your life!  It is up to you.


*******I just want to reiterate that I am NOT a physician.  I am just a Mom who believes there is much more to health than what western medicine has to offer.  This is my opinion and the information here is not to be taken as fact or absolute truth.  This is my experience and these are the choices I made. Everyone must make their own decisions and do what they think is right for them and their families.

Smoothies

I just want to take a moment to share about the wonderment of the blender.

With this wonderful appliance I pulvarize food into a liquid and mix it all together so that my son will consume it.

I will often mix strawberries, blueberries, bananas, spinach,  carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and most importantly, water.
 
My very picky son will drink it down and ask for more.

I will sometimes add almond milk, or coconut kiefer, or a little elderberry if I think we need antiviral.

It makes me feel good knowing I can get my two year old to consume something green.

Certainly one should research the topic and as with any dietary and nutritional considerations use caution...there is such a thing as too many greens and variety is essential when consuming them... It would be wise to consult your doctor too.

I believe there is much benefit to consuming a well balanced diet.  Too much of one thing can cause trouble.

Some things I have done with my smoothies:

I froze them into popsicles
I sometimes mix them with rice cereal or oat meal for my son.
I have even made it into a sauce and poured it over rice.

We have even shared the popsicles with the neighborhood kids and they really liked them...untill I mention that there might be veggies in them.   Best not to mention it...they consumed more than half before I told them.  Ah Kids.

Kitchen: Back to the old ways

I am nearly finished changing my kitchen.  Not the tile, not the flooring, nope, not a new fridge or stove. Don't I wish!  I mean what I cook with and store my food in. I changed all of it.  Why?  Well, I receive an email from a woman named Karen Brimeyer http://www.karenbrimeyer.org/ who has studied Leaky Gut Syndrome and puts out a cure to follow.  Now, not being significantly trained in Biology, I am not sure what that exactly means. I have read contradictory articles stating that it is an impossibility to have a leaky gut.  I do believe our guts can become ill and cause our bodies lots and lots of trouble, so, I read her information, and take what means something to me and put it into practice.

One of Karen's emails suggested that kitchens can become toxic and the very items we use to cook on and store food in can contribute to illness in our guts and in our bodies.  So I read this and I get really angry at first.  I start rationalizing it out.  First I can't eat wheat because I have Celiac Disease, then you take away anything with gluten, then it's all grains, then nuts are bad, then this then that, NOW I have to get rid of all my pots and pans and plastic containers because THEY are causing illness in my gut.   My first response was two words I won't post here because I want to keep my blog appealing to all.  But I was VERY ANGRY.  But if you think about it, it does make a lot of sense.

I went on with life and suddenly I found myself thinking about it and more and more.  I was still angry but that wise old voice in my head that tells me the right thing to do kept working on this problem.

Wayne and I had always been looking for an old cast iron pan anyway, so I put out a post on Freecycle. Wanted: Cast Iron Cookware...for cooking, not decoration (you have to be careful because people paint them to hang on their walls.)  I got two responses and from those responses I received 7 different sized cast iron frying pans from tiny to large.  I brought them home and Wayne went to work learning how to scrub them up and re-season them.   It was a lot of work but so very worth it.  I know it is hard to believe, but the food tastes so much better cooked in cast iron.  And it isn't difficult to keep them clean, and they are just as non-stick as teflon if you use them properly.   Having them to cook in cuts down on reheating in the microwave too.

Next, we needed something to boil water in, etc.  But wait a minute,  I have always had Corning Ware from my grand mother.  All through living in Manhattan in my tiny apartment, I had several Corning Ware casserole dishes. They are great because you can put them in the oven, microwave, freezer, and use them to store food in the fridge.  They save space because they eliminate having to have plastic to store in as well as having a whole set of pots and pans.

So I went to PA and went to my favorite junk store and purchased more of it.  I got three glass baking pans of different sizes, pyrex of course, more  Corning Ware too.  Corning Ware came up with a rubberized lid at some point and these can be purchased on Ebay or probably on the Corning Ware site.  I also found some at my local junk store.  This way, you can take your Corning Ware with you for lunch.  It is so easy, especially in an insulated lunch bag.  I even take it over to get my Chilli on Wednesdays.  The serving lady always says how nice it is to see me using my reusable containers, and glass ones at that.

I did keep a couple of plastic containers to organize, and some plastic things for my two year old that I know don't have yucky chemicals in them.  But I have a rule...NO PLASTIC IN THE DISHWASHER. I also saved lots of jars and covers for food storage.  Those can't go in the freezer but they are great for kid snacks and fridge storage.

Once I had all my new items, and cleared out the clutter, I decided to GET ORGANIZED.  I realized that the plastic in my cabinet was always a disaster.  Open the door and it was a sea of plastic and jars.  We could never find anything in there and it was a source of frustration always.  I got some of those wire racks, a whole set for like 12 bucks or something,  and made different levels and put jar lids in a large plastic container so I always can grab a lid.  All of my Corning Ware lids and fry pan covers are in stackable lid holders and it is glorious.

Mind you, I did all of this for less than $30-$50.

Best of all,  I got rid of our drip coffee makers and have an old Corning Ware stove percolator (That we found at the Good Will)  and a small Farberware electric percolator that we got from Freecycle.  My coffee tastes better than ever and I am happy to know that it hasn't been processed through plastic.

Washing dishes is easier than ever.   I can put most everything in the dishwasher or hand wash and dry and put away quickly.  Have you ever noticed that plastic is difficult to clean and takes days to air dry.  See ya, plastic storage!  Good riddance!

Another benefit of cast iron is, that it weighs so much you are strengthening your arms as you cook with it!

I LOVE MY NEW KITCHEN and the food tastes better than ever.

Pudding for the Allergic

Today is my birthday.   Wayne made me the cook and serve jello pudding with almond milk instead of dairy.  It was such a welcome treat for our family.  If consumed in moderation, it shouldn't bother me too much.  Still gotta watch out for the sugar and corn starch.
I've been working on getting rid of all of our litchen plastic and. And teflon and replacing it with cast iron, corningware and stanless products.  Today when I got my chilli I brought my own corningware container and my thermal bag. I felt good about not putting another paper plate into the landfills.
My Wayne also made me a giant recycled object wind chime in one of our trees...it was the most lovely  gift and my son loved showing me how it worked!   What a beautiful day.

Who do you believe?

I am pondering this question because there are so many theories and so many different places to obtain information in this day and age.

I was posting on a high school acquaintance's facebook page today regarding soy and soy products.  I know that I have heard and read horrid things about soy.  I also know that I have read great reviews about how great it is for you.  Who do you believe?

I think what it comes down to is, you have got to go with your instincts.  If you are okay with consuming something no matter what the pro's and con's are that you find out there, that is what you have to go with.

The thing we have to do is pay attention to what the food that we consume is doing to our bodies.  If your body loves soy and you are healthier than you have ever been, that is a good sign for YOU.  If you eat bacon and you don't have problems with your heart and cholesterol, that is great for YOU!  If you know you get sick from eating corn and wheat then avoiding them is best for YOU, that is the key!  If you are getting congested every single day when you don't have a cold, then it might be time to consider what is causing it and remove it for a better functioning system.  If you get gas and bloating every single day, you probably have something irritating your digestive system and you have to find out what it is.  Your body is telling you something. Ultimately when it comes to our diet, we really only have ourselves  and our bodies to believe.

I denied one of my allergies for a very long time and I did it because it was such a healthy food. I kept trying to eat it because it was supposed to be good for everyone.  I was in such denial even when I vomited the food right after consuming it.  I would double over in pain after eating it. And finally it was making my body mimic a 24 hour stomach bug!   My partner finally said to never bring it in the house again and if I do I am not allowed to handle it.    I am allergic to avocados.  My body made it very clear that it wouldn't behave if I decided to eat this food.

My instincts also lead me to do research on what can happen if you consume too much flax seed... yes... I had consumed too much and it made me feel light headed and strange...because too much of it can cause a cyonide toxicity.  Now obviously I didn't have a cyonide toxicity but I did have a reaction to too much flax and my partner did too.  In moderation it is fine like with many things.  One would have to consume a very very very large amount of it to really cause problems but I had had enough to make me feel "not right."

Back to Soy.  It actually increased my bra one size up.  I hadn't gained weight anywhere else... just there...that was enough to make me realize that I was dealing with a product that too much of something my body didn't need in it.

We must listen and believe what our bodies are telling us.