" Loose Leaves ... "

There are stories in the soil, loose leaves cover the ground

There's volumes in the forest, no one reads out loud

If I could take them down off of that mountain shelf

We used to climb but no one tries to go up that far now yeah ...

I guess I'm moving faster now or that's what they said

And though some days still take forever I can't disagree

Because it seems to me that I wake up and sleep

Look in the mirror have no idea what happened in between

~ Bright Eyes ~ Loose Leaves ~

***

I had a good laugh today when I told Russell I was heading out to pick up Dandelion Leaves from the grocery store.  He had just spent some time in the yard taking those suckers out of the grass!

Believe it or not, dandelion leaves are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat.  Not only are they the most cultivated greens, they have a wide array of health benefits that make them the perfect all around nutritional boost ... particularly, dandelion leaves are rich in vitamin A, fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, thiamine, riboflavin, and protein.

The combination of trace elements, vitamins and other biologically active substances make it a food that is optimal for excellent health.  Recent studies have shown the following benefits:

• prevent or cure liver diseases, such as hepatitis or jaundice
• act as a tonic and gentle diuretic to purify your blood, cleanse your system, dissolve kidney stones, and otherwise improve gastric-intestinal health
• assist in weight reduction
• cleanse your skin and eliminate acne
• improve your bowel function, working equally well to relieve both constipation and diarrhea
• prevent or lower high blood pressure
• prevent or cure anemia
• lower your serum cholesterol by as much as half
• eliminate or drastically reduce acid indigestion and gas buildup by cutting the heaviness of fatty foods
• prevent or cure various forms of cancer
• prevent or control diabetes 
• reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis, cataracts and stroke. 
• contains anti-inflammatory properties which may provide benefit to those with asthma and other inflammatory diseases.

So besides your backyard, where do you find them .... try your local health food stores, co-ops and farmers markets.  Remember to select unblemished, dark green leaves or bunches when purchasing them in the store.  When foraging, young greens that are harvested before the flower head appears will be less bitter.  And be sure to harvest them from land that has not been treated with pesticides, herbicides or other contaminants ... of course, organic is your best option.  

So how do you introduce them into your daily meals?  Well you can use dandelion greens in smoothies and juices.  Due to their bitterness, I recommend blending them with sweet flavorful fruit like banana, strawberries, mango or pineapples.  

And while dandelion is generally considered safe, some people do experience side effects such as heartburn, diarrhea, and upset stomach depending on allergies and/or ailments regarding bile ducts and gallbladder ... as usual, always check with your health care practitioner first.  

Happy weeding!!

"Potatoes ..."

"I don't have time
To feel the pain
Why should I feel?
I can't complain ...
Heeeeey ...Potatos in the dark
Pickles in the light
Cabbage on wheels
Drive around"

~ Caffeine ~ Potatoe ~

***

Today as I was getting my tatters ready for baking I started to wonder exactly how many of these suckers I have eaten over the last 33 weeks.  On the Gerson therapy, we are required to have at least one baked potato for lunch and one for dinner.  So, loosely calculating ... close to 500 potatoes thus far on the therapy.  Holy tatters Batman!!! ~ that is a whole lotta carbs no?  And I say carbs for a reason ... you see for the longest time, I stayed away (as most of you do) from loading up on carbs.  The myth "carbs make you fat".  Well that sure as heck is not the case.  Carbs don't make you fat, the "toppings" make you fat ~ oils, butters, creams, dressings, dippings, and fixings.  And if you really think about it ... it makes sense.  Now this is referring to real carbs, not packaged, processed and canned.  We all know that well, that stuff is just not good for us at all.

One of the main principles in the Gerson therapy is to provide the body with a high potassium and low sodium diet.  Within Charlotte Gerson's book "Healing the Gerson Way", she writes about her father's discovery around these two minerals and how their imbalance in the body can lead to serious health issues.  Once sorted, our bodies can heal as they are made to do so.  Yet the average diet is far from this.  Most diets these days are rich in sodium which lead to various dis-eases including cancer.  So why is sodium so bad for us?  Well sodium itself is not "bad" but remember the saying ... everything in moderation?  To the point, excess sodium feeds tumours allowing them to grow.  

So back to why I ingest soooooo many potatoes.  Well, to get my diet back to the higher potassium and lower sodium ratio, the more potatoes the better ... because potatoes are enriched with potassium.  An average size potato has 110 calories and 750 mg of potassium compared to 10 mg of sodium.  Also as an added bonus, potatoes are the cheapest source of potassium.  As you know all of our produce is organic, but we can still purchase a 5 lb bag for ~ $8.  Not bad when you consider an average bevy at the Starbucks is ~ $5.

So as I eat my potatoes twice a day, I can't help but smile and think of a few potato funnies to share with you.  They may make you laugh, but at the very least, may peak your craving today for potatoes ...

• What do you call a baby potato? A small fry!
• What do you say to an angry 300-pound baked potato? Anything, just butter him up.
• What does a British potato say when it thinks something is wonderful? It’s mashing!
• Why did the potato cross the road? He saw a fork up ahead.

"Here I Go Again ..."

"Though I keep searching for an answer
I never seem to find what I'm looking for
Oh Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on
'Cause I know what it meansTo walk along the lonely street of dreams
Here I go again on my own
Going down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone
And I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time"

~ Whitesnake ~ Here I Go Again

***

Well we are off, on week 32, working the programme, the therapy with no deviation.  Yep it is second nature now, knowing when to juice, when to enema, when to medicate, when to get the soup on, when to bake the potatoes, when to get the groceries and more importantly ... when to rest.  When I share with friends how long it has been they are surprised ... it has been a wild wild ride indeed.  And the latest and greatest ... well, I had another round of tests and all is looking really well.  My family doctor is very happy, encouraged and relieved to be honest.  She has been an amazing support in this whole journey getting all my paperwork and requisitions sorted.  I thank God for her often.  The reports are off to the Gerson doctors today and I anticipate they will be as happy as they were last time around.  And although I knew in my heart that I am doing well & I am healing ... a little voice in me said "what if" again.  Dang those little voices?!  But my dear friend Jolene said to me that these little pangs of doubt are just check-stops, nothing more nothing less.  I still hate sitting and waiting for test results.  But don't we all?  Whether it be a pop quiz in school, a final exam in uni, or a medical diagnosis.  I just don't get use to it ... 

I have to say the love, support, encouragement and confidence around me, from the practitioners I have been working with to my family and friends have helped me on my chosen healing path.  A path that is unfamiliar for some and discredited in most circles.  Initially a path that I was anxious of as well.  But knowing that 8 months later, things are looking up and heading in the right direction.  Hallelujah!!!

The questions I ask myself now is what does life look like from here on out?  I have done what I wanted, achieved what I set out to do thus far.  Now, it is so exciting to think ... what now and how wonderful can it be?  I am more motivated than I have been in such a long time.  The feeling is indescribable ... but as one of my natural practitioners said to me ...

 When we live our life instead of preventing death, our Healing begins

 .... ahhhhh what a brilliant thought!

So as I sit on my couch wrapping up this quick blog post, knowing in the back of my mind I have to prep the soup and potatoes for lunch, life feels good, so good.  I commit to changing those negative thoughts, those tough little voices and I know I am exactly where I am suppose to be ... and loving it ...

"Work It ..."

"Is it worth it, let me work it...
I put my bang down, flip it and reverse it...
If you got a big deal, let me search it...
I'd like to get to know ya so I could show ya...

Just make sure you ahead of the game..."

~ Missy Elliott ~ Work It ~

***

Yesterday I looked at the calendar and the weeks I have been on the Gerson Therapy ~ finishing off week 29 yesterday and starting WEEK 30 today.  Yep, completed 29 weeks ~204 days ~ 4,896 hours ~ 293,760 minutes ... and counting!  Since the inception of the programme there has been a few changes in regards to the reduction of medication and coffee "treatments", and the addition of certain foods again.  But really the changes have been physical ~ my energy levels are better, my skin tone is better (carrot glow y'all), and my body has changed.  There has been a significant shift in the last couple of weeks.  It is hard to describe but I what I can say is that I feel like I am truly healing.  One of the naturopath's I have been seeing said to me last week that "Once you start living your life instead of preventing your death, healing begins".  And it struck a cord, an aha! moment ... now I think I have already adopted that attitude, and have had to in a way due to the severity of the situation, but it is interesting when someone else says it to you in a way that just makes sense.  Hopefully it does for those of you that are reading this.  

Every day I work my programme.  I don't know how else to explain it - not much changes in the routine ... I am still on 13 fresh juices on the hour, every hour ... I am still on 4 coffee enemas ... I am still have oatmeal with fruit for breakfast ... I am still eating the special Hippocrates soup, baked potatoes and veggies for lunch AND dinner ... I am still on castor oil twice a week ... I am still on the Gerson medications combined with herbal and homeopath meds.  My days still begin at 6:30AM and end at 8:30PM ... I do have time between 9:30am and Noon & 2:30pm and 5:00pm for phone/personal visits, yoga, walks, meditation, blogging, and writing ~ staying pretty close to home though.  My day continues to be very structured, and I really don't mind the routine because I know what is coming and so does my body.  This is the biggest job in my life, my pivotal moment ... to heal my body.  

If you think about it we plan a great deal in our lives .... school, vacations, celebrations, investments ... yet if we don't really plan how to truly take care of ourselves ~ our bodies, our minds ~ the rest may never come.  This is not to be pessimistic, but merrily going along, going thru the motions, thinking that we will never get sick, nothing bad will happen and it won't be me, is probably not the best approach.  That is the approach I had.  I NEVER thought I would be in the situation I am in now, battling cancer.  Yet as I have said before, this is truly a blessing in my life.  Really because, I was so detailed oriented, so focused on the small stuff, and missing out on the big picture.  That has completely changed now.  And maybe this is all happening because I had to stop "sweating the small stuff".  My mind was cluttered with detail conversations about "stuff" ~ what she did, why he did that, what did that really mean ... and internally feeling like it was "all happening to me" because I just wasn't good enough.  A very familiar pattern of thinking in my life ... a pattern that has now thankfully ended.  Ended because over the last 29 weeks I have worked really hard to understand and make those changes.  

When we create harmony in our own minds and hearts, we find it in our lives.  And sometimes it takes the earth to move, or the rug to be pulled beneath us, or the universe to make us just stop for this to happen.  The signs are always there, but when your head is buried in the details, you miss it.  So if you can, take a moment to just be present, and open yourself up to these signs.  You will know what they are ... if things don't feel right, don't ignore it, act on it now.  Don't wait for a painful defining moment in your life to force you to make those changes.  Trust me, I know. 

 ♥ Heal your past, Live your present, Dream your future ♥

"Same Difference ..."

"the more I know 

the less I doubt

that you know less

the more you are finding out

same difference everywhere"

~ Entombed ~ Same Difference ~

***

The other day when my sister and I were chatting, she shared with me her recent purchase of Coconut water.  She asked me if I knew the difference between Coconut water and Coconut juice and for that matter, Coconut milk.  I guessed that juice meant sugar added and milk and water were one in the same.  But I really didn't know for sure.  So being the curious one that I am, I started to look into the difference and if they were one in the same.

So what did I find out ... well Coconut water can also be called Coconut juice in some circles, while in others, sugar IS added, so reason to read your labels!  Coconut water is only found inside the tender young coconut as you must get the coconut off the tree before it matures.  At this early sage, a green husk hides the clear water inside the fruit.  As the fruit ripens, the inner coconut grows sweeter, developing first into a soft substance called coconut jelly, then into the harder meat.  Coconut milk is the water that comes from the meat/shell of the coconut.  The color and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content.  

And what is the hoopla about coconuts and the health benefits associated with it ... well they have loads of vitamins and minerals.  A few key nutrients include lauric acid, chloride and iron.  As well as important electrolytes potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and phosphorous.  In fact the potassium content is twice the level than a banana ~ and we know electrolytes are important for optimal health of our muscular, cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems.

Some studies have shown that the water/juice of a coconut may help with a number of minor to severe health conditions because of the antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory antioxidant activity within. Whew!  say that 5 times fast.  But seriously, this drink has been used to regulate blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as boost energy levels and increase metabolism in the body.  And unless you have an allergy to coconuts, there appears to be no side effects.  

So where do you buy this magical liquid ... well it is readily available in cans or bottles from many grocery stores of online retailers.  Again, check your labels regarding sugar content.  Fresh plastic wrapped coconuts can also be purchased at many Indian and Asian grocery stores during the summer.  When buying fresh coconuts with green husks, look for those with some light brown spots as well since these are considered to have the greatest water content.  On a side note, some have noted that the water from Indian coconuts tends to be sweeter than Thai.  Also, when using fresh coconuts, try to drink the water as soon as possible since the nutrients can begin to dissipate after being exposed to air.  And similar to other liquids, it can also be refrigerated for 10 to 12 hours if it is sealed in a tight container.

If you are shopping around and looking for a good brand of coconut water, Jess Ainscough, the Wellness Warrior (also a fellow Gerson patient) wrote a great blog post recommending a Coconut water company in Australia, C Coconut.