30 Day raw detox: Day 21...never trust a fart...

This is a moment of complete transperancy...today I pooped my pants!

Yesterday afternoon my body began purging toxins to the tenth power. I felt horrible but I knew it was necessary so I didn't trip, I let my body do what it needed to do and I got some much needed rest.  The sulfur burps an loose stool gave me the heads up that my body is healing itself and getting rid of the cap is just a part of the process so I was mentally prepared to let it flow, literally.  I threw up a few times last night and woke up this morning feeling brand new, but of course that was the overlay for the underplay.  My body was really setting me up for an adult failure of epic proportions.  My sister and I had gone to the grocery store to grab items for dinner, when we got to the car I couldn't wait to down my vitamin packed fruit juice that I had just purchased.  I drank a bit of juice and felt gassy, so I kinda lifted up in the seat to pass gas, at that moment tragedy struck!  I felt like a human soft serve machine!  I was tickled,  devastated, and disgusted at the same time.  Luckily I was wearing a maxi pad, so it didn't seep threw my clothes  (it mad clean up a hell of a lot easier too).  I rode home semi-seated on a plastic bag gagging (although my poop smells a lot like salad lately) and cracking up with my sister!

The two lessons that I learned today are that when detoxing NEVER TRUST A FART!  Your body is doing some serious dirty work and you never know when it will decide to "clean you out".  The second lesson is that SHIT HAPPENS, in a literal and figurative sense.  Allow it to happen, learn your body, accept your healing, and don't take yourself to serious.  

I am sharing this because someone may be embarrassed and think it is just them going through these changes and I want to let them know that they are not alone.  Healing isn't always pretty and fun, it is a struggle,  just keep the faith in your bodies ability to heal and don't give up when it gets hard. 

In the words of my pops "tough times don't last, but tough people do".

30 Day Detox: Day 15 the good, the bad, and the ugly

In 2012 I was diagnosed with Lupus.  Being diagnosed was a relief honestly.  The weight loss, the rashes, the anxiety, the headaches, the seizures, the joint pain, the mouth ulcers, and fatigue all made sense.  I wasn't being lazy or going crazy, I was dealing with a disease that is hard to diagnose and even most doctors don't fully understand it.  Of course I was given a slew of medication with names that I didn't even try to pronounce.  Although I may not have been able to pronounce the names I am far from stupid, so I turned to my trusty homie Google and searched every single one...and not one of them sounded any better than the effects of Lupus.  With possible side effects ranging from tingling extremities all the way to liver damage and suicidal thoughts if I stopped taking the medication suddenly.

I was quick to make the decision NOT to use any of that garbage, until I had a Lupus flare and realized that I had no idea how to manage this shit!  I was out of my league and spent three years just being sick, I would research holistic treatment methods but honestly I really didn't trust them.  My 30+ years of being treated in a pharmaceutical only health care system had me scared to even try any of the holistic methods that I had been feverishly researching.  So here I am with this well of knowledge that I was doing nothing with.  Then one day in the fall of 2015 I just woke up and decided that it was time to make a change.

I intentionally started very gradually.  I knew that this change would effect my entire family and I didn't want it to be drastic.  My first change was to cut out red meat.  I remember how proud I was of myself for making a commitment to begin healing my body through lifestyle changes.  The process was going well, I was taking it slow but in January of 2016 I got very sick all of a sudden.  I was running out of both ends (TMI, I know), it was nothing but green mucous, and it had the worst smell that I have ever had come out of little old me.  I was miserable and even sharted on myself in my sleep.  It was 2 days of hell, and at that moment I decided to cut all meat from my diet.  It wasn't a difficult transition and I quickly noticed a boost in my energy.  I thought I had made it. I was feeling better, I was exercising, and my pain was decreasing so I just knew everything was all to the good now, but that's not how my life is set up.  So in the Spring of 2016 I was diagnosed with Cancer (in a very intimate location) and it was depressing and frustrating.  I had plans and those plans did not include trying to fight cancer with my raggedy assed immune system!!!  I was angry as hell and planned on having like a week long pity party, which ended up not being much of a pity party because my 6 kids are always all up in my space so I didn't really have the luxury of locking myself in my room with Netflix, chocolate, and tears.  My pity party was low budget and consisted of little debbie cakes and one 30 break down in the shower.  I looked in to all of the available treatments that my doctor suggested and decided early on that I wouldn't be doing any of them.  No shade to anyone who does though, we all walk different paths.

I eventually decided to do an all holistic treatment plan that consists of a detox, a mostly alkaline vegan diet, and a high dose IV vitamin C treatment, along with herbal supplements.  I am currently half way through my detox and I have had so many questions about it so I will share what I have learned during the past 15 days.

Amber's 30 Day Detox

Only raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and mushrooms

At least one clove of garlic daily

No salt, No sugar, No caffeine

Immune Booster Tea (3x daily)

Herbal Teas (drink as much as possible honey or agave are ok)

Smoothies and 100% Juices (2-3 times daily)

Chaga Tea 2X daily

Vegan Multi Vitamin

Vitamin C

Natural deodorant and toothpaste

64 oz. water (preferably alkaline)

Daily Meditation

At least 30 min of Yoga or run 1 mile daily

Massage (as often as possible)

The first thing that I learned about this detox is that Yes, it is as challenging as it sounds.  I didn't realize I was addicted to sugar until I tried this detox a few months back and had sugar withdrawal like I was coming down off of heroin!  I had insomnia, cold sweats, a fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and irritability.  I couldn't believe it!  That detox lasted only 5 days but it caused me to start limiting my sugar intake and cutting high fructose corn syrup from my diet all together.  I have cravings and i've had insomnia a few nights but nothing that I can't manage.  This detox is tough mentally but I have more energy than I have had in years.  I have learned so much about myself and my body during these first 15 days but 4 things stick out the most:

1.  Commit

Set a start date and tell others about your plans to start a detox program.  It is easier to back out of things when no one else knows, but if you have your mom and best friend texting to find out when your detox starts you are more likely to stay committed.

2.  Gather Support

Tell people what you are doing and why.  After announcing that I was doing a detox my fiance' decided to join me for the whole thing, I was shocked and so happy that I didn't have to go through the month alone, now I had a battle buddy!  I have also had a few friends join me as well, some of them for the whole 30 days and others just for a day or so.  I have received encouraging calls, texts, emails and DM messages, all of the support helps me to stay motivated and focused on my purpose and goal.  I have had people donate alkaline water, fruits and veggies, herbs, and vitamins to help me supplement the costs.  I have cried just about everyday due to random words or acts of kindness in support of my detox.

3.  Be prepared

Totally random, but when ever I hear "be prepared" i always hear it in a Scar from The Lion King  voice.  Any way preparation is the key to being consistent with this detox.  Make sure you have enough food to last you for the day.  Stock up on olive oil and apple cider vinegar for salad dressing, find raw vegan recipes so that you won't get bored with your meals, make a list of stores that carry the things you can eat, create a budget and a schedule and if possible pick the brain of someone who has done a detox so that you can get some tips that will help you to be successful.

4. Be aware

Once you start the detox pay attention to your body and the changes that are going on inside you.  You may notice withdrawal symptoms from salt, sugar, and caffeine.  You may notice changes in your mood, bowels, body odor, and energy levels.  These are all normal and are manifestations of the toxins leaving your body.  For instance I was musty as hell for the first 6 days of the detox but now i'm good.  I also have lots of natural energy that I didn't have before the detox began.  You can keep a daily detox journal in order to track these changes, if you experience anything that you are unsure about contact your doctor or a holistic medical professional, the detox process is uncomfortable at times but always listen to your body.

My detox journey is only at the halfway point.  Some days I want the whole process to just hurry up and be over, but I try to remind myself that healing is a process that should not be rushed.  We live in a society full of quick fixes and instant gratification, so through this detox process I am also teaching myself to slow down, be patient, and enjoy the journey.

Just a few of my meals/snacks

Bonding through baldness..."it's just hair"

Yes, really, Bonding through Baldness!  There is some kind of humor in every situation and my daughter Eva and I are the type of people who always try and find that humor.  Even with that being so,before writing this blog I talked to my daughter and let her know that I was going to share this experience just to make sure she was comfortable with it and she is.  

They say that "necessity is the mother of invention", or something like that.  I don't know who "they" are but I think that "they" could be on to something.  About seven or eight years ago when I had less children and more energy I would dabble in making my own skin products; creams, shampoos, soaps, and the like.  At the time I had just begun having these really weird rashes and my skin couldn't take the use of most commercial products on the market.  Several years later I found out that the rashes were caused by Lupus. I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), commonly known as Lupus, a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). This diagnosis caused me to become more conscious of the products that I use and the ingredients in those product.  But to tell the truth just because I became more conscious of what products I used doesn't mean that I changed much, it just means that I thought about it more often.  

I didn't make any real changes until about 4 months ago when my 11 year-old daughter came to me and showed me her head and I was devastated by what I saw.  My daughter had 4 large bald spots in her head, she had worn braids during the summer that damaged her scalp and she developed traction alopecia.  When she went for her yearly physical a week later we had her doctor look at the spots and he prescribed a pill, a shampoo, and a cream but he wasn't sure that the hair would grow back.  I'm not a huge fan of pills but I also wanted my daughter to get better.  Eva is generally level headed but her scalp was damaged and I had no idea how long it would take for the hair to grow back.  I gave my daughter the medication that the doctor prescribed and the next day she had a horrible migraine with vomiting and the whole nine, which caused her to leave school early.  I decided at that moment it was up to me to help my daughter's scalp heal and grow her hair back.  Luckily I save all of my old notebooks and I found some of my old skin and hair care recipes.  I combined a hair and skin cream recipe with a beard growth conditioner to make an all natural hair growth and conditioning cream. 

I started treating Eva's hair and scalp by keeping them as healthy as possible.  As a mother there is so much fulfillment in being able to pass knowledge to your daughter, that is how we live on, through the information and skills that we share.  I would walk Eva through every step and have her assist me when I made products so that she will always know how to keep her hair healthy.  I washed her hair at least once a week with an apple cider vinegar conditioner, used a homemade hair tea every other week and used the hair growth and conditioning cream daily on the hair and scalp as needed. I styled her hair in protective styles only.  Eva wore mostly braid and twist outs that had to be strategically styled to cover the bald spots. Within two weeks we could already see results and after three months her scalp was healed and the hair had grown back in all of the spots.  

I trust my daughter's doctor and I truly believe that he is good at what he does.  With that being said I am glad we decided not to use the medication.  Using natural methods helped me to trust my abilities and I was able to show my daughter how  alternative medicine can be used successfully and that healing doesn't have to come from a pill.

I also unexpectedly learned a great deal about my daughter through this experience.  My daughter is more resilient, self-confident and fearless than I could have ever hoped for.  I know that kids can be cruel so I did my best to conceal the hair loss, which was hard in the beginning.  Eva never let it bother her, if someone happened to ask about the hair loss she would give them a matter of fact response, she owned it.  She would always be polite but she was never embarrassed or intimidated by the questions.  Classmates would also ask her why she didn't just wear weave, and she would respond by asking them why they were concerned with HER hair.  When we would discuss it I would always tell my daughter "it's just hair, it will grow back" and that is the attitude that she embodied through it all.  At such a young age she understands that she is so much more than her hair and she is comfortable in her own skin.  I don't care if she loses all of her hair, I just hope that she never loses that understanding...

Left October 2014/ Right January 2015