Kombucha Tea

Kombucha is an invigorating energy drink. Invigorating is the best word I can think of to describe the sensation felt after consuming it. It has been used in Asia for centuries and more recently made it's way to America where people are catching on to it's health benefits and energy giving properties. If EVER after drinking Kombucha, you feel worse than you did before you drank it, don't drink it again. However, I've never heard of this happening.

I've been intriqued with the Kombucha for some time now, but just recently began to dig deeper. Kombucha tea is brewed from a scoby, or "mushroom." No, it's not really a mushroom, it's a symbiotic culture Of bacteria and yeast (s-c-o-b-y is the acranym). It is made from a concoction of fresh black or green tea, a small part of the originally brewed tea, and the scoby itself.

If you've ever been in a health food store you've probably seen jars of Kombucha tea for sale. They come in different flavors and can range in price from $2.50 - $4.00 per 12 oz. jar. This is pretty expensive considering it's suggested serving is a daily dose. Guess what? You can make it yourself, at home, for not only a fraction of the cost, but it tastes so much better when brewed fresh.

Here is a link for a set of complete directions on how to brew your own tea at home:
http://www.ehow.com/how_6040525_start-kombucha-tea.html

Enjoy!

Milk Thistle for the liver

So one of the things that I've found was good for my daugher's Fibromyalgia is an herb called milk thistle. It is good for cleaning out the liver and intestinal tract - thereby cleaning out toxins. She won't take it in pill form because the pills are too large and won't go down. Recently, I found it in tea bags.

Upon brewing the new milk thistle tea, we found that it had little to no flavor. Unfortunately, my daughter won't let anything touch her lips that doesn't have a good taste - not to mention the other two as well.

My kids drink a LOT of iced tea. So, I put the milk thistle tea in with the green tea bags and brew them together. From that concoction, I make a great iced tea by adding more [filtered] water and sugar or Agave Nectar to taste.

We will overcome this

A whole new set of challenges face my family now. It started out slowly with my daughter; a spastic bladder condition at an early age, mild pain here and there, strange bumps under the skin, and terrible migraine headaches. "Is it normal for a teenager to be experiencing such ailments?" I would ask my friends. "Or maybe she is just a hypochondriac..." I'd think. But when the pain became too much for her we sought out medical advice. I didn't realize at the time that we would have to fight this monster for the rest of her life. It hit us like a brick a few months ago. Many blood tests and MRI's later, we received the diagnosis that my teenage daughter has Fibromyalgia. Oh man!

For weeks afterwards I felt nothing but guilt. This is a girl who complained about EVERYTHING! I really did not think anything was wrong with her. When I finally got my head out of the clouds and back down to reality, the mother bear came out in me. I knew we had to fight ~ I was not about to let thing overcome us, control us.

As I began to read about Fibromyalgia, I found it quite interesting that patients experience a higher degree of pain as compared to their healthy counterparts. She was indeed encountering a degree of pain that was too much for her. There is an increase in the flow of blood to her brain - a specific part of the brain, that increases the sensitivity to pain. I knew that the first thing we needed to do was inhibit the pain so that she could gain control of her life again.

I focused on educating myself about Fibro. With every spare moment, I was reading a book or researching on the internet. My biggest fear was that she would be on medication(s) for the rest of her life. That idea has NEVER set well with me, ever! This is what led me to make dietary changes not only for my daughter, but for the whole family. I have made some amazing discoveries about the the chemicals and additives that affect our bodies & minds through the food and drink that we allow into our systems.

Hence, much of the reason for this blog. With all this new insight, the only thing that I can think of is to share it. My hope is that what I am able to share in the coming days and months, will help others with their own personal monsters. Through a terrible diagnosis, I have found that an organic lifestyle aids in the healing and the well-being of not only my oldest's body, but it's so good for the entire family. I have three children, by the way... We are all reaping the benefits. I find myself wishing I'd made the switch to organic years ago. If you recall, in an earlier post I wrote about the importance of taking care of ourselves as single parents so that in turn, we will take better care of children? Organic living is the key! More is to come...

Why an organic lifestyle?

An organic lifestyle is the best thing that you can do for yourself and for your family. Our environment is filled with chemicals and toxins. These things enter our bodies at an alarming rate, mostly through the food that we consume.

Recently, one of my children was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. I'd already been transitioning to an organic lifestyle, however, the new diagnosis kicked it into high gear!

As I began to educate myself on what's best for myself and my family, I began to discover some very scary facts. I am SO intrigued by the wonderful changes that I want to share it with the world. I hope to do just that in the coming days ~ via my blog.

I hope you'll check back. I plan on adding a ton of information on a daily basis!