Sweet & Spicy

Coffee, tea, or me?

If you had to categorize me according to my hot beverage preference, I definitely fall into the coffee side of life.  Dad used to drink pots of it growing up, Mom wasn't a huge fan of it unless it was decaf,  and I think I started drinking somewhere in high-school maybe younger. Coffee was just always around when I grew up.

I always thought tea drinkers were she-she, but in a very complimentary way, like fine wine connoisseurs. 

When I went to Europe years ago in my early 20's I thought that it was certainly a cultural thing to be a she-she tea drinker.  I brought buckets of it back from England to gift to friends and family alike.

Tea in itself is certainly it's own culture.  It's an art form and a rich history. 

One that I am not well educated in but have learned to appreciate.

It spans the globe and can be found referenced during the BCs in China & Egypt, in aged scrolls, as commodity meant to be traded, and a means to start a revolution in the harbors of Boston circa 1773.

While I'm certainly not a historian by any means and definitely still not she-she, I have grown to love a certain tea over the last couple of years.

(the Classic packaging: source)

It's the Good Earth's signature tea and my absolute favorite!
It is sweet, oh but it is spicy! 
(and caffeine free too!)
I could drink cups and cups of this all day long and during the colder months that's just what I do.

Once upon a time, I used to always have a few bags of it in my purse and found myself handing them out to friends and strangers alike like the Bible tracks my grandmother used to keep in her deep pockets to leave in phone booths and at bus stops.

Directly from Good Earth's website:
An aromatic sweet cinnamon tea with hints of orange. Our full
flavored signature blend offers up a rich, spicy fragrance
followed by a sweet, warming, clean taste without added sugar.

As if a cup of this deliciousness wasn't incredible enough by itself, all the bag tags are inscribed with brilliant nuggets of information, little pick me ups from famous authors, writers, philanthropists, musicians, and now recently open to tea lovers and Sweet & Spicy fans everywhere!

I saw their Tea Tag quote contest on Facebook a few weeks ago and thought about what nugget of information I might have to contribute. 
I finally came up with one sometime in the sleep-deprived hours of  this late night and early dawn. 
My submission, as entered today is:

Music is Medicine.
Lyrics a poet.
Tempo a heartbeat.

I could very easily sit back and say that the same about my favorite Sweet & Spicy Tea:

It is a cup full of medicine (and comfort).
It's blend is a poetry.
Every sip makes my heart skip a little beat.

If you happen upon it sometime, give it a try!
(Of if you're lucky enough and you happen upon me in the Winter months with my pure in tow, I might even have a little bag of goodness to pass off to you.)

~ Lo

Summertime Quinoa "Pasta" Salad

One of my favorite things to make for BBQ's is an "everything but the kitchen sink" pasta salad.  I boil up all the odds and ends of leftover pasta, chop up all almost empty jars of olives and pickled vegetables, add bits of meats and cheeses from the lunch-meat drawer, finely chop up what's left in the vegetable crisper, and toss with the 17 almost-empty bottles of vinaigrette taking up the entire fridge door. It's always different, yet always delicious.    

 Now that I'm on such a restrictive diet, I can't use my go-to "recipe" for the summer BBQ season.  So instead of focusing on what I CAN'T have, I looked at what I CAN have.  I had a box of quinoa in my pantry and decided to make a quinoa "pasta" salad and only use what I had on hand.  It turned out so good.  My hubby said it was "light and refreshing."  You will probably want to double the recipe for your next potluck because it's that good! 

 Quinoa "Pasta" Salad 

 1c quinoa, rinsed throughly, prepared according to package directions (can be made ahead of time and chilled)
2 carrots, shredded

1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cucumber, seeded, peeled and diced
12 large basil leaves, cut into ribbons
4 c baby spinach, chopped
1 can artichoke heart quarters, drained
1 can black olives, drained

 Dressing

1/4 c garlic flavored olive oil
1/4 c raw apple cider vinegar
1 tsp herbs de provonce
fresh ground salt and pepper

 Mix together cooked quinoa, carrots, green onions, cucumber, basil, spinach, artichoke hearts, and olives. Pour dressing over top and mix together.  Cover and chill or serve immediately.

Weight Loss Causes Panic Attacks

The other day, I looked in the mirror while I was waiting for the doctor to come in the exam room and saw two lumps on my neck. I panicked for a second because I haven't seen them there before. I touched them and they were my collar bones.  Whew! 

It's nice when you can actually start to SEE results.  

To Market, to Market

 

The Davis farmer's market.

  

My favorite way to spend a lazy, Saturday morning.

I'm so lucky to live so close to one of the best farmer's market in the entire country.  Best of all, unlike many markets, this one is open year 'round.

 Just like your average farmer's market, there is an abundance of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Produce grown with pride.  Picked within 24 hours of arriving at the market. 

  Food that is sold to you by the same person who grew it.  

 

Many foods grown organically.  Some legally certified organic.  Some not.  

The majority grown without harmful chemicals.   

Although I love my fruits and veggies, I love the availability of non-produce foods.  Fresh meats and seafood.  The best thick-cut bacon you will ever eat.  Raw, organic cheese.  Breads and Pastries.  Sprouted Grains.  Homemade jams, jellies, and sauces. Real food, made by real people. 

Yolo Land and Cattle - Where I bought my 1/4 side this winter

Humble Roots Farm - sprouted grains, legumes, etc.

Mission Fresh Fish

Organic Popcorn - Better than any store brand!

Fresh Baked Breads

As I walked thru the market stopping at each stand, admiring each sellers goods, stocking up on my favorites, a sweet old lady stopped me and asked if she could take a picture of my basket.  She said it looked so beautiful, so yummy, so summery.  


"Of course." 


Then she pulled out her iPhone and took this picture.    

 

Next Saturday morning, when you feel like sleeping in, why not get up a little bit earlier than normal. 

Meet me at the market.

Try something new!  

Meet the wonderful men, women, children...families...that grow your food.  

Tell them "thank you."

Once you shop at a Farmers Market, and taste how fresh the food is, you will never want to shop at a grocery store again. 

Roasted Corn & Jalepeno Salsa

Somewhere lost in the shuffle of this busy week, I got all the ingredients for this side dish/dip but never got around to making it.  I always see tubs of it in the grocery store, good, fresh ingredients, looks easy enough, so with some extra energy this afternoon (where'd that come from?) I decided to make this to bring to work with me tonight (lucky partners!)

First things first, I turned on the tunes:

{nothing happens easily or well in my house if there's a lack of music.  It's just a rule you see & John Mayer had things to tell me today!!!}

Then gathered my ingredients:

1 bag of frozen corn, thawed (or about 4 ears worth cut from the cob)

2 small jalapeños (or 0-1 if you're not a fan of the heat)

2 cups of cherry tomatoes

1 medium red onion

2 medium sized cucumbers

2 medium avocados

1 can of black beans, rinsed

3 limes

1 bunch of cilantro

Salt, to taste

Remember, I'm an eyeballer when it comes to cooking, I just cook as I go, so you may add and subtract from these quantities as you see fit, but this seemed to work out just fine for me.

It was hot today, not East Coast record-breaking hot, but hot enough that I was not going to be roasting corn on the BBQ or turning on the oven.

I grabbed a bag of thawed out fresh corn, coated a skillet with some olive oil spray and turned it on high.

This stuff cooks fast (see popcorn), watch it, don't get caught up in taking too many pictures for your blog or yelling for the 4-legged roomba to come and eat up what might spill if you're too overzealously tossing corn kernels instead of using a spatula. 

It took about 6 minutes on high with constant stirring to get a good char on the little kernels. 

 I took them off the heat and threw them in my new, beautiful bowl.



{Emma, AKA Food Roomba, she can hear food drop from the backyard, sniff it out on the floor,  and have it cleaned it up faster than you can say SharkVac!!}



I quickly chopped up the jalapeños, reminding myself to not touch my face or my eyes accidentally, took out the membranes and the seeds (where the spicy lives) and chopped them up to roast them in the same pan. 

Let's pause here for a second. 

It only took about 20 seconds of hot peppers on high putting out hot pepper fumes into my nostrils, before I started to cough and sneeze.  It was like I was watching Steel Magnolias!!  Oh the tears!!!

It was like I maced myself and got a steam facial all at once!

I hadn't even gotten to chopping the onion yet!!! 

I refused to be defeated by pepper fumes.

I carried on, chopping, wiping my eyes with a clean towel,

putting everything in the bowl in no particular order:

Rinsed the black beans

chopped tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, avocados

I threw in about 1.5 T of salt (give it a taste)

then squeezed the limes right over the top of the avocados before to giving it all a good toss together so they could all make friends with each other before having a good, cold siesta in the fridge for a couple of hours

Before I put it in the fridge {as is the requirement of any good cook} I grabbed a couple of chips and dug in…

this stuff is G-O-O-D!!

but lemme tell you that jalapeños after doing a little fire dance in the skillet, they're not playing around

This salsa packs a punch!! 

but it's good, fresh, easy to make, the ingredients are not expensive, and they are readily available. 

I give this two thumbs up for summer! 

I'm already imagining the variations on this with mango, strawberries, jicima, black eyed peas, kidney beans, the list goes on and then how to eat it - on salads with grilled shrimp or chicken, in tacos, on taco salad, layered in a bean dip…oh the possibilities!!!

Here's to Summertime and sidedishes!!

~ Lo

Lo's Pantry

Let's paint a little picture.

Single. Thirty-one. No kids.  One inside dog, one outside cat. 

Homeowner with a kitchen always in a contant state of remodel

owner of two refrigerators

girl with penchant for a variety of colorful ceramics and a a stauch disinterest in washing the dishes

Shiftworker. 

Fillipino, part Irish, my family just likes to eat...

I've never taken a cooking class, and I don't have to make meal plans on a weekly basis, but I take a certain pride in being able to find my way around the kitchen without fear or reservation

{don't trust a woman who can't find her way around the kitchen, it's just not right}

  Mama made sure her girls could at least throw together a few meals on their own.

We learned by watching while she cooked, just like my mom learned from her mother.

my mom is a phenomenal cook

end of story.

my kitchen & my pantry: a functional mess

I tried to pretty it up, but there's just no point

this is a lived in house and a lived in kitchen

in my kitchen, we do messy, we do spills, we roll with the punches

but out of the disorder, we make good meals

this is how we do:



{list maker makin' lists, scratchy chicken doodles}



a typical grocery list:

milk

almond milk

mushrooms (x2...I love mushrooms!)

sliced almonds

tomatos

protien powder

soda (of some diet variety)

iced tea

cranberries (dried)

berries (whatever is in season an not $$$)

gatorade

chicken breast

cabbage (my new favorite go to side dish these days)

lemons

limes

agave

frozen blueberries (for vegan chia seed muffins)

string chese

cliff bars (meal in a purse)

dark chocolate

noodles

lettuce

white vinegar

onions

juice

shrimp

 in bulk & {in mason jars}

orzo pasta

pinto beans

oatbran

quinoa

chia seeds

elsewhere in the kitchen;

white rice

brown rice

whole wheat rigatoni

polenta

onions

On the left: the inside fridge, what you'll find:

Feta Cheese,

Salsa

Chicken Broth

GreenYogurt
coconut milk

Eggs
laughing cow cheese wedges
Tejava tea

Diet Arizona Green Tea

Milk
spinach (the Costco bag, it's HUGE!)

Applesauce (for baking)

On the right: the garage fridge, what you'll find:

Blue Moon, Raspberry (my newest love in life)

gatorade

bottled water

various mixers

in the cabinets:

agave

honey

coconut oil

almond butter

seasame seed oil

hot sauce

a variety of teas

spices

vinegar (white, red, balsamic, apple cider)

almonds

walnuts

sun dried tomatoes

peperocinis

flour (wheat, enriched, pastry)

sugar

cocoa powder

various baking supplies

bread crumbs

graham crackers

toasted coconut marshmallows

J-E-L-L-O

Nori wrappers

wild rice in bulk

Kraft Mac & Cheese

canned: black beans, corn, pinto beans, soup, peaches

in the garage and always in bulk from Costco:

garbanzo beans

kidney beans

diced tomatos

tomato sauce

albacore tuna

bottled water

Not quite a hoarder, but there's at least a couple of days worth of food available in and about my house. 

I'm not usually too far from being able to cook up a quick pasta or something simple and homecooked. 

Just do like my Mama said: find good ingredients, make them available, and put them together. 

You just can't go wrong.

~ Lo

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired...and How I Finally Started Feeling Better

For the past several years, I haven't felt well. Let's rephrase that.  I was born with a kidney problem that left me very sick as an infant, and was sick with every cold, flu, croup, bronchitis, and creeping crud throughout my childhood.  I can pinpoint milestones in my younger years with "Oh, that's the vacation I got croup" or "That was right before I was in the hospital for strep" or "That's when I missed all those events and school from mono".  But, for the past several years, my health has been slipping from it's already compromised state.  I would have days that were better than others, but I can't say that I ever had a day where I felt good, let alone felt great. I've gone to multiple doctors and specialists who hadn't been able to find anything wrong with me. My symptoms were so varied and so unrelated, that there was no definitive answer saying what I had, let alone knowing what to look for. I was always tired. No, exhausted.  My joints and muscles ached. Bad headaches. Severe heartburn. Nausea and vomiting.  Inability to concentrate. The list went on and on.

In 2005, after many months of tests and appointments, it wasn't good news.  You have lots wrong.  I was told I probably had fibromyalgia. I had an anxiety/panic disorder.  I was clinically depressed.  I was even accused of being bulimic.  I was given pills to cure me of my pain, my anxiety, my depression, and was sent on my way. 

Over the next few months, I thought I was getting better, but that could be that the pills I was given made me sleep all the time (up to 18 hours a day). The medication also had a really bad side effect:  it caused me to gain a lot weight really quickly. I eventually stopped taking the pills and suffered such horrible withdrawals that had some people thinking I was addicted to drugs. After I got the medications out of my system, I was still sick. Sicker than ever, in fact.  Then a new doctor ran a bunch of tests (which were all negative), and said that all my problems were probably just caused because of my weight. I was so frustrated with this answer becuase I was having the problems before I gained all the weight, and had only gained all the weight recently on the last medication that was supposed to cure me. She said that regardless of that, the only cure was to lose weight.

For the next few years I started really watching what I ate. I did weight watchers and it was a fabulous program. I learned about portion sizes, drinking lots of water, getting healthy fats in my diet every day, eating my fruits and veggies. I did everything I was supposed to. Breakfasts of egg white omelets with fat free cheese and chopped up veggies and high fiber toast. Lunches of high fiber bread or tortillas with fat free condiments, lean lunch-meat, lots of crisp veggies with fat free ranch, and baked chips on the side. Snacks of a piece of fruit or veggie sticks, a 100 calorie pack, sugar free yogurt, or string cheese. Dinner of a lean protein, veggies, a small portion of brown rice or high fiber pasta. I counted every point that went in my mouth. I found Hungry Girl and cooked her yummy weight watchers friendly recipes. I would lose 5 lbs and then plateau. I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill and nothing. Worked out with a trainer. Still no weight loss. I would get frustrated after a few weeks and give up. Then I would start over again. And the cycle kept repeating.  Plus, I was still having all my other symptoms...nausea, exhaustion, vomiting, body aches, heartburn, foggy brain....

In 2010, my cousin suggested that I try a gluten free diet. She had tried it, and she felt better and noticed that whenever she ate bread, she went back to feeling bad. I gave it a try, and I started to feel a little better. My stomach stopped hurting as much all the time, my heartburn wasn't as severe, and I could actually keep food down sometimes. I went back to my doctor and asked to be tested for celiacs. After a bit of an argument, I convinced the doctor to just "rule it out" got the blood test done,  

It was positive.  

It was on the lower end of being positive (because I had already been GF for several months) which she interpreted as a false positive.  She also tested for general inflammation and that test was off the charts, and said that I had something going on, but didn't know what and left it at that. I eventually got a referral to a GI, who confirmed that I had a minor wheat intolerance/allergy. I had many more tests done, including an endoscopy, and they all came back normal. Once again was told, "Avoid wheat if it makes you feel better, but it's only a mild intolerance, so it's nothing to worry about, you're fine." FINE? Um, no, not fine. I still have all these problems.  This is NOT NORMAL.  

Over the next few months, I kept wheat out of my diet most of the time. I could definitely tell a difference when I cheated and ate a cupcake or a piece of french bread. But even when I would go for days or even weeks and didn't cheat, I still was feeling bad.  Even though I had initially felt a little bit better for a while,  I eventually started feeling bad all over again. 

A few years ago, Lo's mom had talked to me and said she thought I might have candida and that I should go get checked out by a natural doctor. At the time, I didn't have the extra money since natural doctors aren't covered by my medical insurance. Now I was ready. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired all the time. Not being able to lose weight. Feeling like my life was slipping away and I was going to be sick for the rest of it and never be able to enjoy all the wonderful experiences out there. I was terrified I wasn't ever going to get better.  I honestly felt like the next random test that I would be subjected to would end up reveling some horrific disease that had been "missed" and I would be getting the "I'm sorry, but it's terminal and you have days/weeks/months left, you need to get your affairs in order" call from the doctor.  It was so scary to have so much wrong with me, and be told I was fine, it's just all in your head.  So hubby and I agreed that we would come up with the money so that I could try out this natural doctor and see what they said and see if they could help.

I nervously went to my first appointment and met the natural doctor. She was a licensed Doctor of Natropathic Medicine (ND) and works under a licensed medical doctor (MD) who specializes in functional medicine.  She was very nice and I talked, and she listened. Never before had a doctor listened to me. She would ask me questions and she would listen, type out notes, stop me and ask for clarification, and just let me talk. It was amazing to finally have a medical professional not shoo me out of the office after 5 minutes and tell me to stop stressing out and hand me a stack of prescriptions. After what seemed like a very long interview, she said that she was pretty sure what was wrong with me, but it would take a blood test to confirm and would that be something I would want to do since I would have to pay for it out of pocket and it was kind of expensive. 

YES!!! 

She said that it was very possible that I had multiple food allergies and sensitivities and wanted to do a an IgG blood test that would test for delayed reactions to 154 different foods. She also said that my long history of heavy antibiotic use throughout my entire childhood and adult life has left me lacking the beneficial bacterias that are supposed to live in your digestive tract (AKA candida). Finally, she noticed that some of my levels from previous blood tests were out of whack and that I could possibly also be suffering from adrenal fatigue. She said that she first wanted to start working on getting probiotics back into my body, because 70% of your immune system is your digestive system. You need to get your digestive system back in shape and then start healing the rest of your body.  Then I would need to do an elimination diet based on the results of my allergy test, to allow my body to heal and the inflammation go down. Finally, one the other stuff was under control, we would work on getting my hormone levels back in balance. Eventually, after 6 months of the elimination diet, I could slowly add back foods, one at a time to see if I could tolerate them again or not.  She warned me that it was going to be a tough road ahead, but if I was committed, I would start feeling better in a few weeks.

I got my blood work done and started taking a very strong pro-biotic. The first week that I took it, I felt very sick, like I had the flu.  I was experiencing die-off symptoms.  The battle of good and evil, restoring the balance of the good and bad bacteria, was going on in my body.  I had to wait three weeks for the results of my blood test and when I got it back, I was SHOCKED. I was allergic to EVERYTHING. I was tested for over 150 foods and tested positive to about a third of them. The next step was the hardest of all. I needed to completely eliminate all of these foods from my diet for the next few months. I could not have any of them, even in small amounts. I needed to give my body a rest, let the inflammation in my digestive track go down, and allow my body to heal. I also needed to start taking a digestive enzyme to help my body digest my food properly, and also take a supplement to help heal my digestive tract.

So I went home shocked, excited, overwhelmed, and an emotional mess.  I had to attempt to tackle the new challenge placed in front of me. I was excited because I finally had an answer. A wreck, because I was allergic to almost everything I eat on a daily basis. I needed to eliminate all these foods from my diet:

Mace (the spice, not pepper spray)

All my favorite spices and seasonings had to go

Yogurt

Bay leaf

Egg whites

Casein

Mozzarella cheese

Coriander

Parmesan cheese

Cottage cheese

Swiss cheese

Cows milk

Whey

Allspice

Baker's Yeast

Brewer's Yeast

Buttermilk

Curry

Horseradish

Oysters

Shrimp

Cashews

Foods I could no longer eat...but hubby could.

Ginger

Kale

Peas (See, mom, I really AM allergic to peas)

Soy

Barley

American cheese

Wheat

Gluten

Mahi Mahi

Peanuts

Trout

Kidney beans

Crab

Goats milk

Mustard

Pistachios

Cumin

Haddock

Oats

Saffron

Not only could I not eat those foods individually, many of these foods are the basis of other foods, so I also had to eliminate the foods that contain these things as well. Bay leaves are used in stocks, soups, and tomato sauces. Yeast is the start of most breads and alcohols. Wheat and soy are in almost every packaged product. And all the spices...no one gives up their secret seasoning blend, it's just listed as "spices" on the ingredient lists, so to err on the side of caution, I had to eliminate my beloved seasonings. I cleaned out my pantry and found there were only a few things left that I could still eat. I had to learn how to cook all over again. I was devastated. 

My new pantry of "safe" foods

It was a challenge. Over the next few days, I had a tough time adjusting and I had many breakdowns. Thankfully, I had a wonderful friends who supported me during my temper tantrums. One of my friends lovingly reminded me that this is what I had asked for: I wanted answers and I got them. I finally came to realize, while talking to Lo, that I was upset over FOOD? Really? I have friends that are dying from Batten Disease (bdsra.org), there are people dying from cancer, kids in Africa have no food or shoes, and I'm upset about not being able to eat a cookie for the next few months. I needed to get over myself and stop acting like a spoiled brat and suck it up. I needed to focus on what I could eat. I started looking for recipes online and just ate as simply as possible.

At my next appointment, two weeks into the elimination diet, I had good news for the doctor. Many of my symptoms had lessened, and some of them had disappeared completely. I was still having some problems, but they were so mild compared to what I had been experiencing. The doctor then said to look at what I had been eating and find out if there was a common food(s) that was causing my symptoms to get worse. Over the next couple days, I was able to identify and eliminate a few more foods:

Corn

Legumes

Citrus

Nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc)

After a couple days of making those eliminations, I woke up one morning with the weirdest feeling, almost in a panic, like something was wrong. I thought in my half asleep state, what's different? Then it hit me: no heartburn and no stomach pain. I haven't experienced a heartburn free day in probably 6 years.

A few weeks in to my elimination diet and I was doing much better. I still hadn't thrown up, and it used to be almost every day. I rarely had heartburn anymore, and it was almost never bad enough to take medication. The pain and swelling in my muscles and joints were going down. I was still very tired but I knew that this cure isn't overnight.  I had to stay the course. It took me my entire lifetime to get to the point where I was at, and it will take me a while to get back to feeling like I should. I felt like I was becoming a new person. I was so excited and so grateful for the path I'm on. 

I went back to see the ND again, and then we discussed my progress and also my extreme fatigue.  My blood work had almost normalized.  My hormone levels were stabilized and my inflammation levels had gone down dramatically.  She said that I was suffering from adrenal fatigue, a syndrome that's caused by intense or prolonged periods of stress. She asked if I had any stress in my life.  HA!  Stress?  Um, do you have time to listen to the past 22 years of my life since my dad died, and including the time since the Great Depression, v2.0 started, and I got a pay-cut, got furloughed, lost a house, and my hubby lost his job?   Of course I have way too much stress.  She had me start on a couple more supplements, specifically targeted at adrenal support.  After a couple of weeks, I had more energy than ever.  I was keeping busy for an entire weekend, never stopping to take a long nap.  I was staying up way past my "bedtime."  I was waking up feeling rested, not like I ran a marathon in my sleep.

Now I'm over 4 months in, and feeling better than ever.  The weight is melting off, slowly and steadily.  I can walk up a flight of stairs without much pain, and can run down them like a kid.  I can go for a walk without extreme pain and without becoming extremely exhausted after a few steps.  I can work a 10 hour day and not feel like I need a nap 3 hours into my shift.

I still have a long way to go.  I'm to the point where it's not just the light at the end of the tunnel I can see.  I can feel the warm sunshine on my face.  I know I'm gonna be ok.  I'm gonna finish getting better.  I'm going to get to do all the things I thought I would never be able to do.  There is hope in sight. 

Last Sunday was my 34th birthday.  I felt so good that morning that I went with Lo to Mellow Flow Hot Yoga.  I finished the entire class and felt good.  I then went home and sent this email to my doctor.

Thank you so much for making this the start of the best year of my life. I don't think I can ever tell you how much I appreciate you getting things figured out for me and setting me out on the path to finally feeling healthy. I feel like I'm getting my life back and able to do things I never imagined possible. Thank you so much for everything.  ~Mel

source

***This is not intended to treat or diagnose anyone.  This is just my personal experience.  If you are having health problems, please see your doctor.  I  see an ND who practices functional medicine, which is not generally recognized by mainstream doctors.  Please don't attempt to self-diagnose, self-medicate, or treat yourself.  Always seek a trained, medical professional's advise before starting or stopping any medication, elimination diets, or supplements. If you aren't getting the care you need, don't hesitate to ask for a new doctor.  Never give up on you and your well-being.