Do You Have Candida? Part 1

Types of Candidiasis:

• If it is in the mouth or throat, it is called oral candidiasis, oropharyngeal candidiasis, or thrush.
• If it affects the genital area, it is called a yeast infection. In women, it may be called a vulvovaginal yeast infection.
• If yeast infects the skin on a baby’s bottom area, it causes a diaper rash.
• If the infection enters your bloodstream, it is called invasive candidiasis or candidemia.

Symptoms of Candida

• Skin and nail fungal infections (such as athlete’s foot or toenail fungus)
• Feeling tired and worn down or suffering from chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
• Digestive issues such as bloating, constipation, or diarrhea
• Autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis
• Difficulty concentrating, poor memory, lack of focus, ADD, ADHD and brain fog
• Skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, hives, and rashes
• Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, or depression
• Vaginal infections , urinary tract infections, rectal itching or vaginal itching
• Severe seasonal allergies or itchy ears
• Strong sugar and refined carbohydrate cravings

How to Test If you Have Candida

Step 1: Fill up a glass of water half way first thing in the morning without eating or drinking anything.
Step 2: Spit in the glass of water (about dime size)
Step 3: Watch it for 2-3 times (For over 45 minutes)

Does the spit sink to the bottom or grow legs into the glass of water?  If it does, that means that you have candida overgrowth. 

There are many ways to be Candida-free but effectively treating candida involves stopping the yeast overgrowth, restoring the friendly bacteria that usually keeps them in check, and healing your gut so that candida growth can be controlled.  Getting rid of the candida overgrowth primarily requires a change in diet to a low carbohydrate diet. Sugar is what feeds yeast, so eliminating sugar in all of its simple forms like candy, desserts, alcohol and flours would be ideal.

Also, eliminating all fermented foods and reducing to only one cup a day of the more complex carbohydrates such as grains, beans, fruit, bread, pasta, and potatoes will prevent the Candida from increasing in number. Using diet alone could take some time before the Candida is back under control. But it will free you from the symptoms that you are currently experiencing. Imagine waking up in the morning feeling energized, focused and revitalized!

**for recipe ideas that help discourage yeast growth, check out my nourishyourbody blog

**Article source

Homemade Lotion Bar

So...I have tried a few homemade lotions and it is hard to get exact measurements when you buy in bulk. So I sometimes don't get the exact consistency for a lotion that I put in a jar. And they frequently look slimy. Not appealing, I know. But...I finally found a homemade version that makes sense! A bar!  I know...lotion as a bar?

Granted...this isn't a good facial lotion because it may clog pores, but I use it on my kids and on my hands and such. I just rub it on my skin and it kind of just glides on perfectly. But even better than that is what I have been looking for in most of my homemade versions of things. The recipe is simple and only needs a few common ingredients--from wellnessmama.com.

If you are going to be making your own bathroom products, these are all items you should have on hand in bulk. Just add them all in equal parts. Here is an example for six thin bars.
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1/3 c coconut oil
1/3 c beeswax
1/3 c Shea or cocoa butter (I use Shea, but it is more stinky)
Essential oils (optional: i do about 15 drops. Lavender is the best for children and basic needs and skin healing. Tea trea for cleansing.)

Place the first three oils in a glass jar and put into a pan with water.
Then melt all in the jar.
Once melted, add the essential oils if you chose. And pour...divided into six muffin tin molds.
Let cool, then pop out and enjoy!

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You can use a double boiler, but it is messy once done...with all the melted waxy, oily things, so i prefer the glass jar. I did a lavender one for my kids. A lavender, tea tree, peppermint, rosemary one for me. And a spearmint, tea tree, lemon eucalyptus, cedar wood for my hubby (he doesn't generally need lotion, but it is to rub on his chest for sinus and congestion stuff). That is the fun part...mix and mingle the essential oils to your liking for whatever purpose you and your family need. They each can have their own bar. If I were really cool I would add some natural food coloring tints to them each so they looked different....like turmeric or beet juice. But...that is way too much work; and the lotion bars, on the other hand, weren't. So enjoy!

Homemade Deodorant

Paul and I haven't been using typical store-bought deodorant for a few years now. We didn't like the anti-perspirant and aluminum problems. Our bodies are meant to sweat, and who are we to force it not to? So...we have tried a few natural brand deodorants and the "crystal."

But now...I am happy to share our homemade version that is great and I love the smell!

1/3 c coconut oil

1/3 c arrowroot (this is a cornstarch alt.)

2 T baking soda

10 drops essential oil (we love grapefruit for the smell, but lemon would be antibacterial)

Just use a fork to mix it all together and store in a little glass jar. 

When you want to use it, just dig out a little with your fingers and smear it on under your arms.

Yeah...not the most ideal, but it smells so good and isn't as messy as it sounds. I will keep playing with it, to see if we can get it hard enough to put in a deodorant container to rub on, but until then, this works just fine.

Happy deodorizing (remember, this isn't an anti-perspirant, but it keeps the smell under control)!

8 Facts on Why Not to Leave Your Car Running

There is a blog for Utah Moms for Clean Air. They have facts about how horrible the air is in Utah with all the inversion. It has been so bad this winter!

Here is a site to put in your zip code and see the scorecard of air quality.

Here are some quick facts and tips about why you shouldn't leave your car on:

1. Driving warms the car faster than idling
If your concern is not the health of the car, but simply your own creature comforts, Bob Aldrich of the California Energy Commission points out that “idling is not actually an effective way to warm up a car — it warms up faster if you just drive it.”
The coming electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, will incorporate a wonderful feature that allows the owner to use a cellphone to tell the car (which is plugged into the grid) to pre-warm or pre-cool the interior. No idling necessary.

2. Ten seconds is all you need
Environmental Defense Fund, which produced the Idling Gets You Nowhere campaign, advises motorists to turn off their ignition if they’re sitting stopped for more than 10 seconds.
“After about 10 seconds, you waste more money running the engine than restarting it, said Andy Darrell, deputy director of the EDF Energy Program. “Switch the car off at the curb, and you’ll be leaving money in your wallet and protecting the air in your community.”

3. Idling hurts the car
According to the Hinkle Charitable Foundation’s Anti-Idling Primer, idling forces an engine “to operate in a very inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that, over time, can degrade the engine’s performance and reduce mileage.”
The Campaign for an Idle-Free New York City points out that idling causes carbon residues to build up inside the engine, which reduces its efficiency.

4. Idling costs money
Over a year of five minutes of daily idling (which causes incomplete combustion of fuel), the “Anti-Idling Primer” estimates that the operator of a V8-engine car will waste 20 gallons of gasoline, which not only produces 440 pounds of carbon dioxide but costs at least $60.

5. Idling in the garage can kill you
Idling a car in a garage, even with the door open, is dangerous and exposes the driver to carbon monoxide and other noxious gases. If the garage is attached, those fumes can also enter the house.
6. Block heaters beat remote starters
Lori Strothard of the Waterloo Citizens Vehicle Idling Reduction Task Force in Canada says, “Remote starters can too easily cause people to warm up their cars for 5 to 15 minutes, which is generally unnecessary.”
A block heater, which is designed to heat the engine and can cost under $30, on a timer set to start one to two hours before driving, does the trick in very cold climates.

7. Quick errands aren’t quick enough
Natural Resources Canada points out that leaving your car idling while you’re running into a store on an errand or going back into the house to pick up a forgotten item is another way to waste gas and pollute both your town and the planet.
“Leaving your engine running is hard on your pocketbook, produces greenhouse gas emissions, and is an invitation to car thieves,” the agency (PDF) says.

8. Idling is bad for your health (and your neighbor’s health)
According to Minneapolis’ anti-idling ordinance, “Exhaust is hazardous to human health, especially children’s; studies have linked air pollution to increased rates of cancer, heart and lung disease, asthma and allergies.”

Top 10 House Plants - For Better Air Quality

Top 10 House Plants (according to NASA, Treehugger.com)

·         English Ivy (Hedera helix)

·         Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

·         Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)

·         Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')

·         Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)

·         Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)

·         Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')

·         Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)

·         Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)

·         Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)

·         Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)

·         Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')

·         Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')

·         Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')

·         Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)

·         Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)

·         Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)

·         Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)

What are the benefits of a CLEANSE???

• SLIM  Loose weight
• CLEANSE  Clean out old, built up lining and toxins that have hardened inside the intestinal wall.  It is said that some people have POUNDS of built-up "mucoid plaque" in their colon.  The surface area of the intestines with all their folds and crevices is said to be equal to the size of a tennis court!  Nutrients can now be absorbed through the wall into the bloodstream and carried to all the cells throughout your body, whereas before, much of the vitamins and minerals were wasted because they couldn't be absorbed through all that JUNK!  Toxins can now be easily absorbed into the intestine through the wall so they won't be recirculated through the bloodstream and cells.  Green vegetables cleanse the bloodstream which helps clean every organ in your body!
• HEAL  Now that your body is cleaned out, keep eating right and your body will heal itself from any and all illnesses.  It can often take a long time to heal, but keep eating very well and your body will thank you over time!
• ENERGIZE  Raw vegetables and juices give lots of energy.  Being rid of toxins gives more energy, and allows you to absorb the energizing nutrients from all the healthy foods you eat.
• CUT CRAVINGS  As a result of absorbing much more nutrition than before, you may not crave junk food or overeat regular foods, therefore easily maintaining a healthy weight!  I have been eating healthier for about 5 years now and this is SO true...you've gotta try it!!!
• PRETTIER SKIN  Skin becomes more clear and wrinkles seem to firm up in the face!
• BETTER BLOOD SUGAR   Blood sugar is more stabilized. 
• GAIN CONFIDENCE & SELF DISCIPLINE  After cleansing and watching what I eat, I did notice that I was a happier person, not so impatient with my kids and people in general and I realized what is most important in life!
• RELEASE EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE  There is a growing school of thought that people store emotions in different parts of the body, and the intestines can store a lot of old emotions.  Therefore releasing old baggage can also stir up and bring to the surface old emotional baggage that you may not have even been aware was inside you. 
• ESTABLISH BETTER EATING HABITS  After cleansing out all the old junk and feeling so energized, clean and healthy, you have a greater desire to be more careful to fuel your body with energizing, health-promoting foods, and leave the JUNK behind!
• EASIER EXERCISE   With less toxins, fat and pounds in your system, exercise is now easier and more fun!  Joints aren't as taxed like they were before, and arthritis may clear up from getting rid of the toxins in the joints.  It is also more fun to wear shorts and swim suits to exercise now that you are slimmer, firmer and trimmer!

Great Recipe for a Colon Cleanse... by: Jonell Francis

SPRINGTIME is the time to clean out your body...never do a cleanse in the winter...there is a time and a season for everything!

Exodus Cleanse Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup Psyllium Husk powder
1 cup Apple Fiber
1/2 cup Bentonite, Orsa, or Green Clay powder
3 T Senna Leaf powder
2 T Cinnamon
2 tsp Ginger

You can find most if not all of these ingredients at any health food store (Good Earth is a great source).

Combine and store at room temperature.  The fiber and clay work together to absorb and peel off the hardened mucous matter off the intestinal wall.  Within 48 hours of the first day of the clense, you will get "the rope" either in one piece or in smaller pieces expelled from your body.  This is a victory and is well worth celebrating...YEAH!!!

DAY 1 Cleanse Smoothies-
Mix: 1-2 Tablespoons of the Exodus cleanse smoothie mixture with 1 cup of water and 2 Tablespoons frozen juice concentrate.  Stir and drink immediately before it thickens. 

* THE NIGHT BEFORE right before bed, drink 1 Exodus Cleanse smoothie.  Refill the glass several times to drink the residue and plenty of water. 
* DRINK A CLEANSE SMOOTHIE three times during the day.  Drink pure filtered water after and in between all day long. 
* HUNGRY?  If you still feel hungry, drink fresh vegetable juices or eat a little raw veggies.
* PM SPA TIME- Just before bed, drink a 1/4 cup of wheat grass juice (keep 1/4 juice for an enema)
Do an enema with warm water and a few cayenne granules or a little lemon juice.  Hold it long enough to massage your stomach to loosen things up inside before expelling (3-5 minutes if you can).
Then do an enema with 1/4 cup of wheat grass juice and hot water.  Hold it for 5-20 minutes or as long as you can.  Then take a nice hot bath! 

DAYS 2,3, 4 Juice Cleansing

* AM SPA TIME (same as Day 1)
* AM JUICING-  Make 2 quarts of sweet juice (5 lb. bag of organic carrots, 1 apple, 4 celery, or whatever you want to add).  Run the pulp through 4x adding a little water to make 2 quarts.  (This will probably last 1-2 days.)
Make 1 cup of green drink: a combination the sweet juice and green vegetables such as spinach, swiss chard, beet greens, a clove of garlic if you wish, etc.
* ALL DAY Whenever you are thirsty, drink a glass of sweet juice.  Drink water in between.  Hot Herbal Teas are also GREAT during a juice fast: chamomile, alfalfa, dandelion, red clover, echinacea, etc. 
* HUNGRY? Eat raw veggies if you wish, yet your body will cleanse a lot better with just juices.
* PM SPA TIME (same as DAY 1)

DAYS 5, 6 Work back into cooked food 
Drink vegetable juices twice a day. 
Eat more raw than cooked foods, including a salad for lunch.  Make sure you use a healthy cold-pressed olive oil organic dressing.  The extra virgin olive oil will help keep your system lubricated during the cleanse. 

IMPORTANT NOTES:  I do this cleanse, but I only do DAY 1, 2, and 3.  Then I work back into cooked foods on the 4th day.  Do whatever you can, but if you are bordering on obesity, I HIGHLY recommend you do it the whole 6 days to thoroughly CLEAN out your colon!  You may need some help from your husband or a friend for some motivational support because it isn't very fun, but SO rewarding in the end when you completely clean out your colon.  I also recommend you clean out your gallbladder and liver soon after so your body can flush out all the toxins your liver has had stored. 
DID YOU KNOW?  Your LIVER is the major FAT-BURNING organ in your body and if it is overtaxed with toxins, you will not be able to loose fat no matter how hard you exercise and no matter how healthy you are eating.  This is why I highly recommend you cleanse your body and then keep it as clean as possible by eating right and exercizing!  Please post any comments on how this cleanse worked for YOU!!!

Top 10 Ways to Detoxify Your Body Naturally

(can't find the website this article is from)
Whether you know how to detox or not, your body knows how to detoxify.
As a matter of fact, a fit, well functioning, healthy body will naturally detoxify all day long, whenever you breathe out, go to the bathroom or sweat. The air you exhale and waste you eliminate through skin, bowels and bladder include toxins your body wants to get rid of.
Your liver, spleen, kidneys and lymphatic system all get rid of toxins that constantly accumulate in cells.
After the toxins and waste are expelled from your cells, you continue to detoxify your body naturally through various organs, such as kidneys (urine), colon (feces), skin (sweat) and lungs (carbon dioxide).

Top Ten Tips for How to Detox Naturally
Natural cleansing body detox starts with a good cleansing detox diet that fuels cells with the necessary nutrients to detoxify your body naturally.
While extreme body detox programs can be harsh or even detrimental, you can naturally detoxify your body with these 10 healthy lifestyle tips.

1. Eat a healthy cleansing detox diet. A natural body detox cleansing diet provides cellular nutrition to your trillions of cells. All cells require quality protein, essential fatty acids found in whole grains, nuts, seeds and olive oil and omega 3 fish oil from cold water fish like salmon, tuna and sardines.

2. Drink at least 8 daily cups of water. Pure, clean water helps flush out unwanted toxins. Drinking 2 quarts or more a day, preferably from glass bottles instead of plastic, is one of the best ways to naturally detoxify your body. Soft drinks, alcohol, black tea and coffee are no substitute. Try herbal teas if you want something hot. For flavor, add fresh lemon juice.

3. Improve elimination with fiber rich foods. To ensure that toxins don't build up in your system, include plenty of fresh vegetables, raw fruit, beans, whole grains and other nutritious high fiber foods for better elimination.

4. Exercise and stretch your body daily. Regular physical activity helps you to detox naturally. At least a half-hour of daily exercise and stretching will improve blood circulation, burn calories to break down toxins stored in fat cells and help you to excrete toxic residue through sweat.

5. Sweat for perspiration waste elimination. Besides daily physical activity, saunas and warm baths with Epsom salts or sea salt can be used to induce sweating and eliminate toxins and heavy metals.

6. Stimulate your skin to detox naturally. Massage can boost your lymphatic system to naturally detoxify your body. Drink water afterwards to increase toxin elimination. Dry brushing skin before bathing can also improve circulation and stimulate natural body detox cleansing.

7. Reduce toxins coming into your body. Whenever possible eat organic food and avoid food additives, high glycemic index foods, bad fats, stimulants, drugs and environmental chemicals.

8. Take natural cleansing supplements. All nutrients are important. But some particularly contribute to body detox cleansing. Focus on vitamins A, B complex, C and E, plus magnesium chromium, selenium and omega 3 fish oil. Also, green tea, milk thistle and garlic may be helpful.

9. Do regular deep breathing exercises. Deep, slow, conscious breathing periodically during the day releases carbon dioxide and toxic gases from your body as you exhale. It also allows oxygen to reach your tissues by circulating through your lungs, bloodstream, heart and brain.

10. Reduce stress with positive focus. Since hanging on to negative thoughts and feelings can be toxic too, it's important to focus on positive thinking and behavior. Even crying is a way to naturally detoxify. (Hence journal writing, prayer and scripture study too)

With these tips on how to detoxify your body and how to detox naturally, you can give yourself the gift of health, through natural cleansing body detox. You'll learn how to detoxify your body, all day long, everyday.

Natural Deodorant?

So, I've heard that anti-perspirants are bad, but deodorants aren't....but what type really works?

I decided to try a few: Tom's of Maine and Kissmyface. I never finished these and just use them for travelling and such, because I've found a new type that my husband and I use. It's a rock crystal actually and should last at least a year or two. Yep, all it is is a lump of rock/salt stuff. This beats having to wonder what the ingredients are and if it really is natural. And no, it do that's been rounded. It doesn't have the worrisome aluminums that are found in many other types of deodorant that make the anti-perspirant. This one happens to be called Naturally Fresh. I'd googled deodorants and finally found this one that sounded good. You can buy it online or aWholefoods, but I just bought mine at Smith's Marketplace in the Natural Foods isles.I would've liked to just get the real lump of rock, but they are sold in containers like this so they're shaped smoothly for application.

All you do it put it on when you get out of the shower. The rock is hard and dry, but the water on your body after the shower helps the you to rub it on. You have to apply it generously above and below the arm pit. I've even heard it works great for stinky feet and such too. Funny huh? Be careful though...if you drop this, it will break in pieces. You could still use it if it broke, but it wouldn't feel as smooth to use. A good idea would be to use some broken pieces in your travel bag, so you don't need to take the big thing.

It's a great deal for the price too...around $5 for a regular size, I think. But, I've heard that you need to give it a week or two before you judge it, because your body needs a chance to get use to it and get rid of all those other toxins that you were giving your body by using the other deodorants that weren't natural. Some people say they even had to phase out their clothes because unnatural deodorant/anti-perspirants stained their clothes yellow and left toxins and smells in their clothes. This doesn't do any of that.

I've also heard you can use baking soda...somehow, for homemade alternative. But what can't you use baking soda for?