Clean Media Idea List: On-going

I copied this extensive movie list from another blog post at purpose-driven-motherhood.com. I think it's a great list, but I haven't seen them all, so I can't verify them 100%. But I hope to whittle this down to my favorites too. 
I'd be interested in any others' recommendations. I will Bold the movies I've seen.
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The LDS For the Strength of You outlines the following guidelines for what good media is:

1. Uplifting 
2. Helps you feel the Spirit 
3. Encourages you to live righteously and make good choices

These are the media God says to avoid. 

1. Vulgarity 
2. Immorality 
3. Violence
4. Pornographic in any way
5. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable
6. Anything that drives away the Spirit
7. Media that makes it look like breaking God’s commandments is acceptable and has no negative consequences for you or others

Others' Clean Movie Recommendations

42

17 Miracles - about LDS handcart pioneers

19 Kids and Counting - Watch full episodes here.

A Little Princess (BBC version)

A Man Called Peter

A Man for All Seasons

A More Perfect Union - about the Constitutional Convention, by BYU

Akeelah and the Bee

All Creatures Great and Small (BBC)

Amazing Grace - William Wilberforce ending the British slave trade (immodesty of time-period clothing.)

Amish Grace - about forgiveness after a schoolhouse shooting

Amistad

An Affair to Remember

Anna and the King or The King and I

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of Green Gables

Annie

Any of the Mr. Bean movies, Mr Bean Takes a Holiday, etc., very funny, he's a MASTER of physical comedy.

Avengers

Babette's Feast

Ball of Fire -  Gregory Peck (funny)

BBC Elizabeth Gaskell movies

BBC Jane Austen movies

BBC North and South

BedKnobs and Broomsticks

Belles on Their Toes -  the old version

Ben Hur - 1959 Charlton Heston

Black Beauty

Bollywood

Born Free

Brave

Braveheart (violence R-rated)

Brian’s Song

Bridge on the River Kwai

Brigadoon

Buttercream Gang

Call the Midwife

Castaway

Chariots of Fire

Charlotte’s Web

Charly

Cheaper by the Dozen - older version

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Christy

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Courage Heart of Irena Sendler - about a woman who saved many children from concentration camps

Courageous - about becoming a great father (a couple intense scenes may scare younger children)

Court Jester - Danny Kay

Cranford - has some medical stuff--blood, accidents--that we zipped through, otherwise very sweet family stuff

Cross and the Switchblade

David Copperfield (BBC version)

Dolphin Tale -  Ashley Jud Harry Connick Jr.

Dreamer

Driving Miss Daisy

Easter Parade -  Judy Garland and Fred Astaire

Emma - the Gweneth Paltrow version

Emma Smith, My Story

Ender's Game

Ephriam's Rescue - about LDS handcart pioneers

Evan Almighty

Ever After

Facing the Giants - faith-based football movie

Faith Like Potatoes

Father of the bride, part 1 & 2

Field of Dreams

Fireproof - about strengthening marriage

Fly Away Home

Follow Me Boys

Follow Me Boys

Forest Gump

Forever Strong - rugby player who has a change of heart (immodesty at a pool party)

Freaky Friday

Freedom Writers

Front of the Class - Hallmark film

Frozen

Gandhi - the long version

Gettysburg

Gifted Hands - about Ben Carson, famous pediatric neurosurgeon who pulled himself out of childhood poverty

Glory Road

Goal

God’s Not Dead - Christian college student being persecuted for beliefs

Godspell

Going for the Gold

Goodbye Miss Fourth of July

Goodbye Mister Chips

Goodnight Mister Tom

Grave of the Fireflies - animation showing WWII affected Japanese

Gravity - Sandra Bullock

Green Mile

Hans Christian Anderson -  Danny Kaye

Harry's War

Heaven is for Real - based on true story of boy's near-death-experience

Heaven Is REal

Heidi

Here Comes the Boom

Hobart Shakespeareans

Hobbit

Hoosiers

How the West Was Won

I Remember Mamma

I.Q.

In Search of the Castaways

In the Name of God's Poor - the true story of Mother Teresa

Jane Eyre (certain versions)

Joan of Arc (Ingrid Bergman version)

John Adams miniseries - has a few short scenes you'll want to skip, you can buy edited version

Johnny Tremain - Revolutionary war time period

Joseph (Ben Kingsley version)

Journey for Margaret

Kiki's Delivery Service

Lark Rise to Candleford

Lassie

Lassie Come Home

Lean on Me

Legend of the Guardians

Les Miserables (Geoffrey Rush version)

Letter Writer

Letters to God

Letters to Juliet

Liberty's Kids - animated Revolution series

Life is Beautiful -  Italian with subtitles, this should be viewed by older children since the thematic content is heavy, about the Holocaust

Like Stars on Earth

Liken the Scriptures - entertaining musical scripture stories

Little House on the Prairie series

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Little Men

Little Shop Around the Corner

Little Women (1949 and Wynona Rider versions were both recommended)

Living Scriptures - animated series about Bible, Book of Mormon, heroes in history, also documentaries about modern prophets and pioneers

Lord of the Rings

Love Comes Softly - faith-based series of ten movies set in the 1800's

Madame Curie

Man in the Iron Mask

Man of La Mancha

Mary Poppins

Meet Me in St. Louis - Judy Garland

Meet The Robinsons

Miracle on Ice

Miracle Worker - about Hellen Keller

Miracle - about 1980 US hockey team

Miss Potter

Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House - Cary Grant -  HILARIOUS family movie about buying and renovating a home

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Mr. Holland's Opus

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Imporium

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ( James Stewart)

Mrs. Arris Goes to Paris

Mrs. Miniver

My Fair Lady

My Name is David

My Neighbor Totoro

My Side of the Mountain

Nanny McPhee

National Treasure

National Velvet

Newsies

Night at the Opera - best Marx Brothers movie EVER, very quotable

Nim's Island

October Skies

Old Yeller

On the Town - Gene Kelley, Frank Sinatra

One Good Man - about a new LDS bishop

Paper Clips

Parent Trap (old or new version)

Passage to Zarahemla  - intense but great for older kids and teens--the DVD contains two versions, one for younger kids

Pay it Forward

Perfect Harmony

Playing for Time

Pollyanna - Disney or BBC version

Prince of Egypt

Princess Diaries

Rascal

Remember the Titans

Rigaletto

Rocket Man

Ruby Bridges

Sarah Plain and Tall series

Saratov Approach - based on true story of missionaries kidnapped in Russia, intensity

Saving Sarah Cane

Scamper the Penguin

Scarlet Pimpernel

Schindler’s List (about the Holocaust) - R rated

Seabiscuit

Second Hand Lions

Secret Millionaires Club

Secretariat - Great story of dream, struggle, victory

Sense and Sensibility

Sergeant York (Gary cooper)*

Seven Alone

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Seven Days in Utopia

Shadowlands - based on true story about C.S. Lewis, the author of Narnia series

Shenandoah (James Stewart)*

Singing in the Rain - Donald O'Conner, Gene Kelley, Debbie Reynolds

Something the Lord Made

Soul Surfer - beach attire

Sound of Music

Sounder

Spellbound

Stand and Deliver

Stand Strong - learning that family matters more than image, living within one's means, faith

Star Wars

Stone Fox

Support Your Local Sheriff

Surf's Up

Swiss Family Robinson

Tale of Two Cities

Tangled

The Absent Minded Professor - 161 version Red McMurray

The African Queen

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

The Bachelor and Bobbie Soxer - Cary Grant, Shirley Temple

The Best Two Years - about LDS missionaries

The Bible in the Beginning

The Blind Side

The Book of Ruth

The Book Thief

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Chronicles of Narnia series - Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, etc.

The Elephant Man

The Emperor’s New Groove

The Father on My Three Sons

The First Grader

The First Olympics: Athens 1896

The Fox and the Child

The Glenn miller story

The Greatest Game Ever Played

The Happiest Millionaire (Disney)

The Hiding Place - of course the book is better (always, right?) but I just LOVE the Ten Boom family and feel inspired by their strength and faith every time I think about them

The Human Experience

The Indian In The Cupboard

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness - about an American woman missionary who saved many children at the beginning WWII

The Keys of the Kingdom

The King's Speech

The Lake House (not to be confused with LakeHouse)

The Letter Writer

The Longest Yard

The Man from Snowy River

The Marva Collins Story

The Mission - music by Ennio Morricone

The Music Man

The Other Side of Heaven - Disney about LDS missionary John Groberg in Tonga

The Power of One

The Pride of the Yankees: The Lou Gehrig Story

The Prince and the Pauper

The Princess Bride

The Red Pony

The Road Home

The Robe

The Rogue Stallion

The Sandlot - some swearing

The Secret Garden

The Son of God

The Spirit of St. Louis

The Story of One

The Swamp Fox - Revolutionary war time period

The Ten Commandments

The Terminal

The Testaments: of One Fold and One Shepherd

The Tooth Fairy - Julie Andrews

The Ultimate Gift (on Clearplay?)

The Ultimate Life

The Vow

The Work and the Glory series

The Yearling

The Young Victoria

Time Changer

To Kill a Mocking bird - Greg Peck

To Sir, With Love

Tuesdays with Morrie

Twelve Angry Men

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Victoria and Albert

Vivah

War horse

We Bought a Zoo

What About Bob

What The Deaf Man Heard

What's Up Doc? -  hilarious & wacky Barbara Streisand movie

Where the Red Rern Grows

White Christmas -  Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye

Wild Hearts Can't be Broken

Willow

Wives and Daughters

Wizard of Oz

You Can't Take it With You - James Stewart

Yours Mine and Ours

Documentary Recommendations

Most of these ideas are from friends, which again means I can't verify whether they meet the LDS standards above.

1. Agenda: Grinding America Down  - the documentary I recommend the most often to others. Watch it free here.
2. America: Imagine the World without Her 
3. For Our Day: Covenant on the Land info here
4. Monumental: In Search of America's National Treasure
5. Runaway Slave: Why Growing Dependency on Big Government is Destroying America 
6. Unstoppable - by Kirk Cameron, about people losing faith over "where is God during tragedy" 
7. Fires of Faith (a three-part BYU series about Reformation and King James Bible)
8. Why Christianity 
9. Captivated: Finding Freedom in a Media Captive Culture 
10. Indoctrination: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America 
11. Building the Machine – about Common Core. Watch it free here. 
12. Waiting for Superman - very interesting documentary on public schools
13. Privileged Planet
14. Back to Eden
15. Thrive
16. Unlocking the Mystery of Life
17. My Life as a Turkey -Joe Hutto mothered a bunch of wild turkeys from birth, then they recreated it as a documentary
18. Nova episodes on PBS, I think our favorites though have been the "Making Stuff" series.  IE: Making stuff smaller, stronger, faster, etc. The host, David Pogue, does a great job.  Here's a link to one of them, It's the Making Stuff Wilder episode. http://video.pbs.org/video/2365105192/
19. American Experience and Nature on PBS 
20. Anything by Ken Burns, he's awesome.  He goes into depth on whatever he's documenting.  We have his civil war, baseball and National Parks documentaries that we recorded off TV when they aired.  
21. We have used videos from izzit.org for the past couple of years. They send free DVDs once a year (you get to choose). They have teacher guides that come with them. The newer ones have the guides on the disc, but the older ones have booklets in the DVD case. Here are some that we have (the next six videos in this list): 
22. Who Owns What (Property Rights and Regulations)
23. Unintended Consequences: Eminent Domain
24. The Road to Prosperity
25. Yours and Mine- The Lesson of 1623
26. 2081 - A short film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron"
27. Unstoppable Solar Cycles
28. Everyone's Space
29. Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution 1, 2 and 3 - combats evolution 
30. Forks Over Knives 
31. The Story of US 
32. PBS American Experience
33. Ken Burns Civil War
34. BYUtv American Ride
35. Ken Burns The War (PBS) 
36. The World at War
37. American Presidents (available at the Davis County library)
38. PBS.org has many of their programs for you to stream for free: Nova, Frontline, Nova Science Now, American Experience, Masterpiece Theater, etc. 
39. Between the Folds – documentary on origami 
40. How the Universe Works (series)
41. Secret Life of Bees
42. Blue Planet
43. March of the Penguins
44. Documentary on solving the mystery of Titanic (Netflix 7-11 yr olds loved it) 
45. Drive Through History DVD's 
46. Moody Science videos are very good. They have a wide variety of topics. 
47. The American Heritage series is excellent. We just bought the sequel and a collection of single DVDs. 
48. Wild Horse and Wild Ride – I just watched a really interesting documentary on the Mustang Challenge. It followed several trainers from the time they picked up their wild mustangs to the Challenge in Ft. Worth (one of several in the nation) 100 days later. It was really fascinating. 
49. Farmageddon – about the FDA
50. Business of Being Born
51. Civil War - by Ken Burns 
52. National Geographic: Inside North Korea
53. Mitt - about Mitt Romney 
54. There's a great documentary about Albert Schweitzer on You Tube. Very inspiring, and was filmed while he was alive, with the understanding that it would only be released after his death. What a great man with a divinely inspired mission!
55. God of Wonders - on Netflix 
56. How the Universe Works - on Netflix
57. The Rise of Global Governance 
58. Agenda 21: How Will it Affect You?
59. Rise and Fall of Rome - by history channel
60. What the ancients knew 
61. What the ancients did for us
62. Age of empires
63. Horrible Histories (BBC)
64. "Make Things (Faster, Smarter, Colder, Safer...)" episodes on Nova

Sources to watch movies and documentaries 

Most of these ideas are from friends. 

1. Zion Tube is a great movie resource with an LDS perspective. Find trailers, full movies, documentaries, Disneys, classics
2. Christian Cinema, is a Netflix-type company that only carries family and faith promoting movies. 
3. Christian Film Database - It appears that you can rent or watch movies using pay-per-view.  They promote films with a Christian message, and claim to be the most extensive database of Christian movies ever. 
4. Netflix
5. Your local library 
6. Youtube
7. Discovery education has a wonderful website (was known as united streaming) has a plethora of videos.  
8. History channel has some good stuff...sometimes you can find a whole episodes on You tube. 
9. National Geographic
10. History.com 
11. Civilwar.org 
12. BBC
13. PBS.org 
14. BYUTV 
15. Mormonflix.com
16. MormonChannel.org 
17. LDS.org 
18. Top Documentary Films 
19. The YouTube channel "Disneytv4me" has some old, really fun Disney episodes that were on the weekly Sunday night TV called The Wonderful World of Disney. 
20. I've been impressed with the list of recommendations at The Center for Social Leadership Oliver DeMille's site).
21. Feature Films for Families
22. I also like to watch Moody Science classics on youtube. Just do a search on youtube for that phrase. There are a little cheesy but hark back to a simpler time when life was cleaner, which makes me feel good. They focus on believing in God and science.
23. You can get signed up at http://puritanpicks.com and have a service like Netflix that only stocks family friendly movies. A similar site is http://faithandfamilyflix.com. Cool!
24. Izzit.org 
25. Hallmark movies 

Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness Chart

Paul and I went to a great powerless cooking date event last weekend and the lady who ran it was super knowledgable. She created this helpful graphic from which to place where you are preparedness-level-wise. And then use that as a jump off point.

if you can't read it, just go to her website

Where do you line up? Where do you want to be?
I know I have a long way to go, and this helps me fill in the gaps.

I hope to create a little more detailed plan from her graphic to also add to this blog later. But for now, this is a great place to start.

Shelley

A Minimalist Perspective on Entitlement

I was talking with a few friends the other day about raising kids and all the "stuff" we accumulate and had a few points I thought it might be helpful to post.

• Ownership vs. Stewardship: my friend's husband was saying kids need to have their own things so they learn to take ownership. I understand where he's coming from, but I respectfully disagree. I think structure or rules can build in that that principle, without having to actually own a thing. In our family we tell the kids that everything if "the family's" and that we let them use them. For example: Ethan's bed isn't "his," it is the family's, but he is using it for now. And when he gets older it may go to Nellie. HE knows this and is fine with it, but he still feels stewardship for his bed because he has to fix his covers to make his bed look nice, so his room feels clean and peaceful. And he loves this and does well with this principle--therefore still taking ownership, without entitlement. Click here for a nice simple video about stewardship.
• Responsibility: the same example above shows you can have responsibilities for things, without ownership. Another example is Ethan's quiet-time shelf. He has a few library and personal books on one shelf and box of blocks and craft box on the shelf below. These are his responsibility to take care of each day between 12-2 when he takes a quiet time by himself. He plays with them and puts them back, but knows they are the family's (or library's) and will disappear if he isn't responsible with them. I always tell him "If you're aren't responsible with that, you will lose it." That's our rule and it smashes the need for entitlement if they aren't using it well.
• Awareness & Gentleness: to go along with treating things carefully. I fully believe society has so much of everything that we care for nothing. Not really, but how many times do we think, "I'm out of pens (or chapstick). I should go buy a big box so I stop losing them?" What about our kid's coloring book collection or crayon box, my goodness! Stuffed animals? When we are surrounded by tons, we treat things like they are of less worth. Ethan gets a small box with a few crayons (no duplicates). If he breaks them on purpose he loses them. He has two coloring books. I think he has 10 books out right now (rotate through as needed). This practice helps him more fully appreciate and take care of what he has. Otherwise I'd just find piles of everything everywhere with no concern. This is especially true for cheap dollar store junk that breaks easily--certain plastic things in general too. Kids need deep relationships with a story or a toy to build their imagination and to deepen their understanding of the world. Too much = surface level engagement (where the entitlement battle wages on with the sense of wanting "more, more, more"). So another rule we do is one toy at a time (sometimes it's two or three if he's using blocks with cars and such, but the idea is put one toy away if you move onto another).
• Sharing: we have a great little set of wooden bowls from a garage sale i found randomly. I had no idea what I'd use them for, but they felt they made sense in my view of what I wanted to fill my kitchen with (besides plastic junk). And now I love them! Whenever people come over, or everyday for snack time Ethan and Nellie share a bowl of food from one (usually pirate booty puffs--their favorite). It definitely makes lunch more of a unifying experience, but the kids feel happy, rather than entitled to their own individual portions of everything. And my kids are now good sharers, because they had to learn to be. Sharing over entitlement.

So, now envision a typical moment in your daily life with your kids:say  lunch. How can we take that experience and get rid of "entitlement issues" using these thoughts?

• Place Settings: cloth napkins Ethan can get from the kitchen drawer when he needs it, and putting his plate, cup, etc. on the counter by the sink when finished. In fact, his cup has a hook that he can hang it from so he knows where to get it and can use the same one over and over. These things give him a sense of responsibility. He also knows to treat them with care because he doesn't have tons of cups to choose from. If he breaks his, then he's at a loss. (Think of Little House on the Prairie...they were happy to even have a tin cup between the siblings. And we usually have our cupboards overflowing with way too many options. Simplifying is sweet and gratifying.)
• Sharing Bowl: as mentioned above. We also have some great wooden veggie trays that we put veggies in, or stacker lunch options with toothpicks and we all eat from it together. And for Friday Family Fun nights we try to eat fun dinners we can make and share together: pizza, sushi, nachos, popcorn, etc. Events should be unifying, instead of separate with the feeling of "entitlement."
• Food Options: kids dont always want everything I make, so we do stacker lunches a lot. I put out a few healthy options, but let the kids stack together on toothpick kabobs what they want in their order, just with a few rules on not taking too much cheese or something. So kids feel empowered to create and enjoy lunch together, but aren't telling me what to give them and bossying me around like they are entitled. 

Kids aren't the boss, though at times they think they are. As we can get away from an "entitlement" focus to a stewardship focus, I feel our kids will feel more grounded and secure to be who they are and to live in greater unity with those around them. I can't say we also have the focus as best we could, but these things sure help!

For more ideas on how to implement some of these things, read my post on Simplicity Parenting (and decluttering kid's toys).

Goodreads: Hidden Treasures Book

I had to capture some of my thoughts from two free ebooks I read about thoughts becoming our reality....
If you'd like to get more info, go to her website and signup for emails. She sends great little videos and files to help empower with greater perspective in life and to feel more positive about things that happen in life.

7 LAWS: Hidden Treasures

Law of Perpetual Transmutation

Circumstances and things are perpetually coming or going according to your thoughts.

Law of Relativity

Your situation is not fundamentally good or bad until you compare it to something else.

*see further details on this law after this list of rules

Law of Vibration

Your thoughts control your personal vibration. Change your thoughts, get emotional about them, and you’ll change what is attracted to you.

Law of Polarity

Everything has an opposite. A bad situation is equally good. Look for the good, and more good will be on its way.

Law of Rhythm

When you feel down be assured that an upswing is coming. Plan on endless progression upward.

Law of Cause and Effect

Action and reaction are equal, in opposite directions. Focus on what you can give, not what you will get.

Law of Gender

Plant your own idea seeds, and then be patient. Don’t uproot your idea seed with doubt.

Vacuum Law of Prosperity

Nature abhors a vacuum. Make room for the thing you desire by giving away that which you do not like or use. Give it away, and let the Universe compensate you. God pays better than yard sale shoppers.

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Law of Relativity (in detail)

Your situation is not fundamentally good or bad until you compare it to something else.

When consciously presented with an idea, situation, object, etc., your mind takes that in "as it is." It isn't fundamentally bad or good unless we assign a meaning to it (which is where emotions come in). The meaning/emotion we attach towards something creates that belief and labels it as either good or bad. Once we've labelled that, our subconscious takes that as truth and will act on that belief (whether or not we are aware). This affects how we view others or ourselves, how we view our "lot in life" or hardships, our body language, our attitudes, etc.

All the more reason to be objective and not too hasty to judge or label self, others or situation. When something happens to you, take a moment and find something positive in it, then you will program you subconscious to accept it with gratitude and the result will be a positive one. On the other hand though, if we accept something negatively, then it will lodge in our subconscious and create negative beliefs and actions as a result. This is where real limits lie in our life. Our thoughts are powerful in creating our reality. What are you creating? Are you living beneath your limits because of past experiences or beliefs?

If God is the Great "I Am," and provided a Savior to help you BE...What would that mean to you in this context?  Who "Are" you really? Do you feel like you are living your divine potential?

If you'd like to read more, read my post on The Emotion Code.

She also wrote the Jack-Rabbit Factor, if you are interested in how to envision what you want out of life. I think some may really get into it (but I personally didn't love the book and would've rather had a bullet-point list of her points without the long story. :)

Greenreads: The Emotion Code

The atonement is about being. It is about living life to its fullest. Letting go of ANYTHING that stands in the way of you reaching you fullest potential and living your mission in this life. So like my two year old girl loves to mumble as she freely spins in constant circles, mimicking the Frozen movie, "let it go!" Whatever false beliefs or negative emotions you have purposely or accidentally created from trials you have gone through....find them out and discard them. Your body and spirit will be much happier and you will find yourself more fully living your true potential.

This is where the book, The Emotion Code came in for me. Sometimes I don't acknowledge my emotions. Emotions to me get in the way, or at least it always felt that way. But I realized through reading this book that I need to be aware of what my emotions are, as a guideline to help me understand my beliefs about myself and others around me, and about experiences I have.  Much like pain in the body is a way to communicate to us something needs attention.

I know there have been times in my life where I didn't understand my emotions. They were too complex or foreign to the typical fast-paced, quick learner attitude I typically take life with. They literally got in my way or burdened me at times of intense trial. But it was because I didn't take time to understand them as fully as I should have. After reading this book, I found it A helpful tool for me to identify some of my past emotions that I didn't fully accept and are now part of my subconscious. (Please read my past post about emotions stemming from our conscious mind labeling our experiences, which creates an emotion regarding that experience and then lodges in our subconscious as truth, but is indeed a false reality. The graphic that helps will be at the bottom of that post.)

So, if you are interested more in how to find out what some of your false beliefs or negative emotions are that you have subconsciously accepted as truth, then read this book. You can also write down, for a week, negative thoughts you have about yourself and see what the underlying issues may be. And prayer will always help bring things to the forefront--magnify your efforts.

Let me just say that after a big heart break a decade ago that really gave me years of pain I tried to force shut--and as a result lost me a lot of opportunities and people in my life that I wanted to let in, but subconsciously wasn't able to. I am glad that I have since come to a deeper understanding of the roles of emotion and pain and the importance of not subduing or ignoring pain, but of acknowledging it and peacefully, humbly loving the place it has brought me to. Pain is good--if you use it to acknowledge A need for change. There is no way I would be who I am without having had to search myself to find again my fun, spunky inner child and to let go of some childish beliefs I let have place in my heart. 

And a major key in this process is acknowledging fear and worry as triggers that keep you from this path of letting go. I live life with a motto that if I fear something or worry about something, then I need to better understand it and learn about it so I can empower myself to not hold onto that worry or fear, but more fully replace it with faith. What are fears you have? Have you acknowledged them? Have you turned them over to The Lord? Or are we too busy trying to keep them inside ourselves, being independent? The Lord wants us to yoke with him, but he can't if we are independent and stubborn in our certain realms of "that's just who I am" or "that's just life" type of thoughts. God wishes us to excel and not be held back. if we feel held back in any area, there is a lesson to be learned. Find it, or at least move forward in faith,

Most of us have a heart wall. The emotion code explains it as a subconscious barrier we place around our heart after having experiences we attach negative emotions to, in order to protect ourselves. I thought I had cleared mine six years ago after I got back from my mission, when I felt free and I had more clear direction for my life, but really it was still suppressed. (Somehow Paul got past it...lucky man.) :)    Now I can say it is gone, fully acknowledged and I now know and feel the difference. So it can't affect me subconsciously in my behavior towards others and not letting them in. I feel great love towards that experience, instead of grief and bitterness, because I see Gods hand in it completely. And I love where I am at and who I am. I feel I am living my potential, my mission in life. And there is nothing better than feeling free, unburdened--aware of God so fully in all the details of my life and learning. My favorite beatitude is "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." It is our hearts that allow us to see (for better of for worse). Don't allow your heart to be clouded over, but turn all things over to God and let him show you his hand in your life. You truly will see God in all the details as you attach gratitude and positive meaning to all things you experience.

Like Victor Frankhill said...
"the last of mans freedoms is to choose his attitude in a given set of circumstances." 

Don't just choose your attitude, choose the higher way of turning your mental focus on your trials over completely to The Lord and asking him to remove the negative thoughts about it and to make you new, and show you His hand in the trial towards reaching your potential. That is what he wants for you! You can be who you want to be now. Seriously. I felt I would be that person a decade from now, but since this experience I have realized I am who I want to be! I love my life and feel I am living my mission. I am where I need to be and life is awesome! God is awesome!

Phew! That was intense.

So, good luck on living your mission. 

And Remember my all-time favorite Scripture: Moroni 10:32 (that whole chapter rocks!)
Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

A fun idea is to study the heart, in the scriptures. What takes hold on the heart? How do we let it go? why is Satan so eager to take hold on ours?  Etc.

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I will post the chart from the book here....

Iridology 201

Ok, now that you've looked at the fun little "reflexology" of the eye chart (if not, click here for my previous post).

Here is a little more depth to what I've learned and it is fascinating. 

So the preface: I went to a healing conference and this iridologist looked at my eye for 1 minute and told me that I had major digestive issues that needed to be addressed to help my system be happy. He also mentioned that I had a very strong willed constitution (which could be good or bad, and is another story).

So he told me that I needed to heal my stomach lining and mentioned some herbs I could buy and make infusions with. 

What I loved about this experience:

1. He wasn't trying to make money

2. He identified my biggest health issue right now, and I had only said "hi. can you check my eyes" to him--never seen or met him before that. 

3. He prioritized for me what I needed to do in a simple 1,2,3 format.

4. He mentioned an herb I could get anywhere. It wasn't something he was selling and it wasnt some random supplement someone else fabricated far away. 

5. And he said it was totally doable.

6. We then had a short, but nice discussion about the power of people's eyes as really being windows to our souls. And how awesome God is in nature's details. 

Needless to say... I attended his class and learned a lot. Here are my notes that I tried to organize into a somewhat comprehensible outline--starting with a quote appropriate to why I'm interested in iridology.

A Chinese proverb says:
‘A poor doctor cures; a good doctor prevents’. 

So, let's look at the eye.

Did you know that the eye literally reflects the health of your body? Why?

There are more than 28,000 nerve fibers in the human eye and each one is directly connected to the brain. The brain is in direct contact with all the nerves and cells of the body and as such any defect within the body will show up in the iris.

Did you know there are only two eye colors: 

• brown
• blue

You may not agree (esp. if you have green eyes, but iridologists explain why), but you are not the iridologist. So accept that "theory" for now and continue reading. :)  The green is caused by generational mixing of the brown and blue, or by yellow discolorations in a blue parts.

 

This is a graphic i found online that summarizes part of what he said...

There are concentric circles away from the pupil which stand for the following areas:

• digestion (stomach), 
• assimilation (intestines), 
• utilization (inner organs) and 
• elimination (lymph system and skin--read my post on the lymph system if you aren't sure what it is).

There are 4 Stages

If you have discoloration or bumps, etc. they can be one of the following four stages: (some are because of genetic predispositions--inherited--but others may be problems you've had that have digressed. Either way, looking at your eye and observing what areas are affected can be empowering.)

1. Acute (these are slightly raised off your eye--typically not inherited)
2. Semi-acute
3. Chronic
4. Degenerative (these are slight divots into your eyes--maybe you've had these problems a long time in your life, or they are inherited from 3+ generations ago)

What Constitution are you?

These are the lines perpendicular to the pupil and concentric rings (like wagon wheel spokes). I don't know the exact definitions, just generalizations, so google it if you're super curious.

• Strong (tight together: doesn't easily let things in or out. Typically strong-willed and more natural leaders. Slower healing time.)
• Medium 
• Weak (very loose: typically not very strong-willed. Pretty easy-going and lacking structure.)

Other random tidbits:

• The left eye (as in many other healing modalities and Eastern Medicine) represents the female side, while the right represents the male
• the more intense the color in the inner circles means more of an introvert, while the color more towards the outer rings is more extroverted
• tree rings around your pupil (like concentric circles) deals with perfectionism
• If you have wagon wheel spokes that aren't lines, but rather are circles (connected spokes), that shows a closed lesion--which is a generational weakness passed down to you. Notice the area on the eye and see what anatomy part is affected on the iridology chart from my first post.
• Whitish lines and spots are lymph system related problems
• If your pupil dilates in and out (bouncy): adrenal fatigue symptom (also have a hard time keeping tongue out without shaking)
• If there is a dark circle around your pupil, then your stomach is under-acidic and needs the gut lining healed.(use Slippery elm herb)
• Law of Cure says: "The Body heals from the inside, out; from the top, down."
• For more cool info on iridology read Bernard Jensen's books: Iridology Simplified, etc.

And His Last Advice:

1. Be responsible for your health
2. Identify toxins/problems in/around you and stop/replace them
3. It takes 5-7 times nutrition levels to heal than to maintain
4. You body needs 3 months to heal, plus 1 month for every year your body was weak

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My personal advice is Ether 12:27

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

**Prayer and wisdom is what will guide us through our healing journey. Alma 32 talks about being humble and seeking change, before being brought to crisis in which we then are forced to change or suffer. Though this may seem doomsday-ish, I don't mean it to. By taking full charge of our health and selves, we can more fully live and enjoy what God has given us. 

All these tools I'm learning about are in nature and are beautiful and awe-inspiring. I can't help but feel greater love and acknowledgement of the Lord and his tender mercies in showing us truth in all things around us. If our eyes are open.

Notes: 4 Rules for Eating Healthy

I sat through some of a food lecture by Angie Christensen. I liked her four main points of fundamental healthy eating based on God's laws. Here are the few notes I took. Nothing surprising, but refreshingly simple.

1. Eat what God created in nature

2. Eat the form God created

•  sourdough--natural yeast vs. instant yeast--synthetic (doesn't pre-digest/is fake)

3. Eat in the right quantities God designed your systems for
He certainly didn't design us to eat so many chips, bread, cookies, crackers, cake, etc.

• eat seasonally
• eat locally (home grown is best)

4. Eat "by the sweat of your brow" (effort)

• there are no fast food examples in scriptures...even the miraculous food examples (they even had to prepare the manna. The manna descended in the night in the form of coriander-seed of the color of bdellium (Num. xi. 7), so that in the morning the ground looked as if it were covered with hoar frost. The grains were ground or pounded into flour, and then the flour was prepared and baked in the form of cakes, the taste of which was like that of "wafers made with honey" or "as the taste of fresh oil" (Ex. xvi. 31; Num. xi. 8)--from 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia)
• effort is connected to Joy/meaningful (input--output)

Greenreads: Guide to Healthy Bowel

I just read Bernard jensens guide to bowel care (or something like that title). 

He is the famous iridology author. And the book totally spoke to me about why we should be in a natural position while passing stool. 

He mentioned research about how sitting on a pot never fully allows the colon to eliminate because it's not the natural position to support your colon and effectively use gravity's help. 

I've wondered about that ever since I decided I didn't like the typical birthing position with my first and did homebirth with my second. Same thing with toilets. And since potty training my boy, he always stands on the toilet to squat...which at first I thought was weird, but now I get it. It's natural for kids to squat. Was it once for us too? Could it be so again? hmmm...

here's a graphic for ya

So, theoretically, what if society would be ok without toilets?  Or had a stool to help, so we can still sit. There are things called squatty Pottys made in St. George, actually.

I'd probably think it weird if I hadn't tried it in Asia and Europe. But there are some pretty fancy holes/bidets. They do it all over the world, except here. And I'll bet we are the most constipated country.... :)

Also, he mentioned all the research he has done with embryos in tracing the development of their colon cells. It was fascinating to read that certain parts of the colon sent cells to certains organs. He found that the colons health was reflected in the organs that shared those sames cells from development. So it makes sense that there is a "reflexology" of the colon, much like reflexology of the feet, back, eye, etc. 

Stay tuned for my Iridology 201 post to further explore the eye and how we can better understand our health through that "window." (And I'll explain it from a logical, scientific view...a best an amateur researcher can) :)

Notes: Great Lymphatic System

Notes from Dr. Morse's  "The Great Lymphatic System," plus some of my thoughts. (found on YouTube)
This was so eye-opening to a simple view of of body being acid vs. alkaline and what that means to our cells. It reduced all the various diseases and problems with the body to a basic, understandable idea.

A great pattern I'm seeing in everything related to nature, our bodies, learning, etc. is the following process:

• Consumption (nutrition)
• Elimination (waste)

* The process between the input and output involves the following steps: 

• Digestive (liver, galbladder, pancreas, stomach, etc.)
• Absorption (lymph system)
• Utilization (endocrine glands)

Body is mostly made of cells and two fluids:
Cells: need carbon (carbs) and oxygen to run (ATP for energy)
2 Fluids: interstitial fluid to keep health of cells
A) blood is 1/4--delivers nutrition (kitchen): through arteries (bring in) and capillaries (send out)
B) lymph is 3/4--sewer/immune system (bathroom): through lymph vessels (lipid-based)
 - lymph nodes hold bacteria to break down waste (septic tank--don't remove if backed up....fix it)
 - kidneys and skin are main eliminators (filter cellular waste)- if adrenals are weak, kidneys too (fix adrenals)
 - urine should be dense and have chemistry to it since there is "sewage" in it (shouldn't be clear per say)
 - back problems/shoulders/neck may be backed up lymph system
Other than that there will be bacteria and viruses, but they can generally get detoxed (unless they is overburdening)


Simplistic Chemistry: chemistry & physics (with cause and effect; strong survive/weak consumed)
- the body seeks homeostatis through balance (chemistry, physics, magnetics, etc.)
Acids (male/destruction/inflammatory): phosporus, nitrogen (less than 7pH)
Bases/Akaline (female/creation/anti-inflammatoty: (more than 7 pH)
Neutral (is 7 pH)
 - Earth use to be 20% acid to Akaline 80%
 - blood should be alkaline (not acidic)
 - body steals from your current body systems/organs to counteract an overly acidic body
 - pollution is acidic and follow same pattern (acid rain)
 - body can't use protein, only the amino acids within the protein, so we need HCL (stomach acid) to break protein down. Fruits and Veggies have amino acids more readily accessible.
 - muscles create lactic acid as they work. (Skin problems = when acid backs up in skin)
 - Cancer = a damaged cell (overburden by acid at 3pH that the lymph cant get rid of--ideally lymph nodes help filter acids up to 6pH and help eliminate them from cells)
 - you can't heal trauma or injury in an acidic environment
 - lymph gets thickened or hardened and causes swelling (that's what you find in cysts and tumors)
 - if lymph system is down it causes stagnation (no movement!! can you think stagnant water and disease?)
 - rehydration happens in base medium (not acid--Gatorade and sodas are acidic about 3 pH)

**see my post with the acidity level for foods 

"If you fear anything, fear acid."

Body has two main antacids: 
 - cholesterol (LDL: adrenal steroids made from, HDL: phospholipids in cell wall)
 - Stomach acid problems = bi-carbonate problems in pancreas

Where to Go from Here:
1. Need herbs to boost adrenals
2. Fruits and Veggies to clean blood.
3. Then lymph nodes need to be cleaned to filter
4. Kidneys also need to be strengthened

Blood Pressure
Top (systolic): should be 120 - otherwise weak adrenals
Bottom (diastolic): should be 60  - otherwise weak kidneys
Swinging Pressure (high and low variations depending on day): caused by stress

Greenreads: Joseph Smith and Natural Foods

I enjoyed reading a lot of the quotes and accounts of healing and health from the pioneer times that were captured in this book: Joseph Smith and Natural Food by John Heinerman. I didn't care for, nor read all his commentary, but the original quotes and journal entries were enlightening. Here are some of my notes and thoughts….

HERB NOTES:

Brigham Young's Composition Tea (used regularly and as medicine)

4 oz. each of ground bayberry, poplar bark, and hemlock; 2 oz. each of ground ginger, cloves, and cinnamon; and 1 oz. of cayenne pepper. I take a small bit on the end of a spoon, fill the cup with hot water, and use plenty of cream and sugar.

At one point in Utah there people would take the white residue off of the cottonwood and willow tree leaves and add water, then strain. Afterwards they’d boil it down to a maple sugar alternative.  Woah…cool. (If you think about it, you can get sweetness from the juice of sweet potatoes or winter squash, so it makes sense you can reduce many things to get a sweetness. Although stevia leaf is so much easier.)  J

OTHER QUOTES:

Ezra Taft Benson

“To a great extent we are physically what we eat… What needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects - the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat.  In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state - without over

refinement and processing - the healthier we will be.  To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we over-indulge in junk foods…we need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the ‘king’s meat’ - and whose countenances show it.”

Joseph Smith

"The saints should use wisdom, and this is wisdom--if a cup of tea will stop a chill and fever, use it, but only to drive away the seizure."

My comment: I believe this is in direct reference to green tea, since there was a bunch of confusion when the Word of Wisdom came out and people were getting all crazy throwing out teapots and such. And Joseph came out and said they didn’t need to be so letter-of-the-law and that they can still use their teapots for others things. Also, he took herbal infusions when he was in need of general medicine. And he even had to tell Sidney Rigdon to lighten up because Sidney was being way too strict that he wasn’t able to get over the same sickness  Joseph Smith had, until he felt justified when Joseph used some herbs recover. So then he went out and bought some and recovered too.

It is interesting to note that when we are told "strong drinks are not for the belly" it can be taken quite literally. Tannic acid is found in green and black tea leaves (as well as in very fermented wine, oak bark, etc.) and is too strong for the stomach lining in our bellies if taken on a regular basis. Hence they are used only for a specific purpose and short duration if needed. And as a point of clarification for those not familiar with "teas"...Herbal teas don't have tannic acid.

*You can Read my post about herb tea vs. green and black tea.

Brigham Young

“If you observe faithfully the Word of Wisdom, you will have your dollar, your five dollars, your hundreds of dollars, yea, you will have your hundreds of dollars to spend for that which will be useful and profitable to you.  Why should we continue to practice in our lives those pernicious habits that have already sapped the foundation of the human constitution, and shortened the life of man to that degree that a generation passes away in the brief period of from twenty-seven to twenty-nine years?

     The strength, power, beauty and glory that once adorned the form and constitution of man have vanished away before the blighting influences of inordinate appetite and love of this world.  Doubtless we are about the best looking people today upon this footstool, and about the healthiest; but where is the iron constitution, the marrow in the bone, the power in the loins, and the strength in the sinew and muscle of which the ancient fathers could boast? These have, in a great measure, passed away; they have decayed from generation to generation, until constitutional weakness and effeminacy are bequeathed to us through the irregularities and sins of our fathers. The health and power and beauty that once adorned the noble form of man must again be restored to our race; and God designs that we shall engage in this great work of restoration. Then let us not trifle with our mission by indulging in the use of injurious substances.  These lay the foundation of disease and death in the systems of men, and the same are committed to their children, and another generation of feeble human beings is introduced into the world.  Such children have insufficient bone, sinew, muscle, and constitution, and are of little use to themselves, or to their fellow creatures; they are not prepared for life, but for the grave; not to live five, six, eight and nine hundred years, but to appear for a moment, as it were, and pass away.

    Now, when a person is fifty years of age he or she is considered an old man or an old woman; they begin to feel decrepit, and think they must feel old, appear old, and begin to die. Premature death is in the marrow of their bones, the seeds of early dissolution are sown in their bodies, they feel old at fifty, sixty, and seventy years, when they should feel like boys of fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen.  Instead of feeling decrepit at those years they should feel full of strength, vigor, and life, having attained to early maturity, prepared now to enter upon the duties of a long future life, and when two hundred years have been attained, they should then feel more vigorous than the healthiest of men do in this age at forty and fifty years…”

Hyrum Smith

“Everything has become degenerated from what it was in its primitive state; ‘God made man pure,  but he has found out many inventions.’ His vices have become innumerable, and his diseases multiplied; his taste has become vitiated, and his judgment impaired; he has fallen - fallen - fallen, from that dignified state that he once occupied on the earth; … he knows where disease is seated, and what is the cause of it; - he is also acquainted with the spring of health; the balm of Gilead - of life; he knows what course to pursue to restore mankind to their pristine excellency and primitive vigour, and health; and he has appointed the Word of Wisdom as one of the engines to bring about this thing, to remove the beastly appetites, the murderous disposition and the vitiated taste of man; to restore his body to health, and vigour, promote peace between him and the brute creation, and as one of the little wheels in God’s designs, to help to regulate the great machinery, which shall eventually revolutionalize the earth,  and bring about the restoration of all things, and when they are restored he will plant ‘the tree of life, whose leaves shall be for the healing of the nations.”

Why I Want to Homeschool

I never in my life wanted to home-school. I grew up in the school system. I liked school. I was teachers' pet, brown-noser, class clown at times, etc. Loved the attention I guess. :)  (though not always straight-A student) 

So why would I home-school?

Well, that thought didn't cross my mind until the last few years. I would say a few events slowly started preparing my mind for the idea..... (in no particular order)

• I had a baby and wondered what was best for him and started getting into healthier foods and lifestyle. And I felt that Christlike principles were the foundation.
• I read Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne and thought about how to simplify for my children and create security
• I had a home-birth with my second child and then started to question all sorts of society conformed ways of doing things that we just do for the sake of tradition
• I wanted to learn patience and how to love my children fully. I grew up as the youngest and didn't do a lot with younger kids. Always to busy to babysit and wasn't use to babies. I felt I needed to formally ask God's help to get where I wanted (and so I did that many years ago)
• I started trying to do a little "school" with my son, that turned into something slightly more formal with two other boys. It has given me practice and helped me form in my mind better ways to approach learning through play and less on academics.
• I questioned the school system. I had nothing against it. I just merely wanted to put it in my mind and make a list of pros and cons. I like to have a purpose behind the things I do, whether it be if I should eat out, or if I should go through the school system. I am not going to do things just because it's typical. So, I put it out there last year. And since doing that...honestly, I feel pieces of information and people have just come into my life without my actively seeking to "go against any system."
• I won a ticket to a Waldorf Education Conference. I love learning...gobble it up (if I'm interested in it). :) And I love free. I know God put this little gift in my path because he knew I would get something out of it and use it. And I left that conference feeling there was something missing in an academic-focused atmosphere (of any kind, not just the public school system). I wanted my child to get deeply rooted in virtues and to explore the world and naturally let things unfold as he discovers himself--all things he was interested in at his pace.
• I realized all truths are eternal. So learning should be placed in context of God's plan. And history as we fragmentally learned it in school, should be placed in His-story...with Christ as the centerpiece. This is the whole picture, and this is how I know I would've learned history best. 
• ...and still, I keep stumbling upon things that take me this direction I'm heading

So, back to the question: Why Homeschool? 

It totally differs for everyone. But here are my followup questions to that question:

• What are your greatest desires in life?
• What do you think is the purpose of education--for you, for your kids, etc.?
• Do these two fit together?

Mine did. So I'm pursuing it. Not everyone's will. But I feel that I had those questions in me and that I was led step by step until I now feel that for me and my mission, there is a strong connection and link between the two.

my notes from Michelle Stone's Celestial Education talk

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So...now I feel I can best establish a foundation on which to home-school, without feeling I have to teach my kids every fact and detail and that they have to excel at everything that's standardized to a specific age and area of knowledge. The key is creating an atmosphere. I want to home-school so I can create an atmosphere of love and truth in which each child can learn and grow in peace and at their own pace to discover their identity and what their individual role is in God's beautiful plan. Placing all things they learn into the context of His-story--an eternal mind-frame. I want learning to be fun and a family event and priority.

I'm not saying you can't do that by supplementing your teachings alongside a school system. But, for me...I feel I can personally best accomplish this if I home-school. Plus, I can gain the lessons I desire to learn. So, I feel God has created this opportunity for me to reach my potential, while helping my children do the same.

So again, ask yourself questions. Turn your deepest desires over to the Lord and see where he leads you. It may not be homeschooling. Who knows...maybe it will be to Utah, or out of Utah. :) I sure wasn't planning on staying here, but I feel it is where I need to be at this time. So I am content. 

Where do you need to be? Or what do you need to be doing? Are there things He can teach you about yourself, and so you feel you are accomplishing your mission and discovering your greatest potential? Instead of just living life as it seems typical. 

Pray about it. He will show you little by little, even if you aren't aware. Have faith to step in the dark. Don't delay desires or promptings to learn or try new things (unless you aren't keeping family as your priority.) If it's where you need to be he will shine more light on your path with each step and you will grow personally and as a family as you do these things and stay close to your family.

Life is a journey. Don't just live "it." 

Embrace your potential and make the world a better place as you go.

Got Parasites?

Apparently, most people have some sort of parasites in their body. A healthy body has more good bacteria and a healthy working system to fight minor problems. But some parasites cause large problems and are worse than others. Apparently I just found out I have a parasite that is wreaking havoc inside me. (I wonder if I got it in Vietnam on my trip with school when I went swimming and remember swallowing water. Yuck.)

Some symptoms of having parasite problems
(found on mindbodygreen.com--you generally won't have all these symptoms, but some)

• You traveled internationally and remember getting traveler’s diarrhea while abroad
• You have a history of food poisoning and your digestion has not been the same since.
• You have trouble falling asleep, or you wake up multiple times during the night.
• You get skin irritations or unexplained rashes, hives, rosacea or eczema.
• You experience fatigue, exhaustion, etc.
• You rarely feel satisfied or full after your meals.
• You've been diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia.
• You have an explained constipation, diarrhea, gas, or other symptoms of IBS
• *I would add gurgly belly (specifically related to moon cycle, when parasites egg hatch...as disgusting as that sounds)

I found it interesting to know that some parasites infect your blood, nervous system, other ares, etc. If you want to understand more about the three types of parasites and where they cause problems in the body google it. I read the government site and some nutritional sites.
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Anyway...there are things to implement in your life to help. Like staying away from foods that feed parasites, like simple carbohydates--sugars and dairy. And then adding in foods that don't create a hospitable environment for the parasites. These things listed below are things I've read on various sites that I am trying. So this information is to aid others who may have something, but not a totally solution.

Natural Things You Can Do...

• Pumpkin seeds
• raw garlic cloves
• probiotics to boost good bacteria
• Betamine HCL (digestive aid to help neutralize stomach acid)
• homeopathic, specific for the parasite you have (I have one from Butterfly Express)
• pomegranate juice, papaya, carrots and beets
• eat more fiber

*side note for any interested: I recently have had gum recession that might lead to periodontitis if not controlled. I haven't wanted to take the antibiotic, because I feel it related to a deeper issue. After lots of searching, I came across a holistic dentist's site who explained that periodontitis is frequently related to the Amoeba parasite being in your blood and affects your lungs or colon too. It eats red blood cells. Hmmm! Very interesting! And if you look at this map of teeth being related to areas in the body, you can notice the lung/large intestine labelled teeth on the bottom is exactly where my issue is. So now I'm looking into that.