So I've looked some more into medicinal herbs and I'm thinking I'm going to plant a few in my garden next spring. I'm going to try Feverfew, St. John's Wort, Lavender, Peppermint, Chamomile, Sassafras, Yarrow, and maybe a few more. I got the idea in Yorktown, actually - they had a post-Revolutionary farm and in one of the gardens they were growing medicinal herbs all along the edges. I'm excited to try it.
I've discovered as well that the Shred makes my hip and sciatic nerve hurt. So far I'm just pushing through it. I'm hoping it won't get any worse, because my son grabbed the camera a few times on vacation and took some lovely full-body shots of me that made me want to cry.
At least it was the reminder I needed to make myself get better about actually taking time to eat breakfast and lunch rather than just grab snacks all day until the kids are in bed. I've been making sure I sleep 7-8 hours and drink enough water as well.
Am I the only woman out there that has such an uncooperative body the year after a baby comes? I think it has to do with nursing, at least for me. It's so frustrating to eat right and exercise and still look like I frequent buffets and sit on my duff all day.
But I digress. All I can do is try harder.
How is everyone else doing with their commitments to stay healthy? Time for a weigh-in! (Pardon my pun...) Hit the comment button and let us have it.
You seem to be trying numerous healthful things congruently. For example you mention at least 7 different "medicinal" herbs, numerous lifestyle changes (dietary and sleep), and hydration changes. When you do see changes you prefer in your health, how will you decide where credit is due?
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying they are all for me or for my specific ailments, there were just some interesting remedies and teas that sounded like they would be easy to grow and fun to try, for lots of reasons not limited just to health. I think you are reading into it too deeply.
ReplyDeleteWhat I truly noticed made big differences in the things I struggle with is a very specific balance of foods for the weight thing and going all natural/partially organic for the headache thing. Who knows whether it would be the same for someone else or not, I can only speak for myself. I think every body is different in its own sensitivities and responses.
I am on day 3 of eating healthy again. Saturday night when I went to my closet to find something to wear to church the following morning I was reminded once again that I have a closet FULL of clothes that are too small. Not enough money to buy a new wardrobe, nor do I want to buy BIGGER clothes, so I am back to dieting.
ReplyDeleteI dieted after I had my third baby and lost 29 pounds. Felt great mentally and physically. Now I've had two more babies and the diet I did then doesn't seem to work as well this time around. Mostly though I just give up.
I made myself a chart so I can track my progress of eating right and exercising. Also, because sometimes the scale doesn't change that quickly, I am measuring parts of my body. (Arms, waist, hips, thighs.) Measuring encourages when the scale does not.
Most importantly though, I worry about the condition of my heart. Praying that the Lord will help me not to obsess about my body to the point where it becomes all-consuming for me. Also praying that while I am bigger than I'd like to be that it won't keep me from participating in LIFE. I'm often tempted to not do certain things because WHAT WILL SOMEONE THINK??? However I look I want to be willing to be used.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one struggling with these issues. We are our own worst critics.
I must confess I am not familiar with the medicinal uses of most of those herbs, except that peppermint in my mocha between Thanksgiving and New Year's makes me a much more tolerable individual in the morning- so, what are some uses for some of those?
ReplyDeleteDried Basil works well to help with mucous. If you have a cough/crud in your chest it will help. make a tea: 1 tsp. dried basil 6 oz. of hot water. let it steep like 5 min. and then strain out the dried basil. add a little honey and drink it. It really works (I give it to my kids too sometimes when they are coughing/cruddy) :). I lean much more to natural/alternative medicine side of things when possible so I am very interested in uses/trying herbs instead of medicine when possible.
ReplyDeleteI have had a harder time loosing weight after this pregnancy too. Well, I lost a bunch right after I had him, but actually gained it back after my gall bladder surgery was over. That has been rather discouraging cause I was down so much right after. I have a hard time when nursing cause I feel like I "NEED" more calories so then I do too much. argh. I'm still lower than I was when I first got pregnant with Micah, but not by too too much.
I know what to do/how to eat/how much water to drink/etc. it is just a matter of self discipline for me to do it.
Steph, can I get the same effect by eating large amounts of pesto? Mmmmmm.....
ReplyDeleteAmy - you sound just like me. I'd encourage you not to "diet" though. In my experience diets usually fail in the long run. Eating less and eating right foods is a much more appealing way to say it, isn't it? :) And I know what you mean about participating in life. I was afraid to ride the rides with my kids at Busch Gardens because I was terrified I wouldn't fit in them or something. I went for it, and found out I fit just fine, and had a lot of fun. :)
ReplyDeleteThe heart is a valid issue as well. I can't remember a time in my teen/adult life where I wasn't incredibly self-conscious, even the times I lost enough weight to look absolutely normal. I suspect this is why God has allowed this challenge. So I will address these issues of insecurity and find healing in him and not in the way I look. My Grandma had flawless beauty as a young woman and she was one of the most insecure people I've ever known.
Gwen - I must confess I am a little foggy on the medicinal uses as well. I want the peppermint for indigestion/fresh breath without artificial sweetener, (also sounds wonderful in a cocoa/mocha drink!) The chamomile because MacGyver and I both like to drink the tea in the evening, and also because I've tried it as a hair lightener and it is very subtle and natural and works well. Feverfew had so many uses when I googled herbs that I figured it's probably a good one to have around, Rosemary and Lavender also have many uses but I use the oil instead of perfume and also in place of a dryer sheet to give the laundry a nice smell. St. John's Wort is supposed to be very effective for moodiness, which is a problem around this house sometimes... anyway, I've ordered a book about herbal gardening so I'll be looking into all of these more, that list is just a preliminary possibility list.
don't know. lol.. all I know is that it does help.
ReplyDeleteMandy, I have a couple of good books if you want to take a look. Just let me know.
Stephanie - good to know- I've still got lots of basil in the garden! I'm glad I'm not alone, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say - I want Sassafras because a lady in my small group grew her own and made tea out of it and stevia that tasted like root beer! It was so good. :)
We're all writing at the same time! Stephanie, I would love to borrow anything you found useful, if you don't mind. :)
ReplyDeleteNot to be a party pooper, but just because these things are "natural" doesn't mean they aren't without potentially dangerous side effects- be careful w/ St John's Wort- it has some potentially bad ones. Also, dosage is still important, even if it's not coming in a child-proof bottle.
ReplyDeleteAnd hopefully your toddlers won't be grazing in the herb garden...
ReplyDeleteYes, what I was reading about St. John's Wort did say it is one to be careful with. I'm going to study up on it more before we do anything with it, and be sure we are handling it correctly. That one I might actually just stick to child-proof capped supplements instead of trying to grow it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the garden has a 3 foot high fence. :) For the gophers and the toddlers.
Ugh. You just had to ask how it was going didn't you?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to avoid that question and say YAY for looking to more herbal remedies (or even just for comforts)!
I firmly believe Zane is the result of herbal remedies (and not the same herb that resulted in many of the 60's babies!) ;)
We didn't have the money to return to the reproductive specialist a third time (which would have made 9 years of paying for treatments!!!), so I researched herbal remedies for infertility, stocked up on them from Amazon and took them religiously for about a month. And whalaa, baby Zane! ;)
In my research I did find many warnings for overconsumption, or what not to take while pregnant/nursing, etc. They can do some mean things if not used correctly, but I'm sure you know that.
Guava Nectar is a good natural sweetener as well if you haven't tried it (yes, I know it's not an herb). ;)
Now to actually go weigh myself. Grr to you Miss Miranda!
Sugar, Corn Syrup, and Maple Syrup are all natural sweeteners, too. But I'm sure someone will take your money for Guava Nectar.
ReplyDeleteIs the Dunning-Kruger effect at play here?
ReplyDeleteI don't think the Dunning-Kruger effect is at play on this topic. Perhaps on the last post concerning doctors, but I know Miranda has put a lot of research (and trial and error) into finding more natural products and using less chemically treated, human manipulated products. I came into the research later than she did, and enjoy asking her what she has learned on occasion.
ReplyDeleteSugar and corn syrup both have health consequences higher than guava nectar and agave nectar. The whole point of switching to foods not chemically manipulated is to improve the health. Corn syrup itself is at the top of the list for aiding in obesity (as it is put in MANY food items). In some people it also causes frequent headaches.
I honestly don't know about maple syrup and its effects. I admit I've never tried to sweeten my tea with it. ;)
And yes, eating non-manipulated foods is more expensive, but is worth the cost of improving/continuing good health. Thankfully I was able to find the nectars at only a few cents more than table sugar! (based on price per ounce).
A question for you, Anonymous: Do you not think eating more natural (less processed) foods is good for us (us meaning humans)? What suggestions do you have on improving health? I am always open to new ideas and suggestions for improving health, which is why I've spent time looking into more organic/natural/less manipulated foods. Please share! :)
To pretend what Miranda has done is research and cognitive bias free trial and error demonstrates Dunning-Kruger is in play. Overeating corn syrup aids obesity, not corn sugar itself.
ReplyDeleteThe eating of processed (germ-free, healthy) foods has contributed to the more than doubling of the average life-span. My only suggestion is for you all not to jump on the poorly evidenced backed bandwagon that is the bandwagon that rallies against "processed foods". There will always be people who are willing to capitalize off other peoples ignorance by distorting science. Regards. A good place to look for some well reasoned thought on these topics is Brian Dunning's Skeptoid podcasts on foods and additives (I forget the titles right now, but their titles are descriptive). Good luck, healthfulness to you.
I'm not sure when I ever said that my research was on a grand scale and reliable to put on the back of a product. I said I wanted to try things myself and see if they made a difference. If you are looking for someone who is trying to sell quack products you haven't found her. I'm just trying to do the best for my family.
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with you on the processed foods. I have done a lot of reading on the subject and have found that cutting them out of our diets has improved our lives. You aren't going to convince me otherwise because you have no proof other than your camp's word against the other. So it's really pointless to try it here.
And increasing life span does not equal healthy living. If you have to spend that life obese, diabetic, lethargic and downright grumpy and addicted to food than that's not really living, in my opinion. What our society has done is learn to extend life in spite of our unhealthiness.
Healthfulness to you, too.
Of course everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but if something has had excellent results (i.e. Amy's results with the use of herbs in aiding fertility; Mandy's more natural diet aiding in the treatment/lessening of her migraines, and I too have had many benefits from a more natural approach), I find it slightly maddening when people are against something simply because it has the "alternative medicine" label. OF COURSE, I believe traditional medicine is very warranted in situations and very necessary, but to totally discount good experiences is somehow the "Dunning-Kruger effect" and not a valid thing, kinda bothers me. I am not saying that alternative medicine is the be all end all, but for me (evidence of my own experience), I for one am going to (with caution and much research of both the pro and against sides) going to go a more natural route WHEN possible. I regularly see a chiropractor (who by the way has the same training as a Med. doctor except that instead of the drug/medication side they have more anatomy/physiology training), and choose not to medicate myself unless necessary (i.e.I don't medicate a fever unless it is extremely high). Fever is a sign that your immune system is trying to do it's job. I will get treated or treat my children when needed, but not at the first sign of fever, etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to start any more debate, so I'm just stating my own experience and what works for me/my family and the things I have tried, and I will leave it at that.
"You aren't going to convince me otherwise because you have no proof other than your camp's word against the other. So it's really pointless to try it here."
ReplyDeleteThem's fightin' words. Careful, you're giving me BJU flashbacks.
I may humbly submit that there are objective methods for evaluating source material, and so some "camps" actually do have a stronger leg to stand on than others, even if the volume of "evidence" seems to be equal. Quality, not quantity.
ah, yes, science, the sacred cow. because we all know science is never wrong and scientists never change their mind about anything...like what a healthy food pyramid looks like.
ReplyDeletemaybe anonymous should try some st. john's wort.
oh, man, that one's gonna get me in trouble. sorry m.
I am not responsible for comments made...
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to fight with you, G. I'm speaking to the whole community of people that Stephanie, Amy K and many others are frustrated with as a whole. Here's the truth as best I can figure out. Medical doctors who go beyond their training and truly teach people how to care for their bodies and prevent diseases are the most effective health care workers there are. Ones that model healthy behavior themselves are the cream of the crop. This is just common sense.
Unfortunately, in the experiences I've had, the doctors I've had, I've been forced to go elsewhere to get answers.
I know you know that was a silly expression, right? :)
ReplyDeletedon't worry, mandy. everyone knows i'm just here to throw random grenades into the conversation. keeps things interesting.
ReplyDeleteand...well...it's fun. (shrugs)
Yes, my dear. I am not offended.
ReplyDeleteYou go ahead and have your fun, Kat. Just don't aim 'em at me. Or... do. ?
Regarding the sciences being a sacred cow. Science doesn't even view itself as a sacred cow. It is to it's credit that it continues to accumulate evidence for it's assertions and is a system that affords itself the ability to "change it's mind" when the evidence demands it. Science is it's own harshest critic.
ReplyDelete