Showing posts from November, 2018

Trump administration to let companies run deafening seismic tests that can kill marine life, a step toward oil drilling in Atlantic

The planned Friday announcement by the National Marine Fisheries Service, a division of the Commerce Department, that it will issue the permits to five companies is likely to further antagonize a dozen governors in states on the Eastern Seaboard who strongly oppose the administration’s proposal to expand federal oil and gas leases to the Atlantic. […]

This high school was rocked by an HIV scare 10 years ago

Normandy High School, the same school Mike Brown graduated from, was rocked by a HIV 'outbreak' in the fall of 2008 when 50 students were exposed by the virus.

New tick species capable of transmitting deadly disease is spreading in the U.S.

The Asian longhorned tick is the first invasive tick to arrive in the United States in about 80 years.

Hawaii hospital battles scabies outbreak

A "number of people" at Kona Community Hospital in Kealakekua have been infected with scabies, a highly contagious skin infection, an official said.

Why I’m Embarking on Digital Detox & Stepping Away from Social Media for a Bit

Ahhhh, the day has come for me to write this post!!! Where do I even begin? I am excited, gleeful, hopeful, a little nervous, and even a bit HESITANT to do this, but I know deep in my soul that it’s right, so I’m going with it.

I wouldn’t be TBB if I didn’t follow my soul… we know that much at least.

Today marks the beginning of a digital detox I will be embarking on from social media, email, podcasting, and work in general for a little while. I am not putting rules or timelines on it, because as I learned from my wonderful podcast guest last week Jedidiah Jenkins, I am allowed to live in the “both / and.”

Things do not always have to be so linear. I can take a break from social media as my job, and also use social media when I feel like it to connect with the beautiful community of humans who have become like family to me far & wide over the last 5.5 years if I so choose.

Why the Detox?!

I have decided to take this digital detox for a variety of reasons. The main reason being my health. Healing from chronic Lyme disease and running a blog, brand, podcast and business full-time has been a lot. I don’t believe that stress, which inevitably comes along with even work that we absolutely love, is conducive to healing from serious disease. In fact, I feel that stress is actually very much inhibiting me from fully healing.

This year my life has looked a lot like this: wake up in extreme pain and itchiness from full body eczema/hives due to Lyme, panic about everything I need to get done that day, cancel as many things as I can in order to conserve enough energy to execute the most important tasks, perhaps disappoint a brand or two when content cannot be delivered due to me sitting in treatments / being so chronically fatigued I can’t move from bed, try to be a good fiancé / cat mom / friend / daughter / aunt / sister / blogger / etc., stick to my very rigorous healing diet which takes quite a bit of my time, take all of my various supplements and medications 4-5x a day even though my brain fog is through the roof, fear for my very own life because I am unsure if I am in fact adequately healing from this awful disease, repeat.

Not fun, right? Riddled with stress!

About a month and a half ago I realized it just wasn’t in my best interest or anyone’s best interest for me to keep up this full-time podcasting, blogging, and working schedule. My podcasts have been my saving grace because they allow me to have fun, intimate conversations every week with inspiring guests — but they’ve also been my greatest challenge to maintain because the type of energy I have right now is so LOW & drained that pulling it together to be my usual upbeat self on the podcast often feels next to impossible.

Brain fog from Lyme keeps me from having the depth of conversations I want to, and hearing my own podcasts back and the low energy in my own voice makes me realize that I want what I put into the world to be something I am so, ridiculously proud of & I want it to always come from a place of high vibes, excitement, passion, and love.

Since getting this sick, continuing my work has been more about monotony and grinding than about passion and flow. Hilariously enough, and of course things always go this way, ever since I made the decision to wrap up my work and take some time off, my passion for it all has totally quadrupled and I have been really enjoying my day to day again lately… for the first time all year!

Perhaps it’s psychological because I have known for about 7 weeks now that this break was coming, and committing to taking the break has lowered my workload immeasurably because I haven’t been able to take on new collaborations past this point, but still… making the decision to walk away for a bit has only made me realize all the more deeply how much I love, adore, and cherish this work. It is my passion.

How Am I Making This Work?

Now you may be wondering how I am able to do this, since blogging, podcasting, and social media are how I make a living. The short answer is, I have been doing this for a long time now and I have worked so hard without taking any sort of break… saying YES to every opportunity for years. I recently learned that the art of saying no is incredibly important, but I am glad I did so much hard work because it gives me the gift now of taking some well-deserved time off. I have worked with a lot of brands across various forms of social media and have saved enough money to take off as much time as my heart, soul, and body needs.

I don’t know how much time it will be, but something tells me it won’t be TOO long because now that this digital detox time has come I am feeling very bittersweet. My community on the blog, social media, and podcast have become my friends from all over the world… people I look forward to talking to and sharing my life with day in and day out. So that’s why there are no rules! If I feel like popping on, I will. The sheer freedom of having zero brand partnerships during this time and not releasing new podcast episodes makes it so that if I do use social media, it will not be for work.

Listening To My Intuition //

The truth is, my intuition has known that I’ve needed this break for a long while. For a whole year now, I have been extremely, excruciatingly BURNT OUT. I remember going to Bali last December with Jonathan and having breakdown after breakdown, realizing that going into my email and dealing with brands who (at the time) were pushing me around and diminishing my passion for my work was not something that I wanted to go back to at all.

I struggled & struggled with this all year… attempting to take a break during my solo trip back to Bali in April, then during my water fast, and on and on during this entire year of being extremely and terrifyingly sick.

But somehow the lure of work kept pulling me back in, and the truth is I was scared to walk away from it. When I was in Bali in April I knew that coming back and taking 2 months off the podcast is what my soul wanted and needed. I knew it would open me up to create a new project I have been dying to work on, and it would save me from having to muster up my non-existent energy to have conversations I wasn’t feeling like having while being so sick.

And what did I do when I came back from Bali? The exact opposite of that! I kept on podcasting, every single week to no avail. I also kept on taking new brand partnerships, sharing so much of my life and letting in scrutiny (which comes with the territory but when you’re sick it’s just not the best thing to be doing so much of), and working myself into the ground.

About 8 weeks ago I had a session with the beautiful healer Mama Medicine, Deborah Hanekamp (who you can listen to here on the podcast), and she picked up on the fact that I was getting extremely burnt out. That my body was sick and begging me to step away from social media and work. That I was only going to keep breaking down internally and my sickness was only going to get worse physically if I didn’t shut it down and draw inward and truly give myself the great gift of healing.

She asked me point blank if I wanted to continue my brand, or if I wanted to shut it down. The thought alone of shutting it down sent me into a depressive panic. But I wasn’t sure at first if that was because it was so scary and new to me, or if my initial thought was how I really felt, so I sat with that feeling for several days. After reflecting on it and talking it out with those closest to me, it was clear to me that I in no way wanted to walk away permanently from this brand that I have built.

All I needed was a digital detox, a hiatus, a place to put a pin in it all and give myself the chance to PIVOT, a.k.a come back to my brand with a renewed sense of self and a renewed direction for my brand.

Facing Those Fears & Going With It //

When your brand is YOU, you don’t ever get a break. That is not a complaint, but merely a fact. My brand has taken on so many shapes and forms over the years, from food blog to lifestyle to yoga to wellness to all of it and back again really, and now back to sharing the love and message of veganism which is so deeply important to me.

Ultimately I think it’s so important and so healthy to take breaks. We all need them, and a lot of the time us entrepreneurs and especially social media entrepreneurs don’t really get them. We’re afraid we’ll be left behind or forgotten or all of the brands who support us will no longer want to work with us or that we’ll be letting our audience down — or all of the above. Trust me, I have had all of those fears and then some.

But I also know that it’s important to face those fears, and I am committed to my spiritual path of expansion and breaking through the limits that bind me to doing only what’s comfortable. I have a deep knowing that I am meant for SO MUCH MORE than the things I am doing right now. I am very proud of everything I do with The Balanced Blonde, but there are new projects & creations that are brewing in my mind for you guys & the entire TBB community, and right now I feel that the only way I can bring them to life is by taking a step back from my day to day and really allowing them to flourish.

Spiritual Elements of Digital Detoxing //

On a spiritual note, every time I sit & meditate I get the same message over and over and over again, which goes something like this: “You use technology as a distraction. If you let go of your distractions, you will connect with yourself much deeper and will reach a new level of power within yourself.” I KNOW that is a message from beyond about my ability to channel, write poetry, heal, and be as connected and centered as possible. I am totally aware that social media is a massive distraction to me in that sense… I am addicted to it — technology is wildly addicting!

There is nothing wrong with using social media and technology to connect. It’s a beautiful thing and I am so very grateful for it. I also think it’s incredibly healthy to take a step back from social media whenever possible. Digital detoxing is a huge element of wellness that doesn’t really get talked about. I think especially during this holiday season, it’s a great time to step back, be with our loved ones, reflect, and recharge.

If you feel inspired to digital detox this season, please do it with me! It can be for the entire season, or month, or once a week, or a few hours a day, or whatever feels right to YOU.

What to Expect & Where You Can Find Me //

First things first, I do plan to continue to blog here whenever I feel inspired to. When I am not sharing my heart on Instagram captions, something tells me I will be even more inspired to share here on the blog and keep you guys updated on my journey & my life. I am not sure what that will look like or how often I will be blogging, but please do sign up for my newsletter here so you will get my blog posts straight to your inbox & we can stay connected.

As far as Instagram, I will be hopping on and off however & whenever I am inspired to do so. I definitely want a bit of a break from Instagram as I do feel pretty addicted to it after all these years of using it all day every day for work, so I have a feeling I will give myself at least a few weeks of detox entirely. Then I envision myself hopping back on & sharing little tidbits that inspire me, photos and words, per usual. Just much less frequently, and without the pressure to comment back, post for brands, etc.

The holiday season is perfect for this, and heading into the New Year I feel that I may end up coming back on Instagram and using it for fun but not for work. I am not committing myself to anything work related until February, so as long as my health progresses well then you can expect me to be back to my usual schedule by Feb.

On the podcast, you can expect something fun & different! I have specifically curated 8 different “Best of the Show” episodes that will be released every Wednesday morning as usual, with new intros explaining why they are favorites of mine / episodes that have radically changed my life, & with some fun giveaways interspersed throughout. These episodes are some of your & my own favorites from the last few years, reaching back to two years ago so they will be episodes some of you may have never heard. As far as which episodes they are… I am keeping that a surprise so you will see each and every week!

In terms of fun seasonal things like holiday gift guides, what I learned this year (a post I write every year reflecting back), etc… I believe I will still be blogging those here so stay tuned! They just won’t be promoted on IG they way they usually would be which is why signing up for the newsletter is the best idea if you wanna stay in the know!

One of my poems.

What Will I Do With My Time?!

Another thing you may be wondering is what I plan to do with my time. Honestly, it’s going to be very new and uncomfortable for me to not be working! I have been a certified workaholic ever since I started this blog right out of college. Working is my hobby and my passion, because it means I get to be on here creating and connecting with you guys. But my soul knows that disconnecting from it all for a while is calling me, and I trust that calling of my soul.

At this stage my plan is to first and foremost go with the flow. I want to be an open vessel for whatever comes through from the universe. Whether that be my next book, a Lyme memoir, fiction, poetry, a Kundalini training, a course I am so ready and wanting to create, or whether that be full blown HEALING, resting, Netflix & chilling, spending time in Sacramento with family, the list goes on.

I know I want to do a bit of traveling if I am feeling a little bit better and it won’t be too taxing on my body. I would love to go to Kauai during this time and/or New York — two places where I feel the absolute most inspired and connected to my soul. I will be going to Santa Cruz for an ayahuasca retreat in early January which is something I have been wanting to do for a very, very long time.

I will also be connecting deeply with the people in my life, in a way I haven’t been able to for the last few years with work being such an absolute constant for so long. I also want to get stronger physically again, and do it for ME so that I can be the best version of myself when I come back to you guys in full.

I want to spend a lot of time in Malibu writing, basically being like the writers I love and admire and look up to like Joan Didion & Zelda Fitzgerald… who didn’t have social media to distract them and they could run wild with their thoughts and imagination!!!

Lastly I will be studying things I loooove like Human Design, kundalini, reiki, and Kabbalah… so that when I come back I have all sorts of new info and fun to share with you guys.

Okay now that I’m writing about it I am getting excited about it again! I know that only good things will come from this. It’s what my body needs to heal. No commitments, no stress. And please do digital detox alongside of me if you feel inspired to do so… it’s going to feel so good.

Love you guys so much! Would love to hear what you think of all of this. Do me a favor & comment below telling me how long you’ve been reading my blog and how you originally found me!!! I LOVE hearing about those of you who have been here since the beginning, and learning also how newer readers have found me and all of your thoughts / who you are. It means so much to me to have you here.

Thank you endlessly for your support & I cannot wait to check in here when the timing feels right! Listen to the podcast each week for those best of the show episodes, and scroll through all of the old content here — 5.5 years’ worth. I promise I will come back feeling refreshed and more ME than ever… I am ready to BRING IT… AND TO KICK LYME’S ASS. MUAH!

This man was teased for his ‘beer belly.’ It turned out to be a 77-pound cancerous tumor.

Hector Hernandez had a 77-pound cancerous tumor called a retroperitoneal liposarcoma growing in his abdomen.

Only romaine lettuce from parts of California should be avoided, FDA says in new warning

FDA narrows romaine lettuce warning to produce grown in California

Only romaine lettuce from certain parts of California is unsafe to eat, FDA says; new labeling will be added soon

Federal health officials said the most likely source of romaine lettuce contamination is from the Central Coastal growing regions in northern and central California. No common grower, supplier, distributor or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified. Several major romaine lettuce producers have agreed to label products with a harvest date by region, and new […]

FDA approves ‘precision medicine’ drug for different cancers with same mutation

The therapy is effective in a wide range of tumor types, regardless of where they occur in children and adults.

FDA approves ‘precision medicine’ drug for different cancers with the same mutation

The Food and Drug Administration normally approves drugs based on what type of cancer they treat, such as lung or skin cancer. The new drug, called Vitrakvi, is the second treatment to receive FDA clearance based on a biomarker found in an array of cancers. This “site-agnostic” approach means the approval is based on a […]

From Breaking Vegan & Back Again // A Plant-Based Journey

This post is something I have been wanting to write for a long time, and while I have hinted at it here and there and written about it in subliminal ways for many months… I finally feel ready to share a big step I have taken in both my spiritual and my healing journeys. I have transitioned back to veganism, and while that word is not my favorite for many dogmatic reasons — it fits what I am doing for other reasons and I will share why here.

In this post I will break down my choices to go vegan again for health reasons, Lyme healing reasons, for the animals, for my spirituality, and for the environment. I will also touch on my past with veganism because I know it’s a subject in my life that gets a lot of questions, as well as the orthorexia component… which I have very detailed thoughts about. I hope you enjoy and I hope you soak it allll in, I know it’s a lot!

I want to preface this post by saying I still believe everyone’s gotta do what’s right for them first and foremost, and I don’t want anyone to feel like because this is my path it needs to be theirs. I actually think every single human on this planet’s path is different from the other, and that is what is so beautiful about us all being here.

K? Let’s dive in.

Vegan for the animals //

I was looking at a photo I took with Huddy yesterday, my angel cat who changed my life in 2938298 ways when I adopted him 3.5 years ago, and something struck me really hard: my health permitting, I would never eat animals again.

I have never been into that comparison in the past by the way, the idea that if someone has an animal they shouldn’t eat meat, or the notion that being a mama to a domestic cat has much or anything to do with eating burgers or poultry or fish or eggs every once in a while. So I am not implying that because I have Hudson I no longer eat meat… or that if you have a dog or cat that you love, you must be vegan. But hear me out.

My thought process is this: having Hudson has made me look at animals in a whole new way, on top of a massive spiritual awakening and shift that has taken place in me over the last 2-3 years (largely inspired by Hudson’s energy… you know this if you’ve listened to any of my Miranda / animal communication podcasts!).

Having Hudson in my life, staring into his eyes, locking into his gaze, developing the most intense bond with him that I have ever felt in this lifetime (aside from and alongside of Jonathan), has brought me closer to other animals I encounter everywhere, from friends’ dogs to stray cats on the streets of Bali to horses in a pasture to frogs singing to me in Indonesia to turkeys crossing the road in my hometown of Sacramento.

It has enabled me to have this moment of, “WOAH. Animals’ eyes say so much. They have souls in there. They have families, they are living and breathing, they have babies, they are mothers, and daughters, and sons.” Like this holy shit moment, you know?

I see Hudson’s eyes in the eyes of cows, and horses, and chickens. It’s not his exact same eyes, of course, but it’s this innate ability that strikes all the way through me to see that we are all the same. Thanks also to Kundalini, reiki, channeling, and other forms of meditation & spirituality for allowing me to see beyond the physical and realize that we are all one. There is technically no difference between me and a cat, or me and a cow. Physically of course there are loads of differences, but spiritually… zero.

Vegan for spirituality & for Lyme disease //

It’s wild because being vegan for many years when I was younger also provided many of those holy shit moments, especially being deeply immersed in the vegan community in New York and in the blogging space, but to be honest I never fully resonated with the radicalism of it all — which is why it was so very easy for me to walk away from. And I still don’t resonate with radicalism! The radical, hate on others to make our message heard, vegan bullying, elitism and judgement is NOT my jam.

For many years I was so turned off of the vegan movement because of extreeeeme haters on YouTube and social media that bashed me (and others) to pieces when I departed from the lifestyle. It makes me sad in the same way that the anti-diet communities have bashed me for being extremely mindful about what I put into my body now that I am healing from Lyme and mold and co-infections. But it’s been good for me to see that the diet bullying is not strictly linked to veganism — it’s everywhere. Just like hate, judgment, bullying, and extremism exists in every area of life, far outside of the diet and lifestyle and wellness communities.

And speaking of healing from Lyme, I truly believe that getting sick has been my greatest gift when it comes to bringing me back to caring for my health in a truly intuitive way. On a spiritual level, it’s like the universe woke me back up by saying, “Health is your greatest passion, and sharing and spreading the message of wellness and living that lifestyle for yourself is a massive part of your calling. Just because you had this negative experience with veganism when you were younger doesn’t mean that you need to turn your back on plants. In fact, your body is going to continue to break down in a variety of ways until you cannot function anymore if you continue to turn your back on this wellness-focused way of life that is calling you.”

Now, that might be a little out there and ethereal for some of you. Which I get. But if you’re a close follower of my blog and podcast, it’s probably very in line with what you already believe. The universe has so much wisdom for us, the earth has so very much knowledge and medicine for us, and plants are a huge part of that.

My journey back to the plant-based way of life has been slow and steady. It started a couple of years ago when I realized that eating red meat and bacon was causing major gastrointestinal issues and weight gain for me personally. I cut those things out but kept poultry, eggs, and fish. Then we all know my health started to blow up in huge ways, from eczema to rapidly escalating Lyme disease, Epstein Barr Virus, and more… and my soul called me back to a plant-based way of eating and healing.

I haven’t eaten anything non-vegan in over a year, with the exception of some collagen here and there and some Omega-3 fish oils and a bit of powdered colostrum for gut issues. In many ways I have been quietly vegan, so as not to rock the boat or make my very personal choice to return to this way of life very public. I also didn’t want to make it public before I was sure what I was doing — a lesson I learned from my orthorexia days, when I used that word very quickly and became an absolute poster child for something I only halfway resonated with.

My thoughts on Orthorexia //

When it comes to orthorexia… that is a tricky subject for me. I do believe I had serious health issues when I was living in New York and addicted to juice cleanses and listening to the advice of raw vegan YouTubers as the word of God. But beyond being somewhat orthorexic in that I had many food fears, I was first and foremost legitimately sick — with extreme gastrointestinal issues, and what I now know were the deteriorating effects of mold poisoning and chronic Lyme disease. I was searching for healing back then just as I am now… I was just younger and more susceptible to listening to people who didn’t quite know what they were talking about.

So yes while I dealt with the tendencies of orthorexia back then as a means of sheer confusion about my health, I now know the root cause of my sickness was physical. I was sick, sick, sick with Lyme back then just as I am now. Orthorexia for me was a direct byproduct of desperately trying to heal myself in the only way I knew how. I don’t resonate with much of what I believed about my health and orthorexic journey back then… because again, I was listening to people outside of myself (nutritionists, doctors, therapists) who also wanted to put me in another box: the eating disorder box.

It is really hard for me to grapple with as I look back on this period of my life. I was very sick, and I was being told I was suffering from an eating disorder. Really what I was suffering from was neurological Lyme disease. Just like many people who I look up to in the Lyme community have been institutionalized, made to feel like they were crazy, put into every box from eating disorders to ADHD to depression/anxiety and more… I was told I had a severe eating disorder. But in reality, I was drinking copious amounts of green juice in place of food because food made me feel debilitatingly ill. And now I finally know why, and now I can remedy that. I no longer eat nightshades, and inflammatory foods that were causing me to feel so very sick — plus the massive healing regime I am on right now in general is helping.

Doctors I Trust & Trusting Myself //

This year I have also been gifted with the knowledge of people I finally, legitimately, truly trust. From my Lyme doctor, to my True North Health Center doctors who have taught me the SOS-free way of life and its benefits, to the Medical Medium who has drastically changed my life and my approach to healing, to herbalists and shamans who have shared herbal tinctures and homeopathic plant remedies with me, and more. And guess what? Each and every one of those things, and people, and healers, brings me back to plants.

Most of all though, I rely on myself. I have learned the hard way, again and again, not to place all of my trust in someone else who is outside of myself. I am the only person who can truly on a deep and soul level understand how I am feeling, and how foods make me feel. I have experimented, fine tuned, and refined my approach to food and healing for the last four and a half years (as well as my lifetime). And what my gut has 100% brought me back to, is the plant-based way of life.

Plants are medicine. Leafy greens, celery juice, herbal tinctures from lemon balm to nascent iodine to nettle leaf to eleuthro to my beloved Four Sigmatic Chaga, to TCM herbs like rhodiola and cramp bark, to the medicinal properties of wild blueberries, to the extreme healing benefits of cutting out caffeine/inflammatory foods… the list goes on, all of this has healed me on a deep, deep level.

Ever since switching to an SOS-free way of life (which you can read more about here), and then amping up my protocol by adding in Medical Medium herbs / celery juice and cutting out high histamine and inflammatory foods… I have noticed SIGNIFICANT changes and improvements in my healing.

Tuning Out the Noise //

Learning to tune out the noise has been the most healing part of this entire journey for me. There will always be haters, I have absolutely learned that. Even people who I have considered friends and felt close to have made subliminal or not so subliminal comments about my healing protocol, and also people far and wide feel like they know intimate things about me because of my blog, book, podcast, etc. which invokes people to think they know what is best for me, without knowing the half of it.

And by the way you do know intimate things about me on the deepest soul level!! But I am not who I was four years ago, or two years ago, or even one. I have changed, as we all do, and my spiritual path has only escalated that change at a quite rapid pace. And as much as I share on the Internet, there is a lot I am unable to share… because a lot of life is lived beyond these tiny screens, and even if I tried I couldn’t share everything because that just becomes impossible.

My confidence has increased ten trillion fold. I am not afraid of what others say or think. In fact, my way of life and dietary preferences should be of no one’s concern. But because many, many people out there also suffer with Lyme disease, and mold poisoning, and MCAS, and gut issues, and even a past with orthorexia… I take my job as a wellness blogger very seriously. I am honored to be able to influence and teach the things I learn that really help me and many others with their severe symptoms.

That’s why I have chosen to share this personal choice in my life. Dietary choices are VERY personal. Passing judgment, subtle or non subtle, is really just not okay and flat out rude. Don’t be that person. How would you like it if I said, “OMG why do you eat meat? Do you know how much cholesterol is in that? Did you realize a cow died in order to be on your plate?” I WOULD NEVER SAY THAT. THAT IS JUST PLAIN ANNOYING, RUDE, AND UNCALLED FOR.

So there is no need to turn the table the other way and make anyone feel uncomfortable, vegan or non vegan or paleo or keto or flat out alien or whatever the heck people choose.

Soooo what I am saying here in this post is that beyond plants healing me on a medicinal, healing my sick body level… I have had multiple epiphanies this year about resonating with veganism for the animals, as well as the environment and for deep spiritual healing.

So all around, I am happy. I am healing. I feel good. I am getting stoked for my digital detox beginning in just a few days.

This is a long and intimate post, and the purpose is to catch you up to speed with a lot of what I have been thinking about and dealing with over the last year or so. There is so much more to the story, which is why I plan to write a book all about this. Would love to hear your thoughts & experiences below, I love to hear from you and get inspired by your words. <3

2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Runners | Healthy Helper An EPIC list of holiday gifts for the runner or running enthusiast in your life! Everything they could want and need to enjoy running more than ever before.

An EPIC list of holiday gifts for the runner or running enthusiast in your life! Everything they could want and need to enjoy running more than ever before. I love giving people gifts. Whether it’s for the holidays or “just because”. There’s nothing better than surprising someone with a fun gift or getting them something...

The number of abortions in the U.S. hits a historic low

Fewer U.S. women appear to be receiving abortions today than at any other time since Roe v. Wade, according to new government figures released Wednesday.

Lettuce review memes prompted by the CDC’s dire romaine warning

Mostly, people couldn’t wait to recycle their romaine lettuce jokes from the last recall.

‘THIS IS OUR LANE’: The NRA told doctors to mind their business. Then a man shot up a hospital.

"Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing, not death. Schools are supposed to be places of learning, not death. Churches are supposed to be places of worship, not death,” Eugene Gu, a surgeon and scientist, wrote on Twitter.

Thoughts About Diet Culture & an SOS-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately thinking about chronic illness in relation to intuitive eating, body positivity, diet culture, and the healing powers of nutrition.

A lot to unpack, I know. My sleepy Lyme brain has been on overdrive thinking about it all.

I’m sharing my thoughts here because truthfully, I started this blog over half a decade ago to normalize being healthy in a world where “wellness” isn’t or at least wasn’t often considered cool or normal.

Hilariously enough, wellness has become a pretty cool topic over the last several years. I of course am thrilled about that, but the very niche subject I started my blog about still gets a lot of flack: veganism, but specifically veganism in relation to a sick/struggling/healing body.

You guys may not know this if you haven’t been here reading since the beginning, but I started my blog to share that the plant based way of life had helped heal me in many ways from lifelong chronic stomach, gut, and digestion issues. I found veganism in college and explored it deeply before I started my blog, then thought it would be cool to have an online space to talk about being plant based AND being social, fresh out of college, going to bars, doing all the “cool & normal stuff” while also prioritizing my health and wellness.

My journey hasn’t been so linear from there. I stopped being vegan for a while which many of you know about. I wrote a book about dealing with orthorexia and very much became a poster child (thanks to the media, not to me) for “walking away from veganism,” and for some semblance of eating intuitively.

But there is so much to the story that many people simply do not know. If you follow me closely then you probably do, but even so it is hard to articulate just quite how sick my body started to get during those years of switching from veganism to a non-vegan way of life.

And let’s just get one thing straight here: veganism didn’t make me sick, and eating meat and other non-vegan foods didn’t make me sick. I believe that extreme stress took a toll on my body plus a VERY quick departure from veganism into full-blown non-vegan foods way too fast. The whole situation wreaked absolute havoc on my body.

During this time I placed a lot of trust into doctors and nutritionists and others who very much led me toward a meat and fat centric way of eating (aka lots of keto vibes). I talked a lot about intuitive eating. Heck, I still believe in intuitive eating… but not the way some people talk about it.

What I have realized most recently is that EVERY circle of “food labels” comes along with a certain amount of snarkiness, holier than thou attitude, and quite frankly… issues. I used to get hate from the vegan community when I stopped being vegan, and I thought it was a vegan thing. Now I get hate (more subtle but it’s there) from the “intuitive eating” and “anti-diet” cultures and ways of life because I am deeply, severely, chronically ill and am turning to food as medicine to heal me. Also because life and intuition and the universe has lead me back to… none other than a fully plant-based diet.

I am sharing this all with you because yet again, five and a half years after the inception of my blog, I want to normalize this conversation and tell you that YES, IT IS OKAY TO BE THE GIRL WHO BRINGS HER OWN SALAD TO A FRIENDSGIVING. Not only is it okay, it’s fucking cool. It’s amazing when you know what your body needs, and you know what you need to do about it to avoid anxiety or making anyone or especially yourself uncomfortable in social situations.

You can place a huge amount of emphasis on your health and the food that may nourish or heal you, AND be a normal, living, breathing, regular human in society. Placing a huge emphasis on what you eat is not in itself dangerous, it is not something to be avoided.

I heard something recently that really struck a chord, although I quickly tried to let it go and not take it in as my own hurt to ruminate about. It said something along the lines of, “Fuck [a long list of things I won’t mention and also] veganism and the celery juice trend. Intuitive eating and real label dropping is the only healthy approach to diminishing food fears and living a life without anxiety.”

I was thinking, “Hmmm… plant based foods and celery juice, for a chronically ill person, can be fucking life changing. Not for every chronically ill person, but it should be at least given a fair shot. You can eat intuitively and drink celery juice. You can be intuitively led to drinking celery juice. You can be plant based and be deeply intuitive with it the entire way through.”

Secondly… if I ate whatever I wanted and went buck wild around food the way I did four years ago when I “dropped the vegan label,” I would be so sick I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. Because my body is SICK. I know I don’t speak for everyone here, but I have mold growing on my organs. I have Lyme bugs legitimately chewing away at my BRAIN. I have inflammation that makes it damn near impossible to sleep at night because it it makes my skin so, so, severely and painfully itchy.

Currently I can’t tolerate sugar and I can’t tolerate foods that have salt or oil in them. I could probably tolerate some fish but I can’t risk any mercury, factory farmed or genetically modified contaminants, or even pollution from our very unclean oceans. That is my current situation. I believe wholeheartedly that everyone must listen to their gut and find their own “intuitive” approach, and also include lots and and lots of fresh fruits and veggies, unless allergies or food intolerances apply.

ANYWAY this whole saga brings me to a story that happened yesterday when I was with Jonathan at the farmer’s market…

We had spent the previous day making food for a Friendsgiving that we went to. I made cookies and a banana bread that I can’t currently eat on my Medical Medium Protocol and I was cool with it, even though it still kind of sucks to make food that you can’t eat but looks really delish to you.

The next day we were at the farmer’s market and I saw this really cute cookie stand that I used to always get vegan cookies from. It’s healthy, it’s all good stuff. But for my current protocol, specific to Lyme disease and inflammation, this new protocol that I am really trying to give a shot… it had ingredients that I shouldn’t eat. That I told Jonathan to make sure I stayed away from so that I could really give this thing a fair chance.

I bought the cookies, I ate them, thinking, “IT’S THANKSGIVING WEEK, I will do what I want!!” and guess what? I felt like shit. We got home, he looked at the box, and he called me out for buying cookies with ingredients that I can’t really eat right now (just like I asked him to).

The whole thing made me feel like crying. Part of me for a second got dramatic and woe is me and felt like, “Why can’t I enjoy a simple treat from the farmer’s market? Why am I so sick?”

But then I thought better of it, and remembered that if I wanted a treat it was really quite simple: I could make one. I have plenty of recipes that are very inclusive of my protocol and the diseases and issues I am dealing with. This protocol is not about restriction, it’s about doing the work (hard work at times) to make my food and infuse love (very important) and take the TIME to make things for myself that will nourish my body and also nourish my soul.

So… insert these cookies. These cookies are really special to me, because I came up with this recipe right after I realized the farmer’s market cookies were not going to cut it for me. Heading to Thanksgiving with my family later this week in Carmel, I want some treats for myself too! I know I won’t be able to eat the sugar-laden pies and cookies and whatevers that I would have been able to a few years ago… so this week I am meal prepping some good stuff to bring with me!

The point of this post is: no matter how you eat, don’t let anyone bully you about it. Lately, I have felt subliminally BULLIED by the anti-diet culture. When I did my water fast earlier this year, for my health and to try to heal from a sickness that is literally killing parts of me inside and out, I had an “anti-diet health coach” CREW, like 30 of them, bashing the absolute hell out of me. Posting photos of me, ridiculing me, calling me dangerous.

How sick is that?

Bullying/hating on ANYONE is not healthy.

That is the kind of stuff that messes with health for real: anger, bullying, lashing out, feeling such intense anxiety toward others that you want to call them names and write nasty posts about them.

I am used to all of that stuff, but I am here to tell you if you experience it too… we are stronger than that. We will rise above that hate (which is really just someone else’s insecurity). True health, true spiritual growth and evolvement and happiness… is our acceptance that not everyone is going to celebrate what we do, but as long as we celebrate it, from a true and authentic place, then we are good.

If you’re the girl who gets made fun of at work for her overnight oats with spirulina and goji berries, this is for you. If you’re the guy whose girlfriend’s family doesn’t understand him at all because he is going to eat a plant-based meal on Thanksgiving… this one is for you.

And if you’re anything like me, just out there trying to figure it all out, letting go of the labels and focusing on healing and realizing that food IS MEDICINE, and plants are medicine, and juices are medicine, and healing humans like the Medical Medium know what’s up… then this is really, really for you.

And to be radically honest with you? THIS ONE IS FOR ME. I needed to work through these emotions and process, and I do feel a lot better now.

I will have a Medical Medium update coming soon!! For now, enjoy the recipe for these cookies and I hope you make them on Thanksgiving if they sound good to you.

SOS-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Medical Medium approved too as far as I know!!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup almond flour (or any flour of your choice)

1/4 cup maple syrup (or I used date syrup if you can find it~)

1/4 cup crushed chocolate (I used Addictive Wellness, use code BLONDE for a discount!)

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp carob powder (just to make it more chocolatey!)

2 tbsp almond milk (unless it is liquidy enough already, use your discretion)

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix all ingredients minus the crushed chocolate in a big bowl until a thick batter forms. Add almond milk if you feel it is too thick. Add more almond flour if it is too watery.

Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly dispersed.

Place cookies onto a baking sheet (will make 8-10 ish cookies) lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Pop them out, let them cool, and enjoy!!

Alright guys this post is very near and dear to my heart, so I hope you enjoy and I hope you got something out of it. I was just listening to Oprah & Gwyneth Paltrow on the Goop Podcast (IDOLS !!!!) and Oprah said that with every story you tell, keep your audience in mind and make sure there is an “A-HA” moment for them to resonate with. I hope this story had that for you!! Or at least the recipe. Love you guys so much and thank you for being here!

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Medical Medium & Low Histamine Protocol for Lyme

Hi my loves! I have been getting a lot of questions about the recent protocol I have started to help heal inflammation, Lyme, and all of the other health issues I am dealing with, so I thought I would do a post about it to lay it all out.

In this post I will break down the Medical Medium protocol for Lyme, why I am going low histamine, foods to focus on, foods to avoid, the benefits of celery juice, herbs and supplements Medical Medium recommends for Lyme and chronic illness, and why I am doing this protocol. Ready? Let’s dive in.

First let me walk you through why I decided to do this. Since I already eat a salt-oil-sugar-free plant-based diet for healing (which I learned all about at True North Healing Center earlier this year, which you can read about here) I felt like I was in a good place nutrition-wise for healing Lyme and all the various co-infections I have… from Babesia to Bartonella to Mycoplasma and mycotoxin (mold) illness and more.

But somehow my healing has been at a standstill for a while. I have an amazing doctor (Dr. Erica Lehman here in LA), I do weekly ozone treatments in her office as well as the hyperbaric chamber, Myer’s Cocktail IV’s, vitamin drips, other cutting edge IV treatments I won’t even get into right now, as well as daily infrared sauna, and weekly acupuncture, cupping, and cryotherapy when I can get there. Not to mention a slew of supplements, hormones, and herbal tinctures 3x a day.

With all of that healing going down I frequently get asked the question: “Why is it taking so long for you to get better!??!”

WELL. That’s a loaded question. I have only been getting these treatments since June, when I was diagnosed. That is coming close to 6 months, which may seem like a long time… but in Lyme world that is just barely scratching the surface. Since I have likely had Lyme for close to a decade, it could take a couple of years for my healing to come full circle and make a huge dent in how I feel. I am in it for the long haul, and while it does frustrate me at times that there is no “magic cure” for Lyme, I am happy to be bolstering my entire body and immune system throughout the healing process.

We heal to get HEALTHIER than before, stronger than before, & untouchable. That is what I am currently telling myself and I believe it wholeheartedly.

Anyway, since my healing has been at a standstill and lately I have found myself in the scary position of feeling sicker than EVER before… like can’t get out of bed, debilitating brain fog, panic attacks, nausea, eczema/rashes returning kinda sick… I knew it was time to amp up my healing and do a little more.

An amazing TBB reader who I had the pleasure of meeting at my doctor’s office a few weeks ago (hey Blaire!!!!) tagged me in a photo last week all about how much BETTER she is feeling, and thanking me for introducing her via my blog to the Medical Medium protocols and our awesome doctor. Then I thought, “OMG I haven’t even been doing the Medical Medium protocols lately, but they helped her and they help thousands of people I read about constantly so I need to at least give myself the chance to try it again.”

The only reason I fell off the wagon the first time with MM is because all this healing can be a LOT. As you read above, I do all of those healing treatments throughout the week and also take about 30-40 supplements and hormones and herbal tinctures daily. Sometimes the thought of doing more has seemed impossible… especially with low energy.

But when our health is all we’ve got, everything is worth a shot. So now that brings me to MEDICAL MEDIUM!

Medical Medium Protocol

The Medical Medium protocol for Lyme is based on the idea that we must strengthen the immune system in order to fight off disease. Once we strengthen and regenerate our cells, inflammation goes down and disease dies off. This is rooted in a whole foods plant based diet, naturally cleansing the body from debris and disease through plants, hydration and herbal supplementation.

The rough plan is as follows…

+ 16 oz of celery juice first thing in the morning, juiced ALONE (it contains the full benefits (below) this way, so adding fruit or lemon or ginger etc. is not advised, you can do that later in the day. you’ll get used to the taste!!). I use a juicer but you can also use a blender and then strain with a nut milk bag afterward.

+ 15 minutes or more later, breakfast. Medical Medium advises a smoothie full of wild blueberries, cilantro, spirulina, bananas, and other healing fruits/veggies. I say just make whatever sounds good to you within the raw/plant based family!

+ I take all of my supplements after this, so the 30-40 from my doctor, and then from Medical Medium I am starting to take: Nascent Iodine, Thyme, Lemon Balm, Licorice Root, Zinc, L-lysine, Lomatium Root, Silver Hydrosol, Astaxanthin. There are specific reasons why each one is amazing for killing off disease/chronic illness and supporting the immune system/adrenals/thyroid, so I would recommend reading his books to learn more! Particularly this one, all about mystery illnesses & how to treat the,.

+ 16 oz of warm lemon water in the early afternoon to stay hydrated and keep the toxins flowing, then again in late afternoon, and again in the evening (I also add Aloe Vera juice in the evenings to my water)

+ Foods to focus on for lunch and dinner are: basically any plant-based foods from the earth, with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables. I am also following a low histamine protocol because of the MCAS that I have which causes severe inflammation and eczema when I eat inflammatory foods.

+ Foods to avoid for low histamine: Bananas, avocados, cashews, legumes, anything fermented, vinegars (most sauces) tomatoes, strawberries, oranges, pineapple, and mushrooms, vinegars. Important to keep in mind everyone is different and you do not have to follow this to a T. (P.S. Blaire thank you for this list!!!)

+ Foods to avoid for Medical Medium protocol: Processed foods, corn, soy, caffeine, canola oil, gluten, dairy, most animal products. You do not absolutely have to go vegan but going mostly plant-based for a 28 or 30 day healing period is recommended for this particular protocol.

+ Foods to focus on to heal Lyme and other chronic illness:

Apple
Artichoke
Apricots
Berries
Brown Rice
Cabbage
Cauliflower juice
Carrots
Chamomile
Cherries
Chives
Cilantro
Coconut- Raw, Oil & Water
Cranberries
Dates
Figs
Garlic
Ginger
Grapes
Honey (raw)
Kale
Kiwi
Lemon
Lime
Lettuce
Melons
Milk Thistle
Nettle Leaf
Olive Oil
Oregano
Papayas
Parsley
Peach
Pear
Peppermint
Pomegranate
Potatoe
Pumpkin & seeds
Quinoa
Rasberries
Red Clover
Sage
Sea Salt
Sesame seeds
Spinash
Squash
Sweet Potato
Swiss Chard
Tahini
Tumeric

CELERY JUICE… THE DEETS.

ALSO, the MM celery juice trend is getting a lot of flack in the media. It’s being deemed as a “fad” that “really has no benefits beyond hydration” and honestly — it makes me sad to see because the media absolutely loves knocking things it doesn’t understand. Of course we are not yet in a day and age where the media will validate the fact that Spirit is Anthony (Medical Medium)’s source, so I get it and I guess it’s a part of life that many people will not understand where he is coming from.

But I will also say, SO many things get flack in the media before they’re understood. Orthorexia, Lyme disease, blogging as a career, social media “influencing,” all of these things were very much invalidated in the media before people came around and realized they were a real thing. They now have validity. Because enough people spoke up and paved the way.

So whether you’re into the celery juice hype or not… I am here to tell you: it has worked for countless people around the world, and I trust the Medical Medium wholeheartedly. I haven’t stuck with it rigidly enough yet but I am now on Day 2 and I cannot wait to share the benefits with you once I stick with it for a while.

Here are some benefits of celery juice, via Medical Medium:

+ it is majorly anti inflammatory, because it starves pathogens that cause inflammation & disease
+ it contains a multitude of undiscovered mineral salts that act together as an antiseptic to kill disease and help the body function optimally
+ it’s an amazing detox for the kidneys and adrenals and it also raises hydrochloric acid in our gut… so helps with digestion a ton & balances pH
+ the mineral salts support the central nervous system to help with healing of all kinds
+ breaks down and flushes out viruses… hello Lyme and other chronic illnesses

+ it is amazing for SKIN as it clears out debris in the digestive tract and liver, so we radiate on the outside which reflects our insides! the inflammation reducing alone also helps with skin and gives us a major glow.

ALSO FYI…

You do not have to do Medical Medium & low histamine together. In fact, Medical Medium talks all about the health benefits of bananas and avocados and other high histamine foods — and if I could eat them right now, I absolutely would. I loveeeee bananas and avocados and many other higher in histamine foods. Right now because of MCAS I have dedicated myself to this but I look forward to being able to re-incorporate them at some point.

These protocols are NOT ABOUT deprivation. Eating an abundance of plant foods will fuel you and give you the energy you need. If you want to do this but modify in any way, please go ahead! This post is not meant to tell you how to eat or what to do. If anything I hope it helps you if you are suffering from Lyme/chronic illness/skin issues/gut issues.

If you are not severely or chronically ill, you probably don’t need to cut this many foods out of your life. But you CAN benefit from 16oz celery juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, and incorporating more alkaline and mineral-rich fruits and veggies into your life.

I will miss COFFEE the most ( SADDDD ) and already am planning on having a decaf coconut milk latte for a treat as soon as I am starting to feel improvements from eating this way.

Also, also… I must reiterate: this is not a fad. This is not the next “trend” you will hear about and then later hear is harmful for you. This is as pure as it gets, guys: whole, real, plant foods from the earth. Eat in abundance. Eat to enjoy. Eat to heal. You do not need to suffer. You do not need to be sick forever. You do not need to wallow in despair and continue spiraling downward and feeling misunderstood. You also do not need to restrict, PLEEEASE make this your own and don’t take my word OR even Medical Medium’s word as the word of God. YOU know you. YOU can hear your body’s signals… our bodies are always speaking to us.

But if you are sick, and you are going to follow these protocols, it is worth sticking to them. It can take 1-2 years to reverse the symptoms of severe Lyme disease, and of course all cases are different. I am crossing my fingers for increased energy and reduced inflammation.

My “break” is coming up soon — if you’ve heard me mention on the podcast or anywhere else that I am taking plenty of time off this winter to heal and retreat inward — that is just a week or so away… so I will keep you as updated as I can, maybe sprinkle in some updates on the blog throughout my break (maybe), and definitely update you thoroughly when I return.

More on all of this soon. Please leave any questions below, or your own experiences with celery juice or Medical Medium orrr low histamine life!! Love you all!!!

My First Major Panic Attack…

Every day I learn about a new symptom of Lyme disease… the newest being severe panic attacks, of which I had the pleasure of experiencing in full force this weekend.

Anyone who has had a panic attack knows that it’s a terrifying feeling. I thought I had had them in my life before this but after having one on Saturday night I realized… all of the panic attacks I had had in the past were very minor compared to this.

I walked into my friend’s birthday party with J, all dressed up in my new boots & feeling like a million bucks, excited to be with everyone yet tired AF from Lyme. when it hit me. I could see a few of my best friends standing right in front of me but it felt like there was a thick film or wall between us that was holding me back from being able to speak, or see, or be in my body. It felt like the walls were closing in on me and I started to see dark black spots in front of my eyes until eventually I blacked out completely. I could hear everything around me but I couldn’t speak, I tried, but the smallest words would come out, as my heart pounded wildly out of my chest.

I tried to breathe and get my bearings. I have leaned on yoga and meditation in the past any time I feel like my breath escapes me, so I did everything in my power to try to get back to that calm and access my breath. But it all felt out of my control. I could hear what people were saying crystal clear but I felt like I was floating in outer space, with my heart beating out of my chest and blood throbbing in my ears to the point where I felt like I was going to throw up. It was truly one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.

I fell into my friend’s arms and just hugged him for a long while, trying to tell him how absolutely strange I felt. In my panic I even reached for his margarita because I wanted ANYTHING to numb the crazy amount of uncontrollable panic that was coursing through my body. I thought maybe if nothing else could help then alcohol could… and if you know me, you know I have only had one drink this entire year. Alcohol is not my usual go-to.

I spotted Jonathan in the room and motioned to him to come outside with me, miraculously because words were not really coming out of my mouth. When we got out there I put his hand on my heart so he could feel how fast it was beating — it was pounding so hard and fast I knew something was very wrong. He was very worried and suggested I call my doctor… since I have recently started a bunch of new medications for Lyme and co-infections and we had no idea what might be triggering this response.

I decided to wait to talk to her until the next day, mostly because we were in a very loud place and I already felt like I couldn’t formulate words let alone a full sentence. He and I stood out there for about 15 minutes and he talked to me while I calmed down, and eventually got my heart rate down to a pace where I could at least say more than three words in a sentence. In that moment I still didn’t know if I would be able to go back inside — it was a small party, full of people I knew, but something about the way I felt made it feel impossible to stay calm and collected let alone be in the present moment, able to formulate words and hold a conversation.

On top of it all, I was exhausted. My body was in overdrive. I had spent the entire day in bed, mostly sleeping off and on and only waking up for a few hours to get a massage because of intense joint and muscle pain. I knew I was going to get myself together for the party and usually once I get out of the house I tend to feel better with the energy of others around me for a few hours, but even before we left to go out I felt that this night was different. This night my body just didn’t feel functional.

So somehow between the raging Lyme in my body, co-infections like Bartonella which can cause dysautomonia and panic, and overall just being ridiculously exhausted in a loud environment, my body flipped. My doctor also said that one of the new meds I had started may have been causing a brain herx, which would also be another culprit. Mostly it was a bacterial response from the Borrelia (Lyme) & Bartonella, plus a massive spike in cortisol and then a huge dip.

As with all difficult things that happen (I believe), it was the perfect storm of everything coming together to make for one raging, debilitating, panic attack.

I feel LUCKY that I was able to snap out of it rather quickly… we went back into the party after 15 minutes or so and for a little while I tried hard to get past it and feel a sense of calm, and while I never went back to *perfect* normalcy I was able to function a bit and have a good time, good conversations, and feel much more in my body. Although I will never forget standing out there thinking there was no way I would be able to go back in, that we would have to go home and I didn’t even know if my heart would calm down there either.

And still the feeling of that post-panic weakness has lasted for a few days. It took a toll on my body and my voice. Yesterday I was with family all day and my brother-in-law said that he knows when I am not myself because my voice is weak and my shoulders cave in… and overall I just lack the energy I am usually bouncing off the walls with when I am healthy.

To top it all off I have not been sleeping well at all even though I have been wildly exhausted. I still feel panicky and one of my major symptoms of Lyme and other co-infections is severe insomnia.

This coming weekend I have one of my best friend in the world’s WEDDING !!!! (The same person who I hugged and grabbed a margarita from mid panic attack… My other Jordan!) I am so excited to be a part of his special day. I am taking a small break from some of my meds this week because I want to be fully present and avoid any sort of brain herx / any herx during his wedding weekend.

So all in all… it’s been a wild few days. If you can relate, I would love to hear your stories/tips & tricks for dealing with it. My doctor is amazing and made me feel much better about the experience given the meds that I am on, and mostly how common it is in Lyme patients. I cannot believe all of these different symptoms I have been experiencing for years are all related back to Lyme… it is wild. And scary. Lyme is awful.

More from me soon. Love you guys so much & happy, happy Monday. XO