Showing posts from March, 2019

When should an aging doctor call it quits?

Here are some red flags that suggest it might be time for your physician to retire.

Can genetic testing help doctors better prescribe antidepressants? There’s quite a debate.

Some doctors and patients support the practice. But the FDA and other physicians warn about the lack of scientific proof

California has a long history for being a sunny haven for health and wellness fads

In “Sun Seekers — The Cure of California,” author Lyra Kilston tells the story of the state’s self-identification with such trends.

From moms to medical doctors, burnout is everywhere these days

This state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion seems to be everywhere. But there are ways to fight it.

How you can battle burnout

Experts point out that you can fight such exhaustion with exercise, improvements at work and spirituality.

The Health 202: Is Obamacare failing or thriving? Trump can't seem to decide.

Trump's erratic approach could hurt the insurance marketplaces.

Arkansas governor seeks appeal of decision voiding Medicaid work rules

‘We are in this for the long haul because we believe it is the right policy,’ he says.

First living HIV-positive donor provides kidney for transplant in medical breakthrough

The Johns Hopkins operation aims to expand the organ donor pool and reduce the stigma that still surrounds HIV.

The Health 202: Trump administration undermines anti-opioid efforts by opposing Obamacare

The law's core components are critical to implementing some of Trump's top public health initiatives.

Federal Judge blocks Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky and Arkansas

Pair of rulings makes major dent in Trump administration’s efforts to transform social safety net.

FDA proposes mammography rule to provide women with breast-density information

The Food and Drug Administration proposes updating of 25-year-old mammography standards to help ensure women get breast density information

The Health 202: Republicans are introducing a new paid family leave proposal today. Here are the details

Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Ann Wagner's proposal signals a major shift for Republicans.

A job-scarce town struggles with Arkansas’s first-in-nation Medicaid work rules

Marianna provides an early reality check on how hard it is to carry out President Trump’s vision of a social safety net that requires most able-bodied people to work — or try to work — when few jobs are to be found.

North Carolina’s 20-week abortion ban is unconstitutional, a federal judge rules

The law had been in effect since 1973, but a 2015 amendment prompted abortion rights groups to file a lawsuit. A judge ruled in their favor this week.

Women need better information on breast implants, panel says

XXXX

Unvaccinated children banned from public spaces amid measles outbreak in New York suburb

Rockland County, N.Y., will declare a state of emergency amid a relentless measles outbreak, banning unvaccinated children from entering all public places.

Three tragic deaths reverberate across U.S. amid steady rise in suicides

Survivors of mass shootings remain vulnerable to “emotional shock waves,” experts say.

Purdue Pharma, state of Oklahoma reach settlement in landmark opioid lawsuit

As the first agreement in the current wave of litigation against drug companies, the deal could influence future legal action over the cost of the opioid epidemic.

Nine nurses are pregnant at a Maine hospital. They all work in the baby-delivery unit.

The nurses are all expecting children within a four-month range in the spring and summer, a quirk of fate the hospital is calling a 'baby boom.'

The Health 202: Congress can't agree on improving Obamacare even as enrollments decline

The debate comes as DOJ says courts should scrap all of Obamacare.

LIVING WITH LYME IN A FAST PACED WORLD

Sooo I’m about to hit you with a very stream of consciousness brain spill about living with Lyme. I mostly wrote all of this out while sitting in my sauna, furiously typing to get all of my thoughts out while my brain felt like it was functioning properly, amidst all of this insane brain fog (and before my phone overheated in the sauna because that only takes like 25 minutes in 158 degrees!).

I want to let you know in advance this is not my usual optimistic spin on things and this is very real and raw and from the heart. I have had an incredibly rough few days, and when I’m being very honest with myself I know it’s been an incredibly rough few years.

I am lucky to have so many good things in my life. Jonathan, my family, a job I love where I am able to work from home and create from my heart, a handful of incredible friends, obviously the best cat ever (hi Huddy man), but this shit ain’t easy. I am so ridiculously sick and I wonder sometimes how I am maintaining my career let alone my life… (well I know, and that’s because you guys are awesome and have totally evolved alongside of me and that’s why I am able to keep blogging full-time.)

But still.

So let’s get into it, now that I’ve intro’d you into what you’re going to be reading. Enjoy my brain spill.

There is nothing easy about being sick with a chronic disease. I try to think back to what it was like before I felt this way, doing this intricate dance with Lyme disease and my life, and it has been so long I am not even sure that I can pinpoint when it was that I felt normal.

College is the first thing that comes to mind, but I know even 4-ish years ago I was feeling a lot better than I do now, even if the symptoms were already coming on. It’s wild to try to count the years/figure it out, even though the “when” doesn’t necessarily matter. My brain is just constantly trying to wrap its head around what it must feel like to not feel like this.

I am still getting used to everything that comes along with having something that is chronic. With regular illnesses we get sick, it sucks, and the only saving grace is knowing that it’s going to go away. I think most days I still have trouble believing that this is not going away. Yes, I will get better and feel way healthier than I do now… but for the most part, I will always be managing the symptoms and nursing a delicate system after this experience.

Right now I am at the stage where I am realizing that it’s been almost two years of feeling completely not myself. I have hit the point where it’s been long enough I realize many people in my life simply know me this way — only this way — and never knew me when I was healthy.

Chatting with my best friend the other day it struck us that even the night Jonathan and I first kissed and then started dating, I was already feeling all of the symptoms of Lyme Disease that have now become my norm. So the love of my life, who loves me whether I’m healthy as can be or totally bedridden, has yet to get to experience me at my fullest without this disease. That is a wild feeling.

I have gone through so many stages of how I feel about having chronic Lyme since i was diagnosed last June. I went from relieved about having answers, to over the moon and vindicated that I hadn’t been wrong about how I felt for all these years, to being slightly terrified and overwhelmed about this new life of treatments and protocols and medications, to being totally heartbroken and frustrated over things that I have missed / can’t do, to pretty optimistic about my progress, to totally frustrated all over again because healing is simply not linear.

Lately I feel all sorts of ways about it all depending on the moment. Most of the time I feel very grateful for this healing path and all that it’s taught me- in those moments I feel optimistic about my protocol and a wave of extreme patience and calm washes over me knowing that I am on a long, but steady path toward healing.

Other times my symptoms hit me so hard, flaring terribly seemingly out of nowhere, they leave me bedridden and in pain and completely unable to live even somewhat similar to my normal life. These last few days have been that way.

On Saturday night I was up ALL. NIGHT. with raging insomnia, which is one of my indicators that everything is really starting to flare. Of course lack of sleep doesn’t do me any favors either. So by Sunday morning I felt like I had been hit by a semi truck. Jonathan took one look at me when he woke up and told me I needed to stay home and rest, which at first I resisted because we had plans with our families and I was so looking forward to it.

Thankfully I listened (sometimes I need a major push and some tough love in order to open my eyes to what I really need) because as the day went on I reached a point where lifting my arm to grab my water glass from my nightstand was too exhausting for my body.

Too tired to read or watch TV, too stimulated and panicky to sleep. While I laid there I considered the position I was in and went through extreme waves of emotions. On the one hand I feel lucky and grateful for the treatments I’m able to receive and for the many good days that I have.

On the other hand I feel totally lost and I ask myself everything from “Why on earth am i planning a wedding right now?” imagining the happiest day of my life being clouded by these raging symptoms, to “If I felt this way every day I wouldn’t see the point in living.”

It’s a total roller coaster. When the “chronic” part of chronic illness seeps in… it can be hard to remember life before being this sick.

Something I see a lot of in our High Vibe Chronic Lyme and Chronic Illness Tribe on Facebook is that so many people out there are not only struggling with their illness, but struggling to gain acceptance + understanding from just about anyone in their life about what they are going through. It breaks my heart. I have very much been in that position as well, but I am now at the point where if someone doesn’t get it / respect the unique way I have to do things right now… I don’t have the energy for it. I know whoever is meant to be in my life will get it, and they do.

I think what a lot of people don’t realize is that a lot of us with chronic illness also struggle immensely with guilt. I mean immensely. I often wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing out of my chest, overcome with panic stricken guilt about something I forgot to do or someone I fear is disappointed in me for not being well enough to be in their life or most often about my plans for the next day or the coming week just knowing they’re going to be nearly impossible to make it to.

It can feel impossible to feel like I am “doing enough” as a friend, a sister, an aunt, a daughter, a fiancé, a cat mom, a human… and something about the anxiety of the middle of the night can bring those thoughts and fears into a full blown tail spin. It makes me want to jump out of bed and do a million things at once, and keeps me up all night to the point where waking up the next day feels like the hardest thing in the world.

It is my nature to get inspired about my work and overbook myself in the moments I am feeling well — overbook myself with podcast guests, events, trips, plans, deadlines, all of the things i cannot even fathom doing or engaging in when I’m feeling at my sickest. So planning ahead is… so hard!!! I never know what I am going to be up for or not up for, and running a business that way is hard.

I usually just push my way through it but some days I look at Jonathan and say, “I cannot do the podcast tomorrow. I need to cancel my guest.” And he will look at me like, “Seriously?” because we both know there’s a good chance that person will not understand and will be frustrated AF. I hate doing that, but I also hate showing up to record something I am so passionate about sharing with you guys when I just don’t have it in me — or doing anything at all when I can’t give it my all, including catching up with a friend over coffee. I can’t fake it when I feel like shit.

On a walk with my parents yesterday, during a good few hours.

It comes in waves. Most days are both good and bad in terms of energy levels and how I feel. Other days are purely bad, and they last for days or weeks on end. Usually by “bad” that means severe exhaustion, brain fog, body pain, nausea, and an overall lack of motivation to function or get out of bed and face the day.

I know on social media it looks like things are all fine and dandy. Even in person it looks that way! Invisible illnesses are so difficult that way, so painful. Maybe you’ll notice a lack of zest in my eyes or a lack of strength in my voice, or you’ll think I am just not interested in what you are saying. Or perhaps you’ll think I am a flake because I often have to cancel at the last minute these days.

But that’s not it at all… it’s a struggle to be out of bed at all, always, any day of the week, and if I am… I am probably struggling. Barely able to retain info in a conversation. But looking 100% normal and healthy.

Once in a while I will have a streak of good days (which is amazing!!), but I am still learning how to handle them so they don’t end up being depleting. In fact a few days of last week I felt quite good, and I absolutely ran myself into the ground because I was so overjoyed about my energy and inspiration and zest for life/work/exercise that I just wanted to use it all while I had it. Because sometimes even when I don’t use it, it still goes away the very next day.

I am still very much figuring out my healing formula. A combination of eastern and western medicine has been serving me well. I mostly take herbal remedies for Lyme and co-infections, get vitamin infusions, juice 3x a day, do coffee enemas 2x a day, get colonics weekly, acupuncture, massage / fascial release, eat an SOS free diet, do yoga and light jogs / walks when i can, try to get a lot of sleep and live as low stress as possible. But I also get antibiotic IVs twice a week and taking anti-malarial pills for babesia… and I am not sure I would exist without all of that too.

The unfortunate thing is that even healing can be an exhausting job. Driving to the doctors office and getting treatments for a few hours is just about all my body can handle in a day. But when I don’t do it, in favor of more rest and downtime or squeezing in more things for work, it backfires on me terribly. At least when I am doing it, I know I am putting in the effort to heal and that feels good even when it’s hard.

Soooo… that is my update. It’s not easy. It’s painful. I am guilt ridden, even though I am working hard to try to let go of that guilt because I know feeling guilty is pointless and I am putting that pressure on myself, no one else is. I am tired and crying on the inside ALL of the time, no matter where I am or what I am doing… being in bed always sounds much better.

I look forward to feeling better. I know I will heal. I have dedicated my life to healing. I am going to Vancouver this weekend to study the Gerson therapy and kick off my health coaching program (I also ask myself why the F am I doing this right now when I feel the way that I do???? Because I am Jordan and this is the kind of shit I do) and I am excited because I do believe this way of life will help me heal.

I am so dedicated. I will do whatever it takes to get better. And I am just lucky and blissfully grateful to have you all along for the ride. Thank you. I am also lucky to have the best family, fiancé, and friends in the world and I will never stop being appreciative for their support that I know not everyone has the luxury of experiencing.

Thank you so much for reading this brain spill about living with Lyme. I know this post wasn’t uplifting but it was real, and that’s what I’m here for. I’m just glad my brain fog finally lifted enough for me to write it.

Love & adore you all. Would love to hear your thoughts on all of this. <3 Also would love to hear your stories in the comments. Join our Chronic Illness FB tribe if this convo resonates with you. xx

‘I was not warned’- Women who say they were sickened by breast implants demand FDA action

At a hearing, patients, advocates, say the Food and Drug Administration should take steps to warn patients about risks of implants and take some devices off the market.

Beyond opioids: Safe, effective treatments for 4 common kinds of pain

For lower back pain, post-surgical pain, headaches and joint pain, other remedies work and aren’t as risky.

The Health 202: Why Congress isn't expanding virtual health care

Hospitals say it saves them money but Congress's official scorekeeper isn't convinced.

When my brother-in-law died, we skipped the funeral parlor and took him home.

In a return to a once-common practice, family and friends paid their last respects as he lay in an alcove facing nature.

Beet juice gains traction as an evidence-based aid for athletes

Research suggests the nitrate in this vegetable can enhance sports performance and cardiovascular health.

The Big Number: Fatal heart attacks at ‘historic low’ of 12 percent

Yale study looked at two decades of data on about 4.4 million patients and found speedier responses have made a difference.

A mind-boggling trip into the 3-pound slimy, spongy mass that is the human brain

BrainFacts.org offers videos, articles and a 3-D interactive feature about the mysterious organ — from its anatomy to how it makes us think.

GoFundMe joins Instagram and other companies in crackdown on anti-vaxxer misinformation

GoFundMe said it will remove crowd-funding campaigns that raise money to promote misinformation about vaccines.

The Health 202: Hospitals lean into virtual health care even as Medicare won't cover it

Telehealth advocates say it's not only rural areas that lack access to health providers.

GOP governor signs law that bans abortion before some women could even know they’re pregnant

Right-wing and religious groups have said they hope the legislation will eventually force the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade.

Advance offers new hope for fertility preservation in young boys with cancer

A researcher at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development said the finding raises “a good bit of hope” that the technique can be developed for use in the lifetime of today’s boys.

The Health 202: Industry is tussling over drug prices. But it's united on combating Medicare-for-all

The big industry players are simultaneously allies and enemies.

White House officials attend Hungarian Embassy event urging women to have more children

White House special assistant Katy Talento, White House strategic communications director Mercedes Schlapp and several members of Congress were among those who attended the event held at the Library of Congress.

Anti-vaxxers trolled a doctors’ office. Here’s what scientists learned from the attack.

How a pediatric practice targeted in an anti-vaccine Facebook campaign investigated who was behind the attack and teamed up with researchers to learn more about the characteristics and beliefs of the commeters.

Fentanyl drug overdose deaths rising most sharply among African Americans

New CDC report shows epidemic cuts across racial, ethnic lines.

As Zika danger wanes, travel warnings are eased for pregnant women

The restrictions previously applied to travel to nearly 100 Zika-affected countries or regions.

The Health 202: Trump administration claims credit for some bright spots in the opioid epidemic

But there's still a ways to go.

First drug specifically for postpartum depression is approved

The Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug developed specifically for postpartum depression, a debilitating condition that affects hundreds of thousands of women a year in the United States.

A mom gave birth to a 15-pound baby and ‘felt like I had been hit by two tractor-trailers’

Joy Buckley of Corning, N.Y., said that after she delivered Harper, "I felt like I had been hit by two tractor-trailers simultaneously."

Homemade Oat Milk Recipe!

I have been dreaming of making my own homemade oat milk ever since I saw it popping up as a trend that at first I was really excited about… until I realized the ingredients in all of the oat milks on the market right now.

One of the most popular brands out there, the one that is carried in all of the cute coffee shops many of us frequent, lists these as their ingredients: Oat base (water, oats 10%), rapeseed oil, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphates, iodised salt, vitamins (D2, riboflavin and B12).

I am sorry, but other than oat base… I don’t want any of that in my body!! Rapeseed oil is really no different than canola oil, which I wouldn’t recommend to anyone as it is genetically modified which leads to all sorts of unhealthy side effects. Also with he MTFHR genetic mutation that I have I am supposed to avoid riboflavin in products (which is in so many shelved products right now, unfortunately!!). And obviously I am salt-oil-sugar-free, so the salt doesn’t work for me either!

If you enjoy the occasional oat milk latte at your local coffee shop and you feel just fine, that’s great! I am not trying to scare you, but it’s good to be mindful of what we are putting in our bodies. Especially for those of us with chronic illness and autoimmune issues, being aware of every ingredient that goes into our bodies is crucial in the healing process.

Plus, it’s so fun to make our own homemade mylks and nourish our bodies that way!! I have been making every meal at home for the last several weeks, and it feels so good. My body is happy and mentally its so calming for me to spend time in the kitchen. It’s one of my greatest forms of moving meditation right now.

Also, I don’t know about you but I find squeezing a nut mylk bag to be extremely fun and therapeutic… lol. But so serious. Also, it only takes 10 minutes tops to whip up your own mylk at home, and it lasts for a good 5 days in the fridge.

ANNNDD I know I have promised you guys an Expo West recap, which is coming, but the main trend I noticed was oat milks!! Everywhere! Every brand is releasing them. Cold brew companies, so many alternative milk companies, and even brands I would never expect like ice cream and frozen food companies. When a buzz word like “oat milk” is created, everyone wants to hop on board.

It’s kind of like cold pressed juice companies 5 years ago… first there was one, then two, then three, then they exploded!! I remember being at Expo West 5 years ago and EVERY. SINGLE. TABLE. was cold pressed juice!! Either that, or some kind of drink / tea blend. Now, those are fewer and further between.

Okay I will save the rest of my Expo spiel for another post, and share with you this yummy, easy, minimal ingredient oat milk!

Homemade Oat Milk //

First of all, this oat milk can be made with two simple ingredients: oats, and water. But I like to spruce it up a little and add cinnamon and liquid stevia for flavor. You can also add maple syrup instead of stevia, 2 dates for sweetness, cacao or cocoa for chocolate mylk, berries for berry mylk, bananas for banana mylk, the list goes on!

Speaking of 2 ingredients, this oat milk pairs veryyyy nicely with my 2-ingredient cookies from yesterday! And of course with my chunky monkey banana bread brownies… holy heaven.

Since I am not eating / consuming nuts right now because of the Gerson therapy, this is extra exciting because usually I turn to a nut mylk for smoothies, bases for oatmeal, what have you. Now I have this delish go-to!

It is vegan, SOS-free, nut-free, gluten-free, Gerson-friendly, and heavenly.

Ingredients //

1 cup rolled oats (I use these gluten-free Bob’s Red Mill oats)

4 cups water (use less for a creamier, thicker texture)

1 shake cinnamon

1 dropper full of liquid stevia (I use this one, bc its alcohol-free & my body does the best with it)

Optional: 2 tbsp cacao for chocolate mylk, 1/4 cup berries for berry mylk, 1 banana for banana mylk, 2 dates for sweetness, 1 tsp maple syrup for sweetness, whatever you so desire.

Method //

Add oats, water, cinnamon, and stevia into a high-speed blender (you can find mine on my Amazon Shop Page full of all of my faves) & blend on high until well combined. You don’t want to over-blend, because it’s easy for this mixture to get slimy / gooey if too blended.

Get out your trusty nut mylk bag or another alternative (I have used a super thin towel before as an alternative), and place it into a large mixing bowl. Pour the mixture into the bowl, and squeeze through the nut mylk bag. This mixture is gooier in texture than your traditional nut mylk, so you’ll really have to work to get it all out!

Transfer into a sealed container and refrigerate. I love my Wecks Jars (I actually get so many questions about this on Insta, so definitely check these out if you’re looking for a great jar / glass that is super easy to store!).

The milk will last for about 5 days in the fridge, and you can also freeze it for up to a month. Shake it well before drinking. Enjoy in smoothies, chaga lattes, decaf coffees, over granola, in a smoothie, or even on its own. Of course, these cookies are sooo yummy dunked in the milk!

As always, if you make this, tag me @thebalancedblonde & #tbbmademedoit so I can see!! Tell me what ya think and what you’d like to see more of!

God, country and chickenpox: How an outbreak entangled one school in a vaccine showdown

Jerome Kunkel, 18, was banned from his Kentucky school, which is experiencing a chickenpox outbreak, because he isn't vaccinated against the virus. Now he's suing.

The Health 202: Obamacare plans face lawsuits over erroneous doctor directories

It's a consistent problem.

Two Ingredient SOS-Free COOKIES!

Hi guys!! Happpy Monday!! I am so excited to share this recipe with you. It’s crazy minimal (I mean 2 ingredients… does it get more minimal than that?) and chock full of nutrients, especially fiber. These make the perfect breakfast, midday snack, dessert, pre-work bite, what have you!

Also a few updates from my end: this past week’s new podcast episode with Jenna Zoe & Dara Dubinet was such a special show and I have been getting awesome feedback from you guys. If you haven’t listened yet, we chatted about getting “unstuck” in our lives — we all hit rock bottom points in our careers/lives where we feel very stuck, and in this episode we share how all three of us got out of those ruts.

We also discuss astrogeography, the practice that Dara does where she fills in a map of the world with info she gets from your astrological birth chart and tells you where are the best places in the world for you to live, create, find love, cultivate family, buckle down for career, the list goes on!!

I have done a session with Dara and I have my map now and it’s literally the coolest thing ever. I was thrilled to find out that living LA is a great place for me — career, love, family, all of it. Also traveling to places like Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, and even Brazil are great places for my particular chart. I think I need to plan a trip or two. And how serendipitous that Brazil is one of the homes of my beloved Ayahuasca!

And of course we chat Human Design because we have the fab chart reader Jenna on the show, and there is so much to discuss! It is so fun. Cannot wait to hear what you guys think.

Also, thank you so much for the love on the post I shared this weekend about the Gerson therapy program I am embarking on. I am so overjoyed and honored to be able to turn my chronic Lyme experience (that I am still very much going through…) into a way to help others heal. And myself. It’s going to be incredible & I can’t wait to take you guys along for the ride.

Now for these COOKIES !!!

Why Two Ingredients?!

I have been eating a Gerson therapy diet (which you can read all about here) as well as my usual SOS-free vegan diet. This is all for healing reasons, living an anti-inflammatory life, and ultimately doing my best to heal and eradicate chronic disease in my body through nutrition and extremely nutrient-dense plant foods. (On top of my Lyme treatments with my doctor.)

In the Gerson therapy, it is a nut-free lifestyle and for the first 4-6 weeks it is also bean-free. This is to eliminate common allergens and a whole host of other reasons that I will be learning about very soon as I embark on this new way of life / a program I am doing with them.

SO!! These cookies are nut-free. I used to make these all the time with a few other ingredients, like almond butter and chocolate chips or dates and walnuts. So feel free to add in anything additional and yummy like that if your heart desires — even coconut shreds would be heaven, or sliced apples/applesauce!

I have been eating them for breakfast & also putting them on top of my morning smoothies, eating as a snack, dessert, etc. SOOO yummy. SO SIMPLE!

They are vegan, gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free oats), salt-oil-sugar-free, Gerson therapy friendly, healthy & delish as can be.

2 Ingredient SOS-Free Cookies //

Ingredients //

3 large overripe bananas

3 cups gluten-free rolled oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill, which you can get at ThriveMarket.com/BLONDE — using that link for a big discount on Thrive!!)

Method //

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Chop the bananas so they’re in their easiest form to blend, and then put both the bananas and the oats directly into a high-speed blender of your choice. (I use a VitaMix, which you can find on my Amazon Shop Page).

Blend until smooth, and add a little water if the mixture gets too thick or dry. I added about 2 tablespoons throughout the blending process.

Coat your hands with water so the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands too much, roll the mixture into balls and place on the parchment paper. Press the tops of the cookies down with a rubber spatula.

Pop them in the oven for about 9-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let them cool, and enjoy!

I have been drinking mine with flax mylk… SOOO heavenly, and also dipping into my fave chaga tonics!! In my chaga tonic I use flax mylk, Four Sigmatic chaga, Four Sigmatic reishi, and a tablespoon of carob powder. One of these cookies with a tonic is my current morning go-to while I journal, do my breathing exercises, and get the day started.

Let me know what you think of this recipe! So incredibly easy, and so gooey and delicious. I keep these in the refrigerator and they stay fresh for about a week. If they last that long. And as always if you make them, share on social and #tbbmademedoit so I can seeee!!

Clearing the air about e-cigarettes, vaping, nicotine and health

‘Less harm does not mean harmless,’ especially for teen users.

The Health 202: Democrats are taking their turn using 'Mediscare' as a political tactic

A new ad campaign kicks off this week.

To really help a family in crisis, here are a few good rules to follow

The do’s and don’ts of how to assist loved ones facing a catastrophic situation.

I Manifested This Into My Life… BIG NEWS!

Hi guys! Happy Saturday!! I have a big announcement for you today that I’ve been dying to share. Curl up somewhere cozy with your chaga latte or your celery juice because I’m going to tell you the whole story!

When I was at True North earlier this month doing my most recent water fast, I kept getting signs from the universe that I was there for a much bigger reason. True North is a health center that teaches the SOS-free way of life (salt oil sugar free, which you can read about here), and is also where I first learned about SOS-free and started implementing it into my life last May.

As I looked around True North it struck me very clearly that I was the youngest person there for some sort of larger purpose. I went to the cooking classes and the lectures and soaked up as much information as I could, and kept getting filled with this greater knowing that part of my purpose in life and especially part of my purpose in getting sick with Lyme is to help people heal by spreading the SOS-free message to a younger generation. It was a larger series of events that brought me to TN in the first place (I believe guided from above!).

While I was there I was filled with inspiration to create so many recipes when I returned home, and also to write a SOS-free cookbook and guide book for all of the many people out there who are looking to learn more and enhance their life with this anti-inflammatory, disease-friendly way of eating. But I also knew there was more, and I asked the universe to show it to me.

In the middle of my fast I sat on the floor in my room at and meditated for a long while to get clear on what I wanted the universe to bring to me. I was very open, and I said, “Show me the way I’m going to help people heal from chronic disease. Show me how to heal my body from chronic disease so I can help others. Unveil to me what it is I am supposed to be doing because I am filled with such massive inspiration to do it, but I am lost as to what *it* is, so point me in the right direction.”

From there, I let it be. I totally surrendered. I let go of what the response from the universe might look like, or when I would get it. But I wrote it down, continued to meditate on it, and felt very excited for what was to come. Fasts are also a great time to tune into yourself and just BE, outside of your daily routine and distractions from life, so I felt ultra clear on my path and my inspiration.

The Universe Answered //

Fast forward to returning home to Sacramento after the fast, and of course, the most miraculous thing happened. I had been making recipes like crazy and studying all things SOS-free to learn about what I could do to dive deeper and help people. There wasn’t a whole lot out there, but I kept looking. I watched the documentary HEAL (LIFE CHANGING) for the third time because I can’t get enough of it, and I got my parents drinking juices and smoothies every day. It felt so good to be back in the world and I was feeling super in the flow.

Insert the miraculous thing: one of my amazing blog readers Christine (@bluecrushwellness on IG) responded to one of the many SOS-free recipes I was posting and told me that she was in the middle of a health + detox coaching program based on the Gerson therapy, and that she would be happy to help with recipe testing any time if I did end up creating an SOS-free cookbook.

The whole message was amazing, but what most stuck out to me was the program. I said to her, “WAIT! Tell me more about this program!! Send me an email!!”

Christine sent me an email right away full of info and incredible inspiration. The program was EXACTLY what I had been looking for. When she mentioned the woman who started the program, Nicolette Richer, I realized the name sounded super familiar. So I checked my inbox and connected the dots — SO MANY people have pointed me toward Nicolette ever since my chronic Lyme diagnosis. She helps so many people heal. I had never contacted her before because I was receiving SOOO much info about what to do / how to heal / who to contact, etc. etc.

But now the time felt so right. So of course I immediately went onto Nicolette’s website & contacted her. I told her I was interested in the program, I wanted to meet her, I had a podcast that I wanted to have her on, the whole works!

It turns out she was coming to LA that very week from Canada and would be able to come over and be on the podcast! So on Monday of this week I met her, fell even more in love with her message and her knowledge, and simultaneously signed up for her health + detox coaching program, that starts at the end of this month!!!

The serendipities are WILD. The Universe answered.

NOW YOU KNOW WHY I HAVE BEEN JUICING SO MUCH !!

What is the Gerson therapy?! //

The Gerson therapy is a diet and lifestyle that was created by Max Gerson in the 1920s. It aims to rid the body of toxins and to strengthen the immune system to fight disease. It involves an SOS-free plant-based diet full of fruits and veggies from the earth, lots of cold-pressed juices, and whole gluten-free grains. It’s wild because I have been researching the Gerson therapy for years, but I never had a direct tie to it until I got sick myself.

In fact that first time I heard about it I researched it for about a week straight, I was obsessed with it (as I get with things), but ended up moving on from learning about it because at the time I was quite healthy — but I filed it away in my mind for if I ever got sick or anyone I loved got sick.

The Gerson therapy is most known as an alternative treatment for cancer, but it is also used to treat other diseases. Because of its aim to rid the body of toxins and strengthen the immune system, it can truly treat any disease. Nicolette has incredible stories of people who have healed from every disease under the sun — she has been living this lifestyle for 22 years! I cannot wait for you guys to hear those stories on the podcast, which will be out in 2 weeks.

The toxin ridding part of the lifestyle is done through coffee enemas. For people who are sick with chronic disease, this could mean up to 5 enemas a day. I have been doing 2 enemas a day so far and I have already noticed a boost since I began. I used to do one enema a day, as they are GREAT for people with Lyme who have an excess of toxins and trouble detoxing them.

Also for chronically ill patients the aim is to drink between 9-13 cold pressed juices a day (8oz each) to flood the body with nutrients and flush those toxins out. So now you know why I have been juicing an extra amount!!

Also, check out these carrot pulp muffins I made from the pulp from my carrot juice!!! YUM!

Its even crazy that I was watching the documentary HEAL the night before Christine reached out to me, because the Gerson therapy is hinted at in that doc a handful of times. I was telling my mom about Gerson while we watched and how the Gerson therapy is truly the original SOS-free.

I have had an inkling for a while that trying the Gerson therapy would be beneficial in my healing journey, but I also didn’t know the first thing about it. In Nicolette’s program I will be learning everything from the science to the biology to the history of treating disease… it’s going to be intensive in the best way. I will be writing term papers & doing case studies & even taking on clients during this time (stay tuned for that!!).

And the best part is, I will get the opportunity to help my own body heal in the process.

And if I am getting really deep into the spiritual aspect of it, which I totally can with you guys, Charlotte Gerson (Max Gerson’s daughter) passed away last month at the age of 97. I can feel her gently guiding me from the other side as I continue to learn/devour this information about the Gerson lifestyle. I believe she is giving me those gentle nudges when I need them most, and I am so grateful.

ALSO, since then, the Gerson therapy has shown up in my life every day, multiple times a day!!! When I showed up to record this weeks episode of the podcast with Dara Dubinet & Jenna Zoe, Dara quoted Charlotte Gerson within minutes of me walking in her door. “If you cure one disease, you cure all.”

I’m sorry, but I believe there are no coincidences in this life!

More details?! //

If you want to look into the program yourself, you can find it here at Richer Health. They have offered a generous 20% off code — ERTHBLONDE1 — for any of our TBB tribe who would like to join. This particular program starts at the end of this month, and there is another starting in September.

Also, how wild that it starts at the end of this month?! When I was looking for something to start as soon as possible?! The synchronicities continue to blow my mind.

The is that disease can be cured by removing toxins from the body, boosting the immune system, and replacing excess salt in the body’s cells with potassium is such a beautiful thing to hear, especially when you’ve been suffering for so long. And it MAKES SENSE. I believe in doing alternative, nutrition-based therapies alongside of whatever it is that you’re doing with your doctor or naturopath to heal disease.

I believe we can all heal as long as we find the right path for us, and as long as we BELIEVE on a deep, cellular level that we will heal.

I mean, have you heard of this book?! If not, you should read it. We can ALL heal. It’s a matter of mindset, nutrition, dedication, community, support, belief, spirituality… it’s a matter of knowing there is something greater out there helping us heal. And it’s a matter of taking our health into our OWN hands.

I am so, so, so excited & humbled for this experience to come. I have been taking my health into my own hands ever since I got diagnosed with Lyme. I have refused to sit back and let Lyme take over my life, or ruin it. This journey has been a huge learning experience for me. I am still in bed 90% of the time — I am writing this post from bed. It has been hard, really f*cking hard. I am not going to sugar coat that.

But if I can take what I have learned and what I have suffered from, from Lyme to babesia to mold poisoning to MCAS to MTFHR to chronic hives/chronic eczema to chronic fatigue to brain fog and more, then I will be happy. I know we are only given what we can handle, and I am SO thrilled to finally have found a program to learn more about the SOS-free nutrition that I believe so deeply in so I can help YOUUU !!!! HEAL !!!

Would love your thoughts below! Let’s hear them! Have you heard of the Gerson therapy? Would you try it? xx

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