Detoxify: Day 9 to 14

Read my earlier post on Master Cleanse, Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3-8.

For health purposes, its best to go on minimum of 10 days.  For some reason.


So, I am going to do at least 10 days which just ended.


But.


I am challenged to continue because I have not lost the weight that I had expected and because I am not having much difficulty extending it.


Infact, I find that my mind is more focused and I can think better.  Without all the carbohydrate as an obstacle.


But how much longer?


Well the how much longer has been answered when on the 14th day, I kinda cheated.  Its not supposed to be like that.  But.  Anyways.


The whole detoxifying experience has been mostly pleasant.  And surprisingly achievable.  It was easier than I expected.   I was not too tired, not too hungry, not too obsessed thinking about food and going without solid food for 14 days was a great achievement.  A personal record.


I lost a total of 10 pounds.  Not bad.


The Master Cleanse program is encourage to be done every 4-6 months.


Now, will I do it again?


You bet!!!


How about you?

Detoxify: Day 3 to 8

To read Master Cleanse, Day 1, Day 2.

They always say that the 1st 3 days of fasting or abstaining from food are usually the hardest.  I could not agree more.


After the 2nd day of going on this Master Cleanse program, everything is pretty routine.  Almost ritualistic.


The killing part of the whole thing is having to cook meals for hours and not being able to eat it!!!!  The smell of the food really annoys me!  Not for any reason other than that I cannot taste it...


A word of advice on purchasing sugar cane.  If you are buying fresh sugar cane, it has to be refrigerated within 3 hours.  Of course its good to keep it frozen but that makes it difficult to drink.  What I do is to immediately refrigerate it upon purchase (freshly 'squeezed') and get at least 3 jugful.  It usually last me 2 days before I have to go and buy again.


Going to the toilet 300 times a day and having to look for one, almost everywhere I go are the annoying part of drinking bottles and bottles of water.  I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I almost wet myself!  Especially in the car!  So, try to hang around the toilet.  Safe yourself from turning blue.  If not, bring along some diapers ;-)


On the 8th day of the Detox, I noticed a sensitive patch of skin near my face suddenly disappeared.  That was amazing.  I didn't know it concerned my diet.  But anyway, I was happy.  My friends commented on my skin and how it 'glows'.  So, can you imagine the junk I have been consuming which is called Food?


I can say that the Lemonade concoction has been really helpful in giving me energy.  With enough intake of it, I can go through the day without much difficulty.  Not even having to fantasize about food.  You know what I mean....  I have not thought about it...... much.   I am human, OK?


So, have you thought about joining me on this program?


Come on, you can do it!

Detoxify: Day 2

The Lemonade with Sugar Cane is actually a delicious drink. The cayenne pepper adds a spicy flavour to it. The Lemonade covers the actual flavour of the sugarcane.


Today I did the same routine as yesterday.


Drank one litre of salt solution. The night before, I drank a laxative tea aka slimming tea. That woke me at about 6am. To... you know what. I had to sit there for at least 30 mins. So naturally I took something to read.


I still drank heaps of water to take away the hunger pang which doesn't really wants to go away. Shoo!! Go away!

Today was much better than Day 1 because I replaced the drink with Sugar Cane rather than water mix with maple syrup.

Detoxify: Day 1

I started the morning by drinking 1 litre of water with 2 teaspoons of sea salt. That is suppose to flush the system.


Then the concoction of lemonade, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. It tasted OK. Then immediately gargled my mouth. Apparently the lemon is bad for my teeth. I will do that each time when I drink the lemonade concoction.


Each time I feel hungry, I will drink The Lemonade. So on this day, I drank 6 glasses of it.

Actually, the maple syrup and water can be replace with sugar cane. I was overjoyed! Its delicious!


Today was tough because my body was adjusting to no food. The water bill must be sky high this month, at the rate I am gobbling down water. That's the only way I can fool my hungry stomach.


No food means loosing the joy of living. So, do I eat to live or live to eat? No. Please don't answer the question.

posted from Bloggeroid

Detoxify: Master Cleanse

All the hype about cleansing and detoxification. Its a huge industry. I personally find it quite a hassle. Some of it just too complicated.


So naturally I have not done a serious one, till now.


I was reading someone's blog and she was doing this program called master cleanse. I did some research and found it simple enough to do it. Even the concoction sounds delicious!


So two days later I was full fledged on the journey of having my body rid of toxins, feel and look healthier and hopefully loosing some weight. That's the motivation!


I will blog about it and maybe motivate some of you to join me...

posted from Bloggeroid

Another Near Miss!

*screams*


"Mom!"


"Mom!"


I saw Ethaniel screaming hysterically and crying while lifting up his t-shirt.


I saw patches of white on his stomach and soon discovered that while Joel was pouring some hot water into a cup, the kettle's cover flew open and the boiling hot water landed on Ethaniel and his stomach.


I scrambled to get some aloe vera which I usually have in hand due to my constant usage of it for vanity purposes. I cut away the skin of the aloe vera leaf and made a paste to put on Ethaniel's wounds. The wound was as large as the palm of my hands. Due to the pain, I was not able to put whole pieces on it, so, I squeezed the gel onto the wound and summon Joel to get Paracetamol as a pain killer for this little boy who was in obvious excruciating pain.


It was a daunting sight.


He was brave.


After 10 mins, he was still in a lot of pain, so we decided to take him to the Emergency Ward of Sime Darby Medical Centre in Subang Jaya (used to be known as SJMC). Arriving at the hospital, I could see people in face mask. H1N1. What a place to be at 12.10am.


Ethaniel was wheeled in. After watching ER on TV, one tend to have a distorted expectations of having doctors and nurses running to you when you enter the emergency door. To summarise it, it was a disappointing experience. For a burn case anyway. Was not dramatic at all.


The doctor ordered the nurse to give Ethaniel some paracetamol through the anus. There is name for that medication, but trust me to forget that scientific name. I thought they were going to give him an injection. So, imagine me staring at him for another 25 mins in excruciating pain. Why do someone wants to go to the Emergency if not to have immediate cure. Anyway. After collating enough information, I realised that once the painkiller kicks in, the nurse will wash his wounds with saline and apply a cream.


OK, OK, call me a skeptic but I could easily have done that at home. Obviously my ignorance in how hospitals treat burn patients was a wasted trip and 1.5 hours of wasted time. The aloe vera which I used to treat him was a much much better way. It heals the wound naturally and as I observed it, the scalded flesh was from inflamed red to pink and slowly looking less scary. I use it when I get oil splashes during my cooking sessions too. It works perfectly and leaves no scars.


Of course, for Ethaniel's case it was more serious, his scalded stomach caused the skin to peel showing pink flesh. Eeewww.... Poor boy. Anyway, Thank God it wasn't his face or eyes.


After reaching home at 1.30am, I took more aloe vera, de-skinned it, laid it on the wounds, covered it with gauze and taped it up.The next morning, I took out his patch and saw that the wound was healing nicely. This aloe vera work wonders! And not forgetting to thank Ethaniel's guardian angel for taking care of him again after the drowning and "sand-in-eye" episode (for those who read the blog post which I took out)


I wonder if the guardian angel is standing beside God complaining of all the hard work he has been putting in for the last month. Hmm....

Have you seen a cuter or more adorable smile? Bet you never.

20 May 2009, Wednesday

"Wake up! Its 7am".


I opened up my eyes and Hubby was sitting up.


I stretched, rolled, pulled up my blanket and was hoping to have an additional minute or two of restful sleep. Then, I thought again. My Hubby needs my moral support to get this thing going, so, I better wake up in a jiffy!


It took me 10 mins to get ready and off we went towards the park to do our first-unofficial-brisk-walking-session. After knowing Hubby for the last 16 years, I am seeing him doing brisk walk for the first time. I thought I was dreaming.... So, you have to see my view point in getting this historical event noted.


Hope to continue this thing for many more years to come.

Upheaval Week

The last 1 to 2 weeks has been quite an emotional upheaval for my family and I.


First, Hubby has not been feeling like his normal self. Cannot blame him, he is not normal. He has to cut down on sugary stuff, carbohydrate and many other stuffs which he totally addicted to but absolutely a no-no.


To put myself in his shoes, I guess I have to imagine myself having to abstain from eating Indian curries, Nasi Lemak, Japanese food and all chilli stuff.


Aaarrrrggghhh!!!


That would be almost the end of the world for me. I just loooove all these stuffs.


Pity him.


Sigh.


Of course the overzealous me woke up early in the morning to cook breakfast for him. You know, for all my 14 years of marriage, I have never woken up to make breakfast for him. Mostly because he needs to wake up to go to work at very ungodly hours, like 6.15am. I love my sleep. Especially in the morning.


So, you can imagine me toiling at his breakfast and packed lunch for 1 hour. I was so tired after that. It was wearying me down.... but what was I to do? I was trying to help him with his new diet.


As you might have guessed, I gave up after 1 week!


My Mother was like me, a little overzealous too. We drove around town looking for herbal medications which was highly recommended by others. We purchased 8 pots of the fresh plants from a nursery. We left no stones unturned. We conquered every herbal plant in sight. So, don't go looking for it because I either have it in my garden or in my cupboard *exaggeration added to make it sound dramatic*


We had our church Pastor, Cell Group leader and Members who came to give moral support, encouragement, advice and prayer. I was really touched that my friend, S immediately organised for them to come over after knowing our upheaval week. We needed it.


My Mother also took the request to her church for prayer, worried over it herself and even came to specifically pray for Hubby. You should have seen her pray, power man! How not to feel better? Mother's Prayer. Sure God will listen.. Right?

Fearing the Flu

Fearing the Flu
Life as a Disaster Movie

April 30, 2009

Edgar Hernandez probably doesn’t understand the fuss he created. When the 5-year-old from the Mexican state of Campeche coughed, the world caught a nervous breakdown.

Hernandez has been identified as the first person to have been infected with the strain of swine flu known as H1N1. As of yesterday there were approximately 2500 suspected cases of swine flu in Mexico with 159 suspected deaths.

In the U.S., the number of confirmed cases has “risen” to 64 with one death. The increase is at least partly due to what science writer Sandy Szwarc calls “seek and ye shall find.” Since we are now actively looking for swine flu, we are finding more of it. As she put it, “Cases identified with increased surveillance is not the same thing as actual increased incidents.”

To put these numbers in context, some 20,000 Americans die from flu-related illnesses every year. Thus, the President is right when he says that this outbreak warrants concern but not panic.

This hasn’t kept the media and political opportunists from behaving shamefully. It’s almost impossible to read a story about the flu without coming across the word “pandemic”—an attempt to link this outbreak to the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed millions. They speculate about whether there will be enough flu vaccine to protect Americans this winter.

What you rarely hear is that most Americans have already lived through a flu pandemic—that is, the 1968 Hong Kong flu. That pandemic killed scarcely more Americans than die from flu in an average year. Another thing you aren’t reminded of in the media is that the last time we worried about swine flu, in 1976, the vaccine wound up doing more damage than the disease.

The reporting and the rhetoric is part of what British sociologist Frank Furedi calls the “dramatization of disease.” The media and public officials “sound as if they are rehearsing their roles for a disaster movie”—a movie through which we express “our anxieties about everyday life.”

Furedi is onto something: The coverage of this outbreak has more to do with the culture than with science. Stories like this one frighten us because they undermine our confidence in our supposed ability to control our world.

In Christianity, pride is the deadliest sin, and ours is a prideful age. We thought that we had figured out a way to guarantee perpetual economic growth. And we even dare to talk about overcoming disease and even death.

Then reality, like Nemesis in Greek mythology, punishes us for our hubris. The economy craters and a virus reminds us of our vulnerability. Instead of being chastened, we become fearful. In effect, we are saying that a world we can’t control is a world too dangerous to live in.

Of course, it’s the only world humans have ever known. It’s why every attempt to re-create paradise not only fails, but causes more harm than good.

The alternative to demolished pride isn’t fear, it’s repentance. It’s humbly acknowledging our dependence on God. Without this, life can’t help but feel like a disaster movie.

Article extracted from here.

Health Is Important!

Hubby has been diagnosed with an illness. For his privacy, I will not mention what illness it is.


Its a type of illness, if not taken care will lead to his body organs breaking down... So, it will not really kill him now but might leave him blind, leg-less, toe-less and many scary disease which I don't even want to spell out.


Sometimes reality hits hard.


To be honest, I have heard too many scary stories about... This person having cancer, that person in a coma, another had a heart attack and etc. It brings a lot of fear.... Especially our children being young. They depend wholly on us for their needs, physical and emotional. It will surely be devastating for them to loose one or both parents in their young age.


At times like this, we pray and use our wisdom to restore health to our bodies.


Hey, you too eh.... Eat healthy and stay healthy.

Beware of The Toxicity of Soy Products

I was shocked when I first read this article. A lie that has been fed to millions of people, presented itself to be truth.


Mass media?


You be the judge

****************

Hundreds of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders, cognitive, immune system breakdown, and even heart disease and cancer. Contrary to popular belief that soy is a health food, evidence reveals that soy consumption has been linked to numerous disorders, including infertility, increased cancer and infantile leukemia, Type1 diabetes, and precocious puberty in children have been fed soy formula. (early maturation, such as breast development and menstruation as early as 6 years of age).


Scientists have known for years that the isoflavones in soy products can depress thyroid function and cause goiters in otherwise healthy children and adults. A combined research team of Cornell University Medical College and Long Island Community Hospital medical experts have found that children who develop Type1 diabetes are twice as likely to have been fed soy formulas as those fed all other foods This confirms concerns based on animal studies raised in the 1980's and 1990s by Health Canada researcher Dr Fraser Scott and led to the American Academy of Pediatrics issuing their warning to pediatricians against any use of soy based formulas.


To read more go to this website.

Emotional & Physical Pain

Yesterday I was watching a documentary on TV. There is a couple in UK who experiments the effects of the brain when experiencing the pain of rejection and actual physical pain.

Are there any difference to the brain?

Apparently not.

When a person experiences emotional rejection, a part of the brain is triggered. The same part of the brain is triggered when a physical pain is inflicted.

So, the next time we see someone in a state of rejection, eventhough there are no physical bandages, the emotional pain is similar to someone with a broken arm or leg. We should try to be kind, sensitive and compassionate.

Interesting eh?

Lack of Energy?

Since December 2007 last year, I have been taking Essence of Chicken whenever I feel very tired and lethargic.

It all started when we traveled around Thailand. Holiday was tiring, you know. Driving, different bed every night, long hours in the car, etc. I noticed that all kinds of essence are sold in 7 Eleven. You can find 7 Eleven at every corner all over Thailand. Its not uncommon to see the local Thais purchasing the essence and downing it. So, I thought that I will try it. It really worked. I felt much better.

Of course, in the last one week, I have been having long sleepless nights due to my Joel's illness. Actually a few days before that, I was down with a slight flu. So, I was physically tired too. The Chicken Essence really helped me. I am going to take a dozen pack for my holiday to Israel. I have already bought it.

A Trip To The Dentist

I have been procrastinating a visit to the dentist. Today, I did it. I knew I had to go sometime... Sooner better than later. I think.

One of the fillings had come out. In fact, a few. I have about 6-7 cavities which needed filling. That tells you how "procrastinating" I have been...

I went randomly to a dental hospital, just behind Central Bangna i.e. Jendham Dental Hospital. They were very friendly, helpful and accommodating eventhough I did not have an appointment. There were 4 Dentists on duty on a Saturday late afternoon. Phew!

After checking one of my cavities, the Dentist said that I might need a root canal. I felt chill up my spine. She suggested an x-ray first before proceeding. I prayed hard so that I don't have to do a root canal. Sounds scary... whatever that is.... When the x-ray returned, she was shocked that I could salvage the teeth. Phew! Thank God.

The miracle is... after all the drilling and clearing of the cavity, half of my tooth was gone! It was that large!!! My goodness. How God saved my tooth. A clear reminder that I need to go to the dentist regularly and brush my teeth well.

A near brush with Mr Extraction!

P.S. I need to return in a month's time to have a minor surgery to get my 2 wisdom teeth out... *shivers*. But this one is a NO CHOICE thingy. Have been procrastinating for umpteen years now... *sigh*

Joel's condition - Part 2

Joel's condition last night was bad. He had very bad headache which could not be soothe with paracetamol or massage. The massage I gave to him was only a temporary relief. He tossed and turned till 2am. He also had bad stomach cramps. The grumbling feeling and pain caused him immense pain. He kept calling for me at 20 mins interval. I gave him some of the leftover medication for stomach cramps which helped a little.

sick at home

I could sense his frustration and weariness. What does a Mother do at a time like this? Pray.

At last at 2am he dosed off.

In the morning at about 7.30am, I packed some clothes for both him and me, just incase we need to get admitted into the hospital. When we met Dr Napolid, the Paedatrician at Samitivej Hospital, I mentioned that I had preferred for Joel to be admitted due to his inability to consume food or water. He was getting weaker physically. His condition when in pain was disheartening to see.

I had to do the processing of the Admission. A deposit of THB50,000 (RM5,000 / USD 1,429) has to be made. So, I used my credit card while the Company work on the processing of the insurance with the hospital. Before that, they asked me what type of room had I wanted Joel to stay. I looked through the list, the standard room was THB4,200 (RM420 / USD120) per room per night.

waiting for x-ray and ultra sound

They took his X-ray of the face and ultra-sound for the abdomen and that took 2 hours because they had to wait for his bladder to be full before they can take an accurate scan of his abdomen. After that, we went to the room while Joel continued with some further test. They poked him 2 times on the right hand to draw blood for the blood test and once on the left hand for the drips. They also washed his nasal with saline.

The results of the x-ray showed that his abdomen is OK but his face shows that his sinus is inflamed. The blood test shows that he does not have influenza rather it was a bacterial infection. They do not know the cause. Hmm... So, as a result of the infection, high fever, it complicated his sinus, therefore the headache. The stomach cramps were due the empty stomach and acid secretion.

After admission

They put him on drips immediately upon admission. He slowly felt better when they gave him medication for the stomach cramps and painkiller for the headache. By late afternoon, he was watching TV with Ethaniel.

My bed

He had a good sleep that night..... while I slept on the sofa.

Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes. I really really appreciate it.

Joel's Condition

Sunday, 30 March 2008

• Whole day sleeping
• Ate 500mg paracetamol every 4 hours
• Didn't consume anything except water, glucose, coconut water and apple juice.
• Went to Samitivej Hospital to see the Doctor at 7.30pm
• Took a blood test to determine the cause. It was a bacterial infection.
  
• They suggested to hospitalise him since he was prone to vomit and looked a little dehydrated and weak.
  
• We wanted to wait for the results of the blood test, first. When the results came out, we decided not to. He will feel more comfortable at home and I will monitor his condition hourly with an ear thermometer.
  
• The Doctor gave him anti-biotic, nose decongestant and nausea medication.

Monday, 31 March 2008

• Still with fever. Drinking fluid only
  
• Having stomach cramps.
• Massaged his hands and legs.
  
• Ate some plain porridge with soya sauce at 11am.
  
• Felt better after the food.
• Smile for the 1st time in the last 2 days at 12pm
• Fever has gone down
• 12.30pm - Came downstairs to listen to online radio - The Pond & Kids Corner
  
• 1.30pm - Ate a little more porridge
• 2.00pm - Sleeping again
• Towards evening, fever has gone down but has bad headache, stomach cramps and weak and couldn't sleep
• Monitoring him....
• Will be sleeping with him tonight, to monitor him closely. Have not slept with him for ages, since he was a baby.

Joel feels really bad .... This is the first time he is feeling so ill for a very long long time. In fact, I don't ever recall him being so ill. If he doesn't improve much, I will be taking him to the hospital again tomorrow.

My goodness, what kind of bacterial infection is this???!!

Please pray for him.

Usage of Tea Tree Oil

I have been using Tea Tea Oil for many years. Since my sister in Australia introduced it to me. Whenever I get the chance, I will ask her to purchase some for me.

It is such an excellent ointment and I actually use it for variety of purposes. I never go traveling without it and definitely this household will have a huge void without it. Below are some of the ways I use it:

• insect bite - takes away the itchiness almost instantly.
• open wound - dries the wound quickly
• antiseptic - sometimes after wearing some earrings, my ear lope feels itchy, so I will apply a little and it almost instantly stop any kind of problem
  
• ulcer on the lip - just dap a little a few times a day and ulcer heals quickly (external use)
  

Just use a cotton bud and dap on the spot. Make sure you blow it with your mouth because it can be painful, especially if its an open wound.

Eating Healthily

I have always encouraged my children to eat healthily. Our Jewish friend has just turned vegetarian due to her physical health. Since she has changed her diet, she has been healthy and all the problems she had in her body has vanished in the last 60 days.

So, I have decided that my children and I cultivate good habits of eating. Today, we had salad for breakfast. Surprisingly both of them were such sport. They enjoyed it!

iceberg

lettuce

honeymelon, cucumber, dragon fruit, purple cabbage

Thousand island and Italian dressing

quite unbelievable that this 6 years old is eating raw vegetables

Joel enjoying his salad with heaps of dressing

Try some salads and raw vegetables today!

Doctor, Doctor

I have been down with flu since 5 Dec 2007, Wednesday. It started with soar throat, aches, tiredness.... It led to cough and running nose. Yesterday, at last, I decided to see the doctor. I somehow managed to "share" my germs with Ivan, so, he was down with soar throat too. So, we went to the doctor together at the nearby hospital.

In Thailand, we used to visit Thai Nakarin Hospital which is about 20-30 mins away. Its a very nice and large hospital. Services there are extremely good. You can get translator services, if needed.

Since the last few months, we have been visiting Chularat Hospital which is a much smaller hospital but nearer to where we are - 10 mins away. For minor illnesses, we have decided to visit it rather than travelling the distance to Thai Nakarin Hospital.

Ivan had easily 8-10 types of medication, whilst I have about 4 types and the bill came up to B1,800 (RM180). Oh my! The cost of medical is sure high here...

Another thing, a lot of the complains amongst the Malaysians are, too many types of medicines. Anti-biotics are prescribed freely. Imagine having 8-10 types of medication for flu. What about cancer? I don't think I even want to imagine!

Flu bug flying around

Don't you hate it when you are suddenly struck with soar throat, body aches, fever, cough... All in that order?

Well, the change in weather is one to be blamed, they say... I don't know. But.. but... I love winter.

Anyway, I hate it when I have to cancel a holiday because of it. Its going to DIE when I catch hold of that lousy "flu bug". In the meantime, drink water, water, more water... gargle salt water... gargle... gargle.. sleep and rest....

I am determine to "heal" myself by tomorrow so that I can go for my holiday. I know that sounds absurd but according to a group of Atheist I met in Facebook, that's what they say... Miracles are non-existed, its actually the brain telling the body to "heal" itself. I will try this technique and see if it works. If it works, there will not be anymore diseases in this world. Except to those who doesn't own a brain. Ah, now that makes sense...