Frustrated

Here I am again with new symptoms and frustrations.  My health is continuing to deteriorate and currently I have swollen lymph nodes, bad acne, achy joints, loosing hair, chronic fatigue, anxiety, irritability, peeling lips and let's just say it seems like every symptom under the darn sun!  It is back to the drawing board.

Amy's

I am a firm believer in finding ways to eat  healthy foods at a reasonable price.  The hardest part when it comes to needing something fast to eat and you are just plain tired of salads.  When I am tired of salads I really want soup.  It is hard to find a soup that is gluten free, dairy free, MSG free and tastes good in a can. Campbell's just doesn't do it for me.  The other day I was cruising through my local grocery store and saw Amy's canned soups.  Of course I have seen this soup before but I had NEVER seen any company  try to master Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Phak) in a can!

I am a huge Thai and Laotian food FREAK!  The more flavorful and spicier the food the better.  So, imagine my surprise when I found this.  I read the ingredients and discovered they were safe and in a flash a can was in my basket and became my lunch for the day.  All I can say is WOW.  Amy's did a pretty good job considering it is not fresh.  I will definitely buy it again especially knowing the ingredients are on my "safe" list.
Since I tried the Thai Coconut Soup, I have bought several other of Amy's soups and have liked most of them.  I encourage people who like soup to buy them.  They are a quality product and worth the money you will spend on them.

http://www.amys.com/products/product-categories/soups

Make sure to check out their website for coupons.  Every penny saved is worthwhile.
http://www.amys.com/community/coupons 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Leaky Gut and more.....

I found this video/article so informative that I felt I needed to share it.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/11/how-to-cure-irritable-bowel-syndrome-in-a-few-days/

Dear Gluten

Dear Gluten: How can I explain my love for you? You hide yourself in all my favorite foods and you make me read label after label and cross-reference words I cannot even fathom how to pronounce to make sure you are not hiding somewhere trying to get me. Gluten, you can be very tricky! I cannot believe you even hide yourself in makeup, shampoo, conditioner and soaps which makes me spend countless hours of research finding what products I can put on my skin and face without erupting into a red volcano rash and many times large painful zits. You have taken away one of my favorite things called bread. Oh bread, I miss you. I can only hope someday I will discover how to make a gluten-free Bánh Mì - Vietnamese baguette sandwich! and gluten free chocolate croissants. Gluten, you have caused my grocery budget to basically quadruple over the last year which really cuts into my FUN money! Let's not forget how you drive my friends and family nuts when trying to find a restaurant that has gluten free options. I could go on forever how much I love you but I will digress here.

Makeup, Sephora & Tarte = Heaven

This weekend I spent some time at Sephora.  The mall is really not my kind of favorite hangout but my friend had taken Friday off and we decided to make the road trip to shop for gluten free makeup at Sephora.  We had a wonderful sales associate, Ava, help us and she had many of the same issues I did which was a nice change. Ava really took the time to explain all the products we looked at to buy.  We went with the line Tarte.

Tarte's line is formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, synthetic fragrances and gluten.  They are passionate about pure cosmetics.  All those ingredients cause issues for me when it comes to cosmetics, soaps, toothpaste and you name it, I usually have an reaction.  So imagine how excited one can get when they see a cosmetic line dedicated to being pure and natural. I almost did a little happy dance in the store.

If you haven't checked out the cosmetic line Tarte, I strongly encourage you to do so if you are looking for natural and pure makeup that has strong recommendations.  Just a heads up that Sephora does give out free samples at the store if you ask for them.  That is always helpful when someone has picky skin!

Progesterone Deficiency - Progessence Plus Serum

In the past few months my healthcare professional and I have been researching progesterone since I have an estrogen dominance.  I did take progesterone pills which let's just say we believe I was exposed to gluten even after researching the medicine.  My local pharmacist called the manufacturer would not confirm or deny if there was gluten in it.  That tells me it is time to quit the supplement.

There are other ways to get progesterone.  My doctor and I could have it compounded but my insurance quit paying for compounded creams.  Also, you still run the risk of the side effects synthetic progesterone can cause. I have previously stated I tend to be the freak of nature when it comes to the side effects of medication and so I decided to keep looking for all natural solutions.  I have had done some research thanks to a co-worker doing aromatherapy and made a decision Young Living Essential Oil Progessence Plus Serum is an option.  

The catch with the Progessence Plus Serum is that it has tocopherol/Vitamin E that is derived from wheat (gluten issue).  I have been fortunate my co-worker was able to obtain a sample of this serum.  After a week and a half of trying the serum, knock on wood, I have shown no signs of reacting to the serum and I am feeling better at the moment.  We will see if there is a reaction in the future.

The other option I am still researching and will post about in the future is wild yam creams.  The one I found at the local Whole Food's Store was not guaranteed gluten free and with no sample I am not willing to take my chances trying it.  So, I am still researching.

Below is a picture of the YLEO's Progessence Plus Serum and a link to their webpage.

http://www.youngliving.com/anti-aging-creams/Progessence-Plus

Dial Soap and Acne. Who knew?

The other day an esthetician made the suggestion  to try using Dial soap to wash my face because of the antibacterial qualities that could help clear up my acne.  If you purchase the Dial Gold it does not appear to have parabens (possibly hidden in the fragrance), there is no Tocopherol/Vitamin E present (which can be derived from wheat) BUT it does have a sulfa component.  I am allergic to parabens, gluten and sulfa.  When it comes to sulfa the worst thing it could do is cause an allergic reaction which tends to happen on a regular basis from other things.  So, I figured I would try it.

I have been using the Dial Gold as a face wash for about a week.  The acne seems to be clearing up at this point in time with the exception of a few problem spots.  The Dial Gold is very drying and I am still searching for a good moisturizer I can use in the future.  I don't want to put too many new things into the mix at this point in time, but when I find a good moisturizer that doesn't aggravate my acne I will blog about what I have found.  I will keep everyone posted on the progress.

If anyone reads this and decides to try using Dial Gold as a face wash for their acne please let me know your results.  Remember your acne might get worse before it gets better and the esthetician had told me try it for at least a month before giving up on the regimen.

One major plus is Dial Gold is reasonably priced and you can find coupons for it online or in the Sunday paper. People who are gluten free, paraben free and sulfa free know how important it is to find good deals because it gets extremely expensive!

http://www.dialsoap.com/products/gold-with-moisturizer-antibacterial-liquid-hand-soap

Disclaimer-

The opinions expressed on my blog are based on my own thoughts, knowledge, and experiences. Please keep in mind that I am not a Doctor or other health professional so please consult the appropriate professional before making any changes to your diet, health, or other applicable areas. 

Any views or opinions represented in the blog comments are accredited to the respective commentor and do not necessarily reflect my own views or opinions. I reserve the right to moderate comment suitability in support of respecting racial, religious, personal, and political sensitivities.