Archives for February 2013

02.14.2013

Healing update #3

Did you miss me?

Well I sure missed blogging and being “awake” these past few days. I was sick 🙁

The NAET “flu”

When the NAET treatment does not clear, things are not pretty. Good thing it has only happened once before. I like to call it the NAET “flu”.

Out of my 33 NAET treatments, only 2 have not “cleared”. It doesn’t really matter if I touched things for the 25 clearance period, I think it has to do with how stressful the allergen is on my body. The other treatment that did not clear was grains (for obvious reason this was hard on me). This time it was latex!

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Latex is everywhere- erasers, handles, cooking tools…you name it. It is in rubber and combined with materials. Not only is latex everywhere, but it also cross reacts with many things (like I explained in this post).

I touched a few things (handles) but that was not why it did not clear. Right after I got treated I was super itchy (I should have known that was a sign). I felt ok for the 25 hours, but then after the 25 hour mark I felt like I was hit with a flu. Body aches, dizzy, fatigue, stomach and head ache; all at once!

I went to acupuncture and it did not help. I came home and slept, that did not help either. I did my RIFE. I drank lots of water and nettle tea. Nothing made me feel better, and actually I just kept feeling more run down. I woke up yesterday morning and felt even worse, that is when I knew the NAET did not clear because I get worse each day. Nobody else was sick in my family. My mom could tell this was the “NAET flu” just by the way I walked an talked (boy she knows me well! haha).

DETOX:

Since I was feeling so sick for 3 days, I did not get much done. I actually was in a “fog” for 2 1/2 days.

I could not study- the words kept jumping and spinning all over the page, I think my brain was all messed up to! Im a little behind in my NTA studies, but I will catch up. Usually my brain is clear and like a sponge..but instead I felt like a brick-regecting everything and anything. I re read a bit tonight and don’t remember anything from before-good thing I didn’t get past the first 3 pages!

I listed to my body and busted out in my detox mode (even more so then on a daily basis). You should see me, when I get my mind set of something, I do it and go all out. I spent my 2 days “sick” detoxing. Hey it cant hurt-right!? It is all I can do to make myself feel even a tad better, but it is worth it.

Sauna:

I sat in the sauna for 1 hour the first day I was “sick”. I did not like the heat- and usually I don’t when I already feel dizzy. I also detoxed some mercury because i got a rash around my face again (usually it comes out around my mouth- do you think it has any correlation to the silver fillings I had in my baby teeth when I was 2 years old. The cells in that area can “hold on” to the mercury.)

RIFE:

For the past 3 days was attached to my RIFE, day and night (mostly because I was excited!) I was first worried that the RIFE was giving me detox, but Dr. Conners said that it usually will only give a person detox if they do the viral and fungus frequencies (which I am not doing right now). I am only doing the healing frequencies. I played around with it for a while to get to know all the different frequencies I can run. I find it so much fun!

I am told by Dr. Conners to do RIFE when I sleep (he has created night time healing programs for me) usually 7 hours long. If I want to do it during the day I can. Usually I choose the liver, lymph, and detox programs. I am excited to try out the adrenal, mental clarity, energy, kidney, fluid retention, yeast and fungal, dental bacteria, candida, and endocrine frequencies.

RIFE

In that picture I have my Nourishing Traditions cook (one of the NTA required reading) and read it with my RIFE on my lap. In the picture above it, is my sheets. I decided to stick the RIFE light tube under them so I don’t get tangled in the wire when I sleep. It bothered me the first night but not anymore. The picture on the right is how I have the RIFE set up in my room. There are a lot of cords, hehe :). There is the RIFE box (the grey box) and the little lab top that programs it. I hung 2 green socks over the RIFE box to block out the little blinking red and green lights for when I sleep. Then the wires attach to the light tube that is underneath my covers- the light is purple and is very dim so that is good for sleeping. So far I have not tripped on the wires in the middle of the night. I would put tape down-but I’m allergic to tape  :)!

Coffee enemas:

I have talked a bit about doing coffee enemas on my blog. They are very good for the liver to detox and especially for those people who are T1 dominant autoimmune (helps balance the immune system out). I bought some special organic coffee beans from s.a.wilson  or you can get similar enema coffee from amazon here: Organic Enema Coffee . Here is what s. a. wilson has to say about their coffee:

s.a.Wilsons certified organic Gold Roast Coffee is the first and only coffee that has been specifically blended and processed with higher levels of Caffeine and Palmitic acid in mind. It is also the only coffee that has been lab tested to be sure it has these higher levels.. A blend of 100% certified organic coffee beans have been selected for higher levels of Caffeine and Palmitic Acid. It is our proprietary three tiered system of processing the coffee that insures that s.a.Wilson’s coffee is the only coffee on the market with these higher levels.

coffee enema

Pretty impressive huh? I say that it doesn’t hurt to buy it, if you are serious about detoxing your liver. It is close the same price as the organic coffee you get that the coop anyways. The beans do not smell like coffee and are light colored. Funny thing- it turns towels green, so watch out for a science experiment!

I got the preground because they say the beans are too hard to grind with a regular grinder. The caffeine and the palmitic acid are important to ensure the liver detoxes properly and the gallbladder releases the bile. If you are interested, read more about it here. As you probably know by now, im not afraid to do anything that will help my body detox and heal itself. Im in it 100%.

Activated Charcoal:

I like to start and end my day with a spoonful of activated charcoal in water to “absorb” all the toxins floating around. Did you know charcoal can absorb toxins in the blood stream? Plus, it does not absorb your good nutrients-read about that here. Though it is still good to take it away rom food- the food hampers the charcoals effects. I buy this one :Charcoal Powder.

This comes from the 1980 book Activated Charcoal by David O. Cooney: “Charcoal added to the diet of sheep for six months did not cause a loss of nutrients, as compared with sheep not receiving charcoal. … A level of 5 % of the total diet was given as charcoal. It did not affect the blood or urinary levels of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, inorganic phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, creatinine, uric acid, urea nitrogen, alkaline phosphatase, total protein or urine pH.”

Zeolite:

I continue to take my zeolite. 1/8 tsp every day in a bottle of water and sip. I got a question from a reader asking if it bind to calcium and magnesium. I found the answer. No-just toxins! Read more about it here.

How can all natural Zeolite remove toxic metals such as lead and mercury but not healthy ones such as calcium and magnesium?

Zeolite’s ability to attract and bind different substances is based on the size, shape, and electrical configuration of its molecular cages. Zeolite’s greatest affinity is with heavy metals, especially mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic. Lighter metals such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous have smaller ions, and so their affinity to zeolite is orders of magnitude less. You can think of it as being similar to a lion’s cage. The bars keep the lion in, but a mouse can run freely in and out. In much the same way, zeolite traps and eliminates heavy metals and other toxins, while it leaves minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus in the body.

Acupuncture:

Tuesday, just after the 25 hours was up, I started to feel “blah”. I had an acupuncture appointment scheduled, but it did not make me feel good (like it usually does). I was sooo exhausted and had a hard time keeping awake driving myself home-hey that is what music is for. During the session all the kidney points were like shooting pain, ouch! I don’t mind pain, but that was not fun. But hey, the acupuncture could have made things better without me knowing it.

Dry skin bruising:

After reading about the RIFE, I decided that I need to manually get my lymph moving.

What the RIFE does is help break up extra protein chains in your body. Usually the protein chains are nice and uniformed. When the cells die, they de-clump, and if the lymph is sluggish (read how to take care of your lymph here) the protein chains just stay there. If the protein cells don’t get “flushed away” by they lymph, they tend to clump back up, but this time it is not uniform and ugly.

These protein clumps attract water just like the healthy cells. So instead of having the right amount of water around your cells, you have double, and it just keeps getting worse until your lymph will work again. That explains why I have  a lot of fluid retention lately- because my lymph is so weak.

The RIFE is used to break up the clumpy protein structures into individual cells. This way they can get “washed” away easier by the lymph. I cant just do the RIFE and expect to be “cured”. I incorporate manual techniques to help the process along. Instead I am using it as a tool, mainly to get my lymph moving again and to heal my organs. Im very excited to see how my body responds!

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Clay bath:

I decided to do a clay bath to help my body “soak” up all the toxins floating around. Im sure the NAET releases so much-or else why would I be so itchy? My rash cleared up almost all the way after the clay bath-you just got to love them! If you don’t know how to do a clay bath, check out my post here. This clay bath gave me enough energy to stay awake with my mom and help her prepare her salmon roe, but then I went to sleep for 13 hours. zzzzzz..

Other:

There was no exercising, other then some stretching and light yoga (I like to make up my own yoga routine). I don’t have much experience but I just go with the flow.

Before the 25 hours was up after the latex treatment on Monday night, I had a serge of energy- which is also a sign that something is not right. That night I ran 2 miles and did some weights. Sometimes I think my body “prepares” for a sickness. I also was extra hungry that night (another sign Im getting sick–or should I call it the “NAET flu”). I drank a lot of nettles and ate a bite or two of protein every few hours to make sure I had enough energy. It was not a fun 2 1/2 days.

All better!

I went back to my NAET/chiropractor today. He tested latex and I was right…I muscle tested very very weak! He did his little clicks on my back and tested to see if I was strong. Nope. We did it again but this time he made me hold the files up to my forehead and hold my ring finger to my thumb (a special NAET technique). Ta-da! It worked and immediately the “flu” lifted. You don’t know how relieved I am, I feel like I was given my life back!

This time I will be more carful not to touch ANY latex! I also got adjusted by him (which I always like) and it makes me feel 100% better. When my neck comes “out” I get a lot of sinus and face pressure because then things cant “drain” properly. Its “draining” right now :).

Grateful

Having a sick 3 days was not “so bad” after all I guess. Lately I have had more good days then bad and I should be grateful for that. Things are finally working, but that doesn’t mean each day will be wonderful and full of energy. The body goes in cycles, good or bad, they are necessary. I promise to share everything, just like I did today.

I am grateful I can drink green tea. I am grateful I can eat broccoli. I am grateful I have found brilliant doctors who are dedicated to heal me. I am grateful for a supportive family. I am grateful for you all!

Since Wednesday was the start of Lent, I want to talk about that–because my healing would be NOTHING without God! For lent I cant really “give something up” like I have in the past. Instead I will do something I feel like I can do. Each time I have a headache, or NAET doesn’t work, or I don’t have the brain capacity to read like I want to or take a run, or even just feeling blah…I will give my pain up for those people who need prayers. There are so many people who need prayers-even more then I do. I will consciously make the effort to remember people when I am in “pain”. So hopefully it will become a habit by the time Lent is over with!

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Healing is a gift

So that is where I am in my healing. I have to remember that healing is (in any form) a gift from God!

I cannot say I have had a huge difference in my health in the past week even though I have been taking the zeolite and RIFE and eating veggies (I can now eat, nettles, green tea, bison, bone broth, broccoli, cauliflower!) Yes- veggies taste sooooo good! The “NAET flu” blocked me from really noticing big changes, everything seemed worse.

My rashes have gotten better and I think that they will come and go when my body is ready for another round of “detox”. I could have been so sick because the NAET didn’t work, but also because I have a lot going on too. I guess I will never know, but sometime we just have to let our bodies do their thing. Getting worse is not always a bad thing.

Did you miss any healing updates? Read about #1 here and #2 here?

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~Stay gutsy, Caroline

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02.12.2013

New and Improved GAPS Pancakes!

Hey Everyone!

I have decided to go through my “old posts” in my recipe section and clean them up (better pictures, tweak recipe (for the better!), load faster, add links…). I will try to do them as quick as I can, but I will continue to have new posts too.

So I guess you can say the recipes will be ” New and Improved”. Don’t worry, Im not going to change that much 🙂

Here is today’s update recipe. GAPS Pancakes- get the recipe here.

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Pin it: http://pinterest.com/pin/109001253453350844/

Eat up!

PicMonkey Collage

 

egg

~Stay gutsy, Caroline

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02.11.2013

Healing update #2

It’s Monday!

(I dont think I have been this excited for a Monday in a long time.)

Hello 🙂

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That is because I get my RIFE machine! Remember in “My healing update #1” I talked about getting a RIFE machine to heal my organs. Well today is the day!

Let me rewind a bit, because there was some important things that happened this weekend to me.

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Itchy!

I decided to try a cucumber. I was ok for the first few bites. Then I started to do some school work. I was using pencils-with erasers, and sat on a rubber ball. My eyes started to itch, I got hives around my lips, and my skin (and head) was super itchy! I could not figure it out. Usually if I react to a food it will be within the first 3 hours-that is why I was confused, because this reaction happened after the 3 hour period. Screen Shot 2013-02-10 at 2.39.59 PM

I did a little research. I might have been ok with the cucumber, but not around latex (rubber).

Latex cross reacts with many things and one of them is cucumber. Just being around rubber made my allergic response come “alive”. I was actually pleased to have figured this out because in the past month I tried dandelion tea, zucchini, ginger, and now cucumber.

I reacted with very itchy skin, swelling, tired, severe stomach pains (that kept me up for hours) and just plain blah. I thought my body just was reacting to any food-turns out it was cross reacting.

Now, most foods do cross react with pollen, latex, dust, etc. so I will have to clear these things for NAET before I eat a new food. Today I treated latex for NAET (#32) and boy am I itchy. If you get a reaction from the NAET treatment, that is a good sign that your body is trying to get rid of it. I guess I should be happy that it itches, right?

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Cross reacting Allergies

Here is a chart I made to make sure you know what foods cross react with what. You can right click and open in a new tab so you can “zoom” in on the font. I was inspired to create it after my cucumber/latex reaction.

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Pin this chart using this link http://pinterest.com/pin/460070918153510752/

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The bottom sentences go like this. I will type them up here because I know they are very tiny! 

  • *Gluten: These cross reactants are just possibilities and each person will have their own results (cyrex labs can determine which are cross reacting in your body).
  •  For the highly sensitive people-be cautious of even touching, breathing (vapors) or being near these foods-it may cause a reaction.
  •  Cooking the food may reduce or eliminate a reaction
  •  A reaction to these foods will be the worst during exposure or the peak season. But, reactions can occur anytime.
  •  The GAPS diet can help heal the gut, which can help rid of seasonal allergies & their cross reactants. NAET is a good alternative for the anaphylactic or extra sensitive people.
  •  Spices or herbs: the full list is included under “mugwart” and are listed in red. Apply this list when every you see “spices or herbs” in red.

Other tips:

The reactions will vary (itchy, stomach pains, rash, bloating…). 

The reactions will be worse if you are in direct contact with the allergen and then eat or touch or breath the food. 

The season the pollen is highest matters too. But you can still react out of season.

Environment matters. Like, don’t go to the dr. (with lots of latex) and then eat a kiwi if you are sensitive (I have done this before).

Sometimes if you cook the food, that denatures the proteins that cross react with the allergen.

If you are allergic to latex or pollens or peanuts most likely you will be sensitive to the whole list.

The gluten cross reacting list is special. Not everyone will react to the same things and most likely not the whole list (usually only a handful-I have about 7 cross reactants). Cyrex labs can determine your gluten cross reactants with a blood test. This is a good post to read to get the “science” behind why.

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Feeling better:

Now on to the good stuff. I am slowly, but finally feeling a bit better! What do I mean “feeling better”. For months–ever since June, I have been feeling very tired and just worn down. My organs were stressed (especially my liver) from being unable to detox properly. The circulating toxins made my brain foggy. I was living each day- one day at a time.

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Only a few things have changed, but I think they are working.

#1 I am taking the zeolite. This has helped detox mercury in my gut and I actually feel like the “fog” in my brain has lifted!

#2 Nettles and broccoli. My body NEEDED some greens and these two foods are nourishing every cell in my body!

#3 green tea. Green tea is suppose to balance out the T1 dominant side for autoimmune disease (which I have). I can tell a big difference in my focus and energy. The caffeine does not seem to bother me-though I don’t drink a lot. I also treated fluoride with NAET because I heard that green tea is pretty high in it.

#4 exercise. Before I was too weak to exercise, but now that I have a bit extra energy (the tea?) I can get my lymph system moving–which always makes me feel way better!

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The mystery rash & Dr. Conners

I got a rash all over my body last week. It just happened to come out, the day after I started the zeolite (mercury detox). I thought it was a detox from the mercury. Nope!

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a picture of the “rash” on my arm. ouch!

I went into Dr. Conner’s today so he could check up on me and send me home with my RIFE! I showed him my rash and he immediately started doing his kinesiology. He had me hold some viles to muscle test me. He then asked to see my cell phone and we tested that. I had a hunch he was testing EMF’s.

I told him that I have little EMF’s protectors on my cell phone, my computer, and we have grounders for our house and wifi. He thought for a few seconds and then told me that the rash was probably old EMF’s (that were stored in my body) and are now coming out. He then confirmed it with some more kinesiology. The zeolite can detox EMF’s too. We have only started “protecting” ourselves from EMF’s last year so I had exposure for 17 years of my life–plus we lived by small telephone lines in our old house.

He gave us a box of some volcanic ash that is zero charge (will help ground the house). The ground is negative charge (which is good for us to walk on barefoot). I am suppose to sprinkle it around my house so it can basically “soak up the extra charges from appliances”. It is called “grounding”- it is similar concepts to an Earthing Mat.

I love finding this information out, it fascinates me!!

I then asked him about the rash on my face that I got last night after the sauna. He tested it and said that was from the mercury detoxing. I guess the sauna will be a good tool to get those toxins out! I try to rotate my detoxing so I do the sauna every couple days. .

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Illeocecal Valve

I also got my illeocecal valve fixed today. I reminded Dr. Conners that my acupuncturist friend mentioned it was inflamed and most likely “stuck”. I had no idea what I was in for!

He dug into the area between my belly button and right hip bone. He tested which way he had to “push” on it. He pushed it upwards to fix it. I cant say it was pleasant-and actually I laughed (because I tickled but hurt). I knew I had to try and relax my muscles. When I finally relaxed them-he said he was done.

Whewf, I hope I don t have to do that any time soon :). Im happy that its “fixed” now because so many digestive problems are associated with it being stuck open or closed. Read more about the illeocecal valve here.

My RIFE!

Finally, to the best part of the post! Do you not know what RIFE is? Read a little about it here and here Does it seem a little “coo-koo to you? It did to me at first but then I did a little more research..

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What does RIFE do for the body?

Here is what RIFE helps with according to The Upper Wellness Center (the clinic I go to).

  • Inflammation (swelling) has a critical role in illness.

  • Initial Inflammation helps liquefy toxins in connective tissue. The body follows the understanding that Dilution is the Solution to Pollution.

  • Disease can occur whenever the body is unable to eliminate this fluid from the body, hence, holding the toxic fluid = CHRONIC INFLAMMATION.

  • Diseases are the result of the struggle with toxins = TOXIC OVERLOAD

According to the RIFE website…

For most users it represents complete freedom from the most common seasonal colds, flu and allergies. It may be equally effective for much more serious, otherwise untreatable problems, like bacteria, virus, fungus, and mycoplasma.

To my understanding, the RIFE helps eliminate lymph blockage. The lymph system is an important system in the body that flushes out “toxins”. Toxins create disease. Of course other organs (kidney, liver, lung..) play a role in eliminating toxins. The RIFE can help with general organ healing (which is why I got it). I guess my whole family will end up using it because it is very good at treating viruses, or bacteria too. 🙂 .

 

How does RIFE work?

The RIFE/LBG uses extremely low current cold gas light photons to transfer energy frequency patterns to the area of the cell helping to provide an environment which can assist the cell in correcting its out-of-balance electromagnetic charge Because the tissue is in a state of free flow, this is the ideal condition to effectively treat swollen tissue in the body.

The RIFE/LBG is NOT magic, yet used in conjunction with other detoxification modalities, it can be a God-send for people to help aid their body through the healing process.  It is used as an adjunct (or support) to vertebral subluxation correction by helping the body rid toxins and swelling.

 

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Here is the computer screen that controls what program you do on the RIFE- this one is for lymph circulation.

 

The RIFE is run by that box you see in the first picture collage. The light frequency comes out of that plastic surrounded glass tube. I hold the tube next to my body of at least near me. The little computer is the “programer” and if filled with files that have a special program for each illness or virus or organ (there are hundreds of categories).

It is so fun to scan through to see what it can “treat”. I am mostly going to use the organ programs. Today I have already run the lymph (runs for 48 min), thyroid (runs for 10 min), and liver (runs for 50 min). I put it by my feet or behind my chair (I actually have it near me while I type this). Some of the frequencies started messing with my computer and started moving the mouse around and such-haha I guess the electrical things got mixed.

Dr. Conner’s gave me a program to follow that lasts 6 hours (while I sleep). There is a different one for each day of the week. I am not sure where I will put the “tube” , but maybe wrap it in a pillow case and lay it next to me. He said I could start detoxing if I do it too much, so I will be careful. (I even asked them to give me a semi-old RIFE machine and parts beacseu I am sensitive to new things. They were happy to do that for me!)

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Foot detox ionizer:

I continue with detoxing my body while I take the zeolite. My main goal is to stop my autoimmune attacks on my body and help my liver detox all the toxins and mercury stored in my body.

There is an attachment to the RIFE that ionizes water for an ion foot bath. There are so many scams out there about ion foot detox baths. The color has nothing to do with the toxins coming out of you. It simply ionizes the water to help attract the toxics out of your skin. There are too many health claims connected to it. I just think it is another tool to detox.

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I have had it done at the clinic 2 x and each time my rashes stop itching or burning (so I know something is working). It is not a HUGE difference, but I will give it a shot (I have to remember that I have only done it 2x). .

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Healing words.

When I mentioned to Dr. Conners that I think the green tea and the zeolite were working-giving me more energy and a general sense of feeling well, he said something I will never forget.

“See, God has you in good hands!”

What he said could not more true. Having him as a dr. along with my NAET chiropractor, my wonderful acupuncturist, and supportive family, friends, and blog readers (you!) is a blessing. .

Follow me

Did you read my healing update #1? Be sure to read about it here.

Like my Instagram pictures? Follow me here.

To get more immediate updates on my life/health follow me on Facebook– if you are already not, trust me you are missing out on a lot of fun!

 

resources:

http://www.jiaci.org/issues/vol21issue3/1.pdf

http://www.foodallergens.info/Facts/Pollen&Food/Which_Foods.html

http://www.polleninfo.org/index.php?language=en&nav=_n2&module=article&action=first_page&row=2&id_parent=1385

~Stay Gutsy, Caroline

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02.09.2013

How to grind meat: picture tutorial

bison33

I am a meat eater.

Its no secret, I eat raw meat–every day.

Do you eat raw meat–if not you are missing out. I bet I can convince you in this post.

When I first started, I did not have a meat grinder. I would cut up the meat in small bites, but I could never really “chew” it right. I realized that the only way I was going to eat raw meat was only if it was ground. I started to buy pre ground bison meat, but honesty freshly ground and pre ground are completely different in taste, texture, and smell. It is like eating a frozen raspberry or a fresh one–I would rather eat the fresh one (if I could eat berries).

So today I will show you and explain how to grind your own meat! (I use bison, but we have ground beef too).

Raw.

I bet you would be more willing to eat beef raw, if you picked the source and ground it yourself, am I right? I don’t just eat any raw meat, but I carefully pick the farm and even talk to the farmer. Plus, the ground meat I your stores might have citric acid on it to keep it a bit fresher (even in natural coops). Not sure about eating raw beef?– read why it is healthy here.

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The grinder.

The main reason why I got a meat grinder is because I am sensitive to corn and citric acid is corn derived. Even pre ground meat can be a problem for me because of the soap or oil they use to clean the grinders with. I was just better off getting my own. I ended buying this Electric Meat Grinder (update: a year later and I still love and use my grinder weekly! It is holding up very nicely). If you have a kitchen aid you can get this attachment.

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The cow.

I understand most of you will probably grind beef instead of bison. My body likes bison better and it is readily available in MN. I will give a short lesson about  the parts of the cow so you get accustomed as to what cut you are eating and where it comes from. The bison cuts are very similar to the cow chart. (I made it myself, thank you). I learned a thing or two about cow anatomy while I was writing this post!

get to know your meat

 

What kind of meat to grind?

Get your “guide to meat cuts” in this post here.

Here are a few good combinations that are commonly used. Feel free to create your own-now that you know the parts of the cow. Ideally , you want your burgers to have 20-30% fat to keep them moist and juicy. Ask the butcher if you can get “extra trimmings” for grinding your own burgers.

A good amount of meat to grind is 2 lb for a family of 4. It does not hurt to have leftovers or freeze.

 

2/3 chuck & 1/3 sirloin

1/2 chuck & 1/2 sirloin & extra trimmings (do no use tallow-that is “stringy”)

1/3 boneless shot ribs & 1/3 sirloin & 1/3 chuck

1/5 untrimmed brisket & 2/5 chuck & 2/5 boneless short ribs

 

*The HUGE plus to grinding your own meat is that you can throw in extra organ meats (adrenal, heart, liver, spleen) and it will blend right in. I would start out with a small amount to “hide” the taste if organs are not your thing. Prepare then the same way (1 in and freeze for 30 min). Organs are lean to make sure to add a but extra fat.

 

Ground meat

Ground meat is not a specific “cut” in particular. There is ground chuck, ground roast, ground sirloin, and then ground beef–but really you can grind any cut.

Ground beef is usually a combination of many different cuts (and sometimes even different cows–if you buy it from a unknown source!) Most likely it is a combination of trimmings from the neck, plate, shank, round, flank & chuck. But really it can contain any part of the cow. Usually it is from 20-30% fat (juicy and moist!)

Good tasty ground meat usually consists of chuck–Ground chuck– (15-20% fat), this is the most popular and favorite cut to grind. Round –Ground Round–(10-15% fat) & sirloin –Ground Sirloin–(5-10% fat) are popular too. Usually you pick a combination of cuts to make the flavor and fat ratio to your liking. (You don’t want to buy pure ground round or ground sirloin without combining it with a cut that has more fat, otherwise your ground meat will be dry.)

ground chuck

Recipes:

(ground meat–you can use any of the “ground” options above) meatloafbeefy taco saladSweet n’ Glazey Totally Beefy MeatloafGround Beef, Parmesan and Spinach FritattaChiliHamburgersItalian wedding soupbacon meatballscottage pieground beef skilletpumpkin chilibacon and cheese stuffed burgers

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Cooking the burger

  1. Don’t overwork the meat.
  2. Dont push on the burgers with your spatula-they will get tougher.
  3. Keep the burgers on the rare side-because you can!
  4. Season the burgers before cooking. Don’t put seasonings though grinder-mix in a bowl after it is ground.
  5. Shape the raw meat patty flat-it will swell and shrink.
  6. Use high heat safe oil (lard, tallow, palm oil, refined coconut oil)-where to buy oils
  7. Use grass fed meat for better taste and nutrition.
  8. or just eat your meat raw!

 

How to grind meat:

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1. Cube the meat into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes.  Trim off the silver skin or gristle (it will clog the grinder and taste hard in the cooked burger). I cut my meat on a Glass Cutting Board  for easy clean up. I use this knife (always use a sharp knife).

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2. Put the cubed meat in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden up. This step is important and will assure nice separate strings-of-meat instead of a mushy clump of gooey-meat from the grinder. Trust me, I have made this mistake thinking “oh it will save me some time”. Nope don’t do that! Plus the fat gets melty and mushy.

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3. Grind the meat: Assemble your grinder. Make sure all the parts are clean and dry. You can also freeze the parts of the grinder too for easy grinding (not necessary unless your grinder heats up a lot). Load a few chunks of meat in the grinder at a time. If you put too much in, the meat can get backed up. Use the “plunger” an NOT your fingers-be careful.

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4. Season and shape: After all the meat is ground up, now is the time to season it with sea salt and/or spices. Shape your burgers in any size that you will like. Remember, the fatter the burger–the more it will shrink and swell inwards. Make sure it is flat with an indent in the middle. Don’t over work the meat. Roll the meat in a ball and flatten with your finger tips.

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5. Cook (optional): Cook the burger on medium to high heat until it is done to your likeness. Use a grill or a pan (lightly oiled with heat safe oil). I use this cast iron pan.

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6. Eat! yumm, so fresh! nothing beats a freshly ground burger :). sorry for the bad picture!

 

 

~Stay Gutsy, Caroline

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02.09.2013

My healing update #1

Hello all!

I told you I was going to try and post more often, and I promised to do just that. It is not been easy, but I decided that I cannot keep all the exciting things happening just to myself. I know many of you are going through tough journeys in life too, and it is very important to share and support each other.

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Healing

These “healing update” posts will be quite random. If you have not figured this out yet, I am a very dedicated and determined person. Sometimes I am to “go-at-it”, and things start to go out of line–like the other week when I did too many NAET’s and my body was too weak..not smart of me.

I have a reasoning for it all, I just want to get better–now! That is one thing I have to learn, patience. Oh, and the book in the picture above is just one of  my favorites at the time :). Im obsessed with faec analysis and TCM.

NAET

Lets start with NAET. On facebook I am constantly posting what is going on with my NAET. I still am working on the big NAET post to explain what it is. For now just look at the NAET site to learn about it.

I used to go 2-3x a week to NAET. I have cut back to only go 2x a week because I am starting many more things (that are exciting) but it is all draining on my body. so I have to be careful not to over expend my energy. Before I started NAET I was reacting to everything and was sick in bed every day. Now I only get a reaction every other week! hurray. I just have to work on exposing myself to the world and food again. So far here is a list of the NAET’s I have done:

1. egg/chicken

2. calcium mix

3. vitamin c mix

4. b complex mi

5. sugar mix

6. iron mix

7. vitamin a mix

8. Mineral mix

9. Salt

10. grain/corn

11. corn

12. formalodhyde

13. mold

14. dust

15. enzymes

16. corn sugar+heat

17. alcohol

18. plastic

19. thyroid

20. cornsugar+stomach acid (base)

21. liver

22. lung

23. spleen

24. kidney

25. ragweed

26. stomach

27. gallbladder

28. lymph

29. ? forgot

30. Histamine

31. Pesticides

32. Flouride (just cleared this one this morning so I get to drink my green tea!)

A “nudge” from God.

I decided I needed more answers. I am never happy with just treating the symptoms (NAET-chiropractic adjustments-detox). I knew there was something missing to my puzzle of my total health.

After a friend called me telling me about lymes disease and to make sure I check for it with the right tests (the one at the regular dr. does not detect it after a certain number of days after the bite-and it can be undiagnosed for years). My symptoms are similar to those people with chronic lymes. She gave me a few websites and resources to look into and one of them was the upper room wellness clinic. I was immediately intrigued.

I looked into the correct lymes tests, but was hesitant to ask for any test because of the price. I wanted to find a way to find out what was the driving force behind everything! I decided to download his book here (for autoimmune). I knew I was autoimmune but after reading Dr. Conners book, I knew that there had to be an “antigen”.  A day after I downloaded the free book, the clinic called me just saying that they are located in MN.

Everyday my family and I pray for resources for my healing. I knew that that random call from my friend and the call from this clinic was God nudging me to make an appointment with Dr. Conners. So I did.

Dr. Conners

After explaining my whole health history to Dr. Conners, he had little to say. He nodded his head and told me a few things he could think of that was going on with me. I scheduled my exam on Monday. For once in my life I felt hope that someone could actually figure out the “root” of everything.

During my exam he used a special kind of kinesiology and muscle testing. He used specific accupuncture points and the chacras. I am always careful when dealing with “energy work”. Dr. Conners is a strong Christian and just uses the chacras as a “tool” and does not incorporate the spiritual side of it.

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When I told my NAET Dr. (whom I trust very well) about Dr. Conners, he just laughed and smiled. He said he was just thinking of him to suggest to me and if he were in my shoes, that would be the Dr. to go to. My NAET Doctor’s twin brother (who also is a chiropractor  that works in the clinic) actually did NCI training with Dr. Conners and has high respect for him. Don’t you see that this is a clear sign that I am suppose to work with Dr. Conners? God has his ways of working people into our lives and this was my sign.

Mercury Detox

Ok back to finding the “root” cause. The exam was actually very quick. He pricked my finger and has me taste my own blood. I muscle tested very weak-that means that I am autoimmune (which I knew). He had me hold echinacea up to my chest and I tested weak. Then we tested coffee, and I was strong-that means I am T1 dominant autoimmune.

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He pulled out a box of a bunch of little bottles- all types of heavy metals. I held the first group of like 10 and then the second group. I was strong with one and weak with the other. He then separated the group of bottles, that I was weak with, and muscle tested me separately with those groups. What he was trying to do was find the one metal I was weak with  (aka. the antigen). We finally narrowed it down to mercury. Yep, mercury is my poison.

He commented how he was for sure he thought I had lymes. I guess I surprised him! He himself had mercury poising and it affected him sinus really bad and he thought he was going to die. But he did not die and actually has 98% of his health back!!

He told me  that the mercury toxicity is just the first layer. Once we treat the mercury problem, then other things will become “unmasked”. I am like an onion and right now mercury is the top layer and the only visible one he can “see” with his kinesiology.

The rash

The mercury toxicity is not my only problem. He thinks from everything I have told him, that I have a gene defect (from my mom) that does not allow me to detoxify properly. That gene liver mutation combined with an autoimmune disease creates a perfect storm in the body. My autoimmune creates to many “fighter cells” that attack everything. Since my liver detoxification is poor, I have so much floating around in my body, that I just react to everything (even breathing and touching things). Ahh finally it makes sense!! Having an autoimmune disorder or a liver defect by itself is manageable, but both just lead the person into a spiraling pathway  (that is where I was headed).

To help me fix the mercury toxicity, he said it would take at least a year before I am 80% better. He did not promise anything, but he is very hopeful. I explained that I cannot take supplements. Again God was taking care of me and he handed me a bottle of Gama-detox fx. All that was in it was: zeolite and bentonite clay (which I already ingest!). I was shocked. I agreed I would take 1/8 tsp in a bottle of water daily.

Zeolite binds with heavy metals in the gut (and only in the gut-so its SUEPR gentle). I like this post to explain zeolite. So far I have a very bad itchy rug-burn-type rash all over my body. It burns, but I don’t mind, because I know its a detox! Of course I am helping my body as much as possible with sauna’s, exercise, lymph drainage, coffee enemas, acupuncture, clay, and charcoal. Right now, detoxing my body is my full time job.

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Autoimmune

I knew I was autoimmune and since I was only eating one food a week ago, there was no way to balance out my T1 dominant side. My immune system was so tipped, that my symptoms were getting pretty bad (inflammation, excessive sleep, muscle aches, flu-ish…).

Dr. Conners highly suggested that I start as soon as possible to get any of the T2 stimulants into my body. I was not consuming any of the T1 dominant things of the avoid list below, so I did not have to take anything out.  Since my appointment last week I have added in green tea successfully! I was doing coffee enemas (learn about them here), but those were not enough to keep my immune system balanced. I can already feel a different strength in my body after only 2 days of drinking green tea! Yeah 🙂

 

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RIFE

The other part of his treatments includes using a RIFE machine. Dr. Conners works with cancer patients and autoimmune mostly. He did not push any kind of treatment on me, but suggested that a RIFE would help “heal” the organs of my body, especially my lymph system (which I really need because I have swelling and rashes). Read bout RIFE here. We were hesitant at first, and asked ourself “does this thing really work?”.  After talking to my NAET dr, my acupuncturist, friends, the people at his clinic, doing our own research, and praying we finally have decided. I am going to go ahead and do RIFE treatment.

From what I understand, RIFE is light frequency. I am not going to be targeting anything like cancer, but it will help heal my organs and lymph system, which will allow me to detox more efficiently. This is especially important with my liver condition. The machine will also come with a connector to a foot ionizer. There are tons of articles on how foot bath ionizers are scams, but I have talked to people and they do have some truth to them (the color part is not correlated with the toxins coming out).

I am very very excited to get the machine (we had to buy our own through the clinic) and they will teach us how to program and use it next week! I will make sure to post an update once I start using it. The good thing is that my family can use it as well to help their bodies fight viruses or just for general health. This will just be another (powerful) tool to heal my body!

What am I eating now?

I think my most exciting news is that I can eat more then one food!! Remember last weeks post? I was only eating bison and drinking bone broth.

I have successfully added:

1. Nettles

2. Organic broccoli

3. Green tea

4. Cucumber

Like I said before–I am not going to continue with the strict GAPS protocol. That was for me at one point, but now I’m more focused on listening to what my body needs. I still need gut healing and my eating will be very similar to a GAPS diet, but probably even more limited. I will continue to post recipes because I still enjoy cooking with my mom :). Plus she likes it when I cook for her too.

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I think the clincher was that I was still reacting to the pesticides (like when I tried zucchini and reacted with a rash and swelling.) Once I treated pesticides with NAET I was soo drawn to eating anything green. It had been 7 months since I have had a vegetable. Fish and bison was all I could eat and then it was narrowed down to just bison.

I tried one bite of broccoli and waited 2 hours. I tried another bit, and still nothing! My mom kept checking on me every 20 minutes to make sure I was ok. I ended up eating a whole 2 cups for dinner.

I now am starting to add in other vegetables. I add in whatever sound good to me. This is really a dream com true, and I can tell my body is just craving these nutrients! I still have to clear some pollens due to cross reactivity to some vegetables, but there are a few veggies I can still add in this weekend (daikon and dandelion greens).

When I go back to Dr. Conners office on Monday I will have him muscle test me for my probiotic to see if I should start it. I know I have bad bacteria in my gut too. I will need to kill it off naturally at some point, but adding in good bacteria is just as important. I cant start eating fermented veggies yet, because I still have to clear some more NAET treatments like yeast.

One step at a time :). I have already had so much progress in the past week! I would never have imagined I would be sitting here typing this post up drinking green tea 🙂

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Acupuncture

I continue going to acupuncture 1-2 x a week. I have found a new lady who is very thorough and wonderful. We connected right away, which is important when someone treats you for acupuncture (it is “energy work” too). She always talks with me for a good 10 min to get to know what is new with me and my health changes. She takes my pulse and looks at my tongue. I then get my back needled and then flip over to get my front side needled.

I am not afraid of needles, so she puts them all over. She usually works on my lymph system (from swelling), my kidneys (regulates fluid), liver (detox), sinuses (my weak point), skin (rash), and digestion. I always feel amazing afterwards and look forward to each time.

She noticed at my last appointment, that my pulse for my liver energy felt different (in a good way). Before It was hot and “stuck” but now she said the energy is moving and working!! This was great news for me.

NTA

On top of everything going on in my life, I just started my NTA classes–read about what it is here. I signed up in the fall but could not go through with it because my health was declining very fast. I guess all that time was good because I got a head start reading all my books. I am very excited to finally learn more about holistic nutrition and the body. I do research something everyday (because that is just what I like to do) but this will give me some structure.

 

Wow that is a lot, but it all sums up what has been going on in my life. I will keep posting health updates as I continue to get better. I was “stuck” for a long time with little to no progress, but I feel like (finally) my body is making progress. If you want to follow my daily pictures on Instagram -click here.

 

~Stay Gutsy, Caroline

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