"And vegetarianism"

I've decided to use this blog as a means of sharing my vegetarian recipes and discoveries as I make really yummy veggie things. It's still for my health, and how you can benefit from cutting meat out of your diet.

I understand that not everyone agrees with this. I don't foresee any debates starting here, but I will not humor you with arguments and responses. I am a vegetarian, because I want to be, and it has been helping my asthma, and I feel as though I need no other reason.

That is all.

Also, on a personal note, my asthma has improved enough that I can do cardio without using an inhaler! I must be doing something right, and I hope my lungs will continue to improve.

I'll be back, soon.

Feelin' Low.

My asthma no longer seems to be improving. I'm going to acupuncture once a week, as opposed to two, and with the weather getting warmer, my chest and sinuses have gotten increasingly more congested.

I went to acupuncture today, and with seemingly no improvement, I got a few things in hopes of helping out my asthma.

First, is actually something I've used before: Cordychi. Cordychi is a capsule of a combination of freeze dried mushrooms designed for breathing support. In the past, using this has given slight relief to my symptoms, but nothing significant. Although, at the Holistic Pharmacy where I bought this, the workers there tell me every time I come in how other people with asthma use it and their asthma improves significantly. I'm hoping since, in general, my asthma HAS improved, it will hopefully show more effects than it has in the past.

Second, is Florajen (Florajen 3, to be exact). This is strange, since Florajen is actually something generally used for digestive health, but the reason I'm using it, is because there is a chance I'm what's called "Candida Sensitive".

Candida is a bacteria that exists normally in the vagina and gastrointestinal tract, but when there is an overgrowth of them, they can have some unwanted effects. Some of these can be mental sluggishness, allergies chronic fatigue, immune system malfunction (possible reason for asthma, in anyone), depression, hormonal imbalanced, and poor menstrual cycle (all of which I suffer from). Other effects include chronic vaginitis or prostatitis, chemical sensitivities, bloating or other digestive issues and skin problems.

Talking to the woman at the pharmacy, she explained to me that there was absolutely no way there could be any adverse effects from taking it, and may even improve any digestion issues I may have (and not even realize). I spent my $15, and decided to give the One Month supply a chance. The pills contain a ton of micro-organisms, so many in fact, that they are equal to the live cultures in 10 cups of yogurt! Crazy. Can't wait to see how this affects me.

Also, for those of you who are not aware, I am trying to cut dairy out of my diet almost as completely as possible. I am struggling quite a bit (especially living in what the world calls The Dairyland!), and the fact that since becoming a vegetarian just 2 months ago, another significant diet change came as a huge transition to deal with. I have found a lot of dairy-alternatives, including 'veganaise', as well as vegan cheese (which is only kind of passable as cheese if melted), but found (as per suggestion of a friend. Hi Allysha!) to try a brand called SO Delicious, a dairy-free, soy-free coconut milk brand.

I bought a quart of their 'Mocha Fudge' ice cream, as well as a pint of their French Vanilla creamer in hopes of somethine good coming from it. I have yet to try the creamer, but if it's even HALF as good as the ice cream, then I will be ecstatic. The ice cream is amazing, full of flavor, and tastes just like real ice cream...we even managed to (sort of) trick my cat into thinking it was milk. A feat, indeed. It's really fantastic to know I have somewhere to go if I need a really great treat, without cheating myself.

Hopefully between the two herbal supplements, and more reasons to be able to cut dairy out of my diet, I'll see some more improvement!

Third Acupuncture, and Improvement.

I had the biggest victory so far last night when I blew a 360 on my Peak Flow Meter!

The reason 360 is such an important number, is because that officially puts me in the range for 'healthy' lung capacity. Albeit in the very very LOW range, but in the range nonetheless.I should always be in the numbers between those yellow squares, and this is literally the first time in years that that has happened. I spend my life breathing numbers below the red.

This is the kind of win I've been looking for since I started acupuncture, and I'm so happy to finally have something to look at and say "I did this! I work hard, change my diet, get stabbed with needles twice a week and it's all for something!" The best thing is that we're far from finished. Far, far from finished.

My acupuncturist felt the strength of my organs today, and was happy that all of them are stronger, which I certainly could have told him myself! He was very happy, as was I.

As of late, my energy levels have been higher, my nose isn't running as much, and I have suddenly lost the urge to drink coffee. I have been drinking coffee damn near everyday since I was 14, and just a few days ago I stopped craving it. Usually I wake up in the morning thinking about the way coffee tastes, and how it wakes me up, but lately it just hasn't had the same appeal to me. On an even cooler note, I've been drinking green tea if I ever feel like I need something to wake me up, which is probably a pretty damn awesome alternative.

So things are finally happening. It's not a lot, but it's noticeable.

Soon I will have a post about an at-home allergy test, and might start filling in some gaps with vegan and vegetarian recipes.

Second Acupuncture, Diet Restrictions, and Some Herbs

My second acupuncture seemed....different, somehow. I felt a little anxiety going in, but absolutely none while in the chair. While I was being stuck, I felt calm, tired, wonderful, a little inspired. He put pressure on my knee, asked me if it did anything for my congestion, (which, it didn't, not really), then put pressure right above my ankle, and my nose cleared up in an instant. He put a series of needles in my feet and ankles, and for a solid 15 minutes I was able to breathe in and out of my nose! It went away after a little bit, and he said he wasn't too surprised considering all of my sinus/chest congestion.

He 'prescribed' a couple herbal tinctures for me, one for the asthma itself, and one to detox my body of all the bad stuff in my liver, I guess. I'm supposed to dilute it in water and take both of them twice a day. I have yet to try them, but my money is on the fact that they are probably disgusting. I peeked at the list of ingredients, only to see a bunch of Chinese herbs I couldn't even begin to recognize. So, this should be magically mysterious.

I was also given a list of dietary restrictions to help my asthma and congestion, and let me just say that 'overwhelmed' does not even begin to cover how I feel about it. Considering I've been a vegetarian for a solid 5 weeks, more diet changes are really really scary to me. Here are some of the things he is asking of me:

1. No dairy of any kind, ever. Since I watched Forks Over Knives the other day, I've been very aware of how much dairy I've been taking in, and I've been managing to cut back on it, but he's telling me none, whatsoever, or I'm going to stay congested pretty much forever, and the acupuncture won't do as much for me as it could.

2. Eat less soy. Pardon my French, but: FUCK. After becoming a vegetarian, AND cutting back on my dairy, I've been turning to soy for a lot of things. I've been getting a lot of protein from soy products (including at least 1/4 cup of soy nuts almost every day), and replacing milk with soy milk when I have the opportunity to at work. I bought some Almond Milk today, so hopefully that should give me some freedom with something somewhere.

3. No coffee. Not sure where to go with this one. I love coffee. LOVE IT. It's my favorite thing, possibly ever, and espresso even helps my asthma if I'm having a bad lung day. Every single one of my instincts are telling me to just say OH NO. HELL NO. But, there is tea, and liquid ginseng, and other things. I can certainly try, and I will.

4. 'Congee for breakfast daily'. Not sure what this is. Must investigate.

5. No carbs. Upon tracking my calories lately, I have found that I eat too many carbs every single day of my life. So, certainly this will be worth looking into.

6. No sweets. Fuuuuuuuu, why won't you let me have anythinggggggggg?! I mean seriously, at this point, I feel like if I'm not eating vegetables constantly, I'm going to be doing something wrong.

7. No food with artificial coloring. Okay, I'm cool with this one, because I know it triggers my asthma in weird ways.

8. Cut back on nuts. ABSDGODWG*OGW((*)HRE@(*)R@YG*. I can't have soy, meat, or nuts. I just don't know what you want from me anymore. Truly, I don't. Although, I did not realize that peanuts contribute to phlegm production. I can certainly cut back on that.

9. Sleep my 10 PM. Err....no. Most nights I'm done with work at 10:30, and get home around 11. However, I think I get the concept. I HAVE been going to bed around 4 AM for the last 6 months, I can certainly aim to move that back to 1 AM.

10. Among all these things, he also suggested getting an air purifier, washing my sheets once a week, taking a probiotic called "Floragen", meditating twice a day and avoiding other things I am already avoiding (such as meat). These things I know I can manage.

So, that's a lot. I am basically 'allowed' to eats fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Again, I know this is for my health, for my asthma, but it's a lot. He told me to start slowly, to not overwhelm myself, but that is clearly not working.

He also keeps talking to me about lowering my stress levels. To meditate, to get away from things. I've never considered myself "stressed", but I get uptight, and kind of controlling, maybe that's what he means. Ah, anyway. I can't think about all of this right now.

Post-acupuncture was certainly different from last time. Where on Tuesday I almost took a nap on my kitchen floor, today I feel riled up. I feel like running, and maybe punching something. I feel careless, and I feel like eating a gallon of ice cream, eating a cheeseburger, and smoking a freaking cigarette. I feel like sprinting across town. I feel like listening to metal. I feel...weird. I feel like I'm 14-years-old, and spiting everything around me. I'm hoping a lot of this is related to my stress regarding my new diet restrictions, and I will hopefully calm down soon.

First Acupuncture

My very first acupuncture appointment was today, and it was certainly a doozy. I guess I thought to myself that I knew what to expect, that I had expected some very serious and obvious change in my lungs and congestion, and I'm having a a harder time dealing with the fact that I am not completely healed than I thought I would.

The atmosphere was amazing. I took my shoes and socks off, and I went into a room where there were 3 other patients under blankets, looking peaceful and pretty close to asleep. I knew there would be other people there, and I found myself less anxious about it than I thought I would. The reason this is done this way, is that it's been proven through studies that people heal faster when in groups, than when alone. It's the same reason chemotherapy is done in groups. Anyway, Everyone looked peaceful, and I didn't feel anxious about it, so that was good.

My acupuncturist started off by putting 4 needles in my face, about 5 -7 in both of my arms and legs, and then put a blanket over me to let me rest. The needles actually hurt more than I thought they would, and my right arm started tingling almost immediately. Putting about 20 needles into me right away was very weird, but after they were in I could hardly feel them (except for the tingling).

At first, I felt amazed. My congestion cleared up, and considering I didn't take any Advair this morning, my breathing was surprisingly nice. However, after only a few minutes, my chest began to tighten, I started to wheeze, yawn uncontrollably, my congestion came back, and on top of all that, I was feeling very, very anxious, and considering how peaceful the atmosphere was, I could not relax or calm myself down.

The acupuncturist came over and asked me how I was doing, when I explained to him how I was feeling, he put another needle in my face (not even quite in my face, but rather right on my widow's peak), as well as a couple in my wrists, and some in my feet, and more on my legs. He also gave me what he called a "Happy tack". It's a small tack he put in the cartilage near the top of my right ear that he told me I could leave in for up to a week. It's connected to my sympathetic nervous system, and should keep any other anxieties at bay.

After the extra needles and the 'happy tack', my anxiety had dissipated within the minute, and my breathing became easier. I still felt wheezy, which I found very disappointing, and I continued to feel wheezy until i came home and took my Advair, but I'm trying to remind myself that all things worth having take time. I knew there wouldn't be obvious effects immediately, but I'm still finding it hard to accept, I thought at least my lung capacity would be a little higher, but it's hanging out where it normally is. My next appointment is only 2 days away, so we'll see what other things happen.

On the bright side, it's not as if nothing happened. I had been warned about 'healing responses', which include a lot of different experiences, one being extreme exhaustion. After the appointment was over, I was feeling okay, then after about half an hour, I juts got so tired I could do almost nothing productive. I thought maybe my sleepiness was due to a lack of coffee, but even as I was filling up my pot for coffee, I was feeling an overwhelming urge to just lie down on the kitchen floor. I ended up taking a long nap before my coffee had even finished brewing, and when I woke up I was still feeling as if doing anything besides sleeping more was too overwhelming. And when I finally did manage to get up and moving, I felt confused and disoriented. I was trying to make dinner, and was just having the damndest time comprehending my recipe.

Healing responses are good, though. It shows that things are happening, and that something, somewhere, in my body is moving forward towards something healthy. So maybe I shouldn't be so concerned with not feeling as though things are improving, as long as something is happening, right? Right.

Movie Review: Forks Over Knives

I finally decided to sit down and watch this movie tonight, and I'm happy I finally found the time and motivation to do so! I've been wanting to for awhile, but with all the hype behind it, I was actually a little scared about becoming motivated to become a vegan. When you're not ready to change, but something makes you feel like you have to, it's a strange instance.




However, after contemplating a dietary change to become vegan, I decided I actually needed a push to do so, and this was certainly it.

This movie is great. There is a lot of hard evidence that protein from animals causes cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. There was a woman who participated in a study who had basically been estimated only a few months to live. A doctor told her to 'prepare herself', and she replied "You just want me to sit in my rocking chair, and wait to die?" He said yes.

She decided to go to another doctor who would help her reverse her heart problems with diet alone. She is still alive, after 20 years.

There were a few other separate cases, one where a man was taking 9 pills and 2 injections a day, a man with a cholesterol level of 344, and a woman with hyper tension and of course, the director of the documentary. All of them had amazing results (as one would expect), and I was really impressed.

There were also a few cited studies, whose numbers were so high that they left very, VERY little room for error. A few doctors researched the link between diet and adverse health effects of 800,000 Chinese men and women over 65 counties in China. The results were insane. It's probably a good thing I didn't see this movie in theaters considering how many times I gasped and kind of squeaked out "Are you kidding me?!" while throwing my hands up in the air.

This movie is very enlightening. From the case studies, to the numbers, to the sheer amount of years behind studies on how diet effects health. On top of that, how incorrect some of the people at the USDA are about how much protein is needed, and a very enlightening and surprising section about calcium, and the effects it has on osteoporosis.

As someone with a chronic condition, it certainly made me want to dive into veganism without another thought. However, if I did not have a chronic condition, I don't think I would have been so eager to do so. If you're nervous about being terrified into changing, I don't think that will happen to you, but will certainly open your eyes a bit to make you aware of what, and how, you're eating.

Certainly recommended. For those of you who have no insurance, and need to keep your ailments in check, to those of you who just want to know more about food, this is a great documentary. It was very informative, without being too in your face.

Vegetarian Check-In: Week 2

Magnificent is the only word I can think of that expresses how amazing I feel this week. As of today I have been a vegetarian for two weeks, and I am honestly surprised at how amazing and obvious the effects have been, and in such a short period of time. Admittedly, maybe it's not just the fact that I've cut meat out of my diet, but also the fact that I'm actually THINKING about my food for what seems like the first time ever. For the first time I can recall, my lungs are taking priority over everything I do, and I consider them before I eat anything, and that might also be the reason why there is such improvement. Also, there are added benefits that I didn't expect!

So, for starters, before this new diet change, on my peak flow meter (lung capacity scale), my breathing averaged around 250 liters/minute, where now after just two weeks, my readings tonight averaged at 325! There were even some mornings where I wasn't coughing or wheezing when I woke up, although that is, admittedly, quite a rarity so far. I'm also still rather congested all the time, so I'm wondering if that will go away or not. I guess that we'll have to wait for that one. However, the extra lung capacity is most impressive!

Also, I've been significantly more energetic, and my mood has improved immensely. When I'm at work, I find myself to be irritable, tired and achy for almost the entirety of my shifts, while over the last few days, I haven't felt nearly as annoyed with as many of the customers, and I don't feel like I need caffeine, and my legs are no longer hurting after standing up for just a few hours. I feel cheery, and excited and really just...full of life. Work has never been better, to be honest.

As a possible TMI effect, my breasts are doing awesomely, too! Since I was about 13 or so, I've had lots of different issues with my breasts (which I won't get into detail about now), and absolutely all of them are gone! This was certainly not something I was expecting, and it was something I've just been dealing with for the better part of a decade, and now, within two weeks, they are all gone! I have tried looking online to see if this has happened to anyone else, and I can't seem to find any reasons as to why this happened. While I'm not complaining, I certainly wouldn't mind looking into this more.

So, as it turns out, becoming a vegetarian is that best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm also very excited for all the recipes I've been trying, and looking through. To find such vast improvements over so many areas of my life from simply cutting meat out of my diet is...phenomenal. I've been so grateful, and so excited for life for what feels like the first time ever, that I can't believe it took me this long to do this. I can't wait to see how things continue to improve, and to see if I can get up to my lung capacity goal of 450! Then I would be like a normal person, with normal lungs! My eyes well up with tears of joy at the thought of it.

I'm also going in for my first acupuncture treatment soon! I will certainly be back here with all the details after it happens, and to see how my lungs (and possibly congestion) improve after my appointment.

Drink More Green Tea!

Stumbled upon this, and had to share!

Bad Lung Day, and another tea

So I haven't had the Traditional Medicinal Respiratory tea in about two days, and when I woke up this morning, I blew a 175 on my Peak Flow Meter. While this number is a record low for the recent months, I'm mostly focused on how effective that tea must be!

So I was wheezing away at work, when I came across a tea bag in someone's discarded cup. The tea bag was one of the biggest I'd ever seen, full of bright green leaves, and made of a thick cloth (which I have since learned is silk), and the bag was sewn shut with thick thread, and that thread is what went down to the tea bag tag. The tag said it was "Mighty Leaf" Brand, and I couldn't help but to look over their website when I got home.

Click to go to their website!

Their website is astounding (and full of sales!), and their tea looks amazing (It is loose leaf tea, already put in pouches for those who have no means to brew loose leaf tea), but they don't appear to have any medicinal tea. You can search for teas by what mood you're trying to achieve (Happy, energized, rejuvenated, relaxed, etc.), but that's about the extent of what they have as far as that goes. Green tea is one of my favorite kinds of tea, since it's good for colds and chest congestion, and also has a little caffeine in it, so I use it occasionally when I realize I'm getting a caffeine headache at 10 PM.

I think I'm going to order some green tea, and possibly some tea to 'rejuvenate', and I'll report back on how delicious, and effective, they are.

Correlations

I'm so excited today, for a few reasons!

First of all, I have made the decision to become a vegetarian (who eats fish), once and for all. I tried it a couple months ago, for about two weeks, and I felt really great. Not only did my asthma improve, but other facets of my life improved, too. I started to crave meat, and tried to promise myself it would only happen once a week, but it was a slippery slope, and the next thing I knew, I was eating meat every day, and feeling horrible about it.

After I ate meat (especially meat like bacon and hamburgers) I would just feel terrible, and sick, and honestly, kind of scared that what I was eating wasn't high enough quality to keep my asthma from getting worse for the night. So, finally, today, my love of delicious meat was surpassed by the memory of how nice I felt when I wasn't eating it. I'm very excited for it, and I can't wait to see how much it will improve my well-being in the long term. I have read case studies where veganism has helped asthma, but I know I don't want to be a vegan, so I can't wait to see how strong the effects of simple vegetarianism has on my asthma.

Also, speaking of asthma, I blew a 300 on my Peak Flow Meter today! For those of you who aren't familiar, a Peak Flow Meter is a way to test lung capacity in the measurement of Liters per Minute (L/min). And now, to give you an idea of the severity of my asthma, someone my age, height, and weight should be able to blow about a 450, while my average is 250. I have been blowing a 250 on a consistent basis for the last few months I've started regularly using the Peak Flow Meter (occasionally hitting 275 on a good day). Now, whether it's my diet, or my new Traditional Medicinals tea, I can't be sure, but I'm hoping I can get it up to 350, which is the suggested bare minimum of lung capacity for me.

The final reason I find myself so excited today, is that I had my first day as a janitor today, and my lungs were actually able to keep up with the stamina I needed to get everything done. This is very rare, and I was surprised I wasn't coughing at all, either! Certainly good things are coming my way, as far as my asthma goes.

An Introduction, and My Newest Tea Discovery

 

This is the tea I drank tonight that finally inspired me to start this: my first blog on my adventures with discovering holistic and traditional medicines (as well as the idea of using diet to help control my ailments). So after trying only a few teas, and finding this one to be the best one so far, I figured it would be a good post to start with.

My initial interest in medicinal herbs was actually started with an onion (we'll get to that story another day), but a close second is my lungs. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a pretty bad case of chronic asthma, and that having no insurance certainly doesn't help anything. I have done a handful of things to ease my pain, and to minimize my inhaler usage (my OTC inhaler actually says that it destroys the ozone...), but I have found that tea is one of the single most helpful things when it comes to asthma.

As you have probably noticed, I chose the domain name of "SteepFor10Minutes" for this particular blog, and there is an amazing reason behind that. If you are drinking tea, any kind of tea, and what to take advantage of the healing properties of that tea, to make it 'medicinal strength', you must steep the tea bag for at least 10 minutes. Most boxes of tea suggest 2 - 3 minutes, but not Traditional Medicinals. These guys actually SUGGEST a 10 - 15 minute steep time (so you know they mean business).

The actual taste of this tea is rather earthy (as opposed to the Yogi 'Breathe Easy" tea which wins the taste test between these two, as it tastes like orange Pez!) However, a little honey goes a long way, and even I could manage to drink it without anything in it (although the tea box reassures you that honey may actually ENHANCE it's effects, something I will certainly have to look into later).

It's a little expensive for tea (just over $5 for a box of 16 tea bags), but so far I think it's totally worth it. My chest congestion cleared up immediately, along with any other wheezing I had. The tea box and bags even look medicinal, which is very reassuring to be drinking a medicinal tea made by people who specialize in that area. This yea (like almost every other respiratory tea) uses licorice and eucalyptus, which helps with coughing and chest congestion, and is almost immediately effective.

I have yet to try any other kind of their tea, but now that I know who they are, and what they do, I am certainly going to keep my eye out for more of them and their teas.