Chicken Soup For My Cold

I have been dealing with a sinus infection for the past few days. I went to the doctor and she prescribed an antibiotic (big shocker right?). I've never been able to tolerate those well and I'm not big on taking them anyway, unless it is very necessary. So, I was at my regularly scheduled acupuncure appointment (which I go to for my thyroid imbalance) and I'm laying on my stomach with needles in my back telling my acupuncurist about the infection. He asks me if I have ever made a whole chicken soup. I'm laying there stuck on the words "WHOLE chicken." If you don't know me well, you don't know that I'm kind of a picky eater with weird hang ups about food. I won't go into all of my little quirks about things like being repulsed by mayonnaise and such. Anyway, I'm not great with raw meats or poultry so the idea of handling a WHOLE chicken has always intimadated me. Obviously you can't get around handling raw meat or poultry if your are going to cook anything, but it still kind of grosses me out. So, I decided to face this challenge and make a WHOLE chicken soup. The WHOLE chicken...in a soup. This is huge for me! I'm a why-make-it-if-I-can-buy-it kind of girl so I've never made stock of any kind, I always have chicken or vegetable stock on hand. I mean, really, WHY make it? But, I'm a wellness person (at least I'd like to think I am) and the idea of making a whole chicken soup from scratch for health reasons is appealing to me. Plus, my I have a friend (hi Jenn) who makes her own everything...stock, pate, even flour! She inspires me, so the least I can do is make a stinkin' soup right? Thank God my mom was visiting at this time in case I got too freaked out by my little chicken. I bought all my ingredients and my mom cleaned the chicken (I was sick after all so she helped! Okay, I got off easy on that one). I cooked the whole chicken along with spices, vegetables, and herbs to make a stock. It cooked for about four hours. Once the stock cooled, we skimmed off most of the chicken fat and reheated the stock, removed the chicken from the bones and added the chicken, my soup vegetables, etc. into the stock with the fat skimmed away and cooked for about 30-40 minutes longer. My husband told me this was the longest soup EVER to get to eat! Anyway, it came out great and I added a little cooked brown rice to each bowlful and put the soup over it before serving. I'm so proud of my accomplishment and it wasn't that hard at all. I've got the bug now and I'm sure I will be cooking other things that seem daunting now. Also, with the help of the more sleep, the soup, raw garlic, Vitamin C, Echinacea, and use of my Neti Pot, I kicked my infection in two days flat (at least the symptoms were gone). I

Fantastic Plastic...NOT!!

Plastic is everywhere. When you have kids, it is LITERALLY everywhere! Baby bottles, breastmilk storage, sippy cups, plastic spoons, straws, dishes, you name it. If it is for our children, it is usually plastic. Its lightweight, durable, and portable. The problem? Its causing cancer and fertility problems, just to name a few. The risks of certain plastics have been reported in several reputable forms of media and has caused a bit of a scare amongst concerned parents who have barely gotten over the "lead paint from China" scare. I want to help all parents as well as those of you who are not parents, but still need to be informed. I mean after all, everyone uses plastic in our daily lives. I mean, how many lean cuisines have I eaten this past year??? Use a water bottle during your workouts? How about sipping on bottled water while out and about? Plastic is a major part of our everyday lives. We need to be aware of the risks and dangers of all substances than can be harmful to us and our loved ones.

Here's the deal with plastic as I've discovered as of late. First of all, not ALL plastic is bad. Just certain ones. Most plastic is assigned a number that ranks the type of plastic it is. The numbers range from 1-7. Basically, numbers 1,2,4, and 5 are safe. However, numbers 3,6, and 7 are said to be harmful. You can locate this number on the bottom of the item, sometimes in the middle of a triangle. The main harmful chemicals that we are to be aware of is Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Phthalate. Many items are now created with a BPA-Free label on them to ensure safety to consumers. Keep your eyes peeled for it. BPA is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic. This has been a favorable plastic because it does not crack or shatter, can be cleaned with very hot water, sterilizes easily, does not absorb odor and is an extremely safe alternative to glass. It is used in many common household products including many of the more fancy baby bottles. Phthalates are used to make plastic more flexible and are also very common. Alternatively, plastic made from polyethylene and polypropylene are deemed as safe.

I looked at all of my daughter's sippy cups, plates, and bowls and had to toss a couple of them. Another key thing here is that heating the plastic (even those deemed as safe) is not recommended. Supposedly heating can release toxins from the plastic into the food/drink and thus into our systems. So, no microwaving in those plastic bowls! Also, do not put your plasticware in the dishwasher. I have been guilty of ALL of these things. Instead, transfer the item to a glass container for heating and handwash your items with warm soapy water opposed to putting them in the steaming hot dishwashing machine.

The take away? Avoid plastic whenever possible. Whenver you must use plastic, be sure that it is a "safe" plastic - polypropylene or polyethylene. Also, be sure to never heat these plastics, never put them in the dishwasher, and never eat or drink anything that has been left in the hot car in a plastic container. Avoid polycarbonate plastics and any plastics numbered 3,6, or 7. What do you do if you can't find a number on the bottom of the container? Toss it. It's not worth you or your child's safety.

Graves Disease/Hyperthyroidism

Sooo...here we go. We are going to start a conversation that...quite frankly, I'm sick of talking about. However, it is now a part of my life...here to teach me something...so, I feel I should share it with you. Besides, I hope to possibly help someone during this process. This is the deal - I was recently diagnosed with Graves Disease a.k.a. hyperthryoidism. Basically, it is an inflammation of the thyroid gland caused by an overproduction of the thyroid hormone. The risk with Graves is that it can cause a heart attack or other heart problems. The thryroid gland is producing way too much of the hormone and causing many symptoms, such as rapid heart rate, sensitivity to heat, trouble sleeping, hair loss, muscle weakness, bulging eyes, depression, etc. I do not have all of these symptoms, however, I do have many of them. The first four for sure. The rapid heart rate is the worse. Well, maybe the heat sensitivity because I am so sick o being hot and sweaty!!! But, the rapid heart rate is by far the worse. My resting heart rate is approximately 120bpm. To put it in perspective for you, generally speaking, it is ideal to have a resting heart rate under 80bpm. So, if mine is 120bpm RESTING...well, you can just imagine if I do any sort of activity...like, oh I don't know, climb the stairs! I'm completely worn out. It is very scary to be lying completely still in bed and have your heart beating out of your chest. So, where do I go from here? Well, conventional medicine is suggesting that I treat with radioactive iodine. What this does is it basically kills the thyroid, thus resulting in a reduction in the production of the thryoid hormone. However, as you can probably guess, eventually you stop making the thryoid hormone altogether and become HYPOthroid. So guess what happens then? You have to take a medication that basically a thyroid hormone replacement! Does this all make sense? Keep up with me now; I'm moving on. So, I do not want to go with the radioactive iodine(RAI) route. I really do not want to kill off my thyroid only to have to then take medication to mimic the hormone it should have been producing! So, what is my next option? Well, there is a medication that can reduce/stop the production of the thyroid hormone. The downside is the side effects. It can cause problems in the liver in a small percentage of people. My last option is alternative medicine. I'm talking acupuncture, chinese herbs, tai chi, dietary changes, etc. This is the route that suits me. However, I just took more blood work and my results indicated that my levels were very high. Not good. So, I've opted for now, to use the medication that reduces the production of the thyroid in conjunction with alternative medicine. I just feel I need to take a more holistic approach in order to have any hope of putting this thing into remission. Oh, and the doctor did tell me there is a 50/50 chance of that happening. However, my levels are so high that she feels that it is less likely, but still possible. I love acupuncture and I am committed to doing this. I HAVE to do this. Even when I feel very discouraged and I want to just go with the Radioactive iodine and be DONE with this already...I HAVE to do this! I get more blood work in two months so I am going to go all out these two months and see if I have any changes. I have many people praying for me, a supportive husband, and the best bab girl in the whole world for inspiration. I really can't lose.