Life is an adventure at our house. As we continue to deal with ongoing health problems, we also try to do our best to take care of them. Lately we have been trying a few new detox drinks and simple home remedies. I even found a diet I thought might work.
One problem with the diet I found is that it included cayenne pepper twice a day. Well, that is not really good for me. Cayenne makes sores break out in my mouth. However, I found that cayenne did not do this if I used cinnamon along with the cayenne. Yay! So, now to try the diet. Things seemed to go well for a few days. However, cayenne was silently causing havoc. Soon it seemed like everything was "burning." My sinuses, my throat, my digestive tract burned. My throat got really red and sore. Even my skin felt hot. Oh, well, so much for cayenne.
However, some of the other detox remedies and drinks have been helpful. Cinnamon/ginger/honey is delicious and great for the digestive system. I mix 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 teaspoon each of powdered cinnamon and ginger. After each time I eat, I take about 3/4 teaspoon of the mixture (at least when I remember :-) ). It has helped a lot, especially with acid reflux. Keeping that reflux quiet has helped me enjoy food a lot more. The best cinnamon to use for these remedies is Ceylon cinnamon, because it contains less coumadin than the cinnamon usually used for flavoring in every day cooking.
Another good remedy is lemon/cucumber water. This is so refreshing and cooling. Ingredients are 1 small pickling cucumber, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 quart of water. Slice cucumber very thin and place in bottom of quart jar. Add the juice of one lemon and enough water to cover the cucumber slices. Allow to sit in refrigerator over night. Add the honey to a little bit of water and stir until dissolved. Next add the honey water mixture to the cucumber/lemon mixture. Then fill the jar the rest of the way with water and stir or shake gently. Now it is ready to drink! It tastes as good as lemonade, though you can definitely taste the cucumber, but is even more refreshing. Doesn't it look good!
Actually any fruit or veggie can be used to make refreshing, homemade vitamin water. Except for the seaweed water, the other waters should also include at least one or two teaspoons of lemon juice. This helps to draw out the nutritious properties of the fruits and veggies. The homemade vitamin waters should not be kept longer than 48 hours.
Soy Allergies
There is never a dull moment at our house. At least it was not me going to the doctor this time. Christy came home from work Wednesday with huge hives and a rash. It soon spread over her whole body (except for her face), so we headed to the doctor. After Benadryl and a shot of steroids, she was well enough to go to church. She is feeling much better now. Thank the Lord for looking after her.
We are fairly certain the culprit is soy, to which she is quite allergic. Soy hides in lots of things.
If you are allergic to soy, here are a couple of its hidden sources -
enzymes added to cultured milk products (like the sour cream Christy ate Wednesday)
lecithin (unless it specifically says otherwise)
soy oil (most people are not allergic to the oil)
cellulose (such as is added to shredded cheese to prevent caking or added to supplements or medications for fillers; most people are not allergic to the cellulose)
gelatin capsules made from vegetable gelatin (unless it says soy free; veggie capsules may also be made from corn or some other plant source)
Well, as you see, it has been an adventurous week or two. But we are all doing fairly well now. We are looking forward to celebrating Christy's birthday tomorrow! :-)