Fighting autoimmune disease with an arsenal of healthful foods, exercise, natural remedies, and when all else fails, conventional medicine.
I’m venturing back into the paleo-ish world and y’all- it’s so much easier to be paleo now than it was 6 years ago. Publix has coconut aminos! Whattttt??? Plus all these dressings and marinades. I’m stoked! Recent health struggles have reminded me that I can’t out-supplement a bad diet, so while I don’t plan to […]
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In conversations with friends, there have been lots of questions about the specifics of this fast. What does “paleo” really mean (other than eating a bunch of meat like a caveman) and why subject myself to something so restrictive? And why only liquids on Wednesdays? So let me try to explain some of that here. […]
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After successfully weaning off of prednisone in late October 2013, some things in my personal life began falling apart. By January, I was in such a desperate place emotionally that I could barely eat at all, much less follow a healthy diet. My health hasn’t been great, but it’s been tremendously better than what I […]
Read MoreFeeling much, much better. Totally back to normal. Getting to bed early (even if I don’t sleep very well through the night) has made a big difference in how quickly I heal and how well I feel during the day. Baby girl has had a cold, so it’s kind of like sleeping with a sniveling […]
Read MoreToday has been a long day. Despite my best efforts, I haven’t been getting to sleep early enough the past few days, and it’s caught up to me. I have several oral lesions and I’m exhausted. I’d call it a mini flare. I’m still able to eat normal foods, it just takes a bit more […]
Read MoreGrass-fed or pastured meat patties are a staple in the Autoimmune Paleo world. Even given the severe restrictions of the diet, there are lots of options for seasoning and enhancing a meat patty. Herbs, veggies, non-nightshade and non-seed spices. So I found it frustrating when the first couple of recipes I followed didn’t turn out […]
Read MoreIt finally feels like autumn around here. My daughter got to wear her winter boots and a hoodie to school this morning. Though I’m sure she’ll be sweating in those boots by this afternoon, this little taste of what’s to come is nice. (Baby Girl (3 years old) is convinced all the leaves on the […]
Read MoreWell, yesterday was (potentially) my last day on prednisone. I say potentially because I am leaving the option open to take a mg or a half anytime this week if I feel like I need it. But, honestly, after what I’ve been through the past 3 months with the taper, I can’t imagine it getting […]
Read MoreI’m on day 2 of 1 mg prednisone. Getting so close to the end! Planning to drop to .5 mg next week by splitting the pills in half. No major issues so far this week, though it may still be too early to tell. I’ve been really tired (despite getting a full 8 hours of […]
Read MoreFeeling soooo much better today! Yayyyyyyy!!!!! Mouth still has lots of healing to do, and I have to be careful if someone makes me smile or laugh, because this lesion on my lip is no joke and has cracked painfully and bled on several occasions. I have an extremely funny husband and daughter, so while […]
Read MoreI’m on day 6 of 4 mg on the prednisone taper. And this is the best I’ve felt since I began the taper 2 months ago. I’ve been feeling really good for a few days, but was afraid to talk about it too much- didn’t want to jinx it. I’ll be dropping to 2 mg […]
Read MoreI’ve been feeling pretty good the last couple of days and I am so grateful for that. Still on the tail end of this cold (congested and sore throat, but very mild) and oral lesions are mild. So I’ve been able to expand on what I’ve been eating and add in some crunchy leaves (that […]
Read MoreI’m feeling good. Mouth is still healing and throat is slightly sore, but I’m almost back to normal. Today is the first day I haven’t needed to take one of those crazy pain pills. I’m going to stay at 10 mg (of prednisone) for this week, just to give myself a break before I taper […]
Read MoreGetting better every day! 🙂 Baby girl and I managed church on our own this morning. Had a quick breakfast of grain-free granola before church. I made a batch before going to bed last night. It’s just a grainless variation on a homemade granola with oats that I’ve been making for a while. It’s got […]
Read MoreLesions and thrush continue to improve, though now the congestion and sore throat I’ve been fighting off seems to be digging in its nails. Coughed a lot during the night and am now losing my voice. Still not having the same throat issues as before (when it swells shut and affects swallowing and breathing) so […]
Read MoreThe consequences of my week of rebellion extended further than I originally expected. As the yeast infection cleared, it left in its wake a pretty severe autoimmune flare “down there”. I’m assuming the infection triggered my immune system, which went overboard and didn’t know when to quit. This was a new experience for me, as […]
Read MoreA lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, and I guess I needed some down time to figure out where I’m going/what I’m doing with my approach and treatment plan. I’m still figuring things out, but I’m excited to start tapering off this prednisone next week. And, while I doubt I’ll continue to […]
Read MoreAvocado fruit bowl for breakfast. I love these. Totally customizable. Today I used apples, oranges, pumpkin seeds, and a squeeze of lime juice. Had another birthday party this weekend (it’s that season). I really hope one day I’ll be well enough to have a piece of birthday cake at a party. I used to loveeee […]
Read MoreScrambled eggs with spinach, goat cheese, and avocado. Smoothie time! Waited too long to post and now I don’t remember what I put in it. I think bananas, cherries, carob, maca, and dates. Alkalizing greens: kale, cucumber, yellow pepper, apples. Leftover moqueca (Brazilian fish stew). Spinach, cranberries, and goat cheese in orange vinaigrette. Carrot-beet juice. […]
Read MoreFeeling good. Busy day. Breakfast: organic eggs scrambled with grilled veggies from Sunday’s cookout. Sweet treat smoothie: goat milk (sort of trying this out in preparation for embracing the Maker’s diet), cherries, banana, medjool dates, cocoa powder, and maca powder. Super rich. Almost couldn’t finish it because it was so sweet and filling. The goat […]
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