Simply Belle

As I approached new year with an upbeat attitude, I was immediately hit with storm of allergies in no time.  And to tell you the truth, I am not sure how I am going to handle it again this year. It seems like it came earlier this year, and has worsened.

Many people who haven’t experienced the debilitating effects of allergy to a person like me, may think that it is nothing serious. That it can easily be remedied by over the counter drugs like Benadryl, Chlor-Trimetron, etc. Problem is these drugs bring no relief to my allergies. They simply don’t a thing. And neither those that they sell at health food stores. I also availed of the 2-year allergy treatment since July 2008 from an allergy doctor here in town, which is done orally rather than a regimen of allergy shots, but I haven’t felt any relief.

I don’t want to succumb to another Kenalog shot because of its side effects like halting my monthly period for more than half a year, and still hasn’t showed up to this day. The Kenalog shot did the trick alright as far as allergy is concerned as I was allergy-free for six months after I took it. Yes, it felt good being able to breath through my nose, sleeping through the night, being able to eat the food I love without going into a coughing fit for hours.

Going through coughing spell is no fun at all. First, I feel my throat is sore, then becomes constricted, and eventually the coughing begins and can last for hours especially at night when I am trying to get some sleep. Then wheezing kicks in, and the more I wheeze, the more I cough. Nose becomes completely clogged that even drinking a glass of water is a chore. Why? Try swallowing water while your nose is pinched and see what happens. Or worse yet, try blowing clogged nostrils. It makes a squeaking nose in your ears as if it is creating a detour for the air passage. You feel like you are drowning, gasping for air constantly. It is a terrible feeling.

The only thing that seems to help for me is by drinking juice of fresh fruits and veggies that my husband lovingly fixes every morning, and eating mostly raw food. At least I don’t go into coughing fit like normal food such as adobo, chili, pizza, fried chicken do to me. I found out that I can also take simple food like rice and steamed veggies, fresh organic chicken soup, split pea soup but devoid of spices and salt. Well, it is better than not being able to tolerate food at all.

I am also working on having my mercury fillings removed as my daughter thought it might be the cause of my allergies. I have six mercury fillings from years ago, and, indeed, that is a lot of mercury lurking in my body. Could be it the culprit?

Juice anyone?

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Updates on E: She had surgery last Wednesday, April 12, and yesterday, her doctor informed her that she is cancer free. The lymph node that was sent to pathology showed no signs of cancer whatsoever. Probably because two weeks before surgery, she was on flaxseed cottage cheese, and juicing diet religiously, and avoided meat and processed food completely. A mere coincidence? You be the judge.

My good friend E has recently been diagnosed with stage 2 cancer, and she is very much devastated.  Of course, I am sad, too, because she is like a family to us. My kids call her aunt E since they were little. I try my best to comfort her the best I can, but in the process, I often give the wrong advice. When I give advice, I put myself in the person’s shoes, and come up with words that would make me feel good. Which accomplishes nothing but the opposite, though, I meant nothing but good for her. I must admit, I am poor at giving advices, so it is best that I don’t say much but offer lots of prayers for her.

Anyway, her husband got her started on Dr Johanna Budwig Diet which consists  of flaxseed oil and cottage cheese.  These essential nutrients when combined properly prevents and cures cancer as the doctor claimed. The mixture has to be eaten right away for it to work.

Dr Budwig, a German doctor and  cancer researcher in Europe, found the blood of seriously ill cancer patients lacked certain important essential ingredients which included substances called phospatides and lipoproteins, while the blood of the healthy person contains adequate amount of these essential ingredients. Her research showed that cancel cells divide and grow crazy when the body is nutritionally deficient of such ingredients.

To get the full benefit, it is recommended that a cancer patient gets on the juicing regimen by juicing carrots, green leafy vegetables, beets, and apples. Green tea is recommended, too. Getting plenty of sunshine is a must. Sugar is highly forbidden. Other forbiddens are meat products, processed food, all salad oil, butter, margarine, and preserved meat.

Actually last night, I added 2 T of freshly ground-up flax seeds to my fresh organic veggies from the garden. On top of it, I added some evvo and balsamic vinegar. Delicious!

If you were diagnosed with cancer, would it hurt to give this a try?

Take a look at this video:

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After spending an hour in the backyard weeding, my husband came out to tell me that it was time for our afternoon walk. We walk three miles a day together while I go for a mile more. I usually run the last mile while he stays in the car waiting for me. When we finished walking, I suggested that we order food at a restaurant for dinner. We were craving for shrimp and veggie lo mien stir fry. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed. We were disappointed!

So, I quickly thought of plan B. I remember I gathered some fresh Zucchinis from the garden when I was weeding. I thought I would make a veggie stir fry composed of zucchini, button mushrooms, asparagus, onions, and sweet tomatoes. We swung by at the store and bought the veggies I needed and strips of pork meat. I try to use meat sparingly in my cooking.

As soon as I got home, I washed half of the meat, about quarter of a pound, and marinated it 1 T of soy sauce, 1 t of rice wine, 1 t of cornstarch, 1 t of olive oil, and a pinch of sugar. Next, I washed the veggies, and sliced them into bite size. I put the wok on the stove and cranked the heat at the highest setting while I crushed the garlic and sliced the ginger. And to the wok, I added a tablespoon of oil, then I tossed in the onions, garlic, and ginger. I added the meat next, stirring occasionally for the next 5 minutes. Then I poured in all the veggies. I added a heaping tablespoon of black bean and garlic sauce (or more depending on your taste) to the wok for flavoring. I cooked the veggies for another 4 minutes until the veggies were half way done. I like my veggies crunchy and al dente. For the final touch, I poured two ounces of water in a bowl, dissolved a heaping teaspoon of cornstarch and added it to the dish. Let it simmer for another minute, mixing it all up. Then I poured the dish into a serving plate and my husband and I ate it with steamed rice. Sarap!

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Date rolls and dried figs…all raw.

Yesterday, my husband and I went to the city to buy his food supply (healthy stuff), and to dine out in our favorite restaurant. We went on a Friday, my day off, so it was just the two of us. We would have come in three had we gone on a weekend. A was thoroughly disappointed but she figured she couldn’t miss classes as there is only a few weeks before graduation.

We decided to swing by at the health food store before we did our grocery shopping. I didn’t want to go inside because I might just end up buying expensive stuff that we seldom use. My husband insisted I come just so he would not be alone pushing the cart. I stayed for a while in the car deciding if I should come in or not. Then, blogging came to mind. Aha! I could take pictures of his purchases and share it with my blogger-friends.

The store was pretty crowded with narrow isles, crummy, and kind of smelly emanating from herb products and other weird stuff. Now, you know why I was reluctant to go inside. I had the huge camera with me, by the way, too conspicous for the shoppers but I didn’t let it bother me as long I minded my own business. I browsed around the isles, finding something that would interest me. Colorful juices on the shelves caught my attention…blackberry juice, green juice, pomegranate juice, naked juice, carrot juice, grape juice, blueberry juice……and NONI juice. Noni juice? I remember a friend of mine has been preaching about this product years ago. I listened but never really took her seriously. I was already hooked on a different juice called odwalla that contains a lot of properties beneficial for our body. Besides, she told me the product was kind of pricey.

“Why not give it a try,” I murmured. $18 is affordable and with a dose of 4 tablespoons a day, I should get a lot of use out it. Not bad! I brought it to the counter where my husband’s groceries were and had the saleslady ring it up. My husband saw the price and thought it was pricey for a juice. He said, No! With my stern look, I said, Yes! And he acceded. Ha!

I took 2 tablespoons of juice right away since the instructions prefer that it is to be taken on an empty stomach. I hadn’t eaten my breakfast because I was saving it for the big meal. Then, on the way home, after several hours of running around in the mall, I took 2 tablespoon again. The product is laced with taste enhancers like guava juice so the taste is bearable. It would probably even appeal to the taste buds of the kids.

That night, I felt somewhat different. My nose wasn’t clogged as it has been. I have been suffering from severe allergies that started in February and it can linger until end of May. I have tried all kinds of over the counter homeopathic medicines but I never really found the remedy that I was looking for. But now, I finally can breath again through my nose! What a great feeling! It feels heavenly! You know what it is like when your nose is completely clogged? Even drinking water was like a chore. It felt horrible! But now, thanks to NONI, I can breath again.

If you would like to know more information about this product, you may do your own research. Just type in Noni juice. P.S. (I am not paid to write this post.)

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