I Would Be Lying if I Told You…

 

That I am never tempted to eat junk food.  I don’t mean fast food, junk food. I never miss that. I mean baked goods, junk food. Twice a week I walk through the bakery department of my local grocery store to get to the organic produce section. Yesterday I found myself looking at boxes of cookies, cinnamon rolls smeared with heaps of frosting and pies. I felt my mouth water as I walked by. My mouth is watering right now, as I write this.

I remember the taste of those sugary treats. I still have a sweet tooth. I won’t lie about that. What stops me from buying them? I know that they are packed with fake ingredients I can’t even begin to pronounce. I remind myself of how it sucked to go through cancer treatment. I don’t want to do that again. And those foods gave me a sugar rush for a few minutes but then my body felt sluggish. Then my stomach hurt and it wasn’t long before I was craving another bite.

I do on occasion eat something sweet but I always check the ingredients. Eating healthy organic foods makes my body feel better. Before I got sick with cancer I suffered for years with alternating constipation and diarrhea.  I used to get painful boils on my butt. I don’t have those problems anymore. I am healthier now than before I got sick and I know it’s due to my dietary change.

But even so, I am still tempted to eat junk food. It’s ok to be tempted. It’s a different story to act on the urge.

Be Well!

Inge

The Trials and Tribulations of Eczema

 

I have written about my struggles with eczema a few times. At the time I wondered if my eczema was really a fungus. I came to the conclusion that it’s not. I saw my doctor last summer when my skin started to flare up. It started on both my legs, which my doctor told me was psoriasis, then my face looked red and scaly (eczema). She told me that researchers don’t really know what cause both skin disorders but they suspect it gets worse when the person is stressed. Stress is the diagnosis I got when I had intestinal problems and it turned out that my stress was really cancer. So, when someone tells me that my medical problem is caused by stress, I ignore them and do my own research.

My legs seem to have cleared up on their own, except for dark discoloration spots that I hope will fade before the end of this decade. I never put any cream on them. My doctor did prescribe Hydrocortisone cream 2.5% last summer, which I applied but stopped using because it dried out my skin. I stopped using it and looked for alternative treatments. I went on the Internet to look for answers. There were many recommended treatments, all of them claimed to work. I used organic coconut oil, olive oil, Vicks Vapor Rub (yes, you read that correctly), and finally hemp balm. None of them worked for me. In fact they seemed to make it worse. So, I am back to using the Hydrocortisone cream. My skin looked better almost immediately. I have been using it for two weeks now. My skin isn’t completely clear but it looks much better. My skin is very dry though so I plan to give it one more week to heal then apply organic coconut oil at night.

I started drinking spring water with a teaspoon of  Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. I drink one glass a day. I also ordered an MSM supplement by MRM. I figured whatever is wrong with my skin, it’s a symptom of something else going on inside my system.

It’s funny how weird we get when our skin looks bad. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I am the only one who is self conscious about that sort of stuff. I have done some interviews about my diet and I applied makeup over the affected areas to hide my skin trouble from the camera. I really don’t like putting makeup on my skin but I don’t want anyone focusing on my skin problems either.

I am grateful that my skin does not itch. Everything I read about psoriasis and eczema claims that one of the symptoms are itching (always look for that “silver lining!”).

Hopefully my new skin regimen will work this time. I will keep you posted. If you have tried other treatments that worked for your skin, please leave me a comment below. I am always open to suggestions.

Be Well!

Inge

 

Guest Blog from Dr. William Harb- Diagnosing Lynch Syndrome

I am reblogging this post from another blogger because I never heard of Lynch Syndrome. Have you? I was not tested for the gene when I was diagnosed. I am guessing I wasn’t because, as far as I know, colon cancer doesn’t run in my family. If someone in your family has colon cancer it might be a good idea for you to get tested. Knowledge is power.

Be well!

http://whenmygenesdontfit.com/2014/01/19/guest-blog-from-dr-william-harb-diagnosing-lynch-syndrome/