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September 12, 2020

Product Insight: What I Use & Why

September 12, 2020

 

Hello Readers,

I have received a few emails over the past couple of months from a few of you containing questions regarding some of the products I use on a daily basis such as shampoo, soap, skincare, etc. It got me thinking that I should just provide an overview of products so that those who may be searching for a different product can see firsthand some of the products that I have come to love and that work well with my body despite my epilepsy.

As an epileptic, my body tends to be extra sensitive to everything, most especially synthetic ingredients. I have searched far and wide for chemical-free products in every area of my life.
I am happy to say that I have found great success in eliminating chemicals from my diet through organic and from-scratch meals. However, the one area that continues to befuddle me is cosmetics.
I even gave organic cosmetic products a try for a short while, completely convinced that I was doing better for my body. I mean, the very term “Organic” automatically means that a product is, without a doubt, better, right? Usually, I have found the answer to this question to be “Yes.”

However, once I discovered that Soy is included in every organic cosmetic company’s definition of “vegetable-derived” ingredients; I had to rethink my “Yes.” In Organic cosmetic products, ingredients like Tocopherol or Vitamin E are most commonly derived from soy instead of synthetic chemicals like you find in non-organic products. Honestly, I’m not sure which is worse for someone like myself who happens to be extremely allergic to soy. To make matters worse, these ingredients (tocopherol and vitamin e) are used in the majority of organic cosmetics. I cannot speak for every organic company, of course, so I still hope that there are products out there despite the fact that I have never found a single one.

My problem with soy is the fact that it is commonly known as a seizure trigger for many epileptics. It has certainly been known to cause issues for me, so overall this is a really bad ingredient choice for the epileptic consumer. It definitely isn’t healthy for the human body! Soy will wreck anyone’s hormones both female and male due to the fact that it is indeed an estrogen inhibitor meaning the consumption of soy will cause the human body’s production of estrogen to increase. See why this particular increase would be detrimental to the balance of your hormones, especially a male’s hormones???

So, long story short is my attempt to cleanse my makeup, skincare, and haircare products resulted in an increase in my seizure activity. Soy-derived ingredients being the primary cause of my increase. This was pretty much the opposite reaction to what I had been expecting and it made me realize that just because a product says “organic” does not make it completely incapable of containing poor quality ingredients. As per usual, you cannot judge a book by its cover therefore more information is always necessary before one can make an informed decision.

 

Based on my experience with both organic and inorganic products, I have come to this conclusion:

 

It is best to use the product that works for you and that does not increase your seizure activity even if it does contain not-so-great ingredients. I am sharing this with you because I’d like to try to explain the logic behind my product choices despite my desire to use clean, healthy products. The products below may not be completely free of synthetic ingredients, but they are free of the ingredients that I know to be seizure triggers for me personally. These are the products that I can use on a daily basis without increasing my seizure activity. The fact of the matter is that I need to wash my hair, my face, my body, I need to moisturize, and I prefer to use makeup. So, here are the cosmetic products and toiletries that work best for me at this moment in time AND have proven to have no effect on my seizure activity.

Every person’s body is different so just because something works for me does not mean it will work successfully for you as well. The truth is, no one knows your body like you do so listen to your gut when trying something new.

I do hope that this list will prove to be helpful for some of my readers. If you happen to have extra questions about any of my product choices, please feel free to email me at katie@seizethedayblog.com.

I’m always happy to help! 🙂

Haircare:

Oribe Gold Lust Shampoo & Conditioner

Oribe Dead End Treatment

Oribe Smoothing Blowout Cream

Bumble & Bumble Bb. Strong Finish Hairspray

Body:

Soap – Silver Miracles Colloidal Silver Soap Bar (Unscented)

Body Lotion – Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion

Hand Lotion – Gold Bond Healing Hand Cream

Body/Hand Lotion – Handmade Lotion (from-scratch recipe from Wellness Mama, which you can also find here on the blog)

Sunscreen – Banana Boat Simply Protect Baby Sunscreen (I know it’s for babies, but because of this fact it is extra gentle on adult skin as well so it’s perfect for those with sensitive skin.)

Deodorant – Freedom Natural Deodorant Large Stick (Unscented)

*Side Note: Where body and hand lotion are concerned, I prefer to use my own Homemade Lotion product whenever possible because it is completely free of synthetic ingredients and soy. You can also find the recipe here on the blog. It smells wonderful and moisturizes my skin like no other product. However, it is difficult to travel with so those days require me to use either Lubriderm or Gold Bond. These products are also great at moisturizing and my body is okay with their formulas despite the synthetic ingredients so they have made the list.

 

Skincare:

My morning & evening routine:

Karin Herzog Professional Cleansing Gel (Cleanser)

Karin Herzog Vit-A-Kombi 1 Anti-Aging Cream (Correct)

Karin Herzog Oxygen Face Normalizing Cream (Moisturize)

Skincare Tools: Karin Herzog Small face brush (used with Vit-A-Kombi cream) & Karin Herzog Silk Towel (used with Professional Cleansing Gel)

*Side Note: You have probably noticed that every single product listed above is from Karin Herzog. No, this is not some paid promotional ad, I simply happen to love Karin Herzog’s products. The quality of each (right down to the accompanying beauty tools) is of great quality and every single product delivers noticeable results. My skin always feels fantastic and completely nourished after I’m finished with my daily skincare regimen. Thus my preference for all things Karin Herzog when it comes to my skin…just in case you were wondering 🙂

 

 

Makeup:

Foundation – Becca Ultimate Coverage 24-hour Foundation (liquid)

Concealer – Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Concealer

Eyebrow – Charlotte Tilbury Brow Lift Eyebrow Pencil

Mascara – IT Cosmetics Lash Blowout Volumizing Mascara

Setting Powder – Becca Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder

Highlighter – Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter (color: Prismatic Amethyst)

Bronzer – Tom Ford The Ultimate Bronzer (So this product is sold out everywhere, I’m thinking maybe the company isn’t making it anymore…huge bummer, I know! I can’t provide a link to the product I’m currently using, but I can say that I would use other Tom Ford bronzer products in a heartbeat. I’ve heard great things about his Soleil Glow Bronzer so here’s the link for that product instead.)

Blush – Marc Jacobs Air Blush Duo

 

Nail Polish & Remover:

Remover – Cutex Regular Strength Nail Polish Remover

Nail Polish – Nailberry, Butter London, & Smith & Cult

 

Extras:

Toothpaste – Weleda Calendula Toothpaste

Mouth Wash – Listerine Cool Mint Ultraclean Mouthwash

Floss – Glide Pro-Health Original Floss

Contact Solution – Opti-Free Pure Moist Solution

Anti-bacterial Care – Sovereign Silver Colloidal Silver Dropper

Perfume – Gya Labs Vanilla Essential Oil

Well, those are all of the products I can think of right now, but like I said above please feel free to email (katie@seizethedayblog.com) if you have any questions about the products I mentioned as well as products I may not have mentioned. As per usual, I am not a doctor therefore this list should not be considered as medical advice and you should always consult your doctor before making any changes to your daily routine. I am simply sharing with my readers some of the products I like to use in my own daily routine.

Thank you for reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text, and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

 

Copyright Info:

All images, excluding those included in the web design, posted on [seizethedayblog.com] are taken by the owner. No images from external sources are used on this blog.

Proper credit should be attributed when republishing any material found on [seizethdayblog.com].

 

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Posted by SeizeTheDayBlog
Filed Under: Articles Tagged: advice, allergies, catamenial epilepsy, cosmetics, daily regimen, epilepsy, essential oils, estrogen, good quality, hair care, hormones, ingredient label, ingredients, inorganic, makeup, organic, poor quality, progesterone, seizures, skin care, soy, toiletries

August 1, 2020

3 Tips for Epileptics

August 1, 2020

 

Guidance at the beginning of my diagnosis with Catamenial Epilepsy was practically impossible to find. It was 2009 and the very name “Catamenial Epilepsy” had not yet graduated from medical theory to medical fact. If you typed “catamenial epilepsy” into Google 11 years ago you only received medical journal articles that barely referenced seizures influenced by hormones. My family and I could only find ONE article that actually used the name “Catamenial” when describing such a mysterious type of epilepsy. I’m putting it delicately when I say that the research process was abysmal in those days.

I wasn’t even seeking a cure for my condition, I simply wanted to know how to live with catamenial epilepsy. What do I do to work toward healing? How do I return to my normal, everyday routine in a way that doesn’t put my safety at risk? What shouldn’t I do that might cause my condition to worsen?

At 15 years old, I had a lot of faith in modern medicine and their ability to help me so these seemed like simple, even expected questions from where I stood in my state of confusion. There was a pattern with the many neurologists I visited and it was a tendency to downplay my condition. Maybe it was because of the fact that each doctor saw many people dealing with seizures so it was just the “norm” for them. But it wasn’t the norm for me, not even close. I went from fretting over whether or not I was going to be able to make it to my school’s football game on Friday night to how I could still be a normal teenager while living with a potentially harmful disease. The worst part is that is was this downplaying behavior from my doctors that prevented me from realizing how truly careful I needed to be in every area of my life.

Ignorance is not always bliss and doctors can’t always be trusted. Truthfully, they can never be trusted and everything they recommend needs to be thoroughly researched before you make a decision. My own research along with my personal experience with epilepsy has taught me so much more than any doctor ever has.

I can look back now over the decisions I made early on and the majority of them I would do differently if given the chance. That being said, I cannot say that I am not grateful for all that those poor decisions have taught me. I would not be who I am today without those mistakes therefore I cannot regret them.

However, I would regret not sharing a few pieces of advice that I hope will serve as guidance for those who are dealing with similar circumstances. I may be grateful for my own growth during my journey, but I also wish to prevent others from making the same mistakes. So, for the sake of sparing another from a few gruesome trial and error processes, here are the top three actions I wish I had taken at the start of my journey with Catamenial Epilepsy.

 

#1 Diet – Go Organic, eliminate processed foods completely, and pay closer attention to ingredient labels.

The food you put into your body has a monumental effect on every area, most especially your brain. Understanding the dangers of synthetic foods is imperative to improving your seizures because synthetic ingredients will prevent the human body from functioning correctly. These influential factors will also make correcting problems an impossible task. Ingredients like Xanthan Gum (a cheap emulsifier) and Carrageenan (thickening agent most commonly found in dairy products) are formulated in a lab with chemicals and who knows what else (most of the time we don’t want to know…yes, it is that gross!). The greatest problem aside from the synthetic nature of these ingredients is a little fact that the human body cannot digest them. The body does not know how to correctly process these synthetic components found in way too many of the foods available in every grocery store. The types of foods you most likely eat on a daily basis.

Feed your body natural foods (such as a strawberry or an egg) and it knows exactly how to digest each as well as which naturally occurring nutrients to store in order to maintain your good health. But, give it a sulfated polysaccharide (carrageenan) and the body has absolutely no idea what to do with it or where to send it because, in all honesty, it is not meant to be consumed. This causes problems in digestion and the body is forced to take guesses on what to do with these alien ingredients. Sounds concerning, doesn’t it? Well, that’s only the beginning! Here’s the really concerning part about these guesses: the body won’t absorb the alien ingredient because it does not recognize it nor will it excrete the synthetic substance just in case it might be necessary for the future. So what happens to this mystery food? Well, in all of this confusion the body decides to store it. By storing it, these synthetic ingredients (which are essentially toxins) begin to accumulate in various areas, usually in the cells or the bloodstream. One toxin might not create any issues for your total body health, but synthetic ingredients are found in pretty much all processed foods these days and daily consumption will result in quite the collection of toxins. You may not realize this in the moment you’re eating those potato chips or drinking that soda, but you are slowly creating an army of toxins with each bite and every sip that can easily wreak havoc on your body.

Making food from scratch is the only way you can truly guarantee you are eating toxin-free meals. I know home cooking is a lot of work, trust me, I KNOW. But, reducing my seizure activity makes it all worth it! Not to mention, the food tastes way better! When I was eating processed foods constantly I never noticed how fake and flavorless they were, sometimes certain products can even taste like plastic…hmmm, I wonder why that is? Maybe it is because these foods contain many of the same ingredients you find in plastic products. You wouldn’t willingly eat a plastic straw or a plastic water bottle, right? So why would you willingly eat plastic disguised as food?

The truth is, “home cooking” isn’t just a term to help market Southern-Style breakfast restaurants. It is a lifestyle choice that will have a positive impact on your entire household. Luckily, we’re living in an age of technology where things like recipe blogs are easily accessible and filled with lots of fantastic recipes to get you started on this new path. Plus, you have access to thousands of healthy recipes without it costing you a dime. The question here isn’t about IF you can do this. It’s all about WHEN. When are you going to make the necessary change for better health?

Personally, I kept up with my usual processed foods diet that I had before my diagnosis with epilepsy for at least two years post-diagnosis. I hate to think of the damage I was creating by continuing to accumulate synthetic toxins from my food AND my newly added anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Alone, each component has the ability to trigger seizures so I can only imagine what was happening to me with the two of them combined.

It took a crisis situation to wake me up enough to actually consider the idea that maybe, just maybe, my diet could be contributing to the overall state of my brain health. I was lying on the floor of a P.F. Chang’s Restaurant having a full-blown grand mal or tonic-clonic seizure. Hormonally, the time of the month did not make sense for such an occurrence. My parents were out of ideas as to why the seizure happened until my grandma suggested that maybe something in the food caused an issue. What was meant to be a simple and helpful theory actually turned out to be the revelation my parents needed in order to take that first step on the path toward long-term healing. Soy was the culprit that day and I have avoided it ever since.

 

#2 Bloodwork – Go deeper, explore the problem inside, and then work to correct deficiencies/abnormalities.

Some of you may be thinking, “Seriously?! More bloodwork? I just had every test known to man performed on me when I was in the hospital and received my diagnosis!” If someone told me to get more bloodwork done back when I was fifteen I probably would have disowned them. There is no doubt in my mind that I would not have taken the advice because I had just left a hospital and also because it takes effort to go to the lab. I was a teenager, I had much more important things to be doing with my time like texting or painting my nails.

However, when I say the words “bloodwork” I’m not talking about your average test. I’m talking about a bloodwork panel that will thoroughly analyze your primary vitamin and mineral levels. The test I have in mind is called the Organic Acids Test (OAT) and it will analyze all of these and more.

When I was first diagnosed, I trusted that my doctors had thoroughly reviewed every piece of information that could be pertinent to understanding the cause of my seizures. Nope. It turns out the doctors barely scratched the surface by doing the bare minimum. So, once again I was let down by my doctors and it was left up to me to figure out this epilepsy puzzle.

Just a little FYI for my fellow epileptics, this will happen often so I recommend keeping your expectations very low when it comes to modern medicine personnel if you wish to be satisfied with their advice.

That being said, let’s get back to the Organic Acids Test (OAT). I am such a big fan of doing this test because each human body is unique. Therefore, each is going to possess it own unique deficiencies. The sooner you find these deficiencies, the sooner you’ll be able to take yet another step on the path toward healing. And not just any healing, but healing that is customized to fit your specific needs. Once again, ignorance is not bliss where your health is concerned. Although modern medicine offers a wide variety of convincing medication for every epileptic, the reality is that a medicinal regimen needs to be tailored to the individual.

Bloodwork will help you understand how to create your own regimen. Personally, I discovered that I am deficient in the majority of my primary vitamin and mineral levels. Specifically, I found my concerning Vitamin D deficiency. If you didn’t know before, let me share that a deficiency in Vitamin D alone is enough to trigger seizures in some individuals. The healthy level should fall between 30 and 100. My level was 1 at the time of my first test. One! It might as well have said “Nada.” What good is a level of 1 Vitamin D going to do in my body? It’s barely holding on to its existence in my body, I really don’t think there will be any leftover Vitamin D to perform the duties it is supposed to according to nature.

I am happy to report that I have been able to correct this severe deficiency in a matter of months thanks to Seeking Health’s Vitamin D complex liquid drops. My levels are now at a healthy 67 and I continue to use Seeking Health’s supplement on a daily basis.

It is because of bloodwork that I also discovered my hormone deficiencies and my estrogen dominance. Obviously, there was some hormone imbalance present (hence my special diagnosis of Catamenial Epilepsy instead of simply Epilepsy), but I never understood just how seriously low my levels are. This insight has guided me throughout my entire journey with epilepsy and it has allowed me to take the necessary steps that will result in my healing. Knowledge is power when it comes to living with epilepsy. The more you know, the better equipped you will be able to handle the task at hand…Finding the source of your problem. Band-aids are for amateurs, you deserve answers! In my experience, this begins with blood work.

 

#3 Eliminate Hormones – Find and remove the common hormone-ridden products from your lifestyle.

This particular action is crucial for those with Catamenial Epilepsy because your seizures are hormone-related. Furthermore, there is a problem with your hormones; they are imbalanced and you will not find balance if you are constantly exposing your body to synthetic hormones.

Why is it so important to avoid synthetic hormones whether you have Catamenial Epilepsy or not??

Well, synthetic hormones are a bit like synthetic food ingredients (as I discussed above) they confuse the body. Your body is already hard at work making progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and so on. When you feed synthetic hormones to your body they disrupt this production by posing as the naturally produced hormones that are meant to be in your body. These imposter hormones cause your overall hormone levels to increase drastically.

So drastically, in fact, that your body reads the data and backs off on its natural production so as to maintain healthy levels and not create an abundance. This may not sound so bad, but in many cases, the body will stop production altogether because the hormones to maintain healthy levels are mysteriously being supplied from an outside source so why should they continue production?

The human body is logical in its decision-making process and, on paper, this may seem like the correct decision. However, synthetic hormones are not an adequate replacement for the real thing. Here’s a football analogy for all of my fellow fans out there: synthetic hormones are second-string to the starting hormones, our REAL hormones. They may appear to be good enough to handle keeping the body healthy, but they are nowhere close to the job performed by real hormones. Our natural hormones kick booty out there on the playing field by actively reading levels, making changes if necessary, and adapting to the body’s hormonal needs accurately and consistently. Can synthetic hormones do this? Not a chance! You get exactly the same hormone every single time because you are using a pre-made type of hormone. It doesn’t change or adapt to your body’s needs. When synthetic hormones begin functioning like the first-string hormones you are at risk for both an abundance or a deficiency. In short, synthetic hormones do nothing but present a lot of potential problems for your body.

Also, if you suddenly decide to stop feeding your body those synthetic hormones your body is not aware of your decision until a deficiency begins to form and it is needed to produce natural hormones again. The thing about hormone deficiencies is they can be a bit of a challenge to correct because we are constantly exposed to synthetic hormones on a daily basis. Our air, food, and cosmetics are all guilty of containing such elements.

So, although we can’t do much about avoiding synthetic hormones in our air there are other areas where we can begin to reduce and hopefully eliminate them altogether.

The first product containing boatloads of synthetic hormones is perfume. I had a hard time eliminating this product because I have so many favorite scents from various brands and, let’s be honest, it is really nice to smell nice! However, all perfumes are filled with synthetic ingredients (hormones are just one of the many). The liquid form as well as the application areas make it an easily absorbable product. Spraying the perfume on the skin gives it direct access to your bloodstream through the pores of your skin. Wearing perfume means exposing your body to a multitude of toxins that will only hurt your body and worsen your hormone imbalance. It is impossible to restore balance if you are actively contributing to the imbalance. Perfume smells good, but what is more important…Smelling nice temporarily or being healthy???

Organic essential oils are a fantastic replacement for perfumes and you can find them at a variety of stores. I highly recommend Mountain Rose Herbs for essential oils. Their products are both good quality and very affordable.

Other products to avoid are scented deodorants and pads or tampons. Once again, we have the scent issue, but when it comes to these easily absorbed products unscented is always the way to go. It can be so easy to overlook everyday products and not even realize just how toxic they are or how influential they can be upon your hormones. But sadly they both possess the ability to easily do so with consistent use. Sensitive Unscented Freedom deodorant is an excellent aluminum-free option if your current deodorant brand does not offer unscented. As for pads or tampons, you can find an unscented product from the majority of products available. If you would like to take the good health of your current pads to the next level, try organic feminine products. Rael is my favorite product because they are so silky smooth and their extensive selection is truly wonderful. Honest is another company with a good selection of organic products.

Makeup is another product to be wary of when it comes to hormones. Unfortunately, pretty much everything in makeup products is synthetic already, but you can make an extra effort to avoid scented products. Unfortunately, this is one product I have not been able to eliminate from my cosmetic regimen despite my strong desire to do so. Those baggies under my eyes won’t cover themselves and I’m still shell-shocked from that one time in high school when I decided not to wear makeup and a classmate asked me if I had a black eye. Yeah, that wasn’t a very fun experience so I do still use makeup, but I actively avoid all scented products. Liquid foundations are frequently guilty of adding a fragrance compound to their products so be wary of this and try to avoid it whenever possible. You may not be able to eliminate makeup completely but at least you can try to make the best of a not so great situation.

As far as food is concerned, there are a few products in particular that have a strong effect on your hormones and should be avoided in order to promote hormonal balance. The first is Rosehip. This herb is most commonly found in herbal teas or dessert type foods, anything with a synthetic rose flavor. It will increase estrogen production within your body, which is why it is known as an estrogen inhibitor. When you’re suffering from seizures caused by estrogen dominance, this is the last thing you want to feed your body.

Red Raspberry Leaf is similar to Rosehip. It is most commonly found in herbal tea form. I have learned the hard way that this herbal tea will greatly increase seizure activity and it will cause an increase in estrogen production. Basically, Red Raspberry Leaf will scramble your hormones even more so than they already are. Completely avoid both whenever possible.

Soy is another food to avoid. Look for codenames for soy in other products such as soy lecithin, soy protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), mono-diglyceride, glycine max, monosodium glutamate (MSG), etc. as well because you will want to avoid every ingredient sourced from soy.

Soybeans are an estrogen inhibitor and they encourage increased estrogen production when consumed. They may seem like a healthy thing to consume because they are a natural food product, but their effect on the human body is negative in more ways than one. Not to mention soy is a common seizure trigger for many epileptics, not just those with Catamenial Epilepsy.

Lastly, make sure to be extra careful with dairy products. For starters, always go organic no matter the extra cost because inorganic products are sourced from cows that have been injected with dozens of hormones. The poor cow is doing its job just fine, but the dairy big-wigs insist on thicker, thinner, sweeter, etc. products and they’re willing to practically poison the cow and therefore the consumer to get their way. It’s always about the bottom line, not the safety of the customer. Even organic dairy products have plenty of flaws that do nothing to help balance your hormones. Vitamins are constantly added even though they don’t belong because they are not naturally-occurring. But the organic companies are expected to compete with the big-wig inorganic companies so the consumer is often sacrificed for the bells and whistles. It’s really unfortunate, in general, but even more so when people aren’t aware that the amazing amount of “Vitamin D” in their product of choice is actually synthetic and will not benefit their bodies at all. Avoiding hormones in your average dairy products can be quite the challenge, which is why I recommend consuming raw dairy as often as possible. Raw means straight from the cow to you. When you go with raw products you can guarantee that your product is just as it is supposed to be…in its natural state and without additives. No synthetic vitamins, no preservatives, and definitely no hormones. Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made it impossible to sell these products in grocery stores, therefore you will need to purchase such products from an individual farm. The good news is there are many of these types of farms in existence. You will want to utilize the internet in order to find one that suits your needs.

Well, there you go, these are the three actions I wish I had taken when I was fifteen and newly diagnosed with epilepsy. I know that these changes may seem overwhelming because they will alter your lifestyle, but each will benefit you greatly.

Plus, epilepsy has most likely already flipped your life upside down so what’s a few more changes in the overall scheme of things? Especially when it is a positive change that will promote healing.

The choice is yours.

As always, please feel free to email me (katie@seizethedayblog.com) with any questions you have about the information I shared here on Seize the Day Blog.

 

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text, and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

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Posted by SeizeTheDayBlog
Filed Under: Articles, Epilepsy Tagged: bloodwork, brain health, catamenial epilepsy, clean eating, diet, epilepsy, grand Mal seizure, healthy, hormones, organic, partial seizure, seizures, tips, tonic clonic seizure

July 21, 2020

Epilepsy Insight #12: Calendars & Journals

July 21, 2020

 

It has been my own personal experience that keeping track is key for any medical condition, particularly epilepsy. I place an extra emphasis upon epilepsy because this action will allow you to discover patterns in your seizure activity. It will also help to document those little details that are easy to forget over long periods of time but can be incredibly beneficial later on down the road (whether you realize it or not in the moment). It is because of my dad and his habit of keeping track of my seizure occurrences in relation to my periods each month that we were able to discover the monumental role hormones were playing in my condition. It prompted our extensive research on hormones in relation to seizures and helped us to discover the newly established condition called Catamenial Epilepsy. Nowadays, you can find plenty of info on this type of epilepsy, but back in 2009, the internet was scarce for even the tiniest mention of it! Only in scholarly journals or medical journals could you find a teeny tiny reference to hormone-related seizures.

I keep track of my seizures, diet, supplement & medication regimen, when new products are added to my daily regimen as well as when they are removed, and any noteworthy details that I think could be useful in the future. Sometimes when I’m recording details I think to myself, “I’m not exactly sure how this might be helpful, but I’m going to write it down anyway because you never know.” I cannot tell you how many times I have been so grateful to my self down the road that I did record what felt like menial details. These supposedly “menial” details are usually the most helpful in identifying exactly how my body was feeling at that specific time. Most importantly, this habit of writing everything down has helped me to reduce seizure activity on many occasions in the past and I am more confident than ever that it will continue to do this for me in the future.

When it comes to my own keeping track, I prefer the yearly planners that have block calendars in the front and note areas in the back where I can record extra details. A small notebook in addition to the block calendar is also helpful when recording daily meals & notes. This way you’ll have plenty of room for whatever information you choose to record.

Check out my video below for the full details on the subject as well as my article, Calendars & Journals, here on the blog.

 

 

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text, and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

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Filed Under: Articles, Epilepsy Tagged: calendars, catamenial epilepsy, details, epilepsy, epilepsy insight #12, epilepsy insights, estrogen, hormones, journals, notebooks, progesterone, recording, seize the day blog, seizure activity, seizures

October 25, 2019

Supplements to Support Hormonal Balance

October 25, 2019

I was diagnosed with Catamenial Epilepsy when I was fifteen. Catamenial Epilepsy is a type of seizure disorder caused by a hormone imbalance, specifically not enough progesterone and too much estrogen. Because of this addition to my family’s life, hormones as well as their relation to my menstrual cycle and seizure activity are frequently discussed in my house. Our tendency to openly discuss such a private subject may sound strange to most, but hormones strongly influence my seizure activity therefore it is absolutely necessary….even if it does make my dad and brother a little uncomfortable from time to time. 

After ten years of living with such a disease, it has become a natural subject in my house. I guarantee you that both boys have come to know much more about “that time of the month” from the past ten years than either of them wanted to or even planned on learning during their lifetime. In short, they’re troopers when it comes to my Catamenial Epilepsy…well, most of the time. It is never appreciated when one of them asks me if I’m going to start my period soon because I seem to be “moody.” Hint, hint you’re being grumpy so you must be hormonal which automatically translates to period time is coming…

Although the accusation is never appreciated, I am sorry to admit that sometimes they are spot on…however, I will never let them know that. I already have seizures, there is no need to add shattered ego to my list of medical of health problems. 😉

My point here is that the subject of hormones is constantly floating around in my brain. Whether it is because of my own though process or because of the reminders I receive from conversations with family. 

The truth is, hormones are a struggle. They have been a problem for me since my diagnosis with epilepsy back in 2009. As time goes on, more and more problems begin to pop up. I constantly hear about thyroid issues, endometriosis, infertility, and so many other hormone related medical issues. It is so frustrating for me because I know just how difficult this struggle can be…it is literally an uphill battle because of all of the external influences (such as food, vaccinations, pharmaceuticals & pesticides) we are constantly fighting against. In addition, we have doctors who are prescribing synthetic hormones to help fix the problem. Here’s my questions for those doctors…how can we possibly expect to see any positive progress with hormone imbalances when synthetic elements play such a pivotal role in creating the very imbalance we are trying to heal?

The answer is we can’t expect any at all. This is often why fixing a hormone related issue can feel impossible. We’re trying to fix our hormone problem while being exposed to synthetic hormones on a daily basis AND receiving recommendations for more synthetic hormones as a solution.

Ummm, no thanks. When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy I accepted all of these synthetic hormones as positive options because I didn’t know exactly what I was doing to my body. I trusted the doctors completely and I suffered for it.

At the Mayo Clinic, I accepted an estrogen based birth control that was supposed to help stabilize my hormone levels and therefore decrease my seizure activity. I accepted it because HELLO it’s the Mayo Clinic aka one of the most well-respected medical institutions in the US. However, I ended up getting burned by this decision. The birth control messed my hormone levels up even more than before, something I honestly didn’t think was possible. Because of this, the perfect storm began to brew inside of my body. 

It was similar to a domino effect…

Once my hormone levels were even further scrambled, my seizure activity increased to such a severe level that it actually landed me in the hospital for a few days. For those of you who may be curious, riding inside of an ambulance is not very exciting when you’re the one strapped to the gurney. 

Moving onto my endeavors in hormone treatment through holistic medicine, my doctor gave me a progesterone supplement that was all-natural and supposedly healthy for me. According to her, it was a no-Brainer that this “solution” would treat my issue with epilepsy and hormone levels…

Well, this natural supplement was supposed to help my progesterone deficiency by supplementing my severe lack thereof. However, it ended up mimicking progesterone in a way that actually caused my body to stop producing it naturally. Because I was providing so much of the progesterone supplement, my body responded to it by stopping its own natural production completely so that it did not give me an over abundance of the hormone. In other words, the progesterone was being supplied by another source so it figured, “Why work so hard to produce this hormone when it’s constantly here whether I make an effort or not?” 

However, this pause in natural production actually caused an even greater hormone-related issue for me. I had to retrain my body to produce it naturally again at healthy levels. This is still an on going process and yet another contributing factor to my current progesterone deficiency. My body still does not produce enough progesterone to even begin to balance my estrogen and progesterone ratio. In addition, the progesterone supplement was so strong that it actually stopped my period completely. I literally had no period for two years. If you’re wondering, yes, this also worsened my hormone issues. 

And the cherry on top, is that the progesterone supplement turned out to be Soy based. I am extremely allergic to soy…if I am exposed to even the tiniest bit from any source I will most definitely have a Gran Mal seizure in response, sometimes multiple seizures. I didn’t learn of this soy source until after I stopped taking the supplement. But it definitely cleared up the mystery of why I was still having increased seizure activity despite the presence of this “beneficial” progesterone supplement.

The truth is, a lot of doctors are very quick to prescribe actual progesterone or estrogen supplements, but despite popular belief, you do NOT want this! You want a supplement that is going to assist your body’s natural production, not take over completely. Your body knows what to do, just let it do it’s thing. Your best option here is to help it do what it has been meant to do all along and that is produce healthy levels of hormones. Using progesterone or estrogen supplements will do exactly what the progesterone supplement I used did to me…it will cause your body to stop producing said hormone naturally. 

So what do we do instead? How do we facilitate and encourage our bodies’ natural production instead of hijacking it???

The unfortunate truth is, even though your body knows what to do sometimes it needs a little boost. We don’t want to boss it around, we simply want to assist in hormone production that will ultimately result in stable hormone levels for your body and proper hormone production. 

Easier said than done, right? If it were so easy we’d all have perfect hormone levels. Plus the doctors aren’t much help in this area. I always find that when I ask a direct question about specifically treating my hormone problems, they give me peanuts for answers. Both modern medicine and holistic medicine. No doctor I have ever met has actually been able to instruct me on how to accomplish this feat of assisting my natural hormone production. When it becomes too difficult to fully solve, they hand my case off to someone else. 

In fact, it was the doctors I dealt with who forced me to take matters into my own hands. Because of this, I did lots of research and discovered four natural options for supporting your adrenals. Each supplement below is derived from a plant source, therefore it is very important to exercise caution if you decide to try one. Every person is different, therefore allergies to certain plants or interactions with other medications must be considered. In addition, it is always best that you consult your doctor before taking any supplement you find below. I am not recommending you take any product, I am simply sharing the information that I have learned over the years. 

I would also like to point out that I am not providing this information to make money nor am I receiving any kind of kickback from the companies whose products you will find below. I came across a few interesting options for hormone support and I would like to make others aware of these options as well. The tiniest bit of new information can go a long way, especially when you feel as though you’ve hit rock bottom. 

Trust me, I’ve been there so I know how desperate these times can make you feel, but I’m here to tell you rock bottom is still very far away. Today is a new day filled with lots of new opportunities, including the opportunity to discover some new options. So keep reading for more!

 

Product #1 – Wild Yam

Wild Yam, also known as Dioscorea Villosa, is a plant with purpose. It is frequently referred to as an alternative supplement for estrogen therapy. However, I feel as though this undermines the true abilities of this wonderful herb. Wild Yam provides support for complete hormonal balance. Not just estrogen and not just progesterone. Both. When consumed, it does not take over your body’s natural hormone production either. It actually works to maintain balance between the levels of all of your naturally produced hormones so that you do not end with problems like estrogen dominance. 

I take this supplement during the second half of my menstrual cycle, usually days 15-28, because this is the phase of the cycle when progesterone production drops and estrogen production peaks. I am estrogen dominant, therefore, my body desperately needs progesterone support during this time. Taking the wild yam helps to prevent my progesterone levels from dropping to dangerously low levels. Levels where seizures occur. The wild yam reminds my body to compensate with extra progesterone production and, as a result, I am able to maintain balance emotionally and physically. 

 

Product #2 – Ashwagandha

This is one of those supplements that has been used for thousands of years because of its benefits, however, it is rarely mentioned these days. When I first came across the name I knew for certain that I had never heard of it before…Ashwagandha is a pretty memorable name. It is actually a combination of two Indian words that translates to “smells like horse.” Do not fear, however, it simply has an earthy scent that is very mild and the tablet itself is tasteless. I fear it is one of those age-old remedies that has been forgotten by the majority of people these days despite its beneficial effects. 

It is used for many problems such as inflammation, stress, brain disorders, and hormones. Once again, our culture undermines the abilities of this supplement when it comes to hormones by mentioning only the benefits for infertility and problems relating to the menstrual cycle. 

The truth is, these are only a small part of the true hormone-related benefits Ashwagandha provides the user. If you look at the bigger picture, you will see that Ashwagandha does more than ease menstrual cramps, it provides support for your entire adrenal system. Your adrenals are the main hub for processing your hormones, therefore you want them working in tip top shape 24/7. 

The majority of women today are in desperate need of adrenal support because they are not receiving the necessary nutrients from natural sources, such as food. Only after my diagnosis with epilepsy did I quit processed foods completely. It has been ten years since that decision was made and my adrenals are still in desperate need of support. It is because of my poor adrenal function that my hormone levels are both deficient and imbalanced. Hormone imbalances are a common cause for infertility, heavy/painful periods, endometriosis, catamenial epilepsy, and many other hormone related issues. Hormones are processed in the adrenals, therefore, you could think of this as the source of the problem. We want to fix the source if we are to attain good health that is long term. Every time I take a tablet, I find it incredibly comforting to know that Ashwagandha is not only providing the support my adrenals desperately need, but it is also strengthening my hormone production right at the root.    

 

Product #3 – Shatavari

Shatavari, also known as Asparagus racemosus, is actually a species of the asparagus vegetable we all know and some of us love. However, it is very different from its vegetable relative in more ways than one. It is a plant with slightly spiky leaves that produces berries for starters. In addition, Shatavari is also widely known within Indian Medicine as a hormone stabilizer. By stabilizing hormones, this herb is also recognized as a supplement that promotes both hormonal balance and fertility. The plant itself works to regulate hormones within the adrenal glands, your body’s main hub for hormone regulation. It doesn’t work as a band-aid for the deeper issues, instead it digs deep at the start and strives to heal the source of the problem. In many cases, this problem is adrenal fatigue. Due to external sources such as synthetic hormones and other chemicals found in many of the products we expose our bodies to on a daily basis, our adrenals become tired. 

Regulating synthetic hormones AND the natural hormones our bodies produce is a lot of work. Our adrenals become affected by these synthetic hormones/chemicals in a way that means poor function for our bodies. After all, our adrenals are only meant to regulate natural hormones. Talk about working over time! This is where Shatavari becomes the hero tonic for our adrenal glands…it promotes healthy function by strengthening the glands. It provides nutrients that our bodies are deficient in due to our lack of home made meals and our tendency to forget about the importance of vitamin supplementation. It is easy to scoff at some plant being able to help more than what the doctor prescribes, but it imperative to recognize this fact: Plants are powerful, they have powerful effects in every form and they possess the potential to provide positive support for your long-term health. But first, you have to give that plant a chance. 

 

Product #4 – Rhodiola Rosea Powder

This simple herb is frequently referred to as a “stress-reliever,” however it’s adaptogenic qualities make it an excellent tonic for much more especially where hormones are concerned. Rhodiola Rosea is fantastic for boosting your body’s overall abilities. It is excellent for boosting overall brain function as well as your energy levels. What I am trying to say is that this supplement’s main purpose is to see that your body is functioning at full capacity at all times.

In restoring your body’s energy levels, Rhodiola Rosea is also promoting adrenal function. Remember how I said your adrenals can become fatigued (especially from synthetic hormones)? This herb promotes your body’s energy levels and therefore its ability to function. With this positive energy the adrenals can function properly which comes in handy for those of us who need extra help with their hormones. It is fantastic for those without hormone issues too because its main purpose is to help your body function to the very best of its ability. It is a multi-tasking supplement that will provide support for your adrenal glands. 

Sources:

Rhodiola Rosea: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rhodiola-rosea#section5

Shatavari: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322043.php#uses-of-shatavari

Products:

(Wild Yam) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006O2IIC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(Ashwagandha) https://www.amazon.com/Himalaya-Ashwagandha-Adaptogen-Stress-relief-Cortisol/dp/B0002BBATC/ref=sr_1_4?crid=74N0WXMXQLRE&keywords=himalaya+ashwagandha+organic+capsules+under+%2420&qid=1569442021&s=gateway&sprefix=himalaya+ashwa&sr=8-4

(Shatavari) https://www.amazon.com/Himalaya-Shatavari-Menstrual-Regulation-Hormonal/dp/B0011Y445G/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=DR81X7Q0JXZH&keywords=himalaya+organic+shatavari&qid=1569454593&s=gateway&sprefix=Himalaya+organic+%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFTWFEzQkJYMzdQSDYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2MDIyNjMxOUVRSlNZTEdXSzMmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDMyNjk0MzJTTjVQV0xRMlpVVUkmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

(Rhodiola Rosea) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DPW5LN0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website. 

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Filed Under: Articles, Epilepsy Tagged: adrenal glands, adrenal support, adrenals, catamenial epilepsy, epilepsy, estrogen, estrogen dominance, healthy, hormonal balance, hormonal imbalance, hormones, progesterone, progesterone deficiency, seize the day blog, seizures, support

September 6, 2019

Epilepsy Insight: 5 Things I Would Do Differently at Diagnosis

September 6, 2019

Looking back on the past always seems to be a tricky business. There are bound to be a few things you wish you could change…if only you knew then what you know now! 

There is a very long list of things I would do differently at the time of my initial diagnosis with epilepsy. With all of the knowledge I have gained thanks to 10+ years of living with Catamenial Epilepsy, I have grown a lot as a person and as a patient. Most of all, I wish I had pursued holistic medicine from the very start. I have found so much success through these methods of healing, I can’t help but wonder if I would be completely healed today if I chose holistic methods back then…

The truth is, I don’t know. I may wonder from time to time about the answer to this question, but despite my regrets I am still grateful for the knowledge I have gained through the uncertainties part of living with epilepsy. 

That lack of understanding I started this journey with has now become a well-curated collection of information. And not just any information, but information derived from personal experience. Those trial and error processes can be terribly frustrating…they’re time consuming, challenging, and usually have a 50% chance of failure. It is the other 50% chance of success that keeps me going…You don’t know until you try, right?? Not everyone shares my enthusiasm for risk, but I am determined to find my own recipe for recuperation. Each day of my journey continues to perfect this recipe so, in the meantime, I thought it might be helpful to my fellow Epileptic Warriors out there to share some of the things I have learned whilst carving my own path. Who knows? Maybe it will help someone else avoid the same mistakes I made…I certainly hope so! More than anything I hope my upcoming insights serve as a guide to help others establish a foundation for their own trek toward healing. 

My biggest goal will always be to help others in similar circumstances avoid the same mistakes I made. Therefore, I would like to share the top 5 things I wish I had done differently at the time of my initial diagnosis. These also happen to be the fives things I would recommend other epileptics to do as well. These upcoming words are simply a suggestion, of course, for those willing to listen since I am not a medical professional. Whether it is the very first day of your diagnosis or 10 years later (like me), you are never too late to pursue total body healing.

That being said, let’s get to it, shall we?

 

1. Blood work

It is incredibly overwhelming to be diagnosed with a medical condition like epilepsy, therefore getting in-depth blood work completed isn’t always at the forefront of a person’s mind. Especially when he or she is simultaneously trying to figure out how to prevent his or her life from being turned completely upside down. I know, I’ve been there. 

This is my first recommendation and the action I wish I took when I was 15 years old because it is the key to discovering exactly why your body is having seizures. Seizures are misfires in the brain, therefore they are not supposed to be happening, but when they do happen there is always a cause. It’s up to you to find this cause and blood work is the best way to see what’s going on inside your body. You will be able to identify deficiencies, inflammation, and other issues that may be contributing to your seizure activity. 

So, I suggest you get thorough blood work completed, the Organic Acid Test from Great Plains Laboratory is a wonderful urine test that will give you a comprehensive examination of the current condition of your body’s vitamin and mineral levels at a metabolic level. You see, deficiencies are usually part of the problem. Where there are deficiencies there is also over-compensation happening within the body to supplement these deficiencies. However, this constant over-compensation usually results in even more deficiencies because, before you know it, all of your vitamin and mineral sources have been depleted in order to maintain balance. 

In the end, no balance has been achieved and now we have multiple deficiencies to fix instead of just the one. So, get a blood work panel and/or the OAT completed so that you will have a thorough examination of your levels…if you have deficiencies, pinpoint these so that you can work to heal them through food and vitamin supplements. Before attempting a “Plan for Healing” you must first understand what it is that needs to be healed. It will save you time and it will prevent lots of unnecessary trial and error. To read more about my deficiencies and why I wish I found them sooner, click here to read my experience with Vitamin D. 

 

2. Holistic Medicine

In 2009, at the time of my diagnosis, I had full and complete faith in the doctors of modern medicine. That is, until the only solutions they could provide me with were anti-epileptic drugs, birth control (for the hormone imbalance), and brain surgery. I wasn’t happy about any of these options, but what else was I supposed to do? At this point in time, you couldn’t even find a keyword match in Google for “Catamenial Epilepsy.” The only place my mom could find the slightest mention of “Catamenial Epilepsy” was in a medical journal written by a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic. It wasn’t much, but it was a lifeline for my family and I when we felt like we were going crazy over the possible hormone/seizure connection. 

One year after my diagnosis, I was received as a patient at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for one week of special testing and doctor appointments. I had already been placed on their general waitlist for the opportunity to come to the Mayo Clinic so it felt like a miracle when a spot unexpectedly opened for me. The prospect of having my particular case reviewed by some of the most highly-respected neurologists within the U.S. inspired a hope for normalcy for the first time since being diagnosed. 

However, when I sat down to discuss my circumstances with my neurologist, she had nothing new to add regarding Catamenial Epilepsy. The organization that authored a medical journal regarding the elusive subject failed to pass the knowledge on to the rest of their neurology department. At the end of my week of testing, her only solutions were more drugs and brain surgery with a success rate of 60%…not exactly ideal when we’re talking about the human brain. I’m not that keen on risk! The gynecologist’s only solution was birth control. Once again, a disappointment. 

I was met with a disappointing reality during my final consultation…

My solution does not lie within modern medicine. 

The birth control was the last straw! Previously, I had only suffered 3 gran mal seizures over the period of one year. After beginning the birth control, I had 14 gran mal seizures in one week. It turns out, the gynecologist from the Mayo Clinic prescribed me an estrogen based birth control despite my blood work results showing I was estrogen dominant and suffering from a severe progesterone deficiency. But sure, add in even more of the “excitable” hormone. Naturally, the seizure activity spiked due to the additional flow of estrogen. 

Immediately following this terrible increase of seizure activity (seizure activity that actually landed me in the back of an ambulance) holistic medicine finally became a serious consideration for me. I stopped taking the birth control, began pursuing holistic methods, and I haven’t looked back since. 

Visiting the Mayo Clinic is one of my biggest regrets from my past. What should have been an incredible opportunity to find healing instead left me worse off than I had been before. I constantly wonder what state my body would be in if I hadn’t taken that birth control. It definitely hasn’t been the same since! But it was definitely the push I needed to begin researching Holistic solutions. 

 

3. Diet Change

I had no idea just how bad my diet was when I had my first seizure. I was actually trying out the Special K diet at the time to supplement my workout schedule and to help support my body nutritionally. HA! If only I knew how little nutrition exists in any processed food product. This is the primary reason why our bodies struggle to fight off deficiencies from malnutrition…we are not eating the proper foods to supply much-needed vitamins and minerals naturally. So, of course deficiencies are rampant right now! 

Cut out the processed products such as frozen foods, chips, candy, cereal, sauces, etc. as soon as possible! Take charge and supply your body with foods composed of natural ingredients. Foods made from scratch in your own kitchen and made 100% with real ingredients. I know, this sounds scary AND I’m sure it sounds like a lot of work…but trust me on this one, every minute of your time you dedicate to your diet will benefit your body in the long run. In fact, your body will rejoice to have real food instead of chemical ingredients that typically compose the ingredient labels of those processed food products. I have three words for you, Made From Scratch. Need recipes in order to do so? The internet is your best ally where this is concerned because it is filled with lots of yummy recipes! Just check out some of the recipes I have here on Seize the Day Blog. 

People don’t always realize the reality of the internal damage that ensues from malnutrition. It is too easy to think, “Oh, everybody eats these food products, they’re fine! If they were really SO bad there is no way the FDA would approve these ingredients!” I used to think the same thing, then one night I woke up on the floor unable to speak, unaware of my location, and unable to recognize my own brother…do not wait for a drastic life event to inspire healthy change. Pursuing a healthier lifestyle is always a good idea!

 

4. Go Organic

Because I had no clue about the dangers of processed food products, I also failed to realize the necessity for Organic food products. In my eyes, there were never any particular characteristics that caught my eye because I never took the time to research the difference. It just seemed like a trendy diet choice to be “healthier.” I could not be more wrong! Harmful and cheap pesticides are used by the majority of non-Organic farms, therefore protecting one’s body from these chemicals should always be a priority whether you’re struggling with a health condition or not. The fact is, Organic foods are better for you. The Organic growing methods eliminate pesticides and they are typically Non-GMO. Personally, I find these two characteristics vital for every food group because I’d rather not consume something that holds the potential to harm my body. 

Preventing the build up of chemicals within your cells will actually be possible by saying NO to non-Organic foods and YES to Organic in every area of your diet. The average grocery stores, such as Vons, are consistently their Organic food selection, which is incredibly convenient! Lucky for those of us seeking organic diets, there are lots of wide spread specialty Organic grocery stores such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Market, and Trader Joe’s (if you are in the U.S.). Whole Foods is definitely my favorite, but each of these stores carry an amazing selection of organic foods! Sprout’s Market offers coupons too, so if you’re looking to purchase organic groceries and not break the bank…this place is for you! I understand how expensive these products are so do as much as you can, but also be sure to meal prep before you grocery shop so that you do not make any unnecessary purchases.

 

5. Research Seizure Triggers   

The mind/gut connection has always been a highly debated subject in modern medicine. Why people are so eager to refute this theory is quite baffling to me because my own personal experience has shown me firsthand that more than a connection exists between the brain and the digestive system. The foods you eat can affect more than just your midsection, they can also impact your seizure activity. Every person is different, therefore some amount of trial and error will be necessary to determine any seizure triggers unique to You. In the meantime,  information on foods known to be trigger seizures in epileptics of all ages is available and it is best to make yourself aware of the potential risks as soon as possible. 

I often feel like I am much more sensitive than other people since being diagnosed with epilepsy. Food can be my best friend or my greatest enemy. There is no in between, unfortunately, so it is important to be aware of the typical foods that tend to increase seizure activity beforehand. My goal in sharing this little tip is so that I can help other epileptics to actively avoid these same foods in their own diets. It is also a great first step in working toward a healthier diet overall. I know that I am always working to minimize my seizure activity so just in case some of my readers are also interested, keep reading for a few foods you should always say NO to!  

In particular, soy, caffeine (this includes coffee and chocolate), alcohol, sage, cloves, grapefruit, fermented foods, and refined sugar are ingredients that consistently impact epileptics. These are only a few of the most basic triggers, therefore I highly recommend doing your own research on the full list of foods. 

Soy is my prime seizure trigger. If I had known this sooner I would have cut all soy-related products and food types from my diet immediately. Since this is one of my recommendations for other epileptics I obviously did not do it for myself back in 2009. Instead, it took a seizure in the middle of a P.F. Chang’s Restaurant to wake me up to the severe food allergy/seizure trigger I had acquired along with my diagnosis of epilepsy. One thing is for sure, life is never boring! In this case, however, I would prefer boring and I would like to help prevent any chaos for those also struggling with epilepsy…take the time to do some research, knowledge is always worth the time spent!  

Throughout this journey with Epilepsy I feel like I have always and will continue to learn something new everyday. I’m no genius on the subject nor am I a medical professional. I would simply like to help prevent some seizure activity for my fellow Epilepsy Warriors across the globe by sharing my personal experience. Although I cannot change my past decisions, hopefully my recommendations above will help those of you reading this to avoid the same mistakes I made. I am incredibly grateful for all that I have learned through the trial and error experiences, but what good is this knowledge if I do not share it with others? 

So, best of luck to each and every one of you! You are not alone in your battle! If you have any questions about the information I provided above, please feel free to email me at katie@seizethedayblog.com. 

Thank you for reading!

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Filed Under: Articles, Epilepsy Tagged: catamenial epilepsy, clean eating, diet, epilepsy, healthy, hormones, personal experience, seize the day blog, seizure activity, seizure triggers, seizures

June 21, 2019

Vitamin D: A Prime Cornerstone of Your Total Body Health

June 21, 2019

 

What comes to mind when I mention Vitamin D??? Probably sunshine, milk, and maybe even fish. For me, I always think of the milk jugs at the grocery store. Especially the one with the cute little logo of a cow and the huge balloon letters above announcing “Vitamin D Added” and basically screaming to the consumer “Yes, this is healthy, please buy me!!!” Society has taught us to associate Vitamin D with milk or sunshine, however, it has failed to convey that Vitamin D is so much more than spotted cows and sun rays. For starters, Vitamin D isn’t a vitamin at all! This so-called “vitamin” is actually a hormone and it is a crucial part of your well-being…

We’re always told that we need Vitamin D to be healthy, but we’re never informed of the reasons why. Why is it so important that I drink milk, eat fish, and spend time out in the sunshine?? As a child, I always figured that Vitamin D is necessary because it is called a Vitamin so my body must need it…that seems reasonable enough, right? The answer to this question is always YES. Your body does need Vitamin D to function properly. However, your body needs the correct amount and the correct form of Vitamin D in order to supplement your body’s need for this important nutrient. 

In my case, I simply believed that my body was getting ALL of the necessary vitamins and minerals through the chewable Flintstones vitamins I had every morning as a child. Little did I know these supplements are actually equivalent to sidewalk chalk in both texture and nutritional value. Plus, my eating habits at the time were terrible! My intake of chemicals from processed food products was higher than my intake of good old fashioned vitamins and nutrients. Unknowingly, I was prepping my body for disaster…

I assumed my body was super healthy because, on the outside, it did appear that way. However, on the inside I was deteriorating and a lot of that had to do with my lack of Vitamin D. Not the synthetic Vitamin D that is added to products like milk, but the natural kind of Vitamin D that is found in organic food products such as dark leafy greens and wild caught fish. 

So, why is the need for Vitamin D so important?? Well, not only does this vitamin/hormone provide the foundation for the human body’s ability to absorb and assimilate other key hormones, but it also contributes greatly to proper brain function.

I only recently learned that a Vitamin D deficiency alone is enough to cause epileptic seizures. In fact, it is highly recommended by holistic doctors that any person experiencing seizures should get a blood test done to check their bodily levels of Vitamin D. Here is a question for my fellow epileptic warriors out there…Have you ever been told by your neurologist to have your Vitamin D levels checked??? If your answer is “Yes” than Yay for you and I’m super jealous of the amazing neurologist you apparently have! Unfortunately, for the majority of people the most common answer to this question is NO. 

I recently met with my own neurologist and he was genuinely surprised at the possibility of a Vitamin D deficiency being the cause of my epilepsy. He had no knowledge of the connection between Vitamin D and the brain. 

Vitamin D was never even mentioned to me by any of the medical professionals I visited over these past ten years of living with epilepsy. Whether it was at my local hospital or the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. There was always zero mention of “Vitamin D.” This is why I am so eager to share my personal experience with Vitamin D in relation to epilepsy. It is necessary for proper brain function and, if you are struggling with epileptic seizures, it may be just what you need!

Take a look at my own deficiency and my body’s reaction to the holistic Vitamin D supplement I began just three months ago…

In January, I finally found a Holistic doctor who prompted me to get blood work done that specifically measures my levels of Vitamin D. As per usual, the blood work results presented a helpful numerical zone indicating the general “Healthy” level for all human beings. In this case, the ideal level was somewhere between 30 and 100. With 30 being considered as a deficient level and, therefore, concerning. 

I expected my levels to be low, but I never expected what the test results displayed…

I literally did a double take when I checked my result page and found my level to be “1.” Yep, that’s right numero uno. Basically, I have no Vitamin D whatsoever in my body.

My first thought was, “How can a person’s body even function with that amount of Vitamin D?” Or lack thereof I guess I should say. I’m living proof that a body can function without Vitamin D, but it definitely cannot function properly. I should have known something was amiss when my actual neurologist (as opposed to his office staff) contacted me to both announce the arrival of my test results and to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. During my appointment, he immediately began discussing ways to help treat my extreme deficiency…I had passed the level of concern and landed somewhere in the region of emergency. 

According to Healthline, “In the US, current guidelines suggest that consuming 400-800 IU (10-20 mcg) of vitamin D should meet the needs of 97% – 98% of all healthy people.” This would equal out to 5,600 IU of vitamin D per week if doing the 800 IU dose. Apparently I fell into the 2% – 3% that requires a different level…

My neurologist recommended I begin a weekly dose of 50,000 IU of Vitamin D immediately. I was wide-eyed when he announced that dose, I mean fifty thousand…is a dose that large even possible?? His prescription was for an over-the-counter synthetic Vitamin D supplement that I would take once a week. This is always an option, of course, but I have plenty experience with synthetic vitamins to know that this is not the best option. I was also concerned that 50,000 IU of Vitamin D all at once might be a bit of a shock to my body.  

When introducing any new supplements to my daily regimen, I move like a turtle to avoid increasing my seizure activity. If the dose calls for 2 tablets, I begin with 1 tablet for at least a week (sometimes even a month) before adding in the second tablet. Lucky for me, there are other options for Vitamin D supplements besides pharmaceutical drugs that will not only allow me to apply my turtle-like pace, but will also supply my body with vitamin D in its natural form. 

I am currently using “Seeking Health Optimal Vitamin D Drops,” which is an organic liquid supplement. One drop contains 2,000 IU of Vitamin D3. So, I began by slowly introducing one drop, waited for a week and introduced another drop until I reached the recommended dose of 50,000 IU. It took a month to reach the full dose (like I said, I move at a turtle’s pace), but I finally did it. Currently, I am taking 4 drops and 8,000 IU of Vitamin D daily, which brings my weekly total to 56,000 IU of Vitamin D. 

I frequently read warnings about giving your body too much Vitamin D and, therefore, creating other issues. However, due to my extreme deficiency, my body has been loving this extra-large dose! I began taking the Vitamin D on 3/16/19 and it only took ten days before my body began showing evidence of absorption. I had one more gran mal seizure on 3/26/19 before I began seeing a decrease in my seizure activity, both gran mal seizures and partial seizures. 

Here is a brief summary of my seizure activity over the past three months since beginning the Vitamin D3 supplement:

March 2019 (I began Vitamin D on 3/16/19) – 11 Gran Mal Seizures, 13 Partial Seizures 

April 2019 – 0 Gran Mal seizures, 9 Partial Seizures

May 2019 – 0 Gran Mal seizures, 9 Partial Seizures

June 2019 (so far) – 1 Gran Mal seizure, 4 Partial Seizures

I was so excited to share my experience with Vitamin D particularly because of the immense success I have experienced. If I’m being honest, 2017 and 2018 were my most difficult years I have ever experienced as an epileptic. Not only was my seizure activity at an all time high, but I had also reached a point where improvement seemed impossible to obtain. I understand what it feels like to hit rock bottom, so if this is the case for anyone out there Do Not lose hope just yet! Something as simple as a vitamin supplement has made a world of difference for me and I believe it is something worth exploring for every epileptic. 

Yes, I just recently had one gran mal seizure in June, however, prior to that occurrence I went 80 days without a single seizure. Almost three months. My seizure activity hasn’t been this low since the very first year I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. 

To fix any deficiency in the human body takes time. My body went fifteen years depleting itself of Vitamin D (and a number of other vitamins too!), therefore, it is going to take time to build those same levels back to a healthy point. Not everyone requires such extreme Vitamin D supplementation, but for those who are deficient I recommend getting a jump on this sooner rather than later. I certainly wish I had! Oh the things I wish I knew during those first years of diagnosis…

The natural form of Vitamin D is something that every person needs to understand before they can go about supplementing their bodies correctly… 

For starters, let’s debunk those silly stereotypes that have been associated with Vitamin D. It took me years to discover that I am NOT eating healthy when I drink a glass of milk with my breakfast. Why? Well, the added Vitamin D is not the kind of Vitamin D you want in your body because it is a synthetic form of the hormone. The corporations claiming to offer a better quality product are actually doing the exact opposite. Dairy products come from pregnant cows, therefore milk is already swimming with plenty of hormones in its natural state. No extra hormones are required to improve milk’s effect on your long-term health, especially synthetic forms of a vitamin! As is the case with every other hormone, consuming synthetic hormones will actually disrupt your body’s natural ability to produce said hormone. Drinking milk infused with synthetic Vitamin D will only disrupt your body’s ability to function properly and naturally. What I’m trying to say is that even though the jug of milk may scream “Vitamin D” and “Healthy,” you’re actually buying into a societal lie. Milk is not your #1 source for Vitamin D. 

If you are a big fan of milk, but you don’t want the synthetic hormones in your body, try Organic Raw Milk. Unfortunately, you will usually have to purchase this type of milk through a private farm to guarantee that it is truly raw. This may sound like a total inconvenience, but there are actually many private farms just here in the United States who are capable of shipping items cross country. 

My favorite is Miller’s Organic Farm, it is a Private Membership Association therefore you must pay a fee to become a member in their farmshare before you can purchase any products. Once a member, you can order as many products as you wish and they offer a wonderful variety! I actually purchase all of my dairy products through this farm because everything is raw! Nothing is added, it is straight from the cow just as it should be! The farm is located in Pennsylvania and they have no trouble shipping my groceries all the way to California. To get in contact with Miller’s Organic Farm visit the link above or call (717) 556-0672. 

Even though raw dairy products are filled with lots of wonderful nutrients, I have found that they are not your best source for Vitamin D. And No, drinking milk on a daily basis will not provide your body with all of the vitamins it requires. 

Next, we have the sun. The lengthy list of people who have told me that sunshine is my best source for Vitamin D has probably surpassed my own height and continues to grow. The sun is a wonderful source of Vitamin D, however, it is incredibly difficult to absorb large amounts of Vitamin D from sunshine. Direct sunlight must be on the skin in order for any Vitamin D to be absorbed. It cannot penetrate clothing and seep into your skin below the fabric. The areas covered by clothing are blocked from Vitamin D absorption. In addition, cosmetic products such as makeup, lotion, body oils, and sunscreen or tan lotion block your body’s ability to absorb Vitamin D from the sun. So, in order to absorb a large amount of Vitamin D you must sit out in the sun for hours without any clothing on. Does anyone have the time for this? And what if it is Winter? Yikes! Not your best source of Vitamin D either. Although sunshine and fresh air for other purposes are always great ideas! 

The truth is, Vitamin D is sourced in numerous foods, however, a large amount of people aren’t consuming organic food products. Nowadays, if you actually want healthy food you really have to work for it! Those organic prices are no joke! However, I have found the benefits of foods without pesticides and other horrible chemicals greatly outweigh the cost. 

Lastly, I would like to discuss the hormonal side of Vitamin D. The human body naturally interprets every hormone it receives through hormone receptors. You have estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, testosterone receptors, and Vitamin D receptors (just to name a few). The source of these different hormones varies and, unfortunately, a lot of these hormones may be synthetic due to dirty hormones existing in processed food products, skincare, the environment, etc. It is these dirty hormones that we need to avoid as best we can in our personal regimens due to the fact that the human body cannot interpret something that is not meant to be absorbed. Dirty hormones are often stored in our cells because our bodies literally have no idea what to do with them. This may sound harmless, but dirty hormones can be stored in the human body for years and years. If you are constantly exposed to dirty hormones on a daily basis, this storage becomes an impressive collection that will begin disrupting your body’s ability to function properly. This yet another reason why eating organic is an absolute must for your long-term health. 

Dirty sources of Vitamin D exist just the same and need to be avoided in order to successfully supplement this nutrient. All synthetic versions of Vitamin D are dirty sources…that milk I discussed earlier with the cute little cow on the front happens to be the perfect example of such sources. These synthetic sources will be received by your body, however, they will be stored in your cells instead of being disbursed to the proper locations where they can be absorbed like natural Vitamin D. 

Vitamin D is considered a hormone because of the way it is read and disbursed by your hormone receptors. While other vitamins are sent to a variety of locations throughout the human body, Vitamin D is sent to the area with other hormones. Not only is it sent to this location, but it is also the foundational hormone necessary to keep the rest of your hormone levels stable. Your levels of Vitamin D will determine how many of your hormones are produced and assimilated. 

Personally, this has been quite the mind-blowing epiphany since my type of epilepsy (Catamenial Epilepsy) is caused by a hormone imbalance. It truly is no wonder why I am struggling with seizures once you consider my Vitamin D levels in relation to the rest of my hormones. I lacked that foundation of healthy Vitamin D levels, therefore, many of my other hormones failed to absorb correctly, as well. Currently, I am working on building my levels of Vitamin D through natural supplementation with the hope that one day soon the rest of my hormones will become stable and my epileptic seizures will finally seize (pun intended :-)). 

Every human body is different, therefore, each person’s recipe for success will vary. Vitamin D seems to be working wonders for me, but this is one epileptic’s experience. My intention is not to diagnose or treat any medical condition, it is to share with anyone willing to read my blog that a solution may be out there and if I can somehow help another’s journey my goal has been reached! If you have any further questions for me about Vitamin D or anything else, please feel free to email me at katie@seizethedayblog.com. I am more than happy to provide feedback! 

 

Sources:

Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-dosage#section2

Miller’s Organic Farm: www.amosmillerorganicfarm.com

Vitamin D Supplement via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Servings-Physician-Formulated-Seeking-Health/dp/B003800UXG

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website. 

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Filed Under: Articles, Epilepsy Tagged: catamenial epilepsy, deficiency, epilepsy, estrogen, hormone imbalance, hormones, progesterone, seizures, vitamin d

September 1, 2018

Keeping Up With Katie: Post #1

September 1, 2018

Seize the Day Blog Readers,

It’s finally here! The very first post for the brand new Keeping Up With Katie series on Seize the Day Blog! For more details on what exactly I’ll be discussing click the link above to read the Introduction Article or click here to check out a sneak peek of the template & all five questions I’ll be answering below!

I hope you all enjoy my feedback on my own personal journey with Hemp Oil (also known as CBD oil) since beginning this Hemp product from the Charlotte’s Web by The Stanley Brothers corporation on July 20th 2018. As you’ll read below, August 2018 has been filled with lots of encouraging improvements and I hope September will be exactly the same!

Please comment your feedback via Twitter & Instagram (@seizethedayblog) or feel free to email me at katie@seizethedayblog.com! Thank you!

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

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Posted by SeizeTheDayBlog
Filed Under: Articles Tagged: catamenial epilepsy, CBD Oil, charlotte's web by the stanley brothers, emotions, epilepsy, hormones, keeping up with katie, seize the day blog, seizure activity, seizures

August 7, 2018

New Series Coming Soon: Keeping Up With Katie

August 7, 2018

Keeping Up With Katie: My Journey With CBD Oil

Short, sweet, and to the point, but still informative…isn’t that how most people prefer articles these days? Life is busy; therefore, we don’t always have the luxury of time to be able to sift through paragraphs of information. It is this same type of “lack of time” in my own life, which inspired my new weekly series, Keeping Up With Katie.

This series will be a blog post that follows along with my own week-to-week experience with using a hemp oil product. Each week I am going to discuss any increase or decrease in seizure activity, mental clarity, mood, anxiety, and any other changes that occur. This will be a very honest account of my exact experience with hemp oil. Please keep in mind that this is going to be a “trial and error” style of process, therefore, I am going to be learning as I go just the same as you.

Before I begin, let me first give you the backstory on how I reached my decision to start hemp oil. In addition, I will talk about the reasons behind why I chose to use this particular brand over all others and why it is set apart from every other hemp oil out there. Hopefully, if you are looking for a clean and reliable hemp product or have any questions regarding the impact of this product, Keeping Up With Katie will have the answer!

The truth is, I’m frequently making changes in my own daily routine, most that require a process of trial-and-error in order for me to truly determine whether a product or health tip is actually helpful from a long-term perspective. Personally, I have found another person’s experience to be the best source of knowledge on the unknown. Hopefully the knowledge I gain from experience will help each and every one of my readers, as well.

By sharing my experience with this product on a weekly basis, I hope to save someone else from the frustration of making the same mistakes I happen to make along the way. The good, the bad, and the ugly; it will all be included in order to help those of you who are hesitant to try such a product without first receiving some more background information.

The most recent addition to my daily routine and the product I will be exploring in this new series is a hemp extract oil produced by a company called Charlotte’s Web (CW) by the Stanley Brothers. The hemp oil I am currently using is called Hemp Extract Oil Advanced in the Olive Oil flavor.

So, what makes this CW Hemp Extract Oil so special? Well, that would require me to copy and paste their entire website into this post, which I’m sure infringes on some copyright guidelines. So instead, I’m simply going to share a short list of characteristics that initially caught my attention and set The Stanley Brothers’ product a part for me.

First of all, the utmost care is put into their production process. Their soils are tested for heavy metals before planting; they’re working on becoming certified Organic and still adhere to Organic methods in the meantime. No harmful pesticides or chemicals of any kind are sprayed on the crops, all products are gluten-free, vegan, Non-GMO, BPA-free, and are compliant with the American Herbal Products Association’s contaminant guidelines and specifications for Good Quality. To learn even more about the impressive standards embraced by the CW corporation, visit their website here.

I would also like to note that CW Advanced Hemp Extract Oil is composed of only 0.3% Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The rest is Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil and, because I have chosen the “Olive Oil” flavor, a little bit of olive oil. Basically, the CW hemp product is Low-THC (the strain in a hemp product that creates a “high” type of feeling) and High-CBD (the strain that helps the brain by treating problems such as pain, seizure activity, and many other health problems originating in the brain).

A main concern of mine when beginning a product containing an ingredient, such as THC, was the effect it would have on my ability to function. It has been a little over two weeks since beginning the CW Advanced Hemp Extract Oil and, so far, I have experienced zero interruptions in my daily life. This is yet another positive facet of the Low-THC/High-CBD characteristic part of the CW product. You can manage your health concern without worrying about your capability to function at home or at work.

To simplify the Keeping Up With Katie series even further, I will be keeping to a blueprint/outline of my own creation. This way, consistency and a sense of regularity will be guaranteed in every post! The blueprint will contain the following five questions, which I will answer to the best of my ability each week:

  1. Seizure Activity – Have there been any improvements? What general changes can be reported?
  2. How has your mental clarity been lately? Any significant or consistent changes?
  3. How has your mood been lately? How has the CBD oil affected your mood?
  4. Have there been any changes or improvements in your anxiety?
  5. What side effects have you noticed since beginning the CBD oil? If any can be reported, how have those side effects been to deal with? Are they short-term or long-term?

As of August 6, 2018, I have been using this CW Advanced Hemp Extract Oil for 18 days. Although it has barely been two weeks since beginning this product, I believe each question appropriately explores my personal journey (well, so far anyway!). I hope to reveal all of the new and enlightening information as I too am learning it. Beginning something new is never easy, but I’m hoping that this guided journey through my life with CW Advanced Hemp Extract Oil will be enough of an inside look into the product itself to solve any questions you might have.

When I hit that metaphorical brick wall in my own life, I didn’t know where to turn next. I needed to choose the path that would make things go from bad to better. The only challenge I faced was…How on Earth does one determine the exact path that will guarantee this outcome? Well, this is where things can get a bit tricky when all is said and done because it is patience from you and I that will ultimately lead us toward the answer we seek.

If we have patience, we will accumulate the wisdom necessary to determine the quality of a product. Therefore, I figured I’d begin this series by providing a brief history of my recent seizure activity and the positive decrease that has taken place since beginning the CW Advanced Hemp Extract Oil on July 20, 2018:

7/6—7/19 : 11 Gran mal seizures

7/20—8/6 (since beginning Hemp Oil) : 5 Gran mal seizures

The improvement in my overall condition is obvious and my seizure activity has been cut in half! The best part about CW Hemp Oil is that it can be used in combination with a variety of medical conditions, not just epilepsy.

I am so excited about the improvements I have already been experiencing. If someone else can experience these same benefits by using this high quality product, I hope each and every reader is inspired to give it a try. After only 18 days, CW Hemp Extract Oil has already begun to resemble a life-changing product for me. I can’t say for sure if this product is going to be a path with an outcome guaranteeing a happy ending for me where my epilepsy is concerned, but I am remaining hopeful! If you follow my weekly journey through the Keeping Up With Katie series you and I both will soon discover whether or not this product is what it appears to be.

One thing is for sure with the start of this new series, there are lots of good tips and tricks to come on Seize the Day Blog!

My first “official” Keeping Up With Katie post will be on the blog soon!!!

 

Sources:

Charlotte’s Web by The Stanley Brothers: 

  1. https://www.cwhemp.com
  2. https://www.cwhemp.com/blog
  3. https://www.cwhemp.com/about-us
  4. https://www.cwhemp.com/all-charlottes-web-cannabinoid-hemp-cbd-supplements

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

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Filed Under: Articles, Epilepsy Tagged: article, blog, catamenial epilepsy, charlotte's web by the stanley brothers, epilepsy, estrogen, hemp oil, hormones, keeping up with katie, seizures, series, weekly

July 28, 2017

RAW HONEY: The Sweet & Sticky Side of Natural Skincare

July 28, 2017

Finding a healthy, chemical-free set of skincare products has been an absolute nightmare for me lately! There are so many reputable companies proudly claiming that their products are paraben-free, phlalate-free, and sulfate-free, but the ingredients in their formulas say the exact opposite. Some days I research products for hours without finding any cleansers, toners, serums, or moisturizers that are truly chemical-free.

Not to mention, fad ingredients like Rosehip are becoming widespread amongst the little guys and huge corporations producing skincare products for the face and body. And while Rose hydrosol is an incredibly beneficial ingredient for balancing your overall complexion, its sister ingredient, Rosehip, is an absolute nightmare for your hormones because it naturally increases your estrogen levels. Be careful not to mistake the two ingredients when reading the label of a product because though they do share a similar source, one can benefit your overall body while the other can act as a hormone disruptor.

Little side notes like these are crucial for me when choosing a skincare regime because I’m already fighting against estrogen dominance. I need a product that is going to compliment my health not capitalize on an existing issue. Is this such a grand request to make for the products I put on the most absorbable organ in the human body? We may not always see the pores in our skin, but they’re there just the same and they will absorb the cosmetic products you put atop them.

I’ve gotten to a point where looking to cosmetic companies for products containing clean and healthy ingredients is no longer an option. Honestly, with the large amounts of poor quality ingredients being approved for use these days, finding good-quality skincare products is yet another overwhelming feat to accomplish. It’s seriously almost as difficult as trying to find organic jalapenos at the grocery store. Whenever I do find them, I can’t help but do a little victory dance in the produce section. I may look crazy, but I just found pesticide-free jalapenos…and do you know what that means?? Bacon, Jalapeno, and goat cheese grilled cheese sandwiches! Yum (psst…there’s a link to the recipe included)!

Back to the topic of skincare…

Should we just give up and use the substandard products? Oh how those cosmetic companies would love for you to do this and use their products! But, my answer will always be no! I already have seizures, I’m not exactly looking to add anything else to my medical history. If you’re teetering between using the standard chemical-filled products and truly healthy products, remember this one very important fact: You deserve better! Your body deserves better! And so does your overall self-esteem!

Be better than synthetic-filled products! Living a healthy lifestyle just feels good because it’s good for you! Also, if you’re experiencing problems with acne and breakouts, consider this: are these chemicals helping to clear up your issue or are they contributing to it? Logic tells us that bad ingredients will produce bad results while good ingredients can’t help but improve upon your body. When you put a moisturizer, for example, on your face, the effects are far more than just skin deep, contrary to what you see in the mirror.

I recently took the high road and ditched the commercial skincare products altogether. They weren’t producing the results I was looking for anyway, plus I wasn’t feeding my body nutrients by putting those chemicals onto my skin. In reality, I was actually poisoning my body and getting nothing in return except poor health. No extra soft skin, no perfect pH balance, no clear skin. I’ve reached the point where I’m no longer asking “Which product should I try next?” rather I’m starting to wonder “Why am I choosing to poison my body?” It’s as though I’ve hit a brick wall in the search for the perfect skincare regime. Honestly, now I’m questioning my methods altogether.

Well, the dilemma with this confusion brings us right back to the commercial skincare industry.

Society tells us that we should use these amazing and cutting-edge brands that have not only been promoted by well-known dermatologists, but are advertise incessantly on social media platforms, television, and paper advertisements. We don’t always realize it, but we’re bombarded by this industry on a daily basis to believe their lies…one lie in particular: buy these types of products if you want positive results. So it really shouldn’t come as that much of a shock to discover that everyone and their brother not only uses this particular method, but views it as the normal way (and sometimes the only way) to treat skin issues, as well.

I certainly fell for these lies! Even after I ditched the chemical skincare products, I was still searching for something similar only healthy. I’m talking about still using the same basic system recommended by the dermatologists. If you look at any supposed “well-rounded” skincare system, it is typically comprised of a cleanser, a toner, possibly a serum (depending on the severity of your acne), and a moisturizer. Some other systems also recommend an eye cream and some sort of spot treatment for stubborn cystic acne. But wait, there’s more! An exfoliant once a week to clean dead skin off the surface of your face is held in high regard by skincare professionals AND on top of all this, a facemask to replenish your skin and make it “glow.” I’ve used plenty of facemasks over the years from a variety of brands and I’m still yet to see my skin “glow.”

If you want to get really complicated, you can also try the Korean method which uses anywhere from 7-15 different products in the routine. I wouldn’t recommend this method to anyone who is typically in a rush in the mornings. Not only is it time-consuming, but it is also complicated. I have tried this method and I have to admit that using 7 products for my regime did produce decent results in my skin, but it was nothing to brag about. In fact, I’ve actually had better results from using only 3-4 products. As you can imagine, this amount of products from a name brand company cost a pretty penny! Worst of all, at the end of the day, the penny was prettier than my skin and I was sick of it!

I then moved on to a more natural form of skin treatment. I found some products by a company called Rawsum Organics that are natural enough to eat. The company called their product raw skincare because not only were their ingredients natural, they were also organic and food grade! Their set consisted of the standard cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and exfoliant. However, instead of a huge ingredient list only found on the packaging because it is literally too long to fit on the product itself, the entire set of skincare printed each ingredient label loud and proud on the very front of each bottle. Why? Probably because the ingredient list for the cleanser only consisted of four ingredients total, the toner 3 ingredients, the moisturizer 3 ingredients, and the exfoliant also 3 ingredients. You could combine the ingredient lists of the all four products and it would still be less than the ingredient list of one commercial product. Who knew this even existed??? I was shocked when I found the set, but more than anything it restored my hope that maybe the cosmetic industry isn’t completely devoid of good quality manufacturers.

I used these edible skincare products for almost two months and never experienced any interference with my epilepsy. Typically, skincare products contain the soy-derived ingredient, Tocopherol, which is a seizure trigger for me, personally. To my great relief, Rawsum did NOT use any soy-derived ingredients. To my great dismay, they did use other ingredients that just did not react well with my skin-type. I have oily skin naturally and although I noticed the Jojoba Oil, Olive Oil, and Castor Oil ingredients on the labels, I was desperate for something free of chemicals. As expected, my skin reacted with increased breakouts and an incredibly uneven skin tone. It reached a point that made it absolutely necessary for me to make a change. I still recommend the Rawsum products to anyone with a dry skin complex, but Oily-Combination skin types should be wary. There is no guarantee that your skin will react the same way mine did, but it’s always good to be careful!

When the raw products didn’t work out, I had absolutely no idea what to do next. Finding the Rawsum products was a miracle from God, I knew that trying to find something similar was going to be a long shot. I stopped researching products being sold by other organizations and started researching DIY skincare. I’ve always enjoyed cooking, I do it with food all the time, so why couldn’t I do it with my skin products, too? Plus, if I was able to find a decent recipe for a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer, it would be a guarantee that I was finally feeding my skin instead of harming it.

Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner??? Well, I have but other rabbit trails got in the way and my actually pursuing the idea. Part of me probably thought it was going to be too much work and the other part of me still had faith in the skincare industry. I was also skeptical about whether or not I could actually make something that would be beneficial, not just some crazy concoction that pales in comparison to the typical products with the perfect texture being sold today. I failed to look past the outer and focus on the inner because the ingredients of these products are far from perfect.

This time around, I was out of any other ideas, I had already tried the majority of options provided by commercial products, and my skin was NOT looking good.

I was way past the point of “pulling out the big guns” and I had reached the state of desperation where, as anyone who has also been in my shoes knows, anything is possible. And I do mean anything!

My skin had seen better days and I wanted nothing more than to clear it up. The acne on my face and neck confirmed the obvious…my pores were being clogged by my previous choice of skincare and the visible blockage was spreading quickly…I needed a miracle and I needed it yesterday.

As I researched recipes for a healthy cleanser, one ingredient kept popping up in a majority of the recipes. It was Raw Honey. Huh…so simple. Was it actually possible with its natural sucrose structure to improve my acne rather than add to the existing problem? The answer is yes. Honey is famous for being anti-bacterial and healing to the skin. Though we mostly use honey for eating purposes these days, this delicious nature given product was commonly used amongst medical professionals as a disinfectant to treat burns, cuts, and other minor injuries. As it turns out, honey has been used to heal the skin for generations…we just forgot this helpful information thanks to all of the commercial products that have been created over the years to replace it (although not one of them has ever been able to compete with the natural abilities of raw honey). You can’t create God-given abilities in a lab, no matter how hard those scientists try! I’m sorry to burst those scientists’ bubble (actually, I’m not), but Honey is one of a kind! I just like to give a shout out to those hard working bees across the globe…thanks for doing what you little guys do day in and day out!

Right now, I don’t know what I would do without raw honey and I hate to think about what my skin might look like if this simple product wasn’t the beneficial powerhouse history has proven it to be!

I decided to skip a DIY recipe and go back to the basics instead. I started using just straight up organic raw honey (I prefer Tropical Traditions, you can’t beat the quality of their product!) on my face instead. After I get out of the shower, I spread an even layer of honey on my face and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. I usually leave it on my face for the full ten minutes just so that the honey has plenty of time to really get into my pores and clear out the bacteria causing my breakouts. After ten minutes, I wet my hands with warm water, not hot water! Hot water will kill the beneficial elements in the honey that not only clean your skin, but naturally balance the pH levels in your skin, as well. Bye, bye red blotchy skin when you use raw honey as your cleanser and toner!

Once your hands are wet, take some time to thoroughly rub the honey into your skin. Think of it as working the honey even deeper into those pores. In this way, you will also incorporate water into the honey mask, loosening the sticky layer, and making it much easier to wash off.

Once the honey is completely removed, I like to pat dry my skin using a washcloth. Instead of rubbing the cloth across your face, pat your skin so that you are not wiping away any honey residue that might be left. When I say residue, I mean the good stuff that is happily soaked into your skin already, not the leftover sticky substance that was missed while washing. I’m not expecting you to leave any honey on your face all day, that would be inconvenient for anyone. By all means, wet your washcloth and wipe that honey off!

The pat dry method helps to further work the honey soaked into your pores further into your skin. You definitely want this on your skin all day, which is why I have chosen not to use a toner afterward.

The toner is a potent cleansing device that will wipe away anything on the surface of the skin. It does not discriminate, therefore, it will wipe away the beneficial matter in addition to the detrimental matter. Using a toner means removing the healthy leftover honey in your pores, you do not want to do this nor do you need to! The honey is already attending to this issue.

The toner is also created to help restore balance in your skin’s pH levels, but the honey takes care of this issue too (and much more successfully than any other product I’ve used in the past). So I have found it to be irrelevant in my honey based skincare routine.

I do, however, still follow up the honey with my moisturizer despite the fact that I am yet to find a chemical-free commercial moisturizer product or a decent diy recipe for this particular product. I’m still on the lookout and once I find one I will be sure to announce it here on Seize the Day Blog. Until then, I’m stuck with what I have. I tried only using the honey and not following it up with anything, but my skin felt shriveled, tight, and like it needed a serious drink of water. If you have any suggestions for a natural and chemical free moisturizer, please comment!

I apologize that I do not have a healthy moisturizer to recommend in combination with the Raw Honey. However, if you are interested in the moisturizer I am currently using and which I have found to be the best yet in accordance with all skin types, I can most definitely share that info!

The brand is Karin Herzog and it is called Oxygen Face. For a more intense moisture delivery I recommend the brand’s Vitamin H Cream. My mom uses this one and she loves it! Both products ship the fastest from amazon if you are interested in trying them out (there is a link with the product name above and in the sources list below). The ingredient list isn’t perfect, but it is free of soy-derived ingredients and I do not have a seizure when I use it! This is a huge benefit for me and also says something for the overall quality of the moisturizer despite the chemicals.

Who knew that something as well-known as honey, could be so beneficial for human skin? It took about three days to begin seeing serious changes in the amount of acne on my face, but it only took one use to begin seeing healing. I honestly could not believe my skin when I looked in the mirror after rinsing off the honey mask for the first time. Not only that, it felt good to put something on my skin that I knew was healthy for it, truly healthy. I haven’t been able to say that about my skincare in a long time! Finally, an affordable product that will treat your skin at a miraculous rate! Honey is fed to people from all walks of life on a daily basis, so why not feed it to your skin too???

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

Sources:

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/estrogen-in-moisturizers-may-worsen.html

https://www.dermstore.com/product_Vitamin+H+Cream_13414.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnubLBRC_ARIsAASsNNlo1amiPsI9WPx5u52-alnzf63GxCphbxHxqwaUxAmBVrc1bOThXc4aAmIHEALw_wcB&scid=scplp13414&sc_intid=13414&utm_source=fro&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_term=skin+care&utm_campaign=500686

https://www.amazon.com/Karin-Herzog-Oxygen-Face-Ounce/dp/B0002Y5JC8

https://us.karinherzog.com/en/about-us

https://healthytraditions.com/organic-raw-honey-17-6-oz-glass-jar.html

http://www.rawsumorganics.com/mini-kit.html

http://www.rawsumorganics.com

Rosewater

https://wellnessmama.com/13344/homemade-honey-face-wash/

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Posted by SeizeTheDayBlog
Filed Under: Alternatives, Articles Tagged: acne, anti-bacterial, bacteria, bees, chemicals, cleanse, cleanser, combination skin, cosmetics, cystic acne, dermatologists, disinfectant, DIY, dry skin, edible skincare products, epilepsy, estrogen, heal, healing, health, honey, honeybees, honeycomb, hormones, ingredient list, ingredients, manuka honey, moisturizer, oily skin, organic, parabens, pH levels, poor quality ingredients, pores, raw honey, recipe, seize the day, seize the day blog, seizethedayblog, seizure trigger, seizures, skin food, skin tone, skincare, synthetic, toner, treat, tropical traditions, wellness

June 13, 2017

Hormone Overload: Phytoestrogens & Xenoestrogens

June 13, 2017

Hormones are one of those incredibly relatable topics because we ALL have them and we ALL deal with them in one way or another during multiple points of our lives. A lot of us are probably thinking back to those puberty days when acne and unstable emotional reactions were at an all time high, but the truth is hormones are with you at every stage of life. Our bodies just happen to cope with them differently depending on the stage. So, yes, our bodies do outgrow the acne and emotional breakdowns, but unfortunately, we never fully leave those pesky hormones in the past.

Here’s the main problem I happen to have with hormones: keeping them stable. I do not believe hormones were this difficult to control in the good old days when people cooked more at home using recipes and real ingredients.

What I mean by this is that when someone wanted to make fajitas for dinner (maybe for game night?), they would make fajitas and everything required from scratch using only fresh ingredients. No, I’m not kidding. People used to cook everything using the “from scratch” method and you know what? They were a lot healthier because of it!

Are you wondering why I chose such a random food to use as an example? There is a rhyme to my reason. I actually just finished making crock-pot fajitas for dinner tonight; they’re slowly cooking as I type this sentence.

In addition to a multitude of other ingredients, the recipe I used (link above) calls for 1 pack of fajita seasoning, 1 jar of salsa, and 1 bag of frozen fajita mix veggies.

I am extremely sensitive to the majority of ingredients used in processed foods so obviously this wasn’t an option for me, personally. But, for many other people, they’re just fine with these “short-cuts” and take advantage of the time saving options offered by the local grocery store. Yes, these do provide you with a bit more time to put toward other priorities in your life, but the minutes given back are only momentary. The long-term effects of these poor quality, processed food products can last a lifetime. They chip away at your health as if it was old paint on the side of a building until you are left with nothing but a weak immune system or worse, a serious illness.

You don’t want to chip away at the paint; you want to add a topcoat in order to protect the existing paint. Fresh ingredients will serve as your topcoat because they contain the vitamins and nutrients the human body needs in order to function properly. So, instead of using a jar of salsa, I found a fantastic recipe for blender salsa and made it completely from scratch. No need to worry about hidden ingredients because I chopped, peeled, minced, and measured every single one!

Instead of settling for a packet of fajita seasoning (notoriously known for containing large amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG)), I made my own using common ingredients found in your typical spice rack (in other words, real not synthetic!).

Lastly, we have the bag of frozen fajita mix veggies…honestly, it’s as if these food companies are selling laziness. It really isn’t that much work to slice up a few bell peppers. I would know since I just finished doing it not even 30 minutes ago! There is something about frozen foods; they have this funky aftertaste that I really can’t stand! I know freezing food is supposed to prolong its shelf life, but sometimes it tastes stale once you cook it! Bypass this issue or even the possibility of this issue by skipping the frozen foods altogether. You’ll find fresh bell peppers to be much more flavorful when they’re baking in the crock-pot. At this point, it is more about the quality of meal you want to prepare than it is the extra five minutes you are trying to save.

So what do hormones and fajitas have in common?? Here’s the powerful thing about food…depending on what you eat, the effect on your health can be beneficial or it can be detrimental. It’s up to you and the choices you make in your everyday diet that will determine which category you fall into. Ideally, people want to be in the “beneficial” group. Realistically, the majority of people (especially in America where fast food has become second nature) are eating themselves into the “detrimental” group.

Fast food is not the primary culprit, either. Products such as fajita seasoning packets, salsa from a jar, and frozen foods are contributing factors, as well. The ingredient label on any processed food product never fails to be polluted by synthetic ingredients.

Though this is an unfortunate fact about the food industry today, there are actually two synthetic ingredients in particular that I would like to discuss. They are called Phyto-Estrogens and Xeno-Estrogens, perhaps you have heard of them already. If not, continue for a full description and how to avoid these dangerous ingredients. They have grown quite popular in recent years and are, therefore, included in a vast amount of processed food products.

You probably noticed the female hormone, Estrogen, in the name of these two ingredients. If you were wondering, No, these are not naturally produced forms of Estrogen. They are synthetic and they are detrimental to your hormone stability whether you are male or female.

Here’s the thing about Phyto-Estrogens and Xeno-Estrogens, they are imposter ingredients that have been created in a lab. If you look up the word “phyto” in Webster’s Dictionary, you will find its Greek origin to be ‘phuton,’ meaning ‘plant’ or ‘phuein,’ meaning ‘come into being.’ Do the same thing with “xeno” and you will find the Greek origin to be xenos, meaning ‘stranger, foreigner,’ or ‘strange.’ And that pretty much says it all…

“Come into being,” not naturally derived from the human body. Phytoestrogens are typically extracted from plants, but make their way through the lab before they’re put into food products. It is difficult to find details on phytoestrogens and their process of “coming into being,” therefore; you have no guarantee about the quality of the source. In addition to this shady process of creation, phytoestrogens also pose a problem in the way that they interact with the human body.

Their reaction once inside the body is actually quite worrisome and just plain annoying. Phytoestrogens have one goal when they’re floating through your digestive tract, waiting to be dispersed to the next place deemed appropriate by your body…And that goal is to replace the existing estrogen hormones produced by your endocrine system.

If given the opportunity, these synthetic hormones will latch onto your estrogen receptors and try to take the place of existing forms of estrogen that have been produced by your own body. If you consume phytoestrogens on a daily basis, you just might be destroying the balance of estrogen or testosterone in your body without even realizing it.

As for xenoestrogen, its name destroys any chance of this ingredient blending in or attempting to be derived from real ingredients. Anything put into creating this imposter ingredient is chemical and ‘strange.’ Scientists actually named this ingredient perfectly! For them to actually get a clue and name an ingredient appropriately while risking the exposure of its true nature makes me wonder what exactly the ingredient label is for xenoestrogen. On second thought, it’s probably better not knowing. Either way, this alone should be motivation to avoid xeno-estrogens completely.

Whether you are male or female, your body is already naturally producing a number of hormones to fill the necessary need. If you are deficient in one hormone, you can be sure that your body is going to work extra hard to compensate for this imbalance and eventually heal the deficiency altogether.

Your body knows what it is doing when it is working with the proper, natural forms of hormones. It can digest, metabolize, absorb, and disperse these types of hormones, thereby keeping your body healthy and balanced.

Synthetics are another story entirely. First, your body cannot metabolize synthetic hormones the same way it metabolizes your naturally produced hormones because their chemical makeup is different. Your body will not recognize phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens as your naturally produced form of estrogen. No matter how hard scientists try they will never be able to perfectly replicate a hormone so that its behavior is identical to the original. Chemically derived hormones mimic naturally produced hormones.

“Part of what makes phytoestrogens a bit tricky is their ability to both mimic estrogen and act as an estrogen antagonist (meaning they behave in the opposite way of biological estrogen). They affect the body by attaching to estrogen receptors. Because they aren’t specifically necessary for a human diet, phytoestrogens can’t be considered actual nutrients” (Dr. Axe).

Dr. Axe provides some very enlightening information on phytoestrogens, the most important being the fact that they “can’t be considered actual nutrients” (Dr. Axe). I’ll say! They’re more like the exact opposite, which is why they are so incredibly bad for you and your long-term health.

Like I said before, synthetic forms of a hormone will affect both males and females if either is exposed. If your diet includes processed foods, chances are you have already been exposed. What this means for you is that your body now has to keep your naturally produced hormones stable, as well as, the synthetic hormones you are feeding to it. When your body is processing large amounts of synthetic hormones, this will easily lead to a hormone imbalance and possibly even improper function of the way your body detects and handles hormones.

When the human body is consistently fed a mix of natural and synthetic hormones, it can get confused as to which is the proper form it is supposed to absorb. You want to maintain that ‘stranger’ label on the synthetic forms, such as phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens. Familiarizing your body with these hormones will only lead to hormone imbalances, which can lead to a variety of other issues.

While some people like to argue that extra estrogen in the body can be beneficial for women in the midst of menopause, I still do not recommend considering synthetic sources as a healthy solution for hot flashes, mood swings, and other symptoms associated with this particular stage of life.

It is also wise to avoid foods that might be full of estrogen-based ingredients, some of these may be phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens, some may not. Being aware of the primary estrogen-based food sources is the best way to protect your body from exposure to synthetic hormones when your endocrine system’s level of sensitivity is at an all time high.

“For example in men, how high or low their natural testosterone level is to begin with would presumably affect whether or not the dietary and environmental exposure to estrogen is high enough to cause side effects. Research also suggests there may be more safety concerns for babies, boys, and teens versus grown men. Avoiding unnecessary increased exposure in young males may be a good idea” (Superfoodly).

Your timing when it comes to consuming these types of foods really is key to maintaining good endocrine health and preventing the onset of serious conditions such as Catamenial Epilepsy.

I can’t help but wonder from time to time what my life would be like today if I knew this information about synthetic hormones and hormones, in general, when I was younger. I certainly would have made some serious changes to my diet if given the opportunity!

A hormone imbalance for your body is basically one big state of confusion. Picture an intersection without the traffic director…cars are going when they aren’t supposed to. People have no idea if it’s their turn or someone else’s turn. I hate that dilemma when you and another car arrive at a stop sign at the same time. I don’t want to be rude and just go first, but at the same time it is usually when I’m in huge hurry. It is stressing me out just thinking about it! Overall, I think that any driver would agree this situation is just one big mess! The intersection needs the traffic director if any balance is to be restored.

Your endocrine system is this intersection…when a hormone imbalance develops, the nice organized flow throughout your organs turns into chaos and only becomes worse. Trust me when I tell you that hormone imbalances are not easy to reverse once developed! So, instead of waiting until it becomes absolutely necessary to pay attention to, do what you can now to keep your levels balanced.

While there are many things you can do to maintain this balance, one of the most influential factors lies with your lifestyle habits. Have you ever heard that saying, “You are what you eat”? You probably have. And while you may not be a cow after eating that delicious hamburger, you just might be on your way toward estrogen dominance if that meat is not antibiotic-free. Pay attention to those small details when the quality is concerned. Organic, range-free, non-GMO, antibiotic-free, and soy-free are characteristics you want in the types of foods you consume.

Read those ingredient labels carefully and keep your eye out for these ingredient names: Pinoresinol, Lariciresinol, Secoisolariciresinol, Sesamin, Hydroxymatairesinol, Matairesinol, Syringaresinol, Daidsein, Formononetin, Genistein, Glycitein, Biochanin A, and Isoflavones. (Superfoodly)

Each and every one of these ingredients is a synthetic form of estrogen. Avoid them like the plague! These are the characteristics you do NOT want your food to possess! Reading the ingredient label takes a few extra minutes, but it sure does help you determine whether a product is beneficial or detrimental to your long-term health.

Superfoodly has compiled a list of the Top 50 High Natural Phytoestrogen Sources, while I’m not going to include that entire list in my article, you can visit the link above and read the complete list for yourself. Who knew doughnuts contained enough phytoestrogens to claim the #16 spot? For the sake of this article, I’ve included the top ten foods from this list.

  1. Flaxseeds (379,380.4 phytoestrogens)
  2. Soybeans (103,920.0 phytoestrogens)
  3. Soy Nuts (68,730.8 phytoestrogens)
  4. Tofu (27,150.1 phytoestrogens)
  5. Tempeh (18,307.9 phytoestrogens)
  6. Textured Veggie Protein (16,223.9 phytoestrogens)
  7. Miso Paste (11,197.3 phytoestrogens)
  8. Soy Yogurt (10,275.0 phytoestrogens)
  9. Soy Protein Powder (8840.7 phytoestrogens)
  10. Sesame Seeds (8,008.1 phytoestrogens)

The fact is, we are living in an age where synthetic estrogens (both phyto and xeno alike) have become go-to ingredients for the majority of processed food companies. Even Organic companies are incorporating increased amounts of Soy derived ingredients, which also means an increased amount of phytoestrogens. The sooner you choose to avoid foods containing large amounts of hormone levels, the better chance you have of keeping your endocrine system in tip top shape.

 

Medical Disclaimer:

The information posted on Seize the Day Blog, including but not limited to, articles, images, recipes, text and other material are shared for informational purposes only. None of the writings should be looked upon as advice meant to replace that of an actual medical professional. If you suspect you have a serious medical condition you should seek help from a healthcare professional immediately. Please be aware that the author of this website is posting information simply to inform NOT to recommend others about health-related topics. Before following any information (i.e. undertaking a new healthcare or diet routine) found here on Seize the Day Blog, you should always consult a medical professional first. Please be sure to never disregard any medicinal advice because of something you have read on this website.

Sources:

Dr. Axe – https://draxe.com/phytoestrogens/

Superfoodly – https://www.superfoodly.com/estrogen-foods-list-50-high-phytoestrogen-sources/

Webster’s Dictionary – https://www.merriam-webster.com

Pinterest – www.pinterest.com

The Country Cook – https://www.thecountrycook.net/crock-pot-chicken-fajitas/

Kim’s Cravings (Blender Salsa Recipe) – https://www.kimscravings.com/best-damn-salsa-ever/

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Posted by SeizeTheDayBlog
Filed Under: Alternatives, Articles, Recipes Tagged: balanced hormones, catamenial epilepsy, epilepsy, estrogen, fajitas, health, hormone imbalance, hormones, progesterone, puberty, salsa, seize the day blog, seizethedayblog, synthetic hormones, synthetic ingredients, testosterone, wellness

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About Me

Hi, I'm Katie! I was diagnosed with Catamenial Epilepsy when I was 16 years old. What started out to be an impossible struggle has now become a journey toward healing thanks to natural/Holistic methods.
For the last 6 years, I have continuously gone through a trial and error period where I have been discovering for myself the true quality of various foods, products, and lifestyles.
I am going to share everything I have learned with the hope that it will help you to begin your healthy lifestyle that much faster. Read More…

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