I have such a deep sense of gratitude knowing I have friends like Dana & Auguste who would so quickly jump to our side and stand with us through this.
I’m excited by the energy and possibility of what could come from this effort - beyond Paul & I.  In the two days that this initiative has existed, I’ve heard 5 stories of friends and (how appropriate) friends of friends dealing with chronic dental health concerns without access to adequate care.

I’m going to be blogging my experience with this - not because I want to be a poster child for dental woes or missing teeth… rather because I hope my story will point to the many, many others who are going through this too.  And instead of feeling fear and despair in my situation, I have opportunity to feel possibility and hope… for myself and others who are in similar circumstances.

Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.

–Frederick Buechner

Click here to learn more about the Friend of a Friend Healthcare Initiative sponsored by Dana Roc Productions.

Last week was a very difficult week for Paul & I. We pulled together the resources to get into our dentist for comprehensive dental examinations. The news for Paul wasn’t good.  The news for me was horrible.

This week, our friends Dana & Auguste decided to do something.  I’m speechless:

From Dana:

Today I’m very happy to introduce my Friend Of A Friend Healthcare Initiative.

There are over 44 million Americans who are without healthcare. You know some of them. They are your coworkers, your friends, your family - maybe even you.

Today I’m coming to you on behalf of my own friends, Janece and Paul, who find themselves in the middle of a serious dental health crisis without the resources to pay for medical treatment.

We can’t immediately help everyone, but we can make a difference for their family, and maybe many others.

Click here to learn more about how you can help!

Good morning you guys!  How are you?  I’m doing good.  It’s a beautiful foggy morning here.  The fall colors still burst through the fog.  I stepped outside with Tova for a bit and listened to the wigeons singing their squeak toy choir (seriously, they sound like squeak toys!) and the chipmunks chirping and arguing amongst themselves in the trees.

I’m so behind with you - I have several posts I need to catch up on.  I’ll try and fit a couple in today so not too much more time sneaks away from me.

One big change that’s been happening around here is I’ve been eating primarily raw food.  I’m eating entirely raw until dinner and then at dinner I’m eating 60-75% raw.  I started about 2 weeks ago and have been, dare I say, loving it!  This, for example, was breakfast.

I’ve been juicing breakfast and loving it.  I’ve never been a big breakfast eater and juicing has been perfect.  This morning’s breakfast… romaine, spinach, celery, parsley, carrot, apple and lemon.  I’ve been surprised how much I love these green juice breakfasts.  Right now, they are just a split hair away from being an addiction.  They taste great to me and feel even better.

What’s been making you feel great these days?  (food or otherwise)

I was quiet over the weekend because I’ve been working on other websites that I’ve had in mind to do. The first is EmbracingMyHealth.com

One of the recurring themes that has been with me for quite a while now is health. This new site is going to deal with healthcare, personal health, fitness and nutrition generally and on my personal health goals, journey and achievements specifically.

If this is something that interests you, please bookmark the URL and come in and visit.

Our friends, Shelli & Kim from San Diego are coming to stay the night with us on their way to Canada. I haven’t seen them since we left San Diego, so I’m really looking forward to catching up with them! Except…

I realize I get nervous about people staying with us. Not because I don’t love having friends over - cause I do! It’s because of what we eat. You open our refrigerator and you aren’t going to find milk, pop, or juice. We don’t have coffee (although we do like it on occasion, we never make it at home). Amira is allergic to wheat/gluten and eggs, and Paul is allergic to milk/cheese/eggs, etc. Between Paul & Amira’s allergies and my general approach to nutrition - our diet isn’t typical. Our pantry and fridge are filled with things like quinoa flakes, amaranth flour, dried Incan berries, hemp milk, veganaise (mayo made with grape seed oil), kefir (for Amira & me), milk thistle, Coconut Bliss (instead of ice cream), supergreens/superfood/protein powders for shakes, tapioca bread, and so on.

I can do fine making a meal that everyone will enjoy with our staples… it’s just when people come over and spend a night or two… the urge to find snackables emerge. And that’s where I get nervous. Do I stock up on things that are more common just for a single night visit? Or just forewarn the guests and tell them to come prepared if they want to have certain types of snacks?

It’s silly to worry about it. And honestly, I’m not panicking or wigging out about this… It was just interesting to notice there was a bead of concern in my mind about the upcoming visit and this was why.

The pain is about 1/2 of what it was yesterday.  I’m about to go to bed and am hoping that after a good night’s sleep - I will be feeling even better.  THANK YOU to all of you for your comments, emails and phone calls.  You are good to me.

Yesterday I went to the dentist for an emergency visit. Several months ago, I had a tooth break. A while back, I noticed a tenderness and swelling above that tooth. I was certain it was an abscess. We didn’t have money for a dentist visit - so I self-treated with tea tree oil, lots of Vit C, salt water rinses, etc. I got the swelling down and things seemed to be okay. Then, last Thursday, the swelling suddenly returned with a vengeance. It was bad enough, I could see the swelling in my face. It started to heat up and I knew I was in trouble.

I upped the amount of Vit C and the tea tree oil applications. The swelling went down to about 75%, but was still much larger than it had ever been. Having limited-to-no money for treatment, I called around to dentists to find someone who would be willing to see me and work with me on a payment plan. I must have gone through 20+ dentists with no luck.

Finally, I found a dentist who was willing to see me for $105. It would cover only the x-ray of the affected tooth/area and diagnosis. I figured that was the first step, and farther than I had gotten with anyone else, so I scheduled the appointment.

I went into the office and the assistant sat me in the dentist chair and asked me why I thought I had an abscess. I told her my reasons. She said, “well, let’s see if that’s really what is going on.” She took a look and gasped quietly, “oh yeah, that’s definitely an abscess…” She asked me about my situation. As I told her that I only had so many dollars that I could spend and that even that much was going to wipe me out… I suddenly started crying. She asked if I was afraid of dentists. I explained it wasn’t that - but instead I was scared that I would have enough money to find out what was wrong, but not enough to do anything about it. Until the moment I started crying, I didn’t realize how afraid I had been. (Being the research hound that I am, I was very aware of how very, very bad things can turn for you if you don’t get an abscess treated.)
She left to talk to the dentist and shortly they both returned. The doctor explained that the tooth had to come out and it needed to be today…

The infection was so bad, it had already punched a hole through the bone and the infection was moving in my jawbone.
My stomach flipped. I didn’t have the money for an extraction procedure. But before I could even think another thought, the doctor said: “I’ll do the extraction today for the money you have.” And he started right in.

Tooth gone, infection drained and a wad of gauze in my mouth, I stood at the receptionist’s window with tears of gratitude and relief.

Last night and today, I’ve felt like a survivor or refugee of my experience and I’m still very sore… but I’m recovering.

I go into the dentist tomorrow to find out just how bad off my teeth are. Wish me luck.

I racked my brain trying to make a pun in this post, playing off of “bread and water”… and it being the staples of life. But my wit failed me. But this post is too yummy not to do, even without a dash of wit.

Last week, my landlord (heretofore known as the lovely and wonderful Ahmis!), invited me to dinner with some girlfriends of hers. We had a peaceful and enjoyable evening. We were all feeling pretty lazy after a day of work and play in the sunshine. We were spoiled to a delish dinner by our hosts. Everything was wonderful - but there were two standouts.

The bread. Peace Bomb by Dave’s Killer Bread. We had a mini-baguette of this tasty, tasty bread. Now, if you don’t like seeds, you aren’t going to care for this. Although, I still think you should try a slice. I’d describe it as: Hearty, nutty with a little bit of sweet. Yum. You can bet I’m going to pick up a couple of loaves of he Peace Bomb, Powerseed, and Good Seed varieties. They all look amazing - but you have to start somewhere!
And the ice cream. Okay, ice cream is actually a misnomer. It’s a non-dairy, non-soy, vegan, gluten-free, low-glycemic, organic frozen dessert. It’s way better than you might think from that description. Made with coconut milk (which has all sorts of healthy fats for you) and agave syrup (sweet but without the glycemic hit) — this stuff is amazing. We had a scoop of cherry amaretto with some fresh fruit and it was completely decadent. It’s called Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss. Not what you’d expect and totally, totally yummy.

Oh, and I have to mention one more thing. I gave up my addiction/obsession with diet Coke 5 or 6 years ago while on a food regimen that has you not eat any artificial sweeteners. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long ago - but it has. I truthfully thought that after I had finished the program, I would go back to my beloved diet Coke. But, I didn’t.. actually, I couldn’t. After a year of being off of the my dark bubbly elixir - I tried it again. And… ugh. I couldn’t take it. The taste was awful, the carbonation burned, and it felt like battery acid in my stomach. From then on, it’s been mostly water for me. About 2 years ago though, I discovered tea extracts (my favorite… peach by Pure Inventions) and have carried a mysterious looking brown dropper bottle of tea in my purse wherever we go. I’ve gotten more than a few raised eyebrows by people wondering what the heck I’m putting into my water glass at a restaurant. (Sidenote: why was it I just forgot how to spell restaurant?… It took me several tries until it came back to me.)

About 6 months ago, I started using Amazon Herbs. They have a tea that I really like. (full disclosure: if you buy tea or anything else from that link… I earn a few dollars) Well, we are out of our peach tea extract and I was casting about for a tasty alternative. I decided to brew a pitcher of the Amazon Herb’s Treasure Tea with two bags of blueberry herbal tea. And while it isn’t peach — Um… YUM! I also tried it with blueberry green tea…

and so, a three new addictions are born. At least these three are all good for me!

As I was polishing off the last little bit of granola I was eating for a snack… I get an email:

“The Right Way to Snack…”

It’s talking about the healthy way to “graze” eat through your day. It starts taking about specific snacks:

“Take granola, something a lot of people reach for as a nutritious between-meals snack. It’s actually not good for you. “

Oh!  You’ve just smacked my snack!

Okay, I already knew that granolas weren’t the healthiest thing in the world for me — but to not even let me finish my last bite in peace… well, that’s just rude!

Are any of you members of CSA’s (consumer supported agriculture)? I’ve been researching it recently and wondering if anyone has tips, tricks and/or recommendations on what to look for.

Anyone?

By the way, interesting new study results on the organic versus conventional produce debate…

I picked up a handful of those freebie magazines outside our local Super Supplements store. One of the magazines in my collection turned out to be Conscious Choice Seattle. I haven’t finished all of it yet, but I’ve already read some fascinating articles about co-housing, why we are here and string theory.

My favorite so far has been on biodynamic farming. This was a new idea to me. The article highlights a farmer in Carnation, WA who recently converted his organic farm to biodynamic farming. What this means it that the farm is completely self-sustaining. So, if you need fertilizer for your farm, you have cows. If you need to feed those cows, you grow the food that they need. It’s a closed loop. You don’t bring anything into your farm.

Some of the concepts are a little woo-woo to read about… for example, taking cow manure and packing into a cow’s horn and burying it over the winter. The fermented mixture is then added to the water (threw quite a procedure) and dispersed evenly in the evening. The point? Apparently it strengthens root formation in the spring.

Farmers who practice biodynamic farming think of agriculture as being in tune with the earth and its cycles… everything from sun, moon, planets, starts, animal and plant life… and of course, us. It’s an enormous contrast to the commercialized form of agriculture that is the norm today.

Interestingly, vineyards are embracing this idea faster than farming. Being completely wine illiterate, the term terrior was meaningless to me (unless you’ve misspelled a type of dog). Terrior, instead of being a four legged and tenacious dog, is the flavor in wine that can indicate soil, geography and climate difference. Biodynamic farming practices increase the terrior in wine.  And from what I’m told, that’s a good thing.
With even organic foods being in question (a lot due to problems the FDA’s “certified organic” standards), more people are drawn to the idea of their food, whether it be plant, meat or dairy, coming from biodynamic farms.

Isn’t this fascinating? Or am I just getting more nerdy?

(Source: Seattle.ConsciousChoice.com, Biodynamic Farming, In tune with the sun, moon and stars)

Friday afternoon, Amira & I were so happy to head over to our friend Sabrina’s house for lunch and an afternoon of chatting, catching up and the warm glow of being with good friends. Amira was excited to Lucy too, Sabrina’s sweet German Shepherd that we used to dogsit a few days each week.

Sabrina made us this tasty lunch of Trader Joe’s pizzas, roasted red pepper soup and an amazing salad. Amira loved the soup and pizza (we are still working her up to a real love of salads).

Half way into our meal, things suddenly went wrong. Amira asked to go to the potty. And for the next hour, she was on and off the potty. It got so bad, she wasn’t able to make it to the bathroom.

So during what was supposed to be a nice catch-up lunch visit, we are suddenly thrown into stripping Amira down, putting her in the bathtub and washing all her clothes. I was tempted to be embarrassed, but I put it aside. And thankfully, Sabrina was incredibly gracious too!

The last 2 days have been more of this (although, thankfully, not as bad as it was at Sabrina’s house).

I found out that the Trader Joe’s pizza we ate has a corn based crust. Paul & I have had our suspicions that Amira is allergic to corn. We have avoided it in her diet, although not rabidly. But, this seemed like too much of a coincidence.

The thing is, A LOT of people are sick right now. Maybe she just has a bad stomach flu… but then again, it could be the corn. I just don’t know.

I’ve been doing some research on corn allergies and WOW… that’s no easy allergy. Look at this list of ingredients you have to avoid if you are allergic to corn. That’ll make you weak in the knees.

I know I should do a corn elimination diet for her and then try it to determine for sure if that’s what caused this. I’ll tell you though, if it is corn that caused this - I don’t want to put her through it again… know what I mean?

Sigh. I’m going to have to do it. Poor honey. For her sake though, I hope it isn’t corn. Corn is in EVERYTHING!

Paul & I been dealing with this issue for 10 years now. Obtaining healthcare coverage is rough on freelancers. We’ve opted much of our 10 years of being freelance to go without health insurance. It’s scary and you walk on pins and needles and pray for protection against those unexpected illnesses or injuries. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with your health and finances every day.

Paul & I are revisiting our budget with the upcoming changes in home and lifestyle coming up. Getting ourselves health insurance is a priority. With a toddler, we just don’t see how we can skip having insurance. Researching the rates… with a high deductible and larger copayment and coinsurance percentage, we can get coverage for $378/mo. For a plan with a more average terms, we are looking at $670 to $800. A month. That’s two car payments. Nice cars at that.

This article is one of the first I’ve seen addressing the freelancing entrepreneurial dilemma around health care.

As heartening as it is to see universal health care back on the national agenda, it’s puzzling that when the presidential candidates talk about their health-care proposals, they only talk about poor kids and Wal-Mart workers. This doesn’t square with my experience of the health-care crisis. I know plenty of people who are sweating health-care coverage. None of them are poor kids. And they don’t work at Wal-Mart.

The people I know who are worried sick about coverage work for themselves, many in creative fields. Most of these freelancers and entrepreneurs are in the cross hairs of our health-care crisis—and you wouldn’t know it from watching the presidential campaign.

…

Lately, Americans have come to think of the governmental safety net as being not for the ambitious but for people who can’t take care of themselves—like poor kids. But the metaphor “safety net” comes from the piece of circus equipment that lets the trapeze artist attempt his or her most daring feats.

It’s time the proverbial trapeze artists among us spoke up. And time the candidates listened.

Read complete entire article here, at GOOD Magazine. My ears are definitely perked and listening to the national debate on healthcare. Are you listening too? What do you think?

(crossposted to Safe Happy Healthy Blog)

As I’ve gotten more nutrition conscious and doing what I can to ensure that the food we eat is nutrient-dense, the question of microwaves has been on my mind. Does microwaving our food kill it? Are the nutrients zapped right out? I have felt (without actual evidence) that microwaving probably does remove nutrients. I’ve gradually moved away from thawing, reheating or cooking most food in the microwave. However, statistics show that 90% of us here in America own and use our microwaves. So my question to myself lately has been, am I just cheating myself out of easier meal preparations? So, you know what happened next… I pulled on my research hat and hit the internet. Here’s a little of what I found:

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