Merry Christmas

Adventurous Canary Goes to Oregon

When you look at flights on your laptop, one that leaves before 8 A.M. sounds attractive. You can arrive before lunch, get settled and still have most of a day to enjoy the place you are visiting. The night before when you figure out that the airport is two hours away and you are supposed to be there two hours before the flight...yikes, you are getting up at 3 A.M.!

I got up at 3:15 A.M. this morning, after about four hours of sleep (I am someone that rarely functions on less than 7-8 hours...laughs.) There was construction on the highway which further delayed the process. By the time we get to the gate, we have just a few minutes to spare. Sigh, we made it! We get on the plane, I am pleasantly surprised that it hardly smells (a rare thing in my experience)!

Everyone is seated we are a few minutes late for our take-off when they announce that the radar is not working and we need to get off the plane and on another. Everyone gets off the plane and is displaced for a while until they figure out another plane to put us on. Eventually, we are told a gate and are hoping all the luggage gets moved over (we had an experience where the luggage was never put on the plane).

The new plane smelled horribly! People around me were commenting on it. Really yucky!
Thankfully, my mask really worked well! The flight was uneventful, but the landing was one of the worst I have ever experienced (and I travel rather often). We are just thankful to be here safe and sound...and with our luggage, which is mostly film equipment.

This is my second visit to Oregon, first was just last March. Oregon is just beautiful! Right now the autumn colors are amazing! They have a REAL autumn! Pictures will be posted later!

Tomorrow I'll interview Dr. Martin Pall for the MCS documentary!

Oregon Trip, Autumn Leaves, and Surviving and Thriving

Just a brief update:

Heading to Oregon this Friday to interview Professor Martin L. Pall for the documentary on MCS.

Our new Canon 7D should arrive tomorrow, so watch for lots of pictures as we test it out, especially of local autumn colors and Oregon! Yesterday, we explored Oak Creek Canyon and saw lots of beautiful autumn leaves.

Last week I had some amazing days, days where I had energy and felt wonderful! When I was first diagnosed with MCS in 1995, I just wanted to survive. At some point along the way, I decided I wanted more than just surviving...I wanted to THRIVE! There have been ups and downs through the years, but I feel like I am finally at a place that most days I am thriving!

Favorite Natural Remedies

Tummy Troubles:
Reed's Premium Ginger Brew - sweetened only with honey and pineapple juice.


Sunburn:
Kukui Nut Oil
Lotus Moon's Cherry Blossom Healing Soothe


Urinary Track Infection (UTI):
Uva Ursi

Trouble Sleeping:
Moon Drops Homeopathic Sleep Therapy
Passion Flower
Calcium and Magnesium

Flu:
Oscillococcinum

Two Wild Weather Days

Thursday in Sedona:
Sedona Flooding Causes Wide Devastation
This was the worst storm I have ever experienced in Arizona! We when headed to the Phoenix airport from Sedona early Friday morning the streets were all covered in red mud!


Friday in Hawai'i:
Vog on the Big Island - This is someone's blog about it.


Within hours of arriving in Kona, I started having health issues due to vog. Today we are relocating to another part of the island, hoping for less vog!

Wellness and Belief: The Mind Body Connection

Back when I was working on my Bachelor's degree I had a course called Mind/Body Healing. I remember reading two excellent books, The Healing Mind by Dr. Paul Martin and Deep Healing by Emmett E. Miller, M.D. They drove home the point that we need to treat the whole body, not just parts! The course also showed ways to harness the power of spirit and mind to help with the healing process.

I have been reading Peace, Love and Healing by Bernie S. Siegel, M.D. and several of Louise L. Hay's books, including a favorite, You Can Heal Your Life. Also, a couple by Caroline Myss, including Why People Don't Heal.

It all causes me to really consider again or perhaps more strongly the connection and power of the mind and body. On one hand if you mention it around people who have some chronic disease, it seems to cause guilt, as if mentioning it places blame on them for their situation. On the other hand, what if there is something in their life or their past that could be contributing to their situation. What if their thoughts are making them worse?

I have MCS, it is not my identity though. It does not define who I am. When I look at the whole mind body connection, I do have to ask myself some hard questions and explore how my biography might have become my biology. This is where things become uncomfortable. Actually, this whole topic of study has become intensely uncomfortable at times. It has also been a source of healing on many levels!

Like most things concerning our health, it is a process. I am not exactly sure where I am in the process, but I plan to share more about it as I learn, grow and heal!

(Note: In the past I have hesitated to put any of this on a blog about MCS, as I do not want to be tarred and feathered. However, it is my blog and my personal journey. I believe we all want to get better and feel this is a very valid topic to explore.)

The Pampered Canary

“There’s no better way to energize your body, mind, and spirit than by taking care of yourself.” ~Stephanie Tourles

One of the ways I take care of myself is to make time to pamper myself with my own homemade organic personal care products. When I make something myself, I know exactly what goes into it and can use ingredients that work for me.

The recipes below include a basic unscented version and also variations with organic essential oils. If you have very severe MCS, are currently in a “universal reacting” stage and/or are recovering from a recent exposure, I’d strongly suggest NOT trying the essential oil variations. Even natural and organic scents can and often will trigger reactions. Some with MCS can tolerate organic essential oils in moderation and even find they have aromatherapy benefits. For many years, I could only use unscented products. After much recovery and studying aromatherapy, I find that some essential oils in moderation work well for me.

If you have extremely sensitive reactive skin, keep things very simple. When my MCS was really severe I cleaned my face with just organic jojoba oil.

Feel free to omit any ingredients you are sensitive to or substitute for another ingredient. You are welcome to email me, if you need help tailoring a recipe to work for you.

Due to the nature of these ingredients, products should be used within six months. Before trying something new on your face or large parts of your body, you might want to do a small skin test on the inside of your arm. As with any skin care products, discontinue use if any skin reaction or rash appears.



Relaxing Bath Salts

¼ to ½ cup Epsom salt
¼ to ½ cup Dead Sea Salt or any type of sea salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon organic jojoba oil

For a regular size bath, use ¼ measurements, for a larger bath use ½ measurements. Add salts and oils to running bath water. Soak and relax for at least 20 minutes.

Variations:
Add several drops of an organic essential oil such as lavender or vanilla.

Add some green tea (or your favorite herbal tea) to the bath. I tend to use about 6-8 tea bags or about 6 teaspoons loose tea in a cheesecloth bag or stainless steel tea infuser.


Body Scrub

2 cups organic sugar or sea salt
¾ to 1-cup organic oil (jojoba, olive, grapeseed, sunflower, and/or other organic oil of your choice)

Variations:
10-30 drops organic essential oils, if desired. Tangerine or grapefruit work well.

If you can use essential oils, here is one of my favorite recipes:

Kimberly’s Mojito Sugar Scrub
2 cups organic sugar
¾ cups grapeseed oil (naturally green in color)
20 drops organic lime essential oil
10 drops organic spearmint essential oil
(When I make it for gifts for friends and relatives, I add a dash of rum.)

Mix well and store in a glass container. Use in the bath or shower. Be careful may make surfaces slippery. Do not use on face or sensitive areas.


Face and Body Wash

8 oz. organic unscented castile soap
8 oz. distilled water
1 tsp organic jojoba oil

Variation:
8 oz. organic unscented castile soap
4 oz. organic hydrosol* (I often use calendula hydrosol)
4 oz. distilled water
1 tsp organic jojoba oil
(10-20 drops organic essential oils, if desired)

*I find since most hydrosols contain less than 5% essential oil they are mild and subtle and some with MCS can tolerate them.

I put this recipe in glass pump dispenser bottles and use as a basic liquid hand and body soap for the whole family.

If you have really dry skin, add extra jojoba oil to the mixture.

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There are many places to get organic ingredients, one of my favorite places is Mountain Rose Herbs.

In the coming months, I’ll be sharing more organic body care recipes and also about my favorite products from companies who make organic personal care items!

Enjoy!