Health Insurance vs. No Health Insurance

About 2 years ago I cancelled my health insurance. I reasoned that I was paying thousands of dollars more than necessary for something that I wasn't even fully able to use. My dermatologist doesn't take health insurance, and dental wasn't covered. So two out of my three scheduled doctor's appointments weren't covered. Awesome. So basically I was paying $3000 a year to go to the gyno, and of course the occasional antibiotic, which was what I needed.

What I got however when I was covered under health insurance was a lot of unnecessary headaches. This has happened 3 times in my adult life (pretty much the last 10 years). The first time was when I was in college out in Colorado. I woke up one morning with a stabbing pain in my side. I went to the doctor asap. He asked me if I had done any strange physical exercise. Nope. He had me bend over and touch my toes, do some random stretching all the while asking me if it hurt in these certain stretches. Weirdo. His very technical medical diagnosis was that I had probably pulled a muscle doing something I wasn't aware of doing (which was actually quite possible considering the amount of alcohol that was consumed during any given weekend), and he prescribed me pain killers. Hmmmm. Could that be any indication why people are so F-ed up on prescription meds?

Thank god I was done with my finals because 10 minutes with pain killers and a heating pad and I was in a coma. This lasted for 3 days until I went home for Christmas break. So while I was home I became really really sick. I mean I was sick for like 3 weeks. And kept ignoring it because I was too enamored with partying with my friends after not seeing them for 4 months. One night it was too much, I wasn't getting better, so the next day I was off to the doctors. First thing they did was give me a urine test. 

What'd-ya know? Kidney infection! I just want to publicly thank the campus doctor at CU Boulder for misdiagnosing me. He mustn't have had enough experience to know that when women get pains in their side it would be a good thing to give a quick urine test. 

Health insurance ridiculousness episode #2 started in Atlanta when I had just graduated college and was working at the dreaded architecture firm. I went to the dermatologist and ended up having a staff infection. Awesome. So I was put on this medicine which I guess cured it because the said rash never came back. So at the same time, I got sick. Like really sick. I was laid up in bed for about 3 days, and all of a sudden I have these killer headaches. I mean so bad I can barely open my eyes. So I go back to the derm for a checkup and I'm telling her about my headaches. She says something to the effect of  "I don't want to alarm you but one of the side effects of the medicine you have been on is brain swelling which could be the reason you are having headaches." 'Oh fuck' I thought. So she sends me off to an eye doctor to do a scan of my optical nerve or something like that. What'd-ya know? No brain swelling. 

It was actually a caffeine headache. 

How do I know? Well after feeling completely unnerved by both doctors and thinking my life was over and I had some weird unknown disease, I went to Starbucks and got the largest cappuccino they have. Guess what? In about 20 minutes my headache was gone. I just want to publicly thank my dermatologist in Atlanta for scaring the shit out of me and sending me for many unnecessary tests. Next time maybe ask if someone has a caffeine addiction. (Since we are the most over caffeinated country on this planet, that is the first thing I  would ask my patients.) 

The third episode was a few years ago back home. I went to my family doctor (who is no longer my family doctor) for chronic fatigue. The diagnosis was that I was severely low in B-12. So I started taking B-12 orally which fixed the problem. Well that spiraled into me going there literally every week for something different. A test here. A flu shot there. Some B-12 shots. He tried to push some vaccines on me but that was a giant failure on his part. Every time I went in there there was something else wrong that needed another visit. Finally I just stopped going. I was spending so much time going to these damn appointments and all I was left with was this feeling that I was seriously not right. I just kept thinking 'I'm 26 years old. Why the hell am I spending so much time at the doctors office?" 

At the same time I was going to a dermatologist that liked to cut moles off. A lot. She was a very nice lady who had a field day with the amount of moles I have on my body. It was a bit ridiculous. The last time I went to her she cut 1" out of my armpit. One look at the bloody gauze pads on the table and I was like 'this is not right'. So I found a new derm who is more about quality not quantity. 

All that was before I turned to diet and lifestyle to fix my problems. I cancelled my health insurance by reason that I would just pay for everything out of pocket which would be thousands of dollars cheaper, and it would keep me away from doctors until and if I actually needed to be there. I understand why it costs so much money now to take care of people's health from a doctor's/hospital's point of view. It's because they don't ask enough questions, prescribe too many drugs and tests, and get people looped into going to them for every little ache and pain. 

In the last 2 years since I did a major overhaul on my diet and lifestyle I feel better than I ever have after any doctor visit (except when I found out I was low on B-12... that S-H-I-T saved my life). Even though I don't know everything that is going on inside my body, I have learned to listen to it when it tells me it needs something. Need sleep? You got it- I'll give up my whole weekend to sleep if that's what I need to do. Eventually I guess I will get health insurance when I start to have kids or whatever. But until then, I am really satisfied with the progress I have made with changing the food that I eat and how I live my life. 

Disclaimer: I am not bashing doctors or nurses. I definitely appreciate their value when I am in need of their services, and this by no means that this is my view of all doctors or nurses. There I said it.

Advice: If you are not happy with your doctors find new ones. And get second opinions. And if you believe like I do that more progress can be made with your fork, change your diet and see how amazing you will start to feel.

Healthcare VS Selfcare

I had been wanting to write about this topic for a while now, but seeing as Obama and the US Supreme Court just brought this issue to the front of everyone's minds I have some much needed motivation.

I have thought for a while now that our healthcare system is broken. It is too expensive for average people without health insurance to be able to afford anything other than the bare necessities. I could conjure up dozens of reasons why healthcare costs are skyrocketing- government intervention, illegal aliens taking advantage of the system, too much bureaucracy, too much paperwork, too complicated, etc, etc. I don't think it was one thing in particular, but a whole bunch of things that created the perfect storm we are in now. 

And to top it off, the people who don't feel the need to spend thousands of dollars on health insurance are now going to be taxed- like myself.

I don't have health insurance and I don't feel the need to have it right now. I had a policy that I paid for myself a few years back. But after I realized I was spending $3000 a year on insurance I didn't really use, I cancelled it and now I pay out of pocket if I have to go to the doctor. I average less than $800 a year with the visits like my dermatologist (who doesn't take insurance anyway), gyno, and dentist. I am 29, healthy thus far, and have no reason to need to spend $3000 a year on a policy that I can't even use at my derm and dentist.

This new "tax" that Obama proposed and the Supreme Court passed will effect people that are already struggling financially and/or are taking care of themselves with alternative remedies who didn't see the value in paying for a policy in the first place. Now we are going to be forced to pay- they think.

Why Obama and other "free healthcare" advocates think government run healthcare will work here is beyond me. It doesn't work anywhere. Anything run by the government ends in financial ruins, and healthcare is not the exception.

Friday, June 22, 2012 

The economic situation in Greece is only continuing to worsen, as reports indicate that hospitals and care centers throughout the nation are running completely out of medicines, and many healthcare workers are now voluntarily providing care services without pay.

Strapped with spiraling debt, the Greek healthcare, which is government-run, has had to receive gobs of international financial aid just to keep operating with some semblance of normalcy. There has also been plenty of IOUs issued, and desperate patients quietly forking over cash "gifts" to doctors to receive treatments. All in all, the healthcare situation is in utter chaos, save for those that have sacrificed their own time, often free of charge, just to help those in need.

(Source: Natural News) 

So what do we do? Well, for starters I'm not paying a FUCKING penny (excuse my French) to the government for healthcare that is being forced on me. Secondly, it's time to give serious consideration to doing everything you can to make sure you don't end up sick in the hospital. An apple a day isn't going to cut it anymore. And if you are already on meds or multiple meds, grossly overweight, suffering with allergies, whatever! you need to start thinking about changing around your lifestyle to make yourself healthier. Get off the meds because they are not going to cure you of anything- they are bandaids. Make it a priority to lose the weight because weight gain leads to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. Get rid of what's stressing you, stop running yourself into the ground, take time to eat something healthy even if it takes longer or costs a little more.

The government is acting like they are doing us a favor by forcing us into mandatory health insurance, when the reality is that they are taking away our options. Well until the day comes that they restrict us from buying healthy food (fruits and vegetables) we still have that option. And as far as I can see eating healthy is the best one- health insurance or no health insurance.

Who's as pissed off as I am about this?

Good health makes a lot of sense....

(source)

...but it doesn't make a lot of dollars. In the past few years since I have become aware of what it is to be healthy, and what our options are for treating disease, I have come to realize that the people that control our options are out of whack. I mean that there is a huge push to take pharmaceuticals for anything and everything. And the more I educate myself on this subject the more I realize that our regulatory agencies (i.e . the FDA) are in bed with the pharmaceutical companies and the pharmaceutical companies are in bed with our doctors.

This is a perfect storm. We are directly advertised to on television by the pharmaceutical companies. Prescriptions are pushed on us by our doctors. Nutrition is RARELY if ever brought up by our doctors. And when we try to find alternative therapies that may help our situations, the FDA puts up road blocks.

In all of the hours and days and weeks I have been researching since Nani was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March of 2010, I have come across stories of people who have had to jump through hurdles to get the treatment they believed they needed. People who have tried the conventional (chemo, radiation, surgery) therapies that failed them and their family members, people who have tried to get an alternative cancer therapy who have been denied access to something that may help cure themselves or their family members.

Why does this happen? Well, in my (humble) opinion, it is because there is big money in pharmaceuticals and no money in promoting nutrition. We are a sick country that relies heavily on drugs. Those huge drug companies have a vested interest in keeping people sick and on their drugs. I hate to be all conspiracy theory on you, but it's true. It's out there and there are people that are willing to talk about their experiences with all of this.

If you have a few minutes, please watch the video below of an interview of a father who went through a tragic experience when his daughter was diagnosed with a very serious, very rare brain cancer. It's about an hour long, but even if you can watch 5 or 10 minutes, his story is very inspiring.

People Against Cancer is a website where you can go to find additional options for your cancer treatment. They review your medical records and recommend any treatment- conventional or alternative- that has ever had any success treating the type of cancer you may have. It would be a good place to start if you or someone you know is dealing with cancer and wants other options than the big three- chemo, radiation, & surgery.

From what I have learned, there are non-toxic treatments out there that have pretty good cure rates (depending on the type of cancer). I do not believe that the big three are our only options, and (bold statement) I've said it before and I will say it again, chemo and radiation would not be my first choice if I were to discover that I had cancer. I believe wholeheartedly that the body has an amazing ability to cure itself if given the proper nutrition. And there are doctors and clinics out there that believe the same thing and treat cancers with nutrition therapies.

If you want more information on alternative therapies, I wrote about some of the ones that I am aware of in my post Alternative Cancer Therapies. 

How We Heal

(Source- Natural News)

It is amazing to me that Hippocrates got it so right so long ago, and yet we are still fumbling around trying to figure out why American's are the sickest and fattest in the world. Well, I'm not fumbling around, but most people are. It's also amazing to me that so many Americans are content with taking so many medications.  The average number of prescriptions per person in the United States is 12 (give or take). That's 12 different prescriptions per person per year! We are so over-prescribed it's actually insane.

Insane: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

Over the course of the last 2 years I have come to realize that the human body is so much more complicated and so much smarter than we give it credit for. All it wants to do is heal itself. And all we need to do is give it the right food so that it can heal itself. It's that simple!

It's not about matching the pill with the ill, which presumes that our science does it better than our bodies can. If our science could do it better then don't you think we wouldn't be suffering from what we are suffering from? Cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes. Our science presumes that everything happens in isolation from everything else. That is why we have so many medical specialists. You have an ear ache go to an ear, nose, and throat doc. You have dry skin, go to your dermatologist.

What if you could eat one way that would heal everything? It's definitely possible. But most people don't want to change their food because that is what they have always done. Well, you don't get new results from doing something you have always done. You get results when you challenge what has always been done and do something different.

So I challenge you to do something differently! What is one thing that you could do differently that would start to give you the change you are looking for? 

Guest Post: Phytotherapy

Hello loyal readers! I am going to be at a conference for the next 3 days, and coincidentally I was approached this week by a doctor who is interested in us writing for each other. The universe works in wonderful ways sometimes! Dr. Leta Vaughan APN, CNM has been working with women and promoting healthcare for over 30 years. Dr. Vaughan is board certified and advocates an effective combination of balanced nutrition, exercise, and supplements to enhance a woman’s changing lifestyle needs.

Thank you Dr. Vaughan! It is so wonderful to see doctors that are concerned with diet and lifestyle.

What the heck is Phytotherapy? 

Dr. Leta Vaughan APN, CNM  www.biohormonesinc.com

770,000 people are injured or die each year in hospitals from adverse drug events (ADE)  Just because a pharmaceutical drug has been studied in a laboratory, regulated by the FDA and prescribed by a doctor, it still has risks.  

Phytotherapy is the use of medicinal plants to heal and restore balance and is becoming more popular in the United States. Eastern medicine has utilized botanical medicine for centuries and as more and more people are looking for alternatives, phytotherapy has gained in popularity. Much of this studying of plants over the years has led us to the pharmaceuticals we are now so familiar with. Modern pharmaceutical manufacturers change the plant’s chemical compound in order to specialize and enhance its actions. But using plants in their pure form are much gentler and easier on the body. Phytotherapy has the potential to prevent illness as well as treat. 

Phytoestrogens 

The word phytoestrogen literally means “plant estrogen.” But phytoestrogens are not estrogen. They do not behave the same way as our body’s own estrogens or like estrogen replacement drugs (ERT).  

The National Cancer Institute  defines the word “phytoestrogen” as an estrogen-like substance found in some plants and plant products and states “phytoestrogens may have anticancer effects.” 

Phytoestrogens are part of the phytohormone class, which means they structurally resemble the body’s native estrogen. Their chemical structure is such that it allows them to weakly bind to an estrogen receptor, potentially blocking excess estrogen, or, when estrogen is low, quieting the
system’s need for estrogen. But they are not estrogen. 

The phytoestrogens used and recommended today in botanical and nutritional medicine do not increase endogenous estrogen production in the body. There are no studies confirming that phytoestrogens increase the risk for cancer. In fact, new research suggests that phytoestrogens
commonly used in nutritional and botanical medicine may protect women from breast
and other cancers. 

Phytoestrogens  may also decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke, and protect your bones. A 2007 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirmed that the phytoestrogen genistein protects against bone loss. All of this while calming the symptoms of menopause! More benefits of phytoestrogens are being discovered and discussed every day so keep in touch for further exciting information. 

Your endocrine system is the command center for all of your hormones and consists of
many small organs such as the pituitary gland, thyroid, adrenal glands and ovaries as well
as diverse tissues such as the gut, breast and skin. These various glands secrete active
hormones that take messages throughout the body to the brain, liver, heart, bone, skin and
blood vessels as well as the reproductive organs. Plant molecules can also communicate
these messages. 

Responses within your cells that originate from the plant world are known as phytocrine. Phytocrines are the bioactive molecules in plants that share features with our own hormones and “connect” with our endocrine system. 

Adaptogens are plant foods recognized for their rebalancing effect on the body. An adaptogen doesn’t have a specific effect on the body as such. What it does is support the body in healing where the body needs it; an adaptogen goes to the weak areas of the body, and helps strengthen them. In doing so, adaptogens restore homeostasis in the body. 

Menopause 

When combined with a healthy lifestyle  and diet, phytotherapy has the ability to reverse hormonal imbalance in menopause. Utilizing herbs for menopausal symptoms has gained popularity and information is readily available across the web. 

(source)

Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) a plant native to Eastern North America, has been used by women all over the world for generations to help with hot flashes.

(source)

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is rich in phytoestrogens including lignans, coumestans, and isoflavones and is used for relief of general menopausal symptoms.

(source)

Chastetree (Vitex agnus-castus) has active molecules that may affect our neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine, which acts in the brain and other parts of the body. Recent studies are showing that properties of this herb may mimic the soothing actions of progesterone and help with psychic and somatic symptoms of PMS.

(source)

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is a member of the pea family and is native to Asia. Much like red clover, it contains phytochemicals that function in a protective fashion. These include five major
isoflavanoids that can bind weakly to estrogen receptors, quieting the body’s need for estrogen during times of hormonal imbalance. Kudzu also has been linked with anti-aging properties.

(source)

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) has strong Native American roots and contains natural monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s), which are known to have antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.

(source)

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an herb with aphrodisiac and mood-stabilizing properties. Recent studies suggest this Ayurvedic herb can act in an adaptogenic fashion when androgen levels are low, activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis to increase the production of androgens.

(source)

Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) is native to North America and has been used for both menopause and menstrual-related symptoms. Research suggests that it acts as a functional mimetic of progesterone.

(source)

Soy (Glycine max), like red clover and kudzu, is a member of the legume family and contains phytoestrogens. It has been extensively studied and found to be supportive for improved insulin regulation, weight loss, bone health, and nail, skin and hair health. It has also been shown to decrease frequency and severity of menopausal discomforts, particularly vaginal dryness, hot flashes and night sweats. 

Different women have different symptoms as well as different combinations of such
so what works for one may not be as effective for another. Recommendations are for
combined use with herbs and many products contain formulas specific to particular
symptoms. It is important to look for reputable companies and talk with a provider who
is comfortable and experienced in herbal remedies. 

Other key points:

• Use consistently and monitor your progress. Nothing works if you do not follow the program
• Discuss with your provider other medications you may be on as some may impede and /or enhance herbal effects.
• Once you find a supplement that works, continue to use the same preparation.

Women’s health advanced practice nurses and certified nurse midwives http://
www.biohormonesinc.com are trained in holistically approaching healthcare symptoms
and take the time to talk and listen to your needs. 

To find one in your area check Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health or The American College of Nurse-Midwives 

Follow me @biohormonesinc
FB http://www.facebook.com/BioHormones

Dr. Leta Vaughan APN, CNM has been working with women and promoting healthcare for over 30 years. Dr. Vaughan is board certified and advocates an effective combination of balanced nutrition, exercise, and supplements to enhance a woman’s changing lifestyle needs.

** It's me, Jess....I just want to add that you don't need to be going through menopause to benefit from using the plants and their extracts above. Women at every age can benefit from incorporating these plants into their diet through teas and/or herbal supplements.

It's Cancer Prevention Month...who knew?

Why is it that the #2 killer in the United States has it's own month dedicated to eradicating it...and NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT?

Wanna know my opinion? Of coarse you do, you are reading my blog! I think (humbly of coarse) that all of the ribbons, and walks, and fundraisers are skirting the real issue. Cancer is big business! Those that have the power to blast information to millions and millions of people chose not to because they are either mis-informed or it would murder their long-sought-after-career with the big wigs at the FDA, the CDC, the USDA.

There is no huge profit margin in fruits and vegetables- not like in the pharmaceutical industry. There is no glamour in preventing a disaster long before it has time to escalate. Conventional medicine wants to be a hero and say that their new drug is the miracle that is going to "cure" cancer.

Why jump through radiation filled hoops when you are two steps from death's door when you could have made small changes along the way that would have prevented your disease in the first place? I know when my grandmother got to the place where she was facing the end she questioned what she could have done differently. She told me. I only wish I had 1/2 of the information I do now. It might not have made any difference.

But you have time. You can still make small changes that will very obviously impact your health now and for the long run.

“So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.”   -A. J. Reb Materi

If you only do one thing this month for your health, do this - go through all the food in your house and throw out everything with the following ingredients:

• high fructose corn syrup
• hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils

And then go to the grocery store and read every label of every item you pick up. Do not buy anything with those two ingredients in it. 

You don't have to go to extremes like some of us do, but you absolutely will be doing yourself and your family a huge service. 

Cancer is preventable. Many people do it. You just have to DO something about it. You can't rely on "magical" pills. 

Ready to go RAW...almost

Since I'm sure you are all aware now, I have been working like crazy.  SO...I enlisted my friend Lisa to prepare a bunch of raw foods for me so I could keep them at work. I told her what I don't like (beets) and gave her how much I wanted to spend a week, and VOILA! She appeared with tasty raw food. This has lifted such a burden. I was getting sick of eating the same things everyday.

A funny thing happened last week. I can laugh about it now because it is over, but at the time I was dying (not literally). The day after Lisa dropped off my food I got my lady episode. I call it an episode and not a period because I think if I were to be studied by doctors they would diagnose me with severe rage, emotional swings, and abnormal tolerance for loss of fluids (I'll spare you the details), or weathermen might compare it to an F-5 tornado that leaves very little standing. Anyway, I was caught off guard like I am every month, because for some reason I have not been capable of tracking my episode since it started 16 years ago. So, I took a lot of Tylenol.

AND...I ate all fruits and vegetables. I had a mini meltdown in the middle of the day for no reason other than I wanted to rip out my uterus and lower back (despite all of the Tylenol). I am hoping that with all these healthy foods I am eating this will eventually get better. Anyways...I overdid it with the Tylenol BIG TIME! I ended up with the awful urge to vomit all over everything for the rest of the night and the following day. If any of you know me I would rather die than throw up, so naturally I made myself miserable for several hours. I couldn't eat anything because all I had was raw vegetable dishes, and every time I thought of it my mouth started to water and a wave of nausea took over. I couldn't talk about it, I couldn't think about it, I couldn't look at it.

My dad brought up food a couple of times in our conversation before I went home. I immediately glazed over and tuned everything out so I could fight the wave of VOM that wanted to come out. I asked him if we could not speak about food. His response was, 'Sure, but if you throw up on yourself you can blog about it'. (or something along those lines) Thanks Dad :)

That was supposed to be my first "all raw" day. Suffice it to say, I became so hungry after not being able to eat anything I had that I had to stop and get McDonald's french fries. That was the only thing that I could think about that didn't make me want to puke. Sorry Lisa, I promise it wasn't your food. It was the damn Tylenol.

So that night and the next day I ate pasta with butter (my favorite comfort food) and my cauliflower and leek soup. By Friday night I felt all better, just in time for Mexican and wine!!!

What is the moral of the story? I need to buy Advil instead of Tylenol. Tylenol does nothing for me (except bother my stomach).

Does anyone know of any natural pain relievers I could take? 

Healthcare System or Disease-care System?

I just finished watching a documentary called Food Matters. There were about 4 or five doctors/nutritional health leaders interviewed who are and have been actively prescribing healthy lifestyle changes and vitamin therapy to prevent and reverse serious chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease.

I will tell you what...while Nani was in the hospital getting test after test to find out what was wrong with her, I was there. I had the chance to spend several days in the hospital. You know what I saw? Fat, old, seriously sick people. It was eye-opening to say the least. I would assume that most of my readers are young and relatively healthy, but  I assure you we will not always be this way. You think it can't happen to you, but statistically it will- and the statistics are getting worse.

The war on cancer started in 1972 with President Nixon. In the 25 years following, trillions of dollars were thrown at the problem and the rate of cancer deaths more than doubled. Government is not the answer because they are in bed with the pharmaceutical companies, who are in bed with the scientists researching the cancer therapy drugs and the so called "cure".

I learned from this documentary that the only legal cancer therapies are chemo and radiation (poisons) in the USA. It is not legal for a doctor to prescribe nutrition therapy. And why would they? Nutrition is cheap, effective, and once people realized that they didn't need to spend thousands of dollars a year on health insurance, the doctor's would be looking for new work.

I personally do not have health insurance and have not for two years. I go to the dermatologist twice a year, the dentist twice a year, and the gyno once a year. I have been to an emergency clinic once for a UTI. In two years. Total that up and it is roughly $750 a year. Prior to two years ago, I had my own health insurance policy that cost me $275 a month which ends up costing $3300 a year. For someone like myself it just did not add up for me to keep it, especially since my dermatologist does not take any insurance, so that would actually end up costing me $3500 a year. I am in my late-20's and not on any medications. Why the hell would I spend that much each year? Just in case? Well the "just in case" could be in case I get cancer or another debilitating disease. But here's the thing. Regular health insurance only covers up to a certain dollar amount per year. If I were to have cancer and be treated with conventional practices, my yearly allowance would be used up pretty quickly with all of the tests and $6000+ a month for the drugs. It would actually be more beneficial to carry a major medical policy that covers catastrophes than regular health insurance.

Long story short, we all have choices every day about what we put into our bodies. The people that put their health and well being as a priority view themselves as more valuable than most everything else. Most people view all of the other stuff as more valuable than their health. Busy schedules, drama (real and made up), obligations, bullshit time-suck things like reality tv. Even I am guilty of it sometimes, but I have realized that I can control me and pretty much nothing else.

Make yourself your #1 priority and figure out for you what is going to make you feel better. For me it was making an effort to replace 1/2 or more of my diet with raw fruits and vegetables. I had tried everything else (eliminating, meat, dairy, soy) and still did not really feel any better. I can realistically say that this has been the most positive change I have ever made and I encourage everyone to experiment with their own bodies.

There is a link to purchase this documentary plus a few other excellent videos on the right sidebar of this blog. I encourage you to take your health into your own hands while you are still "healthy". Healthcare starts with us. The rest is disease-care.

Friends Are the Best Medicine

More specifically, girlfriends are the best medicine! This past Sunday when I was having an extended woe-is-me moment in my bed, my great friend Kelly (on the right) called and peer-pressured me (she's good at that even through the phone) into meeting up with her and a few other fun ladies.

Thank god she called and I forced myself to get out of bed, shower, put on makeup. It was a beautiful early fall day while we sat on a rooftop and had a few buckets of coronas. And! The best part was that I hung out with one of my oldest friends, Lisa (left), who I have not seen in like 7 or 8 years! I was so happy to hear her laugh and talk about where we have been and where we are now.

Just goes to show you what great friends are for. Thank you especially to Julie, Michelle, Chaump, Kelly, Lisa, Colleen & Kim. You ladies were life savers and mood lifters this past weekend.

You know, I read somewhere recently (if I can find it I will update this post) that women live longer and are happier if they have great friends. I am not sure if this applies to men, I think statistically they die younger anyway (sorry guys!). But it makes sense. Your girlfriends are the ones that you can talk to about anything, and they will listen up to the point of you being a broken record. Then they usually (in the case of my friends) point out the fact that they have heard the same thing over and over and say "Grow a sack!"

Sometimes change is hard. If I want to change my bedroom decor- easy. Switching careers- easy. Getting the motivation to fold and put away my laundry- not so easy. Stop something you know needs to be stopped that involves someone you love tremendously- hard. I'm trying to keep my head high, and thank god that I am super busy this week at work and have school work to finish.

1st chance to open my eyes

2nd chance to open my eyes 

3rd chance to open my eyes

4th chance to open my eyes, looks like I was close

The moral of the story is that I am so grateful to have had one group of girlfriends since grade school and another since high school/college, with a few extra additions here and there. Without them my life would not be as enjoyable, hilarious, grounded as it is. I love you all. And hopefully we all outlive the men and become serious cougars in our old age. JK! I love men.

On to switching everything from my old computer to my new computer! and dealing with the mess of wires that are on and under my desk. Sometimes Jessica runs on Dunkin.