Tag: organic food

Nancy’s Healing Modalities

There is no place for judgement about individuals’ chosen healing paths. The key is to understand the implicit right to make those decisions on their own terms, and in their own best interests.

~Nancy’s Sunshine

There are many healing modalities that people can pursue for their own wellness journeys. There is no place for judgement about individuals’ chosen healing paths. The key is to understand the implicit right to make those decisions on their own terms, and in their own best interests. Some will choose the ways of modern medicine with its focus on tests, technology, surgeries, and pharmaceutical agents, and that will be the right choice for those who do. Others will adopt a balanced skepticism for what is offered by medicine, opting to use what makes sense and has a solid record of effectiveness but letting go of procedures and drugs that cause more adverse effects than positive results. And then you will encounter a subset of people who by philosophy, personal experience, circumstances, or tradition are not interested in what doctors and hospitals have to offer. Folks in this last category are often the one’s whose chronic health conditions have reached the limit of what doctors can provide; others come from family and cultural traditions that include methods that are not part of the scientific approach, but they know that they felt better after trying them. Still others are caught unwittingly in structural complications brought on by the mass-production of healthcare and a health insurance industry that creates barriers to access.

Mom’s road to naturopathic medicine began in the 1970s when she fell ill with a complex of symptoms that did not fit neatly into diagnostic criteria: fatigue, brain fog, abdominal pain, digestive issues, bloating, constipation, food intolerance, nausea and vomiting, inability to maintain weight, disordered eating, headaches, sleep disturbances, infertility, irregular menstruation, inflammation, rashes, temperature sensitivities, and pain. She visited several doctors, including our family physician of many years and multiple specialists to whom she was referred for evaluations. Each doctor found her to be in what they termed, perfect health and suggested that she go home and learn to enjoy the nice life that she had. After several years of physical decline, she learned of a team of doctors running a cutting-edge, environmental medicine clinic in the far corner of our state. She was hospitalized in their care for a whole month when I was fifteen years old, and she underwent a battery of blood tests, imaging studies, and the newly developed practice of allergy patch testing.

allergy patch testing: dozens of small medical patches attached to the back of a person to determine what substances are allergens.

photo credit: https://drsandyskotnicki.com/patch-testing-101-process-determining-skin-allergy-causes/

The results showed that Mom was allergic to almost every substance under the sun from perfumes, food-grade dyes, lawn and gardening chemicals, polyester and acrylic fabrics, certain foods like beef, corn, and wheat, to food additives, medications, formaldehyde, pollen, dust, mold, and yeast. She was found to be in a state of liver failure brought on by years of exposure to industrial and salon chemicals while working in a garment factory and as a beautician; doctors estimated only five percent (5%) liver function at the time of hospitalization. The medical team was kind and concerned with helping her recover, but they were out of ideas for what to do because the typical medications used for liver disease were also allergens on her skin patch tests. They offered an experimental drug in hopes that it would repair her liver and get her through the crisis. Mom and Dad listened to everything that the medical team had to say, and understood that the doctors were outside of their realm of known outcomes. After praying for guidance from above and reading the package insert of the experimental drug, they learned that the most common adverse reaction of that drug was liver damage. With so little remaining liver function to work with, they made the difficult decision to check out of the hospital against medical advice and take their chances at home. Dad carried Mom out of the hospital and made the long drive back with the solemn understanding that they might be bringing her home to die, but would do everything in their power to strip our home of offending substances and change the ways that she cooked, ate, and lived.

The changes at home led to baby steps of improvement and instead of growing more sickly she was able to slowly develop a day or a few days at a time where she didn’t throw up. Keeping food and water down, even tiny amounts, improved stamina and consistency of practice led to consistency of recovery. She learned from her mistakes too. Sometimes “good days” would turn south through inadvertent contact with hidden substances such as the time that she tried an all-natural, whole grain oat cereal that had trace amounts corn meal from the factory where it was produced and packaged.

Through it all, Mom persevered with the help of Dad and our extended family who found ways to support her, whether by shared harvests of wild game and organically grown vegetables, sewing or searching high and low for 100% cotton garments in a polyester era, or collecting spring water from clean wells. Friends and family learned to use non-scented detergents and avoid all perfumes when visiting and even the folks in our cul-de-sac neighborhood helped out by cutting back on their use of lawn chemicals and avoided smoking cigarettes or using spray paint too close to our house.  The community rallied and Mom regained strength, leading to her discovery of new purpose. 

In her forties, Mom started a cottage business providing foot reflexology. Clients were instructed in what to wear to prevent activation of her sensitivities when they spent time in our home, and through those instructions, people began learning about ways to reduce their own exposure to toxic chemicals. I believe her gentle approach of simply sharing her journey while caring for others’ feet was a Christ-like healing activity that warmed people’s hearts and created an opening for this new and unusual topic to be considered. Through Mom’s gentle telling of the issues, others began seeking consumer access to “cleaner” products for themselves. As in all endeavors, there is a place for didactic instruction, a place for protest and demands, and a place for gentle persuasion.  The 1980s were a time of rising awareness of environmental impacts on health and ecology.  Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published in 1962 and gained momentum alongside environmental disasters like the Cuyahoga River fire and Santa Barbara oil spill (Wikipedia, 2024a). Earth Day and the Environmental Protection Agency were established and Greenpeace had been making headlines since the early 1970s. But academic approaches and political action do not resonate with all people. Many find those methods divisive and presume hyperbole for ratings or election favors. When an individual feels defensive or manipulated by topics like these, many will shut down or dig in their heels to oppose whatever feels polarizing or existentially threatening (Waldroff, 2021).  The wisdom of a tiny, frail woman from a suburban, midwest village went a long way towards breaking down barriers and opening doors of understanding about the ways that toxic products were impacting real people.

By the 1990s Erin Brockovich had built her case against Pacific Gas & Electric regarding groundwater contamination in a California community (Wikipedia, 2024b), and in the early 2000s Al Gore published multiple treatises on environmentalism and sustainability, including the book and film, An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It. It was also possible to buy 100% natural fiber clothing for adults and children in many retail establishments, to find household cleaning supplies and grooming products without perfumes or dyes, and to obtain organically-grown fruits and vegetables, including a new baby food brand called Earth’s Best that contained 100% organic fruit and vegetable purees without added sugar, salt, or fillers.

I credit Mom’s simple, loving approach as being a vital part of the movement that brought us to where we are now, in the new millennium, when organically grown, food is readily available in all stores and notably that whole big-box companies now exist with their entire business models resting on organic, natural goods.

In her time as a reflexologist, Mom kept a unique record of her service in the basement safe. Upon her passing, I found the records indicating that she had provided over 5000 hours of reflexology to her friends and clients, even though it was just during the five or ten hours per week that she was feeling strong and healthy enough to do so. It comes down to about five sessions per week over twenty years, and somewhere around a thousand different clients. I see Mom’s life as a true example of the adage, “one person can make a difference.” In the course of her life, she gently reached the hearts and minds of many who would never have considered environmental impacts without their monthly foot massages.

In her lifetime, Mom never returned to contemporary medicine. Occasionally she’d hear of a doctor with a good reputation, and would try meeting with them, but ultimately, she found their drug- and surgery-heavy methods incompatible with what she learned about her own health needs outside of the medical realm. There was one health emergency in her remaining years where surgery was necessary, and she navigated it with a hybrid approach, using her plant medicines and energy techniques instead of opioids to reduce inflammation and ease pain. Even when it came to her final months, she had a concierge doctor (MD- primary care) pay a few house calls to confirm that she was, indeed, approaching the end of her life. In between the initial health crisis in the 1970s and her final breath in 2023, Mom abided by the beliefs and methods she discovered on her own when medicine couldn’t help her, and she stood as an unwavering advocate for others who were called by conviction or circumstance to become their own best self-care advocates when they interface with or step outside mainstream medical systems. I am grateful for her teachings and the impact it’s had on my own life as well as our community, who have grown and embraced different concepts around caring for our planet and selves.

References

Waldroff, K., (2021, January 1). Healing the Political Divide: How did we become such a divided nation, and how can psychologists help us bridge the gap? [Blog post]. American Psychological Association. Accessed on February 3, 2024 from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/01/healing-political-divide

Wikipedia, (2024a). Environmental Science. Accessed on February 3, 2024 from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_science#:~:text=Environmental%20science%20was%20brought%20to,chemicals%20like%20the%20insecticide%20DDT

Wikipedia, (2024b). Erin Brockovich. Accessed on a February 3, 2024 from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Brockovich

Posted on by Stacy V.

What to eat

Mom used her imagination and curiosity to develop
interesting and satisfying ways of eating within her limitations ~Stacy V.

For most people, food choices are rather simple, even when special programs are being followed like the now popular “keto diet”, or its predecessors the Anabolic and Atkins diets, or even programs designed for folks with special food needs. In fact, nowadays, its growing easier to obtain one’s foods of choice, whether they are standard fair, vegan, organic, fast food, “health foods”, reduced calorie, or gluten-free items. In Mom’s case, choosing foods was not so simple; she was faced with enormous challenges due to a combination of allergies, food sensitivities, imbalances of her gut biome, and other factors. To cope with the fragile ecosystem that was her body, she followed strict eating habits for more than forty years. Those who seek resources for different kinds of food choices due to autoimmune, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), systemic candida, or a host of other conditions can find it difficult figuring out what to eat, what not to eat, and what to do about gaps in their food resources. Food is a foundational source of wellness, and what we put in our bodies makes a difference. The differences may not be immediately noticeable by those of us with robust health; excess consumption of sugar and carbs does not always manifest in diabetes for decades. Those with health issues like Mom’s are not so lucky. Mistaken consumption of an allergen (such as hidden sugars or dyes in packaged products) can result in immediate setbacks if not outright threats to quality of life.

Mom used her imagination and curiosity to develop interesting and satisfying ways of eating within her limitations. In 1997 a friend of hers published a cookbook with more than one hundred tasty recipes to satisfy hunger, fill nutritional needs, and please the senses. Many of the recipes were tested out on and with my mom for flavor, texture, satisfaction, and safety (within the context of food sensitivities), and all the recipes were made from non-dairy whole grains, without added sugar, artificial sweeteners, dyes, or other additives. The recipes remained a source of inspiration and satisfying meals throughout mom’s life. The book is no longer in print, but those who are interested in the recipes may reach out by email and I will see if her friend has copies available: hello@nancyssunshine.com.

A cookbook cover, titled "Taste of Life" No Dairy or Sugar, Whole Grains.

As I began going through the pieces of Mom’s life, I found her Amazon order history where she obtained several food items that fit her special needs and provided satisfying nutrition. I hope by sharing this partial list of her safe foods, others will be inspired to try some new tasty things that you may not have thought of before. Wherever possible, Mom’s products were purchased and stored in glass rather than plastic, were certified organically grown, and had a single ingredient, rather than mixed items. She often blended single-item products to develop tasty combinations, but purchasing them in their most natural state added a layer of protection against inadvertent contamination. Of course this is not a comprehensive list of everything Mom ate or cooked with. She also ate organic proteins such as poultry, fish, some wild game meats, and eggs, as well as certain vegetables and whole grains, but no fruit.

Mason jars filled with creamy nut butter.

image credit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MeshuggahButtahs?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1443936258

The List (check back for updated product links)

Chickpea Products:

Nuts and Seeds:

Protein Supplements:

  • Growing Naturals Organic Rice Protein Powder
  • Growing Naturals Pea Protein Powder
  • Nuzest Clean Lean Protein – Premium Pea Protein Powder, Plant-based, Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, GMO Free, Naturally Sweetened
  • Organic 2-1 Acacia Fiber Powder (100% Acacia Senegal) & Sunfiber Prebiotic Fiber

Wheat-free, Gluten-free Cereals, Crackers, Pastas, and Breading Mixes:

  • Lovebird Gluten Free Cereal Unsweetened – Organic Grain Free Cereals Paleo AIP Dairy Free Keto Friendly No Refined Sugar
  • From The Ground Up Cauliflower Crackers – Sea Salt
  • Holgrain Onion Ring Batter Mix,
  • Holgrain Chicken Coating Mix Wheat Free
  • Banza Chickpea Pasta
  • DeBoles Gluten Free Multigrain Spaghetti Pasta
  • Eden Foods – Buckwheat Soba Pasta 100% Buckwheat Wheat Free

Herbs and Spices:

  • Frontier Co-op Orange Peel Granules
  • Litehouse Freeze Dried Poultry Herb Blend

One of Mom’s ways to cope with multiple food- and chemical-sensitivities was to rotate items so not to develop allergies through overexposure to anything that was currently considered safe for her to eat. As such, she not only rotated on the macro level, by using certain nuts, proteins, and vegetables on a given day and changing to a different food group in the following days or weeks, but she also used a micro-rotational approach that included cycling of brands and growing locations as well. For example, she might eat hazelnut butter from a U.S. source on day one, but when day three came around and she was eating hazelnuts again, she ate whole nuts instead of butter and was sure that it was sourced from a Turkish supplier; by day six, she would switch back to a butter, but using a third brand with a unique location.

These extreme methods are not possible for everyone, or even necessary for most people. The point of writing about it is to demonstrate ways that folks who are living with exceptional health situations might find ways to cope with the difficult circumstances they’ve been dealt. Mom’s positive outlook and open-hearted approach to herself, her friends, and clients helped her create a host of helpful tools to cope with a seemingly impossible condition. This is just one of many that she used and shared. I hope it will help someone in need and wish everyone a happy, healthy, and fulfilling nutrition experience!

heart shaped crystal suncatchers with prismatic sparkling light reflections.

Image credit: https://roomtery.com/products/crystal-heart-suncatcher

Posted on by Stacy V.

Nancy’s Sunshine

Whatever challenge is put before you, while there may or may not be a cure, there is always help from the earth.

~ Nancy’s Sunshine

Nancy lived from 1941 to 2023 and she was my mom. She lived the life of an uncommon woman, having been one of the earliest individuals diagnosed with an autoimmune condition in the 1970s and navigating the rest of her life with multiple chemical sensitivities, allergies, susceptibility to viruses and bacterial infections, systemic candida, SIBO, and a host of uncomfortable, sometimes debilitating symptoms that healthier folks like myself had a hard time understanding. After the early passing of my dad at the turn of the millennium, much of her existence was spent in isolation, inside her home, where she built a simple sanctuary that was free from toxic chemicals and beautiful to be in. Nancy remained curious, upbeat, and positive throughout her trials, and even took inquisitive interest in her own end-of-life process. She built a community of love and support through letter writing, sending beautiful greeting cards, sending elaborately wrapped gift packages to loved ones, and the fellowship of others, like herself, who were suffering with unseen, chronic health conditions.

As an early sufferer of environmental illness, as it was called back in the 70s, she developed one of our state’s first support groups for people with autoimmune issues. Because of her multiple chemical sensitivities, she had to strip her home of almost everything that was not constructed of 100% natural, organic fibers, including her clothing, bedding, furniture, and flooring. Before Dad passed away, he hunted white-tailed deer in our home state and mule-deer in the mountains out west, as well as trapping rabbits and growing an organic vegetable garden in our back yard. It was not easy to obtain organically grown food and fibers in the 1970s through 1990s, not like it became in the 2000s. Mom was one of the first people in our home town to wear surgical masks in public, four decades before the Covid-19 pandemic led almost everyone to don them with regularity. Mom and I marveled at the turning of tides, when her way of self protection was no longer an oddity, but the new norm: who would have believed that we would live to see the day when so many others wore masks? During the pandemic, Mom actually enjoyed greater health than she did prior to it because her carefully planned, early-morning trips to the grocery store or other errands no longer exposed her to as many of the invisible, airborne viruses that had been the norm before people were actively wearing masks in public settings.

In a colloquial fashion, Mom’s loving support for people with chronic dis-ease grew into a life-long mission of helping others that she maintained right up until her passing. She became a learned, naturopathic teacher who shared in the journeys of thousands of people whose conditions were no longer able to be helped by mainstream medicine. She wisely taught on organic products, safe food packaging and handling, elimination of grooming goods that use heavy perfumes and dyes, safe cleaning supplies and practices, self-help through multiple modalities like Reiki, reflexology, meditation, exercise, emotional processing, and breath work, as well as nutritional supplements and herbs that could assist towards a more comfortable and functional existence despite enduring afflictions. She became friends with and studied directly with healers like Hanna Kroeger, Doctor John Christopher, and Master Herbalist, Steven Horne. She applied herself to learning about traditional Chinese, Ayurvedic, and traditional Western herbalism. She believed in the mind, body, and spirit connection for total wellness, and left us with one last message upon her death: when the earth was created, nothing was forgotten. Whatever challenge is put before you, while there may or may not be a cure, there is always help from the earth. We are living in a chemical-ridden world and must be wise and thoughtful in taking care of our bodies, striving to eat the foods in their natural states, as created by God, and not filled with artificial ingredients created by mankind. She left us in 2023 with a sense of deep gratitude for her difficult journey and its lessons, and for the honor of being a part of so many people’s healing paths as they allowed her to share what she learned.

This site is dedicated to my mom, Nancy, who brought sunshine into all her relationships no matter how difficult her own struggles. Mom chronicled many of her health and nutritional programs which will be discussed here as time goes on and I wade through her papers. Many people reached out since her funeral, sharing that they held on to her communications for decades, returning to them often for ongoing guidance; others are asking for access to her files so they can continue their self-care with the help of Mom’s methods. I will use this site to share her wisdom and extend the reach of her important healing work beyond the span of her natural lifetime. For now, I bid you adieu with love and light from Mom.

Posted on by Stacy V. Featured