iPhone blog-short & sweet

Since I'm so late on fulfilling my promise to create a new blog entry, I'm just gonna use my phone so it will actually get written. I'm early to bed to rest while I heal from a recent concussion so the phone will work fine!

Cory requested my view of my top 5 daily vitamins. Karrie i promised you s blog so here goes...

It's really important to be sure you can trust the quality of your supplements! They must be natural not synthetic & must dissolve and be easily assimilated by the body. Too many vitamins get excreted without being digested! The body is very intuitive. There are many who believe our synthetic substances & chemical load on the body are partly to blame for the proliferation of allergies & sensitivities. That said, what are my favorites?

#1 A good food based multi is a must. Check your ingredients. Don't overdose on any oil soluble vitamins like A & E. that can be hard on the liver. If multi's upset your stomach it might be the B vitamins. Take with food or a bit later in the day if the stomach is tender. Or get your B vitamins in an under the tongue form which tends to cause less nausea.

There are some vitamins that the RDA is only representative of the barest minimum amount to keep away disease. Some vitamins can be taken in much greater doses. Vitamin C, D (within limits) & several of the B vitamins are ok to take in higher quantities. I'll post some suggested dosages and the sources for those numbers separately. Be sure to consult with a nutritionist or MD if you have any chronic health concerns. Supplements can interfere with medications or be a problem for some chronic conditions.

#2 Another important daily supplement is vitamin D, an oil soluble vitamin. Many of us are greatly lacking in D. Your dr can order a blood test to see if you are deficient and will suggest a proper dosage. Our constant need for sunscreen protection & our indoor lifestyles have each significantly reduced the amount of vitamin D produced in our bodies by sun exposure. Too much vitamin D results in toxicity resembling sunstroke.

#3 Coenzyme Q10 is one of my favorites. This supplement is beneficial for the nervous system (potentially mitigating the effects of stress) and assisting the cardiovascular system to be healthy. It also is a key player in cellular energy processes and has antioxidant properties too!

#4 Omega 3s & 9s
Omegas are Fatty acids. 3s & 9s seem to be the most beneficial. Most meat eaters get plenty of omega 6s. 3s & 9s are really important to cardiovascular & cellular health. You can get them from eating fish or in supplement form. Vegetarians can take borage oil.

#5 Probiotics
A recent study claimed to have discovered that the average human carries 2-6lbs of macrobiotic life in the form of bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc. Before you freak out & try to lose those pounds by eradicating all of them, be aware that doing so would prove fatal. We are an ecosystem! Some of these bacteria are beneficial & contribute greatly to our well being. Overuse of antibiotics have left many of our digestive systems out of balance which contributes to compromised immune systems. Doctors are now recommending probiotics be administered even during a course of antibiotics. This can prevent secondary infections & antibiotic-caused diarrhea.

Daily use of probiotics improves digestion, keeps candida yeast overgrowth at bay, and many believe it strengthens the immune system.

So that's my top 5 daily supplement recommendations. In addition when fighting off an illness, vitamin C is essential. Most good multi's include vitamin a, b complex, c, e, folate or folic acid (vital for women prior to & during childbearing years), calcium, magnesium & many other essential nutrients.

Above all eat REAL food! There are synergistic elements working together in whole quality foods that bring wellness in ways we can only attempt to duplicate by pulling apart the constituents of these foods to put in a supplement. Eat colorful, fresh, organic whenever possible. Be well & thanks for reading along!

HCG in the News and an Opinion

Some of my facebook friends have been asking how I've lost over 70 pounds.  Apparently it's been on a diet that doesn't work!  So says the FDA/FTC anyway.  Here's a link to the FDA article about HCG Diet Drops: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm281333.htm for those who are curious.

Over the past 7 months as I have systematically progressed through the HCG protocols, I have heard the opinions of others on HCG.  These opinions range from complete belief in the process (usually from those who've researched it, followed the diet and greatly benefitted) to disdain, and from some, veiled jealousy.  There were many who fell on the spectrum in between. And LOTS of people were curious.

I've even fielded many questions about Barry's heart attack.  Was it caused by the HCG diet? NO!  There is no way the diet drops the FDA calls of no use and fraudulent could have blocked an artery 100% at age 51. According to his doctors, that blockage (mostly due to genetics) began when he was about 10 years old.  Homeopathic HCG drops do not even have enough hormone in them to trigger a pregnancy test, which detects HCG.  We asked the doctors if rapid weight loss or a low carb diet could have done this.   All of them have said no and that the weight loss may have saved his life.  Even a 10 pound loss can make a huge difference in fighting (or surviving) heart disease.

By the way, when followed properly, the diet actually is not high protein, nor protein deficient, .  It's just healthy portion sizes of proteins, lots of veggies and low fat for a limited period of time in the work phase (drops used 3x daily) of the diet.  The next phase consists of no drops and a normal calorie level with the main restriction being no sugar or starchy carbs/veggies.  Oils and good fats are welcome again. This phase was always followed by a period of new normal, healthy, balanced eating.

That said, I have never supported careless use of the product or taking the diet's restrictions lightly.  It never was a diet for everyone!  Any ketone-based diet (burning your own fat) has its dangers.  Water intake is critical, as is a knowledge of your body and it's signals.  In truth, any diet has its dangers.  But so does obesity!

My friend Cheryl came up with a description of the HCG protocol that I really resonated with.  She referred to it as dieting chemo.  Something as powerful as chemo is not to be used lightly.  It is used to dramatically reverse a life-threatening disease.  Obesity is such a disease.  For this reason, I always encourage people to check with their doctor, informing them before going on any diet.

It's true actually HCG was not the cause of my weight loss.  I believe the low calorie diet along with the restriction from fats, carbs, gluten, casein and drinking lots of water were the actual means of weight loss.  What the HCG did for me (I say this personally-not professionally) was to remove toxic fat from places it normally would not come from without the HCG.  I also did not have the typical muscle wasting caused by low calorie diets taken on without HCG.  In addition it allowed me to reshape my body, eliminating the belly fat that is a huge contributor to heart disease!  I am actually about 15-20 pounds heavier than the last time I had these measurements and wore a size 8. The HCG did something good in me!  So did the restrictive, more wholesome diet.

Before HCG I did not want to eat ANY vegetables.  I craved starches and sweets almost uncontrollably.  Veggies tasted like dirt and I had an aversion to even preparing them. I was 90 pounds overweight. This was after 5 years of natural health and nutrition training!  Will power and knowledge wasn't enough to break my destructive food choices.  Once I was a few days into my HCG protocol that restricted the foods I'd become addicted to, I found myself liking veggies again.  So thanks FDA for your oversight for my health.  I'm guessing this won't be the last time.  I wonder if they'll outlaw my vegetable and fruit juicing next?

Gluten Sensitivity or Intolerance Part 1

I just finished a webinar presented by Dr. Peter Osborne through Spectracell Labs.  This blog will be the first of three parts.  I have been familiar with gluten intolerance as it related to celiac disease but hadn't realized how pervasive it is and how likely it is that it is a root cause of so much inflammation and disease!  If you have had trouble figuring out why you're so sick and tired, this might offer a clue.  Sometime I'll write up my health journey if I haven't already but here's my notes from the seminar for now...

"One in three have some degree of gluten intolerance!"  -- Dr. Kenneth Fine, laboratory director at Enterolab, (unpublished data via Dr. Osborne)

Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance not the same thing!

New research has recently been published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology—

Though traditionally Celiac disease and Gluten Allergy or Intolerance were once considered the same disease, there is now conclusive evidence that they are not the same thing after all.  In fact, rather than gluten intolerance being a subset or symptom of Celiac disease, Celiac is now part of the subset of Gluten Intolerance.  Celiac is only one disease resulting from a gluten allergy or intolerance.  Of the many types of autoimmune disorders which exist, gluten intolerance can be linked to 190 of them as a possible cause.  

It is important that doctors become aware that Celiac and Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivity are not the same thing. Typically doctors will test one type of gluten and look for one type of immune reaction.  Unlike pregnancy, where you either are or aren't pregnant, your gluten sensitivity may fall on a spectrum rather than be positive or negative.  Traditional serum blood tests for IGA antibodies or minute biopsies of random bits of a 22ft. intestinal tract are not enough to inform a doctor of your gluten sensitivity.  

A recent double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology identified gluten intolerance as an existing condition separate and distinct from Celiac disease.  Tissue, serum blood tests, and antibody tests come back negative for celiac but an intolerance exists.  

Two new terms have been coined for this condition:  

1. "Non-celiac gluten sensitivity"--by Dr. Marsh, the physician who created diagnostic criteria for biopsy of celiac disease
2. "Gluten Syndrome"--by Dr. Rodney Ford, a pediatric gastroenterologist and allergist

Unpublished data from Dr. Kenny Fine, who runs the Entero lab in Dallas, believes 1 in 3 people have some degree of gluten intolerance

What does gluten sensitivity look like?

Symptoms are on a sliding scale from gas and bloating to severe symptoms which may require hospitalization.  

Classic symptoms celiac disease:

• Extreme weight loss
• diarrhea
• stomach pain
• bloating
• vomiting

"In actuality symptoms can be and usually are systemic."Dr. Peter Osborne  

According to Dr. Osborne, gluten is a known inducer of autoimmune disease!  He says there are a host of different symptoms associated with the onset and development of these types of conditions.

If this is true how does one discover to what degree they are sensitive? Will a  blood test or biopsy reveal gluten intolerance?  Serum lab tests or biopsy cannot rule out gluten sensitivity only celiac disease.

Change of perspective needed

Rather than view it as a disease, Dr. Osborne recommends gluten sensitivity be thought of as a genetically determined predisposition.  Several genetic patterns and markers have been identified.  If one were to be tested for specific genetic markers it would give a much better picture of whether or not someone was gluten intolerant.

Why don't blood and allergy tests work?
One of the troubles with allergy testing is that typically allergists will only test for acute allergy. This is due to the necessity to avoid anaphylactic shock reactions because they can be life threatening.  If an IGA antibody is not present they typically stop there and do not look deeper into gluten intolerance.  Many with chronic inflammation and illness have intolerances or sensitivities which are a very different type of immune response, ones that may take days to appear in antibody testing.  One or more of several other types of immune mediated factors may or may not be present in gluten intolerance.  These antibodies may not be present but symptoms, damage and disease provoked by gluten intolerance can still occur.  

What type of symptoms can gluten intolerance cause?

Symptoms can vary.  Just as each person can react differently to a prescription drug so can each one react differently in the presence of gluten.  Symptoms can include but are not limited to: 

• bloating
•  diarrhea,
• stomach pain
• body aches
• migraines
• fatigue.  

In addition, other diseases, disorders or imbalances can occur such as:

• hypothyroidism
• fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome
• multiple food allergies/multiple chemical sensitivities
• rheumatoid arthritis
• celiac
• epilepsy
• neurological symptoms
• anemia
• osteoporosis
• psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, and depression
• asthma
• cancer (lymphoma)

“So in a nutshell recent studies are showing that gluten sensitivity is much more common than previously thought. In fact, may be a separate entity altogether with different mechanisms than celiac disease. While there is no doubt that the condition exists the lack of definite criteria for a diagnosis is where people are falling short. So acceptance of gluten sensitivity as a valid condition has evolved.”  --Dr. Peter Green, director of the celiac disease center at Columbia University

60-70% who seek help for celiac are actually gluten sensitive not positive for celiac --Dr. Alessio Fasano from the University of Maryland Celiac Research Center

Why is the focus on celiac?

During World War II Willem Dicke found children with wasting disease (diarrhea) and failure to thrive in his hospital went into spontaneous remission from celiac disease during because grain was not available.  He published his findings in 1952.  He was the first doctor to realize grain caused symptoms.  Grains available in his region were wheat, barley, rye, and oats.  All grain has the protein gluten but those grains were prevalent in his region so the majority of research has been on those grains, with less on research on oats. 

If blood tests can't be conclusive, what can reveal Gluten Sensitivity?
Dr. Osborne urges people to think of gluten sensitivity not so much as a disease but as a state of genetics.  Several genetic parameters and patterns have been identified to be factors in causing a reaction to gluten. Unfortunately genetic testing can be hugely expensive!  If you are interested in genetic testing and would like to know which markers to look for for gluten sensitivity, contact me and I can send you the list.  There are several.  Some of these are specific to Celiac.  Others have been isolated in those with non celiac gluten sensitivity.  It is believed these genes get switched on, activating the neurological consequences of gluten intolerance which in turn causes degeneration into disease.

Gluten Sensitivity is not a disease but it causes disease.  
There have been about 190 different diseases that have been linked to gluten sensitivity.  One such condition is Silent Celiac disease.  This form of celiac disease does not display the typical gastric symptoms.  Instead asthma, osteoporosis, anemia and neurological disorders are present.  There may also be thyroid, gall bladder, and liver changes.  The intestinal mucosa can become permeated and Leaky Gut syndrome can result.  This allows toxins and bacteria to access a key area in the abdomen which affects immune system response.

"We have, however, shown that neurological dysfunction can not only precede coeliac disease but can also be its only manifestation...The typical clinical expression of a patient with gluten sensitivity where the sole manifestation is neurological is cerebellar ataxia, often with a peripheral neuropathy. Most of these patients will have histologically normal mucosa on biopsy and few or no gastrointestinal symptoms. Both the ataxia and the neuropathy may be reversible."

---

 [tr1]Check on accuracy of this

Bluetooth from brain to blog on bike

How's that for alliteration in my title?  It's true.  If I could channel my thoughts while I'm riding directly to my blog, you'd all really be tired of me!  Things like most interesting road kill/detritis of the day, most intriguing idea of the day, new biking discovery of the day... You get the idea.  Not much of interest in the road today but saw a brilliant "green" contractor idea.  I passed a motorcycle that had a collapsible ladder strapped to the side of it!  Estimating today?  No truck needed.  Drive the bike! Yesterday's most interesting person on the ride wasn't actually a person but a canine, a beautiful 1st gen, full size, golden doodle.  I want one.  Nice big muzzle, big but not too big, soft and furry coat that shed's little.

Other more significant things run through my mind too.  While riding home tonight I was again amazed at how I'm changing at really deep levels.  I was thinking about identity.  I know and teach tons of stuff about how Jesus is my identity.  The fact that I am loved and accepted completely by God is a part of my daily thoughts.  However there are parts of my soul/spirit that aren't so closely tied to my intellect.  These parts find me reflecting on the recent changes I've made and finding it all a little incredulous and more than a little uncomfortable at the same time.  Who is this thinner, more fit, outdoor loving version of myself?  I recently watched Jake Gyllenhal in Source Code.  The main character asked the military commander if there was another one of her somewhere that didn't marry that guy, that made different choices for her life.  I'm blissfully happy with my choice of soulmate, my choice to bear each of my children, my life journey with God.  But what other areas need change to become permanently a part of who I am, of my identity?

Sometimes as I reflect on my journey toward a thinner me I find an inner voice telling me, "It won't last" or "This thinner you isn't really who you are."  "You really aren't this person who loves biking everywhere you go and would prefer not to get in a car unless you have to."  "You really don't like the big night sky. It makes you afraid."  I'm learning the importance of quieting those voices.  Of taking control of my life in ways I know beyond a shadow of a doubt are things God wants to change in me.  The wonder of it all is that sometimes there are things that I sense him saying, "Sure, go ahead and try that on.  See how it fits you.  I can work with that."

Dave Evans, a brilliant man, mentor and friend, taught a class at Vintage Faith on the will of God.  The most freeing thing he talked about was the "infinite number of yous" being ok for God to work with.  He's a big God that can move the chess pieces of life and choices around endlessly without error or doubt.  There is an incredible amount of freedom in accepting "growth change".  Fear would have me feel otherwise.  My stoic, risk averse German DNA gets a little freaked out by it.  Secretly, I think the Irish DNA is exultant in it!

Some of you are wishing I would cut to the chase and just tell you how I've lost 50+lbs.  I'm not ready to do that here.  It feels too much like a multi-level marketing scheme tactic.  I don't want to cheapen the hard work that's involved.  I can tell you in a nutshell how I've done it.  Homeopathic Hcg.  Ok so I did it.  But that doesn't reveal the inner work that has brought me to the place that I can feel my stomach growl and not reach for the cookie.  So those of you who are in it for the long haul, travel with me and learn more about how it all works. Share your thoughts back.  I've created a few discussions in my FB Healing Pathway page.  Tell me what you're thinking and experiencing.

Abstract from my dissertation

This is a bit of a departure from current blog posts but many have been curious about my dissertation.  It will be a dry subject for many but here's the abstract as it stands so far... Subject to change of course.  I'm only twelve of 45-75 pages in!

Abstract for Redeeming Health: The Practice & Theology of Natural Health

This paper is written to stimulate the thinking and discernment of the reader in respect to healing mindsets and methodologies currently in practice in health and medicine today.  The intended audience is primarily people whose worldview is framed in Biblical Christian values and beliefs.  It will challenge some; others may find it enlightening.  Readers who do not hold values consistent with a Christian worldview are invited to read and think critically about the principles presented.  

I will explore questions such as: How has the Theology of healing changed throughout the ages? Is it static or has it changed as society or religious perspectives have changed? What were those theologies or philosophies?  Why did the changes occur?  How has our postmodern/post-Christian shift affected health, medicine, and the Christian view of healing? How have people who follow God made medical choices in the past?  What is the significance of these changes?  If science prompted change, what changes prompt our current theology on healing?  What role does scripture play in these choices?  I examine concepts laid out in the Christian and Hebrew scriptures: the Creation and Hebrew Testament stories of early humanity, Jesus’ healing passages, eating meat offered to idols, general and special revelation, as well as applicable apochryphal passages.

I’ll present principles to lay a foundation for discernment. One that will consider truth, input from the scriptures, input from natural revelation through science and the created order, and examine how health and healing has been viewed and practiced throughout the ages and into our present time.  This can educate us regarding the big picture that helps us make wise choices today. I will conclude with principles for discernment in all methodologies of healing and include a matrix to help the reader to make an informed decision based on the thoughts presented here, one best suiting her conscience and health perspectives.  In some cases, Christ followers will choose methodologies they had not tried before.  In other cases personal discernment may lead them away from therapies now deemed acceptable in the mainline American medical system.  The goal of this paper is to bring educated discernment and to help formulate a current theology of health and healing based on principles honoring to our God and Creator which will allow us to find a healing pathway God desires for us.

Thinking I might tweet...

Second day of school.  Mom is improving.  Barry's at work.  I should be working on my dissertation.  Much more incentive to blog today!  Please bear with me as I learn to blog.  In my mind there's a fuzzy zone where blogging simply becomes a narcissitic venting, mental dysentary or useless effort for me to write or you to read.  So as I fine tune that sense, be aware that I may offer a little TMI (blame approaching menopause?), useless mind ramblings or something in some way offensive to someone.  What I want to do is see if any of my musings, research, training or experiences can resonate with yours.  I want to offer insights into what has often been right in front of me but I had to get a little more seasoned from life's ups and downs to see it.  As you feel ready to jump in with comments I'll try to fine tune further as I find out what is really helpful to people.  One of my biggest personal feats offered by this blog is to try to put to rest my 120% or it's nothing mindset, a destructive life tendency that I'm trying desperately to break!  I'll also open some discussions on my facebook Healing Pathway page so that if a drilled down discussion is helpful we can do that there instead of in a blog.  

As for the tweeting... All morning I've had tweets in my head but no phone in hand.  Things that I'm loving about being 53lbs (almost!) lighter at 53 have rolled through my awareness.  I'm considering tweeting these not so that I can gloat (really!) but so that others might see that there are joys along the way toward goal weights and better health.  If we don't appreciate the small victories, we'll never reach the big goal.  

Have I shared my mantra that has kept me on this journey?  When I was just starting out I was terrified of how long the process of losing 90lbs was going to be.  I was praying about this cuz I  was afraid it would deter me from even getting started.  (120/0 thinking again!)  A catch phrase (for those uncomfortable with the word mantra) came to my mind.  (I believe from my amazing Creator!)  Countless times along this journey I have reinforced my resolve with this phrase:

 "It may take a long time but I won't always be here on my way there." 

now on to the dissertation!!!

The Journey Continues

I promised a blog today and am finding the tyrannies of the day crowding in already. The first day back to school for kids should be a quiet one for me. But the day marches on. Barry is running around me in a flurry of activity as I sit here to write a bit so forgive me if it's short.

There are a couple of things running around my brain today. Constant prayers for my family is one. My sweet 90 year old mom is one day out from surgery to replace a broken hip. I feel at peace but far away. They are in Nebraska--a world away from Silicon Valley, California! My two sisters are helping her and my dad (92 yrs) as they go through this tough time. One sister is recovering from major back surgery so my other sister is the hero of the day today. Both of them have worked tirelessly to care and advocate for my Mom and Dad who are in an awesome skilled nursing facility with loving caregivers who are keeping track of my Daddy who must be very worried. They've been married since June of 1940. It's 2011, you do the math. In our time this is one of the longest marriages you'll find. They are still deeply in love and devoted to each other. Truly inspiring! So as my mom lies in her bed struggling for all of her bodily systems to come back online and in more pain than I want to think about, I struggle to write.

My kids are always in my thoughts. Two in their 20s still ramble through my thoughts daily as I think of what they're doing at their jobs or as they pursue their hobbies. Son a scuba diver. Daughter a professional pastry chef (@sweetshannies on twitter!) But I am beginning to let go. To breathe into their adulthood and independence. The teens just went back to school today so lots of thoughts going that direction. First day of high school for my baby daughter. That's a big one.

Never to be out of my thoughts is my amazing Barry. My parents marriage is inspirational. My own is lifegiving. He's back after a few days with the kids in Idaho doing cool out in the country stuff with 4WD jeeps and (gasp) guns (target shooting is cool!) and cute puppy dogs. Today we'll do our errands, experience a bit of a sabbath since Sundays are workdays for us as pastors and hosts to a new faith community, and enjoy lunch together before the kids are out of school.

So forgive me if today my thoughts are divided and scattered. Thoughts of health, weight loss, nutrition and exercise are in there but they aren't center stage today. I'll tell you more about our family journey toward better health and the nearly 125 lb weight loss of the Renfros. The story of the Incredible Shrinking Renfros is still ahead. Stay tuned...

On a new journey with Healing Pathway... Join me

My daughter is inspiring me on so many levels. She's just started a business, a blog and upped her facebook presence. It's been years since I've last used this blog so I'll be a little rusty but I want to get back to it so here I go. It may be a little bit at a time but here goes...

I think the big thing that has held me back has been an overwhelming sense that as I grow older, I've realized how little I really know. Five years in the study of natural health has vastly grown my knowledge but that's not it. Do I really have anything to say that might make a difference in someone's life? That's the question haunting me. My husband has long pointed out that I live by the 120% rule: If it's not 120% then it's 0. I'm attempting to leave behind that destructive way of thinking. As a result, I'm going to take a chance that I can actually share something that might be helpful to another. If not for you, then maybe for someone else.

Recently a good friend and colleague wisely and kindly admonished me to begin to practice what I preach. Ouch! This was the most loving and kindest thing she could have said. It was only an echo of what I was already feeling but not acting on. Again proof that I needed to practice what I preached.

I'll be a bit vulnerable here and, at the risk of TMI, share things I might not have when I was younger. Blame it on approaching menopause. I have "that thing Kitty (That 70s Show) has". But I do it in the hopes that my transparency might help someone else find the courage and insight I lacked just a few months ago and maybe to have people help me stay accountable.

I'm a dissertation short of a naturopathic doctor/ojopodoctor of naturopathic ministry degree. I'm also certified to practice and teach a touch healing methodology called Cellular Response. I've had training in several types of massage, body systems analysis, nutrition, human chemistry and more. Over the past five years I have gained a tremendous respect for the human body, mind and spirit. All this and I was 90lbs overweight!

There are always reasons why one gains a little here and there, aren't there? What happens that suddenly the extra five pounds turns to 10 and how in the world does it get to 90? In my case I was at my goal weight after two children and a whole lot of hard work. Giardia; gall bladder disease, surgery, complications leading to chronic pain, medication that instantly put on 40lbs; a severe ankle injury involving 3 surgeries and a year and a half recovery, two more pregnancies... Physically, it was a rough twenty years. But that said, I began my ascent out of denial when I took a little test in Dr. Phil's book, The Ultimate Weight Solution. I discovered I was NOT ready to lose the weight I'd gained. This realization while pretty sad might have actually been the first step. That plus my friend's admonition and a pretty crazy food plan started me on this new journey. Stay tuned for more posts about just that and join me!