Ignite Your Flame - Celebrate with me!

A view from our front porch

Such a fantastic winter sky

   Hey peoples from near and far! I have had lots of goings on since 2018 started and I've been keeping my long term goals in mind. Those of us with autoimmune conditions tend to do just that. Sometimes we need to take a "time-out" to recoupe because life just gets too taxing....and I'm ok with that! Keeps my long term goals on my mind! Finn and I have been doing yoga daily since the year began and I will be posting more videos on my YouTube channel soon! Subscribe ... so my older kids will stop making fun of me! :)

Baby aerial yoga

   Which brings me to my latest accomplishment...DRUM ROLL.....something I have been working on and off again for over 12 whole years! I've published another children's book called, "A Princess Pirate Tea Party" that was written for our daughters when they were younger. I have dedicated the work to all of our four daughters. It is about our tea party times and how one afternoon we needed to get created so the event wasn't ruined in their eyes. Our girls spent lots of time drinking imaginary tea and all the fun that goes along with that.

   Also, I have been furthering my knowledge in the energy medicine field and am participating in classes that focus on the body's meridian systems. I'll let you in on more of that soon! It's fascinating!

   I just wanted to celebrate with you and give someone inspiration for achieving things however long it may take you! There were many times I needed to put this project on the back burner because I was sick AGAIN or too fatigued to even deal with another project, especially when life was kicking my butt. Sometimes you need to take time to deal with your health so you can enjoy the fruits of life maybe even years later. Yes it took over two years to healing to get to the place I'm in. It's completely worth it...you are worth it!

We took a business trip to North Dakota....

it was a regular -21 degrees every day,

so we swam in hot waters!

   So, please click this link, check out my new book and the others I have in my online bookstore! Write me a message on there to let me know you visited!

Baby drop: Lock and Load

   We past another week from this picture and are in the 28th week! It was a week full of surprises on top of being Yule/Christmas week. We had been looking forward to our December appointment for months---another ultrasound, and the start of bi-weekly on visits. The days preceding this appointment were let's just say uncomfortable. I haven't slept more than an hour at a time, having to do yoga during the night to simply be comfortable, and let's not forget about the breathing..I NEED AIR! And then over the course of two days, the baby dropped, my ribs quit aching and the pelvic pressure began...and so did some scary spotting....
   We've been here before, and I've had pre-term labor with one of the girls, this is not a picnic we're setting up for. We called our on immediately and had to come directly into the office....baby is fine, I'm fine despite the unexplained spotting and pelvic pressure. The baby is not under stress. The next day we had our regularly planned appointment with extra emphasis on our ultrasound to include a detailed look at the cervix.

The cysts on our baby's brain we've worried about for 8 weeks have disappeared! My placenta is just as it should be, and my cervix is closed and the length it needs to be....everything looks perfect! The baby is carrying really low however, and the time has come for me to hang up my working shoes and take life slow like the waddling turtle that I have become. The baby has dropped and the head is down....our little one is preparing to meet us!
   Our Wee Baby Ness is quite active with plenty of room for the time being. The baby love she our yoga sessions and I'm convinced we will have quite a time getting the nights and days switched around. I get kicked and punched the entire yoga meditation session....we are going to have the most enlightened baby! I've been reading Tibetan Buddhist passages to the wee one as well in preparation for an easy transitional birthing experience.
   Speaking of that, it's come time for us to center on our birthing plan. I've always done natural childbirth but this time I am open to a little help and that is a big step for me. Next month we have a birthing class and before you know it, it will be show time!........If only it really can go that fast. I've been on light detail for three days now and am already going stir crazy. 24 hour periods are long....I'm going to miss the Firehouse Brewing Company family, the regular customers and that aspect of my life. I truly just need to focus on this last home stretch of this incredible journey we are living.
We hope you enjoy your holidays, whatever you celebrate!

Blessings!

Bonding: A struggle of pregnancy after loss

  One of the cold, hard truths of suffering a miscarriage or multiple miscarriages is that bonding with your unborn is delayed...sometimes weeks, months or until after the birth. A couple or family will find it very difficult to bond when they've had to endure such a horrific tragedy. The fear of loving that little growing person takes a mighty grip on your soul. Even if you've spent years trying to conceive, the hard reality of losing the very thing you have been working toward can take its emotional tole on you.

   You tell yourself you are going to pretend nothing is going on and resume life as usual, still going through the motions of pregnancy....but not talking about it. You secretly countdown the days of the "dangerous" time of pregnancy. Pretty soon, you are in that 1% bracket of pregnancies that end in miscarriage and you still really can't celebrate BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN THE 1%.
   You keep the pregnancy to yourselves, not wanting to make yet another mass announcement that a piece of you has died, never to return. You don't want the awkward conversations or the ones supposed to make you feel better, but only make you feel worse. There's no funeral for your created miracle and there are several terms they refer to your baby as terms other than "baby" and your life is changed forever. You are never the same person that you were, and this happens after EACH miscarriage.
   I wanted this pregnancy to be celebrated...it is a life we created, in strength, courage and hope. And we have celebrated from the start. We told a small teeny tiny circle of people and went about reminding ourselves to breath and try to enjoy every moment of this little life. As much as we wanted to shout it from the rooftops, like our expecting friends and family were doing, we kept to ourselves....because it is our little family's journey.
   When I started showing, I opened up more to the people around me. I talked about my baby and remained positive. Some know our history, some do not. Some say quirky things that are innocent but naive and some tell me daily how brave we are. Some just give me uplifting smiles...and they are appreciated.
   I believe we are coping fairly well...I've documented this pregnancy from the start, photos, memorabilia, this blog. But as time has gone on, we still are being very private about this exciting life we've created. Are we not bonding with our baby?....We have been preparing for the arrival as a family though...working on sewing diapers, putting together storage, holding the belly and talking to the little person inside. We've done maternity photo sessions, prepared where the baby will be, talked about how to be big a big sister when you've been the baby for 13 years, or how parenting will go for us, bought books on birthing methods. My husband has now told a few of his customers that we are expecting a baby complete with pictures and tales.

   And as scary as it sounds, I'm opening up to the idea of a baby shower. You may laugh when I say scary, but it is to people pregnant after loss. What are we supposed to do with the baby's stuff given to us if we don't get to bring our baby home again? What does life look like after that?
   The subject of bonding with the unborn came up in one of my online support groups for hypothyroid moms and dads and parents who've lived through what we have. Some of them were truly struggling with bonding...they even had difficulty talking to their little miracle. Some support given instructed them to make big announcements as early as possible, that this life is worth celebrating, to use this time to get into the subject of how this baby is a baby from the start. Some brought forth their religious values to this subject and in turn caused controversy.
   It got me thinking about if our little baby was being "neglected" because of our past history. I began worrying that we might not be bonding with our baby because we haven't made a big announcement or I wasn't allowing anyone to plan a baby shower yet...but after looking back at how we've planned, laughed, privately celebrated and have been preparing, I think we are doing just fine in that department.
   My conclusion.....Don't fall into the idea that you need to make a statement for the world. Just be. Prepare how you chose to. Do what you feel is right for you....it's your journey!

Blessings!

Swimming in chlorine: Chemicals in your water

   I have been an avid swimmer most of my life. I even spent a decade as a lifeguard, swim instructor, pool operator and lifeguard instructor. I love, love, LOVE swimming. I haven't been able to swim since July of this year and finally my husband and I swam this past week!

Here we are at our favorite indoor facility!

   We live in a climate that waters do not remain open year round so we are mostly swimming in chlorinated pools. There has been lots of documented information that points to chlorine or bromine in swimming pool as a cause for low thyroid. Fluoride in water and toothpaste can also affect your thyroid. All three of these chemicals interfere with the absorption of Iodine.  Finding this information out crushed me. Swimming is my sanctuary, especially during my healing process. Getting rid of fluoride from your life is a subject for another blog.
  I really thought about it....How can I do my favorite sport and stay safe? Your skin is your biggest and most exposed organ. Think about that. Think about all the "stuff" you put on your skin to either feel good or better. I had already started making my own sunscreen with safe ingredients for autoimmune people---so why not make a liquid body armor so my skin doesn't absorb chlorine?
   One way to tell if your skin has absorbed the chlorine is if you smell of chlorine long after you've swam. There were many many times I would smell like chlorine daily, especially during the summer months. That meant I was operating with chlorine in my system constantly, blocking iodine from getting into my system where it belonged.
   I started experimenting with my sunscreen formula and took out the zinc, added more beeswax and a little more apricot oil and it is perfectly waterproof. My sunscreen recipe can be found in a previous post on this blog. I tried this out and the water beaded up throughout my whole swim. I coated my hair with this as well so my strands wouldn't suck up any inferior chemicals. Score one for the Hashimoto's warrior!

Here I am this week ---15 weeks and counting! Our little bump is coming along nicely. I keep occupied with my family, brewery business and simple things!

A little friend in our backyard

by Cris M. Ness

The Ness Crew

September 2016

The 2016 Harvest Moon

by Cris M. Ness

Stop the Madness! Your hormones will thank you!

If you suffer from a chronic illness like diabetes, Hashimoto's or any other autoimmune disorder or disease, you need to know about endocrine disruptors (chemicals that are found everywhere when you look) that can wreak havoc on your well being.
To know how this can affect your life, we need to first talk about your endocrine system.
My wha?? Yes, you have an endocrine system that is a very important system in the human body.
I'm not going to go into a bunch of medical blah blah blah...here's some things you'll notice your endocrine system does!
You want to lose/gain weight? That's a part of your endocrine system. How about remembering where you last put your keys or about an upcoming meeting time? You guessed it, that's information that your endocrine system controls. Heart rhythms, skipped periods, low libido? That's part of your endocrine system too! Your endocrine system controls many many areas of your body and with out it or if it becomes severely damaged, the human body can decline rapidly. According to the medical staff on WebMD, "The endocrine system influences how your heart beats, how your bones and tissues grow, even your ability to make a baby. It plays a vital role in whether or not you develop diabetes, thyroid disease, growth disorders, sexual dysfunction, and a host of other hormone-related disorders." It's kind of a big deal.
So what can disrupt your endocrine system? Look in your medicine cabinet. Look in your make-up case. Do you put mass manufactured baby oil or lotion on your biggest organ - YOUR SKIN - daily? Anything we put on our bodies, gets absorbed into us and can disrupt an already faulty or struggling endocrine system. Even room sprays and air fresheners like Febreeze can harm a person trying to get their system back in line. Perfume, mass produced deodorant and laundry detergent can all disrupt your system.
So what is a person gonna do? My recovery plan for my flailing adrenals and confused hormones, I turned to cutting out all non-toxic cleaning materials, laundry supplies, body lotions, sprays, sunscreens and even shampoos. I make most of my own products for our house and if I don't have success making the products, I can usually find something in one of my natural stores or online to fit the bill.

People cannot argue with my results. In a year, I have overhauled my body internally. For the first time in over twenty years, I have been off allergy remedies and medications. And this is just one change that I've noticed. I've noticed several other things like not breaking out inexplainably in hives, I do not have dry itchy skin anymore and my brain fog seems to have loosed up its' grip on me! New lady!

Check out these great items!!

Things for dry skin:

• Coconut oil
• African Shea Butter
• Olive oil

Toothpaste replacement:
I love the brand Tom's, otherwise, baking soda with a dash of peppermint, tea tree or lavender oil will do in a pinch!

Hair care:
Coconut milk based recipes are amazing for hair. You can find some here.
Honey and eggs are also a great conditioner for your skin and they are affordable!

All natural deodorant:
When I first went off commercial mass produced deodorant, I was freaked out. I was having to apply it two or three times a day to keep up with the funky smell. Firstly, I detoxed my armpits using this recipe. Then I purchased a salt block and used that. After a few weeks, I detoxed the pits again. After only six months, I do not even need to salt to start my day and leave the house!

When cleaning your home, look for products that are biodegradable, earth friendly and use essential oils to disinfect and clean. Anything that leaves a trail or a chemical haze in the air is really off limits for a while.

Do you like to burn wax? Try using a soy based wax melt scented with all natural essential oils without artificial coloring. These smell great and our family has  no issues with allergies while using these. These are my current favorites and the product is awesome!

A special note about baby oil: Mass produced baby oil is petroleum or mineral based. These kinds of products do not allow your skin to breath. It coats your skin and disrupts the process to cell regeneration. It actually ages your skin. Your pores do not function as they should. Vegetable or fruit based oils are suggested in place of petroleum or mineral oil.

   In the United States, efforts have been severely hampered by chemical lobbyists to change laws or put statutes in place to  remove the harmful endocrine disrupting agents from the shelves of the stores. Despite the work of several hardworking individuals, over a decade has passed with the measures still awaiting to be carried out. European nations are in a much better lot with their governmental agencies taking the scientific data seriously. For more information on the measures, click here.

Blessings!

Ask me about Distance Healings

or need a consult?

Cris Ness

Believe in your journey!

The tests are in.....I'm freakishly fabulous!!

   For six long months, I've been in an active battle everyday. Every day, for the past six months, I've been an active commander-in-chief. Every minute, making a choice to better the predicament I was in. For those just joining me, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's last Summer after another grueling, painful, unwanted, emotionally deadening miscarriage. In a nutshell, being Hashimoto's means when my body encounters certain things, i.e. gluten, a common flu/virus, severe stress, it makes up a very kick ass army ...and it attacks body organs ---MY BODY ORGANS! These internal attacks can last from a few weeks to several agonizing and painful months of waking up daily in pain.
   For anyone that battles an autoimmune condition, test day is a big day. It takes a minimum of six weeks to alter medications and see if things are going in the direction you need them to go. We didn't know it, but I had vast internal damage in my gut that needed healing. Gut healing takes a minimum of six months. It is six months of being very regimented and on point. Six months of always thinking about what goes in your body for fuel, nutrients and hydration. Six months of not knowing if any of the sacrifices you are enduring are for anything. Six months of wishful thinking.
   The time had come to test. My friends and family wished me well right before I went in with "I got good feels about this!" to "You're amazing!" to "Let me know right away, okay? I love you." My support team is nothing short of fantastic. You'd think after all the blood work I've experienced the past two years, I would know what the person taking samples is called. I don't. I refer to these wonderful people as my pokers. This time my poker "Luanne" looked at my chart and giggled. "I just got a flashback from your chart! I graduated high school the exact day you were born!" I smiled and laughed and thought to myself of the wonderful exchange we just had and that this is good omen. She didn't hurt me either, another good omen.
   My blood tests take two days in a lab for results. I could go into extensive detail as to why, but that is a whole other blog subject! In essence, they must mix my blood with other components and see what reaction(s) happen. I was pretty patient for the wait, but my entourage was anxious! And then boom! Here they were.....
   After being six months on the same dosage of levoxithyroxine, going gluten free, adding supplements and minerals, building and installing infrared light therapy, routine therapeutic massage sessions, and enduring a long term  parasitic cleanse...I have exactly what I was working towards!

My levoxythyroxine dosage needs to be decreased again. It means that my thyroid gland is repairing itself and producing again.

My Thyroglubin Antibody test indicated that my Hashimotos is in REMISSION...for now. My antibodies are there but have been put on stand down. They can remain on duty floating through my system waiting to be reminded of their jobs for the next three years. And more recent data has come in that indicates that they were probably attacking other areas in my body too, we just haven't figured out where yet. I will always have Hashimoto's, the BEST I can shoot for is remission.

After my results came in, it was time to adjust again. Brain fog, appetite loss, vision changes seemingly hourly, loss of sleep...been through it before so it was just time to batten down the hatches for a brighter tomorrow. :) As usual, my soul partner, husband, solid foundation was amazing as we're my loving kids. I can't stress enough how thankful I am to have these people in my life.

I'm going on four weeks now and it is amazing!

Causes for extensive jubilation and celebration! I celebrated my birthday with the usual fanfare and simple joys! Believe in your journey!

Cleansing The Things In Me...parasites, flukes and candida OH MY!

"Well honey, at least they aren't in you anymore," my perfectly loving husband said to me as he squeezed the wounded me that was literally curled up in a ball in the middle of the floor after my last bathroom visit.   
We take lots of things for granted living in a nice and tidy first world country like the United States. Only until recent years, has this country felt the real life crunch of a  water shortage like in California or the problems of toxic fish population making the way into the food production lines of companies and on the shelves of the supermarkets. We can control the temperatures of our homes with technology that rides around in our pockets and purses, chat with someone across the country 24/7 and much of the population can afford to buy delectable drinks for $6 -12 ounces of liquid sweet yumminess. We have a plethora of medications that can fix anything from acne to fungus infections to various strains of cancer. We are pretty safe and sound.
   My Hashimoto's journey has led on a knowledge and health pilgrimage. I delegate a number of minutes daily to research, performing health tasks and basic time for assessing how I feel (if I have any new symptoms, feel ill in any way, just being extremely conscious of how I feel). I do this everyday....because I need to be the navigator of my own health. It assists me in being able to put others first at all other times of the day so I can be the best wife and the best mom and the best friend to people in my life.
   Now....onto the topic of today's lesson: THE PARASITIC CLEANSE. Throughout much of my research, I would encounter a few mentions of the parasitic cleanse and quickly bypass it.....because Oh Em Gee I didn't even want to think about it and our food supply isn't bad here anyways, I doubt this is even possible. Every time I ran upon the subject, I opened my cracked eye just a wee bit more and read a few more words. Finally, I came to terms that it was possible that I could be hosting a parasitic discoteque complete with flukes and protozoa and with autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's, fibromyalgia and those that have contracted the Epstein Barr virus are at a higher risk of being a host to the creepy crawlies. I took some big gulps and looked into ways to "detox my system"  ( preferable way of talking about this thing called a parasitic cleanse).
   I pride myself on not taking a lot of drugs on the market --- or off the market for that matter. I really don't even enjoy taking Ibuprofen or cold medicine. I'm a nature gal what can I say. This journey has had me popping more pills that people stumbling onto an unmanned bubble wrap factory filled to capacity. So, needless to say, it was crucial that I find a way to detox my body without polluting it more with man-made chemicals. I deworm my dogs with Guinness
stout. And of course, they LOVE that! I would love that too if I wasn't gluten intolerant and I'm not sure it's tough enough to work on with humans, but my husband has volunteered to be the Guinness pig....get it---Guinness....
   Oil  of Oregano in capsule is the miracle drug of my choice for this job! It's efficient, it's economical, it's natural. It kills everything in its' path including any little fungus infections -- which I had been battling a skin infection on and off for months. It does kill any bacteria both good and bad which is why I've included a broad spectrum probiotic in my line up as well to replenish the good guys.  I've also discovered on my journey that keeping a health journal is essential to keeping tabs on your treatment...it has come in aid to me numerous times when visiting with my healthcare team to me trying my little science experiments on myself and seeing if what I am trying works or makes me feel worse. I'm a complete science nerd so this fits all my nerdy desires.
   I did notice after the second dose, I felt a few aches and pains. I was still experiencing headaches, joint inflammation and muscle soreness. The dosage I followed suggested up to 200 mg per day. I started with 50 mg for three days just to see and upped it when things completely got real. After the dosage was more potent, I could feel movement, I could see real results. And those little guys are abandoning ship any which way they can...just remember that your skin is also an organ of your body.  I will not go into detail here, just know that you can google images of those critters and yeah----I had one of the best parasite parties going on in my body temple....and I worship myself like nobody's business. I love me...and apparently so did they because I had Candida, tapeworms, egg sacks, flukes and hook worms all living within my sacred walls! Mortified cannot even begin to describe my mental wellness at this point.
   My advice to anyone that has had these symptoms, is to not be afraid and just face the possibility that you might be a host. Contact your physician and get tested if you feel the need. Especially if you are in the high risk category (like having autoimmune conditions, being hypothyroid or hyperthyroid, have had EBV.)
I went along with the oil of oregano method because even if I didn't have anything, it wouldn't hurt me having that going in my system. Contact your physician, chiropractor, healthcare provider if you suspect a parasitic infestation, be proactive! I'm not a doctor of any sorts but knowledge is power so get yourself aware.
Continue the oil of oregano for 4-6 weeks and then maybe put this on your calendar for every year. I'm such a control Nazi about things that I might just go ahead and do this in the fall too---time will tell. I know I'll never ever let myself be blind to the fact that I might get worms every now and then thanks to my autoimmune conditions. And that's just how I roll.