Sunscreen for the rest of us: Recipe worth worshipping!

   I love being in the sun and I always have. Commercial sunscreen was called "tanning butter" when I was a kid. The people I idolized often used vegetable oil or baby oil to attract the sun's warmth, put themselves in generated light machines and were considered beauty....fast forward a few decades and we finally accept how harmful this is to our largest vital organ, our skin. More and more people are falling victim to Melanoma every year. And if you've been lucky enough to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition like I have, just simply using deodorant or body lotion can wreak havoc on your endocrine system.

Faeryboop Friendly Sun Blocker
Available here....

   I've always been a huge proponent of max SPF sunscreen. Working as a lifeguard/instructor for an outdoor aquatic facility for over a decade, I always made darn sure my vital organ was covered. If not, the possibility of heat stroke, or exhaustion was a certainty. I wanted to use the sunscreen with the safest ingredients, but it just wasn't economically feasible.....until now!

I made my own SPF 45 WATERPROOF sunscreen with a few ingredients and about 30 minutes of my time. 

I'll tell you how to do it!

You can alter this recipe to your liking but here's what I did;

Gather up your ingredients
like beeswax, coconut oil and Shea butter

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup aloe or almond oil or carrot seed oil
2 Tbsp.-1/4 cup beeswax
1-2Tbsp. Shea butter
1 tsp. vitamin E oil
2 Tbsp. zinc oxide powder*
15-20 drops of your favorite essential oil(s)

* You MUST buy Non-Nano Zinc Oxide Powder for the recipe to be considered endocrine system healthy. Besides, you get to look like this when you are brewing it up!

Take caution when using powered zinc oxide!
Breathing the dust is very harmful!

Step one: Combine the coconut oil, aloe, beeswax, vitamin E oil and Shea butter in a double boiler. No worries if you don't have one! I improved with a saucepan and a big stock pot of boiling water. Making sure the surrounding water doesn't get into your saucepan mix by holding it just within the water.

Homemade double boiler

Step two: when the mix is well combined, remove from heat. Add essential oils and put on your mask!

Step three: While wearing your mask and brewing in a well ventilated area, add the zinc. Stir very well.

Step four: Pour in desired containers! Enjoy!

*****This sun block is amazing! It is long lasting, silky smooth and we love how we can customize it with our favorite ingredients.

Rocks: The importance of a few rocks and other things in your life

Bouldering in the Black Hills, South Dakota

Big week my fellow blog enthusiasts, Hashimoto's and Autoimmune warriors and loved ones also in the battle...I started a new hobby this week....BOULDERING! This can be a strenuous and extreme, fulfilling and challenging sport and it had me in it's grips from the moment I put on those uncomfortable climbers shoes.

My rock climbing rocks with me. Happy anniversary to us this week!

I love you, my Clayton!

I know starting anything new can be a daunting thought

when you are battling.

I'm no different. Bouldering is something I've been wanting to pick up and do and five month ago, I would've told you this probably wasn't looking like it could happen for me...EVER. I've always been active and my drive to succeed far outweighs almost anything...except when I was having my last Hashimoto's flare and my need to sleep won over everything. So just how do I get from barely being able to get out of bed to conquering a boulder with my physique and wits? Lots of research and understanding about how Hashimoto's people might not be able to utilize the nutrients you are fueling your body with. I started with an open mind about what the experts know and don't know about this autoimmune condition and the reality is that there are LOTS of contradicting evidence out there. If you are new to the journey, my advice is to realize that this condition is so personalized that it can take people decades to get a diagnosis...and I'm one of those people! With this in mind, remember to be open to try different things, think scientifically about yourself as a machine and fuel up as you should.

I'll save the HEY YOU NEED TO GO GLUTEN FREE for another time, Hashimoto's warrior. Today, we are talking about the importance of healing from the inside out and supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals to benefit your immune system, assist your body in metabolism (now that something that we always battle) and vitamins to help your nervous system, including your brain, to function better.

Here's my personal arsenal ... seems daunting but after I researched

each and every one of the beauties I was sold on

popping pills or mixing cocktails up for my well being to make 

my day to day living easier.

• Selenium: This element can be found in a variety of food including fish and Brazil nuts. People with thyroid problems, weakened immune systems and depression patients have all been found to be low in selenium. If you battle allergies or endocrine system problems, look into having your selenium levels tested.
• Tyrosine: This amino acid is critical to the nervous system and helps clear up any anxiety issues or brain fog that might be putting a veil over your world. Tyrosine is essential for helping you with how you perceive and interact with your environment. Addition of this amino acid has been helped to reduce chronic fatigue, depression and other symptoms.
• Zinc: If you are in a high risk category, like having Crohn's disease or other digestive or immune conditions, you need to take a look at this often overlooked mineral. Zinc aids in fighting infections, cell division and cell turnover to heal wounds.
• Vitamin E: This vitamin plays a vital role in a healthy immune system. It aids the body in regulating vitamin A. Vitamin E is an antioxidant which means it protects your good cells from harmful and damaging free radicals while you are healing. It's also fantastic for hair and nails...both of those are problem areas for Thyroid people.
• Vitamin C: Otherwise also known as L-ascorbic acid, this wonderful stuff boosts your immune system, supports good gut bacteria, combats stress and lowers high cholesterol among other benefits.
• Tumeric: Part of traditional Ayurvedic medicine, Tumeric aids in inflammation and adrenal gland stimulator. Personally, this stuff has made all the difference in the world with my chronic pain and inflammation and allowed me to perform my exercise routine pain free, a feat I hadn't been able to enjoy for nearly a decade.
• Thytrophin PMG: As with many medical routes, there is the inevitable controversy...welcome to Thytrophin PMG. I researched, talked to pharmacists and my personal healthcare team about the possibility of taking this hormone. I've got to say, I'm on month two of this supplement and I've had no side effects that I've noticed and I've got two week to blood work to see how this affected my system. Basically, this is being used as a decoy for my body to attack this instead of my thyroid. The medical field has actually recently documented the Thyroid gland repairing itself and regenerating just as the liver can. It just needs a little help to stop the onslaught of my amazing body kicking its' own butt. We needed a decoy until this vicious cycle can simmer down!
• Probiotics: Gut health means making sure you carry around the thousands of little bacteria that are essential to healthy digestions. Not having the right balance means sleeplessness, depression, metabolism issues, anxiety issues, and many other problems that are easily solved by getting the right bugs into your system. Look into the many forms of probiotics.
• Coconut Oil: It's not shown in the picture, but I enjoy the heck out of the this oil. It really has aided in healing my gut. I drink it in my coffee, my tea, I cook with it and I even use it as a skin moisturizer.

Ask your healthcare team to check any of these levels or look into the symptoms of deficiency yourself! Be proactive!

Staring up at those rocks, I was quietly nervous. I really have had many more days of good than bad and I know it can take upwards of two years to completely heal your insides from the damage your magnificent body can do to itself. I've been researching and adding elements to my health plan for five months. I've had to back off of my workouts because it became detrimental for me to do them. It was doing more harm than good at the time. I'm only up to two to three times a week in my workouts. Can I conquer these rocks? Will my brain be on point? How about my grip? There are times in life when you just breath, smile and begin to believe in your body again.

On my first day of bouldering, I took on some V4s and had a brilliant time enjoying the company of my life companion and best friend as we celebrated another year together.

Cheers!

Messages from the Red Planet: Infrared Sauna Therapy

"Divine Waves In  Me"

   This week's subject: Infrared Therapy Saunas and how easily and affordable it is to have in your own home. After reading several documents and scientific papers on the effects of "red light therapy" on the human body and how it can help my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, I set on the journey of how to build a portable unit for my home. The benefits of infrared therapy are vast. On my road to recovery from my latest Hashimoto's Thyroiditis flare, centering on key healing points is essential. Detoxification, pain relief, stress and balancing body chemistry are the key points to this plan and the answer that hits all of those points is the infrared sauna.

Sweating is a perfect way to rid the body of unwanted toxins. But what if you can't exercise due to illness or injury? The infrared sauna is your answer!

   Just what is a sauna? There are several types of saunas and the one that is most prevalent in the United States, where I live, is the Finnish style of sauna that is known as a steam sauna. Steam saunas utilize water on a heat source that creates steam to heat a closed off unit or area where a person is sitting or laying. They can take up for 30 minutes to heat up for usage and unless you want to plunk hundreds of dollars into a unit, it is not feasible....I'm leaning more in the price range of under $100 to see if it really works.

   My search started to become a reality when I learned just how easy it is to build an infrared sauna in your home. After looking into the basic materials I would need, I set out and had my own sauna in two hours. With just a wood board, three porcelain "chick" heating lamps and three infrared bulbs (both of these items can be found at a farm supply store, hardware store of online)  and a frame with heavy material used as an enclosure, a small ceramic heater and a temperature gauge  I had in my closet and I was cooking!

   I installed my new healthy infrared sauna (basically a wood board with three lamps attached to in inside a curtain of fabric) in my basement. No worries for me about a fire hazard besides making sure the fabric wasn't touching the lamps or the heater. I sat in the radiant heat with my workout bikini on because it is essential to have as much as your skin being exposed to the therapeutic waves. Remember to not look directly into the bulbs but other than that, I read a book and chatted with my outside world :). Also, you must rotate your body every five minutes for maximum benefits.

If you are new to infrared saunas, it is recommended that you start with 4 minutes sessions in 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit and work your way towards 30 minutes sessions.

   After my first session, which I stayed in for 25 minutes, I reached a level of relaxation that I've only been able to achieve through therapeutic massage. My skin was soft and silky. I felt refreshed and centered. I couldn't wait until my next session. Two days later, I again went in my DIY sauna and the result were the same. I also had some very sore muscles from my previous yoga session and I came out with no soreness at all! In 30 minutes, my muscles were not sore or stiff.

   There are three types of bulbs you can chose from: Near, middle or far.

• Near infrared bulbs are best used for wound healing and immunity boost.
• Middle infrared bulbs are designed for increasing circulation and promoting muscle relaxation.
• Far infrared bulbs are suited best for detoxification.

After three sessions, the verdict is in! Infrared saunas are an essential tool for anyone's health arsenal, not just for chronic illness sufferers. With just a few minutes three times a week, the body's immune response can be boosted, cortisol levels can become balanced and stress will melt away with the sweat running down your body. People can even use this tool to get over viruses and infections  more timely and boost your immunity for infections...and this therapy has been found in some cases to affect and kill cancer cells.

   Of course, as with any treatments, be mindful of your body. You know your body best. With this therapy there is risk of heat exhaustion. Watch yourself for light headedness or dizziness or clammy skin ( you will be sweating, but it feels cold and clammy, get out immediately).

   Do yourself a favor and think of ways to incorporate this in your home, especially if your health conditions make it difficult for you to exercise! People even set this portable system in their bathtub and then remove it and store it in a closet. It's so versatile and easily one of the best ways to help your body to heal and function at the best level it can!

And Ill close this post with a word to my fellow Hashimotians: BE IN CHARGE OF YOUR OWN HEALTH! Read, read, read. Try a new avenue to a better you and although you aren't the person you used to be, you can become a better version on this new person you've become. Hashimoto's is a personalized, invisible illness. Become your own crusader---even if all you can do is be a crusader from the comfort of you bed at times, we've all been there!