Sometimes it seems like the biggest theme of this blog is me identifying different health issues in our family and dabbling in just about every diet known to man to try to fix them! There have been MANY moments when I have turned to my husband and said with pure exasperation, “Will I ever ARRIVE?? Will there ever be a moment when I can say with confidence that our family is in good health and I don’t have to CONTINUOUSLY research trying to get us there?!”
But let’s look at it a bit more rationally. Getting a family truly healthy in this day and age is a bear! We are 100+ years out from eating a chemical-free, naturally raised diet. We are THOUSANDS of years out from eating and living the way God truly designed us to.
Why is it so hard?
I hate to be a Debbie Downer. But we do need to see our situation clearly to understand why getting healthy is truly so difficult:
- Our food – Even after learning how to ferment, sprout, buy organic, use bones/organ meats, make everything from scratch, etc…our diet is still so lacking in nutrition! If you compare a head of broccoli now to one 2000 years ago, you would find that even our organically grown food contains only a microscopic amount of nutrition compared to the way God created it to be. There are farmers that are trying to turn this around. But only time will tell if enough will get on board to truly make a difference. (link)
- Our homes – With toxins filling everything surrounding us (like paints, clothing, makeup, toys, wood, linens, decor, personal care products, metals, etc)…it is overwhelming to think about what it would take to truly live in a toxin-free home. You would literally have to build your home from scratch and replace EVERYTHING in it! Not to even mention the extra arm and leg you would have to spend to get the toxin-free version of EVERYTHING! (link)
- Our world – But let’s say you get your food from a farmer that has transformed his soil into a nutrient-dense masterpiece…and you have learned everything there is to know about proper food preparation…and your kitchen is full of fermenting veggies and dairy… and your home was built from carefully selected, completely toxin-free supplies and furnished with furniture/clothes/toys/dishes/etc of the same quality…and you have invested in a home water filtration system and have multiple top-notch air purifiers throughout your home. You are truly living in a toxin-free paradise! But then you take a step outside…and suddenly your lungs are filled with the toxic air that fills the majority of our planet! (link)
Can you feel my frustration?
So, how does this help?
That was a very long venting session…thank you for letting me get that off my chest! So, to answer my first question, no…I don’t believe we will ever be as healthy as God intended us to be. There are just too many factors out of our control. But why say all of this? Why be the dreary raincloud over your day, a day that was probably bright and cheery before reading this post!
Recognizing the truth has helped me to get a more realistic expectation when it comes to my family’s health. I hope to get to the point that we have relatively healthy guts, are eating a basically toxin-free diet, and perhaps even build a home from mostly clean supplies. But from my research, in today’s health limiting times, truly healing a health condition is not always possible. I have heard HUNDREDS of testimonies that those with food sensitivities, allergies, autism, eczema, digestion issues, etc have been able to eliminate their symptoms by adjusting their diet. However, if they make a misstep it can cause their issue to quickly flare again.
I believe the main reason for this is our microbiome. (link) We often think that our “unfortunate genetics” are passed down via our DNA. But with the continuing research done on the human microbiome or gut, it has become clear that over 90% of our health tendencies come from the microbiome instead. When God created Adam and Eve, I have NO doubt that they had flawless guts without any negative tendencies. But then they sinned. Bummer, dude! (link)
All illnesses entered the world at that moment. It would make sense that every time a person damaged their gut in any way, it made a mark…which was then passed down and added to over many, many generations.
And it has only got worse
So now, we have VERY flawed guts. But more then that, we have hereditary tendencies. Think of it this way, the hereditary portion of our guts can basically be thought of as a row of light switches. For you, they might be labels: obesity, diabetes, and cancer. For me, it might be eczema, hair loss, and Alzheimer’s. But the good news is like I said earlier, these genes are found in our gut, not our DNA. If they were DNA-based, they would not be light switches, they would be notes written in permanent ink!
But, praise the Lord, no matter how bad your light switch labels are, THEY CAN BE TURNED OFF!
Thus far, all three of my children have entered the world with their “eczema” light switches turned on. But, I now know the truth that it doesn’t have to be a life-long struggle with no hope. All I need to do is find out what their body needs in order to turn off that switch! But don’t forget, if we return to an unhealthy life or have the need to consume some toxin-filled medication, that light switch can turn back on. There is no way to make the switch disappear, which is why we can never truly have a flaw-free gut.
Am a still sounding like a Johnny Raincloud? Let’s try this one more time…
Stay the course!
We have to accept the time period in which we live and fulfill our calling with all our might! God knows the obstacles we face and He will give us the grace to take care of our families. But no matter how many roadblocks we run into and how unending the road of research and detoxifying seems to be…stay the course! For if we do not stand our ground and fight for the health of our families, they don’t stand a chance in this increasingly toxin-filled society!
I have already done a lot of research, hit a lot of those road blocks, and had to re-motivate myself to push through MANY time. Check out these posts for a little more backstory:
- Learning to do my own research (link)
- Beginning to heal my older son, Daniel’s, eczema (link)
- More on Daniel’s eczema (link)
- Being your own doctor (link)
So where are we now? Well, if you just looked through those backstory links, I want to let you know that we ended up taking Daniel through a strict elimination diet called Vital Plan (link) but without any of the supplements. We identified what foods were bothering him, kept them out of his diet while we were intentionally healing his gut, and have successfully returned them all while keeping him ECZEMA-FREE! Praise the Lord!
But more recently, I would encourage you to read the post on the birth story of my 12-pound baby (link). You will see that there are some health issues that have recently come up. I am overweight, had difficulty keeping my insulin low during the end of my pregnancy, and my newborn, Charlie, has eczema. A change was needed…so the research began.
Introducing: a Keto family!
We decided to start this diet for many reasons. I will go into more depth in my next post. Let’s just suffice it to say, I have already lost 25 pounds in the first 2 months! Although it is too soon to see a difference in Charlie’s skin, my milk supply is better than ever, so at least I know that all of the wonderful nutrients I am taking in are getting passed along! I don’t want to count my chickens before they are hatched, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I am hoping this is a path we can stay on for a while.
I have so much more to share and can’t wait to continue on this health-finding journey with you!
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