Testing Prevention

     Successful prevention is hard to measure. However there are occasions when you accidentally test your process. I have Celiac Disease. I have made diligent efforts to maintain a gluten free lifestyle for 9 years. I would suffer occasionally for accidental cross contamination. The results of ingesting the smallest speck of bread or drop of soy sauce was intense pain and food poisoning like symptoms. Not pleasant at all. Side note; I am very glad my response to gluten is not deadly. However when you are unable to leave the bathroom for more than 20 minutes it makes it hard to work, be a mom, and in general a functioning human. For those who think this Gluten Free thing is a fad, rest assured it is not. However there may be hope for reducing ones symptoms of accidental consuming of gluten.

     Often we must go back to move forward. December 20, 2011 I am sitting at my new desk in my new office at my new job. It is day 10 and everything is still very new. Everything is just as I had hoped it would be when I graduated collage at age 44. My cell phone rang. I had had the breast tissue biopsy the previous Friday. And was expecting the results that day, and fully expecting them to be part of that 80% that results in is benign. I heard the words from Dr. Maxwell. “I have your results and I’m sorry to tell you, you have cancer.” As any survivor will tell you they don't recall much of what was said after that. I do recall Dr. Maxwell saying “We have a great team they will take good care of you. You will be ok.” 

     Shortly after that day I started to learn about my treatment plan, side effects and what I should do to give myself the best possible outcome. I was quick to learn one component that I had supreme control over was nutrition. What I eat. Oh goody I was already the food police of my family reading all the labels, researching unfamiliar ingredients. Now I needed to toss out all my conventional knowledge about food and ignore the government recommended nutritional guidelines. What I have learned about that quagmire of data is a long story for another time.

        Let us go forward a little bit. Mid November 2012 ago when I was exhausted and crazy sick my friend Donna Foster invited me, again, to learn about a whole food product that she and her family use. It had helped her son stay healthy and maintain perfect attendance in elementary school. I had discovered by reading the results of cancer research that nutrition from whole foods is better than consuming individual nutrients. But was overwhelmed with trying to consume 10-15 cups of fresh, organic, local, raw produce.

     I arrive at the meeting location a hot mess, I had lost my job, I had just brought my mom home from a 10 day hospital stay for a sepsis infection, and I had had ear surgery in October, was still healing from radiation treatments. To state that I was a hot mess is understated.  The speaker, Stacy Joy, is a holistic nurse that was silly crazy about the 12,000 nutrients found in an apple. She was talking about nutrient synergy and anti-oxidants and DNA switches. I was familiar with the terms she was using, they are the same terms and definitions used in cancer prevention and post treatment healing research. Stacy and Donna both said that taking all three fruit, vegetables and whole grain blends of Juice Plus would help me bridge the gap on the volume of whole food nutrients I was consuming. My package arrived a few weeks later, red, green and purple for me and red and green for TJ, his were free.

     Go forward again. June 2014 TJ encourages me to learn more about the Celiac Disease Study at Advance Clinical Research. There are many parts and markers to see if you can participate in a medical clinical trial. I shan’t bore you with the details. One component that is important to this this story is the Upper Endoscopy with biopsy to detriment the current level of damage to the lining of my stomach. This is the same procedure used to diagnose Celiac Disease.  Results are that I do not have enough damage to go forward in the clinical trial. I am happy sad, my stomach lining is healing. Happy that I am healing, sad that my participation in the clinical trial has ended.

     Coming around to now. September 18, 2014 I am at a Boy Scout Camp in McCall Idaho. It is a special place and a special time. Scouting youth teaching components of the outdoor experience on a Wood Badge Course. That is a story for another time. Others are preparing my food, ALWAYS huge risk! I have backup safe food, I always have back up food. I visit with the man in charge of breakfast, we do a rundown of the components of the breakfast casserole. I feel comfortable that it is safe for me and TJ to eat. I get breakfast first, on the third bite I look again at the golden brown cheesy yumminess….there in all its loveliness is a layer of tasty flaky goodness….bread. Oh goodness…I this could be very bad. I have not consumed that much regular bread in 9 years. I stop eating and go for my back up stash. Informing TJ that we are enjoying our preparedness.

     I am happy to share with you that, the rest of the day the others that prepared food for me and TJ were prepared, knowledgeable and accommodating. The amazing result of my gluten consumption, I had some minor discomfort and extra gas. A FAR, FARAWAY different response than just a few months ago. I am amazingly grateful for the knowledge that my efforts to eat enough nutrients to heal my body are working.

     This is not a sales pitch. This is me expressing gratitude for confirmation that hard work and diligence provides desired outcomes. If you want to know more about Juice Plus and how it may help your prevention program please contact me.