A Dose of Health

They’re gone! It’s been about 2 weeks since I had a hot flash!

There’s one other weapon in my fighting hot flash arsenal that I added to my routine since my last hot flash update . That wonderful weapon is Wheat Grass. No, not the real, freshly ground, taste like lawn clippings wheat grass (I have a hard time finding a steady supply in my area).

I chose to use the substitute and bought wheat grass tablets. The ones I used were made by Pines. I chose that brand because I liked their ingredient list. It contained 98% wheat grass, 1.5% silica and 0.5% magnesium stearate. The other brands were 95% or less wheat grass and had a few too many ingredients for me.

Pill Popping to Extinguish the Flashes

Not being a stranger to wheat grass, I knew that it had the power to provide the final knock out blow to the already weakened hot flashes. After a couple of days of adding wheat grass to the mix, the hot flashes disappeared.

I can’t say that the wheat grass was absolutely necessary to get rid of the hot flashes, but it sure didn’t hurt. In addition to getting rid of the hot flashes, it also got rid of a bunch of other stuff (I won’t be gauche, so I’ll just say that my system is rather clean).

Family Pill Popping

Wheat grass in pill form is a lot easier to consume. My family would run for the hills when they used to hear the squeaking grinding sound of my juicer masticating the fresh wheat grass blades. They also couldn’t stand the smell, much less attempt to swallow a shot of it. With the pills, they swallow them and don’t complain. Anything is better than drinking fresh what grass (or so they think).

Anyway, if you are suffering from hot flashes and are looking for a way to get rid of them, give it a try. If it worked for me, I would think it would work for you. No longer do I run around the house saying, “Is it hot in here, or is it just me?”

In 2006 I had my first confrontation with hot flashes. At first I didn’t know what the heck was going on. It couldn’t have been hot flashes, I was way too young (or so I thought).

After coming to the shocking realization that I was actually having hot flashes, I started doing some research on how to fight the dreaded condition. My research brought me to the wonderful green drink Green Vibrance. For the past 10 years Green Vibrance and I have been enjoying an on again off again relationship. It’s on when I remember to drink it and off when I forget.

All it takes is a couple of hot flashes to remind me that I’ve not taken my Green Vibrance in the past week or so.

Hot Flash Round 2

Now, years later, I’ve gotten very lax in a number of areas in my life. Not only have I been forgetting to drink my Green Vibrance, I’ve taken to eating really, really bad foods. I noticed that more and more processed foods have crept into my diet; a little pasta here, a slice of cake there.

In addition to my dietary slip ups, I’ve been spending too much time in front of the computer and not getting any exercise. Although I still fit in my clothes, I usually have to slather a generous portion of lotions and oils in order to slide into them. Apparel with buttons and zippers are a thing of the past, everything has elastic waists and pull over tops (no sense in inadvertently injuring someone with a high velocity button flying off of my shirt).

To top it all off, I felt horrible. For the first time in my life I looked at my hubby and said, “I feel old.” My knees hurt, my back hurt, I felt out of shape and just plain bad (probably because I hadn’t been to the chiropractor in months).

Breeding Ground for Flashes

My decline into ill health is all those pesky little hot flashes needed to grab a hold of me again. One night when I least suspected it, I was rudely awakened. I thought the thermostat for the furnace was malfunctioning. I was awakened by intense heat only to realize that it was my internal furnace that was in overdrive. Of course, to compensate for the extreme heat, my body let the floodgates of sweat flow. I was hot and drenched! Not a pretty sight.

After enduring these beastly hot flashes every hour on the hour for a day or so I realized that I had to take control again. It’s now 10 years later, I’m in the worst shape of my life. To top it off, I’ve got to find the strength to put up a good fight if I want to beat these hot flashes.

Strategy for Fighting Hot Flashes

Immediately, I went to the health store and purchased my beloved Green Vibrance. I started taking it twice a day instead of the recommended one time a day.

Expecting to feel the results in the usual 4 to 5 days, imagine my surprise when all I did was reduce the frequency (and the intensity), but they didn’t stop.

Round 2:

Now I had to up the ante. I cut out the processed stuff. If the food was not grown from the ground or if it didn’t have a Mom and Dad, then I wasn’t eating it. I know for a fact that a Twinkie doesn’t have a Mom or a Dad and sure as shootin’ wasn’t grown from the ground.

I was back to eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken. It’s amazing how within the first week of modifying my diet, I lost a few pounds. Losing the initial weight is just what I needed to make my knees stop hurting. I think they were angry because they had additional weight to carry.

Round 3

With my knees no longer angry, I was able to begin an exercise program; nothing too strenuous (at first), just walking a few miles a day. The winter storms did much to create a homemade gym. Between cutting tree branches, raking and cleaning up the debris, I was getting a very productive workout.

Turning Down the Thermostat

By making the above changes, I’ve noticed a drastic decrease in my hot flashes. As a matter of fact, its only 3 weeks into my dietary/exercise changes and the flashes have not only reduced in frequency (maybe one a day), but the intensity has also decreased. No longer do I get those warning tingles before the furnace dials itself to the max.

At this point in the game, the hot flashes are infrequent and mild. I’m sticking with my program until they’re totally gone (and I know they will be gone). After all, I went several years without having to suffer with them, why start now.

Hot flashes, when you stop to think of it, are really my friend. They’re my not so subtle reminder that it’s time to get back into health.

As I watched the Oprah show and saw 85 year old billionaire, David Murdoch, go to Costco to purchase his fruits and vegetables for juicing, it brought to mind the question,”Should he be juicing non organic vegetables?”  By the way, I can’t be sure but it sure looks like he uses the Jack LaLanne Juicer to me.

Now, I didn’t know if the Costco trip was for the benefit of us ‘everyday’ folk or whether or not he always buys his fruits and veggies at Costco.  I’m not a Costco shopper, but I didn’t think he was placing organic fruit in his shopping cart.

Organic or Non Organic Juicing

It’s been my practice to juice organic fruits and vegetables if I am going to go through the trouble of juicing.  However, if my funds are low and I purchase non organic produce which are not juiced but are relegated to normal eating and cooking.  Juicing to me is like ‘mainlining’ vegetables, where as eating and cooking them is not.  If I’m going to mainline, I’d prefer to have the purest most nutritional dose of my veggie of choice.

Non Organic Juicing Hesitation

The major reason for my hesitation to juice non organic produce is that I don’t want to mainline toxic pesticides directly into my system.  The fact that non organic vegetables are usually grown in less nutrient rich soil is another factor, but the presence of toxins is my primary reason for using organic rather non organic.

Getting rid of the Toxin Concern

I read on one site that removing the outer skin of non organic vegetables severely cuts down on the presence of toxins.  The only problem it also severely cuts down on the presence of nutrients too.

Other sites recommend washing the fruits and vegetables in a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide , followed by a washing with vinegar and water and rinse.  This process purportedly removes  most of the bacteria and toxins.

My Thought Process

As I write this there are pears, apples and oranges sitting in my fruit bowl, that will go bad over the next few days if not eaten (my family loves fruit when it first comes in the house, but after day 2 or 3 the fruit becomes invisible and they no longer see it in the fruit bowl).  So, to prevent the fruit from going bad, I’d prefer to juice it.

After combing the internet I think I’m going to use a combination of both organic and non organic produce for juicing.  The organic greenery (that I like to juice to mask the taste of wheatgrass) will be 100% organic.  The other fruits and veggies that I usually cook or nibble on throughout the day, will be organic when money permits, and non organic otherwise. I’ll apply the pesticide removal methods a outlined above and juice the produce if I find that they’re about to hang around too long (juice them before they go bad).

When I stop to think about it, no one is ever really 100% sure of what’s on store bought produce (organic or not).  After all, some organic vegetables have traces of pesticides and bacteria.  I guess the only way to be sure is to grow it myself (not going to happen anytime soon). Oh, and as for David Murdoch from the Oprah show…he’s 85 years old and going strong.  If he’s using non organic fruit, I guess it can’t be all that bad.

How do you tackle the organic vs non organic produce quandary?